NATIVE WILD FLOWEKS 



again are lobed and cut into sharply pointed irregularly 

 sized teeth. The larger hairy root-leaves are often dis- 

 colored with red and purplish blotches, whence the specific 

 name maculatum (spotted) has been given to this species. 



The flower-stem is much branched and is furnished with 

 leafy bracts; the principal flowers are on long stalks, 

 usually three springing from a central branch and again 

 subdividing into smaller branchlets, terminating in buds, 

 mostly in threes, on drooping slender pedicels; as the older 

 and larger blossoms fall off a fresh succession appears on 

 the side branches, furnishing rather smaller but equally 

 beautiful flowers. Gray gives the blooming season of the 

 Cranesbill from April to July, but with us it rarely 

 appears before June and may be seen all through July and 

 August. Besides being very ornamental, our plant possesses 

 virtues which are well-known to the herbalist as powerful 

 astringents, which quality has obtained for it the name of 

 Alum-root among the country people, who use a decoction 

 of the root as a styptic for wounds, and, sweetened, as a 

 gargle for sore throat and ulcerated mouth ; it is also given 

 to young children to correct a lax state of the system. 

 Thus our plant is remarkable for its usefulness as well as 

 for its beauty. A low-growing showy species, with large 

 rose-colored flowers and much dissected leaves, may be 

 found on some of the rocky islets in Stoney Lake, Ontario. 

 The slender flower-stem is about six inches in height, 

 springing from a leafy involucre, which is cut and divided 

 into many long and narrow segments; flowers, generally 

 from one to three, terminal on the little bracted footstalks; 

 the seed vessels not so long as in the Wood Geranium. 



Besides the above-named we have some smaller species, 

 such as the well-known Herb Robert ( G. Robertianum L. ) , 

 which is said to have been introduced from Britain but is 



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