262 YELLOW TO ORANGE 



MARSH-MARIGOLD 



Caltha palustris. Crowfoot Family 



Stems: erect, one-to-two flowered, the lower flower subtended by a 

 petaloid lanceolate bract. Leaves: roundish to oblong-cordate, longer 

 than wide, irregularly crenate-toothed. Flowers: yellow; sepals petal- 

 oid, lanceolate, acute ; petals none ; stamens and pistils numerous. 



This is a splendid-looking marsh plant, with large round- 

 ish glossy leaves of a deep bright green, and fine yellow 

 blossoms that are tinged with purple on the outside. It resem- 

 bles a large Buttercup. The name Marigold is a corruption 

 of ** Mary's gold," for this flower was dedicated to the Holy 

 Virgin in the Middle Ages, a fact to which Shakespeare refers 

 in Cymbeline^ when he causes the musicians to sing : ' 



" Hark, hark ! the lark at heaven's gate sings. 



And Phoebus 'gins arise. 

 His steeds to water at those springs 



On chalic'd flowers that lies ; 

 And winking Mary-buds begin 



To ope their golden eyes." 



The Marsh-marigold has no petals, but its five or more petal- 

 oid sepals do duty instead. The leaves of this extremely 

 succulent plant are mostly heart-shaped at the base, and just 

 below the flower is borne a petal-like long-shaped bract. 



Ofttimes amid the mountains you will see flat moist meadows 

 literally ablaze with these showy shining blossoms, which turn 

 the huge marshes into a veritable Field of the Cloth of Gold. 



YELLOW COLUMBINE 



Aqui7egia Jlavescetis. Crowfoot Family 



Stems: smooth. Leaves: ternate ; leaflets round-cordate, three-parted, 

 the segments coarsely toothed. Flowers: yellow, pendulous ; petals five, 

 with short spreading lips, and produced backwards into long tubular 

 spurs; sepals reflexed, longer than the spurs. 



