'W *?■ W;- --"«'' P.- . X CONTENTS, t PLATE I. paoe Liver-Leaf— Wind-Flower.— (Sharp Lobed Hepatica. )—%)«< ^ca Acutiloba 9 Bellwort. — (Wood Daffodil.)— f/i^M/arm perfoliata H Wood Anemone. — Anemone Nemorosa *3 Spring Beauty. — Gfaytonia Virginka ** -:-r-\\-- - PLATE IL -^-''''-^S^^■ ..---'■;. ;-;-■.; Adders-Tongue. — Dog-Toothed Violet. — Erythronium Americanum, 19 White Trillium.— Death-Flower.— 7W//M/m Grandiflorum ^ 21 Rock Columbine.— ^?M%m Canadensis 24 PLATE m. SquiiTel Covn.—Dicentra Canadensis .....;, 27 Purple Trillium.— Death-Flower.— Birth-Root— 7W7?iis, and similar localities, with thecomnum Cinquefoil or Silver lA'af. This last species is much the most attractive plant to the lover of wild flowers. It aboimds in dry gravelly and sandy soil, courting the o|)en sunshine, nxiting among stones, over which it spreads its slender reddish stalk, en- livening the dry arid wastes with its silvery silken leaves and gay golden rose-shajjed blossoms. The Potentilla family belongs to the same Xatural Order, Rosace.e, as the Straw- beiT}', Raspberry, Blackberry and the Hose — a go*: leaves, as if nature kindly provided for the warmth and protection of these early flowers with parental care. Later in the season, the young leaves expand just before the flowers drop off. The white flowered is the most common among our Hepaticas, but varieties may be seen of many hues: waxen-pink, pale blue and azure blue with intermediate shades and tints. The lle})atica belongs to the Xat. Ord. Ranunculacea?, the crow- foot family, but possesses none of the acrid and poisonous qualities of the Ranunculus proper, being used in medicine, as a mild tonic, by the American herb doctors in fevers and disorders of the liver. It is very probable that its healing virtues in complaints of the liver gave rise to its common name in old times: some assign the name to the form of the lobed leaf. r i BELL WORT. (WOOD DAFFODIL). Uvular ia perfoUata, "Fair Daffodils, we weep to see Thee haste awav so soon, As vet the eailv rising sun Has not attained his noon. ^ Stay, stay! — Until the hasting day ■ Has run, r But to the evening song; When having itrayed together we ' * Will go with you along." Heriuck. HIS slender drooping flower of early spring is known by the name of Bellwort, from its pendent lily-like bells ; 1^ and ly some it is better known as the Wood Daffodil, to which its vellow blossoms bear some remote resemblance. The flowers of the Bellwort arc of a pale greenish-yellow ; the divisions of tlie petal-like sepals are six, deeply divided, pointed and slightly twisted or waved, drooping from slender thready pedicels terminating the branches : the stem of the plant is divided into two portions, one of which is barren of flowers. The leaves are of a 12 BELLWORT. pale green, smooth, aud in the hirgest species perfoliate, clasping the stem. The root (or rliizome) is white, fleshy and tuberous. The Bell- wort is common in rich shady woods and grassy thickets, and on moist alluvial soil on the banks of streams, where it attains to the height of 18 or 20 inches. It is an elegant, but not very showy flower — remarkable more for its graceful i)endcnt straw-coloured or pale yellow blossoms, than for its brilliancy. It belongs to a sub-order of the Lily Tribe. There are three species in Canada — the large Bell- wort — Uviilaria (jmndijlora and U. perfoUata — we also possess the third, enumerated by Dr. Gray. U. sessilifoh'a. Nat. Ord. Raxcnculace,«. WOOD AXEMOXE. Anemone nemorosa. " Within the wood, Whose young and half transparent leaves, Scarce cast a shade; gay circles of anemones, Danced on their stalks." Bryant. HE classical name Anemone is derived from a Greek word, which signifies the icmtl because it was thought that the flower opened out its blossoms only when the wind was M^ blowing. Whatever the habits oC the Anemone of the Grecian Isles may be, assuredly in their native haunts in this country, the blossoms open alike in windy weather or in calm : in shade or in sunshine. It is more likely that i\m wind acting upon the downy seeds of some species and dispersing them abroad, has l)een the origin of the idea, and has given birth to the popidar name which poets have made familiar to the ear with many sweet lines. Bryant, who is the American poet of nature, for he seems to revel in all that is fair among the flowers and streams and rocks and forest shades, has also given the name of -'icind flower" to the blue hepatica. The subject of our plate, the little white pink-edged flower at the left hand corner of the group, is Anemone nemorosa, the smaller 'Wood Anemone." D U WOOD ANEMONE. This pretty delicate species loves the moderate shade of groves and thickets, it is oCten I'ound in open pinelands of second growth, and evidently jirefers a light and somewhat sandy soil to any other, with glinii)ses of sunshine stealing down upon it. The Wood Anemone is from 4 to 9 inches in heidit. but seldom taller, the live rounded sepals which Ibrm the llowerare white, tinged with a purplish-red or dull ]»ink on the outside. The leaves arc three parted, divided again in three, toothed and shari)ly cut and some- what coarse in texture ; the three upper stem leaves form an involucre about midway between the root and the llower-cup. Our A\'ood Anemone is a cheerful little flower liiaddenin"- us with its blossoms earlv in the month of ^lav. It is verv abundant in the neigh))ourhood of Toronto, on tlie grassy banks and piny- dells at Dover Court, and elsewhere. "There tliickly strewn in woodland bowers, Anemones their stars unfold." ■ , - - ' * ■ ■ - ■' ~ A somewhat taller species, with very white starry flowers, is found on gravelly banks under the shade of shrubs near the small lakes formed by the Oto!ial)ee river. X. Doiiro. where also, we find the downy seeded species known as ••Thim])le-weed," Anemone ajUn- (Jn'ca, from the cylindrical heads of fruit. The '* Thimble-weed" is not very attractive for beauty of colour: the ilower is greenish-white, small, two of the sepals being shorter and less conspicuous than the others: the plant is from 1 to 2 ft. high: the leaves of the cut and pointed involcure are coarse, ot a dull green, surrounding the several long flower-stalks. The soft cottony seeds remain in close heads thnnjgh the winter, till the spring breezes disperse them. WOOD ANEMONE. 