STUDIES OF PLANT LIFE 
courses. The slender, stiff, upright stem is clothed with 
rigid, narrow, grass-like, dark green leaves, the longest 
being nearest to the root. The flowers form a long spike 
of densely-flowered heads; the scales of the involucre that 
surrounds them are green, tipped with black, and finely 
fringed; the styles protrude beyond the tips of the corolla. 
The root is a round corm, about the size of that of the 
crocus, sweetish and slightly astringent, mealy when roasted, 
and not unpleasant to the taste. The roots are sought after 
by the ground-hogs, which animals often make their burrows 
near the place where the plants abound, which is often on 
the slopes of dry, gravelly hills; at any rate it is on the 
sides of ravines, on the dry plains above Rice Lake, and on 
islands in our chain of back lakes in Burleigh and Smith, 
where I have found the bright Gayfeather blooming in the 
hot month of August. The seeds are hairy, almost bristly, 
of a light sandy brown when ripe. The blossoms, when quite 
dry, retain their beautiful color, even for many years, 
and may be mixed with the flowers of the Pearly Everlasting 
for winter bouquets or ornamental wreaths. 
One of the species of this family, LZ. scariosa, a handsome 
flower found on our North-western prairies, is known by the 
name of Blazing Star. The showy flowers of the Liatris 
family, and their hardy habits, make them desirable plants 
for cultivation. They are easily propagated from seed. 
GoLDENROD—Solidago latifolia (L.). 
The Solidagos are among our late August and September 
wild flowers, coming in with the hot summer suns which 
have given the ripened grain to the cradle scythe of the 
harvester. The Trilliums and Lupines and gorgeous Orange 
Lilies have departed with the Moccasin-flowers, the sweet- 
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