418 



THE SEA SHOEE 



of which are arranged so as to resemble the Maltese cross. The 

 flowers have also four sepals, six stamens, two of which are shorter 

 than the other four, and the fruit takes the form of a two-celled 

 pod or pouch which opens by the separation of its two valves 

 from the central partition. 



Our first example is the Wild Cabbage (Brassica oleracea), 

 which, although so unlike the cabbage of our gardens, is really the 



FIG. 305. THE WILD 

 CABBAGE 



FIG. 306. THE ISLE 

 OF MAN CABBAGE 



parent of all the cultivated varieties, including the cauliflower, 

 broccoli, Brussels sprouts, &c. It is a biennial plant, with fleshy 

 lobed wavy leaves that are covered with bluish bloom, and a fleshy 

 cylindrical root. It grows erect to a height of one or two feet, 

 bearing yellow flowers during the summer months. An allied 

 species (B. monensis), with a prostrate stem and deeply-divided 

 leaves, occurs locally on the sandy shores of the Isle of Man. 



Two species of Stock (Matthiola) are to be found on the coast, 

 both being characterised by purple flowers. The Great Sea Stock 

 (M. sinuata) is a rare plant growing on the shores of Wales and 

 Cornwall, and may be known by its herbaceous stem and narrow 

 downy leaves ; and the other species the Hoary Shrubby Stock 

 (M. incana) is also a rare plant, found principally on the cliffs of 

 the Isle of Wight, and is the parent of the Brompton Stocks of our 

 gardens. The latter has a branched woody stem and narrow 

 leaves. Both species grow to a height of about eighteen inches, 

 and the latter flowers in May and June, while the former is in 

 bloom during the hottest summer months. 



The Hare's-ear Treacle Mustard (Erysimum orientate) is a 

 rare crucifer, frequenting the cliffs of the southern and eastern 



