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PLATE I. - * Indiiin Turnip. — Amm triphyriim [Anan family) 9 Showy Orchis. — Orchis Spedabilio 13 Painted Cup, Scarlet Cup. — Casiilleia Cocdnea 15 Cone Flower. — Rudbcckia, fulgida 19 PLATE II. Sweet Wintergreen. — Piirola elllptica 21 One Flowered Pyrola. — Monhes unijlora .- 24 Flowering Easpberry. — Ruhiis Odomtus-- 25 Si)ecdwell. — American Brooklinie. — Veronica Americana 27 PLATE III. Addc's-Tongue.— Dog-Toothed yioht—Erythroniim Americanum 29 White Trillium.— Death-Flower.— Trillium Grandijlinim 31 Rock (johxmhinQ.—Aqnilegia Canadensis 34 PLATE IV. Squirrel Corn. — DicHntra Canadensis 37 Purple Trillium.— Death-Flower.— Birth-Root.— Trillium erectnm 39 Wood Geranium.— Cranes-Bill.— CemjiKHi maculdtum 41 ClaoVveed Wintergrcen.— r^CT^a/ia : 44 ifiu 1 CONTENTS. PLATE V. PAOB. Yellow Lady's Slippers. — CyjyripkUmn jmrvijiorum and Cyin-ipklhuH pnbesccns 45 Large Blue Flag. — fris Vc7'sicolor. — Fleur-de-htce 47 Small Cranberry. — Vacc'iniwn Oxycoccus 50 PLATE VL Wild Orange Lily. — Lilium PhiladcJphicum oli Canadian 1 larebell. — Campamda Roiundifolki i){\ Showy Lady's Slipper. — Cypripediiim Spidabik. — (^loccasin Flower) i?J PLATE TIL Eai'ly Wild Kose. — Rvsu Blanda 03 Pentstenion Board-Tongue. — Fcntstmon jiubcuccm GG PLATE Yin. Sweet Scented Water Lily. — Xi/mphaa Odoruta (57 Yellow Pond Lily. — Nuphur Advaia. — (Spatter Dock.) 71 PLATE IX. Pitcher Plant. — (Soldier's Drinking Cuji.) — iSmrmhiia Purpvnu 73 PLATE X. Livor-Leat' — Wind-Flowcr. — (Shaij) LoLcd HeiJi'itica.) — Ilqiidiai Aciddula 77 Belhvort . — (Wood Dafibd il.) — Vvrduria Uruhdijldra 7'J Wood A nenione. — Anemone Nemorvsa 81 Spring Beauty. — Ckii/tonia Vmjinim 64 ■4 PREFACE. A FEAV Avords of introduction for our liook on the AVild Flowers of Canada may l\. l)c deemed neeessary by tlic iVieiids who liavo so kindly and freely eonic forward as Subscribers to tlic worU, and also the public in general. We present it with every hope that success may follow the publication, which has been delayed, by many unforeseen obstacles, from appearing at as early a dale as had been anticijSated. Ifowevei', we must fall back uiion the old saying — ' Better late than never ' — and in excuse, observe that the labour of the undcjrtaking has been very great. First, the designs — all the flowers having been copied from Natuiik's Own Book, by ^fns. FiTz Arum trrphylhm (Ai-um family.) " Or peers the Arum from its spotted veil." Bryant. [HERE are two species of Arums common to Canada, the larger of which is known as Green-dragon (Arum Dracon- tium) ; tho other, which forms the central figure in the plate, is the most common to our soil, and is known by the familiar name of Indian Turnip (Arum triphyllum or A. jpurpureum). These moisture-loving plants are chiefly to be found in rich, black, swampy mould, beneath the shade of trees and rank herbage, near creeks and damp places, in or about the forest. The sheath that envelops and protects the spadix, or central portion of the plant, is an incurved membraneous hood of a pale green colour, beautifully striped with dark purple or brownish- purple. The flowers are inconspicuous, hidden by the sheath ; they are of two kinds, the sterile and fertile, the former placed above, the latter consisting of four or more stamens and 2 4-celled IQ INDIAN TURNIP. anthers, the fertile or fruit-bearing flowers of a 1-celled Ovary. The fruit, when ripe, is bright scarlet, clustered round the lower part of the round Ueshy scape. As the berries ripen, the hood or sheath withers and shrivels away to admit the ripening rays of heat and light to the fruit. The root of the Iii'lian Turnip consists of a round, wrinkled, fleshy coim, somewhat .arger than that of the garden crocus ; fmm this rises the simple scape or stem of the plant, which is sheathed with the base of the leaves. These are on long naked stalks, divided into three ovate pointed leaflets, waved at the edges. The juices of the Indian Turnip are hot, acrid, and of a poisonous quality, ))ut can be rendered useful and harmless by the action of heat : the roots roasted in the fire are no longer poisonous. The Indian herbalists use the Indian Tarnip in medicine as a remedy in violent colic, long experience having taught them in Avhat manner to employ this dangerous root. The Arum belongs to a natural order, most plants of which contain an acrid poison, yet under proper care can be made valu- able articles of food. Among these we may mention the roots of Colocosia mucronatum, V/olaccum, and others, which, under the more familiar names of Eddoes and Yams, are in common use Ml tropical countries. The juice of Afum tnphijlhtm, our Indian Turnip, has been used, boded in milk, as a remedy for consumption. Portland sago is prepared from the larger species, Arum maculatum, Spotted Arum. The corm, or root, yields a fine, white, starchy powder, similar to Arrow-root, and is prepared much in the same way as potato starch. The pulp, after being ground or INDIAN TURNIP. 11 pounded, is thrown into clean water and stirred; the water, after settling, is poured off, and the Avhite sediment is again submitted to the same process until it becomes quite pure, and is then dried. A pound of this starch may be made from a peck of the roots. The roots should be dried in sand before using. Thus purified and divested of its poisonous qualities, the powder so procured becomes a pleasant and valuable article of food, and is sold under the name of Portland Sago, or Portland Arrow-root. When deprived of the poisonous acrid juices that pervade them, all our known species may be rendered valuable both as food and medicine ; but they should not be employed without care and experience. The writer remembers, not many years ago, several children being poisoned by the leaves of Arum triphyllum being gathered and eaten as greens in one of the early-settled ])ack townships of \yestern Canada. The same deplorable accident happened by ignor.ant persons gathering the leaves of the Man- drake or May Apple [PodophylUn pcdatum). There seems in the vegetable world, as well as in the moral, two opposite principles, the good and the evil. The gracious God has given to man the power, by the cultivation of his intellect, to elicit the good and useful, separating *t from the vile and injurious, thus turning that into a blessing which would otherwise be a curse. " The Arum family possess many valuable medicinal ([ualities," says Dr. Charles Lee, in his valuable work on the medicinal plants of North America, "but would nevertheless become dangerous poisons in the hands of ignorant persons." The useful Cassava, {Zam'pha Mam'por), of the West Indies and tropical America, is another remarkable instance of art over- 12 INDIAN TURNIP. coming nature, and obtaining a positive good from that which in its natural state is evil. The cassava, from the flour of which the bread made by the natives is manufactured, being the starchy parts of a poisonous plant of the Euphorbia family, the milky juice of which is highly acrid and poisonous. The pleasant and useful article sold in the shops under the name of tapioca is also made from the Cassava root. Nat. Ord. ORcniDACKiE. Orchis Spectabilis. " Full many a gem of purest ray serene, The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear ; Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air." Gray. 'EEP hidden in the damp recesses of the leafy woods, many a rare and precious flower of the Orchis family blooms, flourishes, and decays, unseen by human eye, un- sought by human hand, until some curious, flower-loving botanist plunges amid the rank, tangled vegetation, and brings beauties to the light. One of these beautiful Orchids, the Orchis spcctabik or Showy Orchis, is here presented in our group. This pretty plant is not, indeed, of very rare occurrence ; its locality is rich maple and beechen woods all through Canada. The colour of the flower is white, shaded, and spotted with pink or purplish lilac ; the coroUa is what is termed ringent or throa' ^ \ the upper petals and sepals arching over the hollow iower-l'; id petal. The scape is smooth and fleshy, terminating in a loosely- u SHOWY ORCHIS. flowered and many-bracted spike ; the bracts are dark-green, sharp-pointed, and leafy ; the root a bundle of round white fibres ; the leaves, two in number, are large, blunt, oblong, shining, smooth, and oily, from throe to five inches long, one larger than the other. The flowering time of the species is May and June. Our forest glades and boggy swamps hide many a rare and precious flower known but to few ; among some of the most beau- tiful of this interesting group of plants, we might direct attention to the elegant and rare Calypso borealis, Pogonia triphorirt, and Pogonia pendula. The beautiful Grass Pink, Calopogon jndchellm, with many others of the Orchidacea) tribe, may be regarded as flower gems to l)e prized alike for their exquisite forms and colouring as for their scarcity. These lovely Orchids, transplanted to the greenhouse or conservatory, would be regarded as objects of great interest, but are rarely seen and little valued by the careless passer-by, ii he chances upon them in their forest haunts. Gray. Nat. Obd. Sorofhularu. li^ittli^^ %^p9 ^(^aafU^a (§-^^Ki. |THIS splendidly-coloured plant is the glory and ornament of the })lain-lands of Canada. The whole plant is a glow of scarlet, varying from pale flame-colour to the most f*^' vivid Vermillion, rivalling in brilliancy of hues the scarlet geranium of the greenhouse. The Painted Cu}) owes its gay appearance not to its flowers, which are not very conspicuous at a distance, but to the deeply- cut leafy tracts that enclose them and clothe the stalks, forming at the ends of the flower branches clustered rosettes. (See our artists plate.) The flower is a flattened tube, bordered with bright red, and edged with golden yellow. Stamens, four ; pistil, one, pro- jecting beyond the tube of the calix ; the capsule is many seeded. The radical or root leaves are of a dull, hoary green, tinged with reddish purple, as also is the stem, which is rough, hairy, and f"^. 