Herbaceous plants* 341 



a very handsome plant with opposite, ovate leaves and long 

 racemes of lilac flowers late in summer. The Japanese vari- 

 ety subsessilis is a much superior plant of a very compact 

 habit growing a foot high, with very long terminal, cylin- 

 drical racemes of bright blue flowers. This variety deserves 

 general cultivation in borders or rockeries. The german- 

 der speedwell or angel's eyes ( V. chamcedrys) is a small 

 and slender herb of grassy fields and meadows. It is one of 

 the prettiest wild flowers in Europe, with bright green 

 leaves and terminal racemes of large sky-blue flowers all 

 summer. Deserves to be naturalized in grassy woods and 

 thickets or in moist lawns. 



Toad-Flax, Linaria vulgaris. A showy but weedy 

 plant that may be used to produce good effects on very 

 poor soil. It had better be excluded from choice gardens 

 as it spreads too readily. Flowers bright yellow, in long 

 terminal racemes ; leaves linear or nearly so, alternate^ 

 crowded on the stems which are mostly simple. Height 

 one or two feet ; flowers all summer. L. macrocana is a 

 pretty annual less than a foot high, with linear leaves and 

 numerous racemes of deep lilac flowers. Well worth grow- 

 ing in a border. The following two species are very desira- 

 ble alpine plants of neat habit ; they are very fine for rock- 

 eries : L. alpina, stem slender, forming tufted masses of 

 small, linear leaves ; flowers in head -like racemes in summer 

 and autumn, bright bluish-purple with a yellow centre. L. 

 cymbalaria, leaves on slender, trailing stems, reniform ; 

 flowers mostly axillary, lilac. Both are perennials, but 

 may be treated as annuals. They look well in crevices of 

 rocks in half-shady positions. 



