
286 PLANTS GROWING IN DRY SOIL. 

G. cérnua is perhaps the commonest little orchis that we 
have, The stem is more twisted and flowered than that of G. 
gracilis and the low stem leaves are almost linear. The spiral 
growth of the flowers about the stem is very pretty, and the 
blossoms are fragrant. It seldom grows over eight inches tall 
and blossoms in September and October. In low grounds 
throughout the east and south it is most common, 
BLUE WAX-WEED. CLAMMY CUPHEA. 
Parsénsta petiolata. 
FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 
Loosestrife. Purplish pink. Scentless. Conn. to Lilinots JS uly-October. 
and southward. 
Flowers : small; growing in loose racemes along the branches. Calyx: tu- 
bular; six-toothed, extending into a spur on the upper side; purplish; sticky. 
Corolla: of six unequal ovate petals, having short claws. Stamens: about 
twelve; irregular; in two sets. /ysé/ : one; stigma, two-lobed. Leaves : op- 
posite; lanceolate; disagreeable to the touch. Svem: branching; reddish; 
clammy. 
In the autumn, when we wander through the pastures or by 
the roadsides, it is the turn of this flower to claim our atten- 
tion. The petals have a wrinkled look, and the pods, from the 
position of the seed-bearing part of the ovary, appear to have a 
little handle. ‘These points,and remembering that it isa loose- 
strife, serve readily to identify the plant. 
STRIPED GENTIAN. (Plate CXLVIZ) 
Gentidana villosa. 
FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 
Gentian. Greentsh white, striped Scentless. Southern New September-November. 
tustde with purple. Jersey to Florida. 
Flowers : solitary, or clustered ; sessile; axillary along the stem and terminal. 
Calyx : of unequal linear lobes. Coro//a: short ; funrel-form. Leaves : oppo- 
site ; ubovate ; long ; narrowed at the base. Stem : six to eighteen inches high. 
These tender blossoms, with their silky stripes, are as deli- 
cate and misty in colouring as many graceful cups of Venetian 
glass, They grow in dry, shady places, and although they en- 
tertain royally their insect friends, they are shy of welcoming 
more mundane mortals. Those that are fortunate enough to 
find them appreciate them as a rare floral treasure. 

