* 
pluri folio, corniculis afperis, magis in fe contortis 
convolutis. Mor. : Hift. 2. 127. Caterpillar with a 
Haxe's-ear leaf, and a rough pod greatly contorted and 
iwjlcJ. 
5. Scorpiurus ( Pinnata ) foliis pinnatis. Caterpillar with 
a winged leaf. Scorpioides foliis vici^ minima. Mor. 
Hift. 2. 127. Smalleft Caterpillar with a Vetch leaf. 
The ftrft fort grows naturally in Italy and Spain ; 
this is an annual plant, with trailing herbaceous ftalks 
above a foot long •, they lie upon the ground, and at 
each joint have one fpatule-fhaped leaf with a long 
foot-ftalk. From the wings of the leaves come out 
the foot-ftalks of the flowers, which are nine inches 
long, fuftaining at the top one yellow butterfly flower, 
which is fucceeded by a twilled thick pod, in fize 
and appearance of a large green caterpillar, from 
whence it had this title. It flowers in July, and the 
feeds ripen in autumn. 
Thefecond fort has ftronger ftalks than the firft , the 
leaves are much broader j the foot-ftalks fupport two 
fmaller flowers ; the pods are (lender, longer, and 
more twilled than thofe of the firft, and are armed 
with blunt fpines on their outfide. 
The third fort hath flenderer ftalks than either of the 
former*, the leaves ftand upon ftiorter foot-ftalks, 
but are .draped like thofe of the firft fort ; the foot- 
ftalks of the flowers are (lender, and frequently fup- 
port three flowers *, the pods are (lender, not fo much 
twifted as the former, and are armed on their outfide 
with (harp diftind fpines. 
The ftalks and leaves of the fourth fort are very 
like thofe of the firft, but the foot-ftalks of the flowers 
are longer, and each of them have three or four fmall 
yellow flowers at the top ; the pods are very (lender, 
greatly contorted, and armed with (harp fpines in cluf- 
ters on their outfide. 
The fifth fort has very (hort ftalks *, the leaves are 
winged ; they are compofed of four pair of fmall 
lobes, terminated by an odd one. The flowers are 
fmall, as are alfo their pods, which are lefs twifted 
than thofe of the three former. 
All thefe plants are annual, and grow naturally in 
rr-oft of the warm countries in Europe, but the firft 
fort haS been long cultivated in the Englilh gardens. 
Thefe plants are preferved in feveral curious gardens, 
for their oddnefs more than for any great beauty : 
they are all of them annual plants, which are propa- 
gated by fowing their feeds upon a bed of light frefh 
earth ; and when the plants are come up they fhould 
be thinned, fo as to leave them about ten inches or a 
foot afunder, becaufe their branches trail upon the 
ground ^ and if they have not room, they are apt to 
overbear each other, and thereby are very often rotted, 
efpeciaily in moift feafons. The weeds fhould alfo be 
diligently cleared from them, otherwife they will 
grow over and deftroy them. In June thefe plants 
will produce fmall, yellow, papilonaceous flowers, 
which are fucceeded by pods fo much like caterpil- 
lars, that a perfon at a fmall diftance would imagine 
they were real caterpillars feeding on the plants *, and 
it is for this oddnefs of their pods, that thefe plants 
are chiefly preferved. 
Thefe plants feldom thrive well if they are tranf- 
planted ; therefore the bell: method is, to put in three 
or four good feeds in each place where you would 
have the plants remain (which may be in the middle 
of large borders in the pleafure-garden, where, being 
intermixed with other plants, they will afford a pleat- 
ing variety.) When the plants come up, there fhould 
be only one of the moft promifing left in each place, 
which fhould be conftantly kept clear from weeds ; 
and when their pods are ripe, they fhould be ga- 
thered and preferved in a dry place till the following 
fpring, in order to be fown. 
The firft fort is the beft worth cultivating, the pods 
being large and more vifible than the other, and are 
more in form of a caterpillar. 
SCORZONERA. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 476. tab. 
269. Lin. Gen. Plant. 81 1. [ofefcorfa, a Catalonian 
word, fignifying a viper, becaufe It is faid to be of 
SCO 
great efficacy againft the bite of vipers. Authors 
write, that the herb, being applied, takes away the 
venom of the bite of vipers. They fay, that if a vi- 
per be touched with its juice, it languiihes ; and that 
a man may touch vipers fafely, if his hand be firft 
dipped in the juice of this plant.] Viper’s-grafs ; in 
French, Scorzonere. 
