LOWERING -PLANTS GRASSES, SEDGES & FERNS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 4% “ ive THE FLOWERING PLANTS GRASSES, SEDGES & FERNS GREAT BRITAIN 1 WOOT) ANEMONE Anemone Temorosa 2 PASQUE FLOWER Anemone ypmilsatila Frontispiece. PHEASANTS Adonis autumnahs Pl, 2. EYE MOUNTAIN ANEMONE Anemone apennima YELLOW WOOD ANEMONE Anemone ramunculoides Tol THE FLOWERING PLANTS GRASSES, SEDGES & FERNS OF GREAT BRITAIN $2 AND THEIR ALLIES THe Cavey MOSSES, HORSETAILS, é&c. By ANNE PRATT NEW EDITION ReEviseD BY EDWARD STEP, F.L.S. ILLUSTRATED WITH THREE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN COLOURED PLATES FIGURING UPWARDS OF 1500 SPECIES VOL. I. LONDON FREDERICK WARNE & CO. AND NEW YORK 1905 Cus id [TEA hha ae ae Bsiuiiten Ro cEECEECE cal ogee ~ ~ a 1 Pr 7 AAP rrn, ~ * FEB 7 1968 Seen LO 1899, EDITION. ANNE Pratt's “ Flowering Plants, Grasses and Ferns” has been so long before the public as to have become the standard popular work upon the British Flora. A preface to a new edition may therefore appear to be altogether superfluous ; yet the Publishers and the present Editor deem it right to explain in a general way to what extent the revision has affected the work as it left the author’s hands. The normal advance in botanical knowledge made revision necessary, but it was decided that the work should remain Anne Pratt’s: therefore the system of classification and, with few exceptions, the names of species have been retained as in previous editions. Many corrections of a minute character have been made, descriptions of a number of species formerly lacking have been added, and others have been amplified in accordance with our increased knowledge. On the other side, some paragraphs, not particu- larly relevant, have been cut out, and the same fate has befallen such of the poetical quotations as appeared to be no longer appropriate. But all such , changes have been made reverently, and with the desire to do no violence to the spirit of the original work. Two new plates of species of Ranunculaceze and Violacee have been added, and the diagrammatic plate of previous editions, illustrating the terms used, has been superseded by four tinted plates, giving new drawings on a larger scale of all the terms previously illustrated. All the coloured plates have been specially compared for this edition with the carefully hand- coloured originals ; and the colour-printing has been thereby improved. vi PREFACE The letterpress has been entirely reset in new type, and advantage has been taken of this fact to give an improved page, and by using a variety of types to make reference easier. The popular name of each species is also given precedence, as is fitting in a popular work, the scientific name following in italics. In the List of Contents the scientific name comes first, in order that all the species of a genus may be found together, but the reader who would seek any particular plant under either of its English names will find ample provision has been made for him in the several Indices at the end of the work. In previous editions the Flowering Plants and Rushes were indexed independently of the Grasses and Ferns, the former Index appearing at the end of Volume III. This arrangement had the effect of breaking the work into two, and has now been discarded in favour of a comprehensive (Zeneral Index, which will be found in Volume IV. CONTENTS. VO. | (Arranged according to generic names.) Acer campestre . : pseudo-platanus . Aconitum napellus Acta spicata Adonis autumnalis Agrimonia eupatoria Agrostemma githago Alchemilla alpina arvensis vulgaris Althea hirsuta officinalis Anemone apennina NEMO OSA pulsatilla ranunculoides Anthyllis vulneraria Aquilegia vulgaris Arabis ciliata hirsuta petreea stricta thaliana turrita : Arenaria ciliata . Sastigiata marind norvegued rubra rubella serpyllifolia tenuifolia . trinervia uliginosa verna Arthrolobiunr ebr acteatum Astragalus alpinus glycyphyllos hypoglottis . Barbarea precox . vulgaris Berberis vulgaris . Brassica campestris Common Maple C Greater Maple, or Sycamor e Common Monkshood Bane-berry Pheasant’s Kye Common Agrimony . Corn Cockle Alpine Lady’s- mantle Field Lady’s-mantle . Common Lady’s-mantle Hispid Marsh Mallow Marsh Mallow . ; Blue Mountain Anemone . Wood Anemone Pasque-flower . : Yellow Wood Anemone Lady’s-fingers, or Kidney Vetch Common Columbine Fringed Rock-eress , Hairy Rock-cress Alpine Rock-cress Bristol Rock-cress Rock-cress Tower Rock-cress Fringed Sandwort Level-topped Sandwort Seaside Sandwort Spurrey Norwegian Sandwort Purple Sandwort Alpine Sandwort : Thyme-leaved Sandwort Fine-leaved Sandwort Three-nerved Sandwort Bog Sandwort . Vernal Sandwort Sand Joint-vetch Alpine Milk-vetch Sweet Milk-vetch Purple Mountain Milk- vetch Early Winter-cress Bitter Winter-cress . Barberry . Common Wild Navew Plate 54 54 On bo by Fig. ft CNDOHRWNNHORNHWNWNRWNH OR WHS _ bo rR Go Or bo OR NT Co ea on) Viil Brassica monensis NAapuUs oleracea : rapa . ' Buffonia annua . Cakile maritima . Caltha palustris radicans Camelina sativa Capsella bursa-pastoris . Cardamine amara hirsuta impatiens pratensis Cerastium alpinum aquaticum . arvense glomeratum latifolium . semidecandrum . tetrandrum trigynum triviale Cheiranthus cheirt Chelidonium majus Cherleria sedoides . Clematis vitalba Lochlearia anglica armoracia . danica grentandica officinalis Comarum palustre Coronopus didyma rucllit Corydalis claviculata lutea . solida Cotoneaster vulgaris Crambe maritima . Crategus oxyacantha Delphinium consolida Dentaria bulbifera Dianthus armeria. caryophyllus coestus deltoides prolifer Draba aizoides imeana muralis rupestris Verna . Drosera anglica intermedia . rotundifolia Dryas octopetala ilatine hexandra . hydropiper . Lpimedium alpinuinr CONTENTS Isle of Man Cabbage . : . Rape Seed : : : . Sea Cabbage. - . : Common Turnip 5 5 . : Annual Buffonia A . : . Purple Sea-rocket . , : . Marsh Marigold c Rooting Marsh Marigold Gold of Pleasure Shepherd’s Purse Large-flowered Bitter-cress Hairy Bitter-cress Narrow-leaved Bitter-cress Common Bitter-cress, or Cuckoo- flower Hairy Alpine Mouse-ear Chickweed . Water Mouse-ear Chickweed ; Field Chickweed ‘ F Broad-leaved Mouse-ear Chickweed ‘ Broad-leaved Alpine Mouse-ear Chic kweed Little Mouse-ear Chickweed ‘ Four-cleft Mouse-ear Chickweed Stitchwort Mouse-ear Chickweed ‘ 5 Common Mouse-ear Chickweed . 3 ‘ Wallflower Larger Celandine Mossy Cyphel Traveller’s Joy . English Scurvy-grass Horseradish ‘ Danish Scurvy-grass . : Greenland Scurvy-grass. Common Scurvy-grass . Purple Marsh-cinquefoil Lesser Wart-cress. 5 Common Wart-cress . 4 Climbing Corydalis . - Yellow Corydalis . Solid-rooted Corydalis Common Cotoneaster F ; : Sea Kale : : ‘ 4 Hawthorn . ; j 3 6 A Field Larkspur . : : . Bulbous Coral-root . ; Deptford Pink . : c Clove Pink ; ; Mountain Pink . Maiden Pink Proliferous Pink c Yellow Alpine Whitlow- -grass Twisted-podded Whitlow-grass . Speedwell-leaved Whitlow-grass Rock Whitlow-grass . Vernal Whitlow- grass Great Sundew : Spathulate-leaved Sundew Round-leaved Sundew : é : White Mountain Avens . 5 ; Six-stamened Water-wort . ‘ Eight-stamened Water-wort c Alpine Barren-wort . : . . : Plate 28 28 Fig. “Toro & co a bo NOrPNWR ON Pe bD bo cob Cor Oo Ee DH DE OL 0o Ht Or Oe PEN WNOOP CON OF Cre Pb La Eranthis hyematis : Erodium cicutarium . maritimum moschatum Erysimum alliaria cheiranthoides ortentale Euonymus 2wropeus Fragaria elatior vesca . Frankenia levis pulverulenta Fumaria capreolata micrantha . officinalis parviflora . Genista anglica pilosa tinctoria : Geranium columbinum . dissectum lucidum molie . nodosum pheum : pratense. . pusillum pyrenaicum robertianunr rotundifolium sanguinewm sylvaticum . Geum rivale . urbanum . 5 Glaucium lutewn . pheniceunr . violaceum . Helianthemum canum . guttatum ledifolium . polifolium . vulgare var. SUL rejanu nr Helleborus fatidus viridis Hesperis matronalis Hippocrepis comosa Holostewm umbellatwuinr . Honckenya peploides Hutchinsia petrea Hypericum androsceemum barbatum calycinum . dubiwm elodes . : hirsutum . . humifusum linarifolium montanum . . perforatum . CONTENTS Winter Aconite. : Hemlock Stork’s-bill. Sea-side Stork’s-bill . Musky Stork’s-bill Garlic Treacle-mustard Worm-seed Treacle-mustard Hare’s-ear Treacle-mustard Common Spindle-tree Hautboy Wood Strawberr: y Smooth Sea-heath Powdery Sea-heath Ramping Fumitory Small-flowered Fumitory Common Fumitory Least-flowered Fumitory Needle Greenweed Hairy Greenweed Woad-waxen, or Dyer’s-w eed Long- stalked Crané’s-bill . Jagged-leaved Crane’s-bill . Shining Crane’s-bill . Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill Knotty Crane’s bill Dusky Crane’s-bill Blue Meadow Crane’s-bill . Small-flowered Crane’s-bill Mountain Crane’s: bill Stinking Crane’s-bill, or Eleruek oherk Round- Teaved Crane’s-bill . Bloody Crane’s-bill Wood Crane’s-bill Water Avens Common Avens. Yellow Horned-poppy Scarlet Horned-poppy Violet Horned-poppy Hoary Dwarf Rock-rose Spotted Annual Rock-rose Ledum-leaved Rock-rose White Rock-rose Common Rock-rose . Dotted-leaved Rock-rose Stinking Hellebore Green Hellebore Dame’s Violet . : , Tufted Horse-shoe Vetch . Umbelliferous J agged Chickweed Sea Purslane Rock Hutchinsia Common Tutsan , Bearded St. John’s-wort Large-flowered St. John’s-wort . Imperforate St. John’s-wort Marsh St. John’s-wort Hairy St. John’s-wort Trailing St. John’s-wort Linear-leaved St. John’s-wort Mountain St. John’s-wort . Perforated St. John’s-wort Plate Fig. ~) RP PNWRWNRNNM ORO Hm OO DD OD ™1 lon) | RE OV toe ON Or Or Bow bh > FPOIONmrawwonbdre NwWRrNNWR 1x Page 22 160 160 160 65 64 65 169 232 230 96 99 40 41 41 41 iri 177 176 160 159 157 159 156 156 156 159 157 158 159 155 157 225 223 36 37 38 8] 81 81 81 80 80 21 21 76 207 118 122 46 143 148 - 148 146 148 147 147 148 147 144 ~“ Flypericum pulchrum quadrangulum Lheris amara Illecebrum ver ticillatum Impatiens fulva noli-me-tangere . Tsatis tinctoria Koniga maritima . 5 Lathyrus aphaca . hirsutus latifolius maritimus . nissolia palustris pratensis sylvestris Lavatera arborea . Lepidium campestre latifolium . ruderale smithit Linum angustifolium catharticum perenne c “ usitatissimum . Lotus angustissimus corniculatus hispidus major Lychnis alpina diurna Jlos-cucult . wesperuina . viscaria Malva moschata rotundifolia sylvestris Matthiola incana . sinuata Meconopsis cambrica Medicago denticulata . Saleata lujnilina maculata minima sativa 4 Melilotus officinalis altissima alba é Mespilus germanica 5 Menchia erecta Myosurus minimus Jasturtium amphibium officinale sylvestre terrestre Nuphar lutea . : CONTENTS Small Upright St. John’s-wort . Square-stalked St. John’s-wort . Bitter Candy-tuft Whorled Knot-grass . American Jewel. weed Yellow Balsam, or Touch-me- ot Woad Sweet Alyssum Yellow Vetchling ; Rough-podded Vetchling . Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea . Sea-side Pea c Crimson Vetchling . Blue Marsh Vetchling Meadow Vetchling Narrow-leaved Everlasting Pea. Sea Tree Mallow Field Pepperwort Common Pepperwort Narrow-leaved Pepperwort i Hairy Pepperwort : é Narrow-leaved Pale Flax . 5 Cathartice Flax. Perennial Blue Flax . Common Flax . Slender Bird’s-foot Trefoil 5 Common Bird’s-foot Trefoil 5 Bristly Bird’s-foot Trefoil Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil s Red Alpine Catchfly . 2 Red Campion . ‘ 0 Ragged Robin . : White Campion : - . Red German Catchfly . : Musk Mallow . Dwarf Mallow . Common Mallow Z Hoary Shrubby Stock Great Sea-Stock Yellow Welsh Poppy Toothed Medick Yellow Sickle Medick Black Medick, or Nonsuch Spotted Medick , Little Bur Medick . ‘ é Purple Medick, or Lucerne. Field Melilot ‘ Common Yellow Melilot ‘ . White Melilot . Common Medlar Upright Mcenchia Common Mousetail . Amphibious Yellow Cress Water-cress . : a Creeping Yellow Cress Annual Yellow Cress . Yellow Water-lily . : . Plate Fig. 50 bo TAP ONOD OP WHO ww NDeH Db OO bo BF Or 09 DD HwWENOWPENHWHoORNTD OO OOF DmNwnNre > Nuphar pumila Nymphea alba Onobrychis sativa . Ononis arvensis reclinata Ornithopus perpusillus . Orobus niger . tuberosus Oxalis acetosella corniculata . stricta Oxytropis campestris uralensis Peonia corallina . Papaver argemone . dubiwm hybridum . rhaas somniferum Parnassia palustris Polygala vulgaris . Potentilla alba alpestris anserina argentea Sruticosa ‘fragariastrum opaca . reptans rupestris tormentilla . tridentata . verna . : Poterium sanguisorba Prunus avium Cerasus communis . padus Pyrus aria : aucuparia . communis . domestica malus torminalis . Radiola linoides Ranunculus acris . aquatilis arvensis auricomus . bulbosus cheerophylius circinatus Jicaria flammula Jjluitans hederaceus . hirsutus lenormandi. lingua : ophioglossifolius . CONTENTS Least Yellow Water-lily . Great White Water-lily Common Saintfoin Common Rest-harrow Small Spreading Rest-harrow Common Bird’s-foot . Black Bitter Vetch . Tuberous Bitter Vetch Common Wood-sorrel Yellow Procumbent Wood- sorrel Upright Yellow Wood-sorrel Yellowish Mountain Oxytropis . Hairy Mountain Oxytropis Entire-leaved Common Peony . Long Rough-headed Poppy Long Smooth-headed Poppy Rough Round-headed Poppy Common Red Poppy 5 Opium Poppy . ‘ : - Grass of Parnassus . : c Common Milkwort . White Cinquetoil Orange Alpine Cinquefoil. Silver-weed . Hoary Cinquefoil Shrubby Cinquefoil . Strawberry-leaved Cinquefoil Saw-leaved Hairy Cinquefoil Creeping Cinquefoil . Strawberry-flowered Cinguefoil Common Tormentil . Three-toothed Cinguefol . Spring Cinquefoil . 5 Salad Burnet . 5 : Wild, or Gean Cherry Morello Cherry : Plum, Bullace, and Sloe . Bird Cherry - = White Beam-tree_ . ° Mountain Ash . : 5 Wild Pear : 2 True Service . ‘i z Crab Apple : : Wild Service . é . ; Thyme-leaved Flax-seed . é Meadow Crowfoot . : ‘ Water Crowfoot Corn Crowfoot . Wood Crowfoot Bulbous-rooted Crowfoot . Chervil-leaved Crowfoot Rigid-leaved Water Crowfoot Lesser Celandine Lesser Spearwort River Crowfoot Ivy-leaved Crowfoot. Pale Hairy Crowfoot Mud Crowfoot . Great Spearwort Serpent’s-tongue Spearwort WIAD AO NF OO PD Co OP OO Plate Fig. 3 il BewoorconTsT or = = = Or wr PN wre aS CONerFoON - bo AANA OWONNFPRPNADORKRE NPN WHF . Pb bw bo Ranunculus parviflorus . repens : sceleratus trichophyllus tripartitus . Raphanus raphanistrum maritimus . Reseda fruticulosa. lutea . luteola Rhamnus catharticus Srangula Rosa arvensis bractescens . caning ccesia . cinnamomeda dicksoni ‘ hibernica . , inodora 4 3 anvoluta micrantha . rubella 3 - rubiginosa . sabina spinosissima sepium systyla tomentosa villosa wilsont Rubus arcticus carpinifolius chamemorus COSIUS ‘ corylifolius . Sruticosus : glandulosus. idceus . rhamnifolius saxatilis suberectus . Sagina apetala maritima .. procumbens . Sanguisorba officinalis . Sarothamnus scoparius . Saponaria officinalis Sibbaldia procumbens Silene acaulis : anglica armerta conica inflata italica maritima noctiflora nutans i A otites . Sinapis alba . arvensis. muralis . ° CONTENTS Small-flowered Crowfoot . 5 Creeping Buttercup . : c Celery-leaved Crowfoot. ; Water Fennel . Three-lobed Water Crow foot Wild Radish Sea Radish : Shrubby Rocket Wild Mignonette Dyer’s Rocket . : Common Buckthorn. ; Alder Buckthorn Trailing Dog-rose c Bracteated Dog- rose : Dog-rose . : 3 Glaucous Dog-rose Cinnamon Rose Dickson’s Rose . Irish Rose : Slightly-scented Briar Prickly Unexpanded Rose : Small-flowered Sweetbriar ‘ Red-fruited Dwarf-rose True Sweetbriar Sabine’s Rose . : Burnet-leaved Rose . 3 Small-leaved Sweetbriar . i Close-styled Dog-rose Downy-leaved Rose . Villous Rose Wilson’s Rose . Arctic Bramble , Hornbeam-leaved Bramble Mountain Raspberry, or Cloudberry : Dewberry Hazel-leaved Bramble Common Bramble Glandular Bramble . Common Raspberry . Buckthorn-leaved Bramble Stone Bramble. Upright Bramble Annual Small-flowered Pearlwort Sea Pearlwort . ; : : Procumbent Pearlwort Great Burnet . ‘ F : Common Broom c Common Soapwort . Procumbent Sibbaldia Moss Campion . : ; d English Catchfly . . 6 Common Catchfly . 5 Striated Corn Catchfly . Bladder Campion. - Italian Catchfly : : : Seaside Campion. ° Night-flowering Catchfly . 6 Nottingham Catchfly : . Spanish Catchfly . - White Mustard : . Charlock . : : Sand Rocket On Soe eee. ce. viehl es 6 | ele eienke, Ye ie) © .'ene. Plate Fig. OOS PR OWOOANNPNFP FE OWRMR oN COPOrNWNrH Co OV Oo oe bw DN OO OH eH eH co Ore Co bo Cur tS Po © CO Sinapis nigra ° ; tenuifolia . . Sisymbriwm trio . officinale. sophia Spergula arvensis . nodosa saginoides . subulata Spirea filipendula salicifolia . ulmaria Staphylea pinnata. Stellaria glauca graminea holostea . media nemorum uliginosa . Subularia aquatica Teesdalia nudicaulis Thalictrum alpinum. flavum minus : Thlaspi alpestre . arvense perfoliatwm. Tilia parvifolia platyphyllos vulgaris. Trifolium arvense. boccont Jiliforme Sragiferum . glomeratum incarnatum maritimum medium nvinUs ochroleucum pratense procumbens repens resupinatum scabrum stellatum striatum strictum subterrancwum suffocatum . Trigonella ornithopodoides Trollius ewropeeus Turritis glabra Ulex ewropeeus NaNUS Vicia bithynica cracca hirsuta hybrida levigata CONTENTS Common Mustard ; Wall Rocket : 5 London Rocket 4 A Common Hedge Mustard . Flix Weed : é Corn Spurrey . : - Knotted Spurrey . 3 Pearl-wort Spurrey . Awl-shaped Spurrey . Common Dropwort . Willow-leayed Spireea Meadow-sweet . Common Bladder- nut : Glaucous Marsh Stitchwort Lesser Stitchwort Greater Stitchwort Chickweed 3 Wood Stitchwort Bog Stitchwort Water Awl-wort Naked-stalked Teesdalia . Alpine Meadow-rue . Yellow Meadow-rue . . Lesser Meadow-rue . 3 Alpine Penny-cress . Mithridate Mustard . Perfoliate Penny-cress Small leaved Lime-tree . Broad-leaved Downy Lime Common Lime, or Linden Hare’s-foot Trefoil Boccone’s Trefoil . Slender Yellow Trefoil . Strawberry-headed Trefoil Smooth Round-headed Trefoil . Crimson Clover Teasel-headed Trefoil Zigzag Clover . Lesser Yellow Trefoil Sulphur-coloured Trefoil . Purple Clover . Hop Trefoil . White, or Dutch Clover Reversed Trefoil Rough Rigid Trefoil . Starry-headed Trefoil Soft Knotted Trefoil Upright Round-headed Trefoil . Subterranean Trefoil Suffocated Trefoil Bird’s-foot Fenugreek Mountain Globe-flower Smooth Tower-mustard Furze, or Gorse Dwarf Furze Rough-podded Purple Vetch Tufted Vetch E Hairy Tare Hairy-flowered Yellow Vetch Smooth-podded Vetch . - © © © © @ Plate Fig. 29 29 MOM NWOPR EON POON Coe be oO = H et a BPH OPN TOON NH OR WOMNANWRHORMONWHWeHWWRD — Pe ONw on Nore 45 140 142 140 191 193 192 191 190 189 192 192 184 192 190 190 191 191 183 175 176 199 198 201 200 201 X1V Vicia lathyroides . lutea . orobus sativa var. B sepium sylvatica tetrasperma Viola arenaria Canina var. pumila hirta . lactea . luteu . odorata palustris persiccaefolia sylvatica tricolor CONTENTS Spring Vetch . Rough-podded Y ellow Vetch Wood Bitter Vetch . Common Vetch Bush Vetch Wood Vetch Slender Tare Sand Violet Dog Violet ‘ Dwarf Yellow- spurred Violet Hairy Violet Cream-colour: red Violet Yellow Mountain Violet . Sweet Violet é Marsh Violet Peach-leaved Violet . Wood Violet A Pansy Violet, or Heartsease Plate 65 65 “THER to tS OO mE Ob 09 Page 199 200 199 199 200 200 197 202 87 87 82 87 88 82 86 87 86 87 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fibrous Roots. Creeping Stems. Tap Root. Premorse Root. Tuberous Root. Bulb. 9 12 10 & 14 Ir Lily Bulb. Simple Stem. Branched Stem. Creeping Stem. Forked Stem. Ascending Stem. ’ Opposite Leaves. 13 5 ‘ e y Te . : Agillary Blower by Sessile Leaves. Simple Leaf. Ternate Leaf. Quinate Leaf. Alternate Leaves. re Whorled Leaves. 25 Peltate Leaf. 20 Pinnate Leaf. Wavy Leaf. Palmate Leaf. Pedate Leaf, Bia. Peer ee WERING PLANTS OF GREAT BRITAIN As one of the chief objects of this work is to aid those who have not hitherto studied Botany, some slight explanation is necessary of its mode of arrange- ment, and of the terms employed. English, rather than Latin, terms have in all cases been used by the writer, so as to adapt the Flora to the use of the unscientific. The method of classification is that which is termed the Natural System. The system of Linnzeus, though well suited for convenience of reference, has yielded in our day to an arrangement which is founded on the more true affinities in plants, and by which “they are grouped according to their nature, structure, and properties, instead of being classed by more arbitrary signs. Various Natural Systems have been sinployed by botanists, but that Sanat is now chiefly used in Britain is one adapted from those of Jussieu and Decan- dolle. By this plan, the whole Vegetable Kingdom is divided into three great Classes. These are divided into Sub-classes, which are again divided into Orders, and these Orders into Genera, containing Species and Varieties. The last-named distinction is not always so obvious as the others, and it is one on which botanists often differ, some regarding only as a variety that which others have determined to be a species. A Species isa collection of individual plants which resemble each other in all important points, these characters being found constantly in the plants under all circumstances of soil or situa- tion. A Variety is a difference which is not permanent nor essential. Thus, the colour of a flower, an unusual number of the petals, the thorny or smooth condition of its stem, is sufficient only to constitute a variety, because under other conditions of its growth the plant would be likely to lose these peculiarities. The following explanation of the descriptive terms used will aid the reader to comprehend them :— THE Root.—This often consists, as in most Grasses, of a tuft of fibres (Fig. 1), with pores at their extremities, by means of which they absorb nutriment from the soil. In other cases, however, the nourishment drawn by the fibres is received in another organ ; and this part is then termed the root-stock, and the fibres the rootlets, The so-called Creeping root (2), of which we have familiar examples in the Couchgrass and Horseradish, is really a stem. FLOWERING PLANTS bo The principal forms of the root are :— The Tap root (3): examples, Parsnip and Turnip. A tap root ending abruptly, as if bitten off, is termed premorse, as in the Premorse Scabious (4). The Tuberous root consists of one or more roundish solid masses, from the surface of which rootlets arise, as in the Orchis (5). Tubers and Bulbs are not roots, as commonly supposed, but underground stems. The Potato-tuber shows this by its eyes or shoots. Other bulbs are formed of fleshy scales, as in the White Lily (7) ; of several concentric coats, as in the Onion and Bluebell (6). When of one uniform solid mass, like the Crocus, it is called a corm. A Stem is said to be simple when without branches, and bearing only leaves and flowers, or leaves only, as the Grass of Parnassus (8). A compound stem is repeatedly and irregularly branched, as in the Michaelmas Daisy (9). A stem is termed forked when it divides into two branches of equal, or nearly equal, size, as in the Chickweed (10). An ascending stem is one which, on first emerging from the root, is horizontal, and then becomes erect (11). When several stems grow from one root, the central one is often erect, and the others ascending, as in the Common Mallow. A prostrate stem runs along the ground, and never becomes erect. A creeping stem runs along the ground, and sends out roots from its joints (12). Some plants have erect stems and creeping scions or shoots from the base, as the Creeping Buttercup. Tur Axit.—The angle between the leaf and the stem. A flower or bud rising from this angle is termed axillary. The blossoms of the Wall Pelli- tory, or the Balsam, are axillary between the leaves and the stem (13). THe LeAr.—Leaves springing around the roots are termed radical, as the Primrose ; those which grow on the stem are alternate, as the Balsam (13) ; or whorled, as the Common Cleavers (15); or opposite, as the Chickweed (14). Leaves without stalks are termed sessile, as the Eryngo (16). A leaf which is composed of one piece only is said to be simple, as the Marsh Marigold (17); a ternate leaf consists of three leaflets on a common stalk, as in the Clovers (18); a quinate, of five, as in Cinquefoil (19). A leaf is termed pinnate—from penna, a feather—when a number of leaflets are arranged along each side of a common leaf-stalk, as in the Briar-rose or the Vetches (20). A simple leaf is sometimes wavy at the edge, as in the Oak (21); or three, five, or seven lobed, as in the Mallow (22). A leaf is said to be palmate when the five or seven lobes are more than half-way divided, leaving a portion in the centre of the leaf like the palm of the hand, as in the Potentilla (23). A leaf is pedate when the two side lobes are divided a second time at the edge near the stalk (24). A pinnatifid leaf is one which is cut regularly into narrow segments, almost to the middle rib, as in the Small Scabious. A pectinated leaf is one whose narrow segments resemble the teeth of a comb, as the Water Violet. to WA eS} NY : ~ ear. WY ~ ee Coast z \ A \ 30 SAN ~~ Saw-cedgred hi? | Pertoliate Leaf. 5 ; : aS x Connate Leaf. Entire Leaf. ? 43 Crenate. Stipules. Egg-shaped. 3t 32 33 Toothed. Fringed Oblong. Hair-like. Strap-shaped. a X — ——or \ \ } =, Arrow- =a: ae | shaped. ) Ze | Se 36 37 / ( Inversely Rounded. { Se¢g-shaped. s ; x ay a : g-shapec rap ty ( Li 39 Kidney-shaped. Umbels. Bract. Angular. 42 Sword-shaped. Pl. B, oe Me ha eu Ae — ad) — ey baie. Ay ie : 7a ; a ' 5 y™ OF GREAT BRITAIN 3 A peltate leaf is one which has a stalk attached at or near its centre, as the Wall Pennywort (25). A perfoliate leaf is one through the centre of which a stalk passes, as in Hare’s Ear (26). Two leaves joined at their bases, and having a stem passing through them, are termed connate, as in the Chlora or Yellow-wort (27). A leaf which clasps the stem at its base, like that of the Yellow-horned Poppy, is termed amplexicaul. The margin of a leaf may be entire, as in the Soapwort (28); crenate, as in Marsh Pennywort (29); serrate (saw-edged), as in Rose (50) ; toothed, as in Enchanter’s Nightshade (31); or fringed, as in Rock-rose (32). The terms employed in this volume to describe the forms of leaves are :— Hair-like ; as in Water Crowfoot (33), Linear ; as in Grass. _Strap-shaped ; as in Sand Strapwort (34). Oblong ; as in Rock-rose (32). Elliptical ; oval, with both ends alike, as in the leaflets of Rose (30). Egg-shaped; oval, with the base broader than the extremity, as in Pear (35). Inversely egg-shaped ; oval, with the base narrower than the extremity, as in 36. Rounded ; as in 37. Heart-shaped ; as in the Violet (38). Inversely heart-shaped ; as in the leaflets of Medick (18). Kidney-shaped ; as in Ground Ivy (39). Arrow-shaped ; as in Arrow-head (40). Halbert-shaped ; arrow-shaped, with the barbs turned outwards, as in the Common Pink Bindweed. Angular ; as in Ivy (41). Sword-shaped ; as in Flag (42). STIPULES: two little wing-like pieces often seen at the base of the leaf- stalk, as in the Rose (43) and the Vetches. In the former, the stipule is oblong ; in the latter, it is often arrow-shaped. BRACTS are the small leaves often situated beneath the flower, as in the Broom Rape (44). When several of these floral leaves grow in a whorl, they form what is termed an involucre (47). In plants of the Umbelliferous tribe, they often grow at the base of the general and partial umbels, as in figure 46 ; and in Compound flowers, as the Dandelion, they are numerous at the base of the heads of flowers. In this flower they are more like scales than small leaves. Tur FLower. The CAtyx, or flower-cup. This enfolds the bud before fully blown, and generally afterwards surrounds the blossom. It is usually green, and its several leaves are termed sepals (45). Sometimes the sepals unite at the base, forming a true cup, but the calyx varies much in form. When composed of two distinct lobes, one of which overhangs the other, it is termed gaping: in some cases it is double (48) ; and in the Composite and some other flowers, it is at first a mere ring, which ultimately becomes the pappus or down (49). THE Coro.ua. This is the brightly tinted portion of the flower, which is 1—2 4 FLOWERING PLANTS enclosed within the calyx. The divisions are termed petals. The petals are either distinct, as in the Rose or Wall-flower, in which the upper large part of the petal is termed the limb, and the lower the claw ; or they are united below, like the Primrose, the flat portion of which is called the limb, the lower the tube. The corolla has usually as many petals as there are sepals in the calyx; and if these are all of the same size and shape, the corolla is termed regular, as in the Briar-rose (50). The most common forms of the regular corolla are :— Salver-shaped ; as in the Primrose and Phlox (51). Funnel-shaped ; as in the Cowslip (52). Wheel-shaped ; when the tube is very short and its margin quite flat, as in the Speedwells (53). Bell-shaped ; as in the Hare-bell (54). Trumpet-shaped ; as in the Honeysuckle (55). The irregular one-petalled corolla is in some cases divided into two lobes, one of which overhangs the other. It is then termed labiate or lipped. The Sage, Mint, and Thyme, are common examples of labiate flowers. If the lobes are open, as in the Yellow Dead Nettle (56), the corolla is said to be gaping ; if closed, as in the Toadflax (57), it is termed personate, from persona, a mask. Compound flowers, like the Daisy, Chamomile, etc., have frequently two kinds of florets in one blossom ; those of the disk, or centre, being of a tubular form ; those of the ray, strap-shaped. When four petals are placed crosswise, the blossom is termed cruciferous ; as the Wall-flower (58). Papilionaceous, or butterfly-shaped blossoms, are those which, like the Pea or Vetch (59), have five irregular petals, the upper one large, and termed the standard; the two side ones, called the wings; and two lower ones, which are often combined, and which are termed the keel. All flowers have not both calyx and corolla. The Lily and Tulip are examples of flowers without a green calyx; the little Pearlwort has no coloured corolla. The word perianth is used in both cases to express the part of the flower which encloses the stamens and pistils. Some flowers, as the Water Starwort, have neither calyx nor corolla (60). When the perianth is said to be double, it signifies that both corolla and calyx are present. THe STAMENS. ‘The stamens (61) are the small organs which stand around the centre of the perianth. The lower part of the stamen is termed the filament ; the anther is the upper part. When the filament is slender throughout, it is said to be threadlike ; but if thicker at the base and taper- ing at the point, it is termed awl-shaped (62). ‘The anther is most frequently oblong, composed of two lobes and two cells, which contain the fine usually yellow powder called the pollen. Anthers without filaments are said to be sessile. Sometimes the filaments are united into little bundles, as in the St. John’s Wort (63) ; sometimes they form a hollow tube, as in the Mallow (64), the anthers remaining separate, and being termed free ; sometimes they are united into a ring, as in the Heath (65). THE PIstrL (66) is the central part of the flower, and is composed of the ovary or germen (a), which contains the rudiments of the future seed ; the style or column (}), and the stigma (¢), which is at the summit of the style. 47 48 49 5° Involucre. Double Calyx. Pappus. 5I Funnel- Regular Seine shaped. Corolla. SIME shaped. 53 Wheel-shaped. 55 56 57 Trumpet- Gaping Corolla. Personate shaped. Corolla. 59 60 Papilionaceous. - Imperfect Flowers. Cruciferous. 64 65 638 69 Stamen Tube. Anther-ring. Pistil. Carpels. Pistillate Staminate Flower. Flower. * a1 Silique. Superior Ovary. Capsule. hs lean) ¥ e ha Paha ihe Perk ye ae, we ie Nha hd Pay less and. 3, ‘ : : * i ) i OF GREAT BRITAIN 5 It is sometimes a mere viscid point, but more often it is a flat, lobed, or globular organ. Most flowers have but one pistil ; but there is frequently a single ovary bearing several styles and stigmas. The ovary, in such cases, usually con- sists of several cells, each of which, including its style and stigma, is termed a carpel (67). The same name is given to the ovaries in flowers when they are separated, or in others, when they are united. The same plant sometimes bears flowers, some of which have only stamens, while others have only pistils (68, 69), as in Willow and Oak. Such are termed moneecious plants. In other cases the pistils and stamens grow, not only on different flowers, but on different plants. These are then said to be diwcious. As those flowers only which contain pistils produce seed, these are termed fertile ; while those which have stamens only are said to be barren. When the ovary is inserted above the base of the perianth, it is termed superior, as in the Primrose (70); when below, inferior, as the Rose. The perianth is termed superior or inferior, according as it is inserted above or below the ovary. THE Fruit. The fruit is the enlarged ovary, and is the naked seed, or the seed with its case or covering, also termed the pericarp. The following are some of its various forms :— The capsule; a dry case or bag, either opening by valves, as in the Violet ; by teeth, as in Lychnis; by pores, as in Poppy ; or by dividing into an upper and under portion, as in the Pimpernel (71). The silique; a dry long pod, consisting of two halves or valves, and a central partition, to the internal margin of which the seeds are attached, as in the Cabbage (72). The silicle or pouch is a shorter, broader pod, like that of the Shepherd’s Purse. The pod or legume is a long seed-vessel without a partition; the seeds forming a single row, as in the Pea (73). The berry ; a pulpy fruit, in which the seeds are immersed, as the Blae- berry or Currant (74). The nut; a dry fruit in a hard shell, as the Hazel (75). The drupe ; a nut enclosed in a pulpy covering, as the Cherry (76). The cone; a number of scales overlapping each other, each of which covers two seeds (77). THE Seep. This is said to be dicotyledonous when composed of two lobes, like the Bean (78), which are termed the cotyledons, and enclose the plumule, or embryo of the future plant. As the seed germinates, the cotyle- dons either rise above the ground, as in Mustard, or remain beneath, as in the garden Pea. RECEPTACLE. ‘This is the part of the flower on which all the other parts rest. It is very obvious in the Dandelion, where it is white and dotted (82). It is sometimes conical, as in the Daisy (79) ; chaffy, as in Cat’s Ear (80) ; bristly, as in Thistle (81). Necrary. Any distinct organ which contains honey. In the Crown Imperial it consists of a number of cells around the centre of the flower. In the Crowfoot (83) it is a scale at the base of the petal. 6 FLOWERING PLANTS OF GREAT BRITAIN The INFLORESCENCE indicates the mode in which the blossoms are placed on the stem. A flower-stalk rising directly from the root, and bearing no leaves, is termed a scape, as in the Daisy or Primrose (84). It is axillary when inserted in the angle between the leaf and stem, as in Balsam (13). It is terminal when at the extremity of the stem, as the Violet and Grass of Parnassus (8). A flower-stalk bearing one flower only is termed simple. A stalk bearing a number of flowers seated on it one above another, like those of the Plantain, is termed a spike (85). When, instead of being sessile, the flowers grow on simple stalks, it is a raceme, as in Melilot (86). A panicle is a branched cluster, as in the Oat or Spurrey (87). A corymb has the lower flowers on long stalks, and the upper either nearly or quite sessile (88). A cyme has the stalks irregularly branched, but the flowers nearly level at the top, as in the Laurustinus and the Strawberry (89). ° The umbel has the flower-stalks springing from a common centre, and bearing each a single flower (90), as in Ivy. When instead of a single flower on each stalk, there is a smaller umbel, the inflorescence is a compound umbel, the larger division being termed a general, and the smaller a partial umbel (91). A head is like a simple umbel, except that the flowers are all sessile, as in Thrift (92). A catkin resembles a spike, except that the flowers are enclosed within a small scale or bract, as in the Sallow (93). NATURAL ARRANGEMENT OF PLANTS. The Vegetable Kingdom is divided into the three great Classes of DICO- TYLEDONES, MONOCOTYLEDONES, and ACOTYLEDONES. Crass I. DICOTYLEDONES. This Class consists of such plants as produce seeds divisible into two lobes or cotyledons. It is divided into four Sub-classes, —Thalamiflore, Calyciflore, Corollifloree, and Monochlamydew. Sub-class J. THALAMIFLOR. Flowers having both calyx and corolla; petals distinct, inserted into the receptacle, or thalamus; stamens springing from the base of the ovary. This Sub-class contains twenty-two British Orders. Sub-class IJ. CALYCIFLORA. Flowers with calyx and corolla; sepals distinct, or united ; petals dis- tinct ; stamens inserted in the calyx, or close to its base. This Sub-class contains eighteen British Orders. 76 77 78 79 80 Drupe. Cone. Dicotyledon, Conical Chaffy Receptacle. Receptacle, 81 82 Bristly Dotted Receptacle. Receptacle, 87. Panicle. Corymb. Cyme. Raceme, 90 gor Umbel, Compound Umbel. Pl. D. PALA v0) eit ve NATURAL ARRANGEMENT OF PLANTS -I Sub-class III. CorouLirLora. Flowers with calyx and corolla; petals united, usually bearing the stamens. In this Sub-class there are twenty-seven British Orders. Sub-class IV. MONOCHLAMYDE. Perianth single or none, no plant in this Sub-class having both calyx and corolla. It contains thirteen British Orders. Cuass Il. MONOCOTYLEDONES. Seeds with a single cotyledon. It contains two Sub-classes,—PETALOIDEE and GLUMACE&. Sub-class I. PETALOIDE. Flowers with coloured perianth. It contains sixteen British Orders. Sub-class II. GLUMACEA. Flowers formed of chaffy scales, or glumes. This Sub-class contains the Grasses and Sedges. Cuass III. ACOTYLEDONES. Flowerless plants. It consists of the Ferns, Mosses, Liverworts, Lichens, Sea-weeds, and Fungi. Crass I. DICOTYLEDONOUS OR EXOGENOUS PLANTS. The plants of this most extensive Class of the Vegetable Kingdom are termed DICOTYLEDONOUS, because their seeds are formed of two or more cotyledons, or lobes; and EXOGENOUS, because the stems of the plants increase by new layers on the outside of the pith, or central fibre, though within the bark. Dicotyledonous plants have a distinct deposition of pith, cellular tissue, spiral vessels, wood, and bark, which in Monocotyledonous plants are all confounded. In shrubs and trees of the former class, the wood is arranged in concentric layers, the hardest part being near the pith; they are also branched, as the Oak and Elm, and not simple, like the Palm, which is a Monocotyledonous tree. The leaves are veined in a network, and are distinctly articulated with the stem. The flowers are furnished with stamens and pistils, and their parts are usually arranged in the number of five or four, or of some multiple of five or four. Sub-class I. THALAMIFLORA. Flowers furnished with calyx and corolla; petals distinct, inserted into the receptacle, or thalamus; stamens springing from below the base of the ovary. Natural Order I. RANUNCULACEA—THE CROWFOOT TRIBE. Calyx of mostly five or six pieces or sepals, frequently irregular, as are sometimes the petals, which are generally five or more in number, but occa- sionally wanting ; stamens usually numerous, inserted on the receptacle ; ovaries usually many ; fruit consisting of one or many-seeded carpels ; in 8 RANUNCULACEA: Actzea, a berry. Herbs or shrubs. Leaves often divided. Plants acrid and poisonous, some of them—as Aconitum—eminently so. This extensive tribe of plants may be found in most of the temperate countries of the globe, but they are unknown in the lowlands of the tropics. They characterise a cold, damp climate. * Carpels one-seeded. 1. TRAVELLER’S Joy (Clématis).—Sepals 4—6, resembling petals ; corolla wanting ; carpels terminated by a long, mostly feathery, awn. Name from the Greek kléma, the shoot of a vine. 2. Meapow Rue (Thalictrum).—Sepals 4—5; corolla wanting ; carpels without tails, sessile, or nearly so. Name from the Greek thallo, to flourish. 3. WIND-FLOWER (Anemdne).—Sepals resembling petals, 4— 20; in- volucre of three-cut leaves, usually distant from the flower. Name from the Greek anemos, the wind, because the flowers are easily moved by the wind. 4, Pueasant’s Eye (Adénis).—Calyx of 5 sepals ; petals 5—16, without a nectary ; carpels without awns. Name from Adonis, a youth who was killed by a wild boar, and whose blood was fabled to have stained the flower. 5. CROWFOOT, SPEARWORT, etc. (Randnculus).—Calyx of 5 (rarely 3) sepals ; petals 5 (rarely numerous), with a pore or nectary at the base ; carpels without awns. Name from rana, a frog; these plants growing much where frogs abound. 6. Mouse-ratL (Myostirus).—Calyx of 5 sepals, prolonged at. the base into a spur; petals 5; carpels crowded into a lengthened spike. Name, Greek for a mouse’s tail. * * Carpels many-seeded. 7 7. GLOBE-FLOWER (7'7rdllius). — Sepals 5 — 15, coloured; petals 5, or many, small, narrow, flat. Name said to be derived from ¢rol or trolen, a ball, or globe, in old German. 8. MarsH Maricoip (Cdltha).—Sepals 5 or more. Petals absent. Name from the Greek kdlathos, a cup. 9. HeLLepore (/elléborus).—Sepals 5, like petals, persistent, that is, not falling off; petals 8—10, small, tubular ; carpels 3—10. Name from the Greek helein, to take away, and bdr, food. 10. WrintER ACONITE (Hranthis).—Sepals 5—8, petaloid, soon falling ; petals small, 2-lipped; stamens numerous; carpels 5—6, stalked. Name from the Greek ear, spring, and anthos, flower. 11. ConumBINE (Aquilégia).—Sepals 5, petal-lke, soon falling off ; petals 5, tubular, gaping upwards, and terminating in a horn-shaped spur or nectary ; carpels 5. Name from the Latin aquila, an eagle, the claws of which its nectaries are fancied to resemble. 12. Larkspur (Delphinium).—Sepals 5, petal-like, soon falling off, the upper one helmet-shaped, with a long spur at the base; petals 4, the two upper on long stalks, and concealed in the spurred sepal; carpels 3—5. Name from delphin, a dolphin, to which animal the flower bears a fancied resemblance. 13. Monx’s-Hoop (Aconétum).—Sepals 5, petal-like, the upper one helmet- shaped but not spurred; nectaries 2, stalked, tubular at the extremity, CROWFOOT TRIBE § and concealed beneath the helmet-shaped sepal ; carpels 3—5. Name of un- certain origin. 14. BANE-BERRY (Actwa).—Sepals 3—5, soon falling off; petals 4—10 ; fruit a many-seeded berry. Name from the Greek hté, the Elder, the leaves somewhat resembling those of that plant. 15. Prony (Pwonia).—Sepals 5, unequal; petals 5—10; carpels 2—5, with fleshy stigmas, formed of two plates. Name from Peon, a Greek physician, who is said to have healed wounds with the plant. 1. TRAVELLER’S Joy (Clématis). Traveller’s Joy (C. vité/ba).—Stem climbing, leaves pinnate, leaflets ovate, and heart-shaped at the base ; foot-stalks of leaves twining; flower- stalks rather shorter than the leaves. Plant perennial. This beautiful shrub, with its dark-green foliage, and its numerous blossoms of greenish-white hue, is very common in the hedges in those counties where chalk or limestone abounds. Gerarde well named it the Traveller’s Joy, for it may be seen far away, decking the hedges, in June and July, with its blossoms, and holding itself to the stronger plants near it by the twisting leaf-stalks which serve as tendrils. In the early part of the winter its snowy tufts of seeds are very conspicuous, and as they become soiled by wind and weather, they look like masses of cobwebs. This Clematis is our only British species, though similar kinds abound in the woods of warmer regions of the globe, spangling the forests of America and New Zealand, like those of Australia, with thousands of silver stars. Though our native kind is almost scentless, many of the species are ex- quisitely fragrant—the sweet-scented Virgin’s Bower of our garden (Clématis flémmula) being very much so. The plants of this genus are all acrimonious. Of the scented garden kind, Miller remarks, “if one leaf be cropped on a hot day in the summer season, and bruised, and presently put to the nostrils, it will cause a smell and pain like a flame.” Our native species is corrosive, but its acrid principle is destroyed either by the withering influence of the sun, or by infusing the plant in boiling water. The fresh leaves are said to be used by beggars to cause wounds, in order to excite compassion ; hence the French sometimes term this shrub Herbe aua gueux, though they also call it by the more pleasing names of Consolation des voyageurs, and Viorne des pauvres. Tt is undoubtedly poisonous in its fresh state ; but the leaves of this plant are said, when dried, to form good fodder for cattle, and they were once used in medicine. The nollow stem, when old, is cut into small pieces by the German shepherds, and smoked for pipes, the acrid flavour of the wood being fancied somewhat to resemble that of tobacco. Kentish schoolboys use the stem in the same way ; and in France these long stems are woven into rustic baskets and bee-hives. ° The seeds are very numerous, and easily dispersed by means of their feathery crown ; and as they retain their germinating principle for a great length of ‘ time, the plant is sometimes more abundant in the hedge than the farmer would desire, as it suffocates the bushes among which it climbs. Country people call it Withywind, Wild Vine, Old Man’s Beard, and Virgin’s Bower ; but Gerarde’s name, given it from “decking and adorning waies and hedges 2 10 RANUNCULACEAL where people travel,” is one by which it is very generally known in England. 2. MEapow RvE (Lhalictrum). 1. Alpine Meadow Rue (7. alpinum).—Stem simple, nearly leafless ; flowers in a simple terminal cluster, drooping when fully blown. ‘This is a graceful and elegant little plant, with delicate white blossoms, growing on a stem from four to six inches high; but it occurs only on the mountain pastures and alpine bogs between Yorkshire and Shetland ; also in Carnarvon. It flowers in June and July, and is perennial. It is sometimes called Feathered Columbine. The name of the genus, taken from the Greek of ‘to flourish,” is well given, because of the lively green tint of the foliage of this, as well as of our other native kinds. The leaves are notched, with rounded lobes, and spring from the roots on long stalks. 2. Lesser Meadow Rue (7’ iinus).—This species is so much confined to stony fields on chalky and limestone soils, that it has by some botanists been termed 7’. calcareum. Its stem is zigzag and branched, from one to four feet high ; its leaves are thrice pinnate, the leaflets three-cleft, and they are covered with a sea-green ‘‘ bloom.” When the plant thrives well the stem usually becomes hollow. The flowers have an unpleasant odour ; they are greenish, drooping, and so full of stamens that they seem like little tufts of gold threads; they appear in June and July, and the plant is perennial. Several varieties of this species occur, and these have by some botanists been regarded as distinct species. 3. Yellow Meadow Rue (7. fldvum).—Stem erect, three or four feet high, and branched ; leaves twice pinnate ; flowers crowded, yellow, and not drooping. ‘This species, which is found on the banks of rivers and ditches, is more generally known in England than either of the others. The Dutch term it Vaterruit. It is rare in Scotland, being found chiefly in the Vale of Clyde. Its leaflets are broadly wedge-shaped, and three-cleft. A very handsome species of Meadow Rue is cultivated in the garden, but this has no old renown, and must not be confounded with the Common Rue (futa gravéolens), which was brought from the South of Europe, and is now in every cottage garden. That was an old favourite herb with the monks, and was never absent from the “physic garden” of the monastery. It was called Herb of Grace, because of its supposed virtues, and because mingled with the “holy water” used for sprinkling the congregation before and after service. Thus, Ophelia says,— ‘¢We call it Herb of grace 0’ Sundays.” It is a plant of some power, and one of its kindred is said to blister the hands of him who gathers it without gloves. 3. WIND-FLOWER (dAneméne). 1. Wood Anemone (4. nemorésa).—Leaves ternate, leaflets lobed and cut ; flower somewhat drooping ; sepals six ; carpels without tails. The sun- shine of spring has hardly dawned upon the leafless woods before this flower is in blossom. Often as early as the middle of March it gleams among the primroses, and soon it covers as with a white carpet many a secluded copse. Pliny said of the Anemone that it never blooms but when the wind. blows ; 1 TRAVELLERS JOY 3 LESSER MEADOW RUE Clematis vitalba Thalictrum minus 2 ALPINE MEADOW RUE 4 YELLOW MEADOW RUE Thalicrum alpinum Thalictvum flavin Pl. 1: CROWFOOT TRIBE Mil and our own species is no exception, for it grows on high mountainous places, and puts forth its flowers when winds are wildest. As Clare has said, these flowers, ‘** Dyed in winter’s snow and rime, Constant to their early time, White the leaf-strewn ground again, And make each wood a garden glen.’ ? The Anemone bears the name of Wind-flower in other lands than ours. It is LT Herbe au vent of the French, but the form of its petals gives it the name in Italy of Fiore stella. Charlotte Smith has well described its starry appear- ance -— “He there Gathers the copse’s pride, Anemones, With rays like golden studs on ivory laid, Most delicate ! but touch’d with purple clouds, Fit crown for April’s fair but changeful brow.” Sometimes the colour of the Wood Anemone is of a most delicate crimson ; and it was, perhaps, because of this faint flush on its white petals that the Egyptians made it the emblem of sickness. It is occasionally found tinted with a pale sky-blue colour. Usually, wherever we find this flower, it grows in great abundance; but there are some districts in which it is rare. Its leaves are of a very dark green, the stem about six inches high, and the fleshy creeping rootstocks produce a strong network of fibres, which some- times runs over a great extent of ground far beneath the surface. The plant is most luxuriant on moist soils; it blossoms till about the end of May, and is perennial. It grows very far north, and is very common in the woods of North America. Mr. Lyell saw it in the woods of Virginia, growing beside our beautiful purple wood cranesbill (Geranium sylvaticum) and amidst multi- tudes of scentless violets. 2. Pasque Flower (4. pulsatilla).—Leaves as well as the involucre doubly pinnatifid ; flower slightly drooping ; sepals six ; carpels with feathery tails. This species grows on stouter stalks than the wood anemone, which are usually from four to ten inches high. Its dark rich purple stars, when half unfolded, glitter in the sunshine like satin, on account of the soft silky hairs with which the flower is covered externally, and which render the young buds extremely pretty. They open in April or May, and the name of the plant has a reference to the Paschal or Easter season. Several flowers, both in France and England, are called Easter flowers: thus Pdquerette is one of the French names of the daisy, and our gardeners have an Kaster hyacinth ; but this Anemone has a better claim to its name than the other plants, because of the uses to which it was formerly applied. The petals of the flower yield a bright clear green dye, and the whole of the plant gives a good rich green colour. This, with other wild flowers, was much used in days when in England the custom prevailed of staining eggs of some richly-marbled tints, and presenting them as Easter gifts, under the name of Pask, Paste, or Pace eggs. This practice, still so common on the Continent, is now little followed » in our country ; yet even in our days Paschal eggs are to be found at Easter, in different parts of the kingdom, often beautifully mottled with dyes obtained from logwood, or from the flowers of our fields. Our anemone is cms) | 12 RANUNCULACEA not now, however, required, as it was in the days of Edward I., when, as ancient records tell, 400 eggs were bought to be stained and gilded for the royal household ; and the flower is not frequent enough to afford us a dye available for any more important purpose. The Pasque-flower is a rare plant, growing naturally on chalk downs and limestone pastures, its range in these islands being restricted between Yorkshire, Essex, and Gloucestershire. It is found still further north than the wood anemone, and Sir John Franklin saw it in blossom on the shores of Hudson’s Bay on May 10. Like most of its tribe, its properties are of a very acrid nature, and when laid upon the skin it will raise a blister far more difficult to heal than that of the Spanish fly. If the leaves and flowers be taken with distilled water, they prove emetic; but the root has a sweet flavour. Cattle refuse this plant, though the goat, which seems able to eat the most poisonous herbs, appears to relish this. It is perennial, and is the only one of our wild anemones which has silky or feathery awns. These are very beautiful, and float upon the winds of the early summer, as does the thistle-down of the later season. It is also worthy of note that the outer stamens are imperfect, having been converted into stalked nectaries, producing honey for the attraction of certain bees, flies, moths, and beetles that help to fertilize it. 3. Blue Mountain Anemone (4. apennina).—Leaves thrice ternate, segments lobed and cut ; involucres stalked, ternate and cut ; sepals or petals twelve or more ; tails not feathery. This Anemone, which is of a most brilliant blue colour, is in blossom in April and May; but it is very rare, and not a real native of our woods. It has been found in Wimbledon Park, Surrey ; near Harrow ; Luton Hoe, Bedfordshire ; near Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire ; and Cullen, Banff. It is sometimes a border-flower of the garden, whence it has probably strayed into the wood. 4. Yellow Wood Anemone (A . ranunculoides).