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
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

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.

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    PoLyconuM Persicaria. Common SPOTTED PERSICARIA. POLYGONUM Limuei Gen. Pl. OcrANDRIA 'TRIGYNIA. Kau Syn. Gen. 5 HERBJE FLORE IMPERFECTO SEU STAMINEO, VEL APETALO Porivs: POLYGONUM Perficaria floribus hexandris femidigynis, pedunculis lxvibus, ftipulis ciliatis, fpicis ovato- oblongis ere&is. | POLYGONUM Perficaria foribus hexandris digynis, {picis ovato-oblongis, foliis lanceolatis, ftipulis ciliatis, | Lin. Sy. Vegetab. 5. 312. Flor. Suecic. p. 1 ao: | | POLYGONUM folis ovato-lanceolatis, fubhirfutis, fpicis ovatis, vaginis ciliatis: Haller. bift. Helv. v. 2. 5.2 CWE PERSICARIA mitis maculofa et non maculofa. Bauhin. Pin. SP, PERSICARIA maculofa Gerard. emac. 445. vulgaris mitis feu maculofa. Parkinfon. 856: Rai Syn. ed. Ac PP. ^. 4. Dead or fpotted Arímart. Hudfos Flor. Angl. p. 147. n. 4. Scopolt Fl. Carniol p. 279; RADIX fimplex, fibrofa. | CAULIS erectus, ad bafin aliquando repens, pedalis ad tripedalem, ramofus, teres, glaber, ad genicu- los fenfim. incraffatus, fape rubens : fub geni- culis puncta radicalia difcernantur quamvis huic Ípeciei non propria. ROOT fimple and fibrous. | STALK upright, fometimes creeping at bottom, from one to three feet high, branched, round, {mooth, gradually thicker at the joints, often of a red colour: a little beneath each joint fome radical points are obfervable, which however are not peculiar to this {pecies. UE. BRANCHES alternate, proceeding from each joint; | {preading, frequently very much fo. / STIPUL embracing the ftalk, frequently full ofa vit- cid liquid, and terminated by long ciliz or hairs; LEAVES lanceolate, with fhort foot-ftalks, the edge and midrib flightly hairy, fmooth on both fides, in general having a large {pot on the middle of the leaf fomewhat like a horfe fhoe. FOOT-STALKS of the flowers, fmooth. FLOWERS growing in fpikes, ofa bright rofe colour, the {pikes terminal, upright, of a fomewhat . oval fíhape. : | CALYX : a Pertantuium divided into five fegments, coloured, and perfifting, the fegments oval and obtudc ido 5. 2; COROLLA wanting. STAMINA: fix FiLAMEN TS inferted into the bottom of the Calyx, the length of the Corolla; the ANTHER# -redifh, fig: 2: PISTILLUM : Germen oval and flat, or three-fquare, jig. 3, 6. STYLE divided down to the middle into two, often into three parts, fig. 5, 8. STIGMATA two or three, and round, fig. 4, 7. SEED one, fhining, either of an oval pointed fhape and flightly convex on one fide, jig. 9, 11. or three-íquare, ffe. 10, 12. RAMI alterni, e fingulo geniculo prodeuntes, patentes, ~ stespe: dittuli. STIPULZE vaginantes, liquore vifcido fupe replete, ciliatze. FOLIA lanceolata, fubpetiolata, margine nervoque me- dio fubhirfutis, utrinque levia, maculà ferrum equinum quodammodo referente faepius notata. PEDUNCULI lzves. FLOR ES fpicati, rofei, Spicze terminales, erectae, fubovatze, CALYX: PERrANTHIUM quinquepartitum, coloratum, perfiftens, fegmentis ovatis obtufis, Ji 132. COROLLA nulla. | STAMINA: FILAMENTA fex fundo calycis inferta lon- gitudine corolla Aw THERE rubentes, fig. 2. PISTILLUM : GERMEN ovatum, comprefium, aut trique- trum, fig. 3, 6. STYLUS ad medium ufque bifidus Jepe trifidus, fig. 5, 8S. SYiGMATA duo aut tria fubrotunda, fig. 4, 7. SEMEN unicum, nitidum, aut fubovatum, acuminatum, ad unum latus leviter convexum ; fig. 9, 11, aut CHISONUML, jie 19, 12; EACH HA LEE AE EAE KEELE KE AEE AA ARAM AE EAE AE A EAL ACA Ho 444: A4 ARRA E444 4A Le ee The very great, fimilarity which exifts between the feveral fpecies of the Polygonums, has occafioned no fmall de- gree of trouble to Botanifts, in rightly afcertaining the limits of each Species and Variety ; a difficulty not to be üvene while Books are confulted more than Nature. Senfible of the truth of