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Show pe THE BRITISH HERBAL. The leaves ftand on long footftalks, and are of a particular form: they have a pinnated afpect, and confift each of nine leaves, difpofed in three parcels ; one parcel at the end of the footftalk ; the other twoatthefides, in the manner of wings. Thefe are of an oblong form, and beautifully divided ; andare ferrated round the edges. Theflowers ftand on long footftalks, and are of a beautiful purple colour, fometimes deeper, fometimespaler. Thefeeds ftand in a round head, with long and beautiful downy threads, It is frequent in fome parts of Germany, and flowers in June. C. Bauhinecalls it Clematis alpina geranifolia, Haller, in the new method, makes this fhrub a fpecies of anemone. He calls it Anemone rubis caudatis pinnis latifimis. We adds the word tetrapetala, confidering the cup as the flower. It is of a hot and pungent tafte. The bark of the root has been ufed in outward applications againft pains, and is faid to have taken great effect again{t the fciatica. Some have ufedit alfo in the gout, under the’ violence ofa fit in their feet, but without fuccefs, BRITISH HERBAL, Seese BeesBoaIceceadcegoeheseahM Th END. of te FIRST RPDaatesaeteetatacla CLAS CLASS I. hofe flower is compofed of SEVERAL PETALS, with NUMEROUS THREADS in the centre, and whofe feeds are contained in snvEraL Pods LemmeSU Te LIS, like the former, is a clafs perfectly diftinguifhed by nature; although the plants of whichit confifts have been feparated from one ‘another, and joined with fich as are unlike them, by the fafhionable form ofthis fcience. Mr. Ray, who followednaturecareful ly, has 1 corniculate. ept thefe together, as the preceding. He calls them herbmultifilique. The plants of this clafs are fewer than in many others; and wefee how re larly, naturally, and obvioufly they are connected together ; yet Linnaus has difperfed them over all his works. We join them, becaufe feveral feparate feed-veffels follow every flower. This charaéter they all have, and this no other have ; it is therefore a very plain and perfec markfor their diftinétion : that author feparates them, becaufe thoughall have feveral threads in the centre; yet fome haye a greater, fome a fmaller number. Becaufe hellebore has twenty or more ofthefe threads, he places that, and, for the fame reafon, columbine and larkfpur, among his polyandria p rynia, joining them with the plants ofour laft clafs. aufe in the greater houleleek thefe threads are twelve, andin the leffer fpecies ten, thofef s are feparated from the preceding, andfromoneanothver, and placed in two diftinét claffes; the former amonghis dodecandria, and the other amonghis decandria. The flower: g rufh, for bearing but nine threads in every flower, is fent into a clafs different from all the others, amonghis enmeandria : and the periwinkle, having butfive threads in each flower, is joined withiivy, currants, and the vine, whofefruits are berries, underthe clafs of 7 lria. Thus we. f he plants of which this clafs is compofed, and which are fo perfectly allied to one another, diftributed bythis author throughout every part ofhis fyftem; fcarce any two of them are to be found together. reated of together, becaufe they all have in feveral piles after e every flower, a character no other enjoy in commonwith r theyare to be feparatediinto different claffes, becaufe one has ten, and another has ds in the centre? Such is the fyftem of Linnaeus, Novelty made it pleafe, andits 1; but it cannotbelafting. 1 after every flo\ Tournefort ke =m erroneous as he has been with refpect to the plants of the tly of thefe. The fingular character of feveral feparate, capfules c him; together, as Mr. Ray though Tannese who knew, would not obferveit. s done, cl er. The inftances we have en of Linnz naturally feparating thefe plants eon one another, and unnaturally joining them with others, are fro glith wild kinds. bis thall thew greater force put uponnature. when we come toforeig era; if there can be greater thanjoiningtheBeer le and thevine, one havingfori ita berry, the other feveral fepar:ate dry pods; bec in each the flower has five th atein S E- |