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P.- . X

CONTENTS,

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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?ii<m eredum 29

Wood Geranium.— Cranes-Bill.— 6rpr«wittm mar^'^atum 31

Chickweed Wintergreen.— 2Hcn^«/w Americana 34

PLATE IV.

35

Sweet Wintergreen.— Pyro/« elliptica

39

One Flowered Pyrola.— ifoweses unijlora -

41.

Flowering Raspberry. — Rtd)us Odoratus

Speedwell.— American Brooklime.— Veronica Americana

CONTENTS.

PLATE V.

PAQK

Yellow Lady's Slippers. — Cypripedium parvijlorum and Cypnptdium pubesceiis, ... 45

Large Blue Flag. — Iris Versicolor. — Fleur-de-luce 47

Small Canberry. — Vaccinhim Oxycoccus 50

PLATE YL

Wild Orange Lily. — Lilium Philadelphiciim , 53

Camulian Harebell. — Campanula Rohindifolia 56

Showy Lady's Slip^^er. — Cypripedium Spectabik. — (Moccasin Flower) 59

PLATE Vn.

Early Wild Rose. — Rosa Blanda 63

Pentstemon Beard-Tongue. — Pentstemon ptbescens 66

"^ PLATE YIIL

Sweet Scented Water Lily. — NympJma Odorata 67

Yellow Pond Lily. — Nuphar Arfvewa.— (Spatter Dock) 71

:-;';■-.--•;:. ■ - ' PLATE IX. -

Pitcher Plant. — (Soldier's Drinking Qn\).)—Sarracenia Purpwrea. 73

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PLATE X.

Painted Cup, Scarlet Cup. — Castilkia Coccinea. 77;

Showy Orchis. — Orchis Spectahilis. 81

Indian Turnip. — Arum triphyUum {Arum family) 83

Cone Flower. — Rudbtckia fulgida 87

PREFACE

TO TUB

WILD FLOWERS OF NORTH AMERICA.

rpHE first and second edition of our Book of Wild Flowers was publishe<l last year A under the title of "CANADIAN WILD FLOWERS;" but it has been sug- gested by some American friends that we ought not to have limited the title to the Wild Flowers of Canada, as nature has given them a much wider geognifdiical range, and, in fact, there are none of those that have l)een i)ortrayed and described in our volume but may be found diffused over the whole of the Eastern and Northern States of the Union, as well as to the North and West of the Great Lakes. We, there- fore, have rectified the error in our present issue, not wishing to put asunder those whom the Great Creator has united in one harmonious whole, each family and tril)e finding its fitting place as when it issued freshly forth from the Ixjunteous hand of God who formed it for the use of His creatures and to His own honor and glory.

As our present volume embraces but a select few of the Native Flowers of this Northern Range of the Continent, it is our intention to follow it by succeeding series, which will present to our readers the most attractive of our lovely Wild Flowers, and flov.-ering shrubs. The subject ofiers a wide field for our future labours.

Wliat a garland of loveliness has nature woven for man's admiration, and yet, comparatively speaking, how few app 'eciate the beauties thuo lavishly bestowed upon them?

The inhabitants of the crowded cities know little of them even by name, and those that dwell among them pass them by as though they heeded them not, or regarded them as worthless weeds, crying, " Cut them down, why cumber they the ground ?•' To such careless ones they do indeed " waste their sweetness on the desert air." Yet the Wild Flowers have deeper meanings and graver teachings than the learned books of classical lore so much prized by the scholar, if he will but receive

them.

Tliey shew him the parental care of abenificent God for the winged creatures of the air, and for the sustenance of the beasts of the field. They point to the better liie, the resurrection from the darkness of the grave. They are emblems of man's

B

PREFACE.

M

iK'snity and of liis frailty. Tlioy lead us by flowery patlis from earth to heaven, where the Jimvei-s fade not away. Shall we then eoMly disre<rard the tlowers that our God has uiiule h) wonurously fair, to k'autify the earth we live on?

M.thers of Anieriea t^nieh your little ones to love the Wild Flowers and ihey will love the soil (»n whiih they }rrew, and in all their wandeiinLTs throujrh the wcHd their hearts will turn l.aek with loving reverence to the land of their birth, t( that dear home endeared to their hearts by the remembrance of the flowers that thty i)lucked and wove for their brows in their happy hours of jrladsome childhood.

How manv u war-worn soldier would say with the German hero of Schiller's

tragedy: ^

" Oh Ldadly would I give the blood stained victor's wreath For the llrst violet of the early spring, Plucked in those «iuiet fields where I have journeyed."

Schiller..

■*.'*

DESCKiniOX OF THE TITLE PAGE.

Our Artist has tastefully comMiicd in the wreath that a<l"rns her title page several of our native Sprincr Flowers. The sinijile blossoms of ( hi/fovin Vinfinirn, better known bv its familial name "Si'itisr. ItEAiTY," niav easilv be reeocrni/ed from the ritrht hand tii^ure in the group of the lirst plate in the book. For a deseription of it see page 16.

