120 PENTANDRIA— PENTAGYNIA. Sibbaldia. 



L. catharticum. Linn. Sp. PI. 40 1 . Willd. Sp. PI. v. I. \54l. Ft. 



Br. 344. E?igl. Bot. v. 6. t. 382. Curt. Lond.fasc. 3. t. 19. Mart. 



Rust. t. 135. Hook. Scot. 97. 

 L. n. 839. Hall. Hist. v. 1.374. 



L. sylvestre catharticum. Rail Syn. 362. Ger. Em. 560. f. 

 L. pratense, flosculis exiguis. Bauh. Pin. 214. 

 Chamaelinum subvotundo folio. Barrel. Ic. t. 1165./. 1. 

 Spergala bifolia, lini capitulis. Loes. Pritss. 261. t. 80. 

 Alsine verna glabra, flosculis aibis, vel potius Linum minimum. 



Bauh. Hist. V. 3. p. 2. 455./. 



In dry pastures. 



Annual. June — August. 



Root very small and tapering. Herb smooth. Stei7is 1 or more, 

 slender and delicate ; in the former case very straight and up- 

 right ; in the latter curved, and ascending obliquely ; seldom 

 more than a foot high 3 all bearing many pairs of upright, ob- 

 tuse, bright green leaves, and a spreading, forked, terminal pa- 

 nicle. The pretty little white tremulous ^ou'ers are pendulous 

 before expansion. Calyx-leaves serrated, single-ribbed. Pet. 

 acute, entire. Sfig7nas capitate. 



This plant is bitter, and powerfully, but, as it seemSj not danger- 

 ously, cathartic. Dr. Withering found 2 drams, or more^ in ^ 

 dosej of the dried herb, useful in obstinate rheumatisms, 



181. SIBBALDIA. Sibbaldia. 



Linn. Gen. 155. Juss. 337. Fl. Br. 345. Lam. t.22l. Gcertn. t. 73. 

 Nat. Ord. Senticosce. Linn. 35. Rosacene. Juss. 92. 



Cal. inferior, of 1 leaf; the border in 1 elliptic-lanceolate, 

 veiny, spreading, permanent segments; the 5 innermost 

 largest. Pet. 5, obovate, tapering at the base, inserted 

 into the rim of tlie calyx, shorter than its smaller seg- 

 ments, to which they are opposite. Filam. 5, awl-shaped, 

 shorter than the petals, inserted into the rim of the calyx 

 between them. Anth. roundish, incumbent. Germ. 5, oc-. 

 casionally 10, ovate, compressed, very short. Styles la- 

 teral, from about the middle of each germen, as long as 

 the stamens. Stigmas obtuse. Seeds 5, ovate, smooth, 

 rather compressed, in the bottom of the enlarged, some- 

 what hardened, converging calyx. 



Herbaceous, of humble growth. Leaves ternate. Stiptdas 

 attached to the footstalks. Fl. terminal, corymbose. 



1. ^. pracumfjcns. Procumbent Sibbaldia. 

 Leaflets wedge-shaped, with three terminal teeth, 



