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Show The BRITISH: Div rston i HERBAL. FOREIGN oP BCA Ess. the main ftalk, whence the principal branches Long-leaved Ceraftium. Med 2 inl that form the head rife; the others are placed longo: vafeulo olium Ceraftium anguftif on thofe branches which rife much higher, The feed-vefiel is long, flender, and a little a The rootis fmall and white, furnifhed with crooked; fo that it refembles a cock’s fpur, . few fibres, and infipid to thetafte. The feeds are blackith. The ftalk is fingle, upright, and five inches It is a native of Spain, and flowers in July, in hich: it is hairy, and of a pale green: it fends the cornfields. out no branches, but at the top it divides, and Clufius calls it Aline corniculata,; a name {preads into a large head. copied by moft, and tranflated by our Englith The leaves are narrow and long; they ftand in pairs, and the joints whence they rife are writers with that of the author: they call it Clifius’s horned chickweed. Some havebeen for marked by a knot, and little fwelled : the ftalk making it a fpecies of cock/e; but they never faw alfo frequently bows fromjoint to joint. The flowers are {mall and white: they f{carce Phe turn, as they do: they furround,the flalk, growing feveral at each joint; but, as they are broader, they are alfo fewer than in the common /purrey. The flowers ftand at the tops ofthe ftalks ; and they are larger than thofe of the common kind, and of a milk white, Thefeed-veffelis large, and roundifh, or oval ; and the feeds are numerous and f{mall: they are black, and have the edge white. It is common on fandy grounds in Ireland, and in the weft of England; and flowers in April. Raycalls it Aline fpergula difta femine mem- branaceo fufco. -N Spergula maritima. The root is long, flender, and furnifhed with many fibres. Theftalks are numerous, upright, and fix or eight inches high: they are of a pale green, very Uses SP UR R EY; much branched toward the 'top, and jointed at {mall diftances, S Pb sk Geers sz The leaves are numerous, and ftand round the ftalk at the joints, in form of the rays of a ftar : they are oblong, narrow, and of a pale green. The flowers grow at the tops of the branches in great numbers; and they are fmall and purple. The feed-veffel is large, and thefeeds are light and brown. It is common onour fea-coafts, and flowers in and hollowed: the feed-veffel is oval, and compofed of five valves; but contains only one cell: the cup is compofed of five oval, hollow leaves regularly difpofed, and ftands with the feedveffel after the flower is fallen: the feeds are edged with a film. Linnzus places this among his decandria pentagynia; the threads in the flower being ten, and the ftyles from the rudiment of the fruit five. The difference s evident between this plant and the a/fine, not only in its charaéters, but form, and manner of growing; wherefore Mr. Ray judged unhappily in joining them, efpecially as there are of each numerousfpecies. 1. Common Spurrey. J0222% 4. The root is fmall, flender, long, and furnifhed with numerous fibres. The ftalks are numerous, round, upright, and of a pale green: they have few branches toward the bottom, but many toward the top. The leaves are very narrow, oblong, of a deep green, and often curled: they ftand-in a confiderable number at eachjoint, furrounding theftalk, in the manner of thofe of what are called the ftellate plants. The flowers are fmall and white; and they confift each of five undivided petals. The feed-veffel is large, and the feeds are {mall andblackith. The fize of the plant varies extremely according to the nature of the ground: fix or eight inches is a common height for it; fometimes we fee it more than a foot; and in Flanders, where they have fields ofit, it is often twofeet high, It is common wild on our plowed grounds ; but has fometimes been cultivated in England, as it is abroad, for the ufe of cattle, C. Bauhine calls itfine Jpergula difta major. Others, Spergula. 2. Purple Spurrey. Spergula floribus purpureis, The root is long, flender, full of fibres, and penetrates deep. The ftalks are numerous, weak, and very muchbranched : theyare five or fix inches long, and they lie fpread upon the ground, The leaves are numerous, fmall, and of a pale green. The flowers ftand at the tops of the branches in great numbers; and they are fmall, but of a beautiful pale purple. The feed-veffels are large, and the feeds are H HERBAL. July. C. Bauhine calls it Aine /pergule facie media, Others, Sagina /pergula minor, and Spergula marina. Our people call it Sea /purrey, and Salt- marfo [purrey. 5- Dwarf fea Spurrey. Spergula maritima minima. The root is long and flender. The ftalks are numerous, and four inches long: they frequently all trail upon the ground, The virtues of thefe feveral plants are trifling ; but their ufes may be verygrear. Our farmers, whoufed to go in a very limited tract of hufbandry, have oflate years introduced from other countries many newproduéts, by the affiftance of which they change their crops upon the fame ground very’ happily, avoid the former neceffity offallow-feafons ; and add vattly to their profits, Among, the other ufeful plants cultivated in the neighbouring countries is the common /purrey : this makes a very wholefomeand richfoodfor the horned cattle : it is therefore worth more notice in England. But there is another fpecies, the common fea fpurrey, which has not been yet cultivated any where, but might be in many places to a great advantage. The fea-coaft is the natural foil for this plant ; and it would therefore be very proper, and very beneficial to the ‘farmer to fow it on fuchlands as, lying very near the fea, will not bear any other crop to advantage. There is a vaft quantity of this land in the kingdom, which at prefent lets for very little, and yiélds very little; but if this plant were introduced uponit, would be of great value. Its qualities are the fameinall refpects with thofe of common [purrey. but fometimes a few of themare erect. very numerous, and fmall. |) It is common on dry hilly ground, and flowers in May. We have it in Hidepark, and other places about London, in great abundance. C. Bauhine calls it Aine Spergule facie minor, feu Spergula minor flore Jubceruleo. The leaves in this fpecies feem, on a flight view, to furround the ftalk in great numbers at every joint, as thofe of the common Jpurrey , but, when theplant is more nicely examined , there are found only two Principal leaves at eachjoint, and the others are young fhootsin their bofoms : they ftand very thick, {6 that the miftake is eafy. 3- Large-flowered Spurrey. Spergula flore majore. Theroot is long; flender; and furnifhed with manyfibres, a he ftalks are numerous, round, jointed, and eight inches high. b , od leaves are oblong, fome what broad, and : a deep Steen: they are of a firmer fubft ance than in the common fpurrey, and do not curl, or 2 turn, 186 The leaves are narrow, oblong, fimall, and of a pale green. The flowers are minute, and of a bluifh purple. The feed-veffels are fmall, and the feeds dufky, but edged with a white very narrow circle of a membranaceous matter, as the others, The leaves in this plant are very numerous ; but the joints of the ftalk are much morediftant than in the others; fo that more of it is feen. It is common in our falt marfhes, and flowers in May. Dillenius calls it Spergula mariti flore parvo caruleo femine vario. He firft obferyed it on Sheepy ifland. 4. Sea Spurrey. the plant, HE flower is compofed of five petals, which open regularly, and fpread out; and are oval Spergula major, Dillenius, Spergula annua femine foliaceo nigro circulo membranaceo albo cinéo. openperfectly ; one generally ftands at the top of GE? BRET 1-§ The END ofthe N INTH, CLASS |