BY THE RIVER SIDE 



313 



the two pedicels spreading while in flower, but turned downwards 



when in fruit. Tlie five sepals have long points, and the five petals 



are sHghtly notched. As in other species of the genus there are 



ten stamens, five shorter than the other five ; and a five-lobed ovary, 



with an equal number of long styles, all attached to a long, central 



beak. The five carpels separate when ripe, and are raised by the 



curUng of thek styles. This 



flower is common in wet 



meadows, especiaUy in the 



southern counties, and is 



usually more frequent along 



the banks of rivers and 



ditches, but it is sometimes 



also seen in wet thickets. 



It flowers in June and 



July. 



The Hemp Agrimony 

 {Eupatorium cannabimi7n), 

 of the order Compositce, is 

 very common along the 

 banks of streams and on 

 the borders of wayside 

 ditches all over Britain. It 

 would hardly be taken for 

 a composite flower by those 

 who are acquainted only 

 with the more typical 

 members of the order, but 

 an examination of its rather 

 dull Ulac blossoms will soon 

 reveal its affinity to the other 



members of the group, for the compact, terminal corymb is formed 

 of numerous small heads, each consisting of about five tubular, 

 perfect florets of equal size, surrounded by an involucre of a few 

 overlapping bracts, and remarkable on account of their projecting 

 styles, which are deeply divided into club-shaped branches. The 

 plant is a large one, with erect, reddish stems, varying from two 

 to six feet in height ; and it flowers from July to September. 



We have already noticed the Lesser Skull-cap (p. 275), which 

 is rather common on damp heaths, and there is another British 

 member of the same genus — the Common Skull-cap {Scutellaria 



The common Meadow Kue. 



