Chap. 100.] THE PHTLLON. 2()3 



CHAP. 98. THE PHALANGITIS, PHALANGION, OE LEUCACANTHA '. 



EOIIK EEMEDIES. 



The phalangitis'^^ is by some called " phalangion," and by 

 others " leucanthemum,""° or, as I find it written in some 

 copies, '' leucacantha."'^ Its branches are diminutive, never 

 less than two in number, and running in contrary directions : 

 the blossom is white, and similar to the flower of the red lily ; 

 the seed dark and broad, resembling the half of a lentil, but 

 much thinner ; and the root slender and of a grass-green colour. 

 The leaves, blossoms, or seed of this plant are employed for 

 the cure of wounds inflicted by scorpions, serpents, and the 

 phalangium,''^ and for the removal of griping pains in the 

 bowels. 



CHAP. 99. THE PHYTEUMA : ONE PEOPERTY. 



As for the phyteuma,'^^ I think it a mere loss of time to 

 describe it, it being only used as an ingredient in philtres. 



CHA-P 100. THE PHTLLON : ONE PEOPEETY. 



The Greeks give the name of ''phyllon"'* to a plant which 

 grows among the rocks, in mountainous spots. The female 

 plant is of a more grass-green colour than the other, with a 

 thin stem, a diminutive root, and a round seed, like that of the 

 poppy. This last kind ensures the conception of issue of the 

 same sex ; while the male plant, diflering only in the seed, 

 which resembles the olive at its first appearance, ensures the 

 conception of male issue. They are both taken in w^ine. 



69 Generally identified with the Anthericum or Hemerocallis liliastrum 

 of Linnaeus, the Savoy anthericum or Spider's-wort. M Fraas says, how- 

 ever {Synopsis, p. 288), that that plant has not been found in Greece ; and 

 relying upon the description of Dioscorides, he prefers tlie Lloydia Graeca, 

 which grows commonly in Attica, the isles of Greece, and the Peloponnesus, 

 as its synonym. It is found upon elevations of 1 500 feet. 



'0 " White flower." ''i " White thorn." 



'2 Hence its name. See B. viii. c. 41, B. x. c. 95, and B. xi. cc. 24, 

 28, 29. 



73 Most probably the Reseda phyteuma of Linnaeus, the Crosswort. 



''^ See B. xxii. c. 18, and B. xxvi. c. 91. Fee thinks that it is two plants, 

 the Cnicus Casabonae, and the Thelygonum cynocrambe of Linnaeus, that 

 are here spoken of. Littre gives the Mercurialis perennis of Linnaeus, 

 Dog's mercury, as its synonym. 



