NATIVE WILD FLOWERS 



There are several different species of this curious order, 

 varying in size and the color of their blossoms. Of fringed 

 and tufted, fragrant kinds, we have the Pearly White and 

 the Fringed Pink Orchids. These are very pretty and not 

 uncommon flowers. I first saw them on my voyage up the 

 St. Lawrence, when the ship was anchored off Bic Island 

 and the Captain brought me a noble posy of sweet flowers, 

 the first Canadian flowers I ever saw. Among Wild Roses 

 and elegant Blue Lungwort (Mertensia maritima), which I 

 had also seen and gathered near Kirk wall, in Orkney, there 

 were yellow Loosestrife, Harebells, and the sweet-scented 

 White-fringed Orchis, the Pink-fringed Orchis and some 

 elegant cream-colored Vetches, with several other flowers 

 then unknown to me. 



There are many other plants of the Orchis family 

 scattered through our woods and swamps and on the rocky 

 or low islands of our northern lakes. Among those not 

 already mentioned, the Larger Fringed Orchis (Habenaria 

 fimbriata) may be named. This is a tall handsome bog- 

 plant, flowering in the beginning of July, with large rose- 

 purple deeply-cut petals. Another less conspicuous species, 

 found in dry woods, is the Northern Green-man Orchis, 

 Habenaria viridis (L.), var. bracteata (Reich). The scape 

 of this species is furnished with long narrow sharply-pointed 

 bracts and greenish flowers. 



In some of our orchidaceous plants when examined there 

 will be seen at the base of the fleshy scape two roundish 

 bulbs or tubers, farinaceous masses, whence the bundle of 

 white fibres, the roots and rootlets proper, proceed, and 

 which contain the prepared food to support the growth of 

 the year. 



From one of these tubers the scape, bearing the scaly or 

 leafy bracts, root-leaves and flowers, springs, and at the 

 flowering season is much larger than the other. 



107 



