LAMB'S LETTUCE 133 



The flowers are blue and numerous, borne in close terminal cymes, 

 surrounded by long narrowly elliptic bracts. The fruit is naked, 

 flattened, spuriously 2-3 celled, and contains one seed with a corky 

 mass on one side; the barren cells touch, and are not furrowed, being 

 separated from the fertile seed by grooves on each side. This reduc- 

 tion of the fertility of the ovules may conduce to the lightness of the 

 seed, and enable it thereby to. be more widely dispersed by the wind. 



The plant is from 6 in. to i ft. high. It flowers in April and May. 

 It is annual and propagated by seeds. 



The flowers are small and lilac, and the plant grows amongst corn, 

 and is therefore less likely to be insect-visited than the Marsh Valerian, 

 though concealed honey is found. There are only 3 stamens and 3 

 stigmas, which are simple. The anthers and stigma may ripen together, 

 or the latter first. The visitors are Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, 

 Apidse, Lepidoptera. 



The fruit, besides being flattened, is spuriously 2-celled, and being 

 small is easily dispersed by the wind. 



Lamb's Lettuce is a cornfield plant, found on sand soil, and there- 

 fore a sand plant. It is also found on lime soils. 



The moth Caradrina ciibicularis, a Hymenopterous insect Trioza 

 centranthi, and a fly Chromatomyia albiceps feed upon it. 



Valerianella, Columna, is a diminutive of Valeriana, and the second 

 Latin name refers to its use as a salad. 



The English names are few, such as Cornel-sallet, Corn Salad, 

 Lamb's Lettuce, Milk Grass, Potherb. 



Gerard says: "In English the white potherbe, so called for that 

 there is a blacke potherbe, which is called Alisander ". The name 

 Milk Grass may be said to be due to the following: " In June at a 

 distance the fields look as if all covered with spilt milk, which is from 

 a flower for that reason called Milk Grass (Lamb Lettuce), for it has 

 now lain for six or seven years lee ". 



Lamb's Lettuce is used as a salad plant, and has been cultivated for 

 a long time. 



ESSENTIAL SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: 



146. Valerianella olitoria, Poll. Stem repeatedly 2 -forked, spread- 

 ing, slender, leaves ovate, toothed at base, flowers blue, in terminal 

 cymes, capsule compressed, with ciliate bracts. 



