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 GIFT OF 
 MISS E.T. 
 
 0JOLOGY 
 UBRAHY 
 
THE 
 LITTLE ENGLISH 
 
 FLORA, 
 
STEPNEY PRESS, 6, WHITE HOUSE LANE, MILE EKD D. FRANCIS. 
 
BIOLOGY 
 LIBRARY 
 
 9 
 
TO THE 
 
 YOUNG LADIES OF ENGLAND, 
 
 WHOSE OCCUPATIONS, TASTES, AND SENSIBILITIES, 
 
 RENDER 
 
 THE 011^1 @H 1? BOTAINHf 
 
 SO PECULIARLY A PROPER OBJECT FOR THEIR STUDY, 
 
 THIS WORK 
 
 IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, 
 
 AS 
 AN ENTERTAINING AND SCIENTIFIC INTRODUCTION 
 
 TO 
 THE SIMPLE, THE ELEGANT, AND THE 
 
 SWEET LITTLE FLOWERS 
 
 OF 
 
 OUR NATIVE LAND. 
 
 248100 
 
PREFACE 
 
 TO THE FIRST KDITION. 
 
 THE very favorable reception which my "ANALYSIS 
 OP THE BRITISH FERNS" has received from the Public, 
 induces me to offer the present little introductory Work 
 to their notice : believing that such a one has been long 
 wanted, and now that the study of Botany has become 
 so fashionable, one which is imperatively called for. 
 
 My object is, first, to invite the young to the examina- 
 tion of the "Flowers of the Field," by pointing out 
 the beauties they are likely every where to meet with ; 
 that thus an additional charm may be added to their 
 rambles over the meads and commons. Secondly, to 
 induce a love for the science itself, by showing that it 
 is easy of acquirement, and that it yields instruction and 
 delight, not merely in our after progress, but even from 
 our first commencement of its study. 
 
 I write also for the use of Invalids, who requiring a 
 sufficient inducement too often neglect to take that 
 exercise which would invigorate their health, both of 
 mind and body. And for Parents, Instructors, and others, 
 who without having time or inclination for deep and 
 long-continued study yet desire to know somewhat of 
 our Native Plants. Should any of these have hitherto 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 been deterred from Botany, believing it to be only a 
 detail of minute characters and difficult terms, this trifle 
 may show them that it may be made subservient to high 
 moral and religious uses. 
 
 These important purposes I have endeavoured to ac- 
 complish, by giving a plain scientific and popular de- 
 scription of all our Common Wild Plants; accompanying 
 these with accurate Steel Engravings of every species ; 
 and introducing such Anecdotes, Remarks, and Extracts, 
 as the various subjects have suggested : thus striving to 
 win rather than to demand the attention, and to present 
 these little favorites in the alluring garb with which 
 Nature has herself invested them, rather than in the 
 mysterious and repulsive habit in which they are too 
 often described. ; To smooth as much as possible the 
 study of Botany, the Work is introduced by an account 
 of the Linnsean System, and the rules for collecting, 
 drying, and naming Plants in general, accompanied 
 with a full Glossary of all the terms employed. It ter- 
 minates with Three Indexes, and an Appendix of the 
 more difficult tribes of Flowering Plants, and of all the 
 Cryptogamic Orders. 
 
 How these objects have been accomplished Botanists 
 will best determine. I cannot expect that all of them will 
 agree in calling such plants as are described the com- 
 monest which Britain produces ; on the contrary, perhaps 
 each one may think it better that I should have excluded 
 some and introduced others. Such opinion depends 
 upon the neighbourhood he may reside in, and therefore 
 upon this subject I can only appeal to his candour, and 
 if I have leaned somewhat to the South rather than to 
 the North of the Empire, it has been because vegetation 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 is more varied, and because the young direct their summer 
 visits, whether for pleasure or for health, more to the 
 warm coast and flowery fields of Kent and Sussex than 
 they do to Scotland or to the mountainous parts of 
 England. For some few Plants introduced I cannot plead 
 their frequency anywhere, but I have ventured to intro- 
 duce them on even higher grounds : either for their great 
 value, their brilliant beauty, or their singular structure ; 
 such are the Flax, the White Water Lily, the Sundew, 
 and the Orobanche. 
 
 Another explanation also I owe to the Botanist, who 
 will directly observe that where but one species occurs 
 under each genus, no specific characters are given ; it is 
 because such are not necessary, and the omission will 
 often drive the student more to the generic differences, 
 which are much more useful. In these cases, however, 
 the description is given, except in such plants as are so 
 well known as to need none, such as the Daisy, the 
 Holly, and the Sloe. 
 
 The Plates are necessarily very small, but this was 
 unavoidable, as will be apparent when it is considered 
 that there are two hundred and eighty Plants represented, 
 and to have engraved them on a larger scale would have 
 made the Work too expensive for general circulation. 
 
 The Poetical Extracts often appear without a name, 
 they are not however on that account to be considered 
 original. I lay no claim to them as such, except perhaps 
 a few, and the only reason the writers' names do not in 
 every instance appear, is because many of the lines have 
 been given to me at some distant times, and I know not 
 from what source they were taken, or I should certainly 
 have given credit where credit is due. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 My hopes in this little Work are that it may be con- 
 sidered useful : and if at some future time I should learn 
 that it has induced but one person to apply to the study 
 of Botany, or imbued the mind of a single individual 
 with a relish for the simple beauties of Nature, the time 
 devoted to it will have been well employed. 
 
 G. FRANCIS. 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 THE former very extended Edition of this Work met 
 with so favorable a reception that it rapidly sold off. I 
 had no hopes at its first publication that a second 
 would be thus early called for, yet the applications for 
 it this Spring have been so numerous, that I have ven- 
 tured to offer to the Public a Second Edition. This 
 I believe they will find more worthy of their patronage 
 than the last, in consequence of the introduction of a 
 great mass of new information and numerous Wood 
 Engravings, besides the general and careful revision and 
 improvement which the whole has received. 
 
 27, Cottage Grove, Mile End. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 USES AND ADVANTAGES OF BOTANY. 
 
 Botany teaches the names, the structure, the arrangement, 
 the virtues, and the geography of plants. 
 
 BOTANY seems more fitted for the young than any other 
 science, on account of the very valuable knowledge it imparts, 
 the innocent amusement it yields, and the moral and religious 
 influence it exerts over the mind. Its utility will not be for a 
 moment doubted when we reflect on the numberless benefits 
 mankind derive from plants. We apply to them for some of 
 the most valuable medicines, for the materials and colors of 
 clothing, cordage and sails for shipping, timber for building, 
 the entire subsistence for cattle, the chief delicacies of the 
 table, and most of the necessaries of life not only " wine 
 which cheereth the heart of man, but bread which sustaineth 
 his strength." Plants, too, are of the highest importance in 
 purifying the atmosphere, and in tempering the climate of the 
 world ; by the shelter they afford, the rain which they assist 
 in producing, the moisture which evaporates from their leaves, 
 the noxious gases which they absorb, and the purer ones which 
 they give in return. 
 
 B 
 
'-a 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Is amusement our pursuit ? Botany affords it in every step 
 of our progress. The love of flowers appears to be implanted 
 in our very nature. *' They seem," as Rousseau says, " to 
 grow beneath our feet, as if to invite us to their contemplation. " 
 They are indeed scattered around us, to be seen by every eye, 
 and gathered by every hand. The tottering infant plucks the 
 little gold-eyed Daisy the child is seen with his pinafore filled 
 with Butter-cups the lover sends Roses to his mistress the 
 nobleman has his gay parterre the cottager his little flower 
 garden the denizen of the city fills his apartments with his 
 favorite plants and even the humble occupant of a garret 
 decorates his only window with some one of these simple 
 beauties of nature. It is true that he may know nothing of 
 flowers, but their beauty and their fragrance ; and yet admire 
 them. How much more so the botanist, who, knowing that 
 the smallest weeds are not beneath his care, examines their 
 structure, learns the uses to which they are and may be ap- 
 plied, the country, situation, and soil, where they naturally 
 grow, their connection with others in the great scale of nature, 
 and the poetical images connected with them. By a study like 
 this, not only his mind imbibes the most valuable information, 
 but is soothed with pleasing and beautiful associations. For 
 
 there are 
 
 41 Token flowers that tell, 
 
 What words can never speak so well !" 
 
 Botany has advantages on many other accounts. Rambling 
 over the fields, in the necessary search for the little gems that 
 grow there, tranquillizes the feelings, and invigorates the health 
 both of body and mind ; while the examination of the plants 
 thus collected tends much to quicken the faculties, improve 
 the memory, induce habits of order and neatness, and above 
 all it leads the mind to contemplate that Great Being who 
 fashioned, aud who spreads over the whole earth these ever- 
 varying and splendid objects of His power and His goodness. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 3 
 
 " For," as is justly remarked by that elegant poetess, 
 Miss Twamley, " flowers form one of the sweetest lines in the 
 God-written poetry of nature, as one of the universal blessings 
 accessible to all nations, climes, and classes blessings in their 
 own loveliness alone, and in the pleasure ever derivable from 
 the contemplation of loveliness ; but trebly blessing us in the 
 familiar and beautiful power they possess of awakening in our 
 hearts feelings of wonder, admiration, gratitude, and devotion 
 teaching us to look from earth to Him who called it into 
 existence, and to feel how worthy of our unceasing, thankful 
 adoration must be that Being, the meanest of whose creations 
 is so wonderfully and so beautifully adapted to its appointed 
 portion in the vast whole." 
 
 " The smallest flower 
 
 That twinkles through the meadow grass, can 
 
 Form the subject of a lesson; aye, as well 
 
 As the most gorgeous growth of Indian climes. 
 
 For love of nature dwells not in the heart 
 
 Which seeks for things beyond our daily ken 
 
 To bid it glow. It is in common life. 
 
 In objects most familiar, that we find 
 
 Exhaustless matter for our privilege. 
 
 Our glorious privilege of reading God 
 
 Amid his bright creation." 
 
 THE STRUCTURE OF A PLANT. 
 
 A plant or vegetable is a body that lives and grows, but which 
 cannot move at willy and which has no feeling or other sense. 
 
 TREES, shrubs, and herbs, of all kinds are called perfect or 
 flowering plants. The Ferns, Mosses, Sea Weeds, and others, 
 which never bear blossoms, are on that account called imperfect 
 or flowerless plants. The following remarks apply only to the 
 first of these two great classes such as we are accustomed to 
 see in our gardens, fields, and hedge-rows. 
 
4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 When in its. most complete state a plant consists of F0ot ? 
 stem, leaves, flowers, and fruit or seed. The three first of 
 these are the preservative organs, and the flowers and fruit the 
 reproductive organs. All other parts are called appendages, 
 and have different names, according to their origin, form, and 
 situation. In certain plants several of these appendages are 
 present, and in most some one or other of them is, to be 
 discovered. 
 
 The essential organs of a plant, as well as three different appendages, 
 are seen in the following representation of the Heart's-ease or Trl-coloreci 
 Violet a plant common in all our corn fields and gardens. 
 
 1. The Root. 2. Stem. 3. Leaf. 4. Stipules. 5. Bracts. 6. Peduncle. 
 7. Petiole. 8. Calyx. 9. Corolla. 10. Nectary. 11. Pistil. 12. Stamens. 
 13, 14, 15. Seed vessel. 16. Seeds, 
 
 The ROOT, (1,) is that part which grows downwards. It 
 keeps the plant fixed, and draws water, &c., from the earth for 
 its support. This it does by means of the points of the fine 
 fibres by which the thicker part or body of the root is always 
 attended. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 5 
 
 The STEM, (2,) is intended to support the flowers and leaves. 
 It grows upwards, and is furnished mostly with buds, which 
 afterwards expand into branches, leaves, or flowers. The trunks 
 of trees, and even their boughs and twigs, no less than the 
 shoots of the Grasses, the suckers of the Asparagus, and the 
 runners of the Strawberry, are stems, though they take these 
 other names to distinguish one kind from another. Now and 
 then the stem grows underground, as in the Mint and the Couch 
 Grass, when it is called a creeping root, but this term is 
 improper. 
 
 The LEAF, (3,) is one of the folds of a bud expanded. It is 
 mostly thin and green, with or without a stalk. It is one of the 
 most important organs, as through its pores and vessels plants 
 are enabled to derive moisture and various gases from the air 
 around them, and also to throw off such matters as are ob- 
 noxious. Leaves are said to be simple when formed of one 
 piece only ; compound when several small leaves unite to 
 form one larger leaf ; and doubly compound when still more 
 divided. The manner of the folding up of the leaf in the bud, 
 before the latter is expanded, is called its vernation. 
 
 Fulcra. Under this general term are included stings, 
 prickles, hairs, thorns, and every other part, besides those 
 mentioned above, except what relates to the flower itself ; as, 
 for example, STIPULES, (4,) are small leaves, different in shape 
 from the real leaves, and found only at the joints of the stem. 
 BRACTS, (5,) are small leaves or scales, which accompany a 
 flower only. A PEDUNCLE, (6,) or flower stalk, is that which 
 supports a flower used in distinction to the proper stem of the 
 plant, and to the stalk which forms part of a leaf, and which is 
 a PETIOLE,- (7,) or leaf stalk. 
 
 The other figures of the cut show the different parts of the 
 flower a term which, although so common, is liable sometimes 
 to be misunderstood. Thus we hear of a Daisy flower, and a 
 
6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Dandelion flower, though each of these is properly a collection 
 of very many flowers, all growing upon the same foundation or 
 receptacle ; so also when flowers are borne in bunches, as in the 
 Lilac ; or in a spike, as in the Plaintain ; or close heads, as in 
 the Scabious ; or in any other manner of inflorescence or 
 flowering, we often hear the same name given to the whole 
 bunch, rather than to one particular small part of it, as is 
 really meant by the term flower. This mode of speaking is 
 allowed for the sake of convenience, but it must not lead to 
 error. Every separate set of stamens and pointals, with what- 
 ever coverings there may be to them, constitutes a perfect 
 flower. When this is very small, and many such are collected 
 together, particularly in the compound flowers, (those which 
 resemble a Daisy,) it is called a floret. 
 
 The CALYX, (8,) or flower cup, is mostly green, and intended 
 to defend the rest of the flower before the time of blossoming. 
 It is, therefore, always the outer covering, and when the flower 
 has but one coat ; this is called a calyx, whatever may be its 
 color, size, or shape. Thus the beautifnl cup of the Tulip is a 
 calyx, composed of six leaves, or, as they are called, sepals. 
 
 The COROLLA, (9,) or blossom, is the colored part of a flower, 
 next within the calyx. It is well known as the most beautiful 
 portion. We recognize the corolla in the red petals or leaves 
 of the Rose, the scarlet of the Poppy, and the purple of the 
 Violet. Its use is supposed to be to defend the inner parts, 
 and to reflect upon them more fully the rays of the sun. Some 
 persons think to attract the insects also. The folding up of the 
 corolla, and of the calyx, before expansion, is called their 
 aestivation. 
 
 The NECTARY, (10.) The true meaning of this word is a 
 place to secrete honey, but the term is given to every casual 
 appendage to the flower, which is neither calyx nor corolla, and 
 which does not appear to be necessary to the production of the 
 seed. The nectary is often very beautiful ; it is seen in the rays 
 
INTRODUCTION. 7 
 
 of a Passion flower, the cup of a Narcissus, and the spur or 
 horn of a Lark's -spur. In the Violet it is also a spur. 
 
 The PISTIL, (11,) or pointal, is always in the centre of the 
 whole flower. When fully formed, it consists of the germ or 
 young seed-vessel at the lower part; next, the thread-like 
 portion, called the style ; arid at the top of this the stigma, 
 which is usually knobbed and sticky. Sometimes there are 
 more styles than one, and then the top of each is a stigma. In 
 other cases the style is wanting, and then the top of the germ 
 itself is the stigma. The use of the pointal is to collect the 
 pollen from the stamens, and to convey it to the young seeds in 
 the germ, without which they do not become perfect. 
 
 The STAMENS, (12 and 13,) are the parts seen between the 
 corolla and the pointal. They are attached sometimes to the 
 corolla, at others to the calyx, and in some plants to the pointal. 
 A stamen consists of a thread-like portion, called the filament, 
 and of a thicker club-shaped part, called the anther or pollen 
 case, the use of which is to perfect and produce pollen for the 
 supply of the pistil. 
 
 The PERICARP, (14 and 15,) seed vessel or fruit, now ripe 
 and opening to scatter the perfect seeds within. It is seen 
 divided or burst into three parts or seed valves, having a row 
 of seeds in each. Before it thus opens the pericarp is a nearly 
 round body, with one cavity or cell, and which, if cut across, 
 will show the seeds to be attached in three rows, equally distant 
 from each other. 
 
 A seed consists of a thick coat or skin, called the axil. This 
 being peeled off will exhibit two equal lobes, seed leaves, or 
 cotyledons, connected together by a small bud, called the 
 embryo. This structure is to be seen very easily in the common 
 Bean or Pea. A few plants are furnished with more than two 
 cotyledons, as Fir trees ; numerous others, as the Grasses and 
 Lilies, have but one. 
 
8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The above account of vegetable structure is but a general 
 description, without entering into the almost endless variation 
 of shape, size, or texture, that each part assumes in different 
 plants. Leaves, for example, are distinguished by their shape 
 the cuts upon their edges the difference of their points their 
 manner of growth the nature of their surface, and very many 
 other particulars, each of which is known by an appropriate 
 name, such as long, downy, stalked or toothed. In like man- 
 ner, the stem may be solid or hollow, square or round, hairy or 
 smooth, &c. The roots, calyces, corollas, and other parts, are 
 equally subject to variation; or one of them may be entirely 
 absent. Thus many plants are stemless ; others without leaves. 
 Some have no calyx or corolla, and whole tribes have neither 
 nectary, stipule, bract, nor any other appendage. The stamens 
 and pistils are, however, never absent, as without them no seed 
 could be produced ; and as all plants arise from seed, so their 
 absence would imply the extinction, at no very distant period, 
 of all such defective races. Instead of this being likely to 
 arise, we see that the whole existence of a vegetable is a series 
 of the most wonderful contrivances for the production of seed, 
 similar to that from which it sprung. The wonders of form 
 and function do not even cease here. It is proper that that seed 
 should be scattered around in places suited to its growth, should 
 be defended from casual injury, and should be assisted in its 
 first germination, while as yet the plant is too young and feeble 
 to gather its own food. All these necessities are fully provided 
 for, and in a manner which calls for our highest admiration, as 
 so many instances of that Divine intelligence, which, by such 
 simple means, can form so endless a variety of perfect and 
 beautiful objects, and distribute them over the earth for the 
 benefit of animals of a still higher organization. 
 
 [The details of vegetable structure and organization, as well as botanical 
 classification and geography, are fully explained in the Author's "GRAMMAR 
 OF BOTANY," price 4s.] 
 
INTRODUCTION. 9 
 
 ON THE PRONUNCIATION OF TERMS. 
 
 Latin words are sounded mostly like English, except that ch 
 is sounded like k ; and, in the names of plants, when the letter 
 e ends a word, it must be sounded distinct, thus Si-le-ne. Also, 
 when es ends a word it forms a separate syllable, as mi-tes, and 
 not mites. When ea ends a word, the letter e is long and 
 distinct, as car-ne-a, and not carn-e-a, the e being sounded as 
 in the English word idea. The letter e ending a word is sounded 
 like er, as it is at the end of the Asia. Ge, or gy, when in 
 Greek words, or words derived from Greek, is sounded hard, 
 as in the word begin ; thus in ge-um, and Monogynia, it is thus 
 sounded : otherwise the sound of g is the same as in English. 
 
 THE ARRANGEMENT OF PLANTS. 
 
 Linnseus, the Swedish botanist, who lived above one hundred 
 years ago, observed that although there were many plants without 
 leaves others without stems, or calyces or corollas, yet that 
 there were none which bore flowers at all, which had not sta- 
 mens and pointals within those flowers, and thus he thought 
 that organs so universal as these are might be useful in dividing 
 plants into certain classes. Following up this idea he formed 
 his celebrated system. First, as the easiest mark of distinction, 
 he considered the number of stamens, when they were all of the 
 same length ; and this simple character gave him the first eleven 
 classes. In the two next their position as well as number was 
 taken. In the two next their length is of consequence. In the 
 five next they are joined together. In classes 21, 22, and 23, 
 the flowers do not contain both stamens and styles ; some 
 flowers having stamens only others styles only. While the 
 whole system concludes with a class, which contains all those 
 plants bearing seed, without having first produced flowers. The 
 different classes, with their names and characters, are seen in 
 the following table. 
 
10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 TABLE OF THE CLASSES. 
 Number of Stamens. 
 
 [Plants in this division and the next have all their stamens of the same 
 length, and distinct from each other] 
 
 JVb. Name. Character. 
 
 1 . . MONANDRIA Flowers with 1 Stamen. 
 
 2..DiANDRiA ,, 2 Stamens. 
 
 S..TRIANDRIA ,, & ,, 
 
 4..TETRANDRIA .. . . ,, 4 ,, 
 
 5.. PENTANDRIA ,, 5 ,, 
 
 ,6. . HEXANDRIA .... ,, 6 
 
 7. . HEPTANDRIA . . . . ,, 7 ,, 
 
 S..OCTANDRIA .... ,, 8 ,, 
 
 9. . ENNEANDRIA .. ,, 9 
 
 10. . DECANDRIA .... ,, 10 ,, 
 
 H..DODECANDRIA .. ,, 12 
 
 Number and Position of Stamens. 
 12. . ICOSANDRIA .. .. more than 12, placed upon the calyx. 
 
 13. . POLYANDRIA . . ,, not ,, 
 
 Number and Length of Stamens. 
 14. . DIDYNAMIA .... Stamens 2 long and 2 short. 
 
 15..TJETRADYNAMIA.. ,, 4 2 ,, 
 
 Stamens united together at the lower part. 
 16. . MONODELPHIA. . Stamens in 1 bundle. 
 17.. DIADELPHIA .. ,, 2 bundles. 
 18. . POLYADELPHIA.. ,, many bundles. 
 
 Stamens united together at the upper part. 
 19. . SYNGENESIA . . Stamens distinct from the style. 
 20. . GYNANDRIA. ... united to ,, 
 
 Stamens and Styles in different Flowers. 
 21..MoNOECiA ....Stamens and styles on the same plant. 
 
 22. . DIOECIA ,, upon different plants. 
 
 ~ -p "1 Some flowers perfect, others with stamens 
 
 A " J only. 
 
 Stamens and Styles wanting. 
 24. , CRYPTOGAMIA. . Plants without flowers. 
 
12 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE ORDERS. 
 
 An order is the first great division of a class, and as stamens 
 distinguish the classes, so the styles denote the orders ; at least 
 in the first thirteenth classes. In those which come after the 
 thirteenth other parts are used for this purpose, and in some of 
 them even the stamens themselves, when not wanted to tell the 
 class. This will be rendered plainer by the following table. 
 
 Applied to the first 13 classes. 
 
 MONOGYNIA ...... 1 Style. 
 
 DIGYNIA ........ 2 Styles. 
 
 TRIGYNIA ........ 3 ,, 
 
 TETRAGYNIA ....4 ,, 
 
 PENTAGYNIA ...,5 ,, 
 
 HEXAGYNIA .... 6 Styles. 
 
 HEPTAGYNIA .... 7 ,, 
 
 DECAGYNIA ...... 10 ,, 
 
 DODECAGYNIA ..12 ,, 
 POLYGYNIA ...... many,, 
 
 Applied to class 14. 
 
 GYMNOSPERMIA. ANGIOSPERMIA. 
 
 Seed apparently naked. Seed in a capsule. 
 
 Applied to class 15. 
 SILICULOSA. Fruit a short pod. SiLiauosA. Fruit a long pod. 
 
 Applied to class 19. 
 
 All the florets perfect, or with stamens and styles. 
 SUPERFLUA. Inner florets perfect ; outer with styles only. 
 FRUSTANEA. Inner florets perfect ; outer without styles. 
 NECESSARIA. Inner florets with stamens; outer with styles only. 
 SEGREGATA. Flowers each with a separate involucre. 
 
INTRODUCTION, 13 
 
 In the classes 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, and 22, the stamens not 
 being wanted to tell the classes they are used as marks of the 
 orders, with the same name as the classes themselves ; thus, 
 here Monandria means the first order, but before it meant the 
 first class. In class 23 there are two orders ; in the first, perfect 
 flowers are found mixed with the others in the second, there 
 are no perfect flowers ; all of them containing stamens or poin- 
 tals, but not both. 
 
 This may appear puzzling, and really is so to those who use 
 numbers and not names, and the student is strongly recom- 
 mended not to use numbers for the classes and orders, for these 
 mean nothing ; but the Greek names of them signify the same 
 in all situations, and moreover express some circumstance 
 relating to the plant. For example, if we speak of a plant of 
 the fourteenth class and first order we are not reminded of any 
 thing respecting it ; but if we speak of it as belonging to class 
 Didynamia and order Gymnospermia we learn that there are in 
 it two long and two short stamens, and that the seeds are not in 
 a capsule, for these terms signify as much. Again, 
 The 3rd order of class 3 is called TRIGYNIA, and has 3 styles. 
 ,, 4 ,, TETRAGYNIA, 4 ,, 
 
 ? , 12 ,, POLYGYNIA, many 
 
 ,, 13 ,, HEXAGYNIA, 6 ,, 
 
 Thus saying that such or such a flower is of the third order, 
 means nothing, for it may have three, four, six, or many styles ; 
 but to say it belongs to order Trigynia or Tetragynia, &c., 
 shows at once partly the nature of it, for if it belong to Tri- 
 gynia, it must have three styles, and if to Tetragynia it must 
 have four styles, and so on for the others. After orders, plants 
 are still further separated into genera or families, according to 
 the different shape of the parts of the flower ; and afterwards 
 into species or sorts, from characters taken from the leaves, 
 roots, stems, or other parts. 
 
14 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 METHOD OF STUDYING BOTANY. 
 
 Botany must be learnt more from plants than from books, 
 and is so easy that it begins to amuse us directly we commence 
 the study of it, if this be done in a proper way. It has been 
 already observed, that the different parts of plants have different 
 names, according to their shape, situation, or uses ; and also 
 that from the form, number, &c., of these parts, plants are 
 arranged in classes, orders, and families. Supposing the 
 young student has carefully read over the foregoing remarks on 
 the structure of plants, and on the arranging of them according 
 to the system just explained, he may at once try to find the 
 name of any common wild flower he meets with ; and this will 
 be very easy if he proceed as follows : First look to the sta- 
 mens to see what class it belongs to ; then to the styles to 
 know its order. Now turn to the proper page where that class 
 and order are described, and comparing the unknown plant with 
 the various genera which belong to that order, he will see with 
 which it agrees, and thus learn its generic or family name ; then, 
 looking to the page where the different species are described, 
 the plant will be found to agree with only one of them, which 
 will therefore show its specific or particular name. The figure 
 may now be referred to, and if this, as well as the whole of the 
 descriptiou given of the species, should be found to agree with 
 the plant itself, it is a proof of the correctness of the exami- 
 nation, and the name is discovered. 
 
 Suppose, for example, we have an unknown flower, which 
 from having ten stamens is found to be of the class DECAN- 
 DRIA ; also, having five styles, it is referred to the order 
 PENTAGYNIA. Turning to the page where this class and order 
 are described, we find that it is in two divisions ; the calyx of 
 our plant being of one leaf it is seen to be of the first of these ; 
 and as its petals are cleft at the top it is known at once to be of 
 the genus Catctyy, To find the species we must refer to a page 
 
INTRODUCTION. 15 
 
 a little further, where the three common species of Catchfly 
 are described. The last two have stamens and styles in diffe- 
 rent plants ; in our plant they are together it is not, therefore, 
 either of them. The other has its petals four-cleft, and its 
 flowers in a loose head, so has our plant. The name then that 
 we are in search of, and which but five minutes since was quite 
 a stranger to us, is now known to be RAGGED ROBIN, or 
 Lychnis Flos-cuculi. This we shall be the more sure of by 
 reading all the description, and comparing each part with it, 
 and to remove all doubt, the plate referred to will be found to 
 represent the plant in question. 
 
 We will now take another example. You have a flower with 
 five stamens and one style, and knowing this therefore to 
 be of the class and order Pentandria Monogynia, you will 
 turn to that part of the book, and seeing three divisions of the 
 order you will refer to them. Now suppose the flower you have 
 belongs to the last of these, you will have four families to 
 choose from, Bell Flower, Honeysuckle, Violet, and Ivy. You 
 will find, perhaps, that your plant is a Violet. The next 
 question then is, what kind of Violet ? To discover this, you 
 must examine the written characters of the Violets described 
 further on. If you find the flower stalks come from the root, 
 you will know at once that it is the Sweet- smelling Violet, or 
 Viola odorata ; if not, and the leaves be heart-shaped, it will 
 be Viola canina, or the Dog Violet ; if the leaves are oblong, 
 and there are large stipules, you will conclude that the plant is 
 Viola tricolor, or Heart's-ease. Should the plant not agree 
 with either of these, it is evident that you have gathered some 
 other kind of Violet, not described in this book, but which a 
 larger book would as readily inform you of, as this does the 
 kinds before mentioned. By proceeding in this way we shall 
 soon learn to know by sight most of our common native plants, 
 and be surprised at the ease of the examination, and the 
 pleasure which it will yield us. 
 
16 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ON COLLECTING AND DRYING PLANTS. 
 
 Collecting. A good specimen should show every part of a 
 plant its root, its root leaves, and stem leaves its flowers, 
 past, open, and in bud its seed and seed vessel in their diffe- 
 rent states. Thus in gathering flowers for preservation let all 
 these things be regarded, and, if possible, collected together 
 upon the same specimen, which will then not only show the 
 plant in all its characters, but look much more beautiful; 
 besides which, the parts most likely to be neglected will often 
 be found of the greatest necessity in telling from each other the 
 different species of difficult or numerous families. When it 
 happens that flowers and leaves are produced at different sea- 
 sons of the year, as in most timber trees, in the Colt's-foot, 
 &c., the flowers should at the proper time be collected, ready 
 to be joined to the leaves afterwards ; thus it is also with fruit, 
 and often with seed, that ripens at a later period of the year 
 each must be procured at the right time, and placed side by side 
 of each other afterwards. 
 
 Drying. First, be careful to gather the specimens in fine 
 weather ; they may be brought home in the hand as a nosegay, 
 or, what is much better, put into the crown of the hat, or in a 
 tin sandwich box. Then taking up each specimen singly, lay 
 it smoothly between the leaves of a large book, or of several 
 sheets of common paper then another specimen a few leaves 
 distant, and so on till the book is full this done, tie it up 
 tightly with a string, and put a weight upon it, (such as a flat 
 iron or two.) Thus the plants are to remain for a day, and 
 then to be changed into a fresh book, to dry them still more, 
 and so on for four or five days, when they will all be found of 
 good color, and fit to put away. 
 
 Some few plants require a different treatment. In thick 
 stalked and woody plants the under- side of the stem is first to 
 be cut away. Berries must be dried by being hung up in the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 17 
 
 sun or air. The Stonecrop and House-leek, as well as the 
 Heaths, must be dipped for three or four minutes in boiling 
 water, before laying out ; if this be not done the juicy plants 
 will grow even for a long time after they are placed in the 
 papers, and the leaves of the Heaths will soon fall off; also, 
 Water Plants are better for being laid between folds of calico 
 for the first day. In drying plants blotting paper has been 
 considered the best, but any paper will answer the purpose, 
 that of which books are made, or brown paper, will do as well 
 as any other. 
 
 Arranging. When the specimens have been properly dried 
 they may be arranged, and this should be according to some 
 system, as for example the Linnsean classes and orders ; and 
 that it may be done most conveniently, each plant should be 
 fastened to a separate piece of paper, in the following manner : 
 Wash over a sheet of paper with thick gum water, the thicker 
 the better, and let it dry perfectly ; then cut this into various- 
 sized strips, which will form bands to fasten on the plants with. 
 Thus furnished with materials, place the dried specimen upon 
 the paper intended for it, take up a proper-sized strip of gummed 
 paper, and having wetted the gummed side of it with the end 
 of the tongue, place it across some part of the specimen, then 
 another in another place, and so on till the whole is properly 
 fixed. Some persons glue their specimens down ; others sew 
 them on ; but the above method is far superior to either, and 
 is much less troublesome. Nothing now remains but to write 
 on the top of the paper the class and order, and at the bottom 
 of it the various Latin and English names, and the place where 
 the specimen was gathered. Most botanists keep these sheets 
 unconnected with each other, and have a separate piece of paper 
 for each plant. Others preserve their plants by fastening them 
 down to the right-hand pages of a book, and for the young 
 botanist this is perhaps the neatest method. 
 
DISTRIBUTION OF BRITISH PLANTS. 
 
 The flowering plants which now grow wild in the various parts 
 of Great Britain are more than 1400 in number. Some of 
 them are of extremely rare occurrence, being found only in one 
 single spot, and that often in some distant nook, far from 
 human habitation ; others are more or less common in parti- 
 cular counties only, while the rest are to be found distributed 
 far and wide, over hill and dale, hedge-row, and river-side. 
 These last are plants which no ordinary circumstances can 
 eradicate; but those of more local habitation are liable to ex- 
 tinction from the progress of man's labors, the extension of 
 cities, the forming of roads, and the cutting down of woods. 
 Even within memory many species have been lost ; while, on 
 the other hand, several have escaped from time to time from 
 gardens, and thus have become settlers in the fields. The 
 Crocus, the Snowdrop, the Narcissus, and the Lily of the 
 Valley, all reckoned now as natives, were no doubt originally 
 introduced ; the garden has in return adopted several from the 
 hedges. The Hawthorn, the Honeysuckle, the Clematis, the 
 Sweetbriar, the Violet, and numerous other favorites, not only 
 blossom free in many a rural district, but are seen in juxta- 
 position with the most favored flowers of foreign climes. 
 
 Our native plants, too, are varied in character and appearance 
 more than those belonging to almost any other country. 
 The bleak and lofty mountains of the North, the warm chalky 
 and sandy fields of the South, the rocky cliffs of the West, the 
 fenny lands of the East, and the wooded heights, rich valleys, 
 and luxuriant meadows of the Midland Counties, have each a 
 herbage of its own, as different in character from the rest as 
 the variations of soil, climate, and cultivation, which the face 
 of the country itself presents. 
 
 If we were to consider the number of species which grow in. 
 particular districts, it would be found that, as we proceed 
 southwards, so a greater number exists; thus, in the North of 
 Scotland, they are very limited around Edinburgh and on 
 the banks of the Clyde and Tweed species are more numerous. 
 In the Midland Counties of England still more so, while for 
 thirty miles around London, and onwards towards the Southern 
 
19 
 
 Coast, the fields abound with kinds so numerous, that a walk 
 of five miles in any direction would enable us to gather even 
 more in number than this book describes. 
 
 Those persons, therefore, who suppose that Londoners cannot 
 study botany, labor under a very erroneous impression, as, in 
 fact, on no spot in the whole country are so many to be dis- 
 covered. The Thames and its tributary streams nourish most 
 of our Water Plants. The heaths and commons near Hamp- 
 stead, Wimbledon, Putney, Wandsworth, and Greenwich, are 
 rich in those favoring such situations. Caen Wood, Coombe 
 Wood, Norwood, and the districts around Dartford and Ro- 
 chester abound with Orchises and other curiosities. The 
 neighbourhood of Richmond, Twickenham, and Hounslow, are 
 particularly prolific in all kinds of Grasses, Sedges, Willows, 
 and Ferns. At Woolwich, Gravesend, Purfleet, and Erith, we 
 may gather a rich harvest of those plants which grow only upon 
 the chalk ; grass land, corn fields, marshes, and fallow ground, 
 are seen on all sides, while hedges and ditches encircle every 
 meadow and country lane. Should not these fruitful sources 
 of study damp our botanical ardour, the numerous rail-roads 
 that merge from the metropolis will rapidly convey us to more 
 distant localities ; and the steam boats enable us, at but a tri- 
 fling sacrifice of time and money, to procure the Sea Plants 
 which abound on the cliffs and in the salt marshes of the Isle 
 of Thanet. The above remarks, as to the facilities offered to 
 the inhabitant of London in studying botany, are made chiefly 
 to encourage those who would collect all which our island 
 produces. The plants described in the following pages are, 
 with but few exceptions, frequent in most places, and such as 
 can be procured with little trouble by all ; even by children in 
 their ordinary walks, country visits, and occasional excursions. 
 
' * * * Nature never did betray 
 The heart that loved her ; 'tis her privilege, 
 Through all the years of this our life, to lead 
 From joy to joy ; for she can so inform 
 The mind that is within us ; so impress 
 With quietness and beauty ; and so feed 
 With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues, 
 Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men 
 Shall e'er prevail against us, or disturb 
 Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold 
 Is full of blessings. 1 ' Wordsworth. 
 
THE 
 
 LITTLE ENGLISH FLORA. 
 
 " Nor are the plants that Britain calls her own, 
 Few or unlovely." 
 
 CLASS 1. MONANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with only One Stamen.) 
 
 Only three of the British plants belong to this class, and 
 these are not common. One of them, Mare's-Tail, is found in 
 ditches, ttnd has its flowers and leaves in whirls, eight or ten 
 together. The other plants, called Marsh Samphire, grow on 
 mud, near the sea ; they are light green in color, fleshy, without 
 leaves, and are often sold and cut up for pickling. Of garden 
 flowers belonging to this small class are the Red Valerian, 
 Strawberry Elite, the Lopezias, and many interesting plants of 
 the green and hot-house ; as the Arrow Root, the Indian Shot, 
 Garland Flowers, Ginger, the Turmeric, &c.* 
 
 * The Author is preparing a Work, similar in size and style to this, on 
 the Garden Flowers, arranging them according to the natural system of 
 botany. It is expected to be published in June, 1842. 
 
22 
 
 CLASS 2. DIANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with Two Stamens.) 
 
 Forty British plants belong to this class. Some of them are 
 very rare. Among those not here described are the curious 
 Bladder- worts, the roots of which are furnished with little air- 
 bags, or bladders, that keep the plants floating on the top of 
 the water where they grow. The Butter-wort, so called from 
 the greasy feel of the leaves. The Duck -weed, which covers 
 abundantly our ditches and ponds, and affords shelter for 
 thousands of insects. The Ash Tree, one of the most useful 
 timber trees, and one so elegant in form and lightness that it 
 is sometimes called " The Queen of the Groves." 
 
 " All know that in the woods the Ash reigns queen, 
 In graceful beauty soaring to the sky." 
 
 Besides these is the Sweet-scented Vernal Grass, which gives 
 such a delightful odour to new-mown hay. Of foreign flowers 
 Diandria boasts of numerous others of the Veronicas, the Olive, 
 Lilac, Jasmine, Schizanthus, Calceolaria, Monarda, one hun- 
 dred and seventy kinds of Sage, two hundred and forty sorts 
 of Pepper, and others. 
 
 Order 1. MONOGYNIA. 1 Style. 
 
 PRIVET, (Ligustrum.) Corolla under the fruit, of one petal, 
 
 cut at the edge into four equal parts ; berry with two cells, 
 SPEEDWELL, (Veronica.) Corolla under the fruit, of one petal, 
 
 cut into four parts, the lower of which is the narrowest. 
 GIPSY-WORT, (Lycopus.) Corolla under the fruit, of one petal, 
 
 cut into four parts, the upper one notched ; calyx five-cleft. 
 SAGE, (Safoia.) Corolla under, two-lipped ; calyx two-lipped. 
 ENCHANTER'S NIGHT-SHADE, (Circcea.) Corolla upon the 
 
 fruit, of two heart-shaped petals ; calyx two -leaved. 
 
PLATE. I 
 
 5j 
 
 ^ 
 
 a? 
 
23 
 
 PRIVET. LIGUSTRUM. 
 COMMON PRIVET, OR PRIM-PRINT. Li gust rum culyare. 
 
 Plate \, fig. 1. 
 
 This delicate shrub adorns almost every- garden hedge ; in the 
 summer with its little bunches of sweet- swelling white flowers, 
 and in the winter with its grape-like clusters of black, glossy, 
 round berries, which, though bitter and unpleasant to our taste, 
 are eaten readily by the bullfinches and blackbirds. In some 
 cottage gardens the Privet may be seen trimmed into curious 
 shapes ; and as it retains its leaves nearly all the winter, it 
 forms one of the neatest and prettiest ornaments of our hedge- 
 rows. The Privet is considered as the emblem of gentle pro- 
 hibition, from the following anecdote. " Why," said a young 
 mother one day to the venerable village pastor, " did you not 
 plant a strong quickset hedge round your garden, instead of 
 this weak hedge of flowering Privet ? ' ' The benevolent minister 
 replied, " when you forbid your child a hurtful pleasure, the 
 prohibition is sweetened by an affectionate smile, by a kind look ; 
 and, if he is refractory, a mother's hand immediately offers 
 some plaything to pacify him. In like manner the pastor's 
 hedge, while it keeps off intruders, should not hurt any one, 
 but offer flowers to those whom it repels." 
 
 SPEEDWELL. VERONICA. 
 
 THYME-LEAVED SPEEDWELL. Veronica serpyllifolia. 
 
 Plate 1, jig. 2. 
 Leaves opposite, smooth, blunt. Flowers in terminal spikes. 
 
 A neat little plant, growing about three or four inches high, 
 and creeping over the ground on banks and road-sides. The 
 upper division of the flowers is of a light blue color, with five 
 purple stripes. The other divisions are white, with from one 
 to three purple stripes. The seed vessel is heart-shaped, and 
 brown when ripe. In flower from April to July. The corollas 
 are very short-lived, and fall off almost directly they are 
 gathered. 
 
 " Pluck, but be cautious lest you shed 
 The petals of the tender flower; 
 And shorten thus the little hour 
 At most allotted it to grace, 
 With transient bloom its native place." Mnnt. 
 
24 
 
 BROOK-LIME SPEEDWELL. Veronica leccalunga. 
 
 Plate 1, fig. 3. 
 Leaves opposite, smooth, ovate. Flowers in lateral spikes. 
 
 The leaves and stem are fleshy, and light green in color. The 
 stem throws out roots at all the lower joints. The flowers are 
 of a dark blue, with three or four still darker streaks in each 
 part of the corolla. Blossoms in May, June, and July ; and 
 is found mostly in running water, along with Water Cresses and 
 similar plants, with which it is sometimes eaten. 
 
 GERMANDER SPEEDWELL. Veronica chamcedrys. 
 
 Plate I, fig. 4. 
 Leaves opposite, sessile, cordate, serrated. Fl. in lateral spikes. 
 
 This very beautiful plant is a general favorite, and may be 
 found in the spring at the bottom of almost every hedge-row. 
 Its large corollas are of the most vivid blue, with a pure white 
 centre, but so short-lived that we can scarcely carry home or 
 dry the plant without losing them all. They close up also at 
 night, or before rain comes on, and open again when the 
 shower is past, though not a second day. The leaves are hairy, 
 strongly veined, and without stalks. The stem has two rows 
 of hairs along it, at opposite sides, but the flower stems are 
 hairy all round capsule shorter than the calyx. Some take 
 this for the " Forget-me-not ;" a different plant, but not more 
 beautiful than the present. 
 
 " Not for thy azure tint, though bright, 
 Nor form so elegantly light, 
 I single thee, thon lovely flower, 
 From others of the sylvan bower. 
 Thy name alone is like a spell, 
 And whispers love in ' Speed thee well.' " Twamley. 
 
 COMMON SPEEDWELL. Veronica cfficinalis. 
 
 Plate 1, fig. 5. 
 Leaves opposite, stalked, ovate, serrate. Fl. in lateral spikes. 
 
 This is quite as frequent on sandy commons and dry banks, 
 as the last is in hedge-rows, but is not so beautiful in color, 
 nor so delicate in form. The stem is procumbent and hairy all 
 
25 
 
 over. The leaves opposite, ovate, shortly stalked, and hairy. 
 The young flowers are pink, afterwards changing to a purple, 
 striped with a still darker color, with purple stamens, and not 
 above half the size of those of V. chamsedrys. The ripe capsule 
 is also very different, being deeply notched at the top, and when 
 ripe longer than the calyx. It flowers in the spring and summer. 
 
 IVY-LEAVED SPEEDWELL. Veronica hederifolia. 
 
 Plate 1, fig. 6. 
 
 Leaves alternate, all stalked, cordate, lobed. Flowers solitary. 
 Common in fields, on banks, &c. ; flowering in April and 
 throughout the summer. Stem procumbent and hairy, as are 
 also the leaves ; but the hairs of all the parts are very fine, so 
 that the plants will often appear nearly smooth. The calyx is 
 very large each division of it heart-shaped. Flowers very long- 
 stalked, and bent downwards when in fruit. Corolla small, 
 pinkest purple, striped with a darker color ; stamens yellow. 
 Capsule round, swelled out, and smooth, with a very short 
 style at the top. It contains four black, wrinkled, shell-shaped 
 seeds. This plant is called the Mother of Wheat, from the 
 belief that wherever this plant is found wheat may be grown to 
 advantage. 
 
 O.S. Spiked Speedwell, an upright plant of Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. 
 Alpine Speedwell, Blue Rock Speedwell, and Flesh-colored Speedwell, 
 are found only on the Scottish mountains. Marsh Speedwell and Water 
 Speedwell grow in damp places. Mountain Speedwell in woods. Field 
 Speedwell, Wall Speedwell, Blunt Fingered Speedwell, and Vernal Speed- 
 well are annual ; the two former common, the other two very rare. 
 
 GIPSY-WORT. LYCOPUS. 
 
 GIPSY-WORT, OR WATER HORE-HOUND. Lycopus Europ&us. 
 Plate I, fig. 7. 
 
 It has its first name because the leaves, when boiled, yield a 
 chesnut brown color, which it is said the gipsies use to stain 
 the skin of the children they steal, that they may appear as 
 dark as their own. It grows commonly in shallow popds arid 
 ditches ; and is directly known by its square stems, small, 
 whitish, whirled flowers, set in the bosom of the upper leaves, 
 which are deeply cut, and as well as the branches opposite. 
 
SAGE. SALVIA. 
 WILD SAGE. Salvia verbenaca. 
 
 Plate 1, fig. 8. 
 
 There are nearly two hundred species of Sage, all of which 
 have gaping flowers, like the plants of the fourteenth class. 
 Two species grow in Britain ; one of them, Salvia pratensis, 
 is very rare the other, called Wild Clary, or Wild Sage, is 
 common on dry places and in meadows. Its leaves are a little 
 wrinkled, scolloped, and serrated. The flowers are in whirls 
 on the upper part of the stem ; each whirl with two small leaves 
 under it. The calyx is large, hairy, and cut into five notches ; 
 two of which are much deeper* than the others. The blossom 
 is small, violet colored, two-lipped, but not opening wide. The 
 plant grows one or two feet high, and may be found in flower 
 almost all the summer. Another name for these two, and other- 
 species of Sage, is Clary, or Clear-eye. The reason of this 
 curious name is, that the seeds when wetted become, in a 
 minute or two, sticky and covered with a mucilage or soft jelly- 
 like substance. Thus should dust get into the eye, one of the 
 seeds of Sage being placed near it, it will soon inclose the dust, 
 and both may be wiped away together. 
 
 ENCHANTER'S NIGHT-SHADE. CIRC^EA. 
 
 COMMON ENCHANTER'S NIGHT-SHADE. Circtea lutetiana. 
 
 Plate I, fig. 9. 
 
 Has very pretty and curious pink and white flowers ; it grows 
 in shady places, such as hedge-rows and woods flowering in 
 June, July, and August. The leaves are egg-shaped, a little 
 toothed. Calyx of two leaves, which are turned back. Blossom 
 of two heart-shaped petals. Flower stalks bent downwards when 
 in fruit. The plant is more or less hairy all over, particularly 
 on the upper part of the stem and on the calyx, the hairs of 
 which resemble little hooks. 
 
 O. S. Alpine Enchanter's Night-Shade ; found in the North of England. 
 
27 
 
 CLASS 3. TRIANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with Three Stamens.) 
 
 This class is more extensive than the two former, and very 
 important, as it contains almost all the Grass tribe, among 
 which are Wheat, Barley, Oats, Millet, and the Sugar Cane. 
 The Grasses that grow wild in this country are about one 
 hundred and twenty species, and are very difficult for the young 
 botanist to know from each other. A short account is, however, 
 annexed at the end of the volume. 
 
 Some very handsome garden flowers belong to Triandria. Of 
 Crocuses alone there are about twenty species ; of the Iris there 
 are nearly one hundred. The Commelina, Ixia, Tritonia, Spa- 
 raxis, Watsonia, Gladiole, and Babiana, are among the most 
 beautiful. 
 
 Order 1. MONOGYNIA. 1 Style. 
 
 VALERIAN, (Valeriana.) Calyx very minute, changing into 
 
 a feathery crown to the seed ; seeds single. 
 CORN SALAD, (Fedia.) Calyx very minute, not changing 
 
 into a feathery crown ; seeds three in a capsule. 
 CORN FLAG, (Iris.) Blossom six-cut, three parts turned 
 
 down ; style three-cleft, colored, covering the stamens. 
 CROCUS, (Crocus.) Blossom six-cut, all the parts erect ; style 
 
 three-cleft, colored, distinct from the stamens. 
 
 VALERIAN. VALERIANA. 
 GREAT WILD VALERIAN. Valeriana officinalis. 
 
 Plate 1, fig. 10. 
 
 Found in blossom in summer by the sides of rivers and in 
 shallow ditches. Grows three or four feet high, and bears 
 heads of whitish pink flowers. The corolla is tubular, five- 
 
28 
 
 cleft at the edge, and swelled on one side of the base. The 
 leaves are opposite, and all very deeply cut or divided. The 
 seed is very beautiful, and affords a proof in how wonderful a 
 manner the Great Creator has provided for the wants even of 
 a simple plant. The calyx is at first so small as to be scarcely 
 visible, but by degrees expands into a beautiful feathery head, 
 or pappus, that remains at first carefully coiled up ; but when 
 the seed is ripe, and the weather fine, the feathers expand like 
 the ribs of a parasol, and the seed is carried away by the wind, 
 until it finds some fit resting place, when the crown falls off, 
 and the seed directly begins to grow. The root is rather sweet 
 in smell, but bitter in taste. Cats and rats are said to be very 
 fond of the scent. The whole plant is quite smooth, and is 
 useful in medicine ; for this reason it is called Valerian, which 
 means to cure or to be well. 
 
 O. S. Small Marsh Valerian and Heart-leaved Valerian, The former 
 has stamens in one plant and styles in another. The last, a fine tall plant, 
 is confined to the woods of Scotland. 
 
 CORN SALAD. FEDIA. 
 
 COMMON CORN SALAD. Fedia olitoria. 
 Plate I, fig. 11. 
 
 This, the only common species, is very early in the time of 
 its flowering, appearing on walls and banks, and still more 
 often in corn fields, in March and April. Lambs are very fond 
 of it ; hence it is sometimes called Lamb's Lettuce, and is 
 also often grown in gardens as a salad. It is a small, branched, 
 smooth, juicy plant, bearing numerous heads of minute, but 
 beautiful bluish flowers. Leaves tongue-shaped, a little toothed. 
 The round capsule is smooth, like the rest of the plant. 
 
 O.S. Narrow Fruited Corn Salad and Sharp Fruited Corn Salad. The 
 last is very rare. 
 
 CORN FLAG. IRIS. 
 
 WATER IRIS. Iris pseudacorus. 
 
 Plate I, fig. 12. 
 
 The Iris, Flag, or Flower de Luce, the emblem of France, 
 is named after the many-colored rainbow. 
 
29 
 
 i< # * # Every varying hue, 
 Of every beauteous thing on earth, the tints 
 Of Heaven's own Iris." 
 
 Some species are common in gardens. Our present plant is 
 to be met with all over the South of England, in ditches and on 
 river banks, the beauty of which situations is much increased 
 in June and July by its numerous, large, bright yellow flowers. 
 The leaves are sword-shaped the root white and tuberous. 
 
 " How oft have I viewed thee, all glorious and bright, 
 In the pride of thy birth-place, thou vision of light ! 
 Like an angel of gladness, in mercy designed 
 As a token and herald of love to mankind. 
 
 " There, too, where the floods of the desert resound. 
 Thou reignest unmoved by the tumult around ; 
 And the eye may repose on thy soft smiling beams, 
 And the fancy may hail thee the nymph of the streams ! 
 
 " Oh! thus, when the moments of sorrow are nigh, 
 When the stern voice of nature shall call us to die, 
 At that thrilling hour, when in anguish and pain, 
 Our spirits return to life's pleasures in vain ; 
 
 " May peace, with her soft silvery pinions, be there, 
 To chase from her bosom the phantom despair ! 
 May hope, gentle hope, with her sweetness illume 
 The darkness that shadows the depths of the tomb !" Anon. 
 
 O. S. Stinking Iris, (a curious name, when it is considered that it smells 
 like roast beef,) is common in the South of England. 
 
 CROCUS. CROCUS. 
 Plate 1, fig. 13. 
 
