404 FLOWERS OF GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE 



notched scales. The five stamens are attached to the throat of the 

 corolla and protrude in a circle round the stigma. Nutlets wrinkled. 

 The species are natives of South Europe and North Africa ; one, Borago 

 officinalis, is naturalised in England, growing on waste places near 

 dwellings. 



Species. Borago laxiflora (loose-flowered). Stems, several 



from each root, first erect, then prostrate, bristly. Leaves 



rough, oblong; the radical ones forming a rosette; the upper ones 



partially clasping the stem. Flowers pale blue, on long footstalks, 



drooping ; May to August. Perennial. Introduced from Corsica, 1813. 



B. LONGIFOLIA (long-leaved). Stem 1 foot high. Leaves narrowly 

 lance-shaped, rough and downy beneath. Flowers blue; July and 

 August. Annual. Introduced from Numidia, 1825. 



B. OFFICINALIS (of the shops). Stem stout, succulent, branched, 1 to 

 3 feet high, erect. Leaves lance-shaped, waved ; lower stalked, upper 

 stalkless, eared at base. Flow^ers bright blue ; June and July. Annual 

 or biennial, largely grown to be used as an ingredient in the concoction 

 of claret-cup. 

 Cultivation. "^^^ cultivation of Boragos is a simple matter, as they 



succeed in almost any garden soil. The seeds should be 

 sown where they are to grow, in spring— from March to May— and the 

 seedlings thinned out. The perennials may also be increased by means 

 of cuttings, struck in a cold frame, or by dividing the roots in spring. 



Natural Order Convolvulace^. Genus Ipomcm 



IPOM^A (derived from Ips and the Greek word homoios, similar 

 Lmnffius, the author of the name, eiToneously supposed that I^^h was the 

 Greek for Bindweed). An extensive genus (about four hundred species) of 

 twinmg and creeping herbs, with a few shrubs. They have alternate leaves 

 which are entire, lobed or divided. The flowers are salver-shaped bell- 

 shaped, or tubular, of showy tints. The ovary is three-celled, and the 

 pistil ends in a stigmatic head, which may be lobed, but is not divided 

 into slender arms as in the genus Convolvulus. The species are dis- 

 tributed throughout the warm regions of the globe, and a few are found 

 in iNorth America. 



History. Ipomcsas have been known to cultivation in this 



country for at least three centuries, for in the year 1597 



