2-44 



PAR 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



PAR 



perianth thin, involving the fruit. Seed: as in the herma- 

 phrodites. ESSKNTIAL CHARACTER. Two hermaphrodite 

 Howcrs and one female Mower in a Hat six-leaved involucre. 

 Calix: four-cleft. Corolla: none. tilylc : one. Sted : one, 

 superior, elongated. Hermupltrotlilc. Slamina: four. Fe- 

 male. Stamina: none. The common European Pcllitorics 

 may be propagated in plenty from their seeds; if permitted 

 to scatter them, they will (ill the ground with young plants: 

 they arc dilKcult to collect, being thrown out of their covers 

 as soon as ripe. The species are, 



1. Parietaria Indica; Indian Pellitory. Leaves lanceolate; 

 stem erect. This resembles our common Pellitory, but is 

 more naked; the balls of the (lowers arc smaller, except the 

 bracles which are awl-shaped, not ovate; styles longer; 

 fruits sessile, grooved. Native of the East Indies. 



2. Parictariu Ofricinalis ; Common Pdlilory, or Pdlilory 

 of t lie Wall. Leaves lanceolate, ovate; peduncles dichoto- 

 inous; caliccs two-leaved. Root perennial, somewhat woody, 

 red, fibrous, (according to Lightfoot, creeping;) stems several, 

 nearly upright, from nine inches to a foot or more in height, 

 very much branched, round, striated, solid, reddish, pubes- 

 cent, (according to Lightfoot, rough to the touch, and adhe- 

 sive ;) Mowers small, greenish, rough, sessile, growing in balls 

 or clusters in the axils of the leaves ; two hermaphrodites 

 and one female in an involucre of seven leaves, (Linneus says 

 only six,) permanent, the leaves ovate, pointed; Mat, hirsute; 

 the hairs glandular at the extremities. The hermaphrodite 

 flowers may be distinguished by the four stamina, which on 

 the shedding of the pollen My back with elastic force. The 

 female is known by its situation between the two others, and 

 by its want of stamina; the stigma is somewhat larger, and 

 bent a little down. To obtain a perfect idea of the manner 

 in which the fructification is carried on in this plant, the 

 flowers should be examined at a very early period of their 

 expansion ; we shall then find in each involucre three red 

 stigmas, the two outermost of which belong to hermaphrodite 

 flowers, the stamina of which are not yet visible; the middle 

 one, which is largest and most conspicuous, to the female. 

 If a view be taken of the same flowers, at the time that the 

 elastic filamenta by their sudden expansion are scattering the 

 pollen, the styles and stigmas of the hermaphrodite flowers, 

 visible before, will often be found wanting, and the germen 

 left naked in the centre of the flower ; at this period the seg- 

 ments of the calix in the same flowers are nearly of the same 

 length as the filamenta, the style and stigma of the female 

 flower remain perfect, and the germen is closely surrounded 

 by a green hairy calix, which never expands. The manner in 

 which the flowers shed their pollen is curious : the filamenta, 

 on their first appearance, all bend inwards; as soon as the 

 pollen is arrived at a proper state to be discharged, the warmth 

 of the sun, or the least touch from the point of a pin, will 

 make them instantly fly back, and discharge a little cloud 

 of dust. This process is best seen in a morning, when the 

 sun shines on the plant, in July or August : if the plant be 

 large, numbers will be seen exploding at the same instant. 

