98 PENTANDRIA— DIGYNIA. Selinum. 



Root, vvitli us, tapering, simple, with many long fibres. Sterii so- 

 litary, erect, 4 or 5 feet high, hollow, deeply furrowed, not 

 hairy; branched and corymbose in the upper part; bright purple 

 at the base. Leaves about 5 or 6 on the stem, alternate, remote, 

 twice or thrice pinnate ; leaflets opposite, deeply pinnatifid, dark 

 green, smooth, their segments elliptic-lanceolate, never quite 

 linear, rather acute, slightly deeurrent, entire ; the terminal 

 ones longest. Footstalks branched, striated, smooth; dilated 

 and sheathing at the base, with a reddish membranous margin. 

 Umbels large, horizontal, of numerous,, rough, angular, general 

 and partial rays. General hraclcas several, lanceolate, pointed, 

 dependent, not half the length of the rays, their margins mem- 

 branous, and partly coloured ; partial ones similar, rather longer 

 in proportion. Fl. white, numerous, uniform, with involute 

 petals. Seeds elliptical, light brown, paler at the edges ; their 

 ribs broad, obtuse, with narrow linear interstices. There are 

 several barren or ahortiveflowers in each partial umbel. 



The root serves the Russians for Ginger ; and the whole herb 

 abounds with a white, bitter, fetid juice, of the consistence of 

 cream, which soon dries to a brownish acrid resin. This milky 

 exudation is the only character by which Tournefort distinguishes 

 his Thijsselinuni from his ()reoseHniun. The ingenious Sprengel 

 has, more scientifically, endeavoured to found a generic differ- 

 ence on the broader ribs, and somewhat thicker coat, of the seeds, 

 compared with other species of Selinum. But I think these cha- 

 racters are scarcely discernible, and by no means sufficient to au- 

 thorize a division of so natural a genus. The tnie name in 

 Pliny is, moreover, Thijsselium, which most authors, except tlie 

 learned Rivinus, have negligently corrupted ; but which must be 

 restored, if it were wanted, to avoid clashing with Selinum, See 

 Philosophia Botanica, sect. 225. 



There appear to be two varieties of Selinum pahtstre, one of which, 

 well represented by Dalechamp, is here described ; and the other, 

 with more numerous roots and stems, as figured in Dodonaeus, 

 Gerarde, Lobel and Morison, is often taken for the Linnsean 

 sylvestre. Professor Sprengel has, with great accuracy and 

 judgement, proved them one and the same species. But the 

 S. sylvestre of Linnseus, cultivated at Upsal, and preserved in his 

 herbarium, is really distinct, having still more compound leaves, 

 whose leci/Iets have perfectly linear and very narrow segments, 

 running down into a winged mid-rib, and the aspect of the whole 

 leaf, as well as its paler liue, is remarkable. Of this I can dis- 

 cover no synonyms. Haller's no. 800, Thysselium of Rivinus, 

 t. 19, always mistaken for .S. sylvestre, proves by Reynier's her- 

 barium, and Haller's description, totally distinct from both these 

 Linnaean species, having a bristly stem, and leaves much less 

 compound, v.'ith far broader segments, than either. No wonder 

 that the Swiss botanists have always been in uncertainty respect- 

 ing these plants, as appe:iis from Mr. Davall's notes. 



