236 SYNGENESIA POLYGAM. SUPERF. GnapMlium, 



Stems hard, in tufts about one f., furrowed, leafy. Plant pale^ 

 whitish green. Ls. alternate, doubly wing-cleft, edges entire. 

 Fl. in a leafy panicle, broad. Plant intensely bitter, and 

 strongly aromatic. Ls. root-ones thrice wing-cleft. Stalk-Is. 

 twice wing-cleft ; floral spear-shaped, undivided. Ls. green 

 above, white underneath. 



A substitute for hops. The oil used to destroy worms. The 

 leaves destroy the sharpness of sour beer, as does the salt. Infu- 

 sion of the leaves, combined with a salt, strongly diuretic in some 

 dropsical cases. The long continued use of bitters, destroys the 

 tone of the stomach. See C'ullen. The flesh of sheep, and the 

 milk of cows, rendered bitter, by eating this plant. Turkies fond 

 of it. A fomentation of the plant, steeped in boiling w^ater, good 

 recent and repeated application to a bruise. Witli. Sfc. Smell of 

 the plant will drive away ants. Scopoli. Often laid in drawers 

 and chests in the covmtry to drive away insects. 



A. vulgaris. Mugwort, Leaves wing-cleft, flat, cut ; 

 (segments long, opposite,) downy beneath. Clusters 

 simple. Flowers egg-shaped. Receptacle naked. E. 

 B. 978. A. mater'herbarum. G. E. 1103. 



Waste ground, hedges, borders of fields. 

 Per. August. 



Stems three or four f., leafy, branched, with numerous, longitudi- 

 nal, purplish ribs. Ls. alternate, somewhat lyrate, smooth, and 

 dark gi-een above ; cottony and very white beneath ; three- 

 lobed at the end. Fl. in axillary, simple, leafy spikes, or clus- 

 ters, erect, or straddling, egg-shaped, stalkless. Floral-Is. undi- 

 vided, linear, spear-shaped. Florets longer than the calyx. 

 Stems sometimes green. Plant weakly aromatic, shghtly bitter. 

 Pliny, according to Gerarde, ascribes an extraordinary influence 

 to this plant, worthy the attention of modern travellers, if they 

 could believe, or feel its power : " The traveller or wayfaring man, 

 that hath the herb tied about him, feeleth no wearisomeness at 

 all!" G. 1104. The cottony covering of the herbage, rubbed 

 off, forms the moxa of the Japanese, for performing actual cautery. 

 Lightfoot remarks that the moxa is prepared from the pith, (me- 

 dulla) of the stalk. The young leaves eaten as a pot-herb by the 

 Highlanders. Light/. Moxa prepared by beating, and rubbing 

 the dried tops and leaves of this plant between the hands, until 

 only the fine, internal, woolly fibres remain, which are then 

 combed and formed into little cones. 

 Sheep fond of this plant. 



GNAPHALIUM.' Cudweed.^ 



*' Caly.v white, or reddish. 



G. dioicum. Mountain C. Shoots trailing. Stem 



1 So called from gnuphalon, Gr. down, or vvoolliness. 



- From its supposed power to excite rumination in cattle. Ray. 



