264 BRITISH PLANTS 



often above the surface for part of the year, and many 

 marsh-plants occur. 



On drier land, as in chalk-districts, the characteristic 

 weeds are : Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum (ox-eye daisy), 

 Lotus corniculatus (bird's-foot trefoil), Silene Cucubalus 

 (bladder-campion), Plantago media (hoary plantain), 

 Anthyllis Vulneraria (lady's-fingers), Onobrychis saliva 

 (sainfoin), Poterium Sanguisorba (lesser burnet), and 

 Scabiosa Columbaria (small scabious). All of these are 

 found on the damper soil, but more sparingly than on the 

 chalk. Many orchids also occur e.g.. Habenaria conop- 

 sea, Orchis pyramidalis, 0. maculata, Acer as anthropo- 

 phora, Ophrys muscifera, and Lister a ovata (tway blade). 



Weeds of the Pasture. The weeds of the artificial 

 pasture vary only to a slight extent from those of the 

 natural pasture, but they are usually less numerous. 

 Rosette-plants and forms with prostrate stems are com- 

 monest in one pasture only nine out of the forty-six 

 species present had tall, erect stems. Of these the thistles 

 (Carduus arvensis, C. lanceolata, and C. palustris) escape 

 destruction by grazing animals owing to the spiny nature 

 of their leaves, whilst buttercups (Ranunculus acris, R. 

 bulbosus) possess a very acrid juice which warns off the 

 cattle. A number of weeds are very common in the 

 damp artificial pastures, but absent or uncommon in the 

 drier natural pastures e.g., daisy, dandelion, hawkweeds 

 (Hieracium), hawkbits (Leontodon), hawkbeards (Crepis) t 

 cat's-ear (Hypochceris radicata), and cowslip (Primula 

 veris), 



