OXALIS ACETOSELLA. WoOD - SoRREL. 



OXALIS Linnai Gen. PL Decandria Pentagynia. 



Cat* 5-phyllus. Petala unguibus connexa. Caps. angulis dehifens, 5-gona. 

 Rail Syn.Gen. 18. Herb^i fructu sicco singulari flore monopetalo. 

 OXALIS Acetofella fcapo unifloro, foliis ternatis obcordatis, radice dentata. Linnai. Syji. Vegetab. p. 360. 



Sp. PL p. 620. FI. Suecic. n. 406. 

 OXYS fcapo unifloro, foliis ternatis, radice fquamofo-articulata. Haller. hifl. p. 402. 

 OXYS Acetofella. Scopoli PL Carnlol. n. 561. 



TRIFOLIUM acetofum vulgare. Bauhin. pin. 330. Parkin/on* 746. 

 OXYS alba. Ger. emac. 1201. 



ACETOSELLA et Lujula feu Alleluja Offic. Rail Syn. p. * 2 8i, Wood-Sorrel. 



Hudfon. Fl. Angl. p. 173. 

 Llghtfoot. Fl. Scot. p. 238. 



RADIX perennis, horizontalis, fquamofo-dentata, ru- 



berrima. 

 FOLIA terna, obcordata, ex flavo-virefcentia, fubtus 



faepe purpurea, pilis raris adfperfa, petiolis 



longis infidentia. 



PETIOLI palmares, erectiufcufi, teneri, e bulbillo 

 vaginante prodeuntes, ad bafin ruberrimi, te- 

 retes, fuperne ad unum latus fulcati. 



FLORES albi aut carnei, venis rubris eleganter ftriati. 



SCAPI uniflori, longitudine foliorum, bra&aeis duabus 

 ovato-acutis vaginantibus prope apicem in- 

 ftrudi. 



CALYX : PERiANTHiuMquinquepartitum, breve, per- 

 futens, maculis purpureis faepe notatum, laci- 

 niis obtufiufculis margine membranaceis,^. 1 . 



COROLLA : Petala quinque, unguibus paululum 

 incurvatis receptaculo afflxa, et paulo fupra 

 ungues cohasrentia, obtufa, fubcrenata, ban" 

 flavedine tin£la, fig. 2. 



STAMINA : Filamenta decern, erecla, alba, quin- 

 que exteriora breviora, fig. 3, 4 : Anthers 

 fiavefcentes, biloculares, fig. 5. 



PISTILLUM : Germen quinquangulare, viride : 

 Styli quinque capillares, ftaminibus paulo 

 longiores : Stigmata obtufa, fig. 6, 7. 



PERICARP1UM : Capsula fubovata, pentagona, 

 maculata, quinquelocularis, angulis longitudi- 

 naliter dehifcentibus, fig. 8, 8. 



SEMINA : tria in fmguio loculamento, cordata, per 

 longitudinem itriata, utrinque convexa, rufa, 

 Arillo nitido albo elaftico inclufa, quo dif- 

 rupto ejiciuntur, fig. 9, 9. 



ROOT perennial, horizontal, fcaly, and of a bright 

 red colour. 



LEAVES growing three together, inverfely heart- 

 fhaped, of a yellowifh green colour, frequent- 

 ly purple underneath, befet with a few hairs, 

 and fitting on long foot-ftalks. 



LEAF-STALKS about three inches long, nearly up- 

 right, tender, proceeding from a little bulb 

 which forms a kind of fheath to it ; at bottom, 

 very red and round ; the upper part grooved 

 on ' one fide. 



FLOWERS white or flefh-coloured, and elegantly 

 ftreaked with red veins. 



FLOWER-STALK, fupporting a fingle bloffom, the 

 length of the leaves, furnifhed near the top 

 with two oval pointed Bracteas, which partly 

 furround it. 



CALYX : a Perianthium deeply divided into five {eg- 

 ments, fhort and permanent, often fpotted 

 with purple ; the fegments bluntifh, and 

 membranous at the edges, fig. 1. 



COROLLA: five Petals, affixed to the receptacle 

 by the claws, which bend a little inward, juft 

 above the claws 'adhering together, blunt, 

 fiightly crenated, and tinged at bottom with 

 yellow, fig. 2. 



STAMINA: ten Filaments, upright and white, the 

 five exterior ones fhorteff, fig. 3, 4 ; Anthe- 

 rs yellowifh, and bilocular, fig. 5. 



PISTILLUM : a Germen, four corner'd and green : 

 Styles five, very (lender, and a little longer 

 than the Stamina : Stigmata blunt, fig. 6,7. 



SEED-VESSELL : a Capsule fomewhat oval, five 

 cornered, fpotted, with five cavities, the an- 

 gles burfting longitudinally, fig. 8, 8. 



SEEDS : three in each cavity, heart-fhaped, and 

 grooved longitudinally, convex on both fides, 

 of a bright reddifh brown colour, and inclofed 

 within a fhining white elaftic Arillus, which 

 burfting they are thrown out, fig. 9, 9. 



IN this little plant, there is a delicacy of ftrufture fuperior to what we obferve in moft : there are fome circum- 

 ftances alfo in the oeconomy of the plant not lefs worthy our attention ; and which, I believe, have not hitherto 

 been noticed. The firft of thefe is the fame procefs, with refpeft to the plants feeding, which we obferve in the 

 Violets. If this plant be attentively obferved, it will be found to continue producing feed-veffels and feeds, during 

 the greateff. part of the fummer, without any appearance of expanded blofloms, which are only obfervable at one 

 particular feafon of the year. As foon as the plant has done flowering, the flower-ftalk, as in many other plants, 

 bends down ; and when the feed is ripe, again becomes upright. The fecond is, if thefe feed-veffells, when ripe, 

 are (lightly prefled, they open at the angles, and the feeds are thrown out at the apertures ; but not from any 

 elafticity in the capfule itfelf, which continues unchanged : but the caufe of their propulfion is a ftrong white mi- 

 ning arillus, which covers the feed, and which burfting, by its elafticity throws the feeds to a considerable diftance. 



There are but few woods about us in which the Wood-Sorrel does not occur. It will not grow in a garden unlefs 

 it has (hade. 



April and May are the months in which it flowers. 



It is faid to vary with blueifh and purple-coloured bloflbms. 



The leaves in wet weather, are expanded ; but in dry weather they droop ; L'mnai Fl. Suecic. They are alfo 

 faid by fome authors, to manifeft a degree of feufibility on being ftruck. Poflening a very grateful acid 

 tafte, fuperior to common Sorrel, they have been ufed as an antiieptic medicine, in malignant fevers, the 

 fcurvy, and all thoie difeafes in which acids are indicated. The only form at prefent in ufe, is a conferye of the 

 leaves: but the fyrup, infufion, and juice of the leaves, and the leaves themfelves, have been ufed indifferently. 



The effential fait, extracted from it by chryfiallization, is made ufe of for taking out h-on moulds and fpots of 

 ink from linen : for this purpofe, the ftained part is dipped in water, fprinkled with a little of the powdered fait, 

 then rubbed on a pewter plate, after which the fpot is warned out with warm water ; Newmans Chem. by Lewis. 



Twenty pounds of frefh Sorrel leaves yielded fix pounds of juice ; from which were obtained two ounces, two 

 drams, and one fcruple of chryftalline fait; ibid. 



According to experiments made by Dr. Lobb t a piece of human calculus was diflolved in the juice of this 

 plant in nine days ; Ruttfs Mat, Med, 



