The BRITISH HERBAL. 
321 
Linnteus ''laces this among the hexajidria monogyma, ; the threads in the flower being fix, and the 
ftyle from the rudiment of the fruit fingle. 
By this arrangement he feparates it from moft others of the fame kind by many clafTcs ; and, by 
an error of the oppdfite kind, in refpciSt of the leCer divifion of genera, he joins this in the fame with 
]iliy of the valley, taking aw ay the received name polygonatum, and calling all the fpecies- convaiiari^e, 
the name he ufes infcead of the old term iiUhm ccnvallmm. 
The whole habit and general face of the plant dlftinguifh it from the lilly of the valley. The flower 
aifo confirms this as a generical diftindion j being in the SokmDn''s feal oblong, and in the lilly of the 
vaiky globular. 
DIVISION i. BRITISH SPECIES, 
I. Common Solomon's Seal; 
Polygonatum vuJgare. 
The root is thick, and fpreads under the fur- 
face. 
The ftalk is fingle, round, and tolerably up- 
right ■, but tb:.t it generally toward the top (loops 
a little: it is not at all branched ; its height is a 
ioot and half, and the leaves and flowers on it arc 
difpofcd with great regularity. 
The leaves are oblong, broad, of a beautiful 
green, of a firm fubflance, and marked with large 
ribs, all running lengthwife : thefe generally 
grow on one fide of the flalk, and the flowers on 
the other. 
The flowers are fmall, wbitlfli, with a tinge of 
green on the edge ; and they have a little fmell : 
they grow two or three together on long, flender 
footfl:alks, which rife from the bofoms of the 
leaves i and they hang down in a continued 
feries. 
The berries are large; and, when ripe, they 
are red \ but birds are fond of them, fo that they 
are rarely feen in this ftate : before that time 
they arc green and fpotted. 
\Vc have it in fome woods in the north of Eng- 
land but it is not common. It flowers in July. 
C. Bduhine calls it Polygomlum latifoUum lul- 
gare. Others, SigiUwn bolomonis. 
The root is gr?at!y efteemed as an external re- 
medy for bruifes. 
Internally taken, it is a very powerfnl rcflrin- 
o-ent. It is good againfl; fpitting of blood, and 
hab been known to cure that troublefome difordcr 
the fiuor albus. The befl way of taking it is in 
form of a conferve, beating up the frefh root with 
fugar. 
The colour of the berries vtiries in this fpec-ies ; 
fometimes they are only of a bluifli green when 
ripe, and fometimes they are of a deep glofly 
black. 
2. I.argc-fliowered Solomon's Seal: 
Polygonatum ficre majore. 
The root is large, and runs obliquely and ir- 
regularly under the furface. 
The ftalk is round, firm, upright, and robuft, 
but not fo tail as in the common kind : it rarely 
exceeds a foot in height, and it does not droop as 
that of the common kind toward the top. 
The leaves arc very broad, oblong, thick, of 
a deep fliining green, and marked with very thick 
and robiift veins, running all lengthwife. 
The flowers rife from the bofoms of the leaves, 
and hang all on one fide of the flalk : they are 
larger than in the other, and of a pure white : 
two or three hang in a clufter from the boibm of 
each leaf; but every one of thefe has its feparate 
footftalk. They have a very ffagrant finell, like 
that of the hawthorn-flower. 
The berries are greeniili, and fpotted for a long 
time ; but, when ripe, they are black. 
We have it in fame of our woods in the nor- 
thern counties ; but it is fcarce. It flowers in 
June, but the berries are not ripe till about Au- 
C. Bauiiine calls it Polygonatum latijolium fiore 
majore odoro. 
Linnsus fuppofes it only a variety of the 
former; but it is altogether difliind. 
3. Dwarf Solomon's Seal. 
Polygonatum humile angujliore foUoi 
The root is thick, oblong, and white : it runs 
beneath the furface, and has numerous fibres. 
The flalk is upright, of a pale green, not at 
all branched, and eight inches high. 
The leaves are oblong and narrow : they are 
of a yellowifli green, fliarp-pointed, and full of 
thick ribs; 
The flowers grow three on each footflalk, hang- 
ing from the bofoms of the leaves ; and they are 
final!, oblong, and greenifli. 
The berries, when ripe, are blue. 
It is found in mountainous woods in our nor- 
thern counties. It flowers in July. 
Ray calls it Polygonatuiu humile Angliuni. 
It is a perfectly diflinfl fpecies from the others, 
though fome have doubted it. 
4. Great-leaved Solomon's Seal. 
Polygonatim helkbori alhi folio. 
The root is thick and white. 
The ftalk is firm, upright, not at all branchecJ^ 
and of a deep red. 
The leaves ftand on one fide of the ftalk, as 
in the common kind ; and they are very large : 
they are broad, fliarp-pointed, marked with thick 
ribs, and of a deep green. 
The flowers hang on long footftalks from the 
bofoms of the leaves : they are fmall and white ; 
and there ufually are two on each ftalk. 
The berries are large ; and, when they arc ripe, 
of a beautiful bright red. 
It is found in our weftern counties, and flowers 
in Auguft. 
Ray calls It Polygonatum helkbori albi folio cauU 
furpurcfcente. 
The flowers of this have no fmell. 
4 N D I V i - 
