Part 39

The true Deadly Nightshade or Dwale (Atropa belladonna), of the same order, is a very local plant, occurring principally in waste places in the South of England. It is an erect, branching herb, either smooth or slightly downy, reaching a height of two or three feet, and flowering from June to September. The leaves are large stalked, ovate, and entire; and each one has, usually, a smaller leaf, growing from the same point on the stem and looking like a stipule. The flowers are very different in general appearance from those of the other nightshades. They are large--about an inch long, and solitary, on short stalks, in the axils of the leaves or in the forks of the stem. The calyx is a broad bell, deeply cut into five lobes; and the corolla is a deep, regular bell, of a pale purple colour, with five short, broad lobes. The fruit is a large, poisonous berry, almost globular, but flattened above.

On waysides and in neglected fields we meet with the very common Red Bartsia (Bartsia Odontites) of the order Scrophulariaceæ. This is a small, tough plant (see Plate III), from six inches to a foot or more in height, rather downy, with spreading branches. It may be readily recognised by its several one-sided spikes of numerous purple-red flowers, with a bell-shaped, four-pointed calyx, and a corolla that is divided into a longer upper, and a shorter lower, lip. The leaves are long and narrow, with a few teeth; and the fruit is an oblong capsule. The above description applies to the most usual form of this plant, but it is a very variable species, especially as regards the form of the leaves and the branching of the stem.

The Yellow Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris), of the same order, is a very pretty plant, from one to three feet high, exceedingly common on banks, hedges, and the borders of fields, bearing dense, terminal racemes of yellow flowers from June to October. Its calyx is small, and deeply divided into five segments; and the corolla, which has a long pointed spur at the base, is closed above by the bright orange 'palate' of the lower lip.

In the order Verbenaceæ we have the common Vervein (Verbena officinalis), a common plant in the dry wastes of the South of England, and moderately frequent in some other parts. This is a smooth, erect plant, with long, spreading, wiry, four-angled stems; and small, lilac flowers in long, slender spikes. There are but few leaves towards the top of the plant, and these are narrow and sessile, while the lower leaves are broader, stalked, and coarsely toothed. When the flowers first appear they are close together, but the spike increases in length as the flowering proceeds, so that the lower flowers and fruits become more distant. Each flower has a five-toothed calyx, and an irregular corolla with a short tube and five unequal lobes. The Vervein grows from one to two feet high, and flowers from July to September.

Passing now to the Labiates, we deal first with two species of Calamints (genus Calamintha), which are to be distinguished from the other genera of the order by their axillary cymes of flowers, with calyx and corolla both lipped, and the upper lip of the latter erect and flat.

One of these, the common Calamint (Calamintha officinalis), is a hairy plant, with an erect, branched stem, one or two feet high, and stalked, ovate, toothed leaves. The whorls of flowers are compound, in forked, axillary cymes. The calyx is tubular, with thirteen ribs and five pointed teeth. The three upper teeth are united at their base to form the upper lip, while the other two, longer and narrower, form the lower. The corolla is almost twice as long as the calyx, with an upper, erect lip, and a lower lip with three broad lobes. The stamens are four in number, in pairs, under the upper lip.

The Lesser Calamint (C. Nepeta) is a very similar plant, by some held to be merely a variety of C. officinalis. Its leaves are shortly stalked, but slightly toothed, and only about half an inch in length. The flowers are about as long as the leaves, arranged in whorls of eight or ten, with corolla about half as long again as the calyx. In both species the mouth of the calyx is hairy, but the hairs are much more prominent in the Lesser Calamint than in the last. Both plants are frequently seen on sunny waysides, flowering during July and August.

The Balm (Melissa officinalis) is a common garden herb in some parts, and in the South of England it is now fairly established as a wild flower, though, at present, it is not often found very far from the habitations of man. It is a hairy plant, much like a Calamint in general appearance, growing from one to three feet high, and bearing white flowers in July and August. Its leaves are stalked, ovate, acute, toothed or crenate, of a pale green below; and the flowers are shortly-stalked, in few-flowered, axillary whorls.

The Black Horehound (Ballota nigra), shown on Plate III, Fig. 2, is a coarse, hairy plant, with an unpleasant odour, commonly seen on roadsides and wastes, flowering continuously from the beginning of June to September or October. Its erect stem often exceeds three feet in height, and branches more or less freely. The purple flowers are in dense clusters in the axils of the leaves, and beneath them are several narrow, stiff bracts. The calyx is about a third of an inch long, green or purple-green in colour, with ten prominent ribs, and five broad teeth which usually terminate abruptly in a fine, stiff point. The corolla is of a purple colour, twice as long as the calyx, with an arched, oval upper lip; and a slightly longer lower lip of three segments, the middle one of which is the largest.

