614 ORD. XXXVIII. Trihilate. xscunvs nirPocasTANuM. 
common centre attached to a long footstalk: the flowers terminate 
the branches in large conical spikes, and make a beautiful appear- 
ance: the calyx is tubular, and divided at the brim into five short 
blunt segments: the corolla consists of five petals, which are 
roundish, spreading, undulated at the edges, inserted in the calyx 
by narrow claws, and of a fine white colour, irregularly spotted 
with red and yellow: the filaments are seven, tapering, about the 
length of the corolla, bending at the top, and supplied with pointed 
antherzx: the germen is round, supporting a short style, furnished 
with a pointed stigma: the capsule is round, tough, fleshy, beset 
with spines, divided into three valves, and containing two” roundish 
compressed seeds. It is a native of the northern parts of Asia, and 
flowers in April and May. 
_ Though the Castanea was well known to the ancients, yet 
‘Matthiolus seems to be the first author who describes the Horse 
Chesnut ;* which was brought into Europe about the middle of the 
sixteenth century, and was so scarce in the time of Clusius, that 
there was then but eee tree known at Vienna; which being too 
young to b * nuts were obtained from Cénstantistopt * in 
1588; after which this tree was very generally propagated: It. 
was cultivated in England by Mr. John Tradescant in 1633, and is, 
now very common in this country. The wood is white, soft, soon 
decays, and is therefore of little value. The fruit in appearance 
resembles that of the Spanish Chesnut, and is eaten by sheep, goats, 
_ deer, oxen, and horses.‘ It contains much farinaceous matter, 
» The ripe capsule seldom contains more than one, but on being examined in its 
embryo state, two are constantly found. Lin. Gen. Plant. 
* See his Epist. medicinal. op. omn. p. 101. 125. Afterwards in Comm. in Dioscorid. 
4 Murray, App. Med. vol. i. p. 63. 
* Horses are said to eat this fruit greedily, and by it to have been cured of 
_ coughs and pulmonary disorders, and hence the name Horse Chesnut. For the 
: purpose of fattening cattle, and particularly sheep, it has been thought necessary 
to macerate the nuts in caustic alkali, jn order to take off the bitterness, afterwards 
NCL pinnnnteneent~ 
7 
