544 



EUP 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL: 



EUP 



92. Euphorbia Dendroides ; European Tree-Spurge. Um- 

 bel ilichotomous ; involuccls subcordate, the primary ones 



_ three-leaved ; stem arboreous. It rises to the height of four 

 feet, with an upright branching stem ; the leaves are oblong, 

 pointed, and alternate ; flowers in umbels from the forks ; 

 they are small and yellow, and rarely produce seeds in 

 England. Native of Italy, Sicily, and Candia. See the 

 fifty-eighth species. 



93. Euphorbia Amygdaloides ; Wood Spurge. Umbel di- 

 chotomous ; iuvolucels perfoliate, orbiculate ; leaves obtuse ; 

 root perennial ; stem herbaceous, not woody, slightly downy, 

 purple, two or three feet high ; the flowering part, during the 

 time of flowering, grows to more than twice its original length ; 

 leaves alternate, remote, thin, slightly downy, especially the 

 root-leaves underneath. It is common in woods and hedges 

 in a clayey soil, and flowers in May, and sometimes before, 

 and continues to July. This, with the two following species, 

 being inhabitants of woods, require a shady situation. They 

 will come up from scattered seeds, and may be increased by 

 tke roots. 



94. Euphorbia Sylvatica. Umbel quinquefid, bifid ; invo- 

 lucels perfoliate, subcordate ; leaves lanceolate, quite entire ; 

 stems shrubby, proliferous, thick ; petals crescent-shaped, 

 erose, or gnawn, whereas those of the next species are entire. 

 Scopoli says, the leaves are very finely serrate at the tip; the 

 flowers between the rays and the branches male and sessile, 

 with most of the stamina imperfect, and five petals ; the other 

 flowers fertile, and four-petalled ; germen neither villose nor 

 warted. Native of woods in the southern countries of Europe. 

 See the preceding species. 



95. Euphorbia Gharacias ; Red Spurge. Umbel multifid, 

 bifid : involucels perfoliate, emarginate ; leaves quite entire ; 

 stem becoming shrubby, four feet high ; flowers small, those 

 within the first involucels male, the rest perfect ; petals four, 

 purple ; styles scarcely cloven ; germen villose. The whole 

 plant is very downy. Native of France, Spain, Italy, and 

 Germany, in woods and hedges. It flowers in June, and is 

 seldom seen in England. See the ninety-third species. 



96. Euphorbia Cretica. Umbel multifid, bifid ; involucels 

 orbiculate ; leaves linear-lanceolate, villose. This rises with 

 a shrubby purple stem nearly three feet high ; umbels termi- 

 nating, and forming a sort of spike ; the flowers appear in 

 May, and the seeds ripen in July. It may be propagated 

 from seeds or from cuttings, and will live abroad, if planted in 

 a dry rubbishy soil and warm situation, otherwise the plants 

 are frequently killed by severe frost. The young plants raised 

 from seed are generally very fruitful ; but the old ones, and 

 those raised from cuttings, are barren. 



97. Euphorbia Linearis. Dichotomous : peduncles soli- 

 tary ; leaves opposite, linear, quite entire ; stem round, naked, 

 jointed ; petals entire ; capsules seem to be smooth. Native 

 of the island of Santa Cruz. 



98. Euphorbia Rosea. Dichotomous : leaves obovate, 

 oblique at the base, toothletted at the tip ; stem depressed, 

 diffused ; root almost simple, a span in length, going straight 

 down, a little writhed ; flowers heaped at the ends of the 

 branches, males mixed with hermaphrodites; the petals of a 

 beautiful rose-colour ; capsules smooth. Native of the East 

 Indies, in driving sand. 



Euphrasia; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Angio- 

 spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one- 

 letfed, cylindric, four-cleft, unequal, permanent. Corolla: 

 Dc-petalled, ringent ; tube length of the calix ; lip superior, 

 concave, emarginate; lip inferior, expanding, three-parted; 

 divisions equal, obtuse. Stamina: filamenta four, filiform, 

 inclined under the upper lip; antherx two-lobed, of which 



the inferior are sharpened into a little spine on the lower lobe. 

