FLOWERS OF LATE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER 



291 



small, fragrant flowers, white with a tinting of the yellow stamens 

 characterizing the staminate, and in conspicuous white the pistillate 

 ones. It is quite dependent upon insects for cross-fertilization, the 

 staminate flowers growing on one plant and pistillate on another ; the 

 flower-cup nas six narrow separating white sepals. The pistillate 

 plant is more leafy. Fruit an oblong capsule." 



There are two species of this plant, the one shown here being the 

 C. luteum of Gray. He also describes the Southern one, C. obovale, 

 which, from all accounts, must be very similar. The first specimen 

 described was an imperfect, dwarfed one hence the name now re- 

 tained, which is a Greek one, meaning a ground lily! 



In the old and richer parts of the woods, it is no rare thing, in 

 almost any part of the country, to meet with that curious plant 

 known far and wide as Adam and Eve (Fig. 5). Gray retained the 

 name of Aplectrum hymale for this plant, while others have it 

 A. spicatum. There 

 seems to be but one 

 species of it, though 

 Rydberg has also de- 

 scribed A. shortii. 

 Gray says of it that 

 "the slender naked 

 roots tock produces 

 each year a globular, 

 solid bulb or corm, 

 often 2.5 cms. in di- 

 ameter (filled with 

 exceedingly glutinous 

 matter), which sends 

 up, late in summer, a 

 large, oval, many- 

 nerved, plaited leaf 

 lasting through the 

 winter ; early in the 

 succeeding summer 

 the scape appears, 

 terminated by a loose 

 raceme of lurid flow- 

 ers." 



During the early 

 part of the summer, 

 many mushrooms and 

 various allied growths 

 are to be met with in 

 the woods, and their 

 study is both interest- 

 ing and important. 

 Some of them are 

 edible and valuable as food, while others are extremely poisonous 

 and therefore dangerous. Many are gorgeously colored, and beauti- 

 ful in form, being growths of extreme delicacy in some instances. It 

 is very important to know them well, and to be able to identify 

 promptly and with certainty the edible species. There are some 

 excellent up-to-date books published on mushrooms, and those 

 who constantly study flowers ought to have such works in their 

 libraries. 



Earlier in the summer, in the very place where some of the flowers 

 described in the foregoing paragraphs were to be found, in greater 

 or less profusion, we also are greeted by thirty or more scattered 



A CURIOUS SPECIES OF THE LILY FAMILY 



Fig. 4. As here represented, the plant has been cut in 

 two near the middle of its stem; this admits of showing 

 the white flowers, stem, leaves and root. Sometimes it 

 grows to be four feet tall. 



spiderworts. Apparently they were of the 

 species generally described as Tradescantia 

 virginiana, the flowers of which are of a 

 rich purplish blue. They derive their name 

 from the elder Tradescant, gardener to 

 Charles the First of England so Doctor 

 Gray tells us ; it occurs in suitable localities 

 from Connecticut to South Carolina. The 

 long, narrow leaves are of a beautiful pea 



CURIOUSLY CHRISTENED "ADAM AND EVE" 



Fig. 5. It is also known as "Putty-root," as the corm is 

 tilled with a peculiar and exceedingly glutinous matter. 

 Aplectrum spicatum is its scientific name, for it has no 

 spur, as is the case with other Orchids. 



green, and the flowers are in clusters. The 

 spiderwort came from Europe, as have so 

 many others of our flowers, and they are now 

 found in a great many of our flower gardens. 

 It is related to the "wandering Jew" 

 ('/. repens), also long ago cultivated in a 

 similar manner, as well as indoors and in 

 other ways. Less nearly related is the com- 

 mon or Virginia day-flower (Commelina vir- 

 ginica), another blue beauty familiar to most 

 of us. As in the case of the last, our spider- 

 wort has its flowers open only during the 

 early part of the forenoon, after which they 

 fold their petals for the balance of the day ; 

 thus they thrive until late in August, some- 

 times. Bumblebees, such as Bombus penn- 

 sylvanicus and B. separatus are doubtless the 

 species responsible for the fertilization of 

 the spiderwort, they being lured by the 