The Characters are, 
The common empalement is fcaly , cylindrical , and imbri- 
cated. The flower is compofed of feveral hermaphrodite 
florets , thofe on the outfide being the longeft ; they are 
narrow , tongue-fhaped , and indented in five parts. They 
have five floort hair-like ftamina , terminated by cylindri- 
cal flummits. The germen is ftaated under the floret , fup- 
porting a f ender ftyle , crowned by two reflexed ftigmas. 
The germen afterward turns to a Jingle , oblong , channelled 
feed , crowned with a feathery down. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion of 
Linn^us’s nineteenth clafs, which includes thofe 
plants whofe flowers are compofed of hermaphrodite 
or fruitful florets, and their ftamina' and ftyle are 
united. 
The Species are, 
1. Scorzonera ( Hifpanica ) caule ramofo, foliis ani- 
plexicaulibus integris ferrulatis. Hort. Cliff. 383. 
Scorzonera with a branching ft cbm, whofe leaves em- 
brace them , which are fightly flawed. Scorzonera latifo- 
lia finuata. C. B. P. 275. Common Viper' s-grafs. 
1. Scorzonera ( humilis ) caule fubnudo unifloro, foliis 
lato-lanceolatis nervofis planis. Hort. Cliff. 382. Scor- 
zonera with an almoft naked ftalk having one flower , and 
broad , flpear-fhaped , plain, veined leaves. Scorzonera 
humilis latifolia nervofa. C. B. P. 275. Dwarf Vi- 
per' s-grafs, with broad veined leaves. 
3. Scorzonera ( Graminifolia ) foliis lineari-enfiformibus 
integris carinatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 791. Scorzonera with 
linear, fword-fhaped, entire leaves, which are keeled. 
Scorzonera Lufltanica, gramineo folio, flore pallide 
luteo. Tourn. Inft. 477. Portugal Viper' s-grafs with a 
Grafs leaf, and a pale yellow flower. 
4. Scorzonera ( Purpurea ) foliis linearkfubulatis inte- 
gris planis pedunculis cylindricis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 791. 
Scorzonera with linear , awl-fhaped , entire , plain leaves , 
and cylindrical foot-ftalks. Scorzonera anguftifolia fub- 
caerulea. C. B. P. 275. Narrow-leaved Viper' s-grafs, 
with a flower almoft blue. 
5. Scorzonera ( Anguftifolia ) foliis fubulatis integris, 
pedunculo incraffato, caule fimplicifiimo baft viilofov 
Lin. Sp. Plant. 791. Scorzonera with awl-ftaped en- 
tire leaves, a thick foot-ftalk , and the ftalk hairy at its 
bafte. Scorzonera humilis anguftifolia pannonica, 
Cluf. Hift. 2. p. 137. Low, narrow-leaved , Hungarian 
Viper' s-grafs. 
6 . Scorzonera ( Laciniata ) foliis linearibus dentatis 
acutis, caule eredo fquamis calycinis patulo-mucro- 
natis. Lin. Sp. 1114. Scorzonera with narrow, acute , 
indented leaves, and an erect ftalk. Scorzonera kciniatis 
foliis. Tourn. Inft. 477. Viper' s-grafs with cut leaves. 
7. Scorzonera ( Refedifolia ) foliis obtufe dentatis, caule 
proftrato calycum apicibus tomentofis. Lin. Sp. t 1 13. 
Scorzonera with obtufe indented leaves, a proftrate ftalk, 
and the tops of the calyx woolly. Scorzonera foliis la- 
ciniatis fupina. Bocc. Boerh. Ind. alt. 1. 89. Low Vi- 
per' s-grafs with cut leaves. 
The firft is the fort which is commonly cultivated in 
the Englifh gardens for food and p lryfic j this grows 
naturally in Spain. The root of this plant is Carrot- 
fhaped, about the thicknefs of a finger, and covered 
with a dark brown (kin ; it is white within, and has. 
a milky juice *, the lower leaves are nine or ten inches 
long, and one and a half broad in the middle, ending 
with a long acute point. The ftalk riles three feet 
high, it is fmooth, branching at the top, and gar- 
nifhed with a few narrow leaves, whofe bafe embrace 
the ftalk. The flowers grow on the top of the ftalks 
in fcaly empalements, compofed of many narrow, 
tongue-fhaped, hermaphrodite florets, lying imbri- 
catim over each other like the feales on fifti 5 they 
are of a bright yellow colour, and appear in June and 
July. After thefe are decayed, the germen which fits 
