GLOBULARIACE^. 



Nat. syst. ed. 2. p. 268. 



GLOBULARIA. 



Flowers capitate, surrounded by an imbricated involucre. 

 Calyx tubular, 5-toothed. Upper lip of the corolla 2-fid, lower 

 3-parted. Fruit seed-like, enclosed within the calyx. Recep- 

 tacle coriaceous. 



972. G. AlypumZmrc. sp. pi. 139. DC Fl.fr. n. 2333. Lam. 

 encycl. ii. 724. R. and S. ii. 38. — ( Garid. Aix 210. t. 42.) — 

 South of Europe, on the coast of the Mediterranean, on rocks. 



Stem 2 feet high, and more, erect, shrubby, branched, brittle. Leaves 

 evergreen, small, myrtle-like, hard, lanceolate, 3-toothed and entire. 

 Corolla pale blue, in terminal heads which are much like those of 

 Scabiosa succisa. Calyx covered with white hairs. Corolla 1-lipped, 

 trifid. — A bitter, drastic purgative, once supposed to be the 'Akxnrov 

 of Dioscorides, and hence called Frutex terribilis. The Alypum how- 

 ever had the oirkpfia ug iiziQvfiov, and was therefore in all probability 

 some Euphorbia. 



973. G. vulgaris Linn. sp. pi. 139. Willd. i. 540. Lam. 

 encycl. ii. 730. R. and S. ii. 39. — ( Cam. hort. 1 8. t. 7. Moris. 

 hist. iii. t. 15. f. 46.) — Hills and dry meadows in the middle 

 of Europe. 



Stem herbaceous. Radical leaves spathulate-lanceolate, somewhat 

 emarginate, or 3-toothed, much shorter than the petiole; with the 

 middle rib prolonged into a mucro ; cauline lanceolate. Flowers blue, 

 in heads solitary at the point of a simple leafy scape. Two of the 

 stamens longer than the others. — Purgative like the last ; and has 

 been employed as a resolvent and vulnerary according to Lemery. 



974. G. nudicaulis L. has similar properties. 



475 



