FLOWERS OF THE FIELD 
 
Fig. 29. Field Scabious. tfCnaulia arnensisu, 
 
FLOWERS 
 OF THE FIELD 
 
 BY THE LATE 
 
 REV. C. A. JOHNS, B.A., F.L.S. 
 
 THIRTT-THIRD EDITION 
 Entirely revised by 
 
 G. S. BOULGER, F.L.S., F.G.S. 
 
 LECTURER ON BOTANY IN THE CITY OF LONDON COLLEGE 
 HONORARY PROFESSOR OF NATURAL HISTORY, ROYAL AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE 
 
 WITH PORTRAIT, MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR, AND 
 64 COLOURED PLATES 
 
 LONDON 
 SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE 
 
 NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE, W.C.; 43, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, E.C. 
 BRIGHTON : 129, NORTH STREET 
 
 New York : E S. GORHAM 
 19H 
 
PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE GENERAL 
 LITERATURE COMMITTEE 
 
DeMcateD 
 
 BY GRACIOUS PERMISSION 
 TO 
 
 H.R.H. PRINCESS ALEXANDER OF TECK 
 
THE REV. CHARLES ALEXANDER JOHNS 
 
MEMOIR OF THE 
 REV. CHARLES ALEXANDER JOHNS 
 
 When, in 1900, I had completed my first revision of Johns 
 " Flowers of the Field " for its twenty-ninth re-issue, I had a kindly 
 appreciative letter from the veteran chief of British botanists, Sir 
 Joseph Hooker. In this he writes : " When you shall have to 
 prepare a still other Edition I venture to suggest that a few lines 
 of Preface as to who Johns was ; and an outline of the successive 
 enlargements of his work would be very interesting." The time 
 has now arrived when this suggestion can be adopted, though the 
 story to be told is but a simple tale of long-continued literary 
 industry prompted by an enthusiastic love of Nature and a zeal 
 for education 
 
 Charles Alexander Johns was a Cornishman by descent, al- 
 though he happened to be born in Plymouth. He was the 
 grandson of Tremenheere Johns, a solicitor of Helston, his father 
 being Henry Incledon Johns, and he was born on the last day of 
 the year 181 1. 
 
 In 1832 Henry Incledon Johns published by subscription a 
 little volume entitled " Poems addressed by a Father to his Chil- 
 dren, with Extracts from the Diary of a Pedestrian and a Memoir 
 of the Author." From this it appears that the father of the author of 
 "Flowers of the Field "was fond of long solitary rambles, of drawing, 
 of poetry and of flowers. He was, however, placed as junior clerk in 
 a bank at Devonport, then Plymouth Dock ; and, after many years, 
 became co-partner in the concern. In 1825, however, the bank 
 failed, and Henry Johns was compelled to fall back on his early 
 artistic attainments and become a drawing-master. On the title- 
 page of his " Poems " he is described as Professor of Drawing to the 
 Plymouth New Grammar School, and he tells how, as his own 
 health failed, he was assisted in his teaching by his daughter. 
 The excellence of Miss Johns' illustrations have undoubtedly 
 contributed largely to the success of her brother Charles's chief 
 work. Henry Johns had married in 1803 ; and, though there is 
 
but little intrinsic value in his poems, they evince a love of 
 flowers and a spirit of piety. One of them begins — 
 
 " Come Charles and Sophia and Emily too, 
 Come down the green lane, papa's naught else to do " ; 
 • 
 and in the list of subscribers appear the names of the Rev. Denvent 
 Coleridge and of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Johns of Carrickfergus, 
 presumably the poet's brother and sister-in-law, from whom the 
 botanist derived his second Christian name. 
 
 Meanwhile, before he was twenty, Charles Alexander Johns 
 had, in 183 1, become second master of Helston Grammar School 
 under Derwent Coleridge, the son of the great poet-metaphysician 
 and himself a linguist of unusual gifts. Coleridge had been ap- 
 pointed head-master soon after his ordination in 1825, and when, in 
 1841, he was chosen first Principal of St. Mark's College, Chelsea, 
 Johns soon succeeded him at Helston, being head-master there 
 from June 1843 to December 1847. Their most distinguished 
 pupil was undoubtedly Charles Kingsley, whose father was vicar 
 of Clovelly when the boy entered the school in 1832, but had been 
 preferred to the rectory of St. Luke's, Chelsea, before he entered 
 King's College, London, in 1836. In her "Life " of her husband 
 Mrs. Kingsley writes (vol. i, p. 23) — 
 
 " At Helston, too, he found as second-master the Rev. Charles A. Johns, 
 afterwards himself head-master, who made himself the companion of his young 
 pupil, encouraging his taste, or rather passion, for botany, going long rambles 
 with him on the neighbouring moors and on the sea-coast, in search of wild 
 flowers, and helping him in the study which each loved so well. In later 
 years, when both were living in Hampshire, Mr. Johns laboured successfully 
 for the cause of physical science in the city of Winchester, where his name will 
 long be remembered in conjunction once more with that of his former pupil 
 and distinguished friend." 
 
 Before coming to Helston, Kingsley had been initiated in the 
 study of conchology by Dr. Turton, who lived near Clovelly ; but 
 in Johns he found an all-round naturalist of the old-fashioned out- 
 of-door school to whom flowers and birds, trees, sea-weeds, shells 
 or insects were alike of interest. 
 
 Johns began his forty years of authorship in 1833 with a modest 
 volume of " Chronological Rhymes on English History," which 
 went into several editions ; and was followed by what we may well 
 suppose to have been the more congenial "Flora Sacra," published 
 in 1840. 
 
 In 1 84 1 he graduated as Bachelor of Arts at Trinity College, 
 Dublin, and, in the same year, was ordained deacon, not, however, 
 becoming a priest until 1848. 
 
 Meanwhile, in 1847, he began the publication of his popular 
 
"Botanical Rambles," in four parts according to the seasons, which 
 was not completed until 1852 ; and about the same time he made 
 his most important botanical discovery, viz. the wealth of rarities on 
 the promontory of the Lizard. In his "Notes on British Plants," 
 contributed to Hooker's "London Journal of Botany "in 1847, 
 Johns was the first to record Trifolium stridum as a British plant, 
 and was also the first to add T. procumbens, 21 filifornie and 
 Thalictrutn minus to the list for Cornwall. His only geological 
 publication was a note " On the Landslip at the Lizard " in the 
 " Journal of the Geological Society " for 1848 ; and in that year he 
 published one of his most successful little books, "A Week at the 
 Lizard," which has been recently described by a writer of great 
 local knowledge as "still our only reliable guide to that romantic 
 corner of Cornwall." 
 
 Although Johns availed himself, of course, of the researches 
 and records of his predecessors, he was an assiduous collector 
 during most of his life, not only in Cornwall, but also in the 
 mountains of both the north and the south of Ireland, when he 
 was an undergraduate in Dublin, and in other districts in his 
 later years. 
 
 A former pupil, Mr. W. F. Collier, writing in the "Cornish 
 Magazine" (vol. ii, pp. n 7-8), says — 
 
 " My recollection as a schoolboy of Charles Alexander Johns is, that he was 
 not a good teacher, and did not make his lessons interesting, as Dervvent 
 Coleridge did. He heard lessons sharply enough, but was often all the time 
 setting up specimens of botany, no doubt for publication, as I thought them 
 beautifully done. I well remember now some pretty specimens of mosses in 
 flower, set up whilst I was hammering over Virgil. He sat all school-time 
 with us, in his own desk, whilst Derwent Coleridge was in his den . . . whence 
 he issued at times to lecture the boys or to administer punishment. C. A. Johns 
 proved himself afterwards to be a good teacher, and had a preparatory school 
 of his own near Winchester, of such good repute that it was difficult, and took 
 some time, to get a boy into it. My schoolboy impression of his teaching 
 power must therefore be held to be not justified. He used to take some of 
 the older boys out with him to study botany on holidays and half-holidays, and 
 we looked on the tin cases for holding specimens, which they hung round 
 their shoulders, as a priggish sort of affair, not to be compared for a moment 
 with the manly fishing-basket." 
 
 Johns left Helston at the end of 1847, and took a house in 
 Walpole Street, Chelsea ; but in the following summer he became 
 incumbent of Beenham, near Newbury, where he was living at the 
 time of the first publication of " Flowers of the Field." In 1856 he 
 established a private school at Callipers Hall, near Rickmansworth, 
 remaining there till 1863. 
 
 "First Steps to Botany," published in 1853, was introductory to 
 " Flowers of the Field," which first appeared in the same year, 
 
followed by " Birds' Nests " (1854) and "Birds of the Wood and 
 Field " (1859- 1 862), leading up to " Birds in their Haunts," which 
 still ranks as a standard introduction to British ornithology. 
 
 Johns opened Winton House, Winchester, in 1863, as a 
 private school for boys ; and, a few years later, he founded the 
 Winchester Literary and Scientific Society, of which he became 
 President, and to which his last scientific works, papers on the 
 fall of the leaf, on Vesuvius, and on a collection of shells, were 
 communicated. He died at Winton House on June 28, 1874. 
 
 We have not been able to enumerate his many educational 
 publications, though all his chief scientific work has been men- 
 tioned. It will, however, be interesting for us to trace the history 
 of " Flowers of the Field." As first published in 1853, it consisted 
 of two volumes, with an introduction of 59 pages, 32 of which 
 were devoted to the Linnsean system, and 380 pages of text in the 
 first and 273 pages in the second. The book ended with Zostera, 
 grasses and sedges being omitted, and trees being barely men- 
 tioned. It was soon afterwards issued in one volume, with the 
 same introduction and 664 pages of text, and remained well-nigh 
 unchanged until 1892, being re-issued at frequent intervals. The 
 fifth edition, for instance, published about 1865, was the first 
 botanical book possessed by the present editor. In 1892 an 
 appendix of 96 pages, entitled " Grasses," but also comprising the 
 sedges, was compiled by the author's son, C. Henry Johns, M.A., 
 from Bentham and Hooker's " Handbook of the British Flora." 
 In 1899 I entirely recast the book, largely rewriting it, and, in 
 endeavouring to bring it up to the level of present-day British 
 botany, inevitably enlarging it, so that the twenty-ninth re-issue, 
 of February 1900, which I was graciously permitted to dedicate 
 to H.R.H. Princess Alice Mary of Albany, now Princess Alexander 
 of Teck, ran to 926 pp. of text, in addition to 52 pages of intro- 
 duction. This edition having been twice re-issued, had, in 19 10, 
 64 coloured plates by Miss Grace Layton added to it when pub- 
 lished as the thirty-second edition. It has now once more been 
 fully and carefully revised so as to bring its nomenclature into 
 accordance with the rules of the Vienna Congress, as endorsed by 
 that held at Brussels in 19 to, and to incorporate newly-discovered 
 species. 
 
 I have to acknowledge the loan of the accompanying portrait, 
 and much valuable information for this brief memoir, from 
 Mr. F. Hamilton Davey, the author of the " Flora of Cornwell." 
 
 G. S. Boulger. 
 
102 
 
 LIST OF COLOURED PLATES 
 
 No. of Plate Facing page 
 
 (i) Traveller's Joy {Clematis Vitalbd) 4 
 
 (2) Columbine (Aguilegia vulgaris) 17 
 
 (3 Yellow Water-Lily (Nymphaa luted) 23 
 
 (4) Red Poppy (Papaver Rhceas) 25 
 
 (5) Celandine (Chelidonium majus) ...... 28 
 
 (6) Purp'e Sea Rocket {Cakile marifana) 58 
 
 (7) Soapvvort (Saponaria officinalis) ...... 72 
 
 /g\ /Corn-cockle {Lychnis Githago) \ 
 
 ^ \ Bladder Campion (Silene lali folia)) 74 
 
 (9) White or Evening Campion (Lychnis alba) .... 75 
 
 / \ fSt. John's Wort (Hypericin perforatum) \ 
 
 ^ '\Small upright St. John's Wort (Hypericum pulchrum)) ' 9 1 
 
 (11) Mallow (Malva sylvestris) 95 
 
 / x/Shining Crane's Bill (Geranium lucidum)\ 
 \Jagged-leaved Crane's Bill (G. dissectum)) 
 
 (13) Dyer's Greenweed, Woad-Waxen (Genista tinctoria) . . 116 
 
 / v /White or Dutch clover (Trifolium repens)\ 
 
 ^ I4; \Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) J * ' • I2 3 
 
 (15) Kidney Vetch, or Lady's Fingers (Anthyllis vulneraria) . 126 
 
 (16) Meadowsweet (Spiraea Ulmaria) ...... 143 
 
 (17) Dewberry (Rubus cozsius) 145 
 
 , q\/ Sweet Briar (Rosa eglanteria)\ 
 
 U8; \ Burnet Rose (Tfara z«w/a/tf) / IS7 
 
 (19) Dog Rose (Rosa canina) . . . . . . .159 
 
 (20) Wall Pennywort {Cotyledon Umbilicus- Veneris) . . .174 
 
 (21) Rose-bay, or French Willow (Epilobium angustifolium) . 185 
 
 (22) Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) . . . .188 
 
 (23) Bryony (Bryonia dioicd) 191 
 
 (24) Common Fennel (Faeniculum vulgare) . . . .214 
 
 (25) Wild Cornel (Cornus sanguined) 228 
 
 /„ 6 \/ Woodbine, or Honeysuckle (Lonicera Periclymenum)\ 
 
 ^ '\Pale Honeysuckle (Lonicera Caprifolium) J ' " 
 
 (27) Spur- Valerian (Kentranthus ruber) 242 
 
 (28) Wild Teazle [Dipsacus sylvestris) ..... 244 
 
 (29) Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis) . . Frontispiece 
 
 (30) Corn-Marigold (Chrysanthemum segetum) .... 264 
 
 (31) Colts'-foot ( Tussilago Farfara) 268 
 
 xiii 
 
LIST OF COLOURED PLATES 
 
 .32 
 
 C33 
 
 (.34 
 
 (35 
 
 C36; 
 
 (37 
 
 (38; 
 (39 
 '40, 
 (41 
 (42 
 (43 
 (44 
 (45 
 (46 
 (47 
 (48 
 (49 
 (50 
 (51 
 (52 
 
 53 
 (54] 
 (55 
 (56 
 (57 
 
 58 
 (59 
 (60' 
 
 fit; 
 62 
 
 (63: 
 (64) 
 
 Facing 
 
 Ragwort {Senecio Jacoboza) .... 
 Musk Thistle {Carduus nutans) 
 /Dwarf Plume-thistle {Carduus acaulis) \ 
 I Marsh Plume thistle (Carduus palustris) ) ' 
 J Cornflower (Centaurea Cyanus) \ 
 
 (Brown Radiant Knapweed {C. Jacea)) 
 Chicory {Cichorium Jntybus) 
 /Hairy Hawkbit {Thrincia nudicaulis) \ 
 \Smooth Hawkbit {Leontodon autumnalis)) ' 
 Goat's-beard {Tragopogon pratensis) . 
 Sheep's- bit {Jasione montana) 
 Harebell {Campanula rotundifolid) 
 Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) 
 Greater Periwinkle {Vinca major) 
 Buck or Bog Bean {Menyanthes trifoliatd) . 
 Evergreen Alkanet {Anchusa sempervirens) 
 Forget-me not {Myosotis scorpioides) . 
 Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare) 
 Dwale, or Deadly Nightshade (Atropa Belladonna) 
 Great Mullein {Verbascum Thapsus) . 
 Lesser Snapdragon {Antirrhinum Orontium) 
 Purple Foxglove {Digitalis purpurea) . 
 Vervain {Verbena officinalis) 
 Amphibious Persicaria {Polygonum amphibium) 
 Sorrel {Rumex Acetosa) .... 
 Tway-blade {Listera ovata) .... 
 Bee Orchis {Ophrys api/era) 
 Butterfly Orchis {Habenaria bifolid) . 
 Yellow Iris, or Flag {Iris pseudacorus) 
 Saffron Crocus {Crocus officinalis) 
 Common Daffodil, or Lent Lily {Narcissus Pseudo- 
 Solomon's Seal {Polygonum multifloruni) . 
 Meadow Saffron {Colchicum autumnale) 
 Cuckoo-pint (Lords and Ladies) {Arum maculatum) 
 Great Water Plantain {Alisma Plantaga-aquatica) 
 Flowering Rush {Butomus umbellatus) 
 
 narcissus) 
 
 page 
 
 273 
 276 
 
 279 
 
 283 
 
 290 
 
 295 
 
 297 
 301 
 322 
 327 
 
 333 
 339 
 341 
 344 
 351 
 355 
 358 
 361 
 378 
 419 
 423 
 463 
 471 
 473 
 474 
 476 
 480 
 486 
 495 
 507 
 510 
 512 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 PART I 
 
 EXPLANATION OF TERMS 
 
 The object of this volume is to introduce the lover of Nature to 
 an acquaintance with the common British flowering plants, to 
 teach the unscientific how to find out the names of the flowers 
 met with in the course of country rambles. Such a knowledge 
 of plants, it may be said, and said with truth, is not Botany ; but 
 it is a step towards Botany ; for there can be no doubt that 
 scientific treatises on this subject would often be studied with 
 more pleasure if the reader were familiar with the outward ap- 
 pearance of the examples quoted; just as we take greater 
 interest in accounts of astronomical discoveries if we have seen 
 and handled a telescope than if we had merely had one described 
 to us, no matter with what accuracy and minuteness. The 
 reader, or, inasmuch as even the elementary knowledge of a 
 science can only be attained by study, the student, who wishes to 
 make this volume practically useful is recommended to read with 
 care and attention the following pages, into which the author has 
 introduced nothing but what is essential to the proper under- 
 standing of the body of the work. 
 
 Before a novice can commence the study of any science, he 
 must make himself acquainted with the terms employed by 
 writers on that science, and he must not be frightened if things 
 new to him should have strange names. Unmeaning and hard 
 to be remembered they must appear to him at first, but this 
 will be only as long as they remain mere sounds. When he has 
 gained a knowledge of the things for which they stand, they will 
 lose their formidable appearance, and, hard as they may still be 
 to pronounce, they will very soon become familiar to the mind, if 
 not to the tongue. In a scientific treatise on Botany, taken in its 
 widest sense, these terms must of necessity be very numerous ; 
 but not so, however, with a popular description of the plants 
 growing wild in a single country of limited extent. The author 
 
XVI INTRODUCTION 
 
 has, therefore, endeavoured to keep technical terms as much as 
 possible out of sight, in the hope that the lover of Nature may be 
 beguiled into forming an acquaintance with the outward appear- 
 ance of the plants of his neighbourhood, and eventually be induced 
 to study them more in detail. He has, consequently, avoided the 
 use of Latin words wherever English ones would do as well, and 
 has not dealt with the internal structure of plants, or with any 
 organs but those with which it is necessary that the student should 
 be familiar before he refers to the body of the work for a de- 
 scription of any plant which he may have found. 
 
 The organs of a flowering plant may be described under the 
 heads of Root, Stem, Leaf, Hairs, Inflorescence, Bracts, 
 Flower, Receptacle, Calyx, Corolla, Stamens, Carpels, 
 Fruit, and Seed. 
 
 The Root may be the direct downward prolongation of the axis 
 of the seedling plant, when it is called a tap-root. It is then some- 
 times enlarged and fleshy, as in the conical root of the Carrot and 
 the Parsnip ; or it may be much branched, as in the Wallflower. 
 Roots given off in no definite order, such as those which spring 
 from the base of bulbs or from other stem structures, are termed 
 adventitious. They are generally fibrous, as in Grasses ; but may 
 be swollen, as in the Dropwort, when they are termed nodulose. 
 Such swollen roots, if clustered together, as in the Lesser Celan- 
 dine (p. 13), are called fasciculate. In many Orchids two fibres 
 or two groups of confluent fibres are enlarged into what are 
 termed tubercles, and the root is then called tubcrculate. 
 
 The slender branches of roots are called rootlets ; but the 
 actual absorption of liquid food from the soil 
 is often performed by root-hairs, very delicate 
 hairs, almost microscopic in size, which occur 
 on the surface of young roots. Old roots of 
 trees become corky like stems. 
 
 The Stem bears buds, which unfold either 
 as elongating shoots, or z& flowers. The points 
 on the stem where the leaves are given off 
 are termed nodes. . They are sometimes swollen, 
 
 Tuberculate root of an ..u i> • 1 r\ j c *.\- 
 
 Orchis. as in the Persicana (p. 416) and most of the 
 
 Pink family. The space between two succes- 
 sive nodes is called an internode. In many herbaceous plants the 
 internodes are short, and the nodes consequently crowded and the 
 leaves in a tuft or rosette, as in the Daisy (p. 254) and the 
 Pri-mrose (p. 316). 
 
 The stem may be unbranched ; but is more commonly branched, 
 each branch originating in a bud in the angle between a leaf and 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 the stem. This angle is called the axil of the leaf, from a 
 Latin word meaning the arm-pit, and such a bud is, therefore, 
 termed axillary. 
 
 Many quick-growing stems, especially among Grasses and the 
 Umbelliferous family (p. 191), have hollow or fistular internodes. 
 
 Stems may be underground or aerial, the chief forms of under- 
 ground stems being the tuber, the corm, the bulb, the rhizome, 
 and the sucker. 
 
 The tuber is a fleshy rounded structure giving off few, if any, 
 
 Portion of a branch with leaf / 
 and bud b. 
 
 Scaly bulb of the Lily : a, shortened stem ; 
 b, fibrous roots ; c, scales ; d, flowering 
 stem. 
 
 roots, and bearing scattered buds, being made up of several inter- 
 nodes, as in the Potato and the Black Bryony. 
 
 The corm is a short, thick, solid stem, generally of one inter- 
 node, giving off roots below, and bearing buds on its upper sur- 
 face, as in the Snowdrop, Crocus, Lords-and-Ladies, &c. 
 
 -I 
 
 Portion of rhizome, r, of the Solomon's seal ; b 1 , terminal bud ; b, a branch ; 
 s, s, scars produced by the decay of old branches. 
 
 The bulb is a short stem made up of many unelongated inter- 
 nodes and enclosed in numerous fleshy leaf-scales. When these 
 are narrow and overlap like tiles, as in Lil.es, the bulb is called 
 scaly ; when they are sheathing and concentric, as in the Onion, 
 tunicate. 
 
 The rhizome, or rootstock, is an elongated stem bearing scale- 
 
 b2 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 leaves ' and adventitious roots at its nodes. It generally grows 
 horizontally and is fleshy, as in Solomon's-seal and Iris ; but it 
 may be slender, as in Couch-grass and Sand-sedge. When the 
 
 Common Ivy : a, a, aerial roots. 
 
 Toothwort with scaly leaves and bracts (i). 
 
 older portion dies away it has an abrupt or premorse (bitten off) 
 end, as in the Devil's-bit Scabious (p 245) and the Primrose. 
 
 The sucker is a*branch, or secondary stem, given off under- 
 ground and rising to the surface, as in the Common Elm, Mints, 
 and Roses. 
 
INTRODUCTION XIX 
 
 Stems may be woody or herbaceous, the former being chiefly 
 characteristic of perennial plants. A woody plant with one main 
 stem at least ten or twelve feet high is called a tree ; whilst if it 
 branches freely near the ground it is a shrub, or if less than three 
 feet high, an undershrub. 
 
 A large number of plants, known as herbaceous perennials, have 
 perennial undergound stems, but send up branches above ground 
 that are annual, dying down each winter. 
 
 Aerial stems may be erect, prostrate, or ascending, horizontal, 
 that is, at first, but bending upwards at their points. They may 
 be twining, as in the Hop, Honeysuckle, and Convolvulus ; or may 
 climb in other ways, such as the roots in the Ivy, the prickles in 
 Roses, the tendrils in Tares, and the twisted leaf-stalks in Clem- 
 atis. They may be spinescent, ending in straight spines, as in the 
 Blackthorn, or they may exceptionally be flattened and leaf-life, as 
 in Butcher's-broom (p. 485). 
 
 The runner is a prostrate axillary branch, rooting at its nodes 
 and bearing buds which develop into new plants, as in the Straw- 
 berry. The offset is similar but shorter, and bears only a terminal 
 bud, as in the House-leek (p. 176). 
 
 The Leaf is most important as a means of distinguishing closely 
 allied plants. Underground stems and the aerial stems of a few 
 plants, such as the parasitic Toothwort, have small scaly or mem- 
 branous leaves ; but a typical leaf has a blade, a stalk, and a sheath, 
 or two appendages at its base known as stipules. Leaves which 
 have no stalks are termed sessile (sitting), as in Eryngo (p. 199). 
 
 The stipules may be united round the stem, as in the Knot- 
 grass family, in which, and in the Rose, 
 they occur exceptionally in addition to a 
 sheath. 
 
 Other characters of the leaves are their 
 vernation (from the Latin ver, spring), or 
 folding in the bud, their position and 
 arrangement, veining, form, base, apex, 
 margin, surface, texture, colour, and 
 duration. In vernation leaves may be 
 conduplicate, or folded down the midrib, Lea f of Rose with stipules : 
 like the two halves of a sheet of note- *> *p* x of the sheath. 
 paper, as in the cherry ; plaited, like a fan, as in the Beech ; 
 convolute, or rolled up like a scroll, as in the Plum ; involute, with 
 the margins rolled upwards, as in the Water-lily ; revolute, with 
 them rolled backward, as in the Dock ; valvate, when they touch 
 one another without overlapping ; or imbricate, where they overlap 
 like roofing-tiles. 
 
XX INTRODUCTION 
 
 In position they are either radical, springing directly from an 
 underground stem, as in the Primrose j or cauline, produced higher 
 up, on an aerial stem. Both may occur on the same plant, as in 
 Tower Mustard (p. 39). 
 
 In arrangement leaves may spring singly or scattered from the 
 stem, as in Balsam (p 105); opposite, in pairs, as in the Pink 
 (p. 69) ; or whor/ed, with more than two from one node, as in 
 Herb- Paris (p. 497). 
 
 The veins of leaves may be paralld, as in grasses ; or curved, as 
 in the Lily-of-the- Valley, with much finer cross-veins ; or irregu- 
 larly net-veined, as in the Primrose, of very varying degrees of fine- 
 ness. They may be palmate, radiating from the base of the leaf, 
 as in the Sycamore ; or pinnate, with cross-veins springing from a 
 midrib, like the barbs of a feather, as in the Beech. 
 
 The forms of leaves are very variable, and even on one plant 
 leaves may occur which can only be satisfactorily described by 
 uniting two of the following terms. 
 
 They may be needle-shaped, as in the Pine ; linear, with parallel 
 sides and more than four times as long as they are broad, as in 
 the Grasses ; oblong, with parallel sides but not more than four 
 times as long as broad, as in some Pondweeds ; oval, with rounded 
 sides, widest across the middle and more than twice as long as 
 broad, as in the Butterwort; elliptical, less than twice as long as 
 they are broad, as in the Apple ; round, as in the Water-lilies and 
 Pennyworts ; lanceolate, widest near the base and at least four 
 times as long as they are broad ; ovate, or egg-shaped, widest near 
 the base but little more than twice as long as broad, as in the 
 Pear; kidney-shaped, broader than they are long, as in the 
 Ground-Ivy; ob-lanceolate, or reversedly lance-shaped, as in the 
 Ribwort Plantain (p. 403) ; obovate, or reversedly egg-shaped, as 
 in the Cowslip; deltoid, or nearly an equal-sided triangle, as in 
 the Orache ; arrow-shaped, as in the Arrow-head (p. 511); halberd- 
 shaped, with the barbs, or auricles, as they are called, pointing out- 
 wards, as in Sheep's Sorrel ; or rhomboid, as in the Birch. 
 
 The base of the blade of the leaf may be wedge-shaped ; taper- 
 ing downwards, as in the Daisy (p. 254) ; heart-shaped, as in the 
 Violet ; oblique, or larger on one side than on the other, as in the 
 Lime-tree (p. 97) ; decurrent, when it runs down the sides of the 
 stem as a wing, as in Thistles ; perfoliate (from the Latin per, 
 through, and folium, a leaf), when the auricles are so united 
 round the stem that the stem appears to be growing through the 
 leaf as in Hare's-ear (p. 202); ox peltate (from the Latin pelta, a 
 shield), when they are so united in a stalked leaf that the stalk is 
 attached to the leaf near its centre, as in the Pennyworts (pp. 174, 
 
INTRODUCTION xxi 
 
 198). When two opposite leaves are united by their bases they 
 are called connate (from con, together, and natus, born), as in 
 the Yellow- wort (p. 329). 
 
 The point or apex of a leaf may be rounded, as in the Oak ; 
 
 Leaf of Ground Ivy. 
 
 Leaf of Sheep's Sorrel. 
 
 pointed; bristly ; notched; or reversedly heart-shaped, as in the 
 leaflets of Wood-Sorrel. 
 
 The margin of the leaf is either entire, or free from indenta- 
 tions, as in the Lily- of-the- Valley ; fringed with hairs, as in young 
 Beech leaves ; wavy, as in the Oak ; crenate, or scalloped, as in 
 the Violet; toothed ; or lobed. If the teeth point outward it is 
 termed dentate, the Holly leaf being spinously dentate ; if upward, as 
 in the Elm, the leaf is serrate or saw-edged. 
 
 When a leaf is lobed or divided, its lobes or leaflets are 
 arranged according to its venation, gener- 
 ally palmately or pinnately. The division 
 may extend to various depths from the 
 margin towards the base or midrib, the leaf 
 being termed simple, if it does not extend 
 all the way, and compound, if it divides the 
 leaf into distinct leaflets. A palmate leaf 
 of three leaflets is called ternate, as in 
 Trefoils ; one of five, quinate, as in 
 Cinquefoil (p. 148). In pinnate leaves it 
 is important to notice whether there is a 
 terminal (odd) leaflet or not; how many 
 pairs of leaflets there are ; and if these are 
 again divided up {bi-pinnate). If there is a 
 terminal lobe or leaflet larger than the rest, 
 as in the White Mustard, the leaf is called 
 
 lyrate. In describing a compound leaf it is generally only necessary 
 to mention the type on which the leaflets are arranged, whether 
 palmate or pinnate, and to describe one leaflet as if it were a 
 simple leaf. If a leaf be divided up into such fine segments that 
 
 Oblique serrate leaf of the 
 Common Elm. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 their arrangement cannot well be determined, as in the submerged 
 leaves of the Water Crowfoots, it is called decompound. 
 
 The same terms are used in describing the surfaces of leaves as 
 for those of herbaceous stems. They may be glabrous, or free 
 from hairs ; polished, as in many Evergreens and Monocoty- 
 ledons ; glaucous, with a blue-grey waxy bloom, as in the Sea-kale ; 
 downy, as in Sage ; hairy ; prickly, as in the Teazle ; or glandular, 
 dotted over with oil-glands, as in St. John's-wort. 
 
 In texture leaves may be leathery, as Holly, or fleshy, as in 
 House-leek ; and in duration they are either deciduous, dying and 
 falling in autumn or earlier, or evergreen, lasting until a new crop 
 has formed, as in the Ivy, the Pine, and the Yew. 
 
 Lyrate leaf of the Whi 
 Mustard. 
 
 Head of Scabious. 
 
 The Hairs on stems or leaves require careful notice, as to 
 whether they are few or many, long or short, stiff or weak, spread- 
 ing (erect on the surface from which they spring) or adpressed 
 (lying flat). The Nettles are the only British plants with stinging 
 hairs. 
 
 The Inflorescence is a branch known as the peduncle (literally 
 "little foot," and therefore sometimes called foot-stalk), which gener- 
 ally bears modified leaves known as bracts, from the axils of which 
 spring secondary branches, which may branch again or bear a 
 flower, the stalk immediately below a flower being termed a pedicel 
 or flower-stalk. A peduncle springing directly from an under- 
 ground stem and not bearing foliage-leaves, forms the inflorescence 
 known as a scape, which may be one-flowered, as in the Tulip, or 
 many-flowered, as in the Hyacinth, Cowslip, or Primrose. The 
 difference between the two last-named examples is that the Cowslip 
 
INTRODUCTION XX111 
 
 has a long peduncle and short pedicels ; whilst the Primrose has 
 a very short peduncle buried among its leaves, and long pedicels. 
 
 Among other chief varieties of the inflorescence are the 
 following : — The spike, an elongated axis with sessile flowers as in 
 the Plantains (p. 402). The spadix, a spike with a fleshy axis or 
 peduncle, as in Lords-and-ladies (p. 507). The catkin, generally 
 described as a deciduous spike, as in the Hazel and the Willows 
 (p. 452). The raceme, an elongated axis with stalked flowers, as 
 in Mignonette (p. 60). A corymb, which only differs from a 
 raceme in the lower pedicels being longer, so as to bring all the 
 flowers nearly to a level, as in the Wallflower. A head, in which 
 many small sessile flowers, or florets, as they are called, are 
 crowded together on the expanded apex of the peduncle, which is 
 then termed the common receptacle. This occurs in the Scabious 
 (p. xxii) and in all the great order Composites, the Daisies, Dande- 
 lions, Thistles, &c, which Linnams called " compound flowers." 
 An umbel, in which many flowers-stalks radiate from a common 
 centre, as in the Ivy (p. 225). 
 
 If an inflorescence is branched more than once it is termed 
 compound. Thus an ear of Wheat is a compound spike or spike of 
 spikelets, and the Carrot, Parsnip, Hemlocks, and most other 
 members of the Order Umbellijerce, have compound umbels. 
 
 When the terminal or central flower in a cluster opens first the 
 inflorescence is called a cyme. Among the various forms of cyme 
 are the fascicle, a crowded cluster of nearly sessile flowers, as in the 
 Pinks (p. 71), and the verticillaster or false whorl, where two such 
 clusters occur in the axils of opposite leaves, as in the Dead 
 nettles and other members of the order Labiata (pp. 379 — 401). 
 
 Bracts are small leaves which are generally to be found below 
 the flower. The inflorescence of the Crucijerce is remarkable for 
 being without any, or ebracteate. Sometimes they are mere mem- 
 branous scales, as in the Cranesbills ; or they may be leaf-like, as 
 in the Anemones ; or petaloid, resembling the petals in colour 
 and texture, as in the Wild Hyacinth. When in one or more 
 whorls below the inflorescence they are called the involucre (from 
 the Latin involucrum, an envelope). In the Dandelion the in- 
 volucre consists of two whorls of green bracts, those of the outer 
 whorl reflexed (p. 291). In the Knapweeds the numerous bracts 
 of the involucre are membranous, dark brown, and arranged 
 imbricately, i. e. overlapping like roof-tiles. All Composite and 
 most Umbelltferce have involucres. An involucre persisting in the 
 fruit stage, like the leafy husk of a Hazel-nut or the "cup" of an 
 Acorn, is termed a cupule. This structure gives its name to the 
 Order Cupuliferce. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 The Flower is a branch bearing leaves modified so as to 
 assist in the production of seed, and generally crowded together 
 on the expanded apex of the pedicel, or flower-stalk, which is 
 termed the receptacle or thalamus. As much of the classification 
 of plants is based upon the characters of the flower, a knowledge 
 of its structure is indispensable to the student. A typical flower 
 has four kinds of floral leaves, sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. 
 The sepals collectively form the calyx (Greek for a cup), and the 
 petals constitute the corolla (" little crown"). The calyx and 
 corolla together are called the perianth (Greek peri-, round, 
 anthos, a flower\ or floral envelopes whilst the stamens and 
 carpels are called the essential organs, because seed cannot be 
 formed if they are absent. If both calyx and corolla are present in 
 the same flower, as in the Buttercup, in which flower the five 
 
 Section of a flower. Asymmetric flower of Valerian. 
 
 sepals are green and the petals golden, the flower is termed 
 co uplete ; but if one of these envelopes is absent, as in the Marsh- 
 marigold, the flower is incomplete, huomplete flowers are mono- 
 chlamydeous (Greek monos, one, chlamys, a cloak) if, as in this 
 case, they have one envelope ; achlamydeous if, as in the Ash, they 
 have neither calyx nor corolla. If both stamens and carpels 
 occur in the same flower it is termed perfect ; if only one class of 
 essential organs is present the flower is imperfect, and staminate or 
 carpellate as the case may be. Plants with imperfect flowers may 
 either be monoecious (Greek monos, one, oikos, a house), where, as 
 in the Hazel, the staminate and carpellate flowers are on the same 
 plant ; or diaxious, where, as in Willows and Poplars, they are on 
 different individuals. Where neither stamens nor carpels are 
 present, as in the outer florets of the blue Cornflower, or the outer 
 flowers in the cluster of the Guelder Rose, the flower is neuter. 
 
INTRODUCTION XXV 
 
 As a rule, the leaves of each whorl are alternate with those 
 of the preceding whorl, the petals being opposite the spaces 
 between the sepals and the outer row of stamens opposite the 
 spaces between the petals. The Primrose and its allies form a 
 marked exception to this rule in that its stamens are opposite to, 
 or stand in front of, its petals. 
 
 Where the floral leaves in each whorl are similar in size and 
 shape the flower can be divided symmetr.cally in several direc- 
 tions, as in the Buttercup; and it is then called polysymmetric. 
 Where from differences in the form of the leaves it can only be so 
 divided in one direction, as in the Pea, the flower is monosymmetric. 
 Occasionally it is asymmetric, or not symmetrically divisible by 
 any plane, as in Valerian. 
 
 The Receptacle is a very important structure in the classifica- 
 tion of flowering plants, as upon it what is called the insertion of 
 the floral leaves depends. Thus if sepals, petals, stamens, and 
 carpels spring one beneath the other from a more or less conical 
 
 Flower of Cow-pars- 
 nip, showing epi- 
 gynous insertion. 
 
 Flower of Bramble, 
 showing perigynous 
 insertion. 
 
 Flower of Buttercup 
 in section, showing 
 hy pig) nous i 
 
 receptacle, as in the Buttercup, the calyx is inferior, the corolla 
 and stamens are hypogynous (Greek hupo, under, gune, a woman), 
 the carpels are superior, and the flower as a whole is called thalami- 
 floral. If, as "in the Bramble or the Strawberry, the calyx, corolla, 
 and stamens are carried out from under the carpels by a horizontal 
 disk-like extension of the receptacle, the calyx is still inferior and 
 the carpels superior, but the petals and stamens are termed 
 perigynous. So, too, if, as in the Plum or the Rose, the sepals, 
 petals, and stamens are carried up on a tube-like expansion of 
 the receptacle which does not adhere to the sides of the carpels. 
 If, as in the Apple, the Pear, and the Hawthorn, this receptacular 
 tube does adhere to the sides of the carpels, the calyx becomes 
 superior and the ovary formed by the carpels inferior, the petals 4 
 and stamens being still perigynous. If, lastly, as in Compositor 
 and Umbellijeroz, this adherent tube carries the sepals, petals, and 
 stamens on to the top of the ovary, the calyx is superior, the ovary 
 inferior, and the petals and stamens epigynous (Greek epi, upon). 
 When the petals and stamens are perigynous or epigynous the 
 
XXVI INTRODUCTION 
 
 flower is sometimes called calycifloral, as if these parts sprang 
 from the calyx. 
 
 The Calyx (from the Greek kalux, a cup) is usually green and 
 leaf-like, though it may be petaloid, as in the Marsh-marigold. 
 Its sepals may be free (pplysepalous) or united (gamosepalous), like 
 a cup. In all hypogynous flowers it will be, as we have seen, in- 
 ferior, and in all epigynous ones, superior. In direction the sepals 
 may be erect, as in the Cabbages ; ascending, as in Mustard ; spread- 
 ing, as in Strawberry ; or reflexed, as in the bulbous Buttercup. At 
 their base they may be pouched, as in the two outer ones of most 
 Cruciferce ; or they may be spurred, as in one of those of the 
 Larkspur. Even when made up of five united sepals, the calyx 
 is often bi-labiatoz or two-lipped, as in the Broom and the Sage. It 
 may be tubular, as in Centaury ; tubular and plaited, as in Prim- 
 rose, folded so as to be star-shaped if cut across ; bell-shaped, as 
 in Henbane ; barrel shaped, or urceolate, and inflated, or separated 
 by some considerable space from the corolla within it, as in the 
 Bladder-campion ; or cylindric, as in the Carnation. In some 
 Cojnpositce and other flowers the calyx is replaced by a circle of 
 hairs called a pappus, which often enlarges in the fruit stage, as in 
 Thistle-down. In duration the calyx may be caducous, falling off 
 as the flower opens, as in Poppies ; deciduous, falling with the petals 
 and stamens when the seed is set, as in the Cherry; ox persistent, 
 remaining in the fruit stage, as in the Strawberry. When persistent 
 it is generally marcescent or withered, as in the Hawthorn, Apple, 
 Medlar, and Gooseberry. 
 
 The Corolla ("little crown ") is the ring of more delicate, or 
 petaloid, leaves within the calyx, which are usually 
 coloured — that is, not green — and often fragrant. 
 They are also usually attached by a narrower base 
 than the sepals, this being sometimes drawn out 
 into a long narrow portion or claw, as in the 
 Pinks, when the broader upper part is dis- 
 tinguished as the limb. If coherent the petals 
 are gamopetalous and the united part forms the 
 corolla-tube, the junction of the tube with the 
 free limb being known as the throat. In the 
 Borage tribe the throat of the corolla is generally 
 Clawed petal of a furnished with little scales or swellings. If not 
 coherent the petals are polypetalous, and this is a 
 discriminating character of great importance in the classification 
 of Dicotyledons, as also is their insertion, whether hypogynous, 
 perigynous or epigynous, and, to a less extent, their symmetry. Of 
 polypetalous types the most important are the cruciform, consisting 
 
INTRODUCTION XXVll 
 
 or four petals placed crosswise, as in the Cruciferce {vide infra), and 
 the papilionaceous (Latin papi/io, a butterfly) characteristic of 
 the Pea and Bean tribe, in which there are five petals, the posterior 
 one — that nearest the stem — called the standard and usually the 
 largest, the two side ones termed wings, and the two lower or 
 anterior ones, often slightly united, known as the keel (p. 113). 
 
 Among gamopetalous corollas the chief polysymmetric forms 
 are — . 
 
 Tubular, narrow, as if formed by united erect petals, as in the 
 florets of Thistles or the disk-^orets of a Daisy. 
 
 Bell-shaped, wider, as in Campanula (p. 299). 
 
 Salver-shaped corolla of Cruciate corolla : c, gibbous calyx. 
 
 Primrose. 
 
 Urceolate, or barrel-shaped, as in Heaths (p. 307). 
 
 Funnel-shaped, as in the Small Field Convolvulus. 
 
 Trumpet-shaped, with reflexed margin, as in the Large White 
 Convolvulus. 
 
 Salver-shaped, with long tube and limb at right angles to it, as 
 in the Primrose. 
 
 Rotate, or wheel-shaped, with a short tube, as in Pimpernel, 
 Forget-me-not, and Elder. 
 
 The chief monosymmetric gamopetalous types are the bi-labiate, 
 or two-lipped, and the ligulate, or strap-shaped. The bi-labiate 
 may be either ringent, or gaping, as in the Natural Order Labiate; 
 ox personate (from persona, a mask), as in Toad-flax. The ligulate 
 occurs in all the florets of the sub-order Liguliflorai in the Order 
 Composite, as in the Dandelion and Chicory, and in the outer or 
 ray florets of many other Composites, such as the Daisy. 
 
 In some cases, such as the Flaxes, the corolla is fugacious, 
 falling off directly it is gathered ; and in a few others, as in 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Campanula, it is persistent, remaining in a withered condition 
 round the fruit. 
 
 The (Estivation (Latin cestivus, belonging to summer), or fold- 
 ing of the leaves of the flower in the bud, is often characteristic 
 of Natural Orders or other large groups. In Clematis the sepals 
 are valvate, touching at their edges without overlapping ; in all 
 other Ranunculacece they are imbricate, overlapping like tiles on 
 a roof. Poppies have their petals crumpled. The Malvacece 
 have their sepals valvate and their petals convolute, with one edge 
 towards the centre of the flower, and the other rolled round the 
 next petal. In Convolvulus the coherent petals are convolute and 
 twisted upwards, or contorted. 
 
 Ray-floret of Composite 
 showing ligulate corolla 
 and syngenesious anthers. 
 
 Personate corolla of 
 Toad-flax. 
 
 Ringent corolla of 
 Dead-nettle. 
 
 The Stamens usually consist of one, two, or more whorls of 
 thread-like stalks known as filaments, each surmounted by an 
 oblong or rounded body, generally two-lobed externally and two- 
 chambered within, which is called the anther, and contains the 
 pollen, a fine dust-like substance. When mature the anther 
 bursts and discharges the pollen, which is the active agent in 
 " setting ; ' or fertilising the seed. The number of stamens varies 
 from one to an indefinite number, but is very commonly either 
 the same as that of the petals or twice as many. They may be 
 equal or unequal in length : but if, as in most Labiatce and 
 Scrophulariacece, there are four stamens, two long and two shurt, 
 they are termed didynamous (Greek dis, two, dunamis, strength) ; 
 and if, as in the Crucijerai, there are six stamens, four longer than 
 
INTRODUCTION XXIX 
 
 the other two, they are termed tetradynamous. The stamens may 
 be free or united, and in the latter case they may all be united 
 into a tube below, as in the Malvacece, when they are termed 
 monadelphous (Greek monos, one, adelphos, a brother) ; or they 
 may be united in several groups or polyadelphous, as in the St. 
 John's-worts (p. 90) ; or they might be united by their anthers 
 only, as in the Composite, when they are called syngenesious 
 (Greek sun, together, genesis, beginning). In insertion they may 
 be hypogynous, perigynous, epigynous, or, when united to the 
 petals, as in the Primrose, epipetalous. In the Orchidece (p. 460) 
 the stamens are united with the carpels in a central column, and 
 are then termed gynandrous. 
 
 The filament may ho. filiform or thread-like ; capillary, or so 
 slender as to bend under the weight of the anther, as in Grasses ; 
 subulate, or awl-shaped, as in the Tulip ; petaloid or broad, as in the 
 Water-lilies ; or absent, when the anther is termed sessile, as in Lilac. 
 
 Though generally yellow, the anther is violet in many Grasses 
 and black in Poppies ; and among its chief variations in form are 
 the divergent ends of its two lobes in Grasses (p. 547). Its 
 attachment to the filament is often an important character. It 
 may be basifixed, or attached only at its base ; dorsifixed, or 
 attached along its whole length ; or versatile, so attached by a 
 point that it can be freely turned round, as in Lilies and Grasses. 
 It generally splits longitudinally when mature ; but less commonly 
 it does so transversely ; in the Heath tribe by terminal pores ; and 
 in the Barberry (p. 21) by valves. Whilst in the Composite and 
 Amaryllidacece it bursts inwards, towards the centre of the 
 blossom, or is, as it is called, introrse ; in Iridaceoz and the 
 Barberry it is extrorse, discharging its pollen outwards. 
 
 The Carpels occupy the centre of the flower. There may be 
 only one, as in the Leguminosoz and Pninece (p. 137), or more 
 than one, and in the latter case they may be free from one 
 another, or apocarpous, as in the Ranunculacece, or united 
 {syncarpous), as in Liliacea. In either case the lower part forms 
 one or more chambers, containing the ovules or unfertilised 
 seeds, which chambers, if distinct, are termed ovaries ; if united, 
 a syncarpous ovary, which may be one-chambered, as in Violets 
 and Orchids, or have two, three, or more chambers, generally as 
 many as there are carpels. Above the ovary there is generally one 
 or more shaft-like tubes called styles. Each apocarpous carpel 
 will generally have a separate style, as in the Strawberry or the 
 Bramble ; but a syncarpous ovary, such as that of the Violet or 
 the Lily, may have only one. Sometimes, as in the Daisy and the 
 Iris, the style may fork at its upper end and it bears the stigma, a 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 variously-shaped, sticky surface to which the grains of pollen 
 adhere when dropped on to it, or carried thither by wind or 
 insects. Besides noting whether the ovary is apocarpous or 
 syncarpous, its external lorm, and the number of chambers into 
 which it may be divided in'ernally, it is important to determine 
 whether it is superior, free, that is, from the calyx, or inferior, 
 that is, adherent to the calyx tube, and also how many ovules 
 there are in each chamber, and how they are arranged. This 
 arrangement is termed placentation, because the ovules commonly 
 spring from a spongy cushion-like portion of the inner wall of the 
 ovary called a placenta. As the solitary ovule in the Polygonacece, 
 in the Walnut and in the Gymnospermous l Yew appears to be a 
 direct prolongation of the branch or 
 axis, it is called terminal. That of the 
 Composite, though rising from the base 
 of the ovary and, therefore, termed 
 basal, is lateral to the axis ; whilst in 
 the Primulaceai and in the Caryophyl- 
 lacece several ovules springing from a 
 central axis in a one-chambered ovary, 
 they are called free-central; In Water- 
 lilies, Poppies, and the Flowering-rush 
 (Biitomus) the placentation is super- 
 ficial, the ovules bei 'g scattered over 
 the inner walls of the ovary. Most 
 one-chambered ovaries which contain 
 many ovules, such as that of the Violets, 
 have lines of ovules down their sides, 
 corresponding to the number of carpels. This is called parietal 
 placentation (Latin paries, a wall). The Cruciferce are exceptional 
 in having parietal placentation in a two-chambered ovary, a 
 partition (known as a replum) growing across between the two 
 placentas (p. 31). Most many-chambered ovaries have central 
 placentation, as, for example, in the Lilies or St. John's worts, in 
 which the rows of ovules spring from the central axis formed by 
 the inrolled margins of the united carpels. 
 
 The Fruit is the ovary and other adherent parts that enlarge 
 after the fertilisation of the ovules. It may be succulent or dry. 
 In the latter case, if one-seeded, it will generally be indehiscent, 
 not splitting, that is, when ripe ; but if many-seeded it will 
 commonly split, either into pieces known as nutlets, each enclos- 
 ing one or two seeds, or so as to disclose its seeds. Our chief 
 types of fruit may be thus classified — 
 
 1 Naked-seeded. (See p. xxxii.) 
 
 Diagram of apocarpous and syn- 
 carpous carpels with cross sections 
 of their ovaries. 
 
INTRODUCTION XXXI 
 
 Of one carpel (monocarpellary) — 
 
 i. Pod, or legume, dry and splitting down both sides, as in the 
 Leguminostz. 
 
 2. Drupe, or stone-fruit, with a skin, flesh, and stone, the 
 kernel being the seed, as in the tribe Prunece of the Rosacea. 
 
 Of more than one carpel (polycarpellary) — 
 Apocarpous (carpels distinct). 
 
 3. Etcerio (Greek hetairos, a companion), a collection of 
 carpels (fruit/ets), each of which may be dry, one-seeded and 
 indehiscent, when it is called an achene (Greek a, not ; chaino, I 
 split), as in the Buttercup, Strawberry, and Rose ; or each may 
 be a dry many-seeded pod ox follicle, splitting down one side, as 
 in the Marsh-marigold and the Columbine ; or each may be a 
 
 Parietal placentation. 
 
 Free-central placentation. 
 
 succulent miniature drupe or drupel, as in the Blackberry and 
 Raspberry. 
 
 Syncarpous (carpels united). 
 
 Superior. 
 
 4. Caryopsis, dry, indehiscent, and one-seeded, as in Wheat 
 and most Grasses, each grain being a fruit formed of two carpels 
 with a groove where they join. 
 
 5. Siliqua, the dry, two-chambered dehiscent pod of the 
 Cruciferce (p. 32). 
 
 6. Regma, dry, splitting into nutlets, as in Mallows, Cranes- 
 bills, Spurges, Mint, Borage, &c. 
 
 7. Samara, dry and winged, as in the Ash, Maple, and Elm. 
 
 8. Capsule, dry and dehiscent, as in the Violets, Primrose, 
 Pinks, &c, opening by valves in the Violets, by teeth in the 
 Primrose, by pores in the Poppy, and by splitting all round in the 
 Pimpernels. _ 
 
XXX11 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Inferior. 
 
 9. Cypsela (Greek Mpsele, a chest), dry, one-seeded, and 
 indehiscent, as in the Composites, and often surmounted by a 
 downy pappus, as in Thistle-down. 
 
 10. Nut, very similar, but generally larger and harder, as in the 
 Beech, Acorn, or Hazel. 
 
 11. Cremocarp, dry and spli.ting into two nutlets, as in the 
 Umbellilerce (p. 191). 
 
 12. Berry, succulent, as in the Gooseberry. 
 
 13. Pome, succulent, with a tough core, as in the Apple, Haw- 
 thorn, Mountain Ash, and other members of the suborder 
 Pomacece of the Rosacea. 
 
 Capsule of Pimpernel. 
 
 The Seeds are only naked in such plants as the Yew and the 
 
 Firs, which are, therefore, called Gymnospermia (naked-seeded). 
 
 In other flowering plants they are enclosed in the fruit, and if the 
 
 fruit is indehiscent they have commonly a brown bitter outer skin. 
 
 The seeds of dehiscent fruits are more often conspicuously 
 coloured as in the Spindle-tree (p. 108); and they 
 are sometimes, as in the Willows, Poplars, Willow- 
 herbs, &c, furnished with tufts of hair, which aid 
 in their dispersal by wind. The most important 
 distinction among seeds for purposes of classifi- 
 cation is into dicotyledonous, having two opposite 
 Dicotyledonous lobes or seed-baves {cotyledons) with the primary 
 bud between them, and monocotyledonous, with 
 
 only one such cotyledon. 
 
 Other terms which are employed in the body of the work will 
 
 be explained as they occur, or in the glossary at the end of the 
 
 volume. 
 
INTRODUCTION XXX111 
 
 PART II 
 
 THE CLASSIFICATION OF PLANTS 
 
 So great is the number of different kinds, or species, of plants 
 that no one could possibly bear them all in mind or recollect their 
 distinctive characteristics. Whilst in 1753, when the great 
 Swedish botanist Linnaeus published his " Species Plantarum," 
 only 7,300 species were known to him, botanists at the present 
 day have upwards of 100,000 species to deal with, of Flowering 
 Plants alone. It becomes necessary, therefore, to classify them in 
 a succession of larger or more general groups, according as they 
 agree with one another in many or in fewer characters. We can 
 then more readily remember the characters of the comparatively 
 few larger groups ; and, knowing them, can on examination refer 
 any plant to its position in the classification. 
 
 Plants which agree in all essential points, though differing 
 perhaps in size or in the colour of their flowers, are said to belong 
 to a single species. Naturalists of all schools of thought agree 
 that the individuals of a species have all had a common ancestry. 
 Each species has a Latin or scientific name, which since the time 
 of Linnaeus 1 has consisted of two words, the second of which is 
 peculiar to it and is known as the specific name, whilst the first is 
 known as the generic name, being shared with other species, 
 which, agreeing in certain characters, are said to belong to the 
 same genus. The, wild Sweet-scented Violet, for example, is called 
 by botanists Viola odordta, the name Viola indicating that it 
 belongs to the genus so called. Besides the Scented Violet, we 
 have wild in England the Marsh Violet, the Hairy Violet, the 
 Wood Violets, the Dog Violet, the Pansy, and several others, all 
 belonging to the same genus, and, therefore, described under the 
 name Viola. But the Marsh Violet differs from the Sweet- 
 scented in having broader and blunter leaves, in being almost 
 entirely free from hairs, and in having smaller, pale lilac, scentless 
 flowers, with a shorter spur to the corolla, besides growing in much 
 wetter situations. The Marsh Violet is, therefore, a distinct 
 species, Viola pahistris. 
 
 It is by no means easy to determine what characters are 
 sufficiently constant, true to seed, and important to constitute a 
 species. Among the Wood Violets, for instance, we may find 
 
 1 No little merit is due to Linnaeus for inventing the specific name of plants. The method 
 in use previously was to attach to every plant some such title as the following : — Gramen 
 xerampelinum, miliacea, pertenui ramosaque sparsa panicula. The name of this grass 
 Linnaeus expressed with precision and simplicity by the two words, Poa bulbosa. 
 C 2 
 
XXXIV INTRODUCTION 
 
 that most have broad-pointed leaves, broad blue petals with 
 numerous branched dark veins at their base, and a thick yellowish- 
 white spur ; but that some have the leaves drawn out into a longer 
 point, the petals narrower and more lilac, with few slightly- 
 branched veins, and a compressed dark-bluish spur. Some 
 botanists consider these two forms as distinct species, V. 
 Rivinidna and V. sylvestris, whilst others call them both varieties 
 of V, sylvestris, the first being then known as V. sylvestris, var. 
 Rivinidna, and the second as V. sylvestris, var. Reichenbachidna, 
 "var." being the abbreviation of the Latin " varietas." 
 
 On the leaf-stalk of a Sweet-scented Violet or of a Wood 
 Violet we shall find two small narrow stipules ; but in the Pansy 
 we shall see that these are replaced by a pair that are large, leafy, 
 and pinnately-lobed. This is only one of the characters that 
 make us separate the Pansy as a distinct species, V. tricolor. 
 Sweet Violets, Wood Violets, Pansies, and in fact all other 
 Violets, though thus differing specifically, agree in having mono- 
 symmetric flowers with ear-like lobes (auricles) at the base of each 
 of their five sepals, a spur to the posterior petal, and five united 
 anthers with tail-like appendages from the base of two of them. 
 These, then, are the generic characters of the genus Viola. 
 According to the theory of descent, all the species in a genus are 
 descended from a common ancestry, but from a common ancestry 
 more remote than that common to the individuals constituting a 
 species. In grouping species in one genus all the characters of 
 the plants have to be taken into consideration, and we shall com- 
 monly find that all the species of any one genus will agree in the 
 number and insertion of their floral leaves, the kind of fruit, and 
 the general type of leaf; but that the species will differ from one 
 another in the size and form of the various parts. The mere 
 colour of petals or of fruit is generally considered only as a 
 varietal character. So far as a classification does take all the 
 characters of plants into account, it is a natural system ; whilst 
 one based only upon a single set of characters is an artificial 
 system. 
 
 The best of all artificial systems is that of Linnaeus, based 
 primarily upon the number and arrangement of the stamens, and 
 secondarily upon the carpels. Like all other artificial systems, 
 this is a mere index, telling nothing about a plant beyond the 
 one character considered, separating plants obviously allied, and 
 placing together others which have but one character in common. 
 Linnaeus himself recognised the tentative character of his system. 
 " All plants," he says, in his " Philosophia Botanica," " are allied 
 by affinities, just as territories come in contact with each other on 
 
INTRODUCTION XXXV 
 
 a map. Botanists should unceasingly endeavour to arrive at a 
 natural system of classification. Such a natural system is the 
 final aim of botanical science. Our insufficient knowledge of 
 plants is what renders such a system impracticable at present." 
 
 Botanists nowadays seldom employ the Linnsean System, pre- 
 ferring the more difficult but more instructive Natural System. 
 In this we may reverently be said to be thinking out for ourselves 
 the thoughts of the Creator, for, according to the theory of 
 descent, which gives us the most rational explanation of the 
 meaning of resemblances, we are reconstructing the pedigree 
 of the Vegetable Kingdom. 
 
 One of the most striking assurances that our system is truly 
 natural is afforded us by the discovery that many groups of genera 
 classed together in what we term natural orders, solely on account 
 of structural characters, agree closely also in their properties. 
 This obviously also gives a practical utility to the system. In the 
 present work, for instance, adopting a system based upon those of 
 Antoine Laurent de Jussieu (1774) and Auguste Pyrame de 
 Candolle (18 13), we group the genera into natural orders, the 
 Latin names of which are adjectival, ending in a, agreeing with 
 the word plantce understood. The name of the first of these 
 orders, Ranunculacea, means " plants allied to Ranunculus," and 
 the Order includes, in addition to the Buttercups (Ranunculus), 
 Anemones, Hellebores, Aconites, Larkspurs, Columbines, 
 Pseonies, Clematis, and others. These agree in the absence of 
 any union between the parts of their flowers and in having 
 hypogynous and generally numerous stamens ; but they also agree 
 in having an acrid, often poisonous, juice. Another large 
 Natural Order, the Crucifera, consists almost exclusively of 
 herbaceous plants with simple leaves, flowers without bracts, four 
 sepals, four petals, six stamens, of which four are longer than the 
 other two, and two united carpels forming a siliqua j but they 
 also agree in being wholesome and generally pungent from the 
 presence of oil of mustard. Yet another group, the Labiata, 
 agree in their square stems, opposite and decussate, simple 
 leaves, two-lipped (bi-labiate) corollas, four stamens, two long and 
 two short, and two carpels dividing into four nutlets ; but they 
 also agree in being aromatic from the presence of volatile essen- 
 tial oils in which are dissolved camphor-like substances. The 
 structure of a newly-discovered plant may thus afford a traveller 
 considerable information as to its probable properties. 
 
 The Vegetable Kingdom is now generally divided into four sub- 
 kingdoms : the Thallophyta, including seaweeds and fungi ; the 
 Bryophyta, or mosses and liverworts ; the Pteridophyta, or ferns, 
 
XXXVI INTRODUCTION 
 
 horsetails, and club mosses ; and the Phanerogamia, or Sperma- 
 tophyta, the flowering, seed-bearing plants. Of these only the 
 last comes within the scope of the present work. It is divided 
 into two divisions, very unequal in the number of species belong- 
 ing to them : the Angiosperms, or fruit-bearing plants, which have 
 their ovules enclosed in closed ovaries with a viscid stigma to 
 receive the pollen ; and the Gymnosperms, including the cone- 
 bearing trees, which have naked seeds and no stigmas, the pollen 
 falling directly upon the ovule. The Angiosperms, the larger 
 division, is subdivided into two classes, the Dicotyledons and the 
 Monocotyledons. The characters of these classes, and of the sub- 
 classes, series, and orders into which they are divided, are fully 
 given in the body of the work. 
 
 PART III 
 
 THE IDENTIFICATION OF PLANTS 
 
 A few words may be of use here as to the way to employ the 
 body of the book when we wish to find out the name of any 
 flowering plant we may have met with in our walks. Suppose we 
 have found on some chalk-down a small wiry undershrub with 
 opposite entire leaves and conspicuous yellow flowers, in what 
 part of this work must we look for its name and description ? 
 Even if we cannot detect the netted veins in the leaves, the five 
 petals make us suspect the plant to be a Dicotyledon. There is 
 a calyx of three larger and two minute sepals below the petals, 
 and these last are not united ; so that it almost certainly belongs 
 to the sub-class Polypetalae, as we see by the Tabular View of the 
 Natural Orders on pp. xxxix — 1. Not only is the ovary distinctly 
 above both calyx and corolla, or " superior," but the numerous 
 stamens clearly spring from beneath it, and are, therefore, 
 " hypogynous." The plant belongs then to the series Thalamiflorae. 
 An examination and dissection of the ovary, or, more easily, of 
 the capsular fruit, shows a number of ovules or seeds springing in 
 three rows from the sides of a one-chambered ovary. It is, there- 
 fore, almost certainly " syncarpous," and for that reason does not 
 belong to Orders i or 2. The leaves at once tell us that it can 
 hardly belong to Orders 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 in the Tabular View ; but 
 all its characters agree with those of Order 8, the Cistinece, or 
 Rock-Rose Family, so we turn to the fuller description of this 
 group at p. 61, to which we are referred in the Tabular View, 
 before looking elsewhere. There we find that there is but one 
 British genus in the Order, viz. Helidnthzmum, and that, of the 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 four truly British species, only one, H. Chamtzcislus, is at all 
 common. The prostrate growth, small stipules, and green upper 
 surfaces of its leaves at once show us that it is to this species, the 
 Common Rock-Rose, that our specimen belongs. 
 
 We mav find a second example to test at no great distance. It 
 is an erect, herbaceous plant with smooth leaves and long racemes 
 
 helianthemum cham^ecistus 
 (Common Rock-Rose). 
 
 KESEDA LUTEOLA 
 
 {Dyer's Rocket). 
 
 of green flowers. Here again the veins and stipules of the leaves 
 and the four sepals and petals, though the latter are so cut up as 
 to be difficult to count, suggest a Dicotyledon. The numerous 
 stamens spring from a relatively large, fleshy out rowth or "disk," 
 which is hypogynous, but by its one-sided development renders 
 the flower monosym metric. The ovary is distinctly superior, 
 springing from the top of this disk and is three-sided externally 
 
XXXVill INTRODUCTION 
 
 and one-chambered, and contains three lateral rows of ovules. 
 These characters make us again turn to the Polypetalae and, 
 among them, to the Thalami florae. We soon see that the ovary- 
 does not agree with those described in the Tabular View under 
 Orders i — \, or, for that matter, 5 or 6, whilst the numerous 
 stamens at once make us pass over these last two Orders and 
 pause at Order 7, the Reseddcecz, or Mignonette Family. Turning 
 to the fuller description of this group on p. 59, we again find but 
 one British genus, Reseda, containing two wild species. The 
 undivided leaves and four sepals of the plant before us enable us 
 to decide between these two. It is R. Luteola, the Weld or Dyer's 
 Rocket. 
 
 COCHlearia dXnica {Danish Scurvy-grass). 
 
 One more example will suffice. The plant to be examined is a 
 small annual herb growing near the sea or in the m irshes bordering 
 some tidal river. Its leaves are rather fleshy and have no stipules, 
 the lower ones are heart-shaped, and the upper ones, which have 
 short petioles, are deltoid or angular. The white flowers with 
 four distinct green sepals, four white petals and six stamens, of 
 which four are longer than the other two (tetradynamous), after 
 referring us, as before, in succession to Dicotyledons, to Polypetalae, 
 and to Thalamiflorae, cause us, in running through the characters 
 of the Orders, to pause at Order 6, the Cruciferce, or Cabbage 
 Family. This is a large Order containing more than twenty-five 
 genera, so we have to turn to the table of these genera on pp. 
 32 — 34. We may have some little difficulty here ; but, if we find 
 
INTRODUCTION XXXIX 
 
 any fruit on our specimen, the short pod which is not flattened 
 but inflated, and contains a number of seeds, and the unnotched 
 petals suggest the genus Cochledria, the Scurvy-grass. On turning 
 to the description of this genus on p. 49 we find that it includes 
 three or four British species ; but that, among these, the stalked 
 deltoid leaves and egg-shaped pod show our specimen to be C. 
 ddnica, the Danish Scurvy-grass. 
 
 By puzzling out every plant he meets with in this manner the 
 student fixes their distinctive structural characters in his mind, 
 and acquires a far more valuable knowledge of plants than he 
 would get by being told their names, by identifying them from 
 pictures, or by any artificial key. 
 
 TABULAR VIEW OF THE NATURAL 
 ORDERS 
 
 Sub-ktngdom. Spermatophy les or Phanerogams. — Plants pro- 
 ducing flowers and seed. 
 
 Division i. Angiosperms. — Plants having their ovules in 
 closed ovaries. 
 
 Class i. Dicotyledons. — Plants having two cotyledons, 1 net- 
 veined leaves and floral leaves in whorls of 5, 4, or 2. (pp. 1- 
 456.) 
 
 Sub-Class i. Polyp'etalce. — Having both calyx and corolla, 
 and the petals of the latter free. 2 (pp. 1-228.) 
 
 Series i. Thalamiflorce. — Petals and stamens hypogynous; 
 oavry superior. 3 (pp. 1-107.) 
 
 § Ovary apocarpous 
 
 Order i. Ranunculdcece (The Buttercup Family). — Except 
 Clematis, herbs with watery, generally acrid juice ; scattered 
 leaves ; sepals 3 or more ; petals usually 5 ; stamens usually 
 indefinite ; fruit of achenes or follicles ; with no cohesions in the 
 flower, (p. 1.) 
 
 Order 2. Berberidece (The Barberry Fnmily). — Shrubs with 
 scattered leaves ; polysymmetric flowers ; sepals 6 — 9 ; petals 6 ; 
 stamens 6 ; opening by valves ; fruit berry-like. (p. 20.) 
 
 1 Almost every character is in nature subject to exceptions ; thus the Oak has often three 
 cotyledons, the Dodder hardly a vestige of any. 
 
 2 Flowers without corolla occur in Ranunculaceae, Cruciferae, Violaceae, Caryophylteceae, 
 Rosaceae, Saxifrageae, Halorageae, Lythraceas, Onagraceae. Petals more or less coherent 
 occur in Fumariaceas, Polygalaceae, Portulaceae, Tamaricineae, Malvaceae, Ilicfneae, Cras- 
 suliceae, and Cucurbitaceae. 
 
 3 Stamens apparently springing from a perigynous disk in Castalia (NymphasaceaeX 
 
Xl INTRODUCTION 
 
 §§ Ovary syncarpous ; carpels many ; ovules many. 
 
 Order 3. Nymphcedcece. (The Water-lily Family). — Water- 
 plants with floating leaves ; solitary, large polysymmetnc flowers ; 
 petals many, gradually passing into stamens ; stamens indefinite ; 
 carpels enclosed in cup-like disk; ovules superficial, (p. 21.) 
 
 Order 4. Papaverdcece (The Poppy Family). — Herbs with 
 milky juice ; scattered leaves ; conspicuous polysymmetric 
 flowers ; sepals 2, caducous ; petals 4 ; stamens indefinite ; ovules 
 superficial or parietal ; fruit capsular, (p. 24.) 
 
 §§§ Ovary syncarpous, 1 — 2-chambered ; carpels 2 — 5 ; ovules 
 parietal. 
 
 Order 5. Fumaridcecz (The Fumitory Family). — Herbs with 
 watery juice ; divided leaves ; flowers in bracteate racemes, 
 monosymmetric ; sepals 2 j petals 4, the inner pair coherent ; 
 stamens 4, diadelphous ; carpels 2 ; ovary one-chambered, 
 (p. 29.) 
 
 Order 6. Cruciferce (The Cabbage Family). — Herbs, often 
 pungent, with scattered, exstipulate, simple leaves; flowers in 
 ebracteate racemes, polysymmetric ; sepals 4 ; petals 4 ; stamens 
 6, tetradynamous ; carpels 2 ; ovary two-chambered ; fruit a 
 siliqua. (p. 31.) 
 
 Order 7. Reseddcece (The Mignonette Family). — Herbs, with 
 scattered, exstipulate leaves ; flowers greenish, in bracteate 
 racemes, monosymmetric; sepals 4 — 7, persistent; petals 4— 7; 
 stamens indefinite ; carpels 3 ; ovary one-chambered, (p. 59.) 
 
 Order 8. Cistinece (The Rock-Rose Family). — Undershrubs 
 with entire, opposite leaves ; conspicuous polysymmetric flowers ; 
 sepals 3 — 5 ; petals 5 ; stamens indefinite ; carpels 3 ; ovary one- 
 chambered, (p. 61.) 
 
 Order 9. Violdcece (The Violet Family.) — Herbs with scat- 
 tered, stipulate, simple leaves ; flowers monosymmetric ; sepals 
 5 ; petals 5, i-spurred; stamens 5 ; carpels 3 ; ovary one-chambered; 
 ovules many. (p. 63.) 
 
 Order 10. Polygaldcece (The Milkwort Family). — Herbs with 
 scattered, exstipulate, simple leaves ; flowers in racemes, mono- 
 symmetric ; sepals 5, the inner ones petaloid ; petals 3 — 5 ; 
 stamens 8, diadelphous ; carpels 2 ; ovary two-chambered ; ovults 
 2. (p. 66.) 
 
 Order ii. Frankenidcea> (The Sea Heath Family). — A herb 
 with opposite, exstipulate leaves ; small, axillary, polysymmetric 
 flowers; sepals, petals, and stamens 4 — 6 each; carpels 2 — 5; 
 ovary one-chambered, (p. 67.) 
 
INTRODUCTION xli 
 
 §§§§ Ovary syncarpous, one-chambered ; carpels 2 — 5 ; placenta 
 free-central or basal 
 
 Order 12. Caryophylldcece. (The Pink Family).— Herbs, mostly 
 with swollen nodes ; opposite, simple leaves ; flowers polysym- 
 metric, white or red; sepals 4 — 5 ; petals 4 — 5 ; stamens 8 — 10 ; 
 styles 2 — 5 ; ovules many ; placentation free-central ; fruit a 
 capsule, opening by teeth or pores, (p. 69.) 
 
 Order 13. Portuldcece (The Purslane Family). — Smooth, suc- 
 culent herbs with exstipulate, simple, entire leaves, opposite or 
 alternate ; small flowers ; sepals 2 ; petals 5 ; stamens 3 — 5 ; 
 ovules few, basal, (p. 87.) 
 
 Order 14. Tamarisdnece (The Tamarisk). — A shrub with 
 minute leaves and lateral spikes of small flowers ; sepals and 
 petals 4—5 each; stamens 4 — 10, on a disk; styles 3; ovules 
 many, basal, (p. 88.) 
 
 §§§§§ Ovary syncarpous, two- or more-chambered ; placentas 
 axile 
 
 Order 15. Elatinaz (The Waterwort Family). — Small aquatic 
 herbs with opposite, stipulate, spathulate leaves and minute 
 axillary flowers ; sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels 2 — 5 each ; 
 ovules many. (p. 89.) 
 
 Order 16. Hypericinece (The St. John's-wort Family). — 
 Herbs or shrubs with opposite, simple leaves, often dotted with 
 glands, and conspicuous yellow polysymmetric flowers, generally 
 in cymes ; sepals 5 ; petals 5 ; stamens polyadelphous ; carpels 
 3 — 5 ; ovules many. (p. 90.) 
 
 Order 17. Malvdcece (The Mallow Family). — -Herbs or shrubs 
 with mucilaginous juice, scattered, stipulate leaves, and conspicuous 
 polysymmetric flowers ; sepals 5, valvate ; petals 5, convolute ; 
 stamens monadelphous ; carpels many, each i-ovuled. (p. 
 92.) 
 
 Order 18. Tilidcecs (The Linden Family). — Trees with 
 scattered, stipulate, oblique, serrate leaves, a large bract adherent 
 to the flower-stalk, and clusters of greenish polysymmetric flowers ; 
 sepals 5 ; petals 5 ; stamens many ; carpels 5, each 2-ovuled. 
 (p. 96.) 
 
 Order 19. Linece (The Flax Family). — Herbs with slender 
 stems ; narrow, simple, entire, exstipulate leaves and polysym- 
 metric flowers ; sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels 4 — 5 each ; 
 petals fugacious ; carpels 2-ovuled. (p. 97.) 
 
 Order 20. Geranidcece (The Crane's-bill Family). — Herbs, 
 often succulent, with leaves generally stipulate ; and conspicuous 
 
Xlil INTRODUCTION 
 
 poly symmetric or monosymmetric flowers ; sepals 3 — 5 ; petals 
 3 — 5 ; stamens 5 — 10; carpels 3 — 5; ovules 1 or more in each 
 chamber, (p. 99.) 
 
 Order 21. llidnecB (The Holly). — A tree with evergreen 
 spinous leaves and small white flowers ; sepals, petals, stamens, 
 and carpels 4 — 5 each ; fruit berry -like, with 4 one-seeded stones. 
 (p. 106.) 
 
 Series 2. Calyciflbra;. — Petals and stamens perigynous or 
 epigynous; ovary superior or inferior. 1 (pp. 107-228.) 
 
 § Stamens perigynous ; ovary generally superior 2 
 
 Order 22. Celastrinece (The Spindle-tree). — A shrub or tree, 
 glabrous ; with opposite leaves ; small greenish flowers ; pink, 
 fleshy capsules, and orange seeds; sepals, petals, stamens, carpels, 
 and seeds usually 4 each. (p. 108.) 
 
 Order 23. Rhdmnea (The Buckthorn Family). — Shrubs with 
 simple leaves, small, greenish flowers, and berry-like fruit ; sepals, 
 petals, and stamens 4 — 5 each ; stamens opposite petals ; ovary 
 3-chambered ; chambers i-ovuled. (p. no.) 
 
 Order 24. Acerinece (The Maple Family). — Trees with opposite 
 palmately-lobed leaves and small, green, polysymmetric flowers ; 
 sepals and petals 4 — 9 each ; stamens 8, on a disk ; carpels 2 ; 
 fruit a double samara, (p.m.) 
 
 Order 25. Leguminosce (The Pea Family). — Shrubs or herbs 
 with scattered, stipulate, usually compound leaves and papilion- 
 aceous flowers ; sepals and petals 5 each ; stamens 10, monadelph- 
 ous or diadelphous ; carpel 1 ; fruit a pod. (p. 113.) 
 
 Order 26. Rosacea (The Rose Family). — Trees, shrubs, or 
 herbs with scattered, stipulate, simple or compound leaves and 
 polysymmetric flowers ; sepals 4 — 5 ; petals 4 — 5 ; stamens 
 many ; carpels, 1, 2, 5, or many, free or united ; fruit various. 
 
 (P- I37-) 
 
 Order 27. Saxifrd%ecB (The Saxifrage Family). — Shrubs and 
 herbs with polysymmetric flowers ; sepals 4 — 5 ; petals 4 — 5 ; 
 stamens 4 — 10; carpels 2 — 4, united, (p. 165.) 
 
 Order 28. Crassuldcece (The Stonecrop Family). — Succulent 
 herbs with simple leaves and polysymmetric flowers ; sepals, 
 petals, and carpels 3 — 20 each, usually 5 ; stamens usually twice 
 as many as the petals ; carpels free, forming follicles, (p 172.) 
 
 Order 29. Droserdcece (The Sundew Family). — Small viscid 
 marsh plants with radical leaves, small white polysymmetric 
 
 1 The stamens are sometimes indistinctly perigynous in Leguminosae, Saxifrageae, Crassu- 
 laxeae, and Droseracea. 
 
 2 It is inferior in some Rosaceae and Saxifrageae. 
 
INTRODUCTION xliii 
 
 flowers, and capsular fruits ; sepals, petals, and stamens 5 each ; 
 carpels 3 — 5; ovules many. (p. 177.) 
 
 Order 30. Lythrdriece (The Loosestrife Family). — Herbs with 
 entire, generally opposite leaves and polysymmetric flowers ; 
 sepals and petals 3 — 6 each ; stamens generally twice as many a.5 
 the petals; carpels 2 — 6 ; fruit a many-seeded capsule, (p. 178.) 
 
 Order 31. Halordgece (The Mare's-tail Family). — Aquatic 
 htrbs with opposite or whorled leaves and very inconspicuous 
 flowers ; sepals 2 — 4, or absent ; petals 2 — 4, valvate or absent ; 
 stamens 1 — 8 ; carpels 1 — 4 ; styles distinct ; ovules 1 in each 
 chamber, (p. 180.) 
 
 Order 32. Onagrariecz (The Willow-herb Family).— Herbs 
 with simple exstipulate leaves and generally conspicuous poly- 
 symmetric flowers; sepals 2 — 4, valvate ; petals 2 — 4, contorted, 
 or absent ; stamens 2— 8 ; carpels 1 — 6, usually 4. (p. 184.) 
 
 Order 33. CucurbitdcecB (The White Bryony). — A hispid 
 climbing herb with tendrils, palmately-lobed leaves, greenish 
 dioecious flowers, and scarlet berries; sepals 5, united; petals 5, 
 united; stamens 3; carpels 3. (p. 189.) 
 
 Order 34. UmbelUferce (The Parsley Family). — Herbs, mostly 
 with pinnate leaves, sheathing at the base, and compound umbels 
 of small white flowers ; sepals, petals, and stamens 5 each ; carpels 
 2, i-ovuled ; fruit a cremocarp. (p. 191.) 
 
 Order 35. Aralidcece (The Ivy Family). — A climbing shrub 
 with adhesive rootlets, evergreen leaves, simple umbels of yellow- 
 ish flowers, and black benies; sepals, petals, stamens, carpels, and 
 seeds 5 each. (p. 225.) 
 
 Order 36. Corndcecz (The Dogwood Family). — Shrubs and 
 herbs with opposite leaves, small flowers, and berry-like fruits ; 
 sepals, petals, and stamens 4 each ; carpels 2, i-ovuled. (p. 
 226.) 
 
 Sub-Class 2. Gamopetala. — Having both calyx and corolla 
 and the petals of the latter united. 1 (p. 228-407.) 
 
 Series i. Epigynce. — Ovary inferior. 2 (pp. 228-304.) 
 
 § Stamens epipetalous 3 
 Order 37. Caprifolidcece (The Honeysuckle Family).— Trees, 
 shrubs, and herbs with opposite leaves and generally conspicuous 
 
 Gamopetalous_ forms occur exceptionally among Polyp^talae. (See p. xxxix, rote.) 
 :e petals occur in some Ericaceae, Plumbagines, and Gentianeae. Petals are absent in 
 :Primulacee and Oleaceae. 
 
 2 The ovary is also inferior in some Primulaceae. 
 
 3 The stamens are also epipetalous in some Campanulaceae. 
 
xllV INTRODUCTION 
 
 flowers, sometimes monosymmetric ; sepals 3 — 5 ; petals 3—5 ; 
 stamens 4 — 10 ; carpels 3 — 5 ; ovules 1 or many in each chamber, 
 (p. 228.) 
 
 Order 38. Rubidcece (The Bedstraw Family). — Herbs with 
 whorled leaves and small polysymmetric flowers ; sepals, petals, 
 and stamens 4 — 6 each ; carpels 2, i-ovuled. (p. 234.) 
 
 Order 39. Valeridnea (The Valerian Family). — Herbs with 
 opposite leaves and small asymmetric flowers ; sepals 3 — 5, often 
 pappose ; petals 3 — 5 ; stamens 1 or 3 ; carpels 3 ; ovary i-ovuled. 
 
 (P- 239-) 
 
 Ordsr 40. — Dipsdcecz (The Teazle Family). — Herbs with 
 opposite leaves and heads of small flowers, each with 4 or 5 petals 
 and 4 free stamens; ovary i-chambered and i-ovuled. (p. 243.) 
 
 Order 41. Composites (The Composite Family). — Herbs with 
 heads of small flowers with tubular or ligulate corollas and 4 — 5 
 stamens with syngenesious anthers ; style 2-fid ; ovary 1 -chambered, 
 i-ovuled. (p. 246.) 
 
 § § Stamens on the ovary (epigynous) 
 Order 42. Campanuldcece (The Bellflower Family). — Herbs 
 with milky juice, scattered leaves, and usually conspicuous bluish 
 flowers ; sepals, petals, and stamens 5 each ; carpels 2 — 5 ; ovules 
 many ; placentation axile (p. 295.) 
 
 Order 43. Vaccinidcea (The Cranberry Family). — Under- 
 shrubs with scattered, simple leaves ; small, drooping, reddish or 
 pink flowers, and edible berries ; sepals, petals, and carpels 4 — 5 
 each ; stamens 8 — 10. (p. 302.) 
 
 Series 2. Hypbgynce. — Ovary superior, (pp. 304 — 407.) 
 
 § Stamens free (hypogynous) 
 
 Order 44. Ericdcece (The Heath Family). — Trees, under- 
 shrubs, or herbs with opposite or whorled, evergreen leaves, and 
 small, often conspicuous polysymmetric flowers ; sepals, petals, and 
 carpels 4 — 5 each ; stamens 5 — 10. (p. 304.) 
 
 Order 45. Monotrbfiece (The Bird's-nest Family). — A fleshy 
 yellowish saprophyte with scattered brown scale-leaves and bell- 
 shaped polysymmetric flowers ; sepals, petals, and carpels 4 — 5 
 each ; petals scarcely cohering ; stamens 8 — 10 ; fruit a capsule ; 
 seeds many. (p. 312.) 
 
 §§ Stamens epipetalous l 
 Order 46. Plumbaginea (The Thrift Family). — Herbs, 
 mostly maritime, with radical leaves and small flowers ; sepals, 
 
 1 Except in some Plantaginese and Illecebraceae. 
 
INTRODUCTION xlv 
 
 petals, and stamens 5 each ; stamens opposite the petals ; carpels 
 3 — 5; ovary i-chambered, i-ovuled. (p. 313.) 
 
 Order 4.7. Primuldcea (The Primrose Family). — Herbs, 
 mostly with radical leaves, cc nspicuous polysym metric flowers, 
 and capsular fruits ; sepals, petals, and stamens 4 — 9 each ; 
 stamens opposite the petals ; ovary i-chambered ; placentation 
 free-ct ntral ; ovules many. (p. 315.) 
 
 Order 48. Oied.ece (The Olive Family). — Trees or shrubs with 
 opposite leaves and small polysymmetric flowers ; sepals and petals 
 4 each, or absent ;. stamens 2 ; fruit a samara or berry-like. (p. 324.) 
 
 Order 49 Apocyndcece. (The Periwinkle Family). — Perennial, 
 slender, prostrate undershrubs with milky juice ; opposite, ever- 
 green, entire leaves, and large polysymmetric flowers ; sepals, 
 petals, and stamens 5 each ; corolla salver-shaped, contorted in 
 bud. (p. 326.) 
 
 Order 50. Gen'.idnece. (The Gentian Family).— Bitter glabrous 
 herbs, mostly with opposite, simple, entire leaves and conspicuous 
 polysymmetric flowers ; sepals, petals, and stamens 4 — 10 each ; 
 carpels 2 ; fruit a capsule ; se. ds many. (p. 327.) 
 
 Order 51. Polemonidcece (The Jacob's Ladder). — An erect 
 herb with pinnate leaves and compicuous polysymmetric flowers ; 
 sepals, petals, and stamens 5 each ; carpels 3 ; fruit a 3-chambered, 
 many-seeded capsule, (p. 334.) 
 
 Order 52. Boraginece (The Borage Family). — Herbs, mostly 
 rough, with scattered, simple leaves, and conspicuous polysym- 
 metric flowers ; sepals, petals, and stamens 5 each ; carpels 2, 
 2-ovuled ; fruit a regma of 4 i-seeded nutlets, (p. 334.) 
 
 Order 53. Convolvuldcece (The Bindweed Family).— Herbs, 
 generally twining, with scattered, simple leaves, or leafless, and 
 polysymmetric flowers ; sepals, petals, and stamens 4 — 5 each ; 
 carpels 2, 2-ovuled ; fruit a 4-seeded capsule, (p. 345.) 
 
 Order 54. Solandcece (The Nightshade Family). — Herbs or 
 shrubs with scattered leaves and polysymmetric flowers ; sepals, 
 petals, and stamens 5 each ; carpels 2 ; fruit a capsule, or berry- 
 like, many-seeded, (p. 348.) 
 
 Order 55. Scrophularinecz (The Figwort Family). — Herbs 
 having mostly conspicuous monosymmetric flowers ; sepals, 
 petals, and stamens- 4 — 5 each ; corolla often bi-labiate ; stamens 
 generally didynamous ; carpels 2 ; fruit a 2-chambered, many- 
 seeded capsule, (p. 353.) 
 
 Order 56. Orobanchdcece (The Broom-rape Family). — Fleshy, 
 brownish parasites, with scattered scale-leaves and monosymmetric 
 flowers ; sepals 4 — 5 ; petals 5, bi-labiate ; stamens didynamous ; 
 carpels 2 ; fruit a i-chambered, many-seeded capsule, (p. 371.) 
 
xlvi INTRODUCTION 
 
 Order 57. Lentibuidriece (The Butterwort Family). — Insecti- 
 vorous marsh herbs with monosym metric, conspicuous flowers ; 
 sepals and petals 5 each, usually bi-labiate ; stamens 2 ; carpels 2 ; 
 fruit a i-chambered, many-seeded capsule, (p. 374.) 
 
 Order 58. Verbendcea (The Vervain). — An erect, branched 
 herb with opposite leaves and a compound spike of small mono- 
 symmetric flowers ; sepals and petals 5 each ; corolla bi-labiate ; 
 stamens didyna.nous ; fruit a regma of 4 1 -seeded nutlets, (p. 377 ) 
 
 Order 59. Labidtce. (The Labiate Family). — Aromatic herbs 
 with square stems, opposite leaves and verticill isters of bi-labiate 
 flowers ; sepals and petals 5 each, usually bi-labiate ; stam ns 
 didynamous ; carpels 2 ; fruit a regma of 4 i-seeded nutlets. 
 
 (P- 379-) 
 
 Order 60. Plantaginea (The Plantain Family). — Herbs with 
 simple, radical leaves and small greenish flowers ; sepals, petals, 
 and stamens 4 each, with slender filaments and exserted anthers ; 
 carpels 2 — 4 ; fruit a 1 — 4-chambered capsule, (p. 401.) 
 
 Order 61. Illecebrdcea (The Knot-grass Family). — Small 
 herbs with simple, sessile leaves and small flowers ; sepals and 
 petals 4 — 5 each, or petals absent ; stamens 1 — 10 ; carpels 2 — -3 ; 
 ovary i-chambered, i-ovuled. (p. 404 ) 
 
 Sub-Class 3. Incomp etcz. — Corolla, and sometimes calyx also 
 absent, (pp. 407—456 ) 
 
 Series i. Monochlamydece. — Corolla alone absent, (pp. 407 
 —434) 
 
 § Ovary superior and usually i-chambered and i-ovuled 1 
 
 Order 62. AmaranthdcecB (The Amaranth Family). — An 
 annual, glabrous, prostrate herb, with scattered, petiolate, simple 
 leaves, and small, axillary, green, monoecious flowers ; sepals and 
 stamens 3 — 5 each. (p. 407.) 
 
 Order 63 Chenopodidcea (The Goose-foot Family). — Herbs 
 with simple leaves, or leafless jointed stems and inconspicuous 
 g;een flowers; sepals 3 — 5, persistent ; stamens 1 — 5. (p. 408.) 
 
 Order 64. Polygondcetz (The Persicaria Family). — Herbs with 
 scattered simple leaves with sheathing stip lies and small flowers ; 
 sepals 3 — 6, green or coloured, usually persistent ; stamens 5 — 8. 
 (p. 416.) 
 
 Order 65. Thymelcedcece (The Daphne Family). — Shrubs with 
 toug i inner bark ; simple, entire leaves ; and sweet-scented perfect 
 flowers ; sepals 4; stamens 8 ; fruit berry-like. (p. 423.) 
 
 Order 66. E'teazndcece (The Sea Buckthorn). — A shrub with 
 silvery scales ; scattered, simple, entire leaves, and inconspicuous 
 
 1 It is 2-chambered in the Elms (UrticSceae). 
 
INTRODUCTION xlvtf 
 
 dioecious flowers ; sepals 2 — 4, persistent ; stamens 4 ; fruit berry- 
 like, (p. 425.) 
 
 Order 67. Urticdcece (The Nettle Family). — Trees, shrubs or 
 herbs with tough inner bark ; simple, usually stipulate and serrate 
 leaves; and small flowers; sepals 1 — 8; stamens 4 — 8; carpels 
 1 — 2 ; ovary sometimes 2-chambered. (p. 425.) 
 
 § § Ovary inferior 
 
 Order 68. Aristolochidcecz (The Birthwort Family). — Herbs 
 
 and climbing shrubs with scattered simple leaves and perfect 
 
 flowers, sometimes monosymmetric ; sepals 2 — 3, sometimes 
 
 coloured; stamens 6 — 12; ovary 4 — 6-chambered; ovules many. 
 
 (P- 430.) • 
 
 Order 69. Loranthdcece (The Mistletoe). — A green, parasitic, 
 much-branched shrub with opposite, simple, entire leaves ; incon- 
 spicuous dioecious flowers and white viscid .berries ; sepals and 
 stamens 4 each; ovary i-chambered, i-ovuled. (p. 431.) 
 
 Order 70. Santaldcece (The Bastard Toad-flax). — A slender, 
 perennial, herbaceous, prostrate root parasite, with scattered, linear 
 leaves and inconspicuous perfect flowers ; sepals and stamens 
 4 — 5 each; ovary i-chambered; ovules 3 ; fruit dry, i-seeded. 
 (P- 433-) 
 
 Series 2. Achlamydece. — Calyx and corolla both absent; 1 
 flowers imperfect, (pp. 434-456.) 
 
 § Flowers not in catkins 
 
 Order 71. Empetrdcece (The Crowberry). — An evergreen 
 mountain shrub, resinous, with scattered narrow leaves ; incon- 
 spicuous, dioecious flowers ; and a drupaceous fruit ; perianth of 
 6 scales ; stamens 3 ; overy 6 — 9-chambered ; ovules 1 in each 
 chamber, (p. 434.) 
 
 Order 72. Enphorbidcetz (The Spurge Family). — Trees, shrubs, 
 or herbs generally with milky juice ; leaves scattered, simple ; 
 flowers inconspicuous, sometimes in cup-like involucre ; stamens 
 1,4, or 8 — 20; carpels 2 — 3; ovules 1 — 2 in each carpel. 
 
 (P- 435-) 
 
 Order 73. Ceratophyllecz (The Hornwort Family). — Sub- 
 merged herbs with whorled dichotomous leaves and minute 
 monoecious flowers; stamens 12 — 20; ovary i-chambered, 
 i-ovuled. (p. 442.) 
 
 §§ Flowers in catkins 
 
 Order 74. Myricdcece. (The Bog-Myrtle). — An aromatic marsh 
 shrub with scattered simple leaves, inconspicuous flowers and a 
 
 1 Exept in the Box and the Mercury (Euphorbiacese). 
 
 d 
 
Xlviii INTRODUCTION 
 
 small drupe ; stamens 4 — 8 ; ovary 1 -chambered, i-ovuled. 
 
 (P- 443-) 
 
 Order 75. Cupuliferce (The Mast bearing Family). — Trees or 
 shrubs with scattered, simple, stipulate leaves and small flowers; 
 stamens 2 — 20; carpels 2 — 3, 1 — 2 ovuled ; fruit a 1 — 2-cham- 
 bered nut with 1 seed in each chamber, (p. 444.) 
 
 Order 76. Salicinece (The Willow Family). — Trees, shrubs, or 
 herbs, with scattered, simple, stipulate leaves, and conspicuous 
 catkins which generally precede the leaves ; stamens 2 — 30 ; 
 carpels 2 ; ovary i-chambered ; seeds many, with silky hairs. 
 (P- 45i) 
 
 Class II. Motwcotyledotis. — Plants having one cotyledon, 
 parallel-veined leaves and floral leaves generally in whorls of 3. 1 
 (pp.456— 591.) 
 
 Sub-Class i. Petaloidece — Having the perianth usually petal- 
 oid and coloured, not, as a rule, green or glumaceous. 2 (pp. 457 
 -521.) 
 
 Series i. Epigynce. — Perianth superior, (pp. 457 — 482.) 
 
 Order 77. Hydrocharidece (The Frog-bit Family). — Aquatic 
 herbs with conspicuous flowers, polysymmetric and dioecious ; 
 sepals and petals 3 each; stamens 3 — 12; carpels 3 — 6; fruit a 
 berry, (p. 4S7-) 
 
 Order 78. Orchidece (The Orchid Family). — Herbs mostly 
 with tuberculate roots and conspicuous monosymmetric flowers ; 
 sepals, petals, and carpels 3 each ; stamens 1 — 2, gynandrous ; 
 ovary 1 -chambered ; fruit a many-seeded capsule, (p. 459.) 
 
 Order 79. Iridece (The Iris Family). — Herbs with fleshy under- 
 ground stems, narrow leaves and handsome flowers ; sepals, petals, 
 stamens, and carpels 3 each ; ovary 3-chambered ; fruit a many- 
 seeded capsule, (p. 473.) 
 
 Order 80. Amaryllidece (The Amaryllis Family). — Herbs with 
 bulbs, narrow leaves and handsome polysymmetric flowers ; sepals, 
 petals, and carpels 3 each ; stamens 6 ; ovary 3-chambered ; fruit 
 a capsule; seeds 3 or more. (p. 477.) 
 
 Order 81. Dioscdrece (The Black Bryony). — A climbing herb- 
 aceous perennial with broad, glossy, net-veined leaves and small 
 monoecious flowers ; sepals, petals, and carpels 3 each ; stamens 6 ; 
 ovary 3-chambered; fruit a berry; seeds 6. (p. 481-) 
 
 1 Leaves are net-veined in the Black Bryony (Dioscoreaceae), Herb Paris (Liliaceae), and 
 Arum (Aroideae) ; and the floral leaves are in whorls of four in Naiadaceae. 
 
 2 The perianth is membranous or green in Juncaceae, Naiadaceae, and Eriocauleee, and 
 absent in Typhaceae, Aroideae, and Lemnaceae. 
 
INTRODUCTION xlix 
 
 Series 2. Hypbgyna. Perianth inferior or absent, (pp. 483 
 -521.) 
 
 Order 82. Lilidcece. (The Lily Family).— Mostly herbs with 
 conspicuous, polysymmetric flowers ; sepals, petals, and carpels 
 3 each ; stamens 6 ; ovary 3-chambered ; seeds 3 or more. 
 
 (P- 483-) 
 
 Order 83. Juncdcece (The Rush Family). — Herbs with cylindnc 
 or narrow leaves and small brown flowers ; perianth membranous ; 
 sepals, petals, and carpels 3 each ; stamens 6 ; ovary 1 — 3- 
 chambered; fruit capsular; seeds 3 or more. (p. 497.) 
 
 Order 84. Typhdcece (The Reed-mace Family).— Erect aquatic 
 plants with long linear leaves and small monoecious flowers in 
 conspicuous spikes or heads ; perianth absent ; stamens many ; 
 fruit i-chambered, 1 seeded, (p. 503.) 
 
 Order 85. Aroidece (The Cuckoo-pint Family). — Herbaceous 
 perennials with radical leaves, sometimes net-veined and small 
 flowers on a fleshy spadix enclosed in a leafy spathe ; perianth of 
 6 leaves or absent; stamens 1—6; ovary 1 — 3-chambered; fruit 
 berry-like ; seeds few. (p. 506.) 
 
 Order 86. Lemndcecz (The Duckweed Family). — Minute float- 
 ing plants with green thalloid fronds, rarely flowering; flowers 
 very minute, in a spathe; stamen 1; ovary i-chambered; ovules 
 1—7. (p. 508.) 
 
 Order 87. Ahstndcece (The Water-Plantain Family). — Water- 
 plants with radical, regularly net-veined leaves and conspicuous 
 perfect flowers ; sepals and petals 3 each ; stamens 6, 9, or more ; 
 carpels numerous and distinct, or nearly so, 1 — 2-ovuled. (p. 509.) 
 
 Order 88. Naiaddcece (The Pond-weed Family). — Aquatic 
 plants, mostly with floating or submerged leaves and inconspicuous 
 flowers ; sepals 4 — 6 or absent ; stamens and carpels 1 — 6 each ; 
 ovules 1 — 3 in each carpel, (p. 512.) 
 
 Order 89. Eriocdukce (The Pipe-wort). — An aquatic plant 
 with subulate leaves and minute monoecious flowers ; sepals, petals, 
 and carpels 2 each ; stamens 4 ; ovary 2-chambered ; chambers 
 i-ovuled. (p. 521.) 
 
 Sub-Class 2. Glumiferce. — Having no true perianth, but the 
 flowers in the axils of chaff-like scales (glumes) forming spikelets. 
 (pp. 521—591.) 
 
 Order 90. Cyperdcece (The Sedge Family). — Herbs with stems 
 usually solid and triangular in section ; leaves tristichous, linear, 
 with tubular sheaths ; stamens 1 — 3 ; anthers basifixed ; carpels 
 and stigmas 2 — 3 ; ovary i-chambered, i-ovuled. (p. 522.) 
 
1 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Order 91. Graminece (The Grass Family). — Herbs with stems 
 usually hollow ; leaves distichous, linear, with split sheaths ; 
 stamens 2 — 3; anthers versatile ; carpels and stigmas 1 — 2; ovary 
 i-chambered, i-ovuled. (p. 546.) 
 
 Division II. Gymnosperms. — Plants having no ovary, the 
 ovules being naked, (pp. 591 — 596.) 
 
 Class I. Coniferce. — Trees and shrubs with rigid, evergreen, 
 needle-shaped or linear leaves ; and imperfect flowers, the staminate 
 ones deciduous and catkin-like, the seed-bearing ones either a 
 solitary ovule or a cone of fleshy or wooden scales, (pp. 591 — 596). 
 
 Order 92. Araucaridcece (The Monkey-Puzzle Family). — 
 Cones perfect ; seeds with woody or leathery testa and no aril. 
 
 (P- 592.) 
 
 Order 93. Taxdcece (The Yew Family). — Seeds projecting 
 beyond carpels or without carpels, with fleshy testa or aril. 
 (P- 595-) 
 
FLOWERS OF THE FIELD 
 
 Division I. ANGIOSPERMS 
 
 Class I. DICOTYLEDONS 
 
 This is the more extensive of the two classes into which ordinary 
 flowering-plants, or angiosperms, are divided, and derives its name 
 from the two cotyledons or leaves of the embryo which are almost 
 invariably present in the seed of this class. These cotyledons 
 enclose the plumule or bud of the future shoot, which, when the 
 seed begins to sprout or germinate, lengthens into the leafy stem. 
 At the same time the embryo in this class puts forth in a down- 
 ward direction a main root, called in its early stages a radicle. 
 In the perennial woody members of the class the stem increases 
 in diameter by annual concentric layers of wood formed near 
 the outer surface of the stem, but beneath the bark, this type of 
 stem being called exogenous (growing externally). The leaves 
 have irregularly netted veins of various degrees of fineness. The 
 flowers have their sepals and petals, and (less regularly) their 
 stamens and carpels, in whorls of 5 each or sometimes of 2 or 4. 
 
 Sub-Class I. POLYPETAL^ 
 
 Flowers generally furnished with both calyx and corolla ; petals 
 generally distinct. 
 
 Series I. THALAMIFLOR^.— Ord. I.— XXI 
 
 Petals and stamens springing from the floral receptacle or thala- 
 mus, below the ovary (hypogynous) ; ovary superior. 
 
 Natural Order I. Ranunculaceje. — The 
 Buttercup Family 
 
 Herbs with a watery, acrid, and often poisonous juice and 
 scattered leaves (except Clematis, which is a shrub with opposite 
 leaves) The leaves are generally much divided, and the flowers 
 
2 CLASS DICOTYLEDONS 
 
 conspicuous and either poly symmetric or monosymmetric. The 
 sepals and petals sometimes graduate into one another, and are 
 often spurred, the sepals being 3, 5, or more, and the petals often 
 absent, or 5, rarely 2, 4, or more. The stamens are indefinite in 
 number and hypogynous ; the carpels rarely 1 or 2, generally 3 — 5 
 or more numerous, distinct, and forming either an etaerio of one- 
 seeded indehiscent achenes or a ring of many-seeded follicles. 
 In Actcea there is exceptionally a berry-like fruit. The Order is a 
 numerous one, chiefly characteristic of temperate regions. Many 
 of them are garden favourites. Species of Aconiium yield valu- 
 able drugs. 
 
 f Carpels i-seeded 
 
 1. Clematis. — A shrub with opposite pinnate leaves, climbing 
 by twisting its leaf-stalks ; sepals 4 — 6, petaloid, valvate ; petals o ; 
 carpels ending in a long feathery tail. 
 
 2. THALfcTRUM. — Sepals 4 — 5, petaloid, imbricate ; petals o j 
 carpels without tails. 
 
 3. Anem6ne. — Involucre of three leafy bracts some distance 
 below the flower ; sepals 4 — 20, petaloid, imbricate ; petals o. 
 
 *4. Adonis. — Sepals 5, petaloid, imbricate; petals 5—10, 
 scarlet ; carpels without tails. 
 
 5. Myosurus. — A small plant ; sepals 5, imbricate, spurred ; 
 petals 5, tubular ; carpels along an elongated axis. 
 
 6. Ranunculus. — Sepals 3 — 5, imbricate ; petals 5 or more, 
 with a nectary at the base ; carpels in an oblong or globular head. 
 
 ft Carpels many- seeded 
 
 7. Caltha. — Sepals 5, petaloid, imbricate, yellow ; petals o ; 
 fruit of numerous follicles. 
 
 8. Tr6llius. — Sepals 5 — 15; petaloid, imbricate, yellow; 
 petals 5 — 15, small, linear, flat; fruit of 5 or more follicles. 
 
 9. Helleborus. — Sepals 5, persistent ; petals 5 — 10, small, 
 tubular, bi-labiate ; fruit of 3 to 10 sessile follicles. 
 
 *io. Eranthis. — Sepals 5, deciduous ; petals 5, small, tubular, 
 bi-labiate, clawed ; fruit of 5 or 6 stalked follicles. 
 
 11. Aquilegia. — Sepals 5, petaloid, deciduous; petals 5, large, 
 spurred ; fruit of 5 follicles. 
 
 *i2. DelphInium. — Flower monosymmetric; sepals 5, petaloid, 
 deciduous, the posterior one spurred ; petals 2 — 4, 2 enclosed in 
 spur; fruit of 1 — 5 follicles. 
 
 * Genera the numbers of which are preceded by an asterisk, and species the numbers of 
 which are followed by one, are probably not wild. 
 
BUTTERCUP FAMILY 3 
 
 13. Aconitum. — Flower monosymmetric ; sepals 5, petaloid, 
 deciduous, the posterior one hooded ; petals 2 — 5, 2 tubular, with 
 long claws, enclosed in hood ; fruit of 3 — 5 follicles. 
 
 14. Actma.— Sepals 3 — 5, petaloid, caducous; petals 4, 
 minute, or absent ; fruit berry-like, black, many-seeded. 
 
 15. P^onia. — Sepals 5, persistent; petals 5 — 10 ; fruitof 2 — 5 
 follicles. 
 
 1. Clematis (Traveller's Joy). — A shrub with woody stem; 
 leaves opposite, compound, exstipulate, some of them climbing by 
 
 Clematis VitAlba {Traveller's Joy). 
 
4 RANUNCULACE.*: 
 
 twisting their petioles ; sepals 4, valvate, petaloid ; petals o ; 
 stamens many ; carpels many, i-ovuled ; fruit an etaerio of achenes 
 with long feathery awns. (Name from the Greek klema, a vine 
 shoot.) 
 
 1. C. Vitdlba (Traveller's Joy). — The only British species. A 
 hedge shrub especially common on calcareous or chalky soils ; 
 well distinguished in summer by its numerous clusters of greenish- 
 white, sweet-scented flowers ; and still more conspicuous in autumn 
 and winter from its tufts of feathery-white fruits, whence it gets 
 the popular name of " Old Man's Beard." — Fl. May, June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. THAiicTRUM (Meadow-rue).— Perennial ; leaves compound, 
 stipulate ; stipules united to the leaf-stalk ; sepals 4 — 5, imbricate, § 
 petaloid ; petals o ; stamens many, ' 
 yellow ; carpels few, i-ovuled ; 
 fruit an etaerio of achenes with- 
 out awns. (Name from the 
 Greek thallo, I flourish.) 
 
 1. T. Alpinum (Alpine Meadow- 
 rue). — Stem unbranched ; leaves 
 bi-ternate ; glaucous beneath ; 
 
 flowers in a simple terminal 
 raceme, drooping; sepals pur- 
 plish. — A graceful little plant, 
 4 to 10 in. high, occurring on the 
 mountains of Wales and Scot- 
 land. — Fl. June — August. 
 
 2. T. minus (Lesser Meadow- 
 rue). — Stem 6— t8 in. high, 
 branched, rigid, zigzag, furrowed, 
 leafless at the base ; leaves bi- or 
 tri-pinnate, stipulate, glaucous ; 
 stipules with spreading auricles ; 
 leaflets ternate, 3-cleft ; petioles 
 with angular, ascending branches; 
 flcnvers in a loose compound 
 
 raceme with spreading or sub- 
 ^ erect branches, drooping ; pedicels 
 
 slender ; sepals 4, pale purplish or 
 yellow-green ; stamens conspicuous, yellow, with apiculate anthers. 
 A form with broadly-spreading inflorescence occurs on sand-dunes, 
 one with more erect growth on dry stony pastures. — Fl. June — 
 August. 
 
 THAL^CTRUM ALPINUM (AlpitU MeodoW-TU 
 
Fig. i. Traveller's Joy. [Clematis Vmitba). 
 
BUTTERCUP FAMILY 5 
 
 3. T. mdjus (Greater Meadow-rue). — Stem 2 — 4 feet high, 
 solid or hollow, branched, leafy to the base, flexuous, more or less 
 furrowed ; leaves bi- or tri-pinnate, stipulate ; stipules with horizon- 
 tally-spreading or reflexed auricles ; leaflets large, variable, 3 — 5 
 lobed ; petioles with spreading branches ; flowers in a loose, 
 generally leafy, compound raceme with spreading branches, 
 drooping ; sepals 4, yellow-green ; anthers apiculate. A form with 
 a solid stem and reflexed auricles to its stipules occurs in damp 
 
 thalIctrum flavum (Yellow Mead<nv~rue). 
 
 copses and stony places, chiefly in the north. — Fl. July, August. 
 The taller form, with a hollow, less furrowed stem, smaller leaflets, 
 horizontally-spreading auricles to the stipules, and no leaves among 
 the flowers, grows only in the Lake district. 
 
 4. T. flavum (Yellow Meadow-rue). — Stem erect, branched, 
 furrowed, 2 — 4 feet high ; leaves bipinnate ; flowers crowded, erect, 
 pale yellow. — Not uncommon about the banks of ditches and 
 rivers. — Fl. July, August. 
 
ranunculXce^; 
 
 3. Anemone (Wind-flower). — Perennial herbs with under- 
 ground stems ; leaves radical, deeply lobed ;flo7vers solitary, with an 
 involucre of three leafy, lobed bracts some distance below each ; 
 sepals 4 — 20, petaloid, imbricate ; petals o; stamens many; carpels 
 many, i-ovuled ; fruit an etaerio of achenes. (Name from the 
 Greek dnemos, the wind, from the exposed situations in which 
 they grow.) 
 
 axemos'e Pulsatilla {Pasque-flower}. 
 
 1. A. Pulsatilla (Pasque-flower). — Silky, 4 — 10 in. high ; leaves 
 tripinnate, with linear segments, increasing after flowering; 
 involucre sessile, with linear segments ; flowers drooping in bud, 
 1 \ in. across ; sepals violet, silky outside, slightly reflexed ; 
 stamens yellow , achenes with feathery awns ; peduncle lengthening 
 after flowering. — In high pastures ; rare. Its beautiful flowers 
 appear about Easter-tide {Paques), from which the plant derives its 
 popular name. — Fl. March — June. 
 
BUTTERCUP FAMILY 
 
 2. A. nemorbsa (Wood Anemone). — 4 — 8 in. high ; leaves 
 radical, petiolate, bi-ternately lobed ; involucre stalked, leaves 
 resembling the radical ones; flowers drooping, 1 — \\ in. across; 
 sepals 6, petaloid, white, or tinged with pink, very rarely blue, 
 glabrous, spreading; achenes without awns, downy. One of our 
 
 anemone nemorosa {Wood Anemone). 
 
 most beautiful, though also one of the commonest, spring flowers. 
 — Fl. March — May. 
 
 3.* A. ranunculbides (Yellow Anemone), with ternate or 
 quinate leaves, sub-sessile involucre and yellow sepals, and 
 
 4.* A. apemiina (Apennine Anemone), with numerous narrow 
 blue sepals and erect flowers, both flowering in April, are* 
 occasionally met with as escapes from cultivation. 
 
 *4- Ad6nis (Pheasant's-eye).— An annual herb, with much- 
 
s 
 
 ranunculXce^e 
 
 divided leaves ; sepals 5, imbricate ; petals 5 — 10 ; carpels many, 
 i-ovuled ; fruit an etaerio of achenes without awns. (Named from 
 Adonis, a beautiful youth, who, according to Greek legend, was 
 
 adonis Annua (Pheasants-eye). 
 
 killed by a wild boar, his blood colouring the neighbouring flowers.) 
 1.* A. annua (Autumn Pheasant's-eye). — 6 — S in. high, with 
 
BUTTERCUP FAMILY 
 
 tripinnatifid leaves, finely cut into linear segments, and scarlet 
 petals, black at their bases, flowering from May to September, 
 occurs as a weed in cornfields, but is not a native. 
 
 5. Myosurus (Mouse-tail). — A small annual herb ; leaves 
 
 MYOSORUS MINIMUS (/)/, 
 
 radical, linear; inflorescence several 1 -flowered scapes; sepals 5, 
 spurred ;petals 5, tubular; stamens few; carpels numerous, arranged 
 spirally on an elongated floral receptacle, i-ovuled;/r«//an eta^rio 
 of achenes, without awns. (Name from the Greek muds oura } 
 mouse's tail.) 
 
«o 
 
 ranunculAce/e 
 
 i. M. minimus (Mouse-tail). — i — 5 in. high ; leaves fleshy ; 
 peduncle 1—4 in. high ; petals pale yellowish ; receptacle 1 — \\ in. 
 long, tapering. — This little plant grows in cornfields, generally in 
 damp places, and is easily distinguished from every other British 
 plant by the arrangement of its carpels, which resembles a 
 mouse's tail. — Fl. April — June. 
 
 6. Ranunculus (Crowfoot, Buttercup, &c). — Herbs, annual 
 or perennial ; leaves entire, palmately lobed, or compound, some- 
 
 ran^nculus aquatilis (Water Crowfoot). 
 
 times with membranous stipules ; sepals 5, rarely 3, imbricate, 
 deciduous ; petals 5 or more, with a nectary at the base, yellow or 
 white ; stamens many, yellow ; receptacle globular or oblong ; 
 carpels many, i-ovuled ; fruit, an etaerio of achenes, apiculate. 
 (Name, the diminutive from the Latin rana, a frog, an animal 
 which frequents the kind of places where these plants grow.) 
 
BUTTERCUP FAMILY II 
 
 * Petals white, with a yellow claw. 
 
 i. R. aqu&tilis (Water Crowfoot). — This was Linnaeus' 
 collective name for a very puzzling group of plants, which botanists 
 now consider as at least nine or ten distinct species. They are 
 all water-plants with submerged leaves deeply cleft into hair-like 
 segments, and broad membranous stipules. The chief forms 
 are : R. circindtus, with large flowers, no floating leaves, and the 
 segments of the submerged ones rigid and spreading in one 
 plane; R. fluitans, with much longer leaf-segments all lying 
 parallel, leaves often a foot long, but flower-stalks shorter ; R. 
 pseudo-fluitans, with similar but shorter leaves and much longer 
 peduncles ; R. trichophyllus with small flowers, and the leaf- 
 segments rigid and spreading, but not in one plane ; R. Drouetu, 
 in which the leaf-segments collapse into a tassel when taken from 
 the water ; R. l-eterophyllus, with large flowers on stalks as long as 
 the leaves, submerged leaves collapsing into a tassel, and 3-lobed 
 floating leaves ; R. peltdtus, in which the segments of the sub- 
 merged leaves spread out when taken from the water ; R. 
 Baudotii, with stouter flower-stalks and floating leaves deeply 
 divided into wedge-shaped segments ; and R. intermedins, with 
 small pinkish flowers on short slender stalks, and seldom any sub- 
 merged leaves. The forms without floating leaves are the " long 
 mosses in the stream " of Tennyson. Those with floating leaves 
 occur in standing water. — Fl. May — September. 
 
 2. R. Lenormdndi (Mud Crowfoot). — Floating or creeping on 
 mud ; leaves all reniform, crenate ; flowers \ in. across. — Fl. 
 June — August. 
 
 3. R. hederdceus (Ivy-leaved Crowfoot). — Leaves all reniform, 
 5-lobed, often with a black spot on them ; flowers very small ; 
 
 petals scarcely longer than the calyx. — Growing in water or on 
 mud. — Fl. May — September. 
 
 ** Petals yellow. Terrestrial. 
 
 4. R. scelerdtus (Celery-leaved Crowfoot). — Stem 1 — 2 feet 
 high, hollow, with abundant very acrid juice ; leaves glabrous, 
 glossy, cut into three oblong lobes ; floivers very small, pale 
 yellow ; fruit an oblong etserio. — Growing in watery places. — Fl. 
 May — September. Annual. 
 
 5. R. F/dmmula (Lesser Spearwort). — Stem creeping at the 
 base, 4—18 in. high; leaves petiolate, ovate, or lanceolate, hairy 4 
 or glabrous ; flowers \ — § in. across. Named from its causing 
 inflammation or redness of the skin. — Growing in wet places. — 
 Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
ranunculAceje 
 
 6. R. reptans (Prostrate Spearwort). — A slender creeping form 
 with linear leaves, occurs rarely in the north ; and 
 
 7. R. scbticus, with its earlier radical leaves reduced to recurved 
 subulate petioles, grows under water near the shores of lakes in 
 the north-west of Scotland. 
 
 8. R. Lingua (Great Spearwort).— Stem erect, hollow, 2 — 3 feet 
 
 high ; cauline leaves lanceo- 
 late, sessile, 6 — 10 in. long, 
 but earlier submerged ones 
 cordate and obtuse ; flowers 
 2 in. across. — The largest 
 British species, an uncommon 
 but handsome plant, growing 
 in watery places. (Named 
 from the shape of the leaf.) — 
 Fl. June — September. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 9. R. auricomus (Goldi- 
 locks). Root fibrous ; stem 
 slender, about a foot high, 
 nearly smooth ; radical leaves 
 long-stalked, reniform, 3 — 
 7-lobed ; cauline leaves sessile, 
 palmatifid, with sub-entire 
 lobes ; f in. across ; sepals 
 spreading, downy, yellow ; 
 petals often partly absent. — 
 In copses. — Fl. April, May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 10. R. dcris (Buttercup). — 
 Root fibrous ; stem sometimes 
 a rhizome, without runners ; 
 radical leaves palmately 3 — 
 7-lobed, lobes deeply cut ; 
 cauline leaves 3-lobed with 
 entire linear lobes ; peduncle 
 
 branched, not furrowed, 1 — 3 feet high, hairy ; flowers 1 in. 
 across ; sepals downy, spreading ; carpels glabrous. — -Meadows. — 
 Fl. April — September. Perennial. 
 
 11. R. ripens (Creeping Buttercup). — Differing mainly in its 
 less height, long runners, and furrowed hairy peduncle. — A trouble- 
 some weed in meadows and waste ground. — Fl. May — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 12. R.bulbbsus (Bulbous Buttercup).— Differing mainly in its 
 
 r. bulb6sus {Bulbous Buttercup). 
 
BUTTERCUP FAMILY 1 3 
 
 stem, about i foot high and bulbous at the base ; glabrous, fur- 
 rowed peduncle ; and reflexed sepals. — Meadows.— Fl. May, June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 1 3. R. sdrdous (Pale Hairy Buttercup). — Root fibrous ; stem 
 6 — 18 in. high, hairy; leaves lobed ; peduncle furrowed, with 
 spreading or reflexed hairs ; flowers i in. across ; sepals reflexed ; 
 petals pale yellow ; carpels compressed, with smajl warts near the 
 margin. — Waste places.— Fl. June — October. Annual. 
 
 14. R. parviflorus (Small-flowered Crowfoot). — Differing in its 
 
 R. ficaria {Lesser Celandine). 
 
 prostrate, hairy stem ; less divided leaves ; flowers not more than 
 \ inch across ; and hooked tubercles on the carpels. — Dry waste 
 places. — Fl. May — August. Annual. 
 
 15. R. arvensis (Corn Crowfoot). — Nearly glabrous; stem 
 erect ; leaves deeply 3-lobed, with linear-lanceolate lobes ; flowers 
 \ in. across ; sepals spreading ; petals pale yellow ; carpels few and 
 very spinous. — Cornfields. — Fl. May — July. Annual. 
 
 16. R. Ficaria (Lesser Celandine). — Glabrous. Root fasci- 
 culate ; leaves mostly radical, cordate, stalked, angular, or crenate ; 
 flowers about 1 in. across; sepals 3 — 5; petals 8 — 12, acute, 
 golden-yellow ; carpels small, smooth. One of our brightest 
 spring flowers, studding every bank with its numerous glossy 
 starlike flowers, the favourite of the poet Wordsworth, not to be 
 
14 
 
 ranunculAcej<e 
 
 confounded with the greater Celandine (see p. 29). — Fl. March — 
 May. Perennial. 
 
 7. Caltha (Marsh Mangold). — Aquatic glabrous herbs, with 
 five yellow, imbricate, deciduous sepals, no petals, and a ring of 
 
 CALTHA PALLSTRIS {Marsh Marigold). 
 
BUTTERCUP FAMILY I 5 
 
 5 — to sessile many-ovuled carpels forming follicles in the fruit. 
 (Name from the Greek kdlathos, a cup.) 
 
 i. C. palustris (Marsh Marigold, Walter Blobs). — A handsome 
 plant, resembling a gigantic Buttercup, abundant in marshes and 
 by the sides of streams. Leaves large, kidney-shaped, and glossy, 
 
 tr6llius europ^us (Globe-flower), 
 
 with large membranous stipules ; flowers i — 2 in. across ; sepals 
 golden-yellow. — Fl. March — May. Perennial. 
 
 8. Tr6llius (Globe-flower). — Erect perennial herbs ; leaves 
 palmately lobed ; sepals 5 — 15, petaloid, imbricate, concave; 
 petals 5 — 15, narrow, clawed; carpels 5 or more, forming sessile 
 follicles. (Name from the Scandinavian troll, a witch.) 
 
RANUNCULACE^E 
 
 i. T. europceus (Globe-flower, Witches' Gowan). — A large ana 
 handsome plant, i — 2 feet high, common in gardens, and growing 
 
 helleborus viRiDis (Green Hellebore) 
 
 wild in the mountainous parts of Scotland, Wales, and the north 
 of England. Sepals orbicular, concave, converging into the form 
 of a globe, pale yellow ; petals and stamens included. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial, 
 
Fig 2 Columbine. (Aquilegia vulgaris) 
 
BUTTERCUP FAMILY 17 
 
 9. Helleborus (Hellebore). — Perennial herbs ; leaves pal- 
 mately or pedately lobed ; sepals 5, large, herbaceous, imbricate, 
 persistent ; petals 5 — 10, small, tubular, 2-lipped, clawed ; fruit 
 of 3 — 10 sessile follicles. (Name from the Greek lielein, to take 
 away, and bora, food, from its use as an emetic.) 
 
 1. H. v'iridis (Green Hellebore, Bear's-foot). — A herbaceous 
 perennial, about 1 foot high ; leaves palmatisect, 5 — 7 lobed ; 
 flowers \\ — 2 in. across; sepals green, spreading; petals con- 
 taining honey, which is said to be poisonous. — Thickets on 
 chalky soil. — Fl. March — April. Perennial. 
 
 2. H. fostidi/s (Stinking Hellebore, Setterwort). — Stem peren- 
 nial, 1 — 2 feet high ; leaves pedate ; flotvers 1 in. across, drooping ; 
 sepals green, tipped with dull purple, converging. Best distin- 
 guished from the preceding by its leaves, which are not divided 
 to a common centre, and by the purplish hue of its sepals. — 
 Thickets on chalky soil. — Fl. February — April. Perennial. 
 
 Both species are somewhat doubtful natives, generally found 
 near houses. Small flies may sometimes be found caught in the 
 honey of the tubular petals. H. niger, a handsome species, with 
 large white or rose-coloured flowers, is the well-known Christmas 
 Rose of our gardens. 
 
 *io. Eranthis (Winter Aconite). — A small perennial herb 
 with a fleshy rhizome ; leaves palmatisect ; flowers solitary ; sepals 
 5 — 8, deciduous, yellow ; petals small, tubular, 2-lipped, with a 
 long claw ; follicles 5 — 6, stalked. (Name from the Greek er, 
 spring, and dnthos, flower.) 
 
 \.*E. hyemdlis (Winter Aconite). — Stem 4 — 6 in. high ; leaves 
 orbicular, deeply 3 — 7-lobed, glossy, lobes linear-oblong, obtuse ; 
 involucre, of sessile leafy bracts, just below the solitary, golden- 
 yellow flower. — Common in gardens, and sometimes naturalised. 
 — Fl. January — March. Perennial. 
 
 11. Aquilegia (Columbine). — An erect perennial herb; leaves 
 2 — 3-ternate ; flowers handsome, 1 — 2 in. across ; sepals 5, peta- 
 loid, deciduous ; petals 5, each with a long spur ; follicles 5. 
 (Name from the Latin aquila, an eagle, the claws of which the 
 spurs of the petals are supposed to resemble.) 
 
 1. A. vulgaris (Columbine). — The only British species, common 
 in gardens, to which in spring it is very ornamental, with its 
 delicate glaucous leaves ; and no less so in summer, with its 
 curiously-shaped and variously-coloured flowers. When growing 
 wild, its flowers are usually blue, purple, or white. It may be 
 distinguished from all other British flowers by having each of its 
 c 
 
1 8 RANUNCULACE;<E 
 
 five petals terminated in an incurved horn-like spur. It derives 
 its name, Columbine, from the fancied resemblance of its flowers 
 
 AQUiLfclA V01X3XRIS (Columbine). 
 
 to a nest of doves, columba being Latin for a dove. — Woods and 
 heaths. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 *i2. Delphinium (Larkspur). — Erect herbs; leaves divided; 
 flowers in racemes, monosymmetric ; sepals 5, petaloid, deciduous, 
 the posterior one with a long spur ; petals 2 — 4, the two posterior 
 ones spurred and enclosed within the spur of the calyx ; fruit of 
 1 — 5 follicles. (Name from the Greek delphis, a dolphin, from a 
 fancied resemblance in the form of the flower.) 
 
BUTTERCUP FAMILY 
 
 19 
 
 I.* D. Ajdas (Larkspur). — About a foot high; leaves cut into 
 many linear lobes ; flowers 4 — 16 in a raceme, 1 in. across, blue, 
 white, or pink; fruit of 1 pubescent follicle. — A doubtful native, 
 though often in considerable quantity in sandy or chalky corn- 
 fields. — Fl. June, July. Annual. Several species are grown in 
 gardens. 
 
 13. Aconitum (Monk's-hood). — Erect perennial herbs; leaves 
 palmately lobed ; flowers racemose, monosymmetric ; sepals 5, 
 petaloid, deciduous, the posterior one hooded ; petals 2 — 5, the 
 twc posterior ones tubular, with long claws, enclosed within the 
 
 delphinium AJACIS {Larkspur). 
 
 aconItum napellus {Monk's-hood). 
 
 hooded sepal ; follicles 3 — 5. (Name classical, but of uncertain 
 origin.) 
 
 1. A. Napellus (Monk's-hood, WolPs-bane). — 1 — 2 feet high; 
 rhizome fusiform, black ; leaf lobes pinnatifid ; raceme unbranched ; 
 flowers 1 — 1 \ in. across, purplish-blue. A common garden 
 plant, remarkable for the curious structure of its flower, especially 
 the hammer-like honey-containing petals enclosed under the hood. 
 The name Napellus is a diminutive of napus, the Latin for a 
 turnip, from the shape of the rhizome ; but the whole plant, and 
 especially this rhizome, is very poisonous. It derives its name of 
 Wolfs-bane from being used to poison the bait in wolf-traps. 
 — Damp shady places. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 14. Acivea (Baneberry). — Erect perennial herbs; leaves ter- 
 nately compound; flowers small, in crowded racemes; sepals 3 — 5, 
 c 2 
 
BERBERIDE.E 
 
 petaloid, caducous ; petals 4, minute, or absent ; fruit of one, 
 many-seeded carpel, berry-like. (Name from the Greek acte, the 
 elder, from the similarity of the leaves of the two plants.) 
 
 1. A. spicdta (Baneberry, Herb Christopher). — The only British 
 species, 1 — 2 feet high ; leaves bi-ternately pinnate ; flowers white ; 
 fruit black. — Woods on limestone in the north. — Fl. May. 
 Perennial. Poisonous. 
 
 *i5. P^eonia (Peony). — Perennial herbs or shrubs ; leaves bi- 
 ternate ; flowers large ; sepals 5, persistent ; petals 5 — 10 ; fruit of 
 
 ACT^A spicata (Baneberry). 
 
 p^Ania corali.i'na (Petmy). 
 
 2 — 5 follicles. (Named from Paeon, the legendary physician, who 
 cured the wounds of the gods in the Trojan war.) 
 
 1.* P. corallina (Peony). — A herb 2 feet high with fasciculate 
 roots ; leaves glaucous beneath ;flo:cers crimson ; follicles recurved, 
 downy. — A cultivated plant, naturalised on Steep Holm, an island 
 in the Severn. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. II. — Berberide*:. — The Barberry Family 
 Herbs or shrubs with scattered simple or compound leaves and 
 polysymmetric flowers. Sepals 3, or 4 or 6 in two whorls, often 
 petaloid. Petals either equal in number to the sepals and opposite 
 to them, or twice as many, often with nectaries at their bases. 
 Stamens equal in number to the petals, and opposite to them. 
 Anthers opening by two valves turning upwards. Carpel 1, 1- 
 chambered. Seeds 1 or more. Growing principally in moun- 
 tainous parts of the temperate zones. 
 
BARBERRY FAMILY 
 
 i. Berberis. — Spinous shrubs with yellow wood and astringent 
 bark ; sepals 6, deciduous j petals 6, each with 2 nectaries at the 
 base ; stamens 6 ; fruit berrylike, 1 — 3-seeded. 
 
 *2. Epimedium. — Sepals 4, deciduous ; petals 8, in two whorls, 
 inner slipper-shaped ; stamens 4, fruit a many-seeded follicle. 
 
 1. Berberis (Barberry). — Leaves spinously- dentate, or reduced 
 to 3 — 7-fid spines ; flowers in racemes, yellow, with 2 or 3 minute 
 bracteoles. (Name said to be of Arabic origin.) 
 
 1 . B. vulgaris (Barberry). The only British species. A pretty 
 shrub, not uncommon in woods and hedges, with yellow wood 
 and 3-forked spines. Its yellow flotvers hang in drooping clusters ; 
 the filaments are elastic and irri- 
 table, so that when touched ever 
 so lightly by the leg of an insect 
 they spring upward and throw their 
 pollen outward. The oblong berry- 
 like fruits are orange-red when ripe 
 and gratefully acid, and may be made 
 into an agreeable preserve. The 
 shrub is often rooted out by farmers, 
 as a fungus which lives part of its 
 life on Barberry leaves is the cause 
 of " rust " in wheat. Several species 
 furnish a yellow dye, and others 
 are cultivated in gardens, as are 
 also several members of the allied 
 genus Mahbnia. — Fl. May, June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 epimedium alhnum {Barrenwort). 
 
 *2. Epimedium (Barrenwort). — 
 Leaves bi-ternate ; flowers red, with 
 yellow, honey-bearing, inner petals. 
 (Name of Greek origin, indicating its resemblance to a Median 
 plant.) 
 
 1.* E. alpinutn (Alpine Barrenwort). — A graceful plant, less 
 than a foot high, occurring here and there in subalpine woods in 
 Scotland and the north of England ; but not indigenous. Its 
 delicate green leaflets are ovate-cordate, acuminate and serrate. — 
 Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. III. — Nymph^eacejE. — Water-lily Family 
 
 Perennial aquatic herbaceous plants, with generally orbicular 
 floating leaves which are involute in venation, and large, often 
 
NVMPH^eAcE^E 
 
 fragrant, flowers. Sepals 3 — 6, gradually passing into petals, and 
 these into stamens, both petals and stamens being inserted on a 
 fleshy disk, which surrounds the ovary ; ovary many-chambered, 
 many-seeded, with a sessile, radiate stigma. The starchy rhizomes 
 and seeds of some species are eaten. 
 
 Nelumbium specibsum, the Sacred Lotus, with peltate leaves 
 
 wmph^ea h?tea (Common Ytllew Water-lily). 
 
 rising above the water, and its carpels imbedded separately on the 
 upper surface of a funnel-shaped receptacle, though represented 
 in ancient Egyptian art, is no longer found in the Nile, but is 
 venerated by Buddhists throughout Eastern Asia, Another 
 member of this order, Victoria regia, a native of South America, 
 one of the most beautiful of aquatic plants, produces blossoms 15 
 inches and leaves over 6 feet in diameter. 
 
 1. NympHj&a. — Sepals 5- 
 stamens many, hypogynous. 
 
 -6 ; petals many, small, hypogynous 
 
■* . 
 
WATER-LILY FAMILY 23 
 
 2. Castalia. — Sepals 4 ; petals many, many-seriate, adnate to 
 the disk ; stamens many, adnate to the disk. 
 
 1. Nymph/ea (Yellow Water-lily). — Flowers yellow, globose; 
 sepals concave ; fruit ovoid, fleshy, its carpels separating when 
 ripe. (Named from its growing in places which the nymphs were 
 supposed to haunt.) 
 
 1. N. hitea (Common Yellow Water-lily, Brandy-bottle). — Leaves 
 submerged and membranous, and floating and leathery. Flower 
 smelling like brandy, whence it is called Brandy-bottle. Stigma 
 with 14 — 20 rays, not extending to its margin. Rivers and ditches, 
 frequent. The Turks prepare a cooling drink from the flowers, 
 
 castalia Alba {White Water-lily). 
 
 which they call Pufer (a corruption of the Arabic name Nuphar). 
 — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 2. N. pumila (Least Yellow Water-lily). — A much smaller plant, 
 differing mainly in having only 8 — 10 stigmatic rays, which extend 
 to its margin, forming acute teeth. — It grows in several lakes in 
 the Highlands and at Ellesmere, Shropshire. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. Castalia (White Water-lily). — Flowers white, expanded ; 
 fruit ripening under water and dissolving into pulp. (Name from 
 Castdlia, a spring on Mount Parnassus, the haunt of Apollo and 
 the Muses.) 
 
 1. C. alba (White Water-lily). — Leaves all floating, 5 — 10 in, 
 across; sepals green outside, white inside; stigma with 15 — 20. 
 rays, yellow. The only British species, and, perhaps, the most 
 
24 PAPAVERACE/E 
 
 magnificent of our native flowers, inhabiting clear pools and slow- 
 rivers. The flowers rise above the water in the middle of the day 
 and expand, closing once more and sinking towards evening. — Fl. 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. IV. Papaverace^e. — The Poppy Family 
 
 Herbaceous plants, abounding in a milky narcotic juice. 
 
 Flowers usually pendulous in the bud, conspicuous and polysym- 
 
 metric ; sepals 2, soon falling off, concave ; petals 4, crumpled in 
 
 aestivation ; stamens indefinite, hypogynous ; fruit a 
 
 f capsule ; seeds generally scattered over the surface of 
 incomplete partitions, which radiate from the sides of 
 the capsule, but do not meet at the centre. The 
 narcotic juice of the unripe capsules of Papdver 
 somniferum, the Opium Poppy, which is commonly 
 ovary of grown for ornament in our gardens, yields opium, 
 the poppy, laudanum, and morphia, most valuable medicines. An 
 infusion of ripe " poppy-heads " or capsules is also used as a 
 fomentation ; and the seeds of all poppies contain a considerable 
 quantity of a mild and wholesome oil. 
 
 * Fruit a globose capsule, opening by pores 
 
 1. Papaver. — Stigma sessile, rayed ; capsule opening by pores 
 below the stigma ; placentas forming partial partitions. 
 
 2. Meconopsis. — Style short; stigma of 4 — 6 rays; capsule 
 opening by pores below the style ; placentas less developed. 
 
 ** Fruit pod-like, opening by valves 
 
 3. (jLAvcivm.— Flower yellow; stigma 2-lobed, sessile; capsule 
 2-valved and more or less completely 2-chambered. 
 
 4. Rcemeria. — Flower violet ; stigma 2 — 4-lobed, sessile ; cap- 
 sule 2 — 4-valved, i-chambered. 
 
 5. Chelid6nium. — Flower yellow; stigma 2-lobed; capsule 2- 
 valved, 1 -chambered. 
 
 1. PapAver (Poppy). — Annual herbs with white milky juice. 
 Leaves lobed or cut ; flowers on long stalks, pendulous in the bud ; 
 sepals 2, caducous ; petals 4, crumpled in the bud ; stamens 
 indefinite ; stigma of 4 — 20 sessile rays on a disk, below which 
 the pores open. (Name classical, of uncertain etymology, perhaps 
 connected with the Keltic papa, pap, because administered to 
 induce sleep.) 
 
Fig 4. Red Poppy, \fapaver Rhocas). 
 
POPPY FAMILY 
 
 25 
 
 * Capsules smooth 
 
 1.* P. somniferum (Opium Poppy). — Smooth with the exception 
 of a few spreading bristles on the peduncle, glaucous ; leaves 
 amplexicaul ; flower large, white, with a purple stain at the base 
 of each petal ; but of many other colours in garden varieties ; 
 capsule globular and smooth. Common in gardens and as an 
 escape, but not indigenous. Opium is procured by puncturing 
 the unripe capsules and collecting the juice which exudes and 
 hardens. The seeds yield a wholesome oil, which is not narcotic. 
 — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 papXver RHyEAS {Common Red Poppy). 
 
 2. P. Rhozas (Common Poppy, Corn Rose). Hispid with 
 spreading or adpressed hairs ; leaves pinnatifid ; flowers 3 — 4 in. 
 across ; petals deep scarlet, often black at the base ; capsule 
 nearly globular, smooth. Common in cornfields. (The name from 
 the Greek rhoia, a pomegranate, which it resembles in its fruit.) 
 — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 3. P. dubium (Long Smooth-headed Poppy). — Hispid with ad- 
 pressed hairs ; leaves pinnatifid ; flowers large, scarlet ; petals in 
 unequal pairs ; capsule obovoid, smooth. — In cultivated fields. — 
 Fl. May — July. Annual. 
 
2 6 PAPAVERACEjE 
 
 4. P. Lecbqii is a less common species, distinguished by its 
 sap turning yellow on exposure, by longer leaf-lobes, a capsule 
 narrowing suddenly near the base, and stigmatic lobes folding 
 over the edge of the capsule. 
 
 ** Capsules bristly 
 
 5. P. Argembne (Long Rough-headed Poppy). — Hispid ; leaves 
 bipinnatifid ; flowers less than 2 in. across ; petals light scarlet, 
 
 meconopsis cXmbrica (IVelsh Poppy). 
 
 black at the base ; capsule club-shaped with erect bristles. The 
 smallest British species, occurring sparingly in cornfields. (The 
 name Argem6ne, the Greek for Poppies, may be derived from 
 argi'ma, cataract, referring to a former medical use, or from argos, 
 slothful, from their narcotic effects.) — Fl. May — July. Annual. 
 6. P. hybridum (Round Rough-headed Poppy). — Hispid ; 
 leaves bipinnatifid ; flowers 1 — 2 in. across ; petals deep scarlet, 
 
POPPY FAMILY 
 
 ^7 
 
 often black at the base ; capsule nearly globular, hispid with spread- 
 ing bristles. — Sandy fields, not common. — Fl. May — July. Annual. 
 
 2. Meconopsis (Welsh Poppy). — Perennial herbs with yellow 
 juice. Leaves pinnate ; flowers on long stalks, pendulous in the 
 bud ; differing from Papdver in having a short, persistent style, 
 and a stigma of 4 — 6 free-spreading lobes. (Name in Greek 
 signifying bearing resemblance to a Poppy.) 
 
 i. M. cdmbrica (Yellow Welsh Poppy). — The only British 
 species, easily distinguished from any of the foregoing by its pale 
 yellow flowers and juice of the same colour ; and from the Horned 
 
 GLAi'ciUM flXvum (Homed Poppy). 
 
 Poppy by its slender growth, and green, not glaucous, foliage. — 
 Rocky and shady places in the west. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 3. Glaucium (Horned Poppy). — Glaucous herbs with yellow 
 juice. Leaves lobed or cut ; flowers on long stalks ; carpels 2, 
 forming a long pod-like capsule; stigma 2 lobed. (Name from 
 the glaucous hue of the foliage.) 
 
 1. G.fldvum (Yellow Horned Poppy). — The only indigenous 
 British species. Leaves wavy, embracing the stem ; pod 6 — 1 2 
 in. long, curved, with minute tubercles. A handsome plant, 
 conspicuous on the sea-shore from its hoary foliage, large golden- 
 yellow flowers, and long pods, which might at first sight be mistaken 
 for flower-stems bare of leaves. — Fl. June— August. Biennial. 
 
2 8 PAPAVERACEiE 
 
 2* G. pheenkeum, with scarlet petals, black at the base and 
 hairy pods, only occurs occasionally as an escape. 
 
 4. Rcemeria (Violet Horned Poppy). — Annual herbs with 
 yellow juice. Leaves pinnatifid ; floivers violet, fugacious ; ovary 
 one-chambered ; fruit pod-like. (Name from J. F. Rcemer, a 
 German botanist.) 
 
 1. R. hybrida, with a 3-valved capsule, 2—3 in. long, occurs 
 
 chelid6nium majus (Common Celandine). 
 
 rarely in dry cornfields in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk, and is 
 probably not indigenous. 
 
 5. Chelidonium (Celandine). — Perennial herbs with yellow 
 juice. Leaves pinnate ; flowers yellow ; carpels 2 ; capsule 1- 
 chambered, pod-like, 2-valved. (Named from the Greek c/ielidon, 
 a swallow, because, according to Pliny, that bird discovered that 
 its juice was efficacious in restoring sight to its young when 
 blinded.) 
 
 1. C. majus (Greater Celandine). — The only British species ; 
 
Fig. 5. Celandine. iChelidonmm majus). 
 
FUMITORY FAMILY 
 
 2 9 
 
 not uncommon in waste places and village hedgerows. Leaves 
 glaucous, imparipinnate and obtusely lobed ; flowers in umbellate 
 clusters, f — 1 in. across; capsule ij in. long.— Fl. May — 
 August, or, as Pliny tells us, from the time of the arrival of the 
 swallows until their departure. Perennial. The abundant 
 orange-yellow juice is a violent acrid poison, but is a popular 
 remedy for warts, and is said to have been used successfully in 
 ophthalmia. 
 
 * The Lesser Celandine, Ranunculus Ficdria (see p. 13), bears 
 little resemblance either in appearance or properties to this species. 
 
 CORi'DALis claviculata (Climbing Coryd*!")- 
 
 Ord. V. — Fumariace/e. — The Fumitory Family 
 
 Herbaceous plants with watery juice. Leaves divided ; flowers 
 in bracteate racemes, monosymmetric ; sepals 2, small, 
 deciduous ; petals 4, usually in dissimilar pairs, the outer ones 
 larger, and one or both swollen or spurred at the base, the inner 
 ones partly coherent ; stamens really 4, but apparently 6, 
 diadelphous, each set consisting of one whole and two half 
 (dimidiate) stamens ; carpels 2 ; ovary i-chambered ; seeds crested. 
 
30 FUMARlACEjE 
 
 i. Corydalis. — Fruit a compressed, 2-valved, many-seeded 
 capsule. 
 
 2. FumAria. — Fruits, globose, indehiscent, i-seeded achene. 
 
 i. Corydalis (Corydalis). — Herbs with much-divided glabrous 
 leaves and bracteate racemes of small monosymmetric flowers; 
 petals connivent ; the upper one spurred ; capsule many-seededl 
 
 fumAria officinalis (Common Fumitory). 
 
 (The Greek name Corydalis was employed for this or some allied 
 plant by Galen.) 
 
 i. C. claviculdta (Climbing Corydalis). — Stem slender, climb- 
 ing ; leaves glaucous, pinnate, ending in branched tendrils ; 
 JloT.vers yellowish-white ; spur very short. A clambering plant, 
 with delicate green stems and foliage, rising to the height of 
 several feet, by the help of the bushes among which it grows. 
 The only indigenous species.— Fl. June— August. Annual. 
 
 * Two other species are naturalised in Britain : C. bulbbsa, a 
 perennial with a tuberous rhizome, unbranched aerial stem, no 
 tendrils and purple flowers, and liitea, not uncommon on old 
 
FUMITORY FAMILY 3 1 
 
 walls, with many short stems, no tendrils, and bright yellow 
 flowers. 
 
 2. Fumaria (Fumitory). — Annual herbs differing little from 
 Corydalis except in having only two ovules in the ovary, only one 
 of which forms a seed in the indehiscent fruit. (Name from the 
 Latin fumus terra, smoke of the earth, these smoke-like glaucous 
 weeds being supposed to spring without seed from the vapours of 
 the ground.) 
 
 i. F capreoldta (Ramping Fumitory). — Generally climbing by 
 means of its twisted leaf-stalks, i — 2 feet high ; flowers pale 
 pink or cream-coloured, tipped with crimson in short, few- 
 flowered racemes ; sepals as broad as the corolla and half as 
 long; fruit globose, slightly compressed, smooth; fruit-stalks 
 recurved. — Borders of fields ; common. — Fl. May — September. 
 Annual. 
 
 Allied species are F. purpurea, with smaller flowers and 
 slightly recurved fruit-stalks ; F. occidentdlis, the largest British 
 species, known only from West Cornwall; F. Bastdrdi, with 
 large flowers and erect fruit-stalks ; and F. murdlis, with smaller 
 flowers and fruit, the latter obovate. 
 
 2. F. officindlis (Common Fumitory). — Erect, smaller than F. 
 capreoldta ; leaves more divided ; flowers smaller, rose-coloured, 
 tipped with crimson, in long, many-flowered racemes ; sepals 
 narrower than the corolla ; fruit obovate, notched. — Fl. May — 
 September. Annual. 
 
 * F. densiflora, a weaker plant with short racemes, elongating 
 after flowering, and roundish sepals, broader than the corolla ; 
 F. parviflbra, with small pale flowers in dense racemes, with 
 minute sepals ; and F. Vailldntii, with lax racemes, are less 
 common species. 
 
 Ord. VI. CRuefFER^E. — The Cabbage Family 
 
 A very large, very natural, and very important Order, well 
 described by the name Cruciferce, or cross-bearing, there being 
 invariably 4 petals, which are placed crosswise. They are mostly 
 herbs with a watery juice and pungent taste. The leaves are 
 radical and cauline, the former in a rosette ; the latter scattered 
 and exstipulate. The flowers are in an ebracteate raceme. There 
 are 4 sepals, the two lateral ones often pouched at the base ; 
 4 petals, placed diagonally ; and 6 stamens, in 2 whorls, the two 
 outer, opposite the lateral (pouched) sepals, shorter, the 4 inner 
 longer, whence Linnaeus classed all the members of this Order in 
 his class Tetradyndmia (see p. xxix). There are usually 4 honey- 
 
32 CRUCfFER^E 
 
 secreting glands on the receptacle, one in front of each sepal. 
 There are two carpels, united to form a dry pod-like fruit. This 
 is generally compressed and dehisces by valves, when if elongated 
 it is termed a siliqua, if short and broad, a silicle. A partition, or 
 septum, dividing it into two chambers crosses its interior, either 
 parallel with the valves, i. e. across the longer transverse diameter 
 (la/isept), or at right angles with them (angustisept). 
 In some genera the pod is divided into several trans- 
 verse, i -seeded joints, when it is termed a /omentum. 
 The seeds are small, exalbuminous, and oily. Their 
 relatively large cotyledons are variously placed with 
 reference to the radicle or primary embryonic root, 
 this root being either incumbent, or folded against 
 the back of one cotyledon, or accumbent, folded 
 5 hi°rd°Pursr a g a i nst tne edges of both. The plants of this 
 Order are rich in nitrogen and sulphur, and have an 
 unpleasant odour when boiling or rotting. In a wild state they 
 are almost always pungent and even acrid ; but none of them are 
 poisonous, and many of them have valuable stimulant properties, 
 besides their use in medicine as antiscorbutics, or remedies against 
 scurvy. Under cultivation many of them become more succu- 
 lent and form some of our most useful vegetables, such as the 
 cabbage, turnip, radish, cress, and sea-kale. There are at least 
 1,200 species, mostly natives of the temperate zone, chiefly in the 
 Old World. They form a considerable proportion of the vegeta- 
 tion of Arctic latitudes. 
 
 Sub~order I. Siliqudsce. Fruit a latisept siliqua 
 
 Tribe 1. Arabidece. Cotyledons accumbent 
 
 * Stigma 2-lobed 
 
 1. MATTHfoLA. — Stigma of two erect lobes ; flowers large, lilac 
 or violet. 
 
 *2. Cheiranthus. — Stigma of two spreading lobes; flowers 
 large, yellow ; pod compressed with two prominent longitudinal 
 ribs. 
 
 ** Stigma small, undivided 
 
 3. RADfcuLA. — Calyx spreading; /w/ cylindric ; valves convex; 
 seeds minute, 2-seriate. 
 
 4. Barbarea. — Calyx erect ; pod 4-angled ; seeds i-seriate. 
 
 5. Arabis. — Pod linear, flat, obtuse ; valves with one longitu- 
 dinal rib or several veins, not elastic. 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 33 
 
 6. Cardamine. — Pod flat; valves veinless, separating with an 
 elastic spring ; seeds i -seriate, on thread-like stalks. 
 
 7. Dentaria. — Similar, but with dilated, winged seed-stalks. 
 
 Tribe 2. Sisymbrice. Seeds \-seriate ; cotyledons incumbent 
 
 *8. Hesperis.— Stigma 2-lobed, decurrent ; pod 4-angled ; 
 valves keeled, 3-veined ; hairs spreading. 
 
 9. Sisymbrium. — Stigma undivided ; pod cylindric or 4-angled ; 
 valves convex, 1 — 3-veined ; hairs spreading, or absent ; seed- 
 stalks thread-like. 
 
 10. Alliaria. — Similar, but with flattened, winged seed-stalks. 
 
 1 1. Erysimum. — Stigma undivided, or notched ; pod 4-angled j 
 valves keeled, 1 -veined ; hairs adpressed, forked. 
 
 Tribe 3. Brdssicea. Cotyledons incumbent, folded longitudinally ; 
 flowers yellow 
 
 12. Brassica. — Sepals erect; pod nearly cylindric; seeds 1- 
 seriate. 
 
 13. Sinapis. — Sepals spreading ; pod nearly cylindric ; seeds 1- 
 seriate. 
 
 14. DiplotAxis. — Pod compressed ; seeds 2-seriate. 
 
 Sub-order II. Latiseptce. Fruit a latisept silicle 
 Tribe 4. Alyssineai. Cotyledons accumbent 
 
 *i5. Alyssum. — Petals entire; pod roundish, compressed, 
 few-seeded. 
 
 16. Draba. — Petals entire or 2-cleft ; pod oval or oblong, com- 
 pressed or turgid; seeds numerous, 2-seriate. 
 
 17. Cochlearia. — Petals entire; pod globose or nearly so ; 
 valves very convex, keeled ; seeds numerous, 2-seriate. 
 
 18. Armoracia. — Similar, but with no dorsal vein to the valves 
 of the pod. 
 
 Tribe 5. Camelinea. Cotyledons incumbent 
 *i9- CAMEiiNA. — A tall herb, with cauline leaves, sessile, 
 auricled ; pod ovate, inflated, beaked ; style persistent. 
 
 20. SubulAria. — A small aquatic plant ; leaves subulate ; pod 
 oval-oblong ; valves boat-shaped ; seeds numerous. 
 
 Sub-order III. Angustiseptce. Fruit an angustisept silicle 
 Tribe 6. lepidinece. Cotyledons incumbent ; flowers white 
 
 21. Capsella. — Pod inversely heart-shaped, flat; valves boat- 
 shaped, keeled ; seeds many. 
 
 D 
 
34 
 
 CRUCfFER^E 
 
 22. Coron6pus. — /Wreniform, 2-lobed, indehiscent, 2 -seeded. 
 
 23. Lepidium. — Pod roundish, compressed, keeled, 2 — 4- 
 seeded. 
 
 Tribe 7. Thlaspidece. Cotyledons accumbent ; flowers white 
 
 24. Thlaspi. — Petals equal ; pod rounded, flat, notched ; 
 valves boat-shaped, winged at the back ; seeds numerous. 
 
 25. Iberis. — Petals unequal; /Novate, notched ; valves boat- 
 shaped, winged at the back ; seeds 2. 
 
 26. Teesdalea. — Petals unequal ; pod roundish, notched ; 
 valves boat-shaped, keeled ; seeds 4. 
 
 27. HuTCHfNSiA. — Petals equal; pod elliptic, entire; valves 
 boat-shaped, keeled ; seeds 4. 
 
 Sub-order IV. Lomentdcear. Fruit indehiscent or lomentaceous 
 
 Tribe 8. Isatidea. Pod indehiscent, i-chambered t i-seeded ; 
 
 cotyledons incumbent 
 *28. Isatis. — Pod compressed ; valves keeled. 
 
 Tribe 9. Cakilineai. Lomentum 2-jointed 
 
 29. Crambe. — Lower joint seedless ; upper i-seeded. 
 
 30. CAKfLE. — Each joint 1 -seeded. 
 
 Tribe 10. Raphdnea. Lomentum tapering or monoliform, 
 many-seeded 
 
 31. RAphanus. — Pod smooth, inflated ; style persisting as a 
 beak. 
 
 1. MATTHfoLA (Stock). — Herbs, sometimes shrubby, downy 
 with stellate hairs ; sepals erect ; petals with long claws ; seeds 
 winged. (Named in honour of Matthiolus, an Italian physician.) 
 
 1. M. sinudta (Great Sea Stock). — Stem herbaceous, spreading 
 1 — 2 feet ; leaves oblong, downy, the lower ones sinuate-toothed ; 
 flowers 1 in. across, purple, fragrant by night ; pods rough, 
 glandular. —South and south-west coasts. — Fl. May — August. 
 Biennial. 
 
 2. M. incdna (Hoary Shrubby Stock). — Stem shrubby, erect, 
 branched, 1 — 2 feet, hoary; leaves lanceolate, generally entire, 
 hoary ; flowers 1 — 2 in. across, purple ;pods eglandular. — Cliffs in 
 the Isle of Wight. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. The " Queen 
 Stock " of gardens. 
 
 *2. Cheiranthus (Wallflower).— Herbs, sometimes shrubby, 
 pubescent with adpressed bipartite hairs ; sepals erect ; petals with 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 35 
 
 long claws ; seeds compressed. (Name said to be of Arabic 
 origin.) 
 
 1.* C. Cheiri (Wallflower). — Stem shrubby; leaves lanceolate, 
 acute, entire ; flowers i in. across, yellow, fragrant ; pods 4- 
 angled. — Not indigenous ; but naturalised on many old walls. — 
 
 MATTHfoLA incXna (Hoary Shrubby Stock). 
 
 Fl. April- — June. Biennial. Many varieties, with red and brown 
 flowers, are cultivated in gardens. 
 
 3. Radi'cula (Watercress). — Glabrous, mostly aquatic herbs; 
 flowers small, yellow or white ; sepals spreading ; petals with short 
 claws. (Name, a diminutive from radix, a root, anciently applied 
 to a small edible radish.) 
 
 * Flowers white 
 
 1. R. Nasturtium-aqudticum (Common Watercress). — Leaves 
 d 2 
 
»6 
 
 CRUCfFER/E 
 
 pinnate; leaflets 7 — 13, ovate or oblong, sub-cordate, sinuate-den- 
 tate, glabrous. — Abundant in rivulets and extensively cultivated as 
 a salad. The only plant likely to be mistaken for it by watercress 
 gatherers, Apium nodiflbrum (see p. 204), has hollow leaf-stalks, 
 and serrated leaflets, which watercress has not. (Name from 
 nasus tortus? a distorted nose, on account of the pungent pro- 
 
 cheirXnthus chei'ri (JVailfloiver). 
 
 perties of the genus. The possession of similar properties 
 caused a widely dissimilar plant, the Tropozolum of our gardens, 
 to be also originally called Nasturtium.)— Fl. May — October. 
 Perennial. 
 
 ** Flowers yellow 
 2. R. sylvestris (Creeping Yellow Cress). — Rhizome creeping j 
 haves deeply pinnati fid; leaf-segments lanceolate ; flowers minute ; 
 petals twice as long as the calyx ; pods linear. — Watery places. — 
 FL June — September. Perennial 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 
 
 37 
 
 3. B. palustris (Marsh Yellow Cress). — Root fibrous ; leaves 
 lyrate, pinnatifid flowers \ in. across ; petals not longer than calyx ; 
 pods oblong. — Watery places. — Fl. June — October. 
 
 4. Barbarea (Winter Cress). — Erect, branched, glabrous, 
 biennial herbs \ stem angular ; petals yellow, clawed ; pods straight, 
 stiff, 4-angled, acuminate. (Dedicated to St. Barbara.) 
 
 narturtium-aquXticum {Co 
 
 i. B. vulgaris (Common Winter Cress). — Lower leaves iyrateiy 
 pinnate, the terminal lobe roundish ; upper, obovate, toothed ; 
 raceme lax ; flowers small ; buds smooth ; claw of petals whitish. 
 Common in moist waste ground, where it may be readily recog- 
 nised by its smooth, shining, dark green leaves, and its erect, 
 angular stem, bearing numerous bright yellow floicers. Two 
 forms, differing chiefly in the size of their petals and the direc- 
 tion of their pods, are distinguished as B. stricta and B. inter- 
 
38 
 
 CRUCIFER^E 
 
 media. — A variety with double flowers is frequent in gardens under 
 the name of Yellow Rocket. — Fl. May— August. Biennial. 
 
 2.* B. verna (American Cress), differing in a more slender 
 habit, narrower leaves, larger flotvers in a closer raceme and longer 
 pods, and flowering earlier, is a common garden escape, being 
 grown as a salad. 
 
 5. Arabis (Rock Cress). — Herbs growing in dry places, mostly 
 local in Britain ; radical leaves spathulate; flowers small ; sepals 
 
 short ; petals clawed ; pods 
 linear, compressed, keeled, 
 not elastic. (Name from 
 Arabia, the native country 
 of several of the species.) 
 
 1. A. alpina (Alpine 
 Rock Cress). — A low-grow- 
 ing plant, with its cauline 
 leaves downy with branched 
 hairs, lanceolate, acute, 
 amplexicaul, toothed, and 
 its pods erect, on spread- 
 ing hairy stalks, occurs on 
 the Cuchullin Mountains 
 in the Isle of Skye. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 2. A. petrcea (Mountain 
 Rock Cress). — Generally 
 glabrous ; stem 3 — 8 in. 
 high, branched below ; 
 radical leaves lyrately pin- 
 natifid ; cauline leaves sub- 
 entire, stalked ; flowers 
 
 corymbose, white, tinged with purple.— On rocks in Wales and 
 Scotland. — Fl. June— August. Perennial. 
 
 3. A. scdbra (Bristol Rock Cress), with hispid, sinuate-dentate 
 radical leaves, sessile cauline leaves and cream-coloured flowers, 
 grows on limestone rocks at Bristol and Cheddar. — Fl. March — 
 May. Perennial. 
 
 4. A. cilidta (Ciliate Rock Cress), with leaves smooth on both 
 sides, but fringed with forked hairs at the edges, and white 
 
 flowers, grows on rocks by the sea near Tenby, and in the south 
 and west of Ireland.— Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 5. A. hirsiita (Hairy Rock Cress). — Hispid ; stems many, about 
 1 foot high, with numerous cauline leaves, heart-shaped at the base 
 
 barbar£a • vulgAris {Common Winter Cress). 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 
 
 39 
 
 and amplexicaul ; flowers small, white. A stiff, erect plant, 
 frequent on walls and banks. — Fl. June — August. Biennial. 
 6.* A. Turrita (Hairy Tower Mustard), naturalised, but very 
 
 Xrabis glabra {Smooth Tower Mustard). 
 
 rare, on old walls, chiefly at Oxford and Cambridge, has an erect * 
 stem, over a foot high, with forked hairs, amplexicaul cauline 
 leaves, and bracteate yellow flowers. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 7- A. glabra (Smooth Tower Mustard). — Erect, glaucous ; stem 
 
40 
 
 CRUCfFERifc 
 
 i — 2 feet high, unbranched : radical leaves, toothed, hairy, and 
 soon withering ; cauline leaves glabrous, triangular, entire, auri- 
 cled ; flowers pale yellow. — It grows on banks and cliffs j but is 
 local. — Fl. May — July. Biennial. 
 
 cardam{n6 prat£nsis (Cuckoo Flower, or Lady's Smock). 
 
 6. Cardamine (Bitter Cress).— Bitter herbs, mostly widely dis- 
 tributed, glabrous ; leaves pinnate ; flowers conspicuous, either 
 individually or from corymbose arrangement ; pods linear, com- 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 
 
 41 
 
 pressed, elastic. (Name from the Greek kardia, the heart, damao, 
 I overpower, from the supposed properties of the genus,) 
 
 1. C. amdra (Large-flowered Bitter Cress). — Stem \ — 2 feet 
 
 cardam<n6 hirsuta 
 {Hairy Bitter Cress). 
 
 SISYMBRIUM THALlXNUM, p. 43 
 
 ( Thale Cress). 
 
 high, with runners ; leaves pinnate ; leaflets angular, those of the 
 radical leaves roundish, those of the cauline leaves oblong; 
 flowers \ in. across; petals white; atithers purple. — River-sides; 
 not common. — Fl. April — June. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. pratensis (Lady's Smock, Cuckoo Flower). — Stem about 
 
42 
 
 CRUCfFERjE 
 
 a foot high : leaves pinnate ; leaflets of radical leaves roundish, 
 angular, those of the cauline leaves linear-lanceolate ; flowers A — 
 | in. across ; petals lilac or white ; anthers yellow. — Moist 
 meadows ; a familiar spring favourite. A variety is sometimes 
 found wild, which is remarkably proliferous, the leaflets and even 
 
 DENTARIA BULBfFERA (Bulbiferous Coral-root). 
 
 the leaves of the flower, producing buds when they come in 
 contact with the ground.— Fl. April — June. Perennial. 
 
 3. C. hirstita (Hairy Bitter Cress). — Stem erect, with few 
 leaves ; leaves similar to those of C. pratensis, sometimes hairy ; 
 flowers very small, white ; stamens only four ; anthers yellow. — 
 A common weed everywhere, varying in size according to soil 
 and situation, from 6 — 18 in. in height. In dry localities it 
 ripens its seeds in April, or even in March, and withers away ; 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 43 
 
 but in damper places continues in flower all the summer. The 
 very small white flowers are soon overtopped by the lengthen- 
 ing pods, the valves of which, when ripe, curl up elastically, 
 scattering the seeds to a considerable distance. — Fl. March — 
 August. Annual. 
 
 4. C. flexubsa (Wavy Bitter Cress). — Almost equally common, 
 differs in having a more wavy and more leafy stem, and usually 
 six stamens and a longer style. — Shady places. — Fl. April — 
 September. Biennial or perennial. 
 
 5. C. impdtiens (Narrow-leaved Bitter Cress). — A stout, erect, 
 glabrous, leafy plant ; leaves with fringed stipule-like auricles ; 
 leaflets narrow ; flowers \ in. across, white. — Moist rocks, chiefly 
 limestone; rare. — Fl. May — August. Annual. 
 
 7. Dentaria (Coral-root). — Perennial herbs with fleshy tooth- 
 like scales on their rhizomes ; flowers large ; sepals erect, equal ; 
 petals clawed ; pods lanceolate, compressed, with elastic valves ; 
 seeds i -seriate ; f tinkle dilated, winged. (Name from the Latin 
 dens, a tooth, from its tooth-like scales.) 
 
 1. D. bulbifera (Bulbiferous Coral-root). — An erect, unbranched 
 plant, with lower leaves pinnate, upper leaves simple, lanceolate, 
 serrate, or entire, easily distinguished from any other British plant 
 in the Order by its rose-coloured cr purple flowers, \ — \ in. across, 
 the white, tooth-like knobs on its rhizome, and the dark purple 
 bulbils in the axils of the upper leaves. — Shady places, chiefly in 
 the south-east of England ; rare. — Fl. April — June. Perennial. 
 
 *8. Hesperis (Dame's Violet). — Erect, stout, leafy plants; 
 leaves simple ; floivers large ; sepals erect, lateral pair gibbous ; 
 petals clawed ; pods long, slender, cylindric, constricted between 
 the seeds. (Name from the Greek hesperos, evening, from its 
 being fragrant in the evening.) 
 
 1.* H. matrondlis (Dame's Violet) is a garden escape, with 
 ovate-lanceolate, serrate, acuminate leaves, and white or lilac 
 flowers, f in. across. — Fl. April — July. Biennial. 
 
 9. Sisymbrium (Hedge-mustard). — Annual or biennial herbs, 
 with unbranched hairs or none ; flowers in lax racemes, generally 
 yellow ; pods narrow, linear. (Name of Greek origin.) 
 
