Sisymbrium Irio. London Rocket, 
SISYMBRIUM Lin. Gen. PI. Tetrady NAMIA SlLIQUOSA. 
Siliqua dehifcens, valvulis rcdiufculis. Calyx patens. Corolla patens. 
Rail Syn. Gen. 21. Hekbje tetrapetal^e Siliq.uos.e et SiliculoslE. 
SISYMBRIUM Irio foliis runcinatis dentatis nudis, caule lstevi; Aliquis eredis. Lim Svft; Veget ab. f>. ±dai 
Sp.Pl.g 2i. FI. Suec. ».596. ^ ^ 
ERYSIMUM latifolium majus glabrum. Bauh. Pin. ior. 
IRIS laevis Apulus erues folio. Coi. Ecphr. 1. 264. 
SIMUM latifolium Neapolitanum. Pa>t. 834. Ran Syri. p. 298. Smoother broad-leaved Hedge- 
Mullard. Hudfon. Fl. Angi. ed. 2 p. 297. Jaequin. FI. Aujlr. tab. 322. 
Tota planta perpetuo glaberrima efl, nec ullum pilum | The whole plant is always perfectly fmooth, without 
aut villuth habet, acre iinapios lapore gaudens. | any hair or down, having the biting t.tfte of 
T muftard. 
RADIX annua, albida, calami anferini craffitie, fimplex, | ROOT annual, whitilh, the thicknefs of a goofe-quill, 
quandoque ramofa. $ Ample, fometimes branched. 
CAULIS pedalis, ad bipedalem, teres, hic illic pur-| STALK from one to two feet high, round, here and 
purafeens, nitidus, firmus inferne, non Matus, f there purplilh, fliining, below rigid, not 
ispius ab ipla ball ramofus. | Ariated or grooved, often branched quite from 
I . the bottom. ' ' 
FOLIA radicalia, quae brevi marcefcunt, et caulina pie- | LEAVES next the root, which fooil wither, and moil of 
raque, funt pinnatiAda, Annata, inaequaliter •£ thole on the ftalk are pinnatifid, Anuated, un- 
dentata aut ferrata, petiolata, patentia, flac- 1 equally toothed or ferrated, Handing ori’foot- 
cida, lobis ut plurimum acutis, extremo majore | Halks, fpreading and flaccid, the lobes for the 
et longiore, lumma haftata, et quiedam inte- % molt part pointed, the end one larger and 
gerrima ac fimplicia. | longer, the uppermoft leaves haflate, fome of 
X them entire aiid fimple. 
CORYMEI in racemos producuntur Iongiffimos, modo| CORYMBI lengthened out into long racemi, fometimes 
redtos, modo flaccidos. , ftrait, iometimes flaccid. 
FLORES pufilli, flavi. r FLOWERS fmall and yellow. 
CALYX patens, flavefeens, fig. i. J CALYX fpreading and yellowilh, Jig, i. 
PETALA obtufa, et oblonga, ungues habent ftlbereftos, f PET ALS obtufe, and oblong, having claws nearly up- 
fupra hos patentiflima, Jig. a. | right, above which they fpread widely, fig. 2. 
STAMINA et Stylus etiam flavefcuut, fig. 3, 4. | STAMINA and the Style are alfo of a yellowilh colour, 
SILIQILE graciles, fubteretes, ad femina torulofe, et| PODS flender,’ Nearly round, about two inches long, 
biun dales, brevibus inflftunt pedunculis et* Handing on Ihort foot-ftalts, and fpreading 
quaqnavorfum laxe patent, jig. 5. | loofely every way,' leeds protuberant, jig. 5. 
SEMINA minuta, pallide flavent, Jig. 6 . J SEEDS minute, of a pale yellow' colour, Jig. 6 . 
The Sifymbrmm I in, though a fcarce plant in many parts of Great Britain, is frequent enough in the neighbour- 
hood of London : we find it on dry banks, efpecially fuch as are made of road fluid, walls, and among rubbiih in 
uncultivated places. Its chief time of flowering is from July to September. Like many oilier annuals it is 
jnconftailt as to its particular place of growth. I11 favourable feafons and filiations it is capable of multiplying 
itlelt exceedingly from rile great number of feed veffels which it produces. The feeds are very fmall and 
protu berating a little through the valves of the feed-veflbl give them the appearance of finely jointed pods ; a 
character, which when preient will readily diftinguilh this plant. Mr. Ray obferved it at Faulkbourli in Effex, 
and on the walls of Berwick 011 the Tweed. That great nituralift remarks, that after the fire of London in the’ 
years 1767, 1768, it came up abundantly among the ruhbifh in the ruins. Morisos, who lived at that period, 
was particularly ftruck with fo Angular an appearance, and in his Preludia Botanica has a long dialogue on this 
very fubjeft; in which, whatever laurels he may gain as a Botanift, few will think him entitled to arty as a 
Philofopher. 
As the book, containing this curious dialogue, is iu few hands, we flatter ourfelves a copy of it will not be 
unacceptable to many of our readers. 
“ Bo/an. Secundo die Septembris, anno Domini, 1666, incepit incendium illud luduofum et ad triduum, aut 
“ quatriduum duravit. Nec ope humana (divinitus evenit, quum non efl malum iu civitate, quod non ’fecit 
“ Dominus) extingui poterat: nam doliis apperto ventorum carcere (ut ita loquar') regnabat: per triduum aut 
“ quatriduum illud. Poll odomeflre lpatium, per rudera ducentorum jugerum, folo aequatatorum, mihi peram- 
“ bulanti verfus excambium vetus nunc. Ante illud tempus; Collegium Grefhamiainim didum tendenti, in 
“ veftigiis, aedificiorum et tectorum, mihi tanta fefe objecit copia, Eryfimi illius, quod irio laevis Apulus a’lter 
“Fabio Columns dicitur: Et eodem revertens, menfibus duobus poll hoc; adeb denle pullulavit, ut falce quali 
“Triticum, aut lecale demeti potuerit* Soc. Quid inde fequetur, unde provenifle tantam copiam iflius Irionis? 
“ putas tu ; an a femine feu fatione ? Botan. Quid quaefo, te movet ad talem proponendam queftionem, cum 
“ aedificia omnia circa aedem Divi Pauli, et alibi paffim in meditullio celeberrimi Emporii Londini, a mille aut 
“ laltem centenis annis : Fuere conflrudaet tedis confervata ? Soc. Ergd tanta copia illius feminis, latebat in cellis 
“ et cavearum fundis, et foli et pluviae expolita, frudicavit. Botan. Unum hoc addam: ego non fum Plinius, ut 
“ ex aliorum relatione mundo imponam; nec Mattheolus ut appingam ea qua: nunquam extitere : fed ut vis appertis 
“verbis 
