PLANTS. 225 



The Common Meadow Cress or Cuckoo Flower 

 (Cardamine pratensis), L., has pinnate, feathery leaves, 

 and reddish-white flowers ; bears seed pods an inch long. 

 Found everywhere in meadows. O. 



The Gillljlower (Cheiranthus annuus) has a shrub- 

 like or ligneous stem - r leaves lanceolate and indented ; 

 grows a foot high ; flowers red and white, sometimes 

 single, at others double ; often cultivated in gardens. 6 . 

 There is a species greatly resembling this, called the 

 Winter Gilliflower. 



The Black Mustard (Sinapis nigra), Tournef. The 

 leaves are attached to the stem by foot- stalks four inches 

 long and two broad ; the flowers yellow. The pod meas- 

 ures about an inch, and contains from four to six brown 

 seeds. Grows in fields and waste places ; blooms in July 

 and August ; is frequently cultivated. The seed is valued 

 on account of its pungent aromatic taste, and mixed with 

 vinegar, etc., is used as a condiment with beef. It is 

 also valuable for its vesicating properties, and much used 

 for foot-baths and blisters ; is of as much importance to 

 the physician as the cook. Resembling this but weaker, 

 is the White Mustard ; the seeds of both, by being 

 pressed, may be made to yield a mild oil, used also for 

 vesication. O. 



The Cabbage (Brassica oleracea), De Cand., has fleshy 

 leaves ; flowers of pale yellow ; the stalk from three to 

 four feet high ; branching ; pods from two to three inches 

 long ; the seed very dark brown. Cabbage was origin- 

 ally brought from Greece, where it still grows wild, and 

 has produced many valuable species, which are now cul- 

 tivated in gardens. 



The White Cabbage, of which the leaves are mostly 

 white, but sometimes red or blue, and very broad, readily 

 10* 



