S E S 
The feed of the firft fort is mentioned in the lift of 
officinal fimples in the College Difpenfatory, but is 
rarely ufed in medicine in England. From nine pounds 
of this feed which came from Carolina, there were 
upwards of two quarts of oil produced, which is as 
great a quantity as hath been known to be drawn from 
any vegetable whatever ; and this, I fuppofe, might 
occafion its being called Oily Grain. 
SESELL Boerh. Inch alt. i. p. 50. Lin. Gen. Plant. 
322; Wild Spignel. 
The Characters are, 
It has an umbellate! flower ■, the figure of the greater um- 
bel is uncertain , the particular umbels are very floort , 
multiplex , and almojl globular. 'The principal umbel has 
no involucrum , the particular ones have a many narrow- 
leaved involucrum , which is as long as the umbel the 
empalement of the flower is flcarce difcernible ; the princi- 
pal umbel is uniform. The flozvers have five inflexed 
heart-Jhaped petals, which are a little unequal they have 
each five awl-jhaped fiarnina , terminated by jingle fum- 
rnits. The germen is fituated under the flczver , jupport- 
ing two reflex ed ftyles , crowned by obtufe fiigmas The 
germen afterzvard turns to a fimall , oval , channelled fruit , 
dividing into two parts , each containing one oval freaked 
feed, flat on one fide and convex on the other. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedtion of 
Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, which includes thole plants 
whole flowers have five ftamina and two ftyks. 
The Species are, 
1. Seseli ( Montanum ) petiolis ramiferis membrana- 
ceis. Hort. Cliff. 103. Sefeli with membranaceous 
foot-ftalks. Fceniculum fylveftre annuum, tragofe- 
lini odore, umbella alba. Bot. Parif. 54. Annual 
wild Fennel fmelling like Burnet Saxifrage , and a white 
umbel. 
2. Seseli ( Caruifolia ) foliis bipinnatis fublinearibus, pe- 
tiolis bafi membranaceis, feminibus ovalibus. Lin. 
Sp. Plant. 360. Sefeli with double-winged leaves almojl 
linear , with a membranaceous bafie to the foot-Jlalks, and 
oval feeds. Caruifolia. C. B. P. 158. Carrawayleaf. 
3. Seseli ( Glaucum ) petiolis ramiferis membranaceis 
oblongis integris, foliolis fingularibus binatifque ca- 
naliculatis laevibus petiolo longioribus. Guett. 64. Se- 
feli with branching , oblong , entire, membranaceous foot- 
fialks , and the fimall leaves either fingle or by pairs , which 
are lightly channelled. Fceniculum fylveftre glauco fo- 
lio. Tourn. Inft. 31 1. Wild Fennel with a gray leaf. 
4. Seseli [Fumilum ) petiolis ramiferis membranaceis 
oblongis integris, foliis caulinis anguftiffimis. Hort. 
Cliff. 102. Sefeli with oblong, entire , membranaceous, 
branching foot-ftalks, and very narrow leaves on the folks. 
Fceniculum fylveftre perenne, ferulas folio breviore. 
Tourn. Inft. 31 1. Wild perennial Fennel, with a f sorter 
Giant's Fennel leaf. 
5. Seseli (Tortuofum) caule alto rigido, foliolis lineari- 
bus fafciculatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 260. Sefeli with a tall 
ft iff folk, and very narrow leaves in clufters. Foeni- 
culum tortuofum. J. B. 3. p. 16. Crooked or contorted 
Fennel. 
6 . Seseli ( Ammoides ) petiolis membrana deftitutis. 
Flor. Leyd. Prod. 112. Sefeli with foot ffalks without 
membranes. Fceniculum Lufitanicum minimum acre. 
Tourn. Inft. 312. The leaf acrid Portugal Fennel. 
The firft fort grows naturally in France amongft the 
Corn ■, this rifes with an erecft ftalk near two feet 
high, fending out branches from the fide, and is gar- 
nifiied with (hort leaves divided into fmall fegments 
or leaves like Hog’s Fennel. At the foot-ftalk of 
each branch or leaf is a bellied membrane, which em- 
braces it. The ftalk is terminated by an umbel of 
white flowers which appear in June, and the feeds 
ripen the beginning of Auguft. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Germany •, this 
hath a perennial root. The leaves are long, and 
made up of eight or nine pair of winged lobes which 
are cut like thole of Pariley ; the ftalk rifes near two 
feet and a half high, branching out into feveral di- 
vifions ; at each of thefe there is a membrane em- 
bracin'?- the bafe, and one fmall leaf compofed of a 
few linear lobes. The ftalks are terminated by com- 
SHE 
pound umbels of yellow flowers, which appear in June, 
and are fucceeded by feeds which ripen in autumn. 
