p. 440.-With. (7th ed.) v. iii. p. 945.-Sibth. Fl. Oxon. p. 256-Abbot's Fl. Bedf. p. 184.--Purt. Midl, Fl. v. ii. p. 411.-Relh. Fl. Cantab. (3rd ed.) p. 345Davies' Welsh Bot. p. 79.-Hook. Fl. Scot. p. 245.-Fl. Devon. pp. 139 & 160. -Johnston's Fl. of Berw. v. i. p. 185.-Walk. Fl. of Oxf. p. 243.-Mack. Catal. of Pl. of Irel. p. 74.- Conyza media, Ray's Syn. p. 174.-Johnson's Gerarde, p. 482.

LOCALITIES.-In moist meadows and watery places; and by the sides of rivers, brooks, and ditches.-Not uncommon in most parts of England. It appears to be more rare in Scotland, as it is not noticed either in LIGHTFOOT S Flora Scotica, or Dr. GREVILLE'S Flora Edinensis; and the only station given for it in Dr. HOOKER's Flora Scotica, is, near the Mull-head of Galloway, where it was observed by Mr. MAUGHAN.

Perennial.-Flowers from July to October.

Root creeping, whitish, about the thickness of a goose quill, with largish fibres. Stem upright, from 1 to 2 feet high, cylindrical, firm, solid, striated, cottony, leafy, more or less branched towards the top; branches nearly upright, and rising above the main stem. Leaves alternate, spreading, oblong or spear-shaped, pointed, veiny and wrinkled, obscurely toothed or serrated, sessile, clasping the stem by their heart-shaped, or arrow-shaped base, somewhat hairy, and of a dull green colour on the upper surface; cottony, and of a whitish colour on the under. Flowers yellow, terminating the stem and branches; solitary or two together, forming a kind of corymb. Scales of the involucrum or common calyx (fig. 1.) numerous, very narrow, awl-shaped, downy, frequently somewhat recurved at the point. Bristles at the base of the anthers very minute. Seeds (fig. 5.) inversely egg-shaped, bristly; crowned with a sessile, double pappus or proper calyx, (fig. 5, b & c.) ; the outer (b) very small, membranous, cup-shaped, and toothed; the inner (c) of a few simple, hair-like, rays, which are rough, and about the length of the tubular florets. Receptacle slightly cellular, unequally toothed, or scaly.

A variety with very short rays is noticed by Mr. RELHAN, in Flora Cantabrigiensis.

"At the close of the year," says Mr. CURTIS, "this plant contributes not a little to enliven and beautify the sides of our moist ditches; to the Farmer, it however affords no very pleasing spectacle when it overruns, as it frequently does, large tracts of land, and gives it a barren uncultivated appearance.' Fl. Lond.

RAY observes, that the leaves, when bruised, smell like soap.-RUTTY informs us, that the juice is saltish, and warms the mouth a little; that the decoction is somewhat acrid in the throat, at the same time astringent and turning green with vitriol of iron; that the infusion is somewhat astringent, very bitter in the throat, and turning black with vitriol of iron.

The Russian soldiers, in their expedition to Persia, under General KEIT, were cured of the dysentery by the use of this plant; whence LINNEUS gave it the specific name of dysenterica; see Fl. Suecica, p. 294. In this country it is seldom if ever employed. It is called by our old authors Middle Flea-bane, and was supposed by its smoke in burning to drive away fleas and gnats. FOR SKAL says it is named in Arabic Rara ejub, or Job's-tears, from a notion that JOB used a decoction of this herb to cure his ulcers. There are few, if any animals that will touch it.

M. SAUSSURE kept a plant of Pulicaria dysenterica for six months in the vacuum of an air pump, without any sensible effect upon it. It was placed in the light, but not so as to receive the direct rays of the sun, to which, when it was exposed, it withered, even though the rays were feeble. It also grew equally well in an atmosphere of nitrogen gas, as in an atmosphere of common air, though the former entirely destroys life in most plants. See KEITH's Physiological Bot. v. ii. pp. 51 & 62; and JACOB'S W. Dev. and Cornw. Fl.

CMathers. Sc.

MARRUBIUM*.

