122 White to Green and Brown Flowers 



A pretty little plant, with whitish-green leaves, very 

 pointed at the ends, and tiny white flowers growing at the 

 apex of the long slender stalks. 



Stellaria borcalis, or Northern Stitchwort, has weak 

 much-branched stems and a terminal leafy flower-head. 



FIELD MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED 



Cerastium arvense. Pink Family 



Stems: erect, pubescent with reflexed hairs, cespitose, four to eight 

 inches high. Leaves: linear-oblong, acute, clasping; bracts small. 

 Flowers: cymose, few-flowered; petals five, obcordate. 



This is quite the prettiest and most attractive of all the 

 Chickweeds, and will be found growing in profusion on 

 many a sunny bank and dry meadow during the months of 

 June and July. It is frequently called " Star of Bethle- 

 hem," and has five snow-white petals, each of which is 

 divided at the edge. All the Chickweeds are white. Like 

 the meek they certainly inherit the earth. In almost every 

 part of the world their varying methods of cross and self- 

 fertilisation have resulted in these little plants following 

 closely in the footsteps of man's civilization. The follow- 

 ing story is told by Sir Joseph Hooker ; he says : " Upon 

 one occasion landing on a small uninhabited island nearly 

 at the Antipodes, the first evidence I met with of its having 

 been previously visited by man was the English Chickweed ; 

 and this I traced to a mound that marked the grave of a 

 British sailor, and that was covered with the plant, doubtless 

 the offspring of seed that had adhered to the spade or mat- 

 tock with which the grave had been dug." 



Cerastium alpinum, or Alpine Mouse-ear Chickweed, is 

 a silky-haired species, with whitish leaves, and large white 

 flowers. When Dr. Sutherland went to Baffin's Bay in 



