The Little Chickweed (_S. media_), so troublesome in our gardens,
belongs to the same genus. Its decumbent, branching stem has a
longitudinal line of hairs placed alternately on opposite sides from
joint to joint; and its ovate, smooth, succulent leaves are shortly
pointed, the lower ones having hairy stalks. The little star-like, white
flowers grow from the axils of the leaves, and have each five hairy
sepals, as long as the deeply-cleft petals, with narrow, membranous
margins.
These three species of _Stellaria_, and, in fact, all the species of the
genus, are distinguished by their divided petals and the presence of
three styles; but there is another group of flowers in the same order
known as the Mouse-ear Chickweeds (_Cerastium_), also with divided
petals, but having either four or five styles.
[Illustration: THE CHICKWEED.]
Three of the species of this group may be included among the spring
flowers of waysides. One of these is the Broad-leaved or Clustered
Mouse-ear Chickweed (_Cerastium glomeratum_), which flowers from April
to the end of the summer. It has an erect, sticky, hairy stem; and pale
green ovate leaves. The little white flowers are tufted, on short
stalks, with sepals and petals of equal length. A second--the
Narrow-leaved Mouse-ear Chickweed (_C. triviale_)--has a similar but
spreading stem; and the leaves are narrow, and of a deep green colour.
In this one, too, the sepals and petals are equal; but the former are
hairy, and the flower-stalks are longer. The other is the Field
Mouse-ear Chickweed (_C. arvense_), which has numerous white flowers,
in forked cymes, blooming from April to August. Its stem is hairy,
prostrate, from six to ten inches long; the leaves very narrow; and the
sepals only about half as long as the petals.
[Illustration: THE BROAD-LEAVED MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED.]
The pretty Wild Geraniums, of which there are several species, often
form a very attractive feature of the wayside. They are readily
recognised as a group by the swollen joints of their stems; the simple,
stipuled, lobed leaves; the axillary flowers; and the fruit composed of
five distinct carpels, with their five long styles adhering to a long
central beak. The flowers have five distinct petals and sepals, and ten
stamens, five of which become alternately larger. When the fruit is ripe
the five carpels separate, and are raised by the curving of the smooth
styles which remain for a time attached to the beak.
In early April, and from then to August or September, the Dove's-foot
Crane's-bill (_Geranium molle_) may be seen in flower by the wayside.
The plant is prostrate, soft and downy, with rounded leaves lobed and
cut. The pretty pink or lilac flowers are from a third to half an inch
in diameter, with abruptly-pointed sepals and notched petals. This
species may be readily distinguished from similar plants of the same
genus by the smooth, wrinkled capsules, and smooth seeds.
A second species--the Jagged-leaved Crane's-bill (_G. dissectum_)--is
also very common in wastes and by waysides. It is a hairy, rather than
a downy plant, with spreading stems from one to two feet long; and
displays its bright red, shortly-stalked flowers from April to August.
The flowers, which vary from a quarter to half an inch in diameter, have
long-pointed sepals and notched petals.
[Illustration: THE DOVE'S-FOOT CRANE'S-BILL.]
A third species, also very common, is the Herb Robert (_G.
Robertianum_), characterised by a strong odour, and red, hairy,
spreading, succulent stems one or two feet long. The leaves are
compound, with three or five deeply-divided leaflets, and turn to a
bright crimson colour in late summer. The flowers are half an inch or
more in diameter, with ovate entire petals, of a pink colour and
beautifully veined. The sepals have long points, and are rendered very
viscid by glandular hairs. A white-flowered variety of this geranium is
occasionally seen.
We have now to note four of the spring leguminous plants (order
_Leguminosæ_)--plants belonging to the Pea family, distinguished by
their butterfly-like flowers, and, usually, by compound, stipuled
leaves. Our first example is the Black Medick or Non-such (_Medicago
lupulina_) which is common in wastes, by the waysides and in pastures.
This is a procumbent, spreading plant, with stems from six inches to two
feet in length, and leaflets inversely egg-shaped, with finely-toothed
edges. The flowers, which appear in April, and continue to bloom till
near the end of the summer, are small, yellow, and arranged in dense
oblong spikes. The calyx has five teeth, and the pods are kidney-shaped,
each with only one seed.
[Illustration: THE JAGGED-LEAVED CRANE'S-BILL.]