1. a ■ le PAINTED CUP, SCARLET CUP. angled. The bracts, or leafy appendages, which appear on the lower part of the stalk, are but slightly tinged with scarlet, but the colour deepens and brightens towards the middle and summit of the branched stem. The Scarlet Cup appears in May, along with the smaller white and red trilliums ; but these early plants are small ; the stem simple, rarely branched, and the colour of a deeper red. As the summer advances, our gallant soldier-like plant puts on all its bravery of attire. All through the glowing harvest months, the open grassy plains and the borders of the cultivated fields are enriched by its glorious colours. In favourable soils the plant rises, enclosed in a tubular slightly twice-cleft calyx, of a pale green colour, attains a height of from 2ft. 4in., throwing out many side branches, ter- minated by the clustered, brilliantly-tinted bracts ; some heads being as large as a medium-sized rose. They have been gathered in the corners of the stubble fields on the cultivated plains, as late as October. A not uncommon slender variety occurs of a pale buff, and also of a bright lemon colour. The American botanists s; oak of Gasfilleia coccinea, as being addicted to a low, wettish soil, but it is not so with our Canadian plant ; if you would find it in its greatest perfection, you must seek it on the high, dry, rolling plains of Rice-lake, Brantford, to the north of Toronto, Stoney lake, the ueighlDOurhood of Peterboro, and similar localities ; it is neither to be found in swamps nor in the shade of the uncleared forest. For soil, the Scarlet Cup seems to prefer light loam, and evidently courts the sunshine rather than the shade. If it could be prevailed upon to flourish in our garden borders, it would be a great acquisition, from its long flowering time ahd its brilliant colouring. ,,^.p ■••ur'^i^ tainr ^iBpiw '.*?,'(fi' .'V vsra PAINTED CUP, SCARLET CUP. 17 These lovely plants, like many others that adorn our Canadian woods and wilds, yearly disappear from our midst, and soon we shall seek them, but not find them. We might aay with the poet " 'Twas pity nature brought ye forth, Merely to show your worth, And lose ye quite ! But ye have lovely leaves, where we May read how soon things have Their end, though ne'er so brave ; And after they have shewn their pride, Like you awhile they glide Into the grave. Hekrick. Nat. Ord. Composite. ^(»«(^ ^l|(»!l^(»$' BiidbSckia fukjida. V j'SK, I HE Cone Flower is one of the handsomest of our rayed flowers. The gorgeous flaming orange dress, with the deep purple disk of almost metallic lustre, is one of the ornaments of all our wild open prairics-likc plains during the hot months of July, August and September. We find the Cone-Flower on the sunny spots among the vild herbage of grassy thickets, associated with the wild Sunflowers, Asters and other plants of the widely diffused Composite Order. During the harvest months, when the more delicate spring flowers are ripening their seed, our heat-loving Rudbeckias, Chrysan- themums, Sun-flowers, Coreopsises, Ox-eyes, and Asters, are lifting their starry heads to greet the light and heat of the sun's ardent rays, adorning the dry wastes, gravelly and sandy hills, and wide grassy plains, with their gay blossoms ; " Bright flowera that linger as they fall, Whose last are dearest." Many of those compound flowers possess medicinal qualities. Some, as the thistle, dandelion, wild lettuce, and others, are narcotic, being supplied with an abundance of bitter milky juice. The I ■ ' '*lip' ' ' 20 CONE FLOWER. Sun-flower, Coreopsis, Cone-flower, Tagwced, and Tansy, contain resinous properties. The beautiful Aster family, if not remarkable for any peculiarly useful qualities, contains many highly ornamental plants. Numerous species of these charming flowers belong to our Canadian flora ; lingering with us " When fairer flowers are all decayed," brightening the waste places and banks of lakes and lonely streams with starry flowers of every hue and shade — white, pearly blue, and deep purple ; while the Solidagoes (Aaron's rod), arc cele- brated for the valuable dyes that are yielded by their deep golden l)lossoms. But to return to the subject of our artist's plate, the Cone Flower. The plant is from one to three feet in height, the stem simple, or branching, each branchlet terminating in a single head. The rays are of a deep orange colour, varying to yellow ; the leaves broadly lan- ceolate, sometimes once or twice lobed, partly clasping the rough, hairy stem, hoary and of a dull green, few and scattered. The scales of the chaffy disk are of a dark, shining purple, forming a somewhat depressed cone. This species, with a slenderer- stemmed variety, with rays of a golden yellow, arc to be met \nth largely diffused over the Province. Many splendid species of the Cone Flower are to be found in the wide-spread prairies of the Western States, where their brilliant starry flowers are mingled with many a gay blossom known only to the wild Indian hunter, and the herb-seeking medicine men of the native tribes, who know their medicinal and healing qualities, if they are insensible to their outward beauties. lliliHiiMiiiiHni VPOLA EL. FITt; (,i 'iii-|)lv f;, ivATn i^ n, ,.-^vr,7) -•Jri-ls-AKA, ',^:'tr\i\,.U Bi ■: i;li; Nat. Ord. Erioacwi.— Sud. Ord. PvndLBJE. h^^i^ W^^H^^^^^^' Pyrola elUptica. TIE familiar name "Wiiitergreen" is applied by the Canadians to many species of dwarf evergreen plants without any reference to their natural affinities. The beautiful family of Pyrolas share this name in common with many other charming forest Mowers in reference to their evergreen habit. Every member of this interesting family is worthy of special notice. Elegant in form and colouring, of a delicate fragrance and enduring verdure, they add to their many attractions the merit of being almost the first green thing to refresh the eye long wearied bv gazing on the dazzling snow for many consecutive months of winter. As the dissolving crust disappears from the forest beneath the kindly influence of the transient sunbeams of early spring, the deep glossy-green shoots of the hardy Pyrolas peep forth, not timidly, as if afraid to meet " Tho snow and blinding sleet ;" not shrinking from the chilling blast that too often nips the fair promise of April and May, but boldly and cheerfully braving the worst that the capricious season has in store for such early risers. 22 SWEET WINTERGREEN. t ¥ All bright, and fresh, and glossy, our AViutergrecns conic fortli as though they had been perlccting their toilet within the sheltering canopy ol' their snowy chambers, to do honom- to the new-born year just awakening from her icy sleep. P. Elliptica forms extensive beds in the forest, the roots creeping with running subterranean shoots which send up clusters of evergreen leaves, slightly waved and scalloped at the edges, of a deep glossy green and thin in texture. The name Pyrola is Jerived from a tancicd likeness in the foliage to that of the Pear, but this is not very obvious, nevertheless we will not cavil at it, for it is a pretty sounding word, I'ar l^ettor than many a one that has been bestowed upon our showy wild (lowers, in com- pliment to the person that lirst brought them into notice. The pale-greenish white flower of our Pyrola forms a tall terminal raceme, the five round petals arc hollow; each blossom set on a slender pedicle, at the base of which is a small pointed bract ; the anthers are of a reddish orange colour, the stamens ascending in a cluster, while t "> long style is declined, forming a figure somewhat like the letter J. The seed vessel is ribbed berry-shaped, slightly flattened and turLinate ; wdien dry, the light chaffy seeds escape through valves at the sides. The dry style in this and most of the genus remain persistent on the capsule. The num1)er 5 prevails in this plant ; the calyx is 5 parted ; petals 5 ; stamens 10, or twice Ave ; stigma one, but 5 rayed ; 5 knobs or tubercles at the apex ; seed-vessel 5 celled and 5 valved. The flowers are generally from 5 to 10 on the scai)c. Most of our Pyrolas are remarkable for the rich fragrance of their flowers, especially P. rofundifolia, P. elliptica, P. incwmita, and P. minor. SWEET WINTERGREEN. 