Scabiofa fucclfa. Devils -bit, or Meadow Scabious. 



SCABIQSA JL//Z. Gen. PL Tetrandria Monogynia 



Cal communis polyphyllus ; proprius duplex fuperus. RecepL paleaceum f. nudum. 



Rait. Syn. Gen. 8. Herb^e corymbiferis affines. 

 SCABIOSA Succifa coroliulis quadrifidis a^qualibus, foliis caulinis dentatis, floribus fubglobofis. 

 SCABIOSA fucclfa coroliulis quadrifidis aequalibus, caule fimplici, rarnis approximatis, foliis laiiceolato- 



ovatis integerrimis, Lin. Syfi. Fegeiab. p. 142. 



SCABIOSA caule trifloro, fioribus convexis, foliis radicalibus ovatis, caulinis lanceolatis. HaUen Ujjl. 201. 



SCABIOSA fucclfa Scopoli FL Carnlol p. 95. ru 138. 



SUCCISA glabra et hirfuta B. pin. 269. 



MORSUS DiABOLi Ger. em. 726. 



MORSUS Diaboli vulgaris flore purpureo Parkins. 491. 



SCABIOSA radice fucclfa, iore globofo. Rail. Syn. 191. Devil's- bit. 



Huafon. FL Angl. ed.2.p.6^. 

 Lightfoot. FL Scot. p. 114. 



RADIX adulta craffitie fere digit! minimi, faepe obli- 

 qua, praemorfa, fibris longis albidis pnedita. 



CAULIS pedalis, ad fefquipedalem, fuberedt.us, nobif- 

 cum raro (implex, at in duos, tres, vel plures 

 ramos divifus, teres, hirfutua, rubefcens. 



FOLIA radicafia ovalia, petiolisbrevibusinlidentia, fatu- 

 rate viridia, in petiolum breviter decurrentia, 

 integerrima, pilis longis iitrinque hirfuta, 

 caulma oppofita, connata, lanceolata, rariter 

 dentata, fuprema fublinearia, integerrima. 



CAPITULI Thrum fubglobofi, caeralei, folitarii, pedun- 

 culis longis nudis feu parum foiiofis infiden- 

 tibus. 



CALYX: Perianthium co7«?#«/^multiflorum, patens, 

 polyphylluin; foliolis ovato-acutis, ciliatis, 

 bafi fubgibboiis, feriebus variis receptaculum 

 cingentibus, eique infidentibus, quorum inte- 

 riora gradatim minora ; fig. 1 . x 1. Perianthium 

 proprium duplex, inferius tetragonum, pi- 

 lofum, germen includens ; fig. 2. fuperius 

 germini infidens, quinquepartitum, 

 ietaceis, j%-. 3. 



laciniis 



COROLLA monopetala ? tubulofa, quadrifida, laciniis 

 obtufis, tribus inferioribus fubaequalibus, fu- 

 periore longiore. fig. 4. 



STAMINA: Fil amenta quatuor, fubulata, corolla 

 fere duplo longiora ; Anthers oblongs, 

 incumbentes, violaceae ; Pollen album, fig. 5. 



PI3TILLUM : Germen minimum, albidum, cylind- 

 raceo-ovatum ; Stylus hliformis, dum 

 antherae poilinem dimittunt longitudine labii 

 inferioris corollae ; Stigma orbiculatum, 

 medio depreflum./gf. 6, 7. 8. 



SEMEN oblongum, fuicato-angulofum, hirfutum, 

 fetis quinque coroaatum. fig. 10. 



ROOT when full grown, nearly the thicknefs of the 

 little finger, often growing obliquely, bit off 

 as it were or flumped at the extremity, and 

 furnifhed with long whitiOi fibres. 

 STALKS from a foot to a foot and a half high, nearly 

 upright, with us rarely fmgle but divided 

 into two, three or more branches, round, 

 befet with rough hairs and of a reddifh colour. 

 LEAVES next the root, oval, {landing on fhort foot- 

 fblks, of a deep green colour, running a lit- 

 tle way down the footftalk, entire at the 

 edge, cover'd on both fides with long, rough 

 ^ hairs ; thofe on the ftalk oppofite, connate, 



£ lanceolate, fparingly toothed on the edge, the 



I uppermoft nearly linear and entire. 



£ HEADS of the flowers nearly round, blue, fingle, fit- 

 t ting on long, naked or almoft naked flower 



* ftalks. 



I CALYX: the general Perianthium fupports many 

 I florets, is fpreading and compofed of many 



£ leaves, which are of an oval pointed fhape, 



£ edged with hairs, fomewhat gibbous at the 



bafe, furrounding and fitting on the receptacle 

 in various rows, of which the innermoft are 

 gradually the fmalleify%\ 1. 11. Perianthium of 

 each floret double, the lower one four corner'd, 

 hairy, inclofing the germen, fig. 2, the upper 

 one fitting on the germen, divided deeply into 

 five fegments fhaped like briftles. fig. 3. 

 COROLLA monopetalous, tubular, divided into fcur 

 obtufe fegments, the three lowermoft of 

 which are nearly equal, the uppermoft fame* 

 what longeft. fig. 4. 

 STAMINA : four Filaments, tapering to a point, 

 almoft twice the length of the corolla ; An- 

 ther je oblong, incumbent, of a violet co- 

 lour; Pollen white, fig. 5. 

 PISTILLUM: Germen very fmall, whitifh, rarely 

 cylindrical, inclofed within the calyx ; Style 

 thread fhaped, while the Anthers are fhed- 

 ding the pollen, the length of the lower lip 

 of the corolla; Stigma round, flat, with a 

 deprefiion in the middle, fig. 6. 7. 8. 

 SEED oblong, angular, grooved, befet with rough 

 hairs and crownd with five ferae or briftles. 



fs- 



10. 



THE Devils bit is one of thofe few plants which adorn our Paftures in Autumn, and is capable of adding 

 fome bcautv even to the flower Garden, in which it grows much more branched than in its wild ftate and 

 continues in bloflbm from Auguft to the end of O£ober ; like Plantain and many other herbs, the root when 

 full grown is flumped at the extremity. 



" Fabulous antiquity (the Menkes and Fryers as I fuppofe being the hrft inventors of the table) laid, that the 

 " Devil I envying the good that this Herbe might do to mankinde, bit away part of the root and thereof came the 

 " name of Succifa or Devils bit. Parkinfon Tbeat, p. 491. 



Modern practitioners not finding thofe wonderful! good effects have rejected it. 



According to Bergius the root pofiefles an aftringent quality, and the infufion of it is bittcnfli, but not u.n- 

 pieaiant to the tafte. __.... . , 



The Caterpillar of one of the Fritiliary Butterflies (Papilw maturna ofLiNNJEUS, the greafy Fniillary of the 

 Aurelians) feed 011 the leaves of this fpecies. 



