DIDYNAMIA. 5 



ing till the commencement of winter: every morning 

 it is covered with hard and shining saline globules, 

 resembling dew, which the country-men shake off 

 the leaves to serve them instead of common salt, and 

 in some respects is thought to be of a superior quality. 

 Every plant produces daily about half an ounce of this 

 salt J but Molina, a scientific naturalist, to whom we 

 are indebted for this information, says, that it is ex- 

 tremely difficult to account for this phenomenon, as 

 the situation where he found these plants was in the 

 most fertile part of the kingdom, and at a distance 

 from the sea of more than sevent)'- miles.^ 



When we see some plants secrete flint, separate 

 and distinct from their fibres, as well as combined 

 with their organic structure 3 and when we also know 

 tliat plants secrete alcali in every situation, I cannot 

 perceive why the presence of the sea or its contiguity 

 should be considered as essential to the production of 

 a neutral salt in the Ocymum salijium, according to 

 our present knowledge of the constitution of nature. 



BritLh Plants of this Order, 



Botanical Generic Names. Common Names. 



6 Ajuga 4 Bugle 



6 Ballot A 1 Horehound 



7 Betonica 1 Betony 



c This account I have translated from an Italian work, tn- 

 titled Saggio suIU storia naturale del Chile f del Sigmr Abate Gio. 

 Jguazio Molina J p, 139. 



