148 HYPERICINE^ 



often tinged, as well as the stem, with red ; while the red anthers, and the 

 young buds tipped externally with a rich carmine tint, render them very 

 attractive. The stem is very slender, and sometimes two feet high, and the 

 leaves few and scattered. The sessile glands, or glands Mdthout stalks, occur 

 in various parts of plants. They vary much in form, being in some cases 

 conical, and in some, as in the Cruciferous plants, little roundish shining 

 bodies. In some plants, as the acacias, they are tiny hollows, svuTounded by 

 a thickened rim ; in others, they are kidney-shaped, or of some other form. 



10. Marsh St. John's Wort {H. eUdes). — Stem creeping, branches 

 erect; leaves roundish, and, as well as the stems, densely covered with 

 shaggy down. Plant perennial. Mr. Johns, in his " Flowers of the Field," 

 justly remarks of this plant, that "it may be detected at some distance by 

 the hoariness of its foliage, and by the strong, and far from pleasant, resinous 

 odour which it emits, especially in hot weather." This scent is indeed very 

 strong, and is, in the opinion of the author, more disagreeable than that of 

 any other species, being altogether destitute of that lemon-like perfume 

 which mingles with the resinous odour of the Perforated and some other 

 kinds. The flowers of this species are of a pale yellow colour ; they are few, 

 and expand in July and August. Reddish-coloured glandular serratures 

 fringe its calyx, and its stamens are fifteen in number. Though rare in 

 Scotland, it is not unfrequent on the spongy bogs of England. It appears 

 to be the plant called by earlier botanists Ascyron tomentosmn pahistre. 

 Dr. Vaughan, in a letter to the great naturalist John Ray, remarks: "I 

 much wonder that this plant has not been taken more notice of in physic, 

 for I look upon it to be one of the best balsamic astringent plants we have ; 

 the native Irish call it Birin yarragh." As none of the species have a stronger 

 odour than this, it is not improbable that it possesses more powerful pro- 

 perties than any of the other plants of the genus. 



11. Linear-leaved St. John's Wort (H. linarifulium). — Stems erect; 

 leaves narrow, with their margins rolled under; flowers in a terminal cyme ; 

 sepals lanceolate, their margins with numerous black spots, and glandular 

 serratures. Plant perennial. This very rare species is, save in its erect 

 habit, very similar to the Trailing St. John's Wort. It is described as grow- 

 ing on the slopes of hills of several parts of Jersey, on the banks of the 

 Tamar and other rivers of Devon, and also on some parts of the sea-coast of 

 Cornwall. It has small flowers, in July and August. 



12. Bearded St. John's Wort {H. harhdtum). — Stem erect and 

 rounded; leaves egg-shaped, with black dots scattered over the under 

 surface; sepals fringed with long-stalked glands; flowers in a terminal 

 cluster; petals minutely fringed and dotted. This is a doubtful native, 

 described by Mr. Don as growing at the side of a hedge, near Aberdalgie, in 

 Strathearn, Perthshire. It is characterized by the long hairs of its calyx, to 

 which it owes its specific name. Sir William Hooker and Dr. Arnott remark, 

 that they do not believe it ever was really found wild in Scotland. Many 

 exotics were recorded by Don as growing wild in this country which no other 

 botanist has ever been able to find. 