Tlie tall slender flower on the left side on the title pjitre is PotfutHhi Camtifnisis, (Var simpfcjr). This slender ti;iilinir plant may be found in open grassy thickets, by road side wastes, at the foot of old stumj>s, 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<KlIy fellowship of the usefnl and the beautiful amcmg which our humble Ciufpu'foil has oeen allowed to find a i)Iace.

The little plant wcupying the lower portion of the i)late is Vinla sntjitUitn. "Arhow L?:avf,i) Violkt." The anthers of the stamens are tiesh coloured or pale orange; the slender j)()inted sepals of the calyx are of a bright light green, which form a lively confrast to the deep purple closely wraj)ped pointed buds that they enfold. The leaves are of a dull green, somewhat hairy, narrow, blu l at the ai)ex, not heart- shaped as in many of the species but closed at the base and bordering the short channelled foot-stalk. Amoiii!:our numerous species few ai-e reallv more lovelv than " the Arrow Leaved Violet." Viola ovata and Viola villosa closelv rescml)le the above, and probably are varieties of our i)retty flower.

The violet, like the rose and lily, has ever been the poet's flower. This is not one of our earliest violets; it blossoms later than the early white violet, V. rotuwlifolia or than the early Blue Violet, V. cwulluta, or that delicate species V. striata, the lilac striped violet, which adorns the banks and hill sides on sonu? of our plain lands, early in the month of May. Later in this month and in the beginning of June we find the azure blossoms of V. safjitfata in warm sheltered valleys, often among gron.i)8 of small pines and among grasses on sandy knolls and open thickets. The plant grows low, the leaves on very short foot-stalks closely pressed to the ground ; the bright full blue dowers si)ringing from the crown of the plant on long slender stems stand above the leaves. ^

The petals are blunt, of a full azure Line white at the base and bearded. Among many allusions to this favourite tl(jwer, here are lines somewhat after the style of the older poets, addressed to early violets found on a wintry March day at Walthara Abby.

TO EARLY VIOLETS.

Children of sweetest birth, . ^ " Why do ye bend to earth

' ' Eyes in whose softened blue,

Lies hid the diamond dew ?

Has not the early ray,

Yet kissed those tears away

That fell with closing day ?

Say do ye fear to meet

8

DESCRIPTIOX OF THE TITLE PxVGE.

ji The hail and driving wleet,

# Which gloomy winter stern

Flings from hiu hnow-wreathed urn ?

Or do ye fear the breeze

So Hadiy ^igliing thro' the trees,

Will chill your iVugrant tiowera,

Ere April's genial showers '

Have visited your bowers ?

Why came ye till the cuckoo's voice,

Bade hill and vale rejoice ;

Till Philomel with tender tone,

Waking the echoeH lone, #

Bids woodland glades prolong '

Her sweetly tuneful song ; .

Till sky-lark blithe and linnet grey,

From fallow brown and meadow gay, ^

Pour forth their jocund roundelay ;

Till 'cowslip, wan' and ' daisies pied'

'Broider the hillock's side,

And opening hawthorn buds are seen, . ;

Decking each hedge-row screen ?

What, though the primrose drest In her pure paly vest ^ Came rashly forth

To brave the biting North, .

Did ye not see her fall

Straight 'ueath his snowy pall ;

And heard ye not the West wind sigh

Her requiem as he hurried by ?

Go hide ye then till groves are green • And April's clouded bow is seen ;

'^ Till suns are warm, and skies are clear

And every flower that does appear, Proclaims the birthday of the year. '

Though Canada does not boast among her violets the sweet purple violet {Yiokt (xhrata) of Britain she has many elegant species remarkable for beauty of form and colour; among these "The Yellow Wool Violet," the " Song Spurred Violet" and the " Milkwhite Wool Violet," ( V. Canadensis) may be named. These are all branching violets, some, as the yellow and the white, often attain, in rank shaded soil, to a foot in height and may be found throwing out a succession of tlowers through the later summer months. They will bloom freely if transplanted to a shady spot in the garden.

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UVULAR I A PERF'-^LIATA iLrAt<^e n'-^vvei-^^d hpiiworf ';

1 HEPATIC A ACUTII-OBA ^Shiiip labed Hepau^a)

4- GLAYTO N I A VI KGI N ! ' A ( Gpmi^ Beauty j

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Nat. Ord. Raxcntulace.e.

LIYER-LEAF.

(SHARP LOBED IIEPATICA.)

Ilejmtica acufiloba.

'^

"Lodged m sunny clefts, Where tlie cold breeze comes not, blooms alone The little AVind-flower, whose just opened eye Is blue., as the si)ring heaven it gazes at."

Bryant.

.f^% HE American poet, Bryant, has many happy aUusions to the Hepatica under the name of '•Wixd-Floweii;" th • more common na ue among our Canadian settlers is " Sxo\v- J|^ Flower," it being the tirst 1)lossom tliat appears directly

after the melting otf of the winter snows.

