William S. Furneaux

A considerable number of our flowering plants exhibit a decided partiality for the neighbourhood of the sea, and many are to be found only on the sea cliffs or in salt marshes not far from the shore. The principal of these will be now briefly described, dealing first with the monocotyledons, and then with the more highly organised dicotyledons.

The chief distinguishing features of these two groups have already been referred to, but it will be advisable here to give them in somewhat fuller detail.

Fig. 275.—Transverse Section of the Stem of a Monocotyledon

The monocotyledonous plants, then, are those in which the stem is more or less woody and cylindrical, without either true bark or pith; and the woody tissue is not arranged in concentric rings, but in isolated bundles, which first bend inwards, as they rise, towards the centre of the stem, and then curve outwards towards the surface, which is hardened by the formation of a layer of hard woody matter. As a rule the stem is unbranched, and its growth takes place by a single bud at the summit. In nearly all of them the leaves are long and narrow, with veins running parallel throughout their length; and the parts of the flower are arranged in whorls of three or six. The outer whorl of the flower is often a conspicuous white or coloured perianth (that portion of the flower which lies outside the anthers), but in some the perianth is absent, the flower being protected by scaly bracts. The seeds are produced in a case called the ovary, and are fertilised by pollen grains which are developed in the anthers. When the pollen grains are set free they alight on the adhesive stigma, and grow, sending their tubes down into the ovary. The term monocotyledon is applied to these plants because the embryo has only one cotyledon or seed-leaf.

Fig. 276.—Leaf of a Monocotyledon

The principal divisions of this group are the Glumaceous Monocotyledons, in which the flower has no perianth, but is enclosed in scaly bracts or husks called glumes; and the Petaloid Monocotyledons, distinguished generally by the presence of a more or less conspicuous white or coloured perianth. The first of these includes the rushes, sedges, and grasses; and the other contains the lilies and orchids, with their allies, together with certain aquatic and semi-aquatic plants.

Among the Grasses there are several species that show a preference for the immediate neighbourhood of the sea, some growing luxuriantly at the bases of the cliffs where the beach is sandy, and others thriving best in salt marshes; but before dealing with these individually we shall note the general characteristics of the order (GramineÆ) to which they belong.

Grasses are distinguished by their jointed stems, which are usually hollow, with a split sheath, and bearing alternately arranged narrow leaves. The flowers, which are disposed either in spikes (sessile flowers arranged along a common axis) or in panicles (flowers stalked and arranged as in fig. 281), consist of scale-like bracts enclosing the stamens and the pistil. The bracts are in two series, the outer usually consisting of two glumes, and the inner of two pales; the upper pale, however, has two ribs running through it, and is therefore usually looked upon as a combination of two. In some species both glumes and pales are absent; but the former, when present, enclose one or more flowers, among which may be some that are abortive. The stamens are generally three in number, attached to the base of the flower; and the ovary is superior or free, that is, it grows above the other parts of the flower, and contains but one seed.It will be convenient at this stage to refer briefly to the two principal methods by which the pollen of flowers is transferred to the stigmas for the purposes of fertilisation, and to see how various species are structurally adapted to the means by which the transfer is brought about.

Speaking generally, we may classify flowers into those which are fertilised by the wind (anemophilous flowers) and those in which the pollen is transferred by insects (entomophilous flowers). The former offer no attractions to allure the various forms of insect life. They are, generally speaking, very inconspicuous, being of small size and having no bright corollas. None of them are scented, nor do they produce the sweet nectar that forms the principal food of so many insects. Their anthers are borne on long filaments, so that they are exposed freely to the wind; and they produce abundance of pollen to compensate for the very wasteful method of wind-dispersion. The pollen, too, is not very adherent, so that it may be readily carried away by the breeze; and the plants concerned often produce their flowers early in the spring, before the leaves have appeared, thus giving the wind very free play.

Fig. 277.—Expanded Spikelet of the Oat

G. glumes; P.e, outer pale; P.i, inner pale; A, awn; F.S, a sterile flower. The stamens and the feathery stigmas of the fertile flower are also shown

Insect-fertilised flowers, on the other hand, are usually of attractive appearance; and, though often small and inconspicuous individually, they are in such cases grouped together in more or less showy clusters. They are also usually scented, and supply nectar and pollen to the insects which they allure. Some are fertilised by insects that fly by day, and these often close their petals on the approach of night, thus protecting their pollen during the period in which their fertilisers sleep. Others, fertilised by nocturnal insects, always spread their petals during the night, and generally protect their pollen from waste by sleeping throughout the day. As a rule, too, these night-bloomers have large and pale-coloured petals that are more easily seen by night; they also evolve a powerful scent to aid the insects in searching them out.

It will be seen that the economic relationship existing between flowers and insects is a mutual one, the latter visiting the former in order to obtain food, while the former derive in return the advantage of a direct transfer of pollen from flower to flower.

It is a well-known fact that the self-fertilisation of a flower often results in the development of very weak seedlings as compared with those that are produced by crossing; and it often happens that the pollen of a flower is incapable of producing the least effect when deposited on the stigma of the same bloom. In some cases the contact of the pollen of a flower with its own stigma will even act as a poison, causing the whole to shrivel and die; and truly wonderful are the varied means by which flowers contrive to secure a cross-fertilisation. It is here that the work of the wind and insects proves so valuable to flowers; but, in addition to this, a very large number of flowers are absolutely incapable of self-fertilisation, for the anthers and the stigma are not mature at the same time, or they exist in separate flowers, either on the same plant or on distinct plants of the same species. It is most interesting and instructive to study the many contrivances by which flowers compel certain insects to convey the pollen exactly in the way that best serves their purpose, sometimes even entrapping them after they have been allured, and not allowing them to escape until they are thoroughly dusted with the pollen which they are required to convey; but it is hardly our province to enter more fully into this matter in these pages.

An examination of the grasses will show at once that they are adapted for fertilisation by the wind. The flowers produce no nectar; and, consistently, develop no bright petals and evolve no odours to attract insects. On the other hand, their anthers produce abundance of lightly-adhering pollen, and are mounted on long filaments which hold them well exposed to the wind; and the stigmas are well adapted for catching the scattered grains, being long and protruding, and often covered with sticky hairy or feathery appendages.

Although the flowers of grasses are generally wanting in attractive colours, the clusters of blossoms are often very graceful and pretty, especially when the large anthers, covered with bright-yellow pollen, dangle in the breeze.

We will now briefly describe the principal British grasses that grow chiefly or exclusively in the immediate neighbourhood of the sea.

