The BRIE) SH? Hh ROR RB ALT. 
~ Two-leaved Mitella. 
Mitella caule diphyllo. 
The root is long, thick; and brown: it runs 
under the furface, and has many large fibres. 
The leaves which rife immediately from- ic 
are large, and fupported on long footftalks : 
they are broad, of a dufky green, and a little 
hairy ; finuated, and fharply indented at the 
edges. ; 
The ftalk is flender, uptight, and not at all 
branched: it is two feet high, and of a’ pale 
brown colour. : 
There are two leaves on it, and they ftand near 
its middle, oppofite to one another, and without 
footftalks: they are narrower in proportion to 
No 
215 
their length than thofe from the Toot, and fharp- 
pointed : but they are, in the fame manner, finu- 
ated, and notched at the edges. 
The flowers are placed ina long, flender fpike 
at the top of the ftalk; and are very fmall, and 
as it were fringed, 
The feed-veffel ig fmall,; and the feeds are 
round and black. 
Tt is a native of South America; and flowers 
in June. 
Mentzelius calls. it Cortufa Americana floribus 
minutin fimbriatis.. Others of the later Writers, 
Mitella: feapo diphyllo. fi 
Its virtues are unknown. 
Gi op UP es III. 
CAL TROP. 
TREBUL US: 
BP RE flower is compofed of five regular petals evenly difpofed: the feed-veffel is angulated and 
prickly, and contains numerous feeds: the cup is formed of a fingle piece, 
fegments. 
divided into five 
Linnzus places this among the decandria monogynia ; the threads in the center of éach flower being 
ten, and the ftyle from the rudiment of the fruit fingle. : 
1. Common Caltrop. 
Tribulus vulgaris, 
The root is fmall, long, white, divided, and 
furnifhed with many fibres. 3 
The firft leaves are numerous and pinnated, and 
very much refemble thofe of the common wild 
vetch: each is compofed of feveral pairs of {mall 
leaves, on a middle rib; and thefe are oblong, 
of a frefh green, and fharp pointed. 
The ftalks are numerous, weak, flender, 
branched, and feven or eight inches high. 
The leaves on them are the fame in form and 
ftru€ture with thofe from the root, but fmaller: 
they ftand alternately on the lower part of the 
falk, but frequently are placed in pairs toward 
the top. v 
The flowers ftand on fhort footftalks rifing 
from the bofoms of the leaves, and they are 
{mall and yellow. 
The feed-veffel is thort, angulated, and very. 
prickly ; and there are fome prickles alfo round 
the upper part of the ftalk which fupports it, 
It is frequent in the northern parts of Europe, 
and flowers in’ June. 
C, Bauhine calls it Tribulus terreftris ciceris folio 
Sruftu aculeato, Others, Tribulus terrefiris. 
_ The fingular form of this herb, which re- 
fembles the vetch kind, has led all the common 
Writers on plants to place it among that clafs, 
though the flower and fruit be altogether diffe- 
Tent. It is not a wonder they who judged only 
’ 
by the general face were deceived in this, for it 
has all the afpect of the pulfé kind. é 
2. Great flowered Caltrop, 
Tribulus flore magno, 
The root is compofed of numerous fibres,’ 
The firft leaves are long, Sarge, and beautifully 
pinnated ; each is compofed of eight pair of ‘pin- 
ne, fet on a double rib, with no leaf, but a fmall 
tendril at the end. \ 
The ftalks are numerous, round, upright, not 
much branched, and of a pale green, 
The leaves on them are placed at diftances, and 
refemble thofe from the root. 
The flowers ftand fingly on long footftalks ri- 
fing from the bofoms of the leaves, and they are 
very large and beautiful: they are of a bright 
yellow, and are as big as fall poppies. 
The feed-veffel is fmall and prickly: the feeds 
are numerous, {mall, and fhining. 
It is a native of the warmer parts of America, 
and flowers in July. : 
Van Royen calls it Tribulus foliis offoparium 
conjugalis. ; 
The common caltrop is faid to be cooling and 
aftringent; but thofe virtues are not warranted 
by any known experience. There is another plant 
called by the old writers ¢ridulus aquaticus, and 
the water caltrop; but this is of a different clafs, 
and is therefore properly diftinguifhed by Lin- 
nzus by a different generical name, trapa. 
GEWN U'S 