 Who does not know the beautiful Crocuses ? One is of a fine 
 blue, ( Crocus vernus ;) another of a golden yellow, (Crocus 
 aureus ;) and others, most elegantly striped. They greet us 
 even in the winter before any other plant, except the Snow- 
 drop, dares to raise its head. Their bright and shining cups, 
 rising without a covering or even a leaf to shield them from the 
 cold blast, seem but emblems of imprudence. Their flowers 
 are indeed exposed, but the young seed vessel is still carefully 
 hidden by the earth, and does not rise above the surface till 
 the warmth and showers of a later season call it up, that the 
 seed may be perfected ; and in one species, which flowers in the 
 autumn, the seed vessel remains some inches deep during the 
 whole winter, wisely defended from the injuries of frost and 
 snow. 
 
30 
 
 The stigmas of one of the blue Crocuses, (Crocus sativus,} 
 are cut out of the flower, and when dried are called Saffron ; 
 and such vast numbers of the plants were grown in the reign 
 of Edward III. around Walden, in Essex, that ever since the 
 place has been called Saffron Walden. There are still some 
 fields of it in that neighbourhood. 
 
 The poets are fond of writing upon this, the first promise of 
 a coming spring. One poet says : 
 
 " Lowly, sprightly little flower. 
 Herald of a brighter bloom. 
 Bursting in a sunny hour, 
 From thy winter tomb. 
 " Hues you bring bright, gay, and tender, 
 
 As if never to decay, 
 Fleeting in their varied splendour. 
 Soon alas ! they fade away." Patterson. 
 
 One of the prettiest little poems on the Crocus is by Mrs. 
 Strickland, which perhaps some of our young readers may be 
 acquainted with. We can only afford room for a verse or two : 
 
 " Oh ! pleasant is the hopeful hour, 
 
 When from her lowly bed, 
 We mark the Crocus, early flower, 
 Uprear her golden head ! 
 
 ' ' We deem the weary winter past, 
 When from her darksome tomb, 
 The merry Crocus bursts at last 
 In her perennial bloom ! 
 
 " The bulb that slumbered in the ground, 
 
 Hath felt a quickening change, 
 And wakes, with bright apparel crowned, 
 As beautiful as strange ! 
 
 " E'en thus the spirits of the just 
 
 In glorious forms shall rise ; 
 When Christ shall summon from the dust, 
 His chosen to the skies I" 1 
 
 The Golden Crocus is not common as a wild flower in any 
 part of England ; but around Nottingham the blue Vernal 
 Crocus covers whole meadows, and it is a delightful sight to see 
 the fields so blue even in the winter, and bands of little chil- 
 dren plucking the beautiful flowers. The Crocus flower closes 
 up at night, and remains closed by day also, unless the sun 
 shines upon it, or the weather suddenly becomes' warmer than 
 it had been before. 
 
31 
 
 CLASS 4. TETRANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with Four Stamens, all of equal length.) 
 
 The fourth class is not a large one, but it contains some very 
 pretty British plants, several of which are common. Besides 
 those mentioned below are the numerous Pond Weeds, the 
 elegant Lady's Mantle, the Madder Plant, and some others, 
 which are small but elegant. 
 
 The garden plants of Tetrandria are not very numerous, but 
 some of them are very pretty ; others very singular. Among 
 them may be mentioned the numerous Proteas and Banksias, 
 the Diandras and Pothos, the Sanguisorba and Contrayerva, 
 the Globularia, Buddlea, Epimedium, Cissus, Sandal Wood, 
 Trapa, and others. 
 
 Order 1. MONOGYNIA. 1 Style. 
 * Flowers above the fruit, on a leafy receptacle, seed one. 
 
 TEASEL, (Dipsacus.) Calyx entire ; corolla regular. 
 SCABIOUS, (Scabiosa.) Calyx bristly ; corolla not regular. 
 
 ** Flowers above the fruit, not on a leafy receptacle, seeds two. 
 BEDSTRAW, (Galium.) Calyx none ; corolla of one petal, flat ; 
 
 seeds dry. 
 DOGWOOD, (Cornus.) Calyx of four teeth; corolla of four 
 
 petals ; seeds in a fleshy drupe. 
 
 *** Flowers below the fruit. 
 PLANTAIN, (Plantayo.) Calyx four-cleft ; corolla bent back ; 
 
 capsule two or more seeded. 
 PELLITORY, (Parietaria.) Calyx none ; capsule one- seeded. 
 
 Order 2 . TETRAGYNIA. 4 Styles. 
 HOLLY, (Ilex.) Corolla of one petal ; fruit a berry. 
 PEARL- WORT, (SaginaJ Cor. of four petals ; fruit a capsule. 
 
32 
 
 TEASEL. DIPSACUS. 
 WILD TEASEL. Dipsacus sylvestris. 
 Plate 1, fig. 14. 
 
 Very common in the ditches of England, though not of 
 Scotland ; growing three, four, or even five feet high, and 
 bearing, in the latter part of the summer, thick tapering heads 
 of small pink flowers, that are succeeded each by a single seed, 
 which is angular, furnished at the top with eight pores, and 
 crowned by a rim that was the calyx. The leaves are well 
 worth attention, as an example of one of the methods whereby 
 plants are preserved against drought. They are wide, large, 
 opposite, and every pair so joined together at the lower part as 
 to form a large cup ; in this not only the rain is collected, but 
 the dews of night, by trickling down the leaves, give a fresh 
 supply of water day by day, even in the hottest and driest 
 weather. The whole plant is covered with hooks and prickles, 
 so that it is seldom gathered, except the old receptacles after 
 the seeds have fallen out. These are very stiff and hard, and 
 are called by the country children of Essex and other places, 
 Barber's Brushes, and they form, if not a good -shaped, at least 
 a very penetrating hair brush. 
 
 O.S. There are two others ; Small Teasel, which is now and then met 
 with in damp hedges; and Fuller's Teasel, grown in Yorkshire and Wilt- 
 shire, used to put the nap upon fine woollen cloth, by being drawn over it 
 quickly, when it drags the loose fibres of the cloth all in the same direction. 
 
 " Armed with the bended awns that pull 
 Through the close web the knotted wool, 
 Raise the soft downy nap, and smooth 
 The texture with tenacious tooth. 
 No skilful art a tool has planned, 
 To match that gift of nature's hand." Bishop Mant. 
 
 SCABIOUS. SCABIOSA. 
 FIELD SCABIOUS. Scabiosa arvensis. 
 
 Plate 1, fg. 15. 
 Corolla four-cleft. Lower leaves ovate, upper deeply cut. 
 
 This really beautiful plant is found in fields and hedge-rows ; 
 growing three or four feet high, bearing its leaves and 
 branches all opposite ; each branch ending in a close flat head 
 
S3 
 
 of fine blue flowers, the inner of which are regular in form, 
 the outer much larger, and their corolla very irregular and 
 expanded. The leaves from the root are lanceolate and ser- 
 rated, the leaves of the stem are deeply cut, and the whole 
 plant hairy. 
 
 DEVIL'S BIT. ScaMosa succisa. 
 
 Plate 1, fig. 16. 
 
 Corolla four cleft. Lower leaves ovate, upper leaves oblong. 
 In the south of the kingdom on heaths ; in woods, &c. The 
 heads of flowers are round, of a delicate blue color, all of the 
 same size and shape. The stem is rather hairy, as are also the 
 leaves, the lower generally stalked and ovate the upper oblong 
 and a little toothed. The root is curious, appearing as if bitten 
 off half way down, which caused the country people, who could 
 not account for it, to call the plant the Devil's Bit. It was 
 once used in medicine. 
 
 O. S. Small Scabious, common only in the chalk counties. The co- 
 rollas of this are five-cleft, and the leaves deeply cut. 
 
 BEDSTRAW. GALIUM. 
 YELLOW BEDSTRAW. Galium verum. 
 
 Plate \, fig. 17. 
 Flowers yellow. Leaves linear, about eight in a whirl. 
 
 Banks and thickets own the Yellow Bedstraw, which, with 
 its very abundant, clustered, and minute flowers, is a general 
 favorite. Its linear drooping leaves ; thin, jointed stem, and 
 round, shining, naked, smooth seeds, agree in delicacy with the 
 golden florets. The roots are used by the Highlanders of Scot- 
 land, instead of madder, to dye woollen cloth of a red color. 
 All the Bedstraws are in flower in June. 
 
 WATER BEDSTRAW. Galium palustre. 
 
 Plate 1, fig. 18. 
 
 Flowers white. Leaves oblong, blunt, four to six in a whirl. 
 This pretty plant grows on the borders of ditches and ponds. 
 The stem is generally hairy, and the leaves blunt. The flower 
 stalks are long, and the whole panicle of flowers very much 
 spread out. The fruit is green when young, and black afterwards. 
 
34 
 
 GREAT HEDGE BEDSTRAW. Galium mollugo. 
 
 Plate 1, fig. 19. 
 Flowers white. Leaves eight in a whirl. Fruit smooth. 
 
 Growing in a straggling manner over bushes. The flowers 
 are collected in little tufts, near the top of the various branches. 
 Leaves eight in a whirl, of a long oval shape, rough at the edges, 
 and pointed. The petals are also pointed, by which this species 
 is directly known from the two former; besides which the 
 flowers are in closer bundles, and larger. The fruit is quite 
 smooth, and the stems of the plant very long. 
 
 GOOSEGRASS BEDSTRAW. Galium aparine, 
 
 Plate 1, fig. 20. 
 
 Flowers white. Leaves eight or ten in a whirl. Fruit prickly. 
 The Goosegrass, Clivers, Cleavers, or Catchweed, for it is 
 known by all these names, struggles among the bushes of the 
 hedge -rows. It is neither elegant nor useful ; and yet shows 
 one of those beautiful contrivances for the welfare of the plant, 
 which in botany are so often presented to our notice ; reminding 
 us at every stem we take, that " He who made them is divine." 
 The seeds are covered with curiously-formed hooks, by which 
 they adhere to the skins of animals, or any thing else that touches 
 them, and thus are carried along, and the plant distributed to a 
 distance. Some of its names arise from this property, and 
 because young geese are fond of it, it is often called Goosegrass. 
 The stem is square, woolly at the joints, prickly, long, and 
 trailing, with spear-shaped f rough leaves. The flowers very 
 small, and only one or two grow together. 
 
 O. S. Cross-wort Bedstraw, a yellow flower with four leaves together ; 
 Marsh Bedstraw, a white flowered kind, which like the last is often found; 
 Upright Bedstraw, Grey Bedstraw, Bearded Bedstraw, Mountain Bed- 
 straw, Wall Bedstraw, Warty Fruited Bedstraw, Rough Fruited, and 
 Smooth Fruited Corn Bedstraw, all white and very rare ; and Northern 
 Bedstraw, also white and rare. 
 
 CORNEL TREE. CORNUS. 
 
 DOGWOOD, OR COMMON CORNEL TREE. Cor nus sanguine a. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. I. 
 
 This conrmon shrub grows very slowly, seldom reaching 
 ten feet in height, though it lives so long, and its wood is so 
 
P.LATE II 
 
35 
 
 tough and lasting that it is tho emblem of duration. . It blossoms 
 in the spring, bearing bunches, (cymes,) of white, star-like 
 flowers, at the end of the various branches. The leaves are 
 opposite, ovate, green on both sides, until the autumn turns 
 them to a full scarlet, like that of the ripening berries, and even 
 the bark of the younger branches is red also. Its wood was 
 once used for spear handles ; now its chief use is for butcher's 
 skewers. 
 O. S. Dwarf Cornel, a little plant found on Alpine pasture?. 
 
 PLANTAIN. PLANTAGO. 
 GREATER PLANTAIN. Plantayo major. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 2. 
 
 Leaves ovate, toothed, stalked, Fl." in spikes, six inches long. 
 On road-sides and in pastures. Known at once by its very 
 long and close spike of flowers, and its capsules being many 
 seeded. The leaves are generally smooth, sometimes with long 
 stalks, sometimes without often toothed, at other times entire. 
 They all rise from the root, and have seven deep ribs upon them. 
 The spikes are gathered in bundles, and hung up as winter food 
 for the canary birds and goldfinches, which are very fond of the 
 
 HOARY PLANTAIN. Plantago minor. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 3. 
 
 Leaves broad, ovate, entire, hairy. Spike round, two inches long. 
 This is a great plague to the farmers, whole fields being some- 
 times covered with it, particularly in the South of England. 
 The leaves are shorter, less stalked, more entire on the edge 
 than in the last species, and downy. The spike of flowers, 
 which has a silvery or hoary look, is also much shorter, and 
 the capsule bears but two seeds, instead of many. 
 
 RIBWORT PLANTAIN. Plantago lanceolata. 
 
 'Plate 2. fig. 4. 
 
 Leaves lanceolate, pointed, entire. Spike half an inch long. 
 
 But too abundant in pastures. Known from the rest of the 
 
 genus by the shape of the leaves, very short spikes, and bitten 
 
36 
 
 off, or abrupt root. The ribs or thick veins on the leaves, five 
 in number, caused the name of Ribwort to be given to it. The 
 capsule is two-seeded, as in the last species. 
 
 BUCK'S-HORN PLANTAIN. Plantago coronopus* 
 
 Plate 2, Jig. 5. 
 Leaves deeply cut and branched. Spikes short and hairy. 
 
 This plant, which loves dry, chalky, and gravelly places, 
 varies very much in the size and shape of the leaves ; but they 
 are always deeply cut and mostly hairy. The spike of flowers 
 is also hairy, and the capsule four-seeded. 
 
 The only other species is Sea-side Plantain, which has strap-shaped 
 leaves, and is not uncommon on the sea shore. 
 
 PELLITORY. PARIETARIA. 
 PELLITORY-OF-THE-WALL. Parietaria ojficinalis. 
 
 Plate 2, fiy. 6. 
 
 This plant, of little beauty or apparent worth, is found, as 
 its name implies, on wails and old buildings. The leaves are 
 ovate, pointed, and alternate, and from the base of each arises 
 a little leafy branch, upon which at different short distances are 
 bunches of small pink flowers, seven of them in a bunch. The 
 stamens are elastic, very curious, and well worth attention ; 
 they are jointed, and until the pollen is ripe they bend back 
 close to the petals, but as soon as the sun shines upon them 
 hotly, the stamens fly upwards, and the pollen, or fine yellow 
 dust that they have in their ends, or anthers, is scattered all 
 over the bunch of flowers it belongs to. This may easily be 
 seen on a bright summer's afternoon by shaking the plant a 
 little, or touching the stamens with a pin. 
 
 HOLLY. ILEX. 
 
 COMMON HOLLY. Ilex aquifolia. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 7. 
 
 How often do children turn with dislike from the Holly, 
 because of its rough and thorny leaves, not knowing that it has 
 virtues and beauties which ought to make them look at it always 
 with pleasure. It affords a comfortable shelter to the poor 
 
37 
 
 innocent little birds when the forest is bare and they have no 
 other home ; it feeds them with its bright scarlet berries when 
 they have no other food. Its foliage shines in glossy greenness 
 through the long and dreary winter, adding a charm to the 
 frozen landscape, when all else is barren and leafless. With 
 evergreen shrubs, among which the Holly stands first, we de- 
 corate at some seasons of the year our houses and our churches. 
 As the devout Bishop Mant says, 
 
 - "Above, the Holly glads the scene, 
 
 With prickly leaves of glossy green ; 
 
 And girt with balls of scarlet dye, 
 
 Boon nature's provident supply 
 
 Of banquet for the eager bird. 
 
 Unless to village church transferred, 
 
 It lends its brilliant colors gay, 
 
 To grace the Saviour's natal day." 
 
 The leaves of our plant are prickly, but let it not be despised 
 on that account ; on the contrary, this alone should turn our 
 negligence to attention, for it is only on the lower part of the 
 Holly tree that the leaves are prickly : 
 
 "Below a circling fence, its leaves are seen 
 
 Wrinkled and keen ; 
 Ho grazing cattle through their prickly round 
 
 Can reach to wound. 
 
 But, a they grow where nothing is to fear, 
 Smooth and unarm 'd the pointless leaves appear. 
 " Thus should my youth, as youth is apt I know 
 
 Some harshness show ; 
 All vain asperities, I day by day, 
 
 Would wear away 
 
 Till the smooth temper of my age should be 
 Like the high leaves upon the holly tree." Southey. 
 
 PEARL-WORT. SAGINA. 
 PROCUMBENT PEARL-WORT. Sagina procumlens. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 8. 
 
 The Pearl-worts are of little beauty or value. This species, 
 which is perennial, grows on sandy heaths, garden walks, and 
 such places. It is seldom more than two or three inches high, 
 its stems resting on the ground, and often throwing out roots 
 at the joints in the lower parts of them. It is much branched, 
 and bears very minute white flowers, of four petals each. The 
 flower buds are drooping. 
 
 O. S. Annual Small-flowered Pearl-wort, almost as common as the 
 above, and Sea Pearl-wort, a very small annual, and the flowers without 
 petals. 
 
38 
 
 CLASS 5. PENTANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with Five Stamens.) 
 
 A very important class, containing many favorite flowers and 
 fruits, as the elegantly- drooping Cyclamen, the well-known 
 Jacob's Ladder, the Periwinkle, the Stramonium, the curious 
 Yellow Balsam, and still more curious Dodder, the Elm, the 
 Currant, and the Gooseberry, witli many other plants, natives 
 of England indeed, but rarely to be found, except in gardens. 
 Some of the plants of Pentandria are wholesome, others the 
 most deadly poison. 
 
 In addition to the above, we find very numerous gems and 
 curiosities of the garden in Pentandria, which, besides being an 
 important class, is one of the largest of the whole Linncean 
 system. In the first order belong the Marvel of Peru, Turn- 
 sole, Cerinthe, the Little Aretia, the many species of the 
 Primrose tribe, among which are the Polyanthus and the Auri- 
 cula. We have here also the American Cowslip, the Phlox, 
 Ramonda, Nicandra, Tobacco, Jalap, Scammony, Cobsea, Epa- 
 cris, Azalea, Oleander, Mandrake, Winter Cherry, Lycium, 
 Potatoe, Egg plant, Capsicum, Lobelia, Honeysuckle, Coffee, 
 Vine, Buckthorn, Balsam, Cock/s-comb, Globe Amaranth, and 
 the splendid Strelitzia. In the second order, we find the curious 
 Hoya, Stapelia, the beautiful Gentian a, and all the umbelli- 
 ferous plants. Other orders contain flowers equally interesting. 
 
 Order 1. MONOGYNIA. Style 1. 
 * Seeds naked, four together ; corolla beneath, of one petal. 
 
 VIPER'S BUGLOSS, (Echium.) Corolla irregular, widely open, 
 
 and without scales at the mouth. 
 CROMWELL, (Lit/iospermum.) Corolla funnel-shaped, deeply 
 
 cleft, without scales at tke meuth. 
 
39 
 
 COMFRKY, (Symphytum.) Corolla swelled upwards, its mouth 
 
 partly closed with awl-shaped teeth. 
 BUGLOSS, (Lycopus.) Corolla long, funnel-shaped, its tube 
 
 curved, and mouth closed with scales ; seeds smooth. 
 HOUND'S-TONGUE, (Cynoglossum.) Cor. short, funnel-shaped, 
 
 its tube straight, mouth closed with teeth ; seeds rough. 
 SCORPION-GRASS, (Myosotis.) Corolla flat, with blunt lobes 
 
 and mouth half closed with scales. 
 
 Note. All the above plants have rough leaves; their calyces and 
 corollse five-cleft; and belong to the same natural order. 
 
 ** Seeds in a capsule or berry ; corolla as before. 
 
 PIMPERNEL, (Anagallis.) Corolla wheel- shaped ; stamen 
 
 hairy ; capsule bursting all round. 
 LOOSESTRIFE, (Lysimachia.) Corolla wheel-shaped ; stamens 
 
 smooth ; capsule of ten valves. 
 CENTAURY, (Erythrcea.) Corolla funnel-shaped, with a short 
 
 tube ; capsule two-celled. 
 PRIMROSE AND COWSLIP, (Primula.) Corolla salver-shaped, 
 
 with a long tube ; capsule opening with ten teeth. 
 NIGHTSHADE, (Solanum.) Corolla wheel-shaped, regular ; 
 
 berry with two or more cells. 
 BINDWEED, (Convolvulus.) Corolla bell-shaped, folded 
 
 capsule two-celled. 
 
 *** Seeds in a capsule or berry ; corolla above the fruit. 
 
 BELL FLOWER, (Campanula.) Corolla of one petal, bel 
 
 shaped ; capsule from two to five-celled. 
 HONEYSUCKLE, (Lonicera.) Corolla of one petal, irregular; 
 
 berry from one to three-celled. 
 VIOLET AND HEART'S-EASE, (Viola.) Corolla under the fruit, 
 
 irregular, of five petals ; the under petal spurred. 
 IVY, (Hedera.) Corolla above the fruit, regular, of five petals, 
 
 bent back ;" style simple. 
 
40 
 
 Order 2. DIGYNIA. 2 Styles. 
 
 GOOSEFOOT, (Chenopodium.) Seed round, seated upon the calyx. 
 BEET, (Beta.) Seed kidney-shaped, half buried in the calyx. 
 
 is order are the umbellate plants, which 
 
 Order 3. TRIGYNIA. 3 Styles. 
 
 GUELDER ROSE, (Vilernum.) Berry with one seed. 
 ELDER, (Samlucus.) Berry with three or four seeds. 
 
 Order 4. TETRAGYNIA. 4 Styles. 
 
 Contains only The Grass of Parnassus, which is rare except in moun- 
 tainous countries. 
 
 Order 5. PENTAGYNIA. 5 Styles. 
 
 THRIFT, (Statice.) Calyx of dry scales ; capsule one-seeded. 
 FLAX, (Linum.) Calyx of five leaves ; capsule of ten cells. 
 
 Order 6. HEXAGYNIA. 6 Styles. 
 SUNDEW, (Drosera.) Calyx five-cleft ; capsule one-celled. 
 
 VIPER'S BUGLOSS. ECHIUM. 
 
 COMMON VIPER'S BUGLOSS. Echium vulgare. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 9. 
 
 This plant, so common in all the chalky counties, on heaps 
 of rubbish, and in waste grounds, is one of the most beautiful 
 that our island produces. It rises with many stems all from 
 the root, to two feet or more in height, and is covered with 
 short curved spikes of large splendid flowers. These at first 
 are of a fine red, but soon change to a deep blue, or purple : 
 thus the whole plant puts on the greatest variety of color. 
 
 " The Bugloss buds of crimson hue, 
 
 To azure flowers expand, 
 Like changeful banner bright to view, 
 By wild winds fanned." 
 
41 
 
 The root leaves are stalked, the stem leaves sessile, and the 
 whole plant rough with prickles. Bishop Mant describes the 
 plant as one of the greatest ornaments of June. 
 
 ##**** i with mingled hue, 
 
 Of purple, blue, and brilliant red, 
 
 Though spurned beneath the passing tread, 
 
 Prickly and harsh, with tints that pass 
 
 The garden pride The Viper Grass." 
 
 GROMWELL. LITHOSPEEMUM. 
 
 COMMON GROMWELL. Lithospermum officinale. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 10. 
 
 Rare in Scotland, though common in England, on dry, waste 
 ground, growing more than a foot high. Directly known by its 
 small yellow flowers, and its very hard and very white, smooth, 
 and shining seeds. The stem is branched. The leaves are 
 lanceolate, rough above, and hairy on the under side. 
 
 O. S. Corn or White Gromwell Creeping or Purple Cromwell and 
 Sea-side Gromwell, both the two last are very rare. 
 
 COMFREY. SYMPHYTUM. 
 
 COMMON COMFREY. Symphytum officinale. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. II. 
 
 Stem winged, leaves wrinkled, lanceolate, waved. Flowers 
 in two-fingered bunches, yellowish white, or else purplish in 
 color, swelled out and divided into five sharp lobes, between 
 every two of which is a stamen shorter than the lobes, and 
 between these stamens appear five sharp -pointed teeth that 
 partly close up the mouth of the flower. The root is long and 
 thick. The stem is winged. The leaves rough, wrinkled, 
 running down the stem, and waved at the edges ; those only 
 from the root have stalks. It grows two or three feet high ; 
 remains in flower all the summer ; and is common in ditches. 
 
 O. S. Tuberous-rooted Comfrey, common in Scotland, but rare in 
 England. 
 
 BUGLOSS. LYCOPSIS. 
 SMALL BUGLOSS. Lycopsis arvensis. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 12. 
 
 Common on hedge-banks and corn fields. The whole plant 
 is upright, branched, and very rough all over, except the corolla 
 
42 
 
 and seeds. The flower is funnel-shaped, the top cut into five 
 round equal segments ; the mouth of the tube closed with five 
 rounded scales, and the tube itself bent. (This latter part must 
 be carefully looked to, because it is the only part that differs 
 from Alkanet in character.) The flowers are chiefly on the top 
 of the branches, and scattered in leafy spikes, small, but of a 
 
 very clear beautiful blue. 
 
 ****< With bright blue eye 
 Your pains the Bugloss will repay, 
 And famed for driving care away." 
 
 HOUND'S-TONGUE. CYNOGLOSSUM. 
 
 COMMON HOUND'S-TONGUE. Cynoglossum officinale. 
 Plate 2, fig. 13. 
 
 An upright plant, growing two feet high, on hedge-banks and 
 in waste ground, with lanceolate hairy leaves ; only the lower 
 ones stalked. The flowers are of a reddish purple color, tubu- 
 lar, but with a very short straight tube. The stamens are very 
 short, and covered over by the five roundish scales, which close 
 up the mouth of the corolla. The calyx is of one leaf, and 
 incloses four very rough yellowish green seeds. The whole 
 plant has a strong scent, like that of mice, by which it may be 
 at once known. 
 
 O. S. Green- leaved Hound's-Tongue, found in the South of England. 
 
 SCORPION GRASS. MYOSOTIS. 
 WATER SCORPION GRASS. FORGET-ME-NOT. M. palustris. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 14. 
 
 Calyx when in fruit open. Limb of cor. flat, longer than tube. 
 How insipid and misplaced appears the above line of scientific 
 description, in the account of so well-known and lovely a plant, 
 yet without it how are we to know our charming gem from 
 other species scarcely less charming. This is 
 
 "The flower that hath an eye as bright as noon, 
 And leaf as delicate as softest satin, 
 Called the ' Forget-me-not,' but known as well 
 By twenty names I cannot stop to tell." 
 
 This is the favorite and lovely flower which is so often painted 
 and described : 
 
 "This is affection's tribute, friendship's offering, 
 Whose silent eloquence, more rich than words, 
 Tells of the giver's faith, and truth in absence ; 
 And says ' Forget-me-not. 1 " 
 
43 
 
 Almost every fair one's album has a drawing of it, and almost 
 every poetical young lady has written a whole poem in its 
 praise : 
 
 " E'en sister flowers envy the favored lot, 
 Of that blue-eyed darling, ' Forget-me-not.' " 
 
 Everybody gathers it on the edges of the ponds and rivers, 
 and everybody loves its brilliant blue flowers, which have white 
 centres and yellow scales, that partly shut up the mouth of the 
 flower. Its name, too, and the curious anecdote which gave it 
 this name, adds a double interest and a double beauty to this 
 little fairy of the water. The story is this : A young lady, 
 who was walking with her lover on the banks of the Danube, 
 saw a bunch of this plant growing in the stream, and admiring- 
 its particular beauty she desired him to procure some for her ; 
 he reached the wished-for flowers from the bank, but in doing 
 so lost his hold, and fell into the water. He struggled long, 
 but was unable to stem the rapid current ; making, however, 
 one last effort before he sank for ever, he threw the flower to 
 his lady love, and exclaimed, " Forget-me-not." Since this 
 time the plant has been the emblem of memory, not only in 
 Germany, but over almost all Europe. 
 
 " Sweet azure flower, with golden eye, 
 That on the meadow banks doth lie ; 
 Or, by the quiet streamlet fed, 
 On pillowing moss doth rest thy head ; 
 Who by thy gems unmarked can pass ? 
 Bright gleaming through the dewy grass." S. Waring. 
 
 FIELD SCORPION GRASS. Myosotis arvensis. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 15. 
 
 Calyx when in fruit closed. Limb, of cor. hollow, equal to tube. 
 A hairy plant, common on cultivated ground, hedge banks, 
 &c., growing four or five inches high, with very small, light 
 blue, beautiful and delicate flowers, with yellow eyes ; on foot- 
 stalks longer than the calyx. The hairs of the calyx are spread 
 out and hooked. The spike of flowers, as in all the species, is 
 turned round at the top, growing upright, and the flowers 
 expanding by degrees. 
 
 O. S. Rock Scorpion Grass, very beautiful but rare ; found only on the 
 highest of the Scotch mountains. Early Field Scorpion Grass, with very 
 
44 
 
 minute blue flowers. Different-colored Scorpion Grass, with flowers yellow 
 at first and blue afterwards. Tufted Water Scorpion Grass, and Upright 
 Wood Scorpion Grass, both of them blue and beautiful ; the former nut 
 uncommon in wet places, 
 
 PIMPERNEL. ANAGALLIS. 
 SCARLET PIMPERNEL. Anayallis arvensis. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 16. 
 
 A little straggling plant, with bright scarlet" flowers, of one 
 five-cleft petal, the edges of which are set with glands or hairs. 
 The yellow stamens are collected close round the style in the 
 middle. When the flowers have passed away, the stalks which 
 supported them twist round in a very remarkable manner, 
 until the capsule, (which is many-seeded,) bends downwards, 
 and its top falling off, it is thus curiously made to sow its own 
 seed. But this is not the only thing worthy of admiration in 
 our present little favorite ; its delicate flowers go to sleep or 
 close up soon after two o'clock in the afternoon, and open again 
 at seven in the morning. They close up also some hours before 
 rain, and so true and exact is the plant in this respect, that it is 
 commonly called the Poor Man's Weather Glass. Thus by 
 a simple weed we may note the hour and foretel the weather, 
 and many a time have I feared the coming storm, until seeing 
 the gay flowers of the Pimpernel expanded I have been sure of 
 warmth and sunshine. 
 
 " Closed is the pink-ey'd Pimpernel, 
 'Twill surely rain, I see, with sorrow, 
 Our jaunt must be put off to-morrow." Dr. Jenner. 
 
 " Of humble growth, though brighter dyes 
 But not by rural swains less prized, 
 
 The trailing stems allure 
 Of Pimpernel, whose brilliant flower 
 Closes against th' approaching shower, 
 Warning the swain to sheltering bower, 
 
 From humid air secure." Moral of Flowers. 
 
 A very pretty poem, too, on this flower is in that delightful 
 book, " The Romance of Nature." It ends thus : 
 " Now the wise little flower, wrapped safe from harm, 
 Sat fearlessly waiting the coming storm. 
 Just peeping between 
 Her snug cloak of green. 
 Lay folded up tight, 
 Her red robe so bright, 
 
 Though broide red with purple and starred with gold, 
 Mo eye might its bravery then behold.'' Ttcainlci/. 
 
45 
 
 The only other species is the Bog Pimpernel, a very delicate rose- 
 colored flower, that .grows on wet heaths, where cultivation never 
 smiled." There is a blue variety of Anagallis arveusis that was once 
 thought to be a distinct kind. 
 
 LOOSESTRIFE. LYSIMACHIA. 
 COMMON LOOSESTRIFE. Lysimachia vulgaris. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 17. 
 
 Leaves lanceolate, nearly sessile. Flowers in terminal clusters. 
 A noble, showy, upright plant, that adorns the banks of 
 rivers, growing three or four feet high, and bearing at the top 
 of all the stems and branches large panicles of fine yellow 
 flowers. The leaves are smooth, lanceolate, two and sometimes 
 three or four together. 
 
 WOOD LOOSESTRIFE OR YELLOW PIMPERNEL. L. nemorum. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 18. 
 
 Leaves ovate, sharp. Stem creeping. Calyx segments narrow. 
 Common in woods, creeping on the damp ground, and 
 flowering all the summer months. The corollas are large, yel- 
 low, on long stalks, rising from the axils of the leaves. The 
 five divisions of the calyx are narrow and sharp pointed, and 
 the capsules when ripe are twisted towards the earth, as they are 
 in the Scarlet Pimpernel hence one of its names. 
 
 CREEPING LOOSESTRIFE, OR MONEY-WORT. L. nummularia. 
 
 Plate 2, fig. 19. 
 Leaves roundish, blunt. Stem creeping. Calyx segments broad. 
 
 Frequent not only in damp woods, but on garden rock- work, 
 where it grows very rapidly, and being in flower from June to 
 September, it is a great ornament to such places. It differs 
 from the last species in the divisions of the calyx, which are 
 here much broader. The stem is also thicker those bearing 
 the solitary flowers do not twist round, as in the other, when 
 the capsule is ripening. The leaves are rounder and blunter, 
 so much so that the present plant is called Moneywort, and as 
 these leaves are opposite, or two together, it has the name of 
 Herb Two-pence, or Two-penny Grass. 
 
 O. S. Tufted Looseestrife, which is very rare in England. 
 
46 
 
 CENTAURY. ERYTHR&A. 
 COMMON CENTAURY. Erythr&a centaurium. 
 
 Plate 2, fiy. 20. 
 
 Found in flower from July to ' September, on dry pastures, 
 chiefly -Where the soil is chalky, as in Essex, Kent, c., 'growing 
 about a foot high, quite upright, seldom branched, except in its 
 flowers, which are borne in corymbs or loose heads. The co- 
 rollas of a fine pink color, (now and then white.) The limb or 
 flat part is cut into five equal acute divisions, and the tube about 
 twice as long as the calyx. The leaves are in pairs, rather 
 distant from each other. 
 
 O.S. Dwarf Branched Centaury, Dwarf Tufted Centaury, and Broad 
 Leaved Tufted Centaury, all rare ; and found on the sea shore, chiefly in 
 the northern counties. 
 
 PRIMROSE. COWSLIP. PRIMULA. 
 COMMON PRIMROSE. Primula vulyaris. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 1. 
 Flowers flat, one on each stalk. 
 
 The " meek and soft- eyed Primrose." The " emblem of 
 childhood.". One of the " first and earliest flowers of the 
 .season.".- Who does not know and love the pale Primrose ? 
 Nature's modest child which reminds us even in the midst of 
 winter that balmy spring approaches. So common too and 
 easily obtained ! We need only look at the first hedge-row or 
 mossy wood, and we shall observe 
 
 " A smiling knot 
 
 Of early Primroses, upon the warm, 
 Luxuriant, southern bank appears 
 Amid the sunny luxury of grass." Carrington, 
 
 " Beneath the sylvan canopy the ground 
 
 Glitters with flowery dyes the Primrose first 
 
 Jn mossy dell, return of spring to greet." Gisborne. 
 
 COWSLIP. PAIGLE. Primula veris, 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 2. 
 Flowers concave, several on a stalk. 
 
 Beautiful thou art, lovely Cowslip, with thy rich yellow 
 flowers, spotted with orange, inclosed in their green swelled 
 calyces, and nodding to the earth ; but doubly beautiful when 
 
PLATE 
 
47 
 
 collected in thousands on the hill-sides of sunny England, 
 rendering sometimes the whole prospect yellow and gay. How 
 pleasant in taste too are thy sweet corolla tubes even capable 
 of making a fragrant and delicate wine. How often have we 
 been a rival of the bee, and sucked them for their honey. Not 
 like thy fair sister, the Primrose, peering forth in early spring, 
 but content to wait for the more genial months of May and 
 June, and then hundreds of children gather and delight in thy 
 charms. The poets too have not forgotten to sing thy praises 
 and describe thy beauties. One says : 
 
 " Now in my walk with sweet surprise 
 I see the first Spring Cowslip rise, 
 
 The plant whose pensile flowers 
 Bend to the earth their beauteous eyes 
 
 In sunshine as in showers." Montgomery. 
 
 Milton makes you the emblem of pensiveness ; and talks of 
 
 " Cowslips wan that hang the pensive head." 
 Blair, on the contrary, tells us to " smile like a knot of 
 Cowslips on the cliff ;" (though they do not often grow on cliffs.) 
 Clare, that true and simple poet of nature, has not forgotten 
 you. He addresses you as 
 
 " 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 
 And gilt your golden gems ?" 
 
 O.S. The Oxlip, which is between the Primrose and Cowslip. Mealy 
 Primrose and Scottish Primrose, both with red flowers, and confined to 
 the mountains of England and Scotland. 
 
 NIGHTSHADE. SOLANUM. 
 WOODY NIGHTSHADE, OR BITTERSWEET. S. dulcamara. 
 
 Plate 3, fig'. 3. 
 
 Leaves cordate or hastate, entire. Flowers purple. Berries red. 
 This plant, full of danger, dark of hue, and dull of aspect, 
 is rather rare in Scotland, and I believe in Ireland ; yet how 
 often in England is it seen climbing among the bushes of our 
 hedge -rows, and bearing in the summer its drooping bunches 
 of purple flowers, and in the autumn its oval scarlet berries ; 
 beautiful to the eye, but very poisonous. The taste of the stem 
 and root is at first bitter and afterwards sweet, whence its name 
 of Bittersweet, 
 
48 
 
 " Two lovely little children went, when summer was in prime, 
 Into a garden beautiful, beneath a southern clime ; 
 A brother and a sister twins, and each to each most dear ; 
 Nor was the mother of these babes beset with any fear. 
 
 " 'Twas in that season of the year when on the blooming earth 
 Each flower and plant, and shrub and tree, to all their fruits gave birlh ; 
 And 'mid them all, and most exposed to catch the passing view, 
 With purple flowers and berries red, the climbing Nightshade grew. 
 
 " Up rose the little boy and ran, upon the bush to gaze, 
 And then his sister followed quick, and both were in a maze, 
 For berries half so beautiful they ne'er before had seen, 
 So forth he rashly stretch'd his hand among the branches green. 
 
 '*' These children then the berries pull'd, and of them eat their fill, 
 Nor did they ever dream the while, that they were doing ill : 
 ' They are so pleasant and so sweet,' exultingly they cried, 
 And merry was their prattling laugh, to see their fingers dyed. 
 
 " But suddenly the sister stopp'd. her rosy cheek grew pale; 
 
 4 Oh, brother! brother! hold me up, for something doth me ail,' 
 And soon he felt himself turn sick, and feeble, chilly, weak, 
 And as he totter'd on the grass, he bruis'd his sister's cheek. 
 
 " Exhausted though that infant was; upon his tender breast 
 He plac'd the little Charlotte's head, that she might softer rest ; 
 The hapless creature did but think his sister only slept, 
 And when his eyesight dimmer grew, to her he closer crept. 
 
 " The evening clos'd upon those babes, who slept away their breath, 
 And mourning o'er his cruel task, away went grieving, Death ; 
 Alas ! that such twin roses fair, which morning saw in bloom, 
 Should wither in the sunny land, ere came the twilight gloom." 
 
 COMMON, OR GARDEN NIGHTSHADE. Solanum niyrum. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 4. 
 
 Leaves ovate, bluntly toothed. Flowers white. Berries black. 
 On rubbish, dung-hills, &c., growing eight or ten inches high, 
 upright and much branched ; its berries are round, black, and 
 even more poisonous than the last. In flower in July. 
 
 BINDWEED. CONVOLVULUS. 
 SMALL BINDWEED. Convolvulus arvensis. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 5. 
 Stem trailing. Bracts small, distant from the flower. 
 
 A pretty little plant, not strong enough to support itself, but 
 creeping with a few stems for a foot or more along the ground, 
 or up the stems of plants, wherever the soil is light and sandy, 
 and growing very deeply, with long white roots. The stem is 
 zigzag and twisted, bearing alternate, arrow-shaped, stalked 
 leaves, in the axils of which grow the solitary flowers, borne on 
 
49 
 
 a stalk an inch or two long, having on it, at about half an inch 
 from the flower, two very small bracts.. The corolla before it 
 opens is plaited up in a curious manner, and when unfolded is 
 shaped like the mouth of a French horn, of a beautiful pink 
 color, striped in a star-like manner with yellow. The flowers 
 open only in the sunshine, closing up at night, or before a 
 shower. They are often very fragrant. This is a very trouble- 
 some weed to the farmer. Miss Twamley gives the following 
 pretty lines on this plant : 
 
 " We merry flowers are running, 
 The meadow mazes through, 
 And be farmer's e'er so cunning, 
 
 We're as cunning too. 
 Now up an ear of Barley 
 
 We nimbly twist and twirl, 
 To deck its brown stem early. 
 
 With a wreath of pink and pearl. 
 We climb the Poppy's hairy stalk, 
 
 And with wrath he grows more red 
 To see us, weeds of the meadow walk. 
 
 Peer up above his head. 
 And many a time the farmer vows 
 
 He'll banish us his land; 
 But still run up the Hawthorn bough, 
 A merry and myriad band. 
 
 GREAT BINDWEED. Convolvulus sepium. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 6. 
 Stems climbing. Bracts large, close to the flower. 
 
 Climbs boldly to the top of the hedges, putting out in the 
 autumn very large, delicately white, solitary, trumpet-shaped 
 flowers, each inclosed in a five-leaved calyx, and this almost 
 concealed by two heart-shaped bracts, which distinguish it at 
 once from the last ; besides this it grows larger in every part. 
 " The Bindweed pure and pale, 
 
 That sues to all for aid. 
 And when rude storms assail 
 
 Her snowy virgin veil 
 Doth like some timid maid, 
 In conscious weakness most secure, 
 Unscathed its sternest shocks endure. 
 " How fair her pendant wreath, 
 
 O'er bush and brake is twining, 
 While meekly there beneath, 
 'Mid Fern and blossom'd Heath, 
 
 Her lovelier sister's shining. 
 Tinged with such tender hues as streak, 
 A slumbering infant s glowing cheek." A. Strickland. 
 
 The only other species is the Sea-side Bindweed, a plant with largo 
 rose-colored flowers and kidney- shaped leaves. 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 BELL FLOWER. CAMPANULA. 
 BLUE BELL. HARE BELL. Campanula rotundifolia. 
 
 Plate 3, fly. 7. 
 Root leaves round. Stem leaves linear. Fl. stalked, drooping. 
 
 Who does not love " The Pretty Blue Bell ?" with its little 
 delicate pendant flowers, its graceful stems, its narrow leaves. 
 We may not, perhaps, have observed that those leaves which 
 grow near to the root are round, because they soon dry up ; 
 but we all know how celebrated is " The Blue Bell of Scotland." 
 It is our present plant, and grows on all heaths and thickets. 
 
 " The Hare-bell, bright and blue, 
 
 That decks the /dingle wild, 
 In whose cerulean hue, 
 Heaven's own blest tint we view 
 
 On day serene and mild. 
 How beauteous, like an azure gem, 
 She droopeth from her graceful stem." A. Strickland. 
 
 " Are we not beautiful? Are not we 
 
 The darlings of mountain, and woodland and lea? 
 
 Plunge in the forest are we not fair ? 
 
 Go to the high road we'll meet you there. 
 
 Oh ! where is the flower that content may tell, 
 
 Like the laughing, the nodding, and dancing Hare-bell." 
 
 Romance of Nature. 
 
 CLUSTERED BELL FLOWER. Campanula glomerata. 
 
 Plate 3, /y. 8. 
 Leaves rough, lanceolate, crenate. Flowers sessile, in a cluster. 
 
 Found in corn fields and meadows, though not so common 
 as the last. The flowers, which are of a fine dark blue, are 
 borne upright in a thick cluster, on the top of a simple stem, 
 with sometimes three or four flowers in the axils of the leaves 
 down the stem. The leaves are hairy, crenate, rather lanceolate ; 
 the upper ones sessile, the lower stalked. It grows from a 
 few inches to a foot in height, and flowers in June. 
 
 O. S Spreading Bell Flower, Rampion Bell Flower, Peach-leaved 
 Bell Flower, Giant Bell Flower, and Creeping Bell Flower, all very rare ; 
 Nettle-leaved Bell Flower, common in gardens ; Ivy-leaved Bell Flower, 
 one of the most graceful little plants, which from its delicacy and place 
 of growth is often called " The Fairy of the Fountain ;" Corn Bell Flower, 
 which seems like a small flowered variety of the Venus Looking Glass, 
 a common border annual. 
 
51 
 
 HONEYSUCKLE. LONICERA. 
 COMMON HONEYSUCKLE, OR WOODBINE. L. perictymenum. 
 
 Plate 3, fry. 9. 
 
 Surely I need not describe this well-known, delicate-flowered 
 shrub ; which is the emblem of sweetness of disposition from 
 its honied and delicious scent, and of generous affection from 
 its firmly-clasping shoots. These once fixed, be it only to a 
 ruined column, or a riven oak, still keep a firm hold ; and if 
 they cannot support the shattered trunk, they at least orna- 
 ment it with their beauties and their fragrance. It is too the 
 poor man's shrub, and smiles on many a humble -cottage. 
 " By rustic seat and garden bovver, 
 
 There's not a leaf, or shrub, or flower, 
 
 Blossom or bush, so sweet as thee, 
 
 Lowly but fragrant Honey-tree. 
 
 By stately halls we see thee not, 
 
 Uut find thee near the lowly cot, 
 
 Or latticed porch by humble door 
 
 Thou leanest with thy honied store ; 
 
 Dropping from thy bee-bosomed flowers, 
 
 Sweetness through evening's dewy hours. 
 
 Tree of the cottage and the poor ! 
 
 Can palace of the rich have more ? 
 
 No ! Sweet content as seldom dwells, 
 
 In palaces as lowly cells." 
 
 VIOLET. VIOLA. 
 
 SWEET VIOLET. Viola odorata. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 10. 
 
 Leaves heart-shaped. Fl. stems from the root. Calyx blunt. 
 The Sweet Violet is known from the others by being nearly 
 smooth in every part, there being no stem except that which 
 supports the flower, from the two side petals of the flowers 
 having a row of hairs upon each, and from the bracts on the 
 flower stalks being more than half way up. The plant creeps 
 along the ground by runners. Its time of flowering is the 
 earliest of the spring its place of growth the quiet recesses of 
 the woods and hedge -rows its stature lowly and humble its 
 color a fine purple, and added to all these unpretending charms 
 its perfume is the sweetest of the sweet. Truly does Sir W. 
 Scott say 
 
 44 The Violet in her greenwood bower, 
 
 Where birchen boughs, with hazels mingle, 
 May boast herself the sweetest flower 
 In glen, in copse, or forest dingle." 
 
52 
 
 Wordsworth also, with his fine perception of beauty, remarks 
 that, 
 
 " A Violet by a mossy stone, 
 
 Half hidden from the eye. 
 Fair as a star, when only one, 
 Is shining in the sky." 
 
 All prize it as the emblem of modesty, and when of a white 
 color, as it sometimes is, as the emblem of candour and inno- 
 cence ; all love it for its sweetness, and all admire it for its 
 beauty. 
 
 " Sweet flower? spring's earliest, loveliest gem, 
 
 While other flowers are idly sleeping, 
 Thou rearest thy purple diadem, 
 Meekly from thy seclusion peeping: 
 
 " Thou, from thy little sacred mourd, 
 
 Where diamond dew-drops shine above thee, 
 Scatterest thy modest fragrance round, 
 And well may nature's poet love thee. 
 
 " Thine is a short swift reign I know, 
 
 But here thy spirit still pervading ; 
 New Violet's tuft again shall blow, 
 Then fade away as thou art fading. 
 
 " And be renewed the hope now blest. 
 
 Oh ! may that hope desert me never, 
 Like thee to sleep on Nature's breast, 
 
 Then wake again and bloom for ever." Bowring. 
 
 DOG VIOLET. Viola canina. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. II. 
 Leaves heart-shaped. Fl. stems not from the root. Calyx sharp. 
 
 Common in woods and on banks. A good deal like the last, 
 but the flowers are without scent, and do not grow direct from 
 the root ; but the plant is Furnished with a leafy stem, at the 
 joints of which the flower stalks arise, each bearing a single 
 purple or white flower, inclosed in a calyx, the parts of which 
 are sharp pointed. 
 
 " Deceitful plant, from thee no odours rise, 
 
 Perfume the air, or scent the mossy glade, 
 Altliough thy blossoms wear the modest guise 
 Of her, the sweetest offspring of the shade. 
 Yet not like hers, still shunning to be seen, 
 And by their fragrant breath, alone betrayed. 
 
 C. H. Towmend, 
 
53 
 
 HEART'S-EASE, OR PANSY. Viola tricolor. 
 
 Plate 3, fiy. 12. 
 
 Leaves oblong. Stem branched, square. Stipules very large. 
 The flowers of the Heart's-ease are annual, small, sometimes 
 wholly yellow, but more frequently the upper petals are purple, 
 and the lower striped with a dark color. The seed vessel is 
 full of numerous seeds, and of a curious form, like a star of 
 three rays. The leaves, which are oblong and deeply crenate, 
 are attended at their base by two large lyrate stipules, and the 
 flowers by two very minute bracts. The plant goes by various 
 names; some of them are somewhat singular. " Three Faces 
 under a Hood ;" " Love and Idle ;" and " A Kiss behind the 
 Garden Gate," are some of them. That species which has given 
 rise to all the beautiful and splendid varieties of the garden is 
 the Viola grandiflora, a large flowered kind. The Heart's-ease 
 is a general favorite with the poets of all nations, and signifies 
 " Think of me." This is the French " Forget-me-not ; and 
 was worn by Buonaparte, and those who secretly favored him, 
 when he returned from the island of Elba in the spring of the 
 
 year 1815. 
 
 " In youth I planted a sweet flower, 
 Beside my own dear infant bower. 
 Its first sweet buddings all were noted, 
 For on my little gem I doated. 
 "Twas not a gay or gaudy blossom, 
 Which gladdened thus my infant bosom, 
 No flaunting flower, the proud to please, 
 'Twas but the pretty flower, Heart's-ease. 
 I loved it on through youth to age, 
 It did my every thought engage. 
 Each day to tend my charge I flew, 
 And with attention it so grew, 
 So well repaid my anxious care, 
 I had enough, and had to spare. 
 Sweet reader, may I ask if you, 
 Would have a stock of Heart's-ease too, 
 List to the moral of the sage. 
 Plant it in youth, 'twill last to age." 
 
 O. S. Hairy Violet, a plant of the woods; Marsh Violet, found in the 
 bogs ; Cream colored Violet and Yellow Mountain Violet, both fond of the 
 pure air of the hills. 
 
 IVY. HEDERA. 
 COMMON IVY. Hedera helix. 
 
 PlateS, fig. 13. 
 The flowers of the Ivy are green ; the petals bent back, and 
 
54 
 
 appearing at the end of the branches in the autumn. The 
 berries which succeed ripen in the following spring, and are then 
 black. The leaves on the top of the plant are ovate and entire ; 
 on the lower part of it, and particularly on the creeping stems, 
 they are five-lobed, very dark green, and beautifully veined with 
 white. Among the ancients the Ivy was a celebrated plant, as 
 it formed the crown of victory with which the Greek and Roman 
 poets were crowned. From the circumstance of its being often 
 seen around a decayed tree, it was thought that it had killed it* 
 and thus became the emblem of ingratitude, as having strangled 
 its benefactor ; but this is not true, for although it has roots 
 which cling to the bark, yet it has other roots in the earth which 
 nourish it. The author of " The Studies of Nature" regards 
 it as the emblem of pure friendship. " Nothing," says he, 
 ' ' can separate it from the tree which it has once embraced ; it 
 clothes it with its own leaves in that inclement season when its 
 dark boughs are covered with hoar frost. The faithful com- 
 panion of its destiny, it falls when the tree is cut down, but 
 death itself does not relax its grasp, and it continues to adorn 
 with its verdure the dry trunk which once supported it." 
 
 " Thus the two friends so closely Urine, 
 The tree supports, the flower adorns, 
 The oak need not for youth repine. 
 Nor the frail ivy fear the storm. 
 
 " Thus may old friendship ever be 
 
 Founded on qualities which last, 
 That it may live on sympathy, 
 When beauty and when youth are past/* 
 
 GOOSE-FOOT. CHENOPODIUM. 
 
 ANNUAL SEA-SIDE GOOSE-FOOT. Chenopodium maritimum. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 14. 
 Leaves awl-shaped, fleshy. Flowers with two bracts. 
 
 Common on the sea shore, but of no beauty and little value ; 
 growing upright, three to six inches high, and bearing very 
 minute yellow flowers, each of which has under it two very 
 small bracts. The plant is much branched, and to be found in 
 flower in July and August. 
 
55 
 
 GOOD KING HENRY. Chenopodium bonus Henricus. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 15. 
 
 Leaves triangular, entire. Flowers in compound leafless spikes. 
 On way-sides and waste places, flowering in June. Known 
 at once by the shape of the leaves, and by the plant being quite 
 upright, with many stems. The spikes of flowers are at the 
 sides, as well as the top of the stem, and without leaves mixing 
 with the flowers, though the side spikes arise where the leaf 
 does. The country people often boil this plant, when it tastes 
 much like spinach. It is called by them " Good Fat Hen." 
 
 UPRIGHT GOOSE-FOOT. Chenopodium urbicum. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 16. 
 
 Leaves triangular, toothed. Fl. in tufts, on long leafless spikes. 
 On dunghills, waste ground, &c., everywhere near towns. It 
 differs from the last in having its leaves deeply notched, and its 
 flowers not being collected together in such close bunches. It 
 flowers too at a much later season. 
 
