S P 1 



Perk, a globular, one-celled, fucculent drupa. Seed. Nut 

 globularly depreired, wrinkled, ftriated and tuberculated 

 longitudinally, two-celled. Kernels folitary, oblong, more 

 gibbous outwardly, tuberculated and ftriated longitudinally, 

 each affixed to a fleftiy tunic, gibbous on one fide, hollow 

 on the other, adhering to the partition. 



Etr. Ch. Calyx five-cleft. Limb five-cleft, its mouth 

 clofed with hairs. Stigma hooked. Drupa containing a 

 two-celled, tuberculated nut. 



I. S. afrkana. Ilex-leaved Spielmannia. Willd. n. I. 

 Ait. n. I. (Lantana africana ; Linn. Sp. PI. 875. .laf- 

 minum africanum, iHcis foho, flore folitario ex ahs folionim 

 proveniente; Commel. Rar. 6.) — Native of the Cape of 



Good Hope It flowers from February to November. — 



Stem fhrubby, five or fix feet high, fending out numerous 

 irregular branches. Leaves oval, thin, embracing the item, 

 ferrated, pointed, vifcid, fragrant ; upper ones alternate. 

 Flowers folitary, one from the bofom of each leaf, white, 

 fomewhat refembling thofe of Jeifamine. Fruit globular, 

 infipid. 



Adanfon long ago formed a new genus of this plant, 

 which he called Oftin. 



SPIE RINGS, N., in Biography, born at Antwerp in 

 1633, was a painter of landfcape, who formed his ftyle on 

 the ftudy of the works of Salvator Rofa, and particularly 

 remarkable as one of thofe who produced a portion of the 

 Bumberlefs piftures fold as his all over Europe. 



SPIETZ, in Geography, a town of Switzerland, in the 

 canton of Bern, fituated on the W. coaft of the lake of 

 Thun; 25 miles S.S.E. of Bern. N. lat. 46'=' 41'. E. 

 long. 7° 33'. 



SPIGELIA, in Botany, fo called by Linnoeus in comme- 

 moration of an old botanift, of confiderable note, Adrian 

 • Spigelius, who was born at BrufTels in 1578, and who 

 died at Padua, where he was profeflor of anatomy and 

 furgery, in 1625. His work, entitled Ifagoge in rem her- 

 bariam, appeared at Padua in 1606, and another edition at 

 Leyden in 1633. (See Spigelius.) — Linn. Gen. 84. 

 Schreb. no. Willd. Sp. PI. v. i. 824. Mart. Mill. 

 Dift. V. 4. Ait. Hort. Kew. v. i. 317. JufT. 143. 

 Purfh N. Amer. 123. Lamarck Illultr. t. 107. — Clafs 

 and order, Pentandria Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Stel/ata /S, 

 Linn. Gentian<e, Jufl. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, of one leaf, deeply 

 five-cleft, pointed, fmall, permanent. Cor. of one petal, 

 funnel-fliaped ; tube much longer than the calyx, nar- 

 rowed towards the bafe ; limb Spreading, cloven into five 

 broad, pointed fegments. Stam. Filaments five, fimple; 

 anthers fimple. Piji. Germen fupenor, compofed of two 

 globes ; ftyle folitary, awl-fhaped, the length of the tube ; 

 ftigma fimple. Peric. Capfule two-lobed, of two cells and 

 four valves. Seeds numerous, very minute. 



Eff. Ch. Corolla funnel-fhaped. Capfule of two glo- 

 bular cells, with many feeds. 



1. S. Anthelmia. Annual Worm-grafs. Linn. Sp. PI. 213. 

 (Anthelmenthia quadriphylla ; Brown Jam. 156. t. 37. 

 f. 3-) — Stem herbaceous. Upper leaves in fours. — Native 

 of the Weft Indies and South America. It flowers in 

 July. — Root annual, fibrous. Stem herbaceous, a foot and 

 half high, channelled, branched. Leaves oppofite, in pairs, 

 thofe which terminate the branches four together in the 

 form of a crofs, ovate, pointed. Flowers in fhort, her- 

 baceous, cluttered fpikes, ranged on one fide of the 

 footftalk. 



