50 



WEEDS. 



Essential character. — Corolla six-parted, spreading ; spathe 

 many-flowered, umbel heaped ; capsule superior. 



The " Great round-headed common garlic," or the " Allium 

 ampeloprasum," flowers in July and August. Umbel globose ; 

 stamens three-cusped ; petals with rough keel. Stem one 

 foot or more in height, having leaves at the bottom, glaucous 

 and succulent ; the spathe is conical, one-leaved, and de- 

 ciduous. It flowers in a close ball or peduncles, which are 

 about one inch in length. It is perennial, and communicates 

 its flavour to the milk and butter of cows that eat it. It is 

 not " singly" liked by any animal, but is eaten in mixture 

 with other grasses. 



The most effectual means of eradication , is by raising the 

 roots by a spade or fork, and destroying them. 



14. " Lousewort," or the " Pedicularis" of botany, is a very 

 frequent weed on moist meadows and pastures. The plant is 

 very beautiful, and belongs to the class and order " Didyna- 

 mia angiospermia " of Linneus, and the natural order " Pedi- 

 culares" of Jussieu. 



Generic characters. — Calyx : perianth one-leafed, roundish, 

 ventricose, with a five-cleft equal mouth, permanent. Corolla 

 one-petalled, ringent; tube oblong, gibbous ; upper lipgaleate, 

 erect, compressed, emarginate, narrower ; lower spreading, 

 flat, half three-cleft, blunt ; middle segment narrower. Sta- 

 mina : filaments four, the length of the upper lip, under which 

 they lie concealed ; two shorter ; antherse incumbent, roundish, 

 compressed. Pistil : germen roundish ; style fihform, in the 

 same situation with the stamens, but longer; stigma blunt, 

 bent in. Pericarp : capsule roundish, mucronate, oblique, 

 two-celled, opening at top ; partition contrary. Seeds several, 

 ovate, angular ; receptacle sublobular, in the base of the 

 capsule. 



Essential character. — Calyx five-cleft; capsule two-celled, 

 mucronate, oblique ; seeds coated. 



The " Common or heath lousewort," or the " Red rattle," 

 the " Pedicularis sylvatica," has the stem branched, calyxes 

 oblong, angular, even ; lip of the corollas cordate. Stem very 

 short ; branches from the root, long, spreading close to the 



