78 PENTANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Imperatoria. 



vours the herb partakes. The former has been used as a cata- 

 plasm in the gout, whence the specific name. 

 The whole habit of this plant, with its broad ternate, not pinnate, 

 leaves, many-rayed naked umbels, and long styles, so little 

 agrees with Sison, that one cannot but be glad of the slightest 

 generic mark to keep them asunder. 



158. IMPERATORIA. Masterwort. 



Linn. Gen. 143. Juss.220. FLBr.327. Lam. t. \99. Gcertn. 

 t.2\. 



Fl. all perfect and prolific, the outermost only very slightly 

 irregular. Cal. none. Pet. inversely heart-shaped, with 

 a slender incurved point ; those of the outermost flowers 

 only a little irregular. Filam. thread-shaped, spreading, 

 longer than the petals. Antli. almost globular. Germ. 

 inferior, nearly orbicular, compressed, ribbed. S/7/^^5 short, 

 distant, ovate and very tumid at the base. Stigmas capi- 

 tate. Fl. Recept. none. Fruit orbicular, crowned with 

 the bases of the styles, having a sinus at top and bottom, 

 and a rounded, dilated, closely compressed, margin. Seeds 

 convex, with 3 prominent dorsal ribs, and a broad, flat, 

 even border, as wide at each side as the body of the seed. 



Herbaceous, perennial. Leaves once or twice ternate, or 

 pinnate and ternate, broad, lobed, serrated. Umbels ter- 

 minal, large, of extremely numerous, taxgxAviV general, as 

 well as partial, rays, with a few bristle-shaped partial 

 bracteas, but scarcely ever any general o?ies. Fl. white, 

 small. 



1. I. Ostruthium. Great Masterwort. 



Leaves twice ternate, vmdivided or three-lobed, rough- 

 ed aed. Flower-stalks alternate. 



I. Ostruthium. Linn. Sp. PL 37 1. IVilld. v. 1. 1458. Fl.Br.37\. 



Engl.Boi.v.20.t.]380. Light/. 168. Huds.6i9. Hook. Scot. 94. 



Woodv. Med. Bot. t. 35. Lob. Ic. 700./. 

 I. n. 805. Hall. Hist. v. 1. 357. 

 Imperatoria. Riv. Pentap. Irr. t.7. Ger. Em. 1001./. Corner. 



Epit. 532. /. Moris, v. 3.278. sect. 9. f.4./.l. 

 I. major. Bauh. Pin. 15G. Garid. Prov. t. 55. 

 Laserpitium germanicum. Fuchs. Hist. 763./. 

 Astrantia, Dod. Pempt. 320./. Clus. Hist. v.2.\ 94./. 

 Smyrnion. Trag. Hist. 433./ 

 In rather moist meadows in Scotland. 

 On the banks of the Clyde in several places, particularly about 



Ardencaple^ and in the isle of Bute^ near Mountstuart^ but whe- 



