MEADOW-SWEET 



35 



cross-pollination. But self-pollination may occur as pollen may fall 

 from the anthers on the stigma, and insects may cause this, owing to 

 the crowding of the flowers, the stamens of one flower bending over 

 another may also lead to cross- pollination. The flowers may also be 

 homogamous, in which case self-pollination will usually occur. 



In the Meadow-sweet the fruit is a collection of follicles, with i -celled 

 carpels. The fruit splits open, allowing the seeds, which are few, to 

 be jerked or blown out 

 around the parent plant. 



As it requires a clay 

 soil, or a sandy loam in 

 other cases, this plant is 

 more or less a clay-lover. 



The foliage is dis- 

 torted by Triphragnnuni 

 iilmarice, and a fungus, 

 Spk(?rotheca humuli, lives 

 on it, while it is galled 

 by Cecidomyia ulmaritz. 



The beetles Ischno- 

 mera melanura, Asclera 

 c&rulea, a Hymenopterous 

 insect Blemocampa ungui- 

 culata, the Homopterous 

 Eupteryx signatipennis, 

 the Heteroptera Lygiis 

 lucorum, L. spinolia, and 

 the beetles Cereus pedi- 

 cular ius, C. bipustulatus, 

 Galeruca tenella feed on it. 



Sfiirtf'a, Theophrastus, 



from speira, cord, is the Greek name from its twisted seeds, and Ulmaria, 

 Dodonasus, is from Ulmus, elm, from the elm-like foliage. It is called 

 Bittersweet, Briclewort, Courtship-and-matrimony, Goat's Beard, Harif, 

 Honey-sweet, Maid -of- the -Meadow, Maid-sweet, Meadow-soot, 

 Meadow-sweet, My Lady's Belt, Queen-of- the- Meadow, Sweet Hay. 



Oueen-of-the-Meadow is a translation of the old name Regina 

 prati. Briclewort is from its resemblance to the white feathers worn 

 by brides; and it was used for strewing houses at wedding festivals: 



Amongst these strewing kinds some other wild that grow, 



As burnet, all abroad and meadowwort they throw. DRAYTON. 



MEADOW-SWEET (Spir&a Ulmaria, L.) IN FLOWER 



