Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 155 



WILD STRAWBERRY (Fragraria virginiana). Any- 

 one not acquainted with the Strawberry in its wild 

 state has our sympathy for they have missed one 

 of the most luscious treats that Nature has provided. 

 We have, after years of cultivation, increased the 

 size of the berry many times, it is true, but this in- 

 crease in size has been largely at the expense of de- 

 terioration in flavor. I have yet to see the cultivat- 

 ed strawberry that is comparable to the wild one in 

 this respect. 



The hairy stems of both leaves and flowers rise di- 

 rectly from the running rootstalk. The flowers, sev- 

 eral of which grow on each stem, are wheel-shaped, 

 have five rounded white petals and narrow lanceolate 

 greenish sepals;- the center is occupied by a green 

 cone-like pistil and numerous stamens with small 

 yellow anthers. After the flowering season, the 

 green center expands, becomes pulpy and finally 

 turns red on the outer surface; the numerous seeds 

 are in little pits provided for them on the surface of 

 the berry. The weight of the berries causes the 

 slender peduncles to bend, while the flowers were 

 erect. 



The leaves are three-parted, each division being 

 spatulate and sharply toothed at the rounded end. 

 The Wild Strawberry is common in fields and pas- 

 tures throughout our range. 



..HIGH BUSH BLACKBERRY (Rubus alleghenien- 

 sis) is a tall branching shrub with slender brown 

 stems, from three to ten feet long, armed with stout, 

 slightly recurved prickles. It is from this species 

 that the well known variety was developed. The 

 leaves are divided into three to five ovate, pointed, 

 toothed leaflets with a ribbed and hairy surface. The 

 flowers have five green sepals alternating with the 

 narrow white petals. This species is common every- 

 where. 