Linnean Class and Order. DIDYNA'MIA+, GYMNOSPERMIA. Natural Order. LABIA'TES, Juss. Gen. Pl. p. 110.-Sm. Gr. of Bot. p. 99. Engl. Fl. v. iii. p. 63.—Lindl. Syn. p. 196.; Introd. to Nat. Syst. of Bot. p. 239.-Bentham, in Bot. Regist. (1829).-Rich. by Macgill. p. 439.-Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 528.-VERTICILLATÆ of Linnæus.-SYRINGALES; subord. PRIMULOSÆ; sect. MENTHINE; type, MENTHACEA, or LABIATE; subtype, NEPETIDE; Burn. Outl of Bot. v. ii. p. 900, 958, 968, & 973.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx (figs. 1 & 2.) inferior, permanent, of 1 sepal, tubular, cylindrical, with 10 furrows; and 10, in some species only 5, narrow, spreading teeth; throat hairy. Corolla (figs. 3 & 4.) of 1 petal, ringent (gaping); tube cylindrical, a little longer than the calyx; limb spreading, 2-lipped; upper lip straight, narrow, and cloven; lower lip broadest, 3-lobed, middle lobe the largest and emarginate. Filaments (see fig. 3.) 4, 2 longer than the other 2, all much shorter than the corolla, and sheltered under the upper lip. Anthers small, oblong. Germen (fig. 5.) roundish, 4-lobed. Style (see fig. 3.) thread-shaped, as long as the stamens. Stigma (see fig. 3.) cloven, pointed. Seeds (fig. 6.) 4, elliptic-oblong, in the bottom of the hardened calyx, which is contracted at the orifice (see fig. 1).

Distinguished from other genera, in the same class and order, by the regular calyx with 10 furrows; and the straight, strap-shaped, cloven, upper lip of the corolla.

One species British. MARRUBIUM VULGA'RE.

Common White Horehound || SPEC. CHAR. Stem upright. Leaves roundish egg-shaped, unequally toothed, wrinkled. Calyx with 10 bristle-shaped teeth, which are hooked backwards.

Engl. Bot. t. 410.-Woodv. Med. Bot. v. ii. p. 265. t. 97.-Stephenson and Churchill's Medical Botany, v. ii. t. 135.-Linn. Sp. Pl. p. 816.-Huds. Fl. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 261.-Sm. Fl. Brit. v. ii. p. 636. Engl. Fl. v. iii. p. 103.With. (7th ed.) v. iii. p. 717.-Gray's Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 380.- Lindl. Syn. p. 201.-Hook. Biit. Fl. p.279.-Lightf. Fl. Scot. v. i. p. 315.-Sibth. Fl. Oxon. p. 187.-Abbot's Fl. Bedf. p. 131.-Purt. Midl. Fl. v. i. p. 273.; and v. iii. p. 364. -Relh Fl. Cantab. (3rd ed.) p. 243.-Dav. Welsh Bot. p. 58.-Hook. Fl. Scot. p. 184.-Grev. Fl. Edin. p. 133.-Rev. G. E. Smith's Pl. of S. Kent, p. 32.Fl. Devon. pp. 100 & 145.-Johnst. Fl. of Berw. v. i. p. 133.-Walk. Fl. of Oxf. p. 169.-Thornton's Family Herbal, p. 573.-Perry's Pl. Varv. Selectæ, p. 50.Mack. Catal. of Pl. of Irel. p. 56.-Marrúbium album, Ray's Syn. p. 239.

LOCALITIES.-In dry waste ground, on commons, and by road sides. Not common.-Oxfordsh, On Bullington Green: Dr. SIBTHORP. Marston-lane; and behind the Parks: Rev. R. WALKER. In Witney Churchyard; and at Handborough: Rev. Dr. MAVOR. On Oakley Common, scarce: G. WOODWARD, Esq. I have seen a few solitary plants in the neighbourhood of Oxford, by the side of the road going to Cowley; in the Gravel-pits at Yarnton; and on the side of the Abingdon road between Hinksey Toll-gate and the road to

Figs 1 & 2. The Calyx.-Fig. 4. Corolla.-Fig. 3. A vertical section of ditto, showing the stamens and pistil.-Fig. 5. Germen.-Fig. 6. A Seed.-All, except fig. 6, magnified.

*Name of doubtful origin; some say from a town so called in Italy. HOOKER. + See Lamium album, folio 31, note t

See folto 31, note ‡, and also the 2nd page of the same folio.

See folio 86, a, and 94, a.

From the whiteness of the leaves; hore means in Saxon white. THORNTON.

