White and Greenish 



Ninebark 



{Opulaster opulifolius) Rose family 

 {Spiraea opulifolia of Gray) 



Flowers — White or pink, small, in numerous rounded terminal 

 clusters i to 2 in. broad. Calyx 5-lobed ; 5 rounded petals 

 inserted in its throat ; 20 to 40 stamens ; several pistils. 

 Stem: Shrubby, 3 to 10 ft. high, with long, recurved branches, 

 the loose bark peeling off annually in thin strips. Leaves : 

 Simple, heart-shaped or rounded, 3-lobed, toothed. Fruit: 

 3 to 5 smooth, shining, reddish, inflated, pointed pods. 



Preferred Habitat — Rocky banks, riversides. 



Flowering Season — June. 



Distribution — Canada to Georgia, west to Kansas. 



Whether the nurserymen agree with Dr. Gray or not when 

 he says these balls of white flowers possess "no beauty," the 

 fact remains that numbers of the shrubs are sold for ornament, 

 especially a golden-leaved variety. But the charm certainly lies 

 in their fruit. (O^m/ms = a wild cranberry tree.) When this is 

 plentifully set at the ends of long branches that curve backward, 

 and the bladder-like pods have taken on a rich purplish or red- 

 dish hue, the shrub is undeniably decorative. Even the old 

 flowers, after they have had their pollen carried away by the small 

 bees and flies, show a reddish tint on the ovaries which deepens 

 as the fruit forms ; and Ludwig states that this is not only to 

 increase the conspicuousness of the shrubs, but to entice unbid- 

 den guests away from the younger flowers. Who will tell us 

 why the old bark should loosen every year and the thin layers 

 separate into not nine, but dozens of ragged strips ? 



Meadow-Sweet; Quaker Lady; Queen-of-the- 



Meadow 



(Spiraea salicifolia) Rose family 



Flowers — Small, white or flesh pink, clustered in dense pyramidal 

 terminal panicles. Calyx 5 cleft ; corolla of 5 rounded petals ; 

 stamens numerous ; pistils 5 to 8. Stem .• 2 to 4 ft. high, 

 simple or bushy, smooth, usually reddish. Leaves : Alternate, 

 oval or oblong, saw-edged. 



Preferred Habitat— Lov^ meadows, swamps, fence-rows, ditches. 



Flowering Season— ]unt — August. 



Distribution— 'HevjXonndXmd to Georgia, west to Rocky Mountains, 

 Europe and Asia. 



197 



