FAMILY HERBAL. 1 35? 



Water Arrow Head. Sagitta aquatica. 



A VERY pretty plant, common in our ditches, 

 with leaves like the bearded heads of arrows, 

 and with prettj white flowers. It is two feet 

 and a half high, but generally the greatest part 

 of the stalk is buried in water, very little appear- 

 ing above, except the spike of flowers. The 

 leaves stand each upon a pedicle, which is round, 

 thick, and very long ; they are of a beautiful 

 green, and are broad, and bearded at the base, 

 and sharp at the point ; the flowers are white, to- 

 lerably large, and very bright ; and the stalk, 

 on which they are supported, is also round and 

 thick. 



The common people in many places have a cus- 

 tom of applying these leaves bruised to inflamma- 

 tions ; they cool and give ease, but it is not al- 

 ways right. 



Water Plantain. Plantago aquatica. 



A VERY common tall plant in ditches, and 

 having not the least resemblance of any kind of 

 plantain, except in the leaves ; from which, how- 

 ever, it has received its name. The root is com- 

 posed of a great quantity of fibres. From this, 

 there rise in spring a number of leaves, oblong, 

 broad, smooth, and of a beautiful green colour, 

 and having in shape, though not at all in colour 

 or consistence, some slight resemblance of plan- 

 tain: they are perfectly smooth, of a glossy sur- 

 face, and brittle. These stand for many months 

 without tlie stalk ; and doubtless in this state it 

 got the name. The stalk is two feet or more 

 in height ; round, firm, and upright ; and at 

 the top it srnds out a vast number of branches, 



