628 MENYA 
leaves, like thole of Nymph sea, to which this is allied in 
habit, perfpire fo much as to become dry in a few hours, 
though at firft. very lucculent. The flowers grow from 
the axils in a kind of feflile umbel, four or five together, 
on long round peduncles, fhorter than the petioles; and, 
when expanded in the fun, have a brilliant appearance; 
ftipules ovate, without the peduncles, but within the 
petioles; calyx five-leaved; leaflets linear or lanceolate; 
corolla twice as large as the calyx, yellow'; fegments in- 
v.erfely ovate, the middle of each veined, and the part fo 
veined bordered by two ftronger veins, which, converg¬ 
ing towards each end, give, the appearance of a narrow 
lanceolate petal being laid upon it; they are finely toothed 
at the edge. See-Plate I. Capfule ovate-lanceolate, com- 
prefled a little, thickened and rounded at the edge, at 
firft flefhy, then coriaceous, thin, one celled, two-valved. 
Seeds numerous, bradted or leafy, furrounded by a white 
membranaceous ciliated margin, ovate or obovate, of a 
pale bay-colour in the middle, fixed to the edges of the 
valves on each fide in a double row. The corolla being 
ciliated or only fringed about the edge, not all over the 
furface like M. trifoliata, Tournefort, Grnelin, Wiggers, 
Gaertner, and Dr. Stokes, would make it a feparate genus ; 
nay, Wiggers afierts, but without telling us why, that 
it even belongs to a different natural order. Juflieu 
doubts whether they ought to be feparated or not; but, 
as he has left them together, and M. indica feems to con¬ 
nect them, we readily agree with Dr. Smith that they 
may lately remain as they are. Native of Denmark, Hol¬ 
land, Germany, Piedmont, Siberia, England; in large 
ditches and flow ftreams. In the Thames, chiefly in little 
recedes of the fhores, as near Walton-bridge; near Bot- 
ley-bridge, Godftow-bridge, and Hinkfey-ferry, in Ox- 
fordfhire. In the river Cam, Streatham-ferry, and in 
the fens near Ely, frequent. It flowers from June to 
Auguft. 
2. Menyanthes Indica, or Indian buck-bean: leaves 
cordate, fubcrenate; petioles fioriferous; corollas hairy 
within. Sloane defcribes it as having a leaf like colt’s- 
foot, roundifli, and about two inches diameter, thick, 
yellowilh green, fmooth, without any apparent nerves. 
Petioles about a foot long, more or lefs, according to 
the depth of the water, on the furface of which they 
float; they are round and brownifh, and out of them 
come feveral white flowers, jull under the leaf, on pe¬ 
duncles an inch long, or fhorter. Native of both Indies. 
3. Menyanthes ovata, or oval-leaved Cape buck-bean: 
leaves ovate, petioled ; Item panicled. An aquatic of the 
Cape, flowering in May and June. Linnaeus obferves, 
that this fpecies has the habit of an Alilma, but the 
flower of a Menyanthes. Root fibrous. Stems few, about 
two feet high and the thicknefs of a quill, ftraight, cylin¬ 
drical, fometimes naked and like ftraws, more frequently 
furnilhed with three or four leaves, Ample, fmooth, bright 
green. Leaves obtufe, generally quite entire, nerved, 
fmooth, of a bright green colour and bitter flavour. 
Flowers on ftalks, bradteated, of a fine yellow or citron 
colour, and without fmell. 
4. Menyanthes criftata, or crefted buck-bean, the an- 
iara-jamara of the Telingas: leaves heart-fhaped, wavy; 
flowers on Ample ftalks; corolla with an elevated crefted 
rib. A native of banks, or pools of frefh water, in the 
Eaft Indies, where it floats, often not reaching the bot¬ 
tom with its roots; flowering in the wet and cold feafon. 
Roots annual, fibrous. Stems numerous, much fpread- 
ing. Leaves on fliort ftalks, fmooth; green above, with 
a purplifh tinge. Flowers in a loofe umbel, not hairy, 
of a pure white colour, about an inch in diameter. See 
Plate II. 