—Leaves ternate or quinate ; leaflets cut and toothed ; involucres shortly stalked, ternate, cut and toothed ; sepals or petals 5—6; carpels not feathery. This flower, like the last, is rare, and certainly not truly wild. The blossoms appear in June, and are of a bright yellow colour. It has been recorded from near Wrotham, Kent ; and at Abbott’s Langley, Herts, it still grows abundantly in one or two places. 4. PHEASANT’S EYE (Adonis). Corn Pheasant’s Eye (4. auiumnilis).—Petals concave, forming the blossom into a cup; stem branched; leaves much divided. This plant is the only British species, and is by many writers considered a doubtful native, but it occurs in some corn-fields. It has been found about London, Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Gloucestershire, Glasgow, and Dublin; and the author has gathered it from corn-fields near Maidstone. It blossoms in June, and remains till autumn, the deep crimson flowers resembling the buttercup in shape. It had the old English names of Rose a rubie, and Red Maythes, by which Gerarde says it was known to the “ herbe women ” in his time, but it is called by the name of Adonis throughout Europe, and connected with the classic fable which tells that the blood of the youth Adonis stained its petals. It was a favourite flower with our old poets, sometimes for the sake CROWFOOT TRIBE 13 of the rhyme being called Adon, as by Brown in his Pastorals. Ben Jonson tells the nymphs to bring fair Adonis’ flower in their garland. Drummond of Hawthornden alludes to it, and Shakspere refers to the legend on more than one occasion. The French, Dutch, Germans, and Italians all commonly call it Adonis or Adonide ; but in France it has, besides, the names of Aile de perdviz, Aile de faisan, and Goutte de sang. Shakspere makes one of his personages say, — ‘‘Thy promises are like Adonis’ gardens, That one day bloom’d and fruitful were the next ;” but our poet has somewhat misapplied the character of these gardens, for they were merely pots of fennel or lettuce, which were carried about on the festival of Adonis, and which, as the Greek writers say, were thrown away on the following morning. If, like the Hindoos, we were extremely partial to the colour of red, and believed that it had a wondrous power to exhilarate ‘the spirits, we might wish much to claim our Pheasant’s Eye as a native flower ; for it is the only one in our fields which has the crimson tint, and the species of the scarlet hue are rare, consisting only of poppies and pimpernels. It is an annual plant, and grows to the height of nearly a foot. This Adonis, as well as some other species, is frequent as a garden flower. It is somewhat acrimonious, but less so than the exotic kinds ; one of these (Adonis capensis), which grows wild on the mountains of the Cape of Good Hope, is said by Thunberg to be commonly used instead of cantharides, by the natives of that country, to raise blisters on the skin. 5. BUTTERCUP, SPEARWORT, ETC. (Raniénculus). * Flowers white. 1. Water Crowfoot (FR. aqudtilis).)—Stem submersed ; lower leaves divided into hair-like segments, spreading in all directions, and forming a globular mass ; floating leaves three-lobed, their edges cut into rounded notches (occasionally wanting). Few of the common plants of our waters add more to their beauty than this. Water-lilies and flowering rushes are indeed gayer flowers, but they are comparatively rare, while this lies in large silvery patches during spring and summer on many of our lakes and ponds. It is a very variable plant, for when growing in softly-running streams, it produces only its tufts of hair-like leaves, which are submersed ; but when the water is still, the large roundish flat leaves and showy flowers are to be seen in great abundance, forming a brilliant mass of green and white. ‘This species is singular among a tribe of acrid plants, as being free from their usually deleterious principle, and is, unlike any other Ranunculus, very nutritive food for cattle. It has been proved capable of being converted by agriculturists to very useful purposes. In the neighbourhood of Ringwood, on the borders of the Avon, many cottagers have been known to support their horses and cattle almost wholly on this aquatic plant, a man going in a boat on the water to fetch a quantity of it to the shore, which is soon eagerly eaten by these animals. One man kept five cows and one horse on this food, and the small amount of pasture which the common could supply, and not a ton of hay throughout the whole year had been consumed by them. The great quantity of foliage which in some ponds is found on this White Crow- 14 RANUNCULACEA# foot, affords a constant supply in all seasons, save when the waters are frozen up. It is very difficult to account for the absence of the acrimonious principle in this species, because the presence of water is so often found to increase the noxious properties of vegetables. Thus, many plants of the Umbelliferous tribe are found, when growing on a marshy soil, to possess deleterious properties which do not belong to them in drier localities. The modern view is that the terrestrial species of Ranunculus have developed the poisonous property in self-defence against browsing quadrupeds ; the aquatic species are little exposed to such attacks, therefore they have not developed acridity. 2. River Crowfoot (f. fliituns).—Stem, stout, long; floating leaves rarely present, three-lobed or trifoliolate ; submerged leaves divided into a few black, stiff, hair-like segments ; leaf-stalks long and stout. Flowers three-quarters to one inch across ; petals broad, oval, often more than five, and in two series ; stamens numerous ; achenes large, smooth, swollen. This plant may be found fairly distributed south of the Clyde and in Ireland, but only in deep lakes and running water. It flowers from June to August. 3. Water Fennel (2. trichophyllus).—Floating leaves when present trilobed or trifoliolate ; submerged leaves with very short footstalks, and divided into many black, hair-like segments which remain rigid when taken from the water. Flowers one-third to half an inch across; petals small, narrow, and far apart. Stamens few ; achenes few. Found flowering during May and June in the still waters of ponds and ditches throughout the three kingdoms. 4, Rigid-leaved Water Crowfoot (/?. circindtus).—Stem floating, leaves all submerged, divided into many rigid segments which remain in one place ; footstalk one inch. Flowers three-quarters of an inch across ; petals broad, twice the length of sepals; stamens numerous. This species, which is little subject to variation, will be found in waters with little or no movement, flowering from June to August. 5. Three-lobed Water Crowfoot (f. tripartitus).—Stem aerial, rooting in mud, or partially floating in shallow water ; all the leaves kidney- shaped, three-lobed, or with three wedge-shaped segments. Flowers quarter of an inch across, with narrow, three-nerved pinkish petals ; stamens few ; achenes numerous, smooth. This species, which is very similar to forms of R. aquatilis, may be found in the South and West of England only, flowering from May to July. 6. Mud Crowfoot (£. lenormdndi).—Stem creeping, stout, and branched. Leaves all round or kidney-shaped with crenate edges. Flowers from quarter to half an inch across, with oblong, fivenerved petals ; stamens few. ‘This species is in flower from June to August, in marshes and ditches south of the Clyde, and in South Ireland. 7. Ivy-leaved Crowfoot (f. hederdceus).—Stem submerged, and throwing out roots or creeping; leaves roundish, kidney-shaped, with 8—7 entire lobes ; petals but little longer than the calyx ; stamens 5—10. Plant perennial. This plant, which is in flower throughout the summer, is much smaller than the last species, and its blossoms are not nearly so attractive. It grows cither in shallow waters, or in places where water has stood. 1 WATER CROWEOOT IVY Rananenins agmatilas LEAVED CROWFOOT Rammnenins hederacenus LESSER SPEARWORT ALPINE WAITE CROWFOOT Ranunculus alpestris GREAT SPEARWORT Ranunculus lingua Ranunculus tlammula Pl, 3, it ” a, a! Valin. 4 CROWFOOT TRIBE 15 * * Flowers yellow ; leaves undivided. 8. Great Spearwort (fh. lingua).—Leaves narrow, tapering to a point, without stalks; stem erect. Plant perennial. Flowers large, June to August. We have by our stream and river sides, and on bogs, two species of Spearwort which are both common flowers, resembling tall buttercups in all things but their slender spear-shaped leaves, to which they owe part of their familiar name. The old Saxon “ wort” or “ weed” is retained in the English names of many plants, as milkwort, butterwort, ete., all of which were well known to our forefathers. The foliage of this Spearwort is thick and succulent, its stem often three feet high, and of a bright pale green. The plant is conspicuous on the bog, where it towers above the bog asphodel, and the marsh orchis, and the ivy leaved bell-flowers, and many other lovely plants of the marsh land; for true to the life is Tennyson’s description :— “One willow over the river wept And shook the wave as the wind did sigh ; Above in the wind was the swallow, Chasing itself at its own wild will, And far through the marish, green and still, The tangled water-courses slept, Shot over with purple, and green, and yellow.” 9. Lesser Spearwort (L. fldmmula).—Leaves variable, narrow, taper- ing to a point, slightly stalked ; stem creeping at the base. Plant perennial. This species, which is much smaller than the last, is often its companion on the bog. It remains in bloom somewhat later, and in some specimens its leaves are covered with a silky down. This lesser species is one of our most acrimonious plants, and is very abundant on the margins of the Highland lakes, as well as on the borders of English ditches. Dr. Withering, who, besides being a good botanist, was a skilful physician, remarks of this Spear- wort :—“ I feel myself authorized to assert that, in the case of poison being swallowed, it is preferable to any medicine with which I am acquainted.” He adds, ‘that besides its speedy emetic action, it does not excite the painful bodily sensations which are often occasioned by the dose of white vitriol so generally given in such cases.” The distilled water of this Spearwort is occasionally used as an emetic; but, notwithstanding this authority, its use is not frequent. The plant is sometimes laid on the skin to raise blisters ; but these are extremely difficult to heal. 10. Serpent’s-tongue Spearwort (JL. ophioglossifélius).—Annual, erect, smooth or slightly hairy, the lower leaves stalked, broadly egg-shaped or heart-shaped. Its slender stem is from six to twelve inches long, branched and hollow ; at first somewhat trailing, then erecting itself to flower. It bears numerous small yellow flowers, about a quarter of an inch across, from June to August. The only British habitat of this species is the marshes of southern Hampshire ; formerly it was also found in Jersey. 11. Lesser Celandine, or Pilewort (#. ficdria).—Leaves _heart- shaped, or kidney-shaped, and stalked, angular ; sepals 3; petals about 9. Stem, single flowered. Plant perennial. Every lover of flowers welcomes 16 RANUNCULACEZ: the bright glossy blossom, which, while March winds are yet blowing, spangles meadows and banks, and enlivens some of our woodlands where the trees are not thickly planted. It is a flower which has suggested some beautiful thoughts to poets; and few who have looked on it, as the sun shone brightly on its star-lke form, would not join with Wordsworth in telling its praises, and feel that there was truth in his playful fancy respect- ing it. This so differs in the shape of its blossoms from our Spearworts and Crowfoots, that some writers place the Celandine in a distinct genus, when it is called Ficaria verna. 'The leaves are dark green, varied with a paler tint, very glossy and brittle. Children in country-places in Kent rub their teeth with them, to improve their whiteness. They were also formerly boiled and eaten ; but the author, who has tried their worth, cannot say much in their favour. Linnzus recommended to the agriculturist the extirpation of this plant from the pasture, on account of the space occupied by its roots and leaves, and because he considered it injurious to herbs growing near it. Cattle refuse to eat it. It is known in some places by the name of Ficaria ; and this was given from /icus, a fig, because of the little fig-shaped tubercles on the roots. It is owing to the large amount of plant-food stored up in these tubers in one season that the plant is enabled to flower so early and freely next year. It grows throughout Europe, and Dr. Clarke found it near Moscow, just losing its blossoms, on May 29. Elliott has some beautiful lines on the flower :— ‘*The Celandine, The starry herald of that gentlest gale, Whose plumes are sunbeams dipp’d in odours fine.” *%** Flowers yellow ; leaves divided. 12. Wood Crowfoot (f. auricomus).—Leaves smooth, lower ones kidney-shaped, three-lobed, upper ones entire ; calyx shorter than the petals ; petals unequal in size. Plant perennial. This is a common flower in woods, and much like the meadow buttercup, but the blossoms are not so large, and the mode of growth more straggling. It blooms in April and May, and, unlike the other Crowfoots, is destitute of acridity. 13. Celery-leaved Crowfoot (/?. scelerdtus).—Leaves smooth, cut into oblong segments ; root-leaves on stalks ; stem hollow, juicy ; carpels collected into an oblong head. This plant, which is very common in watery places, by the sides of pools and ditches, is usually about a foot and a half or two feet high. It flowers in June, and the blossoms are of pale yellow, and very small size. It is one of the most acrid of the crowfoots, and in former times was in frequent use as a blister; but it is a very unsafe application, for it readily causes a wound, which will not so easily be healed. A friend of the writer’s, who had wandered by a stream’s side, and carried away thence a large nosegay of forget-me-nots, and yellow flag-flowers, and meadow-sweet, had placed among them a quantity of this Crowfoot ; wearied with the heat, he lay down on a grassy bank, placing his nosegay near him, that he might enjoy its odours. In the course of a restless slumber, however, his cheek lay upon the flowers, and he was awakened by a tingling sensation, which he at first attributed to the stings of some of those insects which hover over: 1 MEADOW CROWFOOT 3. CORN CROWPOOT Ramwunenhis acs Ranuneults avvensis 2 PALE HAIRY BUT TERCUP 4. SMALL FLOWERED CROWFOOT Ravwnculos hivsutus Ruwinenilus parvilorus 5. COMMON MOUS TALL Myosurns mimimus Pl. hs. CROWFOOT TRIBE Ls the waters. He soon discovered that it had been caused by this plant, and a redness and irritation remained on one side of the cheek and neck for some hours afterwards, notwithstanding that means were used to allay it. Burnett says that even carrying this plant in the hand will cause inflammation ; yet the shepherds of Morlachia, notwithstanding the acridity of its leaves, eat them when boiled. The distilled water procured from this crowfoot is intensely acrimonious, and, when cold, deposits crystals which are in- flammable. The plant is found in almost every part of the world, and has been seen very far north, growing by the streams. Another water-side species, termed the Frigid Ranunculus, has been found in some of the highest latitudes yet explored. Dr. Sutherland, when in the Polar expedition in search of Sir John Franklin, saw this beautiful little plant growing on the shores of Assistance Bay, a spot which he and his companions had to reach by walking over ice. 14. Bulbous-rooted Crowfoot (2. bulbésus).—Calyx reflexed ; flower- stalks channelled ; leaves cut into three variable leaflets, which are three- lobed, or three-partite, and cut; root bulbous. Perennial. This flower, which grows on a stem about a foot high, is one of the three species commonly called Buttercups. It is the kind which is earliest in blossom, and which in May often embroiders with gold the grassy meadow. ‘The daisy and the buttercup, For which the laughing children stoop A hundred times the livelong day, In their rude romping summer play, So thickly now the pasture crowd In gold and silver sheeted cloud, As if the drops of April showers Had woo'd the sun and changed to flowers.” The three kinds of buttercup are much alike; but this may at once be known by the sepals, which turn downwards. In old times it was called St. Anthony’s Turnip ; but if that pious hermit, whose name it bears, ever dined on its white hard roots, he must have dried them well first in the sunshine, to remove their acridity. In their fresh state they are not only pungent to the taste, but are emetic in their properties. Their expressed juice is said to cause sneezing, and it was formerly used for raising blisters, especially in cases of gout. The acrimonious principle is in some measure dispelled by drying, and is altogether lost if the roots are boiled. Swine are very fond of them, and will dig them up in the pasture. 15. Creeping Buttercup (2. répens).—Calyx spreading ; flower-stalks furrowed ; scions creeping; leaves divided into three leaflets, which are three-lobed, or three-cleft, and cut. Perennial. This plant, which the lover of flowers admires for its glossy cup, is a troublesome weed to the farmer, running all over the pasture by means of its creeping shoots, which take root wherever a leaf is produced. It is most abundant everywhere from June to August, blooming on, in shady places, as gardens and churchyards, till nearly winter. As it occurs in so many soils and situations, it assumes a great variety of appearances. When growing by the side of a river or on a marsh, it attains a height of three or four feet, with a stem sometimes as thick as a man’s finger ; whereas on a barren field its stem is not larger than a wheat- oi v 18 RANUNCULACEAL straw. Its creeping roots, however, always characterise it, even when in gardens. Cattle reject it as food ; but, like all the species, it loses its acridity in drying, and makes good hay. The Buttercup has several old English names, some of which, as King-cup, are retained in country places. Gold Cups and Gold Balls are names now almost forgotten; and if this flower is the “ tufted crow-toe,” which Milton wreathes in his garland for “Young Lycidas, that hath not left his peer,” then one of its old names is retained in the Crowfoot of modern days. The French call the buttercup Bouton dor, and it is the Pie corvino of the Italians. The Germans term it Hahnenfuss. Ben Jonson calls these flowers Itang-cups. 16. Meadow Crowfoot (f. dcris).—Calyx spreading ; flower-stalks rounded, not furrowed; leaves three-cleft, their segments cut into acute divisions, those of the upper leaves very slender. Perennial. This species, which blooms from April to September, is, as its name imports, very acrid. Cattle only eat it when hungry ; and Curtis says that if eaten by them in any quantity it will blister their mouths. He adds that he blistered his own hand by gathering it. The root of this species is long and fibrous ; and t!is buttercup is common in meadows, pastures, and mountainous situations. The common garden flower, with flat yellow rosettes, called Bachelor’s Buttons, is a variety of this upright Meadow Crowfoot. 17. Chervil-leaved Buttercup (2. chwrophyllus).—Sepals spreading, petals bright yellow ; entire flower an inch to an inch and a half across ; stem erect, simple, clad with silky hairs, and bearing one f ‘; base swollen, producing numerous little tubers and stout root-fibres. renal. This species is restricted (so far as the British flora is concern¢ Jersey, where it flowers in May. ‘The leaves of the young plants are rounded or wedge-shaped, toothed or lobed, but those of older plants are divided into three leaflets, these again being cut up into wedge-shaped and toothed lobes. The seeds are rarely ripened in Jersey, and propagation is chiefly effected by the separation of the little tubers, as in the case of PR. ficaria. **** Flowers yellow ; leaves divided ; carpels rough. 18. Pale Hairy Buttercup (7. hirsitus).—Calyx reflexed; stem upright ; many-flowered, hairy; leaves three-lobed, or three-cleft ; lobes obtuse, cut ; root fibrous. Annual. This plant is common in waste places, having paler flowers than the other buttercups, and it is smaller than either of them. The whole plant is of a paler green than either of the three speci last named. It is in flower from June to October, and is sometimes fou with double blossoms. 19. Corn Crowfoot (?. arvénsis).— Calyx spreading; stem erect, many-flowered ; leaves three-cleft, the lobes generally again divded into three segments. Annual. This is easily known from all the other species, by its large prickly carpels. The flowers are small, and pale yellow. It is one of the most poisonous of its tribe, and is said to be very injurious to cattle, if, when pressed by want, they eat it. As it is not a plant of the pasture land, however, this does not often occur ; but sheep have on some l LESSER CELANDINE ». CELERY-LEAVED CROWFOOT Kenomeulis flea. Rauunculnus sceleratns 2 WOOD CROWROOT i BULBOUS BULTERCUP Ranuucolas aurteonmu Revi culos brilbosns CRERPING BUTTERCUP Ranmnevlns repens Yeth Gp ere CROWFOOT TRIBE 19 occasions been killed by feeding on it. M. Bruynon, who tried some experi- ments with it, found that three ounces of its juice killed a dog in three or four minutes. It is in Norfolk called Hungerweed. 20. Small-flowered Crowfoot (L. parvifiérus).—Stem prostrate ; leaves hairy, three-lobed, and cut; flower-stalks opposite the leaves; calyx as long as the petals ; seeds covered with hooked prickles. Annual. This plant is readily known from the other species by its prostrate stem, and little yellow blossoms, which are to be found from May to August, on dry banks in England sparingly, in Ireland rarely, and in the Channel Islands; but in Scotland it is not known to occur. One or two of its petals are often wanting. 6. MousE-TAIL (MMyosirus). Common Mouse-tail (J. m/nimus).—Stem four to six inches in height ; leaves erect and linear, fleshy; scapes slender, bearing a small greenish flower. Annual. This little plant, which is found in corn-fields and waste places, especially such as have a gravelly soil, is distinguished from any other British plant, by the arrangement of the ripe carpels into a slender form, resembling the tail of a mouse, and sometimes two or three inches long. This peculiarity is recognised not only in the scientific and English names, but in most of those by which it is known throughout Europe. In France it is commonly called Queue de Souris, and it is Das Miiuseschwanzchen of the German peasant, the Cola de Raton of the Spaniard, and the Cora di sorcio of the Italian. It is the only British species; and we have none of the genus in cultivation, but this little plant is known in most of the countries of the Continent. 7. GLOBE FLOWER (T7éllius). Mountain Globe Flower (7. ewropeus).—Calyx of about fifteen concave erect sepals ; petals shorter and narrower than the sepals, nearly as long as the stamens. Plant perennial. This flower is more frequent in gardens than in our country landscape, but it is not uncommon in moun- tainous places in the North of England, as well as Wales and Scotland, flowering in June and July. Its large blossoms are of a delicate yellow, and so globular in form that we wonder not that Conrad Gesner named the genus from trol or trolen, the old German word for a globe. This plant is also ealled by the Dutch Zrolbloem. Some authorities derive the name from T’oll, a malignant species of fairy. Our gardeners know it by the name of Globe Ranunculus, or Globe Crowfoot ; and it is the Lucken gowan of the Scotch. Our pretty globe flower is paler in colour than the wild species of Ranun- culus, and its petals are not glossy like theirs, while the numerous stamens often spread around the centre so as almost to hide the petals. Miller tells us that the Globe Flowers are gathered in Westmoreland, with great festivity, by youth of both sexes, in the beginning of June, and that it is usual to see them return from the woods of an evening laden with these blossoms, with which they make wreaths and garlands to adorn their houses. If this custom is still in existence, it will probably soon be extinct, for the old floral usages of our country, the flower-strewings, and the well-dressings, 3—2 20 RANUNCULACEAL and the decking of houses and churches with wreaths, are almost over now; and even the garlands of May-days become fewer every year. The practice of dressing the “shrine where we kneel in-prayer ” with funeral or wedding chaplets, though one of high antiquity, was early preached against by the Fathers of the Church, as a custom of heathen people ; yet in country places it was long continued, and even a century ago these wreaths of flowers were very general. A writer in the Gentleman's Magazine of May, 1747, treating of flower chaplets placed in churches, says: “ About forty years ago these garlands grew much out of repute, and were thought by many to be a very unbecoming decoration for so sacred a place as the church; and at the repairing and beautifying of several churches where I have been concerned, I was obliged, by order of the minister and churchwardens, to take the garlands down, and the inhabitants were strictly forbidden to hang up any more for the future.” He adds, however, that wreaths of flowers were long after carried at funerals, and placed on the face of the departed friend. ‘That garlands were general on festive occasions our old poets abundantly testify ; but after their discontinuance in the churches, their use in every way gradually lessened, till hardly a trace of it remained. Milton, in his ‘“‘Comus,” alludes to the ancient use of the chaplet of flowers :— ‘¢ The shepherds at their festivals Carol her good deeds loud in rustic lays, And throw sweet garland wreaths into the stream, Of pansies, pinks, and gaudy daffodils.” This Globe Flower is our only British species; but various kinds from America, and different countries of Asia, are cultivated in our gardens. 8. MArsH MAriGcoLp (Cdltha). 1. Common Marsh Marigold (C. paliistris)—Stem erect, rooting or creeping ; leaves kidney-shaped, their edges with rounded notches, calyx- leaves soon falling off. This flower, which is not of the form of a garden marigold, but which resembles a large thick buttercup, is very common on moist pastures and by the side of streams. It is one of our earliest blooming wild flowers, sometimes gleaming with golden beauty as early as February, and continuing for three or four months. It is the first flower of the meadows in Sweden and Lapland, and in the former country is called Kalflcka. It is very abundant and conspicuous in the northern lands of Europe, and in May gives quite a yellow tint to the fields. The French, who commonly call it Le Souci d’cau, term it in some provinces Le Populage ; and the Italians give to it the poetic name of Sposa del sole. It is common in the moist fields of Germany, where it is known as Die Sumpfdotter-blume ; and in Spain the peasant calls it Hierba centella. In some counties in England its rustic names are Water-dragon, Water-blob, or Horse-blob. Old herbalists tell that the yellow tint of the Spring butter is owing to the cows having fed upon this plant ; but it is not wanting in the acridity which characterises Ranunculaceous plants in general, and cattle only eat it when urged by hunger. Boerhaave said that it caused so much inflammation to animals eating it that they rarely escaped death. The young flower-buds, prepared with salt and vinegar, are used instead of capers ; and the juice of 1 CHERVIL-LEAVED BUTTERCUP Ranunculus chzrophyllus MUD CROWFOOT, Ranunculus lenormandi 6, RIGID-LEAVED WATER CROWFOOT, Ranunculus circinatus WINTER ACONITE Eranthis hyemalis CROWFOOT TRIBE 21 the flowers, boiled with alum, stains paper of a beautiful, though not a per- manent, yellow tint. This flower was formerly much used for May garlands, and for forming wreaths to hang about cottage doors. A double variety, often cultivated in gardens, has been found in a wild state on Coldham Common, and in Grandchester Meadow, Cambridgeshire. 2. Rooting Marsh Marigold ((. radicans) is a rare species—or perhaps only a variety of C. palustris—restricted to Forfarshire. It is chiefly dis- tinguished by its triangular leaves. 9. HELLEBORE (Helléborus). 1. Green Hellebore (H. viridis).—Stem few-flowered, leafy ; leaves digitate ; sepals spreading. Plant perennial. This plant is remarkable for the pale green tint of its flowers, which contrast with the rich dark green of its lower leaves. It prefers a chalky soil, and is not uncommon in woods, thickets, and hedges, in some places appearing to be truly wild, but more often the outcast of the garden. No wild flower, save the daisy and the chickweed, blooms so early in the year. Thus a little poem, called the “ Song of February,” says : ‘‘ The crocus, the snow-drop, the starwort appear ; The hellebore waited to see me and die, And sweet polyanthus peeps up at the sky.” The petals of this flower are modified into nectaries ; they are tubular, and shorter than the calyx. Bees seem to be fond of the honey contained in them, and flies are often caught by it, and held as in a trap. This honey is said to be poisonous, and the nature of the plant renders it highly probable. The honey of some plants is well ascertained to be so. Such is the case with the dew-like drops which hang in the Crown Imperial, or which glisten on the flower of the Rhododendron. 2. Stinking Hellebore (H. /étidus).—Stem many-flowered, leafy ; leaves pedate ; sepals converging. Plant perennial. This plant is often cultivated in shrubberies for its early flowers, which appear in February or March. It is also found in woods and thickets, though rarely, if ever, truly wild. It is about two feet high, with very bushy evergreen leaves, which are not divided to the centre, and sepals of pale green, edged with purple. Bishop Mant well describes it : ‘* Within the moist and shady glade Whose petals green, o’er-lapp’d, and close, What plant, in suit of green array’d, Present each arch’d converging lip, All heedless of the winter cold, Embroider’d with a purple tip ; Inhabits ! Foremost to unfold, And green its floral leaves expand, Though half-conceal’d, its bloom globose, With fingers like a mermaid’s hand ” This Hellebore is very foetid and poisonous. Its dried leaves are sometimes given as medicine by country people, but great risk attends their use. The powdered roots mixed with meal are said to destroy mice. This flower has the old names of Setter-wort, Ox-heal, and Bear’s-foot. The Christmas Rose of the garden, whose clear white flowers open in the coldest season, is the Helleborus niger, the word niger alluding to its black roots. 22 RANUNCULACEZ® 10. WinTER ACONITE (Lranthis). Common Winter Aconite (£. hyenuilis).—Rootstock thick, perennial, creeping underground. Leaves round, divided into 3—5, lobed seg- ments ; long-stalked. Involucre of two lobed-bracts beneath the solitary cup- like golden flower, which is nearly an inch and a half across. The numerous stamens are longer than the small petals. This plant attains a height of about six inches, and flowers from January to March. It is not British, but a plant of Western Europe that has got naturalized in plantations here and there. 11. CoLUMBINE (4 quiléqia). Common Columbine (4. vulgdéris).—Spur of the petals incurved ; stem leafy, many-flowered ; leaves nearly smooth; styles as long as the stamens. Plant perennial. ‘The wood-walks blue with columbines ” are not to be seen in every part of our country. The flower, however, grows abundantly in many woods, and though doubtless often the outcast of a neighbouring garden, appears in most cases to be truly wild. This last remark applies chiefly to England, for in Scotland it is believed scarcely to occur, except as an introduction; and even in Ireland, where it is more plentiful, it is in most cases only naturalized. The Columbine is not so readily dispersed as some other flowers, and sometimes covers banks in great profusion, yet never speads itself over the neighbouring fields. In Devon- shire the Columbine is undoubtedly wild, in many places growing in great profusion, with blue, white, and pink flowers. Many of our old poets refer to this flower. Brown, in his Pastorals, names it while describing old floral customs long since discontinued, and known only by the poet’s men- tion :— ‘*So did the maidens with their various flowers Deck up their windows, and make neat their bowers, Using such cunning, as they did dispose The ruddy piny with the lighter rose, The monk’s-hood with the bugloss, and entwine The white, the blue, the flesh-like columbine, With pinks, sweetwilliams ; that far off the eye Could not the manner of their mixture spy ; Then with the flowers they most of all did prize, With all their skill, and in most curious wise, On tufts of herbs or rushes would they frame A dainty border round the shepherd’s name, Or posies make, so quaint, so apt, so rare, As if the Muses only lived there.” The Columbine is a well-known flower all over Europe, and in most countries of North America. Bryant speaks of it in the American woods where ‘*The columbine, in purple drest, Nods o’er the ground-bird’s hidden nest.” The French term this flower L’Ancolie ; and it is Die Akelei of the Germans. The Italians call it Acguilezia ; and another of their names, Perfetto Amore (True Love), seems to imply that it is a favourite flower. The Spaniards call the plant Pajarilla, and its old English name of Colum- bine was given from the resemblance of the blossom to a nest of doves. It ut MOUNTAIN GLOBE FLOWER 3 GREEN HELLEBORE Troliims envopreus Helleborns viridis 2 MARSH MARIGOLD 4 STINKING HELLEBORE Caltha palustris Belleborus fetdus Pl. =! . tee eon eta POA , N CROWFOOT TRIBE 23 flowers in June and July; and in spring its delicate leaves, half unfolded, tinged with pink, and wearing a grey-green bloom on their surface, are very pretty. The plant was formerly used medicinally, but it is by no means a safe medicine, and Linneeus says that children have died from taking it. Michael Drayton introduces this flower in one of his poems : ** Make her a goodly chaplet of azured cullambine, And wreath about her coronet with sweetest evlantine, Bedeck our Beta all with lilies, And the daintie daffadillies, With roses damaske, white and red, and fairest flower-de-lice, With cowslips of Jerusalem, and cloves of Paradise.” Chapman, however, alludes to some idea respecting the flower which is now unremembered : “* What’s that ?—a columbine ? No; that thankless flower grows not in my garden.” 12. Larkspur (Delphinium). Field Larkspur (J). consdlida),— Stem erect, branched; flowers in loose racemes ; petals combined ; inner spur of one piece. Plant perennial. This flower is a doubtful native, though often growing in sandy or chalky fields. Professor Henslow remarks that, about Cambridge, at Quay, the hills are quite blue with it ; and adds, that it also occurs with red, pink, and white flowers. It blossoms in June and July. It was formerly regarded as a most powerful vulnerary, and hence its specific name, from consolidare, to unite. Other praises it had, too, in former days; for Gerarde says of it, “The seed is good against the stinging of scorpions ; and its virtues are so forcible, that if the herbe only be thrown before the scorpion or any venomous beast, it causeth them to be without force or strength, insomuch that they cannot stir or move, until the herbe be taken away.” Our old herbalist, however, does not pretend to have witnessed its powers, but judiciously prefaces his account with “It is said.” In his time the flower was called Knight’s-spur and Lark- heel. The French term it Pied d Alouette, as well as La Dauphinelle ; the Germans, Der Rittersporn ; and the Italians and Spaniards have also a refer- ence to its spurred petals in their familiar names. Thus the former people call it Speronella, and the latter Espuela de Caballero. There has been some confusion respecting the scientific name of this plant, which is the D. ajacis of Reichenbach. The PD. consolida of Linneus differs in several points, and does not occur in this country. 13. Monx’s-Hoop (Aconitum). Common Monk’s-hood (4. napéllus).— Upper sepal arched at the back ; spur of the nectary nearly conical ; leaves stalked and 3-ternate ; leaflets ovate, deeply cut and serrated. Plant perennial. There are some doubts as to whether this plant is truly wild, but it is to be found in places far from houses or gardens, and has, at any rate, been naturalized for some centuries. The author has received it from a lonely place in the Forest of Dean, in Gloucester- shire ; and it is found, though rarely, by the sides of streams and in woods. It grows in several places in Devonshire, and is described as flourishing in some profusion in a small meadow on the margin of a limpid stream near Ogwell 24. RANUNCULACEAL Mill. It appears truly wild by the side of the river Teme, in Herefordshire, and on some watery grounds in Somersetshire, near Wiveliscombe. The plant is very conspicuous from its size, being often three or four feet high ; the stem clothed with very minute hairs, and the dark-purple flowers appearing in June and July. It is very common in gardens, but should not be planted in those to which children have access, as its odour is noxious, and they are likely to select it for their play, on account of the fancied resemblance which the nectaries and side petals bear to a chariot drawn by doves. Some persons in delicate health have been injured by even smelling the flower in the open air; and others, on touching the eyelids after handling it, have experienced considerable pain and inflammation. Even the pollen of the stamens, if blown into the eyes, causes a dangerous affection. The root is most power- fully poisonous. A fatal instance occurred in the year 1853, in consequence of but a small quantity having been eaten in mistake for horseradish. Several well-authenticated cases are on record of people who, similarly mistaking the plant, have eaten it, and died in consequence. The stems and fresh leaves have also proved fatal, or caused mental derangement. In one case, in which a man became maniacal through eating it, the surgeon who attended him declared that the malady was not caused by the plant, and, insisting on eating some leaves in proof of his assertion, died in extreme agony. ‘This case is recorded by Morus; but a man of science ought to have known that the plant was deleterious, for the ancients had recorded it as amongst the most deadly poisons. One of its common English names alluded to its powerful effects on the wolf; but the Wolf’sbane of Switzerland is not so virulent as this species. It is well known that wolves and other wild animals have been killed by arrows dipped in the juice of aconite. This plant blossoms in June and July. It had the old names of Helmet- flower and Friar’s-cap; and the Dutch call it Monnikskapper, the Germans Der Sturmhut. It has been used with much success as a medicine, and its virtues have been greatly eulogised by Dr. Stoerck, a German physician. Linnxus, who mentions that criminals were formerly put to death by small doses of aconite, says that though it is fatal to kine and goats if they eat it in a fresh state, it is taken by horses without injury when dried. 14. BANE-BERRY (4ctéa). Bane-berry (4. spicita).—Raceme of flowers long; petals as long as the stamens ; leaves stalked, 3-ternate ; leaflets ovate, deeply cut and serrated. Plant perennial. ‘This rare plant, which has hitherto been found chiefly in Yorkshire, grows in bushy tracts on a limestone soil. It is stated to have been found near Ambleside and Sandwick, Ulleswater, in Westmoreland. The stem is one or two feet high ; and both leaves and berries much resemble those of the elder-tree. The flowers are white, and open in May and June. The plant has also the name of Herb Christopher, and the name used by the Dutch has, too, a reference to this saint,—they term it Aristoffelkruid. In France it is known as L’ Actée ; and the Germans call it Schwarzwurz. The berries, which are poisonous, yield, when mingled with alum, a good black dye. The tubers of an American species are considered an efficacious remedy for the wound inflicted by the bite of the rattlesnake ; hence that plant is one 1 COMMON COLUMBINE , MONK S-HOOD Aquilegsia vulgaris Aconitum napelins 2 FRIFLD LARKSPUR b BANE-BERPRRY Delphmiem ajacis Act2a@ spicata CROWFOOT TRIBE 25 of several which are known in America as the Rattlesnake-Herb. The Bane- berry is not attractive enough to find a frequent place in the garden. 15, PEONY (Pednia). Entire-leaved Peony (P. corallina).—Leaves twice-ternate, glabrous, their segments ovate, entire. Plant perennial. This plant ought not to be considered a wild flower, for it grows but in two places in this country, and was probably planted in both. The rock of Steep Holmes, an island in the Severn, has long been noted as one of its habitats. Sir William Hooker records Blaize Castle, near Bristol, as another, but it is not found there now. Gerarde says that in his days it grew near Gravesend ; but it is impossible to determine whether the plant was a native of this country and has become eradicated from our wild flora, as some plants appear to have been, or whether it was introduced from gardens. The Rev. W. Lisle Bowles has some beautiful lines on this lonely Peony :— | ‘* This, abrupt and high, And desolate, and cold, and bleak, uplifts Its barren brow! Barren, but on its steep One native flower is seen, the peony, One flower, which smiles in sunshine and in storm, There still companionless, but yet not sad ; She has no sister of the summer field, None to rejoice with her when spring returns ; None, that in sympathy may bend its head, When evening winds blow hollow o’er the rock In autumn’s gloom! So Virtue, a fair flower, Blooms on the rock of Care, and, though unseen, So smiles in cold seclusion, while remote From the world’s flaunting fellowship, it wears, Like hermit Piety, one smile of peace, In sickness and in health, in joy or tears, In summer days or cold adversity ; And still it feels heaven’s breath reviving steal On its lone breast, feels the warm blessedness Of heaven’s own light about it, though its leaves Are wet with evening tears.” The seeds of this plant are said to be ground and used in tea by the Daurians and Mongols, who also boil the roots in broth; but it is probable that the more slender species, Pwonia edulis, is that which they thus use. Our wild Peony has red, pale pink, or white flowers, which appear in June and July. It differs from the common magnificent garden species, Paonia officinalis, in its uncut leaves ; those of the garden Peony being divided into lobes : the blossom is also single. The Peonies introduced from other lands are very ornamental, and some have much excited the attention of florists. The double red, which was brought from Switzerland to Antwerp at the end of the sixteenth century, sold for twelve crowns a plant ; and we have only to look back a few years to the time when the Moutan-tree Peony was too expensive a flower for any but the rich man’s garden. This is now compara- tively a common plant, and is a truly beautiful species. Fortune, in his “Wanderings in China,” describes his anxiety to procure some new varieties of this kind. Those already in England were either rose-coloured or white ; and it was asserted by the Chinese near Shanghai, that varieties of the Peony 4 26 BERBERIDEA were to be found of purple, blue, and yellow tints. Our traveller scarcely believed this, but a Chinese artist assured him that he had seen flowers of these colours, and for a small sum made a drawing of them from memory. These drawings were taken to the owner of a flower-shop, who said that he must send for them to a distance of a hundred miles, and must charge the purchaser a high price. In due time the Peonies made their appearance ; and though the blue was wanting, and the yellow flower had that tinge only in the centre of its white petals, yet there were beautiful lilac and purple blossoms. Mr. Fortune, however, had scarcely paid the high price when he found that the Chinese flower-seller had actually procured them at about a mile from the town. The Greek legends told that the physician Pzeon cured Pluto of a wound with the common Peony, and it is called after Pzeon in almost every country in Europe. Our old poets termed it the Piny or Piony. The ancient Greeks seem to have held the plant in great repute: among other superstitious notions, they believed it to be of divine origin, and an emanation from the moon ; they added that it shone during night, but its splendour is not so visible to modern eyes. No wonder that such a plant was reputed to drive away evil spirits, to avert tempests, and by growing near houses to protect them from all injury. Nor were all the absurd notions respecting the Peony confined to the ancients. In our own days anodyne necklaces are worn by children in villages, which are believed to aid dentition, and to prevent con- vulsions ; and the beads are turned of the roots of one or other of the common Peonies. Order II. BERBERIDEAZ—BARBERRY TRIBE. Sepals from three to nine in a double row, often coloured, soon falling off, surrounded by petal-like bracts ; petals either of the same number as the sepals, and opposite to them, or twice as many, often with a gland at the base ; stamens of the same number as the petals, and opposite to them ; anthers 2-celled, and opening by a valve from the base upwards ; ovary solitary, 1-celled, 1—3 seeded ; fruit usually a berry. Shrubs, often bearing spines ; or herbs, growing chiefly in temperate climates, often in mountainous regions, 1. BarBerry (Beérberis). —Sepals 6; petals 6, with two glands at the base of each, within ; stamens 6; berry 2-seeded. Name supposed to be from berbérys, which is the Arabic name for the fruit. 2. BARRENWORT (Lpimédium).—Sepals 4 ; petals 4, with a scale at the base of each, within; pod many-seeded. Name of doubtful origin. 1. BArBERRY (Lérberis). Common Barberry (A. vulgdris).—Racemes drooping ; spines 3-cleft ; leaves inversely egg-shaped, serrated, and edged with minute hairs. Plant perennial. This shrub when covered with its bright-red drooping clusters of fruit is very handsome, and often planted in gardens ; nor is it uncommon in a wild state in woods and coppices, and on calcareous hills. It sometimes grows on old walls, as on those of Godstone Nunnery ; and sometimes on the corallina Peonia D PEONY LEAVE ENTIRE 9, PU ah re y on Ae - BARBERRY TRIBE 27 banks of rivers, as on the borders of the Avon. The shrub is from three to six or eight feet in height, and the foliage has somewhat of a sea-green hue ; the bark is of light colour, and the flowers, which are in pendulous clusters, are yellow, and appear on the shrub in June. This plant was in former days called the Pipperidge-bush. The modern German name, Der Sauerdorn, is very expressive, for the foliage is slightly acid, and the fruit most powerfully so. The French call the plant, L’Epine vinette ; the Italians, Crespino ; and the Russians, by the name of barbariss. The inner bark of the stem infused in beer is said to cure jaundice ; and the boiled roots dye wool of a good yellow. The bark is so astringent as to be commonly used by the Poles in tanning leather ; and they also dye this material of a beautiful yellow, by mingling some other ingredients with the bark. The fruits are so sour that birds leave their rich red clusters un- touched ; but the acid, which is of the nature of oxalic acid, renders the Barberry, when crushed in water, a pleasant and cooling drink in fevers ; and it is also made into a good jelly. This fruit is used too by confectioners, for various sweetmeats, and makes an elegant garnish for dishes. The Egyptians consider it a valuable remedy in pestilential fevers, when macerated in fennel- water. The fruits of some Asiatic species are dried in the sun, like raisins. The berries of our common Barberry are usually scarlet, but they are sometimes purple or pale yellow. The scent of the flowers, when borne to us by the winds from the distant shrub, is very fragrant, but it is disagree- able when too near. Insects of various kinds seem particularly partial to these blossoms, which are remarkable for the irritability of their stamens. Linneeus first recorded a fact now well known to botanists, and easily observed on any summer’s day, that when bees, in search of honey, touch the filaments, the anthers quickly turn inwards, and discharge the pollen. The same effect is instantly produced by touching them with the sharp point of a needle, and is seen, not only in our native species, but in several others. Dr. Gordon, of Hull, in one of his lectures, thus remarks on the irritability of the stamens of the Barberry : “ The contractile effect in this case, as far as I have observed, is always much greater than the amount of the cause by which it is produced ; and in experiments I have witnessed, that relaxation will take place at the same time that the mechanical cause which excited the contraction continues to be impressed. Moreover, the stamen of the Barberry can be made to contract even after it is cut from the flower, precisely in the same manner as the heart can be excited to action after it has been removed from the body.” There was formerly a strong prejudice amongst farmers against the Barberry shrub, because it was considered to injure the crops of wheat, even at the distance of a hundred yards from the spot. A small parasitical fungus, common on the foliage of the shrub, the eidium berberidis, was supposed to generate the dust which, carried from it by the winds, originated the minute fungus that causes the rust on wheat. This opinion must be erroneous, because the rust on corn is caused by the growth of Puccinea graminis, which is a totally different plant from the fungus on the Barberry. [In spite of the certainty prevailing at the time the above was written, that Aicidium ber- beridis and Puccinia graminis were entirely different species of fungi, more 4—2 28 BERBERIDEAL recent investigation has proved beyond all doubt, not only that they are mere stages in the development of one species, but that the rust formerly known as a distinct species under the name of Uredo is an intermediate condition between Acidium and Puccinia. It is true that the Barberry-bush is not to blame for the injury caused to the corn crop, but the farmers were warranted in their antipathy to it, seeing that it becomes the necessary, though involuntary, nurse of the farmer’s enemy. cidium appears in spring upon Barberry leaves, and produces its spores (w@cidiospores), which will only germinate on the leaves and stems of grasses, which, of course, include wheat, barley, ete. Here, after causing havoc among the tissues, they break out upon the surface and produce wredospores, which are capable of germinating on grasses again and producing fresh Uredo crops. Later they produce teleuto- spores (Puccinia), in which condition the plant rests for the winter, but in the spring the Puccinia gives rise to other spores, which will only germinate on the Barberry, producing 4%cidium again.—E. 8.| That the Barberry is not necessarily injurious to the wheat-field is proved by a communication sent by the well-known botanist, Mr. Charles Babington, to the Magazine of Natural History. ‘This gentleman says, “As illustrative of the inaccuracy of this idea, a friend of mine residing at Bath mentioned to me, that during the last autumn, when walking round some corn-lands b...ng to one of his relatives, who lives in Wiltshire, his attention was particularl; called to the very heavy crop in one of the fields, in the hedge adjoining which he at the same time observed Bérberis vulgéris in plenty. His relative was fully impressed with the idea of the destructiveness of Berberis, and not being a botanist, did not know that it grew there. I may add that the wheat from that field, on being thrashed, completely answered the expectations raised by its fine appearance.” Our common Barberry is wild in most European countries. Mr. Lyell, in his ‘ Visit to the United States,” remarks of this plant on the banks of the Piscataqua: ‘The Barberry, also, though not indigenous, is very abundant and ornamental in the woods here. It has overrun, in modern times, the shores of New England, and made its way many miles inland, to the great annoyance of the agriculturists. Some naturalists wonder how it can spread so fast, as the American birds, like the European ones, refuse to feed on its rich berries ; but if it be true that cattle, sheep, and goats occasionally browse upon this shrub, there is no mystery as to the mode of its migration.” Sheep are said to be very fond of it in this country. 2. BARRENWORT (Lpunédiwm). Alpine Barrenwort (Zpimedium alpinum).