69 WAYSIDE AND WOODLAND BLOSSOMS. 



Yernal Wood-rush (Luzula vernalis). 



The Rushes as a whole (Juncus and Luzuld) form a group 

 of plants that is generally despised, except for weaving into 

 mats, and, in other days, for providing wicks for rush-lights. 

 We have in the one genus cylindric, in the other flattened 

 grass-like, leaves, and inconspicuous flowers of green or brown ; 

 and yet the evolutionists tell us on the evidence of those 

 flowers that the rushes are descendants of a noble family the 

 lilies who have in the struggle for existence taken to a less 

 showy role in life, in order that that they might be included in 

 the list of the surviving " fittest." The truth of this will be 

 apparent if we take the flower of a present-day lily a tulip or 

 a tiger-lily will do and compare it with this Vernal Wood- 

 rush. We shall find every part of the lily reproduced in the rush- 

 flower on a small scale, with the greatest economy of materials. 



The Wood-rushes (Luzuld) are all perennial plants. Their 

 leaves are like the blades of soft grass, the edges fringed with 

 long white silky hairs. The floral leaves (perianth} are six in 

 number, in two series, and are chaffy in texture. Stamens 

 six. The ovary is broad, narrowing to the summit, upon which 

 is the style, ending in three long stigmas covered with minute 

 raised points. The fruit is a one-celled, three- valved capsule, 

 containing three seeds at the bottom. In L. vernalis the 

 flowers are chestnut brown, with the perianth-segments 

 shorter than the blunt-topped capsule, and pointed at the tips ; 

 clustered in twos and threes and grouped in lax cymes. The 

 radical leaves are broad ( inch), soft and sparingly hairy. 

 Woods and shady places, flowering March to May. Other 

 members of the genus are : 



I. The Great Hairy Wood-rush (L. maxima) is much larger, the leaves sometimes 

 half an inch broad and a foot long, sparsely hairy. Flowers paler, three or four 

 clustered ] cymes large, compound. Woods and heaths. May and June. 



II. Narrow-leaved Wood-rush (L. forstert). Similar to L. vernalis, but more 



