FIGWOET COW-WHEAT. 213 



brought us from Kent, where it grows freely in corn fields, 

 climbing up the haulms and twisting round them. Its flower 

 is yellow and chocolate, like those of the Hound-leaved species, 

 and the leaves are of the same soft light shade, but arrow- 

 shaped instead of round. 



There is a Creeping Snapdragon with bright lilac flowers 

 striped with blue, and sweet-scented ; but we have no specimen 

 of it. It is very rare. 



We come next to the true Figwort family. 



The Knotty-rooted Figwort (Scrophularia nodosa), grows 

 freely in the Kentish lanes ; both it and Water Figwort 

 (S. aquatica), flourish by the side of a road called " Hart 

 and Oak." The former has heart-shaped pointed leaves, and 

 a square stem with decided edges ; the latter blunt leaves, 

 oblong, and somewhat heart-shaped, and the edges of the stem 

 winged. Both have crimson lips to the corolla, and greenish 

 tubes. They bear their flowers in panicles, are smooth herbs, 

 and smell disagreeably. They are considered unwholesome, 

 and cattle seldom eat them. Anne Pratt relates that when 

 Hochelle was besieged by Cardinal Uichelieu, the soldiers were 

 in such distress from famine that they were obliged to resort 

 to the Water Figwort, which abounded there, for sustenance. 

 The French have called it " Herbe du Siege " ever since. 



The Balm-leaved Figwort is a downy plant, and its flower 

 is paler. Sir J. Smith says it is very rare, so we need not 

 be discouraged at not having found it. 



Yorkshire furnishes us with the Yellow Figwort (S. ver- 

 nalis). I gathered it in April on a piece of waste ground at 

 the entrance of a pasture field near Patrick Brompton, in York- 

 shire. It is a light green plant, with crumpled, broad- 

 shouldered leaves, and small panicles of bright yellow flowers, 

 reminding one of a small Calceolaria. 



The Cow-wheat family comes next. Their calyces are tubular, 

 containing two seeds. 



The Yellow Cow- wheat (Melampyrum pratense), is common 