—Root-leaves none ; stem-leaf twice ternate ; leaflets heart-shaped, serrated, and hairy beneath ; nectary yellowish, resembling an inflated membrane. Plant perennial. This elegant little Alpine plant is by no means frequent, and it is certainly not truly indigenous, though it grows in some mountainous woods in Scotland and the north of England. Each stem bears a single delicate leaf ; and in May its panicle of flowers is of a dull purple colour. Sir W. J. Hooker and Dr. Arnott mention, that when seen under a microscope, the anthers of this plant exhibit a singular structure, being formed of two valves, which on opening spring upwards, and suffer the pollen to escape. The French term this vm fiims Mis, Pl, 10, WATER-LILY TRIBE 29 “a plant Ze Chapeau d’Evéque ; and in other countries besides it has received a name from the fancied resemblance which its petals bear to a clerical hat,— for the Germans call it Bischofsmiitze. It is the Mulljesbloem of the Dutch, and the Hpimedio of the Italians and Spaniards ; while this, or a similar species, is known to the Japanese by the name of /kaniso. It has been found in Bingley Woods in Yorkshire, about Glasgow and Edinburgh, and on Carrock Fell and Skiddaw, Cumberland. : Order III. NYMPHAACEA—-WATER-LILY TRIBE. Sepals 4—6, gradually passing into petals, and then into stamens, all being inserted on a fleshy disk, which surrounds the ovary ; stigma sessile, rayed ; berry many-celled, many-seeded. Aquatic herbaceous plants, remark- able for their large and beautiful flowers, which are in tropical lands very fragrant, and of brilliant tints. They have large, floating, peltate, or heart- shaped leaves. Several have nutritious roots, which are eaten either roasted or boiled ; and their seeds contain a large quantity of starch. That celebrated plant, which has occupied so much attention, and been so successfully culti- vated at Chatsworth and Kew—the Victoria régia—is not only the largest of Water-lilies, but the largest aquatic plant known, and a vegetable wonder. M. Schomburgk, who first discovered it on the Berbice, thus characteristically describes it : ‘‘ A gigantic leaf, from five to six feet in diameter, salver-shaped, with a broad rim of a light green above, and a vivid crimson below, rested upon the water ; quite in character with the wonderful leaf is the luxuriant flower, consisting of many hundred petals, passing in alternate tints from pure white to rose and pink. The smooth water was covered with them ; I rowed from one to another,.and observed always something to admire. The leaf on its surface is of a bright green; in form, orbicular, with this exception—opposite its axis it is slightly bent in. Around the margin extended a rim, about three to five inches high, on the inside light green, on the outer part bright crimson.” The upper portion of the stem is an inch thick, and is studded with sharp prickles about three-quarters of an inch in length, and the blossoms fifteen inches in diameter. But it is not the tropical waters only which have the beautiful liies—the Lotus flowers—for some of the species are found in temperate and even cold climates, some of the Nymphee lying in abundance and beauty on the surface of the crystal lakes in Norway. The roots of Vymphea lotus are very much prized as food; and the Victoria regia has been called the Water Maize, from its nutritious and prolific seeds. The East Indian Neluwmbiwm, which abounds in all the hotter countries of the East, and with which the ditches about Pekin are literally choked, is thought to have been the Sacred Bean ot Pythagoras, which was the object of religious veneration in Egypt, and which the priests were commanded not to look upon. Its singular seed-vessels, in whose cells lie the bean-like seeds, are thought to have originated the Cornucopia of the ancients. 1. WaTER-LILY (Nymphea).—Sepals 4; petals inserted on a fleshy disk. Name from its growing in places supposed to be the haunts of the Nymphs or Naiads. 30 NYMPHAACEA 2, YELLOW WATER-LILY (Ndphur).—Sepals 5; petals inserted on the receptacle. Name of Arabic origin. 1. WaATER-LILY (Nymphea). Great Water-lily (NV. diba).—Leaves cordate, entire; stigma of 16 ascending rays. Plant perennial. The waters which run their silvery course through our meadows, or lie in quiet lakes amid their greenness, bear some of the loveliest of our native flowers. Those who have marked the rich vegetation of tropical countries tell us that nowhere are they so much reminded of their luxuriance as when they gaze on a stream with its margin decked with tall blossoms, and its little islets of emerald grass and glowing wild flowers. Beautiful as are many of our aquatics, yet this Water-lily, with its rose-like sculptured cup of alabaster lying among its glossy bright-green leaves, is without question queen of the waters. Except among the Composite Flowers, we have besides this scarcely any plants which can be said to bear a double or semi-double blossom ; a circum- stance which renders the wild-flower nosegay far less durable than that gathered from the garden ; yet while the blossoms are often on this account less showy, their consequent lightness contributes to the grace of their attitudes, and of the motion communicated to them by the passing winds. But our Water-lily, with its numerous pure-white petals, looks like the flower of some warmer region, and has been justly said to vie in beauty with the Magnolia of India, though its fragrance is but faint in comparison with the odour of that plant. Some of our quiet secluded streams are one mass of white and green in June and July. The author has seen large pieces of water in Essex almost covered with the lilies; but, as Baxter remarks, the flower is seen nowhere in greater perfection than in the vicinity of Oxford, where it grows over the surface of almost every pond, deep watery ditch, and slow river. The Ouse yet bears its rich masses of the flower, as it did when Cowper wandered by its side, and, wishing for the lily, had his longing gratified by the affectionate instinct of his spaniel. The spot where “ Beau ” dashed into the stream to seize the flower is still pointed out. It is close by a bridge called Goosey Bridge, and beautiful Water-lilies lie there on their broad leaves as of yore. The gentle poet has long since quitted the scene which his humble piety adorned ; but both verse and flower remain to remind us of his simple tastes and pleasures, and of his pure and elevated feelings, when, years ago— ‘* The noon was shady, and soft airs Swept Ouse’s silent tide ; And, ’scaped from literary cares, He wander’d by its side. ‘« Tt was the time when Ouse display’d His lilies newly blown ; Their beauties he intent survey’d, And one he wish’d his own.” The Cherwell has long been celebrated for its Water-liles, and Mr. Noel, in his beautiful little poem, entitled “A Thames Voyage,” thus refers to them :— WHITE WATER LILY 2 COMMON YELLOW WATER LILY mphea alba Nuphwuxr Lut 4 LEAST YELLOW WATER LILY Nuphar puinila Jeph ane WATER-LILY TRIBE 31 ** And in bays where matted foliage weaves A shadowy arch on high, Serene on broad and bronze-like leaves The virgin lilies lie. ‘* Fair fall those bonny flowers ! oh how I love their petals bright ! Smoother than Ariel’s moonlit brow The water-nymph’s delight ! ** Those milk-white cups with a golden core, Like marble lamps that throw So soft a light on the bordering shore, And the waves that round them flow.” ) The “waves” of the poet must be only tiny wavelets, however, for the Water-lilies would not flourish where the river was rapid. The blossoms are said by some botanists to close and sink beneath the surface in the evening and night. ‘They are certainly fully open only during day ; but their folded flowers still gleam in white contrast with their leaves, like alabaster vases, on the surface of the stream, long after it has begun to glisten beneath the silver rays of the moon. The large leaves of the Water-lilies evolve oxygen gas copiously, and the flowers emit a shght odour. Some foreign species are far more powerfully scented ; and Mr. Gardner, when in Brazil, saw two white Water-lilies on a lake, one of which was deliciously fragrant, while the other had the scent of coal-tar. The root-stocks of this plant are said by Fée to be better than oak-galls for dyeing grey ; and they have also been employed with advantage in tanning leather. These roots, which have a very bitter and astringent flavour, are used both in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands to dye dark- brown or chestnut colour ; and both root and leaf were formerly employed in medicine. Kine refuse to eat the plant, but it is said to be readily devoured by swine, which tear up the Water-lilies in the most destructive manner, to get at the roots. This flower is sometimes called Water Rose ; and well deserves the name given by the Hindoos to an Indian lily—the Delight of the Waters. The French call it Le Nenuphar ; the Germans, Die Seeblume ; and in Holland, where the Water-lily is plentiful, it is called Plomper. The Water-lilies of India, and also of Africa and America, are many of them of a rich rose colour, and others vary in all the shades of light blue to white. The roots are chewed by singers in India, to clear the voice. In Japan, where the White Water-lily is an emblem of purity, artificial lilies, cut out of white paper, are carried at funerals on long poles before the departed, and flowers are gathered from the stream and placed on the face, The people of Greece and Turkey make a pleasant drink from the blossoms. A variety of the common Water-lily is occasionally found with small flowers. 2. YELLOW WATER-LILY (Niuphar). 1. Common Yellow Water-lily (V. litea).—Stigma with 10—30 rays, which do not extend to the margin; leaves cordate. Plant perennial. Not nearly so beautiful as the white species, but far more common, is the 32 NYMPH HACEA Yellow Water-lily, which has a very thick cuptike blossom. It floats, during June and July, on many of our streams, ponds, and rivers ; but it is so suc- culent that it is impossible to dry it for the herbarium so as to retain any- thing of its original appearance. It has a strong odour, too powerful for a room, but pleasant enough when borne on the winds with the fragrance of the mint, and the delicate scent of the green herbage ; and we have sometimes thought it delicious as we have sat by the stream where were abundance of ““The water-lilies, whose broad leaves Make green and sunny islets in the pool, For golden flies on summer days to haunt, Safe from the lightning-seizure of the trout ; Or yield their laps to catch the minnow springing Clear from the stream, to ’scape the ruffian pike, That prowls in disappointed rage beneath, And wonders where the little wretch found refuge.” There is a strong scent of brandy in the flower, and this, as well as the shape of its seed-vessels, has led to its familiar name of Brandy-bottle ; while the leaves, which when half unfolded are rolled into green slender vase-like forms, have procured for it the name of Water-can. The Turks and Arabs are very fond of the Water-lilies, and deck the festive table with their flowers. They also make a pleasant liquor from them, which they call Pufer, a corrup- tion probably of the old Arabic name of the flower, Noufar ; and when the Arab raises the Pufer-vase to his lips, his companions say to him, “ May it benefit thee !” while he in return exclaims, ‘“‘ Praise be to God !” and, passing the liquor onwards, adds, “‘ May God benefit thee !” The glossy leaves, over which the water runs as over oiled cloth, are said to be styptic. The thick and succulent stems are bitter and astringent ; the whole plant contains a quantity of starch; and the seeds, which taste like those of the poppy, are eaten by the natives of many countries in which these llies grow, and are often partaken of by travellers who share in Eastern hospitality. The rootstocks of several of the Water-lilies are highly esteemed by the negroes of Senegal, who roast and eat them like potatoes; and in India the farinaceous seeds are sometimes boiled, or are roasted in heated sand, or they are eaten raw like millet. The roots of the yellow species are in Sweden, during seasons of scarcity, pounded into cakes, along with the inner bark of the Scotch fir. The Yellow Water-lily is a native of almost all parts of Europe, as well as of America and many parts of Asia. Linnzus says that the flowers, as well as roots, are eaten by swine, though refused by most animals. He also adds that cockroaches are destroyed by the roots, bruised and mingled with milk, and that a similar preparation will kill crickets. 2. Least Water-lily (V. pumila).—Stigma of 8—10 rays, which extend beyond the margin ; leaves cordate. Plant perennial. This lesser Water-lily, which blossoms in July and August, varies little from the last-named species, though smaller in size. It is doubtful if it is essentially distinct from it, the most marked difference being in the toothed edge of the stigma, the rounder petals, and the shorter anthers. It grows in several of the Highland lakes ; at Mugdock, near Glasgow ; and Ellesmere, Salop. POPPY -TRIBE 33 Order IV. PAPAVERACEA—POPPY TRIBE, Sepals 2, soon falling off; petals 4; ovary 1. Stigma rayed, or lobed ; capsule 1-celled, many-seeded ; seeds inserted on incomplete partitions, which radiate from the sides of the seed-vessel, but do not meet at the centre. Her- baceous plants, many of which are the pest of the corn-fields, and have been disseminated with grain all over the world. They all possess, in a greater or less degree, a narcotic principle, which renders some very valuable as medicines ; and the seeds of all the British species contain a mild and whole- some oil. 1. Poppy (Papéver).—Stigma sessile, rayed; capsule opening by valves beneath the stigma. Name from Papa, the Celtic word for pap, because given to infants with their food as a narcotic. 2. WELSH Poppy (Meconépsis).—Style short ; stigma of few rays; capsule opening by valves below the style. Name from the Greek words mekon, poppy, and opsis, a resemblance. 3. Hornep Poppy (Gladcium).—Stigma 2-lobed; capsule pod-like, 2-celled, 2-valved. Named from the glaucous or sea-green hue of its foliage. 4, CELANDINE (Chelidénium).—Stigma 2-lobed ; capsule pod-like, 1-celled, 2-valved ; seeds crested. Named from Chélidon, aswallow ; probably because it flowers at the time of the coming of that bird. 1. Poppy (Papdver). * Capsules bristly. 1. Long Rough-headed Poppy (P. argemdéne).—Capsule club-shaped ; bristles erect ; stem leafy ; leaves twice pinnatifid. Plant annual. This is a common flower in our corn-fields, during June and July ; and though neither so large nor so richly coloured as the common Scarlet Poppy, is a conspicuous object among corn. The petals are of somewhat pale scarlet, with a black spot at their base. The name of Argeméne, from argos, slothful, was formerly given on account of the narcotic effect of the Poppy ; and there is stilla genus called by that name, though we have no British species belonging to it. Our Rough-headed Poppy has the narcotic principle in its capsules; and Burnett says that even the foliage partakes of it in some degree, and that it 1s some- times boiled and eaten. The Mexican Argemone, which is an allied plant, is called by the Spaniards Fico del Inferno, on account of its powerfully narcotic effects, and the prickly capsule, which renders it so troublesome a weed ; and they use it as a cure for ophthalmia, and extract from its seeds an oil, with which they polish their furniture. It is used by the native doctors of India as a substitute for ipecacuanha. Our readers unaccustomed to botanical investigations, but who often see the countless thousands of brilliant Poppies colouring the fields, would be surprised to find that they are not truly indigenous to our soil. There is not a doubt that we owe many of our apparently wild flowers to the cultivation of the land, since we find them only on cultivated spots ; and that if the land were long left neglected, they would gradually disappear from it. “When, says Professor Henslow, “I mention our common field Poppies as not exempted from all suspicion of an exotic origin, it will be supposed that Tam stating an a) 34 PAPAVERACEA extreme case ; and yet I question whether some, if not all the species of the genus Papaver (of Decandolle) would not ultimately disappear from our native flora, if the whole kingdom were abandoned to the uncultivated state from which it has been reclaimed for so many generations. I scarcely remember to have seen a specimen of a true Papaver in an uncultivated district, unless P. argeméne be an exception.” Several of our Poppies have followed the Englishman in colonization, and their scarlet flowers wave above the fields of Australian corn, and are as unwelcome to the agriculturists in that land as in ours. 2. Round Rough-headed Poppy (2. hiybridum). — Capsule nearly globose ; bristles spreading ; leaves twice pinnatifid. Plant annual. ‘This plant is by no means frequent, but is found on some chalky or sandy corn- fields, in June or July. Its flower is of deep scarlet. It is more often seen in the southern counties of England ; in Scotland it does not occur. * * Capsules smooth. 3. Long Smooth-headed Poppy (LP. diubiwm).—Capsule oblong ; bristles on the flower-stalks, closely pressed to them ; leaves sessile, and once or twice pinnatifid. Plant annual. This scarlet flower is not unfrequent in corn-fields during June and July. It is very handsome, though its broad petals are of paler scarlet than those of the common Red Poppy, and the blossom is not so large. 4, Common Red Poppy (P. rhéas).—Capsules nearly globose ; bristles spreading ; leaves pinnatifid, cut. Plant annual. The farmer cannot praise our common Poppy, but the lover of beauty rejoices in its grace, and in the richness of scarlet tint which harmonises so well with the verdure around it. A black spot often stains the base of its petals, and its foliage is of bright green. Country people call the plant Corn-rose, or Red-weed, or Headache, and Cheese-bowl ; the French term it Le Pavot, L’(illette, and Le Coquelicot. It is Der Mohn of the German farmer, and the Maankop of the Dutch; while this, or some similar species, is the Papavero of the Italian, and the Ador- midera of the Spaniard. Though so common in England, it is rare in the West of Scotland. It is easily distinguished from the Long Smooth-headed species, which often grows with it, both by its short capsule and by the spreading hairs of its flower-stalks. Agnes Strickland enumerates it among her “ Flowers of the Corn-field ” :— ‘© And we’ll pause and gather a glorious wreath From the flowers that are shelter’d the corn beneath : There are velvet campions, both white and red, And poppies, like morning-glories spread, That flash and glance with their scarlet sheen, The bending ears of the wheat between ; And mark, when it bows to the breeze’s sway, How it shows the cockle in rich array, And the lowly bind, with its delicate tinge, And the azure succory’s silken fringe ; The modest scabious, of meeker blue, And silvery galium, of virgin hue ; The gay fluellin, and ox-eye bold, And their gaudy neighbour, the marygold. This poppy is cultivated in France and Germany for the oil expressed ef 7 F | LONG ROUGH-BRADED POPPY 5 LONG SMOOTH-HEADED POPPY Papaver argemone Fapaver dubrutn 2 ROUND ROUGIT ARADED POPPY k YELLOW HORNED POPPY Papaver bytridwin Glaueiiim Julevs >» GREATER CHRLANDINE Chehdonitm mayne Pi 12, : POPPY TRIBE 35 from its seeds: the oil is not narcotic, but 1s consumed very generally on the Continent instead of olive oil. Its use was, at one time, prohibited by the laws of France, much popular and unreasonable clamour having been excited against it ; but it is now openly sold, and is often mixed with olive oil. The seeds are also used in Poland and Russia as an ingredient in soups and gruel. It was called rhwas, from the Greek word “to flow,” or “fall,” in allusion to the fugacious nature of its petals. Cybele, the mother of the gods, wore a crown of Poppies, the numerous seeds being an emblem of fertility. Brantz Mayer mentions a singular usage connected with the Poppy among the Indian population which pours into Mexico from the Lake. “ Scarcely an afternoon passes in Lent that the observer will not find the canal covered with gay boat-loads of Indians, passing homewards from market, dancing, singing, strumming the guitar, and crowned with wreaths of poppies.” ‘I do not,” he adds, “know the origin of the custom of wearing this forgetful flower, but it is both a healthier and more poetic oblivion than that resorted to by many people of other lands after a day of toil.” 5. Opium Poppy (P. somniferum).—Capsule nearly globose ; whole plant smooth, and of sea-green tint ; leaves clasping the stem. Plant annual. The solitary white poppy, standing here and there among the green blades of corn in July and August, is a very beautiful flower. Sometimes it is of most snowy whiteness, with a deep purple spot at the base of its petals ; at other times the whole flower has a delicate or a deeper tinge of lilac. But it is when cultivated in fields that its beauty is most remarkable, for there, nodding to the summer winds, the large flowers look like balls of down waving up and down in graceful motion. There is reason to doubt if this flower is ever truly wild, for although it is apparently so in some parts of England, yet it has probably been introduced with the grain into the cultured field. Plentiful as it is in the wild spots of Southern Europe, yet in all probability it is not indigenous even to that soil, but was brought thither from Asia. It was early cultivated in Greece, at first for the sake of its seeds, which were used as food, and which in modern times are much em- ployed in Eastern confectionery and sprinkled over cakes. It was also grown in early days very generally in the states of Europe, and now it is a beautiful garden flower, for on the parterre it displays a great variety of rich and deli- cate tints, while its petals still preserve the thin and fragile and crumpled character of the Poppies in general. Ancient Latin sages tell how it grew in the Roman garden of Tarquinius Superbus, and served the haughty monarch as an emblem by which to shadow forth his coming tyranny. Charlemagne thought it worthy a place in his Capitularies ; and the god of slumber was early figured as reclining on the mass of its snowy flowers, and holding them in his motionless hand. Since those days how many thousands have been influenced by the juice of the Poppy! Some lulled to the refreshing slumber in which pain was for a while soothed or forgotten ; some given up to those wild visions and restless agitations, which have ended by paralyzing alike all bodily powers and moral energies ! The fields of White Poppy which occasionally ornament our own land- scapes are chiefly planted either for the sake of the capsules—which are a valuable external remedy in cases of pain—or for the seeds, which, though 5—2 36 PAPAVERACEAR ‘ they are wanting in the narcotic principle possessed by the capsule, yet yield an excellent mild oil, sometimes used to adulterate that of the olive. It is said that as good an opium may be procured from the Poppy in England as from that grown in warmer regions, but the expense of its culture here renders it more costly than that produced in Turkey or India. All parts of the plant contain a white, opaque, narcotic juice, but this abounds espe- cially in the capsules. These, being the parts for which our Poppy is cultivated in England, are gathered as soon as ripe, and brought to market in bags, chiefly from parts of Surrey and Kent. In warm climates this white juice is in far greater abundance, and the whole plant attains a greater luxuriance. When grown for opium, incisions are made in the capsules of the Poppy, when about half ripe, and the juice thickens in the night to a firm grey substance. ‘The mode in which opium is now gathered in the East is precisely the same as that described so many centuries since by Dioscorides. Incisions are made, at sunset, and the dews of night favour the exudation of the milky substance, which is scraped off on the following morning by women and children. After being thickened by stirring in the sun, it is shaped by the hand into cakes. In the opium shops of Constantinople it is mixed with rich syrups made of various fruits, in order to render it a sweetmeat; or it is formed into small lozenges, on which are impressed the words “Mash Allah”—the work of God. The Tartar couriers, who travel immense distances with astonishing rapidity, often take no other nourishment than a few of these small lozenges. The celebrated Maslach, or Mash Allah, of the Turks, is believed, however, to contain other narcotic substances besides the opium, and the juice of the hemp is probably mingled with it. Of the uses of opium to the sufferer from pain and restlessness we need not speak. Many who have ministered by the couch of pain have blessed God for its soothing influences ; and all who are familiar with the records of Eastern travel know how often that blessing is perverted into a curse, when the continued use of opium has weakened the lirbs and shortened the life of man, and degraded an intellectual being to the state of imbecility. 2. WELSH Poppy (Mecondépsis). 1. Yellow Welsh Poppy (J. cdimbrica).— Capsule ribbed ; leaves mostly stalked, pinnate; the leaflets pinnatifid. Plant perennial. ‘This Poppy opens its large yellow blossoms to the sunshine of June and July, but it isa rare flower. It grows on rocks, or in shady places ; and sometimes enlivens some crag or heap of stony fragments in Westmoreland or Devyon- shire. It is found on the Cheddar rocks, with some other rare flowers, which the wild winds have carried thither. It is easily known from most of our Poppy tribe by its golden petals; the Horned Poppy alone of our British species sharing this colour with it. It is much more slender than that plant, however, and much more in form resembling our scarlet field Poppies, and its foliage is of a rich grass-green. It abounds in a yellow juice. 3. HorneD Poppy (Glaiicium). 1. Yellow Horned Poppy (4. litewm).—Leaves very rough, embracing the stem, waved, and of pale sea-green hue; pod roughish, with minute OPIUM POPPY 4. YELLOW WELSH POPPY Papaver somniferun Meconopsis cambrica COMMON RED POPPY i VIOLET HORNED POPPY Papaver rheas Glancvum. vielaceum Pl, 2. POPPY TRIBE 37 tubercles, cylindrical, and from 6 to 10 inches long. Plant biennial. Our sea-beaches have mostly a barren aspect, for flowers and trees are scarce upon them. Here and there a little patch of green enlivens them, or a wild flower springs up among them, but these are few and far between. The Yellow Horned Poppy is decidedly their greatest floral ornament ; and it grows so near to the sea, that in winter the high waves almost reach its clumps of evergreen foliage, and little balls of snowy spray linger among the leaves. From June to August its yellow blossoms quiver before the breezes, from stony beach, or sand-hill or cliff, or whatever soil forms the ocean’s margin, unless it be the salt marsh. Few objects are more beautiful on an early summer morning, when all the minute points of its rough leaves are beset with the pearls of dew, and the sickle-like pod waves above the ‘newly- expanding blossom. According to the Greek mythology, Glaucus was the name of a fisherman who leaped into the sea, and “by transmutation strange” became a sea-god. Hence, too, the word “glaucous,” which is commonly used by botanists to express the pale sea-green colour of the foliage of many plants growing near the sea, and the pale-green powder with which they are covered, as is the plum with its bloom. Agnes Strickland has described some of the flowers which deck the verge of the ocean :— ‘* The wild sea cliff, though rude it be, Is wreath’d with many a flower, That blossoms there unscathed and free, Through storm and shower. ‘There bright as gems of fairy lore, Or Eastern poet’s dream, The horned poppies gild the shore With sunny gleam. “ The red bind to the barren soil Clings safe ’mid all alarms, While drowning seamen faintly toil With fainting arms.” Older poets told, too, of the Horned Poppy, and the powers which the superstitious believed it to possess. Ben Jonson, in the Witches’ Song, says, — ‘*“ Yes, I have brought to help our vows ILorned poppy, cypress boughs, The fig-tree wild that grows on tombs, And juice that from the larch-tree comes.” The light of Revelation, which has dawned on every British village, and brought its teachings to hall and cottage, has dispelled fancies and practices which were sanctioned in other times, and none dream now of gathering the Poppy for incantations. It is very acrid in its nature, and was formerly used as a medicine in various disorders. It has a dark-yellow spindle-shaped root, like a small carrot in appearance, but having no resemblance to it in its mild and nutritious qualities ; and it is said, if eaten, to occasion madness. 2. Scarlet Horned Poppy (G4. phanicewm).—Pod hairy ; stem-leaves deeply pinnatifid and cut; stem hairy. Plant annual. ‘This flower, which has the long pods that led him who first named the genus to designate it Horned, ‘is in blossom in June and July. It is a showy scarlet flower, with 38 PAPAVERACEA a black spot at the base of its petals. It is not a native plant, though it has been recorded as growing in Norfolk and in Portland Island. 3. Violet-coloured Horned Poppy (4. violdcewm).—Pod erect and three-valved, hairy near the summit; leaves rough with bristly hairs thrice pinnatifid, the segments linear. This flower is easily known from all our other wild Poppies by its violet-blue petals. It is a very lovely but a very rare plant, occurring in chalky corn-fields, in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, in May and June. This poppy is so nearly allied to the genera Chelidonium and Papaver, that it has by various botanists been classed in one of these. Recent writers, however, make it a distinct genus, and call it Raméria, which is the name given to it by Decandolle. J. J. Roemer, after whom it was called, was a Professor of Botany at Landshut, and assisted Schultz in an edition of the “Species Plantarum of Wildenow :” he died in 1820. 4. CELANDINE (Chelidénium). C, majus.—Pod linear, one-celled, and two-valved; leaves pinnate, with about five leaflets, which are broadly ovate, lobed, and cut and notched at the edges with rounded notches. Plant perennial. This plant has no affinity with Lesser Celandine, which, as we have stated before, is a species of Ranunculus. It is very common on old walls, among ruins, and waste places ; and is one of the herbs which follow man, and are more often found near his dwellings than in secluded places. It is about two feet high, slightly hairy ; its foliage of bluish green, and its flowers, which are of a dull-ochre yellow, appear in April, and are in blossom till October. They are smaller than any other of the poppy tribe. The stems are brittle, and full of a thick yellow juice, which is used in villages as a cure for warts. It is of very acrid properties, and is a violent poison, though Dr. Withering remarked of it, that a medicine of so much activity would some day be converted to important uses. It is now employed by oculists very successfully in opera- tions on the cornea, and has long been known in villages as a remedy, when diluted with milk, against thick spots in the eye. Pliny, whose large book of wonders is called by Disraeli, an “awful repository of all the errors of antiquity,” has recorded the discovery of the virtues of this plant, which he says was made by the swallows, who anointed the eyes of their young ones with its juices. Our great naturalist, John Ray, however, who rejected the absurd notions about plants so prevalent in his time, even among scientific men, yet thought very highly of this mighty tome of the great Roman naturalist, and considered it as a vast treasury of learning. Although we cannot give credit to the science of the swallow, yet from earliest ages this orange juice of the Celandine was applied both to eyes and heads as a remedy ; hence the flower is called by the old herbalists both Swallow-wort and Tetter-wort ; and most of the continental names refer to the swallow. The plant is La Chélidoine of the French, Das Scholkraut of the Germans, the Schelkruid of the Dutch, and the Svaleurt of the Danes; while both the Spaniards and Italians term it Celidonia. According to Loureiro, its juice is greatly esteemed by the natives of Cochin-China, as a medicine for a variety of maladies. FUMITORY TRIBE 39 Order V. FUMARIACEAZ—FUMITORY TRIBE. Sepals 2, deciduous; petals 4, irregular, and more or less united and swollen or spurred at the base ; stamens 6, in two bundles ; ovary 1-celled ; style threadlike ; stigma lobed ; seed-vessel 1 or more seeded ; seeds shining. Herbaceous plants, closely allied to the poppies, but having a watery and not milky juice. They are scentless and slightly bitter. They are found chiefly in the temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere, in thickets and waste places. Two are found at the Cape of Good Hope. 1. CoryYDALIS.—Petals 4, one of which is spurred at the base; seed- vessel many-seeded. Name, the Greek word for Fumitory. 2. Fumrrory (Fumdria).—Petals 4, more or less united, one of them swollen at the base ; seed-vessel 1-seeded. Name from fumus, smoke. CoRYDALIS. 1. White Climbing Corydalis (C. claviculdta).—Stem much-branched, climbing ; leaves pinnate; leaflets elliptical and entire, the leaf-stalk ter- minating in tendrils. Plant annual. This plant, which is found in some shrubby and bushy places in England where the soil is stony or gravelly, is very abundant in Scotland, and especially in the Highlands, where it grows on old walls or on the roofs of cottages, among stonecrops, houseleeks, the short brownish-green cushion moss, and the scaly crusts of the lichen called the orange parmelia. ‘The Corydalis is long and straggling, very delicate in texture and appearance ; and its flowers, which are pale yellow, almost white, bloom in June and August in small clusters. When growing among the underwood, its tendrils enable it to climb to a distance of some feet. Several species of Corydalis are favourite garden flowers, and they have mostly yellow or purple blossoms. ‘They are easily cultivated, and are pretty orna- ments of rockwork. Some of the most elegant of the genus grow wild in North America. 2. Solid-rooted Corydalis (C. sdlida).—Stem erect, and without branches or tendrils; a scale beneath the lower leaf. Leaves 3—4, twice ternate, their leaflets wedge-shaped or oblong, and cut; root solid and tuberous. Plant perennial. The flowers of this species are purple, and much larger than those of the white-flowered Corydalis. The plant blossoms in May and June, and is sometimes admitted into the garden, where, at one time, it was quite a favourite. It is nowhere a native of Britain, and many ‘ of the habitats recorded for it are spots on which gardens were once culti- vated, and where still ‘many a garden-flower grows wild.” It is a native of Europe. Its foliage is of bluish green, and its roots abound in starch, which is used by the Kalmucs for their winter food. 3. Yellow Corydalis (C. lutea)—Stem angular, erect ; leaves twice pinnate ; leaflets broadly wedge-shaped, and cut, or 3-cleft; bracts very small; pods nearly cylindrical, and very short. Like the solid-rooted species, this plant is destitute of tendrils. Its flowers are of a bright yellow, appearing in May and June. ‘This species is not uncommon on old walls, sometimes flourishing there in great abundance ; but there is no reason to believe it is an indigenous plant, though, from its frequent occurrence with- out culture, it is generally enumerated among the plants of our British Flora. 40 FUMARIACEA 2. Fumirory (/umaria). 1. Ramping Fumitory (F. capreoldta).—Sepals as broad as the corolla, and half as long; fruit globose, notched ; leaves twice pinnate ; leaflets flat. Plant annual. This species, which is very common in hedges, gardens, and by roadsides, is so variable, that it is often very difficult of discrimination by the unpractised botanist. Sir William Hooker observes, that it is best dis- tinguished by its calyx leaves, and its large petals. He remarks, that “in the south of Europe, the fruit-bearing flower-stalks are usually remarkably recurved ; in Germany and the south of England, they are only arched back- wards; and in Wales and Scotland they are often straight and spreading.” Other changes in the appearance of the plant occur also according to the soil on which it is found. It generally climbs by means of its leaf-stalks. It is in blossom very early in the year, and during May it grows beside the lovely flowers, some of them so full of the sweet scents— “Which zephyr, in his wanton play, Scatters in spring’s triumphant way, Of primrose pale, and violet, And young anemone, beset By thousand spikes of every hue, Purple and scarlet, white and blue ; And every breeze that sweeps the earth, Brings the sweet sound of love and mirth ; The shrilly pipe of things unseen That pitter on the meadow green ; The linnet’s love-sick melody ; The laverock’s carol, loud and high ; And mellow’d, as from distance borne, The music of the shepherd’s horn.” The flower is in bloom until August ; the typical form is cream-coloured, becoming darker after fertilization ; but there are sub-species whose flowers are pink tipped with purple. The old English name of Earth-smoke, given indiscriminately to several of the species, has its French synonym of Mwmeterre, while the Italians call the plant Fummosterno. It is Der Erdrauch of the Germans, the Duivekervel of the Dutch, and the Palomilla of the Spaniard. The Fumitory and the Fumaria of the botanist alike indicate, with most of the continental names, its connexion with smoke ; some say, because it covers the earth like smoke ; others, because it affects the eyes like smoke. Some detect in it a smoky odour, not perceptible to the author ; but the reason given by the Rey. C. A. Johns, in his “Flowers of the Field,” is doubtless the true one. ‘Its name,” this gentleman says, “from fumus, smoke, was given because the smoke of this plant was said by the ancient exorcists to have the power of expelling evil spirits, when men believed in ‘herbes of vertue,’ and called in their aid to— ‘« “Chase evil spirits away by dint Of sickle, horseshoe, hollow flint.’ ” The author has inquired in many villages for any trace of old supersti- tious customs connected with the Fumitory, but could find none, though they probably exist in Northamptonshire, as Clare says— L CLIMBING CORYDALIS Corydahs clavieulata BULBOUS FUMITORY 5 Corydahs sohda YELLOW FUMISORY 6 Coryiahs lutea Pl. 1h, RAMPING FUMITORY Foumanria capreolata COMMON FUMITORY Famaria officmalis SMALL FLOWERED FUMITORY Fomaria parvitlora FUMITORY TRIBE 41 ‘And Fumitory, too, a name Which superstition holds to Fame.” This, and other species, are, however, still used in milk as a cosmetic, and probably are not without efficacy in removing freckles, and the brown tint given by exposure to the sun. Shakspeare alludes to the Fumitory as a sign of a neglected soil :— “Her fallow leas The darnel, hemlock and rank fumitory Doth root upon ; while that the coulter rests That should deracinate such savagery. The even mead that erst brought sweetly forth The freckled cowslip, burnet, and sweet clover, Wanting the scythe, al! uncorrupted rank.” 2. Common Fumitory (fF. officindlis). —Sepals narrower than the corolla, acute, sharply toothed ; fruit nearly globose, terminating abruptly ; leaflets narrow, usually channelled. Plant annual. Common as this plant is in dry fields and on road-sides, and intruding itself unbidden into the garden, yet it is not indigenous to our soil, though now one of its commonest weeds. In the days of Conrad Gesner, it was rare in the fields of Southern Europe, and supposed to come from the East ; now, it grows not only in England, but is wild in the corn-fields of most continental countries, from Greece to Lapland. The flowers are smaller than those of the species last described ; they are rose-coloured, and tipped with purple; and children, in many parts of Kent, call them wax dolls. The plant is in flower nearly all the summer ; and even as early as May the field of young green corn is often reddened by its numbers. It was formerly much used as a tonic medicine ; and Thunberg mentions that in Japan it is employed medicinally. 3. Least-flowered Fumitory (Ff. parvifléra).—Sepals very minute ; fruit globose, slightly pointed, or blunt; leaflets linear, channelled. Plant annual. This plant is found flowering in waste places from June to Sep- tember, but it is by no means common. Its range in this country extends from Mid-Scotland to Surrey and Kent. Its narrow leaf-segments are yellowish-green, and its pale flowers are produced in dense racemes. These flowers, at first almost white, afterwards become purple. 4, Small-flowered Fumitory (Ff. micrdntha).—Sepals somewhat cor- date at the base, deeply toothed at the margin, concave at the back, shorter and broader than the corolla. Segments of the leaves narrow and channelled. Plant annual. A small plant, blooming from June to August, in waste places ; not rare in England, and found in several spots in the east of Scot- land. Several varieties of the last’ two species are described, while many botanists consider that both of these small-flowered kinds of Fumitory are but varieties of the commoner and larger kinds. This is the /’. densiflora of Decandolle. Order VI. CRUCIFERA®—CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE. The crosswise arrangement of the petals at once distinguishes the cruci- form plants, instances of which blossoms are very familiar in the Wallflower, Stock, and other wild and garden plants. The petals are invariably four in 6 42 CRUCIFER Ai number, and the stamens six, of which two opposite ones are shorter than the other four. The seed-vessel is either a long silique, composed of two valves and a central partition; or it is a shorter pod, termed a silicle, or pouch, which is generally, but not invariably, similarly formed. Two green glands are usually present at the base of the stamens, and secrete honey. The plants are either annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, occasionally be- coming, as in the Wallflower, a sort of under shrub, but rarely exceeding three feet in height. The Cruciferous Order furnishes us with many of the vegetables which constitute our food. The Turnip, Cabbage, Radish, Horse-radish, and a variety of other important plants, have cruciform blossoms. Most vegetables of this order contain, when wild, an acrid, volatile, oily principle, which is peculiarly abundant in the seeds of the Mustard and the roots of the Horse- radish, and which occurs in a milder form in the foliage of the Watercress, the Scurvy-grass, and other edible plants. The cruciform plants also contain a quantity of nitrogen gas, which is the cause of the unpleasant odour emitted by them in decaying. It has been observed that cruciform plants are always eatable when their texture is succulent and watery, as in the leaves of the cabbage, and the roots of the turnip and radish. None are unwholesome, though some, like the Wallflower, are too acrid to be palatable. Many very beautiful garden flowers are contained in this order. The fragrant Stock and Wallflower, the Candy-tufts, the Rockets and Alyssums, are found in almost every garden; and the pretty Cuckoo-flower, the Cardamine of the meadow, and the yellow Charlock of the fields, are only a few of the many which blossom in our wild landscape. The chief generic mark of this order is founded on the position in the seed of the radicle with regard to the cotyledons or seed-lobes ; but as this arrangement is too difficult to be comprehended by any but the scientific botanist, it is not alluded to in a work intended for popular use. The Cruciform Order is pre-eminently European, occurring mostly in the temperate regions of Europe and Asia. Upwards of 200 grow in the frigid zone, the scanty vegetation being chiefly composed of these plants. Some of them thrive at the limits of the perpetual snows of lofty mountains, and others follow man into whatever region he may penetrate. * Seed-vessel, a pouch (silicle) or short pod. + Pouch 2-valved, with a central vertical partition. 1. Penny-cress (7hidspi).—Pouch rounded, flat, notched ; valves boat- shaped, winged at the back; seeds many. Name from the Greek thlao, to flatten. 2. SHEPHERD’S PuRSE (Capsélla). — Pouch inversely heart-shaped, flat ; valves boat-shaped, keeled, but not winged ; seeds numerous. Name, a small capsa, or seed-case. 3. HurcuinstA.—Pouch elliptical, entire ; valves boat-shaped, keeled, not winged ; cells 2-seeded. Named from Miss Hutchins, of Bantry, Ireland, an eminent botanist. 4. TEESDALIA.—Pouch roundish, notched ; valves boat-shaped, keeled ; CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 43 cells 2-seeded; stamens having a small scale at the base of each, within. Named in honour of Mr. ‘Teesdale, of Yorkshire. 5. PEPPER-worT (Lepidiuwm).— Pouch roundish; valves keeled; cells l-seeded ; petals equal. Name from the Greek /épis, a scale, from the shape of the pouches. 6. CanpDy-TuFT (Lbéris).—Pouch blunt; valves keeled or winged ; cells l-seeded ; petals unequal. Name from Iberia, Spain, where many species grow wild. 7. SCURVY-GRASS (Cochledria).—Pouch globose, or nearly so; valves not flattened ; seeds numerous. Name from cochlear, a spoon, from the shape of the leaves. 8. AWL-WworT (Subuldria).—Pouch oval; valves flattened, boat-shaped ; seeds several. Name from szbula, an awl, from the shape of the leaves. 9. WHITLOW-GRASS (Drdéba).—Pouch oval, or oblong ; valves slightly con- vex ; seeds many, in two rows. Name from the Greek drabé, acrid. 10. CAMELINA.—Pouch oval; valves inflated, with a prominent nerve at the base ; cells many-seeded. Name from chame linum, dwarf flax. 11. Ko6n1GA.—Pouch oval; valves flattened; cells 1-seeded. Name in honour of Mr. Konig, of the British Museum. + + Pouch without a central vertical partition ; or 1-celled, and 1-seeded. 12. Sea-RocKer (Cakilé).—Pouch angular, with a horizontal joint ; lower division containing a pendent seed, the upper anerectseed. Name of Arabic origin. 13. SEA-KALE (Crambé).—Pouch 2-jointed ; upper cell containing one pendent seed, which is supported on a stalk springing from the base of the cell ; lower joint seedless. Name from the Greek krambé, a cabbage. 14. WART-CRESS (Cordénopus).—Pouch 2-lobed, rough, not bursting ; cells l-seeded. Name from the Greek coroné, a crow, and pous, a foot, from the shape of the leaves. 15. IsATIs.—Pouch flattened, 1-celled, 1-seeded; valves keeled. Name from the Greek isazo, to render equal, because supposed to destroy all rough- nesses of the skin. * * Seed-vessel a silique, or long pod. + Pod opening by two valves. 16. CorAL-RooT (Dentéria).—Pod narrow, pointed ; valves flat, nerveless ; seeds in a single row, on broad stalks. Name, dens, tooth, from the tooth-like scales of the root. 17. BITTER-CRESS (Cardamine).—Pod linear; valves flat and nerveless, separating with an elastic spring ; seeds in a single row, on thread-like stalks. Name from the Greek cardia, the heart, and damao, to fortify, from its sup- posed strengthening properties. 18. RocKk-crEss (Arabis)—Pod linear ; valves flat, nerved, or veined ; stigma nearly sessile, obtuse; seeds in a single row. Name, from being originally an Arabian genus. 19. TowER MustTArD (T'wrritis)—Pod linear, 2-edged; valves prominently 6—2 44 CRUCIFERAL nerved ; seeds in two rows. Name from turris, tower, from its place of growth, or from its towering form. 20. WINTER-CRESS (arbaréa).—Pod linear, 4-angled; valves with pro- minent nerve ; seeds in a single row; calyx erect. Name from St. Barbara, to whom it was anciently dedicated. 21. Cress (Nastirtiwm).—Pod short, nearly cylindrical; valves convex, nerveless; seeds irregularly placed in two rows; calyx spreading. Name from nasus tortus, a distorted nose, on account of the pungent properties. 22. HEDGE MusTARD (Sisymbrium).—Pod rounded or angular; valves convex, with three nerves ; stigma entire; seeds in a single row. Name, the Greek name of several plants. 23. TREACLE Mustarp (Erysimum).—Pod 4-sided valves keeled ; stigma obtuse, entire, or notched ; seeds without margins, in a single row. Name from the Greek eruo, to draw blisters. 24. WALLFLOWER (Chéwranthus).—Pod flattened ; valves with a prominent nerve ; stigma of two spreading lobes; calyx erect, two opposite sepals swollen at the base. Name probably of Arabic origin. 25. Srock (Matthiola).—Pod cylindrical, or flattened ; stigma of two con- verging lobes ; seeds generally with a membranous wing. Name, in honour of an Italian botanist, Dr. Matthiolus. 26. CABBAGE (Brdssica).—Pod nearly cylindrical, beaked ; valves nerved ; seeds globose, in a single row; calyx erect. Name from the Celtic dresic, a cabbage. 27. MustarD (Stndpis).—Pod nearly cylindrical, tapering ; valves with 1 or 3 nerves ; seeds globose, generally in a single row; calyx spreading. Name from the Greek stnapi, mustard. 28. Dame’s VioLer (Hésperis),—Pod 4-sided or 2-edged ; stigma nearly sessile ; calyx erect. Named from /Hesperos, the evening ; at which time the flowers yield a powerful fragrance. + t Pod without valves. 29. RapisH (Rdphanus).—Pod swollen, imperfectly jointed, tapering ; seeds globular ; calyx spreading. Name in Greek signifying its early appear- ance, or quick growth. 1, PENNY-CRESS (7‘hldsp?). 1. Mithridate Mustard, or Penny-cress (7. arvénse).—Pouch round and flat, with a broad wing around it, and a deep notch; seeds striated ; leaves oblong, arrow-shaped at the base, smooth, and toothed. Plant annual. This cress has a very singular appearance in autumn, when the flowers are dead, and its large flat seed-vessels stand around the upper part of its stem. These seed-vessels are about the size of silver pennies, hence its English name ; and Pliny mentions that it is from them that the whole genus was called Thlaspi : he adds that they are like lentils. When rubbed, this plant has a faint odour of garlic; and Sir J. E. Smith remarks that it was formerly used in the Mithridate confection, ‘an elaborate hodge-podge now laid aside.” This plant is in blossom all the summer on waste ground, or in cultivated fields, but it is of local occurrence. The flowers are small and white, and grow in little clusters. fe PENNY CRESS Thlaspi arvense PERFOLJATE PENNY CRESS Thlaspi perfohatun ALPINE PENNY CRESS Thiaspi alpestre 4 5 6 Pl, 16. SHEPHERDS PURSE \i { | Capsella bursa pastoris ROCK HUTCHINSIA, {| Hutchinsia petrwa NAKED STALKED TEESDALIA Teesdalia sudicaths via He: CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 45 2. Perfoliate Penny-cress (7. perfolidtum).—Pouch inversely heart- shaped, and surrounded by a wing ; style shorter than the notch of the pouch; seeds smooth, three or four in a cell ; stem-leaves oblong, heart-shaped at the base. Plant annual. This is a much rarer plant than the last, known only on limestone pastures in Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. In the earlier part of the century it was known to grow only among the old stone-pits about Burford, in Oxfordshire; but perhaps the botanists who sought it were too eager in their desire to possess specimens of so rare a plant, and eradicated it, for it cannot now be found there. ‘This is too often the case with rare plants, which are sometimes gathered with a selfish inconsideration for other botan- ists; and hence many persons are unwilling to make known the place of growth of any peculiarly interesting species. The Perfoliate Penny-cress is now found in great abundance in the stony valleys of the Cotswolds; in recent years it has been recorded from these habitats: Bourton, Upper Slaughter, and Naunton-Seven-Springs, near Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucester- shire. According to Baxter, sheep are peculiarly fond of this plant, while they never touch the Whitlow-grass (Draba verna), which grows in the same place. He adds, that in a field, where there was one day a great quantity of the Perfoliate Cress, it was, by the next, entirely cropped off by the sheep which had been turned into the pasture. Even when left untouched this plant is but of short duration, as it flowers at a very early period, and soon runs to seed ; so that before summer heat sets in it has entirely disappeared. Its foliage is of glaucous green; and it is in bloom early in April and throughout May. It is a native also of France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Greece. 3. Alpine Penny-cress (7. alpéstre).—Pouch inversely heart-shaped, abrupt, entirely surrounded by a wing ; style longer than the notch of the pouch ; seeds numerous ; stem-leaves arrow-shaped at the base; stem simple. Plant perennial. This plant, which shows its small white flowers during June and July, is very rare, and grows chiefly on mountainous pastures in the north of England, whence it extends through Wales to Somerset. 2. SHEPHERD'S PURSE (Capsélla). Common Shepherd’s Purse (C. bursa-pastéris). — Whole plant more or less hairy ; stem-leaves oblong, toothed, and arrow-shaped at the base; root-leaves pinnatifid. Plant annual. This plant was formerly included in the genus 7hlaspi, but has been separated from it, because of the. absence of the winged valves which are found in the pouches of that genus. The Shepherd’s Purse must be known to all, for it grows in fields, on hedge- banks, on beaches, on cliffs, by the city pavement, and on the garden bed or neglected gravel path. It varies much in size, sometimes being only two or three inches high, and at others coming up on pastures in most unwelcome luxuriance, and attaining the height of one or even two feet, well deserving its common name of Pickpocket, by the room which it occupies on valuable land. Its flowers are very small and white, and grow in little clusters, blooming all the summer. Its numerous flat seed-pouches characterise the plant; and they are sufficiently like a rustic flat leather purse to have obtained for it not only its English name, but the synonyms by which it 46 CRUCIFERAL is known in country places almost throughout Europe. The French call it Bourse de Pasteur ; the Spanish, Bolsa de Pastor. It grows abundantly about the ruins of the ancient city, and the Roman peasant calls it, too, Borsa de Pastor. It was known to our forefathers by the name of St. James’s Weed, and Poor Man’s Parmacetie; the latter alluding to the medicinal virtues which Lightfoot says were formerly thought “good” for external and internal maladies of man or beast. It was in those days boiled and eaten as greens, and is still sold in the markets of some North American cities. The plant is truly cosmopolite ; and the traveller, when he sees little else to remind him of his native soil, can generally find the Shepherd’s Purse. Fortune, in his “Wanderings in China,” thus remarks of the vegetables which crowd the stands in front of the shops of Shanghai. ‘ Besides the more common kinds,” he says, “the Shepherd’s Purse and a species of Trefoil, or Clover, are used among the natives here ; and really these things, when properly cooked, particularly the latter, are not bad.” As to the remedial virtues of the plant, we know of none in modern days, except the antiscorbutic properties which this contains in common with all the cruci- form plants, though in less degree than many. ‘The old herbalists certainly, however, discovered many hidden virtues in vegetables ; and though they had various fanciful notions respecting them, yet they were right in their opinions concerning some which are now altogether disused and overlooked. They were often very patient investigators, though few, perhaps, were so diligent in making experiments as was Conrad Gesner, who used to eat small portions of wild herbs, and to test personally their effects on the system, by sitting down to his study with their leaves or flowers bound about him, to see how they would affect his constitution. By these means he accumulated a number of isolated facts, from which botanists in later days have been able to generalize. 