Chapter II: Part 2

Our artist has chosen to delineate a specimen of this striking plant that has passed its prime in a flowering sense. To our mind the Viper’s Bugloss is prettiest when only one or two flowers are open on each cyme. The recurved cymes are then very short, and the unopened flowers packed closely together. As in Lungwort (p. 9), the unopened corollas are purplish-red in colour, when opened bright blue. After flowering, the cymes lengthen until they are as long as shown in our illustration. The parts of the flower, it will be seen, are in fives: calyx five-parted, tubular corolla with five-lobed “limb,” as the free portion is called, stamens five, stigma two-lobed. The lobes of the corolla are unequal, and one of the stamens is shorter than the other four, which protrude from the corolla considerably; in fact, they serve as a platform upon which insects alight. When the flower opens the anthers are ripe and shed their pollen, so that bees or other insects alighting are sure to get their under surface dusted with it. At this period the pistil is short and immature, so that it cannot be fertilized by its own pollen; but as the pollen disappears the pistil lengthens, until its stigmas are in the position where they are bound to receive pollen brought on the under surface of a visiting insect. The leaves are strap-shaped, long, and rough with hairs.

Much fault is found with scientific names on account of their uncouthness and obscurity. But they are mostly derived from Greek and Latin roots, and reflect some peculiarity of the plant; whereas many of the English or Folk-names are most arbitrary, and require much explaining, which is sometimes not easily done. “Viper’s Bugloss” is a puzzle, and authors have pretended to see likenesses to a viper in the markings of the stem, the shape of the flower and of the seeds; others have taken shelter behind Dioscorides, who said that a decoction of the plant was a protection from the effects of a viper’s bite. If a man knew he was going to be bitten by a viper and took a certain dose of this plant beforehand he was all right! But the word bugloss seems a worse puzzle than the plant’s connection with vipers. Most dictionaries will help to the extent of telling that bugloss is the name of a plant, and no more. The truth is, it is as Greek as any scientific name, being compounded of the words _Bous_, an ox, and _glossa_, a tongue, from its leaves being rough, like the tongue of an ox.

It is common on gravelly and chalky soils, flowering from June to August. It is rich in honey, so that it is much frequented of sweet-tongued insects. The name _Echium_ is from the Greek _Echis_, a viper.

=Wild Strawberry= (_Fragaria vesca_).

Well known as the Wild Strawberry is, the Barren Strawberry (_Potentilla fragariastrum_) when flowering is often mistaken for it. The general resemblance is fairly close, but a botanist can distinguish each at a glance. In each the leaves are divided into three leaflets, the flowers are white and five-parted; but in _F. vesca_ the upper side of the leaf is channelled with sunken nerve-lines, whilst in _P. fragariastrum_ it is smooth. The real strawberry sends off runners with young rooting plants; the false does not. When the fruit is formed there is no longer danger of confounding the two species, for the false plant entirely lacks the fleshiness of the true. The fruit of the Strawberry is a compound one, consisting of a large number of achenes scattered over the enlarged and succulent top (_receptacle_) of the flower-stalk, beneath which are spread out the persistent green calyx-lobes.

Fragaria vesca.

--ROSACEÆ.--]

Polygala vulgaris.

--POLYGALEÆ.--

=Germander Speedwell.=

Veronica chamædrys.

--SCROPHULARINEÆ.--]

It is a widely distributed species, flowering from April to June, and found on shady banks, and in woods. The name _Fragaria_ is from the Latin _fragrans_, fragrant, and has reference to the perfumed fruit.

=Milkwort= (_Polygala vulgaris_), and

=Germander Speedwell= (_Veronica chamædrys_).

Nestling closely among the grass of heaths and dry pastures, the Milkwort, though commonly and profusely distributed, is not a well-known plant. It is only a few inches in height, and scarcely noticeable when not in flower. The narrow, tough leaves are scattered alternately on the stem. The broad inner two of the five sepals are coloured purple, and the corolla may be the same hue, or pink, blue, white or lilac. The structure of the flower is very curious, and should be carefully noted by aid of the pocket-lens. The stamens cohere, and the corolla is attached to the sheath thus formed. The pistil has a protecting hood over it, obviously with reference to the visits of insects; but the flower is also self-fertile. When the fruit is formed the sepals turn green. The name of the genus is derived from two Greek words, _polus_ and _gala_, meaning much milk, from an ancient notion that cows eating this plant were enabled to give a greatly increased supply of milk.

There are two other British species:--

I. Proliferous Milkwort (_P. calcarea_), branches rooting, and giving rise to new plants. Inner sepals broader and longer. Dry soils in south and south-east of England.

II. Bitter Milkwort (_P. amara_), much smaller in all respects than the others; the inner sepals are narrow, and the leaves form a rosette. Very rare. Found only on the margins of rills in Teasdale, and Wye Down, Kent. They all flower from June to August.

The Germander Speedwell (_Veronica chamædrys_) is the representative of a genus which includes sixteen native species, most of them with bright blue flowers of a particular form. The corolla is tubular for half its length, the upper portion divided into four spreading lobes, of which the upper and lower are usually broader than the lateral pair. The two stamens are attached within the corolla-tube just below the upper lobe, and the anthers and stigma protrude beyond the mouth of the tube. _V. chamædrys_ grows to greatest advantage in a great mass on a sloping bank, where, in May and June, its intensely bright blue flowers are very attractive. It is a most disappointing flower to gather, for the corollas readily drop off, and the beauty of the “button-hole” has rapidly passed. A fine robust species, the Brooklime (_V. beccabunga_), grows in bogs, ditches, and by the margins of streams, with stout stem and thick leaves; flowering from May to September.

=The Spurge Family= (_Euphorbia_).

The whole of the British species of Spurge have a singular character, which enables the tyro in botanical matters to determine the genus at a glance, though he may not be so successful in distinguishing between the twelve or thirteen native species. This singularity is chiefly due to the colour and arrangement of their flowers. These possess neither sepals nor petals; instead, a number of unisexual flowers are wrapped in an _involucre_. An individual involucre of, say, the Sun Spurge, should be detached and examined with the aid of the pocket-lens. It will be seen to have four lobes, to each of which is attached an orbicular yellow gland. Within the involucre are several flowers, each consisting of a single stamen on a separate flower-stalk (note joint), and from the midst of these arises a single pistillate flower on a long, curved stalk. With slight variations this is the form of inflorescence which characterizes the whole genus. The British species may be briefly enumerated thus:--

Euphorbia helioscopia.

