ERU 
4 * Eruca ( Aflpera ) foliis dentato-pinnatifidis hirfutis, 
caule hiipido, filiquis iasvibus. Rocket with indented, 
wing-pointed , hairy leaves , « rough ft alk, and fmooth 
pods. Eruea fylveftris, major, lutea, caule afpero. 
C. B. P. 98. Greater wild Sajfron^-coloared Rocket with 
a rough ft alk. \ 
5. Eruca ( Renacetifolia ) foliis pinnatis, foliolis lanceo- 
latis pinnatifidis. Prod. Leyd. 342. Rocket with winged 
leaves, whcfe lobes ' are fp ear -Jh aped and wing-pointed. 
Eruca Tenacetifolia. H. R. Par. Rocket with aRarifey 
leaf. 
6. Eruca fViminia) foliis fmuato-pinnatis, feflilibus, 
caule ramofo. Rocket with wing-Jhaped finuated leaves 
fitting clofe to the fialks , which are branching. Eruca 
Sicula burfse paftoris folio. C. B. P. 98. Sicilian Rocket 
with, a Shepherd's Purfe leaf. 
The firft fort is an annual plant, which was formerly 
much cultivated in the gardens as a fallad herb, but 
at prefent is little known here, for it has been long 
rejected on account of its ftrong ungrateful fmell. 
It Hands in the lift of medicinal plants, but at pre- 
sent is feldom ufed, though it is reckoned a provoca- 
tive and a good diuretic. If it is propagated for fal- 
lads, the feeds fhould be fown in drills, in the fame 
manner as is ufually pradtifed for other fmall fallad 
herbs; for it muft be eaten young, otherwife it will 
be too ftrong for molt palates. The winter and fpring 
feafons are the times when this herb is ufed ; for 
when it is fown in the fummer, the plants foon run up 
to feed, and are then too rank. Where it is culti- 
vated for the feed, which is fometimes ufed in medi- 
cine, they fhould be fown in March, on an open fpot 
of ground ; and when the plants have put out four 
leaves, the ground fhould be hoed to deftroy the 
iveeds, and the plants muft be thinned, fo as to leave 
them three or four inches afunder; and in about five 
or fix weeks after, the ground fhould be a fecond time 
hoed to deftroy the weeds, which, if well performed, 
will prevent them from growing to injure the plants, 
dll the feeds are ripe-, when the plants fhould be 
drawn up, and fpread upon a cloth in the fun for two 
or three days to dry, then the feeds may be beaten 
but of the pods, and put up for ufe. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in the fouth of France 
and Italy, -where it is often eaten as a fallad herb ; 
this hath many fpear-fhaped leaves arifing from the 
root, which are four or five inches long, and one inch 
broad in the middle, regularly indented on their 
edges, and fpread on the ground ; the ftalks are fingle, 
and rife about a foot high ; they are naked, feldom 
having more than one leaf, which is fituated at the 
bottom ; the flowers grow in loofe bunches on the 
top of the ftalks, which are fucceeded by pods two 
inches long, having two cells filled with fmall round 
feeds. This is an annual plant, which may be pro- 
pagated by feeds in the fame manner as the former. 
The third fort grows naturally about Paris, and in 
many other parts of Europe the leaves of this are 
narrow, and regularly divided like a winged leaf ; the 
ftalks branch out upward, and are terminated by loofe 
fp.ikes of yellow flowers. This hath a perennial root, 
and an annual ftalk. 
The fourth fort grows naturally upon old walls and 
buildings in many parts of England, where it con- 
tinues flowering all the fummer, but is rarely admitted 
into gardens. It is fometimes .ufed in medicine, for 
which reafon I have here mentioned it. 
The fifth fort grows naturally about Turin, from whence 
I received the feeds. This hath fine divided leaves, 
fomewhat like thofe of Tanfey, but are of a hoary 
green colour •, the ftalks rife a foot and a half high, 
which are* fully garnifhed with leaves of the fame 
form, but gradually diminifh in their fize upward ; 
the flowers are produced in clufters at the top of the 
ftalks, they are fmall, and of a pale yellow colour ; 
thefe are fucceeded by Tender taper pods two inches 
long, which contain two rows of fmall round feeds. 