3. HuTCHINSIA ([utchinsia). Rock Hutchinsia (H. petrwa). — Leaves pinnate, entire; petals scarcely longer than the calyx; pouch blunt at both extremities; stigma sessile. Plant annual. This is a pretty delicate little plant, from two to four inches high, which in March and April has small clusters of minute white flowers. It grows on limestone rocks in several parts of England and Wales, and has been found on the wall of Eltham Church, in Kent, where it is believed to have been planted by Dillenius, the friend of Linnzus, and author of the ‘Hortus Elthamensis.’ The flattened oblong pods do not exceed a line in length, and contain but two pale seeds in each cell. 4, TEESDALIA. Naked-stalked Teesdalia (7. nudicailis). — Petals unequal; leaves almost’ all growing around the root, pinnatifid. Plant annual. This neat little plant has small corymbs of white flowers in May ; the leaves form a rosette around the root, and are closely pressed to the ground. It grows on dry banks. Mr. Robert Teesdale, after whom it was named, was the author of a Catalogue of the Plants growing about Castle Howard, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, which was published in the ‘Transactions of the Linnean Society.’ BROAD NARROW LEAVED PEPPER WORT , Lepidium latifolinm . LEAVED PEPPER WORT Lepidium ruderale BITTER CANDY TUFT berms Pl, 16, Linares 3 44 FIELD PEPPER-WORT . Lepidiam canipestre HAIRY PEPPER WOR'T Lepidium smithii . ree ; i : F i, - a i i V ; yy i : CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 47 5, PEpPER-wort (Lepidum). 1. Broad-leaved Pepper-wort (L. latifélivm).—Leaves oblong, toothed, radical, stalked, smooth ; pouch oval. Plant perennial. The names of this and of some other plants remind us of the days when culinary vegetables were little cultivated, and when condiments were expensive ; of days when Lamb’s Lettuce, and Sauce Alone, and Poor Man’s Pepper, were welcome additions to the diet. When Pepper was so dear, that to promise a saint yearly a pound of it was a liberal bequest, no wonder that the economical housewife, or the poor one, seasoned her dishes with the pungent leaves of some wild herb, and gave to it the name of Poor Man’s Pepper. The young leaves are still sometimes eaten in salad, but their pungency is almost too powerful to be agreeable, though there is no doubt that they were well liked in former times. As Beckmann remarks, ‘‘ Some plants, both indigenous and foreign, which were formerly raised by art, and used at the table, are no longer cultivated, because we have become acquainted with others more beneficial. Many of them served our forefathers in the room of foreign spices, to the use of which trading companies have accustomed us, much to their advantage and our hurt.” It is true, also, that many have been banished by fashion, which rules with universal sway, and commands the taste as well as the smell to consider as intolerable articles to which our ancestors had a peculiar attachment. The root of the plant was formerly used instead of Horseradish. It is very large and creeping, and very acrid in flavour. The foliage is of a dull bluish green colour, and its small white flowers, which open in July, grow in crowded leafy clusters. It is found in salt marshes, and on the sea-coast, but is not frequent. Several species which grow wild in other lands are used as food; and the garden cress, which most of us have, during childhood, cherished on some tiny square of earth, and which will grow even on moistened flannel, is the Lepidiwm satwum of the botanist. One of the species common in New Zealand, Lepidium oleraceum, is a powerful antiscorbutic, and, in times before our naval crews were furnished with lime-juice, was of essential service to mariners landing there, as it was very beneficial in the complaints induced by salt provisions. This species has the flavour of lettuce. Another kind is very serviceable to the Sandwich Islander, as it inebriates fish, and enables him to capture them readily. The French call our broad-leaved species La passerage. It is Die Kresse of the Germans, the Pepper Kruid of the‘ Dutch, and the Lepidio of the Italian and Spaniard. 2. Narrow-Leaved Pepper-wort (L. ruderdle)—Leaves smooth ; lower ones pinnatifid and toothed ; upper ones linear and entire; petals wanting ; stamens 2. Plants annual. This cress, which flowers in June, in waste places near the sea, is much smaller than the preceding kind. It has a stem about a foot high, much branched, and a great number of seed- vessels. 3. Field Pepper-wort (L. campéstre).—Leaves downy ; upper ones arrow-shaped at the base; pouch rough, with minute scales; style scarcely longer than the notch. Plant annual. This is more frequent than either of the former species. It occurs in corn-fields on dry gravelly soils. It has an 48 CRUCIFER A erect stem, from ten to twelve inches in height, and its white flowers bloom from June to August. 4. Hairy Pepper-wort (L. siéthii).— Leaves downy; upper ones arrow-shaped at the base ; pouch not scaly; style much longer than the notch. Plant biennial. This, as well as the Field Pepper-wort, is frequent. It is a greyish downy plant, with small white flowers, and numerous seed- vessels. It grows in abundance in hedges about Belfast and Dublin, and is | common in the north of Scotland, and in some counties in England. It is much like the Field Pepper-wort, though truly distinct. Hooker regards it as a sub-species of L. campestre. 6. CANDY-TUFT (Lbéris). Bitter Candy-tuft (/. amdra).—Leaves lanceolate, acute, somewhat toothed, smooth; pouch round, with a narrow notch. Plant annual. We are far more familiar with the Candy-tuft as a garden than a wild flower, and its white and rich purple blossoms are very ornamental to the border. Our wild kind has less pretensions to beauty, but it has thick clusters of white blossoms, and its stems are about a foot high, spreading around the root. It grows in corn-fields, chiefly on chalky soils; but it is thought to be either the outcast of gardens, or to have been introduced with grain from the south of Europe. It is frequent in Bucks, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire ; and the author once saw a quantity of it in a field about three miles from Royston, in Cambridgeshire, far from any houses, and apparently wild. The whole plant is very bitter, and it is antiscorbutic. It is sometimes called Clown’s Mustard. It is a native of Europe, from Spain to Germany, and from England to Italy. The Dutch call it bitter Scheefbloem: the Spaniard, Carraspique. It is L’Iberide of the French, and Die Iberpflanze of the Germans. 7. SCURVY-GRASS (Cochledria). 1. Common Scurvy-grass ((. officindlis).—Pouch nearly globose ; root-leaves between heart-shaped and kidney-shaped, stalked ; stem-leaves oblong, sessile, slightly lobed, toothed at the base, stem often much branched. Plant annual. The English name of this genus indicates the medicinal properties of the plants composing it. It is of old repute for diet drinks, and is one of the ingredients which formed the “Spring juices ” of our forefathers, and which doubtless were beneficial to health. The common species had also, in olden times, the names of Scruby-grass and Spoon-wort ; and very ample details have been given by medical botanists of its use in stimulating the digestive organs, and in removing cutaneous maladies. The circumstance of its growing near the sea has long been regarded as a providential adapta- tion to the needs of the mariner; and many a sailor, or passenger, after a long voyage, may have derived advantage from it in those complaints engendered by salt provisions, and absence of vegetable diet. The town of Barmouth is said to have formerly obtained its celebrity as a resort for invalids, on account of the quantity of scurvy-grass growing in its neighbour- hood. This plant blossoms in May. It has rather large corymbs of white flowers, and its succulent leaves, very variable in form, are sometimes hollow, COMMON SCURVY GRASS ENGLISH SCURVY GRASS Cochleana officinahs Cochleamma anélica 4. GREENLAND SCURVY GRASS 4. DANISH SCURVY GRASS Cochleama Bronlandica : Cochlearia dimve. HORSERADISH Cochleamza armoracia PU lT, CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 49 like the bowl of a spoon. They were formerly eaten by country people in salads, but they are very pungent. The author has known persons living in villages in Kent, to bruise them with a small quantity of water in a mortar, and take the juice thus expressed, daily, as a spring drink. The plant grows on muddy shores and salt marshes, and on the Highland mountains. A smaller variety, common on these mountains, is regarded by some botanists as a distinet species, and termed Cochlearia Grenlandica. The Scurvy-grass is Das Lisselkraut of the Germans, the Lepelkruid of the Dutch, Le Cranson of the French, and the Skee-wurt of the Danes. 2. English Scurvy-grass (C. dnglica).—Pouch elliptical, veined ; root- leaves stalked, oblong, entire; stem-leaves oblong, toothed at the base, sessile. Plant annual. This plant grows on the borders of inland rivers, and in salt marshes. It is more slender than the last-named species, and its seed-vessels and blossoms are larger. Its white flowers appear in May and June. It is found on the banks of the Thames, between London and Woolwich, on the borders of the Avon, near Bristol, and in other similar localities, both in England and Scotland. Many writers think it but a variety of the Common Scurvy-grass, only altered by the circumstances of soil and situation. 3. Danish Scurvy-grass (C. ddnica).—Pouch ovate, veined ; leaves all stalked, lobed, and nearly triangular. Plant annual. This is as common a species as any, growing about hedges and on cliffs near the sea. It is very much smaller and less robust than C. officinalis. 4. Horseradish (C. armordcia).—Root-leaves oblong, on long footstalks, the edges with rounded notches; stem-leaves long, lanceolate, serrated, or entire ; root long and tapering ; pouch shorter than the flower stalks. Plant perennial. The Horseradish has so long been cultivated as a condiment to the ‘‘ Roast Beef of Old England,” that it has become a familiar plant to us, both in gardens and in many wild places. It grows in ditches and odd corners, where it increases by means of its roots, for it rarely produces seeds in this country. It is not a native. It has small white flowers in May and June. 8. AwLworT (Subuldria). Water Awlwort (S. aqudtica).—Leaves awl-shaped, few in number, and all springing from the root. This singular little plant is not unfrequent on the sandy or gravelly bottoms of Alpine lakes. The leaves are two or three inches long, the roots white and fibrous, and the small white flowers appear in July. It isa native also of Lapland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Holland, and other parts of the Continent ; and is La Subulaire of the French, the Wasserpfriemen of the German, and the Elskruid of the Dutch ; while in Denmark it is known as the Sylblad, and in Norway as the Frytilje. Itis a very curious plant, on account of its usually flowering beneath the water. This is contrary to the general habit of water-plants, which almost always rise above the surface of the stream before they expand, in order that fertili- zation may take place in air. The flowers are, doubtless, often perfected beneath the water; but the Rey. Hugh Davies gives, in his ‘Welsh Botanology,’ an account which proves that the Awlwort sometimes expands (! 50 CRUCIFERA above the surface. ‘In the dry summer of 1798,” says this gentleman, “as I walked in the bed of a lake, called Llyn Llywenan, in the parish of Bodedern (Anglesea), whence the water had retired about two months before, I unex- pectedly discovered this plant in great abundance. Notwithstanding that its appearance was very different from what I had been used to see in the Arvonian Alpine lakes, where it always blossoms and seeds at the bottom, under water of considerable depth, yet it did not seem to regret the privation; the foliage was spread, the leaves somewhat reclining, and the flowering- stems procumbent ; the calyx and corolla were fully expanded ; the petals, which are white, and of an obovate form, were horizontal, the seed-vessels and seed quite perfected ; and, on the whole, it seemed to indicate a quite different plant.” 9. WHITLOW-GRASS (Dréba). 1. Vernal Whitlow-grass (D. vérna).—Flower-stalks leafless ; petals deeply cleft ; leaves narrow, pointed, somewhat toothed, hairy. Plant annual. This is well named a vernal flower, and is truly welcome for its early bloom, bringing to remembrance the elegant fancy which Westwood has conceived of the Snowdrop :— ‘Tt is the herald of the flowers, Sent with its small white flag of truce, to pleat For its beleagur’d brethren : suppliantly It prays stern Winter to withdraw his troop Of winds and blustering storms, and having won A smile of promise from its pitying foe, Returns to tell the issue of its errand To the expectant host.” The blossom of the Whitlow-grass would hardly attract the regards of any save those who truly love wild flowers, for it grows in small clusters, on a stem about two, or, at most, three inches high ; though, when growing in any quantity, it whitens the summit of the wall or dry bank, during February and March. ‘The leaves form a circle around the root, but seldom spread out so far but that a half-crown piece would hide them ; and specimens of minute beauty may sometimes be seen, in which flower and foliage too would be enclosed in a circle not larger than a lady’s ring. It sometimes peeps up above the snow ; and the author has seen its tiny flowers emerging from the white mantle which covered the summits of some of the old walls about Rochester Cathedral. Our fathers used to imagine that when it appeared in any quantity, it foreboded short crops of corn in autumn ; an idea, perhaps, not altogether without foundation, because it flourishes best in a rainy season, and such a season helps to fill the corn-field with weeds. The small white flowers of the Whitlow-grass droop during rain. The plant is very acrid, and is found on walls, banks, and dry rocky places throughout Europe. There are many distinct forms of this common species. A variety was found by Sir William Hooker and Dr. Arnott among the shelving rocks at Ben Lawers, which is remarkable for its inflated pouches; it is recognised as a sub-species, D. inflata. 2. Yellow Alpine Whitlow-grass (D. «aizotides).—Flower-stalk leaf- less, smooth ; petals notched, twice as long as the calyx; style much longer i) 4 TWISTED WHITLOW GRASS Draba meana SPEEDWELL-LEAVED WHITLOW GRASS Deaba murals YELLOW ALPINE WHITLOW GRASS 6 ROCK WHITLOW GRASS Draba aizaides Draba impestris Pele le: CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 51 than the stamens ; leaves narrow, pointed, glossy, keeled, and fringed. Plant perennial. This elegant little plant fotms dense tufts on the walls of Pennard Castle, near Swansea. It is rendered conspicuous from afar, in March and April, by its flowers of bright yellow, which, though very small, are very abundant, and on stalks about two inches high. 3. Twisted Whitlow-grass (J. incéna).—Stem-leaves narrow, toothed ; petals entire ; pouch twisted. Plant biennial. The leaves of this species dis- tinguish it from the common kind, for they are quite white with down. It is also much taller, sometimes attaining a foot in height ; and though ‘not a common plant, yet is less rare than several of the species, growing on moun- tain-rocks in Wales, the north of England, and in Scotland, and bearing white flowers in June and July. Several of our British species are also annual or perennial plants of the cold mountainous countries of Europe, and a few are American. The French call the Common Whitlow-grass La Drane; the Germans term it Hungerbliimchen ; and the Dutch, Taschkruid. Its continental name of Hunger-flower, given, probably, on account of the barren soils on which the different species flourish, seems very general. Thus the Swedes call it also Hunger-blomster, and the Danes Hungerblomst. The name of Whitlow-grass, as well as that of Nailwort, point to the opinion of our old herbalists, that the acrid juice of these plants, mingled with milk, cured whitlows ; though, probably, the efficacy of the remedy belonged to the milk only, hot milk being still used in cases of whitlow. 4, Speedwell-leaved Whitlow-grass (D. murilis).—Stem leafy, branched ; leaves rough, egg-shaped, blunt, toothed, embracing the stem ; flower-stalks spreading horizontally. Plant annual. This species has the tallest stems of any of the family, its small white flowers sometimes rising more than a foot high from the ground. It blossoms in May, on limestone rocks, from York to Somerset, but is a rare plant. 5. Rock Whitlow-grass (D. rupéstris).—Flower-stalk leafless, or rarely with one leaf; pouch or pod oblong-oval ; leaves flat, lanceolate, and hairy. Plant perennial. This tiny flower is very beautiful, but very rare; rising just above the green moss, its little white blossoms, during July, stand amid stems with branches, each crowned with a tuft of soft frmged leaves, several of the flower-stalks coming up from the same root, and seldom more than an inch and a half in height. The words of the Rey. H. I’. Lyte occur to memory when thinking of this delicate little plant, which has beauties to be seen only by him who patiently examines it. Spare this flower, this gentle flower— The slender creature of a day ; Let it bloom ont its little hour, And pass away : “Too soon its fleeting charms must lie Decay’d, unnoticed, overthrown ; Oh! hasten not its destiny, Too like thy own ! **Oh spare this flower ! thou know’st not what Thy undiscerning hand would tear ; A thousand charms thou notest not Lie treasured there : 52 CRUCIFERA ‘*Not Solomon, in all his state, Was clad like Nature’s simplest child ; Nor could the world combined create One flow’ret wild.” The Rock Whitlow-grass grows among the crevices or at the summit of some of the Highland mountains. 10. GOLD OF PLEASURE (Camelina). Common Gold of Pleasure (CU. sativa).—Leaves entire, or some- times slightly toothed, lanceolate and arrow-shaped at the base ; pouches very large, on long stalks; seeds rough. This Gold of Pleasure is certainly rather a naturalized than a truly wild flower. It is found in fields of flax, or in places near where flax has formerly grown, straying from thence into the waste places and field borders at a short distance ; but it does not long pro pagate itself spontaneously in this country, and has disappeared from many localities in which it is recorded to have grown formerly. The author, many years since, found a large quantity of it in a corn-field, near the strange-look- ing heap of stones between Rochester and Maidstone, commonly called Kit’s Coty House, and believed to be the burial-place of Hengist and Horsa. The flowers grow, in June and July, in clusters ; they are of a full yellow colour. The plant, however, is quite as conspicuous after flowering as when in blossom ; for the pouches on their long stalks present an appearance different from that of any other of our wild plants, and remind one, by the form of their branches, of an old-fashioned candelabrum. Why the plant should have been called Gold of Pleasure is not very apparent; but Professor Burnett says that the name may have a satirical reference to the disappomtment caused by gold spent in pleasure ; this plant having no great beauty. It is much cultivated in Germany, and other parts of the Continent, for the sake of the oil contained in its seeds ; and it is known in most European countries. Gerarde says of it, ‘Ruellius teacheth that the poore peasant doth use the oile in banquets, and the rich in their lamps.” One of its former names was Myagrum ; the French call it La Cameline ; the Germans, Der Leindother. It is the Vlaschdotter of the Dutch, and the Miagro of the Italian and Spaniard. The seeds are said to be a favourite food of geese, and cattle eat the plant. The oil procured from it is used for culinary, medicinal, and various house- hold purposes. It is now many years since Mr. Taylor sent to the Royal Institution a communication on the desirableness of introducing the culture of this plant into Ireland. This gentleman, who had for twenty years past been occupied in making various experiments on plants containing oil, had come to the conclusion that the oil contained in the Camelina was of much value, both to agriculturists and manufacturers. After describing the plant, and mentioning that it was a native of Siberia, he says, “The first supply of seed was received from Professor Fischer, of the Royal Agricultural Society at St. Petersburg. ‘The soils best adapted to its cultivation are those of a light nature, though it will yield a crop on those of a most inferior descrip- tion, and has been found on barren sandy soils, where no other vegetation was to be seen. It should be sown early in spring, and may be cultivated atter any corn-crops, and is a non-exhauster of the ground.” Professor Van CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 53 Ost, an eminent experimental chemist of Belgium, says, “If farmers did but know the value of this plant, they would all grow it. A fine oil, which can be produced from the seeds at a low cost, is fit for burning in lamps ; it can also be used in the manufacture of woollen goods and soap, and it is highly nutritive to cattle.” 11. SWEET ALYssuM (Kénzga). Seaside Koniga, or Sweet Alyssum (K. maritima).—Stem some- what woody at the base ; leaves linear, lanceolate, hoary. Plant perennial. We never find this flower inland, and rarely even by the sea. It is not truly wild, never occurring far from a garden where it is or has been cultivated. It has white, honey-scented flowers, which appear in July and August. The Calycine Alyssum (Alyssum calycinum), a native of central and southern Europe, is sometimes enumerated among British plants, having established itself in several places; but it appears to be of recent introduction. It is called Calycine because its calyx does not fall off like that of the other species. ‘The genus Koniga is by many writers included in that of Alyssum, which is the Mad-wort of the ancients, and the plants of which were supposed to allay anger. Several species are favourite garden flowers. 12. SEA Rocker (Cakilé). Purple Sea Rocket (C. maritima).—Stem and foliage succulent ; leaves pinnatifid, somewhat toothed. Plant annual. This plant, which is not uncommon on our sandy shores, is easily distinguished by its succulent habit, and its purplish lilac flowers, which blossom from June till September. It is somewhat bushy, spreading out its zigzag branches, and bearing the same sea-green tint as the foliage of the stock or wallflower. The blossoms are sometimes white, or white streaked or tinged with purple. The seed- vessels are very peculiar, the upper seed in each pouch being erect, and the lower pendent. ‘The whole plant is said, by Anguillara, to have powerful remedial virtues. One of its old English names was Bunias, and the French term it Caquille ; the Germans, Meerseuf ; the Dutch, Europische Knodsvrugt ; while the Swedes call it Strandsenap. ‘This, or a similar Sea Rocket, grows on the sandy shores of most countries of the northern hemisphere. 13. SEA KALE (Crambé). Sea Kale (C. maritima).—Pouch pointless; leaves roundish, waved, and toothed ; sea-green, and, as well as the stem, smooth. Plant perennial. It is chiefly on the sandy shores of the west of England that this plant abounds. It is not, however, confined to them, but grows in various places, both on cliffs and sand, as at St. Margaret’s, and Langdon Bay, near Dover. It is very plentiful at some parts of the base of the cliffs between Dover and Folkestone, where, as we are whirled past it by the train, we may just get a glimpse of its white flowers and rich purple leaves, which, at a distance, look like gay blossoms. It flowers in June, and differs in no respect from the kind cultivated as an esculent in the kitchen garden. Crambé is one of the Greek names applied to the Cabbage ; and our Kale is called by the French Le Crambé, and by the Italians Crambe marina. The 54 CRUCIFERAE Spaniards term it Col marina; the Danes call it Strand Kaal; it is Der Meerkohl of the Germans, and Leerkool of the Dutch. 'The country people in the west of England have, for some centuries past, known its worth as a vegetable for the table, and have been in the habit of watching the young shoots and leaf-stalks, which no sooner push up the sand above them, than they are cut off underground, in the same way as asparagus. This occuis during March and April. The Sea Kale was introduced into gardens about the middle of the last century, and is now cultivated in every market garden, where it is forced, by planting it in a rich soil, and blanching the young shoots by sheltering them from the action of light. The origin of its culti- vation as a garden vegetable is as follows. Many years since, Dr. Lettsom, when travelling along the southern coast of England, stayed to dine at Southampton. Wandering in the neighbourhood of that town, he saw some women cutting Kale in the sand, and observed that the plants were nearly buried in it. He thought they resembled young shoots of asparagus, and found, upon inquiry, that the fishermen and their families were in the habit of eating them when they could not procure other fresh vegetables. The doctor tasted the raw succulent shoots, and ended by ordering some of this Sea Kale to be sent to the inn for his dinner. He some time after commu- nicated this discovery to his friend, Mr. Curtis. The present mode of culture was introduced by that nurseryman, who having first made the plant known to the public by a pamphlet, which he published in its praise, afterwards sold packets of the seeds to the gardeners, and the plant came into general repute. The Tartarian Sea Kale, C. tatarica, is called by the Hungarians, Tartar bread ; and its large fleshy root, stripped of the bark, and sliced, is eaten with oil and vinegar. Children eat this root boiled; and the young shoots are also cooked, like those of our native Kale. 14. WART-CRESS (Cordénopus). 1. Wart-cress, or Swine’s-cress (C. ruéllii).—Pouch undivided, rough, with little sharp points ; style prominent; leaves twice pinnate, their seg- ments linear. Plant annual. This, though infrequent in Scotland, is common in England, and is in some country places called Star of the Earth. The flowers are very small and white, and blossom throughout the summer ; and the cut leaves, fancied to resemble the foot of a bird, are remarkably dis- agreeable, both in flavour and odour. Notwithstanding this, however, they were doubtless formerly gathered for salad, as another species of Wart-cress still is, according to Delile, in Egypt. Our Wart-cress is a common weed, by road-sides and on waste places, and is in some villages called Herb Ivy, or Herb Eve. 2. Lesser Wart-cress (C. didyma).—Pouch of two wrinkled lobes, notched ; style very short ; leaves once or twice pinnate. Plant annual. Little green tufts of this plant are very common by road-sides in the south and west of England, and often grow on the sand, or among the stones of the shore. Its small greenish flowers are to be detected throughout the summer, and the foliage, if trodden upon, emits a most disagreeable odour. The genus Corénopus is by some writers called Senebiéra, from M. Senebier, the Genevese physiologist. PURPLE SEA ROCKE' 4 WART CRESS OR SWINES CRESS Cakile maritima Coronopus pruellia Z SRA KAT } LESSER WAR’ RES Crambe Mmanlimna Coronopns didyma iad nan a e Shy i fl, " uM Heels t aot eng tay i Ua mart ie may, i ia " i a0 ” i Ws : i, Bh Pe A \ nati Wy a MH para tha i y! rk sh ih bh, We yaar CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 55 15. Woap (Isdizs). Dyers’ Woad (lJ. tinctdria).—Pouch wedge-shaped, very blunt, smooth, thrice as long as broad, compressed on the summit and at the sides into a sharp edge ; root-leaves numerous, stalked, inversely egg-shaped, tapering at the base, crenate, smooth, or slightly hairy ; stem-leaves entire, arrow-shaped at the base. Plant biennial. Many botanists consider that this plant is not truly wild, but it occurs in many places, as in the Isle of Ely, about old stone pits in some parts of Cambridgeshire, and in chalk quarries at other places. The old name of this plant was Glastwm, from the Celtic glas, blue, whence also came the name of the town of Glastonbury. The ancient Britons are believed to have stained their bodies with the indelible woad ; hence came the name of Britain, from the Celtic brith, which signified paint. Brithon, according to Camden, signified a stained man; but it would be too rugged a word to suit the ear of the Romans, accustomed to a more eupho- nious language ; hence, their historians called the country by the more sonorous name of Britannia. That we thus owe our oldest national name to the Woad, is an opinion pretty generally received ; but of the origin of the name itself, we have no certain knowledge. The Picts were so called by the Romans because they, like the Britons, painted themselves, at first, it would seem, to render themselves attractive, as the South-Sea Islander would now stain himself with red ; but that which was originally a mark of personal finery, was made in later times, by a refinement of barbarism, an object of terror, and the blue stains were deepened to frighten the enemy. Probably this staining of the body was, as Mr. Disraeli conjectured, a slight defence from the rigours of the atmosphere, or the annoyance of insects. The bright- ness Of the blue induced the Celts to call the plant Gwed, a name still re- tained in France, where it is now sometimes termed Gwesde. The Anglo- Saxons appear to have called it Vad, or Woad. The German name for it is Firberwaid ; and it is the Guado of the Italians. The Spaniard calls the plant Pastel, and it is also so called in some parts of France. Woad is still sometimes cultivated in Lincoln, as the dye obtained from its leaves is a substitute for indigo ; but its cultivation is rare, because the price of labour in this land renders it more expensive than the foreign dye. Before the introduction of indigo, however, woad was commonly raised in various parts of Europe, especially in Germany ; but the introduction of that plant had a sudden effect in diminishing the use of woad. At first, indigo and woad were used together in dyeing ; then came the plan of using certain salts instead of woad, which in the then state of science produced so much mischief by injuriig the cloths, that orders were issued by the Government of Thuringia, in the sixteenth century, that the use of indigo should be abolished ; and it was in our country denounced as a dangerous drug, and ordered to be burned. Woad does not appear to have been a common crop in England at that time ; and efforts were made to discourage its growth altogether. From the archives of the Corporation of Southampton, in 1597, it appears that a remonstrance was entered against the sowing of woad in Hogland, “ because the common sort of people find themselves greatly grieved withal, for that, after woad-sowing, there will grow no grass, or anything else for the cattle to feed upon.” 56 CRUCIFERAt The flowers of the Woad are in panicles, and of a bright yellow. They grow on an upright stem, about two or three feet in height, and appear in June and July, small spear-shaped yellowish bracts growing among them. The plant is a native of the south and middle of Europe, in stony places, from Spain and Sicily to the shores of the Baltic Sea. It also grows in cultivated fields in many parts of Asia, but was probably introduced there among the grain. 16. CoRAL-RooT (Dentdria). Bulbiferous Coral-root (D. bulbifera).—Pod narrow and_ tapering ; stem quite simple ; lower leaves pinnated ; upper leaves often with buds in the axils. Plant biennial. This rare and pretty spring plant has, in April and May, pale purple flowers, larger and darker than those of the Cuckoo- flower (Cardamine pratensis), but somewhat resembling them. The Coral-root, however, is very easily distinguished from other plants, by the little dark scaly buds which grow between the upper leaves and the stem, and which, when ripened, fall off and produce new plants. This plant grows in woods in Middlesex, Sussex, Herts, and some other English counties, as well as in a solitary Scottish locality in Ayrshire. The roots, which are of whitish colour, and creeping, have thick fleshy scales upon them, and the stem is about a foot, or a foot and a half, in height. Some very showy species are cultivated in gardens, with purple, white, or yellow flowers ; and the root of a plant, called the Two-leaved Coral-root, is used by the Americans instead of mustard, and is called Pepper-root. 17. BITTER-CRESS (Cardanine). 1. Large-flowered Bitter-cress (C. amdra).—Leaves pinnate, without stipules ; leaflets of root-leaves rounded, those of the stem-leaves toothed, or angular ; stem creeping at the base ; style oblique. Plant perennial. The large white flowers, with purple anthers, at once characterise this plant. It blossoms in April and May, and is much less frequent than the next species, though, like that, usually found in moist places. It is very bitter and astringent. 2. Cuckoo-flower (C. praténsis).—Leaves pinnate, without stipules; root- leaflets roundish, and toothed, those of the stem nearly entire ; style straight. Plant perennial. The song of the cuckoo, though monotonous, is delightful, and its two sweet notes—the only notes among birds which accord exactly with the musical scale—awaken, as they echo against the hill-side, feelings of joy in many hearts. No wonder that the oldest ballad in our language told of the bird, and said, ‘‘ Well singest thou, cuckoo !” No wonder that old lovers of flowers, as they walked the spring meadow, associated many of its blossoms with the voice of the bird, and that cuckoo’s-meat and cuckoo- flowers were in abundance by their path. Gerarde says of this Cardamine,y that it “doth flower in April and Maie, when the cuckoo doth begin to sing her pleasant notes without stammering.” Never is the green earth greener or more gay with delicate flowers than at this season, when the white daisy is open all over the fields, “like labour smiling on a holiday ;” and the blue speedwells gleam like gems among the grass, and the fairy stitchwort nods BULBIFEROUS CORAL ROOT 5 CUCKOO-FLOWE kk Dentama bulbufera Cardamine pratensis 2 LARGE FLOWERED BITTER CRESS 4 NARROW-LEAVED BITTER-CRESS . Cardamine amara Cardamine impatiens HAIRY BITTER-CRESS Cardamime lursuta Pl. 21, ¥ i oa Ail ie V's) Veo te tal! i } anc I fe ’ Vy! ae } i i pie Trelaeg seth i 5 iy i ; ) Wi CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 57 by bluebells and primrose tufts. Shakspere speaks of the flower by another of its older names, and ‘Daisies pied and violets blue, And lady-smocks all silver white,” were looked on by him, as by us, with joy. The origin of the name used by the poet is not so obvious as is that of Cuckoo-flower. Sir J. E. Smith supposes that this flower, growing in great quantities, and bleached by long exposure to the sun, suggested to our fathers the idea of linen laid out on the grass to dry. The plant is still commonly called Lady-smocks in country places ; and more recent poets, like Millhouse, know it by the name familiar to their childhood— ** Joyous I’ve found the glossy crocus blowing Fair in its bed of green ; and onward stray’d To sunny dells, where April’s hand was throwing Violets of virgin sweetness, and survey’d The pale-eyed primrose, glistening in the glade : Daisies, vermilion-tinged, were deem’d a prize And pluck’d in triumph ; while the sloe-bloom made Garlands for mating birds, and thence would rise Vouchings of parent love in anthems to the skies. ‘** And at sweet May-tide, when the cowslip hung Its head in pensiveness, and crow-flowers bright Along the expanse of lengthening meads were flung, Mingled with lady-smocks and daisies white, Lambsfoot and speedwell, and the lovely sight Of hawthorn blossoms fragrant on the gale Of eve ; full oft I’ve wander’d with delight ; Nor, time regretting, will I e’er bewail Those hours I loitering spent in woodland, mead and dale.” The poet was right, for hours spent in watching the flowers are not to be regretted. Many a lesson of God’s love is learned among them; many a scene of beauty gathered thence, to be laid up as a store for future memories. Such sights and thoughts come with so healing an influence to the care-worn spirit, that we are not surprised at the assertion of Priest, “that, in all his extensive practice in insanity, he never met with an insane naturalist.” ‘* Better for man, Were he and Nature more familiar friends.” The leaves of the Cuckoo-flower are very pungent, but these, with many of their kind, were relished formerly as salad herbs. The flowers are usually of delicate pale lilac, veined with a darker lilac; sometimes they are of pinkish white, and when about to wither, quite white. They are very plentiful in moist meadows, and are sometimes double. When this is the case, their leaflets, as they come in contact with the ground, often produce new plants while still attached to the old. 3. Narrow-leaved Bitter-cress (C. impdticns).—Leaves pinnate ; leaflets lanceolate, slightly cut, or entire, fringed ; stipules at the base of the leaf-stalks. Plant annual. The moist rocks of some of our northern counties, and some parts of Scotland, are the recorded habitats of this rare flower. It has very small white blossoms during May and June, and the fringed stipules afford a distinctive mark to the species. It is called impatient, from the hasty manner in which the contents of the pod are jerked out. 8 58 CRUCIFERAt 4. Hairy Bitter-cress (C. hirsvitv).—Leaves pinnate, without stipules ; leaflets stalked and toothed, those of the root rounded and angular, those of the stem nearly sessile and narrower ; pods erect. Plant annual. The long pods afford a good character for this species. ‘The valves of these pods,” says Mr. Johns, in his ‘“ Flowers of the Field,” ‘“ when ripe, curl up with an elastic spring, if touched, and fly off, scattering the seeds to a considerable distance.” The number of seeds, and their ready dispersion, account for the abundance of this plant, which is common everywhere, and is to be found in flower all the summer, though the pods are more conspicuous than the blossoms. It does not, like most of the species, confine itself to moist lands, though these seem most favourable to it, as it withers much earlier in dry places, dying away by the end of April. The leaves of this species, also, are used as salad, and are far more agreeable in flavour than those of the Cuckoo- flower. The French call the plant Le Cresson, the Germans Die Guachblume, and the Italians Cardamindo. The plants are regarded by our continental neighbours, as well as by villagers in England, as possessing great stomachic virtues. Some very pretty forms are cultivated by gardeners. 18. Rock Cress (4rabis). 1. Thale-cress, or Rock-cress (4. thaliana).—Leaves oblong, some- what toothed, hairy; root-leaves slightly stalked; stem branched; pods angular, twice as long as their stalk. Plant annual. This is a very common little herb on dry walls, bearing small white flowers from May to July. The stem is seldom more than six inches high. It is called in France DL Arabette, and in Germany, Der Ginsekraut. The Dutch term this, or another of the species, Honigschub, and it is the Arabide of the Spaniard. De Theis, in order to account for its botanical name, as well as that by which it is familiarly known in some countries, supposes that the plant is a native of Arabia, but this is a forced and improbable explanation. Some authors include this in the genus Stsymbrium. 2. Hairy Rock-cress (A. irsiita).—Leaves all hairy and toothed ; stem- leaves clasping, heart-shaped at the base, and numerous ; pods erect and straight. Plant biennial. The Hairy Rock-cress is a stiff rigid plant, common on walls, rocks, and banks, in England and Scotland. It is about a foot in height, and bears small white flowers during June and July. 3. Alpine Rock-cress (A. petréa).—Root-leaves pinnatifid and stalked, with smaller lobes at their base; stem-leaves nearly entire, and sessile. Plant perennial. This species is found on the rocks of Scotland and Wales. It has white flowers, tinged with purple, which are rather larger than those of the Hairy Rock-cress, and it blooms from June to August. It is frequent on the high mountains of the west and north of Scotland, and is a slender plant, from four to six inches in height, sometimes quite smooth, but usually more or less hairy. 4. Fringed Rock-cress (A. cilidta).—Leaves somewhat toothed, oval, smooth, and fringed with minute hairs ; root-leaves obtuse, and nearly sessile ; those of the stem either roundish at the base, or clasping ; pods nearly erect. Plant biennial. The small white flowers of this species, which is rare, may WALL CRESS, 4 BRISTOL ROCK CRESS Arabis thaliana A. stricta 2 HATRY WALL CRESS. 5 FRINGED ROCK CRESS, A. hirsuta. A. ciliata ALPINE ROCK CRESS, G6 TOWER CRESS, A. petra@a A.turrita ip er D4 1 Dei CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 59 be seen from August to September. It grows in Connemara, Ireland, and at Lidstep in Pembrokeshire. Its stem is from four to six inches in height. 5. Bristol Rock-cress (4. stricta).—Root-leaves waved and toothed ; stem-leaves sessile; stems hairy at the base; pods erect. Plant perennial. This is very rare, growing on the limestone soil of St. Vincent’s Rocks, near Bristol. Although it has been said to be found in some other places, it seems peculiar to this. It was formerly abundant on the rocks, but can now be seen on but few spots, as in a gully near the Sea Wall on the upper part of Durdham Downs, Clifton ; or in the Leigh Woods on the opposite shore of the Avon. The root-leaves are edged with many strong but fine hairs. The plant flowers from March till May, and is much like the Thale-cress, but its blossoms are about twice the size of those of that plant. 6. Tower Rock-cress (4. turrita).—Leaves clasping the stem; pods slender, curved downwards, and flat, with the margins thickened ; bracts at the base of the flowers. Plant perennial. This plant, which is a doubtful native, would seem to have some preference for the halls of learning, for among recorded habitats are the walls of Trinity and St. John’s Colleges, Cambridge, and of Magdalen College, Oxford. It is well characterised by the form of its pods and its bracts. It blossoms in June. Flowers pale yellow. 19. TOWER-MUSTARD (Turritis). Smooth Tower-mustard (7. gldbra).— Root-leaves toothed, hairy ; stem-leaves clasping, entire, and smooth. Plant annual. The only British species of this genus is very similar to the Rock-cresses, being distinguished from them by having the seeds in its pods arranged in two rows instead of one. It is rather a local than a rare plant, being generally distributed over England, though rare and doubtfully native in Scotland. Its flowers are yellowish white, and open in June. The somewhat pyramidal appearance of the leaves and stem of this plant probably originated its generic name, and its long pod has given to it also the name of Long-podded Mustard. The French call the plant La Tourette, the Germans Das Thurmkraut. It is the Turrekruid of the Dutch, and its Swedish name is Rockentrap. Many writers call it Arabis perfoliata. 20. WINTER-CRESS (Barbaréa). 1. Common Winter-cress (B. vulgdris).—Lower leaves lyre-shaped, the terminal lobe roundish; upper inversely egg-shaped, toothed. Plant perennial. The angular stem, and dark, shining, smooth leaves, distinguish this plant from the wild mustard, which it much resembles. Its flowers appear from May to August, and are very numerous, and of bright yellow colour. The plant is often called Hedge-mustard, and is termed also Winter- cress, Yellow Rocket Herb, and Herb St. Barbara. The French call it La Barbarée, the Spanish Hierba de Santa Barbara, and the Italians Barbarea. It is common on moist waste grounds ; and although its leaves are disagreeably bitter, it is said to be cultivated now in some countries for salad; and we well know that the young leaves were eaten in winter and early spring by our forefathers. It is not the English name alone which retains the memory 8—2 60 CRUCIFERA of the Winter-cress, for the plant is Die Winterkresse of the Germans, and the Winterkers of the Dutch, while it is commonly called Vinterkurs in Den- mark. The leaves are, at the best, so nauseous, however, that when we taste them, we are ready to invoke blessings on the man who introduced the lettuce and the radish. In Sweden they are sometimes boiled as greens. Cows will eat the plant, but it is refused by horses. Baxter remarks of this Winter-cress, ‘A minute species of Zipula, or Gall-gnat, sometimes renders the flowers like a hop-blossom ; but this metamorphosis does not strictly par- take of the nature of galls, as it originates, not from the egg, but from the larva, which, in the operation of extracting the seed, in scine way imparts a morbid action to the juices, causing the flower to expand unnaturally.” He adds, that “a minute fungus, Uredo candida, is parasitical on the under side of the leaves, and on the stem of this plant, all the summer.” 2. Early Winter-cress (B. precox).—Lower leaves lyre-shaped, or pinnate ; upper ones pinnatifid ; segments linear, oblong, entire, obtuse, scarcely thicker than the flower-stalk. Plant biennial. This species is more slender than the last, and has narrower leaves. It is not uncommon in the west of England. Several of the cresses have been introduced among seeds into Australia; and Backhouse describes a perennial species, which has become a very troublesome weed there. B. praecox appears to be a cultivated form of B. vulgaris. 21. Cress (Nastirtium). * Flowers white. 1. Common Water-cress (JN. officindle)—Leaves pinnate ; leaflets roundish, or oblong, toothed and waved; pods slender, about an inch long. Plant perennial. The small white flowers of this plant, though blooming from June to August, would scarcely be seen by any but a botanist. The Water-cress is found in many of our ponds and rivers, such as the poet has described— “The rivulet, Wanton and wild, through many a green ravine, Beneath the forest flow’d: sometimes it fell Among the moss, with hollow harmony, Dark and profound. Now, on the polish’d stones It danced, like childhood, laughing as it went. Then through the plain, in tranquil wanderings, crept, Reflecting every herb and drooping bud That overhung its quietness.” Sweet little nooks abound in our country where crystal streams are lying, and where— ‘“The cresses, which grow where no man may see them,” are springing up in plenty. The streams, indeed, are not always lined with verdure, especially in the neighbourhood of villages; yet sometimes, as we have looked even into these waters, gliding by the cresses, over some red tile or pieces of blue earthenware, and sweeping down the emerald grasses in their course, it has seemed as if the waters were flowing over a bright mosaic work, and we have thought of the good moral lesson drawn by Ruskin from the gutter of the city. ‘Even in the heart of the foul city it is not alto- L SMOOTH TOWER MUSTARD, 2 COMMON WINTER CRESS, Torritis glabra Barbarea vulgaris 3. EARLY WINTER CRESS , Barbarea precox 1 ARLES ri { rex i , rl i TOO He j Le Me f Tey ah aii vite al | fy wi CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 61 gether base; down in that, if you will look deep, you may see the dark serious blue of far-off sky, and the passing of pure clouds. It is at your own will that you see in that despised stream either the refuse of the street, or the image of the sky—so it is with almost all other things that we unkindly despise.” But the water-cress stream, whether running by the wayside, or half hiding itself amid shadowing trees, is almost sure to be discovered by some poor woman who earns a scanty subsistence by gathering and selling the wholesome salad. In all countries, from Sweden to Greece, and in the streams among the hills of India, Brazil, Australia, everywhere may be found the water-cress. The Parisian calls it Cresson au Poulet, because he eats it with his roasted fowl; and the French peasant terms it Cresson de Fontaine. ~The substantial luncheon of the German is not without its Brunnenkresse ; while its name of /Vaterkers, still used by the Dutch, was probably, too, its old English name, for, as Dr. Jacob has suggested, the vulgar proverb of not caring a “curse” for anything was doubtless originally not caring a cress, Chaucer referring to the plant by the old Saxon name of Kers. The Italians gave it the sweet-sounding name of Crescione, while it bears many a strange and uncouth name in some of the lands where the language shows the rude- ness of the people. That the water-cress has long been used as a salad, both herbalists and poets have told us. Robert Herrick, who in his later years lamented the “unbaptized rhymes” of his youth, has a little thanksgiving poem, beautiful for its simplicity, in which he alludes to it :— ‘Lord, Thou hast given me a cell Like as my parlour, so my hall Wherein to dwell ; And kitchen’s small ; A little house, whose humble roof A little butterie, and therein Is weather-proof, A little byn :— Under the spars of which I lie, Some little sticks of thorn or brier Both soft and dry ; Make me a fire, Where Thou my chamber soft to ward, Close by whose living coal I sit Hast set a guard And glow like it. Of harmless thoughts, to watch and keep Lord, I confess too, when I dine Me while I sleep. The pulse is Thine, Low is my porch as is my fate, And all those other bits that be Both void of state ; There placed by Thee— And yet the threshold of my door The worts, the purslane, and the mess Is worn by the poor, Of water-cress.’ Who hither come and freely get Good words or meat. Generally acceptable, however, as are the pungent leaves of the water- cress, they could excite the most painful sensations in the mind of the learned Scaliger, who used to turn pale at the very sight of them. They are said, by Miiller, to contain iodine; and the late M. Planche, and other chemists, have proved that they, as well as some other cruciferous plants, contain sulphur. M. Vogel, sen., remarking this fact, thought that as soils distant from volcanoes have not any perceptible traces of sulphur, it is not impossible that plants which are much disposed to assimilate it may have the property of deriving sulphur from the decomposition of the sulphuric acid of sulphates. M. Vogel, however, found afterwards, that seeds placed in a soil perfectly free from sulphur or sulphates, yielded plants which con- 62 CRUCIFER A tained a notable quantity of sulphur ; water-cresses were of this description ; and this chemist states that 100 grs. of water-cress seeds contained 07129 gr. of sulphur. He adds that this is a perfect enigma to him, as the growth of the young water-cresses took place in a soil devoid of sulphur and sulphates, and in a room which contained no sulphureous vapour. Since the year 1808, the water-cress has been largely cultivated by market-gardeners near London, Paris, Edinburgh, and other large cities ; and Loudon mentions a pure stream which runs over chalk, near Rickmans- worth, in Hertfordshire, in which one cultivator grew four acres, and sent thence a daily supply to the London market. When much exposed to the light, the leaves acquire a purplish brown tint. * * Flowers yellow. 2. Creeping Yellow Cress (JN. sylvéstre).—Leaves pinnate ; leaflets lanceolate cut, those of the uppermost leaves almost entire ; root creeping ; pods long and narrow. Plant perennial. ‘This is not a common cress either in England or Scotland, but it occurs on some waste places and river sides in both countries. The stem is about a foot high, branched and angular, and the yellow blossoms are open from June to August. 3. Amphibious Yellow Cress, Great Water Radish (JV. ampht- biwm).—Leaves pinnatifid, or deeply serrated ; roots stringy ; petals longer than the calyx. Plant perennial. This plant has yellow flowers from June to August, and is much larger than the creeping species ; and very remark- able for the long stringy roots, which, springing from the lower joints of the stem, run down into the soft soil on the margins of rivers. 4, Annual Yellow Cress (NW. terréstre).