C 393 ]
V E R B A S C U M Blattaria.
M oth M ullein .
/ aoj
P E N T A N D R IA Monogynia.
G en. C har. Cor. wheel-fhaped, a little irregular.
Capf with one cell, and two valves.
Spec. Char. Leaves embracing the ftem, oblong,
fmooth, ferrated. Flower-ftalks lingle-flowered,
folitary.
Syn . Verbafcum Blattaria. Linn. Sp. PI. 254. Hudf.
FI. An. 91. tVtih. Bot. Arr. 229.
Blattaria lutea. Rail Syn. 288.
F O U N D by Mr. Jacob Rayer on a bank about 3 miles from
Rochefter, near the river Medway, in which neighbourhood it
is mentioned as growing in Ray’s time. We are enabled by
means of this wild fpecimen to remove Dr. Stokes’s doubt in the
Bot. Arr. whether the true V. Blattaria be an Englifh plant or
not. In gardens it is frequently cultivated, and very ornamental,
flowering from July to November, or even later, if the
weather be mild.
Root annual, fufiform. Stem 3 or 4 feet high, branched,
leafy. Radical leaves flightly pinnatifid; ftem-leaves ovate, or
oblong, pointed, embracing the Item ; all fmooth, veiny, unequally
or doubly ferrated. The upper ones gradually diminilh
into pointed braffea, from each of whofe bofoms arifes a folitary
Ample flender flower-ftalk, bearing one handfome yellow
flower, ftreaked more or lefs with purple. The calyx is in 5
nearly equal fegments. Stamina clothed with purple hairs.
Germen globofe. Capfule rather oblong. The upper part of
the Item, as well as the germen, calyx, bra&ese and upper leaves,
are clothed with fhort hairs tipped with a minute globe.
We have been favoured by the Hon. Mrs. F. Howard with a
fpecimen gathered in Norfolk, near Lynn, which is either a variety
of this plant with a large purplilh flower, or the V . phoe-
niceum of Linnseus; we have not yet been able to determine
which.