RASSICA MURALIS. WILD tlOCKET. 



BRASSICA Linn** Gen. PL Tetradynamia Siliquosa. 



Cal. erectus, connivens. Sent globofa. Glandula inter (lamina breviora 

 et piftillum, interque longiora et calycem. 



Rati Syn. Gen. 21. Herb^e TetrapetaljE Siliquos,e et SiliculoSjE. 

 BRASSICA muralis foliis lanceolatis finuato ferratis keviufculis, caule erecto glabro. Hudfon VI. Angl. 



p. 290. 

 ERUCA foliis glabris, pinnatis, pinnis linearibus dirTormibus. Haller hijl. 11. 461. 

 ERUCA fylveftris. Matt, in Diofc. p. 53 1: cum icone. 

 ERUCA tenuifolia perennis flore luteo. J. B» 2. 861. 

 ERUCA fylveftris. Gerard emac. 246. 

 ERUCA fylveftris vulgatior. Parkin/on. 8 18. 

 ERUCA fylveftris major vulgatior foetens. Hift. X)x, II. 230. Rait Syn. p. 296. Wild Rocket. 



RADIX perennis, fublignofa, intra muros profunde | ROOT perennial, fomewhat woody, penetrating deep 



penetrans, vix evellanda. | into the walls, fcarcely to be pulled out. 



CAULIS fefquipedalis, erectus, ramofus, teres, baft ¥ STALK a foot and a half high, upright, branched, 



fublignofus, perennans. | round, at bottom fomewhat woody and pe- 



y rennial. 



FOLIA pinnatifido-laciniata, glabra, patentia, odoris | LEAVES pinnatifid and jagged, fmooth, fpreading, 



ingrati. | of a difagreeable fmell. 



CALYX priufquam flores aperiuntur quafi bicornis, % CALYX before the flowers are expanded has the ap- 



cornibus brevibus, pilo uno, alterove inftruct.- | pearance of having two horns, which are 



is; flore aperto tetraphyllus, foliolis oblongis, $ fhort, and furnifhed with one, or two hairs ; 



concavis, duobus cum apicibus gibbofis deor- | on the expanfion of the petals, it is compofed 



fum tendentibus, duobus erectis. Jig. 1. 2. 3. J of four, oblong, hollow leaves, two of which, 



$ being gibbous at top hang down, and the 



I other two ftand upright, fig. 1. 2. 3. 



COROLLA : Petala quatuor, majufcula, calyce y COROLLA four Petals, rather large, twice the 



duplo longiora, unguiculata, eredta, flava. | length of the calyx, clawed, upright, and of 



fig. 4. I a yellow colour, fig. 4. 



NECTARIUM : Glandular quatuor, duo extra bafm ■% NECTARY : four Glands, two placed on the outfide 



filamentorum pneter morem longae, apice ex- | of the bafe of the filaments, unufually long, 



trorfum incurvatae, duo intra bafin filamen- ^ externally bent in at top, two placed on the 



torum breviora, fubrotunda. fig. 7. 8. infide of the bafe of the filaments, ftiorter and 



I roundifh. fig. y. 8. 



STAMINA: Filamenta fex, quorum duo breviora, % STAMINA: fix Filaments, two of which are fhort- 



fubulata, erecta, flavefcentia ; Anthers in- | er than the reft, tapering, upright and yel- 



cumbentes, fubfagittatas. fig. 5. ? lowifh; Anthers laying acrofs the filaments, 



and fomewhat arrow-fhaped.^g-. 5. 



PISTILLUM: Germen oblongum, tenue; Stylus | PISTILLUM : Germen oblong, flender, Style very 



breviflimus ; Stigma capitatum. fig. 6. fhort ; Stigma forming a little head. fig. 6. 



PERICARPIUM: Siliqua fefquiuncialis, teres, u- | SEED-VESSEL: a Pod about an inch and a half long, 



trinque linea prominenti notata. fig. 9. y round, mark'd on each fide with a prominent 



t line. fig. 9. 



SEMINA plurima, minuta, fufca, fubovata, compref- | SEEDS numerous, fmall, brown, fomewhat oval, and 



fiufcula. % a little flatten'd. 



Matthiolus, one of the firft Botanifts who has taken notice of this plant, calls it Eruca fylveftris, and has 

 given us a tolerable good figure of it, fufflcient at leaft with his annexed defcription to identify it : Caspar Bau- 

 mine quotes this plant from Matthiolus, with this addition, Eruca fylveftris major lute a caule afpero, now there cer- 

 tainly is no appearance either in the plant, in Matthiolus's defcription, or figure, which juftifies thofe expreftions, 

 for as Tournefort obferves in his Hijl, des plantes des environs de Paris the branches have fometimes a few fmall 

 hairs on them but by no means can they be called rough, this defcription of Bauhine's has therefore created much 

 confufion, nor is the name of J. Bauhine which Tournefort has adopted perhaps totally free from objection, the 

 term tenuifolia though proper when placed as the oppofite to latifolia, in the prefent inftance is liable to miflead. 



Did we entertain the leaft idea of the infufficiency of Matthiolus's, figure or defcription, Tournefort and Ray 

 have defcribed it with fo much accuracy as to leave no doubt of their being well acquainted with it, they both 

 particularize its difagreeable fmell, Tournefort's expreftions are Jon odeur approche de celle des huiles fietides retlifiees 

 fur lachaux vive; Rays odor toiius plant* fatidus et ingratus, noftris jaltem naribus ; if any thing more were wanting 

 to their defcriptions we might add fome peculiarities in its fructifications, as that the Calyx before it opens ap- 

 pears to have two little fhort horns from each of which iflue one or more fine hairs, when the flower is expanded 

 two of the leaves of the Calyx ftand almoft upright, while the other two bend back, and that two of the glands 

 are uncommonly long. 



Mr. Hudson in the firft edition of his Flora Anglica, calls this plant Brajfica Erucafirum, in the fecond edition» 

 he has made it a new fpecies, it certainly does riot accord with Linnjeus's fpecific defcription of that plant, its 

 fructifications denote it to be a Brajfica, and it does not agree with any of the other fpecies of Brajfica in LiNNiEUS, 

 I have therefore adopted Mr. Hudson's name. 



The Garden Rocket Brajfica Eruca was formerly much cultivated in Gardens for medicinal ufe and for Sallads ; 

 but is at prefent lefs common, the feeds have a pungent tafte of the muftard kind but weaker, they have long 

 been celebrated as aphrodifiacs, and may, probably, have in fome cafes a title to this virtue in common with other 

 acrid plants, and this as Ray obferves, was not only the opinion of the Phyficians but alfo of the Poets of former 

 times, which he illuftrates by the following quotations : 



Martial. Et Fenerem revocans Eruca morantem. 



Columella. Excitat ad Fenerem tardos Eruca maritos. 



Ovid. Nee minus Erucas jubeo vitarefalaces. 



The Brajfica muralis grows very plentifully in and about London, and is I believe of general growth on moft of 

 the old Walls and Caftles throughout England, with us in particular it grows on the walls around the Tower, at 

 the back of Bedlam, and near Hyde-Park, it is alia frequently found among rubbifh, it flowers during the greateft 

 partofthefumrner. 



