Part 38

The Smooth Hawk's-beard (Crepis virens) has a furrowed, branched stem, from a few inches to three feet in height. Its spreading radical leaves are deeply toothed, and narrower towards the base; and the stem leaves are narrow and sagittate. The numerous small heads of yellow flowers are panicled, and the outer florets are often tinged with red. The heads are surrounded by two rows of bracts, the outer of which are shorter and narrower, and the whole involucre assumes a conical form after flowering. The fruit is shorter than the pappus; tapering, but not beaked; and the pappus consists of several rows of unbranched, silky hairs. This plant flowers during July and August. It is very common on waste land, and may be frequently seen growing on old walls, and even on the roofs of country cottages and out-houses.

The genus Hieracium (Hawkweeds) is a puzzle not only to the beginner, but also to experienced botanists, who have not yet agreed as to its division into species. According to some authorities these latter amount to seven, but they, or rather some of them, are so variable, and present so many intermediate characters, that some botanists divide the British members into no less than thirty-three species.

All the plants of the group agree in the following particulars:--They have a milky sap. The leaves are nearly all radical. The flower-heads are either yellow or orange, surrounded by several rows of overlapping bracts. The receptacle is pitted. The fruit is not beaked, and its pappus consists of a single row of rigid, brittle, brownish hairs, which are simple and of unequal lengths.

One species at least is a common wayside flower, and this is the Shrubby Hawkweed (H. boreale). It grows from two to four feet high, and bears a corymb of many yellow heads, from July to September. Its stem is hairy below, downy with fine branched hairs above, and bears rigid, erect branches which are leafy, and often of a reddish colour. This species has no radical leaves. The stem leaves are ovate or lanceolate and toothed, the upper ones broad and slightly clasping the stem. The peduncle is scaly or woolly, and the involucre bracts are of a blackish green colour.

The Nipplewort (Lapsana communis) is another very common Composite of waysides and wastes. Its stem is erect, from one to two feet high, branched, armed with scanty stiff hairs below, and smooth above. The leaves are thin and usually hairy, the lower ones ovate, pinnatifid or coarsely-toothed, with a few smaller lobes along the stalks, and the upper ones small, and entire or only slightly toothed. The flower-heads are small, yellow, in a loose panicle with long slender stalks. The involucre consists of about eight glaucous scales, about a quarter of an inch in length, and a whorl of small outer ones. The fruits are flattened, with many longitudinal nervures, and have no pappus. The flowers may be seen from July to September.

The Chicory or Succory (Cichorium Intybus) is a local plant, but often very abundant where it exists. It has a long tap root; and a strong, erect, bristly and sticky stem. The lower leaves are spreading and hairy, deeply divided, with a large terminal lobe, and smaller lateral lobes which are pointed and coarsely toothed. The upper leaves are lanceolate, clasping the stem, with pointed auricles. The flower-heads are of a bright blue colour, large and conspicuous, mostly in sessile clusters of two or three along the rigid, spreading branches, but a few are terminal. The involucre consists of about eight inner bracts, and a whorl of outer ones that are much shorter. The florets are large; and the fruits are smooth, or nearly so, and closely enveloped in the lower part of the involucre. The time of flowering is from July to October.

Our next species is the Burdock (Arctium Lappa), familiar as a wayside plant not only on account of its abundance and its large size, but also on account of its globular flower-heads which cling so tenaciously to our clothing by means of the hooked points of the inner involucre bracts. It is a very stout, branching plant, varying from two to six feet in height, with very large, stalked, cordate lower leaves that often exceed a foot in length. The upper leaves are smaller, and broadly ovate; and both these and the lower ones are smooth or nearly so on the upper surface, but often covered with a short white down beneath. All the leaves are also finely toothed, but bear no prickles. The flower-heads are in terminal panicles, and are surrounded by many bracts which are either quite smooth or covered with a white, woolly down. The florets are purple, and all equal in size. The fruits are large, and bear a short pappus of stiff hairs.

We now come to the interesting group of Thistles, all distinguished by their very hard stems; their cut or toothed leaves, which are generally very prickly; and their round or oval heads of flowers, surrounded by many whorls of overlapping, and usually prickly, bracts. There are no ray florets, but all are tubular and approximately equal in length.

Our first example is the Welted Thistle (Carduus crispus or Carduus acanthoides), which is a common plant in the South of England, but much less abundant in the North. In general appearance it closely resembles the Musk Thistle (p. 266), but is usually taller. The stem is covered with prickles which run downwards in lines from the bases of the leaves. The flowers are purple, in small, globular, clustered heads, which droop slightly; and the numerous bracts of the involucre are narrow, more or less erect, and terminate in a spreading or hooked prickle. The pappus consists of rough, unbranched hairs. The above is the description of the commonest form of this thistle, but it is a very variable species. The plants vary from one to three feet in height, and flower from June to August.