In the forest— in open grassy old woods, on banks and upturned roots of trees, this sweet flower gladdens the eye with its cli. _Tful starry blossoms: every child knows it and fdls its hands and bosom with its flowers, pink, blue, deep azure and pure white. What tlie daisy is to England, the Snow-flower or Liver-leaf i^ to Canada. It hngers long within the forest shade, coyly retreating within its sheltering glades from the open glare of the sun : though for a time it will not refuse to ))loom within the garden borders, when trans-

c

10 LIVER-LEAF.

planted early in spring, and (lou])t]css if properly supplied with black mould from the woods and partially sheltered by shrubs it would continue to grow and flourish with us constantly.

We have two sorts, //. acutiloba, and //. triloba. A large variety has been found on Long Island in Rice Lake; the leaves of which aivfice lohed: the lobes much rounded, the leafstalks stout, densely silky, the flowers large, of a deep purple blue. This handsome plant throve under careful cultivation and proved highly ornamental.

The small round closely folded buds of the Hepatica appear before the white silky leaves unfold themselves, though many of the old leaves of the former year remain persistent through the winter. The buds rise from the centre of a silken bed of soft sheaths and vounj>: 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, an<l the song sparrow, the hepatica, and the first white violet; it lingers in shady spots, as if unwilling to desert us till more sunny days have wakened up a wealth of brighter Idossoms to glachlcn the eye; yet the first, and the last, are apt to be most prized by us, with flowers, as well as other treasures.

How^ infinitelv wise and merciful are the arranjirements of the Great Creator. Let us instance the connection between Bkhs and Floavers. In cold climates the former lie tor])id, or nearly so, during the long months of Winter, until the genial rays of the sun and light have quickened vegetation into activity, and buds and blossoms open, containing the nutriment necessary for this busy insect tribe. .. .

The Bees seem made for the Blossoms ; the Blossoms for the Eees.

On a bright March morning what sound can be more in harmony with the sunshine and blue skies, than the murmuring of the honey- bees, in a border of cloth q\ "-old crocuses ? what sight more cheerful to the eye ? But I forget. Canada has few of these sunny flowers, and no March davs like those that woo the hive bees from their winter dormitories. And April is with us only a name. We have no April month of rainbow suns and showers. We miss the deep

18 SPIIIXG BEAUTY.

blue skies, and silver throne-like elouds that cast their llccting shadows over the tender sprinu^in*^ <^rass and corn; we have no mossy lanes odorous with hhie violets. One of our old poets thus writes :

** Ye violets tluit first apjHjar, By your pure purple mantles known, Like the proud virgins of the year, As if the sprini^ were all your own, What are ye when the rose is blown.*'*

We miss the turfy hunks, studded with starry daisies, pale primroses and a/ure hluo-bells.

* ■

Our ^lav is bright and sunnv. more like to the Endish March ; it is indeed a month of ijromi.se— a month of many flowers. But too often its Aiir buds and ])lossoms are nipped by frost, '^and winter, lingering, chills the lap of May."

In the warmth and shelter of the forest, vegetation appears. The black leaf mould, so light and rich, quickens the seedlings into ra])id growth, and green leaves and opening buds follow soon after the melting of the snows of winter. The starry blossoms of the hepatica, blood-root, bellwort, violets, white, yellow and blue, with the delicate Coptis (gold-thread), come forth and are followed by many a lovely flower, increasing with the more genial seasons of May and June.

But our April flowers are but few, comparatively speaking, and so we prize our early Violets, Hepaticas and Spring Beauty.

• Sir Henrj Wotton — written in 1651.

///

-Ml himbine )

i:. - Tiy LUU M GI^.NDIFIjC>RUM

K

'X tlUACEJI.

ADtn-RS-TONGUE.

.fc4^:wi4*.'^w'i.Jui:<D YIOLET.

^im Mmermmum.

^••V*'^ -WK*^ ■

1

hxilb at lilt'

thesf

dark piirfjl

Ah;:!! , ; ;

varviiiE i& v^Mm^^

8}K*ttal A4:iefsrt'j?ogiie i^itfe drooping bell tiiiij the Rew-iiori: sfiriog.*'

ick liiuuld, OH tho low hank-* ; ur^an

'•id%- la^e buOfi ui icjiaiii aiie?. ham ■

rciiig ilie softened grouii he mmth of iii

ear's fmwih produee^ two leave?^ betweon

t riiJif^^l Sffn . ^ .....■

. liioiaea j»u Ai'ipvAi with linef^

lioiir^cirgnnishin*^ and wnrm wind Qonn <^Tpaiidi

^•paiji, recurred ^i M' ^tcii segment grooved, ««^

-•jrnHsh brown dots. ffe« m-

mlmi m a bi . -% dii| i,, , .

itii

i.

;.jes>w»

-*.,

^k

■A

>

4

'-•■irilW

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;<
	.

Wat. iHa. fvmMittAi»M "ifuntfU^'t Fvhii.t.

