WATER LILY, or pond lily, is a member of a large family of plants that has representatives in every part of the world. They all have long perennial rootstocks. They send their flower and leaf stalks up to the surface of the water on which they float. The flowers and leaves of some tropical kinds rise above the water. The starry, many-petaled flowers open at different times during the day. Hardy varieties are usually early closing day bloomers. Others remain open only at night.

Water lilies vary in size from pygmies, with 2-inch leaves and flowers no larger than cherry blossoms, to gorgeous tropical varieties with leaves 5 feet in diameter and flowers 12 inches across. There are occasional larger forms. A single leaf of the great royal water lily of the Amazon can support the weight of a man. The fruit matures and bursts under water and the seeds float off.

The commonest wild North American water lily is white, but there are also pink and yellow forms. By cultivation, many very beautiful hybrids have been developed. These are not only white, but many shades of pink, yellow, red, and blue. Except the hybrids, water lilies may be started either from seed in shallow tanks, or from tubers planted in boxes of rich loam placed in the bottom of concrete pools, two or three feet deep. Besides the true water lilies, the family includes the yellow pond lily or water chinquapin of the United States, the sacred lotus of India, and the giant Victoria regia of the Amazon.

Wild carrot, also called Queen Anne’s lace, is a member of the carrot family that grows wild. The cultivated carrot that people eat has a European and Asiatic origin. In North America, many carrot plants grow wild common weeds. The name Queen Anne’s lace was given the plants because of their lacy clusters of small white or yellowish flowers. The wild carrot grows to 3 feet centimeters) tall. Its roots should not be eaten.

The wild carrot is also known as Queen Anne’s lace because of the plant’s lacy clusters of small white or yellowish flowers.

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QUEEN ANNE’S LACE. The tiny flowers of the wild carrot grow in umbellate (“little umbrellas”) to form a flat topped cluster that looks like lace. They give the weed its prettiest nickname—Queen Anne’s lace. The flowers usually are white, but they may be faint pink or pale greenish yellow. The central flower, when the blossoms of Queen Anne’s lace fall the ripening fruit forms a cuplike, bristly cluster. It gives the wild carrot two more nicknames-bird’s-nest and crow’s-nest, of each cluster is sometimes purplish. Queen Anne’s lace is hardy and spreads rapidly.

If given a chance it crowds useful grasses from fields and pastures. This trait has given it another nickname, “devil’s plague.” The best way to control the weed in farming areas is to plow under all fields where it has taken hold. This should be done just before the plants are ready to bloom.

The wild carrot, like the garden carrot, belongs to the parsley family (Umbelliferae). It is widespread in America and thrives especially in the northeastern United States. It also grows in the temperate regions of Europe and Asia. The plant grows from 1 to 3 feet tall. Flower clusters are usually 3 to 5 inches across. The leaves are small and cleft two or three times almost to the central rib. The outer divisions are sharply cut and pointed. The scientific name is Daucus carota.

RHODODENDRON. Throughout June and July the colorful flowers and shining foliage of the rhododendron beautify the mountain slopes of North America. The flowers are pink, rose, lilac, or purple. The species usually found in the East is the American, or great, rhododendron. The Carolina, or Catawba, rhododendron grows in the high Appalachians. A species called coast rhododendron is found on the Pacific coast (for picture in color, see Flowers, Wild Flowers). Other species flourish in Europe and Asia, especially in the Himalayas, Borneo, and Java. Some treelike species are 40 to 60 feet high. Shrub forms may reach a height of 20 feet. Most species of rhododendron are evergreen.

Rhododendrons are cultivated widely as garden shrubs. Many hybrid or grafted rhododendrons develop more beautiful flowers than do native species. The plants flourish in moist but well-drained peaty soil. Rhododendrons belong to the heath family and are related to the azaleas. Because they contain a retinoid called andromedotoxin they are poisonous.

The flowers of the great rhododendron, often called the rosebay rhododendron, grow in clusters from a cone like bud. They vary in color from rose-pink to white except at the throat, where they are greenish, spotted with yellow and orange. The dark-green leaves are lance-shaped and evergreen, drooping in winter. The scientific name of the great rhododendron is Rhododendron maximum; of the Catawba species, R. catawbiense; and of the coast rhododendron, R. macrophyllum.

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