The anatomy of plants with an idea of a philosophical history of plants, and several other lectures, read before the royal society / by Nehemjah Grew ...

CHAP. III. Of the Attire, and first of that sort which may be called Seminiform.

WITHIN the Foliature stands the Attire; which is of Two general Kinds, every where Various and Elegant; according to the Description I have given of them in the First Book.* 1.1 I shall here add some further Remarques.

2. §. And first, of that Sort of Attire, which may be called Seminiform; being usually, as it were, a little Sheaf of Seed-like Particles; standing on so many Pe∣dicills, as the Ear doth upon the End of the Straw.

3. §. Of their Colour it is observable, That for the most part, they are White or Yellow; sometimes Blew; but never Red, let the Flower or Foliature be of what Colour it will. Neither doth their Colour all∣ways follow that of the Foliature, although that be not Red. Where∣by it appears, how very Curious and Critical Nature is, in the Separa∣tion of the Juyces in Plants: that such small Parts as these of the Attire, and so near the Leaves of the Flower, should yet receive a different Tincture.

4. §. These Parts differ also in their Position; standing sometimes double upon each Pedicil,* 1.2 as in Toad-flax, Snapdragon, and some others; but usually single, as in Blattaria, Clematis Austriaca, &c. Sometimes fastned to their Pedicils at their middle, stooping down after the man∣ner of Poppy and other hanging Flowers; as in Spanish-Broom, Hysop, Scabeous, Behen, &c. Sometimes they stand erected, as in Clematis Austriaca, Ladyes-Looking-Glass, Rape-Crowfoot, &c. Those of Coded Arsmart have no Pedicils, but stand upon a large Base.

5. §. Of the Pedicils themselves, it is to be noted, That they are rarely fastned to the Top of the Repository or Case of the Seed, but round about the Bottom. Partly, That hereby they may the better in∣tercept and separate the Incongruous Parts of the Sap from the Seed. Yet in the Coded Arsmart they stand at the Top. Which is not the only thing peculiar in that Plant; it being the property thereof, to ejacu∣late its Seed, upon the least touch. Which property seemeth to de∣pend, partly, upon the Position of the said Pedicils, as shall be shewed in speaking of the Seed.

6. §. These Seed-like Parts are also of different Number. In Great Celandine, Rose, Rape-Crowfoot, numerous; in Great Plantaine, and some other Herbs, much more conspicous than the Foliature it self. In Germander-Chickweed, they are always Two, and no more. Sometimes they follow the number of the Leaves, especially in the number 5; as in Blattaria, Black Henbean, &c. In Stichwort and Lychnis Sylvestris, they are 10, just double to the number of the Leaves.

7. §. They differ also in their Bigness, being in some smaller Flow∣ers, large; as in Borage, Ladys-Looking-Glass, and others: and in some larger Flowers, less; as in the Rose.

8. §. But especially in their Shape, which is always very Elegant, and with much Variety. In Borage, like the point of a Spear. In Blat∣taria, like a Horse-shooe. In Clematis Austriaca, like the Spatula, where∣with Apothecaries make their Mixtures. In Mallow, like a Head-Roll. In Hysop, they have one Cleft before; in Blattaria, one round about; in Water Bettony, one at the Top; in Scabious, they have a double Cleft, one on each side;* 1.3 and so in St. Johns Wort, Hyoscyamus, and others; before they open, in the Shape of a double Purse.

9. §. These Parts, are all hollow; each being the Theca or Case of a great many extream small Particles, either Globular, or otherwise Convex; but always regularly figur'd. They are all crowded together, and fastned in close Ranks, without any Pedicils, to the Insides of the Theca, like other lesser Seeds within a greater; or after the same man∣ner as in Hyoscyamus and some other Plants, the true Seeds themselves grow all round about close to the Bed of the Case;* 1.4 as in Clary, and the Figures now referred to, may be seen. And when they are ripe, the Case also opens and admits them to the Aer, as the Seed-Case doth the Seed. The whole Attire, together with the Foliature and Seed-Case, See in one Example,* 1.5 amongst the Figures.

10. §. The Colour of these small Particles conteined in the Theca, is also different. But as That is usually White or Yellow, so are These: sometimes Blewish; but never Red. And sometimes not of the same Colour with that of the Theca. Which further shews how scrupulous Nature, is, in differencing the Tinctures of the several Parts.

11. §. They are also of different Bigness and Figure. Those in Snap-dragon, are of the smallest Size I have seen;* 1.6 being no bigger through a good Microscope, than the least Cheese-Mite to the naked Eye. In Plantain, also through a Glass, like a Scurvy-grass-seed. In Bears-foot, like a Mustard-seed. In Carnation, like a Turnep-Seed. In Bindweed, like a Peper-Corn. In all these of a Globular Figure.

12. In Devils-bit, they are also Round, but depressed, like the Seed of Goos-grass, or a Holland Cheese. In the Bean and all sorts of Puls, and Trefoyls,* 1.7 as also in Blew-bottle, &c. they are Cylindrick. In Orange Lilly, Oval, one 5^th of an Inch long, like an Ants-Egg. In Deadly-Night-shade, also Oval, but smaller at both Ends. And those of Pancy, Cu∣bick. In all these and the former, they are Smooth.

13. §. But in Mallow, Holyoak, and all of that kind, they are be∣set round about with little Thornes; whereby each looks like the Seed-Ball of Roman Nettle,* 1.8 or like the Fruit of Thorn-Apple, or the Fish cal∣led Piscis orbis minor, or the Murices, used antiently in Wars. They are also very great, shewing, through a Glass, of the bigness of a large White Pease; being 200 or 300 times biger than those in Snapdragon; of which there are about a Thousand in each Theca, that is, in the space of about 1000^th Cubical Part of an Inch.

15. §. In some Plants, as in Deadly Night-shade, where these Parti∣ales are White, they seem, by a very good Glass and advantagious Posi∣tion, to be composed of Parenchymous and Lignous Fibres, stitched up together, as in the other Parts.

15. §. In Colocynthis, (and with some Analogy in Wild Cucumer, and I suppose all of that kind) the Attire is very peculiar, not consist∣ing of several little Thecae, upon so many Pedicils, as is described; but is all one entire Part, like a thick Columna in the midst of the Flower; having several little Ridges, and Furrows winding from the Top to the Bottom round about. In the midle of each Ridge runs a Line, where the Skin, after sometime, openeth into two Lips, presenting the Globu∣lar Particles conteined in the hollow of every Ridge.

16. §. Where the Attire consists of several Seed-like Parts, as is described; there, another Part distinct, like a little Columna or Pina∣cle, stands on the Top of the Uterus or true Seed-Case. Which is also regularly and variously Figured. In Bindweed, it hath a round Head,* 1.9 like that of a great Pin. In the Common Bell, St. Johns wort, it is divided into Three Parts. In Gerarium, into Five; In Asarum, into Six. Sometimes, the Head is Smooth, and sometimes beset with lit∣tle Thorns, as in Hyoscyamus. Of the Use of these Parts, anon.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Ch. 5.
• * 1.2

  Tab. 55.
• * 1.3

  Tab. 56.
• * 1.4

  Tab. 55, 56.
• * 1.5

  Tab. 57.
• * 1.6

  Tab. 58.
• * 1.7

  Tab. 58.
• * 1.8

  Tab. 58.
• * 1.9

  Tab. 56, 57.