MADDER FAMILY. 217 



9. CEPHALANTHTTS, BUTTONBUSH. (Greek: head and flower.) 

 Flowers summer and autumn. (Lessons, Fig. 205.) 



C. occidentalis, Linn. A tall shrub, common along the borders of 

 ponds and streams, with lance-oblong or ovate-pointed leaves on peti- 

 oles, either in pairs or 3's, and with short stipules between them ; the 

 head of white flowers about 1' in diameter. 



10. GALIUM, BEDSTRAW, CLEAVERS or CLIVERS. (Greek: 

 milk, which some species in Eu. were used to curdle.) There are 

 other species in our region, some introduced from Eu. (Lessons, 



s ' '' # Fruit dry when ripe, small. 



<- Fruit smooth ; leaves with strong midrib but no side ribs or nerves, in 

 4's, 5's, or 6's; flowers white, loosely clustered at the end of spreading 

 branches. % 



G. asprellum, Michx. Low thickets ; 3°-5° high ; the backwardly 

 prickly-roughened angles of the stem and edges and midrib of the lance- 

 oblong pointed leaves adhering to contiguous plants ; leaves in whorls of 

 6 on the stem and of 4 or 5 on the branchlets ; flowers numerous. 



G. trindum, Linn. Swamps and low grounds ; 6'-2° high ; roughish 

 or sometimes nearly smooth ; leaves varying from linear to oblong, 4^6 

 in the whorls ; flowers rather few, their parts often 3. 



■*- +- Fruit smooth or slightly bristly ; leaves 3-nerved ; flowers white in a v 

 narrow and long terminal panicle. % 



G. boreale, Linn. l°-2° high ; smooth, erect, with lance-linear leaves 

 in 4's. Rocky banks of streams N. 



h- h- •<- Fruit a little bur, being covered with hooked prickles. 

 ■m- Leaves mostly 6 or 8 in a whorl, with midrib and no side nerves; 

 flowers whitish or greenish ; stems reclining or prostrate, bristly-rough 

 backwards on the angles. 



G. Aparine, Linn. Cleavers or Goose Grass. Leaves in 8's, 

 lanceolate, rough-edged, l'-2' long ; peduncles axillary, 1-2-flowered ; 

 fruit large. Low grounds. ® 



G. trifldrum, Michx. Leaves mostly in 6's, lance-oblong, bristle- 

 pointed ; peduncles terminating the branches, 3-flowered. Sweet-scented 

 in drying. Woodlands, especially N. % 



** ** Leaves all in fours, more or less 3-nerved; flowers not white; stems 

 ascending, about 1° high, rather simple, not prickly-roughened. % 



G. pil6sum, Ait. Leaves oval, dotted, downy, 1' long ; flowers brown- 

 purple or cream-colored, all pediceled, the peduncle 2-3-times forked. 

 Commonest S., in dry thickets. Var. puncticulbsum is a smooth form S. 



G. circaezans, Michx. Wild Liquorice, the root being sweetish ; 

 leaves oval or oblong, obtuse, ciliate ; peduncles once forked, their long 

 branches bearing short-pediceled dull or brownish flowers along the sides, 

 the fruit reflexed. Common. 



G. lanceolatum, Torr. Like the preceding, but with lanceolate or 

 lance-ovate tapering leaves, 2' long. N. 



* * Fruit a black berry ; the parts of the white flower only 4. Only in 

 Southern States, in dry, sandy soil. % 



G. hispfdulum, Michx. Stems spreading l°-2° long; leaves in 4's, 

 i 1 or less in length, lance-ovate ; peduncle 1-3-fiowered ; berry roughish. 



G. unifldrum, Michx. Smooth, slender, 1° high ; leaves linear ; 

 flowers mostly solitary . 



