110 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



be 1-cellcd. Stigma capitate, or decurrent on the style. Capsule 

 globose or ovoid, opening septicidally and septifragally by 2 valves. 

 Seeds very numerous, minute. 



Ilerbs, commonly biennial, with the leaves often densely clothed 

 with wool. Plowers commonly in fascicles arranged in racemes, 

 yellow, white, or purplish. 



The name of this genus of plants seeras to be a corruption of the word barbascum, 

 on account of the bearded or shaggy and downy surface of the leaves in most of 

 the species. 



SPECIES I.-VERBASCUM THAPSUS. Linn. 



Plate DCCCCXXXVIL 



Eeich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XX. Tab. MDCXXXVII. 



Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 3441. 



V. Schraderi, Mei/. Koch, Syn. Fl. Germ, et Helv. ed. ii. p. 586. Rdch.fil. 1. c. 



Stem round, simple, rarely slightly branched. E^adical leaves 

 obovate or oblanceolate, generally contracted into short petioles, 

 obtuse or sub-obtuse ; lower stem-leaves similar ; the others oval or 

 elliptical, decurrent on the stem usually as far as the next leaf 

 below, acute or shortly acuminate, entire or crenate. Elowers all 

 subsessile, in fascicles arranged in a very dense spikelike raceme at 

 the termination of the stem, and also of the branches when these are 

 present. Pedicels all much shorter than the calyx when in flower. 

 Limb of the corolla concave, three or four times as long as the 

 tube ; 3 upper stamens with the filaments clothed with white woolly 

 hairs, and with transverse reniform anthers ; 2 longer ones glabrous, 

 with oblong-reniform oblique anthers, one-fourth the length of their 

 filaments. Stigma capitate. Capsule large, scarcely exceeding the 

 large calyx-segments. Whole plant densely felted with yellowish- 

 grey rather long hairs stellate at the apex and firmly attached to 

 the plant. 



On dry banks, waste places, roadsides, and hedge-banks ; in 

 calcareous, sandy, and gravelly soils. Uather sparingly distributed 

 over England and the South of Scotland as far North as Porfar, 

 Stirlingshire, and the Isle of Arran. It has also occurred in 

 Aberdeen and Moray, but it is thought not to be native there. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Biennial. Late Summer 

 and Autumn. 



Stem very stout, 18 inches to 4 feet high, simple, except in 

 very luxuriant examples, in which there are sometimes a few 



