Jftftrsummer JTlotoers atrti Vofces. 287 



beckia hirta, the orange-daisy of the fields, 

 would be desirable were it not so common a 

 weed ; R. nitida, a taller-growing plant, is one 

 of the best of its class. 



Much resembling some of the perennial sun- 

 flowers is Silphtum perfoliatum, one of the sev- 

 eral coarse, tall-growing rosin-plants, flowering 

 in July and August. It has huge leaves, great 

 clusters of large lemon-yellow flowers, and grows 

 seven to ten feet high. The most remarkable of 

 the genus is S. lacintatum, the compass-plant of 

 the prairies, which is said to have the peculiarity 

 of turning the edges of its lower leaves north 

 and south, but this is not noticed in cultivation. 

 This grows from eight to twelve feet high, hav- 

 ing large yellow flowers and immense leaves. 

 Other species are astericus, integrtfoltum, tri- 

 foliatum, terebinthtnaceum, and asperrimum, 

 all with yellow flowers, and albifiorum, with 

 white flowers. The proper place for most of 

 the Silphtums is the rear garden, or the edge of 

 a distant shrubbery, in masses. The Heleniums 

 are tall-growing plants, with large yellow or 

 orange flowers, similar to Rudbeckia. H. au- 

 tumnale, the most common of the genus, is a 

 conspicuous plant, growing from two to three 

 feet high. H. Hoopesi is a coarse plant, grow- 

 ing three to four feet high, flowering in August 



