i88 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



lobe of the ovary and containing a single seed. The developing 

 fruit can be seen at the bottom of the calyx, all the other parts of 

 the flower having fallen off after pollination. 



CUCKOO FLOWER (Lychnis flos-cuculi, L.) AND THE RED 

 CAMPION (L. diurna, Sibth.). 



The Cuckoo flower or Ragged Robin and the Red Campion 

 are closely related. It is of interest to study them together and 

 compare their flowers. The Ragged Robin is usually found in 

 damp grassy ground, flowering from June onwards ; it is often 

 found along with the Lady's Smock (Cardamine pratensis), which 

 is also often called Cuckoo flower, and has been described above. 

 The plant is perennial, fixed in the ground by a strong main 

 root, and also producing roots from the bases of the branches. 

 The latter develop from the axils of the lower leaves, and in this 

 way the number of stems produced yearly by a plant increases. 



The leaves at the base of each shoot are closely crowded, but 

 resemble the leaves borne higher on the shoot where the inter- 

 nodes are well developed. The stem between the pairs of leaves is 

 marked by six longitudinal ridges, and bears whitish hairs pressed 

 closely against the surface. The nodes are swollen and have a 

 reddish tint, which also extends over the lower internodes. Two 

 leaves are borne at each node, placed opposite to one another ; 

 their sheathing bases unite around the stem. There is no leaf-stalk, 

 and the blade is of a simple elongated form with a well-marked 

 midrib, and stands almost erect beside the stem. The pairs of 

 leaves inserted at successive nodes alternate in position. 



As we pass upwards to the region of the inflorescence we find 

 that the bracts resemble the leaves, but are smaller, more pointed, 

 and of a brownish red colour. The branching of the inflorescence 

 is very characteristic. The main stem ends in a flower which is the 

 first to open, and growth is continued by two branches which 

 spring from the axils of the uppermost pair of bracts. Each of 

 these branches ends in a flower, and below this bears a pair of 

 bracts. Branching similarly proceeds from the buds in the axils 

 of these bracts. 



The flower itself consists of calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistil. 



