454 



RES 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL ; 



RES 



Reseda; a genus of the class Dodecandria, order Trigy- 

 nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed, 

 parted ; parts narrow, acute, erect, permanent, two of which 

 gape more for the use of the melliferous petal. Corolla: 

 petals three, five, and six, in number, some unequal, some 

 of them always half three-cleft; the uppermost gibbous at 

 the base, melliferous, the length of the calix ; nectary a flat 

 upright gland, produced from the receptacle, placed on the 

 uppermost side between the stamina and the uppermost petal, 

 converging with the dilated base of the petals. Stamina : 

 filamenta eleven or fifteen, short; antherse erect, obtuse, the 

 length of the corolla. Pistil: germen gibbous, ending in 

 three or four very short styles; stigmas simple. Pericarp: 

 capsule gibbous, angular, acuminate between the styles, gap- 

 ing between them, one-celled. Seeds : very many, kidney- 

 form, fastened to the angles of the capsules. Observe. There 

 is scarcely any genus, the character of which is so difficult to 

 be determined, for the several species sport both in number 

 and figure. The essential character consists in the trifid 

 petals, one of them melliferous at the base ; and in the cap- 

 sule not being closed, but always gaping. The first, species 

 has a four-parted perianth ; three petals, the uppermost mel- 

 liferous and half six-cleft, the sides opposite and trifid ; two 

 very small entire petals are frequently added below the others; 

 styles three ; stamina very many. The eighth species has 

 the perianth six-parted ; petals six, almost equal, all half 

 three-cleft; styles four; capsule quadrangular; stamina 

 always eleven. Some other species have the perianth five- 

 parted ; five dissimilar trifid petals ; three styles ; and very 

 many stamina. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: one-leafed, 

 parted. Petals: laciniate. Capsule: gaping at the mouth, 



one-celled, many-seeded. The species are, 



1. Reseda Luteola ; Dyer's ^Weed, Yellow Weed, Woold, 

 Wild Woad, or Weld. Leaves lanceolate, entire, flat ; calix 

 four-cleft. Root annual or biennial, fusiform, small ; stem 

 from a foot to three feet in height, upright, grooved, hollow, 

 leafy, branched; spikes terminating, upright, but bending 

 at top, very long, sometimes having three hundred and fifty 

 flowers or more ; each flower stands single on a short pedicel, 

 and has one awl-shaped yellow bracte at the base; they are 

 of a pale yellow colour, about one-sixth of an inch in dia- 

 meter, but have little smell. Linneus observes, that the 

 nodding spike of flowers follows the course of the sun even 

 when the sky is covered, pointing towards the east in a 

 morning, to the south at noon, westward in the afternoon, 

 and north at night. Cattle, sheep excepted, do not eat this 

 plant. Dyers make considerable use of it ; for it yields a 

 most beautiful yellow dye for cotton, woollen, mohair, silk, 

 and linen. Blue cloths are dipped in a decoction of it, in 

 order to become green. The yellow colour of the paint 

 called Dutch Pink is obtained from this plant, the whole of 

 which, when it is about flowering, is pulled up for the use of 

 the dyers, who employ it both fresh and dried. Native of 

 the most temperate parts of Europe, in wild pastures, fallow 

 fields, waste places, and on dry banks and walls ; flowering 

 in June and July. It must be carefully distinguished from 

 the true Woad, or Isatis Tinctoria.T\\e best way to cultivate 

 this plant is, to sow it without any other crop, in the begin- 

 ning of August. ' Plough and harrow the ground fine, but, 

 unless very poor, it will not require dung: the seed should 

 then be sown ; one gallon, as it is small, being sufficient for an 

 acre. If rain fall in a little time after the seeds are sown, it will 

 soon bring up the plants, and in two months' time they will 

 be so far advanced as to be easily distinguished from the 

 weeds, and should then be hoed in the same manner as Tur- 

 nips. This should be done in dry weather, and, if well per- 



formed, the plants will be cle an from weeds till the spring ; 