15 The largest species of our native Anemones is J. Vinjiunnni. **Tall Ankmoxe.' This Inndsonie j>lant loves the shores of lakes and streams; (lamf) rieh ground suits it well, as it grows freely in such soil, and under moderate shade when transferred to the garden. The foliage of the tall Anemone is coarse, growing in whorls round the stem, divisions of the leaf three parted, sharply pointed and toothed. In this, as in all the species, the coloured sepals, (or calyx leaves) form the flower. The outer surface of the llower is covered with minute silkv hairs, the round flattened silkv buds rise singly on tall naked stems, the u})|>er series are supplied with two small leaflets embracing the stalk. The central and largest flowers open first, the lateral or outer ones as these fade away; thus a succes- sion of blossoms is produced, which continue to bloom for several weeks. The flowers of this sort, under cultivation, become larger and handsomer than in their wild state, ivory white, tinged with i>urple. The Anemone is always a favourite flower wherever it may Ije seen, whether in British woods, on Ali)ine heights, or in Canadian wilds; on banks of lonely lakes and forest streams ; or in the garden par- terre, wdiere it is rivalled bv few other flowers in urace of form or splendour of colour. Nat. Ord. Portilacace.e. V SPRING BEAUTY. Claytonia Virginica. Wlu'ie tlie fire liad siuoktMl and sniouldored Saw the earliest Hower of Sprincr time, Saw tlie beauty of tlie Spring tune, Saw tlic Mislvodeed* in blossom. Hiawatha. |*I1IS siiDple delicate little i>lant is one of our earliest Ai)ril llowers. In warm springs it is almost exclusively an ^^ April flower, but in cold and backward seasons, it often ^ (^ delays its blossominj;- time till Mav. Partially hidden beneath the shelter of old deeayinii; timbers and fallen l)oughs, its pretty pink l)uds peep shyly forth. It is often I'ound in partially cleared beech-woods, and in rich moist meadows. In Canada, there are two species; one with few flowers, white, both leaves and flowers larger than the more common form; the blossoms of the latter are more numerous, smaller, and of a i)ale pink colour, veined with lines of a deeper rose colour, forming a slender raceme : sometimes the little pedicels or flower stalks are bent or twisted to one side, so as to throw the flowers in one direction. * Miskoileed — Indian name for Spring Beauty. SPRING BEAUTY. 17 The scape springs from a small deep tuUer, })earing a single pair of soft, oily, succulent leaves. In the white ilowered species these leaves are placed about midway \i\) the stem, but in the pink {C. Virginica) the leaves lie closer to the ground, and arc smaller and of a dark bluish green hue. Our Spuing Beauty well deserves its pretty poetical name. It comes in with the l?obin, anRUM Nat. Ord. Liliacej:. ADDERS-TONGUE. DOG-TOOTHED VIOLET. Ery thronium Amen'canum. " And spotted Adders-tongue with drooping 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 years 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 is marked with dark lines. The stamens are six; anthers, oblong; poUen of a brick-red, or dufl orange colour, varying to yellow. The style is club-shaped ; stigmas three, united. 20 ADDERS-TONGUE. 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 oilv smoothness, resistinjr the moisture of rain and dew. The name Dogs-tooth Violet seems very inappropriate. The pointed segments of the bell may have suggested the resemblance to the tooth of a dog, but it is difficult to trace any analogy between this flower and the violet, no two plants presenting greater dissimi- laritv of form or habit than the lilv and the violet, thouj^rh 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 Erythronium albidum of Gray. • The name Dogs-tooth refers to the shape of the small pointed white bulbs of the common European species, so well known in English gardens. — Prof. Lawson. Sub Ord. Trilliace^.— (Trillium Family.) WHITE TRILLIUM. DEATH FLOWER. Trillium Grandijiorum. " And spotless lilies bend 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 forest glen. In deep ravines, or rocky islets, the bright snow-white blossoms of the Trilliums 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 Xova Scotia they are called Moose-flowers, probably from being abundant in the haunts of Moose-deer. In some of the Xew 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. cernum (nodding Trillium) and T, grandiflorum, might serve not inappropriately for emblems of innocence and purity, when laid upon 22 WHITE TRILLIUM. the breast of the early dead. The darker and more sanguine hue of the red species, T. sessile, and T. recurvatnm, might have been selected 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 rol)in red-breast. The bota- nical name of the Trillium is derived from trilex, triple, all the parts of the plant being in threes. Thus we 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 duplicate of three. The white fleshy tuberous root is much used by the American School of Medicine invarious diseases, also by the Indian herb doctors. Trillium gandijlorum is the largest and most showy of the white species. Ti'illium nivale or " lesser snowy Trillium," is the smallest ; the 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 are longish-ovate, regular, not waved, and the pollen is of a greyish dusty WHITE TRILLIUM. 