FROM THE ISLE OF WIGHT AND SOUTH COAST. 403 



Var. a. Willdenowiana. — U. capitata, "Willd. Bracteis acutis, 

 laciniis calycis lanceolato-subulatis, laciniis corollae elliptico-lan- 

 ceolatis acutis. Latet locus natalis. 



Yar. /3. sph^kocephala. — Bracteis subobtusis, laciniis calycis 

 lanceolatis, laciniis corollae ovalibus obtusis. On tbe downs of 

 Fresh water, Isle of Wight, and Newhaven, Sussex. July, Aug. 



Description of English form (/3). — Annual or biennial. Boot 

 fibrous, rigid, tapering, slightly branched, pale yellowish white. 

 Stem usually simple and solitary, from J to 3 in. in height, erect, 

 subangular, the angles formed by the decurrent margins of the 

 leaves, and from the central nerve on the underside of each leaf, 

 glabrous. Boot-leaves numerous, forming a rosette, sessile, hori- 

 zontal, flat or canaliculate, often curved, ovate or ovate-oblong, 

 more or less spathulate, obtuse, entire, with three principal 

 nerves reaching the apex of the leaf and forming three elevated 

 ridges on the underside, the central nerve often forming an 

 apiculus, glabrous, or with a few long hairs when young, darkish 

 green, paler beneath ; the broader leaves five-nerved at the base, 

 but the exterior nerves not reaching the apex of the leaf. Stem- 

 leaves few and in pairs, subconnate, narrower and often longer 

 than the others. Blowers numerous, sessile, in a subfasciculate 

 compact terminal head, formed of many bracteated imperfect 

 cymes, the branches of which are suppressed, and the cymose 

 character almost lost. From the outer bracts long-stalked 

 secondary heads of flowers, which exceed the primary heads, are 

 frequently produced, giving the appearance of the plant being pro- 

 liferous. Bracts numerous, the outer leaf-like, often wider at the 

 base, two or more of them equalling in length the head of flowers ; 

 inner bracts gradually decreasing in size, linear ; larger ones 

 obtuse-apiculate, smaller ones acute. Calyx about equalling the 

 corolla-tube, cylindrical, with minutely serrulate angles, five- 

 lobed ; lobes somewhat unequal, one-nerved, much longer than 

 the tube, triangular-lanceolate, with narrow membranous borders, 

 the border broadening below and sometimes minutely denticulate. 

 Corolla-tube pale greenish yellow, hardly lengthening after 

 flowering, equalling or shorter than the corolla-segments, which 

 are oval, obtuse, concave, of a deep pink without, of a paler colour 

 within. Tinder the microscope the pink colour on the back of 

 the segments is seen to be produced by the pigment enclosed 

 within very minute elongated cells. Stamens 5, shorter than the 

 corolla-segments ; filaments thread-like, flattish, attached only at 



