204 AMONG THE FYLDE FLOWERS. 



woodsorrel at their appointed season clothe the ground with 

 mantles of verdure, gemmed with blossom; there, intermingled 

 with the well-known common ivy, may be found the dark, evergreen 

 kidney-shaped leaves of the Common Asarum {Asariim europceuni)^ 

 a plant far from common and not widely known. In this wood, 

 the only locality I know near at hand, the ivy and the Asarum 

 are outwardly so much alike as to deceive any but careful observers. 

 The leaves of the Asarum grow in pairs on rather long stalks, and 

 are about two-and-a half inches broad. They spring from very 

 short, procumbent stems. Between them, in the month of May, 

 may be found the peculiar greenish-brown flower, about half-an- 

 ^nch long, on a short stalk, a flower so inconspicuous as not to 

 easily attract attention, even when handled. Tradition tells us 

 that the plant was rejected from the garlands used by the ancients, 

 and certainly its name lends support to the story, because it is 

 derived from the Greek a, not ; and Sairo^ I adorn. It belongs to 

 the natural order, Aristolochice, and is the only British representa- 

 tive of that family. It is confined to a few northern localities? 

 where thick-set trees afford congenial shade. 



Hard by is a pond whose denizens deserve a passing mention. 

 Conspicuous among the foliage of the bulrush and the bur reed 

 are the stout, tall, leafless flower-stems of the Common Butome or 

 Flowering Rush {Butomns umbellatus), a noble member of the 

 natural order, Alismacece, which contributes so largely to the 

 adornment of British ponds and ditches. This stalk is surmount- 

 ed by an umbel, thirty to forty strong, of rose-tinted six-petalled 

 flowers, each about an inch in diameter. This is another uncom- 

 mon plant for the northern counties. It blooms from June to 

 August, and often reaches a height of over four feet. The leaves 

 are also very long and erect, are triangular in shape, and are some- 

 what sharp to the touch, which characteristic receives recognition 

 in the name Butomus, from Greek Bous, ox, and temno^ I cut, 

 because the mouths of browsing cattle are likely to be injured. 



Butomus is well supported by its kinsmen, the Water Plantains, 

 both the greater and the lesser occupying the same pond. These 

 two plants are very abundant in the Fylde — the former especially 

 so ; hardly a pond to be found anywhere which lacks a good stock 

 of specimens. 



