No. 65. NASTURTIUM. 39 



Upon the whole, all the Monard 



peculiar attention, having so many powerful 



properties. The M. punctata 



taste is less agreeable. The M. coccinea^ M fistulosa^ 

 M. mollis, &c. are somewhat weaker, but more fragrant. 

 The species of the subgenus Blephilia, are the weakest. 

 The Indians, and the empirics Henrj and Smith, extol 

 the M. coccinea above all, and I have found it quite effi- 

 cient in catarrhs, cholic, rheumatism, &c. The M. 

 citrodora of Louisiana, distinguished b^ its sessile cor- 

 date leaves, smelling like citron, and six leaved involu- 

 cres to the heads, is frequently used as a pleasant sto- 

 machic tea, and the dried flowers are strongly errhine ; 

 perhaps all the species are such, as their properties ap- 

 pear identical, differing only by more or less intensity- 



No. ^5. NASTURTIUM PALUSTRE. 



Names. Yellow Water cress. Fr. Cresson jaune. 



Classify 

 siliquosa L. 



Tetradynamia 



Genus Nasturtium. Calix with four equal spreading 

 folioles, corolla with four equal petals, stamina six te- 

 tradidynamous, siliqne subterete and short, with convex 

 valves, not carinate nor lievvose. * 



Sp. Nasturtium palustre. Root fusiform, stem branch- 

 ed, leaves lyrate pinnatifid, smooth, with unequal teeth, 

 petals as long as the calyx and yellow, siliques short 



and turgid. 



DESCRIPTION. Root perennial, fusiform. Stem 



one or two feet high, branched, nearly dichotome, leaves 

 alternate, nearly sessile, smooth, spreading, lyrate or 

 pinnatifid at the base, with confluent oval lobes, last 

 segment large, oval, oblong, sinuate, subacute, with 

 many unequal teeth and gashes, racemes of terminal 

 flowers, pedicels short, calyx and corolla obtuse and 

 equal, siliques divaricate, oblong, acuminate, turgid, or 



swelled. 

 HISTORY. The genus Nasturtium or Water cress, 



is one of those established by Tournefort, &c- which 



