Th BRITISH HERBAL. 
265 
DIVISION IL 
1. Pinnate-leaved Water Radith. 
Radicula foliis pennatifidis. 
The root is long and flender: it is furnifhed 
with many fibfes, and pierces to a great depth. 
The firft leaves are very deeply divided in the 
pinnated form; but their fegments are not cut 
quite to the rib, but are united at the bafe by a 
thin flip, running the whole length of the rib: 
they are oblong, and confiderably broad, and of 
a frefh green. 3 
The ftalk is round, green, branched, and weak: 
it rifes to a foot and a half in height, and is of a 
pale colour. 
The leaves on it are numerous, and they have 
the fame divifion in the pinnated form with thofe 
of the root, but it is lefs regular. ' 
The flowers ftand at the tops of the ftalks, and’ 
are {mall and yellow. 
The feed-veffels are fhort, and of an oval figure, 
fwelled, foftened, and full of little brown feeds. 
It is common by waters, and flowers in July. 
C. Bauhine calls it Raphanus aquaticus foliis in 
profundas lacinias divifis. Others, Raphanus aqua- 
ticus vulgaris. 
2. Serrated-leaved Water Radifh. 
Radicula folits ferratis. 
The root is oblong and thick: it creeps under 
the furface, and fends out from different parts 
clufters of flender fibres. 
The firft leaves rife in fall tufts; and 
ufually there are many of thefe form different 
parts of the fame root. They are oblong, broad, 
and of a dufky green; and they are once den- 
tated, and that very deeply near the bafe, the 
reft of their edge being undivided. 
The ftalks rife among thefe, and are round, 
firm, upright, and two feet high, 
The leaves on them are numerous, and they are 
placed irregularly : they are, long, narrow, and 
of a pale green; fharp-pointed, and ferrated at 
the edges, but not deeply. 
The flowers ftand at the tops of the ftalks in 
little tufts, and are large and yellow. 
The feed-veffels are fhort and roundifh: the 
feeds are numerous, fmall, and brown. 
It is common about the fides of ditches, and 
flowers in Auguft. 
C. Bauhine calls it Raphanus aquaticus alter, as 
diftinguifhing it from the preceding ; and moft 
Gee 
Niet Begs 
BRITISH SPECIES, 
authors copy the fame name, though fo very idle 
and unexpreffive. 
Linnzus fuppofes the two plants to be the fame 
{pecies, differing only from accidents of growth; 
the one having more water than the other; and 
fhewing it in the form of the leaves. But this i& 
an error: they differ in the thape of the leaves, 
in the form and difpofition of the roots, and in 
the bignefs of the flowers. More cannot be re- 
quired for the diftin@tion of the fpecies ia any 
one from another. v 
Indeed there will happen forne farther accis 
dental variations under particular circumftances $ 
and from thefe fome have eftablithed imaginary 
fpecies, which it is fit to reduce to the common 
kinds; though not thofe two to one. 
Thus, when a part of the firft fpecies is ¢onti_ 
nually under water, thefe leaves which grow from 
fuch part of the ftalk, will be divided into fine 
capillary fegments, in the fame manner as thofe 
of the various-leaved watet-crowfoot, which aré 
always immerfed under the furface. 
In this ftate the plant has been defcribed by 
Linnzus in fome of his earlier works, and by 
Van Royen, Dalibard, and others, under the 
name of /ifymbrinm, with the lower leaves capilla- 
ceous, and the others pinnatifid, 
In a very dry fituation fome of the upper leaves 
of the fecond {pecies here defcribed will be deeply 
ferrated fo as to appear pinnatifid, 
In this ftate Vallifnieri has defesibed it as a new 
fpecies, under the name of A/jmbrium, with va- 
rious leaves ; and Haller under that of Afymbriunt, 
with the lower leaves oval and ferrated, and the 
upper ones pinnated, 
The reducing thefe to their proper fpecies as 
varieties, for they are evidently nothing more, 
takes off the imaginary foreign kinds of radicula . 
and they are, by the accuftomed and judicious 
eye, eafily referred each to the plant to which 
it belongs: but it is purfuing a juft redu@ion to 
extravagance and error, to defire to make two ab- 
folutely different fpecies pais for one, becaufe each. 
thas its varieties, which may be referred to it, 
This is one of the inftances of that common mif- 
take, the not knowing where to ftop. 
The frefh leaves of the water radio wok by 
urine; and the feeds have the fame quality, but 
in no great or eminent degree. 
The juice is in fome places drank for the feurvy 
with fuccefs, 
xe 
.$ CUR V¥. GRASS, 
COCHLEARIA. 
HE flower is compofed of four petals, difplayed crofs-ways 5 they aré finall, fhort, and of an 
inverted oval figure; they fpread open, and have fhort bottoms. The cup is formed of four 
oval, hollow, little leaves; they gape open, and fall with the flower: the feed-veffel is heart-fa- 
fhioned, and flightly flatted, obtufe at the end, fomewhat rough, and pointed with the remain of 
the ftyle. 
N° XXVIL 
Yyy Linnezus 
