4SO 



E C H 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL ; 



E C H 



obscure. Keceptacle : common globose, bristly. ESSEN- 

 TIAL CHARACTER. Calix : one-flowered. Corolla : tubu- 

 lar, hermaphrodite. Receptacle : bristly, Down . obscure. 

 These plants are easily propagated by seeds, which, if per- 

 mitted to scatter, the plants will come up in plenty, and a 

 few of them maybe transplanted to the places where they are 

 designed to remain and flower ; they require no other cul- 

 ture, but to keep them clean from weeds ; the second year 

 they will flower, and produce seeds, and the roots will con- 

 tinue two or three years after. But if the seeds scatter, the 

 plants will become troublesome weeds; to prevent which, the 

 heads should be cut off as soon as the seeds are ripe. They 

 willgrowalmost in any soil or situation. The species are, 



1. Echinops Sphoerocephalus ; Great Globe Thistle. Heads 

 globular ; leaves sinuate, pubescent. Root perennial ; stalks 

 many, fouror five feet high ; leaves long and jagged, divided 

 into many segments, the jags ending in spines ; they are of a 

 dark green on their upper side, but woolly on the under. 

 There are several globular heads of flowers on each stalk. 

 The florets are commonly blue, but sometimes white ; they 

 come out in July, and ripen seed in August. Native of 

 France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Carniola, Germany, &c. 



2. Echinops Spinosus ; Thorny-headed Globe Thistle. 

 Heads interspersed with long spines. This plant is of the 

 same stature with the preceding, but the stem and leaves are 

 more tender. The heads are like those of the first species ; 

 but the florets are white, and larger, with the jags reflex- 

 hooked. Among the florets, every where come out spines, 

 formed of unexpended calices, four times the length of the 

 florets, which at length are cloven in two. Perennial, and a 

 native of Egypt and Arabia. 



3. Echinops Ritro ; Small Globe Thistle. Head globular ; 

 leaves pinnatifid, smooth above. This has a perennial creep- 

 ing root, sending up several strong stalks, two feet high, and 

 branching ; leaves cut into many fine segments to the mid- 

 rib ; each branch is terminated by a globular head of flowers, 

 smaller than those of the first species, and of a deeper blue, 

 but sometimes white ; they appear in July. The roots arc 

 bitter, diuretic, and nourishing : the heads are eat by the 

 horse, goat, &c. Native of the south of France, Italy, and 

 Siberia. 



4. Echinops Strigosus ; Annual Globe Thistle. Heads in 

 bundles, lateral ; calices barren ; leaves strigose above. It 

 is an annual plant, with a stiff white stalk, two feet high ; 

 leaves divided, ending in many points, which have spines ; 

 their upper side green, covered with brown hairs, their 

 under side white, and woolly ; the stalk is terminated by one 

 large head of pale blue flowers, appearing in July. Native 

 of Spain and Portugal. 



5. Echinops Graecus. Stem one-headed ; leaves spiny, all 

 pinnatifid and villose. Root creeping, and perennial ; stalks 

 about a foot high ; leaves shorter, and much finer divided 

 than the precedingsorts; they are hoary, and armed on every 

 side with sharp thorns ; the stalks are terminated by one 

 middle-sized globular head of blue or white flowers, appear- 

 ing at the end of June. Native of Greece. 



Echilea ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Monogy- 

 nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth five-parted, 

 sharp, small. Corolla .- one-petalled, funnel-form ; border 

 five-cleft, flat, spreading very much ; nectary of five glands, 

 standing round the germen. Stamina : filamenta five, slen- 

 der, erect ; anther* stiff, oblong, acuminate, converging. 