 RED GOOSE-FOOT. Chenopodium rubrum. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 17. 
 Leaves triangular. Flowers in thick tufts, on leafy spikes. 
 
 Common on waste ground, flowering in the autumn. It 
 differs from the last in the spike of flowers being very thick, 
 compound, and leafy. The leaves too of the plant taper very 
 much towards the stalk, and the upper part only is deeply 
 notched. This is a very thick, upright, fleshy plant, possessing 
 no beauty, and more or less of a red color. 
 
 WHITE GOOSE -FooT. Chenopodium album. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 18. 
 
 Leaves ovate, mealy. Flowers in thick tufts, on leafy spikes. 
 The white mealy appearance of this plant, and its greasy feel, 
 directly point it out ; besides which its leaves are more oval 
 than in the last, the lower ones are notched in the same manner, 
 the upper ones oblong and quite without notches. Flowers in 
 summer and autumn. 
 
 O. S. Shrubby Sea-side Goose-Foot, Fetid Goose-Foot, Many-Seeded 
 Goose-Foot. Many-Spiked Goose-Foot, Nettle-Leaved Goose-Foot, Maple- 
 Leaved Goose-Foot, Fig-Leaved Goose-Foot, and Oak-Leaved Goose- 
 Foot. Some of them are not uncommon about London. 
 
56 
 
 BEET. BETA. 
 SEA BEET. Beta maritima. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 19. 
 Stem prostrate. Flowers in pairs. Leaves ovate, entire. 
 
 A native of the sea shore of England and south of Scotland, 
 The root is thick, tapering, white when cut across. Stem 
 two feet high, branched. Flowers single or two together, in 
 leafy compound spikes. 
 
 GUELDER ROSE. VIBURNUM. 
 MEALY GUELDER ROSE. Viburnum lantana. 
 
 Plate 3, fig. 20. 
 Leaves cordate and very downy. Berries black. 
 
 A thick branching shrub, common in woods and hedges in 
 the south of England, growing to the height of from four to 
 eight feet, and bearing in June flat bunches of white flowers at 
 the end of the young stems, succeeded afterwards by red, rather 
 square, fleshy seeds. The calyx is very minute, and the corolla 
 regular. Leaves opposite, much wrinkled, veined, of a roundish 
 heart-shaped form, serrated at the edges, and very downy on 
 the under side. The young shoots are also downy. 
 
 COMMON GUELDER ROSE. WAY-FARING TREE. V. opulus. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 1. 
 Leaves lobed and very smooth. Berries red. 
 
 Grows in the same places as the last, but flowers rather earlier. 
 It is known at once from the former by being smooth all over, 
 having its leaves lobed, and the stalks of them furnished with 
 two or more glands ; its berries too are oval, and those of its 
 florets, which are near the outer part of the bunch, irregular, 
 without stamens, and larger than the others. When in gardens 
 the whole of its flowers become thus monstrous ; also, the 
 bunches of them become round balls, and being beautifully 
 white resemble snow-balls. Cowper speaks of 
 **** The snow flower tall ; 
 Throwing up into the darkest gloom, 
 Of neighbouring Cypress or more sable Yew, 
 Her silver globes, light as the foaming surf. 
 That the wind severs from the broken wave " 
 
PLATE IV 
 
57 
 
 4 Way- faring Tree ! what ancient claim, 
 Hast thou to that right pleasant name? 
 Was it that some faint pilgrim came, 
 
 Unhopedly to thee, 
 In the brown desert's weary way. 
 'Mid toil and thirst's-consuming sway, 
 And there as 'neath thy shade he lay. 
 
 Blessed the Way-faring Tree !" W. Huwitt. 
 
 ELDER. SAMBUCUS. 
 ' COMMON ELDER. Sambucus niger. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 2, 
 
 The Elder may well be called common ; it grows in hedge- 
 rows and cottage gardens on cliffs, rocks, and ruins in dry 
 spots and near the water ; and wherever it may be it yields an 
 abundant crop of white fragrant flowers and round purple ber- 
 ries, sickly indeed in taste and hurtful when eaten, but their 
 fermented juice furnishes a pleasant and wholesome wine. The 
 flowers are used to make an ointment, and when boiled with 
 water give to it a sweet pleasant scent, called then Elder- flower 
 water. The stems are full of pith, and the "wood very hard 
 and white. 
 
 O. S. Dwarf Elder, or as it is sometimes called Dane-wort, is a 
 poisonous shrub, which bears pink flowers of a very disagreeable scent. 
 
 THRIFT AND SEA LAVENDER. STATICE. 
 COMMON THRIFT. Statice armeria. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 3. 
 Flowers in a single round, terminal head. Leaves linear. 
 
 The Common Thrift is found scattered over many parts of 
 England, sometimes on the muddy sea shore at other times on 
 the tops of mountains. The leaves are linear, and all come 
 from the root, which is tufted and fibrous. The flowers are 
 pink, collected in a round head (called by children Pincushions,) 
 and partly inclosed in a scaly calyx, that ends below in a brown 
 dry sheath, running some way down the flower stalk. 
 
 " Tis this, which rustic neatness leads, 
 Kound the trim garden's walks and beds, 
 Whose globe-like tufts of blossom throw, 
 O'er the green marsh a rosy glow. 
 Nor less, where Alpine regions lift 
 Their misty tops, the hardy Thrift." Bishop Mcml . 
 
58 
 
 SEA LAVENDER. Statice limonium. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 4. 
 Flowers in a branched, spreading head. Leaves elliptic. 
 
 A handsome plant, common on the muddy sea shores of 
 England, but not of Scotland ; flowering in July, and growing 
 eight or ten inches high. It is known at once from the former 
 by the very different appearance of its leaves, and the color of the 
 flowers, which here are of a fine blue. The flowers and flower 
 stalks retain almost all their color and beauty when dried, and 
 are often gathered for winter nosegays, and used by bird stuffers 
 to ornament the cases of animals which they preserve. Though 
 this plant has the name of Sea Lavender yet it has no scent 
 whatever. 
 
 O. S. Upright Spiked Thrift and Matted Thrift, both similar to the last, 
 but smaller and more rarely found. 
 
 FLAX. LINUM. 
 COMMON FLAX. Linum usitatissimum. 
 
 . Plate 4, fig. 5. 
 
 - Leaves alternate, lanceolate. Flowers large and blue. 
 
 Of all plants this is one of the most useful, as well as one 
 of the most beautiful. It grows in almost every country in 
 the world, and was known even at the most distant times. In 
 many parts of our own island it is grown in extensive fields, 
 where its blue and numerous flowers render it a fine object to 
 the view ; it is also sometimes found in corn fields, brought 
 there perhaps in the corn seed. It is highly valuable for its 
 oily seeds, which when crushed yield linseed oil ; when ground 
 are used in fomentations ; and when boiled produce a thick 
 jelly-like liquid, well known as linseed tea. But even more 
 valuable are its stringy fibrous stalks ; these when prepared are 
 the material from which are made linen, cambric, lawn, lace, 
 thread, &c. They are prepared in the following manner : - 
 When the plants are of their full height and just done flowering, 
 which is about the beginning of August, they are pulled up, 
 sorted, and the seeds and leaves stripped off, by being drawn 
 through a heckle, which is a machine like a comb. They are 
 then soaked in water for some days, to destroy the green pulp 
 and the outer bark ; this is called water retting, or water rot- 
 
59 
 
 ting. Afterwards they are beaten or else crushed between 
 rollers, in order to separate the various fibres from each other. 
 They are next dried and drawn through a machine like a large 
 clothes brush, made of wire this process draws all the fibres 
 the same way, and makes them straight and even. After this 
 is done nothing remains but to bleach them, and they are fit for 
 the spinner. The flax that is used- for the more delicate arti- 
 cles, such as fine lawn, is prepared with much greater care and 
 trouble. 
 
 Mrs. Howitt, in a beautiful little book, called " Birds and 
 Flowers," speaks thus truly of the Flax : 
 
 " Oh, the little Flax-flower, 
 
 It groweth on the hill, 
 And be the breeze awake or asleep, 
 
 It never standeth still. 
 " It groweth and it groweth fast, 
 
 One day it is a seed, 
 And then a little grassy blade, 
 
 Scarce bigger than a weed. 
 " But then comes out the Flax-flower, 
 
 As blue as is the sky, 
 And 'tis a dainty little thing, 
 
 We say as we pass by. 
 " Oh, 'tis a goodly little thing, 
 
 It groweth for the poor, 
 And many a peasant blesses it, 
 Beside liis cottage door." 
 
 WHITE FLAX. Linum catharticum. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 6. 
 Leaves opposite, oblong. Flowers white. 
 
 A little delicate plant, that is abundant on most dry hill-sides, 
 bearing small white flowers, which, when young, are elegantly 
 drooping ; one stem only comes from the ground, but at a little 
 more than half way up it divides into two branches, and each 
 of these a little higher into two others, and so on. It is vio- 
 lently poisonous blossoms in July, and grows from four to 
 six inches high. 
 
 SUN-DEW. DROSERA. 
 
 ROUND-LEAVED SUN-DEW. Drosera rotundifolia. 
 Plate 4, jig. 7. 
 
 " On the pools half dry banks, there's the red and green hue 
 Of that small moorland darling, the little Sundew; 
 Each plant lying close, like a broidered rosette, 
 Shining redly with ruby gems, thick o'er it SQtS'Twamley, 
 
60 
 
 This little darling, though it must be sought for in bogs and 
 wet mossy places, will well repay the search, as it is most ele- 
 gant in appearance and curious in structure. Its height is not 
 more than three or four inches, and it has no stem except that 
 which supports the flowers. The leaves all rise direct from the 
 root, are stalked, round, and spread close on the ground ; 
 when young, they are rolled up and pinkish when open, green 
 and covered with red hairs ; at the end of every one of which 
 is a small drop of a red sticky juice, that seems like a drop of 
 dew, and as this is not dried up by the sun's heat, the plant is 
 called Sun-dew. It is also often named the English Fly Trap, 
 for when the poor little flies settle upon the leaves they are 
 caught by the sticky juice, and in this state may be often found 
 either already dead, or struggling to get free. The flowers are 
 white, of five petals, several on a stalk, and seldom seen open, 
 except for a very little time in the middle of the day. This 
 elegant and curious plant, growing in the swamps and fens, 
 where it is unseen till sought for, and where it raises its modest 
 milk-white flowers to the sun, drinking the dew, and catching 
 the insects as if for food, would remind us of contented 
 industry, striving with poverty, yet cheered by hope. 
 
 " By the lone fountain's sacred bed, 
 Where human footsteps rarely tread, 
 Mid the wild moor, or silent glen, 
 The Sun-dew blooms, unseen by men, 
 Spreads there her leaf of rosy hue, 
 A chalice for the morning dew. 
 
 ' Wouldst thou that to thy lot were given, 
 Thus to receive the dews of Heaven, 
 With heart prepared, like this meek flower, 
 Come then, and hail the dawning hour, 
 And, bending, seek in earnest prayer, 
 The gift of heavenly grace to share." S. Waring. 
 
 O. S. Long-Leaved Sun-dew and Great Sun-clew, both with longer 
 eaves, but growing in similar places and equally curious. 
 
61 
 
 CLASS 6. HEXANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with Six Stamens, of equal length.) 
 
 This class is noted for the very great proportion of beautiful 
 plants which it contains. Almost all the bulbous-rooted flowers 
 are found here. Among others, " that first fair offspring of 
 the budding year,'* the Snowdrop. Besides which, we have 
 the elegant Narcissus, the lovely Lily of the Valley, the Star 
 of Bethlehem, the delicate Scilla, the gaudy Tulip, the chec- 
 quered Fritillary, the sweet Acorus, the juicy Asparagus, and 
 the well-known Rushes a numerous tribe, but too difficult to 
 be noticed here, and too uninteresting to excite the attention 
 of the little botanist. 
 
 Order 1. MONOGYNIA. 1 Style. 
 
 SOLOMON'S SEAL, (Convallaria.) Cor. tubular, points straight. 
 HYACINTH, (Hyacinthus.) Cor.bell-shaped, points turned back. 
 
 Order 2. DIGYNIA. 2 Styles. 
 
 Contains but one British plant, which is abundant only in lofty situations; 
 it is called Mountain Sorrel (Oxyria reniformis.) 
 
 Order 3. TRIGYNIA. 3 Styles. 
 DOCK, (Rumex.) Calyx of three united leaves ; petals three. 
 
 Order 4. HEXAGYNIA. 6 Styles. 
 
 One plant only belongs here, and that is not very uncommon in ponds 
 and other wet places; it is called Star-fruit (Aciinocarpus Damasonium.) 
 
 Note. It will be observed that this is the fourth order, and yet the 
 plants belonging to it have six styles, as is expresssed by the Latin name 
 of the order, (Hexagynia,) An instance, among others, of the necessity 
 of using the Latin rather than the English names. 
 
 Order 5. POLYANDRIA. Many Styles. 
 WATER PLANTAIN, (Alisma.) Calyx of three distinct leaves ; 
 petals three. 
 
62 
 
 SOLOMON'S SEAL. CONVALLARTA. 
 COMMON SOLOMON'S SEAL. Convallaria multiflora. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 8. 
 
 In woods in many parts of the kingdom, flowering in May 
 and June. Stem single, from one to two feet high, bending 
 downwards a little at the top, and bare of leaves on the lower 
 part. The leaves are ovate, alternate, all growing upwards. 
 Flowers in the axils of the leaves, like a little round tube or 
 long straight bell, of a yellowish white color, green at the tips, 
 three or four together, and drooping. Root tuberous, berries 
 round, purplish-black. 
 
 O. S. Narrow-Leaved Solomon's Seal, Angular Solomon's Seal, and the 
 LiJy of the Valley, that emblem of innocence and purity. 
 
 " Sweet flower of the valley, wi' blossoms of snow, 
 
 And green leaves that turn the cauld blast frae their stems, 
 Bright emblem of innocence, thy beauties I lo'e, 
 Above the king's coronet circled with gems. 
 
 " There's no tinsel about thee, to make thee mair bright, 
 
 Sweet Lily ! thy loveliness a' is thy ain, 
 And thy bonny bells, dangling sae pure and sae light, 
 Proclaims thee the fairest of Flora's bright train." 
 
 HYACINTH. HYACINTHUS. 
 
 HYACINTH, OR BLUE BELL. Hyacinthus non-scriptus. 
 Plated, Jig. 9. 
 
 The Blue Bell is abundant not only all over our commons, 
 thickets, and woods, but also throughout Europe. Its root is 
 a white bulb leaves strap -shaped flowers bell-shaped, droop- 
 ing downwards, five-cleft, with the points turned back, mostly 
 blue, but now and then white or pink. 
 
 " A Hyacinth lifted its purple bell, 
 
 From the slender leaves around it, 
 It curved its cup in a flowing swell, 
 
 Ad a starry circle crowned it. 
 The deep blue cincture that robed it, seemed 
 
 The gloomiest garb of sorrow, 
 As if on its eye no brightness beamed, 
 And it never in clearer moments dreamed 
 
 Of a fair and calm to-morrow," Percival. 
 
 Poets seem fond of singing the praises of the fragrant and 
 beautifully -colored species, cultivated in gardens and in parlors. 
 Our plant though with little scent is yet a favorite, and in the 
 
63 
 
 spring gathered in hamlsful by country children as a nosegay ; 
 arid called by them Blue Bottles, because the young seed vessel 
 is shaped like a decanter or wine bottle. 
 
 DOCK. RUMEX. 
 CURLED DOCK. Rumex crispus. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 10. 
 Leaves waved, sharp. Upper whirls of flowers leafless. 
 
 Tn fields and on way-sides, growing two or three feet high, 
 flowering in June and July. The whirls of flowers are very 
 numerous ; the petals large, heart-shaped, a little waved at the 
 edges, but not toothed, and one of them, (sometimes all three,) 
 with a large orange-colored swelling upon it. Leaves oblong, 
 much crisped, and curled on the edges. 
 
 GREAT WATER DOCK. Rumex hydrolapathum. 
 
 Plated, fig. 11. 
 Leaves lanceolate, entire. Upper whirls leafless. 
 
 A very large plant, common on river banks, bearing fine, 
 lanceolate, sharp -pointed leaves, often two feet long. The 
 whirls of flowers are crowded, and not mixed with leaves. 
 Petals green, not toothed, of a long egg-shape, aud each with a 
 swelling on it. This is a very different plant from that com- 
 monly called Water Dock, which is the Burdock, a plant of the 
 nineteenth class. 
 
 FIDDLE DOCK. Rumex pulcher. 
 
 Plate*, fig. 12. 
 Leaves fiddle-shaped. Whirls distant, leafy. 
 
 Common on pastures and by the highways, growing two or 
 three feet high. Its name of the Fiddle Dock arises from the 
 curious form of the leaves, which are contracted on both sides, 
 somewhat like a fiddle. Its Latin name, which means the 
 Beautiful Dock, it well deserves, on account of the elegance 
 of the petals of the flowers. They are egg-shaped, and very 
 deeply toothed, of a beautiful vivid green color, with a large 
 spot of fine scarlet in the centre of each. The stamens are 
 
64 
 
 large and yellow, adding a third brilliant color to the flowers. 
 The stem is channelled, light green, striped with red ; each 
 whirl of flowers attended by a single leaf. 
 
 BROAD-LEAVED DOCK. Rumex obtusifolius. 
 
 Plate 4, jig. 13. 
 Leaves ovate, blunt. Upper whirls without leaves. 
 
 One of the very commonest species. Known at once by its 
 broad blunt-pointed leaves. The petals are yellow, with a spot 
 of red upon each, and teeth on each edge. The leaves get 
 smaller and sharper pointed towards the upper part of the 
 plants, as in all the other species ; and the three or four upper 
 whirls of the flowers are without leaves. 
 
 COMMON SORREL. Rumex acetosa. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 14. 
 Leaves oblong, arrow-shaped. Whirls of flowers leafless. 
 
 This is the pleasant -tasted sour plant, the leaves of which 
 children gather in the meadows, and bring home by handsful to 
 eat ; but few of them ever remark the curious drooping red 
 flowers, borne, as in the rest of the tribe, in little bunches 
 round the stem. The flowers of some plants contain only sta- 
 mens ; others the styles or pointals. The petals are of a fine 
 red, and very often the stalks and leaves are reddish also. The 
 leaves have at the lower ends of them two little tapering parts, 
 shaped like horns, and wherever a leaf or branch comes out is 
 a sheath to the stem. The calyx is turned back when the 
 seed is ripening. 
 
 SHEEP'S SORREL. Rumex acetocella. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 15. 
 Leaves dart-shaped. Whirls of flowers leafless. 
 
 The Latin name, acetocella, means Little Sorrel. Though 
 this plant is very similar to the last, it is very much smaller in 
 all its parts, being seldom more than four or six inches high. 
 It grows too not in meadows, but on hills, in gravelly woods, and 
 on road-sides, and is not so sour in taste. The leaves vary much 
 
65 
 
 in shape, and the whole plant in color, as it is sometimes quite 
 green, and at others red. The calyx is not turned back so 
 much as in the last, and the petals are ovate in form and not 
 heart-shaped, as in the Common Sorrel. 
 
 O. S. Meadow Dock, Small Water Dock, Alpine Dock, Red Veined 
 Dock, Sharp-Leaved Dock, Golden Dock, arid Yellow Marsh Dock. 
 
 WATER PLANTAIN. ALISMA. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 16. 
 COMMON WATER PLANTAIN. Alisma plantago. 
 
 A delicate, upright, water plant, which bears all its leaves upon 
 long stalks, and rising from the root. Seldom more than one 
 flowering stem to a plant, and this throws off on the upper part 
 whirls of three or four branches, each furnished with a scale, 
 where it joins the main stem, and ending in a little whirl of 
 three or four stalked flowers, formed of three curiously-wrinkled 
 pink petals. Calyx of three leaves. Seeds several, joined 
 together in a ring. 
 O. S. Floating Water Plantain, and Less Water Plantain. 
 
 CLASS 7. HEPTANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with Seven Stamens.) 
 
 But one native of Britain belongs to this class, called the 
 Winter Green, a very rare plant in England, and one by no 
 means constant in having seven stamens ; in truth, the number 
 seven is very unusual in the parts of plants. The Horse- 
 Chesnut belongs to this class, and so does the snow-white Calla, 
 and the lurid mottled Dragons ; but besides these there are 
 scarcely any foreign plants of interest. 
 
66 
 
 CLASS 8. OCTANDRIA. 
 (Containing Plants with Eight Stamens.) 
 
 Not an extensive, but an elegant class, holding the beautiful 
 and ever-varied Heaths, of which our island boasts several sorts ; 
 the Bilberry or Whortle Berry, and the Cranberry come next ; 
 the Sycamore and the Maple join them ; as do also the Evening 
 Primrose, with its abundant yellow flowers, 
 
 " In its graceful mild retreat, 
 Growing every hour more sweet; " 
 
 the bright-flowered Yellow-wort, the Mezereon too, that 
 bears its blossoms even in the midst of snows, and the curious 
 four-leaved and green-flowered Herb Paris. Besides numerous 
 others, such as the Indian Cress, commonly, but improperly 
 called Nasturtium, the very curious and beautiful Michauxia, 
 and that universal favorite, the Fuschia these last three are 
 not natives of Britain. 
 
 Order 1. MONOGYNIA. 1 Style. 
 
 HEATH, (Erica.) Calyx of green leaves, without bracts. 
 LING, (Calluna.) Calyx of colored leaves, with green bracts. 
 WILLOW HERB, (Epilobium.) Calyx falling off; petals four; 
 seeds crowned with hairs. 
 
 Order 2. DI-TRIGYNIA. 2 or 3 Styles. 
 
 KNOT-GRASS, (Polygonum.J Calyx none ; corolla five-cleft ; 
 seeds single. 
 
 Order 3. TETRAGYNIA. 4 Styles. 
 
 The plants of this order are Herb Paris and the Adoxa, both not un- 
 common in woody places; and two species of Water- wort, which are very 
 rare and exceedingly minute plants. 
 
67 
 
 HEATH. ERICA. 
 
 CROSS-LEAVED HEATH. Erica tetralix. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 17. 
 Leaves four in a whirl. Flowers in round heads. 
 
 This is the most delicate of the English Heaths, but not the 
 most abundant, though it is yet pretty frequent on moors and 
 commons, along with the other kinds. Its roots are long, its 
 stems tough, its leaves dark colored, with hairs around their 
 edges, and growing four together. The anthers of the stamens 
 have two curious awns, (horns,) at the lower part of them. 
 The flowers are oval, ending in a little cross, in the centre of 
 which the style is seen ; they elegantly droop, and are collected 
 in little heads at the end of the branches. Their color is most 
 delicate. 
 
 " Sometimes with bells like amethyst, and then 
 Paler, and shaded like a maiden's cheek 
 With gradual blushes ; other while as white 
 As rime that hangs upon the frozen spray." Mrs. G- Smith. 
 
 FINE-LEAVED HEATH. Erica cinerea. 
 
 Plate 4, jig. 18. 
 Leaves three in a whirl. Flowers in long heads. 
 
 This is very common, very beautiful, and very lasting. It 
 agrees with the last in general appearance when not in flower, 
 but its leaves will even then show a difference. In the present 
 species they grow three together ; but as the young branches 
 grow among them, it often appears as if there were many 
 leaves together, The flowers are bell-shaped, drooping, in 
 scattered heads, mostly pink colored, smaller than those of the 
 last, more open at the end, and with a longer style. 
 
 " Sweet flow'ret! from nature's indulgence thou'rt cast, 
 Thy home's on the cold heath, thy nurse is the blast. 
 No shrub spreads its branches to shelter thy form, 
 Thou'rt shook by the winds, and thou'rt beat by the storm. 
 But the bird of the moor on thy substance is fed, 
 And thou givest to the hare of the mountain a bed." J. Jones. 
 
 All the common Heaths are evergreen, and in flower from 
 July to September or October. The wild-fowl come to this 
 for shelter and food, and the bees for the honey of its flowers. 
 
 O. S. Mr. Mackay's Healh, Mediterranean Heath, and Flesh-colored 
 Heath, all found in Ireland only ; Cornish Heath, and Ciliated Heath, both 
 rare, and confined to the extreme south of the kingdom. 
 
68 
 
 LING. CALLUNA. 
 
 COMMON LING, OR HEATHER. Calluna vulgaris. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 19. 
 
 So common on waste commons and open tracts of ground, 
 that such places are called heaths, and Heath is the most com- 
 mon name of our present plant. Its leaves are a little hairy, 
 grow in four rows lapping over each other, and close pressed 
 to the stem. The flowers are a reddish purple, very numerous, 
 small, growing all along the young shoots. We use the stems 
 for brooms and for fuel; the Highlanders for many other 
 purposes. It clothes their wild hills, and its flowers empurple 
 their barren mountains. 
 
 " Flower of the waste, the heath fowl shuns 
 
 For thee the brake and tangled wood, 
 To thy protecting shade she runs ; 
 
 Thy tender buds supply her food. 
 Her young forsake her downy plumes, 
 To rest upon thy opening blooms. 
 
 " Flower of the desert though thou art. 
 
 The deer that range the mountain free, 
 The graceful doe, the stately hart, 
 
 These food and shelter seek from thee ; 
 The bee thy earliest blossom greets. 
 And draws from thee her choicest sweets. 
 
 " Gem of the heath, whose modest bloom, 
 
 Sheds beauty o'er the lonely moor ; 
 
 Tho' thou dispense no rich perfume, 
 
 NOT yet with splendid tints allure ; 
 
 Both valor's crest and beauty's bower 
 
 Oft hast thou decked, a favorite flower. 
 
 " Flower of the wild, whose purple glow, 
 
 Adorns the dusky mountain's side ; 
 I^ot the gay hues of Iris' bow, 
 
 Nor garden's artful varied pride. 
 With all its wreath of sweets could cheer, 
 Like thee, the hardy mountaineer." Mrs. Grant. 
 
 WILLOW-HERB. EPILOB1UM. 
 GREAT HAIRY WILLOW-HERB. Epilolium hir&utum. 
 
 Plate 4, fig. 20. 
 Leaves deeply serrated, hairy. Stem much branched. 
 
 Found frequently on river banks, ditches, &c., growing two 
 or three feet high, and bearing, in July and August, large, pink, 
 five-petaled flowers, each attended by a leaf, and growing upon 
 a long seed-vessel, that at first looks like a stalk to the flower, 
 
PtATE V 
 
 w 
 
69 
 
 but afterwards becomes square, and splits into four valves or 
 pieces, letting out the seeds ; each of these is furnished with a 
 tuft of hairs at the top, and thus is blown away by the wind. 
 The stamens are upright ; the style cross-shaped. The leaves 
 deeply serrate and very hairy. The whole plant much branched. 
 The calyx five-cleft. The petals heart-shaped. 
 
 SMALL FLOWERED HAIRY WILLOW-HERB. E. parviflorum. 
 
 Plate 5,-fiy.l. 
 Leaves a little serrate. Stem not branched. 
 
 This is the only species of the Willow-herb, except the last, 
 which has hairy leaves. It may be known from that by being 
 much smaller, paler in color, and the present plant being very 
 rarely branched ; but it grows in similar situations, and blos- 
 soms at the same time. Leaves in both have no stalks. 
 
 BROAD SMOOTH-LEAVED WILLOW-HERB. E. montanum. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 2, 
 Leaves ovate, toothed, smooth, short-stalked. 
 
 Grows on cottage roofs, walls, and shady banks, from six 
 inches to a foot in height, and flowers in July. It may be 
 known at once by the leaves, which are quite smooth, and the 
 stigma or top of the style being four- cleft or cross-shaped, 
 which is the case with the two former plants, but not with the 
 next. The flowers are rose-colored, and the stems reddish. 
 
 SQUARE-STALKED WILLOW-HERB. E. tetragonum. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 3. 
 Leaves lanceolate, toothed, smooth, without stalks. 
 
 Grows on the sides of ditches and such places frequently, is 
 about eighteen inches high, and light green in color. The stems 
 are nearly smooth, somewhat zigzag, and furnished with four 
 projections running along them, which make them appear 
 somewhat square. The leaves are lance- shaped on the lower 
 part of the plant, and oblong above ; all of them sharp -pointed. 
 The flowers are small, pink, and seldom open widely. It flowers 
 in July. The stigma is undivided, and the stamens upright. 
 
 <). S. Rose-bay Willow-Herb, a handsome plant, often cultivated in 
 gardens ; Pale Smooth-Leaved Willow-Herb, rather rare ; Marsh Willow-. 
 Herb, more common; Chickweed-Leaved Willow-Herb, and Alpine Wil- 
 low-Herb, both plants of the Highlands, 
 
70 
 
 KNOT-GRASS. POLYGONUM. 
 (PERSICARIA. BUCK WHEAT.) 
 
 The plants of this genus vary much in the number of the stamens; 
 sometimes there are only five, at other times six, eight or ten. Ihe styles 
 also vary from one to three, when one only it is always forked. 
 
 * Styles three. Stamens eight or ten. Fruit three-cornered. 
 
 COMMON KNOT-GRASS. Polygonum aviculare. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 4. 
 Stem prostrate. Leaves ovate, blunt. Flowers axillary. 
 
 A small, prostrate, wiry, much-branched plant, neither ele- 
 gant nor useful, growing abundantly on every waste ground, 
 and flowering all the latter part of the summer. Every joint 
 of the stem is furnished with short sheath-like stipules, out of 
 which grow both the leaves and flowers. The leaves are without 
 stalks, of a blunt ovate form. The flowers are red, small, 
 three or four to each leaf, and very nearly sessile. 
 
 CLIMBING BUCK WHEAT. Polygonum convolvulus. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 5. 
 
 Stem climbing. Leaves arrow-shaped. Flowers in spikes. 
 The long climbing stem, growing as it does among the hedges 
 to the length of three or four feet, and the arrow-shaped stalked 
 leaves with which it is beset, at once distinguish the Climbing 
 Buck Wheat. Added to which, the manner of bearing its little 
 whitish -green flowers in very loose alternate leafy spikes is 
 another mark of distinction. 
 
 ** Styles one or two. Stamens five or six. Fruit two-edged. 
 
 AMPHIBIOUS PERSICARIA. Polygonum amphilium. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 6. 
 Stamens five. Style one, forked. Spike ovate. 
 
 A perennial plant, spreading widely over the surface of rivers 
 and ponds, where its rose-colored, large, ovate, thick, and up- 
 right spike of flowers, looks very handsome. The leaves are 
 lanceolate, stalked, serrated, sometimes smooth, at others hairy, 
 and generally lying upon or under the water, The roots are 
 fibrous and surround almost all of the lower joints, while the 
 
71 
 
 upper joints of the stem are covered with a very long sheath. 
 The style is cleft or forked towards the top, so that some bota- 
 nists describe it as two styles joined together half-way up\ 
 There is seldom more than one spike of flowers on a stem, and 
 that at the end of it. 
 
 SPOTTED PERSICARIA. Polygonum persicaria. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 7. 
 Stamens six. Style one, forked. Spike oblong, 
 
 Frequent on moist ground, flowering in July and August, 
 growing upright and branched, one or two feet high. The leaves 
 are either sessile, or with very short stalks, lanceolate, quite 
 smooth, entire on the edges, and often spotted with a dark 
 color. The spikes of flowers are dense, rose-colored or greenish, 
 oblong, stalked, numerous, and growing out of a short yel- 
 lowish sheath, fringed with hairs. Style as in the last. 
 
 PALE FLOWERED PERSICARIA. Polygonum lapathifolium. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 8. 
 
 Stamens six. Styles two, distinct. Leaves ovate, lanceolate. 
 This plant, which grows abundantly on waste ground and 
 dunghills, is rather difficult to distinguish from the last, be- 
 cause it varies much in appearance. Sometimes the leaves are 
 similarly spotted, but they are wider in proportion and more 
 stalked. The flowers are paler in color. The whole plant 
 larger and often somewhat hairy. The stipules or sheaths are 
 without hairs, and above all, there are in this species two distinct 
 styles. 
 
 BITING PERSICARIA. Polygonum hydropiper. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 9. 
 Stamens six. Style one, forked. Leaves lanceolate. 
 
 In flower in the autumn on river banks and all damp places. 
 Known at once by its very long, slender, somewhat drooping 
 spikes, of reddish distant flowers. The leaves are of a pale 
 green, lanceolate, sharp pointed, almost without stalks, and a 
 little waved at the edges. 
 
 O. S. Bistort or Snake-weed, Viviparous Bistort, Roberts's Knot-Grass, 
 Sea-side Knot-Grass, Buck Wheat, Copse Buck Wheat, all belong to the 
 first section ; Lax Flowered Persicaria, and Small Creeping Persicaria to 
 the second section. 
 
72 
 CLASS 9. ENNEANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with Nine Stamens.) 
 
 The ninth is the smallest of all the classes, having in it only 
 a few foreign plants, among which are the Laurel, the Cashew 
 Nut, and the Rhubarb ; and like the seventh, it contains but 
 one British plant. This is the 
 
 FLOWERING RUSH. Butomus umbellatus. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 10. 
 
 Which belongs to the order HEXAGYNIA, the plant having 
 six styles. It is found in the ditches and ponds of England 
 and Ireland pretty frequently, and when its umbel of fine, large, 
 pink flowers, are surrounded by the narrow, upright, sword- 
 shaped leaves, it is a really beautiful plant, and contrasts finely 
 with the Yellow Flags and White Water Lilies, with which it 
 grows. It is called the Pride of the Thames ; for here 
 
 " The Flowering Rush, with its roseate flush. 
 Reflects the soft tints of a maiden's blush. 1 ' 
 
 Like all water plants it parts with moisture rapidly, and thus 
 when gathered soon droops and becomes withered. This, as 
 well as its native localities, is prettily alluded to in the following 
 extract : 
 
 " Mid the Flags that fringe the streamlet's bed 
 
 The stately Butomus reared her head, 
 
 Like a Naiad crowned with a flowery wreath, 
 
 She rose from the waters that flowed beneath. 
 ' Jt was lovely to look on that splendid flower, 
 
 So richly endowed with beauty's dower; 
 
 And as we turned from the river's shore, 
 
 To our home the graceful stranger we bore. 
 " But the glow of her roseate charms had fled. 
 
 When a few fleeting hours had passed o'er her head. 
 
 For no more 'mid the grass in the verdant mead, 
 
 Did the tranquil waters her loveliness feed. 
 " And fancy might dream that the pale leaves sighed, 
 
 As though they mourned for the flowing tide. 
 
 She could not live from her home afar, 
 
 And she faded before the evening star." S. Waring. 
 
73 
 
 CLASS 10. DECANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with Ten Stamens.) 
 
 A numerous class, containing many important foreign plants, 
 but none of English growth of any value, except for ornament, 
 but to this end many of them are greatly conducive. Several 
 of those described are handsome ; others less common are worth 
 attention. We have in woods the leafless singular plant, called 
 Bird's-nest also the Winter- Green, the Marsh Andromeda, 
 the Strawberry-tree and the Bear Berry, the Golden Saxifrage, 
 the Soap-wort, some of the fragrant tribe of the Pinks, the 
 Wall Penny- wort, so common in North Wales, and some others. 
 Among the interesting useful and ornamental plants of Decan- 
 dria may be mentioned the Cassia, Logwood, Lignum Vitas, 
 Fraxinella, Quassia, Kalmia, Ledum, Rhododendron, Andro- 
 meda, Arbutus, Hydrangea, Saxifrages, Soap-wort, Campions, 
 Stone-crops, Oxalis, Rose Campion, and numerous others. 
 
 Order 1. MONOGYNIA. 1 Style. 
 
 There are in this order ten British plants, but none of them are common. 
 Four of the number are shrubs. 
 
 Order 2. DIGYNIA. 2 Styles. 
 
 KNAWEL, (Scleranthus.) Calyx of one leaf; corolla none. 
 SAXIFRAGE, (Saxifraga.} Calyx of five leaves ; corolla of 
 five petals. 
 
 Order 3. TRIGYNIA. 3 Styles. 
 
 CAMPION, (Silene.) Calyx of one leaf; petals cleft at the top. 
 STITCH-WORT. CHICKWEED, (Stellaria.) Calyx five-leaved ; 
 
 petals cleft at the top. 
 SAND-WORT, (Arenaria.) Calyx five-leaved ; petals not cleft 
 
 at the top. 
 
74 
 
 Order 5. PENTAGYNIA. 5 Stylet. 
 * Calyx of one leaf. Petals 5. 
 
 CORN COCKLE, (Agrostemma.) Petals entire at the top ; 
 
 capsule of one cell. 
 CATCH-FLY, (Lychnis.) Petals cleft at the top ; capsule one 
 
 or five-celled. 
 
 ** Calyx either of five leaves, or else deeply five-cleft. 
 STONECROP, (Sedum.) Capsules five together. 
 WOOD SORREL, (Oxalis.) Capsules solitary, of five cells. 
 MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED, (Cerastium.J Petals cloven ; 
 
 capsule one-celled. 
 SPURRY, (Spergula.) Petals not cloven ; capsule five-celled. 
 
 KNAWEL. SCLERANTHUS. 
 
 ANNUAL KNAWEL. Scleranthus annuus. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 11. 
 
 This is, as its name implies, an annual plant. It is abun- 
 dant in most corn fields and gravelly heaths, of a whitish- 
 green color, many branched, and laying on the ground, not 
 above two or ^three inches high, and in flower throughout the 
 summer and autumn. The leaves are opposite, awl-shaped, 
 and every two joined together. The flowers are of the same 
 greenish-white color as the leaves, quite stiff and rigid in tex- 
 ture, five-cleft at the edge, rather tube-shaped, and borne in 
 little bunches of four or five together, at the ends of all the 
 smaller, as well as the larger branches. The plant is of no 
 beauty, nor known to be of any value. 
 
 O. S. Perennial Knawel, found in Norfolk and Suffolk. 
 
 SAXIFRAGE. SAXIFRAGA. 
 WHITE MEADOW SAXIFRAGE. Saxifraga granulata. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 12. 
 
 Root granular. Leaves long stalked, kidney-shaped, lobed. 
 
 This is common in meadows in England and the South of 
 
 Scotland, but scarcely known in the more Northern parts. 
 
75 > 
 
 The flowers are white, large, and showy, and expand themselves 
 early in the spring. The stem, which bears many flowers, is 
 rather hairy, and with deeply-cleft sessile leaves at intervals 
 along it. The most curious part of the plant is the root, which 
 consists of a number of round bulbs or grains, about the size 
 of peas, of a whitish brown color, from which the plant has its 
 Latin trivial name, granulata, or grained. 
 
 RUE -LEAVED SAXIFRAGE. Saxifraga tridactylites. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 13. 
 Root fibrous. Leaves three or five cleft. 
 
 A beautiful, little, delicate plant, growing three or four inches 
 high, blossoming in April, and found frequently on walls and 
 dry places. Of a fine green color, tinged particularly on the 
 tips of the calyces, and the leaves and stem of a brilliant 
 crimson. The flowers are very small and white. 
 
 O. S. Kidney-Leaved Saxifrage, Hairy Oval-Leaved Saxifrage, Lon- 
 don Pride Saxifrage, all three confined to Ireland ; Starry Saxifrage. 
 Purple Mountain Saxifrage, Yellow Marsh Saxifrage, Yellow Mountain 
 Saxifrage, Alpine Brook Saxifrage, Mossy Saxifrage, (of which there are 
 several varieties) ; Tufted Alpine Saxifrage, Mossy Alpine Saxifrage, and 
 Pedatifid- Leaved Saxifrage, Most of the above are Alpine plants, often 
 cultivated in pots, in the borders, or on rock-work, but found only in a 
 wild state among the mountains of Wales and Scotland. 
 
 CATCHFLY. SILENE. 
 
 BLADDER CATCHFLY. Silene inflata. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 14. 
 
 Pastures and road-sides are scattered over with plants of 
 the Bladder Campion, though seldom abundantly. It is a 
 much-spreading branched plant, with very smooth, whitish- 
 green, opposite, ovate or lanceolate leaves. The various 
 stems bear loose bunches of large, five-petaled flowers, in- 
 closed in a beautifully-veined and swelled-out calyx. It flowers 
 in July, and the seeds, which are very numerous, are ripe a 
 month afterwards. The flowers are white. 
 
 O.S. Mossy Catchfly, which covers in large patches the crags and 
 mountain steeps of Wales and Scotland, bearing abundant and most 
 beautiful pink flowers ; Sea Catchfly, Spanish Catchfly, English Catchfly, 
 Variegated Catchfly, Nottingham Catchfly, Italian Catchfly, Striated Corn 
 Catchfly, Night Flowering Catchfly, and Common or Lobel's Catchfly. 
 
76 
 
 STITCHWORT. CHICKWEED. STELLARIA. 
 
 COMMON CHICKWEED. Stellaria media. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 15. 
 Leaves ovate. Stem drooping. 
 
 This humble plant is well known to bird fanciers, and though 
 looked upon as a lowly weed, yet it has properties that entitle 
 it to our notice. It is an annual plant, in flower almost 
 throughout the year, and grows in almost every situation, in 
 damp meadows, and on dry banks, in hedge-rows and over 
 gardens and varies its appearance so much that the little 
 weed of the walks can scarcely be known as the long, strag- 
 gling, rampant plant of the moist bank. When luxuriant it 
 has almost always ten stamens, but when stunted often but 
 five, or even three. It may be known at once by its stem, 
 upon which is a thick row of white hairs, which changes its 
 direction at each pair of leaves, being first on one side of the 
 stem, and then at the other. The leaf stalks are somewhat 
 hairy, but the leaves, except the youngest of them, smooth. 
 The flowers are upright, and open from nine in the morning 
 till noon ; but if it rains they do not open. After rain they 
 become pendant ; but in the course of a few days rise again. 
 It is a remarkable instance of the sleep of plants ; for every 
 night the leaves approach in pairs, including within their 
 upper surfaces the tender rudiments of the new shoots ; and 
 the uppermost pair but one, at the end of the stalk, is fur- 
 nished with longer leaf stalks than the others, so that they can 
 close upon the terminating pair, and protect the end of the 
 branch. The young shoots and leaves, when boiled, are 
 similar to spinach, and are equally wholesome. It is a grate- 
 ful food to small birds and young chickens, from which cir- 
 cumstance it is called Chickweed. 
 
 GREATER STITCHWORT. Stellaria holostea. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 16. 
 Stem upright. Petals twice as long as the calyx. 
 
 In hedge-banks, woods, and thickets, a foot high, and 
 flowers in May. It is an upright brittle plant, with very 
 
77 
 
 tapering and sharp -pointed leaves, in pairs. The flowers 
 large, delicately white, of five deeply-cleft petals, and borne 
 in upright, few-flowered, leafy, loose heads. 
 
 GRASS-LEAVED STITCHWORT. Stellaria graminea. } 
 
 Plated, fig. 17. 
 Stems straggling. Petals scarcely longer than the calyx. 
 
 A more straggling and branched plant than the last, with 
 much smaller flowers. Leaves not so tapering and sharp. 
 The calyx leaves too are with three lines or veins, which are 
 wanting in the Greater Stitchwort. The present grows in 
 hedge-rows, and on heaths among the bushes, and is in flower 
 in May and June. 
 
 O. S. Wood Stitchwort, found in the North ; Glaucous Marsh Stitch- 
 wort, Bog Stitchwort, Alpine Stitchwort, Many-Stalked Stitchwort; the 
 last two very rare and confined to Scotland. 
 
 SANDWORT. ARENARIA. 
 THYME -LEAVED SANDWORT. Arenaria serpyllifolia. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 18. 
 Leaves ovate, sessile. Calyx hairy. Flowers white. 
 
 A little annual very common on walls and dry places, from 
 an inch to six inches in height, with small, rather rough, 
 ovate leaves, in pairs. The flowers are very small and white, 
 inclosed in hairy calyces, upon short stalks, which grow out of 
 the joints of the stem, or else tip the upper branches. 
 
 PURPLE SANDWORT. Arenaria mibra. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 19. 
 Leaves linear. Calyx sticky. Flowers red. 
 
 A plant, growing on sandy and other dry places, totally 
 different in appearance from the last. Its stems are nume- 
 rous, and laying on the ground. Its leaves fleshy, awl-shaped, 
 and tipped with a white hair. The flowers a beautiful pink, 
 opening only when the sun shines, and closing up before a 
 shower, or in the evening. Indeed, like many other plants, 
 
78 
 
 they open and shut at a certain time thus the waiting time 
 of our present little beauty, or the time of the flowers being 
 expanded, is from about nine in the morning till three in the 
 afternoon. 
 
 " Among the loose and arid sands, 
 
 The humble Arenaria creeps, 
 
 Slowly the purple star expands, 
 
 But soon within its calyx sleeps." A. Strickland. 
 
 O. S. Sea side Sandwort, Three-nerved Sandwort, neither of them 
 very rare; Fringed Sand wort, found in Ireland; Norwegian Sandwort, 
 found lately in the Shetland Isles by a child, eleven years old, who is 
 already a good botanist; Vernal Sandwort. Alpine Sandwort, Level- 
 topped Sandwort, all rare Scottish plants; Fine-leaved Sandwort, and 
 Marine Sandwort, the last so much like the Red Sandwort above described 
 that it is very difficult to tell them from each other. 
 
 COCKLE. AGROSTEMMA. 
 CORN COCKLE. Agrostemma githago. 
 
 Plate 5, fig. 20. 
 
 Common in corn fields, two feet high, flowering in June. 
 Petals large, of a reddish purple, whitish towards the centre, 
 and streaked with a darker color, inclosed in a one-leaved 
 ribbed calyx, with five very long points. Leaves long, lance- 
 shaped, in pairs, growing together at the base. The plant 
 grows upright, is branched, and hairy all over. Seeds large, 
 numerous, and black. The Latin name, Agrostemma, means 
 the Crown of the Field, from the beauty of the flowers. 
 
 CATCHFLY. LYCHNIS. 
 RAGGED ROBIN. Lychnis fios-cuculi. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 1. 
 Petals four-cleft. Flowers in a loose head. 
 
 A beautiful plant to be found in damp meadows, boggy 
 grounds, and little rills of water. It flowers in June and 
 July, and is well distinguished by its name of Ragged Robin, 
 for the petals are deeply cut, each into four or six narrow 
 strips, which give the flowers a tattered appearance they are 
 of a fine red color, and so is also the upper part of the stem 
 and the calyces. The stamens are purple. The leaves, in 
 pairs, light green, lance-shaped, and smooth. The stem 
 
PLATE VI 
 
 
79 
 
 is hairy on the lower part, and sticky near the top, so as to 
 entrap the little insects that settle upon it. This is the case 
 with some other species of the Lychnis, and as this genus 
 differs very little from the Silene, (before described,) they 
 used all to bear the general name of Catchfly. 
 
 Our friend Robin has found favor in a young lady's eye, 
 notwithstanding his ragged coat, and one whose commendation 
 is no mean praise either Miss Twamley says : 
 
 " A man of taste is Robinet, 
 A dandy spruce and trim ; 
 Who'ere would dainty fashions set, 
 
 Should go and look at him. 
 " Rob scorns to wear his crimson coat, 
 
 As common people do. 
 He folds, and fits it in and out, 
 
 And does it bravely too. 
 " Robin's a roguish, merry lad, 
 
 He dances in the breeze, 
 And looks up with a greeting glad, 
 To the rustling hedge-row trees. 
 " How civilly he beckons in, 
 
 The busy Mrs. Bee, 
 Who tells her store of gossipping, 
 
 O'er his honey and his glee. 
 " All joy, all mirth, no carking care, 
 
 No worldly woe has he. 
 Alack ! I wish it were my lot to live, 
 As merrily as he !" 
 
 RED CATCHFLY. Lychnis diurna. 
 
 Plate 6, jig. 2. 
 Stamens and pointals in different plants. Flowers red. 
 
 In hedges, banks, &c., flowering in June. Leaves ovate, 
 dark green, tinged with purple. Calyx of the barren plant 
 narrow, that of the fertile one swelled out with a very large 
 oval capsule. Petals deeply cleft at the end. Whole plant 
 hairy, much branched, and two or three feet high. Flowers 
 without scent, opening in t the morning. 
 
 WHITE CATCHFLY. Lychnis vespertina. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 3. 
 
 Stamens and pointals in different plants. Flowers white. 
 This is often considered but a variety of the last. It resem- 
 
80 
 
 bles it in the shape of the calyx and the petals, but differs in 
 the leaves, which are of a whitish green, larger and thicker. 
 The whole plant more robust, hairy, and branched from the 
 bottom, grows more in fields and among corn. The flowers 
 larger, opening of an evening, and when first expanded 
 smelling very sweetly. The styles are not so much twisted. 
 O. S. Red German Catchfly or Campion, and Red Alpine Campion. 
 
 STONECROP. SEDUM. 
 COMMON STONECROP or WALL PEPPER. Sedum acre. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 4. 
 
 The Stonecrop, which every one who has a garden, or even 
 a garden pot knows the name of, and admires for its brilliant 
 yellow flowers, and thick-set, bright green, fleshy leaves, grows 
 abundantly over walls, on cottage roofs, and even at the edge 
 of the most precipitous cliffs and precipices ; in fact such places 
 as these seem its favorite haunts. 
 
 " Where men who've braved the cannon's roar, 
 
 Are pale with speechless dread. 
 The Stonecrop calmly mantles o'er 
 Her rugged bed." 
 
 The heads of flowers are of three branches and leafy, the 
 plant grows under treatment which would kill most others ; 
 the least bit of the stem, when planted, throws out roots and 
 grows, and will even grow a long time after being cut off, so 
 that to dry them for the herbarium, all the species of Stone- 
 crop should be dipped in boiling water for a minute or two 
 before being put in the papers for drying, in order to kill them 
 first. 
 
 O.S. Orpine, or Live-long, a broad-leaved, pink flowered kind ; Thick- 
 leaved Stonecrop, English Stonecrop, White Stonecrop, Hairy Stonecrop, 
 all with white flowers ; Tasteless Yellow Stonecrop, Crooked Yellow 
 Stonecrop, Glaucous Yellow Stonecrop. St. Vincent's Rocks Stonecrop, 
 Welch Rock Stonecrop, all yellow the four last with flowering stalks, 
 six or eight inches high. The name of Stonecrop shows the native habi- 
 tation of all the species, and from this it will be evident that they are all 
 well adapted to ornament rock-work, &c. &c. 
 
 WOOD SORREL. OXALIS. 
 COMMON WOOD SORREL. Oxalis acetocella. 
 
 Plate G,fg. 5. 
 
 This plant is for many reasons interesting. It is a beautiful 
 little plant, that grows along the paths of woods, and hidden 
 
81 
 
 among the grass, and also on many a shady mountain steep* 
 It has no flaring colors, or majestic port, to attract the eye, 
 but is of a pure white, of humble growth, and fragile form, 
 appearing too delicate to bear the storms to which it is exposed. 
 As soon as night approaches it closes its petals, folds up its 
 curious triple leaves, and hangs its flowers towards the earth, 
 thus preserving the more tender parts from injury ; but when 
 the sun rises in the morning they are all expanded, and regain 
 
 their beauty. 
 
 " Flowers shrinking from the chilly night, 
 
 Droop and shut up ; hut with fair morning's touch, 
 Rise on their steins all open and upright." Montague. 
 
 The flowers and leaves are each upon its own stalk, which is 
 purple and hairy. The root is creeping, and covered at the 
 joints with a number of little tubers, or grains. The calyx is 
 five-cleft and green the leaves purplish underneath, and the 
 flower stalks, with two small bracts upon them, an inch or so 
 from the flower. The whole plant is of a very pleasant acid 
 flavor, and although it contains that deadly poison, called oxalic 
 acid, or salt of sorrel, yet a handful of the leaves may be 
 eaten with perfect safety, and will be found excellent to quench 
 thirst, and revive the tired traveller. The least quantity of the 
 pure oxalic acid that would poison a child is the eighth part, 
 (or half a quarter,) of an ounce. This would be yielded by 
 about a pound and a quarter, or perhaps twenty handsful of 
 leaves a much larger quantity than we should either have 
 patience to gather, or inclination to eat. The method of ma- 
 king the acid is very simple ; the juice of the leaves is pressed 
 out, and set aside for some days for the thick parts to settle ; 
 then the clear liquor is again set aside, and in a little while 
 needle-shaped crystals of the acid are found at the bottom of 
 the liquor. It is used in bleaching, cleaning boot tops, taking 
 out ink spots, &c. Most of the acid used is now made from 
 sugar. When the blossoms are past, the seed vessel from its 
 weight bends downwards until ripe, when it is hidden among 
 
 the leaves. 
 
 " Wood Sorrel that hangs her cups 
 Ere their frail form and streaky veins decay, 
 O'er her pale verdure ; till parental care 
 Inclines the short'ning stems, and to the shade 
 Of closing leaves her infant race withdraws." Gisborrw* 
 
 O. S. Yellow Procumbent Wood Sorrel, which is rare. 
 
 G 
 
82 
 
 MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED. CERAST1UM, 
 
 Note, All the species are hairy, have white flowers, 
 and opposite sessile leaves. 
 
 BROAD-LEAVED MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED. C. vulyatum. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 6. 
 Stems erect. Leaves ovate. Capsules upright. 
 
