Gardamine amara. Bitter Ladies-smock. 
CARDAMINE L/a. Gen. PI. Tetradynamia Siliquosa. Siliqua elaftice difliliens, valvulis revo- 
lutis. Stigma integrum, Calyx lubhians. 
Rail Syn. Ggn. 21. Herb« xETRAPETALiE siliquosa: et siliculosa:. 
CARDAMINE amara foliis pinnatis axillis ftoloniferis. Lm. Syjl. Vegetab. p. 497. p. 915* Suecic. n. 
586. 
CARDAMINE foliis pinnatis, fubrotundls, angulofis. Haller, hijl. 474. 
CARDAMINE ftolonlfera ScopoU, ic. 39 ? 
NASTURTIUM aquaticum majus et amarum. Bauh. pin. 104. 
CARDAMINE flore majore elatior. T’ourn. Injl. R. H. Rail Syn. 291. Bitter Crefles. 
Hudfon FI. Angi. ed. 2. p. 294. Lightfoot FI. Scot. p. 350. 
RADIX perennis, tenuis, albida, repens. 
CAULIS pedalis ad bipedalem, eredlus, ball ftoloniferus, 
flexuofus, fubangulatus, glaber, ramofus. 
FOLIA radicalia magna, rotundata, fubintegerrlma; 
caulina fuberefla, pinnata, pinnarum paria 
plerumque tria cum impari, pinnae oblongae, 
angulati», angulis denticulo terminatis, laeves, 
margine ad lentem vifae minutim ciliatae, ex- 
tima majori et in plures angulos divisS. 
FLORES albi, pro magnitudine plantae, minores, flof- 
culis Cardamines pratenfis perquam fimiles, 
nunquam vero colorati. 
PEDUNCULI ebraclaeati, teretes, laeves alterni. 
CALYX: Perianthium tetraphyllum, foliolis con- 
cavis, credlis, flavefcentibus, margine mem- 
branaceis, deciduis. 9^. i. 
COROLLA ; Petala quatuor, fuberedia, alba, bafl 
virefcentia, oblongo-ovata, fubemarginata, 
plana, lineis profundis exaK.ta. 2. 
STAMINA: Filamenta fex, quorum duo breviora, 
fubulata, alba; Anther.® incumbentes, pur- 
purea; apicibus convolutis, 5. 3. 
GLANDUL.^ ut in Cardamine pratenfi. Jig. 7. 
GERMEN comprefliim, minute articulatum, longitu- 
dine flaminum; Stylus brevis, obliquus \ 
Stigma minimum. Jig. 4. 
PERICARPIUM : Siliqua et Semina{\z\i'L in Cardamine 
pratenfi, nifi majora, jig. 8. 9. 
ROOT perennial, flender, wbitifli, and creeping. 
STALK from one to two feet high, upright, at bottom 
throwing out runners from the alx of the 
leaves, crooked, fomewhat angular, fmooth, 
fhining, and branched. 
LEAVES next the root large, round, and almofl per- 
fedlly entire ; on the Jlalk nearly upright, pin- 
nated, conflfling for the mofl part of three 
pair of pinnre with an odd one, pinn* oblong, 
angular, each angle terminated by a fmall 
tooth or point, fmooth, the edge, if viewed 
with a magnifier, appearing finely ciliated, 
the terminal pinna larger than the others, 
and divided into more angles. 
FLOWERS white, confidering the largenefs of the 
plant rather fmall, very like thofe of the com- 
mon Ladies-fmock, but never coloured. 
PEDUNCULES without any bradaea, round, fmooth, 
and alternate. 
CALYX: a Perianthium of four leaves, the leaves 
oblong, hollow, upright, yellowifh, membra- 
nous at the edge, and deciduous, jig. i. 
COROLLA : four Petals, fomewhat upright, white, 
with a greenifh bafe, of an oblong-oval fhape| 
flightly notched, flat, with lines deeply en- 
graven. jig. 2, 
STAMINA; fix Filaments, two of which are fhorter 
than the others, tapering and white ; An- 
ther « incumbent, purple, the top rolled 
^P- 5- 3- 
GLANDS asm the common. Ladies-fmock. /&. 7. 
GERMEN flat, finely jointed, the length of the fla- 
mina; Style fhort and oblique-. Stigma 
very minute, jig. 4. 
SEED-VESSEL; Pod and Seeds fimilar to thofe of the 
common Ladies-fmock, but larger, fg. 8. 9. 
rhe CarJamme amam differs from the in divers refpeas, yet its affinity is fo confiderable as often tc 
occaSoii Its beuig miftakcn for it ; if the following charaders, which dlftinguifli it in particular from that plant 
are attended to, the ftiident will not eafily be mifled. ^ ■ 
The IS a plant common in almoft every wet meadow, this on the contrary is much more 
local, and rather affeds to grow on the edges of rivulets and ftreams of water, than in the open meadow • the 
flalk-leaves of the prate, ifis are ufnally narrow, the fides doling almoft together, thefe on the contrary arelarye 
broad, and veuy angular, more refembhng indeed the water-crefs, from which fimilarity this plant his obtain® d 
among the old Botauifts the name of Najwltum ; it is in every refped a larger plant than the prattnfis its bloflom- 
excepted, which are nearly of the lame fize ; and, as in the fratenfu they are always of a purple colour more oi 
i are alw^s perfcdly white, the anthcrae, which in the pratenfis ale If a yello’w colour 
Hns “"'raft, ““ft appear of a deep purple, and that, fo far as I have obferved, invariably the 
tips ot them are ajfo more curled up ; the flyle, which m the pratenfis is upright, in the amara has an nnnfn 1 
o iquity m it, which I believe has not been noticed ; towards the bottom of the fialk the amara' is more 
din °“f'l 'ftp pratenfis, but this charader depends, in a confidwablt 
deg.ee, on t e circumftanccs of fftnation, moiftnre, &c. the p-f,enfu has a fimilar difpofirion in devme and 
have leen it throw out roots from the midrib of the bottom leaves. p i m ae„rec, and 1 
This plant may be coufidered as one of our planta: rariores, I have noticed It here and there on the-bank, 
the Thames, and the creeks running froco it about Batterfea and Chdfea, Mr. Alchorre has obferved it aboiu r A 
i/aam, and in the neighbourhood of Uxbridge, it grows in abundance. ' 
It flowers in May, and ripens its leed in June. 
1 s virtues and ules remain to be difeovered, it has a Rrong biting tafte of the crefs kind hnf a 
of bucernefs which would juftify the epithet amara. S S or tne creis kind, but not that degree 
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