THE WILD SPRING FLOWERS OF THE FARM 209 
hepatica come all in a troop and unattended; the leaves of 
the past season, still green, lie prone about them; those of 
the coming season will shortly rise and expand—indeed, ere 
the flowers have faded, a new crop of leaves may be seen 
lifting their fuzzy tips all together. For hepatica has the 
curious habit of producing its-entire crop of leaves, as by a 
single mighty effort, all at once, and holding them until the 
next annual crop is matured. 
Most spring flowers tend to form clumps or great masses 
in the woods, and to this habit many charming effects in 
wild-wood landscapes are due. Think of the banks you 
have seen of moss-pink, or trillium, or columbine; the 
levels covered with violets or bloodroot or spring 
beauty! Mandrakes are gregarious and flock together 
like sheep. They hang their big white flowers coyly under huge 
umbrella-shaped leaves, and make a beautiful ground-cover 
of shining green domes. Wild ginger also, hides its curious 
brown-purple flowers under a beautiful leaf-mosaic at the 
very surface of the ground. The big white trillium lets its 
flowers lop over on one side and holds them until they 
turn rose-purple in fading. 
It is not flowers alone for which these plants are desir- 
able. Their foliage is often of beautiful design. Where 
can there be found stronger simple outlines than those of 
the leaves of the hepatica, bloodroot or bird’s-foot violet? 
Where, more airy, lacy effects than in the foliage of squirrel- 
corn, anemonella, and early meadow-rue? Where, softer 
leaf colorings than in adder’s-tongue, hepatica or the spathe 
of Jack-in-the-pulpit? The flower of the wild columbine is 
splendid—and worthy of having been advocated for adop- 
tion as the flower of the nation—but it is hardly more 
pleasing than the finely cut, gracefully poised, silvery 
tinted foliage, which lasts all summer long. Some bulbous- 
rooted spring flowers, to be sure, lose their foliage before 