 An upright plant, four or six inches high, somewhat branched, 
 with ovate leaves, small flowers, and petals equal in length to 
 the calyx. The capsule is many-seeded, grows much beyond 
 the calyx, and opens at the top with ten teeth. Petals deeply 
 cleft. Abundant everywhere in fields, and on walls and road- 
 sides ; flowering in April and May. 
 
 NARROW-LEAVED MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED. C. viscosum. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 7. 
 Stems prostrate. Leaves oblong, ovate. Capsules drooping. 
 
 Very similar in habit to the last, growing also in similar 
 situations, and resembling it in the shape of the corolla and 
 seed vessel. The difference is that the petals are shorter than 
 the calyx ; the ripe seed vessel bent back or downwards, the 
 leaves narrower, and the whole plant more straggling, prostrate, 
 and darker in color ; it is also a perennial, and the last species 
 is annual. In flower from May to August. The capsules of 
 both are longer than their stalks. 
 
 LITTLE MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED. C. semidecandrum. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 8. 
 Stem upright. Leaves ovate. Capsules bent back. 
 
 This is smaller and earlier in flower than either of the above. 
 Its petals are shorter than the calyx, and the ripe capsule bent 
 back as in the last, with the erect mode of growth, and ovate 
 leaves of the first ; while the petals are less cleft, and the calyx 
 leaves blunter than in either. There are rarely more than five 
 stamens, besides which the capsule is generally shorter than its 
 stalk, and quite straight* 
 
83 
 
 WATER MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED. C. aquaticum. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 9. 
 Stem spreading. Leaves heart-shaped. 
 
 A light green, juicy, straggling plant, two or three feet long ; 
 found common on the banks of rivers and ditches, with white 
 and not very large flowers. The leaves are heart-shaped, often 
 waved on the edges. Petals very deeply cleft, scarcely longer 
 than the calyx ; capsule ovate, a little longer than the calyx, 
 bent back, upon a long stalk, and opening with five teeth at the 
 top. The whole plant is rather sticky, particularly at the joints 
 of the stems. 
 
 O. S. Four-cleft Mouse-ear Chickweed, Field Mouse-ear Chickweed 
 Hairy Alpine Chickweed, Broad-leaved Alpine Chickweed; all rare, 
 except the second, which is found iu many places. 
 
 SPURREY. SPERGULA. 
 
 CORN SPURREY. Spergula arvensis. 
 Plate 6, fig. 10. 
 
 Very common in sandy com fields ; flowering in June and 
 July, and growing six or eight inches high. The leaves are 
 linear, in tufts, twenty or more together, growing round the 
 stem. Flower stems some inches long, more and more forked 
 upwards. Calyx leaves ovate, petals not notched at the end, 
 about as long as the calyx. Capsule many-seeded, of five parts 
 or valves, and with their stalks bent downward. Whole plant 
 rough with hairs. The seed is a pretty object for the microscope. 
 
 O. S. -Knotted Spurrey, Pearl- wort Spurrey and Awl shaped Spurrey. 
 
CLASS 11. DODECANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with more than Ten, and less than Twenty 
 Stamens.) 
 
 A small class, to which are referred only eight British plants, 
 though formerly the very numerous genus of the Spurge or 
 Milk-wort was placed here, which is now carried to the twenty- 
 first class. The Asarum or Asarabacca, so much used in snuff, 
 is a rare British plant, which belongs to the first order of this 
 class. Of interesting foreign plants, belonging to this class, we 
 may find examples in Bocconia, the Mangrove tree, the Man- 
 gosteen, the Snowdrop tree, and the Canella a well-known 
 medical plant. 
 
 Order 1. MONOGYNIA. 1 Style. 
 PURPLE LOOSE-STRIFE, (Lythrum.) Petals six, on the calyx, 
 
 Order 2. DIGYNIA. 2 Styles. 
 AGRIMONY, (Agrimonia.) Petals five ; inserted on the calyx. 
 
 Order 3. TRIGYNIA. 3 Styles. 
 MIGNIONETTE, (Reseda.) Calyx and petals many cleft. 
 [The Orders 4 and 5 contain no British plant.] 
 
 Order 6. DODEGAGYNIA. 12 Styles. 
 HOUSE LEEK, (Sempervivum.) Calyx twelve cut; petals 
 twelve ; capsules twelve. 
 
 PURPLE LOOSE-STRIFE. LYTHRUM. 
 
 SPIKED PURPLE LOOSE-STRIFE. Lythrum salicaria. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 11. 
 
 A fine, tall, showy plant ; which for three or four months of 
 the summer time ornaments the banks of our rivers and 
 
85 
 
 ditches, growing two or three feet high, in many upright spikes 
 of large purple flowers, which are borne in whirls four or five 
 together, with two leaves under each whirl. The calyx is fur- 
 nished with six long teeth, and between these six short teeth. 
 Upon its tube are inserted the twelve stamens and the six purple 
 petals. The stem is square and somewhat hairy. The leaves 
 in pairs, lance-shaped, and sessile. 
 O. S. Hyssop-leaved Purple Loose-strife, small and rare. 
 
 AGRIMONY. A GRIMONIA. 
 
 COMMON AGRIMONY. Agrimonia eupatoria. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 12. 
 
 This is a most graceful and elegant plant ; not uncommon on 
 the borders of fields, and resembles no other of native growth. 
 Its leaves are pinnate or winged ; that is, formed of several 
 leaves joined together on the same stalk. Here there are 
 two or three pair of large leaves, with very small ones 
 between them, and a large one at the end all deeply serrated, 
 aud chiefly growing from the root. There is but one flowering 
 stem this grows upright from the ground, bears leaves on the 
 lower part, and flowers in a spiked manner above each other, 
 with a small three- cut leaf or bract under it. The calyx is 
 blunt, five-cleft, green, often spotted with purple. Petals five, 
 yellow. The seed vessel very rough and hairy. The fresh- 
 gathered leaves have a faint smell. 
 
 MIGNIONETTE. WELD. RESEDA. 
 WELD. YELLOW WEED. DYER'S ROCKET. Reseda luteola. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 13. 
 Leaves oblong, entire. Calyx four-cleft. 
 
 Plant upright, branched, one or two feet high, found on 
 walls, rubbish, &c. Leaves oblong and blunt. Stem furrowed 
 and hollow. Flowers in long spikes, nodding at the top, which 
 Linnaeus said follows the course of the sun, being towards the 
 east in the morning, south at mid-day, and west in the evening. 
 Calyx four-cleft. Petals five, three of them three-cleft, but not 
 
86 
 
 always so, as the upper one is often four or even five-cleft. 
 The two lower petals entire. Capsule broad, three pointed. 
 Nectary large, green, on the upper part of the flower. 
 
 No plant is used so much as this in dyeing yellow, for the 
 color it yields is very bright and beautiful : it is therefore often 
 cultivated for this purpose. " It thrives/' says the author of 
 The Journal of a Naturalist, " in all our abandoned stone 
 quarries, upon the rejected rubbish of the lime kiln, and waste 
 places of the roads, unmindful of frost or of drought, it pre- 
 serves a degree of verdure when nearly all other vegetation is 
 seared up by these extremes in exposed situations." The dyers 
 use the whole plant ; it does not undergo any other process 
 than being pulled up at the proper season, and tied into bundles. 
 When wanted for use it is merely boiled, (not in iron vessels,) 
 with alum, and the goods, which maybe either cotton, woollen, 
 silk, or linen, dipped into the liquor. Blue cloths, &c., dipped 
 in it become green. 
 
 WILD MIGNIONETTE. Reseda lutea. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 14. 
 Leaves deeply cleft, waved. Calyx six-cleft. 
 
 Not quite so common as the former, nor growing so high ? 
 but in similar situations. They have many points of difference r 
 as in this the leaves are very deeply cleft or pinnatifid, with 
 waved edges. The spike of flowers is broader and shorter, and 
 of a deeper yellow. Calyx six-cleft. Petals six the two upper 
 ones curiously three-cleft ; the side petals in two large divisions 
 and one very small one ; the under petals not cleft, but con- 
 tracted and toothed in the middle. The capsule is much 
 wrinkled, and with three blunt points. The plant, which much 
 resembles the garden Mignionette, has no scent. There is 
 scarcely any tribe of plants so difficult to understand and 
 describe properly as this is, because the different species vary 
 so much in the number and the structure of their parts. The 
 capsule is always open, and the petals deeply cleft, and these 
 are the only permanent marks of the genus. 
 
 O. S. Shrubby White Mignionette, which has a five-cleft calyx and five 
 trifid petals, very rare in a wild state The sweet Mignionette, (Reseda 
 
87 
 
 odorata,) or the Frenchman's darling, as it is called, and as its name im- 
 plies, was brought from Egypt to England more than one hundred years 
 ago, 'and is loved for its sweetness alone more loved than the gaudy 
 Tulip or scentless Fritillary, beautiful as they both are. 
 
 " No gorgeous flowers the meek Reseda grace, 
 Yet sip with eager trunk yon busy race 
 Her simple cup, nor heed the dazzling gem 
 That beams in Fritillaria's diadem." 
 
 HOUSE LEEK. SEMPERVIVUM. 
 
 COMMON HOUSE LEEK. Sempervivum tectorum. 
 
 Plate 6, jig. 15. 
 
 One of the easiest plants for the young botanist to examine, 
 and one of the most easily procured, as it grows on almost every 
 cottage roof. Its beautiful star-like flowers are borne in a head 
 upon a leafy stalk, four or five inches high. Each flower half 
 an inch or more across, inclosed in a green calyx, cleft at the 
 edge into twelve blunt parts. Petals of a fine rose color, twelve 
 in number and pointed ; upon each of which lies a deep red 
 stamen, and withinside these, in the centre of the flower, a star 
 of twelve pink styles, afterward turning into as many capsules. 
 The leaves are very fleshy, with hairs around their edges, and 
 grow in rosette-like tufts. The plant increases by white 
 creeping shoots, which as soon as they get clear of the parent 
 plant grow out into a similar crown of fleshy leaves. It is in 
 flower in July, and may be easily grown by merely sticking the 
 off-sets on to tiling or on a wall, with a bit of clay or earth, 
 where afterwards neither the strongest wind, nor a deluge of 
 rain can remove them. The Latin name of Sempervivum means 
 Everlasting Life, as it remains uninjured in the hottest sun, 
 and during the sharpest frost. The leaves are used as an 
 application to burns and bruises. 
 
88 
 
 CLASS 12. ICOSANDRIA. 
 
 (Twenty or more Stamens, placed on the Calyx.} 
 
 The plants of this class agree very much in structure with 
 each other, and are almost all contained in the same natural or- 
 der, (Rosacese.) Most of them are beautiful, most of them come 
 under the gardener's care, most of them are useful, and none 
 of them noxious. The stone fruits indeed yield prussic acid, 
 and which occasions the peculiar grateful flavor of the kernels, 
 but this is never in sufficient quantity to prove hurtful. Here 
 belong the Apple, Pear, Plum, Cherry, Peach, Apricot, Medlar, 
 Almond, Pomegranate, Quince, Strawberry, Raspberry the 
 Rose, the Myrtle, and the Allspice the Cactus, Syringa, Me- 
 trosideros, Clove Tree, Mesembryanthum, Potentilla, Geum, 
 &c. ; many of the above natives of our own island, or grown 
 in English gardens. 
 
 Order 1. MONOGYNIA. 1 Style. 
 SLOE. PLUM. CHERRY, (Prunus.) Cal. five- cleft; petals five. 
 
 Order 2. BI-PENTAGYNIA. From 1 to 5 Styles. 
 (Styles variable in most of the genera.) 
 
 HAWTHORN, (Cratagus.) Fruit a berry, with two bony seeds. 
 MEADOW-SWEET, (Spiraea.) . Fruit a capsule, with few seeds. 
 
 Order 3. POLYGYNIA. Many Styles. 
 
 ROSE, (Rosa.) Calyx five-cleft, fleshy, holding the hairy seed. 
 BRAMBLE, (Rubm.) Calyx five-cleft, leafy ; petals five; fruit 
 
 of several berries, growing on a fleshy receptacle. 
 STRAWBERRY, (Fragaria.) Calyx ten- cleft; petals five ; fruit 
 
 of minute nuts placed upon a fleshy receptacle. 
 
89 
 
 POTENTIL, (Potentilla.) Calyx ten-cleft ; petals five ; fruit of 
 
 minute nuts placed upon a dry receptacle. 
 TORMENTIL, (Tormentilla.) Calyx eight-cleft ; petals four ; 
 
 fruit as in the last genus. 
 HERB BENNET, (Geum.) Calyx ten-cleft ; petals five ; fruit 
 
 as in the last, but each nut furnished with a long bent awn. 
 
 SLOE. PLUM. CHERRY; PRUNUS. 
 
 BLACKTHORN, or SLOE TREE. Prunus spinosa. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 16. 
 
 A thorny, crooked shrub, flowering in April, before any of 
 the leaves make their appearance, presenting at that early 
 period of the year a showy look, the whole bush being white 
 with its numerous blossoms. 
 
 " The April air is shrewd and keen, 
 
 No leaf has dared unfold. 
 Yet thy white blossom, radiant sheen, 
 
 Spring's banner I behold. 
 Though all beside be dread and drear, 
 Undauntedly thy flowers appear. 
 44 All other trees are wont to wear 
 
 First leaves then flowers then last 
 Their burden of rich fruit to bear 
 
 When Summer's pride is past. 
 But thou, so prompt thy flowers to show. ' 
 Bear'st but the harsh, unwelcome Sloe." W. Howitti 
 
 The Sloe, however, is not so unwelcome, (at any rate to 
 children.) Cowper says, 
 
 " * * * Or Sloes austere, 
 Hard fare ! but such as boyish appetite, 
 Disdains not." 
 
 In pies, in preserves, and in the making of wine, it is not 
 wholly to be condemned, and after the frost has mellowed it, 
 many persons consider it not unpleasant to the taste. The 
 leaves are lanceolate, serrated, very much of the shape, size, 
 and flavor of those of black tea ; for the commoner sorts of 
 which they are used in large quantities by some of the London 
 grocers. The wood is very hard, knotty, tough, and slow- 
 growing ; it is used by the turner for the teeth of hay-maker's 
 rakes, walking sticks, handles for whips, &c. 
 
 O. S. Wild Plum Tree, Wild BuLlace Tree, the Bird Cherry, and the 
 Wild Cherry, are now and then met with in hedges and woods. 
 
90 
 
 WHITETHORN. HAWTHORN. CRAT&GUS. 
 COMMON WHITETHORN, HAWTHORN, or MAY. C.oxyacantha. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 17. 
 
 This forms the greater part of every hedge throughout the 
 kingdom, throwing out in " the merry month of May" its pro- 
 fuse bunches of delicate and fragrant flowers, and of ten for miles 
 together the Hawthorn blossoms enliven and enrich the hedge- 
 rows with their surpassing sweetness and beauty. It requires 
 no care in its culture, no rich soil for its sustenance, no shelter 
 from the bleak wind. It blossoms free amid all changes, or- 
 namenting equally the poor man's garden and the rich man's 
 park ; and when a fine grown Hawthorn is found upon the brow 
 of a hill, or detached from other trees in some green and grassy 
 slope, I know not that the English landscape, or indeed any 
 other landscape, produces a finer object. Even the country 
 laborer, not satisfied with seeing it growing around him, deco- 
 rates with whole boughs of it the window of his little cot, 
 adding at the same time fragrance and beauty ; and how much 
 more are the residents of towns and cities content to see again 
 the herald of the fastly-approaching summer ; and this is not 
 all look at the thousands of haws or red fleshy berries it bears 
 in the autumn, and retains through the winter, unless despoiled 
 of them by the blackbirds and the thrushes. 
 
 The light-hearted peasantry, when they formerly held their 
 May-day gambols, did not forget the Hawthorn, but made it 
 the emblem of hope, crowning their may-poles with it, and 
 calling it by the month it blossoms in. The Greek maidens too 
 are decorated on their nuptial day with its sprigs, while larger 
 branches are placed upon the altar, as an emblem of that sum- 
 mer of happiness which they hope to enjoy. With our poets 
 it is no less a favorite. Burns speaks of 
 
 " The milk-white Thorn that scents the evening gale." 
 Cunningham desires to u sit beneath the whitening Thorn," 
 and Shakspeare alludes to the delight of such a seat when he 
 says, 
 
 " Gives not the Hawthorn bush a sweeter shade 
 
 To shepherds, looking on their silly sheep, 
 
 Than doth a rich embroidered canopy 
 
 To kings that fear their .subjects' treachery ? 
 
 Oh e -l " 
 
 lo kings that lear their .subjects treacherj 
 Oh, yes, it doth a thousand-fold it doth." 1 
 
91 
 
 MEADOW SWEET. SPIRAEA. 
 
 MEADOW-SWEET, or QUEEN OF THE MEADOWS. S. iilmaria. 
 Plate 6, fiff. 18. 
 
 A beautiful plant, rising three feet high, found abundantly in 
 ditches and the borders of meadows. The stem grows upright, 
 is leafy, and bears at the top a thick branched head of cream- 
 colored delicate flowers. The leaves are pinnate or winged, of 
 two or three pair of leaflets, between which are others very 
 much smaller the leaflet at the end is larger than the rest and 
 three-lobed ; the whole of the leaf is deeply serrated, and the 
 leaves of the stem grow out of a large serrated bract. Its 
 flowers are gathered by country children for their sweetness of 
 scent, though they soon wither. The calyx is bent back, and 
 the styles are twisted round each other. 
 
 O.S. Willow-leaved Spiraea, a shrub common in gardens, and found 
 wild in the North of England and in Scotland; and Common Dropwort, 
 found also in gardens, and in pastures in the South of England. 
 
 ROSE. ROSA. 
 SWEET-BRIAR ROSE. Rosa rubiginosa. 
 
 Plate 6, fig. 19. 
 
 This is the true Eglantine so celebrated in song, and it may 
 be known by its scent alone from all the other species of Rose, 
 except from one of them, the Rosa micrantha, which is a smaller 
 plant. Our present has some of the prickles hooked ; others 
 straight, and its leaflets hairy. The fruit is pear-shaped and. 
 smooth, with the calyx remaining upon it. From the fruit of 
 the other the calyx drops off, and thus they may each be known. 
 In the language of flowers, " for in Eastern lands they talk 
 in flowers," the Eglantine is the emblem of poetry itself, and 
 the delicate tint of its fragrant flowers deserve the universal 
 praise which it has received. Chaucer, Spenser, Shakspeare, 
 Drayton, Dryden, Shenstone, Langhorne, Burns, Keates, and 
 almost all other poets, have been mindful of its charms. I 
 shall give but one extract, though I might have produced fifty, 
 
 " The bree/.e of Spring, the Summer's western wind, 
 Robs of its odours none so sweet a flower, 
 In all the blooming waste it leaves behind, 
 As that the Sweet-briar yields it; and the shower 
 Wets not a Rose that buds in beauty's bower 
 One half so lovely ; yet it grows along 
 The poor girl's pathway, by the poor man's door. 
 Such are the simple folks it dwells among, 
 And humble as the bud, so humble be the song. 
 
92 
 
 ' I love it, for it takes its untouched stand, 
 Not in the vase that sculptors decorate ; 
 Its sweetness all is of my native land, 
 And e'en its fragrant leaf has not its mate 
 Among the perfumes which the rich and great 
 Buy from the odours of the spicy East. 
 You love your flowers and plants, and will you hate 
 The little five-leaved Rose that I love best, 
 That freshest will awake, and sweetest go to rest ?" Brainard. 
 
 COMMON DOG ROSE. Rosa canina. 
 Plate 6, fig. 20. 
 
 The Dog Rose, or Wild Rose, is common in every hedge, and 
 in every thicket, bringing out its abundant, large, whitish, or 
 pink flowers, in June a fit successor to the beautiful Hawthorn, 
 and accompanying in the winter the red haws of the latter with 
 its fleshy, pleasantly-acid, red fruit, known by the name of hips 
 grateful not only to us, but a valuable winter store for the 
 many little songsters of the hedges and the woods. 
 
 It is known from the other Roses of England by the prickles, 
 which are all hooked the leaves, which are without hairs, the 
 upper or ending leaflet of them generally having its point a little 
 twisted back. Shoots very long and straggling, and fruit red, 
 oval, a little narrowed upwards, and without a calyx. 
 
 I know not that this particular species of Rose has called 
 forth many poetic reflections. The following, however, is 
 
 pleasing : 
 
 " 'Tis the Rose of the desert, 
 
 So lonely and wild, 
 On the green leaf of freedom 
 
 Its infancy smiled. 
 In the languish of beauty 
 
 It buds o'er the thorn, 
 And its leaves are all wet 
 
 With the bright dews of morn. 
 " Yet 'tis better, thou fair one, 
 
 To dwell thus alone, 
 Than recline on a bosom 
 
 Less pure than thy own. 
 Thy form is too lovely 
 
 To be torn from its stem, 
 And thy breath is too sweet 
 
 For the children of men ! 
 " Bloom on then in secret, 
 
 Sweet child of the waste ! 
 Where no lip of profaner 
 
 Thy fragrance shall taste. 
 Bloom on where no footstep 
 
 Unhallowed hath trod, 
 And give all thy blushes 
 
 And sweets to thy GOD !" 
 
PLATE ViJ 
 
93 
 
 O. S. Our Islands boast of more than twenty species of the Rose. Wo 
 have described but two of the commonest. The Downy-leaved Rose and 
 the very Spiny Rose are not rare. They are a difficult tribe for even the 
 experienced botanist, and are known from each other by the prickies, the 
 leaves, and the fruit. Were we to search foreign countries we should find 
 hundreds of species, and yet none whatever have been discovered in tho 
 Southern hemisphere. Our gardens yield us even thousands of different 
 varieties, and both poets of our own days, and the Troubadours of old, 
 have applied to the Rose for some of their most eloquent passages, making 
 its different kinds emblematic of different virtues, and clothing their finest 
 and most delicate sentiments in the still finer imagery of nature. 
 
 BRAMBLE. RUBUS. 
 
 COMMON DEWBERRY. Rubus ccesius. 
 
 Plate 7, fig. 1. 
 
 Stem round. Prickles straight. Leaves of three leaflets. 
 Calyx upright. 
 
 The Dewberry is very much like the Common Blackberry, 
 It differs in the fruit, the grains of which are larger and fewer 
 in number, and ripen rather sooner the leaves have not so 
 many leaflets in them, and they are green underneath. The 
 stem is nearly round, the prickles small and nearly straight, 
 and the calyx incloses the fruit. 
 
 BLACKBERRY, or COMMON BRAMBLE. Rubus f rut icosus. 
 Plate 7, fig. 2. 
 
 Stem cornered. Prickles hooked. Leaves of five leaflets. 
 Calyx bent back. 
 
 Who does not know the Blackberry ? The fruit of it at least, 
 ripening in the autumn, gathered by the peasant boys, and even 
 sold in the London markets for puddings, c. When the frost 
 comes it is spoiled, becoming then sour, unpleasant, and often 
 harbouring little caterpillars. Its flowers are not inelegant, 
 but the rough aud ragged growth of the plants their thorny 
 stems, catching hold of every thing around their long suckers 
 and creeping roots, interfering with and stifling every thing not 
 strong enough or rough enough to struggle through them, have 
 occasioned the Bramble to be likened unto envy and malice, 
 which endeavours to tarnish the purest actions, and to choke 
 the rising prosperity of the wisest and the best. Yet a mind so 
 attuned as to contemplate the bright side of objects and events, 
 
94 
 
 in preference to what is gloomy and repulsive, may make even 
 the Bramble a source of agreeable recollection, and of passing 
 pleasure. Such a mind must have been that of the author of 
 Corn-Law Rhymes, who thus writes upon this little respected 
 plant : 
 
 " 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 his sake. 
 
 ' Though Woodbines flaunt and Roses blow 
 
 O'er all the fragrant bowers, 
 Thou needst not be ashamed to show 
 Thy satin-threaded flowers. 
 
 * For dull the eye, the heart is dull, 
 
 That cannot feel how fair, 
 Amid all beauty beautiful 
 Thy tender blossoms are. 
 
 " Aud thou, wild Bramble, back doth bring 
 
 In all their beauteous power, 
 The fresh green days of life's fair spring, 
 And boyhood's blossomy hour. 
 
 " Again thou bids me be a boy, 
 More fain than bird or bee, 
 To gad in freedom and in joy, 
 O'er bank and brae with thee." Elliott. 
 
 O. S. We have many other species of the Bramble, most of them very 
 similar to the Common Blackberry ; amongst others are the Raspberry and 
 the Cloudberry, the fruit of both of which is highly esteemed. 
 
 STRAWBERRY. FRAGARIA. 
 WOOD STRAWBERRY. Fragaria vesca. 
 
 Plate 7, fig. 3. 
 
 Surely it is not necessary to describe the Wood Strawberry, 
 it is so common and so well known. Its little red fruit so de- 
 licious and so fragrant its flowers so white and delicate its 
 leaves divided into three leaflets, all hairy its calyx too of ten 
 pieces, five of them smaller than the rest its long suckers ? 
 trailing on the ground, and sending out another plant, perhaps 
 six or eight inches from the parent and its little yellow nuts 
 or seeds stuck outside of its fleshy fruit, altogether make it a 
 favorite and interesting plant, brought very often into our gar- 
 dens, and there blossoming and yielding its fruit throughout 
 the summer and autumn, and even sometimes in the winter. 
 
Ths amiable St. Pierre was about to write a general history 
 of nature, but was dissuaded from his design by examining a 
 Strawberry plant which grew in his window. In this single 
 object he found so much to learn and to admire, that he de- 
 sisted from his extensive plan, as beyond the powers of even the 
 longest life and highest faculties, and instead of it produced his 
 admirable work, The Studies of Nature, in the first few pages 
 of which we find an animated description of the Strawberry. 
 
 Pluck not its flowers, my young friends, and thus destroy its 
 promised fruit, but observe how Wordsworth pleads for it. 
 
 *' Strawberry blossoms, one and all, 
 
 We must spare them here are many. 
 
 Look at it, the flower is small, 
 
 Small and low, though fair as any. 
 " Pull the Daisies, Sister Anne, 
 
 Pull as many as you can : 
 
 Fill your lap, and fill your bosom ; 
 
 Only spare the Strawberry blossom. 
 " Daisies leave no fruit behind, 
 
 When the pretty flow'rets die ; 
 
 Pluck them, and another year, 
 
 As many will be growing here. 
 " GOD has given a kindlier power 
 
 To the favor'd Strawberry flower : 
 
 When the months of Spring are fled, 
 Hither let us bend our walk, 
 
 Lurking berries ripe and red, 
 Then will hang on every stalk. 
 
 Each within its leafy bower, 
 
 And for that promise spare the flower." 
 
 It is not to please the eye, and gratify the palate alone, that 
 the Strawberry is esteemed ; it is valuable as a medicine, puri- 
 fying and cooling the blood, and it is said to be one of the best 
 remedies for the gout, and that the great Linnaeus himself was 
 cured by it. 
 
 te eects o cuture, or rom , an rom anoer, u a oreg 
 , are derived all the large and delicious varieties brought to table 
 
 CINQUE-FOIL. POTENTILLA. 
 
 SILVER- WEED. Potentilla anserina. 
 
 Plate 7, fig. 4. 
 
 Leaves pinnate, silky. Stem creeping. Fl. solitary, yellow. 
 On road-sides, rubbish heaps, &c., flowering all the summer. 
 
96 
 
 Stem round, creeping along the ground, and budding into new 
 plants at intervals, as in the Strawberry. Leaves pinnate, of 
 four or five pair of large leaflets, and as many smaller ones 
 between them, all serrate, and white with silvery hairs. One or 
 two flowers, each on its own stem, large, and of a fine dark 
 yellow, growing from every tuft of leaves. Calyx of ten clefts > 
 five of them entire, and the others notched. 
 
 HOARY CINQUE -FOIL. Potentilla argentea. 
 
 Plate 7, fig. 5. 
 
 Leaves five-lobed. Stem upright. Flowers in clusters, yellow. 
 Very often met with in gravelly and chalky soils, but not in 
 other places ; thus it is a common plant around London, and 
 in the East and South of the Kingdom only. The leaves are 
 five -fingered or digitate ; each lobe deeply gashed, alternate in 
 position, quite white underneath, and dark green. at top the 
 upper leaves sessile, with two ^mall bracts at their base the 
 lower stalked. Stem hairy, erect in growth, and near the top 
 dividing at every joint into various bunches of flowers. Calyx 
 white and silky as the stem, of ten divisions, all entire, but five 
 of them smaller than the others. Petals small, and somewhat 
 heart-shaped. 
 
 COMMON CREEPING CINQUE -FOIL. Potentilla reptans. 
 
 Plate 7, fig. 6. 
 Leaves five-lobed. Stem trailing. Flowers solitary, yellow. 
 
 On pastures and way-sides, abundant everywhere in June 
 and July, and distinguished by its serrated, five-lobed, long 
 stalked leaves by its long creeping stem, which takes root at 
 the various joints, and by its solitary yellow flowers. It most 
 resembles in appearance the next genus, the Tormentil but 
 this has a ten -cleft calyx and five petals, while the calyx of the 
 Tormentil is eight-cleft, and with but four petals. 
 
 STRAWBERRY-LEAVED CINQUE-FOIL. P. fragariastrum. 
 
 Plate 7, fig. 7. 
 
 Leaves three-lobed. Stem creeping. Fl. few together, white. 
 
 This used to be called the Barren Strawberry ; and it very 
 
 much resembles the Wood Strawberry in appearance, except 
 
97 
 
 that the fruit does not become fleshy, which is the only dis 
 tinction between them ; but by this alone the Strawberries are 
 always known from the Cinque-foils or Potentils. It is found 
 in woods, and blossoms in June and July. 
 
 O. S. Shrubby Cinque-foil, Rock Cinque-foil, Vernal Cinque-foil, Al- 
 pine Cinque-foil, Saw-leaved Cinque-foil, White Cinque-foil, and Three- 
 toothed Cinque- foil all rare mountain plants. 
 
 TORMENTIL. TORMENTILLA. 
 
 COMMON TORMENTIL. Tormentilla officinalis. 
 Plate 7, fig. 8. 
 
 On every bank in flower from early Spring till late in 
 Autumn. The stems trail upon the ground, and are set with 
 joints, where leaves, roots, and flowers, are produced. The 
 leaves are of three divisions and sessile, and by these the plant 
 is known from the other species, (Trailing Tormentil.) The 
 petals are generally four in number, but sometimes five are found. 
 Flowers yellow. Root thick, woody, and black. It is used in 
 medicine, and by the Laplanders as a red dye for leather. 
 
 AVENS. GEUM. 
 
 COMMON AVENS. HERB BENNET. Geum urbanum. 
 Plate 7, fig. 9. 
 
 In woods and hedges flowering in June and July, one or 
 two feet high, rather straggling in habit, with small, yellow, 
 five-petaled flowers. Leaves pinnate, with about two pair of 
 small leaflets, and a terminal one, which is very large and 
 roundish, often somewhat lobed, and toothed or jagged on the 
 edges ; those from the root are on long foot-stalks. The seeds 
 are covered with hairs, armed with a long jointed awn or bristle, 
 and collected into a round head, which is dark colored. 
 
 O. S. -Water Avens, not very uncommon in marshes and watery places. 
 
98 
 
 CLASS 13. POLYANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with many Stamens, generally 
 more than twenty, inserted upon the Receptacle, 
 and not upon the Calyx, as in the last. It is 
 necessary particularly to observe the insertion of 
 the Stamens in this and the last class because in 
 that are no poisonous plants, while in this there 
 *are several very deadly.) 
 
 Here are collected together most of the plants in which are 
 found more stamens than twenty ; it is, therefore, the last in 
 which number is considered. England produces several plants 
 of Polyandria of great interest and beauty, some of them easily 
 procured wild, as the Poppy and the Water Lily ; others the 
 frequent occupants of gardens for example, the Peony, the 
 Lime or Linden Tree, the Beards-foot, the Larkspur, the 
 Monk's-hood, the Columbine, the Pheasant's Eye, and the 
 Trollius or Globe Flower. 
 
 Other countries are not behind our own in producing plants 
 of interest and beauty of the Polyandrous class. To numerous 
 species of Poppy, Anemone, Peony, Ranunculus, &c., which 
 England does not afford, we may add the Caper Bush, the 
 very singularly-formed Side-saddle Flower, (which is a species 
 of Pitcher Plant,) the Arnotta, the extensive and beautiful 
 Cistuses, the Nigella, Sacred Bean, Tulip Tree, Magnolia, 
 Custard Apple, Hepatica, Winter Aconite, Hellebore, and 
 numerous others. 
 
 Order 1. MONOGYNIA. 1 Style. 
 * Petals four ; calyx of two leaves, falling off. 
 
 POPPY, (Papaver.) Capsule of one cell, opening by holes. 
 
99 
 
 HORNED-POPPY, (Glaucium.) Capsule of two cells, opening 
 
 by valves. 
 CELANDINE, (Chelidonium.) Capsule of one cell, opening by 
 
 valves. 
 
 ** Petals more than four ; calyx of three, four, or five leaves. 
 ROCK ROSE, (Helianthemum.) Petals five ; cap. three-valved. 
 WATER LILY, (Nymphaa. Nuphar.) Petals numerous ; fruit 
 many celled. 
 
 Order 2. PENTAGYNIA. Styles from two to five. 
 
 The six British plants of this order are rarely found wild, though common 
 in gardens. They are the two Hellebores, Peony, Larkspur, Monk's-hood, 
 and Columbine. 
 
 Order 3. POLYGYNIA. Many Styles. 
 * Petals none, except in Ranunculus. 
 
 MEADOW RUE, (Thalictrum.) Calyx of four or five leaves, 
 
 green or yellow ; seeds without awns. 
 VIRGIN'S BOWER, (Clematis.) Calyx of from four to six 
 
 leaves ; seeds with long feathery awns. 
 WIND FLOWER, (Anemone.) Calyx of from five to nine leaves, 
 
 colored ; seeds not in a seed vessel. 
 MARSH MARIGOLD, (Caltha.) Calyx of five or more leaves, 
 
 colored ; seeds in follicles. 
 CROW-FOOT. BUTTERCUP, (Ranunculus.) Petals with a scale 
 
 at the base of each ; seeds in heads. 
 
 POPPY. PAP AVER. 
 COMMON RED POPPY. Papaver rhaas. 
 
 Plate 7, fig. 10. 
 
 My young readers you all know the Poppy, and I suppose 
 you would describe it as a scarlet flower that grows in the corn 
 field. This is not enough for me to tell it from the four other 
 sorts that grow in England nor even from the totally-different 
 Scarlet Pimpernel, which is found so often beside it. How then 
 shall a stranger know it ? Thus root fibrous, annual. Calyx 
 
100 
 
 green, hairy, of two leaves, which fall off when the flowers open. 
 Petals four, much wrinkled when first opening, with wrinkled 
 edges, broad and lapping over each other, soon falling off, and 
 of a fine scarlet color. Stamens purple. Stem hairy, branched, 
 upright, bearing leaves and flowers. Root leaves stalked. Stem 
 leaves sessile both sorts deeply and doubly cleft, and very 
 hairy hairs all spreading out as wide as possible. Seed vessel 
 nearly round, and quite smooth, crowned with eight dark rays^ 
 which are the styles. Juice of the plant milky. By these 
 marks the present species may be known from all others in the 
 world, and this is the true art and use of botanical descriptions. 
 Poppies are the emblem of sleep, for from a white species, 
 which is very common in the East, and now and then found 
 wild in England, opium is obtained a drug of powerful effect 
 in producing sleep and stilling pain, yet at the same time a most 
 deadly poison, and that produced from our common species is 
 of the same effect, but less powerful. 
 
 " Within the infant rind of this small flower 
 Poison hath residence, and medicine power; 
 But tempered well and wisely tasted. 
 It warms the bosom that lay wasted. 
 Soothes pain, and labor, and disease, 
 And sheds a magic oil on passions stormy seas.'' 
 
 Moral of Flowers. 
 
 The opium is obtained thus the plants, when fully grown, 
 are cut and gashed with knives, which occasions the white juice 
 to run out. This soon dries in the sun ; when it is collected, 
 and formed into large cakes. Laudanum is made by dissolving 
 opium in spirits of wine. 
 
 None of the Poppies have any fragrance ; nothing but a dis- 
 agreeable odour exhales from them ; and even the virtues which 
 they really possess must be administered by so skilful a hand, 
 that they may well be considered more baneful than useful, and 
 however their flaunting gaudiness may attract the eye, it wins 
 not the affection. 
 
 " Poppy! thy charms attract the vulgar gaze, 
 And tempt the eye with meretricious blaxe. 
 Caught by the glare, with pleasure they behold 
 Thy glowing crimson melting into gold. 
 In vain to nobler minds thy lure is spread, 
 Thy painted front, thy cup of glowing red. 
 Beneath thy bloom such noxious vapours lie. 
 That v\hen obtained and smelt we loathe and die." Taylcr. 
 
1 01 
 
 O. S. Long Prickly-heally'Poppy," Koaml Roy<^i*he'AiW PappyY Long 
 Smooth heady Poppy, (all red,) and White Poppy this last is'the one 
 from which opium is mostly procured. 
 
 HORNED-POPPY. GLAUCIUM. 
 
 YELLOW HORNED-POPPY. Glaucium luteum. 
 Plate 7, fig. 11. 
 
 Take a walk along the sea beach, almost anywhere around 
 the kingdom, in July and August, and on the sandy hillocks, 
 just above high- water mark, you will find the Horned-poppy. 
 
 " There bright as gems of fairy lore, 
 
 Or Eastern poets dream, 
 The Horned-poppies gild the shore 
 With sunny gleam. 
 
 " The threatening clouds, and tempests dark, 
 
 No terrors have for them, 
 When billows whelm the gallant bark 
 From stern to stem !" 
 
 Its flowers are numerous, very large and handsome, of a fine 
 orange color, of four rumpled petals, so fleeting that in a very 
 few hours they drop off, and are succeeded by very long, smooth 
 pods. The whole plant may be two feet high, spreading and 
 much branched, of a whitish-green color, with rough, deeply- 
 indented, thick, sessile leaves. 
 O. S. Scarlet Horned-poppy and Violet Horned-poppy, both very rare. 
 
 CELANDINE. CHELIDONIUM. 
 
 COMMON CELANDINE. Chelidonium majus. 
 Plate 7, fig. 12. 
 
 On banks, particularly near towns and cities ; a straggling 
 and branched plant, very brittle and tender, full of an orange- 
 colored sap or juice. The flowers are yellow, grow in long- 
 stalked tufts, three or four together, inclosed at first in a two- 
 leaved calyx, which is soon thrown off. Petals four, yellow, 
 small, lasting but a short time. Seed-vessel long, large, and 
 smooth. Stems hairy. Leaves less hairy, pinnate, deeply 
 cleft, and scolloped. Leaflets running down the leaf-stalk so 
 as to join each other. It flowers in June and July. The 
 orange juice is very poisonous, and is often used to cure warts 
 upon the hands, and ringworms upon the head. 
 
102 
 
 ROSE. &EL1ANTHEMUM. 
 COMMON ROCK ROSE or CISTUS. H. vulgare. 
 Plate 7, fig. 13. 
 
 A low, procumbent, branched, and delicate shrub, which 
 covers many a hill- side and bank in the rocky and chalky parts 
 of England, blossoming in July and August. The flowers of 
 all the tribe are very fleeting, they last but a few hours, when 
 they are succeeded by others. The calyx is of five leaves, two 
 of them very small. Corolla of five yellow petals. Flowers 
 stalked, several together on the ends of the branches, and each 
 attended with a bract. Leaves opposite, oblong, stalked, dark 
 green, their edges a little doubled back, with two stipules at 
 their base, and as well as the younger stems and flower-stalks 
 hairy. 
 
 O. S. Hoary Dwarf Rock Rose, Spotted Annual Rock Rose, Leduin- 
 leaved Rock Rose, and White Mountain Rock Rose all very rare. 
 
 WATER LILY. 
 WHITE WATER LILY. Nymphcea alba. 
 Plate 7, fig. 14. 
 
 The root is creeping. Leafstalk round. Calyx of four white 
 leaves, tinged with green outside, and often streaked with pale 
 pink within. Petals in several rows, white. Stamens leaflike, 
 bright yellow. Stigma of sixteen rays rising from the seed 
 vessel, which contains as many cells, full of seeds. Flower 
 three or four inches over when expanded, opening to the morn- 
 ing light about seven o'clock, and closing about four in the 
 afternoon, when it droops, hangs its head, and lies languidly 
 upon the still waters, or more commonly dips its head beneath 
 the surface, till the morrow's sun again calls it into life and 
 beauty. It blossoms at Midsummer, and ornaments the still 
 parts of many of our rivers and Highland lakes. 
 
 " The Lady of the Lake"" The Naiad of the River" and 
 " The Swan among Flowers," are three among the numerous 
 names borne by this splendid plant ; and no one, however they 
 may disregard the beauties of nature in general, can witness it 
 covering the dark waters of some charming pool or lake, with 
 its broad, round, and dark green leaves, and offering to the sun 
 
103 
 
 at intervals among them its snow-white, large, and cup-shaped 
 flowers, without admiring its surpassing beauty and majesty. 
 
 " Come seek the Lily's still calm haunts, and see 
 The waters sporting round their pearly cups, 
 If ye e're ga/ed on aught more beautiful, 
 Oh! tell me what it was, for ne'er have I." 
 
 And again the same fair authoress, Miss Twamley, writes : 
 " Oh ! come to the river's brink, come to us there, 
 For the White Water Lily is wondrous fair, 
 With her large broad leaves on the stream afloat, 
 Each one a capacious fairy boat 
 The ' Swan among Flowers,' how statelily ride 
 Her snow white cups on the rippling tide/' 
 
 YELLOW WATER LILY. Nymphcea lutea. 
 
 Plate 7, fig. 15. 
 Calyx of five leaves. Petals numerous and yellow. 
 
 The Yellow Water Lily, though neither so large nor so 
 beautiful as the last, is yet a fine flower and contrasts well with 
 it, when they are growing together. The calyx is very much 
 larger than the petals and of a yellow color. Petals small, in 
 one row. Stamens very numerous, yellow, strap-shaped, at 
 first closing upon the stigma, but when their pollen is shed, 
 they are bent back. Stigma forming the top of the fruit, rayed, 
 entire on the edge. Fruit, or seed-vessel, shaped like a bottle, 
 and as the flowers smell like brandy, they are often called 
 " Brandy Bottles." Flowering at the same time, and growing 
 in the same places as the white species. This is now considered 
 a different genus, called NUPHAR. 
 
 MEADOW RUE. THALICTRUM. 
 
 COMMON MEADOW RUE. Thalictrum flavum. 
 Plate 7, fig. 16. 
 
 Stem erect, branched, leafy, furrowed, growing two or three 
 feet high, in wet meadows and on river banks ; flowering in July. 
 Flowers very many, in large branched heads, appearing as if 
 formed of a bunch of yellow threads ; the stamens and styles 
 being very numerous, not inclosed in a corolla, and with a very 
 small calyx. Leaves doubly pinnate, each leaflet cut into three 
 large teeth at the top. 
 
 O. S. Alpine Mountain Rue and Larger Mountain Rue. 
 
104 
 
 TRAVELLER'S JOY. CLEMATIS. 
 
 COMMON TRAVELLER'S JOY. VIRGIN'S BOWER. C. mtalba. 
 
 Plate 7, fig. 17. 
 
 In the East and South of England, where chalk abounds, this 
 is very frequent in hedge-rows and thickets, but rare in the 
 North of the kingdom flowering during the latter part of the 
 Summer and Autumn. Stems very long, climbing, branched, 
 and interlacing so with each other, that our plant is the emblem 
 of filial affection. 
 
 " And gently as Clematis's clasping stem 
 Twines the sear leaf, and screens it from the blast, 
 So filial hearts, their tender care must cast 
 Around the mother plant that once supported them." 
 
 Leaves pinnate, their stalks and midribs clinging round the 
 twigs of the bushes. Leaflets with a few deep notches. Stamens 
 numerous, yellow. Styles, and consequently seeds, also nume- 
 rous. Flowers very fragrant, of a white or pale cream color, 
 three together, each on its own stalk. Each seed as it ripens 
 become furnished with a long, feathery, white and soft awn, so 
 that the whole mass or head of them is very beautiful, and so 
 light that the smallest breath of air disturbs them. 
 
 " To later Summer's fragrant breath, 
 Clematis's feathery garlands dance." 
 
 Its very name implies it a favorite, and deservedly so, for its 
 beautiful appearance and delicious fragrance. 
 
 " The Traveller's Joy is a darling thing, 
 
 None loveth it more than I 
 I've seen it in courtly gardens cling, 
 I've seen it mid rocks and ruins spring, 
 I know hedge-rows where it's wandering, 
 
 And I smile as I pass it by." 
 
 ANEMONE. ANEMONE. 
 
 WOOD ANEMONE. WIND FLOWER. Anemone nemorosa. 
 Plate 7, fig. 18. 
 
 A pretty little plant of the woods and shady lanes, companion 
 to the Violet and the Primrose ; flowering in the stormy month 
 of March, (and therefore called the Wind Flower ;) though 
 without the sweetness of either, it is yet a favorite for its deli- 
 cate white or blush-colored, solitary, drooping, six-petaled 
 
105 
 
 flowers, growing upon the summit of its only stem, and wafted 
 here and there by every breeze that passes over it. Three leaves 
 grow out of the same part of the stem, each leaf stalked, five- 
 ]obed, lobes deeply toothed. Root leaves of the same shape : 
 Root creeping, black. 
 
 " Nymph of the wood and forest glade ! 
 In thy own fair vestal robes arrayed. 
 In the calm of the silent sylvan bowers, 
 'Tis sweet to gaze on thy drooping flowers. 
 Chaste and pure as the driven snow. 
 Yet faintly tinged with a purple glow. 
 
 Like mountain crests, 
 On some Alpine height, 
 
 When the snow-drift rests 
 
 In the evening light ! 
 
 " Nymph of the wood and the sheltered glade, 
 I would linger with thee in the forest shade. 
 I would sit by the secret fount along, 
 Soothed by the waters lulling tone. 
 There's a lesson of hope in that woodland flower, 
 While we mark the deep traces of love and of power. 
 
 In her lowly bed, 
 
 By the dew-drops fed, 
 
 Mid the beauty that dwells, 
 
 In her drooping bells." The Wild Garland. 
 
 O. S Pasque Flower Anemone, Blue Mountain Anemone, and Yellow 
 Wood Anemone the last very rare. 
 
 MARSH MARIGOLD. CALTHA. 
 COMMON MARSH MARIGOLD. Caltha palustris. 
 
 Plate 7, fig. 19. 
 
 Everywhere in ditches and on river banks in the early Spring ; 
 bearing large yellow flowers, without a calyx a flower and a 
 leaf growing together, and alternate, on the stem, which is 
 large, hollow, striped, and fleshy. Leaves from the root stalked, 
 heart-shaped, scolloped, those of the stem sessile, toothed, 
 triangular or kidney-shaped. Capsules numerous, generally 
 ten or twelve. The country people in many places pluck the 
 young flower buds, and pickle them instead of capers. The 
 whole plant is, like many others of this class, poisonous. 
 
 CROW-FOOT. RANUNCULUS. 
 
 * Floivers white. 
 WATER CROW-FOOT. Ranunculus aquatilis. 
 
 Plate 7, fig. 20. 
 Leaves roundish, lobed, or else finely cleft. Petals large. 
 
106 
 
 Floating in shallow ponds and such places in such profusion 
 that the whole surface is made white with its flowers ; the 
 plants being very long, and the flowers as numerous as leaves 
 the one and the other always growing together. Petals large, 
 white, with yellow towards the centre, and yellow scales, with a 
 smooth, upright, five-leaved calyx. Leaves, when above the 
 water, roundish, three-lobed, cut ; when under water, becoming 
 split into a number of thin, branched, thread -like divisions. 
 
 " The Water Crow-foot flowers in shoals, 
 Like living pearls all lie 
 Strewn o'er the pool that radiant path 
 Of stars amid the sky 
 Hath not a denser zone of light 
 Than this small clustering silver orb, 
 With a dew drop in each eye : 
 Silver, but golden-touched within. 
 Pearls, with a central light. 
 Snow, with a spot of sunshine seen 
 Like shade; they are so white." Twamley. 
 
 IVY-LEAVED CROW-FOOT. Ranunculus hederaceus. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 1. 
 Leaves roundish, kidney-shaped. Petals small. 
 
 A small creeping plant, generally upon the mud of half driecl- 
 up ditches. The flowers are white and very small. The leaves 
 of a round kidney- shape, of three or five round lobes, often 
 with a dark stain on them, growing several together, with roots 
 also from the same joints. The seeds smooth and drooping 
 leaves and flowers stalked. Whole plant small, juicy, and 
 smooth. Blossoms from June to September. 
 
 ** Flowers yellow. 
 LESS SPEAR-WORT. Ranunculus flammula. 
 
 Plate 8, jig. 2. 
 Leaves linear, lanceolate. Calyx five-leaved. 
 
 In damp heaths, borders of ditches, marshy ground, &c. 
 Directly known by its leaves, which are not divided as they are 
 in every other common species of the Ranunculus, except in 
 the next, where they are of a very different shape. The upper 
 leaves are linear and without stalks those from the root stalked, 
 lanceolate, and a very little serrated. Calyx and stem smooth. 
 Blossoms in Julv. 
 
PLATE VIII 
 
107 
 
 PILE-WORT. LESSER CELANDINE. Ranunculus Jicaria. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 3. 
 Leaves heart-shaped, toothed. Calyx three-leaved. 
 
 " The small, gay Celandine's stars of gold" are the earliest 
 ornaments of our meadows, 
 
 " * * * The first gilt thing 
 That wears the trembling pearls of Spring." Wordsworth. 
 
 In March and April it is as abundant as the common Butter- 
 cup at a later season ; it is very distinct, however, from it. The 
 root is composed of a bunch of white, fleshy, club-shaped knobs. 
 Leaves many from the root, heart-shaped, toothed, and stalked 
 the two or three on the stem of the same shape, but smaller. 
 Petals eight or nine, deep yellow. Calyx of three spreading 
 leaves. Whole plant quite smooth, and growing three or four 
 inches high, with but one stem, and a single flower upon that, 
 It has thus been celebrated by Wordsworth under the name of 
 
 THE SMALL CELANDINE. 
 
 " There is a flower, the Lesser Celandine, 
 
 That shrinks, like many more, from cold and rain, 
 And the first moment that the sun may shine, 
 Bright as the sun himself is out again ! 
 
 " When hailstones have been falling, swarm on swarm, 
 
 Or blasts the green fields and the trees distrest. 
 Oft have I seen it muffled up from harm, 
 In close self shelter, like a thing at rest. 
 
 "But lately, one rough day, this flower I passed, 
 
 And recognized it, though an altered form, 
 Now standing forth an offering to the blast, 
 And bulleted at will by rain and storm. 
 
 " I stopped and said, with inly-muttered voice, 
 
 4 It doth not love the shower, nor seek the cold. 
 This neither is its courage, nor its choice, 
 But its necessity in being old ! ' " 
 
 The knobs or little tubers which form the root much resemble 
 grains of wheat, and as they lie close to the surface, it often 
 happens that when a storm arises they are laid bare, and sepa- 
 rated from the plant. This is the origin of a common country 
 opinion that it sometimes rains wheat. This seems to disagree 
 with the above description of Wordsworth, but this difference 
 consists merely in difference of season of the year. 
 
108 
 
 CELERY-LEAVED CROW -FOOT. Ranunculus sceleratus. 
 
 Plate S,fiy.4. 
 Leaves smooth, three-lobed. Calyx smooth, spreading out. 
 
 A juicy, erect, beautiful plant, growing in ditches and muddy 
 places, smooth all over except the stem, which is slightly hairy, 
 about one foot high, and hollow. The root leaves are very 
 glossy, roundish, kidney-shaped, in three cut lobes, upon long 
 stalks stem leaves, (as they are mostly in the other species,) 
 narrower, more deeply cut, and nearly sessile. Petals very 
 small. Seeds very numerous, collected in an oblong head, 
 quite smooth, and which head is always to be seen as a green 
 body in the middle of the small yellow flowers. 
 
 The Latin name signifies the Wicked Ranunculus ; its juice 
 is very inflaming or acrid, and when rubbed upon the skin oc- 
 casions it to look red and blistered. The begging impostors, 
 who used once to sit in the streets, or crawl along the highways, 
 to excite compassion by their apparently- ulcerated limbs, em- 
 ployed this plant to produce the effect. I once saw a mendicant 
 using it ; he told me it was applied as a remedy for a wound he 
 had received. I was then a child, but the slight knowledge of 
 botany I had acquired enabled me to detect an impostor and a 
 hypocrite. 
 
 UPRIGHT MEADOW CROW-FOOT. Ranunculus acris. 
 
 Plate 8, Jig. 5. 
 Leaves hairy, three-lobed. Calyx hairy, upright. Stem upright. 
 
