This uninteresting plant is abundant everywhere. It is found in damp,
shady places by the side of ditches, and it is at its best in summer and
autumn.
At first you scarcely notice the flowers. They are small, dull green
bells stained with brown, and are not at all attractive. But when you
examine them, you find that the mouth of each bell is prettily waved all
round the edge, and inside there are two long stamens and two short
ones, as well as a fat green seed-vessel, with a curly point standing up
in the middle.
There is a green calyx-cup with five teeth at the mouth, and as the
small green bell soon withers and falls off, you oftenest notice this
calyx-cup with a green seed-vessel sitting in the centre.
The tiny flower-bells grow in loose clusters, which spring from between
the leaf and the main stem.
The Knotty Figwort is a tall and stout plant, with a four-sided stem
which is curiously twisted.
Be sure to pull up the root, and you will find it covered with small
bulbs or knots. From these knots the plant gets its name.
The leaves near the foot of the Knotty Figwort stem are large and
broadly oval, with short stalks. But those that grow further up the stem
are narrower and more pointed, and they all have the edges cut like the
teeth of a saw.