SOME HYBRIDS OF THE GENUS SYMPHYTUM 333 



those of one of the parents — white flowers to the bright blue of 

 S. peregj'inum, and blue flowers to the yellowish tint of S. offici- 

 nale a ochroleucum. When carefully dried, the w^hite, pale rose 

 or blue flowers of hybrid plants turn to a pale slaty blue, unlike 

 those of S. officinale a ochroleucum, which remain white or 

 yellowish ; the rose or blue flowers of S. peregrinum become a 

 darker and purer blue than those of the hybrids, and those of 

 S. officinale /3 purpureitm become dark purple. The important 

 character of the decurrent leaves, though not so conspicuous as in 

 the fresh plant, is sufficiently well shown when it is dry ; and the 

 asperous character of the stem and calyx is perhaps more evident 

 than in the fresh state. To show the characters of the stamens 

 and corolla-scales, the corolla may be opened and dried flat. 



For the sake of more easy reference I consider it advisable to 

 give appropriate names to the forms which I now describe, and 

 in order to show clearly the characters to be relied on in distin- 

 guishing them, I give concise descriptions of the parent species 

 embodying the essential points of difference between them. 



S. OFFICINALE L. Plant hispid, sometimes sterile. Stem 

 2-4 ft. high, rarely asperous except when old, conspicuously 

 winged from node to node ; lower leaves elliptic- or ovate-lanceo- 

 late, attenuate into the petiole, upper narrowly lanceolate with a 

 broad decurrent base ; calyx with acuminate segments, hispid in 

 fruit ; corolla white, yellowish, rose, purple, or striped with these 

 colours ; anthers longer than filaments ; nutlets even or minutely 

 rugulose, faintly areolate, shining, black, not constricted above 

 the broad base. 



cc ochroleucum DC. Prod. x. p. 37 (1846) ; Oed. Fl. Dan. t. 664 

 (1777). S. bohemicum Schm. Fl. Boem. Gent, tertia, p. 13 (1794). 

 Flowers white or yellowish. 



P purpureum Pers. Ench. i. p. 161 (1805). S. patens Sibth. 

 Fl. Oxon. no. 70 (1794).='= Flowers rose or purple. 



S. PEREGRiNUM Ledob. Plant hispid and setose, very fertile. 

 Stem 4-7 ft. high, stout, often asperous w^ith tubercular-based 

 setae, not winged ; lower leaves ovate-oblong, cordate, rounded or 

 subattenuate at the base, upper ovate or ovate-lanceolate with 

 narrow base, slightly or not at all decurrent ; calyx-segments 

 acute, tubercular-setose in fruit ; corolla crimson in bud, then pure 

 blue, or shaded with rose and blue ; anthers as long or shorter 

 than filaments ; nutlets strongly striate and areolate, closely 

 granulate, browmish-black, constricted above the narrow base. 



X S. DISCOLOR mihi. (S. officinale a ochroleucum x < pere- 

 grinum.) Habit and stature of S. peregrinum, sparingly fertile or 

 quite sterile. Stem hispid, asperous, narrowly winged ; lower 

 leaves rather broadly ovate, upper lanceolate, narrowly decurrent ; 

 calyx wdth acute or acuminate segments, slightly tubercular- setose 

 in fruit ; corolla whitish, or more or less tinted with pale rose and 



* S. officinale, when sterile, has the segments of the calyx spreading after 

 flowering, and it is not improbable that from this circumstance Sibthorp gave 

 the name of 2)atens to the "red-flowered comfrey." 