 Root fibrous. Stem upright, hairy, one or two feet high, hol- 
 low, and round all the way up. Leaves hairy, three-lobed, 
 each lobe in three smaller lobes, and each of these cleft or 
 toothed stem leaves not so much divided. Calyx hairy, up- 
 right, or almost spreading, and not bent downwards. This is 
 so much like the bulbous-rooted Crow-foot that they are both 
 called by the name of Buttercup, and so is also the next species, 
 which is equally common. It is acrid in qualities, like the 
 others. 
 
109 
 
 CREEPING CROW-FOOT. Ranunculus repens. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 6. 
 Leaves hairy, three-lobed. Calyx upright. Stem creeping. 
 
 In character quite between that last described and the next, 
 growing in similar places, and flowering at the same time. It 
 differs from the last, only in having the flower stalks furrowed, 
 and the leaflets longer stalked. It differs from the next in its 
 calyx, which is upright, and its root, which is fibrous. It differs 
 from them both in having creeping stems. 
 
 BULBOUS-ROOTED CROW-FOOT. Ranunculus lulbosus. 
 
 BUTTERFLOWER. BUTTERCUP. KlNGCUP. GOLDCUP. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 7. 
 Leaves hairy, three-lobed. Calyx bent back. Stem upright. 
 
 Root bulbous. Leaves as in the two former. Stem farrowed 
 on the upper part. Calyx bent back, so as to lie close to the 
 stem. Whole plant very hairy, covering whole meadows in May 
 and June with its numerous, yellow, glossy flowers. Such is 
 the Common Buttercup a plant perhaps better known than any 
 other which grows, and which has as many names, and as many 
 stories attached to it as any, and yet it is of no value whatever. 
 It is so poisonous that no animal will eat it, no insect is ever 
 found upon it, and not even the bee comes to it for honey : 
 
 " He breakfasts, dines, and most divinely sups, 
 With every flower, save golden Buttercups ; 
 On whose proud bosoms he will never go, 
 But passes by with scarcely ' How do ye do ? ' 
 Since in their showy, shining, gaudy cells, 
 Haply the Summer's honey never dwells." Clare. 
 
 It is not used even in medicine, and put to no purpose in the 
 arts. Children, however, often pull up the plants for the sake 
 of eating the clubbed root, liking the hot and peppery taste 
 which it has, and not knowing that this flavor is the poi- 
 sonous substance that they should avoid, which is even in still 
 greater abundance in the stems and leaves. The beauty of the 
 blossoms has rendered the Buttercup a favorite plant, and how 
 often do we see whole troops of children loaded with these bright 
 flowers, which they hold under each other's chins, and viewing 
 
110 
 
 the reflection of its glossy yellow petals upon the skin, predict 
 in sport that their little companions are fond of butter ; and 
 that they will enjoy at some future period some unexpected 
 harvest of gold, or of happiness. 
 
 " For golden Kingcups promise future wealth," 
 
 This species blossoms earlier than the two former, so early 
 indeed that some of the flowers may be found in the very first 
 few warm days of Spring. 
 
 " Welcome little Buttercups, 
 
 Oh, the pretty flowers, 
 Coming e'er the Spring time, 
 
 To tell of sunny hours. 
 While the trees are leafless, 
 
 While the fields are bare, 
 Golden, glossy Buttercups, 
 
 Spring up here and there. 
 
 " Welcome little Buttercups, 
 
 Welcome Daisies white, 
 Ye are in my spirit 
 
 Visioned a delight. 
 Coming e'er the Spring time, 
 
 Of sunny hours to tell, 
 Speaking to our heart of HIM, 
 
 Who doeth all things well." ^4. Strickland. 
 
 O.S. Great Spearwort.Grassy Crow-foot, Alpine White Crow- foot. Wood 
 Crow-foot, Pale Hairy Crow-foot, Corn Crow-foot, Small Flowered Crow- 
 foot; some of them not uncommon. They are called Crow-foot because 
 the leaves are spread out like the foot of a bird. 
 
Ill 
 
 CLASS 14. DIDYNAMIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with two long and two short Stamens.) 
 
 The plants of the class Didynamia, with the addition of Sage 
 and a few others, form the natural order Labiatse. They have a 
 great general resemblance to each other in the shape of the 
 flowers, which in all of them are of one petal, two-lipped, 
 either gaping or personate ; many are of strong and pleasant 
 scent, as the Lavender, and of valuable medicinal properties. 
 Few of them have showy flowers, and therefore few are culti- 
 vated as ornamental plants ; the Foxglove and the Snapdragon 
 are however exceptions. A greater number find a place in the 
 kitchen garden, being useful as potherbs ; among these we have 
 of native growth the Thyme, the Basil, the Marjoram, the 
 Horehound, and the useful tribe of the Mints, of which the 
 Pennyroyal is one. It is a difficult class for the young botanist, 
 particularly in distinguishing the various genera ; longer cha- 
 racters are therefore necessary. 
 
 Order 1. GYMNOSPERMIA. Seeds naked. 
 
 Note. All of this order have gaping flowers, borne in heads or whirls ; 
 square stems ; and opposite leaves. 
 
 * Vatyx five toothed, lut not lipped. 
 
 MINT, (Mentha.) Corolla tube short, limb nearly regular 
 four-cleft, the upper division notched ; stamens distant. 
 
 MARJORAM, (Origanum.) Corolla tube long ; limb two- 
 lipped, the upper lip nearly flat, lower of three nearly- 
 equal divisions ; stamens distant ; flowers attended with 
 numerous bracts. 
 
 GERMANDER, (Teucrium.) Corolla without the upper lip; 
 lower lip of five divisions, four small, like teeth, the 
 lowest large, rounded ; tube partly cleft ; stamens long. 
 
112 
 
 BUGLE, (Ajuga.) Corolla with a very small upper lip, and 
 that notched ; stamens long. 
 
 Note. The only real difference between these two last is, that the 
 corolla of Germander is cut at top partly down the tube, but here 
 the upper cut is not deeper than the rest. 
 
 BLACK HOREHOUND, (Ballota.) Corolla upper lip small, 
 notched or scolloped, a little hollow, "upright ; lower lip 
 three-cleft, the middle division broadest and emarginate. 
 
 HEMP NETTLE, (Lamium.) Tube of the corolla swelled ; 
 upper lip entire, arched, large ; lower lip two-lobed, and 
 toothed at the sides. 
 
 BETONY, (Betonica.) Tube of the corolla not swelled ; upper 
 lip erect, small ; lower lip three-cleft, spreading out, the 
 lower division largest and entire, or nearly so. 
 
 WOUND WORT, (Stachys.) Upper lip of the corolla arched, 
 small ; lower lip three-lobed, with the two side lobes bent 
 back, all entire or nearly so. 
 
 GROUND IVY, ( Glechoma.) Upper lip of the corolla two- 
 cleft ; lower lip three-lobed, middle lobe large, flat, and 
 with one notch ; anthers before bursting approaching in 
 pairs and forming two crosses. 
 
 * Calyx ten toothed. 
 
 HOREHOUND, (Marrubium.) Upper lip straight, narrow, 
 cleft ; lower lip three-lobed, the middle lobe large, with 
 one notch at the end ; stamens very short. 
 
 ** Calyx two lipped. 
 Upper lip three-toothed or cleft ; lower two-toothed. 
 
 THYME, (Thymus.) Corolla nearly regular, four-cleft, the 
 upper division broadest, flat, and with one notch ; lower 
 lip of three equal lobes. 
 
 SELF-HEAL, (Prunella.) Corolla with the upper lip nearly 
 entire and arched ; lower lip three-cleft ; filaments with 
 two teeth at the end, one of them bearing the anther. 
 
 Order 2. ANGIOSPERMIA. Seeds in a capsule. 
 
 The following have gaping flowers, but not in whirls, nor yet are 
 the stems square, nor leaves always opposite. 
 
113 
 
 Calyx irregular. 
 
 RED RATTLE, (Pedicularis.) Calyx deeply crenate and 
 jagged ; upper limb of the corolla flattened sideways, 
 arched ; lower one flat, three-lobed ; capsule two-celled. 
 
 ** Calyx five cleft. 
 TOAD FLAX, (Linaria.) Corolla personate, spurred ; upper 
 
 lip two-cleft ; lower lip three-cleft, swelled up in the 
 
 middle ; capsule swelled, of two cells, opening by teeth. 
 SNAP-DRAGON, (Antirrhinum.) Corolla as in Toad Flax, but 
 
 not spurred ; capsule of two cells, opening by three pores 
 
 at the end. 
 FIGWORT, (Scrophularia.) Corolla roundish, with two short 
 
 lips, the upper two-lobed, the lower three-lobed, the under 
 
 lobe bent back ; capsule two-celled, two-valved. 
 FOXGLOVE, (Digitalis.) Corolla bell-shaped, four or five- 
 
 lobed, unequal ; capsule ovate, of two cells. 
 VERVAIN, (Verbena.) Corolla tubular, nearly regularly five - 
 
 cleft ; stamens very short, sometimes only two ; seed 
 
 two or four in a very thin capsule. 
 
 ** Calyx four cleft. 
 
 BARTSIA, (Bartsia.) Upper lip of the corolla arched, en- 
 tire, lower lip three-cleft, equal, entire, bent back ; cap- 
 sule two-celled, many seeded. 
 
 EYE-BRIGHT, (Euphrasia.) Upper lip of the corolla cleft 
 and notched ; lower lip of three lobes, nearly equal, all 
 notched ; capsule two-celled. 
 
 YELLOW RATTLE, (Rhinanthus.) Calyx puffed out, upper 
 lip of the corolla flattened sideways ; lower lip three - 
 cleft, flat, each lobe entire ; capsule of two cells and two 
 lobes, blunt. 
 
 COW-WHEAT, (Melampyrum.) Upper lip of the corolla flat- 
 tened sideways, and turned back at the edge, lower three- 
 cleft ; capsule two-celled, two-seeded, opening on one side. 
 
 BROOM-RAPE, (Orobanche.) Calyx sometimes of only two 
 leaves, each of these being deeply cleft ; corolla four or 
 five-cleft, irregular ; capsule two-valved, many seeded. 
 
114 
 
 MINT. MENTHA. 
 
 HAIRY MINT. Mentha hirsuta. 
 
 Plate 8, jig. 8. 
 
 This is the only Mint which is really common ; it is found 
 almost everywhere on river banks, and in ditches, bearing its 
 flowers in very thick whirls at the top of and down the stem, in 
 the axils of the three or four upper pair of leaves. Flowers 
 pinkish-purple. Stamens longer than the corolla. Leaves 
 ovate, hairy, serrated, dark green, very generally tinged with 
 red or purple. Calyx hairy, with the hairs bent upwards. 
 Stem hairy, with the hairs bent downwards. The plant varies 
 much in size from a foot to three feet high, flowering in August 
 and September. The whole plant smells very strongly like 
 Peppermint. 
 
 O. S. Horse Mint, Round-leaved Mint, Spear Mint, which is so common 
 in gardens, and used to eat with peas, lamb, &c. ; Peppermint which yields 
 a fine and fragrant oil, and which oil is extracted thus : The plants are 
 first soaked in water for about a week, which softens the skins of the leaves 
 and the little bags that contain the oil. They are then put into a still with 
 salt water, and this being heated, the steam rises, and carries with it the 
 oil of the plants. The steam is now condensed by passing through a cold 
 copper or leaden vessel, and thus the oil which has passed over with the 
 water settles, and is taken care of. In the same way other vegetable oils 
 are made, as oil of Lavender. For example, a tea-spoonful, added to a 
 pint of spirits of wine, makes very excellent Lavender water ; or returning 
 again to the Peppermint, the same quantity added to a pound of melted 
 loaf sugar, and then suffered to fall a drop at a time on to a marble slab, 
 or a sheet of paper first rubbed with sweet oil, makes a like quantity of 
 superfine Peppermint drops. The other British species of Mint are the 
 Bergamot Mint, the Sharp-leaved Mint, the Tall Red Mint, the Bushy Red 
 Mint, the Narrow-leaved Mint, the Corn Mint, the Rugged Field Mint, and 
 the Penny-royal, 
 
 MARJORAM. ORIGANUM. 
 
 COMMON MARJORAM. Origanum vulgare. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 9. 
 
 Common only in dry chalky places, bearing its small red 
 pretty flowers which open in July, in large branched up- 
 right heads, that look like a large bunch all of flowers. These 
 flowers have not merely a calyx to defend them, but a number 
 of bracts or little leaves which fold over each other, sometimes 
 green, but more often tinged with purple. Leaves ovate, 
 blunt, some of them shortly stalked and entire. It grows 
 about a foot high, and now and then bears white flowers ; is 
 
115 
 
 used much by cooks on account of its very sweet, pleasant, 
 and aromatic flavor. 
 
 GERMANDER. TEUCRIUM. 
 
 WOOD GERMANDER, or WOOD-SAGE. Teucrium scorodonia. 
 Plate 8, fig. 10. 
 
 The Wood- Sage rears its compound spikes of flowers among 
 the bushes of dry thickets and heaths in July and August. 
 The flowers are of the most delicate cream- color, and the four 
 long stamens of a fine red. The calyx is five-cleft, with the 
 upper division much larger than the rest. The leaves stalked, 
 hairy, long heart-shaped, crenate, and very much wrinkled, 
 like a sage leaf, and from this the plant is called Wood- Sage. 
 Its taste is very bitter, and it grows two feet high. 
 
 O. S. Water Germander and Wall Germander both rare plants. 
 
 BUGLE. AJUGA. 
 
 COMMON BUGLE. Ajuga reptans. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 11. 
 
 The sides of ditches and the moist parts of meadows and 
 woods is where it grows from April to June its time of 
 flowering three to six inches its usual height. The lower 
 part of the stem lies on the ground, the flowering part is upright. 
 Leaves nearly smooth, fleshy, without stalks, ovate, crenate, 
 near together, and often tinged with purple. Flowers five or 
 six to each pair of leaves, blue or sometimes pink. 
 
 O. S. Pyramidal Bugle and Alpine Bugle both rare Scottish plants ; 
 Ground Pine or Yellow Bugle, not uncommon in the sandy fields of Kent 
 and Surrey. 
 
 BLACK HOREHOUND. BALLOTA. 
 
 COMMON BLACK HOREHOUND. Ballota nigra. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 12. 
 
 To be found in almost every hedge around London and 
 other cities and towns throughout the Summer and Autumn ; 
 a stiff, straggling, branched, upright plant, not very handsome, 
 with purple flowers that soon fall off, many of them together, 
 
116 
 
 forming whirls wherever the leaves are. Leaves ovate, stalked, 
 hairy, very deeply toothed. The whole plant of a very dis- 
 agreeable scent. 
 
 HEMP-NETTLE. GALEOPSJS. 
 
 COMMON HEMP-NETTLE. Galeopsis tetrahit. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 13. 
 
 A very juicy, hairy plant, that varies much in size, from a 
 few inches to two feet in height, growing in dry ditches, and 
 the borders of corn-fields. The flowers are in whirls, many 
 together, pale purple, with a long pointed calyx. The stem 
 is swelled below each joint. Leaves ovate, deeply serrated, 
 tapering into footstalks. 
 
 O. S. Red Hemp-nettle, Downy Hemp-nettle, and Large Flowered 
 Hemp-nettle. 
 
 DEAD-NETTLE. LAMIUM. 
 WHITE DEAD-NETTLE. Lamium album. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 14. 
 Flowers white. Tube of the calyx shorter than the points. 
 
 Abundant everywhere in the ditches and hedge-rows, known 
 at once by its white or cream-colored flowers, the tubes of 
 which are so loaded with honey that they are very sweet to 
 the taste, and a favorite resort of the bees, though the rough, 
 serrated leaves are distasteful to cattle. In flower from June 
 to September. 
 
 RED DEAB-NETTLE. Lamium purpureum. 
 PlateS, fig. 15. 
 
 Still more common than the last, and found in flower 
 throughout the year. Even in February and March to be seen 
 rearing its small, but beautifully pink and spotted flowers on 
 every bank, pathway, meadow, and hedge-row where it can 
 procure a gleam of sunshine, and enticing the bees at this 
 early season when flowers are scarce ; and there are few of 
 even a later season that yield them so sweet a banquet. Its 
 leaves are much crowded together on the top of the stem, and 
 
117 
 
 if it be considered a useless weed, hear how one of our poets 
 describes it, and pleads in its behalf. 
 
 " A little herb of dark red hue, 
 
 I met with in my walk. 
 On sunny bank it verdant grew, 
 In yonder hazel balk. 
 
 " Not earliest of the Spring it blows, 
 
 Yet earlier few appear. 
 Scarce melted have rough Winter's snows, 
 When it adorns the year. 
 
 " I think that neither ass nor sheep, 
 
 Will crop it as it feeds ; 
 And men will never care to reap, 
 But class it among weeds. 
 
 " It is a weed then why not throw 
 
 The useless thing away, 
 And in its place let others grow, 
 More sweet, and fair, and gay ? 
 
 " No, let it be ; despise it not, 
 
 For with it's homely smiles, 
 It brightens else a barren spot, 
 Perchance a care beguiles." J.R. 
 
 O.S. Henbit Dead-nettle Cut-leaved Dead-nettle, and Spotted Dead- 
 nettle. 
 
 BETONY. BETONICA. 
 
 WOOD BETONY. Betonica officinalis, 
 
 Plate 8, jig. 16. 
 
 Grows a foot or more in height, upright, with a single tuft 
 of flowers at the top of the unbranched stem, and one pair 
 of leaves in the middle of it. The flowers are pinkish-purple, 
 four or five in a whirl, and three or four whirls nearly close 
 together. Stem leaves nearly sessile, those from the root with 
 long stalks, ovate in shape and deeply toothed ; whole plant, 
 except the calyx, hairy. 
 
 Formerly the Wood Betony was much used in medicine, 
 and the ignorant village doctors of those days supposed that 
 it was possessed of almost every property, and capable of curing 
 all wounds and all diseases. Although a plant of no real 
 value, it is still much used in some country places, and in 
 Spain so highly esteemed that they consider it one of the 
 highest compliments to say of a man " He has as many virtues 
 as Betony." When the leaves are dried and pounded and 
 taken as snuff they excite very sudden and violent sneezing. 
 
118 
 
 WOUND-WORT. STACHYS. 
 HEDGE WOUND-WORT. Stachys sylvatica. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 17. 
 Stem solid. Leaves long, heart-shaped, stalked. 
 
 Frequent under hedges and in moist shady places, flowering 
 in July and August, attaining the height of two or three feet, 
 branched upwards, with eight or ten rather closely-set whirls 
 of flowers, six in each whirl. Corolla reddish-purple, spotted 
 with a darker red. Leaves between ovate and heart-shaped, 
 deeply serrated, and stalked, and as well as the stem and 
 calyx very rough with hairs. The whole plant is of a strong, 
 disagreeable smell. Root fibrous. 
 
 MARSH WOUND-WORT. Stachys palustris. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 18. 
 Leaves long, lance-shaped, sessile. 
 
 This grows chiefly on river banks, and in those open ditches 
 which intersect marsh land, growing two or three feet high, 
 with the whirled spike of flowers rather narrower than that of 
 the last plant. Leaves not so wide nor so rough, but longer, 
 without stalks, and clasping the stem, particularly those growing 
 on the upper part. The root too is very different, being in our 
 present plant composed of a number of tubers or fleshy bodies, 
 joined together in a string. 
 
 The name, Wound-wort, which this and the other species 
 bear, shows their former use they are not now considered of 
 any value. Gerarde, a physician and botanist, who lived 
 two hundred and fifty years ago, called it the " Clown's 
 Wound-wort, " and that for the following very ridiculous 
 reason. He says, " that a poor man wounded his leg with a 
 scythe, and that I offered to heale the same for charitie, which 
 he refused, saying * I could not heale it so well as himself:' 
 a clownish answer I confess, without any thankes for my 
 goodwill, whereupon I have named the plant he used " Clowne's 
 Wound-wort," as aforesaid. 
 
 O. S. Ambiguous Wound-wort, which in character is between the two 
 described ; Downy Wound- wort, the leaves of which are quite white and 
 downy ; Corn Wound-wort, and Pale Annual Wound-wort, a yellow flowered 
 sort found only in one place near Rochester. 
 
PLATE IX 
 
 
 f 
 
119 
 
 GROUND IVY. GLECHOMA. 
 
 GROUND IVY. Glechoma hederacea. 
 
 Plate 8, fig. 19. 
 
 " Gill go on the Ground," and " Runaway Jack," are two 
 of the common country names for the Ground Ivy and they 
 express truly its creeping habit, for it lies close to the earth, 
 and runs along on waste ground, in orchards, &c., sometimes 
 with shoots two or three feet in length, bearing three flowers 
 to each leaf all along the stem. Leaves heart or kidney- 
 shaped, stalked, hairy, and with scolloped edges. Flowers 
 blue, white towards the centre, and with two red or purple spots 
 upon the under lip. The stamens are joined together two and 
 two, so that the anthers of each pair form a cross. 
 
 It is of a bitter taste, and is often boiled or steeped in ale, 
 to which it gives a pleasant aromatic flavor, thus it is very 
 often called Alehoof or Alehave. Flowers all the summer. 
 
 WHITE HOREHOUND. MARRUBIUM. 
 
 COMMON HOREHOUND. Marrubium vulgare. 
 Plate 8, fig. 20. 
 
 An upright growing plant, frequent in dry situations, espe- 
 cially in the chalky parts of the South of England, flowering 
 in the latter part of Summer and Autumn. The leaves are 
 roundish, wrinkled, toothed, and stalked. Calyx with ten 
 hooked teeth. Corolla white. Stamens very short, and the 
 whole plant very white and downy. Horehound Tea is a well- 
 known remedy for coughs, and Candied Horehound is a still 
 more favorite preparation. 
 
 THYME. THYMUS. 
 
 COMMON THYME. Thymus serpyllum. 
 Plate 9, fig. 1. 
 
 Thyme is one of the most fragrant and abundant plants 
 that grow. There are few of us who do not know " many 
 a bank where the wild Thyme blows," where it spreads 
 its little woody stems, and puts out its little ovate leaves, 
 
120 
 
 and rears up its heads of little pink flowers, alluring by their 
 scent a thousand delicate insects, robbed by every vigilant bee, 
 and yet still so sweet. It was a happy thought of the ladies 
 of former times to represent activity by a bee hovering over a 
 sprig of Thyme, and thus to recommend to their favored knight 
 the union of the active and the sweet. In our country the 
 Thyme grows equally well on the overhanging cliff and the 
 sunny bank ; the lofty mountain side and the low and quiet 
 thicket : 
 
 " O'er fringed heaths, wide lawns, and mountain steeps, 
 With silent step the fragrant Thyma creeps." 
 
 Not in this country alone, but equally throughout Europe, 
 the slopes of the Alps and the Appenines, the fertile vales of 
 Italy and Sicily, and the barren mountain- sides of Greece and 
 Turkey are clothed with this sweet herb, and in the classic 
 regions of Thessaly and Athens it was considered indicative of 
 grace and elegance. Thus the ancient poets vie with the 
 moderns in its praise. Virgil talks of " the attic bees of the 
 flowery Hymettus " and in another place says, 
 
 " No more, my goats, shall I behold you climb 
 The steepy cliffs, or crop the flowering Thyrne." 
 
 Dry den's Virgil. 
 
 SELF-HEAL. PRUNELLA. 
 
 COMMON SELF-HEAL. Prunella vulgar is. 
 
 Plate 9, fig. 2. 
 
 Damp meadows, and other places, similar to those where 
 the Bugle is found ; here it grows a foot or more high, and 
 upright, but if found in a sunny situation it is very much 
 smaller, and more drooping. Its flowers are purple-reddish 
 or white, collected in a very close spike of whirls at the top 
 of the stem, with a pair of leaves alone under it. The leaves 
 are stalked, oblong, with a few hairs upon them. The lower 
 lip of the corolla is jagged the upper slightly notched. It 
 was formerly considered useful in curing wounds, but it is not 
 now employed. 
 
121 
 
 RED-RATTLE. PEDICULARIS. 
 TALL RED-RATTLE. Pedicularis palustris. 
 
 Plate 9, fig. 3. 
 Stem single, erect, branched near the top. Calyx hairy. 
 
 This, as well as the next species which is much like it, is 
 an elegant plant, though humble in growth, scarcely reaching 
 ten inches high, even in the shady and damp parts of woods, 
 where it grows the largest. Its flowers are of a fine dark 
 pink, stalked, and growing from the axils of the leaves. Its 
 calyx not toothed or lipped, as in all the rest of the class, but 
 puffed out, and deeply, but not regularly, scolloped on the 
 edge. The leaves are alternate, extremely handsome, being of 
 a beautiful fresh green color, and cleft down to the centre rib, 
 each of these clefts toothed on both edges. The capsule is 
 ovate, sharp -pointed, and with a long style projecting from it. 
 The stem is branched near the top, but not from the root. 
 
 MARSH RED-RATTLE. Pedicularis sylvatica. 
 Plate 9, fig. 4. 
 
 Stems two or three from the root, not branched. 
 
 This does not grow so tall as the last, and although there 
 are generally two or more stems rise from the ground to each 
 root, yet they are very dwarf, by no means upright, and 
 mostly quite hid by the short grass of the heaths and thickets 
 among which they are found. The greater part of the leaves, 
 too, are not cleft into so many divisions, and the lower ones are 
 very often not divided at all. They both flower at the same 
 time, that is about June and July. 
 
 TOAD-FLAX. LINARIA. 
 IVY-LEAVED TOAD-FLAX. Linaria cymbalaria. 
 
 Plate 9, fig. 5. 
 Stem trailing. Leaves alternate. Flowers purple. 
 
 Perhaps not a true native of Britain, but so easy of culture 
 and prolific of seed, so satisfied even with the nakedness of a 
 wall, and remaining so uninjured in every change of atmo- 
 
122 
 
 sphere, so often grown in pots, and made to spread itself over 
 shell and grotto work that this little fast-growing creeper 
 has found its way abroad, and may be seen trailing and blos- 
 soming the whole Summer long, and almost the Winter too, 
 over walls and thatch, and ruined buildings. Its stems are 
 numerous, very long, and thread-like. Its leaves alternate, 
 stalked, and five-lobed, like those of the Ivy but rather rounder. 
 A flower is borne with every leaf, and is sweetly pretty. The 
 upper lip is two-cleft and purple the lower lip three-cleft, 
 spurred, with two horns upon it, which swell up so as to close 
 the mouth of the flower. This swelling is yellow, the rest of 
 the lip light blue or lavender color. The under side of the 
 leaves and stems is purple. 
 
 YELLOW To AD -FLAX. Linaria vulgaris. 
 
 Plate 9, fig. 6. 
 Stem upright. Leaves scattered. Flowers yellow. 
 
 A fine, showy, upright, tall, smooth plant, with large, bright 
 yellow, crowded flowers, opening in August, and decorating 
 the banks of corn fields and hedge-rows. The leaves are 
 linear and scattered. The flowers lipped and personate, that 
 is closed at the mouth, the inner part of the flower orange. 
 Calyx small, smooth, and shorter than the spur. 
 
 O.S Round-leaved Toad-flax, Sharp-pointed Toad-flax, Creeping Pale 
 Blue Toad-flax, and Least Toad-flax. The two first not uncommon in 
 English corn fields. 
 
 SNAP-DRAGON. ANTIRRHINUM. 
 
 GREAT SNAP-DRAGON. Antirrhinum majus. 
 
 Plate g t 'fiff. 7. 
 
 One of the most showy plants, especially when grown in the 
 borders of gardens, as it frequently is putting on every tint 
 from the darkest crimson to the lightest pink, and some- 
 times white. It grows very frequently on the old castles, the 
 walls, and around the chalky cliffs and rocks of the South of 
 England. It is much branched, a foot or more high, flowering 
 in July and August, and bearing round large capsules, con- 
 taining thousands of seeds, and when ripe letting them out by 
 three pores or holes at the top of it. The flowers are some- 
 
123 
 
 times two inches long, and are crowded together in close spikes. 
 Leaves lanceolate. 
 O. S. Lesser Snapdragon not an uncommon plant in corn fields. 
 
 FIGWORT. SCROPHULARIA. 
 
 WATER FIGWORT. Scrophularia aquatica. 
 
 Plate 9, fig. 8. 
 
 On the side of ditches and river-banks, two or three feet 
 high, blossoming in July and August. The flowers are rin- 
 gent, their tube swelled out, so as to be nearly globular, and 
 each is half inclosed by a green, smooth, blunt-pointed calyx. 
 Upper lip of the corolla chocolate-colored, with a scale upon 
 it ; under lip of three parts, bent back, and pink-edged. 
 Flowers in little opposite distant branches, with a simple bract 
 beneath them. Leaves oval, toothed, stalked, opposite, often 
 winged with two very small leaves on the leaf-stalk. Stem 
 square with a wing at each edge. Capsule round, two-valved, 
 with many seeds. Root fibrous. The flowers are like little 
 helmets, and the capsules like little bullets. 
 
 O. S.~ Knotted Figwort, like the above, but with a knotted root; Balm- 
 leaved Figwort a very rare plant ; and Yellow Figwort an early and 
 beautiful Spring flower now and then found wild. 
 
 FOXGLOVE. DIGITALIS. 
 PURPLE FOXGLOVE. Digitalis purpurea. 
 
 Plate 9, fig. 9. 
 
 One of the tallest, most richly colored, and noblest plants 
 that our country produces. There are only two or three of 
 the Eastern Counties of England where it is not common. In 
 the West and the North it is particularly abundant, rendering 
 in the Summer and Autumn every thicket gay, raising aloft 
 in every hedge and bank its tall spire loaded with numerous 
 magnificent dropping bell-shaped and beautifully-spotted pur- 
 ple flowers, (sometimes white.) Its leaves are large, ovate, 
 serrated, and hairy. The calyx is a little hairy ; the capsule 
 quite smooth and pear-shaped, with a very long style at the 
 end of it. It is full of minute seeds. The flowers are each 
 nearly two inches long, and turn down all on the same side of 
 
124 
 
 the stalk ; a small, entire, hairy bract attends each of them. 
 The flowers are of that shape and size that they will go over a 
 finger, this is the origin of the Latin name, which means a 
 Thimble. They have also a similar name in England, France, 
 Holland, and Germany. In Suffolk and Essex they are called 
 Slobs, because the children pull off a flower, and with the 
 fingers of one hand closing up the mouth, and giving the other 
 end a slap, it bursts with a noise like the word blob. In 
 Ireland the flowers of the Foxglove are called by the name of 
 Fairy Fingers. 
 
 VERVAIN. VERBENA. 
 
 COMMON VERVAIN. Verbena officinalis. 
 Plate 9, Jig. 10. 
 
 The Vervain has nothing in its appearance to recommend 
 it ; it is a branched, upright, rigid, dark-green plant, with small 
 purple, almost regular flowers, growing all along the upper 
 part of all the branches. Leaves opposite, hairy, very deeply 
 cut. Seed-vessel oval, small, nearly covered with the calyx. 
 It flowers in July and August, and is found in dry, chalky or 
 gravelly places ; common in England, but rare in Scotland and 
 Ireland. It is a very different plant from that delightful 
 lemon -smelling, woody, little shrub which is frequent in the 
 greenhouses, and called Vervain or Verbena. 
 
 In former times our plant was celebrated as having a thou- 
 sand properties, and used in all important ceremonies. The 
 Druids regarded it with the utmost reverence, and the gather- 
 ing of it was attended with the greatest pomp and ceremony. 
 The Romans crowned their heralds with it, when declaring war 
 or making peace. 
 
 " A wreath of Vervain, heralds wear, 
 
 Amongst our garlands named ; 
 Being sent, that dreadful news to bear 
 Offensive war proclaimed." 
 
 It was dedicated among the ancients to Venus, who wore 
 a crown of Myrtle interwoven with Vervain, and to this day 
 the Germans give a hat of Vervain to the new-married bride, 
 as putting her under the protection of that goddess ; also iii 
 
125 
 
 the Northren Provinces of France, as well as the Southern 
 parts of England, it is considered by the ignorant and super- 
 stitious to have great power in keeping off diseases from 
 themselves and danger from their cattle, and what is of more 
 importance, they think that a sprig of the plant given to a 
 lover will rivet his heart upon the fair giver. 
 
 " There are fairer flowers that bloom on the lea, 
 
 And give out their fragrant scent to the gale ; 
 
 But the Vervain, with charmed leaf, shall be, 
 
 The plant of our choosing, though scentless and pale. 
 " For, wrapped in the veil of thy lowly flower, 
 They say that a powerful influence dwells. 
 And that, duly culled in the star-bright hour, 
 Thou bindest the heart by thy powerful spells." S. Waring. 
 
 BARTSIA. BARTSIA. 
 
 RED BARTSIA. Bartsia odontites. 
 Plate 9, fig. 11. 
 
 A very pretty, branched, upright plant, often found in corn- 
 fields, and on the chalky hillocks and neglected quarries of the 
 South of England ; it grows a foot or more high, and flowers, 
 like most of this class, in the latter part of Summer. The 
 stems are square. Leaves lance-shaped, serrated, and in pairs. 
 Flowers turning all the same way, ringent, purple, small, with 
 large, yellow, curious stamens. Calyx four-cleft. 
 
 O. S. Yellow Viscid Bartsia and Alpine Bartsia both of them rare. 
 
 EYE-BRIGHT. EUPHRASIA. 
 COMMON EYE-BRIGHT. Euphrasia officinalis. 
 
 Plate 9, fig. 12. 
 
 A humble growing plant, abundant equally on the Lowland 
 heath and the Highland pasture, varying much in size, from a 
 single flower and a simple stem, scarcely an inch in height, to 
 a branched herb of many inches. The flowers are sessile, 
 crowded towards the upper part of the stem ; two-lipped, the 
 upper lip notched, the lower three-lobed, each lobe notched 
 at the end, all of the most delicate white, striped with purple. 
 The leaves are opposite, small, ovate, hairy, with a few large 
 notches on their edges. Anthers with two curious projections 
 like spurs on the lower part of them, which vary much in 
 length and size. It was used formerly to make an ointment 
 
126 
 
 with, which was applied to cure dimness of sight ; thus the 
 plant got the name of Eye-bright. 
 
 YELLOW-RATTLE. RHINANTHUS. 
 
 COMMON YELLOW-RATTLE. Rhinanthus crista-galli. 
 Plate 9, jig. 13. 
 
 There are very few gaping flowered plants which are of a 
 yellow color, but this is one of them, and by far the most 
 common ; it may be found in almost every meadow, flowering 
 just before the hay is cut and also in many a pasture ground, 
 standing up and rattling its round capsules of seeds, at a 
 later period, while all the grass around has been cropped by 
 the cows, who refuse to eat this herb. The stem is square. 
 The leaves opposite, tapering towards the point, and deeply 
 serrated. Flowers towards the upper part of the stem, sessile, 
 one flower in the bosom of each leaf, of a yellow color, with two 
 bright blue spots on the upper lip. Calyx very much swelled, 
 four- toothed, beautifully veined, and very light green. Cap- 
 sule round, two-valved, many-seeded, with the seeds lapping 
 over each other at first, but when ripe loose in the capsule. 
 Whole plant quite smooth, a foot or more high, upright, not 
 much branched. 
 
 O. S. Larger Yellow-rattle found in corn fields in the North of England. 
 
 Note. The swelled calyces of the Yellow -rattles form very beautiful 
 vegetable skeletons, and so do also the calyces of the Henbane, of all the 
 Campanula tribe, of the Winter Cherry, and the Nicandra; the capsules 
 of the Poppy; the leaves of the Box, Apple, Poplar, Ivy.. Holly, Magnolia, 
 Passion Flower, Tulip Tree, &c. &c. They may be made readily thus : 
 Put a quantity of leaves, &c.. altogether in a pan or tub, cover them with 
 water, and in this state let them remain, without changing the water, 
 for six weeks or more, in the Summer, exposed to the sun and weather. 
 At the end of that time they will be quite finished, and will only require 
 to be washed clean and bleached, which last process is very simple : 
 Place the prepared leaves, first damped, in a close box, along with a little 
 brimstone burning in a pan or ladle, and in an hour they will be very white. 
 You will not succeed if the water is often changed, nor unless many are 
 done together indeed the more the better. 
 
 COW-WHEAT. MELAMPYRUM. 
 COMMON YELLOW COW-WHEAT. Melampyrum pratense. 
 
 Plate 9, fig. 14. 
 
 In thickets, copses, and woods, growing a foot high, slender 
 in habit, with opposite leaves, spreading branches, quite 
 
127 
 
 smooth all over, and turning quite black when drying. Leaves 
 opposite, long lance-shaped, entire. The bracts or the leaves 
 which grow among the flowers, have two or three very deep 
 teeth on each edge, near the base of them, and are tinged 
 with red. The calyx is short. The corolla four times as long, 
 and yellow. The seeds are black, two in each capsule, similar 
 in shape to the grains of wheat, whence the Latin name, which 
 means Black Wheat. 
 
 O. S. Crested Cow-wheat, Purple Cow-wheat, and Small Flowered 
 Yellow Cow-wheat. 
 
 BROOMRAPE. OROBANCHE. 
 
 GREAT BROOMRAPE. < Orolanche major. 
 Plate 9, fig. 15. 
 
 Did you ever in passing along a common where the furze 
 grows, or over a gravelly, healthy spot, see growing up among 
 the bushes a curious brown plant, with a large close spike of 
 gaping flowers, each with a little brown bract under it, with 
 a thick fleshy, brittle stem, knobbed at the ground, and bearing 
 upon it all the way up tapering scales, but no leaves, nor 
 branches ? If you have found this it is one of the Broomrapes ; 
 if not it is well worth the search, as an instance of a herb 
 which has nothing green about it, and also of a parasitic plant 
 or a vegetable blood-sucker, one which is unable to draw from 
 the earth or air its own sustenance, and therefore attaches its 
 roots to some other plant, and draws from that the nourishment 
 it needs. Its seeds too, which are borne in tens of thousands, 
 will not grow unless they touch the root of furze or heath, 
 or some other plant, but will remain uninjured in the ground 
 for years, until they gain such a protection and support; when 
 immediately they run their fibres into it, and in a month grow 
 a foot or more high, and put forth their curious flowers. 
 
 O. S. Clove-scented Broom-rape, Tall Broom-rape, Small Broom-rape, 
 Red Broom-rape, Purple Broom-rape, and Branched Broom-rape some of 
 them very rare. 
 
128 
 
 CLASS 15. TETRADYNAMIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants ivith four long and two short Stamens.) 
 Flowers of four Petals, opposite each other. 
 
 This class is the same as the natural order Cruciferse or 
 the Cruciform plants, so called because all belonging to it 
 have their four petals arranged in a cross : they also bear 
 their seeds in a short or long pod-shaped seed-vessel. The 
 properties of the whole are very similar, they assist digestion 
 greatly, and purify the blood. There have been discovered 
 about nine hundred different species belonging to the Cruci- 
 form tribe, which for the most part grow in the temperate re- 
 gions of the earth. England produces about seventy of these 
 species, some of which are well known, either as eatable vege- 
 tables or as garden flowers ; among them are the Sea Kale, the 
 Mustard and the Cress, the Cabbage, the Turnip, the Radish, 
 the Horse-Radish, the Woad, (which was the plant used by 
 the Ancient Britons in dyeing their skins blue,) the Water- 
 Cress, the Candy-tuft, the Wallflower, the Stock, the Gold 
 of Pleasure, and the Rocket, or Dame's-violet, which is 
 scentless all day, but fragrant in the evening. 
 
 Order 1. SILICULOSA. 
 
 Seed-vessel a short pod or pouch. 
 
 WART-CRESS, (Coronopus.) Pouch two-lobed, seeds two. 
 
 SHEPHERD'S PURSE, (Capsella.) Pouch heart-shaped, seeds 
 many. 
 
 SCURVY- GRASS, (Cochlearia.) Pouch round, swelled, many- 
 seeded* 
 
 WHITLOW-GRASS, (Draba.) Pouch oval, flat, many-seeded. 
 
129 
 
 ORDER 2. SILIQUOSA. 
 
 Seed-vessel a long narrow pod. 
 
 BITTER-CRESS, (Cardamine.) Pod long, thin ; valves flat, 
 without veins. 
 
 WINTER-CRESS, (Barbarea.) Pod two-edged ; valves veined 
 or keeled. 
 
 CRESS, (Nasturtium.) Pod round, sides hollow, neither valved 
 nor keeled. 
 
 HEDGE^MUSTARD, (Sisymorium.) Pod rounded; calyx spread- 
 ing. 
 
 TREACLE-MUSTARD, (Erysimum.) Pod four-sided ; calyx 
 erect. 
 
 WALLFLOWER, (Cheiranthus.) Pod flattened or two-edged. 
 
 CABBAGE, (Brassica.) Pod two-valved, rounded, with a long 
 beak ; calyx erect. 
 
 MUSTARD, (Sinapis.) Pod two-valved, round ; calyx spreading, 
 
 RADISH (Rhaphanus.) Pod without valves ; calyx erect. 
 
 WART-CRESS. CORONOPUS. 
 
 COMMON WART-CRESS. SWINE'S CRESS. C. Ruellii. 
 Plate 9, fig. 16. 
 
 In dry places, such as in waste ground, brick-fields, chalky 
 road-sides, &c. It is a bushy and spreading plant, not 
 growing above a few inches in height. The flowers are very 
 small, white, and in thick bunches from the base of the stalk 
 of the leaf. The pouch which succeeds is large in proportion 
 to the flower, beautifully crested, and contains two seeds. 
 Leaves much cleft into narrow stripes. The whole plant is 
 smooth, and tastes warm, like the common Garden Cress ; thus 
 it is often called Pepper-wort. 
 
 O. S. Smaller Wart-cress, which is not uncommon in the South of 
 England. 
 
 SHEPHERD'S PURSE. CAPSELLA. 
 COMMON SHEPHERD'S PURSE. Capsella Bursa-pastoris. 
 
 Plate 9, fig. 17. 
 By the sides of roads and on waste grounds everywhere, in 
 
130 
 
 flower from the early Spring till late in Summer. It is neither 
 handsome nor useful ; its flowers are extremely small, occupy- 
 ing all the upper part of the stem and branches, opening first 
 in the lower part, and gradually proceeding upwards, until 
 very soon flowers may be seen coming out at the top of the 
 stem, and the heart-shaped seed vessels opening and scattering 
 the ripe seeds below. The leaves are alternate, those on the 
 stem sessile, with two long projections, where they join the 
 stem. The root leaves winged to their base, and growing 
 round in a circle, close to the ground. Their shape is very 
 various, sometimes not at all divided, at other times deeply 
 cleft, and generally the drier the place where the plants grow 
 the more deeply divided they are. 
 
 SCURVY-GRASS. COCHLEARIA. 
 
 HORSE-RADISH. Cocklearia armoracia. 
 
 Plate 9, fiy. 18. 
 
 The Horse-radish will grow even from a small bit of the root 
 being put or left in the ground, and is cultivated in almost 
 every garden on account of its pungent flavor, and therefore 
 whether a native plant or not, it is now found frequently on 
 dunghills, on river-banks, and about the fields ; being, when 
 in flower, which is in July and August, of the height of three 
 or four feet, with very numerous branches of small white 
 flowers, which produce oblong, roundish, many-seeded pods. 
 The root-leaves are often two feet long, coarse in look, of a 
 dark green, much veined, serrated, and upon long stalks, while 
 the other leaves taper gradually down the stem. Many acres 
 of the Horse-radish are grown in every direction around 
 London for the markets. 
 
 O S. Common Scurvy-grass, found often in muddy places by the sea- 
 shore; Greenland Scurvy -grass, English Scurvy-grass, and Danish Scurvy- 
 grass ail of them rare. 
 
 WHITLOW-GRASS. DRABA. 
 COMMON WHITLOW-GRASS. Draba verna. 
 
 Plate 9, fig. 19. 
 
 One of the smallest and one of the earliest of our plants, 
 clothing the tops of the walls, and putting out its milk-white 
 
PLATE X 
 
 20 
 
131 
 
 flowers with the first return of Spring even in February it is 
 expanded and gay. The leaves grow in tufts around the root, 
 spreading out like a star, each leaf lance-shaped, and a little 
 toothed. The flower stems are an inch or two in height, and 
 without leaves. Petals deeply cleft, the seed vessels oval, 
 throwing off' their two sides, and leaving on the stalk only the 
 thin white membrane which divides the seed vessel. 
 
 ' I love thee pretty nursling 
 
 Of vernal sun and rain, 
 For thou art Flora's firstling, 
 And leaclest in her train," 
 
 O. S. Yellow Alpine Whitlow-grass, Rock Whitlow-grass, Twisted - 
 podded Whitlow-grass, and Speedwell-leaved Whitlow-grass, all of them 
 rare. 
 
 BITTER-CRESS. CARDAMINE. 
 COMMON BITTER-CRESS. Cardamine pratensls. 
 
 Plate 9, fig. 20. 
 
 From the early season of the year in which this plant blos- 
 soms it is often called the Cuckoo Flower, while from the 
 purity and delicate white color of its flowers it has most com- 
 monly the name of Lady's Frock ; all country children know 
 it by one or other of these names, and after Winter has passed 
 and the springing grass, the budding trees, and the opening 
 flowers entice them from the fireside, these Lady's Frocks 
 offer themselves already decked in beauty, and with the early 
 Yellow Pilewort, and Red Nettle, and the Blue Veronica, tend 
 to form a charming rustic nosegay of simple flowers indeed, 
 but not less perfect nor less brilliant than those of a later 
 period. Our present plant grows upright, eight or ten inches 
 high, tufted with flowers, or loaded with long round seed- 
 vessels, and bearing at intervals pinnate leaves, of narrow 
 sections on the upper part, but wider below, so that at and 
 round the root each small leaflet is shaped like an Ivy leaf. 
 
 O. S. Large Flowered Bitter-cress, Narrow-leaved Bitter-cress, Hairy 
 Bitter-cress, and Daisy-leaved Bitter-cress. 
 
 WINTER CRESS. BARB ARE A. 
 BITTER WINTER-CRESS. YELLOW ROCKET. Barbareamilyaris. 
 
 Plate 10, fig.l. 
 An upright, slightly branched, smooth herb, growing from 
 
132 
 
 one to two feet high, on the banks of streams, and in hedges, 
 flowering in the middle of the Summer. The flowers are 
 crowded on the top of the stems, of a yellow color, soon 
 changing into pointed seed-vessels. Stem leafy, angular, and 
 furrowed. Upper leaves ovate, toothed ; lower leaves lyrate, 
 all sessile. 
 
 CRESS. NASTURTIUM. 
 
 COMMON WATER- CRESS. Nasturtium officinale. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 2. 
 
 This is a well-known and highly useful salad, cultivated 
 around London abundantly for the use of the inhabitants, 
 besides vast quantities which the farmers' men bring up every 
 market day, gathered in the shallow brooks and rivulets 
 where it naturally flourishes. As soon as the frost has abated, 
 and the water flows along the little ditches arid watercourses, 
 then the pinnate leaves of the Water- cress grow quickly, its 
 crooked stem soon rises and puts forth its pretty white flowers, 
 to be succeeded by round swelled pods, which scatter their seeds 
 and die away. In the Autumn fresh leaves arise and grow 
 vigorously, often continuing alive and flourishing throughout 
 the winter. 
 
 O. S. Creeping Cress, Marsh Cress, and Amphibious Cress, 
 
 HEDGE -MUSTARD. SISYMBRIUM. 
 
 COMMON HEDGE-MUSTARD. Sisymbrium officinale. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 3. 
 
 A very rigid, upright plant, with flowers of a yellow color 
 in tufts at the top of long thin stems ; at once known by the 
 seed-vessels, which are long, and not lapping over each other, 
 but lying close to the stem itself. Wherever a branch issues from 
 the stem there is also a lobed or lyrate leaf, and in the radical 
 leaves the lobe at the end is round and much larger than the 
 rest, all of them hairy. It grows two feet high, on all waste 
 ground, and continues to flower throughout the Summer. 
 
 O. S. Broad Hedge-mustard, Fine-leaved Hedge-mustard, Common 
 Thale-cress neither of these are by any means rare, especially about 
 London. 
 
133 
 
 TREACLE-MUSTARD. ERYSIMUM. 
 GARLIC TREACLE-MUSTARD. Erysimum alliaria. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 4. 
 
 A light green, thin leaved, white flowered, and somewhat 
 pretty plant, common in hedges, and flowering in April, May, 
 and June. It grows upright, sometimes only a few inches, 
 at others two feet or more high. The leaves are heart-shaped, 
 toothed, smooth, and stalked. Seed-vessel does not grow straight 
 from the stalk, but more upwards. The whole plant smells 
 strongly something like garlic. 
 Q. S. -Worraseed Treacle-mustard and Hare's-ear Treacle-mustard, 
 
 WALLFLOWER. CHEIRANTHUS. 
 
 COMMON WALLFLOWER. Cheiranthus cheiri. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 5. 
 
 The cultivated Wallflower differs a little from its usual wild 
 state, but merely in having darker flowers, and growing larger. 
 The leaves are lance-shaped, sharp -pointed, without notches, 
 with a few closely-pressed hairs. The pods are long and thin. 
 The lobes of the stigma spread out, the stem shrubby, and 
 of many branches. It is in flower throughout the greater part 
 of the year, and loves to cling on the top of old walls. Hence 
 it has been truly said, 
 
 " The weed is green, when grey the wall, 
 And blossoms rise when turrets fall !" 
 
 And the circumstance has not been lost sight of by the 
 poets, many of whom have cherished its memory, and sung 
 its praises. Miss Twamley beautifully says, "The Wallflower 
 is properly considered the emblem of love in adversity, for it 
 never appears on the stately pile in its days of pride and 
 grandeur, but when the buttresses fall, and the walls totter ; 
 then the flower brings its beauty and fragrance to gladden the 
 solitary place, and by its cheerful smiles to rob the sad scene 
 of half its gloom." 
 
 " The Wallflower, the Wallflower, 
 
 How beautiful it blooms! 
 It gleams above the ruined tower, 
 
 Like sunlight over tombs. 
 It sheds a halo of repose, 
 
 Around the wrecks of time, 
 To beauty give the flaunting Rose, 
 
 The Wallflower is sublime. 
 
134 
 
 " Flower of the solitary place, 
 
 Grey ruin's golden crown. 
 That Jendest melancholy grace 
 
 To haunts of old renown : 
 That inantlest o'er the battlement, 
 
 By strife or storm decay'd, 
 And fillest up each envious rent. 
 
 Time's canker-tooth hath made. 
 
 " Sweet Wallflower, sweet Wallflower, 
 
 Thou conjurest up to me, 
 Full many a soft and sunny honr. 
 
 Of boyhood's thoughtless glee. 
 When joy from out the Daisies grew, 
 
 In woodland pastures green, 
 And Summer skies were far more blue. 
 
 Than since they e'er have been. 
 
 " Rich is the Pink the Lily gay, 
 
 The Rose is Summer's guest. 
 Rland are thy charms when these decay, 
 
 Of flowers first, last, and best. 
 There may be gaudier in the bower, 
 
 And statelier on the tree. 
 But Wallflower, loved Wallflower. 
 
 Thou art the flower for me." Moir. 
 
 CABBAGE. TURNIP. BRASSICA. 
 RAPE SEED. Brassica Najjus. 
 
 Plate 10, jig. 6. 
 Root tapering, fibrous. Leaves all smooth. 
 
 The various sorts of Cabbage are known from each other 
 chiefly from their leaves ; our present plant is found often in 
 corn-fields, growing one or two feet high. Its lower leaves are 
 deeply and irregularly toothed ; upper leaves of a long heart- 
 shape, entire, clasping the stem, which is branched. It is 
 often cultivated for the sake of the seeds, from which a large 
 quantity of a valuable oil is pressed, known by the name of 
 rape oil, and applied to a variety of purposes, while what re- 
 mains after the oil has been expressed affords a useful and 
 fattening food for cattle. 
 
 COMMON TURNIP. Brassica Rapa. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 7. 
 Root round, fleshy. Leaves rough. 
 
 The common and well-known vegetable the Turnip is but 
 one species of the Cabbage, and distinguished from the others 
 by the root, and the roughness of the lower leaves. It is often 
 
135 
 
 found growing in the borders of fields, and varies very much in 
 size and appearance. 
 
 SB A. CABBAGE. Brassica oleracea. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 8. 
 Root woody. All the leaves smooth, waved, and lobed. 
 
 In a truly wild state this is somewhat rare, being found only 
 in a few places near the sea, as its name implies, but in the 
 garden it is common enough, for our present species is 
 
 " That herb which o'er the whole terrestial globe 
 Doth flourish, and in great abundance yields 
 To low plebeian, and the haughty king, 
 In Summer Cabbage, and Green Sprouts in Spring." 
 
 Many other culinary vegetables which go by different names 
 are but varieties of the present species ; among these are the 
 Cauliflower and the Brocoli, the Savoy, the Borecole, the 
 Greencole, the Brussels Sprout, the Red Cabbage, the Scotch 
 Kale, and last and largest the Cow Cabbage. 
 
 O. S. Isle of Man Cabbage and Field Cabbage the last not very rare. 
 
 MUSTARD. SINAPIS. 
 CHARLOCK. WILD MUSTARD. Sinapis arvensis. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 9. 
 Pods with many angles, knotted, and with a two-edged beak. 
 
