Family Herbal - Electric Scotland

FAMILY HERBAL. 179
themselves upon the ground, in a circular manner,
as we see the stalks of our bird's foot, and many
other little
plants. These stalks are thick and
woody, and about four inches in length :
they lie
upon the ground toward the base, but lay turned
and each of them has a num-
up a little at the tops,
ber of branches. The leaves are long, narrow,
and of a pale green ; they are very numerous, and
they stand irregularly. The flowers are small,
and white like those of our shepherd's purse. The
seed-vessels are small, and contain several seeds
like those of the common treacle mustard.
This is the appearance of the plant, as it grows
very frequent in the warmer climates ; and thus
it has nothing singular in it, while in its perfection
of growth, but after a time, the leaves decay and
fall off, and the stalks as they dry, in the heat,
draw up more and more, till by degrees they get
into this round figure, from which warm water
will expand them, but they recover it again as they
dry.
This is the real history of that little kind of trea-
cle mustard, which is called the rose of Jericho,
and concerning which so many idle, as well as
strange things, have been said. Our good women
have many ways of trying many experiments with
it, by way of deciding future events, but nothing
can be so foolish. The nature of the plant will
make it expand, and open its branches, when put
into warm water, and draw them together again, as
it grows dry. This will always happen, and it will
be more quick or more slow, according
to the con-
dition ol* the plant. Where it is to be had fresh,
it does not want medicinal virtues. The youivg
shoots are good in infusion against sore throats, but
we have the plant without its leave*, and, in reality,