The third fort grows naturally in uncultivated places 
in the fouth of France and Italy ; this has a perennial 
root which runs deep in the ground, fending out 
(lender fmooth ftalks near two feet high. The leaves 
are long and narrow, compofed of (even or eight pair 
of wings, whofe lobes are fometimes fingle, and at 
others are divided into two parts ; they have a mem- 
brane embracing their foot-ftalks, and are of a gray 
colour. The ftalks are terminated by umbels of 
flowers, which are purple on their outfide and white 
within-, thefe appear in July and Auguft, and the 
feeds ripen in autumn. 
The fourth fort grows naturally on the dry hills in 
many parts of France and Italy j this has a perennial 
root, from which come out leaves like thofe of Spig- 
nel, but the fegments are broader and of a gray co- 
lour. The ftalks rife a foot high, and are garnifhed 
with a few very narrow leaves, whofe foot-ftalks are 
embraced by a long entire membrane ; they branch 
out on every fide, and thefe are terminated by umbels 
of white flowers which appear in July, and are fuc- 
ceeded by feeds which ripen in autumn. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in the fouth of France, 
Italy, and Spain -, this has a thick ligneous root, from 
which come out ftiff ftalks near four feet high, which 
are crooked at their joints, and garniflied with narrow 
leaves coming out in bunches. The ftalks divide 
into (lender branches, which have fmall umbels of 
flowers coming out of their fides, and are terminated 
by larger. The flowers are fmall, yellow, appear in 
July, and are fucceeded by feeds which ripen in 
autumn. 
The fixth fort is an annual plant, which grows natural- 
ly in Portugal. The leaves of this fort are like thofe 
of Spignel, but are much fmaller, and have a very- 
acrid biting tafte. The ftalks rife four inches Irish, 
and fuftain a fmall umbel of flowers which appear in 
July ; and, if the feafon is warm, the feeds will ripen 
in autumn. 
Thefe plants are preferved in the gardens of botanifts 
for the fake of variety, but at prefent their virtues 
are unknown ; and as they have little beauty to re- 
commend them, they are rarely admitted into other 
gardens. 
Thefe may be propagated by fowing their feeds, which 
is beft done in autumn, for when the feeds are Town 
in the fpring, they frequently lie in the ground till 
the next year before the plants will appear ; whereas 
thofe which are fown in autumn, always rife the fol- 
lowing fpring. Thefe feeds ftiould be fown in drills, 
about eighteen inches afunder, in a bed of frefh earth, 
where they are deflgned to remain, and in the fpring 
when the plants come up, they Ihould be thinned 
where they are too dole, leaving them about fix 
inches diftance in the rows ; after this the plants will 
require no farther care, but to keep them conftantly 
clear from weeds, and the fecond feafon they will 
produce feeds. The perennial forts, which are per- 
mitted to remain after they have feeded, ftiould have 
the ground gently dug every fpring between the rows 
to loofen the earth, but there ftiould be care taken not 
to injure their roots with the fpade. Thefe plants 
love a moift foil, for when they are fown on dry 
ground, th£y do not thrive near fo well, and feldom 
perfecft their feeds, unlefs the feafon proves moift, or 
they are duly watered. 
SHERARDIA. Dillen. Gen. Nov. 3. Lin. Gen. 
Plant. 1 12. Aparine. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 114. Little 
Field Madder. 
The Characters are. 
The flower has a fmall, four-pointed, permanent empale- 
ment fitting upon the germen ; it has one long tubulous 
petal , cut into four plain acute parts at the brim \ it has 
four ftamina fituated- on the top of the tube, terminated 
. by fingle fummits, and an oblong twin germen below the 
flower, fuppor ting a fender bifid ftyle crowned by two headed 
jligmas. The germen afterward becomes an oblong crowned 
fruit, containing two oblong feeds which are feparated. 
This 