 Very common, not only on banks and in meadows, but in 
 corn fields, often so as to prove a troublesome weed. It grows 
 one or two feet high, is branched upwards, bears yellow 
 flowers, tapering knotted pods, with a two-edged beak to them. 
 Leaves all deeply indented and toothed. Seeds brown. 
 
 WHITE MUSTARD. Sinapis alba. 
 
 Plate W, fig. 10. 
 Pods rough, with a long sword-shaped beak. 
 
 This is common in waste places, and known from the last 
 by the color of the seeds which is yellow, the shape of the 
 seed-vessel, and the leaves, those of the Charlock being more 
 deeply cut, and the whole plant more hairy. This plant is 
 sown in the Spring along with Cres^ for a young salad, 
 
136 
 
 and so rapidly do the seeds vegetate that they will begin to 
 shoot in a few hours, and in two or three days a salad may be 
 cut, if the growth of them be assisted by the heat of a room, 
 &c. Thus it is very common to cover over a glass bottle with 
 flannel, to wet this, and then to rub Mustard or Cress seed 
 upon it, where it will adhere, and soon begin to grow, if 
 placed in a saucer of water. 
 
 COMMON MUSTARD. Sinapis nigra. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 11. 
 Pods four-cornered, with a short beak. 
 
 In waste places and under hedges also cultivated in great 
 abundance in many places for the sake of the seeds, which are 
 ground up, and used at the table. This plant differs in many 
 respects from both the former. Its pods are much smaller, 
 shorter, quite smooth, and with a short style or beak, and 
 pressed much closer to the stem. The lower leaves large and 
 rough the upper narrow, long, and smooth. Seeds black. 
 
 O. S Hoary Mustard, Sand Mustard, and Fine-leaved Mustard, the last 
 common in waste places, about towns even in the midst of London. 
 
 RADISH. RAPHANUS. 
 WILD RADISH. Raphanus raphanistrum. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 12. 
 
 Pods round, jointed, smooth, of one cell only. Stem rough 
 with transparent hairs. Leaves all stalked, lower ones lyrate, 
 upper ones lance-shaped, all toothed. Flowers yellow, veined. 
 This is most like the Charlock, or Wild Mustard, and is often 
 called the Jointed Charlock it differs from it in having the 
 calyx upright, instead of being spread out, and in the pod, 
 which breaks off into pieces when the seeds are ripe. 
 
 O. S. Sea Radish, a very rare plant, found only hi one or two places, 
 and perhaps not distinct from that above described. 
 
137 
 
 CLASS 16. -MONODELPHIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants whose Stamens are collected together in 
 one bundle.) 
 
 Plants of the most elegant structure, vivid colors, and useful 
 properties, are found among those which are classed here, as 
 the graceful and grateful Tamarind, the radiant Passion Flower, 
 the numerous species of the Geraniums and Mallows, the 
 valuable Cotton Tree, the Tea Tree, and that largest production 
 of the whole vegetable kingdom, the Baobab or Monkey 
 Bread of Africa. This class, however, is not an extensive 
 one of British plants there are but twenty -two, and of these 
 but few are rare. The whole may be eaten without danger, 
 for no plant belongs to Monodelphia of poisonous qualities 
 on the contrary, many of them are valuable in medicine on 
 account of their soothing and softening properties. 
 
 Order 1. PENTANDRIA. Five Stamens. 
 STORK'S-BILL, (Erodium.) Style one ; calyx of five leaves ; 
 corolla of five petals ; awn of the seed hairy inside. 
 
 Order 2. DECANDRIA. Ten Stamens. 
 CRANE'S-BILL, (Geranium.) Style one ; calyx of five leaves ; 
 corolla of five petals ; awn without hairs. 
 
 Note. The joining together of the filaments in these two genera is 
 hardly to be seen, as it is only at the base of them where they are 
 joined. Thus one of them may at first be considered as of the fifth 
 and the other of the tenth class. 
 
 Order 3. POLYANDRIA. Many Stamens. 
 MALLOW, (Malva.) Styles many ; calyx double, exterior of 
 three leaves. 
 
 STORK'S-BILL. ERODIUM. 
 HEMLOCK STORK'S-BILL. Erodium cicutarium. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 13. 
 On waste grounds and heaths, spreading all its leaves and 
 
138 
 
 flower stalks close to the ground, though creeping along for 
 several inches on every side. The flowers are of the most 
 delicate pink color, several of them upon the same stem. 
 Leaves hairy, pinnate, with the leaflets alternate, sessile, cleft, 
 and irregularly toothed. It is in flower during the Summer 
 months. 
 
 O. S. Musky Stork's-bill and Sea-side Stork's- bill. 
 
 CRANE'S-BILL. GERANIUM. 
 HERB ROBERT. Geranium Robertianum. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 14. 
 Leaves triangular, twice compound. Calyx hairy. 
 
 One of the most common of English Geraniums also, one 
 of the most elegant ; it trails over the hedges, becoming a 
 much-branched plant, having hairy stems, and opposite leaves 
 with bracts at the base of each, as well as upon the flower 
 stalks, which rise from the axils of the leaves. The flowers 
 are two together, enclosed each in a hairy calyx. Petals pink, 
 and beautifully veined. The plant has a disagreeable smell, is 
 very brittle, and tinged all over with a fine red. 
 
 The wonderful manner in which all of this tribe discharge 
 their seeds is well worth the most attentive observation. The 
 seeds are five to each flower, set round in a circle, and each 
 lying in a cup-shaped vessel, with a long elastic stalk to it. 
 These stalks continue to grow longer and longer, and more 
 and more elastic, while the seed gets riper and looser in the 
 cup, until at length the elastic stalks becoming separated from 
 the centre column to which they are fixed at the top, suddenly 
 fly out, and curling up at the same time, the seed is jerked to 
 the distance of many inches from the parent. In the Plate 
 the seed-vessel is seen after the seed is dispersed, and in the 
 Plate of the next species it is seen when ripening. In the 
 genus Erodium, or Stork's-bill, the awns or stalks become 
 twisted round at the same time that they fly out, and this is 
 almost the only difference between that genus and Geranium, 
 except indeed that the awns of Erodium are bearded on the 
 inner side. The number of stamens is not to be depended upon. 
 
139 
 
 SOFT DOVE'S-FOOT CRANE'S-BILL. Geranium molle. 
 
 Plate 10, fiy. 15. 
 Leaves alternate, rounded, downy. Petals notched. 
 
 A trailing plant of but a few inches in extent, laying its 
 many stems close to the ground, upon dry banks and road- 
 sides. It may be known at once by its rounded, cleft, toothed, 
 alternate, downy, and stalked leaves, by its flowering stalks 
 which grow opposite to each leaf, and particularly by its petals, 
 which are cleft at the end. Capsule wrinkled. Seeds smooth. 
 Its flowers are small, pink, two on a stalk, with ten stamens, 
 coming out in June and July, while in a month or two after- 
 wards the seeds will have become ripe, and the whole plant 
 died away it is but an annual, as are also all the Geraniums 
 here described. 
 
 SMALL-FLOWERED CRANE'S-BILL. Geranium pusillum. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 16. 
 Leaves alternate, kidney- shaped, deeply cleft. Petals notched. 
 
 Often found in dry, gravelly places, but not so common as 
 either the last, or the next it spreads over the ground in the 
 same manner, has trailing stems, and bears flowers at the same 
 season it differs from the Geranium molle in having its leaves 
 much more deeply cut, and the lobes of them distant from each 
 other. Its capsules are not wrinkled, and its seeds smooth. 
 The flowers have but five perfect stamens. 
 
 JAGGED-LEAVED CRANE'S-BILL. Geranium dissectum. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 17. 
 Leaves cut into narrow strips. Seeds dotted. 
 
 The only common English Geranium like this is the Gera- 
 nium pusillum, from which it is known by the smooth seeds, 
 more deeply -divided leaves, and shorter flower stalks. This 
 species is extremely abundant on dry banks, trailing on the 
 ground, and mostly with its leaves and stems tinged with a 
 deep red color, very much more so than in the two last-described 
 species. Flowers throughout the Summer. 
 
140 
 
 O. S. Long-stalked Crane's-bill, a good deal like the last, and not very 
 rave ; Round-leaved Crane's bill, which is similar in appearance to Gera- 
 nium molle ; Mountain Crane's-bill, Blue Meadow Crane's-bill, Wood 
 Crane's-bill, Dusky Crane's-bill, Blood red Crane's-bill, all handsome 
 perennial plants, occasionally found in woods and thickets, and Shining 
 Crane's-bill, a pretty annual in some places common. 
 
 MALLOW. MALVA. 
 COMMON MALLOW. Malva sylvestris. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 18. 
 Leaves seven-lobed, rather sharp. Stem erect. 
 
 A large straggling plant, of the height of two or three feet, 
 that grows upon rubbish heaps, and by the sides of the high- 
 ways, producing its flowers in June and July. Its leaves are 
 divided into seven rather sharp lobes. Its flowers three or 
 four together, of five large, narrow, heart-shaped, spreading 
 petals, pink colored with darker veins, and inclosed in a 
 double calyx ; the outer one of three leaves. Whole plant 
 hairy and rough to the touch. Seeds several, set roimd in a 
 circle plucked and eaten by children under the name of 
 Cheeses. 
 
 DWARF MALLOW. Malva rotundifolia. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 19. 
 Leaves five-lobed, round. Stem prostrate. 
 
 The smaller, round-leaved or Dwarf Mallow, grows on road- 
 sides, under walls and such places, lying on the ground, and 
 readily known by its much smaller size, its pale flowers, its 
 roundish leaves of five blunt lobes, and its drooping fruit stalks. 
 
 MUSK MALLOW. Malva moschata. 
 
 Plate 10, fig. 20. 
 Leaves five-lobed, lobes again cleft. Outer calyx narrow. 
 
 This is a most beautiful plant, quite upright in growth, and 
 with very large rose-colored flowers, and a bunch of red 
 stamens within them. The root leaves are of five or seven 
 broad lobes. The stem leaves of five very deeply- divided lobes. 
 The whole plant hairy, and when drawn through the hand 
 leaving a faint smell of musk. It loves to grow on deep loamy 
 or clayey places, but not where the soil is wet. Flowers in 
 July and August. 
 
141 
 
 CLASS 17. DIADELPHIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with Stamens in two bundles.) 
 Flowers pea-shaped. Fruit a pod. 
 
 This is another natural and highly-important class, very 
 nearly the same as the order Leguminosae ; the plants of it 
 having all pod-shaped seed vessels and pea-shaped flowers. 
 Many very beautiful British plants are found to have this 
 character, most of which are so common as to be well known 
 as the Furze, the Broom, the Tare, and the Clover, besides 
 these and others described, we have the Milk-vetch, the 
 Horse-shoe-vetch, the Saint-foin, and the Lucerne. 
 
 The Foreign plants of Diadelphia are exceedingly interesting, 
 and many of them favourite garden productions, particularly 
 the Lupins, the Bean, Pea, Kidney Bean, Laburnum, Robinia, 
 Bladder Senna, Coronilla, Liquorice, Goat's rue or Galega, 
 Astragalus, and others of equal interest and importance. 
 
 Order 1. HEXANDRIA. Six Stamens. 
 FUMITORY, (Fumaria.) Calyx two-leaved ; petals four ; pod 
 round and one -seeded. 
 
 Order 2. OCTANDRIA. Eight Stamens. 
 MILK-WORT, (Polygala.) Calyx of five leaves, two of them 
 wing-like. 
 
 Order 3. DECANDRIA. Ten Stamens. 
 * Stamens connected together at the base. 
 FURZE, (Uleoc.) Calyx two-leaved ; pod swelled, short. 
 GREEN WEED, (Genista.) Calyx two-lipped, upper deeply cleft, 
 BROOM, (Cytisus.) Calyx two-lipped, upper nearly entire. 
 REST-HARROW, (Ononis.) Calyx of five very narrow clefts. 
 KIDNEY-VETCH, (Anthyllus.) Calyx swelled, five-toothed. 
 
142 
 
 : * Stamens in two bundles, nine united, and one free. 
 
 BITTER-VETCH, (Orolus.) Style linear, downy ; leaves with- 
 out tendrils. 
 
 VETCHLING, (Lathyrus.) Style flat, downy ; leaves with 
 tendrils. 
 
 VETCH, (Vicia.) Style furnished with a tuft of hair. 
 
 TARE, (Ervum.) Stigma downy all over. 
 
 BIRD'S-FOOT, (Ornithopus.) Pods many together, jointed. 
 
 MELILOT, (Melilotus.) Pods longer than the calyx ; flowers 
 in spikes. 
 
 CLOVER, (Trefoil.') Pods shorter than the calyx ; flowers in 
 heads. 
 
 BIRD'S-FOOT TREFOIL, (Lottis.} Pod long, swelled, and straight. 
 
 MEDICK, (Medicayo.) Pods sword-shaped or twisted. 
 
 FUMITORY. FUMARIA. 
 
 COMMON FUMITORY. Fumaria officinalis. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 1. 
 
 Found chiefly in cultivated ground, or where the earth has 
 been turned over for building. It is a beautiful, little, juicy, 
 brittle plant, bearing from June to September numerous long 
 bunches of dark pink flowers, which are succeeded by nearly- 
 round one-seeded pods. The calyx falls off witli the petals, 
 and the lowermost of these is spurred at the base. The leaves 
 are twice or thrice compound, and on long stalks. 
 
 O. S. Ramping Fumitory and Small-Flowered Fumitory. 
 
 MILKWORT. POLYGALA. 
 
 COMMON MILKWORT. Polygala vulgaris. 
 Plate l\,fig. 2. 
 
 A little tufted plant, abundant on all heaths, flowering in 
 June. It has several simple stems, bearing many flowers near 
 4he top of them, either blue, pink, or white. The calyx is of 
 five pieces, three of them small ; the other two clasping the 
 fiower like two wings, and becoming colored like the corolla. 
 Leaves small, narrow, or ovate, and with stalks. 
 
PLATE XI 
 
143 
 
 FURZE. ULEX. 
 COMMON FURZE, WHIN, or GORSE. Ulex Europaus. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 3. 
 
 Covering with its golden flowers almost all the commons of 
 the United Kingdom, nearly throughout the year ; so con- 
 stantly, indeed, that it is in many parts of the country a popu- 
 lar saying, that when the " Furze is out of blossom, kissing is 
 out of favor." 
 
 " On me such beauty Summer pours. 
 That I am covered o'er with flowers; 
 
 And when the frost is in the sky, 
 My branches are so fresh and gay, 
 That you might look at me and say. 
 
 This plant can never die. 
 The butterfly, all green and gold, 
 
 To me hath often flown, 
 Here in my blossoms to behold, 
 
 Wings lovely as his own." Wordsworth. 
 
 It is the only instance of a native shrub without leaves ; for 
 instead of them it bears on its various branches thousands of 
 long, sharp, branched thorns, and when these are intermixed 
 with the very numerous golden flowers, it is really a splendid 
 and interesting plant. 
 
 " For the golden bud lives in a weapon-girt bower, 
 All around and about her are guardians of power, 
 And countless spears valiantly set." 
 
 Abundant as the Gorse is with us, yet in the Highlands of 
 Scotland it is rare, and wholly unknown in Sweden, the 
 native country of the great Linnaeus, who had never seen this 
 plant grow till he came to England : when passing through a 
 lane where a large Furze bush was in full blossom, he stopped 
 to admire it, and forgetting his company, and the place where 
 he was he, in raptures of delight, and with a sincere and 
 grateful heart, fell upon his knees, and thanked God that he 
 had lived to see so beautiful a plant. Happy is he who looks at 
 the beauties and bounties of nature with a joyous and a thankful 
 heart! 
 
 The poorer people of the country cut down the Furze for 
 winter firing, and for covering sheds and common buildings. 
 In many parts, however, it grows faster than is the consumption, 
 and in this case, it is common to set whole fields of it on fire, 
 
144 
 
 in order somewhat to clear the ground. When this is done in 
 the Autumn, or gloomy Winter's night, as it generally is, 
 nothing can exceed the grandeur of such a spectacle. At first 
 a mere speck of light is seen, and quivering flames struggle 
 through the heath bushes that are around, but as the flames 
 gather strength from the increase of fuel, they burn vividly, 
 brightening up rock, mountain, and valley with their red and 
 brilliant glare at one time the light diminishes, then again, as 
 a fresh gust of wind catches it, it spreads over the whole 
 prospect brightening and enlarging in its progress roaring 
 and rushing forward the bushes crackling the smoke driven 
 off in clouds until at last the fire expends itself, and all is 
 dark again. 
 
 " O ! 'tis a scene sublime and dire 
 To see a billowy sea of fire 
 Rolline its fierce and flaky food 
 O'er mountains high, and tangled wood," 
 
 O. S. We have only one other species, the Dwarf Furze, which in 
 many places is as common as the above. 
 
 GREENWEED. GENISTA. 
 DYER'S GREENWEED. WOD-WAXEN. Genista tincforia. 
 
 Plate U,fiff. 4. 
 
 In fields, thickets, &c., an upright, branched, thornless 
 plant, one or two feet high, flowering in July and August. 
 Leaves lance-shaped, nearly smooth, and rather distant. Flowers 
 yellow, almost sessile, with a small bract at the base. Pod 
 smooth. Calyx of five nearly equal cuts. The flowers when 
 boiled produce a yellow color, which is used by the dyers to 
 stain woollen yarn with, and for that which is to be afterwards 
 green they prefer it to Weld, (for which see page 85.) 
 
 O. S. Flairy Greenweed, and Needle Greenweed, or Petty Whin, which 
 is not uncommon on heathy ground it is rather thorny, and with prostrate 
 stems. 
 
 CYTISUS. BROOM. 
 
 COMMON BROOM. Cytisus scoparium. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 5. 
 
 Plant upright, three or four feet high, flowering in June* 
 abundant on heathy and hilly ground. Branches long, straight 
 
145 
 
 and green. Flowers large, spreading widely open, bright 
 yellow, upon short stalks, in a small, close, five-toothed calyx. 
 Pods long, flat, hairy on the edges, and dark brown. Leavei 
 formed of three oblong leaflets. Such is : 
 
 The broom, the broom, the bonny, bonny broom, 
 The broom of the Covvden knowes, 
 
 so often alluded to by the poets and so famous in English 
 story. It was once called Planta Genista, whence arose the 
 word Plantagenet ; " and fourteen princes of the family of 
 Plantagenet sat on the throne of England for upwards of three 
 hundred years, and yet very few of our countrymen know either 
 the reason of that name or the meaning of it. History tells us 
 that Geoffry, Count of Anjou, acquired the surname of Plan- 
 tagenet from the incident of his wearing a sprig of Broom on 
 his helmet on a day of battle, This Geoffry married Matilda 
 or Maud, the daughter of Henry I. and from them were 
 descended almost all our Edwards, Richards, and Henries." 
 
 " Afar from the cultured haunts of men, 
 
 Where nature hath chanced thy seed to fling, 
 In the turf-covered wild, or the woodland glen, 
 I've seen thee unfold 'mid the blossoms of Spring. 
 
 " The chieftain, who bore thee high on his crest, 
 And bequeath'd to his race thy simple name, 
 Long ages ago hath sunk to his rest, 
 And only survives in the still voice of fame. 
 
 " Though the feeblest thing that nature e'er formed, 
 
 A frail and perishing flower art thou j 
 Yet thy race has survived a thousand storms, 
 That have made the monarch and warrior bow. 
 
 41 The storied urn may be crumbled to dust. 
 Time may the coin, or the statue deface, 
 But thou wilt be faithful and firm to thy trust, 
 The memorial flower of a princely race." 
 
 Altered from a Poem by S. Waring. 
 
 The common name of the plant shows the use to which it is 
 usually put. The young shoots are bitter, and have been 
 employed in medicine also, the buds are often pickled and 
 used as capers. 
 
 REST-HARROW. ONONIS. 
 COMMON REST-HARROW. Ononis arvensis. 
 
 Plate ll,/<7.6. 
 
 A shrubby, hairy, dwarf, mostly thorny plant, which spreads 
 itself over commons and barren places, flowering in the middle 
 
 L 
 
146 
 
 of Summer. Leaves ovate the lower ones of three leaflets, 
 serrated. Flowers large, rose colored, nearly sessile, either 
 alone, or two together, borne all along the stem. Calyx 
 shorter than the flower, but longer than the pod, which is two 
 or three-seeded. This is a perennial plant. 
 
 O. S. Small Spreading Rest Harrow, a prostrate annual, lately dis- 
 covered in a wild part of Scotland. 
 
 KIDNEY-VETCH. ANTHYLLUS. 
 COMMON KIDNEY-VETCH. LADY'S FINGERS. A. vulneraria. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 7. 
 
 This little darling grows along and among the grass in 
 pastures, and on hill-sides, flowering in June, and having 
 much of the appearance of Bird's -foot Trefoil but is at once 
 known by its pinnate leaves, and the heads of flowers being in 
 pairs. The pinnate leaves have from five to nine leaflets, 
 which are entire and hairy. The flowers are of a fine bright 
 yellow color, in crowded heads, with hairy calyces, and large 
 finger-shaped bracts. 
 
 BITTER-VETCH. OROBUS. 
 TUBEROUS BITTER-VETCH. Orolus tulerosus. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 8. 
 
 In thickets, flowering in May, growing eight or ten inches 
 high. Leaves pinnate, of from two to four pair of leaflets, 
 without any leaflet or tendril to the end. Stipules half arrow- 
 shaped. Stem erect, winged, not branched. Flowers purple, 
 veined, in long stalked bunches. Pods long, hanging down, 
 round, black. Root tuberous. Sometimes eaten by the 
 Highlanders. 
 
 O. S. Black Bitter-Vetch, often grown in gardens, found wild in Scot- 
 land only ; it turns black in drying Wood Bitter-Vetch, a whitish-flowered 
 species, found in the Northern Counties. 
 
 VETCHLING. LATHYRUS. 
 MEADOW VETCHLING. Lathyrus pratensis. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 9. 
 
 An exceedingly common, and very beautiful, yellow- flowered 
 plant, that climbs among the bushes in the thickets and hedge- 
 
147 
 
 rows. The flowers are large and showy, eight or ten of them 
 upon a stalk. Leaves formed of two lance- shaped leaflets, and 
 a long, two or three-cleft, twisted tendril. Stipules as large 
 as the leaves, growing at every joint along the stem and 
 branches. Pods long, smooth, and black. Cattle are very 
 fond of this plant. 
 
 O. S. Yellow Vetchling, Crimson Vetchling, or Grass-Vetch, Rough- 
 podded Vetchling, Blue Marsh Vetchling, Narrow-leaved Everlasting 
 Pea, Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea, very often grown in gardens, and 
 - 
 
 VETCH. VICIA. 
 
 TUFTED VETCH. Vicia cracca. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 10. 
 Stem climbing. Flowers on long stalks, many together. 
 
 One of the most elegant plants, well deserving a place in 
 the gardens, for when trained upon two or three sticks, as 
 Sweet Peas are, it forms a fine, flowering, graceful plant, of 
 some feet in height. When it climbs among the hedges, its 
 long, upright bunches of fine blue, drooping flowers, nume- 
 rous as they are beautiful, always attract attention, for at every 
 leaf throughout the whole plant, a flower stalk grows, and this 
 bears, perhaps, thirty flowers, close together, and lapping over 
 each other, so as to appear as a spike of the most vivid blue. 
 The leaves are of about ten pair of slightly-hairy leaflets, and 
 ending in a much-branched, long tendril. Pods smooth. 
 
 COMMON VETCH. Vicia sativa. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 11. 
 Stem upright. Flowers nearly sessile, two together. 
 
 It may be doubted if the Common Vetch or Tare, as it is 
 called, be really a native plant, through it is so often cultivated 
 either alone or with Rye Grass, as a green Spring food for 
 cattle. It mostly grows upright, blossoms in May or June, 
 bears about two flowers together, and these are of a reddish- 
 purple color, very nearly sessile. The leaves are pinnate, 
 with a branched tendril. Leaflets from two to six pair, and, 
 
148 
 
 as well as the stem, the leaf- stalks, the tendrils, and the pods, 
 all more or less hairy. Stipules small, with a black spot upon 
 each of them. Pod many seeded. Seeds quite smooth they 
 are a favorite food with pigeons. 
 
 O. S. Wood Vetch, found in the North; Narrow-leaved Crimson Vetch, 
 Spring Vetch, Rough-podded Yellow Vetch, Hairy Yellow Vetch, Smooth- 
 podded Vetch, Rough-podded Purple Vetch, and Bush Vetch, the last by 
 no means rare. 
 
 TARE. ERVUM. 
 
 HAIRY TARE. Ervum hirsutum. 
 
 Plate 11, Jiff. 12. 
 
 This is but too common among the corn, creeping along for 
 two or three feet from the root, twisting around and clasping 
 hold of every thing it comes near to, and sometimes so abundant 
 that whole fields of corn are materially damaged by it. The 
 stem is square, very weak, and slender. The flowers blue, 
 very small, and insignificant, five or six together, on a long 
 stalk. Leaves of many pairs of leaflets, and ending in a branched 
 tendril. Leaflets truncate, that is, cut off at the end with a 
 point in the middle. Stem and pods hairy the latter two- 
 seeded. 
 
 This is justly alluded to in the Holy Scriptures, as a weed, 
 not only worthless in itself, but choking plants of nobler uses. 
 A Tare then amongst the Wheat well represents the idle and 
 ungrateful, who cramp the exertions and stifle the resolves of 
 the industrious and the benevolent. 
 
 O. S. Four-seeded Tare, almost as baneful as the former, but more 
 rare. It bears only two flowers together, and its pods are smooth, and 
 four-seeded. 
 
 BIRD'S-FOOT. ORNITHOPUS. 
 
 COMMON BIRD'S-FOOT. Ornithopus perpusillus. 
 
 Plate II, fig. 13. 
 
 One of the most beautiful little plants, rare in Scotland, but 
 in the sandy and gravelly parts of England, one of the most 
 common ; it creeps on the ground, with five or six little stems, 
 not above three or four inches in length. The flowers are very 
 small and most delicate, of a whitish -pink color striped with 
 purple, and many of them together in a headeach head of 
 
149 
 
 flowers attended by an elegant, pinnate leaf, like those on the 
 rest of the plant, which are formed of eight or ten pair of 
 opposite, ovate leaflets, with one at the end. The pods are 
 curved upwards and beautifully jointed, like a bird's-foot, 
 hence the name. 
 
 " Did you ever see the Bird's-foot, 
 
 When growing on the sand, 
 A pretty, little, spreading plant, 
 Scarce larger than your hand ? 
 
 " Did you e'er see its whitish flowers, 
 
 All striped and tinged with red, 
 Attended by a light green leaf, 
 And gathered in a head ? 
 
 " Did you e'er see the leaves themselves, 
 
 Of little leaflets made, 
 Or pluck its curved and jointed fruit? 
 If so you've been repaid. 
 
 " If not go search the commons round, 
 
 'Tis delicate and fair, 
 And though so often called a weed 
 It well deserves your care." 
 
 MELILOT. MELILOTUS. 
 COMMON YELLOW MELILOT. Melilotus officinalis. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 14. 
 
 This grows in the same climbing manner as the Tufted 
 Vetch, before described, and if cultivated would form as hand- 
 some a plant ; that is blue, but our present has yellow flowers, 
 crowded together on one-sided spikes rising from the axils 
 of the leaves. The leaves are in threes, each leaflet ovate, 
 blunt, sharply serrated, with two horns at the base of the leaf- 
 stalk. Calyx small. Pod two-seeded. The name Melilot 
 means the Honied Lotus, and it is so called, because, when 
 drying, the plant has a sweet fragrance like that of honey. 
 O. S. White Melilot, which smells even more sweetly. 
 
 CLOVER. TREFOIL. TRIFOLIUM. 
 WHITE TREFOIL, or DUTCH CLOVER. Trifolium repens. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 15. 
 Flowers white, large. Stem creeping. Pods with four seeds. 
 
 None other of the English Clovers resembles this in appear- 
 ance ; its flowers are of a pure white, in large, round, long- 
 stalked heads. They droop down when in seed, and thus the 
 
150 
 
 seed falls to the ground. Stem long and creeping. Leaflets 
 roundish, toothed, on long stalks, generally darker-colored 
 towards the stalk, and streaked with white across the middle. 
 
 Some consider this plant as the celebrated Shamrock of the 
 Irish, and as such its leaf is blended with the Rose of England 
 and the Thistle of Scotland, to show the union of the three 
 Kingdoms. Other persons suppose the common Bird's-foot 
 Trefoil, (Lotus corniculatus,) to be the Shamrock ; it is most 
 probably neither of them, but rather the Nonsuch, (Medicago 
 lupulina.) This last plant is the one now sold as such in 
 Covent Garden and other places, for the use of the Irish on St. 
 Patrick's Day. Moore, in his beautiful Irish Melodies, has 
 not forgotten his country's emblem. He says : 
 
 " Where'er they pass, a triple grass 
 
 Shoots up with dew drops streaming. 
 As softly green as emeralds seen 
 
 Through purest crystal gleaming. 
 Oh, the Shamrock ! the green immortal Shamrock ! 
 Chosen leaf of bard and chief. 
 Old Erin's native Shamrock!" 
 
 COMMON PURPLE TREFOIL. Trifolium pratense. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 16. 
 
 Flowers purple. Stem creeping. Pods with one or two seeds- 
 This is the Red Clover, so often cultivated for hay, and so 
 much esteemed as a rich food for cattle. It is a beautiful 
 plant, growing a foot or more high, with upright stems and 
 with large, pale-colored stipules at their base. Leaflets ovate, 
 pointed, all hairy, and often with a white spot upon them. 
 The lower tooth of the calyx is much larger than the rest. 
 
 HARE'S-FOOT TREFOIL. Trifolium arvense. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 17. 
 Flowers white, minute. Stem upright. Calyx longer than 
 
 the corolla. 
 
 The soft, silky, oblong heads of flowers of this species serve 
 to distinguish it, as well as the upright and branched manner 
 of growth. The flowers are white, and so small as to be 
 scarcely visible. The calyx is reddish, very long, and with 
 points so hairy that the heads of flowers, (one of which is at 
 the end of every stem and branch,) appear like thick, oblong 
 
151 
 
 bunches of hairs. Leaves small, rather blunt, and as well as 
 the stem, hairy. It flowers in June and July, in corn fields 
 and dry pastures, growing a few inches high. 
 
 HOP TREFOIL. Trifolium procumbens. 
 
 Plate II, fg. 18. 
 Flowers yellow, many together. Stem prostrate. 
 
 Known at once by the numerous, dense heads of yellow 
 flowers, like hops, and quite unlike those of any other species. 
 It grows in dry pastures, and in the borders of fields, flowering 
 in June and July. 
 
 O. S. Bird's-foot Trefoil, Subterraneous Trefoil, Sulphur-colored Tre- 
 foil, Zigzag Trefoil, Teasel-headed Trefoil, Starry headed Trefoil, Rough 
 Rigid Trefoil, Smooth Round-headed Trefoil, Suffocated Trefoil, Soft- 
 knotted Trefoil, Strawberry -headed Trefoil, and Reversed Trefoil. 
 
 BIRD'S-FOOT TREFOIL. LOTUS. 
 COMMON BIRD'S-FOOT TREFOIL. Lotus corniculatus. 
 
 Platell.fig. 19. 
 
 This is not to be taken for the elegant little plant before 
 mentioned called Bird's-foot, that has many leaflets and a 
 jointed pod ; this has smooth long pods, about three or four 
 together, spread out like a bird's-foot, it has three leaflets in 
 each leaf, and therefore its name Trefoil must be used. The 
 flowers are on long stalks, yellow, streaked with red, and each 
 bunch of flowers with a small leaf attending it. Stipules of 
 the size and shape of the leaflets. Stem creeping. Flowers 
 appearing in July and August on almost every pasture and 
 waste ground. 
 O. S. Three other species that do not differ much from the above. 
 
 MEDICK. MEDICAGO. 
 BLACK MEDICK, or NONSUCH. Medicago lupulina. 
 
 Plate 11, fig. 20. 
 
 A little plant which creeps over the earth in pastures and 
 cultivated ground, in appearance much like the Hop-Trefoil ; 
 the pods which are very numerous, and twisted and black when 
 ripe, show at once the difference between them. The leaves 
 are three together, roundish, stalked, and slightly hairy. 
 
152 
 
 Flowers yellow, in crowded heads. Stems hairy. This is so 
 valuable a plant in agriculture, that once none were thought to 
 be equal to it in fattening cattle, and it was therefore called 
 Nonsuch. 
 
 O. S. Yellow Sickle Medick, with yellow flowers and pods shaped 
 like a sickle, Purple Medick, often grown and known by the name of 
 Lucerne, Spotted Medick, Flat- toothed Medick, Little-toothed Medick, 
 and Reticulated Medick, some of them very rare. 
 
 CLASS 18. POLYANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants with their Stamens in mure than 
 one bundle.) 
 
 A small class, containing only one family or genus of native 
 plants, and this is the St. John's Wort, some species of which 
 are well-known ornaments in the gardens, and others common 
 in the fields and woods. They are beautiful plants, all of them 
 bearing yellow flowers, of five petals. Calyces of five leaves, 
 and capsules of many seeds. 
 
 ST." JOHN'S WORT. HYPERICUM. 
 PERFORATED ST. JOHN'S WORT. Hypericum perforation. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 1. 
 Leaves covered with shining dots or small holes. 
 
 Abundant every where in hedges, woods, and thickets 
 rearing up its heads, rich with golden flowers, to the height of 
 a foot or two. It may be known at once from the next by 
 being larger, and having its leaves nearly pierced through with 
 a number of small holes, so that, when held up to the light, 
 they may be almost seen through. The calyx, the corolla, 
 and sometimes the leaves, have black dots around their edges 
 and tips. Because of its pierced leaves, and the property it 
 was supposed to have in curing wounds, it is said by the poets 
 to be dedicated to War. 
 
 " Hypericum was there, the herb of war, 
 Pierced through with wounds, and marked with many a scar." 
 
PLATE XII 
 
 
153 
 
 SMALL UPRIGHT ST. JOHN'S WORT. H. pulchrum. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 2. 
 
 And well does it deserve all its names. It is small and 
 delicate grows quite upright, and is equalled by very few 
 plants in the abundance of its flowers, or the richness of their 
 color. Well does Cowper say, 
 
 " Hypericum, all bloom, so thick a swarm 
 Of flowers, like flies, clothing in slender rods, 
 That scarce a leaf appears." 
 
 They are of a fine golden yellow, tinged with red before 
 opening with the stamens numerous, red in color, and in 
 three sets. The leaves opposite, very small, heart-shaped, 
 and smooth. Calyx serrate, with black tips. Commonly 
 grows on dry banks and on heaths flowering in July. 
 
 O. S. Large-flowered St. John's Wort, a beautiful shrub, often grown 
 in gardens, Square-stalked St. John's Wort, Imperforate St. John's Wort, 
 Trailing St. John's Wort. Mountain St. John's Wort. Bearded St. John's 
 Wort, Hairy St. John's Wort, and Marsh St. John's Wort. 
 
 CLASS 19. SYNGENESIA. 
 
 (Anthers united into a tube. Flowers compound.) 
 
 All the plants of this class so much resemble each other, 
 as to form a perfectly natural order, (Compositse.) No 
 poisonous plant is found in this class, but it consists chiefly 
 of such as are bitter in taste, and strengthening in quality. 
 Many are esteemed as ornamental, though few of British 
 growth ; we have, however, some of the Everlasting Flowers, 
 and the Daisies. 
 
 ' And the'Thistle is here, but it should not be 
 
 Admitted I think in such company 
 
 So we'll pass it by though its purple globe 
 
 Might outvie the tints of an emperor's robe. 
 
 And the martial leaves that begirt its stem 
 
 Are like guards around a regal diadem. 
 
 It is armed at all points with a hostile fence, 
 
 Eager to wound for each slight offence, 
 
 Like vulgar pride in its consequence. 
 
 So we'll none of the Thistle tribe or nation, 
 
 Nor the surly Nettle, its near relation." A. Strickland. 
 
154 
 
 In looking at any of the flowers of this class, it will be found 
 that they consist of a great number of little florets, all growing 
 upon one calyx. The corollas are, in some plants, all alike in 
 shape, either strap-shaped or like a tube in others of two 
 sorts, those on the edge of the flower different in shape from 
 those withinside thus in the Single Marigold the outside 
 flowers are strap-shaped, the inner ones tubular, and this is 
 very often the case. Also, in some plants, all these numerous 
 flowers have both stamens and pointals in others, either the 
 stamens are wanting, or the pointals, or both, and from these 
 circumstances the orders are formed. 
 
 Order 1. JEQUALIS. 
 
 All the Florets with both Stamens and Pointals. 
 * Corollas all strap -shaped. 
 
 GOAT'S-BEARD, (Tragopogon.) Calyx single; crown feathery. 
 LETTUCE, (Lactuca.) Calyx double ; crown like hairs ; fruit 
 
 with a long beak. 
 HAWK'S-BEARD, (Crepis.) Calyx double ; crown like hairs ; 
 
 fruit without a beak, but narrower upwards. 
 SOW-THISTLE, (Sonchus.) Calyx triple ; crown sessile, like 
 
 hairs. 
 DANDELION, (Leontodon.) Calyx double ; crown stalked, like 
 
 hairs. 
 HAWKWEED, (Hieracium.) Calyx tiled ; crown sessile, like 
 
 hairs. 
 
 NIPPLEWORT, (Lapsana.) Calyx double ; crown none. 
 SUCCORY, (Cichorium.) Calyx double ; crown sessile, scaly. 
 
 ** Corollas all tubular. 
 
 BURDOCK, (Arctium.) Calyx hooked ; crown short, like hairs. 
 TANSEY, (Tanacetum.) Calyx tiled; crown a membranous 
 
 margin. 
 WORMWOOD, c. (Artemisia.) Calyx tiled, few flowered ; 
 
 crown none. 
 
 CUDWEED, (Gnaphalium.) Calyx tiled ; crown like hairs. 
 BUTTER-BUR, (Petasites.) Calyx double ; crown like hairs. 
 
155 
 
 ORDER 2. SUPERFLUA. 
 
 Florets of the centre tubular, and bearing Stamens and Pointals. 
 Florets of the edge strap -shaped, and bearing Pointals only. 
 
 COLT'S-FOOT, (Tussilayo.) Calyx single; crown single, like 
 
 hairs. 
 
 GROUNDSEL, (Senecio.) Calyx double; crown single, like hairs. 
 FLEABANE, (Pulicaria.) Calyx tiled ; crown double, like hairs. 
 DAISY, (Bellis.) Calyx single ; crown none. 
 OX-EYE, (Chrysanthemum.) Calyx tiled, its leaves bordered ; 
 
 crown none. 
 FEVERFEW, (Pyrethrum.) Calyx tiled, its leaves bordered ; 
 
 crown a skin-like border ; receptacle naked. 
 MAYWEED, (Matricaria.) Calyx tiled, its leaves not bordered, 
 
 blunt ; crown none ; receptacle naked. 
 CHAMOMILE, (Anthemis.) Calyx tiled, its leaves bordered ; 
 
 crown none, or else a border ; receptacle convex, chaffy. 
 YARROW, (Achillea.) Calyx tiled, its leaves not bordered ; 
 
 receptacle flat, chaffy ; crown none. 
 
 Order 3. FRUSTRANE&. 
 
 Florets of the centre with both Stamens and Pointals those of 
 
 the edge with neither, or with Stamens only. All the 
 
 Florets tube-shaped. 
 
 KNAPWEED (Centaurea.) Calyx tiled; crown none, or else 
 hairy ; receptacle chaffy. 
 
 GOATS-BEARD. TRAGOPOGON. 
 
 YELLOW GOAT'S-BEARD. Tragopogon pratensis. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 3. 
 
 In meadows and pastures, an upright plant, with long, 
 pointed, grass-like leaves. Calyx also long and pointed at 
 first longer than the corolla, but afterwards the corolla is the 
 longer. Flowers yellow, opening as early as four o'clock in 
 the morning, and closing again just before twelve. Thus it 
 has got the name of " John go to bed at noon," and the farmer's 
 boys of some parts of the country, knowing this, regulate their 
 
156 
 
 dinner time by the closing of the Goafs-beard. In cloudy 
 weather, however, it does not unfold its petals at all. 
 
 " Broad o'er its imbricated cup, 
 
 The Goat's beard spreads its golden rays, 
 But shuts its cautious petals up, 
 Retreating from the noontide blaze." C. Smith. 
 
 In the Midland Counties of England, it is commonly called 
 Hokum PoJcum, and in the spring of the year the peasants dig 
 up the roots, which are a pleasant and wholesome food, when 
 boiled tasting much like asparagus. The head of seeds is one 
 of the most beautiful objects that can be imagined, even more 
 so than the blow-balls of the Dandelion, as each seed is 
 furnished with a star-like crown of most elegantly -branched 
 feathers, and altogether they form a head as round and as large 
 as a cricket ball. 
 
 O. S. Purple Goafs-beard or Salsafy, rather rare. 
 
 LETTUCE. LACTUCA. 
 IVY-LEAVED LETTUCE. WALL LETTUCE. Lactuca muralis. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 4. 
 
 A very common plant on both waste and cultivated grounds, 
 on rubbish and on walls ; it grows upright, two or three feet 
 high, with a much branched head of small, yellow flowers, 
 inclosed in a long calyx, with a few scales underneath, which 
 form a second calyx. The stalks that bear the flowers have 
 ovate, very small bracts, and they are very irregular in position^ 
 some of them grow upright, others downward some straight, 
 and others curved. The flowers are small, yellow, of one row 
 of florets only, the corollas of which are strap -shaped, and 
 with four or five teeth at the end. Leaves clasping the stem, 
 and very curious in shape. The smaller ones are arrow-shaped, 
 but very much and deeply notched, and with a broad, leafy, 
 winged foot-stalk. The lower leaves are larger, longer, and 
 have two or three leaflets, or larger lobes on the winged stalk. 
 All the leaves are very thin, delicate, and of a light green, 
 sometimes hairy, at others smooth. 
 
 O. S. Strong-scented Lettuce, which is poisonous the Prickly Lettuce, 
 and Least Lettuce, both of them of the same properties as the Garden 
 Lettuce, that is, producing sleep. They all yield a milky juice, and close 
 their flowers during the night. 
 
157 
 
 HAWK'S-BEARD. CREPIS. 
 SMOOTH HAWK'S-BEARD. Crepis virens or C. tectorum. 
 
 Plate 12, Jiff. 5. 
 
 Root leaves smooth, runcinate. Stem leaves narrow. Stem 
 smooth, with two or three branches, each with a yellow flower 
 at the top. Calyx with the outer row of scales very narrow 
 and rough. Crown white, like hairs, longer than the fruit, 
 and soon falling off. It is very variable in size, neither elegant 
 nor useful, flowers in July, and found on walls, roofs, &c. 
 
 O. S. Rough Hawk's-beard, Small Flowered Hawk's-beard, Succory - 
 kaved Hawk's-beard, and Marsh Hawk's-beard. 
 
 SOW-THISTLE. SONCHUS. 
 COMMON SOW-THISTLE. Sonchus oleraceus. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 6. 
 
 A plant of the fields and orchards, growing two or three 
 feet high, with upright, smooth, hollow stems. Leaves more 
 or less divided, only the lower ones stalked. Flowers small, 
 yellow, numerous, growing in umbel-shaped bunches. Calyx 
 smooth. Whole plant juicy, of a whitish-green color, very 
 nutritious to the cattle, and like many other plants of this class 
 it yields a milky juice, which is narcotic or produces sleep. 
 
 O. S. Blue Alpine Sow-Thistle, Tall Marsh Sow-Thistle, and Corn 
 Sow-Thistle, the last rather common in corn fields. 
 
 DANDELION. LEONTODON. 
 COMMON DANDELION. Leontodon taraxacum. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 7. 
 
 I think I need scarcely describe this well-known herb, which 
 grows nearly every where, and at almost all times yet, perhaps, 
 you may never have observed that the flowers are not to be 
 found open, except at particular times of the day. It is one 
 of the most correct dial flowers, closing at five in the afternoon, 
 and opening again at seven in the morning. 
 
 " Leontodons unfold 
 
 On the swart turf their ray-encircled gold, 
 With Sol's expanding beam the flowers unclose, 
 And rising Hesper lights them to repose." Darwin. 
 
 The Dandelion is a much despised flower, and yet it is very 
 beautiful, and very useful too. It is eaten instead of Endive, 
 
158 
 
 particularly by the French, as a salad and it yields to the 
 country children much amusement, in holding up its balls of 
 feathery, winged seeds, blowing them before the wind, and then 
 seeing if one seed remains to be their own true love. Many 
 other funny little stories are told about this plant, which in 
 some parts of the country is called by children, the Fortune 
 Teller. Our friend Howitt speaks thus 
 
 " Dandelion, with globe of down. 
 The school boy's clock in every town, 
 Which the truant puffs amain 
 To conjure lost hours back again." 
 
 And Mrs. Strickland has not forgotten to draw a moral even 
 from so simple a plant. She speaks of the wind which 
 
 " Whirls the ' blow-balls' new-fledged pride, 
 
 In many rings on high. 
 Whose downy pinions once unfurled, 
 Must onward fly. 
 
 " Each is commissioned, could we trace 
 
 The voyage to each decreed, 
 To convoy to some distant place 
 A pilgrim seed. 
 
 " His wisdom thus we dimly see, 
 
 Who through creation's chain, 
 Hath formed all things in harmony. 
 And nought in vain." 
 
 HAWKWEED. HIERACIUM. 
 COMMON MOUSE-EAR HAWKWEED. Hieracium pilosella. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 8. 
 Stalks with one flower only, and without leaves. 
 
 On dry, gravelly places, creeping along the ground, flowering 
 in the Summer and Autumn. Leaves ovate, without teeth or 
 notches, hairy at top, downy underneath. Flowers of a pale 
 yellow, one on each stalk, and two or three inches above the 
 ground. Stems creeping, by which it is always known. Ah 
 the species open their flowers in the morning, and close them 
 at night. The present wakes at eight in the morning, and go 
 to sleep at two in the afternoon. 
 
 " See Hieracium's various tribes. 
 
 Of plumy seed and radiant flowers. 
 Tlie course of time their bloom describe. 
 And wake or sleep appointed hours. 1 ' C. Smith. 
 
159 
 
 SHRUBBY BROAD-LEAVED HAWKWEED. //. sul/audum. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 9. 
 Stalks with several flowers, and several leaves upon it. 
 
 Scattered like the next over thickets, heaths, and walls, and 
 like all of the genus flowering in the Summer and Autumn. 
 This may be known by its many-flowered stalk, bearing lance- 
 shaped, sharp -pointed, toothed, nearly smooth leaves, at short 
 distances from each other. The stem is quite upright, and 
 grows from one to two feet high. 
 
 NARROW-LEAVED HAWKWEED. Hieracium umbellatum. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 10. 
 
 The leaves of this are very narrow and very numerous. 
 The stem upright, a foot or more high, not branched, and 
 bearing on the top of it an umbel of several, rather large, 
 yellow flowers, with downy stalks and smooth calyces. 
 
 O. S. The two next commonest species are Wood Hawkweed and 
 Wall Hawkweed; besides which Britain produces the Orange Hawkweed, 
 so often grown in gardens under the name of Cat's-Ear, Alpine Single- 
 flowered Hawkweed, Branching Mouse-ear Hawkweed, Orange Mouse - 
 ear Hawkweed, Honey-wort-leaved Hawkweed, Amplexicaul Hawkweed, 
 Small Toothed Hawkweed, and Rough-leaved Hawkweed. 
 
 NIPPLEWORT. LAPS ANA. 
 COMMON NIPPLEWORT. Lapsana communis. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 11. 
 
 An upright, branched plant, common on waste grounds and 
 on walls, growing two feet or more high, with small, yellow 
 flowers, inclosed in a ribbed, angular calyx of five leaves, and 
 two or three narrow scales below them. The leaves are ovate 
 or heart-shaped, toothed all round the edges, and stalked. 
 Flowers in July and August. 
 O. S. Dwarf Nipplewort, found in corn fields, not very rare. 
 
 SUCCORY. CICHORIUM. 
 WILD SUCCORY. Cichorium intybus. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 12. 
 
 On waste lands, road-sides, borders of fields, Sec., flowering 
 in July and August, growing two or three feet high. The 
 
160 
 
 stem is upright, rigid, straggling, branched. Leaves runcinate. 
 Flowers two together, without stalks, upon and at the joints of 
 the steins. 
 
 This is one of England's fairest gems for the flowers are 
 of the brightest, clearest, purest blue, too delicate to last. 
 The azure blue color in all flowers is generally fleeting thus 
 in a collection of dried plants the blue ones are most liable to 
 lose their color. The Succory is particularly of this character. 
 The flowers are among those which sleep for certain hours. 
 They will be found open as early as sun-rise : 
 
 " On upland slopes, the shepherd's mark 
 
 The hour, when as the dial true, 
 Chicorium to the towei'ing lark 
 Lifts her soft eyes serenely blue." 
 
 This plant is interesting too for its uses. Its leaves when 
 young taste like the garden Endive, which is but another 
 species of Succory, and for the sake of these, as a salad, the 
 plant is often cultivated in France and Germany. The roots 
 are the well-known substance, called Chicory, and which has 
 been used of late years to mix with coffee, to add flavor and 
 color to it. When made for the table, a small quantity is an 
 improvement, but too much of it is disagreeable, as it then 
 makes it taste like Spanish liquorice. This powdered Succory 
 or Chicory, is made by washing and drying, and afterwards 
 grinding the roots to powder. 
 
 BURR. BURDOCK. ARCT1UM. 
 
 COMMON BURDOCK. Arctium lappa. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 13. 
 
 A large, bushy, branched, and coarse plant of the hedges, 
 the river banks, and way- sides, three or four feet in height, 
 flowering in July. The leaves are heart-shaped, stalked, larger 
 than upon any other British plant, and are well-known under 
 the name of Water-dock leaves, though not at all like any of 
 the Dock tribe. Their size and shape are alluded to in the 
 " Butterfly's Ball" 
 
 *' A Mushroom the table, and on it was spread 
 A Water-dock leaf, which the table cloth made " 
 
 The flowers are like thistle heads, and the calyx, which 
 covers the flowers and afterwards incloses the seeds, is of many 
 
161 
 
 leaves, folding over each other, like the tiles of a house, each 
 furnished with a hook at the end. Thus the whole head of 
 seeds is surrounded with hooks, and these not only preserve 
 them from being eaten, but by their clinging to any thing 
 rough which touches them, such as the skins of cattle, they 
 are conveyed, and the plant thereby dispersed, to a distance. 
 Children pluck these burrs, and stick them on each other's 
 clothes for amusement. 
 
 TANSEY. TANACETUM. 
 COMMON TANSEY. Tanacetum vulgare. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 14. 
 
 An upright plant, growing two or three feet high, with 
 exceedingly beautiful, much-divided, dark green leaves, and flat 
 heads of numerous, small, bright yellow, autumnal flowers. 
 Often cultivated in gardens, and found wild in the borders 
 of fields and on road-sides. In medicine it is valuable for its 
 fine bitter flavor, and strengthening properties ; and though 
 the taste is disagreeable to most persons, yet the young leaves 
 are often used by country people to flavor puddings, &c. 
 
 WORMWOOD, &c. ARTEMISIA. 
 SEA WORMWOOD. Artemisia maritima. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 15. 
 Leaves white on both sides. 
 
 On the sea-shore, and on river-banks, as far as the salt 
 water flows over them, is frequently to be seen a plant, every 
 part of which is downy and of a perfectly white color, this is 
 the Sea Wormwood. Besides this it may be known by the 
 various stems (sometimes quite upright and sometimes drooping 
 at the top) being thickly covered with leaves on all sides. 
 These leaves are cut into very narrow divisions and twice com- 
 pound. The -flowers are very small and insignificant, borne 
 all along the upper part of the numerous branches. The whole 
 plant is very bitter in taste. 
 
 COMMON WORMWOOD. Artemisia absinthium. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 16. 
 Leaves dark green above, white underneath. Flowers yellow. 
 
162 
 
 Waste ground and near villages, generally escaped from the 
 gardens where it is grown for its use as a medicine. The plant 
 is one foot or more high, much branched, with divided cottony 
 leaves, green above, and white beneath. The flowers, which 
 cover all the branches, are yellow, roundish, and drooping. 
 The taste of the plant is warm, aromatic, and most intensely 
 bitter. 
 
 MUGWORT. Artemisia vulgaris. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 17. 
 Leaves dark green above, white underneath. Flowers purple. 
 
 Much more common than either of the others, found in 
 hedge-rows almost everywhere, flowering in August. It is 
 known from them by being less bitter ; the leaves less cut ; 
 cottony only on the under side ; the flowers with a less number 
 of leaves among them, in thicker bunches, and of a purple 
 color. Its properties are similar to the last, but less powerful. 
 
 O. S. Field Wormwood, and Bluish or Lavender-leaved Mugwort, 
 both rare. 
 
 CUDWEED. GNAPHALIUM. 
 MARSH CUDWEED. Gnaphalium uliffinosum. 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 18. 
 Flowers brown, in bunches, shorter than the leaves. 
 
