ACADIA NATURE NOTES

FLOWERS WHITE

SHAD-BUSH

April - May

Amelanchier canadensis - Rose family.

Found in swamps and moist soil.

Stem	Sometimes 30' high. Shrub or tree.
Leaves	Oval, oblong, elliptic, acute at the apex, rounded, or sometimes narrowed at the base, finely and sharply toothed nearly all around, seldom over 1" long.
Flower	Densely white - woolly when young, often nearly or quite glabrous when old, 5 petals, 5 sepals.
Fruit	A sweet, edible berry-like miniature apple smaller than peas and varying in color from crimson through magenta to dark or black purple.

Throughout New England this plant is knovn by the common name Sugar Pear. It is frequently gathered to make jelly. As well as providing food for people, it is also food for many of the birds, especially the thrushes.

Other species of this vicinity and of similar aspect are A. laevis, A. oligocarpa, and A. oblonifolia.

FLOWERS WHITE

PUSSY-TOES or LADIES TOBACCO

Late May - Early June

Antennaria plantaginifolia - Composite family.

Perennial, found in dry fields, hillside pastures, and open woods in early spring.

Root	Slender, fibrous.
Stem	Downy or woolly; the erect flowering stems 6"-8" high; leafy runners spread in all directions.
Leaves	Silky, woolly when young, at length green above and silvery beneath; those of the flowering stems alternate, small, lance-shaped; the basal leaves are oval, rather large, three ribbed, white at first.
Flower-heads	White, small, silky-haired, silvery white, borne in clusters at the summit of the stem. Blossom made up of many tiny florets.

Antennaria is named from the resemblance of the flower husk, after fruiting, to the antennae of certain insects.

The flowering heads differ in appearance. Some are small and pointed (A; others larger and rather flat at the top (B). The smaller (A) which bear pistils only, are silvery white; the others are creamy white with brownish, orange-tipped stamens, which give a brownish color to the heads (B). After those heads have shed their pollen, which happens by early June, they droop, the stems wither, and a general collapse sets in. Their work is done. The others, the pointed pistillate heads, wax strong, the stems grow high, keeping level with the grass and their heads take on a tinge of color. By July the seeds are mature and the plant becomes lost in the surrounding foliage.

FLOWERS WHITE

WILD SARSAPARILLA

June

Aralia nudicaulis - Ginseng family

Perennial. Rich, shady, moist woods.

Root	Long, horizontal, aromatic.
Stem	Short, inconspicuous; this bears one leaf-stem and one flower-stem.
Flower stalk	Bears from three to five, usually three umbrella-shaped clusters of greenish-white flowers.
Leaves	Long-stalked, compounded of three divisions, each of which has five leaflets, oblong-oval, toothed, pointed.
Flowers	Small, greenish white, borne in three to five umbrella-shaped clusters at the top of the flower-stem. Clusters two or more inches across. Five sepals joined into a tube. Five petals, oblong, strongly reflexed. Five stamens, alternate with the petals, conspicuous. Ovary two to five-celled; styles two to five.
Fruit	Shining, dark-purple berries in clusters.

Pollinated by flies and bees.

The true plant stem hardly gets above the ground. The aromatic root is used as a substitute for the true sarsaparilla (Smilax officinalis of Mexico and South America). It is popular as a general remedy for various aliments.

FLOWERS WHITE

BEARBERRY

Early June

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi - Heath family.

On exposed, rocky ledges usually. on mountain slopes.

Stem	Somewhat shrubby, hairy, rough branches.
Leaves	Thick, dark evergreen, rounded at the tip, narrowed at the base, finely veined, 1/2"-1" long.
Flowers	White, bell or vase-shaped, 1/6" long in terminal clusters.
Fruit	Opaque, red, berry-like, rather dry and tasteless.

Largely restricted to mountain tops on Mt. Desert Island.

The scientific name means literally "a bear", "a berry".

FLOWERS WHITE

MOUNTAIN SANDWORT or STARWORT

June - September

Arenaria groenlandica - Pink family.

Found on dry rocks, usually on mountain tops.

Rootstock	Slender, densely tufted, smooth.
Stem	Slender, 2"-5" high.
Leaves	Slender, thread-like.
Flowers	1/4"-1/2" broad, sepals oblong, petals notched at tip.
Fruit	Oblong pod.

This common resident of the Cadillac Mountain summit is a native of Greenland and Labrador and was probably carried down to New England on the last continental ice sheet, 25,000 years ago.

