184 WILD PLOWEES OF SUMMER. 



astringent to be a valuable ingredient in the manu- 

 facture of ink. Its juice has some reputation as a 

 cosmetic, and its seeds have been roasted for coffee. 

 The French call it La flamle aquatique. The com- 

 mon Purple Iris (Iris foetidissima) is more common on 

 meadow lands. The roast beef odour of the flowers is 

 a subject of common observation. 



Here too we shall find the enamelled torquoise flower 

 of the "Forget-me-not" (Myosotispalustris),ihQ'WateT 

 Scorpion Grass. Its bright blue flowers have a yellow 

 eye, surrounded with white. Sometimes the Field 

 Scorpion Grass (Myosotis arvensis) is called the for- 

 get-me-not, but the legend, of which we have given 

 an outline in our story of the wild flowers, points to 

 the palustris as the true flower. The Brooklime 

 ( Veronica leccabunga) also bears a blue flower, and is 

 frequently mistaken for the forget-me-not. Its stem 

 is much thicker, the foliage is bluntly ovate, notched 

 at the margins, and is lighter, thicker, more glossy, 

 and is very pungent. It is sometimes gathered, when 

 young, for the "Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) which 

 has white cross-shaped flowers in small clusters. The 

 Water Speedwell (Veronica anagallis) also has blue 

 flowers, but they are not so brilliant. The lance-shaped 



