ERCURIALIS PERENNIS. 



ogs Mercury. 



MERCURIALIS 



MERCURIALIS 

 MERCURIALIS 

 MERCURIALIS 

 MERCURIALIS 

 MERCURIALIS 

 MERCURIALIS 

 CYNOCRAMBE 



Vinntfi Gen. PL Dioecia Enneandria* 



Masc. Cah 3-partitus. Cor. o. Stam. 9-s. 12. Anthers globoid, didymaeo 

 Fem. CaL 3-partitus. Cor. o. Styll 2. Caps dicocca, 2-locularis. i-fperma. 



Rail Syn. Gen. 5. Herb^e flore imperfecto seu stamineo vel apetala potius. 



perennis caule fimpliciffimo foliis fcabris. hinnai Syji. Vegetab. Sp. PI. 1465. 



caule perenni fimplici, foliis ovato-lanceolatis hirfutis. Bailer h'ifi. helv. m 1601 * 



Cynocrambe. Scopoll Fl. Carniol. p. 266. n. 1225. 



perennh repens Cynocrambe di£ta, Rati Syn. p. 139. Hudfion FL Angl. p. 371* 



montana tefticulata et Mercurialis montana fpicata. Bauhin. pin. 123. 



fy lveftris Cynocrambe di&a vulgaris mas et fernina. Parkinjon 295,- 



mas et fernina. Gerard emac. 333. Oeder Fl. Dan. 400. 



RADIX perennis, repens, alba, fibrofiffima. 



CAULIS' ere£tus, fimplex, pedalis, foliofus, in feme 

 nudus, teres, alterne anceps. 



FOLIA oppofita, ovato-acuta, petiolata, hirfutie feabnU 

 ufcula, ferrata, ferraturis obtufiufculis, glandula 

 alba ad lentem confpicua terminatis. 



STIPUL-^E duae, parvce, acutie, caulis utrinque ad ba- 

 fin petioli. 



PEDUNCULI verfus fummitatem eaulis prodeunt, op- 

 pofiti, axillares, hirfuti, in maribus caulem fu- 

 perant in feminis intra folia reconduntur. 



FLORES feminei pauci, mafculi plures, feffiles, glome- 

 ratim et verticillatim quafi caulem femiamplec- 

 tuntur. 



FEMINA. ' 



CALYX: Perianthium tripartitum, laciniis ovato- 

 lanceolatis, fuberectis, jig. 1 , 2. 



COROLLA nulla. 



NECTARIA acumina duo fubulata ad Unguium latus 



germinis fingula. 

 PISTILLUM : Germen fubrotundum, compreffum : 



Styli feu potius Stigmata dua, acuta, re- 



flexa, fig. 4. 

 PERICARPIUM: Capsula fubrotunda, didyma, bi- 



locularis, fig. 5, 6. 

 SEMEN folitarium, fubrotundum, purpureo-fufcum, 



fig- 7« 



M A S. 



CALYX: Perianthium ut in femina. 



STAMINA: Filamenta novem plerumque, capilla- 

 ria, recta, longitudine calycis : Anthers 

 globofae, didymae, primo flavae, mox ccerulef- 

 centes, fig. 3. 



ROOT perennial, creeping, white, and very fibrous. 



STALK upright, fimple, a foot high, leafy, naked 

 below, round, (lightly winged alternately. 



LEAVES oppofite, oval,, pointed, ftanding on foot- 

 ftalks flightly hairy and rough to the touch, 

 ferrated; the teeth bluntim, and terminated 

 by a whitifh gland, vifible only by a magnifier. 



STIPULE two, fmall, pointed, on each iide the ftalk 

 at the bafe of the foot-ftaik. ' 



FOOT-STALKS of the flowers proceed from the bo- 

 foms of the leaves near the top of the ftalk, 

 are oppofite and hairy ; in the male plant they 

 are longer than the ftalk ; in the female they 

 are hid among the leaves. 



FLOWERS in the female few ; in the male numerous, 

 feflile, growing fomewhat whirl-like in little 

 clufters, and half furrounding the ftalk. 



FEMALE. 



Ci^LYX : a Perianthium divided into three fegments, 

 which are oval, pointed, and fomewhat erect, 



fig- *> 2. 



COROLLA wanting. 



NECTARY two fmall pointed filaments, one on each 

 fide the germen. 



PISTILLUM : Germen roundifh and fomewhat flat- 

 tened : Styles, or rather Stigmata, two, 

 pointed and turning back, fig. 4. 



SEED-VESSEL : a roundifh double Capsule .of two 

 cavities, fig. 5, 6. 



SEED : one in each cavity, roundifh, of a brownifh 

 purple colour, fig. 7. 



M A L E. 



CALYX : a Perianthium the fame as the female. 



STAMINA-: nine Filaments, for the moft part, ca- 

 pillary, ftrait, the length of the calyx : An- 

 ther7E round, double, firft yellow, afterwards 

 becoming bluifh. 



IN the .third edition of Rays Synopfis, Sir Hans Sloane communicates a very particular account of the 

 pernicious effects of this plant. It was, as it appears from thence, gathered by the miftrefs of a family, 

 in the fields, (in agris are the words,) fried with bacon, and eaten for fupper by the wife, the hufband, and 

 three children ; the children in about two hours awaked out of their fleep violently fick ; on being removed to 

 the fire they both vomited, and purged, and in about half an hour afterwards they again fell a deep : two of them 

 continued in this irate of ftupor for twenty-four hours, when they awaked, and after more copious evacuations re- 

 covered. The third child awaked not till the third day, and then juit opening its eyes, was feized and carried off 

 by convulfions. The man being of a robuft conftitution was not fo violently affected ; but after a longer deep 

 than ufual, went about his bufinefs, feeling no other inconvenience than a burning heat in his chin, to affuage 

 which he was obliged for the whole day to apply cold water. The woman, after being more than ufualiy op- 

 preffed with deep, found her felf ill, and did not recover for feveral days, 



From 



