The BRITISH H E R R B A L. 
2. Yellow-flowered Raphaniftrum. 
Raphanijlruni fiore luteo. 
The root is long, flcnder, white, and furniflied 
with many fibres. 
The firft leaves are large and oblong : they are 
broadeft a: the bafe, finuated ac the edges, and 
{harp-pointed ; and they are fupported on fliort 
footflalks : they are rough to the touch, and of 
a deep green. 
The ftalk is round, upright, firm, two fi^et 
and a half high, and divided into many branches. 
The leaves on it are numerous : they are placed 
irregularly, and they refemble thole from the root; 
they have very fir rt footftalks, and are deeply and 
irregularly finuated. 
Hie flowers lUnd at the tops of the flalks and 
branches, and they are fmali and yellow, 
The pods are long, and moderately thick : 
they are jointed, and of a pale green, and, v. hen 
ripe, they break afunder at the joints. 
The feeds are round, large, and brown. 
It is common in corn-fields, and flowers in 
July. 
Ray calls it Rapifirum Jiore luteo filiqua glabra 
articidata. Our people, Tcllcrj) charlock^ "witb & 
jointed -pod. 
DIVISION II. FOREIGN SPECIES. 
Dwarf Raphaniftrum. 
Raphamjlrum humile foliis divtfis. 
The root is a fmall, white fibre ; little more. 
The firft leaves are oblong, narrow, and fharp- 
pointed : they are deeply divided at th'cr edges, in 
the manner of pinnated leaves, but not quite to 
the rib. 
The ftalks are numerous, Oender, weak, and 
not more than five or fix inches high : they ge- 
nerally trail upon the ground two thirds of their 
length. 
The leaves on them are few, fo that they ap- 
pear for the greater part naked : thefe ftand ir- 
regularly, and are like thofe from the root. 
The flowers are fmall and 'yellow, and they 
ftand in tufts at the tops of the flalks. 
The feed-vefl^el is long and jointed, and the 
feeds are fmall and brown. 
It is a native of Siberia, and flowers in June. 
Gmelin calls it Raphanus foliis phinatis pinnis 
co?ifiuentihus fdtquis teretihus articulatis. The 
whole plant has greatly the afpeft of the wild roc- 
ket in miniature. 
The feeds of the white rapanhijlrum are faid to 
operate powerfully by urine j but there is not cer- 
tain authority for ir. The virtues of the others 
are not known. They are very troublefome to 
the farmers as weeds. 
G 
E N U S XIII. 
WATERCRESS. 
S I S T M B R I U M. 
,^T^ME flower is compofed of four oblong petals, which are difpofed croflTwife, and have very fmall 
bottoms : the cup is formed of four little, narrow leaves : thefe fpread tolerably open, and 
are coloured i and the whole falls with the flower: the feed-veflcl is crooked and Ihort ; and the 
membrane that divides ic within is fomewhac longer than the two fides : the feeds are numerous 
and frnaii. 
Linnaeus places this among the tetradynamia fiUquofa ; four of the fix threads in the flower being 
longer than the other two ; and the feed-vefl"el a regular pod : but he very improperly joins 
with the ujatercrejfes many plants not allied to them : thefe we fhali give under other regular genera, 
and in their proper places. 
I. Common Watercrefs, 
Sifphbrium vutgare. 
The root is long and creeping : it runs under 
the mud, and has tufts of fibres at fmall diftances. 
The firft leaves are long and pinnated : each 
is compofed of two or three pairs of pinnae, with 
a large leaf at the end ; and thefe ftparate pinnas 
are ihort, broad, and have no footftalks. 
The ftalks are roand or flatted, and of a pale 
green : they are ftriated, weak, and very much 
branched : they are pinnated, as thofe from the 
root, but the pinnse are fomewhat fmaller. 
The flowers are little and white : they ftand in 
fmall tufts, and ac the tops- of the ftalks and 
branches. 
The feed-veflels are flender, and not very long-, 
and the feeds are fmall, and brown. 
N"XXV. 
It is conimon in (hallow waters, and flowers in 
May. 
C. Bauhine calls it Nafturtium aquaticum fupi- 
num. J, Bauhine, Sijymbrium cardamine five Naf- 
turtium aquaticum. 
It is an excellent antifcorbutick. 
The juice of it is given in fpring with that of 
brooklime, and fome other plants of the fame cha- 
rader ; but it has more virtue than them all. 
This is at beft an unpleafant method of taking it : 
it is very agreeable, eaten as a faliad ; and there 
is no way in which it better exerts its virtues. 
It opens obftruclions, operates by urine, and 
promotes the menfes. Many medicines of great 
name, and naufeous tafte, are inferior to this 
iitde plant in fcorbutick diforders. 
R r r 
2. SmiU- 
