The Crosswort is common in England and in the South of Scotland, but it
does not grow far North. It is in flower all spring and summer, and you
find it abundantly in woods and thickets. This is rather a soft, weak
plant, which you will easily recognise by the curious way the leaves are
placed on the stem.
These leaves are small, and pointed, and they grow in form like a cross.
The crosses appear about an inch apart all the way up the stem, and
their leaves are soft and thin, and are covered all over with fine
hairs.
The flowers grow in clusters on very short stalks close to the stem
where the four leaves meet. They are yellow and very tiny. Each flower
has four petals, and these petals are joined together and show four
points standing out round the edge. You will notice four tiny stamens,
one of which lies flat between each of the petals, and there are also
two narrow green leaves springing from among the small groups of
flowers, as well as the four which form a cross.
The stem of the Crosswort is four-sided, and, like the leaves, it is
covered with fine hairs.