430 Mr. C. C. Babington on British Plants. 



flowering shoots do not usually die back to their base, as in 

 T. Seiyyllum, but only as far as the first axil in which a leaf- 

 branch or its rudiment has been formed. 



If these differences in the mode of growth be attended to, there 

 can be no difficulty in distinguishing the plants, and, as I think, 

 in being convinced of their specific distinctness. Unfortunately, 

 however, it often happens that the plants grow so closely packed 

 with other plants, that they have not room in which to show 

 their true habit, and it is then not unfrequently rather difficult 

 for an inexperienced person to determine which of the species is 

 before him. This cannot take from the value of the difference 

 of growth, but only adds to the difficulty of the botanist. 



It has been already stated that the whorls of the flowers of 

 T. Serpyllum are often so closely packed as to look like a short 

 glomerule or head, although generally the one or two lowest 

 placed whorls are at rather a gi-eater distance apart than the 

 rest. In T. Chamadrys the head is oblong, being formed of very 

 much more numerous whorls, its lower part is usually much 

 more lax, and there are several, often many, distant whorls 

 below it. 



The plants may be characterized as follows : — 



1. T. Serpyllum, (Linn.) ; stems prostrate creeping, leaves oblong or 

 lanceolate narrowed into the flat fringed stalk, floral leaves similar, 

 flowering shoots ascending, flowers capitate, upper lip of the calyx 

 with three short triangular teeth, lower lip of two subulate teeth, 

 upper lip of the corolla oblong. 



T. Serpyllum, Lin7i. Fl. Suec. ed. 2. 208, et Sp. PL ed. 1. 590 ; Sven. 

 Bot. t. 320 ; Wahl. Fl. Suec. 377 (excl. var. (3.) ; Reich. Fl. ex- 

 curs. 312, etFl. exsic. no. 187 ! ; Fries, Nov. FL Suec. ed. 2. 195, 

 et Herb. Norm. v. 7 !, et Summa, 197 ; Fng. Bot. t. 1514 ; Curt. 

 FL Land. i. 120 ; Gren. et Godr. FL Fr. ii. 657 ; Hook, and Am. 

 Br. Fl. 311 ; Guss. Syn. Fl. Sic. ii. 95. 



T. augustifoUus, Pers. Syn. ii. 130 ; Reich. FL excurs. 312, et Fl. 

 exsic. no. 186! ; Wimm. et Grab. Fl. Sites, ii. 165 ; Ledeb. FL 

 Alt. ii. 390 ; Spr. Syst. Veg. ii. 696. 



T. Serpyllum y. angustifoHus, Koch, Syn. ed. 2. 641. 



Stem woody, much branched, prostrate, rooting, producing in 

 its second year the erect annual usually short flowering shoots 

 from the lower joinings, and a prostrate flowerless woody and 

 persistent shoot resembling itself from the terminal or a few 

 other buds at its end. Leaves narrowed in their lower half 

 which together with the petiole is often fringed, rather conspi- 

 cuously nerved beneath, often narrow. Whorls of flowers col- 

 lected into a small terminal head, the lower ones being usually 

 only slightly separated from the others. Upper lip of the corolla 



J 



