2 05 
The BRITISH HERBAL. 
ISION I. BRITISH SPECIES. 
D I V 
I. Pinnate-leaved Water RadiHi. 
Radicula foliis pemuUijidis. 
The root is long and flender : it is furniflied 
with many fibres, and pierces to a great depth. 
The firft leaves are very deeply divided in the 
pinnated form; but their fegments are net cut 
quite to the rib, but are united at the bafe by a 
thin flip, running the whole length of the rib : 
they are oblong, and confiderably broad, and of 
a frelh green. 
The ftalk is round, green, branched, and weak: 
it riles to a foot and a half in height, and is of a 
pale colour. 
The leaves on it are numerous, and they have 
the fame divifion in the pinnated form with thofe 
of the root, but it is lefs regular. 
The flowers ftand as the tops of the ftalks, and 
are fmall and yeliow. 
The feed-vcffels are fliort, and of an oval figure, 
fweiled, foftened, and full of little brown feeds. 
It is common by waters, and flowers in July. 
C. Bauhine calls it Rafhmus aqtmlicus foliis in 
prafundas lacinias divifis. Others, Raphanus ciqua- 
ticus vulgaris. 
2. Serrated-leaved Water RadiHi. 
Radicula foliis ferratis. 
The root is oblong and thick : it creeps under 
the furface, and fends out from difterent parts 
clufters of flender fibres. 
The firft leaves rife in fmall tufcs ; and 
ufually there are many of thefe form different 
parts of the fame root. They are oblong, broad, 
and of a duflcy green •, and they are once den- 
tated, and that very deeply near the bafe, the 
reft of their edge being undivided. 
The ftalks rife among thefe, and are round, 
firm, upright, and two feet high. 
The leaves on them are numerous, and they are 
placed irregularly : they are long, narrow, and 
of a pale green ; ftiarp-pointed, and ferrated at 
the edges, but not deeply. 
The flowers ftand at the tops of the ftalks in 
little tufts, and are large and yellow. 
The feed-vefl'els are flaort and roundifti : the 
feeds are numerous, fmall, and brown. 
It is common about the fides of ditches, and 
flowers in Auguft. 
C. Bauhine calls it Raphanus aquaticus alter^ as 
diftinguifhing it from the preceding ; and moft 
authors copy the fame name, though fo very idle 
and unexprellive. 
Linnaeus fuppofes the two plants to be the fame 
fpecies, differing only from accidents of growth, 
the one having more water than the other ; and 
fliewing it in the form of the leaves. But this is 
an error : they differ in the fiiape of the leaves, 
in the form and difpofition of the roots, and in 
the bignefs of the flowers. More cannot be re- 
quired for the diftin£lion of the fpecies in any 
one from another. 
Indeed there will happen fome farther acci- 
dental variations under particular circumftances ; 
and from thefe fome have eflabiifhed imaginary 
fpecies, which it is fit to reduce to the common 
kinds ; though not thofe two to one. 
Thus, when a part of the firft fpecies is conti- 
nually under water, thefe leaves which grow from 
fuch part of the ftalk, will be divided into fine 
capillary fegments, in the fame manner as thofe 
of the various-leaved water-crowfoot, which are 
always immerfed under the furface. 
In this ftate the plant has been defcribed by 
LinnKUS in fome of his earlier works, and by 
Van Royen, Dalibard, and others, under the 
name of fifymhrium^ with the lower leaves capilla- 
ceous, and the others pinnatifid. 
In a very dry fituation fome of the upper leaves 
of the fecond fpecies here defcribed will be deeply 
ferrated fo as to appear pinnatifid. 
In this ftate Vallifnieri has defcribed it as a new 
fpecies, under the name of fifymbrium-, with va- 
rious leaves ; and Haller under that of fifymbrium., 
with the lower leaves oval and ferrated, and the 
upper ones pinnated. 
The reducing thefe to their proper fpecies as 
varieties, for they are evidently nothing more, 
takes oft" the imaginary foreign kinds of radicula • 
and they are, by the accuftomed and judicious 
eye, eafily referred each to the plant to which 
it belongs : but it is purfuing a juft reduction to 
extravagance and error, to defire to make two ab- 
folutely different fpecies pafs for one, becaufe each 
has its varieties, which may be referred to it. 
This is one of the inftances of that common mif- 
take, the not knowing where to ftop. 
The frefli leaves of the water rcdifJj work bv 
urine ; and the feeds have the fame quality, but 
in no great or eminent degree. 
The juice is in fome places drank for the fcurvy 
with fuccefs. 
GENUS X. 
S C U R V Y G R A S S. 
COCHLEAR I A. 
THE flower is cotnpofe{3 of four petals, difplayed crofs-ways ; they arc fmall, (hort, and of an 
inverted oval figure ; they fpread open, and liave fliort bottoms. The cup is formed of four 
oval, hollow, little leaves ; they gape open, and fall with the flower : the feed-veflTel is heart-fa- 
fliioned, and flightly flatted, obtufe at the end, fomewhat rough, and pointed with the remain of 
the ftyle. 
N° XXVII. Y y y LinnKus 
