50 SEA-SIDE PLANTS. 



sting of the nettle, when, heedless of its presence, 

 they have grasped the blackberry or wild rose. 

 Most of us have fancied that it allayed the pain ; 

 and it may at least have the praise so often 

 bestowed by rural simplers, on their approved 

 remedies, that if it does no good, it will do no harm. 

 The golden dock of our salt marshes blooms in July 

 and August. 



An old writer on the art of Simpling, says of all 

 the plants of this genus, " Alle kinds of dock have 

 this property, that what flesh or meat is sod there- 

 with, though it be never so old, hard, or tough, it 

 will become tender and meet to be eaten;" but it 

 would seem this, as well as some other herbs 

 named by old writers, had strangely lost their 

 ancient virtues. 



At about the same season of the year the rambler 

 of the sea-side may find two very pretty flowers 

 blooming on our sandy shores, and when they grow 

 in any quantity, giving a gay appearance to the 

 spot. One of them, however, is not a very 

 common flower, though there are some places in 

 which the Sea Bindweed, or Convolvulus, is plenti- 

 ful. This pretty plant (Convolvolus Soldanella] has 

 large purplish-pink blossoms, with pale-yellow 

 plaits, and succulent sea-green leaves. It is so frail 

 a flower that we can scarcely gather it, and is a 

 native of the sea-coast of many parts of Europe 

 and Asia. Its young stalks are sometimes pickled. 

 The other flower, or rather flowers (for three species 

 grow near the sea more than elsewhere) , are the red 

 Centauries. The dwarf-branched Centaury (Eryth- 

 r&a pulchella) is common on the sandy sea-shores 

 of England and Scotland, and is generally about 

 five or six inches high, with a slender leafy stem. 



