USA > Indiana > Whitley County > History of Whitley County, Indiana > Part 11
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Foam Flower or False Mitrewort-The foam flower grows beside the little star flower. and blooms about the same time, although there is nothing especially attract- ive in the flower, it is dainty and common enough in the wooded hills to command our attention.
Mitrewort or Bishop's Cap-This flower is apt to be found beside its false named relative. The star-like blossom of the true mitrewort is fringed in a remarkable manner, reminding one of the conventional rays sur- rounding the five pointed figure of a star.
White Baneberry-The berries. which appear in late summer, are far more apt to attract notice than the flower. They are waxy white, with a purple-black spot. and oval in shape : the stems which bear the fruit are very thick and turn red when the berries are fully ripe.
Black Snakeroot or Bugbane-It means "to drive away bugs." Strange as it may seem, the plant has become useful in a far better way. It is used in medicine, for neu- ralgie rheumatism, and doctors prescribe an extract of the root for that purpose.
Winter Green or Checkerberry-It is not common here. It is a plant that bears the berries from which oil of wintergreen is made.
Flowering Wintergreen-A delicate lit- tle plant. It is no relative of the checker- berry. Has a conspicuous crimson pink blossom and blooms in May and June.
May.
Yellow Violet-The yellow violet grows on the edge of the wood where sunlight and shadow are mixed. The blossom is very small and springs up from between a pair of leaves which start from a bare stem about eight or nine inches tall.
Purple Violet-A common spring flower that grows best in a cool. shady dell where the soil is rich and where there is plenty of spring water.
Bird-foot Violet-The bird-foot leaf is an astonishing contrast to the heart shaped leaves of the other violets. Nothing is more. attractively symmetrical in plant form than this particular violet leaf; pressed flat on a piece of paper, its delicate outline is an interesting study for one who loves the decorative side of nature. The flower is rich in blue-purple color, and sometimes a violet purple.
Sweet White Violet-This has the faint- est and most delicate perfume imaginable. The blossom is tiny, but extremely pretty.
Solomon's Seal-Solomon's seal is easily identified, as it grows beside some woodland road in early May, by its light green leaves. and its long, gracefully curved stalks, from which depends on the under side a series of tiny, greenish or creamy-white flowers always arranged in pairs. The name had its origin in the pitted appearance of the root .. which bears a round scar left by the broken off old stalk.
False Solomon's Seal-The false Solo-
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mon's seal is in my estimation even more beautiful than the true. Its spike of fine white flowers and its bright green leaf with parallel veining is particularly graceful. There are several other false Solomon's seals but so rare as not to be strictly classed in our flora.
Jack-in-the-pulpit or Indian Turnip -- Jack-in-the-pulpit is a happy looking flower. (if a flower can be said to look happy) and its striped suit reminds one of the conven- tional funny circus clown. It is too bad to make such a comparison, but I must let it stand, because there are few other flowers which are so suggestively humorous. The pretty little brown club inside the spathe reminds one of a miniature bologna sausage. In the fall this bears a cluster of splendid scarlet berries. The root has a sharp, stingy taste, without any reminder of turnip about it.
Pitcher Plant-The odd tubular shaped leaves of the pitcher plant deserve close at- tention. Inside of the leaves there is a sweet secretion which attracts insects. The flowers are oddly colored with green and brownish purple. The plant is always found in boggy places where the sunshine is partly obscured.
May and June.
Robin's Plantain-The robin's plantain is a deceptive-looking character ; it is easily mistaken for an aster. It grows about a foot high and the lower leaves lie prone on the ground. There is a hairy look to stem and flower which is not altogether aster like.
Bluets-Of all the dainty, tiny flowers that bloom in late spring, the little bluets are perhaps the daintiest. It is such an at- tractive little thing that Burpee, the seed
man, has introduced it to the public as a cultivated garden flower.
From the middle of May to the end of June the flower continues to bloom in sun- shine and shadow. It grows everywhere but in the dark forest.
Blue-eyed-Grass-A flower almost as dainty as the bluets. Its color is a purplish ultramarine blue, darker towards the center, where there is a touch of pure gold. There is a curious notch in each one of the six divisions of the perianth, from which pro- trudes a little point in shape like a thorn. It is a relative of the iris.
Yellow Star-grass-Star-grass is a pret- ty little yellow flower which blooms almost anywhere in meadows in May and June. The outside of the flower is greenish; the leaves are grass-like and hairy. It is closely related to the narcissus.
