General Natural History Vol. 2 - A History of Plants

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'· II4 The Hijlory of P L A N T S. is another feries of fmaller leaves, covering the upper fide of the fialk, but the oppo-fite fide is bare. . · d b {b Ji 'k f The extremities of the branches in this fpecJ~S are termmate y ~rt pt es, o a r. fi d 'thout ped1'cles Thefe flptkes are ilender, and are compofed of 1quare gure, an wt · . . · · A h b r. f fmall fquammre, hollow, broacl at the bafe, and ter~mnatmg m a pomt. t t e a1es o thefe 1i uamm<B there fiand capfi1les, which are b1valve, and. are fome. of them filled wt· t h onq l y a fi ne po wd·er ; others of them contain three whtte rouhnd 1lh· feeds each : one of thefe capfules ftands at the bafe of every fquamma, where t ere IS not one of the others. · h h · E This fpecies is of American origin, and has not been met ~1t any w. ere m ur?pe. Petiver and Ray defcribe it under the name of Mufcus. denttculatus maJOr Caledomcus, perelegans, filicis in modum pinnatus. Plukenet call~ ~t, Mufcus fquam~ofus erc:B:us ; and DiJlenius, Lycopodioides dentatu.m, ereetur;n, filtcmum, caule terett ramofi11m~o. The other fpecies of the T:ifpermmm, ?efcnbed by authors, are, ! . Th~ cree p11~g, denticulated Trifpermium, wtth footlefs fptkes: 2. The ~1rubb~ Tnfpermmm, wnh ]oofe and naked fpikes. 3· The. upright, acacta-leaved Tnfper~mum. 4; _!'he Ct:nall, ereCt Trifpermium, with fern-hkc leaves. 5· The fpleenwm ~-leav~d Ttt:permm~n . 6. The furcated, yew-leaved Trifpet:mium: 7· ~he fmaller, ~Iff Tnfpermmn:, ~tth denticulated leaves. 8. The fcaly Tnfpermmm, wtth cut~led pot.n~s. 9· The fpteadmg, forked Trifpermium. Thefe are moft of them of Amencan ongm. M 0 s s E s. Clqfs the Sixth. Genus the Eighth. S E LAG 0. S E L A G 0 is a genus of Moffes, ~onfifting of br~nches furnilhed .with leaves, and . producing capfules in the alre of the leaves, whtch hav~ n? pedtcle, nor ~ny co-lyptra, but are formed of two valves, and have a fingle cavity m them, contammg a fine yeltowiili powder. • The feveral fpecies of Selago are all rob?~ and ~rub by plants, m refpeCt of the other Moffes, and their branches are generally divided dichotomouily. 1. Selago ereE!a longifolia. Long-leaved, upright Selago. This is a robufi: plant, it grows to four or fiv~ inches ~~ight! and fometimes more. It rifes with a fin o-le ftalk from the root, but thts foon divtdes mto two branches, and each of thefe int~ two more. This is the moft frequent ftate of the plant ; but it fometimes is more, fometimes lefs divided, though always in this dichotomous manner. The ftalks are covered very thick with leaves, efpecially toward the top, fo that they qfually appear larger there than at the bottom. The leaves are narrow, oblong, and pointed ; they are a little convex on the outfide, and .concave on the inner, and they are of a yellowiih colour. The ftalks are confiderably thick, and, where they are naked, are feen to be browniili. In the alre of the leaves, from the bottom to the top of the plant, there ftand in autum.q little capfules, which, when they are opened, are found to contain a fine yellow powder. They are of a kidney-like .lhape, and naturally open longitudinally ; about the time that the capfules are full grown, it is ~ommon to fee little oblong, criftated bodies, compofed of fix fegments ftanding out about the tops of the branches ; thefe feem to be embryo plants, ready to fall to the ground, and take root. It is a common plant on fome of the Welch q1ountains, and in fome parts of York­. fhire and Derbyiliire; elfewhere, with us, it is very fcarce : abroad it grows abun­dantly on the Alps, and other mountains. Moft of the botanical writers have defcri­bed it. Ray, Bohart, and many others have called it, Mufcus ereCl:us abietiformis. Tournefort, Mufcus fquammofus abietiformis ,; and others, S~!lago foliis et facie abietis. ,, . ~. Selago 'lbe Hiftory of P L A N T S. 115 · 2. Selago Joliis angu.ftijjimis confertis. The narrow, clujler-leaved Selago. This is a very tall and robuft plant. It grows to twelve or fourteen inches high ; it's ftalk rifes fingle from the root, and is at the bottom but moderately