12 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



ordinarily into five or seven radiating segments, and these 

 in turn are divided into smaller masses. The flowers are 

 of a rather light tint of bluish-purple, veined slightly with a 

 purple inclining to red ; at times a variety having pure white 

 flowers may be found. This variation of the flowers would 

 appear to arise from no weakness of growth on the part of 

 the plant, as the white-flowering variety when discovered 

 will ordinarily be found to be quite as robust as the normal 

 form, and would, in fact, were it out of blossom, be in- 

 distinguishable. We have seen them planted together in 

 clumps in country gardens, and the association is a very 

 effective one, the pure white and delicate lilac-purple 

 blossoms blending admirably together. After the flower 

 has died away the stem that supported it falls, and gives a 

 very quaint angularity of effect to the head of blossoms, a 

 feature that is prominently shown in our illustration. The 

 flowers grow in pairs, though they do not always expand 

 simultaneously. 



