EUPHRASIA Lin. Geiu PI. D idynamia A ngiospeiA a;
Cal. 4-fidus, cylindricüs. Caps. 2-locularis, öväto-oblongä. Antherce
inferiores altero lobo bafi fpinofae.
RaiiSyn. Gen. 18. Herbie Fructü sicco singulari Flore mönopetalo.
EUPHRASIA officinalis foliis ovatis lineatis argute dentatis.- Lin. Syß. Vegetab. p. 460. Sp. PI.
p. 481. FI. Suec. n. 543. Haller hiß. 303.
EUPHRASIA officinalis. Scopoli FI. Cam. n. 753;
EUPHRASIA officinarum. BauK pin. 2331 Ger. eniac. £>63. Parkinf. 1329. Rail. Syn. p. *
284. Eyebright, Hudfon Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 268. Lightfoot FI. Scot. p. 323.
[RADIX annua, fibrofa, albida.
[CAULIS bipollicaris ad palmarem et ultra, ereBus, !
teres, pubefcens, purpureus, plerumque ra-
mofus.
tibus acuminatis, fupra convexis, fubtus con- jj cavis, minutim ciliatis, - utrinque hirfutula,
- fupra nitidula, lineata, fubtus venofa.
FOLIA oppofita, ovata, obtufa, ferrato*dentata, den*
Ir ACEMUS terminalis, foliaceus, ereBus, floribus ;
axillaribus, oppofitis, feffilibus.
[CALYX: P e r i a n t h i u M monophyllum, ovatum, an- *
gulatum, perfiftens, foliis paulo brevius, pu-
m befcens, quadrifidum, laciniis, lanceolatisj |
acuminatis, ereBis, ciliatis, fubaequalibus,
fig. 1. I . jjjjp
dricus, albus, glaber, longitudine calycis, jj fig. 2. Limbus bilabiatus ; Labium fuperius .
album, fubovatum, eoneavum, pubefcens, '
ftriis caerulefcentibus utrinque 3, intus piBum, <
obtufum, ereBum, bifidum, lobis emargina- <
t i s ,^ . 3 ; inferius fuperiori paulo majus, tri- \
fidum, laciniis omnibus emarginatis, fig. 4. <
Faux undique flriata, et piBa ftriis caerulef- ’
centibus, antice vero colore luteo.
■ COROLLA monopetala, alba, ringens ; Tubus cylin-
ISTAMINA: Filament a quatuor, fubulata, p u r-<
purafcentia, tubo inferta, fig. 5. A n t h e r s ^
purpureas, bilobae, obtufae, fubtus barbatas, .
conniventes, lobis fpinula terminals, duabus 1
inferioribus longioribus, fig. 6, 7.
w IST IL LUM : G ermen ovatum,obtufum,barbatum, '
fig. 8. Stylus filiformis, fuperne pubefcens, ■
fig. g. Stigma obtufum, integrum, fig. 10. I
HPERICARPIUM: Capsula ovato-oblonga, com-.
I preffa, obtufa, mucronata, biloculans, fig. 11. ;
■ SEMINA plurima, albida, flriata, fig. 12. • ’
ROOT annual, fibrous, and whitifh.
STA LK from two to four inches high, or more, upright,
round, hoary, purple, for the raoft
part branched.
LEAVES oppofite, ovate, obtufe, ferrated or indented,
teeth pointed^ above convex, beneath
concave, finely edged with hairs, {lightly
hirfute on each fide, above fomewhat glolly, with lines impreffed, underneath veiny.
RACEMUS terminal, leafy* upright, flowers in the
alas o f the leaves, oppofite and feflile.
C A L YX : a Perianthium o f one leaf, ovate, angular,
permanent, a little fhorter than the
leaves, pubefcent, divided into four fegments,
which are lanceolate, long-pointed, upright,
edged with hairs, and nearly equal,,fig. 1.
COROLLA monopetalous, white, ringent; Tube cylindrical,
white, fmooth, the-length of the
calyx, fig. 2. Limb twodip’d ; upper Lip
white, fomewhate ovate, hollow, downy,
painted on the infide with three blueifh
ftreaks. on each fide, blunt, upright, bifid,
the lobes emarginate, fig, 3 ; the lower lip
fomewhat larger than the upper, trifid, all
the fegments emarginate, fig. 4. Mouth flri-
ated all round, and painted with blueifh
ftreaks, but anteriorly of a yellow colour.
STAMINA : four tapering, purplifh Filaments in-
ferted into the tube o f the corolla, fig. 5.
’ A ntheruE purple, two-Iob’d, obtufe, bearded
underneath, doling together, the lobes -
terminating in a fpine, the two lowermoft
the longeft, fig. 6, 7*
PISTILLUM: G ermen ovate, obtufe, bearded, fig. .
' 8. St y l e , filiform, downy,, on the upper
part,j£g\ 9. Stigma blunt, and entire,fig. 10.
SEED-VESSEL: an ovate, oblong, C apsule, flattened,
obtufe, with a fhort point, o f two cavities,
fig. 11.
SEEDS feveral, whitifh, and ftriated, fig. 12.
■ Eyebright is a very common plant on heaths, and paftures, efpecially where the foil is chalky ; it varies
■ much in fize and in the branchednefs of its ftalk, as well as in the colour and fize of its bloffoms, and flowers
■ from July to September.
| Many writers on the Materia Medica, afcribe to this plant wonderful efficacy in diforders of the Eyes: IA lston fays, it has been long reckoned a fpecific opthalmic, and commended for dim, weak, and watery
Ipyes, for inflamed and fore-eyes, for cataraBs, &c. yea, it is faid to make old eyes become young again,
^and the blind to fee. Milton, who moft probably from his own misfortune, had been induced to look into Books of this fort, thus mentions it:
------r----- -— h;— “ but to nobler fights
“ Michael from Adam’s eyes the film remov’d,
** Which that falfe fruit that promis’d clearer fight -
“ Had bred ; then purg’d with euphrajy and rue
“ The vifual nerve, for he had much to fee.”
I On the other hand, there are not wanting thofe who condemn its ufe, efpecially in inflammatory com-
■ plaints of the eyes ; a friend of L obel’s is faid nearly to have loft his eyefight by the ufe o f it. In fifch
■ ontranety of fentiment, it will, perhaps, be moft prudent not to lay too much ftrefs on fo doubtful a remedy.