RED OR REDDISH PURPLE 11 



WILD SPIKENARD 



Vagnera racemosa. Smilacina racemosa 

 Lily-of-the-Valley Family 



Fruit. — The berries grow in a long racemose 

 cluster at the terminus of the leafy, unbranched 

 stem. They are globular, and when fully ripe, 

 in late September, are translucent and a dull 

 red in color. Before this, they present a pecul- 

 iarly speckled appearance, being whitish, with 

 many red dots and splashes. The flesh is thin. 

 While the ovary is three-celled, with two ovules 

 in each, the developed berry contains but one or 

 two large seeds. The fruits have an aromatic 

 flavor. September. 



Leaves. — The leaves are alternate, nearly 

 stemless, and have tiny hairs along the entire 

 wavy margins. Each is oval-lanceolate, with 

 a long, tapering point. They are so arranged 

 along the stem that the plane of the upper sur- 

 face is nearly parallel with the drooping stem, 

 thus exposing it most advantageously to the 

 light. 



Flowers. — The small, white, six-parted flowers 

 grow in terminal, pyramidal clusters. May, July. 



