BLUE AND PURPLE 



is a conspicuous example of a flower which has guarded itself 

 against self-fertilization, and which is beautifully calculated to 

 secure the opposite result. The position of the stamens is such 

 that their pollen could not easily reach the stigmas of the same 

 flower, for these are borne on the inner surface of the petal-like, 

 overarching styles. There is no prospect here of any seed being 

 set unless the pollen of another flower is secured. Now what are 

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

 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 l ' 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 appearing 

 in June. 



AMERICAN BROOKLIME. 



Veronica Americana. Figwort Family. 



Stem. Smooth, reclining at base, then erect, eight to fifteen inches high. 

 Leaves. Mostly opposite, oblong, toothed. Flowers. Blue, clustered in 

 the axils of the leaves. Calyx. Four-parted. Corolla. Wheel- shaped, 

 four-parted. Stamens. Two. Pistil. One. 



Perhaps the prettiest of the blue Veronicas is the American 

 brooklime. Its clustered flowers make bright patches in moist 

 ground which might, at a little distance, be mistaken for beds 

 of forget-me-nots. It blossoms from June till August, and is 

 almost as common in wet ditches and meadows as its sister, the 

 common speedwell, is in dry and open places. Some of the 



246 



