The BRITISH HERBAL. 
SERIES II. 
Thofe of which there is no fpecies native of tliis country. 
GENUS I. 
R UE. 
R U T A. 
THE flower is compofcd of four petals, which are hollow, narrow, and ftand open, and it has a 
tuft of threads in the centre : the cup is fmall, formed of a fingle piece, but divided into four 
fegments at the edge, and permanent: the feed vt (Tel is large and fingle, but compofed of four lobes, 
and lightly divided into four partitions ; the feeds are numerous and rout^h. 
Linnsus places this among the oBandria momgyma; the threads in each flower being eight, and 
the rudiment of the rapfule with its ilyle fingle. 
There is fometimes a variation in the uppermoft flower of rue, it h tving five inftead of four pe- 
tals i but in that cafe all the refl: of the flowers wherever fo numerous, confift only of four each ; 
in the cafe of five petals, there are alfo found ten inftcad of eight threads in the flower. 
This fliews the uncertainty of any one parr, much more of any fmall part o: a plant, to fix a 
generical charafter. When it happens that even there is a petal too much in the flower (fill the 
li^ed-veflel Ihews a difference from all other plants, and is confiftent and uniform ; this therefore is an 
cffential part in a generical character. 
I; Common Rue. 
Ruta fylvefiris. 
The root is long and large, divided into many 
parts, and furnillied with numerous fibres. 
The ffalk is round, and, when the plant has 
ftood fome time, it grows hard and woody, and is 
covered with a greyilh bark. At firft: it is tender 
and green, and the branches and young fiioots 
continue of that texture and colour : it rifes to 
two or three feet high, fometimes more, and is 
very much branched. 
The leaves are very numerous, of a bluifli co- 
lour, thick, and of a flefiiy fubffance : they 
are, properly fpeaking, doubly pinnated, feveral 
pairs of pinnated leaves growing on a middle 
rib, and each of thefe being compofed of four or 
five pair of fmall ones on its rib, with an odd 
leaf at the end ; but they are fo numerous, that 
this dif^jofition is not much regarded : thefe fe- 
parate leaves are Ihort, broad, and obtufe. 
The flowers (land at the tops of the branches 
in large tufts, and are fmall, and of a blight 
yellow. 
The feed-vcflcl is large, and feems as if com- 
pofed of four parts, and the feeds are rough. 
It is a native of the fouthern parts of Europe, 
and flowers in Augufl:. 
C. Bauhine calls it Ruta hortenfts latifolia. 
Others, Ruta major latifolia. And we. Common 
rue, and Garden rue. 
Rue is a plant of a very ftrong tafte and fmell, 
and of very powerful qualities. Rubbed upon 
the fkin, it ralfes an inflammation, and is ufed by 
fome in this manner againfi: headachs. 
They diftil a water from it in the fliops, which 
has little virtue, for the qualities of rue are not of 
that kind which rife in dillillation. 
There is no better way of giving it than in a 
conferve made of the frelh tops, beaten up with 
fugar. In this form it is excellent againfl: hyfterick 
complaints arifing from fupprefiions of the men- 
fes ; and taken for a coiUinuance againll the epi- 
Icpfy. 
The juice of rue, cxpreflfed with white wine, 
and taken in very finall dofes, is a remedy for 
that troublefome difeafe the nightmare. 
An infufion of it taken for a continuance of 
time, is greatly recommertded alfo againfl difor- 
ders of the eyes. 
The antients had an opinion of rue as a pre- 
ferver of chaftity, or a preventer of lewd thoughts ; 
but we give no medicines for diforders of the mind. 
C. Bauhine defcribcs another kind of rue, un- 
der the name of Ruta bortinfis altera; but it is 
only a variety, not a difl:ina fpecies : hence Lin- 
niEUs, carrying the thought too far, has been led 
to confider mofl: of the other kinds defcribed by 
audiors to be alio varieties : we fliall fhew by 
their figures and dcfcriptions that they are fuf- 
ficiendy difliinft. 
The true botaniff fhould be as careful to 
preferve the really feparate fpecies of plants 
under their prcfent names, as to explode from 
that number thofe which have been called fo, 
but are only varieties. Molt have been too la- 
vifli on this head ; Linnajus is too confined. 
The fpecies of plants, according to the generality 
of authors, taking all they have fuppofed to be 
diftinft, amount to about fixteen thoufand three 
hundred. Linnaeus would reduce them to lefs 
than ten thoufand ; but a moderate computation 
will eftablifli them at about twelve thoufand 
four hundred. This is the neareft account of the 
number of known plants. 
2. Sharp-leaved Rue. 
Ruta foliis acutninatis. 
The root is long, thick, divided, and furnilhed 
with numerous fibres. 
The 
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