=Cypress Spurge.=

Euphorbia cyparissias.

--EUPHORBIACEÆ.--]

Rubus cæsius.

--ROSACEÆ.--]

I. Sun Spurge (_E. helioscopia_). Annual herb with yellow green
obovate leaves, the margin of upper half toothed. Milky juice used
as a wart-cure. Waste places, June to October.

II. Broad-leaved Spurge (_E. platyphyllos_). Annual. Leaves broad,
lance-shaped, sharp-pointed, toothed above middle. Fruit (capsule)
warted. Fields and waste places from York southwards: rare. July to
October.

III. Irish Spurge (_E. hiberna_). Perennial. Leaves thin, ovate,
not toothed, tip blunt or notched; upper leaves heart-shaped.
Glands of involucre purple, kidney-shaped. Hedges and thickets,
rare; only in North Devon and South and West of Ireland. Flowers
May and June. Juice used by salmon-poachers for poisoning rivers.

IV. Wood Spurge (_E. amygdaloides_). Perennial, stout, red,
shrubby. Leaves obovate, thick, tough, reddish, 2 to 3 inches long,
hairy beneath, lower on short stalks. Involucral glands half-moon
shaped, yellow. Woods and copses, chiefly on clay soils. Flowers
March to May.

V. Petty Spurge (_E. peplus_). Annual. Leaves thin, broadly
obovate, on short stalks, ¾ inch long. Involucral glands half-moon
shaped (_lunate_), with long horns. Waste ground, market-gardens
and flower-beds. July to November.

VI. Dwarf Spurge (_E. exigua_). Annual. Much branched. Leaves very
narrow and stiff. Involucres small, almost stalkless. Involucral
glands, rounded with two blunt-pointed horns. Fields, especially on
light soil. July to October.

VII. Portland Spurge (_E. portlandica_). Perennial, tufted,
many-branched stems. Leaves tough, obovate acute, spreading.
Involucral glands, lunate, with two long horns. Sandy shores, on
South and West coasts, and in Ireland. May to August. Rare.

VIII. Sea Spurge (_E. paralias_). Perennial, bushy, many-stemmed,
stout, reddish, woody below. Leaves narrow, concave, very thick,
arranged in whorls. Points of involucral glands short. Sandy
shores, July to October.

IX. Leafy-branched Spurge (_E. esula_). Perennial. Rootstock
creeping. Stem slender. Leaves thin, narrow, sometimes toothed.
Involucres small, on long stalks, glands lunate, with short
straight horns. Woods and fields; Jersey, Forfar, Edinburgh, and
Alnwick. July.

X. Cypress Spurge (_E. cyparissias_). Perennial. Rootstock
creeping. Leaves _very narrow_, not toothed. Woods, England, June
and July.

XI. Caper Spurge (_E. lathyris_). Biennial. Stem short and stout,
3 to 4 feet second year. Leaves narrow, broader at base, opposite,
alternate pairs placed at right angles to each other (_decussate_).
Copses and woods, June and July. Fruit used as a condiment.

XII. Purple Spurge (_E. peplis_). Annual. Stems prostrate, purple,
glaucous. Leaves oblong, heart-shaped, thick, on short stalks, with
stipules, opposite. Glands oblong. Very rare. On sandy coasts,
South Wales, Cornwall to Hants, and Waterford. July to September.

All the species have milky sap. Poisonous.

=Dewberry= (_Rubus cæsius_). Plate 30.

A sub-species of the Blackberry; too well known to require description.

=Honeysuckle= (_Lonicera periclymenum_).

The Woodbine or Common Honeysuckle is one of the most familiar of our wild flowers, and as great a favourite as any. It owes its popularity not only to the beauty of its flowers, but also to its strong sweet odour, and in some measure to its graceful twining habit. The tough stem grows to a great length--ten to twenty feet in some cases--and always twines from left to right. The egg-shaped leaves are attached in pairs, the lower ones by short stalks, but the upper ones are stalkless (_sessile_). The flowers are clustered, the calyces closely crowded, five-toothed. The corolla-tube may be from one to two inches long, the free end (_limb_) divided into five lobes, which split irregularly into two opposite lips. It is rich in honey, the corolla being often half filled with it, and consequently it is a great favourite with bees and moths, who are bound to bring and fetch pollen from the outstanding anthers of one plant and deposit it upon the equally obtrusive stigma of another. The flowers are succeeded by a cluster of round crimson berries. Widely distributed in hedges, copses, and on heaths.

Lonicera caprifolium.

--CAPRIFOLIACEÆ.--]

Lamium purpureum.

--LABIATÆ.--]

Perfoliate Honeysuckle (_L. caprifolium_) is similar to the last, but the upper pairs of leaves are joined together by their broad bases. The corolla-tubes are longer than in the common species, and it therefore becomes impossible for even the longest-tongued bees to carry off much of the honey. Moths with their long trunks can; and consequently they swarm upon it at night, and carry the pollen from plant to plant. This species may be found in copses in Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire, but is believed to be only naturalized--not a true native. Flowers May and June. The name Lonicera was bestowed by Linnæus in honour of a German botanist named Adam Lonicer.

=Dead Nettles= (_Lamium_).

Our forefathers, when giving English names to plants, found it by no means easy work, and the greater number of our native species they left unnamed altogether. Many of the names they did invent were made to serve many times by the simple expedient of prefixing adjectives. Thus, having decided on Nettle as the distinctive name of certain stinging herbs (_Urtica_), they made it available for the entirely unrelated genus _Lamium_ by calling the species Dead (or stingless) nettles. In a similar fashion they made Hemp-nettle, and Hedge-nettle.

Apart from the resemblance in form of the leaves in certain species, there is little likeness between _Lamium_ and _Urtica_, the large and graceful flowers of the former contrasting strongly with the inconspicuous green blossoms of the stinging nettles (_see_ page 103). In the absence of flowers the difference may be quickly seen by cutting the stems across, when _Urtica_ will exhibit a round solid section, whilst _Lamium_ is square and tubular. The flowers, like those of Bugle (page 21) and Meadow-Sage (p. 23) are labiate, and are produced in whorls. The calyx is tubular, with five teeth. The corolla tubular, with dilated _throat_, whence the name from _Laimos_ (Gr.), throat. The British species are five:--

I. Red Dead Nettle (_Lamium purpureum_). Leaves heart-shaped, with
rounded teeth, stalked. Bases of flower-bracts not overlapping.
Corolla purplish-red. Whole plant often purple. Hedge-banks and
waste places. April to October.

