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The flowers' of the Parietaria are fo fmall, and fo difficult to inveftigate, that we need not wonder at their 

 being deicribed differently by different botanifts j Linnteus's defcription, in his Genera Plant arum, accords bed 

 with our observations, his therefore we have adopted with fome few alterations. 



We find only two forts of flowers on this plant, viz. hermaphrodite and female; of thefe, two hermaphrodite 

 and one female bloffom are generally placed together in one common involucrum, the female bloffom intermediate. 

 To obtain a perfect idea of the manner in which the fructification is carried on, we muft examine thefe flowers 

 at a very early period of their expanfion, we (hall then find in each involucrum three red ftigmata, the two outer- 

 moft of which belong to hermaphrodite flowers, vvhofe Stamina are not yet vifible ; the middle one, which is 

 largeft and moft confpicuous, to the female. If we take a view of the fame bloffoms ju it at the time that the 

 elaftic filaments by their fudden expanfion fcatter the fertilizing duft of the alitherae, the ftyles and ftigmata of 

 the hermaphrodite flowers, vifible before, will often be found wanting, and the germen left naked in the center of 

 the flower; at this period of the bloflbming, the fegments of the calyx in the fame flowers are nearly of the fame 

 length as the filaments, the ftyle and ftigma of the female bloffom remain perfect, with its germen clofely fur- 

 rounded by a green, hairy calyx, which never expands : the bloflbming period being now over, a considerable 

 alteration takes place in the calyx of the hermaphrodite flowers, each is considerably elongated, becomes more 

 tubular, affurries a redder colour, has its tips prefled down, and foon drops out of the involucrum, in which it 

 leaves no appearance of a feed ; hence I was ready to conclude that thefe flowers, the imperfection of whofe 

 piftilla at a certain age had before been noticed, were certainly barren, but on opening them, I found in the 

 bottom of each a feed perfectly Similar to that produced by, and inclofed in the calyx of the female flower, which 

 does not enlarge as the other does, but partaking more of the nature of a capSule, on preffure, divides at top into 

 four parts, and contains a blackifh Shining feed. 



It may feem a little extraordinary, that the imperfect hermaphrodite flowers of this plant Should produce per- 

 fect feed ; but we mould consider that they are perfect at firft, and that there always is a number of Anthers be- 

 longing to flowers farther advanced bunting near them, from whofe pollen they may probably be impregnated. 



Scopoli defcribes male flowers on this plant, having a fertile, Shining, oblong, and pointed Nectary; furely 

 he muft confider the imperfect germen in the hermaphrodite flowers as a Nectarium, otherwife he fees farther 

 than any of his contemporaries. 



The curious manner in which thefe flowers ftied their Pollen, or fertilizing duft, is known to moft botanifts, 

 but may be new to fome of our readers 5 each filament has a peculiarity of ftrudture which renders it highly 

 elaftic^ there are four of them in number, on their nrft appearance they all bend inward ; as Soon as the pollen is 

 arrived at a proper ftate to be discharged, the warmth of the fun, or the lead: touch from the point of a pin, will 

 make them inftailtly fly back with a degree of force, and difcharge a little cloud of duft. This procefs is beft 

 feen in a morning, when the fun fhines hot on the plant, in July and Auguft ; if the plant be large, numbers 

 will be Seen exploding at the fame inftant. 



The Parietaria, which takes its name from its place of growth, is frequently found on walls, and among rub- 

 bifh, efpecially on the walls adjoining the Thames, both above and below Weftminfter-bridge, it is not a native 

 of Sweden, or the more northern countries ; this autumn the fame degree of cold (viz. about 31 of Fahrenheit's 

 thermometer) which ftripped the mulberry of moft of its leaves, deftroyed the greateft part of its herbage. 



Mr. Philip Miller (vide Difi. ed. 6. 4-to.J afferts that the Parietaria which grows wild in England is the 

 Pellitory with a Bafil leaf, Parietaria Ocy ml folio Bauh. Pin. Parietaria judaica Lin. and that the officinalis Lin, 

 which he fays grows naturally in Germany and Holland, was not in England till the year 1727, when he nrft 

 introduced it ; in this opinion Mr. Miller Stands alone, and there is the greateft reafon to fuppofe that he is 

 deceived, and the more fo, as the remainder of his account, in which he fays that " the feeds are difficult to col- 

 " lect, as they are thrown out of their covers as foon as they are ripe with an elafticity," Shows extreme inat- 

 tention. 



As a medicinal plant more virtues appear to have been attributed to the Parietaria than it deferves ; it has been, 

 ranked as an emollient, to which, in the opinion of Floyer and Cullen, it has no pretentions, as a diuretic it 

 was an ingredient in the nephritic decoction of the late Edinburgh Dilpenfatory, which is omitted in the preSent ; 

 in this laft intention ttie expreffed juice has been given in the dofe of three ounces. 



Mr. Sole, Apothecary of Bnh, well known to the Botanic World, for his extenfive collection of indigenous 

 plants, informs me that he has obferved remarkably good effects from the juice of this herb in dropfical cafes, in 

 which other diuretics had failed ; he converts the juice into a thin fyrup, and gives two table-Spoonfuls or more 

 thrice a day. 



Monf. TouRNEFORT, fpeaking of the Parietaria, fays, " Le firop de Parietaire foulage fort les hydropiques." 

 Hift. des PL de Paris. Aurelius Victor informs us, that Constantine beftowed on the Emperor Trajan 

 the name of Parietaria, becaule his ftatues and his inscriptions, like that herb, were found on all the walls of 

 Rome. Le Meme. 



It is recommended to be laid on the corn in granaries, for the purpofe of driving away that destructive infect the 

 Weevil. Bradley's Farm. Direct, p. 122. 



