WHITE 



MAY-APPLE. MANDRAKE. 



Podophylhim peltatum. Barberry Family. 



Flowering-stem. Two-leaved, one-flowered. Flowerless-stems. Ter- 

 minated by one large, rounded, much-lobed leaf. Leaves (of flowering- 

 stems). One-sided, five to nine-lobed, the lobes oblong, the leaf-stalks 

 fastened to their lower side near the inner edge. Flower. White, large, 

 nodding from the fork made by the two leaves. Calyx. Of six early-falling 

 sepals. Corolla. Of six to nine rounded petals. Stamens. Twice as many 

 as the petals. Pistil. One, with a large, thick stigma set close to the 

 ovary. Fruit. A large, fleshy, egg-shaped berry, sweet and edible. 



" The umbrellas are out ! " cry the children, when the great 

 green leaves of the May-apple first unfold themselves in spring. 

 These curious-looking leaves at once betray the hiding-place of 

 the pretty but unpleasantly odoriferous flower which nods be- 

 neath them. They lie thickly along the woods and meadows in 

 many parts of the country, arresting one's attention by the 

 railways. The fruit, which ripens in July, has been given the 

 name of " wild lemon," in some places on account of its shape. 

 It was valued by the Indians for medicinal purposes, and its 

 mawkish flavor still seems to find favor with the children, 

 notwithstanding its frequently unpleasant after-effects. The 

 leaves and roots are poisonous if taken internally, and are said 

 to have been used as a pot herb, with fatal results. They yield 

 an extract which has been utilized in medicine. 



TWIN-LEAF. RHEUMATISM-ROOT. 



Jeffersonia diphylla. Barberry Family. 



A low plant. Leaves. From the root, long-stalked, parted into two 

 rounded leaflets. Scape. One-flowered. Flower. White, one inch broad. 

 Sepals. Four, falling early. Petals. Eight ; flat, oblong. Stamens. 

 Eight. Pistil. One, with a two-lobed stigma. 



The twin-leaf is often found growing with the blood-root in 

 the woods of April or May. It abounds somewhat west and 

 southward. 



HARBINGER-OF-SPRING. 

 Erigenia bulbosa. Parsley Family (p. 15). 



Stem. Three to nine inches high, from a deep round tuber. Leaves. 

 One or two, divided into linear-oblong leaf-segments. Flowers. White, 

 small, few, in a leafy-bracted compound umbel. 



The pretty little harbinger-of-spring should be easily identi- 

 fied by those who are fortunate enough to find it, for it is one of 



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