ASTER is a flowering plant of the Compositae family. It is so common in the United States that it has been suggested as the national flower. More than 175 species grow in North America. The flower also grows in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. Toward the last of August and throughout September and October, these beautiful starry wild flowers burst into bloom. The aster (from the Greek aster, meaning “star”) was so named because of its radiating or starlike flower head. It is found largely in North America.

Asters are usually perennial plants. The flowers have yellowish or brownish disks encircled by white, purple, violet, blue, rose, or pink rays. Two handsome species are the New England aster, with its numerous large violet or purple rays, and the New York aster (Aster novi-belgii), which has light blue and white blossoms. They bloom until after the first frost. Both of these are common in the northeastern United States.

The aster is related to the daisy. It gets its name from the Greek word for star. The blossoms may be from one-half to two inches in diameter. They vary in color from white through pink, red, and blue. All have flat yellow centers surrounded by many narrow petals.

Most asters are perennial (grow year after year). They bloom in late summer and early autumn. Asters are popular garden flowers because they bloom after other flowers are gone, have few diseases and insect enemies, and last well after cutting. Some common types are the purple New England aster, the smooth blue aster, and certain desert asters. The China, or garden, aster is not a true aster. It is an annual grown from seed each year.

All species of aster need rich soil and sunlight to grow well, but they cannot stand much hot weather. Wild asters can be transplanted to gardens without harming them.

Asters belong to the family Compositae. The New England aster (Aster novae-angliae) has flowers 1 to 2 inches across. From 30 to 40 violet or purple ray florets surround 5-lobed, tubular yellow disk florets, set in a sticky green cup. The rough stem is from 2 to 5 feet high. Long leaves grow directly from the stem.

Most asters are difficult to grow from seed. The plants can be broken into several pieces and transplanted in the spring. They thrive in almost any type of soil. The China aster, an annual, is grown from seed.

Scientific classification. Asters are in the composite family, Compositae. The scientific name for the New England aster is A novae-angliae. The China aster is Callistephus chinensis.

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SWEET PEA. In 1699 a monk found some butterfly-shaped flowers growing wild in the fields of Sicily. He sent a handful of their seeds to a doctor in England. From the offspring of these seeds have been selected the several hundred varieties of sweet peas which are today the daintiest of garden flowers. The sweet pea belongs to the same family as the edible pea. The original flowers were purplish blue in color. Gardeners soon began to select new colors and larger flowers than were found in the wild plant. In the United States interest in sweet peas did not begin until the 1890′s. Today, however, thousands of acres in California alone are devoted entirely to growing sweet peas.

The sweet pea vine has rough, winged stems. The thin, pale green leaves bear tendrils which help to support the plant in climbing. There are two general types of sweet peas; the tall and the dwarf. The fragrant blossoms of each type vary in form from single to hooded double. In texture they vary from smooth and velvety to wavy and crinkled. The colors range from white through all the pastel tints, to blue, red, and purple.

The seeds should be sown in early spring in cool climates or in the fall in warm climates. The soil should be fairly rich and well drained. The bed should be in a rather shady spot. It is important to choose a place where the roots of trees will not rob the soil of richness. The seeds should be planted about six inches apart. They should be covered with about one inch of soil. As the plants come up the earth should be rounded up toward the vines to form a low ridge. Trellises or strings are needed to support the vines. Throughout the season the plants should be cultivated and watered. The blossoms should be picked daily, as flowering stops as soon as seeds are allowed to form. Most abundant flowering occurs when the weather is cool.

ASPARAGUS, a member of the lily family of plants, is a vegetable. About 150 species of asparagus are grown in the temperate parts of the world, but just one (Asparagus officinalis) is usually eaten.

Asparagus grows best in loose, rich, sandy soil. In gardens the seeds are sown early in the spring, though the plants may be started at any time of the year in greenhouses. Asparagus plants must be from two to four years old before they are ready for cutting. Asparagus is a hardy perennial of the lily family, with tuberous roots. The plants are started from seeds and transplanted to a permanent bed in the spring of the second year. They are ready for cutting after they have grown two years in the permanent bed. They continue to produce for 20 years or more. A delicate vinelike variety—wrongly called “smi-lax” by florists—is grown in greenhouses.

