8 



FLOWERS OF THE BOGS AND MARSHES 



not in deep water, or in wet, peaty soil. It is tall, erect, and graceful, 

 and the flowers being largely terminal and bright yellow form quite a 

 golden patch in the otherwise green marshes. The stem is hollow. 



Perhaps from the long, entire, spear-shaped, aerial leaves, giving 

 the English name its significance, one can best recognize this handsome 

 species. They are half-clasping, and the radical leaves are stalked, 

 while the rest are not, and have a semi- rather coarsely-toothed edge. 



The lower, sometimes 

 submerged, leaves are 

 tongue - shaped (hence 

 Lingua] or heart-shaped, 

 blunt, 3 in. broad, 8-9 in. 

 long. The carpels are 

 pitted and have a sword- 

 like beak. 



The flowers are large, 

 yellow, nearly 2 in. in 

 diameter, in a sort of 

 panicle. The glands of 

 the petals have a small 

 scale. The achenes are 

 pitted. The style is broad. 

 Great Spearwort 



varies from 2 to 4 ft. in 

 height. Mowers can be 

 found from June to August. 

 It is a perennial, decidu- 

 ous, herbaceous plant. 



Pollination is as in 

 the Lesser Spearwort, 

 where the flowers are 



scarcely expanded when the anthers open outwards, covering the sides 

 towards the petals with pollen; but in this case the stigma is mature 

 first. Insects in the case of the former feed on the abundant honey in 

 little scales at the base of each petal, and so dust themselves with 

 pollen at the same time. The stigmas are concealed by the stamens 

 and undeveloped. As the stamens open they bend out, and turn their 

 pollen-covered sides outwards. The outer stamens develop before the 

 innermost stamens join the others, and the stigmas becoming dusted 

 with pollen, can be pollinated with their own pollen or that brought from 

 other flowers. All visitors alighting on the middle, bearing pollen, 



GREAT SPEARWORT (Ranunculus Lingua, L.) 



