smoothish and thickish leaves; flowering stems (4--8' high) and their
_oblong or ovate obtuse leaves_ (1/2' long) _pubescent_, often clammy;
cyme close, few-flowered; calyx-teeth linear-awl-shaped, about the
length of the tube; _lobes of the reddish-purple corolla round-obovate,
mostly entire_.--Damp woods, in the Alleghany region, Penn. to Ky. and
Ga. May, June.
8. P. divaricata, L. Stems spreading or ascending from a decumbent base
(9--18' high); _leaves oblong- or lance-ovate_ or the lower
oblong-lanceolate (11/2' long), acutish; cyme corymbose-panicled,
spreading, loosely-flowered; calyx-teeth slender awl-shaped, longer than
the tube; _lobes of the pale lilac or bluish corolla obcordate or
wedge-obovate and notched_ at the end, or _often entire_, 1/2--{2/3}'
long, equalling or longer than the tube, with rather wide sinuses
between them.--Rocky damp woods, W. Canada and N. Y. to Minn., south to
Fla. and Ark. May.--A form occurs near Crawfordsville, Ind., with
reduced flowers, the narrow entire acuminate corolla-lobes scarcely half
as long as the tube.
[*][*][*] _Stems low, diffuse and branching; flowers scattered or barely
cymulose; corolla-lobes narrowly cuneate, bifid; calyx-lobes
subulate-lanceolate._
9. P. bifida, Beck. _Minutely pubescent_; stems ascending, branched
(5--8' high); leaves linear, becoming nearly glabrous (1/2--11/2' long, 11/2''
wide); flowers few, on slender peduncles; calyx-teeth awl-shaped, about
as long as the tube; _lobes of the pale purple corolla 2-cleft to or
below the middle_ (4'' long), equalling the tube, the _divisions
linear-oblong_.--Prairies of Ind. to Iowa and Mo.
10. P. Stellaria, Gray. _Very glabrous_; leaves barely somewhat ciliate
at base, linear (1--2' long, 1'' wide or more), acute, rather rigid;
flowers scattered, mostly long-peduncled; _lobes of the pale blue or
almost white corolla bifid at the apex into barely oblong
lobes_.--Cliffs of Ky. River (_Short_), S. Ill., and Tenn.
(_Gattinger_). May.
Sec. 2. _Suffruticulose and creeping-cespitose, evergreen, with mostly
crowded and fascicled subulate and rigid leaves._
11. P. subulata, L. (GROUND or MOSS PINK.) Depressed, in broad mats,
pubescent (glabrate when old); leaves awl-shaped, lanceolate, or
narrowly linear (3--6'' long); cymes few-flowered; calyx-teeth
awl-shaped, rigid; corolla pink-purple or rose-color with a darker
centre (sometimes white); lobes wedge-shaped, notched, rarely
entire.--Dry rocky hills and sandy banks, southern N. Y. to Mich., south
to Fla. and Ky.
2. GILIA, Ruiz & Pav.
Calyx-lobes narrow and acute, the tube scarious below the sinuses.
Corolla tubular-funnel-form or salver-form. Stamens equally or unequally
inserted. Capsule with solitary to numerous seeds.--Mostly herbs with
alternate leaves. Our species belongs to the Sec. _Collomia_, in which the
flowers are capitate-glomerate and foliose-bracted or scattered, stamens
unequally inserted in the narrow tube of the salver-form corolla, ovules
solitary, and leaves sessile and entire; annuals. (Dedicated to _Philip
Gil_, a Spanish botanist.)
1. G. linearis, Gray. Branching and in age spreading, 6--18' high;
leaves linear- or oblong-lanceolate; calyx-lobes triangular-lanceolate,
acute; corolla 6'' long, from lilac-purple to nearly white, very
slender, with small limb. (Collomia linearis, _Nutt._)--From Minn. west
to the Pacific.
3. POLEMONIUM, Tourn. GREEK VALERIAN.
Calyx bell-shaped, herbaceous. Stamens equally inserted at the summit of
the very short tube of the open-bell-shaped or short funnel-form
corolla; filaments slender, declined, hairy-appendaged at the base.
Capsule few--several-seeded.--Perennials, with alternate pinnate leaves,
the upper leaflets sometimes confluent; the (blue or white) corymbose
flowers nearly bractless. (An ancient name, from [Greek: po/lemos],
_war_, of doubtful application.)
