100 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



thrifty, green leaves, a cursory glance will asign it to the 

 Violet Family. The leaves then are ovate in form, slightly 

 dentate, and somewhat rounded at the base. Later, a stem 

 grows up out of this rosette of leaves, and its leaves are of the 

 pronounced Circaca type, keeping the same general form, but 

 becoming acuminate and having the veining quite distinct. 

 These leaves are slender-petioled and opposite. From the 

 axils of the upper leaves a few branches grow, and these, to- 

 gether with the main stem, terminate in racemes of small 

 white or pinkish flowers. 



The peculiar characteristic of this plant is the number two 

 which appears in every part of its flower as well as in the 

 arrangement of its leaves. There are two sepals, two petals, 

 two stamens, and two pistils which are united into a two- 

 celled ovary containing two ovules. To preserv^e this sym- 

 metry the petals are obcordate, sometimes appearing to be bifid. 

 While the flowers are too inconspicuous to be called pretty, 

 yet there is a certain daintiness about the wand-like recemes 

 which is attractive. 



The fruit is obovoid in shape, much resembling a club in 

 miniature, and is densely covered with stiff hooked hairs or 

 bristles. When mature each fruit is deflexed at an angle of 

 about forty-five degrees. These burs often adhere to clothing 

 or to animals and so are carried far from their place of 

 growth. Circaea may be reproduced from these seeds but a 

 surer method is by means of underground runners. 



By tlie first of August it will be found that each plant 

 has sent out perhaps as many as a dozen slender creeping root- 

 stocks, white in color, and often more than a foot long. These 

 form a network just beneath the surface of the ground, or a 

 part of their length may be upon the surface, but the buds at 

 the ends will alwavs be found under the ground. After frost 

 has destroyed the parent plant these white rootstocks become 

 separated from it and lie dormant until spring when the leaves 



