62 THE WOODLANDS. 



and miraculous virtues have been assigned to it 

 which it never deserved. Homer wrote of 



" Meadows of softest verdure purpled o'er 

 With violets ; it was a scene to fill 

 A god from heaven with wonder and delight." 



In the autumn seed-vessels are often observed on 

 plants of the sweet violet, when no flowers had been 

 previously seen. These result from inconspicuous 

 flowers, consisting of the essential parts, but deficient 

 in the floral leaves, which are produced as a second 

 crop. Cottagers will sometimes allude to this mys- 

 terious circumstance of seeds being produced without 

 flowers, as they believe, which adds to the reverence 

 with which they cherish the plant. 



The only wild representative of the "Pink" of 

 gardens, which is found in woodlands, is the Red 

 Campion, 1 although there are two or three stitch- 

 worts, which belong to the same order, common in 

 such localities. Some of the plants of this family 

 are very subject to the attacks of parasitic fungi. In 

 some the centre of the flower, which is occupied by 

 the stamens, is black with the soot-like powder of one 

 of these parasites. In other cases the parasites are 

 found on the leaves, those of the little three-veined 

 chickweed being seldom exempt. The seeds of the 

 red campion afford pretty objects for the microscope. 

 They are somewhat kidney-shaped, and rough on the 

 surface. A similar character prevails throughout the 

 family. The petals in the chickweeds are notched 

 at the apex, but it will be observed in the Wood 



1 Silene diurna. 



