BORAGINACEiE. 115 



Corolla about twice as long as the caljx ; scales included. Plant 

 clothed with short i^ubescence, intermixed with harsh bristly hairs, 

 few of them gland-tipjsed. 



Var. a, genuinum. 

 Plate MCXIV. 

 Corolla ochrcous or more or less stained with pale purple. 



Yav. ^, patens. 

 Plate MCXV. 

 S. patens, Sihth. Eeich. Fl. Germ. Excurs. p. 347. 



Corolla bright dark purple. Leaves rather narrower, less decurrent, 

 and darker green ; stems tougher and less succulent, and the branches 

 less spreading than in var. a. 



By the sides of streams and ditches, and other moist places, and by 

 roadsides. Very common, and generally distributed in England ; 

 var. a apparently the most abundant. In Scotland var. a ap]:)ears to be 

 rare ; the only place where I have seen it is near Rosyth Castle, in 

 Fifeshire ; but var. is more common, especially along the banks of 

 the Esk, above Musselburgh, also about Glen Devon and Dollar, Clack- 

 mannanshire, though doubtfully wild; in Aberdeenshire, Dr. Dickie 

 believes it to be introduced. In Ireland it is frecpient and generally 

 distributed, but I am not aware whether either form is more abundant 

 than the other. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Spring, Autumn. 



Root of a number of thick fleshy tapermg branches, smooth, black ex- 

 ternally, passmg insensibly upwards into the many-headed rootstock. 

 Stems thick, succulent, angular, erect or decumbent, 1 to 3 feet hio-h, 

 clothed with spreading or slightly reflexed hairs seated on tubercles, 

 intermixed ^^dth smaller pubescence. Radical leaves large ; lamina- 5 to 

 9 inches long, abruptly contracted at the base into the rather long winged 

 petiole ; stem leaves more and more shortly stalked from below up- 

 wards, the uppermost quite sessile and strongly decurrent. Racemes 

 in pairs, with 2 opposite leaves at the base, terminating the stem and 

 short axillary branches, which are destitute of leaves, exceptino- the 

 aforesaid hair. Calyx about ^ inch long m flower, increasing in fruit 

 to from I to f inch, when the segments are connivent and almost 

 muricated on the back. Corolla about f inch long, very variable in 

 colour, being sometimes ochreous, in which case it is yellow in bud at 

 other times rich purple, when it is sometimes reddish and sometimes 

 purple in bud. Nucules ovate-ovoid, attenuated towards the apex 

 ■| inch long, fuscous, bordered, wrinkled on the back, slightly roughened 



q2 



