Scrophulariaceæ

Scrophulariaceæ (also called Scrophularineæ), a natural order, chiefly herbaceous and half-shrubby plants. The order is a very large one, containing almost 2000 known species, which are distributed over the whole world, both in cold and warm climates. Acridity, bitterness, and astringency are prevalent characteristics, and many species are poisonous. Mucilage, resinous substances, and essential oils are also products of many of the species. Some are root parasites. Some are admired and cultivated for their flowers; some are used medicinally. Digitalis or Foxglove, Calceolaria, Mimulus, Mullein, Antirrhinum or Snapdragon, Gratiola, Scrophularia or Figwort, Veronica or Speedwell, and Euphrasia or Eyebright are familiar examples. Very different from these humble herbaceous plants is Paulownia imperialis, a Japanese tree, 30 to 40 feet high, with trunk two or three feet in diameter, and flowers in panicles, about as large as those of the common foxglove; the tree is hardy in the milder parts of England, and is a beautiful ornament of shrubberies from London southwards.