C U C U B A L U S Behen.
Bladder Campion.
D R C j4 N 2) R IL r ig y n ia .
Gen. Char. Cal. fwelling. Petals five, furnifhed with
claws, not crowned at the mouth. Cap/, three-
celled.
S p e c . C h a r . Calyx nearly globular, fmooth, reticulated
with veins. Leaves ovato-lanceolate, glaucous,
fmooth.
S v n . Cu cu balu s Behen. Linn. Sp. PL 5 9 1 . HudJ. FI.
An. 18 6 . With, Bot. Arr. 4 4 5 . Relb. Cant. 16 8 .
L y c h n is fy lv eftris , quae Ben album vu lg o . Rail
Syn. 3 3 7 .
F O U N D every w h e re in corn-fields, p a ftu re s, an d by way-
fides, flowering a b u n d an tly in th e middle an d la tte r p a rt of
fum m e r, an d th riv in g th o u g h freq u e n tly covered w ith duft.
I t appea rs to m o d advantage in a chalky foil.
R o o t p e ren n ia l. R ad ic a l leaves in tu f ts , fp a tu late ; thofe
b n th e ftem lanceolate or ovate ; all o f th em e n tire , pliable and
fom ew h at fu c cu len t, glaucous, w ith a very g re en p u lp , moftly
fm o o th , th o u g h fometime s ciliated and a little ha iry. The
ftem is ro u n d , fmooth and glaucous, a fo o t o r two in height,
e red t, leafy, dichotomoufly panicled. T h e flowers on flender
foot-fta lks, n o d d in g , n um e ro u s, w ith fcarcely any fmell. Calyx
inflated, and b e au tifu lly veined w ith p u rp le and gre en . Peta
ls w h ite , q u ite d e ftitu te o f a c rown . T h e an th e ræ are
fometime s liable to a difeafe, be coming large and fwelled, and
p ro d u c in g a vaft q u a n tity o f ba rren p u rp le d u ft, in fte ad o f the
tru e pollen, w ith w h ich th e petals are o ften ftained fo as to be
difcoverable a t a g re a t diftance. D r . W ith e rin g fays th e leaves
boiled may be e a ten as peas.
W h e th e r th e Silene amcena o f o u r Britifh a u th o rs (widely
different from th a t o f Linnaeus) be only a variety o f th is plant,
as th e la ft-m en tio n ed w rite r th o u g h t, o r really a diftin d t fpe-
cies an d g en u s, we fhall a t fome fu tu re time en deavour to dete
rm in e .