The young stems of asparagus plants are used as food. They are cut when the leaves of the plant are small buds and the stems or spears are tender and less than 10 inches high. The young spears are cut each day for six to eight weeks.

After that time the stems begin to get tough and woody as they branch and start to blossom. Each autumn the old stalks of the garden variety are cut down.

If left to grow the plants reach heights of three to four feet. Most asparagus leaves are tiny and fernlike; the flowers are small and yellowish, and the fruits are red berries.

One land of asparagus (Asparagus aspara-goides) is commonly called smilax. Its stiff, shiny leaves are used in flower arrangements. Wild varieties of asparagus grow in Europe and Asia, especially along the seacoasts, and in some parts of the United States.

Asparagus has been a popular food since Greek and Roman times. It is most often cooked in water and eaten hot, but it is also used to make soup or chilled and served in salads.

The asparagus fern is a kind of asparagus used in floral arrangements. It also is a good house plant

Scientific classification. Asparagus belongs to the Llly family, Lillaceae. Edible asparagus is Asparagus officinalis. The asparagus fern is A. plumosus.

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Sunflower is a tall plant known for its showy yellow flowers. There are more than 60 species of sunflowers. The most common type grows from 3 to 10 feet (1 to 3 meters) tall and has one or more heads of flowers. Each head consists of a disk of small, tubular flowers surrounded by a fringe of large yellow petals. A sunflower head may measure more than 1 foot (30 centimeters) in diameter and produce up to 1,000 seeds. The head turns and faces toward the sun throughout the day.

Sunflower seeds are rich in protein. They yield a high quality vegetable oil used in making margarine and cooking oil. Some varieties of sunflowers have large striped seeds, which are roasted for snack food or blended with other grains to make birdseed. Special oil-seed varieties produce small black seeds that contain up to 50 per cent oil. Sunflower oil is the world’s third most important vegetable oil. Only soybean oil and palm oil are produced in greater abundance. Sunflower oil is sometimes used as a replacement for diesel fuel.

Before its breakup, the Soviet Union produced more sunflower seeds than any other nation. In the United States, production increased rapidly during the mid1970′s as a result of improved varieties and in response to a growing demand for sunflower oil. The chief sunflower states are Kansas, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Strawflower is a tall herb grown for its yellow, orange, red, or white flowers. It is cultivated as an annual— that is, for one growing season. However, the straw-flower is actually a perennial and thus can live for more than one year. The flowers are dried and used in winter bouquets. The strawflower belongs to a group of plants called everlastings. All everlastings have flowers that last a long time when dried. The strawflower originated in Australia, and is now grown in Europe and America. It grows 3 feet (91 centimeters) tall.

Scientific classification. The strawflower belongs to the composite family, Asteraceae or Compositae. Its scientific name is Helichrysum bracteatum.

Static electricity. Statice, is a name commonly applied to sea lavenders, a group of herbs or shrubs used in rock gardens and flower bed borders. Sea lavenders grow wild throughout the world, especially in salt marshes and desert or semi desert regions. Their purple, rose, white, or yellow flowers are often dried and made into bouquets. A group of evergreen herbs called thrifts or sea pinks have also been known as statices. Thrifts are found mainly on coasts and in mountainous areas. Their small pink or white flowers grow in dense, globe-shaped clusters.

Sea lavender a type of statice, grows wild in salt marshes and deserts worldwide. The above illustrations show the entire plant, left, and a close-up of flower clusters, right both sea lavenders and thrifts grow well in most garden soils. They usually reproduce by seed. The plants should be started in a greenhouse in early spring and then planted outside. Sea lavenders and thrifts have flowers all summer.

