Scabiofa fucdfa. Devils -bit, or Meadow Scabious. 
SCABIOSA Z-/». Gen. PI Tetrandria Monogynia 
€al. communis polyphyllus ; proprius duples fuperus. PecepU palcaceum f. nudum. 
Pniu Syn. Gen. 8. Herba: corymbiferis affines. 
SCABIOSA Succifa corollulls quadrifidis sequalibus, foliis caullnis dentatis, floribus fubglobofis. 
SCABIOSA fucclfa corollulis quadrifidis sequalibus, caule fimplici, ramis approximatis, foliis lanceolato- 
ovatis integerrimis. Lin, Syjl. Vegetdb.p» 142. 
SCABIOSA caule trifloro, floribus convexis, foliis radicalibus ovatis, cauKnis lanceolatis. Haller. Ktjl. 201. 
SCABIOSA /uccifa Seopo/i FI. Carniol p. 95. n. 138. 
SUCCISA glabra et hirfuta 5 . //«. 269. 
MORSUS Diaboli Ger, em. 726. 
MORSUS Diaboli vulgaris flore purpureo Parkins. 491. 
'SCABIOSA radice fuccifa, flore globofo. 1 91. Devil’s- bit. 
Hudfon. FI. Angi, ed, z.p. 63. 
Lightfoot. FI. Scot. p. 114. 
RADIX adulta craffitie fere digiti minimi, faepe obli- 
qua, pricmorfa, fibris longis albidis prodita. 
CAULIS pedalis, ad fefquipedalem, fuberedlus, nobif- 
cum raro fimplex, at in duos, tres, vel plures 
ramos divifus, teres, hirfutus, rubefcens. 
FOLIA radicalia ovalia, petiolisbrevibusinfidentia, fatu- 
rate viridia, in petiolum breviter decurrentia, 
integerrima, pilis longis utrinque hlrfuta, 
cauliiia oppofita, connata, lanceolata, rariter 
dentata, luprema fublinearia, integerrima. 
CAPITULI F/orttw fubglobofi, caerulei, folitarii, pedun- 
culis longis nudis feu parum follofis iufiden- 
tibus. 
CALYX: Perianthium cow«««e multiflorum, patens, 
polyphyllum; foliolis ovato-acutis, ciliatis, 
bafi fubgibbofis, feriebus variis receptaculum 
cingentibus, eique infidentibus, quorum inte- 
riora gradatim minora ; fig. i . 1 1 . Ferianthium 
proprium duplex, inferius tetragonum, pi- 
lofum, germen includens ; Jig. 2. fuperius 
germini infidens, quinquepartitum, laciniis 
ietaceis,7%. 3. 
COROLLA monopetala, tubulofa, quadrifida, laciniis 
obtufis, tribus inferioribus fub^qualibus, fu- 
periore longiore, fig. 4. 
STAMINA : Filamenta quatuor, fubulata, corolla 
fere duplo longiora ; Anthera: oblongae, 
incumbentes, violaceae ; Pollen album. 5. 
PISTILLUM : Germen minimum, albidum, cylind- 
raceo-ovatum ; Stylus filiformis, dum 
antherae pollinem dimittunt longitudine labii 
inferioris corollae ; Stigma orbiculatum, 
medio depreflum./^. 6. 7. 8. 
SEMEN oblongum, fulcato-angulofum, hirfutum, 
fetis quinque coronatum, fg. 10. 
4 ROOT when full grown, nearly the thicknefs of the 
I little finger, often growing obliquely, bit off 
t as it were or flumped at the extremity, and 
i furniflied with long whitilh fibres. 
I STALKS from a foot to a foot and a half high, nearly 
i upright, with us rarely fingle but divided 
I into two, three or more branches, round, 
befct with rough hairs and of a reddifh colour. 
i LEAVES next the root, oval, ftanding on fliort foot- 
ftalks, of a deep green colour, running a lit- 
tle way down the footftalk, entire at the 
edge, cover’d on both fides with long, rough 
hairs ; thofe on the ftalk oppofite, connate, 
lanceolate, fparingly toothed on the edge, the 
uppermoft nearly linear and entire. 
HEADS of the flowers nearly round, blue, fingle, fit- 
ting on long, naked or almofl naked flower 
flalks. 
CALYX: the general Perianthium fupports many 
florets, is fpreading and compofed of many 
leaves, which are of an oval pointed fhape, 
edged with hairs, fomewhat gibbous at the 
bale, furrounding and fitting on the receptacle 
in various rows, of which the innermoft are 
gradually the fmallefly^. i. 11. Perianthium oi 
each floret double, the lower one four corner’d, 
hairy, inclofitig the germen, fg. 2, the upper 
one fitting on the germen, divided deeply into 
five fegments lhaped like briftles. Jig. 3. 
COROLLA monopetalous, tubular, divided into four 
obtule fegments, the three lowermoft of 
which are nearly equal, the uppermoft fome- 
what longeft. Jg. 4. 
STAMINA: four Filaments, tapering to a point, 
almofl twice the length of the corolla ; An- 
THER .51 oblong, incumbent, of a violet co- 
lour; Pollen white, 5. 
PISTILLUM: Germen very fmall, whitilh, rarely 
cylindrical, inclofed within the calyx ; Style 
thread lhaped, while the Anthera: are Ihed- 
ding the pollen, the length of the lower lip 
of the corolla; Stigma round, flat, with a 
depreflion in the middle, fg. 6. 7. 8. 
SEED oblong, angular, grooved, befet with rough 
hairs and crownd with five fet^ or briftles. 
fg. 10. 
THE Devils bitis one of thofe few plants which adorn our Failures in Autumn, and is capable of adding 
fome beauty even to the flower Garden, in which if grows much more branched than in its wild ftate and 
continues in bloflbm from Auguft to the end of Oflober ; like Plantain and many other herbs, the root when 
full grown is flumped at the extremity. 
“ Fabulous antiquity (the Monkes and Fryers as I fuppofe being the firft inventors of the Fable) liild, that the 
“ Devill envying the good that this Herbe might do to mankinde, bit away part of the root and thereof came the 
“ name of Succifa or Devils bit. ParkinJbnPheat, p. 491. 
Modern pradlitioners not finding thofe wonderfull good effects have rejedled it. 
According to Bergius the root poflefles an aftringent quality, and the infufion of it is bltterilh, but not uii- 
plcafaut to the tafte. 
The Caterpillar of one of the Fritillary Butterflies (Papilio maiurna ofLiNN.AUS, thg greajy Fritillary 
Aurelians) feed on the leaves of this fpecies. 
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