The Sea Hard Grass (Lepturus filiformis) is a perennial species, usually about six inches in height, very common on some sandy coasts, and found in flower during the hottest months of the summer. The flowers are arranged in simple spikes, on slender erect stems; and the glumes, which are united at their bases, enclose a single bloom.

In similar situations we may find the Sea Lyme Grass (Elymus arenarius), a tall species, often reaching a height of four feet, with glaucous rigid leaves. The flowers are arranged in a simple spike, but the spikelets are clustered two or three together. This species flowers in August.

Of the well-known Barley Grasses there is one species (Hordeum maritimum) that has its habitat along the coast. Like the others of its genus, the spikelets are arranged in threes, each bearing a single flower, and the pales have long slender processes (awns) which constitute the so-called beard. It also resembles the common Meadow Barley Grass in having the middle flower of each three perfect, while the two laterals are abortive, but may be distinguished by its rough and bristly glumes, and the semi-oval form of the pales of the lateral flowers. It is a somewhat stunted species, sometimes only five or six inches in height, and may be found in flower about Midsummer.

The Brome Grasses have also a representative of a sea-loving nature, which is to be found in fields near the cliffs. It is the Field Brome Grass (Bromus arvensis), an annual grass that grows to a height of two or three feet. Brome grasses generally are known by their loose panicles of flowers, lanceolate and compressed spikelets, and awned florets enclosed in unequal glumes; and B. arvensis may be distinguished by its hairy leaves and stem-sheath, and the drooping panicle with the lower peduncle branched.

Fig. 278.—The Sea Lyme Grass

Among the Meadow Grasses we have three or four coast species. In these the florets are in panicles and are not awned. The outer glumes are keeled and traversed by several veins; and the lower pales are also keeled, with five or more nerves. The Sea Meadow Grass (Poa maritima) grows in salt marshes near the sea, its erect rigid panicles reaching a height of about eight or ten inches. It has a creeping root, and its leaves are curved inward at the margins. The Procumbent Meadow Grass (P. procumbens) and a variety of the Reflexed Meadow Grass (P. distans) are also plentiful in salt marshes. The former may be known by the short rigid branches of its panicle and the five ribs of the lower pales; and the latter is much like P. maritima, but grows taller, and its spikelets are crowded. The Wheat Meadow Grass (P. loliacea) grows on sandy shores. Its spikelets are arranged singly and alternately along the central axis, and the upper glume reaches to the base of the fourth floret. This species flowers in June, but the other three of the same genus bloom from July to September.

The reader is probably acquainted with the Fescue Grass, with its awned flowers arranged in one-sided panicles. There are no less than seven species, one of which—the Single-husked Fescue (Festuca uniglumis)—grows on sandy shores, flowering in June and July, and reaching a height of from nine to twelve inches. The panicles are upright and unbranched, and the species may be readily known by the flowers, which are compressed, with long awns, and with the lower glumes wanting.

Knappia agrostidea is a dwarf species, rarely exceeding four inches in height, that is found on certain sandy shores, but is very local. Its flowers are arranged in a simple spike, the spikelets being solitary and unilateral, with only a single flower, and the pales are shaggy. The plant has several stems which bear short, rough leaves.

The Mat Grass or Sea Reed (Ammophila arundinacea) is common on many sandy coasts, where it grows to a height of three or four feet, and flowers in July. The white flowers are clustered in dense cylindrical, pointed spikes; and the leaves are of a glaucous green colour, rigid, and curved inward at the edges.

Dog’s-tooth Grass (Cynodon dactylon). This species has a creeping root, and the leaves are downy on the under side. The flowers are arranged in a compound spreading spike, of three to five parts, and the spikelets are of a purplish colour, ovate in form, and arranged in pairs. The glumes are equal in size. It is found on sandy shores, grows to a height of about six inches, and flowers in July.

A species of Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea) is also to be seen on sandy coasts. Unlike the other species of the same genus, its flowers form an erect spreading panicle, and the glumes are not keeled. It is also taller than the common canary grass of waste places, often reaching a height of three feet, and is commonly known as the Reed Canary Grass.

Fig. 279.—Knappia agrostidea

Fig. 280.—The Dog’s-tooth Grass

Fig. 281.—The Reed Canary Grass

The Sea Cat’s-tail Grass (Phleum arenarium) is common on many coasts. It is much smaller than the common species of Cat’s-tail, being generally less than a foot high. The spike is of an elongated oval form, blunt at the tip and narrow at the base; and the glumes are narrow, pointed at both ends, and fringed. Each spikelet has but one flower.

In salt marshes we occasionally meet with the Perennial Beard Grass (Polypogon littoralis), but it is somewhat rare. It has a creeping root, and the flowers form a somewhat dense spike-like panicle. The glumes have a slender awn. It grows to a height of one to two feet, and flowers in July.

The Tuberous Fox-tail Grass (Alopecurus bulbosus) is another rare grass of the salt marshes, where it grows to the height of twelve to sixteen inches, flowering in May and June. The genus to which it belongs is very closely allied to Phleum, but may be distinguished by having only one pale to each flower, and this species has a long awn attached to the back portion. The panicle, too, is cylindrical and slender, the glumes quite free and abruptly pointed, and the awns longer than the pales.

The last of the sea-side grasses are two rare species of Cord Grass (Spartina), both of which are found in salt marshes. In these the inflorescence is a compound spike, with one-sided spikelets inserted in a double row. The glumes are keeled and pointed; the pales cleft, pointed and without awns; and the styles two in number, very long. The only British species of the genus are the two (S. stricta and S. alternifolia) referred to above. They both grow to a height of about eighteen inches, and flower in late summer. In the former the spikes number two or three, and are longer than the leaves; and the outer glume is hairy, with a single nerve. The latter, which is the rarer of the two, bears several spikes, shorter than the leaves; and the outer glume has five nerves.

Certain of the sedges (order CyperaceÆ) are also more or less familiar to the sea-side naturalist, and must therefore receive a small share of our attention. In general terms these are grasslike, monocotyledonous plants, the stems of which are solid, jointed, and frequently angular. The leaves are very similar to those of grasses, except that the sheaths, which surround the stem, are not split. The flowers are generally arranged in a spike, overlapping each other, and each one supported on a scale-like bract. In some sedges the flowers are perfect, each one possessing both stamens and pistil; but in some species the flowers are unisexual, some bearing stamens and no pistil, and others pistil only. The stamens are generally three in number, the ovary is superior, and the stigmas either two or three.

