T H E 



or more, capillaiy, prominent, as long as tlie calyx, anthers 

 verfatile, luiear, llraight. 



Female, on the fame plant, Cal. Periantli minute, of two 

 ercft, lanceolate, acute, lateral leaves, permanent. Cor. 

 none. Pyi. Gerracn fuperior, globofe ; ilylo lateral, be- 

 tween the calyx-leaves, tliread-fhaped, much longer than 

 the germen ; lligma llmple, curved. Peric. none. Seed 

 folitary, globofe, ieated on a callous annular receptacle, which 

 falls off with it. 



Etr. Ch. Male, Calyx in two revolute fegments. Co- 

 rolla none. iStamens .about twelve. 



Female, Calyx Lateral, of two leaves. Corolla none. 

 Style one. Seed naked, on a deciduous annular receptacle. 



I. Th. Cynocramlie. Dog's Mercury. Linn. Sp. PI. 

 1411. WiUd. n. I. Ait. n. I. Sm. Fl. Gr^c. Sibth. 

 t. 941, unpublidied. (Cyiiocrambe Diofcoridis ; Bauh. 

 Prodr. 59. C. alfinefoha ; Barrel. Ic. t. 335. Alfines 

 facie planta nova ; Column. Pliyt. 28. t. 30. ed. alt. 120. 

 t. 36.) — The only known fpccies, found in wafte ground 

 and the fiflures of rocks, efpecially in fliady or moift places, 

 in the fouth of Europe, as well as in Afia, flowering 

 at almofl all feafons. About Rome and Naples it is 

 very frequent. Its feeds may have been brought, from 

 time to time, into our curious botanic gai'dens, but the 

 plant has no charms, nor any known quality, to render it a 

 popular favourite. The root is annual, fimple, cylindrical, 

 with many fibres below. Stems icveral, fpreading or prof- 

 trate, a fpan long, leafy, fcarcely branched, round, vei-y 

 fmooth and (hining, moftly purplirti. Leaves alternate, 

 ftalked, each with an axillary tuft of fmaller ones, ovate, 

 rather fucculent, an inch, or thereabouts, in length, of a 

 bright fliinlng green, very fmooth on both fides ; roughirti 

 at the edges. Footjlalks almofl; as long as the leaves, 

 dilated at the bafe into an annular toothed Jllpula. Flotuers 

 fmall, whitifli, from the bofoms of the upper leaves. The 

 ealyx of the males is not unlike the corolla of a honey-fuckle 

 in miniature. Seed purplifh -brown, furrowed, not much 

 bigger than muftard-feed. The general afpeft of the plant 

 evinces its affinity to Par'ietar'ia, though the Jloiuers in 



detail are extremely different Dr. Sibthorp's figure has 



but injlamens. We have ufually found more, and authors 

 defcribe from twelve to nineteen. 



That this herb is the >tt.v»-<, or^u«v_^-x,^.iSv, of Diofcorides, 

 there can fcarcely be a doubt. He defcribes it fufEciently 

 well, and informs us that it was fometimes called Wild Male 

 Mercury ; which renders the name of Thelygonum flill more 

 unfuitable ; but Linnaeus did not always fearch deeply into 

 fuch matters, though he will commonly be found quite as 

 learned as mod of his critics or coiTeftors. Diofcorides 

 fpeaks of the plant in queilion as a gentle purge. This 

 probably caufed the Mercurialis to be taken with the fame 

 intention, though at the peril of the patient's hfe, as we 

 have already mentioned in its proper place ; where alfo it 

 may be feen that fome of the eariier European botanifls 

 took that very plant for the •'vm^-ii^Si,. 



THELYMITRA, from SnXv , female, and ^..r^a, a dia- 

 dem, or ornament for the bead. This name of Forfter's, not 

 one of the moii happy, alludes to the cap or hood, orna- 

 mented with a pair of plumy tufts, and covering the imme- 

 diate organs of fruaification Forfl. Gen. t. 49. Swartz 



Aft. Holm. 1800. 228. t, 3. f. L. Ejufd. in Schrad. Neues 

 .Tourn. v. I. 56. t. I. f. L. Sm. Exot. Bot. v. 1. ct. 

 Brown Prodr. Nov. Holl. v. i. 314. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 4. 79. 

