FIELD MADDER 129 



geological formations as the Lias and the Great Chalky Boulder clay, 

 to mention two out of many suitable formations. 



A little fungus, Puccinia bullata, attacks it. Xo insects infest it. 



sEt/iusa, Linnaeus, is from the Greek ait ho, I burn, in allusion to 

 the hot taste, and Cynapium, Rivinus, from knon, kitnos, dog, and 

 apion, parsley. 



This plant is called Ass-parsley, Dill, Dog-poison, Dog's- Parsley, 

 False Parsley, Fool's Cicely, Fool's Parsley. 



F"ool's Parsley causes vomiting when eaten, and is very acrid. 



From common Parsley it is distinguished by the dark-green leaves, 

 with finely-divided, and not yellow leaves. The three long bracts 

 distinguish it from all others of this group. 



ESSENTIAL SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: 



1 29. s^Lthusa Cynapium, L. Stem erect, branched, glabrous, leaves 

 bipinnate, leaflets lanceolate, flowers white, with long bracts at the base 

 of the partial involucres, fruit ribbed. Poisonous. 



Field Madder (Sherardia arvensis, L.) 



Found to-day (with no earlier records) in Europe, North Africa, 

 and Siberia, F'ield Madder is a North Temperate Zone species. It is 

 found in every part of Great Britain, except in Main Argyle, N. 

 Ebudes, and the Shetlands. 



Field Madder is a typical cornfield weed, which is seldom found 

 elsewhere, except it be on ground allowed to lie fallow, once corn land. 

 It is especially common on sand soil, and is widespread in the south on 

 the chalk soils, but is abundant also in the Midlands and elsewhere. 

 It is found with Corn Buttercup, F~umitory, Poppies, Charlock, Spurrey, 

 Shepherd's Needle, Lamb's Lettuce, &c. 



Having much the same habit as Woodruff, but being more branched, 

 and lying flat or erect at one end, the stems are rough and square. 

 The lower leaves are in S's or 4's. The branches are quite rough. 

 The upper leaves are 5-6, narrowly elliptic, and the lower ones are 

 blunt with a sharp point at the tip, and often opposite. 



The flowers, which are lilac or pink, are in terminal umbels. The 

 calyx- teeth are 4-6, and the calyx does not fall off. The corolla is 

 funnel-shaped with a slender tube. The involucral leaves are / -8. 

 The corolla is united into a tube. The simple anthers are pale purple. 

 The fruit is oblong, divided longitudinally, containing 2 seeds, which 

 are oblong, concavo-convex, with 3 points. 



Field Madder is about 6 in. high. The flowers bloom from April to 



