WHITE 



or from the peat-bogs where they thrive best ; or perhaps they 

 spire upward from among the dark green rushes which border 

 some lonely mountain lake. Like the yellow fringed orchis (PL 

 LII), which they greatly resemble in general structure, they may 

 be sought in vain for many seasons and then will be discovered 

 one midsummer day lavishing their spotless loveliness upon some 

 unsuspected marsh which has chanced to escape our vigilance. 



RATTLESNAKE-PLANTAIN. 



Goody era pubescens. Orchis Family (p. 17). 



Scape. Six to twelve inches high. Leaves. From the root in a sort of 

 flat rosette ; conspicuously veined with white ; thickish, evergreen. Flowers. 

 Small, greenish-white, crowded in a close spike. 



The flowers of the rattlesnake-plantain appear in late sum- 

 mer and are less conspicuous than the prettily tufted, white- 

 veined leaves which may be found in the rich woods throughout 

 the year. The plant has been reputed an infallible cure for 

 hydrophobia and snake-bites. It is said that the Indians had 

 such faith in its remedial virtues that they would allow a snake 

 to drive its fangs into them for a small sum, if they had these 

 leaves on hand to apply to the wound. 



COMMON YARROW. MILFOIL. 



Achillea Millefolium* Composite Family (p. 13). 



( Stem. Simple at first, often branching near the summit. Leaves. 

 Divided into finely toothed segments. Flower 'heads. White, occasionally 

 pink, clustered, small, made up of both ray and disk-flowers. 



This is one of our most frequent roadside weeds, blossoming 

 throughout the summer and late into the autumn. Tradition claims 

 that it was used by Achilles to cure the wounds of his soldiers, 

 and the genus is named after that mighty hero. It still forms 

 one of the ingredients of an ointment valued by the Scotch High- 

 landers. The early English botanists called the plant "nose- 

 bleed," " because the leaves being put into the nose caused it to 

 bleed ; " and Gerarde writes that " Most men say that the leaves 

 chewed, and especially greene, are a remedie for the toothache." 



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