m8 Be TVR GE Ber sAiBoL Bi S:y'S.T EM. 
S Eee EAR SHEEP ROT. 
Plate 11. Fig. 1 
CharaGer of the. Species. | Hydrocotyle Chinenfis. 
The Leaves are linear and obtufe ; the Head has many Flowers. 
di ; Fig. t.ab. 
Tuts is a Biennial, native of China, a Plant altogether fingular, for one of this Genus, 
by the difcordant fhape of its Leaves; flowering in Augutt. 
Tur Stalk iS flender but firm ; it creeps upon the ground as the others; and fends 
ufually two Leaves from the fame j joint, with each Tuft of Roots. The colour of the. 
_- Stem is pale; the Leaves are of a very fine frefh green; the Flowers are white. 
Tue Leaves of this Plant, fo perfectly different from thofe of the four other Species, 
_rob us entirely, of what they would indeed but ill have left, the common Englifh name. 
The Leaves of the firft are fo well rounded, and ftuck on the Stalk in fo odd a way, 
without breaking in upon the margin, that the Englith fhepherds, who had too much ~ 
caufe to know the Plant, called it Pennywort ; and as there was a different Plant entirely, 
which had the fame kind of Leaves", they were foon taught to diftinguifh the two by - 
the places of their growth, calling this Marth Pennywort, and that Wall Pennywort: 
Thus far the difficulty was to be got over by the help of an epithet: but here is a Plant, | 
whofe Flowers plainly declare it to be of that Genus, Burt whofe Leaves are not in the 
leaft like pieces of money. 
We think it very effential to have a diftina Englifh name to every Genus, but cannot 
always anfwer for the propriety of thofe we ufe; becaufe where there is an old received 
one, we prefer it always, for that reafon, to a better that fhould be new or but lefs 
known: therefore we have retained to this Genus, an Englifh name, as old and well re- 
ceived as the other, though perhaps founded in error, and which will {uit all Species, be- 
_ Caufe it is not taken from the fhape of the Leaf; this is Suzerp-Ror. The Shepherds 
have long thought it gives that terrible difeafe, the rot, to their theep, becaufe they ufually 
fall into it when they are kept in paftures where it grows; but the fa@ may be . true, 
though owing to another caufe: this Plant never grows but in wet ground; and wet 
ground will give the rot, whether this grows there or no. They called it White-Rot, to 
diftingnifh it from Sun-Dew, which is another boggy Plant, accufed of the fame mif- 
chief. As we ete no- -teafon for the epee: in one cafe, we may drop it in the 
other. 
* Cotyledon umbilicus veneris. 
4 0. B NW -U-S 
