[ 4^3 3
O R O B A N C H E cserulea.
Purple Broom-rape.
I I S '
D 1 D T N A M I A Angiojpermict•
G en. Char, Cal, in 2, lobed, lateral fegments. Cor.
ringent. Capf of i cell, with 2 valves and many
feeds. A gland at the bafe of the germen beneath.
Spec. Char. Stem fimple. Corolla tubular; its
upper lip cloven and notched ; lower in three equal
entire fegments. Stamina fmooth. Bradem three.
S yn. Orobanche caerulea. Villars Dauph. v. 2. 406*
O. laevis. Lamarck Flo. Franc, v. 2. 327.
O. purpurea. Jacq. Aujtr. t. 276.
O. n. 294. Hall. Hijt. v. 1. 129.
O. ramofa (3. With. Bot. Arr. ed. 3. 558.
fpecies of Orobanche has been lefs underftood than this.
We have reafon to think it has been taken by many Britith
botanifts for the ramofa. Linnaeus confounded its fynonyms
with thofe of fame other very different plants under his O. lavis,
the hiftory of which we may one day give in another place ;
but the fpecies before us, which Linnaeus did not know, can
by no means be taken for his lavis, though Haller, Lamarck
and Villars gueffed it to be fo. Jacquin has defcribed it anew
by the name of purpurea, but there is another fpecies fo named
in the Suppl. Plant. Ours might far more properly be named
wolacea, but to avoid unneceffary changes we call it carulea
with Villars. It grows in hilly paftures on the north coaft of
Norfolk, flowering in July. A Angle fpecimen was found in
1779 by a Mr. Scarles near Northreps, and feveral more lad
year near Sheringham by Mr. W. Skrimlhire of Wifbeach ; ours
wa* gathered by the Rev. Mr. Sutton at Beefton near Cromer.
. This is in general more flender and lefs pubefcent than
either of the preceding, and of a darker and much more blue
or purplifh colour. Its flowers alfo are longer. The bradese
are 3, one large external, and 2 frnall internal ones, as we ought
alfo to have defcribed them in O. ramofa, t. 184. Calyx tubular
at the bafe, the lobes of its fegments nearly equal, fubulate.
Corolla palifli violet, with an elevated downy white divided
palate. Upper lip afcending, more or lefs deeply two lobed,
with a notch or two between the fegments ; lower lip of three
equal ovate entire lobes, by no means fringed, undulated or
plaited. Stamina fmooth all the way up. Style a little downy.
— — Orobanche ramofa differs effentially from this fpecies in
being almoft always very much branched in the upper part of
its Hem, which is yellow, not purple, and in having its upper
lip deeply lobed without any teeth or notches between. In
appearance alfo there is a manifeft difference.