58 



THE NATURE BOOK 



from the base of the leaves ; the dark veins 

 on the petals are very conspicuous. The 

 Dwarf Mallow {M. roiundifolia) is a much 

 smaller plant, with bluish flowers ; it 

 mav be distingiiished from the other two 

 bv its more trailing habit. The flat, green 



Chervil {Chaerophyllum temnlitm) is a 

 common wa>'sidc plant, with pretty, 

 divided foliage ; the outer petals are 

 larger than the rest, and this will serve 

 as a distinguishing feature. The stem is 

 slightly thickened at the joints, and is 





THE DAISY. 



fruits of the Mallows are sought after by 

 children, who call them " cheeses." 



THE CHERVIL 



The Chervils introduce a large familv, 

 the members of which are somewhat 

 puzzling and difficult to distinguish from 

 each other. All the UmbcUiferce have 

 their flowers arranged on short stems, 

 which spring from the same point, like 

 the iron stays of an umbrella. The Rough 



curiously blotched with purple. The 

 arrangement of this kind of inflorescence 

 must be of considerable advantage, since 

 any visiting insect generally spends some 

 little time on each head, gathering honey 

 from the many flowers, and transferring 

 pollen from one to the other as it goes. 



The Rough Chervil grows about three 

 feet high, and is to be found by wavsides 

 and in the hedges, flowering during June 

 and July. 



H. PuREFOY Fitzgerald. 



