Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-06-15
NOTES ON THE FLORA OF vER-
MONT-V11.
Iinn.n, DogSyood aud toniiers.
BY Prof g. II, Perkins.

blue or purple, but one is white with, the
over petals very handsomely striped with
rich purple lines. 1t Is one Of the largest and
finest species, and continues In bloom until
after the middle of October 1t is most
abundant on moist, half-shadcd hillsides.
Two species of Maple are also now to be
found 10 flower. Neither is tree, but only
q 1.-THE, slender shrub having no very close
resemblance to the rest Of the genus except
in the flowers. They both grow in mountain
and hillside thiokets.
Growing in the crcviccs Of the rocks and
hedges in and beside the Winooski, near
the second iron bridge is plant which is
chiefly noticeable because of its rarity. 1t
grows there over but very limited area and
and for years it had never been found any
where else, but of late IL has been discovered
near Hartland and also near Hanover, N. IL.
There Is no common naine-thc scientific
name is hsrRAGALus RoBBINsiI. 1t usually
may be found in considerable abundance in
in the locality mentioned and may be
recognized hy its small, whitish flowers,
which are in form like those of the ho.ust or
Pea, and 1t compound leaves each made up
of q row of small, oval leaflets, on each side
of the main petiole, 1. e., like Locust leaves,
but much smaller. 1t reaches, when fully
grown, height a about foot.
Two of the three species of HAWTHORN
arc now covered with bloom They are both
very handsome shrubs, not only when COW
cred with the fiat clusters of snowy flowers,
but also when these have developed into
| scarlet fruits. Both are useful as hedge
plants and ore easily cultivated.
Towards the last of May il the iamblar be
| fortunate he will come upon LIsNEA, q most
sweet and pleasant memorial Of the great
Linneus, whose favoritc it is said to have
been. 1t is widely distributed over tho
northern regions, gro wing in Europe as wei
as America, and creeping nor,hward to tho
arctic ci.cle. 1t, chosen home is in cool
damp woods. There lis trailing stems
bearing the pretty little oval leaves, may
cover the ground about the huge bole of al
old Pine or hang in luxuriant drdpery over {
fallen log mingng lovingly with the sof
| MOSES that vic with it in concealing the dcat
mass ou which thay YroI.
1t docs not make its bnauty 100 com
mon, however. for 1t is nowhere a really
abundant plant and even where stems ant
leaves are plenty flowers may be wholly
wanting. But, when it overcomes its coy
ness and displays its full charm, liftin.
shyly the little rosy bells that will never lool
up at you. hut always turn downwards Yo,
may know thai you sec one OF the lofelies
of plants and as you bend over it and catcl
its delicious perfume you have found tn
sweetest thing In ali thD woodland. Lime
is a wild little plant growing only In it
chosen haun,s and you can scarcely tame
in your garden, nor would it be any longe
Linnea if you could. 1t must be foun,
amid its natural surroundings TO be full
appreciated
Most of the Dogwoo0s are no, IN bloom
} until after the first Of June, but the miniatur
representative of the group, the quaint It'll
BUSCH BERRY, is earlier than the large
species. Many a woodland bank is brigh
with the clear, scarlet punches of berre
which follow the flowers of this plant, an
these are prettier than the greenish whit
flowers. What are usually called the flowers
however are clusters, each made up of
, group of small flowers, which is surrounde
by four petal-like leaves, so that tn
whole appears like one liowor. Tho large
Dogwoods are all of them smooth, clea
shrubs with red, purple or brown pollshe
branches and clusters of small, whitis
flowers which produce in some species pur
white berries, in others dark blue, and /
Others light blue, and il une bright rec
This last, known as the TOWERING Doc
WOOD because its flowers are S
much more SNOWY than the rest.
very handsome shrub or even tree.
| does not grow well in this State except
, the southern portion, but it could probabl
be cultivated in sheltered gardens and woul
amply reward any trouble which might
7 taken in its behalf Most of the Dogwoot
prefer damp, rich soil and are moot froGuen
! ly seen along the banks Of the larg'
streams.
Some of the Confcrn have alrcad
7 bloomed, soiIe a.c new in bloom and son
S are later, but most of them flower not i,
, from the last of May and it will be most col
r vcnicnt to study them all at this time. A
we shall see next week, there are man
/ evergreen shrubs in the Heath family, b.
all OF our evergreen trees are Conifers. III
leaves are lDng. and ncedlc-likc, as in Il
( Pine, or mere scales, as in the .Arhor-F ita
, or short and sharp, as in jumpers. III
4 flowers are in none OF them at all snowy an
are usually in compact clusters each sea
of the fruit, the cone, representing Howe
, The stamcns aid pstils are borne on diile
+ ent flowers. In all the other howerir
4 plants there are either one or two seed leave
but in the Coniferc there are always severa
Y The wood and the leaves generally a5our
4 in resinous matter, to which the peculi,
. fragrance of each species is due. Abol
o three hundred fpecieg are known, fifty
r which grow in the Cniled States and tlft2t
n in Vermont. In most the form is regular
+. conical, the cone being slender in som
broader in others, and hardly distinguished
in few. This form is due mainly to Il
fact that the strong terminal bud, whlt
begins TO grow upwards in the young tn
r. continues yeGr otter year to carry the C
umnar undivided stem upwards and all Il
n main branches arc Misunderstanding out
more or less regular whorls from this
/ The peculiar form which so clearly chara
l. terizcs many species is due to some mod
is cation of this mode of branching. In Il
>, White Pine the main branches starts almo
horizontally from the trunk and from the
rise the smaller branches IN such way til
o the leaves are mostly on the upper s,do
a the large branches and this leaves the low
=, side bare and flat SO that the tree has Il
! somewhat stlaliied appearance which
peculiar to it, In the llemlock, on tie 9th
u hand, the main branches show greater te
dency to downward inclination and Il
small branches droop along the sides
! these giving the tree its peculiar outline.
!, the Pitch and Norway Fine tne branch
:, are more irregularly arranged and the
a trees are more bushy in appearance. while
u the FRS and Spruces We have thic
solid cones OF green. due TO the compa
!, arrangement of the numerous branches. al
so on, each species having its own peculi
: features by which it can be recognized at
considerable distance.
: OF the Pine there are four species in tn
!, State, one OF them, however, the GRAY PiN
y y is found only in 2 single locality. The 9th
!. three are all quite abundant.
The PITcu PINE is well known as The tr,
!, growing plentifully on barrens where Il
u dry, sandy soil is incapable of supporting al
g other tree. 1t often has half starved loo
!, as if 1t found hard fare, and the wonder
that it finds any fare at all in the pure sar
= in which it usually grows 1t is rarely
: very handgome tree nor is its wood as valu
Il, . n.