iSo I'l.OWJ'.RS OK THl'. Sl'.A-COAST 



alicriKitc. The capsule is rouiulctl, th(' seetls arc invc-rsely eL,^^"-shaped, 

 lartj'e, ami not lumuToiis. 



The heiLilu of this plant rarely exceeds 3 in. It is in flower from 

 Ma\ till Aip^ust. 'riie perennial stems can be propaijated by division. 



The flowers are polygamous. The disk is olandular. There are 

 3-5 styles, and the flower is able to sclf-j)olIinate itself in the absence 

 of insects, which do not \isit it commonly, tlie specic-s bein^' a mari- 

 tinu; with inconspicuous llowc-rs. 



The seetls are dispersed by the aj^ency of the plant's own mechan- 

 ism. The capsules break up along the valves when ripe and allow the 

 small seeds to fall around the parent plant, which is usually found 

 to grow in scattered clumps. 



A fungus, Cysfopits Icpio'oui, attacks .li-ciiaria. 



Heliothis pcllie,cr (the Bordered Straw Moth) feeds on species of 

 Arenaria also, and the beetles Malachius iiniroii/c///is and Cassii/a 

 nobilis. 



Sea Purslane is a sand-lover and recjuires a sand soil, and as a 

 salt-lover saline soil. 



Arenaria, Linuceus, is deri\ed from the Latin arena, .sand, and 

 peploides is from its resemblance to pep/ion, a purslane. 



The Sea Purslane is called Sea Chickweed and Sea Sandwort. 



It was thought to inspire love. Formerly it was occasionally 

 pickled, like samphire, for which its fleshy foliage is suited. It was 

 fermented in Ireland, and eaten as sauerkraut is in Germany. 



The flower is very variable in the number of the stamens, a feature 

 of the group. 



Essential Specific Char.a.cters : — 



57. Arenaria peploides, L. — Stem fleshy, creeping, forked, leaves 

 in 4 rows, o\"ate, sessile, smooth, dark-green, flowers small, white, 

 petals obovate, e.xceeding the sepals, from the angles of the stem. 



Tamarisk (Tamarix gallica, L.) 



This shrub has never been found fossil, but, even if it were native, 

 it is unlikely that it will be pre.served, as it rarely produces seed now 

 in this country. The Northern Temperate Zone is its home, and it 

 is found on the shores of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and inland 

 in Western Asia as far east as N.\\\ India. In the south and east 

 of England it is an alien, being in all cases planted. 



The Tamarisk is ;ui evergreen shrub which is now one of the 

 familiar members of the coastal flora (hence its inclusion in this work). 



