132 Jlquilegia Canadensis. 



liveliest ornament of the rocks of our country, in early spring, 

 frequently blooming in great perfection, with flowers quite as large 

 as those of the figure, in crevices where it would seem impossible 

 for a blade of grass to receive sufficient sustenance to support life. 

 In such situations, secured from the sun, the stems and peduncles 

 are exceedingly delicate and tender, which causes them to droop 

 into a full arch by the weight of the flowers. In more sunny situa- 

 tions, where they can command earth and water, the stems be- 

 come larger and more succulent; and in gardens under culti- 

 vation, are apt to lose their reddish-purple colour. The plant is 

 now frequendy introduced into the borders of the cultivated grounds 

 in the neighbourhood of the natural situatious in which it grows — 

 and assuredly no plant in our country is more deserving of atten- 

 tion and cultivation than this, both on account of its elegance and 

 singularity, and its capability of enduring our winters ; added to this, 

 its early period of flowering, makes it highly ornamental, at a pe- 

 riod when few other showy plants are in bloom. 



The figure represents the plant of its natural size, culled from an 

 exposed rock. 



