PLATE XIV
Fruit.
BUNCH-BERRY.—C. Canadensis.
Sweet Bay. Laurel Magnolia.
Magnolia glauca. Magnolia Family.
A shrub from four to twenty feet high. Leaves.—Oval to broadly lance-shaped, from three to six inches long. Flowers.—White, two inches long, growing singly at the ends of the branches. Calyx.—Of three sepals. Corolla.—Globular, with from six to nine broad petals. Stamens.—Numerous, with short filaments and long anthers. Pistils.—Many, packed so as to make a sort of cone in fruit. Fruit.—Cone-like, red, fleshy when ripe; the pistils opening at maturity and releasing the scarlet seeds which hang by delicate threads.
The beautiful fragrant blossoms of the sweet bay may be found from June till August, in swamps along the coast from Cape Ann southward.
Lizard’s Tail.
Saururus cernuus. Pepper Family.
Stem.—Jointed, often tall. Leaves.—Alternate, heart-shaped. Flowers.—White, without calyx or corolla, crowded into a slender, wand-like terminal spike which nods at the end. Stamens.—Usually six or seven. Pistils.—Three or four, united at their base.
The nodding, fragrant spikes of the lizard’s tail abound in certain swamps from June till August. While the plant is not a common one, it is occasionally found in great profusion, and is sure to arrest attention by its odd appearance.
Moonseed.
Menispermum Canadense. Moonseed Family.
Stem.—Woody, climbing. Leaves.—Three to seven-angled or lobed, their stalks fastened near the edge of the lower surface. Flowers.—White or yellowish, in small loose clusters, unisexual. Calyx.—Of four to eight sepals. Corolla.—Of six to eight short petals. Stamens and Pistils.—Occurring on different plants. Fruit.—Berry-like, black, with a bloom.
Clambering over the thickets which line the streams, we notice in September the lobed or angled leaves and black berries of the moonseed, the small white or yellowish flowers of which were, perhaps, overlooked in June.