The. fixth fort grows naturally in Italy and Spain 5 
this is an annual plant, with many oblong leaves, 
which are fmooth and regularly finuated on their fides, 
E R V 
In form of a winged leaf;, they are five or fix inches 
long, and one inch and a half broad, of a light green, 
having a hot biting tafte ; the ftalks rife about a foot 
high, they are ftrong, and divide into feveral branches; 
thefe are garnifhed with a fingle leaf at each joint’ 
ftiaped like thofe below, but fmaller. The flowers 
are produced in loofe clufters at the end of the 
branches ; thefe are white, and near as large as thofe of 
the Garden Rocket, and are fucceeded by taper pods 
three inches long* containing two rows of round feeds. 
Thefe plants are preferved in fome gardens for the 
fake of variety, therefore they are here mentioned j 
and thofe who are inclined to cultivate them, may do 
it by fowing their feeds on a bed of light earth in an 
open fttuation ; and when the plants come up, they 
will require no other culture but to thin them, and 
keep them clear from weeds. They flower in June 
and July, and their feeds ripen in Auguft. 
ERUC AGO. See Bunias. 
ER VUM. Lin. Gen. Plant. 784. Tourn. Lift. R. H. 
398. tab. 221. Bitter Vetch. 
The Characters are, 
Rhe empalement of the flower is divided into five equal 
parts , which end in acute points ; the flower is of the 
butterfly kind , having a large , roundifh , plain ftandard, 
two obtufle wings half the length of theft an dard, and a 
floor ter keel which is pointed. It hath ten ftamina , nine 
joined , and one funding feparate , terminated bv fingle 
fummits. It hath an oblong germen , fupporting "a rifmg 
ftyle, crowned by an obtufle ftigma. Rhe germen afterward 
becomes an oblong taper pod, jointed between each feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the third feftion of 
Linnaeus’s feventeenth clafs, which includes thofe 
plants with a butterfly flower, with ten ftamina fepa- 
rated in two bodies. To this genus Dr. Linnaeus 
has joined the Lens of Tournefort, and fome fpecies 
of Vida. The difference which he makes between 
Vicia and Ervum is only in their ftigmas, that of 
Vicia having an obtufe ftigma, bearded on the under 
fide, and that of the Ervum is fmooth. 
The Species are, 
1. Ervum ( Ervilia ) germinibus undato-plicatis foliis 
impari pinnatis. Hort. Upfal. 224. Ervum whofe ger- 
mens are waved and folded , and unequal winged leaves. 
Ervum verum. Camer. Hort. Rhe true Bitter Vetch. 
2. Ervum [Lens'] peduneulis fubbifloris leminibus com- 
preflis convexis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 738. Ervum with 
foot-ftalks having two flowers, and compreffed feeds which 
are convex. Lens vulgaris. C. B. P. 346. Common 
Lentils. 
3. Ervum ( Monanthos ) peduneulis unifloris. Lin. Sp, 
Plant. 738. Ervum with one flower on each foot-ftalk. 
Lens monanthos. H. L. 360. One flowered Lentil. 
4. Ervum ( Retraflpermum ) peduneulis fubbifloris, femE 
nibus globofis quaternis. Flor. Suec. 606. Ervum with 
two flowers on each foot-ftalk, and four globular feeds in 
each pod. Vicia fegetum fmgularibus filiquis glabris. 
C. B. P. 345. Corn Vetch with fingle fmooth pods. 
5. Ervum ( Hirfutum ) peduneulis mujtifloris, feminibus 
globofis binis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 738. Ervum having 
many flowers on a foot-ftalk, and two globular feeds in 
each pod. Vicia fegetum, cum filiquis plurimis hir- 
futis. C. B. P. 345. Corn-Vetch having many hairy pods. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Italy and Spain i 
it is an annual plant, which rifes with angular weak 
ftalks a foot and a half high, garnifhed at each joint 
with one winged leaf, compofed of fourteen or fif- 
teen pair of lobes, very like thofe of the Vetch, but 
narrower ; the flowers come out from the fide of the 
ftalks, on foot-ftalks an inch long, each fuftaining 
two pale-coloured flowers, which are fucceeded by 
fhort pods a little comprefied, each having three or 
four round feeds ; the pods fwell at the: place where 
each feed is lodged, fo that it is called a jointed pod 
by many. The feeds of this plant ground to flour 
is fometimes ufed in medicine ; and the green herb 
is ufed for feeding of cattle in fome countries, but it 
is not worth cultivating for that purpofe in England, 
The fecond. fort is the common Lentil, which is cul- 
tivated in. many parts of England,, either as. fodder 
3 for 
