THE BORAGE TRIBE. 183 



When the fruit is ripe it is invested with the calyx, 

 which remains green for a long time {fig. 4.), only 

 contracting at the point, so as to cover the fruit. Cor- 

 responding with the four lobes of the ovary, are four 

 grains, or rather rugged bony nuts {fig. 5.), which 

 finally separate from each other, when they look like 

 so many seeds, for which they used to be mistaken. 

 These, along with the gyrate inflorescence, are the 

 great characters of the Borage tribe, as distinguished 

 from all other Monopetalous Natural Orders. 



Many of the genera of the Borage tribe are ex- 

 tremely common. The most beautiful of all our wild 

 flowers. Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare), is one of 

 them. It is known by its corolla having an unequal 

 and irregular margin, and a sort of bell-shaped 

 figure. The deep red or purple spots and hairs of that 

 plant are very remarkable. 



Then there is Forget-me-not ('Myosotis), whose 

 various species ornament ditches and dry banks with 

 their pretty blue blossoms. It is known from Alka- 

 net only by the scales of the mouth of its corolla 

 beinoc more rounded and shorter. 



Borage^ too (Borago officinalis), occasionally makes 

 its appearance upon banks, and in waste places ; it is 

 conspicuous for its azure flowers, whose corolla is 

 dceplv divided into five spreading lobes, which are 

 much longer than the tube. 



Besides these, we have Hound' s-tongue (Cynoglos- 

 sum), with long grey leaves, and dingy reddish brown 

 flowers, succeeded by broad fruit, covered all over 

 with stiff" hooks ; Lungwort (Pulmonaria), with leaves 



