THE GEOUND LAUEEL. 



Theee is only one Epigea in this country, — a very fra- 

 grant and beautiful species, creeping close to the ground, 

 and bearing dense clusters of pearly flowers, edged with 

 crimson. The flowers are not unHke those of some of the 

 heaths, though of larger size. It grows abundantly in 

 many parts of New England, particularly around Plym- 

 outh, and in various locahties from Canada to Georgia. 

 It is a creeping shrub, occupying dry knolls in swampy 

 land, and growing along on the edges of the swamp upon 

 the upland soil. The leaves are almost round, evergreen, 

 light-colored and slightly russet, partially overlapping the 

 dense clusters of flowers, that possess a great deal of 

 beauty and emit an odor like that of hyaciaths. 



No plant has more celebrity among our people than 

 the Ground Laurel, the earliest of aU our wild flowers. 

 I cannot consent to apply to it the common unmeaning 

 name of " Mayflower," thus associating it with the fetid 

 Mayweed, and falsifying its character by an anachronism 

 that assigns to the month of May a flower belonging to 

 April. The name of Mayflower, as applied to the Epigea, 

 means nothing except what is false. Almost aU our early 

 flowers belong especiaEy to the month of May. This is 

 distinguished from them by appearing almost alone in 

 April. Its popular appellation is a plain misnomer ; and 

 as an apology for it, the name is said to have been given 

 to it by the Pilgrims, in commemoration of the ship that 

 brought them to this country. I cannot believe the Pil- 

 grims ever took any notice of it. Mayflower is a name 



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