100 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



verdure. On each plant they are very numerous, and as 

 the thrift blooms from May to September, a constant 

 succession of them is thrown up. They vary somewhat 

 in height, and would ordinarily be a little longer than 

 those we have figured, in some cases half as long again. 

 In some cases these stems are only three or four 

 inches in height, but ordinarily the blossoms appear 

 to be well lifted above the mass of foliage from which 

 they spring. Each stem bears on its summit a globular 

 head of bright pink flowers, having a curious inverted 

 cylindrical sheath beneath, a peculiarity that can be 

 readily noted in the figure. The blossoms vary occasionally 

 in strength of colour, and are sometimes found pure white. 

 As the flowers die they fade into a pale brown, and 

 the harsh, paper-like scales that are intermixed with the 

 flowers in the head become conspicuous. The corolla is 

 formed of five regular petals; the calyx tubular, 

 terminating in five short teeth; the styles and stamens 

 each five in number. 