Throughout the summer we may meet with the Spear Thistle (C. lanceolatus), a very abundant species which grows on almost all waste places. The plant is a stout one, varying from about one to five feet in height, with a winged, prickly stem. The leaves are cut into short, narrow lobes, with a long and pointed terminal one. They are covered above with stiff hairs, and below with a white down; and all the lobes terminate in stiff spines. The involucre is oval in form, covered with cottony down; and its bracts are lanceolate, terminating with a stiff, spreading spine. The flower-heads are few in number, with purple florets, and measure about an inch and a quarter in diameter.

Another common species is the Creeping Thistle (C. arvensis), which has a perennial, creeping rootstock that gives off erect annual stems from two to four feet in height. The stem is not winged, but the prickly leaves clasp it, and sometimes extend a little way down at their bases. The leaves are narrow, smooth, with edges turned inwards, very prickly, and cut into numerous narrow lobes. The flower-heads are small, arranged in loose terminal clusters, and are surrounded by numerous, closely-placed bracts with small, sharp points. The flowers are always imperfect, and the male and female blooms always occur on separate plants. The heads of the male plants are globular in form, with spreading purple florets; while those of the female plant are longer and almost cylindrical in form, with longer bracts and shorter florets. The pappus consists of numerous feathery hairs which grow very long as the fruit ripens. This species flowers during July and August.

The Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is common in the hedgerows of most localities, and is easily recognised by the powerful odour and bitter taste of its leaves and flowers. It has a creeping root; an erect, strong stem, which is either quite smooth or (generally) slightly downy; and large, pinnate leaves, with narrow, deeply-toothed or pinnatifid segments. There are a large number of flower-heads, nearly half an inch in diameter, of a bright yellow colour, and arranged in large flat-topped corymbs. This plant is common in most parts of Britain, grows to a height of about three feet, and flowers during August and September.

The Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is a very common roadside plant in most districts, valued by many villagers as a remedy for rheumatism. It has a short, woody rootstock; and erect, branching stems varying from two to four feet in height. The leaves are deeply cut into narrow, acute segments which are either coarsely serrate or lobed. They are green and smooth above, but very white with a woolly down below. The flower-heads are very numerous, erect, and arranged in a somewhat crowded, long, terminal panicle. Each head is surrounded by a woolly involucre, and consists of from fifteen to over twenty florets, either all perfect or including a few without stamens. They are oval in form, and of a reddish or yellowish-brown colour. The plant blooms throughout the summer.

In the same genus is the Absinth or Wormwood (A. Absinthium), which is not so tall or so slender as the last species, from which it may readily be distinguished by its powerful aroma and bitter taste. The whole of the plant is whitish with a close, fine down; and the erect stems, from one to two feet high, are stiff and hard. The leaves are very similar to those of the Mugwort, but are much broader, are silky on both sides, and the narrow lobes of the leaves are blunt at the tips. The flower-heads are also similarly arranged, but they are almost globular in form, very silky, and more or less drooping. The florets are numerous, and of a dull yellow colour, the central ones being mostly fertile, while the outer, without stamens, are small, and often barren. The plant flowers during August and September, is not so common as the last species, but is abundant in districts near the sea.

One of the most conspicuous flowers of the summer is the Common Ragwort (Senecio Jacobæa). It belongs to the same genus as the Groundsel, but differs in having very showy, terminal corymbs of large, bright yellow flowers with spreading rays. Its erect stem does not branch, as a rule, except near the top, and reaches a height of from one to three or four feet. The outer bracts of the involucre are small and few in number, and both these and the inner ones are generally tipped with black. Occasionally we may meet with plants of this species in which the flower-heads have no ray, but in general the ray is well-formed, and consists of about twelve narrow or oblong florets.

The Common Feverfew (Matricaria Parthenium or Chrysanthemum Parthenium) is a very abundant wayside flower, of which a double variety is commonly grown in gardens. The plant reaches a foot or more in height, and flowers freely from July to September. The stems are erect and branched; and the leaves are stalked and pinnately divided into ovate or oblong, lobed, toothed segments. The numerous flower-heads are arranged in a corymb, and are about half an inch in diameter, with white ray and yellow disc. The plant may be distinguished from similar species of the same genus by the little toothed border on the summit of the ripe fruits, and by the strong and somewhat pleasant odour of all its parts.

Even more common, in most places, is the Corn Feverfew or Scentless Mayweed (M. inodora), which flowers from June to the end of the summer. Its stem is erect, with spreading branches; and the sessile leaves are two or three times divided into narrow, almost hair-like segments. The flower-heads are much larger than those of the last species, sometimes reaching a diameter of about two inches, and are solitary. The involucre is brown, with a membranous edge; the ray white, and the disc yellow. It is sometimes confused with the Wild Chamomile, but may be distinguished by the shape of the receptacle, which is hemispherical, and not so conical as in Chamomilla.

