PENTAXDRIA— DIGYNIA. Ligusticum. 8J 



Smyrnium tenuitblium nostras. liaii Hist. v. 3. 25 4. Dill, in Rati 



Syn. 209. t. S. 

 Cornwall Saxifrage. Pet. H. Brit. t. 2G.f. 9. 



In bushy fields in Cornwall. 



First found by Mr. Stevens. Dill. About Bodmin, Mr. Penning- 

 ton. Dr. JTithering, Mr. K. Forster, and others. 



Perennial. July. 



Root spindle-shaped, contracted at the crown, descending to a 

 great depth ; when wounded, discharging a yellow resinous 

 juice. Stem 2 or 3 feet high, solitary, erect, branched, round, 

 striated, roughish, purple at the base, slightly leafv. Leaves 

 deep green ; the radical ones on long, purplish, angular, rough- 

 ish footstalks, twice or thrice pinnate, broader than thev are 

 long ; lea/lets wedge-shaped, sharply cut, rough at the nerves 

 and margin with minute, depressed, bristly points. Stem-leaves 

 (mistaken by Linnaeus, in Dillenius's figure, for radical ones) 

 of o linear-lanceolate, acute, entire leaflets : the uppermost of 

 all simple. Umbels terminal, erect, of several general, as well as 

 partial, smooth, angular rays. General bracteas from 4 to 8, 

 lanceolate, or somewhat ovate, acute, much shorter than tlie 

 rays; partial ones similar, equal to tiie partial rays. Calyx some- 

 what coloured, concave, conspicuous. Petals white, very slightly 

 irregular in the outermost flowers only, obovate, or inversely 

 heart-shaped, with an incurved, notched point. An(h. yellov/. 

 Ft. Rece.pt. none. Styles tumid, and almost globular, at the 

 base, erect, shorter than the petals ; subsequently spreading, 

 and finally horizontal, almost as long as the half-ripe fruit, per- 

 manent. Stigmas bluntish. Fruit, which I have not seen quite 

 ripe, solid, ovate, a little compressed, abrupt, crowned with the 

 whitish calyx, and spreading styles, and having o stout, promi- 

 nent, equal ribs, with deep intermediate furrows, to each seed. 

 Juncture apparently very narrow. Seeds ovate, flattened at the 

 inner side ; externally convex. All the Jlowers appear to be per- 

 fect and prolific. 



This rare plant, wiilch remained, for half a centurv after its first 

 discovery, entirely unobserved, has been confidentlv asserted to 

 be the identical Danaa of AUioni, Pliysospermum of Cusson and 

 of Sprengel, Prodr. 19. The herbage of the two ])lants is in- 

 deed so very similar, that it is hardly j)ossible to believe them 

 generically distinct. Physosjwrmum however has separated 

 jlowers, tlie barren ones most numerous, antl is cssentiallv cha- 

 racterized, as the excellent name imports, by having a loose, 

 bladdery, inflated .s7i/» to the .vtv'f/.v ; the /V///7 being, in every 

 stage of growtli, a double glol)e, smooth, polished, at length ac- 

 quiring slightly prominent ribs, and being crowned with the 

 strongly recurvecl styles. The seeds within are solid, nearly hemi- 

 spherical, irregularly furrowed. Of this genus there are 2 spe- 

 rics. Isi Pfx, arjiiil, uif'olimn, which is .Mlioni's D-man ; Laser' 



o 2 



