WILLIAM KERR HIGLEY, 

 Secretary of the Chicago Academy of Sciences. 



Thou first-born of the year's delight, 



Pride of the dewy glade, 

 In vernal green and virgin white, 



Thy vestal robes arrayed. Keble. 



THE true lover of flowers, though 

 he may be enraptured by those 

 under cultivation, finds a greater 

 satisfaction in the study and 

 observation of those that are developed 

 only under the influence of Nature's 

 laws. In the field, the forest, and even 

 in the sea there are plants not only 

 pleasing to the eye, but that are doubly 

 interesting because of the wonderful 

 provision made for them to assure their 

 survival. Plants, like animals, have 

 their enemies, and sometimes it seems 

 that, with thoughtful care for its own 

 protection, a species will gradually 

 change its habits, thus conveying a 

 sense of danger to its descendants. 



Many of the peculiarities of plants, 

 that fit them for existence, may be 

 readily studied by the novice in botany 

 as he tramps the fields in search of 

 recreation. There is nothing more de 

 lightful and charming to the botanist 

 than to seek the reasons for the beau 

 ties in Nature and to find why plants 

 live and exist as they do. 



Many delicate plants seek the shelter 

 and protection of the borders of the 

 forest. They do not penetrate far 

 within, but remain near the open, 

 where the sunlight can reach them. 

 The blood- root \Sanguinaria Canaden- 

 sis] is of this character. Beautiful and 

 delicate, it seems to shun the storm 

 and wind and to retire from the gaze 

 of man. 



The blood-root belongs to the poppy 

 family {Papaveracece}, which includes 

 about twenty-five genera and over two 

 hundred species. These, though widely 

 distributed, are chiefly found in the 

 temperate regions of the North. To 

 this family also belong the valuable 

 opium-producing plant ( Papaver somni- 



ferum), the Mexican or prickly poppy 

 (Argemone Mexicana], the Dutchman's 

 breeches (Bicuculla Cucullaria], the 

 bleeding-heart {Bicuculla eximia) and 

 the beautiful mountain fringe (Adlumia 

 fungosa]. A large number of the 

 species are cultivated for ornamental 

 purposes. The poppy is also culti 

 vated for the commercial value of the 

 opium it produces. All the species 

 produce a milky or colored juice. Here, 

 indeed, we may say that behind beauty 

 there lurks a deadly foe, for the juice 

 of nearly all the species has active nar 

 cotic properties. This property is a 

 means of protection to the plant under 

 consideration, for its acrid taste is dis 

 tasteful to animals. 



The red juice that exudes from all 

 parts of the plant of the blood-root 

 gives it both its common and its generic 

 names, the latter, Sanguinaria, is de 

 rived from the Latin word sanguis^ or 

 blood. 



This interesting plant is a native of 

 Eastern North America, deriving its 

 specific name from the fact that it is 

 found in Canada. It blossoms in April 

 or May. Usually but a single flower is 

 borne by the naked stalk that rises 

 from the underground stem to the 

 height of about eight inches. The 

 flowers are white, very rarely pinkish, 

 about one and one-half of an inch in 

 diameter. The number of petals varies 

 from eight to twelve, and they fall very 

 soon after expansion. The sepals dis 

 appear before the bud opens. 



A single leaf is produced from each 

 bud of the underground stem. .It is 

 wrapped around the flower bud as the 

 latter rises from the soil and does not 

 develop to full size till after the period 

 of blossoming is over. The necessary 



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