THE BORAGE TRIBE. 181 



that account, to call Asperifolise, and which wc know 

 by the name of the Borage tribe. Leaves covered 

 with rigid hairs, a regular monopetalous corolla, and 

 a four-lobed ovary, which changes into four seed- 

 like grains, form the peculiar character of this natu- 

 ral order, of which the Violet Alkanet (Anchusa ita- 

 lica) is a common and good illustration. In Botanic 

 gardens, or in collections of biennial plants, this is 

 an extremely common plant, so that I anticipate no 

 difficulty in your procuring it. Should you, how- 

 ever, be unable to procure it when this letter reaches 

 you, take a shoot of Forget-me-not, by which you 

 may also follow me. My reason for selecting the 

 Alkanet, is the large size of all its parts of fructifi- 

 cation. 



The leaves of this plant have a fleshy texture and 

 a mucilaginous pulp ; but their skin is covered with 

 hairs so stiffs and sharp that they wdll prick the 

 fingers if drawn over them against the hairs. A 

 miscroscope will shew you that this is owing not so 

 much to the stiffness of the hairs themselves, as to a 

 hard stony base from which they arise, and which 

 if your magnifying power is strong enough, will be 

 found to consist of a cluster of very hard cells of 

 cellular tissue. When the leaves are young, this 

 hardness is less remarkable ; but as they grow old, 

 it becomes very conspicuous. The leaves are placed 

 alternately on the stem, and the latter is round — two 

 facts which I will beg you to recollect. 



The flowers are arranged in a singular manner. 

 The stalk which bears them is coiled up (Plate XV. 1.) 



