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Show “Boehb The leaves are numerous, and verybeautiful : they lie upon the ground, and {pread themfelves vay from the head of the root, in form are long, narrow, and deeply j ac at the edges ; the jag are fo long that ) e been fuppofedtogive the leaf fome refeme of the horn of a buck; whence its Engme: they are ofa pale green, and hairy. The ftalks are numerous, round, flender, and naked. The flowers are fmall, but have confpicuous white buttons fromtheir centre. Thefeed-veffel is {mall and oval, andthe f is.very minute. The flowers and feed-veffels ftand in fhort, flender fpikes. It is commonin barren places, July. C. Bauhine calls it Coronopus Others, Coronopus, and Cornu cerv tago coronopus diéa. Ne, in Englith, Bucks- horn plantain, and in fome places Star of the earth: but this laft is an improper name, becaufe it has been alfo given to a very different plant, to be defcribed hereafter, and therefore will create confufion. 7. Little hairy Plantain. Plantago anguftifolia pumila incana, Theroot is large, irregular, oblong, and of a brown colour. The leaves are few, and {mall: they rife ina little tuft, and are: tolerably upright: they have no footftalks: they are hairy, andof a pale green, and are broadeft in the middle, and narrower to the point, where they terminate fharply. The ftalk is round, weak, naked, upright, and fourinches high. The flowers are fmall and white: they ftand in a thick, fhort tuft at the top of the ftalk, and quickly fade. The feed-veffels are oval, fmall, and fmooth, andthe feeds are very {mall and blackith. It is frequent about the fea-coaft of Suffex, and flowers in April. Ray calls it Plantago anguftifolia minor. This little plant is fubject, like the others, to the variations of having a divided fpike, or a leafy top; and they arife altogether from the fame caufe, the bitings ofinfeéts. This is an accident that we fee produceftrange appearances in many plants, from the oak to this meaneft ofthe plantain kind. The various excrefcences of the oak, the galls, oak-apples, and the like, are caufed only by the puncture of a. fly. The rofe uponthe willow, which is juft analogous to this upon the plantain, is alfo owing to the fame caufe; and fo are innumerable others. 8. Narrow-leaved mountain Plantain. } 4 ‘ Plantago Alpina anguftifolia, AZ The Tootis long, flender, and furnifhed with a fewfibres. 2 H HE EBRITISH HERBAL. The leaves rife from numerous he which theroot fplits at the crown; and are lo 8 narrow, and of a pale green: they have no foorftalks; they are broadeft ia the middle, and fmall both at the bafe and point, where they terminate fl The ftalks ar not more than thre and green. The flowers are {mal fland at the tops of the ft r {pik The feed-vefféls are oval, and the fmall. It is common on the Welch mot s in April, . Bauhine calls it P 9. Hairy graffy-leaved Plantain. Plantago foli s gramineis birfutis. i The root is long, flender, white, andfurnithed with a few threads. The leaves rife in a confiderable tuft ; and are {mall, of a greyith green, and graffy : they are broadeft at the bafe, narrower all the Way tothe point, and hairy. ; The ftalks are weak, round, and naked, and fupport little fpikes of flowers. : The flowers themfelves are very {mall and whitith, and the fpikes thick, fhort, and roundith. The feed-veffel is rovindifi, and the feeds are fmall. deli ‘ ee is common ontheredeas ifland of Sheepey, andin other parts about the fea-coalts. It fowers in June. Ray calls it Plantago gramineo folio birfuto i nor capitulo rotundiore brevi. 10. ‘Single-flowered Plantain. Plantago monanthes. «7. 