202 TETRANDRIA— MONOGYNIA. Galium. 



Aparine palustris minor parisiensis, flore albo. Dill, in Rctii Syn. 



■ 225. 



In wet meadows, watery places, and ditches among reeds, &c. 



Perennial. August. 



Root and lateral shoots creeping. Whole phint of a rather bright 

 green, as in Professor Hooker's excellent figure, which it retains 

 when dry. The stems are brittle and wea!<, a foot high, sup- 

 porting themselves on other plants, and sticking by their rough 

 edges. Leaves pretty uniformly six in a whorl, except on the 

 weak, or ultimate, shoots ; lanceolate inclining to obovate, their 

 dilatation, if remarkable, being above the middle ; they end in 

 a pale bristle, and the tip of the leaf itself is discoloured ; the 

 edges are uniformly beset with minute, recurved, very sharp 

 prickles, often accompanied with a less complete row of similar 

 prickles, on the disk adjoining, directed the contrary way, which 

 may deceive an incautious observer. The main rib has recurved 

 prickles underneath, like the marginal ones. Fl. small, white, 

 on terminal, forked, smooth, slightly panlcled, stalks. Anth. 

 pale. Fruit small, dotted. Willderow places this among the 

 rough-fruited species ; but his synonyms are so confused, it is 

 impossible to ascertain what he intended. 



If the points and prickles of the leaves, as well as their shape, be 

 duly observed, this plant can never be confounded with G. Wi- 

 theringii, for the characters thence derived, though much neg- 

 lected, are no less constant than curious. 



6, G. erectum. Upright Bed-straw. 



Leaves about eight in a whorl, lanceolate, bristle-pointed, 

 with marginal prickles all pointing forward. Stem weak, 

 slightly hairy under each joint. Fruit smooth and even. 

 Corolla taper-pointed. 



G. erectum. Uiuls. 68. Fl. Brit. 176. Engl. Bot. v. 2^. t. 2067. 

 Dicks. H. Sicc.fasc. 1 7. 2. Hook. Scot. 5 1 ? Willem. Stell. 47, 

 excluding the syn. 



In hedges and pastures, whether dry or somewhat moist, but not 

 common. 



On the bushy part of Heydon Common, Norfolk. Mr. Crowe. In 

 dry hedges at Portslade, Sussex. Mr. Borrer. 



Perennial. June, July. 



Stems l-l or 2 feet high, weak, resting on other plants, branched, 

 whitish or glaucous, square, except immediately under the 

 whorls, where they acquire intermediate angles, and are some- 

 what hairy, though otherwise smooth. Leaves lanceolate, 

 scarcely at all obovate, except some of the lower ones, a little 

 glaucous, copiously reticulated with veins ; smooth on both sides, 

 even the midrib ; but the edges, and the adjoining portion of the 

 disk above, bear a double row of hooked prickles, all directed 



