PENTANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Bupleurum. 93 



Fl. Recept. none, unless the dilated margin of tlie tumid 

 bases of the styles may be taken for such. Fruit ovate- 

 oblong, obtuse, solid, a little compressed, crowned with the 

 very short permanent styles. Seeds somewhat cylindrical, 

 each with 5, prominent, acute, or slightly bordered, ribs ; 

 the interstices flat, either smooth, granulated, or irregu- 

 larly wrinkled ; the summit of each rib abrupt, or angular. 

 Juncture narrower than the seeds. 

 Smooth, rigid, branched, leafy, either herbaceous or shrub- 

 by. Leaves firm, all simple, alternate, undivided and 

 entire. Umbels compound, or simple, often irregular. 

 Bracteas sometimes general, always partial ; the latter 

 usually 5, large and conspicuous, longer than the partial 

 umbels. Tl. yellow. Qiialities slightly aromatic, rather 

 acrid. 



\.V». rotundtfoVium. Common Hare's-ear. Thorow- 



wax. 

 General bracteas wanting. Leaves perfoliate. 



B. rotundifolium. Linn. Sp. PI. 340. mild.v.l.\369. Fl. Br. 292. 

 Engl. Bot. V. 2. t. 99. Ehrli. PL Off. 1G2. 



B. n. 767. Hall. Hist. v. 1. 342. 



B. perfoliatum rotundifolium annuum. Tourn. Inst. 310. Rail 

 Syn. 221. 



Perfoliata. Matth. Valgr. v. 2. A9b.f. Camer. Epit. 888./. Dod. 

 Pempt. 104./. Eiv. Pentap. Irr. t. 46. 



P. vulgaris. Ger. Em. 536./. Moris, v. 3. 299. sect. 9. t.\2.f.]. 



P. vulgatissima, sive arvensis. Baiih. Pin. 277. 



Perfoliatum vulgatius, flove luteo, folio umbilicato. Lob. ic. 396./. 



In corn-fields, especially on a chalky soil. 



Annual. July. 



Root rather small, tapering. Stem erect, round, leafy, branched 

 alternately in the upper part, and somewhat corymbose. Leaves 

 all perfoliate in a remarkable degree, alternate, broadly ovate, 

 scarcely pointed, rather glaucous, often purplish at the margin, 

 as the stem is in the lower part. Umbels terminal, compound, 

 solitaiy, of about 6 general rays, and rather more, very short, 

 partial ones. Partial bracteas large, thrice as long as the flowers, 

 ovate, ribbed, yellowish-green, each with a minute bristly point. 

 Fl. of a full yellow, with remarkably short petals. 



This plant has been reckoned among the vulnerary herbs ; but its 

 virtues, whether ever experienced or not, are recorded in old 

 herbals only. 



2. B. Odontites. Narrow-leaved Hare's-ear. 

 Partial bracteas five, ovate, acute, ihree-ribbed ; general 



