Field and Woodland Plants — Edition Insights

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In Category - Plants Flowers

Authors: Furneaux, William S., Wilson, Patten, 1869-1934 [Illustrator] Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2013 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Wild flowers -- Great Britain; Plants -- Identification Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 109,217

Reading time 475 min

Text sections 17

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Source: Project Gutenberg record #42696

This editorial note examines William S. Furneaux's precise botanical descriptions in 'Field and Woodland Plants', focusing on his use of sensory detail, structural clarity, and seasonal arrangement to aid identification.

Editorial Edition Score 4.9/5

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FIELD AND WOODLAND PLANTS

THE OUTDOOR WORLD SERIES.

THE OUTDOOR WORLD; or, the Young Collector's Handbook. By W. S. FURNEAUX. With 18 Plates (16 of which are coloured), and 549 Illustrations in the Text. Crown 8 vo. gilt edges, 6_s._ net.

BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS (BRITISH). By W. S. FURNEAUX. With 12 coloured Plates and 241 Illustrations in the Text. Crown 8 vo. gilt edges, 6_s._ net.

LIFE IN PONDS AND STREAMS. By W. S. FURNEAUX. With 8 coloured Plates and 331 Illustrations in the Text. Crown 8 vo. gilt edges, 6_s._ net.

FIELD AND WOODLAND PLANTS. By W. S. FURNEAUX. With 8 Coloured Plates and numerous Illustrations from Drawings by PATTEN WILSON and from Photographs. Crown 8 vo. gilt edges, 6_s._ net.

THE SEA SHORE. By W. S. FURNEAUX. With 8 Plates in colour and over 300 Illustrations in the Text. Crown 8 vo. gilt edges, 6_s._ net.

BRITISH BIRDS. By W.H. HUDSON. With a Chapter on Structure and Classification by FRANK E. BEDDARD, F.R.S. With 16 Plates (8 of which are coloured), and over 100 Illustrations in the Text. Crown 8 vo. gilt edges, 6_s._ net.

COUNTRY PASTIMES FOR BOYS. By P. ANDERSON GRAHAM. With 252 Illustrations from Drawings and Photographs. Crown 8 vo. gilt edges, 3_s._ net.

LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO. 39 Paternoster Row, London, New York, Bombay, and Calcutta.

FIELD AND WOODLAND PLANTS

Author of 'The Outdoor World' 'British Butterflies and Moths' 'Life in Ponds and Streams' 'The Sea Shore' etc.

With Eight Plates in Colour, and Numerous Illustrations by Patten Wilson, and Photographs from Nature by the Author

Longmans, Green, and Co. 39 Paternoster Row, London New York, Bombay, and Calcutta 1909

This additional volume to the young naturalist's 'Outdoor World Series' is an attempt to provide a guide to the study of our wild plants, shrubs and trees--a guide which, though comparatively free from technical terms and expressions, shall yet be strictly correct and scientific.

The leading feature of the book is the arrangement of the plants and trees according to their seasons, habitats and habits; an arrangement which will undoubtedly be of the greatest assistance to the lover of wild flowers during his work in the field, and also while examining and identifying his gathered specimens at home.

A large portion of the space has necessarily been allotted to the descriptions of plants, several hundreds of which have been included, and a large proportion of these illustrated; but not a little has been devoted to an attempt to create an interest in some of those wonderful habits which lead us to look upon plants as living beings with attractions even more engrossing than their beautiful forms and colours.

It has been thought advisable to give but little attention to aquatic plants and to the flowers which are to be found only on the coast, these having been previously included in former volumes of this series dealing, respectively, with pond life and the sea shore.

The thanks of the author are due to his friend, G. Du Heaume, Esq., for his valuable assistance in collecting many of the flowers required for description and illustration.

I. INTRODUCTION--GENERAL CHARACTERS OF PLANTS AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF FLOWERS 1

II. THE POLLINATION AND FERTILISATION OF FLOWERS 25

III. CLIMBING PLANTS 30

V. WOODS AND THICKETS IN SPRING 48

VI. THE SPRING-FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS OF WOODS, THICKETS, AND HEDGEROWS 61

VII. WAYSIDES AND WASTES IN SPRING 81

VIII. MEADOWS, FIELDS, AND PASTURES--SPRING 108

IX. BOGS, MARSHES, AND WET PLACES IN SPRING 123

X. WOODS AND THICKETS IN SUMMER 130

XI. WASTES AND WAYSIDES IN SUMMER 151

XII. WASTES AND WAYSIDES IN SUMMER--COMPOSITE FLOWERS 175

XIII. WASTES AND WAYSIDES IN SUMMER--_continued_ 190

XIV. MEADOWS, FIELDS, AND PASTURES--SUMMER 211

XV. BOGS, MARSHES, AND WET PLACES--SUMMER 236

XVI. ON HEATH, DOWN, AND MOOR 257

XVII. IN THE CORN FIELD 281

XVIII. ON THE CHALK 296

XIX. BY THE RIVER SIDE 312

XX. ON WALLS, ROCKS, AND STONY PLACES 318

XXI. FIELD AND WAYSIDE IN AUTUMN 328

XXII. AUTUMN IN THE WOODS 331

XXIII. PARASITIC PLANTS 340

XXIV. CARNIVOROUS PLANTS 350

LIST OF FLOWERS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THEIR HABITATS AND HABITS 359

