AMERICAN TWINFLOWER 
Linnaea borealis americana (Forbes) Rehder 
This dainty plant, named for Linnaeus, the father of modern botany, 
in accotdance with his own choice, by his friend Gronovius, is un- 
sutpassed in modest beauty. It is a trailing evergreen vine, from whose 
slender branches rise threadlike stems, each beating two nodding 
flowers. These ate so sweet-scented that the odor sometimes pene- 
trates even into a railroad train passing along a mountain side when 
the plant is in bloom. It loves the deep recesses of the forest, where 
it thrives with moss and othet plants that demand acid soils. Perhaps 
this tiny blossom was the inspiration of Linnaeus when he said of the 
unfolding flowers, “I saw God in his glory passing near me, and 
bowed my head in worship.” 
The twinflower belongs to the Honeysuckle Family. It has a wide 
tange, the American form, which is only slightly different from that 
of the Old World, being distributed from New Jersey to New 
Mexico and northwatd to Greenland and Alaska. The typical form 
gtows in Europe and Asia. 
The sketch was made from a specimen obtained at Lake Louise, 
Alberta, Canada, at an altitude of 52500 feet. 
PLATE 196 
