TEUCRIUM Linn. Gen. PI. D idynamia G ymnospermia.
Corollæ labium fuperius (nullum) ultra bafin bipartitum, divaricatum ubi
ftamina.
RaiiSyn. Gen. 14. Suffrutices et Herbæ v e r t ic il la tæ .
TEUCRIUM Scorodonia foliis cordatis ferratis petiolatis, racemis lateralibus fecundis, caule erefio.
Linn. Syß. Vegetab. p. 440. Sp. PL. 789.
CHAMÆDRYS foliis cordatis produftis, fpicis longiflimis nudis heteromallis. Haller. Hiß. n. 287.
TEUCRIUM Scorodonia. ■ Scopoli FI. Carn. n. 721. '
SCORDIUM alterum five Salvia agreftis. Bauh. Pin. 247.
SCORODONIA five Salvia agreftis. Ger. em. 662.
SCORODONIA Scordium alterum quibufdam et Salvia agreftis. Park. i n . RaiiSyn. 245. Hudfon.
Fl. Angl. p. 248. Lightfoot FI. Scot. p. 303. FI. Dan. t. 485.
RADIX perennis, lignofa, fubrepens. f
CAULES plures, fefquipedales, bipedales et ultra, %
fubere&i, tetragoni, duri, purpurei, hirfuti. $
FOLIA oppofita, petiolata, cordató-oblonga, plerum-
que obtufa, fæpe tarnen acutiufcula, Salviæ $
inftar venofa, utrinque hirfutula, qbtufe et |
inæqualiter ferrata.
PETIOLI hirfuti.
FLORES ftraminei, racemofi, fecundi, racemis op- |
pofitis, longis, nudis, terminali duplo fere f
longiore. §
BRACTÆA ovato-acuminata, fingulo flori fubjecta. f
CAL YX: Perianthium monophyllum, tubulofum, f
bafi inferne gibbofum, labio fuperiöre ereflo, |
integro, aut obfolete trilobo ; inferiore qua-
dridentato, den tibu s fu bæ qu a libu s ,1. |
COROLLA monopetala, ringens ; Tubus cylindra- f
ceus. brevis ; Labium fuperius ultra bafin %
profunde bipartitum, difiàntibus ad latera k;
laciniis ; Labium inferius patens, trifidum, f
laciniis lateralibus figura labii fuperioris, me- |
dia maxima, fubrotunda, fig. 2. f
STAMINA: Filamenta quatuor, quorum duo Ion- %
giora, purpurea, pilofa, primo ereéla, conni- |»
ventia,pofteareflexa,etdisjun£ia. A ntheræ f
À - 3- : ÿ, . I
PISTILLUM: G er men quadripartitum. St y l u s ^
. filiformis. Stigmata duo, tenuia, fig. 4. i '
SEMINA quatuor, fubrotunda, nigricantia, nitida, |
pilis tranfverfis rigidis fere te6la, in fundo §
calycis, ad debitam ufque maturitatem deten- |
ta> M- 5- ■ f
RO OT perennial, woody, and fomewhat creeping.
STA LK S feveral, a foot and a half, two feet high,
and more, nearly upright, four-cornered,
hard, purple, and hairy.
LEAVES oppofite, ftanding on foot-ftalks; of an oblong
heart-Ihape, generally obtufe, but often
a little pointed, veiny like fage, a little hairy
on each fide, obtufely and unequally ferrated.
LEAF-STALKS hairy,
FLOWERS ftraw-coloured, growing all one way, on
Jong, oppofite, naked racemi, the terminal
one of which is almoft twice as long as the
reft.
FLORAL-LEAF ovate, pointed, and placed under
each flower.
C A L YX : a Perianthium o f one leaf, tubular, on
the under fide gibbous at the bale, the upper
lip upright, entire or faintly three-lobed; the
lower lip furnilhed with four teeth, which
are nearly equal, fig. 1.
COROLLA monopetalous and ringent; Tube cylindrical
and fhort; upper Lip deeply divided
beyond the bafe, legments ftanding wide ;
lowerZ^ fpreading, trifid, lateral fegments the
fame fhape as the fegments of the upper lip,
the middle one very large and roundilh,j%-.2.
STAMINA: four Filaments, two of which are longer
than the reft, purple and hairy, at firft upright,
and doling together, afterwards turned
back, andfeparated. A n thers yellow,7%vq.
PISTILLUM: G ermen quadripartite. Sty le lili-
form. S tigmata two, (lender, fig. 4.
SEEDS four, nearly round, blackifh, fhining, almoft
covered with crofs rigid hairs, and kept in the
bottom o f the calyx till they have acquired
a proper degree .of ripenefs, fig. ’5.
among bulhes, and under hedges, where the foil is dry and ftony; and in mch places it is j r common
with us, but frequent in moft parts of Great-Britain.
It flowers in July, Auguft,^and September.
Its leaves much referable thofe of Sage, from which circumftance, and not from any botanical or medical
amnity, it receives its name.
. .As,a ’email1 plant, it has never been highly celebrated. L ewis omits it in his Materia Medica, but retains
itin hjs Difpenfatory: in fmell, tafte, and medical virtues, he fays, it comes nearer to Scordium’ than Sage.
R u tty relates a cafe o f Vertigo, brought on by the odour which arofe from frequently handling the herb in
the diftillation of it He aferibes to it the fmell of the Hop, in lieu of which, he fays, it may be fubftituted in
making beer: and that, when boiled in the wort, the beer fooner becomes clear than when hops are made ufe
of. Its virtues, in this refpea, are highly extolled by the Rev. P. L aurents, of Bury *. We have only to
with, that experiment may juftify the encomiums of our lear.ned and benevolent friend. -
« 1 Seemg fo much fine ground under coft.ly hops, which, it muft be owned, had very large and verdant leaves
“ 1 coul(J not. but reP’ne at the expence of foil, poles, dung, and labour, beftowed on this plant efpeciallv
‘ when there is great reafon to fuppofe, that the Teucriujn Scorodonia would better anfwer the purpofe. O f
" thls V]an} 1 car) fai Tay, that in fmell and tafte it refembles Hops. The name by which it goes in fome
• authors is Ambrofia, a name announcing fomething immortal and divine; and to this day Ambroife is the
aPPeI1ation by which it goes among the common people in the ifland o f Jerfey. Here when Cyder the
' common beverage, has tailed, I have known the people malt each his barley at home, and, inftead of Hods
ufe to very good'purpofe, the Ambroife of their hedges. v * *
.. “ JC,is my ard?n' wil" . 1 °.w”. to fee juftice done to the neglefled merits o f this ambrofial plant; but (hould
„ Ineiolenee, prejudice, or private intereft, obftru£l the introdu6lion of it into ufe, let me at leaft intreat Brewers
to honour it with their notice, in preference to any unpalatable and unwholefome fubftitute they may have
" occafion to ufe m lieu of Hops. ' y
* Vide Tour through Flanders, &c. publiflied in the fourth number of Mr. Young’s Annals of Agriculture.