398 Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 



foothold among tall rank weeds, such as wild sunflowers and the 

 like, and had attacked them so successfully that a large patch of 

 the plants had been killed out, and it appeared as if the area had 

 been blighted or frosted ; much of the dodder had ripened or nearly- 

 developed its fruit, while much was still in flower in September. 



This is the most conspicuous and handsome of the dodders; a 

 mass of the waxy white flowers almost as large as the fist or a heavy 

 rope-like spiral encircling the solid stem of the weed, like flowers 

 springing directly out of the trunk, is both odd and attractive. As 

 this dodder confines its attentions to wild weeds there is no likeli- 

 hood of its ever becoming a nuisance. 



Family 123. Polemoniace^e. Phlox Family 

 627. downy phlox 



PHLOX PILOSA L. 



Quite abundant in sandy places along the railroad, especially 

 some distance south of the birch swamp. The plants frequently 

 grow in such close pafches as to give the impression of flower beds. 

 Begins flowering in April. Noted in flower near the tama- 

 racks west of the lake May 22, 1901. Not so attractive nor fra- 

 grant as the wild blue phlox, but has a much longer flowering sea- 

 son, blooming more or less through summer until autumn. 



628. WILD BLUE PHLOX 



PHLOX DIVARICATA L. 



Scattered through woodlands, especially on the east side of the 

 lake back some distance from the shore. In flower northeast of 

 the lake in border of woods and in woodlands April 30, 1901, and 

 in Farrar's woods May 27. It continues blooming through May 

 and June. The blossoms have not the body nor firmness of some 

 of the other phloxes, but their delicate texture and faint fragrance 

 make them one of the best loved wild flowers of the state, where a 

 common name is sweet william. Although the flowers are usually 

 some shade of blue or purple, forms with pure white flowers 

 rarely occur; in such cases the whole plant is usually lighter in 

 color. Easily transplanted and often found in dooryards and wild 

 gardens. 



In addition to the flower-bearing plant there are sterile ones 

 with broad leaves, so unlike the narrow-leaved flower-bearing 

 plants that they are hardly recognizable. 



