Plants -- Identification; Wild flowers -- Great Britain
The Wild Radish or White Charlock (_Raphanus Raphanistrum_) is a common
corn-field weed, somewhat resembling the mustards just described in
general appearance, but its pods are distinctly constricted between the
seeds, and often split when ripe into from three to seven one-seeded
joints. The plant is bristly, and grows from one to two feet high,
flowering from May to September. The petals are either white with
purplish veins, or pale yellow, or lilac; and the pods, over an inch
long, are tipped by the conical style, which is about twice as long as
the last joint.
Coming now to the order _Caryophyllaceæ_ we have to note the pretty Corn
Cockle (_Lychnis Githago_), which is commonly seen in the midst of the
corn, often growing so tall that its pale purple flowers peep above the
ears. Its stem is clothed with long, soft, white hairs; and the leaves
are all long, narrow and entire. The flowers, which appear during July
and August, are usually over an inch in diameter, and are solitary on
long, leafless peduncles. This flower appears on Plate VII.
[Illustration: THE CORN SPURREY.]
The same order includes the Corn Spurrey (_Spergula arvensis_), a low,
procumbent plant, with small, white flowers that bloom from June to
August. Its slender stem varies from six to eighteen inches long, and
the narrow, whorled leaves from one to two inches. The flowers are only
a quarter of an inch in diameter, with sepals usually a little shorter
than the petals.
In the order _Linaceæ_ we have the Common Flax or Linseed (_Linum
usitatissimum_), which is cultivated in some districts, and often
appears as a weed in fields. It is an erect, smooth plant, with a
slender stem about a foot high, and very narrow, entire, acute leaves,
about an inch long. The flowers are in a loose, terminal corymb, and
have five acute sepals; five bright blue petals over half an inch long,
which fall early; five perfect and five imperfect stamens; and an ovary
with five styles. It flowers during July. (See Plate VII.)
The Shepherd's Needle or Venus's Comb (_Scandix Pecten-Veneris_) of the
order _Umbelliferæ_ derives its name from the long, flat, needle-like
beaks of the fruits that are placed almost parallel like the teeth of a
coarse comb. The plant is erect, branched, from three to twelve inches
high; and the general character of its leaves and inflorescence may be
gathered from our illustration. The flowers are small, white, with
larger outer petals; and the carpels of the fruit are cylindrical, about
a third of an inch long, with beaks about an inch and a half. The plant
flowers from June to September.
[Illustration: THE SHEPHERD'S NEEDLE OR VENUS'S COMB.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account