SALVIA Linn. Gen. PI. D iandria Monogynia.
Corolla inzequalis. Filament a tranfverfe pedicello affixa.
Rail Syn. Gen. \ 4. .Suffrutices et herb a: v e r t ic il la t -e .
SALVIA Verbenaca foliis ferratis finuatis laeviufeulis, corollis calyce anguftioribus. Linn. Syfl. Vegetal,
ed. 14. p. 70. Sp. PI. p. 35.. Lightfoot Scot. v. i. p. 79. Hudf. Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 10.
HORMINUM fylveftre Lavendulae flore. Batik. Pin. 239. Park. Th. p. 57. Wild Clary with Spike
Flowers. Rail Syn. ed.. 3. p. 237. Common Englifh wild Cary.
HORMINI fylveftris m i. quinta fpecies. Cluj. 2. p. x x x i .
HORMINUM fylveftre. Ger. Herb. p. 628. Wild Clarie or Oculus Chrifti; as to the defeription,
the figure doubtful, the radical leaves being too pointed and the flow'ers too large.
Ger. emac. p. 771. f 1.
RADIX perennis, fufea, craffitie digiti intermedii de-
feendens, plurimis fibris capillata.
CAULES erecHufculi, bipedales, tetragoni, pilofi, pilis
horizontalibus, fubvifeidis, ad nodos prascipue
purpurafeentes, ramofi ; Rami oppofiti.
FOLIA radicalia Ionge petiolata, variabilia, oblonga,
apice nunc rotundata, nunc acutiufcu/a, bafi
, nonnunquam cordata, fepius -vero folium in
petiolum utrinque dccurrit et ad unum latus
longius extenditur, hirfutula, finuato-ferrata,
fubtus pallidiora, venofa et p unci is glandu-
lofis excavatis notata; caulina remotiufcula,
inferiora petiolata, petiolis brevioribus, fu-
prema feffilia.
FLORES verticillati, verticillis nudiufeulis, fubfexfloris.
BRACTEÆ cordatæ, acuminatæ, deflexæ, floribus
- breviores.
CALYX: Periantïhium mo.nophyllum, bilabiatum,
‘ purpurafeens, vifcidulum, perfiftens ; labium
luperius obovatum, ■ mucrone brevi fæpius
terminatum, trinerve, nervis duobus abbre-
viatis, labium inferius nervofum ad dimidiam
fere bifidum ; laeiniis ovato-lanceolatis, mu-
cronatis, furfum curvatis, jig. 1.
COROLLA monopetala, inæqualis, violacea, calyce
paulo longior; Tubus luperne ampliatus, com-
preflus ; Limbus ringens ; - Labium fuperius
concavum, compreffum, incurvum, emargi-
natum;. Labium inferius latum, trifidum,
lacinia media majori, rotundata, depreffa,
emarginata, jig, 2.
[STAMINA: Filamenta dùo, brevia; A ntheræ
oblongæ, nigræ, fg . 3.
PISTILLUM : G ermen quadrifidum ; Stylus fili-
. formis; longiis ; Stigma bifidum, fg . 4.
SEMINA quatuor in fundo calycis, fubrotunda, nigra,
■ A 5 ,6- .
1 ROOT perennial, brown, the thicknefs of the middle-
) finger, ftriking deep into the earth, and fur-
1 nilhed with numerous fibres.'
| STA LK S nearly upright, two feet high, four-cornered,
hairy (hairs, horizontal, fomewhat vifeid)
I purplilh, efpecially at the joints, branched;
1 Branches op polite.
) LEAVES next the root {landing on long footftalks,
1 variable in their form, oblong,,, fometimes
v • rounded at the extremity, fometimes a little
pointed, not unfrequently heart-fhaped at the
) bafe, but more commonly the leaf runs down
) on each fide of the footftalk, and to a greater
) length on the one fide than on the other, very
> . {lightly hirfute, on the margin irregularly
waved and fa wed or toothed, o f a paler
colour on the under fide, veiny and marked
with fmall glandular concave dots; theftalk-
{ ; ; - 'leaves fomewhat remote, the lowermoft of
) them {landing on ftiort foot-ftalks, the upper-
| moft feflile. 4'
j FLOWERS growing in whorls, fomewhat naked,
containing about fix flowers.
? FLORAL-LE AVES heart-fhaped,long-pointed,turned
down, {horter than the flowers..
( C A L YX : a P e r ian th ium o f one leaf, two lip’d,
j - purplifti, {lightly vifeid, and continuing ; the
) upper lip obovate, moft commonly terminated
) ; by a fhort point, three-rib’d, two o f which
f are much' Ihorter than the middle one ; the
lower lip rib’d, divided nearly ha lf way down,
( fegments ovato-lapceolate, pointed, turned
) up, 1.
S COROLLA monopetalous, unequal, violet-coloured, a
j little longer than the calyx ; Tube above enlarged,
flattened; Limb gaping; upper Lip
concave, flattened, bent downwards,, emar-
? gmate; lower Lip broad, trifid, middle fegment
largeft, rounded, deprefled, emarginate,
| jig. 2.
D STAMINA : Two F ilaments, fhort; A n t b er e
| oblong, black, fg . 3.
y PISTILLUM : G ermen quadrifid; Style filiform,
s- long; Stigma bifid, fg . 4.
5 SEEDS four in the bottom of the calyx, of a roundifli
^ ; figure and black colour, fg . 5,6. .
The Salvia Verbenaca is a common plant, not only in dry paftures and uncultivated places near London, but
generally throughout the kingdom ; we have frequently remarked that it very often occurs in Church-Yards.
It flowers during moft of the fummer, and towards autumn produces abundance of feeds, which fcattering
on the ground, and readily growing, difpofe this, plant foon to become a weed.
It varies confiderably in fize, and very much in the form of its' leaves; when bruifed it emits, a ftrong and
fomewhat unpleafanl fmelh
The feed put into water foon becomes invefied with a thick mucilage.
Formerly it had fome reputation as a medicinal plant; Gerard tells us, “ That the feede put whole into the
" eies clenfeth and purgetn them exceedingly from waterifh humours, rednefle, inflamation, and divers other
“ maladies, or all that happen unto the eies ; and ,takes away the pain and ftnarting thereof, efpecially being put
ft into the eies one feed at one time and no more.” R a y , who was too credulous in matters of this fort,
attributes their efficacy to their form and fmoothnefs; we have heard their mode of operating accounted for. in
fome other way : but Purely there is a manifeft abfurdity in the idea thus entertained of their efficacy, and no
fmall danger attendant on their ufe : the putting a hard fubftance into a part naturally fo tender as the eye, mull
at any time be fufficient to excite inflammation, and at all times increafe i t ; we therefore caution fuen of our
readers as are fpnd of ufing the edged tools of medicine, to be on their guard againft applying fo doubtful a
remedy in (fifeafes of an organ fo exquifitely formed,