The BRITISH HERBAL. 
Genus iv. 
BASE ROCKET. 
RESEDA. 
THE flower is compofed of five irregular petals, unequal in fize, and unevenly difpofed ; but 
they do not differ in bignefs fo much as thofe of luteok ; and they are all divided into three 
parts at the edge : the fced-velTel is Ihort and angulated, and is open at the end : the cup is fmall, 
divided into five parts, with an appendage to one of them ; fo that there appear to be fix ; and it 
remains when the flower is fallen. 
LinniEUS, as already obferved, places this among the pJyaniria trigynia ; joining it with luuda, 
from which it differs in the flrufture of the flower, and other efTential and obvious charaflcrs. 
DIVISION I. BR 
Common Bafe Rocket. 
Rsfeda vulgaris. 
The root is long, flender, white, and furniflied 
with many fibres. 
The firft leaves rife in a duller ; and they are 
very beautiful in themfelves, and difpofed with 
great regularity : they are divided in the pinnated 
manner, and each is formed of three pinna:, 
or deep fcgments, with an odd one at the end : 
thefe are of a pale green, long, and narrow. 
The ftalks are numerous, round, firm, up- 
right, and two feet high. 
The leaves on thefe refemble thofe from the 
root, but are narrower and fmaller. 
The flowers fl:and in long fpikes at the tops 
of the ftalks ; and thcy'are fmall and whitilh. 
The leed-venil is large, angulated, and open ; 
and the feeds are very numerous, and minute. 
DIVISION II. F O 
I. Great Bafe Rocket. 
Refcda major. 
The root is long, thick, and furniflied with 
many fibres. 
The leaves that rife firft are very large, of a 
deep green, and beautifully pinnated : each con- 
fifts of about five pairs of pinns, and an odd 
one at the end; and thefe are all long, narrow, 
and lharp-pointed. 
The flralk rifes in the midft, and is round, 
firm, upright, and a yard high : it is thick 
fet with leaves, and fends out a number of long 
branches. 
The leaves on thefe refemble thofe from the 
root, and are of a faint green. 
The flowers ftand in long, thick fpikes at the 
tops of the branches; and they arc large and 
yellow. 
The feed veflel is thick, crooked, and hangs 
downward. 
The feeds are fmall, very numerous, and 
brown. 
It is frequent in the fouth of France, and 
flowers in Auguft. 
C. Bauhine calls it Refeda maxima. Others, 
Refeda major. 
ITISH SPECIES. 
It is found in many parts of this kingdom on 
chalky and other barren foils. It flowers in July. 
C. Bauhine calls it Refeda vulgaris, OtherSj 
Refida win'or. 
The leaves fometimes are curled, and crifp at 
the edges : this happens generally from want of 
nouriihment, 
Boccone has diflinguiflied the refida in this ftate 
as a feparate fpecies, under the name of refeda 
crifpa Gallica., and the editor of the laft edition 
of the Synopfis has given it a place as if di- 
ftin£t ; but it is only a variety. 
Let the reader, in ju.ftice to the memory of 
that great man, Mr. Ray, obferve whether the 
fcveral errors of this kind, which occur in the 
laft edition of the .Synopfis, were his or thofa 
of this editor, Dillenius. Such as are marked 
with an afterifm are DiUenius's, and this is one 
of them. They are meant as improvements. 
REIGN SPECIES. 
2. Bafe Rocker, called Phyteuma. ' 
Refeda ealydhus maximis. 
The root is long, thick, white, and furniflied 
with many fibres. 
The firft leaves are long and narrow : they lie 
fpread upon the ground, in the manner of thofe 
of the common diers-weed ; and the plant in 
this Rate has vaifly its appearance. 
The ftalks rife in the centre of this tuft, and 
are round, flender, and rarely at all branchecf. 
The leaves ftand irregularly on them, and are 
very oddly varied in figure : fome of them per- 
fedtly refemble thofe from the root ; but others 
are divided at their ends into three or five parts, 
in the manner of fingers. 
The flowers are final!, but they ftand in very 
large cups. 
They are difpofed in a loofe fpike at the tops 
of the ftalks, and in the bofoms of the upper 
leaves. 
The fced-vcfiel is large, and ftands furroundcd 
by this great cup : the feeds are very minute. 
It is common in the fouth of France, and 
flowers in July. 
C. Bauhine calls it Refeda afjims fhyteuma. 
Columna, Enicagi apula irifida et juiiiquefoiia. 
H h h 3, Bafe 
