40 FLOWERS OF FIELD, HILL, AND SIVA MP 



Sepals, s, united at base. Outside are 6 to 9 long, narrow, 

 green bractlets. Corolla of 5 petals about i inch across. 

 Stamens, many, united at their base. Pistils form a ring around 

 a central axis. 



Plant bushy, leafy, 2 to 4 feet high. Its root, full of mucilage, 

 is used by confectioners for marsh-mallows. 



15. Rose-mallow 



Hibiscus Moschetitos. — Family, Mallow. Color, rose, or 

 sometimes white. Leaves, alternate, pointed, toothed, the 

 lower 3-divided, smooth above, softly downy beneath. Time, 

 August. 



Calyx, 5-divided, surrounded by bracts. Corolla of 5 petals, 

 measuring 6 inches across, bell-shaped, withering at the close 

 of one day. Stamens united into a long column. Pod, 5-celled, 

 many-seeded. 



Taller than the preceding, and flowers larger and richer in color. 

 In August the Newark meadows to far down on the New Jersey 

 coast, also the dunes of Long Island, are crimsoned with this 

 splendid flower. The bushes form dense, hedge-like borders ; or 

 grow in clumps back from the edge of the water. Height, 4 to 8 

 feet. 



A smaller piint belonging to this family, also found in marshes 

 along the coast, is KosteUtzkya Virginica, with flowers of rose 

 color, 2 inches across. The plant is from 2 to 4 feet high, rough, 

 hairy. The leaves are halberd and heart shaped. 



H. Syrlacus is the althaea of our gardens. It is a tall, tree-like 

 shrub, with pointed and cut leaves. The flower is large, rose- 

 color or white, with brown spots. 



16. Yellow Flax 



Linum striatum. — Family, Flax. Color, yellow. Leaves, 

 opposite below, alternate above ; oblong, rather broad. They 

 are joined to the stem with four sharp angles. Time, summer. 



Sepals, short, 5. Petals, stamens, and pistils, 5. A perfect 



