264 BRITISH PLANTS 
often above the surface for part of the year, and many 
marsh-plants occur. 
On drier land, as in chalk-districts, the characteristic 
_ weeds are: Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy), - 
Lotus corniculatus (bird’s-foot trefoil), Silene Cucubalus 
(bladder-campion), Plantago media (hoary plantain), 
Anthyllis Vulneraria (lady’s-fingers), Onobrychis sativa 
(sainfoin), Poterium Sanguisorba (lesser burnet), and 
Scabiosa Columbaria (small scabious). All of these are 
found on the damper soil, but more sparingly than on the 
chalk. Many orchids also occur—e.g., Habenaria conop- 
sea, Orchis pyramidalis, O. maculata, Aceras anthropo- 
phora, Ophrys muscifera, and Listera ovata (twayblade). 
Weeds of the Pasture——The weeds of the artificial 
pasture vary only to a slight extent from those of the 
natural pasture, but they are usually less numerous. 
Rosette-plants and forms with prostrate stems are com- 
monest—in one pasture only nine out of the forty-six 
species present had tall, erect stems. Of these the thistles 
(Carduus arvensis, C. lanceolata, and C. palustris) escape 
destruction by grazing animals owing to the spiny nature 
of their leaves, whilst buttercups (Ranunculus acris, R. 
bulbosus) possess a very acrid juice which warns off the 
cattle. A number of weeds are very common in the 
damp artificial pastures, but absent or uncommon in the 
drier natural pastures—e.g., daisy, dandelion, hawkweeds 
(Hieractum), hawkbits (Leontodon), hawkbeards (Crepis), 
cat’s-ear (Hypocheris radicata), and cowslip (Primula 
vers). 