 Alt. Hort. Kew. V. y. 200.— Clafs and order, Gynandrla 

 Monandria. Nat. Ord. Orchidea:. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth of three equal, ovato-lanceolate, 

 coloured leaves, exadly refembling the petals. Cor. Petals 



T H E 



two, ovato-lanceolale, the fize of the calyx, and exaftly like 

 it. Neftary a feffile lip, of the fhape, fize, and appearance, 

 of tlie petals and calyx, without a fpur. Stam. Anther pa- 

 rallel to the fligma, permanent, of two cells clofe together, 

 attached to the central lobe of a three-cleft hooded append- 

 age to the column ; " maffes of pollen powdery, pendulous 

 by a thread from the gland of the fligma." Brown. Pifl. 

 Germen inferior, obovate ; flyle fliort, united with the 

 hood ; ftigma in front, obtufe. Perk. Capfule obovate, 

 furrowed, with one cell and three valves. Seeds numerous, 

 chaffy. 



Eff. Ch. Calyx-leaves coloured, the fize and figure of 

 the petals and lip. Column encompalTed by a three-lobed 

 hood. Anther parallel to the ftyle, permanent. 



I. Th. Forfleri. Forfter's Thelymitra. Swartz Aft. 

 Hohn. 1800. 228. t. 3. f. L, c. Willd. n. I. (Th. longi- 

 lolia ; Forfl. Gen. t. 49. Serapias regularis ; Forfl . 

 Prodr. 59.) — Lateral fegments of the hood plumous : in- 

 termediate one vaulted. Clufter many-flowered Ga- 

 thered by Forfter in New Zeeland. The flem is above a 

 foot high, round, ftriated, fomewhat fpiral, clothed with a 

 few Iheatfiing lanceolate leaves. Clufter terminal, ereft, 

 three inches long, of about a dozen upright_^owfrj, fcarcely 

 half the fize of the next fpecies, each accompanied by an 

 elliptic -lanoeolate zcute brciSea, longer than the partial ftalk. 

 Of the colour of thefoiuers we have no information. Their 

 f;ood appears, by the dried fpecimen, as well as Forfter's 

 figure, to have its middle fegment vaulted, convex, and 

 undivided. 



3 Th. ixioides- Large-flowered Thelymitra. Swartz 

 Aft. Holm. 1800. 228. t. 3. f. L, a, b, d— g. Willd. n. 2. 

 Br. n. I. Ait. n. i. Sm. Exot. Bot. v. i. 55. t. 29 — 

 Lateral fegments of the hood plumous : intermediate one 

 three-cleft ; its lateral lobes jagged ; central one fhorteft, 

 cloven, crefted at the back. Clufter many-flowered. — Found 

 In the neighbourhood of Port Jackfon, New South Wales, 

 from whence we received fpecimens and drawings about the 

 year 1790. Mr. G-Caleyfentout plantsto Kew in i8lo,bul 

 they do not appear to have fucceeded there. This is a larger 

 talJer fpecies than the foregoing ; its fowers above an inch in 

 diameter, very handfome, of a fine blue, fpotted, according 

 to Mr. Brown, with a deeper colour. The Ixod is fringed 

 with hairs, juft below the fummit, and overtopped by its 

 two lateral, ftalked, plumous tufts. The calyx, petals, and 

 lip, fprcad almoft equally in both thefe, and, we believe, 

 ail the following fpecies, except our n. 9, Mr. Brown's 

 venofa. 



3. Th. media. Intermediate Thelymitra. Br. n. 2. — 

 " Outer fegments of the hood plumous ; intermediate one 

 naked at the back, three-cleft ; its central lobe emarginate, 

 half the length of the others. Spike (or clufter?) many- 

 flowered." — Gathered by Mr. Brown, near Port Jackfon. 



4. Th. canalictdata. Channelled Thelymitra. Br. n. 3. — 

 " Outer fegments of the hood plumous : intermediate one 

 naked at the back, many-cleft ; lobes corrugated ; the outer 

 one longeft and moft remote. Spike many-flowered." — 

 Found by Mr. Brown, in the tropical part of New Holland. 



J. Th. paaciftora. Few-flowered Thelymitra. Br. n.4. 

 — " Hood half the length of the petals : its outer fegments 

 plumous : intermediate one naked at the back, emarginate, 

 with rounded entire lobes. Spike of few flowers." — Ga- 

 thered by Mr. Brown, near Port Jackfon. 



6. Th. tiuda. Naked Thelymitra. Br. n. 5 — " Hood 

 half tlie length of the petals ; its outer fegments plumous ; 

 intei-mediatc one naked at the back, emarginate, with rounded 

 entire lobes. Spike many-fiowered." — Gathered in the 

 ifland of Van Dicmen, by Mr. Brown. By the above defi- 

 nition, 



