AJUGA pyramidalis.
Pyramidal Bugle.
DIDYNAMIA Gymnospermia.
Gen. Char. Upper lip of the Corolla very minute,
and much shorter than the stamina.
Spec. Char. Hairy. Whorls crowded into a pyramidal
form, many-flowered. Radical leaves very
large, obovate, crenate, obtuse.
Syn. Ajuga pyramidalis. Linn. Sp. PI. 785. Light/.
302. With. 516. Hull. 131. FI. Dan. t. 185.
T h e doubt expressed in p. 477 of this work, whether A.
pyramidalis be really found in Britain as reported in the FI.
Scotica, is now removed by the fine wild specimens for which
we are obliged to J. Brodie, Esq. of Brodie. They were gathered
on Tore Aichaltie, a hill near Brahan castle, the seat of
Lord Seaforth, by Mr. Wm. Gibb, his Lordship’s gardener,
being in full flower in May or June.
Root perennial, of many long fibres. Whole herb more or
less hairy. Stem square, from 2 to 5 inches high. Leaves
several, radical, on stalks, large, obovate, obtuse, slightly crenate.,
often reddish. WhorHseveral, crowded, of many flowers,
accompanied by large, pale-purple, obtuse, notched Iractece,
giving the plant a very handsome appearance. The corolla is
purple, variegated with darker streaks and a yellow palate.
This is probably the species which Dr. Burgess found, as
mentioned by Lightfoot, and certainly the plant of Linnaeus
and FI. Danica to which the latter refers; but the synonyms
of Petiver and Rivinus belong to A . alpina.