254 A GUIDE TO THE WILD FLOWERS 



781. FIGWORT FAMILY. SCROPHULARIACEAE. 



A large family of herbs (shrubs and trees in the tropics), 

 not aromatic, and mostly without the square or angled stems 

 of the Mints (4-angled in the Monkey-flower, No. y^2). 

 Leaves opposite (alternate in the Purslane Speedwell, No. 

 793) in those below. Flowers in various sorts of clusters, or 

 solitary. Corolla decidely unsymmetrical, in those below more 

 or less I -sided, and mostly 2-lipped. Fruit mostly a dry pod. 

 For other plants of this family, excluded here because of 

 other characters, see Nos. 568, 569, 626, 627 , 656, 

 657, 684-687, 710, 711, and 731. Those below may be sepa- 

 rated thus : 



Flowers in obvious, often profuse clusters no. 786 



Flowers solitary, or few, scarcely in clusters, if so, very sparse 

 ones 



Flowers about i in. long ; plant 1-3 ft. high 



Monkey-flower no. 782 



Flowers less than Y2, in- long; plants less than 12 in. high 



Flowers white Cow- wheat no. 783 



Flowers bright yellow or purple 



Flowers bright yellow Goldenpert no, 784 



Flowers pale purple False Pimpernel no. 785 



782. Monkey-flower. Mimulus ringens. An erect, perfectly 

 smooth perennial, 1-3 ft. high, the stem somewhat 4-angled. 

 Leaves opposite, stalkless, or almost stem-clasping, lance- 

 oblong, toothed, 2-4 in. long. Flowers long-stalked, one or 

 two from the upper leaf insertions, or solitary. Corolla very 

 irregular, about i in. long, violet. In wet places. Nova Scotia 

 to Virginia and westward. July-September. Fig. 782. 



783. Cow-wheat. Mclampyriim Imcarc. A slightly hairy 

 annual 6-10 in. high, the stem often reddish. Leaves opposite, 

 toothless, short-stalked, lance-shaped, or lance-linear, 1-23^ 

 in. long, towards the summit replaced by irregularly toothed 

 stalkless leaves. Flowers solitary among these, the corolla 

 cream white, tinged with yellow, about Yi in. long. In dry 

 places, mostly in woods, Nova Scotia to Georgia and west- 

 ward. June-August. Fig. 783. 



784. Goldenpert. Gratiola aurca. A low plant of wet shores, 



