262 
The BRET HSA TH BR BoAPL. 
edges : 
they.are largeft near the bafe, and fharp-.. 
pointed. 
The ftalk is round, firm, upright, confider- 
ably branched, and three feet high. 
The leaves on this are numerous, and- they 
are placed irregularly : they have long, fender 
footftalks, like thofe from the root; and they re- 
femble them in fhape, but they are fmaller. 
The flowers ftand in great numbers at the tops 
of the numerous branches into which the ftalk 
divides ; and they are fmall and white. 
The feed-veffels are fmall and fwelled: the 
feeds are numerous, very little, and brown, 
It is common in our northern counties, and in 
fome other places, and flowers in July. 
fimply, Lepidium. 
_C.Bauhine calls it Lepidium latifolinm. Otherg 
| 
The whole. plant.has: a violently acrid tafte, 
whence the common people call it pepperqwort, 
: The leaves) chewed; bring . water into the 
mouth, and cure the toothach, Externally it is 
good. againft .the fciatica, and other ftubborn 
pains., The women give a flight decottion of it 
to promote delivery ; but it is not Sreatly to be 
recommended for that purpofe. A flight infy. 
fion of the frefh tops of the plant cut {mall works 
powerfully by. urine, sand brings away gravel, 
In this form alfo it is no indifferent medicine 
again{t fcorbutic complaints. 
DAV Sl OLNoell, eh ORE GUNe SSPSBYC PENS 
Narrow-leaved Dittander, 
Lepidium anguftifolium. 
The root is compofed of numerous thick fibres. 
The firft leaves are very long and narrow: 
they grow in a large tuft, and are of a bluith 
green colour, and not at allindented at the edges. 
The ftalk is round, upright, firm, fcarce atall 
branched, and-two feet and:a half high, 
The leaves on this are-numerous, and ftand-ir: 
Cae. 
Neon Uses 
regularly : they are long and narrow ; but they 
are joined to the ftalk by a broad bate. : 
The flowers ftand at the tops of the branches, 
and they are large and white. : 
The feed-veffel, is {mali and 
feeds are numerous and-minute. 
It is a native of Germany, and-flowers in June. 
C. Bauhine calls it Lepidium glaftifolium. Others, 
Lepidium anguftifolium, and Lepidium erefium. 
brown, “and the 
VIL 
SCTATTCA CRESS. 
T:BOR}R Tg, 
HE flower is compofed of four extremely {mall petals, ofian inverted/oval figure, difpofed oie 
ways, and having very fmall bottoms. 
and hollow, and fall with the fower. 
the feeds are numerous and fmall. 
Linneus places this among the tetradynamia filiculofa ; 
The cup is compofed of four little leaves, which are oval 
The feed-veffel is fmall and flatted, and is fharp 
at the edge: 
but he has dilpofed the plant itfelf in a very 
injudicious manner, and very idly played wich its: generical narne. 
The plant commonly known by the word 
This is a fort of confufion: that, 
extremely wrong. 4 
The plant #eris, which he has without reafon put out/of the genus called after its:namie; 
upon the foundation of his fyftem, have removed alrogethér out! of this clafs, 
as the reft, four;longer and two fhorter, whence the name of the clafs tetrad: 
is therefore in abfolute violation of his eftablithed fy ftem, thati the ideris 
At the fame time it is very plain, that the iberis is one of the, filiculofe; 
to the young ftudent,--will appear inextricable ; andiit-isvin itfelf 
‘iberis he has placed among the aafurtiums, which he 
has called by a new name, lepidium, taking that alfo fro 
in the fame clafs he has another genus of plants, 
ced under the name of iberis, while the Propersideris itfelf is ‘inanother 
m the plant to which it properly belongs: and 
among which many of the thlafpis are introdu- 
che might, 
for it has nét-fix threads, 
‘namia ; but only two: it 
the diftinétion of four longer and two fhorter threads is not an abfolute character of thatoclafsyo:This 
is, one of thofe numerous inftances we have recited occafiona 
that ‘the fyftem of this author, though recommended by its n 
iculty to thofe who are ambitious of underftanding abftrufe th 
or truth. 
fhall be propofed. 
one, genus, and.the filiculofe another. 
rank of claffes ; but it is neceflary, 
gone, thould therefore have remained inviolable. 
The moft ufeful method of treating them is therefore to k 
blithed traé& as a tolerably nice diftinétion will admit. 
Authors have not {een the caufe of this difficulty ; 
plants are indeed but a fingle clafs; and this contains 
We.do a violence to Na 
and in the higheft degree ufeful ; and this having been once 
but itis plainly this: the’ cfudiform podded 
Properly but two genera, the filiquofe making 
ture in erecting: thefe genera into the 
2} toor sriihere 
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