Kennington, Berks; but they were, no doubt, escapes from gardens, and are, probably, not to be found in those places now: W. B.-Berks; About Appleton: Miss HOSKINS. Near Sandhurst: Miss DELAMOTTE.-Beds. Elstow, Cople, and Everton: Rev. C. A BBOT.-Cambridgesh. Road sides, rubbish, &c.: Rev.R. RELHAN.-Devon; Fields near Chudleigh; Ingsdon, near Ilsington; waste places at Marychurch: Rev. A. NECK, in Fl. Devon.-Durham; In the lane that leads from the Bearton to the Stanton road: JOHN HOGG, Esq.-Kent; About Lydd, common: Rev. G. E. SMITH. On Sheldwich Lees, near Feversham: E. JACOB, Esq.-Lancash. Near Southport: G. CROSFIELD, Esq.Northumberland; On the Island at Hexham Bridge; on waste ground at Cullercoats; and on the rocks and links at Bamborough Castle: N. J. WINCH, Esq.-Notts; "I found a few plants of it at the foot of Nottingham Castle Rock, facing Lenton, and about Basford, two miles from Nottingham; also in Colverton Lane, on the left hand coming from the Red Hill. This formerly grew very common about this town: but a certain Physician extolling its virtues to the skies, and recommending it almost in every case, especially to persons who had impaired their constitution by hard drinking, has set all the Ale Bibbers to work to root it out, insomuch that it is become very scarce.' ." Dr. DEERING.-Warwicksh. On the side of the turnpike road near Alcester Lodge; and near Bidford on the Alcester road, opposite Mr. BIDDLE's barn: T. PURTON, Esq.- Worces tersh. Opposite to Crane's of Abberley, on the side of the road leading to Picket Rock, from Kidderminster: Mr. W. G. PERRY, in Mag. of Nat. Hist. v. iv. p. 451.-Yorksh. Near Rotherham: Mr. L. LANGLEY, ibid. v. ii. p. 270.-WALES. Anglesey; near Beaumares; at Penman; and near Newborough: Rev. H. DAVIES. SCOTLAND. About Burnt-island, &c.: LIGHTFOOT. Fisher-row and Guillon Links; and at Long Niddry, Edinburgh: Mr. MAUGHAN. Inchcolm: Mr. NEILL. Road-side near Warrender House: Dr. GREVILLE.—IRELAND. In the county of Wicklow: Dr. WADE. Strand near Carrigaline: Mr. DRUMMOnd.

Perennial.-Flowers from June to September.

Root woody and fibrous. Stem bushy, from a foot to 18 inches high, branching from the bottom, square, leafy, clothed with fine down. Leaves opposite; lower ones roundish, on longish footstalks ; upper ones nearly sessile, and somewhat egg-shaped, all of them wrinkled, veiny, crenate, and hoary. Flowers white, sessile, in dense convex whorls at the axillæ of the leaves. Bracteas small, bristle-shaped. Calyx (fig. 1.) tubular, cylindrical, furrowed, woolly, teeth rigid, spreading, recurved at the point; the 5 alternate ones rather the smallest; the inside at the bottom of the teeth fringed with soft hairs. Upper lip of the corolla (see f. 4.) straight, narrow, and deeply divided into 2 spear-shaped lobes; lower lip broader, reflexed, and 3-lobed, the middle lobe the largest, and slightly scolloped at the end. The 2 shorter filaments, according to SCOPOLI, are villose at top; but the 2 longer ones smooth. Anthers yellow, with a black substance in the middle.

The whole herb has a white or hoary appearance, a very bitter taste, and a not unpleasantly, aromatic smell. The active principles of this plant appear to be a bitter, extractive, volatile oil, and gallic acid. A tea prepared from it, sweetened with honey, is an excellent domestic medicine in coughs and obstructions of the lungs. It is seldom employed by medical men; but it is said, by Dr. THOMSON, to have been of decided use in cases of consumption. "A drachm of the leaves in powder, or an ounce of the expressed juice, are commonly ordered for a dose. The infusion is made with one ounce of the dried leaves, and a pint of boiling water, and given in the quantity of a wine-glassful twice or thrice a day. The nostrum sold as Balsam of Horehound consists, according to PARIS, of infusion of horehound and liquorice root, with double the proportion of proof spirit or brandy; to which is added opium, camphor, benzoin, squills, oil of aniseed, and honey. A remedy for consumption forsooth!!" Steph. & Church. Med. Bot.