2 ENGLISH BOTANY. 
cohering in a ring round the style, the 2 lower ones generally 
bearded at the apex. Style with a fringe of hairs round the stigma. 
Capsule 2-celled, more rarely 3-celled, opening by 2 (or 3) valves. 
Herbs, with the flowers generally blue or lilac, in racemes, 
each flower in the axil of a bract, or in some cases of a leaf. 
This genus of plants was named in honour of the Flemish physician Matthias 
de Lobel. He was the author of various works, particularly that called " Icones 
Plantarum." He was born at Lisle in 1538, became botanist and physician to King 
James I., and died in London in 1616. Throughout life he was a great traveller, and 
a zealous promoter of his favourite science of botany. 
SPECIES I.— L O B E L I A DOHTM ANN A. Linn. 
Plate DCCCLXI. 
Reich. Ic. FL Germ, et Helv. Yol. XIX. Tab. MDCXYIII. Fig. 3. 
Leaves all radical, linear, sub-cylindrical, composed of 2 parallel 
tubes. Scape simple, leafless or with a very few minute bract-like 
leaves. Pedicels longer than the bracts. Flowers drooping, in an 
elongated lax simple raceme. Calyx glabrous, obconic, the tube 
twice as long as the segments. Corolla much longer than the 
calyx, sub-glabrous, split above, with the 2 upper lobes linear, 
erect ; under lip longer than the upper, 3-cleft, with the lobes 
elliptical-oblong, sub-obtuse. Filaments free at the base, anthers 
included, pilose at the tips, the 2 lowest bearded. 
In lakes with clear gravelly bottoms. Not uncommon in upland 
districts. It occurs in Wales, Shropshire, Cumberland, and in 
most of the Scotch counties, excepting those of the South-east, 
reaching North to Sutherland and the Hebrides, and the Isle of 
Hoy, in Orkney. 
England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Late Summer. 
Hoot of numerous long simple pure-white brittle fibres. Leaves 
numerous, glabrous, all in a radical tuft, 1 to 3 inches long, rather 
thicker than a crow-quill, slightly recurved, obtuse, submerged. 
Stem solitary, or rarely 2 or 3 from one root, 1 to 2 feet high, hollow, 
unbranched, frequently with a few scale- or bract-like leaves, 
llaceme rising out of the water, lax, with 3 to 15 drooping flowers 
on rather short very slender pedicels. Bracts oblong-lanceolate, 
obtuse, much shorter than the pedicels, herbaceous. Flowers f to 
1 inch long, very pale lilac. Capsule drooping, broadly clavate, 
acuminate, the point exceeding the lobes of the calyx, and termi- 
nated by the style. Plant glabrous. 
Water Lobelia. 
French, Lobelie de Dortmann. German, Wasser Lobelie. 
