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the brook, may be found the bed devoted to the wood-sorrel 
family, often called sour-grass by children; several species 
are shown. Just to the left of the geranium family is 
the flax family, to which belongs the flax plant (Linum), 
from the fiber contained in the stem of which linen is made. 
Beyond this is the bed for the rue family; to this belong 
the common rue, of southern Europe, and the fraxinella; 
this family also includes the oranges and lemons, specimens 
of which may be found at conservatory range 2, and a very 
great number of tropical trees and shrubs, located at 
conservatory range 1, houses 3 and 4. The spurge family 
is in a bed just to the left of the flax family; the flowering 
spurge, from the eastern United States, and the cypress 
spurge, from Europe, but sometimes found wild in this 
country as an escaped plant, are both here. Along the 
edge of the brook, and opposite the spurge family, may be 
seen the water-starwort family, to which belong a number 
of small aquatic plants. About opposite this, and at the 
base of the rocky ridge to the right, is a representative 
of the box family, a Japanese relative, the terminal 
pachysandra; the true box (Buxus) is a shrub or small 
tree, native of Europe, and several races of it may be 
found at the fruticetum. A little to the right of the wood- 
sorrel family is the jewel-weed family, to which belong the 
common balsam of the gardens, and the plant so common 
along our brooks and other wet places, and known as 
jewel-weed, or touch-me-not. A little beyond this are 
three beds of the mallow family; the hollyhocks belong 
here, as do the mallows; the crimson-eye mallow and the 
swamp-rose mallow, both from North America, are showy 
representatives of this family; and the marsh mallow, a 
native of Europe and the Orient, is also shown; its root 
is used in the manufacture of a mucilage and for medicinal 
purposes. 
To the right of the mallows is the bed given over to the 
St. John’s-wort family. The rock-rose family comes next, 
a little farther on; here belong the rock-roses of Europe and 
