lady's mantle. 61 



attain the height of a foot or more. The leaves are alternate ; 

 the radical ones large, on long petioles ; the cauline ones smaller, 

 with petioles, which become gradually shorter towards the top of 

 the stem ; they are orbicular-reniform, concave, plaited, with from 

 six to nine serrated lobes, nerved, veiny, smooth, or more or less 

 pubescent, subtended at the base by stipulae, which, on the upper 

 part of the stem, are connate, toothed, and spreading horizontally. 

 The flowers are small, numerous, yellowish-green, and disposed 

 in dichotomous corymbs, at the summit of the stem and branches. 

 The perianth is inferior, monophyllous, persistent, with a con- 

 tracted tube, and an eight-parted limb, the alternate and outer 

 segments being the smallest. The four stamens have short subu- 

 late filaments inserted into the perianth, and roundish anthers. 

 The germen is solitary (sometimes twin), oblong, with a short, 

 lateral style, tipped with a capitate stigma. The fruit consists of 

 one or two oblong, compressed, one-seeded nuts, or carpels, en- 

 closed in the indurated tube of the calyx. Plate 29, fig. 1, (a) entire 

 flower magnified; (6) pistil ; (c) calyx cut vertically to show the nuts. 



Common Lady's Mantle is a native of Europe and Siberia, 

 occurring abundantly in alpine woods and pastures, and in similar 

 situations in Great Britain. It flowers from June to August. 



This plant was supposed by Linnaeus to derive its name, Alche- 

 milla, from the alchemists, who considered the dew on its leaves 

 to possess extraordinary properties. Hence, like the term alchemy, 

 it comes from the Arabic alkemelych. It is called Lady's Mantle, 

 the mantle of Our Lady (the Virgin Mary), in allusion to the 

 shape and elegant plaitings of the leaves ; these have also sug- 

 gested the name Lion's foot. In different parts of the country it 

 is called Great Sanicle, and Beai's-foot. 



Two other species of Lady's Mantle are found wild in this 

 country. Alpine Lady's Mantle {A. alpina), a most elegant plant, 

 somewhat resembling the above, but distinguished by its digitate 

 leaves, which are beautifully silky underneath ; it grows on moun- 

 tains in the north. The Field Lady's Mantle,* or Parsley Piert 

 {A.Aphaues), is a common annual weed in fields and gravelly 

 soils ; the stems are frequently prostrate on the ground, the leaves 

 small and trifid, and the stamens seldom more than one or two. 



* This plant is, or has been, kept in the herb -shops, under the name 

 of Parsley Breakstone. Gerard tells us " it vehemently and speedily 

 moues urine, and by some is kept in pickle and eaten as a sallad." 



