TBOP^OLUM WOOD SOEEEL. 73 



as " Canariense," is nearly allied to the Geraniums, being 

 chiefly distinguished by the spur at the back of the calyx. 

 The half-ripe fruit boiled in vinegar forms an excellent sub- 

 stitute for capers. 



The BALSAM family has British representatives. The Touch- 

 me-not (Impatiens noli-me-tangere), was found wild in the 

 neighbourhood of the English Lakes. I had before dried 

 specimens which I found in Switzerland, at the foot of the 

 Staubbach waterfall. I have also seen it in shrubbery gardens 

 in Wiltshire, where it is self-sown, and in Mr. Ward's botanic 

 garden at Richmond. The whole plant is very succulent ; the 

 corolla is of an irregular form prolonged into a spur, alto- 

 gether shaped somewhat like a cornucopia; it is yellow, 

 dotted with red. The reason of its name, Touch-me-not, lies 

 in the five-valved seed-vessels, which burst with the slightest 

 touch. 



The Tawny Touch-me-not differs little except in the red 

 tinge of the corolla from the common species. It is only found 

 in Surrey. My specimen was the gift of Mr. Ward. The 

 handsome double Balsam cultivated in our greenhouses is an 

 Indian brother of the Touch-me-not. 



The OXALIS or WOOD SOEEEL (Oxalis acetosella, Plate F., 

 jig. 7), comes next in rotation. There is only one family in the 

 order. The common Wood Sorrel has delicate triple leaves, 

 often lined with purple, and it flourishes under the deepest 

 shade. Its flower has five sepals, five petals, ten stamens, and 

 five styles ; it is generally drooping, and its pale pencilled 

 blossoms have a most pleasing and modest appearance. Old 

 Gerarde calls it "Alleluya" or "Cuckoo Meate," because, he 

 says, " either the cuckoo feedeth thereon, or by reason when it 

 springeth foorth and flowreth the alleluya is sung in the 

 churches." The seed-vessels when ripe bend downwards, and 

 are hidden by the leaves : hence the plant was supposed to 

 have no seed. The whole plant has a sour flavour, and from 

 its leaves the poison called oxalic acid is obtained. 



