PRUNELLA*.

Linnean Class and Order. DIDYNAMIA †, GYMNOSPERMIA.‡ Natural Order. LABIA'TE, Juss. Gen. Pl. p. 110.-Lind. Syn. p. 196; Introd. to Nat. Syst. p. 239.-Rich. by Macgilliv. p. 439. -Sm. Gram. of Bot. p. 99.; Eng. Fl. v. iii. p. 63.-Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 528.-VERTICILLA'TE, of Ray, and of Linnæus.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx (fig. 1.) inferior, bell-shaped, 2-lipped; upper lip flat, dilated, very abrupt, with 3 very short pointed teeth; lower lip much narrower, but about as long, straight, divided half way down into two sharp pointed segments. Corolla (fig. 2.) ringent (gaping); tube short, cylindrical; throat longer and wider; upper lip concave, entire, inflexed; lower lip reflexed, divided into 3 rounded, blunt, crenate lobes, the middle one broadest. Filaments 4, (fig. 4.) two a little longer than the other two, awl-shaped, forked at the summit. Anthers on the lower branch of each filament, opening transversely by 2 valves. Germen 4-lobed. Style (fig. 5.) thread-shaped, directed, like the stamens, towards the upper lip, and on a level with them. Stigma divided into 2 sharp recurved points. Seeds (figs. 6 & 7.) 4, somewhat egg-shaped, shining, in the bottom of the closed, dry, reticulated calyx.

Distinguished from other genera in the same class and order, by the 2-lipped calyx, and the forked filaments, one of the points bearing the anther, the other naked.

One species British.

PRUNE'LLA VULGARIS. Common Self-heal, or Slough

heal.

SPEC. CHAR. Leaves stalked, between oblong and egg-shaped; teeth of the upper lip of the calyx very minute.

Eng. Bot. t. 961.-Curt. Fl. Lond. t. 229.-Linn. Sp. Pl. p 837.-Huds. Fl. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 264.-Sm. Fl. Brit. v. ii. p. 646.-Eng. Fl. v. iii. p. 114.With. (7th ed.) v. iii. p. 725.-Lindl. Syn. p. 205.-Hook. Brit. Fl. p. 281.Mart. Fl. Rust. t. 137.-Sibth. Fl. Oxon. p. 190.-Abbot's Fl. Bedf. p. 133.Purt. Midl. Fl. v. i. p. 281.-Rehl. Fl. Cantab. (3rd ed.) p. 248.-Hook. Fl. Scot. p. 185.-Grev. Fl. Edin. p. 134.-Fl. Devon. pp. 102. and 146.-John. ston's Fl. of Berwick, v. i. p. 134.-Rev. G. E. Smith's Pl. of S. Kent, p. 32.Walk. Fl. of Oxf. p. 173.-Mack. Catal. of the Pl. of Ireland, p. 57.-Prunella, Ray's Syn. p. 238.-Johnson's Gerarde, p. 632.—Brunèlla vulgaris, Gray's Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 389.

LOCALITIES.-In meadows and pastures. Common.

Root somewhat creeping, fibrous. Stem from 6 inches to a foot high, upright or ascending, commonly branching from the very base, jointed, the lowermost joints sending down roots, nearly square, with a deep groove on 2 opposite sides alternately, clothed, especially at the angles, with whitish hairs, which point upwards.

Fig. 1. Calyx.-Fig. 2. Corolla. Fig. 3. A Stamen.-Fig. 4. Outline of a flower, cut open, showing the four Stamens, with the Anthers attached to the inner forks of the Filaments.-Fig. 5. Germen, 'Style, and Stigma. Fig. 6 and 7. a Seed.-All, except fig. 6, more or less magnified.

* From the German, braune, the quinsy, whence Brunella of Ray, softened into Prunella.-Dr. HOOKER.

+ See Lamium album, p. 31. note t. + See Lamium album, p. 31. note ‡.

ish, crenate (notched) or wavy, paler beneath, with prominent hairy ribs. Flowers numerous, deep purplish blue, sometimes red, or white, in dense, solitary, upright, cylindrical, whorled spikes, about an inch long, and blunt, appearing as if cut off at the top; each whorl is composed of 6 flowers, and is subtended by a pair of broad, blunt, ribbed, partly coloured, bracteas, (floral-leaves). Calyx (fig. 1.) a little longer than the bracteas, hairy, especially towards the base, summit purplish, upper lip dilated, having 3 short teeth, and 7 ribs; lower lip bifid (2-cleft) and sharp pointed (mucronate); all the segments bordered with short stiff hairs. Corolla (fig. 2.) ringent, the tubular part a little longer than the calyx, the upper lip hollow, entire, and a little hairy above, the lower lip divided into 3 segments, of which the side ones are entire, the middle one finely toothed. Filaments (fig. 3.) forked at the extremity, the innermost fork bearing the anther. Anthers of 2 diverging lobes. Seeds (fig. 6 & 7.) smooth, brown, and terminated by a white point. The corolla very soon falls, when the lips of the calyx close together, and secure the seeds. The white flowered variety is not very uncommon; it has been observed in the neighbourhood of Oxford; the Rev. J. DODD found it on Aspatria Moss, in Cumberland; Mr. W. PAMPLIN, jun. about Battersea, in Surrey; and the Rev. G. E. SMITH has recorded it as growing by the pond-side at the Cherry-Garden, near Folkstone, Kent. A bright red flowered variety was found by Mr. W. PAMPLIN, jun. near Battersea. Sir J. E. SMITH mentions a dwarf variety, Brunella minor, of. HALLER, which has quite entire leaves, but I do not know that it has ever been found wild in England.

