NRLF 
 
 14 31M b7D 
 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
RAMBLES IN SEARCH 
 
 WILD FLO WE US, 
 
EAMBLES IN SEARCH 
 
 WILD FLOWEES, 
 
 AND 
 
 HOW TO DISTINGUISH THEM, 
 
 BY 
 
 MARGARET PLUES, 
 
 AUTHOR OF " RAMBLES IN SEARCH OP FERNS ;" " RAMBLES IN SEARCH OF MOSSES,' 
 ETC., ETC., ETC. 
 
 1 And the earth brought forth grass and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the 
 tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind, and God saw that it 
 was good." GEN. i. 12. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 LONDON : 
 JOURNAL OP HOETICULTTJEE AND COTTAGE GAliDENER 
 
 OFFICE, 
 171, FLEET STREET, E.G. 
 
 1864. 
 
 1 
 
LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED AT THE HORTICULTURAL PRESS, 
 171, FLEBT STREET. 
 
u,l^ 
 DEDICATION. 
 
 IN memory of the pleasant conversations on Wild 
 Flowers, which ever followed upon our returning 
 blossom-laden from childish rambles through field and 
 wood, and which sowed in our minds a love for the 
 study of Nature, this book is dedicated with tender 
 reverence and gratitude 
 
 TO MY MOTHER. 
 
 Thus do we think of her, and keep unbroken 
 
 The bond that Nature gives ; 
 Thinking that our remembrance, though unspoken, 
 
 May reach her where he lives," 
 
 M369379 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CLASS L DICOTYLEDONS. 
 
 SUBCLASS I. THALAMIFLOEALS. 
 
 PAGE I 
 
 1. E-ANUNCULACE^! . . . 11 
 GENERA. 1, Clematis. 2, Tha- 
 
 liotrum. 3, Anemone. 4, Ado- 
 nis. 5, Ranunculus. 6, Myo- 
 surus. 7, Trollius. 8, Caltha. 
 9, Helleborus. 10, Actaea. 
 11, Aquilegia. 12, Aconitum. 
 13, Delphinium. 14, Paeonia. 
 
 2. NYHPHACEJ3 .... 22 
 GENERA. 1 , Nymphaea. 2, Nu- 
 
 phar. 
 
 3. PAPAVEEACEJE ... 23 
 GENERA. 1, Papaver. 2, Meco- 
 
 nopsis. 3, Glaucium. 4, Che- 
 lidonium majus. 
 
 4. FUMAEIACEJS .... 25 
 GENERA. 1, Fumaria. 
 
 5. BEEBEEIDACEJE ... 26 
 GENERA. 1, Berberis. 2, Epi- 
 
 medium. 
 
 6. CEUCIFEE^: .... 28 
 GENERA. 1, Hutchinsia. 2, 
 
 Thlaspi. 3, Capsella. 4, Tees- 
 dalia. 5, Lepidium. 6, Coch- 
 learia. 7, Subularia. 8, Draba. 
 9,Cakile. 10, Crambe. 11, Se- 
 nebiera. 12, Alyssum. 13, 
 Iberis. 14, Dentaria. 15, Car- 
 damine. 16, Arabis. 17, Tur- 
 ritis. 18, Barbarea. 19, Nas- 
 turtium. 20, Sisymbrium. 21, 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Erysimum. 22, Cheiranthus. 
 23, Mathiola. 24, Brassica. 25, 
 Sinapis. 26, Raphanus. 27, 
 Hesperis. 
 
 7. EESEDACE^J .... 43 
 GENERA. 1, Reseda. 
 
 8. CISTACE.E 44 
 
 GENERA. 1, Cistus. 
 
 9. YIOLACE^: 45 
 
 GENERA. 1, Viola. 
 
 10. DEOSEBACE.E ... 47 
 GENERA. 1, Drosera. 2, Par- 
 
 nassia. 
 
 11. POLYGALACE^ ... 48 
 
 GENERA. 1, Polygala. 
 
 12. TAMAEICACEJE ... 49 
 GENERA. 1, Tamarisk. 
 
 13. FEAN KENT ACE JE ... 49 
 GENERA. 1, Frankenia. 
 
 14. ELATINACE^E .... 49 
 GENERA, 1, Elatine. 
 
 15. CAEYOPHYLLACE^J . . 50 
 GENERA. 1, Dianthus. 2, Si- 
 
 lene. 3, Saponaria. 4, Lych- 
 nis. 5, Agrostemma. 6, Sa- 
 gina. 7, Mcenchia. 8, Ho- 
 losteum. 9, Spergula. 10, 
 Stellaria. 11, Arenaria. 12, 
 Cerastium. 
 
Till 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 16. TILIACE.E 60 
 
 GENERA. 1, Tilia. 
 
 17. HYPEEICACE^: ... 61 
 GBNEEA. 1, Hypericum. 
 
 18. MAI/TACE^; .... 63 
 GENERA. 1, Malva. 2, Althsea. 
 
 3, Lavatera. 
 
 19. LINAGES 66 
 
 GENERA. 1, Lhmm. 2, Radiola. 
 
 20. ACEBACE^E 
 GENERA. 1, Acer. 
 
 21. GEEANIACEJ3 . 
 
 69 
 
 GENERA. 1, Geranium. 2, Ero- 
 dium. 
 
 22. BALSAMINACE^J ... 73 
 GENERA. 1, Impatiens. 
 
 23. OXALIDACE^E .... 73 
 
 GENERA. 1, Oxalis. 
 
 SUBCLASS II. CALYCIFLOEALS. 
 
 78 
 
 79 
 
 1. CELASTBACEJE ... 
 GENERA. 1, Euonymus. 
 
 2. EHAMNACEJE ... 
 GENERA. 1, Rhamnus. 
 
 3. LEGUMINOSJS .... 80 
 GENERA. 1, Ulex. 2, Genista. 
 
 3, Cytisus. 4, Ononis. 5, Me- 
 dicago. 6, Melilotus. 7, Tri- 
 folium. 8, Lotus. 9, Oxytro- 
 pus. 10, Anthyllis. 11, Astra- 
 galus. 12, Vicia. 13, Eryum. 
 14, Ornitnopus. 15, Hippo- 
 crepis. 16, Hedysarum. 17, 
 Lathyrus. 18, Pisum. 19, 
 Orobus. 
 
 4. EOSACE^J ..... 103 
 GENERA. 1, Prunus. 2, Spiraea. 
 
 3, Dryas. 4, Geum. 5, Poten- 
 tilla. 6, Tormentilla. 7, Fra- 
 garia. 8, Rubus. 9, Agri- 
 monia. 10, Alchemilla. 11, 
 Sanguisorba. 12, Poterium. 
 13, Rosa. 14, Pyrus. 15, 
 Mespilus. 16, Crataegus. 
 
 5. (ENOTHEBACE^J . . . 109 
 GENERA. l,Isnardia. 2,Circsea. 
 
 3, Epilobium. 4, (Enothera. 
 
 6. HlPPUBIDACE^J . . . 112 
 
 GENERA. 1, Hippuris. 2, My- 
 riophyllum. 3, Callitriche. 
 
 4, Ceratophyllum. 
 
 7. LTTHBACE^: .... 113 
 GENERA. 1, Ly thrum. 2, Pep- 
 
 lis. 
 
 8. CtJCTJBBITACE^E . . . 114 
 GENERA. 1, Bryonia. 
 
 9. POETULACE^E . . . 115 
 
 GENERA. 1, Montia. 
 
 10. lLLECEBEACE.33 . . 118 
 
 GENERA. 1, Herniaria. 2, Ille- 
 cebrum. 3, Polycarpon. 4, 
 Scleranthus. 
 
 11. CEASSULACE^: . . . 120 
 
 GENERA. 1, Tillaea. 2, Coty- 
 ledon. 3, Sempervivum. 4, 
 Sedum. 5, Rhodiola. 
 
 12. GrROSSULABIACE^E . , 123 
 
 GENERA. 1, Ribes. 
 
 13. SAXIFBAGACE.& . . 124 
 
 GENERA. 1, Saxifraga. 2,Chry- 
 sospleniuni. 
 
 14. UMBELLIFEEJE . . . 129 
 
 GENERA. 1, Scandix. 2, An- 
 thriscus. 3, Chserophyllum. 
 4, Eryngium. 5, Sanicula. 
 6, Daucus. 7, Torilis. 8, 
 Myrrhis. 9, Bunium. 10, 
 (Enanthe. 11, Crithmum. 
 12, Athanotis. 13, Pimpinella. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 IX 
 
 PACK 
 
 14, Sium. 15, Sison. 16, 
 Cicuta. 17, Conium. 18, An- 
 gelica. 19, Smyrnium. 20, 
 Apium. 21,Meum. 22,JEgo- 
 podium. 23, Carum. 24, Cni- 
 dium. 25, Bupleurum. 28, Hy- 
 drocotyle. 27, -ZEthusa. 28, 
 Imperatoria. 29, Selinum. 
 
 PAQE 
 
 30, Ligusticum. 31, Pastinaca. 
 32, Peucedanum. 33, Tordy- 
 lium. 34, Heracleum. 
 
 15. ARALIACEJE . . . i 142 
 GENERA. 1, Hedera. 2, Adoxa. 
 
 16. COENACEJE .... 143 
 GENEEA. 1, Cornus. 
 
 SUBCLASS III. COEOLLIFLOBALS. 
 
 1. VISCACE.E 146 
 
 GENERA. 1, Viscum. 
 
 2. CAPBIFOLIACEJ3 . . . 148 
 
 GENERA. 1, Sambucus. 2, Vi- 
 burnum. 3, Lonicera. 4, 
 Linnsea. 
 
 3. KUBIACE.E .... 150 
 GENEEA. 1, Rubia. 2, Galium. 
 
 3, Asperula. 4, Sherardia. 
 
 4. YALEBIANACE.E . . . 154 
 GENEEA. l,Yaleriana. 2,Fedia. 
 
 5. DIPSACACE^J ... 155 
 GENEEA. 1, Dipsacus. 2, Sea- 
 bio sa. 
 
 6. COMPOSITE .... 158 
 GENERA. 1, Tragopogon. 2, Pi- 
 
 cris. 3, Apargia. 4, Thrincia. 
 5, Hypochoeris. 6, Hieracium. 
 7, Lactuca. 8, Sonchus. 9, Cre- 
 pis. 10, Leontodon. 11, Lap- 
 sana. 12, Cichorium. 13, Arc- 
 tium. 14, Serratula. 15, Car- 
 duus. 16, Cnicus. 17, Ono- 
 pordum. 18, Carlina. 19, Cen- 
 taurea. 20, Bidens. 21, Chry- 
 socoma. 22, Eupatorium. 23, 
 Diotis. 24, Tanacetum. 25, 
 Artemisia. 26, Gnaphalium. 
 27, Petasites. 28, Tussilago. 
 29, Erigeron. 30, Solidago. 
 31, Senecio. 32, Doronicum. 
 33, Conyza. 34, Inula. 35, 
 Bellis. 36, Chrysanthemum. 
 37,Pyrethrum. 38, Matricaria. 
 39, Anthemis. 
 
 7. CAMPANULACEJE 
 
 180 
 
 GENEEA. 1, Campanula. 2,Phy- 
 teuma. 3, Jasione. 
 
 184 
 
 185 
 
 185 
 
 8. LOBELIACEJE . . . 
 
 GENEEA. 1, Lobelia. 
 
 9. YACCINIACE.E . . 
 GENEEA. 1, Vaccinium. 
 
 10. ERICACE.E . . , 
 
 GENEEA. 1, Erica. 2, Calluna. 
 3, Menziesia. 4, Azalea. 5, 
 Andromeda. 6, Arbutus. 
 
 11. MONOTBOPEJS . . . 189 
 GENEEA. 1, Pyrola. 2, Mono- 
 
 tropa. 
 
 12. AQUIFOLIACE.E. . 
 GENEEA. 1, Hex. 
 
 13. OLEACE.E . . . 
 GENEEA. 1, Ligustrum. 
 
 Fraxinus. 
 
 14. APOCYNACE.E . . 
 GENERA. 1, Vinca. 
 
 15. G-ENTIANE.E . . 
 
 GENERA. 1, Gentiana. 2, Ery- 
 thrsea. 3, Exacum. 4, Chlora. 
 5, Menyanthes. 6, Villarsia. 
 
 16. POLEMOSTIACE.E . . 198 
 GENEEA. 1, Polemonium. 
 
 17. CONVOLVTTLACE^: . 199 
 GENEBA. 1, Convolvulus. 2, 
 
 Cuscuta. 
 
 189 
 
 190 
 2, 
 
 194 
 
 195 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 18. BOBAGINE.E . . . 200 
 GENERA. 1, Echium. 2, Pul- 
 
 monaria. 3, Lithospernmm. 
 4, Symphytum. 5, Borago. 
 6, Lycopsis. 7, Anchusa. 8, 
 Myosotis. 9, Asperugo. 10, 
 Cynoglossum. 
 
 19. SOLANACE2E. . . . 206 
 GENERA. 1, Solanum. 2, 
 
 Atropa. 3, Hyoscyamus. 
 
 20. OEOBANCHACE.E . . 210 
 GENERA. 1, Orobanche. 2, 
 
 Lathrsea. 
 
 21. SCEOPHULABIACE^: . 211 
 GENERA. 1, Digitalis. 2, An- 
 tirrhinum. 3, Linaria. 4, 
 Scrophularia. 5, Limosella. 
 
 6, Melampyrum. 7, Pedicu- 
 laris. 8, Khinanthus. 9, Bart- 
 sia. 10, Euphrasia. 11, Sib- 
 thorpia. 12, Veronica. 13, 
 Verbascum. 
 
 22. LABIATJE . . . . ' . 220 
 GENERA. 1, Lycopus. 2, Salvia. 
 
 3, Mentna. 4, Thymus. 5, 
 Origanum. 6, Ajuga. 7, Teu- 
 
 PAGE 
 
 crium. 8, Ballota. 9, Leo- 
 nurus. 10, Galeobdolon. 11, 
 G-aleopsis. 12, Lamium. 13, 
 Betonica. 14, Stachys. 15, Ne- 
 peta. 16, Glecboma. 17, Mar- 
 rubium. 18, Acinos. 19, Cala- 
 mintba. 20, Clinopodium. 
 21, Melittis. 22, Prunella. 
 23, Scutellaria. 
 
 23. VEEBENACE.E . . . 229 
 GENERA. 1, Verbena. 
 
 24 LENTIBULAEIACEJS . 230 
 GENERA. 1 , Pinguicula. 2,Utri- 
 cularia. 
 
 25. PEIMULACEJE . . . 231 
 GENERA. 1, Primula. 2, Hot- 
 
 tonia. 3, Cyclamen. 4, Ana- 
 gallis. 5, Lysimachia. 6, Cen- 
 tunculus. 7, Trientalis. 8, 
 Glaux. 9, Samolus. 
 
 26. PLUMBAGINEJE . . 238 
 GENERA. 1, Statice. 
 
 27. PLANTAGINACEJE . . 238 
 
 GENERA. 1, Plantago. 2, Lit- 
 torella. 
 
 SUBCLASS IV. APETALS. 
 
 1. CHENOPODIACEJE . . 240 
 GENERA. 1, Chenopodium. 2, 
 
 Atriplex. 3, Beta. 4, Salsola. 
 6, Salicornia. 
 
 2. POLYGONACE^J . . . 244 
 GENERA. 1, Polygonum. 2, Ru- 
 
 mex. 3, Oxyria. 
 
 3. ELEAGNE^: .... 247 
 GENERA. 1, Hippopbae. 
 
 4. THYMELACEJE . . . 248 
 GENERA. 1, Dapbne. 
 
 5. SANTALACE.E . . . 248 
 GENERA. 1, Thesium. 
 
 6. AEISTOLOCHIACE^ . . 249 
 GENERA. 1, Aristolocbia. 2, 
 
 Asarum. 
 
 7. EMPETEACE^: . . . 249 
 GENERA. 1, Empetrum. 
 
 8. EUPHOEBIACEJE . . 250 
 
 GENERA. 1, Euphorbia. 2, Mer- 
 curialis. 3, Buxus. 
 
 9. UETICACE.E .... 252 
 GENERA. 1, TJrtica. 2, Parie- 
 
 taria. 3, Humulus. 
 
 10. ULMACE^: .... 256 
 GENERA. 1, Ulmus. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 11. SALICACEJS .... 257 
 
 GENERA. 1, Salix. 2, Populus. 
 
 12. MYBICACE.E. ... 262 
 GENEBA. 1, Myrica. 
 
 13. BETULACE.E ... 260 
 GENERA. 1, Betula. 2, Ainu*. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 14. COBYLACEJ2 . ... 263 
 
 GENERA. 1, Fagus. 2, Castanea. 
 3, Quercus. 4, Corylus. 5,Car- 
 pinus. 
 
 15. CONIFEBJE .... 266 
 GENEEA. 1, Pinus. 2, Juni- 
 
 perus. 3, Taxus. 
 
 CLASS IL-MONOCOTYLEDONS, 
 
 SUBCLASS I. PETALLIDS. 
 
 1. HYDEOCHAEIDACE^; . 272 
 GENEBA. 1, Hydrocharis. 2, 
 
 Stratiotes. 3, Anacharis. 
 
 2. OBCHIDACE^ . . . 274 
 
 GENERA. 1, Orchis. 2, Gymna- 
 denia. 3, Habenaria. 4, Lis- 
 tera. 5, Neottia. 6, Ophrys, 
 7, Epipactis. 8, Goodyera. 
 9, Corallorhiza. 10, Malaxis. 
 11, Liparis. 12, Cypripedium. 
 
 3. IBIDACE^: 279 
 
 GENERA. 1, Iris. 2, Tricbo-. 
 
 nema, 3, Crocus. 
 
 4. AMABYLLIDACE.E . . 281 
 GENERA. 1, Narcissus. 2, Ga~ 
 
 lantbus. 3, Leucojum. 
 
 5. DIOSCOEIACE^I . . . 285 
 GENERA. 1, Tamus. 
 
 6. TBILLIACEJE .... 285 
 GENERA. 1, Paris. 
 
 7. LILIACE.& 285 
 
 GEN ERA. 1 , Asparagus. 2, Rus- 
 
 cus. 3, Convallaria. 4, Hya- 
 cinthus. 5, Scilla. 6, Orni- 
 thogalum. 7, Allium. 8, Ga- 
 gea. 9, Tulipa. 10, Fritil- 
 laria. 11, Anthericum. 
 
 8. MELANTHACE^ . 
 
 291 
 
 GENERA. 1, Colchicum. 2, To- 
 fieldia. 
 
 9. JUNCACE^: .... 292 
 GENERA. 1, Juncus. 2, Luzula. 
 
 3, Narthecium. 
 
 10. BUTOMACE^ . . . 296 
 GENEBA. 1, Bute-urns. 
 
 11. ALISMACE^: .... 296 
 GENERA. 1, Alisma. 2, Sagit- 
 
 taria. 
 
 12. JUNCAGINACEJ2 . . 297 
 
 GENERA.. 1, Triglochin. 
 
 13. TYPHACEJS .... 298 
 GENERA. 1, Typba. 2, Spar- 
 
 ganum. 
 
 14. ABACE^ .... 299 
 GENERA. 1, Arum. 
 
 15. OBONTIACE2E . . . 300 
 
 GENEBA. 1, Acorus. 
 
 16. PISTIACE.E .... 301 
 GENERA. 1, Lemna. 
 
 17. NAIADACE.E ... 302 
 GENERA. 1, Potamogeton. 2, 
 
 Ruppia. 3, Zannicbellia. 4, 
 Zostera. 
 
Xll 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 SUBCLASS II. GLUMALS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 306 
 
 1. CYPERACE.E 
 
 GENERA. 1, Schoenus. 2, Rhyn- 
 cospora. 3, Cyperus. 4, Scir- 
 pus. 5, Eleocharis. 6, Erio- 
 phorum. 7, Carex. 
 
 2. GEAMINACEJS 
 
 312 
 
 GENERA. 1, Anthoxanthum. 
 2, Nardus. 3, Plialaris. 4, 
 Phleum. 5, Alopecurus. 6, 
 Polypogon. 7, Milium. 8, 
 
 Agrostis. 9, Cynodon. 10, Di- 
 gitaria. 11, Panicum. 12, 
 Aira. 13, Holcus. 14, Hie- 
 rochloe. 15, Melica. 16, Ses- 
 leria. 17, Glyceria. 18, Poa. 
 19, Briza. 20, Dactylis. 21, 
 Spartina. 22, Cynosurus. 23, 
 Festuca. 24, Bromus. 25, 
 Avena. 26, Lolium. 27, La- 
 gurus. 28, Arundo. 29, Am- 
 mophHa. 30, Kottbollia. 31, 
 Elymus. 
 
KAMBLES 
 SEAECH OF WILD FLOWERS, 
 
 AND 
 
 HOW TO DISTINGUISH THEM. 
 
 INTBODUCTOEY. 
 
 " Enshrined within the tiny flowers 
 
 That grow beside the path of life 
 Are simples blest with healing powers, 
 And germs with sweetest odour rife. 
 But he alone that stooping low, 
 
 Will stay with curious hand to cull, 
 Can all the many virtues know 
 That dignify the Beautiful." 
 
 PNEUMA. 
 
 1HE unusually mild winter of 185 had induced many families 
 to pass it at the sea-side, and the inhabitants of Clevedon, in 
 Somersetshire, numbered more than the regular residents. 
 Mrs. Bring, a widow lady, and her only daughter were occu- 
 pying a handsome suite of rooms in one of the houses on the 
 west of the town, and their Christmas had passed cheerily, 
 enlivened by the society of two cousins, Esther Claridge, the 
 eldest daughter of Mrs. Dring's brother, and Edward Leigh, 
 the son of her sister. 
 
"2, INTBODUCTOBY. 
 
 Two seasons in London, followed by gay autumns at water- 
 ing-places, had made sad havoc with the health of Fanny 
 Dring, and her pale face and attenuated figure, as she stood 
 in the large bay window gazing wistfully on the lovely land- 
 scape, attracted her mother's anxious observation. 
 
 " I am very glad we decided to come here," she said, as 
 she gathered up some letters and prepared to leave the room 
 to write the answers ; "I am certain that this air suits 
 Fanny. It did not seem to take any effect upon her the 
 first fortnight ; but since Christmas she has decidedly im- 
 proved. Ere summer comes my child will be bright and gay 
 again !" 
 
 As her mother closed the door, Fanny's eye still dwelt on 
 the outward view. She was not gazing on the beach with 
 its small complement of pedestrians, nor upon the waters of 
 the Severn, with which the fresh tide of the channel was 
 now striving, nor yet upon the grey line of the Welsh 
 coast and the scarcely less faint outline of the flat and steep 
 Holmes ; but her eye was fixed with a yearning look of 
 inquiry upon the distant thread where sky and water meet, 
 and that look seemed to ask, " What is there in the future 
 for me? Is there rest? for my spirit is weary of all that 
 has been." 
 
 She turned slowly as her mother's footsteps receded, and 
 addressed Esther. 
 
 " My mother is quite mistaken," she said gloomily. " It 
 is not the air of Clevedon that has done me good. True, I 
 am able to walk more, and I have enjoyed our strolls of late ; 
 but that is only because you found things constantly to interest 
 me. Every common shell stranded on the coast, the weed in 
 the tide-pools and the slimy things playing hide-and-seek 
 among it, each little belated flower, and every insect crawling 
 on the face of the cliff, formed an object of interest and 
 pleasure seen through your eyes. But now that you are 
 leaving us, my life will become dreary and aimless again, and 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 3 
 
 iny daily walk a dull cold task. Tlie good influence of Cleve- 
 don will end, as it began, with you." 
 
 " I can quite enter into your feelings, Fanny," broke in 
 Edward, throwing aside his book and joining his cousins at 
 the window. The boy was seventeen, three years younger 
 than Fanny, and ten younger than the staid Esther. He was 
 a brilliant scholar in a large public school in one of the mid- 
 land counties, and was spending his holidays with his aunt. 
 
 " My mother is always exhorting me to take exercise," he 
 continued, " and I have no objection to a good game at cricket ; 
 but for a constitution walk ! bah ! it is the greatest bore 
 that ever was invented. But whilst I have been here, I have 
 always liked our rambles ; the things that Esther finds amuse 
 me, more especially those jolly little beasts which we find in 
 the pools among the rocks. If I lived with her I should be 
 a much more dutiful son, for I would take a walk as often 
 as my mother wished." 
 
 While the boy spoke, Esther was weighing Fanny's words. 
 " Your mind is in great need of interesting occupation, 
 Fanny," she said. " How I wish I could make over some 
 of my super-abundant work to you ! You would never be in 
 want of objects of interest if you had brothers to care for 
 and young sisters to teach. I can scarcely get time to write 
 letters, or to read for my own information. Some of the time 
 which hangs so heavily on your hands would be a great boon 
 to me !" 
 
 " I would help you most willingly if I could," Fanny re- 
 plied ; "but I cannot fly to your Yorkshire home to give 
 music lessons, and back to my mother by evening. I do not 
 love idleness, and I am weary for want of an object for exer- 
 tion ; that would revive me more than all the tonics in the 
 world, or the finest and most frequent changes of air. I have 
 thought of commencing the study of a language ; but my 
 spirit sinks at the idea of close solitary labour, and what 
 better should I be when I had succeeded?" 
 
4 INTBODUCTOEY. 
 
 " Let me advise you, Fanny, to take up some natural science 
 instead. There is a mental nourishment to be found in the 
 study of God's works. His glorious creation is outspread, and 
 its testimony is proclaimed to the simplest observer ; but the 
 more closely we look into His works the more fully are we 
 penetrated by their beauty, and many a message of Divine 
 love and peace conies to us by their ' silent lips.' You are 
 very fond of flowers begin to study them. A little patient 
 investigation will enable you to understand their structure, 
 habits, and classification ; and if you will diligently arrange 
 and collect, you may be of real and efficient help to me. Last 
 year I undertook a work too great for the small amount of 
 
 time I have at my disposal. My uncle, the Vicar of in 
 
 Devonshire, is forming a scientific institution in connection 
 with the Mill schools, which are of a high order. The mill- 
 owner is a truly benevolent and enlightened man he does 
 not regard his operatives as mere ' hands,' and he is as 
 anxious as my uncle to promote interest and recreation for 
 them after working hours. Uncle Henry means to give bo- 
 tanical lectures next winter, hoping thereby to provide the 
 poor people with mental occupation at the time, and to induce 
 them to spend their occasional holidays during the succeeding 
 summer in the country ; and I have undertaken to make a 
 collection of dried plants for illustration, with gigantic sketches 
 of one member of each natural family ; also to gather all 
 collateral information and association which may enliven the 
 subject to the young mechanics. If you and Edward will help 
 me, I shall be most thankful ; you could easily make the draw- 
 ings, and both could collect specimens of any plants you find in 
 flower during your rambles in the fields and copses." 
 
 " I will help you, with all my heart," replied Fanny ; 
 " but I know absolutely nothing of botany. Will you, 
 during the next few days, try to teach me the necessary 
 principles ?" 
 
 " Oh ! yes, do, rejoined Edward, " and admit me into the 
 
INTEODUCTOEY. 5 
 
 class ! I scarcely knew a Dandelion from a Buttercup when 
 I came here, and now I know the Michaelmas Daisy, and 
 the Sea-Orache, and the Knot-grass, and ever so many other 
 things. There are jolly plants by the Avon, and heaps of 
 bothering weeds choking up the stream, and I know a lane 
 in Shropshire where garden flowers grow on the banks. We 
 find some knobby stories about flowers in our school books, 
 which will make the young operatives open their eyes very 
 wide. Oh, I shall be able to help in a first-rate way, if only 
 you can knock the principles of the science into my stupid 
 head!" 
 
 Esther took a few minutes to collect and clear her thoughts, 
 and then she began her first lesson, Edward gravely taking 
 notes as in a lecture -room. 
 
 " All plants, from the forest tree to the microscopic Fungus, 
 are divided into three classes, according to the form of the 
 seed: I. The TWO-LOBED (Dicotyledonous). II. The ONE- 
 LOBED (Monocotyledonous) . III. The LOBELESS (Acotyledo- 
 nous). The greatest part of our trees and plants belong to 
 the first class the Two-lobed ; bulbous plants, water plants, 
 Grasses, Sedges, and a few other families, belong to the One- 
 lobed or second class ; Ferns, Mosses, Lichens, Sea-weeds, and 
 Fungi, belong to the third or Lobeless class. The first two 
 classes contain the FLOWEEING PLANTS, the third the FLOWEE- 
 LESS PLANTS. If you take a Bean and a 
 grain of com and keep them in a warm, 
 moist place, you will see the Bean open in 
 two valves or lobes (fig. 1, A), and a small 
 bud will arise from the lower end, which is 
 the embryo of the new plant (fig. 1, B). 
 This proves the Bean to be a member of the 
 first, or Two-lobed class. The corn, on the 
 other hand, makes no division it has only one lobe ; roots 
 push out at the lower end ; and the bud, containing stem, 
 leaves, and flower, shoots from the upper. It stands for an 
 
G 
 
 INTBODUCTOBY. 
 
 Fig. 2. 
 
 example of the One-lobed class. Fig. 2 represents a germi- 
 nating seed of Indian Corn a is the one lobe, perforated by 
 the plumule b ; c is the root-sheath ; 
 d the radicle ; and e e e the adventi- 
 tious roots. Supposing the seedling 
 to have become a perfect and mature 
 plant, we find it possessed of six dis- 
 tinct parts root, stem, leaves, flower, 
 fruit, and seed. The office of the 
 root is to draw nourishment from the 
 ground, while the leaves answer to 
 the breathing organs of animals. The 
 principal divisions of the classes de- 
 pend upon the form and arrangement 
 of the flower, so before proceeding further we must consider 
 its parts. There are some blossoms of the Lesser Celandine 
 upon the lawn (fig. 3). Will you bring 
 me one, Edward, and I will show you 
 its formation ? 
 
 " These greenish leaves which enfold 
 the flower when in bud are called sepals. 
 Collectively they form the calyx. The 
 bright yellow glossy leaves forming the 
 largest portion of the flower are petals 
 singly, collectively the corolla. This 
 tassel inside the flower is formed of an Fifi '' 3 * 
 
 indefinite number of pistils and stamens, the former being 
 generally called carpels ; the latter are composed of the fila- 
 ments, and the heads or anthers, in which the pollen is con- 
 tained. The carpels, as well as the stamens, are seated on the 
 receptacle, and their summits are called stigmas. You cannot 
 very well distinguish the parts of the pistils in that one of the 
 Celandine ; but if you examine the little pillar-looking body 
 that is found in the centre of the flower of the Primrose you 
 will find it to resemble a drumstick. The round end or base 
 
INTBODUCTOBY. 7 
 
 is called the germ or ovary, the stalk of the pillar is the style, 
 and the top or capital is the stigma. There are generally 
 nectaries or honey-cups situated near the base of the petals 
 of the Celandine." 
 
 Here the pupils declared that they had heard enough for the 
 first lesson. They would con it over again and make it fully 
 their own, and would ask further information on the morrow. 
 
 " Now, Esther," said Fanny, as soon as the breakfast-cloth 
 was withdrawn on the following morning, "be so good as to 
 proceed to the next lesson in botany. We remember the great 
 divisions into Two-lobed, One-lobed, and Lobeless classes, and 
 the six parts of the plant; and the calyx, corolla, stamens, 
 pistil, and germen. What comes next?" 
 
 " The next division is into subclasses," began Esther. " These 
 arc decided according to the various arrangements of the parts 
 of the flower. In the first subclass the stamens and petals 
 are inserted into the part of the stem beneath the ovary, 
 which is called the receptacle or thalamus. In this subclass 
 the petals are always distinct ; the plants belonging to this 
 group are called THALAMIFLOBALS. 
 
 " In the second subclass the petals and stamens are inserted 
 on the calyx or close to its base, and the petals are generally 
 distinct. These plants are called CALYCIFLOBALS. 
 
 " In the third subclass the stamens are fixed either upon the 
 petals, or inserted on the receptacle, as is the case in the first 
 subclass ; and the petals are no longer distinct, but joined 
 together so as to form what is called a monopetalous corolla. 
 These plants are called COKOLLIFLOEALS. 
 
 " In the fourth subclass either the calyx or corolla, or both, 
 are wanting ; the plants are called APETALS. These four sub- 
 classes comprise the great class of Dicotyledons, or Two-lobed 
 plants. The two first are many-petalled, the third one-petalled, 
 and the fourth petalless. 
 
 " The One-lobed class is but once divided, the first sub- 
 class having petals, and the plants being called PETALIDS ; 
 
8 INTEODUCTOBY. 
 
 and tlie second subclass having, in lieu of petals, chaffy scales, 
 or glumes, and so being named GLUMALS. These are com- 
 prised of Sedges and Grasses." 
 
 The young companions were soon called upon to separate ; 
 but, before doing so, they agreed to study botany carefull} 7 ", 
 searching diligently for plants which they should identify if 
 possible, and press carefully. Working thus during the whole 
 spring, summer, and autumn, they should meet the next 
 Christmas at one of their homes, or, still better, at Mr. 
 Carew's, the clergyman for whom the herbarium was to be 
 made, and show all the plants to him, telling him at the same 
 time of all their rambles in search of them, and detailing all 
 the information they had collected. At Edward's suggestion 
 they formed themselves into a botanical club, Esther being 
 President, Fanny Secretary, and Ned Yice-president. 
 
 Spring lingered long ere making its appearance that year. 
 Heavy rains during February and high winds in March kept 
 back vegetation ; but April, with its smiles and tears, suc- 
 ceeded in alluring the budding plants. The young botanists 
 eagerly availed themselves of the first opportunity for com- 
 mencing their search, and their efforts did not long remain 
 unrewarded. Fanny might be seen, with an expression of 
 lively interest on her countenance, climbing the cliffs, pene- 
 trating the woods, and exploring the salt marshes. Her 
 mother thanked God for the renewed health which tinged 
 her cheek and gave elasticity to her step, and she gladly 
 procured stronger boots and dresses of firm texture in which 
 she might ramble and climb at her own free will without 
 fear of detriment. She made no objection even to the large 
 flower-press, which would have been thought too uncouth for 
 many a less elegant drawing-room ; nay, she quite loved the 
 rough machine as a means of procuring health and interest 
 to her daughter. 
 
 Matters did not go quite as smoothly with Edward Leigh ; 
 but the boy was largely endowed with firmness and held 
 
INTEODTJCTORY. 9 
 
 steadily to his purpose. Wlien first the other day-pupils 
 found that he was addicting himself to collecting flowers, 
 they named him " Miss Flora." He declined ever replying 
 to this cognomen, but did not otherwise notice it. A reserved 
 timid boy of the name of Luscombe, who had long been a 
 humble admirer of Edward's, asked to be allowed to join him 
 in collecting, and, after awhile, one of the tutors began to be 
 a member of their Saturday excursions. The three were 
 caricatured upon the great school-gates, and Luscombe was 
 frightened out of his allegiance for some weeks ; but the petty 
 persecution died a natural death, and then the rambles re- 
 gained their charm, even to the timid boy. 
 
 And Esther, with her young group of pupil sisters, col- 
 lected almost daily. Alice and Kate loved to vie with each 
 other as to how many different flowers they could collect in 
 each day's ramble ; and the quiet Herbert found his chief 
 amusement in observing the different parts of plants and their 
 curious structure ; and he justified his admission to the club 
 by presenting good selections of leaves, stems, roots, and 
 corolla, and making careful sections of the stems of the two 
 great classes. As the summer progressed, Esther had the 
 pleasure of a trip to Scotland, which, with two or three little 
 visits, gave her longer holidays than usual. Fanny and her 
 mother sojourned in Wilts, Devon, and Cornwall, after leaving 
 Clevedon ; and Edward <HivAed Ms summer holidays between 
 friends in Kent and Shropshire. 
 
 The flowers disapjxeamed, and fruits came in their stead ; 
 the song of the harnes^liome sounded as cheerily as the laugh 
 of boys rifling the copse of its nuts. An early snow-storm 
 swept over the cleared fields and put a stop to everything ; 
 and then the old year died away, having waited like holy 
 Simeon to behold the birth of the Lord's Christ, and to hear 
 the song of the angels, " Glory to God in the highest, on 
 earth peace, good will to men." 
 
 When each member of the botanical club had done honour 
 
10 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 to the plum-pudding in their respective homes, they com- 
 menced their journey to Mr. Carew's house in Devonshire, 
 Esther pausing in her route to join her cousin Edward, that 
 they might proceed together. 
 
 Hearty was the greeting and eager the delight of the young 
 people when each produced his or her packet of dried flowers, 
 and prepared to arrange them together in natural groups. Mr. 
 Carew's daughters, and some young friends staying with them, 
 begged to be allowed to be present, while a clever lad from the 
 school promised to take down all the information in shorthand 
 for the use of the promised lectures. At Esther's desire, each 
 arranged the members of the first natural family, that of the 
 Ranunculus, and so the budgets were fairly opened. 
 
11 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 KANUNCUL1CE.E. 
 
 1 Exhibit on thy dress whene'er they bloom 
 The Buttercup and Daisy. They -will be 
 The types of heaven, and holier than the plumes 
 A hero wears, and they will preach to thee 
 Of how the sun and showers drop favours ceaselessly. 
 
 " Away ! The counterfeit shake off from thee ; 
 And Nature's gold and silver gather up, 
 Such as keeps innocent the child and bee, 
 And which from heaven the angels have let drop 
 The Daisy, and her sister flower the Buttercup." 
 
 E. H. BURKINGTON. 
 
 I SUPPOSE we are all bearing in mind, began the Lady 
 President, that the distinctive feature of the first or Recep- 
 tacle subclass, or that of the Thalamiflorals, is that the various 
 parts of the flower calyx, corolla, and stamens, are fastened 
 on the receptacle beneath the germen. The first order in this 
 subclass is that of the EANTJNCULACEJE, of which the Buttercup 
 is the most universally-known representative. The general 
 characteristics of this numerous order are from three to six 
 petals and sepals, numerous stamens, and several distinct car- 
 pels. They are generally herbs with divided leaves, the foot- 
 stalk of which spreads out so as to form a sheath, which clasps 
 the stem. Most of them are in a great degree poisonous if 
 taken internally, and painful if applied to the skin. Their 
 numerous stamens and cupped corolla give them a close re- 
 semblance to the wholesome Eose order ; but the poisonous 
 Eanunculaceae may at once be distinguished by the early falling 
 of their calyx-leaves, while those of the Eosacese continue to 
 adorn the ripening fruit. 
 
 - 
 
12 BANUNCULACEjE. 
 
 The wild Clematis, or Traveller's Joy, represents the first 
 family in the Eanunculus order. It is an elegant climbing 
 shrub, bearing numerous flowers with a calyx of four parch- 
 ment-coloured sepals, no corolla, numerous stamens and car- 
 pels, which latter become adorned with a long feathery plume, 
 so that the seed-tufts form an even more elegant object than 
 the flowers. Such, at least, was Bishop Mant's opinion 
 
 "The Traveller's Joy, 
 Most beauteous when its flowers assume 
 Their autumn form of feathery plume." 
 
 I have gathered this plant near Warminster in Wilts, and 
 Fanny has specimens from Devonshire ; I have also observed 
 it in travelling along the South-Eastern Railway. But it was 
 in the lanes about Ross in Herefordshire that I found it in the 
 greatest beauty, throwing its frail branches from the sup- 
 porting arms of trees on the one side, to the tall hedge on the 
 other, and converting the deep lane into a cloistered aisle rich 
 in floral tracery. Its leaves are composed of five leaflets. 
 The flowers appear in July, and the whole shrub is poisonous. 
 (Plate!., fig. I}. 
 
 The Meadow Rue (Thalictrum), the next family in the order, 
 is also without corolla. Its four or five sepals are very in- 
 significant, but its clusters of yellow anthers, disposed freely 
 along its branched flower-stalk, have a light appearance, and 
 contrast agreeably with its twice-divided (bi-pinnate) dark 
 green leaves. I found the Greater Meadow Hue last July at 
 Mackershaw, a part of the grounds adjoining those of Studley, 
 upon the property of Lord De Grey and Ripon. It grew upon 
 a shady bank, at the foot of which a pretty stream flows. 
 
 There are an alpine Meadow Hue, a common Meadow Hue, 
 and a lesser species, all occasionally found in more or less 
 alpine meadows; but we have none of us succeeded in pro- 
 curing these. 
 
 "We have all specimens of the Anemone, or Wind-Flower. 
 This represents the third family of the order. Here, again, 
 
MEADOW EUE ANEMONES. 13 
 
 the sepals are white or coloured so as to fill the place of the 
 absent corolla, and the carpels become feathered so that the 
 seed has a cottony appearance. 
 
 In olden times the Wood Anemone (A. nemorosa, Plate L, 
 fig. 2), was supposed to haye wonderfully healing properties. 
 The blossom was plucked as soon as it opened. At the same 
 time these words were pronounced, " I gather thee as a remedy 
 against all disease." It was then tied round the neck of the 
 invalid. This pretty plant is familiar to every one who cares 
 to notice wild flowers. In April and May it covers the woods 
 in every sheltered part of England with fleecy whiteness, nod- 
 ding to every breeze, and gladdening the heart of all who have 
 longed for spring. In more exposed situations mountainous 
 pastures, alpine woods, &c., it comes later and lasts longer ; 
 the flowers are smaller, the divided leaves darker, and the 
 outside of the sepals often tinged with purple. 
 
 The Blue Anemone, or Wind-Flower (A. apennina), is found 
 only in Wales, and that very rarely ; but it is a common 
 garden flower. The sepals are much more numerous and of a 
 narrower form than in any other species, and their delicate 
 blue colour makes it deservedly a favourite. 
 
 The Pasque-Flower Anemone (A. pulsatflla, Plate I., fig. 3), 
 is a handsome and well-marked species, growing on chalky 
 uplands. The purple sepals are large and hairy, and form a 
 handsome, upright, bell-shaped flower ; the leaves, too, are 
 hairy, and the seeds are adorned with long feathery tails re- 
 sembling those of the Traveller's Joy. 
 
 There is a Yellow Anemone which favours woods in Here- 
 fordshire. Its form resembles that of the White one ; but its 
 full colour and glossy texture indicate a relationship to the 
 Buttercup. I gathered it abundantly in woods on the banks of 
 the Rhine some years ago, and this season it was found in the 
 richly wooded district of Rolvenden, in Kent. Its foliage is 
 like that of the Wood Anemone. 
 
 The beautiful Scarlet Anemone, the superb ornament of 
 
14 EANUNCULACE.E. 
 
 Italian woods, and also of our gardens, is a much-valued 
 member of this family.* It is told of one of the Mayors of 
 our large towns that when first this flower was introduced 
 into our English gardens he exceedingly coveted some of the 
 seed. This he offered to buy, but the monopolist refused to 
 sell : so his Worship tried finesse to gain his purpose, and 
 proposed to the florist that, as he would not part with his 
 Anemones, the Town Council should come in state to see 
 them. This was esteemed a great honour ; and the Mayor 
 managed in his progress to drag the skirt of his velvet robes 
 over the bed of Anemones. The feathery seeds adhered as 
 a matter of course ; the blooms of these flowers coming in 
 such long succession and the fruit ripening fast, so that flower 
 and fruit were clustered together ; and no sooner did he reach 
 home than with most unlordly haste he picked off the seeds 
 and sowed them. The next year his garden was adorned with 
 the coveted flowers ! 
 
 The Adonis (A. autumnalis, or Pheasant's-eye, Plate I., 
 fig. 4), stands next in order to the Anemones ; its little 
 crimson flower gleaming from a miniature thicket of inter- 
 lacing leaves. These leaves are frequently subdivided and 
 very narrow, and the crimson cup is too small to be showy ; 
 it frequents corn fields, and is a constant ornament of old- 
 fashioned gardens. 
 
 We now come to the true Ranunculus family, the head of 
 the clan, called in English Crowfoots. Here the sepals and 
 petals are both present, their number varying from three to 
 six ; the carpels are numerous, and end in a kind of horn. 
 We have already noticed the poisonous nature of the whole 
 order ; this family of it possesses the quality in an especial 
 degree. Old Gerarde thus writes of it: "There.be divers 
 sortes or kindes of these pernicious herbes comprehended 
 under the name of Ranunculus, or Crowfoote, whereof most 
 
 * Varieties of this and other species are described by Tournefort as studding 
 the fields in the islands of the Archipelago. 
 
CBOWIOOTS. 15 
 
 are very dangerous to be taken into the body. The chiefest 
 vertue is in the roote, which, being stamped with salt, is good 
 for those that have a plague sore if it be presently tied to the 
 leg, by means whereof the poison and malignitie of the disease 
 is drawn off from the inwarde partes, for it presently raiseth a 
 blister to what part soever of the body it be applied. Apuleius 
 saith further, that if it be hanged in a linen cloth about the 
 neck of him that is lunatic, in the waine of the moon, when 
 the signe shall be in the first degree of Taurus or Scorpio, 
 that he shall forthwith be cured." Such was the strong ad-, 
 mixture of ignorance and superstition which tainted the truth 
 three centuries ago. 
 
 There are a great number of species of Crowfoot. The 
 Creeping Crowfoot is the common Buttercup ; and the bulbous 
 and acrid species also receive the name of Buttercup (Ranun- 
 culus bulbosus). I cannot tell you in how many rambles I 
 have found these plants ; from the days when, just able to run, 
 we held the golden cups under each other's chins to see " if 
 we loved butter," to the present time each season has witnessed 
 
 " The Buttercups across the mead 
 Make sunshine rift of splendour." 
 
 When Fanny was searching for wild flowers in the Lizard 
 district last June, she found the Hairy Crowfoot (R. hirsutus), 
 quite abundant in the pastures ; it resembles the Creeping 
 Crowfoot, but is distinguished by its hairs and its rather 
 smaller paler flowers. A Shropshire ramble furnished Edward 
 with the Biting Crowfoot (R. sceleratus), which he found 
 growing on the margin of ponds and ditches about Kemberton. 
 I found it in similar situations in Cheshire some years ago, but 
 it is by no means a common plant. The lower leaves are 
 palmate, or cut in fingers like a hand ; the upper have only 
 three divisions. Both leaves and stem are thick and watery ; 
 the plant grows from one to two feet high, and the flowers are 
 small and uninteresting. It is the most poisonous member of 
 the family. 
 
16 RANUNCULACE-E. 
 
 There is a Corn Crowfoot (E. arvensis), which, somewhat 
 resembles this, but it is less clumsy in form, and its large 
 prickly carpels are both curious and pretty. I have frequently 
 found it in corn fields in Xent, Yorkshire, and elsewhere. 
 Two of this family have simple, narrow leaves ; they are called 
 the Greater and Lesser Spearworts. The larger species is rare. 
 A specimen was sent to me from near Darlington ; and I have 
 seen it growing freely in a pond in the Botanic Gardens at 
 Edinburgh. It is a stately plant with long, spear-shaped 
 leaves, and large golden flowers nearly as big as those of the 
 Marsh Marigold. It is quite erect, and grows to the height of 
 three feet : this is E. lingua. The Lesser Spearwort (E. flam- 
 mula), is common everywhere on boggy ground and ditches. 
 In the former situation it grows half prostrate ; in the latter, 
 it becomes erect and very succulent. In this state it may 
 easily be confounded with the Greater Spearwort, only that 
 it is never hairy, and its carpels terminate in a mere point, 
 while those of the larger species have a sword-shaped beak. 
 
 The last of the yellow Crowfoots is the Lesser Celandine 
 (Eanunculus ficaria, Plate I., fig. 6), so well known and loved 
 by the poet Wordsworth. 
 
 " 111 befall the yellow flowers, 
 Children of the flaring hours : 
 Buttercups that will be seen 
 Whether we will see or no ; 
 Others, too, of lofty mien, 
 They have done as wordlings do, 
 Taking praise that should be thine, 
 Little humble Celandine ! 
 
 " Prophet of delight and mirtb, 
 Scorned and slighted upon earth! 
 Herald of a mighty band 
 Of a joyous train ensuing, 
 Singing at my heart's command, 
 In the lanes my thoughts pursuing ; 
 I will sing as doth behove 
 Hymns of praise of what I love." 
 
 No wonder that this cheerful flower should be a favourite. 
 It is one of the first that appears as a herald of spring ; and 
 
MOUSE-TAIL GLOBE-FLOWEB. 17 
 
 few will look upon its glossy star-like petals without a tlxrill 
 of joy at the mute announcement that the hard, cold winter 
 is past, and the time of the singing birds and budding blos- 
 soms is come. The Lesser Celandine has more petals than 
 the other members of its family, and undivided spade-shaped 
 leaves and tuberous root ; so it is well distinguished from the 
 rest. 
 
 We have three distinctly marked white species : one with 
 hairy leaf and short stem, which frequents the summit of our 
 highest mountains (Eaminculus alpina) ; one with an ivy- 
 shaped leaf and tiny flower, growing in water (E. hederaceus) ; 
 it is a frequent ornament of ponds in Yorkshire, Cheshire, 
 and elsewhere. The third is the prettiest and most frequent 
 of the white species, covering ponds and the margin of lakes 
 with its fragile white blossoms, while its stems extend many 
 feet, bearing round five-lobed fleshy leaves on the upper part, 
 which float like the flowers on the surface of the water, and 
 thread-shaped much-divided ones on the lower part, which are 
 always immersed (R. aquatilis, Plate I., fig. 5). 
 
 The little Mouse-tail (Myosurus minimus), with its spiked 
 cluster of tiny flowers, claims a near relationship with the 
 Buttercups, because of its many carpels and stamens fastened 
 to the receptacle. It is an inhabitant of gravelly fields, but 
 has never rewarded my research. 
 
 A much more natural relation of the Buttercups is the 
 Globe-Flower (Trollius europseus, Plate J., fig. 7). Its petals 
 are larger and of a paler hue, and more numerous than those 
 of any of the Buttercups ; they are all cupped, and meet in 
 the centre so as to enclose the stamens and carpels in a 
 perfect globe. We used to be very proud of it, as it grew 
 in great luxuriance in a corner of a shady field bordering the 
 road between Eichmond and Eeeth. There were but a few 
 plants, but we felt them most precious. But last June we 
 were making an excursion across the Swaledale Moors to 
 visit one of the numerous lead mines with which those hills 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 abound, we came on a subalpine pasture covered with the 
 Globe-Flower as thickly as we constantly see the Buttercup 
 spreading its golden blooms. Knives and pocket-handkerchiefs 
 were quickly produced, and we had soon procured a bundle of 
 roots to plant in our shrubberies. How proud we have felt 
 ever since in the knowledge that our neighbourhood boasted 
 such a profusion of the treasured plant ! In this manner 
 it is frequently found in the hilly districts of the north of 
 England. 
 
 The Marsh Marigold (Caltha pahistris, Plate I., fig. 8), is a 
 still more showy plant, its large golden blossoms and bright 
 green, glossy, heart-shaped leaves forming a familiar and much- 
 valued ornament of marshy land. Like the Globe-Flower, the 
 Marsh Marigold is without calyx. Last year Edward was much 
 delighted with the many garlands carried about for show by 
 the poor children in a village in Kent, and the one to which he 
 gave the preference was formed entirely of Marsh Marigolds 
 and purple Orchises. 
 
 The Hellebores also belong to this order ; and although 
 their green flowers suggest no relationship to their golden 
 companions, yet the form of the blossom and its many car- 
 pels, and the dark glossy hand-shaped leaves carry out a fair 
 amount of resemblance as soon as the attention is directed to 
 them. 
 
 The Green Hellebore (Helleborus viridis), grows in woods 
 about Bedale in Yorkshire, where I have found it frequently. 
 Like its brethren, the Stinking Hellebore and Christmas Rose, 
 it has no petals, and the petal-like calyx becomes leafy, and 
 remains till the seed is ripe. The plant grows to a foot in 
 height. Fanny has specimens gathered at Hill Deverill, in 
 Wiltshire. 
 
 The Stinking Hellebore she has found near Shaftesbury, in 
 Wiltshire. It has a disagreeable smell, and the pale green 
 flowers are tinged with purple (H. fcetidus). Both of these 
 plants flower early in the spring. 
 
WINTEB ACONITE BANEBEBBY COLUMBINE. 19 
 
 The pretty white Cliristmas Eose, so called because of its 
 flowering at that season, is also a Hellebore, and its calyx is 
 a brilliant white. Its beauty and purity, as well as the season 
 when it blooms, insure it being a favourite in every garden. 
 
 The little Winter Aconite, which blooms so very early in 
 the spring, its large green sepals giving it the appearance of 
 a little boy of the olden time with an ample frill under his 
 chin, and the bright blue and pink and white Hepaticas, so 
 charming in our gardens and in the Swiss woods at the same 
 season, also belong to this order. 
 
 The Poisonous Baneberry (Actsea spicata), one of the rare 
 ornaments of the hilly districts of the north, with its spike of 
 pink-tinted flowers, more nearly resembling a Spiraea than a 
 Ranunculus, represents another family of this order. Herb 
 Christopher is another name for it. Its leaves are frequently 
 divided, and its fruit consists of a poisonous berry. 
 
 The Columbine forms an agreeable contrast to the golden 
 Ranunculuses ; it is generally purple, though sometimes pink 
 or white. Growing to the height of two feet, its stem slightly 
 branched, and bearing drooping blossoms at the end of the 
 branches, its appearance is very elegant. The sepals are purple 
 as well as the petals, and these last are in the form of a pen- 
 dant cornucopia. A fancied resemblance in the cluster of 
 spurred petals to a nest of young pigeons procured it the 
 name of Columbine. The upper leaves are three-parted, the 
 lower ones twice three-parted. Familiar as this plant is in 
 the shrubbery and garden, it is rare in a wild state. We 
 were much delighted two years ago when informed by an 
 eminent botanist that the Columbine was to be found beyond 
 the WicklifFe woods. We started on a hot day in June, 
 leaving Richmond very early, and searching every field after 
 the aforesaid woods were passed. My companion found it 
 while I was examining another field, and we considered our 
 fatigue well expended in procuring wild specimens (Aquilegia 
 vulgaris, Plate L,fig. 9). Twamly calls this " Folly's Flower," 
 
20 RANUNCULACE2E. 
 
 likening its cluster of spurred petals to a fool's cap rather 
 than to a nest of young doves. He says 
 
 " Then gather Roses for the bride, 
 Twine them in her bright hair ; 
 But ere the wreath be done oh let 
 The Columbine be there. 
 For rest ye sure that follies dwell 
 In many a heart that loveth well. 
 
 " Gather ye Laurels for the brow 
 Of every prince of song 1 
 For all to whom philosophy 
 And wisdom do belong; 
 But ne'er forget to intertwine 
 A flower or two of Columbine. 
 
 " Weave ye an armful of the plant, 
 Choosing the darkest flowers, 
 With that a wreath blood-dipped bring 
 The devastating powers, 
 Of warrior, conqueror, or chief; 
 Oh twine that full of Folly's leaf ! 
 
 " And do ye ask me why this flower 
 So fit for every brow ? 
 Tell me but one where folly ne'er 
 Hath dwelt, nor dwell eth now, 
 And I will then the Laurel twine 
 Unmingled with the Columbine." 
 
 The Monkshood and wild Larkspur are nearly allied to the 
 Columbine. Like it they have purple flowers, though the blue 
 predominates more in them and the violet in the Columbine. 
 The Monkshood has no calyx ; its upper petal is hooded, 
 hence its English name : and its two side petals are hairy on 
 the outside. My specimen was found in an old quarry near 
 Gravesend, and I saw it frequently in groves in Switzerland ; 
 but it can hardly be accounted a wild plant. It is very 
 poisonous, especially the roots, which sufficiently resemble 
 Horseradish for some fatal mistakes between them to have 
 occurred. A habit of one part of the root dying off and a 
 new part forming and throwing up branches causes the plant 
 to change its position perceptibly, so that in a few years it 
 has moved several inches. The seeds are accounted very 
 
LAEKSPTTB P^ONY. 21 
 
 dangerous to the eyesight, and many parents will not suffer 
 it in their gardens for fear of the small seeds being blown into 
 the eyes of the children. A medicine is formed from the 
 Aconite poison ; but it is chiefly used externally. Its bene- 
 ficent effects are best understood by the homoeopathists : in 
 their hands it allays fever, procures sleep, and thus alleviates 
 much human suffering (Aconitum napellus, Plate I., fig. 10). 
 
 The Larkspur (Delphinium consolida), is occasionally found 
 in corn fields. It is also without a calyx, and has five petals, 
 and a nectary containing poisonous honey. Its form is light 
 and graceful, and its leaves narrow and much-divided. There 
 are many handsame species of Larkspur cultivated in gardens 
 one with a single crowded spike and double blossoms, the 
 colour of which was purple ; pink, grey, or white used to be 
 much in vogue, and, planted in lines, always reminded me of 
 Lombardy Poplars. The rich blue species now in fashion for 
 ribbon-borders, &c., are perennial, and far exceed in beauty 
 those prized in years past. 
 
 But the king of the order is the wild Pa3ony (Pseonia coral- 
 lina), the stately ornament of the island called the Steep 
 Holmes, in the mouth of the Severn. Fanny would have got 
 a specimen if it had been possible, and to that intent she was 
 eager to join an excursion from Clevedon to the island in 
 question, the only known habitat of this noble plant ; but great 
 was her disappointment when she found that the owner strictly 
 forbade the gathering of a single flower ! So I fear the 
 crimson beauty must continue absent from our collection. 
 Our gorgeous garden Pseonies are most of them mere double 
 varieties of this hero of the Steep Holmes, and the tree Pseony 
 is another species of the same family. In the Crimea, Hooker 
 states that the seed of the Pseony is surrounded by a red pulp, 
 the juice of which affords a beautiful purple dye. 
 
 This family completes the Banunculacese order. 
 
22 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 PAPAVEElCEJE 
 BEEBEKIDACEJ3. 
 
 " We are the sweet flowers 
 
 Born of sunny showers, 
 Think whene'er you see us what our beauty saith ; 
 
 Utterance mute and bright 
 
 Of some unknown delight, 
 We fill the air with pleasure by our simple breath. 
 
 All who see us love us ; 
 
 We befit all places ; 
 Unto sorrow we give smiles, and unto graces graces." 
 
 LEIGH HUNT. 
 
 THE second order of Thalamiflorals has but few British repre- 
 sentatives ; but among these is the most attractive of all our 
 wild flowers, the white Water Lily. Distinguished from the 
 Ranunculaceso by its long-enduring calyx and carpels with solid 
 partition, the members of this order are like their predecessors 
 in their numerous stamens and pistils. The first white Water 
 Lilies I ever saw were in a pond near Copgrove, in Yorkshire. 
 I was but a little child, but I stood rapt in amazement. Had I 
 read Walter Scott's poems, I might have described the flower 
 in his words : 
 
 " The Water Lily to the light 
 Her chalice reared of silver bright." 
 
 As it was, I only conceived an absorbing desire to possess one. 
 They were quite beyond reach, and I could not realise my 
 desire ; and I remember that for years the possession of Water 
 Lilies mingled in every airy castle that I built. Five years 
 ago I was with a pic-nic party at a pretty lake in Cheshire. 
 We were all near relations brothers and sisters, and cousins 
 scarcely differing from brothers and sisters. Again I beheld 
 
WATEE LILIES POPPIES. 23 
 
 the beautiful white Water Lily, and by its side the somewhat 
 less attractive yellow one. I exclaimed at the sight of them, 
 and said how long I had wished for them ; then I began to aid 
 in spreading the cloth for our entertainment. Turning to the 
 lake again I was terrified to behold a young cousin standing 
 up to his hips in water, and coaxing the Lilies towards him 
 with a long stick. They often eluded him, for their stalks, six 
 or eight feet long, acted as cables, and the flowers ducked 
 under water as he tried to draw them, and reappeared at a 
 greater distance from him, as if they were endowed both with 
 locomotion and reason. But he succeeded at last, and I be- 
 came the proud possessor of a handful of Lilies, with their 
 suitable accompaniment of broad floating leaves (Nymphsea 
 alba, Plate II., fig. 3 ; Nuphar liitea, fig. 4). Edward has 
 beautiful specimens from the Avon, near Warwick, and Fanny 
 from the neighbourhood of Clevedon. 
 
 The superb Victoria Eegia, which has justly attracted so 
 much attention in the hothouse at Eew, is a member of this 
 family. Its flower resembles that of our white Lily, except 
 in being larger and tinged with pink, and its leaves are so 
 large that a child may safely stand on one of them. 
 
 The third order is that of the POPPYWOETS, the distinguish- 
 ing features of which are a calyx of two sepals, which fall 
 off soon after the flower opens, numerous stamens, and 
 milky juice : they have generally four petals. The familiar 
 red Poppy, at once the ornament and bane of corn fields, is 
 well known to us all. It is difficult to say whether its 
 effect is most beautiful among the green or the ripe corn. 
 The seed-vessel is round and black, and divided into cham- 
 bers ; the stamens are purplish-black, and the leaves are 
 deeply cut, so as to be divided into sharp segments. It is 
 the fashion in general to turn a moral lesson to the disad- 
 vantage of Poppies, regarding them as emblems of vanity 
 and worldliness ; but I would look on them in a more kindly 
 light, as examples of the fact that beauty is present every- 
 
24 PAPAVEEACE.E. 
 
 where, and is nowhere without its charm (Papaver rheeas, 
 Plate II., Jiff. 6). 
 
 " See the merry Poppies, all amid the waving corn ! 
 Peeping up with blushing face to greet the cheery morn 
 Here and there, and everywhere, their scarlet hue is seen, 
 Always dotting, spotting, blotting, o'er the surface green. 
 
 " Poppies! pretty Poppies ! to me you seem to sing ; 
 'Tis not to my eye alone that pleasure true you bring ; 
 In my ear I seem to hear your gentle whisp'ring voice 
 Softly crying, murm'ring, sighing, 'Sons of men, rejoice! ' 
 
 " Sing on, sing on, brave flow'rs ! I lend a ready ear, 
 Chant high your tuneful melody, I'm all attent to hear; 
 And, list'ners kind, if you're inclin'd the Poppies tale to learn, 
 I'll tell it you in language true, if not in ' words that burn.' 
 
 " ' Life is like a furrow'd field,' I hear them softly say, 
 ' Broadcast sown with cares and griefs, which spring up day by day ; 
 ' But ever there, 'mid crops of care, some bright-hued JOY appears 
 1 To teach you men to hope again, for smiles amid your tears ? ' " 
 
 The Long-headed Poppy is smaller than the common one ; 
 its petals are of a lighter red, and its seed-vessels are elongated. 
 I found it as a garden weed about Warminster, in Wiltshire. 
 There are a rough-headed Poppy with a bristly seed-vessel, and 
 a smooth-headed one with yellow anthers ; but I have not found 
 either of these. The White Poppy (P. somniferum, Plate II., 
 fig. 5), is the most important member of the family, because it 
 produces the opium of commerce. This is obtained by cutting 
 the nearly -ripe seed-vessels; the juice which flows from the 
 incision hardens and forms opium. Laudanum and morphia 
 are preparations of this. Every one knows the kind of effect 
 which these drugs produce. Sometimes they are to be regarded 
 as a blessing, soothing the agonies of pain, and compelling 
 sleep where the brain is overpressed ; but the snare of using 
 them too freely is a temptation ruinous to so many, that we 
 must regard the lulling juice of the Poppy worts as more dan- 
 gerous than the biting sap of the Hanunculacese. Leigh Hunt 
 makes the white Poppies introduce themselves winsomely : 
 
 " We are slumbering Poppies, 
 
 Born of Lethe hours, 
 Some awake, and some asleep, 
 Nodding in our bowers." 
 
POPPIES FUMEWOBTS. 25 
 
 This sounds very innocent ; and, as long as we can picture the 
 sleep to be that of the exhausted sufferer, we give the Poppies 
 all honour; but from the "Lethe hours" of the opium-eaters' 
 Fool's Paradise we turn away in sorrow and disgust. This 
 plant is frequently cultivated in England and its heads pre- 
 served for fomentations ; in India, Egypt, and China it is very 
 extensively grown as an article of commerce. The leaf is 
 smooth and of a bluish-green or glaucous hue. These speci- 
 mens were gathered wild near Clevedon. 
 
 The yellow or Welsh Poppy (Meconopsis cambrica), is a 
 
 native of Wales ; but I have found it in the north of Yorkshire. 
 
 It is yellow ; the calyx drops as the blossom opens, and often 
 
 falls into the cup formed by the corolla. The stigma and 
 
 anthers are also yellow, and the leaf is much-divided and hairy. 
 
 The Horned Poppy (Glaucium luteum, Plate II,, fig. 7), is 
 
 another near ally. Its leaf is fleshy and of the same colour as 
 
 that of the white Poppy, and, like it, it clasps the stem. The 
 
 distinguishing feature of the plant, and that to which it owes 
 
 its name, is the elongated horn- shaped carpel. Its petals are 
 
 of a fine yellow. I have found it near Hastings, and Edward 
 
 has specimens from the Lancashire coast. There are a purple 
 
 Horned Poppy and a crimson one ; but they are very rare, and 
 
 we have none of us been able to procure specimens. 
 
 / The greater Celandine (Chelidonium majus, Plate II., fig. 8), 
 
 / represents the last family of the Poppywort order. It has a 
 
 / pod-shaped seed-vessel like the Horned Poppy, two sepals, four 
 
 L petals, and a bright green leaf, deeply lobed and pinnate. The 
 
 juice is orange instead of white, and it has a burning quality, 
 
 so that it has been used to cure warts with. Edward found it 
 
 growing under an old wall near a village in Xent, and I have 
 
 seen it in great abundance about Dornington and Stoke Edith, 
 
 in Herefordshire, and elsewhere in similar situations. The 
 
 yellow flowers are not large enough for the cluster to be gay, so 
 
 the very fresh green of its foliage is its greatest recommendation. 
 
 The small order of FUMEWOBTS comes next to the Poppy- 
 
26 FUMAEIACE2E BEEBEKIDACEJE. 
 
 worts. We made an excursion last summer to see the magni- 
 ficent ruins of Fountains Abbey. There, in the garden of the 
 old monks, as well as in wild spots among the ruins, was 
 growing the yellow Fumitory (Fumaria liitea), as I remembered 
 to have seen it growing when I was a little child, and as it 
 probably grew centuries before. These plants have two sepals, 
 which fall off when the flower opens, and four petals, one or 
 two of which have little bags at the base, which seem like a 
 spur at the back of the flower. The flowers are arranged in an 
 irregular inclined spike, and light much-divided leaves grow 
 upon it in pairs. The Bulbous Fumitory is called a wild plant ; 
 but I have only seen it in old gardens. It has a bulbous root 
 and purple flowers. 
 
 The common Fumitory (Fumaria officinalis, Plate II., fig. 9), 
 is a familiar garden weed. The glaucous, much-divided leaves 
 resemble so closely those of the brilliant orange Eschscholtzia 
 that the young plants are often spared in mistake for the 
 welcome seedlings. Its flower is white, just tipped with pink 
 and green. Altogether it is very inexpressive. 
 
 The Ramping Fumitory (F. claviculata), is the prettiest 
 member of the family. IN" ever shall I forget its graceful charm 
 as I first beheld it from the top of a coach passing through the 
 Trossacks. It was September, and we had wandered in vain 
 among the lovely scenery round Callander in search of alpine 
 plants. I had sorrowfully resigned myself to returning without 
 floral mementoes of that region of poetry and beauty, and in 
 this spirit I had ascended the coach to pass forward to the 
 Trossacks. A fellow traveller was reading aloud " The Lady 
 of the Lake," the Brig o' Turk was passed, and my eyes had 
 rested from the vain search for flowers, and were feasting on 
 Loch Achray and the hills beyond, when I espied a dainty 
 garland of tender green mixed with clusters of pale wax-like 
 blossoms. A humane friend procured me a quantity of the 
 plant, which proved to be the Ramping Fumitory. I know of 
 no medicinal or useful properties in these plants. 
 
BEEBEBEY BABBENWOET. 27 
 
 The fifth order is that of the BEBBEEIDS (Berberis vulgaris, 
 Plate II., fig. 1). We have but two British families in it. 
 Sepals, from three to six, falling off; and petals either the 
 same or double the number ; stamens equalling the petals in 
 number, and anthers opening by valves, and so discharging the 
 pollen. The Berberry shrub, so ornamental whether in flower 
 or fruit, is the familiar representative of the order. It grows 
 freely in some of our Yorkshire woods, and in many other 
 counties. The pendant clusters of yellow flowers appear in 
 May, each bunch guarded by a three-pronged thorn. The sta- 
 mens are curiously sensitive ; if you touch them lightly at the 
 base with a straw or a pin the stamen contracts, and the anther 
 bends forward and strikes against the stigma. The strange 
 sensitiveness is probably a provision of nature, securing that if 
 any insect walk round the flower each anther touches the 
 stigma, the collision probably causing the valves to open, and 
 thus discharging the fertilising pollen. This shrub is liable to a 
 tiny fungus, which appears in clusters like an orange blot on the 
 leaves. In former days it was thought that the Berberry blight 
 gave rise to smut and bunt, the destructive diseases of corn ; 
 and farmers would not suffer the Berberry in their hedge-rows. 
 The berries make a fine preserve, and, when merely kept in 
 salt, they form a pretty garnish for savoury dishes. 
 
 The Barrenwort (Epimedium alpinum, Plate II., fig. 2), is the 
 other British member of this order. My specimen was gathered 
 near Frome, in Somersetshire ; but I am told that it is no 
 longer found there. It may still be occasionally met with 
 among the Pentland Hills, near Edinburgh. It has four petals 
 of a crimson colour, four hollow yellow nectaries lying upon 
 the petals, which form the figure of a Maltese cross, and four 
 stamens. The foliage is very handsome, the leaflets are in 
 clusters of nine, they are slender, heart-shaped, bright green, 
 and fringed. The kind, genial old botanist who first introduced 
 me to this plant said he called it the " Happy Medium," in 
 fanciful allusion to its botanical name. 
 
28 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 CEUCIFER&. 
 
 " ' Not to myself alone,' 
 The little opening flower transported cries, 
 ' Not to myself alone I bud and bloom ; 
 With fragrant breath the breezes I perfume, 
 And gladden all things with my rainbow dyes. 
 The bee comes sipping, every eventide 
 
 His dainty fill ; 
 
 The butterfly within my cup doth hide 
 From threatening ill.' " 
 
 SARGENT'S Collection. 
 
 THEEE is no family of plants whose uses are wider spread and 
 who live less "to themselves" than the CEUC!FEEJS or CEESS- 
 WOETS, the sixth natural order. Their simply- constructed 
 flowers utter G-od's praises with their " silent lips," showing 
 forth His wisdom in their easily-recognised construction, and 
 His love in scattering so suitably and abundantly these most 
 useful and healing herbs. 
 
 The cruciform flower, with its four petals, four sepals, four 
 longer and two shorter stamens, and the entire absence of any 
 floral leaf or bract at the juncture of the flower- stalk with the 
 main stem, are distinguishing marks which never vary, and 
 which are open even to a child's observation. The uniformity 
 and simplicity of this rule becomes a matter of no small 
 importance when we consider that all the plants of this order 
 are wholesome, and many afford agreeable food, either cooked 
 or eaten as salad. The commonest sea-side plants, extending 
 into very high latitudes, are the Scurvy Grasses, the most 
 valuable antidote to that frightful scourge of seamen. When 
 in Anson's famous expeditions this disease was consuming the 
 power of the crew, the doctor dare not allow them to eat any 
 vegetable except grass when they landed on unknown shores. 
 
CEESSWOETS PEPPEEWOETS. 29 
 
 How valuable would this simple rule of botany have been which 
 makes the cross-shaped flower and bractless stalk an ensign of 
 safety, an invitation to eat and live ! Surely, without too fanciful 
 a straining of metaphors, we may see here an indication of a more 
 holy mystery, a greater benefaction to humanity, where the cross 
 is raised over all created things, whether upon the earth or above 
 the earth, and by the power of Him who hung upon it the curse 
 of sickness and death is taken away, and health of the entire 
 nature, both physical and spiritual, established for eternity. 
 
 The Cressworts have two different kinds of seed-vessels, a 
 pouch and a pod. The tiny Rock Hutchinsia stands first in 
 the pouch group ; it is a fairy-like plant with pinnate leaves, 
 and a spike of minute white flowers, its whole stature not 
 exceeding from an inch to an inch and a half. I cannot say 
 that I found it wild, for it was growing upon the wall of a 
 botanic garden ; but Mr. Ward, the proprietor, had taken the 
 seed from wild specimens. 
 
 The same botanist furnished me with a specimen of the 
 Penny Cress (Thlaspi arvense), which I afterwards found in 
 abundance in corn fields near Eoss, Herefordshire. Its flowers 
 are also insignificant ; but its large pouches are very striking. 
 There are an alpine and a perfoliate Penny Cress, but I have 
 not found either. 
 
 The Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), is a well- 
 known weed ; its compact spike of heart-shaped pouches forms 
 a neat object, and adorns the dusty road-side and neglected 
 pavement, as well as the borders of fields and lanes. 
 
 The Teesdalia is a plant as small as the Hutchinsia, with a 
 leafless stalk and entire leaves. We have none of us been 
 able to procure specimens. 
 
 The Pepperworts are a large family. The Broad-leaved Pep- 
 perwort (Lepidium latifolium), is a wand-like plant. It was sent 
 to me from Scarborough, where it flourishes on swampy ground. 
 
 Fanny found the Hairy Pepperwort (L. hirtum), growing 
 freely on the Chough Eock, one of the many beautiful cliffs 
 
30 CBFCIFEB.E. 
 
 adorning the coast near Looe, in Cornwall. The situation is 
 very much exposed, commanding a wide prospect of sea and 
 coast ; and, if ever little plant needed its warm coat of hairs, 
 this modest little Cornishman required his. It is a curious 
 fact that the more cold and bleak the situation, the more hairy 
 does the vegetation become ; while, if the same plants are re- 
 moved to a sheltered locality, they gradually become smoother 
 a wonderful example of the providential adaptation of every 
 atom in the machinery of creation. 
 
 JN"ear the Lizard Point Fanny found the English Scurvy 
 Grass (Cochlearia anglica, Plate III., fig. 1), growing on rocks 
 from which issued tiny streams, supplying the plant with 
 moisture enough to nourish its succulent leaves and stem. 
 This plant grows on all our coasts and on the banks of our salt 
 rivers, its purple-lined leaves and clusters of pure white flowers 
 forming a very pretty object. In this family the petals are no 
 longer insignificant as in the Pepperworts, but of some size and 
 of brilliant whiteness. The leaf of the one in question is ovate, 
 stalked when arising from the root, but seated on the stem. 
 
 The Danish and Greenland Scurvy Grasses are also found 
 occasionally on our shores, but are more abundant in the lands 
 from which they take their respective names. 
 
 The Common Scurvy Grass (C. omcinalis), is abundant on the 
 banks of streams, inland as well as seaward. It grows in great 
 luxuriance on the banks of the Swale, making patches among 
 the sward of such brilliant whiteness as to rival a flower-bed in 
 an Italian garden. Its leaves are roundish, and its pouch of 
 the same form, not veined as in the English Scurvy Grass. 
 
 The Horseradish belongs to this family ; but though called 
 wild, I must confess that whenever I have found it there were 
 strong grounds for believing it to have been thrown out from a 
 garden. While the foliage is the part used in the other Scurvy 
 Grasses, the root is the edible portion of this member of the 
 family, and we are all familiar with it in its scraped form as an 
 adjunct to roast beef. 
 
WHITLOW GEASSES SEA-KALE. 31 
 
 Of the Water Awl-wort (Subularia aqiiatica), the next family 
 in the Cresswort order, which grows at the bottom of the 
 Highland lakes, we have no specimen. 
 
 The Whitlow Grasses have lobed petals, but in other points 
 resemble their predecessors. The little Vernal Whitlow Grass 
 (Draba verna, Plate III., fig. 2), so common early in spring 
 on old walls, is a familiar object. Its star-shaped cluster of 
 simple leaves is hairy and its stem leafless, while the cluster 
 of flowers is large in proportion to the minute bulk of the plant. 
 About Edinburgh the old turf-topped walls are gay with myriads 
 of this pretty little pknt, and at midsummer I have found it 
 decorating heaps of rubbish around the mouths of exhausted 
 lead-mines on our Yorkshire moors. Its pouches differ from 
 those of the Scurvy Grass in being quite flat and oval. The 
 Yellow Whitlow Grass (D. aizoides), is more shrubby in its 
 growth, and its clustered spike is thicker and more crowded. 
 It adorns the rocks in mountain glens, and was transplanted 
 from them to the rockery from whence my specimen came. 
 The Speedwell-leaved Whitlow Grass we have none of us 
 found; but Fanny has brought the hoary species (Draba 
 incana), as a memento of one of her rambles on the banks of 
 the Looe river. The flowers are smaller and their footstalks 
 shorter than in the other species ; the main stem is tough and 
 woody, it and the leaves are covered with a mealy bloom. It 
 grows a foot and a half high, and flowers in June. 
 
 Here is the purple Sea Eocket (Cakile rnaritima, Plate III., 
 fig. 3), with its bright green fleshy foliage and thick oval pouches. 
 I gathered it on the coast of Durham, near the little village of 
 Eoker, one June day. Young shoots of this plant and of a 
 Sisymbrium are eaten in the Crimea as salad herbs. 
 
 The Sea-kale (Crambe maritima), so familiar in our gardens, 
 grows wild abundantly on the cliffs on the south coast, making 
 a great show with its large spikes of white flowers and glaucous 
 foliage. The edible species of this Cresswort order are all 
 rendered milder, sweeter, and larger by cultivation. Though 
 
32 CKUCIFER2E. 
 
 wholesome in the wild state, the increase of the sugar-like 
 quality makes them more nutritious. Thus by diligent use is 
 the excellence of God's gifts enhanced. 
 
 The Greater Wart-cress (Senebiera coronopus), I found one 
 scorching July day growing luxuriantly in some cracked and 
 parched waste clay land near Norwood, in Surrey. The stems 
 are tough and trailing, the leaves much-divided, and the flowers 
 very insignificant. When Fanny arrived with her mother at 
 Plymouth last June, and they were disappointed at finding no 
 carriage to carry them into the country, they went to walk for 
 half an hour on the East Hoe, from whence they got a beautiful 
 view of the famous breakwater, and the richly-wooded rising 
 ground to the right. There Fanny had the pleasure of finding 
 this specimen of the Lesser Wart-cress, which was growing 
 abundantly among the rocks. The heart-shaped seed-vessels and 
 smaller leaves distinguish it from the larger species (S. didyma). 
 
 She found the Sweet Alyssum (A. maritimum), at Clevedon. 
 Its close short spike, hoary foliage, and sweet scent distinguish 
 it from its allies. It is a common garden flower ; and a varie- 
 gated species is much in vogue at present for ribbon-borders, 
 enclosing masses of scarlet Geranium, blue Larkspur, &c. 
 
 The Bitter Candytuft (Iberis amara), is also found near 
 Clevedon. Its flowers grow in a cluster rather than a spike, 
 those towards the edge larger than those within. The brilliant 
 white of the crowded cluster makes it a gay plant. It closely 
 resembles the purple and white Candytuft so often seen in our 
 gardens as an annual. The perennial Candytuft is a still more 
 desirable border flower. Another familiar garden plant nearly 
 allied to these, and belonging to the same order, is the purple 
 Honesty (Lunaria annua). There is a popular superstition that 
 wherever this plant flourishes the cultivators of the garden are 
 exceedingly honest. It would indeed be well if this analogy 
 between the external and internal honesty held good always, 
 for the former is a hardy plant, and there are few circumstances 
 under which it will not flourish ! The Woad (Isatis tinctoria), 
 
COEALWOET BITTEE CEESS. 33 
 
 with the juice of which the ancient Britons used to paint their 
 bodies, is a member of this tribe ; but I have not been able to 
 procure a specimen of it. 
 
 We will open the Pod group with a Kentish treasure of 
 Edward's. The Coralroot (Dentaria bulbifera, Plate III., 
 fig. 4), is a very remarkable plant, the only one indigenous to 
 Britain which bears germinating buds upon the stem. This 
 habit is familiar to us as displayed in the Tiger Lily, whose 
 stem-buds are produced in abundance, and by them the plant 
 may be increased with enormous rapidity. Another beautiful 
 peculiarity of the Coralwort is the underground stem, by some 
 persons considered a part of the root. This is branched, with 
 thick scales at the joints, pure white, and in general effect 
 resembling coral hence the English name. The fibres con- 
 stituting the true root are attached to this coral-like stem. 
 The plant is rare, it grows from one to three feet high, and its 
 lilac blossoms resemble those of the Cuckoo-Flower. The leaves 
 are of three leaflets in the middle of the stem, of one towards 
 the top, and of five or seven where they spring near the base. 
 Although I have called it a Kentish specimen, I see it is in fact a 
 Sussex one, for Edward found it on moist ground in some plant- 
 ations on the estate of Lilies Den. The stream which divides 
 Kent from Sussex traverses this property, and the Coralwort 
 favours the Sussex side of the stream. The Cuckoo-Flower (Car- 
 damine pratensis, Plate III., fig. 5), so familiar an ornament of 
 moist woods and fields, is abundant everywhere. The colour of 
 the flowers varies to every shade between white and full lilac, and 
 the leaves are pinnate that is, composed of two rows of leaflets. 
 
 The Hairy Bitter Cress (C. hirsutum), is welcome in early 
 spring for the fresh green of its foliage, although its little white 
 blossoms are very insignificant. The Narrow-leaved Bitter 
 Cress (C. impatiens), I found in the Chase Wood, near Ross, 
 Herefordshire, growing by the side of the path in damp places, 
 among a forest of the Wood Spurge. I greeted it joyfully, 
 having never before seen any but dried specimens which had 
 
 D 
 
34 CEUCIFEEJE. 
 
 been given me by Mr. Parry, of Warwick. It grows there in 
 great abundance, the stems rising to the height of a foot and a 
 half. The flowers are insignificant, often wanting the petals 
 altogether, but the abundance of finely-cut bright-tinted foliage 
 makes the plant attractive. The leaflets are narrower in this 
 species than in the others. 
 
 The Marsh Bitter Cress (C. amara), is a very handsome 
 plant. I have gathered it in the Ironbank woods, near Rich- 
 mond, and also in Swaledale. The foliage is more abundant 
 and of a lighter green than that of its sister, the Cuckoo- 
 Flower. The spike is very compact, and the large brilliant white 
 of the petals is relieved by violet anthers. The whole family 
 deserve their name of Bitter Cress ; but this species has the 
 biting principle in a greater degree than the others, so as to be 
 quite unpleasant to the palate. They all flower in April and May. 
 
 Swaledale has furnished me with two species of the Hock 
 Cress, the characteristics of which family are oblong petals, 
 and narrow pod with flat valves. The common Bock Cress 
 (Arabis thaliana), grows on crumbling rocks in woods about 
 Reeth. The foliage is hairy and slightly toothed, the height 
 varies from one inch to half a foot. 
 
 The Hairy Rock Cress (A. hirsiita), is woody and very erect, 
 often above a foot high. The root-leaves grow in the form of 
 a star, and then the stiff stem shoots up from their centre, and 
 the toothed leaves are seated on the stem at short intervals. 
 It grows abundantly on old walls in Swaledale, flowering in 
 May a little later than the last species. 
 
 Fanny found the Bristol Rock Cress (A. stricta), on Cadbury 
 Hill, near Congresbury, in Somerset. Its larger flowers, with 
 a cream-coloured erect petal, distinguish it from the other 
 species. It blooms in the same month. 
 
 The Alpine Rock Cress (A. alpina), is not found wild, but it 
 is a common garden flower. Its heart-shaped toothed leaves of 
 white powdery texture and brilliant clusters of white scented 
 flowers make it deservedly a favourite. 
 
TOWEE BOCK CEESS WATEE CEESS. 35 
 
 The Tower Rock Cress (A. turrita), is found on old walls about 
 Oxford and Cambridge. Edward will, doubtless, procure it for 
 us in a year or two. Its flowers are sulphur-coloured. 
 
 The Tower Mustard (Turritis glabra), is a wand-like plant 
 with numerous slender pods pressed close to the stem, and 
 yellow flowers. We have none of us found it. 
 
 The Winter Cresses, or Wild Rockets, are a gay family of 
 this order, adorning many a sandy bank and rubbish-ground 
 with their spikes of golden flowers. 
 
 The common Yellow Rocket (Barbarea vulgaris), is frequently 
 found in such situations. It has a tough smooth stem, leaves 
 of a full bright green, and of the form called lyrate that is, 
 not divided to the stem so as to deserve the term pinnate, but 
 too much divided to be merely notched. 
 
 The Early Winter Cress (B. prsecox), has smaller flowers 
 and the stem-leaves are pinnate. It is not a common plant. 
 
 We now come to the true Cresses, or Nasturtiums, in no 
 way allied to the flower called by that name in our gardens, 
 which is merely the namesake of these wild plants because of 
 a similarity in flavour and in adaptation for salad. The Water 
 Cress (N. officinale), is more generally known by its foliage than 
 its flower. Few are unfamiliar with the fresh branches served 
 up for breakfast salad, alike in town and country ; but many 
 would not recognise the spike of white cruciform flowers as 
 belonging to the same plant. We associate much of pleasing 
 romance with the idea of "Water Cress girls" going out from 
 the smoky town to cull the fresh herbs at sunrise ; but I saw 
 the unromantic system of the trade in full last year, and my 
 ideas are considerably tamed down in consequence. Travelling 
 from London into Hertfordshire by an early train, I perceived 
 acres of ground here and there, for miles along the banks of 
 the New River, interspersed with broad shallow ditches. 
 These had been cut on purpose to cultivate Water Cresses for 
 the London market. Across these Water Cress gardens planks 
 were thrown ; and, in lieu of pretty maidens in blue petticoats 
 
36 CBTTCIFEB.E. 
 
 and broad hats, with baskets, and garlands, and air-flushed 
 cheeks, stooping in graceful attitudes to gather the aromatic 
 herb, I saw men and boys lying on the said planks and picking 
 hard at the Cresses as if they were paid at so much a bushel. 
 When they arose their faces looked puffed and apoplectic, and 
 they moved their planks and lay down again to work in a most 
 matter-of-fact fashion. So much for the prestige ! 
 
 The Creeping Yellow Cress (Nasturtium sylvestre), is a much 
 smaller plant, with dark green pinnate leaves. It flowers from 
 July to October. I gathered it some years ago near Little 
 Ouseburn, in Yorkshire, in a clayey pasture. 
 
 The Amphibious Yellow Cress (N. amphibium), is one of 
 Edward's beloved Avon plants. It grows to the height of 
 several feet, and its yellow flowers contrast well with the 
 spikes of the purple Loosestrife, and the crimson umbels of 
 the Flowering Reed. The leaves vary in form from simple 
 oblong to pinnate ; it flowers in autumn. 
 
 The annual Yellow Cress (N. terrestre), is less handsome, its 
 petals being shorter than the calyx ; it is found in Kinghorn 
 Loch, in Fifeshire. 
 
 Perhaps the least interesting family, at any rate in appear- 
 ance, of this order is that of the Hedge Mustard. The common 
 Hedge Mustard (Sisymbrium officinale), with its very insig- 
 nificant sulphur-flowers, pods pressed close to the tough stem, 
 and general dusty appearance, seldom tempt any but a botanist 
 to gather its spikes. 
 
 Its sister, the Flixweed (S. Sophia), is a much more agree- 
 able object. Its narrow doubly-pinnate dark green leaves and 
 crowded spike of small yellow flowers are almost pretty. 
 
 The Broad Hedge Mustard or London Rocket (S. irio), is 
 interesting as having appeared in great abundance after the 
 fire of London. Some botanical books still refer you to " waste 
 ground about London" for this plant, and I once vainly hoped 
 to get it from a London correspondent. He repaired to a nur- 
 seryman for the desired plant, and received for answer that 
 
TBEACLE MUSTABD WALLFLOWEE. 37 
 
 " Yellow Rockets were quite out of fashion, and only double 
 purple and white in vogue." 
 
 The Treacle Mustards are handsome plants. The Garlic 
 Treacle Mustard, or Sauce-alone (Erysimum alliaria), woulcf be 
 valued if its strong scent of garlic did not warn off all contact. 
 Its flowers are large and white, and its heart-shaped toothed 
 leaves a bright glossy green. 
 
 The Worm-seed Treacle Mustard (E. cheiranthoides), grows 
 higher than the last species, attaining a stature of three feet. 
 Its flowers are yellow, and its leaves lance-shaped. It is found 
 in osier holts. My specimen was sent to me from the neigh- 
 bourhood of Ely. 
 
 The Hare's-ear Treacle Mustard (E. orientale), has whitish 
 flowers and oval leaves, and frequents sea-side places ; but I 
 have never seen a specimen. 
 
 Certainly the queen of the Cresswort order, as regards 
 beauty, is the Wallflower (Cheiranthus Cheiri, Plate III., 
 Jig. 6). They grow in profusion upon the magnificent ruins 
 of Richmond Castle. The building stands upon a steep rocky 
 hill, with the turbulent Swale flowing at its foot. The old 
 walls are difficult to scale, and the gorgeous orange and umber 
 Wallflowers flourish undisturbed in the crevices. 
 
 " Flower of the solitary place! 
 Grey ruins' golden crown, 
 That lendest melancholy grace 
 
 To haunts of old renown. 
 Thou manliest o'er the battlement 
 
 By strife or storm decayed, 
 And fillest up each envious rent 
 Time's canker tooth hath made." 
 
 Mom. 
 
 I once rashly mentioned my desire for some of these plants to 
 a generous adventurous young midshipman. He said nothing 
 at the moment, but the next morning he brought me both 
 plants and flowers. Often as I have looked at those dangerous 
 old walls I have shuddered to remember the risk he ran. One 
 slip of the foot, and the daring which has since been a safe- 
 
38 CEUCIFEEJE. 
 
 guard to his country and to humanity might have extinguished 
 the abounding young life or crippled its powers for years ! 
 
 If the Wallflower be the Queen of Beauty, surely the Sea 
 Stock (Mathiola incana, Plate III., fig. 7), should be a leading 
 star of her court. Its crimson petals and powdery foliage 
 present a very pleasing contrast, and we owe to it the various 
 beautiful Stocks which adorn our gardens. It is fragrant, 
 though not so much as the Wallflower. My specimen was 
 sent me from the Isle of Wight last May. 
 