FLOWERS WHITE

SHEPHERD'S PURSE

May - September

Capsella Bursa-pastoris - Mustard family.

A common weed growing in fields, waste places and along roadsides.

Root	Deep, fibrous.
Stem	6"-18" high, branching.
Leaves	Clustered in a rosette at the base of the stern, toothed, 2"-5" long; stem leaves shorter, clasping.
Flowers	White, small, a long series of single blossoms at the top of the flowering stalk. Four petals, four sepals, six stamens.
Fruit	Heart-shaped, or purse-shaped pod. Very variable in fruit shape.

Shepherd's Purse is one of the hardy weeds that send up seedlings in the autumn. The seedlings withstand the cold winter and bloom in the early spring.

The long blooming period from May to September is due to the fact that all the blossoms grow from the side of the stem, hence the growing tip, which never bears a blossom, can grow on as long as climate will allow.

The Latin name is literally a "shepherd's little purse".

FLOWERS WHITE

FIELD CHICKWEED

Early June.

Cerastium arvense - Pink family.

One of the commonest weeds of field, meadow and lawn.

Root	Tufted.
Stem	Simple or sparingly branched, usually smooth.
Leaves	Stem leaves 1/2"-1" long, narrowly lance-shaped.
Flower	White, petals cleft or notched, five sepals, five petals.
Fruit	Pod, somewhat horn-shaped.

The scientific name "Cerastium" is from the Greek "horn", referring to the shape of the pod.

This plant might be confused with Stellaria media. page 25. The differences are:

Cerastium arvense - petals longer than the sepals.
Stellaria media - petals shorter than the sepals.

Another species found in this region is the Hairy Chickweed, C. vulgatum, which, true to its name, is very hairy throughout.

The little cares that fretted me
     I lost them yesterday
Among the fields above the sea,
     Among the winds that play.

—Elizabeth Browning.

FLOWERS WHITE

LEATHER-LEAF

Late May - June

Chamaedaphne calyculata - Heath family.

Typical of bogs.

Stem	Branching, 2'-4' high, shrub.
Leaves	Oblong, thick, leathery, narrowed at the base, densely covered on both sides with minute round scurfy scales, at least when young, 1/2"-1-1/2" long, upper leaves gradually smaller, the upper-most reduced to floral bracts.
Flower	Blossom 1/4" long, white, bell-like, in one-sided clusters.
Fruit	Capsule depressed-globose, 1/6" in diameter, about twice as long as the ovate sepals.

The scientific name is from the Greek meaning "laurel on the ground".

Along the edges of Mt. Desert's many fresh water ponds grows this dainty blossomed heath, occasionally standing in the water.

FLOWERS WHITE

CREEPING SNOWBERRY

Late May - June

Chiogenes hispidula - Heath family.

Common in cool damp woods and peat bogs, frequent on hill-tops.

Root	Slender, long.
Stem	Creeping closely over rocky and mossy ground.
Leaves	Stiff dark olive evergreen, tiny, broad, ovate, pointed; sparsely covered with brownish hairs beneath; margin of leaves rolled backward. Wintergreen flavor. 1/6" to 1/2" long.
Flowers	White, bell-shaped, four-cleft, solitary.
Fruit	Shining china white, ovate, and about 1/4" long. Wintergreen flavor.

The name (Greek) means "snow-offspring"; it is appropriately dainty.

The Creeping Snowberry is found on Mt. Desert in very moist Sphagnum bogs.

FLOWERS WHITE

GOLDTHREAD

Late May - June

Coptis groenlandica - Buttercup family.

Peeping through the wet, mossy floor of the evergreen forest is the Goldthread.

Root	Long, bright yellow-gold, bitter fibers.
Flower Stalk	No leaves, slender, wiry.
Leaves	On stalks from the base of the plant. Three leaflets 1/2" to 1" long, 3/8" to 1/2" wide, oval, wedge-shaped, toothed, shiny, evergreen.
Flower	White, many parted, 1/4"-1/2" wide.
Fruit	Pods, pointed 4 to 8 seeded.

Named from the Greek "to cut", referring to the divided leaves. The golden root easily identifies this plant.

This root was used by the Indians for making a dye.

The dried root brewed as tea is also used for the treatment of mouth canker.

How lovely is the forest deep
As winding paths we stray,
Where mosses and the wild vines creep
Near streams where willows seem to weep.
Each turn we make, each ancient tree,
Each living thing a mystery,
I love a winding path to stray
That keeps me guessing all the way.

