THE PIMPERNEL. 55 



shepherd's weather-glass, because its blossoms only expand 

 in fine weather, a fact alluded to by several of our poets. 



The common pimpernel is one of our smaller plants. Its 

 slight stems rarely attain to more than a height of some 

 six or eight inches, but branch a great deal. These 

 branches are procumbent. The leaves are bold and simple 

 in outline, have no leaf -stalks, but spring at once in pairs 

 from the main stems. On turning them over the under 

 surface will be found to be thickly covered with small dull 

 purple spots. The little stems that rise from the axils of 

 the leaves and bear the blossoms are, during the time of the 

 expansion of the flowers, ascending in direction ; but as the 

 capsules that succeed the flowers ripen, these stems roll back, 

 in the quaint way that may be more readily gathered from an 

 inspection of our illustration than by any attempt at verbal 

 explanation. The wood loose-strife, or Lysimachia nemo-rum, 

 a plant that is sometimes called the yellow pimpernel, from 

 its strong general resemblance to the true species of that 

 name, exhibits the same peculiarity. The corolla of the 

 pimpernel is five-cleft, and when fully expanded is an 

 almost flat disk. The stamens also are five in number, and 

 the calyx is deeply cut into five long and narrow segments, 

 their pointed ends being seen between the divisions of the 

 corolla. Though the colour of the flower of the pimpernel 

 is normally red, bright blue flowers are sometimes met with. 

 The plants bearing these have, by some observers, been 

 made into a distinct species, and called A. ccerulea, while 

 others affirm that they are but a variety. More rarely the 

 pimpernel varies with flesh-coloured or pure white blossoms. 



The common pimpernel is an annual ; the bog pim- 

 pernel, our second British species, is a perennial. The 

 localities that should be searched for this latter species are 