5. Menyanthes exaltata, or tall buck-bean : leaves 
roundifli, heart-fhaped, fomewhat peltate, flightly cre- 
nate; ftem panicled. A native ot New South Wales, 
where it was difcovered by fir Jofeph Banks. It flowers 
from November to February, being kept in a ciftern near 
the glafs in a bark-hove. This is a larger plant than any 
N T H E S. 
of the preceding, with a tall panicled many-flowered 
ftem. Flowers deep yellow, their petals toothed at the 
edge, and bearded on the upper fide at the bale. Dr. Sims , 
remarks, that it is nearly allied to M. ovata, and fhould 
immediately precede that lpecies. 
6. Menyanthes trifoliata, common buck-bean, or marfn- 
trefoil: leaves ternate; corolla extremely hairy on the 
upper fide. Root perennial, creeping, long, jointed, and 
fibrous. Stem procumbent, various in length according ■ 
to fituation, covered by the fheaths of the leaves, which 
are on round ftriated petioles. Leaflets ovate, obtufe, 
fmooth on both tides, veiny, with a waved or terpentine 
edge. Flowers on a Ample, upright, round, fmooth, 
fcape, longer than the leaves, in a naked and fomewhat- 
pyramidai terminating thyrfe; calyx wrinkled at bottom; 
the fegments coloured on the edge; corolla outwardly of 
a role-colour, inwardly white; tube thick, longer than 
the calyx, five-grooved; beard the length of the calyx, 
thready and white; a nth eras purplifh, lagittate, with the 
tips curved inwards; germ ovate, green, fhining; ltyie 
a little thickening above, twice the length of the fta- 
mens; ftigma two-lipped, green, villofe; capfule the fize 
of a pea, with a groove on each fide, contrary to the 
futures of the valves. Seeds many, but only fix or eight 
ripening ; very fmooth, fhining, lemon or ft raw coloured. 
This was formerly named marjh-trefoil, and marjh-claver, or 
clover; now generally called buck-bean , lome have thought 
corruptedly for bug-bean, from its place of growth, and 
the form of the leaves; but one of its German names is 
bocjbohne, and in Danifh it is buhkeblade. Buck-bean, there¬ 
fore, whatever it means, is probably right. It flowers 
from May to July, and is found in wet boggy meadows, 
ditches, and the tides of ponds and lakes : in Batterfea- 
meadows, about the ifland of St. Helena, near Rother- 
hithe; about Staines ; on Bromley-common, between Farn- 
borough and Cafton-mark; Cselar's-camp, near Bromley; 
Hayes-common, Hampftead-heath, Harefield-moor, feve¬ 
ral places in Cambridgefhire, &c. but it is frequently- 
rooted out by the fimplers. 
An infufion of the leaves is extremely bitter, and of 
late years has been in common ufe as an alterative and 
aperient in impurities of the humours and fome hydro¬ 
pic and rheumatic cafes. A dram in powder purges and 
vomits. It is fometimes given to deftroy worms. As an 
adtive and eccophrotic bitter, it feems not ill adapted to 
fupply the want of bile in the primee via; and thus may 
be of ufe in protraCted jaundice and other biliary ob- 
ftrudtions. Cullen mentions feveral inftances of its good 
effeCts in fome cutaneous difeafes of the herpetic and 
leemingly-cancerous kind. With delicate ftomachs it 
may be neceliary to join fome grateful aromatic with the 
infufion. In a fcarcity of hops this plant is uffed in thd 
north of Europe to give a bitter to beer; two ounces will 
fupply the place of a pound of hops. The powdered 
roots are fometimes ufed in Lapland inftead of bread, but 
they are unpalatable. Some lay that fheep will eat 
and that it cures them of the rot. 
7. Menyanthes hydrophyllum, or water-leaf buck-bean: 
leaves cordate, quite entire; flowers axillary, heaped, 
nectariferous. This is a marfh-plant like the reft, with a 
filiform creeping ftem. Flowers white, on long pedun¬ 
cles ; corolla hirfute, with a crenated border, and five 
branched nedtaries of a different colour adhering to the 
bale of the fegments. This plant forms the connecting 
link between this genus and Hydrophyllum. It is a na¬ 
tive of Cochinchina. 
Propagation and Culture. Mr. Miller informs us, that 
the common buck-bean was never cultivated in gardens; 
It deferves cultivation, however; and both that and the 
firft fpecies may be kept in pots or tubs of water. To 
fucli as wifh to have the buck-bean flower in perfection, 
Mr. Curtis recommends to colledt the roots in fpring 
or autumn, to put them in a large pot having a hole in 
the bottom, and filled with bog-earth, and to immerfe 
the pot about two thirds of its depth in water. The 
foreign 
