Plate 450. 

 VERONICA PROSTRATA. 



There is no family more widely distributed than that to 

 which this plant belongs. They exist in various forms in all 

 portions of the globe. Greenhouse herbaceous species are met 

 with in New Holland, Van Diemen's Laud, and especially in 

 New Zealand, the flora of which island is remarkably rich in 

 them ; while in the hardy herbaceous section they are to be 

 found in the wild regions of Siberia, as well as in the Southern 

 parts of Europe. Many of them are minute in form, and ex- 

 cept in very few instances, the flowers are blue. Veronica 

 incana has of late years been very much used as an edging 

 plant, for which its hoary foliage makes it peculiarly suitable. 



The plant from which the drawing was taken was forwarded 

 to us by Messrs. Backhouse & Son, of York, who are well 

 known for their most extensive collection of herbaceous and 

 Alpine plants, with the following remarks : — " We have for- 

 warded you a plant well worthy of a jjlace in your Magazine, 

 Veronica prostrata ; of all the spiked Alpine species we have 

 seen, this is, we think, the best for rockwork. It is just like 

 the very beautiful Veronica saturefolia or Veronica Teucria 

 in miniature, as regards size of plant (for the stems are only 

 two or three inches long !), but with flowers full size and in 

 dense clusters. It is a really valuable addition, and as far as 

 we kuovv^, it is now blooming for the first time in England." 

 After such an o]>inioii from perliajis our most eminent growers 