 Pistil : germen two ; style filiform, length of the stamina ; 

 stigma oblong-headed, two-lobed, attached by aglutentothe 

 antherae. Pericarp .- follicles two, extremely long, one- 

 celled, one-valved. Seed* . very many, imbricate, crowned 



with long down. ESSENTIAL, CHARACTER. Coroll-l : con- 

 torted, funuel-shaped, with the throat nuked. Follicles: two. 

 long, straight. Seeds : downy. These plants have a sin- 

 gularity in their habit, by which they may be known at first 

 sight. The leaves are opposite, petioled, quite entire, 

 veined, and shining ; the third species only having them 

 frequently rugged ; common peduncles seldom longer than 

 the leaves, lateral, and alternate, except in the tenth species; 

 flowers scentless. The nectareous glands and the downy 

 seeds are in follicles, which is of great importance in deter- 

 mining the character ; while the corolla, which varies much 

 in the different species, is of no consequence in this respect. 

 The stigma in all is glued to the inside of the wall of the 

 cone, formed by the anthers, and which separates at the 

 explosion of the pollen, whilst the outer wall of the cone 

 continues undissolved ; the fecundation of the greater part 

 being accomplished within the closed tube of the corolla, but 

 in the rest within the cone, stretched beyond the tube. Tin- 

 plants abound with an acrid milky juice. They have not yet 

 been introduced into European cultivation; and being mostly 

 inhabitants of the West Indies, they will require the pro- 

 tection of the bark-stove, and should be propagated and 

 managed in the same way as the tender sorts ofApocynum. 

 which see. The species are, 



1. Echites Biflora. Peduncles two-flowered. This is a 

 branched shrub, full of milky juice, supporting itself by 

 stems, partly erect, partly twining upon trees, and mounting 

 them to the height of twenty feet; from which circumstance, 

 it frequently acquires the air of a tree; leaves oblong, grow- 

 ing narrower to the base, obtuse at the end, with a small 

 point, three inches long ; peduncles sometimes, but rarelj , 

 three-flowered ; flowers handsome, very white, with a yellow 

 throat; Native of the Caribbee islands, in salt marshes. 



2. Echites Quinquangularis. Peduncles racemed ; leaves 

 ovate, acute, Stem twining, shrubby, somewhat scabrous ; 

 leaves three inches long ; racemes simple ; flowers about 

 sixteen, green, with a yellowish border ; the edge of the tube 

 white, and in the form of a pentagon. It is not milky, like 

 the preceding : flowers in October, and is a native of Car- 

 thagena in South America. 



3. Echites Suberecta ; Savanna Flower. Peduncles ra- 

 cemed ; leaves subovate, obtuse, mucronate. This shrub 

 differs much from all others of this genus. It abounds in 

 milky juice, grows among other sHrubs to the height of ten 

 feet, but is only three feet, and sometimes scarcely a foot 

 high, in savannas ; stems scarcely twining, and climbing , 

 the leaves more or less ovate, either smooth on both sides, 

 or scabrous at the back. The peduncles support a few large, 

 handsome, yellow flowers, hirsute on the outside, and in 

 the tube. The follicles are slender, and brown. The flowers 

 being of a bright yellow, and large, make a fine appearance. 

 Itgrows naturally in the savannas of the island of Jamaica, 

 where it is chiefly known by the name of Savanna-flower. 

 It is also very common in the island of St. Domingo, flower- 

 ing from September to March. Browne declares all parts of 

 it to be extremely poisonous ; and an intelligent traveller has 

 lately informed us, that it operates as a slow or quick poison, 

 according to the dose ; and that fatal accidents have happened 

 from stopping breakers of rum with grass, in which this noxi- 

 ous weed has been concealed. The antidote for this poison, 

 is expressed arrow-root juice : see Marmita jfnndinacea, 



4. Echites Ag^hitinata. Peduncles racemed; leaves ovate, 

 emarginate.withan acumen; stems twining, shrubby; leaves 

 fourincheslong ; common peduncles thelengthof the leaves, 

 often diflbrm, sometimes bifid. The flowers are small, and 

 white. When the follicles are separated, which is easily done. 



