CHAP. XXI. //YPEItlCA^CE*:. j/ype'ricum. 397 



or more parcels. Fruit, a capsule or berry of many valves and many-cells ; the 

 edges of the valves curved inwards. Seeds attached to a placenta in the axis, 

 or on the inner edge of the dissepiments. Leaves dotted ; in most, opposite 

 and entire. Flowers, in most, yellow. Sap yellow, resinous. (Lindley, Introd. 

 to N. S.) 



Description, Sec. The hardy ligneous plants belonging to this order are all 

 shrubs or undershrubs sub-evergreen or deciduous ; with dotted leaves, 

 smooth, oblong, or lanceolate ; and yellow flowers. They are natives of Eu- 

 rope, JNorth America, or Asia. Some few of Africa, but more of Australia. 

 Medicinally, they are bitter and slightly astringent : the soft parts of many 

 species contain a fragrant oil, and others secrete a yellow juice: from a 

 Mexican species the gum Squitum Gulla of commerce is produced. In gar- 

 dening, these shrubs must be considered more as flowering shrubs for dry bor- 

 ders, than as woody plants of permanent duration in the arboretum or 

 shrubbery. There are, however, one or two exceptions. All the species 

 throw up abundance of side suckers, and are readily propagated by division of 

 the plant, or by cuttings; and some of them ripen seeds. They will grow in 

 any soil, not too stiff", or too much charged with moisture. 

 //ype'ricum L. Capsule membranous. Stamens numerous, disposed in 



3 to 5 bundles at the base. 

 yiNDROS7E v MUM Chois. Capsule baccate, 1-celled. Calyx 5-parted. Stamens 



numerous, monadelphous at the base. 



Genus I. 



□ 



//YPE'RICUM L. The St. John's Wort. Lin. Syst. Polyade'lphia Pol 3 -- 



andria. 



Identification. Lin. Gen., 392. ; Juss., 255. ; Dec. Prod., 1. p. 543. ; Don's Mill., 1. p. 601. 



Si/noiiytnes. Fuga Daemonum ; Mille Pertuis, Fr. ; Johannis Kraut, Gcr. 



Derivations. The name of Hypericum is as old as the time of Dioscorides ; but its origin and mean- 

 ing are uncertain. Some derive it from the Greek words hupcr, under, and eikun, an image ; and 

 suppose it to signify that the upper part of the flower represents a figure. Others state that fiuper 

 signifies through, and that the name alludes to the pellucid dots in the leaves, which form small 

 lenses, through which, when held up to the light, images might be seen. Donnegan, in his 

 Lexicon, conjectures the word Hypericum to be taken from hupcr, for, in the place of, &c, and 

 ereike, heath ; from the plant bearing some resemblance to the heath. By others, the word is sup- 

 posed to be composed from Imper, through, on the other side, and eilco, to resemble ; from the 

 pellucid dots resembling holes or pores ; and the French name of the plant, Mille Pertuis, a thou- 

 sand pores, is evidently derived from the same source. The English name, St. John's Wort, and 

 the German one, Johannis Kraut, are taken from the country people formerly, both in England 

 and Germany, being in the habit of gathering this plant on St. John's day, to use it to protect them- 

 selves from evil spirits. This plant, with some others, was employed to make what was called 

 John's fire, which was supposed to be a security, for those who kindled it, against witchcraft and all 

 attacks of demons. For this reason, also, the i/ypericum received the name of Fuga Damonum. 



Gen. Char. cfc. Capsules membranous. Stamens numerous, free or joined 

 at the bases into 3 or 5 bundles. Petals 5. Sepals 5, more or less connected 

 at the base, unequal, rarely equal. Styles 3 to 5, rarely connate in one, 

 manent. Capsule 1- or many-celled, many-seeded, 3 — 5-valved. Integu- 

 ment of seed double. Albumen none. Embryo with the radicle situated 

 at the umbilicus, and with semicylindrical cotyledons. (Don's Mill., i. 

 p. 601.) — Low sub-evergreen shrubs; with yellow flowers, and oppositely 

 placed sessile or subsessile leaves, usually full of pellucid dots on their 

 disks, and some dark ones on their edges, lodging an essential oil. They 

 are chiefly natives of Europe, and vary in height from 1 ft. to 5 ft. They 

 are all considered medicinal, being powerfully astringent, and were formerly 

 in great request by herbalists and other empirical practitioners. Gerard 

 gives a receipt for making a balsam of them in his Herbal ; which, he says, 

 is " a most pretious remedie for deep wounds, and those that are thorow 

 the body ; for the sinues that are prickt, or any wound made with a venomed 

 weapon." (Johnson's Gerard, p. 54-1.) 



