556 



A SYSTEMATIG REVISION 



of the 



Genus HERNIARIA 



by 

 Frederic IV. WILLIAMS 



Like many herbs which hâve been abused empirically in the cause of 

 medicine, plants referable to the genus Herniaria hâve been known and 

 described from the very eariiest times. The more or less imaginary 

 virtues of Herniaria glabra are mentioned by the most ancient writers 

 on plants. The greater part of the material for the early history of the 

 genus would be found in the various accounts of this plant. By the Vene- 

 tian herbalist, Luigi Anguillara , it is identified with the EAAEBO- 

 PINHS of Theophrastus, ^ a little herb whose seed was taken with 

 hellebore to promote vomiting. A fuller account is given by Dioscorides ^ 

 under the name of EniIIAKTIS. Phny's^ account of the plant, as mighl 

 be expected, is simply copied from thèse Iwo. The eariiest figure of the 

 species I can find is that of Matthioli *; and the name of Herniaria for 

 the plant was firsl used by Dodoens ^ 



The species of Herniaria are not easy to study, and hâve nothing to 

 recommend them from a horlicultural point of view. Sir J. D, Hooker, in 



* Theophrastus Eresios, De Historia Plantarum, lib. IX, 10, 2 (éd. Theodorus 

 Gaza, Basel, 1550). 



^ Pedacios Dioscorides, De materia medica. (éd. Joannes Haynbut). 



^ Caius Plinius Secundus, Historia Naturalis, lib. XXVII, 52. {Veniee, 1469). 



* Commentarii in libros sex Dioscoridis, p. 953. Polygonon minus. (Valgrisi 

 éd. of 1565, Venice). 



^ Stirpium Historiée Pemptades. {Antiverp, 1583). 



