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BRITISH WILD FLOWERS. 
§ 1 •—Stem racemose, occasionally somewhat forked. 
1.—THE VARIEGATED CATCHFLY. (Silene quinquevulnera, Lin.) 
Engravings.— Eng. Bot., t. 86 ; 2nd ed., t. 623 ; and our fly. 6, lateral, alternate, erect, as well as the capsules. Calyx somewhat 
in PI. 17. shaggy. {Smith.) 
Specific Character. —Hairy. Petals roundish, entire. Flowers 
Description, &c. —This curious little plant has only been found near Croydon, near Worthing, and in 
Kent. It is an annual, and flowers from June till August, but will only grow on a sandy soil. The name of 
quinquevulnera , which signifies five wounds, alludes to the five blood-coloured spots which are in the centre of 
the flower. 
THE ENGLISH CATCHFLY. (S. anglica, Lin.) 
This is an inconspicuous plant, with dingy white flowers. 
§ 2. —Stem forked ; branches panicled. 
2.— THE BLADDER CAMPION. (Silene inflata, Smith.) 
Synonymes. —Cucuhalus Behen, Lin.; Lychnis Behen, Scop. 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot., t. 164 ; 2nd ed., t. 620 ; and our fig. 
3, in PI. 17. 
Specific Character. —Flowers copiously panicled, drooping. Petals 
cloven half-way down, mostly without scales. Calyx smooth, inflated, 
reticulated. Stem erect. Leaves ovate, acute. [Smith.) 
Description, &c. —The Bladder Campion is a plant well known in corn-fields, and by the road-side, 
particularly in chalky or calcareous soils. The stem and leaves are of a bluish green, and the latter are 
somewhat fleshy ; the calyx is beautifully veined with green and purple, and the flowers are of a pure white. 
It is a perennial plant, and flowers from June till September. The old writers on the fabulous history of flowers 
say that the Bladder Campion was formerly a youth named Campion, who was employed by Minerva to catch 
flies for her owls, to feed them during the day when they could not see any prey themselves; but Campion 
going to sleep instead of attending to his duty, he was changed by the offended goddess into this flower, which 
still retains in its form the bladder he used to keep his flies in, and which droops its flowers at night, when 
Minerva’s birds, the owls, are most active. 
3.—THE SEA-CAMPION. 
Synonymes. —S. amcena, Huds.; S. uniflora, Roth.; S. inflata /3, 
Hooker ; S. inflata uniflora, Otth. 
Engravings. —Eng. Bot. t. 957 ; 2nd ed., t. 621 : and our fig. 4, 
in PI. 17. 
(Silene maritima, With.) 
Specific Character. —Flowers slightly panicled, or solitary, terminal. 
Petals cloveu, each with a cloven, acute scale. Calyx smooth, inflated, 
reticulated. Stem recumbent. Leaves lanceolate. (Smith.) 
Description, &c. —This species is found in great abundance on the sea-coast in the south of England, 
particularly between Brighton and Shoreham, where the ground is so completely covered with it, that it looks 
like a white sheet. It is a perennial plant, and so nearly allied to the preceding species, as to be considered by 
some botanists to he merely a variety of it; but it is easily distinguished by its procumbent stems, the broadness 
of its petals, and the smallness of its leaves; besides which, the calyx is less inflated. This species is often 
found in inland situations, growing in the mountainous districts, in the bed of Alpine torrents. 