23 hue while 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 i)urple flowers we often perceive the violet hue to be perceptible in the stalk and under part of the leaves, and sometimes in the veins and roots. Red 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 does the Canadian Balsam and many others: that, a little observation will point out. The colouring matter of flowers has always beefi. 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 fill the tissues of the flower, and on the cellular tissue itself. Flowers deprived of light, we know, are paUid and often colourless, but how do we account /or the deep crimson of the beet-root, the rose-red of the radish, the orange of the rhubarb, carrot, and ci^rnip, 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 aU naturalists, and especially of the botanical student. Nat. Ord. Ra>unculace.b, EOCK COLUMBINE. Aqutlegia Canadensis. "The graceful Columbine all blushing red, Bends to the earth her crown Of honey-laden bells." HIS graceful flower enlivens us all through the months of 3ilay and June by its brilliant blossoms of deep red and golden yellow. In general outline the Wild Columbine resembles 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 by little pedicels, each bearing a large drooping flower and bud which open in succession. v , The flower consists of five red sepals and five red petals; the latter are hollowed trumpet-like at the mouth, ascending ; they form narrow tubes, which are terminated by little round knobs filled with honey. The delicate thready pedicels on which the blossom 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 rOLUMBTNE. 25 The unequal and clustered stamens, and five thready styles ot the pistil project beyond the hollow mouths of the petals, like an elegant gohlen-fVinged 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 tw ice or thrice lobed, and unequally notched ; the upper surface is smooth and of a dark rich green, the under pale and whitish. -, -'';'':>: '*:'■v■^^.^.^:'^^^.: /■^ /'''^ As the flowers fade the husky hollow seed pods become erect — a wise provision in this and many other plants of drooping habits, giving the ripening seed better access to the sun and wind, and pre- venting 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 bountifully supplied. Those who care for bees, and love humming birds, should plant the graceful red-flowered Columbine in their o-arden borders. In its wild state it is often found growing among rocks and sur- face stones, where it insinuates its roots into the clefts and hollows * If two sepals with a petal be separated from the rest of the flower, they will be found to resemble a dove flying, hence the name Columbine, from the Latin columba, a dove. — Dr. Bell. ROCK COLUMBINE. that are filled with rieh vegetable mould ; and thus, being often seen adorning the sterile rocks with its bright crown of waving blossoms, it has obtained the name, in some places, of Rock Columbine. --''=■,; ' ' ' ^ '• ' ■"■■ ■^ £i - ' ■■ M EPFCTUM .\>iAi:a-?r-iSi : • - : . . j'hnV^i- 'jTT' ') •■ 'i'-HAH (LfM MA(!ULA;rnt;< . Nat. Ord. Fumariace^.— (Fumitoky Family.) SQUIRKEL corn: Dicmtra Canadensis, [HIS 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 Hyacinth." The common name of " Squirrel-Corn" is derived from the round orange tubers at the roots, 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 with reddish lilac ; they form a drooping raceme on a round smooth scape, springing from a scaly bud; the corolla is heart-shaped, composed of four petals, in two pairs, flattenx^J and sac-like, the tips united over the stigma, and slightly projecting; in D. cucullaria assuming the likeness of the head of a fly, the cream-coloured diverging petals presenting a strong resemblance to the deer-ily of our lakes. This very charming species is known by the somewhat vulgar name of "Breecues Flower" and "Dutchman's Breeches/ A more descriptive name would be " Fly -Flower." 28 iSQUIRREL COHX. All the species flourish under cultivation, and become very ornamentjil 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 ol' the right hand flower of the plate. PURPLE TRILLIUM. DEATH-P^LOWER — BIimi-ROi )T. Trillium erectum. "Brinp: flowors, bring flowers o'er tlie bier to shed A crown for tlie l»row of tlie carlv dead. Thougli they smile in vain for what once was ours. They are love's last gift, bring flowers, bring flowers.' Hemaxs. RAY and other botanical writers call this striking flower (7'. erectum) the "Purple Trillium;'^ it should rather be called Red. its hue being decidedly more red than purple, and in the New England States it is called bv the country folks. -'The Red Death-Flower,'' in contrast to the larger White Trillium, or "White Death-Flower.'' 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 family, T. erectum is widely spread over the whole of Canada. It appears in the middle of May and continues bloom- ing till June, preferring the soil of rich shady woods. 30 PURPLE TRILLIUM. " Few of our indigenous i)lants surpiiss the Trillium in elegance and beauty, and they are all endowed with valuable medicinal pro- perties. The root of the Pur[)le Trillium is generally believed 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 North America, Dr. Charles Lee. There arc three of the dark flowered Trillium enumerated by Gray, two of which appear to be common to our Canadian soil, T. erectum and T. sessile. The latter is smaller, and olten 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 become 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 l)ony, 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. Ord. Geraniace.