Flora Medica

PRIMULACEJE.stigma globular. Capsule cylindrical, as long as the calyx, whichinvests it closely, of 1 cell, opening with 10 acute parallel teeth.Seeds numerous, roundish, covering a central, ovate-oblong, unconnectedreceptacle. Smith.789. P. veris Linn, sp.pl. 204-.Eng. Bot. t. 5. Fl. Dan. t. 433.Eng. Fl. i. 271. P. officinalis Jacq. misc. i. 159. Fl. Lond. 1. 15.Meadow and pastures, especially in clayey soil. (Cowslip.)Leaves hoary, more finely downy and soft than in either the Primroseor Oxlip, contracted in the middle, so as frequently to become heartshaped,as it were, with winged footstalks their ; margin wavy, as wellas toothed. Flowers numerous, in 1 or more umbels, with smallpartial bracteas, on downy common stalks much taller than the leaves.Calyx downy. Limb of the corolla much smaller than in the Oxlip,concave, or cup-shaped ;of a deeper yellow on the upper side, with 5orange spots. Smith. The flowers possess well marked sedativeproperties and make a pleasant soporific wine.ANAGALLIS.Calyx in 5 deep, spreading, acute, keeled segments, permanent.Corolla wheel-shaped tube none ; ;limb nearly flat, in5 deep, roundish-ovate segments, contracted at their base. Filamentserect, slender, shorter than the corolla, clothed, in themiddle part more especially, with prominent glandular hairs ;anthers heart-shaped. Style thread-shaped;stigma capitate,or sometimes simple. Capsule globular, Of 1 cell, thin and pellucid,splitting horizontally into 2 hemispherical valves. Seedsnumerous, angular, abrupt, covering a large, central, orbicular,pitted, unconnected receptacle. Smith.790. A. arvensis Linn. sp. pi. 211. Eng. Bot. t. 529. FLLond. t. 12. Eng. Fl. i. 280. Corn-fields and waste places allover Europe. (Pimpernel.)Root small. Stem branched from the lower part, often dotted withpurple, more or less procumbent, square. Leaves sessile, ovate, manyribbed ;dotted with purple at the back. Flower-stalks angular, longerthan the leaves, twisted and recurved after flowering. Segments of thecalyx lanceolate, pointed, keeled, membranous at the edges. Corollabright scarlet, with a violet-coloured mouth, closing at the approach ofrain its ; edges finely crenate, or minutely fringed with glands. Stamenspurple, hairy, dilated and smooth at the base. Anthers yellow, heartshaped.Style purple, permanent. Stigma capitate. Capsule pale andtransparent, the size of a pea, separating all round, the valves markedwith some indications of longitudinal separations, which seldom takeeffect. Seeds roughish, abrupt externally, each with a central dot. Smith.This has had some reputationin cases of madness. It appears topossess energetic powers, for Orfila destroyed a clog by making himswallow 3 drachms of the extract ; it was found to have inflamedthe mucous membrane of the stomach. A similar result was obtainedby Grenier. It has been prescribed in epilepsy and dropsy.386