Cinquefoil-The very common cinque- foil is found beside the country highways and byways, and in pastures and meadows and woodland. It is often mistaken for a yellow flowered strawberry, but the cinque- foil has five divisions of the leaf while the strawberry has but three. It blooms from June to September.
Wild Strawberry-Our wild strawberry is so well known that it scarcely needs men- tion here.
Moss Pink-Sometimes planted in yards and cemeteries and runs over everything in the neighborhood where it is placed. It is not a desirable plant.
Wild Columbine-The scarlet and yel- low columbine is one of our most beautiful wild flowers. It grows in rich, moist ground, and is a dainty graceful blossom. It is not numerous.
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Moccasin Flower or Venus's Slipper- Its peculiar wavy edged, dark green leaves The flower is very handsome, in fact it does are covered with a net work of fine white lines. The flowers are small, white and waxy-looking and the leaves are circled be- low in a rosette figure. They are ever green. It flowers in July. not look like an ordinary wild flower but rather like an expensive cultivated orchid. The point of beauty in the flower is its crim- son-pink pouch or sack, and its purplish- brown and green sepals and petals.
Yellow Lady's Slipper-The smaller yel- low lady's slipper, sister to the flower just described, is found in similar situations where the ground is moist, and has the addition of a slight perfume.
Snake's Mouth-The snake's mouth is a pretty little orchid of a most delicate pure pink color, which may be found in swampy places if one does not mind getting the feet wet. It blooms in June.
Purple Azalea or Pinxter Flower-Late in the spring the purple azalea will be found in swampy places and its lovely crimson pink color is a charming foil for the pale green tints of May.
Great Laurel or Rhododendron-It grows luxuriantly in the softened light of the half-lit woods. As a cultivated plant it is grown in parks and public gardens.
Cranberry, Large-The large cranberry grows in boggy places and may be found in bloom in early summer. The berry is ripe in early autumn. The finest berries come from the boggy district of Cape Cod. but many places grow cranberries. It is curious to find that such total different look- ing plants as the rhododendron and the cran- berry are relatives; they belong to the heath family.
May, June and July.
Rattlesnake Plantain-The rattlesnake plaintain is a most interesting character.
Showy Orchis-Gray says this is the only true orchis we have. It is a pretty flower, the upper part purplish pink, and the lower, lip white: there are few blossoms on a stem, not more than three or four. The two leaves are not unlike the lily-of-the-val- ley. Its time of flowering is May and June.
Golden Senecia or Ragwort-The gold- en senecia has a delightful bright color which illumines the meadows where the flower happens to grow with an amber light, such as may be seen in some of the paintings of the old master. Claud Lorraine. The flower resembles an aster in form, but the leaves have an individuality of their own, and are variable in type.
Shin Leaf-The euphonious name "shin leaf" was tacked on the pretty Pyrola for a reason which one may readily guess; the leaves were used as a cure for bruises and the old custom to call such a plaster shin plaster. It flowers in June and July.
Pipsissews-This is a sweet scented little woodland flower, which is common in all dry sandy soil. It is interesting to examine the blossoms under a magnifying glass, where the beauty of the frosty pink flower with its purple anthers will prove quite a revelation.
Yellow Wood Sorrel-The little yellow wood sorrel is extremely common in mead- ow, woodland and pastures, and the tiny clover-like leaf may be recognized anywhere snuggling in the grass from May to Octo-
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ber. The flower is rather insignificant and of a pale buttercup yellow.
White Wood Sorrel-The crimson- veined white wood sorrel is quite a different character, and is altogether lovely. It likes damp woodland best. The flower stem, which grows about three inches high, bears but one blossom.
Sheep Sorrel-Sheep sorrel is a wretch of a weed, which will flourish in sand or sterile soil and is the bane of the farmer who tries to raise clover for his cattle. It be- longs to the buckwheat family and so can claim no relationship to the wood sorrel, which belongs to the geranium family.
Blue Flag-The large blue flag grows in swamps or beside the sluggish stream, and shows its lovely variegated, blue violet flowers in June or July. Under the micro- scope its coloring is marvelously beautiful.
Arrow Head-The little water plant called arrow head blooms in summer beside streamlets and good sized rivers, where it chooses a locality of a secluded and muddy nature. It is well adapted to decorative design.
