GAMOPETAL^> 143 



choice, pale lilac blooms, besides which the graceful 

 creeping habit lends to it additional elegance. 



In the British Isles it is not a common plant, where 

 indigenous. It is, in fact, rare in England and in 

 Ireland, being only naturalised in Scotland. It is 

 found in the Channel Islands. 



The habitat is stony places, especially chalk districts, 

 and apparently especially near the sea, where the 

 chalk extends in several areas. As a casual, it is 

 found in waste places. It is very common on the 

 banks of the Great Western Railway, and other lines. 

 About Reading it grows along with the Common and 

 Purple Toadflax, which last two hybridise. I have 

 recently noted its occurrence on railway banks in 

 Leicestershire, where it is now firmly established. 



The habit is creeping (hence repens), or prostrate, 

 then ascending. The rootstock is slender but woody. 

 The stems are erect, in some cases branched, and 

 leafy. There are no hairs on the stem or other parts. 

 The leaves are crowded or scattered above, or at the 

 base in whorls. They are linear to lance-shaped. 



The flowers are in a long, terminal raceme, with 

 very small bracts. They are small, sweet-scented, 

 white, with lilac or blue veins. The sepals are lance- 

 shaped, as long as the spur, but not so long as the 

 capsule. The corolla has the spur nearly parallel 

 with the tube, and blunt. The spur is short and 

 conical. The capsule is broad with flattened margins. 

 The seeds are angled, with transverse, elevated 

 wrinkles. 