In shady grassy or bushy places we may see the Crimson Vetch or Grass
Vetchling (_Lathyrus Nissolia_) which, although not common, is rather
frequent in the midland and southern counties of England. It is a very
slender plant, from one to two feet high, bearing crimson flowers in May
and June, and may be identified at once by reference to our
illustration.
[Illustration: THE HERB ROBERT.]
The pretty Bird's-foot (_Ornithopus perpusillus_) is commonly found on
waste ground, more particularly on sandy soils. It has a spreading,
prostrate stem, from six to eighteen inches long, and pinnate leaves
with from about fifteen to twenty-five elliptical, downy leaflets. The
flowers appear to be pink when viewed from a distance; but, when
examined closely, are seen to have cream coloured petals that are veined
with crimson. They are arranged in heads, of a few flowers each, on long
stalks, with a leaf immediately below each head. The pods are curved,
and made up of from seven to nine oval, one-seeded joints, with a
terminal beak resembling the claw of a bird, so that each cluster of
pods has much the appearance of a bird's foot. This plant flowers from
April to July.
Our other example of leguminous flowers is the Bush Vetch (_Vicia
sepium_)--a climbing plant with stem two or three feet long, very common
in hedges, flowering from April to August. The leaves are pinnate, with
from twelve to eighteen oval, blunt leaflets which increase in size
towards the base. The flowers are pale purple, and are arranged in
axillary racemes of from four to six, on very short peduncles. The style
is tufted on one side, and the pods are smooth and erect.
We have now to note a flower of the Rose order (_Rosaceæ_), but since it
is common for a beginner to be confused by the general resemblance of
some of the flowers of this group to some of the _Ranunculaceæ_, it may
be well to point out that in the latter the stamens are united to the
receptacle of the flower, below the carpels, while in the rose order the
stamens are attached around or on the ovary itself.
[Illustration: THE GRASS VETCHLING.]
The Strawberry-leaved Cinquefoil or Barren Strawberry (_Potentilla
Fragariastrum_) is very similar to the Wild Strawberry, with which it is
often confused; but no difficulty will arise if it be noted that the
species we are now considering produces no running stems. The Barren
Strawberry is a silky little plant, with a thick, prostrate stem; and,
as one of its popular names implies, a ternate leaf resembling that of
the Wild Strawberry. The flowers are white, half an inch or less in
diameter, on slender peduncles, with notched petals. This is one of our
earliest spring flowers, blooming from February or early March to about
the end of May; and is very common on banks, in hedgerows, and in weedy
wastes.
The Tuberous Moschatel (_Adoxa Moschatellina_) is a very inconspicuous
but an interesting little plant. It is sometimes placed in the same
order (_Araliaceæ_) as the Ivy, while some botanists regard it as
belonging to the Honeysuckle family (order _Caprifoliaceæ_). It has a
scaly, creeping, thick, underground stem or rhizome, and a four-angled
aerial stem; and the whole plant emits the scent of musk. The flowers
are small, of a yellowish-green colour, and are clustered together into
five-flowered, terminal heads. The petals are spreading, the stamens
four or five in number, and the fruit is berry-like, with one-seeded
chambers. The plant is only four or five inches in height, and though
not common, may be found in shady places in many parts. It flowers
during April and May.
[Illustration: THE STRAWBERRY-LEAVED CINQUEFOIL.]
The White or Red-berried Bryony (_Bryonia dioica_) is a very common
hedgerow climber, the only British representative of its order
(_Cucurbitaceæ_). It has a very thick rootstock; a slender stem, that
often reaches a length of ten feet or more; large, bright green, palmate
leaves with three, five or seven angular, coarsely-toothed lobes; and
long simple or branched tendrils. The flowers are imperfect, the males
and females growing on separate plants. The former are of a pale yellow
colour, in stalked clusters, each one consisting of a spreading,
five-lobed corolla, about half an inch in diameter, and five stamens,
one of which is free, while the other four are united in pairs: the
females are smaller, generally in pairs, each consisting of a globular
ovary with three stigmas, and a superior, five-lobed corolla. The fruit
is a scarlet or orange-coloured berry, about a third of an inch in
diameter, containing several seeds. The whole plant is clothed with
small, white hairs, and contains an acrid sap. Time of flowering--May to
September.
[Illustration: THE MOSCHATEL.]
