THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



5 



described by Tennyson and more ancient writers ; nor even the 

 favor which the latter finds in the far Eastern countries as food 

 and for the decoration of their temples; but the richness and 

 beauty of the flower should entitle it to a larger place among 

 the decorative plants where swamps or shallow pools are avail- 

 able. It should at least be known in its wild state, in its natural 

 haunts as one of our most showy native flowers. 



UNDRAPED TREES 



By Dr. W. W. Bailey. 



np^REES are, in their way, as distinctive and beautiful in 

 winter as in the warmer seasons. Each, even when un- 

 draped, has its characteristic silhouette. Again, there are far 

 more than is generally supposed that are at all times, at least 

 partially clothed. These, while of wide distribution as to 

 relationship, take the general name of evergreens. Most people 

 confine the use of that term to the Coniferse, or members of 

 the great pine family, but a moment's reflection adds a vast 

 number to the list of those that retain their foliage, though 

 perhaps not their verdancy, throughout the w^inter. We at once 

 recall rhododendrons, mountain laurel, lambkill, bayberries, 

 smilaxes, certain hollies, ferns, ground pines, pyrolas, etc. 



On the other hand, there are certain true Coniferse that 

 are truly deciduous, such as the ginkgo, or maidenhair tree, 

 whose fruit is a sort of berry, the various kinds of larches, the 

 cypress, etc. These wholly drop their leaves in autumn, renew- 

 ing them in spring. 



The immediate bark or jacket of trees is fixed and gener- 

 ally recognizable in its color, character of surface, and often 

 by the kinds of mosses or lichens that dwell upon it. Take as 

 instances the smooth, gray, mottled coat of the beech, or the 



