straggling plant, from two to six feet long, flowering from June to
August. It is not so common as the last, but may be found in similar
situations. Its stem has very narrow wings; and the leaves have very
narrow leaflets, flattened stalks, branched tendrils, and half
arrow-shaped stipules. The flowers are rather large, of a pale purple
colour, with a greenish keel, and a green spot on the large upper petal.
They are arranged in loose racemes.
[Illustration: THE ROSE BAY WILLOW HERB.]
The Wild Raspberry (_Rubus Idæus_--order _Rosaceæ_) is to be found in
the woods and thickets of most parts of Britain. It may be easily
distinguished from other species of its genus by the following
description:--Rootstock creeping, with many suckers. Stems round, erect,
with a soft down and numerous weak prickles. Leaves pinnate, with three
or five ovate, pointed, toothed leaflets, pale green above, and white
and hoary beneath. Stipules small, very narrow and pointed, usually
attached part way up to the leafstalk. Flowers white, in long, terminal,
drooping panicles. Calyx five-lobed; petals five, short and narrow;
stamens numerous; and fruit consisting of a globular cluster of red or
yellow, hoary, one-seeded, succulent carpels which usually separate from
the conical receptacle when ripe. The bush grows from three to five feet
high, and flowers from June to August.
Two species of Willow Herb (order _Onagraceæ_) grow in copses and
thickets, and are easily recognised by their rose-coloured flowers with
very long, inferior ovaries. One is the beautiful French Willow or Rose
Bay Willow Herb (_Epilobium angustifolium_), an erect plant, varying
from two to six feet in height, widely distributed, though not very
common, flowering during July and August. Its leaves are alternate,
narrow-elliptical, entire or with very small teeth, and very shortly
stalked. The flowers are about an inch in diameter, numerous, forming a
very long, loose, terminal, tapering raceme, with a narrow bract at the
base of each pedicel. The calyx is tubular, four-cleft, attached to the
top of the long ovary; the corolla consists of four entire, nearly
equal, spreading petals; the stamens, eight in number, all bend
downwards; and the stigma is deeply divided into four lobes, on a long
style which also bends downward. The fruit is a four-celled capsule, two
or three inches long, which splits when ripe, its valves curling
downwards and exposing numerous minute seeds, each of which has a silky
tuft of fine hairs that enables it to be dispersed by the wind. The
plant is most frequently seen in damp copses, and among the undergrowth
of damp woods.
[Illustration: THE DOGWOOD.]
The second species is the Pale Smooth-leaved Willow Herb (_E. roseum_),
an erect plant, seldom more than two feet high, found principally in the
damp copses of the southern counties, flowering in July and August. Its
stem is four-angled, two opposite angles being much more prominent than
the other two; and its leaves are opposite, with longer stalks,
lanceolate or elliptical, pointed, toothed, smooth, usually about two
inches long. The flowers are not nearly so numerous as those of the last
species, are only a little over a third of an inch in diameter, and in a
short, leafy panicle, drooping while in the bud. The calyx is deeply
divided into four sepals about a sixth of an inch long; the corolla
consists of four notched petals, a little longer than the sepals; the
stamens, ovary, fruit, and seeds correspond in number and character with
those of the last species; but the stigma is either entire or divided
into four very short lobes.
In the same order we have the Enchanter's Nightshade (_Circæa
lutetiana_), distinguished at once from the Willow Herbs by having only
two sepals, two petals, and two stamens. It is an erect, hairy plant,
from one to two feet high, flowering from June to August. Its stem is
slender; and the leaves are opposite, long-stalked, ovate and coarsely
toothed. The flowers are very small, white, in terminal, leafless
racemes, with deeply-notched petals, and pink stamens. The fruit is a
little two-lobed capsule with stiff, hooked hairs.
[Illustration: THE WOOD SANICLE.]
The Cornel or Dogwood (_Cornus sanguinea_), of the order _Cornaceæ_, is
a common shrub in woods and thickets, and is often employed in the
making of hedgerows. It grows from five to eight feet high, and flowers
during June and July. Its leaves are covered, when young, with fine,
silky hairs that lie close on the surface, but these almost entirely
disappear later; and towards the end of the summer the leaves assume a
deep crimson or purple colour. The flowers are very abundant, of a
yellowish white colour, and are arranged in dense cymes, about two
inches across, without bracts. The four-toothed calyx and the peduncle
are both clothed with a mealy down; and the four petals, about a quarter
of an inch long, are narrow and pointed. The fruit is a purple-black,
globular, berry-like drupe, containing a stone with one or two seeds.