Sedges abound in moist places, some being peculiar to salt marshes, while others grows on sandy shores; and a few of the British species of the latter habitat are often so abundant that their creeping roots bind the sand together, effectually holding it in place while the surrounding portions of the beach are mercilessly driven by the wind.

A few of the sea-side sedges belong to the genus Carex, in which the flowers are imperfect, and the fruit is enclosed in the outer parts of the flower. C. extensa thrives in salt marshes, growing to a height of a foot or more, and flowering about midsummer. Its fertile flowers form oblong erect spikelets, while the barren spikelets are solitary. The bracts are long and leafy, with short sheaths surrounding the stem. The leaves are curved in at the edges, and the fruit is oval and ribbed, with a short straight beak.

On sandy shores the Sea Sedge (C. arenaria) is often common, and its underground stems are used for sarsaparilla. It is a perennial species, growing to a height of about nine inches, and flowering in June and July. The flowers grow in an oblong interrupted spike, the upper spikelets being barren, and the intermediate ones barren at the tip. The fruit is oval, veined, and winged.

Another species of this genus—the Curved Sedge (C. incurva) —is sometimes to be seen on sandy shores, but it is rare, and is also a very small sedge, growing only to a height of about three inches. It derives its specific name from its curved stem, and may be further distinguished by its channelled leaves and the globular mass of spikelets which are barren on the top.

Fig. 282.—Male and Female Flowers of Carex, magnified

Some of the so-called rushes belong to the same order as the sedges, and a few of these are more or less restricted to the neighbourhood of the sea. The Salt-marsh Club Rush (Scirpus maritimus), as its name implies, is to be found in marshes near the sea. It is very variable in height, ranging from one to three feet, and displays its dense terminal cluster of spikelets in July and August. In this genus all the flowers are perfect, the glumes imbricated and bristled; and the present species may be distinguished by the glumes being divided into two sharply pointed lobes. A variety of S. lacustris may also be found on the sea shore, but it is somewhat rare. It has a leafless glaucous stem, and flowers arranged in compound spikes. The glumes are rough, and contain a compressed fruit.

A very small species of the Spike Rush (Eleocharis parvula), growing only one or two inches high, is sometimes found on the muddy shores of Ireland. It has perfect flowers, in a single terminal spikelet. The leaves are very narrow, growing from the base of the plant; and the round stem is enclosed in a single leafless sheath.The true rushes belong to the order JuncaceÆ. These have fibrous roots and narrow leaves, and bear clusters of brown flowers. The perianth consists of six parts, and the stamens are usually six in number. The ovary is generally three-celled, developing into a three-valved capsule. The Lesser Sea Rush (Juncus maritimus) is common in salt marshes, growing to a height of two or three feet, and flowering in July. It has a rigid leafless stem, bearing lateral clusters of flowers. The segments of the perianth are very narrow and sharp, and the seeds are enclosed in a loose testa. Closely allied to this species is the Great Sea Rush (J. acutus), which grows three or four feet high on sandy shores. In general characteristics it resembles J. maritimus, but the segments of the perianth are oval and have thin transparent margins; and it is a much rarer species.

Fig. 283.—The Sea Sedge

Fig. 284.—The Curved Sedge

Fig. 285.—The Great Sea Rush

We now pass to the peculiar Sea Grasses or Grass Wracks (Zostera) which grow in salt water. They belong to the order NaiadaceÆ, and are characterised by cellular leaves with parallel veins, and inconspicuous unisexual or bisexual flowers. The perianth, when present at all, consists of two or four scale-like parts, and the stamens correspond in number with these. The ovary is free, and the carpels, one or more in number, contain each a single ovule. In Zostera the flowers are imperfect, and seem to grow in the slit of the leaf. There are two species, both of which grow in shallow water close to the shore, often in such dense masses that they impede the progress of boats. They have long creeping stems that lie buried in the sand, giving off numerous root-fibres, and send up to the surface slender branches that bear grass-like leaves. The flowers are unisexual, and are arranged in two rows on the same side of a flattened stalk that is enclosed in a sheath formed by short leaves. They have no perianth, the male flowers being composed of a single anther, and the female of a one-celled ovary containing a single ovule, and surmounted by a style with two long stigmas.

There are two species—the Broad-leaved Grass Wrack (Z. marina) with leaves one to three feet long and traversed by three or more parallel veins, and the Dwarf Grass Wrack (Z. nana), the leaves of which are less than a foot long, with veins numbering one to three. There is a variety of the former, however, named Angustifolia, in which the leaves are much narrower than usual, and the veins fewer in number.

Fig. 286.—The Broad-leaved Grass Whack

Fig. 287.—The Sea-side Arrow Grass

Fig. 288.—The Common Asparagus

The order AlismaceÆ, which contains the water plantains, arrow-heads, and other semi-aquatic plants, has a representative of marine tendencies in the Sea-side Arrow Grass (Triglochin maritimum). The flowers of this order are bisexual, with six stamens and a six-parted perianth. The fruit consists of many carpels; and, although the plants are monocotyledons, their leaves have netted veins; and altogether they somewhat resemble the ranunculaceous exogens. The Sea-side Arrow Grass is abundant in some salt marshes, growing to a height of about a foot, and produces loose simple spikes of green flowers all through the summer. The leaves are radical, narrow and fleshy; and the ovary consists of six carpels.Of the interesting order LiliaceÆ we have only one plant of the coast, and even that—the Asparagus—is not by any means generally common. It is the same plant that is so largely cultivated as an article of diet, and which is so highly valued on account of its diuretic properties. It is moderately common on parts of the south coast, particularly in the Isle of Portland and in West Cornwall, and its general appearance is so graceful that it is largely employed as an ornamental garden plant. The stem is erect and freely branched, bearing feathery bunches of bristled leaves and pale-yellow axillary flowers. As is the case with the LiliaceÆ generally, the flowers are bisexual, with a six-parted perianth, six stamens, and a three-celled superior ovary; and the last named, in the Asparagus, forms a bright-red berry in the autumn.

We have now to leave the monocotyledonous plants and pass on to the dicotyledons, which form the most highly developed of the primary divisions of the vegetable kingdom. A few of the general characteristics of this group have already been given, but we must now look rather more closely into the nature of the plants included.