SQUIERET CORN.

m^^ fmmUmi^

we bar?* ii:tiii,r *'tillif*ir«t' ^«jri<*rM*« in Bfitmn and elm-

*.■'

w|ief#, fl^m i>*'«r ■k>Tcl;^ Ikiwar grows wild in 'rich black mt»ttMj» Itu- . , * ?%BtI m Te<;€i*i!y cJearc*! ^yoU

^ for k th<* iiot ^tn fif8|^>ropriatv name of '* Wru)

TIh* v«^riimm« iiimt: oi' S<|iitrrt?l~(^>rn'' h ileriveil from

■-.-^-i ??r^ii|^<; tubers* ttt fiie roots, n^'mhliug iu sixe and colour

^N»rn. :sij^i tVt)fi? their \mi\% a tavom ite tbod witli the*

arf- e»l a jKflliicid -whiteness, aoraetioies tiiigcid

?lM*% f*«rrii a droopiug rdc-eme on a round smooth

« K'iily bud; the corolla m heart-shaped,

m lw(j miirs, liattened and 8a<^-Uki% the ti|«

■ -A slightly projectiBg; in B, euadlmm

t4 liie head of a fly. tlur ereani-colfnifetl

V, % btroui? resembiaaci* to the deer-llv of

f? vkg species is kBown by thu sooiew^ '

';, '4

*^pS

iC-

'•^

!|

ti

\

il

H

^-=f
■ J
Jl

H(

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')

I

f'

Kat. Chro. T^ckctM. — Si'». Oto. Pthcilb*.

;ET WINTERGREEN.

^Tida elMptimu

,4^ itunie "Wintergreea*' is applied Hy tlie CaiiadiaiMi

' i«Mf *fiefi€8 of dwarf evergreen plants without any

to their natural aHiiiities. The iM'initiful ikoiiiy

4 f h^ share this Jiame fn comnion with many other

■m^m \n refereriee to their evergreen habit.

r of this iutercBtini; laiiiilv is worthv of special

y .i MS l«>fm miii colouring, of a delicate fragrance a«d

?lKn ^s^M to their maiiv attractions the merit of

^reeti thing to refresh the eje loag weaned hy

^:' m^MXw^ .Hfiow for man? coaseeiitbe months of winter*

mx < nisi disappears from the forest beneath the

ti*^» kiin.?iient Aunhcam?* of early spring, the deep

uhe hardy Pyroia^ peep forth, not timidly, m

*'*?t*fr t^cw and Miridin** "rileet;**

Ulast

Pi

boldh ;iHd t-heertuyv braving iiie

•fsers.

..IP'lJ' -A

mSm

/

?

Tp»

1

m 1

■MtpJHWMW

■I

1 i

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<llv, as if afraid to meet

"The 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.

36 . SWEET WIXTERGREEJ^.

All bright, and fresh, and glossy, our Wintergrecns come forth as though they had been perfecting their toilet within the sheltering canopy of their snowy chambers, to do honour to the new-born year just awakening from her icy sleep.

P. eUiptica forms extensive beds in the forest, the roots creeping with running subterranean shoots which send up clusters of ever- green leaves, slightly waved and scalloped at the edges, of a deep irlossv sreen and thin in texture.

The name Pyrola is derived from a fancied 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, far better than many a one that has been bestowed upon our showy wild flowers, in com- pliment to the person that first brought them into notice.

The pale-greenish white flower of our Pyrola forms a tall terminal raceme, the five round petals are 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 ascendino* in a cluster, while the long style is declined, forming a figure somewhat like the letter J. The seed vessel is ribbed berry-shaped, slightly flattened and turbinate ; when dry, the light chaflPy seeds escape through valves at the sides. The dry style in this and most of the genus remain persistent on the capsule.

The number 5 prevails in this plant: the calyx is 5 parted- petals 5 ; stamens 10, or twice five ; stigma one, but 5 rayed ; 5 knobs or tubercles at the apex ; seed-vessel 5.celled and 5-valved. The flowers arc generally from 5 to 10 on the scape. Most of our Pyrolas are remarkable for the rich fragrance of their flowers especially P rotundifolf'a, P. elh'ptica, P. incarnata and P. minor.

SWEET WIXTERGREEN. 37

These flowers are, for the most part, found hi 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. rotmdifoUa (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 Ckimaphila umbellafa m our Canadian flora,

Tne leaves of this beautiful Wintergreen are held in high estimation by Indian herbalists who call it Rheumatism Weed, (^Pi;piss€wa.) It is bitter and aromatic in quality.

Nat. Ord. ERicACEiB. — Sub. Obd. PrRoucii.

ONE FLOWEKED PYKOLA.

Mbneses unijbrcu

[HIS exquisitely scented flower is only found in the shade of the forest, in rich bla . leaf mould, where, like F. elliptica, it forms considerable beds ; it is of evergreen habit. The leaves are of a dark green and smooth surface, clustered at the base oi the running root-stalk 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 ^^et 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, resembling 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 uniflora.)

Nat. Ord. Rckace^.

FLOWEEIXG EASPBERRY.

Ruhus Odoratus*

.^5?>

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.

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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.

0 fleur-de-luce, bloom on, and let the river

Linger to kiss thy feet ; 0 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^

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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, an<l at that moment probably caught his eye ; their glowing colour aptly illustrating the subject on which he was about to speak.

64 WILD 0I5ANGE LILY.

Tho Lily has a wide geograpliical range, and may be found in fcouie rorniin every clinie.

There are Lilies that bloom within the cold influence of the frigid zone, as well as the more brilliant species that glow beneath the blazing suns of the equator in Africa tmd Southern Asia.

