Mouse-ear bcoRPioN-GRASs, 



MYOSOTIS Lin. Gen. PL Pentandria Monogynia. 



Cal. hypocrateriformis, 5. fida, emarginata : faux claufa fotnicibus. 

 ■Rail Syn. Gen. 13. Herb^ asperifqlije. 

 MYOSOTIS Scorploldes feminibus kevibus, Foliorum apicibus cailofis» Lin. Syjl. Vegetal. Sp. Pi. p. 188* 



FL Suecic, n. 157. 



SCORPlURUS radice longa fibrata peretmi. Hall h'fi. 591. 



MYOSOTIS Scorploides. Scopoll. n. 185. 



ECHIUM fcorpioides paluftre Bauhin. pin. 254. 



MYOSOTIS fcorpioides paluftris. Ger. emac, 337. 



MYOSOTIS fcorpioides repens. Park. 691. Rail Syn. p. 222. n. 4* Water Scorpion-Grafs. 



Hudfon. Fl. Angl. ed 2. p. 78. 



Llghtfoot. FL Scot. p. 232. 



RADIX per aquam longe excurrit, et flbrillas e geni- | ROOT runs out to a great length through the water, 



culis dimittit. ^ and fend down fibres from the joints. 



CAULIS bail repens, dein erectus, pedalis aut bipe- % STALK creeping at bottom, afterwards upright, from 



dalis, teres, folidus, ramoius, glaber, faspe | one to two feet high, round, folid, branched, 



hirfutus. % fmooth, but often hairy. 



FOLIA alterna, lanceolata, femlia, fubdecurrentia, | LEAVES alternate, lanceolate, feffile, {lightly decur- 



glabra five hirfuta, margine faepe revoluta. | rent, fmooth or hirfute, the edge often roll'd 



? back. 



RACEMI longi, dichotomi, divaricati, apicibus invo- | RACEMI long, dichotomous ; divaricating, the tops 



lutis. f roll'd in, 



FLORES pedunculati, fecundi ; pedunculis alternis, % FLOWERS ftanding on footftalks and growing all one 



ere£tis. I way ; footftalks alternate and upright. 



Ci\LYX: Perianthium monophyllum, tubulatum, $ CALYX: a Perianthium of one leaf, tubular, hav- 



quinquedentatum, perfiftens. Jig. 1. | ing five teeth and permanent, fig. 1. 



COROLLA monopetala, hypocrateriformis, I'ubuslon- | COROLLA monopetalous, falverlhaped, the Tube the 



gitu dine calych ; Llmbus planus, femiquihque- t length of the calyx : the Limb fat, divided 



fidus, laciniis obtufis, fubemarginatis ; Faux | into five blunt fegments with a flight notch 



claufa fquamulis quinque convexis, promi- $ in each ; the mouth clofed with five convex 



nentibus, luteis. fig. 2. 3. 6. I prominent yellow fcales or glands, fig. 2. 3. 6. 



STAMINA: FilAmenta quinque in collo tubi, bre- | STAMINA: five Filaments, very fhort, placed in the 



viffima : Anthers oblongse, fiavas, apicibus ¥ neck of the tube ; Anthers oblong, yellow, 



tumjdis, teclae. fig. 4. I the tips fwelled, and enclofed. fig. 4. 



PISTILLUM: Germina quatuor; Stylus filiformis, ^ PISTILLUM : Germina four; Style thread fhaped, 



longitudine tubi cofolbe ; Stigma obtufum. i the length of the tube of the corolla ; Stigma 



*' blunt. 



PERICARPIUM nullum, Calyx femina in firm fovens. | SEEDVESSEL wanting, the Calyx containing and 



■$ enclofing the ieeds. 



SEMINA quatuor, ovata, glabra, nigri cantia, nitida. | SEEDS four, oval, fmooth, . blackifli, and mining, fig. 5. 



fig- 5- % 



Few plants affume'fo great a variety of appearances as the Myofotls ficorpioides, few accomodate themfelves to 

 fuch a diverfity of foil, and fituation ; the very different habit which this plant aflumes in dry, and wet fili- 

 ations, has induced Haller to divide it into two fpecies, viz. annual and perennial, the aquatic one having 

 according to him a perennial, and the other an annual root ; we might perhaps be nearly as much juftified in 

 confidering fome others of its ftriking varieties as fpecies alfo, particularly the one with yellow flowers and the 

 larger flowered one figured by Ray, but as Linnjeus and the generality of modern Botanifts agree in confider- 

 ing them all but 'as one fpecies, we rather chufe to acquiefce in their determination; mould future obfervation 

 or experiment give us any reafon to fuppofe them fpecies, we {hall be very happy to do juftice to the opinion 

 ef Baron Haller. 



The aouatic variety here figured grows very commonly in wet ditches and rivulets, its flowers efpecially 

 in mady "filiations being much larger and more confpicuous than when growing in a dry foil are often re- 

 marked for their beauty and delicacy, they fomewhat refemble blue enantel, and are a very pretty ornament for 

 the edges of ponds. 



On dry ground it ufually occurs in fallow fields, and* gardens but little cultivated ; the variety with yellow 

 flowers is not unfrequent on dry fandy banks, and fometimes on walls ; they all flower from May to 

 Auguft and September. 



Linn;sus fufpeas its being poiibnous to frfeep, vid. Stllllngfieets mifceh tracts, p. 35$, ed. 2, 



