tenuifolium.
yz. C ]
S I SYMBRIUM
Wall Rocket.
T E T R A D Y NA MI A Siliquofa.
G en. Char. Pod cylindrical, burfting with nearly
ftraight valves. Cal. and Cor. fpreading.
Spec. Char. Leaves fmooth, nearly entire; the low-
ermoft once or twice pinnatifid; the uppermoft
- undivided.
S y n . Sifymbrium tenuifolium. Linn. Sp. PI. 917.
Braflica muralis. Hud/. 290. With. 592. Curt.
Lond.fa/c. 3. t. 38.,
Eruca fylveftris. Rail Syn. 296.
T H I S plant has been know n to Englifh botanifts b y many
different names, y e t no one has h it on the r igh t fynonym o f
Linnaeus. M r . H u d fon at firft took it fo r his Brajftca Eru-
ca/rum, milled perhaps b y the quotation o f F u ch fiu s, p. 262,
w h ich probably belongs to ou r p la n t ; but having found his
e r ro r, y e t ftill th in king it a Brajftca, in his 2d edition he called
i t B . muralis, fa llin g into a frefh miftake in qu oting th e Sifymbrium
murale o f Linnaeus as a fynonym, w h ich is v ery different,
as m a y be feen in D ic k fo n ’ s D r ied Plants , N o . 12, and Barrel.
Ic. t. 1 3 1 . Linnaeus adopted his S . tenuifolium from D a lib a rd ,
w ith o u t fee ing a fp ec imen, nor is it, as fuch, in his herbarium ; I
w a s therefore ob liged to learn in France wh at he in te n d e d : y e t
as the fynonyms he quotes are all r igh t, it might have been determined
b y th em , w ith th e h e lp o f his fpec^fic ch a ra fte r ,
w h ich , th ou gh not faultlefs, can hardly be miftaken. W e
fo llow Linnaeus in this inftance , as the fpreading ca ly x makes
it a Sifymbrium, not a Brajftca, fo that there is no occafion to
r e cu r to the uncertain mark o f the n e& a r ife ro u s glands. T h e
name tenuifolium, taken from J. Bau h in , is certainly exc ep tion ab
le , fome o f the genus ha v ing mu ch more finely cu t leaves.
T h i s Sifymbrium g row s on the w a lls o f m any old tow ns, and
is perennial, flow e ring all th e fummer. T h e item is round,
b ran ch ed, le a fy , fmoo th , w ith a few fca ttered hairs. L e a v e s
a lte rnate, g laucou s , rather flefhy, fo r the molt part fimply p inn
a tifid , bu t fome o f them are freq u en tly b ip in n a tifid ; the up-
p e rm o fl g en e ra lly , n o t always, fimple. T h e margins o f all are
entire, fometimes flightly notched. T h e e leg ant ftraw -co -
lo u red flowers fmell unp lea fantly, and e very part is pungen
to the tafte.
Linnaeus la tte r ly confounded this w ith his S . catholicum,
w h ich has fha rply-fer ra ted leaves, and is a fmaller more delicate
plant.