NIPPLEWORT 207 
The cylinder protrudes 2-3 mm. and the style 1$-2 mm. beyond it, 
the outer surface being covered at intervals with acute hairs. The 
lobes of the stigma are only 4 mm, long, and are covered with papillz 
or wart-like knobs on the inner surface, being widely spreading. The 
flowers open between 6 and 7 and 10 and 11 o'clock, but in rainy 
weather are closed. Nipplewort is visited by the Flies A7zstals 
arbustorum, FE. nemorum, and £. sepulcrats. 
The achenes are ribbed, and in this way aided in dispersal by the 
wind, and the seed is also 
flattened lengthwise. 
A sandy loam is the 
usual requirement of Nip- 
plewort, and it is generally 
found in situations where 
a sand soil is mixed with 
some amount of humus. 
A little ‘cluster-cup” 
fungus, Puccinza lapsane, 
infests the leaves. 
This plant is a food- 
plant for the Tiger Moth. 
Lapsana, a name bestowed 
by Dioscorides, is from the 
Greek /afsane, meaning 
charlock, and the second 
Latin name indicates how 
common it is. 
Ballagan, Bolgan-leaves, 
Swine’s Cress, Dock Cress, BR TTEvIE nS SGS GEER TE 
Nipplewort, Succory Dock NippLewort (Lapsana communis, L.) 
are its different names. 
The second name may be swelling leaves, as it was thought to remove 
swellings (Bolgan is Scotch for this). The name Nipplewort was 
given because it was supposed to heal the ulcers of nipples of women’s 
breasts. It serves as a Floral index. This plant was thought to relax 
the body. Nipplewort used to be eaten as a salad. 
EssENTIAL SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: 
177. Lapsana communis, .—Stem slender, tall, branched, leaves 
petiolate, dentate, radical, lyrate, stem-leaves ovate, flowerheads small, 
yellow, in a panicle, numerous, peduncles short, bracts in two rows, 
outer smaller, no pappus. 
