Chenopodium bonus Henricus. Good King Henry. 



CHENOPODIUM. Lin. Gen. FL Pentandria Digynia. 



Cat. 5 phyllus, 5 gonus, Cor. o. Sent. 1. lenticulare, fuperum. 

 Fan. Syn. Gen. 5. Herbje flgre imperfecto seu stamineo vel apetalo 



POTIUS. 



CHENOPODIUM Bonus Henricus foliis triangulari faglttatis integerrimis, fpicis compofitis aphyllis axil- 

 laribus. Lin. Syfi. Vegetal, p. 216. &p. PL p. 318. FL Suecic. n. 214. 



CHENOPODIUM foliis triangularibus, undulatis, integerrimis, fubtus farinofis. Haller. hijl. n. 1578. 

 CHENOPODIUM Bonus Hxmrkm. StopoH. Fl Cam. 278, 

 LAPATHUM un&uofum folio triangulo. Bauh. fin. 115. 



BLITUM perenne. Bonus Henricus dictum. Bonus Henricus J. B. II. 065. Ger. emac. 329. 

 LAPATHUM unctuofum. Park. 1225. Faii Syn. p. 156. common Englifh Mercury, ox All-good. 

 Hudfon FL Angl. ed. 2. p. 104. Lightfoot FL Scot. p. 147. 



RADIX perennis, ramofa. % ROOT perennial and branched. 



C A.ULIS pedalis, ad fefquipedalem, '«rectus, ad batm | STALK from a foot to a foot and a half in height, at 



teres, laevis, fuperne flriato-angulatus, farina "$ bottom round and fmooth, upwards finely 



diaphana adfperfus, ramofus. | "grooved, and fomewhat angular, covered with 



y tranfparent powdery globules, and branched. 



FOLIA petiolata, alterna, fagittato-triangularia, "kevia, ¥ LEAVES ftau ding on footfta Iks, alternate, triangularly 



fubtus venofa, palhdiora, et farinofa, fubun- I arrow-fhaped, fmooth, underneath veiny, of 



dulata, integerrima. % -a paler colour and mealy, fomewhat waved, 



I and entire at the edge. 



SPICA florum terminalis, lutefcens, conica, nuda, pul- £ SPIKE of flowers terminal, yellowifh, conical, naked, 



verulenta, inferne compofita, fuperne glome- % mealy, below branched, above cluttered and 



rata, cyliudrica. | cylindrical. 



CALYX: Perianteuum monophyllum, quinquepar- % CALYX: a Perianthium of one leaf, deeply di- 



titum, laciniis fubcuneiformibus, concavis, i vided into five fegments, which are fomewhat 



margine membranaceis, apice dentato erolis. | wed?e~fhaped, concave, membranous at the 



fig. 1. % «dge, and jagged at top. fig. 1. 



COROLLA nulla | COROLLA wanting. 



STAMINA: Fil amenta quinque, fubulata, calyee y STAMINA: five Filaments tapering, a little longer 



paulo longiora; Anthers fubrotundas, di- % than the calyx ; Anthers roundifh, double, 



dymae, flavae. fig. 2 | and yellow, fig. 2. 



PISTILLUM: Germen ovatum, compreffum ; Sty- f PISTILLUM: Germen ovate, flattened; Style 



lus nullus; Stigma bipartitum, tripartitum, | wanting; Stigma divided to the bafe into 



aut etiam quadripartitum, laciniis acuminatis, | two, three, or four fegments, which run out 



albidis, patentibus. fig. 4. t to a point, are of a whitifh colour, and fpread- 



, I ing. fig. 4. 



PERICARPIUM nullum, calyx continens femen uni- % SEED-VESSEL wanting, the calyx containing a fingle 



cum, majufculum, fubreniforme, comprefliim, | feed, large, fomewhat kidney-fhaped, flattened, 



calycem excedens, epidermide tenui obte&um. | exceeding the calyx, and covered with a 



fig. 5. f fine skin. fig. 5. 



FLORES FEMINEI, pluriml, intra hermaphrodites. | FEMALE FLOWERS numerous among the hernia- 

 ls phrodite ones. 



Several plants of the Orach and Goofefoot kind are gathered while young and tender by the poorer fort of 

 people to fupply the place of Spinach and other greens, one of them is the prefent plant, whofe excellence as a 

 pot-herb feems not to be fo generally known as it deferves ; at Bofton in Lincoln/hire, and probably in many other 

 places in the kingdom, they arefenfible of its value, it is there univerfally cultivated, every one poffefling the leaft 

 fpot of ground has his plantation of Englifh Mercury ; by them it is confidered as fuperior to Spinach, and al- 

 ways preferred to it, yet, ftrange to tell ! this ufefull herb is unknown to the greateft Herb-market in the world, 

 Covent-Garden. 



To produce this defireable plant in its greateft perfection, fow the feed about March on a deep loomy foil pre- 

 pared as for Afparagus, let the feedlings continue to grow till Autumn, about the middle of September, taking 

 advantage of a wet feafon, fet them out on a bed fimilar to that on which they were fown, about a foot apart, 

 keep them clear of weeds, and the enfuing Spring and Summer the plant will afford an abundant crop, the 

 young moots with their leaves and tops are to be cut as they fpring up, and being a perennial plant it will con- 

 tinue thus plentifully to produce for a great number of years ; in the winter the bed is to be covered with dung, 

 which mould be raked off as the Spring advances, when the earth around the roots is carefully to be dug or forked up, 



Asa medicine this herb is ranked among the emollients, but rarely made ufe of in practice ; the leaves are 

 applied by the common people for healing flight wounds, cleanfing old ulcers, and other like purpofes. 



It giows in uncultivated places, by road- fides, and particularly in the environs of Farm-yards, like mod of 

 the fame genus appearing to be fond of dung ; it produces both flowers and feeds from May to Auguff. 



From all the other Chenopodiums it differs in having a perennial root. 



The name by which it is moll: commonly called is that of Mercury, a name which tends to confound it with 

 the other Mercuries (Mercurialis annua, and perennis) and which it were better if poffible to ^et rid of by ufing 

 the old botanic name of Good King Henry, 



