OCR Text |
Show The Hijlory of P L A N T S. Clafs the Fourth. Order the Firfl. Divijion the Secon(i. Tetrandria Monogynia, with monopetalous flowers. pl~c~d on didymous fruits, and with a bifid Jtyle in the flower. Thzs dtvijion comprehends the Herbce Stellatte of Ray, and others. ASPER U LA. T HE calyx of the Afperula i: ~ fma~l perianthium, placed on the germen, and confifting of a fingle leaf, d1v1ded mto four fhort fegments at the edge. The corolla confifis of a fingle petal: the tube is cylindric;: and long; the limb is divided into four obtufe oblong reflex fegments. The ftamma are four filaments, affixed to the upper part ~f the tube: the anthera~ are ~mp~e. The geri?en is didymous, ~oundifh, and fituated below the cup. The ftyle 1s filiform, ~nd b1fid ~t top : the ihgmata are capitated. The fruit confifis of two round, dry bernes, growmg to one another: the feeds are fingle, round, and large. I. Afperu{q, folii~ je?Jis, floribus feflilibus. ·The jix-Jea'JJed A/peru/a., with feflile flowers. Jalut ll1!toon~ rutf. The rqot of this !pecies flOnfifis of a clufier of whitifh fibres; th~ ~alk is fquare, rigid, jlnd thick, and grows to a foot and half in height. At every JOlllt there ftand fix, or rpore, oblong, ilender, pointed leaves, of a duiky green colour; at the top of tqe ntain fta k, and at the ~xtremitie~ of the feveral branches, there ftand on ·long pedicles Clpfiers of Bowers, aU feifl)__e, av~ thick-fet toge.ther; they are ~ode.rately large, and of a beautiful blue colour, and every clufter is furrounded with a. feries of leaves, d~fp.ofed in a adiated manner, find excet;ding the flowers in length. This fpecies ~s .not a native of ~ngland, but is very common in the corn-fields of France and Germany. C. Bauhine calls it, Afperula crerulea arvenfis. 2. Afperula foliis oEionis lanceolatis, floribus Jafciculatis pedunculatis. The eight-ler+ved, lancfolate {ijperula, with fafticulat~4 jlorrp~rs on pedkles. <!otntnon ~oonru.ff. The root of this fpesies is fmall, oblong, ~np creeping, and is furnifhed with a number of fibres. The ftalks are fquare; they grow to about a foot in height, but they are weak. At every joint there fiand about eigp~ leav~s, of a dark gre~n colour, oblong, narrow, and pointed at the extremities; t'hey a.re difpofed in a radiated manne_ r. The fialk divides near the top into two or three ramifications, and on the fumnuts of thefcr ftand clufters of ·mo~erately large, wl;lite flowers, each fianding on a fomewhat long pedicle: thefe 'have a very fweet fmell. This f_Recies is frequent in our woods; it flowers jn May. C. Uauhine calls it, Af.perula five rubepl~ montan~, odora. :Qodonreus, Afpek·ula odorata · and T ournefort, Aparine latifolia humilior montana. ' 3· Afperula foliis quaternis linearibus,jloribus trifidis. The four-leaved Afperula, with linear leaves, and trifid flowers. ~quin ancp llttlo~t. The root of this little plant is very long, and penetrates deep into the earth ; it is b!ack,_ hard, and woody, and is furnifhed with a multitude of fi11all fib res. From this nfe a number of fmall, weak ftalks, four or five inches long, and in great part procumbent: .they are fquare, and of a pale green colour, and they often grow greatly beyond their ufuallength, but are in that cafe procumbent, and take root at the joints. On The Hi.flory of P L A N T S. 227 On the lower part of the fialk the j?i?ts ll:and very thick; higher up, they are more difiant from one ~oother : at every JOint there ftand four fmooth, narrow leaves, except at the fummtts of the branches, where there ufually are only two at a joint. The flowers ftand in cluaers on the tops of the fialks, and form a kind of umbels ; they are of a pale red colour, and fweet fmell. , This fpecies is found in many parts of England, in mountainous, but wet, places; it flowers in June. C. Bauhine calls it, Rubia fynanchica; others, Synanchica. T ournefort calls it, Rubeola vulgaris ~uadrifolia lrevis floribus albidis. SHERARDIA. T HE calyx of the Sherardia is a fmall perianthium, formed of a fingle leaf, placed upon the .germen, quadridentated at the edge, and permanent. The corolla conGfts of a fingle petal; the tube is cylindric and long; the limb divided into four fegments, acute and plane. The ftamina are four filaments, placed at the top of the tube; the antherre are fimple. The germen is didymous and oblong, and placed below the receptacle : the ftyle is filiform, and divided into two parts toward the top : the ftigmata are capitated : -there is no pericarpium. The fruit is compofed of two feeds, and is oblong,· coronated, .and eafiljy fplits lon!§itudinally. The feeds are oblong, and have three points at the •top> and are flat on one fide, and convex on the other. Of this genus there is only one known fpecies, and that has been, by moft authors, ranked among the Rubire. · 8 H E R A R D I A. 1Ltttlt 3Fieln ®anner. The ro?t _of this little pla~t is oblong an? flender, and penetrates deep into the ground; It IS hard and woody, and of a redd1fh colour. From this grow feveral ftalks which lie pro~umbent o!l the earth ; they grow to fix or eight inches long, and ar; fquare and hatq7, fGlmetunes .br;anched, and ufnally of a reddia1 colour; at every joint of the fralk th~re. ftahd feveral leaves arranged, in form of a radiated ftar ; they are fmall, hairy, rough to the touch, broad, hut terminating in a point: at the tops of the branches ftand clufiers of fmall, blue flowers, furrounded with a corona of leaves. This plant is frequent in our corn-fields, and is defcribed by all the old writers in botany. C. Bauhine calls it, Rubeola arvenfis repens crerulea. Boerhaave, Afperula CErulea repens; • and Tournefort, Aparine fupina flare creruleo. ; I r f fl, i \ I s p E R M A C Q C E, T H ~ ~alyx of the s·perm~coce is a fmall perianth'ium, formed of a fingle leaf, quadndentated at the edge, affixed upon the gerll)en, and permanent. T he co~ oll~ ~onfi~s of a fingle petal: th~ tube is cylindric, 'and longer than the cup ; the limb IS dtvtded mto four parts, patent1-reflex, and obtufe. The ftamina are four fubulated filaments, fhorter than the corolla ; the anthe~:n are fimple. The germen is roundiili comp:effed, and placed below the r_eceptacle ; the ftyle is fimple and bifid at the top, and t~e fbgmata are .obtufe. The frUit confifl:s of two oblong capfules, growing together, gtbb~us on one fide, plane on the ~ther, and obtufe ; and each .of them has two horns, or po\nts. 1 The feeds are fingle and roundifh. I. Spermacoce verticillis globojis. 1 The globular clujtered Spermacoce. /t The root is white and fibrous : the ftalks are numerous, fquare, of a yellowifh colour at the bottom, and green at the t~p. The leaves ftand two at each joint ; they are fmooth, of a deep green, about an mch long, a third of an inch broad in the middle, narrow at the bafe, and pointed at the end. The radical leaves are of the fame le~gth, but broader : the plant riles to a foot and half high ; the flowers ftand in thtck c~ufl:ers at the tops of the fialks, and round the upper joints : they are fmall and whneJ and the clufters are about as big as a nutmeg. It |