—Leaves pinnatifid, somewhat lyre-shaped, unequally toothed ; pods thick and oblong ; root fibrous. This cress, which is about a foot high, bears from June to September small yellow flowers, of which the petals are not longer than the calyx. It grows in watery places, and is an annual. 22. HEDGE MUSTARD (Sisymbrium). 1. Common Hedge-mustard (S. officinile).—Pods downy, closely pressed to the stem ; leaves hairy, deeply lobed, with the points turned back- ward, the terminal lobe large and roundish in the upper leaves, and oblong in the lower ones. Plant annual. Everybody knows this common wayside flower, or weed as most would term it, for it has little beauty to recommend it. It may be seen all the summer long, grey with the dust of the road, and looking very shaggy in its foliage ; while the yellow flowers, on a stem one or two feet high, are almost too small to be noticed. It has the usual pungent flavour of the mustard plants; but in this case, that flavour is disagreeable. This species is of old renown as a medicinal herb, and has so much repute as a remedy for hoarseness and weak lungs, that the French term it Herbe aux chanteurs. Dr. Cullen recommends its use, when mixed with honey and sugar, for pulmonary affections. The Greeks gave the name of Sisymbrium to some plant which they prized, but assuredly they did not allude to this Hedge-mustard, for theirs was an aquatic, and had, apparently, a pleasant odour; and garlands of myrtle, roses, and Sisymbrium were WATER CRE Ss 3 ANNUAI YELLOW CRESS Nasturiinm terrestre G YELLOW CRESS, . AMPHIBIOUS YELLOW CRESS. Nastartiam aaxphihom i * ' oe Ne i i i CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 63 deemed meet offerings to Venus. The monks, too, cultivated a plant called Sisymbrium, but as the water-cress and radish were formerly included in this genus, it was probably one of those plants. The highly-prized virtues, however, both of this species and another of the genus, the flixweed, render it not unlikely that it found a place in the monastery garden. An ancient plan of the monastery of St. Gall, near the Lake of Constance, an institution celebrated throughout Europe for its learned men and complete library, enables us to form an idea of the plants which were, in the ninth century, considered of most importance in the continental monasteries; and they were, doubtless, very similar to those valued in our country at the same period. Several vegetables yet in common use are included in this plan of the kitchen garden, for the monks had a great taste for horticulture, and were not slow to admit new plants, as, in some cases, people of later days have been — the potato was rejected with scorn, till Louis XV. of France recommended it in that country, by wearing amidst his courtiers a bouquet of its flowers; and till some Englishmen, spite of popular clamour, persevered in its culture here. In the thirteenth century, the religious order of the Cistercians were pre-eminent for their horticultural skill, and Neckam, an abbot, describes the chief esculents of those days as lettuce, rocket, mustard, water-cress, and hop. Some of these were cultivated at St. Gall. The plan referred to describes the physic-garden as consisting of sixteen beds, each of which has the name of some herb inscribed upon it, in the following order :—peppermint, rosemary, white lily, sage, rue, comfrey, penny-royal, fenugreek, rose, water-cress, or radish, or mustard (Sisymbrium), cummin, lovage, fennel, tansy, kidney-bean, savory. The beds of the kitchen garden were also marked out, and were thus arranged :—onions, garlick, leeks, shallots, celery, parsley, coriander, chervil, dill, lettuce, poppy, savory, radish, parsnip, carrots, cabbage, beet, corn cockle. 2. London Rocket (S. ét0).—Leaves deeply lobed, with the points turned backward, toothed, and, as well as the stem, smooth ; pods erect. Plant annual. This Rocket, which was formerly common about our metro- polis, first appeared there after the Great Fire of London. In the spring succeeding that calamity, the young plants were seen everywhere rising up among the ruins, and in the summer the crop was so luxuriant, that it was supposed the whole of Europe did not contain so many specimens of the Rocket as were then crowded over the surface of London. It was at that time a great marvel to observing men; and after all that has been written on the subject of the sudden appearance of plants in particular spots, it is a marvel still, The fact is well known, but not accounted for, that a layer ot quicklime thrown over a soil will produce white clover plants in abundance, when they had not before grown on the spot; and so, too, the burning of rubbish leaves ashes favourable to the growth of the Rocket. Baxter, in his “ British Flowering Plants,” mentions a circumstance analogous to that which succeeded the fire of London, as having occurred near Oxford Botanic Garden. “During the time,” says this writer, “that the alterations were going on in the garden, last year, 1834, the rubbish was removed to a piece of ground on the outside of the walls. This rubbish as it accumulated was set fire to from time to time, and was frequently burning for two or 64 CRUCIFERA three days together, so that in the course of the season a considerable quantity of ashes was produced. Having received in the spring of the present year, 1835, a valuable collection of cuttings of nearly all the species of British Willows, from W. Borrer, Esq., of Henfield, Sussex, this was the only piece of ground which we could appropriate to a Salicetum ; and in order to prepare it for the reception of the cuttings, the ashes were spread regularly over the surface, and the whole of it was trenched over ; in a short time the very spot on which the rubbish was burnt produced an abundant crop of Sisymbrium trio, and that on a part of the garden where I never remember seeing it before.” The London Rocket is a leafy plant, about two feet in height, bearing small yellow flowers in July and August. It grows in waste places, but is not frequent. 3. Fine-leaved Hedge-mustard, or Flixweed (S. sophia),—lLeaves twice pinnatifid, and slightly hairy ; petals shorter than the calyx; pods slender, and erect. Plant annual. There is little to attract us in this species, but it is of easy recognition, having a most marked character. It is a slender plant, about two feet high, branched, and bearing small yellow flowers, from June to August; and its leaves are divided into narrow segments, a circumstance very unusual in the cruciferous tribe. It is not uncommon in waste places in England, though somewhat so in Scotland ; and, as the, Rev. C. A. Johns has remarked, its “numerous erect pods, when ripe, have the appearance of being beaded, from the great number of project- ing seeds.” It had a name among the herbalists expressive of some virtues which we in modern days do not discover, for they termed it Sephia Chirur- gorum, the Wisdom of Surgeons ; and one of them, who says that Paracelsus extols it to the skies, adds, “it is fitting that syrup, ointment, and plaisters of it were kept in your houses.” It has been thought serviceable in hysterical cases, but its chief repute was for healing wounds. Its seeds, powdered and mixed with gunpowder, are said to increase its explosive force ; it is probable that they contain sulphur, as do those of some allied plants. 23. 'TREACLE-MUSTARD (Lrysimum). 1. Worm-seed Treacle-mustard (2. cheiranthotdes).—Leaves narrow and oblong, slightly toothed, rough, with starry three-forked hairs; pods erect, on spreading stalks ; seeds small and numerous. Plant annual. It is from this plant that the familiar name of the whole genus is derived, as it was formerly one of the ingredients of the famous Venice treacle. The name of Worm-seed refers to the uses of the seeds in medicine. 'The plant is not uncommon in this country, on waste places, and cultivated lands, and fre- quently grows among osiers and willows, varying much in size, according to soil and situation. ‘The stem, which is much branched, is from half a foot to two feet in height, and the flowers are very small and numerous, and appear in July and August. They are yellow, with whitish sepals, and the foliage is of a dull green tint. It is by many writers thought to be not indigenous, but it has long established itself in most of the countries of Europe, as well as of North America. The leaves are pungent, and their CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 65 juice is acrid, though less so than that of some other species, which will raise blisters on the skin. 2. Garlic Treacle-mustard, Jack-by-the-Hedge, or Sauce- alone (E£. allidria).—Leaves broadly heart-shaped, large, strongly veined, and stalked, with numerous broad teeth ; pods erect, on spreading’ stalks. Plant annual. Most persons who are accustomed during April and May to hunt the hedge-row for the hidden violet, have met with this Garlic Treacle- mustard. It is well if, at some time or other, the spring nosegay has not been spoiled by its offensive odour, for the garlic-like scent not being perceptible till the plant is bruised, may not have been discovered till too late. If crushed, however, its scent is most disagreeable, and as powerful as the strongest garlic. The flowers grow in clusters, and are of pure white, and the stem is about a foot or more high. Its name of Sauce-alone was given from its uses, and to some who cannot afford more costly condiments, it is serviceable in adding flavour to the frugal diet. It is often the labourer’s “sauce,” and is eaten with their rustic dinner by some of those who, as Wordsworth reminds us— ‘¢The poor men’s children, they, and they alone, By their condition taught, can understand The wisdom of that prayer that daily asks For daily bread.” Sometimes this Hedge Garlic is used as a salad herb with lettuce ; and Neill says that it makes an excellent vegetable when boiled and eaten with mutton, or salted meat. The author has often eaten it thus during child- hood, as well as when cut up into small pieces; and, mixed with vinegar, it has been served up like mint sauce. Linnzus ascertained by his experiments that cows, sheep, and poultry feed on it, but that it is refused by horses and goats. It is not a desirable herb, however, on the pasture, as it gives a strong flavour of garlic to the milk of the cow, and the flesh of the fowl. It was very much prized in the olden times for its medicinal virtues, its seeds being thought useful in several maladies ; while even in the present day the leaves are commonly used in villages as an external application for sore throat, and also for wounds. A species of Hrysimwm was prized by the ancients, but this appears to have been our garden cress, Lepidium sativum ; for Pliny tells us that the Gauls called his Erysimum velar, and this cress is still called wlhar in the Basque tongue, and Jeler, or veler, in some provinces of France. Our Jack-by-the-Hedge grows in hedges and ditches throughout Europe. The Germans call it by several names, as Knoblauchkraut, Knoblauchs- hederich, Leuchel, Waldknoblauch, Rampen, Ramschelwurz, Germsel, Salzkraut, Sasskraut. In France it is termed L’Alliaire, and L’herbe aux Aillets. The Dutch call it Steenraket, the Italians Hrisamo, and the Spaniards Jaramago. This plant is by many botanists made a distinct genus, under the name of Alliaria. 3. Hare’s-ear Treacle-mustard (£. orientdle).—Leaves elliptical, heart-shaped, obtuse, clasping the stem; root-leaves inversely egg-shaped ; all smooth and undivided. Plant annual. This species, which is about a foot high, is not British, yet is found as a casual on cliffs, or in fields. It occurs in some parts of Ireland, and in various places on the coasts of Essex, 9 66 CRUCIFERA Suffolk, and Sussex. It is a native of the South of Europe. The flowers are small, white, or cream-coloured, and the leaves have the pale sea-green powdery bloom on their surface which the botanist terms glaucous. There are about seventy species of the genus Hrysimum, and several are very pretty garden plants, with yellow, white, or purple blossoms, the smaller ones being very ornamental to rock work. 24. WALL-FLOWER (Cheirdnthus). Common Wall-flower (C. chéiri).—Leaves lanceolate, acute, entire, downy ; pods long and narrow ; stem shrubby at the base. Plant perennial. Who has not welcomed the scent of the Wall-flowers, as it was brought to him on the spring breezes, in his wanderings by the old tower, when they quivered to the passing winds, from ruined hall or ivied church? We can all recall places where it grows thus high above us; and the thought can awaken associations connected with spots where, ‘The house of God uplifts its ancient walls, Wreath’d in the verdant honours of the year ; Within the sacred fane have race on race, The children of the upland and the dale, Devoutly worshipp’d ; and beneath the mounds, The grassy mounds, which stud the village yard, Withdrawn to rest at last.” Nor is it in our own loved land only that the Wall-flower is associated with the buildings reared by men of other days. The traveller among the ruins of ancient Rome is gladdened by its scent and beauty ; and broken walls and fallen capitals have the Wall-flower waving on the summits, while the vermilion- spotted mignonette blends with its own sweet odours. The traveller in Eastern lands sees it amongst the oriental flowers, still loving the old wall better than any other place, and affording to the Eastern poet as many an image and sentiment of loveliness as was gathered by the troubadour, or is caught by the bard of our days and country. But though the Wall-flower, as its name imports, springs from walls, yet the sea-cliffs afford it as welcome a place of growth. Many a crag and peak is enlivened in the early spring by its clumps of yellow flowers; and in March and April the old cliffs of Dover, among whose shadows, or in whose broad sunshine, lies many a lovely blossom, are rich with thousands of its blooms. Our fathers called it the Winter Gillyflower—for it may be seen while wintry winds are still uttering their wild music; and March Gilly- flower, which is another of their old names, is equally appropriate. The flower when truly wild is rarely tinged with iron-brown-—we never saw it so on the Wallflower of Dover; but the variety which is cultivated in gardens has the deeper tint, and is less firm in its aspect, its petals becoming more flaccid. Yellow Violet and Yellow Stock Gillyflowers were others of its old names; and the Dutch now call it Violier, while it is the Giroflée of the French, and Die Leucoje of the Germans. Its home is in central and northern Europe, and it is not truly British. The Wall-flower is of little economical use, though recommended to be planted in pastures, as the leaves are beneficial in some cases to sheep. Our forefathers attributed to it various virtues; and a conserve made of the WORM -SEED TREACLE MUSTARD, 2 GARLIC TREACLE MUSTARD Erystnmm chetranthoides E. alharia 3 HARE S-EAR TREACLE MUSTARD E. omentale Pl, 26. wl Ose eae ae Med Hou 5 14h : ; 0) ds a Oy y AY or ANois ve ‘ Pin H ¢ (Or A ee vi ancy tab te i Ve raunre | as CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 67 flowers was used as a remedy both for the apoplexy and the palsy ; and was esteemed “a singular remedy for the gout and pains in the joints and sinews.” But though we no longer use its petals for medicine, and cannot eat its pungent leaves, yet we regard its beauty and sweetness as its uses. ‘The time was when men believed that every plant had its known or unknown virtues, and thought that they honoured the Great Creator by thus believing. But it is proof enough for us of God’s goodness that the flower can charm the eye and elevate the thought, that it can soothe the sorrow, or awaken the memory ; that it can whisper to us a tale of His love and care for the flowers of the field, and a blessed assurance that we and our least concerns are under His watchful eye, and share in His ever-present goodness. And so our walks over hills and meadows, by sea-cliff or rural stream, shall teach us more of Him by means of His sweetest gifts. The Wall-flower was early cultivated in the English garden, and is yet, in its rich varieties of brown and yellow and double and single blossoms, a favourite plant of the border. The little garden plots in the city or in the square send forth fragrance from its petals, though sometimes, as we see them, we are reminded of Elliott’s description :— ‘But mourning better days, the widow here Still tries to make her little garden bloom— For she was country-born. No weeds appear Where her poor pinks deplore their prison tomb ; To them, alas! no second spring shall come : And there in May the lilac gasps for breath, And mint and thyme seem fain their woes to speak, Like saddest portraits painted after death ; And spindling Wall-flowers, in the choking reek For lite—for life uplift their branches weak.” The troubadours were very fond of the Wall-flower, and the old Provengal ballads told its praises, nor have men of modern times left it unsung. Moir thus says of it— ** Sweet Wall-flower, sweet Wall-flower ! Thou conjurest up to me Full many a soft and sunny hour 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 !” 25. Stock (Matthiola). 1. Hoary Shrubby Stock (J. incdna).—Stem shrubby ;. leaves hoary with down, long and narrow, entire; pods without glands. Plant perennial. This Sea-stock waves its light purple flowers on the southern shores of our island, bearing too much resemblance, both in form and odour, to the common Stock of the garden, to leave any doubt as to its name. It is found on the southern seashore of the Isle of Wight, especially about Niton; and grew formerly on cliffs to the eastward of Hastings ; in the last named place it is apparently extinct, as it is also on the cliffs at the east of Ramsgate, where it once grew. It flowers in May and June, and is the origin of the Stocks of the garden— 9—2 68 CRUCIFER A ‘The white and purple gillyflowers, that stay In blossom—lingering summer half away ;” and is there treated as an annual or biennial; and cultivated in the flower borders of both rich and poor. Often, as the scent comes to us from some rich Double-Stock, we are reminded of the regard which Baron Cuvier had for this plant. It had been the favourite flower of his mother ; and the great naturalist never forgot that that mother first directed his thoughts to the observation of nature. Her loved flower was prized by him to his latest day of life, and so long as it was in season his table was never without its fragrance. ** A flower is not a flower alone, A thousand thoughts invest it.” The French call the Stock, Le Giroflée; our old writers term it Stock Gillyflower. In all old books on gardens we find how much it was prized ; and it is not possible to read the literature of past centuries without dis- covering how garden-flowers were valued then, though comparatively few but simplers noticed the wild flowers. In an old work called “Delightes for Ladies to adorne their Persons and Closets and Distillations, with Beauties, Banquets, Perfumes, and Waters,” we see how ladies of the olden time amused themselves with roses, pansies, and Stock Gillyflowers; and how, instead of making the modern compound of pot-pourri, they occupied themselves in “preserving single flowers without wrinkling.” The author, Sir Hugh Plat, says, “I find the red-rose leafe best to be kept in this manner; also take away the stalks of pansies, stocke-gillyfloures, or other single floures ; pricke them one by one in sande, pressing down their leaves smooth with more sande laid evenly upon them; and then you may have rose-leaves and other floures to laie about your basons, windows, etc., all the winter long.” The mode prescribed for preparing these leaves was to wash some “ Callis sand,” and place it in a shallow square box, about six inches deep, and having made the sand level, to lay the petals of the flowers separately on the surface, placing a layer of sand over each layer of petals. The whole were to be covered at top with a mass of sand, and to be set in the sunshine on a hot summer’s day, and after a few days the dried flowers were to be carefully removed without breaking. Something of a hortus siccus, on a more extensive scale, was also directed to be made in like manner; for the author adds, “ Also this secret is very requisite for a good simplifier, because he maie drie the leafe of any hearbe in this manner, and laie it very drie in his Herball, with the Simple which it representeth, whereby he may easily learn to know the name of any simple which he desireth.” Happy the student of plants in our days, who needs to practise no such elaborate and uncertain methods of discovering the names of plants, but may find them all ready arranged for him in his Flora ; and taking his book in hand, may wander forth and learn the characteristics and properties of every flower of the field. The leaves of all the Stocks may be used, say our botanists, for salads or pot-herbs ; that is, they are wholesome, but few would think them any addition to the dish of lettuce or endive. The genus Matthiola was named from the Italian physician of Ferdinand of Austria. He died in 1577, after having published a “laborious commentary ” on Dioscorides ; and commentaries in those days 1 WALLFLOWER 2. HOARY SHRUBBY STOCK Matthiola meana vs , 4 f m \ iy { ‘ i ; I | ; wi i aie ms ‘ ; i f j i Sika) long j } , Wy 1 7 if ; ‘1 i i P : i Wie mh ee a ne iti Nal i i ioe» da! ’ 15 1 ea) i A r i) i } Tene kee , i? ‘ay eh A ee ie i ’ vue j a 7 r met wi UJ i i ji t ih 5 Sa 2. { i ie : s i). i f ’ i i i ui ‘ i | rie ay j ; ed hi j Pe \ * i Py i ws : P i ‘ i ’ ‘ = id ‘ bes: tig Fi \ Hil : os Wd? a | ; i ’ A ; - ‘ ' ~ * A _ = he A nt J. ' ; ara r i ; i r iy a ps q 4 { j i i i i A ‘ ' i { i j t i » v iv ’ = , 4 7 1 , . ‘ } ih c : : ANP 7 Mi 7 i r H i mn i nel iu Ae 7 bal rt ‘ we iC ay i a 1 b> Hare | . < ay ny 7 i Me I RCM Mie ek hiah raw | 5 . ; y My ee Lie) u ee ¥ Nh a om 7 Bei ran ; [ ha, ny mene He aoe a ron ta itt DA, ba.) ie ae wis DANS ir pit CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 69 were indeed laborious, both to the writer and reader. Matthiolus was held in high repute as a botanist, and the beautiful Stocks, such as our Annual Garden, Brompton, Winter, and Purple Gillyflowers, are appropriate remem- brances, and have remained on our beds amid all those changes of fashion which affect even flowers. The little garden flower used as an edging for the bed, and called the Virginian Stock, is properly the Mediterranean Stock (Malcolmia). It has been found apparently wild on some sea-cliffs near Dover, but was certainly introduced there either by human hand, or by some of those aerial messengers which waft plants hither and thither. 2. Great Sea-stock (M. sinuata).—Stem herbaceous, spreading ; leaves oblong, downy, the lower ones somewhat lobed ; pods rough with prickles. Plant biennial. It is on the sandy coasts of Wales and Cornwall that we must look for this rare Stock. It is night-scented, and very sober tinted, its blossom being of dull purple, and opening in the month of August. It is not, like many night-scented flowers, closed during day-time, but is like the blossoms of the lime-tree, the moschatel, and the musk mallow, in which the scent seems to increase as the dews of evening descend upon the petals. Through the night, too, its odour is perceptible, though this is not so power- ful as in that singular species of the South of Europe, the Night-flowering Stock (Matthiola tristis), which is all day like a withered flower, and needs the air of night to freshen it into vigour and sweetness. Linnzus named night-blooming flowers flores tristes, and many deserve this name in a peculiar manner, like this Stock, by their dull colour. But all are not, at least in this sense, sorrowful flowers; for that most magnificent of blossoms, the night-flowering cereus (Cereus grandiflora), whose beauty is never revealed in the day-time, and whose full glory of hue and fragrance is attained at midnight, is of a beautiful white hue, and has a coronal of golden stamens. Of all night flowers it is the queen, and its scent is far more powerful than that of any plant of our country. The dawn of morning, which bids so many flowers unfold, is a warning to the night-flower to close its petals ; and Scented Night-stock and cereus are then scentless, and the latter even faded. Little beauty as our Great Sea-stock may have to attract the eye of the wanderer, yet its odour renders it welcome to those who ramble forth to see the moonlight on the waters. It is not on the shore that we expect the odour of flowers, any more than the singing of birds. Both sounds and sweet airs of the country must yield here to the music of winds and waters, and the odour of the salt sea waves. Little scent comes from the cliff or sand, either by day or night, save that of an occasional clump of white Burnet roses, which sometimes stud the shore, or, on some rare spots, the powerful odour of the night-flowering catchfly, or this large Stock. 26. CABBAGE; TuRNIP NAVEW (Brassica). 1. Common Wild Navew (B. campéstris).—Stem-leaves heart-shaped, tapering to a point, clasping, glaucous ; root-leaves lyrate, toothed, somewhat rough ; pods erect. Plant annual. This plant, during June and July, when it is in flower, is so much like the common charlock as to be easily mistaken for it. ‘The smoothness and sea-green tint of its upper leaves serve as a dis- tinction, for all the foliage of the charlock is rough. The Navew is common 70 CRUCIFERA on field-borders, in corn-fields, and ditches. It has several varieties ; one of them, the Brassica oleifera, called the Colsa, or Colza, is one of the plants cultivated for the sake of its seed, known as Cole-seed, which yields a large quantity of oil. The leaves of this plant are also used. as fodder for cattle, and the stalks are burned for manure. It is thought to be the origin of the Swedish turnip of our agriculturists, and its root, which in its wild state is spindle-shaped, becomes, under culture, turnip-shaped. Sir William Hooker and Dr. Arnott remark, that, in Scotland, it has never been found, except where the Swedish turnip had been previously cultivated. 2. Sea Cabbage (B. olerdcea).—Root stem-like, fleshy ; leaves lobed, waved, smooth, and glaucous ; upper ones sessile, and oblong. Plant biennial. Few plants are more conspicuous on some of our sea-cliffs than this Cabbage. On many of the cliffs of Devonshire, Cornwall, Wales, and Yorkshire, it is plentiful; and on the lofty heights of Dover, it 1s, from May till the end of summer, one of the loveliest ornaments of the cliffs. Its large panicle of lemon-coloured blossoms contrasts beautifully then with the pink centaury, and purple knapweeds, and the rich blue of the bugloss, which overtops them all. In winter, too, the old white cliffs receive some additional beauty from the foliage of this plant. Much of it is yet verdant when all around is fading ; and dark, purplish, red-tinted leaves mingle with those which are green, and with others which are of deepest yellow, and please the eye by their varied hues and graceful forms; and when the hoar-frost spangles them, they seem enriched with glittering diamonds. The wind revels among the cliffs, rattling as it passes the old withered stalks, which in the last summer were gay with the flowers, but which now stand out from the crevices like the naked boughs of some shrub. In summer, the large blossoms may be seen far away up the cliff, hanging out from its very summit ; or we may look at them as they cluster close by its base, or among the shingle and sand, just above the high-tide mark, but often dashed by the spray when winds are wild. The leaves have a salt and bitter flavour, but repeated washings will fit this Cabbage for use, and when boiled it is a good vegetable. Boys occasionally gather it from the cliff, and carry it into the town for sale ; but it does not seem to be much used in the neighbourhood, either by rich or poor. The common Cabbage butterfly, Pieris brassice, the caterpillar of which makes so much havoc in the kitchen garden, does not neglect the Cabbage of the cliff, though it appears to prefer the cultivated plant. This the author had the opportunity of remarking in the summer of 1851, when a little garden on the cliff side, redeemed from the waste, and carefully tended by an industrious cottager, was visited by this caterpillar. A large piece of land had been planted with rows of Cabbages, but not a single plant was uninjured. The whole produce was completely destroyed by the ravages of the devouring insects, while hundreds of wild Cabbage plants bloomed around with leaves unharmed, or only here and there betray- ing marks of the destroyer. The Sea Cabbage, small as it is, with its few scattered leaves, is important as having been the origin of all the giant and small Cabbages, both white and red, of Savoys and Brussels Sprouts, and delicate Cauliflowers and Broccoli, and all the varieties of greens which the gardener raises with so much care, Brassica campestris Brassiva monensis 2 SEA CABBAGE k RAPE OP COLE SEED Brassica oleracea S“OMMON TURNIE vu a ie ap ye i Nia ‘a Ay an08 rt i) ra ey a De te J a CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 71 Few who look on it as it grows on the cliff would believe that culture could effect such changes; but from earliest days it has received cultivation. There is no doubt that the Brassice of the ancients belonged to the Cabbage genus, though it would, indeed, be a waste of labour to attempt to discover to which of the kinds the Greek and Roman writers allude. Indeed, in the lapse of ages, so many new sorts have arisen, and, doubtless, so many old ones been lost, that it is impossible to tell whether that Cabbage which the ancients ate raw to prevent intoxication is that of which the modern German makes his sawer kraut, or which the Turk pickles for his winter food, or which the Englishman boils for his “greens.” We know that the ancients had a curled Cabbage ; they therefore, probably, dined sometimes on Broccoli. Our Cauli- flower was brought from the Levant into Italy about the sixteenth century, and gradually found its way into England, though it was long a rare vege- table, and seems to have been unknown to Conrad Gesner; while it was regarded by Bauhin as so rare, that he particularly names the garden where he saw it growing. In Tarragona, this vegetable is said, in our day, some- times to weigh as much as forty pounds. Numerous varieties of brassica have been, and still are, produced by gardeners. There are Thousand-headed and Hundred-leaved varieties reared for cattle. There are Drumheads, and various Red and White Cabbages and Cauliflowers, cultivated for our vegetable diet, and Savoys for our winter use. Our continental neighbours have produced their Ribbed Kale, and the Brussels Sprouts are unexpanded leaf-buds of a common variety of Cabbage. The celebrated Kohl-rabi, or Turnip-stemmed Cabbage, has been, of late years, introduced into this country as food for cattle ; and, when young, is some- times cooked for our tables. There are Scotch Kales, Tree Kales, and Palm Kales, which last are sometimes ten or twelve feet in height; and the Cxsarean Cow-cabbage, which is described as attaining in La Vendée the enormous height of sixteen feet ; and these plants are somewhat palm-like in the tufts of leaves which surround their stems. The inner portion of these Cabbages, their “ hearts,” as they are termed, are good for the table, and the outer leaves are given to cattle. It is principally for these outer leaves that the Palm Kale is cultivated in Jersey. The French have, like our own gardeners, a large number of varieties of: Cabbage under culture ; and their Chouw verts, their Chouw de Milan, their Cavaliers Roquettes, and various others, are in common use. Our wild Cabbage grows on the sea-cliffs of several parts of the shores of Europe, and other wild Cabbages grow on more distant shores. ‘The Cabbage plant, too, is a frequent object of culture in the East. Mr. Fortune, in his ‘Wanderings in China,” says that one of the Cabbage tribe, Brassica chinensis, is extensively cultivated there, both in the province of Chekiang and also in Kiangse, and in great demand for the oil which is pressed from its seed. Its stems are three or four feet high, with yellow flowers, and long pods ; and he remarks, “In April, when the fields are in bloom, the whole country seems tinged with gold ; and the fragrance which fills the air, particularly after an April shower, is delightful.” 3. Isle-of-Man Cabbage (2. monénsis).—Leaves pinnatifid and glau- cous ; stem nearly leafless, prostrate ; pods 4-angled, | to 3-seeded. Plant 72 CRUCIFERA perennial. This species is found on some parts of the north-west shores of our island, growing on the sand. Its bright, lemon-coloured flowers are streaked with purple, and it blossoms in June and July. It is eaten by sheep and cattle with great avidity. 4, Rape or Cole-seed (B. ndpus).—Leaves smooth, somewhat glaucous, lower ones lyrate and toothed, upper ones narrow and heart-shaped, clasping ; pods spreading. Plant biennial. The slender-rooted variety of this Cabbage is so much cultivated for the oil produced by its seeds, that we have many of the young plants in our corn-fields and waste ground, though the species is not truly wild. It has small yellow flowers in June and July, and its stem is about one or two feet in height. ‘The whole plant is, in winter, useful as fodder for sheep, and is sometimes sown for spring salads, like mustard and cress. It is sometimes called Reps or Navette. 5. Common Turnip (B. rdpa).—Root fleshy, round or oblong ; root- leaves lyrate and rough ; lower stem-leaves cut, upper ones ovate, heart-shaped, and clasping. Plant annual. This is not truly a British plant, though often found wild on field borders, and it is probably a variety of B. campéstris or B. népus. Our Common Turnips, so valuable to the agriculturist, in all their various tints of white, yellow, green, black, and red, are varieties of B. rdpa. Some of them are flat or roundish in form, others are oblong, and are termed Decanter or Tankard Turnips. Their importance in husbandry, their value as food, both for man and animals, have rendered the culture of this vege- table very general, both in this and other European countries. The roots are too well known on our tables to need any commendation, and the young green tops are also eaten. The loud cry of ‘Buy my turnip-tops !’ is one of the familiar sounds of the city on the early spring morning; and, though slightly bitter, yet these leaves form a pleasant as well as wholesome vege- table, and are much better when procured from the open field than the garden. Sir Humphry Davy ascertained that a comparatively small amount of nutritious matter was contained in the Turnip—not more than forty-two parts in a thousand. It is probable that the Romans first cultivated the vegetable in this country ; and there seems no reason to doubt that this was the plant known to them by the name of Rapa, though we have in modern times a much larger variety of kinds than they had. Their ancient writers strongly recommend the extensive growth of the Turnip, because, as they said, those roots which were not required for human food could be given to eattle ; and both Columella and Pliny state that the Turnip was to be con- sidered as next to corn in value and utility. Pliny mentions some of the Turnips of his times as weighing forty pounds each—a size never reached by the Turnips of modern days; though a Turnip grown in Surrey, in July, 1828, is described as twenty-one pounds in weight, and one yard in circum- ference. It is well known that several plants introduced by the Romans were lost for a period, and their culture afterwards renewed ; but it is quite probable that the cultivation of this was at no time wholly discontinued. It is certain that the root was grown in this land during the sixteenth century ; but about that period several vegetables now in use were introduced by the Flemish, so that we cannot be assured that this was not among that number. The Turnip is mentioned by several writers at the latter end of that century. CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 73 Cogan, in his “ Haven of Health,” published in 1597, says, that although many men love to eat Turnips, yet do swine abhor them. From Gerarde’s “Herbal,” published at the same time, we may infer that more than one variety was cultivated in the neighbourhood of London at that period. “The small Turnep,” he says, that “grows by a village near London, called Hackney, in a sandie ground, and is brought to the crosse in Cheapside by the women of the village to be solde, is the best that I ever knew.” ‘Turnips have been used very extensively as food in seasons of dearth. Thus, in the years 1629—30, when there was a great scarcity of provisions in England, excellent white bread was made of these roots, which for this purpose were boiled, and, the moisture being expressed, were kneaded with an equal quantity of wheaten flour. They were also thus eaten in Essex at a much later period. St. Pierre, speaking of the beauties of the vegetables of the north of Europe, describes some very richly tinted roots of the Turnip. ‘“ Nature,” he says, “to indemnify these countries for the scarcity of apparent flowers, of which it produces but a small number, has bestowed their perfumes on several plants, as the Sweet Reed (Calamus aromaticus) ; the Birch, which in spring emits a strong smell of roses ; and the Fir, the apples of which are sweet-scented. She has likewise diffused the most pleasing and the most brilliant colours of flowers on the most common of vegetables, such as the cones of the Larch, which are of a beautiful crimson, on the scarlet berries of the Service-tree, on the Mosses, the Mushroom, and even on the Swedish Turnip. On the subject of this last vegetable, hear what the accurate Cornelius le Bruyn says in his voyage to Archangel :—‘ During our resi- dence among them (the Samojedes), they brought us several species of 'Turnips of various colours, and of surprising beauty. Some were violet, like our plums ; others gray, white, yellowish; all were streaked with red, like ver- milion, or the most beautiful lake, and as pleasing to the eye as a carnation. I painted some of them on paper in water-colours, and sent a quantity to Holland, in a box filled with dry sand, to one of my friends, a lover of this kind of curiosities. I carried my paintings to Archangel; when nobody would believe they were copied from nature, till I produced the Turnips themselves—a proof that very little attention is there paid to the rarest and . most curious productions of Nature.’ These Turnips I take to be of the species called Ruta baga, or Swedish Turnip, the bulb of which grows above the ground—at least, I presume so, from the drawing which Le Bruyn him- self gives of it, and because I have seen such in Finland. They are superior in taste to our cabbage, and have a flavour similar to the hearts of artichokes. I have produced these testimonies of a painter, and that painter a native of Holland, on the beauty of these colours, to overthrow a prejudice which is so general, that in the Indies alone the sun gives a magnificent colouring to vegetables.” 27. MUSTARD (Sindpis). 1. Wild Mustard or Charlock (S. arvénsis).— Leaves rough, and toothed ; pods with many angles, rugged, and knotty, longer than the awl- shaped beak ; stem bristly. Plant annual, This Charlock is too frequent 10 74 CRUCIFERA in the corn-fields, its yellow flowers gleaming there all the summer long. It is, like all Mustards, very pungent, and might be cultivated for its seeds, but that their flavour is not so pleasant as that of the species commonly reared for the mustard of our tables. The flowers look bright among the green spring blades, and at the later season have such floral companions as the poet has described :— ‘* Earth is very beautiful amid these steeps and valleys ! Golden wheat now quivers rip’ning in the sun. Up yon hazel’d slope the farmer loudly rallies Reapers to their morning task ; lo, it is begun ! Wild flowers around their varied tints are showing, Sweeps of yellow Charlock around the fields are seen, The scarlet hoods of poppies, ’mid dark green turnips glowing, Are brighter than the ruby gems that deck an Indian queen. Earth is very beautiful Amid her valleys green !” The Charlock is, in various counties, termed Cherlock, Garlock, Chadlock, or Cadlock. In Yorkshire it is called Runsh, and in many places is known by the name of Corn-mustard. Its young tops are boiled and eaten by country people. 2. White Mustard (8S. d/ba).—Pods bristly, rugged, spreading, shorter than the flat two-edged beak ; leaves pinnatifid. Plant annual. This plant grows on waste ground and by field borders, and has large yellow flowers in June: its young leaves are used as salad. 3. Common Mustard (S. négra).—Pods quadrangular, smooth, slightly beaked ; lower leaves lyrate ; upper, linear, smooth. ‘This species and the last are the plants commonly cultivated for the mustard of commerce, and large fields are sown for this produce, in Essex and other counties. The pungent seeds consist of a mucilaginous and farinaceous substance, combined with a bland fixed oil, and a volatile or essential one, of great pungency, in which sulphur is said by Miiller to exist to the amount of about thirty per cent. The acridity of this latter oil is increased if the seeds are kept some time after they are gathered, or it is at once developed by steeping the seeds in vinegar. The seeds when prepared for use are first dried in a kiln, and ground to powder; when, by some delicate process, the black husks are removed. In France this process is either ill understood, or the husks are retained because they possess greater pungency than the inner portion of the seed ; the French mustard is consequently stronger than ours, but not of so good a colour. Our English word “ mustard,” as well as the moutarde of the French, is derived from mustum ardens, “ hot must ;” the sweet must of new wine having been an old ingredient of the condiment, as used in France. In our country it is often prepared for the table by the admixture of the juice of horse-radish, or other pungent substances, as well as with milk ; but when this is used, the preparation is only fit for immediate use. The seeds of both this and the White Mustard have been used medi- cinally ; and, like many other remedies whose properties are apparent, they have often been taken in total ignorance of the disease for which they were applied ; and though in many cases unobjectionable, or even useful, have in some produced evil consequences. Professor Wheeler has recorded in the Chelsea Catalogue instances in which the use of mustard-seed proved fatal. L WILD MUSTARD COMMON MUSTARD “Maps arvensis AMapis lagra = WHITE MUSTARD + NARROW LEAVED WALL MUSTARD Sinapis alba Simapis tenuitolia SAND MUSTARD Siuapis murals fH 29. oat yee! dele vt CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 75 Old writers had the highest opinion of its invigorating powers. The seeds were recommended to be mixed with gum arabic and rose-water, and taken before meals by those who had little appetite, or a weak digestion. “ Let old men and women,” says one of the herbalists, “take much of this medicine, and they will either give me thanks, or show manifest ingratitude.” Its outward application was to produce marvellous relief to various pains, to take off the blackness of bruises, to cure the tooth-ache, and even to “help the falling off of the hair.” The young plants of the Common Mustard are good for salad, and are often raised in gardens to be eaten with cress. ‘The Germans call this plant Senf. Itis the Senepa of the Italians ; the Mostaro of the Spaniards ; and the Mosterd of the Dutch. The seeds of the Mustard are remarkable for the rapidity of their deve- lopment—a quality well known to children, who watch with eagerness for the first seed-leaves which emerge from the soil so soon after they have sown the seeds in their little gardens ; and it has been jocosely said, that a salad might be grown while a joint of meat was being roasted. Professor Burnett, remarking on the tenacity of life of these seeds, says that when a crop of Mustard has once been seeded, self-sown stragglers will come up for a century afterwards. Their rapidity of growth is greatly accelerated by certain con- ditions of the atmosphere. Mr. Pine, in a paper read to the Electrical Society, brings many cases to prove that luxuriance of vegetation is in proportion to the positive state of the air and the negative state of the soil. Thus, a drooping narcissus, being removed into a room, the atmosphere of which was continually surcharged with electricity from a machine often used for electrical purposes, revived, and attained the gigantic height of thirty-six inches. Mustard-seed, in a pot, the soil of which was negatively electrical, vegetated with greater vigour than when in a positive soil, and much greater than when the seed was in its ordinary condition. The little mustard-seed has an interesting association, from having been more than once referred to by our Saviour; and ‘small as a grain of mustard-seed’ was probably a common comparison with the Jews. The plants of Scripture, like those of the classical writers, have been the objects ‘ of much careful investigation, and, doubtless, many have been identified by the researches of late years. We owe much to Dr. Royle in this matter ; and in a paper read before the Royal Asiatic Society, in 1844, this botanist, after showing the unsuitability of various plants hitherto supposed to be the Sinapi cf the New Testament, concluded that the true Mustard-tree is the Khardal of the Arabs. This word is, in the Arabic language, synonymous with our Mustard, and the tree thus named is abundant on the banks of the Jordan and the Sea of Tiberias, and is there used for the mustard of the table. It is the Salvadora persica of the botanist, and is a tree with numerous branches, among which the birds of the air may take shelter, while its seed is so small, as well to symbolize that little germ of faith to which our Saviour referred, in answer to that prayer so needful for us all, which came at that time from the lips of His disciples, ‘Lord, increase our faith !” and which He elsewhere compared to the grain sown in the ground, which increased to the great tree. 10—2 76 CRUCIFERA Irby and Mangles seem to have referred to this plant in their “Travels ”; but Sir Joseph Hooker and Dr. Tristram differ from Dr. Royle on the ground that the Salvadora does not grow in the Holy Land proper, though it is found in the Dead Sea basin. They contend that our S. nigra is the species referred to, for in Palestine it attains a height of ten feet, and may be fitly regarded as a tree among herbs, for flocks of linnets and other finches “lodge” among its branches for the sake of its abundant seeds. 4. Wall-rocket (S. tenwifélia).—Pods shortly beaked, erect; stems erect, leafy; leaves long and narrow, very acute, pinnatifid, or twice- pinnatifid, smooth. Plant perennial. In the south, south-west, and east of England, this is a common plant, with branched stems a foot or a foot and a half in height, and bearing, from June to September, a few pale yellow flowers. The different species of wild Mustard are sometimes difficult of determination by the young botanist, but this may be known at once from the others by its peculiar odour. The flowers have a scent which, though disagreeable to some, is liked by others. The author was accustomed, during childhood, to call the flower Yellow Custards, because of its somewhat almond-like fragrance, a fragrance still pleasing to her, as to many. Of the odour of the leaves, however, there would be but one opinion, for though while growing they seem almost scentless, yet, on being crushed, they emit the most nauseous and disgusting scent. This Rocket is often found in England, near houses, and on dry banks, or old walls, and heaps of rubbish about towns, and is very plentiful in the suburbs of London. It is rare in Scotland, but is found in Cheviotland. This plant is by some placed in the genus Sisymbrium, but with other writers, this, and the following species, are referred to the genus Diplotdxis. 5. Sand-rocket (S. murdlis)—Pods shortly beaked, erect ; stem her- baceous, spreading, leafy only at the base ; leaves smooth, and waved. ‘This species is much like the last, but it has a simple stem, is much smaller, and is annual. It grows on sandy fields, near the sea, chiefly in the south and south-west of England. It is very abundant in cultivated lands in the Isle of Thanet, especially about Ramsgate. Dr. Withering observes of it,— “This weed, which has overrun the whole arable land of the Isle of Thanet, was first remarked, some twenty years ago, near to the beach at Broadstairs, and is believed to have been introduced on that spot by a corn-laden vessel, wrecked on that part of the coast.” 28. Dame’s VIOLET (Hésperis). Common Dame’s Violet (HH. matrondlis)—Stem erect; leaves broadly lance-shaped, toothed; limb of the petals inversely egg-shaped ; pods erect. Plant perennial. This is a handsome flower, often cultivated in gardens, and known, in old times, by the name of Rogue’s Gillyflowers. It is occasionally found on hilly pastures in several parts of the kingdom, but has, doubtless, been the outcast of some neighbouring garden. It has pale purple flowers, fragrant in the evening, from May to July. The French call it La Julienne ; it is the Nachtviole of the Germans. It was because of the custom of German ladies of placing these flowers in their rooms, that the ub WILD RADISH 2 SEA RADISH Raphamms xaphanistrom Raphanus martimms Pi, 30, CRUCIFEROUS TRIBE 77 plant was called Dame’s Gillyflower. Queen’s Gillyflower was another of its old names. It was also termed Damask Violet. 29. RapisH (Rdphanus). 1. Wild Radish (2. raphanistrum).—Leaves lyrate, and stalked ; pods jointed, l-celled. Plant annual. This Wild Radish is often called Jointed Charlock, and has much of the general aspect of the wild mustard, though it is readily distinguished by its jointed pods, and pale straw-coloured flowers, veined with purple. These blossoms may be found throughout the summer, and are often white, but occasionally tinged with red. It is a rough plant, growing in corn-fields and by road-sides. Its roots have the odour of those of the Garden Radish, but are more pungent; and they are said to be preferable to horse-radish for the table, but when quite young are milder. The leaves were formerly much valued as a pot-herb. This Radish grows in cultivated lands throughout Europe, and in wet seasons a great quantity of the plant is found in the barley-fields of Sweden. Its seeds become mingled with the grain, and when ground with the corn and made into barley-bread, they were supposed by Linnzus to be the cause of a violent and dangerous spasmodic disease, called Raphania, which is an occasional epidemic of Sweden. The plant, however, abounds in our English fields, and in some of the cold moist valleys of Dauphiny is one of the most frequent weeds, yet in neither country is this disease experienced. Professor Burnett thinks that the injurious effect of the plant in some circumstances may be owing to a morbid condition of the seeds, or to the growth of noxious fungi upon them, rather than to anything unwholesome in the seeds themselves ; and this would account for the fact that Raphania is an occasional, and not an annual disease; but many writers think that the malady is altogether unconnected with the plant. The Garden Radish, that common salad root, is the Raphanus satwus. It has several varieties, as the Turnip, Spanish, and other well-known Radishes. The Tree-Radish, Raphanus caudatus, is remarkable for the length of its pod, which is greater than the whole height of the plant. The young leaves of most of the species are eaten as salads in the lands in which they grow. The | Radish is called Radis by the French, Der Rettig by the Germans ; it is the Tamme Radys of the Dutch, and the Rafano of the Italians. 2. Sea Radish (2. marttimus). — Leaves interruptedly lyrate; pod jointed, marked with lines, and larger than the preceding. Plant biennial. This plant, which grows on sea-cliffs, and bears its yellow flowers in June, is very similar to the last species. It is by many writers regarded as a variety only, its chief points of difference being its larger pods, and the form of its leaves, which are composed of small and large leaflets, arranged alternately. It has been found on many parts of the coast, especially on the South and West. Order VII. RESEDACEA—ROCKET TRIBE. Calyx often irregular, divided into from 4 to 7 segments ; petals unequal, jagged at the back ; stamens, as well as the petals, inserted on an irregular 78 RESEDACEAL disk, on one side of the flower ; stigmas 3, sessile ; ovary 3-lobed, 1-celled, many seeded, open at the summit ; seeds kidney-shaped ; plants herbaceous, more rarely somewhat shrubby, their flowers being arranged in clusters or spikes, and their leaves alternate. The properties of all are innocuous, and, with the exception of the Dyer’s Weed, they are little used for any economical purposes. Rocket (feséda). — Calyx of one piece, many-parted ; petals entire, or variously cut, unequal; stamens numerous ; capsule 1-celled, opening at the summit. Name from resédo, “to calm,” from the supposed sedative effect of some of the plants. Rocket, MIGNONETTE (Leséda). 1. Dyer’s Rocket, Yellow Weed, or Weld (2. Jutéola).