LIST OF FLOWERS CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THEIR ORDERS AND GENERA 373

I. SPRING FLOWERS OF THE WOODS _Frontispiece_

2. Plantain-leaved Leopard's-Bane

II. FLOWERS OF THE WOODS _To face p._ 130

3. Succory-leaved Hawk's-beard

4. Nettle-leaved Bell-flower

5. Broad-leaved Helleborine

III. FLOWERS OF THE WAYSIDE _To face p._ 150

1. Round-leaved Crane's-bill

6. Annual Meadow Grass

7. Hemlock Stork's-bill

IV. FLOWERS OF THE FIELD _To face p._ 210

1. Rough Cock's-foot Grass

V. FLOWERS OF BOGS AND MARSHES _To face p._ 236

6. Marsh St. John's-wort

Continue Reading →

William S. Furneaux's Field and Woodland Plants (1909) opens with a clear taxonomic purpose: to provide a guide that is 'strictly correct and scientific' yet accessible to young naturalists. The preface signals an arrangement by 'seasons, habitats and habits'—a choice that shapes the entire work. Furneaux's prose is notably concrete: he describes the Hedge Woundwort's 'square stem' as 'solid and stout', and notes the Black Horehound's 'unpleasant odour' alongside its 'ten prominent ribs' on the calyx. Such details blend visual, tactile, and olfactory cues, making the text a practical field companion rather than a mere catalogue.

Diction: Precision Without Jargon

Furneaux consistently chooses terms that are exact yet understandable. For the Balm, he specifies leaves as 'stalked, ovate, acute, toothed or crenate'—a string of descriptors that builds a mental image. He avoids vague adjectives; instead of 'pretty', he notes the Hedge Woundwort's corolla is 'dark, red-purple, prettily variegated with white on the lower lip'. The word 'prettily' is rare; most descriptions rely on measurable features: 'calyx is about a third of an inch long', 'corolla twice as long as the calyx'. This precision extends to habitat: the Hedge Woundwort grows 'most luxuriantly in damp, shady places, such as the borders of ditches'. Furneaux's diction thus serves identification, not ornament.

Voice: The Naturalist as Observer

The authorial voice is that of a patient field observer. Furneaux often includes comparative notes: the Field Scorpion Grass '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'. Such distinctions reveal a mind attuned to common misidentifications. He also notes variability: the Hedge Woundwort 'varies from one to three feet in height'. The tone is instructive but not pedantic; he assumes the reader is alongside him, examining the same plant. When describing the Gromwell, he writes 'the flowers are small, of a pale yellow colour'—simple, direct, and grounded in shared observation.

Structure: Seasonal and Systematic

Furneaux's arrangement by season and habitat is a deliberate pedagogical tool. The preface explains this 'will undoubtedly be of the greatest assistance to the lover of wild flowers during his work in the field'. Within each section, plants are grouped by family (e.g., Labiates, Boraginaceæ), and each family is introduced with a concise description of shared traits: 'all of which are herbs more or less rough with coarse hairs, having alternate, simple leaves, and flowers in one-sided spikes'. This dual structure—seasonal for field use, systematic for home study—allows the reader to approach the same plant from two angles. The text thus mirrors the naturalist's own process of moving from encounter to classification.

Recurring Details: Hairs, Odours, and Measurements

Certain details recur with notable frequency. Hairiness is a key diagnostic: the Balm is 'a hairy plant', the Black Horehound 'coarse, hairy', the Field Scorpion Grass has 'hairy leaves' and a calyx 'covered with hooked hairs'. Odour is another repeated cue: the Black Horehound has 'an unpleasant odour', the Hedge Woundwort 'a very unpleasant odour'. Furneaux also regularly gives height ranges ('from six to eighteen inches', 'one to three feet') and flowering periods ('July and August', 'June to September or October'). These recurring elements create a consistent observational framework, training the reader to notice the same features Furneaux himself prioritizes.

Furneaux's Field and Woodland Plants rewards a slow, attentive reading—ideally with a specimen in hand. The text's strength lies not in sweeping claims but in the accumulation of precise, comparable details. Readers may find it useful to cross-reference the seasonal and family groupings, noting how the same descriptive patterns (hair, odour, leaf shape) reappear across different plants. This approach turns the book into a training manual for the eye, one that builds the reader's own observational vocabulary over time.

Furneaux’s patient attention to leaf margins and flower parts always felt like being shown something quietly important—the way a friend might pause just to let you notice. Reading him, I sometimes think of the gentler pace I found in his other work, Wildflowers of the Farm — Key Ideas to Explore, where the same unhurried wonder lingers, like sunlight on a hedgerow.