*5.6 LASER? 
concave, converging, ftriated, and embracing. Root and 
lower Item-leaves very large and alternate, on long, fub- 
ftriated, folid, round or flightly-compreffed, petioles. Up¬ 
per Item-leaves felfile and fubternate ; with the leaflets 
ufually three-lobed and gaflied, fliarp with reddifh teeth; 
fometimes a Angle three-lobed leaf is placed on the lheath: 
thefe leaflets, however, are all wide, and none of them li¬ 
near. The middle Item-leaves are fub-biternate, without 
any common petiole ; and each either has its proper pe¬ 
tiole, or the Aide ones alfo are feflile. The pinnas both of 
thefe and the root-leaves are wide, blunt, lobed, gafhed, 
glaucous and netted-veined on the back, fmelling when 
rubbed. Univerl'al involucre either wholly wanting, or 
confifting of one or two lanceolate, acuminate, concave, 
membranaceous, leaflets, green edged with red. Partial 
alfo either none, or compofed of few fmall leaflets. Umbel 
wide, thin, flat, compofed of It iff ftriated round rays, from 
two to three inches in length, and from ten to twenty in 
number. Some of the central florets, having no piitils, 
are abortive. Fruit ovate-oblong, comprefled, blunt. 
Seeds plano-convex with five Ihort pale membranaceous 
wings, and four others Hill narrower between them. 
Grertner, who gives all the fynonyms of Linnaeus, Jac- 
quin, Haller, Morifon, and Rivinus, and unites the fecond 
and third fpecies of Murray, as we have done, feparates 
this plant from Laferpitium, on account of the number of 
grooves in the feeds, and there being no wings. He de- 
fc ribes the fruit as elliptic, turgidly lens-Ihaped, many- 
Ilreaked, confiding of two oblong-elliptic feeds, of a mid¬ 
dling fir.e; on the back are nine ltreaks, alternately Hand¬ 
ing more out, all rounded, without any veftige of a wing; 
the belly flat or flightly concave. Native of the Levant 
and Aultria ; flowers from May to July. 
3. Laferpitium Gallicum, or French lafer-wort: leaflets 
wedge-form, forked. Root perennial. Stem not much 
branched, and having only one or two, feldom three, leaves 
at the lower part; at the top are commonly two very large 
umbels. The wings of the feeds are very large, and fre¬ 
quently curled or waved. It varies with entire rounded 
leaflets, agreeing in every other refpett; and there are few 
plants that vary more. Fruit ovate, fomewhat gibbous, 
white or pale itraw-colour. Seeds plano-convex, with 
two dorfal and two marginal wings on the convex fide, 
all membranaceous, fringed, and fometimes entire, fome¬ 
times gnawn at the edge ; the flat fide having a raifed 
line along the middle. Native of the fouth of Europe. 
Cultivated in 1683 by Mr. James Sutherland. It flowers 
in June and July. 
4. Laferpitium fllaifolium, or fmallage-leaved lafer- 
wort: rcot many-forked; ftem.fmooth; leaflets pinnatifid, 
with lanceolate fegments. Root perennial, white within 
and without, but growing brown with age ; feldom fufi- 
form and ftriking downwards, but commonly tranfverfe 
and branched, unequal, a finger thick, fibrous, of a fub- 
acrid take and aromatic fmell. Stem, on open rocky hills, 
perennial, one or two lines thick, and fometimes not more 
than a fpan high; in a lower lituation, among bullies and 
on the borders of woods, it grows to the height of four 
feet, with a item the thicknefs of a pen. From one to 
three Items and more come out from the fame root; they 
are upright, ftriated, fmooth, flexuofe, branched. All the 
flowers fertile; petals white or yellowifh. Native of Car- 
niola and Italy. 
5. Laferpitium anguftifolium, or narrow-leaved lafer- 
wort : leaflets lanceolate, quite entire, feflile. This is a 
lower plant than the firlt, not more than a foot and half 
or two feet in height; the leaves are much narrower: and 
the petioles are hairy. Flowers white; feeds winged, 
curled. Native of the fouthern parts of Europe. Culti¬ 
vated in 1759, by Mr. Miller. It flowers in June and 
J«!y 
6. Laferpitium prutenicum, or rough lafer-wort: leaf¬ 
lets lanceolate, quite entire; the outermoil united. Root 
perennial. Native of Pruflia, Leipfic, Aultria, Carniola, 
XUuphine, Italy. 