thick, yet very robuft and ftrong; up fomewhat higher it grows confiderably thicker, and divides into two branches : each of thefe, after they have gone up fingle three or four inches, divide again into two, and thefe ramifications, finally, into two more. The divHion is fometimes carried yet farther, but this is the ufual ftate of the plant ; all the branches are covered with a number of oblong, narrow, and poihted leaves; thofe on the lower part of the ftalk are lhorter than the refi, and bend more downward. The others are longer, and, though not quite ereCt, yet droop but very little. In the a1re of the leaves, from the top of the plant down to the bafe of the fecond ramification, there are placed capfules of a kidney-like lhape; thefe are compofed of two valves, and open­ing longitudinally, when ripe, they throw out a quantity of a fine yellow powder. The whole plant is much of a thicknefs, from the firft ramification to the very fummit of the branches. It grows in ma11y parts of America, ln their damp moraifes, and in foale of their forefls. Plumier has defcribed and figured it under the name of Mufcus fquammofus maximus, ereetus, fabinre folio, though perhaps erroneouDy, by the fault of the prefs, for the leaves are not at all like favin. Dillenius has much better named it, Selago co­ridis foliis reflexis. 3. Selago foliis brevioribzts. Short-leaved Selago. This is the weakeft of all the Selago kind, yet it fi·equent1y ftands quite ereCt, thd it grow fingly, and rife to ten or twelve inches in height. It's ftalk is of the thick­nefs of a fmall packthread at the bafe, and is pretty thick, covered with leaves down !O the. very ground. It continues of much the fame thicknefs neady to the top, . where It ends fomewhat fmaller. It generally divides, at about half it's height, into two parts, and each of thefe divides again, once at leaft; befides this alfo, it fometimes fends out branches near the middle of it's height, and thefe always divide into two parts, and thofe fometimes are divaricated again near their tops. The leaves that fur­round the ftalk near the bafe are very fhort, and browniih; thofe on the reft of the plant are of a yellowiili green, and, though !horter than in any of the other fpecies yet are of an oblong fig?r.e, broadefi at .the bafe, and pointed. From the top of th~ plant, to near the firfi d1v1fion of the mam ftalk, there are placed capfules, not of a kidney-like fhape, but oval, which divide, when ripe, into two parts and ihed a quantity of a fine yellow powder. ' Plumier firft figured this fpecies ; he calls it, Mufcus fquammofus maximus cori­dis folio vitriculis longioribus. Tournefort calls it, M ufcus fquammofus Americanus maxirnus. Dillenius calls it, Selago foliis camphoratre. It is of American origin . it grows in their forefis, about the frumps of trees. ' There are only three known fpecies of Selago, befide thefe de(cribed here. Thofe are, r. The toadfla:c-leaved, great. Selago, which. grows to two feet or more in length; and, 2. The Amencan Selago, With reflex, denticulated leaves. 3· The large Indian fir-like Selago. ' , ~ Mofs, under. the name of Selago, has been known in medicine, i11 the very earh~ft ages. Plmy tells us, that .it MTas colleCled , with great fuperfiition, for mag1cal ufes; and that the fume of It was good for difeafes of the eyes. There ap­pe~ rs.great reafon to believ~, how~ver, t~at not any of the plants V(e call Selago, at this time, but the Lycopodmm fabmre facte, was the Selago of PHny and the antients: they all agree in telling us, that it was like favin ; and none of our fpecies of Selago are at all like favin, though that lycopodium is. ~ur corJ?mon Selag~ of Wale_:; is of a ftrong tafte, and that of a very peculiar kind • It IS fomett~es taken m decocho~, by the country people, in their difeafes : it ope­rates very viOlently, both by vom1t and ftooJ. They ufe a decoCtion of it alfo to kill lice. It is. fa}d alfo to defiroy worms in the bowels, and to promote the menfes. In Germany It IS a common purge for horfes; and indeed, by the accounts handed down to us of it's operations, it feems a much properer medicine for horfes than for men. MOSSES.