■ 





^-C^i^^' Jl?^ (a^r^der) ar)d LaloQ. 



f 

 ^ 



^ 



CANADIAN WILD-FLOWERS.— II. 



In considering our wild flowers, we shall group them according to their 

 families, describing each under the head of the family to which it belongs, 

 commencing with the 



BUTTERCUP FA.MILV. 



This is known to botanists as the Ranunculus family, and is also called the 

 Cnnvfoot family. It embraces cjuite a variety of plants, some of which climb by 

 their leaf stalks, some are found in marshy places, others grow in dry, sandy 

 soil, some prefer the shade, and others the open sunshine. We will first describe 

 some of the plants that have given the name to the family, and afterwards some 

 of the other members which will be interesting and pretty for the flower border. 



You will find in many meadows a bright yellow flower during the months 

 of June, July and August, that is an immigrant from Europe w^hich has taken too 

 kindly to our soil and climate. It grows from two to three feet high, the leaves 

 are thrice divided, and each division is again parted, not so deeply, but usually 

 into three lobes, which are again irregularly notched and cut, and the leaf stalk 

 (which is called the petiole) is furrowed on the upper side and covered with fine, 

 short hairs ; leaves are also so covered, and likewise the flower-stalk, which 

 botanists call the peduncle. The flowers are borne singly upon a tall, branching 

 stalk, which is leafless except at the base of the branches, the stalk leaves 

 becoming smaller as the stalk grows in length until they are mere bracts, which 

 is the name given to the leafy appendages from the axil of which the flower stalk 

 arises. Axil is the angle on the upper side, formed by a branch with the stem 

 from which it springs, or by a leaf-stalk, or, when the leaf has no stalk, by the 

 leaf itself, or by the flower-stalk. When a leaf or flower has no stalk it is said to 

 be sessile. Now let us examine the flower. We notice first of all that it is 

 complete-, by which we mean that it has a caly\\ ix corolla, stamens, and pistils. 

 These four organs are all that any flower has, and when any one of them is 

 wanting we say that such a flower is incomplete. The calyx is the outer covering 

 of the flower, and is usually green, though not always. The corolla is the inner 

 leaf or leaves of the flower, it is very seldom green, but is usually either white or 

 colored of some other color than green. The calyx of this flower consists of 

 five distinct and separate pieces, which are called sepals : the corolla of five 



