G R A 



entirely new fpecles from New Holland. We (lull confin? 

 curfclvca to an account of fncli as are certain, witli com- 

 pendious remarks on a few of the rell. 



1. G. offtcinalis. Linn. Sp. PI. 24. Fl. Dan. t. 36;?. 

 Woodv. Med. Bot. t. 47. BuUiard t. 130. Ehrli. PI. Off. 

 II. (Gratiola; Matth. Valgr. v. 2. 58. Rivin. Monop. Irr. 

 t. 106.) — Leaves ovato-lanceolate, ferrated, five-ribbed, 

 fmootli, fomcwhat longer than the flower-llalks. — Native 

 of moill places in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, France, 

 and Greece, flowering in June. Tiie roots are perennial, 

 rather creeping. Whole herb fmooth. Stems anmial, af- 

 cending or ercft, twelve or eighteen inches high, leafy, 

 round, pale and very fleek, generally fimple. Leaves nu- 

 merous, oppofite, feflile, dotted, above an inch long, ovato- 

 lanceolate, bluntilli, with many fliallow tooth-like ferratures 

 in tlie upper part, and five, rarely feven, parallel ribs, of 

 Avhich the middle one is the moil confiderable. Stipul/u 

 none. Flcwers pale lilac, with an orange tube, inodorous, 

 fcarcely an inch long, on fimple, folitary, axillary ftalks, 

 vvliich are generally about half the length of the leaves, 

 often more, and bear a pair of bratleas clofe to the flower, 

 Ly fome taken for additional parts of the calyx ; thefe are 

 fpreading and a little toothed — This fpecies, a ilrangcr to 

 Britain, is the original one, celebrated for its purgative 

 virtues, whence the Frencli call it Poor-man's herb, on 

 account of its cheapnefs and efficacy. Indeed its ufe re- 

 quires great caution, and a plentiful adminillration of warm 

 water, butter, or oil, at the fame time. A fcruple of the 

 dried herb is mentioned as a fuflicient dofe, but its uncer- 

 tainty, and its emetic properties, have juiUy brought this 

 medicine into difufe, tiiere being fo many more unexcep- 

 tionable drugs for the fame purpofe. Its flavour is nau- 

 feous and intenfely bitter. 



2. G. pUofa. Midi. Boreali-Amer. v. i. 7. Vahl. n. 16. 

 {G. peruviana; Walt. Carol. 62 ) — Leaves ovate, crenate, 



h.airy as well as the item. Flowers axillary, nearly felfile 



Native of moill places in South Carolina, flowering in May. 

 Stem fimple or branched, near a foot high, fquare, leafy, 

 ▼ery hairy. Leaves ovate, not an inch long, iomewhat 

 heart-fhaped and clafping the Hem with their bafe, bluntilh, 

 *rith two or three dillant teeth on each fide, fringed, dotted, 

 and hairy. Fh-jjers nearly fefPile, white, with a pair of 

 fpreading braCleas, which are fringed like the calyx. 



3. Qj . peruviana. Linn. Sp PI. 25. (G. latiore folio, flore 

 albo; Feuill. Peruv. v. 3. 23. t. 16.) — Leaves ovate oblong, 

 toothed, downv, obfcurely five-ribbed. Flowers axillary, 

 feflile. — Native of Peru, Mexico, and the Brazils. The 

 ■whole herb is more or lefs downy. Stem a fpan high, an- 

 gular, moftly fimple. Leaves oblong, fomewhat ovate, 

 various in breadth, bluntilh, obfcurely five-ribbed, the 

 margin fnrni/hed witli dillant teeth. Flowers white, nearly 

 or quite feflile, fliorter tlian the leaves, with a pair of brac- 

 teas very like, and abov.t equal to the calyx, ftrongly coun- 

 tenancing the idea of their being properly calyx-leaves. 



4. G.hitifolia. Brown n. I — " Smooth. Leaves ovate, 

 obtufe, oblcurely crer.ate or entire. Flowerj fefTJe.'' — 

 Native of the neiglibourhood of Port Jackfon, New South 

 Wales, and of Van Diemen's land. 



^. G. pubej'eeiu. Brown n. 2. — "Clothed with glandular 

 hairs. Leaves lanceolate, toothed. Flowers nearly lelfile.'" — 

 Native of Port Jackfon, the fouth coall of New Holland, 

 and Van Diemen's land. 



6. G. p.ihiMulata. Brown n. 3, — " Clothed with pow- 

 dery down. Leaves lanceolate, toothed in their forepart, 

 fcarcely longer than the flowcr-llalk." — Native of Port 

 Jackfon. 



