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S E L I N U M paluftre.
Marjh Milky Parjley.
P E N T A N D R IA Dtgynia.
G en. C har. Fruit oval-oblong, comprefled, ftriated
down the middle. Involucra general and partial,
reflexed. Petals heart-draped, uniform.
Spec. Char. Milky. Root generally Angle. Stem
folitary. Styles much divaricated after flowering.
Petals involute.
Syn. Selinum paluftre. Linn. Sp. PI. 350. Hudf.
Fi. An. 115. With. Bot. A n . 281.
( j rA T H E R E D by Dr. Smith July 28, 1794, in the ditches
of a very wet reedy meadow between Norwich and Heigham,
where it was firft obferved by Mr. Pitchford. Ray feems not
to have known this plant to be a native of England.
Root fomewhat fpindle-fhaped, with feveral fibres from the
top. Stem folitary, ere£t, four or five feet high, hollow, deeply
furrowed, not hairy, bright purple at the bafe, bearing five or
fix remote alternate leaves; the lowermoft on long furrowed
footftalks, with fheathing reddifh ftipulae, and all twice or
thrice oppofitely pinnated, and cut into narrow, pointed, op-
pofite or alternate, fmooth fegments, of which the terminal
ones are longeft. The upper part of the Item is alternately
branched, in a corymbofe manner, bearing many large, horizontal,
compound umbels of white flowers, on pale purplilh
footftalks. Involucra of feveral fhortifh, dependent, lanceolate,
pointed leaves, with membranous edges. Petals uniform, in-
flexed. Fruit elliptical, {harp edged.
The whole plant abounds with a white, bitter,,- foetid juice,
of the confiftence of cream, which foon dries to a brownifh
refin. The Ruffians are faid to ufe the root inftead of ginger.
Dr. Stokes juftly remarks (Bot. Arr.) that Jacqnin’s Selinum
fylveftre, figured in Flo. Aujlriaca, is this plant, and not the fyh
veftre of Linnaeus. This we have verified by comparing original
fpecimens. In both however the item is furrowed. The
difference of one having a folitary ftem, the other a great number,
feems more certain than the difference of the roots.