Sabbatia-One of the most beautiful wild flowers. Its corolla is magenta pink and commonly has eight divisions. It fre- quents the edges of ponds and blooms in summer.
Sundrop or Evening Primrose-Pale yellow flower found beside the roadside in summer.
Evening Primrose-Is common beside the road and in pastures. The peculiarity of the flower is that it opens about sunset, gives out a faint perfume, and then when broad daylight returns, looks limp and withered. It blooms all summer.
Wild Geranium-The wild geranium, which the English usually call wild cranes- bill, is a pale purple flower about as delicate as the evening primrose. The plant grows about fifteen inches high and is in its prime in June.
Herb Robert-A variety of geranium. quite common. The flowers are nearly ma- genta color, that is a deep purple brownish crimson. The stem is rudy.
Indian Poke, or False White Hellebore -About the end of May or the beginning of June large masses of light green, corru- gated leaves are seen in the hollows of the meadow, which have a tropical look. The plant is the Indian Poke and is poisonous. Sheep and pigs have been killed by eating the leaves. In late summer the whole plant withers, blackens and disappears.
May, June, July and August.
Bunch Berry-In early June the pretty little flower is quite interesting for several reasons; what seems to be two white petals, two of which are smaller than the others, are not petals at all but involucre leaves. The flowers are tiny little greenish things with black dots in between. An examina- tion of the flowers under the microscope will at once make the tiny forms clear. The scarlet berries are quite insipid to the taste.
Shepherd's Purse-The commonest kind of a weed. The small white flowers hardly deserve attention, but the seed pod is inter- esting on account of the triangular pouch- shape which gave rise to the common name. It blooms all summer.
Wild Mustard-The wild mustard is a very annoying weed with small, pale, pure
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yellow flower. The plant is not interesting nor beautiful.
Sheep Laurel-It grows in poor and rather low grounds and has a delicate crim- son pink flower.
Candytuft-The cherry garden candy- tuft is a member of the common weed shep- herd's purse. It is a captivating little flower which is in constant bloom from June until October. All they ask is that their flowers should be picked, and a new supply takes the place of the old.
Sweet Alyssum-A garden flower from Europe. Small. white, honey-scented flowers with an odor like that of buckwheat. It blooms all summer.
Corn Flower, or Bachelor's Button- The bluest of all blue flowers, vies with the gentian which Bryant seems to consider a most perfect blue. But a flower of the true blue does not exist, it is only suggested by the forget-me-not.
Mignonette - Our common garden mignonette comes from the Levant, and is an annual cultivated for the sweet scent of its tiny rusty and greenish white flowers. It blooms all summer.
Phlox, Drummondii - Phlox is the Greek name for fire, and although all the phloxes are not fiery-hued, there are many of them brilliant and red enough to deserve the name. The range of color in the Drum- mond phlox is extraordinary. There are cream white, pale yellow, pale salmon, pink. deep pink. crimson pink, magenta, purple lilac, pure red, crimson and solferino.
Caraway-The caraway has found its way into the fields and pastures from the kitchen garden and has really become a very familiar wild flower in many parts of the
country. The plant grows about twenty inches high, and blooms about the middle of June. Its aromatic seeds are used plenti- fully to flavor the familiar New York New Year's cake.
Wild Meadow Parsnip - The wild meadow parsnip is not as common as cara- way. The fine flowers, similar in appear- ance to the caraway, are pale golden yellow, and the leaves are twice compound. The stem of the plant is grooved, and the leaves, toothed at the edges, are dark green.
Bush Honeysuckle-Common flower be- side the roadside and in hedges. It blooms in early summer and its flowers are small and honey yellow.
Indian Pipe - Found in rich woods, smooth, waxy white all over. three to six inches high, with one rather large nodding flower of five petals and ten stamens. It grows on the root of other plants and may be found beside a decayed stump of some forest giant.
Common Day Flower-It has light vio- let blue flowers, irregular in shape, and three-petaled. The flowers seem to grow out of an upper spathe like leaf, and the leaves are lance-shaped and contracted at the base. It is related to the spiderwort.
Spider Wort - Is an attractive little three-petaled purple blue flower with orange yellow anthers, which unfortunately has a very short life. The little blue clusters snuggled at the base of the narrow green leaves form a very pretty bit of color har- mony. It blooms in early summer.
Buttercup - - The child's favorite wild flower. The leaf is one of the most charm- ing instances of symmetry in nature. There are not many flowers which can boast of
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such a beautiful leaf. Then the brilliant yellow of the corolla is almost beyond the power of pure water color to produce.
