

PLANTS GROWING IN RICH OR ROCKY SOIL. 201 
HERB ROBERT. 
Gerdnium Robertianum. 
FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 
Geranium. Purplish pink. Strong Jragrance. Common north. JSune-October. 
Flowers: growing singly, or in clusters at the ends of the flower-stalks. Calyx: 
tubular; of five sepals. Corolla : small; salver-form; of five spreading lobes. 
Stamens: ten. Péstil: one; styles, five. Leaves: pinnately divided twice or 
thrice into deeply incised leaflets; hairy. Stem : highly coloured; hairy. 
This plant came prominently to the notice of royalty during 
the time of Robert’s plague.. It was then supposed to achieve 
many cures, and was named after Robert of Normandy. 
It is one that by the bursting of its pods scatters its seeds to 
a very great distance, 
WITCH-HAZEL. 
Hamamelis Virginiana. 
FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 
Witch-hazel. Vellow. Slightly New England to Florida September-November. 
: SJragrant, and westward. 
Flowers: few; growing in an axillary cluster on short peduncles; sessile. 
Calyx : four-parted, with bractlets underneath. Coro//a: of four almost linear 
petals ; often twisted. Stamens : eight ; four perfect ; the others without anthers. 
Pistils: two. Fruit: an edible nut that matures the next season. Leaves: 
alternate ; oval; wavy on the edges; slightly downy. A shrub with several 
branching, crooked trunks from the root. 
Whether the witch-hazel has simply forgotten to provide it- 
self with a calendar, or whether it has the revolutionary spirit 
which would turn the world topsy-turvy, is still an open ques- 
tion. But to those that are bent on investigation a gentle hint 
may be given that the evidence is all in the latter direction. 
Otherwise why should it allow the spring and lovely summer to 
glide by without making them any greeting and wait until the 
late autumn, when the leaves are falling, to put out its pale yel- 
low bloom. The seeds mature the next summer, which is noth- 
ing more than an audacious reversal of the orthodox order of 
things. The witch-hazel makes a plaything of the seasons. 
It is well charged with ammunition too, and once fired it at 
Mr. Hamilton Gibson, who has told most amusingly of his ren- 