In very dense woods, where the light is so much reduced that but few
flowers will grow, we may generally find the Wood Sanicle (_Sanicula
europæa_), a smooth umbelliferous plant with a short, hard rootstock,
and a simple stem from one to two feet high. The leaves, which are all
radical, are on long stalks, and are palmately divided into three or
five shining lobes that are themselves cut and sharply toothed. The
flowers are sessile, in little rounded heads; the whole inflorescence
forming an irregular umbel or a loose panicle. They are very minute, of
a pinkish white colour; and the outer ones of each head usually have no
pistil. They bloom during June and July, and are followed later by
little prickly fruits about a sixth of an inch long.
[Illustration: THE ALEXANDERS.]
In damp woods we commonly meet with the tall, stout, branching Angelica
(_Angelica sylvestris_) of the same order (_Umbelliferæ_), with a thick,
furrowed stem, two to four feet high, downy above, and usually more or
less shaded with purple. Its lower leaves are very large, with stalked,
ovate leaflets, from one to two inches long, often three-lobed, and
always sharply toothed. The upper leaves are much smaller, with fewer
leaflets, and often consist only of a broad sheath with a few small
leaflets at its summit. The flowers are white, generally tinged with
pink, and form a large terminal umbel of from sixteen to forty rays,
with two or three narrow primary bracts, and several fine secondary
ones. They bloom during July and August, and are succeeded by flattened
fruits with three ribs on the back of each of the two carpels. The
carpels are also broadly winged; and, as the wings do not adhere, each
fruit is surrounded by a double wing.
[Illustration: THE ELDER.]
The order _Caprifoliaceæ_ includes the Common Elder (_Sambucus nigra_),
the white or cream-coloured flowers of which are so conspicuous in our
woods and hedgerows in June. This tree grows to a height of fifteen or
twenty feet, and its young branches are remarkable for the large
quantity of pith they contain. The general form of the leaves and the
arrangement of the flowers are seen in our illustration. Each flower has
a calyx with five small teeth; a corolla with a short tube and five
spreading limbs; five stamens attached to the base of the corolla; and
an inferior ovary. The fruit is a black, berry-like drupe containing
(usually) eight little, seedlike stones.
[Illustration: THE GUELDER ROSE.]
The Guelder Rose or Water Elder (_Viburnum Opulus_), of the same order,
is a flowering shrub, usually six or eight feet high, moderately common
in moist woods and copses, especially in the South, bearing showy cymes
of white blossoms in June and July. The cymes are flat-topped,
consisting of numerous flowers, the outer of which are much larger,
often nearly an inch in diameter, but without stamens or styles, while
the others are perfect, with five stamens and three sessile styles. The
fruit is a blackish-red, almost globular, slightly-flattened berry,
containing a single seed. The cultivated variety of this shrub, known as
the Snowball Tree, has large, globular cymes of flowers, all of which
are large and barren.
The Great Valerian or All-heal (_Valeriana officinalis_--order
_Valerianaceæ_) is moderately common in moist woods, and is rather
widely distributed. It is an erect plant, from two to four feet high,
flowering from June to August. There seems to be two distinct varieties
of this plant, one with from four to six pairs of leaflets, and the
other with from six to ten pairs, in addition to the terminal leaflet in
each case. The flowers are small, flesh-coloured or nearly white, in
terminal and axillary corymbs. The little inferior ovary is surmounted
by a calyx which is compactly rolled in at first, but which expands into
a spreading, feathery pappus as the fruit ripens. The corolla is
tubular, with five short, equal, spreading lobes. It is not spurred as
in the case of the Red Valerian (p. 302), but the base of the
tube is pouched on one side. This plant is shown on Plate II, Fig.
1.
We have now to note some composite flowers (order _Compositæ_) of wooded
and shaded ground. Of these we will first take the Blunt-leaved or
Succory-leaved Hawk's-beard (_Crepis succisæfolia_ or _C. hieracoides_),
which is moderately common in the woods of North England and Scotland,
but does not occur in the South. It is an erect plant, varying from one
to three feet in height, smooth or slightly hairy, flowering during July
and August. The fruits (achenes) are marked by many fine, longitudinal
ridges, and are surmounted by a dense pappus of soft, white hairs which
are a little longer than the fruits themselves. This flower is
represented in Plate II, Fig. 3.
