WATERLEAF FAMILY. Hydrophyllaceae. 
WATERLEAF FAMILY. Hydrophyllaceae. 
Herbs or shrubs, mostly natives of western North 
America; often hairy; with no stipules; the leaves mainly 
alternate or from the root; the flowers chiefly blue or white, 
often in coiled clusters; the calyx with five united sepals; 
the corolla with five united petals; the stamens five, on the 
base of the corolla and alternate with its lobes, with thread- 
like filaments and usually with swinging anthers; the 
ovary superior, the styles two or two-cleft; the fruit a 
capsule, containing few or many seeds. The leaves were 
formerly supposed to have water-cavities in them, hence 
the misleading name. Some of this family resemble some 
’ of the Borages, but the stamens are long, the styles are 
two, at least above, and the ovary has not the four con- 
spicuous lobes of the latter family. 
There are many kinds of Phacelia, hairy plants, with no 
appendages between the sepals; resembling Hydrophyllum, 
except that the petals overlap in the bud, instead of being 
rolled up, and the seeds are different. The name is from 
the Greek, meaning ‘‘cluster.”’ ; 
This has pretty and rather unusual 
Phacelia : : 
Phactlia loabives looking foliage, for the leaves are a pecu- 
Purple liar shade of bluish-green, with purplish 
Spring margins. They are somewhat sticky, 
California 
soft and velvety, and although hairy are 
not disagreeable to touch. The hairy, purplish stems grow 
from a few inches to a foot tall and the pretty flowers are 
lilac or purple, with yellow anthers, and measure three- 
quarters of an inch across. This grows on sunny, sandy 
mountain slopes. 
A low plant, partly creeping, with weak, 
Phaceli ‘4 é ; 
oer obecbie brittle, sticky stems and soft, slightly 
maefolia thickish, very dull yellowish-green leaves, 
Lilac, white sticky and often dingy with dust. The 
Summer 
flowers are usually violet, but sometimes 
pure white, about three-eighths of an inch 
across, with yellow stamens, and are rather pretty. I 
found this little plant growing under a huge red rock in the 
Grand Canyon, on apparently perfectly dry, bare soil. 
It has an aromatic and slightly unpleasant smell and is 
rare. 
Ariz., Utah, Cal. 
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