SANDY SOIL 413 



violets. The finely cut foliage, a variation from the prevailing 

 violet type of entire and heart-shaped leaf, adds much to its 

 beauty. Flowering scapes, 5 to 10 inches high. 



I recall always with satisfaction a sterile knoll in Connecticut, 

 which, when a child, it was one of the pleasures of each recurring 

 spring to visit. There I could gather the bird-foot violet by the 

 handful, yet make no impression upon the spacious bed of bloom ; 

 and since I have seen adult classes in botany rush in a body to 

 inspect and secure a few sparsely scattered specimens of this 

 flower, I think my childish enthusiasm was justifiable. 



Cleistogamous, self-fertilizing blossoms, without colored petals, 

 may be found near the roots in midsummer. From New England 

 southward and westward. 



5. Arrow-leaved Violet 



V. sagitt^ta, deep blue or purplish, with entire, arrow- 

 shaped, petioled leaves, sometimes toothed and variously cut 

 near the base, is one of our common species. The spur is 

 short and thick ; petals rather large, and finely bearded. 

 Plant hairy or smooth. Scapes 4 to 9 inches high. 



Same range as the last. 



6. Pearlwort 



Saglna apSta/a. — Family, Pink. Color, white. Leaves, long, 

 thread-like, thin, hairy near the base, clustered. Time, sum- 

 mer. 



Petals, 4, small, or sometimes wanting. Sepals, stamens, and 

 styles, 4. 



Erect, small, low plants. Not common. 



7 



Another species, found in sandy soil, is S. dec'&mbens. The 

 leaves in this species are short and bristly. All the parts of 

 the flower are in fives, the stamens perhaps 10 ; calyx equal 

 to or longer than the corolla. 



Massachusetts to Illinois, and southward. 