23 These flowers are, for the most part, found in rich woods, some in low wet ground, but a few prefer the drier soil of piny forests, and one of the finest and most fragrant of the species grows freely on grassy uplands. The larger flowered P. rotundifolia (round-leaved Pyrola). The exquisitely beautiful evergreen plant known by Cana- dian settlers as Prince's Pine is a member of the family of Pyrola. From root to summit this plant is altogether lovely. The leaves are dark, shining and smooth, evergreen and finely serrated ; the stem of a bright rosy-red ; the delicately pink-tinted flowers look as if moulded from wax ; the anthers are of a bright amethyst-purple, set round the emerald-green turbinated stigma. The flowers are not many, but form a loose corymb springing from the centre of the shining green leaves. There is scarcely a more attractive native plant than the Chimiiphila umhelld.ta in our Canadian flora. The leaves of this beautiful Wintergrecn are held in high estimation by the Indian herl)alists who call it Rheumatism Weed, (P/jHSsewa.) It is bitter and aromatic in quality. ■j,yia--W«^(». ■■ Nat. Ord. ERicAOEiE. — Scb. Ord. Pyroleje. (^ifti^ #lie>lla^t(^^ ^^^jskltu Moneses uniflorii. WA^ IHIS exquisitely scented flower is only found in the shade of the forest, in rich l)lack leaf mould, where, like P. elliptica, it forms considerable beds ; it is of evergreen habit. The -M^^ leaves are of a dark green and smooth surface, clustered at the base of the running root-stork and sending up from the centre one simple scape, bearing a gracefully nodding flower ; each milk- white petal is elegantly scalloped : the stamens, 8 to 10, are set close to the base of the petal ; the anthers are of a bright purple amethyst colour ; the style straight, with five radiating points at the extremity forming a perfect mural crown in shape ; it is of a bright green and much exceeds in length the stamen. The scent of the flower is very fine, reseml)ling in richness that of the hyacinthe. This species is not common. There is another variety of the single-flowered Pyrola that is of more frequent occur- rence in our woods. The flower is of a greenish white, the anthers of a brownish fawn colour, the whole height of the plant scarcely exceeding four or five inches, and the scent is less fragrant than that of the pure white single Pyrola (Moneses uniflorii.) Nat. Ord. Rob aces. #II«»i|fii^'j&^«^ S^S'jfc2>t^3^»^ Bitbus Odordius. N English gardens our beautiful Red-Flowered, Sweet- Scentcd Raspberry is deemed worthy of a place in the shrubberies, but in its native country it is passed by because it is not an exotic, and therefore regarded as of little worth. — Like a prophet it has no honour in its own country. — Yet what can be more lovely than its rose-shaped blossoms, from the deep purplish-crimson bud wrapped in its odorous mossy calyx, to the unfolded flower of various shades of deep rose and paler reddish lilac. The flowers of the Red Raspberry derive their pleasant aro- matic odour from the closely-set coating of short bristly glandular hairs, each one of which is tipped with a gl' 1 of reddish hue, con- taining a sweet-scented gum, as in the moss) envelope of the moss- rose of the garden. These appendages, seen by the aid of a power- ful microscope, are objects of exquisite beauty, more admirable than rubies and diamonds, living gems that fill us with wonder while we gaze into their marvellous parts and glorious colours. All through the hot months of June, July and August, a succes- sion of flowers arc put forth at the ends of the branches and branchlets of our Sweet Raspberry — " An odorous cbaplet of sweet summer buds." 26 FLOWERING RASPBERRY. The shrub is from two to five feet in height, branching from the woody perennial root-stock ; the leaves are from three to five lobed, the lobes pointed and roughly toothed. The leaves are of a dullish green, varying in size from several inches to mere bracts. The blos- soms are often as large as those of the sweet-briar and dog-rose, but when first unfolded more compact and cup like. The fruit consists of many small red grains, somewhat dry and acid, scarcely tempting to the palate, but not injurious in any degree. The shrub is more attractive for its flowers than its insipid fruit. We have indeed few that are more ornamental among our native plants than the Rubus Odoratus. Canada cannot boast of the Rhododendrons and Azaleas that adorn the Western and Northern States, but she possesses many attractive shrubs that are but little known, which flourisli year after year on the lonely shores of our inland lakes and marshy beaver- meadows. Ledums and Kalmias, with many a fair flower that withers unnoticed and uncarcd for in its solitary native haunts. Veronica. — Nat. Ord. ScROpnriAKiACEx AMERICAN BROOKLIME. Veronica Ammcttna. a? " Flowers spring up and die ungatliered." ^^N the lauguagc of flowers the blossoms of the Veronica or Speedwell are said to mean undying love, or constancy, but the blossoms o ;;he Speedwell are fugacious, faUing quickly, and therefore, one would say, not a good emblem of endurance. ^weet simple flowers are the wild Veronicas, chiefly inhabiting damp overflowed ground, the Ijordcrs of weedy ponds and brooks, from whence the names of " Brooklime '' and " Marsh Speedwell," •' Water Speedwell," and the like. Some of the species are indeed found mostly growing on dry hills and grassy banks, cheering the eye of the passing traveller by its slender spikes of azure flowers, and this is often known by the pretty name of Forget-me-not, though it is not the true "Forget-me-not," which is Myosotis palustris^ also cafled " ScoRPiox-GRASs ;" the derivation of which last name we should find it difficult to trace. The subject of the elegant little flower on the right hand Bide of the plate is Veronica Ainericdna — " American Brooklime "—one of the prettiest of the native Veronicas, and may easily be recognized by its branching spikes of blue flowers, and veiny, partially heart- shaped leaves. i - ""■■rt^l'J'fT!! W^,'W^JA3' ." '-'V" ^' " "y ■■ ■■ ".r ;^«»f7p!f*rr«*r v^'^'-rvr-*^ - -^ >'r^ * ■■■"■ "- "y^rr.LiuM GR.AirD.i[H'P'"r Nat. Ord. Lilur&e. ^^^«^^^^tn^tu^. DOG-TOOTHED VIOLET. Erythronium Americcmiim. " And spotted Addcrs-tonguc with drooi)ing bell, Greeting the new-born spring." 'N rich black mould, on the low banks of creeks and open woodlands, large beds of these elegant lilies may be seen piercing the softened ground in the month of April; the broad lanceolate leaves are beautifully clouded with purple or reddish brown, or sometimes with milky white. Each bulb of the second year's growth produces two leaves, and between these rises a round naked scape, (or flower stem), terminated by a drooping yellow bell. The unfolded bud is striped with lines of dark purple. A few hours of sunshine and warm wind soon expands the flower, which is composed of six coloured sepals,* recurved which form a lily-like turbaned flower ; each segment grooved, and spotted at the base, with oblong purplish brown dots. The outer surface of the sepals are marked with dark lines. The stamens are * Sepah are tho leaves of the calyx ; iu liliaceous flowers the calyx and corolla being not obviously distiu- guisbablc, the name perianth is often applied to the whole ; but really there are three sepals — the outer circle, and three petals — the inner cirslo — to call them all sepals is incorrect. — Prof. Hincks. II ■ flU '' ■■•"^ 30 ADDERS-TONGUE. six; anthers, oblong; pollen of a brick-red, or dull orange colour, varying to yellow. The style is club-shaped; stigmas three, united. This elegant yellow lily bends downward when expanded, as if to hide its glories from the full glare of the sun-light. The clouded leaves are of an oily smoothness, resisting the moisture of rain and dew. The name Dogs-tooth Violet seems very inajjpropriate. The pointed segments of the bell may have suggested the resemblance to the tooth of a dog, but it is diflicult to trace any analogy between this flower and the violet, no two plants presenting greater dissimi- larity of foini or habit than the lily and the violet, though often blended in the verse of the poet. The American name of the Adders-tongue is more significant.