Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 55 



SOLOMON'S SEAL (Polygonatum biflorum) has 

 small greenish, bell-shaped flowers about one-half 

 inch in length, hanging in pairs on slender peduncles 

 from the axils of the leaves. The stem is 1 to 2 feet 

 in height. The oblong-lanceolate leaves alternate 

 along, and are partly seated on, the stem; deep green 

 above and glaucus or whitish below. Very common 

 in woods from N. B. to Ont. and southwards, flower- 

 ing from April to June. 



GREAT SOLOMON'S SEAL (P. commutatum) is 

 much larger, the flowers often measuring an inch in 

 length, and from two to eight in each cluster from 

 the axils of the leaves. The stem is stout and from 

 2 to 6 feet long. Found from western N. E. to Minn, 

 and southwards. 



These plants receive their names from the thick, 

 fleshy and knotted rootstalks. They are perennials 

 and each year throw up new stalks; after flowering 

 these wither away and leave pronounced scars 

 on the roots. These scars suggested the name of 

 Solomon's Seal and the number of them will prob- 

 ably accurately denote the ages of the plants. Both 

 the large and the small species grow in the same lo- 

 calities. They can readily be distinguished by com- 

 parison, for commutatum is always larger in all its 

 parts; while it may be but a foot and a half tall it 

 will be stouter and have comparatively larger flowers 

 than its relative. Often it assumes truly gigantic size 

 and may tower above a tall man's head. 



Viewed from above the pendant blossoms are very 

 inconspicuous, but if we look beneath the spreading 

 leaves a row of flowers will be seen drooping from 

 the axils of most of the leaves, in pairs on the spe- 

 cies biflorum, but usually more on the larger species. 

 Again the large variety is always smooth in all its 

 parts while biflorum is usually downy or hairy. In 

 the Fall the flowers are replaced by pairs of round 

 bluish black berries. 



