General Natural History Vol. 2 - A History of Plants

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2 34 'IQe Hijlory of P L A N T S. :BUDD L lE A. T H E calyx of the Buddlrea is a very fmall, permanent perianthium ,; it is com ... pofed of one leaf, lightly .divided. i?to ~our fegments, acute and erect. The co­rolla coniifis of a lingle petal, hghtly. dtvtded mto four oval, acute fegments, and thr~e times as large as the cup. The ftamma are four very .lhort filaments, place.d at the dt­vifions of the flower : the antherre are fimple, and very .lhort : the .germe? 1s oval : the ftyle is fimple, and of fcarce half the leng~h of the corolla: the fttgma. 1~ obtufe : the fruit is an oval, oblong capfule, marked With two furrows, and contammg two cells. The feeds are very numerous, and very frnall. . . . . . Of this genus there is but one known fpectes; It IS an Amencan, defcnbed by Houfion. ··., PLANT A G 0. T HE calyx of the Plantago is a perianthium, divided into four parts, ereCl:, very fhort, and permanent. ~he corolla confifis of a fingle P.etal,. an~ ~s of ~ery fuort duration: the tube is of a cylmdraceo-globofe figure: the hmb IS dtvtded mto four oval, acute fegments: the ftamina are four erect,. capillary, and extremely long fila­ments : the anthera~ are oblong, comprelfed, and incumbent. The germen of the piftil is oval: the ftyW is filiform, and fcarce of half the length of the ftamina: the ftig­ma is fimple. The fruit is a capfule ot an oval figure, containing two cells, and open­ing longitudinally : the feeds are numerous, and very fmall. The calyx in moil: fpe­cies is equal, in [orne unequal. 1 This genus comprehends the Plantago, Coronopus, Pfyllium, Scoparia, and the Gramen junceum of [orne authors. 1. Plantago Joliis ova tis glabris. The Jmooth and oval-leaved Plantain. <!tontnton bro~ln~ . leabtll 10lantatn. The root of this fpecies is of the thicknefs of a man's finger, but lhort, and, as it were, cut off, and is furniilied with a great number of fibres : from this arife fix or eight leaves, which are fomewhat hairy at their firft appearance, but afterwards fmooth, broad, obtufe, and marked with three ftrong longitudinal ribs on each fide of the principal or middle one. From the center· of this clufier rife a number of ftalks, round, mode­rately thick, fucculent, and fomewhat hairy, ten or twelve inches in height; the greater part of thefe is formed into the fpike of flowers~ which is flender and cylindric : the apices are purple. This fpecies is common every-where with us, by way-fides. C. Bauhine calls it, Plantago larifolia vulgaris. The beautiful Rofe Plantain is only a variety of this common fpecies. 2. Plantago foliis linearibus, pinnato-dentatis. li5Uclt'~:::t)OJn~ The linear and pinnato-dentated-leaved Plantain. 10lantatn. The root of this freci~s is long, white, moderately thick, and of a fweet and plea­fant tafie. From th1s anfl;!s a clufier of leaves, fpreading themfelves every way from the c~nter, fo as to ap~ear radiated. They are four or five inches long, narrow, and di­vided at the edges mto long and flender fegments, giving fome difiant refemblance of the ~gure ?fa fiag's-horn: among thefe rife feveral ftalks, round, hairy, and four or five mches m length, often much more: at the top ftands a long, flender fpike, like that of the common Plantain. . This fpecies is frequent with us on heaths, and in barren places. C. Bauhine calls It, Coronopus fylveftris hirfutior ; others, fimply, Coronopus. 3· Plantaga The Hij}ory of P L A N T So 3• Plantago caule ramofo, foliis dentatis, Jpicis . nudis. Tbe dentated-leaved, naked-:fpiked, !Jranc!Jed <!onunon jfltalbo~t. Plantain. The root of this fpecies is long, ilender, and white, and has a few fibres, From this rifes the ftalk, which grows to a foot, or more, in height, and is round, folid 1 erect, hairy, and branched almoft from the bottocn to the top : at every joint of the fialk ftand two leaves, long, narrow, and dentated on the edges, fo as, in fome mea­fure, to refemble thofe of the coronopus, or buck's-horn Plantain. The tops of the branches are fomewhat vifcid to the touch: from the alre of the leaves there grow long. pedicles, on the tops of which ftand iliort and thick fpikes, compofed of clufiers of little, whitiili flowers, which are fucceeded by beautiful, glolfy, black feeds; which, thrown into boiling water, make a fine mucilage. This fpecies is not a native of England, but we have it in fame of our gardens. C. Bauhine calls it, Pfyllium Diofcoridis, vel Indicum, foliis crenatis. The feeds of this fpecies are, or ought to be, ufed in the iliops; thofe of the great Pfyllium are ufually fold in their place. 4· Plantago Jcapo unifloro. The Jingle-flowered Plantain. J'Long;tbreabtb 11\tttlJ::graf£'. The root of this little plant is compofed of a great number of confiderably long and thick fibres: from this rife feveral oblong, narrow, thick, and fu cculent leaves ; they are two or three inches in length, and fcarce an eighth of an inch in breadth, and lie upon the earth in a radiated manner. From the center of thefe grow feveral ftalks, often not half an inch high; each has on it's fummit a fingle flower, fmall, and com­prelfed, but with four very remarkably long ftamina rifing from it. This little plant is found in boggy places, in many parts of England; I met with it this year in Borough-fen near Peterborough. Tournefort calls it, Plantago paluftris gramineo folio monanthos. Morifon, and others, Gramen junceum minus capitulis longiffimis filamentis donatis. The other fpecies of Plantain are very numerous; of the common Plantain kind the more fingular are, I. The broad-leaved, hoary Plantain. 2. The narrow-leaved Plan­tain. 3· The ferrated, narrow-leaved Plantain. 4· The ilirubby, narrow-leaved Plan­tain. 5· The hairy> bulbous Plantain. 6. The narrow-leaved, fea Plantain. 7· The gralfy-leaved Plantain. 8. The hairy, fea Plantain. Of the Pfyllium kind are, 1 . The common great Pfyllium. 2. The great procumbent Pfyllium. 3. The little Pfyllium. ' The leaves of the common Plantain are refrigerating and diuretic: the root of the Coronopus is efculent : the feeds of the Pfyllium make a mucilage much ufed in fevers. C E N T U N C U L U S. T HE calyx of the Centunculus is a perianthium, divided into four, acu te, l'lnceo­lated fegments, longer than the corolla, and permanent : the corolla confifis of a fingle petal : the tube is inflated, and of a fomewhat globular figure : the limb is plane, and is divided into four fuboval fegments: the ftamina are four fi laments, nearly of the length of the flower: the anthera::: are fimple: the germen is roundiili, and placed within the tube of the corolla: the ftyle is filiform, of the length of the corolla, and is permanent: the ftigma is fimple: the fruit is a globofe capfule, containing only one cell, and opening horizontally : the feeds are roundiili> very numerous, and very fmall. This genus comprehends only the plant called Anagallidafirum by Micheli, and Ana­gallidis fpecies, by Vaillant, 4· f. 2. CENTUNCULUS.