422,.16 celine: The root ) is com Pppofed of 4 a great grez number off oi uch penetrate deep into the ground. . leaves rife ina large tuft; and they are narrow, long, and graffy ; many lie on the ground, and a good number ftand up. A mong cele rife i the ftalks cs : they are very mii nute, flender, wown, and naked: they are not half an inch high; each fuftains a fingle flower, which is very fmall and inconfiderable ; and from this rife four very long ftamina, with |; ‘ge, white buttons. The feed-veffel is {mall and oval, andthe feeds are very minute. It is not uncommon non in i boggyplaces, thoug I h, from om its i fmallnefs, little i regarded, It flowers in June. ene This slittlee -pla plannt ns as aa variety varii off long lon names. mes i calls it Plantago paluftris gram monanthos Par Ray, Gram | five holofteum minimum pa 8 iff is ftaminibus donat OEN: Ik FOREIGN 1-Sea-Plantain. The root is long and flender, andis furnifhed a fewfibres. rrow, hairy, and fhort, in The leaves < i ny ofthe former kinds: they are fmall near the bafe, broadeft towardthe end, and fharp-pointed. The ftalks are numerous, round, flender, and four orfive inches high, and have leaves on them, The flowers are placed at the tops of the ftalks in a thick fpike. veffel is large and oval, andthe feeds are very fmall. It is common on the fea-coafts of Spain, and flowers in May. C. Bauhine calls it Holofteum birfutum albicans may Others, Plantago Hifpanica {pica oblonga. rower than anyother of the glantaia kind: they are long, and lie every way fpread about, and frequently are curled, fo that they refemble worms, or little ferpents; whence the plant has been named fnake-gra/s. The ftalks are round, weak, and flender ; they have no leaves on them. The flowers ftand at the tops in long, flender {pikes, and they are {mall andinconfiderable. The feed-veffel is oval and fmall, the feeds are minute and numerous. It isa nativeof Italy, and flowers in Auguft. C. Bauhine calls it Hole majus. Others, Plantago jt Serpentaria major. Tr is fometimes found very {mall for want of nourifhment, andin that ftate has been defcribed as a diftin& fpecies; but it is merely an accidental variety. ‘ Theroot is long, flender, and undivided. The leaves are numerous, of a greyifh green, narrow, and of a grafly thape ;: they are broadeft at the bafe, and fmaller all the way to the point. The ftalks are numerous, and very fhort: they are not of the length of the leaves, and are of the fame greyifh colour, and covered with a thick downy hairinefs. The flowers are fmall and whitifh: they are placedin thick, fhort fpikes at the tops of thefe ftalks; and feldom ftand upright, ufually drooping one way or other. The feed-vefiel is large and oval, and the feeds are very fmall. I i All the fpecies of plantain poffefs the fame virtues, and they are very confiderable. None of them is better than the common broad-leaved kind; therefore with us it would beidle to bring any otherinto ufe, This is aftringent, cooling, and healing. A wateris diftilled fromit; but this is of {mall value, for thefe are not virtues thatrife in diftillation. A decoétion of the entire plant is excellent in 2. Short-ftalked Plantain, Plantago feapo brevi. SPECIES, iflands, and flowers diforders of the ureters. The root, dryed and powdered, is to be given half a dram for a dofe, and is very ferviceable againft loofeneffes with fharp andbloody ftools. Thejuice is good againft {pitting of blood, and againft the overflowings of the menfes. Theleaves, bruifed, and ufed outwardly, cleanfe andhealold ulcers. Thefe are all the plants with four petals to the flower, and a fingle regular capfule, of which there are any fpecies native of Britain. It muft not appear an omiffion, that three plants, afcribed in Mr, Ray’s Synopfis to this clafs, are omitted. The firft, pentapterophyllon, has no feed-vefiel, but the flower is followed by four naked feeds , the fecond, dal/amine, has five petals to the flower, andthe third, Aypopitys, has ten. By whatover- cht in Mr. Ray thefe came to be added to the prefent clafs, I fhall not enquire : it is plain they feverally belong to three others; and they will] be treated of accordingly‘in their places in the Narroweft-leaved Plantain. Plentago foliis anguftifimis. The root is very thick, and divided. The leaves are extremely numerous, and nar- | fucceeding part ofthis work. SSS ee ‘The. |