436 Tiie BRITISH HERBAL. 
DIVISION I. BRITISH SPECIES. 
I. Great Wild Lettuce, 
Lacliica fylvejiris major opii odore. 
The root is long, thick, and whitifli and, 
when cut, it yields abundantly a yellow juice, of 
a very unpleafant fmell, refembling that ot opium; 
and ot a bitter and naufeous tafte. 
The firfl: leaves are very large, oblong, broad, 
and a little waved, but not divided at the edges. 
Their colour is a pale green •, and, when bro- 
ken, they yield the fame yellow acrid juice. 
'i'he llalk is round, green, fmooth, and five 
Icet high ; and a: the top it is divided into many 
branches. 
The leaves on it refemble chofe from the root ; 
and are oblong, broad, and undivided. 
The flowers ftand at the tops of the branches ; 
and are numerous, fmall, and yellow. 
It is frequent in our midland counties, and 
flowers in July. 
C, Bauhine calls it Latluca fylvejlris odore vi- 
rofo. Others, La^iiica fylvejlris major odore opii. 
This is one of thofe Englifh plants which de- 
ferve to be more known in medicine. It is called 
poifonous, and men have from that been frighted 
from its uff ; but it is a very gentle and fafe 
opiate, 71ie heft way of giving it is in a fyrup 
made from a decodlion of the frefh leaves and 
fl:aik. This way ii greatly exceeds the com.mon 
diacodium, and may be given to tender conftitu- 
tions with more fafcty. This 1 write from expe- 
rience. 
2. Jagged-leaved Wild Lettuce, 
LcMuca fyhejiris foHis laciniatis. 
The root is long, thick, and brown. 
The flialk is round, thick, upright, purplilh, 
and four feet high. 
The leaves are long and large, of a dead green, 
deeply divided at the edges, and prickly along 
the rib on the under fide. 
The flowers are fmall, and of a pale yellow : 
they grow in vaft numbers on the tops of the 
branches. 
The whole plant abounds with a yellow, ill- 
fcented juice, 
DIVISION II. 
Blue-flowered Mountain -Lettuce. 
haSiuca montana Ctcrulea. 
The root is long, fmall, and hung with 
■fibres. 
The ftalk is round, flender, upright, of a 
purplilh colour, and divided at the top into 
many branches. 
It is common on ditch-banks, and flowers in 
June. 
C. Bauhine calls it LaSluca fyhejiris cojla ffinofi. 
Others, LaP,uca fyhejtris dijje^is foUis. 
The leaves ot this fpecies are fometimes undi- 
vided, or very little divided, as in the firfl kind. 
In this fl;ate fome have defcribed it as a diflin£t 
fpecies ; and others have confounded it with this 
and with the firfl: : but they are two difl:in{5l 
plants ; and this variety only belongs to the lat- 
ter here defcribed. 
3. The leaft Wild Lettuce. 
Laofuca fyhejiris minima. 
The root is long and thin. 
The ftalks are numerous, very (lender, tough, 
and of a purplifh colour. 
The leaves are long, narrow, and deeply di- 
vided ; and the whole plant is full of an ill- 
fcented juice. 
The flowers are fmall ; and they rarely open: 
they are placed in long, flender cups. 
It is common on clay-banks of ditches, and 
flowers in Augufl:, 
C. Bauhine calls it Chandrilia vifcofa humilis. 
Others, hcMtica fyhejiri minor. 
4. Ivy-leaved Wild Lettuce, 
LaBuca murorim foliis avgulofis. 
The root is fibrous and whitifh. 
The ftalk is round, upright, not much 
branched, brownifli or purplilh in colour, and 
two feet high. 
The leaves are long, and of a handfome fi- 
gure : they are fmall, and deeply pinnated to- 
ward the bafe, and at the end they fwell out into 
a broad, angulated, and pointed piece, refem- 
bling a ieaf of ivy. 
The flowers are fmall, numerous, and yellow. 
It is common on banks and walls, and flowers 
in June. 
C, Bauhine calls it Boncbus lavis laciniatm niu- 
ralis parvis Jlortbus. 
Linnaeus diftinguithes this and the fucceeding 
from the lettuce kind under the name premnibest 
^from a flight difi^erence in the cup. 
The leaves are long, and moderately broad : 
they are flightly finuated at the edges, and of a 
deep green. 
The flowers are fmall, and of a fine blue. 
It is a native of Italy, and flowers in Augufir. 
C. Bauhine calls it La£Iuca montana yarj.ures 
cicruka major. 
FOREIGN SPECIES, 
6 
GENUS 
