THE MEADOW FLOWERS 



287 



stems spring up frciin the root ; the stems 

 contain a jiungent, milky juice, and those 

 bearing the flower heads are hollow. As 

 to the origin of the name Dandelion, or 

 Lion's Tooth, there are various opinions, 

 but the most probable one is that it was 

 given from the jagged tooth-like lobes of 

 the leaf, albeit these resemble 

 rather the jaw than the tooth 

 of a lion. 



devil's-bit scabious 

 Many pastures during August 

 and September from a dis- 

 tance appear to be tinged with 

 deep blue, and this will most 

 likely be due to the Devil's-bit 

 Scabious {Scabiosa Sitccisa), a 

 plant which is very fond of open 

 meadow-land. A close relation, 

 Scabiosa arvensis, is to be seen 

 frequently in the hedgerows 

 and woods, with much larger 

 heads of flowers, of a pale lilac 

 colour. Like the Dandelion, it 

 bears a head of small florets, 

 although it is not included in 

 the Composite family, because 

 each floret appears to have a 

 calyx to itself : this is the dis- 

 tinguishing mark between the 

 Compositae and the Teasel 

 family. If one of the root- 

 stocks be dug up, it will be 

 seen — if the plant be a young 

 one — to be somewhat after the 

 shape of a carrot, but if it is 

 over a year old it will be 

 more woody, and terminate 

 abruptly as if the end had been 

 bitten off. The legend runs 

 that the root was a cure for all 

 diseases, and " the Devill, for the 

 envie that he beareth to man- 

 kind, bit it off at the root, because else it 

 would be good for many uses." The leaves 

 are hairy and rough, and spring mostly 

 from the rootstock ; a few small leaves, 

 generally with one or two teeth, are to be 

 found on the stems. 



PINK CENTAURY 



In July the Pink Centaury {Ccniaurinm 

 wnbcllatiim) begins to put forth its showy 

 flowers. This is one of the Gentian 

 family, and delights in dry pastures and 



sandy places. The leaves growing on the 

 stem are stalkless and arranged in ]>airs, 

 those lower down forming a tuft ; each 

 leaf has three distinct veins on the upper 

 surface. A cluster of pink, or red, or 

 sometimes white flowers is borne on the 

 summit of each stem ; the corolla (or 



CKNTAUKY. 



combined ]:)etals) has a slender tube fit- 

 ting on to the calyx, and has live sjiread- 

 ing tlivisions, star-like in sha])e. There 

 are five stamens, and the anthers twist 

 spirally after the pollen has been shed. 

 The jilant varies very much in its way of 

 growth, but generally it is about eight 

 inches high ; the blooms close about three 

 o'clock in the afternoon, and also when 

 the sky is overcast or when there is much 

 moisture in the atmosphere. 



H. PuKEFov FitzGerald. 