 Prominent for utility, as the Wallflower and Stock for beauty, 
 stands the Cabbage family (Brassica oleracea, Plate III., fig. 8). 
 Yet, though no poet has ever thought of a rhyme in praise of 
 either the plant or flower of the honest Cabbage, I have seen 
 both arrayed in lovely attire. On a bright October morning 
 I set off on an excursion to the Pentland Hills. There had 
 been a white frost ; and, as we approached the hills, we saw 
 the rime still lingering on the shady side of the trees and 
 buildings, while the country beyond was bathed in sunshine, 
 and gorgeous with autumnal tints. In the " kail-yard" of a 
 small farm-house rows of Cabbages, green and red, stood in 
 prim order, each curled leaf fringed along veins and margin 
 with Nature's diamonds. I stopped to admire, and thought 
 how few hooped ladies in a ball-room could be so magnificently 
 bejewelled, while their form resembled that of the plants before 
 me so closely as to suggest the analogy. Fanny describes the 
 maritime cliffs at Fowey, on the coast of Cornwall, as rendered 
 gay with the yellow flowers and glaucous leaves of the Sea 
 Cabbage, and the clusters of the red Valerian, If we imagine 
 these plants relieved by dark rocks behind, and suspended over 
 a crowded harbour and foaming sea, we can believe the beauty 
 which they helped to form. By cultivation this Cabbage 
 becomes finer, larger, and more nutritrious. It is the original 
 of our divers cabbages. 
 
 Edward has nice specimens of the Wild Kape (B. napus), 
 with its glaucous leaves, heart-shaped at the base, and clasping 
 
MUSTAED EADISH. 39 
 
 the stem. Its flowers are paler tlian those of the Cabbage. The 
 Isle of Man Cabbage is a pretty species, the petals veined with 
 lilac. The Turnip and all kinds of Broccoli belong to this family. 
 Rape seed is good food for birds, a useful oil is compressed from 
 it, and the residue forms " oil-cake," a nourishing food for 
 cattle, as effective as the " cod-oil" for the human species. 
 
 The Mustard family succeeds that of the Cabbage. The 
 Charlock, or Wild Mustard (Sinapis arvensis), is a great plague 
 in corn fields. Its flowers are large and of a brilliant yellow, 
 and contrast well with the rough lyrate leaves. It is as trouble- 
 some a weed as the Eed Poppy, and scarcely less brilliant in 
 appearance. 
 
 The common Mustard has four-sided pods, and the leaves 
 are smooth. Edward has a specimen gathered in waste ground 
 near Leamington. 
 
 I had the pleasure of finding the Narrow-leaved Wall 
 Mustard (S. tenuifolia, Plate III., -fig. 9), near Norwood, one 
 dreary November day. It is a slender, elegant plant, with 
 a small spike of light yellow flowers, narrow stem-leaves, and 
 lyrate ones from the root. The whole plant has a disagreeable 
 smell. The seeds of the white Mustard are the most pungent, 
 and consequently the most valuable. 
 
 The Radish family is the last in the Cruciferous order. Like 
 its allies, the leaves are lyrate ; but the jointed pods form a 
 good distinguishing feature. The Wild Radish (Raphanus 
 raphanistrum), is Edward's trophy, brought from a piece of 
 waste ground near Hawkhurst, in Kent. The petals are white 
 or pale lilac, veined distinctly with a deeper shade. 
 
 The Sea Radish (R. maritirnus, Plate III., fig. 10), is Prim- 
 rose-coloured, also veined. Fanny brought it from the beau- 
 tiful cliffs near the Lizard Point. She has also specimens of 
 the Dame's Violet (Hesperis matronalis), the near ally of the 
 Wallflower and Stock. It came from the home of the Bristol 
 Rock Cress, Cadbury Hill, in Somerset. It has simple, lance- 
 shaped, toothed leaves and pretty blossoms of a pinkish-lilac hue. 
 
40 
 
 FORMS OF LEAVES. 
 
 WE have here a nice collection of various shaped leaves. 
 It will save much description if I show them to you now, and 
 explain the terms used to express their various forms. 
 
 The Violet, the Twayblade, and the Lime (fig. A), are 
 examples of heart-shaped leaves. That of the Marsh Penny- 
 wort (fig. B), Wall Pennywort, and garden Nasturtium serve 
 
 to illustrate the luckier shape. The common Sorrel (fig. C), 
 and the Arrowhead have arrow-shaped leaves. The Bramble, 
 Trefoil, Laburnum, and Wood Sorrel have ternate leaves 
 (fig. D), or compound leaves composed of three leaflets. The 
 
 Cinquefoil has five leaflets and the Rose seven. A 
 broad in the middle and tapering to the ends is called lance- 
 shaped. The Wood Hawkweed, Deadly Nightshade, and 
 Willow (fig. E), are our examples of this form. The Danish 
 
FOBMS OF LEAVES. 41 
 
 Scurvy Grass affords an example of an angular leaf (fig. F) ; and 
 the Ground Ivy (fig. G), Marsh Violet, and Lesser Celandine 
 represent the kidney-shaped leaves. Of round leaves we have 
 the Mint (fig. H B) and Wintergreen. In compound leaves 
 
 Q H 
 
 there is the simple pinnate form, which we have already noticed 
 in the Cuckoo-Flower, &c. (Plate III., fig. 5) ; the U-pinnate, 
 where each leaflet is again divided ; the AaY-shaped pinnate and 
 bi-pinnate, as the Fennel (fig. I) ; and the tri-pinnate still more 
 divided. The grass-shaped leaf is rare, except in the second great 
 class ; but the Stitchwort affords an example among Thalami- 
 florals. The leaves of the Snowdrop, Crocus, Daffodil, &c., 
 are all grass-shaped, modified in the form of their point to 
 acute, sioord-shaped, &c. ; but these leaves have a different 
 structure. We have already spoken of one broad mark of 
 distinction between the first and second classes in the One or 
 Two-lobed form of the seed. Another distinction equally clear 
 and permanent exists in the venation of the leaf. In the Two- 
 lobed class the veins of the leaf form a network, the side veins 
 running at almost a right angle with the midrib, and the lesser 
 veins branching off in a similar manner from them. This net- 
 worlc venation belongs to the Two-lobed class. In the One- 
 lobed class the veins run parallel, starting from the footstalk 
 and continuing in a line, more or less straight, to the point. 
 This is plainly the case in all true Grasses and in the long 
 narrow leaves of the bulbous plants. It is no less really so in 
 other forms of the One-lobed foliage, as, for instance, the 
 
42 FOBMS OF LEAVES. 
 
 Arrowhead, with its arrow-shaped leaves (Plate XVIL,fig. 3), 
 and the Lily of the Valley (Plate XVL, fig. 8), with its 
 pointed ovate leaves. This distinctive character of the leaves 
 is still more useful in deciding the class of a plant than the 
 form of the seed, because the leaves are more generally present. 
 A third point of difference exists, which can show the class 
 of a plant even when the leaves are absent, and that charac- 
 teristic is in the stem ; but we will speak of that when stems 
 are the subject of discussion. One remark more about leaves : 
 In distinguishing species it is useful to observe ih.e' margin of 
 the leaves. The simple pointed cutting on the edge of the Lime 
 leaf (fig. A), is called serrate. Where the points are deeper and 
 each point cut again, as in the Bramble (fig. D.), it is called 
 doubly serrate (or sawed, like the teeth of a 
 saw). Where little bits seem bitten out of 
 the margin of a leaf, as in the Hawkweed 
 (fig. K), it is called toothed; and where the 
 cutting is simple but the edges blunt, as in 
 the Mint (fig. H B), it is called notched. 
 
 Some leaves are haired. Hairs serve as a 
 warm coat for the foliage, and they fulfil the 
 further purpose of collecting the moisture 
 from the air, and thus become doubly necessary for rock plants. 
 
 The leaves are the lungs of the plant, and when they are 
 stripped off prematurely the plant sickens and often dies. 
 To the human race leaves are very important the shade they 
 afford in summer, the salutary effect of them cooked as an 
 article of diet, the refreshing tea, all these are claims upon our 
 gratitude at the present day. In the old times, of which Yarro 
 speaks, when the leaves of Palms and Mallows had to serve 
 the purpose of the convenient letter-sheet of to-day, and when 
 the Sibyl wrote her oracles on dry leaves and then scattered 
 them to the winds, they had a value of a different nature. In 
 India a leaf still serves as a tablecloth, and the Jesuit mis- 
 sionary of Manilla dwelt in a hut formed of two Palm leaves. 
 
43 
 
 CHAPTEE IV. 
 
 EESEDACE^E CISTACE^E YIOLlCE^ DEOSEElCE^ 
 POLYGALiCE^; TAMABIClCE^ 
 CAEYOPHYLLiCE^J. 
 
 " Now the heart is so full that a drop o'erfills it, 
 Now we are happy because God wills it. 
 We sit in the warm shade and see right well 
 How the sap creeps up and the blossoms swell ; 
 We may shut our eyes, but we cannot help knowing 
 That skies are clear and grass is growing. 
 Everything is happy now, 
 Everything is upward striving ; 
 'Tis as easy now for the heart to be true 
 v As for grass to be green and skies to be blue, 
 'Tis the natural way of living." 
 
 JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL. 
 
 CERTAINLY the influence of fine spring weather and of the 
 beauty of spring flowers and foliage tends to produce cheerful- 
 ness and good humour ; and when to these genial influences 
 is added that which forms the mainspring of all the recog- 
 nition of the Creator in creation, and of His constant love and 
 care, then the heart overflows with gladness and the " trees of 
 the field" seem to " clap their hands." 
 
 The DYER'S WEEDS come next in our arrangement of Thala- 
 miflorals. They are shrubby plants, with tough stems and long 
 spikes of small flowers. A many-parted calyx, torn petals, 
 and sessile stigmas are the distinctive features of the Socket, 
 or Dyer's Weed family. 
 
 The Common Dyer's Weed, Eocket, or Weld (Eeseda luteola, 
 Plate IV., fig. 1), is found commonly on waste chalky or lime- 
 stone ground. Its leaves are bright glossy green and lance- 
 shaped, its flowers greenish, and its tall spikes very narrow. 
 This plant is much used for dyeing in France. The coloured 
 
44 EESEDACE2E. 
 
 paint called Dutch pink is made from it. Linnaeus observed 
 that its spikes always followed the course of the sun. Although 
 it produces Dutch pink, yet the common colour of the dye 
 formed from it is yellow. This specimen grew in a limestone 
 quarry near Richmond, and I have often seen it in similar 
 situations. It blooms in August. 
 
 The second member of the family, the Wild Mignonette 
 (R. liitea), I brought from sandbanks in the bed of the Skell, 
 near Ripon, in Yorkshire. It is more spreading in its growth, 
 and its flowers are buff-coloured. 
 
 The third species is very rare (R. fructiculosa), the Shrubby 
 Dyer's Rocket. Its broader spikes and straw-coloured flowers 
 give it a close resemblance to the garden favourite, the fragrant 
 Egyptian Mignonette (R. odorata) ; but it lacks its scent entirely. 
 My specimen came from Mr. Ward's botanic garden. 
 
 The family of the Cistus, or Rock Rose, succeeds that of the 
 Rockets. These plants have five sepals, two external and 
 prominent and three more concealed ; five petals, very tender 
 and easily falling off; and many stamens. They are generally 
 shrubby plants with woody stems. 
 
 The common Cistus grows abundantly on rocky places 
 throughout the kingdom ; and its clear yellow wide-spread 
 blooms are agreeably familiar to us all. (Cistus helianthemum, 
 Plate IV., Jig. 2). The white Cistus I have never seen but 
 in the neighbourhood of Clevedon, where it grows upon the 
 grassy cliffs (C. polifolium). The Dwarf Cistus has much 
 smaller flowers, of a pale yellow colour. It grows on the hills 
 between Yorkshire and Westmoreland. Of the Spotted Cistus 
 and Ledum-leaved species I have got no specimens. Gum 
 ladanum is the resin of the Gum Cistus : it used to be col- 
 lected in a very curious way. Goats were turned among the 
 Cistus bushes to browse ; they nibbled the branches, and the 
 resin adhered to their beards and hardened there. It was 
 then picked off for purposes of commerce. These bushes are 
 still cultivated in Cyprus, but the resin is gathered with rakes. 
 
VIOLETS. 45 
 
 Hooker considers this gum ladanum to be the myrrh (" Loth"), 
 mentioned in Genesis xxxvii. 25, and to have been among 
 the spices brought from Gilead to Egypt by the Ishmaelites. 
 A crimson species which grows wild in Palestine is supposed to 
 be the Hose of Sharon. 
 
 The VIOLET FAMILY has five sepals, five petals, five stamens, 
 and one prominent hooded stigma. The ovary has three valves, 
 and when it bursts it throws the seed with violence, so that it 
 is scattered to a considerable distance. The Sweet Violet 
 (Viola odorata, Plate IV., Jig. 3), is a general favourite. My 
 earliest remembrances are of "violetting" in fields about 
 Wicklifle Lane and Littlethorpe, near Ripon, and of the joy 
 we experienced as we gathered little baskets full of the purple 
 and white varieties. They are much scarcer about Richmond, 
 and are so seldom found in Scotland as to be termed there 
 " English Violets." Fanny has a pink variety from Maiden 
 Bradley, in Somerset, a county very prolific in this favourite 
 flower. The tint is the same as that of the double Russian 
 Violet which is cultivated in our gardens. The double purple 
 one is a variety of the common Sweet Violet. These humble 
 flowers have a wide range of habitation. They flourish at the 
 foot of the Alps and in Arabia Felix ; and Hurnboldt gathered 
 them on the sides of the Andes and in the vallies of the Amazon. 
 Napoleon Buonaparte adopted this flower as his emblem, and 
 he was called " Pere la Violette." Nor is the value of the 
 Violet a fancy of recent origin ; in the middle ages the prize 
 awarded to the best poet was a golden Violet, 
 
 " And in the golden vase was set 
 The prize a golden Violet" 
 
 Milton depicts them as adorning the sinless earth, and 
 Shakespeare honours them with his notice. 
 
 The juice of the Violet is used in medicine, and the plant is 
 cultivated for that purpose. There are extensive Violet grounds 
 near Stratford-on-Avon. This Violet juice forms the most 
 delicate test for detecting acids and alkalies. The Romans 
 
46 VIOLACE.E. 
 
 used to make wine of Violets, and the Turks still infuse it in 
 their sherbet. According to Lightfoot, the Highland ladies 
 of former times used the Violet as a cosmetic, the old Gaelic 
 receipt being, "Anoint thy face with goat's milk in which 
 Violets have been infused, and there is not a young prince 
 upon earth who will not be charmed with thy beauty." 
 
 The Sweet Violet has no main stem ; its leaves and flowers 
 spring from the roots. It increases rapidly by runners as well 
 as by throwing out its seed. 
 
 The Hairy Violet (V. hirta), has a considerable resemblance 
 to the Sweet one ; but it lacks its scent, does not throw out 
 runners, and its narrower leaves are covered with hairs, as 
 well as the flower-stalks. I have found it near Richmond and 
 in Durham ; but it is not very common. 
 
 The Marsh Violet (V. puhistris), the third stemless species, 
 flowers earlier than these, producing its paler blooms in March. 
 I found it near Richmond in Yorks, and near Callander, and 
 Fanny has leaves of it from near Harrowgate. Its leaf is 
 kidney instead of heart-shaped, as in the species before men- 
 tioned. 
 
 The Dog Violet (V. canina), is a gay and frequent ornament 
 of our woods and moors. It has a stem, and leaves and flowers 
 grow from it, as well as from the root. It blooms later than 
 the other Violets, is of a paler colour, with pencilled stripes 
 across its white centre, and purple-tinged leaves. 
 
 The yellow Mountain Violet (V. liitea), grows freely on our 
 Yorkshire moors, especially where water has stood. It is 
 often seen growing side by side with the purple Butterwort, 
 and the effect of the contrast is charming. In form it rather 
 resembles a Pansy than a Violet ; but both belong to the same 
 family. The stem is very decided in this species. 
 
 The Corn Pansy (V. tricolor), is familiar as a corn weed, 
 as well as a run-off plant in neglected gardens. Our handsome 
 garden Pansies are, many of them, cultivated varieties of this ; 
 and, when left uncared for in a poor soil, they return to 
 
SUNDEWS. 47 
 
 their natural state. Although this plant is called Tricolor 
 (three-coloured), it is often entirely purple, and there is 
 also a white variety. Here the stem is more decided than 
 even in the Mountain Violet, and attains a length of several 
 inches. The name Pansy is derived from the French motto, 
 "Penzes a moi," and Shakespeare evidently has this in his 
 mind when he says, " There's Pansies, that's for thoughts." 
 Louis XV., when wishing to show favour to his physician 
 Quesnay, devised for him a group of Pansies as his armorial 
 bearings. Our English name, Heart's-ease, is a still prettier one. 
 
 We have a specimen of one Violet more, the cream-coloured 
 Violet (V. lactea). It varies from the others in its pale colour, 
 and leaves more lance-shaped than heart-shaped. I found this 
 rare plant in a shaking bog near Tiverton, in Devon, some 
 years ago. 
 
 The SUNDEW family has a three-valved seed-vessel and pro- 
 minent stigma closely resembling that of the Violet, but the 
 small regular petals and leafless stem, curved when young like 
 fronds of Ferns, clearly distinguish the two. The leaves of 
 the Sundews are fringed with long crimson hairs, bearing 
 glands which collect the dew. They grow on footstalks, but 
 lie in a starry form close to the ground. The tiny flowers are 
 white and grow in spikes. Our English Sundews have five 
 stamens ; but in foreign members of the family there are often 
 twice, thrice, or four times the number. When small insects 
 touch the hairs, the leaf closes upon them and keeps them 
 imprisoned. When pressed the leaves make a red mark on 
 the paper. 
 
 The Bound-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), is a fre- 
 quent denizen of our moors, luxuriating on the margins of 
 peat bogs. I have found its crimson-tinted stars and slender 
 spikes on the Yorkshire moors in very many places. I have 
 gathered it on Eudd Heath in Cheshire ; in Cornwall ; and 
 last autumn I found it in abundance on the swampy coast 
 of Arran, and on the hills about Oban. Specimens of the 
 
48 DBOSEBACEJ2 POLYGALACE^. 
 
 Greater and Long-leaved Sundews were sent to me from 
 Leckby Carr, in Yorkshire. Their spikes of flowers differ 
 scarcely at all from the familiar Bound-leaved species, but the 
 leaves are a long oval shape ; and the Greater Sundew attains 
 a larger size. 
 
 Another plant of this order is represented by our favourite, 
 the Grass of Parnassus (Parnassia palustris, Plate V., fig. 10) ; 
 it is a widely-diffused plant, owing its name to its prevalence 
 on Mount Parnassus. Swiss, French, and English hills alike 
 offer it suitable homes among their swamps in the present day. 
 It has five sepals, five snow white petals, five nectaries fringed 
 with threads bearing globes, and tinged with cream colour. 
 The leaves are heart-shaped, one only growing on the stem, 
 the others springing from the root ; it grows about a foot high. 
 We frequently find it in damp places among our Yorkshire 
 hills ; and when on a tour in the Highlands I saw whole fields 
 white over with its blossoms. It flowers from July to 
 October. 
 
 Of the next family, that of the MILKWORTS, we have only 
 one British representative ; but that one is so frequent as to be 
 familiar to us all, whether known by name or not. The great 
 peculiarity in this plant (Polygala vulgaris, Plate IV., fig. 4), 
 is that two of the sepals are wing-shaped and coloured, while 
 the small petals adhere to the tube formed by the stamens, 
 thus giving the flower a butterfly form, and inclining a young 
 botanist to place it among the Papilionaceous order. The 
 seed-vessel is pouch-like, heart-shaped, and pendulous. Near 
 Flimwell, in Kent, I gathered three varieties of this plant upon 
 one bank blue, pink, and white. On our own moors I have 
 found the same varieties, but not growing near together. The 
 plant is abundant upon limestone rocks and I know of a nur- 
 seryman who collected a quantity of it last year for sale as a 
 rockery plant. 
 
 We will introduce here the TAMABISK order, represented by 
 Fanny's beautiful Tamarisk branches. In the bleak country of 
 
TAMAEISK WATEEWOETS. 49 
 
 the Lizard district surrounding the village of Landewednack, 
 she found a row of Tamarisk shrubs (Tamarix gallica). The 
 branches are beset with tiny glaucous leaves, smaller than those 
 of the Larch, indeed seeming rather like scales than leaves ; 
 and they were relieved by spikes of small pink flowers, very 
 pale and delicate, and boasting five petals and five stamens. 
 This is the largest of our sea-side shrubs. It prevails about 
 Sandgate and elsewhere on the south coast, as well as in the 
 Lizard district. Its name is taken from the river Tambra, in 
 Spain, formerly called Tamariscus, on the banks of which the 
 shrub abounds. Forbes states that in Britain are found the 
 remains of four distinct races of plants. Twelve species are 
 found in the south of Ireland which belong to the Flora of Spain, 
 and I fancy the Tamarisk must pertain to this group. The 
 south-east of Ireland, and south-west of England, bear plants 
 belonging to Brittany and JSTormandy ; while the mountains 
 of Scotland, Cumberland, and Wales exhibit a Flora resem- 
 bling that of Switzerland, and more closely, of Lapland. The 
 general type of the British Flora is chiefly analogous to the 
 German. Many scientific men have supposed that the seem- 
 ingly foreign plants have been introduced in ballast, but 
 Professor Forbes was of opinion that each distinct group be- 
 longed to a different geological period, when a different climate 
 prevailed. He considers the Spanish type the most ancient. 
 The Arctic plants he ascribes to the " drift period." 
 
 The Sea Heath order (FEANKENIACEJE), is distinguished by 
 four or five sepals, five clawed petals and round anthers. The 
 flowers are pale pink and very small. Lindley thus describes 
 them : " Little obscure plants usually inhabiting the neigh- 
 bourhood of the sea, and of no importance to man." 
 
 The WATEEWOETS (Elatinaceae), are still more insignificant 
 and unimportant than the Sea Heaths. They have from three 
 to five petals and sepals, and double the number of stamens. 
 Our British species inhabits the margin of ponds and lakes 
 (Elatine hydropiper). 
 
50 CAEYOPHYLLACE^J. 
 
 We now come to a very extensive order of plants, the 
 fourteenth, in the British list that of the Pink. It includes 
 two tribes, the Pinks proper and the Chickweeds. The plants 
 of this order have five sepals, united in some families, dis- 
 united in others, ten stamens, and a seed-vessel of one cell. 
 In the first tribe the stamens join the stalk below the ovary, 
 or seed-vessel ; and the sepals are united. In the second tribe 
 the stamens are joined in a ring, also below the ovary, and the 
 sepals are free. Both tribes have simple leaves placed opposite 
 each other on the stalks. 
 
 Mr. Ward gave me a specimen of the Deptford Pink (Dian- 
 thus armeria), the flowers of which grow in clusters and are 
 spotted ; they are quite scentless. The plant is occasionally 
 found in waste places. 
 
 I have no specimen of the beautiful rose-coloured Proliferous 
 Pink (D. prolifer). 
 
 I had much difficulty in getting this piece of the Clove Pink, 
 or Gillyflower (D. caryophyllus) . It grows upon the ruined 
 walls of Fountains Abbey ; but visitors are not allowed to 
 touch the flowers. I imparted my great wish for a blossom of 
 the Pink to a very spirited friend who was of our party. 
 She was most anxious to aid me, and began a systematic 
 attack upon the good nature of the guide. Both she and I 
 had visited the place often enough to know all the descriptions 
 by rote, but she suddenly became exceedingly interested in the 
 old story. The guide was charmed to gain so attentive and 
 intelligent a listener, and he presently began to regard her with 
 great favour. Then she made her request, and at once received 
 a number of the desired blossoms as a reward for her diplomacy. 
 This species is the origin of all our garden Pinks from the 
 plain rose and white ones which accompany the Mint and 
 Southernwood in the cottage garden, to the delicately-bordered 
 and variegated blooms which carry off the prizes at flower 
 shows. The Latin name of this family, Dianthus, means 
 " Gift of God," because of the estimation in which these 
 
FEINGED PINK CATCHFLY. 51 
 
 fragrant flowers were held. In olden times the petals were 
 used to flavour the wine-goblet. 
 
 This pretty specimen with fringed petals I brought from 
 Switzerland. It is deliciously fragrant (D. barbatus). It 
 grows in Roslin woods and on the banks of the water of Leith 
 above Edinburgh. It is fitly named the Fringed Pink. 
 
 The Maiden Pink (D. deltoides), with its small flowers and 
 dark circle in the centre, and forked stem, is a trophy from 
 Blackford Hill, near Edinburgh, where it flowers from July to 
 September. 
 
 I have the Mountain or Cheddar Pink (D. caesius, Plate IV., 
 Jig. 5), gathered and sent me from the Cheddar rocks in Somer- 
 setshire, so famous for their beautiful caverns. Its colour is 
 fuller than that of the other Pinks, with the exception of the 
 last-named. 
 
 Another family of the Pink tribe is that of the Catchflies. 
 The puffed calyx of the Bladder Catchfly causes it to be so 
 named (Silene inflata). It grows on waste ground in all 
 counties. The Latin name of the genus, Silene, was that of a 
 youth in classic fable, who was employed by Minerva to catch 
 flies for her owls to eat. One day she caught her messenger 
 indulging in a nap when he should have been taking his pre} r , 
 and the goddess, in angry indignation, turned him into a plant, 
 and gave him a viscid juice upon his stem which should catch 
 flies for ever. 
 
 The Sea Catchfly (S. maritima), closely resembles the Bladder 
 Catchfly ; but its calyx is not quite so inflated, and its flowers 
 are larger and of a clearer white. Altogether, it is a prettier 
 plant. Fanny describes it as mingling with the bright blue 
 Bugloss and yellow Charlock in the gay drapery of the cliffs at 
 Looe, in Cornwall ; and it has been sent to me from various 
 places on the south coast. 
 
 The English Catchfly (S. anglica), is a much less graceful 
 plant. The flowers grow from the sides of the scarcely- 
 branched stem : they are pale pink. Fanny gathered this 
 
52 CAEYOPHYLLACE.E. 
 
 specimen in a corn field close to Marazion, near Penzance. 
 The whole plant is very hairy and sticky. 
 
 The Variegated Catchfly (S. quinqueviilnera), is very pretty, 
 the white petals being adorned with crimson blotches. The 
 stems are forked and the leaves small. It grows on waste 
 ground about Clevedon, where Fanny got her specimen. 
 
 The Nottingham Catchfly (S. niitans), also favours the coast 
 of Somerset. It is an unassuming flower with deeply-indented 
 white petals. It is very fragrant at night, and droops gracefully 
 from rocks. 
 
 The Night-flowering Catchfly was found between Thirsk and 
 Ripon, in Yorks. It is rare, has pale flowers opening at 
 sunset, and closing by day, and its stem is much forked. 
 
 The rare species, erroneously named " Common " Catchfly, 
 and the Striated, and Italian species, are very doubtful natives. 
 
 I first saw the beautiful little Moss Catchfly (S. acaulis), 
 in Switzerland, whence my brother-in-law brought me a sod 
 of it, as large, and just fitting into, the crown of his straw 
 hat. The pot was covered with the large rose-coloured blos- 
 soms, so that only here and there a portion of the moss-like 
 foliage was seen. A similar but smaller piece was afterwards 
 brought to me from Snowdon. The stem is only half an inch 
 high, and bears the upright bell-shaped blossom on its 
 summit. 
 
 Next to the Catchfly family comes that of the Soapwort, of 
 which we have but one British species (Saponaria officinalis, 
 Plate IV., fig. 10). It is the handsomest plant of the tribe, 
 grows two feet high, and bears a cluster of from five to ten 
 pale pink flowers at the summit of its wand-like stem. It 
 grows freely on the Castle Hill at Richmond and near Catterick 
 Bridge. It is more plentiful among the Alps than with us ; 
 and, on account of its soapy quality, the Alpine Shepherds 
 use it to wash their flocks. A decoction of the plant, boiled, 
 makes a sufficiently good lather to wash linen. 
 
 The next family of the tribe is the Campion family, which 
 
CAMPION. 53 
 
 contains two or three familiar species. The Ragged Robin 
 (Lychnis flos-cuculi), with its bright rose-coloured torn petals, 
 has always been a favourite with me. The poet Twamly was 
 evidently very fond of the flower, and resents its being 
 called " Ragged." 
 
 " A man of taste is Robinet, 
 
 A dandy sprnce and trim ; 
 Whoe'er wonld dainty fashions set 
 Should go and look at him. 
 
 " Eob scorns to wear his crimson coat 
 
 As common people do ; 
 He folds and fits it in and out, 
 And does it bravely too. 
 
 " Oh ! Robin loves to prank him rare 
 With fringe, and flowers, and all ; 
 Till you'd take him for a lady fair 
 Just goins to a ball. 
 
 " Robin's a rogneish merry lad, 
 
 He dances in the breeze, 
 And looks up with a greeting glad 
 To the rustling hedgerow trees." 
 
 There is enough of viscid juice about its joints to qualify it 
 for a place among the aristocratic Flycatchers. Edward 
 gathered some of these specimens near Hawkhurst, in Kent, 
 and I have brought some of them from moist Yorkshire 
 meadows. Hooker says that the name Lychnis is derived 
 from the Greek word for lamp, because a cottony substance 
 upon the leaves of an allied plant used to be made into lamp- 
 wicks. Flos-cuculi means Flower of the Cuckoo ; I suppose 
 the season of the Cuckoo and of the flower being the same 
 accounts for the application in this instance. 
 
 The Red Campion (Lychnis dioica, Plate IV., fig. 6), is a 
 frequent ornament of hedgerows ; its bright petals are notched 
 in the centre, the whole plant is hairy ; its principal peculiarity 
 is that it bears its stamens upon one plant and its stigma upon 
 another. The reddish-rose colour of its blossoms makes it a 
 very lovely ornament of the green hedge, affording one of the 
 most pleasing contrasts imaginable. Leigh Hunt in his " Song 
 
54 CAEYOPHYLLACE.E. 
 
 of the Flowers " celebrates these colours, as well as praising 
 other favourite flowers treated of in this chapter. 
 
 " See, and scorn all duller 
 
 Taste, how Heaven loves colour ; 
 How great Nature clearly joys in red and green ; 
 
 What sweet thoughts she thinks 
 
 Of Violets and Pinks, 
 And a thousand flushing hues made solely to be seen. 
 
 See her whitest Lilies 
 
 Chill the silver showers, 
 And what a red mouth has her Rose, the woman of the flowers. 
 
 ' Who shall say that flowers 
 
 Dress not heaven's own bowers? 
 Who its love without them can fancy, or sweet floor ? 
 
 Who shall even dare 
 
 Say we sprang not there, 
 And came not down that love might bring one piece of heaven the more? . 
 
 Oh ! pray believe that angels 
 
 From those blue dominions, 
 Brought us in their white laps down, 'twixt their golden pinions." 
 
 There is a White Campion (Lychnis vespertina), which grows 
 in corn fields, and becomes very fragrant in an evening. It 
 greatly resembles the Red Campion, so much so as to be con- 
 sidered by some high authorities a mere variety. I have 
 gathered it near Clotherholme farm, a couple of miles from 
 JRipon, and Edward has specimens from Kent. 
 
 , The Viscid and Alpine Campions are mountain plants, and 
 we have not obtained specimens of either. 
 
 The Corn Cockle represents the last family in the Pink tribe. 
 Its botanic name (Agrostemma githago, Plate IV., fig 7), sig- 
 nifies " crown of the field," and suits the bright stately plant 
 exceedingly well. The calyx indicates a state of transition 
 between the two tribes, being united in the lower part like the 
 Pinks, &c., and expanding in the upper into free leaflets in the 
 style of the Chickweeds. It adorns corn fields in most of the 
 counties of England, and its full purple colour and tall upright 
 stems make it generally a favourite. 
 
 We now come to an extensive tribe of very humble plants 
 which possess little interest except for botanists. The Pearl- 
 
PEABLWOET SPFBBEY. 55 
 
 wort is the first family in the Chickweed tribe, and it has four 
 British members. The Procumbent Pearlwort (Sagina pro- 
 cumbens), is a mossy-looking plant, which spreads its small 
 branches over neglected garden walks, or disused city paths, 
 mingles with the grass of the lawns, or insinuates itself into 
 the pots in a greenhouse. A cursory observer would say it had 
 no flower ; yet if you look close you will find small green 
 crosses terminating the branches during the whole summer. 
 These crosses are formed of the four sepals, which remain until 
 the fruit is ripe ; the petals are white, but much smaller than 
 the sepals, and very generally absent altogether. 
 
 The Hairy Pearlwort (S. apetala), is still more frequently 
 petalless ; indeed, the absence of petals and the hairiness are 
 its distinguishing characteristics. Fanny brought these speci- 
 mens from a wall on the margin of Fowey harbour, and 
 she found the Sea Pearlwort (S. maritima), on the Looe 
 cliffs. This species differs more from the Procumbent and 
 Hairy ones than they do from each other; for its small 
 leaves are seated on the stem at more distant intervals, thus 
 taking off the mossy appearance ; and its flowers are not so 
 minute. 
 
 The Mcenchia is a nearly allied plant, but with bright starry 
 flowers and spare foliage. It has also four sepals, four petals, 
 and four stamens. Fanny found it spangling the turf on the 
 moor above West Looe. 
 
 The Umbelliferous Chickweed (Holosteum umbellatum), has 
 its pinkish flowers in a cluster. It is a rare plant, occasionally 
 found about ancient ruins. 
 
 The Spurreys have five petals and sepals, and ten stamens. 
 The Awl-leaved Spurrey is a slender, half-procumbent plant, 
 with a great resemblance to the Sea Pearlwort. These speci- 
 mens came from Fowey. 
 
 The Knotted Spurrey (Spergula nodosa), has erect branches, 
 and brilliant white flowers. It is a great ornament of marshy 
 places on our Yorkshire moors. 
 
56 CABYOPHYLLACEJE. 
 
 The Pearlwort Spurrey frequents the Scotch mountains. 
 We have no specimens. 
 
 At once the prettiest and most troublesome of the family is 
 the Corn Spurrey (S. arvensis). Its flowers are in a forked 
 cluster, with frills of narrow leaves round the stem at every 
 joint. Hooker says that it is cultivated and much esteemed in 
 Holland. But on this point Dutch and English taste seem at 
 variance ; for here it is considered a troublesome weed, and in 
 Norfolk it has the name of " Pickpocket." 
 
 And now we come to the true Chickweeds, the darlings of 
 birds, though the despised of man. But we may claim interest 
 even for the common Chickweed (Stellaria me*dia), because it 
 was in observing this plant that Linnaeus detected what he 
 called the "sleep of plants." The pairs of leaves contract 
 towards evening, and enfold the buds ; they do the same before 
 rain, and, if it be heavy, it is long ere they open again. It 
 must be of such small flowers as these that Bulwer says 
 
 " Wearied children on earth's gentle breast, 
 In every nook the little field flowers rest." 
 
 The clear white flowers of the Greater Stitchwort (S. holo- 
 stea, Plate IV., jig. 8), are a familiar ornament of the hedge- 
 rows in June and July, inviting the eager hands of flower- 
 loving children, and disappointing them as surely by its speedy 
 fading. 
 
 The Smaller Stichwort (S. graminea), is also common. Its 
 stem is not rough, like that of the G-reater one, but smooth and 
 bright green, and the leaves are grass-shaped. Its slender 
 white petals, cloven to the base, are relieved by crimson anthers. 
 It grows among bushes in damp places in hilly districts. 
 
 The Wood Stitchwort (S. nemorum), I gathered on Brignall 
 banks, near Eokeby. The steep wood was gay with the thou- 
 sand white stars produced by this plant, which gleamed from a 
 background of their own abundant pale green foliage. Here 
 the leaves are broad and large, forming a great contrast to the 
 last species. 
 
SANDWORTS. 57 
 
 The Bog Stitchwort (S. uliginosa), has the smallest flower of 
 all; its sepals are pointed, and twice the length of its tiny 
 petals ; the flower-branches grow from the juncture or axils of 
 the leaves, and the foliage is of a glaucous hue. It flourishes 
 in wet places, and we have plenty of specimens both from Kent 
 and Yorkshire. 
 
 We have none of us found the Marsh or Alpine Stitchworts. 
 
 The second family in the Chickweed tribe is that of the 
 Sandworts. The handsomest species of these is the Sea Sand- 
 wort (Arenaria marltima), which Fanny found on the shore at 
 Looe. Its lilac flowers are bright, and have a yellow blotch in 
 the centre. 
 
 " Among the loose and arid sands 
 The humble Arenaria creeps ; 
 Slowly the purple star expands 
 But soon, within the calyx sleeps." 
 
 The little Purple Sandwort (A. nibra), is an inhabitant of 
 sandy lanes. It is a miniature of the Sea Sandwort. I found 
 it in Cheshire some years ago, and Edward has specimens from 
 the sandy lanes of Kent. Both these species have awl-shaped 
 leaves ; but those of the Sea Sandwort are blunt, and those of 
 the Purple Sandwort end in a bristle point. 
 
 On the shore near Penzance Fanny found abundance of the 
 common Sea Sandwort (A. peploides), with its small white 
 flowers, fleshy leaves arranged in two rows, heavy stems, and 
 large seed-vessels. 
 
 The Plantain-leaved Sandwort (A. trinervis), grows plenti- 
 fully in Swaledale, upon the margin of mountain streamlets ; 
 its leaves are very large with three marked ribs, and its flowers 
 very small. 
 
 The Fine-leaved Sandwort (A. tenuifolia), I got off" the wall 
 of Easby Church, it grew also on the ruins of the fine old 
 Abbey ; the plant is slender and bushy, and soon withers 
 away. 
 
 The Thyme-leaved Sandwort (A. serpyllifolia), I first recog- 
 nised whilst looking from the window of a railway carriage as 
 
58 CARYOPHYLLACEJE. 
 
 the tickets were being collected previously to the train entering 
 the station. I was not able to go back when I reached the 
 station, as a carriage was waiting to convey me far into the 
 country ; but I lost no time in writing to a friend in Eichmond 
 to procure the plant for me. She was much amused at being 
 requested to botanise in so novel a field of research, but she 
 quickly procured the plant ; the flower is small, but the plant 
 is compact, and the broad-shouldered leaves are not out of 
 proportion. 
 
 The Spring Sandwort (A. verna), is my favourite; its stems 
 are light, and its leaves narrow, and it is half covered with 
 brilliant white starry flowers. It is almost the only plant that 
 is not injured by lead in the earth and water ; but it grows as 
 freely upon the heaps of rubbish near the mines, and upon the 
 bed of the lead-stained stream, as upon the green margin of 
 the most limpid brooks. 
 
 The Fringed and Level-topped Sandworts are mountain 
 plants. 
 
 The Mossy Cyphel we have none of us found, I believe it 
 to be very rare. 
 
 The Mouse-ear Chickweeds are the last family in this tribe ; 
 they vary from the Sandworts in having notched or cloven 
 petals, while those of the Sandworts are entire. 
 
 The Water Mouse-ear is very like the "Wood Stitchwort, 
 but it has five stigmas, while the Stitchworts have but three. 
 
 The Field Mouse-ear (Cerastium arvense, Plate IV., fig. 9), 
 is the handsomest of the family ; it has large intensely- white 
 flowers, and its foliage is small and narrow, and of a white 
 powdery hue. It is pretty as a rock plant, or for a border 
 for Scarlet Geraniums. These specimens were from a gay 
 plot on Eichmond Castle Hill. 
 
 The Broad-leaved Mouse-ear (C. vulgatum and viscosum), 
 has insignificant flowers and coarse rough foliage; it is un- 
 objectionable when mingling with the sward, but is often a 
 troublesome garden weed, as is also the Narrow -leaved 
 
MOTJSE-EAB CHICKWEED. 59 
 
 species, the narrow foliage of which makes it more graceful- 
 looking. 
 
 The Little Mouse-ear (C. semidecandrum), is stiff in its 
 growth like a tiny shrub, and its petals are less cloven. I 
 found it on the railway line in a similar situation to that of the 
 Thyme-leaved Sandwort. 
 
 The Four-cleft Mouse-ear (C. tetrandrum), with its four petals 
 and four stamens, forming a single exception to the five petals 
 and ten stamens of the family, grows on Braid Hill, near 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 The Alpine Mouse-ear we are not in possession of. 
 
60 
 
 CHAPTER Y. 
 
 TILIlCE^J HYPEKICACE^ MALVACEAE 
 ACEKlCE^ HIPPOCASTANlCEJE 
 BALSAMINlCE^J OXALIDACEJE. 
 
 " The leaf -tongues of the forest, the flower-lips of the sod, 
 The happy birds that hymn their rapture in the ear of God, 
 The summer wind that bringeth music over land and sea, 
 Have each a voice that singeth this sweet song of songs to me : 
 This world is full of beauty like other worlds above, 
 And, if we did our duty, it might be full of love ! " 
 
 GERALD MASSEY. 
 
 THE LINDEN order comes next of British groups in the natural 
 arrangement ; and although we have but few species, it is not 
 wanting in interest. The characteristics are four or five sepals 
 soon falling off, and the same number of petals, and numerous 
 stamens. They resemble the Mallows in the valve-like arrange- 
 ment of the calyx, but are distinguished from them by their 
 free stamens. 
 
 The elegant and fragrant blooms of the Lime tree (Tilia 
 europgea, Plate V.,fig. &), attract crowds of bees, which keep 
 up a perpetual buzzing among the leaves. I remember a swarm 
 issuing from one of our hives, and making its way, as if by a 
 preconcerted plan, to a group of Limes in the next garden. 
 The foliage of this tree is very pleasing, appearing early and 
 gladdening the eye all the summer with its fresh green hue. 
 The leaves are heart-shaped, and a tuft of minute hairs is 
 situated at the juncture of the veins on the under side. Several 
 blossoms grow in a cluster, and a sort of thin leaf accompanies 
 the flower-stalk part of the way. The Swiss planted these 
 trees upon every victorious battle-field, and with them the 
 Linden is regarded as an emblem of liberty. In Russia they 
 use the inner bark of the Linden to make bast mats and ropes, 
 
LIMES ST. JOHN'S WOET. 61 
 
 which are the best suited for wells, as they do not rot with 
 wet. The wood is applied to turnery purposes and for making 
 vineyard ladders. So great is the value there attached to this 
 tree, that the people are required by law to plant it on the 
 roadsides. Linnaeus took his name from this tree, which in 
 the Swedish language is called Lin. A very large Linden 
 growing near his father's house in his native village suggested 
 to the philosopher the idea of assuming that as his name. 
 
 Another species of the same genus furnishes the Indians 
 with fishing-tackle. 
 
 We have a Downy Linden and a Small-flowered Linden as 
 well as the common Lime. Edward brought specimens of the 
 two latter trees from the neighbourhood of Hawkhurst, in 
 Kent ; they have smaller darker leaves, and the Downy species 
 is more hairy. 
 
 Jute hemp is the produce of a plant of this order, a native 
 of Bengal. It grows to the height of twelve feet, and its bark 
 contains valuable fibre. The hemp formed from this fibre is 
 fine and satiny, and is used in India for making bags and 
 wrappers, and in England for mixing with silk in the manu- 
 facture of cheap satins. 
 
 The ST. JOHN'S WORT is a small order, chiefly interesting as 
 including the valuable plant or shrub which produces the tea 
 of commerce. This commodity, though only introduced into 
 Britain less than two hundred years ago, has become to us 
 a necessary of life. China is the natural home of the tea 
 plant, but one species is successfully cultivated in India. The 
 black and the green tea are leaves off the same tree, but in 
 different stages, and prepared in a somewhat different manner. 
 The characteristics of this order are five sepals and five petals, 
 and numerous stamens united into several groups : on this 
 account the order is designated " many brotherhoods " in the 
 Linna3an system. The fruit is a berry with several cells. The 
 order includes trees, shrubs, and herbs. The blossom of the 
 Large-flowered St. John's Wort would satisfy the most gaudy 
 
62 HYPERICACEJE. 
 
 taste, contrasting its ample yellow petals and tassels of yellow 
 stamens with the massive dark green leaves. When I was 
 a child we use to call this flower the Hose of Sharon ; and 
 I reverenced it for its scriptural mention. Now that I know 
 that a very different flower is the one used as an emblem of 
 our Saviour I still love the gaudy St. John's Wort for the sake 
 of old association. It grows wild in some parts of Scotland 
 and Ireland, but my specimen is a shrubbery one (Hypericum 
 calycinum). 
 
 The Tutsan (H. androsajmum), or Park-leaves, has foliage 
 resembling that of the large-flowered species ; it is a larger and 
 more shrubby plant, and its flowers grow in small clusters of 
 three or four. The calices are often crimson, and the young 
 buds have a waxy look like yellow berries within their cups. 
 The flower is small compared with the last species, but the large 
 black berry attracts much attention. Edward found it in the 
 lanes about Hawkhurst last July, and I saw the black berries and 
 richly-tinted autumnal leaves about Clevedon late in the year. 
 
 The Kentish lanes also furnish abundance of the square- 
 stalked St. John's Wort or St. Peter's Wort (H. quadrangu- 
 lare) ; it has pale flowers small and very plentiful, and abun- 
 dance of little dotted leaves. It flowers early in August. 
 
 The hedge banks in the same neighbourhood were adorned 
 six weeks earlier with the clear yellow stars of the elegant 
 little trailing St. John's Wort (H. humifusum), a pretty pros- 
 trate cheerful plant. 
 
 The Perforated St. John's Wort (H. perforatum), is so called 
 because of the numerous transparent glands scattered over its 
 leaves, which give them the appearance of being perforated. 
 Several of the other species have these glands also, but none in 
 so great a degree ; its petals are dotted and striped with black. 
 
 The Upright St. John's Wort (H. pulchrum), is a pretty 
 species, of slender growth, and smaller clusters of flowers ; the 
 buds and young shoots are tipped with crimson. 
 
 The Hairy St. John's Wort (H. hirsutum), is distinguished by 
 
ST. JOHN S WORT MALLOW. 63 
 
 its woolly stem ; it, and the two preceding it, are all very com- 
 mon, nourishing in woods and field borders in Yorkshire, Kent, 
 Somersetshire, &c. (Plate V., jig. 6). I fancy these species 
 were confounded by the old herbalists, and that the mystic 
 virtues of the one were extended to all. St. John's Wort used 
 to be employed to expel demons. People dressed their houses 
 with it on St. John's-eve, and in France and Germany branches 
 of it were placed at every door on that occasion. The yellow 
 juice of this plant closely resembles the gamboge of commerce. 
 The Perforated species was formerly called the " herb of war," 
 its perforations were supposed to resemble wounds ; and, con- 
 sequently, by the curious reasoning of analogy, which was then 
 in vogue, it was argued that it would heal them. 
 
 " Hypericum was there, the herb of war, 
 Pierced through with wounds, and marked with many a scar." 
 
 The Marsh St. John's Wort (H. elodes), I found in a peat- 
 pool on Rudd Heath, in Cheshire, a famous field for botanic 
 research ; but which cultivation is fast " reclaiming," as it has 
 done many a rich bog and fen. It is a thick succulent plant, 
 and, though growing an inch deep in water, was still clothed 
 with dense wool. The plant is only a span high, and its flower 
 is very small. 
 
 Fanny has a Cornish member of this family, the Mountain 
 St. John's Wort (H. montanum) ; its flower is as large as that 
 of the Perforated species, but its colour is pale like St. Peter's 
 Wort ; it grows in hilly groves about Looe. 
 
 The MALLOW order succeeds that of the St. John's Wort. 
 Here the sepals and petals are five, the latter twisted when in 
 bud. These are hairy plants or shrubs ; their qualities are 
 harmless, and in some instances useful. The rich-coloured 
 Hibiscus, and the stately Hollyhock belong to this group, and 
 there are foreign species still more beautiful. The Cotton 
 plant belongs to this order, and it is indigenous in Asia and 
 America. Many species are now cultivated in extensive dis- 
 tricts between the tropics. Cotton is a woolly substance which 
 
64 MALVACE.32. 
 
 envelopes the seed ; it has been used in Egypt from times of 
 great antiquity, and several remains of G-reek literature have 
 been found written on cotton. It is now an article of commerce 
 all over the world, especially important in the British trade as 
 giving employment to thousands of labourers of both sexes and 
 all ages. The true Mallows have an inner and outer calyx ; 
 the former comprised of five valves, the latter of three sepals 
 united at the base. The name is from a G-reek word signifying 
 soft, and refers to the emollient nature of the plants. 
 
 The common Mallow (Malva sylvestris), grows freely on waste 
 places. It is a strong woolly plant, with large lobed leaves 
 and crimson flowers, handsomely marked with a darker shade. 
 It grows much in cottage gardens in the north of Yorkshire, 
 being cultivated and used for fomentations in case of swellings, 
 toothache, &c. All children love to play with the miniature 
 " Cheeses " which form the seed, as Clare says 
 
 " The sitting down when school was o'er 
 Upon the threshold of the door ; 
 Picking from Mallows, sport to please, 
 The crumbled seed we call a Cheese." 
 
 French children play the same game, terming the seeds "les 
 petits fromageons." Syrups and pastils are made from this plant. 
 In Job's time it was used as an article of food, " Who cut up 
 Mallows by the bushes, and Juniper roots for their meat " 
 (Job xxx. 4) ; and Dryden speaks of a similar custom 
 
 " Shards and Mallows for the pot." 
 
 The Romans used to cook and eat it as a vegetable, and it is 
 still cultivated in Egypt as an article of diet. 
 
 The Round-leaved Mallow (M. rotundifolia), is a smaller 
 plant with pale flowers. It has the same qualities as the 
 common Mallow ; but being smaller and less frequently met 
 with, it has been little noticed. 
 
 The Musk Mallow (M. moschata), is the handsomest member 
 of the family. Its petals are of a delicate pink, beautifully 
 veined with rose. Like its two companions, its stamens are 
 
MALLOWS FLAX. 65 
 
 united into a single "brotherhood," and its leaves are musk- 
 scented, and divided into deeply cut lobes. The common 
 Mallow begins to flower in June, and the other two in July; 
 they flower through August and September. 
 
 A near relation of this is the Tree Mallow (Lavatera arborea, 
 Plate V.,fig. 2), the most stately-flowering in our Flora. Fanny 
 treasures it in memory of a pleasant trip to Looe Island, off 
 the coast of Cornwall, near the two small towns from whence 
 it takes its name. The channel between the island and main- 
 land is narrow and shallow ; and is rendered very dangerous 
 for vessels, except at high water, by a rock which rises mid- 
 way called "Brown Meg." A schooner was stranded there 
 when Fanny and her friends crossed ; and though she was 
 afterwards set afloat again, yet the loss by injury to her cargo, 
 &c., was very serious. They wandered over Looe Island, 
 from its commanding peak to its rocky shore, where the 
 crevices were crowned with the proud form of the Tree Mallow. 
 The leaves of this plant are dull green, and of soft velvety 
 texture, and its purple flowers are shaded almost to black in 
 the centre, while the brotherhood of light stamens stands 
 prominently out from the deep dark cup. Some of the plants 
 were six or eight feet high. 
 
 The Marsh Mallow (Althsea officinalis, Plate V., fig. 2), 
 grows in swampy ground on the coast of Kent ; its foliage is 
 of the same dull hue as that of the Tree Mallow, and its tall 
 upright stems are clothed with velvety hair. Its blossoms 
 are clustered and of a very pale pink, and the stamens are 
 crimson. This plant abounds more in the softening mucilage 
 so valuable in medicine than any other of the order ; it is sold 
 in a dried state, and an infusion made from it for rheumatic 
 and neuralgic pains, and for sore throats ; and from the juice 
 cough lozenges are made. 
 
 In passing from the Mallow to the FLAX order we exchange 
 cotton for linen, and lose sight of the coloured half-clothed 
 cultivators in contemplating European Flax fields. In this 
 
 F 
 
66 LINAGES. 
 
 order the flowers have five sepals and five petals, which, like 
 the Mallows, are twisted when in bud, they are very perishable, 
 falling off with the slightest touch or puff of wind ; five sta- 
 mens united at the top of the ovary, and five stigmas. 
 
 I have specimens of the common Flax (Lmum usitatissimum, 
 Plate V., fig. 1), from a field near Warminster, in Wilts ; 
 and I have occasionally seen a plot of it about Richmond, 
 cultivated I should imagine for its seeds. The petals are 
 notched, and of a lovely blue. The Latin name, signifying 
 "most useful," is justly applied to this plant; for the firm 
 fibres of its stem supply us with linen, the oil expressed from 
 its seed is valuable for mixing paint and other purposes, and 
 meal formed of the ground seed makes excellent poultices, and 
 is also used as a medicine. It is cultivated in Devonshire, 
 where Carrington describes it 
 
 " How sweetly blows 
 Upon the slopes the azure-blossomed Flax ! " 
 
 The Narrow-leaved Flax is more common as a wild plant. 
 Edward has brought specimens from Kent, Fanny from Somer- 
 setshire, and I from Yorkshire. The principal distinction be- 
 tween the species is the notch in the petals, which is present 
 in the common one and absent in this. The Narrow-leaved 
 Flax is even found in the Highlands of Scotland, and receives 
 there the name of the Lintbell. The simple and poetic in- 
 habitants of these lovely districts are close observers of nature, 
 and they not unfrequently reply to your questions in figurative 
 language worthy of the flowery parlance of the East. Thus, a 
 poor Highland woman, unable to read or write, could yet note 
 how the frail petals of the Flax unfolded in the sunshine 
 and closed when his rays were withdrawn ; she was ignorant 
 of everything, her one power being to accept and love the 
 blessings of God, from the " inestimable gift " of His Son 
 to that of the least flower that bloomed in her path. Being 
 questioned as to her adherence to the profound doctrines of 
 the Kirk, she showed such utter ignorance that the minister 
 
FLAX. 67 
 
 deemed her totally unfit to become a communicant. He con- 
 veyed tliis to her as kindly as he could, and she replied, 
 " Aweel, Sir, aweel ; but I ken ae thing as the Lintbell opens 
 to the sun, so does my heart to the Lord Jesus ! " Here was 
 seed of the Lord's own planting ; no hireling had cultivated 
 this ground, or scattered into it the germs of life, but the 
 Second Adam had been busy in this garden, dressing it and 
 keeping it. 
 
 The Perennial Flax is the handsomest and most scarce 
 member of the family. It was gathered on Leyburn Shawl, 
 an extensive table-land overlooking the rich valley of Wens- 
 leydale, in Yorkshire. It commands a view of Bolton Castle, 
 where the unfortunate Mary Stuart was imprisoned. She suc- 
 ceeded once in effecting an escape, but her flight was soon 
 discovered, and she was recaptured on Leyburn Shawl. This 
 plant, with its lovely but evanescent flowers, is a fit memento 
 of that beautiful and frail woman. 
 
 The Small Cathartic Flax (Linum catharticum), is very dif- 
 ferent from its brethren ; its petals are snow-white, its leaves 
 grow opposite one another, and the flowers droop. It often 
 mingles with the herbage in meadows, but, having biting 
 qualities, I dare say the cattle would as soon be without it. 
 
 The Little Flax-seed (Eadiola millegrana), is the smallest of 
 our flowering plants. Fanny found a number of the plants on 
 the right bank of the Loe Pool, a small lake near Helstone, 
 in Cornwall, only separated from the sea by a bar of sand. 
 There is an interesting description of it in Mr. Johns' " Week 
 at the Lizard," which you must read some evening when you 
 have leisure. Fanny determined to visit the Loe Pool because 
 of the plants which he described as growing around it, and 
 she persuaded her mother to stay at the snug "Angel" inn, at 
 Helstone, for that purpose. The number of plants she got 
 fully rewarded her for all her efforts, and this tiny Flax-seed 
 was one. The tiny flowers have four sepals, four greenish- 
 white petals, four stamens, and two stigmas. 
 
68 ACEBACE.E. 
 
 We now come to another family of trees, the members of 
 which are familiar to us in every stage of growth. In the 
 winged seed of the SYCAMOBE may be found a miniature repre- 
 sentation of the young plant, with its stems and leaves ; near 
 the parent tree we soon see a pair of leaflets spring, and in 
 a few months a fresh shoot rises, and an exquisitely-folded 
 palmate leaf begins to open. A little higher and a little higher 
 marks the progress from year to year, until the stages of child- 
 hood and youth are past, and the fine forest tree has attained 
 maturity, and stands in the full dignity of blossoms and fruit. 
 
 " Then he spoke to those wood-dwellers, 
 ' Ye are like to men, 
 And I learn a lesson from ye 
 With my spirit's ken : 
 Like to us in low beginnings, 
 Children of the patient earth, 
 Born like us to rise on high, 
 Ever nearer to the sky, 
 
 And like us by slow advances from the minute of your birth.' " 
 
 CHAMBERS' Journal. 
 
 The Latin name for this family, Acer, means sharp, because 
 in olden times sharp instruments of war were made of Sycamore 
 wood. In the present day it is principally employed in making 
 platters, bowls, and musical instruments. This tree lives to a 
 great age. There is a Sycamore in the county of Edinburgh 
 known to have been planted there before the Reformation. 
 The Egyptians held the Sycamore in high estimation, and in 
 them they were chastised. " He smote their Vines with hail, 
 and their Sycamore trees with frost." The trees of this family 
 have blossoms with five sepals, five petals, and eight stamens. 
 
 The Maple is a low-growing tree, seldom rising much above 
 the hedgerow ; its leaves are smaller than those of the Syca- 
 more, and its flower-cluster is erect, not pendant as in that 
 species. In both the winged seeds hang in graceful groups, 
 and receive tints of crimson from the summer sun. The bark 
 is very deeply furrowed, and the Kentish farmers value it on 
 this account for Hop-poles, the rough surface affording warmth 
 
HORSE CHESTNUTS CBANESBILLS, 69 
 
 to the young Hop vines. The wood of the Maple is very beau- 
 tiful when polished. Pliny relates that the luxurious Romans 
 would give immense sums for tables made of this wood, and 
 that when these gay lords reproached their ladies with the 
 extravagance of their dress and jewellery, the fair ones retorted 
 by inquiring the price of the Maple tables. There is a some- 
 what sugary quality in our Maple (Acer campestre), but it 
 exists in a very slight degree. But in America there is a 
 species called the Sugar Maple, which notable housekeepers 
 tap annually, and from the sap manufacture sugar enough for 
 their domestic needs. The seed-lobes of another species are 
 cooked by the Tartars as an article of food, but it is no 
 great compliment to any seed to be eaten in a district where 
 vegetation is so scanty. 
 
 The HOESE CHESTNUT family is nearly allied to that of the 
 Maples, and should surely now be admitted among British 
 trees. It is a native of Asia, and is spoken of by Gerarde as 
 a rare foreign tree. Mr. Johns states that in some places it is 
 called " the Giant's Nosegay ;" and when I have looked upon 
 a Horse Chestnut covered with its magnificent clusters of pink 
 and white flowers, I have been struck with the suitability of 
 this popular name. The fruit is too bitter to be pleasant for 
 food, but the Swiss make good use of it for fattening cattle. 
 
 The GEBANIUM or CEANESBILL order is the next in our 
 British arrangement. These plants have five sepals, five petals, 
 ovary in five divisions, five styles, and ten stamens in the 
 brotherhood. Our wild Geraniums are all mere herbaceous 
 plants ; but the Pelargoniums, as the greenhouse Geraniums 
 are now called, attain to the dignity of shrubs. The long beak 
 to the seed procures for them the English name of Cranesbills. 
 
 The Bloody Cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum), is a rare and 
 handsome species, with a deep crimson flower, and half-prostrate 
 stem. I have never found it but in Switzerland, where I 
 gathered it from rocks overhanging the Lake of Thun ; but it 
 grows freely near Whitty. Fanny had the pleasure of finding 
 
70 GERANIACEJ3. 
 
 it in Cornwall. She was driving from Helston to the Lizard 
 Point with her mother, and, as they knew the tide was low, 
 they stopped at Kynance, sent the carnage on, and proceeded 
 on foot along the cliffs. Kynance Cove was looking extremely 
 lovely ; its distorted rocks of serpentine, deeply tinged with 
 crimson, maroon, and green, stood out boldly from the pearly 
 sands. The rich dark tints of these rocks she describes as 
 giving a very peculiar character to the landscape, while they 
 furnish a congenial habitat to many plants rare elsewhere. The 
 Bloody Cranesbill is one of these, and grows in luxuriance on 
 the cliffs for some distance beyond Kynance, and the English 
 Scurvy Grass grew in damp places in the same vicinity. 
 
 The Least Cranesbill (G. pusillum), Fanny got near the 
 Land's End, at the edge of the road leading to the hotel. It 
 is like a miniature of the Dove's-foot Cranesbill. 
 
 The Dove's-foot (G. molle), has round leaves, rather notched 
 than lobed and very downy, and small purple flowers. The 
 whole plant has a musky odour ; it is very common on the 
 margin of fields and lanes. 
 
 The Herb Hobert (G. Hobertianum), is always welcome, \ 
 appearing, as it does, among our early spring flowers, and | 
 plentifully adorning the hedgebank with its rose-coloured j 
 flowers and crimson-tinted leaves during most part of the / 
 summer. Its strong aromatic perfume is generally considered / 
 an additional recommendation. $&**** - MMJL, (tyuM* 
 
 The Long-stalked Cranesbill (G. columbmum), I found in 
 Wiltshire, in a lane between Longbridge Deverill and Horning- 
 sham ; it is taller, its lilac flowers are larger, and it is a more 
 slender plant than the rest. But its greatest peculiarity is an 
 elastic power in the seed-pod, which enables it to throw the 
 seed out with force. This elastic carpel contracts in dry 
 weather, and expands in wet ; the seed is very beautiful, as 
 well as very curious, each carpel bends outwards, and contracts 
 again above they thus form five open loops. I found both 
 flowers and fruit upon the plant in August. 
 
CEANESBILLS. 71 
 
 The Jagged-leaved Cranesbill (G. dissectum), grows very 
 luxuriantly in stubble fields in the same neighbourhood. It is a 
 common wayside plant ; its leaves cut nearly to the middle, and 
 its purple flowers, distinguish it from the other small species. 
 
 The Larger Dove's-foot (Gr. pyrenaicum), is a handsome 
 plant, the bloom twice the size of the Slender-stalked species, 
 and the lobed leaves are kidney-shaped. My specimen was 
 sent me from the Isle of Wight, and at the same time I received 
 a piece of the Eound-leaved Cranesbill, the carpels of which 
 are curved in the way I have before described. 
 
 The Shining Cranesbill (Gr. lucidum, Plate V., fig. 5), is a 
 pretty ornament of stony places ; its round, lobed leaves are 
 thick and glossy, and very often edged with scarlet : its flowers 
 are bright pink. It grows abundantly about Eichmond, in 
 
 The Dusky tfraivesbill (G. phseum), is one of the^most scarce \ 
 of the family ; it grows under Fremington Edge, near Eeeth. | 
 The petals are a brown crimson shading almost to black, but / 
 / white towards the point, so as to give the flower the appearance / 
 I of having a white eye. It reaches the height of a foot, and is / 
 Ssj.jr.etty often to be found in old-fashioned gardens. __ _ , / 
 
 The Wood Cranesbill (G. sylvaticum), is a frequent orna- 
 ment of the woods and hilly meadows in the neighbourhood of 
 Eichmond. Its flowers are large and of a crimson purple. 
 
 On leaving the hilly districts and descending to the flatter 
 country, the Meadow Cranesbill (G. pratense, Plate V.,fig. 4), 
 with its large intensely blue flowers, takes the place of the 
 more alpine species. It is surpassed by none of them in 
 beauty, and is a very great favourite with all flower-lovers. 
 
 Only one species of this large family is now wanting, and 
 that was supplied to me last year from the very clever and 
 obliging Curator of the Botanic Garden at Edinburgh. It has 
 a crimson flower not unlike that of the Wood Cranesbill, and 
 a ternate or five-lobed leaf. It is called the Knotted Cranes- 
 bill (G. nodosum). 
 
72 
 
 The Striped Cranesbill (G-. striatum), grows in Aske woods, 
 a part of Lord Zetland's grounds ; it is a beautiful species, the 
 white petals covered with purple veins. It has recently been 
 admitted into our British Flora. 
 
 The Storksbills are closely allied with the Cranesbills, but 
 have a longer beak and pinnate leaves. 
 
 The Hemlock Storksbill (Erodium cicutarium, Plate V., 
 fig. 8), is a common plant about Edinburgh, adorning the rocks 
 on Braid Hill and Arthur's Seat, and the shore along the Firth 
 of Forth. Its bright pink flowers are very pretty. 
 
 The Sea Storksbill (E. maritmmm), has no beauty. Its tiny 
 flowers are generally petalless, and it would attract no atten- 
 tion except from a botanist. Fanny got it both at Looe and 
 Polperro, in Cornwall. At first she fancied that the petals 
 had fallen off by accident, and she kept the plant in water 
 until a fresh bud should open; this was also petalless. She 
 tried it again, but with the same result, and afterwards she 
 found from some book on botany that the petals were generally 
 absent. 
 
 All the members of this family have a musk odour, but the 
 Musky Storksbill (E. moschatum), has it in much the greatest 
 degree. This plant inhabits mountain pastures ; it differs but 
 little from the Hemlock Storksbill, and many eminent botanists 
 think it merely a variety of that species. 
 
 The Garden Rues, much recommended as a " Bitter," and 
 the Fraxinella, belong to orders succeeding that of the Gera- 
 nium, though without British representatives. The Fraxinella 
 is a native of Switzerland, and as a handsome shrubby plant 
 has gained entrance to our gardens. The whole plant has a 
 strong odour, agreeable to some, but very much the contrary to 
 others. Dr. Murray, in his book on " Vegetable Physiology," 
 states that the atmosphere around this plant becomes luminous 
 in hot weather. 
 
 The TEOPJEOLUM family, so well known in our gardens by its 
 representatives the common Nasturtium and the plant known 
 
TBOP^OLUM WOOD SOEEEL. 73 
 
 as " Canariense," is nearly allied to the Geraniums, being 
 chiefly distinguished by the spur at the back of the calyx. 
 The half-ripe fruit boiled in vinegar forms an excellent sub- 
 stitute for capers. 
 
 The BALSAM family has British representatives. The Touch- 
 me-not (Impatiens noli-me-tangere), was found wild in the 
 neighbourhood of the English Lakes. I had before dried 
 specimens which I found in Switzerland, at the foot of the 
 Staubbach waterfall. I have also seen it in shrubbery gardens 
 in Wiltshire, where it is self-sown, and in Mr. Ward's botanic 
 garden at Richmond. The whole plant is very succulent ; the 
 corolla is of an irregular form prolonged into a spur, alto- 
 gether shaped somewhat like a cornucopia; it is yellow, 
 dotted with red. The reason of its name, Touch-me-not, lies 
 in the five-valved seed-vessels, which burst with the slightest 
 touch. 
 
 The Tawny Touch-me-not differs little except in the red 
 tinge of the corolla from the common species. It is only found 
 in Surrey. My specimen was the gift of Mr. Ward. The 
 handsome double Balsam cultivated in our greenhouses is an 
 Indian brother of the Touch-me-not. 
 
 The OXALIS or WOOD SOEEEL (Oxalis acetosella, Plate F., 
 jig. 7), comes next in rotation. There is only one family in the 
 order. The common Wood Sorrel has delicate triple leaves, 
 often lined with purple, and it flourishes under the deepest 
 shade. Its flower has five sepals, five petals, ten stamens, and 
 five styles ; it is generally drooping, and its pale pencilled 
 blossoms have a most pleasing and modest appearance. Old 
 Gerarde calls it "Alleluya" or "Cuckoo Meate," because, he 
 says, " either the cuckoo feedeth thereon, or by reason when it 
 springeth foorth and flowreth the alleluya is sung in the 
 churches." The seed-vessels when ripe bend downwards, and 
 are hidden by the leaves : hence the plant was supposed to 
 have no seed. The whole plant has a sour flavour, and from 
 its leaves the poison called oxalic acid is obtained. 
 
74 OXALIDACE.E. 
 
 There is a yellow Oxalis with a taller stem and small flowers 
 growing in clusters of two or three. It grows wild in neglected 
 gardens, and a few warm woods. My specimens were from a 
 garden at Brixton, in Wiltshire ; none knew how it came 
 there, but each year fresh plants appeared among the Mint. 
 Mr. Ward had it in his botanic garden (O. corniculata) . 
 
 This order concludes the Receptacle subclass, the grand 
 distinctive feature of which is that all the parts are built on the 
 receptacle. One occasional supplementary part of a plant we 
 have left unnoticed, though it exists in several of the plants 
 we have handled. In the Sea and Purple Sandworts, each little 
 cluster of leaves has a large semi-transparent scale which covers 
 its juncture with the stem, this is called a stipule. These 
 leaf-like appendages vary from the simple form of a mere scale 
 to the full structure of a real leaf. In the Lime the bract, for 
 so it is called when accompanying the flower-stalk, is paler than 
 a leaf, though veined like one ; in the Willow-herb family it is 
 the same colour as the leaves. The Samphire has a cluster of 
 flowers (Plate IX., jig. 7), which is called an umbel. Where 
 the flowers join the main stem there is a row of bracts all round ; 
 this collection of bracts is called an involucre or wrapper. 
 Compound flowers, as the Thistle (Plate XL, Jig. 3), have 
 row upon row of these bracts, or what is called a compound 
 involucre. The acorn-cup is another form of united bracts. 
 When such leaflets occur at the foot of the leafstalk, instead of 
 the flower-stalk, as is the case with the Eose-leaf and the 
 Sandwort, they are called stipules. 
 
 EOOTS. 
 
 The root is a very important part of the plant, and we ought 
 not longer to delay a study of it. The so-called "creeping 
 roots" of Solomon's Seal (jig. A), Anemone (fig. B), Coralwort 
 (jig. C), and Water Lily, are merely underground stems with 
 little roots at their joints. They are marked with scales, which 
 
BOOTS. 
 
 75 
 
 appear to be the rudiments of imperfect leaves. The Creeping 
 Crowfoot (fig. D), has prostrate stems rooting at the joints, 
 
 and the offshoots of the Couch-grass are but young underground 
 stems. We always hear " bulbous roots " spoken of, and these 
 again are not real roots, but contracted stems and leaf-buds. 
 We call them corms (fig. E). If the corm of a Crocus be cut 
 
 in two just before the leaves begin to appear, it will be found 
 to consist of a collar from which the true roots spring, a solid 
 white part which is the stem, and one or two little buds in 
 the upper parts, which contain the germs of leaves and flowers. 
 The old corm wastes away when it has done flowering, and a 
 new corm is formed beside it. In the Crocus the new corm 
 forms above the old one, and the remains of the old one hang 
 like a fibrous ring at the base of the new. 
 
 The first action of a germinating seed is to send down a tap- 
 root ; as the plant increases in size this generally disappears, 
 and the root assumes the characteristic form of the species. 
 Herbaceous plants have generally either fibrous roots, the fibres 
 
76 
 
 BOOTS. 
 
 extending perpendicularly, or horizontally, as the case may be ; 
 or thickened roots, in which a store of mucilage is laid up for 
 the use of the plants. The spindle- shaped root (fig. F), is of 
 this description, and many plants have it for instance, the 
 Carrot, Parsnip, Eadish, &c. The truncated root of the DeviTs- 
 bit (fig. G), is also a storehouse for the plant's nourishment ; 
 
 the granules of the Meadow Saxifrage (fig. H), serve the pur- 
 pose, and the Lesser Celandine stores its mucilage in bundle 
 roots (fig. I). Some botanists class the tubers of the Orchis 
 (fig. K), with these thickened feeding- 
 organs, and others consider them more of 
 the nature of underground stems. 
 
 But whether the granule, tuber, or 
 spindle be present or not, the plant is sup- 
 plied with fibres, simple or branched, per- 
 pendicular or horizontal. These are the 
 mouths of the vegetable, by which it imbibes moisture and 
 nourishment from the earth ; the moisture rises through vessels 
 which traverse the whole plant, be it herb, shrub, or tree, 
 reaching to the leaves and the remotest bud before evincing 
 any change ; there it permeates the lungs of the plant, becomes 
 converted into characteristic sap, and gradually descends again 
 by a separate machinery of vessels. The structure of the woody 
 parts of roots corresponds generally with that of the stem, only 
 instead of pith it has in the centre a bundle of woody fibre and 
 vascular tissue. The true root is divided from the stem by a 
 collar, all the parts beneath the collar, whatever their form 
 and nature, may be said to belong to the root, though they may 
 
BOOTS. 77 
 
 not serve the purpose of the root. Possibly it may not have 
 occurred to you of how great a service roots are. The utility of 
 roots as the mouths of the plant I have already mentioned, 
 and they are of equal importance as anchors to the plant. The 
 roots of the Oak extend in every direction as far as the 
 branches, and this accounts for the great stability of the tree 
 and its security amid storms and floods. The fibrous roots 
 creep always in the direction of water, they have enormous 
 power in penetrating the smallest crevices in rocks, encircling 
 stones, and pushing their way through every impediment, thus 
 making good a strong position for the plant. Some roots are 
 very aggressive in their habits. Horseradish and Mint are 
 Very difficult to restrict to the ground assigned to them ; and 
 the Couch-grass, against which the farmer preaches an ever- 
 lasting crusade, finds means of overcoming every check to its 
 progress. Dr. Murray found bulbs of the White Lily threaded 
 by fibres of the Couch-grass like beads on a string. Yet even 
 these obtrusive grass-weeds have their utility, binding securely 
 the sand on the river-bank or sea-shore, and thus forming more 
 enduring dykes than the hand of man could raise. 
 
 It sounds selfish to speak of the edible qualities of roots as 
 their highest utility ; but it is not really so, for did not God 
 create the herb and grass of the field, and every tree, and give 
 them to man with the clear injunction, " To you it shall be for 
 meat?" In a spirit, therefore, of thankfulness to our bene- 
 ficent Father, I would enumerate the articles of food which He 
 has made to grow for us in the roots of plants the Carrot, 
 Turnip, Radish, Artichoke, Beetroot, Onion, Parsnip. 
 
 Instinct prompts the most savage nations to dig up and 
 eat roots, and great numbers subsist upon such food, thus 
 contenting themselves with the humblest of God's provisions. 
 Alas ! that the image of the Destroyer should so efface that of 
 the Creator in the highest of His works, that we should hear of 
 the fierce savage killing his own children, because the cravings 
 of hunger prompted them to steal the roots he had dug up ! 
 
78 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 CELASTE^CE^E EHAMNlCE^E LEGUMINdSJE. 
 
 " There is a lesson in each flower, 
 A story in each stream and bower ; 
 On every herb on which you tread 
 Are written -words, which, rightly read, 
 Will lead you from earth's fragrant sod 
 To hope, and holiness, and God." 
 
 IN the plants which, we are now about to study we must no 
 longer look for the stamens to be situated upon the recep- 
 tacle that was the character of the Thalamiflorals ; the second 
 subclass, that of the Calyciflorals, makes the calyx the bond 
 of union, and the stamens are situated upon it. 
 
 The twenty-fourth British order, the first in this subclass, is 
 that of the SPINDLE TEEE. The only British representative of 
 this family is Euonymus europseus, a pretty shrub with lance- 
 shaped leaves, smooth branches, and small clusters of greenish 
 flowers. These have generally four petals, four sepals, and four 
 stamens, though the number is sometimes five. The blossom 
 is unattractive, but the seed is very beautiful, consisting of 
 a fleshy crimson vessel, divided by a depressed line crossing 
 it at right angles into four parts ; the vessel opens at these 
 lines, and discloses four large seeds of a brilliant orange. I 
 have found this shrub about Richmond, in Yorkshire, and 
 on the borders of the Downs in Wiltshire, and Edward has 
 it from Kent. No great interest attaches to this shrub ; 
 butchers' skewers are made from it; but, what would be 
 more likely to redeem it from neglect is, that it is good for 
 making piano-keys. The Arabs eat the green leaves of one 
 species of Spindle, and wear a sprig of it to preserve them 
 from the plague. 
 
 The common BUCKTBTOEN (Rhamnus catharticus), is found 
 
BUCKTHOBN JUJUBE TEEE. 79 
 
 in hedges and thickets on the borders of Salisbury Plain. 
 The characteristics of the Buckthorn family are calyx of four 
 or five sepals, and petals of the same number, and stamens 
 answering to the sepals ; fruit hard and dry. The common 
 Buckthorn has serrated lance-shaped leaves, compact clusters 
 of greenish flowers, and black bitter berries. The stamens are 
 on one flower, and the pistils on another. The fruit gathered 
 unripe yields a yellow dye ; a coarse medicine for dogs is 
 made from the ripe berries. 
 
 Edward was told that the Alder Buckthorn (R. frangula, 
 Plate VI., fig. 1), grew in a certain wood near Hawkhurst. 
 He went to seek it, and was greatly disappointed to find that 
 the whole wood, excepting the large trees, had been levelled 
 to procure Hop-poles. However, he found it afterwards in 
 the Bedgebury woods. It is a pretty shrub, with light green 
 foliage; the broad-shouldered leaves are on long footstalks, 
 and the little waxy pink-tinted flowers look very innocent 
 in their small clusters. One of those caterpillars which 
 children call " woolly bears " was crawling upon the leaves 
 when Edward found it, and his young companion, a juvenile 
 " man of Kent," told him by no means to touch the creature, 
 for it was called a " black man's ring," and if it once got 
 round his finger nothing could loosen it except cutting off 
 the finger. Mr. Johns states that the caterpillar of the 
 sulphur butterfly feeds principally upon this shrub, so probably 
 it is a general favourite with caterpillars, and the "woolly 
 bear " that did not fasten round Edward's finger, may disport 
 among the branches next summer on gorgeous wings. 
 
 Of the same order is the Jujube Tree, a native of Syria, 
 from the juice of which the cough lozenges called jujubes are 
 made. At Hawkhurst Edward saw a graceful tree with 
 pinnate leaves and long spines ; it is an ally of the Buckthorn 
 order, and is supposed to have been the tree from which our 
 Saviour's crown of thorns was made. It is indigenous to 
 Syria and Palestine. 
 
80 LEGUMINOS^. 
 
 We now come to a very important family, the Pea and Bean 
 tribe. The British members of the group are characterised by 
 two general features a butterfly-shaped corolla (papiliona- 
 ceous), and a leguminous seed-vessel. The legume is a pod, 
 sometimes straight and sometimes curved ; it prevails in the 
 entire order. The papilionaceous corolla holds good in the 
 British species, but it is wanting in some of the foreign ones. 
 This order contains above six thousand species, most of them 
 nutritious all, according to Linnaeus, wholesome. They are 
 found in all parts of the world, with the exception of one or 
 two remote islands, and are used for food for human beings as 
 well as cattle in all countries. The timber trees Acacia, 
 Rosewood, and Logwood, belong to this family, whilst gum 
 arabic, senna, liquorice, and balsam of tolu are the produce of 
 other species. Indigo and the Locust Tree also pertain to this 
 group. The best gum arabic is the produce of an Arabian 
 species of Acacia, and Arabian physicians first discovered the 
 medicinal properties of senna. All the British species are 
 herbaceous, with the exception of the Broom and Green-weeds. 
 The leaves of this order are mostly pinnate, with a tendril or 
 an odd leaflet, seldom simple. They have stipules in pairs. 
 The flowers are handsome, often very sweet. The herbage 
 is wholesome for cattle, the seeds for man. The " husks that 
 the swine did eat " are generally considered to be those of the 
 Locust Tree, sometimes called St. John's Bread, from an idea 
 that its fruit was the locusts eaten by him ; but as locusts have 
 from time immemorial been the food of people in the East, the 
 word may fairly be taken in a literal sense. The husks are 
 still employed for feeding cattle in Palestine, and a juice is 
 expressed from them and used in preserving fruits. The leaves 
 and bark are used for tanning skins. They have ten stamens 
 joined in two bundles or brotherhoods, and one pistil. This 
 great leguminous order is divided into three groups the Lotus 
 group, the Vetch group, and the Jointed Yetch group. In the 
 first, or Lotus group, all the stamens are united at the bottom. 
 
FUBZE GEEEN-WEED. 81 
 
 The Furze is the first family of this group. Our common 
 Furze needs no description, we have all seen it in every 
 county we have visited, however far inland, or however close 
 upon the sea. The French call the plant Jonc-marin, in 
 allusion to its endurance of the sea-air. Its Latin name, Ulex 
 europeeus (Plate VI., fig. 2), signifies sharp ; and the fingers 
 of eager flower-plucking children attest to the fitness of the 
 appellation. This shrub is essentially characteristic of England; 
 it cannot live in hot countries, nor does it extend far north, 
 being scarce even in the Highlands of Scotland. When 
 Linnaeus first beheld the Furze, with its wealth of golden 
 blossoms, he fell on his knees, and thanked God for its beauty. 
 He attempted in vain to introduce it into Sweden. It perished 
 in the open country, and even in the garden it sickened and 
 died. Dillenius, too, another famous botanist, said that he 
 could not find words to express the pleasure which the sight 
 of this plant had given him. In Scotland it is called Whin 
 more than Furze, and we often hear it named Gorse. Fences 
 are made of this bush, the young shoots are eaten by cattle, 
 the seeds are devoured by birds, and the old stems afford 
 winter firing for the poor. At one time the whole plant used 
 to be crushed by a machine and given both to cows and horses 
 for food, in the neighbourhood of Birmingham. 
 
 There is a smaller species (Ulex nanus), with paler blossoms, 
 which blooms in August and September. It grows in Kent 
 and Sussex. Edward has specimens from the hills at Hastings; 
 indeed he gathered some on the site of the famous battle which 
 gave to William the First his title of " Conqueror." 
 
 The Green-weed family come next. The largest of these, 
 the Dyer's Green-weed (Genista tinctoria, Plate VI., fig. 4), 
 is pretty common. I have gathered it near Sutton, in the 
 Bipon district, and in the neighbourhood of Richmond, and 
 I see that Edward has specimens from Kent. It is a hard- 
 wooded plant, but grows half prostrate, mingling with the 
 grass in mountain meadows. Its large yellow flowers, placed 
 
82 LEGUMINOS^E. 
 
 alternately up the stalk, and relieved by the smooth, dark, 
 fine green foliage, render the plant both gay and elegant. 
 It flowers in July. 
 
 The Needle Green-weed (G. anglica), I found at Brimhani 
 Bocks a wonderful collection of masses of millstone scattered 
 upon a wide swampy moor near Harrowgate. This plant is 
 almost as prickly as the Furze, it grows nearly prostrate, and 
 its flowers are paler and smaller. 
 
 The Hairy Green-weed (G. pilosa), is destitute of prickles, 
 its blooms are of a fuller shade, and are not clustered as in the 
 Needle Green-weed. My specimen was sent to me from 
 Hampshire. Once I saw it grow abundantly, but it was on 
 sandstone rocks about Heidelberg, and those specimens are 
 not admissible in our British collection. 
 
 The Dyer's Green-weed is sometimes used for imparting a 
 yellow colour to wool. 
 
 The BROOM (Cytisus scoparia, fig. 3), is our well-known 
 representative of the next family. More widely distributed 
 than the Furze, but not growing in such immense masses, it 
 is at once a handsome and a graceful shrub. Burns testifies 
 his preference for it. 
 
 " Their groves of sweet Myrtle let foreign lands reckon, 
 Where bright beaming summers exalt the perfume ; 
 Far dearer to me yon lone glen o' green brecken, 
 Wi' the burn stealing under the lang yellow Broom." 
 
 This plant used to be included in the last family. The name, 
 Genista, was taken from the French " Plant a genet," or 
 " genet a balai," for from it they make brooms. Fulke, Earl 
 of Anjou, being ordered to make a pilgrimage as a penance 
 for his sins, and, at the same time to submit to castigation, 
 wore afterwards a sprig of the rod in his helmet as a token 
 of his humility, and hence received the name Plant a genet. 
 Geoffry, another Earl of Anjou, the husband of the Empress 
 Matilda of Germany, went into battle with the same emblem 
 on his helmet, and thus the name came to be bequeathed 
 to his descendants the Plantagenets. In 1234, Louis of 
 
LABUENUM MEDICK. 83 
 
 France made the Broom the insignia of a new order of knight- 
 hood, and the members of the order wore a chain of the 
 flowers, from which in allusion to Earl Fulke's reason for 
 wearing it, a gold cross was suspended with the inscription 
 " Dens Exaltat Humilis." 
 
 The Garden Laburnum belongs to this family ; its seeds are 
 an exception to the general rule of the tribe, for they are 
 violently emetic, if not actually poisonous. 
 
 The common Rest Harrow (Ononis spinosa, Plate VI., fig. 5), 
 is a shrubby, hairy plant, with simple leaves, serrated towards 
 the end. The branches bear thorns, and the whole plant is so 
 tough as to be said to arrest the harrow. Some go so far as to 
 assert that this is the "thorn" spoken of in the curse of our 
 first parents, but I see little reason for adopting the opinion. 
 Its flowers are a brilliant pink ; it flourishes on heaths and 
 commons from June to August. My specimen was gathered 
 near Eipon. . 
 
 The small annual Rest Harrow is a very scarce plant, 
 growing only on cliffs in the Mull of Galloway ; it has pale 
 lilac flowers, and leaves composed of three leaflets. 
 
 The useful Medicks come next in order. The Black Medick 
 (Medicago lupulina), is our first specimen. It grows abun- 
 dantly among low herbage, and about the entrances of corn 
 fields; as children we used to call it "Brimstone." It has 
 small yellow flowers, packed closely into an oval cluster, and 
 its leaflets are shaped like eggs upside down. Its legumes are 
 black. 
 
 Our second species is the Spotted Medick (M. maculata), 
 which Fanny brought from Cornwall. It has only two or three 
 flowers in a cluster, and its leaflets have a dark spot on them : 
 hence the name. The seed-vessels are curious and beautiful, 
 twisted round so as to form a ball, and the edges sharply 
 toothed, so as to resemble a bur. On this account the plant 
 is very mischievous in sheep pastures, for the legume gets 
 entangled in the wool, and cannot be taken away without 
 
84 LEGUMINOS^J. 
 
 breaking the hairs. A Cornish merchant told me that the 
 plant prevails to a great extent in Australia, and so damages 
 the fleeces of the sheep that the wool from such estates sells 
 for a much lower price than that which is free from burs. 
 
 Edward has brought the Purple Medick, or Lucerne 
 (M. sativa, Plate VI,, fig. 6), from Kent. It is a much pret- 
 tier plant than either of its brethren, its lilac flowers being 
 arranged in a large cluster upon its tall leafy stem. It has 
 also spiral seed-vessels, and is much cultivated for cattle. 
 
 The Sickle Medick is scarcely distinct from this, but its 
 flowers vary to yellow and greenish-white. 
 
 There are two small members of this family, the Little Bur 
 Medick, and the Toothed Medick, but we have not found them. 
 
 We now come to the Clovers or Trefoil family, to which 
 the Melilot belongs ; but, as some separate the Melilots into a 
 distinct family, we will discuss them first. The name Melilotus 
 signifies Honey Lotus. This division of the Trefoil family 
 have their flowers in spikes, and their short legumes contain 
 only one seed; the leaf comprises three leaflets. The common 
 Melilot (Melilotus officinalis), used to grow abundantly in the 
 fields which now form the park belonging to the Palace of 
 the Bishop of Ripon. I gathered the present specimen on 
 some waste ground near Starbeck Station, and I have often 
 seen the plant growing on the side of railway cuttings. 
 
 The White Melilot is much scarcer than the Yellow, but 
 frequents the same kind of places. I have never found it. 
 
 The White Clover (Trifolium repens, fig. 7), is a very 
 interesting plant, not only because of the valuable food 
 which its blotched leaves afford to cattle, but because it is the 
 ensign of Ireland, as Moore sings 
 
 " The Shamrock, 
 The green, immortal Shamrock ; 
 Chosen leaf 
 Of bard and chief, 
 Old Erin's native Shamrock." 
 
 But far more touching than any allusion of Moore is the simple 
 
SHAMBOCK CLOVEBS. 85 
 
 story of how the Shamrock became identified with Ireland. 
 It was in the distant period when St. Patrick was preaching 
 the Christian religion, and instructing the ignorant but intel- 
 ligent people in the nature of the true God. When he asserted 
 the doctrine of the Trinity, they would hear him no longer ; 
 hitherto they had listened with eager curiosity, but this 
 mystery was too great for them to endure. "Three Gods 
 and yet but one God, impossible !" they said. He stooped, 
 and gathering a Shamrock leaf held it aloft. " Here is but 
 one leaf," he said, " and yet, lo ! it is three ! If in one of 
 the humblest works of creation this mystery is manifested, 
 how much more should it exist in the Creator himself !" 
 
 " Full well he read, that mighty man of old, 
 A mighty mystery of the humble sod ; 
 With wondering awe they saw the saint unfold 
 The triple leaf, and teach a triune God ! 
 Then unbelief and prejudice took flight, 
 With such 'weak things ' did God the wise confound ; 
 And darkness fled before the flood of light, 
 And heathen ears received the Gospel sound." 
 
 The next neighbour of the White Clover, the Bird's-foot 
 Clover (T. ornithopodoides), has a small pale red flower, about 
 three in a cluster. It is said to grow at Musselburgh, but I 
 have never seen it. // ^ /- ^ fa<4<l4kjL& / f V 
 
 / The Pink Clover (T. pratensej; Vlfich, as children we used to\ 
 Icall " Sweet Kitty Clover," is common in meadows everywhere^ 
 
 The Zigzag Clover (T. medium), is a taller plant, with longer 
 leaflets, and a less dense head of flowers. I gathered it near 
 Goostrey, in Cheshire, by the side of a sandy lane, and I see 
 Edward has a specimen from Kent. 
 
 The Sulphur Clover (T. ochroleucum), with its erect downy 
 stems and dense head, favours dry pastures in the eastern 
 counties, but I have not had the good fortune to procure it. 
 
 The Hare's-foot Trefoil (T. arvense), I found in a lane leading 
 west by the side of the Ure, near Bipon. The calyx-leaves are 
 long and densely hairy ; and the small flowers are almost lost 
 among them. It blooms also in the autumn among corn. 
 
86 LEGUMINOS^;. 
 
 The Teasel-headed Trefoil (T. maritimum), has a striking 
 resemblance in miniature to the plant after which it is named, 
 It inhabits salt marshes, and we have no specimen. 
 
 The Hop Trefoil flowers in compact yellow heads ; it spreads 
 widely, and is a gay little plant. I gathered it in a Clover field 
 in Swaledale. 
 
 The Lesser Trefoil and the Slender Trefoil (Trifolium minus 
 and filiforme), are of the same habit as the Hop Trefoil (T. pro- 
 cumbens), but very minute. I gathered these plants on the 
 sandy pastures at Hedcar, on the east coast of Yorkshire. 
 
