604 



EQU 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



ERA 



branchlets on each, so that the whole resembles a pine-tree 

 in miniature ; the flowering-spike is at the end of the frond. 

 Native of most parts of Europe, in woods and shady places, 

 flowering in April and May. l.inneus informs us, that it is a 

 principal food for horses in some parts of Sweden. Scopoli 

 affirms, that it is noxious to cows, making them shed their 

 teeth, and bringing on them a diarrhoea. A strong decoction 

 of it is an excellent medicine in immoderate discharges of the 

 menses, and in fluxes of the belly attended with griping pains 

 and bloody stools. Externally applied, it stops the bleeding 

 of wounds, and quickly heals them. It is a very cooling as- 

 tringent herb, and, tukeu either in powder, decoction, or juice, 

 is of considerable efficacy, in spitting of blood, bloody urine, 

 and for ulcers in the urinary passages. The whole plant may 

 be usefully employed, either fresh or dry, though it is most 

 efficacious when fresh gathered. 



2. Equisetum Arvense; Corn Horse-Tail. Fruit-bearing 

 scape naked, barren, leafy; the naked flowering-stems appear 

 early in the spring, and soon decay, they are the thickness of 

 a large wheat straw, a hand's-breadth or more in height, up- 

 right, yellowish, with from two to five joints, covered with 

 membranaceous ribbed sheaths, divided at top into numerous 

 segments or teeth ; spike terminating, oblong, swelling, about 

 an inch in length, throwing out a greenish powder when ripe, 

 which moves as if it were alive, especially if it be breathed 

 upon; every particle has three or four, rarelv five, tine pel- 

 lucid threads, club-shaped at the end, whicd occasion the 

 motion, by extending and curling themselves up. It is a trou- 

 blesome weed, and difficult to extirpate ; is reputed to be 

 noxious to cattle, especially cows, which it afflicts with a diar- 

 rhoea, but they are not very T eady to meddle with it. The 

 country people call it Horse-pipe and Snake-pipe. It is sup- 

 posed to indicate subterraneous flowing waters or springs. 

 It flowers in March, April, and May, is found in corn- 

 fields and wet meadows, and is a native of most parts of Eu- 

 rope, the Levant, Japan, and North America. 



3. Equisetum Palustre; Marsh Horse-Tail. Stem angu- 

 lar; fronds simple. The stem is a foot or eighteen inches 

 high, nearly smooth, channelled with five or six deep fur- 

 rows ; the sheaths are divided into seven or eight acme black 

 dents with white edges, from these, at flowering-time, come 

 out sixteen furrowed, smooth, simple, short branchlets, be- 

 coming afterwards longer; spike terminating, and turning 

 black before it disperses the seed, which is very lively when 

 fresh from the spike. Found in marshes and ditches, flower- 

 ing in June. There is a variety of it with smaller fronds, 

 almost all the branchlets having a spike at the end, but that 

 tit the end of the stem twice as large as the rest. Haller de- 

 clares, that this is also injurious to cattle. In Scotland they 

 call it Paddock-pipe. 



4. Equisetum Fluviatile ; Riw.r Horse-tail. Stem streaked; 

 fronds almost simple. This is the largest of all the European 

 species ; the stem is three or four feet high, the thickness of 

 a finger, and sometimes nearly an inch in diameter, streaked, 

 not furrowed, smooth, soft, of a pale or whitish colour at first, 

 but blackish in decay ; joints numerous; sheaths streaked; 

 branchlets or leaves quadrangular. The spikes grow distinct 

 from the fronds on scapes, but from the same root ; these 

 rome out earlier, are a foot or eighteen inches in height, and the 

 spikes are replete with a bluish powder. Haller tells us, that 

 this species was eaten by the common people among the Ro- 

 mans; and l.inneus says, that the rein-deer, wlio refuse hay, 

 will however eat this ; that it is cut as fodder for cows, with a 

 view to increase their milk ; but that it is not acceptable to 

 horses. Native of Europe, flowering in May and June, and 

 found upon the banks of rivers, lakes, ponds, and ditches. 