£. WOOD GEKANIUM. CRANES-BILL. [Geranium mamhtam.) [HERE are but few flowers of the Cranes-bill family in Canada. The one most worthy of notice is the Wood Geranium (^Geranium maculatam). This is a very ornamental plant ; its favourite locality is open grassy tickets among low bushes, especially those tracts of country known as Oak-openings, where it often reaches to the height of from 2° to 3° throwinjr out many branches adorned with deep lilnc flowers : the half-opened buds are very lovely. The blossom consists of five petals, obtuse and slightly indented on their upper margins, and are lined and delicately veined with purple. The calyx consists of five pointed sepals ; stamens ten ; the anthers are 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 stigmata. The Greek name of the plant means a Crane. The whole plant is more or less beset with silvery hairs. The leaves are divided into about five principal segments: these again are lobed and cut into sharply pointed irregularly sized teeth- 32 WOOD GKHAXIUM. The lar«ror hairy root leaves are often discoloured with red and piir- |>li>h hlolches. from whence the speeitie name (waadatiwi,) si)otted. has been given by botanists to this species. The flower stem is mnch branched and furnished with leafy l)racts: the principal flowers are on long stalks, usually three springing from a central l)ranch and aiiain subdividinti' into smaller branchlets terminiating in buds mostly in threes, on drooping slender pedicels; as the older and larger l)lossonis fall off' 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 A\)y\\ to July, but with us it rarely appears before June, and may be seen all throudi Julv and Aujiust. This Wood Geranium is a beautiful species, and would no doubt repay the trouble of cultivation. Besides ])eing very ornamental our i)lant possesses virtues 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 svstem. Thus our plant is remarkable for its usefulness as well as for its beautv. A showy species, with large rose-coloured flowers and niiich dissected leaves, may be fouml on some of the rocky islets in Stoney Lake. Out. The slender flower stem is about six inches in heio-ht s[)ringing from a leafy involucre which is cut and divided into many long and narrow segments: flowers generally from one to three.. WOOD GERANIUM. 33 terminal on the little bracted-foot-stalks. The seed vessels not so long as in the Wood Geranium. Besides the above named we have two smaller speeies. The well known Herb Robert — G. Rohertianum or fa^tid geranium— ^ which is said to have been introduced from Britain, but is bv no means uncommon 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 species, with pale insignificant blossoms is also common as a weed by road sides and in open woods, probably this is G. pusilum^ 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. Obd. Primulace^. CHICKWEED WINTERGREEN. Trientalis Americana. ^IllS pretty sfiirry-flowered little plant is remarkable for the occurreuce of the number seven in its several parts, and was for some time rep;arde(l bv botanists of the old school as the representative of the Class Heptandria. The calyx is seven parted; the divisions of the delicate white corolla also seven ; and the stamens seven. The leaves form a whorl at the upper part of the stem, mostly from five to seven, or eight; the leaves are narrow, tapering at both ends, of a delicate light-green, thin in texture, and of a pleasant sub-acid flavour. The star-shaped flowers, few in number, on thread-like stalks, rise from the centre of the whorl of leaves, which thus form an involucre to the pretty delicate starry flowers. This little plant is frequently found at the roots of beech-trees ; it is fond of shade, and in lio:ht vegetable mould forms considerable beds; the roots are white, slender, and fibrous ; it is one of our early May flowers, though, unless the month be warm and genial, will delay its opening some- what later. In old times, when the herbalists gave all kinds of lancit'ul names to the wild plants, they would have bestowed such a name as "Herbe Innocence" upon our modest little forest flower. 4- )NIC:A amewcana ( AmernjaiiBrooklime) Srubus ODORATUS 2 MONE3ES UNIFLOt'A (Oi\e f kwered Pvnda) i'YH^!LA h;T,!,JP'i]'..;A (Shin ji-dl') Nat. Ord. EKUArK^t;,— Si b. Ohd. Pvhulcji. SWEET WINTERGHEEN. Pyrola elliptka. .fe'^niE familiar name "Winteri2;reen*' is ai)|)li(Ml by the Canadians •* to many species ol' dwaif evergreen j)lants without any reference to their natural affuiities. The beautiful family of Pyrolas share this name in common with many other charming forest llowers 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 by gazing on the dazzling snow for many consecutive months of winter. As the dissolvirg crust disappears from the forest beneath the kindly influence of the transient sunbeams of early si)ring, the deep irlossv-jrreen shoots of the hardv Pvrolas peep forth, not timi N English gardens our beautiful Red-Flowered, Sweet- Scented 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 gland of reddish hue, con- taining a sweet-scented gum, as in the mossy 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. AU through the hot months of June, July and August, a succes- sion of flowers are put forth at the ends of the branches and branchlets of our Sweet Raspberry — "An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds." i. 42 FLOWERING RASPBERRY. The shrul) 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 rougiily toothed. The leaves are of a dullish green, varying in size from several inches in length, to mere bracts. The blossoms 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 arranged in the form of an inverted saucer on the receptacle, and is somewhat dry and acid, more tempt- ing to the eye than 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 were ornamental among our native plants than the Rubus Odoratus. Canada cannot boast of the Rhododend- rons and ^Vzaleas that adorn the Western and Northern States, but she possesses many attractive shrubs that are but little known, which flourish 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 uncared for in its solitary native haunts. Veronica. — Nat. Ord. Scropuulariace.e. SPEEDWELL. AMERICAX BROOKLDIE. Veronica Americana. "Flowers spring up and die ungatliered.