PINK WILD FLOWERS 
flowers usually burst into bloom before their foliage 
expands, they are particularly conspicuous and win- 
some. At this time, they also possess a peculiar 
attraction for small boys, who eagerly seek a singular 
edible pulpy growth, known to them as the May- 
Apple, which is found hanging among the fragrant 
flowers. Years ago this juicy, pale green morsel 
was supposed to have been caused by insects, but 
it is now believed to be a modified bud. The Wild 
Azalea grows from two to six feet high, and branches 
at the summit. The stalk is leafy, smooth, and 
woody fibred. The thin, oval leaves taper toward 
either end, and are set alternately or in clusters on 
the stalk. They are toothless, and short-stemmed, 
and their margins are finely haired. The colour is 
a lovely, soft, golden yellow-green. The large, tubu- 
lar flower has five long-pointed, widely spreading 
divisions, each of which is creased from the throat 
to the tip. The pistil and five pink stamens extend 
far beyond the corolla. They are noticeably curved, 
and unusually long and slender. The flowers vary 
from pink or purple to flesh colour, or nearly white. 
The long, narrow tube is covered with fine hairs, 
and is set in a very small, five-parted calyx. Several 
flowers on short, green stems are gathered in 
showy, round-topped clusters on the ends of the 
flaring, angular branches. The Pink Azalea is 
found in dry, open, sandy, or moist, rocky woods 
and thickets, from Maine to Illinois, and southward 
to Florida and Texas. The Azalea is the national 
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