—Columbus Dispatch.

FLOWERS WHITE

DWARF CORNEL or BUNCHBERRY

Early June.

Cornus canadensis - Dogwood family.

Common in cool, moist woodlands.

Rootstock	Slender, creeping, rather woody.
Stem	Flowering stems scaly, 3"-9" high, four-sided, and grooved.
Leaves	Upper leaves crowded into an apparent whorl in sixes or fours, oval, entire, pointed, conspicuously veined, scale-like.
Flowers	Small, greenish, surrounded. by four large white ovate leaves 1/3"-3/4" tubular, minutely four-toothed. Four petals, oblong, spreading, greenish; four stamens.
Fruit	A bunch of bright red, globular berry-like fruits, 1/4" in diameter.

The blossom is a copy of that of the Flowering Dogwood, having a similar, great white involucre whose four leaves look like four white petals, so that the blossom, which is rather unusual, looks like a single, large, white flower with a greenish center. This greenish center is really a bunch of tiny green tubular florets, each of which will in autumn produce a bright scarlet berry.

The berry, considered edible, has a rather dry, pulpy taste.

FLOWERS WHITE

Wild Strawberry

Late May.

Fragaria virginiana - Rose family.

Found in rough dry pasture lands and fields.

Root	Slender, creeping.
Flower stalk	Hairy, rising directly from running roots, 2" to 6" long.
Leaf	Divided into three bread wedge-shaped hairy leaflets, 1" to 3" long.
Flower	Wheel-shaped, 5 rounded petals, orange-yellow stamens, green cone-shaped center.
Berry	Scarlet, ovoid, edible.

Scientific name from the Latin, fraga, meaning fragrant.

Whittier crystallized a well-remembered experience when he spoke of the "Barefoot Boy":

"With thy red lips; redder still
Kissed by strawberries on the hill."

FLOWERS WHITE

BLUETS or INNOCENCE

May - July

Houstonia caerulea - Madder family.

Growing in tufts in grassy places both moist and dry.

Root	Small, slender.
Stem	Smooth, slender, erect, 3" to 6" high and sparingly branched.
Leaves	Oblong or spatulate, small, opposite, lower and basal 1/2" long, upper leaves shorter.
Flowers	Small, pale blue, lilac or cream-white with yellow eye, four sepals. Petals joined into a tube with four oval, pointed, spreading lobes that equal the slender tube in length. Four stamens variable in position. Ovary two-celled; style variable in length.
Fruit	Capsule; seeds few.

Pollinated by flies, bees and butterflies.

Houstonia, named in honor of Doctor William Houston, an early English botanist.

The blossoms are set on the tip of the stem, where they nod in the bud, but are erect in bloom. In color they fade from sky-blue to white, but the yellow eye remains. The flowers are extremely sensitive to atmospheric conditions; at night and in rainy weather the blossoms bend down, to become erect again when sunshine appears.

FLOWERS WHITE

LABRADOR TEA

Late May - Early June

Ledum groenlandicum - Heath family.

Found in bogs and on rocky mountain slopes in moist situations.

Stem	Shrubby, 1' to 3-1/2' high, slender, light brown bark.
Leaves	Small, evergreen, leathery, narrowly oblong, dark green above, rusty-brown woolly beneath, margins curled back, 1" to 2" long.
Flower	White, small, in terminal clusters of 12 or more blossoms, petals 5.
Fruit	An ellipse-shaped capsule 1/4" long.

The leaves of this plant are astringent and frequently used as a substitute for tea, hence the common name. When crushed the leaves give off a slight turpentine odor.

FLOWERS WHITE

CANADA MAYFLOWER

Late May - June

Maianthemum canadense.

Perennial. Open woods and roadsides.

Rootstock	Slender
Stems	Slender, usually two-leaved, sometimes with but one, rarely with three, 3 to 6 inches high, often zigzag.
Leaves	Broad oval, clasping, parallel-veined, shining; fertile stem has two leaves, the sterile but one, 1"-3" long.
Flowers	Small, white, in a terminal, many-flowered cluster, slightly fragrant. Petals and sepals four, separate and spreading, four stamens inserted at base of petals.
Fruit	Small, globular berry, pale red, speckled.