 The Subterraneous Trefoil (T. subterraneum), is one of 
 Fanny's Cornish treasures ; it grows half buried in sandy 
 soil, but the clusters of four flowers manage to raise their 
 heads a little, and look pretty on account of the strong contrast 
 between the crimson throat and white wings of the corolla. 
 The calyx throws out fibres when the flower has faded, by 
 means of which it drags the plant down and buries it. 
 
 The Rough Trefoil (T. scabram), is from Polperro, on the 
 same coast. The calyx-leaves are naked and spreading, and 
 give the clusters a starry appearance ; these grow both at the 
 ends of the branches and from the axils of the leaves. The 
 flowers are pale pink and very small. 
 
 The Strawberry-headed Trefoil (T. fragiferum), grows on 
 the salt marshes between Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare ; 
 its round cluster and small pink flowers appearing from 
 among the teeth of the calices, give it a strong resemblance 
 to a half-ripe Strawberry. Fanny sought the Knotted Trefoil 
 on the spot indicated by Mr. Johns, in his "Week at the 
 Lizard," but in vain. 
 
 The characteristics of the Bird's-foot Trefoils are a five-cleft 
 tubular calyx, and wings the same length as the standard. All 
 the members of the family are yellow. Edward has a beautiful 
 specimen of the Greater Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus major), 
 from the Kentish lanes, and I have them also from Yorkshire 
 ones. The cluster of yellow flowers is large and handsome, 
 
TEEFOILS LADY'S-FINGEE. 87 
 
 and the plant grows to the height of two or three feet ; it is 
 covered with soft hairs. 
 
 The Bird's-foot Trefoil (L. corniculatus, Plate VI., fig. 8), is 
 a cheerful inhabitant of every lane and field in nearly every 
 county. Its pretty sweet-scented yellow clusters, tinged with 
 crimson when in bud, are welcome everywhere ; its strong 
 deep-penetrating root makes a secure anchorage even in the 
 shifting sand of the river-bed, and the equally unreliable 
 bank; it covers plots on the chalk downs with its bright 
 flowers, and adorns the exhausted lime-quarry; indeed the 
 difficulty would be to say where it does not grow. 
 
 The Slender Bird's-foot Trefoil (L. tenuissimus), Fanny 
 found at Clevedon; it has only two or or three flowers in a 
 cluster. 
 
 The Smallest Bird's-foot Trefoil (L. angustissimus), grows 
 on cliffs about Talland and Polperro ; it has only one flower 
 on a stalk, or occasionally two. The plant is very woolly. 
 
 We have none of us found the Oxytropis ; but I have a 
 pretty specimen which was sent to me from Scotland. The 
 large blue flowers are collected in heads, and open in July 
 (Oxytropis uralensis). 
 
 The Lady's -Finger (Anthyllis vulneraria), is a plant with 
 woolly foliage. Its flowers are yellow, and grow in pairs of 
 dense clusters. A general observer would call it a well-grown 
 yellow Clover, but upon a closer inspection you at once 
 perceive that the large head is composed of two distinct 
 clusters. This plant grows commonly in pastures about 
 Bipon. I have also found it in the vicinity of Richmond, and 
 there are specimens here from Kent and Warwickshire. 
 
 The Milk Vetches have tumid legumes, white or purple 
 flowers, and pinnate leaves. 
 
 The Sweet Milk Yetch (Astragalus glycyphyllus), grows 
 two or three feet high when supported, but more often trails 
 along the ground, or among low bushes. It has large, light 
 green leaves, composed of nine or more oval leaflets ; its 
 
88 IEGUMINOS2E. 
 
 flowers are greenish-white, and grow in a large cluster ; its 
 stalks are sweet, with the flavour of liquorice, and children 
 like to nibble them. It grows abundantly about Frome, in 
 Somersetshire, but I made my first acquaintance with it in the 
 woods of Switzerland. 
 
 The sandy pastures about Redcar produce the Purple Milk 
 Vetch (A. hypoglottis, Plate VI., fig. 9). It has a large cluster 
 of purple flowers, nearly as big as the rest of the planti The 
 leaves are pinnate, the leaflets small, but very numerous. 
 
 "We come next to the true Vetches. The most beautiful of 
 them, the Wood Vetch (Vicia sylvatica, Plate VI. , fig. 10), 
 grows in the hilly parts of Yorkshire and Herefordshire. By 
 means of its delicate tendrils it climbs the bushes as high 
 as six or seven feet, and from thence its light graceful foliage, 
 and large clusters of pale, purple-striped flowers, hang in 
 elegant festoons. It blooms late in the summer. 
 
 The Tufted Vetch (V. cracca), is the next in order of beauty. 
 It climbs the hedges, or roams over the bank, raising its one- 
 sided spikes of bright blue flowers wherever it can find a 
 support. I have gathered it in many parts of Yorkshire, 
 Lancashire, Cheshire, Warwickshire, and Kent. 
 
 The common Vetch (V. sativa), is cultivated as fodder for 
 cattle. It is a succulent herb, with a thick stalk ; its flowers, 
 growing alone or in pairs, are seated on the main stem. 
 
 The Narrow-leaved Vetch (V. angustifolia), resembles the 
 common one, but is of a more slender habit. I found it first 
 on the ruins of Jervaulx Abbey, in Wensleydale ; and since, I 
 have seen it growing in Edward's favourite county, Kent. 
 
 The Bush Vetch (V. sepium), with its grey purple clusters 
 at the axils of the leaves, is a very familiar ornament of our 
 heaths and woods, flowering in spring. 
 
 There are a Sulphur Vetch and a Yellow Vetch, both fre- 
 quenting the south coast of England, and a Purple Vetch, 
 with only two pairs of leaflets on each leafstalk ; but none of 
 these have rewarded our researches. 
 
VETCHES SAINTFOIN. 89 
 
 The Tares are pretty slender plants. The Hairy one 
 (Ervum hirsutum), very elegant, with its pale lilac- striped 
 blossoms on long slender footstalks, alone or in pairs. This 
 plant grows abundantly in the South. Fanny has Cornish 
 specimens, and Ned Kentish ones, but I have not found it 
 in the North. 
 
 The Smooth Tare has very insignificant blossoms, three or 
 four in a cluster, but its foliage is very light and elegant, and 
 has a pretty effect climbing among the tall plants in a hedge- 
 bank. It abounds in every part of England. 
 
 The common Bird's-foot (Ornithopus perpusillus, Plate VI., 
 jig. 13), has hardly larger blossoms, but they are tinged with 
 bright rose colour, which makes them more attractive. The 
 plant is compact, the numerous leaflets in the pinnate leaves 
 are oval and pointed, and the seed-vessels are curved, and 
 knotted like a string of beads. I have never found the plant 
 but in the sandy lanes of Cheshire. 
 
 The Horse-shoe Yetch (Hippocrepis comosa), allied to the 
 Bird's-foot by its curved beaded legumes, is a trophy from the 
 downs of Wiltshire. Its clusters of yellow flowers nearly 
 resemble those of the Bird's-foot Lotus, but the more nume- 
 rous leaflets and peculiar seed-pod mark a broad distinction 
 between the plants. Both flower in June. 
 
 On one of the downs bordering upon Salisbury Plain I 
 got the beautiful Saintfoin or French Hay (Hedysarum 
 onobrychis). It is largely cultivated in some districts for 
 cattle, but as Salisbury Plain is given as one of its natural 
 habitats, I hope mine was a wild specimen. It is a beautiful 
 plant, with a dense spike of crimson and white flowers, and 
 bright green pinnate leaves. Ann Pratt speaks of a foreign 
 species of Saintfoin which keeps up an incessant motion 
 (H. gyrans). If the leaflets are held quiet by force, they 
 move afresh upon being released with an increased rapidity, as 
 if to make up for lost time. 
 
 The Everlasting Pea family is the next one in this large 
 
90 
 
 group which, we shall discuss. There are fewer leaflets 
 in the members of this family, and each leaf is endowed 
 with a tendril. The handsomest species is the Broad-leaved 
 Vetchling (Lathyrus latifolius). This is a frequent ornament 
 of gardens and shrubberies, only objectionable because of 
 spreading too quickly. Its large crimson standard, as the 
 uppermost petal in the papilionaceous order is called, and 
 purple-tinged wings, are very conspicuous. It is very rarely 
 found wild. 
 
 The Sweet Pea is a member of this family, and is indigenous 
 in the south of Europe, especially Sicily. Keats greatly appre- 
 ciated its beauty, likening its flowers to the gay insects which 
 they resemble in form. 
 
 " Here are sweet Peas on tiptoe for a flight, 
 With wings of gentle flush o'er delicate white ; 
 And taper fingers catching at all things, 
 To bind them all about with tiny rings." 
 
 The Field and Marrowfat Peas are its near relations. The 
 Field Pea produces the " dried Peas " of the shops, from which 
 we make "pease pudding." The Marrowfat Peas are boiled 
 green for the table, and the young pods make excellent soup. 
 
 Fanny describes the Narrow-leaved Vetchling (Lathyrus 
 sylvestris), as drooping over cliffs at Looe, and, in particular, 
 adorning a rocky path by which they descended to some caves, 
 among a group of rocks called the " Quakers' Meeting," which 
 was the " bathing place." After the refreshing bath they were 
 accustomed to twine the Vetchling round their hats as they sat 
 in the sunshine eating the biscuits rendered necessary by the 
 appetising air and ablution. In this plant the flowers are 
 large, the standard greenish, and the wings a purplish- crimson. 
 
 The Blue Marsh Vetchling is a rare plant, as is also the 
 Eough-podded Vetchling, with its bright crimson standard. 
 We have no specimen of either. 
 
 I found the Yellow Vetchling (L. aphaca), upon the railway 
 line near Warminster ; it] has glaucous foliage, large heart- 
 
VETCHES. 91 
 
 shaped stipules, and tendrils without leaves. The flower is 
 a pale yellow. I have since found it on field borders in the 
 same neighbourhood. It is a smaller plant than the Narrow- 
 leaved species. Its seeds produce headache, so it must be 
 placed with the Laburnum, as an exception to the general rule 
 of the wholesomeness of leguminous plants. 
 
 The Crimson Vetchling (L. nissolia, Plate VI., jig. 11), 
 is a very elegant plant, growing about a foot high, with a 
 slender stem, awl-shaped stipules, and grassy leaves without 
 tendrils. The flowers are solitary, upon a long footstalk, and 
 both standard and wings are of a bright crimson. Edward 
 found it in a lane near Hawkhurst last June, and it also grows 
 near Frome, in Somerset. 
 
 The Meadow Yetchling (L. pratensis), is a familiar hedge 
 ornament, decking with its full clusters of bright yellow 
 blossoms groves and hedgerows in every county I have ever 
 visited. 
 
 The Sea Pea (Pisum maritimum), has large flowers in com- 
 pact clusters, both standard and wings are purplish-crimson; 
 each leaf boasts eight pairs of glaucous leaflets, and its stem 
 is prostrate. It frequents stony shores. 
 
 The Bitter Yetch is the last leguminous family. These 
 plants have no tendrils, and do not grow more than a span high. 
 
 The common Bitter Yetch (drobus tuberosus, Plate VI., 
 jig. 13), has crimson blossoms turning purple as they fade. 
 It is common in woods everywhere. In the Highlands of 
 Scotland it is very abundant, and the people eat the root, or 
 steep it in their liquor. It has somewhat the flavour of 
 liquorice, and they believe that it prevents hunger. They call 
 it "Corneille" or "Heath-pea." It is an early flower, and 
 both its leaf and blossom are desirable in the spring nosegay. 
 
 The Black Bitter Yetch and the Wood Bitter Yetch (O. niger 
 and sylvatica), are rare Scotch species ; the former has blue 
 flowers, the latter cream-coloured ones. 
 
 "We have now gone through this very important order of the 
 
92 LEGUMINOS2E. 
 
 leguminous plants. We have observed their wonderful struc- 
 ture, the stamens and pistil, the fruit-bearing parts protected 
 by two petals united and shaped like a keel ; two more petals, 
 placed one on each side of the keel, called wings, which further 
 protect the delicate parts ; and above all a standard petal, 
 broad and sheltering, which, by a little twist of the footstalk 
 always turns to the wind, and beneath the bitter blast bends 
 and covers the rest of the flower, preserving the germ of 
 future life. 
 
 Thus, this tribe alone would reveal to us the tender care and 
 great wisdom of our Creator and Father. The mess of pottage, 
 for which the impatient Esau sold his birthright, was made of 
 a member of this tribe the Lentil (Ervum lens) ; and the food 
 which nourished the four faithful Jews in the court of Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, and made their countenances fair and flourishing, 
 was Pulse, another plant of this family. Thus the leguminous 
 order convey both warning and example ; warning against an 
 inordinate and impatient desire, and example of the blessings 
 of self-denial and moderation, when practised from a holy 
 motive and consecrated by a pure aim. 
 
CHAPTEE VII. 
 ROSACES. 
 
 " Where do the Wisdom and the Power Divine 
 In a more bright and sweet reflection shine ? 
 Where do we finer strokes and colours see 
 Of the Creator's real poetry, 
 Than when we with attention look 
 Upon the third day's volume of the book ? 
 If we could open, and extend our eye, 
 We all, like Moses, should espy 
 E'en in a bush the radiant Deity." 
 
 COWLET. 
 
 THE EOSE order, like the Leguminous, requires to be divided 
 into groups, distinguished from one another by the form and 
 structure of the fruit, A four or five-lobed permanent calyx, 
 five petals, and numerous stamens, are the characteristics of the 
 whole order. A simple seed or kernel enclosed in a hard case, 
 and surrounded by juicy pulp, distinguishes the Almond group ; 
 a collection of seed-vessels opening at the side distinguishes the 
 Meadow Sweet group ; numerous carpels, fastened into a recep- 
 tacle either fleshy or dry, characterise the Strawberry group ; 
 seeds enclosed within a hardened calyx mark the Burnet 
 group ; nut-like seeds in a fleshy tube the Rose group ; while, 
 in the Apple group, the seeds are contained in horny cells. 
 
 To begin with the Almond group. The first family is that 
 of the Plum and Cherry. 
 
 The Wild Cherry (Prunus cerasus, Plate VIL, fig. 10), 
 abounds in Kent ; it is a beautiful object when covered with 
 its sheet of snowy blossoms, and scarcely less so in its autumnal 
 garb of deep crimson foliage. It grows very abundantly in the 
 woods about Eichmond also. There are two varieties one 
 bearing red and one black berries ; but between the birds and 
 the boys no fruit has been left to ripen upon the trees within 
 my range of observation. But never have I seen such Cherry- 
 
94 AMYGDALE^;. 
 
 blossom as in Switzerland, and that blossom was followed by 
 abundant and well-ripened fruit. There they distil a strong 
 coarse spirit from the Cherries, called Kirschwasser, or Cherry- 
 water. We were often disappointed when, stopping at a way- 
 side inn on a long excursion, we asked for wine or milk, and 
 could get nothing but this abominable spirit. But we had our 
 enjoyment out of the Cherries ; for one penny we could buy a 
 basketful, and we regaled ourselves with them daily. At Ham- 
 burgh an annual feast of Cherries is held, the occasion of which 
 is interesting. When the city was besieged by the Hussites, 
 and reduced to great straits, the suffering people dressed their 
 children in mourning and sent them to sue for mercy. The 
 enemy, touched by this sight, fed them bountifully and sent 
 them back with branches of Cherries. Processions of children 
 celebrate the annual feast. Mr. Johns gives an interesting 
 account of this in his " Forest Trees of Britain." 
 
 In the same Yorkshire woods the Bird Cherry (P. padus), 
 puts forth its spikes of elegant flowers, and this tree is still 
 more abundant in the glens in Swaledale. The fruit is dark 
 purple, oval, and bitter to the taste. 
 
 The Common and Portugal Laurels belong to this group, also 
 the Peach, Nectarine, Apricot, and Almond. The fruit of all 
 is wholesome, but the leaves contain prussic acid in a greater 
 or less degree ; and this is, as you know, a deadly poison. 
 The bark yields gum. I remember a beautiful Morello Cherry 
 tree, trained against a south wall in our fruit garden, parted 
 with so much gum that the soil was caked with it. The tree 
 died of exhaustion. 
 
 Kent has supplied us with specimens of all the wild Plums. 
 
 The common Wild Plum (Prunus domestica), is distinguished 
 by being thornless. 
 
 The Wild Bullace (P. insititia), has thorns at the end of the 
 / branches. 
 . " CThe Blackthorn or Sloe has abundance of thorns, hence its 
 
 J tjit * >f D 
 
 * c Latin name (P. spinosa). This species is the earliest in flower- 
 
PLUMS SPIEJEAS. 95 
 
 ing, its abundant blossoms appearing before the leaf-buds, in 
 March, about the time when the east winds set in. On this 
 account a cold spring is called a " Blackthorn winter." In 
 Wiltshire I remember finding bushes in the hedgerows covered 
 with the keenly-acid blue-black fruit of this shrub. They were 
 beyond my reach, so I called a labourer working in the field, 
 and asked him to gather some for me. It was long before 
 I could make him understand which object in the hedge had 
 excited my desire ; and when at last he comprehended me, he 
 exclaimed in supreme contempt " I could not go for to think 
 that you could be a wanting of snags ! " Such is the provincial 
 term for the Sloe. The French adulterate port wine with 
 this fruit, and also pickle it green, like Olives. 
 
 The Meadow Sweet group (Spiraeacese), contains but one 
 British family. The common Meadow Sweet (Spiraea ulmaria), 
 is easy to find, its powerful scent being perceived from afar, 
 even were its clusters of numerous white feathery flowers less 
 conspicuous. The French call it " Eeine des pres," and its ex- 
 cessive fragrance makes it indeed worthy to be a queen. But 
 the powerful scent is not wholesome, for I have read of children 
 who have kept a quantity in their little bedroom being found 
 insensible in the morning. The other members of this family 
 call themselves Dropworts. They are both of them scarce. 
 
 The Common Dropwort (S. filipendula), grows on the ser- 
 pentine cliffs in the Lizard district; Fanny got specimens 
 from thence last July. It is a smaller plant than the Meadow 
 Sweet, and has little scent ; its leaves are more or less pinnate 
 not merely deeply serrated as in the former plant. 
 
 The third Spiraea attains the stature of a shrub ; its leaves 
 are simply lance-shaped, evenly serrated, and smooth. Its 
 flowers are pink, and grow on a smaller, more regular cluster 
 than those of its brethren. These specimens come from the 
 neighbourhood of the English Lakes . 
 
 The Willow-leaved Dropwort (S. salicifolia), is rare in its 
 wild state, but frequent in shrubberies. 
 
-96 DEYADEJE. 
 
 This specimen of the White Dryas (D. octopetala), the only 
 representative of the first family in the Strawberry group 
 (Dryadese), was sent to me from the Perthshire Highlands. 
 Its large blossom has eight petals of brilliant whiteness, and 
 its simple oak-shaped leaves are white and downy beneath. It 
 flowers in August. It is named from the Greek word for oak, 
 on account of the shape of its leaves. 
 
 The two members of the Avens family are also in my 
 possession. 
 
 The common Avens or Herb Bennet (Geum urbanum), opens 
 its yellow flowers, disclosing the cluster of crimson stamens 
 and stigmas. The petals fall off as soon as gathered, and the 
 only chance of pressing a piece satisfactorily is to make it 
 bloom in water, and transfer it at once to the paper. Tlie 
 leaves at the root are pinnate, those of the leaves ternate, 
 or in three leaflets. The seeds are fastened to the receptacle, 
 and each is endowed with a feathery plume. 
 
 The Water Avens or Long-Bennet (G-. rivale, Plate VII. , 
 fig. 1), is a deep orange; the petals form a bell, and the full 
 flower always droops ; it grows by rivulets and in moist woods. 
 I remember seeing it for the first time in the Mackershaw woods, 
 near Hipon, a part of the estate of Studley a lovely situation, 
 such as might well suggest the aspiration of the poet Browne 
 
 " Oh blessedness to lie 
 By the clear brook where the Long-Bennet dips." 
 
 The distinguishing characteristic of the Cinquefoil family, 
 is, as the name indicates, the leaf of five leaflets. But to this 
 characteristic there are exceptions. 
 
 The Silver Weed (Potentilla anserina), is our most familiar 
 Cinquefoil, yet the shining leaves which adorn our road- 
 sides are pinnate. It has large, light yellow flowers ; and its 
 creeping stems and shining white foliage make it a general 
 favourite. 
 
 The Shrubby Cinquefoil (P. fruticosa), has a woody stem, 
 and grows to the height of three feet. Its leaves are smaller 
 
CINQTJEFOILS. 97 
 
 than those of the Silver Weed, and are dark green on the upper 
 side, but white and woolly below ; they likewise are pinnate. 
 This is a scarce species, its bright rose-shaped yellow flowers 
 are thickly scattered over the bush, and it is a pleasing object. 
 I gathered it early in last August about rocks in Teasdale, not 
 far from the celebrated waterfall called " The High Force." 
 
 The Strawberry-flowered Cinquefoil, which has occasionally 
 seven leaflets, I have not found. It only flourishes in Wales. 
 
 The Spring Cinquefoil I gathered at the end of last April 
 on Blackford Hill, near Edinburgh. It is a very small species, 
 with yellow flowers, and deep green leaves. The edges and 
 the ribs of the leaves are somewhat bristly ; otherwise the 
 plant is smooth. 
 
 The Creeping Cinquefoil (P. repens, Plate VII., Jig. 2), grows 
 in most hedgebanks ; its trailing stem, leaves and flower- 
 stalk joined to the stem in clusters, bright yellow blooms, and 
 full green five-parted leaves, are easily recognised. 
 
 The Hoary Cinquefoil grows also on Blackford Hill, but I was 
 too early for it. It is a cottony plant, with small yellow flowers. 
 
 The Hairy, the Alpine, and the White Cinquefoils are mountain 
 plants. The Alpine species is orange ; the Hairy, bright yellow. 
 
 There are two members of this family with ternate leaves 
 the Strawberry-leaved Cinquefoil (P. fragariastrum), familiar 
 to us all, but generally mistaken for Wild Strawberry blossom ; 
 and the Three-toothed Cinquefoil, each leaflet of which has 
 three points. This last is a Highland species. 
 
 The Strawberry-leaved Cinquefoil may be distinguished from 
 its namesake by its earlier period of flowering, weaker habit, 
 and, most conclusively, by its naked seeds, placed upon a dry 
 receptacle. 
 
 This family have no uses that I am aware of; boys some- 
 times eat the roots of the Silver Weed, and say that they 
 resemble Chestnuts when roasted. Many garden species of 
 Potentilla have large richly-tinted blooms and silvery foliage, 
 and form handsome border plants. 
 
98 EOSACEJE. 
 
 The Tormentil family succeeds that of the Cinquefoil. 
 There are only two British species ; these are distinguished 
 by having four petals, while the Cinquefoils have five. 
 
 The common Tormentil (Tormentilla onicinalis), is a frequent 
 ornament of our pastures and moors ; its flowers resemble that 
 of the Spring Cinquefoil, except in the number of its petals. 
 
 The Trailing Tormentil (T. reptans), is rare, but my sister 
 found it in Cumberland last autumn. It is very like the 
 common species but larger, its stems longer and more prostrate, 
 and its flowers of a greater size. 
 
 The inhabitants of the Hebrides and Orkney Islands use 
 the roots of the common Tormentil for dyeing, preferring them 
 to oak bark. So much land has been destroyed by digging 
 for these roots, that the practice is now prohibited in some of 
 the islands. 
 
 The Sibbaldia has a family to itself. It is a thick, bushy 
 plant, with prostrate stems, ternate leaves, and clusters of tiny 
 yellow flowers. It grows in the Highlands, and does not yet 
 grace our collection. 
 
 The Marsh Cinquefoil (Comarum palustre, jig. 3), is larger 
 and stouter than most of the true Cinquefoils. It has dark 
 purple flowers, and its large sepals are tinged with purple. 
 I found it when I was staying in the vicinity of Victoria 
 Park, Manchester. We were walking to visit some dyeing 
 mills, and passed by fields and waste ground. I espied a pond 
 in one of these fields, and the fence being easy to climb I 
 surmounted it, telling my friends that I would meet them at 
 the further corner of the field. They watched me as they 
 would have done a Zoolu, or a Red Indian; while I, uncon- 
 scious how strange my conduct might appear to townspeople, 
 wandered round the pond, gathered the Marsh Cinquefoil on 
 its margin, and returned well satisfied to my companions. I 
 was immediately overwhelmed with questions " What do you 
 want that ugly flower for? How did you know it grew 
 there ?" "What is the use of such things?" It was impossible 
 
STEAWBEBBY BLACKBEEEY. 99 
 
 to convey to their minds the intense pleasure which a new 
 specimen afforded me, nor to justify my habit of examining 
 every pond that came in my way, 
 
 We now come to the Strawberry family, and here are the 
 only two British species. 
 
 The Wild Strawberry (Fragaria vesca, Plate VIL, fig. 4), 
 needs no description ; its fruit and flower are familiar to us 
 all from childhood. They are found in every country, and 
 nourish on crumbling rocks and venerable ruins, as well as 
 under sheltering hedgerows, or in sunny groves. 
 
 The Hautbois Strawberry (F. elatior), grows in the woods 
 near Clevedon and in Herefordshire ; Fanny found it at the 
 beginning of June. She was attracted by its large size, and 
 the spreading hairs on its stalks proved it to be the species in 
 question. Some children who came to stay with her later in 
 the season went to her in great glee, to show what large wild 
 Strawberries they had found in the woods. She says that one 
 flower in the cluster she gathered had no pistils. This vari- 
 ability in the bloom is a distinctive mark of the species. 
 
 The Brambles, which are at once the grief and joy of 
 children, are the next family in the Strawberry group. 
 The rose-shaped flower has crumpled petals, and thick pow- 
 dery-looking sepals. The fruit is a collection of seeds covered 
 with juicy flesh; these are called drupes. The leaves are 
 formed of either three or five leaflets. The Latin name is from 
 Euber, red. 
 
 The common Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), called by 
 Yorkshire country people "Bumble Kite," is abundant every- 
 where. 
 
 " Thy fruit full well the school-boy knows, 
 
 Wild Bramble of the brake ; 
 So put thou forth thy small white rose, 
 
 I love it for thy sake. 
 How delicate thy gauzy frill, 
 
 Hoar rich thy branching stem! 
 How soft thy voice when woods are still, 
 
 And thou sing'st songs to them. 
 
100 EOSACEJE. 
 
 " The Primrose to the grave is gone, 
 
 The Hawthorn flower is dead ; 
 The Violet by the mossy stone 
 
 Hath lain her weary head, 
 But thou, Wild Bramble, back dost bring, 
 
 In all their beauteous power, 
 The fresh green days of life's fair spring, 
 
 And boyhood's blooming hour." 
 
 There are several Brambles, which, like this, have angular 
 stems. We have only one of these the Red-fruited Bramble 
 (Rubus suberectus). Here the fruit is deep red instead of 
 black ; it grows on the banks of a little stream in Swaledale. 
 Several other so-called species differ almost imperceptibly from 
 these, and, according to the opinion of many eminent botanists, 
 should never have been called by different names. 
 
 The Wild Raspberry (R. idseus), grows luxuriantly at Grant- 
 ley Lakes, near Ripon. These are pretty pieces of water 
 surrounded by rocky woods ; they lie off the main road, about 
 two miles from Grantley Hall, the seat of the nobleman of that 
 name. These lakes used to be a favourite place for pic-nics 
 with us, and the beautiful wild Raspberries had their share 
 of attraction. I saw them just as abundantly on the banks of 
 Loch Katrine, and about Oban, a year or two ago. They are 
 quite as sweet and as well-flavoured as the garden Raspberries, 
 only decidedly smaller. The flowers of this species are pen- 
 dulous. The Raspberry grows freely in Swaledale ; and in the 
 same localities, creeping by the side of the rocks, flourishes the 
 Stone Bramble (R. saxatilis), an herbaceous plant, about a 
 foot high, bearing a cluster of few flowers, and light red berries. 
 
 The Cloudberry (R. chameemorus), I sought in the same 
 district long in vain ; but at last I found a farmer who spoke of 
 curious orange berries gathered on low plants on the hills. I 
 went to his farm, and climbed the hills behind it, and in 
 due time I found, among the Ling on the summit, the simple 
 plaited leaves and single flowers of the herbaceous Cloudberry. 
 The plant is without thorns, the flowers have seldom the 
 stamens and stigmas in one bloom, and the grains of the fruit 
 are large and tawny. It only grows where the clouds rest. 
 
DEWBEEEY AGRIMONY. 101 
 
 The Dewberry (E. csesius, Plate V1L, fig. 5), has a fruit of 
 few grains of a bluisli-black colour ; these are covered with a 
 bloom like that on a Plum. Its flowers are pure white or 
 tinged with lilac. 
 
 The Hazel-leaved Bramble (E. corylifolius), has larger 
 flowers in a more scattered cluster, and long rambling round 
 stems ; in this last particular it agrees with the Dewberry and 
 Easpberry ; the more near allies of the Bramble have square 
 stems. Edward brought specimens of these from Kent. 
 
 We must not set aside the whole troop of Blackberries as 
 mere play-feasting for children ; an excellent jam is made of the 
 fruit, which is pleasant, wholesome, and even medicinal. 
 Notable housewives make wine from the berries both in France 
 and England ; in the former country the bush is called " Pinte 
 de vin," in honour of this use. The young tops and stems 
 were eaten as salad by the Greeks, and are still used in dyeing. 
 
 The Bramble was the subject of one of the earliest parables 
 of Palestine; and by analogy, with it the wise young man 
 Jotham showed to the men of Shechem the folly of anointing a 
 weak king to reign over them. The Bramble, being a trailing 
 plant, cannot give support to another, but needs a prop for 
 itself. It would thus suggest the far higher lesson, not to 
 " trust in princes, or in any child of man, in whom is no 
 strength ; " but to " trust in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord 
 JEHOVAH is everlasting strength." 
 
 The Agrimony family is now the only one that remains of 
 the Strawberry group. Our one British species (A. eupatoria), 
 grows in lanes near Eipon, and near Eichmond; it has five 
 petals, five sepals, and two seeds enclosed in the tube of the 
 hardened calyx. Its yellow flowers grow on a tall slender 
 spike, and have an aromatic smell. It blooms in July. It used 
 to be valued as a tonic medicine. 
 
 The Burnet group comes next. The seeds are contained in a 
 hardened calyx, but the flowers have the peculiarity of being 
 endowed with two calices, and are entirely destitute of corolla. 
 
102 EOSACE.E. 
 
 The little green clustered blossoms of the common Lady's 
 Mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris), are familiar to us all ; it grows in 
 meadows and pastures, attains the height of one foot, and bears 
 its flower-cluster on the summit of its branches. 
 
 The Alpine Lady's Mantle (A. alpina), was sent me from the 
 Sma' Glen, Perthshire. Its flowers are no more conspicuous 
 than those of the former species, but indeed less so ; its great 
 beauty consists in the glossy green of its palmate leaves, con- 
 trasted with their silver lining. 
 
 The Field Lady's Mantle (A. arvensis), is in Edward's col- 
 lection of Kentish plants ; it grows abundantly in corn fields 
 in that and most other counties an humble, unassuming plant, 
 with flowers and leaves of the same dull light green hue. It 
 has large, broad, jagged stipules. 
 
 The tall Burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis), grows in meadows 
 by the Swale, near Eichmond. It has a pinnate leaf, and a 
 very tall flower- stalk, surmounted by a compact oval head of 
 dark crimson flowers. The leaves are furnished with stipules. 
 This is our only British species. 
 
 The Salad Burnet family (Pote*rium sanguisorba), is the last 
 in this Burnet group ; it also has but one British member. 
 This Salad Burnet grows in our Yorkshire pastures, the stamens 
 hanging in long clusters from the tiny flowers of the head ; 
 the stigmas live on a separate plant. Its leaves have the 
 flavour of Cucumber, and are, therefore, used in salads ; they 
 are also an ingredient in the beverage called " Cool Tankard." 
 
 Now we come to the Eoses, the prettiest family in all the 
 extensive order to which it gives the name. The five petals 
 and permanent sepals are characteristics common to the whole 
 tribe ; but the enlarged and fleshy tube of the calyx, which 
 becomes the seed-vessel, is a distinctive feature of this family. 
 
 The Burnet Eose (Eosa spinosissima), is a dwarf species ; 
 the leaves are small, and every part of it bristly ; the flowers 
 are cream-coloured, and very fragrant. I have seen it growing 
 abundantly on the shore of the Firth of Forth, and Fanny 
 
BOSES. 103 
 
 describes it as flou.risL.ing by the Loe Pool. It blossoms in 
 July, and its dark brown berries ripen in September. 
 
 The Sweet Briar (E. rubiginosa), grows side by side with the 
 Burnet Eose on the shore of the Firth of Forth, and it is also 
 an inhabitant of Cornwall, Fanny having gathered it near 
 Fowey. The fragrant scent of its foliage is better recognised 
 as a mark of distinction than its frail pink blossoms. This is 
 the Eglantine of the poets. 
 
 The Dog Eose (E, canina, Plate VII., fig. 6), is a very 
 common species, adorning every hedge in July with its fragrant 
 flowers. It has pink blossoms, and not bright foliage ; and its 
 oval scarlet fruit is well known. In Queen Elizabeth's time 
 ladies used to make a conserve of these hips, and they are 
 still used medicinally. From the flowers excellent Eose-water 
 is distilled. The Eomans strewed Eoses in the streets at their 
 great festivals, and the Egyptians made the Eose an emblem of 
 silence : hence I imagine, the saying " Under the Eose." 
 With us it is rather an emblem of love. 
 
 The Soft Eose, and the Downy-leaved Eose, grow in the 
 woods in Swaledale ; they resemble each other closely, the 
 foliage of both being rough, and having a strongly resinous 
 scent. The former species has large red fruit, tipped with 
 the old sepals ; the flowers and fruit of the latter are both 
 darker in shade, and the form of the fruit is longer. 
 
 The Eound-headed Eose, with ribbed fruit, and the small 
 Sweet Briar, with pale blossoms, I have never found. The 
 latter is said to grow at Bridport, in Warwickshire. The 
 Glaucous Eose is a Highland species. 
 
 The Trailing Eose is a pretty delicately-scented species, 
 common enough in our hedges, and easily distinguished by its 
 bright pale foliage, and the salmon tint of its petals. 
 
 The Thicket and Irish Eoses have hooked prickles. I have 
 got no specimens of them. 
 
 The Trailing Dog Eose (E. arvensis), is my last contribution. 
 It is very common in Yorkshire, climbing a great height. 
 
104 KOSACE^. 
 
 Its flowers are large, pure white, and very sweet. Its foliage 
 is scentless, of a full bright green, and the large leaflets taper 
 very gracefully. This is reputed to be the White Rose which 
 became the standard of the Yorkists. I fancy it is also the 
 species sometimes called Musk Eose, its scent partaking of 
 that odour. It was a great favourite with Keats, who writes of 
 its charms again and again 
 
 " I saw the sweetest flower that Nature yields, 
 A fresh-blown Musk Rose ; 'twas the first that threw 
 Its sweets upon the summer: graceful it grew 
 As is the wand that Queen Titania wields : 
 And as I feasted on its fragrancy, 
 I thought the garden Rose it far excelled." 
 
 In Scripture the Eose is spoken of as a type of prosperity : 
 " The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the Eose." Dr. 
 Murray states that the Eose used to be considered to possess 
 medicinal properties, and enormous quantities of the Damascus 
 Eose were cultivated in the East for chemical purposes : he 
 speaks of a breakfast given at Hazar Bagh, or " thousand 
 gardens," near Shiraz, to Sir John Malcolm, then our envoy 
 to the Court of Persia, which was celebrated on a stack of 
 Eoses. " The stack, which was as large as a common one of 
 hay in England, had been formed without much trouble from 
 the heaps of Eose-leaves collected before they were sent into 
 the city to be distilled." He relates, also, that a courier who 
 brought despatches overland from Constantinople to the British 
 Government was robbed and plundered of everything by 
 thieves. Among the goods he was conveying were several 
 bottles of attar of Eoses, and, one of these breaking, the scent 
 was so powerful as to guide the officers of justice to the robbers' 
 den. Herrick draws a simple moral from the fast-perishing 
 Wild Eose 
 
 " Gather the Roses while ye may, 
 
 Old Time is still a-flying ; 
 And this same flower which smiles to day 
 To-morrow will be dying." 
 
 and the same idea of the fleeting nature of all joys, of which 
 
HOSES APPLES. 105 
 
 the Eose might stand as emblem, appears in the pathetic lines 
 of Mrs. Hemans : 
 
 " It is written on (he Rose 
 In its bright array 
 ' Hear thou what these buds disclose, 
 Passing away ! ' " 
 
 We now come to the Apple group, in which the seeds are 
 ensconced in a horny case or core, and further protected by the 
 juicy swollen flesh of the calyx-tube. 
 
 For some years I sought the Wild Pear in vain, until some 
 botanical friends of mine migrated to Shropshire, and then I 
 got information of the object of my search. This tree is indi- 
 genous in that county as well as in the neighbouring one of 
 Herefordshire the great locality for Pear cultivation. Here 
 I had afterwards the good fortune to find it growing in Pen- 
 yard Wood, near Eoss, and blossoming in April. A Pear, 
 very little removed from the wild species, is there grown in the 
 open fields, and called Barland Pear. The fruit is safe enough 
 from depredation, for it is so woody, even when ripe, that it 
 has originated a country proverb, "as hard as a Barland Pear." 
 There Pear orchards exist as systematically as Apple orchards, 
 and the perry a refreshing beverage somewhat resembling 
 cider is made from the fruit. Before Kensington became so 
 extensive, the inhabitants used to gather the Wild Pear 
 blossoms in the hedges ; but squares and palaces stand now on 
 the home of the wild shrubs. 
 
 The wood of the Pear tree (Pyrus communis), is very hard, 
 and is used instead of Box by some for wood-engraving. 
 
 The Crab Apple (P. malus, Plate VIL, fig. 7), is familiar to 
 us all for its clusters of pale cupped flowers and rose-tinted 
 buds. I have gathered it in a lane at the back of the Bishop's 
 Palace, at Eipon ; also in the Eichmond district ; and, abun- 
 dantly near Horningsham, in Wiltshire. Fanny has specimens 
 from Somersetshire, and Ned from Kent. The orchards of 
 Herefordshire, Somersetshire, and Devonshire are beautiful 
 
106 EOSACE2E. 
 
 objects when covered with blossom, and the busy scenes of the 
 cider-making are not less interesting. The Apple is the most 
 useful of British fruits, and a merry business the gathering 
 generally is. Solomon had a great preference for this tree, as 
 he says, " As the Apple among the trees of the wood, so is my 
 Beloved among the sons ; " and again, " A word fitly spoken is 
 like Apples of gold in pictures of silver." 
 
 The Wild Service tree (P. torminalis), is the next member 
 of the Apple group. It grows wild in the woods about Cleve- 
 don ; it has large leaves, with pointed lobes, and clusters of 
 white flowers. The fruit is a small berry, brown, and spotted. 
 
 Here also nourishes the White Beam tree (Pyrus aria) ; 
 its simple leaves, lined with white cottony down, are very con- 
 spicuous. It has large showy bunches of white blossom, and 
 oval berries, red, and shading to brown. There is a group of 
 these trees of a great height in Longleat Park ; and, placed 
 as they are in front of a Fir-grove, the effect of the white 
 foliage is very striking. They grow also near a small lake on 
 Lord Bath's property, called Shearwater, and in other parts of 
 the same district. 
 
 The True Service tree (P. domestica), I have a specimen of, 
 but not a wild one. It greatly resembles the Wild Service, 
 but has pinnate leaves, and whitish stalks. 
 
 The Mountain Ash (P. aucuparia), is the glory of our hilly 
 woods, hanging its long branches and gay clusters of red 
 berries over rocks and cascades, and adding everywhere to 
 the beauty of the landscape. Its pinnate leaves and white 
 clusters of bloom are familiar as an ornament to the shrubbery. 
 Bird-catchers in France and Germany bait their traps with 
 these berries. This tree was highly esteemed by the Druids, 
 and it is always found growing about the places they fre- 
 quented. An old superstition existed that the Mountain Ash 
 preserved from evil spirits, and on this account it was planted 
 near houses, both in England and Scotland. In the Highlands 
 it is still deemed lucky to drive cattle with a branch of 
 
MEDLAE HAWTHOBX. 107 
 
 " Bowan," as they call tlie tree. The Welsh children term 
 it " Wiggin ; " they gather the berries, and the mothers make 
 sweet liquor of them. The leaves of this tree contain prussic 
 acid. Wordsworth speaks glowingly of the Mountain Ash : 
 
 " No eye can overlook, when 'mid a grove 
 Of yet unfaded trees she lifts her head, 
 Decked -with autumnal berries that outshine 
 Spring's richest blossoms ; and ye may have marked 
 By a brook-side or solitary tarn, 
 How she her str tion doth adorn ; the pool 
 Glows at her feet, and all the gloomy rocks 
 Are brightened round her." 
 
 The Medlar (Mespilus germanica, Jig. 8), is the next family 
 in the Apple group. I have a garden specimen of its one 
 representative, but it is the wild kind. The large blossoms 
 grow singly or in pairs, and the leaves standing on very short 
 footstalks close to them, form a heavy background. The fruit 
 is mild and mealy, and the core stony. The leaves are of a 
 long lance-shaped form. 
 
 The Hawthorn (Cratsegus oxycantha, Plate VII., fig. 9), 
 is the one British representative of the last family in the great 
 Hose tribe. Its snowy clusters of fragrant blossoms, sharp- 
 lobed leaves, and red berries, do not need any description ; they 
 are familiar to us all from infancy. There is a town in the 
 north of Yorkshire called after the fruit of the Hawthorn 
 "Hawes." The bush abounds in its neighbourhood. The 
 Pink Hawthorn in plantations is a cultivated variety of this. 
 
 The Greeks regarded the Hawthorn as an emblem of 
 hope ; the Romans used torches of it in their marriage feasts 
 and processions. A curious legend exists regarding a certain 
 Hawthorn at Glastonbury. It says that Joseph of Arimathea 
 came to preach in Britain, and landed upon the high grounds 
 near Glastonbury, which was then an island ; he fixed his staff 
 in the ground, and fell asleep. When he awoke the staff was 
 rooted and had borne leaves and flowers. He built a chapel 
 near the spot, and Gilpin says that the Thorn flowered always 
 at Christmas. But we have an historical association with 
 
108 BOSACE.E. 
 
 the Hawthorn which has a better foundation than the Grlas- 
 tonbury fable. Miss Strickland tells us that when Richard III. 
 was slain at Redmore, and his body plundered, a soldier hid 
 the crown in a Hawthorn bush. It was soon found and 
 carried to Lord Stanley, who placed it on the head of his son- 
 in-law, saluting him by the title of Henry VII. In memory 
 of this circumstance the House of Tudor assumed the device 
 of a crown in a bush of fruited Hawthorn. This is doubt- 
 less the origin of the saying, " Cleave to the crown though 
 it hang on a bush." May-day used to be celebrated throughout 
 England, and branches of Hawthorn were hung over every 
 doorway ; this is still done at Athens. All poets have loved 
 the Hawthorn, and celebrated its praises either alone or in 
 connection with the floral May-day revels. Chaucer, in par- 
 ticular, depicts the favourite bush in a very pleasing manner : 
 
 " A mongst the many buds proclaiming May, 
 Decking the fields in holiday array, 
 Striving who shall surpass in bravourie, 
 if ark e the faire blooming of the Hawthorne tree ; 
 Who finely cloathed in a robe of white, 
 Fills full the wanton eye with May's delight." 
 
 It is told of Bishop Latimer, that when he went to preach 
 at a certain town, there was no one to hear him, for all the 
 people had gone a-maying. One man came to him, and said, 
 " Syr, this is a busy day with us, we cannot hear you. The 
 parish has gone abroad to gather for Robin Hood. I pray you 
 let them not." But the custom is little used now ; here and 
 there, in a remote village, the Maypole remains still, and 
 children make garlands. At Hawkhurst this is the case. The 
 Hawthorn is very useful for fences ; skewers may be made of 
 the large thorns, and a dingy yellow caterpillar, covered with 
 hair, feeds on its leaves. The Black-veined white Butterfly 
 comes from this caterpillar. 
 
109 
 
 CHAPTEE YIII. 
 
 CENOTHEElCE^E HIPPUEIDlCE JE LYTHElCE^] CU- 
 CUEBITlCE^] FOEMS OF FEUITS POETULlCEJE 
 ILLECEBElCE^] CEASSULlCE^E GEOSSULAEI1CE.E 
 SAXIFEAG1CE.E FOEMS OF INFLOEESCENCE. 
 
 " In His Spirit God hath clothed the earth, 
 And speaketh solemnly from tree and flower." 
 
 Beautiful Poetry. 
 
 WE now come to several smaller and less important orders 
 of British plants, each of which, however, has interest of one 
 kind or another. The EVENING PEIMEOSE order succeeds the 
 Rosaceous in the subclass of Calyciflorals ; its grand feature is 
 the number Four. They have four sepals, four petals, and 
 capsules of four valves. 
 
 The Isnardia has four petals (or none), four sepals, and four 
 stamens. 
 
 The Enchanter's Nightshade has half the number two 
 petals, two sepals, two stamens. Our garden Fuchsias belong 
 to this tribe ; their fruit is an oval berry. 
 
 The true Willow-herbs derive their Latin name, Epilobium, 
 from two Greek words signifying upon a pod, because the flowers 
 are placed at the top of a long seed-vessel. The seeds of this 
 family are numerous, and tufted with down. On my first visit 
 in Swaledale I was driving with some friends by the river side. 
 On the opposite bank I saw some tall plants, covered, as I 
 imagined, with delicate white flowers. In eager curiosity I 
 questioned my host, hoping that a new plant was in store for 
 me. I could imagine no white flower of that appearance, and 
 became sanguine that it was something so rare that I had 
 never seen or heard of it. My kind friend, anxious to give me 
 
110 CENOTHEEA.CE.S. 
 
 pleasure, put the reins into my hand, and crossed the stream, 
 partly by springing from stone to stone, and partly by wading. 
 He returned with the desired boon, but, alas ! instead of a new 
 specimen, it was only my old shrubbery friend, the Rose-bay 
 Willow-herb (Epilobium angustifolium), half covered with its 
 feathery seeds, which the long pods had discharged. This 
 plant is tall and graceful, the large crimson flowers grow in a 
 full spike, and the calyx and stem are tinged with red. It 
 grows freely among rocks in watery places in Swaledale. 
 Edward also describes it as forming a striking object in damp 
 woods skirting the Hastings road. 
 
 Another large showy member of this family is the Hairy 
 Willow-herb (E. hirsutum, Plate VIII. , fig. 1). Its flower 
 is paler, and its foliage more conspicuous, than that of the 
 Rose-bay or Narrow-leaved species. We used to call the 
 plant "Apple-pie," or "Codlins and Cream," when we were 
 children, on account of its smell. 
 
 The Small-flowered Willow-herb (E. parviflorum), grows on 
 a clay bank in Birkpark wood, in Swaledale ; it has down} r 
 foliage, a simple stem, and pale lilac flowers. 
 
 The Smooth Willow-herb (E. montanum), is a very common 
 species ; its pale flowers and broad-shouldered smooth leaves 
 appear on waste ground very frequently. All these species 
 have the stigma divided into four. 
 
 The Pale Willow-herb (E. roseum), is an inhabitant of 
 marshes ; I have not found it. This and the remaining species 
 have undivided stigmas. 
 
 The Square-stalked Willow-herb I found in a watery lane 
 high in Swaledale ; its chief peculiarity is expressed in its name. 
 The Marsh Willow-herb (E. palustre), has narrow, slightly- 
 toothed leaves, and a round stem. It is altogether a larger 
 plant than any, except the two first Willow-herbs. 
 
 The Chickweed-leaved Willow-herb (E. alsinifolium), has a 
 creeping root, and squarish stalk. I have no specimen of it. 
 The least of all the Willow-herbs is the Alpine. It is only 
 
WILLOW-HEBB ENCHANTER'S NIGHTSHADE. Ill 
 
 three inches high, and not branched ; it bears only two flowers, 
 and its leaves are half as broad as long (E. alpinum). It 
 flourishes on a peat moor called " Summer Lodge-bank." The 
 young shoots of some of the Willow-herbs are cooked and 
 eaten, and in Kamschatka an intoxicating liquor is made from 
 them. Although the number Four is the leading characteristic 
 of this group, the Willow-herb family have eight stamens. 
 
 There is but one British representative of the Evening 
 Primrose family ((Enothera biennis, Plate VIII. , Jig. 2). The 
 plant is tall, thick, and herbaceous, and bears large, beautiful, 
 lemon- coloured flowers. My specimen grew on waste ground 
 about Clevedon, flowering in July. This plant belonged origin- 
 ally to America, but it was introduced into Europe by the 
 French, who cultivate the roots for food. The petals open in a 
 very curious manner. The calyx has little hooks on the upper 
 part, by which it holds together when in bud. The sepals 
 open first at the lower part, and then the corolla bursts asunder 
 the hooks with a loud noise. The flower remains open all the 
 night, unfolding about six in the evening, and closing again 
 as the morning advances. There are many handsome members 
 of this family cultivated in gardens, of every shade of yellow, 
 and some snow white. The poet thus notices the Evening 
 Primrose : 
 
 '* When once the sun sinks in the west, 
 
 And dew-drops pearl the evening's breast ; 
 
 Almost as pale as moonbeams are, 
 
 Or its companionable star, 
 
 The Evening Primrose opes anew 
 
 Its dainty blossoms to the dew." 
 
 The Marsh Isnardia (I. paliistris), is a very scarce, floating 
 pond-plant. The ovate leaves are placed opposite to each other, 
 and are bright green and succulent ; the small green flowers are 
 solitary. I have seen drawings of the plant, but have found no 
 specimen, so we must pass over this family of the Willow-herb 
 group. 
 
 Next to it comes the Enchanter's Nightshade (Circeea lute- 
 
112 HIPPUEIDACE.2E. 
 
 tiana). This is a pretty plant, with bright green lance-shaped 
 leaves, and slender spikes of white or pinkish flowers. The 
 sepals, petals, and stamens are only two. 
 
 There is an Alpine species, of lower growth, and less 
 branched ; its leaves are heart-shaped. The Common En- 
 chanter's Nightshade I have found frequently in woods. 
 Although called after an enchanter, the plant has no charm 
 except quiet beauty ; and it is supposed that it owes its name 
 to the darkness and gloom of the places where it grows. 
 
 The MARE'S-TAIL order are all water plants. Fanny reaped 
 a rich harvest of them one day at Clevedon. There is a large 
 tract of lowland extending two or three miles inland called 
 Kenmore ; this ground is intersected with ditches. In one of 
 these ditches the common Mare's-tail (Hippiiris vulgaris), 
 grows ; it roots in the muddy bottom, and its long stem soon 
 appears above the water; quickly one whorl of awl-shaped 
 leaves after another arises, in the axils of which grow tiny 
 crimson flowers, each boasting one stamen and one stigma, 
 and no petal. 
 
 Her next trophy was the Spiked Water Milfoil (Myriophyl- 
 lum spicatum, fig. 5). It has whorls of four grass-shaped, 
 pinnate leaves, and spikes of small pink flowers, with four 
 petals, four styles, and eight stamens. There was a tangled 
 mass of this in one broad ditch ; most part of the plants under 
 water, and only the pink spikes rising into the air. 
 
 The Whorled Water Milfoil has its flowers in a whorl like 
 the Mare's-tail, but we have not found a specimen. 
 
 In a clearer ditch she found the Vernal and Autumnal Water 
 Starworts. The former species (Callitriche verna, fig. 6), has 
 broadish leaves, the upper four or six floating on the surface, 
 and looking like a green star; while the tiny flowers, with 
 their one style and stamen, proceed from their axils. 
 
 The Autumnal Starwort begins to flower in June ; its leaves 
 are more slender, and it grows more under water. 
 
 There is another species, with keeled seeds, called the 
 
HOBNWOBT PUEPLE LOOSESTEIFE. 113 
 
 Pedunculated Starwort ; it grows only in Sussex, and I have 
 no specimen. These are all the members of the Mare's-tail 
 group. 
 
 The Hornwort group comes next. Fanny found one member 
 of its only genus in the same fruitful ditch on Kenmoor. The 
 common Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), has long stems 
 thickly beset with compound bristly leaves, at the foot of 
 which are whorls of tiny flowers. These have many stamens, 
 but they are borne on one petalless flower, and the sessile 
 stigma on another. The fruit is crimson, with a horn at the 
 end. 
 
 The only other British species, the Unarmed Hornwort 
 (C. submersum), is distinguished by having no horns on its 
 seeds. 
 
 Edward has specimens of some of the LOOSESTEIFE order. 
 In this tribe the calyx is tubular ; cloven into twelve teeth. 
 There are six petals, and the stamens are either six or twelve. 
 
 The Spiked Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria, Plate 
 VIII., fig. 3), is a very handsome plant, growing four feet high, 
 with long lance-shaped leaves placed opposite to each other, 
 squarish stems, and spikes of crimson flowers set on in whorls. 
 It grows by streams and in watery places, flowering in July 
 and August. He has gathered it on the banks of the Avon, in 
 "Warwickshire, and in watery places about Hawkhurst, Kent. 
 
 The Hyssop-leaved Purple Loosestrife is a smaller plant, in- 
 habiting much the same situations as the Willow-leaved species, 
 but its flowers are less brilliant in colour, as well as smaller ; 
 and it is very rare. We have no specimen. 
 
 The Water Purslane (Peplis portula), is a very insignificant 
 plant. It grows from one to two inches high, with red stems, 
 and broad, glossy, opposite leaves. The tiny flowers with their 
 bell-shaped calices and six minute petals, are seated in the 
 axils of the leaves. The plant grows in shallow water ; when 
 the water dries up its stem and leaves become entirely red. 
 My specimens were gathered in and near a pond at Hawkhurst ; 
 
114 CUCUBBITACE-E. 
 
 those away from the water were red, the others green. These 
 are all the British members of the Loosestrife tribe. 
 
 The Henna belongs to this family ; its uses are, according to 
 Hooker, of a very remote date. The Moors, Arabs, and Turks 
 cultivate it at the present day, and use it to dye their hair and 
 nails, and also the backs, manes, and hoofs of their horses. 
 The women abstain from it at the death of their parents and 
 husbands. The leaves are gathered in the spring, then dried 
 in the air, and reduced to powder, and applied in the form 
 of paste to the parts they wish to tinge. The foliage is also 
 used to cure recent wounds and abscesses. Its flowers have 
 a strong penetrating odour ; by distillation an extract is 
 obtained which is used in the baths, and as a perfume in visits 
 and religious ceremonies. It was no doubt on account of their 
 odour that Henna flowers were scattered by the Hebrews in 
 the apartments of a bride, and for the same reason the Egyp- 
 tians keep it in their rooms. A considerable trade is carried 
 on in Henna leaves, which yields a large revenue to Egypt. 
 Moore sings of this plant : - 
 
 " Thus some bring leaves of Henna to imbue 
 The finger ends of a bright roseate hue ; 
 So bright that in the mirror's depth they seem 
 L?ke tips of coral branches in the stream." 
 
 The GOTJED order comes next in succession. The charac- 
 teristics of this tribe are extremely contradictory ; there is 
 at once a sweet and nutritious, and a bitter and poisonous 
 element in each member, and the plant is poisonous or whole- 
 some according as the one or other quality prevails. The 
 Melon, Vegetable Marrow, and Squash are examples of the 
 sweet and nutritious part of the tribe; the Bottle Gourd, 
 Colocynth, and Bryony, of the bitter and poisonous portion. 
 Mr. Johns asserts that the " wild vine," off which one of the 
 sons of the prophets gathered " wild Gourds a lapful," in the 
 time of Elisha, was one of this tribe. We all know how very 
 quickly these plants grow, and the example of Jonah's Gourd 
 at once recurs to the mind. It conveys a touching lesson 
 
BBYONY PURSLANE. 115 
 
 regarding all earthly blessings : had the impatient Prophet 
 been exceedingly thankful to God for the Gourd, instead of 
 " exceeding glad " of it, his mind would have become softened 
 and subdued, and he would not have needed to be taught pity 
 for his fellows by the loss of his own shelter. When God 
 "prepares a worm" to smite our Gourds, it is because His 
 tender mercies and abundant blessings have failed in teaching 
 us love to Him, and to our brother man. This we must learn 
 somehow, and if the withering of our Gourd does not effect it 
 a " vehement east wind " must come, and the sun must smite 
 upon our head. The fruits of the nutritious members of the 
 Gourd tribe are well known to us, either by hearing or by 
 personal experience. But even from the poisonous kinds some 
 good is elicited; medical art discovered in the Colocynth a 
 valuable medicine, whilst the homoeopathic doses of our own 
 Bryony work wonders in allaying spasmodic coughs. "This 
 also cometh of the Lord of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, 
 and excellent in working." 
 
 Our own Bryony (Bryonia dioica, Plate VIII., fig. 4), is a 
 graceful climbing plant with broad leaves, having five pointed 
 lobes, and rough both above and below. It has clusters of 
 pale green flowers, beautifully veined with darker green. The 
 stamens are in one flower, and the style in another. Its long 
 clusters of round scarlet berries form a beautiful object in 
 autumn. I have gathered specimens both in the neighbourhood 
 of Eipon and in Wensleydale, Yorkshire. 
 
 The one British member of the PUBSLANE tribe (Montia 
 fontana), has also fallen in my way. It is a small pale green 
 plant, with spare clusters of tiny white flowers, boasting five 
 petals, and four stamens. It grows in watery places mine 
 is from Swaledale, and has the name of " Blinks." There are 
 exceedingly handsome members of this family growing wild 
 at the Cape of Good Hope, and they are much sought after 
 in our gardens and greenhouses. Blue and scarlet are their 
 prevailing colours. 
 
116 
 
 FOKMS OF FRUITS. 
 
 IT is time now that we should give attention to the different 
 forms of fruit, and gain a clear understanding of the terms 
 applied to them. An Apple cut in two exhibits a five-celled 
 core enclosing the seeds, the whole surrounded by the swollen 
 juicy flesh of the calyx. This is the type of the pome (fig. A). 
 
 In the drupe we have one seed contained in a woody case, 
 and surrounded by a fleshy pulp. The sketch of a half Peach 
 (fig. B), is a good example. Another form of arrangement of 
 
 drupes is in the Bramble, where a number of them are collected 
 together around a receptacle (fig. C) ; the Strawberry fruit 
 is also fixed upon a receptacle, but the seeds are naked and 
 embedded in pulp (fig. D). 
 
 The Rose fruit or hip is a collection of hairy, nut-like seeds, 
 enveloped in the enlarged and fleshy tube of the calyx, and 
 carrying the sepals as a crown on its summit (fig. E). We 
 
FOBMS OF FEUITS. 
 
 117 
 
 have the follicle, the kind of vessel in which the Paeony 
 carries its seed, a kind of pod with one lateral opening 
 (fig. F) ; the capsule, exhibited in the Poppy tribe, and in 
 many others (fig. G}, the Lychnis family, for instance, where 
 it is enveloped in the permanent calyx. Then there is the 
 pod, which characterises one great division of the cruciform 
 plants, as the "Wallflower, Cuckoo-flower, &c. (fig. I), and the 
 
 pouch, the seed-vessel of the other class of cruciform plants 
 the Shepherd's Purse, Pepperwort, and Scurvy-grasses, for 
 instance (fig. J). The legume is the mark of a very important 
 tribe, both for number and utility ; our edible Peas and Beans 
 form familiar examples (fig. K). The seeds of the Composite 
 tribe, endowed with a plume, by means of which they are 
 scattered, are very interesting. The "clocks" of the Dandelion 
 are familiar to us all (fig. L). 
 
118 
 
 FOKMS OF FEUITS. 
 
 The Hazel-nut is a fruit of a bony structure enveloped in a 
 tubular laciniated coat which botanists call an involucre 
 (fig. M). One other variety of fruit is here the winged-seed- 
 nut (fig. N), which characterises the fruit of the Sycamore 
 
 N 
 
 family. This seed-bearing quality in plants is a proof of 
 their pertaining to the third day's creation. " And God said, 
 Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the 
 fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind ; and it was so." 
 And it is further the title by which the great Creator made 
 the vegetable " world over to His own crowning work man. 
 "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, and 
 every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed." 
 The one exception to this rule the one tree whose fruit was 
 withheld, was, as you know, the occasion of the fall of our 
 first parents. But that error being atoned, our God has pro- 
 mised a new Paradise, where the Tree of Life will flourish, 
 bearing twelve manner of fruits ; not yearly, but monthly. 
 We know not what blessed quality that fruit may have, but 
 we are told that the leaves of the tree shall be " for the healing 
 of the nations." 
 
 To return to the plants before us : the KNOT-GEASS family 
 comes next in order. Fanny hoped to have found the Strap- 
 wort near the Loe Pool, in Cornwall, where Mr. Johns 
 describes it as growing, but she sought it in vain. It takes its 
 name from the strap-shape of the leaves ; and its small white 
 flowers growing in tufts have five petals, five stamens, and 
 three stigmas. Its style of growth is prostrate. She was more 
 
EUPTUBEWOETS XNAWELL. 119 
 
 fortunate in her search, for the Rupturewort, to the locality 
 of which she was directed by the same writer. In the famous 
 excursion along the cliffs from Kynance to the Lizard Point 
 in which she found the Bloody Cranesbill, Common Dropwort, 
 English Scurvy-grass, and other treasures, they passed along 
 the cliff's at the foot of the Soap Rock a mass of fine soft stone 
 of dazzling whiteness, contrasting strangely with the rugged 
 serpentine cliffs so dark in their hue, which border the coast on 
 either side of it : growing amongst the debris of this Soap Rock 
 was a plot of the tiny prostrate Rupturewort. The flowers are 
 of the same colour as the rest of the plant, and have five petals, 
 five stamens, and one stigma. There are two kinds of Rupture- 
 wort, one smooth and the other hairy, and Sir J. E. Smith 
 considers them different species. Fanny's specimen is hairy 
 (Herniaria hirsutum) ; it is the more scarce of the two. 
 
 The Smooth one (H. glabra), I have seen in the botanic 
 garden at Edinburgh. 
 
 In a swampy meadow near the Loe Pool, Fanny found a 
 group of dainty plants : the Pale Butterwort, Ivy-leaved Bell- 
 flower, and "Whorled Knot-grass. This last is the only one of 
 them with which we have to do at present. It has a slender 
 stem three or four inches high, along which oval glaucous 
 leaves are planted in pairs at short intervals. A whorl of 
 pinkish flowers graces each pair of leaves nestling in the axils. 
 Each blossom has five coloured sepals, no corolla, five stamens, 
 and one stigma ; the stem is partly recumbent (Illecebrum 
 verticillatum). She failed in finding the Four-leaved All- 
 seed, the lower leaves of which grow in fours. It has five 
 petals and five sepals, three stamens and three stigmas. It 
 is a tiny plant, with a cluster of flowers in a form called a 
 panicle. 
 
 One family is still wanting to complete the Knot-grass 
 tribe, and I am happy to have a specimen of one of its 
 members. 
 
 The Annual Knawell (Scleranthus annuus), first met my eye 
 
120 CEASSULACE2E. 
 
 in a certain sandy lane in Cheshire, to which I hare already 
 referred more than once. It is a light, whitish-green plant, 
 growing partly prostrate ; it has no corolla, and its five-cleft 
 calyx has a thin white margin. The flowers grow in clusters 
 both at the end and in the forks of the stems ; the leaves 
 are small, narrow, and pointed. I have no specimen of the 
 Perennial Knawell, but it very nearly resembles this, being 
 distinguished by its more entirely prostrate stems and blunt 
 leaves. It frequents the sandy fields of Norfolk and Suffolk. 
 
 The next tribe to that of the Knot-grass is the STONECBOP 
 tribe. Our British Stonecrops are very humble members of 
 the race. They inhabit every zone, but the most beautiful 
 species are found in the tropics. The scorched cliffs of the 
 Canaries are adorned with these plants, and the sterile plains of 
 the Cape of Good Hope are relieved by their presence. I 
 remember while travelling in Switzerland, a lady of our party 
 directed our attention to a magnificent plant of this tribe 
 suspended from some rocks in a steep ravine beneath us. Its 
 very large panicles of white flowers had the effect of Ostrich 
 feathers. Our friend admired the plant enthusiastically, and 
 expressed a strong desire for it to place among her collection of 
 Swiss plants ; a moment after she regretted having done so, 
 for her young husband was climbing down the rocks, which 
 overhung a foaming mountain torrent, to procure it. However, 
 he returned in safety with his prize, which he placed in the hat 
 of his wife. No plume of feathers ever had a more graceful 
 effect, and she wore it under the blazing sun during the whole 
 day's excursion, without one of the delicate petals flagging. In 
 fact, the principal interest attaching to these plants arises from 
 their needing so little apparent sustenance from the soil. 
 Where other plants pine and die these flourish ; the slightest 
 hold upon the rock or sand sufficing for them. True and beau- 
 tiful is the lesson that the poet puts into their mouth ; we 
 would fain sit as loosely to the earth as they, but have a more 
 real and secure attraction above. They teach us not to set our 
 
STONECEOPS HOUSELEEK. 121 
 
 affections on things on earth, and the Spirit that breathes 
 
 through all creation, as well as through all inspiration, adds, 
 
 " Set your affections on things above," for " your life is hid 
 with Christ in God." 
 
 " There from his rocky pulpit I heard cry 
 The Stonecrop : ' See how loose to earth I grow, 
 And draw my juicy nurture from the sky ; 
 So draw not thou, fond man, thy root too low. 
 But loosely clinging here, 
 From God's supernal sphere 
 
 Draw life's unearthly food catch heaven's undying glow.'" 
 
 REV. R. W. EVANS. 
 
 The Tillsea is the first family of the Stonecrop tribe. Common 
 as Mr. Johns declares the Mossy Tillsea to be, it has never 
 come in my way. A weedy plant, resembling moss, with pro- 
 cumbent stems and sessile flowers, mostly three-cleft. I know 
 it only from Smith and Sowerby's beautiful illustration. 
 
 The Common JNavelwort (Cotyledon umbilicus), is the chief 
 if not the sole member of its family. "With its shield-shaped 
 leaves, and upright racemes of waxy, bell-shaped flowers, it is a 
 familiar ornament of old walls and hedgebanks in Devonshire. 
 I have also found it abundantly about Ludlow, and on rocks 
 near Hoss, Herefordshire. My specimen was gathered near 
 Tiverton in July, and during the same month other specimens 
 were sent me from Linton. 
 
 Sir J. E. Smith mentions a second species the Yellow 
 Navelwort ; but he says it is introduced as British by error. 
 
 The third family of the Stonecrops is the Houseleek (Sem- 
 pervivum tectorum, Plate VIII., fig. 5), and it has only one 
 British member : a handsome, starry flower, with twelve petals, 
 and twelve or more stamens, large, and of a bright rose. The 
 thick, overlapping leaves are of a blue green tinge, rough at the 
 edges, and bordered with red. The blossoms grow in a kind of 
 straggling cyme, or three -branched raceme. It is a familiar 
 ornament of roofs and walls ; my piece was gathered at Birk 
 Park, in Swaledale. The leaves of the Houseleek have cooling 
 
122 CBASSULACEJE. 
 
 properties, and are much used in country places to lay upon 
 wounds. From a foreign species an excellent tannin is pre- 
 pared. 
 
 Now for the Stonecrops proper. Their Latin name (Sedum), 
 is from a word signifying to sit, on account, I suppose, of their 
 low growth. They have five petals, five sepals, five stigmas, 
 and ten stamens. The leaves are thick, and mostly glaucous, 
 and the flowers small. 
 
 The tallest, but not the prettiest of the family, is the Orpine 
 (S. telephium). It grows in woody places, and in hedgerows, 
 attaining the height of two-and-a-half feet. The leaves are 
 egg-shaped and serrated, and the dingy purple flowers com- 
 pressed into a close cluster. The plant grows freely about 
 Hawkhurst, and I have specimens from Cheshire. August is 
 its flowering time. It is the only Stonecrop with flat leaves. 
 
 The Thick-leaved Stonecrop (S. dasyphyllum), grows on walls 
 about Clevedon. It is a small plant, with weak stems and 
 almost round leaves, which are tinged with red. The little 
 flowers are white. 
 
 The White English Stonecrop (S. anglicum), much resembles 
 the last species, but is of a stronger habit, and its white petals 
 are prettily spotted with crimson. It grows in quantities on 
 the Looe cliffs, and very ornamental it is. Both these speci- 
 mens were gathered in June. 
 
 Another member of the family, the Rock Stonecrop (S. ru- 
 pestre), grows on those same cliffs. It has a handsome cyme of 
 yellow flowers, and grows at least a foot high ; its leaves are 
 awl-shaped and spurred. 
 
 My contribution to this family would have been but small, 
 had it not been for Mr. Ward's kindness. The walls and rocks 
 in Swaledale furnish abundance of the Biting Stonecrop or 
 Golden Moss (S. acre, Plate VIII., Jiff. 6). Its three- 
 branched cyme of yellow flowers is a familiar object, and the 
 rocks owe much of their beauty to it. The leaves are thick 
 and spurred ; they are placed alternately upon the stem. 
 
STONECBOPS GOOSEBEEEY. 123 
 
 The Insipid Stonecrop (S. sexangulare), was given to me by 
 Mr. Ward. It is rather a taller plant than the last, though so 
 much resembling it, and the leaves are placed in six rows. At 
 the same time he gave me the White Stonecrop, the flowers 
 of which form a smooth, colourless panicle. The stalks are 
 purple, and the leaves drop off very soon. The Welsh Stone- 
 crop is also his gift. It bears a cyme of bright, yellow flowers. 
 It is distinguished from the Eock Stonecrop by the brightness 
 of its leaves, whilst the Crooked Stonecrop is marked by its 
 leaves being turned back. 
 
 The distinguishing characteristics of the Hairy and Glaucous 
 Stonecrops are expressed in their names. I have not been 
 able to find specimens of either. 
 
 The Ehodiola, or Hose-root, is the only species of the last 
 family of Stonecrops. It is a stout plant, with a woody root, 
 the scent of which resembles that of the Hose. Its broad, thick, 
 pointed leaves are often folded over one another, and the cyme 
 is composed of minute dirty yellow flowers. I know many 
 places in the Scotch hill country where it is found, but I am 
 obliged to be content with a garden specimen. 
 
 The brilliant Mesembryanthemums of our gardens, and 
 the gorgeous Cactuses, intervene between the Stonecrop 
 tribe and that succeeding it in British botany the Goose- 
 berry. 
 
 This is an important tribe to us for the service we have from 
 the fruits. The Wild Gooseberry (Eibes grossularia), is found 
 growing freely in woods in the jN^orth of Yorkshire. Beautiful 
 fruit, fully ripe, was found wild in Wensleydale last year. This 
 shrub is very thorny, bears its flowers singly or in twos, and 
 has a hairy berry. The boys of the district seldom allow these 
 berries to ripen. Our garden Gooseberries are varieties of this, 
 and like it flourish well in a cold climate. Murray states in his 
 " Encyclopaedia of Geography," that they grow in remarkable 
 luxuriance in vallies in Aberdeenshire, 900 feet above the level 
 of the sea. He cites Bishop Forbes, of Aberdeen, who died in 
 
124 GBOSSULARIACE.S; SAXIFEAGACE^E. 
 
 1635, as remarking that this fruit becomes more delicious as it 
 approaches the upper regions of its cultivation. 
 
 TheEed Currant (Eibes rubrum, Plate VIIL,fig. 7), has no 
 thorns ; it has drooping racemes of yellowish- green blossoms. 
 It grows to the height of seven feet on the banks of the Swale, 
 both below Richmond, and high up into Swaledale ; many of 
 the places where it nourishes are very far from any garden, 
 so that I feel assured of my specimens being wild. 
 
 The Bock Currant (Eibes petraeum), carries its clusters erect 
 when in bloom, but they droop as the fruit becomes heavy. 
 This shrub abounds in rocky woods about Eichmond. Its 
 leaves are downy underneath. 
 
 The Mountain Currant (E. alpinum), we long sought in vain, 
 but we found it at last in a grove, a part of the property of 
 Thiernswood, in Swaledale. The situation is very high, and 
 the wood is extremely rocky. This Currant has smooth, 
 shiny leaves, and carries its raceme erect both in flower and 
 fruit. 
 
 The Black Currant (E. nigrum), the last of the Gooseberry 
 tribe, used to grow wild in woods near Eeeth, but we spent a 
 whole day seeking it last year, and yet did not succeed in finding 
 it. Edward has the advantage of me, for he had the pleasure of 
 taking it prisoner in Xent last year. The bush was growing 
 in a very shady place, on the bank of one of the slow, muddy 
 streams. It had to thank its position for its being in flower 
 in June. The strong odour of the leaves, more robust habit of 
 the plant, and brown tinge in the spare flower-cluster, distin- 
 guish this from any of the other species. I fear the associations 
 with the Gooseberry tribe are entirely edible. The name 
 brings at once to one's mind pies and puddings, jams and 
 jellies. 
 
 Leaving the Gooseberries we now turn our attention to 
 the SAXIFBAGE order. This tribe contains two families : that 
 of the Saxifrage, and of the Golden Saxifrage. These have 
 five sepals and five petals, ten stamens, and two styles. 
 
SAXIFEAGES. 125 
 
 They are all plants of humble growth, frequenting temperate 
 climates. 
 
 The White Meadow Saxifrage (Saxifraga granulata), is our \ 
 / most common species. The intense whiteness of its somewhat / 
 I bell-shaped flowers, which grow several together, make it a 
 veiy attractive plant. Its leaves are round or kidney- shaped, 
 and bluntly lobed. The root hasfleshy grains . or knobs in it, 
 hence its Latin name. v77^A ^ C ^2*^^ / 
 
 At the time when the doctrine of " signatures " was in vogue 
 these knobby roots were supposed to be a cure for swellings 
 and all excrescences growing upon the human frame. This 
 theory tried to prove that any resemblance in a plant showed 
 that it was an antidote to the disease of the part of the 
 human body to which it bore the likeness. Thus the spotted 
 leaf had a fancied likeness to the human lungs, and was 
 therefore declared to be a cure for consumption; and the 
 granules of the Saxifrage formed a remedy for hard excre- 
 scences. It was a superstitious, pagan-like foreshadowing of 
 the homoapathic rule, "Like cures like," only it stopped short 
 in surface-resemblance, instead of taking its stand on simili- 
 tude of nature. But all this has been exploded long ago, 
 and our little Meadow Saxifrage has now no useful service 
 to perform. 
 
 The little Rue-leaved Saxifrage is pretty frequent, adorning 
 old walls with its tiny blossoms and leaves, more or less 
 coloured with red. I have gathered it on the ruins of Easby 
 Abbey, and on old walls about Richmond. 
 
 The Mossy Saxifrage, or Eve's Cushion (S. hypnoides, 
 Plate VIIL, fig. 8), grows in the rocky parts of Swaledale, 
 both on the brink of the river and high upon the hills. It 
 forms large mossy plats, its leaves are much divided, and 
 their segments narrow ; and its clusters of bloom, though of a 
 less clear white and smaller, are scarcely less pretty than those 
 of the Meadow Saxifrage. 
 
 The Purple Saxifrage grows freely among rocks about the 
 
126 SAXIFRAGACE^l. 
 
 English Lakes ; its flowers grow singly on the stems, and the 
 closely-packed leaves are placed opposite to one another. 
 
 The Yellow Marsh Saxifrage (S. hirculus), is found on Knuts- 
 ford Moor, in Cheshire, not many miles from my favourite 
 Rudd Heath. The erect stem is clothed with narrow, alternate 
 leaves. It reaches the height of eight inches, and the large 
 yellow blossom is beautifully speckled with red. 
 
 The London Pride Saxifrage (S. umbrosa), is an Irish plant, 
 but I gathered it, apparently wild, in the Aske woods, near 
 Richmond. It is too common an ornament in gardens to need 
 any description. A species with large white flowers spotted 
 with yellow, very slight in its form, called the Starry Saxifrage, 
 was given to me by Mr. "Ward. It frequents the neighbour- 
 hood of alpine rills. 
 
 The Yellow Mountain Saxifrage (S. aizoides), is a gay little 
 plant ; its blossoms spotted with red. It greatly resembles the 
 Golden Moss, but is darker in hue, more of an orange colour, 
 and also larger. I found it abundantly in Switzerland and in 
 the Scotch Highlands, and my specimen is from thence. 
 
 There are a Kidney-leaved and a Hairy species, both resem- 
 bling the London Pride ; and, like it, they are inhabitants of 
 Ireland. 
 
 The Drooping, Alpine, and Tufted Saxifrages are white 
 species peculiar to mountain country ; the Moss-like and Dwarf 
 ones are yellow, and inhabit similar localities. 
 
 The Long-stalked, Broad-petalled, and Web-footed Saxifrages, 
 have brilliant white blossoms, and are found in Scotland and 
 Wales. We have no specimens of any of these. 
 
 I have both the Golden Saxifrages ; they have no corolla, 
 but the calyx and stamens are of a brilliant gold colour. 
 The two species are distinguished from one another by the 
 position of their leaves, those in the one being alternate, 
 and in the other opposite. Both bear a flat cyme or corymb 
 of yellow flowers, and their leaves are kidney-shaped and 
 notched. 
 
FOEMS OF INFLOEESCENCE. 
 
 127 
 
 The Alternate-leaved species is common, growing abundantly 
 in wet, shady places in high and low lands. 
 
 The Opposite-leaved (C. oppositifolium), species is much more 
 rare, but it grows, mingled with the Alternate-leaved on Billy 
 Bank, near Richmond. These complete the Saxifrage group. 
 
 FOBMS OF INFLORESCENCE. 
 
 In describing these recent orders, I have used various terms 
 for different kinds of clusters, which I will now proceed to 
 explain. 
 
 A panicle is a loose cluster of flowers on branched footstalks 
 of various lengths, springing from the main stem at different 
 places. Many of the Grasses flower in panicles (fig. A). The 
 other general forms of clusters are: the spike, where the 
 flowers grow up the stem without having any footstalks ; the 
 
 Beet, Broom, Eape, and Ladies' Tresses, are examples of 
 this (fig, B) ; the raceme, where the flowers are placed on 
 simple footstalks, as in Currant (fig. C), Bird Cherry, and 
 
POEMS OF INFLOBESCENCE. 
 
 Laburnum ; the cyme, where all the footstalks spring from one 
 spot, branching in various directions, and forming a round or 
 flattish surface, as in Cornel and Gueldres Eose (fig. D) ; the 
 
 head, where the seated flowers are placed in a compact cluster, 
 as in Clover, Burnet, and the Compound tribe (Jiff. E) ; and the 
 spadix and spatJie, where the flowers proceed from a sheath, 
 as in the Wild Arum, Narcissus, and Snowflake (fig. F). 
 
129 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 TJMBELLf FEE^ AKALIACE^I COENiC E.E. 
 
 " To every Form of Being is assigned 
 An active principle ; howe'er removed 
 From sense and observation, it subsists 
 In all things, in all natures ; in the stars 
 Of azure heaven, the unending clouds, 
 la flower and tree, in every pebbly stone 
 That paves the brooks, the stationary rocks, 
 The moving waters, and the invisible air. 
 Whate'er exists hath properties that spread 
 Beyond itself, communicating good, 
 A simple blessing, or with evil mixed ; 
 Spirit that knows no insulated spot, 
 No chasm, no solitude ; from link to link 
 It circulates, the Soul of all the World." 
 
 WORDSWORTH. 
 
 THE large order upon which, we are now entering, that of the 
 UMBELLIFERS, abounds in interest. The various members of 
 the families that compose it have minute flowers growing singly 
 on very small stems, all which stems are collected in a cluster 
 and united to the parent stem at the same point ; the cluster 
 thus formed is called an umbel, because the stems radiate in a 
 circle like the ribs of an umbrella. In many of the plants the 
 umbels are compound that is, the main cluster is formed of 
 a number of small ones. Eack little flower has five petals, 
 a calyx formed either of five sepals or a mere ridge, five 
 stamens, and ovary of two cells. The fruit consists of two 
 carpels united at the face, and with raised stripes along their 
 sides. The prevailing colour of the flowers is white, but some 
 are yellow, some tinged with lilac, and a few blue. 
 
 At the juncture of the flower-stalks with the main stem 
 there are generally small leaves or bracts placed in a whorl 
 round the stem ; these are called, collectively, an involucre. 
 
130 UMBELLIFEE2E. 
 
 The order is very extensive, numbering 1500 species. The 
 only reliable mark of distinction is the seed, and we shall 
 examine them with reference to this, also describing them as 
 their appearance strikes the more superficial observer. This 
 order has members possessing the most varied qualities. Some 
 are rank poison, some merely unwholesome, some aromatic, 
 some edible. As a general rule, those growing "high and dry" 
 are wholesome, while those frequenting water are more or less 
 poisonous. 
 
 Assafoetida is a plant of this tribe, indigenous in Persia. 
 Gum galbanum is extracted from another. Our wild Hemlock 
 is much used in medicine ; as are also Coriander, Dill, and Anise. 
 Carrots, Parsnips, and Earthnuts have edible roots ; Celery, 
 when cultivated, has wholesome stems ; Parsley and Fennel are 
 esteemed for their leaves, and Samphire makes a good pickle. 
 
 The Coriander has a round fruit dividing into two hemi- 
 spheres ; the lower leaves are pinnate ; the upper, thrice ternate 
 and thread- shaped. It frequents fields and dunghills, and is 
 not truly wild. The seed is aromatic, and used in making 
 comfits. The manna of the Israelites was likened to it " the 
 manna was as Coriander seed." (Numbers xi. 7.) 
 
 Galbanum, an ingredient in the incense of the sanctuary, 
 was obtained from the Galbanum omcinale, an umbelliferous 
 plant of Syria. 
 
 The Shepherd's Needle (Scandix pecten-Veneris, Plate IX., 
 Jig. 6), is familiar to us all with its tall beaked fruit, like a 
 bunch of large needles. The umbels are simple and inconspi- 
 cuous ; flowers white, and leaves very narrow and repeatedly 
 pinnate. We have all specimens of this. 
 
 The Beaked Parsley (Anthriscus vulgaris), has a very short 
 beak, and its fruit is rough with bristles. It has no calyx, the 
 stem is swelled under each joint, and the doubly pinnate leaves 
 are of a bright green. It frequents waste places. 
 
 The Wild Chervil (Chserophyllum sylvestre), is a plant easy 
 to distinguish ; its full green leaves are very large, composed 
 
CHERVIL CARROT. 131 
 
 of numerous small leaflets. The umbels are large and widely 
 spread, the flowers white. The scent of the plant is somewhat 
 aromatic. 
 
 The Garden Chervil (C. sativum), has the umbels from the 
 sides of the stem. As in the two last families, the fruit is 
 beaked, and there is no calyx. 
 
 The third group, according to Sir J. E. Smith, comprises 
 those genera whose fruit is solid and prickly, without a beak. 
 Our British families of this kind are the Sea Holly, the Carrot, 
 the Sanicle, and the Bur and Hedge Parsley. 
 
 The Sea Holly is one of Fanny's trophies ; it grew on the 
 bar of sand separating the Loe Pool from the ocean. Its 
 umbel is simple, and the flowers blue ; the leaves are lobed. 
 acute and thorny ; the colour a very blue or glaucous green, 
 and the veins white (Eryngium maritimum, Plate IX., fig. 3). 
 There is a Field Eryngo, with lilac flowers and bright green 
 foliage, but it is doubtfully indigenous. The Sea Holly stems 
 are preserved and make a pleasant candy. 
 
 The Sanicle (Sanicula europsea, Plate IX., fig. 2), I have 
 gathered in woods in Somersetshire, Kent, and Yorkshire in 
 June, and I have seen the leaves, later in the summer, among 
 the herbage of woods in other counties. It is a handsome 
 plant, with dark, glossy foliage, the leaves round and cut into 
 deep lobes ; and the umbels carry their flowers so close to the 
 stem that they seemed quite globular ; the long, white stamens 
 give them a light appearance. 
 
 We have the Wild Carrot (Caucus carota, Plate IX., fig. 8), 
 both from Kent and Cornwall. The umbel is large, but the 
 stalks in the centre are shorter than those round the margin, 
 so that the whole collection of small umbels seem to form a 
 cup, in the centre of which is one crimson flower. The leaves 
 are much divided, and the segments pointed. The root is tap- 
 shaped, doubtless the original of our garden Carrot, the utility 
 of which is patent to all. 
 
 The Sea Carrot (D. maritima), Fanny describes as growing 
 
132 UMBELLIFEB.E. 
 
 upon the Cornish, cliffs, from Talland to West Looe. Its leaves 
 are thicker, and cut into broader segments than in the common 
 species, and it lacks the characteristic crimson flower. In seed 
 the central umbels rise higher than those at the edge, so as to 
 give a hemispherical form to the main umbel. 
 
 The Knotted Hedge 'Parsley (Torilis nodosa), was growing 
 beside the Sea Carrot ; its umbels are simple, very minute, and 
 grow from the axils of the leaves. Its seeds are covered with 
 knots, hence its name. 
 
 The Spreading Hedge Parsley (T. infesta), abounds as a 
 weed in the corn fields of Kent. It is a low-growing, shrubby 
 plant, with whitish-green foliage, twice pinnate leaves, and 
 small umbels of white flowers. 
 
 The Upright Hedge Parsley is very common ; we have speci- 
 mens from Yorkshire, Durham, Cheshire, and Warwickshire. 
 It is an elegant plant, often growing as high as three feet. It 
 is prettily tinged with purple at the tips of the fruit, leaves, 
 and on the stem. Its spotted stem made me at first mistake 
 it for Hemlock, but the roughness of the whole plant, and the 
 furrows on the stem, soon undeceived me. The umbels nod 
 when in bud ; the flowers are white. 
 
 The Bur Parsley, with its bristly fruit, I have not found. 
 
 The next group has fruit without either wings or bristles, 
 but it is ribbed instead. 
 
 The Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata), is of this family. Its 
 scent announces it at the distance of many yards, strongly 
 resembling that of Aniseed. The foliage is abundant, and of a 
 light green ; the plant tall and stout, and the white umbels 
 large. Boys feed their rabbits with it. 
 
 The Eough Cicely has its seeds but slightly furrowed, and 
 the rough stem is swelled under each joint. The leaves are 
 thrice pinnate, and the flowers white. There is a species 
 with orange fruit peculiar to Scotland. I have no specimen of it. 
 
 The Earthnut, or Pignut (Bunium flexuosum), as it is some- 
 times called, I have found in every part of England and Scot- 
 
WATER DEOPWOBT. 133 
 
 land that I have visited. Pigs grub for the nut-shaped root, 
 and boys are equally alive to its charms. There was a paper 
 in the Gardeners' Chronicle some years ago recommending the 
 cultivation of this plant, because of the edible properties of the 
 roots, which, when roasted, are as good as Chestnuts. The 
 leaves resemble those of the Fennel, and the umbels are 
 tolerably large. It is the earliest of Umbellifers in flowering, 
 opening its white blossoms early in May. 
 
 The Water Dropworts are a remarkable family, some un- 
 wholesome, some actually poisonous. 
 
 The Tubular Water Dropwort (CEnanthe fistulosa), is really 
 handsome, with thick hollow stems, and pinnate tubular leaves. 
 It is a tall plant, upright, and with spare foliage of a glaucous 
 hue. The general umbel has three or four branches, but the 
 partial umbels are large, so that the cluster is a good size. 
 The flowers are prettily tinged with pink. 
 
 The Parsley Water Dropwort is in every way a smaller, slighter 
 plant, and its umbel has more rays. The two grow together 
 in ditches, on Kenn Moor, near Clevedon, flowering in July. 
 
 The most harmful member of the family is the Hemlock 
 Water Dropwort (CE. crocata), and it grows luxuriantly in 
 ditches and watery places in the beautiful lanes and groves 
 of Kent. The Hemlock Water Dropwort is the stateliest 
 plant of the tribe, as far as my experience goes. Its foliage- 
 is formed of large leaves, combining numerous wedge-shaped 
 leaflets ; it is of a bright, glossy green, and surmounted with 
 the large white hemispherical umbels, it cannot fail to attract 
 attention, Its root is composed of fleshy knobs, each some- 
 what resembling the root of a Parsnip, and the whole plant 
 abounds in a bad-smelling yellow juice. The farmers told 
 Edward that it had killed horses, and seriously disordered 
 cows. The principal danger, they said, is in the early spring, 
 when the cattle are first turned into the pastures. They are 
 then so new-fangled with every green thing that they eat the 
 Hemlock Dropwort eagerly. Its shoots being then young are 
 
134 
 
 milder in their flavour than afterwards. Sad stories are on 
 record of persons eating the roots, and illness or death being 
 the result. Happily it is easy to recognise the plant when 
 once you have been introduced to it. 
 
 !Not entirely guiltless of poisonous quality is the Pine-leaved 
 "Water Drop wort (QE. phellandrium). It grows as tall as the 
 noble Hemlock Dropwort, but its umbels are not so large. Its 
 foliage is cut into the finest possible wedge-shaped segments, 
 and the plant has at once a stately and elegant appearance. 
 Edward found it at Hawkhurst, growing up to his knees in the 
 water of some fish-ponds. 
 
 The Sulphur Water Dropwort, with its thick stems and large 
 fruit has not come in our way. Sir J. E. Smith speaks of it as 
 rare. 
 
 We now come to that noted plant the Samphire (Crithmum 
 maritimum, Plate IX.., fig. 7), once so much sought after even 
 at the risk of life as a pickle for the table of the epicure. It is 
 a fleshy, glaucous plant about a foot high, with much-divided 
 leaves, and an umbel of greenish flowers. It always grows on 
 rocks and cliffs above the reach of the highest tide. No shore 
 is more favoured by this plant than that of Cornwall ; it adorns 
 the cliffs for miles, and flourishes in richest luxuriance all 
 around Looe island. Dr. Murray in his "Physiology of Plants," 
 gives a very interesting story connected with this plant, which 
 I cannot repeat better than in his own words : " During a 
 storm, in November, 1821, a vessel was driven on shore near 
 Beachy Head. It appears the entire crew were washed over- 
 board, a few escaped to the rocks, apparently only to await a 
 more lingering death. Each advancing wave narrowed the 
 circumference of the little circle. They had already retreated 
 to the highest point, and while debating whether to cast them- 
 selves into the waves, and trust the desperate event, or remain 
 to be swallowed up, one in his struggles had laid hold on a 
 plant of the Crithmum maritimum, which he providentially 
 remembered never grows beneath the surface of the water. It 
 
SAMPHIEE. 135 
 
 was enough. Infinite Wisdom had ' cast the lot ' for the 
 Crithmum. It was the symbol of safety, and assurance was 
 restored. Thus was the Rock Samphire, like the Olive branch 
 to the Patriarch, fraught with the message of Providence." 
 
