y/z
J A S I O N E montana.
Sheep' s-bit, or Sheep!s Scabious.
PENTANDR1A Monogynia.
G e n . C h a r . Cor. w h e e l-fh ap ed , d e ep ly divided into
5 lin e a r fegmen ts . Stigma c lu b - fh ap ed , notched.
Anthera united at th e bafe. Capf. inferior, im-
perfehtly 2 -c e lle d , b u r ftin g at the top.
Spe c . C har. . . . .
Syn . J a fion e montana. Linn. Sp. PI. 1317- Sm. FI.
B rit. 2 4 1 . Hudf. 3 7 7 . W ith. 2,47. Hull. 190.
Relh. 3 28. Sibth. 85. Abbot. 18 9 . Curt. Lond.
fa fc. 4 . /. 58 .
R a p u n c u lu s S c a b io fe cap itu lo ca em leo , RaiiSyn.1^%.
X H E pretty blue flowers of the Sheep’s Scabious are c o n -
fpicuous in dry fandy fields and paftures in the middle of fum -
mer, and in autumn the bladdery little capfules remain f om e
time after their feeds are fcattered. It has obtained the name
of Scabious from its refemblance to the genus properly fo
called, a refemblance which is merely external, for the Ja-
pone is next akin to Lobelia, Campanula and Fhyteuma in
qualities and botanical characters, being indeed d i l t in g u i fh e d
from the latter only by the cobefion of its antherae, a n d by th e
fruit being but imperfeCtly 2-celled, the partitions not r e a c h ing
to the central column as in all others of this natural o rd e r .
The root is tapering, a little woody though annual. S t em s
feveral, fpreading, fcarcely a foot high, leafy, roundifh, r o u g h ,
branched above. Leaves oblong, blunt, waved,entire, rough;
thofe on the Item alternate. Flowers blue, forming hemi-
fpherical heads, each of which hands on a permanent c o m m o n
calyx of many leaves; but every flower has its own p a r t ia l
flalk, and a five-toothed fuperior calyx. Dr. Perfoon h a s
obferved (fee Hull) that the central flowers only have fe r t ile
anthera, with barren club-fhaped fligmata, while the f low e r s
of the circumference have barren anthera, with proper c lo v e n
fligmata, and that thefe alone ripen feed. It is certain th e
central flowers with us are often abortive, and the fligmata.
more or lefs club-fhaped, but always notched in fome d e g r e e ,
nor do we fee either kind of fligma flriftly confined to any
particular fet of flowers,