lOO 



THE NATURE BOOK 



of buds which never open, but 

 which eventually develop into seed 

 vessels ; the Violets also have this 

 peculiarity. 



This plant was in all likelihood 

 the original Shamrock, being used 

 by St. Patrick as a symbol of 

 the truth of the Trinity, but the 

 name is now applied to other 

 trefoil plants, and this plant is 

 no longer used as the Shamrock 

 on St. Patrick's Day. Other local 

 names for it are Three-leaved grass, 

 Cuckoo's Meat, Cuckoo Sorrel and 

 Stub-wort, the latter because it 

 often grows among tree stubs. 

 The leaves have a very acid 

 flavour, and are sometimes used 

 for salad ; the acidity is due to a 

 salt of oxalic acid, which can be 

 obtained as crystals by distilling 

 the leaves. 



night approaches and also in bad 

 weather, and they will often do so if 

 the stems are sharply struck. One 

 rather large white flower is borne 

 on each peduncle, and if one of 

 these is examined it will be seen 

 that it has five small green sepals, 

 five petals, with delicate purplish- 

 pink veins, and the stamens ar- 

 ranged in two rows, and live stigmas, 

 while half-way up the flower stem 

 will be seen two tiny little leaves 

 or bracts. The seed vessel is 

 worth looking into : it is surrounded 

 by a cup-like covering which is very 

 elastic, and when this arrives at a 

 certain state of dryness, any small 

 shock is sufficient to make it 

 burst, and the seeds are flung out 

 in all directions with considerable 

 force. 



The Wood Sorrel is an example of 

 those plants which produce two dis- 

 tinct kinds of flowers, for during 

 the summer may be foimd a number 



FOXGLOVE. 



