The Cornflower 



wounds," asserted Gerard, and other physicians of 

 the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries confirm 

 him and, moreover, add other virtues. 



Its blueness has given it many a country name, 

 such as "Blue-cap," "Blue-bonnet," " Blueball," 

 " Blueblaw," " Blue Poppy " (from growing with 

 the red poppies among the corn), and, commonest 

 of all, " Blue-bottle," from the shape of its flower- 

 heads. The purity of its colour, as well shown in 

 our photograph, has raised it to the dignity of 

 being a standard, and nowadays one speaks of 

 " cornflower-blue " to describe a special tint. 



The plant grows about two feet high, and is 

 well-known as a somewhat tiresome cornfield weed. 

 Its lower leaves are long and often deeply lobed, 

 but the upper ones are narrow and quite plain in 

 outline. The blooms grow solitary and of necessity 

 upon long stalks to raise them among the wheat. 

 The stalks, as also those of the leaves, are parti- 

 cularly hard and tough, and Hable to injure the 



sickle cutting the com. Hence, another of its 

 73 177 



