14 LANARKSHIRE RAMBLES. 



some uncommon plants as well — often probably strangers that 

 have succeeded in establishing themselves — as the sweet violet 

 ( Viola odorata), the cowslip {Primula veris), which is rare in the 

 West of Scotland, the cuckoo-pint, the great yellow loosestrife 

 {Lysimachia vulgaris), the green hellebore {Helleborus viridis), 

 the Welsh poppy (Meconopsis cambrica), the yellow figwort 

 {Scrophularia vernalis), spurge-laurel {Daphne Laureola), besides 

 the usual crane's-bills the blood-red one and the knotted one 

 {Geranium sanguineum and nodosum), the plantain leopard's- 

 bane {Doronicum plantagineuni), and the wild tulip {Tulipa 

 sylvestris). Others might be mentioned, but there can be little 

 doubt that even these are mostly introduced plants that have 

 found a congenial home here. 



Bothwell Castle is one of the most interesting ruins in Scotland, 

 both from the style of the building and its historic associations. 

 It was erected during the 13th century, though the exact date and 

 the name of the founder are unknown. It was taken and re-taken 

 several times during the War of Independence, and both Edward 

 I. and Edward III. of England stayed there for a few days. 

 About the end of the 17th century the Earl of Angus had the 

 present mansion built, using the old castle as a quarry. 



Extensive excavations have recently been made and the walls 

 cemented, so that the climbing plants which have beautified the 

 ruins so long have been somewhat disturbed. Having been 

 carefully treated, however, they are now recovering their hold. 

 Besides ivy and wallflower flourish old man's beard {Clematis 

 Vitalba), wall pellitory {Parietaria officinalis), and above all the 

 birthwort {Aristoloc/iia Sipho), that magnificent climber which the 

 Wordsworths admired so much on their visit to the castle in 

 1803, as "a broad-leaved, creeping plant without flowers, which 

 scrambled up the castle wall along with the ivy, and spread its 

 vine-like branches so lavishly that it seemed to be in its natural 

 situation." Birthwort has flowers in its season, however, and very 

 interesting they are. Dittander {Lepidium latifolium) also grows 

 on the ruins, and this is probably the only station for it in the 

 West of Scotland. 



Not far from the ruins there are some very graceful birches 

 {Betula alba); a great maple that divides near the ground into two 

 trunks, the larger of which measures 14/75- feet; a variegated 



