Stem.—Low, erect, branching. Leaves.—Opposite, lance-shaped. Flowers.—Small, greenish-yellow, solitary in the axils of the upper leaves. Calyx.—Bell-shaped, four-cleft. Corolla.—Two-lipped, upper lip arched, lower three-lobed and spreading at the apex. Stamens.—Four. Pistil.—One.
In the open woods, from June until September, we encounter the pale yellow flowers of this rather insignificant little plant. The cow wheat was formerly cultivated by the Dutch as food for cattle. The Spanish name, Trigo de Vaca, would seem to indicate a similar custom in Spain. The generic name, Melampyrum, is from the Greek, and signifies black wheat, in reference to the appearance of the seeds of some species when mixed with grain. The flower would not be likely to attract one’s attention were it not exceedingly common in some parts of the country, flourishing especially in our more eastern woodlands.
Meadow Lily. Wild Yellow Lily.
Lilium Canadense. Lily Family.
Stem.—Two to five feet high. Leaves.—Whorled, lance-shaped. Flowers.—Yellow, spotted with reddish-brown, bell-shaped, two to three inches long. Perianth.—Of six recurved sepals, with a nectar-bearing furrow at their base. Stamens.—Six, with anthers loaded with brown pollen. Pistil.—One, with a three-lobed stigma.
What does the summer bring which is more enchanting than a sequestered wood-bordered meadow hung with a thousand of these delicate, nodding bells which look as though ready to tinkle at the least disturbance and sound an alarum among the flowers?
PLATE XLV
MEADOW LILY.—L. Canadense.
These too are true “lilies of the field,” less gorgeous, less imposing than the Turks’ caps, but with an unsurpassed grace and charm of their own. “Fairy-caps,” these pointed blossoms are sometimes called; “witch-caps,” would be more appropriate still. Indeed they would make dainty headgear for any of the dim inhabitants of Wonder-Land.
The growth of this plant is very striking when seen at its best. The erect stem is surrounded with regular whorls of leaves, from the upper one of which curves a circle of long-stemmed, nodding flowers. They suggest an exquisite design for a church candelabra.