APRIL AND MAY. 23 



be young botanist, ignorantly mistaking trillium for 

 Indian turnip, chewed a bit of the root and gave 

 some to the young lady accompanying him in his 

 walk ; the consequences were rather serious, and the 

 young people soon had occasion to consult the nearest 

 physician. 



Star-Flower. ^^^^ *^°y star-flower may be readily 

 Trientaiis found in woods that border the pas- 



mencana. ^^j-gg jj, ^jjg hilly country of our East- 

 ern States. It grows in moist places besides the pur- 

 ple violet ( Viola cuculata) and the foam-flower. Its 

 leaf is not unlike that of the lemon verbena, but it is 

 broader, and grows from the top of a short stem in 

 sets of six and seven, or more, as my drawing accu- 

 rately represents ; it is very shiny and delicate-look- 

 ing, and of a pale yellow-green color. The perfect, 

 little, starlike flowers are dainty to a fault; they 

 should be studied imder a magnifying glass, where 

 their extreme daintiness can be seen to the best ad- 

 vantage. I do not think it is possible to become ac- 

 quainted with the charming beauty of flower forms 

 and colors without the aid of a botanist's microscope. 

 It is all very well to gather wild flowers for the pur- 

 pose of becoming acquainted with their family con- 

 nections and interesting habits, and cast them away 

 when these facts are obtained ; but this is something 

 very far short of intimate acquaintance. Only the one 



