OXALIDE^E. III. OXALIS. 



765 



dular hairs, about the length of the styles. 1J. . G. Native of 

 the Cape of Good Hope. Flowers yellow. This species is very 

 like the preceding. 

 Fallacious Wood-sorrel. PI. ^ foot. 



181 O. MACROGONIA (Jacq. ox. no. 87. t. 70.) almost stemless, 

 rather pilose ; leaflets obcordate, roundish ; scape shorter than 

 the leaves, with 2 bracteas a little above the middle ; styles very 

 long, and are as well as the filaments covered with glandular 

 hairs. Tf. . G. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. Flowers 

 yellow. Sepals each with 2 red glands at the top. 



Long-angled Wood-sorrel. PI. -^ foot. 



182 O. PIOTT^ (Coll. hort. rip. p. 98. t. 1.) stemless, tufted, 

 smooth ; leaflets small, obcordate, sessile ; scape twice the length 

 of the leaves, with 2 bracteas above the middle ; styles longer 

 than the stamens, glandular ; filaments smooth ; sepals acute, 

 reflexed at the apex. If.. G. Native of the Cape of Good 

 Hope. Flowers large, rose-coloured. 



Piotta's Wood-sorrel. Fl. Jan. Sept. Clt. 1816. PL i ft. 



183 O. MEGAPOTA'MICA (Spreng. syst. app. p. 184.) stemless, 

 pilose ; leaflets obcordate ; scape longer than the leaves, with 2 

 bracteas above the middle ; sepals bluntish ; inner stamens 

 longer than the styles. I/. S. Native of Brazil, on the banks 

 of the Rio Grande. Flowers yellow ? 



Rio Grande Wood-sorrel. PL \ foot. 



184 O. HISPIDULA (Zucc. in act. monach. 9. ex Spreng. syst. 

 append, p. 1 84.) stemless, hispid ; leaflets obcordate, ciliated ; 

 glaucous beneath ; scape longer than the leaves, with 2 bracteas ; 

 sepals acute, with 2 glands at the top of each ; styles longer than 

 the longest stamens. 1 . S. Native of Brazil. 



Hispid Wood-sorrel. PL -j foot. 



185 O. ERIORHIZA (Zucc. in act. monach. 9. ex Spreng. syst. 

 append, p. 184.) stemless: leaflets obcordately 2-lobed, smooth ; 

 petioles hairy ; scape longer than the leaves, with 2 bracteas ; 

 styles shorter than the stamens. If. . S. Native of Brazil. Bulb 

 woolly. 



Woolly-rooted Wood-sorrel. PL | foot. 



186 O. LOBA*TA (Sims, bot. mag. t. 2386.) stemless, smooth; 

 scapes longer than the leaves, with 2 bracteas ; leaflets obcor- 

 date, rather glaucous beneath ; sepals acute ; root tuberous. 

 I/ . G. Native of Chili. Flowers yellow, but spotted with red. 



Zo&ed-leaved Wood-sorrel. Fl. Oct. Nov. Clt. 1823. Pl.^ft. 



187 O. NA'NA (St. Hil. ex Spreng. syst. append. 184.) stem- 

 less, smooth ; leaflets obovate ; scape longer than the leaves, 

 with 2 bracteas ; styles longer than the stamens. 7.S. Native 

 of Brazil, at Rio Grande. 



Dwarf Wood-sorrel. PL J foot. 



188 O. TE'NERA (Spreng. syst. 2. p. 424.) stemless, smooth ; 

 leaflets sessile, obcordate ; scape villous, flaccid, 1 -2-flowered, 

 longer than the leaves, with 2 bracteas in the middle; sepals 

 awl-shaped ; styles longer than the stamens. ^ . G. Native of 

 Monte Video. Bulb fusiform. Flowers yellow. Lindl. bot. 

 reg. 1046. 



Tender Wood-sorrel. Fl. May. Clt. 1826. PL | foot. 



189 O. MAGELLA'NICA (Forst. comrn. goet. 9. p. 33.) stem- 

 less ; leaflets obcordate, roundish, fleshy, smooth ; scape shorter 

 than the leaves, with 2 bracteas at the top. Tf. . G. Native of 

 Terra del Fuego in wet places. Flowers white, about the size 

 of those of O. acetosella. 



Magellan Wood-sorrel. PL foot. 



190 O. ACETOSE'LLA (Lin. spec. 620.) stemless ; root of many 

 scaly joints, creeping ; leaflets obcordate, puberulous ; scapes 

 longer than the leaves, with 2 bracteas above the middle ; petals 

 oval, obtuse ; styles equal or longer than the inner stamens. I/ . 