1. P. reptans, L. Smooth throughout or slightly pubescent; stems weak
and spreading (6--10' high, never creeping as the name denotes);
leaflets 5--15, ovate-lanceolate or oblong; corymbs few-flowered;
flowers nodding, calyx-lobes ovate, shorter than the tube; _stamens and
style_ included; corolla light blue, about 1/2' wide; _capsules about
3-seeded_.--Woods, N. Y. to Minn., south to Ala. and Mo. May, June.
2. P. caeruleum, L. (JACOB'S LADDER.) Stem erect (1--3 deg. high); leaflets
9--21, linear-lanceolate, oblong- or ovate-lanceolate, mostly crowded;
flowers numerous, in a thyrsus or contracted panicle; lobes of the calyx
longer than the tube; _stamens and style mostly exserted_ beyond
the bright blue corolla, which is nearly 1' broad; capsule
several-seeded.--Rare in our range, occurring in swamps and on mountains
in N. H., N. Y., N. J., and Md., but common in the western mountains and
far northward.
ORDER 71. HYDROPHYLLACEAE. (WATERLEAF FAMILY.)
_Herbs, commonly hairy, with mostly alternate leaves, regular 5-merous
and 5-androus flowers, in aspect between the foregoing and the next
order; but the ovary entire and 1-celled with 2 parietal 4--many-ovuled
placentae, or rarely 2-celled by the union of the placentae in the axis;
style 2-cleft, or 2 separate styles; fruit a 2-valved 4--many-seeded
capsule._--Seeds mostly reticulated or pitted. Embryo small in copious
albumen.--Flowers chiefly blue or white, in one-sided cymes or false
racemes, which are mostly bractless and coiled from the apex when young,
as in the Borage Family. A small order of plants of no marked
properties; some cultivated for ornament.
Tribe I. HYDROPHYLLEAE. Ovary and capsule 1-celled. Seeds pitted or
reticulated; albumen cartilaginous. Leaves cut-toothed, lobed or
pinnate. Style 2-cleft.
[*] Ovary lined with the dilated and fleshy placentae, which enclose the
ovules and seeds (in our plants only 4) like an inner pericarp.
1. Hydrophyllum. Stamens exserted; anthers linear. Calyx unchanged in
fruit.
2. Nemophila. Stamens included; anthers short. Calyx with appendages at
the sinuses.
3. Ellisia. Stamens included. Calyx destitute of appendages, enlarged in
fruit.
[*][*] Ovary with narrow parietal placentae, in fruit projecting inward
more or less.
4. Phacelia. Corolla-lobes imbricated in the bud. Calyx destitute of
appendages.
Tribe II. HYDROLEAE. Ovary and capsule 2-celled, the placentae often
projecting from the axis far into the cells. Albumen fleshy. Leaves
entire. Styles 2.
5. Hydrolea. Corolla between wheel-shaped and bell-shaped.
1. HYDROPHYLLUM, Tourn. WATERLEAF.
Calyx 5-parted, sometimes with a small appendage in each sinus, early
open in the bud. Corolla bell-shaped, 5-cleft; the lobes convolute in
the bud; the tube furnished with 5 longitudinal linear appendages
opposite the lobes, which cohere by their middle, while their edges are
folded inward, forming a nectariferous groove. Stamens and style mostly
exserted; filaments more or less bearded; anthers linear. Ovary
bristly-hairy (as is usual in the family); the 2 fleshy placentae
expanded so as to line the cell and nearly fill the cavity, soon free
from the walls except at the top and bottom, each bearing a
pair of ovules on the inner face. Capsule ripening 1--4 seeds,
spherical.--Perennials, with petioled ample leaves, and white or pale
blue cymose-clustered flowers. (Name formed of [Greek: y(/dor], _water_,
and [Greek: phy/llon], _leaf_; of no obvious application.)
[*] _Calyx with minute if any appendages; rootstocks creeping,
scaly-toothed._
1. H. macrophyllum, Nutt. _Rough-hairy; leaves oblong, pinnate and
pinnatifid; the divisions 9--13, ovate, obtuse_, coarsely cut-toothed;
root-leaves 1 deg. long; _peduncle shorter than the petiole_; calyx-lobes
lanceolate-pointed from a broad base, very hairy; flowers (6'' long)
crowded in a globular cluster; anthers short-oblong.--Rich woods, Ohio
to Va. and Ala., west to the Mississippi. July.