 1. S. Thalidnum (Thale Cress, or Wall Cress). — Stem erect, 
 slender, 6 — 10 in. high, branched; leaves mostly radical, simple, 
 oblong-lanceolate, serrate, pubescent ; flowers minute, white ; pods 
 linear, obscurely four-angled, ascending, twice as long as their 
 stalks. — Common on dry banks and walls. — Fl. April — October. 
 Annual. 
 
44 
 
 CRUCfFERvE 
 
 2. S. officinale (Common Hedge-mustard). — Stem i — 2 feet 
 high, rough ; branches horizontal ; leaves hairy, deeply lobed, with 
 the points turned backward (runcinate), the terminal lobe large ; 
 flowers small, yellow ; pods downy, closely pressed to the stem, 
 subulate. — It grows in waste places and by roadsides, where it 
 seems to have a peculiar aptitude for collecting and retaining 
 dust. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 3. S. Sophia (Flixweed). — Downy ; stem slender, erect, 
 branched ; leaves twice pinnatifid, segments narrow, linear ; flowers 
 
 small, greenish yellow ; petals 
 shorter than the calyx ; pods terete, 
 narrow, constricted between the 
 numerous seeds. — Waste places; 
 not uncommon. — Fl. June — 
 August. Annual. By the old 
 herbalists it was called Sophia 
 chirurgbrum, "Wisdom of sur- 
 geons," from its use in healing 
 wounds. 
 
 4. S. Irio (London Rocket). — 
 Glabrous ; stem erect, branched ; 
 leaves runcinate, dentate ; flcnvers 
 small, yellow ; pods narrow, linear, 
 four times as long as their stalks. 
 — A leafy plant about 2 feet high, 
 occurring in waste ground near 
 old towns, but rare. It is known 
 as London Rocket because it 
 covered the ground in the spring 
 -Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 Two other species are naturalised, S. polycerdtium ; a prostrate 
 form with flowers and. pods in threes in the axils of bracts, growing 
 near Bury St. Edmunds ; and S. altissimum, near Crosby, 
 Lancashire, and in and near London, with runcinate leaves, 
 spreading sepals, and. pedicels nearly as thick as the pods. 
 
 10. Alliaria (Garlic-Mustard). — Annual and biennial herbs, 
 glabrous or with a few simple hairs ; leaves stalked ; flowers white ; 
 corymbose ; pods long, 4-angled ; seeds 1 -seriate, striate, on 
 flattened, winged funicles. (Name from the Latin allium, garlic.) 
 
 1. A. officinalis (Garlic-Mustard, Jack-by-the-Hedge, or Sauce- 
 alone). — Stem erect, slightly branched, 1 — 2 feet high 3 leaves 
 broadly heart-shaped, coarsely toothed, with prominent veins ; 
 flowers \ in. across ; pods z\ in. long. — Hedge-rows ; common. — 
 
 SISYMBRIUM OFFICINALIS 
 
 {Common Hedge-mustard). 
 
 after the Great Fire of 1666. 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 
 
 45 
 
 Fl. April — June. Annual or Biennial. An early-flowering and 
 attractive plant, with delicate green leaves and snow-white flowers, 
 but emitting a nauseous smell of garlic when gathered. It was 
 formerly used as a sauce. 
 
 - ii. Erysimum (Treacle-mustard). — Hoary herbs, with adpressed 
 forked hairs ; leaves simple, without auricles ; pods narrow, linear, 
 
 ALLiAria officinalis {Garlic Mustardy. 
 
 compressed ; valves keeled, i -veined. (Name from the Greek 
 eruo, I draw blisters.) 
 
 i. E. cheiranthoides (Worm-seed, Treacle-mustard). — Stem erect, 
 branched, i to 2 feet high ; leaves lanceolate, acute, slightly 
 toothed, with three-forked hairs, dull green ; flowers small, yellow ; 
 sepals whitish ; pods 1 in. long, erect, on short-spreading stalks. — 
 Generally in cultivated ground; uncommon. — Fl. June — August. 
 Annual. 
 
4 6 
 
 CRUCfFER^E 
 
 2* E. perfoliate m (Hare's-ear Treacle-mustard), with glaucous 
 oval leaves and cream-coloured flowers, occurs as an escape. — Fl. 
 May — July. Annual. 
 
 12. Brassica (Cabbage). — Herbs, with long racemes of con- 
 spicuous flowers, with sepals 
 erect, and long, nearly cylin- 
 dric pod, and seeds in one row. 
 (Name, the Latin name for 
 cabbage.) 
 
 i. B. olerdcea (Wild Cab- 
 bage). — Rhizome stout, 
 branched ; branches usually 
 decumbent, tortuous, fleshy; 
 leaves glabrous, glaucous, ob- 
 tuse, often a foot across ; 
 racemes elongated; flowers i 
 in. across, pale yellow ; pods 
 2—3 in. long, beak subulate. 
 — Sea-cliffs in the south and 
 west. — Fl. May — August. Bi- 
 ennial. The original of all the 
 varieties of garden cabbage, 
 including broccoli, cauliflower, 
 kohl-rabi, &c. 
 
 2. B. campestris (Navew). — 
 A group-name for a series of 
 weeds occurring in cultivated 
 ground, probably not wild, ac- 
 cording to Sir Joseph Hooker, 
 " in this or any other country." 
 — Radical leaves lyrately-pin- 
 nate, dentate ; catiline leaves 
 ovate-lanceolate, acute, auri- 
 cled, amplexicaul ; racemes 
 corymbose. — Fl. June — Sep- 
 tember. This group includes 
 
 ih.ass.ca campus iConnnon Wild Navrw). £ jy^ (Rape Qr Cole . seed)> 
 
 with a fusiform root, and all its leaves glabrous and glaucous, and 
 yellow flowers, which is cultivated for the sake of the Colza and 
 Carcel oil pressed from its seeds, the refuse being used, under the 
 name of oil-cake, for feeding cattle ; B. Rutabaga (Swede), with a 
 turnip-shaped root and all its leaves glaucous, the radical ones 
 hispid and the cauline ones glabrous, and buff flowers, the roots 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 
 
 47 
 
 of which are used as cattle-food ; and B. Rdpa (Turnip), with 
 turnip shaped root, lower leaves hispid but not glaucous, upper 
 leaves glaucous and glabrous, and bright yellow flowers, which is 
 perhaps the most truly wild and ancestral form. 
 
 3. B. monensis (Isle of Man Cabbage). — Rhizome stout, woody; 
 stem 6 — 24 in. high, usually prostrate 5 leaves mostly radical, 
 glabrous, deeply pinnatifid ; flowers bright lemon-yellow, veined 
 with purple. — Sandy sea-shores on the west coast of Britain ; rare. 
 — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 4. B. Cheirdnthus (Jersey 
 Cabbage) is an allied species, 
 found in the Channel Islands, 
 differing in having an erect 
 leafy stem, 1—3 feet high and 
 hispid leaves. 
 
 13. Sinapis (Mustard). — 
 Herbs, annual or biennial, very 
 similar to the Cabbages ; but 
 with spreading sepals. (Name 
 from the Greek sindpi,musta.rd.) 
 
 1. S. nigra (Black Mustard). 
 — Stem 2 — 3 feet high, branch- 
 ed, hispid ; lower leaves large, 
 rough, lyrate ; upper leaves 
 lmear-lanceolate, stalked gla- 
 brous; flowers \ — \ in. across, 
 yellow ; pods erect, adpressed, 
 4-angled, glabrous, beak short, 
 subulate. — Fl. June— August. 
 Annual. Its seeds yield table 
 mustard. 
 
 2. S. adpressa, growing in 
 sandy places in the Channel Islands, is more branched and has 
 very short pods. 
 
 3. S. arvensis (Wild Mustard, Charlock). — Hispid ; leaves 
 lyrately pinnatifid, rough ; flowers sub-corymbose, \ — f in. across, 
 bright yellow ; pods spreading, linear, many-angled, generally 
 hispid, 1 \ — 2 in. long, constricted. — A common weed in corn- 
 fields, sometimes springing up in profusion from recently disturbed 
 ground, though previously unknown there. — Fl. May — August. * 
 Annual. 
 
 4. S. alba (White Mustard). — Hispid with reflexed hairs ; 
 flowers \ in. across, yellow; pods spreading, 2 in. long, hispid 
 
 sinAms arvensis {Wild Mustard, Charlock). 
 
48 CRUCfFER^E 
 
 with a flat, two-edged, sword-like beak. — Waste ground. — Fl. June, 
 July. Annual. Seedlings of this species are largely eaten, with 
 those of Cress (Lepidium sativum), as salad. 
 
 14. Diplotaxis (Rocket) has spreading sepals ; but differs from 
 the mustards in its flattened pods with membranous valves and 
 seeds in two rows. (Name from the Greek diplos, double, taxis, 
 rank or row.) 
 
 1. D. tenuifblia (Wall Rocket). — Slender, branched, 1 — 2 feet 
 high ; stem woody below ; leaves deeply divided into long narrow 
 segments, glaucous ; flowers f in. across, light yellow, fragrant ; 
 pods short, linear, erect, on very long slender stalks. — On old 
 walls. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. D. murdlis (Sand Rocket), a less branched, hispid, herba- 
 ceous, and generally annual species, grows in waste ground, 
 especially near the sea. 
 
 *i5. Alyssum, a genus of small plants, mostly hoary with 
 adpressed hairs, with simple leaves, small white or yellow floivers, 
 and rounded, few-seeded pods, includes three alien species, 
 sometimes naturalised : A. incdnum, A. alyssoides, with stellate 
 hairs ; yellow flowers, and persistent sepals ; and A. maritimum, 
 with bi-partite hairs ; white, sweet-scented flowers, and deciduous 
 sepals. 
 
 16. DrAba (Whitlow-grass). — Small herbs, mostly perennial 
 and hoary with stellate hairs ; leaves small, simple, the radical 
 ones in a rosette ; flowers small, white or yellow ; pods compressed 
 or turgid. (Name from the Greek drabe, acrid.) 
 
 * Flowers white 
 
 1. D. murdlis (Speedwell-leaved Whitlow-grass). — Stem leafy, 
 branched, about a foot high ; leaves rough, with stellate hairs, 
 egg-shaped, blunt, toothed, embracing the stem ; pedicels spreading 
 horizontally. — Limestone hills in the west of England ; rare. — 
 Fl. April, May. Annual. 
 
 2. D. incdna (Twisted Whitlow-grass). — Stem leafy, branched, 
 4 — 14 in. high; leaves hoary with stellate down, lanceolate, 
 toothed ; pods twisted. — Mountains, and sandhills near the sea; 
 uncommon. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 3. D. rupestris (Rock Whitlow-grass). — Stems several, 1 — 2 in. 
 high, almost leafless ; leaves rosulate, stellately pubescent, ciliate. 
 — In crevices of the rocks and among moss on the summits 
 of some Highland mountains; very rare. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 49 
 
 4. D. verna (Spring Whitlow-grass). — Stem a single, slender, 
 leafless scape ; leaves rosulate, lanceolate, hairy ; floivers minute ; 
 petals deeply bi-lobed ; pods varying very much in form and com- 
 pression. — Common on walls and dry banks. — Fl. February — July. 
 Annual. 
 
 ** Flowers yellow 
 
 5. D. aizbides (Yellow Alpine Whitlow-grass). — Stem leafless, 
 1 — 5 in. high; leaves rosulate, linear, glabrous, ciliate ; petals 
 slightly notched. — On rocks and walls at Pennard Castle, near 
 Swansea, where it forms dense tufts with bright yellow flowers. — 
 Fl. March — May. Perennial. 
 
 17. Cochlearia (Scurvy-grass). — Glabrous herbs, with simple, 
 often fleshy leaves ; small white flowers ; and 
 nearly globose pods, with prominent dorsal 
 veins. (Name from the Latin cochlear, a 
 spoon, from the shape of the leaves in some 
 species.) The plants of this genus derive 
 their English name from the relief which they 
 afford to sailors suffering from scurvy, in con- 
 sequence of their being debarred from the 
 use of fresh vegetables. This antiscorbutic 
 quality is shared to an equal degree by other 
 plants of the Order ; but these were most 
 readily available from growing near the sea. 
 Steam navigation and the consequent short- 
 ening of voyages, preserved vegetables, and 
 the use of limejuice have, however, rendered {Vernaiwhitiew-grass). 
 this dreadful disease much less common. 
 
 1. C. officinalis (Common Scurvy-grass). — Stem often much 
 branched, 10 in. high ; radical leaves stalked, orbicular or reni- 
 form, cordate ; cauline leaves amplexicaul, lobed ; ..flowers in 
 rather large corymbs ; pod nearly globose. — On muddy sea- 
 shores ; common. — Fl. May, June. Annual. 
 
 2. C. alpina (Alpine Scurvy-grass). — A smaller form with an 
 obovoid pod. — On lofty mountains. 
 
 3. C. ddnica (Danish Scurvy-grass). — Another small form, with 
 stalked, deltoid leaves and an ovate pod.— Cliffs and hedges near 
 the sea ; common. — Fl. March — August. Biennial. 
 
 4. C. dnglica (English Scurvy-grass).— Branches 10 — 18 in. 
 long ; radical leaves not cordate, fleshy ; flowers and pods larger 
 than in C. officinalis, the latter somewhat elongate, nearly \ in 
 in length. Muddy seashores ; common. — Fl. May — August. 
 Annual. 
 
5° 
 
 CRUCfFERJE 
 
 Two other small species allied to C. ddnica, C. grcenldndica, 
 with fleshy leaves, and C. micdcea, a perennial with long claws 
 to its relatively large petals, are found in the north of Scotland. 
 
 1 8. Armoracia (Horse-radish).— Perennial glabrous herbs, 
 
 with rhizomes ; flowers 
 small, white or yellow ; 
 pods short, broad, nearly- 
 globose, with no dorsal 
 veins. (Name of uncertain 
 origin.) 
 
 i. A. rusticdna (Horse- 
 radish). — Rhizome stout, 
 long, cylindric, white and 
 pungent ; branches 2 — 3 
 feet high ; radical leaves 
 8 — 12 in. long, on stalks a 
 foot long, oblong, wavy, 
 crenate ; cauline leaves sub- 
 sessile, lanceolate, serrate ; 
 flowers small ; pods not 
 ripening in England. — 
 Waste-ground; a common 
 escape from kitchen gar- 
 dens ; but not indigenous. 
 — Fl. May — June. Perennial. 
 2. A. amphibia (Amphi- 
 bious Yellow Cress). — 
 Roots fibrous ; rhizome 
 short, stoloniferous ; leaves 
 pinnatifid or deeply serrate ; 
 petals, twice as long as the 
 calyx. — A large plant, 2 — 4 
 feet high, growing on the 
 banks of rivers, or partly 
 submerged, remarkable for 
 its numerous runners or 
 
 ochleAria officinalis {Common Scurvy-Grass). 
 
 stolons. — Fl. June— September. Perennial. 
 
 *iq. Camelina sativa (Gold of Pleasure) is another escape 
 from cultivation. It has tall, slender stems ; with obtuse, auricled 
 cauline leaves ; small yellow flowers and obovoid inflated pods. — 
 Fl. June, July. Annual. (Name from the Greek chatnai, dwarf, 
 linon, flax.) The plant is cultivated for the oil in its seeds. 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 
 
 20. Subularia (Awl-wort). A small submerged aquatic herb ; 
 leaves all radical, subulate (awl-shaped) ; flowers few, small, white, 
 on a scape, 1 — 3 in. long, sometimes perfected under water. 
 (Name from the Latin subula, an awl.) 
 
 1. S. aqudtica (Water Awl-wort). — The only species, common 
 on the gravelly bottoms of mountain lakes. — Fl. June— August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2 1 . Capsella (Shepherd's Purse).— Annual herbs, flowers small, 
 white ; pedicels slender ; pods compressed, inversely heart-shaped ; 
 
 cochleAria danica 
 (Danish Scurvy-Grass). 
 
 subulAria aquAtica 
 (Water Awl-wort). 
 
 valves boat-shaped, keeled, but not winged. (Name, the Latin 
 diminutive of capsa, a box. 
 
 1. C. Bursa-pastbris (Common Shepherd's Purse). — A com- 
 mon weed, to be found in almost every part of the world, varying 
 considerably in size, and the division of its leaves. The whole 
 plant is more or less rough with branched hairs ; root tapering ; 
 stem 6—16 in. high, branched ; radical leaves pinnatifid ; cauline 
 leaves auricled; petals sometimes converted into stamens. — Fl. 
 nearly all the year round. Annual. 
 
 22. Cor6nopus (Wart-cress). — Branched, prostrate herbs ; 
 
52 CRUCfFER^E 
 
 flowers minute, white, in short lateral racemes ; pods reniform, 
 indehiscent, or splitting into two indehiscent lobes ; seeds one in 
 each lobe. (Name from the Greek koronos, a raven, pons, foot.) 
 
 i. C. didymus (Lesser Wart-cress). — Stem prostrate, branched, 
 slender, hairy, a foot or more in length ; leaves finely pinnatifid 
 or bi-pinnatifid ; pods separating into two hard, wrinkled lobes. 
 Waste ground near the sea in south-west. It emits a very power- 
 
 caps£lla borsa pastoris 
 (.Common Shepherd's Purse), 
 
 CORONOPUS DfDYMUS 
 
 (Lesser Wart-cress). 
 
 ful smell, like that of Pepper-cress, especially when trodden on, 
 or in hot weather; and has a particularly nauseous taste. — Fl. 
 July — September. Annual. 
 
 2. C. prociimbens (Wart-cress or Swine's cress). — Glabrous, less 
 branched and with larger, less divided leaves and larger pods 
 than C. didymus. The pods are indehiscent. A common road- 
 side weed. — Fl. June — September. Annual. 
 
 23. LEPfmuM (Pepperwort). — Herbs with small white flowers; 
 some of the petals or stamens often absent ; pods rounded or 
 obcordate, much compressed, generally 2-seeded ; valves keeled 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 53 
 
 or winged. (Name from the Greek lepis, a scale, from the flattened 
 pods.) 
 
 * Style minute 
 
 1. L. latifblium (Broad-leaved Pepperwort, Dittander). — The 
 largest British species, glabrous and glaucous ; stem z — 4 feet 
 
 lepidium latifouum {.Broad-leaved Pepperuwrf). 
 
 high, erect, much branched, leafy, with runners ; radical leaves 
 stalked, ovate, lanceolate, serrate, often a foot long ; cauline leaves 
 sessile, lanceolate ; flowers numerous., small, white, in leafy pani- 
 cles ; pods oval, not notched or winged, downy. — In salt marshes ; 
 rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. L. ruderdle (Narrow-leaved Pepperwort). — A smaller plant, 
 glabrous or slightly pubescent ; stem a foot high, branched ; radi- 
 
54 
 
 CRUCfFERjE 
 
 cal leaves pinnatifid with narrow segments j cauline leaves linear, 
 entire ; petals absent ; stamens 2 ; pod oval, notched, winged at 
 the top. — Waste places near the sea ; uncommon. — Fl. May, June. 
 Annual. 
 
 3.* L. sativum (Common Cress). — A similar plant, occurring 
 as an escape from cultivation ; pod more completely winged. 
 Annual. 
 
 ** Style distinct 
 4. L. campestre (Field Pepperwort). — Pubescent; stem 16 — 18 
 in. high, erect, slightly branched ; leaves hoary, upper ones arrow- 
 
 LEpfmuM campestre (Field Pepperwort). 
 
 shaped at the base ; a?ithers yellow ; pod rough with minute 
 scales ; style not longer than the notch in the pod. A common 
 weed. — Fl. May — August. Annual or biennial. 
 
 5. L. heterophyllum (Hairy Pepperwort). — More downy, more 
 woody, and more branched ; anthers violet ; pod less scaly ; style 
 much longer than the notch. As common as L. campestre. — Fl. 
 April — August. Perennial. 
 
 6.* L. Drdba. — Stem flexuous, leafy, a foot in height, 
 branched; leaves hoary, oblong, lower ones stalked, upper ones arrow- 
 shaped at the base ; flowers many, small, corymbose, long-stalked ; 
 pod cordate, constricted between the valves ; valves swollen ; 
 style slender. Not indigenous. — Fl. May — June. Perennial. 
 
 24. ThlAspi (Penny Cress). — Glabrous herbs; radical leaves 
 rosulate ; cauline leaves sessile, sagittate ; flowers small, white ; 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 
 
 55 
 
 petals equal, obovate ; pod rounded, flat, notched, valves boat- 
 shaped, winged ; seeds numerous. (Name, the old Greek name 
 of the genus, connected with thlao, I flatten.) 
 
 i. T. arvense (Mithridate Mustard, Penny Cress). — Stem 
 slender, erect, a foot high ; cauline leaves oblong, sagittate, 
 toothed ; flowers much smaller than the pods, in a lengthening 
 raceme ; pods round, flat, with very broad wings, and a deep 
 
 thlAspi arv£ns£ {Penny Cress). 
 
 notch, | — f in. across. — Fields ; frequent. It derives its popular 
 names from the resemblance of its seed-vessels in size and shape 
 to silver pennies, and from having formerly been used in a medi- 
 cine known as the Mithridate confection. — Fl. all the summer. 
 Annual. 
 
 2. T. perfolidtum (Perfoliate Penny Cress). — A smaller, much- 
 branched species ; stem-leaves sessile, oblong, heart-shaped at the 
 base, amplexicaul, but not truly perfoliate ; flowers minute ; pod 
 
56 CRUCIFER/E 
 
 small, inversely heart-shaped ; style very short. — Waste places on 
 a limestone soil in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Bucking- 
 hamshire, and Middlesex ; but very rare. — Fl. April, May. 
 Annual. 
 
 3. T. alpestre (Alpins Penny Cress). — Another small species, 
 but little branched ; stem-leaves arrow-shaped at the base ; flowers 
 and pods rather larger than in T. perfolidtum ; style longer than 
 the notch of the pod. — Mountainous limestone pastures in the 
 north of England ; rare. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 4. T. virens, a closely-allied species, occurs on rocks at 
 Matlock. 
 
 25. Iberis (Candytuft). — Small branched glabrous herbs ; 
 flowers corymbose, white or red, rendered conspicuous by their 
 
 corymbose arrangement and by the two 
 outer petals in each flower being much 
 enlarged ; pod ovate, notched ; valves 
 boat-shaped, winged ; seeds 2. (Name 
 from Iberia (Spain), where many species 
 grow.) 
 
 1. / amdra (Bitter Candytuft). — Stem 
 6 — 10 in. high; leaves sessile, oblong- 
 lanceolate ; racemes lengthening after 
 flowering ; flowers white or red ; pods 
 small ; wings pointed above ; style longer 
 than the wings. — Chalky fields in the 
 south and east of England. — Fl. July. 
 (^ifL^XrZJZTa). AnnuaL Commonly grown in gardens. 
 
 26. Teesdalea. — Small, annual, glabrous herbs ; leaves all 
 radical, pinnatifid ; flowers minute, white, on a corymbose scape ; 
 petals generally unequal ; pod roundish, notched, keeled ; seeds 4. 
 (Named after Robert Teesdale, a Yorkshire botanist.) 
 
 1. T. nudicaiilis (Naked-stalked Teesdalea). — The only British 
 species, a minute and not inelegant plant with leaves closely 
 pressed to the ground and several slender leafless scapes, 2 — 4 in. 
 high; two outer petals twice as long as the others. — Dry banks; 
 not common. Fl. April — June. Annual. 
 
 27. Hutchinsia. — A small, annual, much-branched herb, with 
 pinnatifid leaves ; flowers minute, white, in racemes, which lengthen 
 after flowering ; petals equal ; pod minute, compressed, keeled ; 
 seeds 4. (Named after Miss Hutchins, an Irish botanist.) 
 
 1. H. petrcea (Rock Hutchinsia). — The only British species, a 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 57 
 
 pretty little plant from 2—5 in. high. Leaves elegantly pinnatifid ; 
 pods elliptic.— Limestone rocks, chiefly in the west of England ; 
 rare. — Fl. March — May. Annual. 
 
 *28. Isatis (Woad).— Tall, erect, branched herbs; cauline 
 leaves sagittate ; flowers yellow ; pods pendulous, indehiscent, 1 - 
 chambered, rounded, compressed, broadly keeled, 1 -seeded. 
 (Name, the Greek name of the genus.) 
 
 1.* /. tinctbria (Woad). — Glabrous, glaucous, 1 — 4 feet high; 
 radical leaves, stalked, oblong ; flowers small, corymbose ; pods on 
 
 hutchInsia petrjea {Rock Hutchinsid). 
 
 lengthening racemes. — Waste places, not indigenous; rare.— Fl. 
 July, August. Biennial. — The ancient Britons stained them- 
 selves with this plant, and it is still grown as a dye. 
 
 29. Crambe (Sea-kale). — Perennial herbs with stems stout, 
 branched ; leaves broad ; flowers white, in compound racemes ; 
 pods indehiscent, 2-jointed, the lower joint seedless, the upper 
 globose, i-seeded. (Name from the Greek, krambe, cabbage.) 
 
 1. C. maritlma (Sea-kale). Glabrous, glaucous ; leaves wavy, 
 toothed, fleshy. This is the plant which is so well known in 
 gardens as a vegetable. The part eaten is the leaf-stalk blanched 
 
58 
 
 CRUCfFER^E 
 
 by being kept from the action of light. It is found on many 
 parts of the sea-coast, and differs in no respect from garden speci- 
 mens as they appear when the forcing is over. — FL June— August. 
 Perennial. * 
 
 30. Cakile (Sea Rocket).— A large, fleshy, branched herb; 
 flowers white or lilac ; corymbose ; pods indehiscent, 2-jointed, 4- 
 angled, each joint i-seeded. (Name of Arabic origin.) 
 
 1. C. maritima (Purple Sea Rocket).— The only British species, 
 
 crambe mar(tima (Sea-kale). 
 
 common on sandy sea-shores, growing in a bushy manner, with 
 zig-zag branched stems, bearing fleshy, variously-cut, glaucous 
 leaves, and corymbs of lilac flowers. The seed-vessels are of very 
 curious construction, each containing two seeds, of which the 
 lower is erect, the upper pendent. — Fl. June — September. Annual. 
 
 31. Raphanus (Radish). — Radical leaves \yrate ; flo7vers in long 
 racemes ; petals purple-veined ; pod an elongated, inflated, smooth 
 lomentum with a slender beak. (Name of Greek origin, signify- 
 ing early appearance or rapid growth.) 
 
 1. R. Raphanistrum (Wild Radish, White Charlock). — A bristly 
 or almost prickly plant, 1 — 2 feet high, with horizontal, lyrate 
 
CABBAGE FAMILY 59 
 
 leaves, and rather large straw-coloured or white flowers veined 
 with purple ; well distinguished when in seed by its long-beaked 
 pods, which have from 3 — 7 one-seeded joints. Cornfields. — Fl. 
 May — September. Annual. This is the original of the garden 
 radish. 
 
 2. R. mariti??ius (Sea Radish). — Leaves composed of small and 
 large segments arranged alternately (interruptedly pinnatifid) ; 
 flowers smaller, yellow, rarely white ; pod with 2 — 4 joints, deeply 
 
 CAKfi.£ maritIma (Purple Sea Rocket). 
 
 constricted. — Sea-cliffs in the south and west ; rare. — Fl. July, 
 August. Biennial. 
 
 Ord. VII. — RESEDACEiE.— Mignonette Family 
 
 Herbaceous or somewhat shrubby plants, with scattered stipu- 
 late leaves, and their flowers in bracteate racemes. Sepals 4—7, 
 persistent ; petals 4 — 7 ; disk large, hypogynous ; stamens 10 — 24, 
 inserted on the disk ; ovary of 3 united carpels, 1 -chambered, 
 opening at the summit ; stigma 3-lobed, sessile ; seeds many, on 3 
 parietal placentas ; fruit a capsule. Most members of the Order 
 
6o 
 
 resedace^e 
 
 inhabit Europe and the adjacent parts of Asia and Africa. Reseda 
 odordta (Mignonette), a native of Egypt, is a favourite garden 
 plant on account of the delicious perfume of its flowers. 
 
 i. Reseda (Mignonette). — Flowers monosym metric ; petals 
 unequal, with a broad claw and ligule, the posterior ones with a 
 multifid limb. (Name from the Latin resedo, I calm, from 
 supposed sedative properties.) 
 
 RAPHANUS RAPHAN1STRUM {Wild RadUh). 
 
 i. R. Mtea (Wild Mignonette). — A bushy plant, i — 2 feet high ; 
 leaves 3-cleft, lower ones pinnatifid;y?<?z*/dr.y in short, broad, conical 
 racemes, yellowish ; sepals 6, linear ; petals 6, very unequal. — On 
 chalky soil. — Fl. June — August. Biennial. 
 
 2. R. Luteola (Weld, Dyer's Rocket, Yellow-weed). — A taller 
 plant than the last, 2 — 3 feet high, with long, linear, blunt, 
 undivided, shining leaves ; long terminal racemes of yellowish 
 flowers ; sepals 4. — Waste places, especially on a chalk or lime- 
 stone soil. It was formerly used to dye wool yellow, or, with 
 indigo, green. — Fl. June — August. Annual or biennial. 
 
ROCK-ROSE FAMILY 
 
 6 1 
 
 3.* R. alba (Shrubby Rocket), with glaucous pinnate leaves, 
 white flowers, and usually 5 sepals, not uncommon in gardens, 
 occurs as an escape. — Fl. June — August. Biennial. 
 
 Ord. VIII. — CiSTfNEiE. — The Rock-Rose Family 
 
 Mostly shrubby, but sometimes herbaceous plants, often with 
 viscid branches : leaves opposite, entire ; flowers conspicuous, 
 
 RESEDA LUTEOLA {Dyer's Rocket). 
 
 polysymmetric, white, yellow, or red, lasting a very short time; 
 sepals 3 or 5, unequal, the three inner twisted in the bud ; petals 
 5, twisted, when in bud, in a direction contrary to the sepals ; 
 stamens indefinite ; carpels 3, united ; ovary 1 -chambered ; style 
 single ; stigtnas 3 ; capsule 3-valved. The plants of this Order are 
 almost confined to the south of Europe and North of Africa. 
 The only species which possesses any remarkable properties is 
 Cistus Creticus, which affords the balsam called Gum Ladanum. 
 
 1. Helianthemum (Rock-Rose). — Sepals 5, the two outer 
 
62 
 
 CISTfNE^E 
 
 either smaller or wanting ; petals 5 ; stamens numerous ; ovules 
 
 many ; capsule 3-valved. (Name from the Greek helios, the sun, 
 
 and antlws, a flower, because the flowers expand in the sunshine. ) 
 
 1. H. Chamcecistus (Common Rock- Rose). — A beautiful little 
 
 heuAnthemitm CHAMjEcisTus (Common Rock-Rose). 
 
 prostrate undershrub ; leaves with fringed stipules, oblong, green 
 above, hoary beneath j flowers in bracteate racemes, 1 inch across, 
 yellow ; the two outer sepals very small, the inner apiculate ; the 
 stamens, if pinched, spread out, and lie down on the petals. — Dry 
 places j common. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 There are four other British species of Helidnthemum, which are 
 all of local occurrence, and rare : H. guttdtum (Spotted Rock- 
 Rose), a herbaceous annual, with ebracteate yellow flowers, with a 
 blood-red spot at the base of each petal, found in Cork and the 
 
VIOLET FAMILY 
 
 63 
 
 Channel Islands. H. Breweri, differing from H. guttdtum chiefly 
 in having bracts, found in Anglesea. H. cdnum (Hoary Rock- 
 Rose), a shrubby plant with leaves very hoary beneath and exstipu- 
 late, and small bracteate yellow floivers, found on limestone rocks 
 in the west. H. polifblium (White Rock-Rose), a small shrubby 
 species, with stipulate leaves, hoary on both surfaces and bracteate 
 white flowers, grows on Brean Down, Somerset, and near Torquay. 
 
 VIOLA CANINA, and V. ODORATA. 
 
 Ord. IX. — Violace^e. — The Violet Family 
 
 A beautiful and important Family of herbs or shrubs, inhabiting 
 most regions of the world. Those which grow in temperate 
 regions are mostly herbaceous : but in the tropical regions of 
 South America there are many shrubby species. Leaves scattered, 
 stipulate, simple ; flowers monosymmetric ; sepals 5 ; petals 5, 
 i-spurred ; stamens 5, with the connective produced beyond the 
 anther-lobes ; carpels, 3 ; ovary i-chambered ; style swollen above ; 
 stigma cupshaped ; ovules many, parietal ; capsule 3-valved. Most 
 
64 violXce^: 
 
 of the species possess emetic and laxative properties similar to 
 those of Ipecacuanha. 
 
 1. Viola (Violet). — Sepals 5, auricled at the base; petals 5, 
 the lower one spurred ; anthers united into a tube, the two lower 
 furnished with nectariferous tail-like appendages, which are 
 enclosed within the spur of the corolla. (Name, the Latin name 
 of some fragrant flower.) Some species have two kinds of flowers, 
 one opening in spring, conspicuous, but yielding little or no seed ; 
 the other not opening (cleistogene) and often apetalous, produced, 
 on short peduncles, in autumn, and yielding abundant seed. 
 
 Stipules small. With cleistogene flowers 
 
 1. V. paliistris (Marsh Violet). — Rhizome creeping; leaves 
 heart- or kidney-shaped, quite smooth ; often purplish beneath ; 
 sepals obtuse ; petals delicate lilac, with darker veins ; spur very 
 short, obtuse. — Bogs ; common. — Fl. April — July. Perennial. 
 
 2. V. odordta (Sweet Violet). — Runners long ; leaves heart- 
 shaped, slightly downy, especially beneath ; petioles with deflexed 
 hairs ; flowers fragrant, deep purple, lilac, pale rose-colour, or 
 white ; bracts above the middle of the flower-stalks ; sepals obtuse ; 
 spur nearly straight, short, obtuse, inflated towards the end. One 
 of the most highly prized of all our wild flowers, unrivalled in 
 fragrance, delicacy, and variety of tinting, and doubly welcome 
 from its appearing early in spring. The flowers are sometimes 
 used as a laxative for children, as a sweetmeat, or as a chemical 
 test, being changed to red by acids and to green by alkalies. — Fl. 
 March, April. Perennial. 
 
 3. V. hirta (Hairy Violet). — Pubescent, without runners ; leaves 
 heart-shaped, rough ; petioles with spreading hairs ; flowers scent- 
 less, pale violet or white ; bracts below the middle of the flower- 
 stalks ; sepals obtuse ; spur long, compressed, hooked, obtuse. — 
 Common on dry, especially calcareous, soils. — Fl. April — June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. V. calcdrea (Limestone Violet). — Rhizome branched, thick, 
 woody, without runners ; leaves small, ovate, cordate, pilose, 
 enlarging but little after flowering ; flowers very small ; sepals 
 oblong-ovate ; petals narrow, the four upper ones resembling a 
 St. Andrew's cross, uniformly violet ; spur very short, straight, 
 conical, almost imperceptible. — Dry limestone pastures in the 
 south. — Fl. April — June. Perennial. 
 
 5. V. silvestris (Pale Wood Violet). Stem distinct, without 
 rhizome or runners; leaves heart-shaped, lanceolate, nearly 
 
VIOLET FAMILY 65 
 
 glabrous, radical, rosulate ; flowering-branches axillary ; flowers 
 scentless ; sepals acute ; auricles minute ; petals oblong, narrow, 
 lilac, lower with fewer parallel, nearly simple, veins at its base ; 
 spur blunt, compressed, not furrowed, usually darker than the 
 petal. — Common in copses and hedgerows. — Fl. April, May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 6. V. Rivinidna (Dark Wood Violet). — Stem distinct, without 
 rhizome or runners ; leaves broadly heart-shaped, nearly glabrous, 
 radical, rosulate ; flowering-branches axillary ; flowers scentless ; 
 sepals acute ; auricles prominent, notched ; petals broadly obovate, 
 blue, lower with many branched dark veins at its base ; spur 
 blunt, thick, furrowed, usually yellowish-white. — More generally 
 distributed than the last, to which it is closely allied. — Fl. April, 
 May. Perennial. 
 
 7. V. rupestris (Hill Violet). — A small compact plant, with 
 large flowers differing from the last mainly in the downiness of 
 the young leaves, flozver-s talks, and capsules ; is very rare, occur- 
 ring in upland pastures in Teesdale. — Fl. May, June. Biennial. 
 
 8. V. canina (Dog Violet). — Primary and lateral stems length- 
 ening and flowering, but without runners ; leaves ovate-cordate, 
 acute ; flowers bluish-purple, scentless ; sepals acute ; spur obtuse, 
 yellow, longer than the auricles of the sepals. — Heaths and 
 sandy places ; common. The popular name of this species 
 implies a reproach for its want of perfume. — Fl. April, May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 9. V. stagnina. — Rhizome slender, with runners; primary and 
 lateral stems flowering and elongating ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, 
 subcordate ; petioles winged at the top ; stipules linear-lanceolate, 
 serrate ; petals pale lilac, or white ; spur very short, blunt. — 
 Turf- bogs ; rare. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 ** Stipules leafy, pinnatifid. No cleistogene flowers 
 
 10. V. tricolor (Pansy Heartsease). — Stem ascending, angular, 
 branched ; leaves long-stalked, ovate-oblong, crenate ; stipules 
 large, lyrately pinnatifid ; bracts minute, high up on the peduncle ; 
 petals spreading, unequal, pale yellow or purple, longer than the 
 sepals. — Cultivated fields, common. The cultivated varieties 
 are countless. — Fl. May — September. Annual. 
 
 11. V. arvensis (Field Pansy). — An allied and almost equally 
 common form, differs chiefly in having erect, yellow or white 
 petals, which are not longer than the sepals. Annual. 
 
 12. V. Curtisii, a rarer form, has a branched rhizome with 
 runners, the petals rather longer than the sepals, the upper purple, 
 
66 POLYGALACE^E 
 
 the lateral ones blue, and the lower yellow. It occurs on sandy 
 shores in the west of England and Ireland. Perennial. 
 
 13. V. liitea (Yellow Mountain Violet, or Mountain Pansy). — 
 Rhizome branched with runners ; stem angular, ascending ; leaves 
 oblong, crenate ; stipules palmately pinnatifid^not lyrate, terminal 
 lobe narrow; petals spreading, longer than the sepals, yellow, 
 purple, or parti-coloured. — Mountain pastures in the north. — 
 Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 ORD. X. POLYGALACEJE. — THE MILKWORT FAMILY 
 
 Herbs and Shrubs with bitter, emetic, and laxative properties. 
 Leaves scattered, exstipulate, simple ; flowers in racemes, mono- 
 symmetric and often showy; sepals 5, unequal, the two 
 inner larger and petaloid ; petals 3 — 5, more or less united ; 
 stamens 8, diadelphous in two sets of four, epipetalous ; anthers 
 1 -chambered, opening by pores at the summit ; carpels 2, united 
 into a two-chambered ovary; ovules one in each chamber; 
 placentation axile ; fruit a capsule. Several species are said to 
 be valuable medicinally. Polygala Senega (Snake-root), a North 
 American plant, is reputed to cure snake-bites. Krameria 
 (Rhatany), obtained from South America, is an astringent, un- 
 doubtedly useful in cases of dysentery, and furnishes also a red 
 infusion, used to adulterate port-wine. 
 
 1. Polygala (Milkwort). — The British species are all small 
 herbs. Sepals 5, the two inner coloured, wing-shaped, persistent ; 
 petals 3 — 5, united, the lower one keel-shaped and crested ; cap- 
 sule compressed, 2-valved ; seeds downy, with an aril at the base. 
 (Name from the Greek, signifying much ?nilk, being supposed 
 to increase the yield in cows.) 
 
 1. P. vulgaris (Common Milkwort, Gangweed). — Stems pros- 
 trate, ascending, leafy ; leaves scattered, linear-lanceolate ; racemes 
 terminal ; bracts 3, at the base of each flower, the central one as 
 long as the pedicel, the lateral ones shorter ; flowers blue, pink, 
 or white, 10 — 20 in a raceme; veins of wing-sepals branching 
 and reuniting freely, the central vein ending in a mucro or pro- 
 jecting point ; no cilia on bracts, sepals or capsule. — Common on 
 heaths and dry pastures, especially on chalky soil. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. oxyptera is a local form with more prostrate and spread- 
 ing growth, narrower leaves, smaller, more distant, and more 
 deflexed flowers, and narrower wing-sepals. 
 
 3. P. serpylldcea, more widely-distributed form, has a slender, 
 wiry, flexuose, prostrate stem ; lower leaves opposite ; flowers few 
 
MILKWORT FAMILY 67 
 
 and small ; wing-sepals broad, with the principal veins with few 
 branches between them. — Common on heaths. 
 
 4. P. calcdrea (Chalk Milkwort). — Leaves tufted, the lower ones 
 large and fleshy, obovate ; flowering-branches axillary ; flowers 
 large ; wing-sepals broad, with prominent central vein united near 
 its middle with the branched lateral ones. — Chalk downs, chiefly 
 in the south-east of England. — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 5. P. amdra, found in Kent and Surrey, has also its leaves in a 
 
 POLYGALA VULGARIS (CoMMOn MilklUoH). 
 
 rosette and fleshy ; but its flowers are very small, distant, pinkish 
 or pure white; its wing-sepals narrow, linear-oblong; and it is 
 only two or three inches high. 
 
 6. P. uliginbsa, found on Cronkly Fell, Yorkshire, has larger 
 and more compactly grouped blue flowers. 
 
 Ord. XI. Frankeniaceje. — The Sea-Heath Family 
 Herbaceous or somewhat shrubby plants with branched stems, 
 whorled exstipulate leaves with a membranous sheathing base, 
 and numerous small axillary polysymmetric flowers. Sepals, 
 petals, and stamens 4 — 6 each, the sepals united and persistent, 
 the petals with claws and ligules ; carpels 2 — 5 ; ovary 1 -cham- 
 bered ; ovules many, parietal ; capsule 2 — 5-valved. The species 
 
 f 2 
 
68 FRANKENlACE^ 
 
 of the only genus in the Order inhabit temperate and sub-tropical 
 regions, mostly near the sea. 
 
 i. Frank£nia (Sea-Heath). — Style divided above into three 
 oblong lobes bearing the stigma. (Name from John Franken, a 
 Swedish botanist.) 
 
 frank£nia l^vis {Smooth Sea-Heath). 
 
 i. F lavts (Smooth Sea-Heath).— -A small procumbent plant, 
 with wiry stems ; leaves crowded, narrow, rolled back at the edges, 
 smooth, fringed at the base ; flowers rose-coloured. — Salt-marshes 
 on the south-east coast. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 Another species, F pulverulenta (Powdery Sea-Heath), with 
 obovate leaves, pulverulent beneath, formerly grew on the Sussex 
 coast, but is now extinct. 
 
PINK FAMILY 69 
 
 ORD. XII. CARYOPHYLLACE.E. — THE PlNK FAMILY 
 
 An extensive and well-marked Order of herbaceous plants, 
 chiefly Arctic, Alpine, European and W. Asiatic. The stems, 
 which are sometimes woody below, are generally swollen at the 
 nodes or joints ; the leaves always opposite and simple, and often 
 glaucous ; the flowers polysymmetric, and frequently large and 
 ornamental, mostly red or white, in cymes. Sepals 4 — 5, distinct, 
 or with a calyx-tube below ; petals 4 — 5, distinct; stamens 4 — io, 
 usually twice as many as the petals, hypogynous ; carpels 2 — 5, 
 united into a 1 -chambered or imperfectly 2 — 5-chambered ovary 
 with free-central placentation ; styles 2 — 5 ; ovules numerous ; 
 capsule opening by twice as many teeth or valves as there are 
 styles. Though no members of the Order are put to much use, 
 the Pinks, Carnations, and Sweet Williams are favourite garden 
 flowers ; and our hedges are much indebted for their showy 
 appearance in spring to the great White Stitchwort, and in sum- 
 mer to the Red and White Campions. Botanists subdivide this 
 large order into three sub-orders. 
 
 Sub- Order I. Silenece. — Campion Tribe. Leaves exstipulate ; 
 sepals 5, united into a tube ; petals 5, clawed ; stamens 10, united 
 at their base and inserted with the petals on the elongated axis 
 below the ovary ; styles distinct. 
 
 * Two or more imbricate bracteoles below calyx 
 
 1. Dianthus. — Styles 2 j capsule i-chambered, opening at the 
 top with 4 valves ; seeds flattened. 
 
 ** Without bracteoles 
 *2. Saponaria. — Styles 2 ; capsule i-chambered, opening at 
 the top with four valves ; seeds rounded. 
 
 3. Silene. — Petals generally with a ligule ; styles 3, rarely 5 ; 
 capsule imperfectly 3-chambered, opening at the top with 3 — 6 
 valves. 
 
 4. Lychnis. — Styles 4 — 5 ; capsule 1- or imperfectly 5-cham- 
 bered, opening at the top by 4—10 teeth. 
 
 Sub- Order II. Alsinece. — Chickweed Tribe. Leaves exstipu- 
 late ; sepals distinct ; stamens not united ; ovary not stalked ; styles 
 distinct. 
 
 5. Sagina. — Sepals 4 — 5 ; petals 4 — 5, minute, entire or 
 absent ; stamens 4 — 10 ; styles 4 — 5 ; capsule 4 — 5-valved, many- 
 seeded. 
 
70 caryophyllAce/e 
 
 6. Honkenya. — Sepals 5 ; petals 5, large ; stamens 10, alternat- 
 ing with glands ; styles 3 ; capsule 3-valved, few-seeded. 
 
 7. Minuartia. — Sepals 4 — 5 ; petals 4 — 5 ; styles 3 — 4 ; cap- 
 sule 3 — -4-valved, many-seeded ; leaves linear. 
 
 8. Cherleria. — Sepals 5 ; petals 5, minute or absent ; stamens 
 10 ; disk prominent, glandular, 5-lobed ; styles 3 ; capsule 3- 
 valved, few-seeded. 
 
 9. Arenaria. — Sepals 5 ; petals 5, entire or slightly emargin- 
 ate; stamens 10, rarely 5; styles 3; capsule 6-valved, many- 
 seeded ; leaves broad. 
 
 10. Hol6steum. — Sepals 5 ; petals 5, toothed at the margin ; 
 stamens 3 — 5 ; styles 3 ; capsule sub-cylindric, opening at the top 
 with 6 teeth, many-seeded. 
 
 11. Stellaria. — Sepals 5; petals 5, deeply bifid; stamens usually 
 10 ; styles 3 ; capsule globose, opening with 6 valves or teeth, 
 many-seeded. 
 
 12. Myos6ton. — Sepals 5; petals 5, bifid; stamens 10; styles 
 5 ; capsule opening with 5 bifid valves. 
 
 13. Cerastium. — Sepals 5 ; petals 5, bifid ; stamens 4 — 10 ; 
 styles 3 — 5 ; capsule tubular, opening with 10 teeth, many-seeded. 
 
 14. MjENCHia. — Sepals 4, erect ; petals 4, entire; stamens 4; 
 styles 4; capsule opening with 8 or 10 teeth, many-seeded. 
 
 Sub Order III. Polycdrpea. — Spurrey Tribe. Leaves with mem- 
 branous stipules ; sepals 5, distinct; petals 5 ; stamens 3 — \o free ; 
 styles 3 — 5 ; capsule not stalked. 
 
 15. Spergula. — Petals entire; stamens 5 — 10; styles 5, free 
 capsule 5-valved, many-seeded. 
 
 16. Alsine.; — Petals entire ; stamens 5 — 10 ; styles 3, rarely 
 5, free ; capsule 3-valved, rarely 5-valved, many-seeded. 
 
 17. Polycarpon. — Sepals keeled at the back, hooded at the 
 end ; petals emarginate ; stamens 3 — 5 ; styles 3 short, united at 
 base ; capsule 3-valved, many- seeded. 
 
 1. Dianthus (Pink). — Herbaceous plants with narrow, grass- 
 like leaves, often tufted ; flowers solitary or fascicled ; calyx 
 tubular, 5-toothed, with bracteoles below it ; petals 5, long-clawed, 
 often toothed ; stamens 10, united at the base ; ovary 1 -cham- 
 bered ; styles 2 ; capsule opening with 4 valves at the top ; seeds 
 flattened. (Name in Greek signifying flower of Jupiter, from its 
 beauty.) 
 
 * Flowers fascicled 
 1. D. Arm'eria (Deptford Pink). — Stems few, erect, 1 — 2 feet 
 high, downy ; leaves linear, downy, lower obtuse, upper acute ; brae- 
 
PINK FAMILY 
 
 71 
 
 teoles lanceolate-subulate, downy, as long as the calyx ; calyx 1 — 2 
 in. long ; petals rose-colour dotted with white, toothed. — Hedge- 
 rows on dry soil ; rare. — Fl. July, August. Annual or biennial. 
 
 2. D. pro lifer (Proliferous Pink). — Stems few, erect, about a foot 
 high, smooth ; leaves roughish at the edge ; bradeoles brown, 
 membranous, pellucid ; flowers opening 
 one at a time, rose-colour. — Gravelly 
 pastures ; rare. — Fl. June — October. 
 Annual. 
 
 **Flozvers not fascicled 
 
 3. D. deltoides (Maiden Pink). — A 
 much-branched plant, with stems 6 — 
 12 in. high, roughish; leaves downy, 
 rough ; bradeoles 2, half as long as the 
 calyx ; flowers § in. across, rose-coloured, 
 with white spots and a dark ring in 
 the centre, scentless ; petals toothed. — • 
 Gravelly banks ; not common. — Fl. 
 June — September. Perennial. 
 
 4. D. glaikus (Cheddar Pink). — Stems 
 many, 4 — 10 in. high; leaves glaucous, 
 with rough edges ; bradeoles 4, roundish, 
 shortly pointed, one-fourth as long as the 
 calyx ; flowers solitary, 1 in. across, rose- 
 coloured, scented ; petals much cut. — 
 Limestone rocks, Cheddar, Somerset. — 
 Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 5.* D. phtmdrius (Common Pink). — 
 Stem about a foot high, 2 — 5-flowered ; 
 leaves rough at the edge ; bradeoles round- 
 ish-ovate, mucronate, one-fourth as long 
 as the calyx ; flower 1 in. across, pale pink, 
 or white, fragrant; calyx-teeth ciliate, 
 shorter than the capsule ; petals downy, 
 cut as far as the middle of the blade. — 
 Naturalised on old walls. — The origin of 
 the garden Pinks. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 6.* D. Caryophyllus (Clove Pink, Carnation, or Clove Gilly- 
 flower). — Glabrous and glaucous, branched, 1 — 2 feet high ; leaves 
 with smooth edges ; flowers \\ in. across, rose-pink, fragrant ; 
 calyx-teeth not ciliate, longer than the capsule; petals glabrous, 
 notched. — Naturalised on old walls. — The origin of the garden 
 Carnations. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 diXnthus armaria 
 (Deptford Pink). 
 
72 CARYOPHYLLACE^E 
 
 *2. SaponAria (Soapwort). — Herbs with conspicuous flowers in 
 panicled or fascicled cymes ; calyx tubular, ebracteate ; capsule 
 2-chambered at the base, 4-valved at the top ; seeds rounded. 
 (Name from the Latin sapo, soap, the plant abounding in a 
 soapy juice.) 
 
 1.* S. officinalis (Common Soapwort). — A robust, succulent 
 plant, 2 — 4 feet high, with broad, pointed, smooth, leaves^ and 
 
 SAPOvXria officinalis (Common Soapwort). 
 
 handsome flesh-coloured flowers, which are often double. — Hedges 
 near villages ; not indigenous. — Fl. August, September. Perennial. 
 
 3. Silene (Catchfly). — Herbaceous, often viscid, plants ; calyx 
 ebracteate, inflated, 5-toothed, 10- veined; petals 5, with long 
 narrow claws, and usually a double ligule at the base of the blade ; 
 styles usually 3 ; capsule usually 3-chambered in its lower half and 
 6-valved above. (Name said to be from the Greek sialon, saliva, 
 
Fig. 
 
 7. Soapwort [Sapor.ana officinalis). 
 
PINK FAMILY 73 
 
 alluding, as does the English name, to the viscidity of some 
 species. This property protects the honey in the flowers from 
 "unbidden guests," insects that crawl up the stem and would 
 not cross-pollinate the flowers ; but these plants are apparently 
 not insectivorous, the captured insects not being digested or 
 absorbed.) 
 
 i. *S. latifdlia (Bladder Campion, White Bottle). — Generally 
 glabrous and glaucous ; but a downy variety (var. puberuld) is 
 occasionally found. Stem erect, from i to 2 feet high; leaves oblong, 
 acute ; flowers many, drooping, panicled, scented at night ; 
 calyx inflated, bladder-like, with a network of veins, often tinged 
 
 silene am<ena (Sea Campion). 
 
 with purple ; petals white, deeply cloven, seldom with any ligule. 
 A common weed. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. amdena (Sea Campion). — Stems numerous from the same 
 root, prostrate, spreading ; leaves oblong, acute ; flowers few or 
 solitary, larger than those of the last ; petals slightly cleft into two 
 broad segments, each with a ligule at the base of the blade. — 
 Common on the sea-shore, less so by mountain streams. — Fl. all 
 the summer. Perennial. 
 
 3.* 5. Armeria, with a viscid stem, smooth leaves, a many- 
 flowered corymbose cyme, and notched white petals with ligules, 
 occurs as a casual, but is not indigenous. — Fl. July. Annual. 
 
 4. S. cbnica (Striated Corn Catchfly). — Stem erect, forked, 
 hairy, 6 — 12 in. high; leaves narrow, downy ; flowers small 
 
74 caryophyllAcejE 
 
 numerous, erect ; calyx conical, with 30 furrows ; petals rosy, cleft, 
 with ligules. — Sandy fields ; very rare. — Fl. May — July. Annual. 
 
 5. .S. dnglica (English Catchfly). — Hairy and viscid, 6 — 12 in. 
 or more high ; stem erect or branched ; leaves narrow ; flowers 
 small, in leafy racemose cymes ; calyx with green pubescent ribs 
 and bristle-like teeth ; petals white or pink, bifid, with ligules ; 
 capsules drooping. — Gravelly fields ; not uncommon. — Fl. all the 
 summer. Annual. 
 
 6. S. quinquevi'dnera, found chiefly in the Channel Islands, 
 differs in its petals, which are white, with a red spot on each 
 (whence the specific name meaning " Five Wounds "), and are not 
 cleft. 
 
 7. S. acaiilis (Moss Campion). — Densely tufted, bright-green, 
 moss-like ; stem much branched ; leaves narrow, fringed at the 
 base ; flozvers pink or white, short-stalked, solitary, erect, \ in. 
 across ; calyx tubular, smooth, with 1 o veins ; petals slightly notch- 
 edw-with notched ligules. — Confined to the summits of our loftiest 
 mountains, where it forms a matted turf gay with blossoms. — Fl. 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 8. S. Otites (Spanish Catchfly). — Stem erect, about a foot high, 
 viscid, with whorled branches ; leaves few, narrow ; flowers small, 
 erect, yellowish ; petals narrow, not notched, without ligules ; 
 stamens and carpels generally on separate plants. — Sandy fields in 
 the east of England. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 9. S. nutans (Nottingham Catchfly). — Pubescent and viscid, 
 about 1 5 feet high; branches opposite, 3-forked; flowers large, 
 white or pink, all drooping one way, most expanded and fragrant 
 in the evening ; calyx tubular, swollen in the middle ; petals 
 deeply cleft, with ligules. — On limestone rocks and castle-walls ; 
 not common. — Fl. May — -July. Perennial. 
 
 10.* S. itdlica (Italian Catchfly), a tall, viscid, pubescent species, 
 with trichotomous erect panicles, bifid petals without ligules, and 
 a long stalk to the capsule, occurs as a casual in Kent. 
 
 11. S. noctiflbra (Night-flowering Catchfly). — Softly pubescent 
 and viscid, about a foot high ; stem erect, repeatedly forked ; 
 flowers erect, reddish- white, rather large; calyx with 10 green, 
 hairy ribs ; petals deeply notched, unrolling about sunset, and clos- 
 ing early in the morning ; very fragrant during the night. — Sandy 
 and gravelly fields ; not common. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 4. Lychnis (Campion). — Herbaceous plants differing in no in- 
 variable characters from Silent ; but generally with 5 styles and 5 
 or 10 teeth to the capsule. (Name from the Greek luchnos, a lamp, 
 probably from the orange flowers of some species.) 
 
- 
 
'ig. 9. White or Evening Campion. {Lychnis, alba). 
 
PINK FAMILY 
 
 75 
 
 i. L. alba (Evening Campion). — Hairy, i — 3 feet high J leaves 
 ovate-lanceolate ; flowers in loose dichasial cymes, 1 in. across, 
 white, or rarely reddish, fragrant in the evening, dioecious ; calyx 
 greenish, inflated, teeth long ; petals deeply bifid, with ligules ; cap- 
 sule conical, 10-toothed, the teeth erect. — Fields and Hedgerows ; 
 common. — Fl. all the summer. Biennial or perennial. 
 
 2. L. dioica (Red Campion).— A closely-allied species, differing 
 
 :.ychnis flos-clcuh (Ragged Robin) 
 
 chiefly in its reddish calyx, with shorter teeth, petals red, rarely 
 white ; and sub-globose capsule with recurved teeth. — Copses 
 and hedgebanks ; common. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 3. L. Flos-aiculi (Ragged Robin).— A pretty and well-known 
 marsh plant, with a reddish-green angular stem, 1 — 2 feet high, 
 the lower part of which is roughish, with short stiff deflexed hairs, 
 the upper part slightly viscid ; leaves very narrow ; flowers loosely 
 dichasial, rose-coloured, or very rarely white ; calyx tubular, 
 10-ribbed, with red veins ; petals deeply cut into linear diverging 
 
7 6 
 
 CARYOPHYLLACE^E 
 
 segments, capsule 5-toothed. — Fl. in May and June, when the 
 Cuckoo is in full song, whence its specific name. Perennial. 
 
 4. L. Viscdria (Red German Catchfly). — Stem simple, about a 
 foot high, viscid at the nodes ; leaves lanceolate, sub-glabrous ; 
 flowers few, large, rose-red ; petals slightly notched ; capsule dis- 
 tinctly stalked, 5-toothed, 5-chambered when young. — Dry rocks 
 in North Wales and Scotland; very rare. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 lychnis githago (Corn Cockle). 
 
 5. L. alpina (Red Alpine Campion). — A small, tufted, glab- 
 rous species with red flowers, confined to the summits of northern 
 mountains. 
 
 6. L. Githago (Corn-Cockle). — Downy with dense white hairs ; 
 stem erect, 2 — 3 feet high ; leaves narrow j /lowers solitary, x\ — 2 
 in. across ; calyx woolly, ribbed, with leafy teeth much longer than 
 the corolla -, petals bluish-pink, obovate, undivided, without ligules ; 
 capsule 5-toothed. — A handsome corn-field weed, the large seeds 
 
PINK FAMILY 77 
 
 of which are rather difficult to separate from corn ; less common 
 than formerly. — Fl. June — August. Annual 
 
 5. SAGfNA (Pearl-wort). — Very small tufted plants with awl- 
 shaped leaves united at their bases ; small stalked tetramerous or 
 pentamerous flowers ; petals shorter than the sepals, sometimes 
 minute or absent; ovules many. (Name in Latin signifying 
 fattening meat, totally inapplicable to these minute plants.) 
 
 * Sepals, stamens, styles, and valves of capsules 4: 
 petals minute or absent 
 
 1. S. maritima (Sea Pearl-wort). — A creeping, ascending, 
 glabrous plant; stem slender and forked, with long internodes, 
 brittle, often reddish ; leaves fleshy, blunt or apiculate ; pedicels 
 erect ; sepals broad, blunt, with incurved tips, sub-erect in fruit. — 
 Sea-shores ; common. — Fl. May — September. Annual. 
 
 2. S. apetala (Annual Pearl-wort). — Branches slight, hairy, 
 ascending ; leaves linear, awned, ciliate at the base ; pedicels erect ; 
 sepals blunt, spreading in fruit in the form of a cross. — Dry places. 
 — Fl. May — September. Annual. 
 
 3. S. cilidta (Ciliate Pearl-wort). — Nearly glabrous, prostrate; 
 leaves linear, awned, ciliate ; sepals adpressed to the ripe capsule. 
 — Heaths and dry places. — Fl. May, June. Annual. 
 
 4. S. proaimbens (Procumbent Pearl-wort). — Glabrous, pros- 
 trate ; branches spreading from 
 a central rosette ; leaves usually 
 fascicled, linear, awned ; pedi- 
 cels curved downwards after 
 flowering, but afterwards erect ; 
 sepals sometimes 5, spreading 
 in fruit. — Well known to gar- 
 deners as a troublesome and 
 prolific weed in gravel paths. — 
 Fl. all the summer. Perennial. 
 
 5. S. Bbydii (Braemar Pearl- 
 wort). — GlabrOUS, densely sagi'na proc^mbens, amis. apetaxa. 
 
 tufted, forming cushions ; in- 
 ternodes very short ; leaves recurved ; peduncles short, erect ; sepals 
 4 or 5, always erect ; petals absent ; capsule globose. — A very 
 distinct form, found in Braemar. Perennial. 
 
 ** Sepals, petals, styles, and valves of capsules usually 5 : 
 stamens 10 : petals at least half as long as sepals. 
 
 6. S. saginoides (Alpine Pearl-wort) distinguished from S. 
 proaimbens by its longer petals, 10 stamens and sepals adpressed 
 
7S 
 
 CARYOPHYLLACE^E 
 
 to the capsule. — Highland mountains; rare. — Fl. June— August 
 Perennial. 
 
 7. vS. nivalis (Snow Pearl-wort). — Glabrous, densely tufted ; 
 leaves acuminate ; pedicels always erect ; petals smaller than in S. 
 Linncei. — Highland mountains ; very rare. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 8. S. subuldta (Awl-shaped Pearl-wort). — Glandular-hairy, 
 tufted ; leaves linear, awned, ciliate ; pedicels curved after flower- 
 ing. Closely allied to S. Linncei, — Dry places ; frequent. — Fl. 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 9. S. nodbsa (Knotted Spurrey). — The largest and largest- 
 flowered species, 3 — 4 in. high, glabrous or glandular-hairy ; upper 
 leaves tufted; peduncles axillary, always erect, 1 — 2-flowered ; 
 floivers \ in. across ; petals much longer than the sepals. — Wet 
 sandy places ; common. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 6. Honkenya (Sea Purslane). — A small succulent glabrous 
 perennial shore -plant, with broad leaves; flowers small, poly- 
 gamous ; sepals 5 ; petals 5, relatively 
 large ; disk of 10 interstaminal glands ; 
 stamens 10; styles 3 ; capsule large, glob- 
 ose, 3-valved, 1 — 2 -seeded. (Named 
 after G. A. Honckeny, a German 
 botanist who died in 1805.) 
 
 1. H. peploides (Sea Purslane). — A 
 low, succulent, dark-green, glabrous, 
 marine plant ; rhizome creeping; 
 branches ascending, forked, 4 — 8 in. 
 high ; leaves decussate, ovate, acute, 
 sessile, recurved ; floivers small, in the 
 forks of the stem, often dioecious ; 
 sepals obtuse, with membranous mar- 
 gins ; capsule large, globose, fleshy ; 
 seeds 1—2, large. — Forming tangled 
 masses on sandy sea-shores. — Fl. May 
 — September. Perennial. 
 
 7. Minuartia (Lesser Sandwort). — 
 Small annual or perennial herbs with 
 awl-shaped leaves ; sepals and petals 4 
 — 5 ; dish ring-shaped ; stamens 1 o ; 
 styles 3 — 4 ; capsule with 3 — 4 entire valves ; seeds numerous. 
 (Named in honour of Sr. Minuart, apothecary, of Madrid.) 
 
 i.J/". verna (Vernal Sandwort). — A small tufted plant ; leaves 
 subulate, acute, 3-veined ; flowers nearly solitary, comparatively 
 
 HONRfiNYA PEPLdlDES 
 
 (Sea Purslane). 
 
PINK FAMILY 79 
 
 large, ^ in. across, on slender stalks ; petals longer than the sepals. 
 — Rocky places in mountainous districts; rare. — Fl. May — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 2. M. rubella (Alpine Sandwort). — Smaller in all its parts, more 
 yellow-green and less compact in growth, with blunt leaves, and 
 petals shorter than the sepals, is very rare, being confined to the 
 summits of some of the Scotch mountains. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3. M. stricta (Bog Sandwort). — A loosely-tufted form with 
 ascending stems, veinless leaves and flowers i — 3 together, on 
 slender stalks. — Grows by a stream in Teesdale. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. M. tenuifblia (Fine-leaved Sandwort). — An erect, slender 
 plant, 4 — 6 in. high ; stem much forked j leaves acute, 3 — 5-veined ; 
 flowers small, numerous, in the forks of the stem \ petals shorter 
 than the sepals. — Dry places, chiefly in the eastern counties ; rare. 
 — Fl. May — August. Annual. 
 
 8. Cherleria (Cyphel). — A tufted perennial mountain plant, 
 with awl-shaped leaves, solitary flowers generally apetalous and 
 dioecious ; sepals 5 ; disk of 
 5 interstaminal glands ; 
 stamens 10; styles 3; cap- 
 sule 3-valved, few-seeded. 
 (Named in honour of Jean 
 Henri Cherler, a botanist 
 who died in 1610.) 
 
 1. C. sedoides (Mossy 
 Cyphel). — A densely-tufted, 
 yellow-green prostrate plant 
 forming cushions 6 — 12 in. 
 across, with a long tap-root ; 
 leaves crowded, narrow, cheri.£ria sedoides {Mossy Cyphel). 
 
 ciliate; flowers solitary, 
 
 greenish, being generally apetalous and dioecious ; capsule and 
 seeds small. — Summits of Scottish mountains. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 9. Arenaria (Sandwort). — Small herbs often tufted, with 
 broad leaves and white flowers in dichasial cymes; sepals 5 ; petals 
 5, entire or slightly notched ) disk annular; stamens 10, rarely 5 ; 
 styles 3 ; capsule short, with 3 valves, which are bifid, many-seeded. 
 (Name from the Latin arena, sand, many species growing in 
 sand.) 
 
8o CARYOPHYLLACEtf: 
 
 i. A. Irinervia (Three- veined Sandwort). — A weak, straggling, 
 downy plant, about a foot long, approaching the Chickweed 
 (Stelldria media) in habit, but at once distinguishable by its 
 undivided petals ; leaves ovate, acute, 3 — 5-veined, ciliate, the 
 
 hol6steum umbellatum (Umbelliferous Jagged Chickweed). 
 
 lower ones stalked ; flowers solitary, from the forks of the stem 
 and axils, on long slender stalks ; sepals longer than the petals, 3- 
 veined, the central vein hairy. — Damp shady places ; common. 
 — Fl. May, June. Annual. 
 
 2. A. serpyllifblia (Thyme-leaved Sandwort). — A repeatedly- 
 forked, sub-erect, grey-green, downy plant, 3 — 6 in. high, with 
 recurved hairs ; leaves ovate, acute, roughish, sessile, 1 — 3-veined : 
 
PINK FAMILY 8l 
 
 flowers inconspicuous ; sepals acute, with 3 hairy veins. — Dry 
 places ; common. — FL June — August. Annual. 
 
 3. A. cilidta (Fringed Sandwort) is a small, matted, prostrate, 
 downy species, with spathulate ciliate leaves and large, nearly 
 solitary flowers, growing on limestone mountains in co. Sligo. — 
 FL June, July. Perennial. 
 
 4. A. norvegica (Norwegian Sandwort). — Differs mainly in being 
 more succulent, and nearly glabrous, its leaves not being ciliate. 
 It occurs in Unst, in the Shetland Islands. — FL July, August 
 Perennial. 
 
 5. A. gbthica (Gothland Sandwort), more tufted, less succulent, 
 more downy, with leaves ciliate at the base with curved hairs, is 
 closely allied. — On limestone in West Yorkshire. — FL June — 
 September. Annual (?). 
 
 10. Hol6steum (Jagged Chickweed). — Annual, viscid herbs 
 with flowers on umbellate cymes ; sepals 5, petals 5, toothed ; 
 stamens 3 — 5, rarely 10 ; styles 3, rarely 4 or 5 ; capsule cylindric, 
 6-, or rarely 8- or 10-toothed, many-seeded. (Name in Greek 
 signifying all bone, of uncertain application.) 
 
 1. H. umbelldtum (Umbelliferous Jagged Chickweed).— The 
 only British species, 4 — 5 in. high ; stems smooth below, hairy and 
 viscid above ; leaves ovate ; flowers in terminal umbellate cymes 
 about 5 together, their pedicels bending downward after flowering 
 and rising again in fruit ; sepals white with membranous edges ; 
 petals white or pale pink, a little longer. — Old walls in Norfolk 
 and Suffolk ; very rare. — FL April. Annual. 
 
 11. Stellaria (Stitch wort). — Slender, usually glabrous herbs, 
 with leaves grass-like or short and broad ; flowers white, in 
 dichasial cymes ; sepals and petals 5 each, rarely 4, the latter 
 bifid; stamens 10, rarely 8; styles 3, ovules many; capsule 6- 
 valved. (Name from the Latin Stella, a star, from its star-like 
 blossoms.) 
 
 1. S. nemorum (Wood Stitchwort). — A much-branched, strag- 
 gling plant, hairy or glabrous ; leaves rough on the upper surface ; 
 flowers \ — £ in. across, on very slender stalks in a loose, much- 
 branched cyme ; sepals with narrow membranous margins. — 
 Damp woods, chiefly in the north. — FL May — August. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 2. S. media (Chickweed). — Prostrate or ascending, varying 
 considerably in size; stem with a line of hairs alternating from 
 side to side ; leaves glabrous, succulent, ovate, shortly pointed, the 
 lower ones with ciliate stalks ; flowers small, axillary ; sepals hairy, 
 
 G 
 
82 caryophyllXce^e 
 
 with a narrow membranous margin as long as the petals ; petals 
 deeply 2-cleft, or absent ; stamens 3, 5, or 10. — Waste places and 
 as a weed in gardens ; abundant. — Fl. all the year round. 
 Annual. 
 
 3. S. neglecta (Perennial Chickweed). — A more erect, slender, 
 glabrous form, with ovate-acuminate leaves and glabrous sepals. — 
 Shady places ; not common. Perennial. 
 
 4. S. Holbstea (Greater Stitchwort, Satin-flower, or Adder's- 
 
 stellAria hol6stea (Greater Stitchmort). 
 
 meat). Stem 1 — 2 feet high, nearly erect, 4-angled, rough-edged, 
 brittle at the nodes; leaves sessile, narrow, tapering to a long 
 point, ciliate ; flowers few, f in. across, in leafy dichasial cymes, 
 with slender stalks; petals deeply 2 cleft. — Among the most 
 ornamental of our spring flowers, scarcely less conspicuous with 
 its delicate green leaves than its snow-white petals. The stems do 
 not die down to the ground in the winter, as is the case with most 
 herbaceous perennials, but though dead to all appearance, they 
 send out delicate jgreen tufts very early in the year, so that the 
 
PINK FAMILY 83 
 
 flowering stems, especially in bushy places, seem to have made an 
 unusually rapid growth. — Fl. April — June. Perennial. 
 
 5. S. palustr/s (Glaucous Marsh Stitchwort). — Glabrous, 
 glaucous; stem slender, erect, 4-angled, 6 — 12 in. high; leaves 
 sessile, narrow, tapering, entire ; flowers few, in a loose cyme, 
 \ — f in. across ; bracts and sepals with membranous margins ; 
 petals very deeply 2,-cleft, much longer than the 3-veined sepals. — 
 Marshy places ; not common. — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 6. S. graminea (Lesser Stitchwort). — Glabrous, not glaucous ; 
 stem straggling, 1 — 3 feet high, 4-angled ; leaves sessile, very- 
 narrow, acute, ciliate ; floivers smaller than in the last two species, 
 in loose cymes ; bracts membranous ; petals very deeply cleft, 
 scarcely longer than the 3-veined sepals. — Dry heathy places ; 
 common. — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 7. S. uliginbsa (Bog Stitchwort). — Slender, straggling or erect, 
 3 — 18 in. high; stem 4-angled, glabrous; leaves broadly lanceolate, 
 with a stiff tip, smooth, sometimes ciliate ; flowers few, \ in. across, 
 in loose cymes ; petals deeply 2-cleft, shorter than the 3-veined 
 sepals. — Boggy places ; common. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 12. Myosoton (Great Chickweed). — A straggling perennial 
 herbaceous plant, resembling Sielldria nemorum, covered with 
 glandular hairs, with ovate leaves ; flowers in the forks of the 
 stem ; sepals 5 ; petals 5, bifid, longer than the sepals ; 
 stamens 10, styles 5 ; capsule with 5 bifid valves, many-seeded. 
 (Name from the Greek, meaning mouse-ear.) 
 
 1. M. aqudticnm (Great Chickweed). — A much-branched, strag- 
 gling plant ; stem angular, brittle, 1 — 3 feet long, covered with 
 glandular hairs ; leaves ovate-cordate, acute, ciliate, the lower ones 
 stalked ; floivers solitary in the angles of the stems. — Wet places, 
 but not general. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 13. Cerastium (Mouse-ear Chickweed). — Pubescent, or rarely 
 glabrous, herbs, white flowers in terminal dichasial cymes; sepals 5; 
 petals as many, bifid ; stamens 10, sometimes 5 or 4 ; styles usually 
 3 or 5 ; ovules many; capsules tubular, often incurved, 10-toothed. 
 (Name from the Greek keras, a horn, from the shape of the capsule 
 in some species.) 
 
 t Capsule nearly straight. Annual 
 
 1. C. tetrdndrum (Four-stamened Mouse-ear Chickweed). — 
 
 Hairy and viscid, 4 — 12 in. high; stem forking from the base; 
 
 leaves oval or oblong ; bracts broad, oval, leafy ; flowers \ in. 
 
 across ; sepals acuminate with narrow membranous margins j 
 
 G 2 
 
S4 
 
 caryophyllAce^e 
 
 pedicel 2 or 3 times as long as the capsule. — Dry places near the 
 sea. — Fl. April — October. Annual. 
 
 2. C. piimilum (Dwarf Mouse-ear Chickweed). — Viscid; stem 
 branched at the root ; leaves spathulate ; flowers in terminal forked 
 cymes ; upper bracts and sepals with narrow membranous margins ; 
 pedicel short, curved in fruit ; capsule slightly curved. — Dry banks 
 in the south ; rare. — Fl. April, May. Annual. 
 
 3. C. semidecdndrum (Five-stamened Mouse-ear Chickweed). 
 — Downy, sometimes viscid; stem erect or decumbent, 1 — 10 in. 
 high, branched from the base : leaves broadly ovate ; bracts with 
 their upper half membranous ; sepals with broad membranous 
 margins; stamens, 4, 5, or 10; pedicel at first reflexed, afterwards 
 erect. — Dry places ; common. — Fl. April, May. Annual. 
 
 ft Capsules curved 
 
 4. C. viscbsum (Clustered Mouse-ear Chickweed). — Stem erect, 
 
 hairy; leaves ovate; flowers in 
 tufted cymes, short-stalked ; bracts 
 leafy, hairy ; sepals with narrow 
 membranous margins, hairy. — 
 Dry places ; common. — Fl. April 
 — September. Annual. 
 
 5. C. vulgdtum (Wayside 
 Mouse-ear Chickweed). — Stems 
 mostly procumbent, downy, or 
 with lines of pubescence ; leaves 
 oblong-lanceolate ; flowers few, 
 in loose cymes, on lengthening 
 stalks ; secondary bracts some- 
 times with membranous margins ; 
 sepals obtuse, with broad mem- 
 branous margins ; stamens 5 or 
 10. A common weed, with incon- 
 spicuous white flowers and strag- 
 gling stems, generally covered 
 with dust. The seed-vessels, 
 when ripening, lengthen and 
 curve. — Fl. all the summer. 
 Biennial or perennial. 
 
 ttt Sepals half as long as the petals. Perennial 
 6. C. alpinum (Alpine Mouse-ear Chickweed). — Pubescent with 
 white silky hairs ; stem prostrate or ascending ; leaves broadly 
 ovate ; flowers few, sometimes an inch across ; bracts and sepals 
 
 cekAstium vulgAtum 
 {Wayside Mouse-ear Chickzveed). 
 
PINK FAMILY 85 
 
 obtuse, with narrow membranous margins. Alpine rocks in the 
 north. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 7. C. drcticum (Arctic Mouse-ear Chickweed). — Pubescent 
 with short yellowish hairs ; stem prostrate, tufted ; flowers usually 
 solitary ; sepals with broad membranous margins. Otherwise 
 resembling C. alpinum. — Mountains of Wales and Scotland ; rare. 
 Fl. May— August. Perennial. 
 
 8. C. arvense (Field Mouse-ear Chickweed). — Hairy, prostrate, 
 ascending; branches 6 — 10 in. high; leaves linear-lanceolate 
 flowers numerous, equalling and resembling those of Stellaria 
 Holostea, in forked cymes; bracts and sepals acute, with mem 
 branous margins. — Dry fields ; not common. — Fl. April — August 
 Perennial. 
 
 9. C. cerastoides (Alpine Stitchwort). — Stem 4 — 8 in. long 
 slender, decumbent, much branched below, with a line of pubes 
 cence shifting from side to side at each node ; leaves small 
 narrow, oblong, glabrous ; flowers \ in. across, on very slender 
 stalks, 1 — 3 in a cyme. — By Scotch Highland streams; rare. — Fl 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
 14. Mcenchia. — Glabrous, glau- 
 cous herbs, with linear leaves 
 and few, but relatively large, 
 flowers, with their parts mostly 
 in 4's ; sepals longer than the 
 petals ; petals not notched ; 
 capsule 8-toothed, many-seeded. 
 (Named in honour of Conrad 
 Mcench, Professor of Botany at 
 Hesse-Cassel.) 
 
 1. M. erecta (Upright 
 Mcenchia). — Glabrous, glaucous, 
 erect, 2 — 6 in. high; leaves 
 linear, acute, rigid ; flowers few, 
 relatively large, opening only in 
 sunshine ; sepals 4, acute, with 
 broad white membranous mar- 
 gins ; petals, stamens, and styles 
 4 each ; capsule 8-toothed. — 
 Dry places.— Fl. May, June. mcenchia erecta 
 
 Annual. [.Upright Mcenchia). 
 
 15. Spergula (Spurrey). — Annual herbs with forked branches; 
 whorled leaves with small membranous stipules; flowers in 
 panicled cymes, pentamerous ; petals entire ; seeds numerous. 
 
8ti 
 
 CARYOPHYLLACE.E 
 
 (Name from the Latin spargo, I scatter, from scattering its 
 seeds.) 
 
 i. S. arvensis (Corn Spurrey). — More or less pubescent and 
 viscid; stem 6 — 18 in. high, with many knee-like bends; leaves 
 __ cylindrical, rather fleshy ; 
 
 ^^^^Sbs^ floivers white, \ in. across, 
 
 on slender stalks which 
 bend down in fruit.— A 
 common weed in sandy 
 cornfields, and occasionally 
 cultivated. — Fl. June — ■ 
 August. Annual. 
 
 1 6. Alsine (Sandwort- 
 v Spurrey). — Prostrate plants, 
 differing chiefly from Sper- 
 gula in having only three 
 valves to their capsules, 
 and generally three styles. 
 (Name of unknown ety- 
 mology.) 
 
 i. A. rubra (Field Sand- 
 wort-Spurrey). — A small, 
 branching, pubescent plant; 
 leaver linear, fiat, pointed ; 
 stipules united, lanceolate, 
 silvery, torn ; flowers rosy, 
 \ in. across. — Common in 
 sandy places. — Fl. June — ■ 
 September. Annual. 
 
 2. A. marginal a (Sea- 
 side Sandwort-Spurrey). — 
 A nearly allied, glandular- 
 pubescent form ; leaves fleshy, blunt ; stipules broadly triangular, 
 usually entire ; flowers pink with a white base ; petals shorter 
 than the sepals ; stamens less than io. — Near the sea. — Fl. June 
 — September. Annual. 
 
 3. A. msdia (Perennial Sandwort-Spurrey). — A nearly allied, but 
 glabrous, larger, and stouter form ; flowers \ in. across ; petals 
 lilac or white, as long as the sepals; stamens 10. — Muddy salt- 
 marshes. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 4. A. rupicola (Rock Sandwort-Spurrey). — A nearly allied, but 
 glandular-pubescent form, with leaves fascicled and pointed, which 
 occurs rarely on rocks near the sea. — Fl. June — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 sp^rgula arvensis {Corn Spurrey). 
 
PURSLANE FAMILY 87 
 
 17. Polycarpon (All-seed). — Annual herbs with flat leaves; 
 membranous stipules ; minute flowers in crowded, bracteate cymes ; 
 sepals keeled ; petals emarginate ; stamens 3 — 5 ; styles 3 ; ovules 
 many. (Name from the Greek polus, many, kdrpos, fruit.) 
 
 1. P. tetraphyllum (Four-leaved All-seed). — A small prostrate 
 branched plant ; lower leaves in whorls of 4, upper opposite ; 
 
 flowers many, minute, greenish-white ; stamens 3. — On the south- 
 west coast ; rare. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 ORD. XIII. PORTULACE^E. — THE PURSLANE FAMILY 
 
 Smooth, succulent herbs or shrubs with simple, entire leaves ; 
 and monosy mmctnc flowers opening only during sunshine. Sepals 
 2, united at the base ; petals usually 5 ; stamens 3 — 5 j carpels 3, 
 united into a 1 -chambered ovary, with a style usually 3-fid, few 
 ovules and basal placentation. The capsules open either trans- 
 versely or by 3 valves. Many species have large showy flowers ; 
 but those of the British representatives of the Order are small and 
 white. The common Purslane (Portuldca olerdcea) has been cul- 
 tivated in warm countries as a pot-herb from very early times, and 
 occurs as a weed at Richmond, Surrey. 
 
 *i. Claytonia. — Petals free ; stamens 5. 
 
 2. Montia. — Petals united at the base; stamens 3. 
 
 *i. Claytonia. — Naturalised North American plants with 
 stalked radical leaves, exstipulate ; flowers in terminal cymes ; 
 sepals 2, united at the base, persistent ; petals 5, not united ; 
 stamens 5, epipetalous ; capsule 3-valved, 3-seeded. (Named in 
 honour of John Clayton, an early 
 collector in Virginia.) 
 
 1.* C. sibirica. — Often a foot 
 high ; radical leaves ovate, acumin- 
 ate ; cauli?ie leaves opposite, sessile; 
 petals lilac, bifid. — A garden 
 escape. — Fl. April— July. Annual 
 or perennial. 
 
 2* C. per/olid ta. — 4 — 12 in 
 high ; radical leaves rhomboid, 
 fleshy ; cauline leaves connate ; 
 petals nearly or quite entire, white. 
 — A garden escape. — Fl. April — 
 
 Tulv. Annual. m6ntia fontAna (Water Blinks). 
 
 2. Montia (Blinks). A small annual herb ; leaves opposite, 
 or nearly so ; flowers solitary or in few-flowered cymes ; sepals 2, 
 united at the base, persistent ; corolla of 5 united petals, 3 smaller 
 than the rest, tube split to the base in front ; stamens 3, inserted in 
 
TAMARISCINE.<E 
 
 the throat of the corolla ; stigmas 3, caspule 3-valved, 3 seeded. 
 (Named in honour of J. de Monti, an Italian botanist.) 
 
 1. M. fontdna (Water Blinks). — The only species, an unpre- 
 tending little plant, tufted and pale green, with spathulate entire 
 leaves, well marked by the above characters and common in wet 
 places. — Fl. May — August. Annual. 
 
 Ord. XIV. Tamariscine^e. — The Tamarisk family. 
 
 Shrubs with whip-like branches, minute scale-like leaves, and 
 lateral spikes of small flowers ; sepals 5, rarely 4, imbricate, per- 
 sistent ; petals 5, rarely 4 ; 
 imbricate ; stamens 4 — 10, 
 with versatile anthers ; cap- 
 sule 3— 5-valved; i-chamber- 
 ed; seeds many, tufted with 
 down at the extremity. They 
 are found only in the eastern 
 half of the northern hemi- 
 sphere, and are most numer- 
 ous on the shores of the 
 Mediterranean ; but though 
 preferring the seaside, they 
 are not unfrequently found on 
 the banks of rivers, and occur, 
 also, in the desert, especially 
 where the soil is impregnated 
 with salt, as in the neighbour- 
 hood of Mount Sinai, where a 
 species of Tamarisk, very like 
 the common one, produces 
 a sugary substance called 
 Manna by the Arabs. The 
 bark is astringent, and several 
 species are remarkable for the 
 large quantity of sulphate of 
 soda contained in their ashes, 
 and for the galls which they 
 bear on their branches. 
 These are highly astringent, 
 and are used both in medicine 
 and in dyeing. 
 
 *i. Tamarix. — Styles 3 — 4, spreading; stigmas feathery' ; seeds 
 basal (Name from Tamaris, a river in Spain, now the Tambra, 
 where Tamarisk abounds.) 
 
 tXmarix gXllica {Common Tamarisk). 
 
WATERWORT FAMILY 89 
 
 i.* T. gdllica (Common Tamarisk). — A handsome evergreen 
 shrub or small tree, with long flexible reddish branches, and closely 
 adpressed scale-like leaves which give the tree a light feathery 
 appearance. The flowers are rose-colour. — Though extensively 
 planted on the south and east coasts, this shrub is not in- 
 digenous. — Fl. July — September. 
 
 Ord. XV. Elatine^e. — The Waterwort Family 
 
 Mostly minute aquatic annual herbs, with prostrate stems, root- 
 ing at their nodes ; and opposite, stipulate leaves ; sepals, petals, 
 and carpels 2 — 5, each ; sepals free or united ; stamens equalling, 
 or twice as many as, the petals ; ovary syncarpous, 2 — 5-chambered, 
 with as many styles and valves to the ripe capsule ; seeds wrinkled, 
 
 elati'ne hexandra {Six-stamened Waterwort). 
 
 numerous ; placentation axile. These plants are found in most 
 parts of the world. 
 
 1. Elatine (Waterwort). — Very small glabrous plants; leaves 
 spathulate ; flowers minute, axillary ; seeds cylindric, furrowed, 
 and transversely striated. (Name of Greek origin.) 
 
 1. E. hexandra (Six-stamened Waterwort). — A minute plant, 
 forming turfy beds on the margin of lakes, or entirely submersed. 
 When left by the subsiding water it assumes a bright red hue. 
 Flowers inconspicuous, stalked, 3-merous ; stamens 6. Rare. — 
 Fl. July — September. Annual. 
 
 2. E. Hydropiper (Eight-stamened Waterwort, Water Pepper). 
 — Differing in having sessile, 4-merous flowers; stamens 8. 
 Growing in similar situations to the preceding, but even rarer. — 
 Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
9 o 
 
 HYPERICIN E/E 
 
 Ord. XVI. Hypericine.e. — The St. John's-vvort Family 
 
 Herbs, shrubs, or trees, with opposite, exstipulate, simple /eaves, 
 generally dotted with pellucid glands, and conspicuous yellow 
 polysymmetric flowers, generally in cymes ; sepals 5, rarely 4, 
 imbricate ; petals of the same number as the sepals, twisted when 
 in bud ; stamens 3 or 5, much branched near the base and known 
 as polyadelphous ; carpels 3 — 5, syncarpous ; styles 3 — 5 ; fruit a 
 capsule or nuculane, 3 — 5-chambered and valved, the valves 
 curved inwards ; seeds numerous, minute. Most of the species 
 are aromatic and resinous, and some contain a yellow juice, which 
 has purgative, astringent, and tonic properties. They occur in 
 most parts of the world, the only British genus being that which 
 gives the Order its name, Hypericum. 
 
 1. Hypericum (St. John's-wort).- — Leaves sessile ; flowers in 
 cymes ; sepals 5 ; petals 5, usually very oblique ; stamens 3 or 5, 
 much branched ; styles 3, rarely 5 ; fruit 3 or 5-chambered. 
 (Name from the Greek hupereikon, Pliny also using Hypericum, 
 though usage has made it Hypericum.) 
 
 * Shrubs : sepals unequal: petals deciduous : stamens 5, 
 branched at the base 
 
 1. H. Androsckmum (Tutsan). — A handsome, shrubby, glabrous 
 plant, 2 — 3 feet high ; stem compressed ; leaves large, ovate, with 
 a strong resinous smell, which they retain for some time after 
 drying ; flowers f in. across, in conspicuous cymes ; petals very 
 oblique ; styles 3, recurved ; fruit glossy, black, berry-like. — Woods 
 and hedges ; not common, except in -Devon and Cornwall. — Fl. 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2.* H. hircinum, a taller, more-branched shrub, with flowers 
 \\ in. across and narrow, acute, deciduous sepals, occurs in 
 shrubberies, but is not indigenous. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3.* H. eldtum, a closely allied species with a 2 edged stem and 
 winged peduncle, occurs under similar circumstances. 
 
 4.* H. calycinum (Large-flowered St. John's-wort, Park-leaves). 
 — A low glabrous shrub, about a foot high ; stem square ; leaves 
 2 — 4 in. long ; oblong, blunt, leathery ; flowers solitary, terminal, 
 3- — 4 in. across, very handsome ; styles 5. — Common in gardens 
 and shrubberies, and naturalised in several places. — Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
Fie 10 J ^* John's Wort. {Hypericum perforatum) 
 
 (Small upright St. John's Wort. (Hypericum pulchrum). 
 
ST. JOHNS-WORT FAMILY 
 
 9T 
 
 ** Herbs : sepals united, not fringed : petals persistent : stamens 3, 
 branched at the base : styles 3 
 
 5. H. perforatum (Common St. John's-wort). — Stem erect, 2 
 feet high, 2-edged ; leaves elliptic-oblong, copiously dotted with 
 pellucid glands, veins opaque; sepals erect, lanceolate, acute.— 
 Woods and hedges ; common. This plant and its congeners 
 derive their popular name from coming into flower about the feast 
 of St. John Baptist 
 (O.S.).— Fl. July— Sep- 
 tember. Perennial. 
 
 6. H. maculdtum (Im- 
 perforate St. John's- 
 wort). — Very like the 
 last, but with stem 4- 
 sided, with 4 elevated 
 lines ; leaves with pel- 
 lucid veins, but few 
 glands ; sepals reflexed, 
 ovate, blunt, with black 
 glands on the back. — 
 Moist places ; not com- 
 mon,— Fl. July, August 
 Perennial. 
 
 7. H. quadrdngulum 
 (Square - stalked St. 
 John's-wort).— An allied 
 species with 4-winged, 
 branched stem ; leaves 
 with many pellucid 
 glands and veins ; and 
 sepals erect, lanceolate, 
 acuminate. — Wet places; 
 common. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 8. H. unduldtum (Wavy St. John's-wort). — Another closely- 
 allied form, with a 4-edged stem ; leaves with wavy edges, many 
 pellucid glands and veins ; black glands on the edges of the stem, 
 the under surface of the leaves, and the sepals ; flowers in loose 
 cymes ; and sepals erect, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate. — In bogs in 
 Devon and Cornwall ; rare. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 9. H. humiftisum (Trailing St. John's-wort). — A prostrate, 
 glabrous species ; stems spreading, slender, 2-edged, 3 — 9 in. long ; 
 leaves oblong, obtuse, with minute pellucid glands and black 
 glands under their revolute margins ; sepals unequal ; stamens 5— 
 
 HYPERICUM PERFORATUM 
 
 (Perforated St. John's-wort). 
 
92 malvXce^: 
 
 7-branched. — Walls and gravelly banks; common. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 *** Herbs : sepals fringed with glands : stamens 3, branched: 
 styles 3 
 
 10. H. linariifdlium (Narrow-leaved St. John's-wort). — Stem 
 erect, terete, 6 — 12 in. high; leaves linear, blunt, revolute ; sepals 
 lanceolate, acute, with glandular teeth and black glands below; 
 stamens about 10-branched.— Devon, Cornwall, and Jersey; very 
 rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 n. H. piilchrum (Small Upright St. John's-wort). — A slender, 
 glabrous plant; stem erect, round, 12—18 in. high ; leaves cordate- 
 amplexicaul, with pellucid glands ; flower-buds stained with red ; 
 sepals obtuse, fringed with sessile glands; petals fringed with 
 glands. — Heaths and woods ; common. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 12. If. hirsi'itum (Hairy St. John's-wort). — Stem erect, round, 
 hairy, about two feet high ; leaves slightly stalked, pubescent, with 
 pellucid glands ; sepals narrow, acute, fringed with stalked glands. 
 — Woods, especially on calcareous soil.— Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 13. H. montdnum (Mountain St. John's-wort). — A similar 
 plant, but glabrous, with sessile leaves, with black glands on their 
 margins. — Limestone hills; not common. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 14. H. elbdes (Marsh St. John's-wort). — A shaggy plant ; stems 
 creeping, ascending ; leaves roundish, densely clothed in shaggy 
 down; flowers few, pale yellow; sepals fringed with red stalked 
 glands. — Spongy bogs ; common. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. XVII. MalvAce^e. — The Mallow Family 
 
 A large and important family of herbaceous plants, shrubs and 
 trees, with scattered, stipulate leaves, which are palmately veined 
 and lobed. The floivers are polysymmetric and generally con- 
 spicuous, and are in most cases furnished with an epicalyx or 
 involucel of bracts ; sepals 5, more or less united at the base, 
 valvate in bud ; petals 5, twisted in bud ; stamens originally 5, but 
 much branched and carried up on a tube, so as to appear indefinite 
 and monadelphous ; carpels many in a whorl, generally united, 
 each 1 -seeded ; styles as many as the carpels, distinct or united; 
 fruit a regma. There are about a thousand species in the Order, 
 mostly natives of tropical regions, where they form a large pro- 
 portion of the vegetation, the number of species gradually 
 
MALLOW FAMILY 
 
 93 
 
 decreasing towards the poles. They all agree in containing a 
 large quantity of mucilage, and being totally destitute of unwhole- 
 some qualities. In some species, this mucilage, extracted by 
 boiling the plant, especially the root, is employed medicinally in 
 allaying irritation, both external and internal, as, for instance, in 
 the manufacture of guimauve lozenges. The inner bark of several 
 tropical species is used as a substitute for hemp ; but the less 
 strong, though most valuable of all textile substances, cotton, 
 consists of the long unicellular hairs on the seeds of various species 
 of the genus Gossypium, 
 which belongs to this Order. 
 The Hollyhock (Althtka 
 rdsea), several species of 
 Hibiscus, Mdlope, and other 
 genera, are favourite orna- 
 mental garden flowers. 
 
 i. AlthAa. Epicalyx of 
 6 — 9 connate bracts. 
 
 2. Lavatera. Epicalyx 
 of 3 connate bracts. 
 
 3. Malva. Epicalyx of 3 
 distinct bracts. 
 
 1. Alth^a (Marsh Mal- 
 low). — Hairy herbs, with 
 lobed leaves; axillary or 
 racemose flowers ; an epi- 
 calyx of 6 — 9 united bracts ; 
 sepals and petals 5 each j 
 staminal tube long ; styles 
 many; fruit dividing into 
 indehiscent i-seeded cocci. 
 (Name from the Greek altho, I cure, from its healing properties.) 
 
 1. A. officinalis (Common Marsh Mallow). — Hoary with stel- 
 late down ; stem 2 — 3 feet high ; leaves shortly stalked, thick, 
 sub-orbicular, 3 — 5-lobed; flowers in axillary cymes, 1 — 2 in. 
 across, blush-pink. — Marshes near the sea; local. The starry 
 down is a beautiful object for the microscope. — Fl. August, 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. hirsuta (Hispid Marsh Mallow). — A hispid or bristly 
 plant, about a foot high, with leaves long-stalked, reniform, 
 3 — 5-lobed, and solitary axillary rose-pink flowers, an inch across, 
 occurs near Cobham, Kent. — Fl. June, July. Annual or 
 biennial. 
 
 ALTHAEA OFFICINALIS 
 
 {Common Marsh Mallow). 
 
94 
 
 MALVACEAE 
 
 2 Lavatera (Tree-Mallow). — Tall hairy plants, with more 
 or less lobed leaves ; axillary flowers ; an epicalyx of 3 united bracts ; 
 and other characters mainly as in Althcea. (Named in honour of 
 the two Lavaters, Swiss physicians, friends of Tournefort.) 
 
 1. L. arbbrea (Sea Tree-Mallow). — A tall and handsome plant, 
 3 — 12 feet high, with a thick woody stem ; soft, downy, 7-angled 
 
 lavatera arborea {Sea Tree-Mallo-v), 
 
 leaves ; and abundance of xose-co\o\ixe6. flowers, with darker veins, 
 1 \ in. across, resembling those of the Common Mallow {Mdlva 
 sylvestris), but of a deeper colour towards the centre. — On sea- 
 cliffs and stacks ; rare. — Fl. July — October. Biennial. 
 
 2.* L. sylvestris, a smaller, herbaceous species, closely re- 
 sembling Mdlva sylvestris, but differing in being hispid with 
 Stellate hairs, giving it a grey-green colour, and in having the 
 
Fig. II. Mallow. \Ma\va sylvestri$\. 
 
MALLOW FAMILY 95 
 
 bracts of its epicalyx united, occurs, perhaps introduced in ballast, 
 in the Scilly Isles, in Cornwall, and in Dorset. — Fl. June, July. 
 Annual or biennial. 
 
 3. Malva (Mallow). — Glabrous or hairy herbs ; leaves angled 
 or lobed ; flowers axillary ; epicalyx of 3 distinct bracts ; and other 
 characters mainly as in the two preceding genera. (Name from 
 the Greek mdlake, soft, in allusion to its emollient mucilage.) 
 
 1. M. moschdta (Musk Mallow). — Hairy, light green, stem 
 erect, leaves long-stalked, deeply palmately 5 — 7-lobed, lobes 
 
 mAi.va sylv£stris (Common Mallow). 
 
 pinnatifid, with a faint musky odour when rubbed, especially in 
 hot weather; flowers large, handsome, rose-coloured, crowded 
 towards the top of the stem ; fruit hairy. — Hedges and borders of 
 fields ; frequent. A white variety is occasionally found and is 
 grown in gardens. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. M. sylvestris (Common Mallow). — A robust, erect, 
 branched, herbaceous, downy plant ; leaves lobed, but not deeply 
 divided, crenate-serrate ; flowers showy, lilac with crimson veins ; 
 fruit glabrous. — Waste ground ; common. — Fl. June — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 As the season advances, the leaves lose their first deep-green 
 
g6 tiliAcejE 
 
 hue, and the stems put on a ragged appearance. Children gather 
 and eat the unripe seed-vessels, which they call " cheeses " : they 
 are insipid, but not unwholesome. The pollen is a beautiful 
 object for the microscope, being studded with minute prickles, 
 which cause it to adhere to the hairy legs of bees visiting the 
 flowers. The crimson veins on the petals serve the insects as 
 " honey-guides " : the stamens ripen and discharge their pollen 
 before the circle of styles mature their stigmas, and subsequently 
 these styles bend over so that the stigmas can collect pollen, 
 brought from other flowers by insects, off the withered recurved 
 filaments. 
 
 3. M. rotundifdlia (Dwarf Mallow). — A smaller prostrate 
 species; leaves roundish, heart-shaped, with 5 shallow lobes; 
 flowers less than an inch across, pale pink, without honey-guides ; 
 fruit downy. — Waste places, common. Its flowers are seldom 
 visited by insects, and mature their anthers and stigmas simul- 
 taneously. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 *M. verticilldta, an erect species with petals not longer than its 
 sepals ; M. pusilla, a prostrate annual form resembling M. rotu?i- 
 difblia, but with shorter petals ; and *M. parviflora, a branched 
 form with acutely -lobed leaves and short petals, occur occasionally, 
 but are not indigenous. 
 
 Ord. XVIII. TiLiAcEiE. — The Linden Family 
 
 A considerable family, mostly tropical, of trees, shrubs, and, 
 rarely, herbs; leaves scattered, stipulate; flowers cymose, poly- 
 symmetric ; sepals 5, rarely 4, valvate when in bud ; petals 
 equalling the sepals in number, often with a scale and pit at their 
 base, sometimes wanting; stamens numerous; carpels 2 — 10, 
 syncarpous ; style single ; stigmas and chambers of ovary as many as 
 carpels ; fruit dry or baccate, with one or more seeds in each 
 chamber. They all have a mucilaginous, wholesome juice, and 
 many of them are remarkable for the toughness of their fibrous 
 inner bark. Jute, for example, is the product of the East Indian 
 genus Cbrchorus, and Russian bast is obtained from the Linden 
 {Tilia). 
 
 1. Tf li a (Linden). — Trees with oblique, cordate, serrate leaves; 
 cymes with a large leafy bract adherent to the peduncle ; sepals 
 5, deciduous ; petals 5 ; stamens many ; ovary 5-chambered, 
 capsule i-chambered, indehiscent, 1 — 2-seeded. (Name, the 
 Latin name of the tree. The English name, now generally written 
 Lime, was Line in Shakespere's time.) A peculiar interest 
 attaches to the Linden from its having given a name to the 
 
FLAX FAMILY 
 
 91 
 
 immortal Linnseus. It is questionable whether any species of the 
 genus is indigenous in Britain. 
 
 i. T. platyphyllos (Large-leaved Linden), a large tree, with 
 its young shoots hairy ; leaves thin, downy beneath, longer than 
 their stalks ; and fruit woody, 5-angled and downy. — Old rocky 
 woods in Wales and 
 the west of Eng- 
 land. — Fl. June, 
 July. 
 
 2* T. vulgaris 
 (Common Lime), 
 the chief form in 
 our parks and 
 avenues, glabrous 
 except woolly tufts 
 at the branching of 
 the veins on the 
 under side of the 
 leaves ; leaves thin, 
 twice as long as 
 their stalks ; fruit 
 woody, not ribbed 
 or angled when 
 ripe, downy. — Hedgerows and plantations. — Fl. June, July. 
 
 3. T. corddia (Small-leaved Linden), which has most claim to be 
 considered indigenous, glabrous except woolly tufts, as in the last ; 
 leaves thick, leathery, scarcely longer than their stalks ; fruit faintly 
 ribbed, thin, brittle, downy. — Old woods. — Fl. July, August. 
 
 Ord. XIX. LfNE^E. — The Flax Family 
 
 Herbaceous, rarely shrubby plants, with slender stems ; narrow, 
 simple, entire leaves ; and polysymmetric, 3 — 5-merous flowers ; 
 sepals imbricate, persistent ; petals twisted when in bud, falling 
 off very soon after expansion ; stamens alternate with the petals ; 
 united at the base into a ring with staminodes between them ; 
 capsule approaching a globular form, 3 — 5-chambered, each 
 chamber incompletely divided by the in-growth of the mid-rib of 
 the carpellary leaf; seeds 2 in each chamber. The flowers are in 
 many cases highly ornamental, providing our gardens with vivid 
 blue, crimson, orange, and white blossoms ; but the most useful 
 characters of the Order are the toughness of the fibre contained 
 in their stems, the mucilaginous nature of the outer coat of their 
 seeds, and the oil obtained from the seeds themselves when 
 crushed. The flax of commerce, Linum usitatissimum, has for 
 
 T1LIA VULGARIS (C, 
 
98 LfNE^E 
 
 ages supplied the valuable textile substance which derives from it the 
 name " linen " ; the mucilaginous seeds are employed in " linseed " 
 poultices ; and, when crushed, yield " linseed oil," the chief oil 
 used in painting, and the refuse " oilcake," used as food for cattle. 
 
 1. Radiola. — Flowers tetramerous ; sepals trifid. 
 
 2. LfNUM. — Flowers pentamerous ; sepals entire. 
 
 1. Radiola (Flax-seed, All-seed). — A minute annual herb; 
 stem filiform, repeatedly forked ; floivers terminal and in the forks ; 
 
 sepals 4, deeply and acutely 3-cleft, united 
 below ; petals 4, fugacious. (Name, a dimi- 
 nutive from the Latin radius, a ray, from 
 the radiating branches.) 
 
 1. R. linbides (Common Flax-seed), the 
 only species, a minute plant, never exceed- 
 ing four inches in height, bearing ovate- 
 acute leaves and a large number of minute 
 white flowers, which, as the plants generally 
 
 RADIOLA LINOIDES ., c . . ■. I • 
 
 (Common Flaxseed). grow many together, often prevent its being 
 overlooked. — Damp heaths ; frequent. — 
 Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 2. Linum (Flax). — Herbs or small shrubs; leaves scattered, 
 or rarely opposite; floivers in cymes, pentamerous; sepals 5, 
 entire ; -petals 5. fugacious ; disk of five glands opposite the petals ; 
 stamens 5, with 5 staminodes between them ; ovary 5-chambered, 
 chambers divided almost into 2 ; styles 5 ; ovules 10 ; fruit cap- 
 sular. (Name, the Latin name of the plant, perhaps of Keltic origin.) 
 
 1. L. cathdrticum (Cathartic Flax). — A very slender, much- 
 branched, glabrous plant, rarely exceeding 6 in. in height ; leaves 
 mostly opposite, linear-oblong ; flowers numerous, \ in. across, 
 white, in dichasial cymes, drooping before expansion ; sepals 
 pointed, i-veined. — Dry pastures ; common. — Fl. June — August. 
 Annual. 
 
 2. L. perenne (Perennial Flax). — A slender plant about a foot 
 high, with wiry stems ; very narrow, scattered, sessile leaves, 
 tapering to a point ; sepals obovate, obtuse, obscurely 5-veined, 
 glabrous ; petals a beautiful sky blue, but so fugacious as scarcely 
 to bear being gathered. Chalky places ; rare. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3. L. angustifblium (Narrow-leaved Flax). — Like the last ; but 
 irregularly branched and distinctly marked by its sharp-pointed, 
 elliptical, 3-veined sepals, and by the lighter, more lilac, blue of 
 its flowers. — Dry pastures in the southern and western counties ; 
 frequent. — Fl. May — September. Annual or Perennial. 
 
crane's-bill family 99 
 
 4.* L. usitatissimum (Common Flax), though not a native plant, 
 is not unfrequently found as an escape from cultivation. It is 
 distinguished from the preceding by its stems being mostly solitary, 
 instead of several from the same root, by its somewhat broader 
 and more distant leaves, by its ciliate, ovate, 3-veined, pointed 
 sepals, by its notched, blue petals, and by its larger size. — Fl. June, 
 July. Annual. 
 
 a/ 
 
 lJnum angustif6lium and l. catharticum. 
 
 Ord. XX. Geraniace/e. — The Crane's-Bill Family 
 
 A considerable Order, two tribes of which, the Oxalidece and 
 Balsaminece, are sometimes treated as distinct Orders. They are 
 mostly herbaceous ; their leaves are usually stipulate ; flowers 
 conspicuous, either polysymmetric or monosymmetric, and usually 
 pentamerous ; sepals, petals, and carpels 3 — 5 each ; stamens 
 5 — 10; ovary 3 — 5-chambered, with 1, 2, or more seeds in each 
 chamber. The Order takes its name from the elongated axis or 
 carpophore, to which the styles of the members of the Tribe 
 Gerdniece adhere in the flower, and from which they separate and 
 curl up when the carpels are ripe. The members of this tribe are 
 often astringent and aromatic, abounding in volatile oil ; those of 
 the Oxalidece are remarkable for the quantity of oxalic acid con- 
 h 2 
 
IOO GERANlAcE^E 
 
 tained in their foliage, and some have edible tubers. All three 
 tribes furnish beautiful plants to our gardens. Most of the species 
 grown as Geraniums, which are derived mainly from South Africa, 
 belong truly to the allied genus Pelargonium, which differs in 
 having the posterior sepal wider than the rest, and provided with 
 a tubular spur containing nectar, which is adherent to the flower- 
 stalk, so that the flower is monosymmetric. 
 
 Tribe I. GerAniE/E. — The Crane's-bill Tribe. — Flowers poly- 
 symmetric : sepals imbricate : fruit a beaked regma separating into 
 Jive indehiscent cocci : styles persisting as awns. 
 
 i. Geranium. — Stamens 10; awns recurved, smooth. 
 
 2. Er6dium. — Stamens 5 ; staminodes 5 ; awns spiral, bearded. 
 
 Tribe II. OxAiiDE^E. — The Wood-Sorrel Tribe. — Flowers poly- 
 symmetric : sepals imbricate : stamens 1 o : fruit a capsule 
 
 3. 6xalis. — Leaves ternate ; seeds with an elastic testa. 
 
 Tribe III. Balsam/ne^e. — The Balsam Tribe. — Flowers mono- 
 symmetric : sepals petaloid, the posterior spurred : stamens 5 .• fruit 
 a capsule, bursting elastically. 
 
 4. Impatiens. — Leaves simple ; sepals 3 ; petals 3. 
 
 1. GerAnium (Crane's-bill).— Herbs with swollen nodes, rarely 
 shrubs; leaves simple, stipulate, lobed ; flowers on 1 — 2-flowered 
 axillary peduncles; stamens 10, 5 of which are alternately larger, 
 and have glands at their base ; styles persisting as smooth awns 
 which curve upwards from the long beak (carpophore) of the 
 fruit. (Name from the Greek geranos, a crane, from the beaked 
 fruit.) 
 
 * Perennial 
 
 1. G. sanguineum (Bloody Crane's-bill). — An exceedingly 
 handsome plant with hairy stems ; abundant foliage, radical leaves 
 nearly round, with 7 deeply-cut lobes, each of which is 3-cleft, 
 cauline leaves 5- or 3-lobed ; x flowers 1 — \\ in. across, crimson or 
 pink, solitary, on long stalks. — Dry rocks and shores ; not common. 
 — Fl. July — September. 
 
 2.* G. versicolor, with slender, erect, hairy stem, 18 in. high, 
 and 2 -flowered peduncles bearing white, red-veined flowers, occurs 
 as an escape. 
 
 1 Particular care should be taken when comparing specimens with the above descriptions, 
 to examine the radical leaves, for the cauline leaves vary even on the same plant to such 
 a degree as to defy description. 
 
CRANE'S-BILL FAMILY IOI 
 
 3.* G. noddsum, a similar species, with glabrous stem and red 
 flowers, is also an escape. 
 
 4.* G. phceum (Dusky Crane's-bill). — A tall, erect plant with 
 leaves 5 — 7-lobed, serrate; dingy, purplish-black flowers with 
 mucronate sepals ; and carpels hairy below, wrinkled above, not 
 uncommon in gardens, occurs also as an escape in plantations. — 
 Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 5. G. sylvdticum (Wood Crane's-bill). — A tall, erect, hairy species; 
 
 gerXnium prat£ns£ (Meadow Crane s-bill). 
 
 leaves palmate, 7-lobed, lobes cut and serrate ; flowers purplish- 
 blue or rose-colour ; petals with bearded claws ; stamens awl- 
 shaped, fringed; carpels hairy ; fruit-stalks erect. — Woods and 
 pastures, chiefly in the north ; rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 6. G. pratense (Meadow Crane's-bill).— The largest British 
 species, erect, downy, sometimes 4 feet high ; differing from the 
 last in having stalks to the cauline leaves ; narrow stipules ; larger, 
 b\ue-purp\e flowers, over an inch across ; very large points to the 
 sepals ; more slender and less hairy filaments ; and deflexed fruit- 
 
102 GERANlXCEiE 
 
 stalks. — Moist meadows and river-sides; common. — Fl. June — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 7. G. pyrendicum (Mountain Crane's-bill). — Stem spreading, 2 
 feet high, downy, with long hairs intermixed ; radical leaves 
 reniform, 7 — 9-lobed, lobes oblong, obtuse, 3-cleft and toothed at 
 the end ; flowers \ in. across ; sepals mucronate ; petals notched, 
 twice as long, bright red. — Road-sides and meadows ; uncommon, 
 seldom indigenous. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 ** Annual or Biennial 
 
 8. G. mblle (Dove's-foot Crane's-bill). — Prostrate, very softly 
 pubescent ; leaves roundish, lobed and cut ; flozvers \—\ in. 
 across, rose-colour or lilac ; sepals mucronate ; petals bifid ; fruit 
 wrinkled, glabrous. — Fields and waste places ; common. — Fl. all 
 the summer. Annual. 
 
 9. G. pusillum (Small-flowered Crane's-bill). — Resembling the 
 last, but smaller, prostrate, very softly pubescent ; leaves roundish, 
 more deeply lobed ; flozvers \ in. across, lilac ; sepals mucronate ; 
 petals notched ; carpels keeled, downy with adpressed hairs, not 
 wrinkled. — Waste ground; common. — Fl. all the summer. Annual. 
 
 10. G. rotundifdlium (Round-leaved Crane's-bill). — Also re- 
 sembling G. mblle, downy, with more distant hairs ; flozvers \ — J 
 in. across, flesh-pink ; petals not notched ; carpels keeled, with 
 spreading hairs, not wrinkled. —Waste places; not common. — Fl. 
 June, July. Annual. 
 
 11. G. dissectum (Jagged-leaved Crane's-bill). — Hairy, not 
 downy; stems spreading; leaves roundish, divided almost to the 
 base in 5 — 7 segments with linear lobes ; peduncles very short ; 
 
 flowers \ — \ in. across, bright red ; sepals with long points ; petals 
 bifid ; carpels not wrinkled, with erect hairs. — Waste places ; 
 common. — Fl. all the summer. Annual. 
 
 12. G. columbinum (Long-stalked Crane's-bill). — Stems spread- 
 ing, nearly glabrous ; branches 1 — 2 feet ; leaves similar to those of 
 the last but on much longer stalks ; peduncles longer than the 
 leaves ; pedicels very long and slender ; flowers \ — f in. across, 
 often drooping, bluish rose-colour ; sepals with long points ; 
 petals emarginate ; carpels with few small hairs. — Dry hedgerows ; 
 not very common. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 13. G. lucidum (Shining Crane's-bill). — A beautiful and distinct 
 species, a few inches high, glabrous and glossy ; stems and leaves 
 generally tinged with red ; leaves nearly round, 5-lobed ; flowers 
 small, rose-colour; sepals wrinkled, with long points; petals 
 shorter, entire. — Old walls and stony places ; common. — Fl. all 
 the summer. Annual. 
 
Shining Crane's-bill. 
 {Geranium lua'dum). 
 
 Fig 12. 
 
 Jagged-leaved Crane's-bill. 
 
 {Geranium disseclum). 
 

CRANE'S-BILL FAMILY 
 
 103 
 
 14. G. Robertidnum (Herb Robert). — One of the most generally 
 diffused and best known species, well distinguished by its red, 
 hairy, succulent, spreading stems ; temately or quinately divided 
 leaves with pinnatifid segments, acquiring in autumn the same red- 
 dish hue ; and bright pink elegantly-veinedyfozwr.y \ in. across, with 
 long, pointed sepals, viscid with glandular hairs, and obovate, 
 entire petals. There is a white-flowered variety. The whole 
 plant has a strong smell. — Hedgerows and waste ground ; very 
 common. — Fl. all the summer. Annual. 
 
 2. Erodium (Stork's-bill). — Herbs with swollen nodes ; leaves 
 stipulate; flowers on 1 — many- 
 flowered axillary peduncles ; petals 
 rather unequal, sometimes defi- 
 cient ; stamens 5, with alternating 
 staminodes, with glands at the 
 base of the former ; styles persist- 
 ing as spirally twisted awns 
 furnished with long elastic bristles 
 on the inner side. 1 (Name from 
 the Greek erddios, a stork, from 
 the beaked fruit.) 
 
 1. E. cicutdrium (Hemlock 
 Stork's-bill). — Stems prostrate, 
 hairy ; leaves bi-pinnatifid, with 
 lanceolate stipules ; peduncles 
 many-flowered ; flowers in umbel- 
 late cymes, rosy or white ; petals 
 entire, rather unequal, two often 
 spotted at the base, fugacious. — 
 Waste places, especially near 
 the sea; common.— Fl. all the 
 summer. Annual. 
 
 2. E. moschdtam (Musk Stork's- 
 bill). — A larger and stouter 
 species, of a deeper green, covered 
 with spreading hairs, somewhat 
 clammy to the touch, and emit- 
 ting, when handled, a strong scent 
 of musk ; leaves less deeply cut, 
 
 1 These awns, which become spirally twisted when ripe, often spring; to a considerable 
 distance from the parent plant. Being hygroscopic they uncurl when moistened. T 
 bined action of the awn and the bristles on it thus gives to the carpel the power of 
 tion at every change in the moisture surrounding it, and serves to bury the seed-vessel, 
 twisted carpel, if moistened and laid on a sheet of paper, will soon crawl an inch or n 
 away from the spot on which it was laid. 
 
 er6dium cicutXrium 
 (Hemlock Stork's-bill). 
 
 The com- 
 ocomo- 
 A 
 more 
 
104 geraniAcejE 
 
 with broadly-ovate, obtuse stipules ; flmvers pink. — Waste places ; 
 rare, not indigenous inland. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 3. E. tnaritimum (Sea stork's-bill).— A small plant, roughish, 
 with minute hairs, and sending out several leafy stems, which lie 
 remarkably close to the ground ; the leaves are not pinnate, as in 
 the other British species, but ovate, cordate, and crenately lobed ; 
 and the peduncles bear one or two minute, generally apetalous, 
 flowers. — Sandy places near the sea, especially in the west of 
 England ; rare. Like many other seaside plants, it is not un- 
 frequently met with in inland, mountainous districts, occurring 
 plentifully on Dartmoor, in Devonshire, many miles from the sea. 
 — Fl. all the summer. Perennial. 
 
 3. 6xalis (Wood-sorrel). — Acid herbs with sensitive, ternate 
 leaves; flowers on axillary, 1- or more-flowered peduncles, 
 polysymmetric ; sepals 5, united 
 below, imbricate ; petals 5, often 
 united below, convolute ; stamens 
 10, monadelphous, the 5 outer 
 ones shorter; ovary 5-cham- 
 bered ; styles 5 ; fruit a capsule ; 
 seeds with an elastic testa, which 
 splits hygroscopically, throwing 
 the body of the seed to a distance. 
 (Name from the Greek 0x6s , 
 acid.) 
 
 1. O. Acetosella (Common 
 Wood - sorrel, Alleluia). — An 
 elegant little plant with a creep- 
 ing rhizome and delicate, radical, 
 trefoil, hairy leaves, which, 
 though not so sensitive as some 
 foreign species, fold together ver- 
 tically at night, being thus pro- 
 6xalis acetosella {Common Wood-sorret). tected from radiated cold. The 
 peduncle has two bracts about 
 the middle and is single-flowered ; and the flowers have obovate 
 white or lilac-veined petals. Apetalous, cleistogene seed yielding 
 flowers are produced later in the season, as in the violets (see 
 p. 64). — Woods and shady places ; common. — Fl. April — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2* O. stricta, a downy plant with prostrate branched stem 
 without runners, and 2 — 3-fiowered peduncles bearing yellow 
 flowers, may be indigenous in Devon and Cornwall. — Fl. June — 
 September. Annual. 
 
crane's-bill family 
 
 I°5 
 
 3.* O. corniculata, a nearly glabrous erect plant with runners 
 and 2 — 8-flowered peduncles bearing yellow flowers, occurring also 
 in the west, is not indigenous. — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 4. Impatiens (Balsam). — Succulent herbaceous plants with 
 simple leaves and monosymmetric flowers ; sepals 3, petaloid, 
 deciduous, imbricate, the posterior one forming a wide-mouthed 
 
 IMPATIENS NOLf-TANGERE (Ba/s, 
 
 spur ; petals 3, the anterior one broad, symmetrical, the two 
 lateral ones unequally 2-lobed ; stamens 5, with short coherent 
 filaments ; ovary 5-chambered, many-ovuled ; fruit a capsule with 
 5 elastic valves. If the capsule be touched when approaching 
 ripeness, its valves instantaneously curl into a spiral form, and 
 spring with considerable force many feet from the plant, dropping 
 the seeds by the way. Cleistogene flowers also occur. (Name 
 
106 ILICfNE^E 
 
 from the Latin impatiens, referring to the sudden movement of 
 the valves of the capsule.) 
 
 i. I. Noli-tdngere (Touch-me-not), an elegant plant i — 2 feet 
 high ; stem swollen at the nodes j leaves ovate, coarsely serrate, 
 obtuse ; peduncles 1 — 3-flowered ; flowers large, yellow spotted 
 with orange ; spur slender, loosely recurved. — Moist shady woods 
 and river banks in mountainous districts in the north ; rare. — 
 Fl. June — September. Annual. 
 
 2.* I. biflbra, a North American species, 2 — 3 feet high, with 
 acute, ovate, serrate leaves, orange flowers, turquoise-blue seeds, 
 and a. spur closely recurved and emarginate, is, since 1822, natur- 
 alised by the Tillingbourne, the Wey, and the Thames in Surrey, 
 the Colne in Middlesex and Bucks, and elsewhere. — Fl. June — 
 August. Annual. 
 
 3.* I. parviflbra, a Russian plant, 6 — 18 in. high, with 3 — 12- 
 flowered peduncles, and small yellowish flotvers with a short straight 
 spur, is naturalised in many places. — Fl. July — September. 
 Annual. 
 
 Ord. XXI. IucfNE^E. — The Holly Tribe 
 This Order, which is also known as Aquifolidcece, consists of 
 trees and shrubs with scattered, simple, and generally evergreen 
 and leathery leaves, and axillary cymes of small, white, or greenish 
 flowers ; sepals 3 — 6, united, imbricate, persistent ; petals 4 — 6, 
 deciduous, imbricate ; stamens equalling the petals in number, 
 and alternate with them ; filaments awl-shaped ; anthers 2- 
 chambered, opening lengthwise ; ovary superior; 2— 6-chambered ; 
 style short or absent ; stigma nearly sessile, lobed ; fruit 
 drupaceous, fleshy, indehiscent, containing 2 — 6 bony, one-seeded 
 " stones." They occur in various parts of the world, the common 
 Holly being the only European species. Nearly all the members 
 of the Order possess astringent, tonic properties, the leaves of the 
 Holly, for instance, being used as a substitute for quinine in 
 cases of intermittent fever. The leaves of Ilex paraguayensis, a 
 South American species, furnish Paraguay or Mate Tea, which is 
 extensively used throughout South America. The tea itself is 
 properly known as yerba de mate, mate being the name for the 
 gourd which is used as a teapot. The leaves of the common 
 Holly are used as tea by the peasantry in the Black Forest. 
 
 1. Ilex (Holly). — Trees and shrubs ; sepals 4 or 5 ; petals 4 or 
 5, generally united as a rotate corolla ; stamens 4 or 5, adherent 
 to the corolla-tube ; stigmas 4 or 5; berry round, containing 4 or 
 5 stones. (Name applied by the Latins to some tree, probably 
 Quercus Ilex, the Holm Oak, but not to our Holly.) 
 
KOLLY TRIBE 
 
 107 
 
 i. /. Aquifblium (Common Holly). — The only British species, 
 a shrub or small tree, with smooth ash-grey bark and slightly 
 downy twigs ; leaves evergreen, glossy, with cartilaginous waved 
 spinous margins, those on upper branches often having only the 
 one spine at the apex ; flowers white, sub-dicecious ; fruit scarlet, 
 rarely yellow. The wood, which is white, and remarkably close- 
 grained, is much used by cabinet-makers for inlaying and 
 ebonising ; and the bark furnishes bird-lime. The berries, it should 
 
 fLEX aquif6lium {Common Holly). 
 
 be borne in mind, are Poisonous. The name Aquifblium means 
 needle-leaved, and Holly may be a corruption of the word "holy," 
 from the use to which its boughs are applied in ornamenting 
 churches at Christmas. The Holly is particularly abundant on 
 sandy soil, under the trees of our old forests. — Fl. May — August. 
 
 Series II. CALYCIFLOR^. Ord. XXII.— XXXVI 
 
 Petals and stamens perigynous or epigynous ; oi'ary superior or 
 inferior. 
 
 § Stamens perigynous ; ovary generally superior 
 
108 CELASTR1NE.E 
 
 Ord. XXII. Celastrine^e. — The Spindle-tree Family 
 
 A rather large and widely distributed Order of trees and 
 
 shrubs, containing only one British species, and not many others 
 
 of much interest. They have simple leaves, and small cymose 
 
 flowers; sepals 4 — 5, united, imbricate j petals and stamens both 
 
 flower OF eu6nymus europ^US {Common Spindle-tree). 
 
 equal in number to the sepals ; ovary sunk in the disk, 2 — 5- 
 chambered ; ovules 2 in each chamber ; seeds usually wrapped in 
 a fleshy aril. 
 
 1. Eu6nymus (Spindle-tree). — Trees or shrubs with opposite 
 leaves ; flowers in axillary cymes, with a broad 4 — 5-lobed fleshy 
 disk ; fruit a fleshy 3 — 5-angled capsule, with 3 — 5 chambers and 
 
SPINDLE-TREE FAMILY 
 
 109 
 
 valves ; seeds solitary in each chamber. (Name from the Greek 
 euonumos, lucky, in allusion to the poisonous character of the fruit, 
 as fairies are called " good people," from fear.) 
 
 1. E. europceus (Common Spindle-tree, Prickwood). — A shrub 
 well marked by its smooth, green, angular branches ; glossy, ovate- 
 lanceolate, minutely serrated leaves; loose clusters of small 
 
 FRUIT OF eu6nymus europ^eus (Common Spindle-tree). 
 
 greenish, usually tetramerous, flowers; and, above all, by its 
 deeply-lobed capsules, which, when ripe, are rose-coloured, and 
 split so as to disclose the seeds covered by a scarlet aril, which 
 Tennyson describes as — 
 
 "The fruit that in our autumn woodlands looks a flower." 
 
 The wood was formerly used for skewers, spindles, and charcoal. 
 — Fl May, June. 
 
ORD. XXIII. RHAMNEiE. — THE BUCKTHORN FAMILY 
 
 Trees or shrubs, with simple leaves, minute stipules, and small 
 greenish flowers ; sepals 4 or 5, united, valvate ; petals 4 or 5, 
 inserted in the throat of the calyx, or absent ; stamens 4 or 5, 
 opposite the petals ; ovary superior or half superior, 2 — 4-cham- 
 
 bered, surrounded by a 
 fleshy disk ; fruit fleshy 
 and indehiscent, or dry 
 and separating into three 
 divisions ; seeds one in 
 each chamber. Zizyphus 
 Lotus is reputed to have 
 been the food of the 
 ancient Lotus-eaters, the 
 Lotophagi mentioned by 
 Homer in the " Odyssey." 
 It is a prickly shrub 
 with numerons purplish 
 berries, of the size of sloes, 
 with mealy pulp of a de- 
 licious flavour, and large 
 stones. Other species of 
 this genus produce the 
 jujube, well known in 
 this country as a sweet- 
 meat. Z. spina-Christi 
 and Paliurus aculedtus, 
 prickly shrubs, common 
 in the East, are severally 
 believed by many persons 
 to have formed our 
 Blessed Saviour's crown 
 of thorns. The berries 
 of species of Rhdmnus 
 are used as dyes, in 
 making sap-green paint, 
 and in medicine, an ex- 
 tract of R. Purshidnus being considerably employed under the 
 name Cascara sagrada, " sacred bark " ; but they are too violent 
 and uncertain in their effects to be used with safety. Two species 
 of this genus are the only British representatives of the Order. 
 
 1. RhAmnus (Buckthorn). — Shrubs or small trees; leaves 
 scattered ; flowers sometimes unisexual ; calyx urceolate ; fruit 
 
 rhXmnus cathXrticus {Common £uckthorti). 
 
MAPLE FAMILY III 
 
 drupaceous, with 2 — 4 1 -seeded stones. (Name from the Greek 
 rhatnnos, a branch.) 
 
 1. R.cathdrticus (Common Buckthorn). — A stiff, much-branched 
 shrub, 5 — 10 feet high ; branches opposite, terminating in spines ; 
 leaves ovate serrate ; flowers in crowded axillary cymes, yellowish- 
 green, tetramerous, dioecious ; style 4-cleft ; fruit with 4 stones, 
 black, powerfully cathartic. These, if gathered before they are 
 ripe, yield a yellow dye ; when ripe they form, if mixed with lime- 
 water and gum-arabic, the pigment known as Sap- or Bladder- 
 green. — Woods, chiefly on chalk. — Fl. May — July. 
 
 2. R. Frdngula (Alder Buckthorn, Black or Berry-bearing Alder). 
 — A shrub, 6 — 10 feet high, with rather slender, smooth, dark, 
 spineless branches not opposite one another ; obovate, entire, deep 
 green leaves ; greenish-white flowers ; style simple ; fruit with 2 
 stones. Used under the name Dogwood for gunpowder charcoal. 
 — Woods ; not uncommon. — Fl. May, June. 
 
 Ord. XXIV. AcERfNE^E. — The Maple Family 
 
 Strictly speaking, a tribe in the large Order Sapinddcea, to 
 another division of which the Soap-berry, the Horse-Chestnut, and 
 the Litchi belong. The Maple Tribe are trees with opposite, 
 stalked, deciduous leaves palmately-veined ; racemose, polysymme- 
 tric flowers, which are often polygamous, the lower ones being 
 usually staminate and the upper perfect ; calyx divided into 5 parts 
 (occasionally 4 — 12), imbricate, deciduous ; petals of the same 
 number, imbricate or absent ; stamens usually 8, inserted on a 
 ring-shaped disk beneath the ovary ; ovary laterally compressed 
 2- (rarely 3 — 4) lobed and chambered ; style 2-lobed ; fruit a 
 2-winged, 2 — 4-seeded samara. North America is rich in Maples, 
 their vividly tinted leaves giving a great charm to autumn wood- 
 lands. Several species, especially Acer sacchartnum, abound in 
 sweet sap, from which maple sugar is manufactured; and the 
 timber of some species is valuable. Bird's-eye Maple is a knotty 
 variety of A. saccharinum ; the white wood of the Sycamore (A. 
 PseMopldtanus) is largely used in Scotland, under the misleading 
 name of Plane, in turnery, for bread-platters, butter-dishes, and 
 moulds, &c. ; and knarled specimens of the Common Maple {A. 
 campestre) were formerly employed in making the rare and beau- 
 tiful " mazer " bowls. 
 
 1. Acer (Maple). — Leaves simple, lobed; sepals and petals 5 
 each ; carpels 2, each with a long wing. (Name the Latin acer t 
 which it is suggested may have been connected with the Keltic ac % 
 
I 12 ACERINE.-E 
 
 a point, maple-wood having been used for spears or other pointed 
 instruments.) 
 
 i.* A. PseMo-pldtanus (Greater Maple or Sycamore). — A large 
 and handsome tree, introduced into England before the fourteenth 
 century, and now completely naturalised ; leaves 4 — 8 in. across, 5- 
 
 acer pseudo-plAtanus (Greater Maple or Sycamore). 
 
 lobed, unequally serrate ; racemes pendulous ; ovary hairy ; wings 
 of samara scimitar-shaped, divergent, each \\ in. long. The name 
 Sycamore is due to an erroneous identification of this tree with 
 Fiats Sycombrus, the Mulberry- or Sycamore-Fig of Palestine. — 
 Woods. — Fl. May, June. 
 
 2. A. camptetre (Common or Hedge-Maple), a small tree, with 
 
PEA FAMILY 
 
 "3 
 
 very rugged, corky, fissured bark; leaves 2— 4 in. across, 5-lobed, 
 lobes obtuse ; racemes erect ; wings of samara oblong, horizontally 
 divergent, each \ in. long. — Woods and hedges; common. — Fl. 
 May, June. 
 
 The leaves of both species of Maple are commonly spotted with 
 round black patches produced by a parasitic fungus, Rhytisma 
 acerinum. 
 
 ACBJt camp£str£ (Common Maple). 
 
 Ord. XXV. Leguminosje. — The Pea Familv 
 The second largest Order of Dicotyledons, containing nearly 
 7,000 species, ranging in size from minute herbs to huge trees, is 
 yet a very natural one. They have scattered and usually stipulate 
 leaves, which are seldom simple ; of the 5 more or less united 
 sepals, forming the inferior calyx, the odd one is anterior; there 
 is only a single carpel, which usually forms a i-chambered ovary, 
 ripening to a legume, or dry pod dehiscing down both sutures ; 
 and the seeds are exalbuminous. Though agreeing in these 
 characters the Order as a whole is subdivided into three sub-orders, 
 only one of which, the Papilionacece, is represented by British 
 species. This sub-order is marked by the additional characters 
 that its Jlozvers are monosymmetric ; that the corolla of 5 petals is 
 papilionaceous; and that there are 10 stamens, either monadel- 
 1 
 
ii4 legumin6s;e 
 
 phous or diadelphous, 9 being united by their filaments and the 
 posterior one separate. In a few exotic species the legume 
 becomes fleshy and drupaceous ; but then the papilionaceous 
 flower remains as a means of identification, whilst in the sub-orders 
 in which the flower is not papilionaceous the fruit remains the 
 characteristic legume. Among British species the chief varieties 
 of form in the pod are those of the Bird's-foot (Ornithopus) and 
 others, where it is imperfectly jointed, and in Medick (Medicdgo), 
 where it is often spirally twisted, so as to resemble a snail-shell. 
 Many members of the Order display peculiar irritability in their 
 leaves. Almost all the plants of the Order which have compound 
 leaves fold them together in what is called " sleep " at night ; but 
 the species of Mimdsa, particularly M. pudica and M. sensi/iva, 
 which are known as Sensitive plants, close up in a remarkable 
 manner when touched ; whilst those of the Telegraph plant 
 (Hedysdrum gyrans) are in constant motion. The Order is repre- 
 sented in all parts of the world and competes with the Graminece 
 and Palmdcece in its great and varied utility to man. The seeds of 
 many species, under the general name of pulse, afford most 
 nutritious food, exceptionally rich in nitrogen, for man and other 
 animals — Peas, Beans, and Lentils, for example ; others supply 
 valuable fodder, such as Clover, Vetches, and Lucerne ; the Rose- 
 woods are the best known of many excellent timber-trees ; Gum 
 Arabic, Gum Tragacanth, and the Wattle Gums of Australia are 
 products of the order ; Wattle-bark, Catechu, and Kino are among 
 the valuable astringent substances used in tanning ; Logwood and 
 indigo are the chief dyes in the Order. Not a few are poisonous, 
 especially in the seed, of which the Laburnum is a familiar example. 
 Others, the seeds of which are eminently nutritious, have proper- 
 ties of an opposite nature residing in other parts of the plant. The 
 roots of the Kidney Bean, for instance, are dangerously narcotic. 
 Many species are used in medicine, such as Tamarinds, Liquorice, 
 and Senna. The excessively poisonous Ordeal Bean of Calabar 
 (Physostigma) contains an alkaloid which is of use in ophthalmic 
 surgery, as it contracts the pupil of the eye. The sweet pods of 
 the Carob-tree (Ceratonia Siliqud) are known as Locust beans, or 
 St. John's Bread, being supposed by some to have been the food 
 of St. John the Baptist in the wilderness. They are eaten by 
 children ; but are chiefly used to fatten cattle. There are. about 
 eighty British species in the Order, the species of Genista, Furze, 
 Broom, and Restharrow — about 10 in all — being shrubby or woody, 
 and the rest herbaceous. For convenience of reference the British 
 genera are arranged in three groups, comprising six tribes, as 
 follows : — 
 
PEA FAMILY I 15 
 
 Group I. — Leaves without tendrils, of i — 3 leaflets 
 
 Tribe 1. Gents tea. — Shrubs: leaflets entire: stamens monadel- 
 phous 
 
 1. Genista. — Calyx 2-lipped, the upper lip deeply 2-cleft, 
 the lower with 3 teeth. 
 
 2. LJlex — Calyx 2-lipped, yellow. 
 
 3. Sarothamnus. — Calyx 2-lipped, the upper lip with 2 
 minute teeth, the lower with 3. 
 
 Tribe 2. Trifoliece. Herbs {rarely shrubs} : leaflets 3, generally 
 toothed: stamens usually diadelphous 
 
 4. On6nis.— Herbs or shrubs : calyx 5-cleft : stamens mona- 
 delphous. 
 
 5. Trigonella. — Racemes short : pod longer than calyx, 
 curved, dehiscent. 
 
 6. Medicago. — Racemes short : pod usually spiral. 
 
 7. Melil6tus. — Racemes long : pod short, indehiscent. 
 
 8. Trif6lium. — Flowers capitate : pod short, indehiscent. 
 
 Group II. — Leaves without tendrils, impdripinnate : leaflets 5, or 
 more 
 
 Tribe 3. Lbteaz. — Herbs : leaflets entire : stamens monadelphous or 
 diadelphous : pod 2-valved, without a longitudinal septum 
 
 9. AnthyYlis. — Calyx inflated, enclosing the short pod: 
 stamens monadelphous. 
 
 10. Lotus. — Calyx not inflated: stamens diadelphous: pod 
 longer than calyx. 
 
 Tribe 4. Astragaleai. — Herbs: leaflets entire: stamens diadel- 
 phous : pod 2-valved, with a longitudinal septum 
 n. Astragalus.— Keel of corolla blunt. 
 
 12. Oxytropis. — Keel of corolla pointed. 
 
 Tribe 5. Hedysdrece. — Herbs : stamens diadelphous : pod inde- 
 hiscent, jointed. 
 
 13. ORNfTHOPUS. — Pod compressed, curved, with many oval, 
 i-seeded joints : pinnate -leaf below umbel : keel blunt. 
 
 14. Coronilla. — Pod little, if at all, compressed, contracted 
 at joints : keel pointed. 
 
 15. Arthrol6bium. — Pod straight, compressed, many-jointed, 
 scarcely contracted at joints : with no leaf below umbel. 
 
n6 legumin6s#: 
 
 16. Hippocrepis. — Pod with many crescent-shaped, i-seeded 
 joints. 
 
 17. Onobrychis. — Pod straight, 1 -seeded. 
 
 Group III. — leaves paripinnate, often ending in a tendril 
 
 Tribe 6. Viciece. — Herbs : leaflets often toothed : stamens diadel- 
 phous : pod 2-valved 
 
 18. VfciA. — Style thread-like. 
 
 19. Lathyrus. — Style flattened. 
 
 1. GENfsTA. — Shrubs, sometimes spinous ; leaves simple, 
 entire ; flowers in racemes, bracteate, generally yellow ; calyx 
 shortly 2-lipped, upper lip deeply 2-cleft, lower lip with 3 teeth; 
 stamens monadelphous, 5 short with versatile anthers, and 5 
 alternating with them, long with basifixed anthers. (Name said 
 to be connected with the Keltic gen, a shrub.) 
 
 1. G. dnglica (Petty or Needle Whin). — A low shrub, about 
 a foot high, with tough curved branches, armed at intervals with 
 slender, very sharp re-curved spines, the upper branches leafy, 
 without thorns and flowering ; leaves ovate-lanceolate ; racemes 
 short ; legumes smooth, inflated. The yellow flowers (like some 
 others belonging to this Natural Order) turn green in drying. 
 — Heaths ; common. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 2. G. pilbsa (Hairy Green-weed). — A low shrub with pros- 
 trate, furrowed, much-branched, spineless stems ; obovate leaves, 
 silky beneath ; small yellow silky flowers in short racemes ; and 
 downy legumes. — Dry heaths in the south ; rare. — Fl May and 
 again in autumn. Perennial. 
 
 3. G. tinctdria (Dyer's Greenwood, Woad-waxen).— A low 
 shrub, about a foot high, with tough, erect, spineless, glabrous 
 branches; bright green, lanceolate, ciliate leaves ; flowers yellow, 
 in long racemes, glabrous ; and legumes smooth. It grows chiefly 
 in pastures on a clay soil, and was formerly used as a yellow dye. 
 This was probably the Pldnta genista that formed the badge of 
 the Plantagenet family. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. Ulex (Furze). — Densely spinous shrubs ; leaves in the 
 seedling ternate, afterwards spinescent ; flowers axillary, yellow, 
 with small bracts ; calyx yellow, deeply 2jipped, upper lip obscurely 
 2-toothed, lower 3-toothed ; stamens monadelphous, alternately 
 short with versatile anthers, and long with basifixed ones ; legume 
 swollen, few-seeded, scarcely longer than the calyx. (Name said 
 to be connected with the Keltic ec or ac, a prickle.) 
 
PEA FAMILY 
 
 117 
 
 1. U. europceus (Common Furze, Gorse or Whin). — A much- 
 branched, spreading shrub, copiously beset with branched spines, 
 almost leafless ; bracts ovate, not adhering closely to the calyx ; 
 calyx shaggy, very obscurely toothed ; wing-petals longer than the 
 keel ; pod black, with brown hairs, bursting elastically with a 
 crackling sound, especially in hot weather, scattering the seeds on 
 
 GENISTA TINCTORIA 
 
 (Dyer's Greenweed, Wood-waxen). 
 
 ULEX EUROPE us 
 (Common Furze). 
 
 all sides. — Commons, everywhere. Perhaps no plant is so charac- 
 teristic of English scenery. It attains maturity in about four 
 years, but in sheltered places grows until it reaches a height of 10 
 or 1 2 feet. It will not thrive in hot or in very cold climates, * 
 being uncommon even in the Highlands of Scotland. — Fl. 
 February — June, and again August, September. Perennial. 
 2. U. Gdllii (Larger Dwarf Furze). — A shrub, 2 — 5 feet high 
 
[8 
 
 LEGUMIN6SiE 
 
 with ascending branches with strong curved spines ; brads very 
 minute, adpressed ; flowers small, orange ; calyx downy, with 
 diverging teeth ; wing-petals rather longer than the keel. — Heaths ; 
 common. — Fl. August — November. Perennial 
 
 3. U. minor (Lesser Dwarf Furze). — A smaller, more prostrate 
 
 shrub, with short, straight, 
 weak spines ; brads very 
 minute, adpressed; 
 
 flowers small, pale yellow ; 
 calyx downy, with diverg- 
 ing teeth ; wing-petals 
 shorter than the keel. — 
 Heaths, chiefly in the 
 south ; less common than 
 U. Gdllii.—Fl. July- 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 3. SarothAmnus 
 (Broom). — Shrubs, rarely 
 spinous ; leaves simple or 
 ternate, with minute sti- 
 pules ; calyx 2-lipped, the 
 upper lip minutely 2- 
 toothed, the lower 3- 
 toothed ; standard petal 
 broadly ovate ; stamens 
 monadelphous; style 
 curved or coiled ; pod 
 flat, many-seeded. (Name 
 from the Greek sarbo, I 
 sweep, tlidmnos, a shrub.) 
 1. S. scopdrius (Com- 
 mon Broom). — The only 
 British species, well dis- 
 tinguished by its numer- 
 ous, slender, erect, green, 
 angular branches, small, 
 scattered, simple or ternate leaves, large yellow flowers, with 
 spirally-coiled styles, and black pods, which are hairy at the 
 margin. — Sandy places ; common. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 * The Laburnum is a member of an allied genus. 
 
 4. Ononis (Rest-harrow). — Small shrubs, rarely herbaceous, 
 hairy and generally viscid ; leaves pinnate ; leaflets 3, toothed ; 
 stipules adnate to the petiole ; flowers pink ; calyx 5-cleft ; standard 
 
 SAROThXmNUS SCOPDRIUS {Common Broom). 
 
PEA FAMILY 
 
 II 9 
 
 broad ; keel incurved, pointed ; stamens monadelphous ; style 
 curved ; pod not compressed. (Name of Greek origin, connected 
 with onos, an ass.) 
 
 1. O. repe?is (Creeping Rest-harrow, Wild Liquorice). — A 
 prostrate, shrubby plant with runners, hairy, viscid, most com- 
 monly without spines ; leaflets oblong ; flowers axillary, solitary, 
 and of a handsome bright pink ; pod shorter than the calyx. The 
 plant has a powerful odour and derives its name of Rest-harrow 
 from its tough branches. — Dry pastures and sandy shores; 
 common. — Fl. all the summer. Perennial. 
 
 2. O. spinbsa (Erect 
 Rest-harrow). — A sub-erect 
 species, without runners, 
 with two lines of hairs, less 
 viscid and less strongly 
 scented than the last, 
 usually spinous ; leaflets 
 oblong ; flowers differing 
 slightly from those of O. 
 repens ; pod longer than the 
 calyx. — Waste places ; fre- 
 quent. — Fl. all the summer. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3. O. reclindta (Small 
 Spreading Rest-harrow) is 
 a small, spreading, herba- 
 ceous species, viscid and 
 hairy, with reflexed pods, 
 which has only been found 
 in Alderney, Devon, and 
 Galloway.— Fl. June, July. 
 Annual. 
 
 on6nis ripens {Creeping Rest-harrow). 
 
 5. Trigonella (Fenu- 
 greek). — Herbs, often strongly scented; leaves as in Ononis; 
 flowers solitary or in short racemes ; calyx 5-toothed ; stamens 
 diadelphous ; /^compressed, longer than the calyx, many-seeded. 
 (Name, the old Greek name denoting three-angled, from the form 
 of the corolla.) 
 
 1. T. omithopodioides (Bird's-foot Fenugreek).— A small, slen- 
 der, prostrate, glabrous plant, with small pink and white flowers^ 
 ! — 3 together, and straight, 6— S-seeded pods, twice as long as the 
 calyx, dehiscent. — Dry sandy places ; not common. — Fl. June — 
 August. Annual or biennial. 
 
1 20 legumin6s;e 
 
 The name Fenugreek comes from foenum grcecum, Greek hay, 
 this plant being used to scent inferior hay. 
 
 6. MedicAgo (Medick). — Herbs with leaves as in the two pre- 
 ceding genera; small yellow or violet flowers, in short racemes: 
 calyx 5-toothed ; stamens diadelphous ; pod sickle-shaped or spirally 
 coiled, often spiny, generally indehiscent. (Name of Greek 
 origin, denoting that the plant so named was introduced from 
 Media.) 
 
 * Perennial : sometimes monadelphous : pods 
 dehiscent, without spines 
 
 1* M. sativa (Lucerne). — An erect species, 1 — 2 feet high; 
 s'em hollow ; leaflets oblong, toothed, apiculate ; flowers large, in 
 
 medicago arAbica {Spotted Medick). 
 
 short, close racemes, usually purple ; pod in 2 — 3 loose spiral 
 coils, downy. A cultivated plant, said to have been introduced 
 into Greece from Media by Darius. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 2. M. sylvestris (Wood Medick). — An allied form, with more 
 solid stem ; large yellow or dark green flowers ; and compressed 
 pods, semicircular or ring-shaped, downy. — Sandy places in 
 Norfolk and Suffolk. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 3. M. falcdta (Sickle Medick). — An allied but prostrate form, 
 with large yellow flowers and a falcate or sickle-shaped pod. — 
 Found in similar situations. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 ** Annual or biennial : pods indehiscent, often spiny 
 
 4. M. lupulina (Black Medick, or Nonsuch). — A prostrate 
 spreading herb ; leaflets inversely egg-shaped, finely toothed ; 
 
PEA FAMILY 
 
 flowers small, yellow, sub-sessile, in dense oblong heads ; pods 
 black, kidney-shaped, i-seeded. Resembling some of the smaller^ 
 Clovers, from which it may be distinguished by its pods not being 
 enclosed within the calyx. In pastures ; common. — Fl. June — 
 August. Annual or biennial. 
 
 5. M. denticuldta (Toothed Medick). — A glabrous species; 
 leaflets inversely heart-shaped ; stipules jagged ; flowers yellow, 
 solitary, or 2 — 5 together \ pods in 2 or 3 loose spiral coils, with 
 a double row of spines. — Sandy places ; rare. — Fl. April — August. 
 Annual. 
 
 6. M. ardbica (Spotted Medick). 
 — A glabrous species ; leaflets in- 
 versely heart-shaped, with a purple 
 heart-shaped spot in the centre; 
 stipules toothed ; flowers yellow, 
 solitary, or 2 — 4 together ; pods in 
 2 — 6 compact spiral coils, with a 
 double row of spines, forming a 
 prickly ball. — On gravelly soil in 
 the south and west of England ; 
 not uncommon. In Cornwall, 
 under the name of Spotted Clover, 
 this plant is considered very in- 
 jurious to pasturage. — Fl. May — 
 September. Annual. 
 
 7. M. minima (Little Bur- 
 Medick). — A downy prostrate 
 species ; leaflets inversely egg- 
 shaped ; stipules slightly toothed ; 
 
 flowers yellow, solitary, or 2 — 6 
 together ; pods in 4 or 5 compact 
 spiral coils, with a double row of 
 spines.-Sandy places; rare.-Fl. 
 
 May— July. Annual. {Common Yellow Melilot). 
 
 7. Melil6tus (Melilot). — Tall, annual or biennial, fragrant 
 herbs, with leaves as in the preceding genera ; small, drooping, 
 yellow or white floivers in long racemes ; calyx 5-toothed ; stamens 
 diadelphous ; pods short, straight, indehiscent. (Name of Greek 
 origin, from meli, honey, and lotos, the plant so called.) 
 
 1. M. altissima (Common Yellow Melilot). — An erect, branched, 
 slightly woody plant, 2 — 3 feet high ; leaflets light green, linear- 
 ovate, toothed; flowers small, yellow, in long, erect, i-sided 
 racemes ; pods compressed, ovoid, acute, hairy, black when ripe, 
 
122 
 
 LEGUMINOS^E 
 
 i — 2-seeded. While drying, this plant smells like woodruff, or 
 new hay. — Waste places ; not uncommon. — Fl. June — August. 
 Annual or biennial. 
 
 2.* M. alba (White Melilot), differing in having smaller white 
 flowers and smooth pods, is much less common and doubtfully 
 native. — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 3.* M. officinalis, a biennial species, with pale yellow or white 
 
 trif6lium strictum, subterrAneum, repens, and arvense. 
 
 flowers and smooth pods, becoming olive-brown when ripe; 
 and 
 
 4.* M. indica, a small, slender annual with very small pale 
 yellow flowers and smooth, globose pods, becoming olive-green 
 when ripe, occur in waste places. 
 
 8. Trifolium (Clover, Trefoil). — Herbs with ternate leaves ; 
 stipules adnate to the petiole ; flowers sessile or sub-sessile, in 
 heads or spikes, rarely solitary, red, white, or rarely yellow ; calyx 
 unequally 5-toothed ; petals persistent ; stamens diadelphous ; pod 
 
F:g 
 
 < White or Dutch Clover. (Trifolmm repens/. 
 ' \ Purple Clovar. (Jrifoiium pratense 
 
PEA FAMILY 123 
 
 small, nearly enclosed in the calyx, indehiscent, 1 — 4-seeded. 
 (Name from the Latin tri, three, and. folium, a leaf.) * 
 
 * Heads few-flozvered, axillary : throat of calyx naked 
 
 1. T. subterrdneum (Subterranean Clover). — A curious little 
 plant, with prostrate, branched, hairy stems ; and small axillary 
 heads of white flowers, 3 — 5 together, with numerous 5 -toothed 
 abortive calyces which cover the pods, as the head bends abruptly 
 downwards after flowering, burying itself in the ground. — Dry 
 sandy places ; uncommon. — Fl. May, June. Annual. 
 
 ** Heads many-flowered, terminal : throat of calyx with a 
 
 ring of hairs : pod i-seeded 
 
 f Heads ovoid or globose 
 
 2. T. pratense (Red Clover). — Leaflets broad, notched or 
 entire ; stipules broad, terminating abruptly in a long bristle ; 
 
 flowers red, or sometimes white, in terminal, sessile, dense 
 roundish-oblong heads : calyx hairy, its bristle-like teeth half as 
 long as the corolla. — -The common clover of meadows, where it 
 forms a valuable part of the hay crop. There are also improved 
 cultivated varieties. The corolla tubes abound in honey, on 
 which account children often call them Honeysuckles. The 
 flowers are very sweetly-scented. — Fl. all the summer. Perennial. 
 
 3. T. medium (Zigzag Clover). — Not unlike the last, but dis- 
 tinguished by its more slender, erect, zigzag habit; narrower, 
 elliptical, slightly hairy leaflets ; lanceolate, not abrupt, stipules ; 
 and loose, stalked, round heads of flowers. — Dry pastures and 
 bushy places ; common. It thrives better than T. pratense in 
 dry soils. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 4. T. ochroMcon (Sulphur-coloured Trefoil). — Erect, 6 — 18 in. 
 high, downy ; lower leaves on very long stalks ; flowers cream- 
 coloured, turning brown as they fade, in terminal, stalked, dense 
 heads, which are at first globose, afterwards ovate. — Dry pastures 
 in the eastern counties ; rare. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 5. T. squamosum (Teazle-headed Trefoil). — Stem spreading, 
 usually procumbent ; stipules awl-shaped, very long ; flozvers 
 small, pink, in terminal, stalked, roundish head ; calyx-teeth 
 awl-shaped, ciliate, shorter than the corolla, finally becoming 
 enlarged, broad and spreading. — Salt marshes in the south of 
 England. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 4 
 
 ft Heads cylindric, during or after flowering 
 6.* T. incarndtum (Crimson Clover). — Erect, downy, with 
 spreading hairs ; leaflets obovate ; stipules ovate, blunt ; flowers 
 
1 24 legumin6s.s 
 
 deep crimson, in solitary, terminal, stalked, cylindric heads 1 — 3 
 in. long ; calyx-teeth hairy, shorter than the corolla, spreading in 
 the fruit. — A common fodder crop, sometimes escaping. — Fl. 
 June, July. Annual. 
 
 7. T. Molinerii (Large-headed White Trefoil). — Perhaps the 
 original wild form of the preceding, from which it differs in being 
 shorter, and in having adpressed hairs and white or pink flowers 
 in conical heads about 1 in. long. — On the cliffs at the Lizard, 
 Cornwall. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 8.* T. stelldtum (Starry-headed Trefoil). — A prostrate form with 
 terminal, stalked, globose heads of small cream-coloured flowers, 
 and hairy calyx-teeth spreading remarkably in a star-like manner in 
 fruit. — Occurs as a casual on the shingle near Shoreham, Sussex. — 
 Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 9. T. arvense (Hare's-foot Trefoil). — Softly hairy, erect, branched; 
 flowers small, pale pink, in terminal, stalked cylindric heads about 
 
 1 in. long, and almost concealed in the long, very soft, russet hairs 
 of their calyces. — A very distinct species ; common in sandy places. 
 — Fl. July — September. Annual. 
 
 *** Heads many-flowered, terminal and axillary 
 t Throat of calyx with a ring of hairs : pod i-seeded 
 
 10. T. Boccbnei (Boccone's Trefoil). — A small pubescent erect 
 species, 2 — 6 in. high, with oblong stipules with bristly points, and 
 sessile dense conical heads, usually 2 together, of small white 
 flowers. — Grows in dry places at the Lizard. — Fl. July. Annual. 
 
 11. T. striatum (Soft-Knotted Trefoil). — A prostrate, ascending, 
 silky species with small rose-coloured flo-cers in sessile, terminal 
 and axillary, ovate downy heads ; and a ribbed calyx swelling after 
 flowering. — Dry places, especially near the sea ; frequent. — Fl. 
 June, July. Annual. 
 
 12. T. scdbrutn (Rigid Trefoil). — A small downy, prostrate 
 plant, with inconspicuous white flowers in sessile, dense, ovoid, 
 terminal and axillary heads, which become prickly from the rigid, 
 spinescent, spreading calyx-teeth when in fruit. — Dry places ; often 
 growing with the preceding, but less common. — Fl. May — July. 
 Annual. 
 
 \ Throat of calyx glabrous ; pod 2 — ^-seeded 
 
 13. T. glom'eratum (Smooth Round-headed Trefoil). — Very 
 similar to the preceding, but glabrous and with rounder heads of 
 purplish flowers and more leafy broad calyx-teeth, which are 
 spinescent and reflexed in fruit. — Gravelly places near the sea ; 
 rare. — Fl. June. Annual. 
 
PEA FAMILY 1 25 
 
 14. T. suffocdtum (Suffocated Trefoil). — A small, slender, gla- 
 brous, prostrate plant, with its stem usually buried in sand ; 
 small white flowers in ovoid heads, which are often confluent ; 
 calyx-teeth lanceolate, longer than the corolla, recurved but not 
 spiny in fruit. — Sandy sea-shores ; rare. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 15. T. strictum (Upright Round-headed Trefoil). — A small, 
 ascending, glabrous species ; leaflets linear-lanceolate, toothed ; 
 flowers small, rose-coloured, in stalked globose heads ; calyx-teeth 
 
 subulate, spreading. — Rocks, Jersey and the Lizard, where it was 
 first found by the Rev. C. A. Johns in 1847 ; very rare. — Fl. June, 
 July. Annual. 
 
 **** Heads many-flowered, axillary : throat of calyx 
 glabrous ; pod 1—6-seeded 
 
 16* T. hybridum (Alsike Clover). — A tall, erect, branched, 
 glabrous plant ; petioles long ; stipules leafy, ovate-lanceolate ; 
 flowers white or pale pink, becoming brown, in stalked, globose, 
 drooping heads ; calyx-teeth nearly equal, subulate, erect. — A cul- 
 tivated plant, introduced from Alsike, near Upsala, Sweden. — Fl. 
 June — September. Perennial. 
 
 17. T. repens (White or Dutch Clover). — Stem creeping ; leaflets 
 often with a white band and a purplish spot near the middle; 
 
 flowers stalked, white, sometimes tinged with pink, fragrant, fading 
 to brown and bending downwards, in roundish heads ; pod 4- 
 seeded. — Abundant in meadows, where it forms excellent pasture. 
 In a variety commonly cultivated in gardens, under the name of 
 Shamrock, nearly the whole of the centre of each leaflet is tinged 
 with dark purple. The real Shamrock is probably this species or 
 any other " 3-leaved grass " ; but some antiquarians contend that, 
 as Ireland was well wooded ( in St. Patrick's time, it was probably 
 a leaf of the Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis Aceiosella) that the Saint selected 
 to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. On St. Patrick's Day 
 (March 17th) the distinctive characters of the trefoils are scarcely 
 developed. — Fl. all through the summer. Perennial. 
 
 18. T. fragiferum (Strawberry-headed Trefoil) has the habit of 
 the preceding ; but the flowers are rose-coloured, and the large 
 globose heads of inflated calyces, enclosing the 1 — 2-seeded pods 
 and often tinged with pink, are not unlike the fruit from which the 
 plant is named. — Damp meadows ; not very common. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 19.* T. resupindtum, a similar species, but with shorter peduncles, 
 smaller bracts, and reversed (resupinate) flowers, occurs as a 
 casual.^-Fl. July. Annual. 
 
 20. T. proc&mbens (Hop Trefoil). — A small, downy plant with 
 
126 
 
 lugumin6s;e 
 
 dense oval heads of about 40 yellow flowers, resembling Medicdgo 
 lupulina in habit, but at once distinguished when in fruit by the 
 tawny, hop-like heads of withered flowers, the standard petals per- 
 sisting and arching over the pods ; style shorter than the pod. 
 Dry pastures ; abundant. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 21.* T. agrdrium, a closely-allied form with the style as long as 
 the pod and the heads larger, occurs as a casual. 
 
 22. T. dubium (Lesser Yellow 
 Trefoil), with much smaller heads 
 than T. procrimbens, 4 — 20- 
 flowered, turning dark brown, is 
 even more common in dry places. 
 — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 23. T.filifbrme (Slender Yellow 
 Trefoil). — A small, prostrate, very 
 slender, slightly hairy species, with 
 very , small 2— 7-flowered loose 
 heads, is much less common. — Fl. 
 June, July. Annual. 
 
 9. Anthyllis (Kidney-Vetch). 
 Herbs or shrubs; leaves im- 
 paripinnate; flowers in capitate 
 cymes ; calyx inflated ; petals with 
 long claws ; stamens monadel- 
 phous ; pod enclosed in the calyx, 
 i-seeded. (Name of Greek origin.) 
 1. A. Vulnerdria{ Kidney- Vetch, 
 Lady's Fingers). — The only British 
 species, a handsome, herbaceous, 
 silky plant, with pinnate leaves 
 (the terminal leaflet largest), and 
 yellow flowers, with pale inflated 
 calyces. The dense, many-flowered 
 heads of flowers grow two together 
 at the end of each stalk, like the 
 two lobes of a kidney. There are 
 
 white and red-flowered varieties. — Dry pastures. — Fl. June — 
 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 trif6lium proc^mbens (Hop Trefoil). 
 
 10. Lotus (Bird's-foot Trefoil). — Herbs or undershrubs; leaves 
 of 4 or 5 leaflets ; stipules minute or absent ; flowers in long-stalked, 
 capitate or umbellate, cymes ; calyx not inflated ; stamens diadel- 
 phous ; pod longer than the calyx, straight, cylindric, many-seeded. 
 (Name of Greek origin.) 
 
Fig.J5. Kidney Vetch or Lady's Fingers (Anthyllit Vu 
 
PEA FAMILY 
 
 127 
 
 i. L. corniatldtus (Common Bird's-foot Trefoil). — A pretty 
 familiar flower ; stems prostrate, ascending ; leaves usually almost 
 glabrous, or with few or many long soft hairs ; flowers in umbellate 
 cymes, 5 — 10 together on long pediincles and* very short pedicels, 
 generally deep orange in thebud,and varying in the same umbel from 
 
 anthyllis vulnerAria (Common Lady's Fingers). 
 
 bright yellow to deep brownish-orange ; calyx-teeth erect in bud, 
 two upper ones converging ; pods about an inch long, diverging 
 like the toes of a bird. — Pastures ; abundant — Fl. June — Septem- 
 ber. Perennial. 
 
 2. L. tenuis (Slender Bird's-foot Trefoil), differing in its more 
 slender, thread-like stem, narrower, pointed leaflets, and fewer and 
 sm&Ver flowers, grows in damp places, and is less common. 
 
128 
 
 LEGUMINOS^E 
 
 3. L. uligindsus (Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil). — Generally hair)', 
 but sometimes glabrous, 1 — 3 feet high ; stems tubular, weak, and 
 usually supported by surrounding plants ; leaflets obovate ; peduncles 
 very long; floivers deep yellow, 5 — 12 together ; calyx-teeth, while 
 in bud, spreading like a star, two upper ones diverging. — Damp 
 places ; common. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 4. L. angustissimus (Least Bird's-foot Trefoil). — A much smaller 
 plant than L. corniculdtus, prostrate, hairy, with shorter pedmicles ; 
 
 flowers solitary or 2 together, small, yellow, fading green ; pods an 
 inch or more in length. — South of England, 
 near the sea; very rare. — Fl. July, August. 
 Annual. 
 
 5. L. hispidus (Hispid Bird's-foot Trefoil), 
 a closely-allied, more silky form, ■w'x'Cvi. flowers 
 2 — 4 together, not fading green, and pods not 
 more than f in. long, occurs very rarely, near 
 the sea, in Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall. — 
 Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 n. Astragalus (Milk- Vetch). — Herbs 
 with stipulate, imparipinnate leaves ; flowers 
 in axillary racemes or spikes ; calyx with 
 5 sub-equal teeth ; corolla with blunt keel ; 
 stamens diadelphous ; pod with a longitudinal 
 septum, 2-valved. (Name from the Greek 
 astrdgalos, a pastern bone, but not applicable 
 to this genus.) 
 