In the woods and thickets of nearly all parts of Britain we may see the
Saw-wort (_Serratula tinctoria_), a stiff, erect, smooth plant, from one
to three feet high, flowering in August and September. The flower-heads
are purple or crimson, forming a loose, terminal corymb; and the
florets, all of which are tubular, are imperfect, the males and females
being generally on different plants. The involucre is oblong in form,
more than half an inch long, consisting of many pointed, closely-placed
bracts, of which the inner are usually tipped with red; and that of the
male heads is somewhat broader than the involucre of the females. The
pappus consists of a tuft of simple hairs, most of which are longer than
the achene.
The Golden Rod (_Solidago Virga-aurea_) is another abundant flower,
found in dry woods and thickets in all parts. It is a tufted plant, with
stiff, erect, angular, slightly-branched stems, varying from six inches
to two feet in height; and narrow-elliptical leaves, entire or slightly
toothed, the lower ones stalked. The flowers are very numerous, of a
bright golden yellow-colour, forming a dense, terminal panicle. The
heads are not large, and each consists of about twenty tubular
disc-florets; half the number of strap-shaped ray-florets; and an
involucre of many overlapping bracts. The pappus consists of many simple
hairs. This species flowers from July to September.
Two species of Leopard's Bane (_Doronicum_) are occasionally to be seen
in damp woods and thickets, especially near villages. They are not
indigenous, only occurring as escapes from gardens, but they have now
become well established as wild flowers in many parts of Britain. Both
are tall, erect plants, from two to three feet high, with large yellow
heads surrounded by two or three rows of narrow, acute bracts. Except in
colour the heads much resemble the Ox-eye Daisy. In both species the
achenes of the ray have no pappus, but those of the disc have a pappus
of stiff hairs in several rows. They flower from May to July.
[Illustration: THE SAW-WORT.]
The Great Leopard's Bane (_D. Pardalianches_) has a creeping rootstock
and a hollow stem. Its radical leaves are broadly heart-shaped, slightly
toothed, on long stalks; and the stem leaves are narrower, entire or
toothed, the upper ones small, sessile, embracing the stem; and the
lower ones stalked, with a broad expansion at the base of the stalk
which clasps the stem. The heads are usually three or four in number, on
long leafless peduncles.
The other species, the Plantain-leaved Leopard's Bane (_D.
plantagineum_), has, as its name denotes, leaves similar to those of the
Plantain. It usually has solitary flower-heads, and is represented on
Plate I.
Passing now to the favourite Bell-flowers (Order _Campanulaceæ_), we
have to notice four species that are to be found in woods and other
shady spots during the summer months. The features common to the four
species are:--Leaves alternate. Calyx adhering to the ovary, with a
border of five lobes or teeth. Corolla bell-shaped, with five lobes.
Stamens five, attached to the corolla by the broad bases of the
filaments. Ovary inferior, ripening to a capsule that opens by
longitudinal clefts. The species referred to are:
1. The Giant Bell-flower (_Campanula latifolia_). A stout plant, from
three to five feet high; with an unbranched, leafy stem; and a leafy
raceme of large, deep blue or white flowers that bloom in July and
August. Its leaves are large, ovate to lanceolate, acute, doubly
serrate, the lower ones stalked and the upper sessile. Each axillary
peduncle bears only one flower, the calyx of which has long, narrow
segments, and the corolla is hairy within. The capsule is short, opening
by slits near the base. This flower is found principally in the North.
2. The Creeping Bell-flower (_C. Rapunculoides_).--A downy plant, with a
creeping rootstock; an erect, simple or slightly-branched stem from one
to two feet high; and a one-sided raceme of drooping, deep blue flowers
that appear in July and August. The leaves are rough and doubly toothed,
the lower ones stalked and heart-shaped, and the upper narrow and
sessile. The segments of the calyx are long and narrow, and the capsule
is globular, opening by small slits near the base. This species is
widely distributed, but not very common.
3. The Nettle-leaved Bell-flower (_C. Trachelium_).--A very rough plant,
with an angled stem, from one to three feet high, bearing a leafy raceme
of large blue flowers from July to October. Its leaves are much like
those of the Stinging Nettle, being very rough, bristly, and coarsely
toothed. The segments of the calyx are rather broad, and very rough with
stiff hairs. This species is very abundant in some localities, and is
widely distributed. (See Plate II, Fig. 4.)
4. The Ivy-leaved Bell-flower (_C. hederacea_).--A pretty little
creeping plant that grows in moist woods, flowering during July and
August. It is very widely distributed, and is a common flower in many
parts of Great Britain, more especially in the southern counties. Its
prostrate stem is very slender; and the leaves are small, stalked, very
broad, and palmately divided into angular lobes. The flowers are of a
pale blue colour, solitary on long, threadlike peduncles; and the
capsule is globular, opening by three valves at the top.