THE HEDGE WOUNDWORT.

Our last example of the wayside Labiates is the Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica)--a very abundant and pretty plant that grows most luxuriantly in damp, shady places, such as the borders of ditches, the edges of woods, and shady banks and hedgerows. Its square stem is solid and stout, straight and erect, and more or less branched. All the leaves are stalked, the upper ones being narrow and entire, while the lower are large, ovate or cordate, with a crenate or toothed edge and a very pointed apex. The flowers, which bloom from July to September, are in distant whorls of from six to ten, in the axils of the upper leaves, forming long spikes. The calyx is bell-shaped, with ten ribs, and five spreading teeth which are pointed, but not stiff; and the corolla, the tube of which is longer than the calyx, is of a dark, red-purple colour, prettily variegated with white on the lower lip. This plant varies from one to three feet in height and has a very unpleasant odour.

We next take a few examples of the Borage family (order Boraginaceæ), all of which are herbs more or less rough with coarse hairs, having alternate, simple leaves, and flowers in one-sided spikes or racemes which are rolled back while in bud. In all of them the calyx has five divisions or teeth, and the corolla consists of five united petals of equal or nearly equal size. There are five stamens within the tube of the corolla, and the fruit consists of four nutlets enclosed in the persistent calyx.

One of these--the Field Scorpion Grass (Myosotis arvensis)--is often called the Forget-me-not, but it usually grows in dry waste places, while the true Forget-me-not is found in wet situations. The flowers of this species are also very much smaller. The stem of the plant is thin, and bears small, oval, hairy leaves. The small blue corolla has short, spreading, concave segments, and is surrounded by a calyx that is cleft to the middle, and covered with hooked hairs. The sepals spread while the flower is open, but assume an erect position when in fruit. As a further means of distinguishing between this and other similar species of the same genus we should note that the peduncle is longer than the calyx, and that the style is very short. The plant varies from six to eighteen inches in height, and flowers throughout the summer.

The Gromwell or Grey Millet (Lithospermum officinale) is a stout plant with several erect, branched stems. The flowers are small, of a pale yellow colour, in leafy racemes. The calyx is hairy and very deeply cleft into five segments; and the corolla, which is about the same length as the calyx, is funnel-shaped, with small scales in the throat of its tube. This plant derives its generic name of Lithospermum from the nature of its fruit, which consists of white, stony nutlets with a smooth and polished surface. Its height is from twelve to eighteen inches; and the flowers appear during June and July.

Our next species--the Borage (Borago officinalis)--is not indigenous, but is found wild in many parts, frequently in great abundance. It is a very bristly plant, from one to two feet high, bearing bright blue flowers from June to August. Its stem has spreading branches, and the leaves are obovate, narrowing at the base into the stalk. The upper leaves are narrower than the lower ones, and have shorter petioles. The flowers are of a blue colour, or sometimes almost white, and are drooping on rather long pedicels. The segments of the corolla are spreading and very pointed; and the dark anthers are very conspicuous in the centre of the flower.

The two British Alkanets (Anchusa) are interesting plants, though not very common. They are coarse and hairy, and bear large, blue, bracteate flowers, distinguished by a deeply five-cleft calyx; a corolla with five spreading lobes, and a straight tube closed at the mouth by blunt, hairy scales; and five stamens included within the tube. The fruit consists of rather large wrinkled nuts.

One species, though generally known as the Common Alkanet (Anchusa officinalis), is really a rare plant, occurring only as an escape from cultivation in the neighbourhood of towns and villages. It has an angular stem; narrow leaves--the lower ones very long, on long stalks, and the upper ones smaller; and forked, one-sided, spikes of sessile or shortly-stalked flowers of a rich blue colour. The calyx is bristly, longer than the corolla, and cleft into narrow divisions. This plant grows from one to two feet high, and flowers during June and July.

The other species--the Evergreen Alkanet (Anchusa sempervirens)--is not uncommon in some southern and south-western districts. It is a stout, very bristly plant, from one to two feet high, with rather large, blue flowers in short, opposite spikes. It is shown on Plate III.

