The Wild Mignonette does not grow close to the ground like the
sweet-scented Mignonette we have in our gardens. It is a tall, spiked
plant, which you find in summer-time on waste ground and among stone
heaps, and it is not at all noticeable.
The flowers grow on short, thin stalks. Those flowers at the bottom open
first, and the little buds are always at the top of the tall spike.
These flowers are little yellow balls, which seem to be entirely made up
of stamens. But if you gently pick one of these yellow balls to pieces,
you will find that there are six greenish-yellow petals.
The four largest petals are so deeply cut round the edge that they
appear to be fringed. But there are two long thin ones which are each in
one piece. These petals are all joined together at the bottom, with the
bunch of fluffy stamens and the seed-vessel inside.
Behind this little ball there are six thin green sepals. These are very
narrow and pointed, and they stand round the flower like the legs of a
spider.
The leaves are dark green, and they are very much lighter underneath
than above. They are very narrow, with crinkled edges, and the upper
half of the leaf branches into three or four parts, like a stag's horn.