The Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) is a very common roadside plant in most districts, valued by many villagers as a remedy for rheumatism. It has a short, woody rootstock; and erect, branching stems varying from two to four feet in height. The leaves are deeply cut into narrow, acute segments which are either coarsely serrate or lobed. They are green and smooth above, but very white with a woolly down below. The flower-heads are very numerous, erect, and arranged in a somewhat crowded, long, terminal panicle. Each head is surrounded by a woolly involucre, and consists of from fifteen to over twenty florets, either all perfect or including a few without stamens. They are oval in form, and of a reddish or yellowish-brown colour. The plant blooms throughout the summer.
The Tansy.
In the same genus is the Absinth or Wormwood (A. Absinthium), which is not so tall or so slender as the last species, from which it may readily be distinguished by its powerful aroma and bitter taste. The whole of the plant is whitish with a close, fine down; and the erect stems, from one to two feet high, are stiff and hard. The leaves are very similar to those of the Mugwort, but are much broader, are silky on both sides, and the narrow lobes of the leaves are blunt at the tips. The flower-heads are also similarly arranged, but they are almost globular in form, very silky, and more or less drooping. The florets are numerous, and of a dull yellow colour, the central ones being mostly fertile, while the outer, without stamens, are small, and often barren. The plant flowers during August and September, is not so common as the last species, but is abundant in districts near the sea.
One of the most conspicuous flowers of the summer is the Common Ragwort (Senecio Jacobæa). It belongs to the same genus as the Groundsel, but differs in having very showy, terminal corymbs of large, bright yellow flowers with spreading rays. Its erect stem does not branch, as a rule, except near the top, and reaches a height of from one to three or four feet. The outer bracts of the involucre are small and few in number, and both these and the inner ones are generally tipped with black. Occasionally we may meet with plants of this species in which the flower-heads have no ray, but in general the ray is well-formed, and consists of about twelve narrow or oblong florets.
The Wormwood.
The Common Feverfew (Matricaria Parthenium or Chrysanthemum Parthenium) is a very abundant wayside flower, of which a double variety is commonly grown in gardens. The plant reaches a foot or more in height, and flowers freely from July to September. The stems are erect and branched; and the leaves are stalked and pinnately divided into ovate or oblong, lobed, toothed segments. The numerous flower-heads are arranged in a corymb, and are about half an inch in diameter, with white ray and yellow disc. The plant may be distinguished from similar species of the same genus by the little toothed border on the summit of the ripe fruits, and by the strong and somewhat pleasant odour of all its parts.
The Ragwort.