AMERICAN TWINFLOWER 



Linnaea borealis americana (Forbes) Rehder 



This dainty plant, named for Linnaeus, the father of modern botany, 

 in accordance with his own choice, by his friend Gronovius, is un- 

 surpassed in modest beauty. It is a trailing evergreen vine, from whose 

 slender branches rise threadlike stems, each bearing two nodding 

 flowers. These are 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 other 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 

 range, the American form, which is only slightly different from that 

 of the Old World, being distributed from New Jersey to New 

 Mexico and northward to Greenland and Alaska. The typical form 

 grows in Europe and Asia. 



The sketch was made from a specimen obtained at Lake Louise, 

 Alberta, Canada, at an altitude of 5,500 feet. 



PLATE I96 



