486 FOXGLOVE TRIBE ; SNAPDRAGON, CALCEOLARIA. 



most handsome of the native British species of Scrophularinese. 

 Its corolla somewhat resembles the finger of a glove (whence its 

 name is derived), and is of a crimson hue, its throat or entrance 

 being spotted with rich purple ; its border is divided obliquely 

 into five very short segments, of which the two upper are the 

 smaller. In the Snapdragon, the lower lip projects inwards in 

 such a manner as to press against the upper, so that the entrance 

 to the tube is quite closed; on pressing the flower sideways, 

 however, the two lips separate, as if the mouth were opening. 

 In the Calceolaria, or slipper-shaped flower, of which an immense 

 number of varieties are now in cultivation in this country 

 (. 454), the lower lip is blown out (as it were) into the likeness 

 of a clumsy slipper. In the Scrophularia (Figwort), on the 

 other hand, the corolla is globular, with a very large upper and 

 small under lip. It is curious to observe the tendency to a 

 return to the regular form, which some of these plants occasionally 

 exhibit. Thus, a monstrous form of the Snapdragon is not 

 uncommon, in which the flower is circular, every petal having 

 the same form, and each having the spur or downward prolonga- 

 tion, which is usually possessed by one alone ; and five stamens 

 of equal length being developed. An exception to the general 

 character of the order, is presented by the common Speedwell, in 

 which there are only two stamens ; and also by many foreign 

 species. It has recently been discovered that Euphrasia (Eye- 

 bright) and several other genera of this family are parasitic 

 during the early part of their lives ; obtaining their nutriment, 

 like the Orobancheae, from the roots of other plants, especially 

 Grasses, on which their suckers are implanted. When they 

 have attained a certain degree of development, however, they 

 are able to live independently of such assistance, and the para- 

 sitic habit no longer continues. 



662. The plants of this order are found abundantly in all 

 parts of the world, from the coldest regions in which the vegeta- 

 tion of Flowering-plants takes place, to the hottest place within 

 the tropics. One species is found in Melville Island, which 

 seems too cold a situation for the Labiatse; and several ornament 

 the sterile shores of Terra del Fuego. They are mostly acrid 



