S E L 



S E L 



tandria Digynla. Nat. Ord. Umbellate, Linn. Umlellifene, 

 Juff. 



Gen. Ch. General umbel of numerous, flatly-fpreading 

 rays ; partial fimilar. General involucrum of many, lanceo- 

 late, linear, reHexed leaves ; partial fimilar, fpreading, the 

 length of the flower. Perianth fcarcely difcernible. Cor. 

 univerfdl uniform ; all the flowers fertile ; partial of five, 

 heart-rtiaped, equal petals. Slam. Filaments five, capil- 

 lary ; anthers roundifh. Pijl. Germen inferior ; ilyles 

 two, reflexed ; iligmas fimple. Peric. Fruit comprefled or 

 flat, oval, oblong, llriated on each fide in the middle, fe- 

 parable into two parts. Seeds two, oval-oblong, flat on 

 both fides, llriated in the middle, their fides mem- 

 branous. 



Obf. The form of the feeds is liable to variation, and 

 fo is the number of leaves in the involucrum. 



Efl'. Ch. Fruit oval-oblong, comprefled, llriated down 

 the middle. Involucrums reflexed. Petals heart-fliaped, 

 uniform. 



1. S. fyhepe. Wood Milky Parfley. Linn. Sp. PI. 

 !^50. Fl. Dan. t. 412. (" Thcflelinum Plinii ; Lob. 

 ic. 711." Tournef. Inft. 319.) — Stem fmooth. Root 

 fpindle-fliaped, much divided. — Native of Denmark, 

 France, and Piedmont. The whole herb 13 fomewliat 

 milky. Stems numerous, fmooth, llriated. Leaflets linear. 

 Flowers white, in fpreadmg umbels. Seeds oval-oblong, 

 with three, elevated, approxmiating furrows. 



2. S. palujlre. MarOi Milky Parfley. Linn. Sp. PI. 

 350. Engl. Bot. t. 229. — Herb milky. Root generally 

 fingle. Stem folitary. Styles much divaricated after 

 flowering. Petals involute. — Native of marfhes in Great 

 Britain and the north of Europe, flowering in July. Root 

 perennial, fomewhat fpindle-lhaped. Stem folitary, ereft, 

 four feet high, hollow, furrowed, fmooth, leafy, bright 

 purple at the bafe, branched upwards. Leaves alternate, 

 about five or fix on the item, remote, twice or thrice op- 

 pofitely pinnated, and cut -into narrow, pointed, fmooth 

 legments. Stipulas flieathing, reddifti. Umbels large, ho- 

 rizontal, compound, compofed of \\hxt& Jlowers, on pale 

 purplifli footltalks. " The whole plant abounds with a 

 white, bitter, foetid juice, of the confidence of cream, 

 which foon dries to a brownifli refin. The Ruffians are faid 

 to ufe the root indead of ginger." 



3. S. aujlriacum. Auft^rian Selinum. Willd. n. 3. 

 Jacq. Aultr. v. i. t. 71. — Stem furrowed. Leaves of the 

 involucrum wedge-ftiaped, much divided. — Native of Auf- 

 tria and the fouth of Europe, flowering in July. Root 

 perennial, containing a yellowifh-white milk. Stem llriated, 

 fmooth. Radical leaf divided by a round ftalk into three 

 branches, which are again fubdivided. Leaves dark green 

 above, paler beneath. Flowers yellowifli-white, forming a 

 compound umbel, which is ufually made up of about twenty 

 partial ones. 



4. S. /ibiricum. Siberian Selinum. Willd. n. 4. Retz. 

 Obi. falc. 2. 16. — Leaves triply pinnate. Involucrums 

 faded, of nine leaves. — Native of Siberia. Root biennial, 

 fpindle-fliaped. Stem ereft, three feet high, hollow, llri- 

 ated, glaucous. Leaves triply pinnate ; leaflets acute, on 

 comprefled llalks which are chaimelled on the upper fide. 

 Flowers white ; the general umbel compofed of twenty or 

 thirty partial ones. Its root fmells like that of Daucus 

 Carota. 



5. S. Caruiftlia. Caraway-leaved Selinum. Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 350. Jacq. Aullr. v. 1. t. 16. — Stem furrowed, 

 acutely angular. General involucrum none. Leaflets 

 lanceolate, cut, callous and pointed at the tip. — Native of 

 Auftria and Siberia. It flowers at Kew in July and Au- 



guft. Root perennial, fibrous, both tallelefs and fcentlefs. 

