316 BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS oHAr. 



V. verna has a small deep-blue corolla, with, darker 

 lines, and small stamens not narrowed at the base. The 

 flowers are homogamous. The stem is hairy, and glan- 

 dular above. 



V. Beccabunga (Brooklime) is a glabrous succulent 

 plant, found on margins of brooks and ditches. The 

 flowers are protogynous, and a deep sky-blue. The 

 specific name comes from an old German word meaning 

 " brook-loving." 



V. Anagallis is also a glabrous succulent plant, found 

 in watery places. The sepals are glabrous or slightly 

 glandular. The small corolla is pale lilac or white. 



We now come to a series of parasitic or semi- 

 parasitic genera. 



Rhinanthus (Yellow Eattle) 



This is a semi-parasitic plant, which attaches itself 

 by means of suckers to the roots of grasses. The 

 suckers are comparatively large, and often surround 

 more than half of the root attacked. They are homo- 

 gamous, humble bee, or in some cases butterfly, flowers. 

 The general arrangement of the flower agrees with that 

 of Euphrasia, but is on a larger scale. The calyx is 

 swollen, not so much, in Knuth's opinion, to protect 

 the flower from being bitten into by humble bees, as to 

 give the wind more purchase, so that the winged seeds 

 may be thrown out with more force. 



R. Crista-galli. — -The corolla is yellow, with beautiful 

 violet teeth, and the tube 9-10 mm. in length. Bach 

 anther is opposite the corresponding one on the other 

 side of the flower, and the two are connected by matted 

 hairs, thus enclosing a space into which the pollen is 

 shed. The filaments of the stamens are waved, leaving 

 a space between them through which the bee thrusts 

 its proboscis, and thus separating the anthers sets free 

 the pollen. The stigma projects beyond the corolla. 

 According to H. MuUer, the Alpine form R. hirsutus is 

 adapted both to butterflies and humble bees. Close to 