 On the south-east coast of England the Samphire-gatherer 
 pursued a most dangerous work. Growing in crevices of the 
 precipitous cliffs, only the practised eye and the daring foot 
 could reach the plant. This was often done by letting down a 
 man by means of a rope. Dr. Hamilton tells a touching inci- 
 dent of this plan of Samphire-gathering, Two men had 
 lowered their companion from the top of the cliff by a rope tied 
 round his waist. The desired plants had made their abode in a 
 hollow of the rock, overhung by the precipice from which 
 the rope was suspended. By means of a pole in his hand the 
 man steered himself into the hollow, and gained a footing ; but 
 in the meantime the rope had grated against the edge of the 
 cliff, and was worn through. Fearful was his situation, a fresh 
 rope was lowered and swung to and fro, but it was some feet 
 from him, held distant by the overhanging cliff; but how to 
 reach it ! Beneath him yawned a precipice of such dizzy 
 height that he knew a false effort would be certain death. Yet 
 to remain was equally certain death. Each vibration of the 
 rope, as it swayed to and fro, brought it less near to him. The 
 effort must be at once, or it would be hopeless. He made one 
 desperate spring and succeeded ; the rope was in his hands, 
 he clung for dear life, and his companions drew him to the 
 summit. Dr. Hamilton compared that rope to Christ, and 
 that urgent necessity to the need of the unpardoned. 
 
 The romance of Samphire-gathering is well known ; we all 
 feel a thrill when it is spoken of. Shakespeare has immor- 
 talised the calling : 
 
 " How fearful 
 
 And dizzy 'tis to cast one's eyes so low ! 
 The crows and choughs, that wing the midway air, 
 Show scarce so gross as beetles ; half-way down 
 Hangs one that gathers Samphire dreadful trade ! 
 Methinks he seems no bigger than his head." 
 
136 TTMBELLIFEBJ2. 
 
 Fanny's specimens were more attainable a kind-hearted 
 naval captain who was of their party climbed up the rocks and 
 procured a bundle of the plants, supposing she was going to 
 make a pickle of them. The flowers open in August. 
 
 The Stone Parsley (Athamanta libanotis), is rare, it grows 
 to the height of two feet, and bears hemispherical umbels, 
 deeply pinnate leaves, and whitish flowers adorned with violet 
 stamens. It frequents chalky hills. 
 
 Edward has specimens of both the Burnet Saxifrages from 
 Kent. The common one (Pimpinella saxifraga), much resem- 
 bles the Earthnut, but is distinguished by having roundish 
 leaflets on the root-leaves, while the segments of the stem-leaves 
 are thread-like. The greater Burnet Saxifrage (P. magna), 
 has all its leaflets oval and serrated. It grows freely in waste 
 ground, while the common species frequents hilly pastures. 
 Both flower in August. 
 
 We now come to the fifth group, characterised by having 
 the smooth seed compressed at the sides. The first family in 
 this group is that of the Water Parsnips. The Large-leaved 
 species (Slum latifolium), with its handsome flat umbels, I 
 have only seen in a print ; but the Narrow-leaved (Sium 
 angustifolium), is a common inhabitant of the ditches in 
 the water-meadows in Wiltshire. The leaves are fairly large 
 and pinnate; they are sometimes mistaken for those of the 
 Water Cress, and being poisonous, evil effects accrue from the 
 error. The terminal leaflet of the Water Cress is larger than 
 any of the others, while the final leaflet of this Water Parsnip 
 is smaller than its fellows. Attention to this distinction 
 would save many a mistake. The umbels are small, and 
 grow upon a stalk from the side of the stem opposite to the 
 leaves. 
 
 The Procumbent Water Parsnip (S. nodiflorum), grows in 
 the same ditches ; it is easily distinguished by its prostrate 
 growth and umbels seated on the main stem opposite the leaves. 
 
 The Creeping Water Parsnip (S. repens), I found in a similar 
 
WATEE PABSNIP WATEE HEMLOCK. 137 
 
 locality, also in Wiltshire ; it is a smaller plant, more slender 
 in its habit the bracts being large and numerous. 
 
 Marazion Marsh furnished Fanny with the Least Water 
 Parsnip (S. inundatum). It is a very small slight plant, with 
 pinnate leaves and minute umbels, containing about five flowers 
 and placed on the stem in pairs rising out of the water. The 
 leaves under water are thread- shaped. 
 
 The Whorled species with its Fennel-like leaves, inhabits salt 
 marshes in the north and west. I have no specimen of it. 
 
 The Hedge Honewort and Corn Honewort (Sison amomum 
 and segetum), I have also sought in vain. The former has an 
 umbel of about four rays or minute branches ; in the latter the 
 umbels droop, and the stem is Rush-like. 
 
 The Cowbane or Water Hemlock (Ciciita virosa), grows near 
 Ely, and I have seen a pressed specimen from thence. The 
 stem is furrowed, the leaves pinnate, each leaflet being cut in 
 three lance-shaped divisions, and serrated at the edge. The 
 umbel is large, and the flowers white. It contains a virulent 
 poison, and is very dangerous for cows. 
 
 Here we have the true Hemlock (Conium maculatum). It is 
 not a common plant. I gathered it near Little Ouseburn, a 
 village in the neighbourhood of York. It is handsome, with 
 bright green, repeatedly-pinnate leaves, a white umbel, and a 
 beautifully shiny stalk spotted with purple. It contains a 
 strong poison, which is, however, capable of being converted 
 into a powerful medicine. The seed is the most poisonous 
 part; dangerous mistakes have arisen from the similarity of 
 this seed to that of the Anise, and articles explaining the 
 points of distinction are found in medical journals. We look 
 with interest at this plant as furnishing the poison of that 
 greatest of non-Christian philosophers, Socrates. 
 
 The common Angelica (Angelica sylvestris), grows abun- 
 dantly in moist woods all over the kingdom ; it is a stately plant, 
 attaining a height of from five to eight feet. The sheathing 
 leaf-stalks are remarkably large, and the umbels of flowers 
 
138 UMBELLIFEE^!. 
 
 proportionately so. The full green of the twice-ternate leaves 
 gives the plant a pleasing appearance ; a tiny snail feeds upon 
 the foliage, and takes its name from the plant. There is a 
 garden Angelica which grows to a still larger size, the stalks 
 of which make a delicious preserve. 
 
 The common Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum), have also 
 ternate leaves on the stem ; their root-leaves are twice-ternate. 
 The umbels are of a middle size, and the foliage light green 
 and smooth. 
 
 Fanny has brought the Wild Celery (Apium graveolens, 
 Plate IX., fig. 4), from the banks of the Looe river. The 
 umbels are sessile in the axils of the branches. The plant is 
 poisonous when wild, but becomes wholesome from cultivation. 
 
 The Wild Parsley grows on hedgebanks about Hawkhurst, 
 in Kent ; its bright green leaves and greenish umbels too 
 closely resemble the garden Parsley to need a description. Its 
 only classic or historic association is with the Olympic games. 
 
 " Proud were the mighty conquerors 
 Crowned in Olympic games, 
 For they deemed that deathless honours 
 Were entwined around their names. 
 But sere was soon the Parsley leaf, 
 And the Olive and the Bay ; 
 But the Christian's crown of Amaranth 
 Shall never fade away." 
 
 The Fennel (Meum fceniculum, Plate IX., jig. 5), is the 
 near relation of the Parsley, both as a condiment for the table 
 and a plant honoured by classic superstitions : 
 
 " Above the lowly plants it towers, 
 The Fennel with its yellow flowers ; 
 And, in an earlier age than ours, 
 Was gifted with the wondrous powers 
 Lost vision to restore. 
 
 " It gave new strength and daring mood ; 
 And gladiators fierce and rude 
 Mingled it in their daily food ; 
 And he who battled and subdued, 
 A wreath of Fennel wore." 
 
 The plant has dark green leaves and yellow blossoms. Its 
 
FENNEL. 139 
 
 real association in the present day is with salmon ; and it is a 
 remarkable fact that on the coast of Cornwall, where the deli- 
 cious fish called Salmon Peel abounds, the Fennel so desirable 
 for its sauce and garnish is also abundant. I have also found 
 it on waste ground about Warwick. 
 
 Tournefort tails us that the Ferula of the ancients is a 
 species of Fennel ; " it has a hollow stalk full of white marrow, 
 which being well dried takes fire like a match. This fire holds 
 a good while, and consumes the marrow very gently, without 
 damaging the bark, which makes them use this plant in carrying 
 fire from one place to another. Our sailors laid in a good store 
 of it. This custom is of the greatest antiquity, and may help 
 to explain a passage of Hesiod, who, speaking of the fire that 
 Prometheus stole from Heaven, says he brought it in a Ferula. 
 In all probability Prometheus made use of the pith of Ferula 
 instead of a match, and taught men how to preserve fire in the 
 stalks of this plant. The stem is strong enough to be leaned 
 upon, but too light to hurt in striking ; and, therefore, Bacchus, 
 one of the greatest legislators of antiquity, wisely ordained the 
 first men who drank wine to make use of this plant, because, 
 when heated with drinking, they might break each other's 
 heads with ordinary canes. The priests of Bacchus supported 
 themselves on these stalks when they walked ; and Pliny 
 observes that the plant is greedily eaten by asses, though to 
 other beasts of burden it is rank poison. We could not try the 
 truth of this, there being only sheep and goats on the island. 
 The plant is now used for making low stools ; they take the 
 dried stalks, and by placing them alternately in length and 
 breadth, they form them into cubes, fastened at the corners with 
 pegs of wood. These cubes are the visiting stools of the ladies 
 of Amargos. Plutarch and Strabo take notice that Alexander 
 kept Homer's works enclosed in a casket of Ferula, on account 
 of its lightness ; the body of the casket was made of this plant, 
 and then covered with reek stun or skin, set off with ribs of 
 gold, and adorned with pearls and precious stones." 
 
140 UMBELLIFEE^;. 
 
 A specimen of the Spignel was given to me by a friend who 
 found it in the Highlands. It has compact feathery leaves and 
 whitish flowers (M. athamanticum). 
 
 The G-outweed (JSgopodium podagraria), I found in quan- 
 tities about a farm called Spring End, in Yorkshire. It is a 
 handsome plant, growing from two to three feet high; its 
 flowers are greenish, and the numerous small umbels are 
 arranged in a very large hemispherical general umbel. A de- 
 coction of this plant used to be much esteemed as an applica- 
 tion for gouty limbs. 
 
 The Common Carraway (Carum carui), I have not found, but 
 seen it in gardens. It has a branched stem, white umbels, and 
 ribbed fruit. With the last we are familiar from the earliest 
 infancy as the seed of our tiny sugar plums. 
 
 The Pepper Saxifrage (Cnidium silaus), grows also in Corn- 
 wall ; it is an uninteresting plant, with flowers of a dull white, 
 pinnate leaves, and an unpleasant smell. 
 
 The Hare's-ear family have bright yellow flowers. One 
 of them, the Common Hare's-ear (Bupleurum rotundifolium), 
 was sent to me from the coast of Wales last summer. It is a 
 pleasing-looking plant, with brittle-branched stems and leaves, 
 through which the stalk grows in the style which is called 
 perfoliate. 
 
 The Slender-leaved species has a wiry stem and simple 
 narrow leaves. 
 
 The blossoms of the Narrow-leaved Hare's-ear are reddish- 
 cream colour ; it is found in Devonshire. 
 
 The last species, the Falcate-leaved, is peculiar to Norton, in 
 Essex, and is, doubtfully, wild. 
 
 The White-rot (Hydrocotyle vulgaris, Plate IX., fig. 1), 
 the last family of this group, is a little creeping plant, with 
 shield-shaped leaves, and tiny umbels of pinkish flowers. Our 
 specimens were gathered on the banks of the Loe Pool. 
 
 The Fool's Parsley (vEthusa cynapium), was found by Edward 
 in Kent. It is a poor, inexpressive, lean plant, with twice- 
 
PARSNIP. 141 
 
 pinnate small leaves, and a spare umbel of pinkish flowers. 
 The most remarkable point is that the slender bracts turn 
 straight downwards. It is poisonous, though so unattractive, 
 and when eaten in mistake for true Parsley has very bad effects. 
 
 The Masterwort (Imperatoria ostruthium), I have never 
 found; it has twice-ternate leaves, and alternate flower-stalks. 
 
 Nor has the Milk Parsley (Selinum palustre), come in my 
 way. It is a tall plant, four feet high, with white flowers, and 
 a rough furrowed stem. 
 
 The Lovage (Ligiisticum), family is the last in this group. 
 The two members appertain to Scotland and Cornwall. They 
 have twice-ternate leaves and white flowers. 
 
 The Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), grows on the edges of fields 
 among the chalk downs of Wiltshire. It has yellow flowers 
 and glossy leaves. When cultivated, its root is very whole- 
 some and nutritious ; a curious thing, surely, that in this tribe 
 some plants should be so good and some so bad, and that 
 cultivation should remove the noxious qualities of some, and 
 boiling those of others. 
 
 The Sulphur-wort (Peucedanum officinale), is the contribu- 
 tion of a Scotch friend, who procured it from the west coast. 
 Its leaves are five times divided, the segments narrow, and the 
 flowers buff. 
 
 The Hartworts (Tordylium), are very rare, one of them 
 doubtfully British ; the flowers vary from white to pink, the 
 umbels are far- spread, and the stem rough with bristles. 
 
 The Cow Parsnip (Heracleum spondylium), so common as to 
 be found in every meadow and hedgerow early in summer, has 
 large flat umbels, the outer florets being much larger than those 
 towards the centre. The petals are more or less pink ; the 
 large, dull green, pinnate leaves are much less divided than 
 those of the generality in the Umbellifers. 
 
 The contradictory qualities of this order are thus accounted 
 for in the " Penny Cyclopaedia : " All the poisons of umbelli- 
 ferous plants are of an alkaline nature ; and this quality is dis- 
 
142 AEALIACEJE. 
 
 sipated by heat: hence tlie change in their condition when 
 boiled. The author of this article in the Cyclopaedia points 
 out what essentially good service this tribe does to us. The 
 roots of the Parsnip and Carrot contain a large quantity of 
 starch and sugar, which makes them very nutritious. The 
 Celery, Sea Holly, and Angelica have pleasant stalks, which, 
 when cultivated or cooked, are wholesome. The leaves of the 
 Parsley, Fennel, and Chervil are also good when boiled. The 
 thick juice of the Assafcetida, Hemlock, and others, though 
 poisonous in itself, is useful as a medicine ; and the seeds of the 
 Coriander, Carraway, Dill, and Anise are very valuable. It 
 occurs to me, that God permits poisonous plants to exist in 
 order to compel us to use the senses He has given us, in 
 avoiding what we find to be evil, and, by industry and research, 
 remedying it, or turning it to beneficent purposes. All His 
 works are good, and He teaches to the earnest and humble- 
 minded how to find out the true and beautiful, and to gather 
 wholesome fruit from the creation of His hand. 
 
 We are now so near the end of the Calyx order, that we had 
 better look over the few remaining plants. 
 
 The Ivy family succeeds the Umbelliferous plants, and our 
 native Ivy needs little description. Clothing the venerable 
 ruin, and at once supporting it in its decrepitude, and adding 
 to its beauty, the Ivy has continually been the theme of poets 
 and moralists. It flowers in October, and its clusters of black 
 berries are greatly enjoyed by the blackbirds and thrushes in 
 spring. Sir Walter Scott describes it as mantling the rocks 
 about Eokeby, where it does indeed thrive in great luxuriance 
 at the present day. 
 
 " Oft, too, the Ivy swathed their breast, 
 And wreathed its garland round their crest, 
 Or from the spires bade loosely flare 
 Its tendrils in the upper air ; 
 And so the ivied banners' gleam 
 Waved wildly o'er the brawling stream." 
 
 In old times it was worn around the brow at bacchanalian 
 
IVY COBNEL. 143 
 
 revels, but in the purer age it was dedicated as a crown to 
 the minstrel. 
 
 " The Ivy meet for minstrel's hair." 
 
 The largest tree of Ivy (Hedera helix), which I have ever 
 seen grows at Fountains Abbey, the pride of our county. Its 
 trunk measures three feet two inches round. 
 
 There is another family in this Ivy group, that of the 
 Moschatel. Our only British member of this family is com- 
 mon in woods everywhere, flowering early in spring (Adoxa 
 moschatellina). Its pale green flowers grow five in a head at 
 the summit of the stalk, and a pair of three-parted leaves of 
 a similar hue are situated half-way down. Other lobed leaves, 
 each having three leaflets, spring from the root. The plant 
 used to be called the " Gloryless," from its incoospicuous 
 appearance, and its Latin name has a similar meaning. 
 
 The Wild Cornel group is the only remaining one in this 
 order. One of our representatives is the Cornel or Dog-wood 
 of our hedges. It is a bushy shrub, with egg-shaped pointed 
 leaves, and clusters of cream-coloured flowers. The berries are 
 small, and of a purplish-black. Skewers are made of the wood. 
 The flowers are arranged in a small cyme. My specimen grew 
 at the foot of Hungary Hill, near Eipon. I have also gathered 
 it about Easby, and Edward has specimens from Hawkhurst. 
 The bark of some foreign species of Cornel is a good tonic 
 (Cornus sanguineus). The Cornel is mentioned by Homer as 
 furnishing weapons of war : 
 
 *' His Cornel spear 
 Ulysses waved to rout the savage war." 
 
 I know not whether this be the same plant as ours, or even 
 of the same family, but the specific name, sanguineus (bloody), 
 seems to strengthen the idea that the tree furnished the spear- 
 wood of the ancients. Indirectly it is still a warlike tree, for 
 its wood makes the best charcoal for the manufacture of gun- 
 powder. So well is this understood in Kent, that the land- 
 owners are jealous of planting the Cornel in their woods, 
 
144 
 
 COBNACEJE. 
 
 because it is so constantly stolen and sold for the powder 
 mills. 
 
 There is a Dwarf Cornel (C. suecica), which was sent to me 
 from the Highlands ; it is a mere herb, with large strongly- 
 ribbed leaves, simple and broad, and a large four-petalled 
 flower, cream-colonred, and with a deep stain of purple in the 
 centre. 
 
145 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 FOEMS OF COEOLLAS VISCACE^E CAPEIFOLIACE^]- 
 EUBIACE^ VALEEIANlCEJS DIPSACACEJ3. 
 
 " Flowers image forth the boundless love 
 
 God bears His children all, 
 Which ever droppeth from above 
 
 Upon the great and small. 
 Each blossom that adorns our path, 
 
 So joyful and so fair, 
 Is but a drop of love divine 
 That fell and flourished there! " 
 
 ILIMON. 
 
 WE have now gone through the Receptacle and Calyx sub- 
 classes, and are come to that of the COEOLLIFLOBALS, where 
 the corolla is no longer formed of separate petals, but is all in 
 one piece, or monopetalous. There are a variety of forms both 
 amongst one-petalled and many-petalled corollas. The Rose- 
 shape is one of the most familiar among the polypetalous 
 flowers, with its five slightly-cupped petals (Plate VII. , fig. 6). 
 The Cruciform is equally well known, having only four petals 
 arranged in the form of a cross (Plate III-). The Lily-shape 
 is difficult to meet with among our wild flowers ; the Wild 
 Tulip and Wild Hyacinth are approaches to it (Plate XVI.}. 
 Of the spurred form we have examples in the Violet (Plate IV., 
 fig. 3), Monkshood and Columbine (Plate I.yfigs. 9 and 10) ; 
 and the butterfly-shaped, or papilionaceous, with its raised 
 standard, spread wings, and curved keel, needs no description 
 (Plate VI.}. 
 
 The one-petalled corolla, which constitutes our present order, 
 and has the stamens fastened to it, is susceptible also of several 
 forms. The Speedwell (Plate XIII., fig. 6), Elder, Gueldres 
 Eose (Plate X.,fig. 2), and Yellow Bedstraw (Plate X.,fig. 6), 
 are examples of the wheel-shaped ; the Campanula (Plate XII., 
 
146 VISCACE2E. 
 
 jig. 1), and Linnsea of the lell-sJiaped ; the Primrose (Plate 
 XIV., fig. 3), and Anchusa (Plate XII., fia. 14), of the salver- 
 shaped; the Honeysuckle (Plate X., fig. 3), of the tubular; 
 the Bindweed (Plate XII., fig. 11), of the funnel-shaped ; the 
 Salvia (Plate XIII., fig. 8), Thyme, Mint, Dead Nettles, and 
 Ground Ivy (Plate XIII., fig. 9), of the labiate; and the 
 Snapdragon (Plate XIIL,fig. 5), of the gaping-shape. This is 
 the largest order of British plants, and many of our favourite 
 flowers are contained in it. 
 
 The first order in the Corolla subclass is that of the Mistletoe 
 (Viscum album, Plate X., fig. 1). Our one representative of 
 this tribe is the well-known evergreen which holds so prominent 
 a place in our Christmas festivities. It has its stamens and 
 pistils on different flowers. Its seed is enveloped in a slimy 
 covering, and is able, by its own adhesiveness, to remain fixed 
 to the branches of trees. There is no calyx, and the corolla is 
 four-cleft. The flowers and berries are both white. Plants of 
 this tribe abound in tropical lands, adorning the trees, on which 
 they live parasitically, with clusters of gay-coloured flowers. 
 
 Our interest in the Mistletoe is derived from ancient custom 
 and habit. The Teutons had a great veneration for this plant. 
 They held a curious tradition regarding it, which ran thus : 
 " One day Balder told his mother, Friga, that he should die. 
 Friga conjured the elements, earth, air, fire and water, metals, 
 maladies, trees, animals, and serpents, that they should do no 
 evil to her son; and her conjurations were so powerful that 
 nought could resist them. Balder, therefore, went to the 
 combat of the gods, and fought in the midst of showers of 
 arrows without fear. Loake, his enemy, wished to know the 
 reason ; he took the form of an old woman, and sought out 
 Friga. He addressed her thus : ' In the midst of our fight 
 the arrows and rocks fall on your son without hurting him ! ' 
 ' I believe it,' replied Friga, ' all those substances are sworn 
 to me. Nothing in nature can hurt him, except one little plant, 
 growing on the bark of the Oak, with scarcely any root. I 
 
MISTLETOE ELDEE. 147 
 
 have not cared to ask its protection, for it is too weak to injure.' 
 Loake immediately ran and found the plant, and gave an 
 arrow formed of it to the blind Heda, telling him that Balder 
 was before him. Heda discharged the arrow, and Balder fell, 
 pierced and slain. Thus the offspring of a goddess was killed 
 by an arrow of Mistletoe shot by a blind man." This legend is 
 the origin of the respect felt both by the Gauls and Druids for 
 this plant. I found the story in a book entitled " Forest Trees 
 of Britain," by Mr. Johns. 
 
 The Mistletoe grows most frequently on Apple trees, where 
 I have seen it in abundance in Somersetshire, and more 
 sparingly in Kent and Devon. It is also found on the Pear, 
 Hazel, Hawthorn, Maple, Willow, Ash, Elm, and Poplar. Dr. 
 Borlase tells us that the Druids went in solemn procession to- 
 gather it from the Oak, to present it to Jupiter, with an in- 
 vocation to all the world to assist at the ceremony. 
 
 " Mystic Mistletoe flaunted, 
 Such as the Druids cut down with golden hatchets at Yule-tide." 
 
 They had the Mistletoe in great veneration, and termed it the 
 universal remedy. Two white bulls, never yoked, were led 
 forth, and the priest, or arch-Druid, clothed in white, ascended 
 the Oak, and cut the Mistletoe with a golden hook, while a 
 white garment was spread beneath it, into which it fell. From 
 this a kind of catholicon was formed, which cured all manner of 
 diseases, and was an antidote to poison. The flowering time 
 of the Mistletoe is April. Each seed contains the germ of two 
 plants. When inserted into the bark of a suitable tree, it lies 
 dormant for two years ; after which the bark becomes fretted, 
 and a young plant appears. 
 
 The Elder blossom (Sambucus nigra), is a very familiar 
 friend, the large flat cymes covering many a bush in every part 
 of England about July, and the overpowering scent making 
 itself perceptible at a great distance. High authorities are at 
 variance about the excellencies of this bush. Evelyn says, 
 that if its virtues were fully known no one need longer have 
 
148 CAPBIFOLIACE.E. 
 
 any ailment ; and Dr. Boerhaave, of Leyden, thought so highly 
 of its qualities, that he never passed the tree without taking 
 off his hat. But Pliny differed in opinion, and slightingly 
 declared, in allusion to the hollow stems, that "the plant it 
 was all skin and bones." Wine and syrup are made of the 
 berries, both of which are very good for colds, and a great 
 consolation to children for the annoyance of early going to bed. 
 There is also a delectable wine made from the flowers. The 
 " Elder ointment " is profoundly disbelieved in by the faculty, 
 and declared to be even hurtful. 
 
 The Dwarf Elder (S. ebulus), has poisonous qualities ; a 
 decoction of its root, and one of its inner bark, has proved fatal. 
 It is a smaller bush ; I have heard of it near Edinburgh, and 
 have a specimen from the neighbourhood of Darlington. The 
 flowers are somewhat larger than in the common Elder, and 
 they are tinted with lilac at the back of the petals. 
 
 The HONEYSUCKLE family comes next. 
 
 The pretty climbing Honeysuckle stands at the head of 
 the family. Its fragrant tubular flowers, and simple, slightly- 
 glaucous leaves, placed in pairs, are familiar to us, and scarcely 
 less so are the small heads of brilliant crimson berries which 
 succeed them. The Woodbine, or Honeysuckle (Lonicera 
 periclymenum, Plate X., fig. 3), is a favourite theme of 
 poets. 
 
 " But, from Flora's fairy realm, 
 
 Token would' st thou bring for me ? 
 Go where round yon towering Elm 
 
 Clings the Woodbine tenderly. 
 Not to Fancy's ear alone, 
 
 Doth it kindly thought impart. 
 Would'st thou soar, and strength hast none ? 
 
 Clings to earth thy grovelling heart ? 
 Seek, like yonder fragile flower, 
 
 Fitting prop round which to twine ; 
 There's an Arm of love and power, 
 
 Lean on it, and heaven is thine." 
 
 I have a specimen of the Perfoliate Honeysuckle, but it is 
 from a garden. The flowers of this species are always pale, 
 
GUELDEES EOSE LINNJEA. 149 
 
 and the stalk seems to grow through the middle of the leaf : 
 hence it is called Perfoliate. 
 
 The Upright Honeysuckle, with its pairs of scentless flowers 
 and distinct berries, is scarcely considered a native of Britain. 
 Its leaves are simple and downy. 
 
 The common Gueldres Eose (Viburnum opulus), is a frequent 
 ornament of our groves. Its large cymes have small fertile 
 flowers in the centre, and large barren ones round the edge. 
 The leaves are lobed and cut. The whole shrub is smooth. 
 The flowers appear in June ; and in autumn the tree is very 
 conspicuous, with its crimson leaves, and clusters of crimson 
 berries. I remember our adjourning from a pic-nic to an 
 extempore evening party, when I was in Wiltshire, and we 
 transformed our plain muslin dresses into very elegant evening 
 costumes by means of sprays of these berries that we gathered 
 in a wood called Vallis. The Gueldres Eose is named from a 
 district in the Low Countries, called Gueldres-land, where it 
 flourishes in great abundance. Though to our taste the berries 
 have a nauseous flavour, they are much esteemed by the 
 Swedes, who make them into cakes with honey and flour. In 
 Siberia a spirit is distilled from them. 
 
 The Mealy Gueldres Eose (V. lantana), I found on the Wilt- 
 shire downs. It has simple leaves, covered underneath with 
 a thick yellow meal, and cymes of dull white flowers, all the 
 same size. In some parts of the country it is called the 
 " Cotton Tree," from its general mealiness. The berries are 
 nearly black when ripe. Mrs. Howitt terms it the "Wild 
 Hydrangea," ancl it certainly has some resemblance to that 
 plant. In the Crimea the young branches are used for pipes, 
 and they are employed in Germany in basket-making. 
 
 Now for Linnseus's favourite flower. This pretty creeper, 
 with its pairs of rose-coloured bells, was discovered by him, 
 frequenting Pine woods, where no other flowers could exist. 
 My specimen was sent from the Dalmahoy Crags, near Edin- 
 burgh, where the plant is occasionally found. It is called 
 
150 ETJBIACE^:. 
 
 after the great botanist, "Linnaea borealis " (fig. 4). Miss 
 Elliot has worthily celebrated its retreat : 
 
 " 'Tis a child of the old green woodlands ; 
 Where the song of the free wild bird, 
 And swaying boughs of the summer breeze, 
 Are the only voices heard. 
 
 " In the richest moss of the lonely dells, 
 
 Are its rosy petals found, 
 With the clear blue skies above it spread, 
 And the lordly trees around." 
 
 Our next British tribe is that of the MADDER, to which 
 belong foreign plants of great importance. This contains the 
 Ipecacuanha plant, a little shrub inhabiting the forests of 
 Brazil, with a root about the size of a goose-quill, yellow, 
 but with grey rings round it. This ringed bark forms a 
 medicine equally appreciated by allopathic and homoeopathic 
 practitioners. 
 
 The Quinine, or rather the tree whose bark furnishes that 
 valuable tonic medicine, is a member of the same order ; and 
 last, but not least, is their brother the Coffee plant. This is 
 an evergreen shrub, a native of Arabia and Abyssinia. 
 
 Dr. Scoffern gives a legend of the first discovery of the use 
 of the Coffee berry. The pious Mollah Chadelly was so afflicted 
 that he could not keep awake during his nocturnal devotions, 
 and besought Mahomet to reveal some means of keeping the 
 sleep away. So Mahomet sent a herdsman to inform the 
 devotee that his goats could not sleep after eating Coffee 
 berries, but kept frisking about all night long. The Mollah, 
 taking the hint, prepared a good dose of Coffee, and was 
 charmed with the result. Not a wink of sleep did he get; 
 delicious sensations crowded on his brain, and his midnight 
 devotions were intensely fervent. 
 
 Another story is told relating much the same incidents, but 
 making a Prior of a Maronite convent the hero. Afterwards 
 the Turks became so devoted to Coffee, that they frequented 
 the Coffee-shops instead of going to mosque, and so all use of 
 
MADDEB BED6TEAW. 151 
 
 the berry was forbidden on pain of stripes. But public opinion 
 righted itself, and the Coffee became universally popular. 
 
 Our Madder seems insignificant compared with these plants 
 of world-wide celebrity, but it, too, holds a highly respectable 
 position. The order is sometimes called the Starry tribe, 
 because the whorls of leaves are arranged in that form. 
 
 The Dyer's Madder is a foreign species of great utility ; 
 quantities of it were being used in some dyeing works which I 
 visited near Manchester. The dye is extracted by a chemical 
 process. It was cultivated in Normandy during the middle 
 ages, and exported in large quantities. The French name for 
 Madder, Garance, is derived from Verancia, the name applied 
 by the Gauls, who, according to Strabo, cultivated it to some 
 extent. The most curious circumstance relating to the Madder 
 is, that if it is administered to any amimal in the state of 
 decoction, it penetrates the whole organism, dyeing the very 
 bones. 
 
 Our own Madder (!Rubia peregrina, fig. 5), furnishes a red 
 colouring matter. Fanny found it on the banks of Loe Pool 
 amongst brushwood. It has four or five leaves in each "star ;" 
 they are bright and evergreen, with bristles round them. The 
 flowers are greenish-yellow, tubular above, and the segments of 
 the corolla spreading into a wheel shape. It grows abundantly 
 about Clevedon, as well as in Cornwall. 
 
 The Bedstraw family, which succeeds the Madder, has also 
 the distinguishing mark of the Starry tribe ; its whorls contain 
 four, five, or six leaves. The flowers are wheel-shaped and 
 four-cleft. 
 
 The Crosswort (Galium cruciatum), is common everywhere. 
 The flowers are arranged in small yellow clusters in the axils 
 of the leaves, which are broad, and of a pale green. The 
 strong scent of honey procures for it the title of " Honeywort " 
 in some districts. 
 
 The Hough Marsh Bedstraw (G-. uliginosum), has six leaves 
 in a whorl, and very scattered clusters of clear white flowers 
 
152 RUBIACEJE. 
 
 at the end of its climbing stems. It grows in the ditches about 
 Clevedon, clinging to the tall water plants. 
 
 The Yellow Bedstraw (G-. verurn, Plate X.,fig. 6), grows on 
 the borders of fields and lanes, and about heaths everywhere. 
 Its scent of honey is nearly as strong as that of the Crosswort, 
 but its leaves are very small and narrow, and of a dark green ; 
 each whorl contains eight. The flower-cluster is very large, 
 and much branched, forming the principal part of the plant, 
 the colour deep yellow. 
 
 The great Hedge Bedstraw (G-. molhigo), is the handsomest 
 species. One day when we were driving along the Great 
 North-road, we were attracted by sheets of feathery whiteness 
 on the hedge. We stopped, and I left the carriage, returning 
 with branches of this beautiful plant. This was near Rich- 
 mond, in Yorkshire, and I see that Edward has specimens 
 from Kent. 
 
 The pretty Heath Bedstraw (G. saxatile), is a charming 
 ornament of our woods and moors ; many a rock is half covered 
 with its thickly-set clusters of white blossoms. Its leaves are 
 six in a whorl. The plant is prostrate, and much branched, 
 but only three or four inches long. The seeds are grained, and 
 tinged with crimson. 
 
 Edward has the Water Bedstraw, as well as the great Hedge 
 Bedstraw, from the neighbourhood of Hawkhurst. It is a 
 weak plant, with very small white flowers, and leaves four in a 
 whorl. 
 
 The Goose-grass (G. aparine), has its leaves eight in a whorl, 
 and its inconspicuous flowers are arranged in a small cluster, 
 which springs from the axil of the leaf. Every part of it is 
 beset with hooked bristles ; it adheres by these to everything it 
 touches, and is hence called by some " Cleavers." This habit 
 makes it a favourite with mischievous children, who slyly 
 attach portions of it to the dress of those they wish to torment. 
 As little children, we used to push pins' heads into the pretty 
 round bristly seed, and thus make " fancy pins." 
 
WOODRUFF FIELD MADDEE. 153 
 
 The Northern Bedstraw resembles this, but its leaves are 
 smooth, and only four in a whorl. 
 
 There are an Upright Bedstraw, with the leaves eight in a 
 whorl, and dense white panicles ; a Bearded Bedstraw, leaves 
 six in a whorl, and seeds kidney- shaped ; a Wall Bedstraw, 
 leaves eight, and flowers few and pale ; and a Least Bedstraw, 
 with copious white flowers. Most of these are rare. 
 
 The Woodruff family comes next in the Starry tribe. 
 
 The Sweet Woodruff (Asperula odorata), is a charming little 
 plant ; its light, whorled foliage, and clear white flowers are 
 uncommonly pretty. It is useful, too, for it not only yields 
 a pleasant perfume when dried, but preserves woollen goods 
 from moth. Withering was of opinion that an infusion of its 
 dried leaves was far superior to Chinese Tea. It is a good 
 substitute, too, for the Tonquin Bean in the preparation of 
 snuff, not being, like it, prejudicial to the sight. Children 
 spell its name in rhyme : 
 
 Double U, double O, double D, E, 
 R, 0, double U, double F, E. 
 
 such being the old-fashioned style of orthography. 
 
 The Small Woodruff, or Squinancy-wort (A. cynanchica, 
 Plate X., Jig. 7), grows freely on the Wiltshire downs ; and 
 although it lacks the scent of the Sweet Woodruff, its pink 
 clusters and dark green whorled leaves make it a great favourite 
 with me. It continues in flower nearly all the summer, and 
 is frequent in England, but never found in Wales or Scotland. 
 It used to be esteemed as a remedy for quinsy : hence its 
 popular name. 
 
 There is a blue Woodruff, but I have never seen it. Sir 
 J. E. Smith thinks it is only an introduced plant, and gives 
 Devonshire as the county of its settlement. 
 
 The Pield Madder is the last family of the Starry tribe. 
 Our one representative is a rough prostrate plant, much 
 branched, and bearing a small umbel of lilac flowers in the 
 bosom of the terminal whorl of leaves. I have gathered it 
 
154 VALEBIANACE2E. 
 
 often in corn fields in Wiltshire, and have seen it in similar 
 localities in all other counties that I have visited. (Sherardia 
 arvensis,^. 8). 
 
 The VALEEIAN order comes next. There are foreign species 
 which, when dried, are highly odoriferous. The Spikenard 
 of Scripture is one of these. The leaves are variously used 
 in medicinal preparations. Among the Hebrews it was a 
 very costly drug : you remember that Judas valued the box 
 of ointment of Spikenard, with which Mary anointed our 
 Lord, at two hundred pence about 6 9s. 2d. of our money. 
 Spikenard was so much prized by the Romans, that Horace 
 promises Virgil several dozens of wine for one box of Spike- 
 nard. They used to anoint their guests with it. In Turkey 
 and Egypt two other species of Valerian, inhabitants of Austria, 
 are used to perfume the baths. 
 
 The Red Valerian (Valeriana riibra, Plate X., fig. 9), grows 
 plentifully on cliffs near the sea in many places. Our specimen 
 came from Fowey, in Cornwall, where the gay rose-coloured 
 bunches of flowers make a great show, enlivening the dark 
 cliffs most charmingly. It has been sent to me also from 
 Dawlish. The root of this plant is an excellent remedy for 
 nervous diseases. De Theis thinks the name is derived from 
 the Latin valere, to heal. 
 
 I have the Small Marsh and the Great Wild Valerian. The 
 former attains the height of a foot only ; its chief peculiarity 
 is, that it bears its stamens on one plant and its stigmas on 
 another. The corymbs of white blossoms, tinged with pink, 
 are very pretty. The stem-leaves are pinnate, the root-leaves 
 oval. It frequents the damp marshy meadows in Swaledale 
 (V. dioica). 
 
 The great Wild Valerian (V. officinalis), grows in moist bushy 
 places. There is a valley near to Marske, in Yorkshire, full of it, 
 and it is frequently to be met with in similar localities all over the 
 country. It grows three feet high, with large corymbs of pure 
 white flowers, and pinnate leaves, with lance-shaped segments. 
 
COKN SALAD TEASEL. 155 
 
 These two species have three stamens. I omitted to mention 
 that the flowers of the Red Valerian have only one stamen. 
 
 There is a Heart-leaved Valerian growing in Colinton Woods, 
 near Edinburgh, which has rose-coloured flowers. I have not 
 succeeded in procuring a specimen. 
 
 The second family in the Valerian tribe is that of the Corn 
 Salad. 
 
 The Common Corn Salad, or Lamb's Lettuce (Fedia olitoria), 
 I found in May at the foot of Blackford Hill, near Edinburgh. 
 It is a common-enough plant, with its pale blue clusters of 
 inconspicuous flowers seated close to the leaves at the end of 
 the stem. The leaves are tdngue-shaped, and blunt. It is 
 much branched, and the foliage is of a pale green. The plant 
 was in former times cultivated for salad, and the French still 
 call it " Monk's Salad " Salade de CJianoine. Old Gerarde 
 calls it " White pot herb," and says, " In winter, and the first 
 months of the year, it serves for a salade herbe, and is with 
 pleasure eaten with vinegar, salt, and oile, as other salades be, 
 among which it is none of the worst." 
 
 Edward has the Toothed Corn Salad ; he found it in corn 
 fields about Hawkhurst, flowering in July (F. dentata). Its 
 flowers are lilac, and its leaves are toothed. There are a sharp- 
 fruited and a carinated species of Corn Salad. 
 
 We now come to the TEASEL order. The Teasel plants have 
 one petal, and a single-leafed calyx. 
 
 The most important member of the Teasel family is the 
 Fuller's Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum, Plate X., fig. 10). It 
 grows to the height of six feet. The stems and leaves are 
 prickly, and the head is beset with large hooks. This plant is 
 very useful in cloth manufactories. It is dried in bundles, the 
 heads turned outwards. I saw a number of these bundles 
 prepared ready for the market, in a farm-house at Vallis, in 
 Somersetshire, near which place they had been cultivated. The 
 cloth is made to pass over the heads of the Teasel, which are 
 sharp enough to raise the nap, but too elastic to tear the cloth. 
 
156 DIPSACACE.E. 
 
 Country people cut open the heads, where they frequently find 
 a worm. An odd number of these worms, placed in a quill, is 
 believed to charm away sickness. The Fuller's Teasel grows 
 wild in many parts of Wiltshire. Its long serrated leaves 
 grow in pairs, and their shoulders are joined together, so that 
 they form a cup, where the rain and dew collect. This is the 
 only British plant which has this habit of collecting water ; but 
 in tropical countries many trees are endowed with such a 
 power. Dampier mentions that his thirst has often been 
 allayed, when he was in the West Indies, by perforating the 
 leaves of the Wild Pine, and receiving the water from below. 
 Dr. Murray states, that in Africa there is a tree called Boa 
 hollowed like a cistern, which receives and retains the dews. 
 The Birchwort of Canada is supplied with two leaves resembling 
 the halves of a bell, with a natural depression in the form of 
 a spout ; and these leaves afford a plentiful supply of water to 
 animals, as well as the occasional traveller. Prince Maximilian, 
 in his " Travels in the Brazils," informs us that the natives are 
 well acquainted with dew-collecting leaves, and thus the wan- 
 dering savages quench their thirst. The Pitcher-plants are 
 described by Mr. St. John, in his explorations in Borneo, as 
 such a beneficent contrivance for storing water. The Pitcher 
 of the largest species, the Nepenthe Hajah, contains four pints. 
 In one he found a drowned rat. The plants are as attractive 
 for their beauty as for their utility. Dr. Murray thus con- 
 cludes his remarks on the subject : " These are indeed 'pools 
 in the desert ; ' and it must forcibly strike the contemplative 
 mind as very remarkable, that succulent plants should be found 
 where we least expect to meet with them ; that an Infinitely 
 Wise Intelligence should have so formed vegetation as to 
 minister its supplies, and so moulded its foliage as to be- 
 come so many cisterns of water living fountains to quench 
 the thirst of the great tide of animation which swarms in 
 tropical countries, and without which they would certainly 
 perish. In no region of the globe is there wanting traces of 
 
SCABIOUS. . 157 
 
 remarkable design : creation teems with such it is full of 
 miracles." 
 
 There is a Wild Teasel (D. sylvestris), a less robust plant, 
 with less rigid prickles, but we have not met with it. 
 
 The Smallest Teasel (D. pilosa), has pinnate leaves, or rather 
 two little leaflets at the base of the principal leaf. The flower 
 is white, and the head is roundish, not conical, like the larger 
 species. It grows in damp places about Frome, on the borders 
 of Somerset. 
 
 The Scabious family is the second in the Teasel order. 
 
 The Common Scabious has the corolla in four segments, the 
 flowers round the edge of the flat head being large. It is of a 
 lilac colour, and the leaves are pinnate and serrated. It grows 
 abundantly on the borders of fields, and in chalk or limestone 
 places. 
 
 The Smaller Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria, jig. 11), is some- 
 what different ; its corolla is in five segments. The root-leaves 
 are ovate and notched, the stem-leaves narrow and pinnate. It 
 grows on the downs near "Warminster. 
 
 I have the Devil's-bit Scabious (S. succisa). Both the 
 Blue and the White varieties grow in the hilly pastures in 
 Swaledale. The root is abrupt, and an old legend declares 
 that there was one portion of the root so healing in its powers 
 that it could cure all maladies ; and that the devil, enraged at 
 mankind possessing so great a blessing, bit the healing part off. 
 The head of the plant is round, and all the florets are of the 
 same size. 
 
158 
 
 CHAPTEE XL 
 COMPOSITE. 
 
 " Spake fall well, in language quaint and olden, 
 
 One who dwelleth by the castled Rhine, 
 When he called the flowers, so blue and golden, 
 Stars, that in earth's firmament do shine. 
 
 " Wondrous truths, and manifold as wondrous, 
 
 God hath written in the stars above ; 
 But not less in the bright flow'rets under us 
 Stands the revelation of His love ! " 
 
 LONGFELLOW. 
 
 THE COMPOSITE flowers, which now come to us in the course of 
 natural arrangement, form the largest of our orders. De 
 Candolle, the celebrated botanist, divided these plants into 
 groups : 1st, the Strap-shaped or Chicory group, where all the 
 florets are strap-shaped and perfect ; 2nd, the Tubular group, 
 where all the florets are tube-shaped and perfect ; 3rd, the 
 Corymb group, where the florets of the centre or disk are 
 perfect, and those of the margin or circumference are strap- 
 shaped, and have pistils only. All the flowers of this tribe are 
 composed of numerous florets, as indeed the name of the order, 
 " Composite," indicates. Lindley computes the number of 
 genera in this tribe at 1005. They are mostly herbaceous 
 plants, but some few attain to the stature of trees. The king 
 of these is the Synchodendron, a tree fifty feet high, a native 
 of Madagascar. The appearance of its flowers is a signal to 
 the inhabitants to sow their Eice. 
 
 The Strap-shaped group has some useful members. The 
 Chicory leaves are good as a salad, and the powdered roots are 
 mixed with Coffee. Endive is another kind of Chicory, but not 
 a wild species. The root of the Dandelion makes a wholesome 
 tonic medicine. 
 
GOAT'S-BEABD. 159 
 
 The Tubular group boasts the Artichoke and the Tarragon 
 for articles of food, and the Wormwood and Matico for 
 medicines. 
 
 The Corymfc group has only the Jerusalem Artichoke for 
 eating ; but it is rich in medicines, possessing Camomile as a 
 tonic ; Coltsfoot for coughs, and Calendula, one of the most 
 useful homoeopathic medicines for external application ; and 
 Feverfew as a bitter. A yellow dye is procured from the 
 Corn Marigold, and carmine from the flowers of the Dahlia. 
 
 The Goafs-beard is the first family in the Strap group. The 
 involucre has one row of long scales ; all the florets are strap- 
 shaped, and the seeds are long and feathery, forming a large 
 handsome globe. We have three British species. 
 
 The Yellow Goafs-beard (Tragopogon pratensis), grows 
 pretty frequently in meadows. Its stem is tall and few- 
 flowered, and the leaves are long and tapering. I have 
 gathered it both in Yorkshire and Durham. All the Goafs- 
 beards close early ; the strap-shaped florets rise into a perpen- 
 dicular position, and the segments of the involucre draw 
 together. This species used to be called " Jack-go-to-bed-at- 
 noon." Linnaeus called this closing " the sleep of the plants ; " 
 it is very fully shown among the Compound flowers. The 
 Hawkweed Picris shuts at noon, the Chicory and Nipplewort 
 in the evening, the Cat' s-ear at four o'clock, and the Hawk- 
 weeds about three o'clock. Marvell speaks of this floral dial : 
 
 " How well the skilful gardener drew, 
 Of flowers and herbs this dial new! 
 "Where from above the milder sun 
 Does through a fragrant zodiac run, 
 And, as it works, th' industrious bee 
 Computes its time as well as we. 
 How could such sweet and wholesome hours 
 Be reckoned but with herbs and flowers ? " 
 
 The Purple Goafs-beard closely resembles the yellow species, 
 e3*ept in the colour of its petals, and the greater length of the 
 segments of the involucre. My specimen is from a garden. It 
 
160 COMPOSITE. 
 
 used to be much cultivated for its edible roots, and is still 
 to be found in gardens of a high order. The herb is called 
 Salsafy. 
 
 There is a rare species of this family called the Greater 
 Goafs-beard (T. major), and distinguished by the swollen 
 flower-stalks. It appeared upon the Calton Hill, Edinburgh, a 
 few years ago ; fresh earth was thrown over the turf afterwards, 
 and the G-oat's-beard plants have never since attained their 
 former height of a foot and a half, but are stinted to little more 
 than half the size. 
 
 Kent furnishes the Ox -tongue ; a sandy bank on the Junction- 
 road, near Hawkhurst, produces dozens of plants. It grows 
 two or three feet high, has bristles everywhere, and there is an 
 outer calyx of five heart-shaped lobes. The flowers are small 
 and yellow, and the leaves lance- shaped. It is called Ox- tongue 
 on account of its roughness (Picris echioides). 
 
 The Hawkweed Picris is a common autumn flower ; the stem- 
 leaves waved, the root-leaves toothed; the whole plant very 
 rough, but not bristly, and the blossoms larger than those of 
 the Ox-tongue. 
 
 The Hawkbits are in my collection ; two of the species at 
 least. 
 
 The Hough Hawkbit (Apargia hispida), bears only one 
 flower 011 a stem, and no leaves. The flowers are hairy at 
 their opening, and the leaves, which spring from the root, 
 are notched, and the points of the scallops turned back. I 
 gathered my specimen on the top of Scarth Nick, a com- 
 manding hill in Wensleydale. 
 
 The Autumnal Hawkbit (A. autumnalis), is an elegant little 
 plant, with a branched stalk, bearing several bright yellow 
 flowers. The partial stalks are scaly ; the leaves smooth, and 
 very much notched. 
 
 The Deficient Hawkbit, or. Hairy Thrincia, has its florets 
 red beneath, and is thus distinguished from the Bough 
 (Thrincia hirta). 
 
HAWKBIT LETTUCE. 161 
 
 The Dandelion Hawkbit is also single-flowered, but its leaves 
 are smooth. 
 
 The Cat's-ear is the next family. The Long-rooted species 
 is common in our pastures, flowering early in the autumn. 
 The leaves are runcinate that is, the lobes are pointed and 
 turned back, and the stems are branched and smooth. The 
 flower is large, and bright yellow (Hypochceris radicata). 
 
 The Spotted Cat's-ear has its stem solitary, and its leaves 
 rough, and blotched with purple ; and the smooth Cat's-ear is 
 without hairs, and the stem branched and leafy. 
 
 The Hawkbits and Cat's-ear are all small plants, growing 
 less than a foot high. 
 
 The Sow Thistle family, the next in succession, are of a 
 much higher growth. 
 
 The common Sow Thistle (Sonchus oleraceus), a troublesome 
 garden weed, is stout, succulent, and milky. The heads grow 
 in clusters, and the involucres are smooth. The leaves are 
 runcinate, with round ears close to the stem. We used to 
 seek it diligently as rabbit food. 
 
 The Corn Sow Thistle (S. arvensis), is a stately plant, 
 growing six feet high, and lifting its clusters of large golden 
 flowers above the ripe corn. The stem-leaves are oblong and 
 notched, the lower ones pinnatifid. This is as showy a plant 
 as the class contains, if we except its brother, the rare Marsh 
 Sow Thistle, which grows to a still greater height, having the 
 leaves arrow-shaped at the base. 
 
 In mountainous districts a Blue Sow Thistle is found, with a 
 brown involucre, I have no specimen of it. 
 
 One of the Lettuce family is in my hands, the common Wall 
 Lettuce (Lactuca muralis). It is a tall slender plant, growing 
 in groves and hedges. The leaves are strongly lobed and 
 runcinate, and often much tinged with purple. It flowers in a 
 scattered panicle, each stalk being placed at right angles from 
 that from which it springs. The flowers are formed of five 
 pale yellow florets. 
 
 M 
 
162 COMPOSITE. 
 
 The Strong-scented Lettuce (L. virosa), grows in basaltic 
 rock near Edinburgh. It has a finely-toothed oval leaf, a 
 fetid smell, and clusters of pale yellow flowers. The plant is 
 bitter to the taste, and has poisonous qualities. 
 
 The Prickly Lettuce (L. scariola), carries its leaves perpen- 
 dicular, whilst the Strong-scented Lettuce holds its leaves 
 horizontally. 
 
 The Least Lettuce (L. saligna), has pinnate leaves. 
 
 The Garden Lettuce is quite a different species ; it is not 
 here, as in the case of the Wild Celery, that cultivation makes 
 all the difference between the poisonous and the wholesome plant. 
 
 The Smooth Hawk's-beard (Crepis virens), is my only species 
 of that family. Its root-leaves are runcinate ; the stem-leaves 
 lanceolate and toothed, without footstalks. It grows on waste 
 places, and has very small yellow flowers. The stem is much 
 branched. 
 
 There are a Hough Hawk's-beard, with a downy involucre ; 
 and a Stinking Hawk's-beard, with hairy pinnate leaves, smell- 
 ing like bitter almonds. These two inhabit chalky ground. 
 
 The Small-flowered Hawk's-beard (C. pulchra), is an elegant 
 plant, having a corymb of small yellow flowers, and root-leaves 
 oblong, while the stem-leaves are arrow-shaped. 
 
 The Hawkweed family is the largest in the Strap-shaped 
 group. There was a wide-spread superstition in old times that 
 the hawk fed its young ones on these plants, and that the birds 
 owe their keenness of vision to them. In France, Germany, 
 and Italy they are called Hawk's-plants. 
 
 We have two species, with naked stems springing from the 
 root, and bearing a single flower. One of these is the pretty 
 Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella), that covers large 
 plots in hedgebanks with its creeping stems, pale, oval, woolly 
 leaves, and lemon flowers lined with crimson. It is common 
 all over Britain. My specimens are from Yorkshire. 
 
 The Alpine Hawkweed (H. alpinum), varies in having a 
 golden bloom. 
 
HAWZWEED DANDELION. 163 
 
 There are three British species, with branching leafless 
 stalks, but all belong to mountains. 
 
 The Branching Mouse-ear Hawkweed (H. dubium), has 
 lemon flowers, like its namesake, but its leaves are more 
 pointed, and the branching stalk is an easy mark of distinction. 
 
 The Orange Mouse-ear and Orange Hawkweed (H. auricula 
 and aurantiacum), resemble each other ; but the latter is larger, 
 and has entire leaves, while those of the former are slightly 
 notched. 
 
 Of the Hawkweeds with leafy stems we have a great number. 
 
 The Wall Hawkweed (H. murinum), grows about Easby ; it 
 has one leaf close to its corymb. Its leaves are toothed, and 
 its flowers large and yellow. 
 
 The Stained-leaved Hawkweed (H. maculatum), has dark 
 green leaves, spotted with black. 
 
 The Wood Hawkweed (H. sylvaticum, Plate XL, fig. 1), 
 carries its flowers in upright racemes. Its leaves are ovate 
 and pointed, and the florets pale. 
 
 The Shrubby Hawkweed is very leafy and erect. The leaves 
 clasp the stem, are ovate and pointed, and sharply toothed. 
 This is a common species, growing in woods and hedgerows in 
 the autumn. 
 
 There are a Lungwort Hawkweed, with leaves clouded with 
 purple ; a Glaucous Hawkweed, with large lemon flowers ; a 
 Marsh Hawkweed, with an angular stem ; a Soft-leaved Hawk- 
 weed, of slender growth and golden flowers ; a Shaggy Hawk- 
 weed, whose lemon flowers are nearly solitary ; and a Narrow- 
 leaved Hawkweed, carrying its flowers in umbels. All these 
 are to be found among the Scotch mountains. The time of 
 closing of the Hawkweed flowers forms a part of the floral 
 dial. 
 
 " See Hieracium's various tribes 
 
 Of plumy seed and radiate flowers, 
 The blooms of time their coarse describe, 
 And wake and sleep appointed hours." 
 
 We now come to a very familiar plant, the Dandelion (Leon- 
 
164 COMPOSITE. 
 
 todon taraxacum), so called from " Dent de lion," because the 
 cutting of the leaves resembles lions' teeth. Elliot calls this 
 flower the " Sunflower of the spring," and the French term it, 
 for its seed's sake, " Couronne de pretre." The poet Lowell 
 thus celebrates its praise : 
 
 " Dear common flower, that grow'st beside the way, 
 Fringing the dusty road with harmless gold, 
 First pledge of blithesome May, 
 Which children pluck, and, full of pride, behold, 
 High-hearted buccaneers, o'erjoyed that they 
 An El Dorado in the grass have found, 
 "Which not the rich earth's ample round 
 May match in wealth ! Thou art more dear to me 
 Than all the prouder summer blooms may be ! " 
 
 We used to make chains of the stalks when we were children, 
 but we always stained our pinafores with them, and got into 
 trouble. The best use of them, in our opinion, was, that we 
 had a penny a-hundred for gathering their blossoms off the 
 lawn. The leaves when blanched are used as a winter salad 
 on the continent, and a valuable medicine is obtained from 
 the root. 
 
 The Nipplewort family comes after the Dandelion. There 
 are two British species. 
 
 The common Nipplewort (Lapsana communis), bears its 
 small yellow flowers in panicles, somewhat resembling the 
 Wall Lettuce, but branching at acute and not right angles. 
 The leaves are ovate, stalked, and toothed. 
 
 The Dwarf Nipplewort (L. pusilla), has leafless stalks and 
 pale flowers. The root-leaves are rough- edged. 
 
 The common Nipplewort grows abundantly in our woods, 
 hedges, and waste places, but we have not the dwarf species. 
 
 A pleasing contrast among this crowd of yellow " stars " is 
 the Blue Chicory (Cichorium intybus, Plate XL, fig. 2), with 
 its woody stem and plentiful flowers. It is a very attractive 
 plant. Fanny found it growing by the roadside near Clevedon, 
 and also about Looe, in Cornwall. The Germans call it " Keeper 
 of the Ways." Its flowers open at eight o'clock in the morning, 
 
BUR DOCK THISTLE. 165 
 
 and close early in the afternoon. It is also mentioned in the 
 lines from wliich I hare already quoted : 
 
 " On upland slopes the shepherds mark 
 
 The hour, when to the dial true, 
 Cichorinm, to the soaring lark, 
 Lifts her soft eyes serenely blue." 
 
 Its utility as an adjunct to Coffee lias already been named ; 
 it has a classical association in being one of the articles of diet 
 used by Horace. It is cultivated as a substitute for its ally, 
 Endive, in English gardens, and to a much greater extent in 
 Flanders and Holland, where salad forms a more important 
 article of diet. This is the last family in the Strap-shaped or 
 Chicory group. 
 
 We come next to the Tubular group, but this needs to be 
 subdivided. We will take first those tubular plants which are 
 arranged in a round head, like the Thistles ; and afterwards 
 those that are in a flat head, like the Tansy. In the Strap- 
 shaped group the most of the flowers were yellow ; in this 
 first division of the Tubular group we shall see lilac the pre- 
 vailing colour. 
 
 The Bur Dock is the first family. We have only one species. 
 The common Bur Dock (Arctium lappa), is a large coarse plant, 
 often growing by the roadside, and covered with dust. Its 
 dingy lilac flowers are very uninteresting, and the hooked 
 bristles on its involucre make it very troublesome in adhering 
 to the dress. The root of this plant is said to be good for 
 rheumatism. 
 
 The Saw-wort (Serratula tinctoria), is abundant both in Kent 
 and Somerset. It is a slender plant, with dark green, smooth, 
 pinnate leaves, and branched clusters of purple flowers. I see 
 that Fanny has specimens from Clevedon. It flowers in July 
 and August. 
 
 The Alpine Saw-wort (S. alpina), has pink flowers and simple 
 leaves. I hope to find it some day. 
 
 Now for the Thistles. The Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans), 
 
166 COMPOSITE. 
 
 is certainly as pretty as any. Its flowers are of a crimson 
 purple, very large, solitary, and drooping ; the scent is agree- 
 able. I gathered my specimen on a wild moor in Swaledale, 
 near the Old Gang Lead Mine. 
 
 The Welted Thistle (C. acanthoides), is very prickly. Its 
 heads are clustered generally in threes, and the stem is winged 
 and thorny. Its flower is smaller than that of the last species. 
 It is common in waste places. 
 
 Here is the Slender-flowered Thistle (C. tenuiflorus). It likes 
 waste ground near the sea. Fanny found this specimen on the 
 East Hoe, Plymouth. There is cotton about the stem and 
 involucre, and the crimson flowers are very shabby. Some are 
 very pale ; indeed all the Thistles are apt to vary to white. 
 
 The handsomest species, in my opinion, is the Milk Thistle 
 (C. Marianus), with its tall stems, large flowers, and broad 
 bright leaves, veined with white. The legend is, that as the 
 Holy Family travelled into Egypt, some milk fell upon this 
 plant, and produced the white veins. I found my specimen 
 at Monkton Deverill, in Wiltshire. 
 
 The Lance Thistle (C. lanceolatum), is also handsome. Its 
 head is comparatively solitary. It grows in Kent and else- 
 where. It is a tall erect plant, and very prickly. 
 
 The Woolly -headed Thistle (Cnicus eriophorus), is both 
 curious and beautiful. It grows in waste places. I gathered 
 my specimen from a railway embankment, near Leamington. 
 Its leaves are bristly above, and cottony below, and the 
 numerous bracts constituting the involucre are interwoven with 
 wool, like cobweb. 
 
 The Creeping Thistle (C. arvensis), is a common weed, 
 growing in waste places. It is less offensive than its fellows, 
 having no prickles about its clusters of pale lilac flowers. 
 
 The Marsh Thistle (C. palustris), grows freely in damp 
 places in every district. It has crimson flowers in small 
 clusters, closely seated on the stalk. 
 
 The Dwarf Thistle (C. acaulis), I got on the Wiltshire downs. 
 
THISTLE, 167 
 
 It lias pretty dark prickly leaves, veined with pale yellow or 
 wliite, and handsome flowers growing quite close to the 
 ground. 
 
 A Tuberous Thistle (C. tuberosa), grows in Greatridge Woods, 
 in the same neighbourhood, so called from the form of its root. 
 It has recently been found, too, near Cirencester, but I have 
 failed in procuring a specimen. 
 
 A dried specimen of the Meadow Thistle (C. pratensis), has 
 been given to me from Essex. It is a smaller plant than any 
 of the Thistles, except the Dwarf. The flower is solitary, the 
 stem naked and woolly, and the leaves lance-shaped and wavy. 
 
 The last of this family, the Melancholy Thistle (C. hetero- 
 phyllus, Plate X.,fig. 3), grows in great abundance in meadows 
 in the hilly country of Yorkshire. We were much puzzled on 
 first observing the clusters of large succulent leaves, lined with 
 white, among the grass in the meadows and pastures. Pre- 
 sently a short stem appeared, with a round bud ; the stalk 
 lengthened, until it reached the height of four feet, one or two 
 wavy leaves adorning it ; then the multitude of purple florets 
 composing the splendid head opened. The stem is slightly 
 bowed, occasionally once-branched, and it has a soft bloom 
 upon it. Like many of its brethren, it is very fragrant as well 
 as very beautiful. It flowers in July. 
 
 A first cousin of these true Thistles is the Scotch Thistle, or, 
 as it is often called, the " Cotton Thistle " (Onopordum acan- 
 thium). This is the plant whose vigorous spines pierced the 
 foot of the invading Dane, and wrung from him the cry which 
 betrayed his intended midnight assault. It is a sturdy plant, 
 studded everywhere with sharp thorns, and the stem andunder- 
 part of the leaves are covered with cotton. I found my speci- 
 men close to a quarry of lias stone, near Leamington. As I 
 meditated securing a portion of the plant, its whole appearance 
 seemed to utter the saying, " Wha daur meddle wi' me ? " 
 
 The Carline Thistle (Carlina vulgaris), is the next family. It 
 is a dingy yellow colour, low of growth, and very prickly. It 
 
168 COMPOSITE. 
 
 abounds on limestone pastures. The flowers do not decay; 
 but after the plant itself is shrivelled and colourless, the 
 yellowish flowers still dot the turf. My specimen is from 
 Applegarth, near [Richmond. 
 
 The Black Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), the most common 
 of the Knapweed family, is familiarly known as Hardhead. 
 The flower is like a small Thistle, but the plant is smooth 
 and tough. In this, the next species, the scales of the 
 involucre are fringed with dark bristles. This is the family 
 whose Latin name is derived from the Centaur Chiron, who 
 cured his foot of the wound inflicted by Hercules, by applying 
 one of these plants. They used to be thought highly medicinal, 
 but I fancy no one believes in them now. 
 
 The Greater Knapweed (C. scabiosa), is a handsome plant. 
 The florets round the edge are very large, and the colour is a 
 bright purplish-crimson. The leaves are pinnate. 
 
 The Corn Bluebottle (C. cyanus, Plate XL, fig. 4), is the 
 prettiest. Fanny gathered it near Penzance. Its brilliant 
 colour entitles it to its Scot6h appellation of " Blue Bonnet." 
 The French call it " Bluet." Surely this must be the plant 
 meant by Longfellow, when he says, 
 
 " Others, their blue eyes with tears o'erflowing, 
 Stand, like Ruth, among the golden corn." 
 
 The Star Thistle (C. calcitrapa), is as prickly in its involucre 
 as that of any plant of the family after which it is named. 
 Its leaves are spreading, and the rose-coloured flowers spring 
 from the side of the stem. 
 
 The Jersey Star Thistle (C. Isnardi), another of the Knap- 
 weeds, has a spiny involucre, but its flowers are terminal. In 
 travelling from London to Gravesend I once saw the yellow Star 
 Thistle, with its lyre-shaped root-leaves and terminal solitary 
 flowers. I would have given much to have stopped for a specimen. 
 
 The Brown Knapweed (C. jacea), resembles the Hardhead, 
 but its florets are more spread. It is very rare. This family 
 concludes the first division of the Tubular group. 
 
HEMP AGEIMOXY TANSY. 169 
 
 The second division has flat heads. 
 
 The Bur Marigold is the first family in this division. We 
 have two British species. 
 
 The Nodding Bur Marigold (Bidens cernua), I found on 
 damp ground at Hill Deverill, in Wiltshire. The involucre is 
 in large segments, which extend far beyond the dark yellow 
 head. The leaves are lance-shaped and serrated, and the 
 flowers drooping. The plant grows two feet high. 
 
 The Three-leaved Bur Marigold (B. tripartita), much re- 
 sembles this ; its principal difference is expressed in its name. 
 It grows near Beading. 
 
 Most watery places furnish the Hemp Agrimony (Eupatorium 
 cannabinum). Edward describes it as flourishing luxuriantly 
 in Kent, and I have found it in abundance on the banks of 
 the TJre, near Hipon, and on the margin of streams about 
 Richmond and Bedale. Its leaves are in many segments, like 
 the fingers of a hand. It grows four feet high. But though 
 its corymbs are large enough, and each little head neat enough, 
 it is quite spoiled by its dirty lilac colour. If the tint of the 
 flowers were as pretty as that of the leaves, it would be a very 
 handsome plant. 
 
 I have a specimen of the Goldilocks (Chrysocoma linosyris), 
 the next family to that of the Hemp Agrimony, but it is not 
 a wild one. It was given to me by Mr. Ward, and grew in 
 his garden. The form of the plant is wand-like. The main 
 stem and numerous flower-stalks are beset with narrow 
 glaucous leaves. The heads are yellow. 
 
 The Cotton Weed (Diotis maritima), is an inhabitant of sea- 
 shores. The leaves are oblong and notched, and the yellow 
 flowers are placed in corymbs. The whole plant is covered 
 with cotton. 
 
 The Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), is very familiar to me, as 
 growing along with the Hemp Agrimony by the Ure. Its 
 heads are flat, yellow, and in large corymbs, and its leaves are 
 cut into tiny leaflets. The whole plant has a strong aromatic 
 
170 COMPOSITE. 
 
 smell and flavour, and in old times was made into a pudding on 
 Easter day, the custom, doubtless, having its origin in the 
 " bitter herbs " of the Passover. 
 
 After the Tansy family comes that of the Wormwood. 
 The common Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), is a member of 
 its family. It is a tall plant, with twice-pinnate leaves, dark 
 green above, and white below. The heads are ovate, and of a 
 brownish colour. It grows in hedges and waste places. The 
 common people used to have a superstitious reverence for this 
 plant, and believed that so long as they carried a piece of it 
 about with them they would feel no fatigue. It is used instead 
 of Hops for making beer in Sweden. My plant grew near 
 little Ouseburn, in Yorkshire. 
 
 The common Wormwood (A. absinthium), grows about 
 villages in Yorkshire, and abounds in cottage gardens. The 
 leaves are all clothed with silky down, and the round heads of 
 flowers droop. The whole plant has a bitter scent. It is still 
 used as an emetic medicine in country places. Last year I was 
 very ill for some time, my worst symptoms being violent and 
 continuous sickness. The day after this was allayed, a stout 
 servant girl arrived from a neighbouring farm, with " Missus's 
 respects, and if the lady will take a pint of Wormwood tea, 
 it will be sure to cure her outright." A large bundle of the 
 herb was presented along with the message. 
 
 The Field Wormwood (A. campestris), is peculiar to the 
 
 eastern counties. The stem is procumbent, and it is scentless. 
 
 The Upright Sea Wormwood (A. gallica), was given to me 
 
 by the obliging curator of the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens. It 
 
 closely resembles the common Wormwood. 
 
 Fanny found the Sea Wormwood (A. maritima), or Southern- 
 wood in a salt marsh near Clevedon. The foliage is covered 
 with white silky hairs, and the plant has a very aromatic 
 scent. The flower- clusters droop, and the heads are pale and 
 inconspicuous. This is closely allied to the " Lads' love and 
 Lasses' delight " of village gardens. 
 
CUDWEED. 171 
 
 We now come to the Cudweed family, and the first member 
 of it is from Edward's Kentish collection. 
 
 The Bog Cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum), grows in damp 
 clayey ground. Its flowers are brownish, and the stem much 
 branched. The leaves are narrow, and the entire stature of the 
 plant seldom exceeds four or five inches. 
 
 Another of this family has similar foliage. It grows in 
 stubble fields, on a clay soil. About two inches from the 
 ground a round head of flowers appears, of a hue resembling 
 the leaves. From the sides of this head two or three branches 
 shoot, bearing more leaves and heads of flowers. This is the 
 common Cudweed, called by old herbalists " Herba impia," 
 because it gave the idea of children trying to domineer over 
 their parents (G. germanicum). 
 
 Yorkshire contributes two species to the Cudweed family, 
 both inhabitants of my favourite valley of the Swale. 
 
 The Mountain Cudweed (G-. dioicum, Plate XL, fig. 5), is a 
 pretty plant, with small heads of flowers, in pinkish involucres, 
 arranged in corymbs. The male flowers grow on one plant, 
 and the female on another. The whole height does not exceed 
 four inches. The leaves are ovate, green on the upper, white 
 on the under surface, and the habit of the plant is creeping. 
 
 The Highland Cudweed (G. sylvaticum), inhabits the more 
 wooded parts of the same hills, over the exposed surfaces of 
 which the Mountain Cudweed spreads its corymbs. The stem 
 of this species is simple, and the flowers are arranged in a 
 compound leafy spike. The leaves are of a narrow lance- 
 shape. 
 
 The Pearly Everlasting (G-. margaritaceum), is cottony all 
 over, and has a large corymb of white flowers. Though it is 
 sometimes found wild, yet it is better known as a garden plant. 
 My specimen was found, apparently wild, in Swaledale. 
 
 The Least Cudweed (G-. minimum), closely resembles the 
 Marsh Cudweed, differing chiefly in size, and in having broader 
 leaves. It is a common plant in clay ground. 
 
172 COMPOSITE. 
 
 The Jersey Cudweed (Gr. luteo-album), lias a yellow involucre, 
 and the Alpine Cudweed has very slender stems. 
 
 The Butter Bur family concludes the second division of the 
 Tubular group. 
 
 Our one British species (Petasites vulgaris), with its thick 
 spikes of dingy lilac blossoms and large kidney-shaped leaves, 
 is too familiar to need description. It is the torment of the 
 farmer in wet lands, spreading over acres of ground, and 
 destroying all other vegetation. It used to be considered a 
 sovereign remedy for the plague, and called, in consequence, 
 " Plague-Flower." In memory of this custom Anne Pratt writes : 
 
 " No gem-like eye glitters in thy pale face, 
 No rich aroma breathes from thy dull lip ; 
 Yet, Petasites, there is that in thee 
 Which calls emotion from its lurking-place. 
 There is a scene to which thou art allied 
 A room the sun scarce sees ; an atmosphere 
 Converted into poison, on the couch 
 The plague-spot marks his own." 
 
 In the group upon which we have now to enter, the Corymb 
 group, the florets are generally of two colours ; those of the 
 centre yellow, and the rays white. There are many exceptions 
 with yellow rays, and some with purple. 
 
 The Coltsfoot is the first family. Our one British member 
 (Tussilago farfara, jig. 6), puts up its starry, sweet-scented 
 flowers early in the spring. Each stalk is crowned by one 
 flower, with the centre and rays bright yellow. The leaves do 
 not appear for some time after. The stems are adorned with 
 pinkish scales. The Highlanders use the leaves, when dried, 
 as tinder, and a decoction of the flowers is an excellent remedy 
 for coughs. The plant is very common on moist clay lands. 
 
 The Fleabanes are pretty, slender plants. The Canadian 
 Fleabane (Erigeron canadensis), grows abundantly upon every 
 old wall about Bath, and on rocks and walls in that neighbour- 
 hood. 
 
 The Blue Fleabane I have never found. 
 
 The Michaelmas Daisy (Aster tripolium), adorns the salt 
 
GOLDEN EOD BAGWOET. 173 
 
 marshes about Clevedon with its fleshy leaves and clusters of 
 purple flowers, and flourishes in the damp rocky places about 
 the Lizard Cliffs. It is sometimes called " Sea Starwort," and 
 is eagerly welcomed, because it blooms at a season when other 
 flowers are scarcer. This is our only British Aster. 
 
 Our gardens present beautiful foreign species, richly-coloured 
 and double, most of them from China or Germany. A tall 
 species, frequent in cottage gardens, and popularly known as 
 the " Michaelmas Daisy," I gathered wild on the banks of the 
 JSTeckar, in Germany ; and a more beautiful one, of lower 
 growth and large blue blossoms, I brought from the Jura 
 Mountains. 
 
 The Golden Eod (Solidago virgaurea), is abundant in Kent : 
 it grows freely in the hedges about Hawkhurst. We find it 
 pretty often in Yorkshire, but it is certainly a less common 
 plant there. It is tall and wand-like, and has perpendicular 
 branches, and flower- stalks springing from them. Both the 
 flowers of the disk and the rays are yellow. It used to be 
 valued as a cure for wounds, and was sold in the London markets 
 by the herb-women. It flowers from August to October. 
 
 The Ragwort family succeeds that of the Golden Eod. It 
 has numerous members scattered all over the globe ; in all they 
 number six hundred. 
 
 The common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris), so well known as 
 a bird food, needs no description. When water is poured upon 
 it, and allowed to stand awhile, it forms a softening wash for 
 heated skin. This species has no marginal flowers or rays. 
 
 The Mountain Eagwort (S. sylvatica), which I found on the 
 sandy hedgebanks in Cheshire, and Fanny on the cliffs at 
 Polperro, has small rays, but they curl back soon after opening. 
 Its habit resembles that of the Groundsel, but the flowers do 
 not droop, and it is much taller. 
 
 The Inelegant Eagwort (S. squalidus, Plate XI., Jig. 7), is 
 a graduate of Oxford, growing on old walls about that notable 
 place. The appearance of this plant belies its name ; for though 
 
174 COMPOSITE. 
 
 its branched stem is somewhat straggling, its golden flowers are 
 handsome and well rayed, and its form has some grace about it. 
 
 The Hoary Ragwort (S. tenuiflorus), is abundant about 
 Hawkhurst. Tall, downy, with divided leaves, and large 
 clusters of gay yellow flowers . 
 
 The common Ragwort, which our country people call " Hay- 
 green," or " Dogstander " (S. jacoboea), is a common weed. Its 
 toughness makes it difficult to remove. It greatly resembles the 
 Hoary Ragwort, but is shorter, and its leaves of a brighter green. 
 
 The Marsh Ragwort (S. aquaticus), has purple stems and 
 fewer flowers. It is a more elegant plant. Both these species 
 are exceedingly common. 
 
 There is a Stinking Ragwort (S. viscosus), which grows in 
 great abundance on the slopes of Arthur's Seat, and many 
 other places about Edinburgh. It is very like the Groundsel, 
 and grows as wildly, where it once settles itself, as that plant 
 does in a forsaken garden. It is extremely sticky, and has a 
 faint smell. 
 
 The Green-scaled Ragwort is so like the Mountain Ragwort, 
 that it can only be distinguished by the green tips of its bracts, 
 those of the Mountain species being coloured with blackish- 
 purple. 
 
 The great Fen Ragwort (S. paludosus), was sent to me from 
 Westmoreland last year. It is a noble plant, from three to six 
 feet high, with large clusters of golden blossoms. Its leaves, 
 and those of the next species, are undivided. 
 
 The Broad-leaved Ragwort (S. saracenicus), is fully as tall a 
 plant, but its leaves are broader, and its rays more conspicuous. 
 My specimen grew in the Botanic Gardens at Edinburgh. It 
 is disappointing, in pressing these plants, to find that the seed 
 will go on to ripen, and lose all the beauty of the yellow corolla. 
 
 The Field Fleawort (Cineraria integrifolia), is abundant on 
 the Wiltshire downs. A pretty little plant, with simple woolly 
 leaves and a naked stem, about four inches high, bearing two 
 or three bright yellow flowers at the top. 
 
FLEAWOBT DAISY. 175 
 
 The Marsh Fleawort (C. paliistris), is a much larger plant, 
 with toothed leaves. It is peculiar to the eastern counties. 
 
 The Great Leopard's-bane (Doronicum pardalianches), is a 
 handsome plant, three feet high, with large yellow flowers, 
 but Sir J. E. Smith says it is not indigenous. 
 
 The Ploughman's Spikenard (Conyza squarrosa), I found in 
 October, at Vallis, on the borders of Somersetshire. It is a 
 woody plant, with notched lance-shaped leaves, and the scales 
 of the involucre turned back. The flower is a brownish-yellow. 
 It is the only British member of the family. 
 
 The family of the Elecampane comes next. The common 
 species (fnula dysenterica), I found first in a moist field at 
 Aldfield, near Kipon ; I have since seen it pretty frequently. 
 Edward says it is very abundant on roadsides and pastures in 
 Kent. The leaves are oblong, very woolly, and clasp the stem, 
 which is branched. The flowers are large and golden. It has 
 a sweet musky smell. 
 
 The Great Elecampane (I. helenium), is very rare. Its 
 leaves are rugged, but only downy beneath, and its flowers are 
 very large and handsome. 
 
 The Small Elecampane has pale yellow hemispherical flowers, 
 while the Samphire-leaved species is distinguished by its narrow 
 fleshy leaves, and the orange hue of the florets of the disk. It 
 grows on Portland Island. 
 
 / At last comes the turn of our common Daisy (Bellis perennis, N 
 , Plate XL, fig. 8). No description of this is necessary. The / 
 f French call it " Marguerite," because they liken it to a pearl \* 
 and Chaucer terms it "the ee of daie." Wordsworth cele- 
 brates its praise : 
 
 " When soothed awhile by milder airs, 
 Thee Winter in the garland wears 
 That thinly shades his few grey hairs ; 
 
 Spring cannot shun thee: 
 "Whole Summer-fields are thine by right; 
 And Autumn, melancholy wight ! 
 Doth in thy crimson head delight, 
 When rains are on thee. 
 
176 COMPOSITE. 
 
 " In shoals and bands, a morrice train, 
 Thou greet'st the traveller in the lane ; 
 If welcomed once thou count'st it gain: 
 
 Thou art not daunted, 
 Nor car'st if thou be set at nought ; 
 And oft alone in nooks remote 
 We meet thee, like a pleasant thought, 
 When such are wanted. 
 
 ' Be Violets, in their secret mews, 
 The flowers the wanton zephyrs choose ; 
 Proud be the Rose, with rains and dews 
 
 Her head unpearling ; 
 Thou liv'st with less ambitious aim, 
 Yet hast not gone without thy fame ; 
 Thou art indeed, by many a claim, 
 
 The poet's darling." 
 
 Such is the glowing love of that true poet of Nature for this 
 cheerful flower. Burns did not value it less, as his lament, 
 when he was obliged to plough it up, witnesses : 
 
 " Wee, modest crimson-tipped flower, 
 Thou'st met me in an evil hour ; 
 For I maun crush amang the stoure 
 
 Thy slender stem ; 
 To spare thee now is past my power, 
 Thou bonnie gem. 
 
 " Cauld blew the bitter biting north 
 Upon thy early, humble birth; 
 Yet cheerfully thou glinted forth 
 
 Amid the storm ; 
 Scarce reared above the parent earth 
 
 Thy tender form. 
 
 " The flaunting flowers our gardens yield, 
 High sheltering woods and wa's maun shield ; 
 But thou, beneath the random bield 
 
 0* clod or stone, 
 Adorns the histie stibble-neld 
 Unseen, alone. 
 
 " There in thy scanty mantle clad, 
 Thy snawie bosom sunward spread 
 Thou lift'st thy unassuming head 
 
 In humble guise ; 
 But now the share uprears thy bed, 
 
 And low thou lies 1 " 
 
 {'The Ox-eye Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucantheinum), is nearly 
 
OX-EYE DAISY FEVEBFEW. 177 
 
 as common in the meadows and corn fields as our little favourite \ 
 in the pasture. Its golden disk and silver rays make a brilliant \ 
 show among tangled grasses, or the red Poppies of the corn \ 
 field. The beautiful Chrysanthemums, the autumnal ornaments i 
 of the gardens of the south and of greenhouses in the, north, ' 
 are the own sisters of our poor Ox-eye, -i 'Jf% ^ { '^ t/ f^^ m 
 
 The Yellow Ox-eye, or Corn Marigold, is less * common, 
 though growing in great abundance in some districts. I was 
 delighted once to find a few plants in a corn field in Wilt- 
 shire, but last year I could have gathered a whole stack of it. 
 Fields and waste ground were golden with its blooms about 
 Callander, Oban, and in the Isle of Arran. The Germans 
 call it " Gold Blume," and its Latin name means gold (C. sege- 
 tum, Plate XL, Jig. 9). Shakspeare honours it with his 
 notice : 
 
 " The Marigold that goes to bed wi' the sun, 
 And with him rises weeping." 
 
 And Keats is diffuse in its praises : 
 
 ' Open afresh your starry folds, 
 Ye ardent Marigolds! 
 
 Dry up the moisture from your golden lids ; 
 For great Apollo bids 
 
 That in these days your praises should be sung 
 On many harps which he has lately strung ; 
 And when again your dewiness he kisses, 
 Tell him I have you in my world of blisses." 
 
 In Denmark these Marigolds are such a nuisance, that a law 
 is made compelling the farmers to eradicate them. 
 
 The common Feverfew (Pyrethrum parthenium), grows in 
 waste places frequently. The flowers have yellow centres and 
 white rays. They are arranged in a corymb, and the leaves are 
 powdery. The scent of the whole plant is aromatic. 
 
 The Corn Feverfew is equally common. Its leaves are of a 
 bright green, pinnate, with thread-shaped segments. Its flower 
 is large and solitary. My specimens of both are from the 
 neighbourhood of [Richmond. 
 
 The Sea Feverfew has a reddish tinge in the centre of the 
 
178 COMPOSITE. 
 
 flower ; in other respects it resembles the Corn Feverfew. 
 Fanny brought this specimen from Clevedon (P. maritima, 
 Plate XL, fig. 10). 
 
 I found the Wild Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), near 
 Penzance, in July last. The leaves are small and pinnate, and 
 the whole plant prostrate. This plant is cultivated for the 
 sake of its flowers, which are infused for a tonic. We used to 
 be invited to walk about on our Chamomile-bed, in furtherence 
 of the axiom of the old distich : 
 
 ' The more you tread it 
 The more you spread it." 
 
 The common Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis), I found about 
 Looe. It is a much larger plant than the Wild Chamomile. 
 
 The Stinking Chamomile (A. cotula), is a common weed in 
 corn fields. It is easily recognised by its unpleasant odour. 
 
 There are a Sea Chamomile (A. maritima), with cream- 
 coloured rays ; a Corn Chamomile (A. arvensis), slightly hoary ; 
 and an Ox-eye Chamomile (A. tinctoria), flowering in corymbs. 
 
 The Yarrows are the last family in this great Composite 
 order. 
 
 The Sneezewort Yarrow (Achillea ptarmica), grows on road- 
 sides in many places. I have it from Yorkshire, Lancashire, 
 and Argyleshire, and Edward has it from Kent. It has narrow, 
 whitish leaves, sharply cut, and large white flowers. 
 
 The common Yarrow (A. millefolium), grows everywhere ; 
 on hedgebanks, pastures, and even lawns. The leaves are dark 
 green, and very much divided, and the stem is exceedingly 
 tough. It has large crowded clusters of very small flowers, 
 varying from white to pink. 
 
 The Serrated Yarrow (A. serrata), is sulphur-coloured. It 
 grows eighteen inches high. It is an inhabitant of Derbyshire. 
 
 The Woolly Yarrow (A. tonientosa), has branched corymbs 
 and bright yellow flowers, pinnate leaves, and a tough stem. It 
 grows a span high, and frequents the Scotch and Irish mountains. 
 
 Interesting as the whole of this extensive order is, the 
 
THISTLES. 179 
 
 Thistle group is the one most suggestive in its characteristics. 
 It is a constant memento of the sin of our first parents, on 
 account of which fell the curse, "Thorns also and Thistles 
 shall it bring forth." Amaziah, in his foolish temerity in 
 thrusting a quarrel upon Jehoash, is contemptuously compared 
 to a Thistle : " The Thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the 
 Cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my 
 son to wife ; and there passed by a wild beast that was in 
 Lebanon, and trod down the Thistle." As at once a sign of idle 
 husbandry, and a type of idleness itself the Thistle is disliked 
 on all sides. The children's poet points a warning with it : 
 
 "I passed by his garden, and saw the wild Briar , 
 The Thorn and the Thistle grew stronger and higher." 
 
 Nor is the floating seed of the Thistle without its voice of 
 instruction. Ever ready to fall on unoccupied ground, and fill 
 with evil that which before was only guilty of emptiness, it is 
 a type of sin and evil practice, as Mr. Howitt teaches us : 
 
 " Lightly soars the Thistledown ; 
 
 Lightly doth it float; 
 Lightly seeds of care are sown, 
 Little do we note. 
 
 ' Lightly floats the Thistledown ; 
 
 Far and wide it flies ; 
 By the faintest zephyrs blown 
 Through the summer skies, 
 
 " Watch life's Thistles bud and blow, 
 
 Oh 'tis pleasant folly! 
 But when all our paths they sow, 
 Then comes melancholy ! " 
 
 
180 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 CAMPANULACE^ LOBELIACE^E VACCINACE^ ERIC- 
 ACE^E MONOTROPiCE^ AQUIFOLllCE^E OLE- 
 ACE^E APOCYNACE M GENTIANlCE^] POLEMONI- 
 ACEM CONVOLVULl 
 
 " Your voiceless lips, flowers ! are living preachers, 
 
 Each cup a pulpit, every leaf a book, 
 Supplying to my fancy numerous teachers 
 From loveliest nook. 
 
 " 'Neath cloistered boughs, each floral bell that ringeth, 
 
 And tolls its perfume on the passing air, 
 Makes Sabbath in the fields, and ever ringeth 
 A call to prayer. 
 
 " Were I, O God! in churchless lands remaining, 
 
 Far from all voice of teachers and divines, 
 My soul would find, in flowers of thy ordaining, 
 Priests, sermons, shrines ! " 
 
 HORACE SMITH. 
 
 SOME of the orders now coming before us contain a number of 
 the most beautiful and attractive of our native plants. 
 
 The BELL-FLOWER order has five stamens, the campanulate 
 corolla being cut into five segments. The calyx is five-lobed, 
 and remains fastened to the ovary while the seed ripens. The 
 seeds are numerous. 
 
 This Spreading Bell-Flower (Campanula patula), is one of the 
 more rare members of the family. It grows in a straggling 
 manner, reaching a height of two feet. Its stem is branched 
 and angular, and the bell is so open as to verge on the wheel- 
 shape. This specimen grew on a hedgebank between Sutton 
 and Warminster, in Wiltshire. The whole plant is rough. 
 
 The Eampion Bell-Flower (C. rapiinculus), is an elegant plant, 
 with a tapering, compact panicle, and smaller purple flowers. 
 
EAMPION HABEBELL. 181 
 
 It is pretty frequent in gardens. I found it also near War- 
 minster. This is the true Rampion. Before salad herbs were 
 generally cultivated in England, the root of this plant was 
 eaten raw, and sold for that purpose in the markets. 
 
 The corn fields of the same neighbourhood furnished the 
 Corn Bell-Flower, or Venus's Looking-glass (C. hybrida). The 
 bloom of this little plant is well known in gardens ; it is very 
 open, and of a brilliant violet hue. The segments of the calyx 
 are very long, and curl backwards. The leaves are a long oval, 
 and curly. 
 
 The Heathbell, or Harebell (C. rotundifolia), is a general 
 favourite, and found everywhere in meadows, pastures, and 
 roadsides, and on wild commons, rocks, and old walls. Though 
 common all over England, it is principally associated with 
 Scotland, being called the " BluebeU of Scotland : " 
 
 " My ain Bluebell, my bonnie Bluebell." 
 
 " It springeth on the heath, 
 
 The forest tree beneath, 
 Like to some elfin dweller of the wild ; 
 
 Light as a breeze astir, 
 
 Stemmed with the gossamer, 
 Soft as the blue eyes of a poet's child. 
 
 " The very flower to take 
 
 Into the heart, and make 
 The cherished memory of ell pleasant places ; 
 
 Name but the light Harebell, 
 
 And straight is pictured well 
 What ere of fallen state lie lonely traces. 
 
 ' We vision wild sea-rocks, 
 
 Where hang its clustering locks, 
 Waving at diz/y height o'er ocean's brink ; 
 
 The hermit's scooped cell ; 
 
 The forest's sylvan well, 
 Where the poor wounded hart comes down to drink. 
 
 " We vision moors far spread, 
 
 Where blooms the Heather red, 
 And hunters, with their dogs, lie down at noon ; 
 
 Some shepherd-boys, who keep 
 
 On mountain sides their sheep, 
 Cheating the time with flowers and fancies' boon. 
 
182 CAMPANULACEJE. 
 
 " Light Harebell, there thou art, 
 
 Making a lovely part 
 Of all the splendour of the days gone by, 
 Waving, if but a breeze 
 Pant through the distant trees, 
 That on the hill-top grow broad-branched and high. 
 
 ' Oh ! when I look at thee, 
 
 In thy fair symmetry, 
 And look on other flowers as fair beside, 
 
 My sense is gratitude, 
 
 That God has been thus good, 
 To scatter flowers like common blessings wide." 
 