 This plant promises little from its sensible qualities ; it. has 

 HO smell, and its taste is simply herbaceous. Formerly it 

 was accounted emollient, but not mucilaginous; its character 

 as a diuretic is better known. Matthiolus tells us, that the ex- 

 pressed juice, sweetened withgugar, had a very powerful effect 

 in this way; and Barbeirac informs us, that a decoction of 

 this plant was found of great use in clearing the urinary pas- 

 sages of viscid mucus, and sabulous concretions. A gentle- 

 man, who converts the juice into a thin syrup, and g ; ves two 

 table-spoonfuls thrice a day, has observed remarkably good 

 "fleets from it, in those dropsical cases where other diuretics 



had failed ; and Tournefort, in his history of the plants 

 about Paris, says that the syrup gives great relief in hydropic 

 cases. Hill says, a strong infusion of the plant works pow- 

 erfully by urine, and is excellent for the gravel and the 

 yellow jaundice. The leaves are useful in poultices, to take 

 away hot swellings; and the expressed juice has been given 

 with advantage in the stone and gravel, and is said to be an 

 excellent medicine in breakings-out arising from foulness of 

 the blood and juices : but the use of it must in these cases 

 be continued for a considerable time, or little if any benefit 

 can be expected. Dr. Stokes says, he has been informed 

 that this herb, as well as Nitraria, contains a considerable 

 quantity of nitre ; and that in making an extract from it, the 

 mass had taken fire. It is recommended by Bradley, to be 

 laid on corn in granaries, for the purpose of driving away 

 the weevil. Parietaria, corrupted into Pellitory, is absurdly 

 called Pellitory of the Wall, being found on walls or among 

 rubbish. It is a native of most parts of Europe, except the 

 most northerly ; and though not found in Sweden, maybe 

 met with in Denmark. 



3. Parietaria Judaica; Basil-leaved Pdlilory. Leaves 

 ovate; stems erect; calices three-flowered; corollas male, 

 elongated, cylindrical. This differs from the preceding in 

 having shorter stalks, and smaller oval leaves ; the flowers 

 are also less, and in smaller clusters.- Native of Switzerland, 

 the south of France, Sicily, Germany, and Palestine. 



4. Parietaria Lusitanica ; Cltickweed-lcaved Pellitory. 

 Leaves ovate, obtuse; stems filiform, striated, even, procum- 

 bent. Native of Spain and Portugal. 



5. Parietaria Urticsefolia ; Nettle-leaved Pellitory. Leaves 

 ovate, opposite, petioled, serrate, veined, pubescent ; flowers 

 axillary. This is a very branching plant, with small leaves, 

 much resembling those of the Nettle. Found in the island 

 of Bourbon, hanging from the rocks in branched leafy tufts. 



6. Parietaria Cretica; Cretan Pellitory. Leaves subovate; 

 fruiting involucres five-cleft, compressed ; lateral segments 

 larger. Native of Candia. 



7. Parietaria Capensis ; Cape Pellitory. Leaves opposite, 

 ovate, serrate ; branches diffused ; flowers sessile. Native 

 of the Cape of Good Hope. 



8. Parietaria Debilis. Leaves alternate, ovate, petioled, 

 quite entire, somewhat hairy ; peduncles axillary, subtriflo- 

 rous; stem almost upright. Native of New Zealand. 



9. Parietaria Cochin-chinensis. Leaves ovate, three-nerved, 

 hairy; stem cespitose, diffused, a foot and half high; flowers 

 moncecous; seed roundish, inclosed within the converging 

 calix. Native of China and Cochin-china. It attracts the 

 worms that infest salt fish, or flesh ; the natives hang the 

 plant at the mouth of their meat-casks, and the insects get 

 into it of their own accord. They also esteem it to be emol- 

 lient, refrigerant, and diuretic. 



10. Parietaria Arborea ; . Tree Pellitory. Leaves elliptic, 

 acuminate, somewhat triple-nerved ; stem arboreous. This 

 is an upright soft shrub, about the height of a man; root 

 woody, branched, fibrous, rufescent; flowers commonly three, 

 clustered, from the axil of each bracte sessile, in the male 

 yellow, in the female red, herbaceous. Native of the Canary 

 Islands. It may be increased by cutting, but requires the 

 protection of the green-house. 



Paris; a genus of the class Octandria, order Tetragynia. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth four-leaved, per- 

 manent; leaflets lanceolate, acute, the size of the corolla, 

 spreading. Corolla: petals four, spreading, awl-shaped (ac- 

 cording to Gsertner, linear,) like the calix, permanent. Sta- 

 mina: filamenta eight, awl-shaped, below the antheree short; 

 antherae long, fastened on both skies to the middle of the 



