The BRITISH HERBAL. 
57 
G E N U S II. 
BINDWEED. 
CONVOLVULUS. 
»T"HE flower is large, and confifts of a fingle petal, fpread open, rarely indented, and ofteii 
folded: the feeds are numerous, and are contained in a fingle capfule : the cup is formed of a 
lingle leaf, divided into five parts ; and remains with the capfule when the flower is fallen. 
Linnaeus places this among the pcntandria monogynia ; there being five threads in every flower, and 
a fingle rudiment of a fruit or capfule. 
DIVISION I. BRITISH SPECIES. 
1. Great Bindweed. 
Convohulus major. 
The root is long, white, flender, and creep- 
ing. 
The ftalks are numerous, round, flender, 
weak, and very long : they are fmooth, erf a yel- 
lowifli colour; and tough, and wilt climb about 
bu(hes till they reach ten or fifteen feet in 
height. 
The leaves fland irregularly, and have long 
footftalks : they are large, broad, cut off as it 
were behind at the ftalk, not going to fharp 
points, as in the lefTer kind, and iharp at the 
end : they are thin, fmooth, undivided at the 
edges, and of a pale green. 
The flowers rife from the bofom of the leaves, 
and fland fingly on long footflalks : they arc very 
large and white. 
The feed-vefTel is large, and the feeds are nu- 
merous. 
It is common in hedges, and flowers all fum- 
mer. 
C. Bauhine calls it Convolvulus major alhus. 
Others, Convohulus major. Our common people 
call it Bearbind. 
2. Common little Bindweed. 
Co7ivohulus minor vulgaris. 
The root is flender, and has many fibres. 
The ftalks are numerous, round, green, weak^ 
and almofl a to.ot long: the plant is not able to fup- 
port itfelf ; but it does not climb among bufhes as 
the^r^rf^ bindweed.^ but ftraggles upon the ground. 
The leaves fliand irregularly, and are nume- 
rous : they are broad, Ihort, of a pale green, un- 
divided at the edges, pointed at the end, and 
running into two points alio at the llalk, in the 
manner of an arrow head. 
The flowers rife from the bofoms of the leaves : 
they (land on footftalks; and are large, and of a 
pale red, fometimes white. 
The feed follows in a large capfule. 
It is common by way-fides, and flowers in 
May, and during the reft of the fummer. 
C. Bauhine calls it Convolvulus minor arvenjis. 
Others, Convolvulus minor. 
This and the preceding both poflefs the fame 
virtues: they are rough purges and, to thofe con-- 
flitutions that can bear fuch medicines, are good 
In dropfies, and other diforders from obRTu6lion3 
of the vifcera. The roots poffefs the principal 
virtue, and they are befl: freth. The country 
method is to prefs out the juice, and give it with 
ftrong beer. The root of the great bindweed is 
what they commonly ufe on this occafion. It ig 
Angular, that hogs cat this root often in confi- 
derable quantity, without any manifefl: effe£b. 
It may be ufclul in the country, where peoples 
conftitutions are rough, and milder medicines are 
not to be had ; but it is not worth bringing into 
the Ihops. 
3, Narrow-leaved Bindweed. 
Convolvulus pijillus angujiifolins. 
The root is long and flender, and has a few- 
fibres. 
The fl:a!ks are num.erous, round, we^k, and 
fix inches long : they lie upon the ground, and 
their leaves grow principally on one fide. 
Thefe ftand fingly at fmall diftances, and are 
very narrow, and of a confidcrable length : they 
hoop round the footfl:alks, which are fliort and 
flender, in the manner of the head of an arrow, 
but the heads are more rounded ; the edges are 
not at all indented, and they end in a fiiarp 
point. 
The flowers have long, flender fooift-aiks, 
and commonly ftand oppofite to the leaves, tho' 
not fo numerous ; they are imal!, and of a pale 
flcfli colour. 
The capfule of the feed is alfo fmall. 
It is a native of our corn-fields, but not com- 
mon. It flowers in June. 
Plukenet calls it Convolvulus angujii{[.m folio 
nojhas cum auricuHs. 
4. Little Bindweed, with A deep divided flower. 
Convolvulus pufillus fiore profunde feclo. 
The root is long, flender, and brown. 
The ftalks are round, weak, numerous, and 
five or fix inches long. 
The leaves arc numerous, fiiorr, broad, and 
of a pale green. 
The flowers are fmall, of a faint red colour 
and are compofed of fingle petals as the others^ 
but they are deeply divided into five parts. 
The feeds are contained in Ihort capfules. 
Ic grows with us in barren places. Mr. Rand, 
who 
