GRASS OF PARNASSUS 



It is an experience when one is out for Golden- 

 rod or Asters to come upon a delicate white 

 flower blooming under the drip of a rocky ledge, 

 apparently at home. It looks like a flower of 

 spring, 3^et we know it is not. Its romantic 

 name appeals to us and seems classic, scholarly, 

 and altogether appropriate, but to the Greek 

 botanist who named the plant, it was simply a 

 statement of fact; it grew on the flanks of Mt. 

 Parnassus. 



When all is said one still feels that properly 

 it consorts with the mist and softness of spring- 

 time, not with the hardness and brilliancy of 

 autumn. Its delicate white petals are definitely 

 veined with green, its five perfect stamens are 

 surrounded at base with a cluster of filaments 

 without any anthers, the flower stem rises from 

 a rosette of succulent green; clearly its title is 

 one to be read in the spring. 



"The beauty of the bloom of Parnassia is quite 

 indescribable. She is white, but she is neither 

 snowy nor silvery nor creamy. She has a soft 

 grayishness that is fairer than utter purity. 



105 



