GRASS-LAND WEEDS 181 



C. In addition to the above there are a number of plants 

 that are more or less common denizens of grass-land but which 

 are difficult to classify definitely as weeds. All of them are 

 noxious if they are present in too great abundance, but this 

 is generally because under such circumstances they crowd out 

 and usurp the place of other plants of higher feeding value. 

 Probably most of the plants in this category are of some use 

 as food, but little information is available on. this point. In 

 this group are included : 



Cowslip (Primula veris). 



Daisy (Bellis perennis). 



Germander speedwell (Veronica chamczdrys). 



Goatsbear 1 (Tragopogon pratensis). 



Greater plantain (Plant ago major). 



Hoary plantain (P. media). 



Ladies' bedstraw (Galium verum). 



Mouse-ear chickweed (Cerastium vttlgatum). 



Mouse-ear hawkweed (Hicracium pilosella). 

 Pignut ' (Conopodium denudatum). 



Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata). 



Salad burnet (Poterium sanguisorba) . 



Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris). 



The above lists must not be taken as in any way ex- 

 haustive, though they include the majority of the more common 

 "weeds" of grass-land. Various other species may occur 

 locally, and sometimes a plant that is uncommon in most 

 places may be present in abundance in isolated fields in cer- 

 tain districts, as, for example, fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) 

 in meadows near Oxford and Framsden (Suffolk) and daffodil 

 (Narcissus pseudo-narcissus} in various parts of the country. 

 Bracken (Pteris aquilina) is often troublesome on common 

 grazing land, but is less usual as a weed on grass-land that is 

 under ordinary farm management. 



Mosses and Fungi. Two lower forms of plant life, mosses 

 and fungi, often give trouble in grass-land and must be classed 

 under the heading of weeds. Mosses are associated with damp 

 soil conditions and usually indicate poor drainage. As they 

 tend to spread thickly over the surface of the soil they enter 

 into competition with the herbage and prevent satisfactory 

 growth taking place, so that the presence of too much moss 

 indicates that the herbage is of less value than it might be. 



Fungi are very commonly found on grass-land in damp 

 weather, but they give most trouble when they form " fairy 

 rings," as they cause the grass to become very uneven in 

 growth. The rings are formed by the action of various fungi 



