288 LOBELIA. [class v. order i. 



the apex with two or three valves. — Named in honour of Matthias 

 Label, a Fleming who settled in England, and published several 

 Botanical Works. 



1. L. u'rens, Linn. (Fig. 362.) acrid Lobelia. .S'/em erect ; leaves 

 toothed, the lower obovate, stalked, the upper lanceolate, sessile ; 

 flowers bracteated, in terminal racemes ; calyx rough. 



English Botany, t. 953.— English Flora, vol. i. p. 299.— Hooker, 

 British Flora, vol. i. p. 115. — Lindiey, Synopsis, p. 137. 



Root fibrous. Stem about a foot high, erect, branched, angular, 

 sometimes channelled, leafy, smooth, or somewhat rough. Leaves 

 alternate, the lower ones on footstalks of variable lengths, obovate, and 

 deeply toothed in an irregular manner, the upper lanceolate, sessile, 

 with smaller and frequently more distant teeth, nearly smooth, except 

 the margin, which is mostly rough, with minute points. Injlorcscence 

 long bracteated racemes, of alternate /lowers, with a long pale tube, 

 and beautiful blue limb, each on a short rough stalk, from the axis of 

 a lanceolate or awl-shaped bractea, rough, witli rigid points, simple or 

 toothed. Cali/.v of five deep awl-shaped rough spreading segments, 

 permanently cro\%ning the capsule. Corolla of one piece, irregular, 

 roughish externally; the tube a palish pink, swelling upwards, and 

 split along its upi)er side about half way down, between the two upper 

 narrow lanceolated reflexed segments of the limb, forming the upper 

 lip; the lower lip of three lanceolate segments, the middle one the 

 largest, iitame^is live, from the middle of the tube of the corolla, and 

 as long as it. The filaments and anthers united together around the 

 pistil. The antliers purple and roughish, the two upper ones rather 

 longer than the others, and curved o\cr the pistil, Sti/lci\s long as the 

 filaments, mostly curved upwards between the two upper segments of 

 the corolla. Sliyina obtuse, cleft into l«o lobes, and hairy beneath. 

 Capsule oblong, angular, rougbisli, crov%ned by the persistent cal_\x, of 

 two or three cells, opening at the apex witii two or three '.eetli. Seeds 

 small, numerous. 



Habitat. — Heathy ground; very rare. Near Axminster — Mr. New- 

 beiry ; and Ottery St. Mary, Devonshire — Miss Burycss. 



Perennial ; flowering in August and September. 



This rave and beautiful little plant exudes from all parts of it, 

 when broken, a milky acrid fluid, a quality possessed by most plants of 

 the genus; and some of them, as L. lonyijlora, are highly poisonous to 

 the animals that eat it; and from itsbcingllic cause of frequently destroy- 

 ing horses, it is known by the appellation of horse poison. The 

 L. J'vjia is said to be still more baneful than this, fovFenillee .says that 

 the odour arising from the flowers will cause vomiting; and if ai>i)lied 

 either externally to the skin, or taken internally, it prodiicis vicdent 

 inflaiumuliou and pain, and is olteu followed by death j lome other 



