BLUE AND PURPLE WILD FLOWERS 
sparingly in rocky places in the more hilly country, 
from Hudson Bay to Manitoba, and southward to 
Virginia and Minnesota, during May and June. The 
large, prominent, solitary flowers are light purple or 
purplish blue in colour, and measure from two to four 
inches broad when expanded. The four long, taper- 
ing-oval, strongly veined, petal-like sepals are thin, 
translucent and pointed. Both sides are very downy 
or silky along the margins and veins. They are 
borne singly on long stems from the end of the vine, 
and from the axils or joints of the leaf stems. The 
true petals are very small, and spatulate or spoon- 
shaped. The many stamens are clustered in the 
centre, and are greenish white in colour. The ones 
forming the outer row are broadened. The flower is 
very showy, and is generally cup-shaped, with the ends 
of the sepals curved inward, but it often opens flat. 
The pistils are long, and ripen with long brownish- 
gray plumes. The leaf is similar to the Virginia Vir- 
gin’s Bower, but rather smaller, and has three leaflets 
with either irregularly cut margins, or toothless, and 
slightly heart-shaped at the base. The texture is 
thin, and shows the network of veins plainly. The 
surface is slightly downy, and the stem is tinged with 
purple. The stiff, dried leaf stems of the previous 
season are often found still attached to the stalk among 
the new foliage. The stalk is smooth, woody, and 
brittle. It is a trailing plant, or semi-climbing in 
habit. If you are fortunate enough to find this mag- 
nificent flower it is well not to molest it nor to dis- 
33° 