The class receives its name from the presence of two cotyledons or seed-leaves in the embryo plant, and is also known as the ExogenÆ because the stems increase in thickness by the addition of zones of woody tissue at the exterior. When the young dicotyledonous plant first appears above the ground, the two cotyledons, which formerly served to shelter the immature bud, usually appear as tiny fleshy leaves; but these soon wither away, while the bud produces the more permanent leaves that are of a very different structure. A section of the stem will reveal distinct pith, wood, and bark, the wood being more or less distinctly divided into wedge-shaped masses by rays from the pith; and, in the case of perennial stems, the wood is arranged in concentric rings, the number of which correspond approximately with the years of growth. The leaves of exogens have their veins in the form of a network, and the parts of the flower are generally arranged in whorls of two or five or of some multiple of these numbers.

The flowers always have stamens and pistil, but in some these organs exist in separate flowers, either on the same plant, or on different plants of the same species, and the ovules are nearly always contained in a case called the ovary.

Dicotyledons are divided into three main groups, the division being based on the structure of the flowers. They are the ApetalÆ in which the petals are absent, but the perianth is frequently petaloid, though it is occasionally also absent; the GamopetalÆ, in which the petals are united; and the PolypetalÆ, in which the petals are always distinct.

Dealing with these divisions in the above order we come first to the Spurges, three species of which occur on sandy shores. They belong to the order EuphorbiaceÆ, which includes, in addition to the spurges, a number of herbs, trees, and shrubs with entire leaves often a milky juice, and small flowers, sometimes enclosed in calyx-like bracts. The flowers may have one or several stamens, and the perianth, if present, consists of three or four parts; but perhaps the best distinguishing feature of the order is the nature of the fruit, which separates elastically into three carpels.

Fig. 289.—The Sea Spurge

The Sea Spurge (Euphorbia Paralias) is commonly seen on sandy shores, where its yellow flowers bloom in late summer and in autumn. It may be distinguished among the numerous species of the genus by its narrow oblong imbricated leaves, of a tough leathery nature, the broad heart-shaped bracts, and the wrinkled capsules containing smooth seeds. The Portland Spurge (E. portlandica) is a similar plant, found in similar situations, and flowering from May to September. Its leaves are oval and narrow, obtuse, and of a glaucous colour, and the bracts are more triangular than those of the last species. The capsules are slightly rough, as are also the seeds. There is yet another sea-side spurge—the Purple Spurge (E. peplis)—a somewhat rare plant, found on some of the sandy shores of the south of England. It grows to about eight or nine inches in length, and blooms in late summer, the flowers, like those of most of the spurges, being yellow. The stem is of a glaucous colour, and trails along the ground; the leaves are opposite and somewhat heart-shaped, and the flowers solitary. This species may be distinguished from other spurges by its stipuled leaves.

On sandy cliffs we sometimes meet with the Sea Buckthorn (HippophaË rhamnoides)—a spiny shrub, ranging from about two to seven feet in height, the bark of which is covered with a silvery scaly scurf that forms a beautiful object for the microscope. It is the British representative of the Oleasters (order EleagnaceÆ). The leaves are alternate, lanceolate, with a silvery surface; and the flowers are small, green and unisexual. The male flowers grow in catkins, each arising from a scaly bract, and have a green perianth. The female flowers have a tubular perianth, and a free one-celled ovary. The latter forms a hard nut-like fruit, which is surrounded by a succulent mass formed by the former. This shrub flowers in the spring, while the leaves are still very small.

Fig. 290.—The Purple Spurge

Fig. 291.—The Sea Buckthorn

Of the order PolygonaceÆ, which includes the docks, knot grasses, buckwheats, and sorrels, we have two sea-side representatives, both belonging to the typical genus Polygonum. These are the sea-side Knot Grass (P. maritimum) and Ray’s Knot Grass (P. Raii). The plants of this order are herbs, characterised by their alternate leaves with sheathing stipules; and small flowers, usually bisexual, often with a coloured perianth. Most of the species are remarkable for their astringent and acid properties. In the genus Polygonum the flowers are usually in spikes or racemes; the perianth funnel-shaped, regular, and five-cleft. The stamens vary from five to eight in number, and the styles number two or three. The fruit is a small angular nut, usually enclosed in the perianth.

The sea-side Knot Grass is very common on some parts of the shore, where it grows from one to three feet long, and flowers in August. The stem is recumbent, tough and woody, bearing fleshy glaucous leaves with curled edges. It may be further distinguished from the other knot grasses by its long stipules, with freely-branching veins, and by the length of the fruit exceeding that of the perianth. As in the other knot grasses, the flowers arise from the axils of the leaves.

Ray’s Knot Grass is very much like the common knot grass so abundant in all waste places, the leaves being flat; and the stipules, shorter than in the last species, having but few veins; but while in the latter the fruit is shorter than the calyx, in P. Raii it is longer. This species is found on many sandy shores, and flowers in July and August.

The order ChenopodiaceÆ is particularly rich in sea-side plants, more than a dozen of the British species growing almost exclusively near the shore. They are mostly inconspicuous plants, with small flowers which are sometimes unisexual. The perianth is deeply divided, and the stamens are inserted in its base, opposite the divisions. The ovary is free, containing a single ovule.

The typical genus (Chenopodium) contains the weeds designated by the name of Goosefoot, all characterised by their straggling stems and small flat leaves. One species (C. botryoides) is common on some sandy shores. It is a small weed, its prostrate stem measuring only a few inches in length. The leaves are triangular and fleshy, and the flowers are arranged in dense leafy clusters. A variety of the Red Goosefoot (C. rubrum) is also found on the coast. It is of a reddish colour, with rhomboid leaves and short crowded spikes of flowers.

Fig. 292.—Chenopodium botryoides

On muddy shores we meet with the Common Beet (Beta maritima), the leaves of which are often cooked and eaten where the plant is abundant; and it is this species from which the different varieties of garden beet and mangold wurzel have been produced by cultivation. There are two distinct varieties of the wild plant. In one the root and leaves are of a purple colour, while in the other they are of a yellowish green. The former has been cultivated for its root, while the latter is sometimes grown for the leaves. In the wild state it has many stems, the lower parts being more or less procumbent, and the leaves are fleshy, gradually narrowing down into the stalk. The flowers, which are arranged in long, simple, leafy spikes, are bisexual, with a five-parted perianth, five stamens inserted opposite each segment, in a fleshy ring and a flattened one-celled ovary which develops into a one-seeded utricle.

In similar situations we meet with two species of Sea Purslane (Obione), in which the flowers are unisexual, both male and female flowers being on the same plant. They are also distinguished from most other Chenopods by the perianth adhering to the wall of the ovary. The Shrubby Sea Purslane (O. portulacoides) is, as its name implies, a shrubby plant. It grows to a height of eighteen inches or two feet, bearing silvery oval lanceolate leaves and sessile fruit. The other species referred to—the Stalked Sea Purslane (O. pedunculata)—is herbaceous, with oval, mealy leaves, and stalked fruit.

