PURPLE FLOWERS 



71 



purple, in some forms almost blue : one petal is provided with 

 a nectar-containing spur : flowers in spring and early summer. 



153. Red Campion, Lychnis dioica, Chickweed family. A 

 handsome plant of hedges, banks, and woods: the tall (2 ft.) 

 stem bears pairs of downy ovate leaves : the flowers, crowded 

 at the apex, are large and red purple : male and female flowers 

 occur on different plants. L. alba is a very similar plant, with 

 white flowers, which have a delicate scent in the evening : both 

 flower in summer. 



154. Corn-Coekle, Lychnis Githago^ Chickweed family. A 

 striking weed of corn-fields : the stem is about 2 ft. high, with 



153. Red Campion. 



154. Corn-Cockle. 



pairs of lance -shaped leaves : the flowers occur singly on stalks 

 in the axils of the upper leaves; they are large and bright 

 purple : if abundant, it is dangerous, as the seeds are poisonous 

 and contaminate the grain with which they become mixed : 

 flowers in summer. 



155. Fine-leaved Heath, Erica cinerea, Heath family. A 

 small plant of dry heaths : the stem is erect, branched, and 

 about 4 to 6 ins. high : the leaves are in whorls, generally of 

 3 : the flowers, which occur in little clusters at the tips of 

 the branches, are small, egg-shaped, with the mouth of the 

 corolla pointing downwards and outwards ; they are a rich 

 purple in colour, and appear in summer. 



156. Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, Foxglove family. One of 

 our most beautiful woodland plants: it produces in the first 



