BORA GO*.

Linnean Class and Order. PENTA'NDRIA †, MONOGY'NIA.

Natural Order. BORAGI'NEE, Juss. Gen. Pl. p. 128.-Lindl. Syn. p. 163; Introd. to Nat. Syst. p. 241.-Rich. by Macgilliv. p. 440. Sm. Gram. of Bot. p. 102.-ASPERIFOLIE, Linn. Sm. Eng. Fl. v. i. p. 247.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx (fig. 1.) inferior, of one sepal, deeply divided into 5 moderately spreading segments, permanent. Corolla (fig. 2.) of 1 petal, wheel-shaped; tube of various lengths; limb in 5 deep, flat, or twisted segments, widely spreading; mouth bordered with 5 short, blunt, notched valves, or with awl-shaped ones, or with both, in which case the latter bear the stamens at the inner side (fig. 3). Filaments 5, awl-shaped, various in length, converging. Anthers arrow-shaped, or oblong and notched. Germens (figs. 4 and 5.) 4. Style (fig. 4.) cylindrical. Stigma capitate. Seeds 4, (figs. 5 and 6.), egg-shaped, converging, rugged, or tuberculated, keeled outwardly towards the point, globular at the base, attached to the bottom of the closed calyx.

The wheel-shaped corolla, with its mouth closed with awl-shaped or notched valves, and the 4 (apparently) naked seeds, will distinguish this from other genera, with a monopetalous, inferior corolla, in the same class and order.

One species British.

BORA'GO OFFICINA LIS. Common Borage.

SPEC. CHAR. Lower Leaves inversely egg-shaped, narrowed at the base. Segments of the corolla egg-shaped, pointed, spreading.

Eng. Bot. t. 36.-Linn. Sp. Pl. p. 197.-Huds. Fl. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 82.Sm. Fl. Brit. v. i. p. 219. Engl. Fl. v. i. p. 264.-With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 284. -Lindl. Syn. p. 164.-Hook. Brit. Fl. p. 82.-Sibth. Fl. Oxon. p. 71.-Abbot's Fl. Bedf. p. 43.-Thornton's Family Herbal, p. 167.-Purt. Midl. Fl. v. i. p. 111.--Relhan's Fl. Cantab. (3rd ed.) p. 82.-Hook. Fl. Scot. p. 70.—Grev. Fl. Edin. p. 46.-Fl. Devon. pp. 35. and 151.-Johnston's Fl. of Berwick, v. i. p. 53.-Perry's Pl. Varv. Select. p 16.-Rev. G. E. Smith's Pl. of S. Kent, p. 13.-Walk. Fl. of Oxf. p. 50.-Mack. Catal. of Pl. of Ireland, p. 21.-Baxt. Lib. of Agricul. and Hort. Knowl. (2nd ed ) p. 54.-Borago hortensis, Johnson's Gerarde, p. 797.-Borago officinalis, Gray's Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 350.Borrago hortensis, Ray's Syn. p. 228.

LOCALITIES. In waste or cultivated ground, by road-sides, and amongst rubbish. A doubtful native.-Oxfordshire; Near the Parks: Dr. SIBTHORP. Side of the Banbury road, between Oxford and Summer Town, August, 1831. W. B.-Berks; On walls and among rubbish: Dr. MAVOR's Agricul. Surv. of Berks.-Bedfordshire; Duck Mill, Bedford; Ampthill Warren: Rev. C. ABBOT, in Fl. Bedf.-Cambridgeshire; Parker's Piece; Emmanuel College; Jesus Grove; Cow-fen: Rev. K. RELHAN.-Cornwall; Kedgworth; near St.

Fig. 1. Calyx.-Fig. 2. Corolla, with the Valves and Stamens.-Fig. 3. One of the Stamens, attached to one of the awl-shaped Valves.-Fig. 4. Germen, Style, and Stigma. Fig. 5. Lobes of the Calyx removed, showing the four unripe seeds attached to its base.-Fig. 6. A ripe Seed, or Nut.

From Cor, heart, and ago, to bring; thence corrupted into Borage, or as the French spell it, Borrago. Dr. HOOKER.

+ See Anchusa sempervirens, p. 48. note †.

Devon; About Chudleigh and Teignmouth: Rev. J. P. JONES, ibid. Banks of the river near Tavistock: Mr. KNAPP.-Durham; On the Ballast hills of Tyne and Wear Mr. WINCH.-Hampshire; Godshill, Isle of Wight: Mr. W. G. SNOOKE, in With. Bot. Arr.-Kent; At the entrance into Sandwich from Deal; and about Lyme Castle: Mr. DILLWYN; By the road-side Hythe East; and at Winchelsea, near the east gate: Rev. G. E. SMITH.-In Surrey; Mr. W. PAMPLIN, Jun.-Warwickshire; In a field by Arrow turnpike: Mr. PURTON, in Midl. Fl.-WALES. Carnarvonshire; On the summit of a high rock at Llandrydno, near Conway: Rev. S. DICKENSON.-SCOTLAND; At Burntisland: Mr. MAUGHAN. About Glasgow, but generally near gardens: Mr. Hop KIRK. On the Debris of Salisbury Craigs: Mr. BAINBRIDGE, in Grev. Fl. Edin. -IRELAND, County of Cork; Old Abbey of Timolegne: Mr. DRUMMOND, in Mack. Catal.

Annual.-Flowers from June to November.

Root tapering, and mucilaginous. Whole plant clothed all over with white awl-shaped bristles, seated on a vesicular tubercle, which is often of a reddish colour; these tubercles, Mr. THOMSON observes in his Lectures on Botany, p. 642, " contain a fluid, which is ejected through the bristle when it is compressed so as to wound the finger; and which being left in the wound excites a slight degree of inflammation in the part." Stem branched, from 1 to 2 feet high, round, hollow, spreading, leafy. Leaves alternate, egg-shaped, wavy, and more or less toothed; the lower ones broadest, and stalked; the upper ones sessile, somewhat stem-clasping, and slightly decurrent. Flowers numerous, and very beautiful, in terminal drooping bunches. Calyx divided to the very base. Corolla nearly an inch broad, of a brilliant blue colour; pink in the bud; segments of the limb spear-shaped; tube very short and white. Outer valves. short, obtuse, and slightly notched; inner ones (fig. 3.) awl-shaped, dark purple, or blackish. Filaments very short, attached to the dilated base of the awl-shaped valves. Anthers strap-shaped, prominent, blackish. Style thread-shaped, usually shorter than the stamens. Seeds wrinkled or warty, of a light shining brown. whole plant has somewhat the sinell of cucumber. The flowers sometimes vary to flesh-coloured or white; the latter variety has been found in Kent, by Mr. DILLWYN, and by the Rev. G. E. SMITH; about Allesley in Warwickshire, by the Rev. W. T. BREE; and it comes up annually from self-sown seeds in the Oxford Botanic Garden.

The

Borage was formerly reckoned one of the four cordial flowers, along with Alkanet, Roses, and Violets, and was held in great repute as a cordial herb, for exhilarating the spirits; and hence the old adage,

"I Borage, bring always courage." The plant is now seldom used, tankards, for summer drinking. good in salads, or as a pot herb.

except as an ingredient in cool The young and tender tops are The juice affords a true nitre.