2 
The BRITISH HERBAL. 
GENUS I. 
STRAWBERRY. 
FRJGJRIA 
i-pHE Jlra-^hrry I>as three leaves on each footftalk; the flower confifts of five petals, and its 
cup is divided into ten unequal fcgments. , . , 
The flelhy fubllance of the fruit is no charafter of this genus, for fome fpecies have it not. 
Linnius feparates this with fome others from the reft of the clafs, arranging it among his 
uefandria, and placing it next the rofe and bramble. , r r 
Imperfeft obfcrvations might lead us to fuppofe there was an alhance between the frmt of the 
fira Jerry and bramble; and little genius's might cavil at the placing u here among plants with 
naked feeds: but the diftinftions of nature are fufficiently correft if men will properly regard 
them ■ the bramble will then be found a berry-bearing ftrub ; the ftra-^herry a naked feeded plant. 
A berry is a fruit which has the feed furrounded by a juicy matter, and enclofed m a Ikin Each 
grain of the blackberry is therefore fuch ; but in the jlrawkrry the feeds are d.fpofed quite otherwife : 
They are neither furrounded by juice, nor covered with a Ikin : they ft.ck ,,M on the outfide of 
"lifall'the plants of this clafs the feeds adhere to fome fubftance at their bafe ; and in the prefent 
inftance that llibftance fometimes fwclls out, and becomes flelhy : but the feeds are ftill naked, the fruit 
is no berry, and the plant belongs to this clafs. 
DIVISION I. BRITISH SPECIES. 
1. Barren Strawberry. 
Fragaria Jferilis. 
The root is thick, hard, covered with a brown- 
i(h bark with a tinge of red, and edged with 
fibres. 
The leaves Hand three on each footlfalk i and 
are of an oval figure, notched round the edges, 
and of a pale green ; they are covered with a 
ihort, foft hair, and lie fpread on the ground. 
Their footftalk is two inches long, and has a 
couple of fmall membranes at its bafe. 
The flalks are (lender, fhort, and weak : they 
are hairy, and have each a leaf or two on them 
divided into three parts. 
Ufually there ffands but one flower on each 
footftalk, and this is large, white, and beautiful. 
It is compofed or five broad it-^vs, dciiL..a at the 
ends ; and has in its centre a tuft of fhort threads. 
It fl:ands in a fmall cup divided into ten parts at 
the edge. 
When the flower falls the feeds ripen m a little 
ckifter. They are fmall, and have no pulpy mat- 
ter about them ; but five of the divifions of the 
cup clofe over and defend them. 
It is very common in dry paftures and on ditch 
banks , and flowers in April. 
The bark of the root, dried and powdered, is 
excellent in diarrhoeas : a fcruple is a dole. This 
I write from experience ; others fcem not to have 
confidered it as a medicine. 
J, Bauhine calls this fpecies Fragaria non fril- 
gifcra vel non "vefca. C. Bauhine, Fragaria 
Jlerilis. 
2. Common Strawberry. 
Fragaria ^julgaris. 
The root is long, thick, of a reddilh brown, 
and edged with many fibres. 
The footftalks are three or four inches long v 
and each fupports three leaves. Thefe are ob- 
long and broad, and ferrated ; of a dark green 
on the upper fide, and whitifii underneath. 
The ftalks are four or five inches high : they 
divide at the top, and fupport feveral flowers. 
Thefe are large and white : each confifts of five 
leaves, and has in its centre a grear tuft of threads 
wich yellow, burtons. 
The fruit follows, and is a flelhy receptacle for 
the feeds : it is large, pulpy, and pleafant. The 
feeds are numerous, fmall, and fliarp-pointed ; 
and they are ftuck in the fides of the fruit. 
It is common in woods, and thence brought in- 
to gardens, where culture has made it alTume va- 
rious forms. It alfo naturally differs in the fize 
of the fruit in different countries. 
The moft confiderable of thefe varieties are two; 
I. 7he pltm-frmted Jlrawberry : and, 2. 7hs 
great-fruiled Jlrawherry of Chili, -with flejhy leaves. 
C. Bauhine hasdefcribed the firft, and Dillenius 
the latter of thefe as diftind fpecies ; but they arc 
accidental variations. 
DIVISION II. FOREIGN SPECIES. 
3, Shrubby Strawberry. 
Fragaria frulefcens. 
1 he root is long, woody, and edged with fibres. 
The leaves ftand on footftalks, three upon 
each, as in the common ftrati-herry ; and are large, 
oblong, and confiderably hairy. 
The ftalk rifes from the centre of the root, 
among the leaves, and is woody, firm, and two 
foot high. Toward the top it divides into two or 
three parts, and fpreads into a round head. Thera 
are leaves like thofe which rife from -the root, at 
the infertions of thefe branches; and upon their 
tops ftand the flowers. 
Thefe are fmall and greenilh, much of the fame 
colour with the leaves, but of the form of the 
common jira'whcrry fiower. 
The fruit is conic in fliape, and is partly red, 
partly green. The hairs that rife from the feeds 
are very rough, and alfo grccnifh. 
It 