Dr. Richardson mentions, in his list of Arctic plants, Lilinm PhiUuhJph'am), our own gorgeous oiange (or rather scarlet-spotted Lilv.) He renuirks that it is called by the Esquimaux "Mouse-koot," from the fact that it is much sought alter by the field mice, which feed upon the root. The porcupine also digs for it in the sandy soil in which it delights to grow.

In Kamtscliatka the Li/h'mn powpimhtm is used by the natives as an article of food; and in Muscovy the white ^Narcissus is roasted as a substitute for bread.

The healing qualities of the large white Lily roots and leaves are well known, applied in the form of a })oultice to sores and boils. Thus are beauty and usefulness united in this most attractive plant.

'Ihe subject of our artist's pencil, the Orange Lily, is widely spread over this portion of the American continent, as well as in the more sunny Western ^States of North America.

We find it, however, more frequently growing on open plain- lands, where the soil is sandy loam. l\\ partially shaded grassy thickets in oak-openings, in the months of June and July, it may be seen mixed with the azure blue Lupine {Litpmus perennis), the golden flowered ^loccasin {Ct/pnprdium palM^scf^ns, Pijrola rotandi folia,) the large sweet-scented Wintergreen, and other charming summer

WILD or. VN(iE LILY. 55

0

flowers. Among tlic^c our gay and goigcMuis Lily staiuls conspi- cuous.

The stem is from 1 \ to 2 foot liiij::h. Tho loaves arc narrowpointod ; of a (lark groon colour, growing in wlnnis at intervals round the stem. The llowers are IVom l-ll ; large open bells, of a rich orange-scarlet within, s|)otted with pnrplisli-hrown or black. The outer surface of the petals is i)ale orange; anthers six, on long lihinients; pollen of a brick red, or brown colour; stigma three cleft. The Lily belongs to the artificial class and order, Iliwumlria wono(j}/nia.

Manv flowers increase in beanfv of colour and size under culti- vation in our "ivrdcns, but our "iorions Lilv can hardiv be seen to greater advantage than when growing wild on the open plains and prairies, under the bright skies of its native wilderness.

Nat. ObD. CAMPAXULACEiK.

CANADIAN HAKEBELL.

Campanula Rotanth'folia.

" With drooping bells, of purest blue Thou didst attract uiy cliiklish view,

Almost resenibliivj: Tlie azure butterflies that flow. AVhere luid the heath thy blossouis grew,

So litihtlv trombliu<z:."

'^^"^IHE same charming writer has also called the Harebell " the Flower of Memory." and truly the sigiit of these fair flowers, when foimd in lonely spots in Canada, has ca-ried one back in thonght to the vild heathery moors or

sylvan lanes of the mother country.

"I think uj)on the heathery liiKi

I ae hae lo'ed sae dearly ; .

I think upon (lie \vinii)liiig burn That wandered by sae clearly

r r)

But sylvan wooded lanes, and heathery moorlands are not characters of our ^'anadiin scenery, and if we would seek the Hare- bell, we shall i^tm it un the dry gravellv b.mks of lakes or rivers, or rocky islets, for these are its native haunts. :

CANxVDLVN HAREBELL. 57

Although, in 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 sufiBciently graceful. The root leaves, which are not very conspicuous during its flowering season, are round, heart-shaped. 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-shaped 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 flv)wers varying from a few to many.

We have bui thrfe known species in Canada, Campanula Amtn'cana, -'a large handsome species being found in Western Canada ;"^ and C. aparmokles. The rough-leaved Bellflower is found in marshes and in thickets 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 that surround it for support, which its rough teeth enable it to do very efFectuall} ^ in habit it resembles the smaller Galium, or Lady s bed- straw, Th^3 delicate bell-shaped flowers are mailed with fine pur})le lines within, at the base of the white corolla. The leaves of this species are ncinow-linear, rough, with minutelv-toothed hairs : the flowers are f^sv, and fade very quickly. The name coujpanuiais rrom caihpana, a bell.

• P.fjf ssior Hinrhs.

58 CANADIAN HAREBELL.

The narcbell has often formed the theme of our modern poets, as illustrative of grace and h'ghtness. In the Lady of the Lake we Lave this pretty couplet when describing Ellen :

E'en the light Harebell raised its head, Elastic IVoin her airy tread."

Our Artist has availed herself of the Canadian Harebell to give airy lightness to her group of natives flowers.

Nat. Ord. Orchidace^.

SHOWY LADY'S SLIPTER.

CypHpedium specfahile.

(MOCCASIN FLOWER.)

But ye have lovely leaves, where we A^ay see how soon things have Their end, tho' n'er so brave ; And after they have bloomed awhile,. Like us. thev sink

Into the grave.

Hebrick.

MOXG the many rare and beautiful flowers that adorn our native woods and wilds, few, if any, can compare with iv§^ the lovely plants belonging to the family to which tlio ^'^\^y central flower of our Artists group belongs. Where all are so worthy of notice it was difficult to make a choice ; happily there is no rivalry to contend with in the case of our Artists preferences.