 1. A. alpinus (Alpine Milk-vetch). — A 
 slender, prostrate, hairy plant, with 10 — 12 
 pairs of oblong leaflets ; free stipules ; shortly- 
 stalked, close racemes of a few drooping 
 flowers, which are white or pale blue, tipped 
 with purple ; and pendulous pods covered 
 -Occurs very rarely on Scottish mountains. — 
 Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. ddnicus (Purple Milk-vetch). — A similar species, with 
 8 — io pairs of leaflets; connate stipules, opposite the leaf; 
 peduncles longer than the leaves; flowers many, ascending, in 
 ovoid heads, purple ; and erect pods. — Dry soil, in the eastern 
 counties ; rare. Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 3. A. glycyphyllos (Sweet Milk-vetch). — A much larger species ; 
 stems 2 — 3 feet long, stout, prostrate, zigzag, glabrous; leaflets in 
 5 — 6 pairs ; stipules free ; flowers in short-stalked, dense, short 
 racemes, creamy-yellow ; pods erect, curved, smooth. — Thickets 
 
 LOTUS CORNICULATUS 
 
 (CommonBiriTs-foot 
 Trefoil). 
 
 with black hairs.- 
 
PEA FAMILY 
 
 2 9 
 
 on a chalky or gravelly soil ; uncommon. — Fl. June, July. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 12. Oxytropis.— Herbs, distinguished from Astragalus mainly 
 by having a mucronate point to the keel of the corolla. (Name 
 from the Greek oxiis, sharp, trbpis, a keel.) 
 
 1. O. uralensis (Hairy Mountain Oxytropis). — A low plant; 
 leaves radical ; leaflets in about 1 2 pairs ; peduncles longer than the 
 leaves, erect, silky, 6 — 10-fiowered; flowers bright purple; pods 
 erect, silky. — Dry mountain 
 pastures in Scotland ; rare. — Fl. 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 2. O. campestris (Yellowish 
 Mountain Oxytropis).- — A larger, 
 hairy, but less silky species, with 
 peduncles scarcely longer than the 
 leaves, and yellowish flowers 
 tinged with purple. Occurs only 
 in the Clova mountains. — Fl. 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 13. ORNfTHOPUS (Bird's-foot). 
 — Slender, hairy herbs ; leaves 
 imparipinnate ; flowers few, 
 minute, in long-stalked umbels, 
 with a pinnate leaf below each 
 umbel ; keel blunt ; stamens 
 diadelphous; pods curved, in- 
 dehiscent, with many oval, 1- 
 seeded joints. (Name from the 
 Greek ports, a foot, ornithos, of 
 a bird, from the shape of the 
 fruits.) 
 
 1. O. perpusillus (Common 
 Bird's - foot). — A pretty little 
 plant, with spreading, prostrate, 
 slender stems; downy leaves of 
 13 — 25 leaflets; exceedingly small cream-coloured flowers, veined 
 with crimson, with a leaf below each head ; and curved 7 — 9- 
 jointed pods ending in a claw-like beak. — Sandy heaths ; frequent. 
 — Fl. May — August. Annual. 
 
 14. CoRONfLLA (Crown-vetch). — Perennial herbs or shrubs, 
 with imparipinnate leaves ; flowers on long-stalked, axillary umbels ; 
 calyx-teeth unequal, the two upper united ; petals rather 
 long-clawed ; keel beaked ; stamens diadelphous ; pod cylindric, 
 
 ORNfTHOPUS rERPUSflXUS 
 
 {Common Bird's-foot). 
 
3° 
 
 legumin6s,b 
 
 4-angled, or slightly compressed, straight or curved, contracted 
 at the joints. (Name, a diminutive from corona, a crown, from 
 the form of the inflorescence.) 
 
 i. C. vdria (Crown-vetch). — A trailing plant, with creeping 
 roots ; stems slender, angular, i — 5 feet long ; leaves 2 — 3 in. long, 
 of 11 — 13, oblong-elliptic, cuneate, mucronate leaflets, the lower 
 pair remote from the stem, glabrous, pea-green ; stipules free ; 
 
 umbels 3 — 20 -flowered; 
 flowers pink and white, or 
 white, generally with dark 
 violet beak to the keel ; 
 petals rather long-clawed ; 
 pedicels longer than the calyx. 
 — On waste ground, or dry 
 wood-sides on limestone, 
 often naturalised, but appar- 
 ently indigenous in Kent. — 
 Fl. June — November. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 15. Arthrol6bium (Joint- 
 vetch). — Slenderj glabrous 
 herbs, with imparipinnate 
 leaves ; small yellow flowers 
 in stalked axillary umbels 
 without leafy bracts ; calyx 
 tubular; keel blunt; stamens 
 diadelphous ; pod slender, 
 straight or curved, sub- 
 cylindric, many - jointed, 
 scarcely contracted between 
 the joints. (Name from the 
 Greek arthros, a joint, lobos, 
 a pod.) 
 
 1. A. pinndtum (Sand 
 Joint - vetch). — A small, 
 nearly glabrous, glaucous plant, with small yellow yftraws ; no leaf 
 below the head of flowers; and io — 14-jointed, straight pods, 
 scarcely constricted at the joints. — Occurs in the Scilly and 
 Channel Islands. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 16. Hippocrepis (Horseshoe-Vetch). — Low-growing, glabrous 
 herbs ; leaves imparipinnate ; leaflets many ; flowers yellow ; petals 
 long-clawed ; keel incurved, pointed ; stamens diadelphous ; pod 
 
 hippocr£pis COm6sa (Tufted Horseshoe-vetch). 
 
PEA FAMILY 
 
 flat, breaking up into 3 — 6 1-seeded horseshoe-shaped joints. 
 (Name from the Greek hippos, a horse, krepis, a shoe.) 
 
 1. H. combsa (Tufted Horseshoe-vetch). — The only British 
 species, a nearly prostrate plant, with long, much-branched stems, 
 woody at the base; leaflets 7 — 17; and umbellate heads of 6 — 
 10 yellow flowers. It might be 
 mistaken for Ldtus corniculdtus ; 
 but the pinnate leaves and pods 
 resembling a series of horse-shoes, 
 united by their extremities, serve 
 to distinguish it. — Chalky banks 
 in the south of England. — Fl. 
 May — August. Perennial. 
 
 17. Onobrychis (Sainfoin). — 
 Herbs ; leaves imparipinnate ; 
 stipules membranous ; flowers in 
 axillary spikes or racemes ; 
 stamens diadelphous ; pod com- 
 pressed, indehiscent, straight, 1- 
 seeded. (Name from the Greek 
 onos, an ass, brucho, I bray.) 
 
 1. O. vicicefblia (Common Sain- 
 foin, Cock's-head). — The only 
 British species, a handsome plant ; 
 pubescent with ad pressed hairs ; 
 stems 1 — 2 feet long, ascending 
 stout; leaflets 17 — 25, oblong 
 apiculate ; flowers in ovoid, com- 
 pact racemes, rosy-red, with darker 
 veins ; pod semicircular, toothed 
 along its lower (curved) margin. — 
 Chalky and limestone hills, per- 
 haps indigenous in the south-east 
 of England ; but often cultivated 
 as fodder. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 18. VfciA (Vetch). — Herbs, generally climbing by the tendrils 
 which terminate their paripinnate leaves ; leaflets generally many ; 
 flowers in axillary racemes ; stamens diadelphous ; style thread- 
 like, with a small ring of down near the extremity, or a tuft on 
 the under side ; pod compressed, 2-valved. (Name, the classical 
 Latin name, originally derived, according to Theis, from Keltic 
 gwig ; German Wicken, Greek bikion, French vesce.) 
 
 K2 
 
 on6brychis vici^f6lia 
 {Common Sainfoin). 
 
132 legumin6s*: 
 
 * Annuals : leaflets few : flowers few : style with a 
 ring of down (Tares) 
 
 1. V. hersiita (Hairy Tare). — A slender, much-branched, hairy 
 plant, forming tangled masses of stems and leaves; leaflets 12 — 
 16 ; flowers 1 — 6 together, minute, pale blue; pods sessile, hairy, 
 2-seeded. — Fields and hedges ; very common. This, though a 
 mischievous weed, is not the Tare of Holy Scripture, which is 
 supposed to be the Darnel (Lblium temulentum). — Fl. May — 
 August. Annual. 
 
 2. V. tetrasperma (Smooth Tare). — More slender, less branched, 
 almost glabrous; leaflets 6 — 1 2 ; flowers 1 — 2 together, minute, 
 pale blue ; pods shortly stalked, glabrous, 3 — 5-seeded. — In 
 
 vLia hirsCta (Hairy Tare). 
 
 similar situations with the last, but less common. — Fl. May — 
 August. Annual. 
 
 3. V. gracilis (S.ender Tare), a closely-allied form, with 6 — £ 
 leaflets ; flowers twice as large, 1 — 4 together and pods longer, 
 5 — 8-seeded, occurs in the south of England. — Fl. May — 
 August. Annual. 
 
 ** Perennials : leaflets many : flowers very many : style 
 with a ring of hairs 
 
 4. V. Crdcca (Tufted Vetch). — Leaflets about 20, narrow, 
 pointed, silky, with branched tendrils ; stipules half-arrow-shaped, 
 entire ; flowers crowded in i-sided, 10 — 30-flowered racemes, blue 
 and purple. — Bushy places ; very common. One of the most 
 ornamental of British plants, adorning the tops of the hedges with 
 its bright flowers. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 5 V. Orobus (Bitter Vetch). —A branched, herbaceous plant, 
 with many prostrate stems; leaflets 14—20, oblong, acute, with- 
 
PEA FAMILY 
 
 133 
 
 out tendrils; stipules half-arrow-shaped, slightly toothed ; flowers 
 in loose, i-sided, 6 — 20-flowered racemes, purplish-white. — 
 Rocky woods, mostly in the north.— Fl. May — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 6. V. sylvdtica (Wood Vetch). — A large and beautiful species, 
 with a long stem, 3 — 6 feet high, climbing by means of its 
 branched tendrils; leaflets about 16, elliptical, abrupt, with a 
 short point ; stipules crescent-shaped, deeply toothed at the base ; 
 
 viciA cracca {Tufted Vetch). 
 
 flowers in loose, 1 -sided, 6 — 18-flowered racemes, cream-coloured, 
 with bluish veins. — Mountainous woods ; not common. — Fl. 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 *** Leaflets many : flowers few : style tufted below stigma I 
 on one side 
 7. V. sepium (Bush Vetch). — Leaflets 12 — 16, ovate, obtuse, 
 decreasing in size towards the apex of the leaf; flowers in nearly 
 
54 
 
 legumin6s/E 
 
 sessile axillary clusters of 4 — 6, bluish-purple ; pods smooth. — 
 Woods and hedges, very common. — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 8. V. hitea (Rough-podded Yellow Vetch). — About 2 feet long, 
 prostrate; leaflets 10—14; flowers solitary, sessile, rather large, 
 pale yellow; pods hairy. — Sea-coast; rare. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 9.* V. kevigdta (Smooth-podded Vetch), a smaller form, 
 which is glabrous, and has pale blue or whitish flowers, has been 
 found on the beach at Weymouth. 
 
 10.* V. hybrida, differing from V. liitea in having reddish- 
 yellow flowers with a hairy standard petal, is recorded from 
 Glastonbury Tor and from Swan Pool, near Lincoln. 
 
 11.* V. sativa (Common Vetch). — Stem stout, about 2 feet 
 high; leaflets 10 — 14, oblong, mucronate, the lower ones often 
 obcordate; stipules half-arrow-shaped, toothed at the base, often 
 with a dark blotch ; flowers large, in pairs, blue and purple or 
 red ; pods ascending, parallel to the stem, 2 — 3 in. long, linear, 
 silky. — Fields ; common as an escape, being extensively cultivated 
 as fodder for cattle. — Fl. April — June. Annual. 
 
 12. V. angustifblia (Narrow-leaved Vetch). — A slender form, 
 closely allied to the preceding, but with very narrow leaflets, red 
 flowers, and spreading pods. Occurs truly wild. — Dry places ; 
 common. — Fl. May, June. Annual. 
 
 **** Leaflets few : flowers few : style tufted below stigma 
 on one side 
 
 13. V. lathy rbides (Spring Vetch). — Nearly allied to the last, 
 but very much smaller, prostrate, and rarely exceeding 6 in. in 
 length ; leaflets 2 — 6 ; stipules entire, not marked with a dark 
 spot ; flowers solitary, sessile, small, purple ; pods glabrous. — Dry 
 places ; not common. — Fl. April — June. Annual. 
 
 19. Lathyrus (Vetchling). — Herbs, closely allied to Vicia, but 
 with fewer leaflets, broader petals, and a flattened, longitudinally 
 bearded style. (Name of Greek origin.) 
 
 * Annuals : no true leaflets : flowers solitary 
 
 1. L. Aphaca (Yellow Vetchling). — A pretty trailing, glabrous 
 plant, remarkable for being entirely destitute of leaflets, the place of 
 which is supplied by a pair of very large ovate-hastate stipules at the 
 base of each tendril ; flowers yellow. — Sandy and gravelly fields in 
 the south ; rare. — Fl. May — August. Annual. 
 
 2. L. Nissblia (Crimson or Grass Vetchling). — A beautiful and 
 well-marked species, with upright slender stems, 1 — 3 feet high; 
 
PEA FAMILY I 35 
 
 leaves reduced to grass-like, linear, parallel-veined phyllodes, 3 — 6 
 in. long, without tendrils ; flowers small, deep crimson. — Grassy 
 places in the south ; not common. — Fl. May — July. AnnuaL 
 
 lAthyrus prat£nsis (Meadow Vetchling). 
 
 ** Leaflets 2 : with tendrils : flowers rarely solitary 
 
 3. L. hirsiitus (Rough-podded A^etchling), with its flowers pale 
 blue, with a crimson standard, in pairs, and hairy pods, occurs, very 
 rarely, in Essex and Surrey. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 4.* L. sphcericus, with solitary flowers, has been found in 
 Hertfordshire. 
 
136 legumin6s^e 
 
 5. L. pratensis (Meadow Vetchling). — A climbing plant, 2—3 
 feet long, with angular stem ; lanceolate leaflets ; large, arrow- 
 shaped stipules; short tendrils; long peduncles ; flowers 3 — 12 
 together, pedicellate, showy, bright yellow, all turning one way. — 
 Hedges and meadows ; very common. — Fl. June — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 6* L. latifblius (Everlasting Pea), with broad oval leaflets and 
 pink flowers, more than an inch across, occurs only as an escape 
 from gardens. 
 
 7. L. iuberosus (Peas Earth-nut), with edible tuberculate roots ; 
 angled stem ; ovate leaflets ; large half-arrow-shaped stipules ; and 
 long peduncles bearing 2 — 5 crimson flowers, f in. across, occurs 
 
 lAthyrus montXnus (Tuberous Bitter Vetch). _ 
 
 rarely in Essex, where it may have been introduced by the Dutch 
 in the sixteenth century. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 8. L. sylvestris (Narrow-leaved Everlasting Pea). — A clambering 
 plant, glabrous and glaucous ; stems winged, 2 — 6 feet ; leaflets 
 sword-shaped ; flowers \ in. across, with rose-coloured standard and 
 greenish-yellow wings tinged with purple, not so handsome as those 
 of the garden species. — Rocky thickets ; not uncommon. — Fl. 
 June — September. Perennial. 
 
 *** Perennials : leaflets 4— 1 o : tendrils short : flowers 
 2 — 10 together. 
 
 9. L. pahistris (Blue Marsh Vetchling). — A climbing plant, 
 smaller than the last ; stem winged ; leaflets 4 — 8, very narrow, 
 
ROSE FAMILY 137 
 
 acute ; flowers bluish-purple, 2 — 6 together. — Boggy meadows; 
 rare. Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 10. L. maritimus (Seaside Everlasting Pea). — Stem prostrate, 
 glabrous, glaucous, angled, not winged ; leaflets 6 — 10, egg-shaped; 
 peduncles shorter than the leaves, 5 — 10- flowered; flowers purple^ 
 variegated with crimson and fading to blue. — Pebbly sea-shores; 
 rare. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 **** Perennials : leaflets 4 — 12; without tendrils : flowers 
 2—8 together. (Bitter Vetches.) 
 
 11. L. montdnus (Tuberous Bitter Vetch). — Root tuberous; 
 stem simple, erect, winged ; leaflets 4 — 8, oblong, glaucous beneath ; 
 stipules half-arrow- shaped; flowers axillary, purple, variegated with 
 purple, fading to green or blue. — Woods ; common. A pretty 
 spring Vetch, growing in similar situations with the Wood Anemone, 
 but appearing somewhat later. It may be at once distinguished 
 by being destitute of tendrils, the pkce of which is supplied by a 
 soft, bristle-like point. The tubers were eaten in the Scottish 
 Highlands, under the name of Cormeille, a very small quantity being 
 said to allay hunger. — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 12. L. niger (Black Bitter Vetch), distinguished by its branched, 
 angled, but not winged stem, and its very narrow stipules, occurs 
 rarely in rocky woods in Scotland. It turns black when dried. 
 — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. XXVI. Rosacea. — The Rose Family 
 
 A large and important Order occurring in all parts of the world, 
 and comprising more than a thousand species of trees, shrubs, 
 and herbs. They mostly agree in having scattered, stipulate 
 leaves; polysymmetric and generally pentamerousyfczew.s - ; sepals 
 united, usually 5, the odd one being posterior, occasionally 4, 8, 
 or 10 ; petals 5, perigynous ; and stamens indefinite. In the 
 number of the carpels, their cohesion, and still more their 
 adhesion, and in the forms of fruit resulting from their fertilisation, 
 the members of the Order present great diversity ; so that, 
 natural as is the Order as a whole, it is subdivided, as naturally, 
 into seven tribes. The Pruneai are trees and shrubs of the 
 North Temperate Zone, the bark of which often exudes a some- 
 what insoluble gum ; the leaves are simple and, with the seeds^ 
 generally yield a considerable quantity of the deadly poison, 
 prussic or hydrocyanic acid ; and the fruit is a drupe or stone- 
 fruit, consisting, that is, of one carpel wilh a skin or epicarp, 
 flesh or mesocarp, stone or endocarp, and containing one kernel 
 
138 ROSACEA 
 
 or seed. Plums, Cherries, Apricots, Almonds, Peaches, and 
 Nectarines belong to this tribe, as do also the common Laurel, or 
 Cherry-Laurel, as it is best to call it, and the Portugal Laurel. 
 Our cultivated Plums are varieties of Primus domestica, the fruii 
 of which has a waxy bloom. Cherries are the fruit of various 
 species of a sub-genus Cerasus, said to be named from a city of 
 Pontus, whence the Roman general Lucullus introduced a 
 superior kind, 67 B.C. They have a polished epicarp, as have 
 also the evergreen Cherry-Laurel (P. Lauro-cerasus) and Portugal 
 Laurel (P. lusitdnica). The crushed leaves of the Cherry-Laurel 
 give off a vapour containing prussic acid, and are therefore used 
 by entomologists for killing insects. P. Armeniaca, with woolly 
 epicarp and smooth stone, is the Apricot ; Amjgdalus persica, 
 with a wrinkled stone and a woolly epicarp, the Peach, of which 
 the Nectarine is a smooth variety ; and A. communis, with woolly 
 skin, stringy flesh, and a punctured surface to the stone, the 
 Almond. This species is wild from Afghanistan to the Barbary 
 States, and is extensively cultivated in the South of Europe. 
 There are two varieties, one yielding the sweet, the other the 
 bitter Almond. Jordan Almonds, which are considered the best 
 sweet almonds, are brought from Malaga ; bitter almonds from 
 Mogador. Many fatal cases are recorded of poisoning by the Oil 
 of Bitter Almonds. The Spirece are herbs or shrubs, the fruit of 
 which consists of a ring of follicles. Several species of Spirka are 
 ornamental garden plants. The Rubece are mostly shrubs, and 
 their fruits, which include the well-known Raspberry and Black- 
 berry, are etaerios of drupels. The shoots of the brambles are 
 astringent. The Potentillece, which include the Strawberry (Fragd- 
 ria), are mostly herbs, and their fruits are etaerios of achenes, the 
 i-seeded carpels being dry and indehiscent, though borne in the 
 Strawberry on a fleshy outgrowth from the receptacle. Some 
 members of this tribe are astringent and tonic. The Poteriece are 
 herbs, often without petals, and sometimes wind-pollinated, 
 which have their 1 — 3 achenes enclosed within the calyx-tube. 
 The Rosea are shrubs with a characteristic form of etaerio of 
 achenes, the numerous carpels being enclosed in a fleshy calyx- 
 tube. Rose-water and Attar of Roses are made from the petals 
 of Rosa centifblia and R. damascena, 100,000 Roses, the produce 
 of 10,000 bushes, being said to yield only nine drams of Attar. 
 This costly perfume is largely adulterated with " Oil of Gera- 
 nium," the produce of a fragrant grass. A conserve used in 
 medicine is prepared from the pulp of the fruit of the Rose, or 
 " hip " as it is called. Lastly, the Pbmece are trees or shrubs with 
 the characteristic fruit known as a pome, in which the 1 — 5 
 
ROSE FAMILY 1 39 
 
 horny or stony carpels are imbedded in a fleshy adherent calyx- 
 tube, comprising the Apple, Pear, Quince, Medlar, Rowan, and 
 Hawthorn. All the cultivated varieties of Apple are derived from 
 the wild Crab, Pyrus Mains, and the Pears from a thorny tree, 
 with a hard astringent fruit, Pyrus commi'inis. The wood of the 
 Pear is very close-grained and is used in making T-squares. 
 The fruit of the Rowan, and some other species, yields malic 
 acid, and the leaves as much prussic acid as those of the Cherry- 
 Laurel. 
 
 Tribe i. Priinete. — Leaves simple: calyx deciduous: frtiit a 
 drupe. 
 
 i. Prunus. — Stone smooth. 
 
 Tribe 2. Spirece. — Calyx persistent : carpels 5 or more : fruit an 
 etcerio of follicles. 
 
 2. Spiraea. — Sepals 4 — 5; carpels 5 — 12. 
 
 Tribe 3. Rtibece. — Calyx persistent : carpels many : fruit an etario 
 of drupels. 
 
 3. Rubus. — Receptacle convex, spongy ; ovules 2 in each 
 carpel. 
 
 Tribe 4. Potentillece. — Calyx persistent, with an epicalyx : carpels 
 4 or more : ovules 1 in each carpel : fruit an etario of achenes. 
 
 3. Dryas. — Leaves simple; scape 1 -flowered; styles becoming 
 feathery. 
 
 5. Geum. — Leaves pinnate ; scape several -flowered ; styles be- 
 coming hooked awns. 
 
 6. Fragaria. — Leaves ternate; achenes on fleshy receptacle; 
 style not elongating. 
 
 7. Potentilla. — Leaflets 3, 5, or many, palmate or pinnate ; 
 stamens many ; achenes many, on dry flat receptacle ; style not 
 elongating. 
 
 8. Sibbaldia. — Leaves ternate; stamens 5 ; achenes 5 — 10, on 
 dry concave receptacle. 
 
 9. Comarum. — Leaves pinnate ; stamens many ; receptacle coni- 
 cal, becoming large and spongy, persistent. 
 
 Tribe 5. Poterieai. — Petals 5 or absent : carpels 1—5 -.fruit 1 — 5^ 
 achenes (i-seeded) enclosed in small dry calyx- tube. 
 
 10. ALCHEMfLLA. — Sepals 4 or 5, with an epicalyx; petals 
 absent ; stamens 1 — 4 ; achenes 1 — 5. 
 
140 ROsXcEJE 
 
 ii. Agrim6nia. — Sepals 5; petals 5; stamens 12—20; 
 achenes 2. 
 
 12. Poterium. — Segals 4; petals absent; stamens 20 — 30; 
 achenes 2 — 3 ; some flowers unisexual. 
 
 13. Sanguisorra. — Flowers perfect; sepals 4; petals absent; 
 stamens 4 ; achenes 1 — 2. 
 
 Tribe 6. Rbsece. — Petals 5 : carpels many, i-seeded, enclosed in 
 the large fleshy calyx- tube. 
 
 14. Rosa. — Sepals 5 ; petals 5 ; stamens indefinite. 
 
 mh'-xus SPIn6sa (jSloe or Blackthorn). 
 
 Tribe 7. Pbmece. — Petals 5: carpels 1 — 5, 1 — 2-seeded : fruit a 
 pome. 
 
 15. Pyrus. — ^rw// 2 — 5-chambered; chambers 2-seeded; core 
 horny, enclosed. 
 
 16. Mespilus. — Fruit 5-chambered; chambers 1 -seeded ; core 
 bony, exposed. 
 
 17. CRATvfcGus. — Fruit 1 — 5-chambered; core stony. 
 
 18. Cotoneaster. — Fruit 2 — 5-chambered ; <w<? stony, pro- 
 jecting. 
 
ROSE FAMILY 
 
 I 4 1 
 
 i. Prunus (Plum, Cherry). — Trees or shrubs; leaves simple, 
 serrate, with glands on the petiole ; sepals 5, deciduous ; petals 5, 
 white; stamens 15 — 20; fruit a drupe with a smooth stone. 
 (Name classical ) 
 
 * Leaves convolute : drupe glaucous 
 
 1. P. spinbsa (Blackthorn or Sloe). — Branches very spinous with 
 blackish bark ; leaves narrow, elliptical, smooth above, slightly 
 downy near the midrib 
 
 below ; flowers mostly 
 solitary, appearing before 
 the leaves ; fruit nearly 
 round, \ in. in diameter, 
 black and very austere. 
 — Woods and hedges : 
 abundant. A well-known 
 bush deriving its name 
 from the hue of its bark, 
 which is much darker 
 than that of the Haw- 
 thorn or Whitethorn, as 
 it is often called. The 
 leaves are said to be used 
 to adulterate tea, and the 
 fruit, which is so austere 
 that a drop of its juice 
 placed on the tongue 
 will produce a roughness 
 on the throat and palate 
 perceptible for a long 
 time, is said to enter 
 largely into the composi- 
 tion of spurious port 
 wine. — Fl. March, April. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. P. insititia (Bullace). — Branches ending in a spine, with 
 brown bark ; leaves elliptical, downy beneath ; flowers in pairs, 
 appearing with the leaves ; fruit globose, pendulous, nearly 1 in. 
 in diameter, black or yellow, more palatable than the sloe.— 
 Woods and hedges. Larger than the last. — Fl. April, May* 
 Perennial. 
 
 3.* P. domestica (Wild Plum). — A small tree without spines, 
 with brown bark ; leaves downy on the veins beneath ; fruit 
 oblong, an inch or more in diameter, sweet. — The original of our 
 
 prunus Avium (Geati). 
 
142 ROSACEiE 
 
 cultivated Plums, not indigenous in Europe. — Fl. April, May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 ** Leaves conduplicate : drupe polished 
 
 4. P. Avium (Wild Cherry, Gean). — A tree 20 — 30 feet high, 
 
 with smooth bark and few or no suckers ; leaves drooping, abruptly 
 
 pointed, downy beneath ; flowers m umbels ; calyx-tube contracted 
 
 above ; fruit heart-shaped, bitter, black, or red. — Woods and 
 
 prunus pXdus {Bird Cherry!). 
 
 hedges ; common. A highly ornamental tree, not only on 
 account of its elegant white flowers in spring, but even more so in 
 autumn, when its leaves assume a bright crimson hue. As soon 
 as it is ripe the fruit is greedily devoured by birds. This species 
 is the origin of the Morella Cherry. — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 5. P. Cerasus (Dwarf or Red Cherry). — A shrub not more than 
 8 feet high, with redder bark and many suckers ; leaves not 
 drooping, smooth on both sides ; flowers in umbels ; calyx-tube 
 not contracted ; fruit round, juicy, acid, and red. The origin of 
 
Fig. 16. Meadowsweet. 'Spirma Ulmana- 
 
ROSE FAMILY 
 
 143 
 
 the sweet varieties of cultivated cherries. — Hedges ; less common. 
 — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 6. P. Pddus (Bird Cherry).- — A handsome small tree; leaves 
 narrow, egg-shaped ; flowers in pendulous racemes ; fruit ovoid, 
 black, bitter. — In the north of England not uncommon in a wild 
 state, and common else- 
 where in shrubberies. 
 The clusters of flowers 
 and drupes are not un- 
 like those of the Portu- 
 gal Laurel, a nearly 
 allied species, but the 
 leaves are not evergreen. 
 — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 2. Spir^a. — Herbs 
 or shrubs ; leaves scatter- 
 ed, generally stipulate ; 
 flowers numerous, small, 
 in cymes ; sepals 4 or 5, 
 persistent ; carpels 5 or 
 more ; ovules 2 or more 
 in each carpel ; fruit a 
 ring of follicles. (Name r 
 from the Greek speira, a J ^£^fc 
 coil.) ^C^ <^^2 
 
 1 * S. salicifolia (Wil- 
 low-leaved Spiraea). — A 
 shrub with simple exsti- 
 pulate leaves and spike- 
 like clusters of rose- 
 coloured flowers. — 
 Moist woods in the 
 north and in Wales ; not 
 indigenous. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. Ulmdria (Mea- 
 dow-sweet, Queen of the 
 Meadows). — -A tall, herbaceous plant, 2 — 4 feet high ; leaves 
 interruptedly pinnate, white and downy beneath, terminal leaflet 
 very large and lobed ; flowers in densely crowded, erect, compound * 
 cymes, creamy- white, very fragrant. — Moist places; common. — 
 Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. S. Filipendula (Dropwort). — A herb about a foot high, with 
 
 SPIRy&A ULMARIA 
 
 {Meadow-sweet, Queen of the Meadows). 
 
[44 
 
 ROSACEA 
 
 short rhizome and nodulose rootlets; leaves interruptedly pinnate, 
 leaflets cut into harrow serrated segments ; flowers in crowded, 
 erect, compound cymes, pink externally in bud, when open, white 
 and scentless. — Dry pastures on a limestone soil. Distinguished 
 from the preceding by its elegantly cut foliage, pink buds, and 
 whiter, scentless blossoms. A double flowered variety is common 
 in gardens. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 3. RrjBUS (Bramble). — Shrubs or herbs, usually prickly ; leaves 
 scattered, stipulate ; flowers in terminal and axillary clusters, rarely 
 solitary, white or pink ; sepjls 5, persistent ; petals 5 ; carpels 
 many, on a convex, spongy receptacle ; ovules 2 in each carpel; 
 fruit an etaerio of 1 seeded drupels. (Name classical.) 
 
 1. R. Idceus (Raspberry). — A shrub with many suckers, and 
 nearly erect, round, glaucous, prickly stem; leaves pinnate, of 
 3 — 5 leaflets, white and hoary beneath ; flowers drooping ; fruit 
 hoary, red, or amber-coloured, separating from the receptacle 
 when ripe. — Rocky woods ; common. The origin of the garden 
 raspberry, which differs but little from it. — Fl. May — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. J?, fruticosus (Bramble or Blackberry). — The collective name 
 for a large number of closely allied forms, which, though many 
 of them have fairly definite distinctive characters, are difficult to 
 discriminate. They agree in being shrubs, without suckers, with 
 prickly stems; leaves of 3 — 5 leaflets arranged palmately or 
 pedately ; flowers in erect compound panicles ; and fruit claret- 
 colour or black, not separating from receptacle when ripe. Nearly 
 a hundred species have been described as British, besides many 
 named varieties ; but it will be sufficient here to describe the 
 nine main groups under which these puzzling forms are arranged. 
 Group I., Suberecti — Stems usually sub-erect, rarely rooting at the 
 tip, glabrous or very slightly hairy, without bristles or gland-tipped 
 hairs, with prickles mostly equal and confined to the angles of the 
 stem ; stipules linear ; leaves, when mature, green beneath : sepals 
 green, with narrow white margin ; drupels numerous. Group II., 
 Rhamnifblii — Stems high-arching, often rooting from a callus at 
 the tip and thus giving rise to a multitude of individuals, glabrous, 
 or with few hairs, usually without stalked glands ; prickles mostly 
 equal »and confined to the angles ; sepals grey, or white-felted, 
 with no conspicuous white margin, often reflexed in fruit ; fruit 
 large, black, juicy. Group III., Discolbres — Stems arched or 
 prostrate, rooting at the end, with ad pressed hairs and equal, 
 strong prickles, with no stalked glands ; leaves quinate, white-felted 
 beneath ; sepals grey, reflexed in fruit ; petals often pink ; drupels 
 
ROSE FAMILY 
 
 145 
 
 small. Group IV., Silvddci — Stems arched, prostrate, rooting at 
 the end, with spreading hairs, moderate-sized nearly equal prickles, 
 and few stalked glands or bristles ; leaves usually green beneath ; 
 sepals usually reflexed in fruit ; petals sometimes deep pink. 
 Group V., Egregii — Stems arched or prostrate, generally with 
 some scattered stalked glands and bristles, with sub-equal prickles 
 chiefly on the angles ; floiver-stalks with some stalked glands ; 
 sepals seldom reflexed. Group VI., Rddulce — Stems generally 
 low-arching and root- 
 ing, rough throughout 
 with numerous bristles 
 and stalked glands, with 
 subequal prickles, the 
 larger ones nearly con- 
 fined to the angles ; 
 flower - stalks with 
 numerous short-stalked 
 glands and bristles. 
 Group VII., Koehleri- 
 dni — Stems low-arching 
 or prostrate, rooting, 
 clothed with very un- 
 equal scattered prickles, 
 bristles and stalked 
 glands, the larger 
 prickles strong ; petals 
 often pink. Group 
 VIII., Bellardidni— 
 Usually small, low- 
 growing plants ; stems 
 mostly prostrate and 
 roundish, rooting and 
 often glaucous, densely 
 clothed with unequal 
 stalked glands, bristles 
 and weak prickles ; leaflets all stalked ; stipules filiform. Group 
 IX., C<esii (Dewberry) — Stems low-arching or creeping, roundish 
 or slightly angular, rooting, glaucous, with prickles mostly 
 slender ; flozvers large ; fruit of a few large drupelets, often with 
 a grey gloom. — Most of the species flower from June to August, 
 and ripen their fruit in September and October. 
 
 3. R. saxdtilis (Stone Bramble). — A small herbaceous species ; 
 stem rooting, 1 — 2 feet high, with few scattered bristles, or none ; 
 leaves of 3 leaflets ; flowers few together, umbellate ; petals small 
 1. 
 
 RLBUS frutic6sus {Blackberry). 
 
146 
 
 ROsAcEiE 
 
 white ; fruit of 1 — 4 distinct scarlet persistent drupels on a flat 
 receptacle.— Stony places, chiefly in the north. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. R. Chamcembrus (Cloudberry). — A very distinct species, with 
 a long subterranean rhizome ; flowering-branch erect, 4 — 8 in. 
 high, without prickles ; leaves obtusely 5 — 7-lobed ; flowers large, 
 terminal, solitary, white, dioecious ; fruit of a few large drupelets, 
 first red, then orange, with the colour, fragrance and taste of 
 apricots. — Alpine peat- bogs in the 
 ^-s r \ /"n» north. This fruit, the avrons of 
 
 J ~\ Scotland, moltebeere of Norway, or 
 
 maroshka of northern Russia, 
 makes a delicious preserve. — FL 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 4. Dryas (Mountain Avens). — 
 31 Prostrate tufted herbs ; leaves simple, 
 white beneath ; stipules adnate to 
 the petiole ; flowers large, solitary ; 
 sepals 8 or 9 in one whorl, valvate, 
 persistent ; petals 8 or 9 ; carpels 
 many, sunk in the calyx-tube, one- 
 ovuled ; styles persistent, feathery ; 
 fruit an etserio of achenes. (Name 
 from the Greek driias, from the re- 
 semblance of the leaves to those of 
 the oak.) 
 
 1. D. octopetala (Mountain 
 Avens). — The only British species ; 
 leaves oblong, coarsely crenate- 
 serrate, hoary beneath ; flowers an 
 inch or more across, white ; petals 
 -In mountainous, chiefly lime- 
 stone, districts in the north ; rare. 
 An easily recognised and handsome 
 Perennial. 
 
 dryas octopetala (Mountain A; 
 
 flower. — Fl. June, July. 
 
 5. Geum (Avens). — Erect herbs ; leaves lyrately-pinnate ; stipules 
 adnate to the petiole ; scape usually several-flowered ; sepals 5, 
 persistent, with an epicalyx of 5 bracteoles ; petals 5 ; carpels 
 many, i-ovuled ; styles persistent, jointed, hooked ; fruit an etaerio 
 of achenes. (Name from the Greek geuo, I taste, the roots being 
 aromatic.) 
 
 1. G. urbdnum (Common Avens, Herb Benet). — An erect, 
 
ROSE FAMILY 
 
 147 
 
 hairy plant, 1 — 2 feet high; radical leaves pinnate; cauline leaves 
 ternate ; stipules leafy, rounded and cut ; flowers erect, \ — f in. 
 across, yellow ; upper joint of the stiff persistent style shorter, 
 smooth. — Hedges and thickets ; common. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. G. rivdle (Water Avens). — A handsome plant, stouter and 
 more hairy than the preceding, differing in having smaller stipules ; 
 drooping flowers x 1 — i L in. across; reddish-brown sepals; obcord- 
 
 GAifM urbXnum (Common Avens, Herb Benet). 
 
 ate, yellow, pink-tinged, veined petals; a stalk or carpophore 
 below the fruit ; and the two joints of the persistent style equal 
 and hairy. — Damp places ; not uncommon. — Fl. May — July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 G. intermedium, partaking of the characters of both the above 
 species, is probably a hybrid between them. 
 
 6. Fragaria (Strawberry). — Herbs with runners ; leaves 
 generally ternate ; stipules adnate to the petiole ; sepals 5, 
 persistent, with an epicalyx of 5 bracteoles, valvate ; petals 5 ; 
 l 2 
 
[48 ROSACE.E 
 
 carpels many, i-ovuled ; styles lateral, persistent ; fruit an etaerio of 
 achenes which are sunk in the surface of a fleshy receptacle. 
 (Name from the Latin fraga, strawberries, which is probably con- 
 nected vfkh fragrans, fragrant.) 
 
 1. F vesca (Wood Strawberry). — Leaflets sessile, bright green, 
 hairy ; peduncle erect, few-flowered, with spreading hairs ; pedicels 
 drooping in fruit, with adpressed hairs ; flowers white, \ 
 in. or more across ; calyx reflexed in fruit.— Woods and thickets j 
 common. A well-known plant, distinguished by the above 
 characters from the Barren Strawberry (Fotentilla Fragaridstrtim), 
 which is often mistaken for it by young botantists. The Straw- 
 
 fragaria v£sca (JVood Strawberry). 
 
 berry apparently derives its name from the custom of laying straw 
 between the rows of plants in gardens. — Fl. April — July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2* F. moschdta (Hautboy Strawberry), a garden escape, 
 probably originally derived by cultivation from the preceding, is 
 larger, more hairy, with spreading hairs, and has stalked leaflets 
 and some dioecious flowers. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 7. Potent/lla (Cinquefoil). — Herhs, rarely shrubby; leaves 
 p : nnate or palmate of 3, 5, or more leaflets ; stipules adnate to the 
 petiole ; flowers generally yellow or white ; sepals 5, or rarely 4, 
 
ROSE FAMILY 
 
 149 
 
 persistent, with an epicalyx of 5 or 4 bracteoles ; petals 5, rarely 
 4 ; stamens many ; carpels many, i-ovuled ; fruit an etaerio of 
 achenes on a small dry receptacle ; style not elongating. (Name 
 from the Latin potens, powerful, from the medicinal properties of 
 some species, especially, perhaps, of P. palustris, an astringent 
 tonic.) 
 
 * Achenes glabrous or nearly so : receptacle concave 
 
 1.* P. norvegica, with stem erect, 8 — 10 in. high; leaves 
 palmate ; and flowers yellow in crowded terminal racemes, has 
 been found in Burwell Fen, 
 Cambridgeshire, and in York- 
 shire, but has probably been in- 
 troduced with Norwegian timber. 
 Annual. 
 
 2* P. hirla, with stem erect ; 
 leaves of 5 — 7 much-toothed 
 leaflets, obovate on the radical 
 and linear on the cauline leaves, 
 is also not indigenous. 
 
 3. P. sterilis (Barren Straw- 
 berry). — Prostrate, without run- 
 ners, silky ; leaves ternate ; leaflets 
 obovate, crenate, very hairy 
 beneath j peduncles slender ; 
 flmvers white, not more than \ in. 
 across ; petals short, notched. — ■ 
 Banks and hedges ; abundant. 
 One of the earliest spring flowers, 
 often confounded by beginners 
 with the wild strawberry, from 
 which the above characters serve 
 to distinguish it. — Fl. January — 
 May. Perennial. 
 
 4. P. verna (Spring Cinque- 
 foil). — A small woody hairy plant, about 5 in. long ; leaves of 5 — 7, 
 obovate serrate leaflets, hairy on the edge and on the veins 
 beneath j flowers yellow, 2 — 3 together, £ in. across. — Dry 
 pastures ; not common. — Fl. April — June. Perennial. 
 
 5. P. Crdntzii (Alpine Cinquefoil). — A larger, more erect, but 
 closely allied species ; stem 4 — 10 in. high ; flowers 1 in. across. — 
 Alpine rocks in Scotland, Wales, and the north of England j 
 rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 6. P. erecia (Common Tormentil). — A small, sub-erect plant ; 
 rhizome woody; stems 6 — 10 in. high, slender, leafy, with curly 
 
 POTENTfLLA ERECT A (C 
 
 Tormentil). 
 
150 ROSACEA 
 
 hairs ; leaves of 3, or rarely 5, cuneate, lobed leaflets ; cauline 
 leaves sessile ; stipules leafy, deeply cut ; flowers in corymbose 
 cymes, not more than \ in. across, yellow, usually with 4 sepals 
 and 4 petals. — Banks and heaths ; very common. — Ft all the 
 summer. Perennial. 
 
 7. P. procumbens (Trailing Tormentil). — A very closely allied 
 form, differing chiefly in a more prostrate habit, the cauline leaves 
 being stalked and the. flowers being solitary, or nearly so, and 
 rather larger. — Woods and banks ; common. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 ' rOTEXTfLLA ANSERfN'A atui T. REPTANS. 
 
 8. P. reptans (Creeping Cinquefoil). — Stem slender, creeping, 
 rooting at the nodes ; leaves quinate, stalked ; leaflets obovate, 
 serrate, hairy ; flowers solitary, about an inch across, yellow ; sepals 
 and petals 5 each. — Meadows and waysides ; common. Hybrids 
 between this species and the two preceding occur. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 9. P. Anserina (Silver-weed, Goose-grass). — A familiar, easily 
 recognisable plant, with runners ; leaves interruptedly pinnate ; 
 leaflets deeply serrate or pinnatifid, densely silky, with white hairs 
 
ROSE FAMILY 151 
 
 on the under side or on both surfaces ; flowers solitary, yellow, 
 much as in the preceding. — Roadsides ; common. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 10. P. rupestris (Rock Cinquefoil), a Lall erect species, 1—2 
 feet high, with pinnate leaves of 3 — 7 leaflets and large white 
 
 c6marum PALUSTRfi {Marsh Cinque/oil). 
 
 flowers, is found only on limestone rocks in Montgomeryshire. 
 — Fl. May, June. Perennial. <4k 
 
 11. P. argentea (Hoary Cinquefoil). — Stem nearly prostrate £ 
 leaves quinate, white underneath with adpressed wool, their edges 
 rolled back ; flowers small, yellow, several together. — Dry gravelly 
 places ; not common. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
152 ROSACEA 
 
 ** Achenes hairy : receptacle very hairy 
 12. P.fmticbsa (Shrubby Cinquefoil).— A much-branched shrub, 
 2 — 4 feet high ; leaves pinnate, of 3 — 5 leaflets, silky, revoluted. 
 flowers large, yellow, several together, terminal.— Rocky places in 
 the north of England and west of Ireland ; rare. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 8. Sibbaldia. — A prostrate alpine plant, with ternate leaves; 
 small yellow flowers ; petals 5 — 7 ; stamens 4 — 10 ; achenes 4 — 10, 
 on a dry concave pubescent receptacle. (Named in honour of Sir 
 
 sibbaldia PROCd'MBEN'S {Procumbent Sibbaldia). 
 
 Robert Sibbald, first Professor of Medicine in the University of 
 Edinburgh.) 
 
 1. S. proaimb:ns (Procumbent Sibbaldia). — A small prostrate 
 plant ; leaves ternate ; leaflets wedge shaped, ending in 3 points, 
 hairy ; flowers few, small, yellow, in crowded terminal cymes. — 
 Dry summits of Highland mountains ; rare. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 9. C6marum (Marsh Cinquefoil).- — A perennial marsh plant, 
 with pinnate leaves of 5 — 7 leaflets ; sepals 5, large; petals small ; 
 stamens many ; achenes many, on a conical dry spongy pubescent 
 receptacle. (Name of ancient Greek origin.) 
 
ROSE FAMILY 
 
 ■53 
 
 i. C. pahistre (Marsh Cinquefoil). — A stout, herbaceous plant, 
 about a foot high ; rhizome woody ; stems ascending, reddish brown, 
 leafy ; leaves pinnate, of 5 — 7 leaflets ; stipules large, membranous ; 
 flowers few together, large, dingy purplish-brown ; sepals larger 
 than the petals.— Peat-bogs ; frequent. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 10. ALCHEMfLLA (Lady's Mantle).— Herbs with simple, orbi- 
 cular, more or less divided stipulate leaves; flowers minute, in corym- 
 bose cymes, generally tetramerous, apetalous ; calyx, with anepicalyx, 
 persistent ; stamens 1 — 4, inserted at the mouth of the calyx-tube : 
 disk annular at the mouth of the calyx-tube ; carpels 1 — 5, i-ovuled • 
 styles lateral ; fruit, 1 — 4 achenes 
 within the calyx-tube. (Name 
 said to indicate the value of the 
 genus in alchemy.) 
 
 1. A. arvensis (Parsley Piert, 
 Field Lady's Mantle).— A small 
 inconspicuous hairy weed, 3 — 8 
 in. long ; leaves small, 3-lobed, 
 lobes wedge-shaped, and cut, as 
 also are the stipules; flowers 
 minute, crowded in the axils of 
 bracts, greenish, concealed by the 
 leaves. — Dry places ; common. — 
 Fl. May — August. Annual. 
 
 2. A. vulgaris (Common Lady's 
 Mantle). — A herbaceous plant 
 about a foot high ; leaves large, 
 kidney-shaped, plaited, softly 
 downy, 7 — 9 lobed, on long 
 stalks, serrate ; stipules ochreate, 
 toothed ; flowers numerous, small, 
 yellowish-green, in loose branching cymes, 
 common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. A. alpina (Alpine Lady's Mantle). — A beautiful plant with 
 small palmate leaves of 5 — 7 oblong, serrate leaflets, lustrously white 
 and satiny, almost metallic underneath ; flowers inconspicuous. — 
 Mountains ; not common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 4. A. argentea (Silver Lady's Mantle). — An allied form, differing 
 in having larger, suborbicular, peltate leaves, the lobes of which 
 only extend two-thirds of the distance from their margin to their t 
 base. — Occurs in the north of Scotland. — F'. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 11. Agrim6nia (Agrimony).— Herbs with stipulate, pinnate, 
 
 ALCHEMfLLA ARNENSIS 
 
 (Field Lady's Mantle). 
 
 -Moist hilly pastures 
 
154 
 
 ROSACEA 
 
 serrate leaves and terminal bracteate spike-like racemes of small 
 yellow flowers ; sepals 5, imbricate, persistent ; petals 5 ; stamens 
 12 — 20; carpels 2, i-ovuled, within the spinous calyx-tube ; fruit 
 of i or 2 achenes. (Name of Greek origin.) 
 
 1. A. Eupatbria (Common Agrimony). — A slender, herbaceous 
 plant, 1—2 feet high, shaggy with soft hairs ; leaves interruptedly 
 
 agrim6nia eupat6ria (Common Agrimony). potSrium sanguisorba (Salad Burnet). 
 
 pinnate, deeply toothed ;flozvers shortly stalked and distant on the 
 long, tapering spike-like raceme ; calyx-tube obconic, deeply fur- 
 rowed, spinous round its mouth, woody in fruit. — Fields and road- 
 sides ; common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. odordta (Scented Agrimony). — A closely allied species, 
 more branched, with an aromatic resinous scent, with flowers 
 larger and closer, and the calyx-tube bell-shaped and not furrowed. 
 
ROSE FAMILY 
 
 155 
 
 Less common. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. These two species 
 are said to be tonic, and are made into tea by village herbalists. 
 
 12. Poterium (Salad-Burnet). — Erect herbs with pinnate 
 leaves ; stipules adnate to the sheathing petiole ; flowers small, in 
 dense long-peduncled capitate cymes, often polygamous ; calyx-tube 
 
 sanguis6rba officinalis (Great Burnet). 
 
 persistent, with 4 winged angles in fruit ; sepals 4, imbricate, 
 deciduous ; petals absent ; stamens 20 — 30 with slender filaments 
 and pendulous exserted anthers ; carpels 2 — 3, i-ovuled, only one" 
 ripening ; stigma tufted ; achenes solitary, enclosed in the hardened 
 calyx-tube. (Name from the Greek poterion, a tankard, one 
 species being used in cool drinks.) 
 
156 ROSACEA 
 
 i. P. Sanguisbrba (Salad-Burnet). — Glabrous, or nearly so, 
 about a foot high ; leaves of 5 — 10 pairs of oblong, coarsely serrate 
 leaflets, having the taste and smell of cucumber ; peduncle angular j 
 flower-heads reddish, the upper flowers producing their crimson 
 stigmas before the lower ones produce their 20—30 pendulous 
 stamens ; calyx-tube with netted veins between the 4 wings. — Dry 
 pastures, especially on a calcareous soil. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. P. polygamum (Prickly Salad-Burnet). — A closely-allied 
 species with a larger fruit and prickly wings to the calyx-tube. — 
 Cultivated on chalky soil. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 13. Sanguis6rba (Burnet). — A herbaceons perennial with hori- 
 zontal rhizome; leaves pinnate, of 9 — 13 distinctly stalked 
 leaflets ; flotvers all perfect, in cylindric heads, an inch or more in 
 length, containing honey ; sepals 4 ; petals o ; stamens 4 ; achenes 
 1 — 2. (Name from the Latin sanguis, blood, sorbeo, I absorb, the 
 plant having been used to stanch bleeding.) 
 
 1. S. officinalis (Great Burnet). — A tall erect branched plant ; 
 leaves pinnate of 9 — 13 oblong-cordate, serrate, distinctly stalked 
 leaflets ; flowers in oblong or cylindric, long-stalked heads, 
 purplish-brown, all perfect ; stamens 4, not exserted ; calyx-tube in 
 fruit smooth between the 4 wings. — Damp meadows ; not un- 
 common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 14. Rosa (Rose). — Shrubs, usually prickly ; leaves pinnate, 
 serrate; stipules adnate to the sheathing petiole ; flowers terminal ; 
 calyx-tube persistent, fleshy, contracted at the mouth, with 5 leafy, 
 imbricate sepals ; petals 5 •; stamens indefinite, inserted on the disk 
 at the mouth of the calyx-tube j carpels generally numerous, in the 
 bottom of the calyx tube, i-ovuled; fruit, an etaerio of achenes. 
 (Name Classical.) 
 
 Botanists differ widely in their conceptions of the species of this 
 difficult genus ; but the indigenous British forms fall into some 
 twelve or thirteen fairly distinct groups, most of which are ac- 
 cepted by all authorities and their sequence generally agreed 
 upon. Hybrids, however, occur between members of different 
 groups. In collecting herbarium specimens of Roses, a twig 
 bearing a fully-formed fruit, with the sepals still on it, should be 
 preserved. 
 
 1. R. spinosissima (Burnet or Scotch Rose). — An erect, much- 
 branched shrub, 1 — 4 feet high, covered with very unequal, nearly 
 straight prickles, passing into stiff bristles and glandular hairs ; 
 leaves of 7 — 9 simply serrated, smooth leaflets ; flowers solitary, 
 white; sepals undivided, smooth; /rz/z'/subglobose, dark purple. — 
 
ROSE FAMILY 157 
 
 Dry sandy place?, especially near the sea ; common. — Fl. May, 
 June. Perennial. 
 
 2. R. invohita differs in having its leaves usually doubly serrate 
 and downy, and glandular beneath ; its flowers i — 3 together; and 
 its fruit red. — Chiefly in the north. — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 3. R. hibernica (Irish Rose) has stout, curved prickles ; leaflets 
 simply serrate, glabrous above, glaucous and slightly pubescent 
 beneath ; floivers 1 — 12 together; sepals pinnate, smooth ; fruit 
 red. Chiefly in the north ; rare. — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 r6sa sriNOsissiMA {Bumet-leaved Rose). 
 
 4. R. villbsa (Soft-leaved Rose). — A tall, erect bush with 
 scattered, uniform, nearly straight, slender prickles ; leaflets ovate, 
 doubly serrate, softly downy, especially beneath; flowers 1 — 3 
 together, deep rose colour ; sepals slightly pinnate, persistent, con- 
 nivent in fruit ; fruit globose, glandular, red. — In the north. — Fl. 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 5. R. tomenldsa (Downy-leaved Rose).— Stem erect with stout, * 
 arching branches, 6 — 10 feet long, with mostly uniform, slender, 
 straight or slightly curved prickles ; leaflets doubly serrated, downy, 
 especially beneath ; flowers 1 — 3 together, pink or white; sepals 
 
158 ROSACEA 
 
 very pinnate ; fruit oblong-urceolate, red. — Hedges and thickets ; 
 common.— Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 6. R. eglanteria (Sweet Briar). — An erect, compact bush with 
 many prickles, the larger ones hooked, the smaller unequal, straight ; 
 leaflets doubly serrate, downy, and glandular beneath, mostly 
 rounded at the base ; very fragrant ; flowers 1 — 4 together, deep 
 rose-colour ; sepals very pinnate, persistent ; fruit pear-shaped, 
 becoming globose, red. — Chiefly on chalk. The Eglantine of 
 the poets, with the exception of Milton, whose " twistad eglantine " 
 is the Honeysuckle.— Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 H<5eA canina {Dog-Rose). 
 
 7. R. micrdntha (Small-flowered Sweet Briar).— A small bush 
 with long arched branches, equal hooked prickles, and faint odour ; 
 leaves doubly serrate, downy and glandular beneath, rounded at 
 the base ; flowers 1 in. across, on bristly stalks, pale rose-colour ; 
 fruit small, urceolate, scarlet. — Not common. — Fl. July, August. 
 
 Perennial. 
 
 8. R. agrestis (Slightly-scented Briar). — A similar species, 
 differing in having rather unequal hooked prickles intermixed 
 with a few bristles and glandular hairs ; leaflets less rounded at 
 the base ; flowers usually with smooth stalks ; sepals more 
 
ROSE FAMILY 159 
 
 pinnate and persistent. — Local ; uncommon. — Fl. June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 9. R. obtusifblia (Blunt-leaved Rose). — A large bush with 
 long, arching, glabrous branches, and large hooked prickles ; 
 leaflets doubly serrate, broadly rounded at the base, glandular and 
 with prominent veins beneath ; flowers white or pale pink, gen- 
 erally with smooth stalks ; sepals reflexed and deciduous ; and 
 fruit small, sub-globose. These forms, not very sharply separated 
 from the following, seem to be local. 
 
 10. R. canina (Dog-Rose).— Large bushes with long arched 
 branches with uniform hooked prickles ; leaflets mostly without 
 glands, or with a few on the veins beneath ; flowers few together 
 or solitary, generally on smooth stalks ; sepals pinnate, reflexed, 
 falling before the fruit changes colour ; styles free. — Hedges and 
 bushy places ; abundant. This is the common Hedge Rose, a 
 flower belonging exclusively to summer, and welcomed at its first 
 appearance scarcely less warmly than the early Primrose in 
 spring. The colour of the flower varies from white to a deep 
 blush, and the leaves also differ considerably ; but the above 
 characters will be found to include all the principal varieties. — Fl. 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 n. R. glaiua (Glaucous Rose), a group more locally repre- 
 sented, differs in having its leaflets often glaucous, and not gland- 
 ular beneath, and its sepals ascending after the fall of the petals, 
 and not falling until after the fruit has become crimson. 
 
 12. R. stylbsa (Close-styled Rose). — A tall, erect bush with 
 uniform, stout, strongly-hooked prickles ; leaflets eglandular, 
 pubescent beneath ; peduncles long, bristly ; sepals pinnate, reflexed, 
 deciduous ; styles united into a central column. — Uncommon. — 
 Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 13. R. arvensis (Trailing Rose). — A glabrous, trailing species 
 with purple branches ; leaflets glaucous beneath ; flowers white ; 
 sepals purple, slightly pinnate, reflexed, deciduous ; styles united 
 in an exserted column ; fruit sub-globose, small. — Woods and 
 hedges ; common in the south of England. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 15. Pyrus (Service, Pear, Apple, Medlar, and Rowan). — 
 Trees and shrubs ; leaves deciduous, simple or pinnate ; stipules 
 deciduous ; flowers in terminal cymes ; calyx-cube urceolate ; 
 sepals 5 ; petals 5 ; stamens many ; carpels 2 — 5, imbedded in the 
 calyx-tube, 2-ovuIed ; fruit a 2 — 5-chambered pome ; core brittle, 
 horny or bony ; chambers 1 — 2-seeded. (Name classical.) 
 
 1. P. tortnindlis (Wild Service Tree). — A small tree with downy 
 
6o 
 
 ROSACEA 
 
 twigs; leaves glabrescent, simple, 6— io-lobed, cordate, serrate; 
 lobes triangular ; flowers many, small, white, in compound corym- 
 bose cymes ; fruit small, green, spotted with brown, 2-chambered, 
 2-seeded; core brittle.— Woods and hedges in the south of 
 England; uncommon. The mottled fruit is sold under the name 
 of Chequers. — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. Aria (White Beam). — A shrub or small tree; leaves 
 large, egg-shaped, irregularly lobed and serrate, snowy-white-felted 
 beneath, with 5—14 veins on each side ; flowers and fruit much 
 
 pyrus torminalis {Wild Service Tree). 
 
 as in the preceding ; but the latter dotted with red. — Chalky banks 
 and limestone rocks. — Fl. May, June. Perennial 
 
 P. rupkola includes those forms with fewer veins and smaller 
 fruit. 
 
 3. P. Idtifolia (Round-leaved White Beam), differing chiefly 
 in its leaves, which are rounded at the base, more lobed and 
 greyish beneath, and its brown fruit, occurs rarely in woods in the 
 west. 
 
 4. P. minima (Least White Beam). — A small, spreading, much- 
 branched, slender shrub ; leaves linear-oblong, pinnately 3 — 4- 
 lobed, ashy-felted beneath ; flowers small, creamy white ; fruit 
 
ROSE FAMILY l6l 
 
 small, globose, coral-red, bitter. — Limestone rocks, Breconshire. — 
 Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 5. P. intermedia (Broad-leaved White Beam). — A small tree 
 with leaves similar to those of the preceding, with 5 — 9 veins on 
 each side ; but with dark or reddish-brown fruit. — Occurs rarely, in 
 hilly woods. — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 6. P. finnica with leaves pinnate at the base, deeply pinnatifid 
 at the apex, and grey-webbed beneath, may be a hybrid between 
 the preceding species and the Rowan. — Arran in the Clyde. 
 Perennial. 
 
 rus Aria {White Beam\ 
 
 7.* P. domestica (Service-tree). — A small tree with pinnate, 
 serrate leaves, downy beneath, and a small pear-shaped fruit, did 
 occur in Wyre Forest, Worcestershire ; but was not indigenous. — 
 Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 8. P. Aucupdria (Rowan-tree, Mountain Ash, Fowlers' Ser- 
 vice). — One of the most elegant of British trees, small, with smooth 
 roan or ash-grey bark ; leaves pinnate, of 13 — 17 leaflets, serrate, 
 glabrescent ; flowers small, cream-white, in large, corymbose 
 cymes ; fruits globose, scarlet, with yellow flesh, 2 — 4-chambered. 
 — Mountainous woods ; common. The fruit is eaten in northern 
 Europe, and is used as a lure by fowlers, whence it derives one of 
 its English names and its specific name, from the Latin auceps, a 
 fowler. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
162 
 
 ROSACEA 
 
 9. P. communis (Wild Pear). — A shrub or small tree, often 
 bearing spines at the extremities of its branches ; leaves simple, 
 ovate, serrate ; flowers an inch across, white, in corymbose cymes ; 
 fruit tapering at the base, 5-chambered, woody and worthless 
 when wild ; core horny. — Woods and hedges ; uncommon. The 
 origin of garden Pears. — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 10. P. corddta (Lesser Pear) is a small form of bushy habit, 
 
 pfous aucupXria {Fowlers' Service-tree). 
 
 with cordate leaves and more globose fruit, found near Plymouth. 
 — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 11. P. Mdlus (Crab Apple). — A small spreading tree without 
 spines ; leaves simple, ovate, serrate ; flowers white, delicately 
 shaded with pink, in a sessile umbellate cyme; styles united 
 below ; fruit globose, with a hollow at the insertion of the stalk, 
 yellow or reddened, intensely acid, 5-chambered. — Woods and 
 hedges ; common. Formerly used in making verjuice and poma- 
 tum, so called ixom pomum, an apple. — FL May. Perennial. 
 
ROSE FAMILY I 63 
 
 16. Mespilus (Medlar). — A small spinous tree, with large 
 simple leaves ; solitary flowers; sepals 5, large, leafy, persistent; 
 fruit, a globose pome, with 5, 1 -seeded carpels forming a bony 
 core exposed at the top. (Name of Classical Greek origin.) 
 
 1. M. germdnica (Medlar). — A small, much-branched, spin- 
 ous tree, with large, simple leaves, white flowers, \\ in. across, on 
 short stalks, and a remarkable globose fruit, with large, leafy, 
 persistent sepals and 5 bony 1 -seeded carpels exposed at the top. 
 
 p^rus communis (Wild Pear). 
 
 — Hedgerows; but probably not truly wild. Well known in a 
 cultivated state. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 17. Crataxjus (Hawthorn). — Shrubs or small trees, often spin- 
 ous ; leaves simple, lobed ; stipules deciduous ; flowers in terminal 
 corymbose cymes ; sepals 5 ; petals 5 ; stamens many ; carpels 
 1 — 5, enclosed in the calyx-tube, each 2-ovuled ; fruit a pome with 
 a bony core. (Name from the Greek kratos, strength, alluding 
 to the hardness of its wood, which is the best substitute for box- 
 wood for engraving purposes.) 
 m 2 
 
164 ROSACEA 
 
 i. C. Oxyacdntha (Hawthorn, Whitethorn, or May). — A small 
 round-headed, much-branched, spinous tree, which, though it 
 varies considerably in its mode of growth, shape of leaf, and 
 colour of flower and fruit, is so well known as hardly to need 
 description. Its leaves are deeply pinnatifid and appear before 
 the blossoms ; the floivers are generally white and heavily scented, 
 the anthers pink with brown polle?i, and the fruit usually sub- 
 
 pfat-s mXlus (Crah Aj>J>le\ 
 
 globose, scarlet, or crimson, of 1 — 3 carpels. The name Haw- 
 thorn is derived from haeg, a hedge ; although, therefore, the 
 fruit is generally called a haw, that name is derived from the tree 
 which produces it, and the tree does not, as is frequently sup- 
 posed, take its name from the fruit which it bears. — Fl. May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 18. Cotoneaster. — Shrubs or small trees ; stipules deciduous ; 
 flowers solitary, or nearly so, small ; sepals 5 ; petals 5 ; stamens 
 
ROSE FAMILY 
 
 165 
 
 many ; carpels 2 — 5, adherent at their backs to the calyx-tube, but 
 not coherent ; fruit a 2 — 5 -chambered pome with a bony core. 
 (Name Classical.) 
 
 1. C. integerrimus. — A small pubescent shrub, with roundish 
 leaves ; minute rose-pink flowers, few together ; and small, 
 
 pyrus germAnica {Common Medlar). 
 
 pendulous, globose, shining red fruits. — Occurs on limestone 
 rock at Great Orme's Head, Carnarvonshire. — Fl. May, June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Ord. XXVII. Saxifrages. — The Saxifrage Family 
 Shrubs and herbs abounding in temperate and cold climates, 
 but within the tropics confined to lofty mountains. They have 
 
1 66 saxifrAge^e 
 
 polysymmetric and generally 5-merous flowers ; sepals 5, rarely 
 4, united at the base, and generally partly adherent to the carpels ; 
 petals equal in number and alternate to the sepals, imbricate, or 
 rarely absent ; stamens 4 — 10, perigynous ; carpels usually 2, 
 rarely 3 — 4, united below ; styles usually distinct ; ovules many ; 
 fruit of two follicles, a 1 — 2-chambered capsule, or a berry. 
 Most members of the Order have slightly astringent properties, 
 and some few are bitter and tonic. Several species of the genus 
 Ribes have berries with an agreeable acid flavour j others are 
 mawkish. The extensive genus Saxifraga contains many tufted 
 mountain plants that contribute greatly to the beauty of alpine 
 vegetation. 
 
 cratAgus oxyacAntha {Hawthorn). 
 
 i. SAxfFRAGA. — Herbs ; petals 5; stamens 10, rarely 5; ovary 
 2-chambered; styles 2. 
 
 2. Chrysosplenium. — Small succulent herbs; petals absent; 
 stamens 8 or 10 ; ovary i-chambered; styles 2. 
 
 3. Parnassia. — Herbs ; flowers large, solitary ; petals 5 ; 
 stamens 5, with five alternating staminodes ; ovary 1 -chambered ; 
 stigmas 3 or 4. 
 
 4. RfBES. — Shrubs ; petals 4 or 5 ; stamens 4 or 5 ; ovary 
 1 -chambered ; styles 2 ; fruit a berry. 
 
 1. SAxfFRAGA (Saxifraga). — Herbs, mostly perennial ; aves 
 both radical and cauline, with sheathing petioles ; flowers in cymes, 
 white, yellow, or rarely purple or red ; sepals 5, imbricate ; petals 
 5 ; stamens 10, rarely 5 ; carpels 2, united below, forming a superior, 
 
SAXIFRAGE FAMILY 167 
 
 or half-inferior, 2-chambered ovary, with parietal placentation, 
 numerous ovules, and 2 styles ; fruit of 2 follicles or united below 
 into a capsule. (Name in Latin signifying rock-breaker, many of 
 the species growing in crevices of rocks.) 
 
 * Flowers purple 
 
 1. S. oppositifblia (Purple Mountain Saxifrage). — Alow-growing, 
 tufted, glabrous plant, with trailing stems ; small, opposite, and 
 decussate fleshy leaves; and relatively large, solitary, bright 
 purple flowers. — Alpine rocks in the north. — Fl. April, May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 ** Flowers croivded, white 
 
 2. S. nivalis (Clustered Alpine Saxifrage). — An alpine plant, 
 3 — 6 in. high ; leaves all radical, obovate, crenate, thick, red 
 beneath ; flowers rather large, white, 4 — 12 together, in a compact 
 head. High mountains in the north ; rare. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 *** Flowers in loose cymes white, with two coloured dots 
 on each petal. 
 
 3. »S. stelldris (Starry Saxifrage). — A mountain plant, 3 — 5 in. 
 high ; leaves in a rosette, scarcely stalked, oblong, wedge-shaped, 
 coarsely toothed ; floivers rather large, few, white, with two yellow 
 spots on each petal. — By mountain rivulets in the north. — Fl. 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 4. S. Geum (Kidney-shaped Saxifrage), with reniform, tufted 
 leathery, toothed leaves and small white flowers dotted with pink. 
 
 5. S. hirsiita, more hairy, with oval leaves ; and 
 
 6. S. umbrbsa (St. Patrick's Cabbage, London Pride, or None- 
 so-pretty), with obovate leaves, are closely allied, rare species, 
 occurring on mountains in the west and south-west of Ireland. 
 The last is a well-known garden plant, making itself at home even 
 in the smoky gardens of London, and occurs in many places as a 
 naturalised escape. — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 **** j?i owers yellow 
 
 7. 5. Hirculus (Yellow Marsh Saxifrage). — A handsome species, 
 about 6 in. high, with runners ; stem erect, branched, leafy, downy 
 above ; radical leaves in a rosette, lanceolate ; cauline leaves linear ; 
 flowers large, solitary, or nearly so, yellow, spotted with scarlet. — 4 
 Wet moors ; rare. — Fl. August. Perennial. 
 
 8. S. aizoides (Yellow Mountain Saxifrage). — A smaller, more 
 tufted, prostrate and branched species ; leaves very narrow, fleshy, 
 
t68 
 
 SAXIFRAGES 
 
 fringed ; flowers like those of the preceding, but smaller. Wet 
 places in the mountains in the north, in Wales, and in Ireland. 
 Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 ***** Leaves broad, palmately-lobed : flowers white 
 9. S. tridactylites (Three-fingered Saxifrage). — A small, very 
 
 hairy, and viscid species with 
 glandular hairs, rarely more 
 than 3 in. high, usually 
 tinged with red, branched; 
 leaves palmately 3 — 5-lobed, 
 segments linear - oblong ; 
 flowers minute, numerous, 
 scattered. — On walls and dry 
 places; common. Generally 
 covered with dead flies, 
 though there is in its case 
 no evidence that they are 
 digested or assimilated. — Fl. 
 April — July. Annual. 
 
 10. S. rivuldris (Alpine 
 Brook Saxifrage). — A small, 
 tufted, slender, succulent, 
 slightly glandular, prostrate 
 species ; leaves reniform, 
 palmately 5-lobed, on slen- 
 der stalks ; flowers 1 — 3 
 together, small, white. — By 
 streams near the summits of 
 Highland mountains ; rare. 
 — Fl. July, August, Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 11. S. ccrnua (Drooping 
 Bulbous Saxifrage). — A 
 small, erect, unbranched 
 species, with scaly bulbs in 
 
 the axils of its stalked, reniform, palmately-lobed leaves and a 
 solitary, drooping floiver, which in Scotland is generally replaced 
 by a reddish bulbil. — Occurs only on the summit of Ben Lawers. — 
 Fl. June — August Perennial. 
 
 12. S. gratiuldta (White Meadow Saxifrage). — A pretty plant, 
 closely allied to the preceding ; stems slender, leafy, 10—12 in. 
 high, with numerous brown, downy, bulb-like tubers, as big as 
 peas, at their base ; radical leaves stalked, reniform, palmately- 
 
 SAXIFRAGA GRANULATA 
 
 (White Meadow Saxifrage). 
 
SAXIFRAGE FAMILY 1 69 
 
 lobed ; cauline leaves sessile, more deeply cut into more acute 
 segments ; flowers in a loose cluster, i in. across, inclined, pure 
 white. — Gravelly banks and meadows ; not uncommon. A 
 double variety is grown in gardens. — Fl. April — June. Perennial. 
 
 ****** Tufted plants with leaves palmately cut into 
 narrow segments : flowers white 
 
 13. S. ccespitbsa (Tufted Alpine Saxifrage), distinguished by 
 the obtuse lobes of its leaves, with few small, crowded flowers, 
 occurs very rarely on alpine summits, forming bright green 
 cushions. — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 14. S. Sternbergii, a very hairy glandular species, with 3 — 4- 
 
 chrysospl£nium oppositif6lium (Common Golden Saxifrage). 
 
 lobed leaves, the lobes lanceolate, acute, fringed, occurs on alpine 
 rocks in the south-west of Ireland. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 15. S. rosacea, a closely-allied form, with 3 — 7-lobed leaves, 
 the lobes abruptly acuminate, occurs in North Wales. 
 
 16. S. grcenldndica, another closely-allied form, 1 — 2 in. high, 
 densely tufted, with few cauline leaves ; leaves broadly wedge- 
 shaped, palmately 3 — 5-fid, with ovate-lanceolate acute lobes, 
 and few flowers, has been recorded from Ben Lawers. 
 
 17. S. hirta (Hairy Saxifrage), with 3 — 5-lobed leaves, very 
 finely cut into bristle-pointed lobes and flowers 2 — 4 together, 
 with subulate sepals and oblong 3-veined petals, the sides of 
 which are inflexed. occurs on the Galtee Mountains. — Fl. July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 18. S. hypnoides (Mossy Saxifrage). — With trailing barren 
 shoots and erect flowering ones ; leaves mostly 3-cleft, bristle- 
 pointed, with narrow fringed segments with narrow triangular 
 
7 o 
 
 SAXIFRAGEiE 
 
 acute sepals. — Occurs somewhat frequently in mountainous dis- 
 tricts, and is often grown in gardens. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 2. Chrysosplenium (Golden 
 Saxifrage). — Small succulent 
 herbs ; leaves exstipulate ; 
 
 flowers minute, green or 
 yellow, apetalous ; sepals 4 — 5, 
 obtuse, imbricate ; stamens 
 8 — 10, epigynous ; ovary in- 
 ferior, 1 -chambered ; styles 2 ; 
 ovules many, parietal ; fruit a 
 capsule. (Name from the 
 Greek chriisos, golden, and 
 splen, the spleen, probably from 
 some supposed medicinal 
 virtues.) 
 
 1. C. oppositifdlium (Com- 
 mon Golden Saxifrage). — A 
 small aquatic plant about 2 — 6 
 in. high, with a creeping stem, 
 rooting below ; leaves bright 
 green, opposite, orbicular ; 
 flowers minute, 4 - merous, 
 yellowish green, in flat terminal 
 clusters. — Damp shady places ; 
 common. — Fl. April — July. 
 Perennial. 
 ^Sjl^ ^1 l I / «s?fc k , 2 - C' alternifdlium (Alter- 
 
 mmr\. \ II f m I £lJV\lk nate-leaved Golden Saxifrage). 
 ^H \ \i\|#y /\Mmm ~~^ ver ^ s ' m ^ ar P^ ant with an 
 f^ \ \||J/ / ^Bb erect stem, alternate, reniform 
 
 leaves and deeper yellow 
 flowers, grows in similar situ- 
 ations, but is less common. 
 These little plants sometimes 
 form a true peat. — Fl. April — 
 June. Perennial. 
 
 3. Parnassia (Grass of Par- 
 nassus). — Glabrous herbs, with 
 
 radical, exstipulate, entire leaves and large solitary flowers on 
 slender, erect peduncles ; sepals 5, imbricate, persistent ; petals 
 5, thick ; stamens 5, alternating with 5 staminodes ; ovary 
 superior, 1 -chambered ; ovules many, parietal ; stigmas 3 — 4, 
 
 parnassia palustris 
 {Common Grass of Parnassus). 
 
SAXIFRAGE FAMILY 
 
 171 
 
 sub-sessile ; fruit a capsule. (Named, from its beauty, after 
 Mount Parnassus, the home of the Muses.) 
 
 1. P. pahistris (Common Grass of Parnassus). — An exqui- 
 sitely beautiful plant ; leaves ovate-cordate, long stalked ; flowers 
 1 in. across, ivory-white, beautifully veined, on peduncles 
 8 — 10 in. high ; staminodes, fan-shaped scales, fringed with 
 9 — 13 white hairs terminating in yellow wax-like glands. — Bogs, 
 principally in the north. — Fl. August, September. Perennial. 
 
 4. RfBES (Currant and Gooseberry). — Shrubs, sometimes 
 spinous ; leaves scattered, lobed, plaited ; flowers solitary or in 
 
 RfBES nJgrum {Black Currant). 
 
 bracteate racemes ; sepals 4 or 5, superior ; petals and stamens 
 equal to the sepals in number ; ovary inferior, 1 -chambered ; 
 styles 2 ; fruit a berry ; seeds with a pulpy testa. (Name Arabic, 
 applied originally to the Rhubarb.) 
 
 1.* R. Grossuldria (Gooseberry), well distinguished by its spines 
 below the leaf-buds, either single or 2 — 3 together ; leaves 
 plaited, 3 — 5 lobed, crenate; flowers 1 — 3 together, greenish, 
 drooping ; sepals marcescent ; petals minute, white ; fruit 
 glandular-hairy or glabrous. — Hedges and woods, an escape. 
 The variety Uva-crispa, with smooth berries, may be wild. — Fl. 
 April, May. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. alpinum (Tasteless Mountain Currant). — Without spines 
 and almost glabrous ; with dioecious yellowish flowers in erect 
 racemes, very long lanceolate bracts, and scarlet, insipid berries. 
 
172 crassulAcejE 
 
 — Mountainous woods in the north ; rare. — Fl. April, May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3. E. rubrilm (Red Currant). — Without spines ; leaves bluntly 
 5-lobed ; racemes pendulous or erect, glabrous or downy ; bracts 
 short, ovate. — Truly wild in woods in the north. The origin of 
 the Red and White Currants of our gardens. — Fl. April, May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. R. nigrum (Black Currant). — Without spines ; leaves acutely 
 3 — 5-lobed, dotted with glands beneath ; flowers in downy pen- 
 dulous racemes, with a separate single-stalked flower at the base 
 of each ; calyx downy ; berry black. — Damp woods ; occasion- 
 ally wild. Easily distinguished, at all seasons, by the strong 
 perfume of its buds and leaves. — Fl. April, May.; Perennial. 
 
 Ord. XXVIII. CrassulacejE. — The Stonecrop Familv 
 
 Herbs or shrubs, remarkable for their thick, fleshy, simple 
 leaves and generally succulent habit, and for their star-like poly- 
 symmetric flowers, inhabiting most parts of the world, especially 
 South Africa, and growing in the driest situations, where not a 
 blade of grass can live, on naked rocks, old walls, or hot sandy 
 plains alternately exposed to the heaviest dews of night and the 
 fiercest rays of the noonday sun. They have the power of laying 
 in during the rainy season a large store of moisture, which they 
 obstinately retain, requiring no further nourishment, save what 
 they derive from the atmosphere. A common British species, 
 Sedum Telephium, Orpine or Livelong, will grow for months, if 
 suspended by a string from the ceiling of a room, without being 
 once supplied with water. An African species, Bryophyllum 
 calcinum, will not only grow if similarly treated, but if its leaves 
 be gathered, they will send out young shoots or offsets from the 
 notches on their margin. Herbarium specimens of members of 
 this Order had better be plunged for a short time in boiling water 
 before being pressed or they will continue to grow. Sepals 
 3 — 20, more or less united at the base ; petals equal in number 
 to the sepals, perigynous ; stamens the same, or twice as many in 
 two whorls, those of the inner whorl shorter ; ovaries as many as 
 the petals, i-chambered, free ; fruit a ring of follicles ; seeds in a 
 double row. One or two species are used in medicine, their 
 roots being astringent. The leaves are generally acrid, contain- 
 ing malic or tartaric acid. 
 
 1. Till^a. — Leaves opposite ; sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels 
 3 — 5 each ; follicles 2-seeded. 
 
STONECROP FAMILY 
 
 173 
 
 2. Cotyledon. — Leaves scattered ; sepals, petals, and carpels 
 5 each ; petals united ; stamens 10. 
 
 3. Sedum. — Sepals, petals and carpels 4 — 6 each ; petals free ; 
 stamens 8 — 12. 
 
 *4. SEMPfiRvfvuM. — Leaves scattered ; sepals, petals, and carpels 
 6—20 : stamens 12 — 40. 
 
 COTYLEDON UMBfLICUS-VENERIS 
 (Wall Pennywort). 
 
 sedum r6seum (Rose-root). 
 
 i. Till/ea. — Small herbs; /c?*ra?.r opposite, entire ; flowers 
 minute ; s^zA, and sometimes the petals, united below ; sepals, 
 petals, stamens and carpels, 3 — 5 each ; follicles 2 or more seeded. 
 (Named after Michael Angelo Tilli, an Italian botanist.) 
 
 1. T. muscbsa (Mossy Tillaea). — A minute, tufted, prostrate k 
 smooth plant with small, opposite, oblong, blunt leaves and solitary, 
 subsessile, 3-merous, or rarely 4-merous, greenish white flowers, 
 tipped with red. — On sandy heaths in the south and east, It has 
 
174 CRASSULACELffi 
 
 somewhat of the habit of a Sagina, from which, however, it is 
 very distinct. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 2. Cotyledon (Pennywort).— Mostly succulent herbs with 
 scattered, peltate leaves ; flowers in terminal spikes or racemes, 5- 
 merous ; petals united ; stamens in 2 whorls ; carpels each with a 
 hypogenous scale at its base ; styles slender, follicles many-seeded. 
 (Name from the Greek kdtule, a dish, from the shape of the leaves.) 
 
 1. C. Umbilicus- Veneris (Wall Pennywort).— A remarkably 
 succulent, glabrous plant, with orbicular, crenate, peltate leaves, 
 depressed in the centre; and terminal racemes 6 — 18 in. high, of 
 short-stalked, pendulous, greenish-yellowjfoaw.y. — Walls and rocks, 
 chiefly in the west. The plant often takes a pink tinge in fading, 
 and the leaves are well-known to children by the name of " penny 
 pies." — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. Sedum (Stonecrop). — Succulent herbs ; flowers usually 
 cymose, 5-merous, rarely 4-merous ; petals free ; stamens in 2 
 whorls ; hypogynous scales entire or notched. (Name from the 
 Latin sideo, I sit, from the prostrate habit of the genus.) 
 
 * With a thick rhizome : leaves broad and flat 
 
 1. S. rbseum (Rose-root). — Rhizome 2 — 3 in. long, branched, 
 woody, having the scent of rose-water ; stems 6 — 10 in. high, 
 annual, unbranched ; leaves broad, glaucous, acute ; flowers in 
 compact terminal cymes, greenish-yellow, 4-merous, dioecious. — 
 On mountains in the north and in Ireland, and on sea-cliffs ; not 
 common. — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. Telephium (Orpine, or Livelong). — The largest British 
 species, growing about 2 feet high, and well distinguished by its 
 large, broad, ovate, serrate leaves and terminal dense corymbose 
 cymes of crimson 5-merous flowers. — Rocky thickets ; not un- 
 common, but often an escape from gardens. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 ** Leaves nearly cylindric : flowers white 
 
 3. S. villbsum (Hairy Stonecrop). — A small species with hairy, 
 viscid stems and leaves; and pinkish white flowers, few 
 together. — Wet mountain pastures in the north. — Fl. June, July. 
 Biennial. 
 
 4. S. album (White Stonecrop). — A glabrous species with 
 prostrate barren stems and erect reddish flowering stems 6 — 10 in. 
 high ; leaves sub-cylindric, blunt, \ in. long, bright green ; flowers 
 white, in many-flowered corymbose cymes. — Rock and walls ; 
 not common. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
Fig. 20. Wall Penr, 
 I Cotyledon Umbilicus- Veneris) 
 
STONECROP FAMILY 
 
 175 
 
 5.* S. dasyphyllum (Thick-leaved Stonecrop). — A small, very 
 glaucous, pink-tinged, slightly viscid, and prostrate species with 
 fleshy, almost globular leaves, and white flowers, often streaked 
 with pink. — Occurs as an escape on old walls. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 6. S. dnglicum (English Stonecrop). — A small plant 3 — 4 in. 
 high, with stems prostrate, ascending; leaves small, scattered, 
 crowded, fleshy, spurred at the base beneath, pale green or tinged 
 with red ; flowers star-like, white, spotted with red, in two-forked 
 cymes; petals very sharply pointed; anthers bright red. — Rocky and 
 sandy places, especially near the sea. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 sfiDUM Acr£ (Biting Stonecrop'). 
 
 *** Leaves nearly cylindric : flotvers yellow 
 
 7. S. acre (Biting Stonecrop, Wall-pepper). — Very like the 
 preceding in habit and growing in similar situations ; but distin- 
 guished by its thicker, more crowded, and intensely acrid leaves and 
 golden-yellow flowers in 3-cleft cymes. — Wall, rocks, and sandy 
 ground ; common. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 8.* S. sexanguldre (Tasteless Yellow Stonecrop), distin- 
 guished from the preceding by its crowded leaves more dis- 
 tinctly in 6 vertical rows, and by its acute sepals, occurs 
 on old walls, chiefly in Kent, but is not indigenous. — Fl. July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 9.* S. reflexnm (Recurved Yellow Stonecrop). — Easily distin- 
 guished from any of the preceding by its slender but tough stems, 
 6—10 in. high, with spreading, or reflexed, awl-shaped, pointed, 
 
7* 
 
 crassulAce^e 
 
 and sometimes glaucous leaves ; flowers often 6-merous, bright or 
 pale yellow. — Walls and dry banks ; not uncommon, but seldom, 
 if ever, indigenous. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 10. S. rupestre (Rock Stonecrop), an allied species, with 
 densely imbricated, adpressed, glaucous leaves, slightly flattened, 
 and flowers in corymbose cymes, occurs wild on limestone at St. 
 Vincent's Rocks, Bristol ; Cheddar ; and the Great Orme's Head ; 
 and elsewhere generally as an escape. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 ii. S. Forsteridnum 
 (Welsh Stonecrop), a 
 species very closely 
 allied to the preceding, 
 but with bright green, 
 not glaucous leaves 
 and flowers in round- 
 topped or capitate 
 cymes, grows on wet 
 rocks in Wales, Shrop- 
 shire, and Somerset. — 
 Fl. June, July. Peren 
 nial. 
 
 *4. SEMPERVfvUM 
 
 (House-leek). — Suc- 
 culent plants with 
 dense rosettes of ses- 
 sile radical leaves, giv- 
 ing off offsets from 
 their axils ; flowers in 
 branched cymes, 6 — 
 20-merous ; stamens in 
 2 whorls, the inner 
 usually barren ; hypo- 
 gynous scales fringed ; 
 follicles many-seeded. 
 (Name from the Latin semper, always, vivo, I live.) 
 
 i.* S. tectbrum (Common House-leek). — A common but 
 scarcely indigenous plant, growing on the roofs of cottages and 
 outhouses. The leaves are thick and juicy, edged with red-purple, 
 ciliate, mucronate, and in compact rosettes. The dull red-purple 
 flowers are in scorpioid cymes, and are usually 12-merous. The 
 inner whorl of stamens frequently have anthers containing ovules, 
 like those in the carpels, which, however, never mature as seeds. 
 The leaves contain malic acid, — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 SEMPERVJVUM TECTORUM (C< 
 
 House-leek). 
 
SUNDEW FAMILY 
 
 77 
 
 Ord. XXIX. Droserace^e. — The Sundew Family 
 
 An interesting group of herbaceous marsh plants widely 
 dispersed over the globe, but specially common in Australia. 
 They will grow on wet sand or moss, depending only for 
 water on the substratum, and their roots are accordingly small. 
 Their chlorophyll is often little developed, the whole plant being 
 reddish, and the leaves in 
 several genera covered 
 with insectivorous glan- 
 dular hairs. The Jlozvers 
 are polysymmetric and 
 usually 5-merous, the 
 sepals and petals being 
 imbricate, the stamens in 
 i — 4 whorls, the carpels 
 sometimes reduced in 
 number, with distinct 
 styles, and forming a 
 i — 5-chambered, many- 
 seeded capsule. In Dro- 
 sera, the largest genus 
 and the only one repre- 
 sented in Britain, the 
 leaves have many-point- 
 ed lobes or tentacles, 
 each ending in a gland 
 exuding a viscid fluid, 
 especially when the sun 
 is shining, so that they 
 appear as if tipped with 
 dew, whence the various 
 names of these plants. 
 These tentacles are at 
 first spreading and the 
 fluid neutral ; but on capturing a small fly, or on contact with any 
 nitrogenous substance, the fluid becomes acid and the tentacles 
 bend towards the centre of the leaf, where the fly is digested. 
 Dionka muscipula (Venus' Fly-trap), a native of Carolina, has 
 non-glandular tentacles round the margin of the leaf and a few 
 long hairs on its upper surface. When these hairs are touched by 
 an insect the two halves of the leaf close together instantaneously 
 by an electrical action, the tentacles interlocking like the teeth of 
 a gin, and an acid digestive fluid is then exuded by glands on the 
 
 drosera rotundif6lia (Round-leaved Sundew). 
 
178 droserAce.e 
 
 surface of the leaf. It has been experimentally demonstrated that 
 the Sundews benefit by the animal food thus obtained. 
 
 1. Drosera (Sundew). — Stipules membranous, adnate to the 
 petiole ; flowers in i-sided sympodial cymes, curled up circinately 
 when in bud; sepals, petals, and stamens 5 each; styles 2 — 5, 
 deeply 2-fid ; capsule 1 -chambered, 2 — 5-valved. (Name from 
 the Greek drosera, dewy.) 
 
 1. D. rotimdifblia (Round-leaved Sundew). — An exceedingly 
 curious little bog plant, 2 — 6 in. high ; leaves all radical, petiolate, 
 spreading horizontally, round, with tentacles on the petiole, upper 
 surface, and margin ; flptcers on a slender, wiry leafless scape, 
 small, white, cleistogene, or opening very rarely in sunny weather. 
 — Spongy bogs and heaths ; common. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. £>. dnglica (Great Sundew). — A larger, stouter species ; 
 leaves all radical, on very long stalks, which are destitute of 
 tentacles, erect or nearly so, obovate. — In similar situations to 
 the last, but much less frequent. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 3. D. longifblia (Long-leaved Sundew). — Very similar to the 
 last, but smaller ; leaves spathulate, not more than 2 in. long ; 
 peduncles curved at the base. — Occurring with D. rotundifblia, but 
 less frequent. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. XXX. LythrariiLe. — The Loosestrife Family 
 Herbs, shrubs, or trees, with 4-angled branches ; simple, entire, 
 exstipulate, and generally opposite leaves, and usually polysymmetric 
 flowers ; sepals and. petals 3 — 6 each ; stamens equalling the petals 
 in number, or 2 — 4 times as many ; carpels 2 — 6 ; fruit a many- 
 seeded capsule, covered by the calyx, but not united to it. — Most 
 members of the Order are tropical, and many of them possess 
 astringent properties which are utilised in dyeing. Lawsonia 
 inermis is the Henna of Egypt, which has been used for ages by 
 the people of that country to stain their nails of an orange colour. 
 It is also used to dye Morocco leather a reddish-yellow. 
 
 1. Peplis. — Calyx bell-shaped, with 12 divisions, alternately 
 smaller ; petals 6, minute, fugacious or absent ; stamens 6 or 12; 
 style very short. 
 
 2. Lythrum. — Calyx cylindric, with 12 divisions, alternately 
 smaller ; petals 6 ; stamens 6 or 12; style long. 
 
 1. Peplis (Water Purslane). — Small, weak, annual herbs; 
 flowers minute, axillary ; calyx campanulate, 1 2-lobed, the alternate 
 lobes smaller ; petals, perigynous. fugacious or absent ; stamens 6 
 
LOOSESTRIFE FAMILY 
 
 179 
 
 or 1 2 ; style short ; capsule 2-chambered, 2-valved, many-seeded. 
 (Name from the Greek peplion, purslane, not originally referring 
 to this genus.) 
 
 1. P. Pdrtula (Water Purslane). — A humble, glabrous, creap- 
 
 p£plis portula {Water Purslane). 
 
 l£thrum salicAria {Purple Loosestrife). 
 
 ing, aquatic plant, with 4-angled stems ; opposite, obovate, obtuse 
 leaves ; and inconspicuous, solitary, axillary flowers. — Wet places 
 common. The plant is usually tinged with red, especially when 
 the ground in which it grows drie up. — Fl. July, August. Annua) 
 
 2. Lythrum (Purple Loosestrife). — Herbs or shrubs with 
 4-angled branches ; entire leaves ; flowers ^in spikes of axillary 1- or 
 
 N 2 
 
I-8o HALORAGE^E 
 
 more-flowered cymes; calyx-tube cylindric, with 8 — 12 ribs and 
 teeth, the alternate teeth smaller ; petals 4 — 6, or absent ; stamens 
 8 — -12 in 1 or 2 whorls often lying to one side; ovary superior, 
 2 -chambered ; style long, thread-like ; capsule very many-seeded. 
 (Name from the Greek Mthron, gore, from the colour of the 
 flowers.) 
 
 1. L. Salicdria (Purple Loosestrife). — An exceedingly hand- 
 some plant, 2 — 4 feet high - ; rhizome creeping ; stem 4— 6-angled 
 or winged ; leaves opposite, or in whorls of 3 — 4, decussate, 
 lanceolate, cordate, acute ; flowers in tall, tapering, leafy spikes 
 of axillary glomerules or sessile cymes, about 1 in. across, red ; 
 calyx-tube 1 2-ribbed ; petals wrinkled ; stamens 1 2 in 2 whorls, both 
 differing in length from the style ; style in some plants longer than 
 all the stamens, in others shorter than all of them, and in others 
 intermediate between the two whorls. — -River banks and ditches ; 
 common. Growing among sedges and rushes, its flower-spikes 
 might, at a distance, be mistaken for Foxgloves, which, however, 
 would scarcely grow in such a situation. The trimorphism of the 
 flowers is connected with cross-pollination by insects, Darwin 
 having shown that the pollen from any of the stamens most readily 
 fertilises the stigma of a style of the same length, one, that is, on 
 another plant. Long-styled, medium-styled, and short-styled 
 plants grow together, and are equally numerous. — Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 2. L. Hyssopifblia (Hyssop-leaved Purple Loosestrife) is a much 
 smaller, mostly prostrate, glabrous plant 6 — 18 in. high, with alter- 
 nate narrow leaves ; small, pink flozvers solitary in the axils ; and 
 6 stamens. — It grows in moist, often inundated, places ; but is 
 rare. — Fl. June — October. Annual. 
 
 §§ Stamens epigynous ; ovary syncarpous, inferior 
 
 Okd. XXXI. Halorage^. — The Mare's-tail Family 
 A small Order, comprising about 80 species of plants, mostly 
 herbaceous aquatics, with exstipulate leaves, generally whorled 
 and inconspicuous flowers, often destitute of petals, and in several 
 species having the stamens and carpels in separate flowers. The 
 calyx is generally superior, adhering to the ovary and having some- 
 times 2 or 4 sepals; petals 2 — 4, or absent; stamens 1 — 8; 
 carpels 1 — -4 ; capsule 1 — 4-chambered, indehiscent ; seeds solitary 
 in each chamber, pendulous. No member of this Order has any 
 important use or known properties. 
 
 1. Hippuris. — Leaves whorled, entire ; sepals 2, superior ; petals 
 absent ; stamen 1 ; carpel 1. 
 
MARE S-TAIL FAMILY 
 
 2. Myriophyllum. — Leaves mostly whorled, pinnate ; sepals 
 4, superior ; petals 4, or absent ; stamens 2, 4, or 8, often in separ- 
 ate flowers from the carpels, but on the same plant (monoecious) ; 
 carpels 4. 
 
 3. CALLiTRiCHE.— Leaves opposite, entire; sepals and petals 
 absent ; stamen 1 ; carpels 4 (monoecious). 
 
 1. Hippuris (Mare's-tail). — Glabrous, aquatic herbs, with 
 erect, unbranched, leafy stems; whorled, 
 narrow, entire leaves ; minute, axillary, solitary 
 flowers ; calyx forming a minute, indistinctly 
 2-lobed rim to the ovary ; petals absent ; 
 stamen 1 ; carpel 1, i-seeded ; fruit nut-like, 
 indehiscent. (Name from the Greek hippos, 
 a horse, oura, a tail.) 
 
 1. H. vulgaris (Common Mare's-tail.) — 
 The only British species, a singular plant, with 
 erect, unbranched, jointed stems, tapering to 
 a point, bearing whorls of 6 — 10 narrow leaves 
 with hard tips, and inconspicuous flowers 
 sessile in the axils of the upper leaves, and 
 often without stamens. — Not uncommon in 
 stagnant water. Not to be confounded with 
 the genus Eqttisetum (Horse-tail), a plant 
 allied to the Ferns, which also has a jointed 
 stem and whorled, rigid leaves, but bears its 
 fructification in terminal cones. — Fl. June, 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 2. Myriophyllum (Water Milfoil). — 
 Glabrous, submerged plants ; leaves mostly 
 whorled and pinnately divided into numerous 
 hair-like segments ; flowers small, solitary or 
 in spikes, the lower often apetalous and pistil- 
 late, intermediate ones perfect, and the upper 
 staminate, so that the inflorescence is poly- 
 gamous ; sepals 4, rarely 2, united, superior ; 
 petals 4, 2, or absent ; stamens generally 8, 
 rarely 2 or 4; carpels 4, with feathery styles ; fruit dividing into 
 4, nut-like, indehiscent, one-seeded cocci. (Name from the Greek 
 murios, countless, phullon, a leaf, from its much-divided leaves.) 
 
 1. M. verticilldtum (Whorled Water Milfoil). — Rhizome creep- * 
 ing ; stems floating, leafy ; with short internodes ; leaves with 
 distant hair-like segments, collapsing when removed from the 
 water ; flowers white, in whorls of about 5 each, forming an 
 
 HIPPURIS VULGARIS 
 
 {Common Mare's-tail). 
 
82 
 
 HALORAGE^E 
 
 elongated erect spike ; bracts pinnatifid, longer than the flowers, 
 the upper ones without flowers in their axils. — Stagnant water ; 
 not common. The whole plant is submerged with the exception 
 of the spikes of inconspicuous flowers, which rise a few inches 
 above the surface. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. M. spicdtum (Spiked Water Milfoil). — A vefy similar plant, 
 with leaves 4 in a whorl and very small bracts, of which only the 
 lower are pinnate, so that the whorls of floivers form a slender, 
 
 mykiophvllum spicAtum (Spiked Water Milfoil). 
 
 erect, and apparently leafless spike. — More common than the 
 preceding. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. M. alterniflbrum (Alternate-flowered Water Milfoil). — 
 Another similar plant, but more slender ; leaves 3 or 4 in a 
 whorl ; bracts at the base of the spike in whorls of 3 or 4, pinnate, 
 longer than the axillary pistillate floivers ; those higher up opposite 
 or alternate, entire or serrate, shorter than the staminate flowers, 
 which thus appear to form a leafless spike which is nodding 
 when in bud. The most frequent species. — Fl. May — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
mare's-tail family 183 
 
 3. Callitriche (Water StarwortJ. — -Slender, submerged, 
 aquatic plants ; leaves exstipulate, opposite, simple, entire, the 
 upper ones sometimes floating and often for ming a rosette ; 
 flowers axillary, solitary, minute, monoecious, without calyx or 
 corolla, but usually with 2 white brads beneath, consisting either 
 of one stamen, or very rarely two, with a slender filament and a 
 one-chambered anther dehiscing transversely, or of a 4-angled, 
 4-chambered ovary, with 2 slender styles ; fruit of 4-winged, 1- 
 seeded, indehiscent cocci. (Name from the Greek kalos, beautiful, 
 ihrix, hair.) 
 
 1 . C. paliislris (Spring Water Starwort). — Stems long, slender, 
 sending out long thread-like silvery roots from the joints ; the 
 upper leaves ovate-spathulate, floating in a light-green star-like 
 
 calli'trich£ I'Alustris {Spring Water Starwort). 
 
 rosette, the stamens being the only parts of the plant actually above 
 water ; bracts straight, deciduous ; styles erect ; fruit sessile, with 
 carpels swollen and bluntly keeled at the back. — Ponds and slow 
 streams ; common. — Fl. April — October. Annual or perennial. 
 
 2. C. stagndlis (Spring Water Starwort). — A terrestrial form, 
 with the upper leaves broad roundish, in a close rosette, or absent ; 
 bracts sickle-shaped, persistent ; styles erect in flower, reflexed in 
 fruit ; carpels flattish, winged. — Chiefly on mud ; common. — Fl. 
 May — September. Annual or perennial. 
 
 3. C. polymbrpha, as yet only recognised in a few localities, is 
 similar, its bracts being persistent ; but has stigmas 2 — 4 times as* 
 long as the ripe fruit, and carpels scarcely winged. 
 
 4. C. hamuldta, usually very small ; leaves mostly inear ; 
 bracts sickle-shaped, deciduous ; styles long, diverging ; carpels 
 
184 ONAGRARfEiE 
 
 flattish with a blunt keel. — Marshes, lakes, and streams. — Fl. 
 June — September. Annual or perennial. 
 
 5. C. obtusdngula has obovate leaves in a rosette j persistent 
 bracts and styles ; and unkeeled carpels. — Ditches ; apparently not 
 common. — Fl. May — September. Annual or perennial. 
 
 6. C. autumndlis (Autumn Water Starwort). — Leaves all sub- 
 merged, linear, obtuse, dark green ; bracts absent ; styles spread- 
 ing ; fruit large, dark brown ; carpels with a broad wing, — Lakes ; 
 rare. Fl. June — October. Annual or perennial. 
 
 7. C. truncdta, differing in having lighter, more translucent 
 leaves and bluntly keeled carpels, has only been observed in a 
 few localities. 
 
 ORD. XXXII. ONAGRARfE^E. — THE WlLLOW-HERB 
 
 Family 
 Herbs, or rarely shrubs or trees, principally inhabiting the tem- 
 perate parts of the globe, with simple, exstipulate leaves, and gener- 
 ally conspicuous, polysymmetricyfozwr.y, mostly 4-merous ; sepals 4 
 or 2, valvate ;petals 4 or 2, contorted in the bud, or absent ; stamens 
 2 — 8 ; ovary 1 — 6-chambered, usually 4-chambered ; fruit a berry, 
 or 4-chambered capsule. To this Order belongs the beautiful genus 
 Fuchsia, with its coloured 4-cleft calyx and edible but insipid 
 berries, natives of Mexico, Peru, Chili, and New Zealand. Many 
 species of CEnothera, natives of America, with the exception of one 
 Tasmanian species, are cultivated as garden plants, some bearing 
 flowers 3 or 4 inches in diameter. Those with yellow or white 
 flowers, which open in the evening, are called Evening Primroses. 
 No member of the Order has any known properties of importance. 
 
 1. Epilobium. — Sepals 4; calyx-tube not prolonged above the 
 ovary ; petals 4, red, pink, or white ; stamens 8. 
 
 2. LuDwfGiA. — Sepals 3 — 5 ; petals 3 — 5, short, or absent ; 
 stamens 3 — 5. 
 
 *3. CEnothera. — Sepals 4 ; calyx-tube prolonged above the top 
 of the ovary ; petals 4, yellow, white, or red ; stamens 8. 
 
 4. CiRC/EA. — Sepals 2 ; petals 2, white ; stamens 2. 
 
 1. Epilobium (Willow-herb). — Herbs or under-shrubs with 
 runners ; flowers red or pink, rarely white or yellow ; sepals 4, 
 deciduous, springing direct from the top of the ovary ; petals 4, 
 usually 2-lobed; stamens 8, in two whorls, differing in length ; style 
 thread-like ; capsule very long and slender, 4-chambered and 
 4-valved; seeds numerous, tufted with down. (Name from the 
 Greek epi, upon, lobos, a pod, the corolla springing from the top 
 of the long pod-like inferior ovary.) 
 
Fig. 21. Rose-bay or French Willow. 
 lEpibbium angustifotiuin) 
 
WILLOW-HERB FAMILY 
 
 185 
 
 * Petals unequal in size : stamens bent downwards 
 
 1. E. angustifblium (Rose-bay or French Willow). — A hand- 
 some species, 2 — 6 feet high ; stem erect, round, unbranched ; 
 leaves scattered, stalked, lanceolate, slightly toothed, glaucous 
 beneath ; flowers 1 in. across, rose-coloured, in a long, loose 
 bracteate raceme ; capsule 1 — 4 in. long. — Damp woods, frequent; 
 but sometimes an escape 
 from gardens. Caution 
 should be used in ad- 
 mitting it into a small 
 garden, as its rhizomes 
 creep extensively, and 
 are very difficult to 
 eradicate. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 ** Stem round: petals 
 all equal : stamens 
 erect : stigma 4-clcft 
 
 2. E. hirsiitum (Great 
 Willow-Herb, Codlins 
 and Cream).— A hand- 
 some downy species, 3 
 — 6 feet high, producing 
 underground suckers ; 
 leaves opposite, oblong- 
 lanceolate, clasping the 
 stem, serrate ; flmvers 
 nearly an inch across, 
 deep rose-colour, fra- 
 grant ; petals broad. — 
 Wet places by ditches 
 and rivers; common. — 
 Fl. July, August. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 3. E. parviflbrum 
 (Small-flowered Hairy Willow-Herb). — Stem erect, 1 — 2 feet high, 
 little branched, downy, producing runners in autumn ; leaves 
 mostly scattered, sessile, lanceolate, toothed, hairy; buds erect; 
 flaivers small, pink. — Damp places; common. — Fl. July, August * 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. E. montdnum (Broad Smooth-leaved Willow-Herb). — A 
 small species, about a foot high ; stem downy ; leaves mostly 
 
 epil6bium angustif6lium 
 {Rose-bay, or French Willow)* 
 
1 86 ONAGRARIE^E 
 
 opposite, ovate, acute, serrate, glabrous or downy along the edges 
 and veins only, the lower ones slightly stalked, sometimes in 
 whorls of 3 ; buds drooping ; flowers small, pink. — Dry places ; 
 common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 5. E. lance&ldtum (Spear-leaved Willow-Herb). — A rather 
 larger species, with an erect, branched, obscurely angled stem, 
 pubescent with recurved hairs ; leaves stalked, flaccid, mostly 
 pendulous, oblong-lanceolate, toothed ; buds drooping ; flowers 
 small, pink. — Stony places in the south; rare. Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 *** Sf em more or fas 2 — 4 angled : petals all equal : 
 stamens erect : stigma knobbed, not ^-cleft 
 
 6. E. rbseum (Pale Smooth-leaved Willow-Herb). — Stem 1 — 2 
 feet high, branching, with 2 sharp and 2 blunt angles ; leaves 
 long-stalked, ovate, toothed, glabrous ; buds drooping ; flowers 
 small, rose-coloured. — Moist places, chiefly in the south. — Fl. 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
 7. E. tetrdgonum (Square-stalked Willow-Herb). — Stem 1 — 2 
 feet high, usually much branched, 2 — 4-angled ; leaves sessile, 
 decurrent, linear-oblong, much toothed, flat, yellow-green ; buds 
 erect ; flowers small, rose-pink. — Damp places ; frequent. — Fl. 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
 8. E. obsairum, a similar plant, produces its copious thread- 
 like runners in summer with leaves not in rosettes ; its leaves are 
 ovate-lanceolate, slightly toothed and dull ; and its flowers small, 
 with short, narrow, rose-red petals. — Damp places ; more common 
 than the preceding. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 9. E. Ldmyl, as yet only recognised in a few localities, is allied 
 to E. adndtum ; but differs in its leaves being shortly stalked, 
 more shining, dark blue-green, smaller, more distant, and less 
 toothed ; and its flowers larger and. earlier in appearance. — Damp 
 places. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 10. E. paliistrS (Narrow-leaved Marsh Willow-Herb). — Stem 
 6—18 in. high, round, with two lines of down on opposite sides 
 producing slender, small-leaved runners in summer, ending in 
 bulbs in autumn ; leaves narrowly lanceolate, wedge-shaped at the 
 base, sessile ; buds drooping ; flozaers small, pink. — Bogs ; com- 
 mon. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 11. E. alsinifblium (Chickweed-leaved Willow-Herb). — A low 
 tufted, almost glabrous species; stems succulent, withtwo raised lines 
 of down ; leaves stalked, ovate, acute, serrate, glabrous, very thin, 
 bright green, shining ; buds drooping ; flowers ^ in. across, bright 
 
WILLOW-HERB FAMILY 
 
 rose-coloured. — By mountain streams in the north. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 12. E. anagallidifblium (Alpine Willow- Herb). — A still smaller 
 form, with slender, not succulent stem ; obtuse, pale green leaves ; 
 and i — 3 pale rose-coloured flowers drooping in bud. — In similar 
 situations to the preceding. — Fl. July. Perennial 
 
 CENOTHgRA biennis {Common Evening Primrose). 
 
 These plants are by no means easy to distinguish ; they vary 
 considerably in many of their characters, and, where two species 
 grow near to one another, hybrids between them occur frequently. 
 
 2. Ludwigia (Isnardia). — Herbs with entire leaves; axillary, 
 solitary, bracteate flowers, usually 4-merous ; sepals 3 — 5, 
 persistent j petals 3 — 5, or absent ; stamens 3 — 5 ; ovary 3 — 5- 
 
i88 
 
 ONAGRARfE^E 
 
 chambered ; style short ; stigma 3 — 5-lobed ; ovules many ; fruit 
 
 a capsule. (Named in honour of Carl Ludwig, Professor of 
 
 Botany at Leipsic.) 
 
 1. L. palilstris (Marsh Isnardia). — The only British species, a 
 
 small, prostrate, glabrous plant, 6 — 10 in. long, with 4-angled, 
 
 branched stems, rooting 
 at the nodes; opposite, 
 stalked, ovate, acute, shin- 
 ing leaves; and minute, 
 axillary, sessile, apetalous, 
 4-merous floivers. — Boggy 
 pools in the New Forest 
 and formerly in Sussex. 
 — Fl. June, July. 
 
 *3. CEnothera (Even- 
 ing Primrose). — American 
 herbs, with scattered 
 leaves ; large 4 - merous 
 flowers ; calyx-tube pro- 
 longed above the top of 
 the ovary and constricted 
 so as to form a honey- 
 chamber ; sepals decidu- 
 ous ; itamens 8. (Name 
 in Greek oinotheras, em- 
 ployed by Theophrastus, 
 signifying " catching the 
 flavour of wine.") 
 
 1.* CE. biennis (Com- 
 mon Evening Primrose). 
 A tall, stout herbaceous 
 plant, 2 — 3 feet high, with 
 lanceolate smooth leaves ; 
 large, pale yellow, fragrant 
 flowers, which open in 
 the evening, and wither 
 towards the middle of the 
 next day; and a long capsule bluntly 4-sided and widest near its 
 base. It is a native of North America, and is naturalised in a few 
 places. — Fl. July — September. Biennial. 
 
 2* CE. odordta (Fragrant Evening Primrose), differing mainly 
 in having brighter green leaves, deeper yzWow flowers, and a cap- 
 sule widest near the top, is a native of Patagonia, naturalised at 
 
 CIRC/EA LUTETIANA 
 
 {Common Enchanters Nightshade). 
 
Fig. 22. Evening Primrose. 
 
 (Enothera bierpits). 
 
GOURD FAMILY 1 89 
 
 some points on the south-west coast. — Fl. July — September. 
 Biennial. 
 
 4. CiRci:A (Enchanter's Nightshade). — Slender, erect herbs 
 with creeping rhizomes ; leaves opposite, stalked, toothed ; 
 flowers in racemes, small, white, 2-merous ; sepals reflexed, 
 deciduous ; style slender ; stigma 2-lobed ; ovules i or 2 ; fruit 
 indehiscent, covered with hooked bristles. (Name from Circe, 
 the enchantress who bewitched Ulysses and his companions.) 
 
 1. C. lutetidna (Common Enchanter's Nightshade). — A 
 slender herbaceous plant, pubescent with glandular hairs, 1—2 
 feet high, with round-stalked, ovate, spreading, dull leaves, and 
 loose terminal and lateral racemes of minute white flowers, with 
 pink stamens, succeeded by 2-lobed bristly fruits. — Damp shady 
 places ; common, often a troublesome weed in damp gardens. — 
 Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. alpina (Alpine Enchanter's Nightshade). — Closely re- 
 sembling the last, but smaller, not exceeding 8 in. in height, 
 less hairy, less branched ; leaves cordate, shining, more deeply- 
 toothed, and with flat stalks. They are so delicate as to be 
 nearly transparent when dried. The fruit is less bristly and 1- 
 seeded. — Mountainous woods in the north. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Ord. XXXIII. CucurbitacejE. — The Gourd Family 
 
 A large and important Order, chiefly tropical, but having only 
 one British representative. They are herbaceous plants with juicy 
 stems, climbing by means of tendrils ; scattered, exstipulate leaves 
 which are usually lobed and rough ; pentamerousyfozews which 
 are often large, yellow, red, or white, and imperfect ; and fruit 
 either a berry or a gourd (pepo), horny externally when ripe. 
 The calyx is superior and 5 -toothed ; the corolla so united to the 
 calyx-tube as to be sometimes scarcely distinguishable ; the 5, 
 more or less united, stamens, with twisted anthers, in distinct 
 flowers from the 1 -chambered ovary of 3 united carpels, either on 
 the same plant (monoecious) or on different plants (dioecious). 
 The style is short, the stigmas are thick, lobed and velvety, and 
 the seeds flat. A great number of species are cultivated in Europe 
 either for use or ornament. Many of them are bitter and violent 
 purgatives, of which the common medicinal Colocynth (Citnillus 
 Colocynthis) is an example. This species bears an oval fruit of a 
 very bitter taste, and grows in sandy and desert places. It is 
 almost certainly the wild cucumber mentioned in 2 Kings iv. 39, 
 40, as it still grows in profusion at Gilgal, and as its leaves, ten- 
 
t 9 o 
 
 CUCURBITACE^E 
 
 drils, and fruit, though somewhat smaller, are so similar to those 
 of the garden cucumber {Ciicumis sativus) that it might easily 
 happen that the man sent out by the disciples of the prophet took 
 them for a harmless plant and prepared a meal of them. The 
 bitter taste made the disciples at once fear that it was poisonous, 
 such a taste being generally believed by the Hebrews to indicate 
 poison, (See Rev. viii. 10, ix.) The Colocynth may also be 
 
 the vine of Sodom of 
 A dr> Deuteronomy xxxii. 32. 
 
 The Squirting Cucum- 
 bers {Ecbd/ium), the 
 fruit of which, when ripe, 
 detaches itself from its 
 stalk, squirting its juice 
 and seeds backwards, is 
 also a very powerful 
 drug known as Elate- 
 rium. A case is even 
 Oy^^CJ^t^^ \ \ recorded of a person 
 
 .xtJ*" i^\^v\ 1^ being taken dangerously 
 
 ill from having merely 
 carried a specimen in his 
 hat. Many species of 
 the Order, however, pro- 
 duce edible fruit, as, for 
 instance, the numerous 
 varieties of the Cucum- 
 ber {Ciicumis sativus), 
 Melon {Ciicumis Meld), 
 and Water Melon {Ciicu- 
 mis Citriillus), and one 
 of our finest vegetables, 
 the Vegetable Marrow 
 ( Cucurbita oviferd). The 
 only British member of 
 the Order, the White Bryony {Bryonia dibica), partakes of the 
 properties of Colocynth, and its root is used in medicine. It is 
 said that its tender shoots may be eaten boiled, and resembles 
 Asparagus in flavour ; but the shoots of the Black Bryony ( Tdmus 
 communis), a widely different plant, belonging to another Order, 
 may have been meant ; and, in either case, the experiment is a 
 dangerous one. 
 
 BRy6kia dioica (White Bryony). 
 
 i. Bry6nia (White Bryony). — Slender climbing herbs, with 
 
Fig. 23. Bryony. iBryonia dioicai 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 191 
 
 palmately 3 — 5 -angled or lobed leaves) calyx-tube campanulate ; 
 corolla rotate or campanulate ; stamens 5, united in 3 ; style 3- 
 cleft ; fruit a globose berry. (Name from the Greek bruo, I shoot, 
 from the rapid growth of the shoots.) 
 
 1. B. dibica (White Bryony). — The only British species, an 
 elegant climbing plant, densely- clothed with white hairs ; tendrils 
 unbranched ; leaves large, light green, palmately 5-lobed, rough ; 
 flowers dioecious, whitish, with green veins. The fertile (pistillate) 
 flowers can be at once distinguished from the barren (staminate) 
 ones by the presence of the globular ovary below the calyx. 
 These are succeeded by globular scarlet berries, which hang about 
 the bushes after the stems aud leaves have withered. The berries 
 of the Black Bryony (Tdmus communis), a twining plant without 
 tendrils, are larger and elliptical. Both should be avoided as 
 probably poisonous. — Hedgerows ; frequent, except in the north 
 and west. — Fl. May — September. Perennial. 
 
 ord. xxxiv. umbellffer^e. the parsley 
 
 Family 
 
 A large and very natural Order of herbaceous plants, compris- 
 ing about 1500 species, in 152 genera, mostly natives of the 
 temperate region of the Northern Hemisphere. They have 
 hollow or solid jointed stems, and in most cases pinnately divided, 
 often decompound, leaves, more or less sheathing at the base. 
 The flowers are usually small, polysymmetric, 5-merous, white, 
 and grouped in compound umbels : each flower, that is to say, is 
 stalked, the stalks radiating from one point. Such a simple umbel 
 occurs in three British genera — Hydrocdtyle, Eryngium, and 
 Astrdntia ; but in the others several such umbels, then known as 
 secondary or partial umbels or umbcllules, are collected into one 
 primary or general umbel. There is generally an involucre of 
 bracts at the base of the primary umbel, and involucels at the 
 bases of the secondary ones. The calyx is superior, 5-toothed, or 
 more often reduced to a mere margin ; the 5 petals usually end in 
 inflexed points ; and the 5 stamens (which, like the petals, with 
 which they alternate, are epigynous) also bend inwards in bud, but 
 commonly mature before the stigmas. The 2 carpels are 
 situated antero-posteriorly, one at the back, that is, and one at 
 the front of the flower, and are united into an inferior, 2-cham- 
 bered ovary, crowned by a fleshy disk, which bears the petals 
 and stamens ; and there are 2 distinct styles. In the fruit, which 
 is known as a cremocarp, the 2 carpels cohere by their flattened 
 inner faces, which form what is termed the commissure, to a 
 
192 
 
 UMBELLfFER^ 
 
 central axis or carpophore, which is often Y-shaped, and from 
 which, as they ripen, they separate from below upward. The 
 fruit is often flattened, either dorsally, from front to back, that is, 
 or in a direction at right angles to the commissure, so that this 
 lateral plane is broad, or laterally, from side to side, or in a 
 direction parallel to the commissure, which is, therefore, narrow. 
 Each carpel or meriearp is marked by vertical ridges, normally 9 
 in number, 5 primary, usually the more prominent, and 4 secondary 
 alternating with them. Of the 5 primary ridges, the 2 nearest 
 the commissure are termed lateral, and are often expanded into 
 wings ; the midrib down the back of the carpel is the carinal or 
 dorsal ridge ; and the two to the right and left of it are called 
 the intermediate ridges. The spaces between the primary ridges 
 
 Diagram Section of Fruit of Umbellifer. f, commissure ; dr, dorsal or carinal ridge ; 
 ir, intermediate ridge ; Ir, lateral ridge ; pr, primary ridge ; sr, secondary ridge ; /, furrow ; 
 v, vitta ; sv, solitary vitta ', cv, commissural vitta ;Js, flat seed ; gs, grooved seed. 
 
 are called furrows. In the wall of the fruit there are often 
 long narrow sacs called vitta or stripes containing coloured 
 essential oil. They generally occur between the ridges, rarely in 
 them. Normally there are 6 in each carpel, 4 between the 
 primary ridges and 2 in the commissural face ; but instead of 
 being thus solitary in each furrow, they may be 2, 3, or more 
 together, or they may be fewer in number. There is one pendulous 
 seed in each carpel, containing horny albiimen and it is import- 
 ant to notice whether it is flat or grooved along the side facing 
 the commissure. The ridges, vittae, and seeds are best examined 
 by a lens on a cross section of a fruit ; the so-called Caraway-seed, 
 for instance, which is, accurately speaking, a meriearp or carpel. 
 The order being, as has been said, a very natural one, its genera 
 agree in almost all their more obvious characters, and can only be 
 accurately discriminated by minute differences, chiefly in the ripe 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 1 93 
 
 fruit, such as the number, position, and shape of the ridges, the 
 presence or absence of vittae/ and the form of the seed. This 
 renders the group a very difficult one for the young botanist. It 
 has been divided into 9 tribes, six of which are represented by 
 British plants. There are about 70 British species belonging to 
 40 genera. 
 
 Among so large a number of species one would naturally expect 
 to find a variety of properties, and such is to a certain extent the 
 case ; but from this point of view the members of the Order may 
 be conveniently arranged in four groups. The first group com- 
 prises plants abounding in an acrid, watery sap, which is more or 
 less narcotic and poisonous. Among these is the Hemlock 
 (Conium), the Water Hemlock (Cicuta), the Fool's Parsley 
 \sEthiisa), and the Water Drop worts ( (Endtithe). Every part of the 
 Hemlock, especially the fresh leaves and green fruit, contains the 
 alkaloid Coma, which is very poisonous. It acts on the nervous 
 system, and is a valuable medicine in certain cases. Of all 
 British Umbelliferae, the most dangerous, perhaps, are the Water 
 Dropworts {(Endnthe), their large, tuberous roots, resembling 
 those of the Dahlia, being commonly exposed on the muddy 
 banks of streams, and being thus easily got at by children and 
 cattle. 
 
 The second group comprises plants the stems of which 
 abound in a foetid gum-resin. Among these the first place is held 
 by Asafostida, the hardened milky juice of various species of Ferula 
 inhabiting Persia and the neighbouring countries. This drug was 
 held in high repute among the ancients for its medical virtues : it 
 was supposed to be an antidote to poison, to restore sight to the 
 blind, and youth to the aged ; and was besides considered a certain 
 specific against various diseases. Gum Gdlbanum is the product 
 of other species of Ferula, natives of the East. 
 
 The third group comprises plants the fruits of which abound in 
 wholesome aromatic oils. The principal of these are well known 
 under the names of Caraway, Coriander, Dill, Anise and Cumin. 
 
 The fourth group comprises plants which contain some of the 
 above principles in a very slight degree, or so modified as to form 
 wholesome esculent vegetables. Among these, Carrots and 
 Parsnips occupy the first place : Celery and Alexanders, in their 
 wild state, are too acrid to be used as food ; but, when blanched 
 by being earthed up or covered over, become mild and agreeable : 
 Parsley, Fennel, andChervil, the last now almost out of use, are well- 
 known pot-herbs : Samphire affords the best of pickles : the sweet, 
 aromatic, and tonic root of Eryngo and the stem of Angelica 
 (Archangelica officinalis) are candied as sweetmeats ; and the root 
 o 
 
194 
 
 UMBELLfFERjE 
 
 of the latter, which is fragrant and sweet when first tasted, but 
 leaves glowing heat in the mouth,, is valued by the Lapps both 
 as food and as medicine. Several species produce underground 
 tubers, which, under the name of pig-nuts or earth-nuts, are eaten 
 by children and pigs. 
 
 Tribe i. Hydrocotylece. — Umbel simple : fruit much compressed 
 
 laterally : commissure narrow : no carpophore or vittce 
 i. Hydrocotyle. — Creeping; leaves simple, peltate. 
 
 Tribe 2. Saniculeoz. — Umbel simple, capitate or irregularly com- 
 pound : fruit slightly dorsally compressed : commissure broad : no 
 carpophore. 
 
 2. Eryngium. — Leaves spinous ; umbels in dense heads ; fruit 
 scaly, without ridges or vittse. 
 
 *3« Astrantia. — Leaves palmatifid ; bracts large, often 
 coloured ; fruit without vittae. 
 
 4. Sanicula. — -Leaves palmatifid ; umbels sub-globose, irregularly 
 compound ; fruit covered with hooked bristles, without ridges ; 
 vitta numerous. 
 
 Tribe 3. Amminece. — Umbels compound: fruit laterally com- 
 pressed : commissure narrow : primary ridges most conspicuous : vittce 
 usually obvious. 
 
 * Fruit short, not winged : seed grooved in front 
 
 5. Danaa.— Fruit globose, bladder-like, with slender thread-like 
 ridges and solitary vittce. 
 
 6. CoNfuM. — Fruit ovoid, each carpel with 5 prominent wavy 
 ridges ; carpophore undivided. 
 
 7. Smyrnium. — Flowers yellow ; carpels kidney-shaped, each 
 with three prominent sharp ridges (dorsal and intermediate) ; 
 vittce numerous ; carpophore forked. 
 
 ** Fruit short, not winged : seed flat in front 
 
 8. Bupletjrum. — Erect ; leaves undivided ; floivers yellow ; 
 petals with an inflexed point ; carpophore forked. 
 
 9. TRfNiA. — Leaves pinnate ; flowers white, dioecious ; carpo- 
 phore forked ; vittce 5, large, in the bases of the thick primary ridges. 
 
 10. Apium.^ — Leaves pinnate or ternate ; bracts absent ; bracteoles 
 many or absent ; flowers white, perfect ; sepals inconspicuous ; 
 petals entire ; ridges slender, prominent ; vittce solitary. 
 
 11. PETROSELfNUM. — Bracts few ; bracteoles many; sepals 
 minute ; petals roundish, entire, with a narrow incurved point ; 
 carpophore forked ; ridges slender. 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 1 95 
 
 12. Cicuta. — Leaves pinnate; bracts few or absent; bracteoles 
 several, small, unequal ; sepals ovate, acute ; petals white, obcor- 
 date, with a long in flexed tip ; carpophore forked ; ridges flat ; 
 vittcB solitary, long. 
 
 *I3. Ammi. — Leaves pinnate ; bracts with 3 — 5 linear segments ; 
 sepals absent ; petals white, obcordate, with a long inflexed tip ; 
 carpophore forked ; ridges slender ; vittce solitary. 
 
 14. Carum. — Leaves pinnate; bracts few or absent; sepals 
 inconspicuous ; petals white, pink, or yellow ; deeply notched 
 with a long inflexed tip ; carpophore forked ; ridges slender, blunt ; 
 vittce solitary, rarely 2 together, as long as the fruit. 
 
 15. Sison. — Resembling Carum, but with the upper leaves less 
 divided, and vittce very short. 
 
 *i6. Falcaria. — Glabrous ; lower leaves ternate, upper pinnati- 
 sect ; bracts and bracteoles many ; flowers white, often imperfect ; 
 petals curved ; vittce solitary ; carpophore forked. 
 
 17. SfuM. — Leaves pinnate ; bracts and bracteoles many; sepals 
 acute ; petals white, entire, with an inflexed tip ; carpophore not 
 forked ; ridges prominent, slender, blunt ; vittce 3 or more 
 together, long. 
 
 18. ^Egopodium. — Leaves biternate ; brads and bracteoles few or 
 absent ; sepals absent ; petals white, broad, unequal, with inflexed 
 tip ; ridges slender ; vittce absent. 
 
 19. Pimpinella. — Leaves pinnate ; brads generally absent ; 
 sepals inconspicuous ; petals white or yellow, deeply notched with 
 a long inflexed tip ; carpophore forked ; ridges slender, prominent ; 
 vittce many together, long. 
 
 *** Fruit more or less beaked : seed grooved in front 
 
 20. Myrrhis. — Leaves decompound; brads absent ; bracteoles 
 membranous ; sepals inconspicuous ; petals white, obcordate with 
 a very short inflexed point ; fruit elongate but hardly beaked ; 
 ridges sharp, prominent, almost winged ; vittce absent. 
 
 21. ChjErophyllum. — Leaves decompound ; bracteoles several ; 
 sepals inconspicuous ; petals white or yellow, obcordate, with 
 inflexed tip ; fruit hardly beaked ; ridges blunt, not prominent ; 
 vittce solitary. 
 
 22. Scandix. — Leaves decompound ; bracteoles several; sepals 
 inconspicuous; petals white, often unequal; fruit 1 — 3 in. long; 
 ridges prominent, blunt. 
 
 Tribe 4. Seselinece — Umbels compound : fruit globose or ovoid, not 
 laterally compressed, prickly nor beaked : commissure broad : primary 
 ridges the most conspicuous : lateral ridges distinct, rarely winged : 
 vittce usually obvious. 
 o 2 
 
I96 UMBELLfFERiE 
 
 23. Seseli. — Leaves 2-, 3-, or more, pinnate ; bracteoles many, 
 entire ; sepals small, acute ; petals white, obcordate with long 
 inflexed tip ; fruit slightly dorsally compressed ; carpophore forked ; 
 ridges thick, blunt, prominent ; vittce solitary or 2 together ; seed 
 flat in front. 
 
 24. Fceniculum. — Leaves decompound; bracts and bracteoles 
 absent j sepals inconspicuous ; petals yellow, roundish, with a short, 
 blunt, inflexed tip ; carpophore forked ; ridges prominent, blunt ; 
 vittce solitary. 
 
 25. CRfTHMUM.— Fleshy ; leaves 2 — 3-ternate ; bracts and brac- 
 teoles many, short ; sepals inconspicuous ; petals minute, white, 
 broad, with long inflexed tip ; carpophore forked ; ridges thick, acute, 
 slightly winged ; vittce many ; seed loose, flat in front. 
 
 26. CEnAnthe. — Leaves pinnate; bracts few or none ; bracteoles 
 many, whorled ; sepals lanceolate ; petals white, obcordate with 
 long inflexed tip ; carpophore absent ; styles sub-erect ; ridges blunt, 
 the lateral ones forming a corky rim round the carpel ; vittce 
 solitary ; seed flat in front. 
 
 27. ^lthusa, differing mainly in having the bracts and bracteoles 
 drooping and all on one side, a slender forked carpophore, and 
 reflexed styles. 
 
 *28. SfLER. — Leaves 3-ternate ; bracts 1 — 3 ; bracteoles several ; 
 sepals distinct ; petals obovate, with inflexed tip ; fruit dorsally 
 compressed ; vittce one under each secondary ridge. 
 
 29. Silaus. — Leaves decompound ; bracteoles many ; sepals in- 
 conspicuous ; petals yellowish, broad, with incurved tip ; carpophore 
 forked ; ridges slightly winged ; vittce, many, obscure ; seed flat in 
 front. 
 
 30. Meum. — Leaves decompound; brads linear; bracteoles 
 many ; sepals inconspicuous ; petals yellowish, narrowed at both 
 ends, inflexed ; carpophore forked ; fruit much as in Silaus, but 
 dorsally compressed ; seed concave in front. 
 
 31. HALOScfAS. — Leaves 1 — 3-ternate; bracts few; bracteoles 
 many ; sepals small ; petals white or pink, with short claw, notched, 
 with long inflexed point ; carpophore forked ; ridges acute, some- 
 what winged ; vittce 2 or more together ; seed almost flat in front. 
 
 32. SELfNUM. — Leaves 2-pinnate; bracts usually absent; bracteoles 
 many, subulate ; sepals inconspicuous ; petals white, obcordate, 
 notched, inflexed ; carpophore forked ; fruit dorsally compressed ; 
 ridges with membranous wings, the lateral longest, diverging ; vittce 
 solitary. 
 
 33. Angelica. — Leaves 2-ternate ; bracts few ; bracteoles many ; 
 sepals inconspicuous ; petals white, notched, with short inflexed 
 tip ; carpophore forked ; fruit much dorsally compressed ; lateral 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 
 
 197 
 
 ridges with membranous wings, parallel, thin ; vittce solitary or 2 
 together. 
 
 *34 Archangelica, differing mainly in having minute sepals, 
 thicker dorsal and intermediate ridges, no vittce and loose seed. 
 
 Tribe 5. Peuceddnece. — Umbels compound : fruit much dorsally 
 compressed : primary ridges most conspicuous, the lateral ones with 
 broad wings closely face to face, the others slender: vittce usually obvious. 
 
 35. Peucedanum. — Leaves pinnate ; bracts absent, few or many ; 
 bracteoles many ; sepals small or inconspicuous ; petals yellow or 
 white, with an inflexed point ; carpels flat ; lateral ridges forming 
 thin, flat, contiguous, parallel wings ; dorsal and intermediate ridges 
 slender ; vittce as long as the fruit, linear. 
 
 36. Pastinaca. — 
 Leaves pinnate with 
 broad segments ; bracts, 
 bracteoles and calyx- teeth 
 absent ; petals yellow, 
 roundish, entire, with an 
 acute involute point ; 
 lateral ridges of carpels 
 forming thin, flat, distant 
 wings. 
 
 37. HerAcleum. — 
 Leaves pinnate with 
 broad segments ; outer 
 flmvers irregular; petals 
 white or pink, obcordate 
 with an inflexed point; 
 fruit as in Peucedanum, but vittce short, club-shaped. 
 
 *38. Tordylium. — Leaves pinnate; bracts and bracteoles as 
 many as the pedicels, linear ; sepals subulate ; petals white or pink, 
 sometimes 2-lobed, with inflexed tip ; lateral ridges forming thick, 
 flat, contiguous, parallel wings ; dorsal and intermediate ridges 
 slender; vittce 1 — 3 together. 
 
 Tribe 6. Caucalinece. — Umbels generally compound: secondary 
 ridges more prominent than the primary, often prickly : vittce solitary, 
 under the secondary ridges. 
 
 39. Coriandrum. — Leaves decompound ; bracts absent ; bracte- 
 oles few, thread-like ; sepals acute ; petals white or pink, 2-lobed, 
 often irregular, point inflexed ; fruit globose ; carpels coherent ; 
 ridges low ; vittce obscure ; seed curved. 
 
 40. Daucus. — Leaves decompound ; bracts and bracteoles 
 
 hydroc6tyl£ vulgAris (p 
 (Common White-rot, Marsh Pennywort). 
 
198 
 
 UM BELLI FERiE 
 
 usually many, pinnatifid ; sepals slender ; petals white or red, 
 notched, often irregular, with infiexed lobe ; 4 secondary ridges, 
 each bearing a row of prickles ; seed flat in front. 
 
 41. Catjcalis.— Leaves pinnate ; bracts few, entire or absent-; 
 bracteoles many ; sepals acute or absent ; petals as in Dai'tcus ; 
 primary and secondary ridges with 1 — 3 rows of prickles each ; seed 
 deeply grooved in front. 
 
 42. Torilis. — Differing from Caucalis mainly in having (he fruit 
 covered with prickles between the ridges. 
 
 ER^XGIUM mari'timum (Sea Eryngo, Sea Holly). 
 
 i. Hydrocotvle (Marsh Pennywort). — Small creeping herbs ; 
 leaves simple, peltate, orbicular ; flowers in simple umbels ; fruit 
 roundish, flattened. (Name from the Greek hudor, water, and 
 kotule, a dish, from the shape of the leaves and place of growth.) 
 
 1. H. vulgaris (Marsh Pennywort, White-rot). — The only 
 British species, very unlike other British Umbelliferag, with round, 
 smooth, shining, crenate leaves, 1 — \\ in. across, with hairy stalks ; 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 
 
 I 99 
 
 and inconspicuous heads of a few, minute flowers, which never rise 
 above the leaves, and require a close search to be detected at all. — 
 Marshes and bogs ; common. — Fl. May- — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. Eryngium (Eryngo). — Stiff, branched, often glaucous plants ; 
 leaves reduced to spinous sheaths ; flowers sessile, in dense heads 
 with a spinous involucre ; fruit covered with chaffy scales. (Name 
 of uncertain etymology.) 
 
 1. E. maritimum (Sea Holly, 
 Sea Eryngo). — A stout, stiff, 
 prickly, glaucous plant, with 
 more of the habit of a Thistle 
 than of the Order to which it 
 belongs. The large, fleshy, 
 brittle rhizomes extend several 
 feet into the sand. The stems 
 are trichotomous and often pros- 
 trate ; flowers grey - blue. — 
 Sandy sea -shores ; frequent. 
 The rhizomes used formerly to 
 be candied as a sweetmeat. — Fl. 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. E. campes t 're {Field Eryngo), 
 a taller, more erect, more slender, 
 more branched and less glaucous 
 species, with pinnatifid leaves, 
 occurs on waste ground and 
 ballast-heaps ; but is very rare. — 
 Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 *3. Astrantia. — Erect 
 plants ; leaves palmatifid ; umbels 
 simple or irregularly compound, 
 with involucres of large, simple 
 bracts, which are often coloured ; sepals leafy ; petals white or 
 pink, with a long inflexed point ; fruit ovoid with 5 wrinkled 
 toothed ridges and no vittse. (Name from the Greek astron, a 
 star, from the star-like involucres.) 
 
 1.* A. major (Greater Astrantia). — Stem 1 — 2 feet; leavei 
 3 — 7-lobed, serrate, with bristly teeth ; bracts ovate-lanceolate, 
 white below, green tinged with pink above ; flowers white or pink. 
 Naturalised in woods near Ludlow and Malvern. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 4. San/cula (Sanicle). — Slender, erect plants ; leaves palmately- 
 
 SANfcuLA europ^a (Wood Sanicle). 
 
UMBELLfFER^E 
 
 lobed ; umbels small, irregularly compound, of few pedicels ending 
 in capitate secondary umbels ; bracts leafy ; outer flowers without 
 stamens, the inner without carpels ; fruit covered with hooked 
 prickles. (Name, a diminutive from the Latin sano, I heal, from 
 supposed healing qualities.) 
 
 i. S. europcea (Wood 
 Sanicle). — The only 
 British species, a gla- 
 brous plant about a foot 
 high ; /eaves 3 — 5-lobed, 
 lobes 3 - fid, serrate, 
 glossy ; flowers dull 
 white, in small rounded 
 heads. — Woods ; com- 
 ^••*\ V*\ \ ^^^^ J^r^S^vTs^ mon, often in dense 
 
 shade. — Fl. June, July. 
 <^ Perennial. 
 
 5. Danaa (Bladder- 
 seed). — Erect plants ; 
 leaves 3-ternate ; leaflets 
 wedge - shaped ; umbels 
 compound ; bracts and 
 bracteoles few, linear ; 
 flowers white ; fruit 
 broader than long, blad- 
 der - like ; seed loose. 
 (Name in honour of Pro- 
 fessor Dana of Turin.) 
 
 1. D. cornubiensis 
 (Cornish Bladder-seed). 
 — A glabrous plant, 
 about 2 feet high, with 
 ribbed, round, branched 
 stem ; long-stalked, 3- 
 ternate leaves with 
 downy margins and 
 veins ; and long-stalked, terminal and axillary umbels. — It is found 
 only near Bodmin, Cornwall, and Tavistock, Devon. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 6. CoNfuM (Hemlock). — Tall, glabrous plants ; leaves pinnate ; 
 umbels compound ; bracts and bracteoles many, small ; sepals absent ; 
 petals white, blunt, or with shortly infiexed tip. (Name from the 
 Greek kontion, hemlock.) 
 
 danXa cornubiensis {Cornish Bladder-seed). 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 201 
 
 i . C. maculdtum (Common Hemlock). — The only British species, 
 a much-branched, gracefully growing plant, usually from 2 — 4 feet 
 high, but in sheltered situations sometimes more than double 
 that height, with a slender, perfectly smooth, furrowed stem 
 spotted with red ; finely tripinnate leaves, which are also smooth ; 
 
 CONfuM maculXtum (Common Hemlock}. 
 
 bracteoles on one side only of the base of the secondary umbels ; 
 and white flowers. — Hedges and waste places ; common. Country 
 people are in the habit of calling many Umbelliferae by the name 
 of Hemlock ; but the true Hemlock may be readily distinguished 
 by the above characters and by its foetid smell. It is extremely 
 poisonous. — Fl. June, July. Biennial. 
 
UMBELLfFERj-E 
 
 7. Smyrnium (Alexanders). — Stout, erect, smooth plants ; 
 leaves 3 — 4-ternate, with broad segments ; umbels compound ; 
 bracts and bracteoles few or none ; sepals minute or none ; petals 
 yellow. (Name from the Greek smurna, myrrh, from the scent 
 of some species.) 
 
 1. S. Olusdtrum (Common Alexanders). — A stout plant, 3 — 4 
 feet high ; stem smooth, furrowed, and hollow ; leaves broad, bright 
 green, glossy, 3 — 4-ternate ; umbels many, large, rounded ; flowers 
 greenish-yellow; fruit dark brown or nearly black when ripe, 
 
 smyrnium olusXtrum {Common Alexanders). 
 
 aromatic. — Waste ground, especially near the sea and among ruins. 
 It was formerly cultivated, its young shoots being boiled and 
 eaten. — Fl. April — June. Biennial. 
 
 8. Bupleurum (Buplever). — Erect, smooth plants ; leaves 
 reduced to simple, entire sheaths ; umbels compound ; bracts and 
 bracteoles sometimes numerous and leafy ; sepals absent ; petals 
 yellow, inflexed ; fruit oblong ; carpels with 5 usually prominent 
 ridges. (Name said to be from the Greek bous, an ox, and pleuron, 
 a rib, from the ribbed leaves of some species.) 
 
 1. B. rotundifolium (Common Hare's-ear or Thorow-wax). — 
 A singular plant, well distinguished by its branched stem; 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 
 
 203 
 
 perfoliate, roundish, ovate, glaucous leaves, and large greenish- 
 yellow, bristle-pointed bracteoles, thrice as long as the minute 
 yellow flowers. — Cornfields on chalky soil ; rare. — Fl. July. 
 Annual. 
 
 2. B. opdcum (Narrow-leaved Buplever), a small plant, 3 — 6 
 in. high, with pale, sword-shaped, 3 — 5-veined, rigid leaves, and 3 
 — 5 large, sharp-pointed brac- 
 teoles concealing the umbels 
 of greenish flowers, occurs on 
 sandy banks near Torquay 
 and Eastbourne, and in the 
 Channel Islands. — Fl. June, 
 July. Annual. 
 
 3. B. tenuissimum (Slender 
 Buplever). — Stem slender, 
 wiry, about a foot high ; leaves 
 linear, acute, 3-veined ; umbels 
 small ; bracts and bracteoles 
 narrow, subulate ; flowers 
 minute, yellowish. — Salt 
 marshes ; rare.- — Fl. August, 
 September. Annual. 
 
 4. B. falcdtum (Sickle - 
 leaved Buplever). — Stem 
 erect, slender, hollow, 1 — .4 
 feet high ; leaves oblong- 
 lanceolate, curved, acute, 5 — 
 7-veined, umbels small ; bracts 
 and bracteoles 2 — 5, as long 
 as the minute yellow flowers. 
 — Near Ongar, Essex, and 
 Herts. — Fl. August, Septem- 
 ber. Perennial. 
 
 BUPLEb'RUM ROTUNDIFOLIPM 
 
 (Common Thorow-wax, Hares-ear). 
 
 9. Trinia (Honewort). — 
 Glabrous, branched plants ; 
 leaves tripinnate ; umbels com- 
 pound, few-rayed ; bracts and bracteoles 1 — 3 each ; flowers white, 
 dioecious ; sepals inconspicuous ; petals with an inflexed tip, those 
 of the staminate plants lanceolate, those of the pistillate plants 4 
 ovate ; vittce solitary, in the bases of the primary ridges. (Named 
 in honour of Dr. Trinius, a Russian botanist.) 
 
 1. T. glaiica (Honewort). — Glaucous, 3 — 8 in. high; stem 
 solid, stout, grooved ; branches divergent ; leaves spreading, with 
 
204 
 
 UMBELLlFER^E 
 
 slender stalks and linear segments ; bract solitary, 3-cleft, or absent ; 
 bracteoles 2 — 3-linear ; flowers minute. — Dry limestone rocks, 
 Bristol and South Devon ; very rare. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 . 10. Apium. — Glabrous; leaves pinnate or ternate; umbels com- 
 pound, often in the forks of the stem ; bracts absent; bracteoles many 
 
 or absent ; sepals 
 absent ; petals en- 
 tire. (Name, the 
 Classical name of 
 this or some allied 
 genus.) 
 
 1. A. graveolens 
 (Wild Celery, 
 Smallage). — Stem 
 usually 1 — 2 feet 
 high, furrowed, 
 branched, and 
 leafy, but some- 
 times nearly pros- 
 trate ; leaves pin- 
 nate ; lobes cut ; 
 umbels sessile or 
 nearly so, terminal 
 or axillary ; bracte- 
 oles absent ; flowers 
 greenish - white, 
 smal 1. — Moist 
 places near the sea ; 
 not uncommon. 
 The origin of the 
 garden celery, and 
 unmistakably dis- 
 tinguished by its 
 strong flavour and. 
 rank odour. In its 
 wild state, or until 
 the leaf-stalks have been blanched by the exclusion of light, it is 
 not eatable. — Fl. June — August. Biennial. 
 
 2. A. nodiflbrum (Procumbent Marsh-wort). — Stem prostrate 
 and rooting, hollow ; leaves pinnate ; leaflets ovate, serrate, acute ; 
 umbels sessile, or nearly so ; rays unequal ; bracteoles many, 
 membranous ; flowers small, white. — Ditches and rivulets ; 
 abundant. Growing with Watercress, this plant is sometimes 
 
 Apium graveolens {Wild Celery, Smallage). 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 205 
 
 mistaken for it ; but its hollow stem and serrate leaves at once dis- 
 tinguish it, even when not in flower. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 3. A. iniinddtum (Least Marsh-wort). — A small, usually sub- 
 merged, occasionally creeping plant ; stem stout, crooked ; sub- 
 merged leaves in hair-like segments ; floating leaves pinnate with 
 wedge-shaped leaflets ; umbels above water, very small, of 2 — 4 
 unequal rays ; flowers small, white. — Ponds ; common. — Fl. June, 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 Apium nodifl6rum {Procumbent Marsh-wort). 
 
 11. PETROSELfNUM (Parsley). — Branched herbaceous plants 
 with fusiform roots ; pinnate leaves ; umbels compound ; bracts 
 few ; bracteoles many ; flowers yellow or white ; sepals minute ; 
 petals roundish, entire, with a narrow, incurved point ; carpophore 
 forked ; fruit ovoid, with 5 filiform equal ridges and solitary vittce 
 between them. (Name from the Greek petros,- a rock, selinon, 
 parsley.) 
 
 1. P. sativum (Common Parsley). — A glabrous, shining, erect, 
 much-branched plant ; stem 1 — 2 feet high, solid, ribbed ; leaves 
 tripinnate ; flowers yellow.. — A garden-escape, chiefly found on 
 old walls. Fl. June — August. Biennial. 
 
206 
 
 UMBELLIFER.E 
 
 2. P. segetum (Corn Parsley). — Well distinguished by its 
 slender, branched stem, which is remarkably tough and wiry ; its 
 small pinnate haves, of which the lower ones wither early, while the 
 cauline ones are few, small and inconspicuous ; and the irregular, 
 few-rayed umbels and small whitish floivers. — Cornfields and waste 
 places ; not uncommon. — Fl. August, September. Biennial. 
 
 12. C i c u T A 
 (Water-Hemlock). — 
 Tall, glabrous plants; 
 leaves 2 — 3-pinnate ; 
 umbels compound, 
 many-rayed ; bracts 
 1 — 2, very narrow, 
 or none ; bracteoles 
 several, small, un- 
 equal ; sepals ovate, 
 acute ; petals white, 
 with an infiexed tip ; 
 fruit constricted, 
 with two globose 
 carpels. (Name, a 
 Classical Latin name 
 for Hemlock.) 
 
 1. C. virbsa 
 (Water - Hemlock, 
 Cowbane). — Root 
 fibrous ; stem stout, 
 hollow ; lower leaves 
 long-stalked, 2 — 3- 
 pinnate; upper 
 leaves 2 - ternate ; 
 leaflets lanceolate, 
 2 - serrate ; umbels 
 large, long-stalked, 
 
 flat-topped ; flowers minute, white. — Ponds and ditches ; rare. 
 
 Very poisonous, as are also the species of (End?ithe, to which also 
 
 the name Water- Hemlock is often applied. — Fl. July, August. 
 
 Perennial. 
 
 *i3. Ammi, represented by the one species, A. md/us, a glau- 
 cous, scentless, and tasteless plant, 6 — 24 in. high, repeatedly 
 forked with diverging branches ; pinnate lower leaves with obovate, 
 finely serrate leaflets, decompound upper leaves with linear seg- 
 ments ; and stalked 10 — 30-rayed umbels of white flowers, with 
 
 PETROSELfNUM segETum (Corn Parsley). 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 
 
 207 
 
 rough stalks, 3 — 5-lobed bracts with linear segments, and linear 
 bracteoles, is only a casual introduction on ballast-heaps and in 
 cornfields. 
 
 14. Carum. — Glabrous plants with pinnate or decompound 
 leaves ; compound umbels of white, pink, or yellow flowers, with 
 many, few, or no bracts and 
 bracteoles, and deeply-notched 
 petals ; and oblong fruit with 
 slender ridges. (Name said 
 to be derived from Caria, in 
 Asia Minor.) 
 
 1. C. verticilldtum (Whorl- 
 ed Caraway). — An erect 
 plant, 1 — 2 feet high, with 
 leaves pinnately divided into 
 very many hair-like segments 
 and so crowded as to appear 
 whorled ; umbels flat-topped ; 
 pedicels slender; bracts and 
 bracteoles many, short, re- 
 flexed ; flowers white or pink. 
 — Wet meadows, chiefly in 
 the west; rare. Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. mdjus (Common 
 Pig-nut). — A very slender 
 plant, about a foot high, 
 bearing a few finely divided, 
 3-ternate leaves and terminal 
 umbels of white flowers. The 
 tuber, which resembles a 
 small potato in shape, and is 
 covered by a thin, easily re- 
 movable, brown skin, is eat- 
 able, but only fit for the food 
 of the animal after which it is 
 named. The plant much resembles Cdrum Bulbocdstanum, but 
 differs in its brown, not black, tuber, its smaller size, ternate, not 
 pinnate leaves, fewer or absent bracts and bracteoles, large disk t 
 and erect styles. — Sandy pastures ; common. — Fl. May, June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3.* C. Cdrvi (Common Caraway). — Root spindle-shape ; stem 
 1 — 2 feet high, much branched ; leaves bipinnate, cut into linear 
 
 cArum mAjus (Common Pig-nut). 
 
2o8 
 
 UMBELLfFEIUE 
 
 lobes; umbels rather large and irregular, with rarely more than 
 one bract ; flowers white. The aromatic carpels are the well- 
 known " caraway seeds." It is a naturalised escape from culti- 
 vation. — Fl. June, July. Biennial. 
 
 4. C. Bulbocdstanum ( "uberous Caraway ). — Root black, 
 
 tuberous, as large as a 
 chestnut ; stem erect, 
 1 — 2 feet high, much 
 branched ; leaves 2—3- 
 pinnate ; leaflets cut into 
 few slender lobes ; bracts 
 and bracteoles many, 
 small, narrow j flowers 
 white. Chalky fields in 
 Cambridgeshire, Bed- 
 fordshire, Hertfordshire, 
 and Buckinghamshire, 
 and so abundant about 
 Baldock, in Hertford- 
 shire, that "the farmers 
 turn their pigs upon the 
 fallows to feed upon the 
 roots." (Hooker and 
 Arnott.) — Fl. June, 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 15. SfsoN (Stone 
 Parsley). — Differing 
 from Cdrum chiefly in 
 having less divided 
 cauline leaves and very 
 short, club-shaped vittce. 
 (Name, the Greek for 
 some allied plant.) 
 
 1. S. Ambmum 
 (Stonewort, Stone Pars- 
 ley). — A slender plant, 
 much like Petroselinum 
 sSgelum, 2 — 3 feet high, with a wiry, branched stem ; pinnate or 
 bipinnate leaves with narrow leaflets ; umbels few-rayed, irregular ; 
 bracts 2 — 4, subulate ; secondary umbels small ; bracteoles 2 — 4 ; 
 flowers cream-coloured, very small. — Damp places on a chalky 
 soil. The whole plant has a nauseous smell. — Fl. August, 
 September. Biennial. 
 
 sfuM er£ctum (Narrow-leaved Water-Parsnip). 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 
 
 209 
 
 *i6. Falcaria, represented by F. vulgaris, a stout, glabrous 
 plant with evenly serrate leaflets, resembling Cicuta virbsa, which 
 occurs as a cornfield casual in Kent and Hampshire. Perennial. 
 
 17. Sium (Water-Parsnip). — Glabrous plants; leaves pinnate, 
 serrate; umbels compound; bracts and bracteoles many, flowers 
 white. (Name said to be connected with a Keltic word siw, water.) 
 
 1. .S. latifblium (Broad-leaved Water-Parsnip). — A stout plant, 
 with a furrowed stem, 3 — 5 feet high; pinnate leaves of 5 — 13 
 large, distant, lanceo- 
 late, acute, evenly ser- 
 rate leaflets ; and large, 
 flat-topped, many-rayed 
 umbels of small white 
 
 flowers, with large leafy 
 lanceolate brads and 
 bracteoles. — Watery 
 places ; not common. 
 — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. S. erectum (Nar- 
 row-leaved Water-Pars- 
 nip). — Smaller than 
 the last, and resemb- 
 ling Apium nodiflbrum, 
 from which it may be 
 distinguished by its 
 very irregularly serrate 
 cauline leaves, its um- 
 bels, which are not only 
 opposite the leaves, 
 but also stalked and 
 larger, and its reflexed, 
 and often cut, brads 
 and bracteoles. — Watery 
 places ; common. — Fl. August. 
 
 18. ^Egopodium (Gout-weed). — Glabrous; leaves 2 — 3-ternate, 
 with broad leaflets ; umbels compound, many rayed ; bracts and 
 bracteoles few or none ; flowers white. (Name from the Greek 
 aix, a goat, pous, a foot, from some fancied resemblance of the 
 leaves.) 
 
 1. AL. Podagrdria (Gout-weed, Bishop's-weed, Herb Gerard). — 
 Rhizome creeping, white, pungent, aromatic ; stem about a foot 
 high, hollow, furrowed ; leaves mostly radical, large, 2 — 3-ternate ; 
 p 
 
 ,egop6dium podagrAria {Common Gout-weed). 
 
 Perennial. 
 
210 UMBELliFEIUE 
 
 leaflets oblique, serrate.— A common and very troublesome weed 
 in shrubberies. The leaves used formerly to be boiled for food ; 
 but their flavour is strong and disagreeable. — Fl. May — July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 19. Pimpinella (Burnet Saxifrage) — Leaves pinnate; umbels 
 compound ; bracts none, or rarely one ; flowers generally white; 
 fruit oblong, crowned with the swollen bases of the reflexed styles. 
 (Name said to be from the Latin bipennula, in allusion to the 
 bipinnate leaves.) 
 
 pimpin£lla SAxiFRAGA (Common Burnet Saxifrage). 
 
 i. P. Saxifraga (Common Burnet Saxifrage). — A slender plant, 
 1 — 2 feet high ; stem round ; lower leaves long-stalked, pinnate ; 
 leaflets orbicular, sharply cut ; cauline leaves bipinnate, with linear 
 acute segments. — Dry pastures ; common. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. P. major (Greater Burnet Saxifrage). — Stouter and larger 
 than the last ; stem angular ; leaves all pinnate ; leaflets ovate 
 serrate, the terminal one 3-lobed. — Shady places; not common. — 
 Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 20. Myrrhis (Cicely). — Downy ; leaves decompound : umbels 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 
 
 compound, many-rayed ; brads absent ; bracteoles many, mem- 
 branous ; flowers white ; fruit long, contracted at the sides with a 
 deep furrow between the carpels ; ridges sharp, prominent, almost 
 winged. (Name from the Greek murrha, myrrh, from the fragrance 
 of the leaves.) 
 
 i. M. odorata (Sweet 
 Cicely).— Stem 2 — 3 feet ^ AvMtM^", 
 
 high, furrowed, and hollow ; 
 leaves large, tripinnate, cut, 
 slightly downy ; umbels 
 terminal, downy; bracteoles 
 whitish, ciliate ; flowers 
 white ; fruit remarkably 
 large, an inch long, becom- 
 ing dark brown. — Mountain 
 pastures in the north. Re- 
 markable for the sweet and 
 highly aromatic flavour of 
 the leaves and fruit. — Fh 
 May, June. Perennial. 
 
 21. CH.EROPH YLLUM 
 
 (Chervil). — Hairy plants ; 
 leaves decompound ; umbels 
 compound, many - rayed ; 
 bracts absent or very few ; 
 bracteoles several ; flowers 
 usually white ; fruit shortly 
 beaked, contracted at the 
 sides ; ridges blunt. (Name 
 from the Greek chairo, I 
 rejoice, and phullon, a leaf, 
 from the agreeable odour of 
 the leaves in some species.) 
 
 1. C. AnthAscus (Com- 
 mon Beaked Parsley). — 
 
 Stem 2 — 3 feet high, smooth, polished, slightly swollen at the 
 nodes ; leaves 3-pinnate, with blunt segments, slightly hairy 
 beneath ; umbels lateral, on rather short stalks, opposite the 
 leaves ; bracts absent ; bracteoles 5 or 6, with fringed edges ; fruit 
 bristly with hooked bristles. — Waste places ; common. — Fl. May, 
 June. Annual. 
 
 2. C. sylvestre (Wild beaked Parsley or Chervil). — Stem slightly 
 downy below, smooth above ; leaves 3-pinnate, coarsely serrate ; 
 
 ch^erophyllum t£mulum (Rough Chervil). 
 
212 UMBELLfFER^E 
 
 umbels terminal on long stalks ; bracts absent ; bracteoles about 5, 
 ovate-lanceolate, fringed ; fruit smooth. — Hedges ; common. 
 One of our early spring flowers. — Fl. April — June. Perennial. 
 
 3. C. temulum (Rough Chervil). — Stem slender, 2 — 3 feet high, 
 rough with short hairs, spotted with purple, and swollen below the 
 nodes ; leaves bipinnate, deeply lobed and cut, hairy, often mak- 
 ing the plant conspicuous in autumn by their rich purple hue ; 
 umbels terminal, drooping when in bud ; bracts absent or very few ; 
 
 CH^erophyllum sylv£str£ {Wild Beaked-Parsley). 
 
 bracteoles several, fringed and defiexed ; flowers white. — Woods 
 and hedges ; very common. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 4 * C. Cerefblium (Garden Chervil), is not a native plant, though 
 sometimes found near gardens. It may be distinguished from 
 the preceding by having only 3 bracteoles, lateral sessile umbels 
 and smooth fruit. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 22. Scandix (Shepherd's Needle). — Herbs with pinnately decom- 
 pound leaves, no bracts, several bracteoles, petals white and often 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 213 
 
 unequal, and fruit produced into a very long slender beak. (Name, 
 the Greek name for some allied plant.) 
 
 1. S. Pec/en- Veneris (Shepherd's Needle, Venus' Comb). — A 
 small plant, 3 — 9 in. high, with finely-cut bright-green leaves ; 
 few-rayed umbels of small white flowers; and long, beaked fruits. 
 — A weed in cultivated ground ; common. But for the ovary 
 being inferior, this plant might be mistaken for an Erbdium. — 
 Fl. June — September. Annual. 
 
 scXndix pecten-veneris {Shepherd's Needle, Venus Comb). 
 
 23. Seseli (Meadow Saxifrage). — Erect branched plants ; leaves 
 2 — 3- or more-pinnate ; umbels compound ; bracts and bracteoles 
 many, entire ; flowers white sepals acute ; fruit short, with no 
 beak or bristles and blunt ridges. (Name of Greek origin.) 
 
 1. S. Liba?ibtis (Mountain Meadow Saxifrage). — A stout plant, 
 r — 2 feet high, with a solid, furrowed stem ; bipinnate leaves ; 
 hemispherical umbels ; hairy fruit ; and persistent, refiexed styles. 
 — Chalk-hills, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, and Sussex. — Fl. 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
 24. F(eniculum (Fennel). — Tall, smooth plants, with decom- 
 
214 
 
 UMBELLfFERJE 
 
 pound, pinnate leaves with very narrow segments ; ebracteate, 
 compound umbels of yellow flowers with roundish entire petals with 
 a short, blunt, inflexed tip. (Name, a diminutive from the Latin 
 fcenum, hay, to which it has been compared in smell.) 
 
 i. F. vulgdre (Common Fennel). — A well-known plant, with 
 an erect stem, numerous leaves, deeply divided into soft, hair-like 
 segments, and large terminal umbels of yellow flowers. — Waste 
 
 fceniculum vulgArS (Common Fennel). 
 
 places, especially near the sea. The whole plant is aromatic, and 
 the chopped leaves are used in sauce for fish. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 25. CRfTHMUM (Samphire). — A smooth, fleshy, much-branched 
 plant, with 2 — 3-ternate leaves ; compound many -rayed umbels of 
 minute white flowers ; and short, smooth fruit with many vittce 
 and loose seeds. (Name said to be from the Greek crithe, barley, 
 from a fancied resemblance in the fruit.) 
 
Fig 24. Common Fennel \Fxniculum vulgar*. 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 
 
 215 
 
 i. C. maritimum (Rock Samphire). — Well distinguished by its 
 long, glaucous, fleshy leaflets. — Rocks by the sea. It has a powerful 
 aromatic scent. The young leaves, if gathered in May, make, when 
 sprinkled with salt and preserved in vinegar, one of the best of 
 pickles. On those parts of the coast where Samphire does not 
 occur, other fleshy-leaved plants, especially Salicbrnia herbdcea, are 
 sometimes sold under the same name. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 26. CEnanthe (Water-Dropwort). — Smooth plants, mostly 
 aquatic ; leaves 1 — 3-pinnate ; umbels compound ; flowers white, the 
 outer ones being often 
 irregular and staminate , 
 fruit surrounded by the 
 corky lateral ridges, and 
 crowned with the long 
 erect styles. (Name 
 from the Greek oinos, 
 wine, atithos, a flower, 
 from the wine-like smell 
 of the blossoms.) 
 
 1. CE. fistuldsa (Com- 
 mon Water-Dropwort). 
 —Root of many fleshy 
 fibres ; stem sending out 
 runners, hollow, thin- 
 walled, smooth ; leaf- 
 stalks hollow ; lower 
 leaves submerged, 2 — 3- 
 pinnate, with flat leaf- 
 lets ; upper leaves pin- 
 nate, hollow, with 
 distant, thread-like seg- 
 ments ; umbels small, 
 
 few-rayed, ebracteate, globose in fruit, on hollow peduncles. — 
 Ditches and marshes ; frequent. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. CE. pimpinelloides (Callous-fruited Water-Dropwort). — Root- 
 fibres tuberous ; stem furrowed ; radical leaves bipinnate ; upper- 
 most leaves reduced to hollow stalks ; umbels 6 — 12-rayed, compact, 
 flat-topped, with many linear bracts ; fruit with a swollen, corky 
 base. — Pastures in the south ; rare. — Fl. June— August. Perennial. 
 
 3. CE. peucedanifblia (Sulphur- wort, Water Dropwort). — A 
 larger, stouter plant ; root-fibres fusiform ; leaves bipinnate with 
 linear, acute leaflets ; fewer-rayed, less crowded umbels with no 
 bracts, but numerous bracteoles ; fruit much as in the last, but 
 
 crithmum MARfTiMUM {Rock Samphire). 
 
2l6 
 
 UMBELLfrER^E 
 
 those in the middle of the umbel without the corky base. — 
 Marshes, chiefly in the south-east. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 4. (E. Lachendlii ( Parsley Water-Dropwort ). — Root-fibres 
 fleshy, but not tuberous ; radical leaves bipinnate, bluntly lobed, 
 soon withering ; cauline leaves with linear acute leaflets ; secondary 
 umbels distinct, spherical ; fruit without a corky base. — Marshes ; 
 common. — Fl. July— September. Perennial. 
 
 $.(E.crocdta (Hemlock Water-Dropwort). —A large, stout 
 
 cenXkthe CROcXta {Hemlock Water Dropwori). 
 
 plant, 3 — 5 feet high, with large clustered tuberous roots, some- 
 what like those of the Dahlia ; leaves spreading, 3-pinnate, with 
 sheathing petioles and stalked, variously cut, glossy leaflets, and 
 large, many-rayed umbels with long pedicels. — Watery places ; 
 common. This plant, which is often known as Water -Hemlock, 
 and is sometimes mistaken for Celery, is very poisonous, and 
 should not be allowed to grow in places where cattle are kept, as 
 cow% have often been poisoned by eating the roots. — Fl. July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 6. (E. aqudtica (Fine-leaved Water-Dropwort, Horsebane).— 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 
 
 2I 7 
 
 Root of whorled fibres ; stem erect, 2 — 3 feet high, very thick at 
 its base, with runners ; leaves 3-pinnate, the lower ones sub- 
 merged with diverging, hair-like segments ; umbels lateral, sub- 
 sessile. — Ditches and ponds ; frequent. — Fl. July — September. 
 Biennial. 
 
 7. (E. fluvidtilis (River Water-Dropwort).— A floating form, 
 with 2-pinnate leaves, the submerged ones pellucid with parallel, 
 many-veined leaflets. — In running water, in the south. — Fl. July — 
 September. Biennial. 
 
