(55) 



is the loosestrife family, represented by the purple loosestrife, 

 a native of Europe, but introduced in many places in this 

 country ; among others belonging to this family is the swamp 

 loosestrife or willow-herb (Decodon), a plant of which will 

 be found along the brook opposite to the loosestrife bed. 

 Near this, on the edge of the brook, is located the meadow 

 beauty, one of the prettiest little flowers of our meadows. It 

 belongs to the meadow-beauty family, few species of which 

 occur in cool regions ; it is largely represented in warm tem- 

 perate and tropical regions, and many other species will be 

 found in the conservatories. But a short distance from the 

 violet family is the evening-primrose family ; here will be 

 found a number of the evening primroses (Oenothera), with 

 their showy yellow flowers, noteworthy as the plants mainly 

 experimented with by Professors DeVries and MacDougal in 

 their studies on the origin of species. Along the brook, not 

 far from the loosestrife family, is the water-milfoil family, 

 represented by the Chilean water-milfoil or parrot's-feather, 

 forming a beautiful mass of feathery green on the surface of 

 the water. Returning now to the ridge, a little beyond the 

 violet family, we find the bed allotted to the ginseng family ; 

 here are the Indian-root, from eastern North America, and 

 the heart-leaved aralia from Japan. To this family also 

 belongs the ginseng plant, the root of which is so much 

 prized by the Chinese as a medicine. Down the slope from 

 this group will be found two beds given over to the carrot 

 family, which includes many economic plants, such as the 

 carrot, parsnip, celery, and caraway ; lovage, a common 

 European plant, is shown, and the rattlesnake-master, from 

 the eastern United States ; the wild carrot and the golden 

 meadow parsnip also belong here. 



To the primrose family, located at the base of the ridge a 

 little beyond the carrot family, belong the primroses {Primula), 

 many of which are natives of Europe ; here we find the com- 

 mon European primrose, the cowslip, and others ; the money- 

 wort, a native of Europe, but introduced into many places in 

 this country, sends its long creeping stems all over the bed — 