2. S. marilandica. Perennial Worm-grafs. Willd. n. 2. 

 •' Hope Aft. Edin. 1771, v. 3. 151. t. i." Curt. Mag. 

 t. 80. Woodv, Med. Bot. 288. t. 105.— Stem fquare. 



I 



S P 1 



Leaves all oppofite. — Native of North America, on the 

 edges of woods, in rich moift fituations, flowering in July 

 and A\iguft. — Root perennial, fibrous. Stems herbaceous, 

 ereft, fix or eight inches high. Leaves oppofite, feWile, 

 entire, fmooth, fpreading. Flowers large, and extremely 

 handfome, in a terminal fpike, all on one fide of the foot- 

 ftalk, of a bright red or rich fcarlet on the outfide, yellow 

 or orange-coloured within. 



The Englifti name of this genus, Worm-grafs, is derived 

 from the peculiar efficacy of both the fpecies as a medicine 

 for perfons afRifted with worms. Dr. Brown, in his 

 Hiftory of Jamaica, fays that no other fimple is equally 

 efficacious with S. jinthelmia for this purpofe, ami Mr. 

 Purfti informs us that the roots of S. marilandica are m 

 great cftimation, and fold under the name of Pink-root. 



Spigelia, in Gardening, comprifes plants of the annual 

 and perennial kind, the cultivated fpecies of which are, the 

 American worm-grals ( S. anthelmia), and the Maryland 

 worm-grafs (S. marilandica). 



Metliod of Culture. — The firft fort, which is annual, and 

 not hardy in its nature, is increafcd by fowing the feeds 

 of it upon a hot-bed, or in fmall pots plunged into one, ia 

 the early fpring feafon, treating the young plants after- 

 wards in the manner of thofe of the tender annual fort. 



In the fecond fpecies, which is perennial, and fomewhat 

 hardy, as it does not ripen its feeds well in this climate, it 

 muft be propagated by parting the roots in the autumnal 

 or fpring months, and putting them in feparate pots, er 

 placing them out in warm fituations. 



The latter kind of thefe plants, which have the outfides 

 of their flowers of a bright red colour, and the infides of a 

 deep orange caft, produce a fine ornamental effeft, as they 

 make an elegant and beautiful appearance during the 

 fummer months, when placed in coUeftions with others. 



Spigelia, in the Materia Medica, the root of the fpigelia 

 marilandica, or worm-grafs root, imparts its bitter tafte to 

 boiling water. It is purgative and anthelmintic ; the latter 

 property having been difcovered by the Cherokee Indians, 

 who call it " Unftretta," and many opportunities having 

 occurred in this country, as well as America, for evincing 

 its efficacy in worm cafes. In the recent ftate, and admi- 

 niftered in fmall dofes, it occafionally produces giddinefs, 

 dimnefs of fight, and even convulfions ; and thefe effefts 

 are afcribed to its narcotic principle, the aftion of which 

 its powerful cathartic property prevents, when the dofe is 

 large. It is ufual to adminifter an emetic previous to the 

 ufe of it ; and to affift its purgative operation by adding 

 two or three grains of calomel, or eight or ten of rhubarb. 

 Its power in expelling lumbrici has been moft perceptible ; 

 and in vinous infufionsof it, it is faid to have been beneficial 

 in intermittents. Dr. Barton alfo recommends it in the 

 protrafted remitting fever of infants, which often lays the 

 foundation of hydrocephalus. This root may be admi- 

 niftered either in fubftance, or in the form of aqueous in- 

 fufion. The dofe of the pulverized root may be from 

 grs. X to 3j, given every night and morning till the worms 

 are expelled. Woodville. Thomfon. 



SPIGELIUS, (or Vanden Spieghei,) Adrian, in 

 Biography, an eminent phyfician, was born at Bruflels in 

 1578. He ftudied philofophy and medicine firft at Louvain, 

 and afterwards at Padua, where he received the degree of 

 M.D. He became thoroughly fltilled in every branch 

 of his profeffion, and particularly in anatomy and furgery ; 

 and after travelling for fome time to the different fchools 

 of Germany, he fettled in Moravia, where he was foon ap- 

 pointed phyfician to the ftates of the pnivince. He had 

 there attained to the higheft reputation, when he was invited, 



in 