From May to August is the best season to study the Holly (_Ilex
aquifolium_--order _Aquifoliaceæ_). We are all acquainted with this tree
in its winter condition, with its bright red or yellow 'berries,' but
during the months above named the less familiar flowers are in bloom.
The tree is common in the woods of all parts of Britain, and is easily
distinguished at all times by its smooth, grey bark, as well as by its
thick, glossy, spiny, evergreen leaves, which are placed alternately on
the branches, attached by very short stalks. As a rule the leaves have
waved margins, and are armed with several very strong spines; but
commonly the spines of the upper leaves are much fewer, and are
sometimes reduced to a single one at the apex. The little white flowers
form dense clusters in the axils of the leaves. Generally they contain
both stamens and pistil, but often they are imperfect, the pistillate
flowers predominating on some trees and the staminate ones on others.
Their parts are arranged in fours, the calyx having four small teeth,
and the corolla four spreading lobes, while four stamens are attached to
the latter, and the ovary has the same number of cells, and the style
terminates in an equal number of small stigmas. The fruits are not
really berries, but little, poisonous drupes containing four one-seeded
stones.
[Illustration: THE IVY-LEAVED BELL FLOWER.]
The Privet (_Ligustrum vulgare_), which forms, together with the Ash,
the whole of the order _Oleaceæ_, as far as British species are
concerned, is very common in the southern counties, where it is often an
escape from gardens, the bush being so largely employed in the formation
of hedges; but it is truly wild, and very plentiful on the chalky soils
of the south and east of England. Except during very severe winters the
old leaves remain until the early spring leaves are well formed, so that
the bush is always green. The flowers are white, with a very
characteristic odour, and are arranged in dense, terminal, conical
panicles. The calyx forms a little cup with four teeth, but soon falls;
and the corolla is funnel-shaped, with four spreading lobes at the top
of its tube. The stamens are short, attached to the corolla; and the
superior ovary ripens to a black, globular berry containing two or four
seeds. The bushes are in bloom during June and July.
[Illustration: TWO TWIGS OF HOLLY
One from a lower, and one from the topmost branch of the same tree, the
former in fruit.]
Three species of Cow Wheat (_Melampyrum_) are to be found in copses and
woods during the summer. They belong to the order _Scrophulariaceæ_;
and, like other allied plants of this group, are partial parasites (See
page 349), deriving a portion of their food from the roots of
grasses by means of suckers. They have the following features in
common:--Leaves opposite. Calyx tubular, with four narrow teeth. Corolla
much longer than the calyx, consisting of a very long tube and two lips,
the upper lip undivided, with its sides turned back, and the lower with
three spreading lobes. A kind of 'palate' also closes the mouth of the
tube. The fruit is an ovate capsule, containing from one to four seeds.
The three species referred to are:--
1. The Common Cow Wheat (_M. pratense_).--A smooth, erect plant, from
six to eighteen inches high, with spreading, opposite branches; and
sessile, narrow leaves, often coarsely toothed at the base. The flowers
are pale yellow, over half an inch long, arranged in pairs in the axils
of the upper leaves, and all turned towards one side of the stem. The
corolla is three or four times the length of the calyx. This plant is
very common in moist copses and thickets, and flowers from June to
August.
[Illustration: THE PRIVET.]
2. The Crested Cow Wheat (_M. cristatum_).--A widely-distributed plant,
found principally in the copses and thickets of the eastern and southern
counties. Its stem is from six to twenty inches in height; and the
leaves are very narrow, and generally entire except in the case of a few
of the upper ones, which are slightly toothed at the base. The flowers
are yellow, more or less variegated with purple, about half an inch
long, and they closely overlap one another in a dense, four-sided spike
over an inch in length. Under each flower is a broad, heart-shaped,
strongly-toothed, rose-coloured bract. The plant blooms during July.
3. The Wood or Yellow Cow Wheat (_M. sylvaticum_), sometimes known as
the Small-flowered Cow Wheat. This is a much rarer plant, and seems to
be found only in the hilly woods of Scotland and North England. It is
very much like the Common Cow Wheat, but its flowers are of a deep
yellow colour, less than half an inch long, with entire bracts, and
equal, open lips. The corolla is only twice the length of the calyx, and
the lanceolate leaves are very seldom toothed.
