BLUE AND PURPLE WILD FLOWERS 



a blanket of fallen leaves and similar litter, until they 

 are covered by the snow and made triply snug and 

 secure for the winter. Again in the spring these 

 leaves are first to catch the warm rays of the sun, and 

 the ground about them is first to become freed from 

 the frost crystals and to arouse their roots to activity. 

 It is interesting at this point to compare the appear- 

 ance of the flowering buds of the Hepaticas with those 

 of the Bloodroot. The flowers of the former rise direct 

 from their fibrous roots, and the bud and stem are 

 thickly covered with very fine fuzzy hairs, which have 

 been likened unto a fur overcoat, intended to protect 

 them from the cold, while the stem and bud of the latter, 

 flowering somewhat later, are perfectly smooth and 

 appear carefully folded in a leafy cape, which is forced 

 up from a thick, juicy rootstock, purposely to pro- 

 tect it from the chilly spring air. 



The blossom of the Hepatica has no petals. Its 

 six to twelve delicate, coloured, oblong sepals may 

 easily be mistaken for them as they are closely supported 

 by three small, oval, hairy, reddish-green leaflets which, 

 at the same time, might be mistaken for the calyx. 

 Solitary flowers are borne on slender, hairy stems, 

 some three to five inches in height. They are less than 

 an inch broad, and exhale a delicate fragrance, although 

 the odour is by no means constant. The blossom 

 closes at night. The numerous greenish pistils and 

 yellowish, hair -like anther - bearing stamens, are 

 prettily clustered in the centre. The general colour 

 of the blossoms varies from blue, lavender and pink, to 



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