OCR Text |
Show 174. The HERBAL. BRT Sh ferve as a proof th at the ftyles This fingle inftance may a claffica | divifion, or even a number of parts from which laft and leaft ufe, we muft if we fhould allow them but this p lants moft evidently related names, andin diftin& genera, The are not at all fit to be received into the generical character, can be eftablithed: here ofneceffity féparate, underdiffe to one another, as fpecies of the f fo far as to feparate or other, as light and uncertain diftinétions, Some have obferved thefe, fen thethe diftin& generical - names in I —— have’ ar ifen. i manner:: hence he ti this rts tin } ‘i Fobn’s worts the Saint of sui/an, « and fome others and in Englifh, thofe hypericum, afcyram, androfemum, confufion in the frivolou' s and idle diftinétions, andall tending to. create and Saint Fokn’s wort 5 all enneriv allie: all truly and properly allied. {cience; becaufe the plants are judged very tig of eftablifhing new genera, has Dinitens who is in general fond enough inthe ftyles of the v variations accidental and fe a thefe fubordinate thihis re fpett:. he has namedall has boldly and juftly kept k bu’ wort as variations only ; and of §Saint Fobu’s kinds At the fame time, he has feparated, under the name of a/cyr’ . one name, and in one genus though they have the general afpect of Saint and referred to a diftin& genus, fome plants, which, in the flower. Sfohi’s worl, have only four petals ed praife, for his arrangement of the Saint Fobn’s w While we give this author the deferv has affigned themin his work: he has feparated them fromtheciftus, cannot but cenfure the place he accident of the intermediate claffes; and, becaufe of this and otherplants before defcribed, by five -clafs we have l artificia the in them placed has , clufters ftamina, or threads, joining in feverallittle and in nature countenances it; Lew This may well be called an artificial clafs, becaufe nothing named. . : genus. «Br Reis Tl- Sane 3. Small procumbent Saint John’s wort. Hypericum procumbens minus. The root is flender, long, and woody. The ftalks are numerous, and fome of themlie upon the ground ; others rife tolerably upright ; theyare fouror five inches high, and edged like thofe of the common Sa ’5 wort, and of a yellowifh colour. The leaves ftandin pairs, at moderate diftances one pair from another; and theyare fmall, obJong, pointed, and ofa faint green. The flowers are large, andofabright yellow: row on the tops of the ftalks, andof their hes anddivifions. The feed-veflel is fmall, and the feeds are numerous and minu fpecies are three, hree ¢ells. C (. : f that it violates her moft obvious ; it is moft evident, : by the divifion of thefe plants from the others, d of five petals nd theirfeeds flower compofe a having the in laws. They agree with the others for joining them ; and this particulardiftribucontained in a fingle S' capfule : thefe are obvious reafons 4 rum. Hypericum maximum androfomum didi a work. 1. CommonSaint John’s wort. Hypericum vulgare. SPECT ES. The exprefied juice of the freth tops is g / The “root is long, flender, woody, divided, and {preading. The ftalk is firm, upright, of a pale green colour, edged, and a foot and half high: it is fimple toward the bottom, but divides into many branches near the top. The leaves are oblong, broad, and of a deep green: they ftand in pairs at {mall diftances, and are undivided on the edges: whenheld up againft the light they appear full of little holes. The flowers are large, full of threads, and of a beautiful gold yellow. The feed-veffel is roundifh, and contains numerous {mall feeds. The ftyles from the rudiment of the capfule are three in this plant; and the capfule is divided into three cells, The yellow threads in this. ower, when moiftened and bruifed upon the hand, ftain it red. It is common by way-fides, and flowers in hinecalls it Hypericum vulgare, and mo‘t e followed him. Fobn’s wort is celebrated for many virtues, and is not neglected in regular practice. A decoétion of it is good to wath ; and an oil, made by infufing the flowers e oil, is much recommendedagainft pain, and as a balfam: the flowers give their latent red colour very beautifully to the oil in this preparation. Aninfufion of the frefh tops of Saint Fohn’s wort is goodin the jaundice : it operates by urine. againft fpitting