4 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



Pioot a long tapoving tap-root, often surmounted by a -woody 

 rootstock. Stems often somewliat woody at the base, erect, 18 to 

 30 inches high, hollow with raised lines. Leaves witti 5 to 8 pairs 

 of pinna?, which are undulated at the margins. Flowering racemes 

 rather longer than in R. lutea. Flowers dirty-white, about f inch 

 across. Petals Avith the claws very short and roundish, a little 

 wider than the lamina, which is narrowly wedge-shaped and 3-cleft ; 

 the central division as long as the lateral ones, but not quite so 

 broad. ])isk short, funnel-shaped, with a narrow pulverulent margin 

 turned over towards the side of the flower next the axis. Stamens 

 11 to 14, not all bent down, shorter than the petals. Stigmas 

 usually 4, on short styles (or rather prolongations of the apices of 

 the carpels), which are bent outwards. Capsule very shortly stipi- 

 tate, contracted at the apex, about ^ inch long, leathery, slightly 

 bossulated, opening at the apex long before the seeds are ripe, and 

 having 4 projecting teeth round the margin of the opening. Seeds 

 reniform, somewhat compressed, dark brown or yellowish, opaque 

 and finely roughened with concentric rows of small raised points. 

 Whole ])lant glaucous-green, glabrous. 



K. alba, Linn, (from his description) appears to be merely R. 

 sufTruticulosa with the calyx 6-partite and the petals 6 in number ; 

 11. undata of Reichenbach appears to be H. suffruticulosa with 3 

 stigmas instead of 4 ; but R. undata of Linna3us is probably dis- 

 tinct, as he descril)es it as a small plant about 1 foot high, with 

 the lower leaves having the alternate segments smaller, the pistils 

 from 3 to 5, and the capsules the largest of the genus. 



Zlpi'lffht Mignonnette. 



SPECIES III.— E, ESEDA LUTEOLA. Linn. 



Tlate CLXIV. 



Beich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Ilelv. Vol. II. Telr. Tab. XCIX. Fig. 4442. 



Stem erect, sub-simple or with a few erect branches. Leaves 

 strap-shaped, the lower ones attenuated at the base, all entire. 

 Flowers in elongate and rather lax cylindrical spike-like racemes. 

 Pedicels ascending, shorter than the segments of the calyx, which 

 are 4 in number and do not enlarge after flowering. Petals 

 generally 4 or 3, more rarely 5 ; the upper one cleft into 3 or more 

 segments ; the lateral ones with 3 segments ; the lowest (when 

 present), or more rarely the two lowest (when there are 5), linear- 

 entire. Stigmas 3. Capsule sub-globular, depressed, divided nearly 

 half way down into 3 triangular acute lobes. 



Waste places. Not uncommon, especially on calcareous soils. 

 In Scotland it extends as far north as the counties of Moray 



