i 



DIDYNAMIA— ANGIOSPERMIA. Melampyruni. 125 



culiarly long and linear, coloured like the bracteas. Cor. closed, 

 yellow ; the lips variegated with rose-colour and purple. Seeds 

 2 in each cell, though often by abortion solitary ; hence the ac- 

 curate John Bauhin describes 2 or 3 in each capsule. They re- 

 semble grains of wheat in shape and colour. 

 This is one of our most beautiful wild plants. It will grow from 

 fresh seed in a dry garden, and is well worthy of cultivation. 

 The late Mr. Watts ob'<erved, that whenever the field at Sporle 

 was cropped with wheat, but not otherwise, this Melampyrum 

 might be found in abundance. At Costesy it is more constant, 

 not only in the fields, but, as Dr. Hooker remarks, "on the 

 dry banks which border them." M. barbatum of Willdenow 

 .seems well distinguished by its gaping yellow^o«)ers, indepen- 

 dent of the green bracteas. 



3. yi. pratense. Common Yellow Cow-wheat. 



Flowers axillary, in partly distant pairs, turned to one 

 side. Corolla closed ; lip direct. Upper floral leaves 

 toothed at the base. 



M. pratense. Linn. Sp. PI 843. Willd. v.3.\ 99. Fl. Br. 6.'32. 



Engl.Bot.v.2.t.l\3. With. 545. Light/. 324. Hook. Scot. 187. 

 M. sylvaticum. Huds.270. TVade Dubl. \68. Riv. Monop. Irr. 



t.Sl.f. 1. 

 M. n.308. Hall. Hist. v.\.\35. 

 M. sylvaticum flore luteo, sive Satureia lutea sylvestris. Raii Syn. 



*286. Bauh. Hist. V. 3. p. 2. 441. 

 M. luteum latifoHum. Bauh. Pin. 234 ; not 243, as in Willdenow, 



copied from Linnceus. 

 Parietaria sylvestris secunda. Clus. Hist. v. 2. 44./. 

 Crataeogonon. Lob. Ic. 36. f. 

 C. album. Ger. Em. 91. 



Common Cow-wheat. Petiv.H. Brit. t. 36. f. 9. 

 p. Melampyrum latifolium, flore albo, labio inferiore duabus ma- 



culis luteis distincto. Tourn. Par. 492. Dill, in Raii Syn. *286. 

 M. pratense. Huds. 270. 



Frequent in woods and bu.shy places, especially on a clay or loamy 

 soil. 



/S. In the wood by Dr. Richardson's house at North Bierley, York- 

 shire. Dillenius. 



Annual July, August. 



Stem smooth, with several wide-spreading brandies, so as to be 

 frequently almost decumbent. Leaves bright green, lanceolate, 

 taper-pointed, smooth, or roughish at the edges only, entire, 

 except those that accompany the flowers, which are more or 

 less toothed at the base, and sometimes deeply pinnatifid, with 

 very narrow segments, partaking much of the bracteas of the 

 last species, and like them occasionally coloured ; but they are 