 27. tEthijsa (Fool's Parsley). — A 
 smooth, leafy annual, distinguished by 
 having a brae and 1 — 5 bracteoles drooping 
 and all on the outer side of the umbel, a 
 globose fruit with sharp ridges and reflexed 
 styles. (Name from the Greek aitho, I 
 burn, from its acrid character.) 
 
 1. M. Cyndpium (Fool's Parsley). — A 
 slender plant, about a foot high, with dark 
 green, 2-pinnate leaves and terminal umbels 
 of white flowers, with 3 very long, harrow 
 bracteoles hanging down on the outer side 
 of each secondary umbel. — An evil- 
 smelling, poisonous, but common garden 
 weed. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 *28. Siler is represented by S. tri- 
 lobum, with long- stalked, 3-ternate smooth 
 radical leaves; ternate cauline leaves; 
 large terminal bracteate umbels ; and large 
 compressed fruits with one vitta under 
 each secondary ridge, which is naturalised 
 at Cherry Hinton, Cambridgeshire. 
 
 29. Silaus (Pepper Saxifrage).— Gla- 
 brous plants ; leaves pinnately decom- 
 pound ; umbels compound ; bracts 1, 2, or none ; bracteoles many ; 
 flowers yellowish ; fruit ovoid, with slightly winged ridges. (Name, 
 the Latin name of some allied plant.) 
 
 1. S.flavescens (Pepper Saxifrage, Sulphur-wort). — Stem angular, 
 1 — 2 feet high; leaves 3-pinnate, with narrow opposite leaflets; 
 umbels terminal ; flowers dull, pale yellow, small ; fruit dark brown. 
 Meadows ; frequent. — " The whole plant being foetid when 
 bruised, is supposed in some parts of Norfolk to give a bad flavour 
 to milk and butter." (Sir J. E. Smith.)— Fl. June — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 /ETHUSA CYNAPIUM 
 
 {Foots Parsley). 
 
2l8 
 
 UMBELLfFER^E 
 
 30. Meum (Spignel). — A smooth, aromatic plant ; leaves pin-, 
 nately decompound with crowded bristle-like segments ; umbels 
 compound, bracteate ; bracts linear ; flowers yellowish ; -petals 
 
 narrowed at both ends, in- 
 flexed. (Name, the Greek 
 for this or some allied plant.) 
 1. M. athamdnticum (Spig- 
 nel, Meu, or Bald-money). — 
 Well distinguished by its 
 bipinnate leaves cut into 
 numerous crowded, acute, 
 bristle-like segments. — Dry 
 mountainous pastures in the 
 north. The whole plant, and 
 especially the root, which is 
 eaten by the Highlanders, is 
 highly aromatic, with a 
 flavour like Melilot, which it 
 communicates to milk and 
 butter when the cows feed on 
 its leaves in spring. — " Bald, 
 or Bald-Money, is a corrup- 
 tion of Balder, the Apollo of 
 the Northern nations, to 
 whom this plant was dedi- 
 cated." (Sir W. J. Hooker.) 
 — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 31. Haloscias (Lovage). 
 — Smooth plants ; leaves 1 — 
 3-ternately pinnate; umbels 
 compound, bracteate ; petals 
 white or pink, notched, with 
 a short claw and long inflexed 
 tip ; fruit short, somewhat 
 winged ; seeds loose. (Name 
 from the Greek scias, an 
 umbel, halos, of the sea.) 
 
 1. H. scdticum (Scotch Lov- 
 age). — Stem little branched, 
 about 1^ feet high, tinged with red ; leaves dark green, glossy, 
 biternate with large, broad, serrate leaflets ; flowers reddish-white, 
 with both bracts and bracteoles. — Rocky coasts in Scotland and 
 Northumberland. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 MfoM atham/.nticum 
 (Spignel, Meu, or Bald-Money). 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 
 
 219 
 
 32. Sel/num. — Leaves bipinnate ; leaflets pinnatifid ; umbel com- 
 pound, many-rayed ; bracts absent ; bracteoles many, subulate ; 
 flowers white; fruit 10-winged; lateral ridges broadest, diverging; 
 vittce solitary. (Name from the Greek selinon, parsley.) 
 
 1. S. Carvifdlia (False Milk Parsley). — Root-fibres stout, fusi- 
 form ; stem erect, solid, 2 — 4 feet high, angular, furrowed ; lower 
 leaves with short sheath and very long, channelled stalk, dull, dark 
 green, greyer beneath ; leaflets finely serrate, with a bristly apex ; 
 
 angelica SYLv£stris {Wild Angelica). 
 
 umbels terminal, large, compact, 20 — 30-rayed, flat-topped ; bracts 
 absent or 1. — Moist, shady places, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire 
 and Cambridgeshire. Resembling PeuceTdanum palustre, the 
 Milk Parsley. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 33. Angelica. — Tall plants, with ternately bipinnate leaves 
 with large segments ; umbels compound, many-rayed ; bracts few 
 or none ; bracteoles many, small ; sepals indistinguishable ; petals 
 white ; lateral ridges with membranous, parallel, thin wings ; vittce 
 solitary or 2 together. (Name from its angelic medicinal pro- 
 perties. ) 
 
UM BELLI FER/E 
 
 i. A. sylvestris (Wild Angelica). — A tall, stout plant, 2 — 4 feet 
 high ; stem furrowed ; slightly downy, especially above, tinged with 
 purple : leaves bipinnate ; leaflets stalked, obliquely ovate, serrate ; 
 umbels large, with bracts and bracteoles ; flowers white, tinged with 
 pink. — Wet places ; common. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 *34. Archangelica, differing from Angelica mainly in having 
 minute sepals, thicker dorsal and intermediate ridges, no vitt&, and 
 
 loose seeds, is repre- 
 sented by A. offici- 
 nalis, a larger plant 
 than Angelica sylves- 
 tris, with leaves 2 — 3 
 feet across, decurrent 
 leaflets and greenish- 
 white flowers, culti- 
 vated for the sake of 
 its aromatic stems 
 (which are candied as 
 a sweetmeat), and 
 occurring only as an 
 escape. — Fl. July — 
 September. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 35. Peucedanum 
 (Hog's Fennel). — 
 Leaves pinnate or ter- 
 nate ; umbels com- 
 pound, many-rayed ; 
 bracts and bracteoles 
 absent, few or many ; 
 sepals small or incon- 
 spicuous ; petals yel- 
 low or white ; fruit 
 flattened ; lateral 
 
 ridges forming thin flat contiguous parallel wings ; vittce linear, 
 
 as long as the fruit. (Name of Greek origin.) 
 
 1. P. officinale (Sulphur-wort, Sea Hog's-Fennel). — Smooth ; 
 stem 2 — 3 feet high, round ribbed ; leaves 3 — 5 ternate ; leaflets 
 long, linear, flaccid ; umbels large, on diverging branches, 
 many-rayed ; bracts few, deciduous ; flowers minute, yellow. — Salt 
 marshes in Kent and Essex; vary rare. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. P. palustre (Milk Parsley, Marsh Hog's-Fennel). — Smooth, 
 
 PASTINXCA SATtVA (Cl 
 
 Parsnip). 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 221 
 
 with abundant milky juice, drying to a brown resin ; stem 3 — 5 
 feet high, furrowed, hollow ; leaves 3-pinnate ; leaflets pinnatifid 
 with narrow acuminate segments ; bracts many, deflexed, persist- 
 ent ; flowers white. — Marshes, chiefly in the south and east ; rare. 
 — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 3.* P. Ostruthium (Masterwort). — A smooth, stout plant, 1 — 3 
 feet high; stem round, furrowed, hollow; leaves long-stalked, 
 
 herAcleum sphond^lium {Common Cow-Parsnip, Hog-weed). 
 
 biternate ; leaflets few, large, broadly-ovate, cut and toothed ; 
 umbels large ; bracts absent ; flowers white. — Moist meadows in the 4 
 north ; rare. Formerly cultivated and now only an escape. — Fl. " 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 36. Pastinaca (Parsnip). — Tap-rooted annual or biennial herbs, 
 with pinnate leaves ; leaflets broad, sessile ; umbels compound ; 
 
2 22 UMBELLfFERiE 
 
 brads, bracteoles and calyx-teeth absent ; petals yellow, roundish, 
 entire, with an acute, involute point ; fruit much dorsaily com- 
 pressed ; lateral primary ridges forming thin, flat, distant wings ; 
 vittce solitary, linear. (Name, the Classical Latin name of the 
 plant.) 
 
 i. P. saliva (Common Parsnip). — A downy erect plant, 2 — 3 
 feet high, with tap root ; stem angular, hollow ; leaves pinnate, 
 glossy, downy beneath ; leaflets 5 — 11, sessile, ovate, serrate; 
 umbels terminal, ebracteate ; flowers small, bright yellow. — Banks 
 on calcareous soil ; not uncommon. Differing from the culti- 
 vated form chiefly in its smaller root. — Fl. July, August. Bien- 
 nial. 
 
 37. HerAcleum (Cow-Parsnip). — Large plants ; eaves 1 — 3- 
 pinnate ; leaflets broad, lobed ; umbels compound, many-rayed ; 
 bracts deciduous ; flowers white or pink, the outer ones irregular ; 
 fruit as in Peucedanum, but with short, club-shaped vitta. (Named 
 after the hero Heracles.) 
 
 1. H. Sphondylium (Common Cow-parsnip, Hog-weed). — A very 
 tall and stout plant, with a channelled hairy stem, 4 — 6 feet high ; 
 large, irregularly cut, rough leaves ; and spreading umbels of con- 
 spicuous white flowers. — Hedgerows ; common. In spring the 
 plant is remarkable for the large pale oval tufts formed by the 
 sheathing bases of the cauline leaves distended with the flower- 
 buds. In the outer flowers the symmetric enlargement of one 
 deeply 2-lobed and inflexed petal, and the unsymmetric modifica- 
 tion of those on either side of it, should be noticed. This, like 
 many other Umbelliferse, is often confounded by farmers with the 
 poisonous Hemlock ; but cattle eat it with impunity. — Fl. July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 A gigantic, handsome Siberian species, H. gigdnteum, is com- 
 monly grown in shrubberies, and may occur as an escape. 
 
 *38. Tordylium (Hartwort). — Hairy annuals with pinnate 
 leaves, linear bracteoles and thick wings to the fruit formed by the 
 lateral ridges, is represented by T. maximum, a slender, hispid plant 
 with reflexed hairs and small, 6 — 8-rayed umbels of pink flowers, 
 which occurs in waste places at Oxford, Eton, and Isleworth ; but 
 is not native. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 *39. Coriandrum (Coriander), also slender annuals, but 
 glabrous, with pinnately decompound leaves, few-rayed compound 
 umbels with no bracts, few thread-like bracteoles, petals often 
 irregular, and very globose, slightly ridged fruit, is represented by 
 C. sativum, an occasional escape from cultivation in the south and 
 
PARSLEY FAMILY 
 
 east. The name is derived from Greek koris, a bug, from the 
 foetid smell of the plant ; but the pleasantly aromatic fruit is con- 
 siderably used in confectionery. — Fl. June. Annual. 
 
 40. Daucus (Carrot). — Hispid plants ; leaves pinnately decom- 
 pound ; umbels compound, many-rayed, the outer arching over the 
 inner when in fruit ; bracts 
 
 and bracteoles usually many, 
 pinnatifid ; fruit with 8 rows 
 of prickles, one row on each 
 secondary ridge. (Name, the 
 Greek name of the plant.) 
 
 1. D. Carbta (Wild 
 Carrot). — A tough, erect, 
 bristly plant, with much-cut 
 leaves and large concave 
 umbels of dull white flowers, 
 the central flower or second- 
 ary umbel deep red, in scent ^ 
 and flavour resembling the ^^ 
 Garden Carrot. — Fields ; 
 common. — Fl. June — Au- 
 gust. Biennial. 
 
 2. D. gummifer (Seaside 
 Carrot). — Fields ; differs in 
 being more prostrate, rather 
 fleshy, having the umbel 
 convex when in fruit. — Sea- 
 shores in the south ; rare. — 
 Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 41. Caucalis (Bur-Pars- 
 ley). — Hispid plants ; leaves 
 1 — 3-pinnate ; umbels com- 
 pound, or rarely simple, 
 usually few-rayed ; bracts few 
 or none ; bracteoles many ; 
 fruit with 1 — 3 rows of 
 
 prickles on each primary and secondary ridge. (Name, the Greek 
 name of the plant.) 
 
 1.* C. latifblia (Great Bur-Parsley). — Stem 1 — 2 feet high, 
 rough ; leaves pinnate ; leaflets lanceolate, serrate, decurrent ; 
 umbels 2 — 4-rayed ; secondary umbels 4 — 6-rayed ; flowers large, 
 rose-coloured ; fruit large, oblong, very prickly, with 2 — 3 rows 
 of recurved prickles on each secondary ridge. — Cornfields, 
 
 daucus car6ta (Wild Carrot). 
 
2 24 UMBELLfFER^E 
 
 especially on calcareous soil ; very rare, not native. — Fl. July. 
 Annual. 
 
 2. C. daucbides (Small Bur- Parsley). — A somewhat bushy plant ; 
 stem deeply furrowed, hairy at the nodes ; leaves 2 — 3 pinnate ; 
 umbels terminal and lateral, of about 3 rays, without bracts ; second- 
 ary umbels of about 3 rays, with bracteoles ; flowers small, pinkish ; 
 
 t6rilis ANTHRfscus {Upright Hedge-Parsley). 
 
 fruit large, with one row of prickles on each secondary ridge. — - 
 Chalky fields; not common. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 42. Torilis (Hedge Parsley). — Hispid plants ; leaves bipinnate ; 
 umbels compound ; bracts and bracteoles few or absent ; flowers white 
 or pink ; fruit covered with bristles between the ridges. (Name 
 of unknown etymology.) 
 
 1. T. arvensis (Spreading Hedge- Parsley). — A hispid, much- 
 branched plant, 6—18 in. high; leaves bipinnate ; leaflets ovate- 
 
IVY FAMILY 225 
 
 lanceolate, cut and toothed ; umbels compound, long-stalked, term- 
 inal, 2 — 8-rayed ; bracts 1 or none; bracteoles linear; flowers white 
 or pink; fruit covered with spreading hooked bristles. — Hedges; 
 common. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 2. T. Anthriscus (Upright Hedge-Parsley). — A tall, slender 
 plant, 2 — 3 feet high, wiih a solid rough stem; hairy, bipinnate 
 leaves ; ovate-oblong, cut and toothed leaflets ; long-stalked term- 
 inal 5 — 12-rayed umbels with several bracts and bracteoles ; flowers 
 small, white or pinkish ; fruit covered with incurved, not hooked, 
 bristles. Hedges ; abundant. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 3. T. nodosa (Knotted Hedge-Parsley). — Well distinguished 
 from all other British umbelliferous plants by its prostrate stem, 
 its very small, almost globular, simple, lateral, and nearly sessile 
 umbels of small pinkish-white flowers, and by the outer fruits in 
 each umbel being covered with hooked bristles, while the inner 
 are warty, — Fl. May — July. Annual. 
 
 Ord. XXXV. Araliace^e. — The Ivy Family 
 
 Shrubs or trees, often downy with stellate hairs, chiefly tropical, 
 and closely resembling the Umbelliferas in the structure of their 
 flowers, though not partaking of their dangerous properties. 
 Calyx superior, 5 -cleft ; -petals 5 — 10; stamens, 5 — 10, epigynous; 
 ovary 2- or more-chambered, with styles as many as the chambers, 
 and 1 ovule in each chamber ; fruit generally a berry. Only one 
 species is a native of Britain ; but this one, the Ivy, is so 
 universally diffused as to be familiar to every one. Ginseng, the 
 favourite medicine of the Chinese, is the root of Panax Ginseng, 
 a member of this Order J and their celebrated Rice-paper is the 
 pith of Fdtsia papyrifera, a native of Formosa, also belonging to 
 the Araliaceae. 
 
 1. Hedera (Tvy). — Climbing shrubs ; leaves exstipulate, simple, 
 scattered ; flowers in simple umbels, 5-merous, polysymmetric ; 
 berry 5-chambered, 5-seeded, with a parchment-like endocarp 
 lining each chamber; albumen ruminate. (Name, the Classical 
 Latin name of the plant.) 
 
 1. H. Helix (Common Ivy). — A woody plant with a stem some- 
 times 10 inches in diameter, trailing or climbing by adventitious 
 simple rootlets ; leaves evergreen, leathery, dark green, glossy, 
 and distinctly veined above, 5-lobed on the climbing stem, ovate 
 and undivided on the free upper branches ; umbels confined to 
 the upper free branches, globose, simple, downy with stellate 
 Q 
 
226 CORNACEjE 
 
 hairs ; -flowers greenish-yellow j berries black ; endocarp lilac. — 
 Banks, woods, rocks, and old walls; general. — Fl. October, 
 November. Perennial. 
 
 h£dera h£lix {Common Ivy). 
 
 Ord. XXXVI. Cornace^e. — The Dogwood Family 
 
 A small order, mostly shrubs or trees, inhabiting the temperate 
 regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They have mostly exsti- 
 pulate, opposite, simple leaves, small, polysymmetric flowers, which 
 are generally tetramerous, and i— 4-chambered berry-like fruit, 
 with stony endocarps ; sepals 4, superior, valvate ; petals 4 — 5, 
 epigynous ; stamens 4 — 5, epigynous ; style single, thread-like ; 
 stigma simple or lobed. The Order contains few plants of 
 interest. The evergreen known as the Spotted Laurel (Aucuba 
 japonica), now common in our gardens, is a member of the Order. 
 The spots are a disease which is only slightly transmitted by seed ; 
 but the plant, being dioecious, is largely multiplied by layers. 
 The staminate plant is now grown separately, or it can be grafted 
 on the pistillate shrub, so that the red berries are now commonly 
 produced. Benthdmia fragifera, a handsome shrub from the 
 
DOGWOOD FAMILY 22 7 
 
 mountains of Nipal, was introduced into Cornwall in 1825, and, 
 flowering and fruiting freely, is a pleasing addition to the 
 shrubbery. Comus florida, the American Dogwood, a native of 
 the United States, furnishes a wood useful for turnery and 
 engraving, and the bark of this and other species is used as a 
 substitute for quinine. The Comus of the ancients was the 
 Cornelian Cherry, Cornus mdscula, whose little clusters of yellow 
 
 c6rnus sanguInea [Wild Cornel, Dog- 
 
 starry flowers are among the earliest heralds of spring. Its fruit 
 is like a small plum, with a very austere flesh, but after keeping 
 it becomes pleasantly acid. The Turks still use it in the manu- 
 facture of sherbet, and the bark of the same species furnishes the 
 red dye for their fez. Two species of Cornus are the only British 
 representatives of the Order. 
 
 1. Cornus (Cornel). — Herbs, shrubs, or trees; leaves usually 
 opposite ; flowers small, white or yellow ; petals valvate ; ovary 
 2-chambered. (Name from the Latin, referring to the horny 
 hardness of the wood.) 
 
 1. C. suecica (Dwarf Cornel).- — Herbaceous; rhizome woody, 
 Q 2 
 
228 CAPRIFOLIACELE 
 
 creeping ; stems annual, erect, about 6 in. high, slender ; leaves 
 opposite, decussate, ovate ; flowers in a terminal umbel, minute, 
 dark purple ; bracts 4, large, ovate, yellow, tipped with purple, 
 forming an involucre; fruit, a red berry. — Alpine moors in 
 Scotland, and the north of England ; rare. The fruit is said by 
 the Highlanders to create appetite, and hence is called Lus-a- 
 chraois, plant of gluttony.— Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. sanguinea (Wild Cornel, Dogwood). — Very different in 
 habit from the preceding; a bushy shrub, 5 — 6 feet high, with 
 opposite, ovate, acute leaves, and terminal, many-flowered, 
 corymbose cymes of cream-white flowers; Berries small, black- 
 purple. — Hedges and thickets, especially on a chalk or lime- 
 stone soil; common. The wood, with that of the Spindle-tree 
 (Eudnymus europceus) and Guelder Rose {Viburnum), which has 
 a similar texture, and is therefore confused under the same name 
 Dogwood, was used formerly for skewers or "dagges." The 
 leaves assume blood-red and dark purple tints early in autumn. — 
 Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 Sub-Class II. GAMOPETAL^ 
 
 Having both calyx and corolla, and the petals of the latter 
 united. 
 
 Series I. EPfGYfrLE.— Ord. XXXVIL— XLIII 
 
 Ovary inferior 
 
 § Stamens epipetalous 
 
 Ord. XXXVIL Caprifoliace^e. — The Honeysuckle 
 Family 
 
 A small but very varied Order, comprising trees, shrubs, and 
 herbaceous plants, principally confined to the Northern Hemi- 
 sphere. The leaves are usually exstipulate and opposite; the 
 flowers conspicuous and sometimes monosymmetric ; sepals 3—5, 
 superior; petals 3 — 5, united; stamens 4 — 10, usually equal in 
 number to the petals and alternate with them ; ovary 3 — 5- 
 chambered ; fruit in most cases a berry. Such favourite plants 
 as the fragrant Honeysuckle, the Guelder Rose, the Elder, and 
 the elegant little plant upon which Linnaeus fixed to commemorate 
 his name, make the Order an interesting one. 
 
 1. Adoxa. — Herbs ; leaves ternate ; flowers small, green, 5 in a 
 head; corolla rotate; stamens forked; berry with 4 or 5 1 -seeded 
 chambers. 
 
Fig. 25. Wild Cornel 
 >Cornus sangumea\. 
 
HONEYSUCKLE FAMILY 
 
 229 
 
 2. Sambuuus. — Trees or shrubby herbs ; leaves pinnate ; flowers 
 small, in umbellate cymes, 5-merous ; corolla rotate ; berry with 
 3 — 5 i-seeded chambers. 
 
 3. Viburnum. — Shrubs ; leaves simple ; flowers in cymes, 
 5-merous; corolla rotate or bell-shaped; berry 1 -seeded. 
 
 4. LlNNilA. 
 
 Herb ; leaves simple ; 
 flowers in pairs ; 
 corolla bell-shaped ; 
 stamens didynamous; 
 fruit dry, 1 -seeded. 
 
 5. Lonicera. — 
 Shrubs; leaves sim- 
 ple; flowers in cy- 
 mose heads ; corolla 
 mono symmetric ; 
 berry of 2 or 3 
 several-seeded cham- 
 bers. 
 
 1. Adoxa (Mos- 
 chatel). — A small 
 glabrous, succulent 
 herb ; rhizome creep- 
 ing, scaly ; leaves 2, 
 radical, ternate; 
 flowers in a long- 
 stalked terminal 
 head of 5, small, 
 green, the 4 lateral 
 ones 5-merous, the 
 terminal one 4-mer- 
 ous; corolla rotate; 
 stamens 4 or 5, bifur- 
 cating at the base; 
 anthers dimidiate ; 
 berry with 1 -seeded 
 parchment-like chambers. (Name from the Greek signifying 
 inglorious, from its humble growth.) 
 
 1. A. Moschatellina (Common or Tuberous Moschatel). — The 
 only species, an interesting little herbaceous plant, 4 — 6 in. high ; 
 stem 4-angled; radical leaves long-stalked, ternate; leaflets tri- 
 angular, lobed ; cauline leaves or bracts 2, smaller, with sheathing 
 petioles ; flowers arranged as if on 5 sides of a cube. — Hedgerows ; 
 
 ADOXA MOSCHATELLINA (Common Mosckatet). 
 
23° 
 
 CAPRIFOLIACE^E 
 
 local, but widely diffused. The whole plant diffuses a musk-like 
 scent, which, however, is not perceptible if the plant be bruised. — 
 Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 2. Sambtjcus (Elder). — Trees, shrubs, or large herbs, remark- 
 able for the large quantity of pith in the young branches ; leaves 
 pinnate ; -flowers small, 5-merous, in umbellate cymes ; sepals 
 
 sambijCUS NfGRA (Common Elder). 
 
 3 — 5 ; corolla rotate ; stamens 5 ; ovary 3 — 5-chambered ; ovules 1 in 
 each chamber ; fruit a berry with 3 — 5 parchment-like endocarps. 
 (Name from the Greek sambuke, a musical instrument, in making 
 which elder-wood is supposed to have been employed.) 
 
 1. S. nigra (Common Elder). — Stem woody, forming a small 
 tree ; bark corky ; leaves with a strong, unpleasant odour ; cymes 
 with 5 principal branches ; flowers cream-white, of a sickly smell ; 
 berry small, globose, purple-black, polished, rarely green or white. 
 
HONEYSUCKLE FAMILY 
 
 23I 
 
 — Hedges ; common. The blossoms are used for making 
 perfume ; the berries for wine. Evelyn, speaking in its praise, 
 says : " If the medicinal properties of the leaves, bark, berries, 
 &c, were thoroughly known, I cannot tell what our countryman 
 could ail for which he would not find a remedy, from every hedge, 
 either for sickness or wound." — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. £bulus (Dwarf Elder, Danewort). — A large herbaceous 
 plant, 2 — 4 feet high, with ovate, serrate, leafy stipules, 3 principal 
 
 viburnum 6pulus (Guelder Rose, Water Elder). 
 
 branches to its cymes, and pink tips to its petals. — Bushy places ; 
 
 3. Viburnum (Guelder Rose). — Shrubs ; leaves simple ; flowers 
 5-merous, white or pink, in cymose clusters, small, or the outer 
 ones male or neuter with large corollas ; corolla rotate or bell- 
 shaped ; stigmas 3, sessile ; berry i-seeded. (Name, the Latin 
 name for this or some similar plant.) 
 
 1. V. Opulus (Guelder Rose, Water Elder). — A shrub or small 
 tree ; bark very acrid ; leaves smooth, 3 — 5-lobed, stipulate, with 
 glands at the upper end of the stalk, assuming a rich vinous hue 
 before falling ; flowers in flat-topped cymes, the outer ones neuter 
 
232 
 
 CAPRIFOLlXCE,£ 
 
 with large snow-white corollas, rendering the bush conspicuous ; 
 berries slightly flattened, translucent, blood-red. — Moist woods 
 and hedges ; common. The berries are said to be sometimes 
 fermented and eaten, a statement scarcely credible to any one who 
 has chanced to smell them. In the garden variety, known as the 
 Snowball-tree, all the flowers are neuter and the cyme has become 
 globular. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 2. V. Lantdna 
 (Mealy Guelder Rose, 
 Wayfaring-tree). — A 
 shrub, pubescent with 
 stellate hairs ; leaves 
 elliptical, cordate, 
 serrate, very downy 
 beneath, exstipulate ; 
 cymes termina ; 
 flowers small, white, 
 all perfect : berries 
 much flattened, scar- 
 let, turning black 
 when fully ripe. — Dry 
 hedgerows, chiefly on 
 calcareous soil; not 
 general. ■ — Fl. May, 
 June. Perennial. 
 
 4. Linn/£a. — A 
 very slender creeping 
 plant ; leaves ever- 
 green, exstipulate ; 
 flowers in pairs on 
 ascending, 2-bracte- 
 ate peduncles, with 
 drooping 2-bracteol- 
 ate pedicels ; corolla 
 bell-shaped ; petals 5, 
 slightly unequal ; stamens 4, 2 longer than the others ; fruit 
 seldom formed in Britain. (Name in honour of Carl von Linne, 
 the great Swedish botanist.) 
 
 1. L. boredlis. — The only species, almost glabrous ; leaves ovate, 
 obtuse, thick ; flowers fragrant and of a delicate pink colour, 
 crimson within. — Fir-woods in Scotland and at Hartburn, North- 
 umberland. Deservedly regarded with peculiar interest as being 
 the "little northern plant, long overlooked, depressed, abject, 
 
 VIBURNUM I-ANTXNA 
 
 (Wayfaring-tree, Mealy Guelder Rose). 
 
Woodbine or Honeysuckle. (Lonktra 
 Pale Honeysuckle •Lomceni Capnfolium,. 
 
HONEYSUCKLE FAMILY 233 
 
 flowering early," which Linnaeus himself selected as therefore 
 most appropriate to transmit his name to posterity. — Fl. July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 5. Lonicera (Honeysuckle). — Erect, prostrate or twining 
 shrubs ; leaves exstipulate, entire, sometimes connate ; flowers 
 generally in cymose heads, sometimes united by their ovaries ; 
 sepals 5 ; petals 5, united in a tubular or funnel-shaped corolla 
 with a bilabiate limb ; stamens 5 ; berry of 2 or 3 several- seeded 
 
 linn^a boreXlis (Lintuea). 
 
 chambers. (Named in honour of Adam Lonicer, a German 
 botanist.) 
 
 1. L. Peridymenum (Honeysuckle, Woodbine). — Stem twining; 
 leaves ovate or oblong, glabrous or slightly pubescent, glaucous 
 below, not united at the base, sometimes lobed ; flowers in stalked 
 terminal heads, gaping, red outside, yellow within, very fragrant; 
 berry globose, translucent, crimson. A common and favourite 
 twining shrub, the first to expand its leaves in spring, or rather in 
 winter, and almost the last to blossom in autumn. Though 
 highly ornamental to our woods, it is decidedly injurious to 
 
234 
 
 RUBIACEiE 
 
 young trees, clasping them so tightly as to distort their growth. 
 Handsome twisted walking-sticks (generally Hazel) are thus 
 formed, but the growth of the tree is generally checked. — Fl. 
 July, and again in October. Perennial. 
 
 *Two other species of Honeysuckle are occasionally found in 
 copses, but are not natives of Britain : L. Caprifolium (Pale Per- 
 foliate Honeysuckle), distinguished by having the upper leaves 
 connate, or united by their bases, and the flower-heads sessile ; 
 
 lonicera pericl'vmen'um (Honeysuckle, Woodbine). 
 
 and L. Xylosteum (Upright Fly Honeysuckle), an erect shrub, 
 with downy, stalked leaves, and pale yellow, scentless flowers, 
 which grow in pairs in the axils. 
 
 Ord. XXXVIII. Rubiace^e. — The Bedstraw Family 
 
 Taken in its widest extension, this is a very large Order, con- 
 taining more than 2,800 species, characterised by having opposite 
 leaves, interpetiolar stipules, gamopetalous corollas, epipetalous 
 stamens alternate with the petals, and an inferior ovary of 2 
 
BEDSTRAW FAMILY 235 
 
 carpels. The majority, forming the tribe Cinchonece, are tropical 
 trees and shrubs with small stipules, and comprise not a few 
 species noted for the fragrance and beauty of their flowers, and 
 some of the highest utility to man, as food or medicine. Among 
 the food-plants, the Coffee (Coffea ardbica and C. liberica) holds 
 the first place, the seeds filled with horny albumen being the 
 coffee-beans of commerce. Several species of Cinchdna, a genus 
 native to the Andes, furnish Peruvian or Jesuits' Bark, from 
 which Quinine is prepared ; and Ipecacuanha is the root of 
 Cephdelis Ipecacuanha, a small shrub growing in the damp forests 
 of Brazil. The British species, however, all belong to a very 
 distinct type. They are herbaceous plants, with slender angular 
 stems, and leaves with such large stipules between them as to form 
 a star-like whorl, whence they have been separated as the tribe 
 Stelldta?. Their flowers are small, polysymmetric and 4 — 6-merous ; 
 the sepals sometimes indistinguishable ; corolla rotate or tubular ; 
 ovary 2-chambered ; ovule 1 in each chamber ; fruit dry, con- 
 sisting of 2 indehiscent cocci. They belong to temperate and 
 cold latitudes and possess no remarkable properties, except that 
 of containing a red colouring matter in their roots, which is used 
 as a dye. The most important is Rubia tinct&ria, the Madder, 
 the roots of which, besides yielding the valuable dye, possess 
 the singular property of imparting a red colour to the bones 
 of animals that feed on them. Rubia cordifolia is the Manjit, 
 another valuable red dye, a native of India. None of the British 
 species are of any great value, through the fragrance of the leaves 
 of the Woodruff, when dried, is well known, the flowers of the 
 Lady's Bedstraw {Galium verutn) were used as rennet to curdle 
 milk, and the seeds of the genus Galium are said to be, when 
 roasted, a good substitute for coffee. 
 
 1. Rubia. — No distinct sepals; corolla wheel-shaped, or bell- 
 shaped, 5-lobed; fruit fleshy. 
 
 2. Galium. — No distinct sepals ; corolla wheel-shaped, 4-lobed ; 
 fruit dry. 
 
 3. Asperula. — No distinct sepals; corolla bell-shaped, 4-lobed ; 
 fruit dry. 
 
 4. SherXrdia. — Sepals 4 — 6 ; corolla funnel-shaped, 4-lobed ; 
 fruit dry. 
 
 1. Rubia (Madder). — Herbs with axillary and terminal cymes 
 of small flowers ; calyx-limb ring-shaped or absent ; corolla rotate 
 or campanulate, 5-lobed ; stamens 4 ; styles 2, short ; fruit a 2- 
 lobed berry. (Name from the Latin ruber, red, from the dye 
 obtained from some species.) 
 
236 
 
 i. R. peregrina (Wild Madder). — The only British species, a 
 long straggling plant, many feet in length ; stems 4-angled, with 
 recurved bristles on the angles ; leaves 4 — 6 in a whorl, ovate, 
 glossy above, with recurved bristles on midrib and margin, nearly 
 evergreen ; flowers yellowish, in panicled cymes ; corolla 5-cleft ; 
 berries black, about as large as currants, remaining attached till 
 late in winter. — Rocky places in the south and west ; uncommon. 
 — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. Galium (Bedstraw). 
 
 RUBIA PEREGRl'.VA (Wild Madder). 
 
 Herbs differing chiefly from Rubia in 
 having a rotate, 4-lobed, rarely 5- 
 lobed, corolla and a dry fruit of 
 2 1 -seeded carpels. (Name from 
 the Greek gala, milk, some species 
 being used to curdle it.) 
 
 * Leaves yveined 
 
 1. G. boredle (Cross-leaved Bed- 
 straw). — Stem erect, 1 — 2 feet 
 high ; leaves 4 in a whorl, smooth, 
 lanceolate ; flowers many, white ; 
 ■fruit rough, with hooked prickles. 
 — Damp rocky places in the north. 
 ■ — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. G. Crucidta (Crosswort) — 
 Prostrate, about a foot long, hairy ; 
 leaves 4 in a whorl, elliptic, soft 
 and downy; flowers yellow, in 
 6 — 8-flowered axillary cymes, very 
 fragrant, upper ones having pistils 
 only, lower, stamens only; fruit 
 smooth. — Dry banks; common — 
 Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 ** Leaves iveined: flowers in axillary and terminal panicles : fruit 
 smooth : perennial 
 
 3. G. verum (Lady's Bedstraw). — Leaves about 8 in a whorl, very 
 narrow (almost thread-like), revolute, downy beneath ; flowers 
 golden-yeliow, rarely pale or green, in dense axillary and terminal 
 panicles. — Dry banks ; abundant. The Highlanders use the roots, 
 in conjunction with alum, to die red, and the flowers to curdle 
 milk. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 4. G. erectum (Upright Bedstraw). — Sub-erect ; leaves 6—8 in a 
 whorl, lanceolate, with bristly margins ; cyme with ascending 
 
BEDSTRAW FAMILY 
 
 237 
 
 branches ; flowers white. — Banks and pastures ; not common.— 
 Fl. June and September. Perennial. 
 
 5. G. Mollugo (Hedge Bedstraw). — Stem ascending, square, 
 thickened at the nodes, smooth or hairy ; leaves 6 — 8 in a whorl, 
 oblong, with a bristly point and weak bristles on the margins ; 
 cyme with the lower branches horizontal or reflexed ; flowers 
 white. — Common everywhere in England, but rare in Scotland 
 and Ireland. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 6. G. saxdtile (Heath Bedstraw). — A small, prostrate, much- 
 branched species ; stem smooth ; 
 leaves about 6 in a whorl, obovate, 
 mucronate, fringed with a few 
 prickles, which point forwards ; 
 cymes numerous, small, compact ; 
 flowers white. — Heaths ; abundant. 
 — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 7. G. dsperum (Mountain Bed- 
 straw). — A similar but more erect 
 and stiff species ; leaves 6 — 8 in a 
 whorl, linear, awned, with prominent 
 midrib and marginal hairs, not 
 bristles. — Limestone hills ; rare. — 
 Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 8. G. palustre (Water Bedstraw). 
 — Stems 1 — 3 feet high, weak, 
 straggling, branched, smooth or 
 rough with recurved prickles ; leaves 
 4 — 6 in a whorl, blunt, linear, or 
 on dry ground, oblong, frequently 
 unequal, shining, with or without 
 rough edges ; flowers in loose, 
 spreading panicles, white. — Watery 
 places ; common. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 9. G. uliginosum (Rough Marsh 
 Bedstraw). — A smaller species ; stems slender, brittle, about a foot 
 high, with recurved prickles on the angles ; leaves 6 — 8 in a whorl, 
 narrow, bristle-pointed, with recurved prickles on the margins ; 
 cymes few-flowered. — Watery places; common. — Fl. July — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 *** Leaves 1 -veined : cymes mostly axillary: flowers white: fruit 
 hispid or tubercled : annual. 
 
 10. G. dnglicum (Wall Bedstraw). — A small, spreading, slender, 
 
 Galium APARfN£ (Goose-grass). 
 
2 3 8 
 
 RUBIACE^ 
 
 brittle species ; leaves about 6 in a whorl, narrow, mucronate, with 
 forward-pointing bristles on the margins and recurved ones on 
 the stems; cymes small, bifurcating, few-flowered ; flowers greenish ; 
 fruit minute, tubercled — Old walls and dry places in the south- 
 east ; rare. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 ii. G. Aparine (Goose-grass, Cleavers). — Light green, strag- 
 gling, 3—4 feet long ; stem and leaves very rough with recurved 
 prickles ; leaves 6 — 8 in a whorl ; flowers 2 — 3 together, white, 
 
 axillary ; fruit covered 
 with short hooked 
 prickles. — Hedges ; 
 very common. The 
 stems, leaves, and bur- 
 like fruits cling to the 
 coat of any animal 
 that touches them ; 
 whence is derived the 
 popular name of 
 Cleavers or Clivers. 
 The plant is greedily 
 devoured by geese. — 
 Fl. June — August. 
 Annual. 
 
 12. G. Vailldntii, 
 differing chiefly in 
 having its flowers very 
 minute, greenish and 
 3 — 9 together, occurs 
 only in fields near 
 Saffron Walden, Essex. 
 — Fl. July. Annual. 
 
 13. G. tricorne 
 (Rough - fruited Corn 
 Bedstraw). — Resem- 
 bling G. Aparine, but 
 smaller and chiefly 
 
 distinguished by its large fruit, which has a granulated, not 
 bristly, surface, and is borne on a recurved pedicel. — Dry chalky 
 fields; not uncommon. — Fl. June— October. Annual. 
 
 3. Asperula (Woodruff). — Herbs differing from Galium mainly 
 in the longer tube which makes the small corolla bell-shaped 
 or funnel-shaped. It may be white, pink, or blue. (Name, a 
 diminutive from the Latin asper, rough, from the roughness of 
 the leaves of some species.) 
 
 ASPERULA odorata {Sweet Woodruff). 
 
-BEDSTRAW FAMILY 
 
 239 
 
 i. A. odordta (Sweet Woodruff). — Almost glabrous, about 6 
 in. high, erect ; leaves 6 — 9 in a whorl, lanceolate, with forward- 
 pointing prickles on their margins; flowers white, in stalked, 
 terminal panicles ; fruit rough with hooked hairs. — Woods ; 
 common. A deservedly favourite plant for its agreeable scent, 
 when dried, of new-mown hay. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. cyndnchica (Quinsy-wort). — Smooth, prostrate; leaves 4 in 
 a whorl, linear, unequal ; flowers in loose clusters, white or pink. 
 — Dry banks and pastures, especially on a chalky or limestone 
 soil ; local. It derives its name from having been formerly used 
 as a remedy for quinsy or squinancy. — FL June, July. Perennial. 
 
 * Two other species, A. taurina, with 4 elliptic 3-veined leaves 
 in a whorl, and A. arvensis, with 6 — 10 narrow leaves in a whorl 
 and blue flowers, occur occasion- 
 ally, but are not native. 
 
 4. Sherardia (Field Madder). 
 — A prostrate herb with whorled 
 leaves, terminal sessile umbels of 
 lilac flowers, 4 — 6 sepals, 4-lobed 
 corolla, and dry fruit. (Named 
 in honour of William Sherard, 
 founder of the chair of Botany at 
 Oxford.) 
 
 1. S. arvensis (Field Madder). 
 — A small, branched, spreading 
 plant; leaves narrow, pointed, 4 — - 
 6 in a whorl ; and flowers minute, 
 lilac, resembling Asperula arvensis, 
 but differing in its pointed leaves 
 and distinct sepals. — Cultivated 
 land; abundant. — Fl. April — October. 
 
 sherArdia arvensis (Field Madder). 
 
 Annual. 
 
 Ord. XXXIX. Valeriane^e. — The Valerian Family 
 
 A small Order of plants which are mostly herbaceous, with 
 opposite, exstipulate leaves, and small, usually asymmetric flowers 
 in dichasial, often crowded cymes. The calyx is superior, be- 
 coming finally a border, or pappus, to the fruit ; the corolla, of 
 3—6 united petals, is tubular and sometimes pouched or spurred 
 at the base ; stamens 1 or 3, rarely 5, epipetalous ; ovary with 
 1 — 3 chambers, forming a dry indehiscent fruit, which is 1- 
 seeded, two of the chambers being empty. The Order chiefly 
 inhabits temperate countries, and the plants forming it are often 
 strong-scented or aromatic. Many of them possess properties 
 
240 VALERlANEjE 
 
 worthy of notice, but by far the most remarkable is Nardostdchys 
 Jatamdnsi, the Spikenard of Scripture, and the Nardus of the 
 ancient Classical authors. It grows in Bhotan, in India, where 
 it is called Jatamansi. Even when green the young shoots are 
 pleasantly fragrant ; but its odorous quality is much strengthened 
 by drying the plant. The radical leaves surrounding one of the 
 young tufted shoots are torn up, along with a part of the very 
 fragrant root, and having been dried in the sun, or by artificial 
 heat, are sold as a drug. In ancient times this drug was con- 
 veyed by way of Arabia to Western Asia, and thus reached the 
 Hebrews. Judas valued the box of ointment with which Mary 
 anointed our Blessed Lord's feet at two hundred denarii (£6 
 gs. 2d.). By the Romans it was considered so precious that 
 the poet Horace promises Virgil a cadus, or about three dozen 
 modern bottles, of wine for a small onyx-box full of spikenard. 
 It was a Roman custom in festive banquets, not only to crown 
 the guests with flowers, but also to anoint them with spikenard. 
 Other members of the Order still valued for a similar use are 
 Valeriana celtica and V. saliunca, which are believed to be the 
 Saliunca of Virgil and other ancient writers. They are natives 
 of the mountains of Styria and Carinthia, where their roots are 
 grubbed up with danger and difficulty by the peasants from 
 rocks on the borders of eternal snow. They are then tied in 
 bundles, and sold at a very low price to merchants, who send 
 them by way of Trieste to Turkey and Egypt, where they are 
 retailed at a great profit, or passed on to India and the interior 
 of Africa. They are used to scent baths. The roots of our 
 common Valerian {Valeriana officinalis) are used in medicine, 
 being a powerful stimulant to the nervous system in cases of 
 hysteria or epilepsy. They have a very remarkable effect on cats, 
 producing a kind of intoxication. The seeds of the Red Spur- 
 Valerian (Kentrdnthus ruber) were used in former times in the 
 process of embalming the dead ; and some thus employed in 
 the twelfth century, on being removed from the cere-cloth in 
 the nineteenth century, and planted, are said to have germinated. 
 The young leaves of Lamb's Lettuce (Valerianclla) are eaten 
 as salad, as also in Sicily are those of Kentrdnthus. 
 
 1. Valeriana. — Corolla 5-lobed, pouched at the base; stamens 
 3 ; fruit 1 -chambered, crowned with a feathery pappus. 
 
 *2. Kentranthus. — Corolla 5-lobed, spurred at the base; 
 stamen 1 ; fruit 1 -chambered, crowned with a feathery pappus. 
 
 3. Valerianella. — Cor olla 5-lobed, obconic ; stamens 3; fruit 
 3-chambered, crowned with 3 — 5 small sepals. 
 
VALERIAN FAMILY 
 
 2 4 ] 
 
 i. Valeriana (Valerian). — Flowers in corymbose, capitate, or 
 panicled cymes, with bracteoles, sometimes sub-dicecious ; pappus 
 deciduous ; corolla generally monosymmetric with an obconic 
 tube, pouched at its base. (Name said to be from the Latin 
 vdleo, I am well, from its medicinal virtue.) 
 
 1. V. dioica (Small 
 Marsh Valerian). — 
 Erect, unbranched, 
 about a foot high with 
 runners ; radical leaves 
 stalked, ovate ; cauline 
 leaves pinnatifid, with a 
 large terminal lobe ; 
 flowers pinkish, in a ter- 
 minal corymbose cyme ; 
 stamens and ovaries on 
 different plants, the 
 latter in smaller, more 
 crowded, deeper col- 
 oured flowers. — Marshy 
 ground ; frequent. — Fl. 
 May, June. Perennial. 
 
 2. V. officinalis (Great 
 Wild Valerian).— Much 
 taller and stouter than 
 the last, but resembling 
 it in habit and in the 
 colour and smell of the 
 flowers ; with suckers ; 
 leaves all pinnate, of 13 
 — 21 leaflets, which are 
 lanceolate, dentate. — 
 Damp places ; not com- 
 mon. This is the 
 species used in medi- 
 cine, and the roots of 
 which are so attractive 
 
 to cats, and, it is said, also to rats. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 3. V. sambucijolia (Elder-leaved Valerian). — Differs mainly in 
 having runners and fewer (9 — 13), broader leaflets. 
 
 4.* V. pyrendica (Heart-leaved Valerian). — A large, coarse 
 plant, with very large, stalked, cordate, serrate leaves, some- 
 times occurring naturalised in plantations.— Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 R 
 
 kentrAnthus ruber (Red Sfur-Valcrian). 
 
242 
 
 VALERIANEjE 
 
 *2. Kentranthus (Spur- Valerian). — Glabrous, leafy plants ; 
 flowers in terminal, panicled cymes, bracteolatej pappus deciduous ; 
 corolla with 5 unequal lobes, a long compressed tube, and a 
 spur. (Name from the Greek kentron, a spur, anthos, a flower.) 
 1.* K. ruber (Red Spur- Valerian). — Glaucous, 1 — 2 feet high ; 
 leaves entire, ovate, acute ; flowers crimson, deep rose-red, or 
 white. — Chalk-pits, railway-banks, limestone-quarries, and old 
 garden-walls ; common, but not indigenous. A very handsome 
 garden plant. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 2.* K. Calcitrapa, differing 
 chiefly in having pinnatifid 
 cauline leaves, occurs as a 
 garden escape at Eltham, Kent. 
 3. Valerianella ' (Corn- 
 salad). — Small plants, repeat- 
 edly forked ; leaves simple ; 
 flowers minute, solitary or in 
 crowded bracteate cymes in 
 the forks of the branches ; 
 calyx generally distinguishable 
 as teeth on the fruit ; corolla 5- 
 lobed, obconic, polysymmetric ; 
 fruit generally of 2 empty 
 barren and 1 fertile (1 -seeded) 
 chambers. (Name, a diminu- 
 tive of Valeriana.) 
 
 1: V. olitbria (Common 
 Corn-salad, Lamb's Lettuce). 
 — Smooth, flaccid, brittle, 
 4 — 12 in. high ; leaves long and 
 narrow, a little toothed near 
 the base, the upper ones clasp- 
 ing the stem ; flowers very 
 minute, pale lilac, in dense terminal leafy heads ; the fertile 
 chamber of the ovary thick and corky at the back, crowned by 
 the 3 calyx-teeth. — Cornfields; common. It is sometimes 
 cultivated as a salad. — Fl. May, June. Annual. 
 
 2* V. eriocdrpa (Woolly-fruited Corn-salad), differing in 
 having a hairy fruit, crowned by a large, nearly regular, campanu- 
 late calyx, and with its fertile chamber not corky, occurs 
 occasionally, but is not native. — Fl. June. Annual. 
 
 3.* V. carindta Keeled-fruited Corn-salad), differing in its 
 blue flowers and oblong, boat-shaped fruit, crowned by 1 sepal, 
 with its fertile chamber not corky and the tw 7 o barren ones in- 
 
 valerian£lla olit6ria 
 (Common Corn-salad, Lamb's Lettuce). 
 
TEAZLE FAMILY 243 
 
 flated, occurs rarely on banks, but is not native. — Fl. April — 
 June. Annual. 
 
 4. V. rimbsa (Sharp-fruited Corn-salad). — About a foot high, 
 more slender than V. olitbria ; -flowers solitary in the forks of a 
 loose cyme, pale blue ; fruit sub-globose, crowned by 1 erect 
 tooth, with its barren chambers inflated and larger than the fer- 
 tile one, which is not corky. — Cornfields; rare. — Fl. June — 
 August. Annual. 
 
 5. V. dentdta (Toothed Corn-salad). — Similar to the last; leaves 
 much toothed towards the base ; flowers flesh-coloured ; fruit not 
 inflated, crowned with the same unequally 4-toothed calyx. — Corn- 
 fields and banks ; common. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 Ord. XL. DipsacejE. — The Teazle Family 
 
 A small Order of herbaceous plants inhabiting temperate 
 regions, and possessing no remarkable properties. The leaves are 
 generally opposite and exstipulate, and the flowers, like those of 
 the Composites, are crowded together in heads with an involucre 
 of bracts ; but each flower is also surrounded by a calyx-like 
 involucel of several more or less rigid bracteoles. The calyx is 
 superior, expanding into a cup-shaped tube generally with a 
 pappus ; corolla tubular, with 4 — 5 unequal lobes ; stamens 4, 
 epipetalous, not united ; fruit dry, indehiscent, 1 -seeded. The 
 most striking distinction between the members of this and those 
 of the following Order is the 4 free stamens is each flower, or 
 floret, as it is often called. Dipsacus Fullbnum is the Fuller's 
 Teazle, a plant with large cylindric heads of flowers, which are 
 embedded in stiff, hooked bracts. These heads are set in frames 
 and used in dressing broad-cloth, the hooks catching up and 
 removing all loose particles of wool, but giving way when held 
 fast by the substance of the cloth. This is almost the only 
 process in the manufacture of cloth which it has been found 
 impossible to execute by machinery ; for although various 
 substitutes have been proposed, none has proved on trial exactly 
 to answer the purpose. 
 
 1. DfpsACUS. — Inner bracts spinous and prominent, forming 
 rigid awns all over the head. 
 
 2. Scabi6sa. — Inner bracts inconspicuous scales or hairs; 
 common receptacle cylindric. 
 
 3. KNAtjTiA. — Common receptacle hairy, hemispherical. 
 
 1. DfpsACUS (Teazle). — Erect prickly plants; stems angular; 
 leaves usually connate at the base ; heads usually elongated ; with 
 a columnar common receptacle; stiff spreading involucral bracts ; 
 R 2 
 
244 
 
 DIPSACE^E 
 
 prominent, spinous inner bracts ; involucel 4-angled ; calyx-tube 
 cup-shaped ; petals 4, unequal. (Name from the Greek dipsao, 
 I thirst, in allusion to the water which usually collects in the 
 hollows formed by the pairs of united leaves. This serves as a 
 moat to prevent insects crawling up the stem to steal the honey 
 in the flowers, which is destined for flying insect visitors who will 
 
 carry pollen from flower 
 to flower.) 
 
 1. D. sylvestris (Wild 
 Teazle). — A stout plant, 
 3 — 6 feet high, with an 
 erect prickly stem ; 
 large, bright green 
 leaves, which are prickly 
 underneath and united 
 at the base ; heads 
 large, conical, covered 
 with straight bristles ; 
 involucre curved up- 
 wards ; flowers lilac, 
 expanding in one or two 
 bands half-way up the 
 head and then both 
 downwards and up- 
 wards. — Waste places j 
 common. — Fl. July — 
 September. Biennial. 
 
 2* D. Fullonum 
 (Fuller's Teazle) diners 
 from D. sylvestris mainly 
 in having a more cylin- 
 drical head, a reflexed 
 involucre, and hooked 
 bristles on the receptacle. 
 It is not known out of 
 cultivation, except as an 
 occasional escape, and 
 is probably only a form of D. sylvestris. 
 
 3. D. pilbsus (Small Teazle, Shepherd's Rod). — Smaller than 
 D. sylvestris in all its parts, rough with bristles ; leaves stalked, 
 with a small leaflet at the base on each side ; heads small, nearly 
 globose, drooping in bud ; involucre reflexed ; flowers white. — 
 Moist shady places ; not common. — Fl. August, September. 
 Biennial. 
 
 DfpSACUS sylvestris {Wild Teazle). 
 
ig. 28. Wild Teazle 
 
 Dipi kus sylveslns.\ 
 
TEAZLE FAMILY 245 
 
 2. Scabi6sa (Scabious). — Leaves entire or pinnatifid ; heads 
 hemispherical or flat ; involucre of i or 2 whorls of bracts ; common 
 receptacle scaly ; involucel 8-angled, 4 — 5-lobed ; outer florets often 
 larger and unsymmetrical ; calyx-tube contracted at the top ; limb 
 cup-shaped, with 4 — 5 stiff persistent bristles ; corolla 4 — 5-lobed, 
 sometimes bilabiate; fruit nearly cylindrical. (Name from the 
 Latin scabies, the leprosy, for which disease some of the species 
 were supposed to be a remedy.) 
 
 1. S. Succisa (Premorse 
 or Devil's-bit Scabious). — 
 A slender, little-branched 
 plant, with a short and 
 abrupt rhizome, as if bitten 
 off (premorse) ; a hairy 
 stem; few, mostly entire, 
 oblong leaves; nearly glo- 
 bose heads of purplish-blue 
 or white flowers, with a 
 nearly symmetric, 4-cleft 
 corolla.. — Heaths and pas- 
 tures ; abundant. John 
 Parkinson, in his " Thea- 
 trum Botanicum " (1640), 
 alludes to the fable " that 
 the Devile, envying the 
 good that this herbe might 
 do to mankinde, bit away 
 parte of the roote, and 
 thereof came - the name 
 Succisa, Devil's-bit." — Fl. 
 July — October. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 2. S. Columbdiia (Small 
 Scabious). — Well distin- 
 guished from the last by 
 its pinnatifid, lighter green 
 leaves ; heads flatter at first ; 
 
 and flowers lilac, rather than purple, with a 5-cleft corolla, the 
 outer ones being larger and very unsymmetrical. — Pastures, 
 especially on a calcareous soil ; not uncommon. — Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 3. S. marilima, a species with all its leaves pinnatifid, an erect 
 branching panicle of heads, and a 5-cleft corolla, has been found 
 at St. Ouen's Bay, Jersey. 
 
 scabi6sa columbXria (Small Scabious). 
 
246 coMP6snvE 
 
 3. Knaijtia (Field Scabious). — Perennial herbs, nearly related 
 to Scabiosa ; but distinguished by the hemispherical hairy common 
 receptacle; the 4-angled involucel ; and the 8 — 16 deciduous 
 bristles of the calyx. (Named in honour of Christian Knaut, a 
 Saxon botanist.) 
 
 1. K. arvensis (Field Scabious). — A tall, bristly plant, 2 — 3 feet 
 high, not much branched ; radical leaves simple ; cauline ones 
 pinnatifid; heads large, convex; flowers handsome, lilac, with 
 
 kna6tia arv£nsis {Field Scabious). 
 
 4-lobed corollas, the inner ones nearly symmetrical, the outer 
 larger and bilabiate. — Cornfields and waysides ; common. — Fl. 
 July — September. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. XL! Comp6siive. — The Composite Family 
 
 This is by far the largest of all the Natural Orders, containing 
 as it does nearly 10,000 species, in 800 genera, or about one-tenth 
 of all known Flowering Plants. These figures serve to illustrate 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 247 
 
 the progress made by Botany during the last hundred years, since 
 the total number of species known to Linnaeus was only 8,500. 
 The Composites form a very natural Order, all agreeing in a 
 large number of characters, especially in the capitate inflorescence, 
 or crowding together of the florets, or little flowers, into a head, 
 or " compound flower," as Linnaeus called it, to which the Order 
 owes its name, and in the union of the anthers referred to in the 
 name of the co-extensive class Syngenesia in the Linnaean system. 
 Though they manifest their success in the struggle for existence 
 not only by their great number of genera and species, but also by 
 a striking profusion of individuals, as is familiar to us all in the 
 cases of Thistles, Daisies, Dandelions, &c, and by a world-wide 
 geographical distribution, they seldom reach the dimensions of 
 shrubs, few of them being even woody. They must be con- 
 sidered, however, as on the whole the most highly organised 
 members of the Vegetable Kingdom. Their leaves are exstipulate, 
 generally simple, and mostly scattered. The heads are generally 
 many-flowered, and are surrounded by one or more whorls of 
 scales or bracts forming an involucre, which is often imbricated, 
 the scales overlapping like the tiles of a house (Latin imbrex, a 
 tile). The common receptacle, on which the florets are situated, 
 varies in shape, being flat, concave, or convex, and in surface, 
 being sometimes smooth and naked, and in other cases pitted or 
 furnished with scales or bristles, known as pales. The florets, 
 which are true flowers, though generally small, may be all alike 
 in form or colour or both, as in Thistles, Dandelions, Groundsel, 
 &c, or the outer or ray-florets may differ from the inner or disk- 
 florets in form, as in the Corn-Marigold, or in colour also, as in 
 the Daisy. The calyx is superior, and there are 5 sepals, though 
 they are seldom distinguishable, the limb, if present, being 
 generally represented by a pappus of hairs, which may be sessile 
 on the fruit, as in the Thistle, or stalked, as in the Dandelion, 
 when the fruit is termed beaked, the hairs themselves being 
 feathery or plumose, as in the former, or simple or pilose, as in 
 the latter. The corolla consists of 5 valvate petals, either tubular 
 and polysymmetric, as in all the florets of Thistles and Groundsel 
 and the disk-florets of the Daisy, or tubular below and ligulate or 
 strap-shaped above, as in all the florets of the Dandelion and the 
 ray-florets of the Daisy. The florets may be all perfect, as in 
 Thistles and Dandelions ; or the ray-florets may have no stamens, 
 as in the Daisy, or be neuter, having neither stamens nor ovary, 
 as in the Cornflower ; whilst the disk- florets may be perfect, as in 
 the Daisy, or exclusively staminate, as in the Garden Marigold. 
 Occasionally all the florets may be staminate or all carpellate, and 
 
248 comp6siive 
 
 then the two kinds of flowers may occur on the same plant 
 (monoecious), or on different ones {dioecious). The 5 epipetalous 
 stamens usually have their filaments free but their anthers united 
 (syngenesious), and there is often a tail-like appendage at the base 
 of each anther-chamber. There are two carpels united to form a 
 j-chambered, inferior ovary, with 1 style, generally bifurcating 
 above, the stigmas lining the inner surface of the fork. The tube 
 of syngenesious anthers in the perfect florets is generally formed 
 before the elongation of the style, which then grows up through 
 it, sweeping the pollen out of the anthers by means of tufts of 
 expelling hairs at the summit of its two branches, which do not 
 diverge till afterwards. The fruit is a cypsele, or dry, indehiscent, 
 i-chambered, i-seeded structure, often crowned by the pappus. 
 
 For convenience of reference, the Order is divided into three 
 Sub-orders, comprising thirteen Tribes ; but one of the Sub-orders 
 and five of the Tribes contain no British plants, or any others of 
 great interest. The two Sub-orders represented in Britain are 
 the Tubuliflbrce and the Liguliflbrce. In the Tubulifldrce the florets 
 are either all tubular and perfect, or the disk-florets are tubular 
 and the ray-florets ligulate, the former being generally perfect and 
 the latter carpellate or neuter. The members of this Sub-order 
 have a watery juice. The Sub-order Liguliflbra have all their 
 florets ligulate and perfect, and have a milky juice. They are 
 most abundant in the temperate regions of the Northern 
 Hemisphere ; the Tubuliflbrce in the Tropics. 
 
 The Tubuliflorce contain a variety of principles, so variously 
 blended as to produce very diverse results. Bitterness, in a 
 greater or less degree, is characteristic of many, and is often 
 accompanied by the presence of resin, or volatile oil, so that the 
 plants produce tonic, stimulant, or astringent effects. The Worm- 
 woods (Artemisia), of which the Southernwood of gardens (A. 
 Abrbtanum), a fragrant shrub, used on the Continent in making 
 beer, is one species, and the Tarragon (A. Dracunculus), used to 
 flavour vinegar, is another, are extremely bitter. The genera 
 Anthemis and Matricaria, the Chamomiles and Feverfews, contain 
 an acrid volatile oil that gives them their properties as febrifuges. 
 The Coltsfoot (Tussildgo) and Elecampane (Inula Helenium) 
 contain gum so united with their bitter and astringent properties 
 as to render them valuable sedatives. The oily seeds of the 
 Sunflower (Helidnthus dnnuus) are largely eaten in Russia, and 
 the Jerusalem Artichoke, the tubers of which hold a high rank 
 among our esculent vegetables, is another species (H. tuberbsus) 
 of the same genus. The latter grows freely in any soil, and 
 produces abundance of tubers, though it rarely flowers in England. 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 249 
 
 It is called an Artichoke from the similarity of flavour in its tubers 
 to the Globe Artichoke (Cynara Scolymus), a Thistle in which 
 the bases of the involucral bracts form the edible portion. The 
 name "Jerusalem" is said to be a corruption of the Italian 
 girasole, the Sunflower, and by an amusing transition,- soup made 
 from these Artichokes is called " Palestine Soup." The flower- 
 heads of Safflower (Cdrthamus tinctoria), which give a red colour, 
 are the most valuable dye produced by the Order. 
 
 Among the Liguliflbra, the Common Dandelion {Taraxacum 
 officinale) supplies a valuable medicinal extract ; its blanched leaves 
 are a wholesome salad ; and its roots are used to adulterate coffee. 
 The Lettuce (Lactuca saliva), besides its extensive use as salad, 
 yields from the milky juice of its root an extract with narcotic 
 properties resembling those of opium. The blanched leaves of 
 Endive (Cichorium Endiyia) afford a winter salad, and the allied 
 Chicory or Succory (C. Intybus) is also so used, though it is more 
 cultivated for the sake of its roots, which are roasted and mixed 
 with coffee. Salsafy {Tragbpogon porrifblius) and Scorzonera 
 (Scorzonera hispdnica) are also cultivated for the sake of their 
 edible roots. 
 
 Sub-Order I. — Tubuliflbrece. — Florets all tubular, or only the 
 ray-florets ligulate : juice watery 
 
 Tribe i . Eupatbriece. — Leaves mostly opposite : florets all tubular 
 and perfect : anthers not tailed 
 
 1. Eupatorium. — Heads few-flowered ; bracts imbricate, oblong ; 
 receptacle naked ; styles much longer than the florets. 
 
 Tribe 2. Aster oideaz. — Leaves scattered: ray-florets ligulate, car- 
 pellate or neuter, or absent : disk-florets tubular, perfect 
 
 2. Solidago. — Florets all yellow ; receptacle naked, pitted ; 
 pappus of one row of stiff hairs. 
 
 3. Bellis. — Ray-florets white or pink ; receptacle naked, conical ; 
 no pappus. 
 
 4. Aster. — Ray-florets in one row, purple, or absent ; receptacle 
 naked, pitted ; pappus of many rows of stiff hairs. 
 
 5. ERfGERON. — Ray-florets in two or more rows ; receptacle 
 naked ; pappus of many rows of stiff hairs. 
 
 6. Linosyris. — Ray-florets absent ; receptacle naked, pitted ; 
 bracts imbricate ; fruit compressed, silky ; pappus of two rows of 
 stiff hairs. 
 
250 COMPOSITE 
 
 Tribe 3. Inuloidece. — Leaves scattered : ray-florets ligulate, yellow, 
 or absent : disk-florets tubular, perfect, usually yellow : anthers with 
 2 bristles at their base : pappus-hairs generally slender, silky. 
 
 7. FilAgo. — Florets all tubular, the outer carpellate, the inner 
 perfect ; receptacle conical, with few scales at the margin ; pappus 
 of slender silky hairs. 
 
 8. Antennaria. — Heads sub-dioecious ; florets all tubular ; 
 pappus hairy, that of the staminate florets with club-shaped hairs. 
 
 9. Gnaphalium. — Florets as in Filago ; receptacle flat, naked; 
 pappus of slender silky hairs. 
 
 10. Inula. — Ray-florets ligulate, yellow, carpellate; disk-florets 
 tubular, perfect ; receptacle naked ; pappus of one row of hairs. 
 
 11. Pulicaria. — Differing from Inula chiefly in having an outer 
 row of short scales to the pappus. 
 
 Tribe 4. Helianthoidea?. — Leaves opposite : ray-florets ligulate, 
 yellow, carpellate or neuter, or absent: disk-florets tubular, perfect, 
 generally yellow : receptacle scaly : anthers not tailed : pappus of a 
 few stiff scales or bristles. 
 
 *i2. Xanthium.— Heads monoecious; staminate florets many ; 
 anthers free ; carpellate florets 2, enclosed by the spinous involucre. 
 
 1 3. Bhdens. — Ray-florets generally absent ; if present, neuter ; 
 pappus of 2 — 5 barbed bristles. 
 
 *i4. Galinsoga. — Ray-florets few, in one row ; receptacle 
 conical ; pappus of one row of broad ciliate scales. 
 
 Tribe 5. Anthemidece. — Leaves scattered: ray-florets ligulate or 
 tubular : anthers not tailed : pappus absent or minute. 
 
 15. Achillea. — Ray-florets few, ligulate, white, broad ; receptacle 
 scaly ; fruit compressed ; no pappus. 
 
 16. Diotis. — Florets all tubular, perfect, with 2 persistent spurs 
 at the base of the corolla ; receptacle scaly ; fruit compressed ; no 
 pappus.^ 
 
 1 7. Anthemis. — Ray-florets in one row, ligulate, white, oblong, 
 carpellate or neuter, or absent ; receptacle convex, scaly ; fruit 
 not compressed ; no pappus. 
 
 18. Chrysanthemum. — Ray-florets in 1 row, ligulate, white or 
 yellow ; receptacle flat or nearly so, naked ; no pappus. 
 
 19. Matricaria. — Ray-florets in 1 row, ligulate, white; recep- 
 tacle conical, naked ; no pappus. 
 
 *2o. Cotula. — Florets all tubular, the outer row carpellate ; 
 corolla 4-lobed, with 2 spurs at the base ; receptacle flat, naked ; no 
 pappus. 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 251 
 
 21. Tanacetum. — Florets all tubular ; receptacle naked, broad; 
 ■fruit with a broad epigynous disk ; no pappus. 
 
 22. Artemisia. — Florets few, all tubular; receptacle naked, 
 narrow ; fruit with a small epigynous disk ; no pappus. 
 
 Tribe 6. Senecionidea. — Leaves scattered: ray -florets ligulate, or 
 absent : receptacle naked : anthers not tailed : pappus usually of very 
 soft hairs. 
 
 23. Tussilago. — Leaves all radical ; heads solitary, many- 
 flowered ; outer florets ligulate. 
 
 24. pETAsfTES. ■ — Leaves all radical ; heads numerous, in a 
 raceme, many-flowered ; outer florets tubular. 
 
 *2$. DoRONfcuM. — Involucral bracts in 2 or 3 rows, equal ; 
 ray-florets in 1 row, ligulate, without pappus; florets all yellow; 
 pappus of the disk-florets of several rows of stiff hairs. 
 
 26. Senecio. — Involucral brads in 1 row, equal ; florets all 
 yellow ; ray sometimes absent ; pappus of several rows of *soft, 
 slender hairs. 
 
 Tribe 7. Cynaroidece.— Leaves scattered, usually spinous : bracts 
 imbricate, spinous : florets all tubular and usually perfect : receptacle 
 scaly ; pappus generally present. 
 
 27. Carina. — Outer bracts spinous ; inner chaffy and spreading ; 
 anthers tailed ; pappus in 1 row, branched and feathery. 
 
 28. Arctium. — Involucre globose ; outer bracts hooked ; anthers 
 tailed ; pappus in several rows of short simple hairs. 
 
 29. Carduus. — Leaves decurrent ; bracts spinous ; anthers 
 scarcely tailed; fruit compressed ; pappus m many rows of long, 
 equal, rough hairs. 
 
 30. Onopordum. — Differing from Carduus mainly in its 
 honeycombed receptacle and 4-angled fruit. 
 
 31. Silybum. — Resembling Carduus, but with united filaments 
 and silky pappus. 
 
 32. Saussurea. — Bracts not spinous ; anthers tailed ; pappus in 
 2 rows, outer bristly, inner longer, feathery. 
 
 33. Serratula. — Bracts not spinous ; anthers not tailed ; 
 pappus in several rows of long unequal hairs, the inner 
 longest. 
 
 34. Centaurea. — Outer florets usually large, unsymmetrical 
 and neuter ; pappus in several rows of short unequal hairs, the 
 second row longest, or rarely absent. 
 
252 COMPOSITE 
 
 Sub-Order II. Liguliflorce. — Florets all ligulate : juice milky 
 
 Tribe 8. dehor dcece. — Leaves scattered : florets ligulate, ^-toothed 
 
 35. Cich6rium. — Involucre of 2 rows, inner of 8 scales, refiexed 
 after flowering ; outer of 5 smaller loose scales ; pappus a double 
 row of small chaffy scales. 
 
 36. Arnoseris. — Bracts about 12 in 1 row, converging after 
 flowering ; receptacle flat, naked, pitted ; pappus reduced to a 
 ring. 
 
 37. LapsAna. — Heads 8 — 12-flowered; bracts in 1 row, erect; 
 receptacle flat, naked ; pappus absent. 
 
 38. Picris. — Bracts in two rows, the outer smaller and narrow, 
 the inner equal ; receptacle flat, naked ; fruit slightly beaked ; 
 pappus in 2 rows of feathery hairs. 
 
 39. HELMfNTiA. — With 3 — 5 leafy bracts below the flower-heads ; 
 the outer bracts of involucre subulate ; fruit with a slender beak 
 longer than itself ; pappus in several rows of feathery hairs. 
 
 40. Crepis. — Bracts in 2 rows, outer shorter ; receptacle flat, 
 pitted ; fruit tapering or beaked ; pappus of many rows of simple 
 hairs. 
 
 41. Hieracium. — Bracts many, imbricate, oblong; receptacle 
 nearly flat, pitted ; fruit not beaked ; pappus of 1 row of stiff, 
 brittle, unequal, brownish hairs. 
 
 42. HYPOCHiERis. — Bracts many, imbricate, oblong ; receptacle 
 flat, scaly ; fruit rough, often beaked ; pappus feathery, often with 
 an outer row of short bristles. 
 
 43. Thrincia. — Bracts in one row, with a few additional; 
 receptacle flat, naked ; ftgits shortly beaked, the outer row envel- 
 oped in the bracts, scarcely beaked and with a short crown-like 
 pappus; pappus of the other fruits in two rows, the outer 
 bristly, deciduous, the inner feathery. 
 
 44. Leontodon. — Brads in 2 — 3 rows, the outer smaller; 
 receptacle flat, naked ; fruit shortly beaked ; pappus of 1 or 2 rows 
 of hairs, the inner feathery. 
 
 45. Taraxacum. — Bracts in 2 rows, inner erect, outer often 
 recurved ; receptacle flat, naked, pitted ; fruit rough, with a long 
 slender beak ; pappus of white, silky, simple hairs. 
 
 46. Lactuca. — Bracts imbricate, outer shorter ; receptacle flat, 
 naked ; fruit flattened, generally with a long slender beak ; pappus 
 of many simple hairs. 
 
 47. Mulgedium. — Bracts much as in Lactuca ; flowers blue ; 
 fruit 4-angled, not beaked but narrowed above and ending in a 
 ciliate disk ; outer hairs of pappus rigid, turning brown, brittle. 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 253 
 
 48. S6nchus. — Bracts imbricate in several rows ; receptacle flat, 
 naked, pitted ; fruit much flattened, not beaked ; pappus of many 
 rows of white, simple, silky hairs. 
 
 49. Tragopogon. — Bracts 8 — 10, long, narrow, united below ; 
 receptacle naked ; fruit with longitudinal ridges, and a. long slender 
 beak : pappus of many rows of feathery hairs. 
 
 1. Eupatorium (Hemp Agrimony). — Herbs or undershrubs ; 
 leaves opposite ; heads in corymbose cymes, purplish, few-flowered ; 
 involucral bracts imbricate, oblong \ receptacle flat, naked ; florets 
 all tubular and perfect ; 
 styles much longer than 
 the florets ; pappus hairy. 
 (Name from Mithriddtes 
 Eupator, who is said to 
 have brought the plant 
 into use.) 
 
 1. E. cannabinum 
 (Common Hemp Agri- 
 mony). — The only Brit- 
 ish species, a tall downy 
 plant, 3 — 6 feet high, 
 with a reddish stem ; 
 palmately 3 — 5-lobed 
 leaves with lanceolate 
 serrate leaflets j and ter- 
 minal corymbs of small 
 crowned heads of dull 
 lilac flowers, remarkable 
 for their very long, 
 deeply-cloven styles. — 
 Moist places ; common. 
 Aromatic, and said to be 
 tonic. — Fl. July — Sep- 
 tember. Perennial. 
 
 2. Solidago (Golden-rod). — Herbs or undershrubs ; leaves 
 cauline, scattered, simple ; heads in branched cymes, yellow, with 
 ray-florets ; bracts many, imbricate, adpressed ; receptacle naked ; 
 pappus of one row of stiff hairs. (Name from the Latin solidare, 
 to unite, from its supposed value in healing wounds.) 
 
 1. S. Virgaurea (Golden-rod). — The only British species, an 
 erect, little-branched plant, 2 — 3 feet high, with roughish, angular 
 stems ; simple, lanceolate, entire or serrate leaves ; and con- 
 spicuous long terminal crowded clusters of small yellow heads. — 
 
 EUPATORIUM CANNABfNTJM 
 
 {Common Hemp Agrimony). 
 
254 
 
 comp6sitve 
 
 Dry woods ; common. On mountainous heaths a variety (var. 
 cdmbrica) occurs with short stems, broader leaves, and larger 
 ■flower-heads. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 3. Bellis (Daisy). — Small plants ; leaves usually all radical ; 
 heads solitary ; bracts in 1 or 2 rows, herbaceous, equal, blunt ; 
 receptacle naked, conical ; ray-florets in 1 row, ligulate, white or 
 pink ; disk-florets yellow ; fruit compressed ; no pappus. (Name 
 from the Latin bellus, pretty.) 
 
 solidAgo virgaC'rea (Go2den-rod). 
 
 bellis perennis (Common Daisy). 
 
 i. B. perennis (Common Daisy). — The only British species ; 
 leaves obovate-spathulate, fleshy, in a radical rosette ; scape 2 — 
 4 in. high ; ray-florets generally white, tipped with crimson. — 
 Pastures; very common. A universal favourite. — Fl. nearly all 
 the year round. Perennial. 
 
 4. Aster (Startwort). — Leaves scattered, simple ; heads gener- 
 ally with 1 row of purple, blue, or white ray-florets ; disk yellow ; 
 bracts imbricate, herbaceous ; receptacle naked, honeycombed'; 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 255 
 
 fruit compressed, not beaked ; pappus of many rows of stiff hairs. 
 (Name from the Greek aster, a star.) 
 
 1. A. Tripolium (Sea Starwort). — A stout, succulent plant, 
 1 — 3 feet high, with lanceolate, smooth, fleshy leaves, and 
 corymbs of large handsome heads of -flowers, the .inner florets 
 yellow, the outer purple. — Salt marshes ; abundant. Often 
 rendered unsightly by being covered with mud ; but in higher 
 
 Aster tripolium {Sea Starwort). 
 
 situations a highly ornamental plant. — Fl. July — September. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 * Other species occur occasionally, such as A. salignus, natural- 
 ised at Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire ; but they are probably 
 garden escapes. 
 
 5. ERfGERON (Flea-bane). — Differing from Aster mainly in 
 having 2 or more rows of ray-florets. (Name from the Greek 
 eri, early, germ, old, from the early appearance of the grey 
 pappus.) 
 
 1* E. canadensis (Canadian Flea-bane). — An erect, corymb- 
 
256 comp6sit,e 
 
 osely-branched herbaceous plant, 1 — 2 feet high, with lanceolate 
 ciliate leaves and numerous very small dingy yellow heads, with 
 small purplish-white ray-florets, and a white pappus. — Waste 
 places ; a weed of local occurrence.— Fl. August, September. 
 Annual. 
 
 2. E. dcris (Blue Flea-bane). — A much branched, hairy plant, 
 1 — 2 feet high ; leaves lanceolate, entire, obtuse ; branches alter- 
 nate, erect, bearing single heads which are corymbose and have a 
 pale yellow disk, a dull pale blue-purple ray, and a very long, 
 tawny pappus. — Dry places and walls ; not common. — Fl. July, 
 August. Biennial. 
 
 3. E. alpinus (Alpine Flea-bane). — A hairy plant, 4 — 8 in. 
 high, with leaves mostly radical, lanceolate ; and generally solitary, 
 largish heads with hairy involucre, and numerous, narrow, light 
 purple ray-florets. — Breadalbane and Clova mountains : very rare. 
 — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 6. Linosyris (Goldilocks). — Differing but little from Aster but 
 entirely destitute of ray-florets ; disk yellow ; bracts imbricate, her- 
 baceous ; receptacle naked, honeycombed, with dentate margins to 
 the pits ; fruits compressed, not beaked, silky. (Name from the 
 Greek linon, flax, and osyris, the toad-flax.) 
 
 1. L. vulgaris (Flax-leaved Goldilocks). — A glabrous, erect, 
 unbranched, herbaceous plant, 12 — 18 in. high, with leafy stem; 
 linear entire leaves and a few heads of yellow flowers, with no ray, 
 in a terminal corymb. — Limestone cliffs ; very rare. — Fl. August, 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 7. FilAgo (Cudweed). — Slender, woolly plants, with small 
 scattered entire leaves ; heads minute, in axillary and terminal 
 clusters ; bracts few, membranous, long, pointed, imbricate ; recep- 
 tacle conical, with a few chaffy scales at its margin ; florets few, all 
 tubular, the outer ones without stamens ; pappus of slender, silky 
 hairs. (Name from the Latin fllum, a thread, from the down 
 covering the whole plant.) 
 
 1. F. germdnica (Common Filago or Cudweed). — A singular 
 little plant, 4 — 12 in. high, greyish; stem erect, cottony, terminat- 
 ing in a globular assemblage of heads, from the base of which two 
 or more branches spring, which are similarly proliferous ; leaves 
 linear, acute, wavy; heads 20 — 40 in each cluster, obscurely 
 5-angled, reddish-brown ; bracts with smooth, yellowish tips. — Dry 
 gravelly places ; common. From its curious mode of branching, 
 this species was called by the old botanists Herba impia (the 
 undutiful plant), as if the young shoots were guilty of disrepect 
 in overtopping the parent. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 257 
 
 2. F. apiculdta (Apiculate Cudweed). — A taller, more greenish 
 species, with blunt apiculate leaves; heads larger than F. ger- 
 mdnica, 10 — 20 in a cluster, prominently 5- angled, in clusters 
 which often appear lateral from the development of only one pro- 
 liferous branch, and are overtopped by 1 or 2 blunt leaves ; bracts 
 with smooth reddish tips. — Sandy places ; rare. The whole plant 
 has a smell of Tansy. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 3. F. spathuldta (Spathulate Cudweed). — Another closely allied 
 species, whitish, shorter, branched lower down ; leaves spathulate ; 
 heads larger, 8 — 15 in a cluster, prominently 5-angled, in clusters 
 overtopped by 2 — 3 acute leaves; 
 
 bracts with smooth yellow tips. — 
 Dry fields ; not common. — Fl. July, 
 August. Annual. 
 
 4. F. minima (Least Cudweed). 
 —A smaller, erect, repeatedly 
 forked, greyish plant, 4 — 6 in. high ; 
 leaves linear-lanceolate, acute, ad- 
 pressed, cottony ; heads 3—6 
 together in terminal and axillary 
 clusters, brownish-yellow. — Dry 
 gravelly places ; common. — Fl. 
 June — September. Annual. 
 
 5.* F. gdllica (Narrow-leaved 
 Cudweed). — A slender, repeatedly 
 forked plant, with linear acute and 
 afterwards revolute leaves longer 
 than the yellowish flower-heads, 
 which are borne in axillary clusters 
 of 2 — 6 together. — Sandy fields in 
 Essex, Hertfordshire, and Bucking- 
 hamshire ; not indigenous. — Fl. 
 July — September. Annual. 
 
 8. Antennaria (Everlasting). — Woolly plants with flower-heads 
 dioecious or nearly so ; florets all tubular ; pappus of one row of 
 hairs, those of the staminate florets club-shaped. (Name from 
 the antenna of a butterfly which the pappus-hairs of the staminate 
 florets resemble.) 
 
 1. A. dioica (Cat's-foot, Mountain Everlasting, or Cudweed). — 
 The only British species, a pretty little plant, 3 — 6 in. high, with 
 numerous prostrate shoots ; leaves spathulate, apiculate, green 
 above, cottony below ; heads 2 — 5, in a corymb, rendered con- 
 spicuous by the white or rose-coloured involucre, which is of the 
 s 
 
 filago germanica [Common Filagd). 
 
2 5 8 
 
 COMPOSITE 
 
 texture commonly termed everlasting. — Mountain heaths and 
 sandy places ; frequent especially in the north. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 *2. A. margaritdcea (White Everlasting of gardens). — An erect, 
 half shrubby, corymbosely-branched, leafy, cottony plant, 2 — 3 
 feet high, with runners ; linear-lanceolate acute leaves, 3 — 5 in. 
 long, smooth above ; and small heads of yellowish -flowers, with 
 white involucres, in a compound corymb. It is naturalised in 
 South Wales, the Channel Islands, and elsewhere. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 9. Gnaphalium (Cud- 
 weed). — Woolly plants with 
 small heads of tubular florets 
 clustered in terminal or axil- 
 lary fascicles ; bracts ad- 
 pressed, coloured ; receptacle 
 flat, naked ; outer florets 
 without stamens ; anthers 
 tailed ; pappus of one row 
 of slender, silky hairs. 
 (Name from the Greek 
 gnaphdlion, referring to the 
 woolly down.) 
 
 1. G. uliginbsum (Marsh 
 Cudweed). — A small plant 
 3 — 6 in. high, much branch- 
 ed, woolly, white ; leaves 
 narrow, downy, over-topping 
 the terminal clusters of 
 heads ; bracts glossy, yellow- 
 ish-brown. — Wet, sandy 
 places, especially where 
 very common. — Fl. July — 
 
 antennAria dioIca {Mountain Everlasting). 
 
 water has stood during winter 
 September. Annual. 
 
 2. G. luteo-dlbum (Jersey Cudweed). — A taller, less branched 
 species with heads in dense, leafless corymbs, pale straw-coloured 
 brads, and red-tinged florets, is found chiefly in the Channel 
 Islands.— Fl. July — August. Annual. 
 
 3. G. sylvdticum (Wood Cudweed). — A white cottony plant 
 about a foot high, with an unbranched stem ; long, narrow, acute 
 leaves ; and a leafy, distant spike of yellowish heads. — Woods and 
 gravelly heaths ; common.— Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 4. G. norvegicum (Highland Cudweed). — Differing in having 
 broader leaves, a close spike of heads, and brown bracts. — Occurs 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 '59 
 
 only on the mountains of the Highlands. — Fl. August. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 5. G. supinum (Dwarf Cudweed). — A low tufted plant, with 
 leaves mostly radical, and almost leafless scapes bearing 1 — 5 
 'heads, also confined to Highland mountains. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 fNULA hel£nium (Elecam/ane). 
 
 10. Inula (Elecampane). — Mostly stout, stiff, erect plants; 
 leaves scattered, simple ; heads yellow, with a ray ; bracts herba- 
 ceous, imbricate in many rows ; receptacle naked ; anthers with 
 two bristles at the base ; pappus of one row of hairs. (Name 
 probably a corruption of Helenula, Little Helen.) 
 
 1. I. Helenium (Elecampane). — A stout plant, 3—5 feet high, 
 slightly branched ; leaves oblong, wrinkled, downy beneath, 
 toothed, the lower ones long-stalked, a foot or more in length, 
 s 2 
 
260 
 
 COMPOSITE 
 
 the upper ones sessile, amplexicaul ; heads terminal, solitary, or 
 nearly so, 3 in. across, bright yellow ; bracts broadly ovate, downy. 
 — -Meadows ; not common and often only a naturalised escape. 
 It was formerly cultivated as a tonic, and its rhizome is still 
 candied and furnishes the Vin d'Aulnee of the French, being 
 considered valuable in diseases of the lungs. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. /. squarrosa (Ploughman's Spikenard). — An erect, downy 
 plant, 2 — 5 feet high ; leaves dull green ; ovate-lanceolate, downy, 
 
 toothed, 3 — 5 in. long, the 
 lower ones stalked ; heads in a 
 branched corymb, numerous, 
 dingy yellow, with leaf-like 
 bracts, the outer of which are 
 blunt and revolute, and incon- 
 spicuous ray-florets. — Banks 
 chiefly on a calcareous soil ; 
 not uncommon. — Fl. July- 
 September. Biennial. 
 
 3. /. salicina, a nearly gla- 
 brous species, 12 — 18 in. high, 
 with narrow, toothed leaves 
 and terminal, solitary heads, 
 i\ in. across, is found only on 
 the shores of Lough Derg, 
 Galway. 
 
 4. /. crithmoides (Golden 
 Samphire). — Well distinguish- 
 ed from every other British 
 plant, glabrous, yellow-green, 
 6 — 18 in. high, slightly 
 branched, with numerous very 
 narrow, fleshy, blunt or 2 — 4- 
 pointed leaves, and solitary 
 
 golden-yellow heads, 1 in. across. — Salt marshes and sea-cliffs in 
 the west; rare.— Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 11. Pulicaria (Flea-bane). — Differing from Inula chiefly in 
 having the bracts loosely imbricate in a few rows, and an outer 
 row of short scales to the pappus. (Name from the Latin pulex, 
 a flea, the strong smell of the plant, or its pollen, being supposed 
 to drive away fleas.) 
 
 1. P. dysenterica (Common Flea-bane). — From 1 — 2 feet high, 
 growing in masses, and well marked by its woolly stem; soft, 
 
 pulicaria dysenterica 
 {Common Flea-bane). 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 261 
 
 hoary, oblong, cordate, amplexicaul leaves; and few terminal, 
 large, flat, golden-yellow heads, with bristle-like bracts and 
 numerous narrow ray-florets longer than the disk. — Moist places ; 
 common. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. vulgaris (Small Flea-bane). — Resembling the. last, but not 
 more than half the size, nor by any means so hoary ; stem 
 hairy ; leaves lanceolate, narrow at the base, sessile, hairy ; heads 
 nearly solitary, \ in. across, 
 with very short, erect ray- 
 florets. — Sandy heaths, 
 where water has stood, in 
 the south, but not found 
 in Scotland or Ireland ; 
 not common. — Fl. August, 
 September. Annual. 
 
 *i2. XAnthium (Bur- 
 weed). — A curiously ano- 
 malous genus with 
 monoecious heads, the 
 staminate ones having a 
 few bracts in 1 row, a scaly 
 receptacle, and numerous 
 tubular florets with free 
 anthers ; whilst the carpel- 
 late ones consist of 2 
 florets, enclosed within a 
 spinous involucre which 
 hardens over their two 
 fruits, and having no 
 corolla. (Name from the 
 Greek xanthos, yellow.) 
 
 1.* X. Strumdrium 
 (Common Burweed). — 
 With cordate, 3-lobed, 
 toothed leaves and two straight beaks to the fruit, and 
 
 2.* X. spinbsum (Spinous Burweed) with three spines at the 
 base of each leaf, and a single straight beak to the fruit, are both 
 casual escapes. — Fl. August, September. Annual. 
 
 13. Bidens (Bur-Marigold). — Glabrous plants with leaves 
 mostly opposite ; heads nearly solitary, yellow ; bracts in 2 or 3 
 rows, the outer spreading and often leafy; receptacle flat and 
 scaly ; ray-florets generally absent, or, if present, in 1 row ; 
 neuter ; fruit compressed, angular, the angles ending in a pappus 
 
 bi'dexs tripartita (Trrfid Bur- Mar! gold). 
 
262 comp6sitve 
 
 of 2 — 5 barbed bristles. (Name from the Latin bi, double, dens, 
 a tooth, the teeth on the fruit being themselves toothed.) 
 
 1. B. cernua (Nodding Bur- Marigold). — A somewhat succulent 
 plant, 1 — 2 feet high, with stem often reddish; simple, lanceolate, 
 serrate, glabrous leaves ; and terminal, solitary, drooping, button- 
 like heads of brownish-yellow florets, with several leafy bracts, but 
 rarely any ray-florets. The fruit, which forms a pretty object for 
 the polariscope, is oblong and terminates in 3 or 4 stiff bristles, 
 each thickly set with minute recurved barbs, so as to take a firm 
 
 hold on the coat of any animal 
 which comes in contact with 
 them. — Watery places ; fre- 
 quent. — Fl. July — October. 
 Annual. 
 
 2. B. tripartita (Trifid Bur- 
 Marigold). — Distinguished 
 from the last by its stalked 
 3-partite leaves ; smaller, nearly 
 erect heads, which more often 
 have ray-florets; and 2, or 
 rarely 3, bristles on the fruit. — 
 Watery places ; frequent. — Fl. 
 July — September. Annual. 
 
 . *i4. Galins6ga, represented 
 by G. parviflora, an escape from 
 Kew Gardens, now naturalised 
 in many places, is a South 
 American genus, with opposite, 
 broad, serrate leaves and small 
 heads, the 4 — 6 short, broad, 
 white ray-florets of which, sur- 
 achill£a ptArmica (Jneezewort). rounding the yellow disk, might 
 
 lead at first to the heads being 
 mistaken for flowers of some other Order. (Named in honour 
 of Don M. de Galinsoga, a Spanish botanist, but corrupted into 
 " Gallant Soldier.")— Fl. July— October. Annual. 
 
 15. Achillea (Yarrow). — Stiff plants; leaves scattered; heads 
 in corymbs, with few, ligulate, broad, white ray-florets ; flat, scaly 
 receptacle ; fruit compressed ; no pappus. (Named after Achilles, 
 with reference to supposed healing properties.) 
 
 1. A. Millefolium (Common Yarrow or Milfoil). — Stems very 
 tough, angular, 6 — 18 in. high; leaves bipinnatifid, with a lanceo- 
 late general outline, woolly or slightly hairy ; leaflets cut into 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 263 
 
 hair-like segments ; heads small, white, pink, or red, in dense ter- 
 minal corymbs. — Pastures and roadsides ; very common. The 
 plant has a strong, slightly aromatic odour, and is said to have the 
 property of healing wounds. Its clusters of flower-heads might 
 be supposed, by an unpractised eye, to belong to one of the 
 Umbelliferae. Fl. May— September. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. Ptdrmica (Sneezewort). ■ — Somewhat taller and more 
 slender than the last, from which it may be at once distinguished 
 by its undivided, linear-lanceolate, serrate, glabrous leaves and 
 larger heads of flowers, of which both disk and ray are white. — 
 Moist meadows, heaths, &c. ; common. — Fl. July, August. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 16. Diotis (Cotton- weed). — An erect, branched, woolly plant; 
 leaves scattered ; heads sub-globose, yellow ; receptacle flat, scaly ; 
 florets all tubular and perfect ; corolla with two ears or spurs at 
 its base, which remain and crown the fruit; no pappus. (Name 
 from the Greek di, double, ous, otos, an ear, from the structure of 
 the fruit.) 
 
 1. D. maritima (Seaside Cotton-weed). — The only species. The 
 woody rhizome runs deeply into the sand ; the many stout ascend- 
 ing stems, about a foot high, are branched above, and thickly set 
 with sessile, oblong, blunt leaves, which, as well as the rest of the 
 plant, are covered with thick white cotton, and almost hide the 
 small terminal heads of yellow florets. — Sandy sea-shores ; rare. — 
 Fl. August, September. Perennial. 
 
 17. Anthemis (Chamomile). — Strongly-scented herbs; leaves 
 scattered, bi-pinnatifid ; heads solitary ; receptacle flat or convex, 
 scaly ; bracts with membranous margins, imbricate, in few rows ; 
 ray-florets in i row, ligulate, oblong, generally white, or rarely 
 absent ; fruit not compressed ; pappus represented by a mem- 
 branous ring. (Name from the Greek anthos, a flower, from the 
 value of its flower-heads as a medicine.) 
 
 1* A. tinctoria (Ox-eye Chamomile). — A much-branched, 
 cottony plant, i — 2 feet high, with much-divided leaves and large 
 heads, with a hemispherical receptacle and both ray and disk bright 
 yellow, resembling Chrysanthemum segetum. — Fields ; not in- 
 digenous — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 2. A. Cotula (Stinking Chamomile). — Distinguished by its 
 strong disagreeable odour; upright, branched stem; leaves 
 repeatedly cut into hair-like segments, glandular-dotted, smooth ; 
 heads long-stalked, with long conical receptacle, white, neuter ray- 
 florets and yellow disk. — Waste places; common. Very acrid, 
 
264 
 
 comp6sitte 
 
 blistering the hands of those who gather it— Fl. June— September. 
 Annual. 
 
 3. A. arvensis (Corn Chamomile). — A hoary or downy, much- 
 branched plant ; leaves cut into hair-like segments, but not dotted 
 with glands ; heads as in the last, but with conical receptacle and 
 carpel late ray-florets. — Borders of cultivated fields ; frequent. — Fl. 
 
 June — August. Annual. 
 
 4. A. nobilis (Common 
 Chamomile). — Stems pros- 
 trate, much branched ; 
 leaves repeatedly cut into 
 hair-like segments, slightly 
 downy ; heads as in the 
 preceding, but drooping 
 before expansion. — Gravel- 
 ly and sandy places ; fre- 
 quent. Distinguished by 
 its pleasant aromatic smell, 
 resembling that of fresh 
 apples, whence is derived 
 its name of Chamomile, 
 which in Greek signifies 
 ground apple. The whole 
 plant is very bitter, and is a 
 valuable tonic. — Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 18. Chrysanthemum 
 (Ox - eye). — Herbs or 
 shrubs ; leaves toothed or 
 lobed, not decompound ; 
 heads solitary ; bracts with 
 membranous margins, im- 
 bricate ; receptacle flat or 
 convex, naked ; ray-florets 
 in 1 row, ligulate, carpel- 
 late, white or yellow; no 
 chrusos, gold, anthos, a 
 
 Anthemis n6bilis {Common Ch 
 
 (Name from the 
 
 Greek 
 
 pappus. 
 flower.) 
 
 1. C. segetum (Yellow Ox-eye, Corn Marigold). — Glabrous, 
 glaucous ; leaves obovate or oblong, acute, toothed and lobed, 
 the lower pinnatifid and stalked, the upper amplexicaul ; ray-florets 
 golden-yellow. — Cultivated fields ; abundant. The brilliant, 
 golden blossoms contrast beautifully with the scarlet Poppies and 
 

COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 265 
 
 blue Cornflowers. — Fl. June, July, and, in summer-ploughed fields, 
 again in October and November. Annual. 
 
 2. C. Leucdnthemum (Ox-eye Daisy, Moon Daisy). — Erect, slightly 
 branched, glabrous or nearly so, but not glaucous ; lower leaves 
 stalked and auricled, upper sessile, pinnatifid at the base ; bracts 
 with a narrow dark purple membranous margin ; ray-florets white. 
 — Meadows ; abundant. Almost as well known as the common 
 daisy, and a great favourite with children, who sometimes string 
 
 CHRYSANTHEMUM SEGETUM (Yellow Ox-tye\ 
 
 the flower-heads on a stout grass-straw, or bit of wire, making a 
 very fair imitation of the plume formerly worn by soldiers. The 
 plant is said to be destructive to fleas. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 19. Matricaria (Wild Chamomile, Feverfew). — Branched 
 plants ; leaves much divided into narrow segments, bracts imbricate, 
 in few rows ; receptacle broad, naked, becoming conical after 
 flowering ; ray-florets in one row, ligulate, white, or rarely absent ; 
 no pappus. 
 
266 
 
 COMPOSITE 
 
 i. M. inodora (Corn Feverfew, Scentless May-weed). — Scent- 
 less, glabrous ; stem erect, branched, angular j leaves sessile, 
 repeatedly cut into numerous hair-like segments ; heads solitary, 
 2 in. across ; bracts toothed and edged with brown ; receptacle 
 hemispherical, becoming conical ; ray-florets white, ultimately 
 refiexed. — Fields; abundant. — Fl. June— October. Annual or 
 Biennial. 
 
 2. M. maritima (Sea Feverfew). — Less erect and more fleshy ; 
 
 Matricaria inodora (Corn Feverfew, Scentless May-w 
 
 leaf-segments long ; bracts with broad dark margins. — Sea-coast in 
 the North of Scotland. Perennial. 
 
 3. M. Chamomilla (Wild Chamomile). — Aromatic, much- 
 branched, glabrous plant ; leaves bipinnate, repeatedly cut into 
 very narrow hair-like segments ; heads in corymbs, \ — f in. across ; 
 bracts without membranous margins ; receptacle conical, elongating 
 during fruiting, hollow ; ray-florets white, refiexed directly after 
 flowering, or absent. — Cornfields ; frequent. Its smell is fainter 
 than that of Anthemis nobilis, and the bracts and hollow receptacle 
 serve to distinguish it from A. Cotula and Matricaria inodora. — 
 Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 267 
 
 4. M. Parthenium (Common Feverfew). — Pubescent, erect, 
 branched above, 1 — 2 feet high ; leaves stalked, pinnate ; leaflets 
 pinnatifid and deeply cut ; heads many, corymbose, \ — f in. 
 across ; receptacle convex ; ray-florets white, short and broad. — 
 Waste-ground ; not very common. Well marked by its repeatedly 
 cut, curled, delicate green leaves which are conspicuous in mid- 
 winter, and its numerous small flower-heads. The whole plant 
 has a powerful and not unpleasant odour, which is said to be 
 
 tanac£tum vulgAr£ {Common Tansy). 
 
 The English name is a corruption 
 properties. — Fl. July — September. 
 
 particularly offensive to bees, 
 of Febrifuge, from its tonic 
 Perennial. 
 
 5.* M. suaveolens, a North American species, with a short, 
 densely leafy stem; short peduncles ; broad membranous involu- 
 cral bracts, and no ray-florets, is naturalised in various places. 
 
 *2o. Cotula, represented by C. cor onopi folia, is a genus of 
 branched annuals, with pinnatifid leaves, and small solitary heads 
 of yellow tubular florets, with 4-lobed corollas. This species is 
 
2 68 
 
 C0MP6SIT7E 
 
 glabrous, succulent, and creeping, with shining leaves and erect 
 peduncles i — 2 in. high. It is naturalised near Birkenhead. 
 
 21. Tanacetum (Tansy). — Strong-scented herbs or under- 
 shrubs ; leaves scattered, much divided ; heads solitary or corymb- 
 ose, sub-globose, yellow ; bracts membranous at their edges ; 
 
 receptacle convex, 
 
 naked ; florets all 
 tubular ; fruit angu- 
 lar, crowned with a 
 lobed membranous 
 disk. (Name said to 
 be from the Greek 
 athdnaton, immortal.) 
 1. T. vulgar e (Com- 
 mon Tansy). — The 
 only British species, 
 2 — 3 feet high; stem 
 angular, leafy ; leaves 
 deeply bipinnatifid, 
 serrate ; heads many, 
 bright yellow, button- 
 like, in a terminal 
 corymb. — Hedges 
 and waste ground ; 
 common. The whole 
 plant is bitter and 
 aromatic, and is not 
 only used in medi- 
 cine, but was the 
 principal ingredient in 
 a nauseous dish called 
 Tansy Pudding. — Fl. 
 August, September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 22. A R TEMf si A 
 (Wormwood).— Herbs 
 and undershrubs with a bitter or aromatic taste ; leaves scattered ; 
 heads small, in racemes or panicles ; bracts with membranous 
 margins ; receptacle naked, narrow ; florets all tubular ; no pappus. 
 (Name from Artemis, the Diana of the Greeks.) 
 
 1. A. Absinthium (Common Wormwood). — A bushy plant, 1 — 
 3 feet high, with silky stems ; leaves twice pinnatifid, with bluntish 
 segments, silky on both sides ; heads many, small, panicled, 
 
 aktemisia absinthium {Common Wormwood). 
 
Fig. 31. Colts' -foot {Tussitago Farfarai 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 269 
 
 hemispherical, drooping, dull yellow. — Waste ground; common. 
 Bitter and aromatic, and much used in rural districts as a tonic. 
 — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. vulgaris (Mugwort).— Taller and more slender than the 
 last, and well distinguished by the absence of aromatic odour, 
 and the leaves which are green above and white with wool be- 
 neath and pinnatifid with acute segments; heads reddish- or 
 
 tussilAgo fArfara (Colfs-foot). 
 
 brownish-yellow. — Hedges, and waste places ; abundant. An 
 infusion of tea of this plant is a rural remedy for rheumatism. — 
 Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 3. A. campestris (Field Wormwood). — Stems prostrate until 
 flowering ; leaves pinnatifid, with very slender acute segments, 
 silky when young, but becoming glabrous. — Sandy heaths in 
 Norfolk and Suffolk ; rare. — Fl. August, September. Perennial. 
 
 4. A. maritima (Sea Wormwood). — Somewhat resembling 
 
270 
 
 comp6sit;e 
 
 A. Absinthium, but smaller ; leaves twice pinnatifid with many, very 
 narrow, blunt segments, with white down on both sides ; heads in 
 racemes, drooping or erect. — Salt marshes ; frequent. — Fl. July 
 — September. Perennial. 
 
 5.* A. Stelleridna, a densely white-felted species, with pinnati- 
 fid leaves, with broad, 
 obtuse lobes, and a 
 nearly simple raceme 
 of large, erect flower- 
 heads, is naturalised in 
 places on the coast. 
 
 23. Tussilago 
 (Colt's-foot).— Rhizome 
 creeping ; leaves large, 
 radical ; heads solitary, 
 yellow, many-flowered ; 
 bracts narrow, in 1 row ; 
 receptacle naked ; ray- 
 florets narrow, in several 
 rows ; disk-florets few ; 
 pappus of slender, silky 
 hairs. (Name from the 
 Latin tussis, a cough, 
 from the use to which 
 it is applied.) 
 
 1. T. Far jar a (Colt's- 
 foot ). — T he only 
 species ; leaves, which 
 do not appear until 
 the flower-heads are 
 withered, roundish, 
 cordate, and angular, 
 cobwebby above, with 
 dense, white down be- 
 neath ; peduncles with 
 scale-like bracts, elon- 
 gating after flowering ; heads bright yellow, about 1 inch across, 
 drooping before expansion ; pappus snow-white. — Clayey fields ; 
 abundant. A pernicious weed, the leaves of which are made 
 into cigars for asthmatic persons. The down on their under 
 surfaces was formerly used as tinder, and the goldfinch fre- 
 quently lines its nest with the pappus. — Fl. February, March. 
 Perennial. 
 
 petasItes hybridus (Common Butter-bur). 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 27 I 
 
 24. PETAsfTES (Butter-bur).— Leaves large, broad, radical, pro- 
 duced after the flowers ; heads numerous, purplish or white, in a 
 raceme, many-flowered ; florets all tubular, sub-dioecious. (Name 
 from the Greek petasos, an umbrella, from the large size of the 
 leaves.) 
 
 1. P. hybridus (Common Butter-bur). — The only indigenous 
 species, the largest, and, where it abounds, the most pernicious 
 of all the weeds which this country produces. Leaves kidney- 
 shaped, 1 — 3 feet in diameter, downy, appearing after the flowers ; 
 heads dull lilac, many flowered, in a raceme, on a short fleshy 
 peduncle with sheathing bracts terminating in small blades. — 
 Marshy meadows and river-banks ; common. Planted near bee- 
 hives by Swedish farmers, on account of its early flowering. — Fl. 
 January — March. Perennial. 
 
 * P. frdgrans (Winter Heliotrope), with cordate leaves and a 
 loose panicle of a few dingy but sweet-scented heads with ligulate 
 fertile florets, flowering very early in January, and *P. albus 
 (White-flowered Butter-bur), with much smaller, deeply scalloped 
 leaves and white flowers, are common in shrubberies, almost hiding 
 the ground with their leaves, thriving beneath the shade of trees 
 and shrubs, but overpowering all herbaceous plants, and eventu- 
 ally, it is said, even the shrubs themselves. Both are occasionally 
 naturalised, the former in the south, the latter in Scotland. 
 
 *25. DoRONfcuM (Leopard's-bane). — Radical leaves stalked; 
 caidine leaves scattered, amplexicaul ; heads terminal, nearly 
 solitary, large, yellow ; bracts in 2 or 3 rows, narrow, acute, equal j 
 receptacle conical ; ray-florets in 1 row, ligulate, with no pappus ; 
 pappus of disk-florets of several rows of stiff hairs. (Name of un- 
 certain etymology.) 
 
 1.* D. Pardalidnches (Great Leopard's-bane). — Stem 2 — 3 feet 
 high, erect, solitary, hairy, hollow ; leaves cordate, soft j the 
 earlier flower-heads overtopped by the later. — Damp, hilly woods ; 
 rare, not indigenous. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 2* D. plantagineum (Plantain-leaved Leopard's-bane), differing 
 in having ovate leaves and solitary heads of flowers, is very rare 
 and not indigenous. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 26. Senecio (Groundsel, Rag-wort). — A large genus of herbs 
 and undershrubs ; leaves scattered ; heads usually yellow, corymb- 
 ose, or solitary ; bracts in 1 row, sometimes with a few smaller 
 scales at their base, narrow, ad pressed, herbaceous ; receptacle 
 naked ; ray sometimes absent ; pappus of several rows of soft, 
 slender hairs. (Name from the Latin senex, an old man, from 
 the white or grey hairy pappus.) 
 
272 
 
 COMPOSITE 
 
 i. S. vulgaris (Common Groundsel). — Leaves half-am plexicaul, 
 deeply pinnatifid, toothed, not sticky ; heads few, drooping ; 
 outer bracts very short, with black points ; ray absent. — A common 
 weed in cultivated ground ; a favourite food of many small birds. 
 — Fl. all the year round. Annual. 
 
 2. S. sylvdticus (Mountain Groundsel.) — Distinguished from 
 the last by its larger size, it being 1 — 2 feet high and branched ; 
 by being foetid and slightly sticky ; by its more copiously cut, 
 
 sek£cio vulgaris {Common Grounasel). 
 
 pinnatifid, often hoary leaves, with narrow, toothed lobes ; and 
 by its many conical rather than cylindrical heads of dull yellow 
 flowers, which are in a corymb and sometimes have a few small 
 rolled back ray-florets. — Dry, gravelly places ; common. — FL 
 July — September. Annual. 
 
 3. S. viscosus (Viscid Groundsel). — Differing from the pre- 
 ceding in being more viscid, with glandular hairs, and in having 
 fewer heads with outer bracts half as long as the inner ones. — Dry 
 waste places ; local. — Fl. July — September. Annual. 
 
Fig. 32. Ragwort. tSentcioJacdxew. 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 273 
 
 4.* S. squdlidus (Inelegant Ragwort). — Inappropriately named, 
 as it is by far the prettiest British species. About a foot high, 
 much branched; leaves irregularly lyrately pinnatifid with narrow 
 segments, glabrous ; heads few, in a very loose corymb ; outer bracts 
 few and very short ; ray spreading. — On old walls at Oxford, Bide- 
 ford, Cork, &c. ; but not indigenous. — Fl. June — October. Annual. 
 
 5. S. erucif alius (Hoary Ragwort). — About 2 feet high, erect; 
 stems angular, cottony, with curled hairs ; leaves regularly pinnati- 
 fid, with slightly rolled back harrow lobes, cottony beneath ; heads 
 in a dense corymb; outer 
 bracts half as long as the 
 inner; ray spreading. — Dry 
 banks on a limestone or 
 chalky soil ; not uncommon. 
 — Fl. July, August. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 6. S. Jacobcea (Common 
 Ragwort). — Almost gla- 
 brous ; stem erect, 2 — 3 feet 
 high ; leaves pinnatifid, gla- 
 brous, generally lyrate, the 
 upper ones auricled ; heads 
 large, bright yellow, in a 
 dense corymb ; ray spreading, 
 or rarely absent. — Waste 
 places ; abundant. — Fl. June 
 — September. Perennial. 
 
 7. S. aqudticus (Marsh 
 Ragwort). — Resembling the 
 last, but of more slender, 
 looser habit ; radical leaves 
 stalked, undivided, toothed ; 
 cauline leaves irregularly lyrately pinnatifid ; heads in a loose 
 corymb. — Wet places ; abundant. — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 8.* S. sarracenicus (Broad-leaved Ragwort).— Stem erect, 3—5 
 feet high, smooth, solid ; leaves lanceolate, irregularly serrate, 
 sessile, or nearly so, glabrous ; heads many, in loose downy 
 corymbs ; ray-florets few. — Moist meadows ; locally naturalised. 
 — FJ. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 9. S. paludasus (Great Fen Ragwort). — A large aquatic plant, 
 5—6 feet high ; stem slightly cottony, hollow ; leaves lanceolate, 
 sharply serrate, cottony beneath; heads in loose corymbs; ray- 
 florets many. — Fens in the eastern counties; rare. — Fl. May — 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 T 
 
 sen£cio jacob^a (Common Ragwort). 
 
274 
 
 COMPOSITE 
 
 10. S. palustris (Marsh Flea wort). — A stout plant, 2—3 feet 
 high, shaggy ; stem hollow ; leaves sessile, broadly lanceolate, half- 
 clasping, the lower ones wavy and toothed ; heads many, in a 
 crowded corymb ; with no outer scales to the involucre ; ray 
 spreading. — Fens in the eastern counties; rare. — Fl. June July. 
 Biennial. 
 
 1 1. S. integrifolius (Field Fleawort). — A small, shaggy plant, 
 6 — 8 in. high, with an unbranched stem; radical leaves shortly 
 
 stalked, oblong, nearly 
 entire ; caidine leaves 
 lanceolate ; heads 1 — 6 
 in a simple corymb. — 
 Chalky downs ; rare. — 
 Fl. May, June. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 12. S. spathulifolius 
 (Maritime Fleawort). — 
 An allied species, 1 — 3 
 feet high, shaggy and 
 unbranched, with spathu- 
 late radical leaves and 
 large, clasping cauline 
 leaves. — Occurs on rocks 
 near Holyhead. — Fl. 
 June, July. Biennial or 
 Perennial. 
 
 13.* S. Cineraria, a 
 Mediterranean species, 
 with leaves densely 
 white-felted beneath, is 
 naturalised in co. Dublin, 
 where it hybridizes with 
 5. Jacob&a. 
 
 CARLi.NA vulgaris (Common Carline Thistle). 2 1 ■ CaRLINA (Carline 
 
 Thistle). — Stiff, spinous 
 plants ; leaves pinnatifid ; outer bracts leafy, spreading, with spinous 
 teeth, inner longer, narrow, chaffy ; receptacle flat, deeply pitted ; 
 florets all tubular ; corolla 5-toothed ; anthers tailed ; fruit silky, 
 with bifid hairs ; pappus in 1 row, branched and feathery. (Name, 
 the same as Carolina, from a tradition that the root of one species, 
 C. acaulis, was shown by an angel to Charlemagne as a remedy for 
 the plague which prevailed in his army.) 
 
 1. C. vulgaris (Common Carline Thistle). — The only British 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 275 
 
 species, readily distinguished from every other British Thistle by 
 the long inner bracts of the involucre, which are straw-coloured 
 and glossy, and spread in a radiate manner so as to resemble 
 petals. In dry weather they lie flat, but when the atmosphere 
 is moist, they rise and form, as it were, a penthouse over the 
 florets. Their texture is like that of Everlasting Flowers ; hence 
 they scarcely alter their 
 appearance when dead, 
 and, as the whole plant is 
 remarkably durable, they 
 often retain their form and 
 position till the succeeding 
 spring. On the Continent 
 the large white flower-head 
 of one species, C. acaulis, 
 is often nailed upon cottage 
 doors by way of a hygro- 
 meter, as it closes before 
 rain. — Dry heaths. — Fl. 
 June — October. Biennial. 
 
 28. Arctium (Burdock). 
 — Stout, erect, branching 
 plants, with very large, 
 stalked, cordate leaves; a 
 globose involucre of long, 
 stiff, spreading, spinous, 
 hooked bracts; flat, scaly 
 receptacle ; florets all tubular 
 and perfect ; anthers tailed ; 
 pappus in several rows of 
 short, simple hairs. (Name 
 from the Greek arktos, a 
 bear, from the rough burs.) 
 
 1. A. Lappa (Great Bur- 
 dock). — A large and stout 
 herbaceous plant, remark- 
 able for the picturesque character of its large, wavy leaves, which 
 are often introduced by artists into the foreground of their land-^ 
 scapes. The petioles are solid ; the flower-heads long-stalked, in 
 a loose corymb, hemispherical, very large ; involucre glabrous and 
 green, or sometimes interwoven with a white, cottony substance ; 
 florets purplish-red. Waste places J not uncommon. The hooked 
 spines of the involucre attach the heads when in fruit to the coats 
 
 Arctium minus (Lesser Burdook). 
 
276 COMPOSITE 
 
 of animals, so that they are conveyed to a distance. — Fl. July, 
 August. Biennial. 
 
 2. A. nemorbsum (Wood Burdock). — A smaller species ; leaves 
 coarsely crenate ; petioles hollow ; heads smaller, sub-sessile, ovate, 
 in a raceme, usually 3 together on a branch ; heads webbed.— 
 Local. — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 3. A. minus (Lesser Burdock). — -A still smaller form, with 
 coarsely-toothed, radical leaves; hollow petioles; and shortly- 
 stalked, globular heads, not exceeding f in. across, sub-racemose ; 
 involucre green, slightly webbed. — Waste places ; the commonest 
 form. — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 4. A. pubens (Intermediate Burdock). — A form of intermediate 
 size, about 3 feet high, with crenate radical leaves, a slender tube 
 in the petioles, and slightly-stalked, sub-racemose, hemispherical 
 heads, twice as large as those of A. minus, with purplish and 
 usually much webbed involucres.^- Waste places ; not uncommon. 
 — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 29. Carduus (Thistle). — Erect herbs ; leaves spinous-toothed, 
 decurrent, forming very spinous wings to the stem ; involucre 
 globose, of many, imbricate, spinous bracts ; receptacle deeply 
 pitted, scaly ; florets all tubular ; filaments free, hairy ; fruit com- 
 pressed ; pappus in many rows of long, equal, shining, white 
 hairs. (Name, the Latin name of the group.) 
 
 1. C. pycnocephalus (Slender-flowered Thistle). — Stems 2 — 4 
 feet high, slightly-branched,, hoary, with broad, continuous, 
 deeply-lobed, spinous wings ; leaves cottony beneath ; heads many, 
 clustered, cylindrical, small ; bracts glabrous, subulate, very long, 
 erect ; florets pink. Sandy waste places, especially near the sea ; 
 frequent. — Fl. June — August. Biennial. 
 
 2. C. nutans (Musk Thistle). — A very handsome plant, about 
 2 feet high, with a furrowed, cottony stem, interruptedly winged ; 
 leaves deeply-lobed, spinous, woolly on the veins beneath ; heads 
 large, solitary, drooping ; bracts lanceolate, spinous-pointed, 
 cottony, the outer ones refiexed ; florets crimson. — Waste places, 
 especially on chalk downs ; frequent. The flowers have a power- 
 ful musky odour. Fl. May — October. Biennial. 
 
 3. C. crispus (Welted Thistle). — -A branched, very spinous 
 plant, 3 — 4 feet high ; stem continuously winged ; heads small, 
 erect, clustered, roundish ; bracts linear, erect, or spreading, 
 webbed, slender; florets deep purple, or sometimes white. — Fl. 
 June — August. Annual or Biennial. 
 
 4. C. lanceoldtus (Spear Plume-Thistle). — Stem 2—5 feet high, 
 winged by the decurrent spinous leaves ; leaves pinnatifid, with 
 
Fig 33. Musk Thistle. [Cait/uus nu'ans). 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 277 
 
 bifid lobes, the segments lanceolate, entire, and ending in a strong 
 spine, white and downy beneath ; heads terminal, mostly solitary, 
 sometimes 2 or 3 together, stalked, egg-shaped, about an inch 
 across ; bracts lanceolate, spinous, spreading, woolly ; florets dull 
 purple. — Waste places and hedges; abundant. — Fl. July — 
 October. Biennial. 
 
 5. C. erwphorus (Woolly-headed Plume-Thistle).— Stem 3 — 5 
 
 carduus nutans (Thistle). 
 
 carduus lanceolatus (Spear Plume Thistle). 
 
 feet high, not winged ; leaves half clasping at the base ; heads 2 — 
 3 in. across, globose, with a thick white wool and long reflexed 
 spines to the involucre. — Waste ground on calcareous soil ; local. 
 — Fl. July — September. Biennial. 
 
 6. C. palustris (Marsh Plume-Thistle).— The tallest of British 
 Thistles, 3 — 10 feet high, consisting of a single, stout, hollow 
 stem, branched towards the summit, and spinously winged through- 
 out by the decurrent leaves, which are thickly armed with short, 
 often brownish, spines and are usually downy beneath; heads 
 
278 ' comp6sitve 
 
 small, egg-shaped, in a terminal leafy cluster ; bracts adpressed, 
 slightly webbed ; florets deep crimson, or sometimes white. — 
 Moist places ; abundant. — Fl. July — September. Biennial. 
 
 7. C. tuber dsus (Tuberous Plume-Thistle). — Root of spindle- 
 shaped, tuberous fibres ; stem 2 feet high, single, erect, round, 
 hairy, leafless above ; leaves not decurrent, deeply pinnatifid, 
 fringed with minute prickles ; heads generally solitary, large, egg- 
 shaped ; florets crimson. — Grows only in Wiltshire. — Fl. August, 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 8. C. pratensis (Meadow Plume-Thistle). — A small plant, ) 2 — 
 
 cXrduus pal^stris {Marsh Plume Thistle). 
 
 18 in. high, with fibrous roots ; a cottony stem, giving off runners ; 
 few leaves, mostly radical, soft, wavy, fringed with minute spines, 
 not decurrent j and generally solitary heads, with adpressed, 
 slightly cottony bracts and crimson florets. — Wet meadows ; not 
 general. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 9. C. heterophyllus (Melancholy Plume-Thistle). — Stem 2—4 
 feet high, erect, cottony, furrowed, slightly branched above, with 
 runners ; leaves large, clasping, not decurrent, serrate with minute 
 spines, smooth above, white and downy beneath ; head large, 
 
*> 
 
 ', If 
 
Fig. 34 
 
 Dwarf Plume-thistle 
 Marsh Plume thistle 
 
 \Carduus acauhst 
 [Carduus palusir.it 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 279 
 
 solitary, egg-shaped, handsome ; bracts downy ; florets red-purple. 
 — Moist mountain pastures. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 10. C. acaulis (Ground Thistle). — A low plant, stemless, or 
 nearly so, and so readily distinguished from all other British 
 species ; radical leaves pinnatifid, spinous, glabrous ; head solitary, 
 almost sessile ; florets crimson. — Dry gravelly or chalky pastures ; 
 not general, but abundant in many southern districts. — Fl. July 
 — September. Perennial. 
 
 n. C. arvensis (Creeping Plume-Thistle). — A handsome weed, 
 2 — 4 feet high, with a creeping rhizome; stem erect, leafy, 
 angular, not winged ; leaves sessile, pinnatifid, wavy, very 
 spinous ; heads numerous, stalked, corymbose ; bracts broad, 
 adpressed, spinous-pointed ; florets dingy light purple, musk- 
 scented, dioecious, the staminate ones in sub-globose, and the 
 carpellate ones in egg-shaped heads, the two forms of the plant 
 growing in separate patches. — Fields ; very common. — Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 Besides these species there are several hybrids between them. 
 
 30. Onopordum (Cotton-Thistle). — Differing from Cdrduus 
 mainly in its honeycombed receptacle and 4-angled fruit. (Name 
 of Greek origin.) 
 
 1. 0. Acdnthium (Scottish thistle). — A stout, hoary, or woolly 
 plant, 4 — 5 feet high ; stem erect, branched, with a broad 
 spinous wing to its summit; leaves wavy, pinnatifid, decurrent, 
 woolly on both surfaces ; heads many, large, globose, cobwebby ; 
 bracts green, recurved, fringed with minute spines ; florets pale 
 purple. — Dry waste places, especially in the south. Cultivated as 
 the national emblem in Scotland. — Fl. July — September. 
 Biennial. 
 
 31. Silybum (Milk-Thistle). — Represented by the species S. 
 Maridnum, is not an indigenous genus. It was called by the 
 early botanists Cdrduus Marice, or " Our Lady's Thistle," and is 
 a stout, glossily glabrous plant, 2 — 4 feet high, with white veins to 
 its large leaves ; large globose heads of rose-coloured florets ; 
 united filaments, and a pappus of many rows of silky white hairs. 
 Waste places.— Fl. June, July. Biennial. 
 
 32. Saussurea. — Herbs, not spinous, with heads of bluish- 
 purple, perfect, tubular florets, in corymbs ; bracts imbricate, io 
 many rows, not spinous ; receptacle flat, scaly ; anthers tailed ; 
 pappus in 2 rows, the outer bristly, the inner longer, feathery. 
 (Named in honour of the two de Saussures, Swiss naturalists.) 
 
 1. S. alpina (Alpine Saussurea). — The only British species, 
 
28o 
 
 COMP6siTiE 
 
 8 — 12 in. high, downy; leaves oblong-lanceolate, toothed, 
 cottony beneath ; heads 2 — 3 in. across, in a dense terminal 
 corymb ; involucre ovoid, woolly ; florets light purple, scented like 
 Heliotrope. — Alpine mountains ; rare. — Fl. August. Perennial. 
 
 33. SerrAtula 
 (Saw - wort). — Herbs 
 with simple, sometimes 
 pinnatifid, serrate leaves, 
 and generally dioecious 
 heads, with imbricate, 
 not spinous bracts, a 
 scaly receptacle, florets 
 all tubular, crimson or 
 white, anthers nearly, or 
 quite, without tails, and 
 a pappus of several 
 rows of unequal stiff 
 hairs, the inner longest. 
 (Name from the Latin, 
 meaning saw - toothed, 
 with reference to the 
 leaves.) 
 
 1. S. tinctbria (Com- 
 mon Saw-wort). — The 
 only British species, a 
 slender plant, 1 — 2 feet 
 high, with a stiff, erect, 
 angular stem, slightly 
 branched above ; leaves 
 deeply lyrately pin- 
 natifid and serrate ; 
 heads few, small, in a 
 loose corymb ; outer 
 bracts smooth, adpress- 
 ed ; inner tinged with 
 red ; florets crimson. — 
 Pastures ; frequent. — 
 Fl. August. Perennial. 
 34. Centaurea (Knapweed).— Wiry herbs with leaves some- 
 times spinous; heads egg-shaped or globose; bracts imbricate, 
 adpressed, membranous, or sometimes spinous, or fringed ; 
 receptacle flat, bristly; florets all tubular, but the outer usually 
 large, unsymmetrical, and neuter. (Name from the Centaur 
 
 serratula tinctoria (Common Saw-wort). 
 

Fie- 35 
 
 Cornflower. 
 
 iCenlaurea Cyanusr 
 
 Brown Radiant Knapweed 
 iCentaurea Jacem 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 28l 
 
 Chiron, who is fabled to have healed wounds with some such 
 plant.) 
 
 1. C. Jdcea (Brown Radiant Knapweed) is a garden escape, with 
 crimson florets, the outer ones larger ; pinnatifid outer bracts, and 
 irregularly jagged inner ones. — Fl. August, September. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. nigra (Black Knapweed Hard-head).— A tough-stemmed 
 plant, 1 — 2 feet high; lower leaves toothed, often with a few 
 small lobes at the base, upper narrow, tapering ; heads terminal, 
 
 centaur6a c^anus and calcItrapa (Corn Blue-bottle and Star-Thistle). 
 
 globose, with, or more commonly without, a ray ; bracts brown or 
 almost black ; the outer ones egg-shaped and fringed with spread- 
 ing bristles ; -florets deep crimson ; pappus very short, tufted. — 
 Meadows ; abundant. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 3. C. Scabibsa (Great Knapweed, Matfellon). — Larger and fc 
 stouter than the last, from which it is distinguished by its 
 pinnatifid leaves, almost always rayed heads, bracts downy, with a 
 broad brown fringed tip and margins, bright crimson florets, and 
 longer pappus, — Dry pastures ; common. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
COMPOSITE 
 
 4. C. Cyanus (Cornflower, Blue-bottle).— One of the prettiest of 
 flowers, 1 — 2 feet high j stem erect, slender, grooved, slightly 
 branched, cottony ; leaves linear-lanceolate, the lower ones 
 toothed ; heads about an inch across ; involucre egg-shaped, 
 cobwebby ; bracts with toothed, membranous margins ; receptacle 
 with silvery bristles ; ray-florets few, large, bright blue ; disk-florets 
 with dark purple anthers. — Cornfields ; frequent. When mixed 
 with Poppies and yellow Corn-marigolds, it forms as brilliantly 
 coloured a bouquet as can be imagined. Children sometimes 
 string the outer florets with a needle and thread into a wreath, 
 
 which, when pressed, will 
 retain its colour for a long 
 while. Recently expanded 
 flowers should be chosen, 
 or they will fade. — Rose- 
 coloured, white, and dark 
 purple varieties are com- 
 mon in gardens, and are 
 occasionally found wild. 
 — Fl. July, August ; and, 
 in turnip-fields, again in 
 October and November. 
 Annual or Biennial. 
 
 5. C. paniculdta, with a 
 loosely corymbose, stem, 
 rather cottony, and cylin- 
 dric heads of pinkish 
 florets, and 
 
 6. C. aspera, a prostrate 
 species, with long, slender 
 branches, linear leaves, ter- 
 minal, solitary heads, 3 — 5 
 spines to each outer bract, 
 
 and purple florets, are confined to the Channel Islands. 
 
 7. C. Calcitrapa (Common Star-Thistle). — A stout, spreading, 
 stiff, branched species ; leaves pinnatifid, bristle-pointed ; heads 
 lateral, sessile ; bracts each ending in a long, stiff, spreading, 
 yellow spine, channelled along its upper surface ; florets rose- 
 purple. — Gravelly and sandy places in the south ; rare. The 
 spines resemble the cruel iron instrument called Caltrops, which 
 was used to lame cavalry horses in war, the instrument being so 
 constructed that, in whatever position it lies, one point sticks 
 upwards. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 8.* C. solstitidlis (Yellow Star-Thistle), with stems winged by the 
 
 cich6rium Intybus (Wild Chicory, or Succory). 
 

Fig. 36. 
 
 Chicory. 
 iOckorium /ntybus). 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 283 
 
 decurrent bases of the entire hoary leaves and terminal heads, with 
 very long, needle-like spines and yellow florets, occurs as a 
 casual in cultivated land. — Fl. July — September. Annual. 
 
 35. Cichorium (Chicory).— Stout herbs with a milky juice; 
 leaves simple, radical, and scattered ; heads axillary ; outer bracts 
 5, small, adpressed ; inner 8, reflexed after flowering ; florets all 
 ligulate, 5-toothed ; pappus a double row of small, chaffy scales. 
 (Name of Classical origin.) 
 
 1. C. Intybus (Succory, 
 or Wild Chicory).— Well 
 distinguished by its tough, 
 angled, alternately branch- 
 ing stems, clasping leaves, 
 and large heads of delicate 
 blue, ligulate florets, each 
 of which is distinctly 5- 
 toothed. — Waste places, 
 especially on chalk. Sir 
 James Edward Smith, the 
 founder of the Linnean 
 Society, thus alludes to his 
 early attraction to this 
 beautiful flower : — " From 
 the earliest period of my 
 recollection, when I can 
 just remember tugging in- 
 effectually with all my 
 infant strength at the tough 
 stalks of the Wild Succory, 
 on the chalky hills about 
 Norwich, I have found the 
 study of nature an increas- 
 ing source of unalloyed 
 pleasure, and a consolation 
 and a refuge under every 
 pain." — Fl. July — October. 
 
 lapsana communis {Common Nipplewort). 
 
 Perennial. 
 
 36. Arnoseris (Lamb's Succory). — A small plant with milky 
 juice ; radical leaves and a few small heads of yellow florets with an 
 involucre of about 1 2 bracts, converging and strongly keeled after 
 flowering. (Name from the Greek arnos, a lamb, seris, succory.) 
 
 1. A. minima (Lamb's or Swine's Succory). — The only species; 
 stem branching cymosely, each branch overtopping its predecessor, 
 thickened and hollow upwards, 3 — 8 in. high ; leaves radical, 
 
284 - COMPOSITE 
 
 obovate, toothed ; heads terminating the branches, ^ in. across. — 
 Dry places ; rare. — -Fl. June —August. Annual. 
 
 37. Lapsana (Nipplewort). — Slender, erect, branched plants 
 with milky juice; scattered leaves; and small heads of 8 — 12 
 yellow florets, with 1 row of erect bracts. (Name, an old Latin 
 name.) 
 
 1. L. communis (Common Nipplewort). — The only British 
 
 pfCRis hieracioides {Hawk-weed Picris). 
 
 species; a branched, leafy plant, 2 — 3 feet high; radical leaves 
 broadly lyrately-pinnatifid, stalked ; cauline leaves small, dentate ; 
 heads numerous, \ in. across ; bracts linear, stiff, keeled. — Waste 
 places and hedgerows ; abundant. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 38. PfCRis. — Hispid, branched plants with a milky juice ; 
 leaves mostly scattered, simple, toothed ; heads of yellow ligulate 
 florets, with bracts in 2 rows ; fruit brown, curved, transversely 
 wrinkled ; pappus of 2 or more rows of feathery hairs. (Name 
 from the Greek picros, bitter.) 
 
 1. P. hieracioides (Hawkweed Picris). — A slender, erect plant, 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 =85 
 
 2 — 3 feet high, corymbosely branched above ; stems rough with 
 hooked bristles ; leaves narrow, rough, and toothed ; heads 
 numerous, yellow, 1 in. across, with bracts on the peduncles. — 
 Waste places ; common. — Fl. July — September. Biennial. 
 
 39. Helmintia (Ox-tongue). — A branched plant, with milky 
 juice and stiff bristles rising from swollen bases ; heads large, 
 terminal, yellow, with 3 — 5 leafy cordate bracts below them ; 
 involucral bracts in 2 rows, the outer ones subulate, adpressed, 
 those in each row equal ; fruit with a slender beak longer than 
 itself; pappus in several rows of feathery hairs. (Name from the 
 Greek helmins, a worm, from the shape of the fruit.) 
 
 1. H. echioides (Bristly Ox- 
 tongue). — A stout, much- 
 branched plant, 2 — 3 feet 
 high, well distinguished by 
 its numerous prickles, each 
 of which springs from a raised 
 white spot, and by the 5 large 
 ovate-cordate bracts below 
 each of the terminal heads 
 of yellow flowers. — Waste 
 places ; common. — Fl. June 
 — October. Annual. 
 
 40. Crepis (Hawk's - 
 beard). — Branched plants 
 with a milky juice ; leaves 
 chiefly radical ; heads small, 
 in panicles, yellow, or tinged 
 with red ; bracts many, linear, 
 in 2 rows, the outer shorter ; 
 fruit tapering or beaked ; 
 pappus of many rows of simple hairs. (Name said to be the 
 Greek krepis, a slipper ; but, if so, apparently inappropriate.) 
 
 1. C. fxtida (Fetid Hawk's-beard).— A hispid plant, about a 
 foot high, branched from below ; leaves runcinate ; peduncles long, 
 thickened upwards, bracteate ; heads corymbose, drooping when 
 in bud, I in. across, bright yellow ; fruits many-ribbed, with long, 
 slender beaks, those in the centre longer. — Chalky places in the 
 south-east; rare. — Fl. June, July. Biennial. 
 
 2. C. taraxacifblia. — A hispid plant, r — 2 feet high, branched 
 above ; stem ribbed and furrowed, stained with red ; leaves 
 runcinate ; peduncles very slender, not thickened above ; heads 
 erect when in bud, yellow, the outer florets brownish-red beneath ; 
 
 helmintia echioides {Bristly Ox-tcngtte). 
 
286 
 
 COMPOSITE 
 
 fruits slender, all equally long-beaked.— Calcareous soils ; local.— 
 Fl. June, July. Biennial. 
 
 3.* C. setosa. — Occurring as an introduced plant, chiefly in 
 clover-fields, is hispid, 1 — 3 feet high; stem erect, branched from 
 the base, angular, furrowed, and leafy ; upper leaves large, 
 sagittate; peduncles slender, stiff, deeply grooved, not thickened 
 above ; heads erect when in bud ; fruits slender, all equally long- 
 beaked. — Fl. July, August. 
 Annual or biennial. 
 
 4. C. capilldris (Smooth 
 Hawk's - beard). — A variable 
 plant, 6 in. to 3 feet in height, 
 glabrous below; stem much 
 branched, furrowed ; upper 
 leaves linear, sagittate ; heads 
 numerous, sub-corymbose, \ — f 
 in. across, yellow ; outer bracts 
 adpressed, linear, inner ones 
 smooth within ; fruit not 
 beaked ; pappus silky. — Waste 
 ground and cottage-roofs ; com- 
 mon. — Fl. June — September. 
 Annual. 
 
 5. C. biennis (Biennial 
 Hawk's-beard). — A stout hispid 
 plant, resembling C. taraxaci- 
 folia, but not red-stained ; stem 
 1 — 4 feet high, channelled ; 
 leaves large, runcinate, irregu- 
 larly lobed ; heads f — 1 in. 
 across ; outer bracts spreading, 
 inner downy within ; fruit 
 slender, but not beaked. — 
 Chalky soils in the south ; rare. 
 — Fl. June, July. Biennial. 
 
 6. C. mollis (Blunt-leaved Hawk's-beard).— A slender plant, 
 2 — 3 feet high ; leaves oblong, blunt ; heads few, yellow ; bracts 
 with glandular hairs, the outer ones short, adpressed ; fruit many- 
 ribbed, not beaked. — Woods in the north ; rare. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 7. C. paluddsa (Marsh Hawk's-beard). — A slender, unbranched, 
 mostly glabrous species, about 2 feet high ; stem angular, leafy ; 
 leaves large, runcinate, with tapering points, the lower ones 
 stalked ; the upper ones heart-shaped at the base, clasping ; 
 
 CRfepis capillXris {Smooth Hawk's-beard). 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 287 
 
 peduncles very slender j heads few, corymbose, yellow, erect in 
 bud ; bracts with black glandular hairs ; fruit slender, many-ribbed, 
 not beaked ; pappus of stiff, brittle, brownish hairs. — Damp 
 woods, mostly in the north.— Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 41. Hieracium (Hawkweed). — Perennial plants with milky 
 juice, often hairy ; leaves chiefly radical ; heads yellow, or rarely 
 orange ; bracts many, imbricate, unequal ; receptacle nearly flat, 
 without scales, pitted ; anthers not tailed ; fruit not beaked ; 
 pappus of 1 row of stiff, 
 brittle, unequal, simple, 
 brownish hairs, often with 
 a crenate disk below. 
 (Name from the Greek 
 hierax, a hawk.) The most 
 difficult genus in a difficult 
 Order, and one in which 
 botanists do not at all agree 
 as to what constitutes a 
 species. Bentham recog- 
 nised about 7 British 
 species, Sir Joseph Hooker 
 12, and Mr. F. J. Hanbury 
 enumerates 104 as species, 
 arranged under 15 groups. 
 This large number, most of 
 which are rare forms from 
 the Scottish mountains, 
 arises from the recognition 
 of minute characters which 
 prove constant under culti- 
 vation. " Variable as the hierAcium pilosella {Mouse-ear Ha-wkweeJ). 
 
 genus is," says Sir Joseph 
 
 Hooker, " it is a curious fact that the sequence of the species is so 
 obvious as to have been recognised by all botanists ; and that 
 this sequence represents to a very considerable extent the spread 
 of the species in altitude and area in the British Isles." The 
 following are amongst the most common and marked types : — 
 
 1. H. Pilosella (Mouse-ear Hawkweed). — A silky plant with 
 long, soft hairs, and slender leafy runners ; leaves mostly radical, 
 oblong or obovate, entire, stellately hoary underneath ; heads 
 solitary, on scapes 2—10 in. high, bright lemon-yellow or reddish- 
 brown beneath. — Dry banks; common. — Fl. May — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
288 
 
 COMPOSITE 
 
 2* H. aurantiacum (Orange Hawkweed). — A garden escape, 
 larger than the last, often without runners, and readily recognisable 
 by its deep orange flower-heads which are collected in a dense 
 corymb and have dark bracts. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. H. murdrum (Wall Hawkweed). — A very variable plant, 1 — 
 2 feet high, usually more or less hairy, sometimes glaucous, with 
 
 a rosette of ovate radical 
 leaves, and rarely more than 
 one leaf on the stem, some- 
 times none ; heads 2 — 6 
 together, each generally less 
 than an inch across, yellow. 
 — Walls, rocks, heaths; com- 
 mon. — Fl. June — Septem- 
 ber. Perennial. 
 
 4. H . vulgdtum (Common 
 Hawkweed). — Another very 
 variable plant, from 12 — 18 
 in. high ; radical leaves nar- 
 row, in a loose rosette, 
 lanceolate, toothed, with the 
 teeth pointing towards the 
 apex, often spotted with red ; 
 cauline leaves few ; heads 
 many, panicled or corymb- 
 ose, about an inch across, 
 yellow ; involucre hoary with 
 down. — Woods and banks ; 
 common. — Fl. July — Sep- 
 tember. Perennial. 
 
 5. H. boredle (Shrubby 
 Hawkweed). — As variable 
 as the preceding species, 
 2—4 feet high, with stiff, 
 ascending branches ; stem 
 usually hairy below, with 
 stellate down above, often 
 
 reddish, leafy ; no radical leaves ; cauline leaves lanceolate, toothed ; 
 heads many, in a leafy corymb ; peduncles woolly ; involucre 
 blackish-green, nearly glabrous. — Woods and banks ; common. — 
 Fl. August, September. Perennial. 
 
 6. H. umbelldtum (Narrow-leaved Hawkweed). — A tall, 
 remarkably erect, unbranched plant, 1 — 4 feet high; stem stiff, 
 leafy, hairy below ; leaves sessile, linear, toothed ; heads in a 
 
 hypoch.cris radicXta (Long-rooted Cat's-ear). 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 289 
 
 terminal, almost umbellate, corymb, large, yellow ; peduncles with 
 stellate down, slender, stiff, bracteate ; involucre usually dark 
 green, glabrous, with recurved tips. — Stony thickets ; common. — 
 Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 42. Hypoch^ris (Cat's-ear). — Plants with a milky juice; leaves 
 all radical, pinnatifid ; bracts many, imbricate, oblong ; receptacle 
 flat, scaly ; florets all ligulate, yellow ; fruit rough, beaked ; pappus 
 
 thrIncia nudicaulis (Hairy Thrincia). 
 
 of i row of feathery hairs, usually with an outer row of short 
 bristles. (Name of Greek origin, supposed to indicate its fitness 
 for hogs.) 
 
 1. H. glabra (Smooth Cat's-ear).— An almost glabrous plant, 3 — 
 10 in. high; leaves spreading in a circle on the ground, oblong; 
 scapes several, branched ; heads small, yellow ; involucre as long 
 as the florets. — Dry gravelly places ; not common. — Fl. June — 
 August. Annual. 
 
 2. H. radicdta (Long- rooted Cat's-ear). — A hispid plant, about 
 a foot high ; leaves all radical, blunt, sinuate, or runcinateiy pin- 
 
 u 
 
290 
 
 comp6sitve 
 
 natifid, bristly ; peduncles long, branched, smooth, slightly swollen 
 above, and with a few scales ; heads large, yellow ; involucre 
 shorter than the florets. — Hedges and waste places ; common. — 
 Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 3. H. maculdta (Spotted Cat's-ear). — A hispid plant, about 
 
 a foot high ; leaves 
 obovate, not lobed, 
 toothed, rough, often 
 spotted above ; heads 
 seldom more than one, 
 large, deep yellow ; 
 bracts fringed with 
 curly hairs. — Chalky 
 and limestone hills ; 
 rare.— Fl. July, August. 
 
 43. Thr/ncia. — 
 Herbs with milky 
 juice ; leaves radical ; 
 heads on scapes, yel- 
 low ; bracts in 1 row, 
 with a few additional ; 
 receptacle flat, naked ; 
 fruits shortly beaked, 
 the outer row envel- 
 oped in the bracts, 
 scarcely beaked and 
 with a short crown-like 
 pappus; pappus o( the 
 other fruits in 2 rows, 
 the outer bristly, de- 
 ciduous, the inner 
 feathery. (Name from 
 the Greek thrincos, a 
 battlement, from the 
 form of the pappus of 
 the outer fruits.) 
 1. T.nudicaulis (Hairy Thrincia). — A small plant, 4—6 in. 
 high ; leaves spreading, more or less lobed, rough, with forked or 
 simple bristles ; peduncles leafless, unbranched, somewhat hairy, 
 often purplish ; heads less than an inch across, yellow, drooping 
 when in bud.— Dry places; common. — FL June — September. 
 Biennial. 
 
 44. Le6ntodon (H^wk-bit). — Herbs with milky juice; leaves 
 
 le6ntodon autumn Alis {Autumnal Hawk-bit). 
 
Fig 37 i ^ air y Hawkbit. \Thrincia nudicaulit). ' 
 | Smooth Hawkbit. iLeontodon autumnalis\. 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 291 
 
 all radical, obovate, toothed or pinnatifid ; heads on scapes, 
 yellow ; bracts in 2 or 3 rows, the outer smaller ; receptacle flat, 
 naked ; fruit scarcely beaked, pappus of 1 or 2 rows of stiff hairs, 
 the inner feathery. (Name from he Greek Icon, a lion, odous, 
 odontos, a tooth, from the runcinate leaves.) 
 
 1. L. hispidus (Rough Hawk-bit). — A similarly hispid plant, 
 often with forked hairs ; leaves cblong-lanceolate, runcinate ; 
 peduncles fewer, longer, more swollen above than in the preced- 
 ing, green; heads 1^ in. across, drooping when in bud, yellow. — 
 Meadows and waste places ; common. — Fl. June — September. 
 Biennial. 
 
 2. L. autumndlis (Au- 
 tumn Hawk-bit). — A tall 
 plant, 2 — 3 feet high ; 
 leaves narrow, toothed or 
 pinnatifid, only hairy on 
 the ribs beneath ; scape 
 branched, bracteate, 
 swollen above ; heads 
 large, erect when in bud, 
 deep-yellow ; pappus of a 
 single row of brownish 
 feathery hairs. — Meadows 
 and cornfields ; abund- 
 ant. — Fl. July — Septem- 
 ber. Perennial. 
 
 taraxacum officinale {Common Dandelion). 
 
 45. Taraxacum (Dan- 
 delion). — Herbs with a 
 milky juice ; leaves all 
 radical, runcinate ; pedun- 
 cles hollow, leafless unbranched ; heads solitary, yellow; bracts 
 in 2 rows, the inner erect, the outer often recurved ; receptacle flat, 
 naked, pitted, becoming more convex in the fruit stage ; fruit 
 ribbed, with a long, slender beak ; pappus of white, silky, simple 
 hairs in many rows. (Name from the Greek, referring to its 
 medicinal character.) 
 
 1. T. officinale (Common Dandelion). — A nearly glabrous plant, 
 with a long black tap-root, well distinguished by the above 
 characters, especially the runcinate leaves, smooth, hollow 
 peduncle, and reflexed outer bracts. The heads, when in fruit, be- 
 come globular, and are known to children, who amuse themselves 
 by blowing off the separate fruits, as What's o'clocks, or Clocks. 
 Dandelion, from the French Dent-de-lion, lion's tooth, is the name 
 u 2 
 
292 
 
 coMPdsnvE 
 
 applied by the unobservant to many other yellow-flowered mem- 
 bers of the Order. Meadows ; abundant. The dandelion is a 
 valuable medicine, and is also eaten as a salad. — Fl. March — 
 October. Perennial. 
 
 lact6ca murXlis (Ivy-leaved Lettuce). 
 
 46. Lactuca (Lettuce). — Erect, leafy herbs, with a milky juice; 
 leaves scattered, the upper ones often auricled ; heads generally 
 small, in a panicle, yellow ; bracts imbricate, the outer shorter ; 
 receptacle flat, naked ; florets usually few ; fruit flattened, gener- 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 293 
 
 ally with a long, slender beak; pappus of many simple hairs. 
 (Name of Classical origin, referring to the milky juice.) 
 
 1. L. virosa (Acrid Lettuce). — An acrid, glaucous, prickly plant, 
 2 — 4 feet high ; leaves spreading horizontally, with bristles along 
 the mid-rib beneath, the lower ones often spotted with black, the 
 upper ones clasping, with downward-pointing auricles ; heads 
 small, pale yellow, in a loose, slender spreading panicle ; fruit 
 black. — Dry banks ; not uncommon. — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 2. L. Serriola (Prickly Lettuce). — A closely allied species, less 
 prickly, with more erect branches and leaves, the upper leaves 
 sagittate and clasping, grey fruit and a less acrid juice. — Waste 
 places ; rare. This may be the origin of the Garden Lettuce 
 (L. sativa). — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 3. L. saligna. — A slender, less bristly, almost glabrous plant, 
 with upper leaves linear, entire, acuminate, hastate at the base, and 
 heads in lateral tufted clusters. — Chalky places in the south-east, 
 especially near the sea ; rare. — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 4. L. murdlis (Ivy-leaved Lettuce). — A slender, glabrous plant, 
 1 — 2 feet high, leafy below ; stem round, hollow ; leaves lyrately 
 pinnatifid, variously cut, glaucous beneath, auricled ; heads small, 
 yellow, in a slender, angular, spreading panicle, each containing 
 5 florets, and so resembling a flower with 5 petals ; fruit black. — 
 Old walls and woods; not uncommon. — Fl. June — September. 
 Biennial. 
 
 47. Mulgedium (Blue Sow-thistle). — A succulent plant with 
 milky juice, unbranched ; leaves cauline, diminishing upwards ; 
 heads numerous, in a raceme, blue ; bracts imbricate, the outer 
 shorter, lax ; receptacle flat, naked ; fruit 4-angled, not beaked 
 butjiarrowed above and ending in a ciliate disk ; outer hairs of 
 pappus rigid, turning brown, brittle. (Name from the Latin 
 mulgeo, I milk, referring to the juice.) 
 
 1. M. alpinum (Blue Sow-thistle). — A very handsome plant, 
 about 3 feet high, succulent, unbranched, and leafy, with pale 
 blue heads, 1 in. across, in a raceme, grows on the Clova mountains, 
 but is rare. 
 
 48. S6nchus (Sow-thistle). — Herbs with milky juice, generally 
 succulent ; leaves scattered, toothed or pinnatifid ; heads yellow, 
 in corymbs ; bracts imbricate in several rows ; receptacle flat, 
 naked, pitted ; fruit much flattened, not beaked ; pappus of 
 many rows of white, simple, silky hairs. (Name of Greek origin, 
 said to refer to its juice being wholesome ; but this is doubtful.) 
 
 1. S. olerdceus (Common Sow-thistle, Milk-thistle). — Usually 
 glabrous, 2 — 3 feet high, erect, branched ; stem hollow ; leaves 
 
294 
 
 comp6sitte 
 
 more or less pinnatifid, toothed, often prickly, the upper ones 
 clasping, with spreading sagittate auricles ; fruit ribbed and trans- 
 versely wrinkled. — Waste places, and as a weed in gardens 
 common. This plant is a favourite food for rabbits. — Fl. June -- 
 August. Annual. 
 
 2. S. dsper (Rough Sow-thistle) has more spinously-toothed 
 leaves with rounded auricles, and ribbed, but not transversel) 
 
 s6nchus olerAceus {Common Sow-thistU, Milk-thistle). 
 
 wrinkled, fruit. — It occurs under the same circumstances as the 
 preceding, and is almost as common. — Fl. June — August 
 Annual. 
 
 3. S. arvensis (Corn Sow-thistle). — Stem 2 — 4 feet high, tubular 
 angular, usually unbranched below ; leaves variable, waved, 
 almost spinous, glaucous beneath, the lower ones runcinate. 
 heart-shaped at the base, the upper ones with rounded auricles , 
 heads corymbose, large j involucre and peduncles hairy with glan 
 dular hairs. — In similar situations with the last, from which il 
 
i 
 
 Fig. 38. Goat's Beard (Jack-go-to-bed-«nma). 
 
 I Tragopogcn prote-nsis ) 
 
COMPOSITE FAMILY 
 
 295 
 
 may be distinguished by its much larger flower-heads and generally 
 unbranched stem. — Fl. August, September. Perennial. 
 
 4. S. palustris (Marsh Sow-thistle). — A much taller plant than 
 either of the preceding, growing 4 — 7 feet high, unbranched ; 
 leaves narrow, arrow-shaped at the base, finely toothed ; heads 
 corymbose, large, lemon-yellow ; involucre 
 and peduncles hairy with glandular hairs. — 
 Marshes in the south-east ; very rare. 
 
 49. Tragopogon (Goat's - beard). — 
 Erect, glabrous, generally unbranched 
 herbs with a milky juice ; leaves scattered, 
 entire, sheathing ; heads solitary, yellow or 
 purple; bracts 8 — 10, long, narrow, in one 
 row, united below ; receptacle naked ; fruit 
 with longitudinal ridges and a long, slender 
 beak ; pappus of many rows of feathery 
 hairs. (Name from the Greek tragos, a 
 goat, pogon, a beard.) 
 
 1. T. pratensis (Goafs-beard, Jack-go- 
 to-bed-at-noon). — An erect, glaucous plant, 
 about 2 feet high, with very long, tapering, 
 channelled, grass-like leaves; flower-stalks 
 slightly thickened above ; involucre about 
 as long as, or longer than the florets ; heads 
 solitary, large, yellow, closing at noon; 
 pappus feathery, on a long stalk, interlaced 
 so as to form a kind of shallow cup. — 
 Meadows and waste places ; common. — 
 Fl. June, July. Biennial. 
 
 2.* T. porrijolius (Salsify), resembling 
 the last, but with purple heads, though not 
 a British species, is occasionally found in 
 moist meadows. It was formerly much 
 cultivated for the sake of its fleshy tap-root, 
 which was boiled or stewed, forming a 
 very delicate esculent ; but its place is 
 now supplied by Scorzonera hispdnica. 
 
 TRAGOPOGON H?AT£nSE 
 
 (Yellow Goat's-beard). 
 
 §§ Stamens on the ovary (epigynous) 
 Ord. XLII. CampanulAce^. — The Bell-Flower Family 
 
 A considerable Order of herbaceous or slightly shrubby plants, 
 with a bitter, acrid, milky juice, which chiefly inhabit the 
 temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. They have 
 
296 campanulAceje 
 
 mostly scattered, exstipulate leaves and conspicuous blue, white, 
 or rarely red, flowers, which, except in the genus Lobelia, are 
 polysym metric. The sepals, petals, and stamens are 5 each, the 
 calyx being gamosepalous, superior, and persistent, the corolla 
 epigynously calycifloral, polysymmetric, except in Lobelia, and 
 withering on the fruit, and the stamens alternating with the lobes 
 of the corolla, and in Jasione and Lobelia united by their anthers. 
 There are 2 — 5 carpels united in a 1, 2, or more-chambered 
 inferior ovary, with a single hairy style, simple or lobed stigma, 
 and numerous ovules in each chamber, the placentalion being 
 axile. The fruit is a dry capsule, crowned by the withered calyx 
 and corolla, and splitting, or opening by valves, at the side or 
 top. Many species of the Order are highly ornamental ; but few 
 are valuable either as food or medicine. The roots of Campanula 
 Rapunculus were fomerly cultivated for the table, under the name 
 of Rampions or Ramps. Lobelia is more acrid than the other 
 genera, the rare British species L, mens, deriving its name from 
 the blistering properties of its juice. The North American 
 species, L. infldta (Indian Tobacco), is useful in small doses in 
 asthma, but in large doses is a powerful emetic and narcotic 
 poison. L. cardindlis (Scarlet Cardinal), one of our most 
 brilliantly-coloured garden flowers, is also very acrid. Some 
 species of this genus contain a good deal of caoutchouc. 
 . 1. Lobelia. — Corolla bi-labiate, the upper lip split to the base 
 of the tube ; anthers cohering in a tube. 
 
 2. jAsfoNE. — Flowers in heads; corolla rotate with linear lobes; 
 anthers united at the base. 
 
 3. Wahlenbergia. — Corolla polysymmetric, campanulate, 
 5-fid ; anthers free ; capsule half-superior, 3-chambered, opening 
 by valves at the top. 
 
 4. Phyteuma. — Corolla polysymmetric, 2-lipped, with 5 long 
 linear segments; anthers free; capsule 2 — 3-chambered, bursting 
 at the sides. 
 
 5. Campanula. — Corolla polysymmetric, campanulate, 5-fid ; 
 anthers free; capsule 3 — 5-chambered, opening by lateral pores 
 below the sepals. 
 
 6. Legousia. — Corolla polysymmetric, rotate ; anthers free ; 
 capsule long, 3 — 5-chambered, opening by lateral pores between 
 the sepals. 
 
 1. Lobelia. — Herbs with their flowers in terminal racemes; 
 calyx superior, 5-fid ; corolla bilabiate, the upper lip split to the 
 base into 2 erect or recurved lobes, the lower with 3 pendulous 
 lobes ; stamens 5, epipetalous, with united anthers ; capsule 2 — 3- 
 
Fig. 39 Sheep's-bit. Jcsione montanm.. 
 
BELL-FLOWER FAMILY 
 
 297 
 
 chambered, 2 — 3-valved. (Name from Matthias de Lobel, a 
 Flemish botanist of the sixteenth century, who lived for many 
 years at Highgate.) 
 
 1. L. Dortmdnna (Water Lobelia). — A submerged aquatic 
 plant, forming a matted base at the bottom of the water ; leaves 
 all radical, almost cylindrical, of 2 parallel tubes ; scape slender, 
 erect, cylindric, almost leafless, 
 
 hollow, rising above the water ; 
 flowers distant, drooping, pale 
 lilac, bracteate. — Mountain 
 lakes with gravelly bottoms. — 
 Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. L. mens (Acrid Lobelia). 
 — Stem angular, leafy, with an 
 acrid, milky juice ; leaves obov- 
 ate, toothed; flowers purple, 
 erect or spreading, with long 
 bracts. — A heath near Ax- ^gw 
 minster, Devon ; very rare. — '/*' 
 Fl. August, September. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 2. jAsfoNE (Sheep's-bit). — 
 Herbs with both radical and 
 cauline leaves ; flowers small, in 
 terminal heads, with an in- 
 volucre of many bracts ; calyx 
 5-fid ; corolla rotate, deeply 
 divided into 5 linear lobes; 
 stamens 5, united by their 
 anthers ; capsule 2-chambered, 
 2-valved. (Name of uncertain 
 origin.) 
 
 1. /. montdna (Sheep's-bit, 
 Sheep's Scabious). — The only 
 British species, about a foot 
 high, and strongly resembling a 
 
 Scabious or one of the Compositce, but differing from the former 
 in its united anthers, and from the latter in its 2-chambered 
 capsule. The leaves are oblong, blunt and hairy ; the heads of * 
 flowers lilac-blue. — Dry heathy places ; common. The whole 
 plant, when bruised, has a strong and disagreeable smell. — Fl. 
 June— September. Perennial. 
 
 3. Wahlenbergia (Ivy-leaved Bell-flower). — A slender 
 
 lob6lia dortmXnna {Water Lobelia). 
 
298 
 
 campanulAce/e 
 
 herbaceous plant, closely resembling the genus Campanula, with a 
 campanulate, 5-fid corolla and 5 free anthers; but with a half- 
 superior ovary which splits when in fruit by valves above the 
 sepals. (Named in honour of Dr. George Wahlenberg, a Swedish 
 botanist.) 
 
 1. W. hederdcea (Ivy-leaved Bell-flower). — An exquisite little 
 plant with straggling, thread-like stems, 4—6 in. high, or when 
 
 jAsfoNg montAna {Sheep's Scabious). 
 
 among grass or rushes climbing by their help to a height of 1 2 in. 
 or more ; leaves stalked, palmately 5-lobed, of a remarkably fine 
 texture and delicate green ; -flowers solitary, on long stalks scarcely 
 thicker than a hair, slightly drooping, pale blue. — Wet peaty 
 places in the south, often growing with the Bog Pimpernel and 
 the Cornish Moneywort, plants scarcely less beautiful than itself. 
 — Fl. July — September Perennial. 
 
 4. PHYTEtJMA (Rampion). — Herbs with both radical and 
 cauline leaves and -flowers in dense spikes or heads, with an 
 
BELL-FLOWER FAMILY ' 299 
 
 involucre of several bracts ; calyx superior, 5-fid ; corolla polysym- 
 metric, rotate, deeply divided into 5 long linear segments ; 
 filaments broad at the base ; anthers free ; capsule 2 — 3-chambered, 
 bursting at the sides. (Name apparently connected with the 
 Greek phuton, a plant.) 
 
 1. P. orbiculdre (Round-headed Rampion). — A singular plant, 
 consisting of a solitary, erect, leafy stalk, about a foot high, with 
 stalked, ovate, crenate radical leaves and few sessile, linear, 
 
 wahlenbergia hederacea {Ivy-leaved Bell-flower). 
 
 cauline ones ; flowers deep blue in a globose terminal head, which 
 becomes oblong when in fruit. — Chalky downs in the south-east ; 
 local. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. spicdtum (Spiked Rampion). — A taller species with 
 oblong heads of cream-coloured flowers, formerly cultivated for 
 the sake of its edible root, is found only in Sussex. — Fl. May — 1 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 5. Campanula (Bell-flower). — Herbs with usually stalked 
 radical leaves ; cauline leaves scattered ; calyx superior, 5-fid ; 
 corolla bell-shaped, with 5 broad and shallow lobes ; filaments 
 
300 campanulAce^e 
 
 broad at the base ; anthers free ; capsule not elongated, 2 — 5- 
 chambered, opening by lateral pores below the sepals. (Name a 
 diminutive from the Latin campana, a bell.) 
 
 1. C. glomerdta (Clustered Bell-flower). — A stiff, erect plant, 
 3 — 18 in. high ; stem simple, roughish, leafy ; leaves crenate, 
 rough, the lower stalked and heart-shaped at the base, the upper 
 sessile, embracing the stem ; flowers nearly sessile, deep violet- 
 purple, funnel-shaped, erect, in terminal and axillary clusters. 
 
 fHYTEi'MA orbicularis {Round-headed Ramfnon), 
 
 each I in. across. — Dry pastures, especially on a chalky soil : 
 frequent. — Fl. July — October. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. Trachelium (Nettle-leaved Bell-flower, Wild Canterbury 
 Bells). — A remarkably rough plant, 2—3 feet high, with angular 
 stem; leaves very like those of the nettle, strongly serrated and 
 bristly, stalked, ovate-lanceolate, acute ; flowers in axillary clusters 
 of 2 — 3, on short stalks which are recurved when in fruit, large, f 
 in. or more across, blue-purple, lighter than C. glomerdta, bell- 
 
Fig. 40. Harebell. [Campanula rotundifoliay. 
 
BELL-FLOWER FAMILY 
 
 3 OI 
 
 shaped — Woods and hedges ; frequent. — Fl. July — October. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3. C. latifolia (Giant Bell-flower). — A stout species, 3 — 4 feet 
 high, with furrowed stem; leaves ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 
 doubly-serrate, hairy, lower ones stalked ; flowers very large, 
 stalked, bell-shaped, deep blue or white, hairy within. — Woody 
 glens in Scotland ; common ; less common in England. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 4. C. rapunculo'ides (Creeping" Bell-flower). — A downy plant, 
 1 — 2 feet high, with runners ; leaves 
 
 unequally crenate-serrate ; -flowers in 
 a long raceme with small bracts, 
 large, bright blue, drooping, all on one 
 side of the stem. — Hedges; very 
 rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 5. C. rotundifolia (Harebell). — A 
 glabrous plant, with a slender, angular 
 stem ; radical leaves, roundish, kidney- 
 shaped, notched, stalked, very soon 
 withering ; cauline leaves very narrow, 
 tapering ; flowers in a raceme, droop- 
 ing, about an inch across, light blue, 
 or rarely white. — Heaths and dry 
 places ; abundant. This species is 
 the Bluebell of Scotland; but the 
 name Harebell is sometimes incor- 
 rectly applied to the Wild Hyacinth, 
 the Bluebell of England (Endymion 
 non-scriptum). The specific name 
 rotundifolia (round-leaved) seems in- 
 appropriate when we only look at the 
 cauline leaves, which are long and 
 narrow; but is peculiarly applicable 
 to the radical ones, as they appear in 
 winter and early spring, at which 
 season Linnaeus is reported to have noticed them on the steps of 
 the University at Upsala. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 6.* C. persicifolia, a glabrous species, 1 — 2 feet high, with 
 round stem, with runners ; smooth, leathery, slightly serrate, * 
 narrow leaves; large, often solitary, blue or white flowers with 
 entire lanceolate sepals, occasionally occurs as a naturalised plant 
 in woods. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 7. C. Rapunculus (Rampion). — A tall species, 2 — 3 feet high, 
 with angular stem and clustered panicles of rather small, erect, 
 
 ipAnula rotundif6lia 
 (.Hare-bell). 
 
302 VACCINIACEjE 
 
 pale blue flowers with awl-shaped recurved sepals. — Gravelly and 
 sandy places in the south ; local. — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 8. C. pdtula (Spreading Bell-flower), distinguished by its rough 
 stem, loose panicles of wide, cup-shaped, purplish-blue -flowers and 
 awl-shaped sepals toothed at the base. — Hedges and copses, 
 chiefly in the west ; local. — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 6. LEGOtJSiA (Venus' Looking-glass). — Small herbs with purple 
 or white flowers ; corolla polysymmetric, rotate ; anthers free ; 
 capsule long, 3 — 5-chambered, opening by lateral pores above the 
 middle or between the sepals. (Name from the provincial French 
 name Legouz, possibly connected with gousse, a pod.) 
 
 1. L. hybrida (Wild Venus' Looking-glass). — A small plant, 
 4 — 12 in. high, with a rough, wiry, angular, seldom-branched 
 stem; oblong, rough, wavy leaves ; small, terminal flowers with a 
 calyx much longer than the purple rotate corolla ; and an elongated, 
 generally triangular cupsule tapering at both ends. — Cornfields, 
 chiefly in the south. — Fl. June — September. Annual. 
 
