WHITE AND GREENISH WILD FLOWERS 



round, stiff, fibrous stalk grows from twelve to eigh- 

 teen inches high, from a long, running rootstock. 

 It is pale green in colour, and its base is sheathed with 

 a dry, tough casing. There are two sets of leaves, 

 one of which, the larger, often measures a foot in dia- 

 meter, and is borne on a long stem from a rootstcok 

 which produces no flowers. These leaves are smooth 

 and glossy and deeply cleft into seven, eight, or nine 

 long, arrow-shaped lobes which diverge from the stem. 

 They are rather thin-textured, and the colour is dark 

 green above and lighter beneath. The lobes are two- 

 cleft, and they are toothed at the apex. The ribs and 

 veins are conspicuous. The other set of leaves are 

 borne on a separate flowering stalk. They are smaller 

 and similar, and from one to three, usually two, spread 

 from a forked joint between which hangs the pretty, 

 solitary, nodding, waxy-white flower on its short stem. 

 Owing to the large, spreading leaves, the flower might 

 easily be overlooked at first glance. It is two inches 

 broad when fully expanded. The bud case is enclosed 

 in three temporary bracts, and as the petals open 

 the six sepals fall away. The ovate petals are slightly 

 concave, and from six to nine of them form a very 

 pretty saucer-shaped flower. They are thick- textured, 

 and beautifully networked with fine veins. The 

 stamens have prominent yellow anthers, which are 

 arranged in a circle around the large, thick pistil. 

 The blossom has an odour that is neither pleasing nor 

 repulsive. The Wild Lemon gets its name from 

 the large, lemon-shaped yellow fruit, which ripens in 



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