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Skull Cap (Scutellaria serrata). Hardy, 1 to 2 feet tall, 
guarded at the top by a cluster of flowers like little gar- 
goyles or snapdragons, blue in the face with fierce 
little open mouths. Showiest of the dozen members 
of this genus of the Labiate (lipped) or Mint Family, 
and distinguished by its long corolla (petals) and lips 
of equal length. Blooms in June and July. Easily 
multiplied from seed. 30c each; $3.00 for 12. 
Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus fcetidus). Deeply buried 
in the mud of swamps, bogs and stream banks, Skunk 
Cabbage appears the earliest of all. It begins to push 
up as early as February. The flower is protected from 
frost and wind by a leathery leaf, reddish purple, 
blotched with green, curling like a sea-shell. Infamous 
for its odor, it has suffered greater ignominy than it 
deserves. You can detect the smell of decayed meat 
and onions if you try real hard, when the strange 
flower takes form. A bruised fragment of leaf con- 
tinues the noxious impression throughout the plant’s 
cycle. Many plants have evil smells. Skunk Cabbage 
is a striking oddity and could be planted in a bucket 
of mud, if kept soggy wet. No fun to dig this item; 
we must charge for the labor. $1.00 each. 
Snakeroot, Black; Black Cohosh; Bugbane (Cimicifuga 
racemosa). Spreading, slender growth, 2 to 4 feet tall. 
Flowers are thick on fuzzy, feathery, wandlike ra- 
cemes, and are followed by purplish fruit berries. Latin 
and English genus names derive from the belief that 
the plant repels insects (cimex: bug; fugare: to chase) 
and is thus a bane to all little bugs. This leaves fer- 
tilization to the green flesh flies, familiars of our boy- 
hood days in the woods. Good for snake bite, the 
Indians used to say. Blossoms in July and August. 
Likes moist soil, not too wet; prefers shade but tol- 
erates the sunshine of clearings. Increased by dividing 
the woody roots. 25c each; $2.50 for 12. 
Snakeroot, White (Eupatorium urticefolium). Member 
of the large Eupatorium genus of the Composite Fam- 
ily, with deep green leaves in open branching effect, 
and bouquets of downy, clear white flowers at top and 
ends of branches. Comes from rich woods and groves; 
fits well in a copse or shady nook in the yard. Height, 
1 to 3 feet. Blooms in late summer (August). Soft 
blossoms resemble the domestic or garden perennial 
Ageratum, whence the alternate name E. Ageratoides. 
Friend of its close relative, Boneset. Slender, well 
branched and poised. 25c¢ each; $2.50 for 12. 
Solomon’s Seal, False; Solomon’s Plume; False Spikenard 
(Smilacina racemosa). The fluffy white flower plume 
is pyramidal, terminating the zig-zag stem which grace- 
fully inclines, growing 12 to 18 inches long. The seal 
idea comes from the root scars from which previous 
stalks have died away. Intimate companion of the 
True Solomon’s Seal, roots often intermingled, which 
is natural to these cousins in the Lily Family. One of 
the most responsive plants to try, in sun or partial 
shade. Moist, stony, sloping ground preferred but not 
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