^- 
109 
obverfely oval fliape, and of a glaucous or bluifli green colour 
flowers are numerous, and produced in a branched 
the 
fubdividing peduncl 
th 
e 
fom 
mt 
fiv 
caly 
mbus 
\ 
e 
pointe 
d 
1 
eaves 
d frequently of five peta 
? 
th 
nly' divides into four 
corolla 
m 
3 
thefe 
\ 1 
are hollow or 
dentated or 
J ■ 
filaments ai 
3 
: th 
tap 
<ig 
on 
nd 
f four 
ih ap e d 
the cavity of the petals 
the fcyle is fliort; the ft 
the 
s, and of a yellow colour ; the ten 
fpreading, and generally lodged in 
therae are yellow and quadrangular; 
s 
re en 
) 
t> 
h 
nd 
fimpl 
d the germen is larg 
are angular, rou 
arked by four longitudinal furrows ; the feeds 
an 
of 
a 
ackiih colour. 
Th 
fh 
of the South of Europe, and flov/ers in June and Septem 
is a 
The firft account we have of the cultivation of Rue in Bi 
iven by Turner, who publifhed his Herbal in 
56 
It 
IS now 
h 
ardens, where it retains its verdure the 
extremely coi 
whole year. 
penetrating tafte ; the leaves are fo acrid, that by much handling they 
Rue has a Itrong ungrateful fm ell, and a bitter, h 
faid to irritate and inflame the fk 
d the pi 
or uncultivated ftate,- is reported to pofTefs thefe fenfible qualities flill 
more powerfully. Both water and redified fpirit extrad its virtues, 
but the latter more perfedly than the former.'*" 
Rue 
much 
r. 
virtues. Hippocrates 
d by the ancients, who afcribed to it many 
it as a refolvent and diuretic 
attributes to it the power of refifl 
act 
of 
d 
and 
other 
Mith 
d 
ds of poif( 
b 
d with this intention it was ufed by 
this imaginary quality J of the Ruta, is now 
Vide Hort. Kew. 
* From the experiments of Beaume it appear?, that the recent plant contains but a 
ry fmal] portion of efiential oih thus from 21 lb/ of the leaves he fcarcely obtained a 
ram, v/hile 10 lb. of the feeds yielded two ounces. 
Berg. M. M. p. 350. 
•' In fanftuariis Mithridatis maximi regis deviai, Cn. Pompeius invenit, in peculiar! 
ccmmentario^ ipfius manu, compofitionem antidoti, e duabus nucibus ficcis, item ficis 
totidem h ruts foliis viginti fimul tritis, addito falis grano :, & qui hoc jejunus fumat, 
nullum venenum nociturum illo die. Plin. L. 23.'"c."8. p. 604. 
t " Ore virtue particularly afcribed to Rue, that of refilling contagion, or of expelling 
itwhcn taken in, I hold to be abfolulely without foundation."— .CullenM. M. v, 2 p. q6^. 
P-365 
very 
V 
^y 
