128 WAYSIDE WEEDS. 



Every school-boy, who liaa applied their milky juice 

 as a cure for his warts, knows the spurges (Fig. 81 ) ; 

 ^hej are curious in their flowering, and puzzling 

 enough to an incipient botanist. But more of them 

 presently. And now go to the runlet, or to any ditch 

 of clear water, for a handfiil of those very bright 

 green, floating, star-like leaves, which characterize 

 the water starwort ; you see no flowers, but never 

 mind that, we shall find those for you presently. 



It seems quite a jump from this little water- 

 plant to the forest-trees, to the oak, the birch, the 

 hazel, and the willow, such a jump that all con- 

 nection appears wanting between these and the lowly 

 weeds we have just been directing you to ; never- 

 theless we shall see, although, confessedly, we 

 have brought together an apparently heterogeneous 

 handful, and one not quite so attractive to a be- 

 ginner as those we have already passed. The trees 

 you must know well enough, even if you never 

 thought of their having blossoms, but you must look 

 for their flowering in spring and early simimer. 



But it is time we looked for that character in 

 common which connects together plants so appa- 

 rently diverse. "We have, you are aware, hitherto 

 found the flowers we examined, whether many- 

 petaled, or one-pieced blossoms, perfect; that is to 

 say, possessing both calyx and corolla, -the plants 

 now in your hand are aU distinguished by having 

 incomplete flowers; the calyx and corolla seem 