The Canada Mayflower appears in open, sunny woodlands where the soil is thin and composed largely of leaf-mould, and gathers about the trunks of trees or upon the few inches of soil above rocks. These leaves have a certain likeness to those of Smilacina and of Solomon's Seal but are shorter, more rounded, and heart-shaped at base.

The fruit is a favorite food of the Grouse.

FLOWERS WHITE

TRUE SOLOMON'S SEAL

June

Polygonatum biflorum - Lily family.

Found in woods and thickets.

Rootstock	Thick and jointed.
Stem	Slender, leafy, unbranched, angular and curved, 8" to 3' in height.
Leaves	Toothless, oval, pointed or lance-shaped. Appear alternately, smooth above, paler and hairy beneath, 2" to 4" long, 1/2" to 2" wide.
Flower	White or yellowish green, bell shaped, usually in pairs; 6-lobed, 6 stamens, 1 pistil.
Fruit	Round, pulpy, blue-black berry.

This plant was formerly used in healing bruises, wounds, and skin eruptions particularly about the eyes. It has also been used in the manufacture of cosmetics. The berries are reputed to be poisonous.

The scientific name literally means "many knees", referring to the joint of the rootstock. The scar left where the stem breaks away from the rootstock is said to resemble King Solomon's Seal, hence the common name.

FLOWERS WHITE

CHOKE CHERRY

Early June

Prunus virginiana - Rose family

Grows in all types of soil in field, meadows and along roadsides. On Mt. Katahdin up to 4,000 feet altitude.

Stem	A tall shrub or tree, dark bark, smoky gray and smooth. Twigs have a prussic acid taste.
Leaves	Olive green, smooth, widest above the middle, 2" to 4" long.
Flower	White, in thick cylindrical clusters, petals rounded, at the end of leafy branches.
Fruit	Purplish-black, slightly bitter, berry-like with a bony stone.

This plant is often called the Bird Cherry, because such birds as the thrushes, vireos, and sparrows eat the fruit.

Make me a home in the forest,
   Where its shadows linger deep—
Where truth shall know my spirit
   And the pines their vigil keep.

—Harry T. Fee

FLOWERS WHITE

CHOKEBERRY

Early June.

Pyrus arbutifolia - Rose family.

Common in moist situations and in woods.

Stem	A shrub 3' to 9' high, slender, dark brown stems.
Leaves	Elliptical, oval, abruptly pointed, finely toothed, the teeth glandular-tipped, deep olive green above, smooth and densely woolly beneath, 1" to 3" long.
Flowers White, sometimes magenta-tinged, 1/2" broad in mostly terminal clusters.
Fruit	Berry-like, a bright garnet red, about 1/4" thick; astringent.

Also found on the mountains here is Pyrus melanocarpa, a lower shrub with very dark, almost black fruit.

The name Pyrus is the classical name of the common pear of cultivation, Pyrus communis, and the common apple, Pyrus malus.

The common name indicates the power of the berry to constrict the throats of those who eat it because of its astringent quality.

FLOWERS WHITE

DWARF RASPBERRY

May

Rubus triflorus - Rose family.

Found in meadows, fields and open woods.

Stem	Trailing, or ascending, no thorns, slightly woody sometimes branched, 6"-18" long.
Leaves	On stalks, divided into three leaflets, oval oblong-shaped, 1-1/2"-3" long, coursely toothed.
Flowers	1/3"-1/2" broad, 5"-7" white, erect, oblong petals.
Fruit	Red-purple, about 1/2" long.

The name Rubus is close to the Roman "ruber" meaning red.

This plant is a relative of the common raspberry and blackberry, but unlike these has a rather strong acid taste, and consequently is not picked for eating.

THE OCEAN

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal.

—Lord Byron.

FLOWERS WHITE

RED-BERRIED ELDER

Early June

Sambucus racemosa - Honeysuckle family.

In rocky places, along roadsides.

Stem	A shrub, 2' to 12' high, twigs and leaves commonly hairy; stems woody, the younger with reddish-brown pith.
Leaves	Five to seven oval, pointed at apex, often narrowed at base, 2" to 5" long, toothed.
Flower	Whitish, turning brown in drying, plume-like cluster terminating the branch.
Fruit	Scarlet or red 1/6" to 1/4" in diameter, nutlets very minutely roughened.

Another species not so common here is Sambucus canadensis, which has broad flat flower clusters.

The berries of this plant are sometimes used to brew a wine.

FLOWERS WHITE

EARLY SAXIFRAGE

May

Saxifraga virginiensis - Saxifrage family

Exposed rocks and hillsides in both moist and dry situations.

