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i y t
B A L LO T A nigra.
Black Horebound.
D I D T N A M I A Gymnofpermia.
Gen. Char. Calyx nearly falver-lhaped, with five
teeth and ten ribs. Upper Up o f the Corolla concave,
notched.
Spec. Char. Leaves heart-fhaped, undivided, ferrated.
Divifions o f the calyx tapering gradually to a
point.
S y n . Ballota nigra. Linn. Sp. PI. 8 1 4 . Uudf. FI. An.
260. With. Bot. Arr. 6 1 5 . Relb. Cant. 231.
Ballotte. Raii Syn. 2 4 4 .
A b u n d a n t every where in hedges and wafte ground,
flowering throughout the fummer very copioufly. The whole
herb has an uncommonly pungent difagreeable fmell, and
therefore promifes to be ufeful in hyfteric and other nervous
diforders. Accordingly we find a decoction of it recommended
for fuch complaints in Ray’s Synopfis.
The flowers are occafionally found white; and that variety
has been miftaken by Mr. Hudfon and others for the Ballota
alba of Linnaeus, which laft we believe has never been found in
England. It exifts, however, in the Linntean Herbarium, and
will fome time or other be figured by Dr. Smith, in his
Plantarum leones.