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the stalk ; a small, entire, hairy bract attends each of them. 

 The flowers are of that shape and size that they will go over a 

 finger, this is the origin of the Latin name, which means a 

 Thimble. They have also a similar name in England, France, 

 Holland, and Germany. In Suffolk and Essex they are called 

 Slobs, because the children pull off a flower, and with the 

 fingers of one hand closing up the mouth, and giving the other 

 end a slap, it bursts with a noise like the word blob. In 

 Ireland the flowers of the Foxglove are called by the name of 

 Fairy Fingers. 



VERVAIN. VERBENA. 



COMMON VERVAIN. Verbena officinalis. 

 Plate 9, Jig. 10. 



The Vervain has nothing in its appearance to recommend 

 it ; it is a branched, upright, rigid, dark-green plant, with small 

 purple, almost regular flowers, growing all along the upper 

 part of all the branches. Leaves opposite, hairy, very deeply 

 cut. Seed-vessel oval, small, nearly covered with the calyx. 

 It flowers in July and August, and is found in dry, chalky or 

 gravelly places ; common in England, but rare in Scotland and 

 Ireland. It is a very different plant from that delightful 

 lemon -smelling, woody, little shrub which is frequent in the 

 greenhouses, and called Vervain or Verbena. 



In former times our plant was celebrated as having a thou- 

 sand properties, and used in all important ceremonies. The 

 Druids regarded it with the utmost reverence, and the gather- 

 ing of it was attended with the greatest pomp and ceremony. 

 The Romans crowned their heralds with it, when declaring war 

 or making peace. 



" A wreath of Vervain, heralds wear, 



Amongst our garlands named ; 

 Being sent, that dreadful news to bear 

 Offensive war proclaimed." 



It was dedicated among the ancients to Venus, who wore 

 a crown of Myrtle interwoven with Vervain, and to this day 

 the Germans give a hat of Vervain to the new-married bride, 

 as putting her under the protection of that goddess ; also iii 



