28 WHITE TO GREEN 



has five snow-white petals, each of which is divided at the 

 edge. All the Chickweeds are white, and among those that 

 are specially prolific in mountain regions may be mentioned 

 C. alphmm var. BeJiringiajiiim^ or Alpine Chickweed, a silky- 

 haired species, with whitish leaves. 



SPRING BEAUTY 



Claytonia sessilifolia. Purslane Family 



Stems: weak, from a tuber. Leaves: few, opposite, oblong. Flowers: in 

 a loose raceme on slender pedicels, nodding, white or pale pink ; veins 

 rose ; calyx of two ovate sepals ; petals five ; style three-cleft at apex. 



Close to the snow, in warm wet valleys, when the June 

 sunshine has awakened the alpine world from its winter sleep, 

 you will find the Spring Beauty, and as you stoop to gather 

 it the whole plant (consisting of a tuberous root and one stalk 

 with two leaves upon it and a cluster of blossoms at the top) 

 will inevitably come up in your hand, so easily does it leave 

 the ground. No sooner does this happen than the petals begin 

 to close, the leaves to droop, and the stem to grow limp. Ten 

 minutes afterwards the flower is hopelessly wilted. Whether 

 white or delicate pink, the Spring Beauty is always veined 

 with bright rose colour. There are few more exquisite wild 

 blossoms on this continent than 



" These little dream-flowers found in Spring," 

 of which Longfellow wrote in '' Hiawatha" : 



" Where the fire had smoked and smouldered. 

 Saw the earliest flower of Spring-time, 

 Saw the Beauty of the Spring-time, 

 Saw the Miskodeed in blossom." 



Miskodeed is the Indian name for the Spring Beauty. 



