SCROPHULAHIACEiE. 167 



common V. Chamfedrys, but the stems are less wiry, more decum- 

 bent, and hairy all round ; the leaves always stalked, the stalk 

 generally about half as long as the blade, the incisions are not nearly 

 so deep and more acute. The racemes are shorter, 2 to 4 inches 

 long, with the flowers much more laxly disposed. The flowers are 

 not above J inch in diameter, nearly white, with reddish-lilac veins. 

 The sepals are much broader. The capsule is half an inch long, not 

 at all narrowed towards the base, and of a very different shape. The 

 plant is of a lighter green, and turns black in drying. The hairs on 

 the leaves are shorter. 



Mountain Speedwell, 



French, Veronique de Montague. German, Berg Ehrenpreis. 



SPECIES XVI.— VERONICA SCUTELLATA. Linn. 



Plate DCCCCLXXXVIII. 



Reich. Ic. El. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XX. Tab. MDCCIII. Figs. 2, 3. 

 Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 1728. 



Stem very brittle, slender, decumbent and rooting at the base, 

 paniculately branched, or more often only at the base ; flowering 

 branches erect or ascending-erect. Leaves sessile, lanceolate- 

 strapshaped or lanceolate, or oblong-lanceolate, rounded at the 

 base, acute, entire or callously-denticulate. Flowers rather few, in 

 lax axillary racemes, slightly elongating in fruit. Peduncles soli- 

 tary, alternate, longer than the leaves ; pedicels much longer than 

 their bracts and calyx, usually three or four times as long, at 

 length divaricate or reflexed. Sepals 4, oval-ovate, acute, glabrous 

 or ciliated with jointed hairs, which are sometimes tipped with 

 minute glands. Capsule half as long again as the calyx, sub- 

 orbicular, broader than long, very much compressed, emarginate 

 or slightly cordate at the base, deeply obcordate at the apex, with 

 elevated lines, glabrous, or very sparingly hairy, bordered, but the 

 border without prominent points, sometimes ciliated with gland- 

 tipped hairs ; lobes slightly divaricate, separated by a right-angled 

 notch. Style rather shorter than the capsule. Plant glabrous, or 

 more rarely pubescent. 



In spongy bogs, w^et meadows, banks of ponds and ditches and 

 pools in which the water dries up in summer. Bather scarce, but 

 universally distributed. 



J]ngland, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Summer 

 and Autumn. 



Hootstock producing numerous barren shoots or stolons, which 



