WHITE 



visitor, who straightway carries it off to another flower upon whose 

 protruding stigma it is sure to be inadvertently deposited. In 

 order to see the working of this for one's self, it is only necessary 

 to pick a fresh blossom and either brush the corolla quickly with 

 one's ringer, or touch the stamens suddenly with a pin, when 

 the anthers will be dislodged and the pollen will be seen to fly. 



This is not the laurel of the ancients the symbol of victory 

 and fame notwithstanding some resemblance in the form of the 

 leaves. The classic shrub is supposed to be identical with the 

 Laurus nobilis which was carried to our country by the early 

 colonists, but which did not thrive in its new environment. 



The leaves of our species are supposed to possess poisonous 

 qualities, and are said to have been used by the Indians for sui- 

 cidal purposes. There is also a popular belief that the flesh of a 

 partridge which has fed upon its fruit becomes poisonous. The 

 clammy exudation about the flower-stalks and blossoms may 

 serve the purpose of excluding from the flower such small insects 

 as would otherwise crawl up to it, dislodge the stamens, scatter 

 the pollen, and yet be unable to carry it to its proper destina- 

 tion on the pistil of another flower. 



The Kalmia was named by Linnaeus after Peter Kalm, one of 

 his pupils who travelled in this country, who was, perhaps, the 

 first to make known the shrub to his great master. 



The popular name spoonwood grew from its use by the Indi- 

 ans for making eating-utensils. The wood is of fine grain and 

 takes a good polish. 



The title calico-bush probably arose from the marking of the 

 corolla, which, to an imaginative mind, might suggest the cheap 

 cotton-prints sold in the shops. 



WHITE SWAMP HONEYSUCKLE. CLAMMY AZALEA. 



Rhododendron viscostun. Heath Family. 



A shrub from three to ten feet high. Leaves. Oblong. Flowers. 

 White, clustered, appearing after the leaves. Calyx-lobes. Minute. Co- 

 rolla. White, five-lobed, the clammy tube much longer than the lobes. 

 Stamens. Usually five, protruding. Pistil. One, protruding. 



The fragrant white flowers of this beautiful shrub appear in 

 early summer along the swamps which skirt the coast, and occa- 



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