THE ARROW HEAD. 



(JSagittaria lati folia.) 



In all places then, and in all seasons, 



Flowers expand their light and soul-like wings, 

 Teaching us, by most persuasive reasons, 



How akin they are to human things. 



— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 



The Arrow Head is one of our most 

 familiar plants, quite as well known be- 

 cause of its beautiful arrow-shaped leaves 

 as for its showy white flowers. It is in- 

 teresting and conspicuous among the 

 rushes and sedges that abound in the 

 sluggish waters that border lakes and 

 streams. It mrust have sunshine and well 

 illustrates the words of Thoreau : ''Riv- 

 ers and lakes are the great protectors of 

 plants against the aggressions of the for- 

 est, by their annual rise and fall, keeping- 

 open a narrow strip where these more 

 delicate plants have light and space in 

 which to grow." 



There are about twenty-five species of 

 the genus Sagittaria, to which the plant 

 of our illustration belongs. These in- 

 habit both temperate and tropical regions. 

 The generic name is from the Latin word 

 sagitta, meaning an arrow, and referring, 

 as does the common name, to the shape 

 of the leaf. When the Arrow Head 

 grows in water leaves are produced under 



water that do not have the arrow shape. 

 These are not produced on those plants 

 that grow on wet, muddy banks. 



Two kinds of flowers are produced by 

 this plant — the male and the female. The 

 male flowers are the large white ones 

 with a golden center formed by the group 

 of yellow stamens. The female flowers 

 are lower on the flower stalk and are dull 

 green and unattractive. This arrange- 

 ment of the flowers is nature's provision 

 for preventing self-fertilization. The in- 

 sects that visit these flowers naturally 

 first alight on the more brilliant stami- 

 nate flowers, and the pollen, adhering to 

 their bodies, is later transferred to the 

 seed producing flowers when the in- 

 sects visit them. Though the two flowers 

 are usually upon the same plant, they are 

 sometimes developed on distinct plants. 

 The Arrow Head beautifies the swampy 

 regions of North America from Mexico 

 northward. 



THE BLACK COHOSH. 



{Cimicifuga racemosa.) 



The Black Cohosh, or Black Snake- 

 root, grows in rich woods from Canada 

 nearly to the Gulf of Mexico. It is a 

 conspicuous plant, with its long stem, 

 which sometimes grows to a height of 

 eight feet, and its large compound leaves, 

 as well as with its long raceme of nu- 

 merous small white flowers. This raceme 

 during the ripening of the fruit often ac- 

 quires a length of two to three feet. 



This plant is sometimes called Bug- 

 bane. The name Cimicifuga is from the 

 Latin words cimex, a bug, and fugo, to 



drive away. Both the technical name and 

 the name Bugbane allude to the offensive 

 odor of the flowers, which was supposed 

 to drive away insects. In fact, the Black 

 Cohosh is held in high repute by some 

 Indians as a cure for the bite of poison- 

 ous snakes, as well as a powerful aid in 

 driving away insects. Were it not for 

 the strong, disagreeable odor of the flow- 

 ers, which are only frequented by those 

 flies which enjoy the odor of carrion, with 

 its **tall white rockets shooting upward 

 from a mass of large, handsome leaves," 



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