F I L 
border. Stamina: in the hermaphrodite ; filaments four, 
'Very fliort; anther tubular. Fiftillum : in the herma¬ 
phrodite; germ fmall, abortive; ttyle capillary, the length 
of the border; ftigmas two, from upright fpreading ; fe¬ 
males in the difk have an oblong germ, a capillary tlyle 
longer than the border, and two fpreading ftigmas ; fe¬ 
males within the calyx have an oblong germ, a capillary 
Ityle longer than the border, and two long fpreading flig- 
mas. Pericarpium: none; calyx unchanged. Seeds: in 
the hermaphrodites barren, crowned with down ; in the 
females of the di(k oblong, crowned with a fliort Ample 
■down; in the females within the calyx oblong, naked. 
Receptacle : naked.— E/fential CkaraEier. Calyx, imbri¬ 
cate ; female florets among the i'cales of the calyx ; down, 
none ; receptacle, naked. 
Species, i. Filago acaulis, or pygmy cudweed : flowers 
■ftemlefs, feflile; floral leaves larger. The cudweeds are 
herbs covered with a hoary or cottony down. The flowers 
are ufually glomerate at the end of the ftalk, and are fome¬ 
times furrounded by a leafy ring. They are of the fame 
natural genus with Gnaphalium, and are joined with it 
by Scopoli, & c. The fir ft differs from the red: in the 
ftiape of the receptacle, in having very few androgynous 
florets and all the feeds bald or naked. It is a very 
frnall plant, covered entirely with a white woolly nap, 
growing in a tuft. It has a little briftle-form ffetn, a 
line or two, fometimes half an inch, or at mod an inch, 
in height, eredt, quite Ample. Leaves modly clofe to 
the ground, longer than the ftern and flowers, quite en¬ 
tire, linear. One or two flowers terminate the dem, or 
are feflile among the leaves. Calyx fcarcely a line in 
length ; the fcales brown or reddiflt brown about the 
edge, afh-coloured in the middle ; the corollets are rofe- 
coloured, and the central ones yellowiflt. According to 
Ailioni, the feeds are crowned with a little membrane, 
and not with a pappus, or down; and the receptacle is 
fcaly. Linnaeus affirms that it very feldom flioots up into 
ftalk; and that the flow ers are feflile clofe to the ground 
within a ring of leaves. Cavanilles, with a zeal truly 
laudable, has defended Linnaeus from the intemperate 
and ill-founded attack of Monf. Lamarck upon him re- 
fpedling this plant, and has retorted it upon the aflailant. 
He informs us that he has found caulefcent plants about 
Madrid, accompanied by innumerable others abfolutely 
ftemlefs, both flowering, fruiting, and perifliing, without 
any change from one to the other. In the latter cafe, the 
leaves are numerous, linear-ovate, fpread out in form of 
a rofe on the ground, the outer ones longer, the whole 
diameter an inch and a half; from fix to nine flowers are 
placed in the centre, or near it, without any certain order. 
In the former cafe, there is fometimes one Item, fome¬ 
times feveral, and thofe even branched ; ffem-leaves fef- 
file, numerous, fublinear, broader at the end and blunt, 
thofe which furround the flowers are in form of a rofe 
and larger, being a fort of involucre; very frequently the 
ftern at the top is divided into a fort of corymb, of un¬ 
equal branchlets from fix to nine, never fo long as an 
inch. Native of the fouth of Europe, and of the Levant, 
in dried pools of water. Annual.' Flowering at the end 
of fummer. 
2. Filago germanica, or common cudweed: panicle 
dichotomous; flovvers rounded, axillary, hirfute ; leaves 
(harp. Root annual, fpindle-fhaped. Several ftems rife 
immediately from the root, from fix to twelve inches in 
height, the central one thickeft and longeft, clothed with 
numerous, linear-lanceolate, waved, feflile, downy, leaves. 
At the fummit a feflile flowering head, beneath which are 
two or more branches bearing flowers, and thefe again 
proliferous. The lower lateral branches overtopping the 
principal central head, gave occafion to the old name of 
herba impia. Native of mod parts of Europe, in barren 
paftures, corn-fields, and by way-fides ; flowering in July 
and Auguft. This plant is aftringent; and a powder or 
decodtion of it has fometimes been given to cattle in the 
bloody flux ; and has been tried with fuccefs in funilar 
Vol. VII. No. 433. 
AGO. 305 
complaints of the human body. Farmers in England for¬ 
merly gave it their cattle to reftore the.faculty of chewing 
the cud, whence it acquired the Englifh name of cudweed. 
