330 
The BRITISH HERBAL. 
DIVISION I. BRITISH SPECIES. 
Common Cuckowpint. 
Arum I'uJgare. 
The root is a roiindifh, tube^-ous lump, brown 
on the outfide, and white within, placed at a 
confiderable depth under the furface, andfurnifhed 
with a few fibres. 
The leaves are placed on long, thick footftalks i 
and they are very large, and of an arrow-headed 
fhape, fplit deep at the bafe, and fharp at the 
point : they are of a fine frefh green, and are of- 
ten fpotted with black, and fometimes with white 
fpots . 
The ftalk rifes in the midft of thefe, and is 
furrounded by the hollow bafes of their foot- 
ftalks: it is round, thick, and ten inches high; 
on it5 top ftands a fingle flower. The thready 
part at the bottom is yellowifli : the receptacle, 
which is lengthened out in form of a club, is red, 
purple, nr white ; for thefe are accidental varieties. 
'i'he berries are of a fine bright red. 
It is common under hedges, and fiowers in May. 
C. Bauhine and others call it ylrim vuigr.re, 
and Arum maculatitm. 
Some have defcnbed the fpotted kind as a 
diftinift fpecies ; but the variety is altogether ac- 
cidental. 
It is a very powerful and excellent medicine. 
It operates by urine, and is good againft the 
gravel. 
A piece of it bruifcd and laid upon the tongue, 
has reftored the fpeech in paralytick cafes ; and 
a conferve of it, made with two-thirds fugar, has 
done eminent fcrvice in the fcurvy, and in rheu- 
matifms. 
The virtues of it are lefs known than they 
fhould be, from this fingle circumftance, that it 
is commonly ufed dry. It lofes all its cfiicacy with 
its juice; and this the tafte manifelts. Nothing 
is more acrid than the frefh root j but when 
dry it is infipid. 
DIVISION II. FOREIGN SPECIES. 
I. j^gyptian Arum. 
Arum Aigypiiacum, 
The root is very large, tuberous, and of an 
irregular form ; of a redifii brown on the outfide, 
white within, and of an acrid tafl:e, but not fo 
violently fharp as our arum. 
The leaves grow fingly on long, thick foot- 
ftalks : they are very large, of a deep fhining 
green, and of a lhape fomewhat approaching to 
heart-fafliioned : they are broad at the bafe, and 
are there very lightly and bluntly indented ; they 
are from this part gradually fmaller to the end, 
where they terminate obtufcly ; and the ftalk is 
net inferted at the edge, but in the fubfl:ance of 
the leaf, a third below ihe top. 
The flalk which fijpports the flower is round, 
thick, iuicy, and of a pale green. 
The flower refembles that of our common arum. 
The cup is a great, oblong, hollow cafe: the 
club v/ichin is white, and of an uneven furface ; 
and the thready part is yellow. 
The berries are large and red. 
It is a native of jEgypt, and of the Greek 
iflands. It rarely flowers. 
C. Bauhine calls it Arum maximum ^gyplium 
quod vulgo Colacafia. Others, Arum Mgjptmm, 
and Colacafia. 
The root is eaten in ^gypt, and other parts 
of the Eafi;, as food ; and it is not confined in this 
ufe to the place wliere it naturally grows, but fold 
into other countries. The fliarpnefs of its tafte 
goes off" by foaking in water, or by drying : ei- 
ther way ferves to prepare it for the table. What 
Bontius writes of its being poifonous, has no 
other meaning than that it is acrid. Three days 
foaking in water, he fays, takes off all its ill qua- 
lities ; and this, or a much fliorter time, is found 
perfedly well to prepare it for food pleafantly 
and wholefomely. 
2. Arrow-leaved Arum. 
Arum foUis a7JguJlis fagittat'ts. 
The root is brown, large, tuberous, and fur- 
niflied with a few thick fibres. 
The leaves are numerous ; and they are placed 
on long, flender footfl:alks : they are of a perfeft 
arrow-headed fhape, oblong, flender, fliarp- 
pointed, fplit at the bafe, and with fliarp points 
alfo to the beards. 
The flower rifes upon a flender green ftalk, 
and is contained in a hollow cafe or cup : this is 
green on the outfide, yellowifii within, and highly 
ribbed. 
The club is ufually yellow, fometimes white or 
purple. 
The berries are red. 
It is common in the American ifiands, and 
fiowers in April. 
Plukenet calls it Arum mmis [agittarU foliis. 
GENUS XIII. 
BUTCHERS BROOM. 
K V S C V S. 
'T~'HE flower has no petals. The cup is compofed of fix fmall leaves, of an oval form, convex, 
and turned at one edge : three of thefe ftand inward, and have by fome been miftaken for pe- 
tals of a flower. The fi-uic is a round berry, divided within into three cellsj in each of which are two 
I fccdr; 
