mm.
CHIRONIA Lin. Gen. PI. Pentandria Mo nogynia.
Cor. rotata. Pifiillum declrnatum. Stamina tubo corollæ infidentia.
Antheræ demum fpirales. Pericarp.- 2rloculare.
RaiiSyn.Gen. 18. Herbæ fructu s ic c o singulari flore monopetalo.
CHIRONIA Centaurium.
GENTIANA Centaurium corollis quinquefidis infundibuliformibus, caule dichotomo, piflillo
fimplici. Lin. Syfi.Vegetab. p. 122. Sp. Plant, p. 332. Fl.Suec.n. 232.
GENTIANA caule dichotomo; floribus infundibuliformibus, ftriatis, quinquefidis. Haller. hiß.
n. 648.
GENTIANA Centaurium. Scopoli Fl. Carn. n. 293.
CENTAURIUM minus. Bauh. Pin. 278.
CENTAURIUM minus vulgare. Parkinf. 272.
CENTAURIUM parvum. Gerard, emac. 547. Raii Syn. p. 286. Small Purple Centory, Hudfion
Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 102. Lightfoot Fl. Scot. p. 152.
RADIX aftnua, fibrofa, lignofa, flavefcens. 4 RO OT annual, fibrous, woody, and of a yellowifh
a . colour.
[cAULIS fpithamteus, et ultra, ere&us, plerumque, 4 S T A LK about feven inches high or more, upright,
fimplex, glaber, angulofiis. | 4 generally fimple, fmooth, and angular.
ffOLIA oppofita, feffilia, glabra, radicalia - oblonga, <i> LEAVE S oppofite, feffile, fmooth, thofe of the root
apice obtufa, bafi anguflata, caulina ovato- | oblong, blunt at the point and narrowed at
lanceolata, erefta, trinervia, fuperioribus 4 ' . the bale ; thofe of the ftalk narrow, pointed,
faepe incurvis. | upright, three-ribbed, the mppermoft often
J 4 , bent inward.'
FLORES rofei, corymbofi, ere&i, feffiles. £ FLOWERS rofe-coloured, growing in a corymbus*
■ H * H | . upright, and feffile.
jpALYX: Pe r ia n th iu m monpphyllum, quinquefi- | C A L YX : a P e r ia n th iu m ^ of one leaf, divided into
dum, ereftum, corollas fubagglutinatum, per- ^ five fegments, upright, flightly glued to the
fiftens, laciniis fubulatis, mbtriangularibus, 4 corolla, permanent, the fegments tapering
membrana connexis, fig. 1, 2. aji£l. | to a point, fomewhat triangular, conne&ed
4 by a membrane,^. 1, 2. magnified.
[COROLLA monopetala, infundibuliformis, tubus | CO ROL LA monopetalous, funnel-fhaped, the tube
cylindraceus,. ftriatus, tenuiffimus, calyce $ cylindrical, flriated, extremely thin, twice
duplo longior, limbus quinquepartitus, rofeus, f the length of the calyx, /mA divided into five
laciniis ovatis, patentibus, fig. 3. 4 fegments, of a rofe-colour, the fegments
v ovate and fpreading, fig. 3.
jSTAMJNA: Filamenta quinque, alba, filiformia, 4 STAMINA : five Filaments, white, thread-fhaped,
ex apice tubi enata. A n th er e oblongae,,£ fpringing from the top of the tube. A nincumbentes,
flavae, demum fpiraliter con- $ th e r -•£ oblong, incumbent, o f a yellow co-
| tortse, fig. 4,- 5., 6. ' 4 lour, finally twilled, fig. 4, 5, 6.
pISTILLUM: G ermen oblongum, tubum corollas a PIST ILLUM : G ermen oblong, filling the tube of
implens. Stylus albus, filiformis, germine 4 •. the corolla. St y l e white, of equal thickdimidio"
brevior, declinatus, aliquando bifi- a y ■ nefs throughout, half the length of the ger- ,
dus. Stigma craflum, bilobum, villofum, 4 men^ inclining to one fide, fometimes bifid.
fig, 7, 8, 9. a Stigma thick, Compofed o f two lips and 4 v villous, fig. 7,: 8, 9.
fPERICARPIUM: C apsula oblonga, acuta, nitida, ^ SEED-VESSEL : a C apsule* o f an oblong fhape,
tubo corollae obtefta, bilocularis, biparti- 4 pointed, fhining, covered by the tube o f the
bilis. , | corolla, divifible into two" parts, _with-a ca-
«. " , 4 vity in each.
|olMINA numerofa, parva, fubrotunda, flavefcentia. | SEEDS numerous, fmall, -roundifb, of a yellowifh
a colour.
. Thofe who have been accufiomed to confider this well-known plant as a Gentiand, will be flartled at feeing
| here firft announced as a Ckironia; but when they come attentively to examine its parts of fru&ification,
how they , could fo readily acquiefce in joining it to a genus with which its flru&Ure is
y f f l .irreconcileable. It agrees perfe&ly with LiNNiEUs’s chara&er of the genus Chironia, the eflence of 11 . confifts in its tzui/led Anther os; and it is worthy of obfervation, that the blofloms of two of the
n0t unfrequently met with in the gardens of the curious, are of the fame colour as the Centaury.
!,n-le' . s have induced me to add a new genus to. the Englifh Catalogue, whereby this planu fortunately
|Ne s us proper name*.
I e&ntaury 8row® wild in dry and barren fields, on heaths by the fides of hedges, and- fometimes in
foot '» where it ufually acquires a greater height. In the neighbourhood of Charlton and Coombe Woods it is
I ^hequent, and flowers in July and Augujl.
| J M | with white flowers, is not uncommon.
Nled' 0 extremely bitter, with a difagreeable tafle, whence, Baron Haller obferves, the ancients
has terras, or gall of the earth. From an idea, however, that all bitters are good flomachic medicines,
Itom ? aired no degree of medicinal.fame, and is particularly recommended in all weakneffes of the
I ac > alfo, in the Jaundice, Green-Sicknefs, Worms, Agues, Gout, Scurvy, &c.
I AiaV - - infubflance, to a drachm ; in infufioh ordecoflion, to two ounces ; the extrafi, to a fcruple.
[ ors "ave remarked, that it is a1 ppllaanntt very difficult of cultivation.
Tie xtrmvpoi or xirrat/jiio» from Gkiron the Centaur. ,r Centaurea curatus dicitur Chii
a fagitta exeidifTet in pedem : quare aliqui Chir,onion vocant.” Phn. 1. 25. c. 6. p. 635.