l^ 



jf 



o 



pluri folio, corniculis afperis, magis in fe contortis 



r-nnvolutis. Mor. Hlft. ^ ' 



ijled 



leaf^ 



2. 127. Caterpillar with a 



5. ScoRHiuRus {Pinnata) foliis pinnatis. Cate^'pillarwith 

 a wimed leaf. Scorpio'idcs foliis vici^e minima. Mor. 



Hid. 2. 127 



leaf. 



The firft fort grows naturally in Italy and Spain ; 

 this is an annual plant, with trailing herbaceous llalks 

 above afoot long-, they lie upon the ground, and at 

 each joint have one fpatule-n:iaped leaf with a long 

 foot-ftalk. From the wings of the leaves come out 

 the foot-ftalks of the flowers, which are nine inches 

 long, fuftaining at the top one yellow butterfly flower, 

 whith is fucceeded by a twifted thick pod, in fize 

 and appearance of a large green caterpillar, from 

 whence it had this title. It flowers in July, and the 

 feeds ripen in autumn. 



The fecond fort has flronger fl:alks than the firft ; the 

 leaves are much broader ; the foot-ltalks fupport two 

 fmallcr flowers •, the pods are flender, longer, and 

 more twifted than thofe of the firft, and are armed 

 with blunt fpines on their outfide. 

 The third fort hath flenderer ftalks than either of the 

 former; the leaves ftand upon fhorter foot-ftalks, 

 but are fhaped like thofe of the firft: fort -, the foot- 

 ftalks of the flowers are flender, and frequently fup- 

 port three flowers ; the pods are flender, not fo much 

 twifted as the former, and are armed on their outfide 

 with fliarp diftindt fpines. \ 



The fl:alks and leaves of the fourth fort are very | 

 like thofe of the firft', but the foot-ftalks of the flowers 

 are longer, and each of them have three or four fmall 

 yellow flowers at the top ; the pods are very flender, 

 greatly contorted, and armed with fliarp fpines in cluf- , 



ters on their outfide. 



The fifth fort has very fhort fl:alks ; .the leaves are ■ 

 winged \ they are compofed of four pair of fmall : 

 lobes, terminated by an odd one. The flowers are \ 

 fmall, as are alfo their pods, .which are lefs twifted ^ 

 th^n thofe of the three i^voi^^^SuZ::'^^ ' . | 



iOllIS 



I 



/ 



h ■ ' 



annual 

 moft of the warm countries jn Europe, but the firft 

 fort has been lorig cultivated in the Englifti gardens. 

 Thefe'plants are'Di:eft curious gardens, 



for tTieir oddhcls moire thin for ^hy great beauty: 

 they are all of them annual plants, which are propa- 

 gated by fowing their feeds upon a bed of light frefh 

 earth ^ and when the plants are come up they ftiould 

 be thinned, fo as to leave them about ten inches or a 

 foot afunder, becaufe their branches trail upon the \ 

 ground ; and if they have not room, they are apt to ' 

 overbear each other, and thereby are very often rotted, 

 efpecially in moift feafons. The weeds fliould alfo be 

 diligently cleared from them, otherwife they will 

 grow over and deftroy them. In June thefe plants 

 will produce ihiall, yellow, papijonaceous flowers, 

 which are fucceeded by pods fo much like caterpil- 

 lars, that a perfon at a fmall diftance would imagine 

 th ^ 

 it is for this pddnefe of their pods, that thefe plants 



are chiefly prelerved. 



Thefe plants feldom thrive well if they are' tfanf- 

 pl&nted i therefore the beft method is, to put in three 

 qr four good feeds in each place where you would 

 have the plants remain (which may be in the middle 

 ,Qf large borders in the pleafure-garden, wherd, being 

 intermixed with other plants, they will afford a pleaf- 



When 





I 



• ■* 



>-^ 



o 



great efficacy againft tlie bite of vipers. Authors 

 write, that the licrb, being applied, takes away th-c 

 venom of the bite of vipers. They fay, that if a \i- 

 per be touched with its juice, it languillics ; and that 

 a man may touch vipers fafcly, if his hand be iirft 

 dipped in the juice of this plant.] Viper's-i2;rais ^ in 

 French, Scorzonere. 



The Characters are, 

 The common empalemeyit is fcah\ cylindrical^ and inilri- 

 cated. Thefloiveris compofed of fcvcral hermaphrodite 

 florets^ thofe on the out fJe being the longefi \, they ar. 

 narrozv^ tongue-fJjaped^ and indented in five parts. Thiy 

 have five fhort hair-like ftamina^ terminated by cylindri- 

 cal fummits. The germen isfituated under the floret^ ftip- 

 porting a flender ftylCy crowned by two reflexed ftigmas. 

 The germen afterward turns to a Jingle ^ oblongs channelled 

 feed^ crozvned with a feathery down. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fection of 

 Linna^us's nineteenth clafs, which includes thofe 

 plants whofe flowers are compofed of hermaphrodite 

 or fruitful florets, and their ftamina and ityle are 

 united. 