II. Intermediate Dead Nettle (_L. intermedium_). Intermediate
between the first and the next species, but more robust. Bracts
overlapping. Teeth much longer than calyx-tube, spreading.
Cultivated ground, not in S. of England. June to September.

III. Henbit Dead Nettle (_L. amplexicaule_). Calyx more hairy than
in I. and II.; teeth equal to tube in length, converging when in
fruit. Corolla slender, deep rose-colour, often deformed. Bracts
broad, overlapping. Waste places. April to August. Above three
species are annuals, the remainder perennials.

IV. White Dead Nettle (_L. album_). Corolla large, creamy white,
upper lip vaulted. Calyx teeth long. Waste places. March to
December.

V. Yellow Archangel (_L. galeobdolon_). Corolla yellow, the lower
lip orange, spotted with brown. Hedges and woods. May and June.

=Ground Ivy= (_Nepeta glechoma_), and

=Ivy-leaved Toad-flax= (_Linaria cymbalaria_).

Trailing among the grass of the copse and hedgebank the Ground Ivy is one of the earliest of flowers to appear in spring. It has not the remotest relationship to the real ivy (_Hedera helix_), but, like the Dead Nettle, is a labiate plant. The slender square stem creeps along, and wherever it puts forth a pair of leaves it sends down a tuft of fibrous roots also. The leaves are roundish, kidney-shaped, deeply round-toothed on the margin. The flowers are borne in the axils of leaf-like bracts. The corolla-tube is long, slender at base, afterwards dilating. Some of the purple-blue flowers are large and perfect, others small and devoid of stamens. March to June. There is a closely allied, but rare, species called the Catmint (_N. cataria_) which flowers from July to September. This has an erect stem, with leaves approaching more to heart-shape, the teeth sharper; both stem and leaves downy and whitish. Flowers white, marked with rose-colour. The name _Nepeta_ is the classical Latin one, and is said to have been given because the plant was common round the town of Nepet in Tuscany.

Nepeta glechoma.

--LABIATEÆ.--

=Ivy-leaved Toadflax.=

Linaria cymbalaria.

--SCROPHULARINEÆ.--]

Geranium rotundifolium.

--GERANIACEÆ.--]

The Ivy-leaved Toad-flax (_Linaria cymbalaria_) will be found forming a beautiful tapestry on ruins and old walls. It is a Continental species, and those found naturalized here are believed to be the descendants of greenhouse escapes. The stems are very long and slender; the leaves lobed like certain forms of Ivy, often purple beneath, dark green above. The calyx is five-parted, and the corolla is like that of the familiar Snapdragon of our gardens. The two lips are so formed that they close the mouth of the corolla, which is hence said to be _personate_ or masked; the tube is spurred, in which it differs from Snapdragon. When the seed-capsule is nearly ripe it turns about on its stalk and seeks a cranny in the wall, where it can disperse its seeds. Flowers July to September. The name _Linaria_ is derived from the Latin _Linum_, from the resemblance of the leaves of the common Toad-flax (_see_ page 105) to those of the Flax (_see_ page 96).

=Round-leaved Crane’s-bill= (_Geranium rotundifolium_).

This neat member of a charming family is by no means a common plant; in fact, northward of South Wales and Norfolk it is unknown. Southward it may be found in hedges and waste places, flowering in June and July. The stems are slight, and greatly swollen at the joints. The leaf-stalks are long, and the leaves, though their general outline is kidney-shaped, are deeply cut into about seven lobes, which are in turn lobed or toothed. Owing to the close general resemblance of this species to its immediate congeners some rather minute differences should be noted. The sepals end each in a hard point--in botanists’ language they are _mucronate_--the margin of the narrow petals is _entire_, that is, not notched, and the narrow lower portion (_claw_) is not fringed with hairs. The carpels, or divisions of the seed-vessel, are keeled but not wrinkled, and the seeds are _pitted_. Its nearest allies are:--

I. The Dove’s-foot Crane’s-bill (_G. molle_), with similar leaves
to the last, but with _notched_ petals, the claw bearded. Flowers
more rosy than _rotundifolium_.

II. Small-flowered Crane’s-bill (_G. pusillum_). Leaves more deeply
lobed, sepals as long as the notched petals, claw slightly hairy.
Flowers, pale rose.

III. Long-stalked Crane’s-bill (_G. columbinum_). Lobes of leaves
distant from each other, the segments into which they are again cut
being very narrow; sepals large, acuminate and awned, as long as
the entire rose-purple petals; claws less hairy than in last. All
the leaf and flower-stalks long.

IV. Cut-leaved Crane’s-bill (_G. dissectum_). Similar to _G.
columbinum_, but all stalks much shorter. Bright red petals,
notched.

V. Herb-Robert (_G. robertianum_). Plant more or less red. Leaves
divided into five leaflets, these again divided. Calyx angular,
the sepals long-awned and hairy. Petals narrow and entire; purple
streaked with red; claw smooth.

VI. Shining Crane’s-bill (_G. lucidum_). Plant more or less crimson
in summer. Leaves divided into five segments, each bluntly lobed
at the top. The calyx is a wrinkled pyramid, each sepal awned. The
rosy petals are much longer than the sepals; claw smooth. There are
two lines of hairs on the upper branches.

All the above are annual or biennial plants. The name of the genus
is from the Greek _geranos_, a crane, from a fancied resemblance in
the fruit to a Crane’s-bill.

The mechanism for the dispersal of seeds in the Crane’s-bills is worthy of attention. When the petals fall off the carpels enlarge, and the outer layer of the style separates from the axis, splitting into five portions, each attached to a carpel at the bottom and to the style at top. The axis of the style further elongates, but the tails of the carpels do not, and there is, in consequence, great tension, which ends in the carpel being detached from its base. The “tail” curls up, the carpel is reversed, and the seed drops out.

=The Hemlock Stork’s-bill= (_Erodium cicutarium_).

