THALAMIFLORZ 47 
break away from the receptacles and are distributed 
not far from the plant that produces them. 
Most of the buttercups are very acrid, but the 
Lesser Celandine only slightly so, and some have 
used it as a pot-herb. 
It is the tubers that are acrid, but they are eaten 
by pigeons. 
MarsH MarRIiGoLpD (Caltha palustris). 
Like the last, the Marsh Marigold is general in the 
British Isles, and as a Northern Arctic plant grows 
at even greater heights up to over three thousand 
feet. 
As the first English name implies, and the second 
Latin name, it is found in damp marshy places, being 
fond of moisture. Indeed, every wet low-lying 
district has some Marsh Marigolds here and there, 
and in favourable spots it is very abundant, forming 
golden patches like the Lesser Celandine, but whilst 
the latter is a pale yellow, the flower of this lovely 
species isa deep rich yellow, like the yolk of an egg. 
A well-marked character is the cup-like form of 
the corolla, as implied by the first Latin name, 
derived from the Greek for goblet or chalice. 
Where the Marsh Marigold grows there you will 
find sedges, willows, horsetails, and the delicate lilac 
Lady’s Smock; in fact, it goes generally with the 
last in popular fancy and verse. 
It forms a compact clump with its erect flowering 
stems and numerous leaves on long stalks. Gene- 
