SPIGELIA MARILANDICA, ORD. IX. Stellate. 179 
narrow pointed smooth segments: the ‘corolla is monopetalous; 
consisting of a long tube, gradually swelling towards the middle, 
ofa bright purplish red celour, and divided at the mouth into five 
pointed segments, which are yellow on the inside: the five filaments 
are about the length of the tube, and crowned with halberd-shaped 
anthers: the germen is small, ovate, placed above the insertion of 
the corolla, and supports a round style, which is longer than the 
corolla, furnished with a joint near its base, and bearded towards the: 
extremity, which is supplied with an obtuse stigma; the capsule is 
double, two-celled, and contains many small angular plano-convex 
seeds. It isa native of America, and flowers.in July and August. 
Linnzus first supposed this plant to be a Lonicera, or Honey- 
suckle, but afterwards he ascertained its characters, and called it 
Spigelia, in honour of the botanist Spigelius, whose first work was. 
published in 1606.* 
Two species of Spigelia are now known to botanists, viz. S, An- 
thelmia and marilandica; they have both been used as anthelmintics ; 
the effects of the former are noticed by Dr. Browne in the Gentle- 
man’s. Magazine for the year 1751, and in_his History of Jamaica;* 
also by Dr. Brocklesby,” and: several. foreign writers. |. But the 
accounts of the vermifuge virtues of Spigelia, given by Drs. Linning® 
and Garden,’ from Charlestown, South Carolina, evidently refer to 
the latter species, which is here figured; and as the anthelmintic 
efficacy resides chiefly in the root of the plant, that of the Anthelmia, 
or Annual Spigelia, which is very small, must be incomparably less 
powerful than the root of the marilandica, which is perennial. Dr. 
Garden, in his first letter to Dr. Hope, which was written about the 
year 1763, says, “‘ About forty years ago, the anthelmintic virtues. 
“ of the root of this plant were discovered by the Indians; since 
“ which time it has been much used here by physicians, practitioners, 
« and planters; yet its true dose is not generally ascertained. I have 
* Adriani Spigelii in rem herbariam Isagoge, Patavii. 
2.P. 156. . » Occ. & Med. Observations, p. 282. 
© See Ess, & Observ. Physical & Literary, vol.i. p. 386. * Lee. 