The Oraches (genus Atriplex) resemble the Purslanes in the granular mealiness of the foliage, and the two are so closely allied that they are often placed in the same genus. Oraches are most readily distinguished among the Chenopods by the two bracts which enclose the fruit and enlarge after flowering; and, like the Purslanes, they have unisexual flowers, both male and female being on the same plant. Three of our five British species are sea-side plants. The Frosted Sea Orache (A. arenaria) grows on sandy shores, about six or eight inches in height, and flowers during late summer and autumn. It may be known by its buff-coloured stem, with triangular or rhomboidal, jagged, silvery leaves, and clusters of sessile flowers in the axils of the leaves. Another species (A. Babingtonii) may be seen on both rocky and sandy shores, usually from one to two feet in height, and flowering from July to September. Its stem is procumbent, green with reddish stripes; leaves oval-triangular, lanceolate towards the top, three-lobed at the base of the stem, light green, with a mealy surface; flowers in terminal clusters as well as in the axils of the leaves. A third species—the Grass-leaved Orache (A. littoralis) grows in salt marshes. All its leaves are grass-like and entire, and the stem is generally marked with reddish stripes as in A. Babingtonii. The flowers, too, are in sessile axillary clusters only. This plant reaches a height of from one to two feet, and flowers in the late summer.

The Prickly Salt Wort (Salsola kali) is a very common sea-side plant on some of our coasts, and may be recognised at a glance by its general form and habit. The stem is very much branched and prostrate, forming a very bushy plant about a foot in height. It is also very brittle and succulent, furrowed and bristly, and of a bluish-green colour. The leaves are fleshy, awl-shaped, nearly cylindrical, with a spiny point, and little prickles at the base. The flowers are axillary and solitary. This plant and its exotic allies are very rich in alkaline salts, particularly carbonate of soda, and were formerly the principal source from which this compound was obtained.

Our last example of the sea-side chenopods is the Glass Wort (Salicornia), which thrives in salt marshes. In this genus the stem is jointed and the flowers bisexual. The Jointed Glass Wort (S. herbacea) is common in most salt marshes, where its erect, herbaceous, leafless stem may be seen growing to a height of a foot or more. The joints are thickened upwards, and shrink to such an extent when dry that the upper part of each segment of the stem forms a membranous socket into which fits the base of the next segment above. The flowers are arranged in dense tapering spikes, also jointed, with a cluster of three flowers on the two opposite sides of the base of each segment. Each flower is composed of a perianth, closed with the exception of a small aperture through which the stigma and, later, the stamens protrude. The Creeping Glass Wort (S. radicans) has a woody procumbent stem, with the joints only slightly thickened, and the spikes do not taper so much as in S. herbacea. Both these plants yield considerable quantities of soda, and they are named ‘Glass Wort’ because they formerly constituted one of the sources from which soda was obtained for the manufacture of glass.

We now come to those flowers in which both calyx and corolla exist, and shall deal first with the division GamopetalÆ or MonopetalÆ, in which the petals are united.

Our first example of this division is the Seaside Plantain (Plantago maritima), of the order PlantaginaceÆ. This is a stem-less herbaceous plant, with ribbed leaves and small green flowers, common on many parts of the coast, and also found on the mountains of Scotland, flowering throughout the summer. It may be distinguished from the other plantains by its narrow fleshy leaves. As in the other species, the flowers form a cylindrical spike.

The order PlumbaginaceÆ contains several sea-side plants, including the Sea Pink or Thrift (Armeria maritima) and the various species of Sea Lavender (genus Statice). They are characterised by a tubular membranous calyx, persistent and often coloured, a regular corolla of five petals united at their bases, five stamens opposite the petals and attached at the base of the ovary, and a free one-celled and one-seeded ovary. The well-known Sea Pink, with its compact head of rose-coloured flowers, in bloom throughout the spring and summer, and linear one-veined leaves, may be seen on most of our coasts, as well as on high ground in inland districts. The Sea Lavender, of which there are four British species, have their flowers arranged in spikes. The commonest species (Statice limonium) may be found principally on muddy shores. Its leaves are narrow and one-ribbed, and the bluish-purple flowers arranged in short dense spikes, the flower stalk being branched only above the middle. One variety of it has its flowers in a loose pyramidal cluster, while another bears its spikes in a compact level-topped corymb with short firm branches. Another species (S. bahusiensis) is characterised by long spikes of distant flowers, the stalk being branched from near the base. The Upright Sea Lavender (S. binervosa) of rocky shores has the stalk branched from the middle, with, usually, nearly all the branches flowering, though there are varieties in which the flowers are differently arranged. The Matted Sea Lavender (S. caspia) grows in salt marshes on the east coast of England. Its flower stalk is branched from the base, but the lower branches are barren and tangled, while the upper bear small crowded lilac flowers. The leaves of the last two species are spatulate in form.

The Bittersweet or Woody Nightshade (Solanum Dulcamara) of the order SolanaceÆ is common in hedgerows and waste places almost everywhere, but a variety of it (marinum) has its habitat along the coast. It may be distinguished from the normal form by its prostrate branched and non-climbing stem, and by its fleshy leaves. The latter are all cordate, while in the normal the upper leaves are auricular. The order to which Solanum belongs is characterised by a regular five-cleft calyx and corolla, four or five stamens attached to the corolla, and a superior two-celled ovary. The flowers are in axillary cymes, and the fruit is a berry.

ConvolvulaceÆ is represented on sandy shores by the Sea-side Bindweed (Convolvulus Soldanella), a small species, with pinkish purple flowers, the prostrate stem of which rarely measures more than a foot in length. The plants of this order are generally climbing plants with alternate leaves and regular showy flowers. The calyx is composed of five sepals, the corolla of four or five lobes, and the stamens are attached to the corolla. The ovary is superior, two- or four-celled, and the fruit a capsule. The above species may be recognised by its reniform leaves (sagittate in the others), which are also fleshy.