Closely related to the Crane’s-bills--and at one time included in the genus Geranium with them--are the Stork’s-bills, of which we have three British representatives. Only one of the three, however, is at all plentiful, and that is the one we have figured. It is a common species, but must be looked for on dry wastes and commons, especially near the coast. Quite apart from its umbels of pretty pink flowers it is a handsome plant. The leaves are cut up into a large number of leaflets, arranged in slightly irregular pairs on either side of the rib, and these leaflets are cut up into many irregular lobes. It is the arrangement so common in ferns: the leaf is _pinnate_, because it is furnished with pinnæ or wings, and as the pinnæ are themselves almost winged they are pinnatifid, or cut in a pinnate manner. The parts of the flower agree in number with Geranium, that is, sepals five, petals five, stamens ten (but five are aborted, and produce no anthers), stigmas five. The fruits agree pretty closely with those of the Crane’s-bills, but in _Erodium_ the tails of the carpels are lined on their inner face with fine silky hairs, and instead of curling simply they twist spirally, and cause the hairs to stand out at right angles. The seed remains attached to the tail, which becomes detached from the axis of the style and is blown to the ground. There the twisted tail is alternately lengthened and shortened by moisture and dryness of the atmosphere, and with assistance of the hairs this automatic movement gradually forces the pointed hairy seed into the ground. It flowers from June to September.

Erodium cicutarium.

--GERANIACEÆ.--]

Achillea millefolium.

--COMPOSITÆ.--]

The Musky Stork’s-bill (_E. moschatum_) is much larger than the
last mentioned. Easily identified by the strong smell of musk.
Flowers June and July. Local.

The Sea Stork’s-bill (_E. maritimum_). Leaves narrow, heart-shaped,
lobed and toothed. Petals minute, pale pink, sometimes absent.
Sandy and gravelly coasts: rare. May to September. Name from Greek,
_Erodios_, a heron.

=Yarrow or Milfoil= (_Achillea millefolium_).

One of the commonest weeds in pastures, or on commons, roadside wastes, and often on lawns, is the Yarrow. Its leaves, as its second popular name indicates, are cut up into a large number of segments; these are very slender and crowded, and are again cut up; so that the general aspect of the leaf is exceedingly light and feathery. This is especially the case with the leaves (radical) that spring directly from the creeping root; those given off by the flowering stem become more simple as they near the summit. Unlike as the flowers may at first sight appear to those of the Daisy and Dandelion, those of the Yarrow are also composites. The yellowish disc-florets are tubular, and contain both anthers and stigmas; the white or pink ray-florets are pistillate only. It abounds on all commons, pastures and wastes, flowering from June till the end of the year. There is one other British species,

The Sneezewort (_A. ptarmica_), which is almost as widely distributed. Its flower-heads are much fewer than in Yarrow, and its leaves are more simple in character, the edges being merely cut into teeth. The disc-florets are more green than yellow. It is about a month later than Yarrow in coming into flower, but thereafter the two species keep time together. The name _Achillea_ was given to the genus in honour of Achilles, who is reputed to have used Yarrow for the purpose of staunching his wounds.

=Groundsel= (_Senecio vulgaris_).

We have selected this very vulgar plant as a familiar example of a genus that contains some very striking species. They all produce composite flowers, but in this common weed the ray-florets are usually wanting, and consequently the few cylindric flower-heads have a very singular appearance. The leaves are deeply cut, the lobes irregularly toothed. The flowers are succeeded by the well-known fluffy pappus attached to the seeds, which has enabled the plant to become one of the most widely distributed in all temperate and cold climates. It is to this hoary head of seed-bearers that the genus is indebted for its name, which is derived from the Latin _Senex_--an old man. There are other eight British species, of which the most frequent are briefly noted below.

Senecio vulgaris.

--COMPOSITÆ.--]

Lolium perenne.

=Brome-grass.=

Bromus erectus.

--GRAMINEÆ.--]

I. Mountain Groundsel (_S. sylvaticus_). Leaves similar to _S.
vulgaris_, but divisions more accentuated. When the ray is present
it is rolled back. The flower-heads are more numerous than in
_vulgaris_. Plant with unpleasant fœtid smell. Dry upland banks and
pastures. July to September.

II. Stinking Groundsel (_S. viscosus_). More objectionable-smelling
than the last. Leaves broader, more divided, glandular, hairy and
viscid. Plant much branched and spreading. Flowers larger: rays
rolled back. Waste ground. Local. July and August.

III. Ragwort (_S. jacobæa_). Stem thick and leafy, 2 to 4 feet
high, somewhat cottony, with clusters of large golden yellow
flower-heads with spreading rays. Leaves finely lobed and toothed.
Waysides, woods and pastures. June to October. Very plentiful.

IV. Hoary Ragwort (_S. erucifolius_). Similar to the last, but the
stem more loosely cottony; the segments of the leaves more regular
and less divided; rootstock creeping. Hedges and roadsides. July
and August.

V. Water Ragwort (_S. aquaticus_). Like _S. jacobæa_, but of lesser
growth. Flower-heads larger, leaf-stalks longer. Wet places,
riversides, ditches. July and August.

=Rye-grass= (_Lolium perenne_), and

=Upright Brome= (_Bromus erectus_).

The structure of grass-flowers has been already described, and the reader should refer back to page 19. The inflorescence is a spike, the spikelets arranged in two rows, with their edges to the stem, which is channelled. There is only one outer glume, which is strongly ribbed, and shorter than the spikelet. The flowering glumes number from six to ten, or more.

This is one of the grasses that send forth leafy runners, which root and occupy surrounding ground. It is one of the most valuable to the farmer, on account of it early ripening, and its usefulness either for permanent pasture or for cropping. With good management as many as four crops may be obtained in one year. It grows in all waste places, and flowers in May.

The Darnel (_L. temulentum_) is its only native congener; an
annual. It is similar to _L. perenne_, but produces no runners.
Its presence among wheat is dreaded, as when ground up into flour
it is believed to produce headache, vertigo, and other symptoms of
poisoning. Darnel is the Tares of the New Testament, and is one of
the very few grasses that are deleterious.

Upright Brome (_Bromus erectus_) is a perennial of strong growth,
with stout creeping rootstock, sending up smooth and rigid stems
2 or 3 feet in height. The narrow leaves have their edges rolled
inwards. The inflorescence is a lax panicle; the spikelets purplish
in tint. The two empty glumes are unequal, and contain from five to
eight flowering glumes, with awns, and hairy all over. There are
seven other British species in the genus.

=Henbane= (_Hyoscyamus niger_).

