116 ENGLISH BOTANY. 
arranged in interrupted stalked axillary spikes. Female flowers stalked, 
in few-flowered axillary clusters, rarely intermingled with male flowers. 
Capsule small, didymous, roughened with large pointed tubercles 
terminated by bristly hairs; tubercles largest on each side of the 
central line of each coccum towards its apex. Seeds ovoid, slightly 
shining, reticulated-shagreened. Leaves green, glabrous. 
Var. a, genuina. 
Prats MCCLXIX. 
Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ. et Helv. Vol. V. Tab. CLI. Fig. 4801. 
Billot, F). Gall. et Germ. Exsice. No. 76. 
M. annua, Linn. fil. Reich. Fl. Germ. Excurs. p. 764, and Ic. le. p.9. Gren. & Godr. 
Fl. de Fr. Vol. II. p. 99. 
Flowers diccious. 
Var. 8, ambigua. 
Prats MCCLXX. 
Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ. et Helv. Vol. V. Tab. CLI. Fig. 4802. 
Billot, Fl. Gall. et Germ. Exsice. No. 642. 
M. ambigua, Linn. fil. Reich. Fl. Germ. Exeurs, p. 764, and Ie, le. p.9. Bab. in 
E.B.S. No. 2816. 
Flowers monecious, in other respects undistinguishable from the 
female plant of var. a. 
In gardens, cultivated fields, and by roadsides, chiefly about towns 
and villages. Local, but generally distributed over the south of 
England; rare in the north, and very scarce in Scotland, where it 
occurs near Tranent, East Lothian; Burntisland, Fite; and Aberfoyle, 
Perthshire. Very local in Ireland, and confined to the south and east 
of the island. Var. A is chiefly found along the south coast. 
England, Scotland, Ireland. Annual. Late Summer, Autumn. 
Stem 6 to 20 inches high, usually (especially in the female plant) 
with numerous opposite branches, the internodes not longer towards 
the base of the stem than in the middle, all of them with prominent 
lines from between the stipules of one pair of leaves to the axils of those 
immediately below them. Leaves in the male plauts ovate or ovate- 
lanceolate, rarely lanceolate; of the female commonly lanceolate and 
much darker in colour; in both cases rounded or sometimes subcordate 
at the base, acuminate at the apex, serrate or crenate-scrrate; the 
petioles of the upper leaves rather shorter than the width of the lamina, 
those of the upper much shorter. Male flowers in interrupted stalked 
spikes, like those of M. perennis: the female plant with axillary fascicles 
of shortly stalked flowers. Styles diverging, not recurved. Capsule 