 but as young weeds will come up in March, so, if in dry 

 weather the ground be hoed again, it may be performed at a 

 small expense while the weeds are young, and then they will 

 soon decay ; and if after this there should be many more 

 weeds appear, it will be proper to hoe it a third time, about 

 the beginning of May, which will preserve the ground clean 

 till the Weld is fit to pull. The best time to pull it, is at 

 soon as it begins to flower ; though most people stay till the 

 seeds are ripe, being unwilling to lose the seeds. But it is 

 much better to sow a small piece of land with this seed, to 

 remain for a produce of new seeds, than to let the whole 

 stand for seed ; because the plants which are permitted to 

 stand so long will be much less worth for use than the value 

 of the seeds : besides, by drawing off the crop early, the 

 ground may be sown with wheat in the same season ; for the 

 plants will be drawn up in the latter end of June, when they 

 will be in the greatest vigour, and afford a greater quantity 

 of dye. When they are pulled, set them up in small hand- 

 fuls to dry in the field ; and when dry, tie them up in bun- 

 dles, and house them in that state; and stack them loosely, 

 that the air may penetrate, and prevent fermen*ation. That 

 which is left for seeds should be pulled as soon as the seeds 

 are ripe, and set up to dry, and then beat out for use ; for 

 if the plants are left too long, the seeds will scatter. The 

 usual price of seed is ten shillings per bushel. 



2. Reseda Canescens ; Hoary Base Rocket. Leaves lan- 

 ceolate, waved, hairy ; branches hispid. Root perennial ; 

 steins decumbent, branched, round, leafy, rough, with mi- 

 nute white bristly hairs ; flowers in long, terminal, stalked, 

 hairy clusters, with white petals. Found near Cairo. 



3. Reseda Glauca ; Glaucous Base Rocket. Leaves linear, 

 toothed at the base ; flowers four-styled. Native of the south 

 of Europe. 



4. Reseda Dipetala ; Flax-leaved Base Rocket. Leaves 

 linear, quite entire ; flowers four-styled, two-petalled ; petals 

 undivided. Stem somewhat shrubby, erect, with round 

 branches. It flowers in August, and is biennial. Native of 

 the Cape. 



5. Reseda Purpurascens ; Purplish Base Rocket. Leaves 

 linear, obtuse ; flowers five-styled. Root thickish, white, 

 hard, perennial ; flowers many, crowded, of an herbaceous 

 purplish colour; seed small, blackish. Native of the south 

 of Europe. 



6. Reseda Sesamoides; Spear-leaved Base Rocket. Leaves 

 lanceolate, entire; fruits stellate. Root perennial; stems 

 several, prostrate, a palm and half in height, striated, some- 

 what angular; flowers in very long racemes, subsessile; pe- 

 tals white. It flowers in July and August. Native of the 

 south of France. 



7. Reseda Fruticulosa; Shrubby Base Rocket. Leaves 

 pinnate, recurved at the tip ; flowers four-styled ; calices 

 spreading, five-parted ; stem shrubby at the base. Native of 

 Spain. 



8. Reseda Alba ; Upright White Base Rocket. Leaves pin- 

 nate; flowers four-styled; calices five-parted. It flowers 

 from May to October. An hardy annual or biennial ; orna- 

 mented throughout the summer with copious dense spikes of 

 elegant white flowers. Native of the south of Europe. 



9. Reseda Undata; Waved-leaved Base Rocket. Leaves 

 pinnate, waved ; flowers three to five styled ; root perennial. 

 Native of Spain and Italy. 



10. Reseda Lutea; Yellow Base Rocket, Base Dyer's 

 Weed, or Wild Mirjnionette. All the leaves trifid, lower pin- 

 nate; calix six-cleft. Root annual, somewhat woody. There 

 are several varieties. Native of most parts of Europe, 