At one time the Henbane was held in great esteem as a medicinal plant, and was then to be found very commonly on rubbish heaps, and the banks of ditches. Although it is still retained in the Pharmacopœia, its empirical use is not so great as formerly, neither does the plant appear to be so plentiful as of old. Its appearance and smell are somehow suggestive of its evil nature. It has a stout, branching stem, growing to a height of about two feet. The leaves are oblong, with irregular lobes, and the bases of the upper ones clasp the stem. The flowers spring from the axils of the leaves, and are almost stalkless. The calyx is pitcher-shaped, with a five-toothed mouth. The corolla is funnel-shaped, with five unequal lobes, and of a dingy yellow, streaked with purple-brown veins, though a form occurs with the corolla uniformly yellow. The five stamens are inserted at the base of the corolla-tube, and end in purple anthers, discharging their pollen by slits. The ovary is two-celled, supporting a simple style with a round head--the stigma. The whole plant is densely covered with sticky hairs.

On fertilization the ovary grows into a constricted capsule, with a distinct lid, which drops off to release the numerous seeds. It is the only British representative of the genus, which is said to get its name from two Greek words, _Us_, a hog, and _Kuamos_, a bean, but such etymology cannot be considered at all satisfactory. It flowers from June to August.

Hyoscyamus niger.

--SOLANACEÆ.--]

Briza media.

=Foxtail-grass.=

Alopecurus pratensis.

--GRAMINEÆ.--]

=Quake or Totter-grass= (_Briza media_), and

=Meadow Foxtail= (_Alopecurus pratensis_).

The Totter-grass differs so strongly in appearance from other grasses that minute description is unnecessary except as an aid in making out the structure. Every child that plays in the meadow singles this out as the most desirable acquisition among grasses, because of its constant tremblings. The inflorescence is a very loose pyramidal panicle, due to the extremely long and hair-like stalks upon which the shining purple spikelets are swung. The empty glumes are two; flowering glumes six to eight. The stem creeps below the surface, and the leaves are flat. The plant is perennial; but there is another species, the Small Quake-grass (_B. minor_), that is annual. This is not so common a plant, and is found chiefly between Cornwall and Hampshire. It is much smaller than _B. media_, and has tufted stems; it flowers in July, _media_ a month earlier. The name _Briza_ is Greek, and was anciently applied to some kind of corn.

The Meadow Foxtail (_Alopecurus pratensis_) bears a general resemblance to Timothy (page 25), to which it is not distantly allied; but from which it differs in having no _pale_ or scales. Its cylindrical panicle is yellowish-green, with silvery hairs, the branches bearing three to six spikelets. It is a perennial plant, and produces runners. It forms a valuable portion of all good pastures, the herbage being exceedingly nutritive. It flowers in May and June. The name is Greek, signifying Foxtail. There are three other native species in the genus:--

I. Slender Foxtail (_A. agrestis_). _Annual._ Panicle slender,
often purplish, branches hairy, with two spikelets. A wayside weed.
May to October.

II. Alpine Foxtail (_A. alpinus_). Perennial. Panicle ovate, short,
¾ inch, branches with four to six spikelets. Anthers yellow. Rare,
near alpine streams, from 2,100 to 3,600 feet. Scotland. July and
August.

III. Floating Foxtail (_A. geniculatus_). Perennial. Stems,
procumbent and rooting. Panicle dense, slender. Branches with one
spikelet. Anthers purplish. Pools and wet places. May to August.

=Dog-rose= (_Rosa canina_).

Probably most non-botanical ramblers feel able to distinguish at once between the Dog-rose and the Field-rose, and a few may be learned enough to separate either or both from the Burnet-rose and the Sweet-briar--and they may do it. But the scientific botanist has difficulties, and he is not quite sure where one species leaves off and another begins. Many workers have so split up our six or seven British roses into a vast multitude of species, sub-species, and varieties that it is difficult to follow them. In this work we shall not attempt it. The Dog-rose is the largest of the British roses. It forms a bush of considerable size, with long arching branches, covered with broad hooks. The leaves are broken up into five leaflets, each of which is sharply toothed. The sepals are five in number, pinnate, and turned back towards the stem when the flower is open. The petals are five, pink and notched. Stamens many. Styles free, hairy. The ovary is sunk in the calyx, which changes to the pitcher-shaped scarlet fruits--the “hips” of the schoolboy--in which are the hairy achenes. Flowers mostly solitary. Generally common in hedges and copses, flowering from June to August.

I. The Field-rose (_R. arvensis_) is very similar to _R. canina_,
but the flowers are generally in clusters, the petals white. Sepals
falling off. In similar places. June and July. Easily distinguished
by its trailing habit.

II. The Burnet- or Scotch-rose (_R. spinosissima_) is a
much-branched shrub, with the leaves divided into seven or nine
leaflets. Stem crowded with nearly straight prickles, showing every
stage in the transition from thorns to stiff bristles and glandular
hairs. Petals white or pink. Fruit nearly globular. Heaths and open
places chiefly, on sand and chalk, especially near the sea. May and
June.

III. Sweet Briar (_R. rubiginosa_). A small bush with erect or
arching branches, set with hooked prickles mixed with glandular
hairs and bristles. Leaflets densely glandular and aromatic.
Flowers small, pink. Fruit globose. Bushy places, chiefly in South
of England. June and July.

Rosa canina.

--ROSACEÆ.--]

Helianthemum vulgare.

--CISTINEÆ.--]

=Rock-rose= (_Helianthemum vulgare_).

On our chalk-downs, and on banks in gravelly soils, from June to September the pale yellow flowers of the Rock-rose are abundant. In spite of its plentifulness, however, it is not among those flowers that are generally known, except to the botanist. The rest of the world probably includes it among the buttercups, with which it has no relationship. The plant is shrubby, with a creeping rootstock; its branches trail on the ground among grass and low herbage. It is therefore by no means a conspicuous plant, though it occurs in considerable masses, and is perennial. The leaves are small, oblong, with an even margin; the upper surface hairy, the lower downy. They are arranged in pairs on the stem, and provided with stipules.

The flower-bud is protected by only three sepals, but there are two others reduced to the size and shape of stipules; and so their number really corresponds with the five somewhat flabby petals, which have the softness of the poppy rather than the stiffness of the buttercup. The stamens that surround the pistil are a multitude; they are also irritable, and on being touched fall back from the pistil. The plant is common throughout the country, except in Cornwall and West Scotland, in which districts it is rare. The name is Greek, and signifies sunflower.

There are three other British species:--

I. White Rock-rose (_H. polifolium_). Similar, but more shrubby;
margins of leaves curled back. _Flowers white._ Very rare. Stony
places in Somerset and South Devon. May to July.

