LAMIVS I.1:TTUCK 1.13 



Till' llowrrs arc hliir ami luiiiHTmis, home in close terminal cymes, 

 SLirrouiuled by ioiii^' narrowly elliptic bracts. The Irnit is naked, 

 rtattened, spuriously 2-3 celled, and contains one seed with a ( orky 

 mass on one sitie; the barren cells touch, and are not turrowed, beinL; 

 separated from the fertile seed by j^roox es on each side. 1 his reduc- 

 tion of the ferlilitv of the ovules ma\ conduce to the lightness ol the 

 seed, and enable it thereby to be more widely dispersed by the wind. 



The plant is from 6 in. to i ft. hi^h. It llowers in Apiil and May. 

 It is annual and proixi^ated by seeils. 



The flowers are small and lilac, and the plant L^rows amongst corn, 

 and is therefore less likelv to be insect-visited than the .Marsh \'ak-ri.ui, 

 though concealed luiney is found. There are onl\- .^ stamens ;uul 3 

 stig'mas, which are simple. The anthers antl stigma may ri|)en togelher, 

 or the latter first. The visitors are Coleoptera, 1 )iptera. lleniiplera, 

 Apida;, Lepidoptera. 



The fruit, besides being flattened, is spuriously 2-celled, and being 

 small is easily tlispersed by the wind. 



Lam!:)'s Lettuce is a cornfield plant, found on sand soil, and there- 

 fore a sand plant. It is also found on lime soils. 



The moth Caradrina ciibiat/aris, a Hymenopterous insect Tnoza 

 ccntranthi, and a fly Chroviatomyia a/biceps feed ujion it. 



l^alcriaucl/a, Columna, is a diminutive of Valeriana, and the second 

 Latin name refers to its use as a .salad. 



The Knglish names are i^w, such as Cornel-sallet, Corn .Salad, 

 Lamb's Lettuce, Milk Grass, Potherb. 



Gerard says: "In English the white potherbe, so called for that 

 there is a blacke potherbe, which is called Ali.sander". The name 

 Milk Grass may be said to be due to the following: " In June at a 

 distance the fields look as if all covered with spilt milk, which is from 

 a flower for that reason called Milk Grass (Lamb Lettuce), for it has 

 now lain for si.x or seven years lee ". 



Lamb's Lettuce is used as a salad plant, and has been cultivatetl for 

 a long time. 



EsSENTI.\L Si'ECiriC CllAR.-VCTERS: — - 



146. Va/criaiiella olitoria. Poll. — Stem repeatedly 2 -forked, spread- 

 ing, slender, leaves ovate, toothed at base, flowers blue, in terminal 

 cymes, capsule compressed, with ciliate bracts. 



