254 BORAGE FAMILY. 



80. BORRAGINACE^I, BORAGE FAMILY. 



Mostly rough or rough-hairy plants, known from all related 

 monopetalous orders by having a deeply 4-lobed ovary, or apparently 

 4 ovaries around the base of a common style, each 1-ovuled, ripen- 

 ing into akenes or nutlets, along with regular flowers (Echium 

 excepted), stamens as many as the lobes of the corolla (5) and 

 alternate with them, and alternate (mostly entire) leaves. In the 

 Heliotrope tribe, however, the ovary is not lobed, but the fruit at 

 maturity separates into 2 or 4 nutlets. Stigmas 1 or 2. Embryo 

 filling the seed : no "albumen. Flowers disposed to be on one side of 

 the stem or branches, or of the branches of cymes, the raceme-like 

 clusters coiled at the end and straightening as the flowers expand. 

 Herbage not aromatic ; juice commonly bitterish, often somewhat 

 mucilaginous. Roots of several are red and used for dye. 



I. BORAGE FAMILY PROPER, having the deeply 4-parted 

 ovary as above. Ours all herbs. 



1. Corolla irregular funnel-form, naked in the throat : stamens unequal ! 



1. ECHIUM. Two of the spreading lobes of the corolla shorter than the others. 



Stamens ascending, more or less protruding: filaments and style long and 

 sleiider. Stigmas 2. Nutlets erect, leathery, rough-wrinkled. 



2. Corolla wheel-shaped, with no tube at all. 



2. BORRAGO. Flowers, as in all the following, perfectly regular. A blunt scale 



at the base of each lobe of the 5-parted corolla, alternating with the con- 

 niving stamens. Filaments very short, broad, and with a cartilaginous pro- 

 jection behind the linear pointed anther. Nutlets erect. 



6. M'YOSOTIS, and 7. OMPHALODES, from the short tube to the corolla may 

 be sought for here. 



3. Corolla tubular, funnel-form, or salver-shaped, sometimes almost wheel-shaped, 

 * Open in the throat, the folds or short scales, if any, not closing over the orijice. 



3. MERTENSIA. Corolla tubular, trumpet-shaped, with the widely spreading 



border scarcely at all lobed and its throat perfectly naked in the common 

 species; the slender filaments protruding. Fruit fle'shy, smooth or wrinkled. 

 Smooth plants, which is rare in this order. 



4. ONOSMODIUM. Corolla tubular, with the 5 acute lobes erect or converging, 



the throat perfectly naked, bearing the arrow-shaped or linear and mucronato 

 anthers : filaments hardly any. Style very slender and protruding. Nutlets 

 stony, smooth, fixed by their base. Very rough-bristly homely plants. 



6. LITHOSPERMUM. Corolla funnel-form or salver-shaped, withVounded lobes 

 imbricated in the bud, with or without evident short and broad scales or 

 folds in the throat. Anthers oblong, included: filaments hardly any. Nut- 

 lets stony, smooth or roughened, ovate, fixed by the base. Rough or hairy 

 plants, mostly with red roots. 



6. MYOSOTIS. Corolla very short-salver-form, the tube only about the length of 

 the 5-toothed or 5-cleft calyx, the rounded lobes convolute in the bud, the 

 throat with 5 small and blunt arching appendages. Anthers short, included. 

 Nutlets smooth and hard, fixed by their base. Low and small, mostly soft- 

 hairy plants, the small racemed flowers commonly bractless. 



* # Scales or appendages of the corolla, conspicuous one before the base of each lobe, 



and closing or nearly closing the orijice. 

 *- Corolla short-salver-shaped or nearly wheel-shaped: stamens included. 



T. OMPHALODES. Corolla with tube shorter than the rounded lobes. Nutlets 

 smooth, depressed, and with a hollow basket-like top. Flowers loosely ra- 

 cemed: no bracts. Low smooth or smoothish herb's. 