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SPIRAEA (spire’a). During the early summer the several kinds of spiraea make fields and gardens beautiful with their dainty lace-like blossom. The spiraea belongs to the rose family. It is represented by some one of its more than 75 species in every part of the Northern Hemisphere. Some of these species are common wild flowers in the eastern United States and Canada. Others are carefully grown as ornamental shrubs. These include the bridal wreath, which has drooping branches loaded with clustered white flowers. Several others also have white flowers the bridal wreath while other kinds have delicate pink blossoms. None of the species reaches a height of more than eight feet, and many of them are dwarf shrubs. The leaves are pointed and usually have toothed edges. Spiraeas are among the most satisfactory shrubs to grow. Many are very hardy and vigorous in growth. They have few insect or fungus enemies.

Spring-beauty is a type of North American wild flower that blooms in early spring. Spring-beauties are found from Nova Scotia to Georgia and from Saskatchewan to Texas. They also grow in the Western United States from Washington to California. The plants are found in woods, thickets, and even lawns.

A spring-beauty has white pink, or rose-colored flowers. The flowers have pink to purple veins. The plant usually has a single pair of leaves about halfway up the stem. Spring-beauties grow 6 to 18 inches (15 to 46 centimeters) tall. The flowers are perennials-that is, they the spring-beauty is a North American wild flower. Its blossoms are white, pink, or rose-colored, with pink to purple veins may live for more than two years or growing seasons. Scientific classification. Spring-beauties belong to the purslane family, Portulacaceae. They are genus Caytonia.

Star-of-Bethlehem is a small, hardy plant that belongs to the lily family. It grew first in Italy, but now has become a common garden plant in America. Its flowers form the shape of a six-pointed star. The petal like parts are white but have green stripes on the outside. The leaves are green with white stripes. The flower stalk rises from a coated bulb.

People grow the star-of-Bethlehem in gardens, in greenhouses, and in window boxes. Its flowers bloom in May and June, and tend to close before nightfall. The bulbs of the star-of-Bethlehem are poisonous. Scientific classification. The star-of-Bethlehem belongs to the lily family, Liliac. Its scientific name is Ornithogalum.

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Plantain. The common plantain, also called the broad-leaf plantain, is a species that often troubles gardeners. It may be recognized in spring by its circular cluster of broad light-green leaves that grow from the roots. Tall, slender spikes grow up from the center of the cluster. In the summer, these spikes are thickly covered with tiny green flowers. Other plantains include the narrow-leaf plantain, also known as rib grass, which has narrow leaves and short, thick spikes; and the seaside plantain, which has leaves that are used in medicine to lessen inflammation. The seeds of various types of plantains are used as a mild laxative.

A tropical plant called the plantain is a kind of banana. The fruit of this plant looks much like the banana although it is hard and starchy and is eaten cooked. The plantain’s fruit has become one of the chief foods in tropical countries. A type of flour is made from the fruit of the plantain.

Scientific classification. Plantains belong to the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. The scientific name for the broad-leaf plantain is Plantago major.

Pitcher plant is the name of a family of green plants with pitcher-shaped leaves that form traps for insects. Pitcher plants are called carnivorous plants because they feed on animal life (see Carnivorous plant), like other green plants, pitcher plants make their own food by a process called photosynthesis pitcher plants live in places where they get little nitrogen from the soil. The trapped insects provide nitrogen for the plants. These unusual plants have many local names. Among these names are sidesaddle sower, huntsman’s-cup, and Indian dipper. The common northern pitcher plant grows in marshes and swamps east of the Rocky Mountains from Labrador south to Florida. The lower edges of its leaves are folded together to form a tube, or pitcher. The top edges are left open to form the lid, or spout Rain water collects in these pitchers. Thick, bristly hairs grow at the mouth of each pitcher. These hairs all point downward and inward. Tiny honey glands cover the inner surface of the lid. The smell of the sweet juice attracts insects. Once the insect alights, the hairs prevent its leaving. It slides down to the base of the tube, where it drowns. After a while, the plant digests the insect. The globe-shaped flower of the pitcher plant grows singly on a long, slender stem. It is a deep reddish-purple color. The people of Newfoundland chose the pitcher plant as their provincial flower. A pitcher plant with yellow flowers grows in the Southern States. It has tall, erect, trumpet-shaped leaves. Another species of the pitcher plant, the cobra plant, native to California. Most insects caught by this plant are killed. However, a certain moth and a species of mosquito make their home in the pitcher.

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