WILD FLOWERS BLUE AND PURPLE 
white, and they are found blossoming in scattered 
groups during March, April and May. The old 
leaves are broader than long, heart-shaped with three 
distinct lobes, and spring direct from the root on slen 
der, hairy stems. The tough, rounded, purple-stained 
stems are grooved on one side. The old leaves spread 
upon the ground, and the new ones which immediately 
follow the buds form pretty, thick, rounded tufts. 
They are thick and leathery, and the older ones are 
usually strongly tinged with purple. In the fall, the 
following season’s sprout may be found at the base 
of the tuft, in a fuzzy casing. During my winter 
rambles I often find their evergreen tufts associated 
with those of the beautiful Christmas Ferns. The 
Hepaticas grow in scattered patches in rich, loose soil, 
along the rocky hillsides of open woodland, where it 
is partly shaded. The leaves were formerly used as 
a remedy for torpid livers, and this custom is still 
said to be practised among the country people in 
Tennessee. Hepatica is from the Greek, meaning 
liver-like, and alludes to the shape of the leaves. 
This species grows perennially from Nova Scotia to 
Florida, and west to Manitoba, Iowa and Missouri. 
Its flowering period extends from December to May, 
according to its location. 
PURPLE VIRGIN’S BOWER. PURPLE CLEMATIS 
Clématis verticillaris. Crowfoot Family. 
The Purple Clematis is much less common than the 
white-flowered Virginia Virgin’s Bower, and grows 
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