BLUE AND PURPLE WILD FLOWERS 



sparingly in rocky places in the more hilly country, 

 from Hudson Bay to Manitoba, and southward to 

 Virginia and Minnesota, during May and June. The 

 large, prominent, solitary flowers are light purple or 

 purplish blue in colour, and measure from two to four 

 inches broad when expanded. The four long, taper- 

 ing-oval, strongly veined, petal-like sepals are thin, 

 translucent and pointed. Both sides are very downy 

 or silky along the margins and veins. They are 

 borne singly on long stems from the end of the vine, 

 and from the axils or joints of the leaf stems. The 

 true petals are very small, and spatulate or spoon- 

 shaped. The many stamens are clustered in the 

 centre, and are greenish white in colour. The ones 

 forming the outer row are broadened. The flower is 

 very showy, and is generally cup-shaped, with the ends 

 of the sepals curved inward, but it often opens flat. 

 The pistils are long, and ripen with long brownish^ 

 gray plumes. The leaf is similar to the Virginia Vir- 

 gin's Bower, but rather smaller, and has three leaflets 

 with either irregularly cut margins, or toothless, and 

 slightly heart-shaped at the base. The texture is 

 thin, and shows the network of veins plainly. The 

 surface is slightly downy, and the stem is tinged with 

 purple. The stiff, dried leaf stems of the previous 

 season are often found still attached to the stalk among 

 the new foliage. The stalk is smooth, woody, and 

 brittle. It is a trailing plant, or semi-climbing in 

 habit. If you are fortunate enough to find this mag- 

 nificent flower it is well not to molest it nor to dis- 



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