Dandelion - The common dandelion, which stars the meadow in May and June with its radiant circles of gold, would be a garden favor were it less common. A big dandelion placed under a magnifying glass is one of the grandest studies in golden yel- low that can be imagined.
Oxeye Daisy-The oxeye daisy, like the dandelion, was brought to this country by the white man. Its presence in the grass is so annoying to the farmer that it has been called the farmer's curse.
Heliotrope-The beautiful sweet-scented heliotrope comes from Peru and Chili. It is a perennial, held in high esteem by all. The name comes from the Greek, and means turning to the sun. The essence of helio- trope is used as perfumery.
Milkwort-Milkwort is a common weed which generally grows in wet, sandy ground and bears pinkish crimson flowers in a head somewhat similar to a clover, but smaller. It was thought that in pastures they increased the milk of cows. It blooms all summer.
Seneca, Snakeroot-Seneca is used for medical purpose. and is often given in the form of a syrup for a cough.
Indian Cucumber Roct-Named from the taste of the tuberous. horizontal and white root stalk. It flowers in early sum- mer. but the hlossom is not attractive. In September the beautiful dark purple berries, three in a cluster, attract attention.
Nasturtium, or Indian Cress-The nas- turtium is perhaps one of the most satisfac-
tory of all the garden annuals. The flower comes to us from South America, chiefly from Peru and Chili. It can stand hot waves and drought better than any other denizen of the garden. What a glory of color it brings us !- golden yellow. palest straw color, rich maroon, burning scarlet, intense red, scarlet pink, delicate salmon, peach bloom pink, and a great list of varia- tion of these colors. The plant wants plenty of water, sunlight and sand to grow in. If the ground is too rich it grows leaves.
Lady's Slipper-A close relative of the jewel weed, the garden balsam, or lady's slipper, bears a striking resemblance to the wild species. The balsam comes to us from India. It blooms in summer.
Geranium-There are a great many vari- eties under cultivation, peppermint, rose- scented, pennyroyal, ivy leaved, horseshoe. As a rule all the mixed, showy flowered are called Lady Washington geraniums. Gera- niums come from Cape of Good Hope and are related to herb robert, sorrel. jewel weed. nasturtium. canary bird vine. All are at- tractive when in flower.
Purslane or Pusley - A troublesome weed of the garden. Once a much relished dish of greens, which has since been dis- placed by spinach and young beet tops.
Shrubby St. John's Wort-This plant can hardly be called beautiful, and it is con- sidered a great nuisance in farming lands. Has a superstitious name.
Purple Flowering Raspberry-The pur- ple flowering raspberry is not purple at all. This is a popular name without any truth in it. The flowers are crimson-magenta in color and look something like a wild rose.
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The fruit is flat, weak red color. There are and spreads its weak stems, covered with no thorns on the stem. It blooms in June and July.
Yellow Field Lily --- The yellow field lily begins to hang its golden yellow buds over the meadows in June and in July the pretty bells are in their prime. It has a pretty badly freckled face, which perhaps is the reason it hangs its head.
Wild Red Lily-In my estimation the wild red lily, which always grows in shady places, is the most beautiful one of all the wild species. The stalk grows about two feet high and generally bears but one flower, orange yellow outside and vermilion inside, spotted with brown madder.
Black-eyed Susan-The black-eyed Su- san, as the children call it, Gray says is a western flower. It was introduced into our meadows with clover seed. The plant grows about eighteen inches high, blooms in July. The flower rays are a rich golden yellow. and have a graceful reflex curve.
Catch Fly-The catch fly is common in waste grounds and is easily identified by its two parted white petals. It is the most beautiful imaginable under the magnifying glass. The petals are not so remarkable, but the calyx is as delicate as though it were molded in spun glass.
Field Mouse-ear Chickweed-It is one of the commonest weeds that grow by our roadside. It blooms from April to August. It has an Alpine origin and does not stand the hot weather well. It is named from the shape of its leaves which resemble a mouse's ear.
Common Chickweed -- Common chick- weed is very common and troublesome in every garden. It likes damp ground best,
fine foliage, all over the garden beds. The tiny white flowers are very insignificant. 'They bloom through spring and summer.
Verbena - Our charming garden ver- benas are many of them indigenous to this- country. As a rule the flowers are purple. Other garden varieties are pink, red and white. They come from South America. The verbenas flower all summer.
