FLOWERS OF THE SEA-COAST 



[The maritime species form a distinct formation, growing in a fringe or zone around the coast. A few, 

 however, are found on high mountains, and at a distance from the sea, where the water is brackish or saline, 

 and a few are general in their occurrence. Many waste-ground plants are more abundant on the sea-coast 

 than inland.] 



ORDER RANUNCULACE/E 



Thalictntm dunense, Duiri. The habitat of this 

 plant is sandy shores and sand-hills or dunes 

 (hence dunense). The plant is similar in habit 

 to T. minus. The stem is leafless. The floral 

 branches are horizontal or bent down. The 

 panicle is broad and short, with spreading 

 branches. 



Ranunculus baudolii, Godr. The habitat of 

 this plant is slightly brackish water, or near the 

 sea. The habit is trailing or floating. The 

 floating leaves are stalkless or stalked, the 

 segments 3-4 lobed, wedge-shaped, the leaves 

 kidney-shaped, broader than long, or with linear, 

 blunt segments. The submerged leaves are 3- 

 forked, with rigid segments. The flower-stalks 

 are long, thick, narrow above, longer than the 

 leaves. The petals do not fall and do not touch, 

 being y-veined, the flowers white, starlike. The 

 buds are globular, slightly flattened above. The 

 stipules are parallel with the stem. The stamens 

 (15-20) are not longer than the pistil. The stigma 

 is tongue-shaped, the style is straight, persistent 

 below, bent back above. The receptacle is long 

 to conical, thicker than the flower-stalk. The 

 carpels are numerous, half inversely egg-shaped, 

 inflated above. In R. marinus there are no float- 

 ing leaves. The plant flowers between May and 

 August, and is a herbaceous perennial. 



Wild Peony (I'aeonia corallina, Retz.). The 

 habitat of this plant is sea cliffs. The Wild 

 Peony has the shrub habit, but is herbaceous. 

 The roots are fleshy, with knobs. The leaves are 

 in threes, with the divisions also in threes. The 

 leaflets are egg-shaped, bluish-green below. The 

 flowers are crimson. The anthers open inwards, 

 and arc yellow. The stamens spring from a 

 glandular disk. The calyx consists of 5 per- 

 sistent sepals. The petals are 5 or more. The 

 2-5 follicles are downy, bent back from the base. 

 The seeds are numerous and burst inwards. The 

 plant is 1-2 ft. high, and flowers in May and June, 

 being a herbaceous perennial. 



ORDER CRUCIFER^F. 



Queen Stock (Matthiola incana, Dr.). The 

 habitat of this plant is sea cliffs. The plant has 



the shrub habit. The stem is branched, erect, 

 hoary. The leaves are entire or obscurely toothed, 

 oblong to lanceshaped. The flowers are purple 

 to violet. The pods are cylindrical, glandless. 

 The seeds are round, winged. The plant is 1-2 ft. 

 high, flowering in May and June, and is a herba- 

 ceous perennial. 



Seastock ( Matthiola sinuata, Br.). The habitat 

 of this plant is shores and sea sand. The plant 

 has a spreading habit. The stem is herbaceous, 

 woolly or downy, branched above. The radical 

 leaves are stalked, linear, inversely egg-shaped 

 or oblong, the lower leaves are wavy to toothed. 

 The flowers are in a raceme, pale-lilac, fragrant 

 at night. The pod is flattened at the border, 

 prickly, glandular. The seeds are winged. The 

 plant is 1-2 ft. high, flowering from June to 

 August, and is a herbaceous perennial. 



Wild Cabbage (Brassica oleracea, L.). The 

 habitat of this plant is sea cliffs. The plant is 

 prostrate in habit. The rootstock is fleshy, 

 cylindrical, stout, branched, leafy above. The 

 stem is stout, twisted, scarred, persistent. The 

 leaves are hairless, with stomata, the upper sur- 

 face protected by waxy secretions, bluish-green, 

 wavy, lobed, the lower with the lobes larger up- 

 wards, the upper stalkless, oblong, thick, fleshy, 

 enlarged at the base, not auricled. The flowers 

 are large, pale-yellow, in a long raceme before 

 the flowers open. The calyx is erect, with closely- 

 pressed sepals. The pods are spreading, flattened 

 at the border, with a short awl-like beak, seedless, 

 the valves keeled and nerved. The seeds are 

 round. The plant is 1-2 ft. high, flowering be- 

 tween May and August, and is a herbaceous 

 biennial or perennial. 



Isle of Man Cabbage (Brassica monensis, 

 Huds.). The habitat of this plant is seashores 

 sandy western coasts. The habit is erect or pros- 

 trate. The stem is simple, hairless, leafless. 

 The rootstock is stout and woody. The leaves 

 are chiefly radical, hairless, stalked, deeply 

 divided nearly to the base, with oblong lobes, 

 with unequal teeth; the upper leaves linear. The 

 flowers are pale-yellow. The pods are spreading, 

 with a thick beak, 1-3 seeded. The valves are 

 3-nerved. The seeds are dark, dotted with pin 

 holes, round. The plant is 6 in. to 2 ft. high, 



