i6 4 



BRITISH FLORA 



bulbils, and the leaves may also bear bulbs. The 

 flowers are pale rose-colour or green (replaced by 

 bulbs in var. compactum). The tip of the slender 

 flower-stalk is thickened. The anther-stalks are 

 exposed, and the stamens are 3-cleft, the anther- 

 stalks being- half as long as the lateral points. 

 The stamens project. The plant is 1-3 ft. in 

 height, and flowers in July, being a herbaceous 

 perennial. 



Autumnal Squill (Scilla autumnalis, L.) The 

 habitat of this plant is dry pastures in the S. and 

 W., chiefly near the sea, and rocks. The leaves 

 are autumnal (hence autumnalis), appearing after 

 the flowers. Linear, numerous, narrow, half- 

 rounded, grooved above. There are no bracts. 

 The scapes are numerous, as long as the leaves. 

 The flowers are pale-blue, with a green line down 

 the back, in a short raceme, on ascending or 

 spreading stalks. The anthers are purple. The 

 capsule is small. The plant is 4-6 in. high, 

 flowering from July to September, and is a herb- 

 aceous perennial. 



ORDER JUNCACE;E 



Heath Rush (Juncus squarrosus, L.). The 

 habitat of this plant is moorlands, heaths, wet 

 heaths. The plant has the typical rush habit, 

 and is somewhat tufted. The stem is rigid, erect, 

 simple, flattened, leafless or a scape (the plant in 

 this respect being a rosette plant). The leaves 

 are crowded, numerous, linear, awl -like, chan- 

 nelled, half-round in section, all radical, spreading 

 (hence squarrosus), half as long as the stem, bent- 

 back from the keel, finely furrowed). The flowers, 

 2-3 in a cluster, are pale, solitary, distant, in an 

 irregular, terminal, corymblike cyme, with erect 

 branches. The bracts have a membranous mar- 

 gin, and are not so long as the flowers. The 

 perianth-segments are blunt, as long as the cap- 

 sule, ovate to lance-shaped, oblong or acute. The 

 anthers are four times as long as the stalks. The 

 capsule is bluntly 3-angled, shining, pale-brown, 

 blunt, with a short blunt point. The plant is 

 6-12 in. high, and flowers in July and August, 

 being a herbaceous perennial. 



Pigmy Rush (Juncus pygmceus, Rich. = J. 

 mutabilis, Lam.). The habitat of this plant is 

 damp spots. The plant has the rush habit. The 

 stems are tufted, pink when dry. They are simple 

 or only once-branched, slender, round, not septate, 

 more or less leafless, very short. The leaves are 

 radical, bristle-like, faintly jointed, channelled, 

 the stem -leaves solitary, auricled below. The 

 flowers are few, 1-5, more or less stalkless, with 

 ovate bracts, in small clusters. The perianth- 

 segments are membranous, linear to lance-shaped, 

 with a long point, not awned, longer than the cap- 

 sule, 3 -nerved, nearly equal. The capsule is 

 oblong to acute. The seeds are spindle-shaped 

 to pear-shaped. They are long and apiculate. 

 The plant is 1-3 in. in height, flowering from May 

 to July, and is a herbaceous annual. 



Small Capitate Rush (Juncus capitatus, Weig.). 

 The habitat of this plant is sandy ground, sands 



which are inundated in winter, and heathy places. 

 The plant has the rush habit. The stems are 

 bristle-like, rigid, grooved, not septate, naked, 

 erect, and simple. The radical leaves are slender, 

 bristle-like, channelled, with short sheaths. They 

 are half as long as the stems. The flowers are in 

 solitary, terminal heads, with bracts with 2-3 or 

 2-6 flowers. The outer bracts are bristle-like, 

 twice as long as the flowers, the inner smaller, 

 broadly ovate, cristate. The perianth-segments 

 are elliptic to ovate, unequal, awned, the outer 

 ovate to lance-shaped, long-pointed, twice as long 

 as the capsule. There are 3 stamens. The cap- 

 sule is broadly ovoid with an abrupt point. The 

 plant is 1-4 in. in height, flowering from May to 

 July, and is a herbaceous annual. 



Heath Wood Rush (Luzula erecta, Desv. = L. 

 congesta, D.C. = L. multiflorum, Lej.). The 

 habitat of this plant is heaths, heathy or wet and 

 turfy places. This species has the usual Wood 

 Rush habit. From the common species this one 

 differs in being larger and stouter. The leaves 

 are linear, hairy. The panicle or cyme consists of 

 numerous, ovate, dense, either stalked or stalkless 

 clusters. The cymes are more contracted, and 

 the flowers more clustered, long, drooping, dark- 

 brown. The perianth-segments are not so broad, 

 being lance-shaped and long-pointed, longer than 

 the capsule. The anther-stalks are more than 

 half as long as the anthers. The anthers are 

 small and short. The capsule is blunt, narrow. 

 The seeds are oblong, about twice as long as 

 broad, with a short appendage below. The plant 

 is 6-18 in. in height, and flowers between April and 

 June. It is a herbaceous perennial. 



Pale Wood Rush (Luzula pallescens, Bess.). 

 The habit of this species is tufted. The stems are 

 numerous, erect, slender, with 2-3 leaves, narrow, 

 fringed with hairs or hairless. There are 1-3 

 bracts longer than the cyme. The cyme may be 

 compound with numerous clusters, with slender, 

 suberect, unequal branches. The central cluster 

 is large and stalkless, the others are small, 

 roundish-oblong or oblong, with 4-20 small 

 flowers. The perianth-segments are pale-yellow- 

 ish-brown in the centre, the outer ones ovate, 

 long-pointed, a little longer than the fruit, the 

 margin incurved near the apex, the inner shorter, 

 nearly blunt-pointed. The stamens are half as 

 long as the outer perianth-segments, the anther- 

 stalks exceeding the anthers. The fruit is dark- 

 chestnut-brown when ripe, the valves including 

 the beak. The seeds are minute. The plant 

 is distinguished from the last by the difference in 

 size between theinnerand outer perianth-segments, 

 and in the lighter colour and pale-greenish-brown 

 perianth-segments. The plant is 6-12 in. in height. 

 It is in flower in May and June, and is a herb- 

 aceous perennial. 



ORDER NAIADACE^ 



Potamogetonpolygonifolius, Pourr.( = P. oblongus, 

 Viv.). The habitat of this plant is pools, ditches, 

 or small streams and ponds, lakes and pools on 



