54 PENTANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Bunium. 



segments. Bracteas bristle-shaped; the general ones 

 few, or none. 

 Bulbocastanum of Tournefort must be the type of this genus, 

 whatever may become of the two Greek species, or any 

 others, that have been added to it ; neither can I colicur 

 with the learned Professor Sprengel, who cites Gouan 

 erroneously, in reducing Bulbocastanum minus to Slum, 

 and B. majus to Myrrhis. They cannot but be consi- 

 dered as of one and the same genus, if any regard is to 

 be had to natural characters. Our only British species 

 perhaps is the following. 



1. 1^. Jlexuosuin, Common Earth-nut. Kipper- or 

 Pig-nut. 



General bracteas scarcely three. Stem tapering and zigzag 

 at the base. Fruit somewhat beaked. Styles nearly up- 

 right. 



B.flexuosum. IVith. 291. Sym.70. Hull 60. Sibth. 94. Abbot 60. 



FL Br. 301. Engl. Bot. v. 14. t. 988. 

 B. Bulbocastanum. Huds. 122. Relh. 1 18. Curt. Lond.fasc. 4. 



t. 24. Comp. 45. Hook. Scut. 88. 

 B. majus. Gouan Illusfr. 10. IVilhl Sp. PL v.\. 1394. 

 Bulbocastanum. Rail Sijn. 209. 

 B. minus. Ger.Em. 1064./. Bank. Pin. 162. 

 B. mas. Dalech. Hist. 773. f. 

 CEnanthe prima. Camer. Epit. 609./. 



In grassy pastures, especially on a gravelly soil, common. 



Perennial. Maij, June. 



Root eatable, nearly globular, black, irregular ; internally white, 

 aromatic, sweet and mucilaginous, with some acrimony ; slightly 

 fibrous at the lower part. Stem a foot high, or more, roundish, 

 striated, smooth ; tapering, zigzag, and whitish at the base, to 

 a greater or less extent under ground ; rarely quite straight 

 and short in that part, when the root happens to lie very shal- 

 low. Leaves with long, very narrow, acute, entire segments ; 

 the radical ones twice or thrice pinnatifid, on long foot-stalks, 

 tapering and zigzag under ground ; the rest thrice ternate, 

 scattered, on short, broad, ribbed, membranous, clasping foot- 

 stalks. Umbels several, terminal, of 7, or many more, smooth, 

 slender, straight, stiff rays j those of the partial umbels still more 

 numerous. Bracteas very slender j the partial ones several; 

 general from 1 to 3, short and slender, often entirely wanting. 

 Fl. pure white, all regular, even those of the circumference very 

 nearly so, and all furnished with stamens and pistils, though 

 many of the central flowers bear no seeds. Cat. mostly wanting, 

 or obsolete ; sometimes of 2 or 3 r.hort, sharp, spreading. 