—Leaves long, narrow and undivided ; calyx 4-parted ; stigmas 3. Plant biennial. On chalky inland or sea-side cliffs, or by the road-side or field-borders, this tall, slender species often attracts the eye of the wanderer over the chalky or limestone soil. It is an erect, herbaceous plant, from two to three feet high ; its pale yellow, greenish flowers, blossoming in July, having very conspicuous stamens, and being succeeded by short flattened capsules. It was, in former times, much used by dyers, and cotton, silk, linen, and woollen materials receive a beautiful tint from its juices ; while blue cloths dipped in the dye assume a rich green colour. very portion of the plant is used by the dyer, and to the juices of this yellow weed the artist owes the colour called Dutch pink. This plant is remarkable as being one of the first which appear on the rubbish thrown from coal-pits. Linneus observes of it, that it follows the course of the sun even when obscured by clouds, pointing throughout the day in its direction, turning to the east at the dawn of morning, looking southwards at noonday, saluting the west at sunset, and at midnight standing due north. 2. Wild Mignonette (2. litew).—Leaves 3-cleft, lower ones pinnatifid ; calyx 6-parted ; petals 6, very unequal. Plant biennial. This is so much like the Garden Mignonette, the Little Darling of the French, “The French- man’s Weed,” as Cowper calls it, that it would at once be known as a Mignonette by any who are familiar with the scented flower. Its spikes of blossoms, however, have not the pretty reddish tinted. stamens of that species, being altogether of a yellowish-green hue. The odour of the Wild Mignonette, too, is rather unpleasing than agreeable, though it is not powerful. Calder Campbell, in a little poem which he has written for this volume, alludes to this circumstance. “«The flowers we gather in the sun may soothe us in the shade, As thoughts amid the crowd that spring our lonely hours pervade ; Consoling us for pleasures past by whispering of those That yet shall crown our honest toils with justly-earn’d repose. ‘* A book may hold a rose’s leaf, preserved for many years, Whose scents and hues can conjure up sad smiles that turn to tears : Affection dormant, if not dead, may wake again restored, By finding faded nosegays in some old neglected hoard. ‘‘\When I remember blossoms cull’d in early days of yore, I seem to smell their fragrance, though I see their blooms no more ; A mem’ry thus oft makes the false, reality assume, As thoughts of violets with their scents may fill my quiet room. 1. DYERS ROCKET YELLOW WEED 2 WILD MIGNONETTE Reseda Iuteola Reseda lutea 3 SHRUBBY ROCKET Reseda firnticulosa Pl, 31, ROCKET TRIBE 79 ‘Thus wandering o’er the cliffs one day, a wayside plant I saw, Which from my unaccustomed lips did joyful welcome draw ; A gush of perfume, at the sight, around me breathed,—but when I sprang and pluck’d the flowers, ah me! where was the fragrance then ? ‘«*Tt is the Mignonette,’ quoth I; ‘yet odour there is none !’ Abundant o’er the chalky hills its blossoms met the sun ; A deeper yellow on them lay than clad my garden flowers, And yet there was no soothing scent, the semblance only ours. ‘‘Oh false, but fair, Wild Mignonette! thou art the type of all Who promise fairly to the eye, but answer not the call Of such as seek to soothe the sense with sweetness rich and clear, As wind harps, wanting air, deny all sweetness to the ear.” Our Wild Mignonette is a common flower during June, July, and August, especially on chalky hilly lands. It is more bushy than the Dyer’s Weed, and its spikes are shorter, thicker, and of a yellower tint ; while its oblong wrinkled capsules are much more like those of the Fragrant Mignonette. This latter species is a native of Egypt, and is one of the most valued, though one of the most common, of our garden flowers ; its sweet odour often greeting us from the city, when the box is placed in the balcony, or when its clusters flourish on some little inclosure. To many a one who passes with hurried footstep, intent on the business of the day, it brings a sweet remembrance of country scenes and summer odours ; and its fragrance is borne in by the breeze, perchance, to some who lie on the sick-couch, and tells of gardens far away, and sweet spots of sunshine and flowers. It is not a century and a half since this well-known plant was introduced into this country, but, like the fuchsia, it so easily accommodated itself to our soil and climate, and became so general a favourite, that no garden is now without it. The famous Tree Mignonette is merely this species rendered shrubby, by preventing the early development of the blossoms. In France, where the plant has been much treated in this way, instances have occurred in which the woody stems have attained an inch in circumference. 3. Shrubby Rocket (R. fruticulésa).—Leaves all pinnate, waved, glau- cous; calyx 5-parted; petals 5, 3-cleft, nearly equal. Plant biennial or perennial. This plant is not truly wild, but is occasionally found in waste places in Cornwall, Somersetshire, and other counties, and is planted in gardens. It flowers in June, and may be distinguished by its sea-green tint, © and its 5-cleft flowers. Order VIII. CISTINEZ—ROCK-ROSE TRIBE. Sepals 5, the three inner ones twisted spirally while in bud; petals 5, twisted when in bud, in a direction contrary to the sepals, soon falling off; stamens numerous ; ovary single, 1 or many-celled ; style and stigma simple ; capsule 3, 5, or rarely 10-valved. The plants of this order are chiefly shrubby, but sometimes herbaceous, with undivided leaves, and yellow, red, purple, or white flowers, which are peculiarly ephemeral in their nature. Many of the species are exceedingly ornamental to gardens, for though falling off after one day’s bloom, yet the buds are so thickly crowded on the shrubs, that on the next day the boughs are again covered with a magnificent display of expanded flowers. Several of the herbaceous species are also planted in 80 CISTINEA clumps on the garden beds. On the rocks of Greece, as well as those of Palestine, the Cistus shrubs are very abundant, and all the genera abound most on dry and elevated spots, some of them being natives of almost all the countries of the world. The balsam called Ladanum, which is so much used as a perfume in Greece and in Oriental countries, and which is prized for its tonic and stomachic properties, is produced by the Cistus creticus. Southey has described the fragrance of the Cistus plants : ‘The forest or the lonely heath wide spread, Where Cistus shrubs sole seen, exhaled at noon Their fine balsamic odour all around, Strew’d with their blossoms, frail as beautiful, The thirsty soil at eve ; and when the sun Relumed the gladden’d earth, opening anew Their stores exuberant, prodigal as frail, Whiten’d again the wilderness.” 1. Rock-RrosE (Helidnthemum).—Sepals 5, the two outer either smaller or wanting ; petals 5; stamens numerous ; capsule 3-valved. Named from the Greek /elios, the sun, and anthos, a flower, because the flowers expand in the sunshine. 1. Rock-RosE (Helidnthemumy). 1. Common Rock-rose (7. vulgdre).—Stem shrubby, prostrate ; leaves with fringed stipules, opposite, oblong, green above, hoary beneath ; calyx of five leaves, the two outer very small and fringed; seeds black. Plant perennial. Anyone used to roam over the chalky or gravelly soils of this country must have often seen, early in spring and late in autumn, the pros- trate branches of this Rock-rose, covered with their leaves. In spring these are of a tender verdant tint; but late in the year they are rigid, of a dark myrtle-colour, and shine with the deepest green hue on the reddened leaf- stems. When the sunshine of July pours down on the grassy slopes, and tinges their sides with its gleams, the clumps of brilliant yellow flowers are bright, as if the sun had turned them into gold. They are truly, as the ancients called them, Beauties of the Sun, or, as some country people term them, Sun-Roses ; never opening save when skies are bright, and never lingering on till the late autumnal season. Their petals are crumpled and fragile, and the little unblown buds are very pretty, standing by thousands as they do among the grass on a cloudy day, waiting for the morrow’s sun. The stamens are very sensitive, and if only touched by the wing of an insect or the point of a needle, they all lie down on the petals. It is long before they resume their erect position, and in some cases they appear not to do so at all. ‘The bees seem very fond of these flowers, flying from one clump to another, with their deep joyous humming, passing by their favourite wild thyme, to rob the Cistus flower, which first invited them ; for these sagacious insects keep throughout the morning to the same kind of blossom as that from which they first gathered the honey, and never mingle the sweets of the thyme and the Cistus. Many writers on the flowers of Scripture consider that a variety of this Rock-rose is the plant alluded to in the Canticles, as the Rose of Sharon. It does not appear that the Hebrew word, Chabazzeleth, which our translators have rendered by “rose,” is ever applied to that flower ; and as the plains of COMMON ROCK- ROSE ‘ee ) : t WHITE, HOCK -TROSt Ci -——~ ? Helianthennim vulgare Hi. polifotion HOARY ROCK ROSE i DOTTED LEAVE ROCK- Ros! Hocanum HL. surpeysamu SPOTTED ROCK: ROSE 6 LEDUM LEAVED JROCK—JWSI HL guttatuan fi Jedifolhuas ROCK-ROSE TRIBE 81 Sharon are full of the red variety of the Cistus, it is reasonable to suppose that this may be intended. The subject has been well investigated by learned and judicious botanists; but whether this pretty Cistus, the asphodel, the true rose, or the narcissus, 1s the flower alluded to, cannot be fully ascertained. 2. Hoary Dwarf Rock-rose (H. cénum).—Shrubby, without stipules ; leaves opposite, egg-shaped or oblong, hoary beneath ; racemes of flowers terminal. Plant perennial. This very rare plant occurs on limestone rocks in the north of England, in Wales, and in the west of Ireland. Its flowers are small and yellow, appearing from May till July. The leaves are quite grey with down. 3. Spotted Annual Rock-rose (H. guttdétum).—Stems erect ; leaves long and narrow, the lower ones opposite and without stipules, the upper ones alternate. This is one of the rarest of our wild plants, and the typical form is known to occur only in the south and west of Ireland, and at Jersey and Alderney in the Channel Islands. A sub-species (H. brewert) occurs only at Anglesea and Holyhead. It flowers from June to September. It is a common species in France, Italy, Portugal, and Turkey. Its flowers are yellow, with a deep-red spot at the base of the petals. _ 4, Ledum-leaved Rock-rose (H. ledifélium). — Stem herbaceous, slightly downy, with stipules ; leaves lance-shaped ; flower-stalks solitary, opposite to the leaves ; capsule smooth and shining. Plant perennial. ‘This Cistus was reported by Hudson, as growing on Brean Downs, in Somerset- shire, but the record has never been confirmed. 5. White Rock-rose (H. polifélium).—Shrubby, procumbent, stipuled, hoary ; leaves oblong, more or less rolled under at the margin ; racemes solitary, terminal. Plant perennial. This white-flowered Cistus is very rare, and is confined to stony places in the south of England, as at Torquay, Babbicombe, and other places in South Devon; also on Brean Down, in Somersetshire, where it is very abundant. Many a botanist of these neigh- bourhoods goes forth to seek its blossoms in June and July, reminding one of Wordsworth’s words :— ‘¢ Happy in my judgment, The wandering herbalist, who, clear alike From vain, and that worse evil, vexing thoughts, Casts on these uncouth forms a slight regard Of transitory interest, and peeps round For some rare flow’ret of the hills, or plant Of craggy fountain ; what he hopes for, wins, Or learns, at least, that ’tis not to be won: Then, keen and eager as a fine-nosed hound, By soul-engrossing instinct driven along Through wood or open field, the harmless man Departs intent upon his onward quest ! No flow’ret blooms Throughout the lofty range of these rough hills, Or in the woods, that could from him conceal Its birth-place !” i 82 VIOLACEA& Order IX. VIOLACEA*X—VIOLET TRIBE. Sepals 5; petals 5, sometimes unequal; stamens 5; anthers lengthened into a flat membrane ; style with an oblique hooded stigma ; ovary 1-celled ; seeds numerous, in three rows. This order, which consists chiefly of the Violet genus, contains many favourite flowers of the gardener. The greater number of the tribe are hardy herbaceous plants, some remarkable for their fragrance, others for their beautiful colours ; but few are shrubs. They are found in most parts of the world, often occupying very elevated situations ; but they are entirely absent from the countries of Tropical Asia. The plants of this order which occur in temperate regions are generally herbaceous, but in South America the species are mostly shrubs. Their medicinal properties are found chiefly in the roots, which appear in all the Violets to possess emetic properties in a greater or less degree. One of the Ipecacuanhas, so valuable as a medicine, is the root of a Brazilian violet ; and several of the shrubby Violacee of Brazil are plants of great interest. VioLET (Viola).—Sepals 5, extended at the base; petals 5, unequal, the lower one lengthened into a hollow spur beneath ; anthers united into a tube, the two lower ones furnished with spurs, which are inclosed within the spur of the corolla; capsule with three valves. Viola was. the Latin name of some fragrant flower called Jon by the Greeks. VIOLET (Viola). * Leaves and flowers all springing directly from the root. 1. Hairy Violet (V. hirta).—Leaves heart-shaped, hairy, as are also the leaf-stalks and capsules ; bracts below the middle of the flower-stalks ; sepals obtuse ; lateral petals usually with a hairy central line. Plant perennial. This Violet, more than any other species, resembles that favourite flower, the sweet-scented Wood-Violet ; butits blue tint is darker, and usually it has not creeping shoots. The rough hairs which beset the leaf-stalks and leaves, and the total want of the sweet scent of that Violet, are also obvious distinctions. It blossoms in April, and is occasionally pale blue or white. It is not unfrequent in English woods and pastures, preferring a chalky or limestone soil, and thriving especially near the sea; but it is a rare plant in Scotland, although found in Dumfriesshire, and in the eastern parts of the country. The flowers of this, as well as of some other species, are often destitute of petals. 2. Sweet Violet (V. odordta).—Leaves heart-shaped, slightly downy, especially beneath; bracts about the middle of the flower-stalks ; sepals obtuse ; lateral petals with a hairy central line; scions creeping. Spring Violets! What lover of the country is not gladdened by their coming, and is not willing to search again for their buds among the dark-green leaves, as he did in his childhood? What wonder that poets have made them symbolic of beauty and virtue, from the old Arab bards and the Provencals of later years, and the Eastern minstrel who sings of the violet-tinted eyelid, to him who in our days compares the eye to the Violet dropping dew, or the secluded maiden to the ‘* Violet by the mossy stone, half hidden from the eye !” HAIRY VIOLET, \ , 5 DWARF YELLOW ~ SPURRED VIOLET Viola hirta fi} \ V. pamila SWEET VIOLET. 5 CREAM COLOURED VIOLET V. odarata ane V.lactea Bis MARSH VIOLET, 7 PANSY, OR HEARTSEASE V. palustris. V. tricolor 4 DOG VIOLET 8 MOUNTAIN PANSY V. sylvatica. V. lutea Pi. 53, VIOLET TRIBE 83 The south wind that came over the bed of Violets—the touching remark of Ophelia, who coloured all nature with the hues of her own sad thoughts, “I would give you Violets, but they withered all when my father died :” these and many another sweet poetic passage, serve to show how men in all ages have prized our spring flower. Which of us could spare the Violet from the memories of early life? And how many of us are even now reminded by its passing scent of scenes which may never be revisited, but whose verdure and sunshine and song make a picture on which the eye of the mind can linger as long as life itself shall last. The Violet is so associated with green meadows speckled over with lambs, and woods made musical with voices of singing birds and softly breathing winds, that many a lover of Nature can respond to the expression of Willis :— ‘J have found Violets, April hath come on ; And the cool winds feel softer, and the rain Falls in the beaded drops of summer-time. You may hear birds at morning and at even ; The tame dove lingers till the twilight falls, Cooing upon the eaves, and drawing in His beautiful bright neck ; and from the hills A murmur, like the roaring of the sea, Tells the release of waters ; and the earth Sends up a pleasant smell, and the dry leaves Are lifted by the grass,—and so I know That Nature with her delicate ear hath heard The dropping of the velvet foot of Spring. Smell of my Violets! I found them where The liquid south stole o’er them, on a bank That lean’d to running water. There’s to me A daintiness about these early flowers That touches me like poetry ; they blow With such a simple loveliness among The common herbs of pasture, and breathe out Their lives so unobtrusively, like hearts Whose beatings are too gentle for this world. ‘*T love to go in the capricious days Ot April, and hunt Violets ; when the rain Is in their blue cups trembling, and they nod So gracefully to the kisses of the wind. It may be deem’d unmanly, but the wise Read Nature like the manuscript of heaven, And call the flowers its poetry.” The Sweet Violet is rare in Scotland, and is thought by some botanists not to be truly indigenous to that country. It occurs, however, in most of the countries of Europe. The Violets of Athens and of Pzestum have had their praises sung by poets, and these flowers still attract the eye of the traveller among the ruins of Rome. The mechanism of the Violet flower is well worthy of special attention. The tube formed around the pistil by the edges of the anthers coming into close contact, and the extension forwards of the connective, provides a chamber in which the dry pollen is retained after being discharged from the anthers. The spurs from the lower stamens have become honey-excreting organs, and these lie in the hollow spur formed by a backward extension of the lower petal. The bent style with its enlarged head (stigma) occupies the centre of the flower, and a long-tongued bee reach- ing after the honey presses his hairy head against the stigma. In getting at 11—2 84 VIOLACEA the honey, his tongue pushes the anther spurs aside, and this has the effect of opening the pollen-chamber and letting a little shower of the dry grains fall upon his face. On visiting another Violet, this pollen will be at once deposited upon the stigma, and so effect cross-fertilization of its seeds. A few carefully-gathered Violets and a bristle or fine grass-stem will enable the reader to fully appreciate the beauty of this arrangement. Yet for some reason, not definitely known, these flowers produce but few seeds. Later in the season there appear the imperfect, never-opening (clezstogamous) flowers alluded to under /’. hirta, which give origin to well-filled seed capsules. In all Eastern countries the Violet is a favourite flower, and a sherbet flavoured with its blossoms is a common drink at the Persian and Arabian banquets. The flower is sold in the modern markets there, as it is in those of Paris or London, and as it was in those of Athens in former years, when people were employed to arrange bouquets for gifts, so as to be expressive of the sentiments of the donor. In olden times this species was called the March Violet, and it is still the Marzveilchen of the Germans, and the Violette de Mars of the French. Gerarde also calls it Black Violet, perhaps because of its purple hue, or possibly because Theophrastus having described the Violet as black, our herbalists thus distinguished the species which they supposed to be intended by the ancient writers. ‘They have,” he says, “‘a great prerogative above the other Violets, not only because the minde conceiveth a certaine pleasure and recreation by smelling and handling these most odoriferous flowers, but also for that very many by these Violets receive ornaments and comely grace ; for there be made of them garlands for the head, nosegaies, and posies, which are delightful to look upon, and pleasant to smell to, speaking nothing of their appropriate virtues ; yea, gardens themselves receive by these the greatest ornament of all cheerful beautie and most gallant grace. And the recreation of the minde which is taken thereby cannot but be very good and honest, for they admonish and stir up a man to do that which is comely and honest; for flowers, through their beautie, variety of colour, and exquisite forme, doe bring to a liberal and gentlemanly minde the remembrance of honestie, come- linesse, and all kindes of virtues. For it would be an unseemelie thing for him that doth look upon and handle faire and beautiful things, and who frequenteth and is conversant in faire and beautiful things, to have his minde not faire but filthie and deformed.” ‘The old herbalist was right ; the love of flowers has a refining and elevating influence, and the flower has so much to tell the listening heart of God’s care and goodness in creation, that he is indeed slow to learn the highest lessons, who shall gain no thought of their Maker while looking at them, and whose heart shall never utter the sentiment of Linnzeus, “Blessed be God for the green earth !” Pliny, and our old herbalists, had much to relate of the properties of the Violets. The Roman naturalist said that their odour cured the headache, and that great healing virtues existed both in leaf and flower. In modern practice a syrup of Sweet Violets is occasionally given to children, and the tincture of the flowers is a useful chemical test, uncombined acids changing the blue to red, and alkalies to green. By some botanists the flowers are considered anodyne in properties. Professor Lindley says, ‘They certainly VIOLET TRIBE 85 induce faintness and giddiness in particular constitutions, as I have witnessed. Triller mentions a case in which they produced apoplexy.” But peculiar effects are produced by the odour of other flowers besides Violets, the rose even not excepted. The Violet has ever been prized as an old English flower ; and we find the “cool Violet,” as Spenser calls it, named in the list of those which were present in all the old floral usages. Thus, in Dr. Roger Hacket’s celebrated sermon, entitled ‘““A Marriage Present,” the author introduces as flowers fitted to be used at weddings, Violets, and the roses called Maiden’s Blushes, though the rosemary was praised beyond them all, as “ medicinable for the head, and well affecting the heart,” an opinion which poets of the day fully declared to be general. From Googe’s translation of that old work, “'The Popish Kingdome,” we find that the Violet was among the flowers used in the old ceremony called “Creeping to the Crosse,” when, on Good Friday, priests, clad in crimson, and “singing dolefully,” carried the image of the cross, accompanied by another image, representing a person just dead. ‘“ With tapers all the people come, and at the barriars stay, Where downe upon their knees they fall, and night and day they pray ; And Violets, and every kind of flowres about the grave They straw, and bring in all their giftes and presents that they have.” The Abbot Neckam gives us his idea of a “noble garden,” which he says should be arranged with roses, lilies, sunflowers, Violets, and poppies ; he mentions also the narcissus. Mr. Macaulay, in his paper on the “ Flower Gardens of the Ancients,” remarks :—‘“ The Athenians always had flower- gardens attached to their country houses. One of those which Anacharsis visited he thus describes: ‘After having crossed a court-yard full of fowls and other domestic birds, we visited the stables, sheep-folds, and likewise the flower-gardens, in which we successively saw bloom narcissuses, hyacinths, irises, Violets of different colours, roses of various species, and all kinds of different plants.’” The Violet was, in early times, in our country, regarded as an emblem of constancy. ‘Thus an old poem says— “* Violet is for faithfulnesse, Which in me shall abide ; Hoping, likewise, that from your heart You will not let it slide.” The Troubadours classed it with the wallflower, as an emblem of this virtue. ‘Their prize of a golden Violet, awarded to the best versifier, proves, too, how much the flower was esteemed by them. This Violet, though usually of very dark blue, is sometimes found of pale lilac hue. White Sweet Violets are very common ; and the Rey. W. 'T. Bree found this flower of a red colour at Castle-hill, Allesley, and on the mount of Warwick Castle. Botanists have also found the red Violet in other countries. We used in childhood to think the white blossoms more fragrant than the blue ones, and they probably are so. Mr. Knapp, in his “Journal of a Naturalist,’ mentions a pretty practice of country children with these 86 VIOLACEA flowers. ‘We have,” he says, “our daisies strung and wreathed about our dress, our coronals of orchises and primroscs, and our cowslip balls; and one application of flowers at this season I have noticed, which though, perhaps, it is local, has a remarkably pretty effect, forming, for the time, one of the gayest little shrubs that can be seen. A small branch or long spray of the whitethorn, with all its spines uninjured, is selected, and on these its alter- nate thorns, a white and a blue Violet, plucked from their stalks, are stuck upright in succession, until the thorns are covered ; and when placed in a flowerpot full of moss, has perfectly the appearance of a beautiful vernal- flowering dwarf shrub, and as long as it remains fresh is an object of surprise and delight.” 3. Marsh Violet (/. palistris).—Leaves heart-shaped, or kidney-shaped, quite smooth ; sepals obtuse ; spur very short ; root creeping ; scions short. Plant perennial. This little flower is ike the other Violets in form, but it is much paler in colour than most of the species, being of a light grey lilae tint, marked with darker veins. It is in flower from April to June, among the large mosses of the bogs, or sometimes, as in the neighbourhood of Clifton, in shady moist lanes. Its stalks are short, and its leaves of pale green, often tinted with purple on the under side. It is less frequent in the south than the north of England, but is very abundant in Scotland, where it sometimes grows even at a considerable elevation. It is usually described as scentless, but, In some instances, it has the odour of the Sweet Violet, though not quite so powerful. * * Ryurnished with an evident stem. 4. Wood Violet (V. sylvatica).—Root-stock short ; leaves heart-shaped, and pointed, forming a rosette; sepals acute; stipules long, toothed, and fringed ; bracts awl-shaped, entire. Plant perennial. The flower, unlike that of the scented Violet, is not hidden among the leaves, but stands up on longer stalks, where it may be easily seen. It is usually more abundant than the Sweet Violet, in woods, hedges, and the borders of pastures, and it remains longer in bloom than most of the species, coming with the Sweet Violet, in April, and continuing till July. It is the largest of our native Violets, and, notwithstanding that it is scentless, it is very lovely in its pale blue lilac tint, sometimes in its profusion giving its own peculiar colour to some sunny bank. We have gathered these Violets from the woods of Kent, with the flower twice the size of the scented species, standing on a stalk seven inches high, though the common height is about five inches; and we have thought that it merited some better name than that of Dog Violet, given to it as well as to V. canina, in a contemptuous spirit, doubtless, because it lacked perfume. The leaves are small and thin, pale green, on long stalks. The flower is easily known from the fragrant species by its look of airiness and grace, and when growing high up in the clefts of rocks, as it sometimes does, it is very attractive. It had an old repute as a medicine in cutaneous disorders, and modern practitioners consider this as not wholly unmerited. In common with all the species of Violet, it has the power of throwing its seeds to a distance ; and anyone who in early summer will gather these capsules and place them in the sunshine, may see the mode in which the dispersion of the 1 PEACH-LEAVED VIOLET 3 SAND VIOLET (Viola persica folia ) (Viola arenaria |} tS DOG VIOLET, (Viola canina Pl. 34. VIOLET TRIBE 87 seed is effected. The capsule consists of one cell, which is full of seeds, and which is formed of three valves. The seeds are attached to the inner part of each of these valves, and the parchment-like covering bursts open as it ripens into three divisions, exposing to view the closely-arranged glossy seeds on each valve. Each valve begins to fold along the centre and bring the two halves together, thus exerting a gradually increasing pressure upon the polished oval seeds from below, and at length suddenly detaches them, and they are jerked off to a considerable distance. The capsule of the Violet, after ripening, stands upright on the stalk. ‘This upright position,” says a writer in the “ Magazine of Natural History,” speaking of it as occurring in the scented Violet, “appears to be intended by Nature to give more effect to the valvular mechanism for scattering the seeds, as it thus gains a higher elevation, in some cases more than an inch, from which to project them ; and this will give it, according to the laws of projectiles, a very considerable increase of horizontal extent.” A smaller variety of the Wood Violet is sometimes called Viola reichenbachiana; it has paler flowers, with longer spurs. 5, Cream-coloured Violet (V. léctea).—Stem divided into procumbeut or sub-erect flowering branches ; leaves egg-shaped, scarcely heart-shaped at the base ; petals narrow. Plant perennial. This Violet grows on mountains, and is not unfrequent on boggy heaths in England. It has also been found, though rarely, in Scotland and Ireland. Its flowers appear in May, and are pale blue or white. It is by many botanists considered to be but a sub- species of the Dog Violet. 6. Dog Violet (V. canina.)—This is probably a form or sub-species of V. sylvatica, but when that has its leaf-rosette well developed, it appears very distinct. In JV’. canina the leaves are on long footstalks, and the bracts are halfway up the flower-stalk, or a little above it, slender and toothed. It appears about a month later than the Wood Violet, and is found more on grassy banks than in woods. 7. Peach-leaved Violet (V. persicwfolia).—Though regarded by some authors as a distinct species, others regard this as a sub-species of V’. canina, from which it is distinguished by its long root-stock and its runners. Its flowers, too, are always paler, being either a delicate lilac tint or white. It is very local, and has been recorded as occurring in boggy places in the eastern counties ; also in Galway, Ireland. 8. Sand Violet (/. arenaria).—A small tufted plant, covered with hoary down, and with rounder leaves than those of V. canina. The flowers are pale blue, with broad petals and short spur, borne on short branches from the compact little rosette of leaves. They appear in May and June. It is one of the rarest of our native plants, only two localities being recorded. One of these is in Westmoreland, and the other in Upper Teesdale, at an altitude of 2,000 feet. 9. Pansy Violet, or Heartsease (V. tricolor).—Stem angular, branched ; leaves oblong, crenate ; stipules deeply cut ; terminal lobe broad, crenate. Plant generally annual. This, and the following species, are the only representatives in our fields of the Pansy, that beautiful velvet-lke flower which has so many varieties in the garden. Most of our garden 88 DROSERACEAL Pansies, as well as many of the cultivated Violets, have been brought from the south of Europe, though several come from colder countries, and, in many cases, are so altered by the management of the gardener, as to be very different from their condition when wild. Few flowers have received more attention from florists, or more praises from the old poets, than the Pansy, which is called by the latter Pensée, Pauncé, or Pansie, as well as by its old familiar names, still used in country places, of Kit-run-the-street, and Hearts- ease. That it was an acknowledged symbol of remembrance we know from Shakspere, Spenser, and the poets of those days ; and Chapman, too, who wrote in 1605, says,— ‘* What flowers are these ? The Pansie this ; Oh! that’s for lovers’ thoughts.” But our field Pansy the poets have not regarded, and it is little noticed save by botanists and country children, and by the farmer, who calls it a troublesome weed. It grows on a stem about half a foot high, and bears its flowers throughout the summer. These are usually of a pale yellowish hue, or cream colour, but they are sometimes veined, or more or less tinged, with purple, and the calyx of the buds is usually purplish. 10. Yellow Mountain-violet, or Heartsease (/V. litea).—Stem angular, branched chiefly at the base; leaves oblong, crenate; stipules deeply cut; terminal lobe narrow, entire. Plant perennial. This Pansy, which flowers in June, on mountainous pastures, is much like the last ; but its flowers, which are variable in size, are usually much larger. Though it is distinguished as the Yellow Violet, the petals are often of a deep purple. It is by some regarded as a sub-species of V. tricolor, from which it may be dis- tinguished by its wndergrownd runners. Order X. DROSERACEA-SUNDEW TRIBE. Sepals and petals, 4, 6, or 8; stamens distinct, either equal in number to the petals, or 2, 3, or 4 times as many; ovary single; styles 1—5, often 2-cleft or branched ; capsule of 1—5 cells and 2—5 valves, which bear the seeds at the middle or at the base. This is a small Order. The plants com- posing it are, in one or two instances, shrubby, but the British species are all herbaceous. The leaves are alternate, and, when young, are rolled up in the same manner as the young fronds of ferns. These plants are natives of bogs, marshes, and inundated lands, in all the temperate regions of the world, and are remarkable for the abundance of glandular hairs which cover all parts of the foliage. They possess an acrid principle, but their medical properties are not of much power. SuNDEW (Drdsera).—Sepals, petals, and stamens 4, 6, or 8; styles 2—5, deeply cleft ; capsule 1-celled, 2—5-valved. Name from the Greek droseros, dewy, the leaves being covered with drops which, during sunshine, look like dew. SUNDEW (Drdsera). 1. Round-leaved Sundew (VL. rotundijéliv) —Leaves all from the root, spreading around in a horizontal direction ; leaf-stalks hairy ; seeds chaffy. SUNDEW TRIBE 89 Plant perennial. There is not one of our wild flowers which has, during the last century, excited so much curiosity as our Sundew. This is the most frequent of the three species, and though we can hardly call it a common plant, yet it is abundant on many of our peaty bogs and heaths, as on those of Reigate in Surrey, Stoke Common near Slough, and Sandown in the Isle of Wight. Its flat leaves are on stalks, and roundish in form, tinged more or less with crimson, and surrounded with bristle-like hairs, and they lie in rosettes around its root, shining among the pale green bog-mosses. ‘The leaf- less stalks bear in July small white starry flowers. Yet few of these flowers expand, and one may look upon the nodding buds summer after summer, and think that the flower never expands at all, yet wonder to see how, without their expansion, the seed-vessels grow and ripen their seeds, and the patches of leaves grow larger and larger, and more of them are to be seen each suc- cessive summer. Gerarde and the older herbalists always in their illustra- tions of the plant represented it in its drooping unfolded condition. In the case of the author, long summers of patient watching were not rewarded by the loveliness of the full flower, and never has it been her lot, after years of acquaintance with it, to see it in all its glory, when masses of Sundew were, as described by a friend, “looking like crowds of pearls scattered over a fairy carpet of rubies.” Linnzeus had said that the blossom opened at ten in the morning and closed at mid-day. Yet no early rising, nor even the going forth with the dawn, will ensure the certainty of finding it in its perfect state ; nor can botanists explain this shyness and uncertainty of bloom. Even as lately as five-and-twenty years since, several well-known botanists wrote to the editors of magazines of natural history, inquiring if anyone had really seen the fully blown flower; and one careful observer replied by remarking that having transferred from the bog some plants of Drosera rotundifolia to some pots in his garden, he had at length, on one July day, seen, at half-past ten o'clock in the morning, the little white star of the flower. He added that this closed at one o'clock, as did also four other flowers which opened on the following day. On the other hand, several correspondents stated that although this Sundew opened at those hours only, yet even in the brightest sunshine it often continued closed at’ the time at which it was expected to unfold. 7 The same remarks may be made of the other two less common of our native species, which are sometimes found growing near the round-leaved plant. Bishop How informs the author that he found them all three on Whitall Moss, near Ellesmere, where he saw besides the rare shrub Andromeda (A. polifolia) in great abundance ; while on the neighbouring moss of Welsh Hampton the still rarer little marsh scheuchzeria (S. palustris) grew In some quantity. But if the flower has its mysteries, those of its leaves are the special point of the Sundew. These, which when young look like little green hoods, are now ascertained to form a number of complex vegetable traps, when they afterwards unfold into concave disks. The leaves are generally broader than long, and are covered with hairs, each of which bears a gland at the top. These hairs are called tentacles by Darwin, because of their power of 12 90 DROSERACEAR action, and he has found that the average number on each leaf is above 190, while some have as many as 260. Those in the centre are short and stand upright, and their stalks are purplish-green, and somewhat flattened. These leaves shine as if they retained the early dewdrops, for their hairs are sur- rounded by conspicuous drops of a clammy substance, which exude from the glands, and which, glittering in the sunshine, gained for the plant its name of Sundew—a name which finds its synonym in almost every country in Kurope. The flower was of old times called also Rossolis, as well as Red Rot. The plant, which turns black when drying, stains paper on which it is placed with a deep red hue. This juice of the Sundew, which may be drawn out in viscid threads, has long been known to be acrid and caustic—enough so, indeed, to blister the skin—and it is used by country people as a cure for corns and warts, though when diluted with milk it makes one of the best of vegetable cosmetics. It also curdles milk by its powerful acid properties, and the plant is said to cause some maladies to sheep if feeding on it. But the pastures on which it abounds would, from their moist nature, be unfavourable to the health of these animals, though the herb itself may probably merit the disfavour of the shepherd, as Professor Lindley mentions a Brazilian species which is con- sidered poisonous to cattle. The once-famed aqua rose solis, called also spirit of sundew, was highly praised by old writers as a cure for convulsions, and even the plague ; and the juice distilled with wine, and spiced, was formerly much used as a tincture. ‘* Beyond, the moorland has its wealth Of pink and purple, blue and gold ; Heather and gorse, whose breath gives health, And ling, a hive of bees that hold :— And when there’s moisture in the brake, The clammy Sundew’s glistening glands "Mid carmine foliage boldly make Slaves of invading insect bands. ” Everyone who has observed the Sundew must have seen how its leaves are disfigured by the blackened remains of dead insects, or the torn gauzy wings of little creatures yet struggling to escape, lessening for a time their beauty, but being really necessary to the very existence of the plant. When some insect, allured by the sweet drops, alights on a leaf, it is seen that this has a wonderful power of motion, reminding one of that of the tentacles of the sea-anemone. No sooner do those delicate feet touch one or two of these hairs, than those in their immediate neighbourhood converge to that part of the leaf, and all turning in, they enfold the unfortunate intruder. Mr. Darwin has seen a small butterfly entrapped by the Sundew, and another observer saw a large living dragon-fly, with its body firmly held down by two of the leaves. In ten seconds after the insect touches them the movement begins ; in five minutes the hairs are strongly curved inwards; and in half an hour the grasp is concluded ; nor are these movements dormant even during the night. Darwin, in his most interesting work on Insectivorous Plants, says: “I gathered by chance a dozen plants bearing fifty-six fully expanded leaves, and on thirty-one of them dead insects or remnants of them SUNDEW TRIBE 91 adhered ; and no doubt many more would have been caught afterwards, by these same leaves, and still more by those yet unexpanded.” Yet the heavy drops of rain, the nodding flower, or the sweeping grass-blade, never cause these clutching movements. Well for the plant that it is so, for were it otherwise, the Sundew would die before its time, of its useless activity ; for the leaves become inert after repeated exertions. It is due to the skilful experiments of Darwin—experiments made with the insight of genius, and a perseverance which can but command our wonder and admiration—that after years of discussions and surmises we have come to understand the habits of the Sundew ; for these experiments of his have resulted in positive proofs, and not in uncertain theories or suggestions towards truth, and have opened a new world of wonder for us all. He has termed these and other plants possessing like peculiarities carnivorous plants, and has shown that these leaves are destined to catch the prey on which they must feed. For the last fifty years some botanists have suggested that this might be the case, and more than one has placed small fibres of meat on these leaves, and expressed a conviction of what is now known to be the fact, that the plants throve all the better for their animal food. Yet these experimenters met a few years since with ridicule as a reward for their pains; and one learned botanist asserted that to suppose that the leaves of these plants ‘could absorb and dissolve animal substances was too evidently in disagree- ment with our knowledge of the whole course of vegetable nutrition to deserve to be seriously discussed.” But Mr. Darwin, after investigations pursued for fifteen years, has set at rest all the speculations and reasonings on the subject, and has pointed out beyond all question that it is substances alone which contain nitrogen that furnish the food of these plants, which indeed get little nourishment from the small roots growing in a soil from which little is to be derived. Their viscid secretion is a baited trap for the unwary, and this substance will dissolve completely pieces of the white of egg, tiny shreds of meat, cheese, drops of milk, and such parts of insects as the plant can digest, leaving the undigested portion to be cleared away by the winds. This secretion acts on them in exactly the same way as the gastric juice of mammals, and the digested matter is afterwards absorbed, the whole process differing from that of animals in this only: that the operation goes on in the plant before our eyes, while that of the animal is carried on out of sight. But these leaves are neither to be trifled with nor deceived. Overfeeding is as fatal to them as even to human beings ; for when Mr. Darwin gave them too much cheese or too large a fibre of meat, they rapidly bent their tentacles inwards, and, as if in greediness, secreted their acid copiously, but after a while actually died of surfeit. Raw meat and a decoction made from the leaves of young cabbages seem to be the substances which act most energetically on these leaves, their hairs bending inwards over them with great rapidity. But the Sundews reject those objects which contain no nitrogen. Many insoluble and inorganic substances, as scraps of glass, bits of quill, gun-cotton, which the gastric juice of the animal cannot digest, were at first closed in upon by the hairs, but not held in by them, and failed to excite any increased flow of acid. “That a 12—2 92 DROSERACEAL plant and an animal should pour forth the same, or nearly the same, complex secretion, adapted for the same purposes of digestion,” is, as Mr. Darwin remarks, “a wonderful fact in physiology.” The tentacles of these plants are most beautiful objects when seen under a microscope of high power. If one of these is cut off and soaked for about two days in glycerine, by which means the vegetable tissue is macerated, the spiral vessels which run up from the blade to the gland look like little coils of wire, so delicate and slender that no human hand could make such. Some accounts of those vegetable traps, the butterworts and bladderworts, occur on later pages of this work, but no movements similar to these and the Sundews seem to belong to any other of our wild flowers, though some show considerable sensitiveness to the touch. The movements of the stamens of some, when touched by the feet of an insect or the point of a needle, are due to vegetable irritability. The flower of the barberry is so affected by the slightest touch that the anthers quickly turn inwards. Those of the rock rose are equally sensitive, and the stamens of the pellitory of the wall will when ripe discharge their pollen, if but a foot of an emmet touches them. Some other wild flowers, and garden flowers too, catch insects by holding fast those which come to taste their sweets. Our red German catchfly (Lychnis viscaria) and some species of silene are in Summer months often darkened by little crowds thus entrapped. ‘The tall purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which makes our river-sides so gay with its pyramids of purplish crimson flowers, is another temptation to insects, and detains them by hundreds. 'That well-known tree, the Tacmahac poplar (Populus balsamifera), has its buds from autumn till the leafing season so covered with a glutinous yellow resin that multitudes of the latest and earliest insects of the year are ensnared by it. Even the large leaf of the teasel of our hedges (Dipsacus sylvestris) forms a hollow basin in which the dew and the rain from heaven form a little crystal pool, and into this -nany a thirsty insect plunges, only to be drowned. But though our Sundews have no congeners on our native soil, yet the well-known plant of our hot-houses, the Venus’ fly-trap (Dionwa muscipula), presents a still larger and firmer trap in its leaves, which are surrounded by bristles, and which close tightly over large butterflies, honey bees, and even beetles, whose decomposed remains emit a most intolerable odour. Three stiff hairs in the centre of each lobe of the leaf hold fast these creatures, which might otherwise be large enough to escape. These steel-like traps have also a secretion which completely absorbs and digests insects, and pieces of meat also form a welcome meal to them. ‘This plant excited the interest and wonder of Linnzus, when a drawing and description of Dionza were first sent him by our great naturalist Ellis, about the year 1768. Linnzus was greatly astonished at a mechanism so evidently intended for entrapping and destroying insects, and said that, though he had seen and examined no small number of plants, he had never met with so wonderful a phenomenon. It does not, however, appear that he took quite the same view as did Ellis of the use, for the latter remarks of the contrivances of the plant, that they show that ‘ Nature may have some views towards its nourishment in forming the upper joint of its leaf like a machine to catch food ; for upon the at ROUND -LEAVED SUNDEW 2 LONG: LEAVED SUNDEW Drosera rotundifolia Drosera intermedia 3 GREAT SUNDEW Drosera anglica Pl. 35. 1) ae ‘ - en) ‘ ee Ny iS h fol vr wie ve Faget, Sa) ip. a SUNDEW TRIBE 93 middle of this lies the bait for the unhappy insect that becomes its prey. Many minute red glands cover its surface, which perhaps tempt the poor animals to taste, and the instant these tender parts are irritated by its feet, the two lobes of the leaf rise up, grasp it fast, lock the rows of spines together, and squeeze it to death.” He adds that, lest the strong efforts for life in the creature just taken should serve to disengage it, three small erect spines are fixed near the middle of each lobe, among the glands, that effectu- ally put an end to all its struggles ; nor do the lobes ever open again while the dead animal continues there. Apparently the first hint of the use of the insect to the plant was thus given by Ellis, whose observations on zoophytes and other natural objects were so valuable an addition to science. Yet even he little thought that on the peaty bogs of his native land lay thousands of vegetable insect traps, with a somewhat similar mechanism, and which were daily nourished by crowds of creeping or flying animals. Those wonderful flowers, the different species of Sarracenia, often seen in our hot-houses, brought hither from America, and termed side-saddle flowers, from the shape of the sepals, are now known to be carnivorous plants, devouring their insect prey by myriads. Just within the rim of their pitchers lies a sweet viscid fluid, which attracts not only the tiny insects that come to sip the nectar, but large living creatures, as bees and spiders. At the smooth base of this pitcher there lies a limpid fluid, possessing digestive properties. The descent into this gulf is rapid and easy, for the inner surface on the upper part to the middle of the funnel is covered with a soft velvety hairiness quite smooth to the touch. But from the middle of the tube its inner surface is clothed with bristles turning downwards, which gradually become larger till near its base, when again all is smooth, rendering the upward path a hard, thorny, and inaccessible one to the insects whose gliding downwards was so easy and pleasant. The beautiful flowers, too, of the Virginian swallow-wort (Asclepias syriacus) are consummate insect-destroyers. Dr. Barton says that it is scarcely possible to find a blossom which has not entrapped its victims. Like the flowers just described, the way upwards, when once the descent is made, becomes hard, rough, and impossible to any but the largest and strongest insect, which has glided into them but to die there. In the State of Virginia whole acres of ground are sometimes covered with these flowers, and the whole surrounding atmosphere of such places is rendered disgusting by the putrescence of the decomposing matter within these blossoms. As we think of the innumerable swarms of insects which perish thus, we can only infer that this fatal power given to plants over the insect race is in accordance with that law of Nature by which in air, on land, or in the sea, one kind of created thing preys on another, keeping the numbers of all in due bounds, and providing for that infinite variety which gives to earth one of its greatest charms. 2. Spathulate-leaved Sundew (D. intermedia).—Leaves all from the root, erect, oblong, broad at the upper part, and tapering towards the base ; leaf-stalks smooth ; seeds with a rough, not chaffy coat. Plant perennial. This Sundew sometimes grows in the bogs with the round-leaved species, but it is less frequent, and is altogether a smaller plant. It is more abundant in the south than in the north of England, and, like the other species, its leaves 94 DROSERACEA are frequently darkened with the remains of insects. Its flowers are white, and it blossoms in July and August. We never see this plant without recalling the anecdote of the little Swedish naturalist, Pyppon. The narrative is pleasantly told by Dr. E. D. Clarke, in his voluminous “ Travels.” This little Pyppon was a barefooted boy who, at the time of the traveller’s visit to Sweden, was apprenticed to an apothecary. His love for natural history was so great, that he rose daily at three o'clock in the morning to ramble over the country in search of plants and insects, hiding them in his hat lest they should be seen by his master. The apothe- cary thought, perhaps with some reason, that these pursuits might prevent him from giving due attention to the business of the shop, and therefore he opposed them angrily. As often happens, however, enthusiasm is the secret of success ; and the ardent young naturalist had searched the neighbour- hood so well, that he knew the habitat of every plant which grew in it. Dr. Clarke told this boy that he had been looking in vain for some specimens of the Siberian sowthistle, which was said to grow near the town; and he had scarcely uttered the word, when the young enthusiast dashed from the spot, and, running as fast as possible, soon returned with the plant in his hand. Many a happy hour was spent by young Pyppon with his new friend, who purchased various articles from the shop that the boy might have to bring them, and who, at length, succeeded in persuading his master to allow more scope to his favourite pursuits. One long and happy day was granted, in which Pyppon was permitted to accompany Dr. Clarke to Tornea, and the parting was at last very bitter to the hitherto friendless boy. When the traveller asked him what he should send him as a gift from England, he replied with characteristic simplicity, and with eyes filled with tears, “ If you should remember me when you arrive in your country, send me Drosera longifolia ; I am told it is a common plant in England.” In explanation ot the name just used, it should be stated that D. intermedia and D. anglica were formerly regarded as one species under Linnzus’ name D. longifolia. 