22 FAMILIAR FLOWERS OF FIELD AND GARDEN. 



The plant is about eighteen inches high, and the 

 flower is two inches across. Sometimes the leaves 

 show a bluish bloom on the surface, and the stems 

 are stained with a ruddy brown color two thirds 

 of the way down. I have picked handsome speci- 

 mens beside a woodland road, as late as May 20th, 

 near Campton Village, N. H. ; but the flower may 

 be looked for in April, farther south. 

 Birthroot, or Here, again. Gray is rather inaccu- 



Wake Robin, rate regarding color, for he calls the 



TriUium erectum. t^i^.ti^^.^.^^ ^^^,^^ ^^,|1 p^.^ple. There is 



only a trace of purple in the flower. It is dull mad- 

 der-red in color, sometimes pale, but generally pretty 

 strong. I might explain that brown and purple mad- 

 der are shades of red approaching maroon in tone, 

 with a greater or less influence of purple. But this 

 by no means guarantees the term purple, any more 

 than the expression " a red face " indicates one of 

 an unqualified scarlet hue. This birthroot is one of 

 those pretty aesthetic red flowers whose color reminds 

 one of certain chrysanthemums. Of the three tril- 

 liums mentioned, this seems least attractive; but it is 

 nevertheless a handsome wild flower, which can be 

 proved by arranging it carefully in a vase before one 

 of those black silk Japanese screens which are com- 

 mon in many households. The trilliums are poison- 

 ous to taste. I recollect an instance where a would- 