2. H. Virginicum, L. _Smoothish_ (1--2 deg. high); _leaves pinnately
divided_; _the divisions 5--7, ovate-lanceolate or oblong, pointed_,
sharply cut-toothed, the lowest mostly 2-parted, the uppermost
confluent; _peduncles longer than the petioles_ of the upper leaves,
forked; calyx-lobes narrowly linear, bristly-ciliate; flowers 3'' long;
anthers oblong-linear.--Rich woods. June--Aug.
3. H. Canadense, L. _Nearly smooth_ (1 deg. high); _leaves_ (3--5' broad)
_palmately 5--7-lobed, rounded_, heart-shaped at base, unequally
toothed, those from the root sometimes with 2--3 small and scattered
lateral leaflets; _peduncles mostly shorter than the petioles_, forked,
the nearly white flowers on very short pedicels; calyx-lobes
linear-awl-shaped, nearly smooth, often with minute teeth in the
sinuses.--Damp rich woods, N. Eng. to the mountains of Va., and west to
the Mississippi. June--Aug.--Rootstocks thickened and very strongly
toothed in 2 rows by the persistent bases of the stout petioles.
[*][*] _Calyx with a small reflexed lobe in each sinus; stamens little
exserted._
4. H. appendiculatum, Michx. Hairy; stem-leaves palmately 5-lobed,
rounded, the lobes toothed and pointed, the lowest pinnately divided,
cymes rather loosely flowered; filiform pedicels and calyx
bristly-hairy.--Damp woods, Ont. to mountains of N. C., west to Minn.,
Iowa, and Mo. June, July.
2. NEMOPHILA, Nutt.
Calyx 5-parted, with a reflexed appendage in each sinus, more or less
enlarged in fruit. Corolla bell-shaped or almost wheel-shaped; the lobes
convolute in the bud; the tube mostly with 10 small folds or
scales inside. Stamens included; anthers ovoid or heart-shaped.
Placentae (bearing each 2--12 ovules), capsule and seeds as in
Hydrophyllum.--Diffuse and fragile annuals, with opposite or partly
alternate pinnatifid or lobed leaves, and one-flowered peduncles; the
corolla white, blue, or marked with purple. (Name composed of [Greek:
ne/mos], _a grove_, and [Greek: phile/o], _to love_.) Some handsome
species are garden annuals.
1. N. microcalyx, Fisch. & Meyer. Small, roughish-pubescent; stems
diffusely spreading (2--8' long); leaves parted or deeply cleft into
3--5 roundish or wedge-obovate sparingly cut-lobed divisions, the upper
leaves all alternate; peduncles opposite the leaves, shorter than the
long petioles; flowers minute; corolla white, longer than the calyx;
placentae each 2-ovuled; capsule 1--2-seeded.--Moist woods, Va. to Fla.,
west to Ark. and Tex. April--June.
3. ELLISIA, L.
Calyx 5-parted, without appendages, enlarged and foliaceous in fruit.
Corolla bell-shaped or cylindraceous, not longer than the calyx, 5-lobed
above; the lobes imbricated or convolute in the bud, the tube with 5
minute appendages within. Stamens included. Placentae (each 2-ovuled),
fruit, and seeds much as in Hydrophyllum.--Delicate and branching
annuals, with lobed or divided leaves, the lower opposite, and small
whitish flowers. (Named for _John Ellis_, a distinguished naturalist, an
English correspondent of Linnaeus.)
1. E. Nyctelea, L. Minutely or sparingly roughish-hairy, divergently
branched (6--12' high); leaves pinnately parted into 7--13 lanceolate or
linear-oblong sparingly cut-toothed divisions; peduncles solitary in the
forks or opposite the leaves, 1-flowered; calyx-lobes lanceolate,
pointed, about the length of the cylindraceous (whitish) corolla (in
fruit ovate-lanceolate, nearly 1/2' long), capsule pendulous. (E. ambigua,
_Nutt._; merely a slender form.)--Shady damp places, N. J. to Va., west
to Minn. and Mo. May--July.