*' cMJ-^" the language of flowers the blossoms of the Veronica or Speedwell are said to mean undying love, or constancy, but the blossoms of the Speedwell are fugacious, falling quickly, and therefore, one would say, not a good emblem ^ of endurance. Sweet simple flowers are the wild Veronicas, chiefly inhabiting damp overflowed ground, the borders 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 hUls and grassy banks, cheering the eye of the passing traveUer 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 caUed " Scorpiox-grass ;" the derivation of which last name we should find it difficult to trace. 44 SPEEDWELL. The subject of the elegant little flower on the right hand side of the plate is Veronica Americana — '' 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. m. ■1^ ■'i CYPRIPEDIUM PUBESOKN;: IRIS VlR,'iI«X..I/JlR iL-rtPi' bhwnio^ 4-VACciNlUJyl .,^., ;.^ N%T. Obd. OuniiDAc: YELLOW LADY'S SLlPrEKS. CyprqK'ih'vm parviflorum and Ci/prwcdmm pvhescens. 'And golden slippers meet tor Fairies' fwt.'' ^IlIS ornamental family are remarkable alike for the singular i^ beantv of their llowers, and the peculiar arrangement of the internal organs. In the Linn;i'an classification they ^^ were included in common, with all the Orchis tribe, in the class Gynandria, but in the Natural Order of Jussieu, which we have followed, the " Lady's Slipper" {Cypripediam), forms one of the sub-orders m the general Order Ouciiidacej:. Of the two species represented in our Artist's group, the larger and central flower is Cypripediumpubescens, the smaller, C. parviflorum,, or Lesser Lady's Slipper. The latter is, perhaps, the more elegant and graceful plant, and is also somewhat fragrant. The sepals and petals are longer and more spiral, but the colouring of the lip is not so rich and vivid as in the larger flower, C. puhescens. The small flowered plant aff'ects a moist soil, such as low wet meadows and open swampy woods; while the larger species, better known by its more familiar name Moccasin flower, loves the open woodlands and drier plains ; where, in the month of June, it may be seen beside the gay Painted Cup [Castilleia coccinea), the Blue Li^pine jf 46 YELLOW LADY'S SLIPPER. (L. perennis), 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 flower is thick and leaf}^, each bright green, many-nerved leaf sheathing the flowers before they open. The flowers are from one to three in number ; bent forward ; drooping 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 ape-like face of C. spectahile, the beautiful showy Lady's Slipper, the description of which will be found to tace the plate in which it forms a prominent feature. The most beautiful of all the species is the *' Stemless Lady's Slipper," Cypripedimn acaule, of which we will treat at some future time. It bears removal to the garden if i)lanted in a suitable situation ; but ad these native flowers require attention to their peculiar habits and soil, or they will disappoint the expectation of the cultivator and end in ftiilure. All wild flowers transplanted from the woods recjuire shade, and bog plants both moisture and shade. Nat. Ord. Iridace-i:. LARGE BLUE FLAG. Iris Versicolor. Fleur -de-lace. Lilies of all kinds, The fleur-de-luce bein^ one. Winter's Tale. iniS beautiful flower, the blue Iris, which forms the right hand figure in the group of Moccasin flowers, abounds all M^ 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 clumps 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 of the ice, the sharp sword-shaped leaves escaping from the sheltering sheath that enfolded them, pierce the moist ground, and appear, forming beds of brilliant verdure, concealing the swampy soil and pools of stagnant water below. Late in the month of June the bursting buds of rich purple begin to unfold, peeping through the spathe that envelopes them. A few days of sunshine, and the o-raceful 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 stiffer, stand erect and conceal the stamens and petal- like stigmas, which lie behind them: an arrangement so suitable for the preservation of 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 provided as a means of throwing ofl' the moisture to which their place of growth must neces- sarily expose them; but for this wise provision, which keeps 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 Pond-lily and other aquatics. Our blue Lis, jow^ever, does not follow^ this rule, bemg only partly an aquatic, but stands erect and ripens the large bony, three-sided seeds in a three-sided membraneous pod. The hard seeds of the Iris versicolor have been roasted and used as a substitute for coffee. The root, wiiich is creeping, fleshy and tuberous, is possessed of medicinal qualities. At present we know of only two varieties of i\\Q Iris. Iris versicolor, and a tall slender variety with paler blue flowers and rounder scapes. The