195 



N. Ord. SCROPHULARIACE^E. Lindl., Veg. Kingd., p. 681; Le 

 Maout & Dec., p. 583. 



Tribe Digitalece. 



Genus Digitalis,* Linn. Lindley, Monogr., Gen. Digit. (1822) ; 

 Benth. in DC. Prod., x, pp. 449453. Species about 18 or 

 20, natives of Europe and Central Asia. 



195. Digitalis purpurea, Linn., Sp. PI. ed. 1, p. 621 (1753). 



Foxglove. 



Syn. D. tomentosa, Link & Ho/m. 



Figures. Woodv., t. 78; Steph. & Ch., t. 18; Hayne, i, t. 45; Nees, 

 1. 154 ; Berg & Sch., t. 21 b ; Curt., Fl. Lond., f asc. i ; Syme, E. Bot. , 

 t. 952 ; Reich. Ic. Germ., xx, t. 1688 ; Lindl., Monogr., t. 2. 



Description. A tall herbaceous biennial (or perennial ?) . Koot of 

 numerous long thick fibres. Stem upright, from 2 to 7 or more feet 

 high, solitary or several, simple or slightly branched ; branches erect, 

 round, closely downy. Radical leaves very large, often a foot or more 

 long, contracted at the base into a long, winged petiole, ovate, sub- 

 acute, irregularly crenate- dentate, somewhat rugose, slightly hairy 

 and dull green above, densely pubescent and grey beneath ; the 

 upper ones becoming gradually narrower and more shortly stalked, 

 and at length passing into the sessile bracts. Inflorescence a much 

 elongated terminal raceme, the pedicels spreading, and, like the 

 rachis, closely pubescent ; flowers large, numerous (often 60 or 70), 

 closely placed, overlapping, pendulous, unilateral. Calyx divided 

 almost to the base into 5 acute spreading segments, the uppermost 

 one smallest, all pulverulent. Corolla \\ 2J inches long, tubular- 

 bell-shaped, flattened above, inflated beneath, suddenly contracted 

 into a cylindrical base, obscurely 2 -lipped, the upper entire or 

 faintly bilobed, somewhat recurved, the lower distinctly 3-lobed 

 with the central one much the longest, crimson outside above, paler 

 beneath, the lower lip furnished with long hairs inside, and marked 

 with dark crimson spots, each surrounded with a white border. 



* From digitals, the finger of a glove. 



