32 The Ufeful Family HerhaL 



Bear s-Breech. 



ACANTHUS. 



cry beautiful Plant, Native of ttaly^ an 



fome other warm Parts of Europe^ and kept 



in our Gardens. It grows a Yard high i the 



Stalk is thick, round, and flelhy; the Leaves 



grow from the Root, and are a Foot long-, four 



Inches broad, very beautifully notched at the 

 Edges, and of a dark gloffy Green. The Flowers 

 ftand in a kind of thick fhort Spike at the Top 

 of the Stalks, intermixed with fmall Leaves j thefc 

 Flowers are large, white, and gaping. The whole 

 Plant, when in Flower, makes a very beautiful 

 Appearance. The Root creeps. 



This Plant is not fo much known In Medicine 

 as it deferves. The Root, being cut in Slices and 

 boiled in Water, makes an excellent Diuretic De- 

 codion. It was a great Medicine with an eminent 

 Apothecary of Peterborough^ and he gave more 

 Relief with it in the Gravel and Stone, than any 



other Medicine wniilrl nfrr>rrl 



Bear's -FOOT, 



HELLEBORUS NIGER. 



Low and fingular Plant, but not without its 

 Beauty; it is a Native of many Parts of 

 Europe^ but we have it only in Gardens; the 



Leaves are large ; each rifes from the Root fmo-Iy, 

 on a Foot-Stalk of fix Inches long, and is di- 

 vided into nine Parts like Fingers on a Hand : 

 Sometimes the Divifions are fewer. The Flowers 

 are very large and beautiful, they are as big as 

 a common fingle Rofe or nearly fo; they are 

 v/hite, reddifh, or greenifh, according to the Time 



of 



I 



2 



