THE VINES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 193 



common in the Lower District. The leaves are com- 

 posed of 3 ovate leaflets which are a little cut. The 

 flowers are in loose clusters, J to i inch broad, and 

 clothing the upper part of the vine with a flowing 

 mantle of white. The flowers are succeeded by 

 heads of feathered seeds which are still more orna- 

 mental than the blossoms. 



(Atragene Americana, Sims.) — This is accredited 

 by others to the mountains of North Carolina, but it 

 has escaped my own observation. It is a very showy 

 vine, both in fruit and flower, and, like the preced- 

 ing, is woody only in its lower parts. It climbs over 

 rocks and bushes by means of its leaf-stalks. The 

 leaves are in pairs on opposite sides of the stem, 

 making 4 in a circle, each long leaf-stalk bearing 3 

 leaflets. The flowers are bluish-purple, 2 to 3 inches 

 broad, followed by heads of seeds which have long 

 feathered tails. 



7 



