WOODS AND COPSES 



73 



lower lateral petal, the edges of the upper not 

 covered by the 2 others. The stigmas are spoon- 

 shaped, narrow below, widening upwards, and 

 fringed. The anther-stalks are longer than the 

 anthers. The capsule is leathery, club-shaped, 

 oval, notched, the 3 angles rounded. The seeds 

 are winged. The plant is 1-3 ft. high, flowering 

 in July, and is a herbaceous perennial. 



ORDER AMARYLLIDACE^E 



Daffodil (Narcissus Pseudo-Narcissus, L.). The 

 Daffodil is a native species, and is found in woods, 

 copses, and pastures. The habit is erect. The 

 bulb has membranous outer scales. The 2-3 

 leaves are linear, with a blunt keel, nearly flat, 

 rather bluish-green, blunt. The flowers are soli- 

 tary, yellow, bell-shaped. The scape is 2-edged. 

 The tube and acute perianth-segments are nearly 

 equal, long. The crown is bell-shaped, the mar- 

 gin 6-lobed, crisped, scalloped. The spathe sur- 

 rounds the flower-stalk, which is short. The cap- 

 sule is conical. The plant is 6-12 in. in height, 

 the leaves never more than a foot long. The 

 Daffodil flowers from March to May. It is a herb- 

 aceous perennial. 



Daffodil (Narcissus incotnparabilis, Mill.). Like 

 the last this plant, which is a native of Europe, is 

 not indigenous in this country, but occurs in the 

 south in many spots, as at Little Park, Margam, 

 and in shrubberies, parks, and gardens. The 

 habit and other characters are like those of N. ob- 

 vaUaris, but it has an erect crown half as long as 

 the perianth, which in the Tenby plant is all yellow, 

 the segments twice as long as the tube, and the 

 crown 6-lobed. 



Spring Snowflake (Leucofum vernum, L.). The 

 habitat of this plant is copses. The habit is lily- 

 like. The plant is bulbous. The flowers and 

 leaves are vernal (hence vermini). The leaves are 

 nearly in 2 rows. The scape bears 1-2 flowers, 

 not markedly winged. The spathe is divided into 

 two nearly to the base. The flowers are drooping, 

 greenish -white. The style is thickened above. 

 The ovary is rounded. The seeds are caruncled. 

 The plant is 6-12 in., flowering in March and April, 

 and is a herbaceous perennial. 



ORDER 



Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus, L.). The 

 habitat of this shrub is copses and thickets. The 

 plant has the shrub habit. The stems are tufted, 

 branched, rigid, erect, stout, angled. The young 

 shoots are scaly. The flattened branches or clad- 

 odes are twisted below, and take the place of 

 leaves, the leaves being small scales, the cladodes 

 in their axils. The cladodes are spiny, egg-shaped, 

 narrowed, acute, tough, woody, rigid. The 

 flowers are borne in the centre of the cladodes, and 

 are white and solitary, on the upper, which is the 

 apparent lower surface. The short flower-stalk is 

 parallel with the surface. The male flowers are 

 borne on the narrower cladodes. There are 

 usually 1-2 flowers, with a flat membranous border, 



i-veined, awl-like bract. The fruit is a berry, 

 scarlet, i-celled. The seeds are rounded. The 

 plant is 1-2 ft. high, flowering in March and April. 

 It is an evergreen shrub, perennial. 



Whorled Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum verti- 

 cillatum, All.). The habitat of this plant is woods, 

 wooded banks, and glens. The habit is erect, from 

 a prostrate rhizome, with an arching, graceful 

 scape. The stem is angled, erect, tall. The 

 leaves are in whorls of 3-5 (hence verticillatum), 

 stalkless, limp, the margins and veins below 

 fringed with hairs, and linear to lance-shaped. 

 The flowers are greenish-white. The perianth is 

 narrowed in the middle, greenish. The flower- 

 stalks bear 1-5 flowers. The anther-stalks are 

 papillose. The fruit is a berry, red when ripe. 

 The plant is 2-3 ft. high, flowering in June and 

 July, and is a herbaceous perennial. 



Common Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum multi- 

 florum, All.). The habitat of this plant is woods. 

 The habit is as in the last. The stem is rounded, 

 leafless below, arching. The leaves are alternate, 

 arranged one side of the stalk, oblong to egg- 

 shaped, half-clasping, hairless, shortly stalked, 

 acute or blunt. The perianth is greenish-white, 

 narrowed in the middle. The stalks bear 2-5 

 flowers. The anther -stalks are downy. The 

 berries are bluish. The plant is 2-4 ft. high, 

 flowering in May, June, July, and is a herbaceous 

 perennial. 



Small Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum sigillum, 

 Lej.). The habitat of this plant is woods and lime- 

 stone cliffs. The habit is as in the last. The 

 stem is angled and arched. The leaves are altern- 

 ate, elliptic, lance -shaped, or oblong to egg- 

 shaped, arranged one side of the stalk, half-clasp- 

 ing, leathery. The flowers are solitary, large. 

 The perianth is cylindrical, greenish-white, the 

 lobes broad. The anther-stalks are without hairs. 

 Rarely the flower -stalks bear 3 flowers. The 

 berry is bluish-black. The plant is 6-18 in. high, 

 flowering in May and June, and is a herbaceous 

 perennial. 



Mayflower ( Uni folium bifolium, Druce = Maian- 

 themum Convaltaria, Roth.). The habitat of this 

 plant is woods. The habit is lily-like. The plant 

 is downy or smooth. The stem is erect, wavy. 

 The rootstock is thread-like, creeping. The radi- 

 cal leaves are heart-shaped, acute, 2-lobed below, 

 with many nerves, long-stalked. The 2-3 stem- 

 leaves are short-stalked, the upper stalkless. The 

 flowers are fragrant, small, yellow, sulphur colour, 

 in a terminal, spiked raceme, nearly erect. The 

 stalks are slender and solitary. The bracts are 

 minute. The 4 segments of the perianth are 

 turned back. The fruit is a round berry, white, 

 dotted, with a blunt point. The plant is 4-8 in. 

 high, flowering in May (hence Mayflower), and is 

 a herbaceous perennial. 



Bath Star-of- Bethlehem (Ornithogalum pyre- 

 naicum, L.). The habitat of this plant is woods 

 and copses. The habit is lily-like. The bulb is 

 egg-shaped. The aerial stem is a tall, stout scape. 

 The leaves wither before the stalk appears, and 

 are vernal, hollow above, bluish -green, linear. 



