Field and Woodland Plants

by William S. Furneaux

The Balm.

The Balm (Melissa officinalis) is a common garden herb in some parts, and in the South of England it is now fairly established as a wild flower, though, at present, it is not often found very far from the habitations of man. It is a hairy plant, much like a Calamint in general appearance, growing from one to three feet high, and bearing white flowers in July and August. Its leaves are stalked, ovate, acute, toothed or crenate, of a pale green below; and the flowers are shortly-stalked, in few-flowered, axillary whorls.

The Black Horehound (Ballota nigra), shown on [Plate III], Fig. 2, is a coarse, hairy plant, with an unpleasant odour, commonly seen on roadsides and wastes, flowering continuously from the beginning of June to September or October. Its erect stem often exceeds three feet in height, and branches more or less freely. The purple flowers are in dense clusters in the axils of the leaves, and beneath them are several narrow, stiff bracts. The calyx is about a third of an inch long, green or purple-green in colour, with ten prominent ribs, and five broad teeth which usually terminate abruptly in a fine, stiff point. The corolla is of a purple colour, twice as long as the calyx, with an arched, oval upper lip; and a slightly longer lower lip of three segments, the middle one of which is the largest.

The Hedge Woundwort.

Our last example of the wayside Labiates is the Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica)—a very abundant and pretty plant that grows most luxuriantly in damp, shady places, such as the borders of ditches, the edges of woods, and shady banks and hedgerows. Its square stem is solid and stout, straight and erect, and more or less branched. All the leaves are stalked, the upper ones being narrow and entire, while the lower are large, ovate or cordate, with a crenate or toothed edge and a very pointed apex. The flowers, which bloom from July to September, are in distant whorls of from six to ten, in the axils of the upper leaves, forming long spikes. The calyx is bell-shaped, with ten ribs, and five spreading teeth which are pointed, but not stiff; and the corolla, the tube of which is longer than the calyx, is of a dark, red-purple colour, prettily variegated with white on the lower lip. This plant varies from one to three feet in height and has a very unpleasant odour.

We next take a few examples of the Borage family (order Boraginaceæ), all of which are herbs more or less rough with coarse hairs, having alternate, simple leaves, and flowers in one-sided spikes or racemes which are rolled back while in bud. In all of them the calyx has five divisions or teeth, and the corolla consists of five united petals of equal or nearly equal size. There are five stamens within the tube of the corolla, and the fruit consists of four nutlets enclosed in the persistent calyx.

One of these—the Field Scorpion Grass (Myosotis arvensis)—is often called the Forget-me-not, but it usually grows in dry waste places, while the true Forget-me-not is found in wet situations. The flowers of this species are also very much smaller. The stem of the plant is thin, and bears small, oval, hairy leaves. The small blue corolla has short, spreading, concave segments, and is surrounded by a calyx that is cleft to the middle, and covered with hooked hairs. The sepals spread while the flower is open, but assume an erect position when in fruit. As a further means of distinguishing between this and other similar species of the same genus we should note that the peduncle is longer than the calyx, and that the style is very short. The plant varies from six to eighteen inches in height, and flowers throughout the summer.

The Gromwell or Grey Millet (Lithospermum officinale) is a stout plant with several erect, branched stems. The flowers are small, of a pale yellow colour, in leafy racemes. The calyx is hairy and very deeply cleft into five segments; and the corolla, which is about the same length as the calyx, is funnel-shaped, with small scales in the throat of its tube. This plant derives its generic name of Lithospermum from the nature of its fruit, which consists of white, stony nutlets with a smooth and polished surface. Its height is from twelve to eighteen inches; and the flowers appear during June and July.