BLACK OR DARK PURPLE 157 



HAIRY SOLOMON'S SEAL 

 Polygonatum biflorum Lily-of-the- Valley Family 



Fruit. — The berry is nearly black, with a 

 bloom. It is pulpy, three-celled, with one or 

 two seeds in each cell. The stigma is at the 

 summit. The berries grow on slender, drooping 

 stems from the axils, and are solitary, or two in 

 a cluster, rarely three. August, September. 



Leaves. — The light green leaves are oblong- 

 ovate, alternate, and sessile. They are parallel- 

 ridged and acute at the apex. The under 

 surface is whiter and hairy. 



Floioers. — The pale green flowers look like 

 tassels hanging in drooping clusters of from one 

 to three flowers from the leaf axils. May. 



The scars left on the thick horizontal root- 

 stocks, where the stalks of preceding years grew, 

 give rise to this plant's common name, Solo- 

 mon's Seal. These marks, which are indicative 

 of the age of the root, are somewhat like the 

 impression of a wax seal. This is a graceful, 

 low, wood plant, with a curving stem and droop- 

 ing flower and fruit clusters. 



