88 



and a species of* Venus 's comb, commonly called 

 loiqui lahuen or alfilerillo, of which the cattle are pe- 

 culiarly fond. This plant, which I have named 

 scandix chilensts^ is distinguished from the Euro- 

 pean species by its aromatic odour, by its stem, 

 which is not striated, and by its leaves, these are 

 larger, and although winged like the Venus's comb 

 of Europe, have some of their lesser leaves entire 

 and fleshy. This plant is reputed to be vulnerary, 

 and its Chilian name, signifying the herb of wounds, 

 is expressive of this quality. 



The soil is so fertile that the herbage grows to 

 such a height in many pastures as completely to con- 

 ceal the sheep, especially in the vallies of the Angles, 

 where the vegetation is always the most \igorous. 

 But amidst this luxuriant growth there are two or 

 three species of plants injurious to cattle, which arc 

 much dreaded, especially a kind known in the coun- 

 try by the name of yerba loca, or herb of madness, 

 from its rendering those animals who eat of it mad, 

 particularly horses. 



This plant, which forms a new genus, I have cal- 

 led hyppomanica. Its stalks are of an angular shape, 

 a foot and a half in height ; the leaves are opposite, 

 lanceolated, entire and fleshy, of a clear grey, about 

 an inch in length, and attached to the branches . 

 without a foot-stalk ; the flower is formed like a rose, 

 and grows at the top of the branches, it consists 

 of five oval petals of a yellow colour, supported by 

 a calyx divided into five parts ; when ripe the pistil 

 becomes changed into a capsula separated into four 

 cells, which contain some black kidney-shaped seeds. 