former is the handsomer flower, being beau- tifully varied with lighter and darker shades of blue, purple and yellow— the latter shade being at the b?se of the flower leaves. These are again veined with delicate lines and veiuings of darker purple. The name Iris, as applied to this genus, was bestowed upon 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 large pearly white garden Iris, a plant of Eastern origin, and also in the Persian or Susian Iris. The Fleur-de-lis, as it was formerly written, signified whiteness or puritj. This was changed to Fleur-de-luce, a corruption of FleuF- 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 wrought 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 — dwelling by still river, Or solitary mere, Or where the sluggish meadow brook delivers Its waters to the weir. The wind blows, and uplifts thy drooping banner, And around thee throng and run The rushes, the green yeomen of thy manor — The outlaws of the sun. fleur-de-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. N Nat. Ord. Ericace^. SMALL CRANBERRY. Vaccinkim Oxycoccus. There's not a flower but shews some touch In freckle, freck or stain, - Of His unrivalled pencil. Hemans. IIIERE is scarcely to be found a lovelier little plant than the ^ common marsh Cranberry. It is of a trailing habit, creep- ^ ^^^ "^o along the ground, rooting at every joint, and sending vv "P \\ii\^ leafy upright stems, from which spring long slender thready pedicels, each terminated by a delicate peach-blossom tinted flower, nodding on the stalk, so as to throw^ the narrow pointed petals upw^ard. The leaves are small, of a dark myrtle-green, re vo- lute at the edges, whitish beneath, unequally distributed along the stem. The deep crimson smooth oval berries are collected by the squaws and sold at a high price in the fall of the year. There are extensive tracts of low, sandy swampy flats in various portions of Canada, covered with a luxuriant growth of low^ Cran- berries. These spots are known as Cranberry Marshes; these places are generally overflowed during the spring ; many interesting and rare plants are found in these marshes, with mosses and lichens SMALL CRAXRERBY. 51 not to be found elsewhere, low evergreens of the heath family, and some rare plants belonging to the Orchidaceous tribes, such as the beautiful Grass-pink, {Calopogon jyulchellus) and Calypso borealis. Not only is the fruit of the low Cranberry in oreat esteem for tarts and preserves, but it is also considered to possess valuable medicinal properties, having been long used in cancerous affections as an outward application— the berries in their uncooked state are acid and powerfully astringent. This fruit is successively cultivated for market in many parts of the Northern States of America, and is said td repay the cost of culture in a very profitable manner. So much in request as Cranberries are for household use, it seems strange that no enterprising person has yet undertaken to supply the markets of Canada. Li suitable soil the crop could hardly prove a failure, with care and attention to the i^election of the plants at a proper season. The Cranberry forms one of the sub-orders of the heath family (Ericace^), and its delicate pink-tinted flowers are not less beautiful than many of the exotic plants 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 that luxuriate in the rich preserve that is made from the ripe fruit, have ever seen the elegant trailing-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. 1 Lli.lUM PHUAPF-LFHirUM ( Wtid omix-Jft Redldy ) ."* CYPRIPEDITIM oPECTAEILE ( Shov»y L adv„ t'-lippei^ Nat. Okp. LiuacbjC— (Cray.) WILD ORANGE LILY. Liliuiii Phllwli'Iphicmu "Consider tlie lilies of tlie fieM, how tliey 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." l^^M'^^'^ ^^^''^^ ^^i^y J^ derived from the Celtic, //, wliieh si«4iiifics m^K^'* wliiteness; also from the Greek, lirion. Prohiihly the stately Lily of the garden, Lillain cLfvlidtwi, was the flower to whieh the name was first given, from its ivory whiteness and the exquisite polish of its petals. However that may be, the name Lily is ever associated in our minds with grace and purity, and reminds us of the Saviour of men, who spake of the lilies of the field, how they grew and flourished beneath the care of Him who clothed them in robes of beauty more gorgeous than the kingly garments of Royal Solomon. Sir James Smith, one of the most celebrated of Enixlish botanists, suggests that the lilies alluded to by our Lord may have been Amanjlis lafea, or the Golden Lilv of Palestine— the brij»:ht yellow blossoms of a jjlant which abounds in the fields of Judea, anlush-i)ink : stem not very prickly; liuit red and round ; the bush from one to three feet in height. Another of our dwarf wild roses, 11. lucuh, is widely diffused over Canada ; it is found on all open plain-lands, but shuns the deep shade of the forest. The bark of this wild rose is of a bright red, and the young wood is armed w ith bristly prickles of a greyish colour. When growing in shade, the half opened flowers and buds are of a deep pink or car- mine, but where more exposed in sunny sj)ots, the petals fade to a pale blush-colour. This shrub becomes somewhat troublesome if encouraged in the garden, from the running roots which send up many shoots. In its wild state the dwarf rose seldom exceeds three feet in heiiiht ; it is the second and older wood that bears the flowers : the flower bearinii; branches become almost smooth or onlvremotelv thorny. The leaflets var}' in number from five to nine; they are sh irjily serrated at the edges, and smooth on the surface ; t!ie globu- lar scarlet fruit is flattened at the eye ; of a pleasant sub-acid