THE FLOWERS OF THE WOODLANDS 



99 



WOOD SORREL. 



History of plants and animals, declares 

 that it was because the flower never 

 opens unless the wind is blowing. 



THE BLUEBELL 



The Bluebell or Wild Hyacinth {Scilla 

 Nutans) is a well-known favourite, and 

 nothing is more charming than masses 

 of these growing under the trees, giving, 

 in the distance, 

 the idea of a 

 blue carpet. 

 The plant 

 springs from a 

 white bulb, full 

 of juice, and 

 the leaves and 

 flowering stems 

 all rise straight 

 from the 

 ground, the 

 former being 

 shorter than 

 the fl o w e r 

 stems. The 

 flowers are 

 borne in a one- 

 sided raceme or 

 row, each one 

 drooping on its 

 tiny stalk, and 

 each one with 

 a small leaf or 



bract at the 

 base ; the blos- 

 soms hanging 

 down as they 

 do from the 

 flowering stem 

 are well {)ro- 

 tectetl from the 

 rain. 



WOOD SORREL 



The Wood 

 Sorrel {Oxalis 

 Acc(osella) be- 

 longs to the 

 Geranium fam- 

 ily ; it is one 

 of our most 

 graceful w i 1 d 

 flowers. It de- 

 lights in a 

 moist, shady 

 spot, and 

 flowers about April or ^lay, and is very 

 often in the company of Primroses and 

 Wood Anemones. Dig up a plant and 

 you will see that it has a slender, creeping 

 rootstock, which is generally covered 

 with bright red scales. The leaves spring 

 from this, each leaf bearing three leaflets, 

 like the clover, green above and somewhat 

 purple beneath ; these leaves droop as 



.^A^ 



WILD STRAWBERRY. 



