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feMonk
A3
VOL. I., NO. 16.
PINEHURST, N. C, FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 1898.
PRICE THREE CENTS.
iw. p mm
IN THE PINE BARRENS.
An Amateur Botanist Writes of
Native Flowering Plants.
Region About Pinehurst lias a Wealth of
Blossoms In Spring and Summer.
Some Familiar Varieties, but Many are New
to the People of the North.
The name, "Tine Barrens," which is
applied to that part of the southern
states covered with the long-leaf pine,
is not suggestive of (lowers or aught else
of beauty. "Nothing hut pines, scrub
oaks, and sand!" is the petulant verdict
of the casual traveler, as he journeys
through this region.
IMues, indeed, there are! towering and
massive, with foliage so dark as to make
them gloomy, until one learns to know
and love them. To those who come from
the more ungenial North, in search of
health and strength, these sturdy trees,
breathing forth their fragrant, life-giving
aroma, have proved truly that their
leaves are "for the healing of the na
tions." Wherever the pines are cut out the de
spoiled earth is covered by the scrub or
".Jack" oak, which though never attain
ing any great size, and of little value for
commercial purposes, is by no means
useless. Practically it affords excellent
fuel, and, notwithstanding its ugliness
when deprived of its leaves, during the
season of foliage it gratifies the .-esthetic
side of our natures. When, in the spring,
the fives are covered with their yellow,
tassel-like blossoms, they form brilliant
masses of color against the sombre back
ground of pines. The leaves which fol
low are at first the same shade as the
(lowers, gradually changing to dark
green and when full-grown becoming so
flossy and thick that they fairly tinkle
'"1 the light breeze, as did the golden
,Migh sought by .Eneas. Moreover, as
bidden gust sets them to quivering,
they simulate human voices, and fre
quently when listening to the dee),
"'"sical song of the pines, is the dreamer
moused, thinking that guests are ap
proaching. in the fall they turn to a
'ieh red, rivaling the autumn foliage of
the maples, but finally succumbing to the
killing frosts, they turn to russet brown,
!,n,lth,ls hang ail(i shiver on the trees
throughout the short winter until gent
hurrying and scurrying by the mischie
V( breath of the March wind.
1 !e particular locality under considera-
is in the south central part of North
!mlhw, situated on a high ridge where
soil, composed mainly of sand so
white as to resemble snow, is said by the
natives to be "mighty poor." "Why,"
said one of our southern brethren, "there
won't anything grow there except cow
peas; and they groan when they
sprout!"
Yet, in spite of such unpromising
conditions, the flora is both varied and
fascinating. The flower season opens
early, or at least so it seems to a New
Englander, and trailing arbutus May
flowers no longer are often in bloom on
St. Valentine's day ; and for six weeks
these lovely flowers, so fraught with
childhood memories and recollections of
home, gladden our hearts. Encouraged
by the balmy weather they sometimes
produce a double .variety so rare as to
have escaped the notice of most
botanists.
Before the arbutus is gone the violets
flowers, and the larger trumpet-leaf with
its nodding, greenish-yellow blossom.
With the coining of May the varieties
increase, and the Pulse and Composite
families seemingly strive to out-do each
other in numbers. The most noticeable
of the Pulse family are the one-leaved
lupine with blue flowers and ever-green
foliage; baptisia or false indigo (so cal
led because an inferior quality of indigo
is obtained from it), bearing long ra
cemes of golden-yellow blossoms; te
phrosia, or hoary pea, familarly known
as devil's lute-string, or shoe-string a
name suggested by its long, slender,
tough roots rather than undue intimacy
with his Satanic Majesty and having a
varigated blossom of purplish-pink and
yellow, which changes to pink and
white, and resembles the sweet-pea in
appearance, but without its perfume ; the
V
f t
ON THE KOAD TO PIXEIIUJWT.
appear; not only the small shy blossoms
of the North, but larger, wide-open ones
light blue or lavender and known as
bird's-foot violet. With them conies a
dwarf iris, bright blue and golden
throated; and about the same time, in
great patches which cover the ground, is
found a low-growing phlox, a delicate
flower varying from bright pink to
white, and easily reminding one of the
Drunimond phlox so universally culti
vated. During the early spring the trees give
us many beautiful flowers, and a strik
ingly handsome bouquet is made of
branches of the swamp maple, with its
crimson, winged seed-vessels hanging in
clusters, and the brilliant white blos
soms of the dogwood. Throughout
April the latter trees are a most salient
feature of the landscape, and nothing
else is so well adapted to household
adornment. The flowers, growing only
on one side of the branches, turn out
wards when arranged in vases or fas
tened to the walls ; and our rooms are
often converted into bowers of purity
and whiteness, charming enough for the
most dainty bride.
