Cynoglossum Officinale. 
CYNOGLOSSUM Lin. Gen. PI. Pentandria Monogynia, 
Raii Syn. Gen. 13. Herb® asperifoli®. 
CYNOGLOSSUM officinale flaminibus corolla brevioribus, foliis lato lanceolatis tomentofis ftffilibus. 
Lin. Syft. Vegetab. p. 157. Sp. PL p. 192. FI. Suec. n. 58! 
CYNOGLOSSUM foliis ellipticis, lanceolatis, fericeis, caule foliofo. Haller . HjJl. n. 587. 
CYNOGLOSSUM officinale. Scopoli FI. Carniol. 191. 
CYNOGLOSSUM majus vulgare. Bauhin. Pm. 257. Ger. emac. 804. Parkins. r. Great 
Houndftongue. Rail Syn. ed. 3. p. 226. Hudfon FI. Angl. ed. 2. p. 80. Lightfoot 
PI. Scot. p. 133. 
RADIX biennis, craffitie digiti feu pollicis, pedalis et 
ultra, fufiformis, foris nigricans, intus albida. 
CAULIS bi feu tripedalis, ere£tus, fulcato-angulatus, 
villofus, foliofiffimus, fuperne ramofus ; Rami 
plurimi, fubere&i, villoli. 
FOLIA radicalia magna, pedalia et ultra, petiolata, ova- 
ta, acuta, lericea hirfutie incana, venofa, cau- 
lina, faltem fuperiora feffilia, conferta, fparfa, 
ere<£la, lanceolata, bafi latiora. 
FLORES primo fordide rubentes, demum czerulefcentes, 
racemofi, fecundi. 
PEDUNCULI teretes, alterni, pubefcentes, 
CALYX: Perianthium quinquepartitum, foliolis 
ovato-lanceolatis, eredtis, pubefcentibus, obtu- 
fiufculis, interne nitidis, fig. 1. 
COROLLA : monopetala, infundibuliformis; Tubus cy- 
lindraceus, craffus, pallidus, calyce duplo bre- 
vior ; Limbus concavus, quinquefidus, laciniis 
rotundatis, fig. 2, 3. 
NECTARIUM : Squama quinque, purpures, antice 
concaviufculae, vertice gibbie, obtufe, margini 
tubi infertae, limbo duplo breviores, conni- 
ventes. fig. 4. Faux corollae perforata. 
STAMINA: Filamenta quinque, breviffima ; An- 
ther.® oblongae, virides, fub fquamis neftareis 
recondit®, fig. 5. 
PISTILLUM: Germina quatuor, e luteo-virefcentia, 
glabra; Stylus fubulatus longitudine flami- 
num, perfiflens ; Stigma obtufum, emargi - 1 
natum, fig. 6. 
ROOT biennial, the thicknefs of the finger or thumb, 4 
foot or more in length, tapering, blackilh on 
the outlide, and whitifh within. 
STALK two or three feet in height, upright, grooved 
or angular, villous, very leafy, branched at 
top; Branches numerous, nearly upright and 
villous, 
LEAVES proceeding from the root large, a foot or more 
in length, {landing on fuotftalks, ovate, 
pointed, covered with a filky down which 
gives them a greyilh colour, veiny, thole of 
the flalk at lead the uppermcfl ones fetfile, 
numerous, placed irregularly on the flalk, up- 
right, lanceolate, and broadefl at the bafe. 
FLOWERS at firfl of a dull red colour, afterwards be- 
coming blueifh, growing in racemi or long 
bunches, and hanging all one way. 
R.ACEMI nearly upright, and generally naked. 
FLOWER-STALKS round, alternate, aud downy. 
CALYX : Perianthium deeply divided into five feg- 
ments, the leaves ovato-lanceolate, upright, 
downy, bluntifh, ffiining on the infide, fig. 1. 
COROLLA monopetalous, funnel-ffiaped, Tube cylindri- 
cal, thick, of a pale colour, half the length of 
the calyx. Limb concave, divided into five 
roundiffi fegments. fig. 2, 3. 
NECTARY : five purple Scales, anteriorly hollow', gib- 
bous at top, blunt, inferred into the edge of the 
tube, half the length of the limb, doling to- 
gether. fig. 4. Mouth of the corolla perforated. 
STAMINA: five Filaments, very ffiort, Anther® 
oblong, green, hid under the fcaly neflarics. 
A- 5- 
PISTILLUM: Germina four, of a yellow! fh green 
colour, fmooth. Style tapering, the length 
of the flamina, permanent. Stigma blunt and 
$ nicked, fig. 6. 
PERICARPIUM : Capsula quatuor deprefla?, fubro-t SEED-VESSEL: four flat Capsules of a roundiffi 
tund®, fcabr®, non dehifeentes, apice affix®. * fhape, fomewhat prickly, not opening, fixed 
fig. q. * by their points, fig. 7. 
SEMINA iolitaria, fubovata, gibba, acuminata, glabra. * SEEDS Angle, fomewhat ovate, gibbous, pointed and 
fig. 8. I fmooth. fig. 8. 
The leaves of this plant are in fhape thought to refemble a Dog’s-tongue, whence its name. 
It grows wild by road fides, and in uncultivated places; and is particularly common about Charlton , and in the 
road to Lewijbam. 
It flowers in June and July, and ripens its feeds in Augujl and September. 
The whole plant has a difagreeable fmell, much refembling that of mice. Its effects are faid to be narcotic; 
and an inflance is related in the FUJI. Oxon. 3. 450*, in which the leaves boiled by miftake for thofe of Comfrev, 
difordered a whole family, and proved fatal to one. Baron Haller quotes Dr. Blair as deferibing a cafe fome- 
what fimilar; but in that inflance the plant ul'ed was not the CynogloJJum, but the Pulmonaria maritima *j- ; a plant 
one would not fufpedl of being poifonous. 
Houndftongue has been ufed in medicine both internally and externally; but the prefent practice takes no notice 
of it in any intention. 
Cattle in general diflike it ; but the Goat, who with impunity will eat Deadly Nightffiade and Tobacco, is faid 
fometimes to crop this naufeous plant ; it is the natural food of the caterpillar of the fcarlet tyger-moth ( Phalana 
Hommula ) which may be found on it in April and May. 
The CynogloJJum minus fio/io virente Ger. emac. 805, is confidered by LinnjeUs merely as a variety of this plant, 
and deferibed by Ray as growing in the London road between Kelvedon and Wit bam in Effiex, but more plentifully 
about Braxfied by the way fides. It has alfo been obferved in fome fhady lanes about Worcefier bji Mr. Pitts ; at 
Southend, by Bit ham , plentifully, Mr. J. Sherard; by the road fide, about a mile beyond Waltham-abbey , towards 
Harlow, Mr. Newton ; At Norbury in Surrey, a mile from Leatherhead, plentifully. Merr. Pin. 
* “ Mulier quidam Oxonienlis, et maritus cum liberis, et quotquot erant iftius familii, folia Cynogloffi (pro tenellis Symphysi foliis col left a) cofta, 
“ Ubere comedebant; et prandio mox omnes igre fe habebant, et non multo poft vomitus raolcltus infequebatur, deinde ltupore et lomnj correpti 
“ funt, nec poft horas fere 40 penitus excitati ; unus autem mortuus efti” 
t Blair’s Mifcellancous Obfervations, p. 55. 
