WHERE TO FIND THEM. 407 



One of our finest native plants is the Erythroniimi 

 Americanum, commonly called Dog's-tooth Violet, though 

 why called Violet has been a puzzle to botanists. The 

 plant belongs to the Lily tribe, and is the smallest of the 

 family. Root a solid scaly bulb, deep in the ground, white 

 inside, brown outside. Plant smooth. Leaves elliptical, 

 lanceolate, pale green, dotted or clouded with irregular 

 spots. Flower drooping, solitary, composed of six pale 

 yellow petals, dotted near the base, expanding in sunny 

 weather. The rapidity with which this plant exhales 

 moisture is very remarkable. It is almost impossible to 

 carry it any distance in the hand, as it dries and fades very 

 rapidly. This lovely flower may be cultivated in a deep, 

 moist, loamy soil ; in any other it dwindles year by year. 

 It is a native of moist woods and thickets, and is not 

 uncommon. 



According to Gray, E. bracteatum, of Boott and Bigelow, 

 is only an accidental state of this species. The flower is 

 larger, and the scape has a narrow lanceolate bract about 

 an inch long, situated about an inch below the flower. It 

 also differs slightly otherwise. 



E. albidum, the white Dog's-tooth Violet, is not found in 

 New England. The leaves are spotted, not dotted ; flower 