 Smaller than this, and far more fragile, is the little Ivy- 
 leaved Bell-Flower (C. hedersefolia), which Fanny found grow- 
 ing along with the Pale Birtterwort, in the swampy ground near 
 the Loe Pool. The little bells are very pale, and the stem has 
 none of the wiry texture of the Harebell ; on the contrary, it 
 is soft and tender, and can only rise to the height of a few 
 inches by supporting itself on the stems of other plants. We 
 have a garden species, a size between this and the Harebell, of 
 a pure white. It is a native of France, and is called there 
 " La Religieuse des Champs." 
 
 The Creeping Bell-Flower (C. rapunculoides), is a handsome 
 plant, with a one-sided spike of bright purple drooping flowers 
 and roughish leaves ; those on the stem being lance-shaped, 
 those on the root heart-shaped. It is rare as a wild plant ; 
 my specimen is from a garden. 
 
 The Clustered Bell-Flower (C. glomerata, Plate XIL,jig. 1), 
 grows abundantly in fields adjoining Studley Park, near Eipon. 
 The deep purple bells are situated in a sessile cluster at the 
 top of the stem, and one or two more flowers .spring from the 
 axils of the next pair of leaves. In these meadows it grows 
 a foot and a half high ; but I have gathered the plant upon 
 the Wiltshire downs, and in Switzerland, where the height was 
 only two inches. 
 
 The Giant Bell-Flower (C. latifolia), is the glory of our 
 northern woods. Eising to the hight of four or five feet, with 
 a spike of flowers more than half the length of the whole plant, 
 
BELL-FLOWEB SHEEP'S SCABIOUS. 183 
 
 it lias a most stately appearance. In Yorkshire the flowers 
 are generally pale lilac, or white, but they vary to purple in 
 other districts. Further south than York the plant is rare. 
 
 The Nettle-leaved Bell-Flower (C. trachelium), is also a 
 handsome species, with rough, sharply- serrated leaves, and 
 abundant large purple flowers on its branched stem. The 
 leaves are lance-shaped, inclining more or less to heart-shape at 
 the base. This plant is rare in the north, but abundant in the 
 midland and southern counties. I have found it in profusion 
 both in Warwickshire and Shropshire. It grows' also in con- 
 siderable quantities about Canterbury, and has hence got the 
 name of " Canterbury-bell," though the species really entitled 
 to that name is a garden flower. Clare speaks of a boyish 
 trick played with the flowers of this plant and the glow-worm, 
 by putting the insect within one of the bells, which it illumined, 
 and so forming a mimic lantern. Howitt states that the same 
 experiment used to be made with the Eose. 
 
 " When glow- "worm, found in lanes remote, 
 Is murdered for his shining coat, 
 And put in flowers that Nature weaves 
 "With hollow shape and silken leaves, 
 Such as the Canterbury -bell 
 Serving for lamp or lantern well." 
 
 The Eound-headed Eampion (Phyteuma orbicularis), is in my 
 hands. It in no way resembles the old-fashioned Eampion, nor 
 do I hear that it was ever put to any useful purpose. This is a 
 rare plant, frequenting chalky downs. The flowers are arranged 
 in a head almost like Clover, and the colour is dark blue or 
 purple. My specimen is from Mr. Ward's garden. 
 
 There is a species with elongated clusters of greenish flowers, 
 called the Spiked Eampion (P. spicatum). Sir J. E. Smith 
 gives Mayfield and Waldron, Essex, as its habitat. I have not 
 met with a specimen. 
 
 The flowers of the Sheep's Scabious (Jasione montana), the 
 third family of the Bell-Flower tribe, are of a sky blue. From 
 the florets being arranged in heads, this plant resembles a 
 
184 LOBELIACEJB. 
 
 Scabious, but its growth is weaker. Its anthers are united, 
 and all the florets are alike. The sepals are large. This plant 
 was gathered in the sandy lanes about Goosetery, in Cheshire. 
 The whole plant is very hairy, and flowers in July. 
 
 The LOBELIA family comes next. They have biting qualities, 
 which in one species become poisonous. 
 
 The Water Lobelia (Lobelia dortmanna), was sent to me 
 from the Cumberland lakes, where the roots, with their clusters 
 of leaves, grow far under water, while the delicate spikes of 
 pale blue flowers rise above the surface. 
 
 The other species, the Acrid Lobelia (L. lirens), is peculiar 
 to this county, Devonshire. A kind friend has given me a 
 specimen from near Axminster. The flowers are sky blue, and 
 the leaves lance-shaped and serrated. This is the poisonous 
 plant ; it flowers in September. 
 
 There are many foreign species of Lobelia of every shade of 
 blue and crimson. Many of these grow at the Cape, and some 
 are domesticated in our gardens. 
 
 The poisonous Lobelias are succeeded by the wholesome 
 CBANBEEEY order, and my county is rich in these. They are 
 shrubby plants, with eight stamens and one style, the corolla 
 being either wheel or pitcher-shaped. How vividly the day 
 when I collected these specimens returns to my mind ! The 
 
 weather was brilliant even for July, and we joined Mr. 's 
 
 pupils and friends in an excursion to Brimham Rocks. These 
 wonderful masses of mountain limstone are scattered at random 
 over a high moor of great extent, some half dozen miles from 
 Harrogate. From the top of one of them York-Minster can 
 be clearly discerned, and every landmark within twenty miles 
 besides. It was a luxurious day for a botanist. The boys 
 were most obliging, their knives ready at any moment to take 
 up roots or sever branches, and any number of willing hands 
 eager to carry the basket of specimens. The older pupils were 
 even more useful, with their ready classical derivations, and 
 skilful rendering of quantities. 
 
BILBEEEY CBANBEEEY. 185 
 
 The Bilberry blossoms were fast disappearing, though a 
 delicate little rosy urn remained here and there. Many a 
 Bilberry-gathering have I had on that moor ; one, in particular 
 I remember, when our party had picked at least a quart of the 
 berries, and an unlucky fall of the basket-bearer dissipated all 
 our store ! The berries are black and sweet, and make a 
 tolerably good tart. The leaves are shiny and serrated, and 
 the stems angular. (Yaccinium myrtillus). 
 
 We found the Cowberry (V. vitis-idsea), that day, and my 
 young friends rejoiced over it as much as I did. It varies 
 from the Bilberry in having its flowers in clusters, the berries 
 red, and the leaves evergreen and turned back at the edges. 
 
 The Bog Whortleberry (Y. uliginosum), with its clustering 
 stalks and black berries, we sought in vain. 
 
 The elegant Cranberry plant (V. oxy coccus, Plate XII. , 
 fig. 2), the tiniest of evergreens, was there in full beauty, 
 its pink lily-shaped flowers raising their frail heads above the 
 peat moss. The fruit is much esteemed for tarts, and a great 
 quantity of it is imported every year from Russia and North 
 America. The produce of the plants on our own moors is very 
 small, partly because the unenclosed lands are so largely on 
 the decrease, and partly because the Cranberries are not pro- 
 duced in sufficient quantities to pay people for going far to 
 collect them. The habit of the plant is trailing, and the stems 
 are very slender. 
 
 The same excursion was fruitful also in the HEATH tribe, the 
 one succeeding the Cranberry. The tribe takes its name from 
 its first family. 
 
 The Cross-leaved Heath (Erica tetralix, Plate XIL, jig. 3), 
 was there, and here and there one of its rose-tinted bells was 
 open. The flowers grow in tufts at the end of the stem, and 
 the leaves are four in a whorl. 
 
 The Fine-leaved Heath (E. cinerea), grew by its side, its purple 
 flowers arranged in whorls along with the leaves. Its blossoms 
 were more fully open than those of the Cross-leaved species, 
 
186 EBICACEJE. 
 
 though. August is the legitimate month for the flowering of both. 
 This is the species which the poet depicts as singing : 
 " Where the wild bee comes with a murmuring song, 
 Pilfering sweets as he roams along, 
 
 I uprear my purple bell : 
 Listening to the free-born eagle's cry, 
 Marking the heath-cock's glancing eye, 
 On the mountain side I dwell." 
 
 Besides these plants were Ferns and Seeds of various kinds, 
 so that my basket became heavy enough to test the kindness of 
 my courteous friends. 
 
 The Cornish Heath (E. vagans), is one of Fanny's trophies 
 from her beloved Lizard district. It carries its flowers in 
 whorls ; they are of a pink hue, and the brown stamens pro- 
 truding through the opening of the corolla give great expres- 
 sion to the plant. The barren tract of land from Helstone to 
 the Lizard Point is covered with this Heath, as thoroughly as 
 the land about Brimham !Rocks was with the Cross-leaved and 
 Purple species. The specimens were gathered late in August. 
 
 She ought also to have found the Fringed Heath (E. ciliaris). 
 It has flowers in the axils of the leaves, and these clusters hang 
 to one side. I have seen a specimen, but could not beg it. 
 
 The Mediterranean Heath is only found in Ireland. I fancy 
 it is one of Professor Forbes' twelve Spanish plants. 
 
 I suppose that the Heaths so beloved in Scotland are the 
 Cross-leaved and Purple ones, as they are prevalent in the 
 north of England. The Highlanders thatch with them, and 
 the Picts used to make ale of the young shoots. A heap of 
 Heather is accounted a bed comfortable enough for a Highland 
 shepherd. Carrington alludes to this fact : 
 
 " How many a vagrant wing-light waves around, 
 Thy purple bells, Erica ! Tis from thee 
 The hermit bird?, that love the desert, find 
 Shelter and food ; nor these alone delight 
 In the fresh Heath. Thy gallant mountaineers, 
 Auld Scotia, smile to see it spread immense 
 O'er their uncultured hills ; and at the close 
 Of the keen boreal day, the undaunted race 
 Contented on the rude Erica sink 
 To healing sleep." 
 
HEATH BEABBEEBY. 187 
 
 The one British member of the Ling family has fully as 
 much share as the Erica in the useful purposes we have 
 mentioned. Our peasants about the moor districts thatch with 
 Ling and Heath together, make brooms of the Ling, and what 
 we call " pan-scrubbers " that is, a little tight bundle cut stiff 
 and square at both ends, which is a very useful scullery article. 
 Ling is also used by them for fuel, and the grouse feed upon it 
 (CalMna vulgaris). It is a shrubby plant, with very small 
 leaves, and numbers of tiny, bell-shaped, purple flowers, with 
 crimson calices. It blooms in August. 
 
 The third family in the Heath tribe is the Menziesia, of 
 which there are two members. 
 
 The Scotch Menziesia (Menziesia coerulea), has its purple 
 blooms in a cluster. The flowers are larger than those of the 
 Heaths. Sir J. E. Smith speaks of it as a rare inhabitant of 
 Perthshire, and recent explorers declare it to have been entirely 
 removed by an Edinburgh nurseryman. 
 
 The Irish Menziesia, or St. Dabeoc's Heath (M. polifolia), is 
 a very elegant plant. The large crimson pitcher-shaped blos- 
 soms hang separately from different sides of the stem. It 
 grows on some of the Irish mountains, but my specimen is 
 from a garden. 
 
 The Trailing Azalea (Azalea procumbens), is a Scotch plant, 
 but I have not got a native specimen. Mine was gathered on the 
 Niesen, a mountain near Thun, in Switzerland. It is a creep- 
 ing plant, with woody stems, much branched, and dwarfish. 
 The leaves are opposite, and rolled back at the edges, and the 
 flowers are reddish. The number of stamens in this family is five. 
 
 The Marsh Andromeda (A. polifolia), is also a prostrate 
 bush, with narrow alternate leaves, lined with white, and 
 clusters of elegant bell-shaped flowers. My specimen was 
 given me by Mr. Ward, of Richmond. 
 
 The Bearberry family is the last in the Heath tribe. 
 
 The Hed Bearberry (Arbutus uva-ursi), I have only seen in 
 the Botanical Gardens of Edinburgh. The stems are woody, 
 
188 ERICACE.E. 
 
 interlacing, and procumbent ; the leaves oval, and the clusters 
 of pinkish, bottle-shaped flowers clothe the end of the branches. 
 It flowers in May and June. The berries are red. 
 
 The Alpine Bearberry has black fruit and serrated leaves. I 
 have never seen a living plant, only a portrait of it, 
 
 The Strawberry Tree (A. unedo, fig. 4), is very handsome, 
 bearing its wax-like blooms and crimson fruit at the same time. 
 A kind friend brought me beautiful specimens from the banks 
 of the Lakes of Killarney, where it grows very abundantly. 
 It is a favourite shrub in our gardens. Martin Tupper speaks 
 of " the waxen flower of the Arbute, which dieth in a day." 
 alluding to the perishable nature of the delicate blossoms. The 
 Latin name " Unedo " means " One I eat," because, as Sir 
 J. E. Smith explains it, when you have eaten one of the beau- 
 tiful-looking berries you will desire no more. 
 
 The Bird's-nest tribe succeeds the Heath tribe. It contains 
 two families, the Winter-green and the Bird's-nest or Fir-rape. 
 
 The largest of the Winter-greens grows near Harrogate, the 
 Bound-leaved Winter-green (Pyrola rotundifolia). Its leaves 
 are glossy, and ascend on footstalks from the roots. The 
 flowers are white, having five sepals, and a corolla in five 
 segments. The blossoms are hung on alternate sides of the 
 stalk, and look like round drooping bells. The spike is nearly 
 a foot high, and there are bracts at each flower-stalk. 
 
 The Intermediate Winter-green (P. media), is smaller than 
 the Bound-leaved species, and its flowers are pink. It grows 
 in abundance in woods in Swaledale, flowering in August. 
 
 The Lesser Winter- green (P. minor), closely resembles the 
 last-named, but is smaller. I have no specimen of it. 
 
 The Serrated Winter-green (P. seciinda), has cut leaves and 
 greenish- white flowers. I have found it abundantly in Switzer- 
 land, but never in Britain. 
 
 The Single-flowered Winter-green (P. uniflora), is easily 
 distinguished by its larger solitary flowers. According to Sir 
 J. E. Smith, both these species belong to the hills of Scotland. 
 
FIE-BAPE HOLLY. 189 
 
 This curious unnatural flower, which looks as though it had 
 been buried and dug up again, grows parisitically on the roots 
 of Pine and Fir, and hence it is called Fir-rape ; its other 
 name, Bird's-nest, being in reference to the overlapping scales 
 at the foot of the stem, which seems to make a snug nest. 
 The whole plant is of a light yellow brown, and the spikes, 
 bent at first, have somewhat the appearance of horses' heads. 
 The terminal flower has ten stamens, the others have eight. 
 The blossoms are rather bell-shaped, and there is no nearer 
 approach to leaves than the rude scales which adorn the stem. 
 I found my plants in a wooded hollow on Warminster Down, 
 facetiously called the " Frying-pan" (Monotropa hypopitys, 
 .#7.10). " 
 
 Our common HOLLY (Ilex aquifolia), is the only British 
 member of its order (Aquifoliacese) . Its name is a corruption 
 of holy, because it is used to decorate churches at Christmas. 
 Its Latin name means " needle-leaved." They say that the 
 bark has tonic properties ; bird-lime is made from it, and the 
 wood is used in inlaying. It is a remarkable fact, that the 
 leaves upon the higher branches are often without spines. 
 
 " Below a circling fence its leaves are seen 
 
 Wrinkled and keen, 
 No grazing cattle through their prickly round 
 
 Can reach to wound ; 
 
 But as they grow where nothing is to fear, 
 Smooth and unarmed the pointless leaves appear." 
 
 SOCTHET. 
 
 Mr. Johns relates that a certain John di Castro, having 
 learned the method of boiling alum at Constantinople, returned 
 to his own country to pursue his researches in natural history. 
 He found near Tolfa the Holly tree growing ; and, as he had 
 observed the same shrub to flourish in the alum districts of 
 Asia, he began to search for alum beneath the soil. Ere long he 
 was able to establish profitable alum works. The first English 
 alum works were opened in the neighbourhood of Guisborough, 
 in Yorkshire. Sir J. Challoner first observed that the foliage 
 
190 OLEACE.ZE. 
 
 in that district \^s of a very light green, and this suggested to 
 him the presence of alum. The seeds of the Holly are con- 
 tained in a berry, the scarlet beauty of which I need not 
 describe to you. 
 
 " When I see the Holly berries, 
 
 I can think I hear 
 Merry chimes and carols sweet 
 
 Ringing in my ear. 
 Christmas with its blazing fires 
 
 And happy hearths I see ; 
 Oh! what merry thoughts can cling 
 
 Around the Holly tree !" 
 
 The flowers are small, and of a creamy white, tinged with 
 lilac. The stamens and stigmas are four in number, and the 
 corolla is cut into four segments. The richest quantity of 
 bloom I have ever seen was in the neighbourhood of Hawk- 
 hurst last May. 
 
 The Privet (Ligustrum vulgare), represents the first British 
 family of the OLIVE order. It is a small shrub, with broad 
 lance-shaped leaves, thick-set panicles of white flowers, and 
 black berries. The corolla is divided into four, the stamens are 
 only two, and there is but one stigma. It flowers in July, 
 and abounds on the borders of the Wiltshire downs. We 
 found among its leaves a huge green caterpillar, with beautiful 
 purple bands across it, and a horn upon its tail. The creature 
 had a way of raising itself on its last few pairs of hind legs, 
 and lifting the front part of the body erect in a manner that 
 looked quite threatening. We were afterwards told that it was 
 the caterpillar of the large Privet moth. 
 
 I have the uninteresting bloom of the Ash (Fraxinus ex- 
 celsior), consisting only of brown stamens and stigma, without 
 either calyx or corolla, and opening while the branches are yet 
 naked, so that they have no relief from "foliage. The "keys," 
 as country people call the bunch of long seed-vessels, form a 
 far more interesting object, accompanied as they are with the 
 graceful pinnate leaves. White, in his " History of Selborne," 
 gives an account of a cruel ceremony in which a pollard Ash 
 
ASH MYETLE. 191 
 
 was a principal instrument. It was generally believed that if 
 a shrew mouse touched the limbs of cattle it gave them pains 
 and lameness. The remedy for this was to split an Ash tree, 
 make a hole in the wood, put a live mouse therein, and bind 
 up the tree again. Happily the poor mouse would quickly die 
 of suffocation. Twigs from such a tree, called a Shrew Ash, 
 would cure the cattle suffering from shrew malice. It was 
 also a custom to pass diseased children through a cloven Ash. 
 The shade of the Ash is said to be detrimental both to corn 
 and grass. The Lancashire farmers sometimes give the bark 
 to their cattle. Evelyn says that the keys used to be pickled 
 for salad, and they certainly were used medicinally by old 
 herbalists. The wood is valuable for its toughness ; kitchen 
 tables made of it do not splinter. Milk-pails are formed of 
 it, by rolling the plank into a hollow cylinder, and putting in 
 a bottom. Ash timber will bear a greater weight than any 
 other* When burnt, it makes good potash, and the bark is 
 used in dyeing. Homer speaks of the heroes as armed with 
 Ashen spears. The ^Romans called it Fraxinus ; it was much 
 used by them for implements both of war and agriculture. 
 Pliny declares that serpents are terrified of it, and Dioscorides, 
 the physician, prescribes it as a cure for their bites. In the 
 west of England they burn Ash faggots at Christmas, in 
 memory of Alfred the Great's first campaign after his sojourn 
 in the peasant's cot, when he and his soldiers kept themselves 
 warm by burning the Ash trees in their vicinity. 
 
 We must not leave the Olive tribe without noticing some of 
 its foreign members. 
 
 The Myrtle, the cherished ornament of our greenhouses, 
 forms the common hedgerows at the Cape and in the countries 
 of the east ; it grows in great profusion in the Madeiras, and 
 attains the height of a hundred feet in Australia. As intro- 
 duced in Scripture, it becomes an emblem of repose : the 
 angel, in Zechariah, stood among the Myrtle trees as he said, 
 " We have walked to and fro in the earth, and behold all the 
 
192 OLEACE.E. 
 
 earth sitteth still and is at rest." The Jews still observe the 
 command for the observance of the Feast of Tabernacles, and 
 " go forth into the Mount and fetch Olive branches, and Pine 
 branches, and Myrtle branches, and Palm branches, and 
 branches of thick trees." Anne Pratt quotes from Mr. Lane 
 an Arabic tradition, that " Adam fell down from Paradise with 
 three things : the Myrtle, which is the chief of sweet-scented 
 flowers ; an ear of Wheat, which is the chief of all kinds of 
 food ; and pressed Dates, which are the chief of fruits." She 
 also relates that the Roman ladies used to bathe beneath the 
 Myrtle trees on the 1st of April, and proceed, crowned with 
 the leaves, to offer sacrifice to Venus. 
 
 The fragrant Jasmine also belongs to this tribe. 
 
 The Olive is the most important family of the tribe. Our 
 garden Lilacs and Syringas belong to it, but not upon these 
 is founded its value. The Olive tree of Palestine and the 
 east furnishes a valuable oil which is used in medicine, in 
 soap-making, and for other purposes of commerce. Its value 
 was very early recognised, for the Sacred Historian puts self- 
 appreciating words into the tree's mouth, twelve hundred years 
 before Christ. " The Olive tree said unto them, Should I 
 leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, 
 and go and be promoted over the trees ?" The oil drawn from 
 the fruit of the Olive was used both in the service of the 
 sanctuary, for the solemn anointing of kings and priests, and 
 also in social intercourse to anoint guests and brighten the 
 countenance. "Wine that maketh glad the heart of man, 
 and oil to make his face to shine." Two Olive trees spoken 
 of in the fourth chapter of Zechariah, are supposed to be 
 typical of Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit of God. An 
 Olive branch was the sign given to Noah that God's anger 
 was turned away, and the waters of the flood assuaged ; and 
 ever since that leaf has been regarded as an emblem of peace. 
 When the curse shall at last be removed, and renewed creation 
 be restored to perfect beauty, then God will plant " in the 
 
NUX VOMICA OLEANDEE. 193 
 
 wilderness tlie Cedar, the Shittah tree, and the Myrtle, and 
 the Oil tree." At the present day, the Olive is extensively 
 grown in Italy and the southern parts of Spain and France. 
 The oil is rubbed upon the skin in hot countries. 
 
 THE DOGBANE order succeeds that of the Olive ; the members 
 of this tribe are, to say the least, unwholesome. The deadly 
 poison, IN^ux vomica, is the fruit of one species, and from it 
 strychnine is obtained. Although administered in homoeopathic 
 doses their power becomes curative instead of hurtful, yet we 
 cannot repress an involuntary shudder at their names of evil 
 omen. 
 
 The Tanghinia Nut, the terrible ordeal poison of Madagascar, 
 is another member of this group. In that dark land a person 
 accused, however falsely, of being bewitched, is compelled to 
 swallow first some portions of the skin of a chicken, and then 
 a quantity of this poisonous plant. Its quality being violently 
 emetic, the unfortunate wretch, after enduring hours of agony, 
 is attacked with violent vomiting. If all the pieces of skin be 
 found the accused is pronounced innocent. But this is rarely 
 the case ; and if it is, the patient generally dies from the poison. 
 
 There is a very touching account recorded of the virulent 
 poison of the beautiful Oleander, another member of this 
 group. It is related that in 1809, when some French troops 
 were marauding, they cut some branches from the Oleander 
 for spits and skewers wherewith to roast the cattle they had 
 taken. The poisonous juice of the branch entered the meat, 
 and of twelve men who ate seven died, and the other five 
 became dangerously ill. 
 
 Yet there are wholesome members of the tribe, and the 
 Cow Tree is one of them. The qualities of this tree are 
 so wonderful and beneficent, that I have copied Humboldt's 
 description of it. " On the barren flank of a rock grows a tree 
 with dry and leather-like leaves ; its large, woody roots can 
 scarcely penetrate the stony soil. Its branches appear dead 
 and dried, yet as soon as the trunk is pierced there flows 
 
 o 
 
194 APOCYNACE.E. 
 
 from it a sweet and nourishing milk. It is at sunrise that 
 this vegetable fountain is most abundant. The nativ.es are 
 then to be seen hastening from all quarters, furnished with 
 large bowls to receive the milk, which grows yellow and 
 thickens on its surface. The milk is glutinous, free from all 
 acrimony, and of an agreeable and balmy smell. It was offered 
 to us in the shell of a Calabash. The negroes and free 
 labourers drink it, dipping in their Maize or Cassava bread." 
 
 Though our British Periwinkles are acrid, they are innocent 
 herbs when compared to many of their brethren. 
 
 The Lesser Periwinkle (Vinca minor), grows abundantly 
 about Hawkhurst, covering the deep hedgebanks with a carpet 
 of evergreen, studded with purple stars. They have five 
 stamens, and the wheel-shaped corolla is cut into five segments. 
 The Latin name is from a word signifying to bind; and the 
 Italians bind down the sods over their tombs with it, on this 
 account calling it " the Flower of Death." Hurdis has some 
 pretty lines on the plant : 
 
 " See where the sky-blue Periwinkle chinks, 
 E'en to the cottage eaves, and hides the walls, 
 And dairy lattice, with a thousand eyes 
 Pentagonally formed, to mock the skill 
 Of proud geometers." 
 
 I also have specimens of the Lesser Periwinkle. They come 
 from Sowley Wood, a part of the ancient forest of Selwood ; 
 and I have it also from the G-rantley Woods, Yorkshire. 
 
 I have found the Greater Periwinkle (V. major), wild near 
 Penzance ; it was growing in a hedge far away from any 
 garden, so I think it must have been quite wild. It also grows 
 in hedges near Boss, in Herefordshire. Its leaves are broader 
 in proportion than those of the last-named species, and the 
 plant is in every respect much larger. The bright, full hue of 
 the foliage has earned for it the name of " Little Laurel." 
 The pistil of both the Periwinkles is beautifully fringed. 
 
 It is quite a relief after hearing of the dreadful poisons we 
 have discussed to turn to the wholesome GENTIANS. Bitter 
 
GENTIANS. 195 
 
 as is the flavour of every species of this beautiful tribe, all 
 are wholesome, and some beneficial. Generally the plants have 
 five stamens, and the corolla is five-cleft. They inhabit both 
 cold and warm climates. The Gentian family have blue or 
 lilac flowers, I mean the British species of it. 
 
 The Marsh Gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe), has bright 
 blue flowers shaded towards the centre of the bell with black 
 and yellow. It has narrow leaves, and at Leckby Scar it 
 reaches a span high ; but on Rudd Heath, in Cheshire, where 
 I have also gathered it, the height is not more than two or 
 three inches. 
 
 The Spring Gentian (G. verna, Plate XIL, fig. 6), with its 
 intensely blue corolla cut into round segments and wheel-shaped, 
 favours our county. Its principal habitat is the neighbourhood 
 of the High Force, Teesdale, where my specimen grew. In 
 size it is smaller than the least plant of the Marsh Gentian. 
 
 The Autumnal Gentian (G. amarella), is a taller plant, at 
 least six inches high. It has a five-cleft corolla, of a clear 
 lilac colour. We found it in some fields on the hills between 
 Wensleydale and Swaledale, crossing by the Butter-tub Pass. 
 These so-called Butter-tubs are strange freaks of Nature : 
 deep holes in the solid mountain with rough rocks jutting out 
 from their sides draped with Ferns. In some the water can be 
 heard to gurgle far below, but in others neither water nor any 
 other bottom can be discerned. The calling of the district 
 being essentially a dairy one, these frightful crevices are named 
 "Butter-tubs." Doubtless water was the principal agent in 
 their formation, washing away the moveable earth and leaving 
 the rocky masses in naked grandeur. The blossoms of this 
 Gentian are arranged in panicles, the side branches also bearing 
 flowers. It blooms in August. 
 
 The Field Gentian (G. campestris), resembles the Autumn 
 Gentian, but is smaller ; the colour of the corolla is less clear, 
 and is four-cleft. The plant grows freely on gravelly pastures. 
 We used to gather it on a limestone waste, called Quarry 
 
196 GENTIA.NACEJE. 
 
 Moor, and near Wicliffe in the Eipon neighbourhood. I have 
 found it also in abundance on high pastures about Richmond, 
 and in the Yorkshire dales. 
 
 The Dwarf Gentian is the noble blue bell which adorns our 
 flower-borders. It grows on the mountains in South Wales, 
 but my specimen is from a garden. I fancy that this is the 
 species taking part in the imagined dialogue of Montgomery : 
 
 " Blue thou art, intensely blue ! 
 Flower, whence came thy dazzling hue? 
 When I opened first mine eye, 
 Upward glancing to the sky, 
 Straightway from the firmament 
 Was the sapphire brilliance sent." 
 
 The Alpine Gentian (G. alpina), has a very small blossom, 
 but the five-cleft corolla is of a brilliant blue. It graces some 
 of the Scotch mountains, but my plant did not grow in Britain. 
 I found it at the foot of the Gemini Pass, studding the sward 
 as with stars of Lapis lazuli. 
 
 The Yellow Gentian, from the root of which the valuable 
 tonic drug is drawn, is found in the valleys of Switzerland 
 and Germany; and we used to gather a Bog Gentian there 
 also, with upright clusters of intense blue bells standing on 
 the summit of the stem, and in the axils of the leaves. 
 
 The Centaury family is the second in the Gentian tribe. 
 I remember being much amused when in Switzerland by an 
 English gentleman of our party, who, returning from a distant 
 excursion, told me that he had found a plant far exceeding in 
 beauty all that I had yet collected. After this announcement 
 he produced from within his hat a parcel enveloped in his 
 pocket-handkerchief which, when opened, divulged the common 
 Centaury ! But whether common or not, it is certainly a flower 
 of great beauty. The sturdy plant grows five or six inches 
 high; the stem is mostly simple, and the panicle branches 
 proceed from the axils of the upper leaves. The corolla is 
 bright rose colour, divided into five segments, the tube tinged 
 with yellow. It grows on some pasture lands called Eipon 
 
CENTAUBY YELLOWWORT. 197 
 
 Parks, and in woods about Richmond. All the Centauries 
 partake of the bitter quality of the tribe, and this species has 
 been used with success as a tonic (Erythrsea centaurium). 
 
 Edward says that Kent furnishes abundant specimens of 
 the common Centaury, and there the little Branched Centaury 
 also grows. Hawkhurst is near enough to the sea to catch 
 the sea breezes, and even a dash of the briny spray in a high 
 wind. This accounts for the Branched Centaury growing there, 
 as it does not approve of inland situations. It is only two or 
 three inches high, shrubby in its growth, and its numerous 
 branches are beset with solitary flowers of a deeper hue than in 
 the last species (E. pulchella, Plate XII., fig. 7). 
 
 Fanny brought the Dwarf Centaury (E. littoralis), from near 
 Fowey in Cornwall, where it grew near the seashore. The- 
 leaves are large and oval ; the plant is dumpy, and the flowers 
 pretty, as in the other species, but few. 
 
 The Broad-leaved Centaury is by some believed to be only- 
 a variety of the Dwarf Centaury. As its name indicates, its 
 leaves are broader, but its habit is much the same. The shores 
 of Lancashire are given by Sir J. E. Smith as its habitat. All 
 the Centauries close their blossoms at noon. 
 
 A rare British member of the Gentianella family she founct 
 upon raised ground by the side of the Marazion Marsh. That 
 once busy town, Marazion, is now a waste ; the earnest, 
 money-making inhabitants mingle with the dust ; the mines 
 of tin, by means of which they carried on a trade with the 
 Phoanicians, are closed and forgotten ; and the turrets of St. 
 Michael's Mount behold only swamp and heath, where the 
 once prosperous town flourished ; and in the place of the Jewish 
 traders rise scarce and beautiful plants of every form and hue, 
 from the stately Royal Fern, emulating a tree in size, to the 
 tiny Gentianella, with its thread-shaped stem of two inches, 
 and its yellow funnel-formed corolla, cloven into four segments 
 (Exacum filiforme). 
 
 I have the YeUowwort (Chlora perfoliata, Plate XIL,fig. 8), 
 
198 GENTIANACE2E. 
 
 our only member of its family. Tlie plant grows from twelve 
 to eighteen inches high ; the leaves are glaucous, and the pairs 
 being united the stem seems to pierce its way through them : 
 hence it is called " perfoliate." The flower is large and cupped, 
 divided into eight segments, and of a brilliant yellow colour. 
 There are eight stamens and one stigma. It grows about 
 Studley, near Eipon, and I have also gathered it in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Goostery, Cheshire. 
 
 The Buckbean family comes next, and, like the two that 
 precede it, it has only one British representative. 
 
 The common Buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata, Jig. 9), is a 
 beautiful plant with trefoil leaves, and a spike of pale, rose- 
 tinted flowers. It has five stamens and one pistil, and the 
 five-cleft corolla is thickly covered on the inside by a white 
 fringe; the leaves have large sheaths at their base, and both 
 these and the stem are tinged with crimson. It is a water 
 plant, and adorns ponds in many places. I have found it 
 about Eipon, and in peat bogs among the Yorkshire hills ; 
 also in Cheshire. 
 
 The Water Villarsia is a very beautiful plant. Like the 
 Buckbean its corolla is fringed ; but the flower is cupped, 
 yellow, and of a large size. The leaves are heart-shaped and 
 wavy, and the flower-stalks spring from their axils ; the flowers 
 are solitary. It grows in ponds near Ely, and was sent to me 
 from thence. The only time I have seen it was in a ditch near 
 Oxford ; but the ditch was broad and deep, and baffled all my 
 attempts to reach its treasures. This is the last family of the 
 Gentian tribe. 
 
 The Phlox tribe succeeds that of the Gentians, and our 
 gardens offer many beautiful representatives ; but we have no 
 indigenous ones. 
 
 The Jacob's Ladder family has but one British member. 
 
 The Blue Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium coeruleum, Plate XII. , 
 fig. 10), is a very rare plant, and I am proud to exhibit a speci- 
 men from Yorkshire. This piece was gathered at Leckby 
 
CONVOLVULUS. 199 
 
 Scar, a famous botanical haunt near Topcliff. We also have it 
 from Malham Cove, another Yorkshire habitat. The large blue 
 flowers are arranged in a panicle ; the corolla is five-cleft, and 
 the stamens five ; the leaves are lance-shaped and pinnate. It 
 is a common flower in gardens, and attains a greater height 
 there than when growing wild. 
 
 The Convolvulus tribe is the next upon the list. It contains 
 two families that of the Convolvulus and that of the Dodder. 
 
 The common Small Convolvulus (Convolvulus arvensis), is 
 found everywhere, and is everywhere worthy of admiration. It 
 twines up the stalks of corn, round any erect plant ; and, devoid 
 of support, it will creep along a hedgebank, or even over a 
 heap of stones. Its flowers are rose-coloured, and very perish- 
 able ; its leaves arrow-shaped. 
 
 The Great Bindweed (C. sepium), is a magnificent climber, 
 hanging its large bells of pure white in every hedgerow. Its 
 leaves are large, of a full green, and heart-shaped. This plant 
 has many of the properties of its brother, the Scammony, which 
 is very much used in medicine. Jalap is also the produce of a 
 member of this family. 
 
 There is a plant of this group, the roots of which are used in 
 the same manner as Potatoes by the Spanish and Portuguese. 
 It was formerly cultivated in England, and called " Sweet 
 Potato;" it is the root spoken of by Shakespeare and other 
 writers of that period. 
 
 The Sea Convolvulus (C. soldanella), the last British member 
 of this family, is a coast plant, one of those which Fanny found 
 growing on the sands at Penzance. It has flowers as large as 
 the Great Bindweed ; but the corolla is angular, not round, and 
 beautifully tinged with pink. The leaves are kidney- shaped, and 
 the stem is procumbent. The plant is small. Before she could 
 get the flowers home they faded, and she had no opportunity of 
 visiting the shores again, as they were proceeding immediately 
 to Helston, However, she found it abundantly on the bar of 
 the Loe Pool, and laid specimens at once into her sketch-book. 
 
200 BOEAGINACEJE. 
 
 On the cliffs near Polperro she found the Lesser Dodder 
 twining its crimson threads round Furze bushes. Its flowers 
 grow in clusters ; they are like waxy bells. The seed of these 
 plants does not split into lobes, but it opens, and puts forth a 
 little spiral body, which is the embryo. 
 
 There is a Greater Dodder (Ciiscuta europeea), which I once 
 found entwining round a large Onion in our garden ; it differs 
 little from the Lesser except in size, and in having an apology 
 for a flower-stalk to some of the florets of the cluster. 
 
 There are a Flax Dodder and Trefoil Dodder, parasitic on the 
 plants after which they are named. I have specimens given by 
 Mr. Perry, of Warwick, but it is difficult to discern any points 
 of distinction. All these plants are very noxious among crops, 
 choking the herbs around which they twine. I think our 
 Lesser Dodder was innocent of injuring the Furze (C. epithy- 
 mum, Plate XIL,fig. 12). 
 
 We now come to an extensive and very beautiful tribe that 
 of the Borage. Blue is the prevailing colour of the flowers. 
 The corolla is five-cleft, and has often teeth in the centre ; the 
 leaves are generally rough. 
 
 The Viper's Bugloss (Eehium vulgare), is one representative 
 of the first family in the Borage tribe. It has a spotted hairy 
 stem, and one-sided cluster of funnel-shaped blue flowers. It 
 is a beautiful plant, and looks brilliant as it lifts its head from 
 the ruins of Richmond Castle, where it grows side by side 
 with the wild Wallflower. I have found it also upon the walls 
 of Jervaulx Abbey, and upon rocks in that district. The 
 spotted stem suggests a likeness to the viper, which seems to 
 be acknowledged throughout Europe. In Spain it is called 
 "Herba de la Vibara," and in France "La Viperine." Our 
 forefathers, pursuing the theory of " Signatures," believed that 
 it would heal the bite of a viper. Gerarde was of opinion that 
 the mere sight of it would affect serpents. He says, " Its 
 vertues are so forcible, that the herbe only thrown before the 
 scorpeon, or any other venemous beast, causeth them to be 
 
BUGLOSS GBOMWELL. 201 
 
 without force or strength to hurt ; insomuch that they cannot 
 move or stir until it be taken away." 
 
 There is a Violet-flowered Viper's Bugloss (E. violaceum), 
 but it is peculiar to sandy ground in Jersey, and we have no 
 specimen. 
 
 The Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis), with its blotched 
 ovate leaves, is very familiar as a shrubbery plant ; it grows 
 wild in woods, but is very rare. The flowers are pink when 
 first they open, but they turn gradually blue. The plant is 
 about a foot high. My specimen is from a garden. 
 
 The Narrow-leaved Lungwort (P. angustifolia), is still more 
 rare. They both flower in May. 
 
 The Gromwell family comes next. Its seeds are hard, and 
 contain a considerable portion of flint. Its English name is 
 derived from Celtic words signifying stone seed. The Latin 
 name has precisely the same meaning. The Germans call it 
 " Steinsame," and the Dutch " Steenzaad." The French name 
 is the prettiest '' Plante aux perles." 
 
 The Corn Gromwell (Lithospermum arvense), has narrow 
 blunt leaves of a dull green, with white flowers. Its height is 
 about a foot. I have gathered it in corn fields in Yorkshire, 
 Kent, and Wiltshire. 
 
 The common Gromwell (L. officinale), grows about Clevedon. 
 The plant is twice the size of the Corn Gromwell, but the flowers 
 are no larger. The corolla is five-cleft, and of a sulphur colour. 
 
 The Purple or Creeping Gromwell (L. purpureo-coeruleum), 
 is a very handsome species. Its barren stems are prostrate 
 and rooting, the flowering ones erect ; the blossoms are large, 
 clustered, and of a full purple hue. It also grows within a 
 few miles of Clevedon. 
 
 The Sea Gromwell (L. maritimum), resembles this, but is 
 widely spreading, and the hue of the flowers less decided. We 
 have no specimen of it. 
 
 The common Alkanet (Anchusa officinalis), falsely so called, 
 Fanny found on the Clevedon sands. It is so very rare a 
 
202 BOEAGINACEJE. 
 
 plant that some people cannot believe that it was really wild 
 there ; but as no garden was near, we take the benefit of the 
 doubt, and have faith in its being an orthodox native. The 
 spikes are terminal and one-sided, the flowers blue, and the 
 leaves lance-shaped and very rough. 
 
 The Evergreen Alkanet (A. sempervirens, Plate XIL, fig. 14), 
 Edward found in Shropshire, and rejoiced, believing it to be a 
 garden plant. He was not far wrong, for it is much cultivated 
 in old-fashioned gardens, and its brilliant flowers entitle it to 
 notice. It is rare as a wild plant, though found pretty plenti- 
 fully in Shropshire and Warwickshire. 
 
 The common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale, fig. 11), the 
 next family of the Borages, is very abundant in Wiltshire. 
 The plant grows three feet high, and the tube-shaped flowers 
 are arranged in forked drooping clusters. Near Heystesbury 
 the flowers are white, but about Brixton Deverill they are lilac. 
 The leaves are large, and of a broad lance-shape. The ro^t is / 
 used by the villagers as a medicine, iktt &jt4t*~*- ^%^^tc 
 
 The Tuberous Comfrey (S. tuberosum), 1ms yellowish flowers, 
 and is a slighter plant. It is rare except in Scotland. 
 
 The common Borage (Borago officinalis, Plate XIL, fig. 13), 
 is a very handsome plant. Its drooping clusters of brilliant 
 blue flowers, with their white centre and black stamens, plenti- 
 fully adorn the cliffs at East Looe, contrasting with the yellow, 
 white, and pink plants which I have already described. It 
 grows elsewhere on rocks and waste places ; but I have never 
 seen its beauty so striking as Fanny describes it on those Cornish 
 cliffs. It used to be cultivated for the sake of its flowers, which 
 form an ingredient in the drink called " cool tankard," and it 
 still lingers in old-fashioned gardens. It has been discovered 
 by an eminent chemist that a decoction of the leaves of this 
 plant evaporated deposit crystals both needle-shaped and cube- 
 shaped, the former being of nitre, the latter of sea salt. This 
 circumstance is mentioned in a little monthly volume entitled 
 "Wild Flowers of the Year," and published by the Tract 
 
FORGET-ME-NOT. 203 
 
 Society. It further relates that the dried leaves of the plant 
 held near a candle will produce a flash of light. 
 
 The Small Bugloss (Lycopsis arvensis), is a less interesting 
 plant, with smaller leaves, and comparatively inconspicuous 
 blue flowers. The great peculiarity of the blossom is that 
 the tube is bent to one side. It grows on the same cliffs at 
 East Looe, and in fields near Warminster, Wilts. 
 
 JXow for the favourite family of all the Scorpion-grasses, or 
 Forget-me-nots. 
 
 The prettiest member of the family, the Water Scorpion- 
 grass (Myosotis paliistris, Plate XIII., jig. 1), is the true For- 
 get-me-not. We never see this lovely flower by the lake or 
 quiet stream without remembering the sad story of the devoted 
 knight, who daring too much to procure the lightest wish of 
 his lady, found the stream too strong for him, and had only 
 power to throw his dearly-bought prize to the shore ere he 
 sank beneath the water. Well was the flower named Forget- 
 me-not, for whenever its turquoise gems are seen, the story of 
 that lover is related. Earle Colne details a pretty dialogue with 
 this flower : 
 
 " Flower of the modest eye 
 
 Tell me, who love you well, 
 Whence comes your brilliant dye? 
 Why stores your honey-cell ? 
 
 " Who built your turquoise- cup, 
 
 Its garlanding of green ? 
 
 Who glossed its inner parts 
 
 With such golden sheen ? 
 
 Oh ! sweet-eyed flow'ret tell me, 
 
 For my soul doth long to know, 
 How you woo our hearts to love you 
 
 More than flowers of brighter glow." 
 
 " There dwells a look in my gentle bloom, 
 That whispers to hearts of the happy home 
 
 A good man ne'er forgot; 
 And because it resembles the kindly eye, 
 Which never met ours but with sympathy, 
 They have called it Forget-me-not." 
 
 The flowers grow in curled clusters, destitute of leaves. 
 
204 BOBAGINACEJE. 
 
 The Creeping Water Scorpion-grass (M. repens), varies little 
 from tliis, except in having leaves in the cluster. I have not 
 found a specimen. 
 
 The Wood Scorpion-grass (M. sylvatica), is a lovely plant, 
 scarcely inferior in charm to the Water one. It covers our 
 northern woods with starry gems in April and May, growing a 
 foot high. I believe it is a very local plant. Its leaves are 
 smaller than those of the true Forget-me-not, and of a very 
 dull green. The clusters are full and brilliant. 
 
 The Field Scorpion-grass (M. arvensis), is a small plant with 
 tiny sky-blue flowers. It blooms all the summer months, and 
 is common in corn fields, hedgebanks, and waste places. 
 
 The Early Field Scorpion-grass (M. collina), grows on Black- 
 ford Hill, near Edinburgh. I found it in March ; it was only 
 an inch high, and its flowers were proportionately small, and 
 of a very bright blue. Fanny has also specimens of it which 
 she gathered on banks and rocks near Clevedon. 
 
 The Yellow and Blue Scorpion- grass (M. versicolor), she 
 found near Polperro. The flowers of this species are also 
 small ; but the plant is easily distinguished by having some of 
 the blossoms blue, and the freshly- opened ones yellow. These 
 three last-named Scorpion-grasses are annuals. 
 
 The Tufted Scorpion- grass (M. ccespitosa), is perennial. It 
 grows in wet places ; Edward has it from Kent, and I from 
 the county of Durham. Its only fault is that there is too 
 much foliage for the small spikes of pale blossoms. The 
 leaves are pale and hairy, and the stems thick, and sometimes 
 a foot high. 
 
 The Bock species (M. rupicola), has a very handsome blos- 
 som, large, and intensely blue. The stems are tufted. It is 
 found on mountains, but mine is a garden specimen. 
 
 The Little Mudwort (Limosella), is a prostrate plant, bristly, 
 and with crowded leaves, and very small blue flowers. I have 
 sought it in such low pastures as it is said to inhabit, but in 
 vain. 
 
HOUND'S-TONGUE. 205 
 
 The last family in the Borage tribe is the Hound's-tongue. 
 I have found the common Hound's-tongue (Cynoglossum offici- 
 nale), on the road between the town of Richmond and the 
 racecourse. It is a downy plant, with a smell like mice, and 
 dark crimson drooping flowers. The leaves are broadly lanceo- 
 late, and the stamens are shorter than the corolla. It grows 
 to the height of a foot and a half. It is abundant in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Bishopton, in Durham; and I see Fanny has 
 specimens from Looe. This tribe has little except beauty and 
 harmlessness to recommend it. One of the Alkanets is used 
 for a dye, and the root of a species of Gromwell is applied to 
 the same purpose. All the members have insipid juice, and 
 are more or less hairy. 
 
206 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 SOLANACE2E OEOBANCHiCE^] SCEOPHTJLAEIlCE M 
 LABlATJE VEEBEMCE^ LENTIBULAEllCE^ PEI- 
 
 MULACE^E PLUMBAGINlCE^ PLANTAGINACE^. 
 
 f 
 
 " God might have made the earth bring forth 
 
 Enough for great and small, 
 The Oak tree and the Cedar tree, 
 Without a flower at all. 
 
 " He might have made enough, enough 
 
 For every want of ours, 
 For luxury, medicine, and toil, 
 And yet not have made flowers. 
 
 " Then wherefore, wherefore were they made 
 
 All dyed with rainbow light, 
 All fashioned with supremest grace, 
 Upspringing day and night? 
 
 " To comfort man, to whisper hope 
 
 Whene'er his faith is dim ; 
 For Whoso careth for the flowers 
 Will much more care for him." 
 
 MART HOWITT. 
 
 AGAIN we come to a poisonous tribe of plants, the NIGHTSHADES, 
 but there is much to be said in favour of these. They possess 
 a great variety of qualities ; some poisonous, some harmless, 
 some actually nutritious. The Deadly Nightshade is nearly 
 related to the wholesome Potato, the mild Tomato to the pun- 
 gent Capsicum, and the innocent Egg-plant to the poisonous 
 Tobacco. Here, as in many of the Umbellifers, the evil 
 qualities existing in the esculent members of the tribe are 
 dissipated by heat, and thus they are changed from slightly 
 deleterious to decidedly wholesome. Leigh Hunt must have 
 had the medicinal qualities in mind when he wrote 
 
 " Sage are yet the uses 
 Mixed with our sweet juices, 
 
NIGHTSHADES. 207 
 
 Whether man or mayfly profit of the balm : 
 
 As fair fingers heal'd 
 
 Knights from the olden field, 
 "We hold cups of mightiest force to give the wildest calm. 
 
 E'en the terror poison 
 
 Hath its plea for blooming j 
 Life it gives to reverent lips, though death to the presuming." 
 
 The Deadly Nightshade and Henbane are cases in point. 
 Rash meddlers with these get illness, or even death, as the 
 reward of their temerity, while the agonised sufferer blesses 
 the same Henbane for his much-needed sleep, and the painful 
 headache yields before homeopathic doses of Belladonna as 
 to a magic charm. Truly the Nightshades have no need to 
 blush for their members ; for besides these beneficent medicines 
 they have the Potato, Tomato, Cayenne Pepper, and "Winter 
 Cherry for food, the last being pleasant to the palate when 
 ripened in Spain or Portugal, and the Calabash for drinking 
 vessels. The first family is the one which gives its name to 
 the tribe. 
 
 The Woody Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara), is a shrubby 
 plant, climbing to the height of four or five feet. The flowers 
 are in cymes, the corolla divided five times, and the segments 
 turned back ; the colour a fine violet. The five stamens grow 
 close together, and appear almost as one; they are bright 
 orange, and contrast perfectly with the violet corolla. The 
 leaves are dark green, smooth, and halbert-shaped, and the 
 berries are bright scarlet. Altogether it is an attractive-looking 
 plant, and grows commonly in hedges. My specimen was 
 gathered near Eipon. The berries and young twigs are 
 slightly poisonous and emetic. 
 
 The Black or Garden Nightshade (S. nigrum*), grows fre- 
 quently as a weed in gardens, and very much frequents waste 
 
 * The "Apples of Sodom" are the fruit of another member of this family. Murray 
 says, in his Encyclopedia, " At the foot of the mountains on the shore of the Lake 
 Asphaltitea Hasselquist found the Solanum sodoratcmum, the fruit of which, in- 
 ternally destroyed by insects, preserves its colour, but contains only dust. These 
 are the ' Apples of Sodom ' spoken of by Josephus, and the ' Grapes of Sodom and 
 the Grapes of Gall' of Holy Writ." 
 
208 SOLANACEJE. 
 
 places in some localities. About Norwood and Blaekheath it 
 puts forth its clusters of small white flowers, and ripens its 
 handsome black berries in great abundance. The flower-stalks 
 spring from the axils of the leaves, which are ovate and bluntly 
 toothed. The whole plant is poisonous, and the berries are so 
 in a high degree. 
 
 The Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna, Plate XIIL, 
 fig. 2), is a handsome plant, with large, bright green, ovate 
 leaves, and dull purple bells, of an inch long, proceeding from 
 the axils of the leaves. The berries are as large as a Cherry, 
 black, and very glossy. The plant grows between Warminster 
 and Corsley, and in many other places in that neighbourhood. 
 The flowers have a lurid tinge. The berries are very noxious. 
 A detachment of French soldiers, halting near Dresden, were 
 attracted by the inviting-looking fruit, and ate a quantity of 
 it : 180 men were thus poisoned, many of whom died, and the 
 rest were long in recovering. On another occasion eighteen 
 children ate of the berries ; they became unable to swallow, 
 and the pupils of the eye grew dilated ; they became drunk 
 and furious. They all recovered; but, on going to school four 
 days after, some saw everything as if red, some could not see 
 at all, and none of them could articulate. The Italian ladies 
 use this plant as a cosmetic : hence its name of Belladonna. I 
 know, too, that when administered internally it gives great 
 brilliancy to the eyes, and it is a homceopathic remedy for 
 visual ailments and for sore throats. 
 
 I have the pleasure of presenting another poisonous plant, 
 but which is surely too untempting to be dangerous. The 
 Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger, Plate XIIL, jig. 3), has a 
 powdery appearance, and a very faint disgusting smell. The 
 leaves, which are large and closely set, are lance-shaped and 
 deeply cut, and the dull sulphur-coloured flowers are exquisitely 
 veined with dark purple. They grow in spikes, only two or 
 three compact flowers blooming at once. In bud the spike is 
 curved, but in seed it is tall and straight. The spikes of 
 
THOEN APPLE. 209 
 
 capsules are a beautiful object when skeletonised and bleached, 
 resembling a large upriglit Lily of the Valley. There are fire 
 stamens and one stigma. Children have been poisoned by 
 eating the seed in mistake for Filberts. I have gathered it 
 near Bipon, in Yorkshire, and Fanny has found it both at 
 Clevedon and in Cornwall. 
 
 Sir J. E. Smith has admitted the Thorn Apple (Datura 
 stramonium, Plate XIIL, fig. 10), into the British flora. It is 
 a very handsome plant, with large, fragrant, white, trumpet- 
 shaped flowers, and deeply-lobed, bright green leaves. The 
 capsule is fully as beautiful as the flower, covered as it is with 
 strong bristles. When subjected to the process of skeleton- 
 ising, it presents a most beautiful object, exhibiting a network 
 of fibre, bristling all over with bleached thorns of various 
 lengths. It springs up wherever freshly-imported American 
 shrubs are planted, and sows itself from year to year. In a 
 garden in Wiltshire it has existed thus for a number of years, 
 and the poor people in the neighbouring village come to beg 
 the leaves, which they smoke in the style of a cigar as a cure 
 for asthma. This practice of inhaling the smoke of Stramo- 
 nium in a paroxysm of asthma is derived from the natives of 
 the East Indies, and I have medical authority for saying that 
 it is a safe means of relief. Notwithstanding this, the leaves 
 have a highly poisonous quality, and are dangerous when 
 swallowed. A friend of mine, an army surgeon, told me that, 
 when with his regiment in Canada, he was called to the wife 
 and children of a soldier, who were insensible, and apparently 
 dying from a stroke of the sun, as it was supposed. The 
 medicine administered acted as an emetic, and they began to 
 recover. On inquiry, it was found that they had been gather- 
 ing Lamb's-quarter (Chenopodium album), to cook for dinner, 
 and had eaten some leaves of the Thorn Apple at the same 
 time. A similar case, equally well authenticated, occurred in 
 "New Jersey during the revolutionary war, in which three 
 soldiers fell victims to the Thorn Apple poison ; one dying 
 
 p 
 
210 OEOBANCHACE2E. 
 
 raving mad, and the two others with symptoms of lock-jaw. 
 The best antidote for it is said to be vinegar. 
 
 The BROOM-RAPE order comes next ; it contains but two 
 families, that of the Broom-rape, and that of the Toothwort. 
 These are parasitical plants, growing on the roots of others. 
 The seeds lie in the ground until they come in contact with 
 some root congenial to them, when they forthwith germinate. 
 They have no leaves, only scales or bracts, and there is no 
 shade of green in any part of the plant. 
 
 The first of the Broom-rapes that we shall speak of is the 
 Bed species (Orobanche rubra). In a " Week at the Lizard " 
 it is mentioned that this grows on the Magnesian rocks, between 
 Kynance and the Lizard Point, so Fanny diligently sought it 
 there. Her search was rewarded by a sturdy specimen. The 
 flowers, stem, and scales were the colour of iron rust ; the 
 upper lip of the corolla was cloven, and the lower cut into 
 three segments. 
 
 Afterwards she found the Tall Broom-rape (O. elatior), in a 
 bushy field near Clevedon. Its stem is whitish, tinged with lilac, 
 and the flowers are all pale, and with lilac stripes and blotches. 
 
 Near Warminster the Lesser Broom-rape (O. miiior), grows 
 freely in Clover fields. It is slighter in form than those I 
 have mentioned, and of a uniform brown hue. 
 
 The Greater Broom-rape (O. major), grows upon Furze 
 roots near a field path leading from Horningsham to Maiden 
 Bradley, in Wiltshire ; it is tall and stout in habit, and ot 
 a purplish-brown colour. 
 
 There is a Clove-scented Broom-rape, parasitic on roots of 
 the Hedge Bedstraw and Bramble ; Sir J. E. Smith gives Kent 
 as its native county ; and there are a Purple and a Branched 
 Broom-rape, both having three bracts to each flower, while the 
 rest have but one. The Purple species requires sea air, whilst 
 the branched one is content wherever it can find roots of 
 Hemp (O. ramosa). 
 
 The Toothwort (Lathrsea squamaria), grows in woods near 
 
FOXGLOVE SNAPDRAGON. 211 
 
 Richmond. Its stem and scales are of ivory white, the latter 
 overlap one another, and look like rows of teeth at the base of 
 the stem. The flowers are pendulous, and of a delicate lilac 
 colour ; the lower lip is in three segments, the upper lip cloven. 
 My specimen was in bloom in April. 
 
 We now come to a pretty numerous order that of the FIG- 
 WOETS. Many of these have handsome flowers, and some are 
 useful. Our friend the Foxglove (Digitalis purpiirea, Plate 
 XIII., fig. 4), has both these recommendations. The beauty 
 of its crimson bells none will dispute, and a valuable medicine 
 is procured from it, which, however, needs to be administered 
 by medical care, as its effect is weakening and even paralysing 
 if taken incautiously. Sir Walter Scott pleases to regard it as 
 an emblem of pride, and certainly it has a good right to be 
 vain of its appearance. 
 
 " Foxglove and Nightshade side by side, 
 Emblems of punishment and pride, 
 Grouped their dark hues with every stain 
 The weather-beaten crags retain." 
 
 Edward has specimens from Kent, where the plant grows in 
 great luxuriance. Nor does it stint its favours on our York- 
 shire moors, all Britain rejoices in its patronage. 
 
 The Snapdragon family succeeds that of the Foxglove. 
 county boasts the Greater Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus, 
 Plate XIIL,fig. 5), the most showy member of the f 
 It grows freely on old walls about Richmond, and on the ruins 
 of Jervaulx and Fountains Abbey. The corolla in all this 
 family is of the form called gaping ; some species have spurs, 
 but this and one other are without them. The flowers are 
 large and gay, of a bright rose colour with yellow between the 
 lips. The leaves are a narrow lance-shape. 
 
 The Ivy -leaved Snapdragon, or Mother o'Millions, flourishes 
 on the same old walls, decorating the ruins of Richmond Castle 
 and Easby Abbey, as well as those above mentioned. The 
 leaves are bright dark green, and lined with purple ; the small 
 lilac flowers are solitary upon long footstalks. 
 
212 SCBOPHTJLAKIACE2E. 
 
 At Cloth.erliolme, near Eipon, tlie Yellow Snapdragon 
 (A. linaria), grows very freely. Its tall golden spikes adorn 
 the liedgebank, and its closely-set narrow leaves are of a 
 glaucous green. The corolla is shaped like that of the Greater 
 Snapdragon, and is of a light yellow on the lips, while the 
 centre part is of a full orange : hence it is called by country 
 children " Butter and eggs." Our name for it was " Toad 
 Flax." Anne Pratt thus addresses the plant : 
 
 " And thou, LSnaria, mingle in my wreath 
 Thy golden dragons ; for though perfumed breath 
 Escapes not from thy yellow petals, yet 
 Glad thoughts bring'st thou of hedgerow foliage, wet 
 With tears and dew ; lark-warblings and green Ferns 
 O'erspanning crystal runnels, where there turns 
 And twines the glossy Ivy." 
 
 I found a curious variety of the Toad Flax in Wiltshire ; the 
 corolla was regularly five-cleft, and had five spurs. It looked 
 like a kind of cone with five hooks at its base. Smith and 
 Sowerby give a drawing of it, and call it " variety Peloria." 
 
 I was staying near Wanninster in harvest-time, and search- 
 ing one day in the stubble fields my eye caught a small creeping 
 plant with oval hairy leaves of a pale hue. Gathering it, I 
 found that small flowers were situated upon long footstalks 
 springing from the axils of the leaves. The corolla was gaping, 
 the upper lip chocolate-coloured, the under yellow. It was the 
 rare Hound-leaved Snapdragon ! 
 
 In similar fields, close upon the chalk downs, and on walls, 
 I found the Least Snapdragon (A. minus). The plant grows 
 about four inches high, with a branched woody stem, narrow 
 leaves, and minute grey flowers. 
 
 Near "Warminster I had the good fortune to meet with the 
 Lesser Snapdragon (A. orontium). Its stem is almost simple ; 
 its flowers scarce, and without spur ; the corolla purplish-rose 
 colour, with a yellow centre ; and the segments of the calyx 
 longer than the flower. 
 
 The Sharp-pointed Snapdragon (A. elatine), Edward has 
 
FIGWOET COW-WHEAT. 213 
 
 brought us from Kent, where it grows freely in corn fields, 
 climbing up the haulms and twisting round them. Its flower 
 is yellow and chocolate, like those of the Hound-leaved species, 
 and the leaves are of the same soft light shade, but arrow- 
 shaped instead of round. 
 
 There is a Creeping Snapdragon with bright lilac flowers 
 striped with blue, and sweet-scented ; but we have no specimen 
 of it. It is very rare. 
 
 We come next to the true Figwort family. 
 
 The Knotty-rooted Figwort (Scrophularia nodosa), grows 
 freely in the Kentish lanes ; both it and Water Figwort 
 (S. aquatica), flourish by the side of a road called " Hart 
 and Oak." The former has heart-shaped pointed leaves, and 
 a square stem with decided edges ; the latter blunt leaves, 
 oblong, and somewhat heart-shaped, and the edges of the stem 
 winged. Both have crimson lips to the corolla, and greenish 
 tubes. They bear their flowers in panicles, are smooth herbs, 
 and smell disagreeably. They are considered unwholesome, 
 and cattle seldom eat them. Anne Pratt relates that when 
 Hochelle was besieged by Cardinal Uichelieu, the soldiers were 
 in such distress from famine that they were obliged to resort 
 to the Water Figwort, which abounded there, for sustenance. 
 The French have called it " Herbe du Siege " ever since. 
 
 The Balm-leaved Figwort is a downy plant, and its flower 
 is paler. Sir J. Smith says it is very rare, so we need not 
 be discouraged at not having found it. 
 
 Yorkshire furnishes us with the Yellow Figwort (S. ver- 
 nalis). I gathered it in April on a piece of waste ground at 
 the entrance of a pasture field near Patrick Brompton, in York- 
 shire. It is a light green plant, with crumpled, broad- 
 shouldered leaves, and small panicles of bright yellow flowers, 
 reminding one of a small Calceolaria. 
 
 The Cow-wheat family comes next. Their calyces are tubular, 
 containing two seeds. 
 
 The Yellow Cow- wheat (Melampyrum pratense), is common 
 
214 SCEOPHULAEIACE2E. 
 
 in our woods, flowering in June and July. The leaves grow 
 in pairs, and are deeply toothed at the base ; the pale yellow 
 flowers, also growing in pairs, are turned to one side. The 
 corolla is closed, so that you cannot see into its throat or tube. 
 
 There are a Crested Cow-wheat with square stems, and heart- 
 shaped, toothed bracts ; and a Purple Cow-wheat with pinnate 
 bracts. The flowers of both these are purple. 
 
 The Wood Cow-wheat (M. sylvaticum), has very small, 
 bright yellow, gaping flowers, and narrow simple leaves. It 
 grows in Teesdale. 
 
 The Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus crista-galli), is a common 
 meadow plant. The rattling of the ripe seeds in the large 
 capsule is the origin of its familiar name. The upper lip of 
 the corolla is drawn over the style. The flower is yellow, with 
 two or three blue spots. 
 
 The Dwarf Red Rattle, or Lousewort, is an exceedingly 
 pretty plant. Both it and the Marsh Lousewort have swelled 
 seed-vessels with pinnate sepals attached. The leaves are 
 finely pinnate, and the rose-coloured blossom rises above the 
 dark sepals. The Dwarf species (Pedicularis sylvatica), grows 
 only two or three inches high ; it favours moist, elevated 
 pastures. The Marsh Lousewort is from a span to a foot high, 
 with crimson blossoms and a branched shrubby stem. It is 
 comparatively rare : I found it in an excursion up Swaledale. 
 A party of us were walking and riding by turns, and we halted 
 to eat our luncheon on the borders of a wood. There were 
 lead mines very near. During the halt I roamed along a path 
 leading by the side of a swamp, hoping to find some floral 
 treasures. Some half dozen yards off" in the wet ground grew 
 the Marsh Lousewort (P. palustris), and the large Cotton Grass 
 side by side. Both were new to me, and I was meditating how 
 best to reach them, when two miners came by. They stopped 
 and regarded me with good-natured curiosity. " You're not 
 ganging into 't bog wi' them bits o' shoas of yer feet?" 
 asked the elder man. " Yes," I replied, " I have a great wish 
 
BABTSIA EYEBBIGHT. 215 
 
 for those two flowers, and I had rather get my feet wet than 
 not have them." " Stand by," said the first speaker, " and this 
 young chap '11 get 'em for yer ; his shoas are mair likely for 
 such an a bog as that than yours." The young man did 
 gather the flowers for me, and replied to my thanks with a 
 short nod, and the words, " Ye're welcome." Yet many per- 
 sons have a great dread of these miners, and account them 
 as savages. True, they do not deal in flattering titles ; they 
 tell you that " the parson's a tidy large chap," and the squire's 
 lady is a " real nice woman." But they have honest kindly 
 hearts, and you might wander alone for fifty miles, and never 
 meet with rudeness. 
 
 Now look at the Bartsia family. This little dingy plant with 
 the one-sided spikes of dull lilac flowers is the Red Bartsia. 
 It has lance-shaped serrated leaves, and a square stem, growing 
 about a span high. There is a red tinge over the whole plant. 
 
 I have the Viscid Bartsia (Bartsia viscosa), a much prettier 
 plant. It has larger leaves of a delicate green, and yellow 
 flowers growing from the axils. The whole plant is sticky, 
 and strongly scented: indeed, its general aspect and odour 
 closely resemble the Musk plant. Fanny brought the specimen 
 from Marazion Marsh. 
 
 There is an Alpine Bartsia with somewhat the same habit, 
 and red flowers ; but I have not seen it. 
 
 The family of the pretty little Eyebright comes next. Our 
 one British member of it is a cheerful little plant, growing 
 freely among the scanty herbage of downs and hilly pastures. 
 The flowers spring from the axils of the leaves, which are 
 ovate, furrowed, and sharply toothed. The corolla is white, 
 variegated with yellow and purple. Old herbalists speak of 
 the plant as a remedy for diseases of the eye, and Milton 
 evinces a similar conviction when describing the Archangel's 
 interview with Adam : 
 
 " Then purged with Euphrasy and Rue 
 The visual nerve, for he had much to see." 
 
216 SCBOPHULAKIACE.E. 
 
 I used to imagine that the idea of the efficacy of our pretty 
 Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis), was past for ever, along with 
 the prejudices in favour of Lungwort, and Saxifrage granules ; 
 but I find that homoeopathic physicians still prescribe Eu- 
 phrasia for ailing eyes, and I was rejoiced to see a friend's 
 visual organs strengthen and brighten under the influence of 
 minute doses of the pretty plant. 
 
 The Cornish Moneywort (Sibthorpia europsea), is a small 
 trailing plant with round hairy leaves, closely resembling those 
 of the Marsh Pennywort or White-rot ; its flowers are solitary, 
 and pale pink. 
 
 The next family is a very attractive one. The Speedwells 
 have a wheel-shaped corolla instead of a gaping one, which is 
 four-cleft ; they have two stamens and one stigma. Some of 
 the family bear their flowers on terminal spikes, some on lateral 
 spikes or clusters, and some have the flowers solitary. 
 
 On the cliffs near Clevedon Fanny found one of the scarcer 
 species the Spiked Speedwell (Veronica spicata). Its stem is 
 simple, its leaves getting narrower as they ascend the spike. 
 The flowers are deep blue, and closely packed together. The 
 plant is about a span high, and the narrow spike occupies a 
 third of the stem. 
 
 There is a Welsh Speedwell (V. hybrida), with a thicker 
 spike, but so nearly resembling this that it can hardly be 
 regarded as a separate species. 
 
 The Shrubby Speedwell has pinkish blossoms veined with 
 lilac ; the cluster is terminal, and many-flowered ; but it is 
 seldom that many blossoms open at once, so that it looks less 
 gay than the Spiked species. It lives among the Scotch moun- 
 tains. My specimen is from a garden plant. 
 
 The Rock Speedwell (V. saxatilis), was given me along with 
 the Shrubby Speedwell ; it grew by its side on the rockwork 
 of the florist. It is also an inhabitant of the Highland rocks, 
 and its spare cluster of large brilliant blue flowers with crimson 
 centres must be a great ornament to them. 
 
SPEEDWELL. 217 
 
 There is an Alpine Speedwell (V. alpina), with paler blue 
 flowers and glaucous leaves, but I have not met with it. 
 
 Only one of the Speedwells with terminal clusters is now 
 wanting. The Smooth . Speedwell (V. serpyllifolia), raises its 
 humble clusters of little grey flowers, interspersed with ovate 
 shiny leaves, in pastures everywhere. Those species mentioned 
 already bloom in July and August ; this, their humble relative, 
 flowers a month earlier. 
 
 The Brooklime (V. beccabunga), is a water Speedwell, grow- 
 ing in ditches. Its clusters are lateral that is, they spring 
 from the sides of the stem. The flowers are very small, but 
 of a very dark brilliant blue, and the clusters are freely be- 
 stowed on every stem. The leaves are ovate and shiny, and 
 the whole plant is thick arid succulent. 
 
 The Water Speedwell (V. anagallis), has long acute leaves 
 and longer clusters. The flowers are larger, and generally 
 of a lilac colour, though they vary to blue and white. It 
 grows by running streams. Both these species are common 
 in Yorkshire and elsewhere. 
 
 We found the Narrow-leaved Speedwell (V. scutellata), first 
 in a bog on Grinton Moor, in Swaledale. It is a delicately- 
 formed graceful plant, contrasting strangely with the strong 
 growth of the two other water species. The leaves are grass- 
 shaped, and tinged with crimson ; the stem weak, and the two or 
 three clusters sparingly adorned with pale lilac-veined flowers 
 on separate footstalks, placed at right angles with one another. 
 
 The common Speedwell (V. officinalis), is a pretty compact 
 plant with rough, ovate, serrated leaves. The bright lilac 
 flowers are arranged in spikes which grow from the axils of 
 the leaves. It flowers in May, and is common in hilly pastures 
 and hedgerows. The leaves are sometimes made into tea, and 
 the French caU this plant " The de 1'Europe." 
 /* The Germander Speedwell (V. chamoedrys), is the species 
 most familiarly known. Its lateral spikes of bright blue flowers 
 are very attractive in spring, and a plot of this plant in full 
 
 s \ 
 s I 
 ll I 
 
218 SCKOPHULAEIACEJE. 
 
 bloom is a very lovely object. A touching anecdote is told of 
 the philosopher Rousseau relating to this plant. In his earliest 
 and happiest days he was exploring the country round Geneva 
 in company with a trusted friend. They came upon a plot 
 of the Germander Speedwell, and paused to admire its cheer- 
 ful loveliness. Thirty years afterwards he again visited that 
 neighbourhood. In the meanwhile his name had become the 
 watchword of learning and philosophy " falsely so called," 
 and though he had attained fame, he was a stranger to happi- 
 ness. He stood gazing on the beautiful prospect, his inward 
 eye scanning gloomily the view of his strange and unsatisfying 
 past ; suddenly his eye fell on the identical plot of Germander 
 Speedwell which had delighted him so much when his heart 
 had been light and innocent ; the associations it awakened 
 were too painful for his self-command, and he burst into tears. 
 Thus does it sometimes please God to address the conscience 
 of man by the voice of a humble flower. Children often call 
 this plant " Bird's-eye," and the corn-law poet evidently asso- 
 ciated it with that name. 
 
 " Blue Eyebrighl, loveliest flower of all that grow 
 In flower-lov'd England ! Flower whose hedgeside gaze 
 Is like an infant's ! What heart does not know 
 Thee, clustered srailar of the banks, where plays 
 The sunbeam on the emerald snake, and strays 
 The dazzling rill, companion of the road." 
 
 The Mountain Germander Speedwell (V, montana), closely 
 resembles the one just mentioned, but its blooms are lilac, its 
 spike less crowded, and the tint of the serrated leaves is paler. 
 It grows freely in hilly woods, and is very abundant about 
 Richmond, in Yorkshire. 
 
 The Green Procumbent Speedwell (V. agrestis), is com- 
 mon on waste ground, and as a weed in gardens. Its flowers 
 are solitary, their footstalks longer than the heart-shaped cut 
 leaves. The corolla is grey. 
 
 The Blue Procumbent Speedwell (Y. polita), has brighter 
 flowers ; it grows in similar situations. 
 
SPEEDWELL MULLEIN. 219 
 
 Buxbaum's Speedwell (Y. Buxbaumii, Plate XIII. , fig. 6), 
 closely resembles these, but has very long footstalks to the 
 flowers, which are larger, and of a brilliant blue; and the 
 capsules are heart-shaped, the lobes downward. This is a 
 scarce species, but grows in a pasture called " the west field," 
 near Richmond. 
 
 The "Wall Speedwell (Y. muralis), has its flowers nearly ses- 
 sile ; they are small, and of a bright blue. It grows on walls 
 near Easby, and is a little shrubby plant one or two inches high. 
 
 The Ivy-leaved Speedwell (Y. hederacea), is a trailing species, 
 with cheerful little lilac flowers, and is common, from the begin- 
 ning of April, on waste ground. 
 
 The Blunt-fingered Speedwell has palmate leaves and purple 
 flowers ; it is a native of Norfolk. 
 
 The Spring Speedwell (Y. verna), has pinnate leaves and 
 pale blue flowers, resembling the Wall Speedwell in habit. 
 We have no specimens of these last two species. 
 
 The Mullein family is the last in the Figwort tribe. These 
 plants have a wheel-shaped corolla cut into five segments, five 
 stamens, and one stigma; the stamens are beautifully fringed. 
 
 The Great Mullein (Yerbascum thapsus), has large leaves 
 that look as if they were made of flannel. It grows three feet 
 high, and the leaves are planted near to one another all up the 
 stem. The large yellow flowers seem to repose in a nest of 
 flannel, for the calyces are as woolly as the leaves, and the 
 apex of the spike seems enveloped in wool. Country people 
 call it "Flannel plant." In Switzerland it was cultivated in 
 cottage gardens, and we used to observe that, if we passed 
 early in a morning, no flowers were to be seen on its spikes. 
 It was some time before we found out the reason of this 
 absence of bloom. The custom was for the children to pick off 
 all the full-blown flowers while the dew was on them, and the 
 mothers preserved them for plasters for the chest ; they were 
 considered to lose their virtue if the dew dried before they 
 were gathered. The plant grows freely in lanes about Eipon. 
 
220 SCEOPHULAEIACE2E. 
 
 The Black Mullein (V. nigrum, Plate XIII., fig. 7), flourishes 
 most luxuriantly in the vicinity of Patrick Brompton, adorning 
 waste ground with its beautiful spikes. It grows as high as the 
 Great Mullein, but its flowers are much smaller, and of a paler 
 colour. To atone for this, they are placed on the spike in 
 clusters, so that the tali stem is thickly crowded with them. 
 The leaves are large and pointed, of a full green, and very 
 deeply veined. The violet stamens give great expression to 
 the bloom ; the anthers are orange. 
 
 Near Crakehall I found a beautiful "White Mullein, also with 
 violet-fringed stamens. The flowers were large, and the spike 
 thinly scattered with them. The stem was taller and less firm 
 than in the other two species. There was no garden near, and 
 yet I could not be sure that it was a wild plant, for it did not 
 answer the description of any of the Mulleins. Fanny found 
 a similar plant on the sands at Clevedon ; and when we showed 
 our specimen to an eminent botanist, we were told that they 
 were from a rare white variety of the Moth Mullein (Y. Blat- 
 taria). 
 
 Fanny found a plant resembling this on hilly pastures near 
 Looe, with yellow flowers ; this was the true Moth Mullein. 
 The buds are very pretty, for the calyces are edged with brown 
 starry hairs. 
 
 There are a Large-flowered Mullein, six feet high, with the 
 flowers scattered at some distance from each other up the 
 stem ; a White Mullein, with downy leaves and cream-coloured 
 flowers ; and a Hoary Mullein, very woolly, and with scarlet 
 anthers and a panicled stem. All these are very rare, and 
 favour chalky soil chiefly. 
 
 The large order of the Lipped Plants or LABIATES succeeds 
 that of the Figworts ; they are all wholesome. Perfume is 
 distilled from some of them, as Lavender-water, Patchouli, &c., 
 and Mr. Johns informs us that some of them are ingredients in 
 Eau de Cologne. They have their culinary virtues also, Sage, 
 Marjoram, Thyme, Basil, and Mint being the "pot-herbs" 
 
GIP3EYWOKT CLAEY. 221 
 
 used in soups, sausages, &c. Two species of Mint are used 
 medicinally, and from one is drawn tlie essence which flavours 
 those delights of children" mint-drops." The botanist Ben- 
 tham has given much study to this tribe, and he asserts that 
 the members only frequent warm and temperate climates : 
 1000 species belong to the eastern hemisphere, 600 to Europe, 
 and only 159 to tropical countries, even these growing on 
 mountains. The aroma is contained in glands placed in the 
 leaves. Most of the members of this order are herbaceous 
 plants, but the Eosemary of our gardens attains to the dignity 
 of a shrub. A decoction of Eosemary forms an excellent wash 
 for hair, making it curl well ; it is often put into hair-grease. 
 It improves soiled black garments to sponge them with Eose- 
 mary tea ; this is the Labiate plant which Mr. Johns mentions 
 as forming an ingredient in the Eau de Cologne. In Yorkshire 
 we have an old superstition, that where the Eosemary nourishes 
 the wife is master in the house ; but where the Eosemary pines 
 in the garden, then the husband is the master. The poor 
 people always carry sprigs of this tree to funerals, and throw 
 them into the grave. It is the largest plant of the Labiate 
 tribe. In Crete, according to Sieber, the regular firing-woods 
 are Sage, Thyme, Cypress, Marjoram, and Lavender. Thus 
 the Labiates minister to the comfort of man in an unusual 
 manner, and not only is the summer air scented with their fresh 
 odour, but the very smoke is perfumed with their fragrance. 
 
 The Gipseywort (Lycopus europaeus), represents the first 
 British family of the tribe. I have found it near Leamington, 
 and Edward has it from Hawkhurst, in Kent. It grows in 
 wet places, and gipsies are supposed to darken their com- 
 plexions by washing with an infusion of it. It has the family 
 characteristic of a square stem and rough opposite leaves. Its 
 flowers grow in whorls, and are very inconspicuous. The 
 corolla is four- cleft, and it has only two stamens. 
 
 The Salvia family is the next in order. We have two British 
 Salvias. 
 
222 LABIATJ3. 
 
 The Meadow Clary is a handsome plant, cultivated for the 
 sake of its flowers. It is found apparently wild near Cobham, 
 in Kent. It is used to flavour the wine called by its name. 
 We used to find it plentifully in Switzerland, and its rich 
 purple spikes of hooded flowers were splendid enough to 
 contest the prize for beauty with our garden Salvias. 
 
 Another handsome Sage, a frequent inhabitant of Swiss 
 meadows, the Salvia glutinosa, is there gathered and spread 
 under beds, and is thus believed to destroy or warn away 
 certain unwelcome insects which abound in those romantic- 
 looking Swiss chalets. 
 
 The Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca, Plate XIIL,fig. 8), has 
 a leaf like Sage. Its flowers are also of a rich blue and very 
 handsome ; but it is seldom that more than two or three are 
 open at once, so that the spike is rarely showy. It grows on 
 the steep bank upon which Richmond Castle stands, and flowers 
 from June to September. 
 
 The Sage, which we associate with roast duck and goose, 
 is a member of this family. Like the Gipseywort, they have 
 only two stamens. 
 
 The Mint family succeeds that of the Sage, and its members 
 are numerous. 
 
 The Spear Mint (Mentha viridis), is the plant used for 
 lamb sauce ; it is a straight-growing plant with bright green 
 lance-shaped leaves, and spikes of small pinkish-lilac flowers. 
 It grows in marshy ground near Birk Park, Swaledale. 
 
 The Pepper Mint is used for distilling. The leaves are 
 broader, and there is a camphor-like scent about the plant. 
 
 The Penny Hoyal creeps on the ground ; its flower-stalk and 
 calyx are woolly. It is of a much smaller habit than the rest 
 of the family. My specimen was sent from the Pentland Hills. 
 
 The one that most nearly resembles it is the Corn Mint 
 (M. arvensis). Its stem is partly prostrate, its flowers have 
 a crimson hue, and it frequents wet corn fields. It is very 
 common. 
 
MINT CALAMINT. 223 
 
 The Hairy Mint (M. hirsiita), is, perhaps, the handsomest 
 of the family. Its pale lilac flowers grow both in heads and 
 whorls, its leaves are ovate, and the whole plant is downy. 
 It grows pretty commonly. My piece was gathered near a 
 well in Wensleydale. 
 
 The Horse Mint has a shaggy spike and pointed leaves, 
 which are woolly beneath. 
 
 The Bound-leaved Mint (M.rotundifolia), has an acrid smell, 
 and its stamens are very prominent. 
 
 The stem of the Tall Bed Mint is zigzag and smooth ; and 
 that of the Bushy Bed Mint nearly so. We have not found 
 specimens of these plants. 
 
 But which of us does not " know a bank where the wild 
 Thyme grows ? " I know twenty such. Most fully do I sym- 
 pathise in the love that the ancients had for the smell of this 
 flower. "When they wished to praise any author they said he 
 smelt of Thyme. The Greeks considered it as an emblem of 
 activity, and it is certainly an incentive to the practice of it 
 among the bee-folk. Sheep that have browsed where it grows 
 yield the best mutton, and it was considered to improve veni- 
 son greatly (Thymus serpyllum). The plant is too familiar to 
 need description. 
 
 The Basil Thyme (T. acinos), is a pretty plant ; recumbent 
 like the Wild Thyme, but with stiff stems, and bluish-grey 
 flowers, beautifully spotted with purple. Like the Mints, this 
 family have four stamens, two long and two short ; and scented 
 leaves. Those of the Basil Thyme are broad and pointed. I 
 found it in chalk stubble fields in Wiltshire. 
 
 The Calamint I have not found ; but I have a specimen of 
 the Lesser Calamint (Calammta nepeta), which it so closely 
 resembles as to be considered by Sir J. E. Smith hardly a 
 separate species. It is a shrubby plant, with broad, serrated 
 leaves, and numerous whorls of lilac flowers on the forked stems. 
 It grows on the road between Patrick Brompton and Crakehall. 
 
 The Marjoram (Origanum vulgare), of kitchen celebrity 
 
224 LABIATJE. 
 
 comes next. Its Latin name signifies " Joy of the Mountain," 
 and it is supposed that its abundance in the Oregon territory 
 was the occasion of that district being so called. It is a tall, 
 brittle plant, much branched ; its crimson whorls are in panicles. 
 It grows freely on the banks of the Ure, near Eipon. 
 
 The common Bugle O&juga reptans), is a familiar ornament 
 of our woods and moist meadows. Its upper lip is very short, 
 almost wanting ; but its crowded spike of blue flowers, inter- 
 spersed with purple-tinged leaves, is a pleasing object. The 
 plant is very smooth and succulent. 
 
 The Pyramidal Bugle (A. pyramidalis), is a much scarcer 
 plant ; its spike has more the form of a pyramid. Its tiny 
 upper lip is deeply cloven, and it has no creeping runners. 
 My specimen was sent from Tenby last June. 
 
 Smith considers the Alpine Bugle (A. alpina), a variety of 
 the common species. This plant used to be considered as a 
 cure for cuts ; and there is a proverb in France to the effect 
 " He needeth neither physician nor surgeon who hath Bugle 
 and Sanicle." 
 
 I have the "Wood Germander (Teucrium scorodonia), a 
 member of the seventh family of the Labiatae. It grows 
 about Hawkhurst and elsewhere, in all the hedgebanks. The 
 spikes are one-sided, the flowers of a greenish-cream colour, 
 and the leaves a dark sage green. 
 
 The Wall Germander (T. scordium), has pretty whorls ot 
 rose-coloured flowers, and notched leaves tapering at the base. 
 I got my specimen off a garden wall. 
 
 The Water Germander (T. paliistris), is a rare plant with 
 dull purple flowers, growing in pairs, and a procumbent stem. 
 
 The Black Horehound (Ballota nigra), grows along with 
 the Wild Clary on the Castle Hill at Richmond. A decoction 
 of this taken milkwarm is considered an excellent remedy for 
 colds by country people, but I cannot believe in it except as an 
 emetic. It has a most disagreeable smell, ovate leaves and 
 lilac whorls of flowers. Its height is about a foot and a half. 
 
HOKEHOTJND DEAD NETTLE. 225 
 
 The White Horehound (Marrabium vulgare), has pale flowers 
 and white-tinged leaves. It is also used as a village medicine, 
 and grows in waste places. 
 
 The Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), I have not been able 
 to find. It has a good deal of white wool about it ; its flowers 
 are purple, and its leaves lanceolate, some three-lobed and 
 some simple. The stems grow to the height of two feet in 
 hedges. It is not common. 
 
 The Weasel-snout or Yellow Archangel (Galeobdolon luteum), 
 is a very old friend of mine. It abounds in a little wood 
 on the west side of Hewick Bridge, Ripon, and we used to I 
 / go there on holiday afternoons. It has lance-shaped, ser- \ 
 ' rated leaves, large, spotted, yellow flowers, and a square hairy V 
 stem. Little children call the clusters of buds nuts, and 
 play with JJiem as such. It is abundant, too, in Kent and / 
 \Wilts. flt**tt<t+/*/C*L. l&ts/l - (A > *[t 'l^<L- 
 The common Hemp*Ts ertle is a familiar weed in corn fields, 
 with its rough leaves, three-branched stem, and cream-coloured 
 flowers. 
 
 The Red Hemp Nettle (G-aleopsis ladanum), grows well 
 there also. It is likewise three-branched, and its pairs of 
 crimson flowers are prettily spotted with white ; the leaves are 
 narrower, and comparatively small, and the plant is of a much 
 slighter habit ; the stem is tinged with crimson. 
 
 The Downy Hemp Kettle I have never found. It resembles 
 the common Hemp Kettle in its colour, and the Red Hemp 
 Kettle in its habit. 
 
 The Large-flowered Hemp Kettle (Gr. versicolor), I found in 
 Cheshire. It is a good deal like the common species in its 
 manner of growth, but the flower is large, yellow, and with 
 purple blotches on the upper part of the lower lip. 
 <^The White Dead Kettle (Lamium album), is the most 
 showy member of its family. We call it White Archangel, 
 and forgive it for its resemblance to a Kettle in consideration 
 of its pretty white flowers. Its smell is disagreeable, but 
 
226 LABIATE. 
 
 good Bishop Mant only thought it negatively pleasant. He 
 says 
 
 " And there, "with whorls encircling grand 
 Of white and purple-tinted red, 
 The harmless Nettle's helmed head ; 
 Less apt with fragrance to delight 
 The smell than please the curious sight." 
 
 I suppose he uses the term "purple-tinted red" with re- 
 ference to the Red Dead fettle, which abounds as a weed in 
 gardens. ^JtS-^ 'pf &&-* / /y7U--<-~- /5$/. 
 
 A fallow field near Leamington supplied me with the Cut- 
 leaved Dead Nettle (L. incisum), which I afterwards found in 
 waste places near Ross ; it differs from the Red species in having 
 its leaves more deeply serrated, and in having the stem bare 
 from the root to the top, where leaves and flowers grow in a 
 crowded style ; and the Henbit Dead Nettle (L. amplexicaule), 
 which, when it opens its flowers at all, which it seldom does, 
 shows small bright blooms. Its leaves clasp the stem. 
 
 The Spotted Dead Nettle (L. maculatum), has crimson flowers 
 prettily spotted, and nearly as large as those of the White Dead 
 Nettle. It is really handsome, and grows about Clevedon and 
 Yatton, in Somersetshire. 
 
 The Betony family is the next in order. 
 
 There is but one British member of the family, the Wood 
 Betony (Betonica officinalis). The flowers are crimson, and the 
 spike is interrupted ; the leaves oval and notched. They are 
 very frequently infested by a tiny fungus, which dots all over 
 the back of the leaf like Fern seed. This plant used to be 
 thought highly medicinal a kind of universal cure : it was a 
 common saying, "May you have as many virtues as Betony." 
 The plant, if eaten fresh, will produce intoxication. 
 
 The Woundwort family numbers five species. 
 
 The Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica), is common. The 
 flowers are maroon, six in a whorl. The leaves are rough and 
 heart-shaped. The whole plant has an unpleasant smell ; it 
 grows three feet high. I have gathered it frequently in hedges 
 
WOUNDWOBT GEOUND IVY. 227 
 
 about Ripon and Eiclimond. It was formerly used for dressing 
 wounds : hence its name. 
 
 The Marsh Woundwort (S. palustris), is a Kentish species, 
 and so also is the Corn Woundwort (S. arvensis) ; at least, we 
 found them both there. Their names indicate most correctly 
 their particular habitats. The Marsh species is as tall as the 
 Hedge one, with narrow sessile leaves and handsome purple 
 flowers, somewhat more crowded than those of its brother 
 above mentioned. The Corn Woundwort" is "a -'much smaller 
 plant, with lilac flowers and heart-shaped blunt leaves. 
 
 The Downy Woundwort (S. germanica), is a tall handsome 
 plant ; its leaves, stems, and calyces covered with a profusion 
 of white silky hairs, from among which the whorls of lilac 
 ilowers, which adorn its long spike, appear. My specimen 
 came from the Botanic Garden at Edinburgh. 
 
 The Pale Woundwort (S. annua), has yellow flowers ; it is 
 peculiar to the neighbourhood of Rochester. 
 
 The common Cat Mint (Nepeta cataria), grows near Rich- 
 mond. It is a downy plant, with white flowers, spotted with 
 crimson, and arranged in whorls. The principal interest attach- 
 ing to it arises from the love cats have for it. It is almost 
 impossible to get a young plant of it to grow, because the cats 
 will not let it alone. An old doggerel says of it : 
 
 "If you set it 
 The cats will get it; 
 But if you sow it 
 The cats wo'n't know it." 
 
 Our cheerful little friend the Ground Ivy (Glechoma hede- 
 racea, Plate XIIL,fig. 9), comes next. We used to dislike it 
 as children, because when we were seeking sweet Violets we 
 were often misled by the blossoms of the Ground Ivy, and so 
 we called it " the Deceiver." But its introduction into fairy 
 tales, where it is mentioned as both knowing and showing the 
 way to the enchanted well, completely reconciled us to it. The 
 plant was formerly used as an ingredient in ale. 
 