4. PHACELIA, Juss.
Calyx 5-parted; the sinuses naked. Corolla open-bell-shaped, 5-lobed;
the lobes imbricated in the bud. Filaments slender, often (with the
2-cleft style) exserted; anthers ovoid or oblong. Ovary with 2 narrow
linear placentae adherent to the walls, in fruit usually projecting
inward more or less, the two often forming an imperfect partition
in the ovoid 4--many seeded capsule. (Ovules 2--30 on each
placenta.)--Perennial or mostly annual herbs, with simple, lobed, or
divided leaves, and often handsome (blue, purple, or white) flowers in
scorpioid raceme-like cymes. (Name from [Greek: pha/kelos], _a
fascicle_.)
Sec. 1. PHACELIA proper. _Seeds and ovules only 4 (two on each placenta);
corolla campanulate, with narrow folds or appendages within, the lobes
entire._
1. P. bipinnatifida, Michx. Biennial; stem upright, hairy (1--2 deg. high),
leaves long-petioled, pinnately 3--5-divided, the divisions or leaflets
ovate or oblong-ovate, acute, coarsely and often sparingly
cut-lobed or pinnatifid, racemes elongated, loosely many-flowered,
glandular-pubescent; pedicels about the length of the calyx, spreading
or recurved.--Shaded banks, in rich soil, Ohio to Ill. and southward.
May, June.--Corolla bright blue, 6'' broad, with 5 pairs of longitudinal
ciliate folds, covering as many externally keeled deep grooves. Stamens
bearded below and with the style exserted.
Sec. 2. COSMANTHUS. _Ovules and seeds as in Sec. 1; corolla almost rotate,
with fimbriate lobes, and no appendages within; filaments
villous-bearded, rarely exserted; leaves pinnatifid, the upper
clasping._
2. P. Purshii, Buckley. Sparsely hairy; stem erect or ascending,
branched (8--12' high); _lobes of the stem-leaves 5--9, oblong or
lanceolate, acute; raceme many-flowered; calyx-lobes lance-linear;
corolla light blue_, varying to white (about 1/2' in diameter).--Moist
wooded banks, W. Penn. to Minn., and southward. April--June.
3. P. fimbriata, Michx. Slightly hairy, slender; stems spreading or
ascending (5--8' long), few-leaved; lowest leaves 3--5-divided into
roundish leaflets; the upper 5--7-cleft or cut-toothed, the _lobes
obtuse; raceme 3--10-flowered; calyx-lobes linear-oblong, obtuse_,
becoming spatulate; _corolla white_ (3--4'' broad).--Woods, high
mountains of Va. to Ala. May.
Sec. 3. COSMANTHOIDES. _Ovules and seeds 2--8 on each placenta; corolla
rotate or campanulate, with entire lobes and no appendages._
4. P. parviflora, Pursh. Somewhat hairy, slender, diffusely spreading
(3--8' high); leaves pinnately cleft or the lower divided into 3--5
short lobes; racemes solitary, loosely 5--15-flowered, pedicels
filiform, at length several times longer than the oblong calyx-lobes;
corolla open-campanulate, bluish-white (4--6'' broad); filaments hairy;
capsule globular, 6--12-seeded, a half shorter than the calyx.--Shaded
banks, Penn. and Ohio to Mo., south to S. C. and Tex. April--June.
Var. hirsuta, Gray. More hirsute and the stems less slender, apparently
growing in more open dry soil; corolla larger, 5--7'' in diameter; seeds
4--8.--Prairies and barrens, S. W. Mo. to E. Tex.; also Va. and Ga.
5. P. Covillei, Watson. Like the last; racemes 2--5-flowered;
calyx-lobes linear, in fruit 3'' long or more; corolla
tubular-campanulate with erect limb; filaments glabrous; capsule
depressed-globose; seeds 4, large.--Larkspur Island in the Potomac, five
miles above Washington. (_F. V. Coville._)
Sec. 4. EUTOCA. _Ovules and seeds numerous on each placenta; corolla
rotate-campanulate, with 10 vertical lamellae within._
6. P. Franklinii, Gray. Soft-hairy; stem erect (6--15' high), rather
stout; leaves pinnately parted into many lanceolate or oblong-linear
lobes, which are crowded and often cut-toothed or pinnatifid; racemes
short, dense, crowded into an oblong spike; calyx-lobes linear; corolla
blue.--Shores of L. Superior, thence north and westward.
