We searched the borders of the roadside for that little two-leaved
orchid, Twayblade (_Leptorchis liliifolia_), formerly known as
Lily-leaved Liparis, which grows here in the moist woods. We were too
early for it, however. We turned off into the deeper woods till we came
to the tangled edges of McLean’s Swamp. Here, a little later, I collected
pink azaleas and marsh marigolds, golden-ragwort,—known as the False
Valerian (_Senecio aureus_),—white mustard, and water-cress,—also of the
Mustard Family. Throughout these beautiful woods the Broad-Beech Fern
(_Phegopteris hexagonoptera_) and the Oak Fern (_Phegopteris Dryopteris_)
dwell. The Jack-in-the-Pulpit and Indian Cucumbers were here, towering
above the False Lilies-of-the-Valley and Trillium; and among these
vines the dainty golden-shoes of the Fragrant Cypripedium tripped forth
like fairy’s foot-gear. The Indian Cucumber (_Medeola Virginiana_) is
a strange plant belonging to the Lily-of-the-Valley Family. The root
is tuberous, of a white, brittle substance, with a flavor like that of
the garden cucumber. The leaves occur in two whorls along the slender
stalk. About the middle of the stem there is a whorl of five to nine
oblong-lanceolate leaves; above this another smaller whorl occurs, with
three to five leaves; and still above this, all the small flowers nod
toward the ground.
_Medeola_ is an adaptation of Medea, the name of the daughter of King
Æetes of Colchis, who aided Jason by her witchcraft, and was afterward
deserted by him. This plant is supposed to possess magic properties as a
medicine, and is thus used by the Indians and other superstitious folk.
Colonies of Brake and Clayton’s Fern grew in the hollows on the hill, and
about the stagnant pools northward. We wandered up and down the slopes
with eyes bent upon the ground, carefully pacing between the vines,
searching for the Golden Moccasin-Flowers. Most of the buds still were
folded within the sepals, although we found a few that were showing their
golden tips and carmine lacing-petals. In the swamps beyond, we gathered
a dozen Nodding Wake-Robins (_Trillium cernuum_). This species is not so
gaudy as the Painted Trillium, being of a delicate rose-pink, and often
pure white.
Later in the week, while exploring to the east beyond the lane toward
Mount Vernon, I ran upon a select group of _Cypripedium parviflorum_,
many stems of which bore two blossoms. This colony grew beneath pines,
cedars, thorns, and dogwood trees. The soil was rich and dry, and the
leaves, for the most part, were blown off the bare black soil. I counted
a hundred plants—evidently seedlings—besides the ones in bloom. Some were
at least three or four years old; others were of only one or two seasons’
growth. The smallest plants were but a few months old. I had never found
so many natural seedlings of Cypripedium before.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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