[Illustration: MILLET GRASS.]
[Illustration: BEARDED WHEAT.]
The same order (_Scrophulariaceæ_) contains the handsome and favourite
Foxglove (_Digitalis purpurea_), which grows abundantly in most dry
woods and shady wastes, flowering from June to August. Its stout,
unbranched stem varies from two to six feet in height, a large
proportion being the axis of a long one-sided raceme of beautiful,
drooping, purple or, occasionally, white flowers. The fruit is an
ovate, pointed capsule that splits into two valves and contains many
seeds. It is remarkable that this plant does not grow freely on chalk
and limestone soils, yet it will often make a sudden appearance in great
profusion as we pass over the edge of a calcareous district. The flower
is shown on Plate II, Fig. 2.
Of the order _Labiatæ_ we shall note one species only, and that is the
pretty Wood Betony (_Stachys Betonica_), a very common plant in the
woods and thickets of the south of Britain. It is a hairy species, with
a slender, simple or slightly-branched stem from one to two feet high;
and deeply-crenate, oblong leaves. The lower leaves have long stalks,
and are heart-shaped at the base; but those of the stem are narrower,
sessile or shortly stalked, tapering at the base. The flowers, which
bloom from June to August, vary much in colour, ranging from a deep
purple or crimson to a rose-pink or (rarely) white; and they form a
dense oblong, terminal spike, consisting of whorls of six or more, with
a bract at the base of each calyx, and a pair of sessile leaves just
below the lowest whorl. The calyx is ribbed, with five very sharp teeth;
and the corolla, which is much longer than the sepals, has an erect,
oval, upper lip, and a spreading, three-lobed, lower lip. The stamens
are in two pairs, immediately under the upper lip; and the fruit
consists of four little rounded nuts.
[Illustration: SLENDER FALSE BROME.]
In the dry woods of South Britain we occasionally meet with the Wood
Scorpion-grass or Wood Forget-me-not (_Myosotis sylvatica_), of the
order _Boraginaceæ_. This plant is very much like the favourite Water
Forget-me-not, and has equally large flowers, but it is much more hairy.
Its stem is erect, without runners; and the blue flowers form a
one-sided raceme without bracts. As the flowers expand the stalk
lengthens considerably, with the result that the fruits are very
distant. Among other features by which we may distinguish between the
Wood Forget-me-not and the commoner Water Forget-me-not we may mention
that the corolla of the former is flatter; and the calyx, cleft to its
base into narrow segments, is very rounded below, and covered with
stiff, hooked bristles. The plant flowers from June to August.
We conclude this chapter with the names of four species of Grasses that
are partial to wooded districts, and which flower during the summer
months. They are the Millet Grass (_Milium effusum_), the Bearded Wheat
(_Triticum caninum_), the Slender False Brome (_Brachypodium
sylvaticum_), and the Hairy Brome Grass (_Bromus asper_). The first
three of these are represented on pages 148 and 149, and the fourth is
shown on Plate II.
[Illustration: _Plate III._
FLOWERS OF THE WAYSIDE.
1. Round-leaved Crane's-bill. 2. Black Horehound. 3. Evergreen Alkanet.
4. Bristly Ox-tongue. 5. Red Bartsia. 6. Annual Meadow Grass. 7. Hemlock
Stork's-bill.]
XI
WASTES AND WAYSIDES IN SUMMER
It will probably have been noticed that several of the spring flowers of
our waysides and waste places continue to bloom into the summer.
Descriptions of these will, of course, not be repeated here, but, for
the convenience of those who are endeavouring to identify flowers which
have been gathered during the summer months, we append a list of the
species referred to:
PLANTS OF THE WAYSIDE AND WASTE GROUND THAT BLOOM DURING BOTH SPRING
AND SUMMER
Greater Celandine.
Shepherd's Purse.
Yellow Rocket.
Early Winter Cress.
Thale Cress.
Wild Turnip.
Procumbent Pearlwort.
Lesser Stitchwort.
Mouse-ear Chickweed.
Dove's-foot Crane's-bill.
Jagged-leaved Crane's-bill.
Herb Robert.
Black Medick.
Bird's-foot.
Bush Vetch.
Chervil.
Mouse-ear Hawkweed.
Groundsel.
Common Speedwell.
Wall Speedwell.
Field Speedwell.
Gray Field Speedwell.
White Dead Nettle.
Red Dead Nettle.
Cut-leaved Dead Nettle.
Yellow Pimpernel.
Annual Meadow Grass.