* The White Flowered Adders-tongue grows it has been said in the more western portion of Canada, on the shores of Lake Huron, probably the Erytlirdnmm (dhklum of Gray. * The name Dogs-tooth refers to the shape of tlic small pointeii whito bulbs of the common European species, so well kaofln in English gardens.— Pkof. Lawson. ■,^.t^.«,IKlJB .l»»Jl H I WI 'i' l l ' WI TlfT'^f^ \ Sod Ord. ThilliXobjk.— (Triluum Family.) muu ^^UU^m^ DEATH FLOWER. Trillium Gramli/lorum. " And spotless lilies l)cnd the head Low to the passing gale." ' ATURE has scattered with no niggardly hand these re- markable flowers over hill and dale, wide shrubby plain and shady i >rest glen. In deep ravines, on rocky islets, the bright snow white blossoms of the Trilliuras greet the eye and court the hand to pluck them. The old people in this part of the Province call them by the familiar name of Lily. Thus we have Asphodel Lilies, Douro Lilies^ &c. In Nova Scotia they are called Moose-flowers, probably from being abundant in the haunts of Moose-deer. In some of the New England States the Trilliums, white and red, are known as the Death-flower^ but of the origin of so ominous a name we have no record. We might imagine it to have originated in the use of the flower to deck the coffin or graves of the dead in the olden times. The pure white blossoms of T. nivale, T. cernuum (nodding Trillium) and T. grandiflorum, might serve not iuapproj^ ately for emblems of innocence and purity, when laid upon 32 WHITE TRILLIUM. the breast of the early dead. The darker and more sanguine line of the red speeies, T. sessile, and T. reciirvdtum, iniglit have l)een selceted for such as fell by violence, but these are but conjecture. A prettier name has been given to the Nodding Trillium : that of " Smiling Wake-robin," which seems to be associated with the coming of the cheerful chorister of early spring, "The household bird with the red stomacher," as Bishop Carey calls the robin red-breast. The bota- nical name of the Trillium is derived from trilex, triple, all the parts of the plant being in threes. Thus wo see the round fleshy scape furnished with three large sad green leaves, closely set round the stem ; two or three inches below the flower ; which is composed of a calyx of three sepals, a corolla of three large snow white, or, else, chocolate red petals : the styles or stigmas three ; ovary three celled ; stamens six, which is a reproduction of three. The white fleshy tuberous root is much used by the American School of Medicine in various diseases, also by the Indian herb doctors. Trillium grandijldrum is the largest and most showy of the white species. Trillium nivct/e or "lesser snowy Trillium," is the smallest ; this last blooms early in May. May and June are the months in which these flowers appear. The white flowered trilliums are subject to many varieties, and accidental alterations. The green of the sepals is often transferred to the white petals in T. nivale ; some are found handsomely striped with red and green, and in others the very short foot-stalk of the almost sessile leaves are lengthened into long petioles. The large White Trillium is changed previous to its fading to a dull reddish lilac. The Red Trilliums are rich but sombre in colour, the petals arc lougish-ovate, regular, not waved, and the pollen is of a greyish dusty WHITE TRILLIUM. 33 hue, wliilc that of the White species is bright orange-yellow. The leaves are of a dark lurid green, the colouring matter of the petals seems to pervade the leaves ; and here, let me observe, that the same remark may be made of many other plants. In purple flowers we often perceive the violet hue to be perceptible iu the stalk and under part of the leaves, and sometimes in the veins and roots, lied flowers again show the same tendency in stalk and veins. The Blood-root in its early stage of growth shews the Orange juice in the stem and leaves, so docs the Canadian Balsam, and many others; that, a little observation will point out. The colouring matter of flowers has always been, more or less, a mystery to us: that light is one of the great agents can hardly for a moment be doubted, but something also may depend upon the peculiar quality of the juices that All the tissues of the flower, and on the cellular tissue itself. Flowers deprived of light we know are pallid and often colourless, but how do we account for the deep crimson of the beet-root, the rose-red of the radish, the orange of the rhubarb, carrot, and turnip, which roots, being buried in the earth, are not subject to the solar rays? The natural supposition would be that all roots hidden from the light would be white, but this is by no means the case. The question is one of much interest • and deserves the attention of all naturalists, and especially of the botanical student. €T m .MliimiMMJjlBi'J,- - Nat. OrD. RANUNCULACEa. il^^^ih (§4>I^Wit>|t|n^, Aquilefjia Canadensis. ' Tlie gracefiil columbine all blushing red, Bends to the earth lie r crown Of honey-laden bells." , . HIS QTaceful flower enlivens us all tlirouoli the months of ^lay and June by its brilliant Ijlossonis of deep red and golden yellow. In general outline the Wild Columbine rescnd)les its cultivated sisters of the garden, but is more light and airy from its nodding habit. The plant throws up many tall slender stalks from its centre, furnished with leafy bracts, from which spring other light stems terminated l)y little pedicels, each l)earhig a large drooping flower and bud which open in succession. The .lower consists of five red sepals and five red petals ; the latter arc hollowed trumpet-like at the mouth, ascending; they form narrow tul)cs, whicii are terminated by little round knobs filled with honey. The delicate ihready pedicels on which the blosson, hangs cause it to droop down and thus throw up the honey bearing tubes of the petals ; the little balls forming a pretty sort of floral coronet at the junction with the stalk. ROCK COLUMBINE. «5 The unequal and clustered stamens, and five thready styles of the pistil project beyond the hollow mouths of the petals, like nn elegant golden fringed tassel ; the edges and interior of the petals are also of a bright golden yellow. These gay colours are well contrasted with the deep green of the root leaves and bracts of the flower stalks. The bracts are lobed in two or three divisions. The larger leaves are placed on long foot stalks, each leaf is divided into three, which are again twice or thrice lobed, and unequally notched ; the upper surfVice is smooth and of a dark rich green, the under pale and whitish. As the flowers fade the husky hollow seed pods become ereot — a wise provision in this and many other plants of drooping habits, giving the ripening seed licttcr access to the sun and wind and preventing them from being prematurely scattered abroad upon the earth. • The wild Columbine is perennial and very easily cultivated Its blossoms are eagerly sought out by the bees and humming birds. On sunny days you may be sure to see the latter hovering over the bright drooping bells, extracting the rich nectar with which they are so l^ountifully su]>plio(l. Those who care for bees, and love humming birds, should plant the graceful red-flowered Columbine in their garden borders. In its wild state it is often found growing among rocks and surface stones, where it uisiiiuatcs its roots into the clefts and hollows that are filled with rich vegetable mould ; and thus, being often setMi adorning the sterile rocks with its bright crown of waving blossoms, it has obtained the name in some places of Hock Columbine. ''1 -I jM llll W [' ..H I Jl l , ! . . , !! , 1 ■■(«■ U: ■ ^ii BW"W. ' '^' - - .f— -y - , f . 3i ! ? l/i-Kif". a;;aT-i ■..;n. . K';.'' ■ "*T-^- . ' ■;•» , ■■ , ' Nat. Obd. Fumauuce/E (Fumitory Family.) M '^ (jiiw^s^ii (i^j»i». DkSntra CanadSnsis. ITIS graceful plant belongs to the fumitory family, of which we have many cultivated varieties in Britain and else- where. Here our lovely flower grows wild in rich black mould in the forest, and in recently cleared spots within its protecting shadow, where its drooping bells and rich scent have gained for it the not very inappropriate name of "Wild TIyacinth." The common name of "Squirrel-Corn" is derived from the round orange tubers at the roovs, resembling in size and colour grains of Indian-Corn, and from their being a favourite food with the ground squirrel. The blossoms are of a pellucid whiteness, sometimes tinged wilh reddish lilac ; they form a drooping raceme on a round smooth scnpe, springing from a scaly bud; the corolla is heart shaped, composed of four petals, in two pairs, flattened and sac-like, the tips united over the stigma, and slightly projecting ; in B. cuciiMria assunu'ng the likeness of the head of a fly, the cream coloured diverging petals presenting a strong resemblance to the deer-fly of our lakes. This very charming species is known by the somewhat vulgar name of "Biieeches Flower" and "Dutchman's Breeches.