Plants -- Identification; Wild flowers -- Great Britain
On chalky, sandy, and other dry soils we may meet with the Round
Prickly-headed Poppy (_Papaver hybridum_--order _Papaveraceæ_), very
much like the Common Poppy in general appearance, but readily
distinguished by its general hairy character, and, more especially, by
the globular, furrowed fruit covered with spreading bristles. The
flowers vary from one to two inches in diameter, and the crimson or deep
scarlet petals are often black at the base.
The Bitter Candytuft (_Iberis amara_--order _Cruciferæ_), which is so
well known as a border-flower of our gardens, grows freely in some of
the chalk districts of the South and East of England. Unlike most of the
Crucifers, the flowers are not symmetrical, the two outer petals being
much larger than the others. The inflorescence is a raceme, which, like
that of the Wallflower, becomes longer as the flowering proceeds; and
the colour of the petals is white, lilac or red. The height of this
plant varies from six to nine inches, and the flowers bloom during July
and August.
The Wild Mignonette (_Reseda lutea_--order _Resedaceæ_) is very common
in some chalky districts, generally in fields and other open ground, and
may be easily recognised by its close resemblance to the well-known
Sweet Mignonette (_R. odorata_), which is so highly valued as a garden
flower on account of its pleasant perfume. It is of a shrubby nature,
from one to two feet high, with scattered, stipuled leaves, the lower of
which are pinnate, while the upper are three-lobed. The flowers are
irregular, yellow, and arranged in short, conical racemes. The six
sepals are unequal and linear; and the petals, also six in number, are
very unequal, while the posterior one is divided into many parts. The
flowers bloom throughout the summer.
One of the most characteristic flowers of the chalk is the pretty Rock
Rose (_Helianthemum vulgare_--order _Cistaceæ_), which is often so
abundant that it completely covers large patches of banks and
pasture-land. The plant is of a procumbent nature, with woody stems, and
opposite, flat, oval or oblong leaves, green above and hoary beneath.
The yellow flowers are from three-quarters to an inch in diameter, and
are arranged in racemes. There are five sepals, two of which are very
small; and the numerous stamens are sensitive, spreading out and lying
on the petals when the flower is squeezed. The time of flowering is from
June to September.
An allied species--the Hoary Rock Rose (_H. canum_ or _H.
marifolium_)--may be found in the limestone districts of the West of
England, flowering from May to July. The plant is very similar to the
last, but the leaves are not stipuled, are smooth or hairy above, and
very hoary beneath. The flowers, too, are much smaller.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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