It is alfo called ckajeweed. Gerarde calls it herb impious , 
or wicked cudweed. Hudfon obferves that it varies with a 
very Ample ereft ftern, and axillary feflile flowers. 
3. Filago pyramidata, or pyramidal-flowering cudweed: 
ftern dichotomous ; flowers pyramidal, five-cornered, ax¬ 
illary ; female flofcules ferrate. Stem one or two inches 
high, ereft, little branched. It is probably no more, fays 
Krocker, than a variety of the foregoing fpecies. It differs 
however from it, in having a more fimple ftem, with only 
one branch or two at the end, and more erebt; it is alfo 
more white and tomentofe. The flowers are oniy at the 
end, and in the uppennoft fork. The leaves are more 
numerous, and prefled clofe to the Item. It is annual, 
like the foregoing, and flowers in Auguft. Native of the 
fouth of France, Spain, and Silefifl. 
4. Filago montana, or lead cudweed: ftern fubdicho- 
tomous, erebt; flowers conical, terminating, and axillary. 
Root annual. Stem two to fix incites high, erect, much 
branched, leafy, downy. Leaves numerous, lanceolate, 
feflile, downy, prefled to the ftern, three or four lines 
long. Heads of flowers roundifh, fometimes from the 
fides, with from two to five flowers in each. The fmall- 
nefs of the heads or clufters, and the few flowers which 
contpofe them, diflinguifh this fpecies from the fecond. 
Native of molt parts of Europe in fundy paftures, Spe¬ 
cially in high grounds; alfo on walls and other dry bar¬ 
ren places. It flowers in July and Auguft.' 
5. Filago gallica, or grafs leaved cudweed : ftern di¬ 
chotomous, erect; flovvers fubulate, axillary ; lea ves fili¬ 
form. Root annual, often very long. The whole plant 
downy, but the down fliorter than in the fecond and fourth 
fpecies, and of a filvery white. Stem from half a fpan to 
a fpan in height, leafy, much branched. Leaves about an 
inch long, half-ftem-clafping, awl-fhaped, fubtomentofc, 
yet fmooth and not hirfute. Flowers of both fexes Mat¬ 
tered among the leaves over mod parts of the ftern, almoft 
always folitary, fometimes on very fliort petioles, glome¬ 
rate, greenifli white, conical, narrower than in the other 
fpecies. The calyx continues, and when the plant is in a 
ftate of maturity expands and forms a ring, as in Gnapha¬ 
lium ftellatum. Native of France, Swiflerland, Germany, 
England, in gravelly and fandy foils; flowering in July 
and Auguft. With us it is not common; but was firffc 
obferved by Mr. Dale, near Caftle-Heveningham, in Effex : 
and fince by Mr. Woodward, on heaths in Dcrbyfbire. 
6 . Filago arvenfis, or corn cudweed: fora panicled ; 
flowers conical, lateral. Root annual. The whole plant 
very woolly, infonnich that the heads of flowers are in a 
manner buried. Stem erebt, a foot or eighteen inches.in 
height, branched only at the top. Leaves linear-lanceo¬ 
late, two lines broad, five to feven long, quite entire. 
Flowers glomerate, ufually terminating, whitilh. Scales 
of the calyx linear, avvned. Seed downy, except in the 
hermaphrodites. The flowers are female in the circum¬ 
ference, androgynous in the centre, and very frnall. Native 
of Sweden, Germany, France, Swiflerland, Carr.iola, in 
fandy foils; flowering in July and Auguft. 
7. Filago leontopodium, or ! m’s-foot cudweed : ftem 
very Ample ; head of flowers terminating, radiated with 
very hirfute brabbes. Height about fix inches ; the whole 
plant hoary, and terminated by an elegant lanuginous ftar 
formed of oblong fpreading leaflets of unequal lengths. 
In the centre of this is a head of flowers which are her¬ 
maphrodite, the corolla yellow and five-cleft, the antheras 
acuminate. Round this principal head fit other fmaller 
heads, in number as far as feven, in which fome of the 
flowers are female, frnall, four-cleft, with a long ftyle and a 
bifid ftigma ; others are incomplete, yellow, and deftitute 
of genuine ftamens, flyle, and germ. The middle head 
therefore is that of a Gnaphalium, and the fide ones are 
thofe of a Filago. Perennial. It flowers in June and July. 
Native of the mountains of Germany, Dauphine, Swiffer- 
5 A land, 