*' A more descriptive name would be "Fly-Floweh." .»«a>a..M».AAt B«»i>, i 8t» iM a i rB>> ^ ^ ^ ' ■ fif* mini a? SQUIRREL CORN. All the species flourish under cultivation, and become very ornamental early border flowers ; but care should be taken to plant them In rich black vegetable mould, the native soil of their forest haunts. Our artist has chosen the delicate rosy-tinted variety as the subject of the left-hand flower of the plate. (|)ii3: ^^mui-^twi <^ 't' DEATH-FLOWER.— BIRTH-ROOT. Trillium erictum. " Bring flowers, bring flowers o'er tlie bier to shed A crown lor the brow of the early dead. Though they smile in vain for what once was ours, They are love's last gift, bring flowers, bring flowers." Hemans. '•'ii RAY and other botanical writers call this striking flower (T. erectum) the ^'Purple TrilUmnf^ it should rather be called Red, its hue being decidedly more red than purple, and in the Xew England States it is called by the country folks, " The Red Death-l'lower,'' in contrast to the larger AVhitc Trillium, or ''White Deatii-Flowek." For further remarks on this singular name we refer the reader to the description of that flower where all the native varieties of the genus are dwelt upon, including the one now before us, which forms the central flower in the present group, and shall merely add that like the rest of this remarkable Aimily, T. erectum is widely spread over the whole of Canada. It a])pears in the middle of ^lay and continues bloom- ing till June, preferring the soil of rich shady woods. ■^1 ■■■■■■I 40 PTJRPLE TRILLIUM. "Few of our indigenous plants surpass tlio Trilli- ..legance and beauty, and tliey are all endowed with valuab Jicinal pro- perties. The root of the Purple Trillium is generally oelieved to be the most active. Tannin and Bitter Extract form two of its most remarkable ingredients." So says that intelligent writer on the medicinal plants of Xorth America, Dr. Charles Lee. There are three of the dark flowered Trillium eiunneratcd by Gray, two of Avhich appear to be common to our Canadian soil, T. erectum and T. sessile. The latter is smaller, and often the dull chocolate colour of the pointed petals assumes a livid greenish hue. It is earlier in flowering, appearing at the beginning of May, at the same time with T. nivale, the "Dwarf White" or "Snowy TRiLLiUM." Under cultivation the flowers of all the species l)ecomc very ornamental; they require black leaf mould and moderate shade, and, if left to grow undisturbed, increase and continue to flower, year after year, in the borders or shrubbery. The seeds when ripe are easily obtained ; they are hard and bony, several in each division of the three celled capsule. The roots of these plants are thick, wrinkled, fleshy, and contain the medicinal principle described by Dr. Lee. Nat. Oed,— Oebaniacbje. f ^^^ ^^^atfi'ltftm CRANES-BILL. (Gercinium maculdtiim.) IHERE are l)ut few flowers of the Cranes-bill family in Canada. The one most worthy of notice is the Wood Geranium ( Gerdnmn maaddtum) . This is a very ornamental plant ; its favourite locality is o])en grassy thickets among low bushes, especially those tracts of country known as Oak-openings, where it often reaches to the height of from 2*^ to S*^', throwing out many branches adorned with deep lilac flowers; the half-opened buds are very lovely. The blossom consists of five petals, obtuse and slightly indented on their upper margins, and arc lined and delicately veined with purple. The calyx consists of live pointed sepals ; stamens ten ; the anthers arc of a reddish brown ; styles five, cohering at the top. When the seed is mature these curl up bearing the ripe brown seed adhering to the base of each one. The common name Cranes- bill has been derived from the long grooved and stork-like beak which supports the styles. The Greek name of the plant means a Crane. The whole plant is more or less beset with silvery hairs. The leaves are divided hito about five principal segments; these again are lobed and cut into sharply pointed irregularly sized teeth. WW 42 WOOD GERANIUM. The larger hairy root leaves arc often discoloured with red and purplish blotches from whence the specific name (maculdtiim), spotted, has been given by botanists to this species. The flower stem is nmch branched and furnished with leafy bracts; the principal flowers are on long stalks, usually three springing from a central branch and again subdividing into smaller branchlcta terminating in buds mostly in threes, on drooping slender pedicels ; as the older and larger blossoms fall ofi' a fresh succession appears on the side branches, furnishing rather smaller but equally beautiful flowers during many weeks. Gray gives the blooming season of the Cranes-bill from April to July, but wnth us it rarely appears before June, and may be seen all through July and August. ^ This Wood Geranium is a beautiful species, and would no doubt repay the trouble of cultivation. Besides being very ornamental our plant possesses ^^rtucs which are well known to the herbalist as powerful astringents, which quality has obtained for it the name of ' Alum root,' among the country people, who apply a decoction of the root as a styptic for wounds ; and sweetened, as a gargle for sore throats and ulcerated mouth : it is also given to young children to correct a lax state of the system. Thus our plant is remarkable for its usefulness as well as for its beauty. A showy species, with large rose-coloured flowers and much dissected leaves, may be found on some of the rocky islets in Stoney Lake, Ont. The slender flower stem is about six inches in height, springing from a leafy involucre which is cut and divided into many long and narrow segments ; flowers generally from one to three, «■ I WOOD GERANIUM. 43 terminal on the little briictctl-foot-stalks. loiisj; as in the Wood Geranium. The seed vessels not so Besides the above named we have two smaller species. The well known Herb Robert — 0. rohertidnum or feotid geranium — which is said to have been introduced from Britain, but is by no nH;aus unconmion in Canada, in half cleared woodlands and by way- sides attracting the eye by its bright pink flowers, and elegantly cut leaves, which becomes bright red in the fall of the year. This pretty species is renowned for its rank and disagreeable odour when handled. Another small flowered specie, w'th pale insignificant blossoms is also common as a weed by road sides and in open woods, prol)ably this is G. pusUluin, smaller Cranes-bill ; it also resembles the British plant, but is of too frequent occurrence in remote localities to lead us to suppose it to be otherwise than a native production of the soil. Nat. OrD. PRIltULACEiE. (§f(i5iiihily woods ; while the larger species, better known l)y its more familiar name Moccasin flower, loves the open woodlands and drier plains: where, in the month of June, it may be 46 YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPER. seen beside the gay Painted Cup {Castilleia cocdnea), the Blue Lupine {L. perHnis)^ the larger White Trillium, and other lovely wild flowers, forming a charming contrast to their various colours and no less varied forms. The stem of the larger Moccasin llower is thick and leafy, each bright green, many-nerved leaf sheathing the flowers before they open. The flowers are from one to three in number ; bent forward ; di'ooping gracefully downwards. The golden sac-like lip is elegantly striped and spotted with ruby red ; the twisted narrow petals, and sepals, two in number of each kind, are of a pale fawn colour, some- times veined and lined with a deeper shade. Like many others of the genus, the organs of the flower assume a singular and grotesque resemblance to the face of some animal. On lifting up the fleshy petal-like middle lobe which protects the stamens and pistil, the face of an Indian hound may be imagined; the stamens, which are two in number, situated one on either side of the sterile depressed central lobe, when the flower is mature, turn of a deep brown, and resemble two round eyes; the blunt stigma takes the form of the nose, while the sepals look like ears. There is something positively comical in the appearance of the a[)e-like face of C. q>cctahile, the beautiful showy Lady's Slipper, the description of which will be found to face the plate in which it forms a prominent feature. The most beautiful of all the species is the " Stemlkss Lady's Slipper,' CypripMium Acahle, of which we will treat at some future time. It bears removal to the garden if j)lanted in a suitable situation ; but all these native flowers reijuire attention to their peculiar habits and soU, or they will disappoint tlui expectation of the cultivator and end in failure. All wild flowers transplanted from the woods require shade, and bog plants both moisture and shade. ..l-l-fi/wr^.v, ^ 4, ... . ^ Xat. Ohd. Iuluac&£. -m^^ I^U^^ #Ilii^. /?Ys Fers^cofo?'