338 THE BRITISH NATURE BOOK 



or stalk bears a smaller umbel. A SPIKE is an elongated mass of flowers, 

 without separate stalks, fixed close along the main stem. 



A RACEME is an elongated cluster of stalked flowers, like the Mignonette. 



A PANICLE is a branched cluster of flowers, mostly on side branches growing 

 along the main stalk. 



A CORYMB is similar to a raceme, but the lower flower-stalks are longer, 

 bringing all the flowers nearer to a level, as in the Wallflower. 



A CYME is the name given to a flower-cluster when the topmost or central 

 flower opens first. 



COMPOSITE flowers consist generally of numbers of small stalkless flowers 

 crowded tightly together in a head. The Dandelion or Daisy serves as a type. 

 In the Dandelion each yellow ray is a flower complete in itself, with pistils 

 and stamens ; in the Daisy the yellow " eye " part is made up of many 

 tube-shaped flowers or florets, and each white petalous-looking ray is also a 

 floret. 



BRACTS are small leaves generally to be found below the flower. In the 

 Dandelion, for instance, there is a ring of green bracts, called an INVOLUCRE, 

 underneath the flower-head. 



This short description is all that need be mastered in order to make use of 

 the list of flowers and the description given. 



There are many other simplified methods for identifying British wild 

 flowers in existence, many of them dependent, as this one is, primarily upon 

 the colours of flowers, that characteristic being the one which is invariably 

 noted first of all by the would-be student. 



But after trying them all, and making many further experiments, I believe 

 that the following arrangement is the best, and that by its means the 684 

 species named may be identified with little difficulty, and without recourse 

 to any scientific knowledge. 



Explanation of the Lists. 



First of all, note that the flowers are divided into groups according to their 

 colours. The divisions are as follows : 

 White Nos. 1-127. 

 Whitish Nos. 128-143. 



White or Whitish, with some other tint Nos. 144-181. 

 Creamy White Nos. 182-192. 

 Pale Yellow Nos. 193-209. 

 Yellow Nos. 210-321. 



Yellow or Yellowish, with some other tint Nos. 322-350. 

 Red, Rose, or Pink Nos. 351-401. 

 Crimson and Scarlet Nos. 402, 403. 

 Reddish, or Purplish, or Red-purple, or with some other tint Nos. 404- 



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