There are two beautiful varieties of the species, the pink and white, and pr.rple and white Lady's Slipper {Cyprlpidivm Siecla- h/'le)^ better known by the familiar local name of Aloccasin-P'iower, a name common in this country to all the plants of this family.

60 . SHOWY LADY'S SLIPPER,

'WTiether we regard these cbarming flowers for the singularity of their form, the exquisite texture of their tissues, or the delicate blending of their colours, we must acknowledge them to be altoge- ther lovely and worthy of our admiration.

The subject of the figure in our plate is the Pink-flosrered Moccasin: it is chiefly fo be found in damp ground, in ttimarack swamps, and near forest creeks, where, in groups of several stems, it appears, showing its pure blossoms among the rank and coarser herb- age. The stem rises to the height of from 18 inches to 2 feet high. The leaves, which are large, ovate, many nerved and plaited, sheath- ing at the base, clothe the fleshy stem, which terminates in a single sharp pointed bract above the flower. The flowers are terminal, from one to three, rarely more; thouga in the large purple and white Lady's Slip})er, the older and stronger plants will occasionally throw out three or four blossoms. This variety is found on the dry plain- lands, in grassy thickets, among the oak openings above Rice Lake, and eastward on the hills above the River Trent. This is most likely the plant described by Gray; the soil alone being different. The unfolded buds of this species are most beautiful, having the appear- ance of slightly flattened globes of delicately-tinted primrose coloured rice paj)er.

The large sac-like inflated lip of our ^loccasin flower is slightly depressed in front, tinged with rosy pink and striped. The pale thin petals and sepals, two of each, are whitish at first, but turn brown when the flower is more advanced toward maturity. The sepals may be distinguished from the petals ; the former being longer than the latter, and by being united at the back of the flcver. The column on which the stamens are i)laced is three-lobed ; the two

SHOWY LADYS SLIPPER. 61

anthers arc placed one on either side, under the two lohes ; the central lobe is sterile, thick, fleshy, and bent down — in our sjjecies 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 resemblance 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 Golden-flowered Ci/penpfJum pubescens; that of a sheep or ram, with the horns and ears, in C. arietinum; while our "Snowy Lady's Slipper," (C. spedahik,) displays the curious face and peer- ing black eyes of the ape.

One of the rarest and, at the same time, the most beautiful of these flowers, is the " Stemless Lady's Slipper,:' (C, acauk,) a figure of which will appear 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 pains, as ornaments to the garden border, the shrubbery, the rookery, or the green-house. Our orchidaceous plants alone would be regarded by the foreign florist with great interest.

A time will come when these rare productions of our soil will disappear from among us, and can be found only on those waste and desolate places where the foot of civilized man can hardly penetrate ;

Q

62 SHOWY LADY'S SLIPPER,

where the flowers of the wilderness flourish, bloom and decay unseen but by the all-seeing eye of Him who adorns the lonely places of the earth, filling them with beauty and fragrance.

For whom are these solitary objects of beauty reserved ? Shall we say with Milton : —

" Thousands of unseen beings walk this earth, Both while we wake and while we sleep: — And think though man were none, — That earth would want spectators— God want praiseJ'

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Nat. Obd. HosACEiS.

EAELY WILD ROSE.

Eosa Blanda.

"Xor did I wonder at the lilies wbite^ Nor praise the deep vermillion of the rose.*^

Shakespeare.

" Tlie rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem, For that sweet odour which in it doth live."

Shakespeare.

UR Artist has given us in the present plate a charming specimen of one of our native roses. The early flowering Rose {Rosa blanda) is hardly so deeply tinted as our dwarf wild rose, rosa lucida, but both possess attractions of colour and fragrance ; qualities that have made the rose to be the them, of many a poet's song. In the flowery language of the East, beauty and the rose seem almost to be synonymous. The Italian poets are full of allusions to the rose, especially to the red damask rose, which they call '^purpurea rosa."

A popular song in the days of Charles the 1st was that beginning with the lines —

" Gather your roses while you may, For time is still a flying. And that same flower that blooms to-day,- To-morrow may be dying."

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64 EARLY ATILD ROSE.

The loaves of rosa hIamJa arc pale underneath ; leaflets five to seven: flowers l>lush-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 <rrow^- ing in the high oak-hills in the township of Hawdon. I have never seen the flowers myself, but have heard the plant described as a rare species. The Swamp Rose, Bosa Carolina, is not uncommon ; it is

EARLY WILD ROSE. 66

often seen growing at the margin of lakes and rivers, and at the edges of stony islands ; it will climb, by aid of supporting trees, to the height of eight and ten feet. The flowers are of a somewhat purplish tinge of pink. The leaves are whitish underneath : this rose is armed with rather stout prickles below on the old woody stem but smoother above ; the flowers are more clustered than in either of the other species.

The sweet briar is often found growing in waste places, and in thickets near clearings — no doubt the seed has been carried thither by birds.

It is very possible that other varieties of the rose tribe may yet be found native to Canadian soil, but the above named are our only known species at present.

Nat. OrD. SCROPUULARIACEiK.

PEXTSTEMON BEARD-TONGUE.

