THE FLOWERS OF THE CORNFIELDS 



987 



with the anthers, so that the pollen which 

 adheres to it on a visit to one tiower will 

 only be transferred to the stigma of 

 the next which is N'isited. 



CORN bird's-eye 



The bright blue Speedwell, or Bird's- 

 Eye, which grows in the cornfields is 

 Veronica agrestis. It is to be found in 

 most waste, and also cultivated places. 

 Another species which resembles it closely, 

 except that it is much larger in all its 

 parts and of almost a brighter blue, is 

 Buxbaum's Speedwell {Veronica Bux- 

 haiimii), which is not really a native plant, 

 but it has spread very widely. The 

 corolla of all the members of this genus 

 consists of four petals, two large and 

 two small, and it falls off, in one piece, 

 almost as soon as the plant is shaken 

 or picked. 



FL.AX 



It is curious that the cornfields provide 

 us with so many blue flowers — the colour 

 that is most uncommon. The Flax, or 

 Linseed {Linum usitatissimum) , is another 

 instance. It is not a true native of this 

 country, but it has spread rapidly. The 

 Flax is a very graceful, slender plant, 

 quite smooth in appearance and branching 

 towards the toj) ; the leaves are found 

 alternately up the stem, whilst the flowers 

 are in a loose corymb ; that is to say, the 

 flower stalks start from different places 

 up the stem, but the flower heads are 

 all on the same level. 



THE P.\XSY 



The Wild Heartsease, or Pansy 

 [Viola tricolor), is the parent of all the 

 beautiful garden varieties now in culti- 

 vation. It is to be found elsewhere 



SCARLET POPPY. 