5. HYDROLEA, L.
Calyx 5-parted. Corolla short-campanulate or almost wheel-shaped,
5-cleft. Filaments dilated at base. Styles 2, distinct. Capsule
globular, 2-celled, with very large and fleshy many-seeded placentae,
thin-walled, 2--4-valved or bursting irregularly. Seeds minute,
striate-ribbed.--Herbs or scarcely shrubby, growing in water or wet
places (whence the name, from [Greek: y(/dor], _water_), with entire
leaves, often having spines in their axils, and clustered blue flowers.
1. H. affinis, Gray. Glabrous throughout; stem ascending from a creeping
base, armed with small axillary spines; leaves lanceolate, tapering to a
very short petiole; flowers in small axillary leafy-bracted clusters;
divisions of the calyx lance-ovate, equalling the corolla and the
irregularly-bursting globose capsule.--Banks of streams, S. Ill. to Tex.
ORDER 72. BORRAGINACEAE. (BORAGE FAMILY.)
_Chiefly rough-hairy herbs, with alternate entire leaves, and
symmetrical flowers with a 5-parted calyx, a regular 5-lobed corolla_
(except in Echium), _5 stamens inserted on its tube, a single style and
a usually deeply 4-lobed ovary_ (_as in_ Labiatae), _forming in fruit 4
seed-like 1-seeded nutlets, or separating into two 2-seeded or four
1-seeded nutlets_.--Albumen none. Cotyledons plano-convex; radicle
pointing to the apex of the fruit. Stigmas 1 or 2. Calyx valvate, the
corolla imbricated (in Myosotis convolute) in the bud. Flowers mostly on
one side of the branches of a reduced cyme, imitating a spike or raceme,
which is rolled up from the end, and straightens as the blossoms expand
(circinate or scorpioid), often bractless. (A rather large family of
innocent, mucilaginous, and slightly bitter plants; the roots of some
species yielding a red dye.)
Tribe I. HELIOTROPIEAE. Ovary not lobed; fruit separating into 2--4
nutlets.
1. Heliotropium. Corolla salver-form. Stamens included. Nutlets
1--2-celled.
Tribe II. BORRAGINEAE. Ovary deeply 4-parted, forming as many separate
1-seeded nutlets in fruit; style rising from the centre between them.
[*] Corolla and stamens regular.
[+] Nutlets armed, attached laterally; corolla short, closed by 5
scales.
2. Cynoglossum. Nutlets horizontally radiate, much produced downward,
covered with barbed prickles.
3. Echinospermum. Nutlets erect or ascending, the margin or back armed
with barbed prickles.
[+][+] Nutlets not armed, attached more or less laterally.
4. Krynitzkia. Corolla short, white, with closed throat. Nutlets
attached along the inner angle.
5. Mertensia. Corolla trumpet-shaped with open throat, usually blue.
Nutlets fleshy, attached just above the base.
[+][+][+] Nutlets unarmed, attached by the very base, ovoid, mostly
smooth and shining.
[++] Scar flat, small. Racemes leafy-bracteate, except in n. 6.
6. Myosotis. Corolla short salver-form, its lobes rounded, and throat
crested.
7. Lithospermum. Corolla salver-form to funnel-form, its rounded lobes
spreading; the throat either naked or with low crests.
8. Onosmodium. Corolla tubular, unappendaged, its erect lobes acute.
[++][++] Scar large and excavated.
9. Symphytum. Corolla oblong-tubular, enlarged above and closed by 5
scales.
[*][*] Corolla irregular, limb and throat oblique and lobes unequal.
10. Lycopsis. Corolla-tube curved, closed with hispid scales. Stamens
included.
11. Echium. Dilated throat of corolla unappendaged. Stamens unequal,
exserted.
ASPERUGO PROCUMBENS, L., a European annual, well marked by its much
enlarged membranaceous and veiny fructiferous calyx, has sparingly
appeared in waste grounds about New York and Philadelphia, and at
Pipestone, Minn.
1. HELIOTROPIUM, Tourn. TOURNSOLE, HELIOTROPE.
Corolla salver-form or funnel-form, unappendaged, more or less plaited
in the bud. Anthers nearly sessile. Style short; stigma conical or
capitate. Fruit 2--4-lobed, separating into 2 indurated 2-celled and
2-seeded closed carpels, or more commonly into 4 one-seeded
nutlets.--Herbs or low shrubby plants; leaves entire; fl. in summer,
white (in our species). (The ancient name, from [Greek: e(/lios], _the
sun_, and [Greek: trope/], _a turn_, with reference to its flowering at
the summer solstice.)
