MAT. 83 



name of vitraria, "because," sajs an old 

 writer, " it serveth to scour glasses, pipkins, 

 and such like." 



Several very rough-leaved plants bloom dur- 

 ing this month, and are much allied to each 

 other, not only by their prickly foliage, but by 

 their medicinal properties. The smaU bugloss, 

 (Anchusa arvensis,) with its bright blue flowers, 

 is not uncommon in corn-fields and on hedge- 

 banks. Every hair, or bristle, on its leaves is 

 seated on a white tubercle, and is very strong 

 and sharp. The flowers of this plant are par- 

 ticularly attractive to bees, and the roots con- 

 tain a great quantity of mucilage. "With us, 

 this flower is little used ; but in China, where 

 it is abundant, the roots form an important 

 medicine. Another species {Anchnsa tinctoria) 

 was formerly used for painting the face, by 

 ladies who were not content ■with the beauty 

 which God had given them ; and it must have 

 imparted a more permanent stain than the 

 rouge of modern times. It is still cultivated in 

 the south of France for its red dye, and is used 

 by druggists for colouring various salves, and 

 by vintners for adulterating port wine. 



Most closely alHed to this plant, though 

 blooming some months later in the year, is the 

 common hova.^(i,(^liorayoqffidna1is,)yi\\uii\ grows 

 on waste places, and on heaps of rubbish, and 

 which bears beautiful blue flowers. It has 

 been discovered by a chemist that a decoction 

 of the leaves of this plant, evaporated to a 

 syrup, and kept for some days, yields salt 



