— 283 — 



tall plant like Parsley with a spotted stem ; the Willow 

 Herb, called in Canada the Fire Weed, a splendid 

 plant " growing from two to six feet high, branching 

 out like a little tree and bearing splendid pink flowers " ; 

 " the seed pods of which, " says Mr. Sturton, " are 

 full of cottony down, which acts as sails to the seeds 

 and enables the wind to bear them far away so that 

 its flower has spread over the whole North temperate 

 zone and encircles the earth as a girdle." 



Look out in July for the " poisonous Dogbane " with 

 its milky juice and tough bark, and its elegant pinkish 

 white bell-shaped corolla. This pretty but redoutable 

 plant grows in abundance, 'tis said, on the Gomin Koad 

 and the Isle of Orleans ; the Dalibarda repens is a 

 creeping plant with pretty white flowers. " The Suc- 

 cory, a blue composite flower, is now common by road- 

 sides and elsewhere ; this plant, known to our peasants 

 as Chicorde, possesses economical value ; the roots 

 washed, roasted, and ground are sold as a substitute for 

 coffee ; the young shoots in early spring make good 

 salad, especially when forced like sea-kale. 



The true Partridge-berry is a pretty creeping ever- 

 green plant growing in the woods ; the leaves are small, 

 thick and shining; it has two pretty white flowers 

 rising from one ovary, so that the two flowers only 

 make one berry, the two eyes of which still show where 

 the flowers were. As the leaf is pretty and it has 

 always either elegant white flowers or beautiful bril- 

 liant red berries, it might be introduced for cultivation 

 as a house plant, allowing it to hang down the sides of 

 the pot. 



The Chimaphila,a plant of the sub-order Pyrola, is now 

 in flower in the woods ; it is one of our most beautiful 

 flowers and well deserving of being cultivated, as well 

 as imitated in wax work. But alas ! I find I must cut 

 short the enthusiastic discourse of my guide to our July 

 Wild Flowers, in order not to trespass too much, on the 

 space allotted in this paper. I have only time to jot 



