Bidens cernua. Nodding Water-hemp -Agrimony. 
BIDENS Lin. Gen. PI. 
Syngenesia Polygamia iEouALls. Recept. paleaceum. Pappus anftis ereflis 
fcabris. Cal. imbricatus. Cor. rarius flofculo uno alterne radiante mltrudlus. 
Raii. Syn. Gen. 8 . Heebse eloee composito discoide seminibus pappo destitutis 
CORYMBIFER.® DICT®, 
BIDENS cernua foliis lauceoktls amplcxicaulibiis floribus cernuis feminibus ereais. Lm. Syjl. Fegetab. 
p. 6 IO. 
BIDENS foliis feffilibus ferratis, floribus nutantibus circumvallatis. Haller. Hljl. 120. 
BIDENS cernua ScopoHFl. Carnhl p. 176. n. 2. 
CANNABINA aquatica folio non divifo. Bauh. pin. 321. 
VERBESINA pulchriore flore luteo. I. B. II. 1074. 
EUPATORliE Cannabina; fieminas varietas altera Ger. emac. 711. 
EUPATORIUM aquaticum folio integro. Parkins. 596. 
VERBESINA minima. Dillen. Cat. Gifs. 167. et App. 66. Raii. Syn. ed 3. /. 7. f. 2. 
Raii. Syn.p. 187. Water-Hemp-Agrimony with an undivided leaf. 
Hudfon. FI. Angi. ea'. 2. / 5 . 356. 
Lighifoot. FI. Scot. p. 463. 
RADIX annua, fibrofa, fibris plurimis, majufculis, i 
alte defeendentibus. | 
CAULIS pedalis, bipedalis, et ultra, ereflus, ramofus, ^ 
hifpidulus, purpurafeens, rubro pundatus, | 
inferne teres, fuperne fulcato-ftriatus, rami | 
oppofiti, fuberedi. i 
FOLIA oppolita, indivifa, modice connata, ovato- | 
lanceolata, patentia, ferrata, utrinque licvia. j 
i 
PEDUNCULI ftriati. | 
FLORES e luteo virefeentes, demum cernui, plerumque | 
radiati. | 
CALYX communis, foliaceus, foliolis circiter feptem, | 
luieari-lanceolatis, ferrulatis, nervofis, reflexis, J 
corolla longioribus. | 
i 
i 
COROLLA: Petala exterioradecemcircitcr, oblongo- | 
ovata, acutiufcula, nitida, e fiavo-virefeentia, 
apice inflexa, lineis parallelis nigricantibus i 
pida, exempta margine; Flosculi in difeo | 
numerofi, a;quales, hermaphroditi, infundi- j 
buliformes, flavi; Ya^arcylindraceus, longi- | 
tudine limbi feu paulo longior. Limbus cam- ^ 
panulatus, quinquedeiitatus, dentibus fub- i 
' fubreriexis. Jig. i. 2. • | 
t 
STAMINA : Filamenta quinque, capillaria; An- | 
THER® nigricantes, in tubum laxum coali- ^ 
ta. fg. 3. . . I 
PISTILLUM : Germen angulatum, fubconicum, albi- | 
dum, apice truncatum, fuperne e quatuor 4 
angulis, ariftis quatuor longitudine fere flof- | 
culi inftrudum. 6. 
t 
SEMEN ollvaceo-nigrum, obverfe conicum, tetrago- | 
num, angulis ariftifque retrorfum fcabro ha- ^ 
mofis. fig. 7. I 
RECEPTACULUM paleaceum Paleis ftrudura; petalo- | 
rum, lanceolatis, longitudine flofculorum. t 
Jis- 5 - * 
ROOT annual, and fibrous, the fibres numerous, large, 
branched, running deep. 
STALK from one to two feet high or more, upright, 
bfanched, fomewhat hifpid, purplifh, dotted 
with red, below round, above ftriated, the 
branches oppofite and nearly upright. 
LEAVES oppofite, undivided, moderately connate, 
ovato-lanceolate, fpreading, ferrated, and 
fmooth on both fides, 
FLOWER-STALKS ftriated. 
FLOWERS of a yellowifh green colour, finally 
drooping, generally radiated. 
CaALYX common to all the florets leafy, confifling of 
about feven leaves, which are of a fhape be- 
twixt linear and lanceolate, finely fawed at the 
edge, rib’d, turning back and longer than 
the corolla. 
COROLLA: the exterior Petals' about ter. in num- 
ber, of an oblong oval fhape, fomewhat point- 
ed, and bending in at the top, of a yellowifh 
green colour, fhining and marked with blackifh 
parallel lines except the margin, the Flowers 
in the center numerous, squal, hermaphro- 
dite, funnel fhaped and of a yellow colour ; 
the lube cylindrical the length of the limb or 
a little longer, the Lrmb bell-fliaped, having 
fi/e teeth which turn fomewhat back.y%. i. 2. 
STAMINA: five Filaments, very fine ; Anther® 
blackifh, forming a loofe tube._;^. 3. 
PISTILLUM : Germen angular, fomewhat conical, 
whitifli, cut oft at top, furnifhed above with 
four beards or awns proceeding from the four 
angles almoft the length of the flower and 
befet with littlehooks bending backward.y^.6. 
SEED of a dark olive colour, inverfely conical, four 
cornered, the corners and beards befet with 
little hooks bending backward. J^. 7. 
RECEPTACLE chaffy or befet with numerous lan- 
ceolate leaves having the ftrufture of the petals 
and being as long as the florets. J^. 5. 
THE Genus Bidens of Linn®us is chiefly chara£teriz’d by the ftufture of its feeds, which according to its 
name fliou’d be furnifhed with two teeth or awns, to neither of our Engiifli fpecies does this name however 
well accord, as the one has generally three and the other four ; the awns are furnifh’d with fmall fharp hooks, 
(a curious objeiS for the microfeope) by means of which they often flick to ones deaths, and Mr. Light- 
foot mentions that they have been known fometiraes to deflroy the Cyprinus auratus or Gold Fifh by adhering 
to their Gills and Jaws. 
We have two fpecies of Eidens common in this country viz the tripartita and cernua., the tripartita is common 
on the edge of almoft every pond, the cernua delights rather to grow iu the water itfelf, in the ditches about St. 
Georges Fields, in the pond adjoining Hornfey Wood, and in fimilar fituations about London It is very frequently 
met with, it flowers in the month of September, a month later than the tripartita. 
Like all other plants it is fubjedl to vary, being fometimes found without its exterior petals, and fometiraes in 
very drys feafons when the Sun has exhaled the water from the pond It has grown in, it has been found fo 
dwarfifh as not to exceed two or three inches in height, a plant of this kind is figured on the plate,/^. 8, Dillenius 
finding it in this ftate, deferibed and figured it is in his edition of Rays Synopjis, as a diftinft fpecies and Linn®- 
us probably relying on his authority’ adopted it as fuch Species plantarum but EIaller who had feen the Plant 
very juftly confiders it as only a variety and Mr. Lightfoot concurs with him in opinion, Mr. Hudson with his 
ufual inaccuracy in the fecond edition of his Flora anglica gives it as a variety of the tripartita. 
The flowers of this fpecies have a ftrong and not a very difagreeable fmell, hence they promife to poflefs fome 
medicinal powers, it is fald by Linn®us, to dye yellow, but not fo powerfully as the tripartita. 
