THE FLOWERS OF THE WAYSIDE 



17 



begin to reveal themselves, and the whole 

 of the countryside will be found to be 

 teeming with interest. 



THE LESSER CELAN'DIN'E 



One of the earliest of plants to unfold 

 its bright blossoms and to remind us of 

 the coming of springtime is the Lesser 

 Celandine, covering the ground beneath 

 the hedges, with its dark green, shiny 

 heart-shaped leaves and its bright yellow 

 flowers. Its name, Ranuncitlus ficaria, 

 tells us that it is a very near relation to 

 the Buttercups ; the Latin rana, a frog, 

 gives rise to the first name, since this plant 

 delights in the damp situations which frogs 

 are also fond of frequenting ; the specific 

 name, ficaria, comes from ficus, a fig, and 

 if you will dig up a plant, \'ou will see that 

 the roots consist of several little tubers, 

 somewhat resembling figs in shape. Ex- 

 amine several of the flowers, and you will 

 find that each one possesses three sepals, 

 the small green leaf-like appendages at 

 the back ; but the number of shining 

 yellow petals varies from six to ten, or 

 even more. There are also numerous 



stamens, surroundmg the central portion 

 of the flower, which consists of several 

 carpels arranged in a globular head, each 

 of which contains the embryo of a future 

 seed. The head of each stamen is en- 

 larged, and forms what is botanically 

 termed the anther ; inside this the yellow 

 fertilising dust, or pollen, is produced, and 

 presently liberated, some of which must 

 eventually find its way to the sensitive 

 stigma at the top of each carpel before 

 any seed can be borne ; here it will be 

 induced to send out tubes to the young 

 embryo seed, down which will flow the 

 fertilising fluid. 



The Lesser Celandine must not be 

 confused with the Greater Celandine, a 

 plant which grows in the hedges and 

 flowers about May, and which is, in 

 reality, a kind of Poppy. These two can 

 be easily distinguished, as the latter has 

 four yellow petals only and much bigger 

 leaves, and it does not flower until later in 

 the year. 



SILVERWEED 



One of the most common plants to be 

 found b\- the roadside is the Silverweed 



SILVERWEED. 