228 LABIATJE. 
 
 The Wild Basil (Clinopodium vulgare), is tlie one British 
 plant of its family. It has distant whorls of bright crimson 
 flowers, with pairs of soft, unserrated leaves at each whorl. It 
 was formerly planted upon graves, and is associated with sad- 
 ness and bereavement, It forms a leading feature in Boccac- 
 cio's pretty story of "Isabella," as translated into verse by 
 Keats. The heroine buried the head of her murdered lover 
 
 " And covered it with mould, and o'er it set 
 Sweet Basil, which her tears kept ever wet." 
 
 The Wild Balm (Melittis melissophyllum), is a beautiful 
 plant, perhaps the most showy of the tribe. It grows about a 
 foot high, with lance-shaped, serrated leaves, and a hairy stem. 
 From the axils of each pair of the upper leaves spring two 
 handsome blossoms ; the corolla is sulphur-coloured or pinkish, 
 and there is one or more large blotches of violet on the under 
 lip. My specimen was sent me from JN"ewton-le-Willows, in 
 Yorkshire. I have it also from the neighbourhood of Lyn- 
 niouth, in Devon, and Fanny describes it as growing abun- 
 dantly about woods in Cornwall. 
 
 The Prunella or Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), is a very com- 
 mon plant, flowering by roadsides and pasture fields. The 
 flowers are arranged in close whorls, forming a spike ; but as 
 only one or two flowers in the crowded spike are ever open at 
 once, the plant appears to be either only just coming into 
 bloom, or very nearly over. The leaves are smooth, ovate, and 
 entire ; the flowers bright blue, and the bracts mingled among 
 them have a crimson tinge. The plant is low in stature. 
 
 The Greater Skullcap (Scutellaria galericulata), I got near 
 Eeading, from a ditch close to the railway. 
 
 I saw the Arrowhead blooming in that ditch from the 
 window of a railway carriage, and, as we had an hour to 
 wait at Eeading, I ran back and got the plant. The Greater 
 Scullcap grew beside it on the bank. It height is from a foot 
 to a foot and a half; its has narrow, lance-shaped leaves, each 
 pair on the upper stems having two pretty lilac flowers between 
 
YEBVAI2T. 229 
 
 them ; the calyx is shaped like a low helmet or skullcap : 
 hence its name. 
 
 The Lesser Skullcap (S. minor), is not a span high, with 
 entire leaves, heart-shaped at the base. The flowers are in 
 pairs, and of a redder lilac than those of the other species ; 
 the lower lip is variegated with white. It is a much scarcer 
 plant than the Greater Skullcap, of which I see Edward has 
 specimens from the banks of the Avon, in Warwickshire. I found 
 my plants on the margin of a little lake called Sheerwater, on 
 Lord Bath's property, in Wiltshire. It grew along with the Bog 
 Pimpernel, adding beauty to a scene already very rich in charms. 
 
 The numerously-represented order of Labiates is succeeded 
 by one with but a single British member. 
 
 The common Vervain has a tubular calyx and corolla ; the 
 flowers are pale lilac, and placed sparingly on a tall tough 
 spike. The lobes of the ovary are all fastened together in this 
 order, which distinguishes it from the Labiates, where the 
 four lobes are free. The Wild Vervain (Verbena officinalis), was 
 one of the plants regarded with superstitious veneration by the 
 Druids ; they directed that it should be gathered about the 
 rising of the Great Dog Star, but so as for neither sun nor moon 
 to be above the earth to see it. It was then considered to confer 
 the power of foretelling future events. The Druids reverenced 
 the Vervain nearly as much as the Mistletoe, and introduced it 
 into their religious ceremonies. This is the "holy herb" of 
 Dioscorides, who ascribed great powers to it, especially in 
 incantations ; and it used to be much esteemed as an ingredient 
 in the preparation of love philtres. Mr. Morley pretended to 
 cure scrofula, by suspending this plant round the neck of the 
 patient, as recently as the last century. Sir Walter Scott 
 alludes to the prevalent belief in its powers : 
 
 Trefoil, Vervain, John's Wort, Dill, 
 Hinder witches of their will." 
 
 Pliny speaks of its use in telling fortunes, and of the estima- 
 tion in which the Romans held it. It is a very unattractive 
 
230 LENTIBULARIACE2E. 
 
 plant, with tough stems, spare spikes of small lilac flowers, and 
 powdery-looking, toothed leaves. It is not found at all in 
 Ireland, but is pretty common in England about villages. 
 
 The Lemon-scented Verbena is a native of Chili, and was 
 discovered and introduced into England by Dombey. 
 
 I have a specimen of the common Yervain from the vicinity 
 of Richmond, and Fanny has one from Clevedon. 
 
 The BUTTEEWOET order comes next, and contains two families 
 that of the Butterwort, and that of the Bladderwort. 
 
 The common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris, Plate XIV., 
 jig. 1), grows in swamps about Richmond and in Swaledale. It 
 has the appearance of a Violet upon a long stalk, with a star of 
 thick, succulent, pale green leaves close to the ground. As 
 soon as the plant is taken from the earth the stem curves 
 round, and all the leaves turn back in a semicircle. It is used 
 to coagulate milk : hence its name. 
 
 The Alpine Butterwort (P. alpina), is a rare Scotch plant. 
 Its leaves closely resemble those of the common Butterwort, 
 but its flower is cream colour, and has a tuft of yellow hairs 
 within. I gathered my specimen on the JN"iesen, Switzerland. 
 
 The Large-flowered Butterwort (P. grandiflora), is an in- 
 habitant of bogs in the south of Ireland, probably one of the 
 plants belonging to the Spanish flora. The blossoms are twice 
 as large as those of the common species, and have blue veins ; 
 the corolla is five-cleft. It is a very beautiful plant ; the 
 only specimen I have ever seen was brought from Glengary, 
 one of its few Irish habitats. 
 
 The Pale Butterwort (P. lusitanica), is a very elegant little 
 plant. Its stem is hairy, and its bloom pale pink. Its foliage 
 resembles that of the other species. Fanny has it from the 
 bog by the Loe Pool, where the Ivy-leaved Bell-Flower grew, 
 and I have found it in abundance on similar ground between 
 Brodick Bay and Corrie, Isle of Arran. 
 
 The Greater Bladderwort (Utricularia vulgaris, Plate XIV., 
 fig. 2), is Edward's spoil from a deep pond near Hawkhurst. 
 
BUTTEBWOBT PBIMEOSE. 231 
 
 It grew in the centre of the pond, with just its spike of flowers 
 above the water, and he was obliged to wade more than knee- 
 deep to reach it, his feet sinking in the mud. Like the Butter- 
 wort family, this has only two stamens and one style ; the calyx 
 has two segments, and the corolla has an upper and an under 
 lip. In the Greater Bladderwort the upper lip is beautifully 
 yeined with red, and the calyx, flower-stalks, and bracts are 
 yiolet. The leaves are thread-shaped, repeatedly branched, and 
 furnished with bladders ; these, being filled with air while the 
 plant is in bud, gradually float it to the surface, but when the 
 flowers are over the air leaves the bladders, and water takes 
 its place ; then the plant sinks back to the bottom. 
 
 In the Intermediate Butterwort (U. intermedia), the upper 
 lip of the corolla is long and flat, and the bladders are separate 
 from the leaves. 
 
 The Lesser Butterwort (U. minor), has a very short spur, only 
 half the length of that of the Greater one, and its flowers are 
 smaller. My specimens of these were sent from Hampshire. 
 
 We now come to the PEIMEOSE tribe. The corolla in this 
 tribe is generally salver-shape or wheel-shaped. The tribe 
 boast few members of any utility, though many of them are 
 famous for beauty. No family of flowers is more familiarly 
 known than that of the Primrose. 
 
 The common Primrose (Primula vulgaris, Plate XIV., fig. 3), 
 is a universal favourite ; its cheerful blossoms seem to welcome 
 and rejoice in the return of spring, as Wordsworth says : 
 
 " Through Primrose tufts in that sweet bower 
 The Periwinkle trailed its wreaths ; 
 And 'tis my faith that every flower 
 Enjoys the air it breathes." 
 
 And when he wishes to paint the extreme of insensibility, he 
 writes : 
 
 " The Primrose by the river's brim 
 A yellow Primrose was to him, 
 And nothing more." 
 
 Howitt, too, celebrates its praises, and, with a heart yearning 
 
232 PBIMULACE2E. 
 
 over the weary little children in our large manufactories, lie 
 begs Primroses for them : 
 
 " Gather the Primroses, 
 
 Make handfuls of the posies, 
 
 Give them to the little girls who are at work in mills: 
 Pluck the Violets blue ; 
 Ah ! pluck not a few ! 
 
 Knowest thou what good thoughts from heaven the Violet instils ? 
 " Ah ! come and woo the spring, 
 
 List to the birds that sing, 
 Pluck the Primroses, pluck the Violets, 
 Pluck the Daisies, 
 Sing their praises, 
 
 (More witching are they ^pm the fays of old) ; 
 Come forth and gather them yourselves, 
 Learn of these gentle flowers whose worth is more than geld." 
 
 " Worship the God of Nature in your childhood ; 
 Worship Him at your work with best endeavour j 
 Worship Him in your sports ; worship Him ever ; 
 Worship Him in the wild wood ; 
 Worship Him amidst the flowers; 
 In the green wood bowers 
 Pluck the Buttercups, and raise 
 Your voices in His praise." 
 
 HOWITT. 
 
 The blossoms appear in March or April. It abounds in 
 woods and hedgebanks in many parts of Yorkshire, and Edward 
 
 will tell us that it is lust as abundant in Kent. 
 
 
 brother the Cowslip (P. veris), is equally frequent with us. 
 
 used to have grand excursions to gather Cowslips. There 
 were some fields near Hewick, in the Ripon neighbourhood, 
 which afforded a plentiful harvest of these flowers, and a busy 
 evening it always was after the spoil had been brought.Jiome. 
 We used to make Cowslip tea of the petals, adding sugar and 
 lemon-juice. It was such a treat to brew tea for ourselves, 
 that we always sat down to our feast with great delight ; but 
 we found it difficult to finish the beverage when we had drunk 
 a little of it. Then we made balls of the Cowslips, by placing 
 about thirty of the clusters astride upon a piece of string, and 
 then tying the ends very tight. But the greatest use of the 
 Cowslip is in making wine. When judiciously managed it is a 
 
PEIMBOSE OXLIP. 233 
 
 pleasant liquor, and very useful in infantine disorders. Mixe'd 
 with the same quantity of water it was a great solace to us 
 during the measles, moistening the parched throat and inducing 
 sleep. In the neighbourhood of Bipon there are old women 
 who make it their profession for the season to collect Cowslips, 
 pick off the corolla, and offer the article for sale. The price 
 for the corollas, or, in technical language, " the pips," is Is. 6d. 
 per peck. As the French call the Cowslip "Herba de la 
 paralysie," I suppose it must have been used as a medicine for 
 that disease ; but from its sedative quality I should imagine it 
 more likely to induce than to cure paralysis. This flower is a 
 great favourite with the poets. Shakspeare makes the fairy 
 sing : 
 
 " The Cowslips tall her pensioners be, 
 In their gold coat specks you see ; 
 Those be rubies, fairy-favours, 
 In those freckles live their favours : 
 I must go seek some dewdrops here and there, 
 And hang a pearl in every Cowslip's ear." 
 
 And Milton speaks of 
 
 "The flowery May, who from her queen lap throws 
 The yellow Cowslip and the pale Primrose." 
 
 And Clare honours them with an address : 
 
 " Bowing adorers of the gale, 
 Ye Cowslips, delicately pale, 
 
 Upraise your loaded stems ; 
 Unfold your cups in splendour. Speak ! 
 Who decked you with that ruddy streak, 
 Rilt your golden gems?'' 
 
 he Oxljp. (P. elatior), resembles the Cowslip in form and 
 the Primrose in colour. The flowers grow in a cluster, and 
 are much larger than those of the Cowslip. It is compara- 
 tively a rare plant, frequenting bushy places. We used to 
 find Oxlip plants in woods about Clotherholme and Studley, 
 in the Eipon neighbourhood, and in similar situations about 
 Richmond ; but we always procured them at the expense of 
 a torn sleeve or wounded hand, on account of the brushwood 
 amongst which they grow 
 
234 PEIMULACEJE. 
 
 On boggy ground near Xirklington and Richmond, also in 
 Swaledale, we find the beautiful Bird's-eye Primrose (P. fari- 
 nosa). The flowers are smaller than any of those in its family 
 except the Scotch Primula, and of a beautiful lilac, arranged 
 in full clusters, like a garden Verbena. The leaves are simple, 
 and both they and the stem are covered with white powder. 
 
 The Scotch Primrose (P. scotica), is a still smaller plant, 
 and its blossoms are of a deep purple, with yellow centres. 
 Its leaves are finely toothed and powdery, like those of the 
 Bird's-eye Primrose. It grows on the seacoast in the north 
 of Scotland. 
 
 Beautiful Yellow and Purple Auriculas were brought to us 
 from the mountains when we were in Switzerland ; they also 
 belong to the Primrose order, and are the original of our 
 beautiful garden Auriculas. 
 
 The Polyanthus is a member of the same family. 
 
 The Water Violet family has but one British member. It is 
 most unfitly named, for there is not the very slightest resem- 
 blance to a Violet ; it is much more like the Cuckoo-Flower. 
 
 Our Water Violet (Hottonia paliistris, Plate XIV., fig. 4), 
 has thread-shaped, pinnate leaves, all under water. The pink 
 flowers grow in whorls, and have yellow centres ; there are 
 five petals and five stamens. Until within the last few years 
 there was a pond near the Bishop of Eipon's Palace which was 
 covered with this plant, but the pond has been filled up. The 
 Water Violet still grows in a pond near the JSTorth Bridge, at 
 the back of a cottage called Noah's Ark, because during the 
 frequent floods of the Ure it is often surrounded by water. 
 My specimen came from that pond. 
 
 The Cyclamen family are far better known in gardens and 
 conservatories than as wild flowers. We have, however, one 
 native species, and Fanny had the good fortune to find it near 
 Fowey, in Cornwall, and Edward has it from Kent. 
 
 The Ivy-leaved Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederajfolium, Plate 
 XIV., fig. 5), has a thick root, which, in countries where it 
 
PIMPEENEL LOOSESTEIFE. 235 
 
 abounds, is the favourite food of the wild boar : hence the plant 
 is called " Sow-bread." The leaves are dark green, with a 
 paler stain upon each ; they die away as summer advances, 
 to make way for the blooms, which appear in September. The 
 wheel- shaped corolla is split into five segments, which are 
 turned back. I have seen specimens from Suffolk. 
 
 The Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis, Plate XIV., 
 jig. 7), is a well-known member of the Primrose order. This 
 very pretty little plant, so familiar in corn fields and waste 
 places, is called "the Shepherd's "Weather-glass." It always 
 shuts before rain ; but each day it closes at noon, so it must be 
 early in the day when its state can be regarded as a criterion 
 of the weather. It has five stamens, and its wheel- shaped 
 corolla is divided into five segments. Its oval leaves are bright, 
 and beautifully spotted with black underneath. This flower 
 and the Red Poppy are the only examples that we have in 
 Britain of true scarlet flowers. 
 
 The Blue Pimpernel (A. cceriilea), so common in our gardens, 
 is occasionally found wild. I have it from corn fields in 
 Durham ; it closely resembles the Scarlet Pimpernel, except in 
 the colour of its flowers. 
 
 The Bog Pimpernel (A. tenella), is a contribution from Corn- 
 wall; it forms plots on Marazion Marsh covered with rose- 
 coloured flowers. The petals are less expanded than in the 
 other species, and this gives the blossom more the form of a 
 bell than a star ; the tiny leaves are roundish and pointed, and 
 are placed on the short slender stems in pairs ; the flower is 
 terminal. When a plot of Bog Pimpernel is in full bloom it 
 represents a rose-coloured cushion. This family of plants are 
 well named Anagallis, or Laughter-causing, for their beauty 
 does cause gladness. Every species is pleasing, whether it 
 be the Scarlet Shepherd's Weather-glass, or the deep blue 
 stars of the Purple Pimpernel, or the rosy bells of the tiny 
 Bog-plant all are perfect in loveliness. 
 
 The Loosestrife family come next. Here, as in the last 
 
236 PKIMULACE.E. 
 
 family, the corolla is wheel-shaped, and both it and the calyx 
 are five-cleft, enclosing five stamens. 
 
 The Moneywort (Lysimachia nummularia), is a very gay 
 plant ; its stems prostrate, and creeping along the ground in 
 every direction, thereby covering large spaces. Its leaves are 
 ovate and pointed, of a light glossy green, and grow in pairs. 
 The flower-stalks spring from the axils, and are rather longer 
 than the leaves. The segments of the calyx are large, and 
 those of the corolla not fully expanded, so that the flower par- 
 takes slightly of the bell shape ; it is large, and when you 
 meet with an entirely-open flower, it is as large as a sovereign. 
 My specimens grew in a moist meadow near Kenilworth, and 
 Edward describes it as growing in profusion in woods and on 
 hedgebanks about Coalport and Ironbridge, in Shropshire. I 
 have occasionally seen it wild in Yorkshire. 
 
 The Wood Loosestrife, or Yellow Pimpernel (L. nernorum), 
 is a common ornament of moist woods in every county : it 
 greatly resembles the Scarlet Pimpernel, but is rather larger. 
 
 The Great Yellow Loosestrife (L. vulgaris, Plate XIV., fig. 6), 
 I am proud to introduce to you, for it is really a handsome 
 plant. Disdaining the creeping habit of its fellows, it rears its 
 head erect, reaching the height of two feet and upwards. It 
 bears its flowers in terminal panicles, each blossom being nearly 
 as large as those of the Moneywort, and of a full yellow. The 
 leaves are opposite, or whorled, and of a broad lance- shape. 
 Edward found it growing by the moat at Bodinan Castle, a 
 beautiful ruin not many miles from Hawkhurst. I have it also 
 from the Spa Valley, near Aldfield, in Yorkshire. 
 
 The rarest of the Loosestrifes is also a Yorkshire plant ; it is 
 called the Tufted Loosestrife (L. thyrsiflora). Its flowers are 
 smaller than those of the other species ; and the segments into 
 which the wheel-shaped corolla is divided are narrow. The 
 leaves, too, are narrow and in pairs, and the numerous flower- 
 clusters spring from their axils. Leckby Scar, near Topclifie, 
 is its habitat. My specimen came from thence. July is the 
 
WINTEB-GEEEN THEIFT. 237 
 
 flowering time for all this family, though the Wood species 
 appears earlier. 
 
 The Chaffweed (Centiinculus minimus), is a humble sturdy 
 little plant with bright pairs of leaves, in the axils of which 
 tiny red flowers are seated. 
 
 The Chickweed Winter-green (Trientalis europsea, Plate 
 XIV., fig. 8), is a scarce plant in England. It was found in 
 June last by a Hipon botanist at Brimham, and is one of the 
 plants belonging to the Northern Flora of Forbes ; the stem is 
 slender, the pointed leaves in a whorl, from whence the cluster 
 of flower-stalks emerges. Each blossom resembles a small 
 Wood Anemone, but it has seven stamens, and the corolla cloven 
 into seven segments. It is the only British plant with seven 
 stamens, and in Linnaeus's arrangement forms a class by itself. 
 
 Here is the Sea Milkwort (Glaux maritima), which Fanny 
 brought from the salt mud of the Looe River ; it is a fleshy 
 little plant with glaucous oval leaves, in the axils of which 
 bright pink or whitish sessile flowers are placed. There are 
 five stamens, and a corolla of five segments. It flowers in 
 June. 
 
 She got the Brookweed, too (Samolus valerandi), from the 
 banks of the Fowcy River, near Lostwithiel ; and I have a 
 bundle of specimens from Brodick Bay, Arran. It has pale 
 green glossy egg-shaped leaves, and its clusters of small white 
 flowers terminate a stem of six or eight inches high. This is 
 the last family in the Primrose tribe ; it has five stamens, and 
 the corolla in five segments. 
 
 The THEIFT order comes next, and contains only one British 
 family. 
 
 The common Thrift (Statice armeria), is a familiar ornament 
 of sea-cliffs, its narrow fleshy leaves forming close tufts, and 
 its bright pink heads of flowers rising plentifully from them. 
 It is frequently used as an edging for flower-beds ; and I re- 
 member wondering, as a child, how any one could prefer the 
 short uninteresting Box-edge to the line of gay Thrift. I have 
 
238 PLANTAGINACE^. 
 
 also specimens of this plant from the Wensleydale hills, where 
 a sea breeze can hardly ever reach them. These plants have 
 five stamens and five styles ; the corolla is deeply cloven, the 
 calyces are funnel-shaped. 
 
 There is a Plantain-leaved Thrift (S. plantagmea), peculiar 
 to Jersey, but I have not got a specimen. 
 
 The Sea Lavender (S. limonium, Plate XIV., fig. 9), grows 
 in abundance on salt marshes near Clevedon, bending its 
 panicles before the tide twice in the day. The leaves are 
 broadly lance-shaped and fleshy, and the flowers resemble those 
 of our garden Lavender. They partake of the nature of the 
 everlasting, for you may keep the clusters many months 
 without their materially changing either form or colour. 
 
 The Upright- spiked and the Matted Sea Lavender were sent 
 to me from the coast of Norfolk ; their distinctive peculiarities 
 are indicated in their names. 
 
 The Plantain tribe is next in succession. Its two families 
 are the Plantain and the Shoreweed. 
 
 The Plantain family has four stamens and one style, and the 
 corolla is divided into four segments, which are turned back. 
 The flowers are arranged in dense spikes. 
 
 The Sea Plantain (Plantago maritima), has thick thread- 
 shaped simple leaves, and tall narrow spikes ; it abounds on 
 the cliffs about Looe. 
 
 The Buck's-horn Plantain (P. coronopus), grows in similar 
 situations ; its leaf is toothed or pinnate, and downy. 
 
 The Greater Plantain (P. major), is common on roadsides 
 and waste ground ; its large, broad, ribbed leaves are familiar 
 everywhere. Its chief use is for bird seed. 
 
 The Hoary Plantain (P. media), has the most claim to beauty; 
 its oval spike of pink flowers is both pretty and fragrant. Its 
 leaves are ovate and downy. 
 
 The Ribwort Plantain (P. lanceolata), or Rib-grass, forms 
 good food for sheep. Its leaves are narrow, and its stamens 
 black. "We used to call the spikes " Jack-straws," and many 
 
SHOBEWEED. 239 
 
 a good game I hare had with them fighting my fifty against 
 my neighbour's fifty. 
 
 The Shoreweed family, of which we have but one British 
 member (Littorella lacustris), varies from the Plantain in having 
 its stamens and stigmas on different flowers. The male flowers 
 are conspicuous, rising higher than the Hush-like leaves ; they 
 are solitary, and the stamens are long and handsome. The 
 female flower is concealed among the leaves. The plant grows 
 freely in the salt marshes about Clevedon, and on the banks of 
 the tidal rivers in Cornwall. 
 
 With this family the third, or corolla, subclass ends. It is a 
 large class, and comprehends some of the most extensive tribes, 
 all of which have the stamens fastened to the corolla, which is 
 undivided or monopetalous. 
 
240 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 CHENOPODllCEJE POLYGONACE^ ELEAGNEJE THY- 
 MELlCE^E AIlISTOLOCHllCE^ EMPETEACE^] EU- 
 PHOKBlACEJE UE.TICA.CE.E. 
 
 " By the silver founts that fall, 
 As if to entice the stars at night 
 To thy heart ; by grass and Rush, 
 And little weeds the children pull 
 Mistoook for flowers ; oh ! beautiful 
 Art thou, earth ! albeit worse 
 Than in heaven is called good ! 
 Good to us that we may know 
 Meekly from thy good to go ; 
 While the Holy Crying Blood 
 Puts in music, kind and low, 
 'Twixt each ears as are not dull 
 And thine ancient curse." 
 
 MRS. BARRETT BROWNING. 
 
 WE liave now discussed three of the subclasses of the first 
 great class of plants, the Two-lobe A (Dicotyledonous). One 
 more subclass still remains, and this is characterised by having 
 no corolla, and called Petalless. 
 
 The first order in this fourth subclass is that of the GOOSE- 
 FOOT. It includes a large number of uninteresting-looking 
 plants, but which are not, however, wholly without their uses. 
 The tribe takes its name from its first family, which has many 
 members, with their calyx divided into five segments, enclosing 
 five stamens and two styles. 
 
 The Good-King-Henry, or Mercury Goosefoot (Chenopodium 
 Bonus-Henricus), is a common weed in waste places. Its young 
 shoots were formerly used as Spinach, and they are still so in 
 Prance, where it is highly valued, both for the table and for 
 making into poultices. As a proof of their high appreciation 
 gf this herb, the French have named it after their favourite 
 king, Henry IV. The leaves are triangular-shaped, and the 
 
GOOSEFOOT ORACHE. 241 
 
 spike is compound and leafless ; the flowers are green. My 
 specimen grew near Healaugh, in Swaledale. 
 
 The "Upright Goosefoot (C. urbicum), is equally common, and 
 very much resembles the Mercury Goosefoot, but has larger 
 seeds and a more upright stem. 
 
 The Bed Goosefoot (C. rubrum), has its leases more elon- 
 gated, and they have a mealiness about them. I have gathered 
 it on waste ground in many counties. 
 
 The Sharp-leaved Goosefoot (C, acutifolium), I found near 
 Norwood ; its distinctive feature is its oval-pointed leaves. 
 
 The Many-spiked species (C. botryodes), is peculiar to the 
 seashore, and has fleshy leaves ; and the Nettle-leaved Goose- 
 foot (C. muralis), has powdery flowers and a fetid smell. 
 
 The White Goosefoot (C. album), is a common weed. It has 
 white powdery leaves, and is found in gardens and on dunghills. 
 
 Fanny found the Maple-leaved Goosefoot (C. hybridum), near 
 Clevedon. It has a strong and disagreeable smell, and its leaves 
 are notched like those of a Maple, or still more in the Oak 
 style. It is a slender plant, and of a light green colour. 
 
 The Sea Goosefoot (C. maritimum), is the neatest of the 
 group. It is small, and has awl-shaped glaucous leaves, which 
 mingle in the spike. It grows in the salt marsh near Clevedon. 
 
 The Round-leaved Goosefoot (C. polyspermum), Fanny found 
 also near that place ; and the Stinking Goosefoot (C. olidum), 
 lurks in waste places near seaside towns. 
 
 Then there are a Fig-leaved and an Oak-leaved species, both 
 of which Sir J. E. Smith describes as growing near London. 
 
 The useful garden Spinach is a near ally of the Goosefoots. 
 
 The second family of the tribe, the Oraches, have little more 
 to recommend them. They have five stamens and one stigma, 
 and differ from the Goosefoots in having some flowers with 
 stamens only, some with the styles only, and some with the 
 two united, all on the same spike. 
 
 On the banks of the Looe Eiver I discovered a large patch of 
 glaucous foliage ; the ovate leaves being very thick, I tasted 
 
242 CHENOPODIACE.32. 
 
 them, and found them salt and juicy. In August the plants 
 put up spikes of green flowers of the kind I have just described, 
 and my curiosity proved to be the Shrubby Orache (Atriplex 
 portulacoides) . 
 
 - At Clevedon the Halberd-leaved Orache (A. patula), grows 
 freely, its prostrate stems embracing the sand or shingle, and 
 its leaves being thick and fleshy ; growing inland, its habit is 
 more erect and its leaves thinner. 
 
 The Frosted Sea Orache (A. laciniata), is clothed with silver 
 scales, and its leaves are trowel-shaped. I have gathered it 
 on the shores of the Firth of Forth. 
 
 The Grass-leaved Orache (A. littoralis), inhabits salt marshes, 
 as does also the Stalked Orache, each of the fruitful flowers of 
 which is situated on a footstalk. I have not found these species. 
 
 My friend the Sea Orache (A. maritima), makes a good 
 pickle ; its stems may be eaten boiled as Asparagus, and the 
 whole herb when cooked forms a far from despicable dish. I 
 cannot pretend that it equals Spinach, but still I feel that the 
 Oraches are a degree less uninteresting than the Goosefoots. 
 If, however, utility is to be the criterion, we must give the 
 preference to the Beet family. 
 
 Our British Beet (Beta maritima), grows on rocks by the 
 seacoast ; it is very plentiful in Cornwall. The leaves are 
 ovate, wavy, and of a full bright green. The flowers grow in 
 pairs up a long spike ; they have five stamens and two stigmas, 
 and are all perfect. It flowers in June and July, 
 
 The Beet of our gardens is another member of this family. 
 Its root is a pleasant winter vegetable, and is capable of being 
 made into tasteful ornaments for garnish. Sugar is made from 
 it to a considerable extent in France. 
 
 The Mangold Wurtzel is also a plant of this family, and the 
 farmer will bear testimony to its high value as food for cattle. 
 
 The Prickly Saltwort I have from the shore at Granton, near 
 Edinburgh, where it grows in great abundance. It is a pros- 
 trate plant, and its slightly rose-tinted calyces give the appear- 
 
SALTWOBT BUCKWHEAT. 243 
 
 ance of a starry corolla. The flowers are situated in tlie axils 
 of the leaves, which end in a sharp spine ; three bracts are 
 placed at the foot of the flower. This plant contains a large 
 proportion of soda; and Harvey tells us that the Eound-leaved 
 Saltwort (Salsola sativa), is largely cultivated in southern 
 .Europe, and furnishes the best soda used in this part of the 
 world. It is called Spanish soda. 
 
 The poet considers our Little Saltwort (S. kali), an emblem 
 of humility : 
 
 " The Saltwort's starry stalks are thickly sown, 
 Like humble worth, unheeded and unknown." 
 
 The Glasswort family is the last in the Goosefoot tribe. 
 These plants have jointed fleshy stems and no leaves. The 
 flowers appear at the joints, and consist in a swelled undivided 
 calyx, one stamen, and one style. 
 
 The common Glasswort (Salicornia herbacea, Plate XIV., 
 jig. 10), grows freely in the salt marshes at Clevedon, and is 
 sometimes pickled under the name of Samphire, which, how- 
 ever, it does not at all resemble, being bright green and leaf- 
 less. Cattle like the salt taste of this plant, and it is so bene- 
 ficial to them that they are often sent to a shore where it grows 
 to regain lost strength. Like the Saltwort, this plant is often 
 burned for the soda it contains, and is thus used in the manu- 
 facture of soap and glass. 
 
 The Creeping Glasswort (S. radicans), Edward brought from 
 Sandgate, on the coast of Kent. It has a woody stem. 
 
 There is also a Procumbent Glasswort (S. prociimbens), but 
 we have not got it. 
 
 The BUCKWHEAT order comes next. Its members are not very 
 attractive, but they have at any rate an advantage over the 
 Goosefoots, both in this particular and in that of utility. Some 
 members of the Buckwheat tribe provide valuable medicine, as 
 Rhubarb and Bistort ; some afford food for man, as the stalks 
 of Rhubarb and the leaves of Sorrel, and still more the true 
 Buckwheat (Polygonum fagopyrum), which, though considered 
 
244 POLYGONACE2E. 
 
 merely fit for pheasants and fowls in this country, is made into 
 cakes in Russia, the flavour of which I am assured is super- 
 excellent. 
 
 The Knotgrass (P. aviculare), another member of this group, 
 is very good for sheep. The seeds of this family are triangular, 
 and the calyx is coloured with pink and divided into several 
 segments. 
 
 The Amphibious Persicaria (P. amphibium), has only five 
 stamens ; the leaves are heart-shaped, and the conical spike of 
 pink flowers looks very pretty floating upon a pond. I fished 
 my specimen out of the Avon, near Guy's Cliff, where the 
 famous Guy Earl of Warwick lived. 
 
 The Spotted Persicaria (P. persicaria), has six stamens ; its 
 spike and leaves resemble those of the Amphibious species, but 
 are smaller, and the leaves have a dark stain upon them. 
 
 The Pale-flowered Persicaria (P. lapathifolium), is distin- 
 guished from its Spotted brother by its greenish flowers, and 
 leaves with glandular dots. Both are common in ditches and 
 watery places. 
 
 The Biting Persicaria (P. hydropiper), has also six stamens, 
 its clusters are long and not crowded, and they droop in an 
 elegant curve. The leaves are of a narrow lance-shape. It 
 grows in Kent and about Hastings. 
 
 The Small creeping Persicaria (P. minus), I found by the side 
 of the Isis, not far from the railway station at Oxford. Its leaves 
 are narrow and flat, and its slender clusters are upright. All 
 these Persicarias have two styles, and most of them six stamens. 
 We now come to a portion of the family which have three 
 styles. 
 
 The Bistort, or Snakeweed (P. bistorta, Plate XIV., 
 jig. 11), grows in pastures and meadows. It has a tall !Reed- 
 like stem, with one leaf sessile upon it. The terminal spike 
 of flowers is very handsome. The root-leaves are stalked 
 and ovate. The root forms a valuable medicine in low fever, 
 and an acid very efficacious in stopping bleeding is prepared 
 
BISTOET DOCK. 245 
 
 from it. Tlie blossoms are pale pink, and have a disagreeable 
 smell. A bouquet of them was once very politely presented to 
 me at Fountains Abbey by a very shy gentleman. Not until 
 after he had given the flowers to me did he take some himself, 
 and carry them to his nose ; great was his embarrassment when 
 he found the nature of the scent he had unwittingly bestowed. 
 The Alpine Bistort is the prettiest, though not the most 
 imposing member of the family. Its spikes of white blossoms, 
 only four or five inches high, with grassy root-leaves half that 
 length adorn our Yorkshire hills. High upon the Swaledale 
 Moors, where the Cloudberry drinks moisture from the clouds 
 which rest on the ground, does the little Alpine Bistort flourish 
 in full luxuriance. The seeds often germinate before they leave 
 the calyx : hence its Latin name " Viviparum." 
 
 The Knotgrass Persicaria is found on waste ground every- 
 where. Sheep eat it with relish, and we greet the rosy blos- 
 soms, sessile in the axils of the lance-shaped leaves, with 
 pleasure, because any bright thing is so welcome by the 
 trampled road. 
 
 The Bindweed Persicaria (P. convolvulus), is the most elegant 
 of the family, twining Convolvulus-like round the stems of corn. 
 Its leaves are heart-shaped, and generally beautifully tinted with 
 crimson. The clusters are lax, and the large seed-vessels have 
 a handsome appearance. It is a common weed in corn fields. 
 
 The Buckwheat (P. fagopyrum), has a handsome flower- 
 cluster, and its arrow-shaped leaves are very pretty. Plots of 
 it are grown in the neighbourhood of large game-preserves, and 
 the seed is used to feed pheasants. 
 
 The Seaside Knotgrass (P. maritima), closely resembles the 
 common species ; its even glossy seeds are its mark of distinc- 
 tion. I have found it on the shore in the Isle of Arran. 
 
 The Dock family resembles that of the Persicaria in having 
 its seed triangular-shaped. The calyx is cut into six segments. 
 There are three styles and three stigmas. 
 The Curled Dock (Rumex crispus), is a very common species, 
 
246 POLTGONACEJE. 
 
 its leaves are crumpled, lanceolate-shaped, and pointed. Its 
 pale green flowers hang in numerous drooping clusters. My 
 specimen was gathered on the banks of the Swale, close to a 
 low part of the road called " Standing Waits." I suppose 
 because the frequent floods often made the way impassable, 
 and the traveller must stand and wait. 
 
 The Broad-leaved Dock (R. obtusifolius), is equally common, 
 growing in waste ground in the same and other neighbourhoods. 
 It is distinguished by its blunt leaves. 
 
 There are two species of this family which bear the name of 
 Sorrel ; they differ from the others in having the stamens and 
 stigmas in different flowers, and in having a strongly acid prin- 
 ciple in their leaves. When cooked, or mixed with salad, these 
 plants are wholesome ; but as they contain a small portion of 
 what is called " salts of lemon, or oxalic acid," a large quantity 
 of them would be actually poisonous. 
 
 The common Sorrel (R. acetosa), with its crimson-tinted 
 leaves and crimson seed, is a familiar object in every meadow ; 
 its leaves are arrow-shaped. Cooked as Spinach it makes a 
 delicious dish. 
 
 The Sheep's Sorrel (R. acetosella), is common in high pas- 
 tures ; it forms crimson plots on the Richmond race-course, 
 and on the Swaledale moors. Its leaves are less clearly arrow- 
 shaped, but partake of that form. 
 
 The Great Water Dock (R. hydrolapathum), is the hand- 
 somest of the set ; it grows five feet high, and its huge lance- 
 shaped leaves are slightly glaucous and very much waved ; 
 and the crowded whorls are nearly leafless. I found it by 
 the Avon, near Guy's Cliff, just opposite the floating Persicaria. 
 The Yellow Marsh Dock (R. paliistris), with its interrupted 
 cluster, I found in the same neighbourhood; and the Sharp 
 Dock I found near Hawkhurst. This is a comparatively slender 
 plant, with small seeds, and elongated heart-shaped leaves. 
 
 The Bloody-veined Dock (R. sangiiineus), grows also in those 
 Kentish lanes. 
 
MOUNTAIN SOKEEL. 247 
 
 The Golden Dock (R. maritimus), witli its yellow clusters, 
 does not grace our collection. It is a seaside plant. 
 
 Neither have we any specimen of the Fiddle-leaved Dock 
 (R. pulcher). 
 
 I cannot leave this family without rendering to them my 
 grateful acknowledgments for Nettle stings cured ; for, how- 
 ever scientific men may pooh-pooh the idea, I am certain that 
 the leaves of the Dock have a great effect in removing the 
 smarting from Nettle wounds. 
 
 The Mountain Sorrel (Oxyria reniformis), is a small plant, 
 all green, and with kidney-shaped leaves. 
 
 The Oleaster tribe comes next. There is only one British 
 member of it the Sea Buckthorn : this is a low shrub with 
 silver-lined leaves, green flowers, orange berries, ancf abundant 
 thorns. I have seen it in the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens. 
 
 The foreign families of this tribe are of more importance. 
 Two species which bear brown berries are cultivated in Persia, 
 and their fruit sold under the name of Zinzeyd, and the Orange 
 fruit of another species is eaten in India and China. The fruit of 
 the rest of the tribe is very soft and insipid. The blossoms of 
 the species called "Olivier de Boheme" are exceedingly fragrant. 
 
 The Laurel tribe is closely allied to this, but, having no 
 British representative, it has no place in our native botany. 
 
 The Camphor, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg, as well as the Daphne 
 of the ancients, belong to this Laurel tribe. This is the Daphne 
 into which, as Ovid describes, Apollo's nymph was transformed. 
 
 " Be thou the prize of honour and renown, 
 The deathless poet and the poem crown. 
 Thou shalt returning Caesar's triumph grace, 
 When pomps shall in a long procession pass, 
 Wreath'd on the posts before his palace wait, 
 And be the sacred guardian of the gate. 
 Secure from thunder, and unharmed by Jove, 
 Unfading as th* immortal powers above ; 
 And as the locks of Pho?,bus are unshorn, 
 So shall perpetual green thy boughs adorn." 
 
 The true DAPHNE order have Laurel-like leaves and tough 
 
248 THYMELACE^. 
 
 bark, which is so acrid as to raise a blister on the skin. It 
 used to be sold for this purpose in England, and is still on the 
 Continent. 
 
 The Lace Tree belongs to this tribe, the delicate inner bark 
 being used for the purpose indicated by the name. 
 
 The Spurge Laurel (Daphne laureola), is an evergreen shrub 
 of two or three feet high ; its glossy evergreen leaves are 
 situated in clusters at the end of the stems. The flowers are 
 also in clusters, small, green, with a four-cleft calyx and eight 
 stamens ; they are rather fragrant. The shrub grows plenti- 
 fully on the Clink-bank, near Richmond, where my specimen 
 was gathered. 
 
 The Mezereon (D. mezereum, Plate XIV., Jig. 12), is a 
 scarcer native species, though so abundant in gardens. When 
 first I visited Swaledale, I heard from the country people of a 
 sweet-scented shrub found in the woods early in spring. We 
 sought continually for this fabled plant, and, at last, in the 
 centre of a group of Hazels, close upon the banks of a mountain 
 rivulet, we discovered the glaucous leaves and scarlet berries of 
 the Mezereon. The flowers are of a bright pink and very 
 fragrant ; they appear in April before the leaf-buds are open. 
 Close by its retreat were trees where the thrush had reared a 
 large family that very spring, so that I was forcibly reminded 
 of the poet's song 
 
 " Thou hast thy wish ; all love to see 
 Thy simple bloom, Mezereon tree I 
 The thrush its sweetest minstrelsy 
 Is pouring forth to welcome thee ; 
 Thy store of sweets the early bee 
 Hath sought with ready industry ; 
 And, prizing much thy beauty, we 
 Are come to greet thee joyously." 
 
 Here is a plant, which, though humble in itself, is the repre- 
 sentative of a tribe of considerable importance. The Little 
 Bastard Toad-flax (Thesium linophyllum), with its humble 
 cluster of whitish-green flowers, and prostrate stems, is a mere 
 weed, as are the other members of its family in Europe ; but in 
 
BIKTHWORT ASARABACCA. 249 
 
 New Holland, the East Indies, and the South Sea Islands, the 
 tribe counts its members among shrubs and trees. 
 
 The Sandalwood tree of commerce is one of them, it gives 
 the name to the tribe. My little friend grows on Warminster 
 Down, and near an old Roman encampment, called Battlesbuiy, 
 on an adjacent hill. 
 
 The BIKTHWOET order has the perianth, or calyx, tubular, 
 with a wide mouth. The first family of the tribe is the Birth- 
 wort (Aristolochia) ; we have only one native species, and it 
 is very rare. The flower is yellow, and swollen on one side, 
 and the leaves are heart-shaped. I have only seen drawings 
 of the plant. Some of the American species have enormous 
 flowers of most quaint forms. In India boys wear the blossoms 
 of one of these plants upon their heads instead of caps. 
 
 The Virginian Snakeroot belongs to this family. It is 
 useful in medicine, having somewhat the effect of Camphor. 
 It is employed in India as an antidote to the poison of 
 snakes. 
 
 A specimen of the Asarabacca (Asarum europseum), was given 
 me by Mr. Ward ; it has a short stem, two kidney-shaped 
 leaves on long footstalks, and a purplish calyx cut into three 
 segments. It has one style and many stamens. 
 
 The Pitcher-plants are closely allied to the Birthworts. 
 
 When wandering on the Yorkshire moors I often found the 
 trailing stems and short Yew-like foliage of the Crowberry 
 (Empetrum nigrum), and I left an earnest charge with the 
 gamekeeper's good-tempered wife to send me the blossoms in 
 the early spring. No blossoms came ; but when the fruit was 
 nearly ready, she sent me a boxful of the plants. She wrote 
 expressing her regret at finding no blossom. She had watched 
 the plants carefully, she said, from the first opening of spring, 
 and had ascertained for a fact that the fruit came without 
 any blossom having preceded it. The flowers are certainly 
 very small, and as the male and female blossoms grow on 
 different plants, and the latter are particularly inconspicuous, 
 
250 ETJPHOBBIACEJE. 
 
 we cannot wonder at the good woman's mistake. Children 
 and moorfowl eat the fruit, but it is not very wholesome. 
 
 The SPUBGE order comes next, terrible in its power for evil, 
 though in some respects it is serviceable. It is a perplexing 
 tribe, for in some members the petals seem perfect, whilst 
 others have neither calyx nor corolla. The stamens and pistils 
 grow on separate flowers. The members of this tribe vary 
 from mere weeds to trees of the largest size. They have all an 
 acrid juice, which in some is virulent enough to be a most 
 dangerous poison ; while in others the evil quality is dissipated 
 by heat, and the farinaceous substance remaining becomes 
 wholesome food for man : the Cassava is an example of this. 
 
 The Manchineel tree, whose very shade is dangerous, belongs 
 to this tribe, and other members produce croton and castor oil, 
 cascarilla bark and indiarubber; and the "vegetable tallow," 
 of which candles are made in China, is also formed from a 
 member of this order. 
 
 The British members of the Spurge family are green leafy 
 plants, but many foreign species are leafless, with enlarged 
 stems like the Cactus. 
 
 The Petty Spurge (Euphorbia peplus), even, the mere garden 
 weed which children call " Fat-hen," can raise a blister with 
 its milky juice. 
 
 The Caper Spurge (E. lathyrus), which we often see in 
 gardens, where it is cultivated for its caper-like seeds, abounds 
 in poisonous juice. The stem is tinted with crimson, and its 
 leaves are glaucous. It is very dangerous to use the seeds 
 instead of capers. Fee states, that with as much oil drawn 
 from this plant as may be bought for a franc ninety persons 
 might be poisoned. 
 
 The poor fishermen of Kerry stupefy the fish in the rivers 
 by throwing a basketful of the Irish Spurge (E. hiberna), into 
 the water. This plant has six forked branches, and its flowers 
 are purple. We have no specimen of it. 
 
 The Sun Spurge (E. helioscopia), is often called Wartwort, 
 
SPUEGE BOX. 251 
 
 for its milky juice is an effective caustic for removing warts. 
 It differs from the Petty Spurge in its darker leaves and five 
 branches, but it is also a weed in cultivated ground. 
 
 The Cypress Spurge (E. cyperissias), is a common border 
 plant in old-fashioned gardens. Its foliage is very small and 
 glaucous, This is one of the most poisonous of our British 
 Spurges. 
 
 Edward has the Dwarf Spurge (E. exfgua). It is a pretty 
 little tidy plant, with narrow glaucous leaves, and flowers in 
 three branches. It grows in corn fields about Hawkhurst. 
 
 The Portland Spurge (E. portlandica), has also narrow leaves, 
 but it has five branches. I gathered it on the rocks by the Loe 
 Pool in July. 
 
 The Wood Spurge (E. amygdaloides), covers acres of ground 
 in the Herefordshire woods, especially where the trees have 
 been much cut. At a little distance it looks like a broad stretch 
 of sunlight. It grows freely between Plymouth and Looe on 
 the roadside ; also, in woods in Somersetshire and Kent. It is 
 a shrubby plant, with six branches, and large, blunt, hairy 
 leaves. 
 
 There are an Upright Warty Spurge (E. stricta), with dotted 
 capsules and pale foliage ; and a Purple Spurge, with procum- 
 bent stems, frequenting sandy seashores. Both of these are 
 rare, and we have no specimens. 
 
 The Mercury family is nearly as poisonous as the Spurge. 
 
 The Dog Mercury (Mercurialis perennis), is a dark green 
 herb, with upright stems, closely set with lance-shaped serrated 
 leaves. The stamens and stigmas are on different plants, and 
 the green flowers are arranged in spikes. 
 
 The Annual Mercury (M. annua), has branched stems, and 
 is of a lighter hue. My acquaintance with this was made in 
 botanic gardens only. 
 
 The honest Box tree (Biixus sempervirens), is the only plant 
 of this tribe that can be said to have a really good character. 
 It grows frequently in shrubberies, and is said to be wild also. 
 
252 
 
 The stigmas and stamens are in different flowers, but on the 
 same plant. People dispute as to whether this is a British 
 shrub, but at any rate it has been naturalised long enough to 
 give names to places ; there is a Boxley in Kent, and Boxhill 
 in Surrey. Even in old Gerarde's time it was considered a 
 British tree, for he says, " It groweth upon sundry waste and 
 barren hills in Englande." Like the Yew, this tree used to be 
 tortured and clipped into marvellous shapes, but that fashion is 
 past. Box wood is the best material for wood-engraving, and 
 for mathematical instruments. It is so heavy that it will sink 
 in water. The sight of it brings the pleasant Yorkshire 
 Christmas to my mind, when we have Box, Holly, and Yew in 
 every window, and hung in garlands round every picture, and 
 a row of red Apples stands on the mantlepiece, one for every 
 member of the family, with a shrubby branch of Box stuck in 
 the middle of it. 
 
 We now come to the Nettle tribe ; and though at first sight 
 we may consider that it will complete our large group of un- 
 attractive plants, yet I fancy we may find a greater amount of 
 interest here than we expected. The tribe contains three 
 British families the Nettle, the Pellitory, and the Hop ; and 
 its foreign members include the deadly Upas, the delicious 
 Fig, and the forest Banyan. 
 
 Of our three native species of Nettle the Eoman Nettle 
 (Urtica pilulifera), has the most virulent sting. It bears its 
 flfcwers in round heads, and grows chiefly in the neighbourhood 
 of the sea. 
 
 The Small Nettle (IT. urens), frequents the environs of 
 villages ; indeed my specimen was gathered from the very 
 centre of a hamlet in Swaledale. It has oval leaves and simple 
 clusters, and its sting is less biting than that of its brother 
 above mentioned. 
 
 The Great Nettle (II. dioica), is the commonest and least 
 offensive species. It grows everywhere, and its young shoots 
 used to be eaten generally as a dinner vegetable ; cooked as 
 
FELLITORY HOP. 253 
 
 Spinach it forms an agreeable and wholesome dinner dish. 
 Any botanist rambling in the lanes in spring with a basket and 
 gardening gloves may win the favour of his or her hostess by 
 bringing back young Nettles for the pot. Sir Walter Scott 
 makes Andrew Fairservice boast that at Dreepdaily, where he 
 was brought up, they grew " Nettles for Spring Kail." 
 
 There are foreign Nettles as large as trees, some of which 
 are without stings, while others are so virulent that their 
 slightest touch occasions intense agony. The fibre of the 
 Nettle is both fine and strong. Thread and lace are made of 
 it in Java and Assam, and I have seen bunches of it in the 
 museum at Kew which resemble glossy spun silk. Grass 
 linen is formed from Nettle fibre. 
 
 Our one native species of Pellitory, the Wall Pellitory 
 (Parietaria offieinalis), grows on the ruins of Richmond Castle. 
 It has a red stem and lance-shaped leaves, with pinkish flowers 
 in their axils. It has generally a dusty appearance, for its 
 hairs attract any loose grime that may be floating in the air. 
 
 The Hop (Hiimulus lupulus, Plate XIV., fig. 13), is Edward's 
 favourite plant. He is enthusiastically enamoured of the Hop 
 gardens of Kent; he says the bine-like plants, climbing ten 
 feet high to the top of their long poles, and then hanging in 
 tendril-like stems downwards, or stretching to meet the ex- 
 tended arms of the next Hop plant, or line, as they are called, 
 form a picture of beauty impossible to excel in the vegetable 
 kingdom. Add to this grace of foliage the not unfrequent 
 accompaniment of an Irish group, a coarse basket containing 
 the baby slung between two of the poles in a very bower of 
 Hops, the father and mother diligently picking the fragrant 
 cones from bines laid across a large measure, and three or four 
 bare-legged children assisting in their work, with more or less 
 assiduity, as their wild nature inclines them, and you have 
 a picture which a painter might build his fame upon. The 
 Hop plants are cut down in the autumn, and left bare all 
 winter. In the spring and summer the shoots are carefully 
 
254 UETICACEJ2. 
 
 tied from time to time, and the ground weeded, and in due 
 time the male and female flowers open on their separate plants. 
 Then the cone-like clusters form, and the bines grow tall, and 
 become more graceful every week. When the Hopping season 
 has come, every man, woman, and child forsakes the villages, 
 of course excepting those who have some pressing occupation. 
 Invalids are dragged to the Hop gardens to breathe the salu- 
 brious aroma, and all hands apply to the work. A whole 
 family pick into one measure, and each little child can earn 
 something. The Hops are carried from hence to an oast-house, 
 where they are spread upon a grating, underneath which stoves 
 are burning. When sufficiently dry, they are closely packed 
 in sacks, and are ready for the market. The bracts of the 
 calyx are studded with glands containing a bitter aromatic 
 principle, on which the virtues of the Hop depend, and which 
 gives the flavour to beer. The plant is wild in many parts of 
 England Wiltshire, Warwickshire, Yorkshire, &c. 
 
 The Hemp, representing another family in this Nettle order, 
 can hardly be called a native plant, though it is cultivated in 
 some districts for its fibre, from which cordage, ropes, and 
 coarse linen are manufactured. The seed is a favourite food 
 for birds. The flowers have the stamens and pistils in different 
 blooms, and the wand-like stems and palmate leaves look stately 
 enough. 
 
255 
 
 CHAPTEE XY. 
 
 SALICACE^ BETULACE^ MYEICACE^ 
 COEYLlCE M- CONIFEK M TAXlCE^E. 
 
 " The Oak tree and the Mountain Pine, 
 The Willow on the fountain's brim, 
 The Birch tree and the Eglantine, 
 
 In reverence bend to Hun ; 
 The song-birds pour their sweetest lays 
 
 From tower, and tree, and middle air; 
 The rushing river murmurs praise 
 All nature worships there ! " 
 
 DAVID VEDDEK. 
 
 FEOM tlie time when Adam " heard the voice of the Lord 
 among the trees of the garden" to the present day, these lords 
 of the vegetable creation have borne a marked part in the 
 history of man. When Israel was oppressed by enemies, and 
 Gideon threshed his Wheat in secret, an angel of the Lord 
 came and " sat under the Oak tree that was in Ophrah," 
 promising aid and deliverance. Elijah, exhausted in body and 
 mind in the great conflict with idolatry, slept a miraculous 
 sleep, and was miraculously fed under a Juniper tree. Trees 
 were used in building from the earliest period, and they entered 
 largely into the formation of the Tabernacle and the Temple. 
 And, as evil is ever striving to overgrow the good, so the 
 Creator's gift of trees was perverted to the use of idolatry. 
 " He heweth him down Cedars, and taketh the Cypress and the 
 Oak." " He kindleth it and baketh bread ; yea, he maketh a 
 god and worshippeth it. He burneth part thereof in the fire ; 
 with part thereof he eateth flesh, and the residue thereof he 
 maketh a god." Idol-altars were raised beneath the covert of 
 the grove. " Inflaming yourselves with idols under every green 
 tree." " And they set them up images upon every high hill, 
 
256 ULMACE.E. 
 
 and under every green tree." The Prophets have used trees 
 as an emblem of creatures blessed by God. " As trees of Lign- 
 aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as Cedar trees beside 
 the waters." "And he shall be like a tree planted by the 
 rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in due season." 
 " And they shall spring up among the grass, as Willows by 
 the watercourses." A tree was the cause of the curse, and 
 upon a tree was that curse atoned. "As it is written, Cursed is 
 every one who hangeth on a tree." In the restored earth trees 
 are represented as taking a prominent part. " All the trees 
 of the wood shall rejoice before the Lord when he cometh." 
 " Break forth into singing, ye mountains ; O forest, and every 
 tree that is therein." "All the trees of the field shall clap their 
 hands." 
 
 We have all felt the soothing influence of an hour in the 
 woods ; the quiet and seclusion, together with the companion- 
 able shelter of the trees, bring a sweet calm to the overwrought 
 mind. America's genial poet well describes this quiet restful 
 
 influence : 
 
 " The green trees whispered mild and low, 
 
 ' Come, be a child once more ! ' 
 And waved their long arms to and fro, 
 And beckoned solemnly and slow: 
 Oh ! I could not choose but go 
 Into the woodlands hoar : 
 
 " Into the blithe and breathing air, 
 
 Into the solemn wood, 
 Solemn and silent everywhere ! 
 Nature with folded hands seemed there, 
 Kneeling at her evening prayer ! 
 
 Like one in prayer I stood." 
 
 The ELM order stands the first in this our tree group. They 
 are noble trees, and though not very early in coming into leaf, 
 yet present a cheerful appearance in spring, from the quantity 
 of green membranous capsules which quickly follow the 
 clusters of brownish-purple flowers. These flowers have five 
 stamens and two styles. 
 
 The name of the common Elm (Ulmus campestris), carries 
 
ELM SALLOW. 257 
 
 tlie mind back to many a pleasant wood, or cottage over- 
 shadowed by that beautiful tree. It has rough leaves, doubly 
 serrated, and deeply cloven capsules. The Komans used to 
 train young Elms into convenient shapes, and plant the vines 
 to twine around them. 
 
 The Wych Elm (U. montana), has larger leaves, and the 
 seed-vessels are less cloven. This tree is frequently met with 
 in Scotland. 
 
 There is a fine avenue of the common Elm (U. campestris, 
 Plate XV., jig. 1), in St. James's Park, London, and another 
 in the Champs Ely sees, in Paris. The tree is mature at the 
 age of 150 years. 
 
 There are a Cork-barked Elm, and a Smooth-leaved Elm, 
 and a Cornish Elm ; but these trees are rarely to be met with, 
 and we have no specimens of them. 
 
 The CATKIN order succeeds that of the Elm, and includes a 
 great many British families. Of these the Willow is the first. 
 The flowers are arranged in catkins, or, as the children call them, 
 palms ; the male catkins on one plant, and the female on another. 
 
 By the side of the Swale, near Eichmond, a great variety of 
 Willows are to be found. There are the Osier Willow (Salix 
 viminalis), so useful in basketmaking ; and the Eose Willow 
 (S. helix), of low growth, and with pinkish catkins and narrow 
 leaves ; and the Basket Willow (S. Forbiana), the female of the 
 Bayton Willow, both occasionally used for weaving. Opposite 
 to these grows the Two-coloured Willow (S. bicolor), the whitish 
 lining of its broad dark leaves being considered as a second 
 colour ; whilst by the side of a well, in a field not a hundred 
 yards further off, towers a handsome tree of the Silky-leaved 
 Willow (S. Smithiana), its slender greyish catkins closely re- 
 sembling the narrow young leaves. 
 
 In the woods bordering this river the golden catkins of the 
 Eound-leaved Sallow (S. caprea, Plate XV., fig. 2), make a gay 
 object in the spring ; and the Water Sallow (S. aquatica), with its 
 downy leaves and bright catkins, strikes its roots into the stream. 
 
258 AMENTACEJB. 
 
 The Dwarf Willow (S. repens), creeps upon the moors near 
 Middleham, entangling its branches with those of the Heath 
 and Crowberry ; and the Long-leaved Triandrous Willow (S. tri- 
 andra), adorns the riverbanks near Easby with its graceful 
 branches, light shining foliage, and long, slender, primrose- 
 coloured catkins. 
 
 The Busty-branched Willow and the Eosemary-leaved Wil- 
 low (S. Doniana and rosmarinifolia), were given to me by 
 Mr. Ward. He, in conjunction with the Rev. John Leefe, has 
 made a first-rate collection of Willows, which he has published 
 for the instruction and pleasure of the botanical world. 
 
 Edward has the Tarnished Willow (S. decipiens). It grows 
 near " Cockshot gate," at Hawkhurst. Its bark is shiny, and 
 its delicate leaves and graceful catkins resemble the Long- 
 leaved Triandrous species. 
 
 A handsome tree of the Bedford Willow (S. Eusselliana), 
 grows by a small farm-house in the same neighbourhood, and 
 he has found the Crack Willow there too ; it is distinguishable 
 by the extreme brittleness of its branches. 
 
 The common White Willow (S. alba), grows to a good-sized 
 tree, with greyish foliage. It is also found about Hawkhurst. 
 It is rapid in its growth, and produces a great bulk of timber 
 in a short time. When well ventilated and dry the wood lasts 
 well, and has been found in a sound state in buildings a century 
 old. 
 
 The pretty little Eared Sallow (S. aurita), having ears by 
 the side of its leafstalks, and roundish yellow catkins, grows 
 frequently on plots of ground by the roadsides, there called 
 " shores." 
 
 In some of the woods I have found the Prostrate Willow 
 (S. prostrata), growing in an entangled mat. 
 
 The Willow family numbers sixty-four species, the smallest 
 of all being only a couple of inches in height, but with all the 
 accompaniments of a tree. 
 
 The Weeping Willow is a foreign species, a native of 
 
WILLOW POPLAE. 259 
 
 Babylon. It is the species alluded to in the Psalm: "As 
 for our harps, we hanged them upon the trees that are 
 therein." It was introduced into England by the poet Pope, 
 who planted one of the twigs in which a quantity of Figs had 
 been packed, and forthwith it took root. 
 
 The wood of the Willow family makes the best charcoal, and 
 is therefore used in gunpowder. An extract from the bark is 
 called salicine, and rivals quinine as a tonic. Martin Tupper 
 speaks of this : " Not long to charm away disease has the 
 "Willow yielded its bark." The wood is useful for handles for 
 light implements, as hay-rakes, &c. Hoops for barrels are 
 made by splitting Willow-rods in two equal parts, and crayons 
 are made of the charcoal. The Willow is the emblem of 
 deserted love. Spencer speaks of it as 
 
 " The Willow, worn by forlorn paramour." 
 The Poplar family numbers four British species. 
 The White Poplar (Populus alba, Plate XV., fig. 3), has 
 leaves both lobed and toothed. In youth they are white on 
 both sides, but the upper surface becomes full green. It is an 
 elegant tree, with horizontal down-curving branches, and large 
 catkins, the crimson stamens of which are very conspicuous. 
 Like the Willows, these trees have the male and female catkins 
 on different plants. I believe this is the tree into which the 
 weeping sisters of Phaeton were transformed. I will repeat 
 the passage ; but beware of shedding tears over the recital, 
 lest you also should turn into Poplar trees. 
 
 " Four times revolving:, the full moon returned, 
 So long the mother and the daughters mourned ; 
 When now the eldest, Phaethusa, strove 
 To rest her weary limb?, but could not move ; 
 Lampetia would have helped her, but she found 
 Herself withheld, and rooted to the ground ; 
 A third in wild affliction, as she grieves, 
 Would rend her hair, but fills her hands with leaves; 
 One sees her thighs tran-formed ; another views 
 Her arms shot out, and branching into boughs." 
 
 Both this tree and the Black Poplar grow about Hawkhurst. 
 
250 BETULACEJE. 
 
 The latter has triangular leaves, of a light green, and long lax 
 catkins. 
 
 The Grey Poplar (P. canescens), has roundish-waved leaves, 
 and its branches are more upright than those of the White 
 Poplar, which it otherwise resembles. I have no specimen of it. 
 
 The Aspen, or Trembling Poplar (P. tremula), grows near 
 Frome in Somerset, and I have a specimen from thence. It 
 is a lofty conical tree, and its leaves are always quivering. 
 There is a beautiful, though of course fabulous, legend re- 
 garding this tree, which is well expressed in a poem signed 
 "F. C. W.," published in "Chambers' Journal." The story 
 relates that at our Saviour's death all the trees bowed their 
 heads with one exception : 
 
 " But one tree was in the forest 
 
 That refused to bow ; 
 Then a sudden blast came o'er it, 
 
 And a whisper low 
 Made the leaves and branches quiver 
 
 Shook the guilty tree ; 
 And the \oice was, ' Tremble ever 
 
 To eternity : 
 
 Be a lesson irom thee read 
 He that boweth not his head, 
 And obeyeth not his Maker, let him fear eternally ! ' 
 " So thou standest ever shaking, 
 
 Ever quivering with fear, 
 For the voice is still upon thee, 
 
 And the whisper near, 
 Like the guilty, conscience-haunted. 
 
 And the name for thee 
 la 'the tree of many thoughts,' 
 Is ' the tree of many doubts ;' 
 And thy leaves are thoughts and doubtings, for thou 
 
 Art the sinner's tree." 
 
 The BIRCH order comes next. 
 
 Coleridge calls the common Birch " The Lady of the Woods." 
 It bears its male and female flowers in different catkins, but on 
 the same tree (Betula alba, Plate XV., fig. 10). Its light 
 sprays and silvery bark are familiar to every one. 
 
 The Weeping Birch is a Scotch variety of this. It adorns 
 the romantic heights and "passes" in the Highlands. 
 
BIECH. 261 
 
 Tlie Dwarf Birch, too, is a stranger to me. It has round 
 leaves, and only attains the height of two feet. 
 
 " In fairy glen of Woodilee. 
 
 One sunny Sunday morning, 
 I plucked a little Birchen tree 
 
 The spongy moss adorning ; 
 And bearing it delighted home, 
 I planted it in garden loam, 
 Where, perfecting all duty, 
 It flowered in tasselled beauty. 
 
 " When delicate April in each dell 
 
 Was silently completing 
 Her ministry in bud and bell, 
 
 To grace the summer's meeting, 
 My Birchen tree of glossy rind, 
 Determined not to be behind ; 
 So with a subtle power 
 The buds began to flower. 
 
 " And I could watch from out my house 
 
 The twigs with leaflets thicken, 
 From glossy rind to twining boughs 
 
 The milky sap 'gan quicken. 
 And when the fragrant form was green, 
 No fairer tree was to be seen 
 All Gartshore Woods adorning, 
 Where doves are alway mourning." 
 
 DAVID GRAY. 
 
 Birch wood is of no great use in Britain. Brooms are made 
 of it, and hoops for barrels ; also poles. It makes excellent 
 charcoal, and is used in the north for the soles of clogs. In 
 America it is much more important. Canoes are made of the 
 bark, and the wood is employed for building purposes, and the 
 soles of shoes are fastened on by pegs of it. A very important 
 use of small Birch wood is in making the reels for sewing 
 cotton, so familiar in the work-basket of every needlewoman, 
 rich or poor. The Highland glens are being rapidly shorn of 
 their beauty, because of the wood being cut for this purpose. 
 The peculiar odour pervading Russian leather is imparted by 
 an oil drawn from the Birch tanning. In Norway the bark is 
 used for soleing shoes, and in Lapland overcoats are made of it. 
 My specimens are from the Birch- woods of Swaledale, not very 
 
ZbZ BETTTLACEJE. 
 
 far from Rokeby, where Sir "Walter Scott celebrated the praises 
 of this and its companion trees : 
 
 " Hoary, yet haughty, frowns the Oak, 
 Its boughs by weight of ages broke; 
 And towers erect in sable spire 
 The Pine tree, scathed by lightning fire; 
 The drooping Ash and Birch between, 
 Hang their fair tresses o'er the green ; 
 And all beneath at random grow, 
 Each coppice dwarf of varied show." 
 
 The Dutch Myrtle, or Sweet Gale (Myrica gale), is an odori- 
 ferous shrub, with its male and female catkins on different 
 plants. It grows three feet high, and flowers in May. The 
 leaves are lance-shaped. I saw quantities of it about the 
 shores of the Scotch lakes and upon the hillsides last autumn. 
 The catkins were long passed, but the fragrance of the foliage 
 atoned for the absence of blossoms. 
 
 Here is the Alder (Alnus glutinosus), the one British member 
 of its family. This tree grows in watery places, and many of 
 our humbler streams flow along an " Alder- curtained bed." 
 You see the fertile catkins are round, and remain on the tree 
 till they become quite woody ; the barren catkins are slender, 
 and soon fall off. The leaves are roundish, and rather sticky. 
 The wood of this tree is soft, but when kept under water it 
 is very durable, and is therefore often used in the founda- 
 tions of bridges. Yirgil says that the first boat was made of 
 this wood : 
 
 " Then rivers first the hollowed Alder knew." 
 
 And Homer also vouchsafes a notice of it : 
 
 " Around it and above for ever green, 
 The bushy Alders form'd a shady screen." 
 
 This Beech blossom Edward gathered at Elm Hill, near 
 Hawkhurst (Fagus sylvatica, Plate XV., fig. 4). The leaves 
 had just attained their full size, but were yet of a tender 
 green, and fringed with down. The catkins were round : the 
 male ones on long stalks, the female ones sessile. Beech wood 
 
CHESTNUT HAZEL. 263 
 
 was formerly very much, used for goblets, platters, scab- 
 bards, &c. Cowley mentions it : 
 
 " Hence in the world's best years the humble shed 
 Was happily and fully furnished. 
 
 Beech made their chests, their beds, and their join'd stools; 
 Beech made the boards, the platters, and the bowls." 
 
 Boys eat Beech-nuts when they cannot get Hazel-nuts, and 
 they form good food for pigs. 
 
 A great many Chestnuts grow about Hawkhurst. The large 
 leaves of the tree are lance- shaped, and very evenly toothed ; 
 they are of a bright green. The male and female flowers grow 
 on the same spike, the latter at the lower end of it. The fruit 
 is contained in a very prickly calyx, resembling a hedgehog. 
 All kinds of good things are made out of Chestnuts. First of 
 all, they are not bad eaten raw ; secondly, they are excellent 
 roasted ; thirdly a splendid soup is made of them, ditto curry ; 
 and fourthly, you cannot cook them amiss. The Italians make 
 porridge of them, and call it Polenta, and I should have no 
 objection to sup with them upon it ; they also use them as 
 Potatoes. The Latin name, Castanea, is derived from Casta- 
 nium, a town in Thessaly, where these trees grew abundantly. 
 Chambers' poet thought very highly of the Chestnut. He 
 
 writes : 
 
 41 Thou, O Chestnut! richly branched, 
 
 Standest in thy might ; 
 Rising like a leafy tower 
 
 In the summer light; 
 And thy branches are fruit-laden, 
 
 Waving bold and free, 
 And the beams upon thee shed 
 Are like blessings on thy head : 
 Thou art strong, and fair, and fruitful, for thou 
 Art the good man's tree." 
 
 The wood of the Chestnut is very valuable, closely resem- 
 bling Oak, and only second to the Oak for carpenters' use. 
 It is grown in Kent for Hop-poles (F. castanea, Plate XV., 
 fig. 5). 
 
 Who does not love the Hazel ? Little children rejoice over 
 
264 COBYLACE^I. 
 
 its "lamb tails," as they call its male catkins. The female 
 catkins are so small as to be generally overlooked ; they consist 
 of a little tuft of crimson stigmas, growing closely to the side 
 of the two-year-old branches. Boys love nuts, don't they 
 just ? and squirrels are so fond of them that, shy though they 
 are, they will come into gardens where nuts abound. My 
 friends at Hawkhurst have a grove of Filberts, and a squirrel 
 was seen in the high trees adjoining on several occasions last 
 autumn. The nuthatch feeds on the same fruit, wedging the 
 nut in a forked branch, and then splitting it with its beak. 
 While the nuts are very young a small insect pierces the shell, 
 and lays an egg there. As soon as the kernel is formed, the 
 grub begins to feed on it, and when the ripe nut falls the little 
 creature gnaws its way out. This is the cause of the empty 
 shells we find under the Hazel bushes. The Scarlet-cup fungus 
 grows on decaying branches of this tree. In many of the 
 mining districts the Hazel is still believed to have an affinity 
 for metals. The diviner holds a rod across his breast, one end 
 slightly inclined to the earth ; when metal lies beneath, the rod 
 is forcibly drawn downwards. The many resultless borings in 
 such districts speak to the value of the test (Corylus avellana, 
 Plate XV., fig. 7). 
 
 The Hornbeam (Carpmus betulus), is pretty frequent in the 
 hedges about Hawkhurst. Its bark is smooth, and its leaves 
 hairy, resembling those of the Elm, except in their tint, which 
 is paler. The fruitful catkins are placed nearer to the end of 
 the branches than the barren ones ; they are interspersed with 
 large bracts, which give the fruit the appearance of very 
 elongated Hop-clusters. The wood of this tree is the toughest 
 of all wood, but as it does not take a good polish it is not in 
 great request. 
 
 Last in the Catkin tribe, but certainly not least, stands the 
 Oak tree, the pride and strength of Britain. There are two 
 native species ; but the Sessile-fruited Oak (Quercus sessiflora), 
 with its downy leaves, is little noticed or valued in comparison 
 
OAK. 265 
 
 with the essentially "British Oak." The Druids worshipped 
 the Oak, maintaining perpetual fire of its wood. Once a-year 
 the people had to extinguish all their fires, which were relighted 
 from the burning wood on the sacred altar. This is the origin 
 of our beloved Yorkshire custom of the Yule log ; this revi- 
 vifying brand was generally of Oak, but sometimes of Ash, 
 The botanical name (Q. robur, Plate XV., Jig. 6), means 
 beautiful tree. Cowper delineates the life of an Oak in a few 
 touching lines : 
 
 " Thou wert a bauble once a cup and bsll, 
 Which babes might play with ; and the thievish jay, 
 Seeking her food, with ease might have purloined 
 The auburn net that held thee, swallowing down 
 Thy yet close-folded latitude of boughs. 
 Time was, when, settling on thy leaf, a fly 
 Could shake thee to thy roots; and time has been 
 When tempests could not. 
 
 Time made thee what thou wert king of the wood ! 
 And time hath made thee what thou art a cave, 
 For owls to roost in ! " 
 
 But much as we ever venerate the old decayed Oak, with its 
 gnarled branches and hollow trunk, it is to the trees which fall 
 in their prime that our national love and gratitude are given. 
 
 " Thou, Oak ! the strong ship-builder, 
 For thy country's good 
 Givest up thy noble life, 
 Like a patriot in the strife, 
 Givest up thy heart of timber, as he poureth out his blood." 
 
 Oak bark is used for tanning ; it is taken in April. The 
 Royal Oak is from an acorn of the old Boscobel Oak, where 
 the then fugitive king used to conceal himself during the day, 
 taking refuge in the house at night. The Parliament Oak is 
 so called from King Edward I. having held a parliament under 
 it in 1290 ; it is in Northamptonshire. In 1842 " the large Oak 
 tree" was still standing, among whose branches the hero 
 Wallace and his men concealed themselves from the English. 
 The tree is at. EUerslie in Renfrewshire. " The King of the 
 Woods" is a gigantic Oak near Jedburgh ; it is said to mark 
 the place where the border clans used to meet in old times. 
 
266 CONIFEB.3E. 
 
 Mr. Johns speaks of an Oak called the " Gospel Oak," at Stone- 
 leigh; the title has doubtless the same origin as that of the 
 " Gospel Field," near Ripon. On a certain day in the year the 
 clergy and choir of the church used to walk the boundaries of 
 the parish, stopping to read parts of the service at different 
 points, and chanting as they went along ; the field where they 
 paused to read the Gospel is still called the " Gospel Field." 
 The custom of dressing the houses with Oak on the 29th of 
 May, in commemoration of the king's concealment in the tree 
 and his restoration to the throne, is familiar to us all. Such 
 associations, together with our reliance on our "wooden walls," 
 and the great beauty of the noble tree, make the Oak a general 
 favourite, and we warmly echo Tennyson's exclamation : 
 
 " Oh ! flourish, hidden deep in Fern, 
 Old Oak, I love thee well." 
 
 The insect tribes love it as much as we ; one pierces the bark 
 and makes what we call " Oak Apples ;" another covers the 
 under part of the leaf with green Currant-like galls ; a third 
 performs a similar service on the little flower-stalks ; and a 
 fourth ornaments the back of the leaf with Oak spangles, in 
 each of which a young insect is concealed. The Oak galls of 
 commerce, which form an important ingredient in ink and in 
 dyes, are from a species of Oak indigenous in Asia Minor 
 and the Levant. Cork is the bark of another species of Oak. 
 The green caterpillar feeds on the leaves, the cockchafer and 
 stag-beetle live among the branches, and the purple emperor 
 butterfly considers the Oak his home. 
 
 The CONIFER order comes next, and is the last in the great 
 Two-lobed class. It contains three British families the 
 Pines, the Yews, and the Junipers ; the Cedars and Cypresses 
 belong to this tribe. The stamens and pistils are in different 
 flowers, and the fruit is generally a cone, though sometimes a 
 berry. 
 
 Our one British member of the Pine family is the Scotch Fir 
 (Pinus sylvestris, Plate XV., Jig. 9). In England this tree is 
 
PINE YEW. 267 
 
 chiefly used as a nurse for other trees, sheltering them from 
 the rude blasts ; in Scotland it is a great and characteristic 
 ornament of wild rocky heights. Sir Walter Scott fitly terms 
 it the " Pride of the Highlands :" 
 
 " Row, vassals, row, for the Pride of the Highlands ; 
 Stretch to your oars for the evergreen Pine ! " 
 
 This tree is useful for timber and firewood, and a coarse tar 
 is drawn from it for common purposes. 
 
 The best tar is from the Carolina Pine. The Spruce Fir 
 yields excellent pitch, and turpentine is drawn both from the 
 resin of the Alpine Fir and from that of the Larch. Lamp- 
 black is the soot of burnt tar. In Eussia roads are made of 
 the common Fir, and at Swedish funerals the way is strewed 
 with Fir sprigs. Masts of ships are made of this tree in every 
 country. The poor Laplanders are thankful to grind the cones 
 into flour and make bread of it, or to mix the ground bark 
 with oatmeal for pancakes. Beer is made from the twigs of 
 the Spruce Fir, and the Romans used to flavour their wine 
 with Fir cones. The inhabitants of the Oregon mountains use 
 the seed of a kind of native Pine as food ; the seed is large, 
 sweet, and nutritious. The victors at the Isthmian games 
 were crowned with Pine. 
 
 We do not need to go into Scotland to find the Yew in its 
 glory (Taxus baccata, Plate X.V., jig. 8). It grows freely in 
 many of our Swaledale woods, and is particularly luxuriant 
 about Studley and Fountains Abbey. The Seven Sisters 
 Yews, close by the old abbey, are widely celebrated ; they are 
 supposed to have been full-grown trees in 1132, the date of the 
 building of the abbey, and several of them are standing still. 
 The ochre-coloured catkins of this tree are not attractive, but 
 its crimson berries are very beautiful, contrasting with the 
 deep green of the foliage. The hardness of the wood makes it 
 suitable for turnery articles, but its chief utility was in the 
 days of archery. English Yew bows won the victories of 
 Cressy and Poictiers; and in Switzerland the Yew is called 
 
268 TAXACE2E. 
 
 " William Tell's tree," because his famous bow was made of it. 
 Keats furnishes his Endymion with such a bow : 
 
 "Again I'll poll 
 The fair-grown Yew tree for a chosen bow." 
 
 We frequently find this tree in churchyards, for it has 
 always been accounted a memento of death. Shakspeare 
 alludes to this : 
 
 " My shroud of white stick all with Yew." 
 
 The foliage of the Yew is accounted very unwholesome ; 
 animals eating it are affected as with poison. It is sometimes 
 administered as a village medicine ; the dried leaves produce 
 but little effect, but a spoonful of the fresh twigs have been 
 known to cause death. 
 
 The Juniper (Juniperus commiinis), is also a familiar tree on 
 our hills ; or, I should rather call it bush, for it is either pros- 
 trate, or but a very few feet high. Its catkins, or flower- 
 clusters, resemble those of the Yew, and its berries are black. 
 These berries are used in the distillation of gin, and a beer is 
 made in France, called Genevrette, from them, mixed with 
 barley. The leaves of the shrub are so stiff and pointed as 
 to be almost prickly. 
 
 The Cedar wood of which pencils are made is the produce 
 of an allied species of Juniper, commonly called the " Hed 
 Cedar." Frankincense is obtained from the Juniperus lycia ; 
 the Hebrews in olden times, and the E-omanists in the present 
 day use it in their incense. The Arabian frankincense is 
 accounted the best. 
 
 Dr. Murray speaks much of the permanence of vegetation, 
 and of trees in particular, as remaining for centuries as cha- 
 racteristics of the same district. He says : " The Palm, among 
 the princes of the kingdom of vegetation, the Fig tree, and 
 the Olive tree, still characterise the ' Land of Promise,' though 
 Palmyra and Jericho are no more ; the Cedar of Lebanon still 
 vindicates its claim, by imprescriptible right, to the domains of 
 its ancestry, though Tyre and her merchant princes are as 
 
PLANTS OF SCBIPTUBE. 
 
 269 
 
 though they had never been ; Bashan is still celebrated for its 
 Oaks, as in the times of the kings of Judah ; the Olive still 
 flourishes on its native soil, the acclivities of Olivet, as when 
 it formed the chief retreat of a chosen band ; the Amaryllis 
 lutea, the ' Lily of the Field,' still decorates the fields of 
 Palestine, as when the Prince of Life pointed to it as a pledge 
 of His Providence ; the Sycamore still springs up by the way- 
 sides, and skirts the shores of the Sea of Galilee, as in the 
 reign of Herod Agrippa ; and the Willow still weeps by Babel's 
 stream, though Babylon ' is fallen, is fallen.' " 
 
270 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 MONOCOTYLEDONS HYDEOCHAEIDlCEJE OECHID- 
 lEIDXCE^] AMAEYLLIDACE^ DIOSCOEI- 
 LILllCE^] MELANTHlCEJE 
 
 " The Lily of the Vale, of flowers the queen, 
 
 Puts on the robe she neither sewed nor spun ; 
 The birds on ground, or on the branches green, 
 Hop to and fro, and glitter in the sun. 
 
 " Now is the time for those who wisdom love, 
 
 Who love to walk in Nature's flowery road, 
 Along the lovely paths of spring to rove, 
 And follow Nature up to Nature's God." 
 
 WE are now to begin the second great class of plants, the One- 
 loled class (Monocotyledonous). Here the seed-vessel does 
 not split, as in the members of the last class, but germinates 
 from the end. There is a second permanent mark of distinction 
 between the classes in the veining of the leaves, the veins being 
 disposed in a network fashion in the Two-lobed class, and in a 
 parallel one in the One-lobed class. A third point of distinc- 
 tion, and one even more valuable, because it can be examined 
 when seeds and leaves are both absent, is in the stem. The 
 trees of the Two-lobed class increase their wood by concentric 
 layers ; each year a new layer is added, and the whole is en- 
 veloped in the bark. These are called Exogens, because they 
 are outside growers. The bark consists of three parts the 
 outside skin, the solid part, and the inner bark. The two 
 inner parts often increase with such rapidity that the outer 
 cracks ; some trees throw off the bark from year to year. As 
 soon as a tree-seedling begins to grow a few inches high, the 
 centre of the stem becomes pith, and rays extend to the limits 
 of the skin ; then a layer is formed round the pith, and called 
 the sapwood, and layers are continually added to this during 
 all the growth of the tree. 
 Trees of the One-lobed class increase from ivithin, and are 
 
GROWTH OF ENDOGENS. 
 
 271 
 
 consequently called Endogenous. These have neither pith, 
 rays, nor concentric circles, nor any bark, properly so called, 
 only an outer skin. The bole of an endogenous tree consists 
 of a number of woody cells, interspersed with bundles of 
 fibres ; and as the stem lengthens, the leaves on its summit 
 send down more woody fibre, so that the tree becomes more 
 closely filled round the margin of the trunk, and the heart- 
 wood remains light ; on this account the wood of these trees is 
 of little value as timber (fig. B). The outer skin is capable of 
 
 A ^ B 
 
 A Transverse section of the stem of an Endogenous tree. 
 B Longitudinal section of the stem of an Endogenous tree. 
 
 distention, so that the tree bole does increase in size to some 
 extent, and the remains of the footstalks of the leaves help it 
 to increase in height, while the new leaves of each spring send 
 down fresh fibre to the trunk. 
 
 The third great class, the Lobeless, increase only by growing at 
 the top : hence they are called Acrogenous or summit-growers. 
 But we will not enter upon them at present. Our business of 
 to-day lies with the One-lobed class, with their horizontally- 
 veined leaves and inward-growing stems. Unfortunately our 
 British plants of this class are almost entirely humble herbs. 
 
 The first order in the One-lobed class is the Petaliflors. 
 Though characterised as thus, the petals are not always present, 
 but the parts of the flower are arranged in a circular form, 
 and the presence of petals seems to be provided for. 
 
272 HYDEOCHAEIDACE^!. 
 
 The first tribe in this order is the FEOGBIT order, in which 
 there are two families the Frogbits and the Water Soldiers. 
 Both families have the stamens and pistils on different plants ; 
 three sepals, and three petals. 
 
 The common Frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-rana, Plate XVL, 
 jig. 1), the one British member of the family, Fanny found in 
 ditches about Kenmoor, near Clevedon. The delicate white 
 flowers, which are very showy, grow three or four together, a 
 transparent sheath enclosing the little stems at their junction 
 with the main one. The leaves are pale, smooth, thick, and 
 heart-shaped. 
 
 The only time I have seen the "Water Soldier was in a pond 
 near Goostrey, in Cheshire. We had planned going to that 
 pond for some days, but there being a bull in the field where it 
 was, we waited till we could get the escort of a gentleman. On 
 reaching the pond our friend insisted on getting the plant for 
 us, and while taking it from the water he cut his hand deeply 
 with the sharp leaves ; he said afterwards that he had no idea 
 that botanising was so dangerous a pursuit. Dangerous is 
 certainly not too strong a word to apply to the leaves of the 
 Water Soldier ; they are like knives for sharpness, and the 
 points along the edges make them still more cruel. The flowers 
 grow two or three in a cluster, like the Frogbit, and the petals 
 are large and white ; the flower-stems have a sheath where 
 they join the principal one. The Water Soldier (Stratiotes 
 aloides, Plate XVL,fig. 2), grows in Duddingston Loch, near 
 Edinburgh, and in Clunie Loch, Perthshire. There is a great 
 difference between the two families in one respect, for the 
 Frogbit has only three stamens, and the Water Soldier above 
 twelve. The leaves of the latter plant are sword- shaped, and 
 dark green ; the flowers are half hidden among them. 
 
 The Valisnera family belongs to this group, but it has no 
 British representative. 
 
 Two members of the family are interesting : the Spiral 
 Valisneria, which has a coiled or spiral stalk, by which it can 
 
ANACHABIS. 273 
 
 adjust itself to any depth of water, so that its flower may float 
 on the surface, and afterwards contract, so as to draw down the 
 seed-vessel to ripen under water; and the Sugar Valisneria, 
 which is used to convey water to the sugar while undergoing 
 the process of refinement. 
 
 I must here draw your attention to a new and extraordinary 
 plant belonging to this family. The bargemen on the Faxton 
 Canal have called it "Water Thyme," and botanists have 
 gifted it with a name a yard long, Anacharis alsinastrum, 
 (Plate XVII.,fig. 1). I found it first during the midsummer 
 holidays, when we were frequenting the neighbourhood of the 
 Learn for the double purpose of boating and shell-seeking. 
 The water weed that we drew out in the hopes of finding 
 molluscs upon it had whorls of leaves in three, with fringed 
 edges. In vain I searched "Withering for the plant, none 
 answering the description could be found. It grows in such 
 abundance in that sluggish stream that we frequently got our 
 oars fast in it. For some time I cast about in vain for a history 
 of my new friend, and at last I found all about it in a paper 
 in " Chambers' Journal," entitled " Alarming Invasion." It 
 appears that the plant was first discovered in a Berwickshire 
 Loch in 1842, by Dr. Johnston ; but its fame died away until 
 Miss ICirby found it in the canal near Market Harborough in 
 1 847. By this time the weed, growing with marvellous rapidity, 
 had made its way out of Dunse Loch, where Dr. Johnston had 
 found it, and was travelling down the Whiteadder to join the 
 Tweed. In the same season a portion of it was discovered in 
 a tributary of the Trent, and in 1849 it was " forming large 
 submerged masses of a striking appearance" in the stream 
 itself, and many of the canals communicating with it. A year 
 afterwards it was discovered in the Cam, and in the course of a 
 few months it so blocked up that river that extra horses had to 
 be yoked to the barges to draw them through its masses. This 
 plant, like the Frogbit, has its male and female flowers on 
 separate plants, one only of which is found in Britain, though 
 
 T 
 
274 OECHIDACE2E. 
 
 both flourish freely in America. The minute flower has three 
 sepals, tinged with pink and green, three flat petals, and from 
 three to six stigmas. The footstalk is several inches in length, 
 with a sheath at the base. The leaves grow in threes, egg- 
 shaped, dark green, and sharply toothed, which causes them 
 to cling. A large quantity of silex is contained in the cells 
 along the margin of the leaf, which makes it so heavy that it 
 is rather inclined to sink than to float in water. From the 
 closely-clinging nature of the leaves they are often dragged 
 along, and portions of the stem thus broken off. Each whorl 
 has the power of rooting, and can grow as it travels down the 
 stream, without requiring to adhere to the mud at the sides or 
 bottom. It is a wicked and dangerous weed, and has been the 
 death of more than one bather; and fishermen detest it, because 
 it either drags away their lines altogether, or robs them both 
 of hook and bait. No one has yet been able clearly to ascertain 
 how the plant got into our British streams ; it is possible that 
 a seed or joint might have come in a crevice in the American 
 timber which was employed in the Watford Docks. From 
 hence the communication would be easy with the Oxford and 
 Leicestershire canals, the Trent, and its tributaries. It may 
 have spread into the Cam from the Botanical Gardens of 
 Cambridge; and as many other water-plants are known to 
 have been introduced into Dunse Loch, it is possible that this 
 may belong to their number, At all events botanists have no 
 hesitation in classing it among British flowers. 
 
 The OECHIS order succeed the Frogbits, and are a much more 
 numerous group. The flowers are arranged in a spike, and are 
 all perfect. The calyx has three sepals ; the corolla is divided 
 into three parts two petals, and a nectary or lip, the latter 
 often having a spur behind. In hot countries most of this 
 tribe are epiphytes, or parasites on other plants ; but in tem- 
 perate climates they grow, as with us, from the ground. They 
 delight in warmth and heat, and are seldom found in dry cold 
 places. They have generally only one anther, and instead of 
 stigmas they have a sticky cavity. The fragrant Yanilla, 
 
OBCHIS. 275 
 
 which gives so delicate a flavour to sweetmeats, is the produce 
 of an Orchis of that name ; and the Salep of commerce, which 
 is said to contain more nutriment than any other vegetable 
 substance, is merely dried Orchis roots reduced to powder. 
 Orchises are cultivated in the south of Europe for the pro- 
 duction of Salep, and our common Orchis is as well fitted as 
 any for the purpose. The beauty of the foreign Orchids, as 
 exhibited in our hothouses, needs no comment. The Orchis 
 family is the first in the tribe. 
 
 The common Purple Orchis (drchis mascula, Plate XVL, 
 Jig. 3), is familiar to us all, flowering early in May, and con- 
 trasting its rich spike of crimson-tinted blossoms with those 
 of the Cowslip and Primrose. Its leaf, all spotted with purple, 
 is very handsome. Its only drawback is its smell, which is 
 very disagreeable. 
 
 The Green-winged Orchis (O. morio), greatly resembles the 
 Purple one ; the general hue of the blossoms is the same, but 
 the two side sepals, instead of being coloured like the corolla, 
 are striped with green. The flowers are fewer, and the offensive 
 smell is quite absent. The leaves are of a light green, and not 
 spotted. I have found it in abundance in the county of Durham, 
 and Edward describes it as covering fields in Kent in June. 
 
 The Spotted Orchis (O. maculata), grows everywhere in 
 woods and field-borders. We have it from several counties. 
 Its spike is very crowded, and the little pale flowers are prettily 
 streaked and spotted with purple. Its leaves are spotted also, 
 but the markings are much smaller than in the leaves of the 
 Purple Orchis, and are more conspicuous, because of the paler 
 tint of the leaf. 
 
 Kent also produces the Butterfly Orchis (O. bifolia). It has a 
 very tall spike, and the flowers are placed at some distance from 
 one another ; this is a very good thing, for the lip is very long 
 and narrow, and the spur also, and they need some space, or they 
 would look quite confused. The colour of the flowers is creamy, 
 and the scent is most delightful. I have gathered it in great 
 abundance in hilly pastures both in Yorkshire and Cheshire. 
 