Our last example of the Composites of the wayside is the Yarrow or Milfoil (Achillea millefolium)--a plant that might be mistaken by the beginner for one of the Umbellifers when seen at a distance; but a closer examination will show not only that the level-topped inflorescence is a dense, terminal corymb, but also that the flowers are collected into little heads, each of which consists of a few white or pink, pistillate ray-florets, surrounding a little cluster of tubular, perfect, yellow florets of the disc. The leaves are narrow oblong, and very finely cut into many hair-like, branching segments. The whole plant has a strong and rather pleasant odour. It grows from six to eighteen inches high, and flowers from June to September.

XIII

WASTES AND WAYSIDES IN SUMMER (Continued)

Continuing our list of the numerous wayside flowers of the summer months, we take first the Rampion Bellflower or Ramps (Campanula Rapunculus), of the order Campanulaceæ. The flowers of this order are usually easily distinguished by their bell-shaped corolla, mounted on an inferior ovary, and by their general resemblance to the Canterbury Bells so familiar to us as favourite garden flowers. The Rampion is to be seen on some of the sandy or gravelly wastes of the South of England during July and August, but is rather local in its distribution. It has an angled, erect stem, from two to three feet high, rough with stiff, white hairs. The stem leaves are narrow, pointed, and usually entire; but the lower leaves are broader, with slightly-scalloped edges, on long stalks. The blue flowers are arranged in erect terminal racemes, either simple or branched, each flower having a short stalk. In order to distinguish between this and other species of the same genus we should note that the segments of its calyx are narrow and entire; and that the corolla is divided deeply into five narrow, pointed segments.

The Great Bindweed (Convolvulus sepium) of the order Convolvulaceæ, is very conspicuous in most hedgerows, and is probably so well known that a description need hardly be given for purposes of identification, but we must call attention to a few interesting features that might be overlooked. It is both a creeper and a climber, for it has a creeping rootstock that enables it to travel considerable distances below the surface of the ground, and a twining stem, usually four or five feet long, by which it climbs over the surrounding plants or shrubs. The large, white flowers, which bloom from June to August, are arranged singly on short stalks. Each has a pair of rather large bracts which completely hide the calyx, and which might at first be mistaken for the calyx itself.

The Small Bindweed is, perhaps, more commonly seen in fields than in hedgerows, and is included among the field flowers on p. 228; and the Dodders, belonging to the same order, are described with the other parasitic plants in Chapter XXIII.

The four British plants of the order Solanaceæ are all wayside species, flowering from June onwards, and may be considered together here. They possess the following features in common:--The leaves are alternately arranged, without stipules. The flowers are regular, with a five-toothed or five-lobed calyx, and a corolla of (usually) five united petals which are folded in the bud. The number of stamens correspond with that of the lobes of the corolla, and the ovary, which is two-celled, ripens into a berry containing several seeds, except in the Henbane, where it forms a capsule.

The Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) is an erect plant, with a branching stem from one to two feet high, and the whole is more or less coarse and hairy, with a viscid touch and an unpleasant odour. The flowers are of a dingy yellow colour, and are arranged, with very short stalks, in one-sided, leafy spikes which are curved backwards before the flowers are open. The calyx is at first short, but grows longer, as the fruits ripen, until it is about an inch long. It has prominent veins, and its five lobes are stiff and bristly. The dingy corolla also reaches a length of an inch or more, and is distinctly marked with dark bluish veins. This plant flowers from June to September, and is moderately common in waste places, especially near houses.

The other three flowers of this order referred to are all known as Nightshades, and two of them belong to the genus Solanum, in which the flowers are arranged in few-flowered terminal or lateral cymes, on short stalks. The corolla has scarcely any tube, and the flowers are easily distinguished by the peculiar arrangement of the five anthers, which are on very short filaments, and are placed close against the style in such a manner as to form a compact cone in the centre of the flower.

One species--the Black Nightshade (S. nigrum)--is rather local in its distribution, but often very abundant where it occurs, appearing as a common weed on cultivated soils. It is an erect, spreading herb, either quite smooth or slightly hairy, growing from six inches to two feet high, with swollen angles on its branching stem. Its leaves are stalked, ovate, more or less wavy, with large angular teeth; and the small, white flowers are on short lateral stalks. The fruit is a small, round, black or scarlet berry. This species may be seen in flower from June almost to the end of the year.

The other species--the Woody Nightshade or Bittersweet (S. Dulcamara)--is much more common, and may be seen straggling among the hedgerow shrubs almost everywhere. It is a woody climber that supports itself by means of its zig-zag stem, and often reaches a height of six feet or more. The flower seems to be very well known, but is often, if not generally, spoken of as the Deadly Nightshade, which is a much rarer species with quite a different habit and appearance. The leaves are stalked, and usually more or less heart-shaped. Sometimes they are entire, but frequently there is a small lobe on each side of the base. The flowers, though rather small, are very pretty, the conspicuous cone of yellow anthers forming a bright centre to the spreading purple corolla. They bloom from June to September; and towards the end of the season the bright red fruits may be seen in abundance while the flowers are still appearing.