BRITISH HERBAL. 
1. Common Stoechas. 
Stechas vulgaris. 
~ ‘The root is woody, and compofed of nume- 
‘yous fibres, connected to an oblong head. 
The plant rifes in form of a fmall fhrub, two 
feet high, and divided into many branches. 
Thele are fquare while young ; but they lofe 
that form as they grow older and harder. 
The leaves are oblong, narrow, of a whitifh 
colour, and of a very fragrant {mell. 
The flowers grow in thick, fhort fpikes ; form- - 
ing with their cups, and the leaves which fup- 
port them, a kind of fealy head; at the top of 
which ftands a very beautiful leaf, of a deep 
purple. 
‘The flowers are fmall and purple; and the 
whole head has a very fine fmell, and a highly 
aromatick tafte. 
It is a native of France, Spain, and Italy; and 
is alfo abundant in the Eaft. It flowers in 
July. 
C. Bauhine calls it Stecbas purpurea. Others, 
Stechas Arabica, and Spica hortenfis. Our people 
call it Arabian fechas, Caffidony, and fome French 
lavender. 
The fpikes of flowers fhould be gathered for 
GPE. Erten . Uses 
ufe juft before they come into full bloom. T hey 
poffefs the fame virtues with lavender; but they 
are more cordial, and of a lighter and more agrce- 
able flavour. 
2. Jagged-leaved Steechas. 
Stoechas foliis dentatis. 
The root is long, thick, woody, and hung 
round with abundance of fibres. 
The plant is fhrubby, very much branched, 
and two feet high. ; 
The leaves are very beautiful: they are ob- 
long, narrow, and deeply ferrated or notched 
all along the edges. Their colour on the upper 
fide is a lively green, and on the under part they 
are whitifh: the edges often turn, and appear 
curled. The whole leaf has a very fragrant fmell 
and aromatick tafte. 
The flowers are placed in thick, fhort fpikes, 
in the manner of thofe of the common ftachas ; and 
they are {mall and purple. 
The {pike is in the fame manner terminated by 
a purple head, which is formed of three or four 
irregular leaves. 
It is a native of the warmer parts of Europe, 
and flowers in June: 
C. Bauhine calls it Stwchas folio ferrato. 
IV. 
ROSEMARY. 
R 20e8S. MA Ril oN Use Ss 
HE flower is labiated, and is formed of a fingle petal. The tubular part is longer than the 
cup. The upper lip is fmall, and is fplit into two parts, the edges of which turn back. The 
under lip is large, and turns back: it is divided into three fegments; the middle one of which is 
largeft, and is hollowed. The cup is divided into two lips. 
and they ftand naked in the cup. 
The feeds are four after every flower, 
Linnzus places this among the diandria monogynia; the threads in the flower being two, and the 
ftyle fingle. 
Common Rofemary. 
Rofmarinus vulgaris. 
The root is woody, long, divided, and hung 
with numerous fibres. 
The plant rifes into a fmall fhrub: the ftem 
is woody, and is covered with a brown, rough 
bark. The young fhoots are of a greyifh green. 
The leaves are numerous, and of a firm fub- 
ftance : they are oblong, narrow, fharp-pointed, 
not at all indented at the edges, and of a very 
fragrant fmell: they are of a very beautiful 
‘green on the upper fide, and of a filvery grey un- 
derneath. 
The flowers rife in great numbers from the bo- 
foms of the leaves toward the upper part of the 
branches: they are large, and of a pale blue, va- 
riegated with white. 
The feeds are fmall, and of an oblong fhape. 
The whole plant has a fragrant and aromatick 
fmell: it is lighter, and more delicate in the 
flowers, and. ftronger in the leaves. “The tafte 
alfo is warm ‘and aromatick, and not difagree- 
able. 
It is a native of the warmer parts of Europe, 
and flowers in fpring. 
C. Bauhine calls it Rofmarinus hortenfis anguf- 
tiore folio. Others, Anthos; and fome, Liba- 
notis coronaria. 
It is a fhrub of very confiderable virtues. 
It is excellent in all nervous diforders, againft 
vertigoes, dizzinefs of the head, and tremblings 
of the limbs. For this purpofe no form of gi- 
ving it is better than a conferve made of the ten- 
der tops frefh gathered, and beat up with fugar. 
It is alfo good againft obftrutions of the vif- 
cera, and in paralytick diforders. 
Hungary-water is made by diftilling a pure 
fpirit from the tops of this plant, or in a coarfer 
way, by mixing a few drops of its oil in fuch 
a fpiric. 
GENUS 