 Stem almoll three feet in height, pale green, fimple, occa- 

 fionally with one branch. Leaves pinnate in a compound 

 manner, terminating in a white point. Flowers white, with 

 a tinge of red on the under fide ; the general umbel com- 

 paft, confiding of about twenty partial ones. 



6. S. Cljabrai. CarrotTleaved Selinum. Willd. n. 6. 

 (S. caruifolia Chabraei ; Jacq. Audr. v. i. t. 72.) — Stem 

 round, ftriated General mvolucrum none. Sheathes of 

 the leaves loofe. Leaflets thread-diaped, linear. — Native 

 of Switzerland and Germany. Fird introduced at Kew by 

 E. Daval, efq., in 1791, where it flowers in July and 

 Auguil. Stems about a foot high, fmooth, channelled. 

 Radical leaves refembling thofe of the lad fpecies ; Jlem- 

 leaves fimply pinnate. Flowers white, (lightly purplifh on 

 the outfide. Partial umbels imequal in Cze, much fmaller 

 than in the lad fpecies, generally about" ten in number. 

 Villars has obferved that this fpecies is as it were inter, 

 mediate between Peucedanum and Selinum. 



7. S. Seguieri. Fennel-leaved Sehnum. Linn. Suppl. 

 179. Jacq. Hort. Vind. v. 1. t. 61. — Stem nearly round, 

 furrowed. General involucrum none. Leaflets trifid, 

 linear, pointed. — Native of Italy, flowering in July. Stem 

 much branched, four feet high, obfcurely llriated at the 

 top. Branches oppofite. Leaves oppofite, triply pinnate, 

 fpreading ; leaflets linear, acute, decurrent. Flowers 

 white, the general umbel large and handfome, compofed of 

 about forty partial ones. 



8. S. Mannieri. Annual Selinum. Linn. Sp. PI. 351. 

 Jacq. Hort. Vind. v. i. t. 62. — Umbels crowded together. 

 General involucrum reflexed. Seeds with five membranous 

 ribs. — Native of the fouth of France, flowering in July and 

 Auguft. Rost annual. Stem eredl, two or three feet high, 

 fometimes purplifh, with numerous dreaks. Leaves fmooth, 

 bipinnate ; leaflets deeply pinnatifid. Flowers greyifli- 

 white, forming a clofe conipaA general umbel. 



9. S. decipiens. Madeira Shrubby Sehnum. Willd. n. 9. 

 " Schrad. Sert. Hannov. fafc. 3. 23. t. 13." — Stem woody, 

 naked below. Lower leaves bipinnate. Leaflets lanceo- 

 late, entire, unequally ferrated. — Native of Madeira, flower- 

 ing in June and July. Stem an inch thick. Leaves re- 

 fembling thofe of Angelica, wide and bipinnate. Sheathes 

 widened, toothed. Involucrum many-leaved. 



10. " S. canaden/e. Canadian Selinum. Purfli v. I. 192. 

 (Apium bipinnatum ; Walt. Fl. Carn. 115.) — Herb very 

 fmooth, fhining. Leaves bipinnate. Leaflets much di- 

 vided ; fegments lanceolate. Fruit oval. — On the mouths 

 of large rivers from Canada to Carolina, flowering in July. 

 Flowers white." This fpecies is adopted on the authority 

 of Mr. Purfli, who has referred it from Apium to the pre- 

 fent genus. 



Selinu.m, in Ancient Geography, a town of Egypt, in 

 the Thebaid, on the other fide of the Nile, between Panum 

 and Anten, according to the Itinerary of Antonine. 



SELINUS, or Selinuntum, a town of Sicily, fouth- 

 ead of Mazarum, on the fouthern coalt. It was founded by 

 a colony from Hybla, another town of Sicily, 100 years 

 before the dedrudlion of that city by Gelon. In its vi- 

 cinity were many palm-trees, whence arofe the epithet of 

 palmofa given to it by Virgil. It was dedroyed, a httle 

 before Himera, by Hannibal, who took it by dorm, and 

 treated the inhabitants with great barbarity, maflacreing a 

 great number, and carrying the red into captivity. The 

 inhabitants had confecrated to the Olympian Jupiter a trea- 

 fure, in which, among other rarities, was a llatue of 

 Bacchus, the face, hands, and feet of which were made of 

 ivory. It appears to have been deftroyed in the year of 



Rome 



