WHITE AND GREENISH WILD FLOWERS 
A smaller species, C. alpina, has thin, somewhat 
shining leaves which are acutely pointed, slender- 
stemmed, coarsely toothed and, at the base, somewhat 
heart-shaped. The flowers are an inch broad and 
the long, oval seed case is covered with soft, hooked 
hairs. It is found in cool, moist woods from Labrador 
and Alaska southward to Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, 
and Minnesota. Also in Europe and Asia. It is 
found in blossom from July to September. 
AMERICAN SPIKENARD. INDIAN ROOT. 
SPIGNET 
Aralia racemosa. Ginseng Family. | 
The Spikenard is very apt to attract one’s attention 
in the autumn with its ripening clusters of dark purple 
or reddish brown berries. The large, thick, aromatic 
roots of this species have an odour and taste resembling 
that of the Wild Sarsaparilla, but are more spicy. 
The roots of these two plants are well known and have 
been used as a family remedy, chiefly in rheumatic and 
skin affections, much in the same manner and dose as 
genuine sarsaparilla. It grows from three to six feet 
high, and is widely branched. The stalk is round and 
blackish. The very large, compound leaf is slightly 
downy and has three distinct parts, each of which 
has. several thin, broad, pointed-oval leaflets with 
doubly toothed margins, heart-shaped bases, and 
short stems. The numerous small, five-parted, greenish 
white flowers are loosely arranged in small, round 
clusters that form 4 large, curving terminal spike 
276 
