ClASS 11, ORDER I,] CIRCiEA. 25 



theless extensive, and contains many very elegant and highly orna- 

 mental exotic flowers ; some are esteemed of great value, either from 

 their cordial or stomachic qualities, or from their tonic and bitter prin- 

 ciple; the whole are more or less aromatic, which is owing to the pre- 

 sence of a volatile oil contained in small vesicles or reservoirs in the 

 leaves. S. splendcus, Indica, formosa, &c. are well known, as adding 

 greatly to the beauty of our wanii flower borders and conservatories, 

 by their graceful form and brilliant colours. <S'. officuialis, or common 

 garden Sage, is much used in cookery as a condiment, its aroma and 

 bitterness assisting the stomach to digest fat and luscious meats. In 

 ancient times. Sage was celebrated as a remedy of great efficacy, but is 

 not now considered an article of so much importance. It possesses the 

 remarkable property of resisting the putrefaction of animal substances, 

 for which reason its infusion is well known as a remedy in cases of 

 ulcerated sore throats ; it is also considered serviceable in debility of 

 the stomach and nervous system. The Chinese are said (o prefer its 

 infusion to that of their own tea : the Dutch at one time carried on a 

 profitable traffic with them, exchanging one pound of dried Sage leaves 

 for four of China tea. Its oil is remarkable, from containing a large 

 portion of camphor. Rhenish wines owe their flavour in a great mea- 

 sure to the use of the flowers of S. glutinosa. Sage apples, which 

 are greatly esteemed as food in Greece and Turkey, are morbid 

 growths upon the stem of S. pomifera and other species of Sage, 

 produced by the puncture of insects, which causes the developement 

 of the apple, in a similar way to which the galls are produced upon the 

 Oak. 



GENUS VII. CIRC^'A. Enchanter's Night-shade. 



Nat. Ord. CiRC^A'cE^.f 



Gen. Char. Calyx superior, tubular at the base, divided into two 

 ovate obtuse deflexed segments. Corolla of two petals, alternate 

 with the segments of the calyx, and inserted into it. Stamens 

 alternate with the petals. Capsule two-celled, with one seed in 

 each. — Named from the famous mythological enchantress Circe, 

 who is said to have been well skilled in the nature of poisonous 

 plants. 



1. C. Lute'tiana, (Fig. 37.) common Enchanter'' s Night-shade. Stem 

 erect, downy, leaves opposite, ovato> cordate, acuminate, slightly 

 toothed, stalked, opaque, and downy. 



f CircecEacecB of Lindley, usually associated wltli OnagraricB of Jussieu, is 

 separated from it on account of its differing in many important particulars, 

 especially in its large fleshy disfi, the ovarivm two-celled, with a single erect 

 ovula in each cell. 



VOL. I. E 



