WOOD-SORREL. 423 



bous red scales, attached to a filiform axis, from which descend 

 at short distances the slender radicles or fibres. The leaves all 

 proceed from the neck of the root on long, reddish, slender, 

 naked, slightly pubescent petioles*; from three to four inches 

 in height. The lamina of each leaf is composed of three ob- 

 cordate, entire leaflets of a bright yellowish green colour, often 

 purplish beneath, slightly hairy, spreading, drooping at night. 

 The scapes are rather longer than the leaves, among which they 

 spring ; the peduncle is pubescent, erect, furnished above the 

 middle with two small, ovate, scaly bractese ; the flower is so- 

 litary, delicate, somewhat drooping. The calyx is divided into 

 four, short, ovate-oblong sepals, rather membranous and ciliate 

 at the margin and often tinged with purple. The five petals f 

 are ovate-cuneiform, retuse, white or pale flesh colour, elegantly 

 striated with purplish veins, attached to the receptacle by small 

 yellowish claws. The stamens are ten with subulate, white, 

 erect filaments, the five outer much shorter than the rest, 

 tipped with roundish, sub-trigonal, innate, two-celled, yellow an- 

 thers. The germen is superior, roundish, angular, supporting 

 five filiform erect styles a little longer than the inner stamens, 

 terminated by capitate stigmata. The fruit is a membranous 

 spotted capsule, with five angles and five cells opening by 

 five valves ; each cell containing two (or three) seeds attached 

 to the axis J. The seeds are cordate, convex, longitudinally 

 striated, of a bright reddish brown colour, each covered with a 

 shining white tegument resembling an arillus, which is at first 

 closed, but at maturity rolls back from the apex elastically and 

 ejects the seed with considerable force. Plate 47, fig. 3, 

 (a) stamens and pistils ; (b) stamen magnified ; (c) styles, sepa- 

 rate ; (d) capsule ; (e) seed. 



This very elegant plant is a native of Europe in woods, 

 shady places, and alpine rocks, as far north as Lapland. It 

 is very abundant in England, particularly in the beech woods, 



* The petioles are commonly cylindrical at the lower part, but grooved 

 on one side towards the summit. 



■f The petals are connected towards the base by small fleshy excrescences, 

 but the claws are distinct. 



X As in the violet, the seeds of this plant are continually produced through- 

 out the summer, without any appearance of blossom. 



