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BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS 



black spots, and thick yellow bodies, with rows of 

 longitudinal black spots. 



Order X. Droseracece (i genus) 



This is another small Order, represented in 

 Britain by only one genus. Three species are not 

 uncommon in swampy places. They are low- 

 growing plants ; the flowers have 5 sepals, petals 

 and stamens, and the leaves are set with long hairs 

 which exude a viscid substance. When an insect 

 settles on the leaf, the leaf bends over and captures 

 it, and does not again unfold till the juices of the 

 prey have been absorbed. But the plant does not 

 catch more insects than it requires, ceasing to do 

 so when it has obtained sufficient for its needs. 

 An American species, Venus's Fly-trap {Dioncea 

 muscipula), often to be seen in botanic gardens, is 

 particularly celebrated for its fly-catching pro- 

 pensities ; but our British Sundews have the same 

 habit, though their leaves do not close so com- 

 pletely in the rat-trap fashion of Dioncea, which 

 has the edges of the leaves set round with long 

 spine-like hairs. 



In the Common Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) 

 the leaves are nearly circular, the stem is erect, and 

 the capsule is not furrowed. The Oblong Sundew 

 (D. longifolid) has erect stems, a furrowed capsule, 

 and erect leaves, much longer than broad. The 

 English Sundew (Z>. anglicd) which, notwith- 

 standing its name, is less common in England than 

 in other parts of the British Islands, has erect 

 leaves, much longer and narrower than in the 

 other species. 



The flowers are white, at the end of a stalk from 

 2 to 8 inches high, and expand in the sunshine. 

 Hybrids between the different species are not 

 uncommon. 



A preparation of Drosera rotundifolia has been 

 employed as a sedative in asthma and whooping 

 cough. 



Order XI. Frankeniacece (1 genus) 



The only British representative of this Order, the 

 Sea Heath {Frankenia Icevis) is a low decumbent 

 spreading plant with shoots 6 inches long or more, 

 with small opposite leaves, small pink flowers, 



