262 



Minnesota Plant Life. 



plant-body. The leaves are in whorls, a character by which 

 this plant can be distinguished from other mat-plants of waste 

 fields. The flowers are small, borne in the axils of the leaves, 

 .and without petals. The carpetweed grows in the same re- 

 gions that many mat- 

 grasses, mat-knotweeds, 

 purslanes and mat-spur- 

 ges select. 



Purslanes and spring- 

 beauties. Of the purs- 

 lanes three genera are na- 

 tive to the state : the com- 

 mon purslane or "pus- 

 ley," a prevalent weed in \ 

 dooryards and gardens, 

 the rock purslane, ap- 

 pearing upon ledges of 

 granitic rock in the Min- 

 nesota valley, at Taylor's 

 Falls and at Duluth, and 

 the spring-beauties or Claytonias, of 

 which there are three varieties. In 

 the state there are two species of 

 purslane : the common garden form 

 with leaves round at the end, and 

 the notched purslane with leaves 

 notched at the end. The latter 

 plant is doubtless a native of Min- 

 nesota, while the former is a recent 

 immigrant. Purslane is one of the 

 most common of the mat-plants and 

 is remarkable for the numerous 

 flowers which it produces in a sea- 

 son and for the little pods which 

 open by a lid, revealing a large 

 number of small seeds within. The rock purslane is a dimin- 

 utive herb found growing in the crevices of granitic or eruptive 

 rocks, especially in the Minnesota valley between New Ulm and 

 Big Stone lake. The stem bears at the base a few alternate, 



FIG. 123. Spring-beauty in flower. 

 After Atkinson. 



