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Show 50 THE BRITI HEAR I can without much cenfure reconcile this contradi or the re plants of the barba capre that have flowers with boththe threads, and rudiments ofthe cap! nthem; though there s that haave male, and others that have onlyfernale flowers. This is the language of the modern bota according to the fame diz thofe flowers which have both the thre ads and eum ents of ¢ “ay are called hermaphrodites: thefe led Linnzeus to place the plant among his ic 1 ‘ former judgment. He hadtruth on hisfide in both cafes ; for itis nature varies: but we have hence this leffon, Thofe accidents are unfit for the claffical diftintionsof plants, which are not conftant and certain; this is not the only genus in whichthere are fometimes male flowers on one plant and fele on another, though thers are alfo in fome plants of this kind pean puro te flowers: Q proof addedto the many we have hadoccafion to mention before, and which will be ftrengthene manyothers hereafter, that this method was taken up too haftily, and that upon better Tene y of nature, men will be obliged to lay it down. Of this genus there is but one known fpecies. It has muchthe afpect of the common meadowfweet, except in the difpofition of the flowers. Moft author: ye i joined it with that I plant 3 and indeed it comes very nearits nature. The feeds of meadow{weet are covered, as we have ft I» with a kind of cruft; and in this plant they have but very rude capfules. However, the diftinétion BRITISH HERBAL is preferved: nature on all occafions goes off gradually from one clafs to another: this would hz ‘emia been feen if men had regarded the greater and more diftin@ive parts of plants with that attention they haveill beftowed upon the more minute and frivolous. It is here the gentle ftep is made from the herbs with feveral naked feeds after every flower, to thofe in which each flower is followed by veral capfules. Sweetbeard, Barba Capre. The root is large, thick, long, and furnifhed with many fibres. It has a redifh bark, a woody fubftance within that, and in the central part a fpungy pith. , The leaves rife in a great tuft, but commonly wither when the ftalk gets ftrength, They are placed on long footftalks, and are compofed of three principal parts, each of which confifts of about five fmaller leaves, difpofed in the pinnated manner in two pairs, with an odd one at the end: thefe are oblong, ferrated, and pointed at the ends. Theftalks are four feet hich, round, ftriated, erect, and but little branched. They have the fame kind of leaves on them, and at their tops bear numerous flowers in long ftrings, feveral connected toward the bottom, or rifing fo near one another that they form a tuft refembling a long, white beard. The flowers are white, little, and of a flight but agreeable {mell. It is a native of the warmer parts of Europe, and flowers in July. C. Bauhine calls it Barba capre floribus ob! J. Bauhine, Barba capri. We inE nglith for times tranflating the Latin name, call it foatsbeard; but as chat 3is with us the name ofanother plant, I have taken the liberty of varying i little, preferving the word beard, and addi for its farther character, its fragrant fcent; ma. of the commonwriters havecalled it alma jor, the greater G t. The flowers are efteemed cordial and fudorifick. Thebark of the root alfo poftees the fame virtue, with a mixture of aftringency, Thisrecommends it among the country practifers, where common, in fevers iaceended with diarrhoea, he plants properly and diftin@l g to the prefent clafs; from which we are to advance to another, whichis very comprehenfive, conta’ ining the plants, with a fower confifting of one petal, andfucceeded bya fingle capfule : epee:in our way we are to regard an intermediate genus, which happily conneéts thefe two, or according to the cuftomofnature, often remarked, ran the progreffion eafy. G85 Av Su-825-T, Plants whofe flower confifts of a sincux pevat, andis fucceeded by sz CAPSULES, HIS is a clafs not diftinguifhed by any author, thougheftablifhed by nature in the plaineft, moft determinate, and moft diftiné manner. It contains only a few genera, butit ferves very happily in forming a natural method, andit is wonderful menof fcience have overlooked it: not that Linnzus has, fer his attention has been wholly bent on the leffer, fo that he muft natu- rally loffight of thefe greater objects; but that Ray in particular fhould not obferve it is ftrange. It is here the firft inftance occurs of the neceffity there is, ina work of this kind, after confulting the beft authors, to examine nature; and where theyare defective, to compleat the fyftem from her Stores. Wehave begunwith plants whofe flower confifting cf feveral petals is followed by many nak feeds ; we have given inthe fecond clafs plants whofe flower confifts, as in thofe in the firft, of feveral petals, andis followed byfeveral capfules containing the feeds: from thefe, following our method in thofe plants whofe flowers are Jargeft, plaineft, and moft confpicuous, we fhould be led, if the fyftems of others only were our guides, to thofe plants whofe flower confifts of a fingle petal, and is followed by a fingle capfule ; but obferving nature, we perceive that fhe has placed betweenthefe an intermediate clafs: this confifts of thofe plants which have a flower formedof a fingle leaf, and followed by more than one capfule. Thefe are the plants we comprife in our prefent neweftablithed clafs, placing it between the fecond and fourth; between thofe plants whofe flower confifts of feveral petals, and is followed byfeveral capfules, and thofe which have it of one petal, followed by one capfule, Thus we fhall trace nature in her own path; and view her as fhe makes her reg progrefs and hergradual defcent with no greater gap between. Certainlyia attother fyftems there was aninterruption here; but this fmall arrangement fills up the fpace, and makes all regular. Linnzus fcatters the few plants belonging to this clafs over his works, and Tournefort, and Ray; Not attending to the diftinétion, great and obvious as it is, of plants with a flower compofed of many petals, and fuch as have it confifting but of one, place thefe confufedly among others. Th END of the SECOND CG See gene § TAVEL W OR T. CO LoL £.D,o ifts of a fingle petal; this is of a tubulated ceeds are contained in cap f » five of form, and dividedintc which follow every gyn 1, between woc re in the pots i r s of capfules ng them; this, |