NIPPLEWORT 



207 



The cylinder protrudes 2-3 mm. and the style 1^-2 mm. beyond it, 

 the outer surface being covered at intervals with acute hairs. The 

 lobes of the stigma are only ^ mm. long, and are covered with papillae 

 or wart-like knobs on the inner surface, being widely spreading. The 

 flowers open between 6 and 7 and 10 and 1 1 o'clock, but in rainy 

 weather are closed. Nipplewort is visited by the Flies Eristalis 

 arbustorum, E. nemorum, and E. sepulcralis. 



The achenes are ribbed, and in this way aided in dispersal by the 

 wind, and the seed is also 

 flattened lengthwise. 



A sandy loam is the 

 usual requirement of Nip- 

 plewort, and it is generally 

 found in situations where 

 a sand soil is mixed with 

 some amount of humus. 



A little "cluster-cup" 

 fungus, Puccinia lapsancs, 

 infests the leaves. 



This plant is a food- 

 plant for the Tiger Moth. 

 Lapsana, a name bestowed 

 by Dioscorides, is from the 

 Greek lapsane, meaning 

 charlock, and the second 

 Latin name indicates how 

 common it is. 



Ballagan, Bolgan-leaves, 

 Swine's Cress, Dock Cress, 

 Nipplewort, Succory Dock 

 are its different names. 



The second name may be swelling leaves, as it was thought to remove 

 swellings (Bolgan is Scotch for this). The name Nipplewort was 

 given because it was supposed to heal the ulcers of nipples of women's 

 breasts. It serves as a Floral index. This plant was thought to relax 

 the body. Nipplewort used to be eaten as a salad. 



ESSENTIAL SPECIFIC CHARACTERS: 



177. Lapsana communis, L. Stem slender, tall, branched, leaves 

 petiolate, dentate, radical, lyrate, stem-leaves ovate, flowerheads small, 

 yellow, in a panicle, numerous, peduncles short, bracts in two rows, 

 outer smaller, no pappus. 



NIPPLEWORT (Lapsana coinmunis, L.) 



