Wild flowers of the north-eastern states : $b Being three hundred and eight individuals common to the north-eastern United States — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Wild flowers of the north-eastern states : $b Being three hundred and eight individuals common to the north-eastern United States
John Stuart Mill · en
[Illustration: BRISTLY CROWFOOT: R. Pennsylvanicus.]
*Purple Clematis.* _Clematis verticillaris._
Found festooning rocks and walls on uplands and mountains in early May.
This handsome vine is sparingly leafy, somewhat branching, and not
perfectly round; it is woody-fibred and breaks easily, smooth to the
touch, and slightly shining; the color is a light brown of a golden hue.
The leaf is 3-parted, each leaflet upon a slender foot-stem; the
leaflets are oval or wedge-shaped, the margin either irregularly cut,
or deeply notched, or nearly entire; the many ribs and netted veins
show; the texture is somewhat thin, and the surface is sparingly
covered--particularly on the underside--by soft hairs. The color is
light green, frequently running into red- or purple-bronze hues,
especially when young. The leaves are set on long purplish or reddish
stems, and arranged in pairs, at a considerable distance apart, along
the lithe curving stalk.
The flower is large; its 4 calyx-parts look like petals: they are long
oval, with pointed tips, of a particularly thin, loose texture, and
have a very downy surface both inside and out; the many veins show
distinctly; the color is a light purple of a broken tint, sometimes
nearly white on the inner side. The stamens are many and crowded into
a close central tuft, the outer row of them shaped like slender oblong
petals; in color, green-white with light green-yellow tips. The single
blossom is set on a slender green stem which springs from between the
leaves.
The flower seldom spreads wide, its seeming petals curve inward in a
deep cup-shape. A noticeable feature is the presence of the brown and
dry leaf-stems of the last year’s growth standing out at right angles
to the fresh leafage. This is one of the rarer plants, and therefore
should be left where it grows, with free curves clinging to the rocks
or swinging its violet-tinged greenery and purple bells from the
stronger growth of a neighboring shrub.
[Illustration: PURPLE CLEMATIS: Clematis verticillaris.]
*Clematis.* _Clematis Virginiana._
*Virgin’s Bower.*
*Traveller’s Joy.*
Found through July and August climbing over wayside thickets and along
river banks.
The stalk of this charming vine is leafy, round, tough-fibred, and
grooved, and rather slender. It is green in color, tinged more or less
with dull bronzy purple.
The large leaf is compound of 3 leaflets, that are oval with a long,
tapering point, and a slightly heart-shaped base; the margin is cut
into a few large notches, and occasionally is lobed; the ribs are
strong, the texture firm, and the surface is smooth. Each leaflet is
set on a short curved stem; the leaves, on their long stems, are placed
opposite each other. In color they are dark green.