Flora Medica

PRIMULACE.E.Nat. syst. ed. 2. p. 223.CYCLAMEN.Calyx divided half way into 5 ovate segments, permanent.Corolla wheel-shaped tube nearly globular, twice as long as;the calyx, deflexed limb ;many times longer than the tube, reflexedupwards, in 5 deep, lanceolate, oblique, equal segments ;mouth open, naked, prominent at the circumference. Filamentsvery short, in the tube ;anthers straight, acute, converging,in the mouth of the corolla. Style cylindrical, straight,rather longer than the tips of the anthers ;stigma simple.Capsule globose, of 1 cell, opening at the top with 5 parallelteeth, the inside lined with pulp. Seeds numerous, somewhatovate, angular, covering a central, roundish-ovate, stalked, unconnectedreceptacle. Smith.788. C. hederaefolium Willd. sp. pi. I 810. i.Eng.Fl. 273.C. europaeum Eng. Bot. t. 548. Groves and fields in thesouthern parts of Europe. (Sow Bread.)Root globular, brown, sending out many branched fibres. Leavesbeautifully variegated with dark and glaucous green ;their under sidepaler, purplish, with slightly glandular ribs. Footstalks round, moreglandular; tapering and wavy at the base. Flowers pendulous, onnaked wavy stalks, taller than the leaves. Corolla white, or fleshcoloured; purplish about the mouth. As the fruit advances, thpflower-stalks curl spirally, and bury it in the earth. A very acridplant, especially the root, whose acrimony is not much perceived at thefirst tasting, but soon becomes intolerable. Smith. It has been usedmedicinally, its action being that of a drastic purgative, and formerly itwas much esteemed as an emmenagogue but whether its ; reputationwas owing to its actual powers or to its placentiform root is doubtful.Its acrid principle has been considered to be a body sui generis, andnamed arthanitine. Burnett.PRIMULA.Calyx tubular, with 5 angles and 5 teeth, regular, erect, permanent.Corolla salver-shaped; tube as cylindrical, long asthe calyx, or longer ; limb spreading, in 5, rather deep, inverselyheart-shaped, obtuse ;segments throat concave, hemispherical,pervious. Filaments in the throat, very short, opposite to thesegments of the limb ; anthers pointed, erect, converging, notprominent. Style thread- shaped, the length of the calyx ;385 c c