HEDYSARUM caule recto, ramoso; foliis ovatis; siliquis pendulis, laevissimis, venosis. _Hall. Hist. Helv. n. 395._ ONOBRYCHIS semine clypeato laevi. _Bauh. Pin. 350._ Prof. JACQUIN, in the second volume of the _Flora austriaca_, gives an excellent figure and accurate description of our plant, a native of the Alps of Germany and Switzerland, and points out the characters in which it differs from the _alpinum_, for which it has sometimes been mistaken. It is a hardy perennial, rarely exceeding a foot in height, produces its spikes of pendulous flowers, which are of a most beautiful purple colour, in July and August; hitherto these have not been succeeded by seed-vessels with us; though we have cultivated the plant for several years. Its size renders it a suitable plant for rock-work, on which it will grow readily, increasing by its roots, which are of the creeping kind. HALLER mentions a variety of it with white flowers. [283] MIMULUS RINGENS. NARROW-LEAVED MONKEY-FLOWER. _Class and Order._ DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA. _Generic Character._ _Cal._ 4-dentatus, prismaticus. _Cor._ ringens; labio superiore lateribus replicato. _Caps._ 2-locularis, polysperma. _Specific Character and Synonyms._ MIMULUS _ringens_ erectus, foliis oblongis linearibus sessilibus. _Linn. Syst. Vegetab. ed. 14._ _Murr. p. 575._ _Ait. Kew. v. 2. p. 361._ EUPHRASIA floridana lysimachiae glabrae siliquosae foliis, quadrato caule ramosior. _Pluk. Amalth. 83. t. 393. f. 3._ LYSIMACHIA galericulata s. Gratiola elatior non ramosa, &c. _Gron. Fl. Virg. p. 97._ DIGITALIS perfoliata glabra flore violaceo minore. _Moris. Hist. 2. p. 479. s. 5. t. 8. f. 6._ CLAYTON, in the _Fl. Virg._ published by GRONOVIUS, describes this plant as a native of Virginia, and says of it, "maddidis gaudet locis," it delights in wet places: LINNAEUS makes it a native of Canada also. It is a hardy, perennial, herbaceous plant, growing with us to the height of about two feet, and producing its flowers, which are of a pale violet colour, in July and August; these are frequently succeeded by capsules containing perfect seeds, by which the plant may be propagated, as also by parting its roots in Autumn; MILLER recommends the seeds to be sown as soon as ripe. The plant succeeds best in a moist and somewhat shady situation, with a loamy soil. A perusal of the synonyms will shew to what a variety of genera this plant has been referred by different authors; LINNAEUS first gave to it the name of _Mimulus_, of which term we find in his _Philosophia Botanica_ the following concise explanation:--"MIMULUS mimus personatus;" in plain English, a masked mimick: MIMMULUS is a classical word for the Pedicularis, or Lousewort; the English term Monkey flower has probably been given it, from an idea that _mimulus_ originated from [Greek: mimo] a monkey, as in _mimusops_ monkey face. [Illustration: No 283] [284]