Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 149 

 SAXIFRAGE FAMILY (Saxifragaceae). 



Herbs or shrubs having perfect flowers, usually 

 with five petals, and either opposite or alternate 

 leaves. The seeds have copious albumen, which sep 

 arates this family from the various species of the 

 Rose Family. 



GRASS OF PARNASSUS (Parnassia caroliniana) 



is a pretty little swamp or meadow plant growing 

 from 8 to 24 inches high. The flowers are a delicate 

 creamy white, finely veined with greenish, and borne 

 singly on long scapes; a single, heart-shaped leaf 

 clasps each flower scape a short distance above its 

 base. The basal leaves are long-stemmed, rather 

 thick and coarse in texture, smooth-edged and 

 bluntly pointed. 



The flowers present rather an unusual appearance, 

 both because of the veining and because the five fer- 

 tile stamens alternate with the petals, leaving the 

 yellowish anthers located just at the angle, formed 

 where the petals overlap. We find this species in 

 bloom from the latter part of June until the end of 

 September, most abundantly in the latter month. It 

 ranges from Newfoundland to Manitoba, south to Va. 

 and Mo. 



EARLY SAXIFRAGE (Saxifraga virginiensis) is a 

 tiny-flowered plant that loves dry, sunny, rocky hill- 

 sides; in these places we may look for its flowers 

 during March and April. The leaves are all basal; 

 spatulate in shape, blunt ended, either rough-edged 

 or toothed, rather coarse in texture, narrowing to- 

 wards their base into clasping stems. The flower 

 scapes are quite stout, hairy and rather sticky; the 

 white flowers, in loose umbels at the top, are small 

 and five parted. Saxifrage is common from N. B. to 

 Minn, south to Ga. and Tenn. 