Sec. 1. HELIOTROPIUM proper. _Fruit 4-lobed, separating into four 1-celled
1-seeded nutlets. Style short._
[*] _Flowers in bractless one-sided scorpioid spikes._
H. EUROPAEUM, L. Erect annual (6--18' high), hoary-pubescent; leaves
oval, long-petioled; lateral spikes single, the terminal in pairs; calyx
spreading in fruit, hairy.--Waste places, southward; scarce. (Adv. from
Eu.)
1. H. Curassavicum, L. Apparently annual, glabrous; stems ascending;
leaves lance-linear or spatulate, thickish, pale, almost veinless;
spikes in pairs.--Sandy seashore, Va.; saline soils, S. Ill., and south
and westward.
[*][*] _Inflorescence not at all scorpioid; flowers scattered._
2. H. tenellum, Torr. A span to a foot high, paniculately branched,
slender, strigose-canescent; leaves narrowly linear, with revolute
margins; flowers often bractless.--Open dry ground, Ky. to Mo. and Kan.,
south to Ala. and Tex.
Sec. 2. EUPLOCA. _Fruit didymous, the 2 carpels each splitting into two
1-seeded nutlets; style elongated; flowers scattered, large._
3. H. convolvulaceum, Gray. Low annual, strigose-hirsute and hoary, much
branched; leaves lanceolate, or ovate or even linear, short-petioled;
flowers opposite the leaves and terminal; corolla 6'' broad, the
strigose-hirsute tube about twice as long as the linear sepals.--Sandy
plains, Neb. to W. Tex. A showy plant, with sweet-scented flowers.
Sec. 3. TIARIDIUM. _Fruit 2-lobed, separating into two 2-celled 2-seeded
carpels, with sometimes a pair of empty false cells; style very short;
flowers in bractless scorpioid spikes._
H. INDICUM, L. Erect and hairy annual; leaves petioled, ovate or oval
and somewhat heart-shaped; spikes single; fruit 2-cleft, mitre-shaped,
with an empty false cell before each seed-bearing cell. (Heliophytum
Indicum, _DC._)--Waste places, along the great rivers, from S. Ind. to
Mo., and southward. (Adv. from India.)
2. CYNOGLOSSUM, Tourn. HOUND'S-TONGUE.
Corolla funnel-form, the tube about equalling the 5-parted calyx, and
throat closed with 5 obtuse scales; lobes rounded. Stamens included.
Nutlets depressed or convex, oblique, fixed near the apex to the base of
the style, roughened all over with short barbed or hooked
prickles.--Coarse herbs, with a strong scent and petioled lower leaves;
the mostly panicled (so-called) racemes naked above, usually bracted at
base. Fl. all summer. (Name from [Greek: ky/on], _a dog_, and [Greek:
glo ssa], _tongue_; from the shape and texture of the leaves.)
C. OFFICINALE, L. (COMMON HOUND'S-TONGUE.) Biennial; _clothed with short
soft hairs, leafy_, panicled above; upper leaves lanceolate, closely
sessile by a rounded or slightly heart-shaped base; racemes nearly
bractless; _corolla reddish-purple_ (rarely white); nutlets flat on the
broad upper face, somewhat margined.--Waste ground and pastures; a
familiar and troublesome weed; the large nutlets adhering to the fleece
of sheep, etc. (Nat. from Eu.)
1. C. Virginicum, L. (WILD COMFREY.) Perennial; _roughish with spreading
bristly hairs_; stem simple, _few-leaved_ (2--3 deg. high); stem-leaves
lanceolate-oblong, clasping by a deep heart-shaped base; _racemes few
and corymbed, raised on long naked peduncles_, bractless; _corolla pale
blue_; nutlets strongly convex.--Open woods, Ont. and Sask. to Fla. and
La.
3. ECHINOSPERMUM, Lehm. STICKSEED.
Corolla salver-form, short, imbricated in the bud, the throat closed
with 5 short scales. Stamens included. Nutlets erect, fixed laterally to
the base of the style or central column, triangular or compressed, the
back armed all over or with 1--3 marginal rows of prickles which are
barbed at the apex, otherwise naked.--Rough-hairy and grayish herbs,
with small blue to whitish flowers in racemes or spikes; ours annuals or
biennials, flowering all summer. (Name compounded of [Greek: e)chi~nos],
_a hedgehog_, and [Greek: spe/rma], _seed_.)