44 EET. DE. HIND — NOTES OJT THE PLANTS OF TVinCH 



11 and 12 belong to the Pink family. Lychnis Flos-cucidi, or 

 ragged llobin, may be seen in our damp meadows in May and June, 

 and occasionally as late as September, with its pink blossoms cut 

 into narrow filaments crowning its pui-ple-ribbcd calyx. The Stel- 

 laria llolostea, or stitchwort, is one of the earliest ornaments of our 

 hedges, repaying the thorns and brambles to which its weak stem 

 clings for support by a luxuriance of white star-like blossoms. 



13, Malva sylvestris, common mallow, is a somewhat coarse 

 plant found on waysides and waste ground, with roundish lobed 

 leaves and striped mauve flowers. It is easily distinguisliable from 

 the dwarf mallow by the small and paler flowers of the latter, and 

 from the musk mallow by the cut and haiiy leaves of the last- 

 named plant. 



14 and 15, Hypericum tetraptenim and pulchrum, square and 

 upright St. John's- wort, may be distinguished from each other, 

 and from the other small flowered St. John's-worts, by the square 

 winged stalk, the compact panicle, the oval ribbed leaves, and 

 moist habitat of the former, and the somewhat heart-shaped, stem- 

 clasping leaves, and the loose axillary and terminal panicles of the 

 latter. 



16, Geranium Rohertianmn, herb Robert, is the most common of 

 our native geraniums, growing in nearly every hedge, with its 

 deeply cut hemlock-like leaves, frequently blotched Avith purple, 

 and its pretty pink slightly pencilled flowers. The plant may be 

 known by its peculiar and somewhat off'eusive smell. 



17 to 21, Leguminous plants. Of these, TrifoUiim repens, white 

 or Dutch clover, is known to eveiy one. Lotus corniculaUis, bird's 

 foot trefoil, the yellow and sometimes ruddy blossoms of which so 

 frequently adorn and perfume our pastures, is almost as familiarly 

 known. Vicia Cracca and sepiiim, tufted and bush vetch, are easily 

 distinguished in our hedges ; the former by its leaves of about ten 

 pairs of narrow leaflets, and its closely packed racemes of many 

 small bluish flowers ; the latter by its soft leaves of four to eight 

 pairs of ovate leaflets, and its compact cluster of four to six purplish 

 flowers. Lathyrus pratensis, meadow vetcliling, occasionally found 

 in hedges, is a meadow plant, and is at once distinguished from the 

 above by its leaves of two lance-shaped leaflets, and its di'ooping 

 bunches of bright yellow flowers. 



22 to 26 are plants of the Rose tribe. Passing over the others, I 

 direct your attention to Spircca Ulmaria, or meadow sweet. This 

 plant you Avill readily recognise in the meadows, ditches, etc., by 

 its luxuriant panicle of cream-coloured blossoms and its sweet 

 almond-like perfume. There arc two other plants of this genus in 

 our native Flora. S. Filipendula is a smaller plant with a large 

 rosette of multifid root-leaves, l)ut with blossoms not unlike tlie 

 plant in our list. The third ])laut is a good-sized slirub very dif- 

 ferent in its appearance from the above-named, and not likely to be 

 found in Herts. Potentilla anserina, or silver-weed, is the plant 

 so common by every wayside, with silvery interruptedly pinnate 

 leaves and large yellow blossoms. Eosa canina, dog-rose, is the 



