THE SPRING ANEMONE 35 



influx of tourists has reached the Alps, this plant is 

 long past flowering in the lower pastures, and we 

 must ascend to 7,000 to 8,000 feet, if we wish to see 

 it in its prime. 



In many respects the Spring Anemone recalls our 

 English Pasque-flower {A. Pulsatilla, Linn.), to which 

 it is closely related. Just above the ground there is 

 a small rosette of leaves, which are much cut and 

 divided. The rather long leaf-stalks end below in a 

 broad sheathing base. One or more solitary flowers, 

 each mounted on its own flower-stalk, springs from 

 among the leaves. At first, when the flowers are 

 young, the stalks are short, and at this stage the 

 flower itself projects but little beyond the rosette of 

 leaves. As, however, the flower-buds mature, the 

 stalk lengthens and carries up the flower. Just 

 below the flower itself, we find several narrow, much- 

 divided structures, which are really three leaves, 

 much dissected, arranged in a circle on the flower- 

 stalk. These form what the botanist calls an 

 involucre, the presence of an involucre being char- 

 acteristic of the Anemones. This structure serves to 

 some extent to protect the young flow^ers. 



The perianth members of the flowers, usually five 

 or six in number, are of a beautiful, violet or pinkish- 

 violet tint externally, though white inside. Within 

 the perianth we find numerous stamens and ovaries, 

 all arranged in a spiral fashion on the receptacle. 



The chief interest of this plant lies in the long, 

 silky, yellowish-brown hairs, which clothe both the 