Root	Slender, fibrous.
Stem	4"-12" high, naked, with sticky hairs.
Leaves	Rather thick, oval or spatulate, toothed. Basal leaves clustered. 1"-3" long.
Flower	White, small, clustered, spreading. Five petals. Five sepals. Ten stamens inserted with the petals. One pistil with two styles.
Fruit	Purplish-brown pods, many-seeded; seeds small.

Name from saxum, a rock, and frango, to break, referring to the habit of several species of growing upon rocks.

The roots of this plant grow down into the crevices and cracks in the rocks and assist in the process of weathering, which makes soil from rocks.

FLOWERS WHITE

FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL, WILD SPIKENARD

May - June

Smilacina racemosa - Lily family.

Perennial herb of moist woods and thickets.

Rootstock	Thick, fleshy, creeping.
Stem	One to three feet high, zigzag, smooth, leafy, usually curving, somewhat angled, nonbranching.
Leaves	Many on stem, alternate, oval, pointed, strongly ribbed, margins entire, hairy, 3"-6" long, 1"-3" wide.
Flowers	Small, white, fragrant, borne in plume at the tip, six parted, spreading segments oblong, six stamens inserted at base of petals, one pistil, ovary 3-celled, stigma three-grooved.
Fruit	A bunch of pale-red berries, specked with purple, abundant in the early autumn, aromatic in taste.

Pollinated by bees, flies and beetles.

Each tiny flower of the plume has six white sepals, six stamens, and a pistil. In midsummer a cluster of speckled, pale-red aromatic berries crowns the stem and invites the birds.

FLOWERS WHITE

Three-leaved False Solomon's Seal

Late May, Early June.

Smilacina trifolia - Lily family.

Found in bogs or wet woods.

Stem	Slender, erect 2" to 15" high.
Leaves	Two to four, usually three, from the base of the stem, 2" to 5" long, 1/2" to 2" wide.
Flowers	Small, white, in an upright cylindrical cluster.
Berry	Red, similar to Canada Mayflower.

Canada Mayflower is often confused with this species, the essential differences are:

This plant grews in cold bogs from Labrador to New Jersey and westward to British Columbia.

FLOWERS WHITE

COMMON CHICKWEED

Early June

Stellaria media - Pink family.

In waste places, meadows and weeds.

Stem	Annual, weak, tufted, much branched, 4" to 16" long, smooth except a line of hairs along stem and branches.
Leaves	Lance-shaped te oval; 1/6" to 1-1/2" long, pointed, the lower with leaf stalks, the upper against the stem.
Flower	1/6" to 1/3" broad, in terminal leafy clusters solitary in the leaf axils; sepals oblong, mostly pointed, longer than the two-parted petals; stamens 2 to 10.
Fruit	Capsule ovoid, longer than the calyx; seeds rough.

The chickweeds are reputedly good for birds especially the canary.

The scientific name of the plant is from "stella", meaning star and referring to the star-shaped flowers.

FLOWERS WHITE

STAR FLOWER

Late May - June

Trientalis americana - Primrose family.

The star flower seeks the cool moist shade of the evergreen forest.

Root	Long, horizontal and slender.
Stem	Simple, erect and smooth, 3" to 9" high.
Leaves	A few alternate scale-like leaves on the lower stem and a whorl of five to ten pointed leaves just below the flowers. 1-1/2"-4:" long, 1/3"-1-1/4" wide. Lance-shaped.
Flowers	White, solitary, star-shaped on slender wiry blossom stems. Sepals seven-parted, petals seven-parted about one-half inch across. Seven stamens, one pistil and one stigma.

This graceful star of the woodland produces no nectar, and is a rare instance of floral parts appearing in sevens. Usually floral parts appear in fives, threes or multiples of these.

The name "Trientalis" means a third of a foot and refers to the usual height of the plant.

Go slowly; we have hurried for so long
That we have missed the flowing water's song;
Have passed by all these treasures that are free -
The tinted flower, the singing bird, the skillful bee.

—Hubbard.

FLOWERS WHITE

PAINTED TRILLIUM

May - June

Trillium undulatum - Lily family.

In the shady damp woods dwells this commonest of the Mt. Desert trilliums.

