St. John's-wort And Wild Carrot Families
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St. John's Wort And Wild Carrot Families
( Originally Published 1908 )
ST. JOHN'S-WORT. The St. John's-wort is the prophet of the Goldenrod. Long before the fields are yellowed by the Midas touch of the latter plant they are spotted here and there by the brilliant blossoms of the Hypericum. There are many species of these, varying from tiny plants only a few inches high to the larger ones two or three feet high. The leaves of the commonest sort are small and slender, while the flowers are quite conspicuous with their golden-yellow petals and their numerous stamens. This variety is especially found in dry fields where, later in the year, it is replaced by the glorious Goldenrod. These flowers are the typical representatives of the St. John's-wort family (Hypericacae).
WILD CARROT. There is generally no need to search far for the white umbrellas of the Wild Carrot. In the older settled regions it probably occurs along the nearest roadside, if it does not overrun the fields and pastures. Yet it is a decidedly decorative plant, with its fluted columns for stems, its slender incised leaves and its mass of tiny flowers arranged in spreading heads that attract a great variety of flies and other insects for the purpose of pollination.
The Wild Carrot is an excellent example of the large Parsley family (Urnbelliferę) in which many small flowers are held on rather short stems that project from a common center. It is also called the Carrot family. The cultivated carrot has been developed from this wild species, which is also called Bird's-nest and Queen Anne's Lace.
Several weeds and poisonous plants also belong to this Carrot family. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Poison Hemlock, or Poison Pars-ley. This is a wayside species growing sometimes to a height of six feet, having many flat-topped umbels of small white flowers, and finely cut parsley-like leaves. It is a biennial and one of the most poisonous of medicinal herbs.