CKNTAl'RY i(,5 



Sea Milkwort is about 3 in. hij^h. The llowcrs are in bloom in May 

 and June. The plant is perennial, and can be ])ropa_L;ated from seed. 



A small (|uaiuily of honey is secreted al the base of the (al\.\. 

 I he llowers, which lack a corolla, are small aiul inconspicuous, and 

 the plant bein;^- maritime is little visited by insects. The stamens are 

 shorter than the stigma, anil the st\ le is threadlike, the stii^iiia blunt, 

 and when mature the anthers are not (luite projectinj^. Self-pollination 

 is thus rendered easy. The capsule is 5-valved and s|)lits open when 

 ripe, and the seeds, which are few, are dispersed by the shakino- of the 

 llowerinL; stems by the w ind. 



Sea Milkwort is a salt lt)\ci\ and rcijuires a saline soil. It is like- 

 wise a sand-lovinjjf plant, and ,uldiclc<l to santl. 



The leaves are attacked b\- a funj^us, .licidiiim Ci/amis. 



Glaitx, Tournefort, is from the colour of the leaves, Greek glaiicos, 

 bluish-i^reen, and the second Latin name indicates its maritime habit. 



Milkwort, Black Saltwort, .Sea Trifoly are the names ])o|)ular usaj^e 

 has conferred upon this plant. In reference to the name Milkwort, 

 Lyte says: "This taken with meate, or milke, or poia^e, ins;endreth 

 planty of milke: therefore it is ooode to be used of nurses that lacke 

 milke. The .same virtue hath Poly^ala taken with his leaxes and 

 flowers." 



It is a {)retty little- tlower, anil <[uitc suitcxl for garden culture in 

 pots or sandy soil in the open. 



Essential Si'i:iiii( Cii.xracters: — 



204. Glaux mariiiiiia, L. — Stem sub-prostrate, fleshy, leaves 

 glaucous, glabrous, ovate, o[)posite, flowers pink, in the axils, sessile, 

 apetalous, ca]y.\ colouretl, blunt. 



Centaury (Centaurium umliellatum. (lilib.) 



This maritime antl inland plant is loiind in the North Temperate 

 Zone in Kurope, South of Scotlantl, X. Africa, and has been intn> 

 duced in North America. It is unknown in any earl\ dej)osits. In 

 Great Britain it occurs on all the coasts, e.xcept Kincardine, N. Aber- 

 deen, Banff, W. .Sutherland, Gaithness, Orknc-ys. and is rare in the 

 Shetlands. 



Centaury is essentially a maritime s[)ecies, growing on practically 

 all the coasts of counties in Great Britain where the shore is sandy. 

 But it also occurs inland, and there grows on dry pastures and in sandy 

 fields, often in quarries or pits where e.xposcd rocks have produced a 

 suitable sandy soil. 