 The three Cudweeds here described are abundant in gravelly 
 places, where they have often nothing but the bare gravel to 
 attach their roots to. They are known at once from all other 
 plants first, from their being wholly covered with a white, 
 downy cotton, and from their flowers, which are of that sort 
 we call " Everlasting. " The leaves of the calyx are stiff, horny, 
 and shining, either of a white or of a yellow color. The 
 present species has a very much branched and diffuse woolly 
 stem, narrow but long leaves ; and its flowers sessile, in termi- 
 nal thick clusters, which are shorter than the leaves. Scales 
 of the calyx brown and smooth. The height of the plant is 
 not more than three or four inches, and like the others it 
 flowers in the Autumn. 
 
PLATE XH! 
 
163 
 
 LEAST CUDWEED. Gnaphalium minimum. 
 
 Plate 12, jig. 19. 
 Flowers yellow, in bunches longer than the leaves. 
 
 Leavesovate, sharp-pointed, lying close to the stem. Flowers 
 four or five together, very light yellow, in heads both at the 
 the top, the sides, and the divisions of the branches. Grows 
 from four to six inches high. 
 
 COMMON CUDWEED. Gnaphalium Germanicum* 
 
 Plate 12, fig. 20. 
 Flowers yellow, in round bunches. 
 
 Stem six or eight inches high, covered with lance-shaped, 
 downy leaves, and ending in a round head of numerous, yel- 
 lowish-white flowers out of this grow two wide -spreading 
 branches, with a similar head of flowers at the top, these again 
 producing other branches, and so on. 
 
 O. S. Mountain Cudweed, Pearly Everlasting, one of the most common 
 garden plants, but rare in a wild state ; Wood Cudweed, Dwarf Cudweed, 
 and Narrow-leaved Cudweed. One species often grown in gardens, 
 (Gnaphalium arenarium) producing very brilliant yellow flowers, called 
 by the French " Immortelles" is sometimes stained by them of various 
 colors, and either thus, or in a natural state, made into garlands and 
 wreaths, to decorate the tombs of their departed friends : thus making the 
 lovely flower an emblem equally of the immortality of the beloved 
 deceased, and of their own never-ending regret. In the burial ground of 
 " Le Pere la Chaise," thousand of these mementoes of severed ties, but 
 continued affection, may be viewed around. These flowers have also been 
 sold in London in great quantities lately for winter ornaments. 
 
 BUTTER-BUR. PETASITES. 
 COMMON BUTTER-BUR. Petasites vulgaris. 
 
 Plate 13, Jiff. 1. 
 
 On river-banks and in wet meadows, where it spreads about 
 widely on account of its very long, under-ground, stem-like 
 roots. In March whole acres may sometimes be seen covered 
 with the thick, upright, club-shaped spikes of flesh-colored 
 flowers, and at a later season with the very large, heart-shaped, 
 stalked leaves, which are of a light green color at top, and 
 downy beneath. The flowers are very seldom found with 
 pointals, and thus seldom produce seed. The very early 
 blossoming of the Butter-bur, when scarcely another plant is 
 to be seen, assembles on its flowers large numbers of the 
 
164 
 
 industrious bees, who even in the winter, though they have a 
 store-house at home, lose no opportnity of adding fresh sweets 
 to their hive, and fresh food for the benefit of their community. 
 
 " We may learn from the bee the wise man's lore, 
 * The hand of the diligent 'gathereth store.' 
 He plies in his calling from morn till night. 
 Nor tires of his labor, nor flags in his flight. 
 From numberless blossoms of every hue. 
 He gathers the nectar, and sips the dew. 
 
 Then homeward he speeds 
 
 O'er the fragrant meads, 
 And he hums as he goes his thankful lay. 
 
 Let our thanks too arise, 
 
 For our daily supplies, 
 As homeward and Heavenward we haste on our way ?" S. 
 
 COLTS-FOOT. TUSSILAGO. 
 
 COMMON COLT'S-FOOT. Tussilago farfara. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 2. 
 
 On banks, &c., particularly where there is clay so common 
 as to be a very troublesome weed, it flowers as early as March, 
 before the leaves makes their appearance. The flowers are 
 yellow, and one upon a stalk, soon changing into a shining, 
 silky, and beautiful head of long, white, cottony hairs. The 
 leaves are heart-shaped, angular, toothed, downy beneath. 
 This is the plant that is considered so useful for coughs and 
 colds, when boiled or made into lozenges. 
 
 GROUNDSEL. SENECIO. 
 
 COMMON GROUNDSEL. Senecio vulgaris. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 3. 
 Florets without strap-shaped petals. Flowers scattered. 
 
 At almost all seasons of the year, and in all places, this is 
 abundant. In gardens it is one of the most troublesome weeds, 
 as it grows so fast, and produces a large quantity of feathery 
 seeds, which the wind scatters about far and wide. 
 
 " How many plants, we call them weeds. 
 
 Against our wishes grow, 
 And scatter wide their various seeds, 
 With all the winds that blow." 
 
 Surely it is not necessary to describe so common a plant, 
 and one which is gathered so frequently as food for the littla 
 
165 
 
 birds in cages, who love the young leaves, the buds, and the 
 plumy seeds. There are one or two sorts of Groundsel very 
 much like this, though they are not common. Our present plant 
 is known from them by having its calyx leaves black-pointed. 
 
 COMMON RAGWORT. Senecio Jacolxea. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 4. 
 Flowers rayed. Corolla of the outer florets narrow. 
 
 This grows in watery places, on road-sides, and in meadows . 
 The flowers are yellow, in terminal loose heads, with the petals 
 of the ray very narrow, and distant from each other. The 
 leaves are very deeply and unequally cleft, and smooth. Stem 
 two or three feet high. Flowering time July and August. 
 
 MARSH RAGWORT. Senecio aquations. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 5. 
 Flowers rayed. Corolla of outer florets wide. 
 
 In wet places, banks of rivers, &c., this may be almost 
 always found it is a plant very similar to the last, but higher 
 in growth, with larger flowers, the corollas of the ray flowers 
 wide, and the leaves not so much cut and divided. 
 
 O. S. Stinking Groundsel, Wood Groundsel, Inelegant Groundsel, Hoary 
 Groundsel, Great Fen Ragwort, and Broad-leaved Groundsel. 
 
 FLEABANE. PULICARIA. 
 
 COMMON FLEABANE. Pulicaria dysenterica. 
 
 Plate 13, jig. 6. 
 
 Found in moist places, growing a foot high, and flowering 
 in the Autumn. Stem upright, branched at the top and bearing 
 one or two flowers upon each branch. Leaves oblong, partly 
 clasping the stem, wrinkled, and downy. Flowers an inch or 
 more across, with many rayed flowers. The plant has but a 
 slight taste and no smell. 
 
 DAISY. BELLIS. 
 COMMON DAISY. JBellis perennis. 
 
 Plate 13, jig. 7. 
 
 If there be one plant more than another which is a general 
 favorite it is the Daisy, for it greets us in all our walks do 
 
166 
 
 we climb the mountain steep, there is the Daisy do we saunter 
 over the many-flowered valley, there also is the Daisy in the 
 park and on the lawn, in the meadow and on the heath, the 
 Daisy rears his cheerful little face, as if to welcome us to his 
 lowly habitation on the turf beneath our feet at all seasons 
 too ; not visiting us in the warm and sunny hours of summer 
 only, but amid the short and bleak days of frost and snow, for 
 well has the poet Montgomery said : 
 
 " O'er waste and woodland, rock and plain, 
 
 Its humble buds unheeded rise, 
 The Rose has but a Summer's reign, 
 The Daisy never^ dies." 
 
 And Wordsworth also has the same thought ; he says, 
 
 44 When Winter decks his few grey hairs, 
 Thee in the scanty wreath he wears. 
 Spring parts the clouds with softest airs, 
 
 That she may sun thee ! 
 Whole Summer fields are thine by right, 
 And Autumn, melancholy wight, 
 Doth in thy crimson head delight, 
 
 When rains are on thee." 
 
 We might call this " bonnie gem" by a thousand sweet 
 names, and liken it to every thing charming and innocent ; 
 for it is " the child's own flower, the emblem of infancy itself.'' 
 The poets abound with the most elegant thoughts on this little 
 favorite. You of course have read Burns' beautiful poem on 
 " The Daisy turned up by his plough," and the two no less 
 beautiful poems of Wordsworth ; and the charming lines of 
 Montgomery, and those by Dr. Ley den, and those by the 
 Rev. W. Fletcher. But it is not its simple beauty and innocence 
 which alone attracts our attention, it is one of the flowers 
 which belongs to Flora's clock it opens at sunrise, and closes 
 at sunset, and this curious property was known to belong to 
 the Daisy, very, very long ago, and is the origin of its name. 
 Chaucer calls it the " eie of the daie" and Ben Jonson writes 
 it " day's eye" and Spencer says, " T/he little Daizie that 
 at evening closes." But I linger too long, perhaps, over this 
 little darling I confess I love it. The following is, however^ 
 too beautiful to be omitted : 
 
 44 Not worlds on worlds in phalanx deep, 
 
 Need we to prove a GOD is here. 
 
 The Dairy fresh from Winter's sleep, 
 
 Tells of His hand in lines as clear. 
 
167 
 
 " For who but He who arched the skips, 
 
 And pours the day-springs living flood. 
 Wondrous alike in all He tries, 
 
 Could raise the Daisy's purple bud. 
 " Mould its green cup, its wiry stem, 
 
 Its fringed border nicely spin, 
 And cut the gold embossed gem, 
 
 That, set in silver, gleams within. 
 " Then fling it unrestrained and free, 
 O'er hill and dale and desert sod, 
 That man, where'er he walks may see 
 In every step the stamp of GOD !" Mason Good. 
 
 OX-EYE. CHRYSANTHEMUM. 
 GREAT WHITE OX-EYE. Chrysanthemum leucanthemum. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 8. 
 
 Leaves oblong, blunt, notched and cut at the lower part. 
 Stem erect, branched, one foot or more high. Flowers large, 
 yellow in the centre part, and pure white around the edges. 
 This is a very beautiful flower in appearance, like a Marigold 
 or very large Daisy. It closes up at night, or before a storm, 
 and is common in fields and near the sea. 
 
 " There gay Chrysanthemums repose, 
 
 And when stern tempests lower, 
 Their silken fringes softly close 
 Against the shower." Strickland. 
 
 O. S. Corn Marigold, or Yellow Ox-eye, not very rare in corn fields, 
 and may be known at once by its entirely golden color. 
 
 FEVERFEW. PYRETHRUM. 
 COMMON FEVERFEW. Pyrethrum parthenium. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 9. 
 
 Leaves twice pinnate, stalked. Flower stalks branched, 
 growing into a corymb or head. Flowers yellow in the centre, 
 white and short in the ray. Calyx downy. The plant is 
 known for being a fine bitter medicine, useful for its strength- 
 ening properties. It grows in waste places and in hedges. 
 O. S. Scentless Feverfew, which is common in many places. 
 
 WILD CHAMOMILE. MATRICARIA. 
 COMMON WILD CHAMOMILE. Matricaria chamomilla. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 10. 
 
 In fields and on hedge-banks, almost every where, grows six 
 or eight inches high. Flowers in July, though often called 
 
168 
 
 Mayweed. The leaves are doubly and very finely cleft; Flower 
 with a disk which projects upwards very much in the middle ; 
 and a ray that is very obtuse, and toothed at the end. It has 
 a very bitter taste, much like that of Chamomile ; some of the 
 species of which it very much resembles in appearance. 
 
 CHAMOMILE. ANTHEMIS. 
 
 COMMON CHAMOMILE. Anthemis nobilis. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 11. 
 
 This is the plant which, when cultivated, produces those 
 double flowers that are so much used to make Chamomile Tea. 
 The wild plant is equally proper for this purpose, and grows 
 abundantly on all the barren, gravelly heaths in the South of 
 the Kingdom, forming a turf of most beautifully green, rich 
 foliage, with delicate white and yellow flowers, one only upon 
 a stem, and by this last character it may be known from the 
 other species. Its fragrance is emitted when trodden upon. 
 
 O. S. Sea Chamomile, Corn Chamomile, Stinking Chamomile, which is 
 not uncommon in corn fields and Ox-eye Chamomile. 
 
 YARROW. ACHILLA A. 
 SNEEZEWORT YARROW. Achill&a ptarmica. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 12. 
 Leaves simple, sharply serrated. 
 
 Leaves linear, serrate, pointed. Flowers wholly white, at 
 the top of the stem, forming a corymb or flat loose head. 
 Stem one or two feet high, very upright and thin, but stiff and 
 rigid. It is called Sneezewort because the leaves when powdered 
 are sometimes used instead of snuff. It grows on meadows 
 and on heaths, flowering in August and September. 
 
 COMMON YARROW. Achillea millefoUum. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 13. 
 Leaves very compound, and slightly hairy. 
 
 Leaves slightly hairy, cut into numberless fine and narrow 
 divisions, whence it has the common name of " Milfoile, or 
 Thousand Leaves." Stems furrowed, bearing at the top a 
 
169 
 
 large bunch of small white or sometimes red flowers. It is 
 used in many places as an application to fresh wounds, which it 
 much assists in healing. It is common in all meadows. 
 
 " Green Yarrow ! nature's simplest child, 
 
 Thy leaves of emerald green, 
 And silvery blossom undefiled, 
 In rugged path or barren wild. 
 
 The traveller passes by. 
 With reckless glance and careless tread 
 Nor marks the kindly carpet spread, 
 
 Beneath his thankless feet. 
 So poor a meed of sympathy, 
 Do gracious herbs of low degree, 
 
 From haughty mortals meet." Strickland. 
 
 O. S. Downy Yellow Yarrow, a plant of the mountains of Ireland, and 
 grown in the gardens as Golden Yarrow. 
 
 KNAPWEED, &c. CENTAUREA. 
 BLACK KNAPWEED. Centaur ea nigra. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 14. 
 Leaves cleft. Flowers small, purple. Calyx scales black. 
 
 This grows over pastures and meadows very frequently. It 
 is a very troublesome weed, commonly called Hard-hack, on 
 account of its toughness, and blunting the mower's scythe so 
 much where it abounds. The calyx is of many blunt, black 
 scales, fringed with teeth, and lapped over each other, and the 
 flowers all small, pink, and tubular thus the heads of flowers 
 appear like thistles. The leaves are without thorns, the lower 
 ones lyrate, upper ones not so much cleft. It flowers in the 
 hay season, and grows two feet high. 
 
 CORN BLUE -BOTTLE. Centaur ea Cyanus. 
 
 , Plate 13, fig. 15. 
 Leaves linear, entire. Flowers blue. Calyx green. 
 
 A plant in every respect different from the last, that was 
 inelegant, this is beautiful. It is abundant in corn fields, 
 flowering all the Summer, and when its fine, large blue flowers 
 are seen in contrast with the scarlet Poppy, and the green or 
 golden Corn, it forms the finest object. 
 
 " The blue Cyanus we'll not forget, 
 'Tis the gem of the harvest coronet." 
 
170 
 
 CLASS 20. GYNANDRIA. 
 
 (Containing Plants whose Stamens are united with the style.) 
 
 Of all the classes this is by much the most interesting, both 
 on account of the Foreign and British plants which it contains. 
 Not that they are very important either for food or in the arts 
 on the contrary, no very useful produce is extracted from them, 
 but they strike and rivet the attention by the very uncommon 
 and extraordinary forms their flowers assume. Here are all of 
 the Orchis tribe, of which we have, more or less common, 
 about forty species. All of these are highly curious, as their 
 names along will imply, they being given because of some 
 real resemblance in shape, and often in size, with the objects 
 they are called after. Thus we have the Bee Flower or Orchis , 
 the Fly Orchis, the Spider Orchis, the Man Orchis, the 
 Monkey Orchis, the Lizard Orchis, the Butterfly Orchis, the 
 Bird's -Nest Orchis, the Coral-Root Orchis, and that beautiful 
 but very rare plant the Lady's Slipper. Some of the above 
 are not very rare, being found mostly in woods and thickets. 
 The formation of the stamens is highly curious. The pollen is 
 found sometimes in powdery lumps, as in other plants, but 
 more frequently it resembles little bits of bright yellow wax 
 these are two together, stalked, and furnished at the lower end 
 with glands or swellings. The glands are in some species 
 naked, but mostly concealed in one or two little pouches or 
 bags, and according to these circumstances the genera are 
 known. 
 
 Order 1. MONANDRIA. 1 Stamen. 
 
 ORCHIS, (Orchis.) Lip of the corolla spurred ; glands at 
 the end of the stalks of the pollen masses, inclosed in one 
 pouch. 
 
171 
 
 OPHRYS, (Ophrys.) Lip of the corolla not spurred ; glands 
 at the end of the stalks of the pollen masses, each in a 
 distinct pouch. 
 
 TWAY-BLADE, (Listora.) Lip of the corolla not spurred, 
 two-lobed ; pollen masses not stalked, and without glands. 
 
 ORCHIS. ORCHIS. 
 EARLY PURPLE ORCHIS. Orchis mascula. 
 
 Plate 13, Jiff. 16. 
 Spur of the corolla longer than the germen. 
 
 Common in woods and pastures, where it may be seen 
 flowering as early as the month of May, and sometimes even 
 before, while its purple-spotted and dark green leaves may te 
 found much earlier. The flowers are purple, in a spike one 
 foot high, and often fragrant. The lower lip of the flowers is 
 three-lobed, whitish or spotted. The two side leaves of the 
 calyx bent backwards and upwards. The spur is blunt, and 
 rather larger than the germen, or young seed vessel. Root 
 of two tubers undivided, and the bracts which accompany the 
 flowers are small. 
 
 MARSH ORCHIS. Orchis latifolia. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 17. 
 Spur longer than the germen. Lip scarcely lobed. 
 
 Scattered over moist meadows, flowering in June. It varies 
 very much in color, has long, upright, green, pointed, but not 
 spotted leaves, with large leafy bracts, much longer than the 
 flowers, and the under lip of the corolla is very little, if at all 
 lobed ; by these marks it may be known at once ; besides 
 which the spur is shorter than the germen, the calyx leaves 
 spread out widely, and the two side petals grow towards each 
 other. 
 
 SPOTTED PALMATE ORCHIS. Orchis maculata. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 18. 
 Spur longer than the germen. Lip deeply lobed. 
 
 Very much like the last in character, growing in similar 
 places, and flowering at the same time, but known from it by 
 
172 
 
 having the bracts very much smaller, the leaves generally 
 spotted with purple, and the lip deeply three-lobed, the middle 
 lobe being much the longest. Root of both species of two 
 tubers, spread out like a hand. 
 
 O. S. Green-winged Meadow Orchis, Dwarf Dark-winged Orchis, 
 Great Brown-winged Orchis, Military Orchis, Monkey Orchis, Lizard 
 Orchis, and Pyramidal Orchis. 
 
 OPHRYS. OPHRYS. 
 
 BEE OPHRYS. BEE FLOWER. Ophrys apifera. 
 Plate 13, fig. 19. 
 
 Although many hill- sides in the South of England are 
 covered with the Bee Flower, it can scarcely be called common, 
 but its great beauty, and singular form, entitle it to a place 
 here, and its discovery will well repay the search for it. To 
 see it growing you would suppose that three or four humble 
 bees had settled upon a stem, rather than that they were 
 flowers before you so much does it resemble that busy insect. 
 The lower lip of the flower looks and feels like velvet, is of an 
 elegant brown, streaked with yellow, and swelled out, forming 
 as it were a body. On the upper part of this are two small 
 yellow lobes, which may be aptly compared to thighs loaded 
 with honey : then again in the middle there is the stigma, with 
 its bright yellow pollen masses, like a head and eyes above 
 this two narrow, fringed, pink petals, resembling horns, and 
 to make the delusion still more perfect, the whitish and spread- 
 ing calyx leaves is the flower upon which the mimic insect rests. 
 It flowers in May and June. 
 
 I remember well when a child how ardently and long I sought 
 for this flower, and when after some time I met it flowering 
 and flourishing, along with some of its relations, on a sunny 
 hill-side in Kent, none but a botanist can imagine my eager 
 delight and gratification ; and although many years have since 
 passed, and far different pursuits than those of childhood have 
 engaged my attention, yet even now I behold the Bee Flower 
 with undiminished pleasure and admiration. 
 
 " Bright insect-seeming flower ! Thou art indeed 
 
 Of thy gay family a curious child. 
 When first I met with thee, upspringing wild 
 
 Hard by the path, where did my footsteps lead. 
 How caught with admiration did I stop, 
 .And cull thee from amidst the grassy spires ! 
 
173 
 
 " One might have thought thou \vert some vagrant bee, 
 
 Erst marked by Flora, settled on a stem. 
 Who, sportively, the quaint device to see, 
 
 Transformed the insect to a floral gem. 
 Still springing fresh, through all succeeding years, 
 Gay as thy sister flowers bright as thy winged compeers !" 
 
 O. S. Late Spider Oplirys, the Common Spider Ophrys, and the Fljr 
 Ophrys, which much resemble the insects whose names they bear. 
 
 TWAY-BLADE. LISTERA. 
 
 COMMON TWAY-BLADE. Lister a ovata. 
 
 Plate 13, fig. 20. 
 
 A very curious, if not a beautiful plant, of a very frequent 
 occurrence in woods and meadows, growing a foot or more 
 high. Its names Tway-blade, or Two Leaves, leads us to 
 expect no more than this number they are ovate or oblong 
 in form, opposite to each other on the lower part of the stem ; 
 while on the upper part of it are numerous, scattered flowers, 
 of a greenish-yellow color, without spurs, and attended by 
 round, short seed vessels or germens, and short, very small 
 bracts. The lower lip of the flower is two-cleft, and rather 
 bent back. The other two petals smaller and narrow, and the 
 three calyx leaves ovate, and not opening very wide. It flowers 
 in May, June, and July. The pollen masses are in a crest or 
 hood, in the upper part of the flower. 
 
 O. S. Heart-Leaved Tway-blade, and Common Bird's-Nest, so called 
 from the root being of many fibres entangled together, like a bird's nest 
 
174 
 
 CLASS 21. MONOECIA. 
 
 (Plants having some of their flowers with Stamens only, and 
 others flowers with Pointals only.) 
 
 It was observed that the twelfth class contained most of our 
 fruit trees to this belong most of our timber trees, as the 
 Alder Tree, the Box Tree, the Oak, the Beech, the Birch, the 
 Chesnut, the Hornbeam, the Hazel, and the Pine or Fir. 
 Here also are the Stinging Nettle, the White Briony, the 
 numerous and difficult family of the Sedges, besides some 
 curious water plants, as the Common Water Starwort, the 
 Horned Pondweed, the Grass-wrack, the Pipewort, the Horn- 
 wort, and the Water Milfoile. 
 
 Order 1. MONANDRIA. 1 Stamen. 
 
 SPURGE, (Euphorbia.) Calyx holding several flowers of one 
 stamen each; and one pointal, with a three-cleft style. 
 
 Order 3. TRIANDRIA. 3 Stamens. 
 
 REED-MACE, BULL-RUSH, (Typha.) Flowers collected into 
 
 close round spikes. 
 BUR-REED, (Sparganium.) Flowers collected into round heads. 
 
 Order 7. POLYANDRIA. Many Stamens. 
 
 ARROW-HEAD, (Sagittaria.) Calyx three-leaved ; petals three ; 
 
 pointals numerous. 
 CUCKOO-PINT, (Arum.) Calyx a sheath of one leaf; flowers 
 
 on a spike. 
 SALAD-BURNET, (Poterium.) Flowers collected into heads ; 
 
 calyx four cleft. 
 
PLATE XIV 
 
 i> 
 
 "' 
 
SPURGE. MILKWORT. EUPHORBIA. 
 
 SUN SPURGE. Euphorbia heiioscopia. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 1. 
 Stem simple, ending in five principal branches. 
 
 This is the well-known and common Milkwort, the white 
 juice of which is used so often to cure warts. It is very poi- 
 sonous as is the case with all the Spurges ; indeed all plants 
 which have a colored juice are to be looked at with suspicion 
 being most likely poisonous, some of them stupifying, as the 
 Poppy and the Wild Lettuce, others like the present tribe 
 very inflaming or acrid. A drop of the juice of any of the 
 Spurges will blister the tongue and give a deal of pain, and the 
 eating of a single plant might occasion death. The stem of 
 this species grows a few inches high, and is divided near the 
 top into five branches, each of them with a leaf under it, and 
 spread out, like the spokes of a wheel, or star-like. Leaves 
 rather wedged -shaped, round, and notched at the end. Capsule 
 juicy, smooth, three^seeded. It is abundant in cultivated 
 ground, flowering in July and August. The flowers of all the 
 species are blended together, without separate coverings, and 
 inclosed in a common calyx, often colored, so that each bunch 
 appears like a single flower, of the eleventh class, and in this 
 class the plants were formerly and are sometimes now placed. 
 
 DWARF SPURGE. Euphorbia exigua. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 2. 
 Stem numerous, ending in three principal branches. 
 
 In corn fields, very common in July and August, and grow- 
 ing from four to six inches high. Leaves small, very narrow, 
 without notches and smooth. Stem much branched at the 
 base, each of the branches divides upwards in three other 
 branches, and so on. Capsules nearly smooth. 
 
 WOOD SPURGE. Euphorbia amygdaloides. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 3. 
 Stems double (generally) ending in six principal branches. 
 
 Larger and yellower than either of the former, with a stem 
 nearly shrubby at the lower part, and mostly divided near the 
 ground into two stems, which end upwards in about six prin- 
 cipal branches. Leaves hairy beneath, ovate or lance-shaped, 
 
176 
 
 narrowed towards the base. Capsules minutely dotted. This 
 is a common plant in the woods of England and flowers very 
 early in the Spring, and often in the Autumn also. 
 
 O. S. Purple Spurge, Broad-leaved Spurge, Irish Spurge, Hairy- 
 Spurge, Leafy Branched Spurge, Cypress Spurge, Sea Spurge, 1'ortland 
 Spurge, Petty Spurge, Caper Spurge, and Red Shrubby Spurge. 
 
 REED-MACE. TYPHA. 
 REED-MACE. BULL-RUSH. CAT'S-TAIL. Typha latifolia. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 4. 
 
 Very common is ponds, lakes, and river-banks, growing five 
 or six feet high, with a naked, round stem, bearing on the top 
 of it a tapering spike of sessile, yellow flowers, all of them 
 consisting of stamens only, without calyx or corolla, or pointals ; 
 close under this is another round close spike of flowers bearing 
 pointals only, without calyx or corolla, but each of them sur- 
 rounded by a quantity of brown pointed hairs, so that this 
 noble-looking spike appears like a mass altogether of hairs, as 
 large and even more closely set than those on a cat's tail, hence 
 one of the names of the plant. The leaves all arise direct from 
 the root, and are very long and narrow ; it flowers in August, 
 and is one of the best examples to show the nature of the 
 twenty-first class as the two sorts of flowers are so distinct 
 from each other. 
 
 BUR-REED. SPARGANIUM. 
 BRANCHED BUR-REED. Sparganium ramosum. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 5. 
 
 Also a mud plant, growing in ditches, &c., flowering in July, 
 but very different in appearance from the last. The stem is 
 round and branched. The root-leaves are very long, sword- 
 shaped, rather wide below, and hollowed out at the sides the 
 stem-leaves narrower and shorter, bracts still more so, both 
 clasping the stem. Flowers collected in several distant round 
 heads. Those with stamens on the upper part of the plant t 
 those with pointals, below. 
 
 O. S. Unbranched Upright Bur-reed, and Floating Bur-reed, neither 
 very rare. The last grows in such great abundance in the quieter part of 
 the Thames as materially to impede the passage of boats, covering some- 
 times whole acres with its very long narrow, thin leaves, but never seen 
 in flower. This is here mentioned, because very many good botanists have 
 been pu/.zled to know the name of the plant alluded to. 
 
177 
 
 ARROW-HEAD. SAGITTARIA. 
 COMMON ARROW-HEAD. Sagittaria sagittifolia. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 6. 
 
 Abundant in ditches and rivers ; a fine curious plant, growing 
 two or three feet above the water, and producing large white 
 flowers, of three petals each, inclosed in a calyx of three leaves. 
 Some of the flowers have very numerous pointals, collected 
 into a head. Leaves, when under water, long and strap - 
 shaped, but as soon as they rise above the surface, the lower 
 part of them becomes rounded into a foot-stalk, and the upper 
 part expanded, until it becomes perfectly arrow-shaped. It 
 flowers in July and August. 
 
 CUCKOO-PINT. ARUM. 
 CUCKOO-PINT. WAKE ROBIN. Arum maculatum. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 7. 
 
 This plant not only deserves but receives universal attention, 
 on account of its very peculiar structure. The leaves are 
 spotted, all from the root, and somewhat arrow-shaped, but 
 not exactly so. They rise from the ground very early in the 
 season, and soon after they have expanded, that is in April, 
 or May, there appears amongst them a long, upright, light 
 green sheath, which is rolled up, and at the lower part swelled 
 out, and joined to a short, thick, fleshy stem gradually this 
 sheath unfolds, and then displays one of the most singular 
 looking, club-shaped bodies. The upper part of this is like 
 velvet, and of a pink, or more commonly mulberry color, 
 growing darker as it gets older ; a little lower down is a belt 
 of imperfect stamens, then another belt of two -called anthers 
 or true stamens, and below these at a little distance a belt of 
 germens or young seed-vessels. After a time the upper part 
 of the spike and the sheath dies away, an$ the germens grow 
 into a cluster of most beautiful scarlet berries, which remain 
 all the Winter. These are poisonous and so are the leaves, 
 but if the root be properly dried it makes a very nutritious 
 food, and as such it is used by the people of Portland Island 
 on the coast of Devonshire. They also grind it into a flour, 
 when it is sold under the names of Portland Sago. Children 
 call the plant Lords and Ladies. 
 
178 
 
 BURNET. POTERIUM. 
 COMMON BURNET. Poterium sanguisorla. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 8. 
 
 A very beautiful and common plant, growing upright, with 
 one or more branched and leafy stems. Flowers purplish, in 
 heads ; with fine red, drooping stamens, thirty or forty in 
 number. Calyx four- cleft. Corolla none. Pointals two, only 
 found in the upper flowers. Seed-vessels two, each one- 
 seeded. The leaves taste and smell like Cucumber, and are 
 sometimes eaten in Spring salad ; they clothe the stem and grow 
 around in a tuft from the root, and are of an elegant, pinnated 
 form, composed of many pairs of oval, serrated leaflets, the 
 various pairs diminishing in size as they are farther from the 
 point. Flowers usually in June, but as it is constantly eaten 
 off by the sheep it throws out flowering stems at almost every 
 
 CLASS 22. DICECIA. 
 
 (The flowers having Stamens, and those having Pointals upon 
 different plants.) 
 
 A small class, but rather an important one, as among foreign 
 plants many valuable ones here have place. Our Islands can 
 boast of about seventy species of the Willow, some of the 
 Poplars, the Crowberry, the Butcher 's-broom, the Misseltoe, 
 the Sallow-thorn, the Sweet Gale, which is often called English 
 Myrtle, the Hop, the Rose-root, the Frog-bit, the Juniper, 
 and that emblem of sorrow the Yew Tree. Of foreigners we 
 must not forget the Screw Pine, the Date Tree, the Pistacia 
 Nut Tree, Spinach, Hemp, the Yam, the Papaw Tree, the 
 Nutmeg, and that very remarkable object the Pitcher Plant. 
 
179 
 
 Order 5. PENTANDRIA. 5 Stamens. 
 HOP, (Humulus.) Flowers of five -parts ; fruit a catkin. 
 
 Order 8, ENNEANDRIA. 9 Stamens. 
 MERCURY, (Mercurialis.) Flower of three-parts ; fruit a 
 capsule. 
 
 HOP. HUMULUS. 
 COMMON HOP. Humulus lupulus. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 9. 
 
 This is a rough climbing plant, very common in rich ground, 
 covering the hedges in the Summer with its flowers, and in the 
 Autumn with its curious, scaly clusters of seed. There are 
 here, as there must be in all of this class, two plants ; one pro- 
 ducing flowers with stamens only, the other flowers with 
 pointals only, and as these last alone produce seed, they are 
 called fertile flowers, and the others barren flowers. The two 
 sorts are in this ' instance very different in appearance the 
 barren flowers are in large, loose bunches, something like the 
 blossoms of the Lilac, each flower with a five-leaved calyx. 
 The fertile flowers are in short, nearly round heads or catkins, 
 formed of hollow scales, folded over each other each scale is 
 a flower, covering two styles, and producing one round seed. 
 The roots are very long and creeping. The stem rough, very 
 long, and twisting round any support near it. Leaves stalked, 
 rough, three or five-lobed, and serrated. Flowers appearing 
 in July, and seeds ripe a month or six weeks afterwards. The 
 fertile plant is very much grown in many parts of England 
 for the sake of its heads of seeds, which are the material so 
 valuable to the brewer, their bitter principle preserving beer 
 from becoming sour. All the young shoots and leaves were 
 formerly brought to market, and eaten as a Spring vegetable. 
 They are said to be very nice, and much like asparagus in flavor. 
 
 MERCURY. MERCURIALIS. 
 DOG'S MERCURY. Mercurialis perennis. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 10. 
 
 Abundant on rubbish heaps and in gardens, growing perhaps 
 a foot high. Stem not branched. Leaves mostly on the 
 
180 
 
 upper part of the stem, rough, ovate, stalked, and serrated. 
 Flowers green, consisting of a three-cleft calyx, and collected 
 into short loose spikes. The barren flowers have from nine to 
 twelve stamens. The fertile flowers two styles. Capsule two- 
 celled, with the cells one-seeded. The whole plant in drying 
 becomes of a bright blue color. 
 O. S. Annual Mercury, found about London, but not common. 
 
 CLASS 23. POLYGAMIA. 
 
 (Stamens and Pointals sometimes in separate' flower s, at other 
 times together.} 
 
 This character is only found in one genus of British plants, 
 but numerous foreign species occur in Polygamia, particularly 
 the beautiful tribes of Mimosa, one of which is the Sensitive 
 Plant the no less beautiful Acacias, containing the Gum 
 Arabic Tree numerous Grasses, the Carob or Locust Tree, 
 the pods of which were a common food in former times and 
 known as having been eaten by St. John, the Fan Palm, the 
 Fig Tree, and numerous others. 
 
 ORACHE. ATRIPLEX. 
 HALBERT-LEAVED ORACHE. Atriplex patula. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 11. 
 
 A straggling weed, with halbert-shaped, smooth, toothed 
 leaves, and very small, greenish flowers, in little bunches, 
 scattered over the numerous long branches. It may be found 
 in flower all the latter part of the Summer, everywhere on 
 waste ground. 
 
181 
 
 NARROW -LEAVED OR AC HE. Atriplex angustifolia. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 12. 
 
 This, which is quite as common as the last, does not differ 
 from it in any respect but in having narrower leaves. When 
 either of these grow on the sea shore their leaves become 
 thicker and downy. 
 
 O. S. Shrubby Orache, or Sea Purslane, Frosted Sea Orache, Spear - 
 leaved Orache, Grass-leaved Sea Orache, and Stalked Sea Orache. 
 
 CLASS 24. CRYPTOGAMIA. 
 
 (Stamens and Pointals none.) 
 
 All those plants which never bear flowers, (and these are 
 very numerous,) are called Cryptogamic. They are totally 
 different in their structure from all the flowering plants, and 
 in the description of them various terms are used, that are 
 not necessary elsewhere. The stems are without any thing 
 like wood. The vessels that supply the sap are very imperfect, 
 and in most of them there are no vessels at all, but the whole 
 plant is a collection of cells or little bags. The seed vessels 
 are called theca, and the seeds spores they differ from seeds 
 in being able to grow from any part of their surface, and not 
 from one particular point alone. They are divided into several 
 orders, named from the nature of the plants themselves, as 
 Ferns, Mosses, Sea Weeds, Lichens, and Fungi. (For an 
 account of some of these see the Appendix.) The first order, 
 the Ferns, is too much sought after to be passed so hastily, but 
 deserve to be included in our general design. 
 
182 
 
 THE FERNS. FILICES. 
 
 Are among the most graceful and elegant plants ; their 
 leaves (fronds) are in some cases entire, in others most beauti- 
 fully divided, and all of them coiled up before opening in a 
 very curious and singular manner, the effect of which is often 
 increased by the main stem being covered thickly with hairs 
 or scales. The seed cases or thecse are borne in different - 
 shaped clusters, mostly on the under side of the frond, some- 
 times with, and sometimes without a cover over them. These 
 thecse are worthy of the most careful inspection by the naked 
 eye their wonderful form and structure is not seen, but under 
 a miscroscope they will be found to consist of a round or oval 
 bag, with a very elegant, jointed band round it. As the seed 
 ripens the band becomes elastic, and at last flies out, and 
 splitting the theca to pieces at the same time with great 
 force, the seeds are jerked out by the sudden motion to the 
 distance of many inches. 
 
 POLYPODY, (Poly podium.) Seed vessels without a cover. 
 SHIELD FERN, (Aspidium.) Seed vessels round and covered. 
 SPLEENWORT, (Asplenium.) Seed vessels long and covered. 
 BRAKE, (Pteris.) Seed vessels along the edge of the frond. 
 HARD FERN, (Blechnum.) Seed vessels along the middle of 
 each lobe of the frond. 
 
 POLYPODY. POLYPODIUM. 
 COMMON POLYPODY. Potypodium vulgare. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 13. 
 
 In some parts of the Kingdom this is very abundant, and 
 scarcely anywhere rare. Found at all seasons of the year on 
 walls, trees, &c. Its frond (all of it above the ground is thus 
 called) is like a stalked, large, oblong pinnatifid leaf, that is 
 cut down near to the mid-rib on both sides many times. The 
 seed is in little round yellow spots, in two straight rows upon 
 each division or lobe of the frond. The root is creeping and 
 hairy. 
 
 O. S. Wood Polypody, Tender Three-branched Polypody, and Rigid 
 Three-branched Polypody. 
 
183 
 
 SHIELD FERN. ASPIDIUM. 
 
 MALE FERN. Aspidium Filix mas. 
 
 'Plate 14, jig. 14. 
 
 A large robust plant, and therefore called the Male Fern, 
 growing with a number of fronds around the crown of the root, 
 and when these are young they form a beautiful ball of rolled- 
 up leaves these expand by degrees, unrolling themselves till 
 the whole resembles a large shuttlecock, with the fronds two 
 or three feet high, with hairy stems, and divided first into a 
 great number of leaflets or pinnee, as they are called, and these 
 deeply cut into lobes. The lobes on the upper part of the 
 frond have each from two to six round spots of seed, defended 
 by a round cover over them, and like all the rest of the Fern 
 tribe they may be found all the Summer. This species dies 
 down to the ground every Autumn and puts out fresh fronds 
 every Spring. 
 
 Miss Twamley in The Romance of Nature alludes to it thus. 
 Her remarks are pretty, and will apply to some other species. 
 
 44 The green and graceful Fern, 
 
 How beautiful it is, 
 There's not a leaf in all the land, 
 So wonderful I wis. 
 
 " Have ye ere watched it budding, 
 
 With each stem and leaf wrapped small, 
 Coiled up within each other, 
 Like a round and hairy ball. 
 
 " Have ye watched that ball unfolding, 
 
 Each closely nestling curl, 
 And its fair and feathery leaflets, 
 Their spreading forms unfurl. 
 
 " Oh then most gracefully they wave, 
 
 In the hedges like a sea. 
 And dear as they are beautiful. 
 Are those Fern-leaves to me." 
 
 O. S. Rough Alpine Shield-fern, Close-leaved Shield-fern, Common 
 Prickly Shield-fern, Marsh Shield-fern, Heath Shield-fern, Crested Shield- 
 fern, Rigid Shield-fern, and Great Shield-fern, the last not uncommon. 
 
 SPLEENWORT. ASPLENIUM. 
 WALL SPLEENWORT. Asplenium Trichomanes. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 15. 
 Frond pinnate. Leaflets opposite, round, scolloped. Stem 
 
 black. 
 A little, stiff, curious plant, now and then found on walls,, 
 
184 
 
 with many fronds, growing three or four inches high, with a 
 black, smooth stalk up the middle, and often as many as 
 twenty or thirty pair of ovate leaflets up the sides of it. On 
 the under side of each of these are from two to six long spots 
 of dark brown seeds, covered at first with a whitish skin 
 which is fastened on one side of each of the spots ; but after- 
 wards, as the seeds grow, this cover is bent so far back by 
 them that it is scarcely visible, and thus the whole back of the 
 leaflet appears covered with seeds. 
 
 WALL RUE. Asplenium Ruta-muraria, 
 Plate 14, jig. 16. 
 
 Frond twice pinnate. Leaflets alternate, wedge-shaped, notched 
 
 at the end. 
 
 From one to four inches is about the height of this little 
 Fern, which grows on walls and ruins. The stalk has no 
 leaflets on the lower part of it upwards it has three or five 
 leaflets, which are again divided into others of a rounded or 
 wedge-shape, with long spots of covered seeds, like those of 
 the last species. 
 
 BLACK MAIDEN HAIR. Asplenium Adiantum-nigrum. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 17. 
 Frond thrice pinnate. Leaflets alternate. Stem winged, black. 
 
 On walls and rocks from four to eight inches or more high, 
 of a dark green color and stiff. The stem is smooth, has no 
 leaflets on the lower part of it, but above this is furnished with 
 double-cleft leaflets, placed alternately upon it, and those 
 nearest to the main stem by much the largest. It is a fine 
 shining, beautifully-formed plant, with large long spots of dark 
 brown seed, which very often cover the whole back of the 
 frond when old, and when young show very plainly their long, 
 white covers. 
 
 FEMALE FERN. Asplmium Filix femince. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 18. 
 
 Fronds lance-shaped, twice pinnate. Leaflets tapering, pointed. 
 
 A most elegant and lovely plant, so much so indeed as to be 
 
 called the Lady Fern, or in some places the Fairy Fern. Its 
 
185 
 
 place of natural growth is well described by Sir W. Scott, 
 who says 
 
 " Where the copse-wood is the greenest, 
 "Where the fountain glistens sheenest, 
 Where the morning dew lies longest, 
 There the Lady Fern grows strongest," 
 
 It grows two feet or more high, and is quite smooth in every 
 part. Its stem has along it, on both sides, thirty or forty pair 
 of tapering, pointed leaflets, long near the middle of the frond, 
 but shorter towards the point, and also near the root. The 
 leaflets are again divided into lobes, and those are scolloped at 
 the edges and pointed. The sori, that is the masses of seed, 
 are small, kidney-shaped, and always distinct from each other. 
 
 O. S. Forked Spleenwort, Alternate-leaved Spleenwort, Sea Spleen- 
 wort, Green Spleenwort, Smooth Rock Spleenwort, and Lanceolate 
 Spleenwort. 
 
 BRAKES. PTERIS. 
 COMMON BRAKES. Pteris aquilina. 
 
 Plate 14, jig. 19. 
 
 This can live and thrive almost everywhere, thus it may be 
 seen on all commons, and in all parks and preserves in lanes, 
 in forests, and on mountains, though not at any very great 
 height on them. Its roots creep along to some distance. Its 
 stem is stiff, as thick as a child's finger, smooth, and without 
 leaflets at the lower part, but the upper part of it is clothed 
 with many, which become larger and more divided, from the 
 point of the leaf downwards. The seed is in one long line that 
 runs round the edge of all the leaflets and lobes. It grows 
 three or four feet high, and is used for various purposes in 
 some places as fuel, sometimes for fodder, and very often 
 cherries are packed in it, and thus are sent to the London 
 markets. The places where it grows are much frequented by 
 the deer though neither they, nor any other animal, are fond 
 of any species of Fern as a food. The seed is exceedingly 
 minute, and scattered by the smallest touch. 
 
 " The Ferns are waving all statelily here. 
 With seed-stored fronds thickly laid, 
 And shedding when hastily brushed by the deer 
 Their light, fertile dust o'er the glade." 
 
186 
 
 HARD FERN. JBLECHNUM. 
 COMMON HARD FERN. Blechnum boreale. 
 
 Plate 14, fig. 20. 
 
 To be seen often on the damp part of sandy commons and 
 in ditches, with pinnatifid lance- shaped fronds of two sorts ; 
 those which are without seed are shorter than the others and 
 their divisions wider. The fertile fronds have their divisions 
 very narrow, and wholly covered with seeds on the under side ; 
 they are also of a dark color. It grows about a foot high. 
 
 Note. The Ferns are to he dried the same as other plants. In 
 gathering them be careful to take the whole frond, from the root 
 upwards, as many of them are scaly at the lower part of the stem, 
 and no where else, and this is of consequence to he observed. If 
 the fronds should shrivel up before they are put between the papers 
 to dry, they may be placed under water for an hour without injury ; 
 this will expand them again. 
 
187 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 IN the foregoing pages no account has been given of several 
 families of plants, although some of them are as common as 
 those described. These have been omitted either because they 
 are such as do not so often attract the attention of the young 
 botanist, or such as are too difficult for his first attempts. 
 Such are the Grasses, the Sedges, and the Rushes ; the Um- 
 bellate Plants ; the Trees ; the Water Plants ; &c. 
 
 As my object is to describe all the common plants, it is 
 right to make a few remarks upon each of these in turn. It 
 may be more delightful to gather the gayer flowers, yet a true 
 botanist will collect all, and if he cannot assign to each spe- 
 cimen its proper specific name, he will very soon learn to 
 what class, order, and genus each belongs, and thereby 
 greatly increase his general knowledge of its names and 
 properties. 
 
 GRASSES. GRAMINA. 
 
 With the exception of one common species, which is the 
 SWEET-SCENTED VERNAL GRASS, (Anthoxanthum odora- 
 turn,) all our native Grasses belong to Triandria. " They 
 seem particularly the objects of nature's care ; with these she 
 clothes the earth, their seeds sustain its inhabitants, and a 
 great part of the animal world is supported upon their leaves* 
 Being thus necessary for our subsistence, (for here are included 
 all kinds of corn,) nature has made them thrive under treatment 
 by which other plants are destroyed, the more their leaves are 
 consumed the thicker their roots increase, the more they are 
 trodden upon the faster they grow." 
 
 They may for our present object be divided into three sec- 
 tions. First those Grasses which bear their flowers in spikes, 
 among which are the MEADOW FOX-TAIL GRASS, (Alopecurus 
 pratensis,) a plant two feet high, which has a smooth, round 
 spike, covered in the hay season with purple, orange, or yel- 
 
188 
 
 low stamens this is the greater part of crops of hay. The MAT- 
 GRASS, (Nardus stricta,) a small, harsh plant of the commons, 
 having a thin, narrow spike, with the florets all turned one way. 
 The CAT'S-TAIL GRASS, (Phleum pratense,) a green, hard, 
 round spike, with few stamens ; abundant in meadows. The 
 WALL BARLEY, (Hordeum murinum,) the spike covered with 
 long, stiff bristles. This is the grass that boys put up their 
 sleeves, in order that it may crawl to the shoulder, this it 
 does by means of the awns or bristles, which are furnished 
 with teeth like a saw ; thus with every motion of the boy, 
 the awns move the same way because the teeth prevent their 
 returning, though not their going forward. COUCH GRASS, 
 or CREEPING WHEAT-GRASS, (Triticum repens.) This is 
 the troublesome Grass with long, jointed, white roots, which 
 farmers and gardeners are so anxious to destroy. Its leaves 
 are so loaded with flint that their edges are sharp enough to 
 cut the mouth when drawn through it, the florets are on two 
 opposite sides of the spike. The SEA WHEAT -GRASS, 
 (Triticum junceum,) is a whitish-green Grass, common on 
 the sea shore. The RYE GRASS, (Lolium perenne,) found 
 everywhere on banks and in meadows, often grown with Clover. 
 It has a fibrous root, and florets distant from each other, on 
 opposite sides of the spikes. The DOG'S-TAIL GRASS, (Cy- 
 nosurus cristatus,) with a thick, stiff spike of short florets, all 
 turned one way. Of the tufted-headed species, we have the 
 Common COCK'S-FOOT GRASS, (Dactylis glomerata,) this is 
 branched at the top, and the florets all collected in thick bun- 
 dles. Of the loose-headed Grasses there are the QUAKE 
 GRASS, (Briza media,) this has a head of very fine hair-like 
 branches, with a small, wide spikelet at the end of each alto- 
 gether so delicate that it is always in motion, and so called 
 
 TOTTER-GRASS, Or WAG WANTING. The SOFT GRASS, 
 
 (Holcus mollis,) which has numerous small florets, all white 
 with down. The STERILE BROME GRASS, (Bromus sterilis,) 
 with a very wide-spreading head, and a long spike of awned 
 florets at the end of each branch. The REED, (Arundo 
 pragmites,) cultivated by acres on the banks of rivers, and 
 growing wild in such places. Two or three sorts of Meadow 
 Grass, one of which is the ANNUAL MEADOW GRASS, (Poa 
 
189 
 
 annua,) so great a nuisance as a weed in gardens, and growing 
 everywhere. There are also two or three of the HAIR GRASSES, 
 (Aira,) so called for their delicacy. The BROWN BENT 
 GRASS the FINE BENT GRASS and the MARSH BENT 
 GRASS, all are common. 
 
 THE SEDGES. CARICES. 
 
 Are coarse, hard, grass-like plants, growing chiefly in wet 
 places, and belonging to the twenty-first class. None of them 
 are liked by cattle, not used in the arts, nor yet is there any 
 thing in their appearance to make them regarded as plants of 
 ornament. Their flowers are borne in spikes, sometimes the 
 same spike contains both sorts of flowers, but more frequently 
 at. the top of the plant are spikes of flowers with stamens only, 
 and under these, other spikes of flowers with pointals only. 
 
 THE RUSHES, &c. JUNCI, fyc. 
 
 These belong to the sixth class. Many are common, and 
 extremely useful. They are generally without leaves, con- 
 sisting of a number of upright, round, pithy, smooth stems, 
 and their flowers are borne in bunches on the side of these 
 stems. The SHARP RUSH, (Juncus acutus,) and the SEA 
 RUSH, (Juncus maritimus,) grow on the sea shore, and on 
 the banks of rivers, where they are very useful, on account of 
 their roots keeping the earth firm, so that the water cannot 
 wash it away, and in Holland they are often planted for that 
 purpose. The BULL RUSH, (Juncus palustris,) grows in ponds 
 and rivers, several feet high, and is used to bottom chairs, to 
 make baskets and mattings, and by coopers to put between 
 the joints of casks to prevent leakage. The COMMON RUSH, 
 (Juncus conglomerates,) and the SOFT RUSH, (Juncus effusus,) 
 are used for the wicks of rush-lights, and the Chinese make 
 window blinds of the same species. The following have leafy 
 stems the SHARP-FLOWERED RUSH, (Juncus acutiflorus,) 
 grows in wet places, two feet high, with a jointed stem, and 
 three or four leaves upon it. The TOAD RUSH, (Juncus fru- 
 fonius,) is a very small species, growing in barren places, with 
 
190 
 
 one leaf upon the stem, and HEATH RUSH, (Juncus squar- 
 rosus,) a very stiff plant, with a tuft of leaves on the ground, 
 and an upright flowering stalk in the middle. 
 
 UMBELLATE PLANTS. UMBELLIFERM. 
 
 The Umbellate Plants are such as bear their flowers on 
 stalks, which spread out from each other like the ribs of an 
 umbrella, and therefore called an umbel. Many of these 
 plants are very poisonous, particularly those that grow in 
 damp places ; the seeds of all of them are however harmless, 
 and several pleasant and serviceable thus we eat the seeds 
 of the Carraway and of the Coriander ; these are both British 
 plants, but rare. Others are used for their roots, as the 
 CARROT, (Daucus carota), which grows wild in almost all dry 
 chalky, gravelly, or sandy places. The Parsnip too, (Pasti- 
 naca sativa,) is almost as common, it has yellow flowers, which 
 few of this tribe have. The CELERY, (Apium graveolens,) is 
 often found, and in a wild state is poisonous. The FOOL'S 
 PARSLEY, (jEthusa cynapium,) is another poisonous species, 
 common on rubbish, in fields and in gardens, its leaves are 
 dark green and very finely divided, and under each small umbel 
 of flowers are three long very narrow leaves, which droop 
 down; by this it may be at once known. The WOOD ANGE- 
 LICA, (Angelica sylvestris,) is a large plant with a very large 
 puffed-out sheath to its leaves. The Cow PARSNIP, (Hera- 
 cleum spondylium,) is another very large plant of frequent 
 occurrence. The SHEPHERD'S NEEDLE, (Scandix pccten,) 
 is found in corn fields and has very long beaks to the seeds. 
 There are many other species not by any means rare. All the 
 Umbellate Plants belong to the second order of the Linnsean 
 class Pentandria, and to the same natural order Umbellatae. 
 
 TREES. ARBORES. 
 
