By Thomas Bruyes Flower, Esq. 343 



Jargor, pods not quito straight on longer, and more spreading pe- 

 dicels. Whether really distinct or merely a form of the preceding, 

 am quite unprepared to state, after a careful examination of numer- 

 ous specimens of both, collected in many parts of the county. 

 Bentham, in his excellent " Handbook of the British Flora" con- 

 siders this plant only a luxuriant form of " C. hirsuta." Koch 

 with Grenier and Godron, in their " Flore de France," describes 

 them as distinct In the Cybele its distribution is combined with 

 that of "C. hirsuta. 



4. C. pratensis, (Linn.) Meadow Ladies'-smock Cuckoo Flower. 

 Enyl. Bot. t. 776. Reich. Icones, ii. 28. 



Locality. Meadows and marshy places. P. April, June. Area, 

 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Common in all the Districts. Frequently producing 

 double flowers. 



This is perhaps one of the most delicate and beautiful of our 

 native plants, which Shakspeare enumerates among the beauties of 

 Spring. 



' ' When daisies pied, and violets blue, 

 And Lady-smocks all silver white, 

 And Cuckoo-buds of yellow hue, 

 Do paint the meadows with delight." 



The happy expression " silver white," exactly describes the tint of 

 these flowers, some of which are nearly of a pure white colour, 

 whilst others bavo that purple cast so peculiar to highly polished 

 silver. As this plant flowers in April, and is in full beauty in the 

 month of May, it generally forms with the cowslip, primrose, and 

 harebell, a conspicuous figure in the May-day garlands of tho 

 children of our Wiltshire peasantry. The flowers appearing with 

 the Cuckoo, hence one of their English names, and covering the 

 meadows as with linen bleaching, is supposed to be the origin of 

 the other. The Cuckoo-bud of Shakspeare is thought to bo the 

 wild Yellow Ranunculus, he mentions tho Cuckoo Flower as ono of 

 those that formed the crown of tho wretched Loar. 



5. C. amara, (Linn.) largo flowered Bitter Cress. Enyl. Bot. t. 

 100. Reich. Icones. ii. 27. 



Locality. Moist meadows, near streams, rare in the county. P. 

 /■'/. May, June. Area, L. • 3. 4. * 



y 2 