The Species are, 



1. ScoRZONERA {Hifpanicu) caule ramofo, foliis am- 

 plexicaulibus integris ferrulatis. Hort. Chff. 383. 

 Scorzonera with a branching ftalk^ tvhofe leaves em- 

 brace them., which are fiightly fawed. Scorzonera latifo- 

 lia finuata. C. B, P. 275. Common Viper'' s-grafs. 



2. Scorzonera (humilis) caule fubnudo Ui»ifloro^ 

 lato-lanceolatis nervofis planis. Ilort. Cliff. 382. Scor- 

 zonera- with an ahnoft naked ftalk having onefiower^ and 

 broad^ fpear-fl?apedy plain^ veined leaves. Scorzonera 

 humilis latifolia nervofa. C. B. P. 275. Dwarf Fi- 

 per's-grafs^ with broad veined leaves. 



3. Scorzonera (Graminifolia) foliis lineari-cnfiformibus 

 integris carinatis. 'Lin, Sp. Plant. 791. Scorzonera with 

 linear^ fword-Jhaped^ entire leaves^ which are keeled. 

 •Scorzonera Lufitanica, gramineo folio, flore paliide 



. luteo. Tourn. Infl:. 477. Portugal Viper" s-grafs with a 

 •Grafs leafy and a pah jellow flower.. 



4. Scorzonera (Pt^rpurea) foliis lineari-fubulatis inte- 

 gris planis pedunculis cylindricis. -Lin. Sp. PJanr. 791. 

 Scorzonera with linear ^ awl-Jlaped, entire^ plain leave s^ 



■ imicyllndricar foot 'ftalks: Scorzonera anguftifolia fub- 

 CEerulea. C. B. -P. 275. 'Narrow-leaved Viper'' s-grafs^ 

 with a flower almofi blue.. 



5. Scorzonera {Angi^fti folia) foliis fubulatis integris, 

 pedunculo incraflPato, caule fimplicifiimo bafi viliofo. 

 Lin. Sp. Plant. 791. Scorzonera with avol-fijaped en- 

 tire leaves.^ a thick foot-ftalk^ and the ftalk hairy at its 

 hafe. Scorzonera humilis angufl:ifolia pannonica. 

 Cluf. Hifl:. 2. p. 137. L(nvy narrow-leaved^ Hungarian 

 Vipefs-grafs^ 



6. Scorzonera {Lmniata) foliis linearibus dentatis 

 acutis, caule .ereao fquamis calycinis patulo-mucro- 

 natis. Lin. Sp. 11 14. Scorzonera with nar'^nw^ miite^ 

 indented leaves^ and an ere 51 ftalk. Scorzonera jaciniatis 

 foliis. Tourn. Infl:. 477. Viper^s-graf %vith cut leaves. 



7. Scorzonera [Refedifolia) foliis obtufe dentatis, cuile 

 profl:rato calycum apicibus tomentofis. Lin. Sp. 1113- 

 Scorzonera with obtufe indented leaves^ a prcftrate fialky 

 and the tops of the calyx woolly. Scorzonera foliis la- 

 cihiatis fupina. Bocc. Bocrh. Ind. alt. i. S9. Low Pi- 



' per" s-grafs with cut leave's. , ' ' 



The firft is the fort which is commonly cultivated in ■ 

 the Englifli gardens for food and phyfic ; this grows 

 naturally in Spain. The root of this plant is Carrot- 

 ftiaped, about the thicknefs of a finger, and covered 

 with a dark brown flcin ; it is white within, and has 



s 



v<^" 



be only one of the moft promifing left in each place, [ a milky juice ; the lower leaves are nine or ten inc.Ks 



which Ihould be conftantly kept clear from weeds ; 

 and when their pods are ripe, they ihould be ga- 

 thered and preferved in a dry place till the following 

 fpring, in order to be fown. 



The firft fort is the beft worth cultivating^ the pods 

 being large and more vifible than the other, and are 

 more in/orm of a caterpillar. 



? 



Tourn. Inft. R. H. 476, tab. 



long, and one and a half broad in the middle, ending 

 with a long acute point. The ftalk riles three feet 

 high, it is fmooth, branching at the top,, and gar- . 

 nifhed with a few narrow leaves, vv-hcfe bafe embrace 

 the ftalk. The flowers grow on the top of the ftaU^ 

 in fcaly empalements, compofed of many narrovy, 

 tongue-ftiaped, hermaphrodite florets, lying imori- 

 catim over each other like the fcales on filli ; cney 



d 



2 69/ Lin. Gen. Pl^n,t. 8 1 1 . [of efcorfa, a Catalonian | are of a bright yellow colour, and appear in Jjine an 



lying 



July. After thefe are decayed^ the gerrncn which liti 



"^^ 



I r 



