116 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



by the roadsides, its deep veins and hairy leaves often 

 catch a deal of dust, making it look greyer than ever. 

 The large root-leaves most conspicuous, clusters of them 

 all showing in plan almost as circles. Flowers very 

 fugacious; had to bring three pickings home to do this 

 by, and then learnt by experience that they should be done 

 instantly, as they closed almost directly, never reopened, 

 and some fell off. Leaves, too, very delicate, soon curl up, 

 but unfold again after being some little time in water. 

 Directly after flowering the sepals fall well back, but close 

 tightly up again and get a good deal larger as the fruit 

 developes. Flowers rarely ever more than half expanded. 

 Sketched May 24, but observed the plants about ten days 

 earlier. Leaves all covered with downy hair, but much shorter 

 than that on the stems. Great many leaves all spring from 

 radical point, and in the midst of them a few flowering 

 stems ; radical leafstalks about five inches, flowering 

 stalks about nine inches, but all very unaspiring and 

 humble-looking/' A mere list of the names of the various 

 species would not be very interesting, nor could we hope 

 to give much idea of them from any verbal description. 



