D I G 
•DIGITALIS. Lin. Gen. Plant. 676. Tourn. Inft. 
R. H. 164. tab. 73. Raii Meth, Plant. 89. Foxglove ; 
in French, Digit ale. 
The Characters are, 
It hath a permanent empalement , which is cut into five 
parts ; the flower is bell-Jhaped , of one petal , with a 
large open tube , whofe bafe is cylindrical and contracted, 
but the brim is divided into four part S jlightly ; the upper 
lip fpreading and indented at the top , the lower is larger. 
It hath four fiamina , which are inferted in the bafe of the 
petal , two being longer than the other , which are termi- 
nated by bipartite acuminated fummits ; the flower being 
pafi , the germen fwells to an oval capfule , having two 
cells fitting on the empalement , indofing many fmall angular 
feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feftion 
of Linnaeus’s fourteenth cfafs, intitled Didynamia 
Angiofpermia, the flower having two long and two 
ilhorter fiamina, and the feeds being included in a 
capfule. 
The Species are, 
1. Digitalis ( Purpurea ) calycinis foliolis ovatis acutis, 
corollis obtufis, labio fuperiore integro. Hort. Upfal. 
178. Foxglove whofe finall leaves of the empalement are 
oval and acute , the petals obtufe , and the upper lip entire. 
Digitalis purpurea folio afpero. C. B. P. 243. Purple 
Foxglove with a rough leaf , or common Foxglove. 
2. Digitalis (fthapfi) foliis decurrentibus. Lin. Sp. 867. 
Foxglove ivith running leaves. Digitalis Hifpanica pur- 
purea minor. Tourn. Inft. 165. Leffer Spaniflj purple 
Foxglove. 
3. Digitalis ( Lutea ) calycinis foliolis lanceolatis co- 
rollis acutis labio fuperiore bifido. Hort. Upfal. 178. 
Foxglove with fpear-Jhaped leaves to the empalement , an 
acute petal , whofe upper lip is bifid. Digitalis minor 
lutea, parvo flore. C. B. P. 244. Leffer yellow Foxglove 
with a fmall flower. 
4. Digitalis ( Magno flore) foliolis calycinis linearibus, 
corollis acutis, labio fuperiore integro, foliis lanceo- 
latis. Foxglove with long narrow leaves to the empale- 
ment an acute petal , whofe upper lip is entire , and fpear- 
Jhaped leaves. Digitalis lutea, magno flore. C. B. P. 
244. Fellow Foxglove with a larger flower. 
5. Digitalis ( Ferruginea ) calycinis foliolis ovatis obtu- 
fis., corollas labio inferiore longitudine floris. Lin. 
Sp. Plant. 622. Foxglove with oval blunt leaves to the 
empalement , and the lower lip of the petal as long as the 
flower. Digitalis anguflifolia, flore ferrugineo. C. B. P. 
244. Narrow-leaved Foxglove with an iron-coloured 
flower. 
6. Digitalis {Canarienfls) calycinis foliolis lanceolatis, 
corollis bilabiatis acutis, caule fruticcfo. Lin. Sp. 
Plant. 622. Foxglove with fpear-fhaped leaves to the em- 
palement. , an acute petal with two lips , and a firrubby 
Jialk. Digitalis acanthoides Canarienfls frutefeens, 
flore aureo. Hort. Am A. 2. p 105. Shrubby Canary 
Foxglove like Bearfbreech , with a golden flower. 
7. Digitalis {Orientals) calycinis foliolis acutis, foliis 
ovato-lanceolatfe nervofis. Foxglove with acute leaves 
to the empalement, and oval, fpear-fhaped,, veined leaves. 
Digitalis lutea non ramofa, fcorzonerae folio. Buxb. 
Cent. 25. Fellow unbranched Foxglove with a leaf like 
Scorzonera. 
