196 



FIELD AND WOODLAND PLANTS 



racemes of yellow flowers from June to October. Its calyx is 

 small, and deeply divided into five segments ; and the corolla, 

 which has a long pointed spm: at the base, is closed above by the 

 bright orange ' palate ' of the lower lip. 



In the order Verbenacece we have the common Vervein ( Verbena 

 officinaUs), a common plant in the dry wastes of the South of 



THE YELLOW TOADFLAX. 



England, and moderately frequent in some other parts. This is 

 a smooth, erect plant, with long, spreading, wiry, four-angled stems ; 

 and small, lilac flowers in long, slender spikes. There are but few 

 leaves towards the top of the plant, and these are narrow and sessile, 

 while the lower leaves are broader, stalked, and coarsely toothed. 

 When the flowers first appear they are close together, but the spike 

 increases in length as the flowering proceeds, so that the lower flowers 

 and fruits become more distant. Each flower has a five-toothed 



