APETAL.E 233 



flowers from May to July and is a herbaceous 

 perennial. 



The flowers are hermaphrodite. The anthers and 

 stigma are ripe at the same time, the anthers being 

 polliniferous for a considerable period, but sensitive to 

 moisture, closing up quickly. 



The fruit is a drupe and crowned with the perianth 

 so that it may be wind-dispersed. Being a hemi- 

 parasite Bastard Toadflax derives some of its nutri- 

 ment, like Red Bartsia, from the roots of its hosts, 

 but a large part also from the atmosphere, being a 

 green plant and capable of carbon fixation. The 

 suckers are in the form of small, white knobs at the 

 side of the root. 



The name cited is the only one by which this plant 

 is known, being given by Dr. Prior in his ' Popular 

 Names of British Plants,' 1863 (third edition, 1879), 

 an excellent guide to botanical names. 



Thesium linophyllum. — In Fig. 66 is shown the 

 habit of the plant, the stems spreading in a circle, the 

 flax-like leaves, the flowers in a terminal raceme, 



68. The Spurge Group. 



Within the Order Euphorbiaceas are included, 

 amongst British plants, the Spurges, Box, and 

 Mercury. A type of each tribe is described. 



Bentham and Hooker define three tribes : 

 Euphorbieae, with the involucre calyciform, with 

 many pale monandrous flowers surrounding one 