taste. This beaut ii'ul red-barked rose grows in great pmfu o i on the huckleberry plains above Rice Lake, clothing large tracts of hill and dale, and scenting the evening air at dew-fall with its delicate fra- grance. There, is,or used to be, a delicate pale flowered briar rose, having smafl l()iia«j:e and numerous blossoms of a low branchins: habit e, somewhat flattened on the upi)er side, with a rigid line passing from the base of the tube to the upper lip. There are also two bearded lines within. The lower lip is three-cleft and slightly projecting beyond the two-lobed upper lip ; the stamens are five, but one is sterile and thickly beset with fine white hairs (or bearded). The name is derived from a Greek word simiifvino- five. The root leaves are broadly lanceolate and coarsely toothed ; the upper or stem-leaves narrower, and nearly clasping the stem. The flowers grow on long branching stalks in a loose panicle. The plant is perennial, from one to two feet in height; it seems addicted to dry gravelly soil on river banks and dry pastures. The Beard-tongue would be well worthy of cultivation ; though less showy than the garden varieties, it is not less beautiful and keeps in bloom a long time, from July to September; it might be mixed with the red flowering plants of the garden to great advantage. •#: /•/ -in i-m I NYMPU>f:A ODORATA ( ^' wi cV ::('snied Water Lily ) 2 N U F H A F A I") V lil N A ( Y»^riow Pond Lily) ( Spatter dock ) Crat. Nat. Obd. NYMrii-t.vcEj SWEET SCENTED WATER LILY. Nymphcea Odorala. *' Rocked gently there the beautiful Nvniplura Pillows her bright head." Calender of Floweriw. ^^v^'^OXD-LILY is the popular name by which this beaut iCul aquatic plant is known, nor can we find it in our hearts to reject the name oi' Lily lor this ornament of our lakes. I^J^ The AVhite Xympha'a might indeed be termed '(iueen of the Lakes,*" for truly she sits in regal pride upon her watery throne, a very queen among flowers. Very 'Ovely are the AVater Lilies of Enji-land, but their fair sisters of the Xew World excel them in size and frairrance. Many of the tribe to which these plants belong are natives of the torrid zone, but our White Pond-Lily {Nymphcm odvrata,) and the Yellow [Niiphar advena.) and Nnp)har Kahnkma only, are able to support the cold winter of Canada. The depth of the water in which they grow^ enables them to withstand the cold, the frost rarely penetrating to their roots, which are rough and knotted, and often as thick as a man's wrist ; white and fleshv. The root-stock is horizontal, sending down fibrous slender rootlets into the soft mud: 68 SWEET SCENTED WATER LILY. the stocks that siipport the leaves and blossoms are round of an olive-«;reen, containing open pores filled with air, which cause them to be buoyed up in the water. These air-cells may be distinctly seen by cutting the stems across. The leaves of the Fond-Lily are of a full-green colour, deeply tinged with red toward the Hill of the year, so as to give a blood red tinge to the water: they are of a large size, round kidney shaped, of leathery texture, and highly polished 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 bronze, may be seen like living gems flirting their pearly tinted wini^s in all the enjovnient of their newlv found existence- possibly enjoying the delicious aroma from the odorous lemon scented flowers over which they sport so gaily. The flowers of the Pond-Lily grow singly at the summit of the round, smooth, fleshy seape. AVho that has ever floated upon one of our calm inland lakes, on a warm Julv or Au^^ust dav, but has been tempted, at the risk of upsetting the frail birch-bark canoe or shallow skitf. to put forth a hand to snatch one of those matchless ivory cups that rest in spotless purity uj)on the tranquil water, just rising and falling with the movement of the stream : or have gazed with wishtul and admiring eyes into the still clear water, at the exquisite buds and halt unfolded blossoms that are springing upwards to the air and sun-lisht. The hollow boat-shaped sepals of the calyx are four in number, of a bright olive green, smooth and oily in texture. The flowers do Dot expand fully until they reach the surface. The petals are numerous, hollow (or concave), blunt of a pure ivory white: very fra^^rant SWEET SCENTED WATER LILY. 69 bavinff the rich odonr of froshlv cut lemons; tliev are set round tho surface of tlic ovary (or seed-vessel) in regular rows, one above* the ether, irraduallv lessenini:: in size, till thcv (dianu-c hv iuinerceotihle [gradation into the narrow fleshy petal-like lemon tinted anthers. The pistil is without style, the stigma forming a (hit rayed top to the ovary, as in the poppy and many other plants. On the approach of night our lovely water-nymj)h 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 necessarv for the perfection of the embryo seed : and this continues till the fertilization of the germ has been completed, 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 wonderful work, "sought out only by those who have pleasure therein."'^ The roots of the Pond Lily contain a large quantity of fecula (flour), 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 dressit ^ for blisters. The Lotus of Egypt belongs to this family, and not only furnishes ma«niificent ornaments with which to crown the heads of their gods ♦ In tliat singular plant, the Eel or Tajegrajs, a jilant indigenous to our slow flowing watora, the clastic flower- bearin;: stem uncoils to reach the surface of the water, drawn thither by some mysterious hidilen attraction towards the I ollen-bearing fliwers, which are produced at the bottom of the water on very short scapes, and which, united bv the same vegetable instinct, break away from the confining bonds that hold them and rise to the surface, where tl'u'v expand and scatter their fertilizing dust upon the fruit-bearing flowers which float arouikd them ; these, aftera while, coil up again and draw the pod-like ovary down to the bottom of the water, there to ripen and perfect the fruit; a curious fact vouched for by Gray and many other creditable botanists. 