Part 26

The Rattlesnake Plantain receives this name because of its peculiarly mottled leaves which resemble those of a plantain in shape, but which have markings very like those of a snake. The tiny white blossoms occur in crowded spikes on stems 2-8 in. tall and bloom in midsummer. The plants grow in fir and spruce woods at 9000-10000 ft.

IRIS FAMILY

1 Blue-eyed Grass: Sisyrinchium angustifolium 5 Iris, Blue Flag: Iris missouriensis

ORCHID FAMILY

2 Coral Root: Corallorhiza multiflora 3 Yellow Ladies’ Slipper: Cypripedium pubescens 4 Rattlesnake Plantain: Peramium repens 6 Fairy Slipper, Calypso: Calypso borealis]

Fairy Slipper, Calypso Calypso borealis

Plate 43, fig. 6

The fairy-like rose-purple blossoms of Calypso appear in early spring. They occur singly on stems 4-8 in. tall, in fir and spruce woods at 7000-10000 ft. The name “Calypso” is that of a nymph of Grecian legend, and seems well fitted to this dainty plant.

Transcriber’s Notes

--Silently corrected a few palpable typos.

--In the text versions only, delimited italicized text in underscores.

--Collated plate captions against species headings, and eliminated some inconsistencies.