Our last flower of the Borage family is the Hound's-tongue (Cynoglossum officinale), which is moderately common on waste ground, flowering during June and July. This is an erect plant, from one to two feet high, with a very unpleasant odour. Its stem is stout, branched and hairy; and the leaves are thickly covered with soft down. The lowest leaves are oval, with long stalks, often ten or twelve inches in length; but the upper ones become smaller and narrower, with shorter stalks, till towards the top they are very narrow, sessile, and clasp the stem. The flowers are in racemes, with short pedicels, and have no bracts. The segments of the calyx are narrow and pointed; and the small corolla is of a reddish purple colour. The fruit is covered with little spines and is about a quarter of an inch in diameter.

On dry waysides the Buck's-horn Plantain (Plantago Coronopus--order Plantaginaceæ) is common. It may be readily distinguished as a plantain by its slender, cylindrical spikes of small flowers, and its spreading tuft of radical leaves. This species has a thick rootstock, and its leaves are either linear and undivided, or, more commonly, cut into very narrow segments. The flowers are green, with broad, hairy sepals, the whole spike measuring from one to two inches in length. They bloom during June and July.

The plants which form the genus Chenopodium, of the order Chenopodiaceæ, are essentially plants of the wayside and waste ground, and of these we shall have to note several species. Most of them are distinguished by the dusty mealiness of their leaves, though a few do not possess this feature. In general they are characterised by alternate, flat leaves; and small, green flowers in little sessile clusters, forming spikes in the axils of the upper leaves. The little flowers usually have a perianth of five segments which more or less enclose the fruit; also five stamens, and two or three styles. The following summary of the characters of these plants will enable the reader to identify them:--

1. Stinking Goose-foot (Chenopodium olidum or C. Vulvaria.)--A procumbent or spreading plant, with a granular, mealy surface and a nauseous odour resembling that of stale fish, especially when rubbed or bruised. Stems from six inches to a foot or more in length, and much branched. Leaves stalked, small, ovate, and entire. Flowers in dense, leafless, axillary and terminal spikes which are shorter than the leaves. Moderately common in many parts, especially in the eastern counties. Time of flowering--August and September.

2. Many-seeded Goose-foot (C. polyspermum).--A procumbent or erect, spreading plant, without mealiness or nauseous odour. Stem much branched. Leaves ovate or elliptical, entire, green, less than two inches long. Flowers in axillary and terminal, leafless spikes, with a calyx that does not cover the fruit. Common in parts of England, flowering during August and September.

3. Upright Goose-foot (C. urbicum).--An erect plant, with a stout stem and few branches. Leaves green on both sides. Lower leaves on long stalks, broad, ovate or triangular, with bases narrowed towards the stalk in such a manner as to approach a rhomboidal form, two or three inches long, and irregularly toothed or lobed. Upper leaves narrower, nearly entire, and acute. Flowers in small, dense clusters, forming rather long, erect spikes. The green perianth does not completely cover the fruit. Common on roadsides and waste ground, flowering in August and September.

4. White Goose-foot (C. album).--A very common plant, varying in colour from a pale green to a mealy white. Stem stout, erect, from one to three feet high. Lower leaves stalked, ovate or rhomboid, more or less toothed or angular, but entire at the base. Upper leaves lanceolate, entire. Spikes of flowers irregularly clustered, leafy, and usually branched; the upper ones forming a long panicle, intermixed with the upper leaves. Perianth entirely covering the fruit.

5. Fig-leaved Goose-foot (C. ficifolium).--by some regarded as a distinct species, but by others included among the varieties of C. album. It closely resembles the latter in general appearance, but its lower leaves are divided into three unequal lobes, and are somewhat spear-shaped.

6. Red Goose-foot (C. rubrum).--An erect plant, from one to three feet high, with smooth, triangular, irregularly-toothed leaves, resembling those of the Upright Goose-foot. The spikes, also, closely resemble those of the same plant, but the flowers have generally only two or three segments to the perianth, and these often turn red as the fruit ripens. The flowers appear during August and September. This species is moderately common in most parts, and especially near the sea, where it may be seen growing on the shingle very close to the water's edge.

7. Mercury Goose-foot, Allgood, or Good King Henry (C. Bonus-Henricus).--An erect plant, from one to three feet high, growing from a thick, fleshy root like that of the Dock. Leaves stalked, triangular, acute, wavy or toothed, of a dark green colour. Upper leaves smaller, and almost sessile. Flowers in clustered, compound spikes, forming a terminal panicle, leafy below. Fruit completely enclosed in the perianth. This plant was formerly cultivated as a potherb, and is now commonly found on waste ground near villages. Time of flowering--June to August.