2bo 
The BRITISH HERBAL. 
The ftallc is round, upright, hairy, whitifh, 
and eight inches high. 
The leaves on this are fliorc and broad, of a 
whitifh green, very hairy, and fofc to the touch. 
The flowers {land in little tufts at the tops of 
the ftalk and branches ; and they are moderately 
3arge, and of a fine gold yellow. 
The feed-veflels arc oval and fmall, and they 
have a little white point : the feeds are fmall and 
brown . 
Ic is frequent in Germany, and flowers in 
May. 
G. Bauhine calls it Bur/a pqftoris Alp'ina hh-fu- 
ta. Columna, Draha minima miiralis. 
GENUS IV. 
SHEPHERDSPURSE. ^ 
BURSA P A S r 0 R 1 S. 
' I "'HE flower is compofed of four petals, which difplay themfelve?? crofs-ways-, they are fmall, of 
an oval figure, and have very narrow bottoms : the cup is formed of four little, hollow leaves, 
which fall with the flower : the feed-veffcl is flat, large, and HearNfalhioned, narrow at the bafc, 
broad, and indented at the extremity, and full of fmall feedsi 
Linnseus ranges it among the tetradynamia filicidofa \ the flower having Four longer and two fhorter 
threads, and the fted-veflel being a filicula. He does not keep it as a difl:indi; genus, but makes ic 
a fpecies of thlafp. 
The feed-veflels of the thlafpi are indeed parted by a nick at the end, but they have not the pecu- 
liar form of thofe in this plant; which, from their refemblance of a pouch or wallet, have obtained 
the herb a name peculiar to itfelf ; and preferved it through mefl; writers. 
There is but one known fpecies of Jloepherds purfe, and that is a native of Britain. Authors have 
defcribed feveral varieties of it as diftinct fpecies j but they all rife from the fame feed. 
Common Shepherds Purfe. 
Bur/a paftoris vulgaris. 
The root is long, flender, white, and furnirtied 
Vith many fibres. 
The firft leaves are numerous, and they fpread 
themfelves in a circular manner on the ground : 
th,ey are long, narrow, and deeply indented along 
the edges in a pinnated manner : their colour is a 
dufky green. 
This is their ufual form : but when the plant 
has little nourifliment, they are fometimes fcarce 
at all divided ; and, on the other hand, when it 
grows rank, they are finuated more frequently, 
and down to the rib : thefe are the two condi- 
tions in which the plant has been defcribed as if 
of difi^ercnt fpecies ; in the one ftate it has been 
cz\hi5. pepherds purfe with undivided leaves^ and in 
the other hucks-horn-leaved JJjepherds purfe ; but 
the fpecies is the fame in all, the degree of nou- 
rifliment only making the difference. 
The ftalks rife feveral together in the center of 
the tuft of leaves ; and are round, tough, up. 
ri"'ht, and branched : their colour is a pale green^ 
and they are a toot or more in height : the leaves 
on thefe are long and narrow ; the lower ones are 
deeply ferrated, the upper one? fcarce at all ; and 
they furround the fl:alk at the bafe. 
The flowers are fmall and whitCj and thefeed- 
vefl"t;ls are broad and flat ; the feeds are nume- 
rous, and very minute. 
It is common in waflie places, and flowers all 
fummer. 
C. Bauhine calls it Burfa pafloris major folio fi~ 
nuato. Others, Burfa paftoris vulgaris. 
That author, and many others, make the 
■whitlow grafs a fpecies of this genus ; but very 
improperly, the form of the feed-veflel being a 
moft obvious mark of their diftincftion. 
Shepherds purfe is an inftance of a vety great 
and important truth, that Providence has made 
the moil ufeful things mofl: common i and that 
men therefore negletfl thtm. Eew plants have 
greater virtues than this, which is yet utterly dif- 
regarded. 
A decoftion of the dried herb is a gentle and 
fafe an:ringent, good in fevers, attended with 
diarrhceas, and inferior to few things againft an 
habitual purging. 
The juice of the leaves is cooling and afl:n'n- 
gent : two fpoonfuls of ic, with one of red wine, 
are excellent againfl; overflowings of the menfes. 
A fl:rong decodion of the frefh plant is good 
againfl: loofenefies attended with bloody ftools, 
and againfl; fpitting of blood. Such and fo ufe- 
ful is this common plant, trampled every where 
under foot as if poflcfled of no qualities. 
GENUS V. 
HORSERADISH. 
RAP n ANUS RU SriCANUS. 
THIS, like the fhepherds purfe, is a plant diftiguifhed by Nature from all others, but which the 
modern writers of botany have, as in that inftanee, joined with thofe to which ic has rfio true 
alliance. 
The flower is compofed of four fmall petals, which difplay themfelves crofs-ways j thefe are of an 
at inverted 
