78 



BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS 



and a quarter across the wings, which are ashy- 

 grey, with four black spots on the front edge of 

 the forewings, the second of which joins an angular 

 mark in the middle of the wing, forming a black 

 Vor L. 



Far more injurious than all the insects men- 

 tioned put together, however, are the "false 

 caterpillars " of several species of saw-flies : little 

 yellow black-spotted grubs with eighteen or twenty 

 legs, which often leave scarcely a single leaf on 

 the bushes. The most destructive develop into 

 different species of the genus Nematus : small 

 four-winged flies with shining bodies, varied with 

 black and yellow, and four transparent wings about 

 half an inch in expanse. 



Order XXXVI. Saxifragacecz (3 genera) 



The British representatives of this Order are 

 low-growing plants with alternate leaves, flowers 

 with 4 or 5 lobes, petals 5 (or wanting in the 

 Golden Saxifrage, Chrysosplenium), and 5 or 10 

 stamens. The flowers are mostly white or yellow, 



but occasionally pink or purple. The species 

 are found growing either in rocky places, often 

 at a great elevation, or in damp places near 

 water. 



One of the commonest species is the Meadow 

 Saxifrage {Saxifraga granulata), which is found on 

 dry slopes and meadows. The stalk grows nearly 

 a foot high, and bears only a few small leaves 

 near the top; the lower leaves are larger, more 

 numerous, and stalked. The root is formed of a 

 number of small onion-like bulbs. The flowers 

 are white, and rather large. The pink-flowered 

 London Pride {Saxifraga umbrosa), so common 

 in gardens, notwithstanding its name, is scarcely 

 indigenous in the British Islands, except in one or 

 two localities in the west of Ireland. 



The Grass of Parnassus {Parnassia palustris) 

 has large heart-shaped stalked leaves near the 

 root; an upright stem, bearing only one sessile 

 leaf, and large white flowers with longitudinal 

 veins. There are 10 stamens, 5 rudimentary, and 

 a tuft of white filaments tipped with yellow. It is 

 found in swampy places. 