3. Great Sundew (D. dnglica).—Leaves all from the root, erect, oblong, on very smooth stalks; seeds with a loose chaffy coat. Plant perennial. This is the rarest species, growing, like the others, in boggy places. Its leaves are long and narrow. It occurs in some parts of Scotland, and in Lancashire, Norfolk, Devonshire, and some other English counties, but is more frequent in Ireland. Order XI. POLYGALEA—MILKWORT TRIBE. Sepals 5, unequal, the two inner larger, generally petal-like ; petals 3—5, unequal, more or less combined with the filaments ; stamens 8, in two equal parcels ; anthers 1-celled, opening by pores at the summit ; pistil 1 ; capsule 1—3-celled ; seeds pendulous. This Order, though possessing but one genus of British plants, has many exotic genera, several of which are well worthy the attention of the gardener. They are either herbaceous or shrubby, and some are remarkable for their beauty or neatness, and others for their medicinal properties. Several of them are very small. Our native species MILKWORT TRIBE 95 is not a large plant, and dwarf specimens of the Purple Milkwort of North America are frequently not more than an inch high. The shrubby species vary from humble rigid plants to tall, graceful, drooping ones. The leaves are generally bitter and astringent, and the roots, which are especially so, are also acrid, and somewhat resinous in flavour. Our British Milkwort has these properties, but the species most remarkable for them is the North American Snake-root (Polygala senega), which has been highly extolled as a medicine by some practitioners. The well-known Rhatany root of Chili is the root of a species of Krameria, and possesses tonic and astringent pro- perties. According to the analysis of a French chemist, it contains gallic acid, but neither tannin nor resin. Mitxwort (Polgygala).—Sepals 5, the two inner coloured, wing-shaped ; petals combined with the filaments, the lower one keeled ; capsule flattened, 2-celled, 2-valved ; seeds downy, crested at the base. Name from the Greek, signifying much milk, the juice of the root being milky. Mitkwort (Polygala). Common Milkwort (P. vulgéris).—Lower petal crested in a starlike manner ; wings of the calyx about equal in length to the corolla; bracts three at the base of each flower; stems simple, ascending ; leaves narrow ; branches procumbent. Plant perennial. Those who are accustomed, during May and June, to wander in the country where the soil is of chalk, and where hilly pastures and open heaths abound, well know this pretty flower. Its tufted stems, copiously furnished with dark-green leaves, and terminated by spikes of purple, pale-blue, lilac, or purplish-red flowers, are very orna- mental. The blossom of the Milkwort is very singular, and often puzzles the inexperienced botanist by its general aspect of resemblance to the butterfly- shaped flowers which belong to the Leguminous Order ; but it is rather the calyx than the corolla which is, in this case, butterfly-shaped. One of its old names was Hedge-hyssop; the French term it Le Polygale, the Germans Kreuzblume, the Dutch Kruisbloem ; and it is the Polygala of the Italian and Spaniard. But its old English names of Rogation Flower, Gang Flower, and Procession Flower, invest this plant with a degree of interest, by reminding us of the ancient usages with which it was connected. Rogation Sunday was , the Sunday before Ascension Day, on the three days preceding which it was customary to offer prayers against plagues, fires, and wild beasts. Hence these days were termed Rogation days, and as the bounds of the parish were traversed on one of the days, it was termed also Gang week. On this day it was formerly the custom of the clergy to walk around these limits, accom- panied by the churchwardens and parishioners, many carrying garlands of flowers ; after which the whole company went into the fields, and implored that God would avert pestilence, tempests, and other ills. Mention of these processions and litanies occurs as early as the year 550 of the Christian era, and remains of them yet exist in the custom of walking in procession around the bounds of the parish on one day of Rogation week. In Queen Elizabeth’s time, the 103rd Psalm was usually sung on these occasions ; and Izaak Walton tells how the pious Hooker took these oppor- tunities to “drop some loving observations, and to express some pleasant 96 POLYGALEAL discourse with his parishioners.” There was something very beautiful and touching in these processions, and they seemed a natural and thankful way of pouring out the praises of a glad heart to God in the midst of His works ; but like'so many other customs of those days, innocent and even laudable in themselves, they soon became perverted to seasons of revelry. ‘That such was the case with Rogation ceremonies, both the old poems and sermons of those days abundantly prove. In one of the latter, the preacher exclaims, “ Alacke for pitie, these solemn and accustomable processions be nowe growen into a right foule and detestable abuse ; so that the most part of men and women do come forth rather to set out and shew themselves, and to passe the time with vayne and unprofitable tales and merrie fables, than to make generall supplications and prayers to God for their lacks and necessities.” George Herbert spoke of this practice as a pious and thanksgiving custom ; and George Wither praises it, too, as he says— “That every man might keepe his own possession, Our fathers used a reverend procession, With zealous prayers, and with praiseful cheere, To walk their parish limits once a yeare ; And well-known markes, which sacrilegious hands Now cut or breake, so border’d out their landes, ‘That every one distinctly knewe his owne, And many brawles now rife were then unknowne.” Our Milkwort seems in those days to have been generally recognised as a proper adornment to the garland carried on these occasions; for Bishop Kennet in naming it says, “ Gang-flower, Rogation-flower ; a sort of flower in prime at Rogation week, of which the maids make garlands, and use them in these solemn processions.” Gerarde speaks also of its being used at this time, and says, “It serveth well to the decking up of houses and banquetting- rooms, for places of pleasure, and for beautifying of streets in the Crosse or Gang-week, and such lke.” Shaw, in his “ History of Staffo.dshire,” speaking of Wolverhampton, says, “Many of the older inhabitants can well remember when the sacrist, resident prebendaries, and members of the choir, assembled at Morning Prayer on Monday and Tuesday in Rogation week, with the charity children, bearing long poles clothed with all kinds of flowers then in season, and which were afterwards carried through the streets of the town with much solemnity ; the clergy, singing men and boys, dressed in their sacred vestments, closing the procession, and chanting, in a grave and appropriate melody, the Canticle, ‘ Benedicite opera,’ etc.” This ceremony is said by Sir Henry Ellis to be of high antiquity, its origin having been, probably, the Roman offerings of the Primitiz. Like many other Pagan ceremonies, it was adapted by the early Christians to a purer worship. It was discontinued about a century since. M. Chateau- briand, in his “ Beauties of Christianity,” gives a most glowing description of the manner in which it is still observed in some parts of France. Our Milkwort is little heeded now by any but the lovers of wild flowers ; but few of these would pass it without a thought of praise for its beauty, as they see it among the short grass of the hill-side, where it ‘* Purples all the ground with vernal flowers.” COMMON MILKWORT . 3 POWDERY SEA- HEATH Polygala vyokgaris . Erankemia jpmilvernilent a SMOOTH SEA- HEATH 4 Frankema levis 5. EIGHT- STAMENED WATER-WORT’ 5 Elatme hydroprper SIX -STAMENED WATER-WORT Elatme hexandra Pl. 36. SEA-HEATH TRIBE 97 The Common Milkwort is the only British species ;* but many very handsome Polygalas are brought us from other lands, and some continue in flower in the greenhouse throughout the winter. In Arabia, Brazil, China, Java, and several countries, various species are highly prized. In our native kind of Milkwort, the somewhat creamy substance which exists in the root is bitter and slightly astringent ; but the Polygala venenata of Java is said to possess very powerful properties. Commerson states that when he touched a leaf of this plant with the end of one of his fingers, he was seized with long and violent sneezings, and an oppressive faintness. His guide cautiously avoided coming in contact with it, and the Javanese generally have great dread of its poisonous effects. Order XII. FRANKENIACEA.—SEA-HEATH TRIBE. Sepals 4—6, united into a furrowed tube ; petals of the same number as the sepals, furnished with claws, having usually scales at the point of union of the claw with the limb ; stamens equal in number to the petals ; ovary 1; style very slender, 2 to 5-cleft; capsule 1-celled, 3 to 5-valved; seeds very small, attached to the edges of the valves. The flowers are solitary and regular, arising from the forks of the branches or the axils of the upper leaves. The leaves are small, oblong, and without stipules. SEA-HEATH (Frankénia). — Style 3-cleft ; lobes oblong, with the stigma on their inner side; capsule 3—4-valved. Name from John Franken, who first enumerated the plants of Sweden, and who died in 1661. SeA-HEATH (Frankénia). 1. Smooth Sea-Heath (/. lwvis).—Leaves narrow, rolled back at the margin, smooth, fringed at the base. Plant perennial. We shall not. easily forget the appearance of the salt marsh on which for the first time we discovered this rare flower. On many a marsh and chalky cliff had we long searched in vain for the Sea-Heath, and the botanist will appreciate the pleasure which the first sight of the plant afforded. It was a bright day, early in September, when we visited Shellness, a sandy margin of the sea, about four miles from Ramsgate, and the way to which lies over a wide, « grassy, marshy flat, drear enough in general appearance, but affording to the botanist a wealth of plants peculiar to the saline soil. The sands were brown with the dried remnants of the tall sea-side grasses ; and the sharp triangular * [Since the above lines were written the plant has been more carefully worked out; and though a good deal of difference of opinion still prevails concerning them, several distinct forms are recognised by some as species, by others as varieties or sub-species of P. vulgaris. Their differences may be briefly stated as under :— P, vulgaris, proper.—Stem rising obliquely with straight branches and slender lance- shaped leaves, many flowers on each stem, the large sepals broader than the capsule P. oxyptera.—Branches wavy, leaves slender; large sepals shorter and narrower than the capsule. . depressa.—Stems wavy, leaves nearly opposite and in two rows, the lower ones spoon-shaped, flowers fewer. P. calcarea.—Branches numerous, rooting and giving rise to new plants ; radical leaves forming a rosette, stem leaves oblong ; larger sepals broader and longer than capsule. amara.—Much smaller in all respects than the others ; leaves spoon-shaped, forming a rosette ; flowering branches produced from the axils ; larger sepals narrower than the capsule.—E. S. ] a) y 13 98 FRANKENIACEAL leaf of the salt-marsh club-rush (Scérpus maritémus) seemed well to defend the brown bristly clusters which grew at the top of its tall stem ; while the less frequent, but dark and glossy clusters of the great sharp sea-rush (Juncus aciitus), stood up in leafless hardihood, among the barren scapes which looked like leaves. A carpet of flowers was at our feet, for the thrift, with its pink tufted blossoms whitening with age, stood above the thousands of lilac starry flowers which studded the slender branches of the sandwort (Arendria marina), and almost hid from view the little pale pink blooms which still stood here and there on the spreading branches of the sea milk- wort, and which a month or two earlier had doubtless grown there in great multitudes. On the sand, the branches of the sea purslane (Honckenya pepldides) spread flowerless, but clothed with their four-ranked leaves; and branches of pale- green prickly foliage grew in clumps, to remind us that in earlier months the yellow-horned poppy had waved there its golden petals to the wind. The sea-holly (Eryngium maritimum), with its beautiful sea-green richly veined leaves, seemed so clad with prickles that we could scarcely venture to touch it ; while its scaly head had almost lost all the blue tint of the florets which a short time since had enlivened its pale green. The tall star- wort (Aster tripélium) yet bore its lilac rays around its golden disk, and, though not abundant, was still the most showy plant of the marsh. We trod every moment on some succulent bright-green stem of the jointed glasswort (Salicérnia herbécea), whose pale-green flowers had perished long ago, but whose clear and bright stems looked almost like green-coloured glass tubes ; while at every footstep we crushed some of the pale whitish-green sprays of the sea southernwood (Artemisia maritima), and walked on amid continual aroma diffused from the bruised plant. ‘The little sprays of this southern- wood, scarcely more than a foot high, were yet in such abundance that they gave a white tint to many a spot on which they grew, and, looked at singly, reminded one by their form, though not by their hue, of a miniature fir-tree. Then there were species of sea orache, some of them with leaves and flowers tinged with redness ; but the most common kind there was the sea-side species (Atriplex marina), with its pale narrow leaves, and large flat seed- vessels ; and here and there a clump of the sharp and spiny leaves which grew on the angled and rough stems of the saltwort (Salsdla kali), which, though its greenish flowers were gone, still showed the three sharp-looking leaf-like bracts which had formerly grown at their bases. We had wandered for a mile over this singular scene, now listening to the screams of the sea-bird over the waters, or to the soft murmurs of the waves which fell gently over the shelly margin, when all at once we came to some dark sprays, looking so like the branches of Heath, that we knew in an instant that the long-looked-for plant was found. The narrow, almost thread- like leaves were crowded on the branches, and there among them grew the pretty little pink campion-like flowers, so small that the half of a split pea might cover one of them, but very elegant in their form, and of a delicate rose-coloured hue. ‘The blossom is nearly allied to the pink and campion tribe ; and on pulling out the petals, we find them clawed like those of the pink, though the general structure of the plant is very different. The leaves are SEA-HEATH TRIBE 99 very numerous, growing in bundles, and much like those of our common purple heather; and the stems are wiry and spreading. This species is found more on the eastern coast of England than elsewhere. It is not un- common on several muddy shores of the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent; and about Yarmouth, on the salt marshes. It also grows on some sea cliffs, as at Archcliff Fort, at the west of Dover, and at Lydden Spout, which lies also at the west of that ancient town. It is unknown on our northern coasts. On those of France it is common ; and the plant is called by the French, La Frenkenne. Backhouse, in his work on Australia, speaking of the country in the neighbourhood of Adelaide, says, that the salt marsh there was covered with two kinds of glasswort, one of which was shrubby; and that interspersed among them were two species of Frankenia, one of these being bushy, about a foot high, and besprinkled with rosy-pink blossoms, the size of a silver penny. 2. Powdery Sea- Heath (F. pulverulénta).—Leaves inversely egg-shaped, and blunt, smooth above, downy and powdery beneath. Plant annual. This plant is commonly enumerated among our British species, but no habitat is now known for it. It was found in the time of Dillenius on the coast of Sussex. Its stems are described as prostrate, and its flowers rather smaller than those of the smooth Sea-Heath. The Sea-Heaths in general are not sufficiently showy to obtain much attention from gardeners; but two or three species—natives of Australia and the Cape of Good Hope—have been cultivated. Order XIII. ELATINEAZ._WATER-WORT TRIBE. Sepals 2—5, distinct, or growing together at the base; petals equal in number to the sepals ; stamens the same in number as the petals, or twice as many ; ovary with 3—5 cells, and as many styles and globular stigmas ; capsule with 2—5 cells and valves ; seeds numerous, wrinkled, arising from the centre of the capsule. These Water-worts are annual, aquatic, herbaceous plants, with rooting, pipe-like stems and opposite leaves. They are not showy flowers, but homely weeds, abounding in marshes and waste places in most parts of the world. They are, as far as is known, perfectly harmless ; but they possess no medicinal properties. WateER-Wort (Lldtine).—Sepals 2—4, growing together at the base; petals 2—4; stamens 2—4, or 4—8; ovary 3—4-celled, many seeded; seeds cylindrical, furrowed, and marked with transverse lines. Origin of name doubtful. WATER-WORT (Lldtine). 1. Six-stamened Water-wort (Z. hezxindra).—Flower stalked; petals 3; stamens 6; capsule 3-celled; seeds straight. Plant annual. This, though by no means a common aquatic, is found in some lakes and pools, growing either entirely below the surface of the water, or forming dense masses at their margins. The whole plant is small, and the minute rose-coloured flowers are produced from July to September. It is recorded from several English and Scottish counties, but by reason of its small size it is an easy matter to overlook it. The Rev. C. A. Johns remarks of this plant, 13—2 100 CARYOPHYLLEA in his ‘Flowers of the Field,” that when left by the subsiding water it assumes a bright-red hue. 2. Eight-stamened Water-wort (2. hydropiper).—¥Flowers sessile ; petals 4; stamens 8; capsule 4-celled; seeds curved. Plant annual. This species grows in similar places to the last, and flowers in the same season, but is still more rare; it is found in the Cut-mill Ponds near Farnham, in Surrey ; in Worcestershire; the east end of Llyn Coron, in Anglesey ; in Ireland it is recorded from Newry, and at the Lough Neagh outlet of the Lagan Canal. Order XIV. CARYOPHYLLEA.—CLOVE PINK TRIBE. Sepals 4 or 5, often connected into a tube; petals of the same number as the sepals ; stamens usually twice as many as the petals, sometimes equalling them in number, and like them inserted on the stalk or ring of the ovary ; ovary 1, raised on a short stalk, or inserted in a ring; stigmas 2—5, running along the inner surface of the styles; capsule 1, or imperfectly 3—5-celled, opening by twice as many teeth or valves as there are styles ; seeds inserted on acentral column. The plants of this order are herbaceous or shrubby, inhabiting the mountains and pastures of the temperate and frigid zones of the globe. In Europe they are particularly abundant, and least so in Africa and America. Many, as the Carnations and Pinks, have highly fragrant flowers; and others, like various species of Lychnis and Catchfly, have blossoms of rich hue and beautiful form. Our woods and meadows are adorned by the wild species, and Cuckoo-flowers, and Stitchworts, Sandworts, Spurreys, Catchflies, and Campions, belong to this tribe. The medicinal properties existing in the Caryophyllew are not very numerous; and the beautiful Pink genus is its greatest attraction. This order is again divided into the two groups, or sub-orders, Siénew and Alsinee. Sub-order 1. Pink Group (Silénce). Sepals connected into a tube ; stamens united at the base with the stalk of the ovary. * Calyx 5-cleft ; petals 5, with long claws ; stamens 10. 1. Pink (Didnthus).— Calyx tubular and toothed, with two or more opposite bracts at the base outside ; styles 2; capsule 1-celled, opening at the top with 4 valves; seeds flattened. Name from the Greek words for Jupiter and a flower, expressive of its beauty and fragrance as worthy of the gods. 2. Soap-worT (Sapondria).—Calyx naked at the base ; styles 2; capsule 2-celled at the base, opening with 4 valves; seeds rounded. Name from sapo, soap; the plant possessing the soapy principle. 3. CATCHEFLY (Siléné).—Calyx naked at the base ; petals generally crowned at the top of the claw ; styles 3; capsule imperfectly 3-celled, opening at the top with 6 valves. Name supposed to be from the Greek sialon (saliva), on account of the viscid moisture on the stalks of some species. 4. Campion (Lychnis)—Calyx naked at the base; petals generally crowned at the top of the claw ; styles 5; capsule opening at the top with 3 CLOVE PINK We DEPTFORD PINK. Diantims armeria D. caryophyllus 2 PROLIFEROUS PINK , 4 MOUNTALN PINK D. ceesius D. prolifer 5 MAIDEN PINK, D. deltoides TEAR ie NUP, ae CLOVE PINK TRIBE 101 5 or 10 teeth. Name from the Greek lychnos, a lamp; the cottony down on the leaves of some species having been used as wicks for lamps. 5. CORN-COCKLE (4 grostémma). —Calyx naked at the base, tough, with 5 teeth. Name signifying, in Greek, crown of the field. Sub-order Il. CHICKWEED GrouP (Alsinee). Sepals distinct ; stamens inserted into a ring beneath the capsule, which is not stalked. 6. PEARLWORT (Sagina).—Sepals 4—5, spreading when in fruit ; petals 4—}, sometimes wanting ; stamens 4—10; styles 4—5; capsule 4—5-valved. The name, in Latin, signifies fattening meat, but is inappropriate. 7. Ma:ncutA.—Sepals 4, erect ; petals 4; stamens 4; styles 4; capsule opening at the top with 8 teeth. Named in honour of Conrad Meench, Professor of Botany at Hesse Cassel. 8. JAGGED CHICKWEED (Holdstewm).—Sepals 5; petals 5, toothed at the margin ; stamens 3—5 ; styles 3; capsule opening at the top with 6 teeth. The name in Greek signifies all bone, but the reason of its being so applied is doubtful. 9. SpuRREY (Spérgula).—Sepals 5; petals 5, entire ; stamens 10 or 5; styles 5; capsule 5-valved. Named from spargo, to scatter, from the seeds being so widely scattered. ae STITCHWORT (Stelldria).—Sepals 5 ; ; petals 5, deeply 2- cleft ; stamens ; Styles 3; capsule opening with 6 valves or teeth, Name from stella, a me from the form of the flowers. 11. SEA-PURSLANE (Honckenja).—Sepals 5; petals 5 ; stamens 10 ; styles 3—5; capsule with 3, 4, or 5 valves. Name from Honckeny, a German botanist. 12. SANDWORT (4rendria).—Sepals 5; petals 5, entire; stamens 10; styles 3; capsule opening with 6 valves. Name from the Latin arena, sand, from the soil on which most of the species grow. 13. MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED (Cerdstium).—Sepals 5; petals 5, 2-cleft ; stamens 10 or 5; styles 3 or 5; capsule tubular, opening at the top with 6 or 10 teeth. Name from the Greek ceras, a horn, from the shape of the capsule in some of the species. : 14. CypHEL (Cherléria).—Sepals 5; petals 0 or 5, exceedingly minute, notched ; stamens 10, the 5 outer ones with glands at the base; styles 3; capsule 3-valved. Name from J. H. Cherler, an eminent botanist. 15. Burronta.—Sepals 4; petals 4, entire; stamens 4; styles 2; capsule 1-celled, 2-valved, 2-seeded. Name from the celebrated naturalist, Buffon. 1. Pink (Didnthus). * Flowers clustered. 1. Deptford Pink (D. arméria).—Stem and leaves downy ; flowers in close tufts ; calyx scales very narrow, downy, as long as the tube. Plant annual. This is not generally a common plant in England, but it grows in many counties ; it is rare in Scotland and altogether unknown in Ireland. The author once gathered about twenty specimens, on a hedge bank between 102 CARYOPHYLLEAi Cobham and Higham, in Kent, and has found it near Sandwich, in the same county, with a stem nearly a yard high. The stem, however, is usually from a foot to a foot and a half in height, the upper part being much branched. It is rather downy, and has at its summit a little cluster of small rose- coloured flowers, which are dotted with white. The whole appearance of the plant is so like that of Pinks in general, that no one would mistake it ; and one of the most obvious features of difference between this and the next species, is the little white dots which always besprinkle its petals. This Pink opens in July and August. It grows in fields, and on hedge banks. It appears to be very uncertain or temporary in its localities, and usually occurs in but small auantity wherever found. 2. Proliferous Pink (D. prdlifer).—Stem smooth ; leaves rather rough at the edge ; flowers in heads; calyx scales membranous, transparent. Plant annual. ‘This rare species of wild Pink is found chiefly in gravelly pastures. Its flowers are purplish-red, and grow on a stem which is about a foot in height ; and the plant may be known from the last species by the dry brown scales which enclose the heads of the flowers. Another characteristic of this species is, that only one of the flowers in the cluster is open at a time. This mark, which in the Proliferous Pink is constant, is shared, though in a less degree, by the Deptford Pink; as in this latter kind, we may occasionally, though rarely, find more than one flower expanded. This plant flowers in June. * * Flowers not clustered. 3. Clove Pink, Carnation, or Clove Gillyflower (D. caryophgllus). —Flower solitary ; calyx with four broad-pointed scales one-fourth of its whole length; petals notched ; leaves slender, glaucous, with smooth edges. Plant perennial. Fragrant as are the wallflowers, which send their odours from tower and turret, yet they are not more sweetly scented than this “chronicler of crumbled halls.” On the very summit of some of those fortresses which our warlike ancestors built for the defence of the adjacent country, this Pink grows in luxuriance, nodding to the breeze which sweeps over the green ivy. No wonder that the sight of it on the old Norman keep of Rochester Castle suggested the lines by H. G. Adams on this flower :— “«The Castle Pink, the Castle Pink, ““The swallow loves the Castle Pink ; How wildly tree it waves, And now and then a bee, Exposed to every blast that blows, Borne upwards by a sudden gust To every storm that raves ; Clings to it lovingly ; It heedeth not the pelting rain, Like one who journeyeth afar Nor whistling gales that sweep Where unknown realms extend, Around the time-worn battlement, Whose heart is gladden’d by the sight Around the massy keep ; Of some familiar friend ; But smileth still, and flourisheth The dusky rooks around it caw The various seasons through, When evetide veils the sky, For God He nourisheth the plant They mark it blooming sweetly there, With sunshine and with dew. And know their home is nigh.” This Pink grows on Sandown Castle, near Deal, on the old walls at Norwich, and a few other places in England. It is not likely that it is truly wild on any of these situations, but it has been known to grow on our castles for at least a couple of hundred years; and strange it is that the habitats recorded for this and some other plants, should, century after century, be CLOVE PINK TRIBE 103 the same. Thus, in another instance, John Ray mentioned that the beautiful little sea lavender (Stdticé spathulata) grew at Ramsgate, in Kent; and there it still grows in great luxuriance, on one part of the chalk cliff between Ramsgate and Broadstairs, in such profusion, as to clothe some yards of the surface of the cliffs with its flowers, while it is to be found on that spot only. Quite as singular is it that the hispid marsh mallow (Althea hirsita), which was recorded as growing near Cobham more than fifty years ago, still grows there, though it is found in only one other part of the kingdom. The Dianthus caryophyllus, with its pleasant clove-lke odour—the July flower of our ancestors—varies in hue from a deep red to a pale rose-colour, or white. It is usually about a foot high. Itis the origin of our valued flower the Carnation, and some writers have thought that we owe to it all our beautiful varieties of Pinks, Sweet-Johns, and Sweet-Williams, of the garden. These have long been favourite border-flowers, and Gerarde tells how, in his day, the Sweet-William was esteemed for its “ beauty to deck up the bosoms of the beautiful, and for garlands and crowns for pleasure.” These flowers, how- ever, owe their origin to D. barbatus. Other species commonly grown in our gardens are the Feathered Pink (Dianthus plumarius) of southern Europe, and the Carthusian Pink (Dianthus carthusianorum) of Germany. Dr. Withering remarks on this subject: ‘Gardeners well know that from the seed of the Carnation Pinks are never obtained, nor from that of Pinks can Carnations be procured. In fact, these favourite flowers originate from distinct species, and are not mere varieties of the same, as has been erroneously, and even recently, intimated. The art of floriculture, sometimes despised with a repre- hensible degree of fastidiousness, has, in this instance, transformed a plant, comparatively obscure, into one of the most delightful charms which the lap of Flora contains. The surprising metamorphoses which the most indifferent are accustomed to contemplate with pleasure, were probably commenced under a more genial sky than that of Britain ; for we learn from Pliny, that these productions were unknown to the Greeks, and equally so to the Romans, until the Augustan age, when they were obtained from the brave Biscayans, as one trophy resulting from the conquest of that province, and were thence called Cantabrica. Our gardens may now receive embellishments from more than three hundred different kinds of Carnations, under the denominations of Flakes, Bizarres, and Picotées (Picquetté, spotted) ; and these may be pro- pagated by seed, but more successfully by cuttings, about the month of July.” Rare as our Carnation Pink is in this country, it is not uncommon on the south side of the Swiss Alps; and Meyen says, that at St. Jago de Chile it is quite as beautiful as with us, and probably more aromatic. It has been cultivated from time immemorial in Europe for its spicy odour and its beauty. A pleasant syrup is still in some countries made of its flowers, which our fathers termed Sops-in-wine, because of their old uses in giving flavour to the festive cup. It appears in former days to have been customary for persons who were betrothed to wear some flower as an external and conspicuous token of their engagement. The Carnation was, it would seem, often chosen tor this purpose ; hence the lines of Spenser :— “¢ Bring Coronations and Sops-in-wine, Worn of paramours.”’ 104 CARYOPHYLLEA Michael Drayton calls them Cloves of Paradise ; indeed, of all the flowers prized by our forefathers, this, the Clove de giroflée, was, next to the rose, the highest in esteem. It is amusing to read its praises, written by Lawson at the close of the sixteenth century, where he terms it the king of flowers, except the rose; and prides himself on being the possessor of Gillyflowers ‘of nine or ten different colours, and divers of them as bigge as roses.” “‘ Of all flowers, save the damask rose,” he says, “they are the most pleasant to sight and smell ;” and adds, that “their use is much in ornament, and com- forting the spirites by the sense of smelling.” ‘There was a variety of this flower,” says Mr. Hudson Turner, “ well known in former times as the wall gillyflower, or bee flower, because growing on walls, even in winter, and good for bees ;” but this was our wallflower (Cheiranthus cheiri), which the old herbalists commonly called the winter gillyflower. ‘The reserved rent,” says Mr. Turner, in his paper on the Horticulture of the Middle Ages, “the unius clavt gariofili, which is of such frequent occurrence in medizval deeds relating to land, meant simply the render of a Gillyflower, although it has usually been understood to signify the payment of a Clove of commerce.” “The incorrectness of this rendering,” adds this learned and interesting writer, ‘“‘must be apparent, if we recollect that the Clove was scarcely known in Europe in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, when this kind of reserved rent was most common.” The French term the Clove Pink L’Willet, and the Germans Die Nelke. It is the Angelier of the Dutch, the Garofano of the Italian, and the Clavel of the Spaniard. In its cultivated form of the Carnation, it is the chief florist’s flower of Germany. In the beginning of the eighteenth century, nearly 400 varieties had been enumerated by gardeners, and that number is probably now increased. One addition to their worth as garden-flowers is, that the Carnation and most of the Pinks have their foliage as abundant in winter as in summer, and of as rich a sea-green tint. The Dutch, who cultivate all the tribe largely, as we do, call die Sweet-Williams Ke iene which is their name for a nosegay. With us they are prized in the grandest as well as the humblest garden, and many may say with Hurdis— ‘Ve botanists, I cannot talk like you, And give to every plant its name and rank, Taught by Linné, yet I perceive in all, Or known or unknown, in the garden raised, Or nurtured in the hedge-row or the field, A secret something which delights my eye And meliorates my heart. And much I love To see the fair one bind the straggling Pink, Cheer the sweet rose, the lupin, or the stock, And lend a staff to the still gadding pea ; And let me praise the garden-loving maid, ' Who innocently thus concludes the day : Ye fair, it well becomes you !” On a few walls in this kingdom, as on those of Ludlow Castle, the common Pheasant’s-eye Pink (Dianthus plumarius) grows apparently wild, but it is not truly so. It is a hardy flower, and has been much cultivated by mechanics and operative manufacturers around large towns. ‘The muslin-weavers about Paisley have been celebrated for the beauty of the Pheasant’s-eye Pinks i COMMON SOAP-WORT 2 CORN COCKLE Saponaria officinalis Agrostemima githago Pl. 38. CLOVE PINK TRIBE 105 which adorn their gardens, and afford them so good a recreation from toil. These growers reckon above 300 varieties of this species. 4. Mountain Pink or Cheddar Pink (D. cwsius).—Stems mostly single flowered ; scales of the calyx, roundish, slightly pointed, about one- fourth as long as the tube ; leaves long and narrow, glaucous, rough at the edges ; petals bearded and irregularly jagged. Plant perennial. This is an exceedingly rare species, growing on the limestone cliffs of Cheddar in Somersetshire, and bearing, in July, large fragrant rose-coloured flowers. 5. Maiden Pink (D. deltoides).—F lowers solitary ; calyx scales pointed, usually 2, half the length of the calyx; petals notched; stem and leaves somewhat rough. Plant perennial. This is a rare Pink, found on dry banks, where the soil is of gravel. The stems are from six to twelve inches high, and much branched. The flower appears in July and August ; it is rose- coloured, dotted with white, and has a dark ring around the centre. It is without perfume. 2. SOAPWORT (Sapondria). Common Soapwort (S. officindlis).—Leaves opposite and connate, broad, pointed, and smooth ; panicle of several large flowers. Plant perennial. This is not an uncommon plant by road-sides, and on the margin of woods and hedge-banks, but it is rarely seen at any distance from houses. It cannot be regarded as truly wild, and as it was valued by our forefathers for “decking of houses,” we are doubtless indebted to them for it in our hedges. The whole herb is full of a mucilaginous juice, which will lather with hot water, and may be used as an indifferent substitute for soap. The roots contain this soapy principle (saponine) in a greater degree than the foliage, and might perhaps be employed with greater advantage. Saponine has been found by chemists to exist in several other of our wild and garden plants ; and these plants are said, by M. Bonnet and M. Malapert, to be poisonous, in consequence. In some plants this principle exists only in the root, in others in the foliage and seed. These great chemists found that, in the corn-cockle (Agrostemma), it was found in the unripe seed and in the roots, but in no other part of the plant. The Nottingham catchfly (Silene nutans) contains at least as much saponine as the Soapwort, and here it is diffused in all parts of the plant except the seed. Our clove pink, as well as several other of our garden and wild pinks, have it also chiefly in the roots, a small portion existing in the leaves, and none in the flower or seed. The wild lychnis (Lychnis diurna), and the brilliant scarlet lychnis of the flower-bed, as well as the little scarlet pimpernel and some other field flowers, have it in more or less abundance. It seems to be detected chiefly in plants belonging to the Order Caryophyllew, but it is quite absent from some genera of this Order, as in the sandworts and stitchworts. On account of the quantity of the soapy principle known to exist in the Soapwort, the learned botanist Fuchs thought that this must be the plant termed Struthium by the ancients, which they used as soap, and also in dyeing, and which must doubtless have possessed a saponaceous juice. Difficult, however, as it may be to decide what this plant may have been, its descrip- tion is not believed by learned men in general to be at all applicable in other 14 106 CARYOPHYLLEA respects to the Soapwort. Beckmann, referring to the subject, says, “ We may conjecture, with some probability, that the plant called Gypsophila struthium by Linnzeus (which is also a plant of the Caryophyllaceous family) is the struthium of the ancients ; and it is still used for washing in the lower part of Italy and Spain. This opinion acquires some strength by the plant having been thus adopted among the Italians and Spaniards, and because, as Pliny says, it grows ona rocky soil, and on the mountains. It is also still called Lanaria by the Calabrian peasants. It has a tender stem ; its leaves are so like those of the olive-tree, that they might be confounded with them by those who are not botanists, and its root is large, but the plant is neither rough nor prickly.” Theophrastus and Pliny both describe the plant as prickly, so that some difficulty occurs on this point, but Linneus felt quite convinced that the Gypsophila furnished the soap of the ancients. Loffling, who found this plant in the Spanish mountains, as well as in the neighbour- hood of Aranjuez, relates, that in the province of La Mancha the people boil clothes, that are to be washed, with its root, instead of soap. The juice of our Common Soapwort is used in Italy for cleansing wool and cloth ; and in the Helvetian Alps the sheep, before they are shorn, are washed with a decoction of this plant ; and a preparation of its roots with a mixture of ashes is commonly used there in washing linen. Gerarde tells us, that, in former days, the plant was used in baths, “to beautifie and cleanse the skin.” One of its old names, also, was Fuller’s herb. The saponine principle abounds in the fruit of the horse-chestnut, which is still used in the south of Europe for washing various substances. It is certain that the ancients not only used plants in washing, but that they made soap, as we do in modern times, by a mixture of lixivious salts with grease ; and that the mineral alkali of the people of Egypt was made in the time of Pliny from the ashes of plants is pretty certain. A similar alkali was used by the ancient Hebrews; and when the prophet Jeremiah said, “Though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap (borith),” the latter material was doubtless then in use, and was probably the borak of the Arab in the present day, which is procured from the ashes of the saltworts of the desert, and other plants. Some species of the fig marigold are called by these people the washing herbs. The nitre of the ancients was doubtless an alkaline salt. The double variety of Soapwort is a pretty border plant, but it is incon- venient on account of the spreading nature of its roots, which run under- ground like couch. Its flowers are like those of the wild species, of a pale rose-colour. Our wild Soapwort blossoms in August and September, and sometimes bears double flowers. It grows on a stem a foot or a foot and a half in height, and the smooth leaves are of a dark glossy green. Its bitter juices were formerly considered a good remedy for bruises, and it was called Bruisewort ; the French call it La Savonniere, and the Germans Das Sedfen- kraut. Its name of Sheepweed (Zeepkruid) points to its uses in Holland ; and the Italians term it Saponaria, and the Spaniards Jabonero. The Saponaria vaccaria, a species found wild in Germany, is the celebrated Cow-herb, which is so valued by the continental herdsmen as food for their cows. CLOVE PINK TRIBE 107 3. CATCHFLY (Siléne). * Stems tufted, short ; flowers solitary. 1. Moss Campion, or Stemless Campion (8. acailis).—Stem much branched, tufted ; leaves narrow, fringed, keeled below ; flower-stalk single- flowered ; petals crowned, and notched. Plant perennial. We have several wild flowers which are called stemless, as the Stemless Thistle and Campion ; but this is not because the stem is entirely absent, but because it is very short. In this instance the flower-stalks are two or three inches high, and this pretty Alpine Campion forms a dense matted turf, with its beautiful bright purple flowers peeping up among the foliage like stars. It is never seen on lowland ground, but is found only at the summits of our loftiest British mountains. It is one of the loveliest ornaments, during June and July, of the rocky parts of Snowdon, and on the Helvellyn side of Grisedale Tarn, in Cumberland, where— ‘“Up among the mountains, In soft and mossy cell, By the silent springs and fountains The lovely wild-flowers dwell.” It is abundant on all the Scottish mountains ; its branching stems bear a profusion of flowers, which vary sometimes to white, and are prized as alpine flowers must be, not only for their own loveliness, but from their association with the wildest and grandest scenery which earth can exhibit. Dr. J. H. Balfour, in his notice of a botanical excursion made in the Highlands of Scotland, gives us a graphic picture of the plants which adorn the alpine tracts. “The alpine veronica,” he says, “there displays its lovely blue corolla on the verge of dissolving snows ; the forget-me-not of the mountain summit, whose tints far excel those of its namesake of the brooks; the woodsia, with its tufted frond, adorning the clefts of the rocks; the sunny gentian, concealing its eye of blue in the ledges of the steep crags; the alpine astragalus, enlivening the turf with its purple clusters; the lychnis, choosing the stony and dry knoll for the evolution of its pink petals; the Sonchus mulgedium, raising its stately stalk and azure head in spots which try the enthusiasm of the adventurous collector ; the pale-flowered mountain’ sorrel, confining itself to a single British cliff; the azalea, forming a carpet of the richest crimson ; the saxifrages, with their yellow, or white, or pink blossoms, clothing the sides of the streams; the saussurea and erigeron, crowning the rocks with their purple and pink heads; the purple cinquefoil, blending its yellow flowers with the white of the alpine cerastiums, and the bright blue of the starry veronica; the Stemless Silene giving a pink and velvety covering to the decomposing granite ; the yellow hawkweeds, whose varied transition forms have furnished such a fertile source of dispute among botanists ; the slender and delicate grasses ; the chickweeds, the sedges, and the rushes, which spring up on the moist alpine summits ; the graceful ferns, the tiny mosses with their urn-like thece ; the crustaceous dry lichens, with their spore-bearing apothecia: all these add such a charm to highland botany, as to throw into comparative shade all the vegetation of the plains.” 14—2 108 CARYOPHYLLEAL * * Stem elongated ; flowzrs panicled ; calyx inflated, bladder-like. 2. Bladder Campion (S. infldta).—Stem erect ; leaves oblong, tapering ; flowers panicled, numerous ; calyx inflated, bladder-like ; petals deeply cloven, rarely crowned. Plant perennial. This species of Silene is not difficult of distinction, being at once recognised by its thin globular flower-cup, delicately marked with a network of purplish-brown or darker green veins. ‘The calyx, as well as the foliage, has a pale sea-green bloom on the surface; and the plant bears its white flowers in June and July. As early as April the young shoots of the Bladder Campion are to be found under the hedge ; and many of us have eaten their pale, delicate, green young leaves, and thought how much their flavour and odour resembled those of the green peas of the table. Professor Burnett remarks, that they make a very agreeable vegetable, if gathered when about two inches long; but we have found that even when boiled they retain a slight degree of bitterness, which prevents their being pleasant. As that botanist has remarked, however, this is a plant deserving cultivation, as it might be substituted for green peas or asparagus, having something of the flavour of both. This flower is very common in corn-fields, pastures, and hedges, in most parts of the kingdom, but is not universally so; for the author of these pages was once promised by a botanist, near Tunbridge Wells, the sight of a rare plant, and was somewhat amused after a long walk to find that this botanic curiosity was a fine specimen of Bladder Campion, which her companion greatly exulted in having discovered in one or two places in that neighbourhood, but which she had been accustomed to regard as scarcely more rare than a primrose. The foliage is usually smooth, but a downy variety is occasionally found. Baxter remarks, that two minute funguses, Aicidium behenis and Uredo behenis, are parasitical on the leaves and stems of the Bladder Campion. “I found them both,” says this accurate writer, ‘on this species of Silene, near the road leading from Bullington Green to Cheyney Lane, near Oxford, in August, 1827. I do not know,” he adds, “that either of them had been found before in England.” 3. Sea Campion, or Catchfly (S. marétima).—Stems many from the same root, spreading, either single or few flowered; leaves oblong and pointed, and sometimes narrowing towards the base, finely toothed at the edges ; petals crowned and deeply cleft. Plant perennial. Those who are used to gather the Bladder Campion from the lane or field, are sometimes surprised to see it growing on the sandy sea-shore, where they could expect to find little but sandworts and sea-side grasses. Excepting that its flowers are larger, and its stems much shorter, the shore species closely resembles the common Bladder Campion, having those same bladdery cups which children often snap suddenly on the back of the hand, with a sharp noise. This plant is not uncommon on the sandy or stony shore, but much more frequent up the cliffs, flowering there all the summer: it is also found by alpine rills) The Rey. C. A. Johns states, that he has found in Devonshire a variety with double flowers. * * * Stems elongated, flowers in whorls. 4. Spanish Catchfly (S. ofétes).—Stems erect, somewhat branched, with few leaves ; petals narrow and neither cleft nor crowned ; stamens and pistils re MOSS CAMPION Silene acauhs BLADDER CAMPION Sanflata SEA CAMPION Samaritima SPANISH CATCHFLY S otites 5 ENGLISH CATCHFLY S .anglica 6 NOTTINGHAM CATCHFLY S.nmmtans STRIATED CORN CATCHFLY ~ S .comea 8 COMMON CATCHFLY S .armeria 9. NIGHT FLOWERING CATCHFLY Pl. 39, 3 moctiflora CLOVE PINK TRIBE 109 on different plants ; leaves narrowing at the base. Plant perennial. This is a rare, or at least a local plant, easily known by its whorls of small flowers with their narrow petals of yellowish-white colour, which expand in July. It occurs in sandy fields in some of the eastern counties of England. The stems are about a foot high, and very clammy at the middle. * * * * Stems elongated ; flowers in leafy clusters, alternate. 5. English Catchfly (S. dnglica).—All parts of the plant hairy and clammy; petals small, crowned, slightly cleft or entire; flowers lateral, alternate, erect, lower ones bending downwards when in fruit ; leaves narrow, tapering. Plant annual. This species, too, is somewhat local, though in many parts of England it occurs in plenty, attaining greater or less luxuri- ance according to the soil. Its stem is from six to twelve inches high, and it is so clammy as to be often quite disfigured by the insects adhering to it, their little wings held tightly by the viscid substance which allured them thither. The flowers, which may be found all through the summer, are usually pinkish-white, and very small; but several varieties of the plant are known, in one of which the flowers are solitary in the axils of the upper leaves. This has usually a red spot on each of its petals. It has been found wild near Wrotham, in Kent, and some other places; and it was formerly much planted in gardens, under the name of Silene quinque-vulnera. It grows low, and is very prolific, so that it is well adapted for sowing in pots ; but it is less generally cultivated than it once was. The Dutch call this, or some other species of Catchfly, Veldkaars. *** * * Stems panicled, leafy ; calyx not bladder-like. 6. Nottingham Catchfly (S. nitans).—Flowers all drooping one way ; branches opposite, 3-forked; calyx much swollen, and marked with dark- brown lines ; petals deeply cloven, crowned ; stem-leaves lance-shaped, those of the root tapering at the base. Plant perennial. Those who have never scented the evening air made fragrant by a number of these flowers, can hardly imagine how powerful an odour they exhale. It has somewhat of the perfume, so like that of prussic acid, which exists in several of our flowers, as the meadow-sweet and blackthorn; but it is far more powerful ‘ than the scent of either of these blossoms; and when borne to us, as it sometimes is, on the sea-breeze, it is truly delicious. This plant flowers during June or July, on some limestone and chalk rocks of our sea-shores, as well as on those of inland districts, but is not common. On portions of the sides of those towering and majestic cliffs which border the shore for several miles along the east of Dover, as well as at some parts of the cliffs standing to the west of the town, thousands of the pretty white starry blossoms of the Catchfly may be seen in the evening, growing on stems about a foot high. Nor do these flowers wait, as some night flowers do, for darkness ere they expand; for the author has seen them in their full glory by eight o'clock, before the soft twilight has thrown its subdued shadow over the summit of the cliffs. Many a lovely flower grows on those cliffs; for although on sail- ing past them at a distance their white surfaces seem only streaked with stripes of verdure, yet on walking by them we find that their crags and clefts 110 CARYOPHYLLEA shelter the flowers so well, and the sun shines on them so fully, that piants peculiar to the chalk could hardly find a better place of growth. Many a wanderer goes thither in the earlier part of the day, and brings home nose- gays of horned-poppy, and viper’s-bugloss, and sea-lavender, and pink centaury. Many such a one sees the Catchfly, and passes it by, deeming it a plant which has lost its bloom, and is all unfit to mingle with gayer, fresher flowers ; he can at that time detect neither beauty nor odour. These are truly— ‘The flowers that shun the blaze of noon, To blow beneath the midnight moon ; The garish world they will not bless, But only live in loneliness.” This plant received the name of Nottingham Catchfly, because it is common in the neighbourhood of that town. It is found also on the cliffs of the Isle of Wight, and on the mountain-limestone rocks of Orme’s Head, as well as on the rocks about Knaresborough, in Yorkshire, Dovedale, and other places, growing in more or less abundance. Its profusion on the cliffs of Dover gained for it in former days the name of Dover Catchfly. It is the Siléne paradoxa of our older botanists. It retains its peculiarity of opening only in the evening, even after it is gathered; and its scent is then almost too powerful to be borne ina room. It may be raised from seed in a garden, if the soil is chalky; but the odour there is not so powerful as when in its wild state, and in such cases as are known to the author, the plant soon degenerates. 7. Italian Catchfly (S. ifdlica).—Stems erect, downy, bearing several flowers ; branches opposite, with blunt teeth ; petals deeply cleft, not crowned ; root-leaves on long stalks, tapering at the base ; stem-leaves without stalks, long and narrow. Plant perennial. The white flowers of this rare plant expand in July and August, and much resemble those of the Nottingham Catchfly ; but this species may be distinguished by its longer and blunter calyx. The plant is downy, and the panicles are somewhat clammy. It is certainly not a truly wild flower, but has been found on Dover cliffs and in the neighbourhood of Dartford. 8. Striated Corn Catchfly (S. cénica).