this obfervation, and earneftly defirous of arriving at fome certainty on this fubject, we have examined a vaft number of all the different Species and Varieties of Polygonum which our neighbourhood affords, compared them with one another, fown the feeds, and cultivated many of them; and if we do not deceive ourfelves, have reduced fome of the more difficult ones to their true Species and Varieties. | ‘As what we relate concerning thefe plants is no more than the refultof the moft accurate and repeated inveftigation, afffted by the microfcope, we fhall be the lefs concerned becaufe we differ from Authors of the moft refpectable Authority. The writer who gives an account of all the known plants in the univerfe, cannot be fuppofed to have the oppor- tunity of being fo minute in his enquiries as one who defcribes the plants of a particular fpot, which as they grow are conftantly the objects of his attention. We have ventured to alter Linnaus’s Specific defcription of this plant, which ftands thus. Polygonum floribus bexandris digynis, [bicis ovato-oblongis, folus lanceolatis, Sripulis ciliatis. to : olygonum | floribus bexandris femidigyms, pedunculis levibus, fiipulis ciliatis, fpicis ovato-oblongis ereétis. e have not made this alteration from an idle defire of differing from fo great a Man, whom we truly refpect and tevere, but folely to make the diftinGions betwixt thofe plants more obvious, and thereby add our mite to the general {tock of Botanic knowledge. In fpecific defcriptions, the diftinguifhing marks fhould as much as poffible be contrafted or oppoted to each other, in thefe plants this does not feem to have been fufficiently attended to. What we have principally in view by altering the Specific defcription is to diftinguifh it from the Polygonum Penfyloanicum and its varieties, of which there are feveral, and to which the Polygonum Perficaria 3n its general habit is exceeding Nearly allied. | i. .In all the flowers of this Species which we have examined, the Style has been divided juft half «vay down, hence we have called the flowers Semidigym, had it been divided down to the bafe they would with propriety have been called Digyni.. In moft of the flowers the Style is divided into two parts, and the Germen is a little convex .On each fide, in fome of the flowers the {tyle is divided into three, hence thofe flowers might be called Semi- trigymi, and when this is the cafe the Germen is always triangular. In the Polygonum Penfylvanicum the Style is di- vided nearly to the bafe, this difference then in the divifion of the Style, 1s of confiderable confequence in diftinguith- Ing the two Species and their varieties from each other. | The footftalks which fupport the flowers in this Species, are quite fmooth, in the Polygonum Penfylvanicum, they are befet with a great number of minute glands, which gives them a manifeft roughnefs, and contributes to charac- terife that Species. The Stipulz are furnifhed with long Cilize or Hairs, particularly towards the top of the plant, in the Polygonum Penfylvanicum thefe are wanting. 'lhefetwo plants likewife differ much in the form of their feeds, of which-we thal] {peak more fully in our account of the latter. The flowers always grow in upright fpikes of an oval fhape more or lefs round; by thefe two characters. this Species is at once diftinguifhed from the Polygonum FHydropiber, the {pikes of which are filiform and pendulous. The leaves are moft commonly fpotted, but this is neither conftant nor peculiar to this Species, and difference of fize only forms the principle variety to which it is fubject. It grows exceedingly common in all our Ditches, and flowers in Auguft and September ; its bloffoms are beautiful and laft a confiderable time, was it not fo common, it would probably be thought worthy of a place in our Gardens. No particular virtues or ufes are attributed fon it | !
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