112 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



England, [Scotland, Ireland]. Perennial. Spring, Summer. 



Stem stout, erect, 1 to 2 feet high, without leafy branches. Radical 

 leaves persistent, with the lamina 3 to 8 inches long, the petiole nearly 

 as much more; lower stem leaves shortly stalked, the lamina 3 to 

 5 inches long, the upper ones smaller and broader at the base, all clothed 

 above and on the veins beneath with unequal bristly hairs, the under 

 surface softly pubescent. Racemes in pairs, with a flower in the fork, 

 on long leafless stalks from the axils of the upper leaves, each fork of the 

 raceme with the lowest bract large and leafiike, the other bracts small : 

 before the racemes elongate (which they do very slightly, not groAving 

 to more than 1 inch long), the two large bracts at the base of the 

 racemes seem like a j^air of opposite leaves enclosing a head of flowers. 

 Corolla |- inch across, very bright sky-blue, with the scales white. 

 Nucules olive, with the ridges smooth, shining, and fuscous, forming 

 an irregular network, the appendage rhomboidal, convex towards the 

 outside. Plant dark bright green, slightly shining ; the leaves paler 

 beneath. 



Evergreen Alkanet. 



French, Buglosse tonjours verte. 



GENUS F7/.— BORA GO. Toumef. 



Calyx 5-cleft or 5-partite. Coi'olla regular, rotate, or nearly so; 

 the throat closed by 5 scales; limb spreading or reflexed, 5-lobed. 

 Stamens exserted, anthers connivent round the style. Nucules ovoid, 

 smooth or rugose, sunk in and attached to the flat receptacle by an 

 excavated surface. 



Rough herbs with lai-ge blue flowers in scorpioid racemes, some- 

 times variegated mth rose or white. 



The derivation of the name of this genus of plants, according to Dr. Mayne, is as if 

 from Corugo — cor, the heart, ago, to chew — because it was used in the bcHef that it 

 exhilarated or strengthened the heart. 



SPECIES I -B ORAGO OFFICINALIS. Linn. 

 Plate MCXIV. 

 Beich, Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XVIII. Tab. MCCCII. Fig. 3. 



Annual or biennial. Radical and lower stem leaves oval, abruptly 

 attenuated into long winged petioles, obtuse ; middle stem leaves ob- 

 long, shortly stalked, or subpanduriform and sessile, the ujipermost 

 ones lanceolate. Calyx segments triangular-strapshaped, connivent in 

 fruit. Corolla without any tube, rotate, flat. Anthers subsessile, 

 apcndiculate. Plant bristly-hairy, without large pustules on the leaves. 



In hedges and in waste places. Rather rare, but widely distributed, 



