126 
Hellibore, in the like wet and black grounds, commonly by 
Hellibore, with a fheath or Hood like Dragons, but the 
peftle is of another ftiape, that is, having a round Purple 
Ball on the top of it, befet (as it were) with Burs; the 
hood moots forth immediately from the Root, before any 
Leaf appears, having a Green [72] fprig growing fafl by 
it, like the fmaller Horfe Tayl, about the latter end of 
April the Hood and Sprig wither away, and there comes 
forth in the room a Bud, like the Bud of the Walnut Tree, 
but bigger; the top of it is of a pale Green Colour, 
covered with brown skins like an Onion, white under- 
neath the Leaves, which fpread in time out of the Bud, 
grow from the root with a ftalk a Foot long, and are as 
big as the great Btir Dock Leaves, and of the colour; the 
Roots are many, and of the bignefs of the fteel of a 
Tobacco Pipe, and very white; the whole Plant fents as 
ftrong as a Fox; it continues till Atigujl} 
[74] (40 
This Plant the Humming Bird feedeth upon, it groweth 
likewife in wet grounds, and is not at its full growth till 
1 Symflocarpus fmtidus (L.) Salisb. (skunk-cabbage). Our author's appears 
to be the first figure and account of this curious plant, which he rightly places 
among such " as are proper to the country, and have no name." Cutler's de- 
scription, in 17S5 (Account of Indig. Veg., /. c, pp. 407-9), — which is followed 
by the remark, that " the fructification so essentially differs from all the genera 
of this order, it must undoubtedly be considered as a new genus," — was the next 
contribution of importance, and so continued till Dr. Bigelow's elaborate history; 
— Amer. Med. Bot., vol. ii. p. 41, pi. xxiv. Josselyn's "sprig" of a horse-tail 
might perhaps be added to his Filices, at p. 47, note 2, 3. 
