COTYLEDON UMBILICUS. COMMON NAVEL-
WORT.
COTYLEDON Umbilicus ; foliis peltatis crenatis, caule spicato subsimplici, floribus pendulis, radice
tuberosa. Sm.
COTYLEDON Umbilicus. Huds. Angl. p. 194. With. Bot. Arr. ed. 4. ml. 2. p. 4 17 . JVilld. Sp.
PI. ml. 2. p. 757. Smith FI. B rit. p . 484. Engl. Bot. t. 325. Pers. Syn. PI. ml. 1.
p; 510. Ait.Hort. Kero. ed. 2. ml. 3. p. 110. Hook. Fl. Scot. P . l. p . 139.
COTYLEDON Umbilicus (3. Linn. Sp.PLp. 615.
COTYLEDON Umbilicus Veneris. Lightf. Scot. p. 233.
UMBILICUS pendulinus. Decand. Pi. Grass, t. 156. Fl. Fr. ed. 3. ml. 4. p. 383. Fl Gall Svn
p . 320. y ■
COTYLEDON vere radice tuberosa. Wall Pennywort, Navel wort, Kidneywort. Raii Syn. p. 271.
Class a nd Ord e r . DECANDRIA PENTAGYNLA.
[Natural Ord er . CRASSULACEÆ, Decand., Juss. in Nom. Diet, des Sciences Nat. SEMPER-
VIVÆ, Juss. Gen., Hook.—D icot. Polypetalæ, Stam. P e r ig y n a .
Char. Ord. Caly.v liber, partitus. Cor. basi calycis inserta, mono- autsæpius poly-petala, lobis aut petalis numéro
partes calycis æquantibus. Stam. partium corollæ numéro æqualia aut duplo. Ovaria distincta, tot quot lobi
corollas. Squama nedtarifera- ad basin externam cujusque ovarii. Folliculi tot quot ovaria, uniloculares intus
rima longitudinali déhiscentes, polyspermi. Albumen tenue, carnosum. Embryo rectus. Radicula inféra.__Herba
foliis sæpiùs altérais carnosis glabris, floribus cymosis. Decand.]
Gen. Chau. Cal. quinquefidus. Cor. monopetala, tubulosa, quinquefida. Capsulee quinque, ad basin squama
nectarifera.
Gf,N. Char. Cal. five-cleft. Cor. monopetalous, tubular, five-cleft. Capsules five, with a nectariferous scale at
the base.
Radix crassa, carnosa, subtuberosa, dense fibrosa.
Tota Planta carnoso-succulenta, glabra.
Caulis erectus, teres, crassus, spitbameeus ad pedalem,
viridis, basi purpureus, simplex, foliosus; superne
spicatus, simplex vel ramosus.
Folia sublonge petiolata; inferiora majora, umbilico-
peltata, margine obtuse crenata, pallide viridia;
superiora sensim minora, subreniformia, petiolo
inarginali.
Flores numerosi, penduli, spicati (vel potius racemosi);
spica longa, erecta, basi non raro ramosa.
Pedicellus brevis, basi bracteatus; bractea lineari-ob-
longa, soberenata.
Calyx parvus, profunde quinquefidus, segmentis line-
ari-lanceolatis,' obtusis, viridibus.
Corolla monopetala, tubulosa, subventricosa, pallide
flavo-viridis, non raro roseo tincta; ore quinque-
fido, segmentis cordato-ovatis.
Stamina decern supra medium coroll® intra tubum
inserta, quinque segmentis opposita, quinque
alterna: Filamenta brevia: Anther® rotundat®,
flavffi.
Pistilla quinque, erecta: Germen lineari-oblongum,
ad basin dorso squama oblonga, obtusa, flava:
Stylus brevis: Stigma obtusum, subrecurvatum.
Gvula numerosa, ad margines loculi pistilli (vel folliculi)
inserta.
Root thick, fleshy, subtuberous, thickly fibrous.
Whole P lant carnoso-succulent, glabrous.
Stem erect, terete, thick, from a span to a foot in height,
purple at the base, simple and leafy; above
spicate, simple.or branched.
Leaves upon rather long foot-stalks; the lower ones
the longest, peltate and umbilicated, -with the
margin obtusely crenate, pale green; the upper
ones gradually .smaller* subreniform, with the
stalk marginal.
F lowers numerous, pendulous, spicate (or rather
racemed); with the spike long, erect, at the base
not unfrequently branched.
Ped ic e l short, bracteated at the base; the bractea
linear-oblong, suberenate.
Calyx small, deeply five-fid, with the segments linear-
lanceolate, obtuse, green.
Corolla monopetalous, tubular, subventricose, pale
yellow green, often tinged with rose colour; the
mouth nve-cleft, its segments cordato-ovate.
Stamens ten, inserted above the middle of the corolla,
within the tube, five opposite to the segments,
and five alternate with them : Filaments short :
Anthers roundish, yellow.
Pistils five, erect: Germen linear-oblong, having at
the base oh the back an oblong, obtuse, yellow
scale: Style short: Stigma obtuse, subrecurved.
O vules numerous, inserted a t the margin of the cell of
the pistil (or follicle).
^ 1 . Flower with its pedicel and bractea. Fig. 2. Corolla cut open vertically, to show the stamens and pistil.
, o' 3. Pistil with its nectariferous settle. Fig. 4. Germen cut through transversely, to show the insertion of
the ovules. Fig: 5 . Nectariferous scale.— All more or less magnified.
-An inhabitant of old walls,-limestone and other rocks, in various parts of England and Scotland, but principally
H h- 7 eStern s^ e kingdom. We have gathered it as far north as the island of Icolm Kill among the
1 -e ,lldes? and the specimens here figured were gathered by my friend Charles Parker;, Jun. Esq., upon walls near
in^um; ° Seat at on coast ° f Ayr, in the month of July. In the south-west of England it blossoms
he older botanists, merely on account of the similarity in the shape of the leave!} united this plant with the
ennywort (Hydrocotyle) under the name of the Wall Pennywort. “ And this,” says the translator of the Niewe
• / . learned D . Rembert Dodoens, “ which is the right kind, is colde and moyste; and thejuyee is a
m;f,u f r remedy against all inflamation and hoate tumors, St. Anthonies lire, and kybed heels to be annoynted there-
T- ; a 1 bang applied to the stomach it refresheth the same.”
snpr!nT US 1 ^ uPon i l l ! species as the same with the rare Cotyledon lutea of Hudsoh and Smith, although that
seem68 ÜaS eaves by no means umbilicated. Whether the true Cotyledon lutea was ever found wild in Britain,
walkS a j 6r^ d°ubtful question. Mr. Hudson, upon the authority of his friend Tofiekty states it to be a native of
had hp m0'-St Stony P*aces fo foe West Riding of Yorkshire; and adds, that he had himself seen plants which
en ïeceived from Somersetshire. But in those countries it is not now to be found,
monon US 18 en?inently distinguished from most of the others in the same Natural Order, by having its corolla
petalous, or its five petals united into a tube for the greater part of their length.
a species it is not met with in any of the northern continental Floras. France, Spain, and Portugal possess it.