WILD OR XATIVE FLOWERS. 43 



Lake, Ont. The slender flower stem is about six inches in height, 

 springing from a leafy involucre, which is cut and divided into many 

 long and narrow segments ; flowers generally from one to three, terminal 

 on the little bracted footstalks. The seed vessels not so long as in the 

 Wood Geranium. 



Besides the above named we have some smaller species. The well 

 known Herb Robert {G. Robertianum, (L.) which is said to have 

 been introduced from Britain ; but it is by no means uncommon in 

 Canada, in half cleared woodlands and by waysides, attracting the eye 

 by its bright pink flowers, and elegantly cut leaves, which become 

 "bright red in the fall of the year. This pretty species is renowned for 

 its rank and disagreeable odour, and so it is generally passed by as a 

 weed in spite of its very pretty bright pink blossoms. 



Another small-flowered species, with pale insignificant blossoms is 

 also common as a weed by road sides and in open woods, this is G. 

 pusillum, 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 ; we find it often in 

 very remote places in our forest clearings and road-side wastes. 



Chickweed Wintergreen — Trientalis Americana (Pursh). 



This pretty starry-flowered little plant is remarkable for the occur- 

 rence of the number seven in its several parts, and was for some time 

 cherished by 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 forms an involucre to the pretty delicate starry 

 flowers. This little plant is frequently found at the roots of trees ; it is 

 fond of shade, and in light 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 somewhat later. In old times, when the herbalists gave all 

 kinds of fanciful names to the wild plants, they would have bestowed 

 such a name as " Herbe Innocence " upon our modest little forest 

 flower. 



