(Plate XVII.)

Family

Crowfoot.

Colour

White.

Odour

Scentless.

Range

North, sparingly west and south.

Time of Bloom

May.

Flowers: terminal; solitary. Calyx: of five to seven sepals that fall early. Corolla: of five to seven cup-shaped pointed petals, hollow at the apex. Stamens: numerous. Pistils: three to ten. Leaves: from the base; thrice divided into fan-shaped leaflets; evergreen. Roots: long; bright yellow; fibrous.

This fragile, sprightly little flower, with its wide-awake expression, withers away from us early in the season. Its pretty leaves nestle cosily among the bog marshes and remain green all winter. The curious, twining roots remind one of a bunch of copper wire that has been much tangled. New England country people boast greatly of their efficacy when stewed down for a spring tonic.