II. Spotted Annual Rock-rose (_H. guttatum_). An Annual, of erect
habit; the lower leaves opposite, without stipules, the upper
alternate, with stipules. Petals wedge-shaped, _yellow_, with
a _red spot_ at the base of each. Stony places, Anglesea and
Holyhead; very rare. More freely near Cork and in the Channel
Islands. June to August.

III. Dwarf Rock-rose (_H. canum_). More woody than the others;
stems trailing. The whole plant _hoary_, and much branched. Leaves
opposite, without stipules. Flowers yellow, not numerous. May to
July, from Glamorgan to Westmoreland.

=Bird’s-foot Trefoil= (_Lotus corniculatus_).

From June to October our commons, pastures, downs and railway banks are bright with the flowers of Bird’s-foot Trefoil, or as it is termed in some districts, Lady’s Slipper, a name which properly belongs to the rare orchis _Cypripedium_.

The plant belongs to the same Natural Order (_Leguminosæ_) as the Broom (_see_ page 7 _ante_), and its flowers are of similar construction, though much smaller. There is a short, woody, perennial rootstock, from which originate several trailing branches, which are themselves much branched. The leaves are not trefoils, as the name would lead us to suppose, for the apparent stipules at the base of the leaf-stalk are in this genus leaflets. The flowers, which are in spreading heads of from three to ten flowers, are of a pretty yellow, tinted with red. They are succeeded by little cylindrical pods about an inch in length, which, when three or four are in a cluster, present the appearance of a bird’s claws. The plant is a valued ingredient in the formation of pastures and meadows. The name was given to the genus because this was believed to be one of the plants to which the ancient Greeks applied the name Lotus.

There are three other species natives of Britain:--

I. Greater Bird’s-foot Trefoil (_L. uliginosus_). More or less
erect in habit. The calyx-teeth _spreading_ in bud (in _L.
corniculatus_ they are _erect_ in bud). Moist meadows and swampy
places. July and August.

II. Hairy Bird’s-foot Trefoil (_L. hispidus_). Annual, trailing
stems, long and slender, covered with lax hairs. Pods twice the
length of calyx. Banks near the sea from Hants to Cornwall. July
and August. Rare.

III. Slender Bird’s-foot Trefoil (_L. angustissimus_). Similar to
_L. hispidus_, but stems shorter and more slender. Pod four times
the length of calyx. Similar situations as last, but extending as
far eastward as Kent. Very rare.

=Common Vetch= (_Vicia sativa_). Plate 44.

The Vetches are Leguminous plants, and the structure of the flowers is therefore very similar to those just described. The Vetches are chiefly climbing plants, and have pinnate leaves. The leaflets are numerous, and the leaf-stalk is continued for some distance beyond the leafy portion, where it becomes a clasping tendril, often divided into three or four branches. The Common Vetch is to be found in hedges and roadsides near cornfields, flowering from April to June. The flowers are pale purple in colour, and are produced singly or in pairs from the axils of the leaves. By some authorities this is not considered a true species, but merely a cultivated form of the Narrow-leaved Vetch (_V. angustifolia_). The seed-pods are slightly hairy, and from two to three inches in length. The name _Vicia_ is the term by which the plants were known to the ancients and appears to have the same origin as _Vinca_ (_see_ page 5).

Lotus corniculatus.

--LEGUMINOSÆ.--]

Vicia sativa.

--LEGUMINOSÆ.--]

There are no less than ten British species of Vicia, but as some of these are very rare, we shall refer only to some of the commoner kinds.

I. Slender Tare (_V. tetrasperma_). Stem very slender, about 2 feet
in height. Flowers singly or in pairs, pale blue. Pods with three
or four seeds. Hedges and cornfields. May to August.

II. Common Tare (_V. hirsuta_). Similar to foregoing species, but
hairy. Flowers smaller, pods shorter, hairy, and containing two
seeds only. In similar situations. These are both annuals.

III. Tufted Vetch (_V. cracca_). With creeping rootstock and angled
stem, climbing or spreading; somewhat silky. The bright blue
flowers are borne in a _dense_ one-sided raceme, to the number of
twenty or thirty. The pod is beaked, about an inch in length, and
contains a large number of seeds. Hedges and bushy places. June to
August. Perennial.

IV. Bitter Vetch (_V. orobus_). Leaves in seven to ten pairs of
leaflets, _without tendrils_. Stem erect, branched, hairy. The
flowers purplish-white, ten to twenty, in loose one-sided racemes.
Pod pointed at each end, containing four or five seeds. Rocky and
mountainous woods on the western side of Britain. May to September.

V. Wood Vetch (_V. sylvatica_). Perennial creeping rootstock.
Stems, 3 to 6 feet, scrambling and trailing over bushes and
undergrowth. Tendrils branched. Leaves beautifully divided into six
or eight pairs of leaflets. Flowers white, streaked and veined with
purple, and borne loosely in a one-sided raceme, to the number of
eight to eighteen. A beautiful species, found only locally in woods
at high elevation.

VI. Bush Vetch (_V. sepium_). Creeping perennial rootstock, giving
off runners. Leaflets, six to eight pairs. Flowers, dull purple,
four to six in a cluster, not on a long stalk as in the Wood Vetch,
but from the axils of the leaves, as in the Common Vetch. May to
September. In hedges and bushy places.

=The Duckweeds= (_Lemna_).

The Duckweeds--Shakespeare’s “Green mantle of the standing pool”--are plants that are well-known to everybody, and consequently very few persons know anything of them. This is a paradox; but they are so common and so small that the average man or woman is content to know them in the aggregate, and cannot condescend to a more intimate acquaintance with individuals, or with the different species, yet like many other small things--“unconsidered trifles”--they are very interesting to the botanist; for these are among the smallest and simplest of the flowering plants. Taking up two or three plants from one pond and comparing them with some from another piece of water, we shall probably find a difference in them; but they are all possessed of a more or less flattened green body that floats on the water, and which we shall be inclined to call a leaf. It is not a leaf, however, but a plant that produces no leaves, though it has roots and flowers. To be more accurate we will call it a frond, from whose under-surface there goes down one or more simple unbranched roots, and in clefts of whose margin are simple flowers. The flower consists of an envelope or spathe (_see_ page 15), within which is a bottle-shaped pistil, with one or two stamens beside it. Some authorities contend that the pistil and each of the stamens is really a distinct flower similar to those in _Arum_. These flowers are so minute that they are rarely seen, and so are thought to flower only occasionally. The plant is chiefly multiplied by the production of new fronds from its edges. The four species figured give the whole of the genus, so far as Britain is concerned; but three others are known in foreign waters. The differences in the natives may be thus briefly enumerated:--

1. Lemna minor.

2. -- tisulca.

