p. 440. — With. (7th ed.) v. iii. p.945. — Sihth. FI. Oxon. p.256 — Abbot’s FI. 
Dtdf. p. 184. — l’urt. Midi. FI. v. ii. p. 411. — Kelli. FI. Cantab. (3rd ed.) p. 345. — 
Davies’ Welsh Bot. p. 79. — Hook. FI Scot, p.245. — FI. Devon, pp. 139 & 160. 
— Johnston’s FI. of Berw. v. i. p. 185. — Walk. FI. of Oxf. p.243. — Mack. Ca'al. 
of PI. of Irel. p. 74 .— Conyza media, Ray’s Syn. p. 174.— Johnson's Gerarde, 
p. 482. 
Looa cities. — In moist meadows and, watery places; and by the sides of 
rivers, brooks, and ditches. — Not uncommon in most parts of Kngland. It ap- 
pears to be more rare in Scotland, as it is not noticed either in Lightfooi s 
Flora Scotica, or Dr. GnEvn.Le’s Flora Edinensis ; and the only station given 
for it in Dr. Hooker’s Flora Scotica, is, near the Mull-head of Galloway, 
where it was observed by Mr. Maughan. 
Perennial. — Flowers from July to October. 
Root creeping, whitish, about the thickness of a goose quill, 
with largish fibres. Stem upright, from 1 to 2 feet high, cylindri- 
cal, firm, solid, striated, cottony, leafy, more or less branched 
towards the top ; branches nearly upright, and rising above the 
main stem. Leaves alternate, spreading, oblong or spear-shaped, 
pointed, veiny and wrinkled, obscurely toothed or serrated, sessile, 
clasping the stem by their heart-shaped, or arrow-shaped base, 
somewhat hairy, and of a dull green colour on the upper surface ; 
cottony, and of a whitish colour on the under. Flowers yellow, 
terminating the stem and branches ; solitary or two together, form- 
ing a kind of corymb. Scales of the involucrum or common calyx 
(fig. 1.) numerous, very narrow, awl-shaped, downy, frequently 
somewhat recurved at the point. Bristles at the base of the anthers 
very minute. Seeds (fig. 5.) inversely egg-shaped, bristly ; crowned 
with a sessile, double pappus or proper calyx, (fig. 5, b & c.) ; the 
outer (b) very small, membranous, cup-shaped, and toothed ; the 
inner (c) of a few simple, hair-like, rays, which are rough, and 
about the length of the tubular florets. Receptacle slightly cellular, 
unequally toothed, or scaly. 
A variety with very short rays is noticed by Mr. Relhan, in 
Flora Cantabrigiensis. 
“ At the close of the year,” says Mr. Cuittis, “ this plant contributes not 
a little to enliven and beautify the sides of our moist ditches ; to the Farmer, it 
however affords no very pleasing spectacle when it overruns, as it frequently does, 
large tracts of land, and gives it a barren uncultivated appearance.” FI. Loud. 
Ray observes, that the leaves, when bruised, smell like soap. — R utty in- 
forms us, that the juice is saltish, and warms the mouth a little ; that the decoc- 
tion is somewhat acrid in the throat, at the same time astringent and turning 
green with vitriol of iron ; that the infusion is somewhat astringent, very bitter 
in the throat, and turning black with vitriol of iron. 
The Russian soldiers, in their expedition to Persia, under General Keit, were 
cured of the dysentery by the use of this plant ; whence Linnaeus gave it the 
specific name of dysenterica ; see FI. Suecica, p. 294. In this country it is 
seldom if ever employed. It is called by our old authors Middle Flea-bane, 
and was supposed by its smoke in burning to drive away fleas and gnats. Foh- 
skal says it is named in Arabic Rara ejub, or Job’s-tears, from a notion that 
Jon used a decoction of this herb to cure his ulcers. There are few, if any ani- 
mals that will touch it. 
M. Sa-jssuhe kept a plant of Pulicaria dysenterica for six months in the 
vacuum of an air pump, without any sensible effect upon it. It was placed in 
the light, but not so as to receive the direct rays of the sun, to which, when it 
was exposed, it withered, even though the rays were feeble. It also grew equally 
well in an atmosphere of nitrogen gas, as in an atmosphere of common air, 
though the former entirely destroys life in most plants. See Keith’s Physiolo- 
gical Bot. v. ii. pp. 51 <Sc 62 ; and Jacob’3 IF, Dev. and Comic . FI. 
