Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 311 

 343. SHARP-LOBED LIVERWORT 



HEPATICA ACUTILOBA DC. 



This does not appear to be so common about the lake as the other 

 species. Throughout the state in general it is common, though be- 

 coming scarcer from year to year, and is one of the best known 

 and beloved of early spring flowers. Excepting the snow trillium, 

 which is rare and local in the state, it is the first of our conspicuous 

 spring flowers, preceded only by a few such forms as skunk cab- 

 bage, silver maple and pepper-and-salt. The leaves themselves are 

 highly ornamental, being beautifully blotched with tracings of 

 brown. The flowers, delicate in appearance but firm in stem 

 and texture, and lasting well as cut flowers, have a faint sweet 

 odor, hardly perceptible with single flowers but in clusters well 

 marked, but delightfully faint and elusive. The flowers range 

 greatly in color, from pure white to a deep pink and a deep blue, the 

 deeper colors found in the more shaded situations. Occasional 

 noteworthy forms occur. Near Fort Wayne, Indiana, was found 

 one plant which had the petalloid sepals white with a decidedly 

 greenish cast so that it could be called a green flower without, how- 

 ever, being a structural reversion as many green flowers are; 

 another was found bearing delicate pink blossoms fully double to 

 the center, and of course bearing no seed. This plant was removed 

 to a dooryard where though neglected utterly, it continued to bear 

 its double blossoms year after year. In flower east of the lake 

 April 19. 



344. RUE-ANEMONE 



SYNDESMON THALICTKOIDES (L.) Hoffmg. 



A well-known spring flower, somewhat resembling the wind 

 flower, Anemone quinquefolia, with which it is sometimes con- 

 fused. It is not, however, so pretty a flower. Abundant in shady 

 pastures throughout the state. It was found in flower east of 

 the lake, April 11, 1901, on Overmyer's hill April 15, and was 

 abundantly in blossom April 18 in Vajen's gulch. It was still in 

 blossom April 30. Although generally regarded as one of our 

 early spring flowers it sometimes persists in flowering until June or 

 July. Flowering specimens were found as late as this in the vicin- 

 ity of Winona Lake in the summer of 1900. 



345. YELLOW WATER-CROWFOOT 



RANUNCULUS DELPHINIFOLIUS Torr. 



Common in temporary woodland ponds in Farrar's woods, and 

 common in such situations throughout the state. Like the water- 



