NATIVE WILD FLOWERS 
again are lobed and cut into sharply pointed irregularly 
sized teeth. The larger hairy root-leaves are often dis- 
colored with red and purplish blotches, whence the specific 
name maculatum (spotted) has been given to this species. 
The flower-stem is much branched and is furnished with 
leafy bracts; the principal flowers are on long stalks, 
usually three springing from a central branch and again 
subdividing into smaller branchlets, terminating in buds, 
mostly in threes, on drooping slender pedicels; as the older 
and larger blossoms fall off a fresh succession appears on 
the side branches, furnishing rather smaller but equally 
beautiful flowers. Gray gives the blooming season of the 
Cranesbill from April to July, but with us it rarely 
appears before June and may be seen all through July and 
August. Besides being very ornamental, our plant possesses 
virtues which are well-known to the herbalist as powerful 
astringents, which quality has obtained for it the name of 
Alum-root among the country people, who use a decoction 
of the root as a styptic for wounds, and, sweetened, as a 
gargle for sore throat and ulcerated mouth; it is also given 
to young children to correct a lax state of the system. 
Thus our plant is remarkable for its usefulness as well as 
for its beauty. A low-growing showy species, with large 
rose-colored flowers and much dissected leaves, may be 
found on some of the rocky islets in Stoney Lake, Ontario. 
The slender flower-stem is about six inches in height, 
springing from a leafy involucre, which is cut and divided 
into many long and narrow segments; flowers, generally 
from one to three, terminal on the little bracted footstalks; 
the seed vessels not so long as in the Wood Geranium. 
Besides the above-named we have some smaller species, 
such as the well-known Herb Robert (G. Robertianum—t.), 
which is said to have been introduced from Britain but is 
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