288 LOBELIA. [class V. ORDER 1. 



the apex with two or three valves. — Named in honour oi Matthias 

 Lobel, a Fleming who settled in England, and published several 

 Botanical Works. 



1. L. u'rens, Linn. (Fig. 362.) acrid Lobelia. Stem erect; leaves 

 toothed, the lower obovate, stalked, the upper lanceolate, sessile ; 

 flowers bracteated, in terminal racemes ; calyx rough. 



English Botany, t. 953.— English Flora, vol. i. p. 299.— Hooker, 

 British Flora, vol. i. p. 115. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 137. 



Moot fibrous. Stem about a foot high, erect, branched, angular, 

 sometimes channelled, leafy, smooth, or somewhat rough. Leaves 

 alternate, the lower ones on footstalks of variable lengths, obovate, and 

 deeply toothed iu an irregular manner, the upper lanceolate, sessile, 

 with smaller and frequently more distant teeth, nearly smooth, except 

 the margin, which is mostly rough, with minute points. Tnjlorescence 

 long bracteated racemes, of alternate flowers, with a long pale tube, 

 and beautiful blue limb, each on a short rough staJk, from the axis' of 

 a lanceolate or awl-shaped bractea, rough, with rigid points, simple or 

 toothed. Calyx of five deep awl-shaped rough spreading segments, 

 permanently crowning the capsule. Corolla of one piece, irregular, 

 roughish externally ; the tube a palish 2)ink, swelling upwards, and 

 split along its upper side about half way down, between the two upper 

 narrow lanceolated reflexed segments of the limb, forming the upper 

 lip; the lower lip of three lanceolate segments, the middle one the 

 largest. Stamens five, from the middle of the tube of the corolla, and 

 as long as it. The filaments and anthers united together around the 

 pistil. The anthers purple and roughish, the two upper ones rather 

 longer than the others, and curved o\t\ the pistil. Style a.s long as the 

 filaments, mostly curved upwards between the two upper segments of 

 the corolla. Stigma obtuse, cleft into two lobes, and hairy beneath. 

 Capsule oblong, angular, roughish, crowned by the persistent calyx, of 

 two or three cells, opening at the apex with two or three teeth. Seeds 

 small, numerous. 



Habitat. — Heathy ground; very rare. Near Axminster — Mr. New- 

 berry ; and Ottery St. Mary, Devonshire — Miss Burgess. 



Perennial ; flowering in August and September. 



This rare and beautiful little plant exudes from all parts of it, 

 when broken, a milky acrid fluid, a quality possessed by most plants of 

 the genus ; and some of them, as L. longiflora, are highly poisonous to 

 the animals that eat it ; and from ilsbeing the cause of frequently destroy- 

 ing horses, it is known by the appellaiion of horse poison. The 

 L. Tupa is said to be still more baneful than this, forFenillee says that 

 the odour arising from the flowers will cause vomiting; and if applied 

 either externally to the bkin, or taken internally, it produces violent 

 inflainmaliou and paiu, and is often followed by death j some other 



