The Black Mustard.
The Wild Radish or White Charlock (Raphanus Raphanistrum) is a common corn-field weed, somewhat resembling the mustards just described in general appearance, but its pods are distinctly constricted between the seeds, and often split when ripe into from three to seven one-seeded joints. The plant is bristly, and grows from one to two feet high, flowering from May to September. The petals are either white with purplish veins, or pale yellow, or lilac; and the pods, over an inch long, are tipped by the conical style, which is about twice as long as the last joint.
Coming now to the order Caryophyllaceæ we have to note the pretty Corn Cockle (Lychnis Githago), which is commonly seen in the midst of the corn, often growing so tall that its pale purple flowers peep above the ears. Its stem is clothed with long, soft, white hairs; and the leaves are all long, narrow and entire. The flowers, which appear during July and August, are usually over an inch in diameter, and are solitary on long, leafless peduncles. This flower appears on [Plate VII].
The Corn Spurrey.
The same order includes the Corn Spurrey (Spergula arvensis), a low, procumbent plant, with small, white flowers that bloom from June to August. Its slender stem varies from six to eighteen inches long, and the narrow, whorled leaves from one to two inches. The flowers are only a quarter of an inch in diameter, with sepals usually a little shorter than the petals.
In the order Linaceæ we have the Common Flax or Linseed (Linum usitatissimum), which is cultivated in some districts, and often appears as a weed in fields. It is an erect, smooth plant, with a slender stem about a foot high, and very narrow, entire, acute leaves, about an inch long. The flowers are in a loose, terminal corymb, and have five acute sepals; five bright blue petals over half an inch long, which fall early; five perfect and five imperfect stamens; and an ovary with five styles. It flowers during July. (See [Plate VII].)
The Shepherd's Needle or Venus's Comb (Scandix Pecten-Veneris) of the order Umbelliferæ derives its name from the long, flat, needle-like beaks of the fruits that are placed almost parallel like the teeth of a coarse comb. The plant is erect, branched, from three to twelve inches high; and the general character of its leaves and inflorescence may be gathered from our illustration. The flowers are small, white, with larger outer petals; and the carpels of the fruit are cylindrical, about a third of an inch long, with beaks about an inch and a half. The plant flowers from June to September.