Prunella vulgaris varies much in size; LINNAEUS remarks, that "in open exposed situations it is short and trailing; but when drawn up among high grass, and especially in woods, it is upright and a foot high. In the latter case it has a flexuose stem, branches little, and has very long internodes" (spaces between the joints). Cows, goats, and sheep, are said to eat it; horses and swine to refuse it.

Being astringent, it was formerly used in fluxes, and in gargarisms for a sore throat, and ulcers of the mouth. It was also considered one of the best herbs to cure fresh wounds, but it is now out of use. Besides the English names given to it above, it is sometimes called Prunel, Carpenter's Herb, Sickle-wort, and Hook-heal.

Mr. J. HAINES, of the Radcliffe Library, Oxford, discovered a new and beautiful species of Asterôma on the stems and upper surface of the leaves of this plant, in Bagley Wood, near Oxford, on the 10th of Feb. 1824. My much-lamented friend, the late T. PURTON, Esq. of Alcester, Warwickshire, an excellent Botanist, and author of the Midland Flora, so often referred to in this work, named it A. Prunella. It is by no means uncommon in Bagley Wood, principally on such plants of the Prunella as grow in moist places, or on the margins of rills, &c. I have found it on Shotover Hill in similar situations. See my Stirpes Crypt, Oxon. No. 79.

PHLEU M*.

Linnean Class and Order. TRIA'NDRIA†, DIGY'NIA.

Natural Order. GRAMI'NEE, Juss. Gen. Pl. p. 28.-Lind. Syn. p. 293: Introd. to Nat. Syst. p. 292.-Rich. by Macgilliv. p. 393.-Sm. Gram. of Bot. p. 68. Eng. Fl. v. i. p. 71.-Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 542.

GEN. CHAR. Panicle contracted, spike-like. Calyx (fig. 1.) of 2 nearly equal, compressed, clasping, parallel, pointed, or awned, more or less abrupt, glumes, spreading at the top, and containing a single floret (fig. 3). Corolla of 2 unequal, mostly awnless, paleæ, concealed within the calyx, always remaining membranous; the larger valve or pelea clasping the smaller. Filaments 3, hair-like. Anthers strap-shaped, prominent, cloven at each end. Germen roundish. Styles 2, (fig. 4) thread-shaped, spreading. Stigmas feathery. Seeds elliptic-oblong, loose.

Distinguished from other genera in the same class and order by the compact spike-like panicle, the calyx of 2 close, parallel, pointed glumes, concealing the corolla of 2 awnless paleæ, and the loose seed.

Six species British.

PHLE'UM PRATE'NSE. Common Cat's-tail-grass. Timothy

grass.

SPEC. CHAR. Panicle spiked, cylindrical. Calyx-glumes blunt, fringed at the back. .Awns shorter than the glumes.

Eng. Bot. tab. 1076 -Host's Icones et Descriptiones Graminium Austriacorum, v. iii. p. 7. t. 9.-Schreber's Beschreibung des Gräser, t. 14. f. 1, and 2.Knapp's Gram. Brit. t. 6. (apparently var. minor.)-Linn. Sp. Pl. p. 87.Huds. Fl. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 25.-Sm. Fl. Brit. v. i. p. 68. Engl. Fl. v. i. p. 75.-With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 147.-Lindl. Syn. p. 300.-Hook. Brit. Fl. p. 29. -Gray's Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 139.-Mart. Fl. Rust. t. 5.-Leers' Fl. Herb. (2nd ed.) p. 16. t. 3. f. 1.-Sincl. Hort. Gram. Woburn. p. 19. f. 5. and p. 195, with a figure.-Sibth. Fl. Oxon. p. 34.-Abbot's Fl. Bedf. p. 13.-Purt. Midl. Fl. v. 1. p. 67.-Relh. Fl. Cantab. (3rd ed.) p. 26.-Hook. Fl. Scot. p. 23.-Grev. Fl. Edin. p. 15.-Johnston's Fl. of Berwick. v. i. p. 18.-Fl. Devon. pp. 11. and 120.-Walk. Fl. of Oxf. p. 16.-Sinclair in Baxt. Lib. of Agricul. and Hort. Knowl. (2nd ed.) p. 302, with a figure.-Gramen typhinum majus seu primum, Ray's Syn. p. 398.

LOCALITIES.-Moist meadows, and pastures. Common. Perennial.-Flowers from June to August.

Root somewhat creeping. Culm (Stem) from 2 to 4 feet high, knotty, upright, round, striated, leafy, except near the top. Leaves spear-shaped, flat, pointed, roughish on the upper surface and along the nerves; with long, close, striated sheaths, and a small blunt stipula. Panicle upright, cylindrical, blunt at the top, sometimes 5 or 6 inches long, composed of innumerable crowded flowers, on very short, subdivided, partial stalks. Glumes of the Calyx very much compressed, hairy, green or purplish, keeled, the keel

Figs. 1. & 2. Calyx Glumes closed.-Fig. 3. The same expanded, showing the Palex or Corolla, the three Stamens and two Pistils.-Fig. 4. Germen, Styles, and Stigmas. Fig. 5. A small portion of the root.

*From Phleos, Gr. the name formerly given, as is supposed, to the Reedmace, Typha, to which this grass has some distant resemblance.-Dr. Hooker. + See Alopecurus pratensis, p. 45. note †.