Field and Woodland Plants

by William S. Furneaux

The Wild Mignonette (Reseda lutea—order Resedaceæ) is very common in some chalky districts, generally in fields and other open ground, and may be easily recognised by its close resemblance to the well-known Sweet Mignonette (R. odorata), which is so highly valued as a garden flower on account of its pleasant perfume. It is of a shrubby nature, from one to two feet high, with scattered, stipuled leaves, the lower of which are pinnate, while the upper are three-lobed. The flowers are irregular, yellow, and arranged in short, conical racemes. The six sepals are unequal and linear; and the petals, also six in number, are very unequal, while the posterior one is divided into many parts. The flowers bloom throughout the summer.

One of the most characteristic flowers of the chalk is the pretty Rock Rose (Helianthemum vulgare—order Cistaceæ), which is often so abundant that it completely covers large patches of banks and pasture-land. The plant is of a procumbent nature, with woody stems, and opposite, flat, oval or oblong leaves, green above and hoary beneath. The yellow flowers are from three-quarters to an inch in diameter, and are arranged in racemes. There are five sepals, two of which are very small; and the numerous stamens are sensitive, spreading out and lying on the petals when the flower is squeezed. The time of flowering is from June to September.

An allied species—the Hoary Rock Rose (H. canum or H. marifolium)—may be found in the limestone districts of the West of England, flowering from May to July. The plant is very similar to the last, but the leaves are not stipuled, are smooth or hairy above, and very hoary beneath. The flowers, too, are much smaller.

A species of Violet—the Hairy Violet (Viola hirta—order Violaceæ)—may be found in some limestone and chalk districts, and also on some dry soils removed from calcareous rocks. It has no runners like those of other species, and its cordate leaves are very hairy, on petioles covered with spreading hairs. The flowers are scentless, pale violet or white, with bracts below the middle of the peduncle; and the spur of the corolla is long, blunt, flattened, and hooked.

Two species of Flax (order Linaceæ) are to be found on chalky soils. One—the Perennial Flax (Linum perenne)—grows in hilly districts, but is not at all common. It is a slender plant, with numerous wiry stems from one to two feet high; and sessile, linear, acute leaves. The petals are of a beautiful sky-blue colour, but so lightly attached that it is difficult to secure a perfect specimen. The other species—the Narrow-leaved Flax (L. angustifolium)—is moderately common on calcareous hills of the South and West of England. It is very similar to the last, and grows to about the same height, but its many stems are more irregularly branched, and the alternate leaves are linear-lanceolate. The corolla is of a lighter lilac-blue colour. L. perenne blooms during June and July, and the narrow-leaved species from June to September. The latter is shown on [Plate VIII].

Quite a number of species of leguminous plants (order Leguminosæ), may, as a rule, be met with on dry soils, but only two common ones may be described as particularly partial to chalk and limestone localities. These are the Tufted Horse-shoe Vetch (Hippocrepis comosa) and the Sainfoin or Cock's-head (Onobrychis sativa). The former, represented on [Plate VIII], is a low, smooth, prostrate plant, six to eighteen inches long, with yellow flowers that bloom from May to August. This plant is sometimes confused with the Bird's-foot Trefoil, which it rather closely resembles in general appearance, but it may be readily distinguished by the pinnate leaves and the peculiar form of the pods. The latter are flattened, and break up, when ripe, into from three to six one-seeded, horse-shoe-shaped segments—a feature which has given rise to the popular name.

The Sainfoin is often cultivated in the South-East of England as fodder for cattle, but may frequently be found growing wild. It is a very pretty, erect plant, from one to two feet high, with dense racemes of rosy-red flowers beautifully striped with a darker tint. The stem is stout and downy, and the pinnate leaves have membranous stipules and numerous oblong leaflets which terminate abruptly in a point. The pod is compressed, semicircular in form, indehiscent, and toothed along the lower edge. This species flowers during June and July.

The Sainfoin.

On some chalky heaths the True Sweet-briar (Rosa rubiginosa—order Rosaceæ) is a common shrub, growing from three to six feet high, and flowering during June and July. It is an erect and compact bush, with numerous prickles of varying shapes—the larger ones being hooked, while the smaller are straight and very unequal. The leaves are compound and stipuled, and the leaflets are rounded at the base, downy, and doubly serrate. The flowers often grow singly, but more commonly from two to four together; they are of a deep rose colour, and the persistent sepals are pinnately divided. The fruit is at first pear-shaped, but afterwards becomes almost globular, and turns red when ripe.