CHAPTER VII 



BLUE AND PURPLE GROUP 



The distinction between blue and purple flowers is often 

 very fine. Mr. F. Schuyler Matthews says that " the blue 

 flower is a creation of the imagination ; in reality it does not 

 exist, and the so-called blue is often a decided violet of 

 dilute character." Those who have seen the fringed gentian 

 and the larkspur may disagree with him. To my vision 

 there are certainly blue flowers, and Nature shows no sign of 

 eliminating that color from her category of tints. Many 

 flowers, however, which are usually called blue sustain Mr. 

 Matthews's statement, for the large majority of such flowers 

 display the purple and violet colors. The hepatica is an 

 example of a so-called blue flower which is violet. 



All shades of blue and purple will be grouped in this 

 chapter. 



Swamp Pink 



Helonias buttata. — Family, Lily. Color, purple, turning green 

 with age. Perianth, of 6 segments. Stamens, 6, the filaments 

 longer than the perianth. Anthers, blue. Capsule, 3-lobed. 

 Flowers, in a dense raceme at the end of a long, leafless scape, 1 

 to 2 feet high, arising from a tuberous rootstock. Leaves, clus- 

 tered at the base of the scape, 6 to 15 inches long, broad at 

 apex, tapering at base, thin, flat, finely parallel- veined. A few 

 small bracts on the scape, near the base. April and May. 



A smooth perennial with hollow scape bearing a showy 

 raceme of flowers in spring. In swamps, local and rare, 

 northern New Jersey, southern New York to Virginia. 



Field Garlic 



Allium 'vineale, — Family, Lily. Color, green or purple. (See 

 Green Flowers, p. 23.) 



Spiderwort 

 Tradescantia <virginiana. — Family, Spiderwort. Color, blue to 

 purplish. Sepals and petals, 3 of each, the sepals much smaller 



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