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HARDWICKE'S SCIENC E -GOSSIP. 



[Sept. 1, 186.7. 



having each a personate, spurred corolla, with 

 didynamous stamens, and are thus readily dis- 

 tinguishable ;>e may add that, as far as our species 

 are concerned, the blossoms are all of some shade of 

 blue, yellow, or white. 



There are six British species of Toadflax suf- 

 ficiently frequent to merit description ; besides one 

 (Linaria pelisseriana) which is confined to Jersey ; 

 another, a doubtful native (Linaria supina), which 

 occurs in one or two places in Cornwall, Devon, 

 and Dorset; and a third (Linaria purpurea), for- 

 merly much cultivated in gardens, which occasionally 

 strays from them. None of these merit more than 

 this passing notice in a paper which aims rather at 

 instructing in common things than at encouraging 

 the search for rare ones. 



We shall find it convenient in this, as in previ- 

 ously considered genera, to divide our six species 

 into groups, for the purpose of more readily con- 

 sidering each ; and two very natural ones at once pre- 

 sent themselves — the first containing three species, 

 with upright stems and narrow leaves ; the second, 

 the remaining three, with trailing stems and broadish 

 leaves. 



I. The Common Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris) is the 

 handsomest of our British species, and demands our 

 first attention, as to it we are evidently indebted for 

 both the Euglish and Latin names of the genus. 

 It is clear that the name Toadflax was originally 

 bestowed npon this species alone, although it has 

 since been extended to the entire genus. In our 

 old herbals we find the name Toadflax applied 

 especially to Linaria vulgaris, and exclusively to the 

 species with long narrow leaves and upright stems. 

 Mr. Holland thinks that the reason for this may be 

 found in the supposition [that the word toad is pre- 

 fixed as meaning spurious or false— the name of an 

 unpopular reptile being given to what, at first sight, 

 appeared to be like flax (which Linaria vulgaris 

 certainly does before flowering), but which proved 

 not to be the right thing ; just as dog is prefixed 

 to the names of many plants to denote that they are 

 not the genuine article— dog-rose, dog-violet, to 

 wit. That the name Toadflax really means false 

 or spurious flax, he considers is rendered more 

 apparent by the fact that in Cheshire it is applied 

 to the Corn Spurrey (Spergula arvensis), a plant 

 which bears a very superficial resemblance, es- 

 pecially in flower, to the Mountain Elax (Linum 

 catharticum), which is there in immense repute[as a 

 stomachic herb. Gerarde speaks of Linaria vulgaris 

 as "Wild-flax, Tode-flax, or Elax-weed," which 

 strengthens the above-expressed opinion ; although 

 he points to another derivation of the name when 

 he says that the flowers have " a mouth like nntoe 

 a frog's mouth "—a somewhat fanciful resemblance, 

 from which the Danish torstmuiid, or haddock- 

 mouth, evidently originates. Linaria vulgaris is more 

 like the Snapdragon than any of the other species, 



both in the size of its blossoms and in general 

 growth ; the flowers are very handsome— pale yellow, 

 with a deep orange palate ; the narrow grey-green 

 leaves have been before alluded to. Withering says 

 that cows, horses, and swine refuse to eat them, and 

 that sheep and goats are not fond of them ; while 

 the smell of the flowers is obnoxious to flies. Besides 

 the names above mentioned, this species is known 

 as Butter-and-Eggs, Pattens-and-Clogs, Gall-weed, 

 and Wild Snapdragon. It is by no means uncommon 

 throughout England ; and although preferring a 

 gravelly soil, is not confined to it : in the north of 

 Scotland it is of rare occurrence. Linaria vulgaris 

 grows chiefly in hedges or the borders of fields. Mr. 

 Holland says that "it is almost a sure indicator of 

 an admixture of peat and sand in the soil." The 

 first specimens we ever saw were brought, curiously 

 enough, from the Toad Rock at Tunbridge Wells. 

 It blossoms from June until late autumn. — Our 

 second species, the Creeping, or Pale Blue Toadflax 

 (Linaria repens), is the rarest of the six we are now 

 attempting to describe. The term creeping applies 

 only to the young shoots, as the flowering stems are 

 erect, sometimes attaining, or even exceeding, the 

 height of two feet. The leaves resemble those of 

 Linaria vulgaris, but are shorter ; the blossoms are 

 white, tinged with blue or purple, the palate pale 

 yellow, and the upper lip marked with purple 

 lines ; they are also sbghtly fragrant, and smaller 

 than those of the common Toadflax. Bay, who 

 calls this species the " Blue Toadflax, with short and 

 narrow leaves," appears to have first directed 

 attention to it as a British plant, "found by that 

 learned and eminent physician Dr. Eales, in Hait- 

 fordshire." One of the best-known stations for 1 he 

 plant, also first noticed in Ray's " Synopsis," is 

 Henley-on-Thames ; here it was "found by Mr. Dan- 

 dridge, on the side of a hill called Marvell Hill, by 

 Henley townside, and by Mr. J. Sherard on i lie 

 church walls at Henley, and in a field on the left hand 

 the road from London, on a steep bank a little 

 before you come to the town, plentifully." Mr. 

 Stubbs, of Henley, to whom we are indebted for the 

 specimens from which the above description was 

 drawn up, writes that it still " grows profusely on 

 the chalk hills about Henley — noticeably on White 

 or Bemenham Hill. I have also met with it on 

 walls, and I believe the upper portion of the south 

 face of the church tower is verdant with it, though 

 the great height from the road will not enable me to 

 speak with certainty. Ray's nomenclature," he con- 

 tinues, " is obsolete ; at least, I have never heard of 

 Marvell Hill." Linaria repens grows on a chalky soil, 

 and is most frequent in the south of England, becom- 

 ing gradually rarer towards the north, and is seldom, 

 if ever, found in Scotland : it commences to blossom 

 in July;— The Least Toadflax (Linaria minor) difl'ers 

 considerably from the two before described. Linaria 

 vulgaris and Linaria repens are perennials; Linaria 



