( *59 ) 
flower ; at prefent it remains in the clafs Gy- 
nandriao The root of this arum is extremely 
acrid ; but that property does not prevent it's 
being dug up and eaten by the thrufhes. Some 
fpecies have their roots fo mild as to make a 
part of the food of the inhabitants of the 
hot countries, where they grow; and fome 
of the forts are cultivated by the inhabitants 
of the South- Sea ifles, and of the lugar colo- 
nies, as efculent plants. The leaves of one 
of the fpecies, called indian cale, are boiled 
to fupply the want of other greens. The 
roots of the arum maculatum, which is the 
Britifh fpecies, were formerly ufed for {larch ; 
Gerrard mentions it having been fo, and adds,, 
that it was fo extremely acrid, that the people 
who made ufe of it had their hands fo much 
chapped, that they were healed with difficulty. 
This property is not alone confined to the 
root, the whole plant abounds with an acrid 
juice. 
Much curiofity and beauty of llruclure are 
to be found in the flowers of a genus of the 
clafs Dicecia, hydrocharis, or frog's-bit. This 
plant is of aquatic growth, and one of the 
moft ornamental of our water plants. The 
leaves, the whole ftrufture and economy of 
this 
