THE 
BRITISH HERBAL. 
CLASS IV. 
Plants with the flower formed of a single petal, plain, and of a regular 
form, and fucceeded by a single capsule. 
THIS is » clafs of nature's forming, and is perfeftly diftind from all the others ; yet the mo- 
dern methods in botany do not preferve it. 
The plants which compofc it are very numerous : they are the moft plainly and evidently 
connefled together by nature, perhaps of any in the whole vegetable kingdom ; yet Linnreus fcatters 
and feparates°them throughout his works ; and Mr. Ray, who has collefted and preferved them to- 
gether, includes among them thofe of our fifth of next fucceeding clafs, which have the petal 
though fingle, yet far from plain. , , , , n- , „■ 
He diaributcs thefe by a fubdivifion, under two heads ; but they properly conftitute two clalTes. 
Bindweed and the bell-flower are naturally allied by the Ihape of their flower, and belong to the fame 
clafs- but bindweed and toadflax, though they agree in having a fingle capfule after every flower, 
and their flower compofed of one petal only ; yet are fo palpably and evidently different by the form 
of that petal, that they are naturally feparated. 
SERIES I. 
NATIVES OF BRITAIN. 
GENUS I. 
HENBANE. 
ti r o s c r A M u s. 
THE flower confifts of a fingle petal, and is tubular, and divided lightly into four Icgments at 
the rim : thefe are all obtufe, but one is larger than the others. The feed-veflil is a fingk 
capfule, covered at the top, and divided into two parts within. ^ . , . 
Linnffius places this among the pmtandria momgyma; the threads in the flower being five in num- 
ber, and the rudiments of the fruit fingle. 
DIVISION I. BRITISH SPECIES. 
Common Henbane. 
Hyofiyamm vulgaris. 
The root is very long, tough, white, woody, 
and furnifhed with many fibres. 
The ftalks are round, hard, woody, tough, 
and varioufiy and irregularly branched. 
The leaves ftand irregularly : they furround the 
ftalk at their bafc ; and are long, narrowifli. 
pointed at the ends, and very deeply notched ac 
the edges. Their colour is a greyiili green, and 
they have a very ill fmell. 
The flowers are numerous, fingular, and not 
without beauty when examined nearly : they are 
large, and open at the top, of a greyifli duflcy 
colour, a linft very uncommon in flowers, and 
full of veins. 
The feed-veflcls follow one after every flower; 
i an4 
