THE FLORA. 71 



prickles ; unfortunate for those bent on gathering bouquets, 

 since the flowers, produced in egg-shaped heads, are of the 

 loveliest azure. 



The Bugloss, Lycopsis arvensis, again attracts attention in 

 the beauty of its blue. Here, however, it is of the deepest 

 Italian, and the flowers are no larger than those of the forget- 

 me-not. Every part of this curious plant is rough and harsh 

 with hairs strong enough to penetrate the skin. 



Very welcome is the contrast supplied in the beautiful 

 golden Chlora, Chlora perfoliata ; and in its near ally, and 

 frequent companion, the rose-coloured Erytkrcea. These 

 two plants are esteemed in domestic medicine as tonics. 

 In days gone by it was quite a common thing to see operatives 

 from the manufacturing districts who had been awhile at the 

 " Strangers' Charity," busy collecting armfuls of each, to be 

 carefully taken home, and there preserved for use. The 

 Chlora is at once distinguished from everything else upon 

 the sandhills, by the smooth-edged leaves being coupled in 

 such a way as for every pair to seem but one leaf, the stem 

 passing through, and a handsome terminal cluster of star- 

 shaped flowers of the purest and clearest golden yellow. The 

 Erythroea, commonly called " Sanctuary," a rustic corruption 

 of "centaury," has narrow leaves, also in pairs, but quite 

 free, and the star-shaped flowers, again in terminal clusters, 

 are pink. This very pretty plant has two well-marked varieties, 

 for the possession of which the Southport sandhills were, with 

 botanists, formerly celebrated. The pulchella is probably still 

 there ; the latifolia very doubtfully. 



Where large broad plateaux, moist and permanently green, 

 are found among the sandhills, though some of the above- 



