13.  Alpina.  Veronique des Alpes.  Gebirgs Ehrenpreis.  Still minute; its scarcely distinct flowers forming a close head among the leaves; round-petalled in D. 16, but sharp, as usual, in S. 980.  On the Norway Alps in grassy places; and in Scotland by the side of mountain rills; but rare.  On Ben Nevis and Lachin y Gair (S.)

14.  Scutellata.  From the shield-like shape of its seed-vessels.  Veronique a Ecusson; Schildfruchtiger Ehrenpreis.  But the seed-vessels are more heart shape than shield.  Marsh Speedwell.  S. 988, D. 209,—­in the one pink, in the other blue; but again in D. 1561, pink.

“In flooded meadows, common.” (D.) A spoiled and scattered form; the seeds too conspicuous, but the flowers very delicate, hence ‘Gratiola minima’ in Gesner.  The confused ramification of the clusters worth noting, in relation to the equally straggling fibres of root.

15.  Spicata.  S. 982:  very prettily done, representing the inside of the flower as deep blue, the outside pale.  The top of the spire, all calices, the calyx being indeed, through all the veronicas, an important and persistent member.

The tendency to arrange itself in spikes is to be noted as a degradation of the veronic character; connecting it on one side with the snapdragons, on the other with the ophryds.  In Veronica Ophrydea, (C. 2210,) this resemblance to the contorted tribe is carried so far that “the corolla of the veronica becomes irregular, the tube gibbous, the faux (throat) hairy, and three of the laciniae (lobes of petals) variously twisted.”  The spire of blossom, violet-coloured, is then close set, and exactly resembles an ophryd, except in being sharper at the top.  The engraved outline of the blossom is good, and very curious.

16.  Gentianoides.  This is the most directly and curiously imitative among the—­shall we call them—­’histrionic’ types of Veronica.  It grows exactly like a clustered upright gentian; has the same kind of leaves at its root, and springs with the same bright vitality among the retiring snows of the Bithynian Olympus. (G. 5.) If, however, the Caucasian flower, C. 1002, be the same, it has lost its perfect grace in luxuriance, growing as large as an asphodel, and with root-leaves half a foot long.

The petals are much veined; and this, of all veronicas, has the lower petal smallest in proportion to the three above,—­“triplo aut quadruplo minori.”  (G.)

17.  Stagnarum.  Marsh-Veronica.  The last four families we have been examining vary from the typical Veronicas not only in their lance-shaped clusters, but in their lengthened, and often every way much enlarged leaves also:  and the two which we now will take in association, 17 and 18, carry the change in aspect farthest of any, being both of them true water-plants, with strong stems and thick leaves.  The present name of my Veronica Stagnarum is however V. anagallis, a mere insult to the little water primula, which one plant of the Veronica would