ItUTA. 



Obf. R. graviolens, and fome others, in all except the 

 primary flowers, exclude one-fifth of every part of the 

 fructification. In R. chalepenfis the petal:; are fringed at 

 the bafe. 



EfT. Ch. Calyx in five deep fegnicnts. Petals concave, 

 Receptacle furrounded with ten honey-bearing pores. Cap- 

 fule lobed. Seeds numerous. Anthers fimple. 



I. R. graveelens. Common Rue. Linn. Sp. PI. 548. 

 Willd. n. 1. Ait. n. 1. Bulliard Herb. t. 85. (Ruta; 

 Matth. Valgr. v. 2. 95. R. hortenfis, et montana ; Ger. 

 Em. 1255.) — Leaves repeatedly compound; leaflets ob- 

 long ; the terminal one obovate. Petals entire. — Native of 

 the fouthof Europe. Frequent in the iflands of the Archi- 

 pelago. A hardy fiirub, cultivated, time out of mmd, in 

 our gardens, where it flowers from June to September, and 

 propagates itfelf fpontaneoufly by feed. Theflem is bulhv, 

 riling to the height of leveral feet, round, fniooth, branched. 

 Leaves alternate, ftalked, twice or thrice compound, fmoath, 

 of a deep blueifli glaucous hue ; their leaflets oblong or 

 obovate, entire, tapering at the bale. Stipulas none. Flowers 

 of a rather dull yellow, copious, in terminal corymbofe 

 panicles ; the terminal ones only having the fall number of 

 each of the parts of fructification, while the reft are oftan- 

 drous and four-cleft. Petals jagged at the extremity; an- 

 gular, but not fringed, at the Safe. The Jlamens of this, 

 and perhaps all the other fpecies, are remarkable for their 

 progrelfive approach to the Jligma, over which they in turn 

 drop their pollen and retire. Every part of the plant when 

 rubbed, or touched, has a peculiar acrid pungent fmell, too 

 ftrong to be agreeable. The bruifed leaves excoriate the 

 lips and noftrils, if uicautioufly applied, as they often are, 

 to counteract bad fmells ; rue being fuppofed powerfully 

 to prevent contagion. Its internal ufe is urifafe ; yet we 

 have known it eaten with bread and butter in no fmall 

 quantity ; not altogether with impunity. Botanifts diftin- 

 guifh two varieties ; the wild, which has more oblong leaf- 

 lets, or fegments, and the garden rue, which has rounder 

 ones. Gerarde has tranfpoled the cuts of thefe, borrowed 

 from Dodonxus. 



2. R. montana. Mountain Rue. Ait. n. 2. Willd. 

 n. 2. ( R. lcgitima ; Jacq. Ic. Rar. t. 76. R. fylvettris ; 

 Camer. Epit. 495. R. fylveltris minima ; Ger. Em. 1255.) 

 — Leaves repeatedly compound ; leaflets all linear. Branches 



of the panicle racemofe. Petals entire Native of dry 



hilly fit nations in the fouth of Europe. Dr. Sibthorp 

 found this fpecies in various parts of Greece, and the neigh- 

 bouring countries, and juitly confidered it as the tftrywvov 

 v iw, or Mountain Rue of Diofcorides, for which moil of 

 the commentators of that old writer have miftaken the 

 wild, or narrower-leaved, R. graveolens. This is a hardy 

 perennial herb, rather than a Ihrub, flowering in autumn in 

 our gardens, where, however, though cultivated by Gerarde, 

 it is now rarely to be feen. The plant is known by its 

 more humble llaturc, and efpecially bv the very narrow 

 leaflets. The radical leaves are crowded into a denfe tuft. 

 Moll of the flowers are four-clcft, as in the former. The 

 branches of the panicle are racemofe, and elongated. Cap- 

 fule not half fo big as in the Common Rue. 



3. K. chalepenfis. African Rue. Linn. M ant. 69. Willd. 

 n. 3. Ait. n. 3. Sm. Fl. Grxc. Sibth. t. 368. (R. tenui- 

 foha, florum petalis villis fcatcntibuB ; Morif. feet. 5. t. 35.) 

 . — Leaver, repeatedly compound ; leaflet'; oblong or obovate. 

 Petal . with fringe-like teeth. — Native of Africa, as well as of 

 Zante, and the ifles of the Archipelago. A common green- 

 houfe flirub, flowering at various fcafons, and chiefly dif- 

 tinguifhed from the Common Rue by its larger flowers, 

 whofe petals are copioufly fringed with taper teeth. Many 



of ike flowers are four-cleft, and the foliage varies in breadth, 

 as in that fpecies. 



