Sisymbrium Irio. London Rocket* 



SISYMBRIUM Lin. Gen. PL Tetradynamia Siliquosa. 



Siliqua dehifcens, valvtilis recliufculis. Calyx patens. 'CorMla pate'ris; 



Raii Syn. Gen. 21. Herb^: tetrApetal^e SiLiqluosje et Siltculosje. 



SISYMBRIUM Irio foliis runcinatis dentatis nudis, Caule lasvi, filiquis efecYis; hin. Syft: Vegetahp. 499. 

 Sp. PL 921. F/. Suec, n. 596. 



ERYSIMUM latifolium majus glabrUm. Bauh. Pin. ior. 



IRIS Isevis Apulus erucas folio. Col. Ecphr. I. 264. 



ERYSIMUM latifolium Neapolitan!] m. Park. 834. Rati Syn. p. 2y& Smoother broad -leaved Hedge- 

 Muitard. Hudfon. Fl. Aiigl. ed. 2. p. 297. Jacquini Fl. Aufir. tab. 322. 



Tota planra perpetuo glaberrima eft, nee ullum pilum| The whole plant is always perfectly fmooth, without 

 a'ut villum habet, acre finapios fapore gaudens. | any hair or down, having the biting tafte of 



? muftard. 



RADIX annua, albida, calami anferini craffitie, fimplex, | ROOT annual, whitiiri, the thicknefs of a goofe-quill, 

 quandoque ramofa. % fimple, fometimes branched. 



CAULIS pedalis, ad^ bipedalem, teres, hie illic pur- 1 STALK from one to two feet high, round, here and 

 purafcens, nitidus, firmus inferne, non ftriatus, 1 there purplifh, mining' below rigid, not 



faepiu's ab ipfa bafi ramofus. ftriated or grooved, often branched quite from 



% . the bottom. 



-FOLIA radical ia, quae brevi marcefcunt, et caulina pie- | LEAVES next the root, which foon wither, and moft of 

 raque, funt pinnatifida, finnata, inaequaliter | thofe on the ftalk are pinnatifid, finuated, un- 



dentata aut ferrata, petiolata, patentia, flac- % equally toothed Cr ferrated, {landing on foot- 



cida, lobis utplurimum acutis, extremo majore| ftalks, fpreading and flaccid, the lobes for the 



et longiore, fumma haftata, et quasdam inte- | moft part pointed, the end one larger and 



gerrima ac fimplicia* | longer, the uppermoft leaves haftate, fome of 



% them entire and fimple. 



CORYMBI in racenios prodilcuntur longiffimos, modo| CORYMBI lengthened out into long racemi, fometimes 

 rectos, modo flaccidos. | ftrait, fometimes flaccid. 



FLORES pufilli, flavi. t FLOWERS fmall and yellow. 



CALYX patens, flavefceiis, Jig. n | CALYX fpreading and yellowim, Jig. 1. 



PETALA obtufa, etoblonga, ungues habent fubere&os, % PETALS obtufe, and oblong, having claws nearly up- 

 fupra hos patentiffima, fig. 2. | right, above which they fpread widely, fig. 2. 



STAMINA et Stylus etiam flavefcunt, fig. 3, 4. | STAMINA and the Style are alfo of a yellowim colour, 



t fig. 3, 4. 



SILIQILE graciles, fubteretes, ad femina torulofe, et | PODS {lender, nearly round, about two inches long, 

 biunciales, brevibus inliftunt pedunculis e.X.% ftanding on fhort foot- ftalk s, and fpreading 



quaquavorfum laxe patent, Jig. 5. | loofely every way, feeds protuberant, fig. 5. 



SEMINA minuta, pallide flavent, fig. 6. % SEEDS minute, of a pale yellow colour, fig. 6. 



The Sifymbrium Irio, though a fcarce plant in many parts of Great Britain, is frequent enough in the neighbour- 

 hood of London : we find it on dry banks, efpecially fuch as are made of road fand, walls, and among rubbiih in 

 tincultivated places. Its chief time of flowering is from July to September. Like many other annuals it is 

 inconftant as to its particular place of growth. In favourable feafons and fituations it is capable of multiplying 

 itfelf exceedingly^ from the great number of feed veffels which it produces. The feeds are very fmall, and 

 protuberating a little through the valves of the feed-veffel give them the appearance of finely jointed pods; a 

 chara&er, which when prefent will readily diftinguifti this plant. Mr. Ray obferved it at Faulkbourn in Effex, 

 and on the walls of Berwick on the Tweed. That great naturalift remarks, that after the fire of London in the' 

 years 1767, 1768^ it came up abundantly among the rubbifh in the ruins. Morison* who lived at that period, 

 was particularly ftruck with fo fmgular an appearance, and in his Preludia Botanica has a long dialogue on this 

 very fubjedt.; in which, whatever laurels he may gain as a Botanift, few will think him entitled to any as a 

 Philofopher. 



As the book, containing this curious dialogue, is in few hands, we flatter ourfelves a copy of it will not be 

 unacceptable to many of our readers. 



" Botan. Secundo die Septembris, anno Domini, 1666, incepit incendium illud luctuofum et ad triduum, aut 

 * quatriduum duravit. Nee ope humana (divinitus evenit, quum non eft malum in civitate, quod non fecit 

 " Dominus) extingui poterat : nam iEolusapperto ventorum carcere (ut ita loquar) regnabat : per triduum aut 

 *' quatriduum illud. Poft oclomeftre fpatium, per rudera ducentorum jugerum, folo sequatatorum, mihi peram- 

 " bulanti verfus excambium vetus nunc. Ante illud tempus ; Collegium Grefhamianum diftum tendenti, in 

 " veftigiis, aedificiorum et teclorum, mihi tanta fefe objecit copia, Erylimi illius, quod irio hevis Apulus a'lter 

 " Fabio Column* dicitur : Et eodem revertens, menfibus duobus poft hoc; aded denfe pullulavit, ut fa'ce quafi 

 " Triticum, aut iecale demeti potuerir. Soc. Quid inde fequetur, unde provenifle tantam copiam iftius Irionis? 

 " putas tu ; an a iemine feu fatione ? Botan. Quid quaefo, te movet ad talem proponendam queftionem, cum 

 " aedificia omnia circa aedem Divi Pauli, et alibi paffim in meditullio celeberrimi Emporii Londini, a mille aut 

 «« faltem centenis annis : Fuere conftrudtaet tedis confervata ? Soc. Ergo tanta copia illius feminis, latebat in cellis 

 " et cavearum fundis, et foli et pluvias expofita, fru&icavit. Botan. Unum hoc addam : ego non fum Plinius, ut 

 " ex aliorum relatione mimdo imponam; necMattheolus ut appingam ea quae nunquam extitere ; fed ut vis appertis 



" verbis 



