BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN 
LEAFLETS 
THE BROOKLYN INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 
Series IV Brooklyn, N. Y., April 26, 1916. No. 4 
THE WILD FLOWER GARDEN IN MAY 
The local flora section of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is near 
Flatbush Avenue, just south of Mt. Prospect reservoir. In this 
Leaflet are mentioned a number of plants which are in flower 
in this section during- the month of May; first, plants of the 
Buttercup and Lily Families, as each of these is represented by 
quite a number of early flowers; second, herbaceous plants of 
other families, and last a few woody plants. The early flowering- 
plants are for the most part found along the shaded path on the 
border mound. 
The hepaticas, with purplish flowers, began blooming in 
April, and are now sending up three-lobed leaves, which at first 
are very hairy. There are two species, one (H. acutiloba) with 
the leaf lobes more pointed than the other (//. triloba). The little 
rue-anemone has delicate, white flowers, growing three or four in 
a cluster. The leaves resemble those of the meadow rue. The 
wood anemone, coming a little later, has somewhat larger flowers, 
growing singly, and the leaves have five divisions. The colum- 
bine is common on rocky hillsides and the borders of woods. The 
flowers are magenta-c olored with yellow edges, the petals are 
tube-like, running into spurs with nectar-glands which attract 
insects for pollination. The golden seal or orange-root has 
greenish-white flowers. It has a yellow root-stock from which the 
drug hydrastine is obtained. A little later in May blooms the 
yellow globeflower, resembling a buttercup, with a solitary ter- 
minal flower. The white-flowered baneberries, of which there are 
two species, have large compound leaves; one species has a red 
berry, the other a white berry on a thick, red pedicel. The gold- 
thread is a little plant with evergreen, shining leaves, composed 
of three leaflets, and with a branching underground stem or root- 
stock, which appears like bright yellow threads, and has an 
extremely bitter taste. When chewed it is said to afford relief 
for canker-sore mouth. The bright, yellow-flowered marsh mari- 
gold in the bog, is now coming into fruit. 