To the order GentianaceÆ belong the Centaury (ErythrÆa), three out of the four British species of which grow on sandy shores. In the flowers of this order the calyx has from four to ten lobes; the stamens also number four to ten, and are alternate with the lobes of the corolla. The ovary is one- or two-celled, and the fruit is a berry with many seeds. The leaves are usually opposite and entire, and the flowers are generally showy, regular, and solitary. ErythrÆa has a funnel-shaped corolla, five stamens, and two stigmas, on a deciduous style; and in all our species the flower is rose-coloured. The Dwarf Centaury (E. pulchella), which is common on some sandy shores, is much smaller than the species that thrives in pastures, being only two or three inches in height. Its stem is also more freely branched, and its flowers are axillary and terminal. The Tufted Centaury (E. littoralis) and the Broad-leaved Centaury (E. latifolia) occur in similar situations, but are comparatively rare. They are both small species, the former with an unbranched stem, narrow leaves, and corymbose inflorescence; and the latter with branched stem, broad elliptical leaves, and flowers in dense forked tufts.

The extensive order CompositÆ contains comparatively few sea-side plants, and, in dealing with these, we pass to another division of the monopetalous flowers, in which the ovary is inferior and the stamens are on the corolla. The order includes those herbaceous plants in which sessile flowers are collected together into compound heads (capitula) surrounded by a whorl of bracts. The corolla is either tubular or strap-shaped (ligulate), the stamens four or five in number, and the fruit one-seeded, usually crowned with the limb of the calyx in the form of a scaly feathery or hairy pappus.

The Little Lettuce (Lactuca saligna) is found in chalky pastures near the east and south-east coasts, growing to a height of about a foot, and bearing heads of yellow flowers in July and August. All the flowers are ligulate and perfect, the pappus is composed of silvery hairs, and the fruit is compressed and beaked, the beak being twice as long as the fruit. The leaves are smooth, linear, and sagittate, terminating in a sharp point. The Sea-side Cotton Weed (Diotis maritima) is occasionally met with on sandy shores, and may be recognised by its dense coating of downy hair, its sessile obtuse leaves, and heads of yellow flowers forming a corymb. The heads are discoid, and the fruit has no pappus. The Sea Wormwood (Artemisia maritima) is a common sea-shore composite, bearing drooping heads of reddish-white flowers in August. This is another of the downy species, its pinnatifid leaves having quite a woolly appearance. The capitulum contains but few flowers, all of which are perfect; and the fruit has no pappus. A variety of this plant is sometimes seen, with dense erect capitula. The Sea Aster or Michaelmas Daisy (Aster tripolium) of salt marshes may be known by the yellow discs and purple rays of its flower heads, which are arranged in a corymb. The florets of the ray form a single row, and the fruit has a hairy pappus. The leaves of this plant are spatulate and fleshy. A variety occurs in which the purple florets of the ray are absent. The Golden Samphire (Inula crithmoides) is a very local sea-side plant, being found principally on the south-west coast. Its leafy stems grow to a height of a foot or more, and bear yellow heads of flowers that radiate in all directions. The leaves are linear, acute, and fleshy, and the bracts are linear and imbricated. Our last example of the sea-side composites is the Sea-side Corn Feverfew or Scentless Mayweed, which is a variety of Matricaria inodora of waste places. The leaves are sessile and pinnatifid, with very narrow segments, and the white flowers grow in solitary heads. The maritime variety differs from the normal form in having fleshy leaves.

We next deal with another very extensive order (the UmbelliferÆ), which, however, has only three or four representatives on the shore, and these introduce us to the last great division of the flowering plants, namely, the Polypetalous Dicotyledons, in which the petals are not united. Of these we shall first deal with that subdivision in which the stamens are attached at the side of or upon the ovary.

The most obvious characteristic of the UmbelliferÆ is that implied in the name—the arrangement of the flowers in that form of inflorescence, called the umbel, in which the pedicels all branch from one point in the main stalk, and are such that the flowers are all approximately on a level. The flowers are mostly small and white, with five sepals (when present), five petals, and five stamens. The inferior ovary is two-celled, bearing two styles; and the fruit separates into two dry one-seeded carpels that are ribbed longitudinally.

Our first example of this group is the Sea Carrot, a variety of the Wild Carrot (Daucus carota). In the ordinary form, which is so common in fields, the leaflets are pinnatifid, with acute segments; and the central flowers of each umbel are purple, while the outer ones are white. The umbel, when in fruit, is concave above. The maritime variety differs from this in having fleshy leaves, and the umbel convex above when in fruit. The Sea Samphire (Crithmum maritimum) grows on the rocks close to the sea, and thrives well where there is hardly a vestige of soil. It usually grows to a height of seven or eight inches, bearing greenish-white flowers surrounded by a whorl of very narrow leaves. The other leaves are glaucous and bi-ternate, the leaflets being narrow, fleshy, and tapering towards both ends. On cliffs near the sea, especially in chalky districts, we meet with the Fennel, with its finely-divided leaves, split up into numerous capillary leaflets, and its small yellow flowers without bracts. It may be distinguished from other closely-allied plants by the form of the fruit, which is flattened at the sides. It is grown in some parts for use as a potherb, and an aromatic oil is also obtained from the seeds. The plant grows to a height of four or five feet, but there is a smaller variety known as the Sweet Fennel, and distinguished by the stem being compressed at the base. Our next example of the UmbelliferÆ is the Sea Holly (Eryngium maritimum), easily distinguished from the other umbellifers by its spiny glaucous leaves, and the thistle-like heads of blue flowers surrounded by a whorl of spiny bracts. Its fleshy creeping roots were formerly gathered largely for the purpose of converting them into the once-prized ‘candied eryngo root,’ which is still prepared in a few of the fishing villages of our coast. The lower leaves of this plant are spinous and very glaucous, and the upper ones palmate. The venation is particularly strong and durable, so that the leaves and flowers are used largely by the sea-side cottagers in the construction of skeleton bouquets and wreaths. Another plant of the same genus—The Field Eryngo (E. campestre)—is occasionally seen on sandy shores. It differs from the last in having ternate radical leaves with pinnatifid lobes, and the upper leaves, bi-pinnatifid. Our last example of the sea-side umbellifers is the Wild Celery (Apium graveolens) of salt marshes and ditches. This is the plant from which our highly-valued garden celery has been produced, and it is remarkable that this sweet crisp and wholesome vegetable has been derived from a wild plant of coarse taste and odour, the acrid sap of which is highly irritating if not dangerous. The plant may be known by its furrowed stem, and ternate leaves, the leaflets of the lower leaves being round and lobed, while those of the upper ones are notched. The umbels are sessile or nearly so, the flowers have no calyx, and the fruit has five prominent ridges.

On the sandy shores of the south-western counties we may meet with the very local Four-leaved Allseed (Polycarpon tetraphyllum) of the order IllecebraceÆ. It is a small plant, only four or five inches in height, with the lower leaves in whorls of four and the upper ones in opposite pairs. The flowers are minute, and are disposed in small dense clusters.

