HEPATICA 



Hepatica americana Ker 



"There are many things left for May," writes John Burroughs "but 

 nothing fairer, if as fair, as the first flower, the hepatica. I find I have 

 never admired this little firstling half enough. When at the maturity 

 of its charms it is certainly the gem of the woods." With the first 

 warm days of spring the soft woolly buds spring from the heart of 

 the plant, where they were formed in the autumn. The hardy blooms 

 make their first appearance on southern slopes in the woods. Often 

 they are half hidden by the leaves, which persist from the previous 

 season. The flowers vary in color from pale blue to white and pink, 

 and often have an alluring odor, though this characteristic varies in 

 different plants. The new leaves develop as soon as the flowers fall. 



Blue as the heaven it gazes at, 

 Startling the loiterer in the naked groves 

 With unexpected beauty : for the time 

 Of blossoms and green grass is yet afar. 



Gibson 



Hepatica is found from northern Florida to Missouri and north- 

 ward to Nova Scotia and Manitoba. A closely related species grows 

 in Europe and Asia. 



The specimen sketched grew in Washington, District of Columbia. 



PLATE 1 2_5 