. Fleur-de-luce. Lilies of all kinds, Tbo tleur-Je-lucc bein? one. Winter's Tale. [ITTS l)eautiful flower, the blue Iris, which forms the left hand figure in the group of Moccasin flowers, abounds all through Canada, and forms one of the ornaments of our low sandy flats, marshy meadows and over-flowed lake shores ; it delights in wet muddy soil, and often forms large chimps of verdure in half-dried up ponds and similar localities. Early in spring, as soon as the sun has warmed the waters after the melting oi' the ice, the sliarj) sword-shaped leaves escaping from the sheltering sheath that enfolded them, pierce the moist ground, and appear, formuig beds of brilliant verdure, concealing the swampy soil and pools of stagnant water below. Late in the month of June the bursthig buds of rich purple begin to unfold, peeping through the spathe that envelopes them. A few days of sunshine, and the graceful petals, so soft and silken in texture, so variable in shades of colour, unfold : the three outer ones reflexed, droop gracefully downwards, while the three innermost, which are of paler tint, 48 LARGE BLUE FLAG. sharper and stiffcr, stand erect and conceal the stamens and potal- like stigmas, wliich lie behind them : an arrangement so suitable for the preservation ol' the fructifying organs of the flower, that we cannot fail to behold in it the wisdom of the great Creator. The structure of the cellular tissue in most water plants, and the smooth oily surface of their leaves, has also been i)rovided as a means of throwing olf the moisture to which their [dace of growth must neces- sarily expose them ; but for this wise provision, which keej)s the surface dry though surrounded with water, the plants would become overcharged with moisture and rot and decay too rapidly to perfect the ripening of their seeds — a process often carried on at the bottom of streams and lakes, as in the case of the Tond-lily and other aquatics. Our blue Iris, however, does not follow this rule, being only partly an aquatic, but stands erect and ripens the large l)ony, three-sided seeds in a three-sided membraneous pod. The hard seeds of the Iris versicolor have been roasted and used as a suVustitute for coffee. The root, which is creejting, lleshy and tuberous, is possessed of medicinal ([ualities. At present we know of only two varieties of the L'is. Iris versicolor, and a tall slender variety with paler blue llowers and rounder scapes. The former is the handsomer (lower, being beau- tifully varied with lighter and darker shades of blue, purple and yellow — the latter shade being at the base of the flower leaves. These are again veined with delicate lines and veinings of darker purple. The name This, as applied to this genus, was ])estowed ujion it by the ancient Greeks, ever remarkable for their appreciation of the beautiful, on account of the rainbow tinted hues displayed in the LARGE BLUE FLAG. 49 flowers of many of the species; especially are the prismatic colours shown in the flowers of the largo pearly white garden Iris, a plant of Eastern origin, and also in the Persian or Susian Jila, The Fleur-de-lis, as it was formerly written, signified whiteness or purity. This was changed to Flour-de-luce, a corruption of Flcur- de-Louis. The blossoms of the plant having been selected by Louis the Seventh of France as his heraldic bearing in the Holy Wars. The flowers of the Iris have ever been favourites with the poet, the architect, and sculptor, as many a fair specimen Avrought in stone and marble, or carved in wood, can testify. The Fleur-de-lis is still the emblem of France. Longfellow's stanzas to the Iris are very characteristic of that graceful flower: Beautiful lily — thvelling by still river, Or solitury mere, Or where the sluggish meadow brook delivers Its waterH to the weir. The Avind blows, and uplifts thy drooping banner, And around thee throng and run The rushes, the gi-een yeomen of thy manor — The outlaws of the sun. fleur-dc-luce, bloom on, and let the river Linger to kiss thy feet ; flower of song, bloom on, and make forever The world more fair and sweet. Nat. Ord. ERtcACEia. woiUU ^^im^i^^^^' Vacdnium Oxycoccus. There's not u flower Imt ishews ^sollle touch In freckle, Ircck or stain, Of His unrivalled pencil. Hkmans. HERE is scaivclv lo l)o loiiiul a lovelier litllc plant (liaii the common marsh Craiihenv. it is ol' a tiailinj:; Iiabil, cicop- ing along the ground, i-ooling at ovcrv joint, and sending ^tw ^'P ''*'''^' 1*''*0' "I't'ight stems, Irom which spring long slender thready pedicels, each terminated by a delicale })eaeh-l)lossom linled flower, noderiies in their uncooked state are acid and powerfully astringent. This fruit is successfully cultivated for market in many parts of the Northern States of America, and is said to repay the cost of culture in a very profitable manner. So much in request as Cranberries arc for household use, it seems strange that no enterprising person has yet undertaken to supply tiie markets of Canada. In suitable soil the crop could hardly prove a failure, with care and attention to the selection of the plants at a proper season. , The Cranberry forms one of the sul)-orders of the heath family (Ericacciv). nor are its dolit ate pink-tinted flowers less beautiful than many of the exotic ]»lant> of that tribe, which we rear with care and pains in the green-house and conservatory; yet, growing in our midst as it were, few persons tlitit luxuriate in the rich preserve that is made from the rii)e fruit, have ever seen the elegant trailmg-plant, with its graceful blossoms and myrtle-like foliage. The botanical name is of Greek origin, from oxus, sour, and coccus, a berry. The plant thrives best in wet sandy soil and low- mossy marshes. i I i ' f \ ; ■«iii priw;»i i HTTir*|jHlllMWi l l)i)iJ I |MUai„lt,>JUJJ i .JHl^ mmmmimmm m * \ >'; ■'''M • .t:,,;, '-. ,j ,",, ••>•',■ r.,-».«7.' ^"Sliuf.*:- Nat. Obd. lauAcaa.— (Gray.) m^ (^•;!?»<|j^(^ '4llit' Lltium Philadclphicum. " Consider tho Hlics of the field, liow they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin ; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." iiMiMlIIE word Lily is derived from the Celtic, which signifies //, whiteness; also from the Greek, lirioa. Probably the stately Lily of the garden, Lilium candidiim, was the ^R*^i (lower to which the name was first given, from its ivory whiteness and the cx({iiisite polish of its petals. However that may be, the name Lilv is ever associated in onr minds with grace and pnrity, and reminds us of the Saviour of nu;n, who spake of the lilies of the field, how they grew and flourished beneath the care of Iliin who clothed them in robes of beauty more gorgeous than the kingly garments of lloyal Solomon. Sir James Smith, one of the most celebrated of English botanists, suggests that the lilies alluded to by our Lord may have bee, Amaryllis Liitea, or the Golden Lily of Palestine — the bright yellow l)lossoms of a plant which abounds in the fields of Judea, and at that moment })robably caught his eye ; their glowing colour aptly illustrating the subject on which he was about to speak. ' i'm ' tf ' v ''m^m^rymfrmp^". I 54 WILD OllAXGE LILY. The Lily has a wide gcograpliicul rango, and may l)e found in some form iu every dime. Tliere are Lllios tliat l)loom within the eohl influence of flic frigid zone, as well as the more brilliant species that glow beneath the blazing suns of the equator in Africa and Southern Asia. Dr. Richardson mentions, in his list of Arctic plants. L'llium Phiktdi'Iplitmm, our own gorgeous orange (or rather scarlet-spotted Lily.) lie remarks that it is called by the Es([uimaux "Mousk-uoot," from the fact that it is much sought after by the field mice, which feed upon the root. The porcui)ine also digs for it in the sandy soil in which it delights to grow. In Kamtschatka the L/I/ium jjonwonmi/i'iaWf^i'A by the natives as an article of food ; and in ^luscovy the white Narcissus is roasted as a substitute for bread. The healing qualities of the largo white Lily roots and leaves arc well known, ajtplied in the form of a poultice to sores and l)oils. Thus are beauty and usefulness united in this most attractive jilant. The subject of our artist's pencil, the Orange Lily, is widely spread over this portion of the American continent, as well as in (he more sunny Western States of Xorth America. We find it, however, more frequently growing on open plain- lands, where the soil is sandy loam. In partially shaded grassy thickets in oak-openings, in the months of June and July, it may be seen mixed with the azure blue Lupine {Lupine percnnis), the g(d(len (lowered ^ioccasin {Ci/pr/jmlium jtubescms, Pyrola rotundifdlki,) iho