70 PLANTS GROWING IN MUD. 



large flowers of our plant can be seen, it is often difficult of ap- 

 proach. Positive terror seizes hold of the timorous, and their 

 ardour for it is often tossed in the balance with the fear of 

 snakes. Once plucked, it fades quickly, closes its petals and 

 droops its head as though in sorrow at the loss of its own en- 

 vironment. 



Growing side by side with the rose mallow will often be 

 found its white sister, whose centre is a deep crimson and whose 

 stem is highly coloured. It is a common error to call these plants 

 " marsh-mallow," which is properly, Althcza officinalis^ and which 

 grows in the borders of salt marshes on the Eastern coast. It 

 is a much more rare plant than the rose mallow and is possessed 

 of medicinal properties. From its mucilaginous substance 

 the famous confection of marsh-mallow is made. 



SEA LAVENDER. HARSH ROSEMARY. 



LimSnium CaroliiiiaJiuin. 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Leadwori. Lavender. Fragrant. Along the coast. August, September. 



Flowers : tiny; growing in panicles along one side of the branches. Calyx : 

 funnel-form; five-cleft. Corol/a : oi five petzls. Stamens : ^ve. Pistil : one, 

 with three, or five styles. Root-leaves : lanceolate, tapering into a petiole ; 

 thick. Stetn : naked ; much branched at the summit. 



Where winds off the sea blow gaily 



And playfully kiss the land, 

 Marsh rosemary sways and trembles 



And nods to the pallid sand. 



The corolla of this little flower, which en masse suggests the 

 filmy sea-spray, dries and remains bright throughout the 

 winter. It is highly prized for bouquets and used by thrifty 

 housewives to frighten away moths. About Shelter Island and 

 Sag Harbor it tints the coast with its delicate bloom. 



BUCKBEAN. {Plate XXX.) 

 Menydnthes trifoliata. 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Buckbean. Whiie^ or reddish. Scentless. Mostly north. May, June. 



Flowers : growing along a scape of about one foot high. Calyx : small ; five- 

 parted. Corolla : gamopetalous ; five-cleft ; the upper surface covered with a 