Penisicmon jmlescens.

"Flowers spring up and die ungatliered."

l^-M^^I^'^ ^^^^^ Pentstcmon is a slender, elej^ant brancliin": plant, not sV^P'* unlike in outline to the fox-glove. The flowers are deli- fcS eately shaded from white to pale azure-blue, societiraes

%-^' varying to deeper blue. The corolla is an inflated slen-

der tu]>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.

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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.

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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.

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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<l Iribh pensioner, who said that he always thought that God in His goodness had created the plant to give drink to such as were athirst on a hot and toilsome march ; and so he looked with gratitude and admiration (m its representative in Canada. Many a lessoD may we learn from the lips of the poor and the lowly.

Along the inner portion of the leaf there is a wing or flap which adds to its curious appearance : from the section of the leaf has arisen the somewhat inappropriate name of ' Side-Saddle Flower^ The evident use of this appendage is to contract the inner side of

PITCHER PLANT. 75

the leaf, and to produce a corresponding rounding of the outer por- tion, which is thus thrown back, and enables the moisture more readily to fill the cup. Quantities of small flies, l)eelles. and other insects, enter the pitcher, possibly for shelter, but are unable to effect a rttuin, owing to the rcflexed biistly hairs that line the upper part of the tube and lip, and thus find a watery grave in the moisture that fills the hollow below.

The tall stately flower of the Pitcher Plant is not less worthy of our attention than the curiously formed leaves. The smooth round simple scape rises from the centre of the plant to the height of 18 inches to 2 feet. The fiower is single and terminal, 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 arc numerous. The ovary is 5-celled, and the style is expanded at the summit into a 5 angled, 5 rayed umbrella-like hood, which conceals beneath it 5 delicate rays, each terminating in a little hooked stigma. The capsule or seed vessel is 5-celled and 5-valved; seeds numerous.

I have been more minute in the description of this interesting plant, because much of its peculiar organization is hidden from the eye, and cannot be recognized in a drawing, unless a strictly botanical one, with all its interiorp arts dissected, and because the Pitcher Plant has lately attracted much attention by its rej>uted medicinal qualities in cases of small-pox, that loathsome scourge of the human race. A decoction from the root of this plant has been said to lessen all the more violent symptoms of the disorder. If

W PITCHER PLANT.

this be really so, its use and application should be widely spread ; fortunately, the remedy would be in the power of everyone; like many of our sanative herds it is to be found without dilliculty, and being so remarkable in its appearance can never be mistaken by" the most ignorant of our country herbalists for any injurious substi- tute.*

• The belief that a decoction of this jlant is of use in small-pox has been founil by experiment to be quite chimerical.— J. li.

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PAINTED CUP, SCARLET CUP.

Castilleia cocdnea.

Scarlet tufts Arc glowinf^ in the green like flakes of fire; Tlie wanderers of the pmirie know them well, And call that brilliant flower the Painted Cup.

Bryant.

I'^'^jmS splendidly-coloured plant is the glory and ornament of

-^ the plain-lands of Canada. The whole plant is a glow

of scarlet, varying from pale flame-colour to the most

vivid Vermillion, rivalling in brilliancy of hues the scarlet

geranium of the greenlouse.

The Painted Cup 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 artist's 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

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78 FAINTED CUP, SCARLET CUP.

anjilod. 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 mouths, the open grasgy plains and the borders of the cultivated fields are enriched by its glorious colours. In ftivourable 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 bufif, and also of a bright lemon color. The xVmerican botanists speak of Castilkia 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 neighbourhood 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 and its brilliant colouring.

PAIXTED CUP, SCARLET CUP. 79

These lovely plants, like many others that adorn our Canadian woods and wilds, yearly disappear form our midst, and soon we shall seek them, but not find them.

We might say with the poet:

" 'Twas pity nature brought J e forth, Merelv to show your worth, And lose ye (juite! But ye have lovely leaves, where we Mav read how s.oon thinns have Their end, though ne'er so brave ; And after they have shewn their pride, Like you awhile they glide * Into the grave.

Uekhrk.

Nat. Ord. ORcniDACK^it.

SHOWY ORCHIS.

Orchis spectahilis.

" Full many a irem ot purest ray serene. The (lark unfathouied caves of ocean l)ear; Full manv a tiouer is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air."

Gray.

^-^^^EEP hidden in the damp rccevsses of the leafy woods, ^^^ many a rare and precious flower of the Orchis family

^-'fm blooms, nourishes, and decays, unseen by human eye, un- '^^^ souo-ht bv human hand, until some curious, flower-loving

botanist phmges amid the rank, tangled vegetation, and brings

beauties to the light.

One of these beautiful Orchids, the Orchis spectabilis 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 i)ink or purplish lilac; the corolla is whnt is terme<l ringent or throated, the upper petals and sepals arching over the hollow lower-lipped petal. The scape is smooth and fleshy, terminating in a loosely-

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82 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 three to five inches long, one larger than the other. The fiowering time of the species is May and June. Our forest glades and boggy swamps hide many a rare and precious fiower 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, Fogonia trfphoria, and Pogonia pendula. The beautiful Grass Pink, Calopogon pulchellus, with many others of the Orchidacca^ tribe, may be regarded as flower gems to be 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, if he chances upon them in their forest haunts.

