110 PERFORATED ST. JOHn's WORT. 



The old name of this flower, Bahu of the 

 Warrior's Wound, is now ahnost forgotten ; 

 but in the olden time, physicians and poets 

 alike celebrated its properties; and some medical 

 writers deemed it so efficacious an internal 

 remedy for hypochondriacal disorders, that they 

 fancifully termed it Fuga Dcemonum. From a 

 mistake of their meaning, probably, arose the 

 popular ideas respecting this plant, which, in 

 spite of the advance of modern science, are yet 

 generally diffused throughout Europe. A good 

 ointment is still made of the rosin-scented blos- 

 soms ; tliey also tinge spirits and oil of a fine 

 purple colour, and the dried plant, boiled with 

 alum, dyes wool of a rich yellow hue. 



The Perforated St. John's Wort is abmidant 

 in thickets aiid hedo;es, and flowers in Julv. 

 The blossom, flower cup, and leaves are often 

 tipped with minute black dots ; and the latter 

 are remarkable for being copiously sprinkled 

 with small pellucid dots, which are most evi- 

 dent when the plant is held against the liglit. 

 We have eleven species of the genus, all yellow, 

 and mucli like the plant here represented. 