 H. Native throughout Europe, in shady places ; plentiful in Bri- 

 tain. Smith, engl. bot. t. 762. O3d. fl. dan. t. 980. Jacq. ox. 

 no. 91. t. 80. f. 1. Woodv. med .bot. p. 56. t. 20. Curt, fl.lbnd. 



fasc. 2. t. 31. Mill. fig. 195. f. 2. O'xys acetosella, Hall. helv. 

 no. 928. Flowers white, beautifully veined with purple. Mr. 

 Curtis remarks that the leaves are frequently purplish beneath, 

 that the capsules dart forth their seeds at the slightest touch when 

 ripe. This plant, says Gerarde, is called Wood-sour Trefoil, 

 Stubnort, and Sorrel de Bois ; by herbalists Alleluja and Cuckoo's 

 meat, because it springs forth and flowers with the singing of 

 the cuckoo, at which time Alleluja also was wont to be sung in 

 churches. The names sflleluja and Lujula are, however, cor- 

 rupted from the Calabrian name Juliola. It is probably called 

 Stubwort from its covering the ground among the stubs in cop- 

 pices, when they are cut down. In French it is called La petite 

 oseille or Surelle and Pain a coucou. 



Wood-sorrel has a grateful acid taste, more grateful than 

 common sorrel, and therefore proper to be used in salads ; its 

 acid approaches near to that of the juice of lemons, or the acid 

 of tartar, with which it also corresponds in its medical effects, 

 being esteemed refrigerant, antiscorbutic, and diuretic. An infu- 

 sion of the leaves, or a whey made by boiling the plant in milk, 

 was formerly used in ardent fevers to allay inordinate heat, and to 

 quench thirst. The London College directs a conserve of the 

 leaves and petals to be made by beating them, with thrice their 

 weight of fine sugar and orange-peel, which has the taste of green 

 tea. It is called Conserva Lujulce. The expressed juice de- 

 purated, properly evaporated, and set in a cool place, affords a 

 crystalline acid salt in considerable quantity, which may be used 

 wherever vegetable acids are wanted. It is employed to take 

 iron-moulds and ink-stains out of linen, and is sold under the 

 name of Essential Salt of Lemons. This salt, when genuine, 

 which it seldom is, consists of the vegetable alkali, and a pecu- 

 liar acid, which, according to Bergman, seems more allied to 

 the acid of sugar than that of tartar. What is sold for it in 

 this country, appears sometimes to consist of cream of tartar 

 with the addition of a small quantity of vitriolic acid. For 

 taking out spots in linen, the stained part is dipped in water, 

 sprinkled with a little of the salt powdered, then rubbed on a 

 pewter plate, after which the spot is washed out with warm 

 water. Dr. Beddoes informs us, that the leaves and stalks, 

 wrapped up in a cabbage-leaf, and macerated in warm ashes 

 until reduced to a pulp, have been successfully applied to scro- 

 fulous ulcers. This poultice should remain on the sore for 

 twenty-four hours, and be repeated four times. Afterwards the 

 ulcer is to be dressed with a poultice made of the roots of 

 Meadorv-sneet (Spircea ulmaria), bruised and mixed up with 

 the scum of sour butter-milk : doubtless many of the foreign 

 species may be used in the same way. There is no doubt but 

 a salt may be prepared from all the species. Thunberg says 

 that a good salt was prepared from O'xalis cernua at the Cape, 

 which grows in great abundance there ; but he does not inform 

 us in what quantity. Twenty pounds of fresh leaves of our 

 Wood-sorrel yielded, according to Newman, six pounds of juice, 

 from which two ounces, two drachms, and one scruple of salt, 

 besides two ounces and six drachms of an impure saline mass 

 were procured. Oxalic acid is a vegetable acid naturally formed 

 in O'xalis acetosella, from which it takes its name. It has been 

 discovered by Scheele that this acid can be formed by the action 

 of nitric acid upon sugar and several other vegetable substances. 

 The merit of this discovery was formerly given to Bergman, 

 who first published the method of preparing it in this way. 



Var. fl, ccerulea (D. C. prod. 700.) flowers bluish. Tourn. 

 inst. 88. 



Var. y, subpurpurdscens (D. C. prod. 1. p. 700.) flowers 

 pale-rose or purplish. %.. H. This is a less plant than the 

 species, and flowers later. It is to be found in England in a 

 lane between Owram and Halifax. 



Common Wood-sorrel. Fl. April, May. Brit. PL foot. 



