CLASS V. ORDER 1. 1 LOBELIA. 289 



species are equally injurious. The L. inflata is much recommended as 

 a medicine for the relief of spasmodic asthma, difficulty of breathing, 

 and even croup may be relieved by it ; if taken in too large a dose, it 

 acts as an emetic, but is violent in its operation, producing very fre- 

 quently giddiness, pain in the head, and faintness. The flowers of 

 many of the species are very beautiful, of brilliant scarlet and purple 

 colours, flourishing well in open warm borders in a light soil; others 

 require the protection of the greenhouse. The milky juice contains a 

 considerable portion of caoutchouc, or Indian rubber, but apparently 

 much more in some than in other species. L. caoutchouc is so named 

 from the circumstance of its being one of the plants, from which that 

 very useful and valuable substance is procured. It will be remembered 

 by many persons that Indian rubber was a few years since known only 

 as an article useful in erasing the marks of lead pencils, and was im- 

 ported into this country in small quantities; but now so extensively is 

 it applied in the making of many useful articles of wearing aj^parel, 

 surgical instruments, bandages, &c. &c. that the demand for it is 

 not by pounds' weight, but tons ; and ships laden only with this 

 substance are sent to this country. 



2. L. Dort'manna, Linn. (Fig. 363.) Water Lobelia. Scape nearly 

 naked. Flowers racemed. Leaves linear, sub-cylindrical, entire, 

 obtuse, of two parallel tubes. 



English Botany, t. 140.— English Flora, vol. i. p. 298. — Hooker, 

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



Boot of numerous long simple white fibres. Scape round, simple, 

 smooth, hollow, from six to twelve inches long, erect, with one or two 

 small obtuse leaves upon it, the radical leaves numerous, tufted, 

 cylindrical, smooth, somewhat recurved, obtuse, from one to three 

 inches long, formed of two cylindrical longtitudinal cells, with thin 

 walls and slight partition. Inflorescence a terminal raceme, reaching 

 a few inches above the water, of a few alternate pale blue drooping 

 flowers, each arising from the axis of a small obtuse bractea, on a 

 slender footstalk. Cahjx of five lanceolate obtuse spreading segments, 

 quite smooth. Corolla larger than the last, the tube with a longi- 

 tudinal slit between the two small segments, nearly cylindrical, pale, 

 somewhat bearded in the throat, the limb more irregular, the segments 

 of the upper lip much narrower than the lower. Stamens included 

 within the tube of the corolla, united into a tube round the pistil. 

 The anthers ovate, dark purple, two larger and curved over the 

 stigma, mostly smooth, the three smaller bearded at the apex, with 

 white shining hairs. Stigma obtuse at length, of two lobes, slightly 

 bearded beneath. Capsule oblong, smooth, of five angles, crowned 

 near the summit, with the persistent calyx, opening with five small 

 teeth, erect on its stalk, drooping when in flower. Seeds small, 

 mostly numerous. 



