WILD FLOWERS PINK 
leaves, like individual bouquets. The flowers are 
curiously constructed. The corolla is bowl-shaped 
with five low points, and around the middle, on the 
outside, there is a circle of ten short, blunt projections 
forming, on the inside, tiny pockets in which are held 
the tips of the ten stamens. The silky, white stamens 
are arched backward from the centre of the corolla 
somewhat like spokes in a wheel. The pale green 
pistil has a ten-pointed star outlined in purple around 
its base, corresponding to the hub of the wheel. A 
slight touch releases the stamens from the little pockets 
and they snap violently toward the pistil, scattering a 
little shower of pollen and thereby accomplishing the 
purpose for which they were intended. The pink bud 
is cone-like and corrugated. The green calyx is 
insignificant. Honey made from these flowers has 
been found to be poisonous, and the Government has 
classed the Kalmias among our principal poisonous 
plants. The foliage is very destructive to cattle and 
sheep. It contains a dangerous substance which, 
when eaten, is more deadly than strychnine. Children 
have been overcome from the intoxicating effects of 
eating the young shoots, which they have mistaken 
for Wintergreen. The Indians were familiar with 
the poisonous nature of the leaves and made a decoc- 
tion therefrom which they drank when disposed with 
suicidal intent. ‘The leaves have also been used illegally 
to simulate the effects of cheap liquors. This hand- 
some genus of American Laurels was dedicated to 
Peter Kalin, who was a pupil of Linnaeus, and who 
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