4. R. pinnata. Wing-leaved Rue. Linn. Suppl. 232. 

 Willd. 11. 4. Ait. n. 4. — Leaves fimply pinnate ; leaflets lan- 

 ceolate, tapering at the bafe, bluntly ferrated. Petals fome- 

 what notched. — Native of rocks in the Canary iflands, from 

 whence it was brought by Mr. Maflon to Kew, in 1780. 

 This is a greenhoule ihrub, flowering in fpring and fummer. 

 It is very diftinft from all the foregoing, reiembling the 

 firlt in fize and injlortfcence, but the flowers are fmaller, with 

 crenate, or (lightly toothed, petals. The leaves are very 

 different, compofed of two or three pair of oppofite leaf- 

 lets, above an inch long, various in breadth, more or lefs 

 obtufe, with unequal blunt ferratures ; the odd one rather 

 the largeft, on a long ftalk. 



5. R. patavina. Three-leaved Rue. Linn. Sp. PI. 549. 

 Willd. n. 5. Sm. Fl. Grxc. Sibth. t. 369, unpublilhed. 

 ( Pfeudo-ruta patavina trifolia, floribus luteis umbellatis ; 

 Mich. Gen. 22. t. 19.) — Leaves ternate, fefiile. Stamens 

 hairy. Germen crelted.— Originally difcovered by Micheh 

 on a hill near Arqua, not far from Padua. Dr. Sibthorp 

 met with it on mount Parnaffus. Linnaeus had no fpeci- 

 men, nor is the plant known in our gardens, fo that it 

 feems not to have fallen in the way of many botanifts. 

 The root is woody and perennial. Stems feveral, a foot 

 high, ereft, round, downy, leafy, branched at the bafe 

 only. Leaves numerous, downy, of a light, rather glau- 

 cous green, alternate, feffile, each compoled of three, nearly 

 equal, narrow, obtufe, entire, flightly revolute leaflets, 

 about an inch long. Flowers five-cleft, in a terminal, denfe, 

 cymofe panicle. Calyx hairy, fpreading. Petals ovate, ob- 

 tufe, entire, of a pale dull yellow, with a green central rib. 

 Stamens ten, not fo long as the petals ; their filaments hairy 

 half way up. Germen iive-lobed, covered with glandular 

 tubercles, and crowned with numerous oblong, notched, 

 crcft-like, leafy feales. 



6. R. linifolia. Broad Flax-leaved Rue. Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 549. Willd. n. 6. Ait. n. 5. Andr. Repof. t. 565. 

 Sm. Fl. Grsec. Sibth. t. 370, unpublifhed. (R. fylveltris 

 linifolia hifpanica ; Bocc. Muf". v. 1. 82. t. 73. f. 3. Bar- 

 rel. Ic. t. 1 1 86. R. montana, foliis iutegris fubrotundis ; 

 Buxb. Cent. 2. 30. t. 28. f. 2.) — Leaves fimple, obovate. 

 Stamens hairy. Germen without a crelt. —Native of Spain, 

 Cyprus, and various parts of Greece. The plant of Bux- 

 baum, gathered by him in fields, after harveft, near Rodof- 

 tro, in Thrace, as far as can he difcerned from his imper- 

 fect figure, does not deferve to be confidered as even a 

 variety. This agrees with the lail in general habit, but is 

 more robull, the flowers more numerous, and of a deeper 

 yellow. Leaves much broader, lefs glaucous, and all (imple 

 and folitary. Stamens much dilated, and very hairy, in 

 their lower part. Germen ronmliih, five-lobed, ten-fur- 

 rowed, rough with fmall granulation", but entirely dellitute 

 of the leafy 'crell, which, though fo remarkable in R.pata 

 •etna, is not expreflcd by the generally exaft Michelt. The 

 nam* of linifolia, ufually alluding to tin- Common Max, is 

 not well adapted to tin- plant we have been defcribing, ex- 

 cept we underlland it :is referring to fome ot the broad- 

 leaved yellow fpecies of l.imtm, between which and this 



Ruta there eyift indeed many points ol refi 



7. R. fruticulofa. Narrow Flax-leaved Rue. Labillard. 

 Syr. fafc. 1. 13. t. 4. Willd. n. 7. (R. orientalis, linarix 

 folio, flore parvo ; Tourn. Cor. 19. Buxb. Cent. 2. 30. 

 t. 28. f. 1.) — Leaves fimple, ovato-lanceolate. Clutters 

 corymbofe, of few flowers. Stamens hairy at the bah-. 

 Germen hairy, without a crell. — Gathered in Syria, near 

 Damafcus, by our worthy friend M. Labillardiere, to 



■, wham 