 Trees are such interesting objects to the planter, add so 
 much to the beauty of scenery, are of such high importance in 
 the arts, and conduce so much to our comfort, both for the 
 fruits they yield and the timber which their trunks and branches 
 produce, that whole volumes and even series of volumes have 
 
191 
 
 been written on them. Gilpin's Forest Scenery, Wood- 
 land Gleanings, and The Spirit of the Woods, are among 
 those which must be read by all with delight and instruction. 
 The flowers of timber trees are for the most part catkins, 
 without beauty, and borne at that very early season of the year 
 when fireside pleasures are more in request than those which 
 lead to outdoor rambles. The frequency of the more com- 
 mon, and their general appearance, makes them pretty well 
 known, thus the Hazel Nut and the Apple Tree, the Cherry 
 and the Plum need but little description. The Timber Trees 
 also are known to every gardener and husbandman, and although 
 to ask such persons to point out particular kinds is scarcely 
 consistent with science, yet space will not permit each to be 
 described here. Besides the ab ove-mentioned we have five or 
 six species of the Elm, also the Sycamore, the Maple, the Ash, 
 the Medlar, the Mountain Ash, the Lime or Linden Tree, the 
 Alder, the Box, the Beech, the Chesnut, the Hornbeam, no 
 less than seventy species of the Willow, the dark and gloomy 
 Pine and Bonny Birch, the King and Queen of Scottish 
 Scenery ; for as Miss Twamley observes, 
 
 " The lofty Pine crowns Scotland hills, 
 
 Nor recks the Winter's blast, 
 
 His root clings firmly to the rock, 
 
 Like an anchor stout and fast. 
 
 " The Pine is King of Scottish Woods, 
 
 And the Queen, ah, who is she ? 
 The fairest form the forest kens, 
 The bonnie Birchen Tree. 
 
 " God crowns the tree with loveliness, 
 
 A bonnie Queen to be. 
 Queen of the Glens in old Scotland, 
 The bonnie Birchen Tree." Our Wild Flower. 
 
 The knotted Oak, England's boasted tree, with which our 
 noblemen adorn their parks, and which, after ages of growth,, 
 yields that tough and almost imperishable timber so valuable 
 in the construction of our machinery and our shipping. 
 
 " From a small acorn see the oak arise. 
 Supremely tall and towering to the skies, 
 King of the groves, his stately form he rears, 
 His bulk increasing with increasing years, 
 Now moves in pomp majestic o'er the deep, 
 While in the hulk Britannia's thunders sleep, 
 With fame and conquest graces Albion's shore, 
 And guards the Island where he grew before, 1 ' 
 
192 
 
 WATER PLANTS. 
 
 Those alone are with propriety called Water Plants which 
 live in the water without any contact with the earth, or which 
 use their roots only to keep them firm in their situation. 
 Amongst other natives we have the Duck -weeds, so well 
 known as covering ponds and ditches, one is very small, 
 (Lemna minor) this is the most common. Another species, 
 (Lemna polyrrhiza,) is large and of a purple color underneath 
 its leaves. Lemna gibba is between these two in size and 
 thick, the under surface being puffed out it is not so common 
 as the last two. Lemna trisulca, or the Ivy-leaved Duck- weed, 
 is now and then found in similar places. The Pond-weeds, 
 (Potamogeton, Class 4,) are a very numerous family ; several 
 are common, and throng most streams and ditches, floating 
 under water, and bearing flowers in spikes. There are a few 
 more Water Plants in the twenty-first class, but these are 
 scarcely common enough to be more than alluded to. 
 
 HORSE-TAIL AND CLUB-MOSSES. 
 
 (Equisetum and Lycopodium.) 
 
 1 2 
 
 1. A, part of a barren frond of Equisetum arvense, or Field Horsetail, 
 B, fertile frond of ditto. C, one of the shields of the fruit removed. D. 
 .one of the seeds magnified. 2. A, a Clab-rnoss of natural size. B, one of 
 the leaves, showing beneath it one kind of fruit. C, one of the leaves 
 showing the other kind of fruit. D, the seed removed. 
 
 The Horse-tails and the Club-Mosses are called allies to 
 the Ferns though very different in form. Those of the latter 
 tribe are not common except in mountainous countries nor is 
 their any thing remarkable in their appearance, as there is in 
 the Horse-tails. These have all hollow stems, with a certain 
 number of channels outside. They are set with joints, and 
 
193 
 
 from the joints grow sheaths, having exactly as many teeth on 
 the top of them as the channels of the stem sometimes there 
 are no branches, but when there are, the number of them also 
 agrees with the channels, besides which they are set in whirls 
 around the various joints. The seed is borne in very beautiful, 
 oblong heads, formed of little rings of shields, placed close 
 together. The shields are formed of a number of bags, full 
 of the most minute seeds, which when ripe escape from an 
 opening on the under side. The seeds are in the highest 
 degree curious. They are oval, and furnished with four long, 
 knobbed threads each, that are at first twisted round them 
 tightly ; but when the seed drops and becomes damp, the 
 threads unfold themselves, and standing out in various direc- 
 tions they seem like four legs, raising the seed up, so that it 
 looks as if it were a four-legged stool. The stool contracts, or 
 stretches out at every change of weather, and by this singular 
 means the seed crawls along to a distance from its parent plant. 
 The following species are common, LARGE WATER HORSE- 
 TAIL, (Equisetum flumatile,} which grows in damp places, 
 and bears its seeds in heads on the tops of pale-colored, 
 jointed stems that rise early in the spring. It afterwards 
 throws up tall fronds without leaves, but jointed, with about 
 thirty branches from each joint, set in whirls. The CORN 
 HORSE-TAIL, (Equisetum arvense,) which bears its seed like 
 the last, but trails along the ground, and the barren fronds 
 have about twelve branches at each joint. MARSH HORSE- 
 TAIL, (Equisetum palustre,) which grows in marshes, has few 
 branches, very large sheaths to the stem, and the head of seeds 
 on the top of it. The head of seed of this species is easily 
 found and well worth attention, for it shows the nature of all 
 of them. 
 
 THE MOSSES. MUSCL 
 
 There are natives of our island more than four hundred 
 different sorts of Moss, and they are most elegantly-formed 
 plants, though so small that some of them can scarcely be seen. 
 They have leaves, stems, roots, and capsules to hold their 
 seeds. These capsules are seen under the microscope to be 
 the most perfect and curious objects. When young each one 
 
194 
 
 is covered with a little hood, shaped like an extinguisher, which 
 defends it from the injury of the wet. Under this there is 
 found another cap, serving as a cover, and preventing the seed 
 from falling out. This being removed there is seen around the 
 top of the capsule, a certain number of most beautifully -formed 
 and brilliantly- colored teeth, either single or in pairs, at first 
 standing across the mouth, but afterwards spreading out from 
 the rim like a star, and yet too small to be seen by the naked 
 eye. It is from these chiefly that the Mosses are divided into 
 genera. It is a very remarkable fact, that the number of teeth 
 is always four or sixteen, or thirty-two, or sixty-four, and 
 never any of the numbers between. 
 
 A, a terminal fruited Moss Orthotrichum crispum. B, capsule of the 
 same magnified, showing eight outer and eight inner teeth. C, calyptra, 
 D, lid both belonging to the same. E, a lateral fruited Moss, Dicranum 
 adiantoides. F, capsule and lid belonging to it. G, Calyptra. H, peri- 
 chaetial leaves, that is, leaves around the fruit stem. 
 
 The Mosses flourish chiefly in that season when all the 
 flowering plants are taking their Winter's rest. Then, amid 
 frost and snow, we may discover most of these little objects, 
 flourishing upon the walls upon the bark of trees and upon 
 the otherwise barren ground. 
 
 The most common Mosses are the BOG Moss, (Sphagnum,) 
 the stem of which grows very long, with white leaves it is 
 found in Summer. EARTH Moss, (Phascum,) found on 
 barren ground in the Winter it is exceedingly small, not a 
 quarter of an inch high altogether. Some of the BEARDLESS 
 MOSSES, (Gymnostomum,) are often found on walls, not on 
 the ground. These grow in tufts, with abundance of capsules, 
 which have no teeth around the top of them. The Grimmia 
 pulvinata grows on walls, and looks like a little hairy pin- 
 cushion, with capsules scattered about it, the mouth of each of 
 
195 
 
 which has sixteen teeth. Of the FORK Moss (DicranumJ 
 there are two species, common on the ground. One, (D. 
 JieteromallumJ is very minute, but grows in large patches. 
 The other, (D. scoparium,) grows in damp places, some inches 
 high, with long, thin, bent capsules seated upon long stalks ; 
 and leaves more than a quarter of an inch long there are 
 sixteen teeth round the capsule joined together in pairs. Tufts 
 of the SCREW Moss, (Tortula,) abound on every wall. The 
 capsule is upright, very thin, and with its thirty-two teeth 
 twisted together like a screw. Polytrichum commune is one 
 of the commonest, as well as one of the largest species on waste 
 grounds its hood is very hairy its capsule thick, with a row 
 of thirty-two or sixty-four teeth, and a membrane besides 
 within these. One or two more of the Polytrichums are not 
 rare particularly the waved-leaved one, a small one, and 
 another whose leaves have a hair at the end of each. The 
 CORD Moss, (Funaria hydrometrica,) is often to be found in 
 gravel pits, and such places, in the Summer time. This bears 
 a curved capsule, on a crooked stalk, an inch long. This stalk 
 has a very curious property ; when the plant is dry and the 
 stalk is wetted near the top, the capsules turn round one way, 
 and when it is wetted near the bottom they turn round the 
 other way. The THREAD Moss, (Bryum,) is a very numerous 
 and beautiful family. The most common and one of the 
 smallest is the SILVER BRYUM, which has white, silver-like 
 leaves, and drooping capsules, with two rows of teeth, sixteen 
 in each to be found on banks and walls in April. All the 
 Thread Mosses have the stalks of their capsules growing out 
 of the very top of the plants. 
 
 The WATER Moss, (Fontinalis,) is abundant under water 
 in rivers and ponds it grows two or three feet long, and 
 seldom is found in fruit. And last, the very beautiful family of 
 the FEATHER MOSSES, (Hypnum,) some of which are found 
 everywhere. Their stems are mostly branched, covered with 
 leaves, and with long-stalked capsules growing out of the sides 
 of the stems ; one very common species is used to pack things 
 in, to make baskets, and so on ; it is the THREE-CORNERED 
 HYPNUM (H. triquetrum.} Another of them is used by an- 
 glers to keep worms in, and by gardeners to bind round the 
 
196 
 
 roots of plants when they are removed to a distance ; this is 
 either the last or Hypnum purum. There is another exceed- 
 ingly beautiful and shining species, the branches of which 
 spread out like a feather ; this is the Hypnum proliferum, and 
 is used for ornamental purposes, as by bird-stufFers, &c. 
 
 The unfortunate Mungo Parke was once sitting solitary, 
 toilworn, and despairing on a barren rock, in the interior of 
 Africa, when he was assured and comforted, by seeing growing 
 on the naked stones a minute Moss, which he recognized as 
 one of his own dear native land in joy he hailed it as a proof 
 of the fostering care of Providence, even in a sandy and path- 
 less desert. The following are thoughts suggested by the 
 circumstance : 
 
 " Oh ! lovely plant, what care, what power, 
 
 In thy fair structure are displayed, 
 By Him who reared thee to this hour, 
 Within the forest's lonely shade. 
 
 " Thy tender stalks, and fibres fine, 
 
 Here find a shelter from the storm. 
 Perhaps no human eyes but mine, 
 E'er gazed upon thy lovely form. 
 
 " He that formed thee, little plant 
 
 And bade thee flourish in this place. 
 Who sees and feels my every want, 
 Can still support me with His grace." 
 
 LIVERWORTS. HEP A TICM* 
 
 2 1 3 
 
 1. Plant of Jungermannia trichomanes. 2. Sheath and capsule magnh 
 fied. 3. The same in a more advanced stage of growth, and scattering 
 the seed. 
 
 These are very curious in structure. The most common is 
 Marchantia polymorpha, and this grows equally on the ground, 
 on banks, on rocks, and on walls. First there appears a green 
 patch like a small fleshy leaf laid on the ground, this has 
 little cups upon it full of grains like seed then after a time' 
 
197 
 
 .rises a stem about an inch high, which soon spreads out at 
 the top like a little parasol. The edges of this soon break 
 into rays, which turn upwards, and then it looks like a mural 
 crown, or a many-pointed coronet. The most numerous tribes 
 however, are the Jungermannia of these we have about 
 seventy species, most of them rare one of them Junger- 
 mannia dilatata grows in large patches on trees, where in the 
 Winter time it is sure to be found in almost any old orchard 
 or wood. These plants are particularly worth notice for their 
 wonderful form. Though some of them are so small as to be 
 nearly invisible, yet every part is highly curious. The leaves 
 of some species are round, others square ; flat or cupped ; 
 entire or notched and toothed in various ways ; some are 
 winged, or horned, or forked; some shaped like a wedge, 
 others like a pair of pincers, others like a mitre, and some like 
 a cup. And the fruit vessel is as curious ; before it opens it 
 is round, when ripe it splits into a perfect cross, and lets out 
 its little round seeds attended by a number of threads like 
 springs, which flying out suddenly, scatter the seeds around. 
 A beautiful and wonderful contrivance for the preservation of 
 plants some of which are even too small for sight ; thus in the 
 lower and most minute tribes of creation we find displayed the 
 same care and the same wisdom that we witness in the structure 
 of the mightiest trees of the Eastern forest. 
 
 LICHENS. LICHENES. 
 
 1 23 4 
 
 1. Reindeer Lichen, Claydonia rangiferina. 2. A Lichen, consisting of 
 specks only.Opegrapha scripta. 3, A Spreading Lichen, Lecidia murorum, 
 4. A Stalked Lichen, Scyphophorus pyxidatus, the Cup Lichen : each 
 kind showing its fruit. 
 
 These are distributed over the whole surface of the globe, 
 from the hottest parts of the Tropics to the limit of perpetual 
 
198 
 
 snow in Spitzbergen. These little plants first clothe the naked 
 rock ; some of them almost too small for vision unless accu- 
 mulated in myriads are yet the simple agents employed to 
 change the rocky mountain into the waving forest, or the sandy 
 desert into the fruitful province. So slow is the process at 
 first that many years must elapse before the newly-erected 
 edifice becomes even grey with age, or in other words puts on 
 the first clothing of vegetation. After this the progress of 
 vegetable life is more rapid. The Lichens in their decay leave 
 a little earth where a green Moss soon springs up ; this col- 
 lects more earth, and a Fern or a Grass or some other plant 
 succeeds, and thus a bed of flowers arises even upon the barren 
 cliff and the mouldering wall ; but not here only are the Lichens 
 found, the earth abounds with various species, and on the 
 trunks of trees they are still more numerous. Their structure 
 is very simple, some of them are like a bunch of hairs or a 
 knot of green tape ; others cup-shaped, or club-shaped ; but 
 the greater part a mere stain or color upon various objects, or 
 else spreading about like a growing leaf. The seeds are found 
 in little cups or knobs seated upon different parts of the leaf, 
 or as it is called, the thallus. 
 
 The most common species are Lecidia murorum, a fine 
 orange patch on walls and tiling, bearing its fruit in very 
 numerous cups. Peltidia canina grows in dark green patches 
 upon the ground among grass, having its seeds in brown patches 
 around the edge of the thallus. Evernia prunastri which is 
 a small tuft of short, branched, light green, flattish threads, 
 seldom seen in fruit and growing upon palings and trees. 
 
 The CUP LICHEN, almost everywhere, and at all seasons, 
 looking like an extinguisher stuck into the ground by its point ; 
 very often from the edge of the cup thus formed a second cup 
 grows, and this bears the fruit at the top of it, of a brown 
 color ; the thallus or other part of the plant is of a whitish - 
 green color. Cladonia rangiferina, a tufted, much-branched, 
 white Lichen, growing among short grass, and bearing seed in 
 black spots upon all the branches. It covers almost all our 
 heaths. This is the Reindeer Moss, which covers whole countries 
 in the North, and affords almost the only food of the Reindeer 
 of Lapland. 
 
199 
 
 " 'Tis God has bid the barren ground produce this strange small thinj, 
 On which whole countless herds of deer are ever pasturing, 
 For in the woods of scattered Pine abundantly it grows, 
 And clothes the earth for many a mile beneath the tractless snows, 
 And the sagacious Reindeer delves, and scents his onward way, 
 Until he reach the mossy food that doth his toil repay. 
 
 " And thus we find in every clime, things beautiful and fair, 
 Each fitted to fulfil its task of use and beauty there, 
 And I remember thinking so, when a little child I read, 
 The history of the good Reindeer, and the moss whereon they fed." 
 
 Twamley. 
 
 Note. The last orders require but little care in drying. The Lichens 
 may be left in the sun or the air for an hour or two, and then placed upon 
 paper with a little gum water. Should you wish to separate a Lichen 
 from a stone or tree, it is necessary to wet it first, that it may not be so 
 liable to break to pieces, but even then it is often a very difficult matter. 
 
 SEA WEEDS. ALGM. 
 
 45 3 21 
 
 1. Frond of Laminaria saccharina, Strapwort. 2. Fucus nodosus, or 
 Knotted Fucus. 3. Fucus vesicularis, or Bladdery Fucus. 4. Fucus ser- 
 ratus. 5. Conferva rivularis, or River-Silk. 
 
 Under the class of Sea Weeds are included all Water Plants 
 which do not bear flowers, (except two Ferns and three or four 
 Mosses.) Thus some of them are found in the inland ditches 
 and ponds. To distinguish one from the other these are called 
 Fresh-water Algae, and those growing in the sea are called 
 Marine Algse. The structure of all of them is very simple, 
 their fruit or seed is borne generally in little swellings, either 
 within the frond or on the edge of it, though sometimes they 
 bear no seed at all but the plants are increased by breaking 
 into pieces, when each piece grows. Some of them are of the 
 most elegant forms, and all the smaller kinds are the finest 
 possible objects for the miscroscope, showing many wonderful 
 contrivances and singular arrangements of simple cellular matter, 
 (for no vessels can be distinctly discovered in any of them.) 
 
200 
 
 Of the Marine Algae the most common are the GREAT STRAP- 
 WORT, (Laminar ia,) with its dark green frond three or four 
 feet long. The BLADDERWORT, (Fucus vesiculosus,} with its 
 branched, dark green, leather-like frond, covered over with 
 large, round blisters, full of a slimy juice when fresh, and 
 which when dry crack with a pop as they are trodden upon 
 this is nearly as frequent on all our coasts. There is a beautifully 
 delicate, red, feathery Sea Weed, often collected and used for 
 ornamental work this is the Plocamium coccineum / and 
 another, with a number of lance-shaped, thick, dark red leaves, 
 growing from a root, with their edges surrounded by thick 
 hairs this is the Delesseria ciliata ; and another similar, 
 growing like a hand and fingers, called Rhodomela palmata. 
 Then there is a wide-spreading, bright green, thin leaf, crumpled 
 and folded up, and of no particular shape, this is the Ulva 
 latissima. Also the CARRAGEEN Moss which is Chondrus 
 crispus. The ditches of fresh water are covered with a light 
 green, slimy looking, hollow, twisted plant called Solenia 
 intestinalis, and some or other of the very numerous genus of 
 Conferva are found everywhere ; they resemble a tuft of hair of 
 various colors, two green ones Conferva rivularis, and Conferva 
 capillaris are common in ditches and ponds. Many more 
 Sea Weeds than all these may be collected at any place on the 
 sea side in an hour's walk, particularly on both coasts of the 
 mouth of the river Thames, which being exposed to the strong 
 currents of the German ocean, have thrown upon them many 
 of the rarer kinds. 
 
 The Algcs are used for many purposes, the slimy matter 
 which they contain is very nourishing and strengthening, and 
 in many places is used as food ; they are also useful as manure, 
 and when burnt their ashes yield a large quantity of soda, and 
 for this purpose are often collected in immense heaps, and 
 when dried are set fire to ; the ashes are afterwards soaked in 
 water, which dissolves the soda, and then the water is poured 
 off and boiled for a long time, till it gets thick. Being now 
 set aside to cool, the soda settles at the bottom of the vessel. 
 Potass is made in the same way, but with trees and plants that 
 grow on land. 
 
201 
 
 Note. To collect and lay out Sea Weeds requires very little trouble. 
 When gathered they may be dried in the sun and put in a bag till a 
 more convenient time for spreading them out; when this is to be done, 
 wash them well in fresh water, to take out the sand and salt, then of 
 those which are delicate put one at a time into a plate or basin full of 
 water, and there let it spread itself out. Now slip underneath it a piece 
 of white paper, lifting this up very carefully without disturbing the 
 floating plant, it will settle evenly upon the paper, and thus putting these 
 together into a book they will soon become dry. Some of them will 
 adhere to the paper, if so, and they are wanted for specimens they must 
 not be torn away, because some of the Sea Weeds are known from others 
 by their adhering to paper or glass, while those similar to them do not. 
 
 FUNGUSSES. FUNGI. 
 
 8 
 
 1. Agaricus atramentarius, Inky Toadstool." 17 2. Agaricus campestris, 
 Common Mushroom. 3. Boletus luridus, Lurid Boletus. 4 Polyporus 
 sulphureus, Yellow Polyporus. 5. Lycoperdon verrucosum, Warty Puff- 
 ball. 6. Geastrum fornicatum, four-cleft Puff-ball. 7. Peziza coccinea, 
 Scarlet Peziza. 8. Morellus esculenta, the Eatable Morel. 
 
 The Fungi are supposed to be as numerous as all the Flower- 
 ing Plants together. In Great Britain we have nearly fifteen 
 hundred native Flowering Plants and two thousand Fungi, and 
 these are most varied in form, color, and size. There is the 
 Mushroom and Toad's -tool family, two or three of which are 
 eaten, as the Common Mushroom, (Agaricus campestris,} and 
 the Champignon, (Agaricus oreades.) Most of the rest are 
 poisonous, and all of them are like little, round-topped, one- 
 legged tables. The Agarics are known by having gills, or 
 little partitions across them underneath. Then there is the 
 Boletus family, which have holes underneath instead of gills, 
 one of them is called German tinder. The Pezizas, about one 
 hundred kinds, shaped like cups ; and the Sphcerias, like little 
 round specks, upon sticks, &c. The MOULD ON BREAD is 
 called Mucor mucedo. The PUFF BALL, so common on the 
 
202 
 
 meadows, is Lycoperdon pratense. The TRUFFLE grows quite 
 under-ground, and is called Tuber cibarium. The MOREL is 
 Morchella esculenta. Then almost all plants when dead, and 
 many while living, are covered with spots or powder, or 
 something growing upon them these are almost all Fungi ; 
 and in fact there is no place kept long damp, or where wood 
 is decaying, or any vegetable substance rotting, without some 
 one or other of the Fungi being produced, and these, though 
 often very minute, are highly curious in form, brilliant in color, 
 and well worthy of the most attentive consideration. The 
 damp days of Autumn encourage the growth of the greatest 
 number of them ; there are few to be found in Winter, but 
 many in the Spring and Summer. 
 
 " Oh ! look at the strange and the whimsical things, 
 
 That among the wild Fungi we find, 
 And Lichens, and Moss, that like fairy works springs, 
 If ye love them not all ye are blind." 
 
 EXPLANATION OF TERMS. 
 
 Alternate One after the other on 
 contrary sides, as the position 
 of numerous leaves. 
 
 Annual PlantsThose that spring 
 up and die the same year. 
 
 Anther The knob that contains 
 the pollen on the top of a stamen. 
 
 Arrow-shaped See Sagittate. 
 Awl-shaped Narrow and pointed. 
 
 Awn The beard of grasses, as in 
 Barley. 
 
 Axil The part where a leaf or 
 flower joins the stem, and where 
 buds are mostly placed. 
 
 Axillary Growing out of an axil. 
 Beak A long point at the top of a 
 seed or seed vessel. 
 
203 
 
 Berry A fleshy fruit, with seeds 
 scattered about in it. 
 
 Biennial Plants living at most two 
 
 years. 
 Bract A small leaf growing near 
 
 the flowers. 
 
 Bristles Stiff hairs. 
 
 Calyx The flower cup, or the green 
 cup in which the rest of the 
 flower is folded up before 
 opening. 
 
 Capsule A seed vessel, thin and 
 dry when ripe, as in the Poppy. 
 
 Compound Several things joined 
 
 together. 
 
 Chaffy Like dry scales. 
 Cordate Heart-shaped. 
 
 Corolla The colored part of flowers 
 between the calyx and the sta- 
 mens, as the red leaves of the 
 Rose. 
 
 Corymb A flat bunch of flowers, 
 the stalks of which grow out 
 of different parts of the stem, 
 as in the Hawthorn. 
 
 Crenate Cut into round notches, 
 or scollops. 
 
 Cruciform Formed like <t cross. 
 
 Cyme A flat bunch of flowers : the 
 stalks of which grow out of the- 
 same part of the stem, as in the 
 Elder. 
 
 Dart-shaped See Hastate. 
 Dentate Toothed; leaves are often 
 dentate. 
 
 Disk The inner part of a compound 
 flower ; the outer part being 
 called the ray. 
 
 Drupe A fleshy fruit with a stona 
 in the middle, as the Plum, 
 Cherry, &c. 
 
 Elliptic An oval form. 
 
 Entire Not cut at the edges. 
 
 Fibrous Consisting of fibres or 
 threads ; as the roots of trees, 
 grass, &c. 
 
204 
 
 Filament The thread-like part of 
 a stamen. 
 
 Florets Little flowers. Only used 
 when a number of little flowers 
 are joined together upon one 
 receptacle, as in those of the 
 nineteenth class. 
 
 Follicle A dry seed vessel, that 
 opens on one side only. 
 
 Foot-stalk The stalk of flowers or 
 
 leaves. 
 Forked Divided into two or more 
 
 parts. 
 Frond The leaf-like part of the 
 
 Ferns, &c. 
 Granular Consisting of small 
 
 grains; as some roots. 
 
 Habit Means the general appear- 
 ance of a plant. 
 
 Hastate Shaped like a halbert, or 
 dart; as the leaves of the 
 smaller Bindweed. 
 
 Herb A plant which dies down to 
 
 the root every winter. 
 Imbricate Overlapping, like the 
 
 tiles of a house. 
 
 Indigenous Growing naturally i n 
 
 a country. 
 
 Inflorescence Manner of flowering. 
 Labiate Lipped, like the flowers 
 
 of the fourteenth class. 
 
 Lanceolate Lance-shaped ; a long 
 oval, narrow at both ends. This 
 is a very common shape of 
 leaves, as in Lance - leaved 
 Plantain. 
 
 Lamina The thin, flat part of a 
 leaf. 
 
 Lateral Growing on the side. 
 
 Leaflets The small parts of a com- 
 pound leaf. 
 
 Legume A kind of seed vessel ; a 
 pod, as in the Pea. 
 
 Leguminous Plants which bear 
 
 legumes, or pods, 
 Limb The flat part of a corolla 
 
 which is formed of one petal ; 
 
 the rest of it is called the tube. 
 
 The Primrose is an example. 
 Linear The shape of a narrow 
 
 leaf which is of the same width 
 
 nearly all the way down. 
 
 Lipped Having one or two lips. 
 (See Labiate.) 
 
 Lobe The different parts of a 
 partly-divided leaf, &c. 
 
 Lyrate A leaf is called lyrate 
 when it has at the end a large, 
 roundish lobe, and at the sides 
 two or three narrow, small, 
 oblong lobes; as in the Wall 
 Lettuce. 
 
 Midrib The centre large vein of 
 
 a leaf. 
 Mucronate Ending in a point. 
 
 Nut A hard, stony seed-vessel, 
 
 containing a kernel. 
 Oblong With nearly straight sides 
 
 and blunt at both ends. 
 
 Obtuse Blunt at the end. 
 
 Opposite The leaves on the diffe- 
 rent sides of a stem even with 
 each other are called opposite. 
 
205 
 
 Ovate Egg-shaped ; blunt at one 
 end, and nearly sharp at the 
 other. 
 
 Palate The mouth of a personate 
 flower. 
 
 Papilionaceous Shaped like a but- 
 terfly. 
 
 Pappus -The feathery crown to 
 some seeds; as to those of the 
 Dandelion. 
 
 Parasitical Plants fixed to, and 
 
 living upon others. 
 Peduncle The stalk of a flower. 
 Perennial Plants which live for 
 
 many years ; as trees do. 
 Panicle A loose, branched bunch 
 
 of flowers ; as in Oats. 
 
 Pertonate Lipped flowers, closed 
 up at the mouth; as the Snap- 
 dragon. 
 
 Petals The different leaves of a 
 corolla. 
 
 Petiole The foot-stalk of a leaf. 
 
 Pinnate A name given to a com- 
 pound leaf; as that of the Tare, 
 
 - d A lg af out many times 
 nearly down to the midrib. 
 
 Point- 1 1, or Pistil The centre part 
 of the flower, formed of the seed 
 vessel at bottom and style tit 
 top 
 
 Pollen The fine dust contained in 
 the anthers. 
 
 Pome A. kind of fruit,fleshy outside 
 and having a capsule within, 
 as in the Apple and Pear. 
 
 Pouch A short pod or silicle. 
 
 Prostrate Lying on the ground. 
 
 Prickle A sharp point, attached to 
 the bark of a plant; as the 
 prickle of the Rose Tree. 
 
 Raceme A long bunch of stalked 
 
 flowers. 
 
 Radical Proceeding from the root. 
 Receptacle That part of a flower 
 
 upon which all the other parts 
 
 are fixed. 
 Ringent Lipped flowers which arc 
 
 gaping; as those of the White 
 
 Nettle. 
 
 Eotate Shaped like a wheel; as 
 the flower of Speedwell. 
 
 RuncinateA leaf that is cut into 
 teeth hooked backwards. 
 
 Sagittate Shaped like an 
 
 Segment The part of any thi 
 Serrate Toothed like a saw. 
 
206 
 
 tfessile Sitting, or without stalks. 
 ,Siliclt> A small, round pod, or 
 pouch. 
 
 Silique A long, tapering pod. 
 
 Spike A long, close bunch of flow- 
 ers without stalks. 
 
 Spur, or Horn A part of the co- 
 rolla of certain flowers. 
 
 Stamens The thread-like bodies 
 within the corolla. They con- 
 sist of two parts; the filament, 
 or thread ; and anther, or top. 
 
 Stigma, or Style The upper part 
 of a pointal. 
 
 Tap-root A root tapering down- 
 wards, like that of the Radish 
 or Carrot. 
 
 Tendril The claspers that certain 
 plants cling hold of any thing 
 with. 
 
 Terminal Growing from the top. 
 
 Ternate Growing together hi 
 threes. 
 
 Thorn A sharp point, growing from 
 the wood of a plant, as the thorn 
 ol the Hawthorn. 
 
 Toothed Cut so as to resemble 
 
 teeth. (See Dentate.} 
 Triangular Three-sided. 
 Tuberous A fleshy root, like that 
 
 of the Potatoe. 
 Umbel Is when flowers spread out 
 
 like ribs of an umbrella. 
 Valve One of the parts of a seed 
 
 vessel which opens lengthwise ; 
 
 thus the pod of the Pea has two 
 
 valves, or sides. 
 
 Vernal Belonging to the Spring. 
 Waved Having irregular edges. 
 W heel- shaped (See Rotate,} 
 Whirl, or Whorl Several flowers, 
 
 or leaves, growing in a circJe 
 
 round a stem ; as the leaves of 
 
 the Goose-grass and the flowers 
 
 of the Dead Nettle. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Uses and advantages of Botany I 
 
 Structure of a plant 3 
 
 Pronunciation of terms 9 
 
 Arrangement of plants 9 
 
 The Linnaean classes 11 
 
 Collecting and drying plants 16 
 
 Distribution of British plants 18 
 
 Appendix 1 87 
 
 Explanation of terms 202 
 
 ENGLISH NAMES. 
 
 Agrimony . . 
 Alehoof 
 Anemone . . 
 Arrow-head 
 A vens 
 
 Barber's-brush 
 
 Bedstraw 
 
 Bee-flower 
 
 Beet 
 
 Bell-flower 
 
 Betony 
 
 Bindweed 
 
 Bird's-foot 
 
 Bird's-foot Trefoil 
 
 Bitter-cress 
 
 Bittersweet 
 
 Bitter- vetch 
 
 Blackberry 
 
 Black Horehound 
 
 Black Maiden-hair . . . 
 
 Black- thorn 
 
 Blobs ... 
 
 Blue Bell of Scotland . 
 
 Blue Bell 
 
 Blue Bottle 
 
 Brake 
 
 Bramble 
 
 Brandy-bottles 
 
 Brooklime 
 
 Broom 
 
 Broom Rape 
 
 ^Buckwheat .,,,.,,,,,, 
 
 PACKS 
 84 85 
 119 
 104 
 
 174 177 
 97 
 
 31 33 
 172 
 
 40 56 
 39 50 
 112 117 
 39 48 
 142 148 
 142 151 
 129 131 
 91 
 
 142 146 
 93 
 
 112 115 
 184 
 
 89 
 124 
 50 
 62 
 
 62 169 
 
 182 185 
 
 88 93 
 
 102 
 
 24 
 
 141 144 
 
 113 127 
 
 70 
 
 PACKS 
 
 Bugle 112 115 
 
 Bugloss 39 41 
 
 Bullrush 174 176 
 
 Burreed 174 176 
 
 Burdock 154 160 
 
 Burnet 173 
 
 Butter-bur 154 )63 
 
 Buttercup 99 105 
 
 Cabbage 129 134 
 
 Campion 73 75 
 
 Catchweed 34 
 
 Catchfly .' . . . 74 78 
 
 Cat's-tail 176 
 
 Celandine 99 101 
 
 Centaury 39 46 
 
 Chamomile 155 168 
 
 Charlock .. 135 
 
 Cherry 88 89 
 
 Chickweed 73 76 
 
 Chicory 359 
 
 Cinquefoil 95 
 
 Cistus 102 
 
 Clary 26 
 
 Cleavers 34 
 
 Clover 142 149 
 
 Clown's Woundwort ... 118 
 
 Cockle 74 78 
 
 Coifs-foot 155 164 
 
 Comfrey 39 41 
 
 Corn Blue Bottle 1 69 
 
 Corn Cockle 74 78 
 
 Cornel Tree 31 34 
 
 Corn Flag 27 28 
 
208 
 
 Corn Salad 
 
 PAGES 
 
 27 28 
 39 46 
 113 126 
 137 138 
 129 132 
 27 29 . 
 99 105 
 128 
 131 
 174 177 
 154 162 
 
 154 157 
 155 165 
 112 116 
 33 
 93 
 61 63 
 92 
 31 34 
 149 
 144 
 85 
 
 91 
 40 57 
 22 26 
 59 
 113 125 
 
 124 
 
 184 
 182 
 155 167 
 113 123 
 28 
 40 58 
 155 165 
 28 
 72 
 42 
 113 123 
 141 142 
 141 143 
 
 111 115 
 119 
 22 25 
 154 155 
 109 
 55 
 40 54 
 34 
 143 
 187 
 141 144 
 
 Gromwell 
 
 PAGH 
 
 38 
 112 
 155 
 40 
 
 182 
 
 154 
 154 
 
 88 
 
 66 
 
 129 
 112 
 
 89 
 
 31 
 39 
 
 112 
 99 
 
 39 
 84 
 61 
 
 39 
 
 141 
 
 155 
 73 
 66 
 
 154 
 ' 66 
 39 
 
 137 
 111 
 99 
 
 1 
 11 
 111* 
 104 
 
 56 
 
 18G 
 161) 
 50 
 158 
 157 
 I/O 
 53 
 67 
 68 
 132 
 IKJ 
 <J7 
 4:> 
 138 
 156 
 30 
 51 
 179 
 119 
 101 
 130 
 192 
 42 
 87 
 62 
 
 155 
 136 
 
 53 
 
 14G 
 1 0<) 
 161) 
 74 
 70 
 
 J4fi 
 28 
 1 07 
 156 
 197 
 (iS 
 16!) 
 45 
 177 
 
 183 
 140 
 114 
 105 
 
 .99 
 
 Cowslip . 
 
 Ground Ivy 
 
 Cow Wheat 
 
 Groundsel 
 
 Crane's-bill 
 
 Guelder Rose 
 
 Cress 
 
 Hard Fern 
 
 
 Crow-foot 
 
 CRUCIFORM PLANTS 
 Cuckoo-flower 
 
 Hard Hack . . 
 
 Harebell 
 
 
 Hawkweed 
 
 
 Hawk's-beard . 
 
 
 Hawthorn . 
 
 Heart's-ease 
 
 Heath 
 
 
 Heather 
 
 Dead Nettle 
 
 Hedge Mustard 
 
 Devil's-bit 
 
 Hemp Nettle 
 
 Dewberry ... 
 
 Herb Bennet . 
 
 Dock 
 
 Herb Twopence 
 Herb Robert . . 
 
 
 
 Hokum Pokum 
 
 Dutch Clover 
 
 Holly 
 
 Dyer's Greenweed 
 
 Honeysuckle 
 
 Hop 
 
 
 
 Horned Poppy . . . 
 
 Horse Radish 
 
 Elder 
 
 HORSE-TAILS 
 
 Enchanter's Nightshade 
 English Fly-trap 
 
 Hound's-tongue 
 Houseleek 
 
 
 Hyacinth . . . 
 
 Female Fern 
 
 John go to bed at noon 
 Jointed Charlock 
 
 Feverfew 
 
 i y y 
 
 Kidney Vetch 
 King-cup 
 
 Figwort 
 Flag 
 Flax 
 
 Flea-bane 
 Flower de Luce 
 
 Knapweed 
 Knot Grass 
 
 
 Lady's Fingers 
 Lamb's Lettuce 
 
 Fox-glove . . 
 
 
 
 Lesser Celandine 
 
 
 Lettuce 
 
 LICHENS 
 
 Ling . 
 
 Gill go on the ground . . 
 Gipsy wort 
 
 LIVERWORTS ...... 
 
 Loosestrife 
 
 
 Lords and Ladies 
 
 
 Male Fern 
 
 Good King Henry 
 
 Goosegrass 
 
 Mallow 
 
 
 Marjoram 
 
 GRASSES 
 
 Marsh Marigold 
 
 
 May 
 
209 
 
 
 PAGES 
 
 155 167 
 99 103 
 74 
 88 91 
 142 151 
 142 149 
 179 
 84 85 
 168 
 142 175 
 111 114 
 45 
 193 
 74 82 
 162 
 129 135 
 
 39 47 
 154 158 
 151 
 
 170 172 
 180 
 170 171 
 155 167 
 
 46 
 53 
 31 37 
 31 36 
 129 
 107 
 39 44 
 31 35 
 88 89 
 182 
 
 44 
 
 98 99 
 89 95 
 23 
 39 46 
 22 23 
 84 
 
 91 
 
 129 1:5 6 
 78 
 165 
 134 
 
 Red Rattle 
 
 PAO 
 
 . . . 112 
 
 ES 
 
 121 
 176 
 145 
 102 
 91 
 119 
 189 
 
 26 
 178 
 77 
 74 
 32 
 42 
 129 
 58 
 199 
 189 
 120 
 150 
 64 
 129 
 183 
 95 
 89 
 122 
 62 
 64 
 157 
 106 
 23 
 183 
 175 
 83 
 152 
 76 
 80 
 137 
 94 
 159 
 59 
 91 
 129 
 
 161 
 148 
 32 
 57 
 119 
 121 
 97 
 104 
 133 
 I'M) 
 149 
 134 
 173 
 45 
 
 May we a 
 
 Reed Mace 
 
 . . 174 
 
 Meadow Saxifrage .... 
 
 
 .. 141 
 
 
 99 
 
 Medick 
 
 Rose 
 
 88 
 
 Melilot 
 
 Run away Jack 
 
 
 
 RUSHES 
 
 
 
 Sage 
 Salad Burnet 
 
 ... 22 
 ... 174 
 
 Milfoile 
 
 Milkvvort HI 
 Mint 
 
 MOSSES 
 Mouse-ear Chick weed. . 
 Mugwort 
 
 Sand wort 
 Saxifrage 
 Scabious 
 Scorpion Grass 
 
 , 73 
 .. 73 
 .. 31 
 
 39 
 
 Mustard 
 Nightshade 
 
 Scurvy Grass 
 
 . , , 128 
 
 SEA WEEDS 
 
 
 SEDGES 
 
 
 Self-heal 
 
 ... 112 
 
 
 Sheep's Sorrel 
 Shepherd's Purse. . . 
 
 . . . 1 28 
 
 Shield Fern 
 
 . 182 
 
 Silverweed 
 
 
 Sloe 
 
 88 
 
 
 
 1 13 
 
 Orchis 
 
 Si Seal 
 
 61 
 
 
 Sorrel 
 
 
 Paigle 
 
 Sow Thistle 
 
 ... 154 
 
 Spear wort 
 
 
 
 22 
 
 
 182 
 
 
 Source 
 
 174 
 
 
 
 74 
 
 Pellitory . 
 
 Saint John's Wort . 
 
 73 
 
 
 Pilevvort 
 
 Stonecroo 
 
 74 
 
 
 Stork's-bill 
 
 
 Plantain 
 
 
 88 
 
 Plum 
 
 Succory 
 
 154 
 
 
 
 40 
 
 Poor Man's Weather- 
 
 Svveet Briar . . 
 
 
 Swine's Cress 
 
 
 Poppy 
 
 Tansy 
 
 ... 154 
 
 Potentil 
 
 Pi-imprint 
 Primrose 
 
 Privet 
 Purple Loosestrife 
 
 Queen of the Meadows 
 Radish 
 
 Teasel 
 Thrift 
 
 31 
 . . 40 
 
 Thyme . .^. . . . 
 
 112 
 
 Toad Flax 
 
 ... 113 
 
 Tormentil 
 
 89 
 
 Traveller's-joy 
 
 
 Treacle Mustard . . . 
 Trees 
 
 ... 129 
 
 Trefoil 
 
 
 Ragged Robin 
 
 
 
 Ragwort 
 
 Tway - blade 
 
 in 
 
 Rape 
 
 Two-penny Grass . 
 
 r 
 
 
210 
 
 PAGES 
 
 Valerian 27 
 
 Vervain 113 124 
 
 Vetch 142 147 
 
 Vetchling 142 146 
 
 Virgin's Bower 99 1 04 
 
 Violet 39 51 
 
 Viper's Bugloss 38 40 
 
 Umbellate plants 
 
 Wake Robin 177 
 
 Wallflower 129 133 
 
 Wall Pepper 80 
 
 Wall Rue 184 
 
 Wart Cress 128 129 
 
 WaterCress 132 
 
 Water Horehound 22 25 
 
 Water Lily 99 102 
 
 Water Plantain 61 65 
 
 Water Plants 192 
 
 PAGES 
 
 Wayfaring Tree ...... 
 
 
 56 
 
 Weld 
 
 
 85 
 
 Whin 
 
 
 143 
 
 White Horehound .... 
 
 
 119 
 
 Whitethorn 
 
 
 90 
 
 Whitlow Grass 
 
 128 
 
 1HO 
 
 Wild Chamomile 
 
 
 167 
 
 Wild Clary, Wild Sage 
 Willow Herb 
 
 66 
 
 26 
 
 68 
 
 Wind Flower 
 
 99 
 
 104 
 
 Winter Cress 
 
 1?,9 
 
 131 
 
 Woodbine 
 
 
 51 
 
 Wood Sage 
 
 
 115 
 
 Wood Sorrel 
 
 74 
 
 80 
 
 Wormwood 
 
 154 
 
 161 
 
 Woundwort 
 
 112 
 
 118 
 
 Yarrow 
 
 155 
 
 168 
 
 Yellow Rattle 
 
 113 
 
 126 
 
 Yellow Rocket 
 
 
 131 
 
 Yellow Weed 
 
 
 85 
 
 Yellow Pimpernel .... 
 
 
 45 
 
 LATIN NAMES OF PLANTS DESCRIBED. 
 
 Achillea 155 168 
 
 Agrimonia 84 85 
 
 Agrostemma 74 78 
 
 Ajuga 112 115 
 
 ALG^E 119 
 
 Alisma 61 65 
 
 Anagallis 39 44 
 
 Anemone 99 104 
 
 Anthemis 155 168 
 
 Anthyllis 141 146 
 
 Antirrhinum 113 122 
 
 ARBORES 190 
 
 Arctium 154 160 
 
 Arenaria 73 77 
 
 Artemisia 154 161 
 
 Arum 174 177 
 
 Aspidium 182 183 
 
 Asplenium 182 183 
 
 Atriplex 180 
 
 Ballota 112 115 
 
 Barbarea 129 131 
 
 Bartsia 113 125 
 
 Bellis 155 165 
 
 Beta 40 56 
 
 Betonica 112 1J7 
 
 Biechnum 182 186 
 
 Brassica 129 134 
 
 Butomus , . . 72 
 
 Calluna 66 68 
 
 Caltha 99 105 
 
 Campanula 39 50 
 
 Capsella., 128 129 
 
 Cardamine 129 131 
 
 CARICES 189 
 
 Centaurea 155 169 
 
 Cerastium 74 82 
 
 Cheiranthus 1 29 1 33 
 
 Chelidonium 99 101 
 
 Chenopodium 40 54 
 
 Chrysanthemum 155 167 
 
 Cichorium 1 54 1 59 
 
 Circsea 22 2fr 
 
 Clematis 99 104 
 
 Cochlearia 128 130 
 
 Convallaria 61 62 
 
 Convolvulus 39 48 
 
 Cornus 31 34 
 
 Coronopus 1 28 1 29 
 
 Cratsegus 88 90 
 
 Crepis 154 157 
 
 Cynoglossum 39 42 
 
 Cytisus 141 144 
 
 Digitalis 113 123 
 
 Dipsacus 31 32 
 
 Draba 128 130' 
 
 Drosera 40 59 
 
211 
 
 PAGES 
 
 Echium 38 40 
 
 Epilobium 66 68 
 
 EQUISKTUM 192 
 
 Erica 66 67 
 
 Erodium 137 
 
 Ervum 142 148 
 
 Erysimum 129 133 
 
 Erythraea 39 46 
 
 Euphorbia 174 175 
 
 Euphrasia 113 125 
 
 Fedia 27 28 
 
 FIL1CES 182 
 
 Fragaria 88 94 
 
 Fumaria 141 142 
 
 FUNGI .. 201 
 
 Galeopsis 112 116 
 
 Galium 31 33 
 
 Genista 141 144 
 
 Geranium 137 138 
 
 Geum 89 97 
 
 Glauciura 99 101 
 
 Glechoma 112 119 
 
 Gnaphalium 154 162 
 
 GRAMINA 187 
 
 Hedera 39 53 
 
 Helianthemum 99 102 
 
 HEPATIC^ ........ 196 
 
 Hieracium 154 158 
 
 Humulus 179 
 
 Hyacinthus 61 63 
 
 Kypericum 152 
 
 Ilex 
 
 Iris ..., 
 JUNCI. 
 
 31 36 
 
 27 28 
 189 
 
 Lactuca 154 156 
 
 Lamium 112 116 
 
 Lapsana 154 159 
 
 Lathyrus 142 146 
 
 Leontodon 154 157 
 
 Ligustrum 22 23 
 
 Linaria 113 121 
 
 Linum 40 58 
 
 Listera 171 173 
 
 Lithospermum 38 41 
 
 Lonicera 39 51 
 
 Lotus 149 151 
 
 Lychnis 74 78 
 
 Lycopsis 39 41 
 
 Lycopus 22 25 
 
 Lysimachia 39 45 
 
 Ly thrum 84 
 
 LYCOPODIUM 192 
 
 PACKS 
 
 Malva 137 MO 
 
 Marrubium 112 119 
 
 Matricaria 155 167 
 
 Medicago 142 151 
 
 Melampyrum 113 ] 26 
 
 Melilotus 142 149 
 
 Mentha Ill 114 
 
 Mercurialis 179 
 
 MUSCI 193 
 
 Myosotis 39 42 
 
 Nasturtium 129 132 
 
 Nuphar 99 102 
 
 Nymphsea 99 102 
 
 Ononis 141 145 
 
 Ophrys 171 172 
 
 Orchis 170 171 
 
 Origanum Ill 114 
 
 Ornithopus 142 148 
 
 Orobanche 113 127 
 
 Orobus 142 146 
 
 Oxalis 74 80 
 
 Papaver 98 99 
 
 Parietaria 31 36 
 
 Pedicularis 113 121 
 
 Persicaria 70 
 
 Petasites 154 163 
 
 Plantago 31 35 
 
 Polygala 141 142 
 
 Polygonum 66 70 
 
 Polypodium 182 
 
 Potentilla 89 95 
 
 Poterium 174 178 
 
 Primula : 39 46 
 
 Prunella.' 112 120 
 
 Prunus 88 89 
 
 Pteris 182 185 
 
 Pulicaria 155 165 
 
 Pyrethrum 155 167 
 
 Ranunculus 99 1 05 
 
 Raphanus 129 136 
 
 Reseda 84 85 
 
 Rhinanthus 113 126 
 
 Rosa 88 91 
 
 Rubus 88 93 
 
 Rumex 61 63 
 
 Sagina 31 36 
 
 Sagittaria 174 177 
 
 Salvia 22 26 
 
 Sambucus 40 57 
 
 Saxifraga 73 74 
 
212 
 
 Scabiosa 31 32 
 
 Scrophularia 113 123 
 
 Scleranthus 73 74 
 
 Sedum 74 80 
 
 Sempervivum 84 87 
 
 Senecio 155 164 
 
 Silene 73 75 
 
 Sinapis 129 135 
 
 Sisymbrium 129 132 
 
 Solannm 39 47 
 
 Sonchus 154 157 
 
 Sparganium 174 176 
 
 Spergula 74 83 
 
 Spiraea 88 91 
 
 Stachys 112 118 
 
 Statice 40 57 
 
 Stellaria 73 76 
 
 Symphytum 39 41 
 
 Tanacetum 160 161 
 
 Teufrium 
 Thalictrum 
 Thynius 
 Tormentilla 
 
 PAGES 
 
 Ill 115 
 
 99 
 
 112 
 
 89 
 
 Tragopogon .......... 1 54 
 
 Trifolium ............ 
 
 Tussilago ............ 155 
 
 Typha ................ 174 
 
 119 
 97 
 155 
 149 
 164 
 176 
 
 Ulex 
 
 Umbellifera . 
 
 Valeriana 
 Verbena 
 Veronica 
 Viburnum 
 
 141 143 
 190 
 
 27 
 
 113 124 
 22 23 
 40 56 
 
 Vicia ................ 142 147 
 
 Viola ................ 39 51 
 
 INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS, REMARKS, &c. 
 
 PAOl 
 
 Anatomical Leaves, to prepare 126 
 
 Anecdote of Linnaeus and the Fur/e 1 43 
 
 // St. Pierre and the Strawberry 95 
 
 Clown's Woundwort, origin of the name 118 
 
 Defence against Animals in the Holly 37 
 
 Defence against Drought in the Teasel 32 
 
 Dispers on of Seeds, curious, in the Valerian 28 
 
 H Ferns 182 
 
 * Goosegrass 34 
 
 H Horsetail 192 
 
 // Pimpernel 44 
 
 a Geranium 138 
 
 // Burdock 16k 
 
 Drying nd Preser ing the Ferns 186 
 
 // Lichens 1 97 
 
 // Sea Weeds 199 
 
 Dying with Weld, how conducted 86 
 
 Elder Flower Water, to make 57 
 
 English Fly Trap, curious structure of 60 
 
 Everlasting Flewers, use of by the French ] 63 
 
 Flax, Preparation of for Spinning 58 
 
 Forget-me-not, origin of the name 43 
 
 Furze Firing. Description of 143 
 
 Imposition delected by a knowledge of Botany 108 
 
213 
 
 John Go to Bed at Nuon, origin of the name 155 
 
 Nap on Woollen Cloth, how raised 32 
 
 Oil of Peppermint and Lavender, how made 114 
 
 Opium and Laudanum, how obtained 1 00 
 
 Oxalic Acid, how obtained 81 
 
 Peppermint Drops, how made 114 
 
 Plantagenet, origin of the name 1 45 
 
 Portland Sago, what so called in 
 
 Salt of Sorrel, from what made 100 
 
 Sea- side Pea, its important uses formerly 147" 
 
 Shamrock, the Emblem of Ireland 1 50 
 
 Studies of Nature, origin of 95 
 
 Succory, or Chicory, how prepared 1 60 
 
 Sleep of Plants, seen in the Chickweed 76 
 
 n it Goat'sbeard 155 
 
 // // Pimpernel 44 
 
 u if Water Lily 102 
 
 // // Wood Sorrel 80 
 
 Tenacity of Life in the Houseleek, &c 87 
 
 Wicked Ranunculus, why so called 108 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Page 39, line 3, for " Lycopus," read " Lycopsis." 
 
 HEM 
 
 THE END. 
 
 StEPNEY PRESS, WHITE HORSE LAMB, MILE END. D. FRANCIS. 
 
ALSO, BY THE SAME AUTHOR, 
 
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 GRAMMAR OF BOTANY 
 
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 EXTERNAL FORM & INTERNAL STRUCTURE 
 
 OF 
 
 J FLOWERING& CRYPTOGAMIC 
 
 THEIR CLASSIFICATION 
 
 BY 1HK NATURAL AND LINNJEAN SYSTEMS; 
 
 THEIR USES, 
 
 AND 
 
 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION; 
 
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A SECOND EDITION IS NOW READY OP 
 
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