Euphrasia Officinalis. Common Eyebright, 
EUPHRASIA Lin. Gen. PL Didynamia Angiospermia. 
Cal. 4-fidus, cylindricus. Caps. 2-locularis, ovato-oblonga. Anther C& 
inferiores altero lobo bafi fpinofe. 
Rail Syn. Gen. 18. Herb.-e fructu sicco singulari f lore monopetalo. 
EUPHRASIA officinalis foliis ovatis lineatis argute dentatis. Lin. Syfi. Vegetal, p. 460. Sp. PL 
p. 481. FI. Suec. n. 543. Haller hijl. 303. 
EUPHRASIA officinalis. Scopoli FI. Cam. n. 753. 
EUPHRASIA officinarum. Bauh. pin. 233. Gcr. cmac. 663. Parkin/. 1329. Raii. Syn. p. * 
284. Eyebright, Hudfion FI. Angl. cd. 2. p. 268. Ligktfoot Fl. Scot. p. 323. 
RADIX annua, fibrofa, albida. < 
CAULIS bipollicaris ad palmarem et ultra, ere&us, < 
teres, pubefcens, purpureus, plerumque ra- < 
mofus. \ 
FOLIA oppofita, ovata, obtufa, ferrato-dentata, den- < 
tibus acuminatis, fupra convexis, fubtus con- \ 
cavis, minutim ciliatis, utrinque hirfutula, < 
fupra nitidula, lineata, fubtus venofa. 
RACEMUS terminalis, foliaceus, ere£tus, floribus \ 
axillaribus, oppofitis, feffilibus. h 
CALYX: Perianthium monophyllum, ovatum, an- \ 
gulatum, perfiftens, foliis paulo brevius, pu- < 
befcens, quadrifidum, laciniis, lanceolatis, j 
acuminatis, ereftis, ciliatis, fubaequalibus, . 
j%- »• . 1 
COROLLA monopetala, alba, ringens ; Tubus cylin- < 
dricus, albus, glaber, longitudine calycis, < 
fig. 2. Limbus bilabiatus ; Labium fuperius < 
album, fubovatum, concavum, pubefcens, < 
ftriis caerulefcentibus utrinque 3, intus piftum, < 
obtufum, ere£lum, bifidum, lobis emargina- < 
tis ,fig. 3 ; inferius fuperiori paulo majus, tri- \ 
fidum, laciniis omnibus emarginatis, fig. 4. < 
Faux undique ftriata, et pifla ftriis caerulef- < 
centibus, antice vero colore luteo. < 
< 
STAMINA: Filamenta quatuor, fubulata, pur- < 
purafcentia, tubo inferta, fig. 5. Anthers | 
purpureae, bilobae, obtufae, fubtus barbatae, < 
conniventes, lobis fpinula terminatis, duabus ( 
inferioribus longioribus, fig. 6, 7. < 
< 
PISTILLUM: Germen ovatum, obtufum, barbatum, \ 
fig. 8 . Stylus filiformis, fu perne pubefcens, \ 
fig. 9. Stigma obtufum, integrum, fig. 10. j 
PERICARPIUM: Capsula ovato-oblonga, com- < 
preffa, obtufa, mucronata, biloculans, fig. 11. j 
SEMINA plurima, albida, ftriata, fig. 12. < 
ROOT annual, fibrous, and whitifh. 
STALK from two to four inches high, or more, up-^ 
right, round, hoary, purple, for the moll; 
part branched. 
LEAVES oppofite, ovate, obtufe, ferrated or indent- 
ed, teeth pointed^ above convex, beneath 
concave, finely edged with hairs, flightly 
hirfute on each fide, above fomewhat glofty, 
with lines imprefled, underneath veiny. 
RACEMUS terminal, leafy, upright, flowers in the 
alte of the leaves, oppofite and feflile. 
CALYX: a Perianthium of one leaf, ovate, an- 
gular, permanent, a little fhorter than the 
leaves, pubefcent, divided into four fegments, 
which are lanceolate, long-pointed, upright, 
edged with hairs, and nearly equal, fig. 1. 
COROLLA monopetalous, white, ringent ; Tube cy- 
lindrical, white, fmooth, the length of the 
calyx. Jig. 2. Limb two-lip’d ; upper Lip * 
white, fomewhate ovate, hollow, downy, 
painted on the infide with three blueifh 
ftreaks on each fide, blunt, upright, bifid, 
the lobes emarginate, fig. 3 ; the lower lip 
fomewhat larger than the upper, trifid, all 
the fegments emarginate, fig. 4. Mouth ftri- 
ated all round, and painted with blueifh 
ftreaks, but anteriorly of a yellow colour. 
STAMINA: four tapering, purplifh Filaments in- 
ferted into the tube of the corolla, fig. 5. 
Anther/e purple, two-lob’d, obtufe, beard- 
ed underneath, clofing together, the lobes 
terminating in a fpine, the two lowermoft 
the longeft, fig. 6, 7. 
PISTILLUM: Germen ovate, obtufe, bearded, fig. 
8 . Style, filiform, downy, on the upper 
part, fig. 9. Stigma blunt, and entire,^^. 10. 
SEED-VESSEL: an ovate, oblong. Capsule, flat- 
tened, obtufe, with a fhort point, of two ca- 
vities, fig. 11. 
SEEDS feveral, whitifh, and ftriated, fig. 12. 
Eyebright is a very common plant on heaths, and paftures, efpecially where the foil is chalky ; it varies 
much in fize and in the branchednefs of its ftalk, as well as in the colour and fize of its bloffoms, and flowers 
from July to September. 
Many writers on the Materia Medica, afcribe to this plant wonderful efficacy in diford^rs of the Eyes : 
Alston fays, it has been long reckoned a fpecific opthalmic, and commended for dim, weak, and watery 
eyes, for inflamed and fore eyes, for catarafls, &c. yea, it is faid to make old eyes become young again, 
and the blind to fee. Milton, who moft probably from his own misfortune, had been induced to look into 
books of this fort, thus mentions it : 
“ but to nobler fights 
“ Michael from Adam’s eyes the film remov’d, 
n Which that falfe fruit that promis’d clearer fight 
“ Had bred ; then purg’d with euphra/y and rue 
“ The vifual nerve, for he had much to fee.” 
On the other hand, there are not wanting thofe who condemn its ufe, efpecially in inflammatory com- 
plaints of the eyes ; a friend of Lobel’s is faid nearly to have loft his eyefight by the ufe of it. In fuch 
contrariety of fentiment, it will, perhaps, be moft prudent not to lay too much ftrefs on fo doubtful a remedy. 
