MEADOW EUE ANEMONES. 13 



the sepals are white or coloured so as to fill the place of the 

 absent corolla, and the carpels become feathered so that the 

 seed has a cottony appearance. 



In olden times the Wood Anemone (A. nemorosa, Plate L, 

 fig. 2), was supposed to haye wonderfully healing properties. 

 The blossom was plucked as soon as it opened. At the same 

 time these words were pronounced, " I gather thee as a remedy 

 against all disease." It was then tied round the neck of the 

 invalid. This pretty plant is familiar to every one who cares 

 to notice wild flowers. In April and May it covers the woods 

 in every sheltered part of England with fleecy whiteness, nod- 

 ding to every breeze, and gladdening the heart of all who have 

 longed for spring. In more exposed situations mountainous 

 pastures, alpine woods, &c., it comes later and lasts longer ; 

 the flowers are smaller, the divided leaves darker, and the 

 outside of the sepals often tinged with purple. 



The Blue Anemone, or Wind-Flower (A. apennina), is found 

 only in Wales, and that very rarely ; but it is a common 

 garden flower. The sepals are much more numerous and of a 

 narrower form than in any other species, and their delicate 

 blue colour makes it deservedly a favourite. 



The Pasque-Flower Anemone (A. pulsatflla, Plate I., fig. 3), 

 is a handsome and well-marked species, growing on chalky 

 uplands. The purple sepals are large and hairy, and form a 

 handsome, upright, bell-shaped flower ; the leaves, too, are 

 hairy, and the seeds are adorned with long feathery tails re- 

 sembling those of the Traveller's Joy. 



There is a Yellow Anemone which favours woods in Here- 

 fordshire. Its form resembles that of the White one ; but its 

 full colour and glossy texture indicate a relationship to the 

 Buttercup. I gathered it abundantly in woods on the banks of 

 the Rhine some years ago, and this season it was found in the 

 richly wooded district of Rolvenden, in Kent. Its foliage is 

 like that of the Wood Anemone. 



The beautiful Scarlet Anemone, the superb ornament of 



