M Y O S O T I S palustris.
Water Scorpion-gi'ass.
PENTANDRIA Monogynia.
G en. Char. Cor. salver-shaped,5-cleft, slightly notched;
its orifice closed with concave valves.
Spec. Char. Seeds smooth. Leaves oblong. Clusters
many-flowered, without bracteas. Calyx funnel-
shaped, its hairs straight and close-pressed.
Syn . Myosotis palustris. Roth. Germ. v. 1. 87. v. 2. 221.
Catal. v. 3. 30. With. 225. Hull. 46. Relh.
ed. 1. 76. Sibth. 68. Abbot. 40.
M. scorpioides palustris. Ger. em. 337. Linn. Sp.
PI. 188. Sm. FI. Brit. 212, 5. Huds. 78. Curt.
Lond. fasc. 3. t. 13. Rail Syn. 229. Ehrh.
Herb. 2 1 .
Scorpiurus n. 591. Hall. Hist. v. 1. 261.
W i t h great pleasure we profit of a remark made by the
learned DriRoth in his Caialecta, after his friend Trentepohl,
to decide the long-disputed question concerning the British
species of Myosotis. The acute botanist last mentioned applying
our principles, first suggested with regard to Menthce,
to the present case, has found the pubescence of the calyx
confirm all the other less decisive marks, and stamp the present
as a very distinct species from our t. 480, where is moreover
an uncoloured morsel of the plant now before us.
The peculiar characters then of M . palustris, a common
plant about rivers and clear watery places, where it blossoms
in July and August, are the creeping perennial root, and the
funnel-shaped calyx, Jig. 1. clothed all over with straight,
rigid, shining, close-pressed hairs, and having its teeth broad,
triangular, shorter than the tube. The enamelled brilliancy
o f „the corolla renders this flower generally admired. The
calyx of M . arvensis (M. scorpioides, t. 480,) is ovate, with
deeper and sharper segments, and clothed with spreading incurved
bristles, by which it sticks to the coats of animals;
see jig . 2. Perhaps the yellow-flowered kind, FI. Brit, is
indeed a variety of this last, but the y, which grows in woods
and is the tallest of all, though its calyx agrees with arvensis,
seems distinct. We hope to examine it another spring. We
here acknowledge the favour of our excellent friend Professor
Martyn, who 9 years ago furnished us with hints on the
above subject. See his edition of Miller’s Dictionary'.