WHITE AND GREENISH WILD FLOWERS 



A smaller species, C. alpina, has thin, somewhat 

 shining leaves which are acutely pointed, slender- 

 stemmed, coarsely toothed and, at the base, somewhat 

 heart-shaped. The flowers are an inch broad and 

 the long, oval seed case is covered with soft, hooked 

 hairs. It is found in cool, moist woods from Labrador 

 and Alaska southward to Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, 

 and Minnesota. Also in Europe and Asia. It is 

 found in blossom from July to September. 



AMERICAN SPIKENARD. INDIAN ROOT. 

 SPIGNET 



Aralia racenibsa. Ginseng Family. 



The Spikenard is very apt to attract one's attention 

 in the autumn with its ripening clusters of dark purple 

 or reddish brown berries. The large, thick, aromatic 

 roots of this species have an odour and taste resembling 

 that of the Wild Sarsaparilla, but are more spicy. 

 The roots of these two plants are well known and have 

 been used as a family remedy, chiefly in rheumatic and 

 skin affections, much in the same manner and dose as 

 genuine sarsaparilla. It grows from three to six feet 

 high, and is widely branched. The stalk is round and 

 blackish. The very large, compound leaf is slightly 

 downy and has three distinct parts, each of which 

 has several thin, broad, pointed-oval leaflets with 

 doubly toothed margins, heart-shaped bases, and 

 short stems. The numerous small, five-parted, greenish 

 white flowers are loosely arranged in small, round 

 clusters that form a large, curving terminal spike 



27 f 



