)NTIA FONTANA. DLINKS. 



MONTI A Lin. Gen. PL Triandria Trigynia. 



CaL 2 phyllus. Cor, i petala irregularis. Caps, i locularis, 3. valvis. 



Rail. Syn. Gen. 24. Herb^e Pentapetalje Vasculifer.<e. 

 MONTI A fontana Lin. Syft. Veget.p. no. Sp.pl. 129. Suecic. n. 115. 

 MONTI A Haller. Hijl. n. 301. 

 PORTULACA arvenfis. Bauh. pin. 282. 

 CAMERARIA arvenfis minor. Bill. Gifs. 46. 

 PORTULACA exigua feu arvenfis Camerarii J. B. III. 678. 

 PORTULACA tricoccos. Pet. Herb. Brit. 10. 12. 

 ALSINE flofculis conniventibus. Merr. pin. 



ALSINEFORMIS paludofa tricarpos flofculis, albis inapertis. Pluk. Aim. 21. T. 7. £ 5. 

 ALSINE parva paluftris tricoccos, Portulacae aquaticas fimilis. Rati. Syn. p. 352. fmall water Chick* 



weed or Purflane by fome called Blinks. 



Oeder. F/. Dan. t. 113. 



Hudfon. Fl. Angl. ed. 2« /. 60. 



Lightfoot. Fl. Scot. p. no. 



RADIX annua, fibrofa. | ROOT annual, and fibrous. 



CAULES plurimi, teretes, glabri, rubentes, in terram | STALKS numerous, round, fmooth, reddifh, fpreading 



reclinati et fubinde radices agentes, duorum, * on the ground, and fometimes ftriking root, 



triumve digitorum longitudine, ramofi et ere- | two or three inches in length, branched and 



bris geniculis intercepti. ^ jointed. 



FOLIA oppofita, feffilia, oblonga, acutiufcula, prope | LEAVES oppofite, feffile, oblong, fomewhat pointed, 



bafin _anguftata, fubcarnofa, glabra, pallide | narrowed near the bafe, rather flefhy, fmooth 



virentia. | and of a pale green colour. 



PEDUNCULI plerumque terni, uniflori, axillares, | FLO WER-STALKS generally growing three together, 



peracta florefcentia recurvati, poftea ere&i, £ each fupporting one flower, proceeding from a 



foliis longiores, e fquama membranacea pro- | little fcale in the bofom of the leaves, as foon 



deuntes. | as the flowering is over hanging down, after- 



i wards becoming upright and longer than the 



I leaves. 



CALYX: Perianthium diphyllum ; foliolis ovatis, ^ CALYX: a Perianthium of two leaves : the leaves 



concavis, obtufis, erectis, perfiftentibus. | oval, concave, obtufe, upright, and permanent, 



fig. 1. 9. m _ ; § fig. 1. 9. 



COROLLA monopetala, quinquepartita, alba, lacmiis t COROLLA of one petal, deeply divided into five feg- 



tribus, alternis, minoribus, ftaminiferis. fig. | ments, of a white colour, the three alternate 



2. 3. 4. % ones leaft, having the ftamina attached to 



i them. fig. 2. 3. 4. 



STAMINA: Filamenta tria, capillaria, corolla bre- | STAMINA: three {lender Filaments fhorter than 



viora, cui inferta: Anthers parvse, albae. £ the corolla to which they are connected: 



fig. 4. I Anthers fmall and white fig. 4. 



PISTILLUM : Germen turbinatum, fubtriangulare ; % PISTILLUM : Germ en large at top, fmall at bottom, 



Styli tres, villoli, patentes ; Stigmata £ and fomewhat triangular; Styles three, 



fimplicia. fig. 5. | villous, fpreading ; Stigmata fimple. fig. 5. 



PERICARPIUM ; Calyx permanens, auctus, trun- £ SEED-VESSEL: the permanent and encreafmg Calyx, 



catus, continet Capsulam, turbinatam, uni- | cut off as it were at top contains a Capsule 



locularem, trivalvem, valvulis ovatis, acutis, ^ of the fame fhape as the germen, ofonecavi- 



monofpermis, demiffo femine filiformibus, £ ty and three valves, the valves ovate, and 



calyce paulo longioribus. j'zg. 6. 7. 8. 10. | pointed, each containing one feed on the fall- 



£ ing of which they become thread fhaped and 



I a little longer than the calyx, fig. 6. 7. 8. 10. 



SEMINA nigra, fubreniformia. fig. 1 1. £ SEEDS black and fomewhat kidney-fhaped. fig. 11. 



THIS plant of which there is but one fpecies appears firft to have had a generic character beftowed on it by 

 Dillenius, who called it Cameraria in honour of Camerarius a German Phyfician and Botanift; Micheli 

 -afterwards figured it among his Nova Genera and gave it the name of Montia in commemoration of his country- 

 man Monti an Italian Botanift, which name has been adopted by Linn^us. 



Its parts of fructification which are reprefented in a magnified ftate, on the Plate, and of which a particular 

 defcription is given are lingular enough to juftify thefe Authors in making it a diftinct Genus. 



The Englifh name of Blinks has perhaps been given to this plant from the bloffoms ufually appearing in a half 

 opened ftate, but when the Sun fhines on them they are fully expanded. 



It grows in wet places, efpecially on the moift gravelly parts of Heaths, where the water ftagnates in the 

 winter, on Black-Heath, Hampjle ad-Heath, and in other fimilar fituations it is very common, flowering in May and 

 ripening its feed in the beginning of June. 



It is eafy of Cultivation but not remarked for its utility in any refpect; the feed may probably be the food of 

 imall Birds. 