—Stem erect, forked ; leaves narrow, downy ; petals crowned ; calyx of the fruit conical. Plant annual. This is a rare species of Catchfly, with small flowers of a purplish-red colour, several of which grow on short stalks on a stem from six to twelve inches high, flowering from May to July. The calyx of the fruit, which is conical in form, is said by the Rey. C. A. Johns to have thirty furrows, while that of the Siléne noctifléra is ten-ribbed. Minute as distinctions of this kind are, they are quite constant, exciting the admiration of every thoughtful observer, and affording an evidence of the continual care of God over all His creation. And as we trace these proofs of design, we are reminded of the words of the poet :— ‘* Suppose that on awaking “*Suppose until that moment Some morning from repose, We ne’er had seen a flower, — We saw the green earth studded o’er That one had never graced the earth, With every flower that blows : Even in Eden’s bower : CLOVE PINK TRIBE Pe ‘Say, should we ask these visitants ‘“We who had seen the stars career Their birth-place and their home ; Still in their nightly dance, If they had come to stay with us, Should we look on these gems of earth, Or were again to roam ? And say they came by chance ? ** And should we gaze upon the rose, ‘No, in the lily’s grandeur, In its rich variety, And in the rose’s hue ; And ask what hand had mingled thus In the bright dahlia’s gorgeousness, Its graduated dye ? In the violet’s eye of blue ; ** And who had given the luscious scent ‘*In the pencilling of the passion-flower, Which from its ambush stole, In its deep mysterious sign— Spreading luxurious influence, All hearts would feel, all lips confess, Like music, o’er the soul ? Their Maker is divine.” The Corn Catchfly grows on sandy fields, and has been found near Bury and Thetford, in Suffolk ; at Dirleton, in Haddingtonshire ; and near Sandown Castle, Kent. The latter place is interesting to the botanist at the season of its growth, because on this castle may be found the clove pink; and on the beach beside it, in some seasons, the sea-pea (Ldthyrus maritimus), with its rich clusters of flowers, trails among the shingle. 9. Common or Lobel’s Catchfly (S. arméria).—Stem erect and viscid ; petals notched, and crowned with awl-shaped scales; calyx club- shaped, and smooth; leaves broadly lance-shaped ; panicles of flowers level topped. Plant annual. This is very well known as a garden flower, its handsome pink cluster expanding in July and August, and growing on a stem a foot or a foot and a half high. It is now extinct as a wild flower, but is retained in the list of the British Flora, from having been found on the banks of the Dee, and at Yalding, in Kent, by Dr. Richardson and Mr. Borrer, who considered it was naturalised on those spots. It grows wild in France, Germany, and Switzerland. 10. Night-flowering Catchfly (S. noctifléra).—Stem erect, many times forked ; calyx with long teeth, oblong when in fruit, 10-ribbed ; leaves lance- shaped, lower ones tapering towards the base. Plant annual. This is, too, a night-scented species, opening its rather large and fragrant reddish-white or yellowish flowers at sunset, and closing them by day. It is not a common plant, though found on sandy and gravelly corn-fields in various parts of England and Scotland. It blossoms in July and August. The stem is about a foot in height, the upper part much branched, each branchlet having a single flower, and one also appearing in the axil of the branch. The flower: stalks are clammy. 4, CAMPION (Lychnis). 1. Ragged Robin, or Cuckoo-flower (L. flos-cucili). — Flowers loosely panicled ; petals deeply 4-cleft, crowned ; leaves very narrow. Plant perennial. All dwellers in the country like well to hear the cuckoo’s voice ; not that his monotonous tones have a melody like the notes of the thrush, for there is little real sweetness in the loud echo which they waken from the distant wood, now so full of the mirth and music of multitudes of singing birds. But when the cuckoo’s notes are sounding over hill and dell, we know that summer is brightening the green earth. We hear that song while budding trees and blooming flowers are around us, and from earliest times, 112 CARYOPHYLLEAi wonder, then, that in days when men thought not of scientific names for the flowers, ere as yet those affinities had been traced which enabled the botanist to arrange and name them—no wonder that the English peasant, or the old herbalist, or the resident of the monastery, gave to the flowers such simple English names as linked them with nature, and serve even yet to awaken pleasant memories. It is interesting to trace in the old names of our flowers the old modes of thought and habits of life to which some of them point. The cuckoo was evidently a favourite bird, for many a pretty flower yet bears its name. There was the pungent cardamine of the fields and woods, which still has, as well as the anemone, the name of Cuckoo-flower. Then we have this bright and ragged Lychnis, while the Cuckoo-buds of the old poets are known to moderns as buttercups. There was the wood sorrel, which was called Cuckoo’s-meat, because, as Gerarde said, it came at the time when the cuckoo might need it for food. There, too, is the Cuckoo-pint, which is still a rustic name for the arum, and which may have been so called because its half-folded vase-like leaf might hold some drop of dew or rain to refresh the early bird ; or its name may be a corruption of Cuckoo-point, given because the purple or green column in the centre of its leaves was growing when the cuckoo was singing. Many another bird or mammal of the country was linked, too, with the flowers in the names of these olden days. The Swallow-wort, fancied to benefit the youngling swallow, and Hawk-weed, deemed good for the vision of the birds of prey ; and Sheep’s Scabious, and Bird’s Cherry, and Duck- weed, and Adder’s-meat, and Cow-berry, and Cow-wheat, and Dog’s Mercury, were, doubtless, all so named from their real or supposed uses. Many flowers, too, suggested, in some part of their structure, some animal feature ; thus Stork’s-bill, Crane’s-bill, Pheasant’s-eye, Hare’s-ear, Mouse-tail, Hound’s- tongue, Cat’s-tail, Ox-eye, Ox-tongue, and Crow-foot, were so named from blossom, or leaf, or seed-vessel ; while the entangling fibres of the root of one of the orchises suggested the name of Bird’s-nest Orchis ; and one of the velvety flowers of spring won for itself the name of Cowslip. ‘Then there was an association with the times and seasons in the names Wake-robin, Day’s-eye, Winter-weed, Maythorn, Lent-lily ; St. John’s-wort, of Midsummer- day, and St. Patrick’s Cabbage, of St. Patrick’s-day ; and Evening Primrose, and Snow-drop, and Spring Cresses. The rustic list had its classic allusion in the name of the Grass of Parnassus ; and its touches of sentiment in those of the Forget-me-not, Pansy, Heartsease, True-love, and 'True-love- knot ; while the Wayfaring-tree, and Traveller’s Joy, and the Queen of the Meadows, all remind us that those who so called them had an eye for the beauty of the landscape and its vegetation. Poor Man’s Weather-glass, Shepherd’s Needle, and Shepherd’s Purse, all tell a tale of rural imaginations ; while the old names of Fuller’s Teasel, Fowler’s Service, Dyer’s Weed, Bed- straw, Flee-bane, Dyer’s Rocket, Glass-wort, are still records of old uses of plants. The intercourse with foreign lands and the improvements in horti- culture have so well filled our kitchen-gardens with a provision for the tables, that Salad Burnet, Lamb’s Lettuce, Sauce-alone, Hedge-mustard, Winter Cresses, Poor Man’s Pepper, and Corn-salad, grow now ungathered, and we CAT CHELY RAGGED ROBIN ; RED ALPINE Lychms flos-cacula L alpina 2 RED GERMAN CATCHELY \ WHITE CAMPION L. viscaria. L -vespectina 5 RED CAMPION L. diurna Pl. 40. CLOVE PINK TRIBE 113 only wonder, while thinking on their names, at the simple taste which enabled our fathers to relish such a vegetable diet. A large number of plants were named for their healing virtues, and though the herbalist often overpraised his simples, yet a few of them de- served their repute. In some, however, whose praises filled the pages of the old writers on plants, we can find no powers to correspond with their alleged properties ; and we can only think that fevers were allayed by the water in which the herbs were mingled, and wounds healed by time, rather than by the reputed remedies ; so that we could join in the recommendation given by Sir Kenelm Digby for some of the plasters then in use, that they should be applied to the weapons rather than the wounds. If Carpenter’s Herb, and Sickle Herb, and Scurvy-grass, and Toutsaine, and Wound-wort, Shepherd’s Spikenard, Fever-few, Self-heal, Poor Man’s Parmacetti, and Souldier’s Milfoil, had some small degree of healing virtues, yet we should be sorry to trust our afflicted friends to the cures effected by Palsy-herb, or Whitlow- grass, or Lung-wort, or Liver-wort. These last names, indeed, remind us of the notion that plants indicated by some external sign the healing powers which they possessed, so that the spotted leaves of the Lung-wort showed that it was good for diseased lungs, and the lobed form of the Liver-wort leaf marked its uses to man; while, on the same principle, the spotted stem of the Viper’s Bugloss indicated its power to remedy the bite of the reptile. Some of the prettiest of our country names are derived from resem- blances apparent to us all. Such are Sundew, Satin-flower, Allseed, Arrow- head, Awlwort, Pearlwort, Monkshood, Bladderwort, Golden Rod, Bee Orchis, and many another ; and the appropriateness of some which we see in our every country walk gives us a feeling of pleasure as we think of them. The winding habit of our favourite woodland climber is well described by the name Woodbine, and its honey-bearing tubes by that of Honeysuckle ; the names of Bitter-sweet and Deadly Nightshade are no less appropriate. The name Foxglove, which is but a corruption of Folks’-glove, or Fairies’-glove, has a thought of poetry in it; that of Speedwell was given by one who loved flowers, and that of Thrift by one who marked how, growing as it can on the scantiest soil, it resembled the virtue which made good use of small means. Gold-knobs, Gold-cups, Goldings, and King-nobs, were pretty names for the buttercups which clothe our meadows in such numbers and varieties, that old Culpepper says, “So abundant are the sorts of this herb, that to describe them all would tire the patience of Socrates himself ; but because I have not yet attained to the spirits of Socrates,” he adds, “I shall describe the most usual.” Besides those which we have given, the herbalist describes as common names in his day, for these plants, Frogs- foot, Troil-flower, Polts, Locket Goulions, and Crowfoot, so that, as he says, “This furious biting herb hath obtained almost enough to make up a Welsh- man’s pedigree, if he fetch no further than John of Gaunt, or William the Conqueror.” The Lily of the Valley, the Mountain Ash, Heath, Meadow Rue, Corn Marigold, Marsh Trefoil, Brook-lime, Pond-weed, Water Avens, Alpine Gentian, Wood Anemone, Water-wort, Wall-flower, Tower Mustard, Seaside 15 114. CARYOPHYLLEA Poppy; Shore-weed, and Saltwort, are all appropriate and expressive names, and serve to indicate the spots on which we may find the plants growing. Many of ‘our common wild flowers received their names as expressive of the pious feelings of our ancestors. In these days, Revelation has come to almost every home of our land, teaching us no longer to adore fallible men, but to trust our sins and sorrows to Him who alone could atone, who alone can mediate. But in former days men mingled up strangely and darkly the intercessions of the saints and the Saviour; and the names of the flowers prove at least the religious thought which possessed the mind of him who so called them. The mother of our Lord, she who to latest days must be loved and honoured as “blessed among women,” shared then, in the fond idolatry of human hearts, in a reverence accorded to holy men of old, or to others of whom we know nothing, save such legends as were traced by the hand of superstition. Wherever we find the word Mary or Lady in any way con- nected with the flower, we may generally infer that the latter is but the remains of “Our Lady,” and that both refer to the Virgin. Nor was it the flower alone which received this associating name ; the little insect which the merry child bids “fly away home,” the Lady-bird, La vache de la Vierge of the French, was named, too, after “Our Lady.” Lady’s Tresses, Lady’s Mantle, Lady’s Slipper, Marygold, and Rosemary, Herb Bennet, Herb Robert, St. Peter’s and St. James’s-wort, Sweet Cicely, Sweet Basil, are but a few of the names which probably originated from the monastery ; and ancient associations are recorded in the names of Holy Herb, Holy Oak, Star of Bethlehem, Procession-flower, Herb of Grace, Trinity Herb, and many others ; while a remembrance of old superstitions lurks in such names as that of Enchanter’s Nightshade. But our Meadow Lychnis, our Cuckoo-flower, has been long forgotten in the remarks which its name suggested. It is a very pretty flower, often sprinkling the grass far over the moist meadows with its rose-coloured jagged petals, which grow on a reddish-coloured stem, two or three feet high, during June and July. The lower part of the stem is hairy, and the upper part clammy. It is often, in country places, called Ragged Robin, or Bachelor’s Buttons, a kind of button having been formerly worn which was made of pieces of cloth cut somewhat in the form of its petals. 2. Red German Catchfly (L. viscdria).—Petals slightly notched at the extremity ; stem clammy at the joints; leaves lance-shaped and pointed. Plant perennial. This plant, which grows on dry Alpine rocks, is found on Craig Breiddin, Montgomeryshire, and in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, and some other parts of Scotland. Its flowers are large, and grow in a panicle, on a stem about a foot in height. They are of a bright rose-colour, and the flowers appear in June. 3. Red Alpine Catchfly (L. alpina).—Petals cleft ; flowers growing in a corymbose head. This is a rare plant—so rare, indeed, that only three places of its growth in this kingdom have been recorded by botanists. One is on the summit of Little Kilrannoch, between Glen Prosen and Glen Cal- later ; another is Hobcaster Fell, Cumberland ; and the third in Lancashire. 4. White Campion (L. vespertina).—Flowers having usually the pistils and stamens on separate plants; petals 2-cleft and crowned ; capsule with CLOVE PINK TRIBE 115 erect teeth ; leaves oblong and tapering ; stem and leaves downy. Plant perennial. This flower, which was regarded by Linnzus as a variety of the following species, is very common on hedge-banks, in. grass meadows, and corn-fields, from June to September ; its substantial stem rising sometimes to the height of two feet, and the large flower of pure white overtopping the ripening corn or the tall flowering grass. Its specific name is given because it is a vesper flower; for though it is open all day, it breathes no sweet incense till the evening dews are on its petals. Sometimes the flower is delicately tinged with red, and its stems, which are viscid at the joint, are often of a brownish hue. 5. Red Campion (ZL. divrna).—Flowers having usually the pistils and stamens on separate plants; capsule nearly globose, the teeth recurved ; leaves broadly oblong, tapering, downy as well as the stem. Plant perennial. This Red Campion is rarely seen in the corn-field ; its most frequent places of growth being the moist hedge-bank or the wood where water is standing. In some damp, shady places the plant attains a great height, and is very abundant. The author has seen a wood of this description, which lay in a valley, filled during June and July with these plants, in so luxuriant a condition, the stems a yard high, and the flowers so large, and of so deep a red, that the traveller paused, in coming down the hill-side, to look at the rosy hue of the landscape before him. The blossoms grow in a loose panicle, varying in tint from a deep rose-red to pale pink or white ; and the ordinary height of the stem is from one to two feet. Many beautiful species of Lychnis are cultivated by our gardeners. The White and Red Campions are attrac- tive flowers; while few plants make more show than the Scarlet Lychnis, which country people so commonly call Scarlet Lightning, and which our forefathers termed Cross of Jerusalem. It is the ZL. chalcedonica of the botanist, and is a native of Russia, but is much improved by culture. The Italians call it Croce de Cavaliere. 5. CocKLE (Agrostémma). Corn-cockle (A. githigo).—Calyx ribbed, much longer than the corolla ; petals undivided, destitute of a crown ; leaves narrow. Plant perennial. It is sweet to wander, during the various seasons, at early morning, through the quiet pathway, and to look at those ‘*Gorgeous flow’rets in the sunlight shining, Blossoms flaunting in the eye of day, Tremulous leaves with soft and silver lining, Buds that open only to decay. *“ Everywhere about us they are glowing, Some like stars, to tell us spring is gone ; Others, their blue eyes with tears o’erflowing, Stand like Ruth amid the golden corn : ‘Not alone in Spring’s armorial bearing, And in Summer’s green emblazon’d field ; But on arms of brave old Autumn’s wearing, In the centre of his brazen shield.” This showy Cockle unfolds its rich purple blossom at the period when the corn-fields are looking very beautiful, when the nodding grain is daily becoming more golden in hue, as the sunshine of July is ripening it for the sickle. 15—2 116 CARYOPHYLLE Our beautiful Corn-cockle is too conspicuous a flower to escape notice, and well deserves its name of Crown of the Field, though this was at first applied to the German species of our gardens, A. coronaria. Ready as the lover of flowers is to admire the Corn-cockle, it cannot be pleasing to the agricul- turist, who well knows that its seeds, which contain the noxious principle of saponine, may greatly injure his corn, and fill his flour with black specks. The capsule, when ripened, is full of large, black, glossy seeds, from which the plant obtained its specific name ; the black aromatic seeds of some plant known to the Romans having been called Git, or Gith. Gith is an old Celtic word, and the word Cath is said by Sir William Hooker to signify a seed of corn in modern Gaelic. The French call this flower La Nielle; the Germans, Der Raden. It is the Koornvlam of the Dutch farmer, and the Agrostemma of the Portuguese. The reader of Scripture, as he sees these purple flowers amongst the corn, is reminded of the denunciation of Job, “ Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and Cockle instead of barley ;’ but the word rendered “Cockle” by our translators does not appear to refer to this plant. From one of our old nursery songs, in which a neglected garden is said to be ‘Full of weeds and Cockle seeds,” we are inclined to infer that the English word ‘“ Cockle” had in earlier times a wider meaning than it has now. But whether our translators, by the word “Cockle,” did or did not intend this species of plant, it is now well known that Job could not have referred to it, as it is not a weed of Palestine or Arabia. All recent writers agree that some useless, if not noxious, common weed was intended by the Patriarch ; and many have suggested that it was a bramble or other thorny plant, or that the word meant weeds in general. Dr. Royle infers as probable, that it is a species of nightshade (Solanum), common in cultivated grounds, not only in Europe, but in Syria and Arabia. The same Hebrew word is in Jsaiah rendered by “wild grape”; and the Arabs call the nightshade by a name signifying wolf’s-grape or ox’s-grape. 6. PEARLWORT (Sagina). 1. Procumbent Pearlwort (S. prociimbens).—Stems prostrate, smooth ; leaves pointed ; petals much shorter than the calyx; capsule curved down- wards before ripening. Plant perennial. This little plant, growing in small tufts, is among the most minute of our wild flowers. When we look at its tiny blossoms, and contrast them in imagination with some of the giants of the Vegetable Kingdom, we can but wonder at the remembrance, that the little Pearlwort is as perfect in its structure as those large flowers of which travellers tell us. We read of the Monster Cactus, which reached Kew Gardens in 1846, and required eight strong mules to draw it over the mountains of Mexico, and ten men to place it in the scales at the gardens; of other species, thirty or forty feet high, forming a chevaux de frise to the plantation, and covered with rose-like flowers ; of the blossoms of Aristoléchia cordifolia, which Baron Humboldt saw the children place on their heads for caps ; of the Victoria regia, with its leaves six feet in diameter ; of the strange vafilesia arnoldi, whose immense flowers measured a yard across, and whose 7 } vy \ Ole qo fe (\ J (} PROCUMBENT PEARL- WORT , ANNUAL \ ‘\ c\ eae is 6 3 SEA PEARL WORT Sagina procumbens S. maritima . PEARL - WORT a UPRIGHT M@NCHIA , S.apetala. Meenchia erecta 5 UMBELLIPEROUS JAGGED CHICKWEED , Holosteum “ombellatum Lethe Hak. CLOVE PINK TRIBE i BF nectarium would hold twelve pints of water; of the Barbacenia, which the Chevalier Schomburgk describes as having flowers six inches long, on a stem twelve feet high; of the immense Vourcroya, of the aloe family, which Karwinski found on the mountains of Mexico, whose tufts of leaves, six feet long, produced innumerable large white flowers, and rose to nearly ninety feet in height ; and of various other plants renowned for their immense size. Many a specimen of the Pearlwort might be covered—stem, leaves, and flowers—with a florin, yet the tiny blossoms have their stamens and their pistils, and produce in abundance their little seeds. The hand of God has formed them with as much skill as the larger blossoms, and His work is as discernible in the smallest as in the greatest. This little Pearlwort is not a favourite with the gardener ; for it possesses itself too readily of his gravel paths, dispersing itself by its innumerable seeds, and taking root very easily, wherever it can find a suitable soil. The gravelly heath, the crevices of the stone wall, and other waste places, are its common haunts ; and it may be found among the short grass of the pasture, or alpine hill, or lowly valley. The central stem is erect and flowerless ; but the stems which arise from this spread over the ground, being from two to four inches long ; often sending out roots from different parts, at the insertion of the leaves, and new plants arising from these. The little green blossoms are to be seen all the summer, growing singly at the end of the stalks, or placed in the angles formed by the stalks and leaves. 'The leaves, which are awl-shaped, are scarcely thicker than a packthread, and have membranaceous margins at the base. 2. Annual Small-flowered Pearlwort (S. apétala).—Stems slightly hairy, erect, or ascending ; leaves awned and fringed; sepals 4. This little Pearlwort is much like the last species, but smaller and more slender in all its parts ; its stems too are erect and slightly hairy, and the fringed leaves afford a characteristic feature, while its petals, being usually present, distin. guish it from the next species. It grows on dry walls and gravelly places, flowering from May to September. Curtis says that it ripens its seed much more rapidly than any other English plant. 3. Sea Pearlwort (S. maritima).—Stems erect, or procumbent only at the base ; leaves fleshy, obtuse, or with a short point; petals none. Plant annual. ‘This species is not uncommon at the sea-coast, or on land occa- sionally overflowed. It is generally of a reddish or purplish hue ; but many writers think that its difference from the preceding species is simply referable to the place of its growth. Old writers called the Pearlworts, Chickweed Breakstone ; the French term the plant, La Sagine; the Germans, Der Vierling ; and the Dutch, Vetmuur. Hooker regards this as a sub-species of S. apetala. 7. MG@NCHIA. Upright Meenchia (WV. erécta).—Sepals 4, large, pointed, and with a white membranaceous edge. Plant annual. This Mcenchia in not uncom- mon ; it blossoms during May and June, on some of our pastures which have a gravelly soil, and may be easily distinguished from any other of our wild plants. Its stem is from two to four inches in height ; its white flowers are large in proportion to the rest of the plant, and open only in the sunshine, 118 CARYOPHYLLEA 8. JAGGED CHICKWEED (Loldsteum). Umbelliferous Jagged Chickweed (H. wmbellatum). — Stems smooth below, and hairy above; leaves oblong and acute; flower-stalks turning downwards after flowering. Plant annual. This is a singular and interesting little plant, very rare in this country, found only on very old walls about Norwich and Bury. Its stems are about four or five inches high, leafy, and viscid between the joints. The flowers are about four or five in each umbel; and the petals are white with a reddish tinge. It blossoms in April. The French call the plant Holosté ; the Germans, Spurre ; and the Dutch, Zorghzaad. 9.. SPURREY (Spérguld). 1. Corn Spurrey (S. arvénsis).—Leaves slender, cylindrical, and awl- shaped, in whorls around the stem, with minute chaffy stipules at the base ; flowers in panicles ; flower-stalks bent down when in fruit. Plant annual. This Spurrey, which is common on gravelly and sandy soils throughout Europe, is from six to twelve inches high, and when luxuriant is sometimes more abundant in the cultivated field than the farmer desires. Its white flowers may be seen throughout the summer, and its stalks and flower-cups have usually a reddish tinge. The leaves, which are scarcely thicker than a coarse thread, are about an inch in length. The French call this plant La Spergule ; the Germans, Der Ackerspargel ; the Dutch, Akker-spurri. It is the Spergola of the Italian; and the Danish name of Knaegraes is not inap- propriate, as the stalks bend at the joints in a sort of angular manner, difficult to describe, but giving a peculiar character to the Spurrey. Our country people have various names for the plant, as Sandweed, Yarr, and Pick-pocket. Although the Spurrey is a troublesome weed in the corn-field, where its numerous seeds render it often abundant, yet it is a plant to be prized on the pasture land, as cattle eat it with much avidity, and it is highly nutritious. The farmers cultivate it in Holland on meadows destined to afford pasture for their cows ; and it is also sown in the Netherlands among the stubble of the field from which the corn has been gathered in, in order that it may afford winter food for the sheep. It is remarkably rapid in its growth, for it may be sown and reaped in the course of eight weeks, either in autumn or spring ; and the sheep are much improved by feeding upon it. It is also a favourite and valuable food for poultry. Von Thaer remarked of it, that it is the most nourishing, in proportion to its bulk, of all forage, and gives the best flavoured milk and butter. Its culture has been recommended to the English agriculturist ; but it is thought that the expense would exceed the remuneration of the crop, and, as Professor Martyn remarks, we have many plants better adapted to our poorest soils. The Spurrey grows wild in many parts of North America, and is very abundant in the neighbourhood of Quebec. It seems universal throughout Europe ; and in Finland and Norway bread is made of its seeds during seasons of scarcity. The small flowers are very sensitive under atmospheric changes; and Dr. George Johnston remarks, “ We have seen a whole field, whitened with its blossoms, CORN SPURREY Ss pergula arvensis KNOTTED SPURREY S. nodosa Pl. 42. + PERARI, - WORT AWL — SHAPED SPURREY SPUT s saginoides tRE Y subulata CLOVE PINK TRIBE 119 have its appearance quite changed by the petals closing on a black cloud . passing over and discharging a few drops of rain.” 2. Knotted Spurrey (S. noddsa).—Leaves opposite, growing together at the base, upper ones very short, growing in knots, and having tufts of young leaves in the axils; petals much larger than the calyx ; flower-stalks always erect. Plant perennial. As the Rev. C. A. Johns has remarked, in his ‘‘ Flowers of the Field,” this species may be known by its tufted leaves, which distinguish it from any other British plant. Its flowers are very pretty, and showy for its size; they grow two or three together, on a stem about three or four inches high, and appear in August and September. The plant is not unfrequent on wet sandy fields and marshy places. The central stem is shorter than the lateral ones, and bears no flowers. Some writers consider this and the two following species as pearlworts, and place them in the genus Sugina. 3. Pearlwort Spurrey (S. saginoides).—Leaves opposite, awl-shaped, and tipped with spines ; flower-stalks solitary, very long, and smooth ; petals - shorter than the calyx. Plant perennial. This is a very small plant, not uncommon on the Highland mountains; bearing drooping white flowers in June and August. Also known as Sagina linneet. 4. Smooth Awl-shaped Spurrey (S. subuldia).—Leaves opposite, awl-shaped, crowned, and slightly fringed ; flower-stalks solitary and very long; petals rather longer than the calyx. Plant perennial. This plant, which is very similar in appearance to the procumbent pearlwort, is common on gravelly pastures ; its white flowers appearing in June and July. 10. STITCHWORT (Sfelldria). 1. Chickweed (S. média).—Leaves egg-shaped, with a short point; stems with a hairy line alternating from side to side; petals deeply 2-cleft, not longer than the sepals; stamens 5—10. Plant annual. Everybody knows this common little plant. Our fathers called it also Hen’s Inheritance; its numerous seeds and young tops affording a good supply of food, not alone to the poultry which may stray over the grass lands, but also to those singing- birds which God has sent to gladden the heart of man, and to fill the wild wood with songs of joy. The Chickweed grows everywhere on rich cultivated land. Now we find it springing up in the garden, after a spring rain, making the beds green with its young shoots, and even in winter having the light tint of the spring leaf. In the fields it calls for the weeder’s care ; and under the hedge-bank its white flowers bloom all the year long, save when the snows have covered every green thing. It is a very valuable plant to birds ; nor is it one of the worst of those herbs which men have sometimes boiled for their food. We need hardly describe its small flower, for it may mostly be seen, like a little star among its leaves, when the sun is shining. Although the flowers are produced all the year round, in winter they do not open, but they manage, nevertheless, by self-fertilization to perfect an abundance of seed, so that they are sowing it from one end of the year to the other. Many of the flowers are without petals, or have them greatly reduced in size. Forecasts of weather drawn from their open or closed condition are most illusory. 120 CARYOPHYLLEA We, in modern days, find no great remedial virtues in this herb, but our forefathers recorded it as an effectual remedy against cramps, convulsions, palsy, and various maladies. “ Boil a handful of Chickweed,” says one old herbalist, ‘‘and a handful of red-rose leaves dried, in a quart of muscadine, until a fourth part be consumed :” oil of sheep’s feet was to be added, and the “grieved place” anointed therewith. One can imagine from the nature of some of the ingredients, that the sufferer might find relief from pain by this application, but it was not completed without binding some of the Chickweed over the part affected, which if done would, as the director adds, ‘with God’s blessing, cure the malady in three times the dressing.” 2. Greater Stitchwort, Satin-flower, or Adder’s Meat (8S. holdstea). —Stem nearly erect, with four distinct angles, rough edged; leaves very narrow, tapering to a long point, delicately fringed ; petals twice as long as the calyx, and cleft to the middle ; calyx without nerves. Plant perennial. There is beauty on the earth in every season of the year, in some part or other of the landscape. The leafless woods of winter, with their crimson berries lingering yet, and their boughs sparkling with the frost, and beautiful in their varied outline and their emerald mosses, which half disclose some crimson or orange fungus,—have their beauties to offer to the wanderer there. The golden corn-field, with the bearded grain, doing obeisance to the passing wind, and reminding us of the wind-swept ocean, has its chief loveliness of flowers in the autumn, when the crimson poppy, the yellow charlock, the corn-cockles, and the blue starry succory and lilac scabious contrast with the corn. The heath-land has its glory in summer-time, when it is rich in its fragrant furze and broom, and branching ling, and purple and rose-coloured heather flowers, and nodding blue-bells ; and when the linnet is yet singing among the furze tops, and the goldfinch comes thither to pick the thistle-down, and the bee and butterfly are there in search of nectar. May and June are the months in which the meadows are most lovely, when the tall grass waves gracefully by the gold cups, and when thousands of silvery daisies glitter beside the blue speedwells, while the scented honeysuckles and brier-roses are unfolding. May is the loveliest season for the woodlands; which are, however, more or less lovely in every changing season. We lose some of the graceful forms of the boughs as they may be seen in full outline in winter, for green leaves are thickening fast upon them, nor is the green tint, though gay, so deep and varied as are the hues of July, or the autumnal touches of the brown October. Here and there some dark-green holly or darker yew contrasts with it, or a gleam of sunshine gives some bough a deeper yellow ; yet now, elm and oak, and birch and hawthorn, have almost all the same pale and delicate verdure which tells of youth and spring. It is now that the flowers of the wood are in fullest perfection; and should our footsteps traverse those paths three months later, though fields and meadows are still rich and gay, yet the flowers of the wood will be comparatively few. The golden-rod may be there, and the magnificent foxglove, but all the wealth of anemones, and primroses, and violets, and hyacinths, and orchises, will have long since passed away. It is when these flowers are all in perfection that we see the delicate white blossoms of the Stitchwort gleaming among them, too large w WOOD STITCH WORT , SteIlaria memorom COMMON CHICKWEED S .amedia GREATER STITCIIWORT S. holostea Pi. 43. a wo 6 MARSH STITCHWORT S. glanca LESSER STITCHWORT S. praminea STITCH WORT S.uliginosa , BOG CLOVE PINK TRIBE 121 “a to be unnoticed, and too beautiful in their pearly petals and golden anthers to escape our admiration. No spring flower seems to our eyes more lovely than this; and it is a common flower too, growing among the grass of the hedge-bank, on*a stem a foot high, and clad with delicate green leaves, and seeming all the whiter from its contrast with the deep-blue hyacinth. Yet strange it is that few save botanists know its name, nor have many poets sung its praises, though none in forming a wild nosegay would fail to gather it. It has not, however, been left quite unsung, for Calder Campbell has named it among the flowers of spring :— ‘*The buds are green-on the linden-tree, And flowers are bursting on the lea ; There is the daisy, so prim and white, With its golden eye and its fringes bright ; And here is the golden buttercup, Like a miser’s chest with the gold heap'd up ; And the Stitchwort, with its pearly star, Seen on the hedgebank from afar.”’ This Stitchwort is about a foot or a foot and a half high, its stem and foliage somewhat glaucous, and very rigid and brittle. Indeed, so brittle is it, that it is impossible to pull up the plant by the root ; and we can remem- ber in childhood regarding it as a wonderful plant, growing without any root, as it breaks off just above the earth, and we could never by our simple imple- ments bring a fibre to view. The French call it Langue d’oiseau; the Germans, Das Augentrost-gras ; and it is the Oogentroost-gras of the Dutch. Our fathers called it All-bones, probably with a jocose reference to its brittleness. It has a great number of capsules, which separate by valves, and scatter its profusion of seeds. These seed-vessels droop when the flower is over. 3. Lesser Stitchwort (S. graminca).—Stem nearly erect, angular, smooth ; leaves very narrow, acute, smooth, fringed; flowers in forked panicles ; corolla scarcely longer than the calyx; sepals 3-nerved. Plant perennial. This species, which is in blossom during June and July, is neither so frequent nor so ornamental as our spring favourite, though it is not uncommon on dry pastures, heaths, and sunny banks. The stem is more slender than that of the preceding, and about a foot in height ; but the much smaller white blossoms, with petals cleft so deeply as to make it more star- ‘ like, and less cup-like in form, at once distinguish it: the nerves of the calyx, too, are of a specific character. The anthers are red. A variety of this plant is sometimes described as a distinct species, and called the Many-stalked Stitchwort, S. scapigera. It is distinguished by its long footstalks, and has been recorded from the north of Dunkeld, and about Loch Nevis ; but it is really a cultivated form. 4. Glaucous Marsh Stitchwort (S. glaica).—Stem angular, nearly erect, without hairs, and glaucous; leaves narrow, tapering, entire, and glaucous ; flowers solitary, on long footstalks. Plant perennial. This species is readily known by its very narrow and glaucous leaves, and by the circum- stance of its flowers growing singly, instead of several being placed together. Its blossoms are to be seen from May to July, and are, next to those of the Satin-flower, the largest of the genus. It, however, in its general aspect, 16 122 CARYOPHYLLEA more resembles the Lesser Stitchwort than either of the others, and like that species, its blossom is deeply cleft; but the moist marshy land, and not the dry open down, is the place on which we must look for it. The stem is about a foot or a foot and a half high. f 5. Bog Stitchwort (S. wligindsa).—Stems spreading, angular ; leaves smooth, broadly lanceolate, with a rigid tip; flowers panicled ; petals deeply 2-cleft, shorter than the 3-nerved sepals, which are united at the base. Plant annual. Those who are wont to roam among the coarse mosses which grow on our moist lands, probably often see this little Stitchwort, for it rejoices in the soil of such spots, as well as in the sides of ditches and rivulets, and is very common. Its white flowers are so small that one would hardly notice them among the broad leaves. They expand in June. The stems are about a foot long. 6. Wood Stitchwort (S. némorum).— Lower leaves stalked, and heart- shaped ; upper ones egg-shaped, and sessile ; panicle of flowers forked. Plant perennial. This rare species of Sfellaria is found chiefly in the north of England, or in the lowlands of Scotland. It is easily distinguished from the others by the large heart-shaped lower leaves, which are sprinkled with little raised dots, that render the surface rough. The stems are weak, and abouta foot or a foot and a half long, downy at the upper part, but often smooth below. The flowers appear in May and June, and the petals are white, deeply cleft, and twice as long as the sepals. 11. SEA PURSLANE (Honckenjya). Ovate-leaved Sea Purslane (H. pepldides). — Leaves sessile, egg- shaped, acute, smooth, fleshy ; sepals obtuse, with white margins ; stems very fleshy, decumbent at the base; calyx without ribs. Plant perennial. This plant, which is often called Sea-side Sandwort, and placed in the genus Arenaria, is frequently very puzzling to the unpractised botanist. It is very unlike the sandworts in general, and is so stout and succulent that it would rather remind us of the stonecrop family. It is very peculiar, and we know of no British plant which has its leaves more distinctly decussate. Leaves are said to be decussate when they cross each other at right angles ; and although, when older, this arrangement is not so distinct, yet the young shoots show very plainly the four distinct rows in which they were crowded. This Sea Purslane grows in tangled clumps on the sand, spreading its stems over the ground, the rich glossy green leaves having none of the glaucous tint of most other sea-side plants. One rarely sees its flowers ; they appear in June, and are small and white, but they never expand in cloudy weather, or long after noonday. The roundish capsules contain a few seeds, which are large in proportion to the size of the plant, and when matured are quite black. The author has occasionally found them as large asa pea. This flower is often called the Sea Pimpernel ; it is confined to the sand or shingle, or the salt-marsh, never growing in inland districts. It is very common on the shores of Iceland, and is there prepared for food by being fermented. 2. VERNAL SANDWORT Apenaria vera SANDWORT A. rubella . 3. ALPINE 4.. FINE-LEAVED SANDWORT A. tenuifolia | tah 6 Pe SEA- PURSLANE Honkenya peploides LEVEL TOPPED SANDWORT A fastigiala . FRINGED SANDWORT A. ciliata. THYME LEAVED SAN DWORT A. serpyllifohia.. Pl, MA. 9 10 THREE NERVED SANDWORT A. duervia. SAND WORT A. rabra SEA. SAND WORT A. marina . PURPLE CLOVE PINK TRIBE 123 12. SANDWORT (4rendric). * Leaves without stipules. 1. Three-nerved Sandwort (A. trinérvia). —Leaves sessile, egg-shaped, acute, the lower ones stalked, 3—5-nerved, fringed ; flowers solitary, from the forks of the stem and axils; sepals 3-nerved, the central nerve rough. Plant annual. This is a little plant of shady woods and moist places, having much-branched downy stems, about a foot in height, and its upper leaves being without stalks. Anyone little used to plants would mistake it for the common chickweed, but its white petals are not cleft like those of that flower. The blossoms are small, appearing in May and June. The Sand- worts are a difficult tribe of plants to the unpractised botanist, but if this species is examined when in seed, it may be seen by a common lens, such as is used by naturalists, to possess a peculiar character, in having a little appendage to the scar of the seed. This plant delights in damp hedge-banks. 2. Thyme-leaved Sandwort (4. serpyllifélia).—Leaves broadly egg- shaped, pointed, somewhat rough, sessile ; calyx hairy, about as long as the corolla; stem repeatedly forked. Plant annual. This, like many of the Sandworts, is a native of the driest places, flourishing on open sandy banks, the tops of walls, and the sea-cliffs. Mr. Johns remarks, that when growing near the shore, the stems become less branched, and the leaves somewhat larger and more decidedly fringed than in its ordinary state. It flowers from June to August, but its white blossoms are small, and its shrubby stems and foliage rarely exceed five or six inches in height. A slender straggling form is known as A. leptoclados. 3. Vernal Sandwort (4. v¢rna).—Stems numerous, panicled ; leaves awl-shaped, 3-nerved when dry; petals somewhat longer than the narrow- pointed 3-nerved sepals. Plant perennial. This Sandwort is found on fragments of quartz, on the mountains in the north of England and Wales, at the Lizard Point, Cornwall, as well as about Edinburgh, and on some Scottish mountains. It is very pretty; its white flowers, which appear in May and June, being large for the size of the plant. The stems are slightly hairy, and three or four inches high. The plant grows in tufts among the grass, or on the almost bare rock. 4. Alpine Sandwort (4. rubélla.)— Stems numerous; flower-stalks downy, terminal, and usually bearing but one flower ; leaves slender and awl- shaped, 3-nerved, blunt ; petals shorter than the 3-nerved calyx. ‘This rare plant, which is nearly allied to the last species, seems to be almost peculiar to the summits of the Breadalbane range of mountains in the Highlands of Scotland. This lowly alpine flower has also been found on Ben Hope, in Sutherland, flowering in July and August. Sir William Hooker and Dr. Arnott remark of it: ‘This is quite an alpine or arctic plant ; it loves to grow with its root buried under a loose piece of rock, and late in the summer often acquires a reddish tinge.” 5. Bog Sandwort (4. uwligindsa).—Stems prostrate at the base, with from one to three flowers, on long slender stalks ; leaves awl-shaped, without nerves, and somewhat blunt; petals about as long as the calyx. Plant 16—2 124 CARYOPHYLLEA perennial. This rare species, which blossoms in June, grows in tufts near Teesdale, Durham, on the banks of the stream. The whole plant is without down or hairs. 6. Fine-leaved Sandwort (4. tenuifélia).—Stems very slender, much branched and forked ; leaves narrow, and awl-shaped, 3-nerved ; calyx about twice as long as the petals. This is a small plant, its stems not more than five or six inches high, and scarcely thicker than a sewing-thread. It grows in sandy fields in several counties of England, bearing its minute white flowers in June and July. It has been said to occur in some parts of Scot- land, but this is doubtful. Like many other of its species, it is a true Sand- wort, and found only on sandy lands. The French call the Sandwort La Sablonniere, the Germans Das Sandkraut, and the Dutch Zandmuur ; while the Italians, Spanish, and Portuguese call it Arenaria. 7. Level-topped Sandwort (4. /fastigidta).—Stems erect; leaves in tufts, awl-shaped, pointed with minute bristles ; flowers in dense tufts ; petals shorter than the calyx ; sepals narrow, and pointed, white, with two green ribs. Plant annual. This species was at one time believed to have occurred on some of the Scottish mountains, but this was an error. Sir J. E. Smith remarks that ‘its seeds are beautifully toothed like a wheel, each on a long slender stalk. It flowers in June. 8. Norwegian Sandwort (4. norvégica).— Leaves oblong, tapering towards the base, fleshy and smooth; sepals egg-shaped, acute, with 3—5 obscure ribs. Plant perennial. This species was discovered in the Shetland Isles, by Mr. 'T. Edmonston, in 1837 ; and in 1838 Mr. Peach, while travelling with Sir R. Murchison in Unst, the most northerly isle in Britain, found two or three specimens of this rare plant. Its stems are branched, and spread over the ground, and the branchlets are from one to three-flowered. It blossoms in July and August, and is by some regarded as a sub-species of — 9. Fringed Sandwort (4. cilidia).—Leaves tapering towards the base, roughish, fringed with small hairs ; corolla twice as long as the calyx ; sepals lanceolate and acute, with 3—5 prominent ribs. Plant perennial. This small Sandwort is peculiar to the limestone mountains of Sligo, in Ireland. It is downy, and flowers from June to August. * * Leaves furnished with stipules. 10. Purple Sandwort (4. rubra).—Leaves linear, fleshy, pointed with a minute bristle; stipules chaffy; stem prostrate; seeds rough. Plant annual. This little Sandwort is very frequent on the ridges of sandy or gravelly fields, having a number of pretty little purple or pale lilac flowers in the axils of its upper leaves, from June to September. It is much branched, and very easily distinguished from all but the next species, by the egg-shaped stipules, which consist of a pair of thin, white, chaffy scales, united at their base. It is very similar to the sea-side species, but altogether smaller, and less succulent. Many writers believe it to be the same plant, only altered by the condition of the soil on which it grows. 11. Sea-side Sandwort (4. marina).—Stems prostrate ; leaves semi- cylindrical, without points ; stipules white, chaffy, and cleft ; seeds smooth, flattened, the seed-vessel usually longer than the calyx. Perennial. Few CLOVE PINK TRIBE 125 sea-side plants are more generally to be found about our shores than this. Sometimes it hangs its branches down from a rocky crevice, giving a verdure to the cliff, though, as we look up to its clumps, we cannot perceive the small purple stars which are seated among its foliage. Sometimes our plant grows among the timber lying in the boat-yard, near the sea, or hangs in clumps from between the stones of the harbour, on some high wall never washed by _.the water ; but the spot on which this Sandwort attains its greatest luxuriance is the salt-marsh, where, from June to September, it may be seen amid the pale green stems of the sea-wormwood, and the deeper-tinted rosy tufts of the thrift, its thousands of starry flowers, as large as silver pennies, by their multitude giving a distinct hue to patches of the soil. These blossoms vary from deep purple to delicate lilac, or white. A little later in the year, the numerous seed-vessels are crushed by every footstep, as we wander over the dreary, treeless, and almost flowerless marsh, when the wind sweeps through the sea-reeds its melancholy accompaniment to the dashing waves. The flowers of the Sea Sandwort, however, can be seen spangling the grass only in the early part of the summer’s day, for by four o'clock each blossom is closed up from the dews which twilight brings; by nine o’clock the next morning, they will be all open again in their full loveliness, reminding us of the pretty fancy of Linnzus, who constructed a dial of such flowers as were constant in their habits of opening and closing at certain hours. Charlotte Smith has a beautiful little poem on such blossoms. ‘“Tn every copse and shelter’d dell, ‘* Broad o’er its imbricated cup Unveil’d to the observant eye, The goatsbeard spreads its golden rays, Are faithful monitors which tell But shuts its cautious petals up, How pass the hours and seasons by. Retreating from the noontide blaze. ‘The green-robed children ofthe spring ‘* Among the loose and arid sands Will mark the period as they pass, The humble Arenaria creeps ; Mingle with leaves Time’s feather’d wing, Slowly the purple star expands, And bind with flowers his silent glass, But soon within its calyx sleeps. “See Hieracium’s various tribe ‘Thus in each flower and simple bell Of plumy seed and radiate flowers ; That in our path untrodden lie, The course of time their blooms describe, Are mute remembrancers which tell And wake or sleep appointed hours. How fast the winged minutes fly. ‘*Time will steal on with ceaseless pace, Yet lose we not the fleeting hours, Who still their fairy footsteps trace, As light they dance among the flowers.” The Purple and Sea-side Sandworts are, by some botanists, placed in a distinct genus, called Spergularia, from the resemblance to the Spurrey (Spergula) ; this species being distinguished as Spergularia media. 13, MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED (Cerdstium). * Petals not longer than the calyx. 1. Common Mouse-ear Chickweed (C. trividle).—Stems hairy, not viscid ; leaves oblong, tapering; flowers in panicles. Plant perennial. This is a very common plant, though one which is little noticed by any but the botanist. It would, however, if removed from the road, or field, or pasture 126 CARYOPHYLLEA where it grows, be missed by the singing-birds, which make a large demand on the capsules, so well stored with tiny seeds. Thomson has said, speaking of Nature,— ** All is form’d With number, weight, and measure, all design’d For some great end! where not alone the plant Of stately growth ; the herb of glorious hue Or foodful substance: not the labouring steed, The herd and flock that feed us ; not the mine That yields us store for elegance and use ; The sea that loads our tables, and conveys The wanderer, Man, from clime to clime ; with all Those rolling spheres that from on high shed down Their kindly influence ; not these alone, Which strike even eyes incurious, but each moss, Each shell, each crawling insect, holds a rank Important in the plan of Him who framed This scale of beings ;—holds a rank, which, lost, Would break the chain, and leave behind a gap Which Nature’s self would rue.” This Mouse-ear Chickweed bears small white flowers throughout the summer, and its seed-vessels, as they ripen, lengthen and become curved. Its stems are spreading. 2. Broad-leaved Mouse-ear Chickweed (C. glomerdtum).— Stem hairy, nearly erect, the upper part viscid ; leaves egg-shaped ; petals as long as the calyx; bracts leafy. Plant annual. This is a smaller species than the last, though, in other respects, very similar to it, but it may be distin- guished by its tufted flowers ; these are white and inconspicuous, the petals being sometimes altogether wanting. They may be found from March to September, and after flowering, the capsules, curving upwards as they ripen, occur in great numbers. The stem is much branched at the lower part, and grows to the height of six or eight inches. Lyell remarks of this Chick- weed, that it is among the most common plants in the world, being a truly cosmopolitan species. We may find it everywhere in our own land by road- sides, and in fields and pastures. 3. Five-stamened Mouse-ear Chickweed, or Little Mouse-ear Chickweed (C. semi-decindrum).—Leaves egg-shaped, or oblong ; stem hairy and viscid, bearing few flowers; upper half of all the bracts and sepals chaffy. Plant annual. This is a common little herb on dry walls, or dry sandy banks and waste places, distinguished from similar species by usually having five stamens, though in a few cases these are but four in number. It blossoms very early in the year, its white flowers being almost hidden by the calyx, which is twice as long as the petals. At the same season the little vernal whitlow grass often grows beside it, though this Chickweed is more frequent than that plant, scarcely an old wall being without it. It remains in flower until May, withering, as Sir J. E. Smith observes, before the narrow-leaved species begins to put forth its far less conspicuous blossoms. It is a pretty little plant, very generally known by the name of Spring Mouse-ear. 4. Four-cleft Mouse-ear (C. tetrdndrum). — Leaves egg-shaped or oblong ; stem forked, hairy, and somewhat viscid, with flowers in the forks ; calyx rather longer than the petals. Plant annual. This species, which is bat \ , { . X Wa Y 1 WATER MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED 4 LITTLE MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED Cerastium aquaticum . C, semidecandrom . FOUR CLEFT MOUSE -KAR CHICKWEED uy 2 BROAD-LEAVED MOTSE-RAR CHICKWEED C.glomeratum C, tetrandrum .