The BRITISH HERBAL. 
8r 
3. Purple bulbous Wood Sorrel. 
Oxys purpurea bulbofa. 
The root is a little, bulb, compofed of feverdl 
‘parts, in the manner of that of a lilly, and has a 
tuft of tender fibres growing from its bottom. 
The leaves ftand three on a footftalk, as in the 
‘common kind, and are of the heart-fafhioned 
fhape: the footftalk is flender, weak; and re- 
difh. 
‘The flowers ftand fevetal together on the top 
of a naked ftalk: this is taller and more ro- 
buft than the footftalks of the leaves, but not at 
all branched ; nor-are there any leaves on it. 
The flowers are large, and of a_ beautiful 
purple. 
The feed-veffel is long, edged, and angulated. 
It is a native of Virginia, and flowers in 
April. 
Plukenet calls it Oxys purpurea Virginiana ra- 
dice lillii more nucleata. 
4. Small-leaved Wood Sorrel. 
Oxys foliis minioribus ramofa. 
The root is roundith, large, and inade up of 
feveral heads, like the lilly-root. 
The firft leaves are fmall, and very numerous: 
they rife in a little clufter, without any vifible 
footftalk ; three ftand together, and they are 
fall, fharp+pointed, and yellowith. 
In the centre of thefe rifes the ftalk, and they 
foon after wither ; fo that there does not remain 
the leaft matk there ever were any. — 
The ftalk is upright, firm, branched, and four 
or five’inches high. 
The:leaves ftand thick upon it from top to 
bottom: they grow three together without any 
footftalk, and are fhort and pointed. 
G E 
Nii WetS 
From the bofoms of the uppet leaves rife fmall 
and flender footftalks of 4 confiderable length ; 
on each of which there is 4 fingle flower: this is 
large, and of a beautiful purple. 
The feed-veffel is long, ridged, and pointed. 
It is a native of fEthiopia, and flowers in 
May. 
Burman Calls it Oxalis bulbofa foliis angiftis ter 
nis hirtis lore purpureo. - 
5. Great-flowered Wood Sotrel;. 
Oxys flore maximo, 
The root is long and flender : it runs obliquely 
under the furface; and has freqiient little bulbous 
heads growing to it, and numerous clifters of 
fibres. 
The leaves aré numerous, and not unlike thofe 
of our common wood Sorrel: they ftand three to- 
gether on long, tender footftalks, and are heart- 
fafhioned, and of a pale green. 
Among thefe rife feveral tenders naked ftalks.. 
taller than thofe of many of the leaves; and on 
each of thefe ftands 4 fingle flower. 
This is of a:pale purple, very large, and very 
beautiful ; and confifts, like the others, of a 
fingle petal; fo deeply cut into five fegments, that 
they feem abfolutely difting, 
The {eed-veffel is long and pointed. 
It.is a native of Aithiopia, and flowers in May, 
Commelin calls it Oxys dulbofa Atthiopica minor 
folio:cordato, Others, Great-flowered oxys. 
The leaves of all thefe foreign kinds have the 
fame four tafte with thofe of the common OXYS, 
fome in a.greater, fome in a leffer degree ; but 
not one of them excels our own, They pro- 
bably have all the fame virtues, »differing only in 
Proportion to the.degree of acidity we perceive in 
their .taftes. 
XXII. 
MILKWORT. 
P.O LY GALA, 
6 Bee flower confifts of ‘a fingle ‘pétal; divided to the bottom into four parts; fo that it appears to 
be formed of fo many diftiné& petals: the feed-veffel is a capfule of a compreffed, heart- fafhioned 
fhape : the/cup is compofed of three leaves; itwo of which ftand below, -and the other three above the 
flower. 
This .is .a perplexing «plant to -moft.of the fyftem-makers. 
Its flower is very fingular in form; 
therefore it has béen.called an irregular one, and mioft have fuppofed the fegments fo many diftiné 
petals. 
Linnaus places it among his diadelpbia oftandria, the threads)inithe flower ‘being eight; and col- 
le€ted into two clufters; as if. they rofe from two heads: 
Ray has ranged it better than any: he found that the fegments ;united:at the bottom, and the 
flower truly confifted of ‘4 fingle petal, and thatithe feed-veffel was fingle; he therefore juftly made 
it one of his Herbe fratiu ficco fingulari flore monopetala. 
DIVISION 1. 
i. Blue-Aowered Milkwort. 
Polygala vulgaris. 
The root is long, flender, divided into many 
\parts, fpreading, and -furnifhed with numerous 
fibres. 
Nr 8. 
4 
BaR T Pel SH YS) PebeGaic ens: 
The :firft Jeaves are numerous, broad, and 
fhort :,they.grow.in little clufters upon the young 
fhoots, and have no footftalks. 
The ftalks rife among thefe, and often thofe 
fhoots themfelves lengthen : into ‘ftalks : ‘they are 
numerous, weak, procumbent, and of a -pale 
2¢ green ; 