70 SWEET SCENTED WATER LILY. ami kinjj^s, hut tlic seeds also served as food to the peoj)le in times of scarcity. The Sacred Lotus {ycfumhium spcciosum) was an ohject itself of religious veneration to the ancient Egyptians. The Chinese, in soujc places of that over-})opulated country, grow the Water Lilies upon their lakes for the sake of the nourish- ment vichlcd bv the roots and seeds. "Lotus-eaters," says that valua])le writer on the Medical Botany of America, Dr. Charles Lee, "not only abound in Egypt, but all over the East." " The large fleshy roots of the Nelumhium lutemn^ or cTcat Yellow Water Lilv, found in our Xorth American lakes, resembles the Sweet Potato (JJatafas ednl/s), and by some of the natives are esteemed equally agreeable and wholesome," observes the same author, " being used as food by the Lidians, as well as some of the Tartar tribes." As yet little value has been attached to this charming plant, the White Pond Lilv, because its uses have been unknown. It is one of the privileges of the botanist and natuialist to lay open the vegetable treasures that are so lavishly bestowed upon us by the bountiful hand of the Great Creator. YELLOW POND LILY. Nvphar advena. (SPATTER DOCK.) And there tlie briglit Xvn»])li:pa loves to lave, And spreads her golden orbs along the dimpling wave. ®®^^^^ Y\'llow Pond Lilj is often found o-rowin"; in extensive beds, mingled with the White, and though it is less grace- ful in form, there is yet much to admire in its rich oran^-e- ^ coloured flowers, which appear at a little distance like balls of gold floating on the still waters. The large hollow petal- like sepals that surround the flower are finely clouded with dark red on the outer side, but of a deep yellow orange within, as also are the strap-like petals and stamens: the stigma, or summit of the pistil, is flat, and 12-24 rayed. The leaves are dark-green, scarcely so large as those of the White Lily, floating on long thick fleshy stalks, flattened on the inner side, and rounded without. The botanical name Nuphar is derived, says Gray, from the Arabic word Neufar, signifying Pond Lily. Our Artist has closely followed nature's own arrangements by grouping these beautiful water plants together. 72 YELLOW POND LILY. Where there is a deep deposit of mud in the shallows of still waters we frei^uently find many different species of aquatics growing promiscuously. The tall lance-like leaf and blue-spiked heads of the stately PonUden'a, keeping guard as it were above the graceful Nywpliaa, like a galhmt knight with lance in rest, ready to defend his queen, and around these the fair and delicate white flowers of the small arrow-head rest their frail heads upon the water, looking as if the slightest breeze that ruffled its surface would send them from their place of rest. Beyond this aquatic garden lie beds of wild rice Zizania aquatica, with its floatiiig leaves of emerald green, and v/aving grassy flowers of straw colour and purple— while nearer to the shore the bright rosy tufts of the V/ater Persicaria, with its dark-green leaves and crimson stalks^ delight the eyes of the passer-by. I 3akra<-f:nia pith pure a ( Pitfhfv F'lant) Nat. Ord. Sarkaceniack. PITCHER PLANT. (SOLDIERS DRLXKIXG CUP.) Sarraccnia purpurea. VEX tlic most casual observer can hardly pass a bed of these most remarkable plants without being struck by their appearance, indeed, from root to flower, it is every way worthv of our notice and admiration. The Pitcher Plant is by no means one of those flowers found singly and in inaccessible bogs and dense cedar-swamps, as are some of our rare and lovely Orchids. In almost any grassy swamp, at the borders of low lying lakes, and beaver-meadows, often in wet spongy meadows, it may be found forming large beds of luxuriant growth. When wet with recent showers or glistening with dew-drops, the rich crimson veinings of the broadly scalloped lip of the tubular leaf (which is thickly beset w ith fine stiff silvery hairs,) retaining the moisture, shine and glisten in the sun-light. t 74 PICIIER PLANT. The root is thick, solid, and tibrous. The tubular leaves are of a reddish tinge on the ouier and convex side, but oC a delicate light green w ithin. The texture is soft, smooth, and leathery ; the base of the leaf, at the root, is narrow and pipe-stem like, expanding into a large hollow leceptacle, capable of containing a wine-glass lull of liquid ; even in dry seasons this cup is rarely lound empty. The hollow form of the leaves, and the broad ewer-like lips, have ob- tained for the plant its local and wide spread-r.ame of ''Pitcher Plant," and " Soldier's Drinking Cup." The last name I had fVoni a poor old emiqrrant pensioner, when he brought nie a specimen of the plant fiom the banks of a half dried up lake, near which he was located : " Many a draft of blessed water have we poor soldiers had when in Egypt out of the leaves of a j)lant like this, and we used to call them the 'Soldier's Drinking Cup.'" ^lost probably the plant that afforded the blessed water to the poor thristy soldiers was tlie Nrpcnihe thstillana, which plant is found in Egypt and other parts of Africa. Perhaps there are but few among the iidiabitants of this well-watered country that have as fully aj)preciated the value of the Pitcher Plant as did our poor uneducate