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The Materia Medica.

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ferves, no fooner was the fame of its Utility founded, thadcognate plants, either noxious or totally inactive, were em-ployed. Even Vogel himfelf, by fome unaccountabk mif-take, has given the charaflers of Cicuta aquatica as thofe cfthe ofricinal fpecies. It is therefore of no fmall importancethat this fort of Herniock, which is the mildeft, be djftin-gui(hed from the reft, and from other plants aifo to which itis in appearance fimilar.

The root is biennial, white, the thicknefs of a finger, of-ten branched,—the firft year only prcducir.g leaves, whenit yields, on being cut, a milky liquor; the fecond year,when it has ftalks, it is almoir juicelefs. (Jacquin Fl. Auflr.)

The ftalk, which rifes feveral feet high, is the thicknefs of

a finger,—round, hoilow, with impervious knots,—greenifh,

and having commonly fpots of a cecp red. (Jacquin, ib.)

(Variegated irregularly with flreaks and fpots of a red or

packiih purple. L.M.M.)

The leaves are large, with an hollovv round rib, (Jacquin,)of a dark or blackifh green colour on the upper fide, and ofa whitifli green underneath, feparated ir.to a number ofiinall, oblong, fotnewhat oval, fegmentSj which fhtnd inpairs : thefe fegments are again deeply cur, but not quitedivided, on both fid.es ; and many of thefe ultimate fectionshave one or two fiighter indentations. (L.M.M.) Theflowers cor.fift of five white pointed petals. The feeds areflat on one fide, on the other convex, and rendered unequalby five elevated ftrice. (Jacquin.) Thefe ftriae, Hagenizys, areelegantly indented like a faw, and that this laft is a moft certaincharaeäeriftic. (Kagen Ätothcrk.) The whole plant fefome-

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