rrr hig 
BRT 1 Soi ER ae 165 
leaves of this plant, covered with a froth of its 
own raifing. This has been imagined to proceed 
' from the plant, and thence it had thefe fanciful 
- additions to its name; but it is in reality the 
creature’s method of fecreting or preferving itfelf 
from many infects, to which it would « otherwife 
become an eafy prey. ay . 
x Heath-leaved Seat bin, r # 
Lychnis maritina erica fo Vg 
The root is long, hard, wegen “and fro 
with long and tough fibres. 
The ftalks are numerous, round, ae Ba: 
pale green, but frequently redifh. gia 
they are very fingular in their ftruéture, and have 
~fome remote refemblance of thofe of the com- 
mon heath. 
The flowers grow at the chag of the ftalks and 
branches; and are large, and of a bright red. 
“The feed-veflels are large and oval ; and bs 
feeds are numerous and turgid. 
‘It is found on fandy banks 2 fea, and 
fometimes at confiderable diftances om it. ok 
flowers in June. Se as 
C. Bauhine calls it Poly umn maritimum 1 minus 
folio ferpylli, and Parkin{fon, ‘Erica Jupina mari- 
tina Anglica. Pa J 
Mr, Ray very properly gulttves that its leaves 
have not the leaft refemblance of thofe of ferpy/- 
lum, nor its flowers of thofe of heath : “is pro- 
~ perly a campion, though fo very different in its 
afpect from the generality of others, that it is 
~ not awonder thofe who were accuftomed to judge, 
more by the general appearance of a plant than 
_ by an examination of its flowers and feed- veffels, 
: called i it by very different and various names. 
4, Jagged. lowered Guabies 
Lychuis flore laciniato, be 
The root is long, thick, divided, and furnifhed 
with numerous fibres, 
The firft fhoots are weak | oe round, ufually 
of a redifh colour: they lie upon the ground, 
and fend out roots of their own, — # 
The leaves that rife from thefe are f ingle, ob- 
long, -broadeft in the middle, undivided at the 
edges, and fharp-pointed ; and they: are com- 
monly of a brown colour, 
The ftalks are numerous, upright, round, 
a jointed, and two feet high: they are ufually of a 
- va brownifh or purplith colo ab nee are much 
i : branched. 
4 The leaves ftand in pairs: high: are oblong, 
ie narrow, undivided at the edges, and fharp- 
pointed: and they are of a deep green. 
The flowers ftand at the tops of the ftalks, 
fix or eight together ; and they are of a pale red, 
and are cyt into numerous long and flender feg- 
ments. 
The feed-veffel is large and oval : the feeds are 
large and roundith. 
It is common in meadows, and flowers jn 
June, 
Ps C. Bauhine calls it Caryophyllus pratenfis -lacini- 
o, ato flore fi one feu fios cucyli, Others, Lychnis 
4 ¥ NX 4 
_ cumbent, and jointed: they are naturally of a> 
The leaves are numerous, and placed in pairs: 
plumaria pratenfis. In Englith. swe call it Cackewo- 
flower, Wild-Williains, and Ragged Robins. 
It is fometimes found’ wild with a double 
flower. Culture eafily gives it this advantages 
and renders ‘it very beautiful: we have it in this 
condition frequent in our pia and varying 
with red and white Bowers. 
5. Wild Campion, called Soapwort, 
Lychuis faponaria dia, 
bei thick, and fpreading bres. 
The ftalks are nomerous, round, upright, and 
two feet and a half hich. 
They are of a pale green colour, and jointed ; 
and the knobs, or Joints, are round, thick, and 
white. 
~The leaves are large, and of a beautiful freth 
green: they ftand in pairs, and have large veins, 
The flowers are large, and foinetimes: redifh: 
they ftand in confiderable numbers on the tops of 
the ftalks. 
The feed-veffel is large and oval ; and the feeds 
are numerous. . 
Jt is not uncommon in many of our counties, 
and thrives beft under a damp hedge. It flowers 
ins Junes = 
We fometimes meet with it naturally with a 
double flower, in which cafe it is very beautiful, 
Linnzus, who frequently perplexes the fludent* 
The root is compofed of a great number of 
by joining together feveral genera, which others, . 
with reafon, have treated as diftint, here runs 
tothe oppofite extream. He feplitéves Saponaria, 
or foapwort, from the hebnis; but the diftinc- 
tion is not properly that of one genus from ano- 
ther, but of the feparate fpecies of the fame 
genus. Ray has followed nature with more care, 
whos joins this with the. cbnis sand the generality 
of authors are of the fame opinion, ranking it 
under this genus. We are the more careful to 
follow Ray rather than Linnzeus in this article, 
becaufe the latter not only feparates the feponaria 
from Jychnis, but joins with it feveral other 
fpecies, the vaccaria, ocymeides, and others, to be 
named hereafter, 
It is true that the /zpsneria has but two ftyles 
upon the capfule, and the other fpecies hitherto 
defcribed have five; but ic muft be fufficient to 
name fuch a variation in the defcription of it as a 
fpecies. We have, in the fame manner, kept 
together the /ychiis's, though feparated by this 
author, asin other inftances of a like kind, 
After defcribing the /oapwert, we are here 
alfo to mention a particular variety of that plant, 
defcribed by our Englith botanifts, and preferved. 
in our gardens. This, though no more than we. 
have called it, a variety, yet is fo ‘fingular that 
we have added its figure. The two Jeaves at the 
knots frequently join into one, which furrounds 
the ftalk in a particular manner; and the flowers 
vaty in the fame manner as the leaves; for their 
five petals unite, and the whole forms a tubular 
flower, 
Ic was originally found wild in a grove near 
Lichbarrow in Northamptonfhire; but it is now 
loft there, only the common foapwort being found ° 
in the place. Probably the roots were all taken 
up and carried into gardens: they have been 
Una there. 