large sweet-scented Wintergreen, and other charming summer II i« M» i»i » >) < li iiil | >i>i»Wii|| . HI ' 'II m* -mm .tm" WILD ORANGE LILY. 65 ,1 flowers. Among llicso our gay aiul gorgeous Lily Btands conspi- cuous. The stem is from 18' to 2° high. Tlie leaves arc narrow-pointed ; of ri (lark green colour, growing in whorls at intervals round the stem. The flowers are Crom 1-3 ; large open bells, of a rich orange-scarlet within, spotted with purplish-brown or black. The outer surface of the petals is pale orange ; anthers six, on long filaments ; pollen of a brick red, or brown colour ; stigma three cleft. The Lily belongs to the artificial class and order, Ilcxamlria monoyyma. Many flowers increase in beauty of colour and size under culti- vation in our gardens, but our glorious Lily can hardly ])e seen to greater advantage than when growing wild on the open plains and prairies, under the bright skies of its native wilderness. ■J ^i i Nat. Obd. CASirAiirLACEiB, (^aiJii^iatfi |^4i2?;ilt>(ili]|. Cumjpdn ula Rotundijulia. " With fli-ooping bells of purest blue Thou (liilst attract my childish view, Almost resembling The azuix; butterflies that flew Where 'mi«l the heath thy blossoms grew, So liglitly trembling." "IIP] same charmiiii;- writer has also called the narcbell "the Flower of Memory," and truly the sight of these fair (lowers, when found ui lonely spots in Canada, has carried /|^r one back in thoujjjht to the wild heathery moors or sylvan lanes of the mother country. " 1 think uimn the iioathcry hills I ae liac lo'ed sac dearly ; I think upon the wimpling bum Tliat wandered by sac clearly." But sylvan woodetl lanes, and heathery moorlands are not characters of our Canadian scenery, and if we would seek the LI;ue))ell. we shall tind it on the dry gravelly banks of lakes or rivers, or rocky islets, for these are its native haunts. immmmmtmMmmfMkmm^MmKa^^ CANADIAN HAREBELL. 67 Although, ill colour and shape of the blossom, the Canadian flower resembles the British one, it is more robust in its growth, less fragile — the flower stems being stouter, and the foot-stalk or pedicel stiffer and less pendulous, and yet sufficiently graceful. T.»e root leaves, which are not very consj)icuous durmg its flowering season, are round, hcart-slia[)ed. Those of the flower-stem are numerous, narrow and pointed. This pretty flower is variable in colour and foliage. Its general flowering season is July and August. The corolla is bell-shapod or campanulate; 5 cleft; calyx lobes, awl shaped, persistent on the seed vessel ; stamens 5, style 1, stigmas 2 ; seed vessel several celled and many seeded : in height the plant varies from a few inches to a foot ; number of flowers varying from a few to many. We have but three known species in Canada, Campanula Americana, " a large handsome species being found in Western Canada ;"* and C aparinohles. Th(i rough-leaved Bellflower is found in tliickels where the soil is poor but the atmosphere moist ; it is of a climbing or rather clinging habit; the weak slender stem, many branched, laying hold of the grasses and low shrubs th.at surround it for support, which its rough teeth enable it to do very cflectually; in habit it resembles the smaller (Jalium, or Lady's bed-straw. The delicate bell-shaiu'd (lowers are marked with flne purple lines within, at the base of the white corolla. The leaves of this species arc narrow-linear, rough, with minutely-toothed hairs ; the flowers are few. and fade very (piickly. The name campanula is from eampana, a bell. ■ — - — ■ - ' ■ ■■ ■ ■ ■. — ■■ - ■ . ..^ I. • Professor Ilincks. M J r ^•^■•ty, t I i n »i^ H |i|i I ' ' 5a CAXADIAN HAREBELL. The Harebell has often formed the theme of our modern poets, as illustrative of grace and lightness. Li the Lady of the Lake we have this pretty couplet when describing Ellen : " E'en the light Ilareltoll raised its head Elastic f'-om her airy tn!ad." Our Artist has availed herself of the Canadian Harebell to give airy lightness to her group of native flowers. i '' m t'l'HM'wviiwNPiiiii n iih*»p*-»n*mM i Nat. Obd. OBonioACEiE. ^f|i^!^^ ^u^^*^ ^U^^l^^iar. CypripMium Specldhile. (MOCCASIN FLOWER.) But ye liavo lovely leaves, where we May see how soon things have Tlioir end, tho' ne'er so brave ; And alter they have bloomed awhile, Like us, they sink Into the grave. Heiuuck. !>rOXG the many rare and beautiful flowers that adorn our native woods and wilds, few, if any, can compare with ^!^^^ the lovely plants beloni^inj^ to the family to which the '^^iVjT central llower of our Artist's group belongs. Where all are so worthy of notice it was didicult to make a choice; happily there is no rivalry to contend with in the case of our Artist's |)references. There arc two bcantifid varieties of the species, the pink and white, and j)urple and white Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium spccta- bile), better known by the familiar local name of Moccjtsin-Flower. a name common in this country to all tho plants of this family. 60 SHOWY LADY'S SLIPPER. ' f Whether wc regard these cliarming llowers for the singularity of their form, the exquisite texture of their tissues, or the delieato blending of their colours, we must acknowledge them to be altoge- ther lovely and worthy of our admiration. Tho subject of the figure in our plate is the Pink-llowered Moccasin; it is chiefly to be found in damp groimd, in tamarack swamps, and near forest creeks, where, in groups of several stems, it appears, showing its pure blossoms among the rank and coarser herbage. The stem rises to the height of from 18' 2° high. The leaves, which are large, ovate, many nerved and plaited. sheathiuLi; at the base, clothe the Ib^shy stem, which terminates in a single sharp- pointed bract above the flower. The flowers are terminal, from one to three, rarely more ; though in the large purple and white Lady's Slipi)er, the ohler and stronger plants will occasionally throw out three or four blossoms. This variety is found on the dry plain-lands, in grassy thicket.-i, among the oak openings above Rice Lake, and eastward on the hills above the liiver Trent. This is most likely tho plant described by Gray ; the soil alone being diflerent. The uid'olded buds of this species are most beautiful, having the appear- ance of slightly flattened globes of delicately-tinted primrose coloured rice-paper. The large sac-like inflated lip of our Miccasin flower is slightly dej)ressed in front, tinged with rosy pink and striped. The pal(> thin p'tals and sejjals, two of each, are whitish at first, but turn »irown when the flower is more advanced toward maturity. The scjials may be distinguished from the petals; the former being longer than the latter, and by being united at the back of the Mower. The colunm on which the stamens are placed is three-lobed : the two ■i SHOWY LADY'S SLIPPER. 61 anthers are placed one on either side, under the two lobes ; the central lobe is sterile, thick, fleshy, and bent down — in our species it is somewhat blunt and heart-shaped. The stigma is obscurely three-lobed. The root of the Lady's Slipper is a bundle of white fleshy fibres. One of the remarkable characteristics of the flowers of this genus, and of many of the natural order to which it belongs, is the singular arrangement of the organs of the blossom to the face of some animal or insect. Thus the face of an Lidian hound may be seen in the Gohlcn-flowered Cyperipdium pubescens; that of u sheep or ram, wit the horns and ears, in C. arietinum ; while our " Showy Ladv's Slipper,"' (C. spectdhile^) displays the curious face and peering black eyes of the ape. One of the rarest and, at the same time, the most beautiful ol" these flowers, is the " Stkmlkss Lady's Slipper," (C. Acmlc,) a figure of which will apj)oar in our second volume. It is a matter of wonder «and also of regret, that so few persons have taken the trouble to seek out and cultivate the beautiful native plants with which our country abounds, and which would fully reward them for their puiiis, as ornaments to the garden border, the shrublxMy, the rookery, or the green-house. Our orchidaceous plants alone would be regarded by the foreign florist with great interest. A lime will come when these rare productions of our soil will disappear from among us. and can be found only on those w.iste and desolate places where the foot of civilized man can hardly penetrate; where the flowers of (he wilderness flourish, bloom and decay 1 m>^,mfm f >mm'^<' i mn^K^< tn- ■'■ t { 1 1 i I { i i : i I i e ' i f ■ I 1 I ' i t 1 1 i 68 SHOWY LADY'S SLIPPER. uuscen but by the all-seeing eye of Ilim who adorns the lonely places of the earth, fillmg them with beauty and fragrance. For whom arc these solitary objects of beauty reserved? Shall we say with Milton : — " Tliousands of unseen beings walk this earth, Both while wo wake and while wo sleep :— And think though man were none, — That earth would want spectators — God want praise." fe :-. h AM ! 