The firft fort grows naturally by the fide of hedges 
in fhady woods in moft parts of England, fo is rarely 
cultivated in gardens. This is a biennial plant, which 
the firA year produces a great tuft of long rough 
leaves which are hairy ; the fecond year it fhoots up 
a Arong herbaceous Aalk, which rifes from three to 
four feet high, garnifhed with leaves of the fame 
form as the lower, but they gradually leffen upward, 
fo thofe which are intermixed with the flowers'on the 
top are very narrow. The flowers grow in a long 
loofe thyrle, Aanding only on one fide of the Aalk - 
they are large, tubulous, and fhaped like a thimble, 
of a purple colour, with feveral white fpots on the 
Under lip , thefe flowers are fucceeded by oval cap- 
fuies with two cells, which are filled with dark brown 
feeds. It flowers in June, and the feeds ripen in au- 
tumn s if they are permitted to fcatter, the plants 
DIG. 
will come up in the fpring, and become troublefbm^ 
weeds ; but whoe'ver has a mind to cultivate it, fhould 
fow the feeds in autumn, for thofe which are fowh jn 
the fpring feldom fucceed, or at leaft lie one year in 
the ground before they grow. This plant Hands in 
the liA of medicinal fi'mples of the dilpenfaries, and 
there is an ointment made of the flowers,, and May- 
butter, which has been in good efieem. 
There is a variety of this with a white- flower, which 
is found growing naturally in fome parts of England, 
which differs from this only in the colour of the 
flower and leaves ; but this difference is permanent, 
for I have cultivated it more than thirty years in the 
garden, and have never found it vary. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Spain, from 
whence I received the feeds ; this plant feldom rifes 
much more than a foot and a half high ; the lower 
leaves are ten inches long, and three broad in the 
middle ; they are foft, woolly, and roughly veined 
on their under fide; the Aalks are garnifhed with 
leaves of the fame fhape, but finaller ; the upper part 
of the Aalk hath a Aiort thyrfe of purple flowers like 
thofe of the common fort, but they are fmaller, and' 
the fegments of the petal are acute. This plant re- 
tains its difference when cultivated in gardens. 
The third fort hath very long obtufe leaves near the 
root ; the Aalk is fmall, and rifes from two to three 
feet high, the lower part being pretty clofely. gar- 
nifhed with fmooth leaves, about three inches long 
and one broad, ending in obtufe points : the upper 
part of the Aalk, for ten inches in length, is adorned 
with fmall yellow flowers, which are clofely ranged 
on one fide of the Aalk, having a few very fmall acute 
leaves placed between them, which are fituated on 
the oppofite fide of the Aalk ; the upper lip of the 
Aower is entire, and the petal is obtufe. It flowers 
in June, and the feeds ripen in autumn. 
The fourth fort hath long fmooth- veined leaves at 
the bottom ; the Aalk is Arong, and rifes two feet 
and a half high, garnifhed with leaves which are five, 
inches long, one and a half broad, ending in acute 
points ; thefe have many longitudinal veins, and are 
flightly fa wed on their edges ; the upper part of the 
Aalk is adorned with large yellow flowers, nearly of 
the fize of thofe of the common fort, the brim having 
acute points, and the upper lip entire. This flow- 
ers and ripens its feeds about the fame time as the 
former. 
The fifth fort hath narrow fmooth leaves, which ard 
entire ; the Aalk rifes near fix feet high, and puts 
out fome flender branches from the fide toward the 
bottom; the lower part of the Aalks is garniffied 
with very narrow fmall leaves, three inches long, and 
one third of an inch broad; the Aowers terminate 
the Aalk, growing in a very long fpike, with very 
few leaves between them, and thofe very fmall ; the 
empalement is divided into four obtufe parts, the 
lower lip extending much longer than the upper. 
The flowers are of an iron colour, and appear in 
June. " 
The fixth fort grows naturally in the Canary Iflands, 
from whence the feeds were firA brought to England ; 
and many of the plants were railed in the bifhop of 
London’s gardens at Fulham, part of which were lent 
to the royal gardens at Hampton Court, and feme 
were fent over to the gardens in Holland : thofe 
which were fent to Hampton Court, were preferved 
there a few years, but by the ignorance of the gar- 
deners, to whofe care thofe gardens were committed, 
this, with many other valuable plants, were foon 
deftroyed. 
This plant hath a Airubby Aalk which rifes to the 
height of five or fix feet, dividing into feveral 
branches, garniAied with rough fpear-fhaped leaves, 
near five inches long, and two broad in the middle, 
gradually decreafing to both ends, having a few fnort 
ferratures on their edges ; thefe are placed alternately 
on the branches ; each of thefe branches is terminated 
by a loofe fpike of flowers, about four inches in length • 
the empalement of thefe is cut into five acute fe<r- 
5 A ments 
