210 PEARLS AND PEBBLES. 



The leaves of this latter plant are round in form, of a 

 red color, the edges beset with pellucid, shining drops, 

 reflecting the rays of light like diamonds. There are 

 two species, the Drosera rotundifolia and the Drosera 

 longifolia. The flowers are small and white, sometimes 

 tinged with pink and borne on tall stems. The former 

 is the prettier of the two. In such places, also, we find 

 some of our rarest orchids — the Grass Pink (Colopogen 

 pulchellus), the stemless Lady's Slipper (Cyprepedium 

 acaule), the Ram's Head Orchis (C. arisienum), the 

 Arethusa; the Calypso borealis, or Bird's Eye Orchis, 

 and many others. 



When very young the peat moss is of the liveliest 

 tender green, but as it increases in growth it becomes of 

 a creamy whiteness, which deepens again with age to 

 soft rose pink, the fruitful plant turning to a deep 

 rose purple and the bud-like capsules collecting at the 

 summit. 



The foliage of the larger species is soft and cottony, 

 drooping or flaccid, densely clothing the upright stems, 

 which in height often measure from nine inches to a 

 foot, and being interwoven support each other, forming 

 deep, soft beds. 



Nor are the peat mosses without their uses. They 

 are so soft and pliable that they are found most service- 

 able to the florist, nurseryman and gardener as a suitable 

 material for packing the roots of plants and shrubs for 



