THE WOOD SORREL 75 



Italy, from its flowering between Easter and 

 Whitsuntide, the psalms recurring in the church 

 services at this season being of a specially jubilant 

 character. It is a charming little plant, alike in 

 flower and leaf, and we very gladly find it a 

 sheltered and rather damp corner in our rock- 

 garden. It is an excellent weather-guide, both 

 the flowers and the foliage closing and drooping 

 before rain and on the approach of evening, 

 unfolding again with the approach of daylight and 

 sunshine. It is curious that while many plants 

 that visibly go to rest at night will unfold their 

 leaves again if brought under the influence of 

 strong artificial light, the wood sorrel declines to 

 be thus imposed upon : bedtime is bedtime, and 

 daylight, and that alone, is the summons for 

 awakening. The leaves are so sensitive that they 

 droop and fold together if at all roughly handled. 

 The wood sorrel is occasionally found with 

 blossoms of a bright purplish red, 1 but the normal 

 purple-veined white flowers are the more attractive. 

 The delicate trefoil leaves have a sharp, sour taste, 

 " making better greenesauce than any other herb 

 whatsoever," and our forefathers, or more prob- 



1 We are referring here to the plant as a wildling. If 

 we turn our attention to the cultivated species of oxalis we 

 get a great variety of colouring, articulata being yellow- 

 flowered, Bowieana crimson, rosea rose-coloured, molacea 

 violet, speciosa purple, &c. 