The Common Beaked Parsley (_Anthriscus vulgaris_), of the order
_Umbelliferæ_, is very common by waysides, flowering during May and
June. The stem of this plant is smooth and shining, from two to three
feet high, slightly swollen at the nodes. The leaves are tri-pinnate,
with blunt segments, and slightly hairy on the under side. The white
flowers are arranged in compound umbels with short stalks, and the
umbels droop before the flowers open. There are no bracts at the base of
the main pedicels, but five or six _bracteoles_, with fringed edges, lie
at the foot of the secondary pedicels. The fruits are short, ovate, with
short beaks and hooked bristles. As with the other members of this
genus, the petals have an inflexed lip.
This genus includes the Chervil or Wild Beaked Parsley (_A.
sylvestris_), which is very common in hedges and waysides, flowering
from April to June. It grows from three to four feet high, and has
tri-pinnate leaves with coarsely-serrated edges. The umbels are
terminal, on long stalks. There are no bracts, but about five narrow,
ovate bracteoles with fringed edges. The flowers are white; and the
fruits are long and narrow, smooth, with short beaks.
[Illustration: THE WHITE BRYONY, CLIMBING OVER A BED OF NETTLES.]
The Garden Beaked Parsley (_A. cerefolium_) is very similar to the last
species, but has only three bracteoles in a whorl, and the umbels are
lateral and shortly stalked. Also, the fruit, which is of the same form,
has a longer beak. This species is not a native, but is often found as a
garden escape. It grows to a height of about eighteen inches, and
flowers from May to July.
Our last example of the _Umbelliferæ_ is the Goutweed, Bishop-weed or
Herb Gerard (_Ægopodium Podagraria_), a rather coarse, erect, smooth
plant, from one to two feet high, commonly seen in wayside ditches and
other damp places. It was formerly cultivated largely for medicinal
purposes, consequently it is to be found chiefly near towns and
villages, where it occurs as a garden escape. It has a creeping,
aromatic stock; a hollow, grooved stem; large long-stalked, biternate
radical leaves, with ovate or narrow, toothed segments, two or three
inches long; and smaller stem-leaves with fewer segments. The flowers
are greenish white, in umbels of many rays, with few or no primary or
secondary bracts; and the fruits are oblong, about a sixth of an inch
long, with the two diverging styles curved downward. The plant flowers
from May to August.
[Illustration: THE WILD BEAKED PARSLEY.]
On dry banks by the wayside we may commonly meet with the Crosswort or
Mugwort (_Galium Cruciatum_) of the Bed-straw Family (_Rubiaceæ_). It is
a prostrate plant, with stem from six to eighteen inches long; and
soft, downy, elliptical leaves arranged crosswise in whorls of four. Its
fragrant little yellow flowers are in whorled, axillary cymes, each
cluster having from six to eight blossoms. The lower flowers have
stamens and no pistil, and the upper ones pistil only. The fruits are
smooth. The time of flowering is from April to June.
[Illustration: THE GARDEN BEAKED PARSLEY.]
Composite flowers (Order _Compositæ_) are mostly summer-bloomers, but
three at least are very common by waysides in spring. One of these is
the Mouse-ear Hawkweed (_Hieracium Pilosella_), a slender plant with
leafy runners, rendered silky in appearance by long, soft hairs. The
stem is almost leafless, but there are elliptical-lanceolate, entire,
radical leaves covered, especially on the under side, by starlike hairs.
The yellow heads are solitary, on stalks varying from two to ten inches
long. This species flowers from May to August.
The second species is the Common Groundsel (_Senecio vulgaris_), which
may be seen in bloom throughout the year. Though so well known, we think
it advisable to call attention to one or two of its characteristic
features. The leaves are smooth, deeply cut, toothed, and half clasp the
stem. The flower-heads have no ray florets; and the outer bracts are
very short, with black tips.
From March to April almost all damp places are more or less thickly
dotted with the bright yellow flowers of the Colt's-foot (_Tussilago
Farfara_); and later, after all the flowers have ceased to bloom, the
same places are covered with the large, heart-shaped, angular leaves,
four or five inches wide, thickly clothed beneath with a loose, cottony
down which is also sparingly scattered over the upper surface. The early
flowering stems are rather thick and fleshy, about six inches high, and
downy. They bear a number of small, narrow, erect, scale-like leaves,
and, at the top, a single flower-head, surrounded by a whorl of narrow
bracts, and a few smaller outer bracts. The inflorescence consists of
several whorls of narrow, strap-shaped, outer florets, with no stamens;
and a few central, tubular, perfect florets. The fruits are cylindrical,
with a tuft of long, simple hairs.
[Illustration: THE GOUTWEED.]
