176 lI.()\Vi:i^S Ol'- TH]-: SKA-COAST 



llnis fall on ihc siii^nia sfir-])()llinali()n nia\' (jccur. The llowcrs arc- 

 scented. Iwo h<)ney-<;lands, as in Sea Kale, lie at ihe- base of the 

 long and short stamens respecli\'el\-. It is also \ isiied hy numerous 

 insects. There is as mucli chance of cross-jx)llination in this plant 

 as in the Sea Kale. Ihe llowers, white and purjjje, are about the 

 same size, but the siiL^ma is stalkless, and there is little to pre\i-ni 

 self-pollination as it is i)elow the anthers. 



The Sea Rocket is dispersed l)y its own special mechanism. The 



Photo. Me 



Se.\ Rocket (Cakilc man'/imn. Scop.) 



pods do not open, but drop off, and the seeds germinate around the 

 parent plant. 



Sea Rocket is a halophyte or salt-lo\'er, and requires a saline soil, 

 growing generally on sandy coasts, and is thus a sand-loving plant. 



The Sand Dart {AQ-7'otis riper) is the only moth which feeds upon 

 it in the caterpillar stage, and a beetle, Psyiliodcs luarcida. 



Linnjeus adopted the name Cakilc from Serapion. Cakile is said 

 to be the Arabic name of the plant, but the significance (as applied to 

 this plant) is unknown, while the Latin iiiaTitiiiia refers to the plant's 

 habitat. 



Its Flnglish name Sea Rocket is the only one. It was reputed 

 to be cathartic by the old botanical writers. 



Essential Specific Cii.vracters: — 



39- Cakilc maritiina. Scop. — A bushy plant with glaucous, fleshy 