3. Lemna gibba.

4. -- polyrhiza.

--LEMNACEÆ.--]

Anthemis arvensis.

--COMPOSITÆ.--]

I. Least Duckweed (_Lemna minor_). The most frequent species. Frond
not more than a quarter of an inch long, egg-shaped, the top flat
and bright green, underside very pale green and slightly convex,
with a single root. Spathe two-lipped, one much larger than the
other. Stamens two, one maturing before the other; style long.
Flowering in July.

II. Ivy-leaved Duckweed (_L. trisulca_). Frond thin and flat,
nearly an inch long, tailed at one end, coarsely toothed at the
other. New fronds emerge at right angles to the parent. Roots
solitary. Stamens two; style short. June and July.

III. Thick-leaved Duckweed (_L. gibba_). Frond nearly round,
narrowed at one end, large, almost flat, green opaque on top,
greatly swollen beneath, whitish, clear, the cell-structure being
very noticeable. Root solitary, stamens two. Flowers June to
September.

IV. Great Duckweed (_L. polyrhiza_). At once distinguished from
the others by its _bunch_ of roots from each frond. Upper surface
slightly convex, dark green with seven nerves. Underside purple,
as also the upper margins. Stamens two. Flower has been rarely, if
ever, seen in this country.

Late in Autumn the fronds sink to the bottom of the ponds and
ditches, and remain there hibernating till Spring, when they arise
to the surface, and again vegetate. The name of the genus is the
old Greek appellation of the plant _Lemna_, supposed to be derived
from _Lepis_, a scale.

=Corn Chamomile= (_Anthemis arvensis_).

We have already described several species of Compositæ, and now return to that order to describe a type of flower very similar in general appearance to the Daisy (page 1). The Corn Chamomile is an annual plant; the lower portion of its stem is prostrate, sending up erect branches with alternate, prettily cut leaves, twice pinnate. The flower-heads are borne singly on long stalks, and the floral envelope (_involucre_) consists of a number of over-lapping scales (_bracts_), whose margins are dry and chaffy. The base (_receptacle_) upon which the florets are packed is convex and covered with little chaffy scales, which stand up between the florets. The disc-florets contain both anthers and pistil; the ray-florets are pistillate only. The whole plant is downy. It occurs in fields and waste places, flowering from May to August. Though somewhat widely distributed, it is a local plant. The name is an old Greek name for the Chamomile, from _anthemon_, a flower, probably owing to the profusion of its blossoms.

The other British species of the genus are two only:--

I. The Stinking May Weed (_A. cotula_). Ray-florets usually without
pistils. The plant is smooth or hairy, _not_ downy, but the leaves
are quite smooth, and covered with minute glands, which secrete a
fœtid-smelling and acrid juice, causing swelling of the hands in
persons clearing fields of this weed. The flower-stalks are more
slender than in _arvensis_, and the involucral bracts are narrower
at their tips. Fields, wastes and roadsides; very common in South
of England, rare in the North. Flowers June to September.

II. The Chamomile (_A. nobilis_). Perennial. Branches spreading
from the root, leafy and furrowed, hollow. Leaves woolly, aromatic.
Flower-stalk long and slender; involucre downy and chaffy. The
ray-florets are sometimes wanting. In great favour as a remedy
for indigestion. Gravelly pastures and dry wastes in England and
Ireland. Rare. It is not a native of Scotland. Flowers July to
September.

=St. John’s Wort= (_Hypericum perforatum_).

There are no less than eleven native species of St. John’s Wort, all characterized by a neat habit, clean-cut leaves without stalks, yellow flowers in cymose clusters, and a multitude of stamens, which are more or less joined in several bundles.

The species represented on our plate is one of the commonest, and occurs in copses and hedgebanks throughout the kingdom, as far north as Sutherland, flowering from July to September. It is very erect in habit, the stems two-edged, pale brown and smooth, two or three feet high. If the leaves are held up to the light it will be found that the veins (_but not the reticulations_) are pellucid, and that the leaf is thickly dotted with pellucid glands. The flowers are 1 to 1¼ inch in diameter. The calyx, corolla, and sometimes leaves are more or less marked with black dots and lines. The sepals and petals are each five in number; the ovary large, pear-shaped, surmounted by three long styles, which are longer than the ovary. The stamens joined in three bundles by their bases only. Sepals glandular.

Among the other British species are:--

I. Square-stalked St. John’s Wort (_H. tetrapterum_). Stem
with four narrow wings, 1 to 2 feet, leaves broader than in
_perforatum_, but the glands, veins _and reticulations_ are
pellucid. Styles shorter than the ovary. Flowers dense, ½ to ¾
inch. across. Moist places, July and August.

Hypericum perforatum.

--HYPERICINEÆ.--

=Hop Trefoil.=

Trifolium procumbens.

--LEGUMINOSÆ.--]

Trifolium pratense.

--LEGUMINOSÆ.--]

II. Trailing St. John’s Wort (_H. humifusum_). Stems slender,
compressed, prostrate, not exceeding a foot. Leaves small, oblong;
glands pellucid; the margins are often marked with black glands,
and are sometimes rolled back. Flowers, ½ inch across. Sepals
unequal. Styles very short. Commons and wastes. July and August.

III. Small Upright St. John’s Wort (_H. pulchrum_). Stems slender,
round, smooth, erect. Leaves heart-shaped, with pellucid glands.
Sepals small, oblong, with black glandular teeth. Petals yellow,
tinged with red, and edged with black glands. Styles short; anthers
red. Flowers ¾ inch, loose panicles. Dry woods and heaths. June and
July.

IV. Hairy St. John’s Wort (_H. hirsutum_). Stem erect, round,
downy. Leaves large, _with short stalks_, downy beneath, pellucid
glands. Sepals very narrow, half length of petals, with black
glandular teeth. Woods and thickets, especially on chalk. July and
August.

V. Tutsan (_H. androsæmum_). Stem shrubby, compressed, 2 feet high.
Flowers few, ¾ inch across. Sepals unequal, glandular, except
margin. Petals and stamens not permanent. Stamens in five bundles.
Styles shorter than stamens. Hedges and thickets. July to September.

=Clovers= (_Trifolium_).