5. Equisetum Limosum ; Smorth Horse-Tail. Stem almost 

 naked. It grows three or four feet high, and is often quit<> 

 destitute of leaves, but sometimes produces a few straggling 

 ones. The stem is smooth, channelled with twelve or morn 

 furrows, and terminated with a black oval spike ; the dents 

 of the sheath are acute and black, and of the same numbi r 

 with the furrows. It Bowers in May and June ; and is found 

 in watery places, lakes, ponds, and ditches. 



6. Equisetum Hyemale; Rough Horse-Tail. Stem naked, 

 scabrous, subracemed at the base ; the sheaths are black at 

 the base and edge, and obscurely indented with us many 

 short obscure teeth as the stem has furrows; the (lowering 

 spike terminates the stem; and the sheath, which immediately 

 subtends it, is pale at the base, but black at the edge, dis*- 

 tinctly and acutely toothed. This is the best species for 

 polishing wood and metal, being the hardest and roughest ; 

 hence our old writers called it Shave-grass. It is much used 

 by the whitesmiths and cabinet-makers, under the name of 

 Dutch rushes. The Northumberland dairy-maids scour their 

 milk-pails with it. Gerarde says, that the women scour their 

 pewter and wooden things of the kitchen therewith, and 

 thence call it Pewterwort ; and that the fletchers and comb- 

 makers rubbed and polished their work with it. Professor 

 Davy has detected a large proportion of flinty earth in the cuti- 

 cle, to which its hardness and asperity are owing. Linneus 

 informs us, that it is salutary for horses, but noxious to cows, 

 who lose their teeth by feeding on it; and that sheep avoid it. 

 It flowers in July and August ; and is a native of Europe 

 and of Japan, growing in wet marshy places in woods. 



7. Equisetum Giganteum; Giant Horse-Tail. Stem 

 streaked, arborescent; fronds simple, strict, spike-bearing. 

 Native of South America; not yet described. 



Eranthemum ; a genus of the class Diandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CIIARACTEU. Calix: perianth five-cleft, 

 tubular, very narrow, upright, short, acuminate, permanent. 

 Corolla: one-petalled, funnel-form; tube filiform, extremely 

 long; border five-parted, flat ; divisions obovate. Stamina: 

 filamenta two, very short, in the mouth of the corolla. An- 

 therce subovate, compressed, beyond the tube. Pistil: ger- 

 men ovate, very small ; style filiform, length of the stamina ; 

 stigma simple. Pericarp and Seeds not described; recom- 

 mended to the attention of the intelligent botanist. Essr.x- 

 TIAL CHARACTER. Corolla- five-cleft, with a filiform tube ; 

 antherec beyond the tube; stigma simple; fruit also unde- 

 scribed. The species are, 



1. Eranthemum Capense. Leaves lanceolate-ovate, pe- 

 tioled ; stems long, terminated by one or three spikes, from 

 Ianc3olate, green, imbricate brartes, within each of which is 

 a long purple flower. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 



2. Eianthemum Angustifolium. Leaves linear, remote, 

 patulous ; stem erect, branched ; racemes simple, very long, 

 erect; tube of the corolla very long, with a small obtuse 

 border; antherse incumbent, linear. Native of the Cape of 

 Good Hope. 



3. Eranthemum Parvifolium. Leaves ovate-linear, imbri- 

 cate ; bractes ovate. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 



4. Eranthemum Salsoloides. Leaves fleshy, nearly colum- 

 nar, linear, very smooth; racemes axillary, they and the ca- 

 lices pubescent; tube bent back. This shrub resembles Sal- 

 sola, but with axillary pubescent racemes at the ends of the 

 branches ; pedicels reflex, and at the origin of each three 

 subulate bractes ; culix five-parted, with subulate pubescent 

 divisions; tube of the corolla longer than the calix, bent 

 back in the middle; divisions of the border ovate-acuminate. 

 Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 



5. Eranthemum Spinosum. Leaves ovate, opposite; stipule* 





