SCABIOSA Linn. Gen. PL T e trandria Monogynia.
Cal. communis polyphyllus; proprius duplex fuperus. Recept. paleaceum
f. nudum.
Raii Syn. Gen. 8. Herbte corymbiferis affines.
SCABIOSA Succifa corollulis quadrifidis aequalibus, foliis caulinis dentatis, floribus fubglobofis.
SCABIOSA Succifa corollulis quadrifidis aequalibus, caule fimplici, ramis approximatis, foliis lanceo-
lato-ovatis integerrimis. Linn. Sy ft. Vegetab. p. 142.
SCABIOSA caule trifloro, floribus convexis,foliis radicalibus o vatis, caulinis lanceolatis. HallerHft. 201.
SCABIOSA Succifa. Scopoli Fl. Camiol p. 95. n, 138;.
SUCCISA glabra et hirfuta. Bauh. Pin. 26g.
JVIORSUS D iaboli. Ger. emac. j%6.
MORSÜS D iaboli vulgaris flore purpureo, Parkins. 491.
SCABIOSA radice fuccifa, flore globofo. Raii, Syn. 191. Devil’s-Bit.
Hudfon Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 63.
Lightfoot Fl. Scot. p. 114.
»RADIX adulta craffitie fere digiti minimi, fæpe obliqua,
praemorfa, fibris longis albidis prædita.
1 ROOT when full grown, nearly the thicknefs of the
little finger, often growing obliquely, bit off
• as it were, or flumped at the extremity, and
furnilhed with long whitifh fibres.
ICAULIS pedalis, ad fefquipedalem, fubere&us, nobif- | STALKS from a foot to a foot and a half high, nearly
cum raro fimplex, at in duos, tres, vel plures 1
ramos divifus, teres, hirfutus“ rubefcens.
■ FOLIA radicalia ovalia, petiolis brevibus infidentia,
faturate viridia, in petiolum breviter decur-
rentia, integerrima, pilis longis utrinque hirfuta,
caulina oppofita, connata, lanceolata, (
rariter dentata, fuprema fublinearia, inte-
gerrima.
■ CAPITULI Florum fubglobofi, caerulei, folitarii, pe-
dunculis longis nudis feu parum foliofis infi-
dentibus.
JCALYX; Perianthium commune multiflorum, pa- ,
tens, polyphyllum ; foliolis ovato-acutis, ci-
liatis, ball fubgibbofis, feriebus variis recep- 1
taculum cingentibus, eique infidentibus, quo- (
rum interiora gradatim minora \ fig. 1 (
Perianthium proprium duplex, inferius tetra- •
gonum, pilofum, germen includens ; fig. i I
fuperius germini infidens, quinquepartitum, <
laciniis fetaceis, fig. 3.
■ COROLLA monopetala, tubulofa, quadrifida, laciniis '
obtüfis, tribus inferioribus fubæqualibus, fu-
periore lbngiore, fig. 4.
[STAMINA: Fi lamenta quatuor, fubulata, corollâ
fere duplo longiora; A ntheræ oblongæ, §
inçumbentes, violaceæ; Pollen album, f
l . fig. 5. *
K^TILLUM : G ermen minimum, albidum, cylin-
draceo-ovatum; Stylus filiformis, dum antheræ
pollinem dimittunt longitudine labii
inferioris corollæ; S tigma orbiculatum,
medio depteflum, fig. 6, 7, 8.
BEMEN pblongum, fulcato-angulofum, hirfutum, fe-
tis quiqque coronatum, fig. io.
upright, with us rarely fingle, butdivided into
two, three, or more branches, round, befet
with rough .hairs, and of a reddifh colour.
LEAVES next the root, oval', Handing on fhort foot-
ftalks, of a, deep green colour, running a little
way down the foot-ftalk, entire at the
edge, covered on both fides with long, rough
hairs ; thofe on the ftalk oppofite, connate,
lanceolate, fparingly toothed on the edge,
the uppermoft nearly linear and entire.
HEADS of the flowers nearly round, blue, fingle, fitting
on long, naked, or almoft'naked flower
ft a Iks .
C A L YX : the general Perianthium fupports many
florets, is fpreading, and compofed of many
leaves, which are of an oval pointed fhape,
edged with hairs, fomewhat gibbous at the
• bafe, furrounding and fittingon the receptacle
in various rows, of which the innermoft are
gradually thefmalleft,f ig . 1, i \ . Per ian thium
of each floret double, the lower one four-cornered,
hairy, enclofing thegermen,f ig . 2, the
upper one fitting on the germen,divided deeply
into five fegments, fliaped like briftles, jfe. 3.
COROLLA monopetalous, tubular; divided into Tour
obtufe fegments, the three lowermoft of
which are nearly equal, the uppermoft fomewhat
longeft, fig. 4.
STAMINA: four Filaments, tapering to a point,
almoft twice the length of the corolla ; A nther
as oblong, incumbent, of a violet colour;
Pollen white, f ig , g.
PISTILLUM: G ermen very fmall, whitilh, rarely
cylindrical, enclofed within the calyx; Style
thread-fhaped, while the antherae are fhed-
ding the pollen the length of the lower lip
of the corolla; Stigma round, flat, with a
depreflion in the middle, f ig . 6, 7, 8.
SEED oblong, angular, grooved, befet with rough
hairs, and crowned with five fetze or briftles,
. fig- 10.
■ The Devil's-Bit is one of thofe few plants which adorn our paftures in Autu
Home beauty.............. .. 0 ’ . •. . ’ • • » • *, -JBBIPpnd is capable of adding
R . .. even to the flower.garden, in which it-grows much more branched than- in its wild ftate, and
| n mues m bloffom from Auguft to the end of O&ober ; like Plantain and many other herbs, the root when
■ «« pp^nis ftMmped at the extremity.
1“ then antiHuity (the.Monkes and Fryers, as I fuppofe, being the firft inventors of the fable) faid, that
1 “ oaJ g H envying the good that this .herbe might do to mankinde, bit away part of the root, and thereof
W u 5 he l l S t of Succila, or Devil’s-Bit.’* Parkin/. Theat.p. 491..
| 0c*ern pra&itioners not finding thofe wonderful good effefts have reje&ed it.
fcnnUr!d!ng l<? Ber£Uus the root poflefles an aftringent quality, and the infufion of it is bitterilh, but not
■ tu T v 10 ,the tafte. ■
W UreHan.urpillar of,one o f the Fritill ary Butterflies (Papilio maturm o f L innaeus, the greafy Fritillary of the
K USJ teeds on the leaves of this fpecies,