WILD FLOWERS OF THE BRITISH ISLES 
once or twice ; the involucral glands are crescent-shaped with blunt horns ; the capsules are very 
large, about £ inch long, round, and smooth ; and the floral-leaves are oblong-egg-shaped (ovate) 
and acute. The stem is solitary, 2-3 feet high, stout and erect, purplish and covered with a 
bluish bloom (glaucous) ; and the leaves are opposite, each pair at right angles to the one above 
and below (decussate), stalkless (sessile), narrowly oblong, pointed, and entire. 
Very rare. In stony, rocky woods ; near Bath and in Sussex, found as an escape from cultivation 
in some other districts. June — July. Biennial. 
II. BOX. (BUX'US. Linn.) — Flowers clustered together in the axils of the leaves, some without 
pistils (male) and some without stamens (female) in the same cluster (monoecious). The perianth, 
which has bracts at the base, is 4-lobed, inserted below the seedcase (inferior) ; stamens 4 in the 
male flowers, absent in the female ; carpels 3 in the female flowers, united into a seedcase, and 
separating into 3 styles and stigmas, absent in the male flowers ; fruit a 3-celled capsule with 
3 horns, each cell containing 2 seeds. Evergreen shrubs or small trees with opposite, entire leaves. 
Common Box. (Bux'us sempervirens. Linn.)— As just described. The only British 
species, with clusters of minute greenish-yellow, unpleasant-smelling flowers, the male with 
1 small bract under the perianth and with long stamens with large yellow protruding anthers, and 
the female with 3 bracts just under the perianth, and the capsules oblong, with 3 horns, hard and 
almost woody. The shrub is 4-10 feet high and is much branched; the leaves are evergreen, 
small, opposite, thick, oblong-oval, and entire. [Plate 46. 
This is a very well known shrub ; it is largely used in gardens for borders for flower-beds, for 
hedges, and when allowed to grow into trees is often clipped into fantastic shapes as best pleases 
the copyist of Dutch gardens. The close-grained wood is invaluable for engraving. 
Very rare. On dry chalky hills ; in Surrey and Kent. April— May. Perennial. 
III. DOG’S MERCURY. (MERCURIALIS. Linn.) — Flowers small, green, with stamenless 
(female) and pistilless (male) flowers on the same plant (monoecious) or with all stamenless on one 
and all pistilless on another plant (dioecious) ; the male flowers being arranged in small clusters 
forming a spike-like cluster, and the female usually solitary or in small clusters, all in the axils of 
the leaves and terminating the stem. Perianth of 3 lobes, inserted below the seedcase 
(hypogynous) ; stamens 8-16 in the male flowers, in the female 2 or 3 antherless filaments; carpels 
usually 2 in the female flowers, united into a 2-celled seedcase, with 2 styles and stigmas, absent 
in the male flowers ; fruit a 2-lobed capsule, each lobe bursting down the back to free the single 
seed. Herbs with opposite leaves with stipules at the base. 
(1) Common Dog’s Mercury. (MercurMlis peren'nis.) — Capsules large, minutely warted; 
stem unbranched ; root creeping. 
(2) Annual Dog’s Mercury. (Mercuridlis an'nua.) — Capsule small with large pointed warts ; 
stem branched ; root fibrous. 
1 . Common Dog’s Mercury. (Mercuridlis peren'nis. Linn.) — As just described. 
The flowers with stamens are clustered up a slender spike-like flower-stem in the axils of the leaves 
in one plant, and those with pistils are solitary or 2 together, stalked, in the leaf-axils of another 
(dioecious). The female flowers have large capsules, rough with minute warts and soft prickles. 
The stems are about 1 foot high, unbranched, and erect ; the leaves are opposite, shortly 
stalked or nearly stalkless, oblong or lance-shaped, and coarsely toothed ; and the root is creeping. 
[Plate 46. 
