SANDY SOIL 413 



violets. The finely cut foliage, a variation from the prevailing 

 violet tj'pe of entire and heart-shaped leaf, adds much to its 

 beauty. Flowering scapes, 5 to 10 inches high. 



I recall always with satisfaction a sterile knoll in Connecticut, 

 which, when a child, it was one of the pleasures of each recurring 

 spring to visit. There I could gather the bird-foot violet by the 

 handful, yet make no impression upon the spacious bed of bloom ; 

 and since I have seen adult classes in botany rush in a body to 

 inspect and secure a few sparsely scattered specimens of this 

 flower, I think my childish enthusiasm was justifiable. 



Cleistogamous, self-fertilizing blossoms, without colored petals, 

 may be found near the roots in midsummer. From New England 

 southward and westward. 



5. Arrow-leaved Violet 

 V. sagittata, deep blue or purplish, with entire, arrow- 

 shaped, petioled leaves, sometimes toothed and variously cut 

 near the base, is one of our common species. The spur is 

 short and thick ; petals rather large, and finely bearded. 

 Plant hairy or smooth. Scapes 4 to g inches high. 

 Same range as the last. 



6. Pearlwort 



Saglna apetala. — Family, Pink. Color, white. Leaves, long, 

 thread-like, thin, hairy near the base, clustered. Time, sum- 

 mer. 



Petals, 4, small, or sometimes wanting. Sepals, stamens, and 

 styles, 4. 



Erect, small, low plants. Not common. 



7 



Another species, found in sandy soil, is 6". decthnbens. The 

 leaves in this species are short and bristly. All the parts of 

 the flower are in fives, the stamens perhaps 10; calyx equal 

 to or longer than the corolla. 



Massachusetts to Illinois, and southward. 



