88 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



1 -seeded cocca, usually called nucules, rarely drupaceous and with 2 or 

 4 stones. Embryo straight, without albymen, or curved when the 

 latter is present ; albumen none, or in small quantity and fleshy. 



Tribe I.— ANCHUSE^E (mcluding Lithospermeaj). 



Xucules 4 (or fewer by abortion), all free, not depressed, inserted 

 by their base upon a flat torus. 



GENUS I.—E C H I U M. Toumef. 



Calyx 5-partite. Corolla UTCgular, funnelshaped, subbUabiate ; 

 throat enlarged, open, without scales or hairs; limb oblique, of 5 erect 

 or slightly spreading segments. Stamens unequal, often exserted. 

 Style 2-cleft. Nucules wrinkled, ovate-ovoid, Avithout a tumid ring 

 at the base, inserted upon the flat receptacle by a plain surface. 



Bristly hispid, and often tuberculate herbs or undershrubs, with 

 flowers in scorpioid spikes or racemes generally arranged in panicles. 

 Corolla purple, red, or red changing to blue, varjdng to flesh colour or 

 white. 



The derivation of the name of tliis genus is from txic (echis), a viper ; its seeds 

 when ripe being thought to resemble the head of this reptile. 



SPECIES I.—E C H I U M VULGARE. Linn. 



Plate MXCV. 



Reich. le. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. XVIH. Tab. MCCXCVHI. Fig. 2. 

 Bniof, Fl. GaU. et Germ. Exsicc. No. 1534. 



Stem herbaceous, densely hispid, and thinly clothed with long stifi 

 bristly spreading hairs seated on small tubercles. Radical leaves 

 strapshaped-oblanceolate or strapshaped-oblong, gradually attenuated 

 at the base into indistinct petioles, the midrib very strong, the two 

 lateral ribs and the side veins scarcely perceptible ; lower stem leaves 

 subsessile, strapshaped, attenuated towards the base ; upper ones sessile, 

 strapshaped, attenuated towards the apex, rounded but not at all 

 amplexicaul at the base ; all finely and thinly hispid with minute hairs, 

 intermixed with long stout bristly Laii's seated on minute unequal 

 tubercles. Flowers all bracteate, in scorpioid spikes, which are 

 arranged in a slender panicle ; spikes at first very dense and shoi-t, 

 afterwards elongating and erect-ascending ; upper spikes sessile. 

 Corolla tube slightly and gradually enlarged upwards, shorter than the 

 calyx-teeth. Stamens much exserted. 



