398 



P R I 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



PRi 



pinnatifid, subtrilobous ; intermediate segments tripartite, the 

 highest lanceolate ; branches terminal, subpaniculate, short, 

 waving; calices -eight-cleft, twelve-flowered; flowers pale 

 purple. Grows on the mountains of Virginia and Carolina. 

 This plant is known by the inhabitants under the name of 

 Lion's-foot ; and is in high esteem as a specific in curing the 

 bite of the rattlesnake. Pursh, in his travels through the 

 mountains of Virginia, had an opportunity of being a witness 

 of the efficacy of this remedy. " A man," says he, " living 

 in Cove-mountains, near the Sweet Springs, was bit in the 

 foot by a Mocassin snake, a species considered the most 

 dangerous. An inflammation and swelling of his whole leg 

 took place immediately ; but by taking the milky juice of this 

 plant boiled in milk, inwardly, and applying to the wound 

 the steeped leaves, which were very frequently changed, he 

 was cured in a few days." As this plant deserves the atten- 

 tion of the physician, we have given a figure of it, it being 

 frequently confounded with the sixth species. Gronovius, 

 in his Flora, mentions Dr. Witt's Snakeroot under Prenan- 

 thes Autumnalis, or Willdenow's Rubicunda, as a remedy 

 for the bite of the rattlesnake ; which shews that he had 

 information of the use made of this plant, though he did 

 not know the genuine species. In the Banksian Herbarium, 

 is a specimen of Prenanthes Rubicunda, with the following 

 note in the hand-writing of Clayton. " This is the Rattle- 

 snake Root that Dr. Witt supposes to be the best cure for the 

 bite of a snake; a very odd plant, hardly two leaves alike 

 upon a plant, as to shape, or the indentings of the leaves." 



Prickly Parsnep. See Echinophora. 



Prickly Pear. See Cactus. 



Primrose. See Primula. 



Primrose, Nightly, or Tree. See (Enothera. 



Primrose, Peerless. See Narcissus. 



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

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: involucre many- 

 leaved, many-flowered, very small; perianth one-leafed, tubu- 

 lar, five-cornered, five-toothed, acute, erect, permanent. 

 Corolla: monopetalous; tube cylindrical, the length of the 

 calix, terminated by a small hemispherical neck ; border 

 spreading, half five-cleft; segments obcordate, emarginate, 

 obtuse ; throat pervious. Stamina: filamenta five, very short, 

 within the neck of the corolla ; antherse acuminate, erect, 

 converging, included. Pistil: germen globular; style fili- 

 form, the length of the calix ; stigma globular. Pericarp : 

 capsule cylindrical, almost the length of the perianth, covered, 

 one-celled, opening with a ten-toothed top. Seeds: nume- 

 rous, roundish. Receptacle : ovate-oblong, free. ESSENTIAL 

 CHARACTER. Capsule : of one cell, with ten teeth. Corolla: 

 tube cylindrical, with a spreading mouth. Stigma: globose. 

 The species are, 



1. Primula Verticillata. Leaves serrate, smooth; flowers 

 in whorls. Native of Mount Kurma, by rivulets. 



2. Primula Vulgaris ; Common Primrose. Leaves toothed, 

 wrinkled ; scapes one-flowered ; border of the corolla flat. 

 Root perennial, growing obliquely, appearing as if bit off at 

 the end, beset with thick reddish scales which are the remains 

 of past leaves, sending down numerous very long round 

 whitish fibres ; it has a singular smell, somewhat like that of 

 Anise. Leaves light green, four or five inches long, but 

 much larger after flowering. Flower-stalks numerous, sim- 

 ple ; flowers of a pale sulphur-colour, upright, large, sweet- 

 scented. Its varieties are very numerous, partly wild and 

 partly obtained from culture. They are much esteemed by 

 florists under the name of Polyanthi ; on this account we 

 shall dilate on their qualities, and best mode of propagation. 

 The names of the most esteemed are : 1. The Single White. 



2. The Paper White. 3. The Red or Purple of various 

 shades. 4. The Hose in Hose. 5. The Double Yellow. 

 6. The Deep Velvet Red. 7. The Pale or Flesh-coloured. 

 8. The Dingy Purple, which grows wild in Scotland. The 

 requisites to constitute a fine Polyanthus are, a graceful 

 elegance of form, a richness of colouring, and a perfect sym- 

 metry of parts. Its qualities are much the same as those of 

 the Auricula, as to the stem or scape, the peduncles or 

 flower-stalks, and the fornatioi of the umbel, bunch, or 

 thyrse, corruptly called 'he truss. The tube of the corolla 

 above the calix should be short, well-filled at the mouth 

 with the antherse, and terminate fluted, rather above the 

 eye. The eye should be round, of a bright clear yellow, 

 and distinct from the ground colour. The ground colour is 

 most admired when shaded with a light and dark rich crim- 

 son, resembling velvet, with one mark or stripe in the centre 

 of each division of the border, bold and distinct from the 

 edging down to the eye, where it should terminate in a fine 

 point. The petals, technically ' called the pips, should be 

 large, quite flat, and perfectly circular, excepting the small 

 indentures between each division, which separate it into five, 

 and sometimes six. heart-like segments. The edging should 

 resemble a bright gold lace, bold, clear, and distinct, and 

 so nearly of the same colour, as that the eye and stripes are 

 scarcely to be distinguished. The roots are good as a sternu- 

 tatory for the head ; the best way of using them is to bruise 

 them, and express the juice; which being snuffed up the nose, 

 occasions violent sneezing, and brings away a great deal of 

 water, but without being productive of any bad effect, which 

 is too often the case with remedies of this class. Dried and 

 reduced to powder, it will produce the same effect, but not 

 so powerfully. In this state it is said to be good for nervous 

 disorders, but the dose must be small. The above prescrip- 

 tion is from Hill ; and Gerarde says, that a drachm and a 

 half of the dried roots, which are taken up in autumn, acts 

 as a strong but safe emetic. Culture. The roots of the wild 

 plants of this, and the two following species, may be taken 

 up and transplanted into gardens at Michaelmas, that they 

 may have strength to produce their flowers early in the spring. 

 They delight in a strong soil, but will grow in almost any 

 sort of earth in shady situations. The beautiful varieties o"f 

 Polyanthus are produced by sowing the seed saved from 

 plants with large upright stems, producing on each stalk 

 many flowers, being large, striped, open, flat, and are not 

 pin-eyed ; as from the seeds of such flowers there is room to 

 hope for a great variety of good sorts ; but there should be no 

 ordinary flower stand near them, lest by the mixture of the 

 farina their seeds should be degenerated. These seeds should 

 be sown in boxes filled with light rich earth in December, 

 taking great care not to bury the seed too deep, as it will be 

 sufficient to cover it slightly with light earth. These boxes 

 should be placed where they may have the benefit of the 

 morning sun until ten o'clock, but must by no means be 

 exposed to the heat of the day, especially when the plants 

 begin to appear ; for at that time a single day's sun will 

 destroy them. If the spring prove dry, refresh them often 

 with water in very moderate quantities, and remove the 

 boxes more into the shade as the heat increases. By the 

 middle of May these plants will be strong enough to plant 

 out, at which time prepare some shady borders made rich 

 with cow-dung, upon which you must set the plants about 

 four inches asunder every way, observing to water them until 

 they have taken root; after which they will require no fur- 

 ther care but to keep them clear from weeds, until the latter 

 end of August following, when you should prepare some 

 borders which are exposed to the east, with good light rich 