276 OECHIDACEJE. 
 
 The Pyramidal Orchis (O. pyramidalis), I found in moist 
 meadows in the county of Durham. The flowers are small, 
 and arranged in a crowded cone : they have more of a rose tint 
 than any other of our native Orchises. This flower has also an 
 agreeable scent. 
 
 The Marsh Orchis (O. latifolia), is a Swaledale trophy. The 
 spike is large and crowded, and the whole plant very strong. 
 The roots of this species and of the Spotted Orchis are palmate, 
 consisting of several elongated knobs. The Marsh Orchis has 
 pale green, unspotted leaves. 
 
 The Aromatic Orchis (O. conopsea), grows freely in meadows 
 about Thiernswood in Swaledale. Its spike is long, and less 
 crowded than those of the two last-named species. It has no 
 spots on its leaves, and its root also is palmate. It is exceed- 
 ingly fragrant. 
 
 The White Orchis (O. albida), has very small flowers, which 
 are closely packed in a narrow spike. It is scentless. 
 
 The Frog Orchis (O. viridis), has fewer and more scattered 
 flowers ; they are larger, and of a brownish-green. Both these 
 species grow in hilly pastures in Swaledale. 
 
 The Dwarf Orchis (O. ustulata), I found on the Wiltshire 
 downs, where it grows freely. I have also gathered it near 
 Sutton in the Hipon neighbourhood. The flower is white, and 
 the calyx blackened, which gives it a variegated appearance. 
 
 The Brown-winged Orchis grows in the chalky districts of 
 Kent, and the curious Monkey and Lizard Orchises are occa- 
 sionally found in similar districts, but are very rare. All 
 these species have two knobs to their root ; one of these pro- 
 duces the flower, and dies away afterwards ; in the meanwhile, 
 the other knob throws out an offset, which shall produce a 
 flower in its turn, and another knob when the present one 
 shall have performed its oflice in life, and decayed like its 
 predecessors. This peculiarity makes the plant move a little 
 every year, so that after several seasons are passed the place of 
 the Orchis is at some distance from that which it first occupied. 
 
OECHIS TWAYBLADE. 277 
 
 The Man Orchis (Aceras anthropophora), is a slender plant, 
 with little insignificant flowers, and no spur. Its colour is 
 greenish-white, with a yellow lip ; it also frequents chalky 
 ground. 
 
 The Musk Orchis (Hermmium monorchis), is a very small 
 plant, with a spike of a few green flowers, without spurs, and 
 which are very delicately scented. It favours chalky districts. 
 Wiltshire produces these two curious Insect Orchises. The 
 Fly Orchis (Ophrys muscifera, Plate XV L, fig. 4), looks like a 
 stem with flies crawling up it, and the Bee Orchis (0. apifera), 
 bears as close a similitude to a collection of bees. 
 
 The Spider and Drone Orchises are rare Kentish plants. 
 
 The generic name of this family of Insect Orchises is Ophrys, 
 signifying to blacken ; it is supposed that this is in allusion to 
 a custom of the Roman ladies of blackening their eyebrows 
 with these plants. 
 
 The Creeping Goodyera (Goodyera repens), is an Alpine 
 plant, with white spiral spikes. We have not found it. But 
 all the members of the Listera or Twayblade family are in my 
 hands. Their calyx is spreading, nearly flat, and without a spur. 
 
 The common Twayblade (Listera ovata), has two large coarse\ 
 leaves resembling those of the Greater Plantain, from between 
 I which the slender spike of insignificant green flowers ascends. / 
 ' It is frequent in all our woods, and often in the fields adjoining/ 
 Vthem. 
 
 The Heart-leaved Twayblade (L. cordata), is a very slender 
 plant ; its stem is a mere thread, and its tiny root seems to 
 take no hold of the earth, only to rest lightly among the dead 
 leaves and twigs. The small spike boasts eight or ten little 
 brown flowers, and the pair of light green heart-shaped leaves, 
 half way up the stem, form the principal part of the plant. 
 
 The Bird's-nest Listera (L. nidus-avis), is a curious plant, 
 almost like a Broom Rape. Its fleshy pale brown stem is 
 clothed with scales, and the calyx and corolla are of a uniform 
 brownish hue. There are no leaves, and the matted fibres of 
 
 ' 
 
278 OECHIDACEJE. 
 
 the root resemble a bird's nest. Both, these species grow in the 
 Swaledale woods ; this one is more frequent than the Heart- 
 leaved Twayblade, which I have only found in one place. 
 
 The Fragrant Lady's Tresses (JSTeottia spiralis), represents 
 the next family. It grows on the downs near Brixton Deverill, 
 in Wiltshire. The flowers are white, with green calyces and 
 bracts, and no spurs ; they all turn to one side, and the stem 
 twists. The odour is very delightful. 
 
 The Large White Helleborine (Epipactis grandiflora), grows 
 in woods in the Warminster neighbourhood. It is a tall plant, 
 . with a few large, white, half-open flowers. It is, I think, the 
 prettiest member of the Helleborine family. The leaves are 
 broad lance- shaped, and grow at intervals up the stem, which 
 is a foot high. 
 
 Here is the Broad-leaved Helleborine (E. latifolia) ; it comes 
 from a wood near Kenilworth. The spike is crowded with 
 flowers at first green, but becoming brown as they get older ; 
 they all turn to one side, and the ovate-pointed leaves clasp 
 the stem. It flowers a month later than the White species, 
 never opening its petals till August. 
 
 There is a Marsh Helleborine (E. paliistris), with beautiful 
 white flowers, which grows in a marsh near Skeeby, in the 
 Richmond neighbourhood. It is a noble plant. There are a 
 Narrow-leaved Helleborine, and a Purple Helleborine ; the two 
 first have white flowers, and the last purple ones. We are not 
 fortunate enough to have specimens of any of them ; they are 
 all rare plants. 
 
 The same may be said of the two members of the Bog Orchis 
 family, the last in the Orchis tribe ; they have spreading petals 
 and no spur. The Two-leaved species (Malaxis Loeselii),is peculiar 
 to Ireland and Jersey ; the Least Bog Orchis to Ireland alone. 
 
 The IBIS order comes next, and includes, besides the family of 
 its own name, those of the Ixia and the Crocus. The various 
 hues in the flower have procured for the Iris its name, and it 
 has many interesting associations. Our common garden Iris is 
 
IEIS WATEE FLAG. 279 
 
 the Fleur de Lis which Louis VII. adopted as his heraldic 
 emblem when he set out on the Crusade ; it is still the flower 
 of France. I remember a rather ludicrous mistake, arising 
 from a confusion of terms and significations, when we were 
 visiting the Staubbach waterfall in Switzerland. The torrent 
 falls over a beetling precipice of an immense height, and 
 spreads into a sheet of spray ere it reaches the ground. Up 
 to mid-day the rays of the sun fall upon this misty cloud, and 
 paint it with rainbow tints. We were a little delayed upon the 
 road, and an intelligent little girl of our party betrayed great 
 impatience. I inquired the cause, and she replied, " Oh, if you 
 don't get there soon we shall not see the great Water Lily ! I 
 have read in a book called ' Leila,' that there is a Lily by the 
 Staubbach so large that she stood under it, and it can't be seen 
 after twelve o'clock." "Are you sure the book did not say 
 Iris?" I inquired. "I believe it did," was the reply; "but 
 is not the Iris a Lily ?" The poor child was sadly disappointed 
 to find that her expected Lily was but a kind of a Rainbow. 
 Imaginative people charge the poor Iris with the changeable - 
 ness of its prototypes, and the poet Locke is one of these 
 
 " The ever-changeful Iris there 
 I charge thee not to bring !" 
 
 The root of a Florentine Iris yields the perfume which we 
 call Orris-root. In Britain we have only two wild species of 
 Iris, both of which Lave three stamens and one stigma, and the 
 corolla is in six petals. 
 
 A The Yellow Iris or Water Flag (Iris pseudacorus, Plate XVI.\ 
 I Jig. 5), is very common in swampy places, and the margin of J 
 / ponds and rivers. It is a stately plant, with sword-shaped/ 
 1 glaucous leaves, and well deserves its French name "La Flambe 
 aquatique." Macgillivray states that the root is recommended 
 as a cure for toothache, and that it is used for dyeing black in 
 the Hebrides. Dr. George Johnstone says the berries are a 
 good substitute for coffee. 
 I have the second species, politely called the Stinking Iris 
 
 -// 
 
280 IEIDACEJS. 
 
 (I. foetidissima). It grows freely in Devonshire, frequenting 
 thickets in many places. My specimen came from near Exeter. 
 Its petals are pale and beautifully veined with purple. Its 
 leaves are sword-shaped, and of a brighter green than those of 
 its brother ; and its seed-pod is very beautiful, showing, on 
 bursting, a gar assembly of bright orange seeds. 
 
 Our one British member of the Ixia family (fxia bulbo- 
 codium), grows also in Devonshire. I have it from Dawlish 
 Common. It somewhat resembles a minute Crocus, but the 
 flower bends slightly downwards. There are five petals, .three 
 stigmas, and one style. The corolla is pale lilac, with a green 
 tint towards the base. It is one of our rarest British plants. 
 
 The Crocus family is the last in this tribe which has British 
 representatives. Some friends of mine who know the Ionian 
 Islands describe the Crocuses as colouring acres of ground there 
 with their golden and purple hue ; but they are rare plants 
 in England, and some called native species are very doubtfully 
 indigenous. 
 
 The G-olden Crocus (Crocus aiireus, Plate XVI., Jig. 6), is a 
 familiar and welcome ornament to our gardens, opening its 
 glorious blossoms as soon as the snow has departed. It has 
 been found wild in Suffolk, but my specimens are garden ones. 
 The poet interprets its feelings very pleasantly. 
 
 " Down in the darkness under the snow, 
 
 Where nothing cheering can reach me, 
 Here without light to see how to grow 
 
 I'll trust to nature to teach me. 
 " I will not be cross, or idle, or frown, 
 
 Locked up in so gloomy a dwelling ; 
 My leaves shall shoot up, and my root shall shoot down, 
 
 While the bud in my bosom is swelling. 
 " Soon from my heart shall gay petals diverge, 
 
 Like rays cf the sun from their focus ; 
 I from the darkness of earth shall emerge 
 
 A happy and beautiful Crocus. 
 " Now, while you admire my leaves and my flower, 
 
 I pray you my counsel to follow, 
 If patient to-day, in your gloomiest hour, 
 You'll come out the brighter to-morrow." 
 
CROCUS DAFFODIL. 281 
 
 The Saffron Crocus lias a lilac blossom. The stamens form 
 the saffron of commerce. The plant used to be cultivated to a 
 great extent in the neighbourhood of Saffron Waldon, thereby 
 giving the name to the place. Women were employed to gather 
 the flowers just before they were ready to expand ; they then 
 carried them home and took out the stamens. An acre of 
 ground produced two pounds of dried saffron the first year, and 
 twelre during the two second years ; after that the bulbs 
 required to be renewed. The saffron is no longer used in 
 dyeing, as the colour so soon fades. It is still an ingredient in 
 confectionary, especially on the Continent and in Turkey ; and 
 it is employed in medicine, but the demand for it being less, 
 the article is very little, if at all, cultivated in England. 
 
 The Purple Spring Crocus (C. vernus), resembles the Saf- 
 fron, but instead of golden stigmas it has them of a pale 
 lemon colour. It flowers in March. My specimen was sent 
 from Norfolk. 
 
 Edward has the Naked-flowered Crocus from Warwickshire. 
 There are meadows about Warwick that are quite gay with its 
 lilac blossoms in October ; and, late though it be, the leaves 
 are still later in appearing than the flowers. 
 
 I believe the Gladioli of our gardens belong to this tribe, 
 as do also the useful plants which produce the Ginger, common 
 Arrowroot, and Tous-les-mois of commerce. 
 
 The AMARYLLIS order succeeds that of the Iris. In this order 
 the flowers have three petals, and three coloured sepals ; their 
 stamens are generally six in number. Beautiful as are the 
 flowers of this tribe, the roots of many of them contain 
 dangerous poisons. In some species this poisonous quality can 
 be dissipated by heat, and then the farinaceous substance 
 which remains forms wholesome food for animals or man. The 
 arrowroot of Chili is an example of this. 
 
 The first family in the tribe is the Narcissus family. 
 / The common Daffodil, or Lent Lily, is by rights a Narcissus I 
 /(Narcissus pseudo-narcissus, Plate XVI., jig, 7). I have/ 
 
282 AMABYLLIDACE.E. 
 
 gathered this favourite spring flower growing wild in abundance \ 
 near Little Ouseburn, in Yorkshire, in many parts of Hereford- / 
 shire, and Edward describes it as half covering fields and groves J 
 in Kent. This surely was the manner in which those grew 
 whiclj. Wordsworth describes : 
 
 " I wandered lonely as a cloud 
 
 That floats on high o'er vales and hills, 
 '1/1 si LjL^il .When all at once I saw a crowd 
 
 A host of golden Daffodils, 
 
 Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 
 
 Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. 
 " The waves beside them danced, but they 
 
 Outdid the sparkling waves in glee ; 
 
 A poet could not but be gay 
 
 In such a jocund company; 
 
 I gazed, and gazed, but little thought 
 
 What wealth to me the show had brought 
 " For oft when on my couch I lie, 
 
 In vacant or in pensive mood, 
 
 They flash upon that inward eye 
 
 Which is the bliss of solitude ; 
 
 And then my heart with pleasure fills, 
 
 And dances with the Daffodils." 
 
 Herrick, too, loved the Daffodils, and likened their early 
 fading to the shortness of human life : 
 
 " Fair Daffodils, we weep to see 
 
 You haste away so soon ; 
 As yet the early-rising sun 
 Has not attained his noon. 
 
 Stay, stay, 
 Until the hastening day 
 
 Has run \ 
 
 But to the even-song; i 
 
 And, having prayed together, we J 
 
 Will go with you along. 
 ' * ' ' 
 
 " We have short time to stay, like you ; 
 
 We have as short a spring ; 
 As quick a growth to meet decay 
 As you, or anything. 
 
 We die, 
 As your hours do, and dry 
 
 Away, 
 
 Like to the summer's rain, 
 Or as the pearls of morning dew, 
 Ne'er to be found again." 
 
NARCISSUS SNOWDROP. Z83 
 
 We used to love the Daffodils when we were little children, 
 and sing to them on their first appearing : 
 
 " Daffydowndilly, just come from town, 
 With a yellow petticoat and a green gown." 
 
 There are two other species of Narcissus ; one, the Poet's 
 Narcissus, has pure white petals, and a yellow nectary-cup in 
 the centre, with a crimped red edge. The whiteness of the 
 blossom is a puzzle to me, for in Ovid's story it is called 
 yellow. 
 
 " Narcissus on the grassy verdure lies ; 
 And, whilst within the crystal fount he tries 
 To quench his heat, new heats arise ; 
 For, as his own bright image he surveyed, 
 He fell in love with the fantastic shade." 
 
 So then, as the fable goes, he pines for the love of his own 
 shadow, and at length dies, and Echo and the nymphs mourn 
 
 for him. 
 
 " And now the sister nymphs prepare his urn; 
 "When, looking for the corpse, they only found 
 A rising stalk with yellow blossoms crown'd." 
 
 Other classic authorities declare the Narcissus of fable to 
 be purple, so it is evident that, unless our colder climate 
 has bleached the blossom, our "Poet's Narcissus" cannot be 
 identical with that of Ovid. I have found the plant wild in 
 Durham, near the margin of a pond, and one specimen near 
 Eoss. It is a welcome flower in our gardens. 
 /* The Two-flowered Narcissus is even more fragrant than the 
 / Poet's Narcissus. It is cream colour, with a yellow nectary. 
 yj[ found it wild in the Gallow Fields near Eichmond. ~?/l* *} i^c/ 
 The Snowdrop family is the next in order. ryc) 6 
 
 We have only one native member of it (Galanthus nivalis). 
 There is a copse near Eipon, called Skelcrooks, where Snow- 
 drops used to grow in great abundance. We made several 
 expeditions thither to get the bulbs to plant in our gardens, 
 and it was a regular spring treat to go and see the Snowdrops. 
 Westwood's idea of the mission of this lovely plant is very- 
 pretty : 
 
284 AMABYLLIDACE^. 
 
 " The Snowdrop is the herald of the flowers, 
 Sent with its small white flag of truce to plead 
 For its beleaguered brethren. Suppliantly 
 It prays stern Winter to withdraw his troop 
 Of wild and blustering storms; and having won 
 A smile of promise from his pitying face, 
 Returns to tell the issue of its errand 
 To the expectant host." 
 
 Every one hails the Snowdrop with delight. The weary 
 winter is passed, and its stern hand has bowed down many a 
 beloved head whose hope of health is dependant on the coming 
 of spring. A few of these pale blossoms carried to the sick bed, 
 or placed beside the worn invalid, bring with them fresh hopes 
 of new-sprung courage. Children rejoice in the white buds, 
 and in their rapid sanguine nature feel that hosts of bright 
 flowers will be open on the morrow, for that the spring has 
 come indeed. There is a legend of the Snowdrop, a merely 
 fanciful one, but very pretty. It describes the wonder and 
 grief of Eve at first seeing a snow storm ; an angel comes to 
 comfort her, assures her that spring will return again, and 
 catching some flakes of snow he turns them into flowers, as a 
 pledge of the truth of his promise. 
 
 " The angel's visit being ended, 
 Up to Heaven he flew ; 
 But where he first descended, 
 And where he bade the earth adieu, 
 A ring of Snowdrops formed a posy 
 Of pallid flowers, whose leaves, unrosy, 
 Waved like a winged argosy, 
 Whose climbing mast above the sea, 
 Spread fluttering sail and streamer free." 
 
 There is still one family left for us to consider the Snow- 
 flake family. 
 
 We have only one British species, the Summer Snowflake 
 (Leucojum sestivum). It closely resembles the Snowdrop, but 
 its stem is taller, and bears several flowers in a cluster, and the 
 sword-shaped leaf is bright green, not glaucous. My specimen 
 was gathered beside the Dever, in Wilts, but I am not certain 
 
BBYONY LILY. 285 
 
 of its being wild. It is indigenous in Surrey. The roots both 
 of the Snowdrop and Lent Lily are poisonous. 
 
 The YAM order succeeds that of the Snowflake, and of this 
 we have but one British representative. A foreign member of 
 the order, from which indeed it takes its name, is the Yam, the 
 root of which is edible, and resembles in flavour a sweet 
 Potato. It forms a very important article of food both in the 
 East and West Indies. 
 
 Our British member is the Black Bryony (Tamus communis), 
 a climbing plant, with heart-shaped, shining green leaves, and 
 long clusters of pale green flowers. The blooms on the barren 
 plant have six stamens. The fruitful plant is a beautiful object 
 in autumn, with its large clusters of scarlet berries and twining 
 stems wreathing the shrubs in the grove or hedgerow. It 
 abounds in the neighbourhood of Hawkhurst, and is equally 
 common in Yorkshire. 
 
 The Herb Paris, or True Love (Paris quadrifolia), flourishes 
 in the Eichmond and Swaledale woods. The four leaves placed 
 in a whorl make a fanciful representation of a true-love knot : 
 hence the name True Love. The plant has no leaves, except 
 those in the whorl upon the stem, and these are generally four 
 in number, but they vary to five, or even six, occasionally. The 
 flower is green, with four long green petals, and eight stamens. 
 The fruit is a large black berry, and is very unwholesome, not 
 to say poisonous. This is the only British plant of the tribe. 
 
 The LILY order comes next, and numbers some of the most 
 beautiful plants in the world among its members. Our British 
 representatives are the least showy of the tribe, though many 
 of them do not lack beauty. There . are useful members also, 
 British as well as foreign. The Aloe belongs to this tribe ; it 
 was used by the ancients both for embalming their dead and 
 decorating their funerals. Kicodemus brought "a mixture of 
 myrrh and aloes" to embalm the body of our Lord; and 
 Solomon ranks the Aloe among spices : " spikenard and saffron, 
 calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense ; myrrh 
 
286 LILIACE.E. 
 
 and Aloes, with all the chief spices." The intoxicating liquor 
 called Pulque, in which the Mexicans delight, is drawn from 
 an American species of Aloe. A valuable medicine is obtained 
 from the Aloe. The Maritime Squill yields also an important 
 drug. The Hemp plants of Africa, America, and New Zea- 
 land also belong to this order. The two former are made into 
 articles of clothing, and of the latter bridges are formed, and 
 ropes, &c. The Leeks of Egypt, after which the carnal 
 Israelites longed, are members of the Lily tribe ; also the 
 Eschallot of Asia Minor, the Garlic of Sicily, and the Onion 
 of all countries. 
 
 The first family in this tribe is the Asparagus (Asparagus 
 officinalis). Its chief British home is Asparagus Island, opposite 
 Kynance Cove, Cornwall; but Fanny could not go there, so 
 we have no specimen. The family is easily recognised by the 
 narrow leaves, which fall off as soon as they begin to fade, 
 and by the scarlet berries. Our edible Asparagus is a native 
 of the Crimea, and is also wild in Siberia and in Japan. 
 
 The Butcher's Broom family is the second in the tribe. 
 Our one representative is the nearest approach to a tree which 
 we have in our British One-lobed class (Eiiscus aculeatus). 
 It is a curious little shrub, with very stiff sharp -pointed 
 leaves, which butchers used to stick about their meat, in the 
 expectation that the flies would spear themselves upon them. 
 The flowers grow from the centre of the leaf, and are followed 
 by sessile scarlet berries. The male and female flowers are 
 on different plants. My specimens are from a garden, for I 
 have never found the Butcher's Broom wild. 
 
 Yorkshire has the honour of contributing the Lily of the 
 Valley (Convallaria majalis, Plate XVL, fig. 8), the favourite 
 member of the family to which it gives its name. I have 
 wild specimens from woods near Thornton, and from Studley, 
 in the Eipon neighbourhood ; but never did I see Lilies of the 
 Valley in such profusion as in the woods about Weinheim in 
 the Duchy of Baden. The plant grows very freely in Wilts, 
 
LILY OF THE VALLEY SQUILL. 287 
 
 in a part of the ancient forest of Selwood, now called Sowley 
 Wood, and the friendly people in the neighbourhood make 
 parties every year to go and gather them. These excursions 
 they call Lily 1?ics. I accompanied one of these rambles ; there 
 were plenty of Lilies, and their blossoms seemed more graceful, 
 and their fragrance more charming than in our garden speci- 
 mens. The woods about Dunkeld and Blairgowrie produce 
 abundance of this favourite flower. I agree wholly in the 
 opinion of the Scotch poet 
 
 " Sweet flower o* the vailey wi' blossoms o' sna', 
 
 And green leaves that turn the cauld blast frae their stems 
 Bright emblem of goodness, thy beauties I lo'e 
 
 Aboon the king's coronet circled wi* gems. 
 There's nae tinsel abont thee to mak' thee mair bright ; 
 
 Sweet Lily, thy loveliness a' is thine ain, 
 And thy bonnie bells dangling sae pure and sae light, 
 Proclaim thee the fairest o' Flora's bright train." 
 
 The seed of the Lily of the Valley is a scarlet berry, and the 
 spikes of these almost vie with the flowers in beauty. 
 
 In jS'orridge Wood, in the same district, I found the waxen 
 bells, tipped with green, of the common Solomon's Seal. The 
 plant grows two feet high, its broad leaves clasp the stem, and 
 are ranged alternately the whole length of it ; two or three 
 drooping flowers are placed at each axil. The whole plant has 
 a drooping form. It grows, also, in the woods about Looe, in 
 Cornwall. There is a species with angular stalks and large 
 solitary flowers, and another with narrow whorled leaves ; but 
 I have found no specimens of either. 
 
 The Squill family is the next in succession ; they are pretty 
 plants, with blue or lilac blossoms arranged in a spike or 
 cluster. 
 
 Beautiful specimens of the Vernal Squill (Scilla verna), were 
 sent to me from the Isle of Man, and it abounds on the coast 
 of Cornwall. The flowers are bright blue, in a full cluster, and 
 the numerous thread-shaped leaves rise all around the stem. 
 
 The Autumnal Squill (S. autumnalis), has a more lilac hue, 
 and it is a stronger plant. These specimens are from Torquay ; 
 
208 LILIACE.E. 
 
 it is to be found all along the coast of Devon and Cornwall 
 It expands its blossoms early in the autumn, and the leaves 
 spring when the flowers have faded. 
 
 The Two-leaved Squill (S. bifolia,j%. 4), is the prettiest of 
 the set ; it has a few bright flowers arranged in a spike, and 
 the turn of the stem is very graceful. Its two leaves are broader 
 than those of the other species, and often tinged with crimson. 
 My specimens are from a garden. 
 
 The Wild Hyacinth (Hyacinthus nonscriptus, Plate XVI., 
 jig. 9), abounds in woods in spring. I have never visited a 
 locality where it was not to be found. People will call it 
 "Bluebell;" and certainly its flower is bell-shaped and blue; 
 but the true " Bluebell" is. the Harebell. The bulb of the 
 Wild Hyacinth grows very deep into the ground ; its flowers 
 have six petals and six stamens ; and the whole plant abounds 
 in a thick juice which was formerly expressed to make starch. 
 The roots are unwholesome, and when used in mistake for 
 Onions have caused serious illness. All my Yorkshire speci- 
 mens are blue ; but I have them of pink and white from that 
 delightful remnant of Selwood Forest. The Latin name means 
 not written. There is an old legend that " Ai (alas) " was deci- 
 pherable on the Hyacinth leaves, but this species lacks the 
 markings which in others were ingeniously construed into 
 letters, and is, therefore, the "Unwritten species." I fancy 
 that Percy Bysse Shelley must have been at a " Lily Pic," and 
 gathered the Hyacinth of three colours, for he writes 
 
 " And the Hyacinth purple, and white, and blue, 
 Which flung from its bells a sweet peal anew 
 Of music so delicate, soft, and intense, 
 It was felt like an odour within the sense." 
 
 It must have been of the pink variety that the story is told, or 
 more probably of a deeply-tinted foreign species ; it states that 
 Apollo, " a being fraught with all earth's richest gifts," was 
 bound in a close friendship with young Hyacinthus. Zephyr 
 loved Hyacinthus too ; but Hyacinthus had no room in his heart 
 
STAE OF BETHLEHEM. 289 
 
 for any one but Apollo. Zephyr became mad with jealousy and 
 hate, and murdered Hyacinthus. Then Apollo 
 
 " Made this scarlet flower 
 Spring from the dismal flood, and on its leaves 
 Impressed the words of grief, Ai, Ai ! " 
 
 / There is a Starch Hyacinth (Muscari racemosus), which \ 
 / yields more starch than the wild Hyacinth. The spike of 
 / flowers resembles a miniature cluster of Grapes ; they have a / 
 V scent like starch. It grows in several places about Edinburgh, / 
 and also in a valley near Durham ; but as it is generally found 
 where old gardens have stood, there is much doubt of its 
 being a wild flower. yf/^A W-< 2fib-U^ /l*lL- far t^y J >. 
 
 The Star of Bethlehem Tamily comes next. It has fqr ' 
 members three with white, and one with yellow flowers ; 
 six petals, more or less, tinted with green on the outside, six 
 stamens, and no calyx. 
 
 The common Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), 
 is a familiar plant in gardens, its pure white clusters of stars 
 appearing before the leaves. I found it growing freely in 
 fields near Goostrey, in Cheshire, flowering early in May. 
 The blossoms close towards evening. 
 
 " Pale as a pensive cloistered nun, ' 
 
 The Bethlehem Star her face unveils 
 
 When o'er the mountain peers the sun, 
 
 But hides it from the vesper gales." 
 
 The Drooping Star of Bethlehem (O. niitans), is a beautiful 
 plant ; the large half-closed flowers hang from either side the 
 tall stem. The buds are greatly tinged with green, and little 
 stripes and stains of it remain upon the mature flower, adding 
 to the beauty of the intense white of the petals. I first saw the 
 plant in the botanical gardens at Edinburgh, and was eager to 
 make interest with the officials for a specimen ; but since I have 
 found it wild near Fawcett, in the North Eiding of Yorkshire. 
 
 My specimen of the Tall Star of Bethlehem (O. pyrenaicum, 
 Plate XVI., fig. 11), comes from Freshford, in the Bath neigh- 
 
290 LILIACE.E. 
 
 bourhood. The young buds were formerly sold as pot-herbs 
 in the Bath market ; it is very abundant in that district. The 
 plants sent to me were upwards of a foot high, and the flowers 
 were thickly set upon the stem for half its length. The petals 
 have a cream- coloured hue, and are tipped with green ; they 
 are narrower than in the other species, and the flowers smaller. 
 The general expression of the spike reminds one of a Butterfly 
 Orchis. It blooms in June and July. 
 
 The Yellow Star of Bethlehem (O. liiteum), grows in fields 
 off Wicliffe Lane, near Bipon. It is a smaller plant than any 
 of its brethren, and has a pair of leaves set on with its flower- 
 cluster as well as from the root. But few flowers grow in each 
 cluster ; they are yellow within and green on the outside. This 
 species flowers earlier than its companions. We used to gather 
 it when seeking for Sweet Violets in April. 
 
 Of the Garlic family we have very few species. 
 
 The Great Hound-headed Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum), 
 grows on the Steep Holmes. The Sand and Mountain Garlics 
 (A. arenarium and A. carinatum), I have never seen ; these 
 three species have flat leaves. 
 
 The Streaked Field Garlic, and the Crow Garlic (A. oleraceum 
 and A. vineale), have roundish leaves ; the latter I have found 
 both at Clevedon and near Warminster. It has a round head 
 often bearing bulbs as well as flowers ; and, in common with all 
 those species I have named, it has one or two long leaves upon 
 its tall stem (A. vineale, Plate XVI., jig. 10). 
 
 The Broad-leaved Garlic (A. ursinum), is by far the prettiest 
 member of the family. Its flowers are white, very much resem- 
 bling a Star of Bethlehem, and they grow in an umbel. I have 
 seen people, unaccustomed to wild flowers, spring upon it with 
 great delight and gather a handful of its blooms, praising their 
 beauty all the while ; but then comes the recoil the Garlic 
 scent is overpowering, and everything that touches the plant 
 is strongly perfumed by it. A friend of mine who, though 
 delicate in health, is perfectly free from any affectation, and is 
 
FRITILLABY TULIP. 291 
 
 an eager botanist, had a piece of this Broad-leaved Garlic 
 brought to her in a glass of water to paint. Before she had been 
 engaged many minutes with her sketch she became so sick that 
 it was necessary to remove the plant, or she would have fainted. 
 It is very common in woods. This and the Chive Garlic have 
 both naked stalks ; the stem is triangular or shaped like an awl. 
 
 The Chive Garlic (A. schcenoprasum), grows on the coast of 
 Cornwall, but Fanny did not find it. It has a round stem, and 
 a cluster of purple flowers. It is often cultivated for the sake 
 of its leaves, which make an agreeable pot-herb. 
 
 This specimen of Fritillary comes from Oxford, where it 
 grows freely in meadows. It has a stem about a foot high, with 
 two or three grass-shaped glaucous leaves growing upon it, and 
 at the end a large drooping bell formed of six petals all dappled 
 with chocolate, and white, and green. Old Gerarde calls it 
 " the Chequered Daffodil," and describes it as having " narrow 
 grassy leaves, among which there riseth up a stalk three hands 
 high, having at the top a flower of six leaves, chequered most 
 strangely, surpassing the most curious painting that art can set 
 down" (Fritillaria meleagris). 
 
 The Tulip is the next family in the Amaryllis order, and it is 
 a scarce plant. It is found sparingly in the vicinity of Knares- 
 borough, and I have had specimens from Suffolk, and near 
 Marlborough, in Wilts. It is a gorgeous flower of six large 
 bright yellow petals. Like our garden Tulips, it is bell-shaped 
 at first, but opens wide like a star before falling. The broad 
 glaucous leaves resemble those of the garden species. 
 
 We now pass on to the Meadow Saffron Tribe, which consists 
 in two families, each having but one member. 
 
 The Meadow Saffron (Colchicum autumnale, Plate XVI.), is 
 a very pretty plant, adorning the pastures in the autumn with 
 its multitude of Crocus-like flowers. It differs from the Crocus 
 in having six stamens instead of three ; it has also six lilac 
 petals and no calyx. The seed remains concealed underground 
 during the winter, and in the spring the capsules appear, 
 
292 JUNCACE2E. 
 
 along with, the large bright green leaves. These capsules are 
 gathered to be sold to the druggist ; and from them a powerful 
 medicine is prepared, which is very useful in cases of gout and 
 rheumatic affections. The Meadow Saffron grows abundantly 
 in fields between Eipon and Aldfield, and in similar pastures in 
 Swaledale ; and Edward reports an equal abundance around 
 Warwick. Cattle avoid this plant, and the French evidently 
 suppose that it poisons dogs, as they call it " Mort aux chiens." 
 
 The Scottish Asphodel (Tofieldia palustris), is the one repre- 
 sentative of its family ; it grows four or five inches high, and 
 its small yellowish flowers are arranged in an oval head. We 
 have no specimens of it. 
 
 The Hush order, with its three families of Eushes, Wood 
 Hushes, and Asphodel, comes next. Few account the Rushes 
 an interesting family, but we have a good opinion of them on 
 our Yorkshire moors. When land is forming on boggy ground 
 the Eush is a great assistance. Wherever it gets hold the earth 
 becomes consolidated round it, and when you get into a swamp, 
 and do not know where to step, fearing that the inviting moss 
 will sink under your feet, you have only to descry a cluster of 
 Eushes, and you know that there is a safe footing ; or, as the 
 country people say, " there is a bottom." 
 
 The common Eush (Jiincus conglomeratus), with its dense 
 head of flowers diverging from the stalk, is familiar to all ; and 
 the Soft Eush (J. effusus), with its branched panicle, is scarcely 
 less frequent. I have found these on wet ground wherever I 
 have been. 
 
 Of the Eushes with leafy stems I have three species. 
 
 The Moss Eush (J. squarrosus), I found at Brimham Eocks. 
 It has no leaf till very near the base of the stem, and its 
 branched cluster of flowers have bright yellow stamens. It has 
 numerous channelled leaves growing in tufts from the root. 
 
 The Sharp-flowered Jointed Eush (J. acutiflorus), has joints 
 in the stem, and grows in woody places. It is a larger plant 
 than the last. 
 
BUSH FIELD BUSH. 293 
 
 The Shining-fruited Jointed Rush (J. lampocarpus), is distin- 
 guished by its large polished capsules. I found it near Little 
 Ouseburn. 
 
 The Toad Rush (J. bufonius), is a branched plant, with slen- 
 der stems, and leaves at the branches. The petals, or rather 
 sepals for the Rushes have a calyx but no corolla are of a 
 white membrane, with little green veins up them. In the full 
 sunshine flowers expand, and then they look like tiny stars. 
 The ditches by the roadsides in Kent abound with it. 
 
 Often the little Round-fruited Rush (J. compressus), grows 
 along with the Toad Rush. Its stars are brown, and its stem 
 and leaves stiff. Both these species have leafy stalks. 
 
 The Mud Rush (J. ccenosus), Fanny found at Clevedon. It 
 is about four inches high, with a branched cluster of flowers, 
 and crimson stamens. 
 
 The Bog Rush (J. uliginosus), is a very delicate little plant, 
 the smallest in the family. The stem is leafy, and bulbous at 
 the base. The flowers are in heads, about three together; each 
 plant has a very few heads. Fanny found it near the Loe Pool, 
 in Cornwall. 
 
 The Hard Rush (J. glaucus), is slender, tough, and glaucous. 
 Its panicle is smaller than that of the Soft Rush, and grows 
 lower down in the naked stalk. 
 
 I believe I was wrong when I said the Bog Rush was the 
 least species. It is the smallest with a leafy stem, but the 
 Alpine Rush is the least of all. 
 
 There are also a Great Sea Rush and a Lesser Sea Rush 
 (J. acutus and J. maritimus), with naked stems ; but I have no 
 specimens of them. 
 
 Among the leafy-stemmed Rushes there are the Three-leaved 
 Rush, frequenting Alpine bogs ; the Slender-spreading Rush, 
 a native of Scotch mountains ; the Dense-headed Rush, an in- 
 habitant of Jersey; and the Blunt-flowered Rush, living in 
 marshes. We have no specimens of any of these. 
 
 There are six Wood Rushes, and four of them are common. 
 
284 
 
 The Field Wood Eush (Liizula campestris), opens its brown 
 stars and displays its yellow anthers in our hilly pastures early 
 in the spring. All the family have broadish grassy leaves, with 
 long down upon them. 
 
 The Broad-leaved Hairy Wood Rush (L. pilosa), is rather a 
 larger plant, and lighter in form. It adorns the woods whilst its 
 brother is decorating the fields, and is equally common with us. 
 
 The Narrow-leaved species (L. Forsteri), is very slender, 
 much more scarce, but favours our woods occasionally. 
 
 The Great Wood Eush (L. sylvatica), is very common with 
 us. Its matted clusters of pale green leaves form thick plats, 
 and remain like a deep covering of straw when the flowers 
 are quite dead. The stem grows a foot high, with a handsome 
 panicle of starry brown flowers. The whole plant is downy. 
 
 There are a Spiked Wood Eush, and a Curved Mountain 
 Wood Eush (L. spicata and L. arcuata), but we have not found 
 them. 
 
 The Bog Asphodel family has only one British member, and 
 it is termed, not very suitably, the Lancashire Bog Asphodel 
 (Narthecium ossifragum, Plate XVI., fig. 12). I first saw 
 this plant at Eudd Heath, in Cheshire, and I have since found 
 it among Ling on the Swaledale hills in great abundance ; so 
 that, though it may be a native of Lancashire, I know it to be 
 a native of at least two other counties, and the abundance of 
 its spikes of rose-coloured seed-vessels which I saw spangling 
 the wet ground in the Highlands shows it to belong to Scotland 
 too. The flowers have six petals of a golden yellow colour, and 
 the stamens are beautifully fringed, with orange anthers upon 
 their summits. The blossoms are arranged in a spike two 
 inches long, the whole stem measuring five or six inches. The 
 leaves are sword- shaped, and wrapping over each other, and 
 there is a bract in the middle of the stem, and another near its 
 base. The root is creeping and fibrous, and the general hue of 
 the plant a glaucous green. It is a very pretty plant, and has 
 an excellent effect when contrasted with the dark purple Ling 
 
BOG ASPHODEL. 
 
 295 
 
 and white tufts of Cotton Grass. It is interesting, too, as 
 belonging to the family of the Asphodel, so famous among the 
 ancients, branches of which graced their funerals and were 
 planted over their graves. It still abounds in the plains of 
 Apulea. Homer and many other of the classic writers speak 
 of it. It is a native of Sicily, and was supposed to abound on 
 the further side of Acheron, watered by Lethe's stream. Pope 
 introduces it in his Ode on St. Cecilia's day : 
 
 " By the streams that ever flow, 
 By the fragrant winds that blow 
 
 O'er the Elysian flowers ; 
 By those happy souls who dwell 
 In yellow meads of Asphodel, 
 Or amaranthine bowers." 
 
CHAPTEE XVII. 
 
 BUTOMlCE^ ALISMACE^E JTOCAGINACE^a TYPH- 
 ICE^E AEiCE^] ACOElCE^ LEMMCE^ N AID- 
 ACE^ 
 
 " And nearer to the river's trembling edge 
 There grew broad Flag flowers, purple prankt with white, 
 And starry river -buds among the Sedge ; 
 And floating Water Lilies, broad and bright, 
 Which lit the Oak that overhung the hedge 
 With moonlight beams of their own watery light ; 
 And Bullrushes, and Reeds of such deep green 
 As soothed the dazzled eye with sober sheen." 
 
 PERCY BYSSHE SHELLET. 
 
 WE have now but a few orders of plants before we come to the 
 Glumaceous order, of which the Grasses are the prevailing 
 members. Of these intervening families the most part are 
 water plants. The first order is that of the FLO WEEING 
 SUSH ; it has but one British representative. This, and the 
 order succeeding it, are distinguished by having both calyx 
 and corolla. 
 
 The Flowering Eush (Butomus umbellatus, Plate XVII. , 
 fig. 2), is a very stately plant, growing four or five feet high, 
 with long triangular leaves. The flowers grow in a terminal 
 umbel, at least twelve in each cluster ; they have three crimson 
 sepals, three rose-coloured petals, nine stamens, and six styles. 
 It is the only British plant with nine stamens. The flowers 
 are as large as those of the Marsh Marigold. Old writers 
 speak of it as " the Grassie Eush." It grows freely in the 
 Avon between Warwick and Guy's Cliff, and it is an ornament 
 of the ponds at Longleat, the seat of the Marquis of Bath. 
 
 The WATEB PLANTAIN order is the second gifted both with 
 calyx and corolla ; it contains two families the Water Plantain 
 
WATEE PLANTAIN AEEOWHEAD. 297 
 
 and the Arrowhead. The former have three sepals and three 
 petals, six stamens, and numerous styles. 
 
 The stem of the common species (Alisma plantago), rises two 
 or three feet high, and then flower-stalks diverge in branched 
 whorls. The blossoms are pale lilac, and the plant would be 
 very handsome but that the petals fall so quickly, that never 
 more than a third part of the flowers are open at once. The 
 leaves are large, oval- shaped, and of a very delicate green. It 
 grows in many of .the ponds about Hawkhurst, flowering in 
 July and August. 
 
 There are a Floating^ Water Plantain (A. natans), with simple 
 flower-stalks, and a Lesser Water Plantain (A. ranunculoides), 
 with larger flowers and lance-shaped leaves, but they are only 
 found on mountain lakes ; and there is the Starry-headed Water 
 Plantain (A. damasonium), which has clusters of small white 
 flowers, heart-shaped leaves, and two seeds instead of one in 
 each carpel. I have no specimens of these three kinds. 
 
 Both the Learn and the Avon boast the Arrowhead (Sagit- 
 taria sagittifolia, Plate XVII. , jig. 3), among their charms. 
 It>is a beautiful plant, the only one of its family. The stamens 
 and pistils are in different flowers, and the leaves grow from 
 the root, and are arrow-shaped. The blossoms are arranged in 
 whorled spikes, and each one is as large as a Primrose. The 
 three petals are of a brilliant white, with a blotch of deep 
 violet at its base. The root of this plant was once believed to 
 be a cure for hydrophobia, but that opinion is exploded. 
 Some species are cultivated in China for their roots, which are 
 there accounted a pleasant vegetable. 
 
 The AEEOW-GEASS order have three petals and three sepals ; 
 they have six stamens and three stigmas. The leaves are 
 thread-shaped and channelled, and the tall spikes are narrow, 
 beset with the small green flowers. 
 
 The Marsh Arrow-grass (Triglochin palustre), grows in 
 swampy fields near Richmond, in Yorkskire. 
 
 The Sea Arrow-grass (T. maritima), flourishes on the muddy 
 
298 TYPHACE.E. 
 
 edges of the Looe River. It is distinguished from the Marsh 
 Arrow-grass by having six styles instead of three, broader 
 fruit, and more fleshy leaves. 
 
 The REED-MACE order succeeds the Arrow-grasses, and they 
 all like to grow in several feet of water. 
 
 The Great Reed-mace (Typha latifolia, Plate XVII. , fig. 4), 
 is a regal-looking plant, seven or eight feet high, an immense 
 club of brownish flowers crowning the summit. It grows along 
 with the common Reed in a pond at Hill Deverill, in Wilt- 
 shire, and the tall stems look like a regiment of soldiers. The 
 flowers containing stamens are situated in the upper part of the 
 spike, and those containing styles in the lower part, If a spike 
 of this Reed-mace in full bloom be brushed near a lighted 
 candle a flash of light ensues. This phenomenon is referred by 
 some persons to an electric property in the plant, but I believe 
 that it is only that the scattered pollen ignites. On the Con- 
 tinent the down of the spikes is sometimes used for stuffing 
 pillows, and the root is occasionally eaten as salad. 
 
 There are a Lesser Reed-mace (T. angustifolia), of a slighter 
 form, and with the leaves semi- cylindrical and channelled 
 above; and a Dwarf Reed-mace (T. minor), with very narrow 
 leaves, and a space in the spike between the male and female 
 flowers. Both these species are rare, and Sir J. E. Smith does 
 not consider the last-mentioned a British plant. 
 
 The Burr-reeds come next. 
 
 The Branched Burr-reed (Sparganium ramosum), is a hand- 
 some plant, and grows along with the Arrowhead and Flower- 
 ing Rush in the Learn and Avon. I have seen ditches full of 
 it in Durham ; but it was pointed out to Edward in Kent as a 
 rare plant. The leaves are triangular at the base, and the 
 flower-stalk is branched. The flowers in all the species are 
 arranged in heads, the upper heads with stamens, the lower with 
 styles. It is very pretty when in full bloom, for the stamens 
 and styles are long, and the pollen yellow, so that the appear- 
 ance is as if yellow feathery balls were scattered over the plant. 
 
BUBB-BEED CUCKOO PINT. 299 
 
 The Unbranched Burr-reed (S. simplex), I got out of a pond in 
 ChesMre ; its " balls " are larger and still more feathery, but 
 as the stem is simple there are only a few clusters of flowers at 
 intervals up its spike. Here the smallest cluster is at the apex. 
 
 The Floating Burr-reed (S. natans), is a much smaller plant. 
 Its fellows are often three feet high, but this only rises a few 
 inches out of the water ; and the whole length of its stem 
 rarely exceeds a foot, though that of course depends upon the 
 depth of the water in which it grows. The hue of all these 
 Burr-reeds is very pale, but this is the palest of all. The stalk 
 is simple, and contains generally only one barren head, and 
 about two fertile ones. My specimen is from a pond on Rudd 
 Heath, Cheshire. 
 
 The next family is an exception to the group of water plants, 
 at least our British member is. In other countries Arums 
 inhabit moist places, and the margin of rivers. The beautiful 
 white Arum of our greenhouses is the " Lily of the Nile," and 
 upon the shores of the Mediterranean it is so plentiful as to 
 be used in decorating halls and assembly-rooms for festive 
 occasions. 
 
 Our native species called by the various names of " Cuckoo 
 Pint," "Lords and Ladies," "Parsons in the Pulpit," is a 
 handsome and curious plant (Irum maculatum, Plate XVII., 
 fig. 5). It resembles the Reed-mace in the arrangement of its 
 flowers, the male being on the upper part of the spike, and the 
 female in a broad ring lower down. A large sheath enwraps 
 the spike before it comes to maturity, and continues to shield 
 it like a canopy until the flowers are over ; then berries form, 
 the sheath withers and disappears, and a spike of scarlet berries 
 takes the place of the canopied flower-cluster. The leaves are 
 of a full green, arrow-shaped, and very glossy ; they are often 
 spotted with" purple. They are decidedly poisonous. Orfila 
 mentions three children who ate of them, two of whom died 
 after lingering sufferings, and the third was with difficulty 
 saved. In Queen Elizabeth's time starch was made from the 
 
300 ACOKACEJE. 
 
 root ; and by grating it and steeping it in water the poisonous 
 quality was removed, and the flower was used as an article of 
 food in Ireland during the time of the famine. Mr. Johns 
 mentions an extraordinary and terrible species of Arum growing 
 in the West Indies, called the Dumb Cane. When chewed it 
 causes the tongue to swell, and destroys the power of speech. 
 Its effects last several days. 
 
 The Sweet Sedge tribe (Orontiacese), has only one British 
 representative, and here it is (Acorus calamus, Plate XVII., 
 fig. 6). The flowers are all perfect, and arranged in a spike. 
 The stem becomes leafy at the foot of the spike, and rises 
 in a flag-like bract over it, or droops backward. It is very 
 aromatic. This is the "Rush" wherewith they used to strew 
 the floor of Norwich Cathedral on festival days, and garlands 
 were made of it and hung in various churches and over graves 
 in the olden time. Major Calder Campbell has noticed these 
 customs in some touching lines : 
 
 " O riverside! 
 
 Where soft green Rushes bear dark flowers, 
 And reedy Grasses weave dark bowers, 
 
 Through which fleet minnows glide ; 
 
 riverbanks ! let me from you convey 
 Something to scatter in yon ancient minster grey ! 
 
 "0 minster grey! 
 "Where graves of friends beloved are fonnd, 
 
 1 come to thee with strewments ; round 
 
 Each blade of Grass, each spray 
 Of Acorus a fragrant essence breathes 
 Nature's own incense shed to sanctify the wreaths. 
 
 " Rushes green ! 
 
 "With blossoms wan or brown ! And ye 
 Sweet Flags, from whose scent-roots to me 
 
 Come thoughts of the Has Been, 
 Ye are the fitting plants at eve to shed 
 A vague mysterious perfume o'er the silent dead. 
 
 " ' Not so, not so ! ' 
 A voice replies ; ' for joy alone 
 These Reeds and Rushes here are strewn ! ' 
 
 But I again cry, ' Lo ! 
 Joy's emblems here I fitly use, to prove 
 That Life and Death alike spring from God's holy love.' " 
 
DUCKWEED. 301 
 
 My specimens were gathered near Warwick. Dr. Murray 
 states that rice-paper is made from a Chinese species of Cala- 
 mus. The Chinese bring it in their junks from Formosa. The 
 pith is taken out and soaked in water, then sliced and pressed. 
 Refuse pieces are used in making artificial flowers, and the 
 sheets of six or ten inches in length are used for drawings of 
 Chinese costumes, flowers, landscapes, &c. 
 
 The DUCKWEED order is the next in succession. They are 
 all minute floating plants, covering the surface of ponds and 
 stagnant ditches. They are often blamed for the unwholesome 
 odour which arises from the ponds where they flourish ; but 
 this is exceedingly unjust, for in reality they purify the air to 
 some extent, consuming a part of the noxious gas given forth 
 by the stagnant water. 
 
 There are some ponds near Warwick where the Lesser and 
 Gibbous Duckweeds (Lemna minor and L. gibba), abound. 
 The former has very small leaves ; flat above and below, con- 
 nected in floating masses ; the latter has larger leaves, very- 
 thick, and egg-shaped underneath. 
 
 The Greater Duckweed (L. polyrhiza), has oval leaves, which 
 are purple underneath. It is one of the scarcer species, but I 
 had the good fortune to fish some out of the ditch that partly 
 encircles Christ Church meadows, Oxford. 
 
 The other rare species is the Ivy -leaved Duckweed (L. tri- 
 siilca). Its leaves are lobed, and have stalks to them. We 
 have specimens from near Bishopton in Durham. 
 
 The great use of Duckweeds, besides somewhat purifying the 
 air, is to shelter insects, and thus provide both animal and 
 vegetable food for the ducks, which gobble up the weed so 
 greedily. The roots of .these tiny plants consist in simple 
 threads hanging from their leaves. The flowers are rarely 
 found; they proceed from the side of the leaf, and consist 
 in two stamens and one stigma. It is related of a celebrated 
 botanist that his chief desire was to see the Duckweed in 
 flower before his death. 
 
302 NAIADACE.E. 
 
 The Pondweed order is composed chiefly of the extensive 
 family which gives the name to the order. These plants have 
 cellular stems, and either transparent or leathery leaves. 
 
 I think I have already mentioned an excursion which we all 
 took to Hawksborough, with the intention of fossilising in the 
 coal mines of that district. On arriving there our courage 
 failed us, the ladies feared both the mines and the miners, and 
 we were utterly at fault. There were some disgusting ponds, 
 some heaps of coal rubbish, and a canal ; these were all the 
 resources that the place afforded. A party of us began to hunt 
 about for plants, and having drawn the Spiked Milfoil from a 
 pond, and being nearly smothered by the odour we evoked, we 
 determined to try the canal. There was plenty of weed, and I 
 hooked a quantity out. 
 
 My first piece of spoil was the Perfoliate Pondweed (Pota- 
 mogeton perfoliatum). The leaves are not pierced by their 
 stalk, as they should be to make the plant fully deserve its 
 name, but they clasp the stem with their heart-shaped bases. 
 They are brownish, and quite transparent, and when dry they 
 resemble gold-beater's skin. The spike dips itself under water, 
 and the few green flowers have four petals, four stamens, and 
 four stigmas. All the Pondweed family are alike in the number 
 of the parts of their flowers. 
 
 The Shining Pondweed (P. lucens), also graced the canal; it 
 has large lance-shaped leaves, also of a brownish hue, and very 
 transparent, and its spike is large and rises above the water. 
 
 The common Chara (Chara vulgaris), I got likewise out of 
 that productive canal. 
 
 A little later in July Edward was prowling about certain 
 fishponds near Hawkhurst ; there was a tangled mass of weed 
 just beyond the reach of the longest stick he could find. 
 Luckily some men were working in an adjoining field, and he 
 borrowed a long rake from them and hauled out a quantity of 
 the weed. 
 
 The Broad-leaved Pondweed (P. natans), was there; its upper 
 
PONDWEED. 303 
 
 leaves, leathery and oblong, floated on the surface, enabling 
 the plant to rear its flowering- stalk erect. The leaves under 
 water were narrow and transparent ; the whole plant, leaves, 
 stem and flowers were of a reddish-brown. 
 
 Entangled with it was the Grassy Pondweed (P. gramineum), 
 with narrow green leaves, and flower-stalks from the forks ; it 
 lives and blooms under water. 
 
 In the pond at Hill Deverill, where the Reed-mace grows so 
 regally, a pale green Pondweed, with ovate, sessile, crowded 
 leaves, flourishes also. The spike is short, and pale green like 
 the leaves ; it bears about four flowers. It is called the "Close- 
 leaved Pondweed" (P. densum). 
 
 I found a member of this family in a chalky pond on the 
 Wiltshire Downs, and with much ado I got it. The plant was 
 the Curled Pondweed (P. crispus). The leaves are lance-shaped, 
 waved, and serrated ; they are of an olive green, as is also the 
 spike of flowers. The whole plant was under water. 
 
 The Smallest Pondweed (P. pusillum), is a most inoffensive 
 little plant, with grass-shaped leaves and tiny spikes proceeding 
 from the axils of the leaves. Fanny found it in the Loe Pool. 
 
 The Fennel-leaved species flourishes in the Clevedon ditches, 
 its name expresses well its distinctive character (P. pectinatum). 
 
 Here is the Reddish Pondweed (P. rufescens, Plate XVII., 
 jig. 7), I found it in a peat bog on Grinton Moor, in Swaledale. 
 The whole plant is deeply tinged with red. The upper leaves 
 are much broader than those under water. 
 
 There is a Various -leaved Pondweed, with stalked floating 
 leaves on the upper, and sessile ones on the lower part of the 
 stem ; and there are a long-stalked species, and a Lanceolate 
 Pondweed, both of which grow in pools among the highland 
 mountains, but we have no specimens of them. 
 
 The Tassel-grass (Kiippia maritima), is in our collection. It 
 is a graceful plant, bearing several grass-shaped leaves on its 
 stem. The flowers are in a cluster and almost sessile, but their 
 little footstalks lengthen fast, and ere the seed is ripe the cluster 
 
304 GLUMACEJE. 
 
 lias become tassel-shaped. The main stalk also lengthens 
 greatly, and coils itself round and round until it elevates the 
 fructification out of the water. When the seeds are ripe the 
 stem draws itself down and hides the whole cluster in the mud. 
 The Tassel-grass grows in the salt-water ditches about Clevedon, 
 and in the Loe Pool. 
 
 I have never found the Horned Pondweed (Zannichellia 
 paliistris). It has a thread-like stem and grassy leaves, small 
 axillary flowers ; the male consisting of one stamen with no 
 calyx or corolla, and the female of a calyx of one sepal, and 
 four styles. The whole plant lives under water. 
 
 The Grasswrack (Zostera marina), is common in the sea and 
 salt ditches. Its tiny flowers seem to emerge from a sheath in 
 the long grassy leaves, and consist in one style and two stigmas. 
 
 The extensive alliance of GLTJMACEOUS plants is divided into 
 two orders 1st, the Sedges ; 2nd, the Grasses. 
 
 The Sedges differ from the Grasses in their stems, leaves, 
 and flowers. The stem of Grasses is generally hollow and 
 round ; while that of Sedges is solid and angular. The over- 
 lapping leaves of Grass open on one side ; but as the stem 
 emerges from the leaf of Sedges, the base of the leaf forms a 
 perfect cylinder. Grasses have chaffy calyces and corolla, but 
 in the Sedge the male flower has only a bract, and the female 
 a few bristles to serve the purpose of calyx and corolla. We 
 cannot boast of the uses of this Sedge tribe. 
 
 The Bullrush and others of the tribe are used for making 
 mats and the bottoms of chairs, and they are greatly esteemed 
 for thatching. 
 
 The Pitsi, or Water-chestnut, which the Chinese grow in 
 tanks and eat for dessert, is a member of this tribe. 
 
 The Cyperus of the Nile supplied the paper of ancient times. 
 Pliny tells us that the plant was separated into thin slices by a 
 fine point ; these were brought into contact by their edges, 
 transverse slips were then laid upon them, and then the whole 
 was sprinkled with Nile crater and submitted to pressure. 
 
BULLRUSH SEDGE. 305 
 
 Dr. Murray says that if a portion of this Egyptian paper 
 is held up to the light the ribs may be seen parallel, and 
 crossing each other at right angles. The more modern reed- 
 paper of Syracuse is made of the pith, not of the rind of the 
 Seed. 
 
 The Bullrush of the Nile (Cyperus niloticus), was the plant 
 of which the ark was made in which the infant Moses was 
 exposed. Boats were constructed of the stems of this Bullrush 
 placed parallel and then transverse, and sails and cordage were 
 made of the rind. Pliny says that the only boat they have in 
 Abyssinia is formed of Eeeds sewed and gathered, stem and 
 stern, with a piece of Acacia as keel. 
 
 The long drooping stems of the Sedge family, with their 
 waving leaves and bowed spikes tinged with purple, procured 
 for them in old times the name of " Long Purples." Thus 
 England's great poet speaks of them as forming a part of the 
 last wreath of the unfortunate Ophelia. 
 
 ** There is a Willow grows aslant a brook, 
 That shows his hoar leaves in the glassie stream ; 
 There with fantastic garlands did she come, 
 Of Crow flowers, Nettles, Daisies, and Long Purples, 
 And our cold maids do Dead Men's Fingers call them." 
 
 And Tennyson adopts the same name 
 
 ' ' Round them blow, self-pleached and deep, 
 Bramble Roses faint and pale, 
 And'Long Purples of the dale." 
 
 In the touching little poem of " The May Queen " the Bullrush 
 is enumerated among the delights which will be past for her 
 
 When the flowers come again, Mother, beneath the waning light, 
 You'll never see me more in the long grey fields at night ; 
 When from the dry d irk wood the summer airs blow cool 
 On the Oat-grass, and the Sword-grass, and the Bullrush of the pool." 
 
 The Sedge Warbler and the Water-hen would be highly 
 indignant if they heard the utility of the Sedges questioned. 
 Among them they find a home and food, and there they bring 
 up their little ones. 
 
 x 
 
306 CTPEBACE2E. 
 
 The first family in the Sedge tribe, that of the Bog Eush, 
 has only one member. 
 
 The Black Bog Rush (Schcenus nigricans), has a round naked 
 stalk, and a roundish head overtopped by two bracts. It grows 
 in turfy bogs, and flowers in June. 
 
 The Beak Rushes occupy similar situations ; there are two 
 species, the White and the Brown ; they have spikes containing 
 a few flowers. The White Beak Rush has two stamens in 
 each flower, and the Brown Beak Eush (Ehyncospora fusca), 
 has three. These plants grow on Eudd Heath. I have gathered 
 them there at the end of July. 
 
 The Cyperus family is the third in the Sedge tribe. 
 
 The Sweet Cyperus or G-alingale (Cyperus longus), has many 
 spikes united in a cluster, accompanied by two or three bracts. 
 It grows two feet high, and is a rare ornament of marshes. 
 The root is very aromatic, and Grerarde says, " It hath a most 
 sweet and pleasant smell when it is broken." 
 
 The Brown Cyperus (C. fiiscus), is a minute plant about 
 four inches high. Its clusters of small spikes are brown, and 
 accompanied by two bracts. It is a very rare plant ; but a 
 specimen gathered in Chelsea meadows has been given to me. 
 
 There is a Spanish Cyperus, with tuberous roots, which is 
 eaten as salad. Quaint old Gerarde tells us that the people of 
 Yerona used to call it "Traci dulci," and that the vendors were 
 wont to cry it in the streets. Dioscorides and Gralen recom- 
 mend it as medicine. 
 
 The Bullrush and Club Eush family is the fourth in the tribe ; 
 they form a numerous family, which need to be divided into 
 groups. 
 
 First come those with solitary spikes. 
 
 The Scaly-stalked Club Eush (Scirpus caespitosus), has scales 
 at the base of the stems. Fanny found it near Clevedon. 
 
 The Floating Club Eush (S. fluitans), is only a few inches 
 high, and floats on still water. This she gathered in Marazion 
 Marsh ; and the Chocolate-headed Club Eush (S. paucifloms), 
 
BULLEUSH CLUB BUSH. 307 
 
 has single spikes of brown flowers, and no scales at the base 
 of its stems. 
 
 The second division have round stems and several spikes. 
 
 The tall Bullrush (S. lacustris), belongs to this division, and 
 its compound panicle of spikes rises upon stems eight feet high. 
 Edward has splendid specimens from his beloved Avon. 
 
 The Bristle-stalked Club Rush (S. setaceus), is a very slender 
 plant ; its stems and leaves are like threads. The spikes are 
 few and small, and the whole plant does not attain a greater 
 height than three or four inches. This specimen grew on a 
 dry mud-bank at the mouth of the Loe Pool. 
 
 A specimen of the equally slender Savi's Club Rush (S. Savii), 
 was sent to me the other day from Sandown, in the Isle of 
 Wight. Its mark of distinction is the roundness and roughness 
 of the fruit. 
 
 There are a glaucous Club Eush (S. glaucus), inhabiting salt 
 marshes ; and a Hound-clustered Club Bush (S. holoschoenus), 
 a tenant of the seashore ; and a Brown Club Hush (S. riifus), 
 with smooth fruit, which grows in marshes in the West. All 
 these belong to one division. 
 
 The third division includes all that have triangular stems. 
 
 The Triangular Club Eush and the Blunt-edged Club Eush 
 (S. triquetrus and S. cariiiatus), have no bracts with their 
 cluster ; the former lives on banks of rivers near the sea, and 
 the latter on those of inland rivers. 
 
 The Sea Club Eush (S. maritimus), grows in salt marshes. 
 Fanny found it in Lostwithiel, in Cornwall; and the Wood 
 Club Eush (S. sylvaticus), favours thick woods and swamps. I 
 have gathered it in ditches near Clevedon. These two last have 
 bracts in their panicles ; the former is slender and glaucous, 
 the latter strong in its habit, and with beautiful fresh green 
 sword-shaped leaves. 
 
 The Spike Eushes are very simple plants, with leafless stems 
 bearing a head of three or four florets at the summit. 
 
 The Many-stalked Spike Eush (Eleocharis multicaulis), grows 
 
308 CYPEEACEJ3. 
 
 on the banks of the Clevedon ditches ; its stems spread, and 
 the plant grows in a matted cluster. 
 
 The Least Spike Bush (E. acicularis), is a frail little plant, 
 resembling the Many-stalked species, except that its stem is 
 square ; while that of both the other Spike Hushes is round, 
 and it is very slender and minute. My specimen was sent me 
 by a Scotch friend. 
 
 Edward has got the Creeping Spike Bush (E. paliistris) ; it 
 grows about Hawkhurst. The plant has no leaves, and it 
 sticks up its rushy stems, with their insignificant spikes, on 
 moist ground. The root is creeping. 
 
 I must take you to our Yorkshire or Scotch moors to show 
 you the Cotton-grass in its beauty. The flowers are very un- 
 assuming, being arranged in spikes of a greyish hue, the stamens 
 and anthers forming its only ornament ; but in seed it is very 
 beautiful, the tufts of snow-white cotton sprinkling the dark 
 moor, and nodding in the wind. 
 
 The Hare's-tail Cotton-grass (Eriophorum vaginatum), is the 
 most common species, growing in profusion amongst the Heath. 
 The stem is triangular above, and round below, and bears one 
 spike on its summit. 
 
 The Bound-headed Cotton-grass (E. capitatum), has also a 
 solitary spike ; but its only habitat, according to Sir J. E. Smith, 
 is on Ben Lawers. 
 
 The Broad-leaved Cotton-grass (E. polystachion), has flat 
 lance-shaped leaves, and a great number of small drooping 
 spikes. I gathered it in fruit a year ago last May, in a shaking 
 bog near Tiverton. 
 
 The common Cotton-grass (E. angustifolium, Plate 3LVII., 
 fig. 10), is the handsomest member of the family. The spikes 
 droop as in the last species, but are much larger, and the leaves 
 are very narrow. It abounds in marshy ground among the 
 Yorkshire moors. 
 
 The Slender Cotton-grass (E. gracile), I found on the banks 
 of the Swale above Melbecks, very early in the spring. The 
 
SEDGE. 309 
 
 seed was evidently remaining from the last year, as its time of 
 flowering is August. This is an alpine species, and could only 
 have grown there by means of seeds washed down from the 
 hills. A great quantity of the plant was there at the time I 
 speak of, but a heavy flood occurred soon after, and I have 
 since sought it in vain. It is a slender Grass with a round 
 stem, and a somewhat drooping cluster of small spikes. Ossian 
 speaks of these Cotton-grasses as " Cana-grass," and the Scotch 
 adopt his term, calling it "Canna." He compares the com- 
 plexion of his heroines to the " snow-white Cana." The down 
 of the seed is sometimes collected for stuffing pillows. 
 
 The family of the true Sedges comes next. The stamens and 
 stigmas are in different flowers, often in different spikes, and, 
 in one species, on separate plants. The female flower consists 
 of a capsule and a scale, and the male of a bract and three 
 stamens ; they are arranged in spikes or catkins. 
 
 The species with the male and female flowers on separate 
 plants is called Creeping Sedge (Carex dioica) ; it is less than 
 a span high, and very slender and smooth. The catkin is 
 solitary in this species, as also in the Prickly Flea and Few- 
 flowered Sedges, all of which frequent bogs in hilly country. 
 
 The Prickly Sedge (C. Davalliana), has round catkins, with 
 the male and female flowers mingled ; it grows rather above 
 a span high, and is pretty common. I have found it about 
 fiichmond, and Malcolm has it from Hawkhurst. 
 
 The Oval-spiked Sedge (C. ovalis), is of the same habit, but 
 larger. I found it also near Richmond. 
 
 The Remote Sedge (C. remota), is a very grassy plant, 
 extremely slender, and with small catkins in the distant axils 
 of the leaves. It was one of my prizes during an excursion 
 to Brignall Bank and Eokeby. 
 
 The Sea Sedge (C. arenaria), has half recumbent stems and 
 oval catkins ; the Soft Brown Sedge has dark-coloured catkins, 
 and is tall and graceful ; the Compound Prickly Sedge (C. vul- 
 pina), is a large plant with bright green leaves, and spreading 
 
310 CYPEEACE2E. 
 
 erect catkins ; and the Great Panicled Sedge (C. paniculata), 
 is a splendid ornament of ponds and ditches, growing three 
 feet high, with broad handsome leaves and very large catkins. 
 All these species we have from Yorkshire ; they agree in the 
 character of the mingled catkins. There are besides several 
 similar species too numerous to describe singly. Of those with 
 the male and female flowers on different catkins w'e have a 
 great variety. 
 
 Fanny has the Dwarf Silvery Sedge (C. clandestina), measur- 
 ing only four inches in height, from St. Vincent's Eocks, 
 Bristol ; and Edward has the Great Pendulous Sedge (C. pen- 
 dula), from Hawkhurst. This is a noble plant, sometimes 
 attaining the height of six feet, and with numerous stalked 
 drooping catkins, each two or three inches long. 
 
 The Loose Pendulous Sedge (C. strigosa), is also his trophy 
 from the same neighbourhood ; it is shorter and more slender 
 than the last-named, but resembles it in habit. 
 
 The Pendulous Wood Sedge (C. sylvatica, fig. 8), I have 
 from Easby Woods ; its catkins are slender, loose, and drooping, 
 and its leaves a pale yellow-green. The plant is seldom above 
 a foot high. 
 
 The Bastard Cyperus Sedge (C. pseudo-cyperus, Plate XVII., 
 ng. 9), is also a Kentish plant ; it is large and handsome, with 
 drooping catkins. In size and habit it resembles the Great 
 Pendulous Sedge, but the catkins are much thicker and shorter. 
 
 The Pale Sedge (C. pallescens), is very small and slender, 
 but upright. Its oval catkins are few, and the lower ones 
 pendulous. My specimen is from Wicliffe, near Ripon. 
 
 The Tawny Sedge (C. fiilva), has rust-coloured catkins, and 
 a rough stem. The Green-ribbed Sedge resembles it, and has 
 a very dark catkin, drooping and elegant; and the Vernal 
 Sedge (C. prsecox), is a bright little plant, a few inches high, 
 with upright spikes. These three flourish in the vicinity of 
 Sichmond. 
 
 The Glaucous Sedge f. recurva), is so named from the 
 
SEDGE. 
 
 311 
 
 colour of its leaves. It is a span high, and has pendulous 
 purple catkins. 
 
 The Great Common Sedge (C. riparia), has its catkins upright 
 when in flower; they are tinged with purple, the leaves are 
 glaucous, and the plant two feet high, bowed and graceful. 
 
 The Flagon Sedge (C. ampullacea), has its spikes arranged 
 with great precision like the ears of Indian Corn ; it is about 
 one foot high. The Hairy Sedge (C. hirta), resembles it, except 
 that its herbage is exceedingly hairy. These I found near 
 Bishopton, in Durham. 
 
 There are many other species of Sedge, but it is impossible 
 to give a description of each without becoming tedious. 
 
312 
 
 CHAPTEE XVIII. 
 
 "'Let the earth 
 
 Put forth the verdant Grass, herb yielding seed, 
 And fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, 
 Whose seed is in itself upon the earth.' 
 He scarce had said, when the bare earth, till then 
 Desert and void, unsightly, unadorned, 
 Brought forth the tender Grass, whose verdure clad 
 Her universal face with pleasant green." 
 
 MILTOH. 
 
 A GBASS is the simplest form of a perfect plant. A thin stem, 
 clothed with alternate leaves, constituting sheaths to guard the 
 fast-growing buds, a few flowers collected at the end of the 
 branches, a very few stamens, and a single seed, constitute the 
 whole plant. Yet, simple as these parts are, the various genera 
 are very clearly distinguished, so that this family is one of the 
 easiest to understand. That part of the flower which is gene- 
 rally called calyx is termed the glume in Grasses, and palese 
 stand for petals. The bristle often accompanying the flower 
 of Grass is called an awn ; the stamens are generally three 
 in number, and the styles two, which are often beautifully 
 feathered. The roots are in all cases fibrous. The stem is 
 generally cylindrical, though sometimes compressed, varying 
 in length from two inches, as in the Sand Cat's-tail, to eighty 
 feet, as in the Bamboo. The leaves are one to each knot in the 
 stem, sheathing at the base, and slit on one side. The male 
 and female flowers are generally on one spike, nearly always on 
 one plant. The glumes are generally two to each spikelet, the 
 outer being the largest ; but sometimes there is only one, and 
 there are cases where both are absent. The embryo lies at the 
 side of the lower part of the seed. 
 
SWEET VEBNAL CANABY. 313 
 
 The Sweet Vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), is tlie 
 only British representative of the first family in this extensive 
 tribe. It is distinguished from all other families by having 
 two stamens only, and this throws it into a different class from 
 the other Grasses in the Linnsean system. Our Sweet Vernal- 
 grass is a small annual plant, bearing its flowers in short heads, 
 not very compact, and broader at the bottom than at the top ; 
 it has two sharp-pointed unequal glumes, and two dark brown 
 hairy palese, with awns on their back. This Grass is of little 
 importance to the farmer, its nutritive qualities being very 
 small ; but it is esteemed for its aroma, which imparts the 
 well-known fragrance to new-mown hay, and it is interesting 
 as being one of the earliest-flowering Grasses. 
 
 Our one British Mat-grass is very common on the Yorkshire 
 moors, and I see that Fanny has specimens from near the 
 Cheese Wring, in Cornwall. The leaves are narrow and 
 plentiful, the spike about a span high, with one row of florets ; 
 their anthers generally hanging to one side. The glumes and 
 palese are violet colour, and the anthers sulphur ; the foliage is 
 dark green. This Grass forms thick tufts upon moist waste 
 land ; it is most fitly named Mat-grass (JNardus stricta, j%. 14). 
 There is only one stigma to each flower. 
 
 The Canary-grass is familiar on account of its furnishing bird 
 seed. The species thus useful flowers in a round head. 
 
 In both the common Canary-grass and in the Reed Canary- 
 grass there are two glumes and three or four palea?. 
 
 The so-called common Canary-grass (Phalaris canariensis, 
 fig. 1), is a rare plant, but Fanny has met with specimens from 
 ^Potato fields near East Looe, Cornwall. It is a native of the 
 Canary Islands. 
 
 The Eeed Canary-grass (P. arundinacea), I have found fre- 
 quently ; it grows by the side of the Ouse, near Little Ouse- 
 burn, in the York district. Unlike its brother, its flowers are 
 arranged in a handsome panicle. 
 
 A variety of this plant, with yellow-striped leaves, is the 
 
314 GEAMINACE.E. 
 
 Ribbon-grass of our gardens. It is a useful Grass in its natural 
 habitat, for it binds together the loose sand and earth by the 
 river's side : thus forming a natural barrier against inundations. 
 Both these Grasses are tall ; the one I have just described 
 growing four feet high, and the Canaryseed attaining the 
 height of three feet. 
 
 The Cat's-tail-grasses have two pointed glumes concealing 
 the blunt insignificant pales3. 
 
 The common Cat's-tail (Phleum pratense), is frequent in 
 pastures and meadows. Its flowers are packed into a close 
 cylindrical spike, the stem rises to the height of a foot or a foot 
 and a half. It is not a very profitable meadow Grass, being 
 too thin and wiry, but it is excellent for permanent pasture. 
 
 There are an Alpine Cat's-tail and a Rough Cat's-tail without 
 awns, and a Purple- stalked Cat's-tail ; but all these are rare 
 Grasses, and of no account to the farmer. . 
 
 The Sea Cat's-tail (P. arenarium), is a minute Grass with a 
 tapering spike, hairy foliage, and glaucous tint. Fanny's speci- 
 men is from the shore at Weston-super-Mare. 
 
 The Foxtail-grasses are characterised by two closely-drawn 
 glumes, one palea, with an awn rising from its base, and the two 
 styles combined at the bottom. The florets are arranged in cy- 
 lindrical spikes, in general appearance resembling the Cat's-tail. 
 
 The Meadow Foxtail (Alopeciirus pratensis), is very valuable 
 in meadows, being exceedingly early, and very abundant in its 
 growth. 
 
 The Slender Foxtail (A. agrestis), flowers later in the season, 
 and frequents corn fields and roadsides ; the stem is roughish, 
 and the spike very tapering. Both these species grow three 
 feet high. 
 
 The Floating Foxtail (A. geniculatus), has its stem bent 
 at the joints ; it is a rough Grass, and of much lower growth 
 than the two already mentioned, though the length of its stem 
 depends a good deal on the depth of the water on which it 
 floats. It is a common Grass on the margin of pools. 
 
FOXTAIL BENT-GBASS. 315 
 
 There are an Alpine Foxtail (A. alpinus), with very small 
 spikes, and a Bulbous Foxtail (A. bulbosus), inhabiting salt 
 marshes ; but we have no specimens of them. 
 
 There is a little Grass called the Early Knappia, which fre- 
 quents seashores ; it has two glumes and two unequal hairy 
 palea?. It flowers in March and April, and only attains the 
 height of three inches. 
 
 The Beard-grasses also are maritime plants. The annual 
 species has awns thrice the length of the glumes ; it grows 
 among sand. The perennial species has shorter awns, scarcely 
 rising higher than the glumes ; it favours salt marshes. Both 
 have theirflorets arranged in close panicles, and grow about a 
 foot high. They bloom in August, The annual Beard-grass 
 was sent to me from the coast of Norfolk ; the perennial Fanny 
 has from Clevedon (Polypogon littoralis). 
 
 The British Millet-grasses are unimportant plants, though the 
 extreme elegance of the Spreading Millet gives it an indis- 
 putable claim to beauty (Milium effusum, Plate XVIII.). In 
 this family the florets have two close glumes enclosing the two 
 paleee, which harden and form a coat for the seed. 
 
 The Spreading Millet grows four or five feet high; it has 
 broad pale green leaves, and a large scattered panicle of tiny 
 green flowers. It grows abundantly in woods and shady places, 
 several stems rising from one root. The woods in Swaledale 
 are full of it. 
 
 The Panick Millet (M. lendigerum), has its flowers in a 
 dense spiked panicle, and the palese are awned. It grows in 
 inundated fields, and is rare. 
 
 The, Bent-grass family is characterised by two unequal 
 glumes enclosing a single floret ; the palese are transparent, 
 the larger having sometimes an awn at its base. These are 
 elegant Grasses with fine foliage and light panicles of flowers. 
 
 The Silky Bent-grass (Agrostis spica-venti), has its panicle 
 waving to one side ; it grows in sandy fields. 
 
 The Brown Bent-grass (A. canina), is common on roadsides, 
 
316 GEAMINACE2E. 
 
 by field paths, and in moist places ; tlie brown hue of its florets 
 distinguishes it. These, and the Bristle-leaved Bent-grass, 
 have awns. 
 
 The Fine Bent-grass (A. vulgaris), is a familiar plant in 
 meadows and pastures, its very slender shining purple panicle 
 crowning a stem less than a foot high. 
 
 The Marsh Bent-grass (A. alba), grows abundantly in swampy 
 ground ; it is the Fiorin-grass about which a great fuss has 
 been made, it being argued that it would make super-excellent 
 marsh herbage. It grows to a great size and richness in 
 Ireland ; but it does not attain any excellence in our English 
 marshes. It is called by country people " Quicks,"* and is a 
 troublesome weed in corn land. These two Bent-grasses have 
 no awns. 
 
 The Dog's-tooth-grass (Cynodon dactylon), has two lance- 
 shaped, acute, spreading glumes, and two very unequal com- 
 pressed palese. The florets are arranged in loose spikes, five 
 spikelets in a cluster ; the leaves are sharp-pointed and hairy. 
 It frequents our seashores, flowering in July and August. 
 Fanny has it from Cornwall. This Grass is called " Doob " 
 in India, and held sacred by the Brahmins. The European 
 settlers make their lawns of it, sending the natives to collect 
 the plants from the plains. 
 
 The Finger-grasses resemble the Dog's-tooth-grass in the 
 arrangement of their flowers, but they have sometimes three 
 glumes. 
 
 The Hairy Finger-grass (Digitaria sanguinalis), grows in 
 fields, but rarely ; our fortunate friend has met with it also 
 in Cornwall. 
 
 The Smooth Finger-grass (D. humifusa), is a smaller plant, 
 and is peculiar to the eastern coast. 
 
 The Panick-grasses form an important family. To it belong 
 the true Millets of India, Arabia, and the south of Europe 
 Grasses which, for their utility for human food, deserve to be 
 ranked among the corn group. 
 
PANICK-GEASS HAIE-GEASS. 317 
 
 There are gigantic Panick-grasses in Brazil, with delicate 
 and tender foliage, most valuable for cattle ; and the Guinea- 
 grass, or Great Panick, forms the most profitable pasturage in 
 Jamaica. 
 
 Our British Panick-grasses occur rarely, and in small quan- 
 tities ; they have two or three florets enclosed between 
 each pair of glumes, one of which is neuter. The glumes are 
 ribbed. 
 
 The Rough Panick (Panicum verticillatum), has smooth- 
 jointed stems, and the glumes keeled. 
 
 The Green Panick (P. vlride,^. 4), of which I have received 
 a specimen from Norfolk, has erect stems, and a crowded spiked 
 panicle ; and the Loose Panick-grass (P. crus-galli), has its 
 flowers to one side, the panicle branched, and the leaves lance- 
 shaped and harsh. 
 
 The Hair-grass family have also two or three florets enclosed 
 between each pair of glumes ; the paleae continue unchanged 
 until the seed is ripe. 
 
 The Crested Hair-grass (Aira cristata), grows only eight 
 inches high ; its panicle is lanceolate and downy. The Water 
 Hair-grass (A. aquatica), has a spreading panicle, and its 
 glumes are abrupt and notched. These two have no awns. 
 
 The Tufted Hair-grass (A. coespitosa), is an elegant plant, 
 raising its large light panicles of glossy florets three feet high. 
 It grows in mat-like masses in woods and hedges ; the florets 
 have one awn from the bottom of the outer glume. 
 
 The Wavy Hair-grass (A. flexuosa), is smaller ; its panicle 
 contains fewer florets, and the awn rises from the middle of 
 the outer glume. We have these Grasses in great abundance 
 about our woods and moors in Swaledale ; and Fanny has the 
 Waved species from the Cheese Wring, Cornwall. 
 
 The Silver Hair-grass (A. caryophyllea), I gathered at 
 Plumpton Rocks, near Harrogate ; the cluster is less dense 
 even than that of the last-named species, and the flowers have 
 a silvery hue ; the awn is twice as long as the glumes. 
 
318 GEA.MINACEJE. 
 
 The Grey Hair-grass (A. canescens), was sent to me from 
 Ventnor, where it grows on the seashore ; its panicle is much 
 more dense than those of its brethren, and it is less attractive 
 in consequence. 
 
 Edward has the Early Hair-grass (A. prsecox), from Hawk- 
 hurst. It is a very neat little plant, growing one or two inches 
 high, and flowering in May ; its panicle has very few florets. 
 
 The Soft-grasses do not form first-rate pasturage, as all their 
 foliage is more or less hairy. Like several of the families 
 recently mentioned, that of the Soft-grass has two or three 
 florets enclosed between each pair of glumes. The palese form 
 the coat of the seed, and are awned. The glumes are keeled. 
 Species of Soft-grass inhabiting India, Arabia, and the Cape, 
 are used as Millet, and called by the same name, as well as the 
 Panicks. 
 
 The Meadow Soft-grass (Holcus lanatus), is very woolly. 
 The lower floret is perfect, and without an awn ; the upper is 
 awned. It grows freely in meadows and pastures, and its dense 
 panicle of downy florets, slightly tinged with pink, are very 
 familiar. 
 
 The Creeping Soft-grass (H. mollis), flowers a fortnight 
 earlier than the Meadow species, coming into bloom in the 
 middle of June. It has fewer flowers in its panicle, and the 
 upper floret has a very prominent awn. These two have a 
 great resemblance to one another, I have gathered both 
 frequently in Swaledale, and Edward has them from Hawk- 
 hurst. 
 
 The Oat-like Soft-grass (H. avenaceus), is quite as common 
 as the others, and no member of the tribe can exceed it in 
 beauty. It bears no outward resemblance to the other two 
 Soft-grasses, which do not much exceed a foot in height. The 
 Oat-like species grows in hedges and waste places, and some- 
 times among corn. I have often seen it five or six feet in 
 height. Its leaves are broad, deep green, and rough. Its 
 panicle is spread and tapering ; the florets large, with unequal 
 
MELIC MOOE-GBASS. 319 
 
 glumes, and a prominent awn to the lowest floret. The stamens 
 are long, and the anthers deep purple. It is a very useless 
 Grass, though so handsome. 
 
 The Holy-grass (Hierochloe borealis), I have never seen, 
 except in the Botanical Gardens at Edinburgh. It is an 
 elegant grass, with pale green foliage, and scattered panicles 
 of florets, three to each spikelet. The centre flower is perfect, 
 and has two stamens ; those at either side are barren, and 
 have three stamens. It inhabits lofty glens in Scotland. 
 
 The Melic-grasses are among the most elegant of the tribe, 
 but, as is often the case with the beautiful Grasses, they are of 
 no great service. They have one or two florets between the 
 glumes. 
 
 The Wood Melic-grass (Melica uniflora), has the panicle 
 slightly branched; it is turned to one side, and somewhat 
 drooping. The barren florets are stalked, and the fertile are 
 seated; they are of a beautiful violet hue. The foliage is 
 broad, and of a delicate pale green. This Grass abounds in 
 woods everywhere. 
 
 The Mountain Melic (M. niitans), is more scarce. I have 
 only found it in Mackershaw Woods, near Eipon. The flowers 
 are arranged in a drooping spike ; the paleae have no awns. 
 
 The Purple Melic (M. coerulea), has narrower foliage than 
 the others, and it has a slightly glaucous hue. The florets are 
 violet-coloured, much smaller than those of its brethren, and 
 more numerous. It grows abundantly on damp ground on the 
 Yorkshire Moors. 
 
 The Blue Moor-grass (Sesleria ccerulea), inhabits similar 
 places where the soil is chalky. It has two or three perfect 
 florets on each spikelet, and the whole are arranged in an oval 
 cluster or head. The glumes have a blue tinge, and the foliage 
 is narrow. 
 
 We now come to the great Meadow-grass family, which is 
 characterised by having several flowers in each epikelet, no 
 awns, and the seed loose. This family is now divided into 
 
320 GEAMINACE2E. 
 
 two the Sweet-grasses and the Meadow-grasses, the former 
 having the palese simple, the latter having them keeled. 
 
 We have the Beedy Sweet-grass (Glyceria aquatica), which 
 Edward found on the margin of the Avon, near Leamington, 
 and also in a pond opposite the Hall House, Hawkhurst. It 
 is a tall Grass, with stiff sword-shaped leaves, and an erect 
 panicle of small spikelets. The florets are all blunt. 
 
 The Floating Sweet-grass (G. fluitans), is to be found every- 
 where on the margin of ponds. Its panicle is oblong and 
 branched, and its lance-shaped spikelets are close-pressed, 
 and contain numerous florets, the palese of which are seven- 
 ribbed. 
 
 Fanny has the Reflexed Sweet-grass (G. distans), and also the 
 Hard Sweet-grass. The former grew on salt-marshy ground 
 beside the Looe River. It is partly recumbent, and its panicles 
 are stiff. It grows about twelve inches in length, and thus 
 varies exceedingly from the above-mentioned members of its 
 family, the Reedy Sweet-grass attaining the height of four feet, 
 and the Floating of three feet. 
 
 The Hard Sweet-grass (G. rigida), is a very small plant, 
 inhabiting the tops of walls and sandy places. Its stems are 
 wiry, and its panicle is formed of close-pressed spikelets, all of 
 which lean to one side. This specimen is from the Looe Cliffs. 
 
 There are a Procumbent Sweet-grass (G. prociimbens), with 
 a stiff panicle, which inhabits seashores ; and a Sea Sweet- 
 grass (G. maritima), the panicle of which is erect and branched, 
 and very close ; but we have not got specimens of them. 
 
 The true Meadow-grasses come next. Their botanical name, 
 Poa, is the Greek word for Grass of any kind. The plants of 
 this family have a pair of glumes to each spikelet of many 
 florets, and the palese are membranous at the point. 
 
 The Hough Meadow-grass and the Smooth-stalked Meadow- 
 grass (Poa trivialis, and P. pratensis), are exceedingly useful 
 for meadow crops. They grow eighteen inches high, with 
 full-branched panicles of small spikelets, very often tinged 
 
MEADOW-GBASS QUAKING-GBASS. 321 
 
 with purple. Tlie roughness, or otherwise, of the stem and 
 leaves is a sufficient mark of distinction between them. 
 
 The Annual Meadow-grass (P. annua), is the common weed 
 of our gardens, infesting the untrodden pavement as well as the 
 green lane, and flowering from March to November. 
 
 The Alpine and Glaucous Meadow-grasses were sent to me 
 from Scotland. The former has a denser panicle than most of 
 its family, and the glaucous, broadish foliage of the latter dis- 
 tinguishes it. 
 
 The Wood Meadow-grass (P. nemoralis), has a graceful 
 slender panicle, and only about three flowers in each spikelet. 
 JBoth spikelets and leaves are of a pale green. It grows in the 
 Easby woods. 
 
 There are a Flat-stalked Meadow-grass, the distinctive mark 
 of which is expressed in its name ; and a Bulbous Meadow- 
 grass, with a zigzag panicle and four-flowered spikelets. This 
 grows on the seashore. 
 
 The Heath-grass (Triodia decumbens), used to be counted 
 among the Poas, but its round palese and concave glumes are 
 marked enough to allow it a genus to itself. It is a rigid plant 
 growing in tufts, the stems often leaning towards the ground 
 at an acute angle. The panicle is very little branched ; there 
 are four florets in each spike. It grows in swampy places on 
 our moors in Yorkshire, and flowers in July. 
 
 The Quaking-grass is a familiar object to people of all ages. 
 About Nantwich, in Cheshire, it used to be called " Quakers 
 and Shakers," as old Gerarde tells us. With us it is often 
 called " Trembling-grass." 
 
 The common Quaking-grass (Briza media), is known to us all. 
 It has oval spikelets of seven flowers, and the glumes are 
 shorter than the florets. 
 
 The Small Quaking-grass (B. minor), is a rare plant. My 
 specimen came from Devonshire. It has triangular spikelets, 
 with seven flowers in each ; the glumes are longer than the 
 florets. The panicle is dark green. 
 
 T 
 
322 GRAMINACE-E. 
 
 Of tlie Cock's-foot-grass family (Dactylis glomerata, Plate 
 XVIIL, fig. 7), we have only one British species. It is 
 characterised by two sharp-pointed glumes, which are keeled- 
 and enclose from three to six florets. The panicle is dis- 
 tantly branched, the lowest branch being long, and stand- 
 ing at right angles with the stem, like the claw on a cock's 
 foot. This is a valuable G-rass, because it endures drought 
 so well, and on this account it is such a favourite in Nor- 
 folk. Although a coarse Grass, it is much liked by cattle, and 
 it becomes finer by cultivation. It grows from two to three 
 feet high. 
 
 The Cord-grass (Spartina stricta, j%. 8), is the only member 
 of its family. It has two lance-shaped glumes, and two un- 
 equal paleae ; there is only one floret between each pair of 
 glumes. The flowers are arranged in spikes, two or three 
 spikes together. The leaves are rolled-in, ribbed, and pointed. 
 It is an inhabitant of muddy salt marshes. 
 
 The Dog's-tail-grasses are two in number. They have both 
 glumes and palese awned, and the florets are put on to the 
 spike in pairs. 
 
 The Crested Dog's-tail (Cynosurus cristatus,j^^. 12), has the 
 spike straight, and all the florets turned to the front, so that 
 the back of the stem is left naked. It is a valuable pasture 
 Grass. 
 