Mr. Brown announcet the exillencc of a few unpublilheJ 

 Vol.. XVI. 



C R A 



fjiecics, natircs of North Am-rica, of wliich we know 

 nothing further. He menliona the Linnxan G. hjp'jpoidet 

 and roliinil'tfoH/i as fpecies of Lindrmia with two barren 

 ftamen-, undoubtedl)'a variabl.r circumftance in tjiis tribe, 

 and conllituting no generic dillinftion. G. ATonnieria ii la* 

 Herpjlis, and has the appearance of a good genus. 



With refpeft to fome other fpecies. 



G. limfijl'ta. Vaid. n. 4 (Digitalis linifolia lufitanica pa- 

 luftris; Tourn. Inft. 165.) — " Leaves linear, entire. Flower. 

 ilalks axillary, the length of the leaves." — Native of Por- 

 tugal. This fcems an unqi;e(lionab!e Gratiola, near the 

 ojjie'mnlis, with which it agrees in qualities, but differs in 

 leaves, and in the flowers not being more than one-tlurd the 

 fize of that fpecies. 



G lobeiio'ules of Retzius, Vahl. n. 10, has neither the 

 habit, calyx, nor bradeas of this genus. 



G. trijida. Willd. n. 9, feems to agree in all thofe pointi 

 with Mr.Brown's Limnophita, the Hotlonia injiea of Lin- 

 nius. 



G-lucida. Vahl. n. 17. {Capraria crufacea oi Linnxus), 

 is referred by Mr. Brown to Torenia, a genus Iiithcrto not 

 much underltood. 



GuATioL.v 0/f,:inalis, HeJge-HyJfops, in the Materia Mt- 

 d'tca, is a i)laHt to which various medical virtues have been 

 afcribed. The firll acco-int of its cultivation in Britain, it 

 that given by Turner in 1568, though it is faid that the firft 

 botanill who mentioned it was Matt!:iolus. It has a ftrong 

 bitter naufeous talle, with but little or no odour; and it» 

 virtues are extraeled more pcrfeelly by aqueous than by 

 fpirituous menllrua. It refembles digitalis both in the 

 fliape of its flowers, and in its medicinal effedls, and hence 

 has been called Digitalis minima. It is certainly a powerful 

 and aftive cathartic, and operates fo violently as generally 

 to induce vomiting ; and on this account, Chomcl thought 

 it to be a medicine adapted only to the more vigorous and 

 robull conftitntions. Many others, hosvever, recommend 

 it as a fafe and ufetiil purgative. But as its efi^ecls are un- 

 certain, it fliould be adminillered with the precaution of a 

 gradual increafe of its dofe. This plant has been commonly 

 ufed in hydropical cafes ; and in moderate dofes it is faid not 

 only to ad as a hydragogiie, but alio to mariifell a diuretic 

 character ; and inllances of its good effecls in afcites and 

 anafarca are related by many refpeclable practical writers. 

 Gelner and B-rgius fjiind a fcruple of the powder to be a 

 fulficient dole, as in this cafe it frequently excited naufea 

 or vomiting ; others have gi\cn it to lialf a dram, two fcrn- 

 ples, a drain, and even o-.ore. The extrart is (aid to be 

 more cfiicacious than the plant itfelf, and exhibited in the 

 dofe-of half a dram or a dram in dyfcnteries, produces the 

 bell eftetls. Kollrzewlki informs us, that in the holpitali 

 at Vienna, three maniacal patients were pcrfeftly re- 

 covered by its ufe ; and in the molt confirmed cafes of luct 

 venerea, it effected a compleat cure. It ufually aCtcd by 

 increafing the urinary, cutaneous, or faiivary difcharges. 

 Woodv. Mat. Med. 



G RATIOS A, in Geogre^phy^ one of the fmalleft Canary 

 idands. N. lat. 29 l^' . W. long. 13 17'. — Alfo, one of 

 tile Azores illands, about 10 miles long and eight broad- 

 It takes its name from its beautiful appearance, and fertility 

 in corn, fruit, pallure, and cattle, v. itli which it fuppliei 

 Tercera, and feverul of the other iflands. It is well peopled, 

 and has a number of villages ; and tin; coall is defended by 

 forts. The chief place is La Plata. N. hi. 39 2 . W. 

 long. 27 56'. 



GRATITUDE, in Ethics, a virtue difpofiiig the mind 



to an inward fcnfe and outward acknowled^mcul of bone. 



4 lit« 