ITI U MV 
7. Laferpitium Daurlcvmi, or Baumn lafer-wort: flens 
fpotted, leaflets pinnatifid, acuminate. The whole plant 
is fmooth, has fome fmell when hruifed, and a flightly- 
aromatic acrid tafte. 
8. Laferpitium peucedanoides, or white lafer-wort : 
leaflets linear-lanceolate, veined-ftriated, diftinAt. From 
a thick oblong root, blackilh on the outlide, two or three 
leaves come out on long petioles, with a three-fold divi- 
fion, each again divided into three or five very narrow 
leaflets, almoft two inches in length, and refembling grafs- 
leaves. Stem about a foot high, dividing into two or three 
branches, with a leaf at the bale of each. Flowers white. 
Seeds ftriated and four-winged on one fide, flat on the 
other. Native of Monte Baldo. 
9. Laferpitium filer, or mountain lafer-wort : leaflets, 
oval-lanceolate, quite entire, petioled. Root perennial, 
with a thick head which is crowned with abundant briftly 
remains of former leaves, a foot and half in length, the 
thicknefs of the human thumb, round, with an irregular 
brown bark, flefhy and white within, with a yellowifh pith. 
The whole plant fmooth. Stem brachiate, round, marked 
with lines but not grooved, pale green or purplilh ; in 
fubalpine meadows from one to two feet high, but in the 
lower mountains fix feet in height. Fruit oblong, fubey- 
lindric, Ihining, brownifli. Seeds flat and ftriated on one 
fide, convex on the other with four narrow membranace¬ 
ous wings, with raifed lines between, having a ftrong 
fmell of cumin, and an aromatic, fubacrid, bitter, tafte. 
'Native of Auftria, Swiflerland, and France. It flowers in 
July and Auguft, and the feeds ripen in September. Our 
old authors name it fermountain, from the French. It dif¬ 
fers from the varieties of L. Gallicum in being loftier, in 
having leaves all along the Item, and the feed longer, with 
very linall membranes, often concealed within the Freaks. 
The root is extremely bitter, and might be ufeful in fe¬ 
vers, cachexies, lofs of appetite, &c. An infufion of it 
in wine has been given with fuccefs in diforders of the 
ftomach. It yields an aromatic refinous juice on being 
wounded; and, being made into a fyrup, is recommended 
in diforders of the breafi. 
10. Laferpitium diffufum, or fcattered lafer-wort: leaves 
fuperdecompound; leaflets linear-awl-Ihaped, fomewhat 
hairy ; univerlal involucres lanceolate, membranaceous. 
Root perennial, linking very deep, and but little branch¬ 
ed. Stem a foot and a half high, terminated by one or two 
umbels, folid, fmooth, flightly ftriated. Leaves two or 
three at the bale of the Hem; and, when the ftem divides, 
there is one fmaller under the lateral branch, otherwife it 
is naked ; they are four times pinnate, triangular. Leaf¬ 
lets Ihort, lanceolate, a little hard, and loaded with fmall 
hairs. Fruit oblong, with four wings, which are very nar¬ 
row. It differs from the feventh fpecies in having the leaves 
four times divided, with the fegments of the pinnules 
fhorter and clofer, converging upwards,roughifh, and finely 
hairy on the lib and back of the leaves; the Hems com¬ 
monly Ample ; the umbel very clofe ; the leaflets of each 
involucre Ample, and wider; the petioles round, and mark¬ 
ed with green and white ltreaks. Native of Swiflerland, 
France, and Italy. 
11. Laferpitium lucidum, or Ihining lafer-wort: leaves 
fuperdecompound, linear-awl-Ihaped, fmooth ; univerfal 
involucres pinnate. Root woody, large, with feveral 
forks, crowned with bridles and feales of fallen leaves. 
Stem Ilraight, grooved, half a foot high. Flower often 
purple; the petals a little unequal, infiex-cordate. Seed 
large, ovate, four-winged ; often purple, or almoft black. 
Native of Swiiferland. Introduced in 1775 by Drs. Pitcain 
and Fothergill. It flowers in July. 
12. Laferpitium Chironium, or healing lafer-wort: 
leaflets obliquely cordate; petioles hirfute. Leaves entire, 
cordate, with the upper lobe Ihorter, crenate, blunt. Pe¬ 
tioles very hirfute. Both involucres fmall. fllence it is 
different from Paftinaca opopanax, with which Gouan 
joins it. Native of Montpelier, where however Gouan 
could not find any fuch plant, diltinft from P. opopanax. 
3 *3. Lafcr- 
