ScABIOSA ARVENMSi FlELD SfeABIOUSi 



SCABIOSA Lin. Gen. PL Tetrandria monogynia. 

 i 



Cat. communis polyphyllus ; proprius duplex, fuperus. Reccpt. paleaceum £re 

 nudum. 



Rail Syri. Gen. 8. Herbte flore composito discoide, seminibus pappo desTitutis, 



CORYMBIFER.E DICT^. 



SCABIOSA arvenfis corollulis quadrifidis radlantibus, foliis pinnatifidis incifis, caule hifpido. Lin, Sv/l. 

 Vegetab. p. 121. Sp. Plant, p. 143. Ft. Suecic. n. 117. 



SCABIOSA foliis petiolatis, ovato-lan'ceolatis, dentatis, fuJperioriDus femibinnatis. Bailer. Uifl. 206, 



SCABIOSA arvenfis. Scopoli FL Cam. n. 135. 



SCABIOSA prateiifis hirfuta quae officinarum. BauB. pin. 269. 



SCABIOSA major vulgaris. Ger. emac. 719. 



SCABIOSA vulgaris prateiifis. Parkins. 484. Rati Syn. p. 191, Common Field Scabious. Hiidjon, FL 

 Angl. ed. II. p. 62. Lightfoot FL Scot. p. 114. Oeder Fl. Dan. t. 44/. 



RADIX perenms, ramofa, fublig ; nofa, difficulter evul fa. |ROOT perennial, branched, fomewhat woody, with 



I difficulty pulled up. 



CAULIS pedalis vel ultra, teres, fimplex feu ramofus, ? STALK a foot or more in height, round, fimple or 

 ftfaber, fuperne nudus, pubefceils, inferne ni- 1 branched, rough, above naked of leaves, and 



gro punclatus, hifpidus : pills albidis. % downy below, dotted with black and hifpid : the 



, I hairs whitiih. 



FOLIA oppoiita, hifpida, acuta, in feriora in teg'ra, ovali- 1 LEAVES oppolite, hifpid, pointed; the lower ones en - 

 oblonga, remote ferrata ; fuperiora feffilia, am- 1 tire, of an oval oblong fhape, remotely fer- 



plexicaulia, pinnatifida : laciniis linearibus, op- 1 . rated ; the upper ones feffile, embracing the 



pofitis, fubferratis; intermedia duplo majore,| ftalk, and pinnatifid ; the fegments linear, op- 



lanceolata, utrinque attenuata, in medio fer-I pofite, (lightly ferrated, the middle fegment 



rata. % twice the fize of the others, lanceolate, tapering 



I at each extremity, and ferrated in the middle. 



FLORES terminates, longius pedunculati, folitarii. % FLOWERS terminal, ftandihg on long foot-ftalks. 



CALYX communis polyphyllus, imbricatus, foliolis ova- | CALYX common to all the florets corapofed of many leaves, 

 tis, acutis, pubefcentibus, ciliatis, plano-pa- % imbricated, the leaves ovate, pointed, downy, 



tentibus ; interioribus paulo minoribus. | edged with hairs, flat and fpreading ; the irmer- 



I mofr fomewhat the fmalleft. 



'COROLLA compofita hemifphasrica, dilute violacea, % COROLLA compound, hemifpherical, of a pale violet! 

 radiata; propria radii tubulata, longitudine ca- 1 colour, radiate; the florets in the circumference 



lycis, intus villofa, quadrifida ; laciniis ere&is, t tubular, thelength of the calyx, villous within, 



oblongis, obtufis, inaequalibus ; exteriore paullof divided into four fegments which are upright, 



majore; duabus lateralibus, oppofitis, aequali-^ oblong, obtufe and unequal; the outermoft 



bus; intima duplo minore, Jig. 1.; difici minor, | fomewhat the -largeft ; the two fide ones oppo- 



ore quadrifidoj obtufo, inaequali. % fite, and equal ; the innermoft twice as fmall, 



I fig-fl-l the central florets fmaller, the mouth 



J divided into four, obtufe, unequal fegments. 



STAMINA: Filament a quatuor, fetacea, tubo co- f STAMINA : Filaments four, tapering, growing to 



rollae inferne adnata, longitudine corollas ; An- | the lower part of the tube of the corolla, and 



ther^ exftantes, lineares, ineumbentes, co- ■% of the fame length as the corolla. Anthers 



rollae concolores. fig. 2. . projecting, linear, incumbent, of the fame- 



% * colour as the corolla, fig. 2, 



PISTILLUM: Germen infe'rum, tetragonum, villofo- 1 PISTILLUM : Germen below the corolla, four-cornered', 

 hifpidum, coronatum pappo campanulato, vil-| covered with numerous fliffiih hairs and 



lofd-fetaceo, cinereo. Stylus cylindrtcus, fu-f crowned with a bell-maped pappus formed of 



perne incraffatus> corolla longior, erectus.f numerous afh-coloured briftles. Style cyiin^ 



Stigma exfertum, clavatum, emarginatum. % drical, thickened above, longer than the co- 



fig> 3° I rolla, upright. StigxMA projecting, club- 



% fhaped, with a notch, fig. 3. 



RECEPTACULUM barbatum, pilis germinibus brevi- f RECEPTACLE bearded, the hairs fhorter than the 



oribus. I germina. 



SEMEN villofum, fubtetragonum, pappo villofo- fetaceo ■% SEED villous, fomewhat four cornered, crowned with a 

 coronatum. fig. 4. t briftly villous down or pappus, fig. 4. 



The Scabiofa arvenfis is a very common plant, both in Corn-fields and Meadows. In the former it is undoubtedly 

 a troubleiome weed ; in the latter it frequently forms a great part of the pafturage, and being a hardy plant, pro- 

 ducing a -large quantity of foliage, which is not refufed, according to Linn/eus's experiments by Ksne % Hcrfe$ r 

 or Sheep, it may perhaps be considered rather as ufeful. 



Dr. Rutty, in his Materia Medica, remarks, that the leaves have fometimes been defcribed as inodorous and 

 infipid; but, on a more accurate examination, they are found to be bitteriih, with fome degree of acrimony and 

 aftringency. Medicinally this fpecies, as well as the fucci/h,, has been recommended internally in Coughs, Afthmas, 

 malignant Fevers, Lues venerea, Epilepfy, &c. ; and externally in the Scurvy, Itch, Scabies, Tetters, &c. ; and 

 may be ufed in fubftance, infufion, decoction, or any manner of way; but, "as Dr. Lewis obferves, the prefent 

 practice has little dependance on it. 



It flowers in July and Auguft, varies much in the divisions of its leaves, and is fometimes found With white 

 flowers. The bloffoms, and indeed the whole plant is much larger than the Scabiofa Jucc: jo. ; its leaves are more 

 jagged. It flowers much earlier, and it affects a drier lituation. 



