72 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



SPECIES II.— LYCHNIS VISCARIA. Linru 



Plate CCXIII. 



n?lcli. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. VI. Caryoph. Tab. CCCVII. Fig. 5131. 



V^iscaria purpurea, Wiinm. Fries, Sum. Veg. Scand. p. 3G. Gr. & Godr. Fl. de Fr. 



Vol. I. p. 221. 

 V. vulgaris, liijhl. Garche, Fl. von Nord- und Mittel-Deutschland, p. G5. 



Flowers in a narrow elongated interrupted panicle. Calyx 

 tubular-clavate, at length much widened towards the top, umbil- 

 icate at the base, with 5 deltoid acute teeth at the apex. Petals 

 with the laminae very slightly notched. Gynophore nearly as long 

 as the capsule. 



On trap and limestone rocks. Very local. On Craig Breidden, 

 Montgomeryshire, and Stannar Rocks, Ptadnor ; Arthur's Seat and 

 Blackford Hill, Edinburgh ; Orrock Hill and near Newborough, 

 Pifeshire ; Dumyatt Hill, Stirlingshire ; near Airly Castle, Porfar ; 

 Glengary and Den of Balthayock, Perthshire; in Eoxburghshiro 

 and Kirkcudbright. 



England, Scotland. Perennial. Early Summer. 



Rootstock rather thick, woody, with short divisions, producing 

 very short barren shoots resembling dense tufts of radical leaves ; and 

 erect flowering stems, 1 to 2 feet high. Leaves of the barren shoots 

 elliptical-linear, very acute, attenuated at the base into very ill- 

 defined footstalks, 2 to 5 inches long ; upper leaves strapshaped- 

 lanceolate. Bracts broadly-lanceolate, acuminate, usually purple. 

 Panicle composed of numerous pairs of shortly-stalked and few- 

 flowered cymes, and terminated by a similar one. Peduncles 

 extremely short. Plowers f inch long by f inch across. Calyx mem- 

 branous, generally purple, faintly nerved, much dilated towards the 

 apex when in fruit. Petals purplish-red, with the lamina? deltoid- 

 obovate, very slightly notched, with 2 conspicuous scales at the 

 base ; claw auricled at the apex. Capsule roundish-ovoid, a little 

 longer than the slender gynophore, opening by 5 slightly-spreading 

 teeth. Seeds very small, reniform, tuberculated. Plant dark green, 

 often more or less tinged with purple, glabrous, except the edges 

 of the base of the leaves or petioles (where there is a woolly 

 fringe) and a few short hairs on the calices ; stem extremely sticky 

 below each node. 



Med German Catchfly, Cuckoo-flower. 



French, Lychnide Visqtieuse. German, Gemeine Pechnelke. 



