THE WELSH POPPY— continued. 
stamens is the elliptical-oblong ovary, smooth externally but made up of from four to 
six united carpels, which are indicated externally by grooves. Internally, the ovary 
is one-chambered, the narrow thread-like placentas passing upward into a short 
conical style which persists in the fruit. The four- to six-rayed stigma rises in a 
convex form above this, its rays being free ; and the fruit bursts by valves, below 
the style, alternating with the stigmatic lobes. The numerous, small, dark brown 
or black seeds have their surfaces pitted with a finely netted pattern of deep five- 
sided hollows. 
The Welsh Poppy seems to have been first recognised in Britain by Lobel, 
some of whose notes came after his death into the possession of Parkinson. The 
first printed record appears in this way in the “ Theatrum Botanicum ” of the latter, 
which belongs to 1640, and has a fairly good woodcut of the species. Parkinson calls 
the plant Argemone Cambro-Britanica lutea, Yellow wild Bastard Poppy of IVales, and 
thus describes it and its habitats. 
“This yellow Poppy hath many wingeH large spreacle leaves, lying upon the ground, that is, many leaves set together on 
each side of a middle rib, each divided leafe being somewhat deepely cut in, in some places of the edges, more than others, of a 
deepe, but faire greene colour : among these leaves rise up, divers branched stalk.es two foote high, having some such leaves 
thereon, but smaller, at severall distances, and at the tops of the stalkes and branches, a faire yellow somewhat large flower, 
consisting of four rounde leaves, with many yellow threads in the middle, standing about a long greene head in the middle, 
which when the flower is fallen and the head is ripe, is then larger than the . . . long headed wilde Poppy, but in the like 
manner smaller at the bottone and bigger at the toppe, with a small head thereon, containing much small blacke seed, lying 
within severall cels, in the same fashion that the other Poppies doe : the roote is long, and brownish on the outside, spreading 
into some branches, and divers small fibres thereat, which perisheth not every yeare, as the other sorts before specified doe , . 
“ Groweth in many places of Wales, in the valleyes and fields, at the foote of the hils, and by the water sides, about a mile 
from a small village called Abbar^ and in the midway from Denbigh to Guider , . , , as also neere a woodden bridge, that 
giveth passage over the river />«, to a small village called Halam^ . . . and in going up the hill that leades to Banghor^ as also 
neere Anglesey . . . was found ... by Lobel in his life time, and therefore entituled justly according to the Country,” 
