[Illustration: LAMB’S LETTUCE]
Leaves opposite; calyx of several bristles or absent; petals 2-5, partly
united; stamens usually 4, on corolla-tube; ovary inferior, 3-celled but
only 1 cell fertile.
Lamb’s Lettuce. Texas or Dwarf Corn Salad (_Valerianella amarella_) is
one of the first white-flowered spring plants, growing in such abundance
that the prairies are white with the blooms. It is a much smaller plant
than the dwarf Queen Anne’s lace which is so lovely late in April and
May. In the field it is usually about 6 in. high but grows a little
higher in cultivation when used as a border plant. It is easily
identified by its flat-topped clusters of flowers grouped in squares at
the end of the widely forking branches. The smooth foliage is
yellow-green in color.
There are several corn salads which grow in moist places in the state.
The dwarf corn salad may readily be distinguished from these, as its
minute seed-pod is covered with woolly hairs. The European corn salad is
cultivated, and the leaves are used for salad.