WHERE TO FIND THEM. 391 



The Houstonia is a pleasing, simple little spring flower, 

 in some localities so abundant as to whiten the ground. 

 With us it is a favorite flower ; the delicacy of the bud and 

 flower is very marked, and the soft pearl-colored petals form 

 a pleasing contrast with the pale yellow eye. 



The common species is H. coerulea, or, according to Gray, 

 Oldenlandia coerulea. It flowers in May and later, and. is 

 too well known to need description (often called Eye-bright). 



While the hills are spangled with violets and potentilla, 

 and the woods are gay with anemones, the low grounds 

 are ornamented with the yellow blossoms of the Water-cress 

 or Cowslip (Caltha palustris). The flower bears some re- 

 semblance to the common butter-cup, but is larger, and has 

 the petals more spreading. It is a low-growing plant, of 

 frequent occurrence on the banks of low streams or ditches, 

 or growing in conspicuous clumps in very marshy ground. 

 W r e have never cultivated ft, because it is so plenty near us 

 in its wild state ; we have, however, no doubt that it could 

 be localized to drier spots, without diminishing the size or 

 detracting from the color of the flower. To those who 

 cannot obtain it in a wild state, it would well be worthy of 

 cultivation, and be a great addition to the flower border in 

 early spring. It rrpens seed freely, and in a few years, from 

 a single plant, will spread over a \vliole meadow. 