Another rare species is the shrub known as the English Tamarisk (Tamarix anglica), which is our only representative of the order TamariscaceÆ. There is some doubt, however, whether even this is indigenous to Britain, though it occurs in a wild state on the coast. It is a very twiggy shrub growing from six to ten feet in height, with minute scale-like, acute leaves, and slender spikes of small pinkish-white flowers.

We now pass to the large order of Leguminous plants, characterised by their stipuled leaves, and irregular papilionaceous flowers. The latter usually have five united sepals, five petals forming an irregular, butterfly-like corolla, ten stamens, and a superior ovary that develops into a pod.

Of these the Starry-headed Trefoil (Trifolium stellatum) is very partial to the sea shore, though it is sometimes found some distance inland. The genus to which it belongs is so called on account of its trifoliate leaves which are characteristic of the clovers, trefoils, and vetches, and which have stipules adhering to the petioles. The species under notice receives its name from the star-like arrangement of the long teeth of the hairy calyx. The stem of the plant is procumbent, usually about six or eight inches long, with cylindrical and terminal heads of yellowish-grey flowers.

The Rough-podded Yellow Vetch (Vicia lutea) is somewhat rare, and occurs principally on very rocky coasts. In common with the other vetches it has pinnate, tendrilled leaves, without a terminal leaflet, one stamen free and the rest united into a bundle, and a long, slender, hairy style. Its stem is tufted and prostrate, averaging about a foot in length, the leaflets long and narrow, and the yellow flowers sessile and solitary. The teeth of the calyx are unequal, and the pods hairy and curved.

The Sea-Side Everlasting Pea (Lathyrus maritimus) is a much commoner plant of the coast, and may be readily recognised by its general resemblance to the garden sweet-pea. The genus to which it belongs is closely allied to the vetches, but may be distinguished by the style, which is flattened below the stigma, hairy on the inner or upper side, but quite smooth on the outer side. The sea-side species has an angled (but not winged) stem, from one to three feet long, compound tendrilled leaves with many oval leaflets, and large oval or cordate stipules. Its purple flowers are in bloom during July and August. A variety of this plant (acutifolius), with a slender straggling stem and narrow acute leaflets, occurs on some parts of the Scottish coast.

The GeraniaceÆ is represented at the sea-side by the Sea Stork’s-bill (Erodium maritimum), which, however, is by no means a very common flower. Its relationship to the other stork’s-bills and the crane’s-bills may be readily proved by the five persistent sepals, five distinct clawed petals, the five to ten stamens attached under the ovary (for we have now reached that division of the polypetalous exogens distinguished by this mode of insertion of the stamens), and the five carpels surrounding a long beak resembling that of the stork and the crane. The plant may sometimes be seen on sandy shores, averaging a foot in height, though very variable in this respect, and displaying its pretty pink flowers during the whole of the summer. The principal features by which it is to be distinguished from the two other British plants of the same species are its ovate or cordate leaves with very short petioles, and the presence of only one or two flowers on each peduncle.

Passing now to the Sea Mallow (Lavatera arborea), we are dealing with another rather rare plant, of the order MalvaceÆ, sometimes met with on rocky coasts, chiefly, it appears, on the north coast of Cornwall and Devon. This is a very shrubby plant, as its specific name implies, and it is sometimes popularly known as the Tree Mallow on that account. It has a very woody stem, growing to a height of four or five feet, and bearing seven-pointed, downy leaves, and solitary, axillary, purple flowers. As in the other mallows, the flowers have five petals, which are curiously twisted when in the bud, five sepals, a large number of stamens united into a tube, and an ovary of many cells, but it may be distinguished from the other species of the order by its three-lobed bracts. The plant is found principally in wild, uncultivated spots, but is commonly grown as a garden plant by the cottagers of villages in the south-west, and under cultivation it frequently grows to a height of nine or ten feet, with a tree-like stem three or four inches in thickness; and it produces such a quantity of fibre that its cultivation for manufacturing purposes has been suggested.

We now come to another of the very extensive orders, at least as far as British plants are concerned, although it contains only a few sea-side species. We refer to the CaryophyllaceÆ, containing the pinks, campions, catchflies, chickweeds, &c. The chief features of the order are jointed, herbaceous stems, opposite leaves, and regular white or red flowers with four or five sepals and petals, eight or ten stamens, and a capsular fruit opening at the top with teeth.

One of the commonest species we have to consider is the Sea Campion (Silene maritima), common on nearly all coasts, and often growing in small crevices of the bare rocks quite within the reach of the spray of storm-waves. In common with the other members of its genus it is characterised by a tubular calyx of united sepals, ten stamens, and a three-celled capsule opening at the top with six teeth; but it may be known at once by its small size, being only a few inches in height, and its solitary flowers with calyx much inflated and the corolla only shortly cleft.

The Sea Sand Wort (Spergularia marina) is another common plant of the coast, recognised by its slender, creeping stems; linear, stipuled, fleshy leaves, convex below and blunt at the apex; and its pinkish-white flowers. The Sea Purslane (Honckenya peploides), belonging to the same order, is also a creeping plant, with ovate, acute fleshy leaves, flowering from May to August. It is the only British plant of its genus, and may be distinguished from others by the absence of stipules, distinct sepals, petals entire, ten stamens, and from three to five styles. The flowers are white, solitary, and sessile. The one remaining species of the sea-side CaryophyllaceÆ is the Sea Pearl Wort (Sagina maritima). This plant is closely allied to the last, being a creeper with exstipulate leaves and distinct sepals, but its flowers are reddish white, on erect peduncles, with very small petals. The leaves, too, are linear, fleshy, and obtuse. There are three distinct varieties of this plant, two of which have erect stems with short internodes, while the third is procumbent with long internodes; and in all three the capsules are shorter than the sepals.

A variety of the Common Milk Wort (Polygala vulgaris)—order PolygalaceÆ—is moderately common on sandy shores. The ordinary form of the species, which is so common on heaths, is a small plant with a woody stem, small ovate leaves crowded below, and opposite lanceolate leaves above. The flowers are irregular with five persistent sepals, two larger than the others; three to five petals, the lowest keeled, and all united to the tube formed by the eight stamens, which are divided above into two bundles; and the fruit is a flat capsule with two one-seeded cells. The flowers are very variable in colour, being white, pink, lilac, or blue; and the seeds are downy. The sea-side variety (oxyptera) has smaller flowers than the normal form, and the wings of the calyx are narrower.One species of Pansy (Viola Curtisii) is occasionally to be met with on sandy shores, and may be at once recognised as one of the ViolaceÆ by its irregular spurred corolla, its five persistent sepals, and the three-parted, one-celled ovary. The flowers are variable in colour and size, the prevailing tints being blue and yellow, and the diameter of the corolla occasionally reaching to one inch. It has a creeping woody rootstock, and a rough angular stem; and the petals are generally but little longer than the sepals.