of blood. The powder of the tops carefully driedis re commended alfo againft worms, andin the gout, and againft tertian and quartan agues. A tinéture of the flowers, made ftrong in white-wine, is recommended greatly by fome The root is long, large, woody, andfpreading, Theftalk is thick, firm, upright, very. little branched, and of a.brownifhcolour, The leaves ftandin pairs ; and they are large, oblong, and of a brownifh green, and hairy: they are broadeft toward the bafe, and diminith to a point, and they have fhort footftalks. The flowers are numerous, large, and of a pale yellow: they ftand at the tops ofthe ftalks, and have flenderpedicles. we The feed-veficl is large, and the feeds are fpeak with lefs certainty, though they defervea fair trial. brown. The ftyles are three in the flower of this fpecies, and the feed-veffel is accordingly divided into three It againft melancholy: but of thefe qualities 2. Small heart-leaved. Saint John’s wort. Hypericum folium cordatis. The root is flender, brown, an with a few fibres. The ftalk is round, fmooth, frequ i oot or more in height. Che leaves ftandin pairs, but with grea between one pair and another: , broad, f id have no fc , bu at the bafe: they are of a fafhi e, but not much d broad part; and are of a deep green fubftance. hate The flowers are large, and ofa The feed-ve 4 brownifh. The ftyles in the flowers ofthis {pecies art only three; and the feed-veftel is, in the fame manner, dividedinto three cells, It is common in dry paftures and by way-fides; and flowers in July. j ; It is a very pretty plant. Tragus has called it thence “Hypericum pulchrum; and moft have copied him, J. Bauhine calls it Hyperi eR erectum, It is not common in England, except in the northern counties; but there are fome plants of it in Charlton wood, near Woolwich, It flowers in Auguft. C. Bauhine calls it 4 folium glabrum non per drofemum campoclarente. remely beautiful plant. ‘ Linnzeus makes this andthe former fpecies 0 varieties of the fame plant. He mutt | mifled by the bad figures of authors; for it is impoffible he fhould have faid this, if he had ever feen this fpecies : the other is common The leaves in this fpecies are not full of h as in the co nt Fobn’s wort; but f quently the underfide of themis beautifully dorted with red {pots, difpofed regularly on the edge. 6. Tutfan, We, the ftudent to lookfor ftamina is but a very poor one for feparating them, and fending BRET YS 2 ealled tutfan hereaft 5. 175 The ftyles in the flower of this fpecies are three, andthe feed-veffel is accordingly divided into three cells. Bauhine calls it Hype: tion of the one another, in the diffe plants which nature direéts him to underftand as allied to Divs 1 OW HEP RIB ASE) mes, for the iferent from this, properly and androfemum, to be defcribed Broad-leaved, fmooth Saint John’s wort. The root is hard, woody, long, redifh, divided into many parts. The ftalks are numerous, firm, hard, of a pale green, and edged: they are two feet and a half high, and frequently are branched, though fometimestheyrife almoft fingle, The leaves ftand in pairs, and are very large; they are broadeft at the bafe, and terminate obtheir colour is a dead greenin the firft part of fummer, but frequently the whole plant turns of a blood-red toward autumn. The flowers ftand in clufters at the tops of the ftalks: they are large and yellow. “he feed-veffel is of an oval form ; , being foft and juicy, has the appearance ofa berry. i It is frequent in many parts of England under fhady hedges, and flowers in Auguft C. Bauhine calls it Androfcemum Hypericum maxi This fpecies poffeffes the virtue of a vulne rary in a degree even fuperior to the ¢ ont Saint Sonn’s One of the young leaves wrapped round a cut-finger, or fpread evenly over a deepfrefh wound, will cure it without any otherapplication. This Iam affured by the Lady of Gen, Ogle. thorpe, from her repeated experience, 7. Saint Peter’s wort. Hypericum caule not at all branc high, andof eretto quadrangulo afcyron diff. The root is long and fpreac it creeps under the furface, and has a multitude of fibres. The ftalks are numerous, fquare, > u The leaves are kplaced in p diftances, and have nofootttalks : an oval figure, and obtufe. tthe tops of the’ ftalks on and of a very The flowers ftand at the tops ofthe ftalks, on dy The |