318 



P 1C 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



PIL 



describes three stamina, a three-parted calix, and a three- 

 petalled corolla. In the specimens sent to Schroeber by 

 Crudy there are five stamina and five-cleft flowers. The 

 berry sometimes, but very seldom, is three-celled and one- 

 seeded. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: three or five 

 parted. Corolla: three or five petalled. Berry: two-celled. 

 The species are, 



1. Picramnia Antidesma. Racemes very long; flowers 

 three-stamined. This is a small tree, with an upright, weak, 

 even trunk; branches subdivided, rod-like, spreading, bend- 

 ing down, smoothish, with an ash-coloured bark; berries 

 oblong, the size of a gooseberry when ripe, two-celled ; cells 

 two-seeded, at first scarlet, afterwards black. Native of 

 mountain coppices in Jamaica and Hispaniola. Dr. Browne 

 says it is pretty frequent about St. Mary's in Jamaica, and 

 seldom rises above eight or nine feet from the ground; it was 

 not put to any use there. Swartz relates, that it is looked 

 upon as antivenereal by the negroes, who with more reason 

 employ an infusion of it in the colic. The whole plant is 

 very bitter, and is called Major Bitters in Jamaica. It 

 flowers in August, and the fruit is ripe in November. 



2. Picramnia Pentandra. Racemes shorter; flowers five- 

 stamined. This is a small tree, with the branches, branch- 

 lets, and leaves, as in the preceding; but the leaflets are 

 commonly wider. Native of the West Indies. 



Picris; a genus of the class Syngenesia, order Polygamia 

 jEqualis. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: common dou- 

 ble; outer very large, five-leaved; leaflets cordate, flat, loose, 

 converging; inner imbricate, ovate. Corolla: compound, 

 imbricate, uniform, with numerous hermaphrodite corollets; 

 proper one-petalled, ligulate, linear, truncate, five-toothed. 

 Stamina: filamenta five, capillary, very short; antherse 

 cylindric, .tubular. Pistil: germen subovate ; style the 

 length of the stamina; stigmas two, reflex. Pericarp: none ; 

 calix unchanged, at length reflex. Seeds: solitary, ven- 

 tricose, transversely grooved, blunt. Down: feathered, sti- 

 pitate. Receptacle: naked. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Calix: double; the inner equal, the outer lax. Receptacle: 



naked. Seed: transversely grooved. Down: feathered. 



The species are, 



1. Picris Echioides; Rough Ox-tongue. Outer perianths 

 five-leaved, larger than the inner one, which is awned. Root 

 annual, branched; stem two or three feet high, round, firm, 

 striated, usually reddish, much branched ; both stem and 

 branches irregularly set with scattered rigid spines, hooked 

 at the end; lower leaves lanceolate, upper heart-shaped, and 

 clasping the stem; flowers solitary, on grooved peduncles, 

 gradually thickening upwards; corolla yellow. The flower 

 expands at four or five in the morning, and never closes 

 before noon; sometimes it remains open till nine at night. 

 The only use to which this singular plant has been applied 

 is as a potherb ; but it can only be eaten when young, and then 

 it is said to be agreeable : the juice is milky, bitter, but not too 

 acrid. It flowers in June and July ; and grows not unfre- 

 quently on banks, on the edges of corn-fields, and in woods 

 that have been cut down, in England, France, and Italy. 



2. Picris Aculeata; Prickly Ox-tongue. Hispid, rough: 

 stem naked at top ; leaves obovate-oblong, unequally toothed ; 

 flowers corymbed ; peduncles thickened at top; down fea- 

 thered, stiped. It differs from the preceding in having DO 

 outer five-leaved perianth. Perennial. Native of Barbary, 

 on the uncultivated hills. 



3. Picris Hieracioides; Hawkweed Ox-tongue. Perianths 

 loose; leaves entire; peduncles scaly up to the calix. Stem 

 three feet high, round, furrowed, rough, with stiff hairs, 

 much branched; the branches furrowed, purple on their 



upper side, and in their axils ; flowers yellow. Native of 

 many parts of Europe : with us it occurs abundantly about 

 the borders of fields, in a gravelly or calcareous soil ; flowei- 

 ing in July and August. 



4. Picris Flexuosa. Perianths hispid ; leaves toothed, 

 cordate, embracing. Stem grooved, hispid ; flower on the 

 branches terminating, solitary. Native of Japan. 



5. , Picris Asplenioides. Stem prostrate at the base; leaves 

 rough, the lower runcinate; lobes rounded; calices imbri- 

 cate; leaflets reflex at the tip; root perennial, fusiform, the 

 thickness of a man's little finger; corollets sulphur-coloured 

 above, rose-violet underneath. Perennial. Found on the 

 sandy coasts of Tunis. 



6. Picris Repens. Outer perianths imbricate, short; 

 inner cylindric, eight-leaved, even. Stem creeping; flowers 

 few, yellow, on long scattered peduncles, almost equal to the 

 leaves; root slender, very bitter. Native of China, near 

 Canton. 



Picrium; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Monogynia. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER.. Calix: perianth one-leafed, 

 four or five cleft, permanent ; segments linear, acute, erect. 

 Corolla: one-petalled, funnel-form; tube the length of the 

 calix; border four or five cleft; segments ovate, acute; nec- 

 tary scales four or five, at the base of each filamentum, 

 between that and the tube of the corolla. Stamina : fila- 

 menta four or five, filiform, almost the length of the corolla, 

 inserted into the tube; antherse sagittate. Pistil: germen 

 oblong; style filiform, longer than the corolla; stigma capi- 

 tate, bilamellate. Pericarp: capsule ovate, half two-celled, 

 two-valved. Seeds: very many, minute, fastened to the 

 receptacle. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: four or five 

 cleft. Coro/fa: one-petalled, four or five cleft. Nectary: of 

 four or five scales. Stigma : bilamellate. Capsule : half two- 

 celled, two-valved. The speeies are, 



1. Picrium Spicatum. With ovate-oblong sharp leaves, and 

 white flowers. This is an annual plant of about three feet 

 high. The root is fibrous, branched, and somewhat woody; 

 the stem round and straight; flowers spiked, axillary, and 

 terminal; corolla white, not deciduous. The whole plant 

 is bitter: it flowers at various times of the year. It is found 

 near the banks of rivulets and pathways in Cayenne and 

 Guiana. 



2. Picrium Ramosum.- With narrow sharp-pointed leaves 

 and purple flowers. This species differs from the former in 

 having a branched stem, and smaller and narrower leaves. 

 It flowers at all times of the year; and is found in woods 

 and by rivulets in Guiana. 



Pigeon Pea. See Cytisus Cajan. 



Pig-nut. See Bunium. 



Pilcorn, or Pillis. See Avena Nuda. 



Pilewort. Ree Ranunculus. 



Pilocarpos; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth inferior, 

 very small, five-leaved; leaflets ovate, rounded. Corolla: 

 five-petalled ; petals flat, small, ovate. Stamina : filamenta 

 five, inserted under the germen, erect, a little shorter than 

 the petals ; antherse small, subcordate, erect. Pistil: ger- 

 men superior, flatted-globular, smooth, having five lines 

 engraved on it at top towards the style; style scarcely any; 

 stigma subsessile, acute. Pericarp: capsule composed of 

 five grains, two or three, and sometimes four, of which are 

 abortive, fastened from the base to the middle to an angular, 

 woody, short receptacle, distinct above. Seeds: solitary, 

 arilled. Observe. It is very nearly allied to Euonymus. 

 ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-leaved. Corolla: 

 five-petalled; filamenta inserted below the germen. Peri- 