Two members of the interesting Sar
reeenia family are found here in abun
dance : the pitcher-plant with its curious
inli(ofert, or true indigo plant, which,
though its blossoms are insignificant, is
very graceful, somewhat similar to the
maidenhair fern in form and foliage; the
sensitive, or partridge pea, and the but
terfly pea, a showy lavender flower with
an unusually large "banner."
It is in May that the sweet bay and its
cousin, the beautiful tulip tree, put forth
their blossoms; those of the former,
creamy-white and heavily scented, and
those of the latter yellow and orange,
with a scarcely perceptible odor. In this
month, also, the roadsides are beautified
by azaleas, or false honeysuckles, of
which there are two representatives : one
flaunting its bright red-pink flowers ; the
other more sedate with its white, rosy
tinged corolla, so clammy, or sticky, that
its sides cling together, holding fast the
unfortunate insects which alight upon
it.
The spurge nettle, a low herb, with
rather showy white flowers, attracts at
tention in more ways than one if an at
tempt to gather it is made. As might be
inferred it belongs to the Spurge family,
and is also appropriately called "tread
softly," its leaves and stems being
covered with stiff, stinging hairs.
Speaking of nettles naturally suggests
the cactus of which only one variety is
found here ; this has a deep-yellow blos
som and prickles enough for a dozen
species.
Among the minor spring flowers are a
spider-wort, tmdescantia rosea, a name
much more imposing than the plant ; a
lobelia with a tiny blue blossom; five
finger, gold thread, blue-eyed grass, and
many others.
Most varieties of the Composite family
bloom in summer and fall, though a few
flower in the spring. Perhaps the most
common are the asters, of which there
are many kinds, most of them yellow,
and varying in size from small low plants
with tiny blossoms to those six feet in
height with proportionately large
flowers. The liatris, or blazing star,
grows luxuriantly and is evidently
blessed with an indomitable will, for its
long branches of rose-purple flowers are
sometimes found victoriously growing
up from dry looking heaps of chips, or
gaily creeping from under piles of
lumber heavy enough to discourage any
thing less perservering. Golden-rod,
here as everywhere, asserts its claim to
the honor of being a national emblem,
as, with true American patriotism, it
shows its colors on umber-hued hillsides
and waves triumphantly among the ne
glected grasses of "old fields."
The terrestrial orchids are a source of
much enjoyment to the botanist, and
among; several varieties observed the fol
lowing are most attractive : the yellow
fringed orchis ; habenaria, dazzling white
with a long spur ; spiranthes, or ladies'
tresses, small white flowers spirally
twisted in a spike; calopogon, and po
gonia whose names are derived from
Greek words meaning "beautiful
bearded."
One of the handsomest plants in the
piney woods is the Yucca filamentosa, or
Adam's thread and needle. The latter
name is accounted for by the hair-like
filaments on the edges of the leaves and
the spines on their points ; but, suppos
ing that this plant with its lovely,
creamy-white flowers was a habitant of
the Garden of Eden, it is necessary to
admit that Adam possessed more skill in
the use of sewing impliments than the
modern man.
The passion flower is singularly beauti
ful, and, with a little imagination, one
can readily see the crown of thorns, the
nails, the hammers, and the cords in the
fringe, the styles, the stamens and ten
drils, as did the fanciful lloman Catholic
missionaries of early times. The name
of the edible fruit, "May pops," is hard
ly congruous with that of the vine.
Other more rare summer flowers are a
small buckeye, fragrant and rose-colored ;
an evening primrose which opens in the
sun and is fittingly called sundrop, and
Indian pipe which apparently has a
nature too cold and colorless to thrive in
this land of warmth and sunshine,as only
one lone, lorn speciman has come under
my observation.
Many of the summer flowers remain in