BLUE AND PURPLE 



the chances in favor of this ? They are many : In the iirst 

 place the blossom is unusually large and showy, from its size and 

 shape alone almost certain to arrest the attention of the passing 

 bee; next, the color is not only conspicuous, but it is also one 

 which has been found to be especially attractive to bees, blue 

 and purple flowers being particularly sought by these insects. 

 When the bee reaches the flower he alights on the only con- 

 venient landing-place, one of the recurved sepals ; following the 

 deep purple veins which experience has taught him lead to the 

 hidden nectar, he thrusts his head below the anther, brushing 

 off its pollen, which he carries to another flower. 



The rootstocks of the Florentine species of iris yield the 

 familiar ' ' orris-root. ' ' 



The family name is from the Greek for rainbow, on account 

 of the rich and varied hues of its different members. 



The plant abounds in wet meadows, the blossoms appear- 

 ing in June. 



SKULL-CAP. 



[PI. CXXXI 



Scutdlaria. Mint Family. 



Stem. Square; usually one to two feet high. Leaves. Opposite; ob- 

 long; lance-shaped or linear. Flowers. Blue. Calyx. Two-lipped; the 

 upper lip with a small, helmet-like appendage, which at once identifies this 

 genus. Corolla. Two-lipped ; the upper lip arched, the lateral lobes mostly 

 connected with the upper lip, the lower lip spreading and notched at the 

 apex. Stamens. Four, in pairs. Pistil. One, with a two-lobed style. 



The prettiest and most striking of this genus is the larger 

 skull-cap, S. integrifolia, whose bright blue flowers are about one 

 inch long, growing in terminal racemes. In June and July 

 they may be found among the long grass of the roadsides and 

 meadows. They are .easily identified by the curious little ap- 

 pendage on the upper part of the calyx, which gives to this 

 genus its common name. 



Perhaps the best-known member of the group is the mad-dog 

 skull-cap, S. lateriflora, which delights in wet places, bearing 

 small, inconspicuous flowers in one-sided racemes. This plant 



284 



