34 



KLOWEUS OK TH1-: Klia.DS AND Ml'ADOWS 



icafv. 1 lie l(ja\'cs ai'i; jjinnaic, wilh lobes each sulc ol a coininon 

 stalk, white-feltecl hclow or hairless, toothed, with lari^e toothed leaflets 

 and smaller intermediate ones. In the radical leaves the terminal 

 ones are laryc, the lateral ones egg-shaped, entire, small, alternate. 

 The terminal leaflets are large with acute lobes, palmately lobed, with 

 3-5 segments. The stem leaves are downy below. The stipules are 



leafy, roundetl, hall 

 egg-shaped, toothed. 

 1 he llowers are 

 creamy white, sweet- 

 scented, in corymb- 

 like cymes, which are 

 very compound, with 

 long lateral branches. 

 The lobes of tlie 

 calyx are turned 

 back. The petals are 

 rounded. The car- 

 pels are hairless, 

 twisted together, al- 

 most horizontal, 5-9, 

 with two pendulous 

 ovules. The stamens 

 are numerous, 20-60. 

 ]\Ieadow-swcet is 

 from 2 to 3 ft. high. 

 The rtowers may be 

 gathered from May 

 or June to October. 

 The plant is peren- 

 nial anil increased by 

 division. 

 The Meadow-sweet, as the name implies, is a sweet-scented flower. 

 The compound cymes are conspicuous, and though the flowers do 

 not contain honey they are much visited by insects, as the stamens are 

 numerous and pollen is therefore abundant. In the first stage the 

 stamens bend over towards the centre com|)lete]y hiding the stigmas. 

 But they gradually become erect, and bend outwards in succession. 

 They then open and are covered with pollen. The centre of the 

 flower then becomes accessible to insects, either small creeping ones or 

 larger tlving insects. When the stigma ripens it is thus open to 



Mkadow-sweet (Spi; 



L.) 



