276 BLUE AND PURPLE 



1. BLUETS; INNOCENCE: Quaker Ladies: 

 Quaker Bonnets: Venus Pride: Houstonia. 



Houstbnia caerulea. 



Madder Family. Apr. July. 



A delicate little plant found in patches, al- 

 most carpeting moist, grassy places. Nova 

 Scotia to Ontario and Wisconsin, southward 

 to Georgia and Alabama. 



FLOWERS Pale violet, lilac or white, center yel- 

 low, about l/2 % inch across, 4-lobed, on 

 slender stems 36 inches high. 

 LEAVES Opposite, seated on stem, lower ones 



broader near the tip. 



H. purpurea is a southern species. Flowers 

 deep or pale lilac, in small clusters. Leaves 

 broad or lance-shaped, 3-5 ribbed. Plant 

 stems smooth or hairy. Maryland to Iowa 

 and southwest. 



2. GILL-OVER-THE-GROUND: Ground Ivy 

 or Joy: Creeping Charlie: Field Balm. 



Nepeta hederacea. 



Mint Family. Apr. July. 



A plant with creeping stem, 6-18 inches long, 

 found in damp, shady places. Eastern half 

 of United States and Canada, south to Kan- 

 sas and Georgia. Naturalized from Europe. 

 FLOWERS Small, pale purple, spotted darker 

 near the throat; 2 -lipped, upper lip 

 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed; growing 

 from leaf angles. 

 LEAVES Rounded, heart-shaped, scallop toothed. 



