Volume 3

Flora Londinensis. Or Plates and descriptions of such plants as grow wild in the environs of London: with their places of growth, and times of flowering; their several names according to Linnæus and other authors: with a particular description of each plant in Latin and English. To which are added, their several uses in medicine, agriculture, rural œconomy and other arts / By William Curtis.

William Curtis

Date:: [etc.] 1777

Credit: Flora Londinensis. Or Plates and descriptions of such plants as grow wild in the environs of London: with their places of growth, and times of flowering; their several names according to Linnæus and other authors: with a particular description of each plant in Latin and English. To which are added, their several uses in medicine, agriculture, rural œconomy and other arts / By William Curtis. Source: Wellcome Collection.

109/471 page 91

$AusinE MEDIA, Common CHICKWEED, ALSINE Linnei Gen, Pl, PENTANDRIA TRIGYNIA, | Cal 5-phyllus, Pe/ala s-zqualia, Caps. r-locularis, 3-valvis, RADIX annua, fibrofa, capillacea. CAULES plures, tenelli, teretes, fubrepente$, ramofi, viticulis geniculati, unifariam hirfuti, apicibus fenfim incraflatis. FOLIA ovato-acuta, glabra, leviter ciliata; inferiora petiolata, fuperiora feffilia, connata. PETIOLI ad bafin latiora, hirfuti. ROOT annual, fibrous, capillary. STALKS numerous, tender, round, ftriking root heré and there, branched, jointed and ftringy, harry on one fide only, growing thicker towards the top. LEAVES of a pointed oval fhape, fmooth, flightly hairy at the edges, the lowermoft ftanding on foot- ftalks, the uppermoft feflile, connate. | FOOT-STALKS of the leaves broadeft at bottom, and hairy. FOOT-STALKS of the flowers, each fuftaining one flower, proceeding from the bofoms of the leaves, hairy, when the flowering 1s over hanging down, finally becoming upright. | CALYX: a PEn1AN THIUM Of five leaves, each of which is lanceolate, concave, flightly keel-fhaped at bottom, with a margin at the edge, hairy, and longer than the Petals, fig. 1. COROLLA confifts of five white fhining PETALSs, di- vided nearly to the baíe, ffe. 3, 4, 5. STAMINA: five white Fit AMEN Ss, placed betwixt the Petals, furnifhed at bottom with a little Gland; ANTHER# roundifh, of a purplifh colour, A9. 5, 6. PISTILLUM : GznaMEN fomewhat oval ; STrvrEs three, filiform ; SrrGMATA fimple, jig. 7. SEED-VESSEL a CarsuLE of one cavity, fphtting into fix valves, fig. 8. SEEDS from eight to fifteen, fomewhat kidney-fhaped, of a brownifh orange colour, with a rough fur- face, connected to the receptacle by little foot-ftalks, ffe. 9, 10, magnified. PEDUNCULI uniflori, axillares, hirfuti, pera&à floref- centid penduli, demum erecti. CALYX: PruiAwTHIUM pentaphyllum, foliolis lanceo- ' Jatis, concavis, fubcarinatis, marginatis, hir- futis, Petalis longioribus, fig. 1. COROLLA: Perata quinque, alba, nitida, ad bafin fere partita, fig. 3, 4, 5: STAMINA: FILAMENTA quinque, alba, inter Petala locata, Glandulà ad bafin inftructa; AN THERJE fubrotundz, purpurafcentes, fig. 5, 6. PISTILLUM: Germen fubovatum; Sryri tres fili- formes ; STIGMATA fimplicia, fig. 7. PERICARPIUM : CarsuraA unilocularis, in valvulas fex dehifcentes, fig. 8. SEMINA o&o ad quindecem, fubreniformia, afpera, e fufco-aurantiaca, pedicellis receptaculo connexa, fig. 9, 10, auct. e J 4X He ede AE 454446 464446444446 44 464646464646 4646 414646444544 61616 «€ 6-6 CHICKWEED being a plant which will grow in almoft any fituation, is confequently liable to affume many different appearances: when it grows in a rich foil, and fhady fituation, it will frequently become fo large as to refemble the Ceraffium aquaticum ; while at other times, on a dry barren wall, its leaves and ftalks will be {o minute, as to make the young botanift take it for fome fpecies different from the common Chickweed : happily however it affords marks which if attended to, will readily diftinguifh it from the Cera/lium, and every other plant: exciufive of its differing from the Ceraflium in its generic character, its Petals are fhorter than the leaves of its Calyx ; while in the Ceraflium they are longer; hence a confiderable difference will be obfervable at firft fight in the fize of the flowers of thefe two plants: and from all other plants related to it, 1t may be diftinguifhed by the fingular appear- ance of its ftalk, which is alternately hairy on one fide only. The moft common number of its Stamina with us is five ; yet I have often feen it with lefs, and fometimes with more ; and this inconftancy in the number of its Stamina has been noticed by moft botanic writers : Gouan, in his Flor. Mon/pel. mentions from 3 to Io, with as many Piftilla 7 this circumftance with refpect to the number of its Stamina, unfortunately feparates it from other plants with which it appears to have by nature a very near relation : but as five Stamina appear to be its moft conftant number, Linnzus could not have placed it amongft thofe plan‘s with ten Stamina, without doing violence to his fyftem. ; Of annual plants there are few more troublefome : it fows itfelf plentifully in the fummer, and remains green throughout the winter, flowering during the whole time, if the weather be mild: but its chief feafon for flowering is in the fpring. In rich garden mould, where the ground is highly cultivated, and in the fields about town, it does a deal of mifchief: by the quicknefs of its growth and the great number of its fhoots, it covers and choaks many young plants; hence it fhould be carefully weeded from dunghills. 3 The feeds are very beautiful, and have the greateft affinity to thofe of the Cerafium aquaticum. When the flowers firft open, the foot-ftalks which fupport them are upright; as the flowers go off they hang down; and when the feeds become ripe, they again become erected. | Lliww mus has obferved that the flowers open from nine in the morning till noon, unlefs rain falls on the fame d day, in which cafe they donot open: from what little obfervations I have made on this plant, it is not fubje& to be affe&ed precifely in the fame manner here, having feen in the month of March, the blofloms continue rather widely expanded after repeated fhowers of rain. | It is confidered as a wholefome food for Chicken and fmall Birds, whence, as Ray obferves, it has obtained its name : boiled it refembles Spinach fo exa&ly as fcarcely to be diftinguifhed from it, and 1s equally wholefome, being a plant which may be procured almoft any where very early in the fpring, it may be no bad fubftitute where Spinach or other greens are not to be had in plenty, and much preferable to Nettle-tops and other plants which the lower fort of people feek afterin the fpring with fo much avidity. Swine are very fond it, and prefer it to Turnep-tops. It is eaten by many Infects, particularly by the Caterpillar of the Phalena Villica or Cream fpot Tyger Moth, and other hairy Caterpillars of the Tyger kind. _ As a medicine it contains no active principle; but is frequently applied to hot, painful, and inflamatory fwellings either by itfelf, bruifed, or mixed with poultices, with good fucceís. ] n ee dao 3$

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