'A . V IJKMC I IrMiiN Nat. Oro. RosAcsiB. ^m^^ ^m^ H^^Sii. Eosa BUuida. \ " Nor di;land, but their fair sisters of the New World excel them in size and fragrance. Alany of (he tribe to which these plants belong are natives of the toriid zone, but our White Pond-Lily (^Nympha'a odnraia,) and the Yellow {Xil2)har Mcena,) and Niqthar Kalniiana only, are able to support the cold winter of Canada. The depth of the water in wiiich they grow eiuible« them to withstand the cold, the frost rarely penetrating to their roots, which are rough and knotted, and of(eu as thick as a man's wrist; white and Ueshy. The root-stock is horizontal, sending down fibrous slender roodets into the soft ^^mmmm ~SSSr ■^avn 68 SWEET SCENTED WATER LILY. mud ; the stocks that support tho Icju rs and blossoms arc round, of an olivc-f^rccn, containing opon porrs lillcd with air, which cause them to be bouycd up in tlic water. Ti\osc air-cells may be distinctly seen by cutting the stems across. Tho leaves of the Pond-Lily are of a full-green colour, deeply tinged with red toward the fall of the year, so as to give a blood red tinge to the water; they are of a large size, round kidney sha[)i;d, of leathery texture, and highly poli.shed surface; resisting the action of the water as if coated with oil or varnish. Over these beds of water-lilies, hundreds of dragon Hies of every colour, blue, green, scarlet, and bron/.e, may be seen like living gems llirting their pearly tinted wings in all the enjoyment of their newly foinul existence ; possibly enjoying the (lelicious aroma from the odorous lemon scented (lowers over which they sport so gaily. The flowers of the Pond-Lily grow singly at the summit of tho round, snu)oth, lUjshy scape. Who that has ever floated upon one of our calm inland lakes, on a warm July or August day, but has been tempted, at the risk of upsetting th(! frail birch-l)ark canoe or shallow skill" to put forth a hand to snatch one of those matchless iv(ny cups that rest in spotless j)unly upon the fraM(|uil water, just rising and falliiig with the movcnuMit of the stream; or have ga/ed with wishful and admiring eyes into the still clear water, at (he ex(|uisite buds and half unfolded blossoms that are springing upwards to the air ami sun-light. The hollow boat-shapectal-like lemon tinted anthers. The pistil is without s(}le, the stigma forming a Hat rayed top to the ovary, a.s in the poppy and many other plants. On the a|)proa(di of night our lovely water-nymph gradually closes her petals, and slowly retires to rest within her watery bed, to rise on the following day, to court the warmth and light so necessary for the perfection of the embryo seed; and this continues till the fertilization of the germ has been complete«l, when the petals shrink and wither, and the seed-vessel sinks down to ripen the fruit in its secret chambers. Thus silently and mysteriously does nature perform her wonderlul work, -sought out only by those who have pleasure thereui."* The roots of the Pond T^ily contain a large (piantity of fecula (Hour), which, after repeated washings, may be used for food ; they are also made use of in medicine, being cooling and softening ; the fresh leaves are used as good dressing for blisters. The Lotus of Egypt belongs to this family, and not only furnishes magnilicent ornaments with which to crown the heads of * 111 Uikl ningulnr )ilMit, tlio Eel ur TapegraM, a plant inili|{omo* tu our itluw floniiig waten, tko olaatio flower b«aniiK atom uneuili) U> rvacli Uiu aurfaco uf Uio water, oii tho Truit l>eariii(; flowon which float around them ; tlioM, after a wbiln, coil up again and dnw ttio |M)d-Uki< ovary down tu the liottom of the water, the ,') ripen and |iorfuct the fruit ; a euhoua fact vouched for hy Uray and uaiiy other ca-diuhle hotaniita. a pjcwpp^ . 'II ' ■»l'IHl<'"»'"iT ij™ 70. SAVEET S(!EXTEl) WATER LILY. tlit'ir j^ods and kings, but the sccmIh also served as food to (he people in times of searcity. The Saere«l Lotus {Nclumbium spediMim) wad an ol)jeet itself of reli«;ious veneration to the ancient Egyptians. Tlu> Chinese, in some places of that over-i)<)|)ulated country, grow the Water Lilies upon their lakes for the sake of the nourish- nuMit yielded by the roots and seeds. "Lotus-caters," says that valuable writer on the Medical Botany of America, Dr. Charles Lee, ''not only aboinid in Egypt, but all over the East." ''The large fleshy roots of the Nelfimhimn Uitcum^ or great Yellow Water Lily, found in our North American lakes, resembles the Sweet Potato [IkUnUis idulhs), and by s«)me of the natives are esteemed ccjually agreeable and wholesome," observes the same author, " being used as food by the Indians, as well as some of the Tartar tribes." As yet little value ha.s been attached to this charming jdanl the White Pond Lily, because its uses have been unknown. It is one of the privileges of the botanist and naturalist to lay open the vegetable treasures that arc so lavishly bestowed upon us by the bountiful hand of the (jircat Creator. mmmmim - --|'i,»*»-'*'<»"Vv«w -'-r-yr-t tf.7^«n» ^ -T J" ■ -"lgJ gg . '* f * "j ^, g s L ' '"Si aau^^ ip.m^ ^^int Ntlphar Advma. (SPATTEU D()(Mv.) And there the blight N'vinphini loves to hive. And spreads hor golden orbs along the dimpling wave. HE Yellow 1*011(1 Lilv is oft en found urowiny: in extensive lu'«ls, niinj;l(Ml with the White, and thon«i;h it is less maceriil ill ronn. there is yet much to juhnire in its rich onmjL^e-eoioiired (lowers, which apiieur at a little distance like balls of j;()ld lloaliiij;- on the still waters. The larj^e hollow pelal-lik*' sepals that surround the (lower, are finely cloude«l with dark red on (he outer side, hut of a deep yellow oranjji;o within, as also are the strap-like petals and stamens: the stij^ma, or summit of the pistil, is Hat, and 12-2-1 rayed. The leaves are dark-jj^reen, scarcely so large as those of the White Lily, (loatiiig on lon<; thick lleshy stalks, (lattened on the inner side, and rounded without. The bo(aiiical name Nupliar is derived, says Gray, from the Arabic W(M-d Neiijar, si!:;nifyinj; lond Lily. (hir Artist has closely followed nalurc's own arrangements by grouj)ing these beautiful water jtlants together. mKsmnmmmBmmmmimm "Vfra IVnP9fl^inMIeeies of aqiiaties growinji; promiscuously. The tall lance-like leaf and blue-spiked heads of the stately Ponte«leria, keepinj^ guard as it were above the graceful N'yn\i)luea, like a gallant knight with lance in rest, ready to defend his «[ueen, and around these the fair and delicate white flowers of the snuUI arrow-head rest their frail heads u|)on the water, looking as if the slightest breeze that ruflled its suriiujo would sen thrown hack, ami enaldes the nu)isture more readily to till the eup. (iuuntities of small (lies, beetles, and other insects, V,T,^<-"* ■ PITCHER PLAXT. 75 n cuter the pitcher, possibly for shelter, but arc unable to cd'ect a return, owiiij;' to tiie rellexed bristly hairs that line the upper part of the tube and lip, and thus lind a watery grave in the moisture that fills the hollow below. The tall stately llower ot the Pitcher Plant is not less worthy of our attention than the curiously formed leaves. The smooth rountl sim|)l(! scape rises from the centre ot the plant to the hcij^ht of 18' 2". The (lower is single and termiiuU, composed of 5 sepals, with three little bracts ; 5 blunt broad petals of a dull purplish-red colour, sometimes red and light-yellowish green ; and in one variety the petals are mostly of a pale-green hue, and there is an absence of the crimson veins in the leafage. The petals are incurved or bent downwards towards the centre. The stamens are numerous. The ovary is 5-celled, and the style is ex[)anded at the summit into a 5 ajigled, 5 rayed umbrella-like hood, which conceals beneath it T) delicate rays, each terminating in a little hooked stigma. The capsule or seed vessel is 5-celled and 5-valved ; seeds numerous. 1 have been more minute in the description of this interesting plant, because nuich of its peculiar organzialion is hidden from tho eye, and caniud Ih" rccogni/cd in a drawing, unless a stri<'tly l»otanical one, with all its interior |iarts dissected, and because tho Pitcher IMant has lately attracted much attention by its reputed miMlicinal (lualities in cases ol small-pox, that loathsome scourge ot the human race. A decoction from the root of this plant has been said to lessen all the more violent sym|)toms of the disorder. If this be really so, its use and a[)plication should be widely sj)read ; Ibrlunately, the remedy wouhl be in the power of everyone; like majiy of our sanative herbs it is to be found without dilliculty, and < ■J IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 IIIM 12.5 llllM |||||2£ IM '""^ 12.0 1.8 U III 1.6 V] .