40 THE SPIDERWORT FAMILY. 



ceolate or linear-lanceolate; entire; parallel-veined; rough; the petiole forming 

 about the stem a united, inflated sheath which is pubescent and fringed at the 

 opening. Stem : ascending; branching; leafy. Juice: mucilaginous. 



To distinguish the variotis species of day-flowers is not always a simple 

 matter, for between some of them the only well-marked difference is to be 

 found in the capsules. Patience, therefore, and a good lens are necessary. 



The genus, as has been often told, was named by Linnaeus in commemor- 

 ation of Kaspar Commelm and his two brothers who were Dutch botanists. 

 The third brother, being less scientific and earnest than the other two, is 

 said to be represented by the dwarfed and obscure petal of the flower, while 

 the large, showy petals equally typify the renown of the two better students. 



C.erecta, slender day-flower, is a species which very closely resembles the 

 preceding one. Usually, however, it is much more slender in its manner of 

 growth and its stems are commonly tufted. But should these two character- 

 istics not be constant a sure way of identifying this form is by its capsules, 

 all the three cells of which open to release their seeds. 



C. hirtella, bearded day-flower, on the contrary, is a readily known 

 species, it being large, from two to four feet high, and having lanceolate 

 leaves sometimes as much as eight inches long. The sheathr, at the bases 

 of the petioles are bearded with noticeably long brownish hairs, a fact re- 

 ferred to in the plant's common name. When rubbed downward, also, the 

 upper surfaces of the leaves are found to be very rough. The plant most 

 often grows in shaded, moist soil. 



MOUNTAIN SPIDERWORT. 



Tradescdntia inontdiia. 



FAMILY COLOUR ^ ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Spiderivort. Blue. ' Scentless. Georgia to Virs^inia. June-August. 



FIo7uers : showy ; regular ; growing in terminal umbels and subtended by long, 

 leaf-like bracts ; their j)cdicels refiexed until in flower. Sepals: tliree ; distinct; 

 oval or lanceolate. Petals: three; sessile; ovate or orbicular. Stamens: six, 

 with bearded filaments; fertile. Leaves : lanceolate ; long ix)inted at the apex and 

 forming at the base a closed sheath about the stem which at its oi^ening is hairy ; 

 parallel-veined ; entire, smooth. Stem: one to two feet high; slender; seldom 

 branched. Juice: mucilaginous. 



Through well shaded spots in moist woods, the dense clumps of this 

 plant's grass-like foliage are very sturdy and vigourous looking. Its 

 flowers too have a cheerful air and are usually the only flecks of blue in 

 sight, the colour being not nearly so well represented among our wild flowers 

 as are several others. 



The genus was named for John Tradescant, a gardener of Charles I., 

 who was no less known as a botanist and great traveller. 



T. rbsea^ roseate spiderwort, a delicate species with purplish pink flowers 



