MITELLA 



March 30, 1856. Waldcn Pond. 



In this warm recess at the head of a meadow, though the rest 

 is covered with snow a foot or more in depth, I was surprised to 

 see the Skunk-Cabbage, with its great spear-heads, open and 

 ready to blossom, and the Caltha pahisiris bud, which shows 

 yellowish, and the Golden Saxifrage green and abundant, all 

 surrounded and hemmed in by snow, which has covered the 

 ground since Christmas. — Tiioreau. 



A low, insignificant plant with a forking stem, round- 

 ish, fine-scalloped leaves, and small yellowish or purplish 

 green flowers with orange anthers. 



^ MITELLA. BISHOP'S-CAP 



Mitella diph^lla 



» 



Mitella, diminutive of mitra, a cap, alluding to the form 

 of the young pod. 



Perennial. A low, slender plant, with round, heart- 

 shaped leaves, found in rich woods. New England to 

 North Carolina, west to Minnesota and Missouri. Abun- 

 dant in Ohio. April, May. 



Rootstock. — Horizontal, with runners. 



Stem. — Six to twelve inches high, bearing two opposite 

 leaves. 



Leaves. — Basal leaves heart-shaped, acute or acuminate, 

 three to five-lobed, dentate, rough, usually with scattered 

 hairs on both sides; stem-leaves very similar but smaller. 



Flowers. — Small, white, in a slender raceme four to 

 eight inches long. 



Calyx. — Bell-Iike, growing to the base of ovary, five- 

 lobed. 



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