142 



VERONICA. 



[CHAP. 



The first two genera have more or less open 

 flowers ; while the others are more distinctly tubular, 

 and have much the appearance of Labiatae, but differ 

 from that group in having the ovary two-celled, with 

 several ovules in each cell. 



Veronica. The flowers are rendered conspicuous 



by their colour and the association in racemes. In 



V. Chamcedrys (Fig. 97), the anthers and stigmas 



ripen simultaneously, but while the latter project 



FIG. 97. Veronica. Cfiainxdrys. 



straight forwards, the two stamens turn outwards, so 

 that fertilisation can hardly take place. 



V. Beccabitnga in many respects resembles V. Cha- 

 mcedrys ; but is proterogynous. In V. spicata some 

 flowers are proterogynous, others proterandrous, and 

 being, in consequence of their conspicuousness, much 

 visited by insects, they appear to have lost the power 

 of self- fertilisation. In V. hedercefolia, on the con- 