 Pistil: germen ovate; style filiform, of the situation and 

 figure of the stamina ; stigma obtuse, entire. Pericarp : cap- 

 sule ovate-oblong, compressed, two-celled. Seeds: numerous, 

 very small, roundish. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Call* : 

 four-cleft, cylindric. Capsule: two-celled, ovate-oblong. 

 Lower Antherte : have a little thorn at the base of one of the 

 lobes. The plants of this genus are all annuals, and can only 

 be propagated from seed, sown soon after they are ripe, or in 

 the spring, in the borders of the garden. All, except the 

 second and fourth species, are natives of the southern coun- 

 tries of Europe, and are not easily preserved in gardens. 



The species are, 



1. Euphrasia Latifolia; Broad-leaved Eyebriyht. Leaves 

 tooth-palmate ; flowers in a kind of head ; root annual; stem 

 a handbreadth high, or less, square, reddish, t>lightly hairy, 

 simple, or dividing at bottom into two small branches, not 

 more ; corolla purple, sometimes white ; bractes palmate, 

 subhirsute. Found about Montpellier. It spreads a purple 

 carpet on many of the hilly pastures of Italy ; it is found in 

 Montferrat, the county of Nice, and near Turin ; Verona; on 

 Monte Testaccco, near Rome ; in Apulia ; and in the Spanish 

 kingdom of Castile, particularly near the palace of the 

 Escurial. 



2. Euphrasia Officinalis ; Common Eycbright. Leaves 

 ovate, marked with lines, sharply toothed ; root annual ; stem 

 from two to four inches high or more, upright, round, hoary, 

 purple, for the most part branched, in opposite pairs ; flowers 

 from the axils of the leaves, on short peduncles, opposite, 

 forming a spike or raceme at the tops of the branches and 

 stem ; corolla-tube rather crooked, a little hairy, white, 

 stained with yellow at the mouth ; border bluish white, with 

 purple streaks ; germen bearded, or a little hairy at the top ; 

 style pubescent on the upper part; stigma fringed, with very 

 minute glands round the edge. It varies much in size, and in 

 the colour of the corolla, which changes to quite white and 

 yellow ; it is more or less branching, and sometimes wholly 

 unbranched. This plant is common on heaths, and other dry 

 pastures, especially on a chalky soil, flowering from July to 

 September. It seems to have been unnoticed by the ancients, 

 but the Arabians mention it under the name of Adhil. Mat- 

 theus Sylvaticus, a physician of Mantua, who lived about the 

 year 1320, recommended this plant in disorders of the eyes. 

 It is still in use, particularly as an ingredient in British herb 

 tobacco; and Mr. Lightfoot informs us, that the Highlanders 

 in Scotland make an infusion of it in milk, and anoint the 

 patient's eyes with a feather dipped in it. It is, however, 

 neglected by the faculty, and even thought by some to be in- 

 jurious, at least in inflammations of the eyes. Meyrick, how- 

 ever, assures us, that it is famous for curing disorders of the 

 eyes, and the common method of using it is, to apply the re- 

 cently expressed juice, by way of collyrium, twice or three 

 times a day; but where the disorder is bad, or of longstanding, 

 the whole herb, dried and reduced to powder, should be taken 

 for a long time together, in the quantity of half a drachm 

 twice or thrice daily. It also promotes evacuation by urine. 

 This species will not grow in a garden, unless it has grass 

 or some other herbs to protect it. 



3. Euphrasia Tricuspidata. Leaves linear, three-toothed ; 

 corolla like that in the preceding species. Annual, and a 

 native of Italy. 



4. Euphrasia Odontites ; Red Eyebright. Leaves linear, 

 all serrate ; root annual. The whole plant is commonly of a 

 brownish red ; stem upright, stiff, very much branched, from 

 six inches to a foot or more in height, hispid, obtusely four- 

 cornered ; branches opposite; flowers in long leafy spikei, 