Blue Vervain-Blue vervain is a tall weed with tiny. homely flowers, that grow in waste places and beside the road. The plant begins to show its tiny blossoms in July. It is a relative of our beautiful gar- den verbenas.
Water Arum-The water arum is simi- lar in appearance to the cultivated hot house flower called calla lily. It is common in boggy places. It flowers in early summer, and is pretty enough to deserve cultivation, but the calla is so much superior that the horticulturist takes no interest in the lesser flower.
Wild Sarsaparilla - The wild sarsapa- rilla, which must not be mistaken for the true sarsaparilla of soda water fame, is nev- ertheless often used as a substitute for the officinal article. Its long slender yellow roots are as aromatic as the mucilaginous twigs of the sassafras tree.
Hedge Bindweed -- In appearance the flower is exactly like a pink morning glory, to which it is closely related. It is a South American plant.
Dodder --- That most distressing weed which goes by the name of dodder is a plague which, in its disintegrating power, can only be compared to sin. The little vine is para- sitic, and it saps the energy of every plant it can fasten itself upon.
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Poison Ivy-Gray says it is a vile pest. It poisons some people dreadfully, its only redeeming trait being its berries and pretty red leaves in the fall.
Clematis, or Virgin's Bower-The cle- matis is among the lovely vines which grow in your yards and gardens. Nothing is pret- tier than its graceful branches decorating a rustic fence. There are several varieties, one with handsome reddish flowers, one with yellow, another with blue.
The Poppy - The poppy family is so large and so varied in type that a garden filled with all the different varieties would present an astonishing picture of contrast- ing forms and colors from the first of June until the middle of October. All come from the old world. The poppy is an extraordi- narily beautiful flower: the variety known as Fairy bush excels.
Pot Marigold-It is a common garden flower and blooms from July to November if protected from frost or all winter in the green house. To insure this, however, the flowers must be picked continually or they cease to bloom.
Gaillardia or Blanket Flower - In the Gaillardia of our gardens we really have a cultivated flower which is our own-a na- tive of our country. The hues are deep red and pale yellow, gold, rich red and white.
Summer Chrysanthemum-A charming annual held in high esteem by farmer's wives. The double flowers are splendid in golden yellow and yellowish white and the plant blooms with prodigal liberality. There are a great many varieties, single and double.
Love in a Mist-A strange rather than a beautiful flower, old fashioned: from the Orient.
June, July, August and September.
Four-leaved Loosestrife-A pretty little golden yellow, star shaped flower. It grows in wet ground.
Common Loosestrife - The common loosestrife grows in low, wet ground, and may easily be distinguished from the four- leaved variety by its branching habit and its flower clusters which terminate the stem. It is also more leafy.
Turtle Head-It may be found in the same surroundings as the loosestrife or per- haps in lower ground. Its flowers are white or pinkish and it blooms in August.
Tall Meadow Rue-The beautiful tall meadow rue begins to show its plumes of feathery white flowers in early summer when the yellow field lily is in full bloom. It has ornamented blue green leaves.
Early Meadow Rue-Has unattractive brownish green flowers, that appear in late spring.
Thorn Apple-One of the rankest smell- ing weeds in existence. It is common in waste places and hog lots.
Spreading Dogbane - The spreading doghane is so common all over the country in thickets and woody dells that one cannot fail to find it without the aid of a regular search. The flowers are quite as beautiful as many small garden favorites.
Common Milkweed-The common milk- weed needs no introduction ; its pretty pods of white silk are familiar to every child. It blooms in the early part of summer. Its heavy perfume is cloying, as it is too sweet.
Butterfly Weed-A variety of milk weed, but does not exude a sticky "milk": the shape of the flower is like the milk-weed. It grows in dry, sandy places.
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Harebell-The dainty harebell, which looks so frail that it seems as though a cold gust of wind might wither its trans- parent blue, is one of the hardiest of all our small wild flowers and derives its name from its leaf.
Self-heal-All summer long this tireless little flower blossoms almost anywhere we may happen to look. The bumblebee is attracted by this flower. It must be studied under the microscope to see its full beauty.
Common Meadow Sweet-A soft plumed plant not very common. It is culti- vated for ornament.
Hardhach or Steeple Bush-Grows in low grounds. The flowers are pink, the plume sharp pointed. It is a very interest- ing flower under the microscope.
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