 The Rough Dog's-tail (C. echinatus), has a compound spike, 
 and the awns on the paleae are as long as the glumes. It 
 grows the most freely in Jersey. 
 
 The family of the Fescue-grass numbers several members. 
 The Sheep's Fescue (Festiica ovina), is a slender G-rass, with 
 a quantity of fine narrow foliage. Sheep are very fond of it, 
 and it is said that they never enjoy hills where it is not found. 
 Its stem is square, and the panicle is rather close, and leans 
 to one side. 
 
 The Hard Fescue (F. duriiiscula), has also a one-sided 
 panicle, but it is larger and more spread. The florets are 
 
FESCUE- GRASS. 323 
 
 longer than the awns, and the stem is flat. This Grass stands 
 drought the best of any. 
 
 The Creeping Fescue (F. rubra), resembles the Hard 
 Fescue, and, like it, is a good pasture Grass. It is distin- 
 guished by its leaves being glaucous, and hairy on the upper 
 surface. 
 
 The Sheep's Fescue and the Hard Fescue abound in hilly 
 pastures in Swaledale. The Creeping Fescue Fanny found 
 about the Looe Eiver and harbour. 
 
 The Barren Fescue (F. bromoides), is abundant on walls and 
 sandy places. Edward has it from Hawkhurst. The panicle 
 is narrow and erect, and the florets tapering, with long awns. 
 Its stem only reaches a few inches in height. 
 
 The Wall Fescue (F. myurus), resembles this, but has a 
 more leafy stem. 
 
 The Tall Fescue has a compound drooping panicle, and from 
 three to six flowers in each spikelet. It grows four or five 
 feet high. 
 
 The Meadow Fescue (F. pratensis, fig. 9), is a valuable 
 Grass for moist land. Its panicle is nearly upright, branched 
 and spreading, and it attains the height of two feet. 
 
 The Spiked Fescue (F. loliacea), has its flowers in alternate 
 spikelets, seated on the stem. It resembles the Eye-grass, but 
 is distinguished by having two glumes, the other being only 
 possessed of one. 
 
 The Wood Fescue (F. sylvatica), is an elegant Grass, flower- 
 ing in a drooping spike ; the spikelets, which are placed alter- 
 nately on the stem, being long and narrow, and adorned with 
 long awns. The leaves are pale and hairy. It grows about 
 two feet high, and adorns woods and hedges. 
 
 The Spiked Heath Fescue (F. pinnata), resembles the Wood 
 Fescue, but it has shorter awns. The foliage is smooth, and 
 the height does not exceed eighteen inches. 
 
 All the Fescues have many-flowered spikelets. The lower 
 palese are not awned as in the Brome-grasses, nor blunt as in 
 
324 GBAMINACE.E. 
 
 the Poas, but they terminate in a hard sharp point. The 
 glumes are acute and very unequal. 
 
 In the Brome-grasses (Bromus giganteus, j#. 10), the palese 
 are awned at the back, and the glumes are awnless. The spike- 
 lets contain several florets. They are of no use to the farmer. 
 
 The Smooth Eye Brome-grass (B. secalinus), has a spread- 
 ing panicle, and ovate spikelets containing about ten flowers 
 each. The leaves are slightly hairy, and the awns are shorter 
 than the glumes. 
 
 The Downy Eye Brome-grass (B. velutinus), has a simple 
 spreading panicle, and its spikelets contain from ten to fifteen, 
 flowers. The awns are the length of the glumes, and the whole 
 plant is very downy. 
 
 The Smooth Brome-grass (B. racemosus), is also somewhat 
 downy, but is taller and more slender than the two last species. 
 The Field Brome-grass (B. arvensis), has more slender spike- 
 lets, and its panicle rather droops. The leaves are hairy, but 
 the stem is smooth. 
 
 The Upright Brome-grass (B. erectus), is distinguished by 
 its narrower leaves. 
 
 The Eough Brome-grass (B. asper), has a much-branched, 
 drooping panicle, and very large woolly leaves. It grows in 
 moist woods, and attains a height of from four to six feet. Its 
 spikelets are long and narrow, and the awns are shorter than 
 the glumes. 
 
 The Barren Brome-grass (B. sterilis), inhabits sandy banks 
 and waste places. Its panicle is but little branched, and its 
 spikelets, containing eight flowers, are narrow lance-shaped. 
 Eighteen inches is its usual height. 
 
 The Annual Brome-grass (B. diandrus), is a small plant, 
 less than a foot high, with an upright simple panicle of con- 
 spicuous spikelets, from seven to eleven in number. The awns 
 are very long. Fanny has a specimen of this Grass from 
 Clifton. 
 The Barren, Eough, and Downy Eye Brorne-grasses are in 
 
OAT-GEASS DABNEL. 325 
 
 my Yorkshire collection ; and Edward has found the Field, 
 Smooth, and Soft species about Hawkhurst. 
 
 The Oat-grasses are distinguished by their lax panicles, 
 two loose membranous glumes, and small number of florets, 
 each of which has one palea armed with a strong-twisted 
 awn. 
 
 The flowers of the Wild Oat (Avena fatua), so nearly resemble 
 a fly that they are used instead of artificial flies for fishing. 
 Its panicle is erect, and the spikelets pendulous. 
 
 The Narrow-leaved Oat (A. pratensis), is a rare inhabitant 
 of chalky pastures ; its branches are short and simple, and its 
 florets about five in a spikelet. 
 
 The Alpine Oat (A. alpina), has an erect panicle also, but 
 fewer flowers in the spikelets, and the stalk of each is bearded 
 under the cluster. 
 
 Two of this group which used to be reckoned in this family 
 are exalted by Persoon into a new genus, and called Trisetum, 
 or " three-seeded." They have three flowers in each spikelet, 
 the glumes have a membranous keel, and the lower palea has 
 two bristles and a tender flexible awn above the middle of its 
 back. 
 
 The Golden Oat (A. flavescens), the first member of the new 
 family, has a much-branched panicle with erect spikelets ; it 
 has a brilliant golden hue, and flourishes in rich pastures. It 
 does not thrive well alone, but needs to be mingled with other 
 Grasses. There is a bitter principle in it which adds to its 
 value. Sheep are very fond of it. 
 
 The Downy Oat-grass (A. pubescens), has also an erect 
 spreading panicle, but its leaves are woolly ; and it is accounted 
 a second-rate meadow Grass, generally characterising poor land ; 
 but it greatly improves by cultivation. 
 
 The Darnel family have many-flowered spikelets, which are 
 seated alternately on the stem, forming a narrow spike. There 
 are one glume and two herbaceous paleae. The two styles are 
 very short, and the stigmas are feathery. 
 
The Perennial Darnel, or Rye-grass (Lolium perenne), has 
 the glumes shorter than the florets, the palese very slightly 
 awned, and the foliage dark green and smooth. It is a valuable 
 Grass both for meadows and pastures. 
 
 The Bearded Darnel (L. temulentum,^. 11), is distinguished 
 by having long glumes, and the awns longer than the palese ; it 
 grows to the height of two feet, and its leaves are rough. The 
 seeds of this Grass have a narcotic and deleterious quality, 
 which produces intoxication in beasts and birds, and brings on 
 convulsions. Christian says that when made into bread and 
 eaten, the effect is giddiness, delirium, and paralysis. A 
 farmer near Poictiers killed himself by insisting upon eating 
 Darnel-bread. His wife and servant, who had eaten of the 
 same at his command, escaped with only severe sickness. Old 
 Gerarde says, "The new bread wherein Darnel is causeth 
 drunkenness. Darnel hurteth the eies and maketh them dim, 
 if it happen in corne either for bread or drink ; which thicg 
 Ovid in his third booke hath mentioned, and hereupon it 
 seemeth that the old proverbe came, that such as are dim- 
 sighted should be said to eate of Darnel." 
 
 The Short-awned Darnel is a grass of little account, the 
 palese little or at all awned, and the spikelets the length of the 
 glumes ; it is distinguished from the Bearded Darnel by its 
 smaller size, and the smoothness of its stem. 
 
 The Hare's-tail-grass (Lagurus ovatus), is a pretty curious 
 plant ; its head is composed of single florets contained within 
 fringed glumes, each of which is surmounted by a feathery 
 awn. Our specimen is the gift of Mr. Ward, of Richmond, 
 who cultivates it in his scientific garden. It is a native of 
 Guernsey. 
 
 The Reed family are characterised by having from three to 
 five flowers in each spike, the two glumes being sharp-pointed 
 and channelled, keeled, nearly equal, and as long as the florets. 
 There are two membranous palese, the lowermost split at the 
 end, and the split slightly haired. I suppose one of these 
 
EEBDS. dZV 
 
 Seeds Is the fabled plant into which Syrinx turned when 
 she fled from Pan, and of which he made his instrument of 
 music. 
 
 " He filled his arms with Reeds new rising on the place; 
 And while he sighs his ill success to find, 
 The tender canes were shaken by the wind, 
 And breathed a mournful air unheard before, 
 That much surprising Pan, yet pleased him more. 
 He formed the Reeds proportioned as they are, 
 Unequal in their length, and waxed with care ; 
 They still retain the name of his ungrateful fair." 
 
 The Common Eeed is as likely as any to be the transformed 
 heroine of the story, as it inhabits the margins of rivers. It is 
 a handsome plant with five florets to the spike, and a loose 
 panicle. I have it from my favourite pond at Hill Deverill, 
 where it grows above six feet in height. The tenant who farms 
 the adjacent land mows these Eeeds from a boat, and sells 
 them for thatching purposes (Arundo phragmites). 
 
 The Wood Reed (A. epijegos), is a smaller plant, with an 
 erect close panicle and long awns. 
 
 The Small Eeed (A. calamagrostis), has slender grassy leaves, 
 and a loose panicle. Both these species inhabit woods. 
 
 The Close Eeed (A. stricta), is a highland species ; it has 
 only one flower in a spikelet. 
 
 The Cypress Eeed (A. donax), is a foreign member of this 
 group ; it was early used for walking-sticks, as G-erarde tells us, 
 " This great sort of Eeeds or Canes hath no particular descrip- 
 tion to answer your expectations ; for that as yet there is not 
 any man which hath written thereof, especially the manner of 
 growing them, so that it shall suffice that ye do know that this 
 great Cane is used, especially in Constantinople and there- 
 abouts, of aged and wealthy citizens, and also noblemen and 
 such great personages, to make their walking-staves of, carving 
 them at the top with sundry scutcheons and pretty toies and 
 imagerie for the beautifying of them." 
 
 The allied family, that of the Sea Eeed (Ammophila arun- 
 dinacea), has one important British specimen ; it has but one 
 
328 GEAMINACE.E. 
 
 floret to each pair of glumes, and the flowers are arranged in a 
 spike. It grows from two to three feet high; it is a rigid plant 
 with bluish rolled-up leaves. It is a most useful Grass, 
 piercing the sandbanks on the seashore with its roots, and 
 converting them into natural barriers against the encroach- 
 ments of the waters. On this subject Dr. Murray writes, 
 "The very existence of a kingdom depends on Sea Reeds, 
 Sedges, and kindred plants. These form the defence of the 
 dykes of Holland, and prevent not only the invasion of the sea, 
 but the advance of the drift sand on the fertile soil. When in 
 a solitary walk by the seaside, we have heard in a still night 
 the sentinel from the rampart repeat the watchword, 'All's 
 well,' we have turned instinctively to the ' Sea Mat-weed ' on 
 the shore mantling the beech the sentinel of Providence that 
 forbids the approach of the waves, as if commissioned to say to 
 them, ' Hitherto and no farther,' and ' Here shall thy proud 
 waves be stayed,' and have then responded 'All's well.' " 
 
 The Sea Hard-grass (Rottbollia incurvata), is a curious plant, 
 with Rush-like branched stems, from the sides of which the 
 little florets emerge. It only grows a few inches high, and 
 inhabits salt marshes. 
 
 The Lyme-grass family have two glumes enclosing two or 
 more florets. The flowers are arranged in spikes. 
 
 The Sea Lyme-grass (ISlymus arenareus), performs the same 
 useful office as the Sea Reed, binding together the loose sand 
 of the seashore. The large leaves are sharp-pointed. 
 
 The Pendulous Lyme-grass (E. geniculatus), is a very elegant 
 plant ; its spike is loose and bent downwards, and it is very 
 tall and slender. 
 
 The Wood Lyme-grass (E. europEeus), has two rough florets 
 between each pair of glumes, and its leaves are soft. Our 
 specimens were sent from Lincolnshire and Norfolk. 
 
 We have now gone through the British members of the 
 Grass tribe, with the exception of those that bear close affinity 
 to the Cereals or corn Grasses ; they are a humble race com- 
 
TUSSAC-GBASS. 329 
 
 pared with the Pampas-grass of America with its towering 
 stems, or to the Tussac-grass of the Falkland Islands. This 
 Grass forms balls round its roots, five or six feet high, and 
 from the top of these rise the stems and leaves ; the latter 
 drooping to the extent of seven feet. The Grass grows in tufts 
 some distance apart from one another. There are no trees in 
 these islands, nor any bushes larger than our Furze, so the 
 Tussac is much valued. It fattens cattle very rapidly ; the 
 roots are sweet and good for food, resembling fine Cabbage 
 in taste when boiled ; and building cement is formed of the 
 chopped Grass mingled with clay. This tribe of plants is 
 interesting as the first green things which God created. "And 
 God said, Let the earth bring forth Grass." " He causeth 
 Grass to grow for the cattle." Grass is often used in Scripture 
 as a type of the evanescence of all human things. "All flesh is 
 Grass, and all the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field ; 
 the Grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our 
 God shall stand for ever." And more especially of the short 
 continuance of the wicked : " When the wicked spring as the 
 Grass, and all the workers Of wickedness do flourish, it is that 
 they shall be destroyed." " The Lord shall smite Israel like a 
 Reed shaken by the wind." But, although such solemn truths 
 are associated with the Grass of the field, yet its presence is 
 ever a proof of the kind providence of God, and as such must 
 both assure and cheer us. An American poet has interpreted 
 pleasantly, " The voice of the Grass." 
 
 " Here I come creeping, creeping everywhere ; 
 By the dusty roadside, 
 On the sunny hillside, 
 Close by the noisy brook, 
 In every shady nook, 
 I come creeping, creeping everywhere. 
 
 " Here I come creeping, creeping everywhere ; 
 All round the open door, 
 "Where sit the aged poor, 
 Here, where the children play 
 In the bright and merry May, 
 I come creeping, creeping everywhere.' 
 
OoO GEAMLNACE2E. 
 
 " Here I come creeping, creeping everywhere; 
 In the noisy city street 
 My pleasant face you'll meet, 
 Cheering the sick at heart, 
 Toiling his busy part, 
 Silently creeping, creeping everywhere. 
 
 " Here I come creeping, creeping everywhere, 
 More welcome than the flowers 
 In summer's pleasant hours; 
 The gentle cow is glad, 
 And the merry bird not sad 
 To see me creeping, creeping everywhere. 
 
 " Here I come creeping, creeping everywhere ; 
 When you're numbered with the dead, 
 In your still and narrow bed, 
 In the happy spring I'll come, 
 And deck your silent home, 
 Creeping silently, creeping everywhere. 
 
 " Sere I come creeping, creeping everywhere ; 
 My humble song of praise 
 Most gratefully I raise 
 To Him, at whose command 
 I beautify the land, 
 Creeping silently, creeping everywhere." 
 
 And James Ballantine draws a lesson of trust from the daily 
 nourishment of the Grasses. 
 
 " Confide ye aye in Providence, for Providence is kind, 
 And bear ye a' life's changes wi' a calm and tranquil mind.; 
 Tho' pressed and hemm'd on every side hae faith and ye'll win thro', 
 For ilka blade o' Grass keps its ain drap o' dew." 
 
 The various families of the corn Grasses may each be divided 
 into two parts 1st, the eatable ; 2nd, the field species. 
 
 The Wheat family needs to be twice divided, and the groups 
 thus formed are called Wheats, Spelts, and Grasses. The 
 botanical name of this family, Triticum, is derived from a 
 word signifying rubbed, in allusion to the grinding of the 
 grain. 
 
 Of true edible Wheats there are many varieties. The Hard 
 Wheat has a compound spike, and grows very luxuriantly in 
 Egypt ; the Polish Wheat has long chaff and hard grains ; the 
 lied and White Wheat vary in different soils, the straw 
 
COUCH- GEASS WHEAT. 331 
 
 changing colour before the seed, so that we have Red Wheat 
 with white straw, &c. All the true Wheats have the seed free 
 from the chaff. Scientific men have named a district in Asiatic 
 Russia as the native country of the Wheat, but the fact seems 
 scarcely established ; and the recent discovery of a similar 
 plant by Stuart when crossing the interior of New South 
 Wales raises a question whether its home be not there. It 
 has been a familiar plant in cultivation in most countries and 
 in remote periods, but nowhere has it become naturalised 
 through cultivation. 
 
 Both the Egyptians and the Jews used Wheat. At the time 
 of the Exodus " the Wheat and the Rye were not smitten, 
 for they were not grown up." And David, lamenting the in- 
 stability of his people, says, " He should hare fed them also 
 with the finest of the Wheat." Theophrastus and Pliny make 
 frequent mention, of Wheat, for it was used among the Greeks 
 and Romans. It flourishes in the temperate regions, and is to 
 them what Maize and Rice are to tropical countries. Wheat 
 contains the largest portion of gluten of any of the cereals ; 
 its value as food is very great, forming the chief strength of 
 the " staff of life." The straw serves for food for cattle, and 
 is made into bonnets, hats, &c. 
 
 The Spelts are distinguished by the chaff adhering to the 
 grain so strongly as only to be separated in the mill. Spelt 
 has a parallel compressed spike, while Wheat has a four- 
 cornered spike. 
 
 Couch-grass (Triticum repens,^. 14), is the principal species 
 of the third division of the Triticums. Though stigmatised as 
 a corn-weed, and as such rooted-out and burned, this Grass 
 has some valuable qualities ; its creeping root is exceedingly 
 nutritious when boiled, and in times of famine our forefathers 
 were glad to be indebted to it for subsistence. The boiled 
 roots of Couch-grass make excellent food for pigs. It is a tall 
 Grass with five-flowered spikelets and flat leaves. 
 
 The Sea Wheat-grass (T. jiinceum), works along with the 
 
332 GBAMINACE.E. 
 
 Lyme-grass and Sea Reed in constructing sea-barriers ; its 
 florets are awnless, and its leaves rolled-in, sharp-pointed, and 
 glaucous. 
 
 The Fibrous-rooted Wheat-grass (T. canmum), has handsome 
 awns, a straight slender green stalk, and roughish leaves ; it 
 is a nutritious Grass, and will grow freely on even poor land. 
 
 All the Wheat family have solitary spikelets, two glumes, 
 enclosing many flowers, and two paleae, the external one being 
 pointed, the internal toothed. Our forefathers used to cut the 
 Wheat half-way between the root and the ear that it might 
 occupy less room in the barn, and the stubble was mown after- 
 wards. We have too great a respect for the straw to follow 
 this style of reaping. Wheat is subject to various diseases 
 which discolour and spoil the grain : these are called Burnt-ear, 
 Smut, and Ergot. It has also enemies from without : the ear- 
 cocles are eel-like insects which eat into the ear, and the wheat- 
 midge deposits its eggs in the germ and prevents the filling of 
 the seed. 
 
 The Barley family (Hordeum), is distinguished from the 
 Wheat by its spikelets having only one perfect floret in each, 
 and by the glumes being one-sided and bearded. The members 
 of this family inhabit both the Old and the New World. 
 America has eight different species. 
 
 The cereal species of Barley can bear great extremes of 
 temperature. In Spain and Barberry two crops of Barley are 
 grown in one year ; and when " the Flax and the Barley were 
 smitten, for the Barley was in the ear," it was the early crop, 
 being the month of March. There are varieties of cereal 
 Barley with two rows of spikelets, and with six rows ; the 
 former is the kind generally grown in England. Barley is less 
 liable to disease than Wheat ; but it also is subject to the 
 burnt-ear, smut, and ergot. It was used for bread almost 
 universally in ancient times. Kuth gleaned by the maidens of 
 Boaz " unto the end of the Barley harvest, and of Wheat 
 harvest;" and the "six measures" which Boaz put into her 
 
B ABLET OAT EYE. 333 
 
 veil were of Barley. In the time of the famine of Samaria 
 Elisha is commissioned to promise the miraculous plenty of 
 " a measure of fine flour for a shekel, and two measures of 
 Barley for a shekel." Barley bread is still the regular food of 
 vast numbers of the continental poor; but with us its chief 
 use is for malt. Fowls thrive best when fed with Barley ; and 
 Pearl Barley, a preparation of the grain with the skin and part 
 of the seed ground off, is valuable for making barley-water and 
 for puddings. The Barley-grasses are plants of no account. 
 
 The Wall Barley (H. murinum, fig. 13), is common in waste 
 places ; its rough leaves, fringed glumes, and bristly spike 
 readily distinguish it. 
 
 The Meadow Barley has shorter awns, but in other respects 
 closely resembles the Wall Barley ; and the Sea Barley is only 
 distinguished by its glaucous foliage. 
 
 The Oat family (Avena), are characterised by their loose 
 panicle and large flowers, and by the strong twisted awn with 
 which one of their palese is armed. 
 
 There is a foreign species called the Animal Oat, the parts of 
 which are so curiously affected by the atmosphere, that when 
 the spikelets are placed on the hand or on the ground they 
 curl, and twist, and leap about as if they were endowed with 
 life. 
 
 The Oat-grasses we have examined, so only the cereal Oat 
 remains to be discussed (A. sativa). This grain is the easiest 
 of cultivation, it will grow upon any kind of land; the best 
 samples are produced in Scotland and Friesland. Oatmeal is 
 used by the poor to a great extent in Scotland, Ireland, and 
 the north of England, both for making porridge and for oat- 
 cakes. In Switzerland they bake the oatmeal, and then boil it 
 in broth. Oats are exceedingly valuable as food for horses. 
 
 The Eye family (Secale), have naked seeds on a flat ear 
 furnished with awns, something like Barley. The straw is 
 solid, being filled with pith, which makes it valuable for 
 thatching as well as for litter. It grows on poor lands which 
 
334 GRAMINACEJE. 
 
 are unfit for Wheat. In former times it was much cultivated 
 in England and called " Meslin," from a word meaning mixed, 
 because this grain is the best when mingled with other grains. 
 Excellent bread is made of one-third of Eye-meal to two-thirds 
 of Wheat, and a small quantity mixed with coarse flour makes 
 the best brown bread. It is very much cultivated in Holland, 
 where it forms as important an ingredient in gin as our malt 
 does in beer. In England it is mostly sown as a green crop, 
 and fed-off early in the spring with sheep. The land will beal* 
 a crop of Turnips or Potatoes afterwards. It is subject to the 
 same diseases as Wheat, and the ergot affects it to a much 
 greater extent. In a period of famine in France the starving 
 poor in one district were driven to eat the ergotted Eye. All 
 who ate it became miserably ill, their limbs rotting off before 
 death. At first this was supposed to be the effect of witch- 
 craft ; but, experiments having been made with ergotted Bye 
 upon animals, it was at length satisfactorily proved that the 
 fungus -poisoned corn was the cause of the malady. It swells 
 the grain to twice its natural length, causing it to assume the 
 form of a black horn. 
 
 The Millet cereals, both those belonging to the Soft-grasses 
 and to the Panick-grasses, we have already considered, so that 
 the only important foreign cereals which remain to be described 
 are the Rice and Sugar Cane. 
 
 The Eice family has two glumes to each flower, two nearly 
 equal paleae, six stamens, and two styles. 
 
 The common Bice (Or^za sativa), has a diffuse panicle ; it is 
 indigenous about lakes in India. A Bice field is much more 
 prolific than a corn field ; for one acre will produce from thirty 
 to sixty bushels. Bice is extensively cultivated in India, China, 
 and in Spain, as well as in North and South Carolina, and 
 G-eorgia. The best ground for Bice fields is low land by the 
 side of rivers, for they require to be well watered, and in this 
 case they need no manure. The uses of Bice are manifold ; it 
 is the principal food of great numbers in India, and is largely 
 
SUGAB CANE. 335 
 
 used in Europe as an article of diet in soups, curries, puddings, 
 &c. Starch is made from Rice as well as from Wheat. The 
 straw of Rice as well as that of Wheat is used in the manufac- 
 ture of bonnets. 
 
 The Sugar Canes (Saccharum), are very handsome plants ; 
 their height varies from eight to twenty feet, and the stem is 
 divided at short intervals by angular joints, from each of which 
 long narrow leaves sprout. The spikelets are composed of two 
 membranous glumes, and florets with two awnless transparent 
 paleee ; there are three stamens and two styles. All the florets 
 are feathery and fertile. 
 
 The Indian Sugar Cane has been introduced into the South 
 of Europe, the Canary Islands, and the West Indies ; it pro- 
 duces a fine sweet Sugar. 
 
 The Chinese Sugar Cane is a larger species, and valuable, 
 because the Canes are hard enough to resist the attacks of the 
 white ants ; this Cane abounds in sap. 
 
 The natives of Bengal make pens of the small Brown Cane, 
 and they use its stems for making screens and such light 
 articles. 
 
 In India Canes are employed for thatching. 
 
 The Sugar Cane is propagated by cuttings. Holes are 
 made in rows three feet apart, and two feet between each pair 
 of holes ; two or more cuttings are laid at the bottom of each 
 hole, and covered with two inches depth of earth. In about a 
 fortnight the sprouts begin to appear. The cuttings are planted 
 about March in the West Indies, and the harvest time varies 
 from August to November. Several crops may be raised from 
 the same roots. Old planters used to renew the Canes once in 
 three years, but it need not be done so often. The Canes are 
 carried from the plantations as they are cut and thrown into a 
 mill ; there they are crushed, and the juice expressed, and 
 received into troughs. It runs next into a pan called a clarifier, 
 where it is kept at a certain heat by a fire placed underneath, 
 but not allowed to boil. During this process it is tempered 
 
336 
 
 with lime, and skimmed, and then it is drawn off as a clear 
 yellow liquid ; it is then exposed to the air in open vessels, and 
 poured from one to another. It is left to percolate slowly 
 through the spongy stem of a Water Plantain : thus it forms 
 into crystals. After this it is ready to be packed in casks for 
 exportation. 
 
 The time of gathering in the fruits of the field is, and ought 
 to be, a time of thankfulness and rejoicing. But, alas ! the 
 teeming harvest of the Rice field is too often collected amidst 
 the cries of the oppressed slaves. Longfellow associates slavery 
 with this harvest in his poem, " The Slave's Dream." 
 
 " Beside the ungathered Rice he lay, 
 
 His sickle in his hand ; 
 His breast was bare, his matted hair 
 
 Was buried in the sand. 
 Again, in the mist and shadow of sleep, 
 
 He saw his native land." 
 
 But this is not universally the case. Many a rich harvest of 
 Eice is gathered in by free men, and we hope many a hearty 
 thanksgiving arises to the Lord of all, who giveth meat in due 
 season. Seed-time and harvest are full of deep meaning to the 
 thoughtful mind ; their constant recurrence is a proof of the 
 faithfulness of God, who promised that " seed-time and harvest, 
 summer and winter, should not fail." Many are the touching 
 pictures of harvest which are presented to us in Scripture. 
 Miss Howitt enumerates some of them in her poem of " Corn 
 
 Fields." 
 
 I feel the day, I see the field, 
 
 The quivering of the leaves; 
 And good old Jacob and his house 
 
 Binding the yellow sheaves ; 
 And at the very hour I seem 
 To be with Joseph in his dream. 
 
 " I see the fields of Bethlehem, 
 
 And reapers many a one, 
 Bending with their sickle stroke, 
 
 And Boaz looking on ; 
 And Ruth, the Moabitess fair, 
 Among the gleaners stooping there, 
 
GEASSES. 337 
 
 11 Again, I see a little child, 
 
 His mother's sole delight, 
 God's living gift of love unto 
 
 The kind good Shunamite ; 
 To mortal pangs I see him yield, 
 And the lad bears him from the field. 
 
 " The sun-bathed quiet of the hills, 
 
 The fields of Galilee, 
 That eighteen hundred years agone 
 
 Were full of corn, I see ; 
 And the dear Saviour takes his way, 
 'Mid rfpe ears on the Sabbath-day. 
 
 " golden fields of bending corn, 
 
 How beautiful they seem ! 
 The reaper-folk, the piled-up sheaves, 
 
 To me are like a dream ; 
 The sunshine and the very air 
 Seem of old time, and take me there." 
 
 Fields of ripe corn are ever tlie signals of joy and plenty. 
 The Psalmist sings, " The valleys are covered with corn, they 
 shout for joy." Seed-time is typical of the period of faith and 
 patience, " Blessed are they that sow beside all waters." " They 
 that sow in tears shall reap in joy." " Behold, the husbandman 
 waiteth for the precious seed of the earth, and hath long 
 patience for it, until he receives the early and the latter rain." 
 And in the same way the harvest is type of the crowning time 
 of faith " Be ye also patient, stablish your hearts, for the 
 coming of the Lord draweth nigh." " There shall be a handful 
 of corn in the earth high upon the mountains, the fruit shall 
 shake like Lebanon, and they of the city shall flourish like 
 Grass of the earth." 
 
 But the most solemn association of the corn field is with the 
 resurrection : " That which thou sowest is not quickened 
 except it die; and when thou sowest thou sowest not that body 
 which shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of Wheat or of 
 some other grain, and God giveth it a body as it pleases Him, 
 and to every seed his own body." " Lift up your eyes and look 
 on the fields, for they are white already to harvest." " And he 
 that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life 
 
338 CONCLUSION. 
 
 eternal, that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may 
 rejoice together." " The harvest is the end of the world, and 
 the reapers are the angels." 
 
 The Grasses conclude the families of Flowering Plants, and 
 with them our little collection is complete. You have each of 
 you expressed to me the great pleasure and profit which you 
 have derived from your rambles in search of wild flowers ; and 
 all around you testify to the increased health of body and mind 
 which has followed this pursuit. That these benefits may 
 continue and increase I would entreat you to persevere in y our 
 research, endeavouring to obtain the many plants yet wanting 
 in our collection, examining more carefully the structure and 
 habits of those you already know, and entering upon the new 
 field of FLOWEKLESS PLANTS. Although Fanny is about to take 
 up her abode in London, she will have country trips and 
 holidays, in which she may study and collect Ferns; while 
 Edward, in his many woodland wanderings, may do the same 
 service for Mosses and Lichens. Seaweed and Fungi shall be 
 my care ; and if we are spared to meet again in another year or 
 two, I hope our collection of Flowerless Plants, with their uses, 
 charms, and associations, will equal in bulk and interest the 
 present result of our " Rambles in Search of Wild Flowers." 
 
339 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 A. 
 Acer 
 ACERACE^ 
 Aceras .. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ... 68 
 68 
 
 ... 277 
 
 APOCYNACE^... 
 
 APOCYNE.E 
 
 Apple group 
 
 PAG2 
 
 ... 194 
 ... 194 
 105 
 
 Achillea 
 
 178 
 
 
 19 
 
 Aconite, Winter... 
 Aconitum 
 ACORACE^E 
 Acorns 
 
 ... 19 
 
 ... 19 
 ... 300 
 300 
 
 ARACh^: 
 ARALIACEJE 
 Arbutus 
 Archangel 
 
 ... 299 
 ... 142 
 ... 188 
 225 
 
 Acotyledons 
 Adonis ... 
 
 5 
 ... 14 
 143 
 
 Arcnum. 
 Arenaria 
 
 ... 165 
 ... 57 
 . . 249 
 
 JEsopodium 
 JSthusa 
 
 ... 140 
 ... 140 
 
 ARISTOLOCHIACEJ3 ... 
 
 ... 249 
 . . 297 
 
 Agrimony 
 Agrimony, Hemp 
 Agrostemma 
 Agrostis... 
 Aira 
 Ajuga 
 Alchemilla ... 
 
 ... 101 
 ... 169 
 ... 54 
 ... 315 
 ... 317 
 ... 224 
 ... 102 
 
 Arrow-head ... ... 
 Artichoke, Jerusalem 
 Aitemisia 
 Arum ... 
 Arundo ... 
 ASARABACE.E 
 Asavum ... 
 
 ... ^97 
 ... 159 
 . 170 
 ... 299 
 ... 327 
 ... 249 
 . . 249 
 
 Alder 
 
 ... 262 
 
 Ash 
 
 ... 190 
 
 Alexanders 
 Alisma ... 
 ALISMACE.& ... 
 
 ... 138 
 ... 297 
 ... 296 
 
 Ash, Mountain ... 
 Asparagus 
 Aspen 
 
 ... 10G 
 ... 286 
 . . 260 
 
 Aikar.et 
 
 201 
 
 
 153 
 
 Allseed 
 
 ... 119 
 
 Asuhodel Bog 
 
 294 
 
 Allium ... 
 Almond group ... 
 
 .. 290 
 93 
 
 Asphodel, Scottish 
 Aster 
 
 .. 292 
 ... 172 
 
 Alnus ... 
 Alopecurus 
 Althsea ... 
 Alyssum 
 AMARYLLIDACE^E 
 
 ... 262 
 ... 314 
 
 ... 65 
 32 
 
 ,. 281 
 
 Astragalus 
 Athamanta 
 Atriplex 
 Atropa 
 A vena ... 
 
 ... 87 
 ... 136 
 ... 242 
 ... 208 
 325 
 
 Amaryllis . 
 
 .. 281 
 
 Avens ... 
 
 96 
 
 AMENTACEJE ... 
 Amvuophila 
 AM\GDALE.Z 
 Ana3haris 
 Auagallis 
 Anchusa 
 
 .. 258 
 ... 327 
 93 
 ... 273 
 ... 235 
 .. 201 
 
 Awlwort 
 Azalea ... 
 
 B. 
 
 Ballota . . 
 
 31 
 ... 187 
 
 224 
 
 Andromeda 
 Anemone 
 Angelica 
 Anthemis 
 Anthers... 
 Anthoxanthum ... 
 Anthriscus 
 Anthyllis 
 Antirrhinum 
 
 .. 187 
 .. 12 
 .. 137 
 .. 178 
 6 
 . 313 
 .. 130 
 87 
 ... 211 
 
 Balm, wild 
 Balsam tribe 
 BALSAMINACE.E 
 Baneberry 
 Barbarea 
 Barberry tribe ... 
 Barley ... 
 Barrenwort 
 Bartsia ... 
 
 ... 228 
 73 
 ... 73 
 .. 19 
 .. 35 
 27 
 .. 332 
 .. 27 
 215 
 
 Aparaia... 
 
 Apium ... 
 
 ... 160 
 ... 138 
 
 Basil, wild 
 Bastard Toad Flax 
 
 ... 228 
 ... 248 
 
340 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Beaked Parsley ... 
 Beak Rush 
 Bean tribe 
 Eearberry 
 Beard-grass 
 Bedstraw 
 Beech 
 
 PAGE 
 
 130 
 306 
 80 
 188 
 ... 315 
 . 151 
 ... 262 
 
 Bupleurum 
 Bur Dock 
 Bur Marigold ... 
 Bur Reed 
 Burnet ... 
 Burnet, Salad ... 
 Burnet Saxifrage 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ... 140 
 
 . 165 
 ... 169 
 ... 298 
 ... 102 
 ... 102 
 136 
 
 Beet 
 Bellis 
 
 .. 242 
 175 
 
 BUTOMACE.E 
 Butomus 
 
 ... 296 
 296 
 
 Bell-Flower tribe 
 Bennet, Herb 
 Bent-grass 
 BERBERIDACE^E 
 Berberis 
 Beta 
 Betony ... 
 
 .. 180 
 96 
 .. 316 
 26 
 27 
 .. 242 
 226 
 260 
 
 Butter Bur 
 Buttercups 
 Butterfly Orchis... 
 Butterwort 
 Buxus ... 
 
 c 
 
 ... 172 
 14 
 ... 275 
 ... 230 
 ... 251 
 
 BETULACE^E ... 
 Bidens ... 
 Bilberry 
 Bindweed 
 Birch 
 Bird Cherry 
 Bird's-foot 
 Bird's-foot Clover 
 
 260 
 
 . 169 
 185 
 199 
 260 
 94 
 89 
 85 
 
 Cabbage 
 Cakile 
 Calamint 
 Callitriche 
 Calluna... 
 Calycifiorals 
 Calyx 
 
 38 
 31 
 ... 228 
 ... 112 
 
 ,. 187 
 ... 78 
 6 
 
 Bird's-foot Lotus 
 Bird's-nest tribe... 
 Birthwort tribe ... 
 
 86 
 189 
 
 249 
 244 
 
 Calvx, subclass .., 
 Caltha 
 Campanula 
 CAMPANULACEJE 
 
 7 
 ... 18 
 ... 180 
 180 
 
 Bitter Cress 
 Bitter Vetch 
 Blackberry 
 Black Thorn 
 Bladderwort 
 Blinks, Water ... 
 Bluebottle, Cora... 
 Bog Asphodel ... 
 Bog Orchis 
 
 33 
 91 
 99 
 94 
 230 
 . 115 
 168 
 .. 294 
 278 
 
 Campion 
 Canary-grass 
 Candytuft 
 Canterbury Bell ... 
 Capsella... 
 CAPRIFOLIACE^ 
 Cardamine 
 Carduus 
 Carex ... 
 
 ... 52 
 ... 313 
 ... 32 
 ... 183 
 ... 29 
 .. 148 
 ... 33 
 . 166 
 309 
 
 Bog Rush 
 Borage tribe 
 BORAGINACKE 
 
 BORAGINE-2E 
 
 Box 
 
 .. 306 
 ,. 202 
 200 
 ,. 202 
 251 
 
 Carpinus 
 CARYOPHYLLACEJE ... 
 CARYOPHYLLKS; ... 
 Carraway 
 Carlina 
 
 .. 264 
 .. 50 
 50 
 .. 140 
 167 
 
 Bramble 
 Brassica 
 Briar, Sweet 
 Broccoli... 
 
 99 
 
 38 
 . 103 
 39 
 
 Carline Thistle 
 Carpel ... 
 Carrot, wild 
 Carum ... 
 
 .. 167 
 6 
 ... 131 
 140 
 
 Brome-grass 
 Bromus... 
 Brooklime 
 Brookweed 
 Broom ... 
 Broom, Butcher's 
 Broom Rape tribe 
 Bryony, Black ... 
 Bryony, White ... 
 Buckbean 
 Buckwheat 
 Buckthorn tribe... 
 Bugle 
 Bugloss... 
 Bugloss, Viper's... 
 
 324 
 
 324 
 217 
 237 
 82 
 286 
 210 
 285 
 115 
 ... 198 
 245 
 ... 79 
 ... 224 
 ... 203 
 ... 200 
 94 
 
 Castanea 
 Catchfly 
 Catkin tribe 
 Cat Mint 
 Cat's-ear 
 Cat's-tail-grass ... 
 Celandine, Greater 
 Celandine, Lesser 
 CELASTRACE^E 
 Celery, wild 
 Centaur ea 
 Centaury 
 Centunculus 
 Ceratophyllum 
 Cerastium 
 Ch serophyllum 
 
 ... 263 
 51 
 ... 257 
 ... 227 
 ... 161 
 .. 314 
 25 
 16 
 78 
 .. 138 
 .. 168 
 .. 196 
 . 237 
 .. 113 
 .. 58 
 130 
 
 Bullrush 
 Bunium... 
 
 307 
 132 
 
 Chaff weed 
 Chamomile 
 
 .. 237 
 
 .. 178 
 
I]S T DEX. 
 
 34,1 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Charlock 39 
 
 Cornish Moneywort 
 
 ... 216 
 
 Cheiranthus ... ... ... 37 
 
 Corolliflorals 
 
 .. 145 
 
 Chelidonium ... ... .. 25 
 
 Corolla, subclass 
 
 .. 146 
 
 CHENOPODIACE^: ... ..240 
 Chenopodium ... ... ..240 
 Cherry, wild .. 93 
 
 Corolla, forms of 
 CORYLACE.E 
 Corylus ... 
 
 .. 145 
 
 . 264 
 .. 264 
 
 Chervil, wild .. 130 
 
 Cotton-grass 
 
 . 308 
 
 Chestnut, Sweet ..263 
 
 Cotton Plant 
 
 63 
 
 Chestnut, Horse ... ... .. 69 
 
 Cotton Thistle 
 
 .. 167 
 
 Chickweed tribe ... ... 55 
 
 Cotyledon 
 
 .. 121 
 
 duckweed, common ... .. 56 
 
 Couch-grass 
 
 .. 331 
 
 Chickweed, Mouse-ear ... .. 58 
 
 Cowbane 
 
 .. 137 
 
 Chickweed, Umbelliferous .. 55 
 
 Cowberry 
 
 ... 185 
 
 Chickweed Winter-green .. 237 
 Chickweed, Water ... .. 278 
 
 Cow Parsnip 
 Cowslip ... 
 
 ... 141 
 ... 232 
 
 Chicory... ... ... ... 164 
 
 Cow Tree 
 
 ... 198 
 
 Chlora 197 
 
 Cow Wheat 
 
 ... 213 
 
 Chrysanthemum... ... 177 
 
 Crab Apple 
 
 ... 105 
 
 Chrysocoma .169 
 Chrysosplenium ... ... 124 
 
 Crambe ... 
 Cranberry 
 
 ... 31 
 
 ... 184 
 
 Cicely, Sweet 132 
 
 Cranesbill 
 
 ... 69 
 
 Cichorium ... . 164 
 
 CRASSULACEJE 
 
 ... 120 
 
 Cicuta .. 137 
 
 Cratsegus 
 
 ... 107 
 
 Cineraria ... ... ..174 
 
 Crepis ... 
 
 ... 162 
 
 Cinquefoil ... ... .. 97 
 
 Cress, Bitter 
 
 ... 33 
 
 Cinquefoil, Marsh ... .. 98 
 
 Cress, Rock 
 
 ... 34 
 
 Circgea Ill 
 
 Cress, Winter ... 
 
 ... 35 
 
 CISTACE.E 44 
 
 Cress, Water 
 
 ... 35 
 
 Cistus ... ... ... .. 44 
 
 Cressworts 
 
 ... 29 
 
 Cistus, Gum ... ... . 44 
 
 Crithmum 
 
 ... 134 
 
 CISTINRS: 43 
 
 Crocus 
 
 280 
 
 Clary ... .' 222 
 
 Crosswort 
 
 ... 151 
 
 Cleavers .. ... . 152 
 
 Cro wherry tribe ... 
 
 ... 249 
 
 Clematis .. ... 12 
 
 Crowfoot tribe ... 
 
 ... 14 
 
 Clinopodiuni .. ... .228 
 
 CRUCIFER^ 
 
 ... 28 
 
 Cloudberry .. ... .100 
 
 Cuckoo-Flower ... 
 
 ... 33 
 
 Clove Pink .. ... 50 
 
 Cuokoo Pint 
 
 ... 299 
 
 Clover .. ... 84 
 
 CUCURBITACE^E 
 
 ... 114 
 
 Club Rush .. . 307 
 
 Cudweed 
 
 ... 171 
 
 Cnicus ... 166 
 
 Currant tribe 
 
 ... 123 
 
 Cnidium .140 
 
 Cuscuta 
 
 ... 200 
 
 Cochlearia ... ... 30 
 
 Cyclamen 
 
 ... 234 
 
 Cockle, Corn 54 
 
 Cynodon 
 
 ... 316 
 
 Cock's-foot-grass ... .322 
 
 Cynoglossum 
 
 ... 205 
 
 Codlins and Cream ... . 110 
 
 Cvnosurus 
 
 ... 322 
 
 Colchicam . 291 
 
 CYPERACEJE 
 
 ... 306 
 
 Colocjnth .. ... .115 
 
 Cyperus... 
 
 ... 306 
 
 Coltsfoot .. ... .. 172 
 
 
 58 
 
 Columbine .. ... ..19 
 
 Cytuus 
 
 ... 82 
 
 Comfrey .. ... .202 
 
 
 
 COMPOSITES .. ... .158 
 
 
 
 Conium ... .. ... . 137 
 
 D. 
 
 
 Convallaria .. ... . 286 
 
 
 
 CONVOLVULACE^ ... . 199 
 
 Dactylis 
 
 ... 322 
 
 Convolvulus ... ... .199 
 
 Daffodil 
 
 ... 281 
 
 CONIFERS . 266 
 
 Dahlia 
 
 ... 159 
 
 Conyza . 175 
 
 Daisy, common ... 
 
 ... 175 
 
 Coral wort ... .. .33 
 
 Daisy, Michaelmas 
 
 . 172 
 
 Cord-grass .. .. .322 
 
 Daisy, Ox-eye 
 
 ... 177 
 
 CORNACE^E .. .. 143 
 
 Dame's Violet 
 
 39 
 
 CORNER .. .. . 143 
 
 Dandelion 
 
 ... 163 
 
 Cornel tribe .. .. . 143 
 
 Daphne ... 
 
 ... 248 
 
 Corn Marigold .. .. . 177 
 
 Darnel ... 
 
 ... 326 
 
 Corn Cockle .. .. .54 
 
 Datura 
 
 . 209 
 
 Corn Salad .. .. . 155 
 
 Daucus ... 
 
 ... 131 
 
342 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Deadly Nightshade 
 
 ... 208 
 
 Euphrasia 
 
 ... 216 
 
 Dead Nettle 
 
 ... 225 
 
 Eve's Cushion ... 
 
 ... 125 
 
 Delphinium 
 
 ... 20 
 
 Evening Primrose 
 
 ... Ill 
 
 Devil's-bit 
 
 ... 157 
 
 Everlasting Pea ... 
 
 ... 90 
 
 Dewberry 
 
 ... 101 
 
 Everlasting, Pearly 
 
 ... 171 
 
 Dianthus 
 
 ... 50 
 
 Eyebright 
 
 ... 215 
 
 Dicotyledons 
 
 5 
 
 Exacum 
 
 ... 197 
 
 Digitaria 
 
 .. 316 
 
 Exogens 
 
 ... 270 
 
 Digitalis 
 
 ... 211 
 
 
 
 DIOSCOREACEJE 
 
 ... 285 
 
 
 
 DIPSACACE.32 
 
 ... 155 
 
 F. 
 
 
 Dipsacus 
 
 ... 155 
 
 
 
 Dock 
 
 ... 246 
 
 Fagus ... 
 
 ... 2fi2 
 
 Dodder ... 
 
 . 200 
 
 Fedia ... 
 
 15o 
 
 Dogstander 
 
 ... 174 
 
 Fennel ... 
 
 !'! 138 
 
 Dog's-tail-grass ... 
 
 ... 322 
 
 Fescue-grass 
 
 ... 322 
 
 Dog's-tooth-grass 
 
 ... 316 
 
 Festuca 
 
 ... 322 
 
 Dog-wood 
 
 ... 143 
 
 Feverfew 
 
 ... 177 
 
 Doronicam 
 
 ... 175 
 
 Field Madder 
 
 ... 153 
 
 Dove's-foot 
 
 ... 70 
 
 Figwort 
 
 .. 213 
 
 Draba ... 
 
 ... 31 
 
 Finger-grass 
 
 ... 316 
 
 Dropwcrt ... ... 
 
 ... 95 
 
 Fir Rape 
 
 ... 189 
 
 Dropwort, Water 
 
 ... 133 
 
 Fir tribe 
 
 ... 266 
 
 DROSERACEJ2 
 
 ... 47 
 
 Flax seed 
 
 ... 67 
 
 Drosera 
 
 ... 47 
 
 Flax tribe 
 
 ... 66 
 
 Dryas 
 
 96 
 
 Fleabane 
 
 ... 172 
 
 Duckweed tribe ... 
 
 ... 301 
 
 Flea wort 
 
 ... 175 
 
 Dutch Myrtle 
 
 ... 262 
 
 Flixweed 
 
 ... 36 
 
 Dyer's Green-weed 
 Dyer's Rocket ... 
 
 ... 81 
 ... 44 
 
 Flowering Rush ... 
 Fool's Parsley ... 
 
 ... 296 
 ... 140 
 
 Dyer's Weed 
 
 ... 43 
 
 Forget-me-not ... 
 Forms of corolla ... 
 
 .. 203 
 ... 145 
 
 
 
 Forms of fruits ... 
 
 . 116 
 
 E. 
 
 
 Forms of inflorescence ... 
 
 ... 127 
 
 
 
 Forms of leaves ... 
 
 ... 40 
 
 Earthnut 
 
 ,. 132 
 
 Forms of stem ... 
 
 ... 271 
 
 Echium ... 
 
 ... 200 
 
 Foxglove 
 
 .. 211 
 
 Eglantine 
 
 ... 103 
 
 Foxtail-grass 
 
 ... 314 
 
 ELATINACE^ 
 
 ... 49 
 
 Fragaria 
 
 99 
 
 ELATINE.33 
 
 ... 49 
 
 Frankenia 
 
 ... 49 
 
 Elder ... 
 
 ... 147 
 
 FRANKENIACE^ 
 
 ... 49 
 
 
 ... 247 
 
 Fraxinella 
 
 ... 72 
 
 Elecampane 
 
 ... 175 
 
 Fraxinus 
 
 ... 190 
 
 Eleocharis 
 
 ... 307 
 
 Frogbit 
 
 ... 272 
 
 Elm tribe 
 
 ... 256 
 
 Fruit, forms of ... 
 
 ... 116 
 
 EMPEIRACE^ 
 
 ... 249 
 
 Fuller's Teasel ... 
 
 ... 155 
 
 Empetrum 
 
 ... 249 
 
 Fumaria 
 
 26 
 
 Enchanter's Nightshade ... 
 
 . Ill 
 
 FUMARIACEJE 
 
 ... 25 
 
 Endive 
 
 158 
 
 Furne worts 
 
 25 
 
 Endogens 
 
 ... 271 
 
 Fumitory 
 
 ... 26 
 
 Epilobium 
 
 109 
 
 Furze . , 
 
 81 
 
 Epimedium 
 
 27 
 
 
 
 Epipactis 
 
 ... 278 
 
 
 
 Erica . 
 
 185 
 
 G. 
 
 
 Erigeron 
 
 ... 172 
 
 
 
 Eriophorum 
 
 .. 308 
 
 Galanthus 
 
 .. 283 
 
 Erodium 
 
 ... 72 
 
 Galeopsis 
 
 ,. 225 
 
 Ervum .. 
 
 89 
 
 Galeobdolon 
 
 ... 225 
 
 Eryngium 
 
 ... 131 
 
 Gale, Sweet 
 
 ... 262 
 
 Erysimum 
 
 ... 37 
 
 Galingale 
 
 ... 306 
 
 Erythraea 
 
 ... 197 
 
 Galium ... 
 
 ... 151 
 
 Euonymus 
 
 ... 78 
 
 Garlic ... 
 
 ... 290 
 
 EUPHORBIACE^ 
 
 ... 250 
 
 Genista... 
 
 ... 81 
 
 Euphorbia 
 
 ... 250 
 
 GENTIANACFJS 
 
 ... 194 
 
 Eupatorium 
 
 ... 169 
 
 GENTIANE^S 
 
 "... 195 
 
INDEX. 
 
 343 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Gentian tribe ... .. ... 195 
 
 Grass, Tassel 
 
 .. 303 
 
 Gentian, Lesser . . .. ... 196 
 
 Wheat 
 
 .. 331 
 
 Gentianella . . ... 197 
 
 Wrack 
 
 . 304 
 
 GERANIACE.E . . .. ... 69 
 
 Green-weed 
 
 81 
 
 Germander . . .. ... 224 
 
 Grotnwell 
 
 .. 201 
 
 Germen . . ... 6 
 
 GROSSULARIACE.E ... 
 
 .. 123 
 
 Geum ... . . ... 96 
 
 Grossularia 
 
 .. 123 
 
 Gillyflower . . .. ... 50 
 
 Ground Ivy 
 
 .. 227 
 
 Gipsey wort ... ... 221 
 
 Groundsel 
 
 .. 173 
 
 Glass wort ... ... 243 
 
 Gueldres Rose ... 
 
 .. 149 
 
 Glauciim ... 25 
 
 
 
 Glaux ... ... 237 
 
 
 
 Glechoma ... 227 
 
 H. 
 
 
 Globe-Flower ... ... 17 
 
 
 
 GLUMACE^ ... .. , ... 304 
 
 Hair-grass 
 
 .. 317 
 
 Glumals ... .. ... 7 
 Gnaphalium ... .. 171 
 
 Hard-grass 
 Harebell 
 
 .. 328 
 ... 181 
 
 Goafs-beard 
 
 . 160 
 
 Hare's-ear 
 
 . 140 
 
 Golden Moss 
 Golden Rod 
 
 . 122 
 . 173 
 
 Hare's-tail.grass 
 Hardhead 
 
 ... 326 
 
 . 168 
 
 Golden Saxifrage 
 
 . 124 
 
 Hartwort 
 
 . 141 
 
 Goldilocks 
 
 . 169 
 
 Hawkbit 
 
 ... 160 
 
 Good-King- Henry ,'.'. 
 
 . 240 
 
 Hawksbeard 
 
 . 162 
 
 Goodyera 
 
 . 277 
 
 Hawk weed 
 
 ... 162 
 
 Gooseberry tribe... 
 
 . 123 
 
 Hawthorn 
 
 ... 107 
 
 Goosefoot tribe ... 
 
 . 240 
 
 Hay, French 
 
 ... 89 
 
 Goose-grass ... , 
 
 . 152 
 
 Hay-green 
 
 . 174 
 
 Gorse ... 
 
 . 81 
 
 Hazel ... 
 
 263 
 
 Gourd tribe 
 
 . 114 
 
 Heath-grass 
 
 .. 321 
 
 Goutweed ... ... 
 
 . 140 
 
 Heath -pea 
 
 91 
 
 GRAMINACE^ 
 
 . 312 
 
 Heath, Sea 
 
 49 
 
 Grass, Barley 
 
 . 332 
 
 Heath tribe 
 
 ... 185 
 
 Beard 
 
 . 315 
 
 Hedera ... 
 
 .. 143 
 
 Bent 
 
 . 315 
 
 Hedge Mustard 
 
 36 
 
 Brome 
 
 324 
 
 Hedge Parsley ... 
 
 '. 132 
 
 Canary ... .. 
 Cat's-tail 
 
 313 
 314 
 
 Hedysarum 
 Hellebore 
 
 89 
 18 
 
 Cock's-foot 
 
 322 
 
 Helleborine 
 
 278 
 
 Cord 
 
 322 
 
 Hemlock 
 
 .. 137 
 
 Couch 
 
 331 
 
 Hemlock, Water 
 
 137 
 
 Darnel ... 
 
 326 
 
 Hemp ... 
 
 ... 254 
 
 Dog's-tail ... 
 
 322 
 
 Hemp Agrimony 
 
 169 
 
 Dog's-tooth ... 
 
 316 
 
 Hemp Nettle 
 
 ... 225 
 
 Fescue 
 
 322 
 
 Henbane 
 
 ,. 208 
 
 Finger 
 
 316 
 
 Henna 
 
 ... 1H 
 
 Foxtail 
 
 314 
 
 Hepatica 
 
 19 
 
 Hair 
 
 317 
 
 Heracleum 
 
 ... 141 
 
 Hard 
 
 328 
 
 Herb Bennefc 
 
 96 
 
 Hare's-tail ... 
 Heath 
 
 326 
 321 
 
 Herb Christopher 
 Herb Paris 
 
 ... 19 
 
 ... 285 
 
 Holy 
 
 319 
 
 Herb Robert 
 
 70 
 
 Lyme . 
 
 328 
 
 Her minium 
 
 ... 277 
 
 Mat 
 
 313 
 
 Herniaria 
 
 . 119 
 
 Melic 
 
 319 
 
 Hesperis 
 
 ... 39 
 
 Meadow 
 
 319 
 
 
 63 
 
 Millet ... ... 315 
 
 Hieracium 
 
 ... 162 
 
 Moor ... ... ... 319 
 
 Hierochloe 
 
 .. 319 
 
 Oat ... .. 325 
 
 HIPPOCASTANACE.E ... 
 
 ... 69 
 
 Panick .. 317 
 
 Hippocrepis 
 
 ... 89 
 
 of Parnassus ... .. 48 
 
 HIPPURIDACE^ 
 
 ... 112 
 
 Quaking ... ... .. 321 
 
 Hippuris 
 
 ... 112 
 
 Rye... ... ... .. 826 
 
 Holcus 
 
 ... 318 
 
 Soft... ... ... 318 
 
 Hollyhock ... 
 
 63 
 
 Sweet ... 320 
 
 Holly tribe 
 
 '. 189 
 
 Sweet Vernal 313 
 
 Holly, Sea 
 
 ... 131 
 
344 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Holy-grass 
 
 PAGE 
 ... 319 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Knappia ... ... ... 315 
 
 Honesty 
 
 ... 32 
 
 Knapweed ... ... ... 168 
 
 Honewort 
 
 ... 137 
 
 Knawel 119 
 
 Honeysuckle 
 Honeywort 
 
 ... 148 
 . 151 
 
 Knot-grass family ... ... 118 
 Knot-grass, Whorled 119 
 
 Hop 
 
 ... 253 
 
 Knot-grass ... ... ... 244 
 
 Hordeum 
 
 ... 332 
 
 
 Horehound, Black 
 
 ... 224 
 
 
 Horehound, White 
 
 ... 225 
 
 L. 
 
 Hornbeam 
 
 ... 264 
 
 
 Horned Pond weed 
 
 ... 304 
 
 LABIATE 220 
 
 Horned Poppy ... 
 Horn wort 
 
 ... 25 
 
 ... 113 
 
 Labiate tribe 220 
 Laburnum ... ... .. 83 
 
 Horse-chestnut ... 
 
 ... 69 
 
 Lactuca... ... ... .. 161 
 
 Horseradish 
 
 ... 30 
 
 Lady's Finger ... ... .. 87 
 
 Horse-shoe Vetch 
 
 ... 89 
 
 Lady's Mantle ... ... .. 102 
 
 Hottonia 
 
 ... 234 
 
 Lady's Tresses ... ... ..278 
 
 Houseleek 
 
 ... 121 
 
 Lagurus ... ... .. 326 
 
 Humulus 
 
 ... 253 
 
 Lamb's Lettuce 155 
 
 Hutchinsia 
 
 ... 29 
 
 Lamium ... ... .. 225 
 
 Hyacinth, Starch 
 
 ... 289 
 
 Lapsana ... ... .. 164 
 
 Hyacinth, wild ... 
 
 ... 288 
 
 Larkspur ... ... .. 20 
 
 HYDROCH ARIDACE JE . . . 
 
 ... 272 
 
 Lathraea ... ... .. 210 
 
 Hydrocharis 
 
 ... 272 
 
 Lathyrus ... ... .. 90 
 
 Hydrocotyle 
 
 ... 140 
 
 Laurel 248 
 
 HYPERICACE^E 
 
 ... 61 
 
 Laurel, Spurge ... ... .. 248 
 
 Hypericum 
 
 ... 61 
 
 Lavender ... ... .. 220 
 
 Hypochceris 
 
 ... 161 
 
 Leaves, forms of... ... .. 40 
 
 Hyoscyamus 
 
 ... 208 
 
 LEGUMINOS.E 80 
 
 
 
 LEMNACE.E 301 
 
 
 
 Lemna ... ... 301 
 
 I. 
 
 
 LENTIBULARIACEJS 230 
 
 
 
 Leontodon ... ... .. 164 
 
 Ilex 
 
 ... 189 
 
 Leonurus ... ... .. 225 
 
 ILICINE.E 
 
 ... 189 
 
 Leopard's-bane ... ... .. 175 
 
 ILLECEBRACE.E 
 
 ... 118 
 
 Lepidium ... ... .. 29 
 
 Illecebrum 
 
 ... 119 
 
 Lesser Gentian ... ... .. 196 
 
 Impatiens 
 
 ... 73 
 
 Lettuce, Lamb's... ... .. 155 
 
 Imperatoria 
 
 ... 141 
 
 Lettuce, Wall .. 161 
 
 Inflorescence 
 
 ... 127 
 
 Lettuce, wild .. 162 
 
 Insect Orchis 
 
 ... 277 
 
 Leucojum ... .. .. 284 
 
 Inula 
 
 ... 175 
 
 Ligusticum ... .. .. 141 
 
 IRIDACE^ 
 
 ... 279 
 
 Ligustrum ... .. .. 190 
 
 Iris 
 
 . 279 
 
 LILIACE^E ... .. ..285 
 
 Isatis 
 
 ... 32 
 
 Lily, Lent ... .. 281 
 
 Isnatdia 
 
 ... Ill 
 
 Lily tribe ... . 285 
 
 Ivy 
 
 142 
 
 Lily, Water ... ... .. 22 
 
 Ivy, Ground 
 Ixia 
 
 ... 227 
 ... 280 
 
 Lily of the Valley ... '.. 286 
 Lime Tree ... ... . . 60 
 
 
 
 Limosella .. 204 
 
 
 
 LINAGES 66 
 
 J. 
 
 
 Lintbell 66 
 
 Jack-go-to-bed-at-noon 
 
 159 
 
 Linum ... . . 66 
 
 Jacob's Ladder 
 
 .'.. 198 
 
 Ling ... 187 
 
 Jasione ... 
 
 ... 183 
 
 Linnaea ... ... . . .. 150 
 
 Jujube ... 
 
 ... 79 
 
 Listera ... ... . . .. 277 
 
 JUNCACE^E 
 
 ... 292 
 
 Lithospermum ... . . .. 201 
 
 JUNCAGINACE^E 
 
 ... 297 
 
 Littorella 239 
 
 Juncus ... 
 
 ... 292 
 
 Lobelia 184 
 
 Juniper ... 
 
 ... 268 
 
 LOBELIACELE 184 
 
 
 
 Lolium 326 
 
 
 
 London Pride 126 
 
 K. 
 
 
 London Rocket ... .. .. 36 
 
 
 
 Lonicera ... . . .. 148 
 
 Kale, Sea 
 
 ... 31 
 
 Loosestrife 236 
 
INDEX. 
 
 345 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Loosestrife, Purple 
 
 . 113 
 
 Milkwort 
 
 ... 48 
 
 LORANTHILE 
 
 148 
 
 Milium ... 
 
 ... 315 
 
 Lords and Ladies 
 
 .. 299 
 
 Millet- grass 
 
 ... 315 
 
 Lotus 
 
 87 
 
 Mint 
 
 ... 222 
 
 Lovage ... 
 
 .. 141 
 
 Mint, Cat 
 
 ... 227 
 
 Lousewort 
 
 214 
 
 Mistletoe 
 
 ... 146 
 
 Lucerne 
 
 84 
 
 Mo3Bchia 
 
 ... 55 
 
 Lunar ia 
 
 32 
 
 Moneywort 
 
 ... 236 
 
 Lungwort 
 
 201 
 
 Moneywort, Cornish 
 
 ... 216 
 
 Luzulii 
 
 294 
 
 Monkshood 
 
 ... 20 
 
 Lycopus 
 
 221 
 
 Monocotyledons ... 
 
 5, 270 
 
 Lyme-grass 
 
 ... 328 
 
 Monotropa 
 
 ... 189 
 
 Ly siin achia 
 
 236 
 
 Montia 
 
 ... 115 
 
 LYTHRACEJ2 ... 
 
 ... / ... 113 
 
 Moor-grass 
 
 .. 319 
 
 Lythrum 
 
 ... 113 
 
 Moschatel 
 
 .. 143 
 
 
 
 Mother o' Millions 
 
 .. 211 
 
 
 
 Motherwort 
 
 .. 226 
 
 M. 
 
 
 Mountain Ash ... 
 
 .. 106 
 
 
 
 Mouse-ear Chick weed 
 
 .. 58 
 
 Madder . 
 
 ... 151 
 
 Mousetail 
 
 .. 17 
 
 Madder, Field ... 
 
 153 
 
 Mudwort 
 
 .. 204 
 
 Malaxis 
 
 278 
 
 Mug wort 
 
 .. 170 
 
 MALVACE^i ... 
 
 63 
 
 Mullein 
 
 .. 219 
 
 Mallow ... 
 
 64 
 
 Mustard, Wild ... 
 
 .. 39 
 
 Mallow, Marsh ... 
 
 65 
 
 Muscari 
 
 .. 289 
 
 Mallow, Tree 
 
 65 
 
 Myosotis 
 
 .. 203 
 
 Man Orchis 
 
 277 
 
 Myrica 
 
 ... 262 
 
 Maple 
 
 ... 68 
 
 Myriophyllum ... 
 
 ... 112 
 
 Mare's-tail 
 
 . 112 
 
 Myrrhis 
 
 ... 132 
 
 Marigold, Corn ... 
 
 177 
 
 Myrtle, Dutch ... 
 
 ... 262 
 
 Marigold, Marsh 
 
 18 
 
 
 
 Marjoram 
 
 223 
 
 
 
 Marrubium 
 
 225 
 
 
 
 Marsh Cinquefoil 
 Marsh Mallow ... 
 Marsh Marigold ... 
 Master wort 
 Mat-grass 
 Mathiola 
 Matricaria 
 
 vr__ 
 
 98 
 65 
 18 
 . 141 
 .. 313 
 38 
 .. 178 
 
 * 
 
 NAIADACE^E 
 Narcissus 
 Nardus 
 Narthecium 
 Nasturtium 
 Navel wort 
 
 ... 302 
 ... 281 
 .. 313 
 ... 294 
 ... 35 
 ... 121 
 
 May 
 Meadow-grass ... 
 Meadow Rue 
 Meadow Saffron ... 
 Meadow Sweet ... 
 Meconopsis 
 Medick ... 
 Medlar 
 Melampyrum 
 MEL AN TRACED 
 Melica ... 
 
 1 (| 7 
 .. 319 
 .. 12 
 .. 291 
 .. 95 
 25 
 ... 83 
 .. 107 
 213 
 .. 291 
 319 
 
 Nectary 
 Neottia 
 Nepeta 
 Nettle, Dead 
 Nettle, Hemp 
 Nettle tribe 
 Nightshade, Enchanter's .. 
 Nightshade, Deadly 
 Nightshade, Woody 
 Nipplewort 
 
 7 
 ... 278 
 .. 227 
 ... 225 
 ... 225 
 ... 252 
 ... Ill 
 ... 208 
 ... 207 
 . 164 
 
 mm 
 
 Melic-grass 
 Melittia ... 
 
 319 
 228 
 
 Nunhar ... .. 
 NYM PEACES 
 
 ... 40 
 
 ... 22 
 
 Melilot 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 Mentha 
 
 222 
 
 
 
 Menyanthes 
 
 198 
 
 0. 
 
 
 Menziesia 
 
 . 187 
 
 
 
 Mercury 
 
 ... 251 
 
 Oak 
 
 ... 265 
 
 Mespilcis 
 
 107 
 
 Oat 
 
 333 
 
 Meum ... 
 
 .' 138 
 
 Oat-grass 
 
 ... 325 
 
 Mezereon 
 
 248 
 
 (ENOTHERACE^: 
 
 ... 109 
 
 Mignonette, wild 
 
 44 
 
 OZnanthe 
 
 ... 133 
 
 Milfoil, Water ... 
 
 . 112 
 
 OLEACEuE 
 
 ... 247 
 
 Milk Parsley 
 Milk Vetch 
 
 ... 141 
 
 88 
 
 Oleaster tribe 
 Olive tribe 
 
 ... 247 
 ... 190 
 
346 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Ononis ... 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ... 83 
 
 Petalless subclass 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ... 240 
 
 Oaopordon 
 
 ... 167 
 
 Petals ... ... .:. 
 
 6 
 
 One-lobed class .., 
 
 5, 270 
 
 Petasites 
 
 ... 172 
 
 Ophrys ... 
 
 277 
 
 Peucedanum 
 
 ... 141 
 
 Orache ... 
 
 242 
 
 Phalaris 
 
 ... 313 
 
 ORCHID ACE.iE ... 
 
 274 j Pheasant's-eve ... 
 
 14 
 
 Orchis, Bog 
 
 ... 278 
 
 Phlenai ... 
 
 ... 314 
 
 Orchis, Insect ... 
 
 .. 277 
 
 Phyteuma 
 
 . 183 
 
 Orchis, Man 
 
 277 
 
 Pickpocket 
 
 ... 56 
 
 Orchis, Musk ... 
 
 .. 277 
 
 Ptcris 
 
 ... 160 
 
 Ornithogalum 
 
 289 
 
 Pignut ... 
 
 . 132 
 
 Ornithopus 
 
 89 
 
 Pimpernel 
 
 ... 235 
 
 Origanum 
 
 223 
 
 Pine tree 
 
 .. 266 
 
 OROBANCHACE^E 
 
 .. 210 
 
 Pinguicula 
 
 ... 230 
 
 Orobanche 
 
 210 
 
 Pink tribe 
 
 ... 50 
 
 Orobus 
 
 91 
 
 Pinus 
 
 ... 266 
 
 Orpine 
 
 .'.' 122 
 
 PISTIACE^: 
 
 ... 301 
 
 OXALIDACE^E 
 
 73 
 
 Pistils ... 
 
 6 
 
 Oxalis ... ... 
 
 .. 73 
 
 Pisum ... 
 
 ... 91 
 
 Ox-eye Daisy 
 
 .. 176 
 
 Plantain 
 
 .. 233 
 
 Oxlip ... 
 
 233 
 
 Plantain, "Water 
 
 .. 296 
 
 Ox-tongu j 
 
 .. 160 
 
 Plantago 
 
 , 238 
 
 Oxyria ... 
 
 247 
 
 Plantauinea 
 
 .. 238 
 
 Oxytropis 
 
 87 
 
 PLANTAGINACE^E 
 
 .. 238 
 
 
 
 Ploughman's Spikenard ... 
 
 ... 175 
 
 
 
 Plum, wild 
 
 ... 94 
 
 p. 
 
 
 PLUMBAGlNEjE ... 
 
 ... 238 
 
 
 
 Poa 
 
 320 
 
 Panick-grass 
 
 .. 317 
 
 POLEMONIACEJ2 
 
 ... 19S 
 
 Panicum 
 
 317 
 
 Pollen ... 
 
 6 
 
 Pansy ... 
 
 PAPAVEHACEJL 
 
 46 
 ... 23 
 
 Poly gala 
 POLYGALACEJ5 
 
 48 
 
 48 
 
 PAPILTONACEJE ... 
 
 80 
 
 POLYGONACE^E 
 
 ... 244 
 
 Park leaves 
 
 62 
 
 Polygonum 
 
 ... 244 
 
 Paris, Herb 
 
 "... 285 
 
 Polypogon 
 
 315 
 
 Parnassia 
 
 48 
 
 Pond weed 
 
 .. 302 
 
 Parietaria 
 
 .!' 253 
 
 Pondweed, Horned 
 
 ... 304 
 
 PARONYCHIE.E . . 
 
 . 118 
 
 Poplar ... 
 
 . 259 
 
 Parsley, Beaked . . 
 
 130 
 
 Poppy, Horned ... 
 
 ... 25 
 
 Parsley, Fool's . . 
 
 140 
 
 Poppy, Welsh 
 
 ... 25 
 
 Parsley, Hedge ... 
 
 132 
 
 Poppy tribe 
 
 23 
 
 Parsley, Milk 
 
 141 
 
 Popuius 
 
 259 
 
 Parsley, Stone 
 
 136 
 
 PORTULACA.CE.E 
 
 . US 
 
 Parsley, wild 
 
 138 
 
 Potamogeton 
 
 ... 302 
 
 Parsnip, Cow 
 
 141 
 
 Potentilla 
 
 ... 96 
 
 Parsnip, Water ... 
 
 136 
 
 Poterium 
 
 ... 102 
 
 Parsnip, wild 
 Parsons in the Pulpit 
 
 '..'. '.'.'. 141 
 
 .. 299 
 
 Prenanthea 
 Primrose 
 
 ... 161 
 .. 231 
 
 Pasque-Flower ... 
 
 13 
 
 Primula 
 
 ... 231 
 
 Pastinaca 
 
 141 
 
 PRIMULACE^ 
 
 .. 231 
 
 Pea, Everlasting 
 Pea, Sweet 
 
 ;.; ;'/. 90 
 
 90 
 
 Privet ... 
 Prunella 
 
 ... 190 
 
 .. 228 
 
 Pea tribe 
 
 80 
 
 Prunus 
 
 ... 93 
 
 Pear, wild 
 
 105 
 
 Pulmonaria 
 
 ... 201 
 
 Pearlwort 
 
 ..'. 54 
 
 Purple Loosestrife 
 
 ... 113 
 
 Pellitory ',', 
 
 253 
 
 Purelane tribe ... 
 
 . 115 
 
 Penny Cress 
 
 29 
 
 Purslane, Water... 
 
 ... 113 
 
 Penny Royal 
 
 222 
 
 Pyrola ... 
 
 . 188 
 
 Poaony ... 
 
 21 
 
 Pyrus ... 
 
 105 
 
 Peplis ... 
 
 '.'.'. .. 113 
 
 
 
 Pepper Saxifrage" 
 Pepperwort 
 
 140 
 29 
 
 Q. 
 
 
 Periwinkle 
 
 194 
 
 
 
 Persicaria 
 
 244 
 
 Quaking-grass ... 
 
 ... 321 
 
 Petallids 
 
 7, 274 
 
 Quercus 
 
 ... 265 
 
INDEX. 
 
 347 
 
 R. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Faintfoin 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ... 89 
 
 
 
 Salad, Burnet ... 
 
 ... 102 
 
 Radiola ... 
 
 67 
 
 SALICACE^E 
 
 257 
 
 Radish 
 
 ... 39 
 
 Salicornia 
 
 .'. 243 
 
 Ragged Robin ... 
 
 ... 53 
 
 Sallow ... 
 
 ... 257 
 
 Ragwort 
 
 ... 173 
 
 Salsola 
 
 ... 243 
 
 Rampion 
 
 ... 180 
 
 Salep . 
 
 275 
 
 Rampion, Roundheaded ... 
 
 ... 183 
 
 Salix 
 
 .. 257 
 
 RANUNCULACEJE 
 
 ... 11 
 
 Saltwort 
 
 ... 243 
 
 Ranunculus 
 
 ... 11 
 
 Salsafy 
 
 ... 160 
 
 Rape 
 
 ... 38 
 
 Salvia ... 
 
 ... 221 
 
 Raphanus 
 
 ... 39 
 
 Sainolus 
 
 ... 237 
 
 Raspberry 
 
 ... 100 
 
 Samphire 
 
 . 134 
 
 Rattle, Yellow ... 
 
 ... 214 
 
 Sambucus 
 
 ... 147 
 
 Receptacle subclass 
 
 7 
 
 Sandalwood tribe 
 
 ... 248 
 
 Reed 
 
 327 
 
 Sandwort 
 
 57 
 
 Reed-mace tribe... 
 
 ... 298 
 
 Sanguisorba 
 
 '.'.'. 102 
 
 RESEDACE.E 
 
 ... 43 
 
 Sanicle ... 
 
 ... 13L 
 
 Rest Harrow 
 
 ... 83 
 
 SANTALACEJ2... 
 
 ... 248 
 
 KHAMNACJLE 
 
 ... 79 
 
 Saponaria 
 
 ... 52 
 
 Rhinanthus 
 
 .. 214 
 
 Sauce-alone 
 
 ... 37 
 
 Rhodtola 
 
 ... 123 
 
 Saw-wort 
 
 .. 165 
 
 Rhyncospora 
 
 ... 306 
 
 SAXIFRAGACE.E 
 
 .. 124 
 
 Ribes 
 
 ... 123 
 
 Saxifrage 
 
 .. 124 
 
 Rib-grass 
 
 ... 238 
 
 Saxifrage, Pepper 
 
 .. 140 
 
 Rice 
 
 ... 334 
 
 Saxifrage tribe ... 
 
 .. 124 
 
 Rocket, London 
 
 ... 36 
 
 Scabiosa 
 
 . 157 
 
 Rocket tribe 
 
 ... 44 
 
 Scabious, Sheep's 
 
 .. 183 
 
 Rock Cress 
 
 ... 34 
 
 Scandix 
 
 .. 130 
 
 Rock Rose 
 
 ... 44 
 
 Scilla 
 
 287 
 
 Rod, Golden 
 
 ... 173 
 
 Scirpus ... 
 
 ,. 306 
 
 Roots, forms of ... 
 
 ... 74 
 
 Scleranthus 
 
 ... 119 
 
 ROSACE.E 
 
 ... 103 
 
 Scorpion-grass ... 
 
 ,. 203 
 
 Rose, Gueldres ... 
 
 ... 149 
 
 Scotch Fir 
 
 ... 266 
 
 Rose, Rock 
 Rose of Sharon ... 
 
 ... 44 
 
 ... 45 
 
 Scottish Asphodel 
 SCROPHULARIACE^J .. 
 
 ... 292 
 204, 211 
 
 Rose tribe 
 
 ... 103 
 
 SCROPHULARLE ... 
 
 ... 213 
 
 Rose-root 
 
 ... 123 
 
 Scurvy-grass 
 
 ... 30 
 
 Rottbollia 
 
 ... 328 
 
 Scutellaria 
 
 228 
 
 Rowan tree 
 
 ... 107 
 
 Sea Buckthorn .. 
 
 ... 247 
 
 Rubia ... 
 
 ... 151 
 
 Sea Cabbage 
 
 ... 38 
 
 RUBIACEJ2 
 
 ... 150 
 
 Sea Heath 
 
 ... 49 
 
 Rubus ... 
 
 ... 99 
 
 Sea Holly 
 
 . 131 
 
 Rue, Garden 
 
 ... 72 
 
 Sea-kale 
 
 ... 31 
 
 Rue, Meadow 
 
 ... 12 
 
 Sea Pea 
 
 91 
 
 Rnmex 
 
 ... 245 
 
 Sea Plantain 
 
 ,. 238 
 
 Ruppia ... 
 
 ... 303 
 
 Sea Lavender 
 
 . 238 
 
 Rupturewort 
 
 ... 119 
 
 SeaMilkwort 
 
 .. 237 
 
 Ruscus ... 
 
 ... 286 
 
 Sea Reed 
 
 ... 327 
 
 Rush, Beak 
 
 ... 306 
 
 Ses, Rocket 
 
 31 
 
 Rush, Boa; 
 
 ... 3i6 
 
 Sea stock 
 
 ... 38 
 
 Rush, Bull 
 
 ... 307 
 
 Sedge ... 
 
 . . S09 
 
 Rush, Club 
 
 ... 307 
 
 Sedge, Sweet 
 
 ... 300 
 
 Rush, Flowering .. 
 
 ... 296 
 
 Sedum . 
 
 120 
 
 Rush, Spiked 
 
 ... 307 
 
 Self-Heal ; 
 
 ... 228 
 
 Kye 
 
 ... 333 
 
 Selinum... 
 
 ... 141 
 
 
 
 Sempervivum ... 
 
 ... 121 
 
 
 
 Senebiera 
 
 ... 32 
 
 S. 
 
 
 Senecio ... 
 
 ... 173 
 
 
 
 Serratula 
 
 ... 16o 
 
 Saffron ... 
 
 .. 281 
 
 Service Tree 
 
 . 106 
 
 Saffron, Meadow 
 
 ... 291 
 
 Sesleria 
 
 ... 319 
 
 Sage, wild 
 
 ... 222 
 
 Shamrock 
 
 ... 85 
 
 Sagina 
 
 ... 55 
 
 Sheep's-bit 
 
 ... 183 
 
 Sagittaria 
 
 ... 297 
 
 Shepherd's Needle 
 
 ... 130 
 
348 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Shepherd's Weather-glass 
 Shepherd's Purse 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ... 235 
 ... 29 
 
 Subularia 
 Sugar Cane 
 
 PAGE 
 
 31 
 
 ... 335 
 
 Sherardia 
 
 . 154 
 
 Sulphur wort 
 
 ... 141 
 
 Shoreweed 
 
 ... 239 
 
 Sundew 
 
 ... 47 
 
 Sibbaldia 
 
 98 
 
 Sweet Briar 
 
 ... 103 
 
 Sibthorpia 
 
 ... 216 
 
 Sweet Grass 
 
 ... 320 
 
 Silene ... 
 
 ... 51 
 
 Sweet Vernal-grass 
 
 ... 313 
 
 Silver Weed 
 
 96 
 
 Sweet Sedge 
 
 ... 300 
 
 Sinapis ... 
 
 ... 39 
 
 Sycamore 
 
 ... 68 
 
 Sison 
 Sisymbrium 
 
 ,. 137 
 36 
 
 Sympbytum 
 
 ... 202 
 
 Slum ... 
 
 136 
 
 
 
 Skullcap 
 
 ... 228 
 
 T. 
 
 
 Sloe 
 
 94 
 
 
 
 Smyrnium 
 
 . 138 
 
 TAMARICACEJE 
 
 ... 49 
 
 Snake weed 
 
 ... 244 
 
 Tamarisk 
 
 48 
 
 Snapdragon 
 
 ... 211 
 
 Tamus 
 
 ... 285 
 
 Sneeze wort 
 
 ... 178 
 
 TanghineaNut ... 
 
 ... 193 
 
 Snowdrop ... ... 
 
 ,. 283 
 
 Tanacetum 
 
 ... 169 
 
 Snowflake 
 
 ... 284 
 
 Tansy 
 
 . 169 
 
 SOLANACE^E 
 
 . 208 
 
 Tare 
 
 89 
 
 Solanum 
 
 ... 207 
 
 Tarragon 
 
 ... 159 
 
 Soap wort 
 
 ... 52 
 
 Tassel-grass 
 
 .. 303 
 
 Soft-grass 
 
 ... 318 
 
 TAXACE^E 
 
 ... 267 
 
 Solidago 
 
 . 173 
 
 Taxus ... 
 
 ... 267 
 
 Solomon's Seal ... 
 
 ... 287 
 
 Teasel ... 
 
 ... 155 
 
 Sorrel ... 
 
 ... 246 
 
 Teesdalia 
 
 ... 29 
 
 Sorrel, Mountain 
 
 ... 247 
 
 Teucrium 
 
 .. 224 
 
 Sorrel, Wood 
 
 73 
 
 Thalamiflorals .. 
 
 7 
 
 Southernwood ... 
 
 ... 170 
 
 Thalictrum 
 
 12 
 
 Sow-bread 
 
 ... 235 
 
 Thesium 
 
 .. 248 
 
 Sow Thistle 
 
 ... 161 
 
 Thistle, Carline 
 
 .. 167 
 
 Sparganium 
 
 ... 298 
 
 Thistle, Cotton 
 
 .. 167 
 
 Spartina 
 
 ... 322 
 
 Thistle, Scotch .. 
 
 .. 167 
 
 Spear wort 
 
 16 
 
 Thlaspi 
 
 29 
 
 Speedwell 
 
 ... 216 
 
 Thorn, White 
 
 .. 107 
 
 Spergula 
 
 55 
 
 Thorn, Black 
 
 94 
 
 Spignel 
 
 ... 140 
 
 Thorn Apple 
 
 ... 209 
 
 Spikenard, Ploughman's ... 
 
 ... 175 
 
 Thrift ... 
 
 . 237 
 
 Spike Rush 
 
 ... 307 
 
 Thrincia 
 
 .. 160 
 
 Spindle Tree 
 
 78 
 
 Thyme 
 
 - 223 
 
 Spiraea ... 
 
 ... 95 
 
 THYMELACE^E 
 
 .. 248 
 
 Spurge tribe 
 Spurge Laurel ... 
 
 ... 250 
 
 ... 248 
 
 Thyme, Water ... 
 TILIACE.E 
 
 .. 273 
 .. 60 
 
 Spurrey ... 
 
 55 
 
 Tilhea ... 
 
 .. 121 
 
 Squill 
 
 ... 287 
 
 Toad Flax 
 
 .. 212 
 
 Squinancywort ... 
 Statice 
 
 ... 153 
 ... 237 
 
 Toad Flax, Bastard 
 Tofieldia 
 
 .. 248 
 .. 292 
 
 Stachys 
 
 ... 226 
 
 Toothwort 
 
 .. 210 
 
 Starwort 
 
 ... 112 
 
 Tordylium 
 
 .. 141 
 
 St. John's Wort tribe 
 
 61 
 
 Torilis 
 
 . 132 
 
 St. Peter's Wort 
 
 ... 62 
 
 Tormentil 
 
 .. 98 
 
 Stamens 
 
 6 
 
 Touch-me-Not 
 
 73 
 
 Star of Bethlehem 
 
 ... 289 
 
 Tower Mustard 
 
 .. 35 
 
 Stellaria 
 
 ... 56 
 
 Tragopogon 
 
 .. 159 
 
 Stigma 
 Stitchwort 
 
 6 
 ... 56 
 
 Traveller's Joy 
 Treacle Mustard. . 
 
 .. 12 
 37 
 
 Stock * 
 
 38 
 
 Tree Mallow 
 
 65 
 
 Stonecrop 
 
 , 120 
 
 Trefoil 
 
 84 
 
 Stone Parsley 
 
 .. 136 
 
 Trefoil, Blrd's-foot 
 
 87 
 
 Storksbill 
 
 72 
 
 Trientalis 
 
 ... 237 
 
 Strap wort 
 
 .. 118 
 
 Triglochin 
 
 ... 297 
 
 Stratiotes 
 
 .. 272 
 
 TRILLIACE^E 
 
 ... 285 
 
 Strawberry, wild 
 
 99 
 
 Triodia 
 
 ... 321 
 
 Strawberry Tree 
 
 .. 188 
 
 Trifolium 
 
 ... 84 
 
ItfDEX. 
 
 349 
 
 Triticum 
 
 PAGE 
 
 .. 330 
 
 Water Awlwort ... 
 
 PAGE 
 31 
 
 Trollius 
 
 ... 17 
 
 Water Blinks 
 
 .. 115 
 
 TROP^EOLACE^E 
 
 ... 72 
 
 Water Chickweed 
 
 .. 278 
 
 True-love 
 
 ... 285 
 
 Water Cress 
 
 35 
 
 Tulip 
 
 ... 291 
 
 Water Dropwort 
 
 .. 133 
 
 Turnip ... 
 
 39 
 
 Water Flag 
 
 .. 279 
 
 Turritis 
 
 ... 35 
 
 Water Hemlock ... 
 
 .. 137 
 
 Tussilago 
 Tutsan ... 
 
 ... 172 
 ... 62 
 
 Water Lily 
 Water Milfoil 
 
 22 
 .. 112 
 
 Twayblade 
 Two-lobed class ... 
 
 .. 277 
 5 
 
 Water Parsnip ... 
 Water Plantain ... 
 
 .. 136 
 ,. 296 
 
 TYFHACE^: ... 
 
 ... 298 
 
 Water Purslane ... 
 
 .. 115 
 
 
 
 Water Soldier 
 
 .. 272 
 
 / 
 
 
 Water Starwort ... 
 
 .. 112 
 
 U. 
 
 
 Water Thyme 
 
 .. 273 
 
 
 
 Water Violet 
 
 .. 234 
 
 Ulex 
 
 81 
 
 Water wort tribe 
 
 49 
 
 ULMACE^ 
 
 .. 256 
 
 Weather-glass, Shepherd's 
 
 .. 235 
 
 Ulmus ... 
 
 ... 256 
 
 Weasel-snout 
 
 .. 225 
 
 UMBELLIFER^E 
 
 ... 129 
 
 Weld ... 
 
 .. 43 
 
 Umbelliferous Chickweed... 
 
 ... 55 
 
 Wheat 
 
 .. 330 
 
 Urtica 
 
 ,. 252 
 
 Wheat-grass 
 
 .. 331 
 
 URTICACEJS ... 
 
 . 252 
 
 Whin 
 
 81 
 
 Utricularia 
 
 ... 230 
 
 White Beam 
 
 ... 106 
 
 
 
 White Bryony ... .'.. 
 
 . 115 
 
 
 
 White Horehound 
 
 ... 225 
 
 . 
 
 
 White Rot 
 
 . 140 
 
 VACCINIE.S: 
 VALERIANACE^E 
 
 VALERIANKffi 
 
 Valerian tribe ... 
 Valisneria 
 Vanilla 
 
 . 185 
 ... 154 
 ... 154 
 
 . 154 
 
 ... 272 
 274 
 
 Whitlow Grass ... 
 Whortleberry ... 
 Wild Balm 
 Wild Basil 
 Wild Chamomile 
 WildPareley 
 
 .. 31 
 . 185 
 .. 228 
 .. 228 
 .. 178 
 .. 138 
 
 Venation of leaves 
 Venus's Looking-glass 
 Verbena tribe ... 
 VERBENACEJ2 
 Vernal-grass 
 Verbascum 
 Veronica 
 
 40, 271 
 ... 181 
 ... 229 
 ... 229 
 ... 313 
 ... 219 
 ... 216 
 
 Wild Rocket 
 Willow ... 
 Willow-herb 
 Wind-Flower 
 Winter Cress ... 
 Winter Chickweed 
 Winter-green 
 
 .. 35 
 .. 257 
 .. 109 
 .. 13 
 .. 35 
 .. 237 
 .. 188 
 
 Vervain 
 
 ... 229 
 
 OQ 
 
 Woodbine' 
 
 32 
 .. 148 
 
 Vetch, Bitter '.!! 
 Vetch, Milk 
 Vetchling 
 Viburnum 
 Vicia 
 
 * DO 
 
 ... 91 
 
 ... 87 
 90 
 ... 149 
 88 
 
 Woodruff 
 Wood Rush 
 Wood Sorrel 
 Wormwood 
 Woundwort 
 
 .. 153 
 ... 294 
 ... 73 
 ... 170 
 ... 226 
 
 Villarsia 
 
 ... 198 
 
 
 
 Vinca ... 
 
 194 
 
 Y. 
 
 
 V10LACEJE 
 
 ... 45 
 
 
 
 Violet 
 
 45 
 
 Yam tribe 
 
 285 
 
 Violet, Dame's ... 
 
 39 
 
 Yarrow 
 
 '. 178 
 
 Violet, Water 
 Viper's Bugloss ... 
 
 ... 234 
 
 ... 200 
 
 Yellow Archangel 
 Yellow Pimpernel 
 
 ... 225 
 ... 236 
 
 VISCACE^E 
 
 ... 146 
 
 Yellow Rattle ... 
 
 214 
 
 Viscum ... 
 
 ... 146 
 
 Yellowwort 
 
 ... 197 
 
 
 
 Yew 
 
 267 
 
 W. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Z. 
 
 
 Wallflower 
 
 37 
 
 
 
 Wart Cress 
 
 ... 32 
 
 Zannichellia 
 
 .. 304 
 
 Wartwort 
 
 ... 250 
 
 Zostera 
 
 ... 304 
 
LONDON: 
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First-class Weekly Illustrated Gardening Publication, 
 
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