 Ord. XLIII. Vacciniaceje.— The Cranberry 
 Family 
 
 Small shrubby plants, inhabiting temperate regions, especially 
 mountainous and marshy districts. Leaves scattered, simple, often 
 evergreen ; calyx superior, of 4 — 6 lobes, which are sometimes so 
 small as to be scarcely perceptible ; corolla 4 — 6-lobed, urceolate, 
 bell-shaped or rotate; stamens 8 — 12, free, epigynous ; anthers 
 opening by 2 terminal pores, and often furnished with 2 bristle- 
 like appendages which act as levers in the process of insect- 
 pollination; ovary 4—1 o-chambered, surmounted by a flat disk; 
 style simple ; fruit a true berry, juicy ; seeds small, many in each 
 chamber of the ovary. By some botanists these plants are placed 
 in the same Order as the Heaths, from which they differ chiefly 
 in having an inferior ovary. The leaves and bark are astringent, 
 the berries slightly acid and agreeable to the taste. Cranberries, 
 the fruit of Schollera Oxycoccus and S. macrocdrpus, are largely 
 imported, the former from Russia, the latter from Chicago, for 
 making tarts. Several members of the Order are cultivated for 
 their pretty flowers. 
 
 1. VAcefNiUM (Whortleberry). — Low shrubs with scattered, 
 often evergreen, leaves; calyx superior, 4 — 5-lobed, sometimes 
 with the lobes so short as to be scarcely perceptible ; corolla cam- 
 panulate or urceolate, 4 — 5-fid; stamens 8 — 10; anther- chambers 
 
CRANBERRY FAMILY 
 
 303 
 
 prolonged upwards into tubes ending in pores ; berry globose, 
 4 — 5-chambered, many-seeded. (Name of doubtful etymology.) 
 
 1. V. Vitis-ii&a (Cowberry, Red Whortleberry). — A low, strag- 
 gling shrub with evergreen inversely egg-shaped leaves, resembling 
 those of the Box, dotted beneath, the margins rolled back; 
 ■flowers pink, in terminal 
 
 crowded drooping clusters ; 
 corolla 4-cleft ; anthers with- 
 out bristles ; berries red. 
 — Mountainous heaths, 
 chiefly in the north. — Fl. 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 2. V. uliginosum (Bog 
 Whortleberry or Great 
 Bilberry). — Stem woody, 
 rounded ; leaves not ever- 
 green, inversely egg-shaped, 
 entire, glaucous, and 
 strongly veined beneath ; 
 ■flowers small, pale pink; 
 anthers with two bristles at 
 the back ; berry small, dark 
 blue, glaucous. — Moun- 
 tainous bogs in the north. 
 Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 3. V. Myrtillus (Whor- 
 tleberry, Bilberry, Whin- 
 berry). — A small branched 
 shrub, 6 — 18 in. high ; stem 
 acutely angular ; leaves not 
 evergreen, egg-shaped, ser- 
 rate ; flowers solitary, 
 drooping, nearly globular, 
 flesh-coloured, wax-like, 
 larger than in the last; 
 anthers with two bristles ; 
 berry dark blue, glaucous, 
 larger than in the last. — Woods ; abundant. The berries, which 
 are popularly known as whorts, have an agreeable taste, and are often 
 made into tarts ; but when thus used are rather mawkish unless 
 mixed with some more acid fruit. — Fl. April— June. Perennial. 
 
 4. V. Oxycoccus (Cranberry. Marsh Whortleberry). — A very low 
 plant, with very slender, strai gling, wiry, prostrate stems, rooting 
 at intervals ; leaves evergreen, egg-shaped, revolute, glaucous 
 
 VACCINIUM MYRTfLLUS 
 
 {Whortleberry, Bilberry, Whinberry). 
 
304 ERICACEAE 
 
 beneath ; flowers solitary, terminal ; corolla bright red, rotate, with 
 4 long, linear, reflexed segments; berries dark red. — Peat-bogs, 
 principally in the north. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 Series II. HYPOGYN^— Ord. XLIV.— LXI 
 
 Ovary superior 
 
 § Stamens free 
 Ord. XLIV. Ericaceae. — The Heath Family 
 A large Order, mostly of shrubs and small bushy trees with 
 evergreen, often rigid, mostly opposite or whorled, simple leaves. 
 Many of them are remarkable for their " social " nature, large 
 tracts of country being often entirely covered with a few species, 
 and known from this as "heaths." They are most abundant in 
 South Africa, and are, therefore, often called " Cape plants " by 
 gardeners; whilst other genera are so distinctively North Ameri- 
 can as to give rise to the name " American garden," for borders 
 in which they are grown. They are common also in South 
 America, in Europe, and in the mountainous parts of Asia, 
 chiefly outside the Tropics. Their flowers are mostly polysym- 
 metric ; the calyx inferior, 4 — 5-cleft, persistent ; corolla hypo- 
 gynous, usually urceolate or campanulate, 4 — 5 cleft, often 
 withering and remaining attached to the plant ; stamens in equal 
 number to the segments of the corolla, or twice as many, inserted 
 with the corolla, or slightly attached to its base ; anthers opening 
 by pores, and generally furnished with two bristle-like appendages ; 
 ovary superior, many-chambered, many-ovuled, with a hypogynous 
 disk ; style single, straight ; fruit 3 — 5-chambered, dry or succu- 
 lent, many-seeded. The extensive genus Erica (Heath) contains 
 no species possessing useful properties ; but briar-root pipes are 
 made from E. arborea, the name briar being a corruption of the 
 French bruyere. The Common Ling, or Heather (Calluna 
 vulgaris), is astringent, and is sometimes used in dyeing ; its tough 
 branches are a common material for brooms ; its flowers are a 
 favourite resort of bees ; and its buds, shoots, and seeds enter 
 largely into the food of moor-fowl. Of the plants belonging to 
 the Order which produce Juicy, berry-like fruits, the fruit is, in 
 some instances, edible. Arbutus Uhedo bears an abundance of 
 handsome fruits, which, when thoroughly ripe, are not unpalatable, 
 and which, from their outward resemblance to strawberries, give 
 the plant its English name, Strawberry-tree. Some species, 
 especially of Kdlmia and Azalea, possess dangerous narcotic 
 properties. The Canadian partridge is stated to be poisonous 
 
HEATH FAMILY 305 
 
 to human beings after feeding on Kalmia berries, and the honey 
 which poisoned Xenophon's Greeks during the famous retreat 
 of the Ten Thousand was probably that of Azalea pontica, which 
 still grows on the shores of the Black Sea and is known to possess 
 this property. 
 
 1. Arbutus. — Leaves broad; corolla globose, deciduous; sta- 
 mens 10 ; fruit fleshy, tubercled, 5-chambered, many-seeded. 
 
 2. Arctostaphylos.— Fruit fleshy, smooth, 5-chambered, 5- 
 seeded ; otherwise like Arbutus. 
 
 3. Andromeda. — Fruit a dry, 5-chambered, 5-valved capsule ; 
 otherwise like Arbutus. 
 
 4. Calluna. — Leaves small ; sepals 4, coloured, longer than 
 the corolla ; corolla bell-shaped, 4-cleft, persistent ; stamens 8 ; 
 capsule 4-chambered, septicidal ; seeds few in each chamber. 
 
 5. Erica. — Leaves small; sepals 4 ; corolla bell-shaped, tubular, 
 or urceolate, 4-cleft, persistent ; stamens 8 ; capsule 4-chambered, 
 loculicidal ; seeds many in each chamber. 
 
 6. Azalea. — Leaves small ; sepals, petals, and stamens 5 each ; 
 corolla bell-shaped, deciduous ; capsule 2 — 3-chambered, septi- 
 cidal. 
 
 7. BryXnthus. — Sepals 5 ; corolla urceolate, 5-fid, deciduous; 
 stamens 10 ; capsule 5-chambered, septicidal. 
 
 8. Daboecia.— Sepals 4 ; corolla urceolate, 4-fid, deciduous ; 
 stamens 8 ; capsule 4-chambered, septicidal. 
 
 9. Pyrola. — Herbs ; leaves chiefly radical, broad ; sepals 5 ; 
 petals 5, free, incurved; stamens 10; capsule 5-chambered, 
 loculicidal. 
 
 10. Moneses. — Petals united; anthers prolonged into tubes; 
 otherwise mainly like Pyrola. 
 
 1. Arbutus (Strawberry-tree). — Trees or shrubs with scattered, 
 broad, usually evergreen leaves; flowers in terminal panicles, 5- 
 merous ; corolla globose, deciduous ; stamens 10 ; fruit fleshy, 
 tubercled, 5-chambered, many-seeded. (Name, the Classical 
 Latin name of the plant.) 
 
 1. A. unedo (Strawberry-tree). — A beautiful evergreen tree with 
 a rough, reddish bark ; large elliptical, tapering, smooth, serrate, 
 deep-green leaves; numerous terminal clusters of drooping creamy- 
 white flowers ; and nearly globular, scarlet, berry-like fruits, rough 
 with minute hard grains. — About the lakes of Killarney, abundant 
 and truly wild ; common in English gardens, and naturalised 
 about Clifton. The flowers are in full perfection when the fruit 
 of the preceding year is ripening ; and then the tree presents 
 its most attractive appearance. The fruit is so much less agreeable 
 x 
 
306 
 
 ERICACE/E 
 
 to the taste than to the eye as to have originated Pliny's name 
 Unedo, " One-I-eat," as if no one would wish to try a second ; but 
 birds are very fond of it. — Fl. September, October. Perennial. 
 
 2. Arctostaphylos (Bear-berry). — Prostrate under-shrubs with 
 smaller leaves; but only differing essentially from Arbutus in 
 having a smooth fruit with only one seed in each of its 5 chambers. 
 (Name from the Greek arctos, a bear, staphule, a grape.) 
 
 1. A. alpina (Black Bear-berry). — A small, prostrate shrub; 
 leaves obovate, serrate, thin, wrinkled, shortly stalked, not ever- 
 green ; flowers white ; fruit fleshy, 
 smooth, black. — Dry barren 
 spots on Highland mountains ; 
 rare. — Fl. May— July. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 2. A. Uva-ursi (Red Bear- 
 berry). — Resembling the pre- 
 ceding in its mode of growth, 
 but the leaves are entire, leathery, 
 and evergreen, turning red in 
 autumn : flowers rose-coloured ; 
 and fruit scarlet. — Mountainous 
 heaths in the north ; abundant. 
 The leaves are used in medicine 
 as an astringent, and the fruit is 
 a favourite food of moor-fowl. — 
 Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 3. Andromeda. — Shrubs and 
 trees, differing from Arbutus 
 mainly in their dry, 5-chambered, 
 5-valved capsule. ("Named in 
 allusion to the fable of Andro- 
 meda, who was chained to a rock, 
 
 and exposed to the attack of a sea-monster ; so does this beautiful 
 tribe of plants grow in dreary and northern wastes, feigned to be 
 the abode of preternatural monsters." — Sir W. J. Hooker.) 
 
 1. A. Polifolia (Marsh Andromeda). — The only British species, 
 a small, leafy, evergreen shrub with slender, prostrate stems, 
 scattered lanceolate leaves, revolute and glaucous beneath, and 
 terminal clusters of stalked, drooping, pink flowers. — Peat-bogs, 
 chiefly in the north. — Fl. May — September. Perennial. 
 
 4. Calluna (Ling, Heather). — A much-branched under-shrub 
 with small, opposite, imbricate leaves; numerous, stalked, bracteate, 
 
 arbutus unedo {Strawberry-tree). 
 
HEATH FAMILY 
 
 307 
 
 small flowers ; calyx of 4-coloured sepals, longer than the corolla ; 
 corolla bell-shaped, 4-cleft, persistent, lilac ; stamens 8 ; capsule 
 4-chambered, septicidal ; seeds few in each chamber. (Name 
 from the Greek kalluno, I cleanse, from the use of the twigs to 
 make brooms.) 
 
 1. C. vulgaris (Ling, or Heather). — The only species. The 
 small leaves are more or less downy (sometimes even hoary), and, 
 being arranged in opposite and decussating 
 pairs, give the stem a 4-sided appearance. 
 There are 4 small green bracts below each 
 flower, and 4 rose-coloured sepals concealing 
 the very small, bell-shaped, 4-cleft corolla. — 
 Heaths and moors; abundant. The flowers 
 persist long after the fruit is ripe, often, indeed, 
 until the next year's flowering. A beautiful 
 double-flowered variety has been found in 
 Cornwall. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 5. ERfcA. (Heath). — Wiry, much-branched 
 under-shrubs with small, narrow, stiff, generally 
 whorled leaves; bracteate flowers; sepals 4; 
 corolla bell-shaped, tubular or urceolate ; 
 stamens 8 ; capsule 4-chambered, 4-valved, 
 loculicidal, and septifragal. (Name from the 
 Greek ereike.) 
 
 1. E. cilidris (Ciliated Heath). — By far the 
 most beautiful of all the British species ; leaves 
 3 or 4 in a whorl, downy above, glaucous 
 beneath ; flowers in terminal, interrupted, one- 
 sided, spike-like racemes, ovoid, half-an-inch 
 long, crimson, enclosing the stamens. — Sandy 
 heaths, Cornwall ; near Corfe Castle, Dorset ; 
 and Galway. — Fl. June — September. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 2. E. Tetralix (Cross-leaved Heath. — Well 
 
 calluna VULGARIS 
 (Ling, or Heather). 
 
 distinguished from all other English species by 
 its narrow, fringed leaves being placed cross-wise, and by its 
 terminal, one-sided heads of drooping, rose-coloured flowers. The 
 part of the flower nearest the stem is of a lighter colour than that 
 which is exposed, where it deepens to a delicate blush, the whole 
 flower appearing as if modelled in wax. It is sometimes found 
 of a pure white. Heaths ; abundant. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3. E. Mackdyi (Mackay's Heath), differing in being more 
 
308 ERICACEAE 
 
 bushy, more glabrous, with broader leaves, and more numerous 
 heads of smaller flowers, occurs only in Connemara. 
 
 4. E. cinerea (Fine-leaved Heath). — The commonest British 
 species, a bushy plant, with tough, wiry stems, very narrow, smooth 
 leaves, 3 in a whorl ; and ovoid, deep rose, or sometimes white, 
 flowers in irregular, whorled, leafy clusters, not confined to one 
 side of the stem. — Heaths; abundant. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 ERfcA tetralix, e. ciliAris, e. vXgans, and e. cinerea. 
 
 5. E. vdgans (Cornish Heath). — Stems much branched, 2 — 4 feet 
 high, very leafy in the upper parts ; leaves 3 — 5 in a whorl, 
 crowded, very narrow, smooth ; flowers light red, rose-coloured, 
 or pure white, bell-shaped, in a leafy, regular, tapering cluster ; 
 stamens forming a ring outside the corolla until they have shed 
 their pollen, when they droop to the sides, dark red in the red 
 varieties ; light red in the white. — Covering many thousands of 
 acres on the Goonhilley Downs, and on other heaths on the 
 serpentine of the Lizard in Cornwall, almost to the exclusion of 
 E. cinerea and E. Tetralix. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
HEATH FAMILY 309 
 
 6. E. mediterrdnea (Mediterranean Heath), with leaves 4 in a 
 whorl, a coloured calyx, pink corolla, and less prominent anthers, 
 well known as a garden plant, occurs also in Connemara. — Fl. 
 April, May. Perennial. 
 
 6. AzXlea. — A small, trailing shrub with small, opposite leaves; 
 sepals, petals, and stamens 5 each ; corolla bell-shaped, deciduous ; 
 
 erica tetralix {Cress-leaved Heath). ERfcA cinerea {Fine-leaved Heath). 
 
 capsule 2 — 3-chambered, septicidal. (Name from the Greek 
 azaleos, parched, arid, from the character of the places in which 
 it grows.) 
 
 1. A. procumbens (Trailing Azalea). — The original and only 
 Azalea of Linnaeus, very different in habit from most of the plants 
 cultivated under the name of Azaleas. The stems are prostrate 
 and tangled; the leaves small, smooth, rigid, and evergreen, with 
 the margins remarkably rolled back; the flowers flesh-pink, in 
 
ERICACEAE 
 
 terminal tufts, with red peduncles and sepals. — Highland moun- 
 tains. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 7. Bryanthus (Menziesia). — Small, evergreen shrubs with 
 scattered leaves and few drooping, umbellate -flowers ; sepals 5 ; 
 
 erica vAgans {Cornish Heath). 
 
 pyrola media {Intermediate Winter-green). 
 
 corolla urceolate, 5-fid, deciduous; stamens 10; capsule 5-cham- 
 bered, septicidal. (Name from the Greek bruon, a moss, anthos, 
 a flower.) 
 
 1. B. cceruleus (Scotch Menziesia). — A small shrub, naked 
 below, very leafy and hairy above ; leaves crowded, shortly stalked, 
 
HEATH FAMILY 311 
 
 linear, minutely toothed, revolute ; flower-stalks covered with 
 glandular hairs ; flowers in terminal tufts, lilac. — Sow of Athol, 
 Perthshire ; very rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 8. Daboecia (St. Daboec's Heath). — A small, evergreen shrub 
 with scattered leaves and drooping flowers in terminal, i -sided, 
 loose, leafy racemes ; sepals 4 ; corolla urceolate, 4-fid, deciduous ; 
 stamens 8 ; capsule 4-chambered, septicidal. (Named from St. 
 Daboec, an Irish saint.) 
 
 1. D. cantdbrica (St. Daboec's Heath, Irish Menziesia). — The 
 only species, a small shrub with ovate, revolute leaves, bright green 
 and glossy above, white and downy beneath ; and large, crimson, 
 or sometimes white, flowers. — Mountainous heaths in Connemara ; 
 rare. — Fl. August. Perennial. 
 
 9. P^rola (Winter-green). — Herbaceous plants with slender, 
 creeping rhizomes; short, almost woody, unbranched stems; 
 simple, smooth, evergreen, broad, chiefly radical leaves; flowers in 
 a bracteate raceme, drooping to one side ; sepals 5, persistent ; 
 petals 5, free, incurved; stamens 10; capsule 5-chambered, loculi- 
 cidal. (Name, a diminutive from Pyrus, a pear, from a fancied 
 resemblance in their leaves.) 
 
 1. P. rotundifolia (Round-leaved Winter-green). — Leaves entire 
 or slightly crenate, on long, slender stalks ; flowers numerous, pure 
 white in a long raceme ; style longer than the petals, bent down, 
 and, at the extremity, curved upwards. — Moist woods ; rare. — Fl. 
 July— September. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. media (Intermediate Winter-green). — Flowers less ex- 
 panded than in the preceding, milk-white, tinged with pink ; style 
 erect, nearly straight, longer than the stamens, projecting beyond 
 the corolla. — Woods ; local. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 3. P. minor (Lesser Winter-green). — Flowers numerous, very 
 shortly stalked, globose, nearly closed, pale pink ; stamens as long 
 as the short style; stigma large, included within the flower. — 
 Woods and heaths ; more common in the north. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 4. P. secunda (One-sided Winter-green). — Flowers greenish- 
 white, all hanging to one side, nearly closed ; stamens as long as 
 the long, straight style, or nearly so ; stigma exserted. — Rocky 
 woods in the north ; rare. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 10. Moneses (Single-flowered Winter-green). — Differing from 
 Pyrola in having a solitary flower with slightly united, spreading 
 petals, and anthers prolonged into tubes. Name from the Greek 
 monos, alone, from its solitary flowers.) 
 
3 I2 
 
 monotr6peje 
 
 i. M. uniflora (Single-flowered Winter-green). — A remarkably 
 pretcy plant, with several roundish, smooth, serrate, radical leaves, 
 and a single, large, elegant, white, highly fragrant, long-stalked 
 flower. — Woods in the north of Scotland ; rare. — Fl. July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Ord. XLV. Monotr6pEjE. 
 
 The Bird's-nest Family 
 
 little or no 
 upon dead 
 
 A small group of brown saprophytic herbs, with 
 chlorophyll, living in and 
 leaves in woods in the North Temperate 
 Zone. They have fleshy, scaly rhizomes ; 
 unbranched stems; scattered leaves re- 
 duced to 9cales ; flowers generally in 
 racemes, campanulate, 4 — 6-merous ; 
 stamens 8 — 10, hypogynous ; anthers 
 kidney-shaped, 1 -chambered ; ovary 4 — ■ 
 5-chambered, superior ; style single ; 
 stigma flat ; ovules many in each chamber, 
 axile ; capsule 5-valved, loculicidal ; seeds 
 minute, with a loose testa. 
 
 1. Mon6tropa (Bird's-nest). — Termi- 
 nal flower 5-merous ; lateral ones 4- 
 merous ; sepals and petals membranous, 
 saccate at the base ; stamens 10 in the 
 terminal, 8 in the lateral flowers ; stigma 
 not lobed. (Name from the Greek mbnos, 
 one, trope, turning, from the unilateral 
 position of the flowers. 
 
 1. M. Hypopitys (Fir-rape, Pine Bird's- 
 nest). — The only British species, with an 
 unbranched juicy stem, clothed through- 
 out with scaly bracts, and terminating in 
 a drooping, one-sided raceme of brownish- 
 yellow flowers, which eventually turn 
 almost black. — Woods near the roots of 
 Fir and Beech ; local. This plant must 
 not be confounded with the Bird's-nest 
 Orchis (Neottia Nidus-avis) or with the 
 Broom-rapes (Orobdnche), in both of 
 which the flowers are monosymmetric, 
 the former 3-merous, the latter bilabiate 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 mon6tropa hyp6pitys 
 (Pine Bird's-nest, Firrajx). 
 
 and didynamous. — Fl. 
 
THRIFT FAMILY 313 
 
 §§ Stamens epipetalous 
 
 ORD. XLVI. PLUMBAGfNEyE. — THE THRIFT FAMILY 
 
 A small group of herbaceous or somewhat shrubby plants, with 
 undivided fleshy leaves ; polysym metric, perfect flowers in panicles 
 or heads ; calyx inferior, tubular, 5-cleft, plaited, persistent, mem- 
 branous, and often coloured, approaching the texture of Everlast- 
 ing-flowers ; corolla 5-cleft nearly to the base ; stamens 5, opposite 
 the petals ; ovary of 5 carpels, 1 -chambered ; styles 5 ; fruit dry, 
 i-seeded. They inhabit salt marshes and the sea-shores of most 
 temperate regions, and some are found also in mountainous 
 districts. Their properties are various ; some are astringent and 
 tonic, some intensely acrid, and many contain iodine ; but, like 
 many other maritime plants, they lose the peculiar salts which 
 they contain in their natural localities when growing at a distance 
 from the sea. Thrift (Statue), for example, as a maritime plant 
 contains iodine and soda ; but as a mountain or garden plant 
 exchanges these two substances for potash. The root of Limb- 
 nium Carolinidnum is one of the most powerful astringents known, 
 and several species of Plumbago are so acrid that the fresh root 
 is used to raise blisters. Several kinds of Sea-Lavender (Limb- 
 nium) are ornaments to our shores, and others are cultivated in 
 our conservatories. 
 
 1. Limonium. — Flowers in one-sided panicled cymes. 
 
 2. Statice. —Flowers in dense bracteate heads. 
 
 1. Limonium (Sea- Lavender). — Leaves all radical; flowers in 
 spike-like, one-sided, spreading, branched cymes; style smooth. 
 (Name from the Greek leimon, a meadow.) 
 
 1. L. vulgdre (Common Sea-Lavender). — Leaves long-stalked, 
 oblong, 1 -ribbed, pinnately veined, tipped with a point, smooth ; 
 flower-stalk, a leafless angular scape, branched near the summit 
 into many spreading spike-like clusters ; flowers blue-lilac, scent- 
 less. — Muddy, sea-coasts ; not infrequent. — Fl. July — November. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. L. humile (Few-flowered Sea-Lavender), differing mainly in 
 having more erect branches and fewer flowers, is less common. 
 
 3. L. recurvum (Portland Sea-Lavender). — Not more than 9 in. 
 high ; leaves obovate-spathulate, obtuse, long-stalked ; stem stout, 
 rigid, rough, usually branching above the middle ; branches ascend- 
 ing, curved, mostly flowering ; spikes linear, very dense-flowered, 
 thick-spreading and recurved ; spikelets 1 — 4-flowered, in 2 rows ; 
 inner bracts obovate, with white or slightly pink margins ; flowers 
 
3^4 
 
 PLUMBAGfNEjE 
 
 purple.— Rocky shores at Portland; but, perhaps, extinct. — Fl. 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
 4. L. lychnidifolium, with large leathery leaves with 5 — 9 veins, 
 stems with large scales, and broad dark-red bracts occurs sparingly 
 on rocks in Alderney.— Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 5. L. binervbsum (Spathulate Sea-Lavender). — A variable 
 plant, known to Gerard as "Rocke Lavender," 6 — 18 in. high; 
 stem usually branching from the base ; branches repeatedly bifur- 
 cating, rough ; leaves 
 lanceolate - spathulate, 
 sometimes acute, 1 — 3- 
 veined ; spikes linear, 
 slender, sub-erect ; spike- 
 lets 2 — 4-flowered, in 2 
 rows ; inner bracts oval, 
 with broad membranous 
 margin, deep pink. Not 
 uncommon on rocky 
 coasts. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 6. L. bellidif olium 
 (Matted Sea-Lavender). 
 — Leaves blunt, 1 -ribbed, 
 short - stalked ; flower - 
 stalks rough, divided 
 almost from the base 
 into numerous zigzag 
 branches, the lower of 
 which are flowerless. — 
 Salt marshes of Lincoln, 
 Norfolk and Cambridge. 
 — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 1.IM6NIUM BINERVOSUM {Spathulate Sea-Lavender) 
 and statice MARrriMA (Tkrift). 
 
 2. Statice (Thrift).— 
 Leaves all radical, very narrow; flowers in dense heads of bracteate 
 cymes, with a reversed, tubular, membranous involucre; petals 
 cohering, persistent; styles hairy. (Name from the Greek statizo, 
 I staunch, from the use of this, or some allied, plant as a styptic.) 
 1. S. maritima (Thrift, Sea-Pink). — Leaves linear, 1 -nerved, fleshy, 
 pubescent, forming dense tufts or balls ; flower-stalks leafless, 
 downy, unbranched scapes, 3 — 6 in. high, their summits cased in 
 brown membranous sheaths ; flowers rose-coloured, in roundish 
 heads, intermixed with chaffy bracts ; fruit almost winged by the 
 
PRIMROSE FAMILY 315 
 
 dry, chaffy calyx.— Sea-shores and the tops of mountains ; common. 
 — Fl. April — October. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. plantaginea, a larger, smooth species, with broader, 3 — 5- 
 veined leaves, occurs in Jersey. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. XLVII. Primulacfje. — The Primrose Family 
 
 Herbaceous plants, mostly low-growing, inhabiting principally the 
 colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere, and in lower latitudes 
 ascending to the confines of perpetual snow. The leaves are 
 exstipulate and mostly simple ; the flowers polysymmetric and 
 perfect. The calyx is inferior, except in the Brookweed (Sdmolus), 
 persistent and 5-cleft, or rarely 4-cleft, or in the Chickweed 
 Winter-green (Trientdlis) 7 -cleft; the corolla of as many lobes as 
 the calyx, but in the Sea-Milkwort (Glaux) absent. The stamens 
 equal in number the lobes of the corolla, and are opposite to 
 them : the syncarpous ovary is i-chambered with a free central 
 placenta and numerous ovules, a single style, and a rounded, un- 
 lobed or, as it is called, " capitate " stigma. Several of our most 
 favourite wild flowers are members of this Order. The Primrose, 
 the name of which is corrupted from primerolles, primerula, or 
 primula, meaning the earliest little flower, is the welcome har- 
 binger of spring ; the Cowslip is scarcely less prized for its rural 
 associations than for its beauty and fragrance ; and the Scarlet 
 Pimpernel, or " Poor Man's Weather-glass," is as trusty a herald 
 of summer weather as the Primrose of spring. The Polyanthus, 
 Auricula, and other species of Primula are garden favourites, and 
 several species of Cyclamen are commonly grown in conservatories. 
 The Primuldcece have few medicinal properties of importance : 
 the flowers of the Cowslip are made into a pleasant soporific 
 wine ; and the leaves of the Auricula (Primula Auricula) are used 
 in the Alps as a»remedy for coughs. 
 
 1. Hottonia. — Calyx inferior, 5-cleft almost to the base; 
 corolla salver-shaped, with a short tube; capsule "with 5 valves 
 cohering at the top. 
 
 2. PkfMULA. — Leaves radical; flowers in umbels; calyx inferior, 
 tubular, 5-cleft ; corolla salver- or funnel-shaped, with a long, 
 cylindrical tube; capsule 5-valved, with 10 teeth. 
 
 *3. Cyclamen. — Stem a large corm ; leaves radical; flowers 
 solitary ; calyx inferior, bell-shaped, 5-cleft ; corolla with a short, 
 bell-shaped tube and reflexed, long, 5-cleft limb ; capsule opening 
 with five teeth. 
 
 4. Lysimachia. — Leaves cauline ; calyx inferior, 5-cleft to the 
 
3i6 
 
 PRIMULACEiE 
 
 base ; corolla yellow, rotate or cup-shaped ; capsule indehiscent or 
 2 — 5-valved. 
 
 5. Trientalis. — Leaves cauline; calyx inferior, 7-partite, or 
 rarely 5 — 9 ; corolla white, rotate, without a tube ; capsule opening 
 with 5-revolute valves. 
 
 6. Glaux. — Leaves cauline; calyx inferior, bell-shaped, 5-lobed, 
 coloured ; corolla absent ; capsule 5-valved. 
 
 7. AnagAllis. — Leaves cauline ; calyx inferior, 5-cleft to the 
 base; corolla rotate or funnel-shaped, with little or no tube; 
 filaments hairy; capsule splitting all round. 
 
 8. Centunculus. — 
 Leaves cauline ; calyx in- 
 ferior, 4 or 5-cleft to the 
 base ; corolla with an in- 
 flated, sub-globose tube, 4 
 or 5-cleft ; stamens 4 or 5, 
 with smooth filaments ; 
 capsule splitting all round. 
 
 9. Samolus. — Leaves 
 radical and cauline ; calyx 
 half-superior, 5-cleft, per- 
 sistent ; corolla salver- 
 shaped ; capsule opening 
 with 5 refiexed teeth. 
 
 1. Hottonia (Water 
 Violet). — Floating aquatic 
 plants with whorled, finely 
 divided, pinnate, submerged 
 leaves ; -flowers whorled, 
 stalked ; calyx 5-cleft almost 
 to the base ; corolla salver- 
 shaped, with a short tube ; 
 stamens 5 ; capsule many-seeded, with 5 valves cohering at the 
 top. (Named after Peter Hotton, Professor of Botany at Leyden.) 
 1. H. palustris (Water Violet). — The only British species, with 
 large, handsome, lilac flowers with a yellow eye, arranged in 
 whorls around a smooth, succulent, leafless stalk, which rises 
 several inches out of the water. — Ponds and ditches ; local. — Fl. 
 May, June. Perennial. 
 
 hott6nia palustris {Water Violet). 
 
 2. Pr/mula (Primrose). — Plants with a rhizome, radical, simple 
 leaves and flowers in umbels with an involucre ; calyx tubular, 5- 
 cleft; corolla salver- or funnel-shaped, with a long, cylindrical 
 
PRIMROSE FAMILY 
 
 317 
 
 tube ; stamens 5, epipetalous, included either in the throat of the 
 corolla-tube, or, on other plants, half-way down it ; style short in 
 the former case, long in the latter; capsule 5-valved with 10 teeth. 
 This heterostyle is connected with insect-pollination, the short- 
 
 j-RIMULA VULGARIS (Primrose). 
 
 styled form having its stigma dusted with pollen from the similarly- 
 situated anthers of a long-styled plant, and vice versa. (Name a 
 diminutive from the Latin primus, first, from the early flowering 
 of many species.) 
 
 1. P. vulgaris (Primrose). — Among the most welcome of spring 
 
3i8 
 
 PRIMULACE.E 
 
 flowers, and almost too well known to need any description ; leaves 
 obovate, tapering downwards, wrinkled, hairy beneath, toothed ; 
 
 primula v£ris (Cowslip, Paigle\ 
 
 umbels usually with very short peduncles and long, pink, hairy 
 pedicels; flowers an inch or more across; calyx with 5 longitudinal 
 plaits and acute teeth ; corolla of a pale yellow, or, as artists often 
 maintain, a delicate green, turning green in drying, or occasion- 
 
PRIMROSE FAMILY 319 
 
 ally white, red, or lilac, with a flat limb, having a faint but char- 
 acteristic fragrance. — Banks and woods; abundant. — Fl. December 
 — May. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. verts (Cowslip). — Almost an equal favourite; leaves ovate, 
 abruptly contracted below; umbels with a long, erect, downy 
 peduncle, short pedicels, and drooping flowers; calyx bell-shaped 
 with short, broad teeth; corolla funnel-shaped, deep yellow, with 
 5 reddish spots in the eye, fragrant. — Pastures; common. Among 
 the many pleasing purposes to which these flowers are put by 
 children, none is prettier than that of making Cowslip Balls. The 
 method is as follows : — Choosing only such umbels as have all 
 the flowers open, pick them off as close as possible to the top of 
 the peduncle and hang them, close together, along a string about 
 1 J — 2 feet long, stretched between the backs of two chairs. 
 When the string is full, carefully loosen its ends, and, raising them, 
 gently tie them together, so drawing all the flower-heads into a 
 ball. — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 3. P. eldtior (Oxlip). — Leaves like those of the Cowslip ; umbel 
 long-stalked ; flowers not drooping, salver-shaped, but smaller and 
 paler, and more buff than those of the Primrose, with a smell 
 of apricots ; calyx tubular ; corolla flat, not concave. — Woods in 
 north-west Essex and neighbouring parts of Herts, Cambridge- 
 shire and Suffolk only. The name Paigle is applied locally to this 
 species and elsewhere to the Cowslip. — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 4. P. farinosa (Bird's-eye Primrose). — Leaves small, obovate, 
 crenate, covered below with a white or sulphur-like meal ; umbels 
 on peduncles 2 — 8 in. high ; calyx-teeth long, linear, obtuse ; 
 corolla lilac, with a yellow eye, lobes distant. — Mountain pastures, 
 from Yorkshire northwards. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 5. P. scotica (Scottish Primrose). — Resembling the last, but 
 only half its size, with broader leaves, shorter and broader calyx- 
 teeth, and a deeper blue-purple corolla with its lobes touching, is a 
 rare species growing in the Orkneys, and in a few places in the 
 extreme north of Scotland. — Fl. May — September. Perennial. 
 
 *3. Cyclamen (Sow-bread). — Plants with large, tuber-like, 
 underground stems; radical, petiolate, broad leaves ; flowers soli- 
 tary, drooping, on long, leafless, erect peduncles, which twist 
 spirally when in fruit ; calyx 5 -cleft ; corolla with a short, bell- 
 shaped tube and long-reflexed lobes to its limb ; capsule opening 
 with 5 teeth. (Name from the Greek, referring to the round 
 corm.) 
 
 1.* C. hederifolium (Ivy-leaved Sow-bread). — The only species 
 found in Britain ; but a doubtful native. Remarkable for its 
 
320 
 
 PRIMULACE^E 
 
 globular, turnip-like, brown corm, and nodding pink flowers with 
 reflexed petals. The leaves are produced after the flowers. As 
 the fruit ripens, the flower-stalk curls spirally and buries it in the 
 earth. The corm is intensely acrid. — Woods in Kent, Sussex, 
 and Surrey. — Fl. August, September. Perennial. 
 
 4. Lysimachia (Loosestrife). — Plants of various habit with 
 entire, cauline leaves; calyx 5 — 6-cleft to the base; corolla rotate 
 
 or cup-shaped, yellow in British 
 species; capsule generally 5-valved. 
 (Name in Greek having the same 
 meaning as the English name.) 
 
 1. L. thyrsiflora (Tufted Loose- 
 strife). — A stout, glabrous, erect 
 plant with runners, unbranched 
 above ; leaves opposite, sessile, 
 lanceolate ; flowers small, numer- 
 ous, in dense, stalked, axillary 
 racemes, yellow, dotted with 
 orange. — Marshes, mostly in the 
 north ; rare. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. L. vulgaris (Great Yellow 
 Loosestrife). — A stout, pubescent, 
 erect, branched plant, several 
 feet high, with runners ; leaves 
 opposite, or 3—4 in a whorl, 
 sessile, ovate-lanceolate ; flowers 
 rather large, subcampanulate, 
 yellow, dotted with orange, in 
 terminal panicled cymes. — River- 
 banks ; common. — ■ Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 3.* L. punctata, a naturalised 
 exotic, is a smaller, downy plant, with fewer flowers and petals 
 fringed with glandular hairs. . 
 
 4.* L. cilidta, an American species naturalised in Cumberland, 
 is taller and has subcordate leaves on ciliate stalks, and 5 stami- 
 nodes between the stamens. 
 
 5. L. Nummuldria (Money-wort, Herb-twopence, Creeping 
 Jenny). — A very pretty glabrous plant, with creeping stems, often 
 more than a foot long ; leaves opposite, ovate, slightly stalked, 
 shining ; flowers rather large, cup-shaped, solitary, or in pairs in 
 the axils, yellow. — Banks of rivers and damp woods; common. 
 
 lysimachia nummulAria {Money-wort). 
 
PRIMROSE FAMILY 
 
 321 
 
 It often drapes wet banks very gracefully, and is much planted 
 on rockeries. Its leaves sometimes turn 
 rose-pink in autumn. Fl. June — July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 6. L. nemorum (Yellow Pimpernel, 
 Wood Loosestrife). — A very graceful plant, 
 approaching the Scarlet Pimpernel in 
 habit, but somewhat larger and more 
 glossy ; stem spreading, often reddish ; 
 leaves opposite, shortly stalked, ovate, 
 acute ; flowers solitary, on very slender, 
 axillary peduncles, bright yellow, star-like 
 and very pretty, from 5— f in. across. — 
 Shady woods ; common. — Fl. May — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 5. Trientalis (Chickweed Winter- L 
 green). — Glabrous plants 
 with slender, creeping rhi- 
 zomes ; erect, unbranched 
 stems, a single whorl of 5 
 or 6 leaves, and a few white 
 flowers on slender pedun- 
 cles ; calyx 5 — 9-cleft ; 
 corolla rotate ; stamens 
 5 — 9 ; capsule opening with 
 5 revolute valves. (Name 
 of doubtful etymology.) 
 
 1. T. euro-pka (Chick- 
 weed Winter-green). — The 
 only European species, and 
 the only British plant re- 
 ferred to the Linnean Class 
 Heptandria, though the 
 stamens are not invariably 
 7 in number. It grows 
 4 — 6 in. high, has large, 
 obovate leaves and delicate 
 white flowers. — Woods from 
 Yorkshire and Lancashire 
 northwards. — Fl. June, 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 6. Glaux (Sea - Milk- 
 wort), containing only one species, G. mariiimd, a small, glabrous 
 
 v 
 
 gla6x maritima (Sea Milkwort). 
 
322 
 
 PRIMULACE.E 
 
 fleshy, marine plant, 3 — 6 in. high, growing in thick patches, 
 resembling Honkenya peploides in its habit, with numerous ovate, 
 entire, opposite and decussate leaves, and axillary pink flowers 
 
 which are destitute of 
 corolla. — Sea-shores 
 and salt - marshes ; 
 common. The name 
 is from the Greek 
 [7 glaukos, sea-green.) — 
 Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 7. AnagAllis 
 (Pimpernel). — Slen- 
 der little plants with 
 opposite, entire 
 leaves ; axillary flowers 
 on threadlike stalks ; 
 corolla rotate or fun- 
 nel-shaped ; filaments 
 hairy ; capsule split- 
 ting all round. 
 (Name in Greek de- 
 noting that the plant 
 excites pleasure.) 
 1. A. arvensis 
 (Scarlet Pimpernel, Poor Man's Weather-glass). — A pretty little 
 plant, generally prostrate ; leaves sessile, ovate, dotted beneath ; 
 petals crenate, fringed with minute glandular 
 hairs, expanding only in fine weather, usually 
 bright scarlet, but occasionally pink, white with 
 a red eye, all white, or perhaps blue. — Culti- 
 vated ground ; abundant. — Fl. May — October. 
 Annual. 
 
 2. A.- cceri'dea (Blue Pimpernel). — A more 
 erect plant, without the fringe to its petals, 
 which are usually bright blue ; but perhaps 
 occasionally red. Much less common. — Fl. 
 May — October. Annual. 
 
 3. A. tenella (Bog Pimpernel). — A beautiful 
 little plant with very slender creeping stems, 3 — 4 in. long ; small, 
 roundish, stalked leaves, shorter than the flower-stalks ; and erect, 
 funnel-shaped, rose-pink flowers, larger than those of the Scarlet 
 Pimpernel. — Boggy ground and sides of rivulets ; common. — 
 Fl. June— August. Perennial. 
 
 anagAllis arve^sis (Scarlet Pimpernel) and 
 A. tenella (Bog Pimpernel). 
 
 CENTtftCULUS Mfxi.MUS 
 
 (Cliaffweed). 
 
PRIMROSE FAMILY 
 
 323 
 
 8. Centtjnculus (Chaffweed, Bastard Pimpernel). — Minute 
 plants, with leaves partly opposite, partly scattered ; flowers axillary, 
 sub-sessile, minute, often 4-merous ; corolla with an inflated, sub- 
 globose tube; filaments not hairy; capsule splitting all round. 
 (Name of doubtful etymology.) 
 
 1. C. minimus (Chaffweed, 
 Bastard Pimpernel). — The only 
 British species, one of the smallest 
 among British flowering plants, 
 rarely exceeding an inch in height, 
 and often much less. It is nearly 
 allied to the Pimpernels, and at 
 the first glance might be mistaken 
 for a stunted specimen of Ana- 
 gdllis arvensis. It is sometimes 
 branched ; but very frequently 
 consists of a single stem, 6 or 8 
 ovate, acute leaves, and as many 
 inconspicuous, nearly sessile, pale 
 pink -flowers. — Damp, gravelly 
 places, especially where water has 
 stood during winter.— Fl. June — 
 August. Annual. 
 
 9. Samolus (Brookweed). — 
 Leaves partly radical partly cauline, 
 and scattered ; flowers in a termi- 
 nal, bracteate corymb ; calyx half 
 superior, 5 - cleft, persistent ; 
 corolla salver - shaped, white ; 
 stamens 5, epipetalous, alternating 
 with 5 staminodes ; capsule open- 
 ing with 5 reflexed teeth. (Name 
 said to be from the island of 
 Samos, where Valerandus, a 
 botanist of the sixteenth century, 
 gathered our British species.) 
 
 1. S. Valerdndi (Brookweed). 
 — The only British species, a 
 smooth, pale green, herbaceous plant, with blunt, fleshy leaves, 
 and one or more terminal clusters of very small white flowers, 
 crowded at first, but finally becoming distant, resembling in this 
 respect the habit of some Cruciferce. — Watery places ; common. — 
 Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 sAmolus vai.erandi (Brookweed). 
 
3 2 4 
 
 OLEACE^E 
 
 Ord. XLVIII. Oleace^e.— The Olive Family 
 
 Trees or shrubs, chiefly inhabiting the temperate regions of the 
 Northern Hemisphere. Their branches are opposite, and often 
 end in conspicuous buds ; the leaves, also opposite, are either 
 simple or pinnate, and exstipulate ; and the -flowers are in panicled 
 cymes. The calyx is either 4-cleft, inferior and persistent, or 
 absent ; the corolla either polysymmetric, hypogynous, of 4 united 
 or free petals, valvate in bud, or absent ; stamens 2 ; ovary 2- 
 
 chambered, with 2 — 3 ovules 
 in each chamber ; style 1 ; 
 fruit a samara, a capsule, or 
 berry-like, seldom perfecting 
 more than 2 seeds. By far 
 the most important plant^ in 
 the Order is the Olive (Olea 
 europcea), from which it takes 
 its name, one of the earliest 
 plants cultivated by man. Its 
 bark is bitter and astringent, 
 and its wood remarkably 
 close - grained, handsomely 
 mottled, and durable. The 
 fruit is fleshy and drupe-like, 
 enclosing a hard stone, and 
 the oil is expressed from the 
 fleshy pericarp. The Lilac 
 (Syringa vulgaris) is a 
 favourite in our shrubberies. 
 Frdxinus Ornus, the Flower- 
 ing or Manna Ash of southern 
 Europe, also occasionally 
 grown, has white flowers, and 
 exudes a sugary substance known as manna, which is sometimes 
 used in medicine. The wood of this genus is valued for its 
 strength and elasticity. 
 
 1. Fraxinus. — Leaves mostly pinnate ; calyx and corolla absent ; 
 fruit a pendulous single samara. 
 
 2. Ligustrum. — Leaves simple ; calyx cup-shaped, 4-toothed ; 
 corolla funnel-shaped, 4-lobed ; fruit a nuculane. 
 
 1. Fraxinus (Ash). — Trees with deciduous leaves, generally 
 pinnate ; polygamous flowers, with or without a 4-merous calyx 
 and corolla ; fruit a compressed samara, winged at the tip. (Name, 
 
 FRAXINUS EXCfel.SIOR {Ash). 
 
OLIVE FAMILY 
 
 325 
 
 the Latin name of the tree, perhaps referring to the ease with 
 which it may be split.) 
 
 1. F. excelsior (Common Ash). — A noble tree, characterised by 
 the smooth, light, ash-coloured bark of its younger branches, of 
 which the lower ones droop, and curve upwards again at the 
 extremities ; by its large, black, terminal buds ; by the large, 
 
 ligiJstrum vulgar£ (Privet). 
 
 unequally pinnate leaves of 9 — 15 leaflets, which are lanceolate 
 and serrate ; by the dense clusters of flowers, some consisting only 
 of two purple-black stamens, others only of an ovary, and others 
 of both ; and by the tufts of pendulous seed-vessels, popularly 
 called " keys," which remain attached to the tree until the spring. 
 A variety is occasionally found with only the terminal leaflets to 
 its leaves. — Woods and hedges ; common. — Fl. April, May, before 
 leafing. Perennial 
 
326 APOCYNACEiE 
 
 2. LiGtJSTRUM (Privet). — Shrubs with simple, often evergreen 
 leaves ; flowers perfect, in terminal panicled cymes ; calyx cup- 
 shaped, 4-toothed, deciduous ; corolla funnel-shaped, with 4 
 spreading lobes ; fruit globular, berry-like. (Name, the Classical 
 name of the plant, connected with ligare, to bind, from the use 
 made of the twigs.) 
 
 1. L. vulgdre (Common Privet). — The only British species, a 
 common hedge-bush, with opposite, smooth, elliptical, nearly ever- 
 green leaves ; dense panicles of white, sickly-smelling flowers, and 
 polished, globular, black, berry-like fruits. It is commonly used 
 for garden-hedges in towns, not being injured by smoke. — Fl. 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. XLIX. Apocynace.e. — Periwinkle Family 
 
 Trees, shrubs, or herbs, mostly tropical, poisonous, and 
 abounding in a milky juice ; leaves simple, opposite ; flowers 
 showy, polysym metric ; calyx 5 -cleft, persistent ; corolla 5-lobed, 
 the lobes twisted when in bud, and when expanded usually 
 oblique ; stamens 5, inserted in the corolla-tube ; ovary 2-cham- 
 bered ; fruit various. The beautiful Oleander (Nerium Oleander), 
 common in greenhouses, is a member of this Order. It is very 
 poisonous, the wood, when powdered, being sometimes used to 
 kill rats. It is related that in 1809, when the French troops were 
 before Madrid, a soldier formed the unfortunate idea of cutting 
 branches of Oleander (which in Spain is very common and 
 reaches a considerable size) to serve as spits and skewers for 
 their meat when roasting. The wood having been stripped of 
 its bark, and brought in contact with the meat, was productive of 
 most direful consequences, seven soldiers dying out of twelve who 
 ate of the roast. A number of species in the Order belonging to 
 the genera Vahea, Willughbeia, and Landolphia, natives of Tropical 
 Africa and the Malay Archipelago, are valuable sources of india- 
 rubber ; and a few other genera contain medicinal plants. Vinca, 
 the only genus represented among British plants, is astringent 
 and acrid. 
 
 1. VfNCA (Periwinkle). — Slender, trailing plants with evergreen 
 leaves ; solitary salver-shaped flowers with 5 oblique lobes to the 
 corolla ; style resembling the shaft of a pillar surmounted by a 
 double capital ; fruit of 2 erect, slender, many-seeded, indehiscent 
 carpels. (Name from the Latin vincio, I bind, from the cord-like 
 stems.) 
 
 1. V. minor (Lesser Periwinkle). — Stem trailing, rooting, send- 
 ing up short, erect, leafy shoots, which bear the flowers : leaves 
 
Greater Periwinkle i Vmca mojon 
 
PERIWINKLE FAMILY 327 
 
 ana sepals glabrous ; corolla i in. across, violet, with a tube 
 thrice as long as the calyx-lobes. — Woods, especially in the west 
 of England, where it often entirely covers the ground with its 
 glossy leaves. A white variety occurs in Devonshire, and in gar- 
 dens it is often met with bearing variegated leaves and double, 
 purple, blue, or white flowers. — Fl. March — June. Perennial. 
 
 2.* V. major (Greater Periwinkle). — A more erect plant, much 
 larger than the last, with the margins of its leaves and sepals 
 minutely fringed, and the latter as long as the corolla-tube, is not 
 
 vi'nCA minor {Lesser Periwinkle). 
 
 indigenous, occurring only near houses.— Fl. April, May. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 Ord. L. Gentiane^e. — Gentian Family 
 
 An Order comprising between 400 and 500 species, distributed 
 throughout all climates, from the regions of perpetual snow to the 
 hottest parts of South America and India ; but mainly northern 
 and sub-alpine. Under the Equator they do not occur below 
 7,850 feet above sea-level : in the Himalayas and in the Rocky 
 Mountains species reach altitudes of 16,000 feet : in southern 
 Europe Gentidna prostrdta grows at 6,000 — 9,000 feet above the 
 sea : on Behring's Straits and on the Straits of Magellan species 
 occur just above the level of the sea ; but they are very rare both in 
 the Arctic and Antarctic Regions. In South America and New 
 Zealand the prevailing colour of the flowes is said to be red, and 
 
328 
 
 gentiAne^e 
 
 in Europe it is blue, yellow and white being uncommon. They 
 are mostly herbs, erect and glabrous, with opposite, simple, sessile 
 leaves, and often large, brilliantly coloured flowers which are poly- 
 symmetric and usually 5-merous. The calyx is inferior, persistent, 
 usually 5-, but sometimes 4 — 8-cleft ; corolla often persistent, 
 twisted when in bud, with lobes equalling those of the calyx in 
 number, and often fringed about the mouth of the corolla-tube ; 
 stamens equalling in number, and alternate with, the lobes of the 
 corolla ; carpels 2, united in a i-chambered ovary, with 1 style and 
 2 stigmas ; fruit a many-seeded capsule. All the members of the 
 Order are intensely bitter, and form valuable 
 tonic medicines. Gentidna lutea, collected in 
 the mountains of central and southern Europe, 
 is the species most commonly employed ; but 
 there is little doubt that other species might be 
 employed with equally good effect. 
 
 1. Microcala. — Little branched; flowers 
 yellow, 4-merous ; calyx tubular ; corolla funnel- 
 shaped ; stigma undivided. 
 
 2. Blackstonia. — Leaves perfoliate ; flowers 
 yellow ; calyx deeply 6 — 8-cleft ; corolla rotate, 
 6 — 8-lobed ; stamens 6 — 8 ; stigma 2 — 4-cleft. 
 
 3. Centaurion. — Flowers mostly 5-merous ; 
 corolla funnel-shaped; anthers becoming spirally 
 twisted ; stigmas 2. 
 
 4. Cicendia. — Branched ; flowers pink, 
 4 — 5-merous ; calyx-lobes divided to the base ; 
 corolla salver-shaped ; stamens 4 ; stigma 2 -fid. 
 
 5. Gentiana. — Flowers mostly 5-merous ; 
 corolla funnel- or salver-shaped, tube sub- 
 clavate ; anthers not twisted ; stigmas 2. 
 
 6. Menyanthes. — Leaves scattered, ternate ; 
 flowers 5-merous ; corolla funnel-shaped, with 5 lobes, induplicate 
 in the bud, fringed all over the inner surface. 
 
 7. NYMPHofDES. — Leaves simple, orbicular, floating ; flowers 5- 
 merous; corolla rotate, with 5 lobes, induplicate in the bud, 
 fringed at the base only. 
 
 microcAla filif6rmis 
 {Least Gentianella). 
 
 i. Microcala (Gentianella). — A minute, slender, little- 
 branched plant ; flowers small, yellow, 4-merous ; calyx tubular ; 
 corolla funnel-shaped ; stamens 4 ; anthers not twisted ; style 
 not persistent ; stigma undivided. (Name from the Greek micros, 
 small, kalos, beautiful.) 
 
 1. M. filiformis (Least Gentianella). — The only British species, 
 
GENTIAN FAMILY 
 
 329 
 
 a minute, slender, glabrous plant, 2 — 4 in. high, but little 
 branched ; leaves subulate, soon withering ; flowers yellow, only 
 expanding in bright sunshine. — Sandy heaths in the south, where 
 water has stood during the winter; rare. — Fl. July — October. 
 Annual. 
 
 2. Blackstonia (Yellow-wort). — Erect, glaucous plants, with 
 perfoliate leaves ; flowers in loose dichasial cymes, yellow, 6 — 8- 
 metous ; calyx deeply lobed ; corolla 
 
 rotate ; ovary 1 -chambered, many 
 ovuled ; style not persistent ; stigma 
 2 — 4-cleft. (Named in honour of John 
 Blackstone, an English botanist of the 
 1 8th century.) 
 
 1. B. ferfolidta (Perfoliate Yellow- 
 wort). — The only British species, an 
 erect plant, 12 — 18 in. high, remark- 
 able for its glaucous hue, and for its 
 pairs of leaves, which are rather distant, 
 and are united at the base (connate) 
 with the stem passing through them, 
 whence the name Perfoliate. The 
 flowers, which are large and handsome, 
 are yellow, and expand only between 9 
 o'clock in the morning and 4 p.m. — 
 Chalk and limestone pastures ; not 
 uncommon. Fl. June — September. 
 Annual. 
 
 3. Centaltrion (Centaury). — Erect, 
 herbaceous plants with angular stems ; 
 leaves sometimes united at the base ; 
 flowers in terminal, trichasial cymes; 
 corolla funnel-shaped, usually 5-lobed, 
 pink, white, or yellow ; stamens 4 — 5 ; 
 anthers becoming spirally twisted; style 
 simple, not persistent ; stigmas 2. — 
 (Name, like Centaurea, referring to the Centaur Chiron, who in 
 Greek mythology was famous for his medical skill.) 
 
 1. C. umbelldtum (Common Centaury). — A pretty plant, 2 — 18 in. 
 high, with square, erect, green stems, much branched above ; 
 leaves elliptic-oblong, with strong parallel ribs, and remarkably 
 smooth ; flowers in terminal, corymbose, trichasial cymes, rose- 
 pink, or rarely white, only opening in fine weather ; calyx half as 
 long as corolla-tube ; filaments springing from the top of the 
 
 blackst6nia perfoliXta 
 {Perfoliate Yellow-wort'). 
 
33° 
 
 GENTlANEiE 
 
 corolla-tube. — Dry pastures and waste places ; common. — Fl. 
 July, August. Annual. 
 
 2. C. latifolium (Broad-leaved Centaury), a stunted form, with 
 broadly elliptic leaves, and flowers in dense, trichasial tufts, with 
 calyx as long as the corolla-tube, and filaments as in the 'last, 
 occurs only on the sandy shore near Liverpool. — Fl. June — 
 September. Annual. 
 
 3. C. vulgar e (Dwarf Tufted Centaury), a similar, stunted, but 
 unbranched form, with oblong-linear, blunt leaves above and 
 
 spathulate radical ones, 
 occurs more frequently on 
 sandy shores. — Fl. July, 
 August. Annual. 
 
 4. C. pulchellum (Dwarf 
 Centaury), a minute, slender 
 plant, resembling Microcdla 
 filiformis, 1 — 8 in. high, but 
 much branched, with a few 
 stalked flowers, rose-pink, as 
 in the other species, with 
 calyx rather shorter than the 
 corolla-tube, occurs also on 
 sandy shores, or on wet sand 
 at inland localities. — Fl. July 
 — September. Annual. 
 
 5. C. capitdtum (Tufted 
 Centaury) has an unbranched 
 stem, not more than 3 inches 
 high, broadly ovate, distinctly 
 3 -nerved leaves, a cylindrical 
 corolla-tube and a calyx 
 equalling it in length, and 
 
 differs from all the other forms in its -filaments springing from the 
 base of the corolla-tube. — Downs in the Isle of Wight and 
 Sussex. — Fl. July, August. Annual or Biennial. 
 
 4. Cicendia (Guernsey Gentianella), represented by the spe- 
 cies C. pusilla, is even smaller and more slender than Microcdla. 
 It is from 1 — 4 in. high; has spreading branches; linear leaves; 
 pink flowers, and calyx-lobes not apparently united into any tube 
 at their base. — Sandy commons, sometimes flooded, in Guernsey. 
 Fl. July — September. Annual. 
 
 5. Gentiana (Gentian). — Herbs with opposite, sessile leaves ; 
 flowers mostly 5-merous ; corolla funnel- or salver-shaped, tube 
 
 centaCrion umbellXtum 
 (Common Centaury). 
 
GENTIAN FAMILY 
 
 331 
 
 Gentian). — Stem erect, leafy, 
 
 widening upwards and then constricted, blue, purple, or lilac, or 
 rarely pink in British species ; anthers not twisted ; stigmas 2. 
 (Name from Gentius, king of Illyria, who is said to have discovered 
 its medicinal value.) 
 
 1. G. Pneumondnthe (Marsh 
 unbranched, 4 — 10 in. high, with 
 one or two large, bell-shaped, 
 deep blue, or very rarely pink, 
 (Lowers with 5 green stripes and 
 with no fringe in the throat of the 
 corolla-tube. — Boggy heaths ; 
 rare. — Fl. August, September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. G. verna (Spring Gentian). — ■ 
 A tufted plant with runners and 
 rather large, solitary, sessile, in- 
 tensely blue flowers, with 5 smaller 
 2-cleft segments between the 
 lobes of the corolla.- — Wet lime- 
 stone rocks in Teesdale and in 
 Ireland ; very rare. — Fl. April — 
 June. Perennial. 
 
 3. G. nivalis (Small Alpine 
 Gentian). — A more erect, slightly 
 branched species, with flowers 
 smaller than in the last, several 
 together and shortly stalked. — 
 Summits of Highland mountains; 
 very rare. — Fl. August, Septem- 
 ber. Annual. 
 
 4. G. Amarella (Common 
 Autumn Gentian). — A remark- 
 ably erect plant, with a square, 
 leafy, purplish, much-branched 
 stem, 6 — 12 in. high; numerous 
 rather large, 5-merous flowers, 
 which only expand in bright sun- 
 shine ; calyx with 5 nearly equal lobes, a little shorter than the 
 cylindrical tube of the lurid, purplish-blue corolla, the throat of fc 
 which is fringed with hairs. — Dry chalky pastures ; common — 
 Fl. August, September. Annual. 
 
 5. G. germdnica (Scarce Autumn Gentian), differing in having 
 unequal lobes to the calyx, much shorter than the obconic tube of 
 the bluish-lilac corolla, is also a larger and stouter but rare plant. 
 
 gentiana campestris {Field Gentian). 
 
332 
 
 GENTIANE^ 
 
 6. G. catnpestris (Field Gentian). — Resembling G. Amarella in 
 habit, but distinguished by its 4-cleft calyx of which the two outer 
 lobes are much larger than the inner two, and by the pale lilac 
 4-cleft, salver-shaped corolla. — Dry pastures ; common. — Fl. July 
 — October. Annual. 
 
 7. G. bdltica (Baltic Gentian), with a corolla-tube shorter than 
 
 mknyAnthes trifoliata (Bztci-ieati, Marsh Tre/oify. 
 
 the calyx, which resembles that of G. catnpestris, occurs on downs 
 in Norfolk, Suffolk, Devon, Cornwall, and North Wales. — Fl. 
 August — October. Annual. 
 
 6. Menyanthes (Buck-bean, Bog-bean, Marsh Trefoil), repre- 
 sented by the one species M. trifolidta, is the only British plant 
 in the Order with divided leaves. The stem scarcely rises above 
 
Fig. 43. Buck or Bog Bean. iMeaytntthts tri/oliata\ 
 
GENTIAN FAMILY 
 
 333 
 
 the water or wet ground in which it grows, but is overtopped by 
 the large, ternate leaves, which in shape and colour somewhat 
 resemble those of the Windsor Bean, and have sheathing bases to 
 their petioles, opposite to one of which rises a long-stalked raceme 
 of exceedingly beautiful flowers. These, when in bud, are pink, 
 and when fully expanded have the inner surface of the 5 fleshy 
 petals thickly covered with a white, lace-like fringe. — Spongy bogs ; 
 
 ?n&. 
 
 NYMPHofDES peltAtum (Water Villarsia). 
 
 common. — The rhizome is intensely bitter, and is said to be the 
 most valuable of tonics. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 7. NYMPHofDES (Villarsia). — Aquatic plants with simple, 
 orbicular, floating leaves ; flowers yellow, 5-merous, in umbels ; 
 corolla rotate, induplicate in bud, fringed at the base only, de- 
 ciduous. (Name signifying having the form of a water-lily.) 
 
 1. N. peltdtum (Water Villarsia). — The only British species, 
 with the habit of a Water-lily ; the leaves nearly round, deeply 
 
334 POLEMONIACE^E 
 
 cordate, polished, spotted with purple ; flowers an inch across, 
 yellow, and fringed. — Ditches communicating with the Thames, 
 and elsewhere in the south ; rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LI. PolemoniAcejE. — The Jacob's Ladder Family 
 A small Order of herbaceous plants, often with showy flowers, 
 mostly natives of the western temperate parts of America, and 
 
 unknown within the Tropics. 
 They have a deeply 5-cleft, 
 persistent, inferior calyx ; poly- 
 symmetric, 5-lobed corolla ; 
 stamens 5, inserted on the 
 corolla-tube ; ovary 3-cham- 
 bered ; style single ; stigma 
 3-cleft ; capsule 3-chambered, 
 3-valved. None of the species 
 possesses remarkable proper- 
 ties, but several are favourite 
 garden flowers, such as Phlox, 
 Polemonium, and Cobcea. 
 
 1. Polemonium (Jacob's 
 Ladder). — Leaves scattered, 
 unequally pinnate ; calyx cam- 
 panulate ; corolla rotate ; 
 stamens bearded at the base 
 and lying on one side of the 
 flower ; chambers of the cap- 
 sule many-seeded. (Name, the 
 Greek name of the plant.) 
 
 1. P. cceruleum (Jacob's 
 Ladder, Greek Valerian). — 
 The only British species, a tall, 
 
 {Greek Valerian *mue™JacoVs Ladder). ^XtCX. plant, 1—2 feet high, with 
 
 an angular, hollow stem ; 
 smooth, pinnate leaves with 13 — 25 leaflets ; and numerous blue 
 or white flowers, about an inch across, in a terminal cluster. — 
 Woods in the north ; rare. A common garden flower, not easily 
 rooted out where it has once established itself. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LII. BoRAGfNE^E. — The Borage Family 
 A considerable Order of herbs or shrubs, principally natives of 
 the warmer temperate regions of the Old World, with scattered 
 
THE BORAGE FAMILY 335 
 
 leaves, which are usually covered with hairs or bristles rising from a 
 swollen base. This character was considered by Linnaeus suffi- 
 ciently constant to give to the Order the name Asperifolice, or 
 Rough-leaved plants; but the present name of the Order is 
 preferable as being more comprehensive, a few species in it 
 having perfectly smooth leaves. Most members of the Order 
 bear their flowers in rolled up, scorpioid racemes, a few expanding 
 at a time. The calyx is inferior, deeply 5-, or rarely 4-cleft, 
 and persistent ; the corolla hypogynous, 5-, or rarely 4-cleft, 
 frequently having teeth at the mouth of the tube, and most com- 
 monly blue or purple. Many, when first opening, however, are of 
 a pink hue, which subsequently deepens, so that it is not unusual 
 to see flowers of different tints in the same cluster. The stamens 
 are 5, inserted on the corolla and alternate with its lobes ; the 
 carpels 2, forming a 4-parted, 4-seeded ovary, with a single, gyno- 
 basic style; and the fruit a regma of 4, rarely 2, one-seeded 
 nutlets. They possess no remarkable properties, but abound in a 
 soft alkaline mucilage, which gives a coolness to beverages in 
 which they are steeped, on which account Borage is an ingredient 
 in claret-cup. The roots of Alkanet and some others contain 
 a red substance which is used as a dye. Myosblis paltislris, the 
 V ergiss-mein-nicht of German romance, has now obtained the 
 English name "Forget-me-not," formerly applied for very 
 unromantic reasons to Ajuga Chamkpitys. 
 
 1. Cynoglossum. — Calyx 5-cleft ; corolla polysymmetric, 
 funnel-shaped, its mouth closed by prominent blunt scales ; 
 nutlets with hooked bristles. 
 
 *2. Asperugo. — Calyx with 5 leafy lobes and smaller alternate 
 teeth ; corolla polysymmetric, funnel-shaped, with rounded scales 
 in the throat ; nutlets flattened, tubercled. 
 
 3. Symphytum. — Calyx deeply 5-cleft ; corolla polysymmetric, 
 bell-shaped, closed with 5 awl-shaped scales ; stamens short, 
 included. 
 
 4. Borago. — Calyx deeply 5-cleft; corolla rotate, its throat 
 closed with 5 short, erect, notched scales ; filaments forked ; 
 anthers prominent, converging in a cone. 
 
 5. Anchusa.— Calyx deeply 5-cleft ; corolla salver-shaped, with 
 a straight tube, its throat closed by prominent blunt scales ; 
 stamens included. 
 
 6. Lycopsis. — Calyx deeply 5-cleft ; corolla oblique, funnel- 
 shaped, with a bent tube ; otherwise like Anchusa. 
 
 7. Pulmonaria. — Calyx-tube long, 5-cleft ; corolla salver- 
 shaped, polysymmetric, its throat naked ; stamens included ; 
 nutlets smooth. 
 
33 6 
 
 BORAGfNE^E 
 
 8. Mertensia. — Calyx-tube short, deeply 5-cleft ; corolla funnel- 
 shaped ; stamens long, exserted ; nutlets fleshy. 
 
 9. Myosotis. — Calyx 5-cleft ; corolla salver-shaped, its lobes 
 blunt, twisted when in bud, and its throat nearly closed by blunt 
 scales ; nutlets smooth. 
 
 10. LiTHOSPERMUM. — Calyx deeply 5-cleft; corolla funnel- 
 shaped, its throat naked 
 or with 5 minute scales ; 
 stamens included ; nutlets 
 stony. 
 
 n. Echium. — Calyx 
 deeply 5-cleft ; corolla 
 monosym metric, sub-cam - 
 panulate, its throat naked ; 
 stamens very long, unequal 
 in length, exserted. 
 
 1. Cynogl6ssum 
 (Hound's - tongue). — 
 Coarse, hairy, herbaceous 
 plants, with small -flowers 
 in forked, usually ebracte- 
 ate cymes ; calyx 5-cleft : 
 corolla polysymmetric, 
 
 funnel-shaped, its mouth 
 closed by prominent blunt 
 scales ; stamens included ; 
 nutlets covered with hooked 
 bristles ; style rigid, per- 
 sistent. (Name from the 
 Greek glossa, a tongue, 
 ciinos, of a dog, from the 
 shape and roughness of the 
 leaves.) 
 
 1. C. officinale (Common 
 Hound's - tongue). — A 
 stout, herbaceous plant, 
 1 — 2 feet high, with large, 
 downy leaves with adpressed hairs, lurid red-purple flowers, and 
 large, flattened nutlets, covered with barbed prickles, so as to 
 stick to the wool of animals or the clothes of passers-by as closely 
 as burs. The whole plant has a strong, disagreeable smell, like 
 that of mice. — Waste ground. — Fl. June, July. Biennial. 
 
 2. C. montdnum (Green-leaved Hound's-tongue). — A more 
 
 CYNOGI.OSSUM OFFICINALE 
 
 Common Hound's-tongue). 
 
BORAGE FAMILY 
 
 337 
 
 slender plant with leaves green above, not downy, with few spread- 
 ing hairs, and reddish -flowers, changing to blue. — Shady places in 
 the midland and eastern counties; rare. — Fl. May, July. 
 Biennial. 
 
 *2. Asperugo (Mad wort), represented by one species, A. pro- 
 cumbens, with prostrate, angular stems thickly set with rigid, 
 curved bristles, a few, small, blue flowers, solitary in the axils of 
 the upper leaves, occurs rarely in waste ground, but is not 
 
 Symphytum OFFiciNALlt (Common Comfrey). 
 
 indigenous. (Name from the Latin asper, rough.) — Fl. May — 
 July. Annual. 
 
 3. Symphytum (Comfrey).— Coarse, rough plants with enlarged 
 roots ; cauline leaves often decurrent ; flowers in terminal cymes ; 
 corolla bell-shaped, dilated above the middle, with 5 short lobes, 
 and the throat closed with 5 awl-shaped, fringed scales ; stamens 
 included ; nutlets smooth. (Name from the Greek stimphuo, I 
 unite, from its supposed healing qualities.) 
 
 1. S. officinale (Common Comfrey). — A large and handsome 
 
33* 
 
 BORAGfNEJE 
 
 plant, 2 — 3 feet high, with branched, leafy stems, winged in the 
 upper part ; leaves elliptical, acute, decurrent ; and purple, pink, 
 or white flowers in 2-forked, drooping clusters. — Watery places and 
 banks of rivers ; common. Often introduced into gardens, from 
 which it is very hard to eradicate it when it has once established 
 itself, owing to the brittleness of its fleshy roots, the least bit of 
 which will grow. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. tuberosum (Tuberous Comfrey). — A smaller and more 
 slender plant with a scarcely winged stem, longer-stalked radical, 
 
 and scarcely decurrent cau- 
 line leaves. — Damp woods 
 in the north ; rare. — Fl. 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 *4. Borago (Borage) is 
 represented by one species, 
 B. officinalis, about 2 feet 
 high, with both stems and 
 leaves thickly covered with 
 stiff, whitish, bulbous 
 bristles. The flowers, 
 which are large, bright 
 blue, and very handsome, 
 grow in terminal, drooping 
 clusters, and may readily 
 be distinguished from any 
 other plant in the Order 
 by their prominent purple- 
 black anthers. A variety 
 occurs with white flowers. 
 —Waste places; not in- 
 digenous. The juice has 
 the smell and flavour of 
 cucumber, which is, there- 
 fore, often substituted for 
 Biennial. 
 
 *5. Anchusa (Alkanet). — Herbaceous, bristly plants with a 
 deeply 5-cleft calyx, and a funnel- or salver-shaped corolla with a 
 straight tube, and its throat closed by prominent blunt scales. 
 (Name from the Greek anchousa, paint, from the use of the root 
 as a dye.) 
 
 1.* A. officinalis (Common Alkanet). — A soft, hairy plant with 
 an angular stem ; narrow, lanceolate leaves ; and forked one-sided 
 cymes of violet flowers; calyx longer than the funnel-shaped 
 
 borAgo officinalis {Common Borage). 
 
 Borage in claret-cup. — Fl. June, July. 
 
Fig. 44. 
 
 Evergreen Alkar.et. 
 {Anchusa sempervirer.s 
 
BORAGE FAMILY 
 
 339 
 
 corolla. — An occasional escape from gardens. — Fl. June, July. 
 Biennial. 
 
 2* A. sempervirens (Evergreen Alkanet). — A stout, bristly 
 plant with deep green, ovate leaves, and long-stalked, axillary, 
 crowded clusters of rather large flowers, which are of an intense 
 azure blue and have a short tube to the corolla. — Not generally 
 considered a native; but not an uncommon hedge-plant in 
 Devonshire. — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 6. Lycopsis (Bugloss). — Differing from Anduisa chiefly in 
 
 anch6sa sempervi'rens {Evergreen Alkanet). 
 
 having a bent tube and an oblique limb to the corolla. (Name in 
 Greek signifying " a wolfs face," from some fancied resemblance 
 in the flower ) 
 
 i. L. arvensis (Small Bugloss) — The only British species; a 
 branched, prickly plant, 6 — 18 in. high, with oblong, wavy leaves, 
 and forked, curved clusters of small blue flowers. — Waste ground ; 
 common, especially near the sea. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 7. Pulmonaria (Lungwort). — Herbs with a creeping rhizome ; 
 radical and cauline leaves; terminal cymes of flowers with long, 
 5-cleft calyx; salver-shaped, polysymmetric corolla with naked 
 throat ; included stamens ; and smooth nutlets. (Name from the 
 
34° 
 
 BORAGfNEjE 
 
 Latin pulmo, the lungs, its spotted leaves being supposed, 
 according to the old doctrine of " signatures," to indicate its 
 value in lung-disease.) 
 
 i. P. angustifdlia (Narrow-leaved Lungwort). — About a foot 
 high ; leaves narrow-lanceolate, the upper ones sessile, often 
 spotted with pale green ; flowers pink in bud and afterwards deep 
 blue. — Woods in Dorsetshire, the Isle of Wight, and the New 
 
 Forest. — Fl . February — 
 June. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. officinalis (Com- 
 mon Lungwort). — Leaves 
 ovate, always spotted ; 
 flowers pale purple. — 
 Woods ; rare. Generally 
 an escape from gardens. — 
 Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 8. Mertensia (Smooth 
 Gromwell, Lightwort). — 
 Herbs with radical and 
 cauline leaves, and blue- 
 purple flowers in terminal 
 cymes ; calyx-tube short, 
 deeply 5-cleft ; corolla 
 funnel - shaped ; stamens 
 long, exserted ; nutlets 
 fleshy. (Name in honour 
 of F. C Mertens, a Ger- 
 man botanist.) 
 
 1. M. maritima (Sea- 
 side Smooth Gromwell). — 
 The only British species, a 
 singular plant about 18 in. 
 high, with fleshy, glaucous 
 leaves, without bristles, but sprinkled with hard dots, which are very 
 evident in dried specimens ; flowers blue-purple, crimson in bud. 
 — Sea-shores in the north. When fresh the plant is said to have 
 the flavour of oysters. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 9. Mvosotis (Mouse-ear, Scorpion-grass). — Herbs with stalked 
 radical, and sessile cauline leaves, and terminal 1 -sided clusters of 
 small, generally blue flowers ; calyx 5-cleft ; corolla salver-shaped, 
 with blunt lobes, twisted in bud, and throat nearly closed by 
 blunt scales ; nutlets smooth. (Name from the Greek, signifying 
 a mouse's ear, from the shape of the often downy leaves.) 
 
 lvc6psis arv£nsis {Small Bugloss). 
 
Fig. 45. Forget-me.-not. tMyosotis scorpioides). 
 
BORAGE FAMILY 
 
 341 
 
 i. M. ccespitosa (Tufted Water Scorpion-grass). — A tufted, 
 light green, rather shining plant with a short, not creeping rhizome ; 
 stem much branched from the base with slender branches, downy 
 with adpressed hairs ; blunt leaves ; and long, slender racemes of 
 short-stalked, sky-blue flowers £ in. across. — Watery places ; 
 common. — Fl. May — August. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 2. M. scorpioides (Forget-me-not). — 
 A light green, rather shining, almost 
 glabrous plant, with few spreading or 
 adpressed hairs, a creeping rhizome with 
 runners ; blunt, apiculate leaves, the 
 cauline ones sessile or decurrent; and 
 terminal, leafless, 1 -sided clusters of 
 bright blue flowers, nearly \ in. across, 
 with a yellow eye, and a small, white 
 scale at the base of each lobe of the 
 corolla. — Watery places ; common. Few 
 flowers have been more written about 
 than the Forget-me-not, yet there is 
 great disagreement among writers as to 
 the plant to which the name properly 
 belongs. It was once applied to the 
 Ground-pine (Ajuga Chamcepitys) on 
 account of its strong taste of turpentine : 
 some appear to have had the Alkanet in 
 view ; others, the Speedwell ; and others, 
 again, some of the smaller and less 
 brilliantly coloured species of Myosbtis. 
 — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. M. repens (Creeping Water 
 Scorpion-grass). — Rhizome short with 
 leafy runners above ground ; stem angu- 
 lar, slender, branched, with long, spread- 
 ing hairs ; leaves acute ; flowers sky-blue, 
 with a yellow eye, ^ in. across, in long, 
 slender clusters with a few leaves at the 
 base, and very slender, long pedicels 
 bending downward in fruit. — Wet places ; common. 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 4. M. pyrendica (Mountain Forget-me-not). — A short, erect 
 plant, with long, soft, spreading hairs ; radical leaves on long 
 slender stalks, pointed ; flowers deep bright blue, ^ in. across, in 
 short clusters, with short, thick pedicels, and flat, short-tubed 
 
 pulmonXria OFFICINALIS 
 (Common Lungivort). 
 
 -Fl. June- 
 
342 
 
 BORAGINE/E 
 
 corollas, sweet-scented in the evening. — Mountains in Yorkshire 
 and Scotland ; rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 5. M. sylvdtica (Wood Forget-me-not). — A taller, erect plant, 
 without runners, with spreading hairs ; radical leaves on short, 
 broad stalks, blunt ; flowers bright blue, J in. across, in clusters 
 becoming very loose in fruit ; calyx with hooked bristles. — Dry 
 woods ; rare. — Fl. May — September. Perennial. 
 
 6. M. arv'evsis (Field Scorpion-grass).— A closely allied species, 
 
 MYOS6TIS ALPESTRIS 
 
 (Mountain forget-me-not). 
 
 MYOSOTIS VERSICOLOR 
 
 (Parti-coloured Scorpion-grass). 
 
 6 — 18 in. high, roughish with spreading bristles; radical leaves 
 stalked ; flowers very small, \ in. across, usually concave, pale 
 blue, on long, slender, spreading pedicels; calyx with hooked 
 bristles. — Cultivated land and waste places ; the commonest 
 species of the genus. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 7. M. collina (Early Field Scorpion-grass). — A slender, erect or 
 prostrate plant, often only about 3 in. high ; leaves oblong, blunt ; 
 flowers minute, bright blue (never pink or yellow), on short 
 
BORAGE FAMILY 
 
 343 
 
 pedicels in long, slender, leafless clusters, with a solitary flower 
 some distance below them in the axil of the uppermost leaf; 
 calyx with hooked bristles. — Dry banks ; common. On its first 
 appearance, in April, the flowers are buried among the leaves ; 
 but the stems finally lengthen into racemes, and as the season 
 advances the whole plant dries up and disappears. — Fl. April- 
 July. Annual. 
 
 8. M. versicolor (Parti- 
 coloured Scorpion-grass). — 
 A very distinct species, less 
 than a foot high ; stem 
 leafy below, naked above ; 
 leaves sessile, linear-oblong, 
 sub - acute ; flowers very 
 minute, in clusters, on long, 
 leafless stalks, tightly coiled 
 up, when in bud, in the 
 scorpioid manner which 
 gives these plants the name 
 of Scorpion-grass, at first 
 pale yellow, afterwards 
 blue. — Fields and banks ; 
 common. — Fl. April — June. 
 Annual. 
 
 IO. LlTH O SPERMUM 
 
 (Gromwell). — Herbs, some- 
 times shrubby, with flowers 
 in leafy clusters ; calyx 
 deeply 5-cleft ; corolla 
 funnel - shaped, its throat 
 naked, or with 5 minute 
 scales j stamens included ; 
 nutlets stony. (Name from 
 the Greek lithos, a stone, sperma seed, from its hard nutlets.) 
 
 1. L. purpureo-cceruleum (Purple Gromwell), with prostrate, 
 barren stems, and erect flowering ones, 1 — 2 feet high, with large, 
 bright, blue-purple flowers, occurs rarely in woods on chalky or 
 limestone soil, chiefly in the south. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. ^ 
 
 2. L. officinale (Common Gromwell, or Grey Millet). — Dis- 
 tinguished by its erect stems, 1 — 3 feet high, much branched 
 towards the summit, and generally growing 5 or 6 from the same 
 root ; oblong, acute, sessile leaves, bristly above, hairy beneath ; 
 small yellowish white flowers ; and, above all, by its highly polished 
 
 lithosp£rmum officinale 
 (Common Gromwell, or Grey Millet). 
 
344 
 
 BORAGfNEiE 
 
 pearl-grey, stony nutlets, which remain on the dead, leafless shoots 
 in autumn. — Dry places ; not unfrequent. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3. L arvense (Corn Gromwell). — Stem about a foot high, soli- 
 tary, erect, branched ; leaves narrow, hairy ; flowers small, cream- 
 white ; calyx lengthening when in fruit, and containing 3 or 4 
 
 brown, wrinkled nutlets. — 
 \ — -v * Cornfields ; common. — Fl. 
 
 May — July. Annual. 
 
 11. Echium (Viper's Bu- 
 gloss). — Usually large, rough 
 herbs with their flowers in 
 scorpioid clusters ; calyx 
 deeply 5-cleft ; corolla mono- 
 symmetric, sub-campanulate, 
 its throat naked, stamens very 
 long, unequal in length, ex- 
 serted. (Name from the 
 Greek echis, a viper, against 
 the bite of which it was 
 formerly considered an anti- 
 dote.) 
 
 1. E. vulgar e (Common 
 Viper's Bugloss). — A hand- 
 some plant, 2 — 3 feet high, 
 remarkable for its bristly, or 
 almost prickly stems and 
 leaves, and numerous curved, 
 lateral spikes of flowers, which 
 on their first opening are 
 bright rose-coloured and 
 finally of a brilliant blue. — 
 Dry places ; common. The 
 roots are very long and taper- 
 ing, and descend perpendicu- 
 larly into the loose soil in 
 
 which the plant usually grows. There is a white-flowered variety. 
 
 The name Bugloss is of Greek origin, signifying ox's tongue, 
 
 referring to the shape and roughness of the leaves. — Fl. June — 
 
 August. Biennial. 
 
 2.* E. plantagineum, with narrower leaves and more spreading 
 
 spikes of dark violet flowers, occurs in Cornwall and Jersey. — Fl. 
 
 June — September. Biennial. 
 
 ficmuM vulgAr£ (Common Viper's Bugloss). 
 
BINDWEED FAMILY 345 
 
 Ord. LIII. Convolvulace^e. — The Bindweed. Family 
 
 An extensive and highly valuable family of plants, most of 
 which are herbaceous climbers, with large and very beautiful 
 flowers. They are most abundant within the Tropics. They have 
 frequently a milky juice : their leaves are scattered and exstipulate ; 
 their sepals 5, inferior, imbricate, often very unequal, persistent ; 
 their corolla monosym metric, hypogynous, plaited, gamopetalous, 
 5-toothed, deciduous ; stamens 5, inserted on the base of the 
 corolla-tube ; ovary of 2 — 4 united carpels, few-seeded, surrounded 
 below by a fleshy, ring-shaped disk; style single, 2 — 4-forked; 
 fruit a 1 — 4-chambered capsule. As medicines they occupy an 
 important station. The roots of Convolvulus Scammonia, a Syrian 
 species, furnish scammony; jalap is prepared from a similar 
 gum-resin which abounds in the roots of several species of 
 Exogonium, beautiful Mexican climbers, with large, trumpet-shaped 
 flowers ; and Batatas edulis is no less valuable as a food in tropical 
 countries, its roots, known as sweet potatoes, abounding in starch 
 and sugar, and being very nourishing. Cuscuta (Dodder) is a 
 parasitic genus with branched, climbing, thread-like stems, no 
 leaves, and globular heads of small, wax-like flowers. The seeds 
 germinate in the ground, and the young plants climb the stems 
 of adjoining plants, sending out root-like suckers into them and 
 then losing their connexion with the ground. One species found 
 in Britain grows upon Flax, with the seeds of which it has 
 probably been introduced; and others grow on Furzes, Heaths, 
 Clovers and other plants. 
 
 1. Conv6lvulus. — Leafy, twining plants. 
 
 2. Cuscuta. — Leafless, twining parasites. 
 
 1. Convolvulus (Bindweed). — Slender, twining plants, with 
 milky juice ; scattered leaves, often sagittate ; corolla trumpet- 
 shaped, 5-plaited, slightly 5-lobed ; capsule 2-chambered below, 
 1 -chambered above, 2-valved. (Name, a diminutive from the 
 Latin convolvo, I entwine.) 
 
 1. C. sepium (Great Bindweed). — A glabrous, twining plant 
 with stout, fleshy, creeping rhizome; leaves arrow-shaped, with 
 abrupt lobes ; bracts large, heart-shaped, close to the flower and 
 entirely enclosing it when in bud ; flowers solitary, on square 
 peduncles, large, pure white; fruit not often perfected. — Bushy 
 places ; common. A most mischievous weed in gardens, not only 
 exhausting the soil with its roots, but strangling with its twining 
 sterns the plants which grow near. Its handsome flowers are 
 
346 
 
 convolvulAce.^e 
 
 among the largest which this country produces. — Fl. June — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. Soldanella (Sea Bindweed). — A very beautiful species ; 
 stems not climbing, usually almost entirely buried beneath the 
 sand ; leaves fleshy, roundish or kidney shaped ; bracts large, ovate, 
 close to the flower ; flowers solitary, almost as large as those of the 
 preceding species ; pale rose-coloured, striped with red or yellow, 
 
 convolvulus soldanella (Sea Bindweed). 
 
 on 4-sided, winged stalks. — Sandy sea-shores: frequent. The 
 flowers generally expand in the morning and close before night. 
 — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. C. arvensis (Field Bindweed). — A beautiful, though destruc- 
 tive twining plant ; leaves arrow-shaped, with acute lobes ; bracts 
 2, small, linear, distant from the flower ; flowers 1 — 3 together, 
 white or rose-coloured, with darker red plaits, handsome and 
 fragrant, opening only in sunny weather. — A common weed in 
 light soil, either trailing along the ground among short grass or 
 
BINDWEED FAMILY 
 
 347 
 
 climbing the stalks of corn or any other support. — Fl. June — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 2. Cuscuta (Dodder). — -Slender, branched, twining, leafless 
 parasites, with thread-like stems, generally reddish, and small 
 flowers in compact globular heads ; calyx 4 — 5 cleft ; corolla bell- 
 shaped, 4 — 5-cleft, generally with 
 scales below the epipetalous sta- 
 mens; ovary 2 -chambered, 4-seeded; 
 capsule bursting transversely ; seeds 
 almost without cotyledons. (Name 
 of doubtful etymology.) 
 
 1 . C. europcca (Greater Dodder), 
 with a calyx of blunt sepals, much 
 shorter than the yellowish corolla, 
 and the scales in the corolla-tube 
 short, notched, and pressed to the 
 sides of the tube, grows on Nettles, 
 Thistles, Vetches, and other herb- 
 aceous plants - — Fl. July — Septem- 
 ber. Annual. 
 
 2. C. Epithymum (Lesser Dod- 
 der), with a reddish calyx of acute 
 sepals, shorter than the white 
 corolla, the scales as long as the 
 corolla-tube, fringed and converg- 
 ing, and the stamens exserted, 
 grows on Furzes, Heaths, Thymes, 
 and other shrubby plants, and is the 
 commonest species. Soon after 
 flowering the stems turn dark 
 brown, and in winter disappear.-- 
 Fl. July — October. Annual. 
 
 3.* C. Epilinum (Flax Dodder), 
 with green stems, whitish flowers in 
 small clusters, acute sepals as long 
 as the corolla, and adpressed 
 fringed scales, is sometimes very 
 destructive to Flax. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 4.* C. Trifolii (Clover Dodder), with reddish-yellow stems; 
 white flowers ; lanceolate, red-tipped sepals as long as the corolla, 
 and converging scales half as long as the corolla-tube ; grows 
 chiefly on Clover. — Fl. July — September. Annual. 
 
 i'i'thvmum {Lesser Dodder 
 
348 solanAceje 
 
 Ord. LIV. Solanace^e. — The Nightshade Family 
 
 A large and highly important Order, containing about 1,000 
 species of herbaceous plants and shrubs, which inhabit most parts 
 of the world except the coldest, and are most abundant within 
 the Tropics. Their leaves are exstipulate and scattered, but occa- 
 sionally appear, owing to adhesion, to spring in pairs ; and the 
 cymose inflorescences are similarly sometimes above the axils of 
 the leaves. The -flowers are polysymmetric and pentamerous, 
 rarely 4-merous ; calyx inferior, deeply cleft ; corolla hypogynous, 
 gamopetalous, plaited when in bud ; stamens in one whorl, alternate 
 with the petals ; anthers bursting either by terminal pores or by 
 slits down their inner surfaces ; ovary 2-chambered ; style 1 ; stigma 
 simple ; fruit a 2 — 4-chambered capsule or nuculane ; seeds 
 numerous. The prevailing property of the members of this Order 
 is narcotic, and many are, in consequence, highly poisonous. In 
 others, certain parts of the plant have poisonous properties, the 
 rest being harmless, and some even containing a large quantity of 
 nutritious matter. The genus Soldnum is a very extensive one, 
 comprising as many as 600 species. First among these in 
 importance stands the Potato (S. tuberosum), a native of Chili, 
 which was introduced into Spain between 1580 and 1585, and 
 into Ireland by Thomas Herriott, who brought it from Virginia in 
 1586. It was first planted on Sir Walter Raleigh's estate at 
 Youghal, co. Cork, and was cultivated for food in that country 
 long before its value was known in England ; but John Gerard 
 grew'it in his garden in Holborn before 1597, the year in which 
 his " Herbal " was published, in the frontispiece to which work he 
 is represented holding a flowering branch of the potato. Its 
 leaves and fruit are narcotic ; but its tubers contain no noxious 
 matter, abounding in an almost tasteless starch, on which account 
 it is less liable to cloy on the palate than any other vegetable food 
 except bread. S. Melongena, the Egg-plant, a common green- 
 house plant, is remarkable for bearing a fruit of the size and colour 
 of a pullet's egg ; S. Dulcamara, the Woody Nightshade, or 
 Bittersweet, a common English plant, with purple and yellow 
 flowers and scarlet fruit, has narcotic leaves ; and S. nigrum, a 
 smaller species, common as a weed in England and most other 
 countries, except the coldest, with white flowers and black fruit, 
 is narcotic to a dangerous degree. Atropa Belladonna, a stout, 
 herbaceous plant, with dingy purple, bell-shaped flowers, is the 
 Deadly Nightshade, so called from the poisonous nature of every 
 part of the plant, especially the fruit, which is large, black, and 
 shining, and of a very attractive appearance. It contains a 
 
NIGHTSHADE FAMILY 349 
 
 substance known as atropine, which possesses the singular 
 property of contracting the iris and thus dilating the pupil of the 
 eye, on which account it is extensively used by oculists when 
 operations are to be performed, and, it is said, by ladies to 
 enhance their beauty, whence it derives its specific name. The 
 Mandrake (Mandrdgora officinalis) was anciently thought to 
 possess miraculous properties. It was said to shriek when taken 
 from the ground, and to cause the instant death of any one who 
 heard its cries. The person who gathered it, therefore, always 
 stopped his ears with cotton, and harnessed a dog to the root, so 
 that, in his efforts to escape, he uprooted the plant, and instantly 
 fell dead. The forked root was then trimmed so as to resemble 
 the human form. Tobacco is the foliage of several species of 
 Nicotidna, a violent poison when received into the stomach, though 
 commonly employed in other ways without apparent ill effects. 
 Hyoscyamus niger, the Henbane, a stout, herbaceous plant with 
 sticky, fetid leaves, and cream-coloured flowers veined with purple, 
 is a powerful narcotic, and in skilful hands scarcely less valuable 
 than opium. Datura Stramonium, the Thorn Apple, bearing 
 large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers, and prickly capsules, is also 
 a dangerous poison, though employed with good effect in several 
 nervous and other disorders, especially asthma. Physalis Alkekengi, 
 the Winter Cherry, is remarkable for bearing a scarlet fruit 
 enclosed in the enlarged calyx, which also turns scarlet, but, after 
 exposure to autumn wet, decays, leaving the fruit hanging within 
 a network of its veins. The genus Capsicum affords Cayenne 
 pepper, which is prepared by grinding the dried fruits ; and 
 Tomatoes are the fruit of the genus Lycopersicum. 
 
 i. Solanum. — Corolla rotate, the segments spreading or 
 reflexed ; anthers opening by pores ; fruit a 2-chambered 
 nuculane. 
 
 *2. Lycium. — Corolla funnel-shaped, segments spreading ; 
 anthers opening lengthwise ; fruit a 2-chambered nuculane. 
 
 3. Atropa. — Corolla bell-shaped ; fruit a 2-chambered 
 nuculane. 
 
 *4. Datura. — Corolla long, funnel-shaped, folded angularly ; 
 fruit a 4-valved capsule. 
 
 5. Hyoscyamus. — Corolla short, funnel-shaped with unequal 
 lobes ; capsule opening transversely. 
 
 1. Solanum (Nightshade). — Herbs or shrubs with scattered or 
 paired leaves; polysymmetric, purple or white flowers; rotate 
 corolla with a short tube, and spreading or reflexed, valvate lobes ; 
 exserted, convergent anthers, opening by pores ; and a 2 — 4- 
 
35° 
 
 SOLAXACEiE 
 
 chambered, fleshy, many-seeded, berry-like fruit. (Name of 
 doubtful origin.) 
 
 i. S. Dulcamara (Woody Nightshade, Bittersweet). — Frequently, 
 though incorrectly, called Deadly Nightshade ; well marked by its 
 shrubby, clambering stem climbing among bushes to a height of 
 8 or 10 feet ; leaves ovate, acute, cordate, hastate, or eared at the 
 base ; flowers in loose, drooping clusters, purple with 2 green spots 
 
 soj.Anum dulcamaka {Woody Nightshade, Bittersweet). 
 
 at the base of each petal ; anthers yellow, uniting in the form of a 
 cone ; fruit oval, scarlet, berry-like. — Hedges, and luxuriantly 
 near water ; common. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 2. £. nigrum (Black Nightshade). — A branching, erect, herba- 
 ceous plant, generally less than a foot high ; leaves stalked, ovate, 
 wavy, bluntly toothed ; flowers few, drooping, white, with yellow 
 anthers ; fruit globular, generally black, but rarely yellow or red. 
 ■ — Waste ground ; common. — Fl. July — October. Annual. 
 
p ig- 47 
 
 Dwale or Deadly Nightshade 
 \Atropa Belladonna). 
 
NIGHTSHADE FAMILY 
 
 351 
 
 *2. Lycium, represented by L. chinense (The Duke of Argyll's 
 Tea-tree), an Asiatic shrub naturalised in many places, especially 
 near the sea, straggling, with long, pendulous and sometimes 
 spinous branches; fleshy, glabrous, lanceolate leaves; purple, funnel- 
 shaped flowers with a short corolla-tube, green throat, and black 
 honey-guides ; and red, berry-like fruit. Suggested as a substi- 
 tute for tea. — Fl. June— August. Perennial. 
 
 Xtropa bf.i.i.ad6nna {Deadly Nightshade, Dwale). 
 
 3. Atropa (Deadly Nightshade), represented by one species, 
 A. Belladonna, a stout, branched, erect, herbaceous plant, 3 — 4 
 feet high, with runners ;• leaves large, stalked, ovate, acute, gener- 
 ally in unequal pairs; flowers solitary, axillary, drooping, bell-shaped, 
 lurid purple ; calyx leafy, persistent ; fruit globose black, pol- 
 ished, resembling a cherry, but for the persistent calyx. — Old 
 quarries and among ruins, especially on chalk and limestone soil \ 
 
35 2 SOLAN ACE/E 
 
 not common. The most dangerous poisonous plant in Britain, 
 its berries being fatally attractive to children. A strong emetic, a 
 dose of magnesia, and to keep the patient from dozing are the 
 best precautions in cases of poisoning by its berries, pending the 
 arrival of medical aid. (Name from Atropos, one of the Fates, who 
 was supposed to cut the thread of human destiny.) — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 hyoscvamus NiGER {Common Henbane). 
 
 4. Datijra, represented by D. Stramonium (Thorn Apple), a 
 coarse, strong smelling plant, 1 — 2 feet high, with widely diverging 
 2 — 3-furcate branches ; large, ovate, glabrous, sinuate-dentate 
 leaves ; large, erect, white flowers on short stalks in the forks of the 
 branches ; and a densely spinous, ovate, 4-valved capsule. — Waste 
 places; rare. (Name of Arabic origin.) — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 5. Hyoscyamus (Henbane). — Strong-smelling, often sticky 
 herbs ; calyx bell-shaped, persistent ; corolla with a short tube and 
 
FIGWORT FAMILY 353 
 
 5 unequal, blunt, spreading lobes ; stamens lying on one side ; 
 anthers opening lengthwise ; ovary 2-chambered ; capsule opening 
 transversely by a lid, many-seeded. (Name in Greek signifying 
 Hogs-bean.) 
 
 i. H. niger (Common Henbane). — The only British species, 
 an erect, branched, herbaceous plant, i — 3 feet high, with large, 
 viscid, downy leaves, and funnel-shaped, cream-coloured flowers, 
 generally with purple veins and a dark eye, arranged in a double 
 row along the upper side of curving branches, succeeded by 
 2-chambered capsules, which are enclosed by the calyx, and open 
 by lids which fall off when the seeds are ripe. — Waste places, on 
 dry soil, especially near the sea ; frequent. The whole plant has 
 an exceedingly disagreeable smell of mice, and is dangerously 
 narcotic, especially at the time when the seeds are ripening. An 
 extract is used in medicine, and is often of great service, pro- 
 ducing the effect of opium without the unpleasant symptoms 
 which frequently follow the administration of that drug. The 
 capsules and seeds of Henbane, smoked like tobacco, are a rustic 
 remedy for the toothache, but convulsions and temporary insanity 
 are said to be sometimes the consequences of their use. — Fl. May 
 — August. Annual or Biennial. 
 
 Ord. LV. ScrophularJnte — Figwort Family 
 
 A large and important Order, containing nearly 2,000 species, 
 of which some are shrubs, but the greater number are herbaceous, 
 inhabiting all parts of the world, from the Arctic regions to the 
 Tropics. Their leaves are generally simple, and their flowers 
 monosymmetric ; calyx 4 — 5-lobed, persistent ; corolla often 
 2-lipped or personate ; stamens usually 4, 2 long and 2 short 
 (didynamous), sometimes 2 or 5 ; ovary 2-chambered ; style 1 ; 
 stigma 2-lobed ; capsule 2-chambered, 2 — 4-valved, or opening by 
 pores. The general character of the species is acrid and bitter, 
 and some have powerful medicinal properties. The powdered 
 leaves of Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) lower the pulse, and, if 
 taken in large doses, are poisonous. Euphrasia (Eye-bright), the 
 " Euphrasy " of Milton, makes a useful eye-water. Among 
 foreign genera Gratiola is said to be the active ingredient in the 
 once famous gout medicine, " Eau me'dicinale." Euphrasia, 
 Odontites, Pediculdris, Rhindnthus, and Melampyrum are partly 
 parasitic, their roots being generally attached to those of grasses, 
 and their leaves small in proportion to their size and copious 
 flowering and seed-production. The Foxgloves, Snapdragons, 
 Toadflaxes, and Mulleins have showy and ornamental flowers, and, 
 together with several species of Veronica, are garden favourites. 
 
354 SCROPHULARfN^E 
 
 * Stamens 5 
 
 1. Verbascum. — Corolla rotate, with 5 slightly unequal lobes ; 
 stamens hairy. 
 
 ** Stamens 4, didynamous 
 
 2. Linaria. — Corolla personate, spurred j capsule opening by 
 pores. 
 
 3. Antirrhinum, — Corolla personate, swollen at the base; 
 capsule opening by pores. 
 
 4. Scrophularia. — Corolla nearly globose, shortly 2-lipped, 
 capsule 2-valved. 
 
 *5. MfMULUs. — Calyx 5-toothed ; corolla 2-lipped, gaping ; 
 seeds many. 
 
 6. Limosella. — Leaves radical, linear ; corolla short, bell- 
 shaped, 5 -cleft, nearly polysymmetric ; anthers 1 -chambered. 
 
 7. Sibth6rpia. — Leaves round ; corolla short, rotate, 5-cleft, 
 nearly polysymmetric ; anthers 2-chambered. 
 
 8. DigitIlis. — Calyx in 5 deep, unequal segments ; corolla 
 irregularly bell-shaped, with 4 — 5 shallow lobes. 
 
 9. Euphrasia. — Leaves opposite ; calyx 4-cleft ; corolla 2-lipped, 
 upper lip with two spreading lobes, lower lip in 3 nearly equal 
 notched lobes ; seeds many. 
 
 10. Odont/tes. — Leaves opposite ; calyx 4-cleft ; corolla 
 2-lipped, upper lip arched, entire ; lower lip with 3 reflexed entire 
 lobes ; capsule blunt ; seeds many. 
 
 11. Lasi6pera. — Leaves opposite, or upper ones scattered; 
 calyx 4-cleft ; corolla tubular, 2-lipped ; capsule pointed ; seeds 
 many, minute. 
 
 12. Bartsia. — Leaves opposite ; calyx bell-shaped, 4-fid ; 
 corolla tubular, ringent ; upper lip much arched, not compressed ; 
 capsule pointed ; seeds many, large, compressed and winged. 
 
 13. Pedicularis. — Leaves scattered ; calyx inflated, 4-toothed; 
 corolla gaping, lower lip 3-lobed ; seeds many. 
 
 14. Rhinanthus. —Ltfaflw opposite ; calyx inflated, 5-toothed; 
 corolla as in Pedicularis ; seeds flattened, winged. 
 
 15. Melampyrum. — Leaves opposite; calyx tubular, 4-toothed; 
 corolla much as in Pedicularis ; seeds 2 — 4, not winged. 
 
 *## 
 
 Stamens 
 
 16. Veronica. — Corolla rotate, unequally 4-cleft, the lower 
 lobe narrowest. 
 
 1. VerbAscum (Mullein).- — Erect, woolly plants with scattered 
 leaves, and nearly polysymmetric, 5-merous flowers in spikes ; 
 corolla rotate, with 5 slightly unequal lobes ; stamens 5, hairy j 
 
Fig. 48 Great Mullein \Verbascum Thapsus 
 
FIGWORT FAMILY 
 
 355 
 
 capsule 2-valved, many-seeded. (Name a corruption of the Latin 
 Barbascum, meaning " bearded.") 
 
 1. V. Thdpsus (Great Mullein). — A stout, herbaceous, un- 
 branched plant, 2 — 5 feet high, remarkable for its large, flannel- 
 like leaves, woolly on both 
 sides and decurrent, and 
 club-shaped spikes of yellow 
 flowers. Two of the stamens 
 are longer than the rest, and 
 have white hairs on their fila- 
 ments. — Roadsides ; com- 
 mon. This plant, together 
 with Burdocks and Foxglove, 
 is often introduced by painters 
 into the foreground of land- 
 scapes. — Fl. June — August. 
 Biennial. 
 
 2. V. pulverulentum (Hoary 
 Mullein). ■ — Stem 2 — 3 feet 
 high, round, mealy ; leaves 
 broad, with stellate hairs on 
 both sides, not decurrent ; 
 flowers smaller, bright yellow, 
 in panicles ; stamens nearly 
 equal, scarlet, with white hairs. 
 —Norfolk and Suffolk.— Fl. 
 July. Biennial. 
 
 3. V. Lychnitis (White 
 Mullein). — A similar species, 
 with angular stem ; leaves 
 nearly smooth above ; and 
 small, cream - coloured or 
 white flowers. — Chiefly on a 
 chalky soil ; rare. — Fl. June — 
 August. Biennial. 
 
 4. V. nigrum (Dark Mul- 
 lein). — A handsome plant, not 
 so stout or so tall as V. 
 Thdpsus, and of a darker hue ; 
 stem angular ; leaves stalked, oblong, cordate, with stellate down, 
 especially below ; flowers very numerous, bright yellow, in dense 
 tufts on a long, crowded spike ; stamens covered with purple hairs. 
 — Hedges and roadsides ; local. — Fl. June — October. Biennial. 
 
 Several hybrids between the above four species occur. 
 a a 2 
 
 verbXscum thXpsus (Great Mullein). 
 
356 
 
 SCROPHULARlN/E 
 
 5. V. virgdtum (Primrose-leaved Mullein). — A stout species, 
 3 — 4 feet high ; leaves doubly serrate, with few glandular 
 hairs, the upper ones slightly decurrent ; flowers yellow, in a 
 panicle, crowded ; stamens with purple hairs. — Gravelly banks ; 
 rare. — Fl. August. Biennial. 
 
 6. V. Blattdria (Moth-Mullein). — A tall, slender plant, with 
 smooth, shining, oblong, crenate leaves, the lower ones often 
 lobed and embracing the stem, and with large, handsome, 
 yellow or cream-coloured flowers in loose tufts on a long, 
 
 linXria elatin£ (Sharp-pointed Fluellen). 
 
 interrupted spike ; stamens with purple hairs. — Gravelly places ; 
 rare, except in the south-west. — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 2. Linaria. (Toad-flax). — Mostly herbs, with bracteate flowers, 
 often in spikes or racemes ; corolla personate, spurred ; stamens 
 4, didynamous ; capsule opening by pores. (Name from the 
 Latin linum, flax, which some species resemble in their leaves.) 
 
 1 * L. Cymbaldria (Ivy-leaved Toad-flax, Mother-of-Thou- 
 
FIGWORT FAMILY 
 
 357 
 
 sands). — Not a native species, but quite naturalised, growing 
 freely from seed besides extending widely by means of its 
 long, rooting stems ; leaves smooth, 5-lobed, cordate, rather 
 fleshy, purple on the under surface ; flowers small, solitary, lilac. — 
 On old garden walls ; common. — Fl. nearly all the year round. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. L. Eldtine (Sharp-pointed Fluellen). — A small, prostrate 
 plant, with downy stem and 
 
 leaves, the latter hastate; flowers 
 small, solitary, axillary, on long, 
 slender peduncles ; corolla with 
 upper lip purple, lower yellow, 
 with spur straight.— Cornfields ; 
 frequent. — Fl. July — October. 
 Annual. 
 
 3. L. spuria (Round-leaved 
 Toad-flax, Male Fluellen). — 
 Resembling the last so closely 
 that it might be mistaken for 
 a luxuriant specimen of it ; but 
 with roundish ovate leaves and 
 rather larger flowers, with the 
 spur bent up at a right angle 
 to the corolla. — It grows in 
 similar situations to, and some- 
 times with, L. Eldtine, but is 
 less common. — Fl. July — Octo- 
 ber. Annual. 
 
 4. L. repens (Pale blue 
 Toad-flax). — A slender, erect 
 plant, about a foot high, with 
 glaucous, linear leaves, and 
 pretty pale lavender, purple- 
 veined flowers in a spike-like 
 terminal raceme. — Calcareous 
 soils; rare. — Fl. July — Sep- 
 tember. Perennial. 
 
 5. L. vulgaris (Yellow Toad-flax). - 
 1 — 2 feet high, with numerous, crowded, linear, acute leaves, 
 glabrous, and sometimes glaucous ; and dense, spike-like, termi- 
 nal racemes of large, yellow flowers. — Hedges ; very common. 
 The variety known as Peloria, with a polysym metric, 5-spurred 
 corolla, is rare. — Fl. June — October. Perennial. 
 
 6. L. minor (Least Toad-flax). — A small, erect plant, less than 
 
 linXria vulgaris 
 (Yellow Toad-flax). 
 
 -An erect, herbaceous plant, 
 
358 
 
 SCROPHULARfNJE 
 
 a foot high, sometimes branched, with scattered, linear, blunt, 
 downy, viscid leaves, and small, solitary, axillary, short-spurred, 
 pale lilac -flowers. — Cornfields on dry soil ; frequent. — Fl. May — 
 October. Annual. 
 
 Several other species occur on ballast heaps near the sea, or as 
 garden escapes, but have no claim to be considered natives. 
 
 3. Antirrhinum (Snapdragon). — A genus of herbs differing 
 from Lindria mainly in having a 
 pouch-like swelling, instead of .1 
 spur, at the base of the corolla. 
 (Name from the Greek anti, against, 
 rhis, rhinos, the nose, from the mask- 
 like appearance of the flowers.) 
 
 1.* A. mdjus (Great Snapdragon). 
 — A stout, handsome plant, with 
 numerous leafy stems ; leaves lanceo- 
 late ; flowers large, personate, 
 pouched, crimson, pink or white, in 
 many - flowered, dense, bracteate, 
 spike-like, terminal racemes ; sepals 
 ovate, blunt, much shorter than the 
 corolla. — In limestone quarries and 
 chalk-pits, and on old walls ; com- 
 mon, but not indigenous. In gar- 
 dens varieties occur with many beau- 
 tiful colours and veinings. Children 
 derive much amusement from pinch- 
 ing the flowers between the finger 
 and thumb, when the palate opens, 
 as if in imitation of the fabulous 
 monster from which it derives its 
 name. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. A. Orontium (Lesser Snap- 
 dragon). — A much smaller and more 
 slender plant, generally less than a foot high, with linear leaves, 
 and a few, small, axillary, rose-coloured flowers with linear sepals 
 much longer than the corolla. — Cornfields in the south ; not com- 
 mon. — Fl. July — September. Annual. 
 
 4. Scrophularia (Figwort). — Strong-smelling, stout herbs, 
 with leaves mostly opposite, and flowers in panicles; corolla nearly 
 globose, shortly 2-lipped ; stamens 4, or with a staminode ; capsule 
 2-valved. (Name from its former use in the treatment of scrofula.) 
 
 AN'TIRRHfNUM OR6lTrfUM 
 
 {Lesser Snapdragon). 
 
Fig. 49. Lesser Snapdragon. [Antirrhinum Orontmm) 
 
FIGWORT FAMILY 
 
 359 
 
 i. 5. aqudtica (Water Figwort). — A tall, herbaceous plant, 2 
 — 5 feet high, with a square stem with the angles winged ; leaves 
 smooth, oblong, cordate, blunt, crenate-serrate ; -flowers almost 
 globular, chocolate-brown, in close, many-flowered panicles, with 
 linear, blunt bracts.- — Sides of streams and ditches ; common. The 
 stems, though hollow and succulent when alive, when dead be- 
 come rigid and prove very troublesome to anglers, owing to their 
 lines becoming entangled in the withered capsules. — Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. aldta (Shade 
 Figwort). — Resemb- 
 ling the last, but with 
 sharply serrate, acute 
 leaves, and flowers in 
 loose, few - flowered 
 panicles, with leaf- 
 like, lanceolate, acute 
 bracts. — Wet places ; 
 uncommon. — Fl. 
 August, September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3. S.noddsa (Knot- 
 ted Figwort). — An- 
 other similar, but 
 smaller species, with 
 a thick, fleshy, knotted 
 rhizome; stem 2 — 3 
 feet high, square, with 
 blunt angles ; leaves 
 smooth, ovate, acute, 
 doubly and acutely 
 serrate ; and -flowers 
 greenish - brown, in 
 loose panicles, with 
 small, lanceolate, 
 
 acute bracts. — Moist bushy places ; common. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. S. Scoroddnia (Balm-leaved Figwort), with downy, wrinkled, 
 crenate leaves and leaf-like bracts, is found only in Cornwall, 
 Devon, Ireland, and the Channel Islands. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 5.* 5. verndlis (Yellow Figwort). — A very distinct plant, about 
 2 feet high, with slightly 4-angled stem; broad, crenate, pale 
 green leaves and bright yellow flowers. — Waste places ; local. 
 
 scrophulAria aquatica {Water Figwort). 
 
 -Fl. June, July. 
 
360 SCROPHULARlN/E 
 
 Appearing early in spring, and resembling a Calceolaria, this is 
 the most ornamental British species. — Fl. April — June. Perennial. 
 
 *5« MfMULUS (Monkey flower). — Herbs with square stems, 
 opposite leaves, and conspicuous, solitary, axillary flowers ; calyx 
 5-cleft, 5-angled ; corolla 2-lipped, gaping, the upper lip 2-lobed 
 and reflexed ; seeds many. (Name from the Greek mimo, an ape, 
 from the form of the flower.) 
 
 1.* M. Langsdorfli (Yellow Monkey-flower). — A pretty North 
 American plant, with hollow creeping stems, ovate, veined leaves, 
 and large, yellow, funnel-shaped flowers, which has escaped from 
 cultivation and become naturalised by the sides of many streams. 
 Some of its cultivated varieties have the flowers blotched with 
 brown or red. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 limos^lla aquAtica (Common Mudwort). 
 
 6. Limos£lla (Mudwort). — Small, tufted, creeping, glabrous, 
 aquatic plants, with radical, linear leaves and minute, solitary, 
 axillary flowers ; corolla short, bell-shaped, 5-cleft, nearly polysym- 
 metric ; stamens 4, with i-chambered anthers. (Name from the 
 Latin limits, mud, from the character of the places in which the 
 plant grows.) 
 
 1. L. aqudtica (Common Mudwort). — The only British species, 
 a small plant, throwing up from the roots a number of smooth, 
 spathulate leaves on long stalks, and minute, pale pink or white 
 flowers on shorter stalks. — Watery places ; not common. — Fl. July 
 — September. Annual. 
 
 7. Sibth6rpia (Cornish Money-wort). — Slender, creeping, hairy 
 plants, with rounded, lobed, stalked leaves, and small, solitary, 
 axillary flowers ; calyx in 5 deep, spreading segments ; corolla short, 
 rotate, 5-cleft, nearly polysymmetric ; anthers 2-chambered ; capsule 
 
Fig. 50. Purple Foxglove. [Digitalis purpurea] 
 
FIGWORT FAMILY 36 1 
 
 nearly round, flattened at the top. (Name in honour of Dr. 
 Humphrey Sibthorp, Professor of Botany at Oxford from 1747 to 
 
 x 7 8 3-) 
 
 1. S. europoea (Cornish Money-wort). — The only British species, 
 an elegant little plant, with slender, thread-like stems creeping 
 along the ground in tangled masses ; small, round, notched, 
 downy leaves of a delicate green ; and very minute, pale pink and 
 yellow flowers. — Banks of springs and rivulets in Cornwall, and 
 occasionally in other southern counties. In habit it approaches 
 Hydrocotyle vulgaris (Marsh Penny-wort), but it is smaller and 
 downy and its leaves are notched. Fl. June — October. Perennial. 
 
 sibthorpia EUROPOEA (Cornish Money-wort). 
 
 8. Digitalis (Foxglove). — Tall plants with radical and cauline 
 leaves, and large, monosymmetric, bell-shaped flowers in a long, 
 terminal raceme ; calyx deeply and unequally 5-lobed ; corolla 
 slightly 4 — 5-notched, hairy inside ; capsule ovate. (Name from 
 the Latin digitus, a finger, from the glove-like shape of the 
 flower.) 
 
 1. D. purpurea (Purple Foxglove). — The only British species, 
 a stately plant, 2 — 6 feet high, with large, wrinkled, downy leaves, 
 and a tall, slightly branched, tapering raceme of numerous hand- 
 some, deep rose-coloured, bell-shaped flowers, which droop as they 
 expand. On the inside the corolla is beautifully spotted; and it 
 occasionally occurs of a pure white. — Woods ; common ; but not 
 on limestone. The name Foxglove is a corruption of folk's-glove ; 
 
3 62 
 
 SCROPHULARfN^E 
 
 that is, Fairies' glove. The leaves yield a valuable medicine, which 
 is, however, poisonous in large doses. — Fl. June — September. 
 Biennial. 
 
 9. Euphrasia (Eye-Bright). — Partially parasitic plants with 
 opposite cut leaves, and flowers in a bracteate spike j calyx 4-cleft ; 
 corolla 2-lipped, the upper lip with 
 
 2 spreading lobes ; the lower lip in 
 
 3 nearly equal lobes ; anthers spurred 
 at the base ; capsule flattened, blunt, 
 or notched ; seeds numerous, ribbed. 
 (Name from the Greek euphrdsano, 
 I clear, in allusion to its use as an 
 eye-lotion.) 
 
 1. E. officinalis (Common Eye- 
 bright). — An elegant little plant, 
 2 — 6 in. high, with deeply cut leaves, 
 and numerous white or lilac flowers 
 veined with purple, and with the 
 middle lobe of the lower lip yellow. 
 — It is common in pastures ; but it 
 is so variable that botanists dis- 
 tinguish a number of forms, of 
 which seventeen are British, differ- 
 ing in the bracts, size of flowers, 
 capsules, and seeds. On the moun- 
 tains and near the sea the stem is 
 scarcely branched, and the leaves 
 are fleshy ; but in rich soil it 
 assumes the habit of a minute shrub. 
 An infusion of this plant makes a 
 useful eye-lotion. — Fl. May — Sep- 
 tember. Annual. 
 
 10. Odontites. — Partially para- 
 sitic plants with opposite leaves, and 
 flowers in branched spikes with leafy 
 bracts ; calyx 4-cleft ; corolla 2-lipped, 
 the upper lip arched, entire, or 
 notched, not spreading, the lower lip with 3 reflexed lobes ; capsule 
 flattened, blunt ; seeds numerous, angular. (Name from the Greek 
 odous, a tooth, some species having hollowed tooth-like scale-leaves 
 like those of the Tooth-wort.) 
 
 1. 0. rubra (Red Bartsia). — A much-branched, erect, herba- 
 ceous plant, 6 — 12 in. high, with linear-lanceolate, dingy, reddish- 
 
 pigitXlis purpurea 
 {Purple Foxglove). 
 
FIGWORT FAMILY 363 
 
 green leaves, irregularly toothed, and numerous one-sided spikes 
 of small, pink flowers. While flowering, the spikes usually droop 
 at their ends. — Cornfields and waste places j common. — Fl. June 
 — September. Annual. 
 
 11. Lasiopera (Viscid Bartsia or Marsh Eye-bright). — An erect, 
 clammy plant with the lower leaves opposite, the upper scattered ; 
 calyx tubular, 4-cleft ; corolla tubular, 2-lipped, yellow ; capsule 
 pointed ; seeds many, minute, angular. (Name from the Greek 
 Idsios, hairy, pera, a wallet.) 
 
 1. L. viscdsa (Yellow Viscid Bartsia). — An erect, clammy plant 
 with sessile, ovate-lanceolate, deeply serrated leaves, the lower 
 
 euphrAsia officinalis (Common Eye-brigki). 
 
 opposite, the upper scattered ; and' axillary yellow flowers. — In the 
 south and west ; rare. Somewhat resembling the Yellow-rattle 
 Rhindnthus Crista-gdlli), but at once distinguished by its clammi- 
 ness. It looks very different in Sussex, where it is less than a foot 
 high and unbranched, from what it does at the Lizard, where it is 
 more than twice as tall and much branched. — Fl. June — October. 
 Annual. 
 
 12. Bartsia (Red Eye-bright). — A low, unbranched, perennial *■ 
 plant, with leaves opposite ; calyx bell-shaped, 4-fid ; corolla 
 tubular, ringent, the upper lip much arched, not compressed ; 
 capsule ovoid, produced into a long point; seeds many, large, 
 compressed and winged. (Name in honour of John Bartsch, a 
 Russian botanist.) 
 
364 
 
 SCROPHULARfN^E 
 
 i. B. alpina (Alpine Bartsia), a low, unbranched species, with 
 
 opposite, ovate leaves, and dull purple-blue flowers in a short, 
 
 leafy spike. — Mountain pastures in the north ; rare. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 13. Pedicularis (Red-rattle).— Partially parasitic plants, with 
 scattered leaves, and flowers generally red, in bracteate spikes or 
 racemes ; calyx inflated, somewhat leafy, unequally 5-toothed ; 
 
 ODONTfTES rubra {Red Bartsia). 
 
 corolla gaping, upper lip arched, flattened vertically, lower lip flat, 
 3-lobed ; capsule flattened, oblique ; seeds angular. (Name from 
 the Latin pediculus, a louse, the plant being supposed to produce 
 lice in sheep.) 
 
 r. P. palustris (Marsh Red-rattle). — An erect, branched, herba- 
 ceous plant, 6 — 18 in. high, nearly glabrous, with reddish branches; 
 leaves deeply pinnately cut ; flowers large and crimson, in a leafy 
 raceme; calyx downy. — Marshes and bogs; common. It is often 
 
FIGWORT FAMILY 
 
 365 
 
 a conspicuous plant, overtopping the surrounding herbage. — Fl. 
 May — -September. Annual. 
 
 2. P. sylvdiica (Dwarf Red-rattle). — Distinguished from the last 
 by its humbler growth, being prostrate and only branched at the 
 
 pediculXris pal6stris (Marsh Red-rattle). 
 
 base, and by its rose-pink flowers with a smooth calyx. — Damp 
 heaths; common. — Fl. April — August. Perennial. 
 
 14. Rhinanthus (Yellow-rattle). — Partially parasitic plants, 
 with opposite, serrate leaves, and yellow flowers spotted with 
 violet, in one-sided spikes, with toothed bracts ; seeds flattened, 
 winged ; otherwise much as in Pediculdris. (Name from the 
 Greek rhis, rhinos, the nose, anthos, a flower, from its shape.) 
 
3 66 
 
 SCROPHULARIN^E 
 
 i. R. Crista-gdlli (Yellow-rattle, Cock's-comb). — An erect, 
 somewhat rigid plant, 12 — 18 in. high, seldom branched; leaves 
 oblong-lanceolate, serrate ; flowers yellow, in a loose spike, with 
 green, ovate, deeply serrate bracts, and conspicuous, pale, inflated 
 calyces. — Pastures; common. The rattling of the ripe seeds in 
 the capsule is a sign in Sweden that the hay is ready to cut ; but 
 in England hay-making begins when the plant is in full flower. — 
 Fl. June. Annual. 
 
 2. R. major (Large Yellow-rattle), a taller, much-branched 
 species, has its flowers in 
 crowded spikes, and a yellowish 
 bract, ending in a fine green 
 point, below each flower. — 
 Cultivated fields ; local. — Fl. 
 July, August. Annual. 
 
 15. Melamp^rum (Cow- 
 wheat). — Partially parasitic 
 plants with opposite leaves ; 
 calyx tubular, with 4 narrow 
 teeth ; corolla much as in 
 Pediculdris, but with the sides 
 of the upper lip reflexed ; seeds 
 2 — 4, not winged. (Name 
 from the Greek melas, black, 
 puros, wheat, the seeds being 
 said to make flour black when 
 ground and mixed with it.) 
 
 1. M. cristdtum (Crested 
 Cow-wheat). — A handsome 
 plant, about a foot high, with 
 linear-lanceolate, entire leaves 
 and yellow flowers tipped with 
 purple, in dense, 4-sided spikes, 
 with cordate, toothed, ovate 
 bracts rose-coloured at the base, the lower ones recurved. — Woods 
 in eastern counties ; rare. — Fl. September, October. — Annual. 
 
 2. M. arvense (Purple Cow-wheat). — Also a handsome species, 
 taller, with rosy flowers with a yellow throat and deep red lips, in 
 loose spikes with ovate-lanceolate, pinnatifid, rose- red bracts. — 
 Cornfields in the south-eastern counties ; very rare. — Fl. July,. 
 August. Annual. 
 
 3. M. pratense (Common Yellow Cow-wheat). — A slender 
 plant, about a foot high, with opposite pairs of straggling branches 
 
 rhinXnthus crIsta-gXlli 
 {Cock's-comb, Yellow-rattle). 
 
FIGWORT FAMILY 367 
 
 below j leaves in distant pairs, lanceolate, smooth ; flowers axillary, 
 in distant pairs, all turning one way ; corolla 4 times as long as the 
 calyx, pale yellow, closed, lower lip longer than the upper. — 
 Woods ; common. According to Linnaeus, cows are fond of it, 
 and the best and yellowest butter is made where it abounds ; but 
 
 melampvrum prat£ns£ (Common Yellow Cow-wheat). 
 
 the name pratense (growing in meadows) is inappropriate, as it is 
 rarely found in such situations. — Fl. June — September. Annual. 
 4. M. sylvdticum (Sub-alpine Yellow Cow-wheat), differing from 
 the last in having sub-erect, deep yellow flowers with the corolla 
 only twice as long as the calyx and with its lips open and equal, 
 occurs rarely in mountainous woods in the north. — Fl. July, 
 August. Annual. 
 
368 SCROPHULARIN7E 
 
 16. Veronica (Speedwell). — Herbs or shrubs, with flowers 
 usually blue ; corolla rotate, unequally 4-cleft, the lower lobe 
 narrowest ; stamens 2, exserted. (Name of doubtful origin, perhaps 
 a variant of Betonica, or perhaps a mediaeval Latin word corrupted 
 from the Greek Beronike.\ 
 
 * Annual ; prostrate ; flowers solitary, axillary ; bracts scattered 
 
 1. V. hederijolia (Ivy-leaved Speedwell). — Leaves stalked, 5 — 7- 
 lobed, cordate, bearing in the axil of each leaf a pale blue flower, 
 the stalk of which is bent back when in fruit; sepals cordate, 
 ciliate ; capsule of 2, much swollen, 2-seeded lobes. — A common 
 weed everywhere. — Fl. March — August. Annual. 
 
 2. V. didyma (Grey Field Speedwell). — Leaves stalked, irregu- 
 larly serrate ; flowers bright blue, ^ in. across, on stalks longer 
 than the leaves ; sepals broadly ovate, sub-acute ; capsule of 2, 
 turgid, generally hairy, 8 — 1 2-seeded lobes. — Fields and waste 
 places ; common. — Fl. April — September. Annual. 
 
 3. V. agrestis (Green Field Speedwell). — Stems several, long, 
 prostrate ; leaves stalked, cordate, regularly serrate ; flowers \ in. 
 across, on stalks shorter than the leaves ; sepals linear-oblong, 
 blunt ; corolla pale blue, the lower lobe white ; capsule of 2, 
 turgid, hairy, keeled, 4 — 6-seeded lobes. — Fields and waste places ; 
 common. — Fl. April — September. Annual. 
 
 4.* V. Toumejortii (Tournefort's Speedwell). — A stouter, pros- 
 trate, hairy species, with shortly-stalked, cordate, obtuse, coarsely 
 serrate leaves ; large, bright blue flowers \ in. across, on stalks 
 longer than the leaves ; sepals lanceolate, ciliate ; capsules of 2, 
 diverging, sharply-keeled, hairy, 5 — 8-seeded lobes. — Cultivated 
 ground; introduced about 1826, but now general. Fl. April- 
 September. Annual. 
 
 ** Flowers in terminal racemes ; corolla-tube very short 
 
 5. V. triphyUos (Finger-leaved Speedwell), distinguished by its 
 erect, branched stem, 4 — 8 in. high ; palmately 3 — 7-lobed leaves ; 
 and dark blue flowers in a loose, few-flowered raceme. — Sandy 
 fields in Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk, and near Frensham, 
 Surrey ; rare. — Fl. April — June. Annual. 
 
 6. V. verna (Vernal Speedwell). — An erect, hairy, leafy little 
 plant, 2 — 4 in. high ; with pinnatifid leaves and numerous minute, 
 pale blue flowers. — Sandy places, Norfolk and Suffolk ; rare. — 
 Fl. May, June. Annual. 
 
 7. V. arvensis (Wall Speedwell). — A slightly larger, downy 
 plant, 4 — 18 in. high, often covered with dust, with two lines of 
 
FIGVVORT FAMILY 369 
 
 hairs along its branches ; leaves slightly stalked, ovate-cordate, 
 crenate ; flowers inconspicuous, pale blue, many, but almost 
 concealed among the crowded upper leaves or bracts. — Walls and 
 dry places ; abundant. — Fl. April — October. Annual. 
 
 8. V. serpyllijSlia (Thyme-leaved Speedwell). — A small plant, 
 with prostrate or slightly ascending, downy stems; ovate or 
 elliptic, slightly crenate, blunt, rather leathery leaves ; and several 
 many-flowered racemes of very light blue flowers, \ in. across, 
 striped with dark blue veins ; capsules inversely heart-shaped, 
 
 ver6nica cham^drvs (Germander Speedwell), v. officinalis (Common Speedwell), 
 v. scutbllAta (Marsh Speedwell), and v. beccabunga (Brooklime). 
 
 with a long, persistent style. — Waste ground; common. — Fl. 
 May — July. Perennial. 
 
 9. V. alpina (Alpine Speedwell), differing from the last in being 
 more erect, with larger leaves ; fewer, more crowded, darker blue 
 flowers, and a very short persistent style ; occurs only on Highland 
 Scottish mountains. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 10. V. jriilicans (Blue Rock Speedwell). — Nearly glabrous ; 
 stem much branched, woody ; leaves leathery : flowers few, \ in. 
 across, brilliant blue, very handsome, on stiff, sub-corymbose 
 stalks ; capsules ovate. — Lofty Scottish mountains ; rare. — Fl. 
 July — September. Perennial. 
 
37° 
 
 scrophulari'n^: 
 
 *** Perennial ; flowers in terminal racemes ; corolla-tube longer 
 
 than broad 
 
 ii. V. spicdta (Spiked Speedwell). — Stem erect, branching at 
 
 the base, about 6 in. high ; leaves thick, nearly sessile, with a 
 
 wedge-shaped base; serrate above the middle; flowers \ in. 
 
 across, bright blue, in a long, dense spike. — Chalk downs in 
 
 Cambridgeshire and Suffolk ; rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 12. V. hybrida (Tall Spiked Speedwell) is larger, reaching 
 
 18 in., and has stalked leaves, 
 
 rounded at the base and serrate 
 
 throughout. — Limestone cliffs 
 
 in the west ; rare. — Fl. July, 
 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 **** Perennial ; leaves all 
 opposite ; flowers in axil- 
 lary racemes 
 
 13. V. officinalis (Common 
 Speedwell). — A hairy plant 
 with prostrate ascending stems, 
 with short hairs all round ; oval, 
 shortly-stalked, serrate leaves ; 
 and erect, many -flowered, spike- 
 like racemes of lilac or pale 
 blue flowers, \ in. across. — Dry 
 pastures, heaths, and woods ; 
 common. The leaves are 
 astringent and bitter, and are 
 sometimes made into tea. — Fl. 
 May — August. Perennial. 
 
 14. V. Chamcedrys (German- 
 der Speedwell, Blue Speedwell, 
 Bird's-eye). — A well-known and 
 favourite plant ; stem ascending, 
 with two lines of hairs ; leaves 
 sessile, hairy, deeply serrate ; 
 
 flowers bright blue, ^ in. across, in a long-stalked, slender, loose 
 raceme ; capsule shorter than the calyx. — Hedge-banks ; abundant. 
 No one can have walked in the country in spring without admir- 
 ing its cheerful blossoms, but few perhaps notice the singular pair 
 of hairy lines, which traverse the whole length of the stem, shifting 
 from side to side whenever they arrive at a fresh pair of leaves, 
 and serving to conduct rain-water to the root. It is sometimes 
 erroneously called Forget-me-not. — Fl. April — June. Perennial. 
 
 VERONICA BECCABUNGA (Brookh 
 
BROOM-RAPE FAMILY 37 1 
 
 15. V. montdna (Mountain Speedwell). — A similar species, but 
 with stem hairy all round ; leaves stalked ; fewer, smaller, paler 
 ■flowers in a shorter raceme ; and capsule much longer than the 
 calyx. — Moist woods ; common. — Fl. May — September. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 16. V. scutelldta (Marsh Speedwell). — A weak, straggling, 
 generally glabrous plant ; leaves sessile, linear-lanceolate, slightly 
 toothed ; flowers pale pink in alternate racemes ; capsules of 2 
 large, flat, round lobes on slender reflexed stalks. — Marshes ; 
 common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 17. V. Anagdllis-aqudlica (Water Speedwell). — A stout, gla- 
 brous, succulent, erect, slightly-branched plant, 1 — 2 feet high ; 
 stem hollow ; leaves sessile, sometimes auricled, lanceolate, serrate ; 
 flowers I in. across, pale pink or white, in opposite racemes. — 
 Stagnant water; common.— Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 18. V. Beccabunga (Brooklime). — A very similar species, but 
 smaller, with stem rooting at the base; stalked, oval, blunt, 
 slightly serrate leaves ; and opposite racemes of bright blue 
 flowers, ^ in. across. — Brooks and ditches ; common, growing 
 with Watercresses and Water-Parsnip. — Fl. May — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LVI. Orobanchace.e. — Broom-rape Family 
 
 A small Order of succulent, brownish plants, all of which are 
 either parasitical on the roots of other plants or are partly sapro- 
 phytes, living, that is, upon decaying organic matter. They have 
 no true leaves, but are more or less clothed with fleshy, pointed 
 scales, which are most abundant near the base of the stem. The 
 flowers are large for the size of the plant, and arranged in a spike 
 or raceme, with one or more scale like bracts at the base of each 
 flower. The calyx is persistent ; the corolla monosymmetric, 
 usually 2-lipped, imbricate in the bud, persistent ; stamens 4, 
 didynamous ; ovary in a fleshy disk, i-chambered, many-ovuled; 
 style 1, stigma 2-lobed, capsule 2-valved ; seeds small, numerous, 
 parietal. The seeds, it is said, will lie buried for some years in 
 the ground without germinating, until they come in contact with 
 the young roots of some plant adapted to their wants, when they 
 immediately sprout, and seize on the points of the roots, which 
 swell, and serve as a base to the parasite. There are but two 
 English genera belonging to this Order, Orobdnche and Lathrcea, 
 some species of which are confined to particular species of host 
 plants, whilst others have a wider range. The species of Orobdnche 
 are difficult to discriminate. 
 B B 2 
 
372 OROBANCHACE^E 
 
 i. OrobAnche\ — Upper lip of corolla erect, 2-lobed. 
 
 2. LathR/EA. — Flowers secund ; upper lip of corolla arched, 
 entire. 
 
 i. Orobanche (Broom-rape). — Parasites with -flowers in a 
 many-sided spike, with i — 3 bracts below each ; calyx of 2, lateral, 
 usually 2 -cleft sepals ; corolla gaping, 4 — 5-cleft, its upper lip 
 erect, 2-lobed, its base persistent. (Name from the Greek brobos, 
 a vetch, ancho, I strangle, from the injurious effects produced in 
 the plants to which they attach themselves.) 
 
 * Bracts 3 under each flower 
 
 1. purpiirea (Blue Broom-rape). — A slender, tough, un- 
 branched species, with pale blue flowers with purple veins, occur- 
 ring on Milfoil. — Southern counties ; rare. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2.* 0. ramdsa (Branched Broom-rape), distinguished by its 
 branched stem, occurs on the roots of Hemp, with the seeds of 
 which it is introduced, but is very rare. — Fl. August, September. 
 Annual. 
 
 ** Bracts one to each flower 
 
 3. 0. major (Greater Brocm-rape). — A stout, viscid, leafless 
 club-like plant, of a reddish-brown hue, with stem much swollen at 
 the base, and clothed with tapering scales, which pass into bracts 
 as they ascend the stem ; flowers crowded into a dense spike ; 
 corolla reddish-yellow, tubular, the lower lip 3-lobed, the middle 
 lobe blunt and longer than the others ; stamens inserted at the 
 base of the corolla, smooth below, downy above ; style downy ; 
 stigma of 2 diverging yellow lobes. — On the roots of Furze, 
 Broom, and other shrubs of the Order Leguminosce ; frequent. — 
 Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 4. 0. rubra (Red Broom-rape). — A small, reddish species, 4 — 8 
 in. high, with a loose spike of dull red sweet-scented flowers, with 
 a downy corolla and pale pink, 2-lobed stigma. — On the roots of 
 Thyme when growing on basaltic rock in Scotland and Ireland, 
 and on magnesian rock at the Lizard ; rare. — Fl. June— August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 5. 0. caryophylldcea (Clove-scented Broom-rape), a similar, but 
 stouter, brown species with reddish-brown or purplish flowers, with 
 hairy stamens and a dark purple stigma, grows on the roots of 
 Galium Molhigo (Hedge Bed-straw) in Kent. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 6. 0. eldtior (Tall Broom-rape). — A tall, yellow plant, 2 — 3 feet 
 high, with many-veined sepals ; corolla slightly compressed above, 
 
BROOM-RAPE FAMILY 
 
 373 
 
 lobes of lower lip nearly equal, acute ; stamens hairy ; stigma 
 yellow. — On Centaurea Scabibsa ; rare — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 orobAnch£ mAjor 
 (dreat Broom-rape). 
 
 LATHR*:A squamaria 
 (Toothwort). 
 
 7. 0. Picridis (Picris Broom-rape). — A pale species, about a 
 foot high, with 1 — 3-veined sepals ; toothed, nearly equal lobes 
 to the lower lip of the corolla ; stamens hairy below ; stigma 
 purple. — On Picris hieracioides ; rare. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
374 OROBANCHACE/E 
 
 8. 0. Hedera (Ivy Broom-rape). — A purplish species, about a 
 foot high, with loose spike; i-veined sepals; nearly glabrous 
 stamens, and yellow stigma. — On Ivy; uncommon. — Fl. June, 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 9. 0. minor (Lesser Broom-rape).— A slender, yellow-brown or 
 purplish species, about a foot high, with a loose spike ; many- 
 veined, ovate, acuminate sepals ; white or yellowish corolla-limb ; 
 stamens hairy below, smooth above ; style nearly smooth , stigma 
 purple. — Chiefly upon Clovers, but occasionally upon various 
 other plants ; frequent. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 10. 0. amethystea (Purple Broom-rape), with its corolla much 
 curved at the base, and the middle lobe of the lower lip much 
 the longer, occurs rarely on Daucus gummifer. — Fl. June. 
 Annual. 
 
 2. Lathr^ea (Tooth wort). — A pale, pink-tinged, fleshy plant, 
 partly parasitic, partly saprophytic, with its flowers in 2 rows down 
 one side of the stem ; calyx bell-shaped, 4-cleft ; corolla gaping, 
 2-lipped, the upper lip arched, entire, deciduous, the tube 
 persistent. (Name from the Greek lathraios, hidden, from its 
 growth in shady places.) 
 
 t. L. Squamdria (Toothwort). — The only species, a remarkable 
 pale plant, with a fleshy, branched rhizome thickly clothed with 
 tooth-like scales, which are hollowed out into glandular cavities ; 
 each branch bears a 1 -sided raceme of drooping, dull-reddish 
 -flowers, with a broad bract at tha base of each. — Among dead 
 leaves and on the roots of Hazel, Elm, &c. The glands in the 
 hollows of the buried scales probably aid in the absorption of 
 liquid organic food from the decaying leaves. — Fl. April, May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LVII. LentibularieLe.— Butterwort Family 
 
 Herbaceous plants living in water or in marshy ground, bearing 
 either undivided radical leaves, or much divided cauline ones with 
 numerous small bladders on them. Their flowers are monosym- 
 metric, and either solitary or racemose ; the calyx inferior, 
 persistent ; corolla 2-lipped, spurred, deciduous ; stamens 2 ; ovary 
 superior, 1 -chambered; style 1, very short; stigma of 2 unequal 
 lips ; capsule 2-valved, many-seeded. The two British genera, 
 Utriculdria, the Bladderworts, and the Pinguicula, the Butterworts, 
 are both of them carnivorous. The former are submerged, rootless 
 plants with finely divided leaves, bearing minute bladders, fur- 
 nished with trap-doors, which capture water-fleas and other minute 
 aquatic animals, and yellow flowers which rise above the surface 
 
BUTTERWORT FAMILY 
 
 375 
 
 of the water to open. The Butterworts are small, terrestrial plants 
 with rosettes of radical leaves with inrolled margins, and viscid, 
 glandular surfaces which capture small flies. Their solitary purple 
 flowers have some resemblance to violets. " Pinguicula vulgaris 
 (Common Butterwort) has 
 the property of giving con- 
 sistence to milk and of 
 preventing it separating 
 into either whey or cream. 
 Linnteus says that the solid 
 milk of the Laplanders is 
 prepared by pouring it, 
 warm from the cow, over a 
 strainer on which fresh 
 leaves of Pinguicula have 
 been laid. The milk, after 
 passing among them, is left 
 for a day or two to stand, 
 until it begins to turn sour ; 
 it throws up no cream, but 
 becomes compact and 
 tenacious, and most de- 
 licious in taste. It is not 
 necessary that fresh leaves 
 should be used after the 
 milk is once turned ; on 
 the contrary, a small por- 
 tion of this solid milk will 
 act upon that which is 
 fresh, in the manner of 
 yeast." — (Lindley.) 
 
 i. UtriculAria. — Sub- 
 merged, aquatic plants with 
 much divided leaves bear- 
 ing bladders ; calyx of two 
 equal sepals ; corolla per- 
 sonate. 
 
 2. Pinguicula. Ter- 
 restrial plants with radical 
 2-lipped, upper lip 3-cleft, lower 2-cleft ; corolla gaping. 
 
 1. Utricularia (Bladderwort).— Submerged, rootless, aquatic 
 plants with floating, much divided leaves, with thread-like 
 segments, bearing small bladders; flowers few, in a raceme, 
 
 utriculAria vulgXris (Common Bladderwort). 
 
 leaves and solitary flowers; calyx * 
 
376 
 
 LENTIBULARI^ 
 
 monosymmetric, yellow ; calyx of 2 equal sepals ; corolla per- 
 sonate, spurred ; stamens 2, lateral. (Name from the Latin 
 utriculus, a little bladder.) 
 
 1. U. vulgaris (Common Bladderwort). — A remarkable sub- 
 merged, aquatic plant j leaves pinnately divided, ciliate, and 
 bearing bladders $ in. long ; flowers 4 — 8, on a stout scape 
 6 — 12 in. high, in a loose raceme; bracts ovate, thick, about 
 
 one-third the length of the pedicels ; corolla 
 bright yellow or orange, with nearly equal 
 lobes, and conical acute spur adpressed to, 
 and half as long as, the lower lip. — Ditches 
 and pools; frequent. — Fl. June— August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. U. major (Overlooked Bladderwort). 
 — A more slender species with leaves pin- 
 nately divided and ciliate, bearing bladders 
 yo in. long ; bracts lanceolate, not more 
 than a quarter as long as the slender, 
 nearly erect pedicels ; upper corolla-lip 2 
 or 3 times as long as the broad, flat, lower 
 one, lemon-yellow ; spur conical. — Pools ; 
 rare.— Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 3. U. minor (Lesser Bladderwort). — A 
 small, slender species with repeatedly 
 forked, not ciliate leaves bearing bladders 
 T ^2 in. long; and 2 — 6 flowered racemes of 
 small, pale yellow flowers, with equal 
 corolla-lobes and a very short, blunt spur. — 
 Pools and ditches ; not common. — Fl. June 
 — September. Perennial. 
 
 4. U. intermedia (Intermediate Bladder- 
 wort). — Leaves distichous, repeatedly 
 forked, ciliate ; bladders i in. long, on 
 slender stalks, separate from the leaves ; 
 flowers 3 — 4 in a raceme, pale yellow ; 
 
 upper corolla-lip twice as long as the lower ; spur conical, acute. — 
 Pools and ditches ; rare. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. PiNGUfcuLA (Butterwort). — Marsh plants with small roots; 
 a rosette of entire, involute, viscid, radical leaves; and solitary 
 flowers on long, erect pedicels ; calyx 2-lipped ; upper-lip 3-cleft ; 
 lower 2-cleft ; corolla gaping, spurred. (Name from the Latin 
 pinguis, fat, from the greasy leaves.) 
 
 1. P. vulgdris (Common Butterwort). — A singular and very 
 
 PINGUICULA LUSITANICA 
 
 (Pale Butterwort). 
 
VERVAIN FAMILY • 377 
 
 beautiful plant. The root is fibrous, and has a very loose hold on 
 the soft ground in which it grows. The radical leaves are oblong, 
 pale green, and of a peculiar, parchment-like, frosted appearance. 
 The flowers are § in. long, violet, and handsome, growing in a 
 nodding manner on a peduncle 3 — 4 in. long, with very unequal 
 corolla-lobes and a short, tapering spur. — Bogs, heaths, and wet 
 rocks, principally in the north. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. grandiflbra (Large-flowered Butterwort). — A larger and 
 yet more beautiful plant, with broader leaves, flowers 1 in. long, 
 with a longer and often notched spur. — Bogs in co. Cork and 
 Kerry. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 3. P. alpina (Alpine Butterwort). — Smaller than P. vulgaris, 
 with yellowish-white flowers, \ in. long, on short, smooth peduncles, 
 and with a very short, conical spur. — Bogs in Ross and Skye. — 
 Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 4. P. lusitdnica (Pale Butterwort). — The smallest British 
 species, with greenish-white, veined leaves, downy peduncle, and 
 pale lilac flowers | in. long, with a yellowish throat, nearly equal 
 corolla-lobes, and blunt, cylindrical spur, curved downwards. — 
 Bogs in the south-west of England and the west of Scotland and 
 Ireland. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LVIII. Verbenace^e. — Vervain Family 
 
 A considerable, but mainly tropical Order, closely allied to the 
 Labiates, comprising trees, shrubs, and herbs, with opposite, 
 exstipulate leaves, and perfect, monosymmetric, bracteate flowers ; 
 calyx inferior, tubular, imbricate, persistent; corolla hypogynous, 
 with a long tube, usually 2-lipped, imbricate ; stamens didynamous, 
 epipetalous, or rarely 2 only ; ovary 2 or 4-chambered ; style 1 ; 
 stigma sometimes 2-cleft ; seeds 1 or 2 in each chamber. Many 
 of them are aromatic and fragrant, such as Aloysia citriodbra, 
 formerly called Verbena triphylla, the Lemon-plant of gardens, 
 well known for the delicious fragrance of its rough, lanceolate 
 leaves. Many species of Verbena from America are cultivated for 
 their brilliantly coloured flowers ; and, though it is now little 
 thought of, great virtues were in ancient times attributed to the 
 one British representative of the Order, the common Vervain, 
 insomuch that it was accounted a holy plant, and is said to have 
 been used to sweep the tables and altars of the gods. By far the 
 most valuable plant in the Order is the Teak (Tectbna grdndis), a 
 native of India and Burma. The trunk of this tree sometimes 
 attains the height of two hundred feet, and its leaves are twenty 
 
378 verbenace^e 
 
 inches long by sixteen broad. The timber somewhat resembles 
 mahogany in colour, but is stronger. For shipbuilding teak is 
 unequalled. 
 
 i. Verbena (Vervain). — Herbs or undershrubs with 4-angled 
 
 verbena officinalis (Common Vervain). 
 
 stem; opposite leaves ; flowers in bracteate, terminal spikes or 
 racemes ; calyx unequally 5-cleft 3 corolla salver-shaped, unequally 
 5-cleft; stamens included; fruit of 4 1 -seeded nutlets. (Name, 
 the Latin name of the plant.) 
 
 1. V. officinalis. — The only British species, a slender, tough- 
 
Fig. 51. Vervain. [V*baa efftaml^ 
 
LABIATE FAMILY 379 
 
 stemmed plant, i — 2 feet high, with few roughish, 3-cleft leaves, 
 and small, lilac flowers in very slender, terminal, compound 
 spikes. — Waste ground ; common. — FL July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LIX. Labiatve. — The Labiate Family 
 
 A large and clearly defined Natural Order, comprising upwards 
 of 2,500 species of herbs and shrubs, which agree in having 
 square stems ; opposite, decussate, simple, exstipulate leaves ; and 
 bilabiate, or 2-lipped flowers in axillary cymes, forming generally 
 verticillasters or false whorls. The calyx is inferior, tubular, 
 persistent, and 5-cleft ; the corolla hypogynous, monosymmetric, 
 and mostly 2-lipped (bilabiate); the lower lip larger and 3-lobed, 
 the upper less distinctly 2-lobed ; the stamens 4, didynamous, or 
 rarely 2, maturing before the stigmas (protandrous) ; ovary 
 superior, of 2 united carpels, deeply 4-lobed, with a single style 
 arising from the base of the lobes (gynobasic) ; stigma 2-cleft ; 
 fruit a regma of 4 nutlets, each containing a single seed. They 
 occur mostly in warm and temperate climates, and are remarkable 
 for not possessing injurious properties in any single instance. 
 Most of them have strong aromatic perfumes, which are often 
 pleasant, owing to the presence of abundance of volatile or 
 essential oil, from which camphor-like, solid substances can be 
 extracted. Menthol, for instance, is obtained from various species 
 of Mint (Mentha). It is a valuable remedy in neuralgia. 
 Patchouli (Pogostemon Patchouli) is a favourite perfume, and 
 Lavender (Lavandula vera) is not only also a perfume, but has 
 medicinal uses as a stimulant. Several kinds of Mint, especially 
 Peppermint (Mentha piperita) and Pennyroyal (M. Pulegium), are 
 much used in medicine. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is 
 remarkable for its undoubted power of encouraging the growth of 
 the hair and curing baldness, and is an active ingredient in most 
 pomatums. It is one of the plants used in the preparation of 
 Eau de Cologne and Hungary water, and the admired flavour of 
 Narbonne honey is ascribed to- the bees feeding on the flowers 
 of this plant, as the honey of Hymettus is indebted for its- 
 flavour to Wild Thyme. Our aromatic pot-herbs, the leaves of 
 most of which are used in a dried state, are all members of this 
 Order. Among them are Mint (Mentha viridis), Sage (Salvia 
 officinalis), Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Basil (Ocimum Basilicum), 
 Marjoram (Origanum Marjordna), and Savory. (Satureia). The 
 tubers of Stdchys tuberifera have been introduced from Japan, 
 under the name of Chinese artichokes, as a substitute for potatoes. 
 
380 LABIAT.fi 
 
 Several species of Sage {Salvia) are also cultivated for the sake of 
 their brilliantly coloured blossoms. 
 
 * Stamens 4, distant, the two upper shorter ; nutlets free, smooth or 
 nearly so 
 t Corolla subregular ; stamens spreading 
 
 1. Mentha. — All four stamens perfect. 
 
 2. Ltfcopus. — Two upper stamens aborted. 
 
 tt Corolla 2 -lipped 
 
 3. ORfGANUM. — Calyx with 5 equal teeth ; stamens diverging. 
 
 4. Thymus. — Prostrate ; leaves amall ; calyx 2-lipped ; stamens 
 diverging. 
 
 5. Clinop6dium. — Corolla-tube straight ; stamens converging at 
 their tips. 
 
 *6. MELfssA. — Corolla-tube curved ; stamens converging at 
 their tips. 
 
 ** Stamens 2 ; anthers distraciile ; nutlets free, smooth or 
 nearly so 
 
 7. Salvia. — Calyx and corolla both 2-lipped. 
 
 *** Stamens 4, the two upper longer ; nutlets free, smooth 
 
 8. N£peta. — Calyx with 5 nearly equal teeth ; corolla with flat 
 upper lip. 
 
 **** Stamens 4, parallel, the 2 upper shorter ; nutlets free 
 t Calyx 2-lipped 
 
 9. Scutellaria. — Calyx closing over the fruit ; 2 lower anthers 
 i-chambered. 
 
 10. Prunella. — Calyx closing over the fruit; anthers all 
 2 -chambered ; filaments forked. 
 
 1 r. Melittis.— Calyx inflated ; anthers exserted. 
 
 ft Calyx with 5 — 10 equal or sub-equal teeth 
 
 12. Marrubium. — Calyx tubular, 1 o-tcothed ; anthers included. 
 
 13. Stachys. — Calyx sub-campanulate, with 5 equal teeth; 
 anthers smooth, bursting lengthwise. 
 
 14. Galeopsis. — Calyx sub-campanulate, with 5 prickly teeth ; 
 anthers fringed, bursting transversely. 
 
 *i5. Leonurus. — Calyx sub-campanulate, with 5 prickly teeth; 
 antfiers smooth, warty, bursting lengthwise. 
 
 16. Lamium. — Calyx sub-campanulate, 5-toothed ; anthers hairy, 
 bursting lengthwise. 
 
LABIATE FAMILY 38 1 
 
 17. Ballota. — Calyx funnel-shaped, with 5 broad, spreading, 
 prickly teeth ; anthers smooth, bursting lengthwise. 
 
 ***** Stamens 4, parallel, the 2 upper shorter; nutlets united, 
 wrinkled 
 
 1 8. Tetjcrium. — Calyx tubular, 5-toothed ; upper lip of corolla 
 deeply 2-cleft. 
 
 19. Ajuga. — Calyx ovoid, 5-cleft ; upper lip of corolla very 
 short, notched. 
 
 1. Mentha (Mint). — Strongly-scented herbs, with creeping 
 rhizomes and runners; flowers small, in many-flowered whorls, 
 often crowded, with small bracts, into terminal spikes ; calyx with 
 5 equal teeth ; corolla campanulate, nearly polysymmetric, 4-lobed, 
 with a very short tube ; stamens 4 ; equal, erect, distant, smooth ; 
 nutlets free, smooth. (Name, the Classical name of the group.) 
 
 * The species are very difficult to distinguish, graduating into 
 one another, and apparently also forming hybrids. 
 
 t Whorls forming terminal spikes, with minute bracts 
 
 1. M. rotundifdlia (Round-leaved Mint). — A viscid plant, 1 — 3 
 feet high ; stem somewhat woody, usually much branched ; leaves 
 sessile, broadly elliptical, remarkably blunt, often cordate, much 
 wrinkled, and nearly smooth above, shaggy beneath ; flowers lilac 
 or white, in dense, cylindrical, slightly interrupted spikes ; bracts 
 lanceolate ; corolla hairy. — Waste ground ; not common. The 
 scent is acrid and powerful, but not agreeable. — Fl. August, 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 2. M. alopecuroides , intermediate between the preceding and 
 following species, has its runners underground ; its leaves slightly 
 stalked and very hairy, but not felted, beneath, and its spikes 
 short and stout, or conical-cylindrical. — Chiefly in the east of 
 England ; rare. — Fl. August, September. Perennial. 
 
 3. M. longifolia (Horse Mint). — A strong- but sweet-scented 
 plant, usually growing in masses, 2 — 3 feet high, with sub-sessile, 
 oblong-lanceolate, acute, serrate leaves, more or less hairy above, 
 silky and white beneath ; flowers lilac, in a dense, slender, nearly 
 or quite uninterrupted spike ; bracts awl-shaped ; corolla hairy. — 
 Damp waste ground ; frequent. — Fl. August — September. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 4.* M. viridis (Spearmint). — Probably a cultivated form of the 
 preceding, escaped from gardens ; leaves sessile, glabrous, lanceo- 
 late, acute, serrate; spike slender, cylindrical, interrupted; corolla 
 smooth. — Wet places ; rare. — This is the form commonly cultivated 
 
382 
 
 LABIAT/E 
 
 as a pot-herb, and is distinguishable by its pungent smell. — Fl. 
 August, September. Perennial. 
 
 5. M. piperita (Peppermint). — A smaller, more slender, gla- 
 brous species, 1 — 1 \ feet high, with stalked, ovate-lanceolate, acute, 
 serrate leaves ; spikes short, lax, blunt, and interrupted below ; 
 bracts lanceolate ; calyx often red. — Wet places ; uncommon. 
 Perhaps a cultivated form of M. hirsiita.—F\. July — September. 
 
 Perennial. 
 
 6. M. pubes cen s 
 (Downy Mint). — Stem 
 12 — 18 in. high; leaves 
 stalked, ovate-oblong, 
 serrate, hairy above, 
 woolly beneath ; spikes 
 cylindric, stout, dense, 
 interrupted below. — 
 Middle and south of 
 England only; rare. — 
 Fl. August, September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 7. M. hirsuta (Hairy 
 Mint, Capitate Mint). — 
 The commonest and 
 one of the most variable 
 of the Mints, growing 
 in extensive masses in 
 wet places, 1 — 4 feet 
 high, with a strong 
 smell ; leaves stalked, 
 ovate, serrate, acute, 
 downy on both surfaces; 
 flowers pale lavender, in 
 axillary and terminal 
 rounded heads, hairy. — 
 Banks of rivers and 
 marshes ; abundant. 
 
 The Bergamot Mint (M. citrdta) is a glabrous form.— Fl. July- 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 ft Whorls in the axils of leafy bracts 
 
 8. M. saiiva (Marsh Whorled Mint). — With difficulty separated 
 
 from the preceding; but growing 2—5 feet high, with leaves 
 
 green, though hairy on both surfaces, and with all the whorls of 
 
 flowers separate, all the bracts leafy, and the uppermost ones 
 
 m£ntha HiRstTA {Hairy Mint). 
 
LABIATE FAMILY 
 
 383 
 
 sometimes with no flowers in their axils ; calyx-teeth lanceolate- 
 acuminate. — Wet places ; common. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 9. M. rubra (Red Mint), a less hairy plant with red veins to its 
 leaves, is a not uncommon form of the preceding. 
 
 10. M. gracilis (Slender Mint), includes slender, green, and 
 
 nearly smooth forms with 
 
 the leaves, especially the 
 
 upper ones, sessile or 
 
 nearly so, and the smell 
 
 of Basil. J\L \1^\ WjA- 
 
 ii. M. gentilis has "^ 
 
 spreading, rather thick 
 leaves, nearly all of one 
 size and hairy along their 
 veins. It is a not un- 
 common type. 
 
 12. M. arvensis (Corn 
 Mint), a branched, 
 downy plant, 6 — 18 in. 
 high, with stalked, ovate, 
 serrate, hairy leaves, either 
 acute or blunt, all nearly 
 equal in size ; and small 
 lilac flowers in dense, 
 distant whorls ; calyx 
 bell-shaped, with deltoid 
 teeth, hairy. This last is 
 the most constant cha- 
 racter by which to dis- 
 tinguish the forms of this 
 group from the four pre- 
 ceding ones. — Cornfields; 
 common. The plant has 
 a strong smell. — Fl. July 
 — September. Perennial. 
 
 Iff Whorls distant, in the axils of the lower leaves 
 
 13. M. Pulegium (Pennyroyal). — The smallest of the genus, 
 and very different in habit from any of the others ; the stems are 
 prostrate ; the leaves small, shortly-stalked, ovate, nearly smooth ; 
 the flowers red, in distant, globose, many-flowered whorls ; calyx 
 downy, its mouth closed with hairs. — Wet heathy places; not 
 common. The whole plant has an agreeable perfume and flavour, 
 
 Lvropus europ^us (Common Gipsy-worf). 
 
384 
 
 LABIATVE 
 
 and it is commonly cultivated in cottage gardens to be made into 
 a tea which is a rustic remedy for colds. — Fl. July — September 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. Lycopus (Gipsy-wort). — Marsh plants with toothed leaves 
 and small sessile flowers in crowded axillary whorls ; calyx bell- 
 shaped, with 5 equal teeth ; corolla short, nearly polysymmetric, 
 
 4-cleft ; stamens 4, distant, 
 the 2 upper ones not pro- 
 ducing pollen ; nutlets free, 
 smooth. (Name from the 
 Greek lukos, a wolf, pons, 
 a foot, from a fancied re- 
 semblance in the leaves.) 
 
 1. L. europceus (Com- 
 mon Gipsy-wort). — The 
 only British species, with 
 creeping rhizome and run- 
 ners ; slightly branched, 
 erect, acutely 4-angled 
 stem 1 — 3 feet high ; sub- 
 sessile, deeply cut or pin- 
 natifid, nearly smooth 
 leaves; and minute white 
 flowers, dotted with red, in 
 crowded whorls in the axils 
 of the upper leaves. — Fl. 
 June — September. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 3. Origanum (Mar- 
 joram). — Aromatic plants, 
 with their flowers crowded 
 in corymbose cymes with 
 imbricate bracts; calyx 
 with 5 equal teeth, 10 — 13 
 ribbed, the throat hairy ; 
 corolla obscurely 2-lipped ; stamens 4, distant ; nutlets free, smooth. 
 (Name from the Greek oros, mountain, gdnos, joy, the plant 
 growing on high ground.) 
 
 1. 0. vulgdre (Common Marjoram). — The only British species, 
 growing about a foot high, and distinguished by its shortly-stalked, 
 broadly ovate, downy leaves and heads of rosy flowers crowded into 
 a corymbose cyme, with deeply red-tinged, imbricate bracts form- 
 ing 4-sided spikelets. — Dry bushy places, especially on chalk or 
 
 ORiGANUM vulgAr£ {Common Marjt 
 
LABIATE FAMILY 
 
 385 
 
 limestone ; common. The whole plant is fragrant and aromatic, 
 and is frequently cultivated as a pot-herb. Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. Thymus (Thyme). — Small, prostrate, wiry, aromatic plants, 
 much branched and often hairy ; leaves small ; flowers rose-colour, 
 rarely white, in axillary or spiked, few-flowered whorls ; calyx 
 2-lipped, 10— 13-ribbed, the throat hairy; corolla obscurely 
 2-lipped, the upper lip 
 notched, the lower 3- 
 cleft j stamens 4, dis- 
 tant, usually exserted. 
 (Name, the Classical 
 name of the plant.) 
 
 1. T. Serpyllum 
 (Common Thyme). — 
 A well - known and 
 favourite little plant, 
 forming a cushion with 
 a fringe of prostrate, 
 flowerless shoots, 
 which in the next year 
 send up erect flowering 
 shoots from near their 
 bases ; leaves linear, 
 obovate, or spathulate ; 
 flowers with deep red 
 calyx and rose-colour- 
 ed corolla, in short 
 terminal heads. — The 
 commoner form in 
 mountain districts. 
 The whole plant dif- 
 fuses a fragrant, arO- thymus serpyllum {Wild Thyme). 
 
 matic perfume, which, 
 
 especially in hot weather, is perceptible at some distance. — Fl. 
 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. T. gldber, with longer prostrate flowerless shoots, larger, 
 ovate, glabrous leaves, and longer flower-heads, occurs in sub-alpine 
 situations. 
 
 3. T. ovdtus, a sub-erect form, without runners, with large, 
 ovate leaves and an elongate, often interrupted flower-spike. — 
 Heaths, frequent. 
 
 5. Clinop6dium (Calamint). — Flowers either crowded in the 
 
3 86 
 
 labiAtve 
 
 axils or in loose panicles ; calyx tubular, 2-lipped, 1 3-nerved ; 
 corolla 2-lipped, with straight tube ; upper-lip nearly flat, lower 
 spreading, 3-cleft ; stamens 4, converging at their tips ; nutlets 
 smooth. (Name from the Greek, meaning a foot-stool.) 
 
 1. C. vulgar e (Wild Basil).— A straggling, softly hairy plant, 
 1 — 2 feet high, with ovate, slightly toothed, stalked leaves; and 
 
 clinop6dium calami'ntha 
 {Common Calamint). 
 
 CLINOp6dium vulgArA (W ild Basil). 
 
 rose-red flowers in crowded, many-flowered, mostly axillary whorls, 
 with numerous, long, bristly bracts forming a kind of involucre 
 resembling a green foot-stool. Dry bushy plants ; common. The 
 plant is fragrantly aromatic. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. Acinos (Basil Thyme). — A small, bushy, downy, herba- 
 ceous plant, 6 — 8 in. high, with ascending, branched stems ; hairy, 
 ovate, serrate, acute leaves on short stalks ; and violet flowers in 
 
LABIATE FAMILY 
 
 387 
 
 whorls of 5 or 6, with the calyx 2-lipped, the lower lip bulged at 
 the base, and the corolla spotted with white and darker purple. — 
 Dry places ; frequent. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 3. C. Nepeta (Lesser Calamint). — Stems usually many, 12 — 18 
 in. high, with short, erect branches ; leaves ovate, serrate, shortly 
 stalked, pale beneath ; flowers light purple, in forked cymes ; calyx 
 with short hairs on its teeth.— Dry banks ; rare. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. C. Calamintha (Common Calamint). 
 A larger, erect, bushy plant, with downy, 
 usually solitary stem; long, ascending 
 branches ; leaves on rather long stalks, 
 broadly ovate, slightly serrate, green on 
 both sides, downy; flowers light purple, 
 in forked, axillary, few-flowered cymes 
 with small pointed bracts in the forks ; 
 calyx 2-lipped, with long hairs on its 
 teeth, the teeth of the upper lip straight ; 
 lower lip of corolla with its middle lobe 
 longest. — Dry waste places ; not uncom- 
 mon. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 5. C. grandiflora, an allied species, 
 with larger, sharply serrate leaves and 
 large flowers with the 3 upper teeth of the 
 calyx reflexed, and the 3 lobes of the 
 lower lip of the corolla equal, occurs on 
 dry banks in Hampshire and South 
 Devon. — Fl. August— October. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 *6. Mel/ssa (Balm), a closely allied 
 genus, differing from Clinopbdium mainly 
 in its curved corolla-tube, is represented 
 in England only by the one species, M. 
 officinalis, a hairy plant with numerous 
 erect stems, 1 — 2 feet high ; stalked, ovate, crenate leaves, wrinkled 
 above, paler beneath ; and white flowers in shortly-stalked, one- 
 sided, axillary, few-flowered whorls. — It occurs as an escape only, 
 in the south. (Name from the Greek melissa, a bee, bees visiting 
 the flowers for honey.) — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 7. Salvia (Sage). — Herbs or shrubs with calyx and corolla both 
 2-lipped, the latter gaping ; stamens 2, with short filaments bear- 
 ing a long versatile connective with an anther-lobe at each end 
 (distractile), the upper only usually containing pollen. (Name 
 
 sAlvia verbenXca 
 {Clary, or Wild Sage). 
 
