280 COMMON WEEDS 



have occurred at the village of Gamlingay, in Cambridge- 

 shire. 



R. Ficaria L., or Lesser Celandine, has also caused 

 poisoning among cattle. It has heart-shaped leaves, 

 and grows quite close to the ground, only attaining 4 

 to 6 inches in height. The solitary "flowers are about 

 three-fourths of an inch across, with about a dozen 

 bright yellow petals, and appear from March to May, 

 being open much earlier than those of the other species 

 mentioned. 



R. repens L. and R. arvensis L., already dealt with 

 (pp. 50 and 52), are cited by Cornevin as poisonous 

 plants. 



Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa L.), the common 

 Anemone of woods and copses, is sometimes present 

 in meadows. It is a very acrid perennial herb, which 

 flowers in April and May. Although cattle have been 

 poisoned by it, there appear to be no records of fatal 

 results. 



Larkspur (Delphinium Aj'acis Reich.) is not common, 

 but occurs in cornfields in Cambridgeshire, Sussex, and 

 some other places. It is an annual, and the blue, 

 white, or pink flowers open in June and July. They 

 are about an inch in diameter, and one of the sepals 

 is prolonged into a characteristic " spur," from which 

 the plant takes its common name. 



The seeds of Larkspurs are said to be especially 

 poisonous, the toxic principle being Delphine, an 

 alkaloid. One species, Stavesacre (D. staphisagria), is 

 used in medicine. 



Hellebore (Helleborus fcetidus L. and H. viridis L.) 

 are by no means common plants, but the former, 

 Stinking Hellebore, so called on account of its fetid 

 odour, occurs in thickets and on chalk pastures in 

 some southern and eastern English counties ; while 



