VI. Pennyroyal (M. piilegimn). Calyx two-lipped, downy or hairy, with hairy throat. Leaves small, with short stalks, slightly toothed, recurved. Stem much-branched. Odour powerful.
Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale).
Often in May and June, as we wander by the riverbank or
brookside, we shall happen upon this very coarse but striking
plant, though its flowers may not be of the hue depicted here;
its colour varies from pale yellow to red and purple. It is one
of those plants whose individuality is so strong that, once seen,
it will not be forgotten or confused with any other species. It
has a branched rootstock, giving off stalked leaves, and an erect
angular stem. The stem-leaves are all but stalkless, their
bases running down the stem in such a manner as to give it a
winged character. The whole plant is rough with bristles.
The genus belongs to the order Boragineas, whose floral
structure has been already described (see pages 9 and 26
ante), but the present inflorescence may be noted as a capital
example of the "scorpioid cyme," so called from its curve
resembling the curl in a scorpion's tail!
There is another British species, the Tuberous Comfrey (S. tuberosum) which is usually found in wet copses, but not south of Bedford. It is not nearly so rough as its congener, although distinctly hairy. Rootstock thickened, radical leaves with longer stalks than in S. officinale. The stem-leaves do not run far down the stem, so that it is not so obviously winged, and the flowers are smaller. Pale yellow. June and July.
The name is derived from the Greek sumphuo, to unite, it having great reputation formerly as a woundwort.
Common Red Poppy (Papaver rhœas).
.
The Poppy is another of those plants concerning which it may be thought that neither illustration nor description is necessary; but there are poppies and poppies; and though the rambler may gather a bunch of flowers from various situations and consider them all the same, a few words of description may serve to point out considerable differences.
