WHITE 



Steinbrech stonebreak the Germans appropriately entitle this 

 little plant, which bursts into bloom from the minute clefts in the 

 rocks and which has been supposed to cause their disintegration 

 by its growth. The generic and common names are from saxum 

 a rock, zxi&frango to break. 



MITRE-WORT. BISHOP'S CAP. 



Mitella diphylla. Saxifrage Family. 



Stem. Six to twelve inches high, hairy, bearing two opposite leaves. 

 Leaves. Heart-shaped, lobed and toothed, those of the stem opposite and 

 nearly sessile. Flowers. White, small, in a slender raceme. Calyx. 

 Short, five-cleft. Corolla. Of five slender petals which are deeply incised. 

 Stamens. Ten, short. Pistil. One, with two styles. 



The mitre-wort resembles the foam flower in foliage, but 

 bears its delicate crystal-like flowers in a more slender raceme. 

 It also is found in the rich woods, blossoming somewhat later. 



INDIAN POKE. FALSE HELLEBORE. 



Veratrum viride. Lily Family. 



Root. Poisonous, coarse and fibrous. Stem. Stout, two to seven feet 

 high, very leafy to the top. Leaves. Broadly oval, pointed, clasping. 

 Flowers. Dull greenish, inconspicuous, clustered. Perianth. Of six 

 spreading sepals. Stamens. Six. Pistil. One, with three styles. 



When we go to the swampy woods in March or April we 

 notice an array of green, solid-looking spears which have just ap- 

 peared above the ground. If we handle one of these we are im- 

 pressed with its firmness and rigidity. When the increasing 

 warmth and sunshine have tempted the veiny, many-plaited 

 leaves of the false hellebore to unfold themselves it is difficult to 

 realize that they composed that sturdy tool which so effectively 

 tunnelled its way upward to the earth's surface. The tall stems 

 and large bright leaves of this plant are very noticeable in the 

 early year, forming conspicuous masses of foliage while the trees 

 and shrubs are still almost leafless. The dingy flowers which 

 appear later rarely attract attention. 



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