WATERLEAF FAMILY. Hydrophyllaceac. 



WATERLEAF FAMILY. Hydrophylloceoe. 



Herbs or shrubs, mostly natives of western North 

 America; often hairy; with no stipules; the leaves mainly 

 alternate or from the root; the flowers chiefly blue or white, 

 often in coiled clusters; the calyx with five united sepals: 

 the corolla with five united petals; the stamens five, on the 

 base of the corolla and alternate with its lobes, with thread- 

 like filaments and usually with swinging anthers; the 

 ovary superior, the styles two or two-cleft; the fruit a 

 capsule, containing few or many seeds. The leaves were 

 formerly supposed to have water-cavities in them, hence 

 the misleading name. Some of this -family resemble some 

 of the Borages, but the stamens are long, the styles are 

 two, at least above, and the ovary has not the four con- 

 spicuous lobes of the latter family. 



There are many kinds of Phacelia, hairy plants, with no 

 appendages between the sepals; resembling Hydrophyllum, 

 except that the petals overlap in the bud, instead of being 

 rolled up, and the seeds arc different. The name is from 

 the Greek, meaning "cluster." 



This has pretty and rather unusual 

 Phaceha . t f , 



Phacelia Idngipes looking foliage, for the leaves are a pecu- 

 Purple liar shade of bluish-green, with purplish 



Spring margins. They are somewhat sticky, 



soft and velvety, and although hairy are 

 not disagreeable to touch. The hairy, purplish stems grow 

 from a few inches to a foot tall and the pretty flowers are 

 lilac or purple, with yellow anthers, and measure three- 

 quarters of an inch across. This grows on sunny, sandy 

 mountain slopes. 



A low plant, partly creeping, with weak, 



PktcUia tletho- brittle, sticky stems and soft, slightly 



tnaefdlia thickish, very dull yellowish-green leaves, 



Lilac, white sticky and often dingy with dust. The 



ummer flowers are usually violet, but sometimes 



pure white, about three-eighths of an inch 

 across, with yellow stamens, and are rather pretty. I 

 found this little plant growing under a huge red rock in the 

 Grand Canyon, on apparently perfectly dry, bare soil. 

 It has an aromatic and slightly unpleasant smell and is 

 rare. 



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