Lepidium.] crucifeb/e. 



U 



0. About Ryde and various other parts of the island, occasionally. 



" Stems solitary erect 10—12 inches high, carymbosely branched above. Lower 

 haves almost spalhulate, all slightly pubescent, as well as the racemes and pedicels." 

 —Br. Fl. Silicules about 2| or 3 lines long, brownish white, more or less erect 

 on the widely spreading or partly subdeflexed pedicels, and about equal to them 

 in length, broadly ovate elliptical or nearly orbicular, a little incurved, keeled, 

 rough with vesicular or blister-like risings and the depressions caused by their 

 bursting, convex and very gibbous at the back, less so in front, where the circum- 

 ference is produced into a thin concave border having a shallow emargination at 

 top about equal in depth to the very short minute and not tapering style. Seeds 

 one in each cell, large, brownish red or nistcolour, ovoid, somewhat pointed at 

 one end, thickly and minutely vesiculose scabrous and punctate, pendulous 

 from a falcate process near the summit of the cell at right angles to the 

 dissepiment. 



2. L. Smithii, Hook. Smooth Field Pepperwort. Downy, 

 steins diffuse simple or divaricately branching at top, lower 

 leaves oblong entire on long slender stalks, cauline lanceolate 

 sagittate sessile and clasping toothed, pouch (silicle) ovate ellip- 

 tical nearly smooth at the back, style about thrice as long as the 

 notch, root perennial. Br. Fl. p. 37. Lepidium hirtum, Hook. 

 Scot. Thlaspi hirtum, Sm. (not L.) : E. B. t. 1803. 



On dry banks, under hedges and about the borders of fields, seldom in cul- 

 tivated ground, and far less common than the last. Fl. April — August. 2f . 



E. Med. — Veiy frequent and luxuriant about Eyde in old clover-fields, &c. 



W. Med. Fields by the Medina above W. Cowes, near a wood called, I believe. 

 Bottom Copse, rather plentifully. Near Barton farm and on hedge-banks along 

 the Debbourne walk by W. Cowes. By the roadside between Thorley and Wil- 

 mingham near the bridge, but sparingly. Water-gate near Newport, Dr. Bell- 

 SalterU Abundantly on both sides of the Newport road near the Debbourne 

 turnpike, W. Cowes, Miss G. Kilderbee. Close to the windmill near W. Cowes, 

 under the garden-fence of the miller's house. 



Root perennial,* whitish, tapering and flexuose, very long tough and woody, 

 usually simple or nearly so, often produced at top into one or more woody 

 caudices. Stems in small specimens few or sulisolitary, in the larger plants very nu- 

 merous, from a span to 18 or 20 inches in length, angular and downy like those of the 

 last, with somewhat longer and more copious pubescence, ascending inclining and 

 suberect, or spreading and decumbent, simple or branched only at the summit, 

 the branches fewer, shorter, curved upwards and spreading or divaricate, not as in 

 the foregoing erect and forming a regular corymbose panicle. Leaves broader and 

 shorter in proportion, lesscrowded and erect than in L. campestre, more deeply, dis- 

 tantly and sinuately toothed, otherwise similar, but the radical leaves are as Smith 

 remiirks, more numerous, and persistent even in an advanced state of the plant's 

 growth, elliptical or elliptical-olilong, on very lengthened extremely slender foot- 

 stalks, entire or slightly waved or toothed. Influfuscence as in the preceding spe- 

 cies, but the flowers are rather larger. Silicles very like those of L. campestre in 

 size, shape and colour, but slightly narrowed or attenuated upwards or more ovate, 

 less gibbous at the back which is much less scaly or blistered and nearly smooth, 

 tipped with the somewhat tapering style, which is very decidedly (about thrice) 

 longer than the emargination. Seeds scarcely above half as large as in L. 

 campestre. 



* The remains of flower-stems of a former season, with seed-vessels attached, 

 which I have repeatedly found on this plant, clearly show the root to be really 

 perennial. 