3 88 
 
 LABIATE 
 
 from the Latin salveo, I am well, from the healing properties of 
 
 Sage.) 
 
 i. S. Verbendca (Clary, Wild Sage). — An aromatic, herbaceous 
 
 plant, i — 2 feet high, with few oblong, blunt, cordate, crenate, 
 much-wrinkled leaves, wavy at the 
 edge; and rendered conspicuous 
 by its long spikes of purple-blue 
 flowers, the calyx of which is 
 much larger than the corolla, 
 while at the base of each flower 
 are 2 ovate-cordate bracts. — Dry 
 pastures, especially near the sea, 
 or on a chalky soil ; frequent. 
 The fruit was formerly used in 
 eye-lotions. — Fl. May — Septem- 
 ber. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. pratensis (Meadow Clary), 
 distinguished by its large blue 
 corolla with a viscid lip, is a rare 
 species, occurring in dry fields in 
 Kent, Oxfordshire, and Cornwall. 
 — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 8. Nepeta (Catmint). — Herbs 
 with a tubular, 5-toothed, 15- 
 ribbed calyx; the tube of the 
 corolla longer than the calyx, 
 slender below, dilated at the 
 throat; upper lip flat, notched; 
 lower 3-lobed, with a large middle 
 lobe ; 2 front stamens the shortest. 
 (Name of doubtful origin.) 
 
 1. N. Catdria (Catmint). — Stem 
 erect, branched, 2 — 3 feet high, 
 white with mealy down ; leaves 
 ovate, cordate, serrate, whitish 
 beneath ; flowers small, white, 
 dotted with crimson, in dense 
 whorls, which towards the sum- 
 mit of the stem are so close as almost to form a spike. — Hedges 
 and waste ground ; not uncommon. The whole plant has a 
 strong aromatic odour, resembling Pennyroyal, and peculiarly 
 pleasing to cats, whence it derives its name. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 nSpeta CATARIA {Catmint). 
 
LABIATE FAMILY 
 
 389 
 
 2. N. hederdcea (Ground Ivy, Ale-hoof).— A favourite spring 
 flower, with creeping stems; kidney-shaped, crenate, roughish 
 leaves ; and bright blue-purple flowers which grow 3 or 4 together 
 in the axils of the leaves. The whole plant has a strong aromatic 
 odour which, though scarcely fragrant, is far from disagreeable. 
 It is bitter, and was formerly used in brewing, as hops are now ; 
 and in rural districts its leaves are dried and made into tea. At a 
 distance its blossoms are often mistaken for sweet violets. — Fl. 
 March — June. Perennial. 
 
 9. Scutellaria (Skull-cap). — Herbaceous or shrubby plants, 
 with flowers generally solitary or in pairs in the axils ; calyx bell- 
 shaped, 2-lipped, upper lip with a con- 
 cave scale on its back, which finally 
 closes like a lid over the fruit ; corolla 
 much larger than the calyx ; stamens 
 4, parallel, the 2 lower with 1 -cham- 
 bered anthers. (Name from the 
 Latin scutella, a little dish, from the 
 lid of the calyx.) 
 
 1. S. galericuldta (Greater Skull- 
 cap). — A handsome plant, 12 — 18 in. 
 high, generally branched, with shortly- 
 stalked, oblong-lanceolate, cordate, 
 crenate leaves, and rather large, 
 bright blue -flowers in i-sided pairs in 
 the axils ; corolla-tube white inside, 
 much longer than the calyx. Soon 
 after the corolla has fallen off, the 
 upper lip of the calyx closes on the 
 lower, and gives it the appearance of 
 a capsule with a lid ; when the fruit 
 is ripe it opens again. Banks of rivers 
 and ponds ; frequent. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. minor (Lesser Skull-cap). — A much smaller, more slender 
 little plant, only 4 — 8 in. high, with subsessile, ovate, obtuse 
 leaves ; and small, pale pink flowers, with a calyx like that of the 
 preceding species. — Boggy places ; not common, except in the 
 west of England. — Fl. July — October. Perennial. 
 
 10. Prunella (Self-heal). — Small, hairy plants with their 
 flowers, in whorl? of about 6, collected into dense, terminal heads 
 with 2 broad, rounded, leafy bracts beneath each whorl; calyx 
 sub-campanulate, 2-lipped, flattened, and closed when in fruit ; 
 stamens 4, parallel, all with two-chambered anthers and forked 
 
 nepeta hederAcea {Ground Ivy). 
 
39© 
 
 labiAtve 
 
 filaments. (Name said to be from a German word for the quinsy, 
 for which complaint it was considered a specific.) 
 
 i. P. vulgaris (Self-heal). — The only British species, easily dis- 
 tinguished by its whorls of blue-purple, or rarely white, flowers, 
 which are collected into a cylindrical head, having two kidney- 
 shaped, acuminate, purple-edged bracts beneath each whorl, and a 
 pair of ovate leaves at the base of the head. — Pastures and waste 
 ground ; very common. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 SCUTELLARIA GALERICUlATA 
 
 {Greater Skull-caf). 
 
 prunella vulgaris {JS elf -heat). 
 
 ii. MeliTtis (Bastard Balm), represented by only one species, 
 M. Melissophyllum, a very handsome plant, i — 2 feet high, with 
 large, oblong-ovate, serrate, slightly hairy leaves, and conspicuous 
 white flowers, spotted or variously variegated with bright rose- 
 colour. The calyx is membranous and inflated. — Woods in the 
 south and west : rare. — The foliage has an offensive smell while 
 fresh, but in drying acquires the flavour of new hay or Woodruff. 
 (Name from the Greek melitta, a bee, another form of melissa 
 
LABIATE FAMILY 39 1 
 
 referring similarly to its supply of honey.) — Fl. May, June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 12. Marrubium (White Horehound). — Woolly, herbaceous 
 plants with small flowers in whorls in the axils of leafy bracts ; 
 calyx tubular, 5 — io-ribbed, with 5 — 10 somewhat prickly teeth, 
 and a hairy throat ; corolla with tube longer than the calyx, 
 unequally 2-lipped ; upper lip straight, very narrow, deeply 2-cleft, 
 lower 3-lobed, the middle lobe the largest; anthers included. 
 (Name, the Classical Latin name.) 
 
 Xr 
 
 MELh-Tis melissophyllum {Wild Balm). 
 
 1. M.vulgdre (White Horehound). — The only British species, 
 well distinguished by its bushy stem, 1 — 2 feet high, covered with 
 white woolly down, by its wrinkled, ovate, crenate leaves, and its 
 dense whorls of small white flowers, of which the calyx-teeth are fc 
 sharp and hooked. — Waste ground; not uncommon. — The whole 
 plant is aromatic and bitter, and is a common remedy for coughs. 
 — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 13. Stachys (Woundwort). — Herbs or shrubs with their flowers 
 usually in terminal spikes; calyx sub-campanulate, 5 — io-ribbed, 
 
392 
 
 labiAt^ - , 
 
 with 5 equal teeth ; corolla with tube as long as the calyx ; upper lip 
 arched, lower 3-lobed, the side lobes bent back before withering ; 
 stamens 4, the 2 lower the longest ; anthers bursting lengthwise. 
 (Name from the Greek stachus, an ear of corn, from the spike- 
 like inflorescence.) 
 
 1. S. officinalis (Wood Betony). — A common and very pretty 
 woodland plant, 1 — 2 feet high, with a slender, seldom branched 
 
 marr6bium vulgAr£7(^*V« Horehound). 
 
 stXchys OFFICINALIS 
 {.Wood Betony). 
 
 stem; characteristically shaped oblong, obtuse, cordate, deeply 
 crenate leaves, of which the lower ones are stalked ; and an 
 interrupted terminal oblong head or spike of deep crimson, rose- 
 coloured, or rarely white flowers with 2 or 3 pairs of sessile leaves 
 beneath the lower whorls. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. germdnica (Downy Woundwort). — Stem erect, woolly, 2 — 
 3 feet high ; leaves with matted, white, silky hairs, wrinkled, cor- 
 date, the lower stalked, ovate-oblong, the upper sessile, lanceolate; 
 
LABIATE FAMILY 
 
 393 
 
 flowers rose-colour, in interrupted, dense, many-flowered whorls. — 
 On a chalky soil ; very rare. — Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 3. S. alpina (Hill Woundwort). — Stem erect, little branched, 
 velvety, glandular at the top, 1 — 2 feet high, herbaceous; leaves 
 
 StAchys SYlvatica {Hedge Woundwort). 
 
 oval-lanceolate, cordate, distinctly and regularly crenate-serrate, 
 acuminate, velvety on both sides, green above, paler beneath ; the 
 lower long-stalked, the upper sessile ; -flowers purple, 5 — 12 in each 
 axil, in a distantly interrupted spike j bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 
 nearly as long as the calyx, reflexed, velvety ■ calyx bell-shaped, 
 
394 labiAtve 
 
 with slightly unequal teeth and glandular hairs ; corolla woolly 
 outside, longer than the calyx, spotted ; upper Up obovate, obtuse, 
 bearded at the apex ; lower lip emarginate ; nutlets large, brown, 
 smooth. — Woods on calcareous soil ; found in Gloucestershire, 
 in 1897, by Mr. Cedric Bucknall. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 4. S. palustris (Marsh Woundwort). — Stem erect, stout, hollow, 
 1 — 3 feet high, hairy; leaves linear-lanceolate, acute, crenate- 
 serrate, the lower shortly-stalked ; -flowers dull light red, in a long, 
 terminal, interrupted spike of 6 — 10-flowered whorls. — Marshes; 
 common. — Fl. July — -September. Perennial. 
 
 5. S. sylvdtica (Hedge Woundwort). — A similar species, but 
 more coarsely hairy, with solid stem; leaves all stalked, ovate- 
 acuminate, cord ite, coarsely serrate ; flowers dull dark red. — 
 Woods and hedges ; common. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 6. S. arvensis (Corn Woundwort). — A smaller, more slender, 
 slightly hairy species, with stem spreading; ascending branches, 
 6 — 18 in. high; ovate, obtuse, crenate leaves ; flowers pale pink, 
 very small, 4 — 6 in a whorl ; corolla scarcely longer than the 
 calyx ; nutlets warty. — Cornfields and other cultivated ground ; 
 an abundant weed. — Fl. April — November. Annual. 
 
 7.* 5. annua, with its upper leaves lanceolate and flowers 
 yellowish, has occurred in cornfields in Kent. — Fl. August, 
 September. Annual. 
 
 14. Gale6psis (Hemp-nettle). — Herbs with spreading branches; 
 serrate leaves; flowers in dense, many-flowered axillary and ter- 
 minal whorls ; calyx bell-shaped, with 5 prickly teeth, 5-ribbed ; 
 corolla with an inflated throat ; upper lip arched ; lower 3-lobed, 
 with 2 erect teeth on its upper side ; 2 lower stamens the longest ; 
 anthers exserted, fringed, bursting transversely. (Name from the 
 Greek gale, a weasel, opsis, resemblance.) 
 
 1. G. intermedia (Rare Red Hemp-nettle). — A softly pubescent 
 plant, 6 — 18 in. high, with many ascending branches, and the 
 stem not thickened at its nodes ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, serrate 
 throughout ; flowers rose-red, in separate whorls ; corolla-tube 
 equalling the calyx. — Cultivated ground ; a rare casual. — Fl. July 
 — October. Annual. 
 
 2. G. Lddanum (Common Red Hemp-nettle). — An allied species, 
 with narrower, linear-lanceolate leaves, only partially serrate, the 
 upper whorls of flowers not separate, and the corolla-tube much 
 longer than the calyx. — Gravelly and sandy cornfields ; not 
 uncommon. — Fl. July - October. Annual. . 
 
 3. G. dubia (Downy Hemp-nettle). — A very similar plant, but 
 with gland-tipped hairs on its upper part ; ovate-lanceolate, deeply 
 
LABIATE FAMILY 395 
 
 serrate, soft, downy leaves ; and large, pale yellow flowers. — Sandy 
 cornfields ; rare. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 4 G. specibsa (Large-flowered Hemp-nettle). — A large, stout, 
 hispid plant, 2 — 3 feet high, with stem swollen at its nodes ; leaves 
 long stalked, oblong-ovate, acuminate, coarsely serrate ; corolla 
 large, yellow, usually with a broad red spot on the lower lip, tube 
 much longer than the calyx, upper lip arched, as broad as long. — 
 Cornfields; frequent. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 5. G. Tetrahit (Common 
 Hemp-nettle). — A closely- 
 allied species, not reaching 
 so great a height, with more 
 strongly ribbed calyx, with 
 teeth as long as its tube, 
 and a smaller, generally 
 rose-colour and white 
 corolla, . its tube not longer 
 than the calyx, and its upper 
 lip flatter and longer than 
 it is broad. — Cornfields ; 
 common. — Fl. July — Sep- 
 tember. Annual. 
 
 * 1 5. LeonTjrus (Mother- 
 wort). — Erect, herbaceous 
 plants, with lobed leaves; 
 dense, distant, axillary 
 whorls of small flowers; 
 calyx bell-shaped, with 5 
 prickly, spreading teeth ; 
 corolla with the upper lip 
 nearly flat, very hairy above ; 
 anthers sprinkled with hard, 
 shining dots, bursting 
 lengthwise. (Name from 
 the Greek leon, a lion, oura, a tail, from some fancied resemblance 
 in the plant.) 
 
 1.* L. Cardiaca (Common Motherwort). — Distinguished from 
 all British plants of the Order by its radical leaves which are on 
 long, slender stalks, and are deeply palmately 3 — 5-lobed. The 
 stem is 2 — 4 feet high, branched mainly below, and very leafy. 
 The upper leaves are narrow and entire, or nearly so, and, when 
 not in flower, the plant resembles Mugwort {Artemisia vulgaris) 
 in habit. The- flowers are pink, and their whorls of prickly 
 
 gale6psis tetrahit (Common Hemp-nettle). 
 
39 6 
 
 labiAtve 
 
 calyces are conspicuous. — Hedges and waste places; rare and not 
 indigenous. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 1 6. LAmium (Dead-nettle). — Hairy herbs with leaves so closely 
 resembling those of the Stinging Nettles that many persons are 
 afraid to handle them, though the square stems in the case of the 
 Dead-nettles, and the small, green flowers in spiked clusters in 
 
 that of the Stinging 
 Nettles, are sufficient 
 to distinguish them 
 from one another. 
 The Dead - nettles 
 have their flowers in 
 many-flowered whorls 
 in the axils of leafy 
 bracts; calyx tubular 
 or bell-shaped, 5- 
 toothed ; corolla with 
 an inflated throat, 
 arched upper lip, 
 3-lobed lower lip ; 
 stamens 4, the 2 
 lowest the longest ; 
 anthers generally 
 
 hairy, bursting length- 
 wise. (Name from 
 the Greek laimos, the 
 gullet, from the shape 
 of the corolla.) 
 
 1. L. amplexicaule 
 (Henbit - nettle). — 
 Stem 4 — 10 in. high, 
 branched from tho 
 base ; lower leaves 
 
 LEOVtfRUS CARDfACA {Common Motherwort). long-Stalked, rOUnd- 
 
 ish, deeply cut; zipper 
 sessile, amplexicaul, kidney-shaped ; flowers crimson, in distant 
 whorls ; calyx small, very downy, with teeth converging in fruit ; 
 corolla with long, slender tube. — Dry waste places ; common. — 
 Fl. May — August. Annual. 
 
 2. L. molucelli folium (Intermediate Dead-nettle). — Intermediate 
 between the preceding species and L. purpureum, but most 
 resembling the former ; stouter and more succulent ; calyx slightly 
 hairy ; teeth much longer than the tube, not converging in fruit ; 
 
LABIATE FAMILY 
 
 397 
 
 corolla-tube only slightly longer than the calyx. — Cultivated ground, 
 chiefly in Scotland. — Fl. June — September. Annual. 
 
 3. L. hybridum (Cut-leaved Dead-nettle). — More nearly allied 
 to L. purpureum; stem 6 — 18 in. high; leaves all stalked, incise- 
 dentate, the lower cordate, the upper wedge-shaped at the base; 
 flowers red, in crowded, sub-terminal whorls ; calyx-teeth about as 
 long as the tube ; corolla-tube not longer than the calyx. — Waste 
 places ; frequent. — Fl. April — October. Annual. 
 
 4. L. purpureum (Red Dead-nettle). — Stem 6 — 18 in. high; leaves 
 all stalked, crenate, blunt, cordate or kidney-shaped, commonly 
 tinged with red, the upper ones crowded ; flowers small, red, or rarely 
 white, in crowded, sub-terminal 
 whorls ; calyx-teeth about as long as 
 the tube ; corolla-tube longer than the 
 calyx. — A very common weed in 
 cultivated ground, and by waysides. 
 ■ — Fl. April — October. Annual. 
 
 5.* L. maculdtum (Spotted Dead- 
 nettle). — Most closely allied to the 
 following; stem 6 — 18 in. high; 
 leaves all stalked, cordate, ovate, 
 much wrinkled, deeply serrate, and 
 almost always with a white stripe 
 down the middle ; flowers large, rose- 
 colour, rarely white ; calyx-teeth 
 broad, recurved, as long as the tube ; 
 corolla-tube longer than the calyx, 
 and abruptly dilating at the throat- 
 Waste places ; an escape from culti- 
 vation. — Fl. June — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 6. L. album (White Dead-nettle). — A common but not inelegant 
 weed, 6 — 18 in. high ; leaves all stalked, cordate, ovate, acuminate, 
 deeply serrate, sometimes blotched with white ; flowers large, 
 white ; calyx-teeth narrow, straight, with long, slender points as 
 long as the tube ; corolla-tube longer than the calyx, and gradually 
 dilating upwards ; anthers 'black. — Hedges and waste ground ; 
 abundant. — Fl. May — December. Perennial. 
 
 7. L. Galedbdolon (Yellow Dead-nettle, Weasel-snout, Archangel), 
 — Resembling the White Dead-nettle in habit, but rather taller 
 and more slender ; leaves ovate, acuminate, coarsely serrate ; 
 flowers yellow, with red spots on the lower lip, in distant, 6 — 10- 
 fiowered whorls, large and handsome ; anthers smooth. — Copses • 
 frequent. — Fl. May, June. Perennial 
 
 lAmium purpureum 
 (Purple Dead-nettle). 
 
398 labiAtve 
 
 17. Ballota (Black Horehound). — Hairy, herbaceous plants, 
 with small flowers in dense, axillary whorls, with leafy bracts; 
 calyx funnel-shaped, with 5 equal, broad, spreading, prickly teeth ; 
 corolla unequally 2-lipped ; upper lip erect, concave, lower 3-lobed, 
 the middle lobe largest, heart-shaped ; stamens 4, the 2 lower the 
 longest ; anthers exserted, smooth, bursting lengthwise. (Name in 
 Greek signifying rejected, from the offensive smell.) 
 
 lAmium GALe6bdolon {Yellow Weasel-snout, Archangel, Yellow Dead-nettle). 
 
 i. B. nigra (Black Horehound).— The only British species, a 
 tall, bushy plant, hairy with reflexed hairs, much branched ; leaves 
 stalked, ovate-cordate, downy, wrinkled, crenate ; flowers numerous, 
 light red, in numerous distant, 6 — 12-flowered whorls. — Waste 
 ground ; frequent. The odour of the whole plant is particularly 
 strong and offensive. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 18. Teucrium (Germander). — Herbaceous plants with flowers 
 in whorls of 2 — 6, the upper ones in loose, terminal 1 -sided 
 
LABIATE FAMILY 
 
 399 
 
 racemes ; calyx tubular, 5-toothed ; corolla with short tube, upper 
 lip small, deeply 2-cleft, lower lip 3-cleft, the middle lobe much 
 the largest ; stamens 4, parallel, the 2 upper shorter ; nutlets united, 
 generally wrinkled. (Name from Teucer, who is said to have been 
 the first to use it in medicine.) 
 
 1. T. Bbtrys (Cut-leaved Annual Germander). — A downy, 
 glandular plant with long hairs ; stem erect, 4 — 8 in. high, much 
 
 ballota nigra {Black Horehound). 
 
 te6crium scorod6nia 
 {Wood Germander, Wood Sage). 
 
 branched from the base ; leaves all stalked, ovate, pinnatifid, 
 into 7 — 1 1 linear, obtuse segments ; flowers rose-colour, in axillary, 
 4— 6-flowered whorls ; calyx large, inflated, pouched at the base. 
 — Chalky fields in Surrey ; very rare. — FL August, September. 
 Annual. 
 
 2. T. Scordium (Water Germander).— A hairy plant with creep- 
 ing rhizome and runners ; branches 4—10 in. high; leaves sessile, 
 oblong, coarsely serrate; flowers rose-colour, in distant axillary, 
 
400 
 
 LABIATE 
 
 2 — 6-flowered whorls ; calyx scarcely pouched. — Wet places ; 
 rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 3.* T. Chamcedrys (Wall Germander). — A similar but rather 
 larger, much-branched plant, woody below, with stalked, ovate, 
 cuneate, incised-crenate leaves, the upper ones smaller and nearly 
 entire; -flowers large, handsome rose-colour, in whorls of 5 — 6, 
 the upper ones in terminal, leafy, i-sided racemes; calyx hardly 
 pouched. — Old walls ; rare. Formerly employed as a tonic ; but 
 now scarcely used, except by rustic practitioners. — Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 4. T. Scorodbnia (Wood Germander, 
 Wood Sage). — Stem erect, about 2 feet 
 high, with stalked, ovate, cordate, crenate, 
 wrinkled, sage-like leaves ; and lateral and 
 terminal, i-sided racemose clusters of small, 
 yellowish-white flowers ; calyx pouched at 
 the base.— A common woodland plant. 
 The whole plant is very bitter, and has been 
 used as a substitute for hops. — Fl. June — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 XjUGA RfiPTANS 
 
 {Common Bugle). 
 
 19. Ajuga (Bugle). — Herbs with leafy 
 bracts; calyx ovoid, 5-cleft; corolla with a 
 long tube, the upper lip very short, notched, 
 lower 3-cleft, the middle lobe broader and 
 notched ; nutlets united, wrinkled. — (Name 
 said to be corrupted from the Latin Abiga.) 
 1. A. reptans (Common Bugle). — Well 
 marked by its solitary erect stem, 6 — 9 in. 
 high, with long, creeping runners; lower 
 leaves stalked, obovate, obtuse, almost 
 glabrous ; upper leaves sessile, tinged with 
 blue ; flowers blue, or rarely white, in 6 — 10- 
 flowered whorls, the upper of which are crowded into a spike. — 
 Moist meadows and woods ; common. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. pyramiddlis (Pyramidal Bugle). — A hairy plant with 
 underground offsets and short runners not produced until autumn ; 
 leaves gradually diminishing upward ; flowers blue, all crowded 
 into a 4-sided pyramidal spike. — By mountain streams in the 
 north-west ; very rare. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 3. A. Chamcepitys (Ground Pine). — Very different in appear- 
 ance from any other British plant in the Order, a hairy, tufted 
 herbaceous plant, 3 — 6 inches high, with branched, spreading, 
 reddish-brown, viscid, turpentinous stem; hairy leaves divided 
 
PLANTAIN FAMILY 
 
 4OI 
 
 almost to the base into 3 linear segments ; and solitary, axillary, 
 yellow flowers, with red spots on the lower lip of the corolla. 
 — Chalky fields in the south-east; rare. — Fl. May — August. 
 Annual. 
 
 Xjuga cham^pitys (Ground Pine). 
 
 ORD. LX. PLANTAGfNE^E. — THE PLANTAIN FAMILY 
 
 A small Order of herbaceous plants of humble growth, with 
 many, usually radical, ribbed or fleshy leaves. The flowers, which, 
 being mostly wind-pollinated, are conspicuous from their long 
 stamens, grow in spikes and are polysymmetric ; the calyx 
 4-parted, imbricate, persistent ; corolla 4-parted, chaffy, imbricate ; 
 stamens 4, alternate with the segments of the corolla, and having 
 very long, thread-like, exserted filaments, and large, versatile anthers; 
 ovary superior, 1-, 2-, or rarely 4-chambered ; style 1, slender; 
 stigma hairy ; fruit a capsule splitting transversely or not at all ; 
 seeds 1, 2, or many in each chamber. Several species in the 
 
 D D 
 
402 
 
 plantag/ne.*: 
 
 Order are common in Great Britain as wayside, meadow, and 
 maritime plants, and some of them are almost world-wide in their 
 distribution. The seeds abound in a tasteless mucilage, which 
 has been used as a substitute for Linseed in medicine, and to 
 stiffen muslin. 
 
 i. Plantago. — Terrestrial plants with perfect flowers in spikes. 
 2. Littorella. — Waterside plants with stamens and carpels in 
 
 different flowers ; staminate 
 flowers solitary, stalked ; 
 carpellate flowers sessile. 
 
 i. PlantAgo (Plantain). 
 — Terrestrial herbs with 
 perfect flowers in spikes; 
 calyx 4-cleft, the segments 
 reflexed ; corolla tubular, 
 with 4 spreading lobes; 
 stamens 4, very long ; ovary 
 2 — 4-chambered ; capsule 
 splitting all round. (Name, 
 the Classical Latin name.) 
 
 1. P. major (Greater 
 Plantain, Way-bread.) — 
 Leaves radical, ascending, 
 broadly oblong, on long, 
 channelled stalks, 3 — 7- 
 ribbed ; flowers in a very 
 long, tapering spike, on a 
 short, cylindrical stalk ; 
 anthers purple; capsule 2- 
 chambered, 8 — 16-seeded. 
 — Borders of fields and 
 waysides ; abundant. Well 
 known for its spikes of 
 fruit, the seeds in which 
 cage-birds. — Fl. May — September. 
 
 plaktXgo lanceolata {Ribwort Plantain). 
 
 are a favourite food of 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. P. media (Hoary Plantain, Lamb's-tongue). — Leaves downy, 
 broadly elliptical, on short, flat stalks, lying so close to the ground 
 as to destroy all vegetation beneath, and even to leave the impres- 
 sion of their 5 — 9 ribs on the ground ; flowers in a close, cylin- 
 drical spike, shorter than that of P. major, but on a longer, 
 cylindrical, downy peduncle, fragrant, and conspicuous from their 
 lilac bracts, and filaments, and cream-coloured anthers ; capsule 2- 
 
PLANTAIN FAMILY 
 
 403 
 
 chambered, 2-seeded. — Meadows on a dry soil; common. — Fl. 
 June — October. Perennial. 
 
 3. P. lanceoldta (Ribwort Plantain). — Leaves nearly glabrous, 
 ob-lanceolate, tapering downwards, slightly and irregularly toothed, 
 3 — 6-ribbed, erect ; flowers in a short, ovoid or cylindric spike, 
 on a long, angular stalk ; bracts and sepals black-tipped ; filaments 
 and anthers white; capsule 2-chambered, 2-seeded. — Meadows; 
 abundant. Under the name of Cocks and Hens this plant is well 
 
 littor£lla uniflora (S ' hore-weed). 
 
 known to children, who amuse themselves by striking the heads 
 one against another until the stalk breaks. — Fl. May — October. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. P. maritima (Seaside Plantain).— Easily distinguished from 
 the rest of the genus by its long, linear, grooved, fleshy 3 — 5- 
 ribbed leaves, which are woolly at the base ; the flower-spike is 
 cylindrical and varies in length, as does its cylindrical stalk ; 
 stamens pale yellow; capsule 2-chambered, 2-seeded.— Sea- 
 shores and tops of mountains ; common. — Fl. June— September. 
 Perennial. 
 
4°4 
 
 ILLECEBRACE.E 
 
 5. P. Coronopus (Buck's-hom Plantain).— The only British 
 species with divided leaves. They are linear and usually pin- 
 natifid, and more or less downy; the flower-spike is slender; 
 stamens pale yellow ; capsule 3 — 4-chambered, 3 — 4-seeded. — 
 Gravelly places, especially near the sea ; common. — Fl. June- 
 August. Annual or biennial. 
 
 6.* P. arendria (Sand Plantain), a downy, branching, leafy 
 plant, with sessile, linear leaves, and an ovoid spike on a long 
 stalk, has occurred casually on sand-hills in Somerset and Jersey. 
 
 2. Littorella (Shore-weed). — A genus comprising only the 
 one species, L. uniflora, which is not unlike Plantdgo maritima in 
 habit ; but has runners, and when under water forms a matted 
 turf. Its leaves are all radical, linear, fleshy, flat above and curved 
 beneath, and nearly glabrous. The solitary staminate flowers each 
 rise on a peduncle 2 — 4 in. high, have 4 sepals, a tubular, 4-lobed 
 corolla, and 4 long, exserted stamens with large anthers. The 2 
 or 3 carpellate flowers, sessile among the leaves, have 3 — 4 sepals, 
 an urceolate, 3 — 4-lobed corolla, and a i-chambered, 1 — 2-ovuled 
 ovary with a long stiff style. — Marshes and lake-margins ; com- 
 mon. (Name from the Latin littus, a shore.) — Fl. June — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LXI. Illecebrace^e. — The Knot-grass Family 
 
 A small Order of small, branching, often tufted, herbaceous 
 plants, mostly natives of warm, dry climates. A few only are 
 found so far north as Great Britain, and nearly all of these are 
 confined to our southern counties. They have simple, sessile 
 leaves, generally entire and with membranous stipules; minute, 
 perfect, and cymosely arranged flowers; sepals usually 5, some- 
 times 4, persistent, and closing over the fruit ; petals 5, minute, 
 alternating with the sepals, sometimes wanting; stamens 1 — 10, 
 opposite the petals when equalling them in number ; ovary 
 superior, i-chambered, i-ovuled ; style 2 — 3-fid ; fruit enclosed 
 in the calyx, dry, indehiscent, i-seeded. 
 
 1. Illecebrum. — Leaves opposite, not connate ; sepals white, 
 with long points ; stigmas 2. 
 
 2. Herniaria. — Leaves scattered and opposite, not connate ; 
 sepals green, blunt ; stigmas 2. 
 
 3. CoRRiGfoLA. — Leaves scattered ; sepals green, blunt, united 
 at the base ; stigmas 3. 
 
 4. Scleranthus. — Leaves opposite, connate; sepals 4—5, 
 united ; petals absent ; stigmas 2 — 4. 
 
KNOT-GRASS FAMILY 
 
 405 
 
 i. Illecebrum (Knot-grass). — A genus containing only the one 
 species I. verticilldtum (Whorled Knot-grass), is a pretty little 
 glabrous plant, with slender, tangled, prostrate stems, of a red tint, 
 glaucous, sessile, ovate leaves, and axillary whorls of white flowers 
 remarkable for their thickened white sepals terminating in a long, 
 soft point. — In boggy ground and standing water, among other 
 aquatic plants ; not uncommon in Cornwall, but much rarer in 
 Devonshire, and has been found in Berkshire. (Name from the 
 Latin illecebra, an attraction.) — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. HerniAria (Rupture-wort). — Small, prostrate plants with 
 narrow, opposite, and scattered leaves ; crowded, minute, axillary, 
 green flowers; sepals 4 — 5, united, blunt, green; petals 4 — 5, 
 
 illecebrum verticillAtum {Whorled Knot-grass). 
 
 resembling barren filaments, or absent ; stamens 3 — 5, inserted on 
 a fleshy ring ; stigmas 2, nearly sessile. (Name from the disease 
 for which these plants were formerly supposed to be a remedy.) 
 
 1. H. glabra (Smooth Rupture-wort). — A small, prostrate plant, 
 with much of the habit of the Wild Thyme ; stems herbaceous, 
 with minute decurved hairs ; leaves oblong, pale yellowish-green, 
 glabrous ; flowers green, sessile, axillary, collected into a leafy 
 spike. — Sandy soils, mostly in the eastern counties ; rare. — Fl. 
 July — September. Annual or biennial. 
 
 2. H. cilidta (Fringed Rupture-wort). — A stouter plant, forming 
 larger tufts, with minute, decurved hairs on the upper side only ; * 
 leaves broader, orbicular, fringed, dark green ; flowers larger, in 
 distant clusters. — The Lizard, Cornwall; and Guernsey; very 
 rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 3.* H. hirsi'tta (Hairy Rupture-wort). — Leaves elliptic-oblong, 
 covered all over with straight, spreading hairs. — Sandy ground at 
 Christchurch, Hampshire. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
406 illecebrAce*: 
 
 3. CoRRfdOLA (Strapwort).— Prostrate, glabrous plants, with 
 scattered leaves with membranous stipules ; flowers minute ; sepals 
 
 coRWGfoLA littorAlis (Sand Strapwort). 
 
 5, green, blunt, united at the base, with membranous margins; 
 petals 5, as long as the sepals, white ; 
 stamens 5, stigmas 3, sessile. (Name 
 a diminutive from the Latin corrigia, 
 a strap, from the shape of the 
 leaves.) 
 
 1. C. littordlis (Sand Strapwort). — 
 A small but pretty plant with slen- 
 der, spreading stems, which lie quite 
 prostrate ; linear-lanceolate, glau- 
 cous leaves ; and crowded, terminal 
 cymes of small, white flowers. — 
 Sandy shores, Start Bay, Devon, 
 and Loe Pool, near Helston, Corn- 
 wall ; very rare. — Fl. July — Octo- 
 ber. Annual. 
 
 4. Scleranthus (Knawel). — 
 Small, inconspicuous weeds, with 
 wiry, much-branched stems; oppo- 
 site, connate, awl-shaped leaves 
 without stipules ; and small, green 
 S ( L ^w H ^iS US #*?" in axillary and terminal 
 
 fascicles ; perianth tubular, 4 — 5- 
 cleft, with membranous margins to its segments; stamens 1 — 10 ; 
 ovary superior, i-chambered, i-ovuled; stigmas 2 — 4; fruit 
 
AMARANTH FAMILY 407 
 
 enclosed within the hardened perianth-tube. (Name from the 
 Greek scleros, hard, anthos, a flower, from the hardness of the 
 perianth. ) 
 
 1. S. dnnuus (Annual Knawel). — A small plant, 2 — 8 in. high, 
 with numerous, much-branched, tangled stems ; awl-shaped leaves; 
 green flowers in clusters either in the forks of the stems or terminal ; 
 sepals acute, with a narrow, whitish, membranous margin, spread- 
 ing when in fruit. — Sandy fields ; common. — Fl. June — November. 
 Annual or biennial. 
 
 2. S. perennis (Perennial Knawel). — A prostrate, glaucous 
 plant, becoming reddish, with slightly-branched stem ; sepals 
 blunt, with a broad, white margin. — Sandy fields in the south; 
 very rare. Perennial. 
 
 Sub Class III. INCOMPLETE 
 
 Flowers having a calyx or corolla, or neither; but never both. 
 In this Sub-Class it is often doubtful whether the leaves which 
 enclose the stamens and carpels of a flower should be called a 
 calyx or corolla : the term perianth (from the Greek peri, around, 
 and anthos, a flower) is therefore used to denote these organs, and 
 must be taken to mean all the leaves, whether resembling sepals 
 or petals, which enclose the other parts of the flower. Used in 
 this sense, and applied to the preceding Sub-Classes, the calyx and 
 corolla would be correctly called a double perianth. 
 
 Series I. MONOCHLAMYDEE 
 
 Flowers generally with a perianth of one whorl 
 
 § Ovary superior 
 
 Ord. LXII. Amaranthace^e. — Amaranth Family 
 
 A considerable Order of weedy plants, mostly tropical, with 
 exstipulate leaves ; membranous flowers a persistent, 3 — 5-partite 
 perianth ; ovary superior, 1 -chambered. — Several members of the 
 Order have brightly coloured perianths which render them garden 
 favourites, such as Amardnthus cauddtus (Love-lies-bleeding), A. 
 hypochondriacus and A. speciosus (Prince of Wales' Feather) and 
 Celbsia cristdta (Cock's-comb). — None of them are indigenous to 
 Great Britain ; but two species of Amaranth occur as casuals. 
 
 *i. Amaranthus (Amaranth). — Flowers monoecious; stamens 
 3 — 5 ; stigmas 3 ; capsules i-chambered, i-seeded. (Name in 
 Greek signifying everlasting flower.) 
 
408 chenopodiAcejE 
 
 i.* A. relroflexus. — Stem erect, branched; flowers 5-merous ; 
 stamens 5 ; bracts membranous, awl-shaped, longer than the fruit. 
 — Waste places near towns. — Fl. August. , Annual. 
 
 2* A. Blitum.—Stem straggling, smooth, 1 — 2 feet high; 
 leaves ovate, long-stalked ; flowers 3-merous in small, lateral 
 clusters, and a small, leafless, terminal spike; stamens 3. — Waste 
 places near towns. — Fl. August. Annual. 
 
 Ord. LXIII. ChenopodiAce^e. — Goose-foot Family 
 
 A considerable Order of herbaceous and somewhat shrubby 
 plants, common weeds in many temperate climates and most 
 abundantly represented in salt marshes and on the sea-shore. 
 They have scattered, simple, exstipulate leaves which are more or 
 less inclined to be fleshy ; and small and inconspicuous, polysym- 
 metric, sometimes monoecious or dioecious flowers. The -perianth 
 is 3 — 5-lobed, imbricate and persistent, decidedly partaking of the 
 characters of a calyx, and sometimes, as in Atriplex, with a tend- 
 ency to become enlarged in the fruiting-stage. The stamens are 
 5, rarely 1 or 2, springing from the base of the perianth and 
 opposite its lobes ; ovary superior or half-inferior, 1 -chambered, 
 i-ovuled ; style 2 or 4-cleft, rarely simple ; stigmas undivided ; fruit 
 dry and indehiscent, enclosed in the perianth. Many of the plants 
 of this Order are important articles of food for cattle or for human 
 beings. Beta maritima, a common sea-shore weed, is believed to 
 be the origin of the cultivated Mangold Wurzel, the White or 
 Sugar Beet so extensively cultivated in Germany and France for 
 making sugar, and the Red Beetroot which is eaten as a salad. 
 Spindcia olerdcea, supposed to be a native of western Asia, the 
 leaves of which contain a large proportion of Saltpetre, has long 
 been cultivated as an esculent under the name of Spinach ; but 
 the leaves of the Garden Orache {Atriplex hortensis), of the Aus- 
 tralian Spinach {Chenopodium auricomum), of the Beet, and of 
 other plants are used in the same way. 
 
 1. Chenopodium. — Leaves flat ; flowers perfect ; perianth 
 remaining unaltered and not adhering to the fruit. 
 
 2. Beta. — Leaves flat ; flowers perfect ; fruit adhering to the 
 fleshy f perianth-tube. 
 
 3. Atriplex. — Leaves flat ; flowers imperfect ; perianth enlarg- 
 ing, but not adhering to the fruit. 
 
 4. OBfoNl — Similar, but with a perianth adherent to the fruit. 
 
 5. Salic6rnia. — Jointed, leafless plants ; flowers perfect ; perianth 
 fleshy. 
 
GOOSE-FOOT FAMILY 409 
 
 6. Sileda. — Leaves semicylindric ; flowers perfect; perianth- 
 segments not keeled or winged. 
 
 7. SAlsola. — Leaves awl-shaped ; flowers perfect ; perianth- 
 segments developing a broad, transverse, dorsal wing. 
 
 1. Chenopodium (Goose-foot). — Very variable and therefore 
 difficult plants ; stem angular ; leaves flat, often triangular, entire 
 or lobed ; flowers minute, perfect, in axillary or panicled clusters ; 
 perianth deeply 3 — 5 -cleft, remaining unaltered, closing over the 
 fruit ; stamens 2 — 5 j stigmas 2 — 3. (Name from the Greek 
 chen, a goose, pous, a foot.) 
 
 * Leaves undivided; flowers $-merous 
 
 1. C. polyspermum (Many-seeded Goose-foot). — A glabrous 
 species, varying in size from 4 to 18 in. high, usually tinged with 
 red ; stem branched, spreading ; leaves nearly sessile, ovate- 
 elliptic ; flowers in branched, slender spikes ; seeds flattened 
 horizontally, shining, minutely dotted. — Waste ground ; not 
 common. A not inelegant plant, the numerous fruits not being 
 concealed by the perianths. Fl. August — October. Annual. 
 
 2. C. Vulvdria (Stinking Goose-foot). — Distinguished by the 
 extremely disgusting fishy smell of the greasy meal with which the 
 plant is covered ; stem spreading ; leaves ovate-rhomboid, fleshy ; 
 flowers in small, dense spikes. — Waste places ; not common. — 
 Fl. August, September. Annual. 
 
 ** Leaves toothed or lobed; flowers $-merous 
 
 3. C. album (Fat Hen, White Goose-foot). — Perhaps the com- 
 monest species of the genus, 1 — 3 feet high, succulent, and 
 covered with a white meal ; leaves ovate-rhomboid, bluntly 
 toothed, upper ones narrow, entire ; flowers in branched, dense, 
 clustering spikes, leafy below. — Waste places and cultivated 
 ground ; very common. — Fl. July — September. Annual. 
 
 4.* C. opulifolium (Guelder-rose-leaved Goose-foot). — A species 
 which is not indigenous, with rounded, obtuse, dentate leaves ; 
 leafless clusters of flowers ; and large, smooth, shining seeds. 
 
 5. C. serotinum (Fig-leaved Goose-foot). — An erect, mealy ^ 
 plant, with limp, oblong-hastate, cuneate, toothed leaves, and 
 flowers in a spike, with erect branches, leafy at the base only. — 
 Cultivated ground in the east of England ; rare. — Fl. August, 
 September. Annual. 
 
 6. C. murdle (Sowbane, Nettle-leaved Goose-foot). — A nearly 
 glabrous, fetid species, with rhomboid-ovate, unequally serrate 
 
4io 
 
 CHENOPODIACEJE 
 
 leaves, and flowers in short, 
 branches. — Waste ground, 
 September. Annual. 
 
 7. C. hybridum (Maple- 
 branched, nearly glabrous 
 large, cordate, acuminate, 
 
 densely panicled spikes with spreading 
 near houses; uncommon.— Fl. August, 
 
 leaved Goose-foot). — A large, stout, 
 species with a heavy odour ; leaves 
 with 2 — 4 large, broad teeth on each 
 side ; flowers in leafless, 
 axillary, corymbose 
 
 clusters. — Waste places, 
 chiefly in southern Eng- 
 land; rare. — Fl. August, 
 September. Annual. 
 
 8. C. urbicum (Up- 
 right Goose - foot). — 
 Another large, stout, 
 but little branched, 
 slightly mealy species, 
 with triangular, cuneate, 
 toothed leaves, and 
 flowers in small, distant, 
 crowded clusters on an 
 erect spike. — Waste 
 places in the south ; un- 
 common. — Fl. August 
 — October. Annual. 
 
 *** Leaves mostly toothed: 
 terminal flower only 
 in each duster 5- 
 
 9. C. rubrum (Red 
 Goose-foot). — A tall, 
 erect, leafy, smooth and 
 shining species, with 
 triangular, irregularly 
 toothed leaves, and 
 flowers in short spikes in leafy panicles. — Waste places and salt 
 marshes ; frequent. — Fl. August, September. Annual. 
 
 10. C. botryodes (Many-spiked Goose-foot).— A small, succulent, 
 brittle plant, 4 — 5 in. high, with triangular, scarcely toothed, 
 fleshy leaves, and flowers in dense panicles, leafy below. — Moist, 
 sandy sea-shores in the south-east ; rare. — Fl. August, September. 
 Annual. 
 
 11. C. glaucum (Oak-leaved Goose-foot). — A much-branched, 
 
 Chenop6dium bonus-henrIcus {Good King Henry). 
 
GOOSE-FOOT FAMILY 
 
 411 
 
 spreading, often prostrate, smooth and shining species, with oblong, 
 sinuately-lobed leaves which are mealy beneath ; and flowers in 
 erect, simple, short, dense, leafless spikes. — Cultivated ground ; 
 rare. — Fl. August, September. Annual. 
 
 b£ta marItima (Sea Beet). 
 
 12. C. Bonus-Henricus (Good King Henry, All Good, Mercury). 
 — A dark green, succulent plant, 1 — 3 feet high, with large suc- 
 culent, triangular-hastate leaves and flowers in compound, leafless 
 spikes. — Waste places near villages; common. The leaves are 
 
4 1 2 chenopodiAcejE 
 
 used as Spinach, and the plant is cultivated in Lincolnshire 
 under the name of Mercury.— Fl. May— August. Perennial. 
 
 2. Beta (Beet). — Herbaceous plants with fiat, almost entire 
 leaves and spikes of perfect flowers in clusters of 2 — 3 together • 
 perianth deeply 5-cleft, persistent, becoming fleshy; stamens 5; 
 stigmas 2 ; fruit i-seeded, adhering to the fleshy perianth-tube. 
 (Name, the Latin name of the plant.) 
 
 1. B. maritima (Sea Beet). — The only British species, a tall, 
 succulent plant, about 2 feet high, with angular, striped stems, 
 prostrate below, and spreading in a circle, with ascending branches ; 
 large, stalked, ovoid, fleshy, glossy leaves ; and numerous long, 
 slender, leafy spikes of green flowers, which are arranged 2 or 3 
 together, with a small lanceolate, leafy bract at the base of each. 
 Sea-shores ; frequent. — Fl. June — October. Perennial. 
 
 3. Atriplex (Orache). — Herbs or shrubs with flat, stalked, 
 often hastate leaves ; small monoecious or dioecious flowers clustered 
 in branched cymes ; perianth 2 — 5-cleft not adherent to the fruit ; 
 stamens 3 — 5 ; stigmas 2 ; fruit 1 -seeded, covered by the enlarging 
 but generally not adherent perianth. (Name, the old Latin 
 name.) 
 
 1. A. littordlis (Grass-leaved Orache). — An erect, mealy plant, 
 with the stem striped with reddish, resinous lines ; ascending 
 branches ; leaves linear, usually quite entire, and never hastate ; 
 flowers in slender, terminal spikes of clusters ; perianth-segments 
 rhomboid or deltoid, toothed, with tubercles on the back. — Salt 
 marshes ; not common. Fl. July — September. 
 
 2. A. pdtula (Spreading Orache). — A common weed, mealy and 
 often tinged with red ; stem furrowed, spreading, often with the 
 central branch erect and the rest prostrate, appearing as if they had 
 been bent down by force ; leaves triangular, cuneate, with 2 lobes 
 spreading upwards from the lower angles, toothed, the upper 
 leaves lanceolate, entire ; flowers clustered on simple, interrupted 
 spikes ; perianth of the fruit of 2 rhomboid leaves, which are 
 warty on the back. — Cultivated and waste ground, and on the sea- 
 shore ; abundant. Distinguished from the genus Chenopodium by 
 the two perianth-leaves enclosing the fruit. — Fl. July — October. 
 Annual. 
 
 3. A. hastdta (Halberd-leaved Orache). — A nearly allied and 
 equally common species, dark green, mealy, and differing mainly 
 in its lower leaves, which are triangular-hastate, with lobes at the 
 base, that is, which spread horizontally. The seeds are of two 
 sizes, the larger brown and rough, the smaller black and smooth. 
 — Growing in similar situations. — Fl. July — October. Annual. 
 
GOOSE-FOOT FAMILY 
 
 413 
 
 4. A. deltoidea (Deltoid-leaved Orache). — Another allied form 
 with all the leaves hastate ; dense spikes of flowers in panicles ; 
 and almost all the seeds small, black, and polished. — Similar 
 situations ; frequent. — Fl. June — October. Annual. 
 
 5. A. Babingtonii (Rose-coloured Orache). — A variable species, 
 usually pale and very mealy, but sometimes greener ; stem striped 
 
 Atriplex hastata {Halberd-leaved Orache). 
 
 with red, spreading, with ascending branches ; leaves mostly oppo- . 
 site, ovate-triangular, somewhat 3-lobed at the base ; flowers in 
 simple, lax, leafy, terminal and axillary spikes ; periantMeaves in 
 the fruiting stage large, united so as to form a diagonal square a 
 little rounded at its lateral angles. — Sea-shores ; common. — Fl. 
 July — September. Annual. 
 
 6. A. lacinidta (Frosted Sea Orache). — A very distinct plant, 
 
414 
 
 CHENOPODlAcE^E 
 
 covered with silvery scales, giving the whole plant a whitish hue ; 
 stem buff-coloured, nearly without stripes, angular, spreading ; 
 leaves triangular, sinuate, sometimes toothed, mealy beneath ; 
 perianth-leaves of fruit rhomboid, 3-lobed, united in a swollen, 
 hardened base. — Sandy sea-shores ; frequent. — Fl. July — October. 
 Annual. 
 
 4. Obione (Sea Purslane). — Annual or perennial glaucous 
 
 maritime plants, with 
 monoecious or dioecious 
 flowers ; perianth 3 — 5- 
 partite, adhering to the 
 fruit ; stamens 5 ; stig- 
 mas' 2. (Name possibly 
 from that of the River 
 Obi.) 
 
 1. 0. portulacoides 
 (Shrubby Sea Purslane, 
 Crabweed).— A shrubby 
 plant, mealy, with grey- 
 ish scales, straggling ; 
 leaves mostly opposite, 
 obovate-lanceolate, en- 
 tire ; flowers in terminal 
 interrupted panicles ; 
 perianth sessile. — Sea- 
 shore ; frequent. — Fl. 
 August — October. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. 0. pedunculdta 
 (Pedunculate Sea Purs- 
 lane). — A herbaceous, 
 slender, little-branched, 
 mealy species, differing 
 mainly in having an 
 elongating pedicel to the 
 
 fruit — Muddy salt marshes on the east coast; very rare. — Fl. 
 August — October. Annual. 
 
 5. Salicornia (Glasswort, Marsh Samphire). — Singular jointed, 
 fleshy, green, leafless, herbaceous plants with opposite branches, 
 and minute perfect flowers sunk in pits at the nodes ; perianth 
 fleshy, persistent ; stamens 1 — 2 ; styles 2. (Name from the Latin 
 sal, salt, comu, a horn, from the abundance of soda in the plant, 
 and its horn-like branches.) 
 
 salic6rnia herbXcea (Jointed Glasswort). 
 
GOOSE-FOOT FAMILY 415 
 
 i. S. herbdcea (Jointed Glasswort, Marsh Samphire). — An erect, 
 herbaceous plant, 4 — 8 in. high, with the joints of the stem 
 thickening upwards, and the branches all ending in tapering spikes 
 of flowers. — Salt marshes ; abundant. Formerly used in the 
 manufacture of glass, and still used as a pickle, under the name 
 of Samphire, in Lincolnshire and on other parts of the coast, being 
 generally preferred to the Umbelliferous Crithmum. — FL August, 
 September. Annual. 
 
 2. S. appressa (Prostrate Glasswort). — A well-marked, prostrate 
 form, with its branches closely adpressed to the soil and spreading 
 in a triangular fan-like form, with cylindric internodes and acute 
 spikes. — On the coast of Kent ; very rare. 
 
 3. S. radicans (Rooting Glasswort). — Stem woody, prostrate; 
 branches ascending j internodes not thickening upwards ; spikes 
 blunt. — Salt marshes on the east and south coasts ; rare. Much 
 more branched and tufted, and browner in colour than S. herbdcea. 
 — Fl. August, September. Perennial. 
 
 6. Sui^DA (Sea Blite). — Maritime shrubs and herbs with scat- 
 tered, fleshy leaves, semicircular in transverse section ; and small, 
 green, axillary flowers ; perianth deeply 5-cleft, often fleshy ; stamens 
 5 ; stigmas 2 — 5 ; perianth-segments in fruit neither keeled nor 
 winged. (Name said to be from suced, soda, in which the plants 
 abound.) 
 
 1. ,S. fruticosa (Shrubby Sea Blite). — A smooth, rather glaucous 
 plant ; stem woody, erect, 1 — 3 feet high, with ascending branches ; 
 leaves semicylindric, blunt ; styles 3. — Sandy and shingly beaches, 
 mostly on the east coast ; rare.— Fl. July — October. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. marilima (Annual Sea Blite). — A low, straggling plant, 
 smooth, glaucous, and reddish in winter, with slender branches 
 rising 1 — 2 feet ; acute, semicylindric, short, fleshy leaves ; flowers 
 1 — 5 together; styles 2. — Muddy sea -shores; common. — Fl. July 
 — October. Annual. 
 
 7. Salsola (Saltwort). — Shrubs and herbs with sessile, fleshy, 
 stiff or spinous, awl-shaped leaves; small, axillary, perfect flowers ; 
 perianth deeply 5-cleft; stamens 3 — 5; stigmas 2 — 3; fruit 
 i-seeded, enclosed by the much enlarged, 5-winged perianth. 
 (Name from the Latin sal, salt, the plants being rich in soda.) 
 
 1. S. Kali (Prickly Saltwort). — The only British species, a stiff, 
 glaucous, hairy, much branched plant, with striped, angular stem 
 seldom more than a foot high ; succulent, awl-shaped leaves, each 
 terminating in a sharp spine ; and solitary axillary flowers. — Sandy 
 sea-shores ; common. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
416 POLYGON ACEJE 
 
 ORD. LXIV. PoLYGONACEiE. — THE PERSICARIA FAMILY 
 
 A considerable Order of herbaceous plants, chiefly natives of 
 temperate climates, bearing scattered, simple leaves with sheathing 
 membranous stipules, petioles dilated at the base and margins 
 revolute in the bud. The flowers are generally perfect, small, 
 numerous and growing in spikes or panicles, so that many 
 members of the Order are handsome plants. The perianth is 
 deeply 3 — 6-parted, often in 2 rows and coloured, imbricate in 
 bud, persistent ; stamens 5 — 8, opposite the leaves of the perianth ; 
 ovary superior, ovoid, 3-sided, or compressed, i-chambered, 
 i-ovuled; styles 1 — 3; fruit a hard, flattened, or triangular, inde- 
 hiscent nut, usually enclosed in, but not adherent to, the perianth. 
 The properties residing in the leaves and roots are sometimes 
 very different, the former being in many cases acid, and some- 
 times of an agreeable flavour, the latter nauseous and purgative. 
 The powdered root of several species of Rheum affords the 
 valuable medicine Rhubarb, and the leaf-stalks of the same plants 
 are much used for making tarts, their sharp taste being attributable 
 to the presence of oxalic and malic acids. The Common Sorrel, 
 Rumex Acetosa, is sometimes used in the same way as Rhubarb- 
 stalks, or as a salad ; but the species mostly employed in cookery is 
 R. scutdtus, a native of southern Europe. Other species of this 
 genus are the Docks, known as troublesome weeds in most regions 
 of the globe. The Buckwheat, or Beech wheat {Fagopyrum escu- 
 lentum), so called from the resemblance in shape between its 
 fruits and those of the Beech, is probably a native of Central Asia. 
 In America and some European countries the flour derived from 
 its seeds is made into cakes or bread ; but in England it is chiefly 
 cultivated as a food for pheasants, which are very partial to it. 
 
 1. Polygonum. — Perianth deeply 5 -cleft ; stamens 5 — 8 ; styles 
 2 — 3 j fruit a triangular or flattened nut, not winged ; embryo at 
 one side of the seed ; cotyledons flat. 
 
 *2. Fagopyrum. — Perianth 5-cleft ; stamens 8; styles 3; fruit 
 triangular, not winged ; embryo in the centre or axis of the seed ; 
 cotyledons large, leaf-like, and plaited. 
 
 3. Oxyria. — Perianth deeply 4-cleft ; the 2 inner segments 
 larger ; stamens 6 ; styles 2 ; fruit a flattened nut with a mem- 
 branous wing ; embryo central. 
 
 4. Rumex. — Perianth deeply 6-cleft, the 3 inner segments much 
 larger ; stamens 6 ; styles 3 ; fruit a triangular nut, covered by the 
 enlarged inner perianth-segments ; embryo lateral. 
 
 1. Polygonum (Persicaria). — Herbaceous plants with stems 
 often enlarged and bent at their nodes ; leaves scattered, with 
 
PERSICARIA FAMILY 417 
 
 ochreate stipules ; flowers perfect, in spikes, racemes, or panicles ; 
 perianth deeply 5-cleft, the 3 outer segments sometimes enlarging 
 in the fruiting stage ; stamens 5 — 8, with versatile anthers ; ovary 
 compressed or 3-sided ; styles 2 — 3 ; fruit not winged ; embryo 
 lateral ; cotyledons thin, flat. (Name from the Greek p'olus, many, 
 gonu, knee, from the many knee-like nodes.) 
 
 * Twining plants ; leaves sagittate ; flowers in racemes ; stamens 8 ; 
 styles 3, united ; nut ysided 
 
 1. P. Convolvulus (Black Bindweed, Climbing Buckwheat, or 
 Persicaria). — A mis- 
 chievous weed with 
 the habit of the Field 
 Convolvulus (Con- 
 volvulus arvensis), 
 twining round the 
 stems of other plants 
 and strangling them ; 
 leaves cordate-sagit- 
 tate; flowers greenish- 
 white, in erect, slen- 
 der, axillary and ter- 
 minal racemes, bear- 
 ing 4 — 10-flowered 
 clusters ; outer peri- 
 anth-segments bluntly 
 keeled, green with 
 white margins ; fruit 
 rather rough.-— Culti- 
 vated ground; abund- 
 ant— Fl. July— Sep- 
 tember. Annual. 
 
 2. P. dumetbrum 
 (Copse Buckwheat). 
 — A similar but more 
 
 1 • , • polygonum convolvulus {Climbing Persicaria). 
 
 luxuriant species, 
 
 climbing to a height of 4 or 5 feet ; flower-stalks more slender ; outer 
 perianth-segments winged ; nut smooth and shining. — Bushy places 
 in the south of England ; rare. — Fl. July — September. Annual. 4 
 
 ** Mostly prostrate plants ; leaves narrow ; stipules silvery, ' 
 torn; flowers axillary, 1 — 3 together ; stamens usually 8; styles 3 ; 
 nut 3- sided 
 
 3. P. aviculdre (Common Knot- grass). — A common weed 
 with branched stem, usually prostrate, but varying greatly in size, 
 
 E E 
 
418 polygonAcEjE 
 
 and in rich soil often growing nearly erect j leaves lanceolate, with 
 chaffy stipules ; flowers minute, axillary, pink or greenish-white. 
 — Waste ground and roadsides ; abundant. — Fl. May — October. 
 Annual. 
 
 4. P. Roberti (Ray's Knot-grass). — Intermediate between the 
 preceding and following species, resembling the former in habit, 
 the latter in fruit. It has long, straggling, prostrate stems ; lan- 
 ceolate-elliptical, flat leaves which bend towards the stem and are 
 often glaucous ; and a large, smooth, shining nut which is longer 
 than the perianth. — Sandy sea-shores ; not uncommon. — Fl. 
 August, September. Annual or perennial. 
 
 5. P. maritimum (Sea-side Knot-grass). — An allied, but more 
 shrubby species, with prostrate, often much buried, stiff, and 
 woody stem ; fleshy leaves with revolute edges, diverging from the 
 stem, netted with veins and often glaucous beneath. — Sandy sea- 
 shores in the south-west of England; very rare. — Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 *** Leaves with or without a dark spot in the centre ; flowers in 
 spikes ; stamens 4 — 8 ; styles 2 — 3 ; nut compressed or 3-sided 
 
 6. P. Hydropiper (Water Pepper, Biting Persicaria). — A very 
 acrid plant, creeping and rooting at the base, 1 — 3 feet high, 
 much branched, with lanceolate, tapering, wavy leaves, and well 
 distinguished by its slender, drooping, loose spikes of greenish 
 flowers ; stamens 6. — Ditches and places where water has stood 
 during winter ; abundant. The fresh juice, though acrid, is of a 
 not unpleasant flavour, and is said to cure pimples on the tongue. 
 — Fl. August, September. Annual. 
 
 7. P. minus (Creeping Persicaria). — A much smaller and more 
 slender species than the last, much branched, erect, or prostrate 
 with ascending branches ; leaves linear-lanceolate, flat, with fringed 
 stipules close to the stem ; very slender, erect spikes of flowers 
 which are only half the size of those of P. Hydropiper ; styles 
 2 — 3, united for at least half their length. — Wet, gravelly 
 places ; not uncommon. — Fl. August, September. Annual. 
 
 8. P. mite (Lax-flowered Persicaria). — Stem creeping and 
 rooting below, 1 — 3 feet high, branched, slender ; leaves lanceo- 
 late, wavy, with loose, funnel-shaped, much fringed stipules ; 
 flowers in erect, slender, interrupted spikes; stamens 5 — 6 ; 
 styles 2 — 3, united for half their length ; nut black, roughish, 
 compressed. — Wet places; local. — Fl. June — September. An- 
 nual. 
 
 9. P. Persicaria (Common Persicaria). — A common weed, 
 1 — 2 feet high, erect or ascending, usually swollen at the nodes, 
 
PERSICARIA FAMILY 419 
 
 branched ; leaves lanceolate, flat, with minute warts, often with a 
 purplish-black blotch in the centre, more or less hairy on both 
 sides ; stipules loose, much fringed ; -flowers in a short, dense, 
 erect, cylindrical spike, red or white ; peduncle smooth ; stamens 
 5 — 8 ; styles 2 — 3, united for half their length. — Waste and damp 
 ground ; abundant. — Fl. July — October. Annual. 
 
 10. P. lapathifolium (Pale-flowered Persicaria). — A closely allied 
 species ; stem sometimes red or spotted, swollen at the nodes ; 
 leaves lanceolate, acuminate, smooth or downy, sometimes with a 
 black blotch above, or glaucous below ; stipules close to the stem, 
 with little or no fringe ; flowers pale, in axillary or terminal, 
 cylindric spikes ; peduncle rough ; stamens 5 — 6 ; styles 2, dis- 
 tinct. — Waste and damp places ; common. — Fl. July — September. 
 Annual. 
 
 11. P. maculdtum (Spotted Persicaria). — Smaller than the pre- 
 ceding, often prostrate, with very thick nodes ; leaves lanceolate, 
 tapering much at both ends, wavy, generally blotched, white and 
 woolly beneath, with loose, shortly fringed stipules ; spikes some- 
 times interrupted ; peduncle rough ; styles connected below. 
 — Damp gravelly places ; not common. — Fl. July — September. 
 Annual. 
 
 12. P. amphibium (Amphibious Persicaria). — Assuming such 
 different forms when growing in the water and on land that they 
 might well be taken for two distinct species. It has a slender, 
 woody, branched rhizome creeping in the mud, with branches about 
 a foot high and erect, if on land, with sub-sessile, lanceolate hairy 
 leaves, or with floating stems 2 — 3 feet long, if on water, supported 
 by long-stalked, floating, oblong, smooth leaves; flowers rose- 
 coloured, in handsome oblong spikes ; stamens 5, with exserted 
 anthers ; styles 2, united for half their length ; fruit flattened. — 
 Ditches and banks of pools ; common.— Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 **** pi an ts with rhizomes ; erect, unbranched stems ; terminal, 
 spike-like racemes ; stamens 8 ; styles 3 ; nut 3-sided 
 
 13. P. Bistorta (Bistort, Snakeweed, Snake-root).— A rather 
 handsome plant, with a large, woody, twisted rhizome, and several 
 erect, simple stems 1 — 1\ foot high; leaves ovate, the radical ones 
 on winged petioles and glaucous beneath ; flowers pink, in terminal, 
 cylindrical, dense spikes. — Moist meadows ; frequent. The 
 English names Bistort (twice twisted) and Snake-root allude to the 
 form of the rhizome. It forms large circular patches in meadows, 
 and also occurs in old-fashioned gardens, where its astringent 
 rhizome was once grown as a medicine. The green shoots are 
 
 E E 2 
 
420 
 
 polygonAcejE 
 
 eaten in Cumberland under the name of Easter Man Giants, 
 which perhaps means Easter eating, from the French mangeant. — 
 Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 14. P. viviparum (Viviparous Bistort, Alpine Bistort). — A 
 slender plant, 6 — 8 in. high, with a slender rhizome ; a simple, 
 erect stem ; leaves linear-lanceolate, with their margins rolled back ; 
 flowers pink, in a slender, loose, blunt spike, which has small red 
 bulbils in its lower part in place of flowers. — Mountain pastures, 
 especially in the Scottish Highlands. — Fl. June — July. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 *2. Fagopyrum (Buckwheat), a genus differing from Poly- 
 gonum mainly in the embryo, which is in the centre or axis of the 
 seed, and has large, leaf-like, plaited cotyledons, is only represented 
 in England by one species, the Common Buckwheat (F. escu- 
 lentum), probably a native of Central Asia, and not indigenous in 
 Britain. It has erect, branched stems, about a foot high ; cordate- 
 sagittate, acute leaves ; and pinkish flowers in spreading panicles. — 
 Sown as food for pheasants. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 3. Oxyria (Mountain Sorrel), a genus containing only the one 
 species 0. digyna, a plant resembling the Common Sorrel {Rumex 
 Acetbsa) in habit, but shorter and stouter. It grows 8—10 in. 
 high, and is smooth and rather fleshy. The leaves are all radical and 
 kidney-shaped, with long stalks ; and the flowers are green, and 
 grow in clustered spikes. The -perianth is deeply 4-cleft, the 
 segments in 2 rows, the inner larger and persistent ; stamens 6, 
 with versatile anthers ; styles 2 ; fruit a flattened nut with a 
 broad, membranous wing. — Damp places near the summits of 
 high mountains in the north ; not uncommon. (Name from the 
 Greek oxus, sharp, from the pleasantly acid flavour of the stem 
 and leaves.) — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 4. Rumex (Dock, Sorrel). — Herbaceous plants with a rhizome ; 
 usually grooved stems ; scattered leaves with tubular stipules ; 
 flowers in racemes or panicles of whorls ; perianth deeply 6-cleft, 
 the 3 inner segments enlarging in the fruit stage ; stamens 6, with 
 basifixed anthers ; styles 3 ; stigmas feathery, wind-pollinated ; 
 fruit a triangular nut, covered by the enlarged inner perianth- 
 segments ; embryo lateral. (Name, the old Latin name of the 
 plant.) 
 
 * Insipid plants (Docks), with leaves not hastate, and perfect 
 
 flowers 
 The species in this group hybridise freely, thus adding to the 
 difficulty of discriminating between them. 
 
PERSICARIA FAMILY 42 1 
 
 i. R. conglomerdtus (Sharp Dock). — A smooth, slender plant, 
 1 — 3 feet high, with few spreading branches ; leaves oblong- 
 lanceolate, not narrowing above the base, cordate or rounded at 
 the base, acute ; flowers in a panicle of distant whorls, leafy almost 
 to the top, inner perianth-segments linear-oblong, sub-acute, each 
 bearing a large oblong wart. — Wet places ; common. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 2. R. rupestris (Shore Dock). — A nearly allied form, with a 
 more compact, upright habit ; leaves strap-shaped, rounded and 
 narrowed at both ends ; panicle tapering, whorls not very distant ; 
 inner perianth-segments large, narrow, oblong, blunt, with large 
 warts. — On the south coast; rare. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. R. sanguineus (Bloody-veined Dock). — A smooth species 
 with a slender stem, i — 4 feet high, with few ascending branches ; 
 leaves ovate-lanceolate, fiddle-shaped, slightly wavy, usually 
 cordate and with the veins tinged of a beautiful crimson ; flowers 
 in many-flowered, distant whorls forming a loose panicle, only 
 leafy at the base ; inner perianth-segments oblong, blunt, with a 
 large, smooth wart on the outermost. — Roadsides and hedges ; 
 common. The form with green veins is the more frequent. — Fl. 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 4. R. maritimus (Golden Dock). — A slightly downy, yellow- 
 green plant, 1 — 2 feet high, with ascending branches ; leaves short- 
 stalked, linear-lanceolate, narrowed at both ends, slightly wavy; 
 flowers in crowded, confluent, many-flowered whorls, in a leafy 
 panicle with spreading branches ; inner perianth-segments tri- 
 angular, acuminate, orange-yellow, with 2 bristly teeth, often 
 longer than the segment, on each side, and each with a prominent, 
 narrow, oblong wart. — Marshes, principally near the sea ; rare. — 
 Fl. July, August. Biennial. 
 
 5. R. limosus (Yellow Marsh Dock). — A closely allied species, 
 with the whorls distinct, looser, and fewer-flowered; the inner 
 perianth-segments ovate-oblong, with shorter, bristly teeth ; and the 
 nut much larger. — Marshes ; less common than R. maritimus. — 
 Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 6. R. pulcher (Fiddle Dock). — A small, nearly smooth, 
 straggling, branched plant ; lower leaves fiddle-shaped or oblong, 
 with a heart-shaped base and narrowed above, with slender 
 petioles ; upper leaves lanceolate, acute ; flowers in distant 
 whorls forming a spreading, leafy panicle ; inner perianth-segments 
 pale-coloured, oblong, deeply toothed along the lower halves of 
 their edges, with a network of veins, and on one of them a more 
 prominent, oblong, prickly wart. — Waste places on dry soil ; not 
 uncommon. — Fl. June — October. Biennial or perennial. 
 
POLYGONACE^E 
 
 7. R. obtusifolius (Broad-leaved Dock). — A tall, stout species, 
 2 — 3 feet high, with ascending branches; lower leaves ovate- 
 oblong, cordate, blunt, finely crenate, wavy, with slender stalks ; 
 upper oblong-lanceolate ; flowers in distant whorls, leafless above ; 
 inner perianth-segments long, triangular, blunt, with -netted veins 
 and usually strong teeth at the base, and an ovoid red or brown 
 wart. — Waste places; common. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 8. R. cr i s pus 
 (Curled Dock).— The 
 commonest of the 
 Docks, 1 — 3 feet high, 
 branched ; leaves stalk- 
 ed, lanceolate, acute, 
 wavy, and crisped ; 
 flowers in crowded 
 whorls forming a pani- 
 cle, with erect branches, 
 leafy below, often 
 tinged with a bright 
 red ; inner perianth-seg- 
 tnents equal, cordate, 
 blunt, netted, green or 
 red, with a small, 
 smooth wart. — Waste 
 places ; far too com- 
 mon. — Fl June — 
 October. Perennial. 
 
 9. R. domesticus 
 (Long - leaved Water 
 Dock). — A very ro- 
 bust, smooth species, 
 1 — 4 feet high ; leaves 
 very large, lanceolate, 
 waved, and crisped, on 
 semi-cylindric petioles 
 
 with slightly raised edges ; flowers in crowded whorls, forming a 
 large, dense, lobed panicle, leafy at the base only ; inner perianth- 
 segments broadly cordate, membranous, netted, without warts. — 
 Meadows in the north ; frequent ; preferring spots liable to be 
 flooded. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 10. R. Hydroldpathum (Great Water Dock). — A picturesque 
 plant, 3 — 6 feet high, erect, branched, smooth ; leaves often more 
 than a foot long, lanceolate, acute, often cordate at the base, 
 finely crenate on long petioles which are not winged : flowers 
 
 ri'mex acet^sa (Common Sorrel). 
 
Ffg". 53. Sorrel. Rumex Ac 
 
DAPHNE FAMILY 423 
 
 green, in crowded whorls, forming very large, almost leafless 
 panicles; inner perianth-segments triangular, netted, with oblong 
 tubercles. — River-banks ; frequent. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 * Acid herbs (Sorrels) with leaves generally hastate a;:d imperfect 
 flowers 
 
 11.* R. alpinus (Monk's Rhubarb). — A slightly downy plant, 
 with thick rhizome ; stem stout, 2 — 4 feet high ; leaves roundish- 
 cordate, not hastate, on long channelled stalks ; flowers monoe- 
 cious, in crowded but not confluent whorls, forming a panicle with 
 numerous erect branches, leafy at the base only ; inner perianth- 
 segments ovate, cordate, membranous, without warts.- — Near 
 cottages, formerly cultivated for its astringent rhizome and as a 
 pot-herb. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 12. R. Acetbsa (Common Sorrel). — A slender, smooth plant, 
 about 2 feet high, with simple, juicy stems ; radical leaves on very 
 long stalks, sagittate, glaucous beneath; upper leaves sessile; stipules 
 brown ; flowers reddish-green, dioecious, in leafless panicles with 
 erect branches ; outer perianth-segments reflexed in fruit ; inner 
 round, membranous, with a minute wart at the base. — Meadows ; 
 abundant. Well known for its pleasing acid taste. — Fl. May — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 13.* R. scutdtus (French Sorrel). — The species chiefly cultivated 
 as a pot-herb or salad, with hastate-ovate, slightly fiddle-shaped 
 leaves, is occasionally naturalised. 
 
 14. R. Acetosella (Sheep's Sorrel). — Much smallef than R. 
 Acetbsa ; 6 — 10 in. high ; often tinged, especially in autumn, with 
 a deep red ; leaves lanceolate-hastate ; stipules silvery, torn ; 
 flowers dioecious, in leafless panicles with erect branches ; outer 
 perianth-segments ascending, inner without warts. — Dry gravelly 
 places ; abundant. — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LXV. Thymel^ace^e. — Daphne Family 
 
 A small Order of plants, mostly shrubby, remarkable for their 
 tough inner bark, which is of a highly acrid nature, causing 
 excessive pain if chewed, and raising a blister if applied to the 
 skin. They have undivided, exstipulate, laurel-like leaves ; flowers 
 generally perfect ; perianth tubular, 4- rarely 5-cleft, coloured, 
 imbricate ; stamens 2 — 10, inserted in 2 rows in the perianth- 
 tube ; ovary superior, i-chambered ; stigma undivided ; fruit a 
 1 -seeded nut or drupe. The bark of several species is used for 
 making rope and paper, that of Lagetta lintedria, the Lace-bark 
 tree of Jamaica, for instance, which can also be pulled out under 
 
4 2 4 
 
 THYMELjEACE/E 
 
 water into strong lace patterns. Daphne japonica, D. indica, and 
 other species are commonly cultivated in conservatories and 
 gardens for the sake of the delicious fragrance of their blossoms. 
 The berries of the Spurge Laurel (Daphne Laureola), the com- 
 moner of the two species which represent the Order in Britain, 
 are poisonous to all animals except birds ; and both the bark and 
 root of the other British species, the Meze'reon (Daphne 
 Mezereum), though used in medicine, are very violent in their 
 effects. 
 
 t. Daphne (Spurge Laurel). — Shrubs 
 
 with leaves usually 
 scattered and ever- 
 green ; flowers frag- 
 rant ; perianth tubu- 
 lar, with 4 spreading 
 lobes ; stamens 8, 
 sub-sessile, includ- 
 ed. (Name, the 
 Greek for a Laurel, 
 which it resembles 
 in its foliage.) 
 
 i. D. Mezereum 
 (Meze'reon). — A 
 shrub with few erect 
 branches ; very frag- 
 rant, pink -flowers, 
 sessile, 3 together, 
 appearing before 
 the leaves ; leaves 
 stalked, obovate, 
 acute, not ever- 
 green ; fruit red, 
 ovoid. — Woods ; 
 very rare.— Fl. February — April. Perennial. 
 
 2. D. Laureola (Spurge Laurel). — A low shrub, about 2 feet 
 high, very little branched, and remarkable for its smooth, erect 
 stems, which are bare of leaves except at the summit. The leaves 
 are smooth, shining, leathery, and evergreen ; the flowers green, in 
 drooping, axillary clusters, and in mild weather fragrant ; the 
 berries black, ovoid, and poisonous — Woods ; not common. If 
 transplanted from the woods and potted, it may be employed 
 with advantage as a stock on which to graft D. indica. The 
 operation should be carried out in spring, with the leafy extremity 
 of a shoot rather less in diameter than the stock. Hybrids 
 
 dAphn£ laur£ola (Spurge Laurel). 
 
NETTLE FAMILY 425 
 
 between the two British species have occurred in North Somer- 
 set. — Fl. January — April. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LXVI. El^eagnXce^:.— Oleaster Family 
 A very small order of shrubs and trees, native to the Northern 
 Hemisphere, covered with scurfy scales j leaves undivided, 
 exstipulate ; flowers dioecious, small, polysymmetric, axillary ; 
 staminate flowers in catkins, with a 2 — 4-lobed tubular perianth, 
 and 3 — 8 stamens sessile in the tube ; carpellate flower solitary, 
 with a tubular, 2 — 6-cleft perianth, and superior, i-chambered, 1- 
 ovuled ovary ; style short ; stigma lateral ; fruit an indehiscent 
 nut, enclosed within the fleshy persistent perianth. The fruit of 
 several species of Elcedgnus is eaten in the East, and the flowers 
 are highly fragrant, and abound in honey, which in some parts of 
 Europe is considered a remedy for malignant fevers. The only 
 British species is the Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae Rhamnoides). 
 
 1. Hippophae (Sea Buckthorn). — A genus containing only the 
 one species H. Rhamnoides, the Sea Buckthorn, or Sallow 
 Thorn, is a shrub, 4 — 8 feet high, with branches ending in spines; 
 leaves scattered, obovate, silvery ; flowers small, greenish, appearing 
 with the leaves ; stamens 4 ; berries orange-yellow, very juicy, 
 acid. — Sandy shores on the east coast ; rare. — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LXVII. Urticace;e. — Nettle Family 
 A large and difficult Order the limits of which are variously 
 assigned by different botanists. In its widest sense it comprises 
 over 1,500 species, natives of all climates, of all sizes, and of very 
 various properties. They have leaves either opposite or scattered, 
 but usually stipulate, serrate, and rough ; flowers usually imperfect, 
 small and green ; perianth 3 — 8-cleft and persistent, or wanting ; 
 stamens equal in number to the lobes of the perianth, and 
 opposite to them ; ovary superior, 1- rarely 2-chambered, 1- rarely 
 2-ovuled ; styles 1 — 2 ; fruit dry, indehiscent, i-seeded. One 
 large section of the Order, not represented among British 
 plants, has a milky juice often rich in rubber, and includes a 
 number of edible fruits, or rather structures enclosing the fruits. 
 The Cow-tree, Palo de vaca, Arbol de leche, of South America 
 (Brosimum Galactodendron), contains an abundance of attractive 
 milk, closely resembling that of the cow. B. Aubletii, *a large 
 tree, also South American, yields the spotted heart-wood known 
 as Snake-wood, Letter-wood, or Leopard-wood. Ficus eldstica 
 and other species yield the india-rubber of India. The Fig 
 
426 urticace^: 
 
 (Ficus Car'ca), the Bread- fruit (Artocdrpus incisifolia), the Jack- 
 fruit (A. integrifolia), and the Mulberry (Morus nigra) are the 
 chief edible fruits of the Order. The Paper Mulberries of Japan 
 (Broussonetia papyrifera and allied species), the common Nettles 
 (Urtica), and the closely allied Rhea or Grass-cloth of India, U. 
 (Boehmeria) nivea, and U. Puya, and the Hemp (Cannabis saliva) 
 are the chief fibre-yielding plants in the Order. The Elms 
 (Ulntus) are valuable timber-trees, and the wood of the Fustic 
 (Madura tinctbria) affords a valuable yellow dye. The bitter 
 principle in the glands on the catkins of the Hop (Humulus 
 
 AutOS surculosa {Common small-leaved Elm). 
 
 Lupulus) gives it its value as a preservative in beer. The British 
 species of Nettle are well known for the burning properties of the 
 formic acid contained in the stinging hairs with which they are 
 plentifully armed ; but they are not to be compared to the effects 
 of incautiously handling some of the tropical species. In these a 
 slight sensation of pricking is followed by a burning heat, such as 
 would be caused by rubbing the part with a hot iron ; and soon 
 the pain extends and continues for days, with symptoms like 
 those of lock-jaw, death even being said to have been caused by 
 it. This burning property is dissipated by heat ; and the young 
 shoots of the common Nettle, like those of the Hop, are, when 
 boiled, an excellent substitute for Asparagus. 
 
NETTLE FAMILY 427 
 
 r. Ulmus. — Trees with distichous leaves ; perfect flowers in 
 clusters ; bell-shaped, 4 — 5 cleft, persistent perianth ; styles 2 ; 
 fruit a rounded, 1 -seeded samara. 
 
 2. Humulus. — Twining plants with opposite lobed leaves; 
 dicecious flowers ; staminate flower with 5 -leaved ■perianth and 5 
 stamens ; carpellate flowers in a catkin of large brads ; styles 2. 
 
 3. URTfCA. — Herbs with opposite leaves and stinging hairs; 
 flowers imperfect ; perianth 4 — 5-cleft ; style 1. 
 
 4. Parietaria. — Herbs with scattered, exstipulate leaves ; poly- 
 gamous, 4-merous flowers ; style 1. 
 
 1. Ulmus (Elm). — Trees with distichous, oblique, rough leaves, 
 with stipules falling early ; flowers perfect, in clusters, appearing 
 before the leaves ; .perianth bell-shaped, 5- rarely 4-cleft, persistent \ 
 stamens 4 — 5 ; styles 2 ; ovary superior, 1 — 2-chambered, with an 
 ovule in each chamber ; fruit a thin, membranous, 
 1 -seeded samara. (Name, the Classical Latin 
 name of the genus.) 
 
 1. U. scdbra (Wych Elm). — A large tree, with 
 furrowed bark ; few suckers ; downy twigs ; large, i 
 irregularly doubly serrate, obliquely cordate, I 
 acuminate, thick leaves, with short stalks ; samara ' 
 orbicular, with the seed-cavity below the middle. — 
 Woods, chiefly north of the Trent ; common. — 
 Fl. March, April. Perennial. 
 
 2. U. glabra. — Usually a somewhat smaller tree, 
 producing numerous suckers ; twigs nearly smooth ; 
 leaves small, thin, shining and nearly glabrous, FRUIT ^ ELM . 
 except in the angles of the veins on their under 
 
 surfaces, with long stalks ; samara obovate, with the seed-cavity 
 near the upper end. Chiefly south of the Trent. — Fl. March — May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 There are also a number of other forms of elm, apparently 
 hybrids between these two, of which the best-known is U. 
 surculbsa, the English or Hedgerow Elm, a lofty tree, often send- 
 ing out horizontal lower branches, producing abundant suckers, 
 downy branches and leaves, with long petioles, aud numerous 
 obovate samara, like those of U. glabra, but not perfecting its seed. 
 
 2. Humulus (Hop). — Twining herbs with opposite lobed leaves 
 with connate stipules ; minute, dicecious flowers, the staminate in 
 panicles, with perianth of 5 imbricate leaves and 5 stamens ; the 
 carpellate 2 together in the axils of numerous bracts in a catkin ; 
 styles 2. (Name said to be from the Latin humus, rich soil, in 
 which the plant flourishes.) 
 
428 
 
 URTICACEJE 
 
 i. H. Lupulus (Common Hop). — A beautiful twining plant 
 with very rough, almost prickly, and very tough shoots (bine) ; 
 and palmately 3 — 5-lobed leaves. The staminate plants known as 
 " seeders " are common in a wild state : but not in hop-gardens. 
 The ripe catkins are ovoid and yellow, their bracts covered with 
 resinous glands. — Hedgerows ; common. — Fl. July, August. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 Urt/ca (Nettle). — Herbs or shrubs with tough inner bark 
 
 3. Urt/ca (Nettle). — Herbs or shrubs with tough inner bark 
 and stinging hairs ; leaves opposite, stipulate ; flowers bracteate, 
 
 HlMl'Ll'S LL'PCLVS (Ci 
 
 Ho/,). 
 
 4-merous ; perianth imbricate, persistent ; stamens and ovary in 
 separate flowers. (Name from the Latin uro, I burn, from its 
 stinging properties.) 
 
 1. U. dioica (Great Nettle). — Rhizome creeping with runners ; 
 stem 2 — 4 feet high, seldom branched, pubescent ; leaves generally 
 cordate, deeply serrate; flowers in long, branched clusters. — A 
 common weed, too well known to need further description. — Fl. 
 June — September. Perennial. 
 
 2* U. pilulifera (Roman Nettle). — With no hairs except the 
 stings, 1 — 2 feet high; leaves ovate, coarsely toothed; fruit in 
 
NETTLE FAMILY 
 
 429 
 
 globose 
 the sea 
 August. 
 3 U 
 species, 
 stings ; 
 
 stalked clusters. — In the east of England, chiefly near 
 ; local. The most virulent British nettle. — Fl. June — 
 Annual. 
 
 urens (Small Nettle). — Smaller than either of the other 
 
 about a foot high, branched, with no hairs except the 
 
 flowers in short, seldom branched clusters, staminate and 
 
 URTfcA DiofcA {Great Nettle). 
 
 carpellate together. — Waste places ; abundant. — Fl. June — Octo- 
 ber. Annual. 
 
 4. Parietaria (Pellitory). — Pubescent herbs or shrubs with 
 scattered, entire, exstipulate leaves ; polygamous, 4-merous flowers ; 
 valvate, persistent perianth enlarging round the fruit. (Name 
 from the Latin paries, a wall, where these plants often grow.) 
 
 1. P. ramiftora (Common Pellitory-of-the-wall). — The only 
 British species, a much-branched, bushy, herbaceous plant, with 
 
43° 
 
 ARISTOLOCHIACE.E 
 
 reddish, brittle stems : ovate, hairy leaves, and axillary clusters of 
 small, hairy flowers. The filaments are curiously joined and elas- 
 tic, so that if touched they suddenly spring from their incurved 
 position and shed their pollen. — Old walls ; common. In rural 
 districts an infusion of this plant was once a favourite medicine. 
 — Fl. June— October. Perennial. 
 
 PARIETARIA OFFICINALIS (C, 
 
 Pellitory-of-the-ivall). 
 
 §§ Ovary inferior 
 
 Ord. LXVIII. Aristolochiace/E. — Birthwort Family 
 
 A small group of herbs or shrubs, often climbing, chiefly tropi- 
 cal, being very abundant in South America, but rare elsewhere. 
 They have scattered, simple, exstipulate leaves, and usually soli- 
 tary, axillary, perfect flowers. The perianth is attached to the 
 ovary below, tubular above, with a wide mouth ; stamens 6 — 12, 
 epigynous ; ovary 3 — 6-chambered ; style 1 ; stigmas radiate, equal- 
 ling in number the chambers of the ovary ; fruit 3 — 6-chambered, 
 many-seeded. The plants of this Order are generally bitter, tonic, 
 and stimulant, sometimes acrid or aromatic. The dried and 
 
MISTLETOE FAMILY 43 1 
 
 powdered leaves of Asarabacca (Asarum europium) are used in the 
 preparation of cephalic snuffs, exciting sneezing, and giving relief 
 to headache and weak eyes. Virginian Snake-root (Aristolochia 
 serpentdria) and other allied species are used as antidotes to the 
 bite of venomous snakes. The juice extracted from the rhizome 
 of a South American species is said to have the power of stupefy- 
 ing serpents if placed in their mouth ; and African species are 
 said to be used by Egyptian jugglers to stupefy the snakes with 
 which they play tricks. 
 
 1. Asarum. — Perianth polysymmetric, bell-shaped, 3-cleft; 
 stamens 12. 
 
 *2. Aristol6chia.— Perianth monosymmetric, tubular, with a 
 dilated lip ; stamens 6. 
 
 1. Asarum (Asarabacca). — Herbs with a stout rhizome ; radical 
 leaves; a solitary, purplish-green flower, with persistent, 3-lobed 
 perianth ; stamens 1 2 ; ovary 6-chambered ; fruit capsular. (Name 
 of Greek origin, said to denote that it was excluded from 
 garlands.) 
 
 1. A. europcmm (Asarabacca). — The only species found in 
 Britain, and perhaps not indigenous, a curious plant consisting of 
 a very short, fleshly stem, bearing two large, dark-green, kidney- 
 shaped, evergreen leaves and a solitary, purplish-green drooping 
 flower. — Woods ; very rare. — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 *2. Aristolochia (Birthwort). — Shrubby, often twining plants, 
 with stalked cauline leaves, and axillary, coloured flowers, with a 
 tubular perianth swollen at the base, lined with hairs and dilated 
 on one side into a lip ; stamens 6, inserted on the style ; ovary 
 6-chambered ; fruit capsular. (Name in Greek denoting the 
 supposed medicinal virtues of the genus.) 
 
 1.* A. Clematitis (Birthwort). — The only species found appar- 
 ently wild in Britain, not indigenous, a singular glabrous plant, 
 with creeping woody rhizome ; slender, erect, angular, unbranched 
 stems ; large, cordate, obtuse leaves, glaucous beneath ; and yellow 
 flowers, 4 — 8 together, expanding into an oblong lip, — Among 
 ruins in the south of England ; rare. — Fl. June — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LXIX. Loranthace^e. — Mistletoe Family 
 
 An interesting Order of parasitic shrubs, comprising about 
 
 500 species, inhabiting tropical and temperate regions. Their 
 
 leaves are usually opposite, fleshy, and evergreen ; and the flowers 
 
 inconspicuous and dioecious. The perianth consists of 4 — 8 seg- 
 
432 loranthAce^e 
 
 ments, sometimes united in a bell-shaped form and valvate in 
 bud ; the stamens equalling the perianth-leaves in number, and 
 opposite and adnate to them j the ovary inferior, i -chambered 
 
 vfscuM Album {Common Mistletoe). 
 
 and i-ovuled ; and the fruit a viscid berry which adheres to the 
 bark of the host tree. Soon a thread-like radicle is sent forth, 
 which, from whatever part of the berry it proceeds, curves towards 
 
SANDAL-WOOD FAMILY 433 
 
 the supporting tree, pierces its bark, and finally roots itself 
 in the growing wood. The Common Mistletoe is capable of 
 growing on a great number of very different trees, having the 
 power of selecting and appropriating to its own use such juices 
 as are fitted for its sustenance. It may readily be propagated by 
 attaching the fresh berries to the bark on the under side of a 
 branch of the Apple. Great virtues were attributed to this plant 
 by the Druids ; but it has now no medicinal repute, though there 
 is an enormous demand for it in connection with Christmas 
 festivities. 
 
 1. Viscum (Mistletoe). — Flowers dioecious, small, green, clus- 
 tered in the forks of the branches ; perianth-leaves 4, united ; 
 stamens many-chambered, opening by pores ; stigma sessile. 
 (Name, the Latin name of the plant, signifying birdlime or 
 alluding to the sticky berry.) 
 
 1. V. album (Common Mistletoe). — The only British species, a 
 yellow-green, glabrous plant with bifurcating cylindric stems; 
 thick, leathery, obtuse leaves, narrower on the staminate plants ; 
 berries waxen-white. — On the Apple and other trees, but very 
 rarely on the Oak ; chiefly in the south. Most conspicuous in 
 winter, when its berries ripen. — Fl. March — May. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LXX. SantalAce^e. — Sandal-wood Family 
 
 A small Order of herbs, shrubs, and trees, mostly root-parasites, 
 which are widely distributed over the globe. They have mostly 
 scattered, simple, exstipulate leaves; small flowers; perianth 
 attached to the ovary, 3 — 5 -cleft, valvate when in bud ; stamens 
 as many as the lobes of the perianth, and opposite and attached 
 to them, with short filaments ; ovary 1 -chambered ; style 1 ; ovules 
 2 — 5 ; fruit hard, dry, indehiscent, 1 -seeded. The only important 
 product of the Order is the fragrant wood of the East India 
 Sandal-wood (Sdntalum album) and of the allied Australasian 
 species, which is used for cabinet-work, incense, perfumery, and 
 medicine. There is only one British species. 
 
 1. Thesium (Bastnrd Toad-flax). — Slender herbs with narrow 
 leaves ; perfect flowers ; perianth 4 — 5-cleft, persistent ; stamens 
 4 — 5, each with a tuft of hairs at its base ; style short ; stigma 
 undivided ; ovules 3. — (Name of doubtful origin.) 
 
 1. T. humifusum (Bastard Toad-flax). — The only British species; 
 a small plant with fibrous roots attached to those of various other 
 plants; a yellow, woody rhizome ; prostrate branches spreading in 
 
 F F 
 
434 
 
 EM PET RACEME 
 
 a circle ; linear-lanceolate, i -veined leaves, resembling those of a 
 Toad-flax ; and clusters of whitish flowers ; bracts 3.— Dry chalky 
 and limestone hills in the south of England ; rare.— Fl. May- 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 k 
 
 th£sium humiflsum (Bastard Toad-flax). 
 
 Series II. ACHLAMYTJE^E 
 
 § Flowers not in calkins 
 
 Ord. LXXI. Empetrace^e. — Crowberry Family 
 
 A very small Order of small heath-like evergreen shrubs, of 
 obscure affinities, inhabiting North Temperate, Arctic, and Sub- 
 Antarctic regions. They have scattered exstipulate leaves ; minute, 
 axillary, polysymmetric, polygamous flowers, with 4 — 6 imbricate 
 scales, either bracts or perianth-leaves ; stamens 3 —4, alternate with 
 the inner scales ; ovary 2 — 9-chambered, on a fleshy disk ; style 1 ; 
 stigma radiate ; fruit fleshy, with bony, i-seeded chambers. The 
 slightly acid berries of the Crowberry (Emfetrum nigrum), though 
 
SPURGE FAMILY 
 
 435 
 
 unpleasantly turpentinous, are eaten in Arctic regions, being con- 
 sidered as a preventive to scurvy. There is only one British 
 species. 
 
 i. EMPETRUM(Crowberry). 
 — Flower-scales 3 outer and 
 3 inner ; stamens 3 ; style 
 short; stigma peltate, 6—9- 
 rayed ; berry globose, 6 — 9- 
 chambered. (Name from 
 the Greek, en pelron, on 
 rock, from the character of 
 its habitat.) 
 
 1. E. nigrum (Black Crow- 
 berry, Crakeberry). — A 
 small, prostrate, leafy shrub, 
 with the habit of a Heath; 
 stems much branched; leaves 
 linear-oblong, so revolute 
 that their margins meet at 
 the back ; flowefs in the axils 
 of the upper leaves, purplish ; 
 berries black. — Mountainous 
 heaths in the north and 
 west ; frequent. The berries 
 are much eaten by moor- 
 fowl. — Fl. April — June. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 empetrum nigrum {Black Creivberry). 
 
 Ord. LXXII. Euphorbiacea:. — Spurge Family 
 
 A large Order containing about 200 genera and 3,000 species 
 distributed over most of the tropical and temperate regions of 
 the globe, and comprising trees, shrubs, and herbs. Their affini- 
 ties are obscure ; for, though the European species have no 
 perianth, many tropical genera appear to possess one. They 
 appear to be related, on the one hand, to Urticdcece, and, on the 
 other, to Malvdcece. Many African species are spinous, presenting 
 a superficial resemblance to Cactdcece. Most plants in the Order 
 have milky juice, which is often acrid and contains rubber and 
 various alkaloids. The leaves are usually scattered and simple, 
 and often have deciduous stipules. The flowers are small, the 
 stamens and carpels in separate flowers and accompanied by bracts 
 
436 EUPHORBlACE/E 
 
 or an involucre. In the large genus Euphorbia there is a cup- 
 shaped involucre, with yellow crescent-shaped glands round its 
 margin, enclosing several staminate flowers, each consisting of 
 one stamen on a pedicel, surrounding one longer-stalked carpellate 
 flower of 3 united carpels, with as many styles, stigmas, chambers 
 to the fruit, and seeds. The fruit often separates elastically into 
 its constituent carpels. Among so numerous an assemblage of 
 plants, we should expect to find a considerable variety of proper- 
 ties, which, indeed, exists, though nearly all the Order agree in 
 the acrid, narcotic, or corrosive character of the juice. A small 
 quantity of the milky juice of one of our herbaceous British 
 species of Spurge (Euphorbia) placed upon the tongue produces a 
 burning heat in the mouth and throat, which continues for many 
 hours, but may be allayed by frequent draughts of milk. The 
 roots of several of the common kinds enter into the composition 
 of some of the quack fever medicines ; but they are too violent 
 in their action to be used with safety. The Irish Spurge (E. 
 hiberna) is extensiveh/used by the peasants of Kerry for poisoning, 
 or rather stupefying, fish. So powerful are its effects, that a small 
 creel, or basket, filled with the bruised plant, suffices to poison 
 the fish for several miles down a river. The Caper-Spurge (E. 
 Ldthyris), a common weed in gardens, is a dangerous substitute 
 for genuine capers, its unripe fruits superficially resembling the 
 unopened flower-buds of Cdpparis spinosa, an entirely distinct 
 shrubby plant, indigenous to the south of Europe. Gum Euphor- 
 bium is a gum-resin obtained from Euphorbia resinifera, a native 
 of the lower slopes of the Atlas Mountains, by wounding the 
 stems, and collecting the sap which exudes. Pliny relates that 
 the plant was discovered by Juba, King of Mauretania, and named 
 by him after his physician, Euphorbus. It is an acrid poison, so 
 violent in its effects as to produce severe inflammation of the 
 nostrils if those who are employed in powdering it do not guard 
 themselves from its dust. It was formerly employed for raising 
 blisters, but is now only used in veterinary medicine, or for 
 mixing with rubber. The Australian Asthma Herb (E. pilulifera) 
 is now imported in considerable quantities. The Manchineel tree 
 (Hippomdne Mancinella) of South America has an intensely acrid 
 white juice, the least drop of which, or even the smoke from the 
 wood when burnt, causes temporary blindness ; but other alleged 
 actions have been much exaggerated. Its fruit, which is beautiful 
 and looks like an apple, contains a similar juice, which so burns 
 the lips of those who bite it as to guard the careless from any 
 danger of eating it. Manioc (Manihot utilissima) is a shrub 
 about 6 feet high, indigenous to the West Indies and South 
 
SPURGE FAMILY 437 
 
 America, abounding in a milky juice of so poisonous a nature 
 that it has been known to occasion death in a few minutes. It is 
 used by the Indians to poison their arrows. The poisonous 
 principle, however, may be dissipated by heat, after which the 
 root may be converted into the most nourishing food. The roots 
 are sometimes eaten by the Indians, simply roasted ; and the heat 
 of the sun even is sufficient to dissipate the noxious properties, 
 for if it be sliced and exposed for some hours to the direct rays of 
 the sun cattle may eat it with perfect safety. It is commonly, 
 however, grated into a pulp and subjected to a heavy pressure 
 until all the juice is drained off. This fresh juice is highly 
 poisonous, but, if boiled with meat and seasoned, makes, under 
 the name of Cassareep, an excellent soup, which is wholesome 
 and nutritious. The pulp, which is called cassava, requires no 
 further preparation, being simply baked in the form of thin cakes 
 on a hot iron. This bread is so palatable to those who are accus- 
 tomed to it as to be preferred to that made of wheaten flour. By 
 washing the pulp in water and suffering the latter to stand, a 
 sediment of starch is produced, which, after being dried on hot 
 plates, which partially converts it into dextrine, is the familiar, 
 light, digestible, and nourishing tapioca. Caoutchouc, or rubber, 
 is furnished in greater or less abundance by many plants of this 
 Order, but especially by South American species of Hevea. The 
 fragrant tonic, Cascarilla Bark, is produced by Croton Eleutheria, 
 a shrub belonging to this Order which is a native of the Bahamas; 
 and the violently cathartic Croton-oil is extracted from the seeds 
 of C. Tiglium, a native of the Malabar coast. Castor-oil is ex- 
 pressed from the seeds of Ricinus communis, which is frequently 
 grown as an ornamental foliage-plant in English gardens under 
 the name of Palma-Christi. The Box is the only British tree 
 belonging to this Order, of the poisonous properties of which it 
 partakes, though to a limited extent. In some parts of Persia it 
 is very abundant ; and in these districts it is found impossible to 
 keep camels, as the animals are very fond of browsing on the 
 leaves, which kill them. No satisfactory substitute is known for 
 the wood of this tree as material for the wood-engraver. 
 
 i. Euphorbia. — Involucre cup-shaped, containing 12 or more 
 staminate -flowers each of 1 stamen and 1 carpellate flower with 
 3-lobed ovary ; styles 3 ; stigmas 2-cleft ; fruit 3-chambered, 
 3-seeded. 
 
 2. Buxus. — Evergreen shrubs with opposite leaves; flowers 
 monoecious, bracteate, axillary; perianth of 4 — 12 leaves; stamens 
 4 ; ovary 3-chambered, 6-seeded. 
 
 3. Mercurialis. — Herbs with opposite, serrate leaves ; flowers 
 
438 EUPHORBIACE^; 
 
 mostly dioecious ; perianth of 3 leaves ; stamens 8—20 ; ovary 3- 
 chambered, 2-seeded. 
 
 1. Euphorbia (Spurge). — The British species all herbs, with 
 milky juice ; leaves simple ; flowers monoecious, in cup-shaped, 
 4 — 5-lobed involucre with roundish or crescent-shaped glands 
 alternating with the lobes ; staminate flowers each of 1 pedicellate 
 stamen ; carpellate flower solitary, drooping, pedicellate, of 3 
 united carpels ; stigmas 2-cleft ; jruit 3-lobed, 3-seeded. (Name 
 from Euphorbus, physician to Juba, an ancient king of Mauretania.) 
 
 * Leaves opposite, stipulate 
 
 1. E.Peplis (Red Spurge). — A prostrate, glabrous, and glaucous 
 plant, beautifully tinged with red, repeatedly forked ; leaves oppo- 
 site, stalked, blunt, auricled on one side at the base, thick, \ in. 
 long ; involucres axillary, with oblong glands. — Sandy sea-shores 
 in the south ; rare. — Fl. July — September. Annual. 
 
 ** Leaves exstipulate, generally scattered 
 
 i Umbels mostly grayed; involucral glands roundish, without 
 
 cusps 
 
 2. E. Helioscopia (Sun Spurge). — Varying ih size from a few 
 inches to i| foot in height, generally glabrous, with obovate leaves 
 serrate above the middle, and easily distinguished by the golden- 
 green hue of its spreading umbel, which is large in proportion to 
 the size of the plant, and has 5 rays which are often repeatedly 
 forked; capsule smooth. — Cultivated ground; abundant. — Fl. June 
 — October. Annual. 
 
 3. E. platyphjilos (Broad-leaved Spurge). — A similar, erect, 
 slightly branched, glabrous or hairy species, with cordate leaves, 
 finely serrate above the middle, 3 — 5-rayed umbel, repeatedly 
 forked ; 7 — 8 staminate flowers in each involucre ; capsule covered 
 with hemispherical warts. — Fields, chiefly in the south; rare. — Fl. 
 July — October. Annual. 
 
 4. E. stricta (Upright Spurge). — Closely allied to the preceding, 
 but more slender, with more ascending branches, erect, 2 — 3 feet 
 high ; with thinner leaves ; generally 3-rayed umbel ; rarely more 
 than 2 staminate flowers in each involucre ; capsule only half 
 the size, with longer, cylindric warts. — Woods on limestone in 
 Gloucestershire and Monmouth ; very rare. — Fl. June — August. 
 Annual. 
 
 5. E. hiberna (Irish Spurge).— A downy plant, 1 — 2 feet high, 
 scarcely branched, with thin leaves 2 — 4 in. long and an inch or 
 more across, a 5-rayed umbel and large capsules with cylindric 
 
SPURGE FAMILY 
 
 439 
 
 warts. — Devonshire and Kerry, where it is used to stupefy fish. — 
 Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 6.* E. dulcis (Sweet Spurge), an erect species, about a foot 
 high, with obovate blunt leaves ; an umbel of 5 long, 2-forked rays, 
 with deltoid bracts ; and a few prominent warts on the capsule, 
 occurs only as an escape from cultivation. — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 7.* E. coralloides, 
 a taller plant with its 
 stem leafless below ; 
 leaves lanceolate, 
 
 finely-toothed, woolly; 
 umbel of 5, 2 — 3- 
 forked rays ; and 
 woolly capsules ; is 
 also an escape. — Fl. 
 May, June. Biennial. 
 
 8. E. pilosa (Hairy 
 Spurge). — A tall plant, 
 with its stem leafy 
 throughout and 
 branched above; 
 leaves broadly lance- 
 olate, finely toothed 
 mainly near the apex, 
 slightly hairy ; umbel 
 irregular, of 4 — 6 
 rays, which are first 
 3-forked and then 
 2-forked ; bracts yel- 
 low, elliptical, smooth; 
 capsule usually hairy, 
 with minute warts. — 
 Woods, near Bath ; 
 very rare. — Fl. May, 
 June. Perennial. 
 
 If Umbels 3- cr many-rayed; involucral glands with crescent-shaped 
 cusps 
 
 9. E. amygdaloides (Wood Spurge).— A shrubby, erect, leafy 
 plant, with obovate-lanceolate, bluish-green leaves hairy beneath, 
 which grows about a foot high the first year, elongating to 2 feet 
 and flowering in the next season, with an umbel of 5 or more 
 bifurcating rays, conspicuous in spring and summer with its 
 golden-green bracts, which are united into a round cup, generally 
 
 A.MYGDALOIDES (Wood Sfurge). 
 
44° 
 
 EUPHORBIACE.E 
 
 enclosing 3 involucres A common woodland plant, conspicuous in 
 autumn by the deep crimson tinge of its stems and leaves. — 
 Fl. March, April. Perennial. 
 
 10.* E. Esula (Leafy- branched Spurge). — Rhizome creeping; 
 stem 1 — 2 feet high, erect, slender, 
 leafless below, unbranched, or 
 with a few flowerless axillary 
 branches ; leaves oblong- or linear- 
 lanceolate, sessile, thin, smooth, 
 sometimes denticulate; umbel of 
 10 — 20, long, slender, forked rays ; 
 bracts cordate, mucronate, not 
 united ; capsule rough. — Woods ; 
 rare, not indigenous. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 ii.* E. Cyfarissias (Cypress 
 Spurge). — A closely allied species, 
 differing in having runners, having 
 more crowded, more glaucous, 
 narrower leaves; blunt bracts; 
 and almost white seeds. — Occurs 
 as an escape in similar situa- 
 tions. — Fl. June, July. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 12. E. Pardlias (Sea Spurge).— 
 A bushy, glaucous plant, often 
 tinged with red ; with many short, 
 erect, stout stems, leafless below ; 
 crowded, imbricate, leathery, 
 sessile, oblong, blunt leaves; and 
 an umbel usually of 5 short, 
 forked rays. — Sandy sea-shores ; 
 not common. — Fl. July — October. 
 Perennial. 
 
 13. E. portldndica (Portland 
 Spurge). — A less robust plant with 
 spreading, leathery, obovate, api- 
 culate leaves ; involucral glands 4, 
 with long cusps ; seeds brown, 
 
 south coasts ; rare. — Fl. April — 
 
 BLXUS SEMPERvfRENS 
 
 {Common Box-tree). 
 
 and 
 
 pitted. — On the west 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 14. E. Peplus (Petty Spurge). — A light green, glabrous, erect 
 species, less than a foot high, with broadly ovate, stalked leaves, 
 and repeatedly forked, 3-rayed umbel ; brads ovate ; involucral 
 
SPURGE FAMILY 
 
 441 
 
 glands 4, with long cusps. — A very common garden weed. — Fl. 
 July — November. Annual. 
 
 15. E. exigua (Dwarf Spurge). — A more slender little plant, 
 usually branched near the ground, with linear leaves ; umbel of 3 — 
 5 forked rays; bracts lanceolate. — Cornfields; common. — Fl. June 
 — October. Annual. 
 
 16.* E. Ldihyrus (Caper Spurge). — A remarkable plant, 2 — 3 
 feet high, succulent, glaucous, tinged with purple, with numerous, 
 spreading, linear-oblong or strap-like leaves, opposite and regularly 
 decussate so as to form 4 vertical rows ; umbel of 3 or 4 stout, 
 unequal, irregularly forked 
 rays ; capsule very large, 
 smooth, full of milky 
 juice. — Chiefly a garden 
 weed ; but perhaps wild in 
 some woods. — Fl. June, 
 July. Biennial. 
 
 2. Buxus (Box). — 
 Evergreen trees and 
 shrubs ; leaves opposite, 
 exstipulate ; flowers monoe- 
 cious, axillary, bracteate, 
 the staminate with 2 
 alternating pairs of peri- 
 anth-leaves, the carpellate 
 with 6 — 12 in alternating 
 whorls of 3 ; stamens 4 ; 
 ovary 3 -chambered, 3-lobed 
 above ; styles 3 ; ovules 2 
 in each chamber; fruit cap- 
 sular. (Name,theClassical 
 Latin name of the tree.) 
 
 1. B. sempervirens (Common Box-tree). — The only European 
 species, a small, slow-growing tree, with rough, grey bark; twigs 
 downy ; leaves oblong, obtuse, not more than an inch long ; 
 flowers crowded, sessile, minute, whitish. — Chalk hills in the south, 
 doubtfully indigenous. The juice is bitter and acridly poisonous, 
 but not milky as in the Spurges. The close-grained, yellow wood, 
 the only European wood which does not float in water, is un- 
 equalled for engraving. A dwarf variety is commonly used as an 
 edging for garden borders. — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 3. Mercurialis (Mercury). — Herbs with opposite, stalked, 
 serrate, stipulate leaves; flowers mostly dioecious; perianth of 3 
 
 alis pek£nnis {Dog's Mercury). 
 
443 
 
 CERATOPHYLLE/E 
 
 leaves, stamens 8 — 20; ovary 2 -chambered ; styles 2, long; ovules 
 2 ; fruit capsular. (Name in honour of the heathen god Mercury.) 
 
 1. M.perennis (Dog's Mercury). — Rhizome slender, creeping; 
 stem solitary, erect, about a foot high, unbranched ; leaves oblong- 
 lanceolate, rough, hairy; flowers small, green, on peduncles 
 springing from the axils of the upper leaves, the staminate ones 
 in racemes, the carpellate in spikes. — Woods; abundant. — Fl. 
 April May. Perennial. 
 
 2. M. annua (Annual Mercury). — A much branched, nearly 
 glabrous species, with sessile leaves of a light green, and some- 
 times with monoecious flowers. — Cultivated land ; not common. — 
 Fl. July — October. Annual. 
 
 Ord. LXXIII. Ceratophylle.e. — The Hornwort Family 
 
 An Order containing only the one genus Ceratophyllum, the 
 Hornworts, a group of one or 
 two species of submerged 
 aquatic plants that are unim- 
 portant except from their 
 structure, which is so distinct 
 from that of any other known 
 Dicotyledon as to render their 
 affinities doubtful. They have 
 long, slender, brittle, branched 
 stems; whorled, sessile, ex- 
 stipulate leaves, which are 
 2 — 4 forked into antler-like 
 narrow lobes; and minute, 
 axillary, monoecious flowers, 
 enclosed in an 8 — 12-leaved 
 involucre with bristle-like, per- 
 sistent lobes. The stamens 
 are 12 — 20, without filaments, 
 but with 2 points to each 
 anther; the ovary is 1 -cham- 
 bered, i-ovuled; style 1, 
 curved ; fruit an indehi scent 
 achene, sometimes with 2 
 spines at its base. (Name from 
 the Greek keras, an antler, 
 ceratophyllum demersum phullon, a leaf, from the form 
 
 (.Common Hornwort). Qf ^ j^^ 
 
 t. Ceratophyllum (Hornwort). 
 
SWEET GALE FAMILY 
 
 443 
 
 i. C.demersum (Common Hornwort). — Leaves dark green; fruit 
 with 2 spines at its base and terminated by the persistent, subu- 
 late, curved style. — Slow streams and ditches, entirely submerged. 
 — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. submersum, paler green, without spines to the fruit and 
 with a shorter style, occurs under similar conditions. 
 
 §§ Flowers in catkins 
 Ord. LXXIV. MyricAce^e. — The Sweet Gale Family 
 
 A small group of shrubs and trees, widely distributed in tem- 
 perate and tropical climates, 
 and generally characterised 
 by the excretion of wax. 
 They have scattered, simple 
 leaves; generally dioecious 
 flowers in catkins ; stamens 
 ?. — 16; ovary i-chambered, 
 i -ovuled ; styles 2 ; fruit 
 drupe - like, 1 - seeded, 
 covered all over with wax. 
 Myrica cerifera, the Bay- 
 berry, Wax Myrtle, or 
 Candleberry Myrtle of 
 North America, and M. 
 cordifolia of South Africa 
 have been used in candle- 
 making. Yang-maes are the 
 edible sub-acid fruit of M. 
 Nagi, a native of China and 
 Japan. The aromatic leaves 
 of the one European species, 
 M. Gale, are astringent and 
 tonic, and are used for tea 
 and in rustic medicine. 
 
 1. Myrica (Sweet Gale). 
 — Stamens 4 — 8. (Name, 
 the Greek name of the 
 Tamarisk.) 
 
 1. M. Gale (Sweet Gale, 
 Bog Myrtle). — A bushy, 
 resinous shrub, 2 — 4 feet 
 high, flowering before leafing; leaves obovate-lanceolate, shortly- 
 stalked, serrate towards the apex, fragrant when bruised ; catkins 
 
 myrica {Sweet Gale). 
 
444 CUPUliFER.E 
 
 sessile, erect, the staminate longer j anthers and styles red ; drupe 
 minute, 2-winged by the adherent bracts. — Bogs; common. — Fl. 
 May — July. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LXXV. Cupulifer/E. — Mast-bearing Family 
 
 An Order variously limited by different botanists, but which 
 may be taken as comprising 10 genera and about 400 species of 
 trees and shrubs, widely distributed over the globe and of very 
 great value to man as timber, for bark containing tannin and 
 useful therefore in dressing leather, and for edible seeds. They 
 have scattered, stipulate, simple leaves, either evergreen (in foreign 
 species) or deciduous; and monoecious flowers which are pollinated 
 by the wind. The staminate flowers are generally in pendulous, 
 deciduous catkins, with 2 — 20 stamens in each flower ; the carpel- 
 late flowers sessile in an involucre, each generally with a superior 
 5 — 6-toothed perianth, a 2 — 3-chambered ovary, 2 — 3 styles, and 1 
 or 2 ovules in each chamber. The fruit is a dry indehiscent 1- or 
 rarely 2-seeded nut, surrounded by the cupule or enlarged invo- 
 lucre, which gives its name to the Order ; and the seeds are large, 
 exalbuminous, with 2, or rarely 3, fleshy or mealy cotyledons. 
 
 Cork is the outer bark of Quercus Suber, an evergreen species 
 of Oak mainly grown in Northern Spain. Its periodical removal 
 in no way injures the vitality of the tree. The first crop which is 
 cracked and furrowed is known as Virgin Cork. Quercitron, the 
 bark of the North American Quercus tinctoria, is mainly employed 
 as a yellow dye. The bark of our English Oak (Q. Robur), Yalonia, 
 which is the acorn-cups, and Cameta, the young acorns of the 
 Levantine Q.Mgilops, are used in tanning; and the galls produced 
 by insect puncture on Q. infectoria in the same country are one of 
 the chief ingredients of ink. The bark of various species of Birch 
 (Betula) is used in Canada for making canoes and moccasins, 
 and in Russia for various utensils, as well as in tanning. The 
 wood of the Alder (Alnus glutinosa) is burnt into charcoal for 
 making gunpowder, and that of the Hornbeam (Carpinus Betulus), 
 on account of its toughness, is specially adapted to the manu- 
 facture of cog-wheels, as also is that of the American Live Oak 
 (Quercus virens). The wood of the Quebec Birch (Betula lenta) 
 and that of the European B. verrucosa are largely used in making 
 furniture, and that of the Beech (Fdgus sylvdtica) in Buckingham- 
 shire, in chair-making ; whilst it is unnecessary to attempt to 
 enumerate the uses of Oak timber. Chestnuts, the fruit of Cas- 
 tdnea saliva, are an important article of food in southern Europe, 
 
MAST-BEARING FAMILY 
 
 445 
 
 whilst in many countries acorns and beech-mast are of great value 
 as food for pigs. 
 
 • 
 Tribe i. Betule^. — All flowers in catkins ; ovary of 2 i-ovuled 
 chambers ; fruit small, compressed. 
 
 1. Betula. — Stamens 2; scales of fruit-bearing catkin thin, 
 deciduous. 
 
 2. Alnus. — Stamens 4 ; scales of fruit-bearing catkin woody, 
 persistent. 
 
 Tribe 2. Coryleve. — Staminate flowers in catkins; anthers tufted 
 with hairs ; carpellate flowers in pairs in axils of leafy bracts ; ovary 
 2- chambered; ovules 2. 
 
 b£tula p£ndui.a {White Birch). 
 
 3. Carpinus. — Fruiting spike with numerous leafy scales. 
 
 4. Corylus. — Fruiting spike with a few brown scales. 
 
 Tribe 3. Quercine^e. — Staminate flowers in catkins ; carpellate 
 flowers 1 — 3 together in an involucre of numerous bracts, which 
 enlarges in fruit ; ovary 3 — 6-chambered ; ovules 2 in each 
 chamber. 
 
 5. Quercus. — Staminate flowers in a slender interrupted catkin ; 
 stigmas 3. 
 
 *6. Castanea. — Staminate flowers in a long slender catkin ; 
 stigmas 6. 
 
 7. Fagus. — Staminate flowers in a globose catkin ; stigmas 3. 
 
 1. Betula (Birch). — Trees and shrubs; flowers all in catkins 
 with 3-lobed, deciduous scales ; stamens 2, with forked filaments ; 
 
446 
 
 CUPULfFER^ 
 
 ovary compressed, 2-chambered, 2-ovuled : fruit small, winged, 
 i -seeded. (Name, the Classical Latin name of the tree.) 
 
 i. B. pendula ^White Birch). — A beautiful forest tree which has 
 been styled "the Lady of the Woods," with smooth, silvery-white 
 bark, scaling off in transverse strips ; copper-brown branches with 
 resinous tubercles, often weeping ; rhomboid, irregularly serrate 
 leaves on long stalks, truncate at their base, and with raised veins 
 on the upper surface ; staminate catkins 1 — 2 in. long, pendulous ; 
 
 Xlnus rotundifolia {Common Alder). 
 
 fruiting catkins sub-erect at first, deciduous. — Woods; common. 
 — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 2. B. alba (Common Birch). — Often only a bush ; twigs, and 
 sometimes leaves, downy ; leaves always rounded at the base with 
 the veins prominent on the under surface. — Woods ; common. — 
 Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 3. B. intermedia, a small tree with leaves smaller, more orbicular, 
 and more bluntly toothed than the preceding, and catkins only 
 
MAST-BEARING FAMILY 
 
 447 
 
 | in. long, found in the Scottish Highlands, is probably a hybrid 
 between the preceding and the following. 
 
 4. B. nana (Dwarf Birch). — A small shrub with short-stalked, 
 roundish, crenate, glabrous dark-green leaves, and catkins not more 
 than \ in. long. — Mountain bogs in the north ; rare. — Fl. May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. Alnus (Alder). — Trees and shrubs ; flowers all in catkins; 
 
 carpinus b£tulus (Common Hombeam\ 
 
 stamens 3 — 5 ; fruiting catkin short, with woody, persistent scales. 
 (Name, the Classical Latin name of the tree.) 
 
 1. A. rotundifolia (Common Alder). — The only British species, 
 a small tree with greyish-black bark; branches triangular when 
 young ; leaves shortly stalked, obovate, cuneate, blunt, wavy, 
 serrate, glutinous when young, green on both surfaces ; catkins 
 appearing before the leaves, and the woody scales of the fruiting 
 ones remaining long on the tree. — Swampy ground throughout 
 most of the temperate regions of the globe. — Fl. March, April. 
 Perennial. 
 
44 8 CUPULfFER/E 
 
 3. Carpinus (Hornbeam).— Trees with deciduous leaves ; 
 staminate flowers in catkins ; stamens 3 — 12, with forked filaments 
 and tufts of hair on the anthers ; carpellate flowers in pairs in the 
 axils of leafy bracts, forming an erect spike in flower, becoming 
 pendulous in fruit ; ovary 2-chambered, 2-ovuled ; styles 2. 
 (Name, the Classical Latin name of the tree.) 
 
 1. C. Betulus (Common Hornbeam). — A small tree with smooth, 
 light grey bark; leaves elliptic-ovate, acute, doubly serrate, strongly 
 plaited parallel to the pinnate veins when in bud ; fruiting catkins 
 
 corylus avellana (Common Hazel). 
 
 2 — 4 in. long, with large 3-lobed leafy bracts. — Clayey woods in 
 the south ; local. Valuable as fuel and for cogs. — Fl. May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. Corylus (Hazel). — Shrubs or trees with deciduous leaves ; 
 staminate catkins long, drooping, cylindric ; stamens 4 — 8, with 
 short filaments and tufts of hair on the anthers ; carpellate flowers 
 in pairs in the axils of the upper bracts of a small head ; ovary 
 2-chambered, 2-ovuled; styles 2, long, slender ; fruit a woody nut, 
 enclosed in a withering leafy capsule. (Name, the Classical Latin 
 name of the tree, from the Greek korus, a cup.) 
 
MAST-BEARING FAMILY 
 
 449 
 
 i. C. Avelldna (Common Hazel). — A shrub or small tree with 
 grey bark on stem, brown, hairy, and glandular on shoots ; leaves 
 roundish, obliquely cordate, irregularly serrate, pointed, plaited 
 
 QUfiRCUS r6bur (Common Oak).. 
 
 parallel to the midrib in bud ; flowers preceding the leaves ; 
 staminate catkins i — 2 in. long, drooping, yellow ; carpellate 
 flowers in small, sessile, ovoid, erect heads, with imbricate bracts 
 and crimson stigmas. — Woods ; 
 abundant. — Fl. February, March. 
 Perennial. 
 
 5. Quercus (Oak). — Trees with 
 deciduous (or, in foreign species, 
 evergreen) leaves ; staminate flowers 
 in a slender, drooping, interrupted 
 catkin; stamens 10, with slender, 
 exserted filaments ; carpellate flowers 
 few, each enclosed in numerous 
 imbricate scales, forming a cup in 
 the fruit ; ovary 3-chambered, 6- 
 ovuled ; fruit or acorn 1 -seeded. 
 (Name, the Classical Latin name of 
 the tree.) 
 
 1. Q. Robur (Common Oak). — A large tree, with deeply fur- 
 rowed, corky bark ; zigzag branches ; obovate-oblong, sinuate leaves 
 with blunt lobes, with or without stalks ; flowers appearing with the 
 leaves ; cup with numerous, adpressed, triangular, blunt scales. 
 
 G G 
 
 Currant-galls on 
 
450 CUPULfFER,E 
 
 There are three well-marked varieties : var. pedunculdta, the 
 White Oak, with sessile leaves, downy beneath when young, and 
 acorns on long stalks ; var. intermedia, the Durmast Oak, pro- 
 bably a hybrid, with short stalks to both leaves and acorns, leaves 
 remaining always downy beneath, and very dark green acorns ; 
 and var. sessiliflora, the Red Oak, with downy twigs, long leaf- 
 stalks, leaves smooth beneath, and nearly sessile acorns. — Woods ; 
 common. The tree is attacked by numerous insects producing 
 various galls, such as oak-apples, marble-galls, leaf-spangles, arti- 
 choke-galls, currant-galls, &c. — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 Castanea SatIva (Spanish Chestnut). 
 
 *6. Castanea (Chestnut).— Trees with long slender catkins, 
 the staminate ones erect ; stamens 8 — 20 ; carpellate -flowers 3 to- 
 gether within a 4-lobed, very prickly capsule ; stigmas 6 ; ovary 
 5 — 8-chambered ; nut large, surmounted by 6-lobed perianth, 1- 
 chambered, 1 — 3-seeded. (Name, the Classical Latin name of the 
 tree.) 
 
 1.* C. sativa (Sweet or Spanish Chestnut).— A large and hand- 
 some tree with deeply furrowed bark ; glossy, oblong-lanceolate 
 leaves with bristly serrations ; catkins 5 — 6 in. long. — Parks and 
 plantations ; common, but not indigenous. — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 7. Fagus (Beech). — Trees with deciduous (or, in foreign species, 
 evergreen) leaves; staminate catkins globose; stamens 8—40, with 
 
WILLOW FAMILY 45 I 
 
 slender, exserted filaments ; carpellate flowers 2 — 4 together within 
 a 4-lobed, prickly capsule ; stigmas 3 ; nut 3-cornered, enclosed 
 in the enlarged hardened cupule. (Name, the Classical Latin 
 name of the tree.) 
 
 1. F. sylvdtica (Common Beech). — A large and beautiful tree 
 with thin, smooth, olive-grey bark; long, pointed, chestnut- 
 brown buds ; glossy, ovate leaves, plaited parallel to the pinnate 
 veins in the bud, silky when young. — Woods on dry soil, chiefly 
 in the south. — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 fAgus sylvatica (Common Beech). 
 
 Ord. LXXVI. Salicince. — Willow Family 
 
 A small Order of trees and shrubs of very obscure relationships, 
 occurring mostly in the Arctic and North Temperate zone, the 
 more northern forms being dwarf and shrubby. They have scat- 
 tered, simple, stipulate, deciduous leaves ; dioecious flowers in 
 catkins, commonly appearing before the leaves ; stamens 2 — 30 ; 
 ovary 1 -chambered ; styles 2 ; ovules numerous ; fruit a 2-valved, 
 many-seeded capsule ; seeds covered with a tuft of silky hairs. 
 The wood of Poplars and Willow grows in general so quickly that 
 it is soft and of little value as timber ; but it is used for cricket- 
 bats, charcoal, and paper-pulp. The flexible shoots of certain 
 
 G G 2 
 
452 
 
 SALICINEjE 
 
 species of Willow, known as Osiers, are largely used as wicker- 
 work ; and the bark of many species is bitter and astringent, and 
 contains an active principle known as salicine which has some of 
 the properties of quinine as a preventive of fever. There are 
 only two genera in the Order. 
 
 i. Salix. — Catkins usually erect ; catkin-scales entire; stamens 
 
 2—5- 
 
 2. Populus. — Catkins drooping; catkin-scales cut; stamens 
 
 4— 3°- 
 
 i. Salix (Willow). — Trees or shrubs ; leaves of various forms. 
 
 Staminate catkins ot a Willow. 
 
 Pistillate catkin of a Willow. 
 
 but usually longer than they are broad, stalked, with prominent 
 stipules ; catkins usually erect or horizontal ; scales not cut ; 
 stamens 2 — 5, exserted ; stigmas usually 2-lobed. (Name, the 
 Classical Latin name of the group.) 
 
 Shoots of these trees bearing catkins are popularly known as 
 Palms, the staminate ones with their conspicuous yellow anthers, 
 which mature about Easter-time, being called Gold Palm ; and 
 the cafpellate ones covered with silky down, Silver Pussy-Palms. 
 The 17 or 18 British species are somewhat variable: there is 
 some difference in vegetative characters between the staminate 
 and carpellate trees in each species ; and the group is rendered 
 one of the most puzzling in the plant world by the occurrence in 
 
WILLOW FAMILY 
 
 453 
 
 a wild state of numerous hybrids. Only the leading types are 
 here described. 
 
 * Leaves convolute ; catkins produced with the leaves ; filaments 
 free, hairy below ; deciduous -peduncle bearing leaves ; capsule 
 smooth. (Including the larger trees in the genus.) 
 
 i. S. pentdndra (Bay-leaved Willow). — A shrub or tree, 6 — 20 
 feet high, with dark brown bark ; handsome and fragrant, broad, 
 ovate, polished leaves, paler beneath ; stamens 5 ; stigma 2-fid. — 
 River-sides in the north ; frequent. The latest flowering Willow. 
 ■ — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. tridndra (Almond-leaved, French or Brown Norfolk Wil- 
 low). — Naturally a tree 20 — 30 feet high, but cut down and treated 
 as an osier ; bark flaking ; leaves oblong-lanceolate, 2 — 4 in. long, 
 serrate, glabrous, paler beneath, with large stipules ; stamens 3. 
 — River-banks and osier-beds ; frequent. — Fl. April, May. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 3. S. frdgilis (Crack Willow, Withy). — Growing into a large tree 
 with ascending, easily detached branches, but often treated as an 
 osier ; very smooth, highly polished, yellow, orange, or crimson 
 bark; elliptic-lanceolate, serrate, glabrous leaves, 3 — 6 in. long, 
 pale beneath, hairy beneath, with semicordate stipules ; stamens 
 2 ; stigma 2-fid ; capsule stalked. — Osier-beds ; common. — Fl. 
 April, May. Perennial. 
 
 4. S. alba (White or Huntingdon Willow, White Tree). — A large 
 tree, but often pollarded, with furrowed bark; olive-green, silky, 
 not easily detached twigs ; lanceolate, acuminate leaves 2 — 4 in. 
 long, silky on both surfaces, with small, ovate stipules ; stamens 2 ; 
 stigma 2-fid, recurved ; capsule nearly sessile. The Golden Wil- 
 low (S. vitellina) is a form with bright yellow twigs, and the 
 variety c&rulea, the Cricket-bat Willow, is apparently a hybrid 
 between S. alba and S. frdgilis. — Wet places ; common, but often 
 planted. — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 ** Shrubs and small trees, mostly known as Sallows or Osiers ; 
 catkins sessile when in flower ; bracts on peduncle small or absent ; 
 catkin-scales discoloured at the tip ; stamens 2 ; capsule silky. 
 
 5. S. purpurea (Purple Osier, Bitter Willow). — A shrub with 
 slender, tough twigs ; dark red or purple bark ; catkins appearing 
 before the leaves, with purple-black hairy scales ; leaves folded 
 equitantly in bud, lanceolate, serrate, glabrous ; stamens 2, united ; 
 anthers purple, becoming black. — River-banks and marshes ; 
 frequent. — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 6. S. vimindlis (Common Osier). — A shrub or small tree, with 
 
454 SALIcfNEiE 
 
 long, slender branches, silky when young,- then polished ; catkins 
 appearing long before the leaves, with brown scales ; leaves linear- 
 lanceolate, acuminate, 4 — 10 in. long, with revolute, wavy margins, 
 silky beneath, with small, lanceolate stipules ; stamens 2 ; anthers 
 yellow ; style long. — Wet places and osier-beds ; common. — Fl. 
 April — June. Perennial. 
 
 7. S. Lappdnum (Downy Mountain Willow). — A dwarf shrub, 
 wih stout, brown branches ; woolly buds; catkins preceding the 
 leaves, with black scales with long, white hairs ; leaves elliptic- 
 lanceolate, shaggy on both surfaces, with revolute margins and 
 small or absent stipules ; stamens 2 ; anthers yellow. — Highland 
 mountains ; rare. — Fl. June, Julv. Perennial. 
 
 8. S. cdprea (Goat Willow, Great Sallow). — A small tree, with 
 smooth buds ; catkins preceding the leaves, with hairy scales black 
 at the tip ; leaves broad, ovate, flat, with wavy, crenate-serrate 
 margins, cottony beneath ; stamens 2 ; anthers yellow ; style very 
 short ; capsule with a slender stalk. — Dryish places ; common. — 
 Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 9: S. aurita (Round-eared Sallow). — A form closely allied to 
 the following, distinguished by its small size, not exceeding 4 feet 
 in height ; reddish twigs ; much wrinkled, obovate leaves, downy 
 on both surfaces, reddish when young, with large, kidney-shaped, 
 stalked stipules. — Damp woods ; common. — Fl. April, May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 10. S. cinerea (Common Sallow). — A large shrub or small tree, 
 closely allied to S. cdprea, but with downy buds and twigs; 
 glaucous, obovate-lanceolate leaves, with reddish-brown hairs 
 beneath, and large, semicordate stipules ; anthers pale yellow. — 
 Damp places ; common. The earliest flowering British Willow. 
 — Fl. March, April. Perennial. 
 
 11. 5. phylicifdlia (Tea-leaved Willow). — A handsome bush or 
 small tree with spreading, bright chestnut branches and shining 
 green leaves, glaucous beneath, ovate, with very small or absent 
 stipules ; catkins sessile, with black, acute scales ; style long ; 
 capsule stalked. — By mountain streams in the north. — Fl. April 
 — June. Perennial. 
 
 12. S. arbuscula (Small Tree Willow). — A small, stiff, prostrate 
 shrub, with yellow, downy twigs, becoming brown ; ovate, smooth, 
 finely serrate leaves, silky and glaucous beneath ; sessile, bracteate 
 catkins, with rounded, reddish, downy scales, preceding the 
 leaves ; style long ; capsule nearly sessile. — Scottish mountains ; 
 rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 13. S. repens (Dwarf Silky Willow). — A small, straggling bush 
 with slender branches ; silky buds ; small leaves, variable in shape, 
 
WILLOW FAMILY 
 
 455 
 
 silky when young and on the under surface, shining above, with 
 revolute margins and lanceolate or absent stipules ; catkins short 
 on leafy peduncles, with silky scales ; anthers yellow, becoming 
 black ; style short ; capsule stalked. — Heaths ; common. — Fl. 
 April, May. Perennial. 
 
 14. S. landta (Woolly Broad-leaved Willow). — A beautiful little 
 shrub with zigzag branches; downy twigs; large, black, hairy 
 buds ; broadly oval, leathery leaves, shaggy beneath, with large, 
 semicordate stipules ; and catkins with long, golden hairs. — 
 Occurs by mountain streams in the north of Scotland ; rare. — Fl. 
 May, June. Perennial. 
 
 *** Small bushes ; catkins on long, leafy, not deciduous shoots ; 
 stamens 2 
 
 15. S. myrsiniles (Whortle-leaved Willow). — A small, stiff shrub 
 with silky shoots; small, stiff, dark green, glossy, serrate, short- 
 stalked leaves ; catkin-scales blackish ; capsulh hairy. — Highland 
 mountains ; rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 1 6. S. herbdcea (Least Willow). — A minute, herb-like shrub with 
 its stems spreading amongst stones or under the turf and sending 
 up short twigs, 2 — 6 in. high, with brown buds ; a few round, 
 blunt, serrate, shining, ciliate leaves ; and small terminal catkins 
 on 2-leaved peduncles. — Lofty mountain tops ; not uncommon. — 
 Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 17. S. reticulata (Reticulate Willow). — A similar, but larger, 
 buried form, much branched, with leaves strongly netted with 
 veins on both surfaces ; and much larger, subterminal catkins 
 on long, leafy peduncles. — Scottish Highland mountains; rare. — 
 Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. Populus (Poplar). — Large trees with broad leaves on long 
 vertically compressed stalks ; drooping catkins with jagged scales ; 
 disk cup-shaped ; stamens 4 — 30, not united ; stigmas 2 — 4-lobed. 
 (Name, the Classical Latin name of the tree, and, in spite of a 
 difference in the quantity of the 0, considered in both ancient 
 Rome and modern France to be the tree of the people.) 
 
 1. P. alba (White Poplar, Abele). — A large tree with smooth 
 grey bark ; many suckers ; spreading branches ; downy buds and 
 shoots ; leaves cottony and snowy white beneath, cordate, more 
 or less palmately lobed; stamens 6 — 10; anthers red; stigmas 
 cruciform, yellow. — Damp woods; frequent, but often planted. — 
 Fl. March, April. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. canescens (Grey Poplar). — Leaves not lobed, with the 
 exception of the youngest, slightly cottony and grey beneath ; 
 stigmas 2, wedge-shaped, 2 — 4-lobed, purple. — Damp woods; not 
 
45 6 
 
 SALIcfNE^E 
 
 common. Possibly a hybrid between the preceding and the 
 following species. — Fl. March, April. Perennial. 
 
 3. P. tremula (Aspen). — A tree with grey bark ; many downy 
 suckers ; spreading branches ; downy buds and shoots ; leaves 
 nearly round, acute, cordate, serrate, glabrous on both surfaces, 
 or downy when young ; stigmas 2, 2-fid, erect. — Woods ; common. 
 — Fl. March, April. Perennial. 
 
 4.* P. nigra (Black Poplar). — A large tree with grey bark; 
 
 no suckers ; spreading 
 branches ; sticky buds ; 
 glabrous shoots ; rhom- 
 boid, acuminate, serrate, 
 cuneate leaves, glabrous 
 on both surfaces, silky 
 beneath when young ; 
 stamens 12 — 20; anthers 
 red ; stigmas 2, roundish, 
 2-fid. — River-banks ; not 
 indigenous. — Fl. March, 
 April. Perennial. 
 
 Among introduced 
 '1 forms now largely grown 
 are P. deltoidea, the 
 American Black Poplar, 
 with leaves truncate at 
 base and with ciliate 
 margin; and P. seroiina, 
 the Black Italian Poplar, 
 a very quick-growing 
 form, with straight stem 
 and ascending branches, 
 a cross between P. nigra 
 and P. deltoidea. 
 
 p6pulus trSmula (As/en). 
 
 Class II. MONOCOTYLEDONS 
 
 In the plants belonging to this class the embryo of the seed has 
 only a single cotyledon or seed-leaf. Though in their earlier stages 
 Palms develop a radicle or tap-root, no British representatives of 
 the Class do so ; nor, with the one exception of the Butcher's 
 Broom (Ruscus aculedtus), do they form woody stems. They 
 have generally bunches of fibrous roots ; their stems are often 
 bulbs or corms, and are not commonly much branched. Internally 
 there is no distinct pith, separable bark, or annual rings of wood 
 
FROG-BIT FAMILY 457 
 
 or bast, the vessels being grouped in scattered bundles which 
 are most numerous near the outside of the stem, which, in con- 
 sequence, is hardest near the exterior and sometimes hollow in the 
 centre, especially among the Grasses. The leaves are generally 
 simple, entire, and smooth, with parallel veins, or a regular net- 
 work formed by transverse veins which are much finer than the 
 longitudinal ones. The flowers are often destitute of a perianth, 
 the place of which is supplied by hard, chaffy scales known as 
 glumes. The sepals and petals, when present, the stamens and the 
 carpels are generally 3, or some multiple of 3, in number. 
 
 Sub-Class I. PETALGTDE^E 
 
 Flowers usually furnished with a petaloid and coloured, not a 
 green or glumaceous, perianth. 
 
 Series I. EPIGYN.E.— Ord. LXXVIL— LXXXI 
 
 Perianth superior ; ovary inferior 
 Ord. LXXVII. HYDROCHARfDEiE. — The Frog-bit Family 
 
 A small Order of aquatic plants, often floating, with con- 
 spicuous, polysymmetric, dioecious flowers, enclosed, when in bud, 
 in a sheath, or spathe ; sepals 3, green ; petals 3 ; stamens 3 — 12 ; 
 carpels 3 — 6, united into an inferior, 1- or many-chambered ovary ; 
 style 1 ; stigmas 3 — 9 ; fruit indehiscent, generally a berry, 1- or 
 many-chambered. Only three members of the Order occur in 
 Britain, belonging to three different genera. 
 
 *i. Elodea. — Leaves submerged, linear, whorled. 
 
 2. Hydr6charis. — Leaves orbicular, floating. 
 
 3. Stratiotes. — Leaves submerged ; sword-shaped, serrate. 
 
 *i. Elodea canadensis (American Water-weed, Water-thyme). 
 — A submerged, dark-green, translucent plant, with a long, slender, 
 branching, brittle stem, rooting at its nodes ; leaves in whorls 
 of 3, linear-oblong, finely serrate; flowers floating, small, pink, 
 dioecious, only the carpellate form commonly occurring, which 
 has a very slender perianth-tube 4 — 8 in. long ; 3 sepals ; 3 petals ; 
 3 staminodes ; ovary 1 -chambered ; style slender ; stigmas 3, 
 ligulate. — Rivers, canals, and ponds ; common. Introduced 
 from America between 1836 and 1841. (Name from the Greek 
 helodes, swampy.) 
 
 2. Hydrocharis (Frog-bit), represented only by the one 
 species H. Morsus-rdnce, a floating plant with creeping stems; 
 roundish, cordate, stalked, floating leaves ; and delicate white 
 
453 
 
 HYDROCHARfDE^E 
 
 flowers which grow 2—3 together from a pellucid 2-leaved spathe ; 
 stamens 9— 12 ; ovary 6-chambered, many ovules ; styles 6. — 
 Ponds and ditches; not general. The cells of the seed-coat 
 gelatinise in water and emit their* spiral thickening. (Name 
 from the Greek hudor, water, and charts, elegance.)— Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 ELODEA CANADENSIS 
 
 (American Water-weed). 
 
 hvdr6charis m6rsus-rAnvE (Frog-bit). 
 
 3. Stratiotes (Water Soldier), represented only by the one 
 species S. aloides, a submerged plant with runners creeping in 
 the mud ; its leaves all radical, stiff, ascending, sword-shaped, 
 spinously serrate, like those of an Aloe, brittle, dark green ; 
 flower-stalk 5 — 6 in. high, bearing at its summit a 2-leaved sheath, 
 containing either several delicate white staminate flowers, each 
 with 12 or more stamens and numerous staminodes, or one 
 carpellate flower with 6 2-fid styles and a 6-chambered, many- 
 
ORCHID FAMILY 
 
 459 
 
 ovuled ovary. — Ponds and ditches in the north and east of 
 England ; rare. The plant rises to the surface before flowering 
 and then sinks to the bottom. (Name from the Greek stratiotes, 
 a soldier, from the sword-like leaves.) — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 strati6tes al6?des {Water Soldier). 
 
 Ord. LXXVIII. ORCHfDE^;. — The Orchid Family 
 
 A very extensive and most interesting Order of perennial 
 herbaceous plants. They are to be found in all climates except 
 the very coldest and driest ; but are most abundant in hot, damp, 
 equatorial regions, where they exist in the greatest profusion, not, 
 as in temperate climates, deriving their nourishment from the 
 earth, but from the moisture in the air. These epiphytes, as they 
 are termed, cling to the trunks and branches of trees, to the stems 
 of large ferns, or to the bare rock. In many of them the large 
 
460 ORCHIDEiE 
 
 and often gorgeously-coloured flowers are the only conspicuous 
 part of the plant. They have greyish-green aerial roots which 
 are furnished with a peculiar superficial structure adapted to 
 the absorption of atmospheric moisture, and clustered, elliptical 
 branches known as pseudobulbs, from the summit of which spring 
 a few green, leathery leaves, and slender peduncles which hardly 
 seem capable of producing the numerous blossoms, beautiful in 
 form and colour, which they are destined shortly to bear. The 
 British species have mostly rounded or palmate root-tubers, two 
 or more glossy sheathing leaves, and a simple spike or raceme 
 of flowers, which are in most cases red, pink, white, or greenish. 
 They have 3 sepals, often petaloid ; and 3 petals, the lowest 
 unlike the rest, and frequently spurred. The structure of this 
 lower lip of the corolla, or labellum, is often most singular, 
 resembling some insect or presenting a fantastic caricature of 
 some more important member of the animal kingdom. " There 
 is," says Lindley, " scarcely a common reptile or insect to which 
 some of them have not been likened." The stamens are united 
 with the style into a central column, only one, or rarely two, of 
 them producing pollen, which, though sometimes powdery, is com- 
 monly united into 2 club-shaped masses, or pollinia, one in each 
 chamber of the anther. The ovary is inferior, and often so 
 twisted as to invert the flower, and so long as to be mistaken 
 for a pedicel ; it is 1 -chambered, with 3 parietal placentas. The 
 stigma is a viscid hollow in front of the column ; and the fruit 
 a 3-valved, many-seeded capsule. The floral structure of the 
 Order is, in spite of the varied form of the labellum, very uniform, 
 and, in most species, clearly adapted to secure insect-pollination. 
 The flowers have, in many cases, powerful odours and secrete 
 honey ; but in the spurred forms this honey is within the tissue 
 of the spur, instead of being, as in other groups, in the cavity 
 of the spur. The insect seeking honey is thus delayed by the 
 necessity of boring for it, and, meanwhile the stickiness of a 
 gland, or retinaculum, at the base of the pollinium has time to set 
 on the insect's head. The whole pollinium is thus removed from 
 the anther, and, in some cases, while being borne to some other 
 blossom, it bends, so as more effectually to strike against the 
 stigma. As only a part of the pollinium is torn off by the 
 viscidity of the stigma, the insect may thus pollinate many 
 blossoms. The spur of Angrcecum sesquipeddle , a native of 
 Madagascar, is no less than 9 inches long ; but, as foretold by 
 Darwin, a hawk-moth has been found in the same island with 
 a proboscis of even greater length. In some species the labellum 
 is irritable. In Caledna nigrita, for instance, the column is a 
 
ORCHID FAMILY 461 
 
 boat-shaped box resembling a lower lip, and the labellum forms 
 a lid that exactly fits it, and is hinged on a claw which reaches 
 the middle of the column. When the flower opens, the labellum 
 turns round within the column, and falls back, so that, the flower 
 being inverted, it stands fairly over the latter. The moment a 
 small insect touches its point, the labellum makes a sudden 
 revolution, brings the point to the bottom of the column, and 
 thus makes prisoner for a time any insect which the box will 
 hold. With the exception of Vanilla, the long dried pods of 
 Vanilla planijolia and other species of that climbing genus, which 
 is now extensively cultivated throughout the Tropics for the sake 
 of the crystallisable aromatic substance vanillin, which renders 
 it valuable as a flavouring for chocolate and other sweetmeats, 
 no plant of this Order is extensively used in the arts. On 
 account of their beauty and singular aspect, however, great 
 attention has of late years been paid to the cultivation of exotic 
 orchids ; and by imitating their natural conditions of heat and 
 moisture great success has been attained. If an orchid-house 
 be well managed, some one or other of these curious air-plants 
 may be seen in bloom at all seasons of the year, clinging to 
 bits of wood or virgin cork, or simply suspended by wires from 
 the roof. 
 
 * Anther i only 
 
 1. MalAxis. — A leafy plant; flowers stalked, not inverted; lip 
 posterior, not spurred, entire ; column short ; pollinia 4, waxy, on 
 one gland. 
 
 2. Liparis. — Leafy plants ; flowers stalked ; lip anterior, not 
 spurred, entire ; column long ; pollinia 4, waxy. 
 
 3. Corallorrhiza. — Brown saprophytes ; flowers stalked, 
 yellowish-green ; lip anterior, 3-lobed, minutely spurred, white 
 with red spots ; column short ; pollinia 4, free. 
 
 4. Neottia. — Brown saprophytes ; flowers stalked, light brown, 
 hooded; lip anterior, 2-lobed, pouched; column long; pollinia 2, 
 united ; pollen powdery. 
 
 5. Listera. — Leaves 2, opposite ; flowers stalked, green ; lip 
 anterior, 2 — 4-lobed, not spurred ; column very short ; pollinia 2, 
 united ; pollen powdery. 
 
 6. Spiranthes. — Leafy plants; flowers not stalked, in a spiral 
 spike; lip anterior, not spurred, entire; pollinia 2, united; pollen 
 powdery. 
 
 7. Epipactis. — Leafy plants ; flowers not stalked, in a spiral 
 spike ; lip anterior, pouched, entire ; pollinia 2, united ; pollen 
 loosely coherent. 
 
462 ORCHfDEjE 
 
 8. Epip6gum. — Brown saprophytes ; flowers stalked, pale 
 yellow, not inverted j lip posterior, 3-lobed, with a short, inflated 
 spur ; pollinia 2, united ; pollen granular. 
 
 9. Cephalanthera. — Leafy plants ; flowers not stalked, erect ; 
 lip anterior, constricted and lobed, pouched; column long; 
 pollinia 2, united ; ovary twisted. 
 
 10. Helleborine. — Leafy plants; flowers stalked, drooping; 
 lip anterior, constricted and lobed; column short; pollinia 2, 
 united ;. ovary straight ; pedicel twisted. 
 
 11. Orchis. — Leafy plants; flowers not stalked, hooded; lip 
 anterior, 3-lobed, spurred ; pollinia 2, distinct, with their glands 
 in one pouch. 
 
 12. Aceras. — Leafy plants; flowers not stalked, hooded; lip 
 anterior, 4-lobed, not spurred; pollinia 2, with their glands in one 
 pouch. „ 
 
 13. Ophrys. — Leafy plants; flowers not stalked ; lip anterior, 
 variously lobed, not spurred ; pollinia 2, with their glands in 
 distinct pouches. 
 
 14. HERMfNiUM. — Leafy plants ; flowers not stalked ; lip 
 anterior, 3-lobed, pouched ; pollinia 2, distinct, on naked glands. 
 
 15. Habenaria. — Leafy plants ; flowers not stalked ; hooded ; 
 lip anterior, spurred ; pollinia 2, distinct, on naked glands. 
 
 ** Anthers 2 
 
 16. Cyprip£dium. — Leafy plants; perianth spreading; lip 
 large, inflated ; pollen granular ; ovary not twisted. 
 
 1. Malaxis (Bog Orchis), a genus containing only the one 
 species M. paludosa, the smallest British orchid, 2 — 4 in. high, 
 with angular stem ; 3 — 5 oval leaves, fringed with bulbils that grow 
 into new plants ; and numerous minute, yellowish-green flowers on 
 twisted stalks, in a dense raceme. — In bog-moss ; uncommon. 
 Growing as an epiphyte on the moss, and easily overlooked. 
 (Name from the Greek malaxis, softening.) — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. LfPARis. — Very similar little plants, with usually only 2 
 leaves, inverted flowers on twisted stalks and a longer, slender 
 column. (Name from the Greek liparos, greasy.) 
 
 1. L. Loeselii (Two-leaved Liparis, Fen Orchis). — The only 
 British species, with 2 oblong-lanceolate, acute, stalked, radical 
 leaves ; a trianglar peduncle, 4 — 8 in. high; and 6 — 12 yellowish 
 flowers on twisted pedicels in a loose raceme. — On bog-moss in 
 the eastern counties ; very rare. An epiphyte. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
'ig. 54. Tway-bla^* 
 iLisrera ovata) 
 
ORCHID FAMILY 
 
 463 
 
 3. Corallorrhiza (Coral-root). — Brown plants, living in 
 decaying vegetable matter, without true roots or leaves, but with a 
 fleshy underground stem with interlacing branches resembling 
 coral ; brown, sheathing leaf-scales ; a few small, stalked flowers, 
 with a 3-lobed lip with a minute spur united to the ovary ; a 
 short column; and 4 distinct pollinia. (Name from the Greek 
 kordllion, coral, rhiza, root.) 
 
 1. C. trifida (Spurless Coral-root). — The 
 only British species, a curious brown plant, 
 6 — 10 in. high, with a few leaf-scales and a 
 loose raceme of 4 — 8 small, yellowish-green 
 flowers with a white lip with red warts on 
 it. — 'Boggy woods in Scotland ; very rare. — 
 Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 4 Neottia (Bird's-nest Orchis). — Brown 
 saprophytes, with sheathing leaf -scales ; 
 flowers brown, in a raceme; sepals and 
 lateral petals forming a hood ; lip 2-lobed, 
 pouched at its base. (Name from the 
 Greek neottia, a bird's nest, from the inter- 
 lacing fleshy roots.) 
 
 1. N. Nidus-dvis (Bird's-nest Orchis). — 
 The only British species, a pale brown plant, 
 about a foot high, with a root of many inter- 
 lacing fleshy fibres, from the extremities of 
 which the young plants are produced ; 
 numerous brown leaf-scales and brown, 
 stalked flowers. — Shady woods, especially 
 among fallen Beech leaves ; frequent. — FL 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 5. LfsTERA (Twayblade). — Root of fleshy 
 fibres ; leaves 2, opposite ; flowers stalked, 
 green ; sepals and lateral petals spreading ; 
 lip anterior, 2 — 4-lobed, not spurred. 
 (Named in honour of Dr. Martin Lister, an 
 English naturalist.) 
 
 1. L cor data (Lesser or Heart-leaved Twayblade) — A small, 
 glabrous plant, 4 — 8 in. high ; stem angular, slender ; leaves 
 sessile, membranous, ovate-cordate, acute ; flowers few, small, 
 greenish, in a loose raceme ; lip 4-lobed. — Mountain moors ; un- 
 common. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. L. ovdta (Twayblade). — A coarse, pubescent plant, 1 — 2 feet 
 high, with a tapering stem, round in section; large, broadly ovate, 
 
 nk6ttia nIdus-Avis 
 (BircFs-nest Orchis). 
 
464 ORCHIDE^E 
 
 strongly ribbed leaves; and a long raceme of yellowish-green 
 fiowers with a 2-lobed lip. — Woods and orchards ; common. — Fl. 
 May — July. Perennial. 
 
 6. Spiranthes (Lady's Tresses). — Root tuberous; stem leafy; 
 flo7vers in a spirally-twisted spike ; lip not spurred, united to the 
 
 lIstera ovata (Twayblade). 
 
 base of the column ; pollen powdery. (Name from the Greek 
 speira, a spiral, anthos, a flower.) 
 
 1. S. autumndlis (Autumn Lady's Tresses). — Root of 2 or 3 
 ovoid tubers ; stem 4 — 8 in. high, slender, slightly pubescent ; 
 radical leaves ovate, acute ; flowers in a close spiral, white, 
 fragrant in the evening. — Dry downs ; not uncommon. The 
 flowers are arranged in a single row and the spiral turns either 
 from left to right or from right to left. The leaves form a tuft 
 
ORCHID FAMILY 
 
 465 
 
 just above the crown of the root, and wither before the flowers 
 begin to expand. These are succeeded by a tuft of new leaves 
 which arise from the base of the old stem. — Fl. August — October. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. S. (Bstivdlis (Summer Lady's Tresses). — Root of several 
 cylindrical tubers; stem 6 — 18 in. high, glabrous; radical leaves 
 on the flowering stem, not in a lateral 
 rosette ; flowers more numerous, larger 
 and more loosely arranged than in the 
 preceding. — Bogs in the New Forest and 
 Wyre Forest, Worcester; very rare. — 
 Fl. July, August. 
 
 3. S. Romanzoffidna, a stout, leafy 
 species, with much larger flowers in 3 
 spiral rows, is found in the south-west 
 of Cork. — Fl. August, September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 7. Epipactis. — Closely allied to Spi- 
 rdnthes, but with a creeping rhizome, 
 generally stalked leaves, and a pouch at 
 the base of the lip. (Name of Greek 
 origin, but of uncertain application.) 
 
 1. E. repens (Creeping Goodyera). — 
 A creeping species with a slender stem 
 4 — 8 in. high ; stalked, ovate, acute 
 leaves with a network of veins, pubescent 
 below ; flowers small, white, in a slender, 
 spiral spike with linear, adpressed brads 
 and glandular hairs. — Fir woods, chiefly 
 in East Scotland. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 8. Epipogum, represented by one 
 species, E. aphjilum, is a brown sapro- 
 phyte, with stalked, pale yellow flowers 
 which are not inverted, and have a short inflated spur to their lip. 
 — It has only once been found in a damp wood in Herefordshire. 
 (Name from the Greek epi, up, pogon, lip, the lip of the flower 
 being uppermost.) 
 
 9. Cephalanthera (Helleborine). — Leafy plants with a creep- 
 ing rhizome ; nearly distichous leaves ; flowers in a few-flowered 
 spike, not stalked, erect; lip anterior, constricted, lobed, and 
 pouched; column long; ovary twisted. (Name from the Greek 
 
 H H 
 
 spirAnthes autumnAlis 
 (Autumn Lady's Tresses). 
 
466 0RCHIDE.£ 
 
 kephale, head, dnthera, anther, the anther forming a head to the 
 column.) 
 
 i. C. rubra (Red Helleborine). — A slender plant about a foot 
 high, with lanceolate acute leave* and red flowers with downy 
 ovaries shorter than the bracts. — Woods on limestone in Gloucester- 
 shire ; very rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. longifolia (Narrow-leaved Helleborine). — A very similar 
 but taller plant, with white -flowers and smooth ovaries which are 
 longer than the bracts. — Woods ; local. — Fl. May, June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3. C. grandiflora (White Helleborine). — Stem 1 — 2 feet high ; 
 leaves 3 — 6 in. long, ovate-oblong, upper narrower ; flowers rather 
 large, milk-white, cup-shaped, in a loose spike; ovary smooth, 
 shorter than the bracts. — Woods on calcareous soil ; uncommon. 
 — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 10. HELLEBORfNE (Helleborine). — A genus closely allied to 
 the preceding, but with drooping flowers on twisted pedicels, with 
 short columns and straight ovaries. (Name of Greek origin, having 
 practically the same origin as Helleborus.) 
 
 1. H. latifolia (Broad-leaved Helleborine). — Stem 1 — 3 feet high, 
 solitary, downy ; leaves broadly ovate, ribbed ; flowers green with a 
 red lip, shortly stalked, in a long, loose, 1 -sided raceme, sub-erect 
 in bud ; tip of" lip roundish-cordate with a small recurved point ; 
 ovary downy, shorter than the green brads. — Hilly woods ; common. 
 — Fl. August. Perennial. 
 
 2. H. media, a closely allied form, with longer and narrower 
 leaves and tip of lip triangular-cordate, acute. — Woods; local. — 
 Fl. August. Perennial. 
 
 3. H. purpurdta, another closely allied form, has many clustered 
 stems, which, together with the leaves, are much tinged with violet ; 
 yellow-green flowers tinged with pink; and the tip of the lip 
 triangular-ovate, acuminate. — Woods in the south of England ; 
 rare. — Fl. August. Perennial. 
 
 4. H. atrorubens (Dark-flowered Helleborine). — Stem solitary, 
 about a foot high ; with smaller, ovate-lanceolate, acute leaves ; 
 flowers small, varying from dark yellow to a dingy blackish-red ; 
 tip of lip broader than long, rounded, with a short, abrupt point. — 
 Limestone cliffs, chiefly in the north ; rare. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 5. H. palustris (Marsh Helleborine). — Stem about a foot high, 
 downy ; leaves lanceolate-acute ; flowers few ; sepals green, striped 
 with red ; petals white, striped with red ; tip of lip blunt, crenate ; 
 bracts shorter than the flowers. — Marshes ; not uncommon. — Fl. 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
ORCHID FAMILY 467 
 
 11. Orchis. — Herbaceous plants with tuberous roots; leaves 
 mostly radical, sessile, and sheathing ; flowers not stalked, with a 
 hood formed of the lateral petals ; lip anterior, 3-lobed, with an 
 empty spur ; pollinia 2, distinct, with their glands in one pouch. 
 (Name, the Greek name of the genus.) 
 
 * Tubers ovoid 
 
 1. 0. hircina (Lizard Orchis). — Stem 1 — 3 feet high ; flowers 
 large, in a loose spike ; sepals and lateral petals green, spotted with 
 red ; lip over an inch long, strap-shaped, spirally coiled in bud, 
 white, with red spots. — Woods on chalk in Kent, Sussex, and 
 Wilts. ; very rare. The flowers have an unpleasant goat-like 
 smell.- — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 2. . pyramiddlis (Pyramidal Orchis). — Stem 6 — 18 in. high; 
 leaves lanceolate, acute ; flowers small, deep rose-colour, rarely 
 white, in a dense pyramidal spike ; lip with 3 equal, oblong, 
 truncate lobes, and a slender spur longer than the ovary. — Lime- 
 stone pastures ; frequent. — Fl. July, Ai gust. Perennial. 
 
 3. 0. ustuldta (Dark-winged or Dwarf Orchis). — Stem 4 — 6 in. 
 high ; leaves oblong, acute ; flowers many, small, in a dense oblong 
 spike, dark crimson at first, and, therefore, at the top of the spike, 
 becoming white later, that is, lower down; spur much shorter 
 than the ovary. — Upland calcareous pastures; not common. — Fl. 
 May, June. Perennial. 
 
 4. 0. purpurea (Great Brown-winged, or Old Woman Orchis). — 
 Stem stout, 1 — 3 feet high ; leaves oblong, blunt ; flowers in a dense 
 spike, greenish-red, with a dark hood, light rose-coloured, 4-lobed, 
 flat lip, with raised, rough, red points, and short spur.— Woods on 
 chalk in Kent and Sussex; rare. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 5. 0. militdris (Military Orchis). — A closely allied but smaller 
 species, with pale red flowers, with a pink hood, pink and white, 4- 
 lobed lip with narrow, upcurved segments, and raised, rough, red 
 points, and short spur. — Chalky hills in the south-east of England ; 
 rare. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 6. 0. simia (Monkey Orchis). — A closely allied but more slender 
 form, with dark red hood and the lobes of the lip all long, narrow, 
 and crimson. — Chalky hills in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Kent ; 
 rare. — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 7. O.mbrio (Green-winged Meadow Orchis). — Stem 6 — 12 in. 
 high ; leaves lanceolate ; flowers few, in a loose spike, deep crimson, 
 rarely white ; blunt, lateral sepals, and petals strongly marked with 
 parallel green veins, and bent upwards to form a hood over the 
 column; lip pale, spotted with crimson; spur shorter than the 
 ovary, blunt. — Meadows ; frequent. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 h h 2 
 
468 ORCHfDE^E 
 
 8. O.mdscula (Early Purple Orchis). — Stem 6 — 12 in. high; 
 leaves oblong-lanceolate, blunt, usually blotched with dull reddish- 
 black ; -flowers few, in a loose spike, crimson, mottled with lighter 
 
 6rchis mAscula {Early Purple Orchis). 
 
 and darker shades, rarely white, each rising from a twisted ovary, 
 and having a long, stout, blunt spur ; sepals spreading, not forming 
 a hood. — Woods and pastures ; abundant. The colour of the 
 flower, associated, as it often is, with Cowslips and Wild Hyacinths, 
 
ORCHID FAMILY 
 
 469 
 
 is rich and beautiful ; but the odour is strong and offensive, 
 especially in the evening. — Fl. April — June. Perennial. 
 
 9. 0. laxiflbra (Lax-flowered Orchis), with unspotted leaves, and 
 large, bright red flowers in a loose spike, with long, 3 — 5-veined 
 bracts and reflexed sepals, occurs only in the Channel Islands. — 
 Fl. May, June. Perennial 
 
 ** Tubers palmate 
 
 10. 0. incarndla (Crimson 
 Marsh-Orchis). — Stem about 
 a foot high, usually hollow ; 
 leaves radical and cauline, 
 lanceolate, acute, concave at 
 the tip, unspotted; flowers 
 rose-coloured, in a dense 
 spike; bracts long, 3-veined, 
 green ; sepals spreading ; lip 
 slightly 3-lobed ; spur shorter 
 than the ovary. — Marshes ; 
 frequent. — Fl. June. Peren- 
 nial 
 
 11. 0. latifolia (Marsh- 
 Orchis). — A closely allied and 
 very similar species ; leaves 
 generally with ring-shaped 
 spots, oblong, flat at the tip. — 
 Marshes ; less frequent. — Fl. 
 May, June, often over before 
 the preceding species flowers. 
 Perennial. 
 
 12. 0. maculdta (Spotted 
 Orchis). — Stem about a foot 
 high, solid; leaves oblong- 
 lanceolate, radical, and cauline, 
 with numerous squarish spots ; 
 flowers lilac or white, curiously 
 marked with dark lines and 
 spots, in a dense, oblong-pyramidal spike ; bracts 3-veined, green ; 
 lip deeply 3-lobed. — Moist heaths and commons ; abundant. — Fl. 
 May — July. Perennial. 
 
 ACERAS ANfHROPOPHORA (Maft-OrcAts). 
 
