PEA FAMILY. 131 



It is among the earliest of our spring flowers and is 

 found in rich woods of the eastern half of the continent. 

 The heavily-veined and lobed leaf is at first folded about 

 the flower bud, showing only its greyish-green, under sur- 

 face. The two .sepals fall off as the flower opens, and the 

 eight white petals soon follow. The shining brown seeds 

 are contained in slender green pods. The thick, red peren- 

 nial rootstock is rich in alkaloids. 



THE GREATER CELANDINE, CheUdonium majus L., has 

 effects that are similar to those of Bloodroot. It also is 

 rarely or never eaten by stock. 



It is a brittle plant, one to two feet tall, with deeply 

 lobed leaves and small yellow flowers. The two sepals 

 fall off when the flower opens, leaving four yellow petals. 

 The juice is deep yellow, turning red on exposure to air. 



PEA FAMILY Leguminosae. 



THE PRAIRIE THERMOPSIS, Thermopsis rhombifolia 

 Richards, is often eaten by sheep and has in some cases 

 been thought to have poisoned them. The seeds are sup- 

 posed to be the poisonous part, and several reports have 

 come from western Canada of children being poisoned 

 by eating them. They rarely cause death. 



The plant is an erect perennial resembling the Lupines 

 to some extent. It is covered with silky hairs and grows 

 from Manitoba and Kansas to the mountains. The leaves 

 have broad stipules and three obovate leaflets. The short 

 racemes bear a few yellow flowers and recurved pods. 