INDIAiN TURNIP.

Arum tnphylhm {Annn family,)

" Or peers the Arum from its spoted veil.*'

Bryant.

SK^I^^^^ ^'*^ two Species of Arums common to Canada, the larger of which is known as Green-dragon Arum Dracon- tium; the other, which forms the central figure in the plate, is the most common to our soil, and is known hv

the familiar name of Indian Turnip [Arum triphijllum or A.

purpureum).

These moisture-loving plants are chiefly to be found in rich black, swampv mould, beneath the shade of trees and rank herba^-e near creeks and damp places, in or about the forest.

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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

84 INDIAN TURNIP.

anthers, the fertile or fruit-bearing flowers of a one-eelled ovary. The fruit, when ripe, is bright searlet, clustered round the lower part of the round (leshy scape. As the berri(?s 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 Indian Turnip consists of a round, wrinkled, (leshy corni, somewhat larger than that of the garden crocus; from 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 <iuality, but can be ren<lered useful and harmless by the action of heat; the roots roasted in the tiro are no longer poisonous. The Indian herbalists use the Indian Turnip in medicine as a remedy in violent colic, long experience having taught them in what manner to employ this dangerous root.

The Arum belongs to a natural order, most plants of which contain an acrid poison, yet under proi)er care can be made valu- able articles of food. Among these we may mention the roots of Colocosia mucronatiim, violaceum^ and others, which, under the more familiar names of Eddoes and Yams, are in common use in tropical countries.

The juice of Arum triphyUmh our Indian Turnip, has been used, boiled in milk, as a remedy for consumption.

Portland sago is prepared from the larger species, Arum macukitum, Spotted Arum. The corm, or root, yields a fine, white,

INDIAN TURNIP. 85

starchy powder, similar to Arrow-root, and is prepared iiiueli in the same way as potato starcii. The pulp, alter heing ground or pounded, is thrown into clean water and stirred; the water, after settling, is poured oil', and the white sediment is again suhmitted to the same j)rocess until it ])ecomes (piite 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 |)urined ami divested of its poisonous (pialities, the powder so j)roc ured becomes a [)leasant 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 thev should not be em|)loved without care and experience. The writer remend^ers, not many years ago, several children being i)oisoned by the leaves of Arum triphyllum bein"- fathered and eaten as "reens, in one of the earlv-settled back townships of Western Canada. The same deplorable accident happened by ignorant persons gathering the leaves of the Ahni- drakc or May Apple {PodophjUum pfdtatam).

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, ])y the cultivation of his intellect, to elicit the good and useful, separating it from the vile and injurious, thus turning that into a blessing which would otherwise be a curse.

" The Arum ftimily possess many valuable medicinal qualities," says Dr. Charles Lee, in his valuable work on the medicinal plants

86 INDIAN TURNIP,

of Nortli America. ' l)ut would nevertheless become damrcrous poisons in the hands of ii;norant persons."

The nseful Cassava, (Zduipha Mimiporl of the West Indies and tropical America, is another remarkable instance of art over- coming natnre, and obtaining a positive good from that which in its natural state is evil. The Cassava, from the (lour of which the ))read 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. Okd. CoMiH>siT.r.

CONE FLOWER.

Rudheckia fu hjida.

fM'Mr HE Cone Flower is one of the handsomest of our raved How ers. ^^if "^ The gorgeous llaniing orange dress, with the deep purple

Pdisk of ahnost metallie lustre, is one of the ornaments of . ^ all our wild open prairie-like j)lains during the hot months

of July, August and September. We find the Cone Fh)wer on the sunny spots among the wild herl)age of grassy thickets, associated with the wild Sunilowers, Asters and other plants of the widely dillused Composite Order.

During the harvest months, when the more delicate s[>ring flowers are ripening their seed, our heat-loving Rudheckias, Chrysan- themums, Sunflowers, Coreopsises, Ox-eyes, and Asters, are lilting 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 flowers tliat linirer as they fall. Whose last are dearest."

Many of these compound flowers possess medicinal (pialities. Some, as the thistle, dandelion, wild lettuce, and others, are narcotic, being supplied with an abundance of bitter milky juice. The

88 CONE FLOWKR.

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«

Siiiiflowor, Corcojjsis, Cone-Flower, Tagweed, and Tansy, contain resinous properties.

TJje heautifi 1 . ter family, if not remarkable for any peeuliarly useful (jualities, contains many highly ornamental plants. Numerous species of these charming ilowers helong to our Canadian flora; lingering with us

" When fairer Ilowers are all decnyed,"

hrightening tlie waste places and hanks of lakes and lonely streams with starry Howcrs of every hue and shade— white, pearly blue, and deep purple; while the Solidagoes (golden rod,) are cele- luated (or the valuable dyes that are yielded by their deep golden blossoms. 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 an<l scattered. The scales of the chatly 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, are to be met with largely dillused over the Province.

Many splendid species of the Cone Flower are to be found in the wide-spread prairies of the AVestern 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.

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