Myosurus minimus. Mous E-T A I L. 



MYOSURUS Lin. Gen. PL Pentandria Polygynia. 



Cal. 5-phyllus, bafi adnatus. NeMaria 5 fubulata, petaliformia. Semi 

 numerofa. 



Rail Syn. Gen. 15. Herb,e semine nudo polyspermy. 



MYOSURUS minimus. Lin. Syfi. Vegetab. p. 254. Sp. PL p. 407. FL Sutc. n. 276. 



MYOSURUS. Bailer. Hijl. n. 11 59. 



HOLOSTEO adfinis Cauda muris. Bauh. Pin. iqo. 



CAUDA MURINA. Bod. Pempt. 11%. 



RANUNCULUS gramineo folio, flore caudato, feminibus in capitulum fpicatum congeftis. Toumefiort 

 Lnfl. 293. 



MYOSUROS. Dilien. Nov. Gen. p. 108. t. 4. 



HOLOSTEUM Loniceri, Cauda muris vocatum. Park. 500. 



CAUDA MURIS. Gerard, emac. 426. Rati Syn. 251. Moufe-tail. Lightfbot FL Scot.f. 179. Hudfion 

 FL Angl. ed. 2. p. 136. 



RADIX annua, fibrofa. ? ROOT annual and fibrous. 



FOLIA, omnia radicalia, viginti circiter in planta mediae | LEAVES, all of them radical, about twenty in a plant 

 magnitudinis, erecta, longitudine inaequali, % of a middling fize, upright, of unequal length, 



linearia, fuperne latiora, compreffa, utrinque| linear, broadeft at top, and flattened, faintly 



obfolete canaliculata, glabra, fubcarnofa, ob-f channeled on each fide, fmooth, iomewhat 



tufa, e flavo-viridia, bafi rubicunda. | flefby, blunt, of a yeliowifh green colour, 



X and reddifh at the bafe. 



SCAPI quatuor, quinque, aut plures, uniflori, ere&i, | FLOWERING-STEMS four, five, or more, each fupport- 

 bipollicares et ultra, foliis longiores, teretes, | ing one flower, upright, two inches or more 



fuperne paulo crafTiores, glabri. | in length, longer than the leave?, round, 



I fmooth, and a little thickeft at the top. 



CALYX: Perianthium pentaphyllum, foliolis ob-?CALYX: a Perianthium of five leaves, the leaves 

 longis, obtufis, concavis, herbaceis, patenti- f oblong, obtufe, hollow, herbaceous, fpreading. 



bus. JJnguibus poftice elongatis, appreffis, % Claws lengthened out behind, prefled to the 



acuminatis. fig. 1, 2, | flowering item, and tapering to a point, fig. 



% 1, 2. 



COROLLA: Petala quinque, calyce breviora, minu- 1 COROLLA : five Petals, fhorter than the calyx, 

 tifluria, flavefcentia, unguiculata, limbo patente, | very minute, of a yeliowifh colour, clawed, 



bafi fubtubulofa. fig. 3. audi. 5. t the limb fpreading, fomewhat tubular at its 



I bafe. fig. 3. magn. 5. 



STAMINA: Filamenta quinque, vel plura, longitu-f STAMINA : Filaments five or more, almoft the 

 dine fere calycis, receptaculo inferta, fili- 1 length of the calyx, fixed to the receptacle, 



formia, alba, erecta. Anthers oblongae, y thread- fhaped, white, upright. Antherje 



lutefcentes. fig. 4. | oblong and yeliowifh. fig. 4. 



PISTILLUM: Germina numerofa, receptaculo in for- J PISTILLUM : Germina numerous, fitting on a re- 

 mam conico-oblongam infidentia. STYLinulli.t ceptacle, of an oblong, conic fhape. Styles 

 Stigmata minima, fimplicia. fig. 6. | none. Stigmata very fmall and fimple. 



I Jg- 6- 



PERICARPIUM nullum. Receptaculum longiffimum,| SEED-VESSEL none. Receptacle very long, flyle- 

 ftyliforme, feminibus imbricatim difpofitis^ fhaped, covered with feeds, laying one over 



tectum, fig. 7. I another, fig. 7. 



SEMINA numerofa, compreffa, mucronata. fig. 8, 9. | SEEDS numerous, flat, and pointed, fig. 8, 9. 



Some of the early Botanifts gave to this plant the name of Moufe-tail, more from the general appearance of the 

 plant than any particular attention to generic character. Tournefort afterwards arranged it with the Ranunculi, 

 Dillenius, not fatisfied with fuch arrangement, made a diftincl genus of it ; which has been adopted by Linnjeus. 



The ftructure of the whole fructification is lingular, and deferving the attention of the young Bctanift ; in 

 particular, he mould be careful to diftinguifh the Corolla from the Stamina. 



This delicate little annual grows in corn and clover-fields, and by path-fides, efpecially where water has been 

 apt to ftagnate. It is found about Ifi'mgton, Paddington, and Pancrafis; but with more certainty in the fields about 

 JDulwich, efpecially on the right-hand-fide of Lord/hip- lane, near Dulwich Wood. 



It flowers in May and June, and ripens it feed in July and Augufi. 



