VINES AND SHRUBS 



the sweet fragrance emitted by its delicate racemes of blossoms 

 in early summer. 



The lightly waving, fine leaflets of the thick foliage, with 

 the drooping racemes of white flowers, make an exquisite 

 forest picture. 



A curious provision for the protection of tender buds is 

 furnished by trees and shrubs of this genus. The base of the 

 present leaf-stalk is hollow, like a thimble, and it fits over the 

 bud. One has only to pluck a locust leaf to discover next 

 season's bud forming under it and growing in as perfect a 

 nest as could be devised. It is a common opinion among 

 farmers that lightning will strike a locust tree quicker than 

 any other, and that, therefore, one planted near a house 

 may serve as a lightning-conductor. The numerous charred 

 trunks of locust trees observed in a walk in the forest would 

 seem to bear out this idea. 



Purple Azalea. Pinxter Flower. Swamp Pink 



Rhododendron nudifloram. — Family, Heath. Has bright pink 

 flowers appearing very early in April, before the leaves of the 

 shrub are fairly out. 



This is similar to the white azalea, without the sticky 

 calyx-tube, and less fragrant than R. viscosum (p. 41 1.) Both 

 fill our swampy woods with beautiful bloom in their season. 

 Upon each appear "May-apples," an edible, pulpy excres- 

 cence, formerly supposed to be the work of insects, now 

 admitted to be a legitimate growth, a modified bud. Says 

 Mr. Gibson, in his inimitable way: 



"The May-apple, which hangs among the clusters of the 

 wild, fragrant, pink swamp azaleas, has no mission in the 

 world except to melt in the mouth of the eager, thirsty small 

 boy. He knows little and cares less what it really is. He 

 only knows that it beckons him as he passes through the 

 May woods, and its cool, translucent, pale-green pulp is like 

 balm to his thirsty lips. How it makes the corners of my 

 jaws ache with thirsty yearning as I think of it! and what 

 a pink whiff of the swamp May-blooms its memory brings!" — 

 Sharp Eyes. 



Rhodora 



/?. canadense. — Flowers appear earlier than the leaves. Corolla, 

 of a purplish pink or rose color. Tube, short, hardly any, the lobe 

 2-lipped. May and June. 



441 



