344 



BORAGINE/Il 



pearl-grey, stony nutlets, which remain on- the dead, leafless shoots 

 in autumn. — Dry places; not unfrequent. — Fl June — August. 

 Perennial. 



3. Larvense (Corn Gromwell). — Stem about a foot high, soli- 

 tary, erect, branched ; leaves narrow, hairy ; flowers small, creain- 

 white ; calyx lengthening when in haiit, and containing 3 or 4 



brown, wrnikled nutlets. — 

 <, - — -,. TV Cornfields; common. Fl. 



May — July. Annual. 



II. EcHiU-M (Viper's Bu- 

 gloss). — Usually large, rough 

 herbs with their flozi'ers in 

 scorpioid clusters ; calyx 

 deeply 5-cleft ; corolla mono- 

 symmetric, sub-cam panulate, 

 its throat naked, stamens very 

 long, unequal in length, ex- 

 serted. (Name from the 

 Greek echis, a viper, against 

 the bite of which it was 

 formerly considered an anti- 

 dote.) 



I. E. vulgdrc (C<jmrnon 

 A'iper's Bugloss). — A hand- 

 som'e* plant, 2 — 3 feet high, 

 remarkable for its bristly, or 

 almost prickly stems and 

 leaves, and numerous curved, 

 lateral spikes oi flowers, which 

 on their first opening are 

 bright rose-coloured and 

 finally of a brilliant blue. — 

 Dry places : common. The 

 roots are very long and taper- 

 ing, and descend per[)endicu- 

 larly into the loose soil in 



which the plant usu-ally grows. There is a white-flowered variety. 



The name Bugloss is of Greek origin,^ signifying av'^ tongue, 



referring to the shape and roughness of the leaves. — Fl. June — 



August. ])iennial. 



2.* E. plaiUaglucum, with narrower leaves and more spreading 



spikes of dark \'iulet flowers, occurs in Cornwall and Jersc\.— l'"l. 



June — September. Birnni.-il. 



unuon l^ipfi i Iju^i::. 



