488 
The BRITISH HERBAL. 
GENUS XVI. 
BISTORT. 
BISTORTJ. 
THE flower is compofcd of five fmall filaments, with tliree (lyles, contained in a coloured cup. 
Tliis is formed of a fingle piece, imperforate at tlie bafe, and at tlie verge divided into five 
oval fegments, which naturally clofe together. After this comes a three-cornered feed, upon which 
the cup clofes and furrounds it. 
LinnKus places this among the eSlaitdria tri^ma ; the ftyles being three, and the filament! eight, 
in each flower. 
1. Common Biftort. 
Bijlorta vulgaris. 
The root is thick, and irregularly lhaped, 
brown on the furface, and red within. 
The leaves have long, red footftalks ; and are 
oblong, broad, and of a fine green. 
The ftalk is jointed, of a pale green, and 
two feet high. 
The leaves on it refemble thofe from the root' 
The flowers are of a fine flelK-coloii! . and 
Hand in a thick fpike. 
It is found in meadows, and flowers in June. 
C. Bauhine calls it Bijierta radice minor intorta. 
Others, Bijlorta vulgaris. 
The root is good againfl: fluxes of all kinds 
dried and powdefed. 
2. Lefler Bifl:ort. 
Bifiorta minor. 
The root is oblong, thick, and of an irregu- 
lar form. 
The fl:alk is round, jointed, and a foot high. 
The leaves are long and narrow, and of a deep 
green. 
The flowers fl:and in a long fpike at the top of 
the ftalk ; and are of a fine flefli-colour. 
We have it in Yorkfhire. It flowers in June. 
C. Bauhine calls it Bijlorta Alpina minor. 
3. Various-leaved Biftort. 
Bijiorla foliis rolimdis et oblongis. 
The root is thick and brown. 
The firft leaves are roundifti, and ferrated at 
the edges ; and have long footftalks. 
The ftalk is four inches high. 
The leaves on it are flender, and the flowers 
ftand in a fliort fpike. 
We have it on our northern mountains. It 
flowers in June. 
Ray calls it Bijlorta minima foliis imis fuiro- 
' tundis. 
GENUS XVII. 
PONDWEED. 
POTAMOCITON. 
THE flower has no petals. The cup is compofed of four fmall, oval leaves, obtufe at the 
ends •, and is fucceeded by four feeds, of a roundilh form, but fwelling one fide, and pointed. 
Linnsus places this among the tetraiidria tetra^nia j the flower having four threads, and four 
ftyles. 
I, Broad-leaved Pondweed. 
Potamogiton latifolium. 
The root is compofed of long fibres, con- 
nefted to a fliort head. 
The ftalk is weak, brown, and two feet or 
more in length, partly immerfed in water, and 
partly lying on it. 
The leaves under water are narrow ; thofe on 
the top broad, oval, and high ribbed. 
The flowers are fmall and whitilh and they 
fl:and in long, flender fpikes. 
It is common in waters, flowering in Auguft. 
C. Bauhine calls it Fotamogiton rotundifolium. 
2. Perfoliate Pondweed. 
PotamogUo7i perjoliatum. 
The root is fibrous. 
The ftalk is round, and two feet or more in 
'ength, but naturally grows under water. 
The leaves are of an oval form, and furround 
the flalk at the bafe. 
The flowers ftand in flender fpikes, riflng from 
their bofoms. 
It is common in riversj flowering in July. 
C. Bauhine calls it Potamogiton foliis latis 
fplendentihis . 
3. Oak-leaved Pondweed. 
Pelaniogiton querciis foliis mffis. 
The root is fibrous. 
The ftalk is weak, and eight inches long, and 
grows under water. 
The leaves are very beautiful, of a brownifli 
green, oblong, obtufe, and waved at the edges. 
The flowers grow in flender fpikes from their 
bofoms, and are whitifli : thefe alfo refemble the 
flowers of the oak. 
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