MIDSUMMER WILD FLOWERS 



57 



allspice. The Calycanthus family, to which it 

 belongs, is a small one, and few of the mem- 

 bers have the sweet odor of floridus. 



POKEWEED 



Phytolacca americana L. [Plate X, right] 



The pokeweed's range is from Maine to On- 

 tario and southward, where it flowers from 

 July to September, in low grounds and rich 

 soils. It masquerades under many names, 

 such as poke, scoke, garget, and pigeon berry. 



The pokeweed is a tall, smooth herb, grow- 

 ing from 4 to 12 feet high and possessing a 

 strong-smelling juice. Its roots, which are 

 perennial, are highly poisonous, yet its young 

 shoots, or "sprouts," are edible and are often 

 prepared like asparagus. Its shining purple 

 berries form a late-summer feast for robins, 

 flickers, downy woodpeckers, chewinks, and 

 grosbeaks. 



An ointment is made from the plant for the 

 treatment of ringworm and rheumatism, and 

 also> for relieving itching and inflammation of 

 the eyes. 



This plant is said to have derived its name 

 from an Indian word, "pocan," which is ap- 

 plied to any plant yielding a red or yellow dye. 

 The followers of James K. Polk, in the Presi- 

 dential campaign of 1844, wore the poke leaf 

 as their emblem. 



The Halictus bees are its principal insect 

 visitors in flowering time. The poke prefers 

 cross-fertilization, bringing its stamens to ma- 

 turity before its pistils and thus giving insects 

 a chance to carry its pollen to other plants. 

 In stormy, rainy weather, when its benefactors 

 cannot be on the wing, it curves its styles so 

 as to bring the stigmas into contact with the 

 anthers of the stamens, and thus brings about 

 self-fertilization. 



CLAMMY GROUNDCHERRY 



Physalis heterophylla Nees. [Plate XI, left] 



The subject of this sketch belongs to that 

 ubiquitous nightshade family, which includes 

 the potato, with its tuber, and the tomato, with 

 its luscious fruit; the deadly nightshade, that 

 does not belie its name ; the horsenettle, the 

 buffalo bur, the tobacco, the eggplant, the Jim- 

 son weed, henbane, and the matrimony vine. 



The clammy groundcherry in its prime is 

 an upstanding herb, but late in the season it 

 sprawls. It usually grows from one to three 

 feet high and claims most of North America 

 east of the Rockies as its range. It requires 

 rich soil. 



CHARLOCK OR FIELD MUSTARD 



Brassica arvensis (L.) Ktze. [Plate XI, 

 right] 



Charlock or field mustard is one of the un- 

 desirable aliens of the plant world that suc- 

 ceeded in passing the Ellis Island of American 

 commerce and securing a foothold in this 

 country for its pestiferous progeny. Exactly 

 when it landed is not known, but it has spread 

 throughout the grain-growing regions east of 

 the Rocky Mountains. 



This weed goes on its domineering way in 

 spite of innumerable battles the careful farmer 

 fights to repel its invasion. What farmer's son, 

 too young to do the heavier work that farm 

 operations demand, has not been detailed to 

 go into the fields, armed with a hoe, to give 

 battle to this invader so tenacious of life and 

 of its "squatter sovereignty," and what won- 

 der that a broiling sun, a big field, and this 

 numerous foe have often caused a boy to lose 

 interest in farm life and sent him on his way 

 to the crowded city ! 



This plant, growing from one to two feet 

 high, belongs to one of the largest families 

 that botany knows, the mustard family. Its 

 closest relatives in the family are the turnip, 

 the rutabaga, and the black and white mustards. 

 Its more distinct cousins include whitlow- 

 grass, sweet alyssum, the cresses, peppergrass, 

 shepherd's purse, and radishes. 



The charlock blossoms in late summer. The 

 brilliant Syrphidcr flies and honeybee, both hav- 

 ing a fondness for yellow blossoms, come in 

 great numbers and serve as pollen-bearers. 

 The stamens mature ahead of the pistils. 



MISTFLOWER 



Eupatorium coelestinum L. [Plate XII, left] 



This close relative of the joe-pye-weed, the 

 white thoroughwort, the boneset, and the white 

 snakeroot loves rich soils, in which it grows 

 from New Jersey to Michigan, Kansas, and 

 the Southwest. It is somewhat hairy, and, as 

 a composite that has flowers ranging from 

 violet to purple, it represents one of the most 

 advanced members of the floral kingdom. 



PINK CORYDALIS 



Capnoides sempervirens (L.) Borck. [Plate 

 XII, middle] 



Cousin of the mountain fringe, the Dutch- 

 man's breeches, and the squirrelcorn, the pink 

 corydalis belongs to the fumitory family, which 

 is never intrusive, and would rather please the 

 eye of man than get in his way. In New Eng- 

 land it almost supplants the Dutchman's 

 breeches. The stem is slender and erect and 

 the stalk grows from eight inches to two feet 

 tall. It prefers rocky soil and its range is 

 from Maine to the Carolinas and westward to 

 Minnesota. 



NEW YORK ASTER 



Aster novi-belgii L. [Plate XII, right] 



With flowers ranging from pale violet to 

 blue violet, the New York aster, sometimes 

 known as the willow-leaved aster, lays claim, 

 through Gray, to being "the commonest late- 

 flowered aster of the Atlantic border." It has 

 a head like an ox-eye daisy, except in color, 

 with from fifteen to twenty-four rays. The 

 stalk grows from one to three feet tall. It pre- 

 fers the swamp to dry land and clings close to 

 the coast from Maine to Georgia. It has sev- 

 eral .varieties, including leuvigatus and litorcus, 

 the former smooth and with upper leaves 

 clasping the stem, the latter low and stiff. 