Everybody knows a Clover when he sees it; it is therefore unnecessary to take up our space with a general description. Their great value as pasture plants has caused their typical forms of flower and leaf to be well known; but we have so many native species, to say nothing of the introduced kinds, that few besides botanists and agriculturists are acquainted with their specific characters.

All the Clovers or Trefoils are Leguminous plants, and the structure of the individual flower is very similar to that of _Lotus_ and _Vicia_; but the flowers are much smaller, and are gathered into a conspicuous head. In certain species there are floral bracts, and in some these form an involucre. It is characteristic of most of the clovers that when the seed is set the petals do not fall off, but simply dry up and wrap round the pod. The name of the genus is Latin, and signifies _three-leaved_. The principal British species are:--

I. Subterranean Trefoil (_T. subterraneum_), so called from its
singular habit of burying its pods in the earth when they are
ripening. The plant has many creeping stems, covered with soft
hairs. The heads of flowers are cream-coloured, and are produced in
the axils. The individual flowers are long and slender; only a few
in each head are fertile, and in this species the petals fall off
early. The pod is a compressed orb. Dry, gravelly pastures. May and
June.

II. Hare’s-foot Trefoil (_T. arvense_). Stems almost erect.
Flower-heads numerous, dense, cylindric, softly hairy; flowers
pinky-white, minute; teeth of the calyx longer than the corolla.
Corn-fields and dry pastures. July to September.

III. Common Purple or Red Clover (_T. pratense_). (_See_
figure.) This is the clover so commonly grown in meadows as an
important ingredient in the hay-crop. Its large oval leaflets are
frequently marked with a whitish band that takes more or less
of a quarter-moon shape. Its flower-heads are round, afterwards
becoming longer than broad, purplish red in colour. Calyx-teeth
slender, bristly, not longer than corolla. Top of pod dropping
off when ripe. This is the clover Darwin made famous by showing
that the cultivated forms must die out but for the humble-bees,
whose tongues alone are long enough to fertilize its long flowers.
Meadows, pastures and roadsides. May to September.

IV. Zigzag or Meadow Clover (_T. medium_). Leaflets more pointed
than in _pratense_, and spotless. Stem branched in such a manner
as to give it a peculiarly zigzag appearance. Heads larger, and of
a deeper purple than _pratense_. Calyx-teeth half the length of
corolla. Pod splitting lengthwise. Pastures, flourishing in lighter
soils than _pratense_. June to September.

V. Soft Knotted Trefoil (_T. striatum_). Stem more or less
reclining, downy or silky. Flower-heads both terminal and axillary,
small, rosy-red, broader at the base. Calyx-tube swollen, ribbed,
contracted at mouth, teeth not so long as corolla. Dry pastures.
June and July.

VI. Rough Rigid Trefoil (_T. scabrum_). Stems rigid, prostrate.
Leaflets rigid, toothed, the veins thickened. Flower-heads broadest
in middle. Flowers small, the corolla white, calyx purple;
calyx-teeth as long as corolla. Chalky and sandy pastures near sea.
May to July.

VII. Dutch Clover (_T. repens_). Stems smooth, creeping, but not
rooting. Leaflets often with a dark spot at the base, below a
whitish band. Heads of flowers globose, all produced from the
axils, on long stalks. The flowers white or pinkish, attached by
short stalks, which are recurved after flowering, so that the pods
are all drooping. Meadows and pastures. May to October.

VIII. Strawberry-headed Clover (_T. fragiferum_). Similar in habit
to the last. Flower-head globose, of small purple-red flowers, much
larger after flowering, when the calyces swell and take on a red
colour, which increases size of head to an inch in diameter, and
gives it a strawberry-like aspect. Meadows and pastures. July and
August.

IX. Hop Trefoil (_T. procumbens_). (_See_ Figure on p. 47.)
This must not be confounded with the Hop Trefoil of the farmer
(_Medicago lupulina_), in which the flowers are borne in spikes
(_see_ p. 73). The stems are downy, one growing erect, others all
round it creeping. The flowers are pale yellow, crowded in the
heads, the upper petal (_standard_) broad, and arched over the
_straight_ pod, turning bright brown, which gives the head the
appearance of a hop strobile. The pods are always so covered in
this species, whereas, in _Medicago lupulina_ they are naked. Dry
pastures and roadsides. June to August.

X. Small Yellow Trefoil (_T. dubium_). Stems slight, creeping,
nearly smooth. Heads smaller, on long slender stalk. Flowers
yellow, the standard narrow, keeled, turning dark brown after
flowering and wrapped round the pod. Similar situations and date to
last.

Onobrychis sativa.

--LEGUMINOSÆ.--]

Euphrasia officinalis.

--SCROPHULARINEÆ.--]

=Sain Foin= (_Onobrychis sativa_). Plate 49.

Still keeping to the Leguminous plants, we have here a handsome herb of aspect very different from that of the Trefoils. It is much cultivated as a fodder plant in dry fields, but will also be found growing wild on chalk-hills and downs. It is, however, suspected of being an escape from cultivation that has taken to an independent life. The plant springs from a perennial woody rootstock, and its stout downy stems are more or less erect. The leaves are pinnate, the leaflets in about twelve pairs and a terminal one. The flowers are in spikes, the standard broad; bright clear pink, veined with a deeper rosy tint. The pod is semicircular, wrinkled, and contains but one seed. Flowers June to August. The name is derived from two Greek words, signifying the braying of an ass, because that animal is fabled to bray after it when he sees but cannot reach it.

=Eyebright= (_Euphrasia officinalis_).

From the close-cropped turf of our commons and in meadows the bright eyes of this plant peep out through the summer. In such situations it is a very lowly herb, only an inch or so in height, but in some places, as in the pastures of the Highlands, it grows erect to a height of nearly a foot, with many opposite branches. The leaves are ovate, opposite, without stalks, and of a dark-green hue. The flowers are borne near the extremities of the branches. Some of the flowers are much larger than others, and in the larger the stigmas ripen before the anthers; in the smaller the anthers mature before the stigmas. The tubular calyx is divided into four sharp lobes. The corolla is white, streaked with purple, except the central lobe of the lower lip, which is yellow. This is the only native species of the genus--which is comprised in the order Scrophularineæ--though there are several varietal forms. Flowers from May to September. The name is from the Greek, _Euphraino_, to delight or gladden, in allusion to the pleasing contrast of its bright flowers with the dark foliage, or from its supposed efficacy for complaints affecting the eyes--its removal of these giving gladness.