6io Home Nature-Study Course. 



LESSON LXII. 



THE STUDY OF A TRILLIUM PLANT. 



Purpose. — To cultivate in the pupils the habit of giving careful ob- 

 servation to the appearance of a plant. 

 Observations. — 



(i). What are the colors, shape and arrangement of the petals and 

 sepals ? 



(2). Are they ruffled on their margins? 

 (3). Describe the pistil and stigmas. 



(4). Describe the anthers and where they are placed in relation to 

 the pistil ? 



(5). Does the flower stand upright or droop? 

 (6). How many leaves are there? How arranged? 

 (7). Draw a leaf showing its venation. 



(8.) How far above the leaves does the flower stem extend? 

 (9). Describe the stem of the plant below the leaves giving length 

 and color. 



(10). What kind of a root has the trillium? 

 (11). What is the appearance of the rootlets? 



f 12). Does the trillium grow from seed each year or is it a peren- 

 nial? 



(13). Make a drawing of a trillium plant showing stem, leaves and 

 flower. 



Facts for teacher. — The color of the trilHum flower depends upon the species 

 studied. Ihere are three petals, and the white and painted trilliunis have the 

 edges of the petals ruifled. The red and the nodding trilliunis have petals and 

 sepals nearly the same size but in the white trillium the sepals are narrow and 

 shorter than the petals. The sepals arc opposite the spaces between the petals so 

 that when we look straight into the flower we see it as a six pointed star, three of 

 the points being green sepals. The pistil of the trillium is six-lobed. It is dark 

 red in the purple trillium and very large. In the white trillium it is pale green and 

 smaller. It opens at the top with three flaring stigmas. There are six stamens 

 with long anthers and they stand between the lobes of the pistil. There is a ten- 

 dency for the flower to bend a little on its delicate stalk. There are three leaves 

 which have a very interesting venation and make a good subject for careful draw- 

 ing. The flower stem varies with diflferent species and so does the length of the 

 stem of the plant, the latter being fleshy and green toward the top and reddish 

 toward the root. The trilliunis have a very thick, fleshy and much scarred root- 

 stock from which extend rootlets which are likely to be corrugated. The trillium 

 is a perennial. Trilliunis are so called from the word "Triplum" meaning three, as 

 there are three leaves, three sepals and three petals. 



LESSON LXITI. 



THE ITAIUTS OF THE TRILLIUM. 



Purpose. — Tn call to the attention of the impils the dift'crent kinds of 

 trilliums and their habits. 



