FALSE SOLOMON'S SEAL.
Smilacina sessilifolia, Nutt. Lily Family.
Rootstock.—Slender; branching; creeping; scars not conspicuous. Stem.—About a foot long (sometimes two); usually zigzag above; leafy. Leaves.—Alternate; sessile; lanceolate; two to six inches long; shining above; spreading in a horizontal plane. Flowers.—White; few; in a simple terminal raceme, on pedicels two to seven lines long. Perianth.—Of six, distinct, spreading segments. Segments.—One and one half to four lines long; lanceolate. Stamens.—Six; half the length of the segments. Ovary.—Three-celled. Style short. Berry.—Nearly black; three to five lines through. Hab.—Monterey to British Columbia.
The False Solomon's Seal is one of the prettiest plants in our woods in March, and in many places it almost hides the ground from view. It has a graceful, drooping habit that shows its handsome, spreading leaves to full advantage, and its few delicate little white blossoms are a fitting termination to the pretty sprays.
S. amplexicaulis, Nutt., is a very handsome, decorative plant, with fine, tall, leafy stem, and large, feathery panicle of tiny white flowers. The broadened white filaments are the most conspicuous part of these blossoms, which are less than a line long. The berries are light-colored, dotted with red or purple.