The Speedwells (_Veronica_) belong to the order _Scrophulariaceæ_. They
are all herbs, with simple leaves; slightly irregular flowers with an
unequally four-cleft, spreading corolla, the lower lobe of which is
smallest; and only two stamens. At least six species of this genus may
be found by waysides, in flower during the spring months.
One of these--the Thyme-leaved Speedwell (_Veronica serpyllifolia_), is
common in most waste places. It is a small plant, with a downy,
prostrate stem from three to ten inches long. The leaves are broadly
elliptical, slightly crenate, blunt, and somewhat leathery in nature.
The flowers are about a quarter of an inch across, of a light blue or
lilac colour, striped with dark blue veins; and appear from May to July.
They are arranged in several spike-like, many-flowered racemes. The
corolla tube is very short; the style long and persistent; and the
fruits are inversely-cordate capsules.
[Illustration: THE CROSSWORT.]
The Common Speedwell (_V. officinalis_) is a small plant, with hairy,
prostrate stems from two to ten inches in length. It is common in dry
places. The leaves are opposite, elliptical, serrate, with short stalks.
The pale blue flowers, which are only about a sixth of an inch in
diameter, are in many-flowered, axillary, spike-like racemes. The
capsules are of the same form as in the last species, but are deeply
notched. This species flowers from May to July.
The Germander Speedwell (_Veronica Chamædrys_) is one of our most
beautiful and most abundant spring flowers. It is very common on banks
and by roadsides, flowering during May and June. Its stem is weak,
decumbent, rooting at the base, often considerably more than a foot in
length, and remarkable for the line of hairs that changes to alternate
sides at each node. A raceme of flowers, much longer than the leaves,
arises from several of the nodes. The flowers are bright blue, about
half an inch in diameter, with a four-cleft calyx; a deeply four-cleft
corolla, the lower lobe of which is narrowest; and two prominent
stamens. The fruit is a very broad, flat capsule, notched at the top,
narrowed towards the base, splitting into two valves when ripe.
[Illustration: THE COLT'S-FOOT IN EARLY SPRING.]
[Illustration: THE GERMANDER SPEEDWELL.]
A fourth species, the Wall Speedwell (_V. arvensis_), is abundant on
walls and dry roadsides. It is a prostrate, downy plant, generally more
or less thickly covered with dust, flowering from April to about the end
of summer. The stem is from four inches to a foot in length, and two
lines of hairs run along the branches. The leaves are oval-cordate,
crenate, and slightly stalked. The flowers are very small and
inconspicuous, and are frequently almost completely hidden by the
crowded upper leaves. They have very short corolla-tubes, and are
arranged in loose, terminal, spikelike racemes.
The Grey Field Speedwell (_V. polita_) is common in waste places and
rough fields, flowering from April to September. Its flowers are bright
blue, about a quarter of an inch across, solitary, axillary, on stalks
which are longer than the leaves. The sepals are broadly oval and
pointed, and the petals are all of the same colour. The leaves of this
plant are stalked, cordate, and irregularly toothed.
Our last example of the order is the Green Field Speedwell (_V.
agrestis_), also common in fields and by the roadside. It has several
prostrate stems, from four to eight inches long; and stalked, cordate
leaves with irregularly serrate margins. The flowers are small, about a
fifth of an inch across, solitary, axillary, on stalks shorter than the
leaves. The sepals are narrow, oblong, and blunt; and the lower petal is
white. This species flowers from April to the end of the summer.
[Illustration: THE WHITE DEAD NETTLE.]
The Dead Nettles (genus _Lamium_, of the order _Labiatæ_) may be readily
distinguished from the Stinging Nettles, with which they are often
confused, by their square stems, and whorls of showy, lipped flowers.
Further, these flowers may be recognised from among the others of their
own order by the ten-ribbed, bell-shaped calyx; and by the one or two
teeth on each side of the lower lip of the corolla.
Three of this group are very common wayside spring flowers. One is the
White Dead Nettle (_Lamium album_), with large, white flowers forming
whorls in the axils of the leaves. The leaves of this plant are all
stalked, cordate, with a very sharp point, deeply serrate, and often
marked with white blotches. The teeth of the calyx are narrow, as long
as the tube, with long slender points; and the tube of the corolla is
curved, longer than the calyx, gradually widening from below upwards.
The two lower stamens are longer than the upper pair, and the anthers
are black. The plant varies from six to eighteen inches in height, and
flowers from April to September.
