WILD FLOWERS BLUE AND PURPLE 



flowers the instant we attempt to pick them. They 

 have frequently been mistaken for those of the Forget- 

 me-not by careless observers." It is common in wet 

 ditches and swamps and along meadow brooks from 

 April to September. The rather stout, smooth, hollow 

 stalk is usually branched, and grows from six inches to 

 three feet in length from perennial creeping roots or 

 leafy shoots. The weak, sprawling stalk often takes 

 root at the lower joints. The long, lance-shaped, light 

 green leaves are sharply toothed, and taper toward 

 the point. They are rounded at the base, and are set 

 on the stalk in alternating opposite pairs, with short, 

 broad, flat stems that clasp the stalk. Their surface 

 is smooth, and the midrib is strongly grooved. The 

 flowers are similar in structure to those of the 

 Common Speedwell, but are light blue with purple 

 stripes, and have a white spot in the centre. 

 The two stamens and pistil are light purple. The 

 flowers are set on slender stems which are guarded 

 with bract -like leaflets, and are arranged in long, 

 loose terminal spikes that spring from the angles 

 of the leaves. They are found from Alaska to 

 New Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 



COMMON SPEEDWELL. UPLAND SPEEDWELL. 

 FLUELLIN. PAUL'S BETONY 



Veronica officinalis. Figwort Family. 



Dear little Speedwell! How much good-fellowship 

 its name implies! Before the steam engine became a 

 convenient means of transportation, many a weary and 



365 