The Shrubby Mignonette (Reseda suffruticulosa), of the order ResedaceÆ, is a common sea-side plant that grows to a height of one or two feet on sandy shores, bearing spikes of white flowers in July and August. The order is characterised by alternate exstipulate leaves, persistent calyx with four or five sepals, corolla of from four to seven petals, many stamens, and a three-lobed, one-celled ovary. The sea-side species is very much like the wild mignonette so common in chalky districts, but differs in having all its leaves pinnate, waved, and glaucous, with linear segments; and in having five equal sepals and petals. In a variety of the species, however, the sepals and petals are six in number.

The Crucifers are fairly well represented by coast plants, there being several maritime species of the order. The CruciferÆ are named from the nature of the corolla, the limbs of the four petals of which are arranged so as to resemble the Maltese cross. The flowers have also four sepals, six stamens, two of which are shorter than the other four, and the fruit takes the form of a two-celled pod or pouch which opens by the separation of its two valves from the central partition.

Our first example is the Wild Cabbage (Brassica oleracea), which, although so unlike the cabbage of our gardens, is really the parent of all the cultivated varieties, including the cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, &c. It is a biennial plant, with fleshy lobed wavy leaves that are covered with bluish bloom, and a fleshy cylindrical root. It grows erect to a height of one or two feet, bearing yellow flowers during the summer months. An allied species (B. monensis), with a prostrate stem and deeply-divided leaves, occurs locally on the sandy shores of the Isle of Man.

Two species of Stock (Matthiola) are to be found on the coast, both being characterised by purple flowers. The Great Sea Stock (M. sinuata) is a rare plant growing on the shores of Wales and Cornwall, and may be known by its herbaceous stem and narrow downy leaves; and the other species—the Hoary Shrubby Stock (M. incana)—is also a rare plant, found principally on the cliffs of the Isle of Wight, and is the parent of the Brompton Stocks of our gardens. The latter has a branched woody stem and narrow leaves. Both species grow to a height of about eighteen inches, and the latter flowers in May and June, while the former is in bloom during the hottest summer months.

The Hare’s-ear Treacle Mustard (Erysimum orientale) is a rare crucifer, frequenting the cliffs of the southern and eastern counties. It grows to a height of one to two feet, and bears its white flowers about midsummer. It has glaucous leaves, and the fruit-pods are quadrangular in form.

The Common Scurvy Grass (Cochlearia officinalis) is abundant on many shores, and its fleshy leaves, once highly valued as an antiscorbutic, are still used for salad by the cottagers near the sea. It generally grows to a height of six or seven inches, and displays its white flowers during late spring and early summer. The root-leaves are cordate in form, and the upper ones are sessile and angled, half embracing the stem. The fruit is a rounded pouch. A variety (danica) with stalked, deltoid leaves and an oval veiny pod, is plentiful in some places.

On some coasts we find the Sweet Alyssum (Koniga maritima)—a naturalised plant with procumbent stem, narrow lanceolate, acute leaves, and white flowers. It may be recognised by its compressed, pointed pouch with one-seeded cells. This species flowers towards the end of the summer.The Sea Radish (Raphanus maritimus) is a much larger plant, growing three or four feet in height. In common with the Wild Radish of our corn-fields, it has a tapering pod divided into one-seeded joints, but it may be distinguished from the latter by its superior height and the deeply-divided radical leaves. Its flowers are always yellow, while in the field species they may be either yellow or white; and the style is also shorter, being about the same length as the last joint of the pod.

On sandy shores the Sea Rocket (Cakile maritima) is commonly seen, and is readily distinguished by its zigzag branches, deeply-lobed, smooth, fleshy leaves of a glaucous colour, and its succulent pod, which is divided into two one-seeded cells by a horizontal partition. It grows from one to two feet high, and bears pretty lilac flowers about midsummer.

Our last example of the crucifers is the Sea Kale (Crambe maritima), a hardy perennial, commonly seen growing among the sand and shingle of the shore, which is the parent of the sea kale now so commonly cultivated in our market gardens. It may be readily recognised by the fine glaucous bloom of its stem, and its broad wavy toothed leaves of a glaucous grey colour. It grows to a height of about eighteen inches, and bears white flowers in June. The fruit is a two-jointed pouch, the upper being rounded and one-seeded, while the lower is stalk-like and barren. This plant is particularly common in the south-west of England, where the leaves are sometimes blanched for food by burying them in the sand.

One of the most striking plants of the coast is the Yellow Horned Poppy (Glaucium luteum) of the order PapaveraceÆ, which contains the well-known poppies of corn-fields. The general characteristics of the order are two deciduous sepals, four petals, many stamens inserted below the ovary, and the ovary one-celled with membranous divisions. The plants of this species usually contain a milky juice, have alternate leaves without stipules, and the flowers, which are regular, generally nod when in bud. The Horned Poppy is a very conspicuous plant, usually growing quite alone on some inaccessible portion of the cliff, or among the pebbles or shingle not far from high-water mark. Its stem is glaucous and branched, and the large waved and deeply-cut leaves, which clasp the stem, are also of a glaucous hue. The flowers are rendered conspicuous by their large yellow petals, which, however, last only for a day, and are succeeded by the hornlike seed-pods that sometimes reach a foot in length.

We will conclude our list of sea-side flowers by a brief mention of the Lesser Meadow Rue (Thalictrum minus), a variety of which (maritimum) grows on sandy shores. The Meadow Rue belongs to the RanunculaceÆ, as may be seen from the fruit of several distinct carpels, each containing a single seed, the corolla of distinct petals, and the numerous stamens inserted below the carpels. The normal form of the Lesser Meadow Rue, which grows freely in some chalky pastures and thickets, has leaves three or four times pinnate, and lax panicles of drooping flowers without any petals. The sea-side variety differs from this in having the stem leafless at the base, and the panicles leafless and broad. The flowers are greenish white, and bloom in July and August.

To assist the reader in the identification of sea-side flowers we append a list of the orders to which they belong, together with the principal distinguishing characteristics of each.