The Red Dead Nettle (_L. purpureum_) grows to the same height, but has
much smaller cordate or kidney-shaped leaves, with blunt apices and
crenate edges. The upper ones are very crowded, and often tinged with
red; and all the leaves are stalked. The flowers are small, of a
red-purple colour (rarely white), in crowded whorls in the axils of the
upper leaves. The tube of the corolla is straight, longer than the
calyx; and the calyx teeth are spreading.
[Illustration: THE YELLOW PIMPERNEL.]
The third species--the Cut-leaved Dead Nettle (_L. incisum_ or _L.
hybridum_)--is not so abundant as the other two, but moderately common
on waste land. Its leaves, which are all stalked, are very deeply cut
in a serrate manner; the lower ones being cordate, while the upper are
more triangular. The flowers are of a rose-red colour, in crowded whorls
near the top of the stem. The tube of the corolla is _shorter_ than the
calyx, and straight; and the teeth of the calyx are about as long as its
tube. The plant grows from six to eighteen inches in height, and flowers
throughout the whole of spring and summer.
Another common Labiate--the Ground Ivy (_Nepeta Glechoma_)--may be seen
almost everywhere in the spring, in bloom from March to May. It has a
procumbent, creeping stem, and deeply-crenate, kidney-shaped leaves. The
flowers are of a blue-purple colour, arranged in whorls of three or four
in the axils of the leaves. The calyx has five teeth and fifteen ribs;
and the two front stamens are shorter.
[Illustration: THE DOG'S MERCURY.]
The Early Field Scorpion Grass (_Myosotis collina_) belongs to the order
_Boraginaceæ_--a family of (usually) hairy herbs with alternate leaves
and one-sided spikes or racemes of showy flowers. The flowers have a
five-lobed calyx and corolla, five stamens, and a fruit of four nutlets.
It is in the same genus as the familiar Forget-me-not, and, in fact,
somewhat closely resembles that plant, which is often confused with
certain species of Scorpion Grass. It is a slender, more or less
prostrate herb, with blunt oblong leaves; and minute, bright blue
flowers which are at first hidden among the leaves, but afterwards
exposed by the lengthening of the stem. The flowers have very short
pedicels; and are in long, slender, leafless, spikelike racemes, with a
single flower some distance down, in the axil of the highest leaf. The
popular name of Scorpion Grass has been given on account of the
characteristic arrangement of the flowers when in the bud, these being
then tightly coiled in a scorpoid fashion. In order that the present
species might be distinguished from allied plants, we should note that
the pedicels are shorter than the calyx; that the calyx is furnished
with hooked bristles, and is open and swollen when the fruits are
formed; also that the tube of the corolla is very short. The Early Field
Scorpion Grass is very common on dry banks. Its stems vary from about
four to ten inches long, and the flowers appear during April and May.
[Illustration: THE BLACK BRYONY IN FRUIT.]
The Wood Loosestrife or Yellow Pimpernel (_Lysimachia nemorum_) of shady
waysides and woods is a member of the _Primulaceæ_ or Primrose family.
It is altogether a pretty little plant, much like the Scarlet Pimpernel
in general appearance, but somewhat larger and more glossy. It has a
prostrate, spreading stem, often tinged with red; and opposite, oval,
acute leaves with short stalks. The flowers are yellow, usually a little
more than half an inch in diameter, with a spreading corolla. They are
axillary, placed singly on very slender peduncles, and have very narrow
sepals. This species flowers from May to August.
The Perennial or Dog's Mercury (_Mercurialis perennis_), of the
_Euphorbiaceæ_ or Spurge family, is one of our earliest spring flowers,
and may be seen in abundance on almost all shady waysides, in bloom from
March to May, and growing from six to eighteen inches high. The minute
green flowers, which have three sepals and no petals, are in racemes or
spikes that grow from the axils of the upper leaves. They are unisexual;
the staminate flowers in slender racemes, with several erect stamens;
and the pistillate ones in short, few-flowered spikes, with a two-celled
ovary, two styles, and a few imperfectly formed stamens.
The Black Bryony (_Tamus communis_)--order _Dioscoriaceæ_--is a pretty
climbing plant, the slender stem of which twines for several feet among
the hedgerow trees and shrubs. Its leaves are cordate and acute, and
change either to a bright yellow or a beautiful bronze colour in the
autumn. The flowers, which appear in May and June, are yellowish green,
in small clusters; and the fruits are oblong berries, turning to a
bright scarlet as the leaves assume their autumn tints.