The BRITISH HERBAL. 
27 
The virtues of marpmallQW are the fame with 
thofe of the common maUcn', but it has them in a 
greater degree. The root is pleafant, and gives 
water a thick mucilaginous confiftence, with an 
agreeable foftneis : wherefore the decoftion or 
infufion are the belt forms of giving it. 
It is emollient and diuretick. Taken in the 
way of tea it is excellent againft the gravel : or 
in a ftronger decoiSion, in the worft complaints 
of that kind. 
Outwardly iifed it is emollient and difcutient. 
A fyrup and an ointment are kept in the fhops 
in which inarfimallow root is a great ingredient, 
and which have their name from it; but a com- 
mon infufion has more virtue by far than the fy- 
rup; and generally a pultice of the frefii root, 
white bread and milk, will do better outwardly 
than the ointment. 
Befide thefe, which are its virtues moft regard- 
ed, it is excellent in afthmas and againft tickling 
coughs ; and alfo in erofions of the bowels and 
dyfenteries. In both thefe cafes it ads upon the 
fame principle, foftening and blur.ting the acri- 
mony ot the humours by its fuft mucilaginous 
juice. 
A decoftion of marPr,nallo'-j) root alone, is ex- 
cellent againft the heat of urine attending go- 
norrheas. 
We have obferved that the firft leaves of 
the marJJrmallow are rounder than thofe on the 
ftalks -. fometimes the whole have that appear- 
ance, and this principally from too. wet a fitua- 
tion. In this condition the plant has been confi- 
dered by Pkikenet as -a diftinft fpecies. He calls 
it Althaa vulgari fimilis folio retufo h?vi : but this 
is nothing more than a variety. 
DIVISION II. FOREIGN SPECIES. 
Great-flowered Marfimiallow. 
AUh^ra flore magna. 
The root is compofed of a large head, and a 
vaft quantity of white, thick fibres. 
The firft leaves are large, broad, obtufe, and 
approaching to round, but finuated at the edges, 
and terminating in a kind of broad, blunt pdint. 
They (land on fliort footftalks, and are of a 
l^hitifh green. 
The flalks are numerous, thick, firm, and five 
foot high : they rife from the centre of the tuft 
of leaves, and are of a whitifh green, and divided 
into many branches. 
The leaves on thefe are broad and oblong, fer- 
rated at th?"' edges, and fharp at the points. 
They (land on long footftalks, and have a velvety 
foftnefs. 
The flowers Hand at the extremities of the 
branches, and are very lat^e and beautiful. They 
very much refemble hollyhock flowers, and are 
naturally of a pale flefli colour, but vary by cul- 
ture, and become of a deeper red. 
The feeds ftand in a round, fiat, naked head. 
It is a native of Africa, and flowers in July. 
Cornutus calls it Althaa rofea feregrina^ and 
mod others follow him. 
GENUS XX. 
VERVAIN MALLOW. 
J L C ^ A. 
'T^IIE flower confifts of five large fegfrnents joined at the bafe. The feeds ftand in a rounded, flat 
clufter. The leaves are deeply divided. 
The alcd:a is one of mo7iadelphia polyandria of Linnaeus. Its difference from the tnarJJo and 
common maUow is principally in the leaves j but it is a diftinftion fo long preferved and fo familiarly 
known that it may be retained. 
DIVISION I. BRITISH SPECIES; 
Vervain Mallow. 
Akifa "julgaris. 
The root is long, large, woody, perennial, and 
white. 
The leaves that rife from it arc of a rounded 
form, deeply finuated at the edges, but not di- 
vided into fmall fegments as the others. Thefe 
rife in a clufter : they are fupported on moderately 
long footftalks, and are of a beautiful green. 
The ftalks rife among thefe: they are nume- 
rous, round, firm, upright, and of a pale green: 
they are well furniOied with leaves, and thofe ex- 
treamly beautiful. They keep the rounded ge- 
neral form of thofe from the root, but they are 
divided deeply into fmall and elegant fegments. 
Thefe are of a paler colour than thofe from the 
root. 
The flowers are very large, and of a beautiful 
pale red, 
The feeds ftand in rounded and flat heads. 
It is common in paftures, and flowers in May. 
C. Bauhine calls it Alctea "ciilgaris ?najor. J. 
Bauhine, Alc^a vulgaris. 
The leaves of this plant are frequendy curled 
at the edges. This happen.s efpecially when it 
grows in very dry places j and it has been de- 
fcribed in this condition as if a diftind fpecies, 
under the name of Alcaa iennifolia crifpa. 
DI VI- 