 12. Aceras (Man-Orchis). — Leafy plants with ovoid tubers, 
 sessile flowers with a hood ; lip anterior, long, 4-lobed, not spurred 
 
47o 
 
 ORCHIDE^E 
 
 pollinia 2, with their glands in one pouch. (Name from the Greek 
 a, without, keras, a horn.) 
 
 1. A. anthropbphora (Man-Orchis). — About a foot high, with 
 mostly radical leaves ; and a loose spike of curious little flowers 
 with a large green hood, and a long, slender, yellow lip with 2 
 
 6phrys At'fFERA (Bee-Orchis). 
 
 6phrys muscIkera (Fly-Orchis). 
 
 lateral and 2 terminal lobes, like arms and legs.- 
 places in the east of England ; rare. — Fl. June, July. 
 
 -Dry chalky 
 Perennial. 
 
 13. Ophrys (Insect-Orchis). — Leafy plants with ovoid tubers ; 
 sessile flowers; spreading sepals; lip anterior, variously lobed, 
 usually convex and velvety, not spurred ; pollinia 2, with their 
 glands in distinct pouches. (Name from the Greek ophrus, an 
 eyebrow, from the markings on the lip.) 
 
ORCHID FAMILY 47 1 
 
 i. 0. apijera (Bee-Orchis). — A curious and beautiful plant, 
 about a foot high, with short, oblong, mostly radical leaves and 3 — 
 6 flowers in a loose spike, with large, leafy bracts ; sepals white or 
 pink, spreading, ovate ; lip velvety, broad, brown, variegated with 
 yellow, convex, 5-lobed, the 2 lower lobes hairy, the 2 lateral 
 anterior ones bent under the lip and the terminal one long, acute, 
 and usually also reflexed ; pollinia falling forward and pollinating 
 the stigma of the same flower. — Open places on calcareous soil ; 
 uncommon. No one who has heard that plants exist bearing the 
 names of this and the three following species can well doubt their 
 identity should they fall in his way. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 2. 0. fuciflora (Late Spider-Orchis). — A closely similar species 
 chiefly differing in the lip, which is long, velvety, dark purple 
 variegated with yellow, with a flat, heart-shaped, green, ter- 
 minal lobe. — Chalk downs in Kent and Surrey ; very rare. — Fl. 
 April — June. Perennial. 
 
 3. 0. sphegodes (Spider-Orchis). — A somewhat smaller plant 
 with fewer flowers ; green sepals ; and deep brown hairy lip with 
 smooth, yellowish markings and a notched apex without terminal 
 lobe.— Chalk downs in the south-east ; rare. — Fl. April, May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. 0. muscifera (Fly-Orchis). — A slender species, about a foot 
 high, with few oblong leaves; flowers 1— 12, in a loose spike; 
 sepals green ; lateral petals thread-like, resembling the antennas of 
 a fly ; lip oblong, 3-lobed, brownish-purple with a bluish patch in 
 the centre. — Shady places on calcareous soil ; uncommon. — Fl. 
 May — July. Perennial. 
 
 14. HERMfNiUM (Musk-Orchis). — Leafy plants with ovoid 
 tubers ; few leaves; sessile flowers ; perianth leaves incurved, lip 
 anterior, 3-lobed, pouched ; pollinia 2, distinct, with large, naked 
 glands. (Name from the Greek hermin, a bed-post, from the 
 shape of the tubers.) 
 
 1. H. Mondrchis (Musk-Orchis). — A diminutive plant, generally 
 4 — 6 in. high, with stalked tubers ; slender stem ; radical leaves 2, 
 lanceolate, cauline 1 ; flowers minute, green, smelling like honey- 
 in-the-comb by day and like musk at night ; sepals ovate ; lip 
 narrow, 3-lobed, pouched at the base, terminal lobe longest. — fc 
 Chalky downs in the south ; rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 15. Habenaria. — Leafy plants with sessile flowers with a hood ; 
 lip anterior, spurred ; pollinia 2, distinct, with naked glands. 
 (Name of doubtful etymology.) 
 
 t. H. conopsea (Sweet-scented Orchis). — About a foot high; 
 tubers palmate ; leaves oblong-lanceolate, acute, keeled ; flower- 
 
472 
 
 ORCHfDE/E 
 
 buds red or deep lilac ; flowers lighter, not spotted, very 
 fragrant, in an elongated, cylindrical spike ; bracts 3-veined ; lip 
 with 3 equal, entire lobes and a slender spur twice as long as 
 the ovary. — Dry upland pastures ; common. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. H. intdcta, a small 
 species with ovoid tubers ; 
 stem 4 — 10 in. high ; leaves 
 often spotted ; delicate 
 pink flowers with an un- 
 equally 3-lobed lip and 
 short spur, occurs only in 
 limestone pastures in the 
 west of Ireland. — Fl. April 
 — June. Perennial. 
 
 3. H. dlbida (Small 
 White Habenaria). — A 
 similar but rather large 
 species, has roots consisting 
 of numerous fleshy fibres ; 
 lower leaves oblong, blunt, 
 upper lanceolate, acute ; 
 flowers small, yellowish- 
 white, fragrant ; bracts 
 3-veined ; lip with 3 un- 
 equal, acutely triangular 
 lobes, and a spur shorter 
 than the short ovary. — 
 Hilly, pastures, mostly in 
 the north ; uncommon. — 
 Fl. June — August. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 4. H. viridis (Frog- 
 Orchis). — Tubers palmate ; 
 stem 3 — 8 in. high ; leaves 
 oblong, blunt, smaller up- 
 wards ; flowers green, in z 
 loose spike ; bracts long, 
 
 green; lip pale brownish-green, linear, flat; spur very short. — 
 Upland pastures ; uncommon.— Fl. June— August. Perennial. 
 
 5. H. bifolia (Lesser Butterfly-Orchis).— A singular, but not 
 appropriately named, plant, for its flowers bear but a slight resem- 
 blance to a butterfly. It has 2 broad, glossy leaves at the root ; 
 the stem is slender and angular, about a foot high ; and the 
 
 habenaria conopsea {Sweet -seen ted Orchis). 
 
Fig. 56. Butterfly Orchis. Mabenana bifoliai 
 
IRIS FAMILY 
 
 473 
 
 flowers white, very fragrant in the evening ; sepals spreading ; lip 
 linear, strap-shaped, entire ; spur slender, spreading, twice as long 
 as the ovary ; anther-chambers 
 parallel. — Moist heaths and 
 the horders of woods ; com- 
 mon. — Fl. June, July. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 6. H. virescens (Greater 
 Butterfly Orchis). — A closely 
 allied but larger species, with 
 larger, greener flowers, broader 
 lateral sepals, a stouter spur 
 bending downwards, and 
 anther-chambers diverging at 
 the base. — In more moist 
 situations ; almost equally 
 common. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 1 6. — Cypripedium (Lady's 
 Slipper), represented by only 
 one species in Britain, C. 
 Calceolus, one of the rarest, 
 most beautiful, and interesting 
 of our native plants ; has a 
 creeping rhizome ; a downy 
 stem about a foot high, bearing 
 3 or 4 large, ovate, acuminate, 
 ribbed leaves and i or 2 large 
 flowers with broad, spreading, 
 reddish - brown sepals and 
 petals; and the distinctive 
 large inflated lip of a pale 
 yellow. — Woods on limestone in the north of England ; very rare. 
 (Name from the Greek Kupris, Venus, podion, a slipper.) — Fl. 
 May, June. Perennial. 
 
 habenAria bifolia 
 {Lesser Butterfly-Orchis'). 
 
 Ord. LXXIX. iRfDE^E. — Iris Family 
 
 A considerable Order of herbaceous plants with fleshy, under- 
 ground stems; long, narrow, often sword-shaped, and equitant 
 leaves, and showy flowers ; perianth superior, petaloid, of 6 
 leaves in 2 alternating whorls, imbricate, and often persistent; 
 stamens 3, with extrorse anthers : ovary inferior, 3-chambered, 
 
474 
 
 IRfDE^E 
 
 many-ovuled ; style i ; stigmas 3, often petal-like ; fruit a 3-sided, 
 3-valved, many-seeded capsule. They are chiefly natives of warm 
 and temperate, extra-tropical regions, and are most abundant in 
 Cape Colony, where, at the time of its discovery by the Portu- 
 guese, the natives mainly supported themselves on the under- 
 ground stems of plants of this Order, together with such shell-fish 
 
 as were left on shore by the 
 receding tide. Few species 
 are used in the arts : Orris 
 root is the rhizome of Iris 
 florentina and other species, 
 which, when dried, has a 
 perfume resembling that of 
 Violets, and is used as an 
 ingredient of tooth-powder ; 
 and Saffron, the dried stig- 
 mas of Crocus sativus, 
 formerly used far more ex- 
 tensively than at present, 
 as a dye and as a colouring 
 agent in cooking and in 
 medicine. Iris, Crocus, Ixia, 
 Gladiolus and others are 
 favourite garden genera. 
 
 1. Iris. — Flowers poly- 
 symmetric ; sepals reflexed ; 
 gyle dividing into 3 broad, 
 2-fid, petaloid lobes. 
 
 *2. Crocus. — Flowers 
 polysymmetric, funnel- 
 
 shaped, with a long tube ; 
 style slender ; stigmatic lobes 
 widening upward. 
 
 3. Romul£ a. — Flowers 
 polysymmetric, with a short 
 tube ; style slender ; stigmas 
 2-fid, lobes slender. 
 
 4. SiSYRfNCHiUM. — Flowers polysymmetric, with a short tube; 
 style short ; stigmas undivided. 
 
 5. Gladiolus. — Flowers monosymmetric ; style slender ; stig- 
 matic lobes widening upward. 
 
 1. Iris (Flower-de-luce). — Herbaceous plants mostly with fleshy 
 rhizomes ; leaves chiefly radical, sword-shaped, equitant j flowers — 
 
 IRIS PSEUDACORUS 
 
 (Yellow Iris, Flag; Corn Flag). 
 
Fig. 57 Yellow Iris. Flag. Oris psnut^corus). 
 
IRIS FAMILY 475 
 
 few, large, with a membranous spathe : perianth-tube short ; sepals 
 3, large, petaloid, stalked, reflexed ; petals 3, erect, stalked ; style 
 stout, dividing into 3 broad, spreading, petal-like lobes covering 
 the stamens, bifid, with a transverse stigmatic line. (Name from 
 the Greek iris, the rainbow, from the beautiful colouring of the 
 flowers.) 
 
 Cr6cus officinalis {Saffron Crocus). 
 
 i. 1. fcetidissima (Stinking Iris, Gladden, Roast-beef Plant). — 
 Stem compressed, with 1 sharp edge, about 2 feet high ; leaves 
 weak ; flowers a dull leaden hue or livid purple, rarely yellow, 
 with no fringe down the sepals. — Thickets, chiefly on calcareous 
 soil ; not uncommon. The leaves are so acrid as to leave a 
 burning taste in the mouth, or even to loosen the teeth. The 
 whole plant, when bruised, emits a disagreeable odour. The 
 
476 
 
 IRfDE/E 
 
 bright scarlet seeds remain attached to the plant all through the 
 winter. — Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. /. Pseuddcorus (Corn Flag, 
 Yellow Iris). — A stout aquatic plant 
 with creeping, acrid rhizomes ; round 
 stem, 2 — 5 feet high ; sword-shaped 
 leaves ; and large, handsome yellow 
 flowers with unfringed sepals. — 
 Marshes and river-banks ; common. 
 The rhizome yields a black dye, and 
 the seeds, it is said, may be roasted 
 and used as a substitute for coffee. — 
 Fl. May — August. Perennial. 
 
 3.* /. tuber osa, with tubers, 4- 
 angled leaves, and solitary purple 
 flowers, found at Penzance and at 
 Cork, is one of several cultivated 
 species occasionally found apparently 
 wild. 
 
 *2. Crocus. — Herbaceous plants 
 with fleshy corms ; no aerial stem ; 
 linear, radical leaves, white beneath, 
 with revolute edges ; and generally 
 solitary, large, funnel-shaped flowers 
 with a long perianth-tube ; style 
 slender; stigmatic lobes 3, widening 
 upwards ; capsule pedicellate. 
 (Name from the Greek krokos, 
 saffron, and that from kroke, a 
 thread.) Several species are natural- 
 ised in various parts of England, 
 such as C. officinalis, the Purple 
 Spring Crocus, in meadows at Not- 
 tingham and elsewhere, flowering in 
 March and April; but the only 
 species with any claim to be con- 
 sidered indigenous is C. nudiflorus 
 (Naked-flowered Crocus), with leaves 
 appearing in March, and solitary, 
 purple flowers in September and 
 October, occurring in meadows in the Midland counties. This 
 genus must not be confused with the Colchicums which are mis- 
 leadingly called Autumn Crocuses or Meadow Saffrons, but belong 
 to the Liliaceae, having 6 stamens. 
 
 GLADIOLUS illyricus. 
 
Fig. 58. Saffron Crocus. 
 
AMARYLLIS FAMILY 477 
 
 3. Romul£a. — A closely allied genus with a corm : short scape ; 
 linear, radical leaves ; polysymmetric perianth with a short tube 
 surrounded by a longer spathe ; perianth-leaves 6, recurved at the 
 tip ; stigmas 3, 2-fid, with linear segments. (Name from Romulus, 
 founder of Rome.) 
 
 1. R. Columnce, the only British species, a small plant, 3 — 4 
 in. high, with a minute corm, very narrow leaves, and 1 — 3 flowers, 
 on a short stalk, greenish outside, whitish, with purple veins and 
 yellow at the base, inside. — It grows only on a sandy pasture called 
 the Warren, at Dawlish, Devon, and in the Channel Islands. — Fl. 
 March — May. Perennial. 
 
 4. Sisyrinchium (Blue-eyed Grass). — Fibrous rooted plants with 
 linear, equitant, radical leaves ; tall, umbellate scape ; polysym- 
 metric perianth with short tube ; short style; and 3 undivided 
 thread-like stigmas. (Name of uncertain etymology.) 
 
 1. S. angustifolium (Narrow-leaved, Blue eyed Grass). — A pretty 
 plant, about a foot high, with linear leaves and a 2-edged, winged 
 peduncle bearing 1—6 blue flowers, with a short spathe and pointed 
 perianth-leaves.— Bogs, Galway, Kerry and Cork. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. S. californicum, a species with 4 — 5 yellow flowers, with blunt 
 perianth-leaves, a native of California and Oregon, was found in 
 June, 1896, by Rev. E. S. Marshall, in marshy ground at Rosslare, 
 co. Wexford. 
 
 5. Gladiolus. — Herbaceous plants with corms ; leaves sword- 
 shaped, equitant ; flowers in a tall, i-sided spike, monosymmetric, 
 with a short, curved perianth-tube, and 6 segments, slightly 2-lipped ; 
 style slender ; stigmatic lobes 3, widening upwards. (Name a Latin 
 diminutive from glddius, a sword, referring to the form of the leaves, 
 pronounced with the accent on the first syllable, the i having sound 
 like y.) 
 
 1. G. illyricus, the only British species.— Corm ovate, small, 
 with many bulbils and a sheath of slender, parallel fibres; stem 1 
 — 2 feet high, leafy ; leaves slender, glaucous ; flowers crimson, 4 — 
 8 in a spike ; seeds narrowly winged. — In the New Forest and the 
 Isle of Wight ; rare.— ; F1. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 ORD. LXXX. AMARYLLfDE^B. — AMARYLLIS FAMILY 
 
 An extensive Order, principally composed of herbaceous plants 
 with bulbous stems, sword-shaped, radical leaves, and showy flowers, 
 which are distinguished from the Liliaceae by their inferior ovary, 
 that organ in the Lily Family being superior. The perianth consists 
 of 6 leaves in 2 whorls, sometimes with a tubular coronet at the 
 
47 
 
 AMARYl.LlDEiE 
 
 mouth of its tube ; stamens 6, with versatile, introrse anthers ; 
 ovary inferior, 3-chambered ; style 1 ; stigma generally 3-lobed ; 
 fruit a many-seeded capsule, or rarely a 1 — 3-seeded berry. Large 
 and beautiful species belonging to this Order are found in abund- 
 ance in Brazil, the East and West Indies, and especially Cape 
 Colony. In the temperate regions they are less common, and by 
 no means so showy. Numerous species are cultivated in our 
 gardens and conservatories, though few, if any, are indigenous to 
 Great Britain. The bulbs of many species are poisonous, some, 
 it is said, to such a degree that deleterious properties are commu- 
 nicated to weapons dipped in their juice. Those of the Snowdrop 
 (Galdnthus nivalis) and Daffodil (Narcissus Pseudo-narcissus) are 
 emetic, and the flowers of the latter species are a dangerous poison. 
 From the juice of the so-called American Aloe or Century plant 
 (Agave americdna) " pulque," a fermented liquor which is a common 
 beverage in Mexico, is prepared. This plant, called by the Mexicans 
 " Maguey," is cultivated over an area of 50,000 square miles, the 
 annual consumption of pulque in the city of Mexico alone amount- 
 ing to the enormous quantity of eleven million gallons, so that the 
 Government derive a considerable revenue from its sale. The 
 plant attains maturity in a period varying from eight to fourteen 
 years, when it forms flowers ; and it is only just before flowering 
 that the juice can be extracted. The central stem with the flower- 
 bud is then cut off near the bottom and the fleshy leaves are drawn 
 over the cavity thus left, and tied. Into this reservoir the juice 
 distils, which otherwise would have risen to nourish the flowers. 
 It is removed three or four times during the twenty-four hours, 
 yielding from one to six quarts of liquor. The juice is then placed 
 in earthen jars, and a little old pulqud is added, when it soon ferments 
 and is immediately ready for use. When fresh, pulque is brisk 
 and sparkling, and in time even Europeans prefer it to any other 
 liquor ; but when old it has an unpleasant odour, which has been 
 compared to that of putrid meat. The Agave grows but slowly in 
 England, and is so long before flowering as to have acquired the 
 name Century plant. When it does flower it sends up a stem 
 some 10 — 30 feet high from the centre of its chevaux de frise of 
 spiked leaves, branched above and bearing some thousands of 
 greenish flowers in a corymbose manner. These flowers secrete 
 so much honey as to drip to the ground and moisten it, whilst the 
 physiological effort is so great that the plant usually dies after once 
 flowering. The leaves of this species yield a fibre known as Pita 
 or Mexican Grass, valuable for cordage and paper-making ; Agave 
 vivipara yields Silk Grass ; A. sisaldna, a native of Yucatan, now 
 grown also in Jamaica, Ixtle Grass or Sisal Hemp. 
 
AMARYLLIS FAMILY 
 
 479 
 
 i. Narcissus. — Perianth with 6 nearly equal segments united in 
 a tube below with a bell-shaped coronet within. 
 
 2. Galanthus. — Perianth-segments 6, free, the outer larger, the 
 inner notched ; no coronet. 
 
 3. Leucojum. — Perianth-segments 6, free, equal, thickened at 
 the point ; no coronet. 
 
 NAKCISSUS PSEUDO-NARCisSUS (C< 
 
 Daffodil, Lent Lily). 
 
 i. Narcissus (Daffodil). — Bulbous plants with linear, radical 
 leaves; a 2-edged peduncle ; a membranous spathe ; flowers large, 
 solitary or umbellate, yellow or white, generally drooping, poly- 
 symmetric ; perianth with 6 nearly equal petaloid segments in 2 
 whorls, united into a tube below, the mouth .of which terminates 
 in a bell-shaped coronet differing in colour from the perianth ; 
 
480 
 
 AMARYLLfDEA: 
 
 stamens 6, alternately shorter, with versatile anthers. (Named 
 after Narcissus, a youth said in Greek mythology to have been 
 changed into a flower.) 
 
 i, N. Pseudo-narcissus (Common Daffodil, Lent Lily). — A 
 beautiful and favourite flower, with glaucous, blunt, nearly flat 
 leaves ; a hollow, glaucous peduncle less than a foot high, bearing 
 
 galanthus nivAlis {Snowdrop). 
 
 leuc6jum MSrtvim (Summer Snmvflakc). 
 
 one flower, the long, bell-shaped, deep golden coronet of which is 
 nearly as long as the pale yellow perianth-leaves, and is notched 
 and curled at its margin. — Woods and pastures; frequent. — Fl. 
 March, April. Perennial. 
 
 * Several other species of Narcissus, such as N. biflorus, with a 
 2-flowered scape, and N. poeticus, the Pheasant's-eye Daffodil, with 
 a spreading, white perianth, and small, yellow, cup-shaped, red^ 
 
WtP 
 
 Fig 59 Common Daffodil. Lent Lily (Narcissus Pseudo-narcissus) 
 
YAM FAMILY 48 1 
 
 edged coronet, are occasionally found near houses, but are in- 
 variably the outcasts of gardens. 
 
 2. Galanthus (Snowdrop). — Bulbous plants with 2 radical, 
 linear leaves ; flattened peduncle ; membranous spathe ; solitary, 
 drooping, white flower ; perianth of 6 free segments, the outer 
 larger and more spreading, the inner erect, notched, greenish ; no 
 coronet. (Name from the Greek gala, milk, anthos, a flower.) 
 
 1. G. nivalis (Snowdrop). — Too well known to need description. 
 The bulb is ovoid and £ in. across ; the leaves glaucous, keeled, blunt; 
 the peduncle longer ; the spathe colourless, transparent, with 2 green 
 veins, 2-fid ; the pedicel slender ; the sepals obovate, concave, and 
 more spreading in the wild form than in cultivated ones. — Woods in 
 the west ; doubtfully indigenous.- — Fl. January — March. Perennial. 
 
 3. Leucojum (Snowflake). — A closely allied genus, with more 
 than 2 leaves; 2 spathes ; 1 — 6 flowers; and nearly equal 
 perianth-leaves all thickened at their tips ; stamens 6, equal. 
 (Name from the Greek leukos, white, ion, a violet.) 
 
 1. L. cestivum (Summer Snowflake). — A bulbous plant, about 
 2 feet high, producing its linear, blunt, glaucous, keeled leaves, 
 which are about a foot long, in winter, and its 2-edged flower-stalk, 
 which is rather longer and bears 2 — 6 rather large white flowers, 
 in summer. — Wet meadows in the south-east of England ; a 
 doubtful native, common in gardens.- — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 2. L. vernum (Spring Snowflake). — A much smaller plant, pro- 
 ducing its leaves and flowers, of which it only bears 1, or 2 
 together, in early spring. — Woods in Dorsetshire. — Fl. February 
 ■ — April. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LXXXI. Diosc6re;e. — Yam Family 
 A small Order of twining herbs or shrubs, which, with the 
 exception of the Black Bryony (Tdmus communis), our one British 
 species, are confined to tropical regions. They often have large 
 tubers ; their stems twine upwards in the direction of the hands of 
 a clock ; the leaves somewhat resemble those of Dicotyledons, 
 being distinctly stalked and net-veined ; the flowers are small, 
 inconspicuous, and dioecious, in axillary clusters ; the perianth 
 green, superior, of 6 equal segments in 2 whorls, persistent ; 
 stamens 6, with introrse anthers ; ovary inferior, 3-chambered ; 
 style deeply 3-cleft ; fruit a dry, flat capsule, or, in Tdmus, a berry. 
 Dioscorea, the genus from which the Order takes its name, has 
 large tubers, which, under the name of Yams, form as important 
 an article of food in tropical countries as the Potato in temperate 
 climates. When growing they require support, like Hops. There 
 
diosc6re^ 
 
 are several species, D. saliva and D. aldta, natives of India, and 
 D. Batatas, native of China. Their tubers sometimes weigh 30 or 
 40 lb., and the Chinese species yields enormous crops in France 
 and Algeria, and is hardy in this country, but is not appreciated. 
 1. TXmus (Black Bryony). — Perianth bell-shaped; stigmas 
 
 2-lobed ; berry few-seeded, 
 the plant.) 
 
 (Name, the Classical Latin name of 
 
 tAmus communis (Black Bryony). 
 
 i. T. communis (Black Bryony). — The only British species, a 
 handsome plant with a large, black tuber ; a slender, green stem, 
 twining among bushes to the length of many feet, and bearing 
 numerous very glossy, cordate, acuminate leaves, which in autumn 
 turn to a purple bronze or to a bright lemon-yellow, and clusters of 
 small, green flowers, which are succeeded by oblong scarlet berries. 
 The plant at that season is very attractive ; but the stem dies down 
 to the ground in winter. — Hedgerows in England ; common. — Fl. 
 May, June. Perennial. 
 
LILY FAMILY 483 
 
 Series II. HYP6GYN^. Ord. LXXXIL— LXXXIX 
 Ovary superior 
 
 Ord. LXXXII. Liliace^e. — Lily Family 
 
 An extensive family of plants comprising about 2,500 species, of 
 which the majority are bulbous herbaceous plants with showy 
 flowers. Some attain the dimensions of shrubs, or even trees, in 
 which case they resemble the Palms in having no true separable 
 bark or distinctly marked pith, and in the leaves being never jointed 
 to the stem. The leaves of Herb-Paris {Paris quadrijolia), a British 
 species, are net- veined, and so resemble those of Dicotyledons ; but 
 are not jointed to the stem. The perianth consists of 6 — 10 leaves, 
 generally similar and petaloid, but in 2 whorls, distinct, or united 
 into a tube ; stamens 6 — 10, epiphyllous, with anthers generally 
 introrse ; ovary superior, 3- rarely 4 -chambered; style 1 ; stigma 
 simple, or 3-lobed ; fruit a 3-chambered, many-seeded capsule, or 
 berry-like, 3 — 5 -chambered, 1 — 6-seeded. The Order is most 
 abundantly represented in temperate climates, but its members 
 attain their greatest size in the tropics. The Butcher's Broom 
 (Ruscus aculedtus) is the only British species which forms a woody 
 stem. The Dragon's Blood (Draaena Draco), which grows very 
 slowly and only branches when of considerable age, was represented 
 at Orotava, in Teneriffe, by a giant specimen 70 feet high and over 
 48 feet in circumference, which is recorded to have been an ancient 
 tree and apparently almost as large in 1406 ; but it was destroyed 
 by a hurricane in 1867. The leaves of many species in the Order 
 contain tough fibre, the New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax) 
 being the most important of these. The Onion (Alliun Cepa), the 
 Leek (A. Porrum), and the Garlic (A. sativum) are among the most 
 anciently cultivated of vegetables, and were given divine honours 
 by the ancient Egyptians ; whilst the young shoots of Asparagus 
 are among the most esteemed delicacies of our modern kitchens. 
 In medicine many members of the Order are of great value, among 
 which aloes, the bitter, condensed juice of A lo'e vulgdris , A. succo- 
 trina, and other species ; squills, an extract of the Mediterranean 
 Urginea Scilla ; and the corms and seeds of Colchicum autumndle, 
 used as a specific for gout, are well known. As ornamental 
 plants the beauty of this Order has for ages been proverbial, 
 many species of Lilium, Fritilldria, Scilla, and other genera, the 
 Lily of the Valley (Convalldria majdlis), the Hyacinth (Hyacinthus 
 orientdlis), and the Tulip (Tulipa) being among the most prized 
 of our garden flowers. 
 
484 LILIACEJE 
 
 Section I. Asparage^:. — The Asparagus Group 
 Never bulbous ; fruit berry-like 
 
 1. Ruscus. — Stem woody, with flattened, leaf-like branches, 
 minute, scale-like leaves, dioecious flowers and united filaments. 
 
 2. Asparagus. — Stem succulent, branched ; ultimate branches 
 bristle-like ; stamens not united. 
 
 3. Polygonatum. — Stem leafy ; flowers axillary ; perianth 
 tubular, 6-cleft. 
 
 4. Maianthemum.- — Stem erect, with few leaves ; flowers in a 
 terminal raceme, generally 4-merous. 
 
 5. Convallaria. — Leaves 2 — 3, radical; flowers in a terminal 
 raceme, bell-shaped, 6-merous. 
 
 Section II. Asphodelea:. — The Asphodel Group 
 Generally bulbous ; leaves radical ; scape leafless ; fruit a capsule 
 
 6. Simethis. — Not bulbous j leaves grass-like ; flowers in a 
 panicle, 6-merous. 
 
 7. Allium. — Flowers in an umbel, with a 1 — 2-leaved mem- 
 branous spathe. 
 
 8. Muscari. — Flowers in a bracteate raceme ; perianth globular. 
 
 9. Scilla. — Flowers in a bracteate raceme ; perianth-segments 
 free, spreading, blue, purple, or white, deciduous. 
 
 10. End^mion. — Flowers in a bracteate raceme; perianth-seg- 
 ments united, campanulate. 
 
 n. Ornithogalum. — Flowers in a bracteate, sometimes 
 corymbose raceme ; perianth white, persistent, of 6 free, spread- 
 ing segments. 
 
 Section III. TvLiPKK.—The Tulip Group 
 
 Bulbous ; leaves radical and cauline ; fruit a capsule 
 
 *i2. L/lium. — Flowers few, large; perianth-leaves 6, free, 
 spreading, or reflexed, deciduous. 
 
 13. Fritillaria. — Flowers few, large, drooping ; perianth-leaves 
 6, lree, not reflexed, with a nectary at the base of each, deciduous. 
 
 14. Tulipa. — Flower solitary, large, erect ; perianth-leaves 6, 
 free, without nectaries, deciduous. 
 
 15. Gagea. — Flowers few, small, yellow, umbellate; perianth- 
 leaves 6, free, without nectaries, spreading, persistent. 
 
 16. Ll6ydia. — Flowers few, small, white ; perianth-leaves 6, free, 
 with transverse nectaries, spreading, persistent. 
 
LILY FAMILY 
 
 485 
 
 Section IV. MelanthAcejE. — Colchicum Tribe 
 Not bulbous ; leaves mostly radical ; fruit mostly capsular 
 
 17. C6lchicum. — Stem a corm; perianth with a very long 
 tube. 
 
 18. Narthecium.— Stem prostrate, creeping; flowers in a 
 raceme ; perianth of 6 free, spreading leaves, golden-yellow, per- 
 sistent ; style 1 ; cap- 
 sule 3 -chambered. 
 
 19. Tofieldia. — 
 Stem a short rhi- 
 zome ; flowers in a 
 raceme, small, green- 
 ish-yellow ; perianth- 
 leaves 6, free, spread- 
 ing, persistent; styles 
 3 ; fruit of 3 follicles. 
 
 20. Paris. — Rhi- 
 zome stout ; stem 
 erect, simple, bear- 
 ing 4 whorled 
 leaves ; flower soli- 
 tary, terminal, green, 
 generally 4-merous ; 
 fruit berry-like. 
 
 1. Ri5 scus 
 (Butcher's Broom). 
 — Shrubs with stout, 
 creeping rhizomes ; 
 woody, branched 
 stems bearing flat- 
 tened, leaf-like, ever- 
 green branches or 
 " cladodes " in the 
 axils of minute, 
 scale-like, deciduous leaves ; flowers dioecious ; perianth deeply 
 6-cleft, green, persistent ; filaments united into a tube ; fruit berry- 
 like, 1 -chambered, 1 — 2-seeded. (Name said to be from bruscus, 
 a word of Keltic origin.) 
 
 1. 7?. aculedtus (Butcher's Broom, Knee-Holly). — The only 
 British species, and only British shrubby Monocotyledon, 3 — 4 
 feet high, with erect, dark green stems ; ovate, dark green, flat- 
 
 r6scus aculeatus {Butcher' 
 
 Holly). 
 
4 86 
 
 LILIACEiE 
 
 tened branches, each terminating in a sharp spine ; flowers minute, 
 green, growing singly from the centres of the flattened branches ; 
 berries as large as marbles, round, scarlet. — Woods in the south ; 
 uncommon. — Fl. February — May. Perennial. 
 
 2. Asparagus. — Herbaceous plants with a stout rhizome; 
 branched stem bearing tufts of green, bristle-like branches in the 
 
 axils of minute scale-like 
 leaves; flowers small, pen- 
 dulous, often dioecious ; peri- 
 anth deeply 6-cleft, bell- 
 shaped ; stamens 6, distinct ; 
 stigmas 3 ; fruit berry-like, 
 3-chambered, 3 — 6-seeded. 
 (Name, the Greek name of the 
 plant. ) 
 
 1. A. maritimus (Common 
 Asparagus). — The only British 
 species, differing chiefly in size 
 from the cultivated plant, has 
 its stem prostrate at its base, 
 giving off ascending branches 
 about a foot long, slender, 
 and flexuous ; flowers 1 — 2 
 together, yellowish - white ; 
 berry scarlet. — On the sea- 
 coast in the south-west, especi- 
 ally near the Lizard; rare. — 
 Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 3. POLYGONATUM (Solo- 
 
 mon's Seal). — Herbaceous 
 
 plants with a fleshy rhizome; 
 
 leafy stem; axillary flowers; 
 
 tubular, 6 - cleft perianth ; 
 
 stamens 6, free, included ; fruit 
 berry-like. (Name from the Greek polus, many, gonu, a knee, 
 from the zigzag rhizome.) 
 
 1. P. verticilldtum (Narrow-leaved Solomon's Seal). — Stem erect, 
 2 — 3 feet high, angular ; leaves sessile, linear-lanceolate, in whorls 
 of 3 — 6 ; flowers greenish ; berries red. — Woods in the north ; very 
 rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. multiflbrum (Common Solomon's Seal). — A striking plant, 
 1 — 2 feet high, with a round, drooping stem, bearing numerous, 
 
 asparagus maritimus (Common Asparagus). 
 
Fig. 60. Solomon's Seal. ^Polygonum multiflorum). 
 
LILY FAMILY 
 
 487 
 
 scattered, oblong, acute leaves which hang downwards ; greenish- 
 white flowers in 2 — 5-flowered axillary clusters, resembling old- 
 fashioned bunches of seals ; filaments hairy, and blue-black 
 berries. — -Woods ; uncommon. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 3. P. officinale (Angular Solomon's Seal). — Differing from the 
 preceding in being smaller, having an angular stem ; thicker leaves ; 
 larger, usually solitary flowers ; and smooth filaments. — Woods ; 
 rare. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 pot/vgonAtum mui.tiflorum {Common Solomon's Seat). 
 
 4. Maianthemum (May-Lily), of which the only species is 
 M. Convalldria (Two-leaved May-lily), a graceful little plant with 
 a creeping, slender rhizome ; an erect stem, 4 — 8 in. high, bearing 
 2 scattered, stalked, cordate, acute leaves, and a terminal raceme 
 of small, white, fragrant, 4-merous flowers, followed by spotted 
 berries. — Woods near Scarborough, and elsewhere ; very rare, 
 though common in the north of Europe. (Name from the Greek 
 maios, May, anthemos, a flower.) — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 5. Convallaria (Lily of the Valley), represented by the one 
 species C. majdlis, a beautiful plant with a creeping rhizome ; leaves 
 
488 LILlACE^ 
 
 2 — 3, radical, ovate-lanceolate, with a sheathing petiole ; flowers 
 6 — 12, globular, pure white, in a terminal, drooping, loose, i-sided 
 raceme, with an angular peduncle ; berries red. — Woods on a light 
 soil ; not common. A universal favourite in gardens for the 
 beauty and fragrance of its blossoms. (Name from the Latin 
 convallis, a valley.) — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 6. Sim£this, a genus represented by the one species S. 
 planifolia ( Variegated Simethis), a slender plant with fibrous roots ; 
 radical, grass-like, recurved leaves, 6 — 18 in. long, and a forked, 
 corymbose cyme, about the same height, of rather large, 6-merous 
 flowers, purple outside, white inside ; fruit a 3-chambered, 
 6-seeded capsule.— Formerly in fir-woods near Bournemouth and 
 in Kerry, very rare. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 7. Allium (Garlic). — Bulbous, strong-smelling plants, with 
 radical leaves and flowers in an umbel or head, with a membranous, 
 1 — 2-leaved spathe and a leafless peduncle ; perianth of 6 free, 
 spreading segments ; fruit a 3-chambered, 3 — 6-seeded capsule. 
 (Name, the Classical Latin name of some species of the genus.) 
 
 1.* A. Ampeloprasum (Wild Leek). — The largest species, 3 — 4 
 feet high, with a large bulb with large, stalked, lateral "cloves" or 
 bulbils ; a stout, leafy stem ; distichous, flat, linear, folded, glaucous 
 leaves with cylindrical sheaths ; a globose umbel of greenish-white 
 flowers in a long pointed spathe, often with bulbils ; the 3 outer 
 filaments broader, 3-fid. — Rocky places ; rare, merely naturalised. 
 — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. Scorodoprasum (Sand Leek). — A smaller plant, 2 — 3 feet 
 high, with a slender, leafy stem; flat, linear, keeled, glaucous 
 leaves with 2-edged sheaths ; a loose head of red flowers in 2 short, 
 pointed spathes, with red bulbils. — Sandy woods and fields in the 
 north ; rare. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 3. A. sphcerocephalttm (Small Round-headed Garlic). — A similar 
 but smaller species, with hollow leaves ; round, compact umbels of 
 red flowers without bulbils. — Bristol and Jersey ; very rare. — Fl. 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 4. A. vinedle (Crow Garlic). — A similar plant with hollow, 
 smooth leaves round in section ; and dense, globose heads of red 
 flowers with greenish or red bulbils. — Waste ground ; common. — 
 Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 5. A. olerdceum (Field Garlic). — About a foot high, with fleshy, 
 solid leaves, semicircular in section, grooved above and ribbed 
 beneath ; and a loose head of pale greenish or brownish-pink 
 flowers in 2 spathes of unequal length, with bulbils ; stamens not 
 3 fid. — Borders of fields; uncommon. — Fl. July, Augusts Perennial. 
 
LILY FAMILY 
 
 489 
 
 6.* A.carindtum (Keeled Garlic). — A very similar species with 
 linear, channelled leaves flat towards their tips, and rose-pink 
 flowers with stamens twice as long as the perianth. — Naturalised 
 in a few places. — Fl. August. Perennial. 
 
 7. A. Schcenoprasum (Chives). — A pretty plant with a few 
 straight, hollow leaves round in section ; and dense, globular, 
 many-flowered umbels of pink flowers, with 2 short spathes, no 
 bulbils, and included, undivided stamens. — Rocky pastures; very 
 rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 8. A. sibiricum (Greater 
 Chives), differing chiefly in its 
 larger size, sometimes 2 feet 
 high, and leaves curving out- 
 wards and roughly ribbed, occurs 
 on rocks, near the sea, in Corn- 
 wall. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 9. A. triquetrum (Triangular- 
 stalked Garlic). — About a foot 
 high, with a leafless, acutely tri- 
 angular scape; radical, flat, 
 linear, keeled leaves; flowers 
 drooping to one side, in a loose 
 umbel, with 2 short spathes and 
 no bulbils ; perianth-leaves white 
 with a green midrib ; stamens 
 undivided, included. — Hedges 
 and meadows, Cornwall and 
 Guernsey ; very rare. — Fl. April 
 — June. Perennial. 
 
 10.* A. paradoxum, with a 
 scape leafy at its base, channelled, 
 involute leaves, and a bell-shaped 
 perianth, recorded from Linlith- 
 gow, is not indigenous. 
 
 11. A. ursinum (Ramson, Broad-leaved Garlic). — The only 
 common species of the genus, with broad, flat, radical leaves 
 scarcely distinguishable from those of the Lily of the Valley ; a 
 triangular scape bearing a flat umbel of pretty white flowers with 
 2 ovate, acuminate spathes, no bulbils, and undivided, included 
 stamens. — Woods and thickets; common. When bruised the 
 whole plant emits an intolerable stench of Garlic. — Fl. May, June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Allium ursinum 
 {Broad-leaved Garlic, Ramson). 
 
 8. Muscari (Grape Hyacinth). — Bulbous plants with radical 
 
49° 
 
 LILIACE.E 
 
 leaves and globular, 6-merous flowers in a stalked, bracteate 
 raceme ; stamens included ; fruit a 3-chambered capsule. (Name 
 from the musk-like scent.) 
 
 1. M. racembsum (Grape, or Starch, Hyacinth). — Leaves slender, 
 prostrate, semicylindric, 6 — 1 2 in. long ; scape shorter, bearing a 
 short, cylindric, many-flowered, dense raceme of small, dark blue, 
 
 ovoid flowers with minute 
 bracts, the stalks lengthen- 
 ing after flowering. — Sandy 
 fields in the eastern coun- 
 ties ; rare. — Fl. April, 
 May. Perennial. 
 
 9. ScfLLA (Squill). — 
 Herbaceous plants with 
 tunicate bulbs ; radical, 
 linear leaves; flowers 6- 
 merous, in a raceme ; 
 perianth - segments free, 
 spreading, blue, purple, or 
 white, deciduous ; fruit a 
 3-chambered, many-seeded 
 capsule. (Name, the Clas- 
 sical Latin name of the 
 group.) 
 
 1. S. autumndli s 
 (Autumnal Squill). — A 
 little plant with a bulb the 
 size of a walnut ; leaves 
 3 — 6 in. long, appearing in 
 autumn after the shortly 
 racemose, reddish-purple 
 flowers ; bracts absent ; 
 perianth - segments free, 
 spreading ; anthers purple. 
 — Dry pastures, especially 
 near the sea, in the south ; 
 
 scilla v£rna {Vernal Squill). 
 
 rare.— Fl. July— October. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. verna (Vernal Squill). — A lovely little plant, about the 
 same size as the last ; with leaves broader and produced in spring 
 before the corymbose clusters of fragrant, blue, star-like flowers, 
 which have lanceolate bracts. — Sea-coast in the west and north ; 
 uncommon. The turfy slopes of the sea-coast of Cornwall are in 
 many places as thickly studded with these pretty flowers as inland 
 
LILY FAMILY 
 
 49 1 
 
 meadows are with Daisies. In a few weeks after their flowering 
 no part of the plant is visible but the dry capsules containing 
 black, shining seeds.— Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 10. Endymion (Wild Hyacinth). — Differing from Scilla mainly 
 in the -perianth which is cam- 
 panulate, with united, reflexed 
 
 "segments. (Name, that of 
 the beautiful shepherd of 
 Greek mythology, whose pro- 
 longed sleep may be sug- 
 gested by the drooping in- 
 florescence.) 
 
 i. E. non-scriptum (Wild 
 Hyacinth, Bluebell). — Too 
 well-known a favourite to need 
 much description. Leaves 
 10 — 1 8 in. long, sub-acute, 
 produced in spring, before 
 the stout, drooping, stalked, 
 bracteate raceme of 6 — 12 
 blue, rarely pink or white, 
 pendulous flowers, which have 
 a bell-shaped perianth of 
 united segments, and yellow, 
 included anthers. — Woods ; 
 abundant. The name Hya- 
 cinthus was originally given to 
 some species of Lily into 
 which the youth Hyacinthus 
 was fabled to have been 
 changed by Apollo. The 
 petals were marked with dark 
 spots, arranged so as to re- 
 semble the Greek word AI, 
 alas ! The present species, 
 however, having no such 
 characters on its petals, was 
 named Hyacinthus non-scrip- 
 tus (not written) by Linnaeus, 
 and, having been made into a distinct genus{ was once called 
 Agraphis. It is sometimes confused with the Harebell {Campanula 
 rotundi folia), the Bluebell of Scotland. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 11. Ornith6galum (Star of Bethlehem). — Closely allied to 
 
 ENDYMION NON-SCRIPTUM (Wild HyacitltK). 
 
492 
 
 LILIACE.E 
 
 Scilla ; but the flowers, which are in a bracteate, sometimes 
 corymbose, raceme, are white or yellow, but never blue; the 
 perianth, which consists of 6 free, spreading segments, has a 
 nectariferous gland at the base of each, and is persistent ; and the 
 anthers are versatile. (Name from the Greek ornithos, bird's, gala, 
 
 milk.) 
 
 I.* 0. nutans (Drooping Star 
 of Bethlehem). — Bulb large ; 
 leaves a foot or more in length, 
 glaucous ; flowers few, large, 
 white, greenish outside, in a 
 loose, drooping raceme with 
 long, slender bracts; filaments 
 3-fid. — Naturalised in fields ; 
 rare. — Fl. April, May. Biennial. 
 2.* 0. umbelldtum (Common 
 Star of Bethlehem). — Bulb 
 smaller ; leaves shorter, green, 
 with a white stripe ; flowers 
 6— 10, large, erect, white, with 
 a broad green band externally, 
 in a long-stalked, corymbose 
 raceme. — In the neighbourhood 
 of houses, not indigenous ; fre- 
 quent. — Fl. April, May. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 3. 0. pyrendicum (Spiked 
 Star of Bethlehem). — Bulb 
 large ; leaves long, narrow, 
 glaucous, withering very early 
 in the season ; flowers numerous, 
 in a long, erect raceme, with a 
 stout, leafless peduncle about 
 2 feet high ; bracts lanceolate- 
 acuminate ; perianth - leaves 
 green, with white margins in- 
 side. Woods in the south ; 
 rare, but very abundant near Bath, where the young shoots when in 
 bud are sold as " French Asparagus." — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 * 1 2. Lf lium (Lily). — Herbaceous plants with scaly bulbs, cauline 
 leaves, and large flowers with a deciduous perianth of 6 spreading, 
 or reflexed, free segments, with a nectary; anthers versatile. 
 (Name, the Classical name of some such plants.) 
 
 ornith6galum pyrenAicum 
 (Spiked Star of Bethlehem). 
 
LILY FAMILY 493 
 
 i.* L. pyrendicum (Pyrenean Lily). — About a foot high, with 
 scattered, linear-lanceolate leaves, and an umbel of a few, drooping, 
 yellow flowers with black dots at the base of the revolute perianth- 
 leaves. — Near South Molton, North Devon ; a garden escape. 
 
 2* L. Mdrtagon (Turk's-cap Lily). — 2 to 3 feet high, with downy 
 
 fritillAria meleAgris (Fritillary, Snakes-head). 
 
 stem ; whorled, lanceolate leaves, and a raceme of drooping, pale 
 violet or pink flowers with dark red warts on the revolute perianth- 
 leaves. — Woods at Mickleham, Surrey ; naturalised. — Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 13. FritillAria (Fritillary). — Closely allied to Lilium, but with 
 more drooping flowers with a bell-shaped perianth of which the 
 
494 
 
 LILIACE^E 
 
 segments are not recurved. (Name from the Latin jritillus, a 
 dice-box, the common accompaniment of a chequer-board, which 
 the marking of the flowers of some species resembles.) 
 
 i. F. Meledgris (Fritillary, Snake's-head). — The only British 
 species, a beautiful plant, about a foot high, with a small bulb of 
 2 — 3 scales ; stem round, leafy, i — 2 flowered ; leaves linear-acute ; 
 flower drooping, generally solitary, shaped like a Tulip, curiously 
 chequered with pink and dull red, rarely white. — Water meadows 
 in the south ; rare. — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 14. Tulipa (Tulip). — Bulbous plants with radical and cauline 
 leaves and usually large, solitary, erect flowers with bell-shaped, 
 deciduous perianth of 6 free segments, recurved at their tips, 
 without nectaries. (Name from the Persian tulipan, a turban.) 
 
 1. T. sylvestris (Wild Tulip). — The only British species j bulb 
 chestnut-brown ; stem about a foot high, round, smooth ; leaves 
 few, linear-lanceolate, glaucous ; flowers bright yellow, fragrant ; 
 perianth-leaves tipped with hairs. — Chalk pits; rare. — Fl. April, 
 May. Perennial. 
 
 15. G ag ea (Yellow Star of Bethlehem). — Bulbous plants with 
 radical, linear leaves ; few, small, yellow flowers, arranged in an 
 umbellate manner ; perianth-leaves 6, free, without nectaries, 
 spreading, persistent. (Named in honour of Sir Thomas Gage, an 
 English botanist.) 
 
 1. G.lutea (Yellow Star of Bethlehem). — The only British 
 species ; bulb small ; radical leaf commonly solitary, long and 
 narrow ; scape shorter than the leaves, with 2 opposite bracts and 
 an umbel of yellow flowers. — Woods ; local. — Fl. March — May. 
 Perennial. 
 
 16. Lloydia (Spiderwort). — Small bulbous plants with slender, 
 leafy stem ; thread-like leaves ; and 1 or 2 small, erect, white or 
 yellow flowers ; perianth-leaves 6, free, with transverse nectaries, 
 spreading, persistent. (Named in honour of Edward Lloyd, the 
 antiquary, who discovered it in North Wales.) 
 
 1. L. serotina (Mountain Spiderwort). — A pretty little plant, 
 with 3-sided leaves, the radical ones longer than the 2 — 8 in. scape, 
 which bears one white flower with red veins. — Snowdon ; very rare. 
 — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 17. C6lchicum (Meadow Saffron). — Underground stem a solid 
 corm ; leaves all radical, produced in spring ; flowers mostly 
 solitary, nearly sessile, erect, with a very long perianth-tube, 
 resembling those of Crocus, but stamens 6, extrorse ; ovary superior : 
 
61- Meadow Saffron iColchictim officinale) 
 
LILY FAMILY 
 
 495 
 
 fruit a capsule. (Name of Greek origin, from Colchis, a country 
 famous for medicinal herbs.) 
 
 i. C. autumndle (Meadow Saffron, Autumn Crocus). — Leaves 
 lanceolate, dark green, glabrous, often a foot long, produced in 
 
 c6ixhicum autumnAl£ {Meadow Saffron). 
 
 NARTHECIUM OSSIFRAGUM 
 
 {Bog Asphodel). 
 
 spring and withering in summer ; flowers light purple or white, 
 presenting no conspicuous difference from Crocuses except their 
 6 stamens ; ovary remaining underground until the spring after 
 flowering, when they are borne up by the elongating peduncle and 
 
496 
 
 LILIACE.E 
 
 ripen. — Meadows, especially on limestone ; local. — Fl. September, 
 October. Perennial. The leaves and fruit are poisonous to cattle. 
 
 1 8. Narth£cium (Asphodel). — Stiff plants, with a creeping, 
 ascending stem ; sword-shaped, equitant leaves ; -flowers in a raceme ; 
 perianth-leaves 6, free, spreading, golden-yellow, persistent ; style 
 i ; capsule 3-chambered. (Name from the Greek narthex, a rod.) 
 
 1. N. ossifragum (Bog Asphodel). — The only British species, 
 
 an elegant little plant, 
 6 — 8 in. high, with tufts 
 of narrow, grass-like 
 leaves, and a tapering 
 spike of star-like, yellow 
 flowers, followed by 
 long, orange-red cap- 
 sules. — The name ossi- 
 fragum, bone-breaking, 
 was given to this plant 
 from its being supposed 
 to soften the bones of 
 cattle that fed on it. 
 Other plants have had 
 the same property 
 assigned to them, but 
 there is little doubt 
 that in every case the 
 diseases in question are 
 to be traced to the 
 noxious exhalations 
 from the bogs in which 
 the plants grow, rather 
 than to the plants 
 themselves. — Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 19. Tofi£ldia (Scottish Asphodel). — Very similar to the pre- 
 ceding genus, but with greenish flowers and a fruit consisting of 
 3 many-seeded follicles. (Name in honour of Mr. Tofield, a 
 Yorkshire botanist of the 18th century.) 
 
 1. T. palustris (Mountain Scottish Asphodel). — The only 
 British species, 4 — 6 in. high, with tufts of distichous, narrow, 
 sword-shaped leaves, and almost stalkless, dense spikes of small, 
 greenish-yellow flowers, with 3 membranous bracts below each. — 
 Boggy ground in the north ; rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 20. Paris (Herb-Paris). — Plants with a stout rhizome; erect, 
 
 pXris quadrifolia 
 {Four-leaved Herb-Paris, True-love Knot). 
 
RUSH FAMILY 497 
 
 simple stem, bearing 4 whorled, net-veined leaves, and a solitary, 
 terminal, green, generally 4-merous flower, succeeded by a berry- 
 like fruit. (Name from the Latin par, equal, on account of the 
 equal number of leaves in the several whorls.) 
 
 1. P. quadrifblia (Herb-Paris, True-Love Knot). — The only 
 British species, a singular plant, about a foot high, with 4 large, 
 ovate, acute leaves ; a rather large flower with narrow perianth- 
 leaves and a black, 4-chambered berry. — Woods ; rather local. — 
 Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LXXXIII. JuncAce*:. — Rush Family 
 
 An Order of plants mostly perennial and inhabiting marshy 
 situations in temperate or arctic regions. They have mostly 
 creeping rhizomes; stems herbaceous, seldom branched, erect, 
 often with considerable central pith ; leaves often resembling the 
 stems, and filled with a pith-like internal tissue, or flat ; flowers 
 small, green or brown, polysymmetric, and perfect, in cymose 
 clusters ; perianth inferior, of 6 free, membranous, imbricate, per- 
 sistent leaves ; stamens 6, rarely 3, with introrse anthers ; ovary 
 1 — 3-chambered, 3- or many-ovuled ; style 1 ; stigmas 3, slender ; 
 fruit a capsule. The true Rushes (Juncus) are, for the most 
 part, social plants, single species covering wide areas of marsh or 
 bog and often proving of considerable use in fixing the soil. The 
 stems of the common species were formerly used to strew the 
 stone floors of castle halls in lieu of carpets, for twisting into 
 cordage, and for wicks for tallow candles ; but are now seldom 
 put to any use. The name Rush is extended to members of 
 other Orders, the name Bulrush being applied to Scirpus lacustris, 
 which belongs to the Sedge Family (Cyperdcece) and to the genus 
 Typha, which gives its name to the Order Typhdcece, whilst the 
 name Flowering Rush is applied to Butomus umbelldtus in the 
 Order Alismdcece. 
 
 1. Juncus. — Smooth plants generally with cylindric leaves; 
 ovary generally 3-chambered ; ovules many. 
 
 2. Luzula. — More or less hairy plants, with flat leaves; 
 1 -chambered ovary ; ovules 3. 
 
 1. Juncus (Rush). — Smooth marsh plants, usually with a 
 creeping rhizome ; cylindric leaves ; membranous perianth ; 
 stamens 6, rarely 3 ; ovary 1 — 3-chambered, many-ovuled ; stigmas 
 3, wind-pollinated. (Name, the Classical Latin name of the 
 plant, perhaps connected with jungo, I join, referring to the 
 ancient use of the stems for twisting into cordage. ) 
 
 K K 
 
498 
 
 JUNCACE/E 
 
 * Perennial ; stems cylindrical, tapering to a point ; leaves solid 
 i. /. effusus (Soft Rush). — One of the commonest species, with 
 soft, faintly striate stems, i — 3 feet high ; flowers olive-green, in a 
 loose, spreading, branched panicle ; perianth-leaves lanceolate, longer 
 than the blunt capsule ; stamens 3. — Marshy ground ; abundant. — 
 Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 2. /. conglom rdtus 
 (Common Rush). — Mainly 
 distinguished from /. 
 effusus by its usually more 
 densely crowded, globose 
 panicles of browner flowers 
 and by its capsule ending in 
 a point. — Marshy ground ; 
 abundant. — Fl. July. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 3. /. inflexus (Hard 
 Rush). — Distinguished by 
 its rigid, slender, deeply 
 furrowed, glaucous stems, 
 L2 — 18 in. high; and very 
 loose, much-branched, erect 
 panicle of brown flowers, 
 below the apex of the stem ; 
 perianth-leaves narrow, as 
 long as the oblong, mucro- 
 nate capsule ; stamens 6.— 
 Marshy places and road- 
 sides ; common. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 */. diffusus, closely re- 
 sembling /. inflexus, but 
 with softer, less furrowed 
 stem, continuous pith, and 
 obovoid capsule, is probably 
 a hybrid between the two 
 preceding species. 
 
 4. /. bdlticus (Baltic Rush). — A widely creeping species, with 
 few, rigid, very faintly striated stems, 1 — 2 feet high ; flowers 
 brown, in small, flat-topped, slightly-branched, erect panicles ; 
 perianth-leaves ovate-lanceolate, as long as the ovoid, mucronate 
 capsule; stamens 3. — Sandy shores in the north-east of Scot- 
 land; rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 5. /. flliformis (Thread Rush). — A very slender, pale green 
 
 j6ncus eff6sus (Soft Rusk). 
 
RUSH FAMILY 499 
 
 species, less than a foot high, with faintly striate stems ; -flowers 
 few, pale, crowded in a small sessile cyme, about half-way up the 
 stem ; perianth-leaves lanceolate, longer than the roundish, blunt, 
 mucronate capsule ; stamens 6. — Stony lake-shores in the north ; 
 very rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 6. /. acutus (Great Sea Rush). — The largest British species, 
 growing in circular tufts, with stout, rigid, sharply-pointed stems 
 and leaves 3 — 6 feet high ; brown flowers in a dense, branched, 
 corymbose panicle ; perianth-leaves half as long as the large, 
 rounded, polished, mucronate capsule. — Sandy sea-shores ; in great 
 abundance in few places. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 7. /. maritimus (Lesser Sea Rush). — Resembling the preceding, 
 but irregularly tufted, with less stout, less rigid, erect, spinous 
 stems, 1 — 2 feet high; similar leaves; very pale flowers in an 
 interruptedly branched, erect panicle ; perianth-leaves lanceolate, 
 as long as the elliptic, mucronate capsule. — Salt marshes ; fre- 
 quent, — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 8. /. iriglumis (Three-flowered Rush). — Stems tufted, without 
 runners, 3 — 6 in. high, round, leafless ; leaves radical, awl-shaped, 
 channelled, formed of 6 tubes internally; flowers 2 — 3, terminal; 
 capsule pale red-brown. — Mountain bogs ; rare. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 9. /. biglumis (Two-flowered Rush). — A very rare alpine 
 species, 2 — 6 in. high, with leafless stems channelled down one 
 side ; leaves radical, awl-shaped, compressed ; flowers 2, chestnut- 
 brown. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 10. /. castdneus (Clustered Alpine Rush). — Another very rare 
 alpine species ; stem 6 — 12 in. high, with runners and 2 — 3 chan- 
 nelled, hollow leaves; flowers bright brown, in 2 — 6-flowered, 
 terminal, or sometimes also lateral, cymes ; perianth-leaves 
 lanceolate-acute, half as long as the pointed, chocolate-brown 
 capsule. — Bogs on the summits of lofty Scottish mountains ; very 
 rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 11. /. tr'.fidus (Three-leaved Rush). — Another small species, 
 with a creeping rhizome; crowded, slender, erect stems, 2 — 8 in. 
 high ; with one subulate leaf above, and others reduced to 
 sheaths ; flowers brown, 1 — 3 together between 2 long, leafy 
 bracts ; capsule ovoid, acute, longer than the perianth. — Moun- 
 tain bogs in northern Scotland, forming dense matted masses. 
 — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 12. /. squarrosus (Heath Rush). — Well marked by its rigid 
 stems and leaves. The stems are 6 — 12 in. high, erect, stout, 
 solid, occurring in tufts, but unbranched and generally leafless ; 
 leaves mostly radical, rigid, half as long as the stem, grooved ; 
 
5°° 
 
 JUNcAcEiE 
 
 ■flowers 2 — 3 together, brown, in a terminal panicle ; perianth- 
 leaves ovate-lanceolate, as long as the blunt, bristle-pointed cap- 
 sule. — Moors and heaths ; abundant. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 13. /. tenuis (Slender Rush). — Stems about a foot high, 
 cylindric, very slender ; leaves few, mostly radical, linear, 
 grooved ; flowers pale, some stalked, others not, in terminal 
 panicles, shorter than the long, erect, thread-like bracts ; perianth- 
 leaves lanceolate, longer than the spherical capsule. — Moist, sandy 
 places, chiefly in the north and west ; very rare. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 14. /. compressus (Round 
 fruited Rush).— A slender plant, 
 about a foot high, with tufted 
 stems, hollow, round, and leafy 
 below, compressed above, with 
 one linear, grooved leaf above ; 
 flowers brown, in a compact 
 terminal panicle ; perianth-leaves 
 oval-oblong, shorter than the 
 nearly round, bristle-pointed cap- 
 sule. — Damp places ; rare. — Fl. 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 15. /. Gerdrdi (Mud Rush). — 
 Stems less-tufted, 3-sided above ; 
 perianth-leaves as long as the 
 strongly mucronate capsule. — Salt 
 marshes ; common. — Fl. June — 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 ** Perennial ; stems solid ; leaves 
 hollow, jointed internally 
 wj. 16. /. sub-nodulosus (Blunt- 
 
 jlncus supinus {Lesser jointed Rush), flowered Jointed Rush). — Erect, 
 
 2 — 3 feet high; stem and leaves 
 smooth and round ; flowers in clusters of 3 — 8, in repeatedly 
 branched, spreading corymbs, pale, often reddish ; perianth- 
 leaves blunt, as long as the ovate, mucronate, pale brown 
 capsule. — Marshes ; not common. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 17. J . acuiiflorus (Sharp-flowered Jointed Rush). — Stem erect, 
 i : — 2 feet high, slender, slightly compressed, 3 — 4 leaved ; leaves 
 slightly compressed, very conspicuously jointed when dry ; flowers 
 dark chestnut brown, in dense clusters of 3 — 12, in a terminal, 
 pyramidal, compound panicle; perianth-leaves acuminate, barely 
 
RUSH FAMILY 501 
 
 as long as the pale brown, beaked capsule. — Boggy places; 
 common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 18. /. bulbosus (Lesser Jointed Rush).— A small and very 
 variable plant, less than a foot high, erect or prostrate ; with 
 thread-like stems ; bristle-like, slightly-grooved leaves ; flowers in 
 an irregular, little-branched panicle of a few distant clusters ; 
 capsules pale brown, oblong, blunt, mucronate. — Boggy places ; 
 common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 19. /. alpinus (Alpine Jointed Rush). — Stem erect, about a 
 foot high, 2 — 3-leaved ; leaves sessile, pointed, slightly compressed 
 and striate, with few articulations ; flowers in clusters of 3 — 8, in 
 a repeatedly forked, erect, terminal panicle, black or dark brown ; 
 bracts acuminate ; perianth-leaves blunt ; capsule blackish, obtuse, 
 mucronate, longer than the perianth-leaves. — In the north of 
 Scotland ; rare. Perennial. 
 
 20. /. articulatus (Shining-fruited Jointed Rush). — Stem erect, 
 1 — 2 feet high, slightly compressed, 3 — 6-leaved ; leaves com- 
 pressed, with many internal divisions ; flowers in clusters of 4—8, 
 in a repeatedly-forked, erect, terminal panicle ; perianth-leaves, 
 shorter than the large, dark brown, glossy capsule. — Boggy places ; 
 common. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 *** Annual ; stem hollow 
 
 21. /. bufonius (Toad Rush). — A very small species, 2 — 8 in. 
 high, with slender, pale green, hollow, repeatedly-forked stems ; 
 few, narrow, bristle-like leaves ; solitary, sessile, green flowers, 
 which grow mostly on one side of the stem ; and oblong, blunt 
 capsules, shorter than the perianth. — Moist places ; abundant, 
 often in large patches — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 22. /. capiidtus (Capitate Rush). — Avery small, tufted plant, 
 with naked, erect, unbranched, bristle-like stems, 1 — 4 in. high ; 
 radical thread-like, channelled leaves, 1 — 2 in. long ; and large, 
 terminal, bracteate heads of 3 — 10 sessile, pale flowers ; perianth- 
 leaves with slender, awn-like points, twice as long as the pointed 
 capsule ; stamens 3. — Sandy places liable to flooding, West Corn- 
 wall and the Channel Islands. — Fl. May — July. Annual. 
 
 23. /. mutdbilis (Pigmy Rush). — A very small, tufted plant, 
 1 — 2 in. high, with slender, little-branched stems ; leaves mostly 
 radical, bristle-like; flowers in a few small clusters ; perianth-leaves 
 linear, acute, longer than the oblong-acute, 3-edged capsule. — 
 Damp places near the Lizard. — Fl. May, June. Annual. 
 
 2. Luzula (Wood-Rush). — Differing from Juncus in having flat, 
 more grass-like leaves more or less hairy, with long weak, white 
 
502 
 
 JUNCACE^ 
 
 hairs ; flowers in clusters, with prominent anthers, wind-pollinated ; 
 capsule i-chambered, 3-seeded. (Name from the provincial 
 Italian lusziola, a glow-worm, from the sparkling appearance of 
 the flower-heads by moonlight when wet with dew.) 
 
 1. L. Forsteri (Forster's Wood-Rush). — A slender plant, about 
 a foot high ; leaves linear, hairy ; flowers on 1 -flowered, erect 
 peduncles in a loose, slightly branched cyme ; capsule 3-sided, 
 
 acuminate. — Shady places 
 on calcareous soil in the 
 south ; rare. — Fl. March — 
 June. Perennial. 
 
 2. L. pilosa (Broad- 
 leaved Hairy Wood-rush). 
 — A very similar plant, 
 with broader, soft, slightly 
 hairy leaves ; flowers 1 — 3 
 together, on peduncles 
 which bend downwards in 
 fruit ; capsule 3 - sided, 
 blunt. — Woods ; common. 
 — Fl. April — June. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 3. L. silvdtica (Great 
 Wood-rush). — A common 
 woodland plant, with more 
 of the habit of a Grass 
 than a Rush, sometimes 
 nearly 2 feet high ; leaves 
 linear - lanceolate, chan- 
 nelled, shining, with hairy 
 edges ; flowers 3 — 4 to- 
 gether, in a loose, doubly 
 compound, terminal pani- 
 cle with long branches ; 
 perianth-leaves pale brown, 
 awned, about as long as 
 
 Woods ; abundant. — Fl. April — June. 
 
 luzula. CAMpfeTRis {Field Wood-Rush) 
 
 the ovoid, beaked capsule.- 
 Perennial 
 
 4. L. arcudta (Curved Mountain Wood-Rush). — A small 
 species, 2 — 5 in. high, with recurved leaves and a 3 — 5-rayed 
 umbellate panicle of flowers in 3 — 5-fiowered clusters on drooping 
 stalks. — Summits of lofty Scottish mountains ; very rare. — Fl. 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 5. L. spicdta (Spiked Mountain Wood-Rush). — A slender spe- 
 
REED-MACE FAMILY 503 
 
 cies, 3 — 12 in. high, with a drooping, dense, spike-like panicle of 
 flowers. — Mountains ; rare. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 6. L. campestris (Field Wood-Rush, Good Friday Grass, Chim- 
 ney-sweeps). — An early spring meadow flower, 4 — 6 in. high, with 
 hairy, grass-like leaves, but distinguished by its panicles of 3 or 
 4 ovate, dense, 3 — 4-flowered clusters of dark brown, or almost 
 black, flowers, suggesting a sweep's brush. — Pastures ; common. — 
 Fl. March — May. Perennial. 
 
 7. L. multiflora (Many-flowered Wood-Rush). — A taller, stouter 
 species, 8 — 20 in. high; with panicles of numerous many-flowered 
 clusters of flowers, sometimes pale brown, and sometimes on 
 drooping peduncles. — Heaths, mountains and moist situations ; 
 common. — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 8. L. pallescens, a more slender species, 12 — 18 in. high; with 
 almost glabrous leaves, clusters of numerous, small, pale yellowish- 
 brown flowers, and minute seeds, occurs in Huntingdonshire fens. 
 
 Ord. LXXXIV. Typhace^e. — Reed-Mace Family 
 
 A small Order of marsh and water plants with creeping rhizomes ; 
 sword-shaped, linear leaves, sheathing at their bases ; and 
 numerous, small, monoecious flowers, which are only rendered 
 conspicuous by being crowded in compact cylindrical spikes or 
 globose heads, the staminate flowers being nearest the apex of the 
 inflorescence ; perianth of 3 scales, or a tuft of hairs, persistent ; 
 stamens 1 — 6, distinct, or united by their filaments ; ovary 
 superior, i-chambered, i-ovuled ; fruit indehiscent, often angular 
 from mutual pressure. The Order contains only two genera, both 
 of which are represented by common British species, the Bur-reeds 
 (Spargdnium) and the Reed-Maces (Typha). The pollen of the 
 latter is made into cakes in Scinde and in New Zealand. 
 
 1. Typha. — Flowers in long, dense, cylindrical spikes. 
 
 2. Sparganium.— Flowers in globular heads. 
 
 1. Typha (Reed-Mace). — Herbaceous, aquatic plants with 
 sword-shaped leaves; long, dense, cylindrical brown spikes of 
 pistillate flowers, surmounted by a more slender, deciduous spike 
 of staminate ones ; perianth of 2 or 3 slender hairs ; stamens 3, 
 monadelphous ; ovary stalked ; style slender. (Name from the^ 
 Greek tuphos, a marsh, where these plants grow.) 
 
 1. T. latifblia (Great Reed-Mace, or Cat's tail). — Our largest 
 herbaceous aquatic, often growing 6 — 8 feet high, with nearly flat, 
 linear, glaucous leaves, and stout, cylindrical peduncles, sur- 
 mounted by a club-like spike of pistillate flowers which is contin- 
 
5°4 
 
 TYPHACEiE 
 
 uous with that of staminate flowers. — Ponds ; common. Often 
 called Bulrush, a name properly belonging to the large rush-like 
 Scirpus lacustris. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. T. angusti folia (Lesser Reed- 
 Mace, or Cat's-tail). — Smaller and 
 more slender, with narrow leaves 
 grooved below, not glaucous, longer 
 than the flowering stems, and the 
 long, slender spike of pistillate 
 flowers separate from the staminate 
 one. — Ponds ; less frequent. Both 
 these species are now largely sold 
 as ornaments. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. Sparganium (Bur-reed). — 
 Graceful aquatics with sword-shaped 
 leaves and flowers in distinct, dense, 
 globular heads ; perianth 3 — 6- 
 leaved, membranous ; stamens 2 — 3, 
 distinct. (Name in Greek denoting 
 a little band or strap, from the 
 ribbon-like leaves.) 
 
 1. S. erectum (Branched Bur- 
 reed). — A large aquatic with erect, 
 branched stem, 1 — 4 feet high ; 
 leaves erect, sword-shaped, triangular 
 at the base with concave sides : 
 linear bracts; 1 — 3 lower heads, 
 larger, pistillate ; upper, half the 
 size, staminate, olive-brown in bud, 
 deciduous ; fruits broadly ovoid, 
 abruptly and shortly beaked. — 
 Ditches ; common. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. S. neglectum (Overlooked Bur- 
 reed). — A very similar plant, 
 differing chiefly in the fruits, which, 
 when ripe, are obovate, tapering 
 gradually into a long beak. 
 
 3. S. simplex (Unbranched Upright Bur-reed).— A smaller 
 plant with unbranched stem ; leaves triangular at the base, with 
 flat sides, sometimes floating ; heads in a raceme, the lower 
 pistillate ones shortly stalked ; the staminate ones sessile, yellow ; 
 
 t^pha latif6lia 
 (Great Reed-Mace, or Cat's-tail). 
 
REED-MACE FAMILY 
 
 505 
 
 fruits resembling those of S. neglectum, but smaller. — Ditches ; 
 common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 4. S. ndtans (Floating Bur-reed). — A weak, unbranched. 
 floating plant, with very long, grass-green, flat, floating leaves 
 
 spargXnium ERfcTUM {Branched Bur-reed). 
 
 -Lakes 
 
 several staminate heads ; and stalked, long-beaked fruits. 
 rare. — Fl. August. Perennial. 
 
 5. S. minimum (Least Bur-reed). — A more slender form, with 
 pale, pellucid leaves; 1 — 2 staminate heads ; and sessile, short- 
 beaked fruits. — Lakes and ditches ; more commdn. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial, 
 
506 
 
 AROIDEJE 
 
 Ord. LXXXV. ARofDE^;. — The Cuckoo-pint Family 
 
 A considerable Order of curious plants, many of which much 
 resemble our British Lords-and-Ladies (Arum maculdtum). They 
 abound in tropical countries, and possess acrid and even poison- 
 ous qualities, which, however, may be dissipated by heat. They 
 mostly have fleshy, underground stems, often large, starchy corms, 
 with their small flowers on a simple fleshy peduncle or spadix, and 
 
 enclosed in one large, sheathing 
 spathe. The flowers are either 
 perfect or monoecious ; the 
 perianth absent or represented 
 by 4 — 8 scales ; stamens i— 8 ; 
 ovary i — 3-chambered, superior; 
 fruit berry-like. Some species 
 of Amorphophdllus, natives of 
 tropical Asia, have enormous 
 corms : the Dumb-Cane of the 
 West Indies (Dieffenbdchia 
 seguina) is so called from pro- 
 ducing, when chewed, a violent 
 and painful swelling of the 
 tongue and uvula : species of 
 Calddium are cultivated for 
 their variegated .leaves ; and 
 those of Anthurium for their 
 spathes, which are sometimes 
 a brilliant scarlet, for which 
 reason the name Flamingo- 
 flower has been applied to them. 
 Zantedeschia cethibpica, under 
 the name of Trumpet-lily or 
 Calla, is one of the best-known 
 members of the Order. In 
 South Africa it is known as the 
 Pig-lily, pigs feeding on its 
 corms. An attempt has been 
 these stems, but it is mixed with 
 These t -aphides, as they are called, 
 are also abundant in our British Arum maculdtum, an acridly 
 poisonous plant, the corms of which were formerly, however, 
 collected in the Isle of Portland for the manufacture of Portland 
 Arrowroot. The Sweet Sedge (Acorus Calamus), another British 
 species, has no raphides. This plant in olden times supplied the 
 
 Arum maculatum 
 (Cuckoo-pint, Wake-Robin, Lords-and- 
 Ladies). 
 
 made to utilise the starch in 
 numerous needle-like crystals. 
 
m 
 
 Fig. 62. Cuckoo-plnt (Lords and Ladies). {Arum 
 
CUCKOO-PINT FAMILY 
 
 5°7 
 
 " rushes " with which, before the use of carpets had been introduced 
 into England, it was customary to strew the floors of the great. As 
 it did not grow near London, but had to be fetched at considerable 
 expense from Norfolk and Suffolk, one of the charges of extra- 
 vagance brought against Cardinal Wolsey was that he caused his 
 floors to be strewed with fresh rushes too frequently. Its bitter 
 rhizome is used in herb-beers, gin, and snuff. Most species of 
 the Order give out a con- 
 siderable amount of heat 
 within the spathe at the 
 time of flowering, so that 
 the temperature rises notice- 
 ably above that of the ex- 
 ternal air. Many of them 
 also have lurid colouring 
 and a fetid odour. 
 
 i. Arum. — Leaves hastate, 
 net- veined ; spathe con- 
 volute ; flowers monoecious ; 
 perianth absent. 
 
 2. Acorus. — Leaves 
 sword - shaped, parallel - 
 veined; spathe leaf-like, not 
 convolute ; flowers perfect ; 
 perianth 6-leaved. 
 
 i. Arum (Cuckoo-pint). 
 — Rhizome short, fleshy ; 
 leaves radical, hastate, net- 
 veined, glabrous, with a 
 sheathing petiole ; spathe 
 convolute, contracted above 
 the base ; spadix terminated 
 by a club-shaped, naked, 
 fleshy appendix ; flowers 
 monoecious, the carpellate ones below, separated by some aborted 
 ones from the staminate ones, above which are some more 
 aborted ones ; perianth absent ; fruit berry-like, i -chambered, few- 
 seeded. (Name, from the Greek name of the plant.) 
 
 i. A. maculdtum (Cuckoo-pint, Lords-and-Ladies, Wake-Robin). 
 — A succulent, herbaceous plant, with large, glossy, arrow-shaped, 
 radical leaves, which are often spotted with dark purple. The pale 
 yellow-green spathe is erect and twice as long as the spadix. They 
 maybe discerned wrapped up in the~ young leafstalks even before 
 
 Acorus calamus {Sweet Sedge). 
 
508 LEMNACE^E 
 
 the leaves have risen above the ground. The appendix is a rich 
 crimson, dull purple, or light pink, which is easily rubbed off, or 
 yellow. At the base of the spadix are numerous sessile ovaries 
 or carpellate flowers ; above them a row with aborted styles ; yet 
 higher up several whorls of purple sessile anthers or staminate 
 flowers ; and above them some aborted ones or staminodes. The 
 spathe and appendix soon wither, leaving the ovaries, which 
 finally become a mass of scarlet berries, conspicuous in autumn. 
 — Hedges and woods; common. --F1. April, May. Perennial. 
 The berries are poisonous. 
 
 2. A. itdlicum, a larger species, with larger, longer-stalked, 
 hastate, winter leaves, sometimes with yellowish veins 5 spathe 
 three times as long as the spadix, nodding ; appendix yellow. — 
 Along the south coast ; local. — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 2. Acorus (Sweet Sedge). — Rhizome long ; leaves radical, 
 sword-shaped ; spathe leaf-like, not convolute or contracted ; 
 spadix lateral, without an appendix ; flowers perfect ; perianth of 
 6 membranous segments ; stamens 6 ; ovary 3-chambered, superior. 
 (Name in Greek denoting that the plant has the power of curing 
 diseases of the pupil of the eye.) 
 
 1. A. Calamus (Sweet Sedge). — The only British species, an 
 aquatic plant, with somewhat the habit of a Sedge, easily dis- 
 tinguished from all other British plants by the wavy margins of 
 the leaves, the peculiar spadix, and the fragrance of the stems 
 and leaves when bruised. — In water ; rare. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LXXXVI. Lemnace^e. — Duck-weed Family 
 A small group of widely-distributed, minute, green plants, 
 floating in standing waters, composed of leaf-like scales, with no 
 distinction of stem and leaf, generally with unbranched, thread- 
 like roots hanging downwards in the water, propagating themselves 
 principally by offsets, but sometimes producing 1 — 3 minute 
 flowers, which are monoecious, generally enclosed in a small, mem- 
 branous spathe ; perianth absent ; staminate flowers each of a single 
 stamen; carpellate-flower a i-chambered, 1 — 7 -ovuled ovary ; fruit 
 bladdery, indehiscent. 
 
 1. Lemna. — Roots present ; flowers marginal ; spathe mem- 
 branous ; stamens stalked, with 2-chambered anthers. 
 
 2. Wolffia. — Rootless ; flowers on the upper surface ; spathe 
 absent; stamens sessile; anthers 1 -chambered. 
 
 1. Lemna (Duck-weed). — Minute, green, floating plants, with 
 simple or lobed scale-like fronds ; with thread-like roots; rarely 
 
 
WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY 509 
 
 producing i — 3 flowers, enclosed in a membranous spathe, in a 
 marginal cleft ; stamens stalked, with 2-chambered anthers. 
 (Name, the Greek name of the plant.) 
 
 1. L. trisulca (Ivy -leaved Duck-weed). — Fronds thin, pellucid, 
 \ — f in. long, budding at right angles, obovate-lanceolate, each 
 bearing 1 root. Bulbils are produced in autumn. — Stagnant 
 water ; frequent. — Fl. June. Annual. 
 
 2. L. minor (Lesser Duck-weed). — Fronds compressed, opaque, 
 paler beneath, not more than \ in. long, obovate, blunt, each 
 bearing 1 root. — Stagnant water ; often so abundant as to cover 
 the surface, where, with the insects which it harbours, it is greedily 
 devoured by ducks. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 3. L. gibba (Gibbous Duck-weed). — Fronds flat above, hemi- 
 spherical and spongy beneath, opaque, pale, \ — J in. long, 
 obovate, blunt, each bearing 1 root. — Stagnant water ; uncommon. 
 — Fl. June — September. Annual. 
 
 l£mna minor {Lesser Duck-weed). 
 
 4. L. polyrrliiza (Greater Duck-weed). — Fronds dark green 
 above, purple beneath, compressed, \ — \ in. long, broadly 
 obovate, each bearing many clustered roots. — Ponds and ditches ; 
 not common. — Flower not known in Britain. Annual. 
 
 2. W6lffia, represented by the one British species, W. arrhiza, 
 is the smallest known flowering plant, the rootless, flattish, sub- 
 globular fronds not being more than gV m - l° n g- — Ponds near 
 London. The flower is not known in Britain. Annual. 
 
 Ord. LXXXVII. Alismace.«. — Water-Plantain Family 
 
 A small but widely distributed Order of aquatic plants, often 
 floating, with leaves chiefly radical, with long, sheathing stalks; 
 flowers usually perfect ; perianth of 6 distinct leaves in 2 whorls, 
 the 3 inner, or all, coloured ; stamens 6, 9, or more, hypogynous ; 
 
5"> 
 
 ALISMiCcE^E 
 
 carpels 3, 6, or more, mostly free, superior, 1- or more-seeded : 
 fruit of achenes or follicles. 
 
 1. AiJsma. — Leaves erect or floating ; flowers solitary, or in 
 whorls, perfect ; outer perianth-leaves green ; stamens 6 ; carpels 
 numerous, free, 1 -seeded, indehiscent. 
 
 2. Sagittaria. — Leaves erect, arrow-shaped ; flowers in whorls, 
 imperfect ; otherwise as in Alisma. 
 
 3. Damas6nium. — 
 Leaves floating ; flowers in 
 whorls, perfect ; carpels 
 6 — 10, united at the base, 
 1 — 2 -seeded, dehiscent ; 
 otherwise as in Alisma. 
 
 4. Butomus. — Leaves 
 erect ; flowers in an umbel, 
 perfect ; perianth-leaves all 
 coloured ; stamens 9 from 
 the branching of the 3 
 outer ; carpels 6, united at 
 the base, many-seeded, 
 dehiscent. 
 
 1. AiisMA (Water-Plan- 
 tain). — Aquatic plants 
 with fibrous roots ; erect 
 leaves ; flowers in whorls, 
 perfect ; outer perianth- 
 leaves green ; stamens 6 ; 
 carpels numerous, free, 
 1 - seeded, indehiscent. 
 (Name, the Greek name 
 of the plant, of doubtful 
 etymology.) 
 
 1. A. Plantdgo-aqudtica 
 (Great Water-Plantain). — 
 
 A L iSM A P L ANTX G 0-AQuXT,CA(G^^^PW««). A ^^ herbaceQUS pkntj 
 
 2 — 3 feet high, with large, long-stalked, radical leaves, ovate- 
 lanceolate, 5 — 7-ribbed, like those of a Plantain ; and a tall, erect, 
 much-branched panicle of whorled flowers, the inner perianth -leaves 
 of which are very delicate, white or pale lilac, and soon fall off; 
 carpels 20 — 30 in a ring.- — Margins of rivers, lakes, and ponds ; 
 common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. ranunculoides (Lesser Water-Plantain). — Much smaller 
 than the last, with linear-lanceolate, 3-ribbed leaves, some of which 
 
Mg. 6J. 
 Great Water Plamsi 
 \Alisma f ..- 
 
WATER-PLANTAIN FAMILY 
 
 5" 
 
 are submerged or floating and pellucid ; flowers in 1 or 2 umbellate 
 whorls, larger than in the last ; carpels in a globose head. — 
 Peaty bogs ; not uncommon. — Fl. May — September. Perennial. 
 3. A. ndtans (Floating Water-Plantain). — A slender, often very 
 long plant with flowers about \ in. across. — Mountain lakes in the 
 west ; rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. SagittAria (Arrow-head).— Roots fibrous ; leaves erect, 
 
 sagittaria sagittif6lia 
 (Common Arrow-Jiead). 
 
 BUTOMUS UMBF.LLATUS 
 
 (Flowering Rush). 
 
 arrow-shaped, the basal lobes directed downwards or floating, or 
 submerged and without the basal lobes ; flowers in whorls, 
 monoecious, the upper ones larger and staminate ; stamens indefi- 
 nite ; carpels numerous, free, i-seeded, indehiscent, in a head. 
 (Name from the Latin sagitta, an arrow, from the shape of the 
 leaves.) 
 
 1. S. sagittifolia (Common Arrow-head). — The only British 
 species, a pretty plant, easily distinguished by its arrow-shaped 
 
^12 NAIAD ACE^E 
 
 leaves and unbranched peduncle, with 3 — 5 whorls, each of 3 — 5 
 rather large, delicate, white or pinkish flowers, rising a few inches 
 out of the water. — Rivers and ditches \ not uncommon. — Fl. 
 July — September. Perennial. 
 
 *S. heterophylla, a North American species, with ovate unbarbed 
 leaves on long sheathing petioles and short peduncles with small 
 white flowers, resembling those of the Water-Plantains, occurs in 
 the Exe. 
 
 3. Damas6nium (Star-fruit, Thrumwort). — Aquatic plants with 
 the habit of the Water-Plantains ; but with floating leaves and 6 — 
 10 carpels united at their base and spreading horizontally in the 
 form of a star. (Name of uncertain origin.) 
 
 1. D. Alisma (Common Star-fruit). — The only British species ; 
 leaves long-stalked, cordate-oblong, 3 — 5-ribbed, floating ; flowers 
 in 1 — 3 whorls, stalked, white, £ in. across, with a yellow spot at 
 the base of each petal ; fruit generally of 6 rather large, 2 -seeded, 
 long-beaked, dehiscent carpels. Gravelly ponds and ditches in 
 the south; rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 4. Btjtomus (Flowering Rush), represented only by one species, 
 B. umbelldtus, is a tall aquatic with a creeping rhizome ; sword- 
 shaped, radical leaves 2 — 4 feet long ; and numerous handsome, 
 rose-coloured flowers, 1 in. across, in a terminal, bracteate, 
 simple umbel, on a cylindric peduncle 2 — 3 feet high ; the 
 
 -perianth-leaves are all petaloid ; stamens 9, with red anthers ; 
 carpels 6, united at the base, many-seeded, dehiscent down one 
 side. — Stagnant water and slow rivers ; not uncommon. (Name 
 from the Greek bous, an ox, and temno, I cut ; because cattle 
 were apt to cut their mouths with the leaves of some plant to 
 which the name was originally applied.)- -Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Ord. LXXXVIII. Naiadace^e. — Pond-weed Family 
 
 A small Order of aquatic and marsh plants, usually with a 
 creeping rhizome ; slender, branched, jointed stems ; leaves 
 sheathing at the base, often floating, sometimes almost leathery, 
 but more frequently thin and pellucid ; flowers small, inconspicu- 
 ous, olive-green, sometimes solitary, but more frequently in spikes ; 
 perianth of 3 — 6 inferior, valvate scales, tubular, or absent ; 
 stamens 1 — 6, hypogynous ; carpels 1 — 6, i-ovuled, indehiscent, 
 sometimes in distinct flowers from the stamens. 
 
 1. Trigl6chin. — Leaves linear; flowers ebracteate, perfect; 
 perianth of 6 similar, erect, green leaves ; stamens 6 ; carpels 3 — 6. 
 
Fig. 64. Flowering Rush. 
 (Butomus umbeilatus) 
 
POND-WEED FAMILY 
 
 513 
 
 2. Scheuchzeria. — Leaves linear; flowers bracteate, perfect; 
 perianth of 6 similar, reflexed, green leaves ; stamens 6 ; carpels 3, 
 united below. 
 
 3. Potamogeton. — Flowers in a spike, perfect; perianth of 4 
 leaves ; stamens 4 ; carpels 4, sessile. 
 
 4. Ruppia. — Flowers in a spike, perfect ; perianth absent ; 
 stamens 2 ; carpels 4, at first sessile, afterwards each raised on a 
 long stalk. 
 
 5. Zannichellia. — Flowers 
 axillary, monoecious ; perianth 
 absent ; stamen 1 ; carpels 2 — 6 ; 
 stigmas peltate. 
 
 6. Zosteka. — Flowers monoe- 
 cious, arranged alternately in 2 
 rows on a long leai-like spadix; 
 perianth absent ; stamen 1, 
 sessile, 1 -chambered ; carpel 1, 
 sessile. 
 
 7. NAfAS. — Flowers axillary, 
 dioecious ; perianth absent or 
 4-lobed ; stamen 1 , sessile, 1 — 4- 
 chambered ; carpel 1, sessile; 
 stigmas 2 — 4, awl-shaped. 
 
 1. Triglochin (Arrow-grass). 
 — Roots fibrous ; leaves linear ; 
 flowers in an ebracteate raceme, 
 small, green, inconspicuous, 
 perfect ; perianth of 6 similar, 
 erect leaves ; stamens 6 ; ovary 
 3 — 6-chambered, superior ; stig- 
 mas feathery ; fruit 3 — 6-seeded, 
 separating into dehiscent carpels. 
 (Name from the Greek treis, 
 three, and glochin, a point, from the pointed carpels.) 
 
 1. T. palustre (Marsh Arrow-grass). — A plant with something of 
 the habit of Plantdgo maritima, from which it may easily be 
 distinguished by its fewer flowers and slenderer raceme, as well as 
 by the different structure of the flowers. It has runners ; leaves 
 radical, linear, fleshy, 8 — 10 in. high; flowers in a loose raceme; 
 fruit linear, angular, of 3 combined carpels. — Marshy places ; 
 common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. T. maritimum (Sea Arrow-grass). — Like the last, but larger, 
 stouter, and well distinguished by its rounded, ovoid capsule of 6 
 
 L L 
 
 trigl6chin palustre 
 (Marsh Arrow-grass), 
 
514 NAIADACEjE 
 
 combined carpels. — Salt marshes ; common. — Ft May — Septem- 
 ber. Perennial. 
 
 2. Scheuchzeria, represented by the one species S. palustris, 
 has a long, creeping rhizome; leaves linear, semicylindric, with 
 swollen brown sheaths ; flowers 4 — 6, in a loose, bracteate raceme, 
 perfect ; perianth of 6 similar, reflexed, green leaves j stamens 6 ; 
 carpels 3, united below. — Peaty bogs ; very rare, found only in 
 the north. (Name from the Swiss naturalists, the Scheuchzers). — 
 Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 3. Potamogeton (Pond-weed). — Floating or submerged plants, 
 with translucent or opaque, leathery leaves, scattered or opposite, 
 generally stipulate ; flowers in a spike, perfect ; perianth of 4 
 small, green, valvate, persistent leaves ; stamens 4 ; carpels 4, 
 
 potamogeton nAtans {Floating Pond-weed), 
 
 sessile, free, 1 -seeded. (Name from the Greek pdtamos, a river, 
 and geiton, a neighbour.) 
 
 * Leaves scattered, or the upper opposite, oblong, obovate or 
 lanceolate, involute ; stipules free 
 
 1. P. ndtans (Floating Pond-weed). — An aquatic plant, with 
 cord-like stems, proportioned to the depth of the water in which 
 it grows ; upper leaves floating, on long stalks, smooth, leathery, 
 elliptical to lanceolate, 2 — 6 in. long, with small auricles and very 
 long, pointed stipules, lower not always present, submersed, 
 reduced to very narrow linear phyllodes a foot long ; flowers 
 numerous, small, green, in dense cylindric spikes which rise 
 above the surface of the water on stout, axillary peduncles ; carpels 
 rather large, keeled, with a short beak. — Ponds and ditches ; 
 common. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. polygonifolius. — A more membranous plant with long- 
 
POND- WEED FAMILY 515 
 
 stalked leaves, the upper opposite, obovate to lanceolate, rounded 
 at the base, lower linear-lanceolate ; flowers in slender spikes on 
 slender stalks ; carpels very small, not keeled, red, with very short 
 beak. — Ponds ; very common. — Fl. June — September. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 3. P. fluitans. — A rare form with an unbranched stem; very 
 long, submerged leaves and rather leathery, floating ones, and a 
 fruit resembling that of P. ndtans. 
 
 4. P. colordlus (Plantain-leaved Pond-weed). — Leaves mostly 
 submerged, long-stalked, membranous, pellucid, beautifully 
 netted, broader than those of the preceding species, elliptic- 
 orbicular, on slender stalks, with short, broad, blunt stipules ; very 
 slender peduncles; carpels very small, rounded, green. — Peaty 
 ditches ; uncommon. — Fl. June— September. Perennial. 
 
 5. P. alpinus (Reddish Pond-weed). — Stem round, unbranched, 
 1 — 4 feet long ; leaves reddish, lanceolate, translucent, upper 
 short-stalked, broader, floating, or erect, rather leathery ; lower 
 submerged, sessile, many-nerved ; stipules large, blunt ; flowers in 
 stout spikes on stout stalks ; carpels ovoid, pointed, keeled, red. — 
 Ditches ; frequent. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 6. P. sparganiifolius (Bur-reed-leaved Pond-weed), known only 
 in Galway, has a slender, slightly-branched stem ; long leaves, the 
 upper often absent, or long-stalked, floating, and rather leathery, 
 the lower linear and many-nerved ; and long stipules. 
 
 7. P. lanceoldtus (Lanceolate Pond-weed). — A very rare species 
 with very slender, fragile stem ; dark green, oblong, obtuse, 
 pellucid, reticulate leaves, with slender, pointed stipules ; flowers 
 in short spikes on short, slender stalks, and carpels 3-toothed. — 
 Rivers in Cambridge, Anglesea, and Down. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 8. P. heterophyllus (Various-leaved Pond-weed). — Stem slender, 
 round, 2 — 4 feet long, much branched below ; leaves flat, upper 
 floating, opposite, leathery, elliptic, lower submerged, lanceolate, 
 flaccid ; stipules small ; flowers numerous in dense spikes on 
 stout, axillary and terminal stalks which thicken upward ; carpels 
 small, 3-keeled, with a short beak. — Ditches ; frequent. — Fl. June 
 — September. Perennial. 
 
 9. P. falcdtus. — A dark green or reddish-green plant, with a 
 tuberous rhizome ; slender, round stem, branched below ; leaves 
 amplexicaul, entire, flat, upper leathery, with 6 opaque ribs on 
 each side of the mid-rib, lower with 3 ; stipules herbaceous, 
 persistent ; flowers in a dense, cylindric spike about an inch long 
 on a slightly longer peduncle ; fruits small, dark green, rounded, 
 keeled, with a prominent beak. — Near Ramsey, Huntingdon. 
 
 L L 2 
 
516 NAIADACE/E 
 
 10. P. nitens (Glistening Pond-weed). — A closely allied, much 
 branched form, with numerous rooting branches springing from 
 the axils of its upper leaves; leaves usually all submerged, 
 scattered, recurved, with a wavy margin and a shining surface ; 
 flowers in shorter spikes, thickening less upward. — Ditches ; chiefly 
 in the north ; uncommon. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 1 1. P. lucens (Shining Pond-weed). — The largest British species ; 
 stem stout, 3 — 6 feet long; leaves mostly submerged, shortly- 
 stalked, 4 — 10 in. long, oblong-lanceolate, wavy, toothed, pellucid, 
 many nerved ; stipules large, long, keeled ; flowers in a stout, 
 dense, cylindric spike on a short, thick stalk, thickening upward ; 
 carpels small, rounded, with a short, blunt beak. — Lakes ; frequent. 
 — FL June — September. Perennial. 
 
 12. P. decipiens. — A closely allied form with sessile, broad, 
 pointed, scarcely toothed leaves ; short, scarcely winged stipules ; 
 and shorter flower-stalks. 
 
 13. P. angustifolius. — An allied, but smaller, much branched 
 species ; leaves long-stalked, with entire margins, upper floating, 
 obovate-oblong, wedge-shaped at the base, rather leathery, loiver 
 often recurved ; flower-spikes 1 — 2 in., on very long stalks ; 
 carpels rounded. — Ponds ; not common. — Fl. June — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 14. P.Griffithii, a rare form, with branched stem; leaves all 
 submerged, 7 — 12 in. long, n — 17-nerved, narrow, boat-shaped 
 at the apex ; stipules long, narrow, and blunt ; flowers in dense 
 spikes on slender stalks shorter than the leaves ; occurs only in 
 Aber Lake, Carnarvonshire. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 15. P. prcelongus (Long-stalked Pond- weed). — A similar species 
 with stout, greenish-white stem; leaves linear-oblong, blunt, 
 entire, half-sheathing, concave at the tip, 3-nerved ; stipules large, 
 blunt ; flowers in dense cylindric spikes on very long, stout stalks ; 
 carpels large, with sharp keels. — Lakes and deep rivers ; local. — 
 Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 16. P. perfolidtus (Perfoliate Pond-weed). — Stem round, stout, 
 dichotomously branched ; leaves all submersed, egg-shaped 2 — 3 
 in. long, embracing the stem, pellucid, 5 — 9-nerved, brown, and 
 almost transparent, having when dry the appearance of gold- 
 beaters' skin, and so sensitive to moisture that they will curl when 
 laid on the palm of the hand ; stipules small, falling off; flowers 
 in dense spikes on short, stout stalks ; carpels scarcely keeled, 
 with short beaks. — Ponds and lakes ; common. — Fl. June — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 17. P. crispus (Curly Pond- weed). — Stem slender, compressed, 
 dichotomously branched ; leaves alternate, close-set, 1 — 3 in. long, 
 
POND-WEED FAMILY 517 
 
 oblong, wavy, toothed, 3 nerved, spreading, and recurved ; stipules 
 small, blunt, falling off; flowers 6 — 8 in a loose spike on a taper- 
 ing stalk ; carpels with a long beak. — Ditches ; common. — Fl. 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 ** Leaves nearly opposite, involute, exstipulate 
 
 18. P. densus (Opposite-leaved Pond- weed). — Stem slender, 
 brittle, dichotomously 
 branched ; leaves all sub- 
 mersed, embracing the 
 stem, ovate, toothed, 
 pellucid, 3 — 5-nerved, 
 close - set, recurved ; 
 flowers few, in very short- 
 stalked spikes ; carpels 
 with short, recurved 
 beaks. — Ditches and 
 ponds ; common. — Fl. 
 June — September. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 *** Leaves all similar, 
 strap-shaped, with flat 
 margins and free 
 stipules 
 
 19. P. compressus. — 
 Stem compressed, wing- 
 ed; leaves 4 — 10 in., 
 acute, 3 — 5-nerved ; sti- 
 pules large, acute ; flowers 
 many, in cylindric, long- 
 stalked spikes ; carpels 
 compressed, 3-ribbed. — 
 
 Ditches ; local. Fl. July, POTAMOG g TON D £ NSUS {flpposite-leaved Pond-weed). 
 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 20. P. acutifolius. — Stem compressed, narrower than in the 
 preceding ; leaves much as in the preceding but shorter and with 
 narrower stipules; flowers in a very short oval, short-stalked 
 spike ; carpels compressed, with a recurved beak. — Lakes and 
 ditches ; rare. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 21. P. obtusifolius (Grassy Pond-weed). — Stem slender, 4-angled, 
 much branched ; leaves sessile, linear, obtuse, dark green, opaque, 
 3-nerved ; stipules broad, blunt ; flowers few, in a dense, oval, 
 
518 naiadAce^e 
 
 short-stalked spike ; carpels compressed, keeled, with a straight 
 beak. — Ditches ; frequent. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 22. P. Friesii. — Stem thread-like, compressed; leaves often in 
 tufts, linear, i — 3 in., 5 — 7-nerved ; stipules small, acute ; flowers 
 few, minute, in an interrupted spike on a slender, compressed 
 stalk ; carpels small, swollen, bluntly keeled, with short, stout 
 beak. — Ponds and ditches ; local. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 23. P. pusillus (Small Pond-weed). — A tangled mass of thread- 
 like stems; and dull, olive-green, narrowly-linear, 1 — 3-nerved, 
 acute leaves ; with numerous, small, loose, long-stalked spikes of 
 brownish flowers, which are either submersed, or rise partially 
 above the surface of the water. — Ponds and lakes ; common. — 
 Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 24. P. Sturrbckii, a very slender, delicate, and elegant form, 
 closely allied to the preceding, with bright green, pellucid, 3 — 5- 
 nerved, obtuse leaves 2 — 3 in. long ; flowers in a very small spike 
 on a very slender stalk ; and carpels very small and shortly 
 beaked. Occurs only in Forfar and Perth. 
 
 25. P. trichoides (Hair-like Pond-weed). — Stem thread-like, with 
 numerous spreading dichotomous branches : leaves bristle-like, 
 spreading, stiff, acute, i-veined, dark green, 1 — 2 in. long, with 
 slender, acute stipules ; flowers 3 — 6, very minute, on a slender 
 stalk ; carpels 1 in each flower, compressed, with a short beak. — 
 Ponds ; rare. — Fl. August — October. Perennial. 
 
 **** Leaves all similar, submerged, linear, with flat margins and 
 stipules united into a sheath 
 
 26. P. pectindtus (Fennel-leaved Pond-weed). — Forming dense 
 tangled masses of thread-like stems with alternate branches ; 
 leaves 3 — 8 in. long, upper 1 -nerved, of 2 hollow tubes, lower flat, 
 3-n^rved ; flowers few, in interrupted spikes on long, slender 
 stalks ; carpels large, swollen, slightly keeled, with short beaks. — 
 Streams ; common. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 27. P. interruptus, a closely allied form, with flat, 1 — 5-nerved 
 leaves and obscurely keeled carpels, is less common. Often in 
 brackish waters. 
 
 28. P. filiformis (Slender-leaved Pond-weed). — Stem thread-like, 
 with short branches below; leaves hair-like, 1 -nerved, channelled; 
 flowers in dense, separate whorls ; carpels small, with very slight 
 keels and beaks. — Lakes; local. — Fl. June — September. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 4. RrjppiA (Tassel Pond- weed). — Slender, aquatic herbs with 
 thread-like, sheathing leaves and an umbellate group of minute, 
 
POND-WEED FAMILY 519 
 
 perfect flowers without a perianth ; stamens 2 ; carpels 4, at first 
 sessile, afterwards each raised on a long stalk. (Named in honour 
 of H. B Ruppius, a botanist of the 18th century.) 
 
 1. R. maritima (Spiral Tassel Pond-weed). — A much-branched, 
 thread-like plant, with the habit of Potamogeton pectindtus, 2 feet 
 or more long j leaves 1 — 3 in. long, with inflated sheaths ; -flower- 
 stalk becoming spirally coiled, and 5 — 6 in. long, when in fruit ; 
 ovate carpels with short beaks, on stalks, 1 — 2 in. long. — Brackish- 
 water ditches ; rare. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 2. R . r st ell at a 
 (Beaked Tassel Pond- 
 weed). — A more com- 
 mon form, differing in 
 the small, close sheaths 
 of its leaves, its short, 
 not spiral flower-stalk, 
 and the oblique base of 
 its carpels. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 5. Zannichellia 
 (Horned Pondweed). — 
 Slender, submerged 
 plants, with linear leaves 
 with sheathing bases 
 and adherent stipules; 
 minute, axillary, gener- 
 ally monoecious flowers 
 without a perianth ; 
 stamen 1 ; carpels 2 — 6 ; 
 stigmas peltate. (Named 
 in honour of J. J. Zan- 
 nichelli, a Venetian 
 botanist.) 
 
 1. Z. palustris (Common Horned Pond-weed). — A submersed 
 aquatic with the habit of the preceding genus ; stem slender, 
 3 — 6 in. long, with spreading branches ; opposite, thread-like 
 leaves 1 — 3 in. long ; flowers axillary, sessile or nearly so ; stamen 
 \ — 1 in. long, with 4-chambered anther ; carpels 2 — 4, sessile, 
 with short styles and small, crenulate stigmas. — Ditches ; common. 
 — Fl. May — August. Annual. 
 
 2. Z. brachystemon, the commonest form, differs in having a 
 stamen only a quarter as long, with a 2-chambered anther, and a 
 larger stigma. 
 
 r6ppia marItima {Spiral Tassel Pond-weed). 
 
5 2 ° 
 
 naiadace^e 
 
 3. Z. fedunculdta, a less common form, has a stamen of inter- 
 mediate length, with a 2-chambered anther, long styles, large 
 stigmas, and stalked carpels. 
 
 4. Z. polycdrpa, a rare form, occurring in the Orkney Islands, 
 has a very short stamen with a 2-chambered anther, 5 — 6 sessile 
 carpels, with very short styles and large stigmas. 
 
 6. Zostera (Grass- 
 wrack). — Grass-like, sub- 
 merged marine plants 
 .with creeping rhizomes; 
 compressed stems; alter- 
 nate, long, linear, sheath- 
 ing leaves with adherent 
 stipules; flowers monoe- 
 cious, arranged altern- 
 ately in two rows on a 
 long, linear, membranous 
 spadix, enclosed in a 
 spathe ; perianth absent ; 
 stamen 1, sessile, 1- 
 chambered ; carpels each 
 with 1 style, 2 stigmas, 
 and 1 ovule. (Name from 
 the Greek zoster, a girdle 
 or riband, from the form 
 of the leaves.) 
 
 1. Z. marina (Common 
 Grass-wrack). — A com- 
 mon plant in the sea, 
 near low-water mark, with 
 long, cord - like stems, 
 bright green grass-like 
 leaves, 1 — 3 feet long, 
 3 — 7-veined, and long, 
 leafy sheaths or spathes 
 to the bead-like rows of 
 numerous simple flowers. 
 The dried leaves and stems are collected, under the name of 
 Alva, for stuffing mattresses and packing glass. — Fl. July — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 2. Z. nana (Dwarf Grass-wrack), an uncommon species, diners 
 in having leaves not more than 6 in. long and 1 — 3-veined, and 
 fewer flowers in a shorter spathe, with 2 — 5 inflexed membranous 
 appendages or clasping bands. — Fl. April — August. Perennial. 
 
 2Gst6ra marIna (Common Grass-wrack). 
 
PIPE-WORT FAMILY 52 1 
 
 7. Na! as. — Slender, submerged, aquatic herbs with linear, 
 whorled leaves, with adherent stipules ; axillary, dioecious flowers ; 
 stamen i, sessile, i — 4-chambered, enclosed in 2 sheaths or 
 perianth- whorls ; carpel 1, sessile; stigmas 2 — 4, awl-shaped. 
 (Name from the Greek naias, a water-nymph.) 
 
 1. N. flexilis (Flexible Naias). — A little, submerged plant, with 
 thread-like, branched, brittle stems ; linear, entire leaves in whorls 
 of 3, about an inch long, bright green, pellucid, with ciliate 
 sheaths ; flowers 1 — 3 together. — Deep lakes, Perthshire, Skye, 
 and Connemara. — Fl. August, September. Annual. 
 
 2. N. marina (Larger Naias). — Stem less branched ; leaves in 
 whorls of 2 or 3, strongly spinosely serrate, with entire sheaths ; 
 flowers solitary. — Hickling Broad, Norfolk. — Fl. July. 
 
 3.* N. gramin. a. — Leaves olive-green, in tufts with serrate 
 sheaths. — In a canal at Ashton-under-Lyne ; not indigenous. 
 
 Ord. LXXXIX. Eriocaule;e. — The Pipe-wort Family 
 
 A group of herbaceous plants chiefly inhabiting tropical 
 swamps, with their leaves mostly radical, linear and sheathing, and 
 often hollow ; minute, imperfect flowers in a bracteate head ; 
 perianth inferior, of 2 whorls of 2 — 3 leaves each ; stamens double 
 the number of the inner perianth-lobes, but half of them often 
 rudimentary ; carpels 2 — 3, united ; style single, terminal, short, 
 persistent ; stigmas 2 — 3 slender ; ovules solitary in each carpel ; 
 fruit capsular. 
 
 1. Eriocaulon (Pipe-wort). — Staminate flowers chiefly in the 
 centre of the head, generally 2-merous ; outer perianth-leaves 
 spathulate ; inner united in a tube. (Name from the Greek 
 erion, wool, kaulos, a stem, some species having a woolly 
 peduncle.) 
 
 1. E. septanguldre (Common Pipe-wort). — A little submerged 
 plant with a creeping rhizome ; short, leafy stem ; leaves subulate, 
 2 — 4 in. long, green, pellucid, compressed ; flowers on a 6 — 8-angled 
 peduncle from 6 in. to 2 feet high, in a small head with lead- 
 coloured bracts ; outer perianth-leaves black, fringed ; inner with a 
 black spot ; stamens usually 4, with dark anthers. — Lakes in Skye 
 and Connemara ; but mainly North American. — Fl. August. * 
 Perennial. 
 
 Sub-Class IT. GLUMfFER^E 
 
 Flowers in spikelets (small spikes) each in the axil of one of the 
 imbricate, rigid, chaff-like bracts or glumes; perianth absent or 
 
522 CYPERACEjE 
 
 represented only by minute scales or bristles ; carpels i — 3 ; ovary 
 i-chambered, i-ovuled ; seeds albuminous. 
 
 * 
 
 Ord XC. Cyperace^e. — The Sedge Family 
 
 A large Order of grass-like and rush-like plants, comprising 
 more than 2,000 species in about 60 genera, occurring in all 
 parts of the world, but especially in the colder parts of the 
 Northern Hemisphere, where they often cover large areas of 
 marshy ground. Their stems are generally solid, often 3-angled, 
 and without enlarged nodes ; their leaves have a tubular sheath, 
 and are generally linear, being commonly tristichous and sharply 
 folded longitudinally ; and their flowers are often imperfect. The 
 perianth is often absent, or consists of three or more scales or 
 bristles. The stamens are 1 — 6, usually 3 in number, with flat- 
 tened filaments and basifixed anthers. The ovary is 1 -chambered 
 and sometimes 3-angled and enclosed in a flask-shaped mem- 
 branous covering known as a utricle, formed of 2 united bracte- 
 oles ; there is a single terminal style and 2 — 3-cleft stigma ; and 
 the fruit is a small indehiscent, i-seeded caryopsis 
 
 The Sedges differ mainly in structure from the Grasses in their 
 solid, angular stems with unswollen nodes ; their tristichous 
 leaves with unsplit tubular sheaths ; their basifixed anthers ; and 
 their less feathery stigmas. They differ in a still more marked 
 manner in their properties and uses to man. Their harsh leaves 
 and stems contain but little sugar, and form but poor pasturage, 
 nor do they seem readily susceptible of improvement under culti- 
 vation in the size of their grain. The stems of the Bulrush 
 (Scirpus lacustris) are used for the rush bottoms of chairs, for 
 making hassocks and mats, and by coopers for placing between the 
 staves of casks. Those of the African Papyrus antiquorum, cut 
 in slices, furnished the paper of ancient Eygpt. 
 
 * Spikelets many-flowered ; flowers perfect 
 
 1. Cyperus. — Spikelets compressed ; glumes in 2 rows, 
 deciduous. 
 
 2. Eleocharis. — Spikelet solitary, terminal ; perianth of 3 — 6 
 included bristles. 
 
 3. ScfRPUS. — Spikelets clustered, lateral ; perianth of 3 — 6 
 included bristles, or absent. 
 
 4. Bhf smus. — Spikelets alternate, in a bracteate spike ; 
 perianth of 3—6 included bristles. 
 
 5. Eriophorum. — Spikelets terminal perianth of long exserted 
 bristles becoming silky. 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 523 
 
 ** Spikelets i- or few-flowered ; flowers perfect 
 
 6. Rhynchospora. — Spikelets clustered in heads, terete ; 
 perianth of 6 included bristles ; nut beaked. 
 
 7. Schcenus. — Spikelets in compact terminal heads, com- 
 pressed ; glumes in 2 rows ; perianth of few bristles, or absent ; 
 nut not beaked. j 
 
 8. Cladium. — Spikelets terete ; perianth absent ; nut blunt, 
 with a fleshy coat. 
 
 *** Spikelets 1 — 2-flowered ; flowers monoecious ; perianth absent 
 
 9. Kobresia. — Upper flower in each spikelet staminate, lower 
 carpellate ; ovary enclosed by a glume. 
 
 **** Spikelets many-flowered ; flowers imperfect 
 
 10. CArex. — Glumes imbricate ; ovary enclosed in a persistent 
 bottle-shaped utricle. 
 
 1. Cyperus (Galingale). — Stems triangular ; spikelets many, 
 compressed, in terminal or lateral bracteate heads or compound 
 umbels ; glumes numerous ; distichous, deciduous, each, except 
 the outermost, containing a perfect flower; perianth absent. 
 (Name from the Greek kupeiros, a reed.) 
 
 1. C. fuscus (Brown Cyperus). — Stems short, tufted, grass-like, 
 2 — 10 in. high ; spikelets flattened, blunt, not more than ^ in. 
 long, in a compact umbel, with 3 unequal, leaf-like bracts, 1 — 4 
 in. long ; glumes brown, with green keels. — Wet meadows in 
 Middlesex, Surrey, and the Channel Islands. — Fl. August, 
 September. Annual. 
 
 2. C. longus (Sweet Galingale). — A tall, stout plant, 2 — 4 feet 
 high, with a few leaves at the base of the stem ; spikelets numerous 
 in a very large, loose, unequally-rayed, compound umbel, with 
 2 — 3 long, leafy bracts ; glumes numerous, blunt, reddish-brown, 
 with green keels and pale margins. — Wet meadows in the south 
 of England ; rare. The aromatic rhizome was formerly much 
 esteemed as a tonic. — Fl. August, September. Perennial. 
 
 2. Eleocharis (Spike-rush). — Tufted, glabrous herbs with 
 slender stems ; solitary, terminal spikelets ; glumes numerous, im- 
 bricate, nearly all containing perfect flowers ; perianth of 3 — 6 
 short bristles ; nut compressed, tipped with the persistent base of 
 the style. (Name from the Greek helos, a marsh, chdiro, I 
 rejoice.) 
 
 1. E. aciculdris (Least Spike-rush). — A slender, tufted plant ; 
 rhizome slender, creeping ; stems subulate, 2 — 4, or even 12 in. 
 
524 
 
 cyperAcejE 
 
 high, with short sheaths at the base ; spikelet minute, oblong, red- 
 brown ; flowers 6 — 8 ; glumes blunt ; stigmas 3 ; nut minute, 
 obovoid, ribbed, and transversely striate. — Wet sandy places; 
 frequent. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. E. palustris (Marsh Spike-rush). — A creeping plant with a 
 stout, branched rhizome and many tufts of stems and leaves ; 
 stems not 6 in. high at edge of water, a foot or more high and 
 more distant when in water, nearly 
 round, with membranous, truncate 
 sheaths ; spikelets terminal, \— \ in. 
 ljng, oblong ; glumes numerous, dark 
 brown, with pale, membranous edges 
 and green keel ; outer bract similar but 
 rather larger ; perianth-bristles 4 — 6 ; 
 style 2-cleft ; nut obovate. — Edges of 
 pools ; frequent. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 3. E. uniglumis, differing mainly in 
 having the outer bract broader, so as 
 to enclose the base of the spikelet, 
 occurs especially near the sea and is 
 much less common. 
 
 4. E. multicaulis (Many-stemmed 
 Spike-rush). — A similar but smaller 
 plant with stems in 1 tuft with obliquely 
 truncate, acute sheaths ; rather smaller 
 spikelets ; blunter glumes ; perianth- 
 bristles usually 6 ; styles usually 3-cleft ; 
 nut obovate, 3-angled. — Bogs : fre- 
 quent. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 3. Scirpus (Club-rush). — Mostly 
 
 tall, aquatic plants with creeping 
 
 rhizomes ; solitary or clustered, terminal 
 
 or lateral spikelets, w r ith 1 or 2 outer 
 
 bracts broader and without flowers ; 
 
 perianth of r — 6 included bristles, or absent ; style slender at the 
 
 base. (Name, the old Latin name ; but said to be of Keltic origin.) 
 
 * Spikelets small, terminal, solitary ; perianth of 3 — 8 bristles 
 
 1. S. pauciflorus (Chocolate-headed Club-rush). — Stems tufted, 
 
 with long runners, round, striate, seldom more than 6 in. high, 
 
 with a few thin, narrow scales and 1 tight truncate sheath ; outer 
 
 bracts 2, blunt, shorter than the spikelet ; flowers not more than 
 
 5 or 6 : perianth-bristles usually 6 ; style usually 3-cleft ; nut 
 
 ELEOCHARIS PALUSTRIS 
 
 (Marsh Spike-rush). 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 
 
 525 
 
 obovate, 3-angled, with tapering point. — In wet mud ; common. — 
 Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. ccespitosus (Deer's-hair). — A similar species, with the 
 stem covered at the base for 1 or 2 in. with imbricate sheaths, the 
 outer brown, the inner green, with narrow leafy tips 1 to 2 lines 
 long ; spikelet ovoid, brown, \ — § in. long j outer bract as long as 
 the spikelet, green, stiff; flowers 6 — 8; perianth-bristles 4 — 6; 
 style 3-cleft ; nut brown, obovate, 
 
 pointed. — Bogs ; common. — Fl. 
 June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. S. nanus (Dwarf Club-rush). — 
 A minute plant, with long, creeping, 
 hair-like rhizome with small tubers 
 and distant, dense tufts, each of 
 several round, grooved stems, 1—2 
 in. high, each with a close-pressed, 
 transparent sheath; spikelet minute, 
 pale ; outer bract short, blunt, flower- 
 less ; perianth of 4 — 8 bristles ; nut 
 obovate, 3-angled, pale.- -Sandy 
 sea-shores in the south; rare. — Fl. 
 July. Annual. 
 
 ** Spikelets small, lateral, sessile, 
 clustered, or sometimes solitary ; 
 perianth absent 
 
 4. S. fluitans (Floating Mud- 
 rush). — A slender floating plant, 
 rooting from its lower nodes and 
 much branched in a zigzag manner; 
 /eaves linear, very slender, 1 — 2 in. 
 long ; spikelet solitary, terminal, 
 ovate, pale ; outer bracts 2, shorter 
 than the spikelet enclosing it ; 
 flowers few ; stigmas 2 ; nut obovate, 
 smooth, pointed, pale. — Ditches ; 
 common. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 5. 6". filiformis (Savi's Alud-rush). — A slender, tufted plant, 3 — 
 10 in. high, with 1 or 2 narrow, channelled leaves ; spikelets 1 — 
 3, sometimes an inch long; outer bracts not longer than the 
 spikelet ; stigmas 3 ; fruit sub-globose, 3-angled, pale, shining, 
 rough, with lines of minute raised points. — Bogs ; rare. — Fl. July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 6. £ setdceus (Bristle-like Mud-rush). 
 
 SCiRPUS setAceus 
 {Bristle-like Mud-rusk). 
 
 -A very similar, but 
 
526 CYPERAcEiE 
 
 smaller, less slender, darker plant, 2 — 6 in. high, with 1 or 2 
 short, subulate leaves on each stem ; spikelets usually 2—3 } — £in. 
 long, ovoid, lateral ; outer bract long, subulate, resembling a con- 
 tinuation of the stem ; glumes ovate, blunt, dark brown, with green 
 midribs ; style 3-cleft ; nut very small, marked with about 8 longi- 
 tudinal ribs and furrows. — Moist sandy places ; common. — Fl. 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
 SC1RPUS HOLOSCHCENUS 
 
 (Round- headed Mud-rusk). 
 
 ScfRPUS LACC'STRIS 
 
 (Conn/ion Bulrush). 
 
 7. .5". Holoschxnus (Round-headed Mud-rush). — Stems stiff, 
 cylindrical, 1 — 4 feet high, with 1 or 2 stiff leaves sheathing their 
 bases ; spikelets very numerous and small, upwards of 30 together 
 in compact globular heads, each \ — J in. diameter, of a light 
 brown colour, forming a lateral umbel ; the largest outer bract 
 stiiT, forming a continuation of the stem. — Sandy sea-shores in 
 Somerset, North Devon, and the Channel Islands. — Fl. September, 
 October. Perennial. 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 
 
 527 
 
 *** Spikelets large ; glumes many ; perianth of 1 — 6 bristles 
 
 8. S. lacustris (Common Bulrush). — Rhizome creeping ; stems 
 sometimes as thick as a man's thumb, spongy, erect, 3 — 8 feet 
 high, cylindric at the base, gradually tapering upwards, green, 
 usually leafless, or with 1 or 2 short keeled leaves in still water, or 
 with long, nearly flat, floating leaves in running water ; spikelets 
 numerous, red - brown, 
 
 ovoid or oblong, \ — | 
 in. long, in a compound, 
 lateral, umbellate cyme, 
 becoming terminal ; 
 outer bract continuing 
 the stem ; glumes broad, 
 brown, fringed at the 
 edge, notched at the 
 top, with a little point 
 in the notch, glabrous ; 
 perianth of 5 or 6 
 bristles ; anthers tipped 
 with hairs ; nut 3-angled, 
 smooth. Marshes and 
 rivers ; common. The 
 rhizome is astringent, 
 and the stems are largely 
 used for making the 
 bottoms of chairs, has- 
 socks, &c. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 * The name Bulrush 
 is now most commonly 
 given to Typha (see p. 
 
 5°3)- 
 
 9. S. Tabernamontani 
 (Glaucous Bulrush). — 
 A closely-allied form with glaucous stems, glumes rough with raised 
 dots, and anthers not bearded, occurring mostly near the sea. 
 
 10. S. carindtus, another closely allied form, has green stems 
 becoming obtusely triangular near the top, smooth glumes, and 
 anthers not bearded. — Tidal rivers in the south ; rare. 
 
 11. S. triqueter (Three-edged Bulrush). — Rhizome slender ; stems 
 2 — 3 feet high,, acutely triangular throughout, leafless, except that 
 1 or 2 short sheaths at the base bear a short blade less than an 
 inch long; spikelets usually 8, 10, or more, ovoid, less than | in. 
 
 scirpus MARfTiMUS (Sea Club-rusk). 
 
528 
 
 CYPERAcEiE 
 
 long, central ones sessile, the others stalked, forming a compound 
 lateral cyme ; outer bract stiff, triangular, continuing the stem for 
 an inch or more ; glumes brown, broad, notched or fringed at top, 
 with a minute point ; perianth of 2 — 6 bristles ; style 2-cleft ; nut 
 smooth a->d shining. — Muddy banks of tidal rivers in the south ; 
 rare. — Fl. August, September. Perennial 
 
 ER16PHORUM vaginXtum 
 (Hares-tail Cotton-grass). 
 
 BLYSMUS RUFUS 
 
 (Rufous Club-rush). 
 
 12. S. pungens (Sharp Club-rush). — An allied but smaller 
 species, 6 — 18 in. high, with acutely triangular stems; 2 or 3 
 narrow, keeled leaves 4 — 6 in. long ; 3 — 6 sessile, lateral spikelets 
 each \ in. long, in a close cluster ; glumes brown, acutely 2-lobed. 
 — Wet sand, Jersey. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 13. 5. maritimus (Sea Club-rush).— Stems sharply triangular, 
 1 — 3 feet high, leafy; leaves long, channelled, dark green, \ in. 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 529 
 
 across ; spikelets i — 10, in a dense terminal cluster, the outer 
 ones generally stalked, red-brown, about f in. long ; bracts several, 
 leaf-like ; glumes acutely 2-lobed with an awn between the lobes ; 
 perianth of i — 6 bristles ; style usually 3-cleft. — Salt marshes ; 
 common. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 14. S.sylvdticus (Wood Club-rush). — Stem 2 — 3 feet high, stout, 
 leafy ; leaves long, keeled, \ — £ in. across ; spikelets small, ovoid, 
 dark shining green, very numerous, in a terminal, much-branched, 
 compact panicle; bracts several, leaf like; glumes ribbed, obtuse, 
 apiculate ; perianth of 6 bristles ; style 3-cleft. — Moist woods ; 
 frequent. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 4. Blysmus. — Aquatic plants with creeping rhizomes ; stem 
 triangular ; spikelets small, alternate, in a close distichous com- 
 pound terminal bracteate spike ; glumes few ; perianth of 3 — 6 
 included bristles. (Name from the Greek blysmos, a spring, from 
 the wet places where these plants grow.) 
 
 1 . B. compressus (Sedge-like Club-rush). — Rhizome creeping ; 
 stem 6 — 8 in. high, trianguk,, sheathed at the base; leaves linear, 
 flat, rough; spike about an inch long, of 10 — 12 oblong, 6 — 8- 
 fiowered, pale brown spikelets, each about £ in. long; stamens 
 usually 3 ; style 2 -cleft ; nut tapering. — Boggy places ; not un- 
 common. — Fl. June — July. Perennial. 
 
 2. B. rufus, a plant of about the same size, with tufted, round 
 stems; few, narrower, channelled, smooth leaves; spike \ — £ in. 
 long, of about 6 spikelets, each 2 — 4-flowered, with shining, dark 
 brown outer bracts, as long as the spikelets. — Wet pastures, chiefly 
 in the north ; uncommon. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 5. Eri6phorum (Cotton-grass). — Tufted, herbaceous plants 
 with terminal spikelets; numerous imbricate glumes; perfect 
 flowers ; perianth of hair-like bristles, forming long, cottony tufts. 
 (Name from the Greek erion, wool, phero, I bear.) 
 
 1. E. alpinum (Alpine Cotton-grass). — A plant resembling 
 Scirpus caspitosus in every respect but the long perianth-bristles. 
 — Forfar ; now extinct. — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 2. E. vagindtum (Hare's-tail Cotton-grass). — Stems many, tufted, 
 not a foot high, but lengthening in fruit, round below, triangular 
 above, with 1 or 2 inflated sheaths; leaves linear; spikelets solitary, 
 terminal, ovoid, deep green, \ — £ in., many-flowered ; perianth of 
 very many bristles, forming together a thick, nearly globular, 
 cottony tuft, about an inch across. — Boggy moors ; common. — 
 Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 3. E. angustif olium (Common Cotton-grass). — About a foot 
 high, with solid, solitary stems ; leaves channelled near the base; 
 
 M M 
 
53* 
 
 cyperAce,e 
 
 spikelets 4 — 12, in a terminal, umbellate cluster, the inner sessile, 
 the outer on smooth peduncles; perianth of very numerous 
 bristles, forming dense cottony tufts, 1 — 2 in. long. — Bogs 5 the 
 commonest species. Attempts have been made to spin the 
 cotton, but without much success. It is used for stuffing pillows, 
 
 under the name of 
 11 Arctic Wool." — Fl. 
 May, June. Perennial. 
 
 4. E. polystdcthion 
 (Broad-leaved Cotton- 
 grass). — Stems tufted, 
 hollow ; leaves flat ; 
 spikelets generally less 
 numerous, on rough 
 peduncles. — Less com- 
 mon. 
 
 5. E. grdcile (Slender 
 Cotton-grass). — A very 
 slender species, some- 
 what intermediate be- 
 tween the two last, some- 
 times 2 feet high ; leaves 
 channelled ; spikelets 
 about 4, on downy 
 peduncles. — Bogs ; very 
 rare. — June, July. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 6. Rhvnch6spora 
 (Beak-Sedge). — Tufted, 
 leafy plants with terete 
 spikelets clustered in 
 terminal or axillary heads, 
 each 1 — 2-flowered; 
 glumes many ; perianth 
 of 6 included bristles ; 
 nut beaked. (Name from 
 -the permanent base of 
 
 eri6phorum polystXchion 
 {Broad-leaved Cotton-grass). 
 
 the Greek rhunchos, a beak, spora, seed 
 the style forming a beak to the fruit.) 
 
 1. R.jusca (Brown Beak-Sedge). — Rhizome long; stems 6 — 10 
 in. high, very slender ; leaves few, subulate ; spikelets brown, 
 usually in two clusters, one terminal, the other lateral ; stamens 3. 
 — Bogs in the south ; very rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. R. alba (White Beak-Sedge).— Rhizome short; stems 6—18 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 53 1 
 
 in. high, slender, in dense grass-like tufts ; spikelets nearly white, 
 in a small, compact, terminal cluster, often with one or two 
 smaller, axillary, lateral clusters ; stamens 2. — Spongy bogs ; 
 frequent. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 7. Schcenus (Bog-rush). — Stiff, rush-like plants; spikelets closely 
 sessile, in compact terminal heads, 1 — 4-flowered, with 3 or 4 
 empty glumes; flowers perfect; perianth of few bristles, or absent ; 
 stamens 3 ; nut not beaked. (Name from the Greek schoinos, a 
 cord, some species having been used in making cordage.) 
 
 1. S. ferrugineus (Brown Bog-rush). — Stems slender, tufted, 
 about a foot high ; spike narrow, oblong, rusty-brown ; lower bract 
 as long as the spike ; glumes in 2 rows, with a smooth keel. — 
 Loch Tummel, Perthshire ; very rare. Perennial. 
 
 2. S. nigricans (Black Bog-rush). — A very similar, but less 
 slender plant; spike obovoid, dark red, brown, or black, of 4 — 10 
 spikelets, with an involucre of 2 — 3 broad, brown, leafy bracts, 
 with stiff points longer than the spike ; glumes with a rough keel. 
 — Bogs ; frequent. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 8. Cladium (Fen Sedge). — Usually tall, coarse, rough, grassy 
 plants with very numerous terete spikelets in a compound panicle, 
 1 — 3-flowered ; glumes 5 — 6 ; perianth absent ; nut with a thick 
 fleshy coat. (Name from the Greek klados, a twig.) 
 
 1. C. Mariscus (Prickly Fen Sedge). — Rhizome creeping; stem 
 3 — 6 feet high, stout, very leafy ; leaves 2 — 4 feet long, £ in. across, 
 sheathing, keeled, glaucous, stiff, with minute sharp teeth along 
 the keel and margins ; spikelets pale brown, \ in. long, in numer- 
 ous small clusters in corymbose, axillary panicles forming together 
 a terminal leafy panicle a foot or more long ; stamens usually 2 ; 
 nut beaked. — Bogs ; local. This plant used to be so common in 
 the fens near Cambridge, before they were drained, that it was 
 used in that town for lighting fires and for thatch. It forms 
 floating islands in pools, and is still cut as a crop. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 9. Kobresia, represented by one species, K. bipartita (Sedge- 
 like Kobresia), a low, densely tufted plant with stiff stems 4 — 8 in. 
 high ; leaves radical, sheathing, wiry, grooved, 2 — 5 in. long ; 
 spikelets 4 or 5, short, brown, closely sessile in a short terminal 
 spike, the upper flower in each spikelet bearing stamens only, and 
 the lower flower an ovary ; perianth absent ; style long, 3-cleft. — 
 Mountainous moorlands in the north ; rare. — Fl. August, Sep- 
 tember. Perennial. (Named after Dr. Kobres, of Augsburg.) 
 
 10. Carex (Sedge). — A large and well-defined genus of herbs 
 
 m m 2 
 
532 
 
 CYPERACEjE 
 
 with grass-like, chiefly radical leaves; monoecious, or rarely 
 dioecious flowers, the stamens and ovaries being always in separate 
 glumes, either in different parts of the same spikelet, which is 
 then called "mixed," or in separate spikelets; glumes imbricate; 
 stamens 3, rarely 2, without a perianth ; ovary enclosed in a vase- 
 shaped covering; style protruding; stigmas 2 — 3. (Name Classical, 
 connected with the Greek keiro, I cut, in allusion to the sharp- 
 edged leaves.) 
 
 t Spikelet simple, solitary, and terminal 
 
 1. C. dioica (Dioecious Sedge). — A slender plant, 6 — 12 in. 
 high, with runners ; leaves very narrow, smooth ; spikelets bearing 
 stamens only or pistils only, and with stamens and pistils on 
 different plants, brown, the staminate ones cylindric and pale, 
 the pistillate ovoid, brown ; style 2-cleft ; fruit erect, with rough 
 edges. — Spongy bogs ; common. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. Davallidna (Davall's Sedge), a tufted plant, without 
 runners, with rough edges to its leaves and drooping fruit, occurred 
 formerly near Bath, but has been lost through drainage. 
 
 3. C. pulicdris (Flea Sedge). — A small tufted plant, without 
 runners, 3 — 8 in. high; leaves narrow, erect, involute; spikelet 
 about nine lines long, the upper half bearing stamens ; 3 to 7 of 
 the lower glumes enclosing pistils ; style 2-cleft ; fruit oblong, 
 pointed, about 2 lines long, drooping when ripe. — Bogs ; common. 
 — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 4. C. rupestris (Rock Sedge). — A creeping, tufted plant, with 
 runners; stems 3 — 6 in., 3-edged ; leaves flat, stiff, revolute, ending 
 in a wavy, rough point; spikelet \ — 1 in. long, linear, dark 
 brown, shining, the upper half staminate ; style 3-cleft ; fruits 
 obovate, adpressed. — Lofty Scottish mountains. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 5. C. pauciflora (Few-flowered Sedge). — A slender species, with 
 long runners; stem seldom more than 6 in. high, slender, 3 -angled, 
 smooth ; leaves narrow, involute ; spikehts pale briown, 3 or 4 
 lines long ; flowers few, the 2 or 3 uppermost staminate, the 2 or 
 3 lower ones pistillate ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit narrow and pointed, 
 reflexed. — Moorland bogs in the north. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 ft Spikelets several, all similar, short, sessile, in a compound 
 spike, mostly with both staminate and pistillate flowers ; styles 
 2-cleft 
 
 6. C. incurva (Curved Sedge). — Root-stock long, creeping ; stems 
 stout, 2 — 3 in. high, usually curved, so as to bring the large head 
 of spikelets down to the ground ; leaves channelled, involute, 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 
 
 533 
 
 curved, about the same length ; spikelets 3 or 4, in a dense, 
 nearly globular head, each with a few staminate flowers at the 
 top ; fruit broad, rather inflated, tapering into a short beak 
 projecting beyond the glumes. — Sandy shores in the north ; 
 rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 7. C. divisa (Bracteate Marsh Sedge). — Root-stock stout ; stems 
 very slender, 1—3 feet high, erect ; leaves long, narrow ; spikelets 
 few, short, crowded in a head with a leafy 
 
 bract at its base, several upper flowers 
 staminate ; fruit plano-convex, not 
 winged, with an acutely 2-fid, finely 
 toothed beak. — Marshes near the sea ; 
 frequent. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 8. C. disticha (Soft Brown Sedge).— 
 Root-stock creeping ; stems stouter than in 
 the preceding, 1—3 feet high ; leaves 
 long, narrow ; spikelets in an oblong, 
 interrupted spike, pale brown, the middle 
 ones staminate ; fruit ovate-lanceolate, 
 narrowly winged. — Marshy places. — Fl. 
 May — July. Perennial. 
 
 9. C. arendria (Sand Sedge). — Root- 
 stock very long, stout, and branched, 
 creeping over and binding the sands ; 
 stems tufted, 8—10 in. high, stout, rough, 
 leafy at base ; leaves radical, stiff, in- 
 volute ; spikelets many, rather large, 
 ovoid, in an interrupted spike r or 2 in. 
 long, the upper ones staminate, the lower 
 pistillate, and the middle ones with 
 flowers of both kinds ; fruit ovate, veined, 
 winged, shining chestnut-brown. — Sandy 
 sea-shores. — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 10. C. didndra (Lesser Panicled 
 Sedge).— Root-stock creeping, with scat- CAREX arenAria {Sand s e d g e\ 
 tered tufts ; stems 1 — 2 feet high, slender, 
 
 3-angled ; spikelets few, oblong, acute, forming a dense compound 
 spike about an inch long ; fruit ovate, swollen, brown, shining, with 
 2 — 5 ribs on the back, beaked. — Boggy meadows. — Fl. June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 11. C. paradoxa, a rare form, intermediate between the 
 preceding and following species, more densely tufted than the 
 preceding ; stem covered below by the black fibrous remains of 
 dead leaves ; spikelets elongate, in a panicle somewhat interrupted 
 
534 
 
 CYPERACE/E 
 
 below ; fruit with numerous ribs near its base. — Bogs. — Fl. June, 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 12. C. paniculdta (Great Panicled Sedge). — A stout species 
 forming large tussocks, 2 — 4 feet across ; stems stout, 1 — 4 feet 
 high, triangular, rough, leafy ; leaves long, narrow, flat ; spikelets 
 numerous, brown, crowded into a compound spike or panicle, 
 
 cArex echinAta (Star-htadcd Sedge). 
 
 4 — 5 in. long, the lower branches spreading ; glumes with bristly 
 points and pale membranous margins ; fruit ovate, beaked, with 
 many faint veins. — Bogs ; common. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 13. C. vulpina (Great or Fox Sedge). — A stout tufted plant, 
 2 — 4 feet high, with runners ; stems numerous, 3-angled, with 
 rough edges, leafy ; leaves broad, flat, sharply pointed ; spikelets 
 numerous, green or pale brown, crowded into a compound 
 interrupted spike 1 — 3 in. long ; bracts bristly, spreading ; fruit 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 
 
 535 
 
 high, slender, 3- 
 -6, rather short, 
 
 much flattened, ovate, beaked, pale.— Wet places ; common. — Fl. 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 1 4. C. vulpinoides, an allied North American species, has been 
 recorded from the banks of the Thames near Kew. 
 
 15. C. muricdta (Great Prickly Sedge). — A densely tufted 
 species, with short runners ; stems 1 — 2 feet 
 angled, rough ; leaves narrow, flat ; spikelets 4- 
 brown cr shining green, with a 
 few staminate flowers at the top 
 of each crowded into a terminal 
 spike about an inch long, or the 
 lower ones distant ; fruit rathe* 
 large, ovate, pointed, spread- 
 ing, 2-fid, finely toothed above. 
 — Gravelly pastures ; common. 
 — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 16. C. divulsa (Grey Sedge). 
 — An allied species with more 
 slender, flaccid stems and 5 or 
 6 paler, greyish, more distant 
 sfikelets, forming an inter- 
 rupted spike, 2 — 3 in. long, 
 occurs in moist, shady places. 
 — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 17. C. echindta (Lesser 
 Prickly or Star-headed Sedge). 
 — Tufted, rarely above 6 or 8 
 in. high ; leaves shorter than 
 the stems ; spikelets 3 — 5, some 
 distance apart, except some- 
 times the 2 uppermost, nearly 
 globular when ripe, pale ; fruit 
 spreading, broadly ovate, much 
 beaked, about 2 lines long. — 
 Boggy places ; common. — Fl. 
 May, June. Perennial. 
 
 18. C. rembta (Distant-spiked 
 slender, 1 — 2 feet high ; leaves 
 
 cArex REm6ta {Distant-spiked Sedge). 
 
 Sedges- 
 narrow 
 
 -A tufted plant ; stems 
 spikelets small, pale, a 
 
 considerable distance apart, the lower ones each in the axil of a* 
 long, leafy bract ; the lower flowers mostly staminate ; fruit ovate- 
 lanceolate, longer than the glumes, with notched beak. — Damp 
 copses ; common. — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 19. C. axillaris (Axillary Sedge), possibly a hybrid between the 
 preceding and C. muricdta ; has taller, stouter, leafy stems, 1 — 2 
 
536 
 
 cyperAcete 
 
 feet high ; flat leaves, and less distant spikelets, and the lowest 
 spikelet is either branched, or there are 2 or 3 together ; glumes 
 broader, rigid. — Marshes ; rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 20. C Boenninghausidna, possibly a hybrid between C. rembta 
 and C. paniculate, has slender, rough stems, 1 — 2 feet high ; 
 spikelets small, in a spike sometimes a foot long, the upper ones 
 simple, the lower branched, without bracts, and with pale silvery- 
 brown, smooth, membranous glumes. —Marshes ; 
 rare. — Fl. June", July. Perennial. 
 
 21. C. elongdta (Elongated Sedge). — Tufted, 
 without runners ; stems numerous, slender, ab^ut 
 2 feet high, rough, leafy ; leaves long, narrow, 
 fiat, flaccid ; spikelets many, pale greenish-brown, 
 oblong, touching one another, without bracts ; 
 fruit spreading, linear-oblong, beaked, not winged, 
 2 lines long. — Marshes ; rare. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 22. C. approximdta (Hare's-foot Sedge). — A 
 tufted plant, with short runners ; stems wiry, 
 1 — 10 in. high, 3-angled, smooth; leaves flat; 
 spikelets 2 — 4, small, fuscous, ovoid, touching 
 one another, with minute bracts ; fruit erect, 
 elliptic, not winged, with a short beak ; glumes 
 reddish, ovate, nearly as long as the fruit. — 
 Lofty mountains in Aberdeenshire ; very rare. — 
 Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 23. C. canescens (White Sedge). — Tufted, 
 without runners ; stems slender, 12 — 18 in. high ; 
 leaves not quite as long ; spikelets 4 — 8, some 
 distance apart, elliptical, 3 or 4 lines long, pale 
 green ; glumes membranous, whitish, with a 
 green keel ; fruit erect, broadly ovate, com- 
 pressed, acute, with a short beak, faintly ribbed, 
 not longer than the glumes. — Bogs ; common. — 
 Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 24. C. helvola, probably a hybrid, differs in 
 having fewer spikelets, few-flowered ; glumes browner ; fruit with a 
 deeply 2-fid beak. — Mountain bogs in the north. 
 
 25. C. leporina (Oval-spiked Sedge).— St ms about a foot high, 
 loosely tufted at the base, without runners ; leaves shorter, 
 narrow, flat, with fine points ; spikelets about 6, sessile, distinct, 
 but close together, ovoid, pale brownish-green, shining, about 
 4 lines long, with a few staminate flowers at the base of 
 each ; fruit yellowish, erect, ovate-acuminate, with a membranous 
 
 CXREX LEPORfNA 
 
 (Oval-spiked Sedge). 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 537 
 
 toothed margin. — Wet places ; common. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 ttt Spikelets several, dissimilar, the terminal one or more usually 
 wholly staminate, the other {axillary) ones bearing pistils only, 
 or pistillate and staminate flowers 
 
 26. C. Hdlleri (Alpine Sedge). — A rather slender species, 6 — 
 1 8 in. high, tufted, with short runners ; leaves short, narrow, flat, 
 recurved ; spikelets 2 — 4 close together, ovoid, black or dark 
 brown ; styles 3-cleft, fruit green, obovoid, shortly beaked, pro- 
 jecting beyond the glumes. — Clova Mountains ; rare. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 27. C. atrdta (Black Sedge). — Another tufted alpine species, 
 with runners ; stems 6 — 18 in. high, smooth; leaves broad and 
 flaccid ; spikelets 3 — 6, oblong, shortly stalked, near together, 8 or 
 9 lines long, very dark brown or black, ultimately drooping ; outer 
 bract leafy ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit elliptical, very acutely triangular 
 when ripe, with a short beak. — Mountains of Scotland, Westmore- 
 land, and North Wales. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 28. C. polygama (Dark Sedge), found only on an island in 
 Lough Neagh, is a creeping species, with stems 1—2 feet high; 
 leaves narrow, flat, with reddish-brown sheaths with filamentous 
 edges ; spikelets 3 or 4, oblong, in a loose spike ; glumes dark 
 brown, with a green keel prolonged into a point ; styles 3-cleft ; 
 fruit flattened, glaucous green. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 29. C. Hudsonii (Tufted Bog Sedge).— A densely tufted species ; 
 stems 1 — 3 feet high, slender, stiff; leaves narrow, flaccid, with a 
 webbing of filaments on the sheaths ; spikelets 3 or 4, erect, 
 cylindric, 1 — 2 in. long, sessile, styles 2-cleft ; fruits oblong, in 6 — 
 9 rows, larger than the dark glumes. — Bogs ; local. — Fl. May, 
 June. Perennial. 
 
 30. C. gracilis (Slender-spiked Sedge). — A tufted species, with 
 or without runners; stems 2 — 3 feet high, 3-angled; leaves as long, 
 broad, flaccid, their sheaths not webbed ; spikelets 4 — 9, 1 — 4 in. 
 long, nodding ; styles 2-cleft ; lower bract long, leaf-like, with long 
 auricles. — Wet places; not uncommon. — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 31. C. trinervis, a low-growing species, less than a foot high, 
 with long, scaly root-stocks and runners ; stems smooth, 3-angled ; 
 leaves narrow, smooth, involute ; spikelets few, close together, £ 
 — 1 in. long; lower bract slender, stiff, longer than the spikelet ; 
 fruit compressed, brown, dotted. — Wet sandy places on the Nor- 
 folk coast. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 32. C. rigida (Stiff Mountain Sedge). — A dwarf alpine form, 
 
53« 
 
 cyperXce^ 
 
 scarcely 6 in. high, with short, flat, rigid leaves with revolute 
 margins ; spikelets 3—6, erect, short, dark ; fruit obovoid, com- 
 pressed, not veined. — Wet stony places on mountains in the north. 
 — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 33. C. aqudtilis (Water Sedge).— A tall, tufted form, with 
 runners ; stems 1 — 2 feet high, 3-angled, rigid, polished, leafy 
 below ; leaves long, erect, flat, involute ; spikelets 3 — 6, cylindric, 
 
 slender, 1 — z\ in. 
 long ; fruit rounded, 
 compressed, not 
 veined. — Scottish 
 bogs; rare. — Fl. June 
 — August. Perennial. 
 
 34. C. salina, var. 
 Kattegatensis, with 
 erect, 3-angled stem, 
 12 — 18. in. high ; 
 leaves of the same 
 length, with rough 
 keels and margins ; 
 bracts leafy and longer 
 than the spikelets ; 
 staminate spikelets 
 2 — 3, sessile ; pistillate 
 ones 3 — 4, on short 
 stalks, dark brown, 
 has been recorded 
 from the sandy banks 
 of the River Wick, 
 Caithne. i. 
 
 35. C. Goodendwii 
 (Common Tufted 
 Sedge). — A tufted or 
 creeping species ; 
 stems 1 — 2 feet high, 
 stiff, slender, 3-angled, 
 
 rough ; leaves slender, narrow, erect, recurved ; spikelets 3 — 5, 
 erect, sub-sessile, not more than an inch long, near together ; 
 bracts with short auricles ; fruit rounded, compressed, many-veined. 
 — Marshes and wet meadows ; common. — Fl. May— July. 
 Perennlil. 
 
 36. C. fldcca (Glaucous Sedge). — A creeping species ; stems few, 
 wiry, a foot or more in height, 3-angled, smooth ; leaves narrow, 
 flat, glaucous ; staminate spikelets 2 or 3 ; pistillate spikelets 4 — 6, 
 
 cXlex gooden6wii (Common. Tufted Sedge). 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 
 
 539 
 
 sub-erect, cylindric, £ — i in. long, long-stalked ; glumes dark brown ; 
 styles 3-cleft ; fruit ovoid, triangular, not beaked. — Damp places; 
 common. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 37. C. magelldnica. — A slender, creeping species; stems a foot 
 or more high, nearly smooth ; leaves linear, flat, smooth-edged, 
 not glaucous ; pistillate spikelets 2 or 3, long-stalked, drooping ; 
 bracts leafy, broad, flat ; glumes purple, lanceolate, with long points; 
 fruit roundish, faintly 
 ribbed, beaked. — 
 Spongy bogs in the 
 north ; rare. — Fl. June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 38. C. limosa (Mud 
 Sedge). — A closely 
 allied, slender, creeping 
 species ; stems 3 — 12 
 in. high, rough ; leaves 
 narrow, glaucous, chan- 
 nelled ; st'aminate spikelet 
 \ — 1 in. long; pistillate 
 spikelets 1 or 2, on 
 slender stalks, drooping, 
 6—8 lines long; bracts 
 leafy ; glumes rather dark** 
 brown with green mid- 
 rib, ovate, upper ones 
 pointed ; styles 3-cleft > 
 fruit rather large, round- 
 ish, compressed, not 
 beaked. — Spongy bogs ; 
 rare. — Fl. June. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 39. C. r arifldra 
 (Loose-flowered Alpine 
 Sedge). — A creeping 
 plant ; stems 6 — 12 in. high, wiry, smooth ; leaves narrow, erect, 
 rough-edged ; staminate spikelet short, sub-erect ; pistillate spikelets 
 2 or 3, drooping, \ in. long, on slender stalks of the same length, 
 6 — 8-flowered ; bracts with short sheaths ; glumes brown, shining, 
 obtuse, with a minute point ; fruit obovoid, faintly veined, shortly 
 beaked. — Elevated bogs in Scottish Highlands.— Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 40. C. digitdta (Fingered Sedge). — Densely tufted; stems slender, 
 curved, 6 — 10 in. high, sheathed at the base, leafless; leaves 
 
 Carex flacca {Glaucous Sedge). 
 
54° 
 
 CYPERACE^E 
 
 radical, flat, shorter, revolute ; staminate spikelet terminal, 6 lines 
 long ; pistillate spikelets close together, 2 or 3, shortly stalked, 
 spreading in a finger-like manner ; flowers lax ; bracts brown and 
 sheathing ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit obovoid, and minutely downy. — 
 Woods on limestone ; rare. — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 41. C. ornithdpoda (Bird's-foot Sedge), a closely allied form 
 with broader bracts and longer fruit, occurs in Derbyshire and 
 
 Yorkshire. — Fl. May — July. 
 
 Perennial. 
 
 42. C. humilis (Dwarf Silvery 
 Sedge). — A creeping, tufted 
 species ; stems 1 — 5 in. high ; 
 leaves longer, stiff, involute, 
 curved ; staminate- spikelet termi- 
 nal, about 9 lines long ; pistillate 
 ones 3 — 5, much smaller, 
 stalked, placed at intervals on 
 the stem, scarcely protruding 
 from the sheath of silvery mem- 
 branous bracts; glumes with 
 membranous edges ; styles long, 
 3-cleft ; fruit ovoid, obtuse, rib- 
 bed, slightly downy .—Limestone 
 hills in the south-west ; rare. — 
 Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 43. C. montdna (Mountain 
 Sedge). — A creeping, tufted 
 species, with slender stems, 
 6 — 18 in. high ; narrow leaves ; 
 spikelets few, sessile, crowded, 
 bright red - brown, polished ; 
 fruit obovoid, hairy, longer 
 than the glumes, with a short, 
 notched beak. — Heaths and 
 woods in the south. — Fl. April, 
 May. Perennial. 
 
 44. C. pilulifera (Round-headed Sedge). —Tufted, with few 
 slender stems, 6 — 12 in. high, 3-angled. rough ; leaves shorter, 
 broad, weak, and flexible ; pistillate spikelets 2 or 3, globose, 
 sessile, close under the terminal staminate one ; bracts short, leafy; 
 glumes brown, broadly ovate, pointed ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit small, 
 nearly globular, shortly beaked. — Wet heaths ; common. — Fl. 
 May — July. Perennial. 
 
 45. C. ericetcrum (Heath Sedge).— A creeping, tufted plant ; 
 
 CARBX pilulifera (Round-headed Sedge). 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 
 
 541 
 
 stems 2 — 6 in. high, stiff, curved, 3-angled, smooth ; leaves recurved, 
 keeled ; staminate spikelet spindle-shaped, £ in. long ; pistillate 
 spikelets 1 — 3, ovoid, sessile, small, close together, 6 — 10-flowered ; 
 glumes brown, with a broad pale edge, very blunt, ciliate, as long 
 as the fruit. — Chalk banks in the eastern counties; rare. — Fl. 
 April — June. Perennial. 
 
 46. C. caryophyllea (Spring Sedge). 
 — A small, creeping species with 
 runners ; stem 6 — 12 in. high, 3- 
 angled ; leaves short, keeled, curved, 
 densely tufted ; staminate spikelet 
 slender, erect ; pistillate spikelets 
 1 — 3, oblong, close together ; glumes 
 small, broad, with a distinct, fine 
 point, brown edges, and green midrib 
 as long as the ovoid, 3-sided, shortly 
 beaked and slightly downy fruit. — 
 Dry pastures ; common. — Fl. April, 
 May. Perennial. 
 
 47. C. tomentdsa (Downy-fruited 
 Sedge), known only from Marston 
 Maisey, Wiltshire. Root-stock creep- 
 ing; stem slender, erect, J 2 — 18 in. 
 high ; leaves narrow, erect, short ; 
 staminate spikelet terminal, about an 
 inch long ; pistillate spikelets 1 or 2, 
 at some distance, oblong, erect, 
 nearly sessile, \ in. long, compact ; 
 lower bracts leafy ; glumes small, 
 brown ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit small, 
 globose, with copious white down. — 
 Wet meadows. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 48. C. paUescens (Pale Sedge).— 
 Stems tufted, without runners, leafy 
 at the base, 1 — 2 feet high ; staminate 
 spikelet terminal, light brown, about 
 
 6 lines long ; pistillate spikelets 2 or 3, pale yellowish-green, shortly 
 stalked, erect or slightly drooping, oblong, shorter than the 
 staminate one and at short distances below it ; bracts leafy ; styles 
 3-cleft; fruit smooth, blunt. — Wet places; common. — Fl. June, 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 49. C. panicea (Carnation-grass). — A tufted, creeping plant 
 with runners ; steins 1 — 2 feet high, smooth, leafy ; leaves rather 
 
 cXrex pan'ICEA {Carnation-grass). 
 
rj 4 2 CYPERACE^E 
 
 short, erect, flat, glaucous, resembling those of the Carnation, but 
 with rough edges ; spikelets usually 3, the terminal one staminate, 
 the others pistillate, distant, erect, stalked, \ — 1 in. long ; flowers, 
 especially the lowest, some distance apart ; bracts short, leafy, 
 with sheaths ; glumes brown ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit ovoid, triangular, 
 smooth, shortly beaked. — Wet meadows ; common. — Fl. June, 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 50. C. vagindta (Short Brown-spiked Sedge). — A closely allied 
 alpine species, but not glaucous, with broader, recurved leavzs ; 
 shorter bracts with looser, funnel-shaped sheaths ; looser spikelets ; 
 paler and more blunt glumes; and larger, more beaked fruit. — 
 Scottish mountains. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 51. C. atrofusca (Dusky Sedge). — Stem 3 — 10 in. high; leaves 
 very short, broad ; staminate spikelet terminal ; pistillate spikelets 
 2 — 4, ovoid, shortly stalked ; bracts sheathing ; glumes ovate, 
 acute, dark purple, with a pale midrib ; fruit dark purple, rough- 
 edged, with a 2-fid beak. — Ben Lawers. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 52. C. Sddleri (Cold Sedge). — A small, tufted, and slightly 
 creeping species, 3 — 12 in. high, with slender stems bearing 1 or 2 
 leaves, and numerous long, fiat, broad radical leaves; spikelets 
 4 — 6, spindle-shaped, rich dark brown, the terminal one stamin- 
 ate, the upper one sessile, the lower long-stalked and becoming 
 pendulous ; fruit with a long, slender, ciliate, 2-fid beak. — Wet 
 turf, Glen Callater, Aberdeenshire. — Fl. August. Perennial. 
 
 53. C. capilldris (Dwarf Capillary Sedge). — A tufted species ; 
 stems 3 — 9 in. high, slender, smooth, longer than the soft, recurved 
 leaves ; staminate spikelet terminal, small ; pistillate spikelets 2 or 
 3, drooping, on long hair-like stalks, pale-coloured, loose, few- 
 flowered, seldom 6 lines long ; lower bracts enclosing several 
 peduncles ; glumes ovate, obtuse, with membranous edges, as long 
 as the beaked fruit ; styles 3-cleft. — Mountains in the north ; 
 local. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 54. C. pendula (Great Drooping Sedge). — A tufted species, 
 without runners ; stems stout, triangular, leafy, 3 — 6 feet high ; 
 leaves long, nearly J in. broad ; spikelets 4 — 6 in. long, numerous, 
 drooping ; the stalks of the pistillate ones almost concealed in the 
 sheaths of the long, leafy bracts ; glumes ovate-lanceolate, brown, 
 with green keel ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit small, ovoid, with short beak. 
 — Wet woods ; frequent. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 55. C. strigdsa (Loose-spiked Wood Sedge). — A tufted, creeping 
 plant ; stems 1 — 2 feet high, 3-angled, smooth, leafy ; leaves 
 short, broad, pale, flaccid ; spikelets slender, drooping, 1 — 3 in. 
 long, the lower pistillate ones on long stalks ; flowers many, lax ; 
 bracts leafy, short, with long sheaths ; fruit tapering at both ends, 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 
 
 543 
 
 longer than the pointed, transparent glumes. — Thickets; rare. — 
 Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 56. C. depauperdta (Starved Wood Sedge). — Tufted ; stems 
 slender, 1 — 2 feet high, 3-angled, smooth, leafy ; leaves long, 
 narrow, flat ; staminate spikelet slender, an inch or more long ; 
 pistillate spikelets 3 — 5, about \ in. long, erect, green, 3 — 4- 
 flowered, the lower on long stalks j fruits few, very large, globose, 
 many-ribbed, with a long beak. — Dry woods 
 
 in the south ; very rare. — Fl. May, June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 57. C. sylvdtica (Wood Sedge).— Tufted; 
 stems weak, 1 — 3 feet high, leafy ; leaves 
 flaccid ; staminate spikelet pale, about an 
 inch long ; pistillate spikelets distant, 
 slender, an inch or more in length, on 
 long stalks, loose-flowered ; bracts leafy, 
 with long sheaths ; glumes green, narrow, 
 pointed ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit elliptical, 
 smooth, obscurely veined, tapering into a 
 long beak. — Damp woods ; common. — Fl. 
 May, June. Perennial. 
 
 58. C. helddes (Smooth-stalked Sedge). — 
 Tufted, creeping ; stems smooth, 2 — 3 feet 
 high ; leaves short, broad, dotted beneath ; 
 staminate spikelets 1 — 2 in. long, 3-angled ; 
 pistillate spikelets distant, cylindric, 1 — 2 
 in. long, slender, green, stalked ; fruit 
 ovoid, tapering at both ends, ribbed, with 
 a rough beak. — Wet places ; not common. 
 — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 59. C. binervis (Green-ribbed Sedge). — 
 A closely allied, but much smaller species, 
 generally about a foot high ; leaves rigid, 
 keeled, recurved ; pistillate spikelets not 
 more than an inch long, brownish ; fruit cXrex dIstans [L*** Sedge\ 
 with two prominent green ribs and a 
 
 broad, smooth beak. — Heaths ; common. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 60. C. distans (Loose Sedge). — Another closely allied species, 
 less coarse ; leaves glaucous ; spikelets 4 or 5, far apart, the ter- 
 minal one staminate, sometimes with a small one close to it, the 
 others pistillate, \ — 1 in. long, oblong, erect, stalked, but some- 
 times appearing sessile, the stalks being enclosed in the sheaths of 
 the leafy bracts; glumes brownish ; styles 3-cleft; fruit yellowish- 
 
544 
 
 CYPERACE^E 
 
 brown, ovoid, smooth, faintly ribbed with a narrow, rough beak. 
 — Brackish marshes near the sea. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 61. C. punctata (Dotted-fruited Sedge). — Another nearly allied 
 species, 12 — 18 in. high, slender; glumes pale red with a broad 
 green band down the back ; fruit ovoid, membranous, swollen, 
 shining, only ribbed at the angles, dotied, longer than the glumes, 
 with a slender, smooth beak. — Marshes near the sea. — Fl. June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 62. C. fulva (Tawny Sedge). — Another nearly allied species, 
 with a rough-edged stem, 2 or 3 pale pistillate spikelets, which are 
 ovate-oblong; glumes ovate, not mucronate, with transparent 
 tips; fruit broadly ovoid, ribbed, with a rough beak. — Marshes, 
 chiefly at high altitudes. — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 63. C. extensa (Long-bracteate Sedge). — Tufted, rather slender, 
 8—18 in. high; leaves very narrow, stiff, erect, often convolute; 
 spikelets nearly sessile, near together at top of stem, or only the 
 lower one distant, oblong, brown-green ; bracts long, narrow, leafy, 
 with short sheaths, the lowest much longer than the stem ; glumes 
 mucronate ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit ovoid, triangular, strongly- 
 ribbed, tapering into a conical beak. — A sea-coast plant, general 
 round the British Isles. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 64. C. fldva (Yellow Sedge). — Usually densely tufted and leafy, 
 3 — 18 in. high, acquiring frequently a yellowish hue, especially 
 the pistillate spikelets ; terminal staminate spikelet 6—9 lines long ; 
 pistillate spikelets 1, 2 or 3, sessile or shortly stalked, and very near 
 the terminal one, and often one much lower down on a longer 
 stalk, all erect, ovoid, and when ri^s nearly globular; bracts all 
 leafy and sheathing ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit ovoid, ribbed, beaked, 
 spreading. — Wet places; frequent. — Fl. May, June. 
 
 65. C. lasiocdrpa (Slender Sedge). — Root-stock creeping, with 
 runners; stems 1 — 3 feet high ; /eaves very slender, stiff; staminate 
 spikelets 2 or 3, slender, 1 — 2 in. long, brown ; pistillate spikelets 1 
 — 3, remote from them, nearly sessile, oblong, 6 — 9 lines long, 
 loose-flowered ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit ovoid, with a short 2-fid beak, 
 very downy. — Peat-bogs ; local. — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 66. C. hirta (Hairy Sedge or Hammer Sedge). — Root-stock creep- 
 ing, jointed, scaly ; stems weak, leafy, 1 — 2 feet high, and, as well 
 as the leaves, more or less hairy ; terminal staminate spikelets 1 or 
 2 ; pistillate ones 2 or 3, very distant, stalked, cylindric, an inch 
 or more long ; bracts with long sheaths ; fruit tapering into a long, 
 2-fid beak, covered with short, spreading hairs. — Damp woods. — 
 Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 67. C. Pseudo-cyperus (Cyperus-like Sedge). — A stout, tufted 
 form ; stems 1 — 3 feet high, 3-angled, rough ; leaves broad, long, 
 
SEDGE FAMILY 
 
 545 
 
 rough ; staminate spikelet 2 — 3 in. long, slender, pale ; pistillate 
 spikdets 4 — 5, not more than 2 in. long, cylindric, green, long- 
 stalked, drooping when in fruit ; bracts broad, long, and leafy, 
 without sheaths ; glumes narrow, pointed, rough, green ; styles 
 3-cleft ; fruit spreading, lanceolate, ribbed, with long, stiff, 2-fid 
 beak. — River-banks ; not common. — Fl. June. Perennial. 
 
 68. C. acutifbrmis (Pond Sedge). — A 
 tall, stout species, with a creeping root- 
 stock and runners ; stems 2 — 3 feet high, 
 stout, 3-angled, rough ; leaves erect, long, 
 broad, glaucous ; staminate spikelets 2 or 3, 
 1 — 2 in. long, sessile, dark brown, with 
 blunt glumes; pistillate spikelets 2 or 3, 
 rather distant, sessile, or the lowest 
 shortly stalked, often 2 in. long, erect, 
 cylindric, blunt, with pointed glumes; 
 bracts leafy, without sheaths ; styles 3-cleft ; 
 fruit ovate, slightly triangular, but much 
 flattened, tapering into a very short, 2-fid 
 beak. — Ditches ; common. — Fl. May, 
 June. Perennial. 
 
 69. C. ripdria (Greater Pond Sedge). — 
 A nearly allied, but much larger species, 
 being by far the largest British Sedge ; 
 stems 2—5 feet high ; leaves broader ; 
 spikelets more numerous and very large, 
 3 — 6 staminate, crowded, i| — 2 in. long, 
 with acute glumes, 4 — 6 pistillate, pointed ; 
 fruit oblong-ovoid, convex on both sides. 
 — Ditches ; common. — Fl. May. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 70. C. infldta (Bottle Sedge).— A stout, 
 tufted and creeping species, with stems 
 1 — 2 feet high, smooth, slightly 3-angled ; 
 leaves long, channelled, glaucous ; spikelets 
 1 — 2 in. long or even more, 2 — 3 staminate, 2 — 4 pistillate, 
 remote, erect, stout, cylindric, pale, the lowest shortly stalked ; 
 bracts leafy, without sheaths ; styles 3-cleft ; fruit flask-shaped, 
 that is, ovoid, inflated, narrowing suddenly into a long slender 
 beak. — Bogs ; common. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 71. C. rhynchophysa, a taller and more glaucous, somewhat 
 tufted plant, 2 — 3 feet high ; bracts leaf-like, longer than the 
 staminate spikelets ; spikelets curved outwards at the base, 3 — 4 
 pistillate, 4 — 6 staminate, the pistillate ones 2 — 3 in. long, the 
 
 NN 
 
 cArex acutif6rmis 
 {Pond Sedge). 
 
