White and Greenish 



Distribution — Nova Scotia to Georgia ; westward to Arizona and 

 British Columbia. 



As if to offer opportunities for comparison to the confused 

 novice, the true Solomon's seal and the so-called false species — 

 quite as honest a plant — usually grow near each other. Grace of 

 line, rather than beauty of blossom, gives them both their chief 

 charm. But the feathery plume of greenish-white blossoms that 

 crowns the false Solomon's seal's somewhat zig-zagged stem is 

 very different from the small, greenish, bell-shaped flowers, usually 

 nodding in pairs along the stem, under the leaves, from the axils 

 of the true Solomon's seal. Later in summer, when hungry 

 birds wander through the woods with increased families, the wild 

 spikenard offers them branching clusters of pale red speckled 

 berries, whereas the latter plant feasts them with blue-black fruit, 

 in the hope that they will drop the seeds miles away. 



By clustering its small, slightly fragrant flowers at the end of 

 its stem, the wild spikenard offers a more taking advertisement to 

 its insect friends than its cousin can show. A few flies and beetles 

 visit them ; but apparently the less specialized bees, chiefly those 

 of the Halictus tribe, which predominate in May, are the principal 

 guests. These alight in the centre of the widely expanded blos- 

 soms set on the upper side of the branching raceme so as to make 

 their nectar and pollen easily accessible ; and as the newly opened 

 flower has its stigma already receptive to pollen brought to it 

 while its own anthers are closed, it follows the plant is dependent 

 upon the bees' help, as well as the birds', to perpetuate itself. 



The Star-flowered Solomon's Seal {V. stellata), found from 

 the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Newfoundland as far south as 

 Kansas, has larger, but fewer, flowers than the wild spikenard, at 

 the end of its erect, low-growing stem. Where the two species 

 grow together— and they often do — it will be noticed that the 

 star-flowered one frequently forms colonies on rich, moist banks, 

 its leaves partly clasp the stem, and its berries, which may be en- 

 tirely black, are more frequently green, with six black stripes. 



The Two-leaved Solomon's Seal, or False Lily-of-the- Valley 

 {Unifolium Canadense), very common in moist woods and thick- 

 ets North and West, is a curious little plant, sometimes with only 

 a solitary, long-petioled leaf; but where many of these sterile 

 plants grow together, forming shining beds. Other individuals 

 lift a white-flowered raceme six inches above the ground; and on 

 the slender, often zig-zagged flowering stem there may be one to 

 three, but usually two, ovate leaves, pointed at the apex, heart- 

 shaped at the base, either seated on it, one above the other, or 

 standing out from it on distinct but short petioles. This flower 

 has only four segments and four stamens. Like the wild spike- 

 nard, the little plant bears clusters of pale red speckled berries in 

 autumn. 



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