f - PLANTS GROWING IN LIGHT SOIL. BE 
that greet us in the spring woods. It seems always young and 
guileless, as though it would never grow old or wise. It is so 
closely associated in the mind with Bryant’s lovely poem, “ The 
Yellow Violet,” that we cannot but lament the evidence that 
- inclines us to the belief that it was V. rotundifolia by which he 
Was inspired. 
FRINGED POLYGALA. FLOWERING WINTERGREEN. 
Poljgala pauctfolia, 
FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 
Mitkwort. Rose pink. Scentless. Mostly north. May. 
Flowers: axillary ; growing on slender flower-stalks; cleistogamous flowers 
borne near the root. Calyx: of five sepals, two of which are wing-like and 
coloured like petals. Corvol/a: very irregular; the keel ornamented with a 
fringe. Stamens: six. Pistid: one. Leaves: mostly at the summit of the 
flower-stalks ; ovate; those below scale-like. Stems: underground. Mootstock: 
running. 
Usually the fringed polygalas are found growing together in 
numbers as though they had just met for some gay féte. They 
have on their party clothes, and look as pretty and bright as 
possible. The poor little fertile flowers at the base have no 
party clothes, and are evidently left out of allthe fun. No fairy 
god-mother has found them out, so they just have to stay at 
home and do the work of reproducing their species, while the 
useless, giddy sisters amuse themselves and are admired by all. 
P, poljgama has many flowers growing in a raceme at the 
summit of a leafy flower-stalk. It also makes the plain little 
sisters stay at home to do the work, knowing well that their 
vanity never overrules their good sense, and that they do not 
open their petals to expose their pollen to the rains, thieving 
insects or any other evils that might overtake them. 

TWIN=LEAF. RHEUSPATISM-ROOT. 
Jeffersonia aiphylla. | 
FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 
Barberry. White. Scentless. New York southward April, May. 
and westward. 
Flowers : solitary ; growing on a naked scape. Ca/yx : of four petals that fall 
early. Corolla ; one inch broad, of eight petals. Stamens: eight. Pistz/ : one ; 


