Brassica muralis. W ild Rocket. 
BRASSICA Linna^i Sen. P/. Tethadynamia Siliquosa. 
Cal. ereflus, cormlvens. Sem globofa. Glandula inter flamma breviora 
et plflillum, interque longiora et calycem. 
Rail Syn. Gen. ai. Herb^ Tetrapetal.® SiLioyos-E *et Siliculos.®. 
BRASSICA muralis foliis lanceolatis fumato ferratis lieviufculis, caule ere£lo glabro. Budfon FI. Angi, 
p. 290. 
ERUCA foliis glabris, pinnatis, pinnis linearibus difFormibus. Haller hiji. n. e^bi. 
ERUCA fylveflris. Maii. in Diofc. p. 531. cum icone. 
ERUCA tenuifolia perennis flore luteo. J. B. 2. 861. 
ERUCA fylveflris. Gerard ernac. 246. 
ERUCA fylveflris vulgatior. Parhnfon. 
ERUCA fylveflris major vulgatior foetens. Hi/l. Ox, II. 230. Rail Syn. p, 296. Wild Rocket. 
RADIX perennis, fublignofa, Intra muros profunde | 
penetrans, vix evellanda. ^ 
CAULIS fefquipedalis, eredlus, ramofus, teres, bafl ? 
fublignofus, perennans. | 
? 
FOLIA plnnatifldo-laciniata, glabra, patentia, odoris | 
ingrati, ^ ^ 
CALYX priufquam flores aperiuntur quafi bicornis, f 
cornibus brevibus, pilo uno, alterove Inflru£l- ^ 
is; flore aperto tetraphyllus, foliolis oblongis, f 
concavis, duobus cum apicibus gibbolis deor- | 
fum tendentibus, duobus ereftis. /g. i. a- 3- | 
t 
t 
COROLLA : Petala quatuor, majufcula, calyce f 
duplo longiora, unguiculata, ere£la, flava. | 
J?g. 4. • f 
NECTARIUM: Glandula quatuor, duo extra bafin f 
filamentorum printer morem long®, apice ex- | 
trorfum incurvat®, duo intra bafin filamen- 
torum breviora, fubrotunda. 7. 8. | 
STAMINA : Filamenta fex, quorum duo breviora, ? 
fubulata, eredla, flavefcentia ; Anthers in- * 
cumbentes, fubfagittat®. fg. 5. j 
PISTILLUM: Germen oblongum, tenue; Stylus | 
breviffimus ; Stigma capitatum, fg. 6. t 
PERICARPIUM : Siliqua fefquiuncialis, teres, u- | 
trinque linea prominenti notata, fg. 9. 
SEMINA plurima, minuta, fufca, fubovata, compref- | 
fiufcula. ? 
ROOT perennial, fomewhat woody, penetrating deep 
into the walls, fcarcely to be pulled out. 
STALK a foot and a half high, upright, branched, 
round, at bottom fomewhat woody and pe- 
rennial. 
LEAVES pinnatifid and jagged, fmooth, fpreading, 
of a difagreeable fmell. 
CALYX before me flowers are expanded has the ap- 
pearance of having two horns, which are 
fhort, and fumiflied with one, or two hairs ; 
on theexpanfion of the petals, it is compofed 
of four, oblong, hollow leaves, two of which, 
being gibbous at Top hang down, and the 
other two fland upright. Jig. i. 2. 3. 
COROLLA four Petals, rather large, twice the 
length of the calyx, clawed, upright, and of 
a yellow colour. Jig. 4 . 
NECTARY ; four Glancu, two placed on the outfide 
of the bafe of the filaments, uimfually long, 
externally bent in at top, two placed on the 
infide of the bafe of the filaments, fhorter and 
roundifh. ^g. 7. 8. 
STAMINA: fix Filaments, two of which are fhort- 
er than the reft, tapering, upright and ycl- 
lowifh ; An ther je laying acrofs thefilamentSi 
and fomewhat arrow-fhaped.j^. 5. 
PISTILLUM ; Germen oblong, flender, Siyle very 
fhort ; Stigma forming a little head. Jig. 6 . 
SEED-VESSEL : a Pod about an inch and a halt long, 
round, mark’d on each fide with a prominent 
line./j. 9. 
SEEDS numerous, fmall, brown, fomewhat oval, and 
a little flatten’d. 
Matthiolus, one of the firft Botanifts who has taken notice of this plant, calls it Eruca fyhejlris., and has 
eiven us a tolerable good figure of it, fufficient at leaft with his annexed defcription to identify it : Caspar Bau- 
HiNE quotes this plant from Matthiolus, with this addition, Eruca fyhejlris major lutea caule afpero, now there cer- 
tainly is no appearance either in the plant, in Matthiolus’s defcription, or figure, which juflifies thofe expreffions, 
for as Tourneport obftrves in his Hi/i. des plantes des environs de Paris the branches have fometimes a few fmall 
hairs on them but by no means can they be called rough, this defcription of Bauhine’s has therefore created much 
confufion nor is the name of J. Bauhine which Tournefort has adopted perhaps totally free from objeaion, the 
term tenuifolia though proper when placed as the oppofite to latifolia, in the prefent inftance is liable to miflead. 
Did we entertain the leaftidca of the infufficlency of Matthiolus’s, figure or defcription, Tournefort and Ray 
have defcribed it with fo much accuracy as to leave no doubt of their being well acquainted with it, they both 
oarticularize its difagreeable fmell, Tournefort’s expreffions are fan odeur approche de celle des huiles f hides reSiifiees 
fur lachaux vhei Rays odor totius planta fattdus et ingratus, nojlris jaliem naribus ; if any thing more were wanting 
to their defcriptions we might add fome peculiarities in its fruaifications, as that the Calyx before it opens ap- 
pears to have two little fhort horns from each of which iflue one or more fine hairs, when the flower is expanded 
two of the leaves of the Calyx fland almoft upright, while the other two bend back, and that two of the gland» 
firft edition of his Flora Anglica, calls this plant Brafica Erucafirum, m the fecond edition 
he has made it a new fpecies, it certainly does not accord with Linnjeus’s fpecific defcription of that plant, its 
fruaifications denote it to be a Brajica, and it does not agree with any of the other fpecies of Brafica in Linnaius, 
I have therefore adopted Mr. Hudson’s name. j-r-j r a- • \ r ac cua 
The Garden Rocket Brafica Eruca was formerly much cultivated in Gardens for medicinal ule and for ballads ; 
but is at prefent lefs common, the feeds have a pungent tafte of the muflard kind but weaker, they have long 
been celebmted as aphrodifiacs, and may, probably, have in fome cafes a title to this virtue in common with other 
acrid plants, and this as Ray obferves, was not only the opinion of the Phyficians but alfo of the Poets of former 
times, ^ which he ilKiftrates by the following quotations : 
Martial. Et Venerem revocans Eruca morantem. 
Columella. Excitat ad Venerem tardos Eruca maritos. 
OviD. Nec minus Erucas jubeo vitare falaces. 
The Brafica muralis grows very plentifully in and about London, and is I believe of general growth on molt ot 
the old Walls and Caftles throughout England, with us in particular it grows on the walls around the Tower, at 
the back of Bedlam, and near Hyde-Park, It is alfo frequently found among rubbifli, it flowers during the greateft 
part of the fumroer. 
