OTERIUM 



ANGUISORBA. 



B 



URNET. 



POTERIUM Linnai Gen. PL Monoecia Polyandria. 



Rail Syn. Gen. 10. Herb^ flore perfecto simplici, seminibus nudis solitariis 



SEU AD SINGULOS FLORES SINGULIS. 



POTERIUM Sanguiforba inerme caulibus fubangulofi?. Lin. Sp. PL 141 1. 



PIMPINELLA polyftemon. Bailer hijl. n. 706. 



Sx^NGUISORBA minor. J. Bauhin III. 2. 113. 



PIMPINELLA Sanguiforba minor hirfuta. Bauhin pin. 160. 



PIMPINELLA vulgaris minor. Parkin/on 582. 



PIMPINELLA fylveftris. Gerard emac. 1045. &"' fy n ' P- 20 3> Burnet. Bud/on. FL Angl. p. 358. 



RADIX perennis, fimplex, albida,, in terram alte de- ¥ 



fcendens. | 



CAULES plures, fuberecti, dodrantales aut pedales, % 



ramofi, ftriati, fubangulofi, rubicundi, laeves, | 



ad balin hirfutuli. ^ 



' % 



FOLIA alterna, pinnata, pinnis inferioribus fubrotun- | 



dis, plerumque oppofitis, ferratis, laevibus, :fr 



fubtus ccerulefcentibus, nervo medio hirfutu- | 



lo, caulinis ovatis et ovato-acutis. * 



STIPULE dentate. 



FLORES in capitulis fubrotundis congefti, fuperiores 



feminei, inferiores mafculi, faepe etiam her- 



maphroditi. 

 CALYX : Perianthi-um triphyllum, inferum, folio- 



lis membranaceis, marcefcentibus, fig. 1. 



COROLLA quadripartita, laciniis ovatis, faepe colora- 



tis, concavis, patentibus, bafi coalitis, fig. 2 : | 



in flore mafculo feu hermaphrodite» et calyx et % 



corolla majores funt. j 



, I 



STAMINA : Filament a circiter triginta, longa, t 



pendula, rubra : ANTHERiEflavae, biloculares, | 



loculis femilunatis, fig. 3, 4, 5. f 



PISTILLUM in flore femineo : Germen quadrangu- | 



lum : Stylus capillaris : Stigma ruberri- J 



mum, penicilliforme, fig. 7, 8, 9, au6t.' Styli f 



et Stigmata duo faepe occurrunt : in flore her- | 



maphrodito Styli duo breviores, Stigmatibus ^ 



minus expanfis, fig. 10. ? 



PERICARPIUM Bacca exfucca, tetragona, lateribus I 



rugofis, continens Semina duo, pailide fufca, $ 



fig. ii, 12. % 



ROOT perennial, fimple, whitifh, penetrating deep 

 into the earth. 



STALKS feveral, nearly upright, from nine inches to 

 afoot in height, branched, ftriated, fomewhat 

 angular, of a reddim colour, fmooth, but 

 ilightly hairy at bottom. 



LEAVES alternate and pinnated ; the lowermoft pinnae, 

 or fmall leaves, roundifh, generally oppofite, 

 ferrated, fmooth, underneath blueiih ; the mid- 

 rib Ilightly hairy ; the leaves of the italk oval 

 and pointed oval. 



STIPULE indented. 



FLOWERS growing in little round heads, the upper- 

 moft female, the lowermofr. male, and often- 

 times hermaphrodite. 



CALYX: a Perianthium of three leaves, placed be- 

 low the Germen ; the leaves membranous and 

 withering, fig. 1 . 



COROLLA divided into four fegments, which are oval, 

 often coloured, concave, fpreading, and uni- 

 ting at bottom, fig. _2 : in the male or her- 

 maphrodite flower both the Calyx and Cor- 

 rolla are larger. 



STAMINA : Filaments about thirty, long, pendu- 

 lous, and of a red, colour : Antherje yellow, 

 bilocular, the cavities femilunar, fig. 3, 4, ^ 



PISTILLUM in the female flower : Germen quadran- 

 gular : Style capillary : Stigma very red, 

 and pencil-iliaped, fig. 7, 8, 9, magnified. 

 Two Styles and Stigmata often occur : in the 

 hermaphrodite flower the Styles are fhorter, 

 and the Stigmata lefs expanded, fig. 10. 



SEED-VESSEL a juicelefs Berry, having four wrink- 

 led fides, and containing two pale brown 

 Seeds, fig. ii, 12. 



BURNET is one of thofe plants which has for fome years pair, been attempted to be introduced into agriculture, 

 but not anfwering the farmers expectations, is now in a great degree laid afide. Cattle are faid not to be fond of it ; 

 nor is its produce fufficient to anfwer the expence attending its culture. It is to be lamented that perfons do 

 not pay a little more attention to the nature of plants before they fo warmly recommend them. It fhould 

 feem very unlikely a priori^ that a fmall plant, fcarce ever met with but on hilly and chalky ground, and to which 

 cattle in fuch fituations do not fhew any particular attachment, fhould afford better, or more copious nourifhment, 

 than the Clovers and other plants already in ufe. It is not meant by .this, however, to difcourage that laudable 

 fpirit of improvement which fo happily prevails at prefent ; but to caution fuch as introduce any new plant, to make 

 themfelves thoroughly acquainted with its natural hiftory. 



The leaves of this plant, when bruifed, fmell fomewhat like Cucumber ; and are ufed by fome as a fallad ; and 

 by others added to cool tankard to give it an agreeable flavour. 



LiNNiEus places it among his Monoicous plants, the flowers on the top of the heads being female, and thofe at 

 the bottom male, contrary to what occurs in moft plants of that Clafs : but it happens very frequently, that the 

 bottom flowers have likewife in them two Piftils, although not fo confpicuous as in the female flowers, the Stigmata 

 being not fo much branched ; hence there being female and hermaphrodite flowers on the fame plant, it would 

 perhaps with more propriety be placed in the Clafs Polygamia. Do not thefe obfeure hermaphrodite flowers con- 

 tribute to the fertility of the plant ? 