Root	Short, tuber-like.
Stem	Stout, simple, reddish at base.
Leaves	A whorl of three at the top of the stem, broadly oval and pointed, 3"-8" long, 2"-5" wide.
Flower	White, marked with crimson V near center, three petals, wavy edged, three sepals, six stamens.
Fruit	Three-lobed or angled, dark scarlet, 3/4" long.

Common name for the beautiful coloring of the petals. "Trillium", meaning "three" since all the parts appear in threes.

This is the only Trillium common on Mt. Desert, the other, Trillium erectum, being very rare here, but common on the mainland.

This is one flower that should not be picked because picking means the destruction of the entire plant, leaves, stem and blossom.

FLOWERS WHITE

SWEET or LOW BLUEBERRY

Early June

Vaccinium pennsylvanicum - Heath family.

Open, exposed, rocky places.

Stem	Low branching shrubby, 6" to 2' high, green, warty branches and nearly or quite smooth throughout.
Leaves	Oblong or oblong-lance-shaped, green and smooth on both sides, or slightly heavy on the veins beneath, sharply toothed, pointed at both ends, 3/4" to 1-1/2" long, 1/4" to 1/2" wide.
Flowers	Few in clusters, longer than the very short flower-stalk, oblong, bell-shaped, slightly constricted at the throat, 1/6" to 1/5" long, about 1/7" thick, white or pinkish.
Fruit	Blue, very sweet, 1/4" to 5/12" in diameter.

The valuation of the wild blueberry crop reaches approximately millions of dollars annually. In blueberry districts the yearly shipment from one small town often brings in about ten or twenty thousand dollars.

Ordinary plants would die of poison or starvation in the very acid soil demanded by the blueberry.

FLOWERS WHITE

HOBBLE BUSH

May

Viburnum alnifolium - Honeysuckle family.

The Hobble Bush is common in cool, damp woods.

Stem	Woody, shrub-like.
Leaves	Heart-shaped, finely and irregularly toothed, veiny, light green, finely downy above when young, smooth when old, but very rusty-downy beneath especially on the prominent veins, 4"-8" long, with rusty-hairy stems about 1" long; turning maroon red in late summer and the fall.
Flower	Five rounded white or sometimes pinkish lobes, in large flat clusters; marginal flowers large and showy, sterile.
Fruit	Bright scarlet or coral red, berry-like, tipped with the brown dot of the withered calyx, 1/3" long, in flat, struggling clusters, finally turning dull dark purple.
Bark	Dull madder, purple or brown, smooth.

The branches often droop to the ground and take root, forming loops which may trip up a careless wayfarer; hence the common name.

Another species, Viburnum cassinoides, Withe-rod, blooms on mountain slopes later in June.

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MOUNTAIN HOLLY

Late May - Early June

Nemopanthus mucronata - Holly family.

In damp, cool woods on mountain slopes.

Stem	Shrubby 1' to 10' high, bark ashen gray, on new stems, greenish.
Leaves	Light green above, pale beneath, ellipse-shaped 1" to 2" long, very slender stemmed.
Flower	White, inconspicuous, less than 1/4" across, in small clusters at the base of the leaves, on long slender stalk.
Fruit	A dull berry-like fruit, light crimson red, 1/3"' diameter. August - September.

This plant should not be confused with the mountain holly of New York State (Ilex monticola) which is frequently a tree 20' to 25' high and 6" to 8" in diameter.

The red fruit of Ilex verticillata (winterberry) is very similar to that of the mountain holly, except the fruit of the latter is on long slender stalks.

The Holly family is generally characterized by small inconspicuous flowers and the colorful fruit which makes one of our prettiest Christmas decorations.

FLOWERS WHITE

SWEET WHITE VIOLET

Early June

Viola blanda - Violet family

Swamps and moist lands.

Rootstock	Very slender.
Leaves	Small, light green, orbicular to kidney-shaped, heart-shaped with shallow sinus obtuse apex, creante, 1/2"-2-1/2" wide.
Flowers	White, small, 3"-6" broad, slightly fragrant, sepals lanceolate.

This is the smallest of the violets and also one of the earliest to bloom, a tiny creature of the spring nestling in a mossy or grassy bank. In the type the small white petals are broad and rounded, but the type varies into varieties; one with upper petals long, narrow, and somewhat recurved, often boarded and less distinctly veined; another with broader leaves, loving woods and thickets, the white blossoms beardless and veined. All are white, all stemless, and all most attractive and beautiful.

Other species found here are the lance-leaved V. lanceolata and V. palleus, similar to V. blanda.