NATIVE WILD FLOWERS 



On dry rocky hills we find the Box-leaved Wintergreen 

 or Bearberry (Arctostapliylos Uva-ursi Spreng.), which 

 clothes the dry rocky and gravelly hills all through the 

 continent of North America, is found far to the north, 

 even in barren Labrador, and on the rocky slopes of the 

 far-off Hudson's Bay. It abounds far north in Norway, 

 and clothes the ground with its spreading branches. As 

 winter approaches the dark green leaves assume a purplish- 

 bronze hue, which is enlivened by the bright red berries. 

 These pretty evergreens might be adopted as a substitute 

 for the holly by such as care to keep up the old custom of 

 dressing the house with green boughs at Christmas-tide 

 in honor of the birthday of the Saviour. Might not the 

 primitive Christians have intended by these emblems to 

 keep faith, hope and charity ever green within the church 

 and homestead. 



A deeper meaning often lies in the old usages of our 

 forefathers than we are willing to acknowledge in this 

 our day of cotton-spinning and gold-digging, railroads and 

 electric telegraphs. 



RATTLESNAKE ROOT Nabalus albus (Hook.). 



This tall stately-growing plant belongs to the same 

 natural order as the Lettuce, and, like it, abounds in a 

 bitter milky juice which pervades the thick spindle-shaped 

 root, the leaves and stem, even to the pedicels of the grace- 

 ful nodding pendent flowers. 



The plant, applied both externally and internally, has 

 long had the reputation of being an antidote for the bite of 

 the Rattlesnake. 



The slender ligulate corollas which surround the cin- 

 namon-colored pappus are beautifully striped with purple 

 and creamy white; the pointed tips are turned backwards 



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