The BRITISH HERS At. 85 
Go hy NG ay 
S XXIV. 
WINTERGREEN., 
edge: OMe As 
HE ‘flower confifts of a fingle petal divided to the bottom into five or nisore fegments 5 there is 
no tubular part, but thefé refembling fo many diftinét'petals, join only ‘at the bafes: the fruit 
is a fingle capfule after every flower ; this ‘is roundifh, deprefiéd, and flightly marked with ‘ridges? 
the cup is very fmall, it is divided into five fegments, and remains with the capfule. 
Linnaus places this among his decandria monogynia, the threads in the centre of the flower being 
ten, and the ftyle rifing from the rudiment of the fruit fingle ; but he feparates fomne of the fpecies, 
DIV 1S LON) 1. 
1. Round-leaved Wintergreen. 
Pyrola foliis rotundis. 
The toot is long, flender, and furnifhied with 
numerous fibres. 
The leaves rife in a clufter, and are very fingu- 
Jar and pretty : they have long, flender foorftalks, 
and are of a roundifh figure, fomewhat approach- 
ing to oval, of a thick fubftance, and a freth 
green colour: they are perfectly {mooth, and di- 
vided at the edges: they in fomé degree refemble 
the leaves of the pear-tree, but are {maller, and 
hence the genus had its Latin name; this being 
the firlt known kind; and that namie is continued 
to the others, though their leaves have nothing of 
that form. 
In the centre of this tuft of leaves rifes a fingle 
ftalk: this is rouiid, firm, upright, and ten inches 
high: it has no leaves on it, except a few narrow 
membranes be called by that namie; and at its 
top fuftains a fpike of flowers. ‘ : 
Thefe are large, white, and very béautifal : 
they have numerous threads in the centre, and a 
long point, which is the ftyle, rifés among them. 
The feed-veffél is large, and the feeds ate nu- 
merous and fmall. 
It is not unfrequent ih the woods of our not- 
thern counties, and flowers in Auguft. We iéet 
with it fometimes in thofe parts of bogey héaths 
which are deep covered with mofs. 
C. Bauhine callsit Pyrola major. Others, Pyréla. 
Our name of wintergreen is given it ftom! the 
frefh appearance of the leaves at the moft dead 
feafons of the year, but it is a very indeterminate 
one, and has led to errors and confufion: ‘The late 
lord Petre, defirous to have this plant, wrote into 
Yorkthire for its feeds, and received what were 
called fuch; they were nurfed with great care, 
and produced wintercre/s Barbarea. Such judges 
are gardeners of the Englifh plants! 
This fpecies is greatly recommended as a vul- 
“nerary. They ufe it im Germany in all their 
wound-drinks, and in many of their ointments 
and plaifters. With us the better knowledge of 
chirurgery has put thefe vulnerary plants much 
out of ule, 
2. Leffer Wintergregn. 
Pyrola minor, 
The root is {mall, long, and furnifhed’ with 
thaniy: fibres: 
The leaves rife twenty or more together;' and 
N° IX. 
BRITISH SPECIES. 
are placed on fhort and flender fodtftalks : they 
are broad, of a roundifh figure, and notched 
lightly on the edges. 
The ftalk is upright, round, ‘and eight inches 
high, and toward the top it divides into feveral 
branches. : : ‘ 
The flowers are large and White, and they 
ftand in clufters upon all the branches : they have 
a tuft of threads in the centre, as the other; bug 
in that they lean, in this they ftand upright, and 
the middle point or ftyle is fhort; not long and 
prominent as in that fpecies, 
The feed-veffel is large, and the feeds are very 
filmerotis and very minute. 
It is common in thé northern parts of Eng- 
land, and flowers in July. ; 
Rivinus calls it Pyréle minor. Others, Pyrola 
Staminibus reétis. 
i 3. Tender Wintergreén. 
Pyrola folio. mutronato Jerrato: 
The root is long, flender and creeping: it ruins 
obliquely under the furface, and fends out at {mall 
diftances tufts of fibres. 
Phe firft leaves; which rife in numerous cluftérs 
from different parts of the root, are oval : they 
ftand oh fhort, flender footftalks, and aré of a 
deép gréeii, and not at all ferrdted. 
Amotig thefe rife the flalks: they are tound, 
flendet, weak, and but ill fuppott themfélves in 
their hight, which is about a foot. 
On the lower part of thefé there are fome of 
thofe fhort, narrow, membranaceous leaves thatare 
on the common wintergreen ftalk but befides thefe, 
there are numerous other large and proper leaves. 
The flowers grow at the top, and are large 
and white: they ftand only on one fide of the 
ftalk when the plant is but moderately nourifh- 
ed, but whén thé root fpreads in a rich; free foil, 
they are more numerous, and ftand on both fides. 
It is a native of the north of England, but not 
common there. } 
C: Bauhine calls it Pyrola folto mucronato ferrato. 
Cltifius; Pyrola fecunda tenerior ; and his name is 
generally adopted by other writers. i 
4. Chickweed-flowered Wintergreen: 
Pyrola alfines flore Europea: 
The root is compofed of numerous threads 
conneéted to a fmall head. 
The firft leaves are few and {mall : they. are 
. Z fhort, 