546 GRAMfNE^E 
 
 staminate ones i — 2 in. ; styles deeply 3-cleft ; fruit globose, 
 tapering into a rather long beak. — Found in 1892 by Mr. Lloyd 
 Praeger in Mullaghmore Lough, co. Armagh. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 72. C. vesicdria (Bladder Sedge). — Nearly allied to C. infldta, 
 but with rough, triangular stems ; flat, green leaves ; rather shorter 
 spikelets ; and fruits, although inflated, more conical, tapering 
 gradually into a shorter subulate beak. — Bogs ; less common than 
 C. rostrdta. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 
 
 73. C. saxdtilis (Russet Sedge). — An alpine form of the preced- 
 ing ; root-stock creeping, the scaly runners ending in tufts of 
 leaves; stems 4 — 10 in. high, leafy; spikelets 3 or 4, distant, 1 or 
 2 staminate, the pistillate ones ovoid, dark brown, 6 — 8 lines 
 long, the lowest on a slender stalk, with a leafy bract at its base ; 
 styles 2-cleft ; fruit ovoid, inflated with a very short, 2-fid point. — 
 Only found on the higher Scottish mountains. — Fl. May, June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Ord. XCI. GRAMfNEiE. — The Grass Family 
 
 The grasses form one of the largest, most naturally defined, 
 and most widely distributed Orders in the Vegetable Kingdom, 
 and at the same time one which is unrivalled in its utility to man. 
 It comprises about 3,600 species in 310 genera. They are ever- 
 green, annual, or perennial herbs, though some of them reach a 
 large size, Bamboos being sometimes 100 "feet in height and 
 nearly a foot in diameter. Many perennial grasses have rhizomes 
 or grow in tufts. The stem is furnished with prominent nodes 
 with long, generally hollow internodes, is circular in section, or 
 2-edged, and contains much siliceous matter, being often hard 
 and polished externally. The Maize (Zea Mays) and the Sugar- 
 cane {Sdccharum officindrum) are exceptional in having solid 
 stems. The leaves are alternate, simple, and usually linear, with 
 no petiole, except in a few Bamboos, but with a long sheath 
 embracing the stem, and split down the side opposite to that 
 on which the blade is. At the junction of the sheath and blade 
 there is generally a little membranous outgrowth, termed the 
 ligule. The flowers are in spikelets, and these are variously 
 arranged in spikes, racemes, or panicles. Each spikelet consists 
 of 1 — 5 flowers, arranged alternately on a very short axis, or 
 rachilla, but some of these flowers are often represented merely 
 by glumes. At the base of the rachilla are usually two boat- 
 shaped, green or purplish glumes with nothing in their axils. 
 Within these are the flowers, each with two other glumes, the 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 547 
 
 lower or outer of which is termed the flowering glume, the inner, 
 which is generally of very delicate texture and has two green 
 ribs, being termed the pale. Within these two glumes, and 
 alternate with them, are found 2, or rarely 3, very minute scales, 
 known as lodicules, but these are sometimes wanting. There is, 
 in fact, a frequent suppression of certain parts of the floral 
 envelope, glumes being often empty or sterile, and the whole 
 spikelet, or locusta, sometimes consisting of only 1 glume and 
 1 pale. In many grasses one or more of the glumes bears a 
 bristle-like point or awn, which is sometimes very long, and may 
 either be terminal, proceeding from the point of the glume, as in 
 Barley, or be inserted on its back or at its very base. Each 
 flower has usually 3 stamens (rarely r, 2 or 6), with long anthers, 
 
 Spikelet of Wild Oat : a, outer glumes ; b, flowering glume, with awn ; c, pale ; 
 d, lodicules ; e, ovary ; f, stamens. 
 
 the lobes of which diverge at each end, and weak, hair-like 
 filaments. The ovary is i-chambered and i-ovuled, and is 
 crowned by 2 (rarely 1 or 3) styles with feathery stigmas, the 
 pollen being generally carried by wind. The fruit or grain, 
 technically known as a caryopsis, is entirely filled by the seed, 
 so that their coats adhere ; and the embryo lies to one side at the 
 base of a mass of mealy or farinaceous albumen. 
 
 Grasses are abundant everywhere on land, and there are 
 species inhabiting fresh water ; but there are no marine forms. 
 In the tropics they acquire a much greater height than in colder 
 regions ; but the compact grassy turf, which is such a charm of 
 our English scenery, is almost entirely wanting in the Torrid 
 Zone, those species which have the " social " habit being mainly 
 characteristic, in fact, of the colder parts of the Temperate Zone. 
 
 The cereal grasses, Wheat (Triticum cesiivum and T. hybernum), 
 
 N N 2 
 
548 
 
 GRAMINEjE 
 
 Oats (Avena sativa), Barley (Hordeum distichum and H. hexdsti- 
 chum), Rye (SecdU ceredle), Maize (Zea Mays), Rice (Oryza sativa), 
 and various Millets, cultivated for die sake of their grain, are the 
 most valuable members of the Order to mankind ; while the 
 value of grasses as fodder for cattle is hardly second to that of 
 their corn for human food. 
 
 Among the most esteemed fodder grasses are Rye-grass (Lolium 
 perenne) and its variety, Italian Rye-grass {Lolium perenne, var. 
 itdlicum), especially for hay ; Cock's-foot grass (Ddctylis glonierdta) 
 and Timothy-grass (Phleum pratense), especially for heavy or peaty 
 land ; the sweet-scented Vernal-grass (Anthoxdnthum odordtum) 
 which gives much of its delicious fragrance to new-mown hay ; 
 Poa pratensis for dry, sandy soils; P< 
 nemordlis, var. sempervirens, and P. 
 trividlis for permanent pasture ; and the 
 Fescues (Festuca duriuscula and F. 
 eldtior) also for permanent pasture, and 
 F. rubra for sandy soils. Cattle are 
 very fond also of the Tussock-grass 
 (Ddctylis ccespitosa) of the Falkland 
 Islands, which has been introduced in 
 the Hebrides. 
 
 Sugar is a general product of grasses, 
 and can be easily tasted in spring if we 
 chew the stem of almost any meadow 
 grass. It is, however, chiefly manufac- 
 tured from the stems of the Sugar-cane 
 (Sdccharum officindrum), a native of south- 
 eastern Asia, now cultivated throughout 
 the tropics ; and, to a much smaller 
 extent, from those of the Guinea Corn (Sorghum sacchardtum). In 
 eastern countries the Bamboos are used for numberless purposes 
 — houses, furniture, cordage, and even sails of ships being made 
 from them. Alfa or Esparto-grass (Macrochloa tenacissima), a native 
 of northern Africa, is a valuable material for paper-making ; and 
 various Indian species of Andropogon yield aromatic " Grass 
 Oils," such as Vetivert, Lemon-grass, or Verbena, Citronella, 
 and Geranium or Ginger-grass, which are largely used in 
 perfumery. 
 
 The classification of grasses is a matter of great difficulty ; 
 but the British species fall under eight tribes, which may be 
 grouped in two Sub-orders. 
 
 Section of the fruit of the Oat : 
 /, pericarp, or wall of the 
 ovary ; t, seed-coats ; a, albu- 
 men ; c, cotyledon \g, plumule ; 
 r, radicle. 
 
GRASS FAMILY 549 
 
 Sub-order I. Panicdcecs. — Spikelets jointed upon the pedicel; 
 rachilla persistent; glumes 1 — 4, only the uppermost enclosing 
 a perfect flower. 
 
 Tribe i. Panicece. — Flowering glume 3- or more-nerved, 
 not awned 
 
 I. Digit Aria. — Glumes 4 ; pedicels of spikelets naked or hairy; 
 flowering glume 3-veined, not awned. 
 
 *2. Echinochloa. — Glumes 4 ; flowering glume 5-veined, mu- 
 cronate or awned. 
 
 ♦3. Setaria.— Glumes 4 ; pedicels of spikelets bristly. 
 
 4. Spartina. — Glumes 3 ; spikes upright, in a raceme. 
 
 Tribe 2. Oryzece. — Spikelets laterally compressed ; flowering glume 
 and pale i-nerved 
 
 5. Leersia. — Spikelets in a loose panicle ; empty glumes 
 absent. 
 
 Sub-order II. Poacea. — Spikelets rarely jointed upon the pedicel; 
 rachilla deciduous ; glumes 3 or more, the two lowest empty 
 
 Tribe 3. Phalaridea;. — Spikelets distinctly stalked, laterally com- 
 pressed; rachilla not produced beyond the uppermost glume; glumes 
 3 — 6, uppermost only with a perfect flower; pale absent or 1- 
 nerved. 
 
 6. Phalaris. — Glumes 6, awnless ; stamens 3. 
 
 7. Anthoxanthum. — Glumes 6, 2-awned ; stamens 2. 
 
 8. Hierochloe. — Glumes 6, 2-awned, with 3 stamens each ; 
 uppermost perfect flower with 2. 
 
 9. Alopectjrus. — Spikelets jointed on the pedicel in a spike- 
 like panicle ; glumes 3 or 4; flowering glume with dorsal awn ; 
 stamens 3. 
 
 Tribe 4. Agrostidece. — Spikelet 1 -flowered ; glumes 3 ; flower 
 
 perfect; pale 2-nerved 
 
 * Rachilla not produced beyond flowering glume 
 
 10. Milium. — Panicle loose ; flowering glume hardening round 
 fruit ; no awn. 
 
 II. Phleum. — Panicle dense, cylindric, spike-like; flowering^ 
 glume enclosing the fruit. 
 
 12. Mip.6ra. — Spikelets in a i-sided raceme, dorsally com- 
 pressed, awnless. 
 
 13. Agrostis. — Panicle loose; spikelets very small; flowering 
 glume transparent. 
 
55° 
 
 GRAMfNEiE 
 
 14. Polypogon. — Panicle spike-like ; glumes awned. 
 
 15. Calamagrostis. — Rachilla with long, silky hairs; flowering 
 glume awned. 
 
 ** Rachilla produced beyond flowering glume 
 
 16. Gastridium. — Panicle spike-like; outer glumes awnless ; 
 flowering glume minute, 4-toothed. 
 
 17. Apera. — Panicle loose; flowering glume slightly 2-fid, with 
 a long, slender awn. 
 
 18. Ammophila. — Panicle spike-like; spikslets large; rachilla 
 long, silky ; flowering glume minutely awned. 
 
 19. Lagurus. — Panicle spike-like, ovate; outer glumes ending 
 in a long, fringed bristle ; flowering glume 3-awned. 
 
 Tribe 5. Avetiecz. — Spikelets in panicles, 2 — 4-flowered; rachilla 
 generally produced beyond the flowering glume ; glumes 4 or more, 
 2 lowest empty, equalling or overtopping the flowers; flowering 
 glumes with twisted dorsal awns 
 
 20. AfRA. — Panicle loose ; rachilla not produced ; awn dorsal, 
 generally bent ; ovary glabrous. 
 
 21. Corynephorus. — Flowers 2, perfect; awn jointed in the 
 middle, with a club-shaped tip. 
 
 22. Holcus. — Flowers 2, lower perfect, awnless, upper stami- 
 nate, awned. 
 
 23. Trisetum. — Flowers 2 — 6 ; flowering glume with 2 acute 
 teeth and a bent, twined dorsal awn ; ovary smooth. 
 
 24.. Avena. — Flowers 2 or more; flowering glume with 2 points 
 and a bent, twisted, terminal awn; ovary hairy. 
 
 25. Arrhenatherum. — Flowers 2, lower staminate, with long, 
 basal, bent, twisted awn, upper perfect, awnless, or with short, 
 straight awn. 
 
 Tribe 6. Chloridece. — Spikelets in 2 rows on a flattened rachis, 
 forming a i-sided spike or raceme, laterally compressed, i-flcwered 
 
 26. Cynodon. — Spikes spreading, digitate ; glumes awnless. 
 
 Tribe 7. Fesiuceae. — Rachilla usually produced ; glumes 6 or more, 
 the 2 lowest empty ; awn terminal or absent 
 
 27. SiEGLfNGiA. — Spikelets seldom more than 5 or 6, in a race- 
 mose panicle, awnless, 2 — 4-flowered ; flowering glume with 3 
 minute teeth at the top. 
 
 28. Phragmptes. — Spikelets in a spreading panicle, 1 — 6- 
 flowered, awnless ; rachilla bearded with long, silky hairs. 
 
GRASS FAMILY 55 1 
 
 29. Sesl£ria. — Spikelets in an ovoid, spike-like panicle, awnless, 
 with a soft ciliate glume below each. 
 
 30. Cynostjrus. — Spikelets in a i-sided, spike-like panicle, 
 2 — 5-flowered, with bristly comb-like glumes below them. 
 
 31. Koeleria. — Spikelets in a sub-cylindric spike, 2 — 5-flowered ; 
 flowering glume membranous, keeled, pointed. 
 
 32. MoLfNiA. — Spikelets in a narrow but loose panicle, lanceo- 
 late, 1 — 3-flowered ; glumes hardening on the fruit. 
 
 33. Catabr6sa. — Spikelets in a spreading panicle, with whorled 
 branches, 1 — 3-flowered ; empty glumes very unequal, blunt ; 
 flowering glume truncate at the top. 
 
 34. Melica. — Spikelets in a slender panicle, ovate, awnless, 
 1 — 2-flowered ; upper glumes forming a club-like rudiment. 
 
 35. Dactylis. — Spikelets 3 — 5-flowered, densely crowded in a 
 1 -sided panicle j flowering glume shortly awned. 
 
 36. BRfzA. — Spikelets panicled, pendulous, short, flat, densely 
 and distichously imbricate, 3- or more-flowered ; glumes mem- 
 branous, boat-shaped, blunt. 
 
 37. Poa. — Spikelets panicled, awnless, 2- or more-flowered ; 
 glumes acute, unequal ; flowering glume keeled, 3 — 5-veined. 
 
 38. Glyceria. — Spikelets panicled, awnless, many-flowered ; 
 glumes obtuse ; flowering glume sub-cylindric, 5 — 7-ribbed, obtuse. 
 
 39. Scler6chloa. — Differing from Glyceria in the flowering 
 glume being cylindric and faintly 5-veined, the lodicules slender, 
 and the fruit compressed. 
 
 40. Festtjca.— Leaf-sheath split to base ; spikelets in a panicle 
 or spike, 3- or more-flowered ; flowering glume rounded at the 
 back ; 3 — 5-ribbed, pointed or awned ; styles at the top of the 
 smooth ovary. 
 
 41. Bromus. — Leaf-sheath split half-way; spikelets panicled, 
 many-flowered ; flowering glume rounded at the back, with a long, 
 dorsal awn ; styles below the hairy top of the ovary. 
 
 42. Serrafalcus. — Leaf-sheath split less than half-way; lower 
 empty glume 5-veined, upper 7 — 9-veined ; otherwise much as in 
 Bromus. 
 
 43. Brachyp6dium. — Spikelets in a spike or raceme, long, 
 many-flowered ; rachis not indented ; glumes unequal ; flowering 
 glume with terminal awn ; ovary hairy at the top. 
 
 Tribe 8. Kordece. — Spikelets in 2 or more rows, sessile in the notches 
 of a simple rachis, forming a spike ; rachilla generally produced 
 
 44. Lolium. — Spikelets solitary in the notches, with their edges 
 to the rachis, 3- or more-flowered. 
 
55 2 
 
 GRAM1NE<E 
 
 45. TRfncuM. — Spikelets solitary in the notches, with their 
 broad sides to the rachis, 3- or more-flowered. 
 
 46. Lefitjrus. — Spikelets solitary in the notches, with their 
 broad sides to the rachis, 1 -flowered. 
 
 47. NXrdus. — Spikelets solitary in the notches of a 1 -sided 
 spike, i-flawered. 
 
 48. Hordeum. — Spikelets 3 in each notch, i-flowered, with 
 long awns. 
 
 49. Elymus. — Spikelets 2 or 3 in each notch, 2 — 7-flowered, 
 awnless. 
 
 1. Digitaria (Finger-grass.) — Spikelets i -flowered, arranged 2 
 together along one side of linear, digitate spikes, glumes 4, usually 
 not awned, the lowest small ; flowering glume 3-veined. (Name 
 from the Latin digitus, a finger, from the form of the inflorescence.) 
 
 I.* D. sanguindlis (Fingered Panic). — An introduced weed of 
 cultivated ground ; stems 1 — 2 feet long, spreading at base, then 
 erect ; leaves flat, hairy, panicle of 2 — 6, rarely more, simple, 
 slender, digitate, spike-like branches, 2 — 4 in. long. — South of 
 England. — Fl. August. Annual. 
 
 2. D. linearis (Red Millet, Finger-grass). — Very like the pre- 
 ceding, but much smaller and less hairy ; stems 6 — 8 in., prostrate ; 
 panicle of 2 — 5 branches ; spikelets minute, purplish, ovate, 
 stalked, in pairs. — Sandy fields in the south-eastern counties ; 
 rare. — Fl. July, August. Annual. 
 
 *2. Echinochloa. — Spikelets 2-flowered, panicled, the lower 
 -flower staminate ; glumes 4 ; flowering glume 5-veined, pointed or 
 awned. (Name from the Greek echinos, a hedgehog, chlda, grass.) 
 
 1.* E. Crus-gdlli (Loose, or Cockspur, Panic). — A coarse 
 naturalised weed ; stems 1 — 4 feet, ascending ; leaves broad, gla- 
 brous, rough-edged ; panicle 3 — 6 in. long, irregularly pyramidal, 
 with alternate or opposite, rather 1 -sided branches and downy, 3- 
 sided rachis ; spikelets green, on hairy pedicels ; third glume 
 pointed or awned ; flowering glume polished. — Fields in the south- 
 eastern counties. — Fl July. Annual. 
 
 *3- Setaria (Bristle-grass). — Spikelets in a dense, cylindrici 
 spike-like panicle, resembling those of Pdnicum, but with stout 
 bristles on their pedicels and no awns. (Name from the Latin 
 seta, a bristle.) 
 
 1.* S. viridis (Green Bristle-grass or Panic). — An erect plant, 
 1 — 2 feet high ; leaves flat, rough on the edges ; panicle green, 1 
 — 3 in. long, with downy, 3-edged, whorled branches ; bristles 
 purplish, £ in. long, with ascending teeth ; flowering glume smooth. 
 — A casual in cultivated fields. — Fl. July, August.* Annual. 
 
GRASS FAMILY 553 
 
 2.* S. glauca (Glaucous Bristle-grass). — A very similar plant ; 
 panicle i — if in. long ; flowering glume transversely wrinkled. — A 
 cornfield casual, Weybridge, Surrey. — Fl. September. Annual. 
 
 3.* S. verticilldta (Rough Bristle-grass or Panic). — Another very 
 similar species ; but with a narrower, rather loose panicle ; down- 
 ward pointing barbs to the bristles ; and a smooth flowering glume. 
 — Cultivated fields near London and Norwich. — Fl. July, August. 
 Annual. 
 
 4. Spartina (Cord-grass). — Spikelets i -flowered, \ in. long, 
 laterally compressed, sessile in 2 rows along one side of the erect, 
 spike-like branches of a raceme ; glumes 3, lowest smaller, second 
 5-nerved ; flowering glume shorter, i-nerved, awnless ; styles long, 
 united half-way up. (Name from the Greek spartine, a cord, from 
 a use to which the leaves have been put.) 
 
 1. S. stricta (Common Cord-grass). — A remarkably stiff, erect 
 grass, with a long, branched, creeping root-stock; stems 1 — il feet, 
 stout, polished, leafy ; leaves erect, leathery, pointed, glaucous 
 above, with blades jointed to their sheaths ; spikes 2 or 3, ad- 
 pressed, 1 — 3 in. long ; outer glume i-nerved, hairy ; rachis 
 scarcely extending beyond the last spikelet. — Muddy salt marshes 
 in the south ; local. It is cut at Southampton by the poorer 
 classes for thatching. — Fl. July — September. Perennial. 
 
 2.* 5. altemifl&ra (Many-spiked Cord-grass). — A larger species, 
 2 — 3 feet high ; leaves with blades not jointed to the sheaths ; 
 spikes 3 — 8 ; outer glume 5-nerved, glabrous except on its keel ; 
 rachis produced beyond the last spikelet. — Mud fiats, Southamp- 
 ton. — Fl. August. Perennial. 
 
 3. S. Townsendi, a still larger form, with shorter leaves ; broader, 
 larger spikelets ; more lanceolate, downy glumes; and a flexuous 
 tip to the rachis ; has recently spread along the shores of South- 
 ampton Water, the Beaulieu River, Poole Harbour, and the Isle 
 of Wight. 
 
 5. Leersia (Cut grass), of which L. oryzoides is the only 
 British species, has a smooth, shining stem, 2 — 3 feet high, leafy 
 and hairy at the nodes ; broad, rough, glaucous leaves with a 
 truncate, torn ligule ; panicle few-flowered, very loose, with 
 slender, wavy branches, mostly enclosed in the leaf-sheath ; ■ 
 spikelets shortly stalked, laterally compressed, consisting of only 2 ' 
 parchment-like glumes. — Wet places, Surrey, Sussex, and Hants. 
 (Named in honour of John Daniel Leers, a German botanist.) — 
 Fl. August — October. Perennial. 
 
 6. Phalaris (Reed-grass). — Spikelets i-flowered, much com- 
 pressed laterally, in panicles, awnless ; glumes boat-shaped, keeled, 
 
554 
 
 GRAMINEjE 
 
 membranous, nearly equal ; flowering glume and pale leathery, 
 closely investing the fruit. (Name from the Greek phalos, white, 
 applied by Dioscorides to some pl«.ht with shining fruit. ) 
 
 i.* P. canariensis (Canary-grass). — An erect, leafy plant, 2 — 3 
 feet high, glaucous ; spikelets densely crowded into an ovoid 
 panicle, 1 — i| in. long; glumes very flat, acute, but not awned, 
 winged on the keel, pale yellow, with a broad green line down 
 
 phalaris canariensis (Canary.grass). 
 
 phalaris arundinacea {Reed-grass). 
 
 each side. — A casual escape. Much cultivated as canary-seed in 
 central and southern Europe. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 2.* P. paradoxa, a branched plant, 1 — 3 feet high, with a spike- 
 like panicle, and glumes with a toothed wing on the keel and many- 
 veined, has occurred, probably only casually, at Swanage, Dorset. 
 — Fl. July. Annual. 
 
 3. P. arundinacea (Reed-grass). — A glabrous plant, with creep- 
 ing root-stock ; stems 2 — 6 feet high ; leaves with large ligules ; 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 555 
 
 panicle erect, with spreading branches ; outer glumes lanceolate, 
 keeled, but not winged or awned, whitish with 3 green nerves. — 
 On river banks and in marshes, especially on sand ; common. — ■ 
 Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 7. Anthoxanthu.m (Vernal-grass). — Sweet-scented plants with 
 stalked spikelets in a spike-like panicle ; lowest glume i-nerved, 
 2nd larger, 3-nerved, 3rd and 4th shorter, bifid, with dorsal 
 awns ; flowering glume blunt, 5 — 7-nerved ; stamens 2. (Name 
 from the Greek anthos, flower, and 
 xanthos, yellow.) 
 
 1. A. odordtum (Sweet Vernal- 
 grass). — Erect, shining, 6 — 18 in.: 
 high ; leaves hairy ; panicle oblong, 
 spike-like, interrupted below, 1 — 5 in. 
 long; anthers purple in meadow 
 form, yellow in woods. — Pastures, 
 abundant, containing the aromatic 
 principle coumarin, which exists also 
 in Woodruff, Melilot, and Tonka- 
 bean, and imparts its sweet scent to 
 new-made hay. — Fl. May — July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2* A. aristdtum, a smaller species, 
 with many slender, much-branched 
 stems ; lax panicles ; long, slender 
 awns ; and a fainter perfume. — Occurs 
 occasionally as a modern introduction 
 in sandy fields. — Fl. July — Septem- 
 ber. Annual. 
 
 8. Hierochloe (Holy-grass), of 
 which H. odordta (Northern Holy- 
 grass) is the only British species, is a 
 fragrant grass, about a foot high, 
 glabrous, with creeping root-stock; 
 tufted stems ; long ligules ; a spreading panicle of small, brown, 
 shining, ovate, 3-flowered spikelets ; flowering glume with short 
 awn ; the two lower flowers with 3 stamens, the uppermost perfect, 
 with 2 stamens. — Wet banks, Caithness. (Name from the Greek 
 hieros, holy, chloe grass, it having been used to strew on church 
 floors.) 
 
 9. Alopecurus (Foxtail-grass). — Spikelets much compressed 
 laterally, i-flowered, densely crowded into a cylindric, spike-like 
 panicle ; outer glumes nearly equal, often connate below, awnless ; 
 
 anthoxAnthum odorAtuik 
 (Sweet Vernal-grass). 
 
556 
 
 GRAMINEiE 
 
 flowering glumes with a slender, bent, dorsal awn. (Name from 
 the Greek dlopex, fox, oura, tail.) ' 
 
 X. A. myosuroider (Black-grass Slender Foxtail). — Stem erect, 
 rough, i — 2 feet high ; leaves with a large, blunt ligule ; spike 2 — 
 3 in. long, slender, flexuous, more pointed than in the other 
 species ; glumes acute, united to about the middle, nearly smooth. 
 — A troublesome weed in England. — Fl. April — November. 
 Annual 
 
 ALOPECURUS MYOSUROIDES 
 
 (Slender Foxtail-grass). 
 
 ALOPECtfRUS GENICULATUS 
 
 (Floating Foxtail). 
 
 2. A. (zqualis (Orange-spiked Foxtail). — A glaucous plant; stem 
 ascending, bent at the nodes, 1 — 2 feet high ; leaf-sheaths rather 
 inflated ; ligule oblong ; spike 2 — 3 in. long, pale ; glumes united 
 below, ciliate ; anthers short, broad, at first white, then orange. — 
 Ditches in the midland and southern counties ; rare. — Fl. June — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 3. A. geniculdtus (Marsh or Floating Foxtail). — A closely allied, 
 not glaucous species ; leaf-sheaths cylindnc ; spike 1 — 2 in. long, 
 blunt ; glumes connate, blunt, ciliate ; flowering glume with a 
 sub-basal awn, half as long again as the glume ; anthers linear, 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 557 
 
 violet-yellow. — Wet places ; common. — Fl. April — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. A. bulbosus (Tuberous Foxtail). — A tufted, not glaucous, 
 form with the lower part of the ascending stem forming ovate 
 tubercles ; upper leaf-sheath inflated ; spike 1 in. long, pointed ; 
 glumes not connate, acute, downy ; flowering glume with sub-basal 
 awn twice as long as the 
 glume. — Salt marshes ; rare. 
 Fl. May — July Perennial. 
 
 5. A. pratensis (Meadow 
 Foxtail). — Stem 1 — 2 feet high, 
 erect, smooth, with runners ; 
 sheaths of upper leaves rather 
 loose; spike 1—3 in. long, 
 blunt, soft, pale green ; glumes 
 acute, scarcely united at the VA X 
 base, hairy ; awn twice as long ** J ~*^. \ y 
 as the flowering glume ; anthers 
 yellow. — Rich pastures ; com- 
 mon. — Fl. April — June. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 6. A. alpinus (Alpine Fox- 
 tail). — An allied, but usually 
 shorter, species, with looser 
 sheaths to the upper leaves ; 
 spike seldom more than an 
 inch long, unless cultivated, 
 and softly silky with the rather 
 long hairs which cover the 
 acute, connate glumes. — By 
 streams on lofty Scottish 
 mountains. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 Mfi.iUM eff6sum {Spreading Millet-grass). 
 
 10. Milium (Millet-grass), 
 of which M . effusum (Spreading 
 Millet-grass) is the only British species, is a slender, erect, smooth 
 grass, 1 — 4 feet high; with broad, flat, thin leaves; panicle long, 
 loose, spreading, and slender, its branches whorled ; spikelets *• 
 small, pale green, or purple, awnless ; flowering glume smooth, 
 white, hardening round fruit. — Damp woods ; common. (Name 
 in Latin meaning millet.) 
 
 1 1 . Phl£um (Cat's-tail grass). — Panicle dense, cylindric, spike- 
 like, of compressed, 1 -flowered spikelets; flowering glume awnless, 
 
558 
 
 GRAM1NE.E 
 
 or shortly awned, enclosing the' ^ruit. Resembling the Foxtails, 
 but distinguished from them by the possession of a pale. (Name 
 from the Greek phleos, some reed-like plant.) 
 
 i. P. alpinum (Mountain Cat's-tail). — Stem solitary, ascending, 
 6 — 1 8 in. high ; leaf -sheaths inflated; ligule short ; spike oblong, 
 purplish, about an inch long ; glumes truncate, with bristly awns 
 as long as the glumes. — By streams on lofty Scottish mountains ; 
 rare. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 2. P. pratense (Timothy-grass, Meadow Cat's-tail). — Stem tufted, 
 ascending, smooth, i — 3 feet high ; leaf-sheaths not inflated ; 
 ligule long ; spike cylindric, obtuse, 1 — 6 in. long, 
 green ; glumes truncate, with bristly awns, not 
 half as long as the glumes; anthers yellow or 
 purple. — Meadows; common. (Named after 
 Timothy Hanson who cultivated it in North 
 America.) — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. P. phleoides (Purple-stalked Cat's-tail). — 
 Erect, like the Timothy-grass, but usually smaller; 
 outer glumes linear-lanceolate, tapering into a 
 minute, stiff point ; margins white ; anthers linear- 
 oblong.— Dry fields in the eastern counties ; 
 rare. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 4. P. arendrium (Sea Cat's-tail). — Erect, 2 — 12 
 in. high; leaves broad, with long ligules, the 
 upper ones with inflated sheaths ; spike f — 1 in. 
 long, cylindric, tapering at the base, glaucous ; 
 glumes lanceolate, tapering into a short point; 
 anthers minute, yellow. — Sandy coasts ; frequent. 
 — Fl. May — July. Annual. 
 
 12. Mib6ra, of which M. minima (Early Sand- 
 grass) is the only species, is a little tufted plant, 
 2 — 4 in. high ; leaves short, bristly, rough, with 
 white, inflated sheaths ; spikelets 5 — 10, minute, sub-sessile, 
 purplish, awnless, dorsally compressed, in a 1 -sided spike, | — 1 
 in. long ; flowering glume thin, very hairy, truncate, jagged at top. — 
 Wet sandy shores of Anglesea and the Channel Islands ; rare. — 
 Fl. March, April. Annual. 
 
 13. Agrostis (Bent). — A large genus having numerous small, 
 i-flowered spikelets in an elegant panicle, with whorled branches; 
 outer glumes boat-shaped, unequal, pointed, awnless ; flowering 
 glume shorter, transparent, with a short, slender, dorsal awn, or 
 awnless. (Name, the Greek name for some kind of grass.) 
 
 1. A. setdcea (Bristle-leaved Bent). — Stems erect, rough, about 
 
 phl£um prat£ns£ 
 (Meadow Cat's-tail). 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 559 
 
 a foot high ; leaves numerous, mostly radical, densely tufted, 
 finely subulate, involute, rough ; panicle close, oblong, with short 
 branches ; glumes acute, the lowest longer than the second j 
 ■flowering-glume 4-ribbed, jagged at the top, with a fine bent and 
 twisted basal awn. — Dry heaths in the south ; rare. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. A. canina (Brown Bent). — Stems ascending, 1 — 2 feet high, 
 smooth, sometimes with runners; 
 
 leaves narrow, flat, smooth ; panicle 
 with long, slender branches, spread- 
 ing when in flower, purplish or 
 green; glumes acute, the lowest 
 longer than the second ; flowering- 
 glume 5-ribbed, jagged, with dorsal 
 awn from below the middle. — 
 Peaty heaths ; common. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 3. A. alba (Fiorin-grass or Marsh 
 Bent). — An elegant but most 
 variable grass, nearly allied to the 
 preceding ; stems more or less 
 prostrate below, often with long 
 runners, 6 — 24 in. high, rough ; 
 leaves with roughish sheaths and 
 long, acute ligules ; panicle spread- 
 ing in flower, afterwards close; 
 glumes nearly equal ; flowering 
 glumes seldom awned. — Pastures; 
 common. — Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 4. A, tenuis (Fine Bent). — A 
 closely allied, very variable, but 
 generally smaller species, with 
 smooth stems and leaf-sheaths, 
 short, truncate ligules; panicle 
 spreading both in flower and fruit. 
 — Pastures ; common. — Fl. June — September. Perennial. 
 
 5. A. nigra (Black Bent). — Another nearly allied but more 
 robust species, with runners ; rather rough leaf-sheaths ; long, trun- 
 cate ligules ; panicle-branches sub-erect both in flower and fruit. — 
 Borders of fields. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 14. Polyp6gon (Beard-grass). — Spikelets i-flowered, densely 
 crowded in a spike-like, cylindric, or branched panicle ; glumes 
 
 agr6stis Alba 
 (Fiorin-grass, Marsh Bent). 
 
560 
 
 gram£nete 
 
 notched, with awns 2 or 4 times as long as the glumes, from 
 below their tips ; flowering glume shorter and more shortly awned. 
 (Name from the Greek polus, many, pogon, beard, from the long 
 awns.) 
 
 1. P. monspeliensis (Annual Beard-grass). — A very beautiful 
 species, procumbent at base, or rarely erect, 1 — \\ foot high; 
 stems stout, smooth ; leaves large, broad, rough ; panicle 1 — 6 in. 
 
 long, dense, lobed, of a yellowish 
 shining green, silky ; glumes blunt, 
 less than half as long as the awns ; 
 flowering glume awnless. — Damp 
 pastures in the south-eastern coun- 
 ties ; rare. — Fl. June — August. 
 Annual. 
 
 2. P. littordlis (Perennial Beard- 
 grass). — Nearly allied, variable in 
 size, sometimes several feet in 
 height ; panicle smaller, more 
 branched, purplish ; glumes longer, 
 tapering into an awn scarcely longer 
 than the glume itself. — Salt marshes 
 on the south-east coast ; rare. — Fl. 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
 15. Calamagrostis (Small-reed). 
 — Tall grasses with spreading, some- 
 what 1 -sided panicles of 1 -flowered 
 spikelets ; flowering glume awned, 
 with a tuft of long, silky hairs on the 
 rachilla at its base. Distinguished 
 from the true reed (Phragmites) by 
 the i-flowered spikelets. (Name 
 from the Greek kalamos, reed, 
 agrostis, grass.) 
 
 1. C. epigejos (Wood Small- 
 reed). — Stem 3 — 5 feet high, stout, 
 erect ; leaves long, acuminate, rough, glaucous beneath ; panicle 
 branched, but not spreading except when in full flower, 4 — 12 in. 
 long, with numerous crowded, purplish spikelets ; flowering glume 
 with very short and slender awn from about the middle. — In 
 moist open places in woods ; not generally common. One of the 
 handsomest grasses. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. C. canescens (Purple Small-reed). — A tall grass, 2 — 4 feet 
 high, resembling the preceding, but slender ; leaves narrower and 
 
 CALAMAGROSTIS EPIGEJOS 
 
 (Wood Small-reed). 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 56l 
 
 smoother; parade looser, 5 or 6 in. long, drooping at the tip, 
 shining purple ; flowering glume notched with a very short terminal 
 awn. — VVet places ; rare. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. €. strigosa, found in 1885 by Robert Dick, the baker 
 naturalist of Thurso, in Caithness, has larger spikelets and more 
 acuminate glumes than the following. It is a northern type. 
 
 4. C. neglecta (Narrow Small-reed). — Stem erect, 1 — 3 feet high, 
 slender, polished ; leaves short, stiff, with 
 short ligules ; panicle 2 — 6 in. long, narrow, 
 erect, close, pale purplish, and green ; glumes 
 acute, longer than the hairs ; flcwering glume 
 shorter, with awn inserted rather below the 
 middle. — Bogs in Cheshire and Antrim; 
 rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 16. GASTRfmuM (Nit-grass), of which G. 
 lendigerum (Awned Nit-grass) is the only 
 species, is an elegant, erect grass, 6 — 12 in. 
 high, with rough-edged fiat leaves and a 
 tapering spike-like panicle 1 — 3 in. long, pale 
 green with silvery lustre, and is easily dis- 
 tinguished from other British grasses by the 
 peculiar glossy, swollen base of the outer 
 glumes. — Fields near the sea that are occasion- 
 ally overflowed, in the south ; rare. (Name 
 from the Greek gasiridion, a swelling.) — Fl. 
 June — October. Annual. 
 
 17. Apera (Wind-grass). — Annual grasses 
 with panicles of small, shining, 1 -flowered 
 spikelets ; outer glumes 2, membranous, acute, 
 awnless, the lower the smaller; flowering 
 glume shorter, slightly 2 -fid, with a long, 
 slender, subterminal awn. (Name from the 
 Greek aperos, undivided.) 
 
 1. A.Spica-venli (Silky Wind-grass). — One 
 of the handsomest of grasses, 2 — 3 feet high, 
 
 with rather narrow, flat leaves; panicle 3 in. long, spreading, with 
 very slender branches, and little shining spikehts hardly a line long ; 
 awn 3 or 4 times as long as the spikelet ; anthers linear. — Sandy 
 fields; rare. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 2. A. interrupts, with a close panicle, the branches of which 
 never spread, and short, oval anthers, occurs rarely in the eastern 
 counties. — Fl. June, July. — Annual. 
 
 18. Ammophila (Marram-grass). — Panicle spike-like; spikelets 
 
 00 
 
 amm6phila arundinAcea 
 (Sea Marram). 
 
562 GRAMfNEiE 
 
 large, 1 -flowered, much comprt Sed laterally ; rachilla long, silky ; 
 glumes sub-equal, awnless ; flowering glume shorter, 5-nerved, with 
 a minute sub-terminal awn. (Name from the Greek ammos, sand, 
 philo, I love.) 
 
 1. A.arendria (Sea Marram, Murram or Matgrass, Sea-reed). — 
 Root-stock creeping ; stems erect, stiff, 2 — 4 feet high ; leaves long, 
 stiff, erect, glaucous above, polished below, with very long, torn 
 ligules; -panicle cylindric, straw-coloured, 3 — 6 in. long, acute; 
 glumes acute ; flowering glume 3 times as long as the hairs. — Sand- 
 dunes; frequent. Its value as a sand-binder cannot be overrated. 
 At the end of the 18th century a large district near Moray Firth 
 was destroyed by drifting sand owing to the wanton destruction of 
 Marram. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. bdltica, distinguished by its vertical root-stock; looser, 
 less cylindric, purplish panicle ; lanceolate, acuminate glumes ; and 
 flowering glume twice as long as the hairs; occurs on Ross 
 Links and Holy Isle, Northumberland.— Fl. July — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 19. LAGtJRUS (Hare's-tail grass), of which L. ovdtus is the only 
 species, is a very ornamental grass, with numerous, stout, pubes- 
 cent stems 6 — 12 in. high; short leaves hoary with soft down, 
 with rather swollen sheaths; and spikelets closely crowded into 
 an ovate, softly hairy, whitish head, 1 — 1| in. long, the glumes 
 being densely clothed with soft hairs. — Sandy places in Guernsey. 
 (Name from the Greek lagos, hare, oura, tail.) — Fl. June, July. 
 Annual. 
 
 20. Aira (Hair-grass). — Spikelets 2-flowered, laterally com- 
 pressed, in a loose panicle ; glumes nearly equal, not awned ; 
 flowering glume 2-fid, with a twisted dorsal awn from below the 
 middle ; ovary glabrous ; fruit furrowed on the back. (Name, 
 the Greek name for some grass.) 
 
 1. A. ccespitosa (Tufted Hair-grass). — Forming large dense tufts ; 
 stems 2 — 4 feet high ; leaves flat and rough ; panicle 6 — 8 in. long, 
 very elegant, with slender, spreading, rough branches ; spikelets 
 £ in. long, much compressed, silver-grey or purplish, 2-flowered ; 
 flowering glume with a short, fine, hair-like, straight, sub-basal awn. 
 — Moist places ; abundant, indicating that pasture requires under- 
 draining. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. alpina (Alpine Hair-grass). — An allied but smaller species, 
 6 — 12 in. high, with channelled involute leaves; closer panicle 
 with smooth branches ; and a bent awn from above the middle of 
 the flowering glume. — Wet rocks, Scotland and west of Ireland ; 
 rare. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 563 
 
 3. A. setdcea (Bog Hair-grass). — Stems erect, slender, polished, 
 about a foot high ; leaves hair-like with linear-lanceolate ligules ; 
 panicle spreading, drooping at the end ; flowering glume with bent, 
 twisted, sub-basal awn ; that of the upper flower on a stalk half its 
 own length. — Wet peaty bogs. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 4. A. flexuosa (VVavy Hair-grass). — A closely allied species, with 
 
 AfRA obspit6sa (Tufted Hair-grass). 
 
 Short, blunt, almost bristle-like leaves with short, truncate ligules 
 and rough sheaths ; panicle spreading, 2 — 3 in. long, triply forked 
 with wavy branches ; spikelets shining, with fine, hair-like, bent, 
 twisted, sub-basal awns protruding beyond the glumes ; pedicel of 
 upper flower not a quarter of its length. — Heathy places ; common. 
 — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 5. A. caryophyllea (Silver Hair-grass). — A tufted, slender, and 
 002 
 
564 
 
 GRAMINE^E 
 
 graceful species; stems 2 — 12 in. high, bent below, rough, often 
 purplish ; leaves short, bristle-like, blunt, with rough sheaths; 
 panicle 1 — 2 in. long, very spreading, 
 with long, triply forked branches. — 
 Dry places ; common. — Fl. June, 
 July. Annual. 
 
 6. A. prcecox (Early Hair-grass). — 
 A similar but smaller species, not 
 more than 6 in. high, greener, with 
 smooth leaf-sheaths and a close, 
 oblong, spike-like panicle, \ — 1 in. 
 long, with short branches. — Dry 
 places ; common. — Fl. April, May. 
 Annual. 
 
 21. Coryn£phorus, of which C. 
 canescens (Grey Hair-grass) is the 
 only British species, is a tufted, 
 slender plant, less than a foot 
 high, with numerous short, bristle- 
 like, glaucous leaves with rough 
 sheaths ; panicle rather dense, 1 — 3 
 in. long, spreading in flower, with 
 short branches ; spikelets variegated 
 with purple and white ; glumes with 
 slender, transparent tips; flowering 
 glume shorter, with a bent, sub-basal 
 awn, bearded at the joint, and 
 thickening into a club-shaped tip ; 
 anthers purple ; fruit grooved, adnate 
 to the flowering glume and pale. — 
 Sandy coasts of Norfolk, Suffolk, and 
 the Channel Islands.— Fl. June, 
 July. Perennial. (Name from the 
 Greek korunephoros, a mace-bearer.) 
 
 22. Holcus (Soft-grass). — Spike- 
 lets numerous, much compressed 
 laterally, in an open panicle, 2- 
 flowered ; lower flower perfect, awn- 
 less ; upper staminate, with a twisted 
 dorsal awn to its 5-nerved flowering 
 
 glume. (Name said to be from the 
 Greek holkos, connected with helko, I draw, referring to a supposed 
 power of drawing thorns out of the flesh.) 
 
 holcus m6llis (Creeping Sofl-grass 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 565 
 
 i. H. mollis (Creeping Soft-grass). — Root-stock creeping; stems 
 about a foot high, hairy at the nodes, slender ; leaves rough, with 
 smooth sheaths; panicle 2— 3 in. long, rather loose, whitish; 
 upper glumes acute ; the awn of the flowering glume of the upper 
 flower rough, projecting beyond the glumes. — On light soil ; 
 abundant. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. H. landtus (Yorkshire Fog, Meadow Soft- 
 grass). — A similar plant, tufted, 1 — 2 feet high, 
 the whole plant clothed with a very short down, 
 giving it a pale soft appearance ; panicle pale 
 whitish or reddish ; upper glumes blunt ; awn 
 smooth, except at the tip, not projecting. — 
 Meadows ; abundant. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 23. Tris£tum, of which T. flavescens (Yellow 
 Oat) is the only British species, has erect, 
 smooth stems, 1 — 2 feet high, with runners 
 radical leaves flat and hairy, with blunt ligules 
 panicle with slender, spreading branches ; spike 
 lets numerous, shining, yellowish, 3 — 4 -flowered 
 glumes very unequal ; flowering glumes with two 
 awned points and a short, twisted, bent, dorsal 
 awn between them. — Dry pastures; common. 
 (Name from the Latin tri, three, seta, bristle.) — 
 Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 24. Avena (Oat). — A genus closely allied to 
 the preceding, with panicles of large, 2- or 
 more-flowered spikelets ; glumes sub-equal ; 
 flowering glume 2-fid, with a long, twisted, bent, 
 terminal awn ; ovary hairy at the top ; fruit 
 adherent to the glume. (Name, the Classical 
 Latin name for the Oat.) 
 
 1. A. pubescens (Downy Oat). — Stem creeping 
 below, 1 — 2 feet high ; radical leaves short, 
 downy, with acute ligules ; panicle nearly 
 
 simple, lower branches in fives, bearing 2 — 4 sub-erect spikelets. — 
 Dry or chalky pastures ; common. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 2. A. pratensis (Narrow-leaved Perennial Oat). — A nearly allied 
 species, with runners ; stems rough, erect, 1 — 3 feet high ; leaves 
 smooth, glaucous, with ovate, acute ligules ; panicle racemose ; 
 spikelets erect, pale, shining, \ — f in. long, 3 — 4-flowered ; awn 
 twice as long as the flowering glume. — Dry pastures ; frequent. — 
 Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 TRIS&TUM PRATfiNSfe 
 
 {Yellow Oat). 
 
5 66 
 
 CRAMINEjE 
 
 3.* A. strigosa (Bristle Oat). — Stems 2 — 3 feet high ; leaves 
 sometimes hairy ; panicle 1 -sided ; spikelets 2-flowered, drooping ; 
 flowering glume smooth, ending in 2 long, straight bristles. — Corn- 
 fields; rare, not indigenous. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 4. A.fdtua (Havers, Wild Oat). — Nearly allied to the preceding, 
 but stouter ; stems smooth, but with hairy nodes ; leaves rough ; 
 
 av£na fAtua (Havers, Wild Oaf). 
 
 panicle loose, 6 — 10 in. long, spreading ; spikelets 3-flowered, 1 
 in. long, on unequal pedicels, drooping, green ; flowering glume 
 with long, brown hairs outside. — Cornfields ; frequent. — Fl. June, 
 July. Annual. 
 
 25. Arrhenatherum (Oat-grass), of which A. eldtius (False 
 Oat) is the only British species, has a creeping or tuberous root- 
 Stock ; stem 2 — 3 feet high, slender, smooth; leaves rough, flat; 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 567 
 
 panicle 6 — 12 in. long, narrow, nearly simple, with sub-erect 
 branches, only spreading when the flowers are open ; spikelets 
 \ in. long, pale greenish, 2 -flowered ; lower -flower staminate, with 
 long, basal, bent, twisted awn ; upper perfect, usually awnless. — 
 Hedges and pastures ; common. (Name from the Greek arrhen, 
 male, ather, awn.) — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 26. Cynodon (Dog's-tooth grass), of which C. Ddctylon 
 
 arrhenatherum elatius cynodon dactylon 
 
 (Common False Oat). (Creeping Dog's-tooth grass). 
 
 (Creeping Dog's-tooth grass) is the only British species, is a low, 
 prostrate grass, with long, tough runners and short, flat, glaucous 
 leaves, distinguished from all other British grasses, except * 
 Digitdria sanguindlis and D. linearis, by the digitate arrangement 
 of the 3 — 5 slender, purplish spikes in its panicle, each of which 
 is 1 — 12-in. long, and from those two species by having its awn- 
 less spikelets arranged singly, not in pairs, along the spikes. — 
 Sandy pastures by the sea in the south-western counties ; very 
 
5 68 
 
 GRAMINE.E 
 
 rare. It is a good sand-binder and one of the best pasture 
 grasses of many dry climates, such as India, where it is called 
 Doorba or Doab-grass, and Bermuda, where it is called Bermuda 
 grass. (Named from the Greek odous, a tooth, kunos, of a dog.) 
 — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 27. Sieglingia (Heath-grass), of which S. decumbens (Creep- 
 ing Heath-grass) is the only British 
 species, is a bright green, densely 
 tufted plant with stiff, smooth stems, 
 6 — 12 in. high; blunt, thick leaves 
 with a tuft of hairs for a ligule ; 
 spikelets 5 or 6, rarely 7 — 10, in a 
 fiexuous raceme, 3 — 4-flowered, 
 rather large, awnless, pale green and 
 purplish ; flowering glume 5-ribbed, 
 hairy at the base, with 3 minute 
 teeth at the top. — Dry heaths and 
 moors ; common, indicating poor 
 soil. (Named in honour of Pro- 
 fessor Siegling, of Erfurt.) — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 28. PHRAGMfTES (Reed), of which 
 P. communis (Common Reed) is 
 the only species, is a stout grass, 
 5 — 10 feet high, with a long, creep- 
 ing root-stock ; numerous long 
 leaves, often an inch broad, glaucous 
 beneath, all up the stem ; a dense, 
 drooping panicle 10 — 18 in. long, of 
 a purplish - brown colour, with 
 numerous branches ; spikelets very 
 numerous, |— § in. long, shining, 
 1 — 6-flovvered, awnless, with long, 
 silky hairs on the rachilla which 
 lengthen as the fruit ripens and give 
 the panicle a beautiful silvery ap- 
 pearance. — In wet ditches, marshes, and shallow waters, almost 
 all over the world ; common. It is very serviceable on river 
 banks for binding the soil, and is used for thatch. The runners 
 are nutritious, containing much sugar, and might be used as fodder. 
 (Name said to be from the Greek phragma, a hedge.)— Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 29. Sesleria (Moor-grass), of which S. ccerulea (Blue Moor- 
 
 siegUngia decumbens 
 {.Creeping Heath-grass). 
 
GRASS FAMILY 569 
 
 grass) is the only British species, is a tufted plant with stems 
 6 — 12 in. high; short, linear, glaucous radical leaves with small 
 rough points; panicle oblong, rather i-sided, \ — § in. long, dark 
 blue-grey or lead colour. — Limestone and micaceous rocks ; local 
 in the north, and in the west of Ireland. (Named in honour 
 of Leonard Sesler, an Italian botanist.) — Fl. April — June. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 phragm(tes COMMUNIS (Common Reed). 
 
 30. CYNOStJRUS (Dog's-tail). — Spikelets in a i -sided, spike-like 
 panicle, 2 — 5-fiowered, with bristly comb-like glumes below them, 
 awnless. (Name from the Greek oura, tail, kunos, of a dog.) 
 
 1. C. cristdtus (Crested Dog's-tail). — Slightly tufted, with 
 runners ; stems slender, erect, about a foot high ; leaves short, 
 narrow, with 2 -fid ligules ; spike 1 — 4 in. long, simple, unilateral ; 
 flowering glumes shortly awned. — Pastures ; abundant. A useful 
 grass ; but the wiry stalks when not eaten by sheep remain in a 
 
57° 
 
 GRAMINEJE 
 
 dry state and are known as "bents." — Fl. July, August. Pe- 
 rennial. 
 
 2. C.echindtus (Rough Dog's-tail). — A larger plant with broad, 
 flat leaves and an ovate, irregularly lobed panicle ; awn as long as 
 the flowering glume. — Sandy places in the Channel Islands. — Fl. 
 July, August. Annual. 
 
 31. Koeleria (Hair - grass). — 
 Spikelets compressed, in a sub- 
 cylindric spike, 2 — 5 - flowered ; 
 flowering glume membranous, keeled, 
 pointed. (Named in honour of G. 
 L. Koler, a German writer on 
 grasses.) 
 
 1. K. cristdta (Crested Hair-grass). 
 — Stem 6 — 18 in. high, downy ; leaves 
 downy or glabrous ; spike oblong, 
 interrupted below, crowded ; flower- 
 ing glumes white, with a green keel, 
 giving the spike a variegated, shining, 
 silvery-grey aspect. — Dry pastures ; 
 common. — Fl. June, July. Peren- 
 nial. 
 
 2. K. gracilis includes some com- 
 mon related forms, found on lime- 
 stone or in moist situations, with 
 shorter, involute leaves and more 
 slender and more interrupted spikes. 
 
 3. K. glauca, with short, glaucous, 
 convolute leaves and scarcely inter- 
 rupted spike, occurs rarely on sandy 
 coasts in Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, 
 and Dorset. 
 
 4. K. splendens, a tufted form, with 
 glaucous, convolute Thrift-like leaves, 
 the sheaths breaking up into an 
 interwoven web ; stem 3 — 18 in. high, 
 pubescent, and spike uninterrupted, 
 
 occurs on limestone rocks at the coast end of the Mendips. 
 
 32. MoLfNiA, of which M. cceridea (Purple Molinia, or Purple 
 Melic) is the only species, is a rather coarse, stiff plant, some- 
 times 3 feet high, with 1 node near the base of the stem ; leaves 
 chiefly radical, long, linear, attenuate, rather stiff, without ligules ; 
 panicle 6—12 in long, narrow, loose, generally purplish, with 
 
 CYNOSC'RUS CRISTATUS 
 
 (Pasted Dog's-tail). 
 
GRASS FAMILY 571 
 
 slender, erect branches ; spikelets few, erect, lanceolate, i — 3- 
 flowered, awnless ; glumes acute, equal. — Wet heaths ; common. 
 Growing in tussocks in company with Scabiosa succisa. The 
 stems are sold in bundles by tobacconists for cleaning pipes. 
 (Named in honour of G. J. Molina, a Chilian botanist.) — Fl. 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
 Catabr6sa aquatica {Water Whorl-grass). 
 
 33. Catabr6sa (Whorl-grass), of which C. aqudtica ( Water ^ 
 Whorl-grass) is the only species, is a soft, smooth, pale green 
 plant, creeping or floating below, sometimes much branched, 
 1 — 2 feet high ; leaves short, flat, blunt, with inflated sheaths and 
 blunt ligules ; panicle 1 — 4 in. long, pyramidal, with slender, 
 spreading, whorled branches ; spikelets 1 — 3-flowered ; empty 
 glumes very unequal, and both these and the flowering-glume 
 
572 
 
 GR AMINES 
 
 truncate and torn at the top. — In ditches and by the margins of 
 ponds ; rather scarce, though distributed over the whole island. 
 One of the sweetest of grasses, water-fowl and cattle being fond 
 of it; but unsuitable for cultivation from the character of its 
 habitat. (Name from the Greek katabrosis, an eating out, 
 alluding to the torn ends of the glumes.) — Fl. May, June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 m£ltca nutans {Wood Melic-grass). 
 
 34. Melica (Melic). — Panicle slender; spikelets rather large 
 and few, ovate, awnless, 1 — 2-flowered ; glumes nearly equal ; 
 rachilla produced and terminated by a club-shaped rudimentary 
 flower of empty glumes ; fruit loosely wrapped in the flowering 
 glume. (Name said to be from the Latin mel, honey, on account 
 of the sweetness of the stem.) 
 
 1. M . montdna (Mountain Melic). — A slender, erect plant, 1 — 2 
 feet high, with delicate, flat, sparsely hairy leaves ; -panicle 2 — 3 
 in long, nearly a simple raceme, i-sided, with slender, short, 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 573 
 
 usually erect branches; spikelets about 5 — 15, drooping, brown 
 or purple, 2-flowered. — Shady rocky places in the north and west. 
 — Fl. May, June. — Perennial. 
 
 2. M. niitans (Wood Melic). — An elegant, very slender plant, 
 1 — 2 feet, with long, narrow leaves with a sheath closed, as in the 
 sedges, and a short, blunt ligule with a slender acuminate lobe on 
 one side; panicle lax, slightly drooping, with few, long, slender 
 
 dActvlis glomerXta {Cock's-foot Grass). 
 
 branches, each bearing 1 or more of the erect, i-flowered, purple 
 spikelets. — Shady woods ; common. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 35. Dactylis, of which D. glomerdta (Cock's-foot Grass) is the 
 only species, is a coarse grass, 1 — 2 feet high, creeping below, * 
 with long, broad, flat leaves with rough sheaths and long ligules ; 
 spikelets numerous, small, rough, ovate, flattened, 3 — 5-flowered, 
 densely crowded into thick i-sided, ovate clusters, arranged in 
 an irregular panicle with a few long branches below, horizontal in 
 flower, erect in fruit : glumes lanceolate, strongly keeled, shortly 
 
574 
 
 GRAM1NE/E 
 
 awned just below the tip. — Meadows; abundant. A valuable 
 agricultural grass. (Name from the Greek ddktulos, a finger, 
 from the finger-like clusters of spikelets.) — Fl. June — August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 36. Briza (Quaking- or 
 slender branches ; spikelets 
 
 Totter-grass). — Panicle loose, with 
 pendulous, short, flat, broad, 3- or 
 more - flowered, unawned ; glumes 
 membranous, boat-shaped, blunt, 
 densely and distichously imbricate. 
 (Name from the Greek brithd, I 
 balance, from the delicately sus- 
 pended spikelets.) 
 
 1.* B. maxima (Greatest Quaking- 
 grass), with large, oblong, cordate, 
 9 — 17-flowered spikelets, is becoming 
 naturalised in Jersey. 
 
 2. B. media (Common Quaking- 
 or Totter-grass). — A favourite little 
 plant, a foot or more in height, with 
 a short, truncate ligule to its leaves, 
 and a very loose, spreading panicle 
 of ovate spikelets variegated with 
 green and purple, and containing 
 5 — 9 flowers, usually 5 or 6. — Downs 
 and dry pastures ; common. — Fl. 
 June, July. Perennial. 
 
 3. B. minor (Lesser Quaking- 
 grass). — A smaller and more slender 
 plant with a long, acute ligule to its 
 leaves and more numerous, pale 
 green, triangular spikelets containing 
 about 7 flowers. — Dry and sandy 
 fields in the south-west; rare. — Fl. 
 July, August. Annual. 
 
 37. Poa (Meadow-grass). — Spike- 
 lets panicled, awnless, compressed, 2- or more-flowered ; glumes 
 rather unequal, generally acute; flowering glume compressed, 
 keeled, 3 — 5-veined, not adherent to the fruit. (Name from the 
 Greek poa, fodder.) 
 
 1. P. annua (Annual Meadow-grass). — Tufted, 2 — 10 in. high, 
 with flat, flaccid, bright green glabrous leaves ; panicle erect, loose, 
 spreading, with a triangular outline, \\ — 3 in. long, somewhat 1- 
 sided, with branches in pairs, becoming de-flexed ; spikelets 3 — 6- 
 
 br/za m£dia 
 {Common Quakmg-grass). 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 575 
 
 flowered ; flowering glume 5-nerved. — Waste places, everywhere. — 
 Fl. nearly all the year round. Annual. 
 
 2. P. bulbbsa (Bulbous Meadow-grass). — A low, tufted, glabrous 
 plant, 6 — 10 in. high, remarkable for the bulbs formed by the 
 swollen base of the stems and leaf-sheaths ; leaves narrow, finely 
 serrate, with long, acute ligules ; panicle ovoid, scarcely spreading, 
 
 p6a Annua {Annual Meadow-grass). 
 
 not much more than an inch long, with branches in pairs ; spikelets 
 ovate, 3 — 4-flowered ; flowering glume pointed, keeled, with minute, 
 silky hairs on keel and edges, and a few short, woolly ones on the 
 rachilla at its base. — Sandy shores, chiefly in the south-east ; rare. 
 — Fl. April, May. Perennial. 
 
 3. P. alpina (Alpine Meadow-grass). — A nearly allied species, 
 tufted, often somewhat swollen at the base ; leaves short, rather 
 broad, rounded and mucronate at the tip; panicle spreading, 2 
 
576 GRAMfalEM 
 
 in. long, with branches in pairs, frequently viviparous, the spikelets 
 being converted into leafy bulbils. — Lofty mountains in the north : 
 very rare. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 4. P. stricta, a closely allied form, has slightly compressed 
 stems ; narrower leaves flat throughout ; panicle open in flower and 
 spreading in fruit, often viviparous ; spikelets 3 — 4-flowered, with 
 few or no hairs on the rachilla. — Loch-na-Gar ; very rare. — Fl. 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
 5. P. Idxa (Wavy Meadow-grass), another very closely allied 
 form, has channelled leaves hollowed at the tip ; panicle open in 
 flower and closed in fruit, rarely viviparous ; spikelets 3 — 4-flowered, 
 webbed with fine cottony fibres on the rachilla. — Loch-na-Gar; 
 very rare. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 6. P. lauca (Glaucous Meadow-grass). — A slightly creeping 
 plant, 6 — 1 2 in. high, with glaucous leaves with very short, blunt 
 ligules ; panicle slender, erect ; spikelets 2 — 3-flowered ; flowering 
 glume with 5 veins, only 3 hairy. — Lofty mountains, Ben Lawers, 
 Ben Nevis, Clova, Snowdon ; very rare. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 7. P. Balfourii, an almost indistinguishable lorm, rather larger, 
 with leaves not glaucous, with longer, blunt ligules ; spikelets 2—4- 
 flowered, sometimes webbed. — Occurs in similar positions. 
 
 8. P. nemordlis (Wood Meadow-grass). — Another closely allied, 
 very variable form, or series of forms, is a slightly creeping, slender, 
 glabrous plant, 1 — 3 feet high ; leaves narrow, with short ligules ; 
 panicle slender, rather drooping, 2 — 5 inches long, spreading or 
 close, sometimes i-sided, with branches 2 — 5 together ; spikelets 
 small, 1 — 5-flowered, generally 3-flowered, yellowish-green and 
 purplish, generally webbed ; flowering glume with 5 veins, 3 hairy. 
 — Woods; general. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 9. P. compressa (Flat-stalked Meadow-grass). — A glabrous and 
 somewhat glaucous species, with creeping root-stock, and runners : 
 stem flattened, 6 — 18 in. high ; leaves flat, with short, truncate 
 ligules ; panicle 2 — 3 in. long, slightly 1 -sided, spreading when in 
 flower, branches 2 — 3 together ; spikelets ovate, 4 — 7-flowered, 
 slightly webbed ; flowering glume with 3 — 5 hairy veins. — Walls 
 and other dry places ; frequent. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 10.* P. Chaixii, with a 2-edged stem 2 — 3 feet high ; leaves 
 with rough sheaths, midribs, and margins, and very short, blunt 
 ligules ; panicle spreading ; spikelets oval, of 3, rarely 5 flowers, 
 not webbed ; flowering glume with 5 smooth veins, occurs in deep 
 shady places near Kelso. Perennial. 
 
 11. P. pratensis (Smooth Meadow-grass). — Root-stock creeping, 
 with runners ; stem round, smooth, 1 — 2 feet high, but very 
 variable in size ; leaves sometimes glaucous, smooth, with long, 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 577 
 
 blunt ligules ; panicle 2 — 6 in. long, spreading, with slender 
 branches 3 — 5 together ; spikelets ovate, 3 — 4-flowered, much 
 webbed ; flowering glumes with 5 prominent veins, 3 hairy. — 
 Meadows; abundant. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 12. P. palustris (Marsh Meadow-grass). — Without runners; 
 leaves with longer and more conspicuous ligules than the preced- 
 
 p6a prat£nsis (Smooth Meadoiv-grass). 
 
 ing ; -flowering glumes indistinctly veined. — Marshes by the Tay 
 below Perth, and by the Severn. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 13. P. irividlis (Rough Meadow-grass). — Chiefly distinguished 
 from P. pratensis by the absence of runners ; a general roughness 
 of surface ; long, acute ligules ; more slefider panicles, often 6 in. 
 long, with slender, spreading branches given off 5 together ; spikelets 
 usually 2-flowered, rarely 1 or 3 — 5 ; flowering glume 5-veined, 
 marginal veins glabrous. — Moist places; abundant. — Fl. June, 
 July. Perennial. 
 
eyS GRAMiNKM 
 
 38. Glyceria (Manna-grass.)— Tall, semi-aquatic, perennial 
 grasses, with unsplit leaf-sheaths; spikelets panicled, awnless, 
 many-flowered; glumes unequal, membranous, obtuse; -flowering 
 glume sub-cylindric, 3 — o-ribbed, obtuse. (Name from the Greek 
 glukeros, sweet, in allusion to the sweetness of the grain.) 
 
 GLYCERIA FLUITANS 
 
 (Flote-grass, Manna-croup). 
 
 glyc£ria aquatica 
 (Reed Manna-grass). 
 
 i. G. fluitans (Flote-grass, Manna-croup). — Root-stock creeping; 
 stem 1 — 3 feet, thick, hut weak, smooth, floating, or creeping; 
 leaves often floating, flat, acute, with long, compressed, striate 
 sheaths ; panicle slender, about a foot long, slightly branched, 
 branches erect in fruit ; spikelets few, linear, adpressed, \ — 2 in. 
 long, 7 — 20-flowered ; flowering glume nearly thrice as long as 
 
GRASS FAMILY 579 
 
 broad ; anthers about five times as long as broad, purple, yellowish 
 when empty. — Watery places ; common. — Fl. June — September. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. G. plicdta (Plaited-leaved Manna-grass), a nearly allied form, 
 has glaucous, rather blunt leaves, plaited when young, with fur- 
 rowed sheaths ; panicle with many branches, spreading when in 
 fruit ; flowering glume twice as long as broad ; anthers about thrice 
 as long as broad, cream-coloured, brownish when empty. — Stag- 
 nant water ; frequent. — FI. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. G. aqudtica (Reed Manna-grass). — A conspicuous and impos- 
 ing grass, 4 — 6 feet high ; root-stock creeping ; leaves never floating, 
 sub-erect, flat, rough on the edges, with long, smooth sheaths ; 
 -panicle erect, about a foot long, much branched, with spreading, 
 slender branches; spikelets numerous, 5 — 10-flowered, oblong; 
 flowering glumes ij line long, loosely imbricate, 5 — 7-ribbed. — 
 Watery places ; frequent in England and Ireland, but rare in Scot- 
 land. A fine covert for waterfowl. — Fl. April — August. Perennial. 
 
 39. Sclerochloa (Maritime Manna-grass). — A group closely 
 related to Glyceria ; but differing in the cylindric, faintly 5 -veined 
 flowering-glume ; the slender lodicules ; and the dorsally com- 
 pressed fruit. (Name from the Greek sklcros, hard, chloa, grass.) 
 
 1. S. maritima (Sea Manna-grass). — Root-stock creeping, with 
 runners ; stems about a foot high ; leaves involute, with smooth 
 sheaths ; panicle erect, 1 -sided, t — 4 in. long, generally com- 
 pact, branches short, solitary, or in pairs, rarely 3 or more to- 
 gether ; spikelets not numerous, 4 — 8-flowered ; flowering glume 
 apiculate. — Sandy or muddy salt marshes ; frequent. — Fl. June — 
 September. Perennial. 
 
 2. 5. festucifdrmis, over two feet high, slightly geniculate ; with 
 broader convolute leaves and stouter build, occurs on the shore 
 of Strangford Lough, co. Down. 
 
 3. S. distans (Refiexed Manna-grass). — An allied species, tufted 
 and generally without runners ; stems 1 — 2 feet high, slender ; 
 leaves flat ; panicle spreading, with long, slender branches, 4 — 5 
 together, ultimately deflexed ; spikelets \ in. long, 3 — 7-flowered ; 
 flowering glume truncate. — Sandy salt marshes ; not common. — Fl. 
 June — October. Perennial. 
 
 4. S. Borreri, somewhat intermediate between the two preced- * 
 ing species, is densely tufted, without runners, 6 — 20 in. high ; 
 leaves flat ; panicle 3 — 6 in. long, with short branches 2 — 4 to- 
 gether, ascending ; spikelets very small, crowded, 3 — 7- flowered ; 
 flowering glume apiculate. — Salt marshes on the east and south 
 coasts ; rare. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 p p 2 
 
580 GRAMfNEJE 
 
 5. S. rupestris (Procumbent Manna-grass). — Tufted, decumbent, 
 3 — 8 in. high, stiff; leaves flat, glaucous, with inflated sheaths; 
 panicle i-sided, 1—2 in. high, compact, with short, stout, ascend- 
 ing, rigid, distichous branches ; spikelets small, crowded, nearly 
 sessile, about 4-flowered ; flmvering glumes 3 — 5, 5-ribbed, apiculate. 
 — Salt marshes ; uncommon. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 6. S. rigida (Hard Manna-grass). — A tufted, stiff, glabrous, 
 often purple plant, 4 — 6 in. high ; panicle about 2 in. long, with 
 distichous branches, a broadly channelled rachis, and 3 — 5 spike- 
 lets, which are about 3 lines long and 6 — 8-flowered ; flowering 
 glume smooth, shining, apiculate. — Dry places ; common. — Fl. 
 June, July. Annual. 
 
 7. S. lolidcea (Dwarf Darnel-like Manna-grass). — A glabrous, 
 green, stiff, dwarf plant, 2 — 6 in. high, resembling the preceding ; 
 spikelets nearly sessile in 2 rows on alternate sides of the rachis, 
 but all turning one way so as to resemble a 1 -sided spike ; spike- 
 lets about 3 lines long, 6 — 12-flowered; flowering glumes mucron- 
 ate, with well-marked marginal veins. — Sandy sea-shores ; un- 
 common. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 40. Festuca (Fescue). — Leaf-sheath generally split to the base ; 
 spikelets in a spike or panicle, 3- or more-flowered ; flowering glume 
 rounded at the back, 3 — 5-ribbed, pointed or awned ; styles at the 
 top of the smooth ovary. (Name, a Classical Latin name.) 
 
 1. F. membrandcea (Single-husked Fescue). — Stem 4—12 in. 
 high, bent below, slender, glabrous, leafy ; leaves bristle-like ; 
 panicle 1 -sided, spike-like, but with some very short lower 
 branches in pairs, 2 in. long, pale green, shining ; spikelets 4 — 10- 
 flowered ; outermost glume wanting, and awned ; flowering glumes 
 ending in awns longer than themselves. — Sandy sea-shores in the 
 south ; rare. — Fl. June, July. Annual or biennial. 
 
 2. F. ambigua (Doubtful Fescue). — A slender plant, 8 — 12 in. 
 high, with narrow, involute /eaves; panicle long, narrow, erect, 
 close ; upper empty glume 3 — 6 times as long as the lower ; flower- 
 ing glumes ending in awns as long as themselves; stamen 1. — 
 Sandy places, Dorset, Isle of Wight, Suffolk, and Norfolk ; very 
 rare. — Fl. May, June. Annual. 
 
 3. F. Myuros (Rat's-tail, or Wall Fescue). — A closely allied, but 
 generally taller species, about a foot high, slender ; panicle 2 — 6 
 in. long, slender, i-sided, sometimes spike-like, interrupted, nod- 
 ding ; upper empty glume thrice as long as the lower. — Walls and 
 sandy places; not uncommon. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 4. F. bromoides (Squirrel-tailed Fescue). — Another closely allied 
 species, differing in the upper part of the stem being leafless '; the 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 58l 
 
 shorter panicle being more open, with slender ascending branches 
 below ; and the upper empty glume twice as long as the lower. — 
 Occurs in similar situations more commonly. — Fl. June, July. 
 Annual. 
 
 5. F. ovina ( Sheep's Fescue). — A densely tufted, glaucous grass 
 3 — 24 in. high ; stem slender, 
 4-angled, rough below the 
 inflorescence ; Leaves chiefly 
 radical, subulate, almost 
 cylindric, with 2 - lobed 
 ligules ; panicle rather com- 
 pact, slightly i-sided, i| — 4 
 in. long, purplish ; spikelets 
 small, 3 — 6-flowered ; flower- 
 ing glumes mucronate or 
 with an awn shorter than 
 themselves, often viviparous. 
 — Dry hilly pastures ; one 
 of the commonest grasses. 
 Very variable. — Fl. June, 
 July. Perennial. 
 
 6. F. rubra (Creeping 
 Fescue). — A creeping plant 
 with runners and scattered 
 tufts ; stem many - angled, 
 smooth below the inflores- 
 cence ; leaves bristly, flat or 
 involute ; panicle broadish 
 below, slightly 1 -sided, red- 
 dish ; spikelets 4 — 10- 
 flowered, shortly awned. — 
 Sandy places ; common. 
 Very variable. — Fl. June. 
 Perennial. 
 
 7. F. or aria, a creeping 
 plant with rush-like, cylin- 
 dric, sharply-pointed leaves 
 and downy flowering glumes, 
 
 and occurring on sandy sea-shores, has been recorded as* 
 British. 
 
 8.* F. heterophylla (Various-leaved Fescue). — A densely tufted 
 plant, 2 — 4 feet high; radical leaves numerous, capillary, triangular, 
 rough, sometimes a foot long ; cauline leaves flat, narrow, rather re- 
 curved ; ovary downy at the apex ; otherwise resembling F. rubra. 
 
 fest6ca ovina {Sheep's Fescue). 
 
 closely allied to the preceding, 
 
582 
 
 GRAMfNE^E 
 
 Shady places in the south ; a doubtful native.— Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 9. F. sylvdtica (Reed Fescue).— A tall, reed-like grass, 2-4 
 feet high, stiff, glabrous, with short runners ; haves very long, 
 rather broad, flat, glaucous above, rough-edged ; -panicle 3 — 6 in. 
 long, much branched, spreading ; spikelets numerous, small, awn- 
 less, 3 — 4-nowered, pale yellow-green; flowering glumes pointed, 
 
 fest£ca elAtior (Tall Fescue). 
 
 br6mus ram6sus {Hairy Brome). 
 
 finely toothed along their dorsal ribs. — Moist hilly woods ; 
 uncommon. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 10. F. pratensis (Meadow Fescue). — Root-stock creeping, with 
 runners ; stems 1 — 6 feet high, nodding, smooth ; leaves linear- 
 lanceolate, flat, smooth; panicle 3 — 10 in. long, nodding, with a 
 3-angled, smooth rachis, either spreading with rough branches in 
 pairs, or (var. pratensis) reduced almost to a simple, i-sided spike, 
 with almost sessile, 3 — 10 flowered spikelets, h — J in. long ; 
 flowering glumes 5-ribbed, obtuse, mucronate or acute. — River- 
 banks and wet places; common. — Fl. June, July. Perennial, 
 
GRASS FAMILY 583 
 
 11. F.eldtior (Sea Fescue) is a closely allied species, forming 
 large tufts, with stems 3 — 6 feet high, and a panicle, the branches 
 of which are in pairs, spread outwards both in flower and fruit, 
 and each bears 2 or more 5 — 6-flowered spikelets. — Banks near 
 the sea ; common. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 12. F. gigdntea (Giant Fescue). — A glabrous plant, 3 — 4 feet 
 high ; leaves very long, broad, flaccid, bright green, rough above, 
 with smooth sheaths ; panicle loose, with long, drooping branches 
 in pairs and rough, 3-angled rachis ; spikelets \ in. long, 3 — 6- 
 flowered, with slender, flexuous awn twice as long. — Shady places ; 
 common. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 41. Bromus (Brome-grass). — Leaf-sheath generally split half- 
 way down ; spikelets panicled or racemed, many-flowered ; lower 
 empty glume 1 -veined, upper 3 — 5-veined ; flowering glume 
 rounded at the back, with a long dorsal awn ; styles below the 
 hairy top of the ovary. (Name from the Greek bromos, 
 oats.) 
 
 1. B. rambsus (Rough or Hairy Brome). — 2 — 6 feet high ; 
 leaves long, flat, with scattered reflexed hairs on the sheaths ; 
 panicle loose, with long, slender branches, 2 — 6 together, droop- 
 ing to one side ; spikelets glaucous, linear-lanceolate, above an 
 inch long, 5 — 10-flowered; flowering glume hairy, 5 — 7-ribbed, 
 with a straight, fine awn half as long as itself. — Damp woods ; 
 common. — Fl. July, August. Annual or Perennial. 
 
 2. B. erectus (Upright Brome). — An erect plant, 2 — 3 feet high ; 
 leaves narrow, almost subulate ; sheaths hairy, with ascending 
 hairs ; panicle compact and erect, 3 — 5 in. long ; spikelets J — 1| in. 
 long, 6- or more-flowered, linear-lanceolate ; flowering glume hairy, 
 indistinctly 7-ribbed, twice as long as the awn. — Sandy fields ; 
 common. — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 
 
 3. B. madritensis (Compact Brome). — Stem erect, seldom above a 
 foot high, smooth, leafy ; leaves narrow, flat, hairy ; panicle erect, 
 2 — 4 in. long, with few, erect, adpressed branches and rough 
 rachis and pedicels ; spikelets linear-lanceolate ; flowering glume 
 7-ribbed, with an awn as long as itself; stamens usually two. — 
 Dry places in the south ; rare. — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 4.* B. tectorum, an introduced plant, occurring as a casual in 
 cornfields, is closely allied to the preceding, but has a panicle* 
 drooping to cne side and the pale much shorter than the flowering 
 glume. 
 
 5. B. rigidus (Great Brome). — A beautiful grass, 1 — 2 feet high, 
 pubescent ; panicle erect, lax, ultimately drooping, slightly 
 branched, 4 — 7 in. long ; spikelets with their awns 2 — 3 in. long, 
 
5*4 
 
 GRAMINEJE 
 
 pale green or purplish, long-stalked after flowering. — Sandy 
 shores, Channel Islands. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 6. B. sterilis (Barren Brome). — Stem i — 2 feet high ; leaves 
 hairy; -panicle 6 — 16 in. long, very lax, drooping, with very long 
 branches; spikelets with their awns more than 2 in. long, 6 — 10- 
 
 br6mus sterilis {Barren Brome). 
 
 flowered ; flowering glume rough on the back, distinctly 7-nerved, 
 with a straight awn longer than itself. — Fields and waste places. — 
 Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 42. Serrafalcus. — Annual or perennial grasses, allied to 
 Brbmus, but with the leaf-sheath split less than half-way down ; 
 the lower empty glume 5-veined, the upper 7— 9-veined ; the flower 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 585 
 
 not compressed, and the awns mostly short. (Name from the 
 Latin sen a, a saw, falx, a sickle.) 
 
 1. S. secalinus (Rye Brome). — Stems erect, stiff, 1 — 4 feet high, 
 smooth, or rarely pubescent ; panicle slightly branched, loose, 
 spreading, 3 — 5 in. long, with rough, fiexuous rachis and branches 
 3 — 5 together; spikelets oblong, glabrous, 5 — 10-flowered; flower- 
 ing glume longer than the pale, about as long as its awn. — Corn- 
 fields ; common. — Fl. June — September. — Annual. 
 
 2. S. racemosus (Smooth Brome). — ■ 
 A stiff, nearly smooth plant, 1 — 3 feet 
 high ; leaves stiff, ciliate ; panicle long, 
 erect, narrow, simple, with long, slender 
 branches, 3 — 5 together ; spikelets 
 ovate, glossy, 6 — 10-flowered, with 
 awns as long as the flowers ; lower 
 empty glume lanceolate ; flowering 
 glumes imbricate, rounded at the 
 sides. — Fields and waste places. — Fl. 
 June — September. Biennial. 
 
 3. 5. commutdtus (Meadow Brome). 
 — A stouter form, more hairy ; panicle 
 more compound, loose, slightly droop- 
 ing; spikelets shorter, oblong-lanceo- 
 late ; flowering glumes imbricate, 
 bluntly angular at the sides. — Com- 
 mon. — Fl. June, July. Biennial. 
 
 4. S. hordedceus (Soft Brome, Lop- 
 grass). — A glaucous green, pubescent 
 plant, resembling S. racemosus, 1 — 2 
 feet high ; leaves soft, with rough 
 edges; panicle 1 — 3 in. long, ovoid, 
 erect, close, slightly branched, with 
 very short branches ; spikelets ovate, 
 pubescent, 6 — 10-flowered ; lower 
 empty glume broadly ovate ; flowering glumes imbricate, bluntly 
 angular at the sides, pubescent, with awns as long as themselves. — 
 Roadsides; common. Very variable. — Fl. May — July. Annual. 
 
 5.* S. arvensis (Field Brome), 1 — 3 feet high, with smooth stem; 
 hairy leaves; panicle spreading, pyramidal, 4 — 8 in. long, with 
 very long, hair-like, roughish branches given off 5 — 7 together 
 and becoming horizontal, with a few green or dull violet lanceo- 
 late spikelets, each about | in. long, near their ends, and straight, 
 dark awns as long as the flowers, is commonly naturalised. — Fl. 
 July, August. Annual. 
 
 serrafXlcus hordeXceus 
 {Soft Field Brome). 
 
5 86 
 
 GRAMINE^E 
 
 43. Brachypodium (False Brome). — Perennial grasses with 
 long, many-flowered spikelets in a spike or raceme, with an un- 
 indented rachis ; glumes unequal ; flowering glume with a terminal 
 awn ; ovary hairy at the top. (Name from the Greek brachus, 
 short, podion, a foot-stalk, in allusion to the short stalks of the 
 spikelets.) 
 
 1 . B. sylvdticum (Slender False Brome). — Root fibrous ; stem 
 usually solitary, erect, 1 — 3 feet high ; 
 leaves broad, flat, rather long, flaccid, hairy ; 
 spikelets 6 — 18, usually only 6 or 7, dis- 
 tichous, sub-sessile, adpressed, 1 — 2 in. 
 long, nearly cylindric when young, flattened 
 when in fruit, 8 — 10-flower^d, in a loose 
 spike, more or less drooping ; glumes 
 pointed ; flowering glume ending in an awn 
 as long as, or longer than, itself. — Woods 
 and hedges ; common. — Fl. June, July. 
 Perennial. 
 
 2. B. pinndtum (Heath False Brome). — 
 Root-stock creeping ; stems several, erect, 
 1 — 3 feet high, smooth, glaucous ; leaves 
 narrow, involute, rigid, almost glabrous ; 
 spike erect, with smaller, green or purplish 
 spikelets curving away from the rachis ; awn 
 shorter than the flowering glume. — Dry 
 places on limestone ; not commom, absent 
 from Scotland and Ireland. — Fl. July, 
 August. Perennial. 
 
 44. Lolium (Rye-grass). — Perennial 
 grasses with their spikelets solitary, sessile 
 in the notches of a simple rachis, forming 
 a spike, compressed, with their edges 
 towards the rachis, 3- or more-flowered. 
 (Name, a Classical Latin name.) 
 
 1. L. peremte (Rye-grass, Way Bent). — 
 Stem ascending, 1 — 2 feet high, with leafy runners; spike 6 — 12 
 in. long ; spikelets not close together, 8- or more-flowered ; outer 
 glume strongly ribbed, not as long as the whole spikelet, varying 
 in shape ; flowering glume obtuse, pointed or awned. — Waste 
 places ; common. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 
 
 *L. itdlicum (Italian Rye-grass) is an annual or biennial variety, 
 with much longer spikelets and more flowers, known only in a 
 cultivated state. It is one of the most valuable of fodder grasses. 
 
 achyp6dium sylvAticum 
 (Slender False Brome). 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 587 
 
 2.* L. linicola, occurring also in cultivated fields, is an annual, 
 with no leafy runners, with a slender spike and spikelets 7 — 11- 
 flowered. — Fl. June, July. 
 
 3. L. temulentum (Darnel). — Closely allied to L. perenne, but 
 without runners, and with spikelets usually about 6-flowered, not 
 longer than the outer glume; -flowering glume usually awned.— 
 Cornfields ; fortunately not common in Britain, as its fruit is so 
 poisonous that when ground with flour it is said to cause serious 
 headache and giddiness. — Fl. June — August. Annual. 
 
 l6lium per£nn£ (Rye-grass). 
 
 45. TRfricuM (Wheat). — Perennial grasses with their spikelets 
 solitary, sessile in the notches of a simple rachis, forming a spike, 
 compressed, with their broad sides towards the rachis, 3- or more- 
 flowered. (Name Classical Latin, from tritus, rubbed.) ^ 
 
 1. T. caninum (Bearded Couch). — Root fibrous; stem erect, 
 1 — 3 feet high, slender; spike 2 — 10 in. long, very slender, often 
 flexuous and nodding ; spikelets 2 — 5-flowered, bright green ; empty 
 glumes 3 — 5-ribbed, usually 3, shortly awned ; -flowering glume 
 longer, prominently 5-ribbed, with a rather long terminal awn. 
 — Woods and waste places ; frequent. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
5 88 
 
 GRAMfNE^E 
 
 2. T. repens (Couch-grass). — Root-stock extensively creeping, 
 long, jointed ; stems solitary, ascending, glabrous, i — 2 feet high, 
 hollow ; leaves at first involute, afterwards fiat, flaccid, with 
 numerous slender ribs each with 1 row of rough hairs above ; 
 
 trIticum repens (Couch-grass). 
 
 spikelets t — 7-flowered; rachis slender, not brittle; empty glumes 
 acuminate, 5 ribbed ; awns usually short. A very variable, 
 common, and troublesome weed. — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 
 
 3. T. biflorum (Alpine Couch-grass). — A closely allied form, 
 occurring on Ben Lawers, differs in having its pale 3-toothed. 
 
 4. T. pungens (Stiff-leaved Couch). — Densely tufted; stems 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 589 
 
 solid above ; leaves involute, firm, with numerous thick ribs, each 
 with a row of sharp points above; spikelets 5 — 1 2-flowered. — 
 Sandy sea-shores j Tare. — Fl. July. Perennial. 
 
 5. T. acutum (Acute Couch).. — Loosely tufted ; stems solid, 
 bent below ; leaves much as in the preceding ; spike long, lax. 
 arching ; spikelets 4 — 8-flowered ; rachis very broad between the 
 spikelets. — Sandy sea- 
 shores. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 6. T. junceum (Rush-like 
 Couch). — A prostrate, stiff 
 plant, creeping extensively 
 so as to form large patches, 
 often glaucous ; stems 
 ascending, smooth ; leaves 
 leathery, involute, downy 
 above ; spike 2 — 4 in. long, 
 curved, rather lax, with a 
 brittle rachis ; spikelets 
 large, shining, pale, 4 — 8- 
 flowered ; glumes often 
 obtuse. — Sandy sea-shores ; 
 local. — Fl. July, August. 
 Perennial. 
 
 46. Lepturus, of which 
 L. filiformis (Sea Hard- 
 grass) is the only British 
 species, is a genus of 
 slender grasses differing 
 from Triiicum in having 
 1 -flowered spikelets. These 
 are, as in that genus, soli- 
 tary and sessile in the 
 notches of the rachis, dis- 
 tichous, and placed with 
 their broad sides towards the rachis, and are awnless. Our British 
 species is a little glabrous, decumbent grass, 4 — 8 in. high ; leaves 
 short, leathery, rough ; spike 2 — 6 in. long, cylindric, slender, ; 
 with a stiff, grooved rachis ; spikelets \ in. long, green. — Waste 
 places near the sea ; uncommon. (Name from the Greek leptos, 
 slender, oura, tail, from its slender spikes.) — Fl. July — September. 
 Annual. 
 
 47. Nardus (Mat-grass), of which N. strida is the only species, 
 is a densely tufted, erect, wiry, glabrous plant, 4 — 10 in. hi^h, 
 
 nardus STRicTA (Mat-grass). 
 
59o 
 
 GRAMfNE^E 
 
 with fine, stiff, bristle-like leaves; spike erect, slender, i — 3 in. 
 high, 1 sided; spikelets reddish or purplish, rather far apart, 
 solitary in the notches of the rachis, 1 -flowered; outer glumes 
 absent ; flowering glume shortly awned ; stamens 3 ; style 1 . — 
 Heaths ; common. (Name from the Greek nardos, some strong- 
 smelling plant; but why applied to this scentless grass it is 
 difficult to say.) — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 48. Hordeum (Barley). — Spikelets 2 or 3 together in each 
 notch of a simple rachis, sub-sessile, 
 distichous, with their broad sides towards 
 the rachis, each with one perfect flower ; 
 outer glumes and flowering glumes awned. 
 (Name, the Classical Latin name.) 
 
 1. H. europceum (Wood Barley). — 
 Stems 1 — 3 feet high, erect, smooth ; 
 leaves broad, flat, thin, rough, with 
 reflexed hairs on sheaths ; spike cylin- 
 dric, not very dense, about 3 in. long ; 
 spikelets 3 together ; flowers of the two 
 lateral spikelets in each notch perfect, 
 the central spikelet reduced to two 
 narrow, linear glumes, empty, or rarely 
 containing a staminate flower ; flowering 
 glume terminating in a long awn. — 
 Woods, on a calcareous soil ; rare. — Fl. 
 July, August. Perennial. 
 
 2. H. nodosum (Meadow Barley). — 
 Creeping ; stems very slender, ascending, 
 1 — 2 feet high ; leaves rather narrow ; 
 spike 1 — 3 in. long, close, cylindric 
 compressed, inclined, yellow - green ; 
 spikelets 3 in each notch, the central 
 
 one with a perfect flower, the two lateral ones imperfect ; glumes 
 all bristle-like, rough, with awns not longer than themselves. — 
 Moist pastures ; frequent. — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 
 
 3. H. murinum (Wall Barley). — A rather coarse grass ; root 
 fibrous; stem ascending, 6 — 18 in. high, smooth; leaves small, 
 narrow, rough ; spike dense, cylindric, compressed, 1 — 3 in. long, 
 slightly nodding, green, thickly beset with long, rough awns ; 
 spikelets 3 in each notch, the central one with a perfect flower 
 and linear-lanceolate, ciliate glumes, the two lateral ones with 
 imperfect flowers and awn-like glumes. — Waste places ; common. 
 — Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 h6rdeum murinum 
 (Wall Barley). 
 
GRASS FAMILY 
 
 591 
 
 4. H. marinum (Squirrel-tail Grass, Sea Barley). — Nearly allied 
 to the preceding but smaller and somewhat glaucous; spike 
 1 — 2 in. long, erect, with shorter, more spreading awns, becoming 
 yellow-brown. — Pastures and banks near the sea in England. — 
 Fl. June, July. Annual. 
 
 49. Elymus (Lyme-grass), of which E. arendrius (Sand Lyme- 
 grass) is the only British species, is a stiff, 
 glaucous grass, with a long, creeping root- 
 stock ; stems 2 — 6 feet high, stout, smooth ; 
 leaves stiff, broad, pointed ; spike some- 
 times rather dense, 3 — 12 in. long, with 
 the spikelels in rather distant pairs, or 3 
 together in the notches of the flexuous 
 rachis, each an inch long, imbricate, 
 adpressed, inserted with their broad sides 
 towards the rachis, 2 — 7-flowered, awnless ; 
 glumes lanceolate, stiff, generally downy, 
 very pointed. — Sandy sea-shores, chiefly in 
 the north. — Fl. July, August. Perennial, 
 
 Division II. GYMNOSPERMS 
 
 Having their seeds exposed, the carpels 
 being either open so as not to form an 
 ovary, or absent. They have thus no style 
 or stigma, the pollen-grains being carried 
 directly into the micropyle of the ovule. 
 This more lowly organised and, geologi- 
 cally speaking, more ancient Division of 
 Flowering Plants is represented at the 
 present day by far fewer forms than the 
 Angiosperms; but falls into three very 
 distinct classes, Conijerce, CycaddcecB, and 
 Gnetdcece, of which the first only is repre- 
 sented in Britain, the other two classes 
 being either tropical or sub-tropical. The 
 three classes comprise 5 Natural Orders, 
 46 genera, and 470 species. 
 
 i 
 Class I. CONIFERS 
 
 The largest of the three Classes of Gymnosperms, including 
 2 Natural Orders, 34 genera, and 350 species. They are trees 
 or shrubs, mostly evergreen, often reaching a large or, as in the 
 case of the Mammoth Tree and Redwood of California, a gigantic 
 
 £lymus,arenArius 
 {Sand Lyme-grass). 
 
592 
 
 ARAUCARllCEJE 
 
 size. They have 2 cotyledons, sometimes deeply divided, so as to 
 appear like many ; and in the formation of annual rings of wood 
 in the stem they resemble Dicotyledons. Resin-passages generally 
 occur in all parts of these plants. The primary branches com- 
 monly appear to be whorled ; but they generally themselves 
 branch horizontally. There are sometimes short shoots or spurs 
 of limited growth. In the genus Pinus, foliage-leaves occur only 
 on such shoots. The leaves are either needle-shaped, linear, or 
 scale-like, the only exception being the interesting Maiden-hair 
 Tree of Japan (Ginkgo biloba). The flowers are generally in the 
 form of cones, that is, with an elongated floral axis, whence the 
 name of the Class ; and they are always imperfect ; nor is there 
 any perianth. The staminate flower consists of a cone of stamens, 
 each of which is a flat or peltate scale bearing from 2 — 9 pollen- 
 sacs on its lower surface. The seed-bearing or ft fertile " flower 
 differs widely in the two Orders. 
 
 Ord. XCII. Araucariace^e. — The Pine Family. 
 
 Leaves spirally arranged or whorled, needle-shaped or scale-like ; 
 fertile flower, generally described as a "cone" or axis, bearing a 
 number of scale-like carpels, which either bear the ovules directly, 
 or have in their axils other scales, the placentas, which bear them ; 
 ovules inverted or erect ; cone becoming woody or fleshy as the 
 seed ripens ; seed with a woody or leathery testa, sometimes winged. 
 The Arucaridcece form extensive belts of forest in many regions, 
 especially north of 40 N. lat. and on mountains, large areas 
 being sometimes occupied by a small number of species, such as 
 the Larches (Ldrix europcea and L. sibirica), the Northern Pine 
 (Pinus sylvesiris), the Spruce (Picea excelsa), &c. Japan and 
 China, with the genera Ginkgo, Cryptomeria, &c, the Himalayas, 
 with the Deodar Cedar (Cedrus Deoddra) and various species of 
 Pine and Spruce, and the Pacific slope of North America, 
 with the Mammoth Tree and Redwood (Sequoia gigdntea and 
 S. sempervirens), the Oregon or Douglas Spruce (Pseudotsuga 
 Dougldsii), Cupressus Lawsonidna, &c, form other great centres 
 of the Order v in the Northern Hemisphere; whilst Araucdria, the 
 " Monkey-Puzzles," and other genera are confined to the Southern 
 Hemisphere. 
 
 The Order is one of the highest utility to man. Among 
 timbers, the Northern Pine (Pinus sylvesiris), the Pitch Pine of 
 the Southern United States (P. ausirdlis) and others, the Larch 
 (Ldrix europcea) and the Douglas Spruce may be mentioned as 
 pre-eminent. The turpentine of the Northern Pine, the Pitch 
 
PINE FAMILY 593 
 
 Pine, and the Cluster Pine (P. Pindster) ; Canada balsam, 
 obtained from Abies balsdmea; Kauri gum and other ^kinds of 
 Dammar or varnish resin, obtained from species of Agathis in 
 the Southern Hemisphere ; the bark of the Hemlock Spruce 
 (Tsuga canadensis), so largely used in tanning; and the wood 
 of the so-called Pencil Cedars (Juniperus virginidna and /. 
 bermudidna) are among the other valuable products of the 
 Order. 
 
 pfNUS SYLV£STRIS {Scots Fir). 
 
 i. PfNUS. — Cone woody; scales persistent. 
 2. JuNfPERUS. — Cone fleshy, berry-like. 
 
 I. PfNUS (Pine). — Evergreen trees with leaves of two kinds, 
 spirally arranged, scale-leaves on the long shoots, and needle- 
 shaped leaves in clusters of 2, 3, or 5 on short shoots; flowers^ 
 monoecious ; staminate cones in spikes ; stamens 2-chambered ; 
 pollen-grains with two air-bladders ; cone-scales becoming woody 
 and terminating above in a rhomboid mass {apophysis) with a 
 deciduous point, persistent ; ovules 2, inverted at the base of each 
 scale. (Name, the Classical Latin name.) 
 Q Q 
 
594 
 
 ARAUCARlACE^E 
 
 i. P. sylvestris (Scots Fir, Northern Pine). — A lofty tree, 
 50 — 100 feet high; stem reaching 4 feet in diameter, with scaly, 
 red-brown bark ; leaves in pairs, 2 — 3 in. long, glaucous, grooved 
 along the upper surface; cones 1 — 3 together, ovoid-conical when 
 young, 1 — 2 in. long, scales recurved when ripe; seeds with a 
 wing thrice their length. — Only indigenous in the Northern High- 
 lands of Scotland ; but extensively planted and self-sown further 
 south. — FL May, June. Perennial. 
 
 I* P. Pinaster (Cluster 
 Pine), a native of south- 
 ern Europe, distinguished 
 by its longer, more deeply 
 channelled leaves and 
 cones 4 — 6 in. long, in 
 clusters of 4 — 7, has 
 become almost natural- 
 ised at Poole, Dorset- 
 shire. 
 
 2. Juniperus (Juni- 
 per). — Trees or shrubs, 
 with fragrant red wood ; 
 leaves whorled, subulate, 
 or scale-like ; staminate 
 flower of numerous 2 — 6^ 
 chambered anthers ; cone 
 small, globose, berry-like, 
 of 4 — 6 whorled scales, 
 becoming fleshy and con- 
 fluent ; ovules 1 — 2 under 
 each scale, erect. (Name 
 the Classical Latin name.) 
 1. /. communis (Com- 
 mon Juniper). — An ever- 
 green, erect shrub, 1 — 5 
 feet high, rarely reaching the size of a small tree ; bark red-brown, 
 flaking; leaves subulate, less than an inch long, in decussating 
 whorls of three, glaucous above ; berry blue-black, glaucous, less 
 than } in. diam. — Dry hills, chiefly on calcareous soil ; frequent. — 
 FL May, June. Perennial. 
 
 2. /. sibirica (Dwarf Juniper). — A prostrate shrub, with more 
 crowded, shorter, broader, incurved leaves and longer berries. — 
 Mountains in the north. — Fl. May. Perennial. 
 
 juniperus communis (Common /uni/er). 
 
YEW FAMILY 595 
 
 Ord. XCTII. TaxXce^.— The Yew Family 
 
 A small Order of trees and shrubs, represented in both hemi- 
 spheres and comprising 9 genera and about 75 species. Their 
 flowers are dioecious a:.d they do not form perfect cones, the ovules 
 being frequently not on the carpels but in their axils, or the 
 carpels being altogether absent. The seed has either a fleshy 
 testa, or is surrounded by a fleshy aril. Several members of the 
 
 taxus baccata {Common Ynv). 
 
 Order yield valuable timber, such as the Huon Pine (Dacrydium 
 Franklinii) of Tasmania. The Yews (Taxus) are remarkable * 
 among Coniferas for the absence of resin. 
 
 1. Taxus, of which T. baccata (Common Yew) is the only 
 
 British species, is an evergreen tree, seldom of any great height, 
 
 but reaching a great age, possibly sometimes 2,000 years, and 
 
 a diameter of nearly 10 feet ; bark brown, fibrous; leaves linear, 
 
 QQ* 
 
596 ^TAXiCKM 
 
 acute, leathery, about 1 in. long, polished above, lighter beneath, 
 in 2 rows on the twigs from a twisting of their bases ; staminate 
 flower oval, with 5 — 8 peltate anthers each 4 — 8-chambered, with 
 imbricate scales below; ovule solitary, terminal, erect, green, with 
 some scales below, surrounded later by a bright rose-red, fleshy, 
 cup-shaped aril, about | in. across. — Woods and hillsides, chiefly 
 on calcareous soil; frequent. The wood was formerly much 
 used for bows. The leaves have often proved fatal to cattle and 
 children; but the aril, though insipid, is harmless. (Name, the 
 Classical Latin name.) — Fl. March, April. Perennial. 
 
 * T. jastigidta (the Irish or Florence Court Yew), originally 
 found at Florence Court, Enniskillen, is a variety with erect, 
 fastigiate branches. 
 
GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 The names of Orders and larger groups are in small capitals ; the scientific v,r Latin 
 names of genera in italics; the popular or English names in Roman characters; descriptive 
 terms begin with small letters and are indented. 
 
 Abele, 455 
 
 accumbent cotyledons, 32 
 Acer, in 
 Acerns, 469 
 ACERINE.4E, III 
 
 achene, xxxi 
 Achillea, 262 
 
 ACHLAMYDE/E, xlvii, 434 
 
 achlamydeous flowers, xxiv 
 Aconite, Winter, 17 
 Aconttum, 19 
 A corns, 508 
 Acttia, 19 
 
 acuminate, with a long tapering point. 
 Adder's-meat, 82 
 
 adnate, united. 
 Adfnis, 7 
 Addxa, 229 
 
 adpressed hairs, xxii 
 
 adventitious roots, xvi 
 ALgoj>6dium, 209 
 
 aerial stem, one that is above ground, xvii, 
 xix 
 
 aestivation, xxviii 
 ALihiisa, 217 
 Agrimdnia, 153 
 Agrimony, 153 
 Agnfslis, 558 
 Air a, 562 
 Ajuga, 400 
 
 albumen, the food-store round the embryo 
 in the seed. 
 Alcliemilla, 153 
 Alder, 447 
 
 Alder, Berry -bearing, in 
 Ale-hoof, 389 
 Alexanders, 202 
 Al fa-grass, 548 
 Alisma, 510 
 Alismace.-e. 509 
 Alkanet, 338 
 Alleluia, 104 
 Allidria, 44 
 Allium, 488 
 All-seed, 98 
 Almond, 138 
 Alnus, 447 
 Aloe, American, 478 
 Aloes, 483 
 Alopeciirus, 553 
 
 Alsine, 86 
 Althcia, 93 
 Alyssum, 48 
 Amaranth, 407 
 Amaranth Family, 407 
 Amaranthace.«, 407 
 Amardnthus, \a-j 
 AmaryllIde.-e, 477 
 Amaryllis Family, 477 
 A mini, 206 
 Ammdphila, 561 
 
 amplexicaul, embracing the stem, applied 
 to the base of leaves. 
 Anagdllis, 322 
 Anchtisa, 338 
 Andrdmeda, 306 
 Anemdne, 5 
 Angelica, 219, 220 
 
 angiosperms, xxxvi, xxxix, 1 
 
 angustisept siliqua, 32 
 
 annular, ring-shaped. 
 Antenndria, 257 
 Anthetnis, 263 
 
 anther, xxviii, xxix 
 A nthoxdnthum, 555 
 Anthyllis, 126 
 Antirrhinum, 358 
 
 antiscorbutic, 32 
 Apera, 561 
 
 apiculate, with a small abrupt point. 
 Afiium, 204 
 
 apocarpous carpels, xxix 
 
 apocarpous fruits, xxxi 
 ApocynAcEjE, 326 
 Apple, 161 
 Aquilegia, 17 
 A rabis, 38 
 Araliace^, 225 
 AraucariAce^, 592 
 Arbutus, 305 
 
 Archangel, 397 4 
 
 A^rchangelica, 220 
 Arctium, 275 
 Arctostdphylos, 306 
 Arendria, 79 
 
 aril, a fleshy outgrowth on the seed, as in 
 the Spindle-tree, 109 
 Aristoldchia, 431 
 AristolochiacEjE, 430 
 A rmordcia, 50 
 
 597 
 
59« 
 
 GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 Amdseris, 283 
 AROfDE^B, 506 
 Arrhendtherum, 5S6 
 Arrow-grass, 513 
 Arrow-head, 511 
 Artemisia, 268 
 
 artificial system, xxxiv 
 Arthn Mbium, 130 
 Arum, 507 
 Asarabacca, 431 
 Asarum, 431 
 
 ascending stem, xix 
 Ash, 324 
 
 Ash, Mountain, 161 
 Asparagus, 486 
 Aspen, 456 
 Aspervgo, 337 
 Asperula, 238 
 Asphodel, Bog, 496 
 Aster. 254 
 Astrdgatus, 128 
 Astrdnlia, 199 
 
 asymmetric flowers, xxv 
 A.triplex, 412 
 Atropa, 351 
 Aucuba, 331 
 
 auricle, an ear-like lobe at the base of a 
 leaf, xxxiv 
 Avtoa, 565 
 Avens, 146 
 Awl-wort, 51 
 
 awn, a long bristle-like appendage, 547 
 
 axil, xvii 
 
 axile placentation, having the seeds at- 
 tached to the central axis of the fruit. 
 
 axillary bud, xvii 
 Azalea, 309 
 
 baccate, berry-like. 
 Bald-money, 218 
 Bdl ota, 398 
 Balm, 387 
 Balm, Bastard, 390 
 Balsam, 105 
 Banebcrry, 19 
 Barbaria, 37 
 Barberry, 21 
 Barberry Family, 20 
 Barley, 548 
 Barren wort, 21 
 Bdrtsia, 362, 363 
 
 basal, applied to ovules cr seeds that spring 
 from the base of the ovary, xxx 
 
 basifixed anthers, xxix 
 Basil, 386 
 
 bast, 96 
 Beak Sedge, 530 
 Beam, White, 160 
 Bearberry, 306 
 Beard-grass, 559 
 Bear's-foot, 17 
 Bedstraw, 236 
 Bedstraw Family, 234 
 Beech, 450 
 Beet, 408, 412 
 Belladonna, 351 
 Bell-flower, 297 
 Bell-flower Family, 295 
 Bellis, 254 
 Bent, 558 
 
 Bindweed, 345 
 Bindweed, Black, 417 
 
 BERBERfDE.*, 20 
 
 Birberis, 21 
 Bermuda-grass, 568 
 
 berry, xxxii 
 Beta, 412 
 Betony, 392 
 Betula, 445 
 Bfdens, 261 
 
 bifid, notched, two-lobed. 
 
 bi-labiate calyx, xxvi 
 
 bi-labiate corolla, xxvii 
 Bilberry, 303 
 
 Ula . 
 Bindweed Family, 345 
 
 bi-pinnate leaf, xxi 
 Birch, 445 
 Bird's-eye, 370 
 Bird's-foot, 129 
 Bird's-foot Trefoil, 126 
 Bird's-nest, 312 
 Bikd's-nest Family, 312 
 Birthwort, 431 
 Birthwort Family, 430 
 Bishop's-weed, 209 
 Bistort, 419 
 Bittersweet, 350 
 Blackberry, 144 
 Blackstdnia, 329 
 Blackthorn, 141 
 Bladder Campion, 73 
 Bladder-seed, 200 
 Bladderwort, 375 
 Blinks, Water, 88 
 Blite, Sea, 415 
 Blobs, Water, 15 
 Bluebell, 491 
 Blue-bottle, 282 
 Blysmus, 529 
 Bog-bean, 332 
 Bog-rush, 531 
 Borage, 338 
 Borage Family, 334 
 Boragine^e, 334 
 Bordgo, 338 
 Box, 441 
 Brachypddium, 586 
 
 bract, xxiii 
 
 bracteoles, minute bracts below the flower. 
 Bramble, 144 
 Brandy-bottle, 23 
 Brdssica, 46 
 Bread-fruit, 426 
 Briar, Sweet, 158 
 Bristle-grass, 552 
 Brtza, 574 
 Brome, False, 586 
 Brome-grass, 583 
 Brdmus, 583 
 Brooklime, 371 
 Brookweed, 323 
 Broom, 118 
 Broom-rape, 372 
 Broom-rape Family, 371 
 Brydnthus, 310 
 Brydnia, 190 
 Bryony, Black, 482 
 Bryony, White, 190 
 Buck-bean, 332 
 Buckthorn, no 
 
GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 599 
 
 Buckthorn Family, iio 
 Buckthorn, Sea, 425 
 Buckwheat, 417, 420 
 Bugle, 400 
 Bugloss, 339 
 Bugloss, Viper's, 344 
 
 bulb, xvii 
 Bullace, 141 
 Bulrush, 527 
 BupZeiirum, 202 
 Buplever, 202 
 Burdock, 275 
 Burnet, 156 
 Burnet Saxifrage, 210 
 Bur-Marigold, 261 
 Bur-Parsley, 223 
 Bur-reed, 504 
 Burweed, 261 
 Butcher's Broom, 485 
 Biitomus, 512 
 Butter-bur, 271 
 Buttercup, 10 
 Buttercup Family, r 
 Butterwort, 376 
 
 BUTTERWORT FAMILV, 374 
 
 Buxus, 441 
 
 Cabbage, 46 
 Cabbage Family, 31 
 
 caducous calyx, xxvi 
 Cakile, 58 
 Calamagrdstis, 560 
 Calamint, 385 
 CcUUtrichi, 183 
 CaMna, 306 
 
 callus, a swelling overgrown with cork. 
 Cdltha, 14 
 Calycifl6r/e, xlii_ 
 
 calycifloral insertion, xxvi 
 
 calyx, xxiv, xxvi 
 Campdnu'a, 299 
 Campanulace/e, 295 
 
 campanulate, bell-shaped. 
 Campion, 73 
 Canary-grass, 554 
 Candleberry Myrtle, 443 
 Candytuft, 56 
 Canterbury Bells, 300 
 
 capillary filaments, xxix 
 
 capitate, head-like, clustered. 
 
 CAPRIFOLlACEyB, 228 
 
 Capsella, 51 
 
 capsule, xxxi 
 Caraway, 207 
 Cardamint, 46 
 Ccirduiis, 276 
 Cdrex, 531 
 Carlina, 274 
 Carnation, 71 
 Camation-grass, 541 
 
 carpellate flowers, xxiv 
 
 carpels, xxiv, xxix 
 Cet-rpinus, 448 
 
 carpophore, an elongated floral axis ex- 
 tending between the carpels, as in the 
 Geramaceae, p. 99, and Umbelliferae, p. 191 
 Carrot, 223 
 Cdrum, 207 
 CakyophyllAce-e, 69 
 
 caryopsis, xxxi, 547 
 
 Castdlia, 23 
 Castdnea, 450 
 Castor-oil, 437 
 
 casual, a plant not truly wild, that occurs 
 occasionally as a seedling for a year or 
 two, but does not become established. 
 Catabrdsa, 571 
 Catchfly, 72 _ 
 
 catkin, xxiii 
 Catmint, 388 
 Cat's-ear, 289 
 Cat's-foot, 257 
 Cat's-tail, 503 
 Cat's-tail grass, 557 
 Caiicalis 223 
 
 cauline leaves, xx 
 Cayenne pepper, 349 
 Cedar, 592 
 Celandine, 13, 28 
 Cei.astrine^, 108 
 Celery, 204 
 Centatirea, 280 
 Centaur on, 329 
 Centaury, 329 
 
 central placentation, xxx 
 Centllnculus, 323 
 Century plant, 478 
 Cephaldnthera, 465 
 Cerdstium^ 83 
 Ceratophylle^:, 442 
 Ceratophyllum , 443 
 Cheerophyllum, 211 
 Chaffweed, 323 
 
 chambers of the ovary, xxix 
 Chamomile, 263, 266 
 Charlock, 47 
 Cheirdnthus, 34 
 Cheliddnium, 28 
 ChenopodiAce<«, 408 
 Chenopddiuttt, 409 
 CherUria, 79 
 Cherry, 142 
 Cherry, Cornelian, 227 
 Cherry, Winter, 349 
 Chervil, 211 
 Chestnut, 450 
 Chickweed, 81 
 Chickweed, Jagged, 81 
 Chickweed, Mouse-ear, 83 
 Chicory, 283 
 Chimney-sweeps, 503 
 Chives, 489 
 
 chlorophyll, the green colouring-matter of 
 leaves. 
 Ckrysdntkemum, 264 
 Ckrysosplenium, 170 
 Cicely, Sweet, 211 
 Cicenclia, 330 
 CichMum., 283 
 Ciciita*, 206 
 
 cilk, delicate hairs. fc 
 
 ciliate, fringed with hairs. 
 CinakSna. 235 
 Cmquefoil, 148 
 Circia, 189 
 
 circinate, coiled up like a pastoral staff, as 
 in the leaves of ferns. 
 
 ClSTINEvE, 61 
 
 Clddium, 531 
 
 cladode, 485 
 
6oo 
 
 GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 Clary, 388 
 
 claw of petal, xxvi 
 Claytdnia, 87 
 Cleavers, 238 
 
 cleistogene flowers, those which do not 
 open, 64 
 Clematis, 3 
 Clinopddium, 38s 
 Cloudberry, 146 
 Clove Gillyflower, 71 
 Clover, 122 
 Club-rush, 524 
 
 cocci, or nutlets, portions of a partially 
 dehiscent fruit, 335 
 Cochledria, 49 
 Cock s-comb, 366, 407 
 Cock's-foot grass, 548 . 
 
 Coffee, 235 
 Cdlchicum, 494 
 Cole-seed, 46 
 Colocynth, 189 
 Colt's-foot, 270 
 Columbine, 17 
 Ctfmarum, 152 
 Comfrey, 337 
 
 commissure, 191 
 
 complete flower, xxiv 
 Composite, 246 
 Composite Family, 246 
 
 compound flowers, 247 
 
 compound inflorescence, 247 
 
 compound leaf, xxi 
 
 conduplicate leaf, xix 
 
 cone, 592 
 ConIfer^e, 1, 591 
 Conium, 200 
 
 connate leaves, xxi 
 
 connivent, with tips approaching one 
 another. 
 
 contorted petals, xxviii 
 Convalldria, 487 
 
 convolute lesf, xix 
 
 convolute petals, xxviii 
 
 CoNVOLVULACEvB, 345 
 
 Convdlvulus, 345 
 Corallorrhlza, 463 
 Coral-root, 41, 463 
 
 cordate, heart-shaped, generally applied 
 to the base of a leaf. 
 Cord-grass, 553 
 Coriander, 222 
 Coridndrum, 222 
 
 cork, 444 
 
 corm, xvii 
 
 CORNACE^E, 226 
 
 Com-cockle, 76 
 Cornel, 227 
 Cornflower, 282 
 Corn Marigold, 264 
 Corn-salad, 242 
 Cornus, 227 
 
 corolla, xxvi 
 Coronilla, 129 
 Cordnopus, 51 
 Corrigiola, 406 
 Corydalis, 30 
 Cdrylus, 448 
 
 corymb, xxiii 
 
 corymbose, resembling a corymb. 
 CoryrUphorus, 564 
 
 Cotonedster, 164 
 Cotton, 93 
 Cotton-grass, 529 
 Cotton-weed, 263 
 Cdtula, 267 
 Cotyledon, 174 
 
 cotyledons, xxxii, 1 
 Couch-grass, 588 
 Cowbane, 206 
 Cowberry, 303 
 Cow-Parsnip, 222 
 Cowslip, 319 
 Cow-tree, 425 
 Cow-wheat, 366 
 Crab-weed, 414 
 Crakeberry, 435 
 Crdmbe, 57 
 Cranberry, 303 
 Cranberry Family, 302 
 Crane's-bill, 100 
 Crane's-bill Family, 99 
 CrassulAce-e, 172 
 Cratcegus, 163 
 Creeping Jenny, 320 
 
 cremocarp, xxxii, 191 
 
 crenate leaf, xxi 
 Crepis 285 
 Cress, 54 
 
 Cress, American, 38 
 Cress, Bitter, 40 
 Cress, Rock, 38 
 Cress, Thale, 43 
 Cress, Wall, 43 
 Cress, Winter, 37 
 Cress, Yellow, 36, 50 
 Crithmum, 214 
 Crdcus, 476, 49s 
 Crosswort, 236 
 Croton-oil, 437 
 Crowberry, 435 
 Crowberry Fam 
 Crowfoot, 
 CrucIfer*, 31 
 
 cruciform corolla, xxvi 
 
 crumpled petals, xxviii 
 Cuckoo flower, 41 
 Cuckoo-pjnt, 507 
 Cuckoo-pint Family, 506 
 Cucumber, 190 
 Cucurbitdcece, 189 
 Cudweed, 256 
 
 cupule, xxiii 
 Cupulifer*, 444 
 Currant, 171 
 Ctiscuta, 347 
 Cut-grass, 553 
 Cyclamen, 319 
 
 cyme, xxiii 
 Cynodon, 567 
 Cynogldss-um, 336 
 Cynosurns, 569 
 Cyperace^e, 522 
 Cyperus, 523 
 Cyphel, Mossy, 79 
 Cypripediutn, 473 
 
 cypsela, xxxii 
 
 Daboecia, 311 
 Ddctylis, 573 
 Daffodil, 479 
 
 iily, 434 
 
GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 60 I 
 
 Daisy, Common, 254 
 Daisy, Moon, 265 
 Daisy, Ox-eye, 265 
 Damasdnium, 512 
 Dammar, 593 
 Damia, 200 
 Dandelion, 291 
 Danewort, 231 
 Daphne, 424 
 Daphne Family, 423 
 Darnel, 587 
 Datura, 352 
 Daucus, 223 
 Dead-nettle, 396 
 
 deciduous calyx, xxvi 
 
 deciduous leaves, xxii 
 
 decompound leaves, xxii 
 
 decumbent, prostrate. 
 
 decurrent, xx 
 
 decussate, applied to opposite or whorled 
 leaves when the successive pairs are 
 at right angles, or the successive whorls 
 alternate. 
 Deer's-hair, 525 
 
 deflexed, bent downwards. 
 Delphinium, 18 
 
 deltoid leaf, xx 
 
 dentate leaf, xxi 
 Dentdria, 43 
 Deodar, 592 
 
 descent, theory of, xxxv 
 
 diadelphous, in two brotherhoods or 
 bundles, applied to the stamens, as in 
 Fumariacea, 29 
 Didntkus, 70 
 
 dichasial cymes, cymes repeatedly forking 
 _ into two branches. 
 
 dichotomous, forking in two equal 
 branches. 
 
 dicotyledonous seed, xxxii 
 Dicotyledons, xxxii, xxxix, 1 
 
 didynamous stamens, xxviii 
 Digitalis, 361 
 Digjidria, 552 
 
 dioecious flowers, xxiv 
 Diosc6re.«, 481 
 Didtis, 263 
 Diplotdxis, 48 
 Dipsace^b, 243 
 Dlpsacus, 243 
 
 disk, an outgrowth from the floral recep- 
 tacle between the calyx and the ovary. 
 
 disk-florets, 247 
 
 distant, far apart. 
 
 distichous, in two vertical rows, as are 
 the leaves of Grasses. 
 Dittander, 53 
 Doab-grass, 568 
 Dock, 420 
 Dodder, 347 
 Dog's-tail, 569 
 Dog's-tooth grass, 567 
 Dogwood, 228 
 Dogwood Family, 226 
 Dorontcum, 271 
 
 dorsifixed anthers, xxix 
 Drdba, 48 
 Dragon's Blood, 483 
 Drop wort, 143 
 Dropwort, Hemlock, 216 
 
 Dropwort, Parsley, 216 
 Dropwort, Sulphur-wort, 215 
 Dropwort, Water-, 215 
 Drdsera, 178 
 Droserace-e, 177 
 
 dru aceous, resembling a drupe. 
 
 drupe, xxxi 
 
 drupel, xxxi 
 Dryas, 146 
 Duckweed, 508 
 Duckweed Family, 508 
 Dyer's Rocket, 60 
 
 ebracteate inflorescence, xxiii 
 E^chindchloa, 552 
 Echium, 344 
 
 eglandular, without glands. 
 El*agnace.«:, 425 
 Elatine, 89 
 Elatine.«, 89 
 Elder, 230 
 Elder, Water, 231 
 Elecampane, 259 
 Eledcharis, 523 
 Elm, 427 
 Elcdea, 457 
 Elymus, 591 
 
 emarginate, notched at the apex. 
 
 embryo, the young plant when still en- 
 closed in the seed. 
 
 EmPETRACEjE, 434 
 I Empetrum, 4?4 
 [ Enchanter's Nightshade, 189 
 
 endocarp, the inner layer or " stone" in a 
 fruit, 137 
 Endymion, 491 
 entire leaf, xxi 
 
 epicalyx, a circle of bracts below the calyx, 
 epicarp, the outer layer or "skin" in a 
 
 fruit, 137 
 epigynous insertion, xxv 
 Epildbium, 184 
 Epimedium, 21 
 Epipdctis, 465 
 epipetalous stamens, xxix 
 epiphytes, 459 
 Epif>6gum, 465 
 J Erdnthis, 17 
 
 Erica, 307 
 I Ericacf^j, 304 
 1 Erigeron, 255 
 
 Eriocaule^t, 521 
 , EriocaAlcn, 521 
 , Eridphorum, 529 
 j Erddium, 103 
 1 Eryngium, 199 
 1 Eryngo, 199 
 1 Erysimum, 45 
 Esparto-grass, 548 
 essential organs, xxiv 
 etaerio, xxxi ^ 
 
 Eudnymus, 108 .» , 
 
 Eupatdrium, 253 
 Euphdrbia, 438 
 EuphorbiAce*, 435 
 Euphrasia, 362 
 
 evergreen leaves, xxii 
 Everlasting, 257 
 exogenous, 1 
 expelling hairs, 248 
 
6o2 
 
 GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 exserted, projecting beyond the corolla, a 
 
 terra applied to scamens. 
 extrorse anthers, xxix 
 Eye-bright, 362 
 
 Fagopyrum, 420 
 Fag us, 450 
 Falcdria, 209 
 
 falcate, sickle-shaped. 
 
 fascicled, crowded in a tuft, as the leaves 
 of the Larch or the flowers of Sweet 
 William. 
 
 fasciculate roots, xvi 
 Fat Hen, 409 
 Fennel, 233 
 Fennel, Hog's, 220 
 Fen Sedge, 531 
 Fenugreek, 119 
 Ferula, 193 
 Fescue, 580 
 Festuca, 580 
 Feverfew, 265 
 Fig, 42S 
 Fit wort, 358 
 Figwort Family, 353 
 Filago, 256 
 
 filament, xxviii 
 
 filiform, thread-like, very slender, xxix 
 Finger-grass, 552 
 Fiorin-grass, 559 
 Fir-rape, 312 
 Fir, Scots, 594 
 
 fistular stems, xvii 
 Flag, Corn, 476 
 Flax, 98 
 
 Flax Family, 97 
 Flax, New Zealand, 483 
 Flax-seed, 98 
 Flea-bane, 255, 260 
 Fleawort, 274 
 
 flexuous, wavy, less angular than is 
 implied by the term " zigzag." 
 Flixweed, 44 
 
 florets, xxiii 
 Flote-grass, 578 
 
 flower, xxiv 
 Flower-di-luce, 474 
 
 flower-stalk, xxiv 
 Fluellen, 357 
 Foenfculum, 213 
 
 follicle, xxxi 
 Forget-me-not, 335, 341 
 Foxglove, 361 
 Foxtail-grass, 555 
 Fragiria 147 
 Frankenia, 68 
 Frankeniace^e, 67 
 Frdxinus, 324 
 
 free-central placentation, having the seeds 
 attached to the central axis of the fruit 
 without partitions connecting that axis 
 with the side-walls of the ovary, xxx 
 Fritilldria, 493 
 r miliary, 493 
 Frog-bit, 4^7 
 Frog-bit Family, 457 
 
 fruit, xxx 
 
 fugacious corolla, xxvii 
 Fumdria, 31 
 Fumariace^, 29 
 
 Fumitory, 31 
 Fumitory Family, 29 
 Furze, 116 
 fusiform, spindle-shaped, tapering towards 
 both ends. 
 
 Gdgea, 494 
 Galdnthus, 481 
 Galedpsis, 394 
 Galingaie, 523 
 Galinsdga, 262 
 Galium, 236 
 Gamopetale, xliii, 228 
 
 gamosepalous calyx, xxvi 
 Gangweed, 66 
 Garlic, 488 
 Garlic-Mustard, 44 
 GasMdium, 561 
 Gean, 142 
 
 generic name, xxxiii 
 Genista, 116 
 Gentian, 330 
 Gentidna, 330 
 Gentiane^e, 327 
 Gentianella, 328 
 Gentian Family, 32 
 
 genus, xxxiii 
 GeraniacE/E, 99 
 Gerdnium, 100 
 Germander, 398 
 Geuin, 146 
 Ginkgo, 592 
 Gipsywort, 384 
 
 glabrescent, becoming smooth. 
 
 glabrous surface, xxii 
 Gladden, 475 
 Glddiolus, 477 
 
 glands, small internal hollows in the tissues 
 of plants containing special secretions 
 such as oils. 
 
 g'andular surface, xxii 
 Glasswort, 414 
 Glaucium, 27 
 
 glaucous surface, xxii 
 Glaux, 321 
 Globe-flower, 15 
 
 glomerules, axillary" cymes with sessile or 
 nearly sessile flowers. 
 
 glumaceous, resembling a glume. 
 
 glume, a stiff bract drying into a chaff-like 
 scale, as in Grasses, 521 
 
 glume, flowering, 547 
 Glumifer^e, xlix, 521 
 Glycerin, 578 
 Gnaphdlium, 258 
 Goat's-beard, 295 
 Golden-rod, 253 
 Goldilocks, 12 
 
 Goldilocks, Flax-leaved, 356 
 Gold of Pleasure, 50 
 Good Friday grass, 503 
 Good King Henry, 411 
 Goody era, 465 
 Gooseberry, 171 
 Goosefoot, 409 
 Goosefoot Family, 408 
 Goose-grass, 150, 238 
 Gorse, 116 
 
 Gourd Family, 189 
 Gout-weed, 209 
 
GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 603 
 
 GRAMfNE^:, 546 
 Grass, Black, 556 
 Grass, Blue-ey«d, 477 
 Grass-cloch, 426 
 Grass Family, 546 
 Grass of Parnassus, 170 
 Grass-w.ack, 520 
 Green-. veed, 116 
 Gro:nwell, 343 
 Gromwell, Smooth, 340 
 Ground Ivy, 389 
 Ground Pine, 400 
 Groundsel, 272 
 Guelder Rose, 231 
 Guinea-corn, 548 
 Gum Arabic, 114 
 Gymnospermia, xxxii, 1, 591 
 gynandrous stamens, xxix 
 
 Habendria, 471 
 Hair-grass, 562 
 
 hairs, xxii 
 Halorage/e, 180 
 Haldscias, 218 
 Hard-grass, 589 
 Hard-head, 281 
 Harebell, 301 
 Hare's-ear, 202 
 Hare's-tail grass, 562 
 Hartwort, 222 
 
 hastate, halberd-shaped, xx 
 Havers, 566 
 Hawk-bit, 290 
 Hawk's-beard, 285 
 Hawkweed, 287 
 Hawthorn, 163 
 Hazel, 448 
 
 head, xxiii 
 Heartsease, 65 
 Heath, 307 
 Heather, 307 
 Heath Family, 304 
 Heath-grass, 568 
 Heath, St. Daboec's, 311 
 Hedera, 225 
 Hedge-mustard, 43 
 Helidntkemum, 61 
 Heliotrope, Winter, 271 
 Hellebore, 17 
 Hdleborine, 465, 466 
 Hcllibonis, 17 
 Helmintia, 285 
 Hemlock, 200 
 Hemlock Spruce, 593 
 Hemlock, Water, 206 
 Hemp, 426 
 
 Hemp Agrimony, 253 
 Hemp-nettle, 394 
 Henbane, 352 
 Henbit-nettle, 396 
 H erdcleum, 222 
 
 herbaceous, when applied to stems, mean- 
 ing not woody ; when to leaves or other 
 organs, green and leaf-like. 
 Herb Benet, 146 
 Herb Christopher, 20 
 Herb Gerard, 209 
 Herb Paris, 496 
 Herb Robert, 103 
 Hermfnium, 471 
 
 Hemidria, 405 
 Hesperis 43 
 
 heterostyly, 317 
 Hierdcium, 2%? 
 Hierochloe, 555 
 Hippocrepis, 130 
 Hippdphae. 425 
 Hippilris, 181 
 
 hispid, with short stiff hairs. 
 Hog's-Fennel, 220 
 Hog-weed, 222 
 Hdlcus, 564 
 Holly, 106 
 Holly Family, 106 
 Hollyhock, 93 
 Holly, Sea, 199 
 Holdsteum, 81 
 Holy-grass, 555 
 Hone wort, 203 
 Honeysuckle, 233 
 Honeysuckle Family, 228 
 Honkenyz, 78 
 Hop, 427 
 Hdrdeum, 590 
 Horehound, Black, 398 
 Horehound, White, 391 
 Hornbeam, 448 
 Hornwort, 443 
 Hornwort Family, 442 
 Horse-radish, 50 
 Horseshoe-vetch, 130 
 Hottdnia, 316 
 Hound 's-tongue, 336 
 House-leek, 176 
 Hiimulus, ^-2-j 
 HutcMnsia, 56 
 Hyacinth, Grape, 489 
 Hyacinth, Starch, 490 
 Hyacinth, Wild, 491 
 Hydrochari'de^e, 457 
 Hydrdcharis, 457 
 Hydrocdtyle, 198 
 Hyoscyamus, 352 
 HYPERIcfNE^I, 90 
 Hypericum, 90 
 Hypochteris, 289 
 
 hypogynous insertion, xxv 
 
 Ibiris, 56 
 Ilex. 106 
 Ilicinee, 106 
 IllecebrAce^, 404 
 Illecebrum, 405 
 
 imbricate leaves, xix 
 
 imbricate sepals, xxviii 
 
 imparipinnate, pinnate with a terminal 
 leaflet. 
 Imp&ticns, 105 
 
 imperfect flowers, xxiv 
 
 included, within the flower, generally 
 applied to the_ stamens. i. 
 
 Incomplete, xlvi, 407 _ 
 
 incomplete flower, xxiv 
 
 incumbent cotyledons, 32 
 
 indehiscent fruit, xxx 
 Indiarubber, 425, 437 
 
 indigenous, native to the country, Hot 
 known to be of human or recent intro- 
 duction. 
 
 inferior calyx, xxy 
 
604 
 
 GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 inferior ovary, xxx 
 inflated calyx, xxvi 
 inflorescence, xxii 
 insertion of the flower, xxv 
 internode, xvi 
 
 interruptedly pinnate, leaves in which 
 alternate pairs of leaflets are large and 
 small, as in Agrimony, 154 
 , introrse anthers, xxviii 
 Inula, 259 
 
 involucel, a secondary involucre or circle 
 of bracts on the branches of a compound 
 inflorescence, 191 
 involucre, xxiii 
 involute leaf, xix 
 Ipecacuanha, 235 
 Iride^e, 473 
 Iris, AU 
 
 Iris Family, 473 
 I satis, 57 
 Isnardia, 187 
 Ivy, 225 
 Ivy Family, 225 
 
 Jacob's Ladder, 334 
 
 Jacob's Ladder Family, 334 
 
 Jalap, 345 
 
 Jasione, 297 
 
 Jerusalem Artichoke, 249 
 
 Joint-vetch, 130 
 
 Jujube, no 
 
 JuncAce^, 497 
 
 JUtic s, 497 
 
 Juniper, 594 
 
 Juniperns, 594 
 
 Jute, 96 
 
 Kauri pine, 593 
 keel, the two lower petals in the flowers 
 of the Pea Family, xxvii 
 Kentrdn f hus, 242 
 Kidney-Vetch, 126 
 Knapweed, 280 
 KnaHtia, 246 
 Knawel, 406 
 Knot-grass, 417 
 Knot-grass Family, 404 
 Kobresia, 531 
 Koeleria, 570 
 
 labellum, 460 
 
 LaBIAT/E, 379 
 
 Lace-bark, 423 
 Lactrica, 292 
 Lady's Fingers, 126 
 Lady|s Mantle, 153 
 Lady|s Slipper, 473 
 Lady's Smock, 40, 41 
 Lady's Tresses, 464 
 Lagiirus, 562 
 Lamb's Lettuce, 242 
 Lamb's-tongue, 402 
 Ldmium, 396 
 
 lanceolate leaf, xx 
 Lapsdna^ 284 
 Larch, 592 
 Larkspur, 18 
 Lasiopera, 363 
 Lathraa, 374 
 Ldthyrus, 134 
 
 latisept siliqua, 32 
 
 Laurel, Spurge, 424 
 Lavatera, 94 
 Lavender, 379 
 
 leaf, xix-xxii 
 Leek, 488 
 Leersia, 553 
 Legoiisia, 302 
 
 legume, xxxi 
 Leguminos^:, 113 
 Lemna, 508 
 LemnAce^, 508 
 lentibi'larie/e, 374 
 Ledntodon, 290 
 Leoniirus, 395 
 Leopards-bane, 271 
 Lepidium, 52 
 Leptiirus, 589 
 Lettuce, 292 
 Leticdjum, 481 
 Lightwort, 340 
 
 ligulate corolla, xxvii 
 
 ligule, a small scale at the base of a leaf, as 
 in Grasses, p. 546, or of a petal, as in the 
 Mignonettes and Campions. 
 Ligulifl6r.e, 252 
 Ligiistrum, 326 
 Lilac. 324 
 LiliAcejE, 483 
 L{lium, 492 
 Lily, 492 
 
 Lily Family, 483 
 Lily-of-the- Valley, 487 
 
 limb of petal, xxvi 
 Limdnium, 313 
 Limosella, 360 
 Lindria, 356 
 Linden, 96 
 Linden Family, 96 
 LIne-e, 97 
 Ling, -07 
 Linncea, 232 
 
 Linnaean system, xxxiv 
 Linosyris, 256 
 Linseed, 98 
 Linum, 98 
 Liparis, 462 
 Liquorice, Wild, 119 
 Llstera, 463 
 Lithospermum, 343 
 Littorella, 404 
 Lldydia, 494 
 
 lobed leaf, xxi 
 Lobelia, 296 
 Locust Beans, 114 
 
 lodicule, 547 
 Ldlium, 586 
 
 lomentum, a pod-like fruit with transverse 
 partitions, 32 
 London Pride, 167 
 Lenicera, 233 
 Loosestrife, 320 
 Loosestpife Family, 178 
 Loosestrife, Purple, 179 
 Lop-grass, 585 
 
 LORANTHACE/E, 431 
 
 Lords-and-Ladies, 507 
 Ldtus. 126 
 Lovage, 218 
 Lucerne, 120 
 Ludwi'gia, 187 
 
GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 605 
 
 Lungwort, 339 
 Ltizula, 501 
 Lychnis, 74 
 Lycium, 351 
 Lycdpsis, 339 
 Lycopus, 384 
 Lyme-grass, 591 
 lyrate leaf, xxi 
 Lysimdchia, -yxi 
 LythrariE/E, 178 
 Ly thrum, 179 
 
 Madder, 235 
 Madder, Field, 239 
 Madwort, 337 
 Maidnthemum, 487 
 Maidenhair tree, 592 
 Maize, 546, 548 
 Maldxis, 462 
 Mallow, 95 
 Mallow Family, 92 
 Mallow, Marsh, 93 
 Mallow, Tree, 94 
 Mdlva, 95 
 Malvaceae, 92 
 Manchineel, 436 
 Mandrake, 349 
 Mangold Wurzel, 408 
 Manioc, 436 
 Manna, 324 
 Manna-croup, 578 
 Manna-grass, 579 
 Maple, in 
 Maple Family, in 
 marcescent, withering but 
 attached, xxvi 
 Mare s-tail, 181 
 Make'stail Family, 180 
 Marigold, Corn, 264 
 Marigold, Marsh, 14 
 Marjoram, 384 
 Marram, Sea, 562 
 MarrAbium, 391 
 Marsh-wort, 204 
 Mast-bearing Family, 444 
 Masterwort, 221 
 Mate Tea, 106 
 Matfellon, 281 
 Mat-grass, 589 
 Matricaria, 265 
 Matthiola, 34 
 May, 164 
 May-Lily, 487 
 May- weed, 2t6 
 Meadow-grass, 574 
 Meadow-rue, 4 
 
 '43 
 
 Meadow-sweet, 
 Mecondpsis, 27 
 Medicdgo, 120 
 Medick, 120 
 Medlar, 163 
 Melampyrum, 366 
 Melic, 572 
 Melica, 572 
 Melilot, 121 
 Me It 16 his, 121 
 Melissa, 387 
 Melittis, 390 
 
 membranous leaf, xix 
 Mentha, 381 
 
 Menthol, 379 
 Menydnthes, 332 
 Menziesia, 310 
 Mercuridlis, 441 
 Mercury, 411, 441 
 
 mericarp, 192 
 Mertensia, 340 
 
 ruesocarp, tie middle layer or " flesh " of a 
 fruit, 137 
 MJspilus, 169 
 Meu, 218 
 Meum, 218 
 Mezereon, 424 
 Mibdra, 558 
 Microcdla, 328 
 M gnonette, 60 
 Mignonette Family, 59 
 Milfoil, Common, 262 
 Milfoil, Water, 181 
 Milium., 557 
 Milk-vetch, 128 
 Milkwort, 66 
 Milkwort Family, 66 
 Millet, 548 
 Millet-grass, 557 
 Millet, Grey, 343 
 Mitnulus, 360 
 Mint, 381 
 Minudriia, 78 
 Mistletoe, 433 
 Mistletoe Family, 431 
 Minchia, 85 
 Moltnia, 570 
 
 monadelphous stamens, xxix 
 Moneses, 311 
 Money-wort, 320 
 Money-wort, Cornish, 360 
 Monkey-flower, 360 
 Monkey-puzzles, 592 
 Monk's hood, 19 
 
 monocarpellary fruits, xxxi 
 
 MONOCHLAMYDRyE, xlvi, 4O7 
 
 monochlamydeous flowers, xxiv 
 
 monocotyledonous seed, xxxii 
 Monocotyledons, xxxii, xlviii. 
 
 monoecious flowers, xxiv 
 
 monosymmetric flowers, : 
 Mondtropa, 312 
 Monotr6pe/E, 312 
 Mdntia, 87 
 Moor-grass, 568 
 Moschatel, 229 
 Moss Campion, 74 
 Mother-of-thousands, 356 
 Motherwort, 395 
 Mountain Ash, 161 
 Mouse-ear, 340 
 Mouse-tail, 9 
 Mud-rush, 525 
 Mud wort. 360 
 Mugwort, 269 
 Mulberry, 426 
 Mul^edium, 293 
 Mullein, 354 
 Muscdri, 489 
 Mustard, 47 
 Mustard, Garlic, 44 
 Mustard, Hedge, 43 
 Mustard, Mithridate, 55 
 Mustard, Tower, 39 
 
 ,456 
 
6o6 
 
 GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 Mustard, Treacle, 45 
 Myosdtis, 340 
 Myosdton, 83 
 Myosiirus, 9 
 Myrica, 443 
 MyricAck.e, 443 
 Myriophyllum, 181 
 Mynhis, 210 
 Myrtle, Bog, 443 
 
 Naiad Ace.*, 512 
 
 Natas, 521 
 
 Narcissus, 479 
 
 Ndrdus, 589 
 
 Narthecium, 496 
 
 Natural Orders, xxxv, xxxix 
 
 natural system, xxxiv 
 
 naturalised, growing freely from self-sown 
 seed, though not truly indigenous. 
 Navew, 46 
 
 nectary, any organ secreting honey, gener- 
 ally part of the flower. 
 Nedttia, 463 
 Nfpeta, 388 
 Nettle, 428 
 Nettle, Dead, 306 
 Nettle Family, 425 
 
 neuter flowers, xxiv 
 Nightshade, 349 
 Nightshade Family, 348 
 Nipplewort, 284 
 Nit-grass, 561 
 
 node, xvi 
 
 nodulose roots, xvi 
 Nonsuch, 120 
 
 nut, xxxii 
 
 nutlets, xxx 
 Nymphaa,^ 
 Nymph.eAcE/E, 21 
 Nymphoides, 333 
 
 Oak, 449 
 Oat, 548, 565 
 Oat, False, 566 
 Oat-grass, 566 
 Oat, Yellow, 565 
 
 obconic, reversedly cone-shaped. 
 Obione, 414 
 
 oblanceolate leaf, xx 
 
 oblique leaf, xx 
 
 obovate leaf, xx 
 
 obovoid, nearly reversedly egg-shaped. 
 Odontites, 362 
 CEndnthe, 215 
 Oenothera, 188 
 
 offset, xix 
 
 OleACE.E, 324 
 
 Oleander, 326 
 Oleaster Family, 425 
 Olive Family, 324 
 Oxagrari&e, 184 
 Ondbryckis, 131 
 Ondms, 118 
 Q»dpordum, 279 
 Ophrys, 470 
 
 opposite leaves, xx 
 Orache, 412 
 
 orbicular, nearly round, applied to leaves. 
 OrchIde^, 459 
 Orchid Family, 459 
 
 Orchis, 467 
 
 organ, any part of a plant which performs 
 some definite function. 
 Origanum, 384 
 OrnithSgalum, 491 
 Omithopus, 129 
 OrobanchAce^e, 371 
 Orobdnchi, 372 
 Orpine, 174 
 Orris-root, 474 
 Osiers, 452 
 
 ovary, xxix 
 
 ovate leaf, xx 
 
 ovoid, nearly egg-shaped. 
 
 ovules, xxix 
 Oxaiis, 104 
 Ox-eye, 264 
 Ox-lip, 319 
 Ox-tongue, 285 
 Oxyria, 420 
 Oxytropis, 129 
 
 Padnia, 20 
 Paigle, 318 
 
 pale, 547 , 
 
 palmate leaf, xxi 
 
 palmate venation, xx 
 
 palmatisect, cut in a palmate manner. 
 Panic, 552 
 
 panicle, a branched cluster of flowers. 
 Pansy, 65 
 Papdver, 24 
 PapaverAce^:, 24 
 
 papilionaceous corolla, xxvii 
 
 pappose, in the form of a pappus or circle 
 of hairs. 
 
 pappus, xxvi 
 
 parasite, a plant which is attached to, and 
 derives its food from, another living being, 
 as does the Mistletoe. They are often 
 brown, as are the Broom-rapes. 
 
 parietal placentation, xxx 
 Parietdna, 429 
 Pdris, 496 
 Parndssia, 170 
 Parsley, 205 
 Parsley, Beaked, 211 
 Parsley, Bur-, 223 
 Parsley, False Milk, 219 
 Parsley Family, 191 
 Parsley, Fool's, 217 
 Parsley, Hedge-, 224 
 Parsley, Milk, 220 
 Parsley Piert, 153 
 Parsley, Stone, 208 
 Parsnip, 221 
 Parsnip, Cow, 222 
 Parsnip, Water, 209 
 Pasque-flower, 6 
 Pastindca, 221 
 Patchouli, 379 
 Pea, Everlasting, 136 
 Pea Family, 113 
 Pear, 162 
 Pearl-wort, 77 
 Peas Earth-nut, 136 
 
 pedate, with lateral lobes given off from 
 one another in a cymose manner. 
 
 pedicel, xxii 
 I Pediculdris, 364 
 
GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 607 
 
 peduncle, xxii 
 Pellitory, 429 
 
 peltate leaf, xx 
 Penny Cress, 54 
 Pennyroyal, 383 
 Pennywort, Marsh, 198 
 Pennywort, Wall, 174 
 
 pentamerous (often written 5-merous) 
 having 5 leaves in each whorl. 
 Peony, 20 
 Peplis, 178 
 Pepper, Cayenne, 349 
 Peppermint, 382 
 Pepperwort, 52 
 
 perennials, herbaceous, xix 
 
 perfect flower, xxiv 
 
 perfoliate leaf, xx 
 
 perianth, xxiv 
 
 perigyno is insertion, xxv 
 Periwinkle, 326 
 Periwinkle Family, 326 
 Persicaria, 416 
 Persicaria Family, 416 
 
 persistent calyx, xxvi 
 
 persistent corolla, xxviii 
 
 personate corolla, xxvii 
 
 petaloid bracts, xxiii 
 
 petaloid calyx, xxvi 
 
 petaloid filaments, xxviii 
 Petaloide^g, xlviii, 457 
 
 petals, xxvi 
 PetasUes, 271 
 
 petiole, the stalk of the leaf 
 Petroselinum, 205 
 Peucedanum, 220 
 Phalaris, 553 
 PhanerogAmia, xxxix 
 Pheasant's-eye, 7 
 P /ileum, 557 
 Phlox, 334 
 Phragmites, 568 
 
 phyllodes, leaf-stalks so flattened as to re- 
 semble leaf-blades, 135 
 Phyteiima, 298 
 Picris, 284 
 Pig-nut, 207 
 
 pilose, hairy, 247 
 Pimpernel, 322 
 Pimpernel, Bastard, 323 
 Pimpernel, Yellow, 321 
 Pimpinella, 210 
 Pine, 593 
 
 Pink Family, 592 
 Pine, Ground, 400 
 Pinguecula, 376 
 Pink, 70 
 Pink Family, 69 
 
 pinnate leaf, xxi 
 
 pinnate venation, xx 
 
 pinnatifid, slightly pinnately cut. 
 Pinus, 593 
 Pipewort, 521 
 Pipewort Family, 521 
 
 placenta, xxx 
 
 placentation, xxx 
 
 plaited calyx, xxvi 
 
 plaited leaf, xix 
 Plantagi'ne/E, 401 
 Plantago, 402 
 Plantain, 402 
 
 Plantain Family, 401 
 Plum, 141 
 
 PLUMBAGfNE/E, 313 
 
 plumose, feathery, 247 
 plumule, 1 
 P**,S74 . 
 pod, xxxi 
 
 PoLEMONlAcE^E, 334 
 
 Polemdnium, 334 
 
 pollen, xxviii 
 
 pollinia, 460 
 
 polyadelphous stamens, xxviii 
 
 polycarpellary fruits, xxxi 
 Polycarpon, 87 
 Poly gala, 66 
 
 POLYGALACE^E, 66 
 POLYGONACE.E, 416 
 
 PolygonA/um, 486 
 Polygonum, 416 
 Polypetal^:, xxxix, 1 
 
 polypetalous corolla, xxvi 
 Polypdgon, 559 
 
 polysepalous calyx, xxvi 
 
 polysymmetric flowers, xxv 
 
 pome, xxxii 
 Pond-weed, 514 
 Pond-weed Family, 512 
 Poplar, 455 
 Poppy, 24 
 Poppy Family, 24 
 Poppy, Horned, 27 
 Poppy, Violet Horned, 28 
 Poppy, Welsh, 27 
 Pdfnlus, 455 
 PortulAce^e, 87 
 Potamogeton, 514 
 Potato, 348 
 Potato, Sweet, 345 
 Potentilla, 148 
 Poterium, 155 
 
 premorse rhizome, xviii 
 Primrose, 316 
 Primrose, Evening, 188 
 Primrose Family, 315 
 Primula, 316 
 PrimulAce^e, 315 
 Privet, 326 
 Prunella, 389 
 Prunus, 141 
 
 pseudobulbs, 460 
 Pulicaria, 260 
 Pulmonaria, 339 
 Pulque, +78 
 Purslane, 87 
 Purslane Family, 87 
 Purslane, Sea, 78, 414 
 Purslane, Water, 179 
 Pyrola, 311 
 Pyrus, 159 
 Quaking-grass, 574 
 Que'rcus, 449 
 
 quinate leaf, xxi 
 Quinsy-wort, 239 
 
 raceme, xxiii 
 
 rachilla, 546 
 
 radical ieaves, xx 
 
 radicle, 1 
 Radicula, 35 
 Radiola, 98 
 
6o8 
 
 GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 Radish, 58 
 Ragged Robin, 75 
 Ragwort, 271 
 Rampions, 298, 301 
 Ramsons, 489 
 
 RaNUNCUlAcEvE, 1 
 
 Ranunculus, 10 
 Rape, 46 
 Raphanus, 58 
 
 raphides, 506 
 Raspberry, 144 
 
 ray-florets, 247 
 
 receptacle, xxv 
 
 receptacle, common, xxiii. 247 
 Red-rattle, 364 
 Reed-grass, 553 
 Reed-mace, 503 
 Reed-mace Family, 503 
 Reed, Small, 560 
 
 regma, xxxi 
 
 reniform, kidney-shaped, applied to leaves, 
 xx 
 
 replum, xxx 
 Reseda, 59 
 ResedAces, 59 
 Rest-harrow, 118 
 
 resupinate, reversed, hanging downwards. 
 
 retinaculum, 460 
 
 revolute leaf, xix 
 RhAmnejE, no 
 Rhamnus, no 
 Rhinanthus, 365 
 
 rhizome ; xvii 
 
 rhomboid leaf, xx 
 Rhubarb, 416 
 Rhubarb, Monk's, 423 
 R fiynckdspora, 530 
 Rfbes, 171 
 Rice, 548 
 
 ringent corolla, xxvii 
 Rocket, 48 
 Rocket, London, 44 
 Rocket, Sea, 58 
 Rock-rose, 61 
 Rock-rose Family, 61 
 Reenter!*, 28 
 Rontulea, 477 
 
 root, xvi 
 
 root-hairs, xvi _ 
 
 root-stock, xvii. 
 Rdsa, 156 
 RosAce.e, 137 
 Rose, 156 
 Rose-bay, 185 
 Rose Family, 137 
 Rosemary, 379 
 Ros»-root, 174 
 Rosewood, 114 
 
 rosulate, in a rosette, applied to leaves. 
 
 rotate corolla, xxvii 
 Rowan, 161 
 RAbia, 235 
 Rubiace.*, 234 
 Rubus, 144 
 RUmex, 420 
 
 ruminate, with infolded surface, 225 
 
 runcinate, with recurved points, 291 
 
 runner, xix 
 Rii*f>ia, 518 
 Rupture-wort, 405 
 
 Suscus, 485 
 Rush, 497 
 Rush Family, 497 
 Rush, Flowering, 51s 
 
 Rye ; 548 
 
 Rye-grass, 548 
 
 Safflower, 249 
 Saffron, 474, 494 
 Sage, 387 
 Sage, Wood, 400 
 Sagina, 77 
 Sagitt&ria, 511 
 
 sagittate, barbed like an arrow at the base, 
 
 applied to leaves. 
 Sainfoin, 131 
 SalicInE/E, 451 
 Salicdrnia, 414 
 Salix, 452 
 Sallow, 454 
 Salsafy, 295 
 Si/sola, 415 
 Saltwort, 415 
 
 salver-shaped corolla, xxvii 
 Sblvia, 387 
 
 samara, xxxi 
 Sambucus, 230 
 Samolus, 323 
 Samphire, 214 
 Samphire, Golden, 260 
 Samphire, Marsh, 414 
 Samphire, Rock, 215 
 Sandalwood Family, 433 
 Sand-grass, 558 
 Sandwort, 78 
 Sandwort-Spurrey, 86 
 Sanguisdrba, 156 
 Sanicle. 199 
 Sanicula, 199 
 SantalAces, 433 
 Srtponaria, 72 
 
 saprophyte, a plant living on decaying 
 
 organic matter, such as dead leaves or 
 
 manure. They are often brown, as is 
 
 the Bird's-nest (p. 312). 
 Sarcthamnus, 118 
 Satin-flower, 82 
 Sai4ssiirea, 279 
 Saw-wort, 280 
 Saxffraga, 166 
 Saxifrage, 166 
 Saxifrages, 165 
 Saxifrage, Burnet, 210 
 Saxifrage Family, 165 
 Saxifrage, Golden, 170 
 Saxifrage, Meadow, 168, 213 
 Saxifrage, Pepper, 217 
 Scabidsa, 245 
 Scabious, 245 
 Scabious, Sheep's, 297 
 Scammony, 345 
 Scdndix, 212 
 scape, xxii 
 scattered leaves, xx 
 Scheuchzeria, 514 
 Schanus, 531 
 Scilla, 490 
 Scfrj>us, 524 
 ScUrdnthus, 406 
 Sclerdchloa, 579 
 
GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 609 
 
 Scorpion-grass, 340 
 Sco>-zone'ra, 249 
 Scrophuldria, 358. 
 
 SCROPHULARIN^E, 353 
 
 Scurvy-grass, 49 
 Scuttlldriz, 389 
 Sea-Campion, 73 
 Sea-Heath, 68 
 Sea-Heath Family, 67 
 Sea-kale, 57 
 Sea- Lavender, 313 
 Sea-Milkwort, 321 
 Sea-Pink, 314 
 Sedge, 531 
 Sedge Family, 522 
 Sedge, Sweet, 508 
 Sedum, 174 
 
 seeds, xxxii 
 Self-heal, 389 
 Selitium, 219 
 Sempervtvum, 176 
 Sene"cio, 271 
 
 sepals, xxvi 
 
 septum, a partition. 
 Serrafdlcus, 584 
 
 serrate leaf, xxi 
 Serrdtitia, 280 
 Service-tree, 159, 161 
 St seli, 213 
 Sesleria, 568 
 
 sessile anthers, xxviii 
 
 sessile leaf, xix 
 Setdria, 552 
 Setter wort, 17 
 Sheep's-bit, 297 
 Shepherd's Needle, 210 
 Shepherd's Purse, 51 
 Shepherd's Rod, 244 
 Sherdrdia, 239 
 Shore-weed, 404 
 
 shrub, xix 
 Shrubby Rocket, 61 
 Sibbdldia, 152 
 Sibthdrpia, 360 
 Sieglingia, 568 
 Sildus, 217 
 Silene, 72 
 SUer, 217 
 
 silicle, 32 
 
 siliqua, xxxi, 3* 
 Silver-weed, 150 
 SUybum, 279 
 Simethis, 488 
 
 simple leaf, xxi 
 Sindpis, 47 
 Sison, 208 
 Sisymbrium, 43 
 Sisyrinchium, 477 
 Stum, 209 
 Skull-cap, 389 
 
 sleep of plants, 114 
 Sloe, 141 
 Smallage 204 
 Smyrnium, 202 
 Snake 's-head, 494 
 Snake-root. +19 
 Snakeweed, 119 
 Snapdragon 338 
 Sneezewort 263 
 Snowdrop, 481 
 
 Snowflake, 481 
 Soapwort, 72 
 Solt-grass, 564 
 Solanace/E, 348 
 Soldnum, 349 
 Soliddgo, 253 
 Solomon's Seal, 486 
 Sdnchus, 293 
 Sorrel, 420, 423 
 Sorrel, Mountain, 420 
 Sowb me, 409 
 Sow-bread, 319 
 Sow-thistle, 293 
 Sow-thistle, Blue, 293 
 
 spadix, xxiii, 506 
 Spargdnium, 504 
 Spartina, 553 
 
 spathe, a large sheathing bract, such as the 
 brown membranous one enclosing the 
 flower of the Daffodil, or the pale green 
 one enclosing the spadix of the Lords- 
 and-Ladies, 506 
 
 spatliulate, spoon-shaped. 
 Spearwort, n 
 
 species, x xxiii 
 
 specific name, xx.xiii 
 Speedwell, 368 
 Spergula, 85 
 
 Spermatohhyta, xxxvi, xxxix 
 Spiderwort, 494 
 Spignel, 218 
 
 spike, xxiii 
 
 spike, compound, xxiii 
 Spikenard, 240 
 Spikenard, Ploughman's, 260 
 Spike-rush, 523 
 Spinach, 408 
 S, indle-tree. 108 
 Spindle-tree Family, 108 
 
 spinescent stem, xix 
 Spircea, 141 
 Sfiirdntkes, 464 
 Spruce, 592 
 Spurge, 436, 438 
 Spurge Family, 435 
 Spurge Laurel, 424 
 Snurrey, 78, 85 
 Spurrev, Sandwort, 86 
 Sauills, 483 
 Squirrel-tail Grass, 591 
 
 sub-, partly. 
 
 subulate, awl-shaped, slender, and tapering, 
 as in the prickles of the Gorsc 
 
 subulate filaments, xxix 
 
 sucker, xviii 
 Stdchys, 391 
 
 stamens, xxviii 
 
 staminate flowers, xxiv 
 
 staminode, an aborted stamen, not con- 
 taining pollen. 
 
 standard petal, xxvii t 
 
 Star-fruit, 512 
 Star-of-Bethlehem, 491, 494 
 Star-thistle, 282 
 Starwort, Sea. 255 
 Starwoi t, Water, 183 
 Stdtice, 314 
 Stelldna, 81 
 
 stellate, star-shaped, applied to hairs. 
 
 stem, xvi 
 
6io 
 
 GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 stigma, xxix 
 stipules, xix 
 
 stipules, interpetiolar, 234 
 Stitcnwort, 81 
 St. John's-wort, 90 
 St. John's-wort Family, go 
 Stock, 34 
 
 stoloniJerous, with stolons or 
 Stonecrop, 174 
 Stonecrop Family, 172 
 Stonewort, 208 
 Stork 's-bill, 103 
 Strapwort, 406 
 Straifdtes, 458 
 Strawberry, 147 
 Strawberry-tree, 305 
 
 styles, xxix 
 Sudda, 415 
 Subuldria, 51 
 Succory, 249, 283 
 Succory, Lamb's, 283 
 Succory, Swine's, 283 
 Sugar-beet, 408 
 Sugar-cane, 548 
 Sulphur-wort, 215, 217, 220 
 Sundew, 178 
 Sundew Family, 177 
 
 superficial ovules, xxx 
 
 superior calyx, xxvi 
 
 superior carpels, xxv 
 
 superior ovary, xxv 
 Swede, 46 
 Sweet Gale, 443 
 Sweet Gale Family, 443 
 Swine's-cress, 52 
 Sycamore, 112 
 Symphytum, 337 
 
 sympodial, a term applied to inflorescences 
 in which a series of successive branches 
 simulate a continuous axis. 
 
 syncarpous carpels, xxix 
 
 syncarpous ovary, xxix 
 
 syngenesious stamens, xxix 
 
 Tamariscine^e, 88 
 Tamarisk, 89 
 Tamarisk Family, 88 
 Tdmarix, 89 
 Tdmus, 482 
 Tanacetum, 268 
 Tansy, 268 
 
 tap-root, xvi 
 Tardxacum, 291 
 Tare, 132 
 TaxacEjE, 595 
 Tdxus, 595 
 TeaK, 377 
 
 Tea-tree, Duke of Argyll's, 351 
 Teazle, 243 
 Teazle Family, 243 
 Teazle, Fuller's, 243, 244 
 Teesddlea, 56 
 Telegraph-plant, 114 
 
 tendril, a slender, spirally twisting climbing 
 organ. 
 
 tentacles, pointed leaf-lobes, as in Drose- 
 racese, 177 
 
 terete, round and tapering. 
 
 terminal ovule, xxx 
 
 ternate leaf, xm 
 
 testa, the outer skin or coat of a seed, often 
 
 brown and bitter, xxiii 
 tetradynamous stamens, xxix 
 tetramerous (often written 4-merous), 
 haying 4 leaves in each whorL 
 
 Teiicrium, 398 
 Thalamiflor^:, xxxix, 1 
 th'.'amifloral insertion, xxv 
 thalamus, xxiv 
 ThaHctrum, 4 
 Thesium, 433 
 Thistle, 276 
 Thistle, Carline, 274 
 Thistle, Cotton-, 279 
 Thistle, Ground, 279 
 Thistle, Milk-, 279, 293 
 Thistle, Plume-, 27b 
 Thistle, Scottish, 279 
 Thl&spi, 54 
 Thorn Apple, 349, 352 
 Thorow-wax, 202 
 Thrift, 314 
 
 Thrift Family, 313 
 Thrincia, 290 
 
 throat of -corolla, xxvi 
 Thrum wort, 512 
 Thyme, 385 
 Thyme, Basil, 386 
 Thymel^eAce^:, 423 
 Thymus, 385 
 Tilia, 96 
 TiliAce.«, 96 
 Tillcea, 173 
 
 Timothy-grass, 548, 558 
 Toad-flax, 356 
 Toad-flax, Bastard, 433 
 Tobacco, 349 
 Tofietdia, 496 
 Tomatoes, 349 
 Toothwort, 374 
 Tordylium, 222 
 Tdrilis, 224 
 Tormentil, 149 
 Totter-grass, 574 
 Touch-me-not, 106 
 Tragopdgon, 295 
 Traveller's Joy, 4 
 Treacle-mustard, 45 
 Trefoil, 122 
 
 Trefoil, Bird's-foot, 126 
 Trefoil, Marsh, 332 
 Trient&lis, 321 
 Trifdlium, 122 
 TrigUchin, 513 
 Trigone 'Ha, 119 
 
 trimorphism, 180 
 Trinia, 203 
 
 tripinnate, thrice divided pinnately, as in 
 the leaves of many ferns and Umbellifera. 
 Trisetum, 565 
 
 tristichous, in three vertical rows, as are 
 the leaves of Sedges. 
 Triticum, 552 
 Trdllius, 15 
 Trumpet-lily, 506 
 
 tuber, xvii 
 
 tubercle, xvi 
 
 tuberculate root, xvi 
 
 tubular calyx, xxvi 
 
 tubular corolla, xxvii 
 
GENERAL AND GLOSSARIAL INDEX 
 
 6ll 
 
 Tubulifl6re.«, 249 
 Tulip, 494 
 Tulifia, 494 
 
 tunicate bulb, xvii 
 Turnip, 47 
 Tussilago, 270 
 Tussock-grass, 548 
 Tutsan, 90 
 T way-blade, 463 
 Typha, 503 
 TvphAce>e, 503 
 Ulex, 116 
 Ulmus, 427 
 
 umbel, xxiii 
 Umbelli'fer^:, 191 
 
 umbellules, secondary or partial umbels, 191 
 
 undershrub, xix 
 
 urceolate calyx, xxvi 
 
 urceolate corolla, xxvii 
 UrHca, 428 
 UrticAcejE, 425 
 
 utricle, 522 
 Utricularia, 375 
 VacciniAce^e, 302 
 Vacctnium, 302 
 Valerian, 241 
 Valerian Family, 239 
 Valerian, Greek, 334 
 Valerian, Spur, 242 
 Valeriana, 241 
 ValeriAne^:, 239 
 Valeriana lla, 242 
 Valonia, 444 
 
 valvate leaves, xix 
 
 valvate sepals, xxviii 
 Vanilla, 461 
 
 variety, xxxiv 
 Venus' Comb, 213 
 Venus' Fly-trap, 177 
 Venus' Looking-glass, 302 
 Verbascum, 354 
 Verbena, 378 
 VerbenAcE/E, 377 
 Vernal-grass, 555 
 
 vernation, xix 
 Verdnica, 368 
 
 versatile anthers, xxviii 
 
 verticillaster, xxiii 
 Vervain, 378 
 Vervain Family, 377 
 Vetch, 131 
 Vetch, Bitter, 137 
 Vetch, Crown, 129 
 Vetch, Horseshoe-, 130 
 Vetch, Joint-, 130 
 Vetch, Milk-, 128 
 Vetchling, 134 
 Viburnum, 231 
 Vfcia K i 3 i 
 Villarsia, 333 
 Vtnca, 326 
 Viola, 64 
 ViolAce^e, 63 
 Violet, 64 
 Violet, Dame's, 43 
 Violet Family, 63 
 Viper's Bugloss, 344 
 I '{scum, 433 
 
 vittae, 192 
 
 Wahlenbe'rgia, 297 
 
 Wallflower, 34 
 
 Wall-pepper, 17s 
 
 Wart-cress, 51 
 
 Watercress, 35 
 
 Water-lily, 21 
 
 Water-lily Family, 21 
 
 Watt* Pepper, 89, 418 
 
 Water Plantain, 510 
 
 Water Plantain Family, 509 
 
 Water Soldier, 458 
 
 Water-thyme, 457 
 
 Water Violet, 316 
 
 Water-weed, American, 457 
 
 Waterwort, 89 
 
 Waterwort Family, 89 
 
 Way Bent, 586 
 
 Way-bread, 402 
 
 Wayfaring-tree, 232 
 
 Weasel-snout, 397 
 
 Weld, 60 
 
 Wheat, 547 
 
 Whin, 116, 117 
 
 Whinberry, 303 
 
 White Bottle, 73 
 
 White-rot, 198 
 
 Whitethorn, 164 
 
 Whitlow-grass, 48 
 
 whorled leaves, xx 
 Whorl-grass, 571 
 Whortleberry, 302 
 Willow, 452 
 Willow Family, 451 
 Willow, French, 185 
 Willow-herb, 184 
 Willow-herb Family, 184 
 Windflower, 5 
 Wind-grass, 561 
 
 wing petals, xxvii 
 Winter-green, 311 
 Winter-green, Chickweed, 321 
 Witches' Gowan, 16 
 
 Woad -waxen, 116 
 Wdlffia, 509 
 Wolfs-bane, 19 
 Wood Anemone, 6 
 Woodbine, 233 
 Woodruff, 238 
 Wood-rush, 501 
 Wood Sage, 400 
 Wood-sorrel, 104 
 Wormseed, 45 
 Wormwood, 248 
 
 Woundwort, 
 
 y>< 
 
 Xanthium, 261 
 
 Yam Family, 481 
 Yarrow, 262 
 Yellow-rattle, 365 
 Yellow-weed, 60 
 Yellow-wort, 329 
 Yew, 595 
 
 Yew Family, 595 
 Yorkshire Fog, 565 
 
 ZannichMlia, 519 
 Zostira, 520 
 
Richard Clav & Sons, Limited, 
 bread street kill, e.c., and 
 
 BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. 
 
.: ; : --:=-. =E3C.;. _==;=• -*:■_-• 
 
 A 000 687 504 1 
 
 Hi