179 



Order 5. PENTANDRIA. 5 Stamens. 

 HOP, (Humulus.) Flowers of five -parts ; fruit a catkin. 



Order 8, ENNEANDRIA. 9 Stamens. 

 MERCURY, (Mercurialis.) Flower of three-parts ; fruit a 

 capsule. 



HOP. HUMULUS. 

 COMMON HOP. Humulus lupulus. 



Plate 14, fig. 9. 



This is a rough climbing plant, very common in rich ground, 

 covering the hedges in the Summer with its flowers, and in the 

 Autumn with its curious, scaly clusters of seed. There are 

 here, as there must be in all of this class, two plants ; one pro- 

 ducing flowers with stamens only, the other flowers with 

 pointals only, and as these last alone produce seed, they are 

 called fertile flowers, and the others barren flowers. The two 

 sorts are in this ' instance very different in appearance the 

 barren flowers are in large, loose bunches, something like the 

 blossoms of the Lilac, each flower with a five-leaved calyx. 

 The fertile flowers are in short, nearly round heads or catkins, 

 formed of hollow scales, folded over each other each scale is 

 a flower, covering two styles, and producing one round seed. 

 The roots are very long and creeping. The stem rough, very 

 long, and twisting round any support near it. Leaves stalked, 

 rough, three or five-lobed, and serrated. Flowers appearing 

 in July, and seeds ripe a month or six weeks afterwards. The 

 fertile plant is very much grown in many parts of England 

 for the sake of its heads of seeds, which are the material so 

 valuable to the brewer, their bitter principle preserving beer 

 from becoming sour. All the young shoots and leaves were 

 formerly brought to market, and eaten as a Spring vegetable. 

 They are said to be very nice, and much like asparagus in flavor. 



MERCURY. MERCURIALIS. 

 DOG'S MERCURY. Mercurialis perennis. 



Plate 14, fig. 10. 



Abundant on rubbish heaps and in gardens, growing perhaps 

 a foot high. Stem not branched. Leaves mostly on the 



