SEA-SIDE PLANTS. 73 



In their early stage the flowers grow quite under 

 water ; but as there comes a time when they need 

 air and sunshine, the stalk which supports them 

 becomes spirally lengthened, until the blossoms all 

 rise up above the surface of the pool. But the 

 seeds will not ripen there, and after the blossom 

 has for awhile remained in the air, again the spiral 

 stalk curls up in close coils, and goes down to the 

 base of the waters. 



In wet shady places near the sea, and on salt 

 marshes and maritime cliffs, grows a plant with 

 bunches of numerous small, cross-shaped flowers, 

 on a stem about three feet high, and having large 

 leaves. It is the broad-leaved Pepper- wort (Le- 

 pidium latifolium}. This species is not common, 

 though several of the pepper-worts are very fre- 

 quent plants on inland fields. They are all remark- 

 able for their antiscorbutic properties, and the 

 broad-leaved species yields an emetic on infusion. 

 The Narrow-leaved Pepper- wort (Lepidium rude- 

 rale) is a more common plant on waste places near 

 the sea, but is not confined to the coast. The Cress 

 of our gardens, the plant in which most of us de- 

 lighted in childhood, because the vegetable crop 

 appears so soon after the sowing of the seeds, is the 

 Lepidium sativa ; and commonly as this plant has 

 long been cultivated, its native haunt was unknown 

 until Dr. Sibthorp found it growing wild in Greece. 

 Some species of the Pepper- wort were of great 

 value to the ships' crews under Captain Cook, 

 when they were suffering from diseases incident to 

 a long abstinence from vegetable food; and one 

 species is in common use among the South-sea 

 islanders for intoxicating fish, when they may 

 easily be taken, even with the hand. 



