68 THE FLORA OF THE ALPS 



Order LVIIL BORRAGINE^E. 1 



Flowers usually regular, in scorpioid cymes ; calyx 

 persistent, 5-lobed, valvate ; corolla 5-lobed, often with 

 5 projections (staminodes) between the stamens ; stamens 

 5, epipetalous ; ovary 4-lobed, 4-seeded ; fruit of four inde- 

 hiscent I -seeded nutlets; leaves alternate, undivided and 

 entire, usually hispid. A large order, belonging to all 

 climates, especially the warmer temperate ; but with very 

 few alpine species. 



i. CERINTHE, Tourn. 



Ovary composed of two carpels ; corolla yellow, throat 

 naked, without scales ; plant glabrous. Alpine. 



i. C. major, L. (aspera, Roth); corolla golden-yellow 

 with red centre, or purple, anthers as long as the fila- 

 ments, leaves ciliate ; very rare ; Sion. C. alpina. Kit. 

 (glabra, Mill.); corolla light yellow spotted with red, 

 anthers four times as long as filaments, leaves not ciliate ; 

 dry places at a high altitude, local. C. minor ; L. ; a 

 smaller plant, with smaller flowers and narrower corolla- 

 lobes ; Dauphiny. 



2. SYMPHYTUM, L. 



Corolla regular, tubular, throat closed with scales; 

 flowers in terminal forked cymes ; leaves hispid, stem- 

 leaves usually decurrent ; carpels 4. Not alpine. 



5. officinale, L., Comfrey; stem branched, strongly 

 winged from the decurrent leaves; wet places, common. 



1 Usually spelt Boraginea in English botanical works, and the genus 

 from which the order takes its name, Borago. 



