Gratiola
(a diminutive from gratia, grace; referring to its medicinal virtues). Hedge Hyssop. SYN. Sophronanthe. ORD. Scrophularineae. A genus containing about twenty species of pretty free-flowering hardy herbaceous plants, mostly natives of Central Europe, North America, and extra-tropical Australia. Corolla often white or pale, tubular; limb two-lipped, the upper lip notched or cleft into two divisions, the lower three-cleft. Leaves opposite, entire or dentate. Gratiolas thrive in a rich, moist soil. Propagated readily by dividing the roots, in spring. G. aurea (golden).* fl. golden-yellow; peduncles hardly the length of the leaves. May. l. broad-linear, sessile, toothed, dotted above. Stem branched at the base. h. 4in. North America, 1828. (L. B. C. 1399.) G. carolinensis (Carolina). A synonym of G. virginiana. G. officinalis (officinal).* fl. whitish, striated with purple, pedunculate. May. l. lanceolate, serrated. h. 1ft. Europe, 1568.
G. pilosa (pilose). fl. white; corolla three or four lines long, little exceeding the calyx; tube oblong. July. l. ovate or ovate-lanceolate, sparingly and acutely denticulate, closely sessile by a broad base. Stem 1ft. to 2ft. high, from an apparently annual root. North America, 1827. G. quadridentata (four-toothed). A synonym of G. ramosa. G. ramosa (branched). fl. white; sepals linear (two or three lines long), half the length of the corolla. May to August. l. lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acute, serrate with sharp coarse teeth, equalling or shorter than the pedicels. h. 9in. North America, 1821. SYN. G. quadridentata. G. virginiana (Virginian). fl., corolla four or five lines long; tube yellowish, barely twice the length of the calyx; lobes nearly white, the two upper emarginate. August. l. commonly glabrous, oblong-lanceolate, acute, from entire to denticulate-serrate, mostly narrow at the base. h. 6in. to 9in. North America, 1759. SYN. G. carolinensis.