THE RUSH TKIIJE. ^241 



Rushes have so little apparent resemblance to Lilies, 

 or Asphodels, or Meadow Saffron, that no one would 

 ever dream of placing them all in the same natural 

 group ; and yet, if you examine a Rush, you will 

 be surprised to see how slight is the difference that 

 really exists between them. Some Rushes are humble 

 rigid leafless herbs, with stiff slender wiry stems, and 

 little clusters of dingy flow^ers : others are still more 

 dwarfish in stature, but have well formed leaves. An 

 exceedingly common plant of the latter description is 

 the Field Luzula (Luzula campestris, Plate XX. 2.). 

 From a fibrous root rises a stem not more than five 

 or six inches high, and which you can hardly distin- 

 guish from the grass that it generally grows among in 

 the meadows. Its leaves are narrow and grassy, and 

 clothed with remarkably long hairs. At the top of 

 the stem grow a few heads of chesnut- brown flowers, 

 the structure of which you will hardly make out, ex- 

 cept the sun shines, for it is then chiefly that the parts 

 unfold. But if at that time you watch one of the 

 brown clusters, you will be able to perceive, that 

 each flower has six chesnut-coloured leaves, which 

 spread like a star {fig. 3.), of which three are sepals, 

 and three are petals. On their outside are two or 

 three bracts {fig- 2. a. «.), so like them, as to be only 

 distinguishable by their position. From within the 

 flower rise six stamens ; and fi'om between the latter 

 an ovary {fig. 4.) with three angles, one style, and 

 three stigmas. It fruit {fig. 5.) is an ovate body, 

 containing only one cell, and three seeds {fig. 6. 7.), 

 with a pale soft skin. 



