Herbaceous plants. 349 



beauty; planted on the water level or even in shallow 

 water on the margin of a stream it will prove to be one of 

 the most attractive of plants. M. dissitiflora is a nice flo- 

 riferous border plant with looser racemes, and flowers earlier 

 in spring. 



Alkanet, Aiichusa tiiwtoria. A low, diffuse herb with 

 deep blue flowers in twin racemes, flowering in early sum- 

 mer. Pretty in a rockery. A more desirable plant is 

 A. Italica, which grows to the height of three feet, forming 

 a broad mass. Flowers in panicled racemes bright bluish- 

 purple. Border. A. myosotidifiora ; root-leaves reniform 

 or cordate, quite large, stem-leaves ovate ; flowers deep blue 

 in panicled racemes. Rockery. 



Navelwort, OmpJialodes verna. A dwarf tufted plant 

 with ovate leaves ; flowers intensely blue, white-eyed, in 

 loose axillary racemes early in spring; very useful for 

 edging beds or borders. 0. LuciUce is one of the finest 

 plants in the order ; the flowers are about half an inch 

 across, lilac-blue, and appear in summer. A very beautiful 

 plant for shrubberies, in rich soil and half-shady positions. 



Hound's Tongue, Cynoglossum linifolium. An annual 

 with pretty white flowers in summer. Raised from seeds 

 sown in a border in spring. Also nice in beds and 

 rockeries. 



Comfrey, SympJiytum officinale. A plant with rather 

 large, oblong-lanceolate root-leaves and white or yellowish 

 flowers in curved racemes. Very floriferous, but not showy. 

 S. asperrimum has more showy, blue-purple flowers. Both 

 are best adapted to planting on grassy shores of rivulets or 

 lakes in half-shady positions. Flower throughout summer. 



