Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 209 



ROCKROSE FAMILY (Cistaceae). 



A small family of small shrubs or herbs, having 

 regular flowers with three or five petals and five 

 sepals, the two external ones being small and bract- 

 like. 



FROSTWEED; ROCKROSE (Helianthemum can- 

 adense). This little perennial is very remarkable 

 and unique, because late in autumn, crystals of ice 

 form about the cracked bark of the root. It is also 

 remarkable for the fact that it has two sets of flow- 

 ers, the first ones in June and later ones in July or 

 August. The first flowers are large and solitary, 

 about one inch across, with five showy yellow petals; 

 these are very delicate and the petals soon fall. 



Continuing its growth the plant developes several 

 short branches near the top, on each of which will 

 appear from one to four smaller flowers, some with 

 yellow petals and some without any. 



The leaves are small, oblong-lanceolate, hoary with 

 white hairs on the under side, alternating along the 

 stem that rises from 10 to 18 inches high. Both 

 the early and late flowers are fertile, the seed pods 

 of the former are about a quarter inch long, those of 

 the latter, less than half as long. Frostweed grows 

 in sandy, dry soil from Me. to Minn, and southwards. 



HUDSONIA (Hudsonia tomentosa) is a low branch- 

 ing, little shrub rising only 5 or 10 inches above 

 ground. Its branching stems are closely crowded 

 with tiny, scale-like, oval leaves about one-half inch 

 long. These are set as closely about the stem as pos- 

 sible and hug closely to it, instead of spreading. 



The small, yellow flowers that are crowded along 

 the ends of the branches, open only in sunshine; the 

 five tiny yellow petals surround numerous stamens 

 and a long, slender style. Hudsonia is found on sandy 

 shores from N. B. to Va. and along the Great Lakes. 



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