across, borne in a
curved raceme or panicle that straightens as the bloom advances
upward. Calyx 5-parted; corolla salverform, its 5 lobes
spreading; 5 stamens; 1 pistil. Stem: Erect, stout, hairy, leafy,
usually branched, 1 1/2 to 3 ft. high. Leaves: Rather pale, lower
ones large, oblong, slender petioled; upper ones lance-shaped,
sessile, or clasping. (Thought to resemble a dog's tongue.)
Preferred Habitat - Dry fields, waste places.
Flowering Season - May-September.
Distribution - Quebec to Minnesota, south to the Carolinas and.
Kansas.
This is still another weed "naturalized from Europe" which, by
contenting itself with waste land, has been able in an incredibly
short time to overrun half our continent. How easy conquest of
our vast unoccupied area is for weeds that have proved fittest
for survival in the overcultivated Old World! Protected from the
ravages of cattle by a disagreeable odor suggesting a nest of
mice, and foliage that tastes even worse than it smells; by hairs
on its stem that act as a light screen as well as a stockade
against pilfering ants; by humps on the petals that hide the
nectar from winged trespassers on the bees' and butterflies'
preserves, the hound's tongue goes into the battle of life
further armed with barbed seeds that sheep must carry in their
fleece, and other animals, including most unwilling humans,
transport to fresh colonizing ground.
Pages:
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897