pink WILD FLOWERS 



flowers usually burst into bloom before their foliage 

 expands, they are particularly conspicuous and win- 

 some. At this time, they also possess a peculiar 

 attraction for small boys, who eagerly seek a singular 

 edible pulpy growth, known to them as the May- 

 Apple, which is found hanging among the fragrant 

 flowers. Years ago this juicy, pale green morsel 

 was supposed to have been caused by insects, but 

 it is now believed to be a modified bud. The Wild 

 Azalea grows from two to six feet high, and branches 

 at the summit. The stalk is leafy, smooth, and 

 woody fibred. The thin, oval leaves taper toward 

 either end, and are set alternately or in clusters on 

 the stalk. They are toothless, and short- stemmed, 

 and their margins are finely haired. The colour is 

 a lovely, soft, golden yellow-green. The large, tubu- 

 lar flower has five long-pointed, widely spreading 

 divisions, each of which is creased from the throat 

 to the tip. The pistil and five pink stamens extend 

 far beyond the corolla. They are noticeably curved, 

 and unusually long and slender. The flowers vary 

 from pink or purple to flesh colour, or nearly white. 

 The long, narrow tube is covered with fine hairs, 

 and is set in a very small, five-parted calyx. Several 

 flowers on short, green stems are gathered in 

 showy, round-topped clusters on the ends of the 

 flaring, angular branches. The Pink Azalea is 

 found in dry, open, sandy, or moist, rocky woods 

 and thickets, from Maine to Illinois, and southward 

 to Florida and Texas. The Azalea is the national 



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