The BRITISH HERBAL. 
165 
leaves of this plant, covered with a froth of its 
own raifing. This has been imagined to proceed 
from the plant, and thence ic had thefe fanciful 
additions to its name; but it is in reality the 
creature's method of fecreting or preferving itfelf 
from many infeds, to which it would otherwife 
become an eafy prey. 
3. Heath-leaved Sea Campion. 
Lychnis niaritima ericic folio. 
The root is long, hard, woody, and furniH-icd 
with long and tough fibres. 
The (talks are numerous, roun'l, weak, prta- 
cumbent, and jointed : they are naturally of a 
pale green, but frequently rediHi. 
The leaves are numerous, and placed in pairs: 
they are very fingular in their ftrudture, and have 
feme remote refemblance of thofe of the com- 
mon heath. 
The flowers grow at the ends of the ftalks and 
branches ; and are large, and of a bright red. 
The feed-veffels are large and oval ; and the 
feeds are numerous and turgid. 
It is found on fandy banks by the fea, and 
fometimes at confiderable diftanccs from it. It 
flowers in June. 
C. Bauhine calls it Polygonum maritimum ttiinus 
folio ferpylli; and Parkinfon, Erica fupina mari- 
tima Anglica. 
Mr. Ray very properly obferves that its leaves 
have not the leaft refemblance of thofe of ferpyl- 
luniy nor its flowers of thofe of heath : it is pro- 
perly a cmnpion, though fo very different in its 
afpect from the generality of others, that it is 
not a wonder thofe who were acciiftomed to judge, 
rnore by the general appearance of a plant than 
by an examination of its flowers and fecd-vefiels, 
called it by very different and various names. 
4. Jagged flowered Campion. 
Lychnis fiore laciniato. 
The root is long, thick, divided, and furnifhed 
with numerous fibres. 
The firfl: flioots are weak and round, ufually 
of a redifh colour: they lie upon the ground, 
and fend out roots of their own. 
The leaves that rife from thefe are fingle, ob- 
long, broadeft in the middle, undivided at the 
edges, and tharp-pointed ; and they are com- 
monly of a brown colour. 
The ftaiks are numerous, upright, round, 
jointed, and two feet high : they are ufually of a 
brownifli or purplifh colour, and rarely are much 
branched. 
The leaves fland in pairs: they are oblong, 
narrow, undivided at the edges, and fharp- 
pointed : and they are of a deep green. 
The flowers ftand at the tops of the flalks, 
fix or eight together and they are of a pale red, 
and are cut into numerous long and flender feg- 
nicnts. 
The feed-veflel is large and oval : the feeds are 
large and roundilh. 
It is common in meadows, and flowers in 
June. 
C. Bauhine calls it Caryophyllus fratenfis lacini- 
ato fiore fimplicx-, feu flos cuculi. Others, Lychnis 
N' XVIL 
pliimaria pratenfis. In Englifli we call \tCuckciu- 
flowcr^ Wild Williams^ and Ragged Robins. 
It is fometimes found wild with a double 
flower. Culture eafily gives it this advantage, 
and renders it very beautiful : we have it in thia 
condition frequent in our gardens, and varying 
with red and white flowers. 
5. Wild Campion, called Soapworc. 
Lychnis faponaria di£ia. 
The root is compoftd of a great number of 
large, thick, and fpreading fibres. 
The llalks are numerous, round, upright, and 
two feet and a half high. 
They are of a pale green colour, and jointed j 
and the knobs, or joints, are round, thick, and 
white. 
The leaves are large, and of a beamiful frefli 
green : they ftand in pairs, and have large veins. 
The flowers are large, and fometimes redifh: 
they ftand in confiderable numbers on ttie tops of 
the ftalks. 
The feed-vefl'el is large and oval ; and the feeds 
are numerous. 
It is not uncommon in many of our counties, 
and thrives beft imder a damp hedge. It flowers 
in June. 
We fometimes meet widi it " naturally with a 
double flower, in which cafe it is very beautiful, 
Linn^us, who frequently perplexes the fludent 
by joining together feveral genera, which othersi 
with reafon, have treated as diftimfl, here runs 
to the oppofite extream. He feparates faponaria^ 
or foapwort, from the lychnis ; but the diftinc- 
tion is not properly that of one genus from ano- 
ther, but of the feparate fpecies of the fame 
genus, Ray has followed nature with more care, 
who joins this with the lychnis ; and the generality 
of authors are of the fame opinion, ranking lE 
under this genus. We are the more careful to 
follow Ray rather than Linnaeus in this article, 
becaufe the latter not only feparafts the faponaria 
from lychiis, but joins with it feveral other 
fpecies, the vaccaria^ ccyrnoidcs, and others, to be 
named hereafter. 
It is true that the faponaria has but two flyles 
upon the capfule, and the other fpecies hitherto 
defcribed have five ; but it muft be fufiicicnt to 
name fuch a variation in the defcription of it as a 
fpecies. We have, in the fame manner, kept 
together the lychnis's^ though feparated by this 
author, as in other inflances of a like kind. 
After defcribing the foapwort, we are here 
alfo to mention a particular variety of that plant, 
defcribed by our Knghfli botanifls, and preierved 
in our gardens. This, though no more than we 
have called it, a variety, yet is fo fingular that 
we have added its figure. The two leaves at the 
knots frequently join into one, which furrounds 
the ftalk in a particular manner ; and the flowers 
vary in the fame manner as the leaves; for their 
five petals unite, and the whole forms a tubular 
flower. 
It was originally found wild in a grove near 
Lithbarrow in Northamptonfliire ; but ic is now 
loft there, only the common foapv:ort being found 
in the place. Probably the roots were all taken 
up and carried into gardens; they have been 
U u , there 
