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ORDER. HYPERICACE. (DE CAND.)
HYPERICUM, (LINN.) ST. JOHN'S WORT.
Linn. Cl. xviii. Ord. i.

Name. From the Greek word (hypericon) of Dioscorides.

1. II. Androsæmum, (Linn.) Man's blood Hypericum. Tutsan, or Park leaves. Androsæmum is an old Greek name, compounded of andros of a man, and aima blood, a name still retained in the Dutch, Man's bloed. It was so called on account of the red juice of the berry. Tutsan is from the French toute-sain or all-heal, the plant having been formerly celebrated as a vulnerary. Curt. Fl. Lond. i. 164. Baxter's British Flowering Plants, vol. i. t. 39.

Locality. Woods and shady banks. Rare. P. Fl. July, August. Area, 1. * 3. 4. 5.

South Division.

1. South-east District, "Laverstock near Salisbury," Bot. Guide. "Hedges about half-a-mile distant from Downton on the road to Salisbury," Dr. Maton. "Clarendon Wood," Dr. H. Smith.1 "Banks of the river near Fisherton Church," Major H. Smith. "The Earldoms, Whiteparish," Rev. E. Simms.

3. South-west District, "Warminster," Mr. Wheeler. "Spring Head Church Meadow, near Corsley, Miss Griffith. "Kilmington," Miss Selwyn.

North Division.

4. North-west District, Sandridge Hill near Melksham.

5 North-east District, "Great Bedwyn," Mr. William Bartlett. I do not quote the figure of this species in English Botany, as that plate possibly represents the "H. Anglicum" of Bert. Flor. Ital. viii. 310, which is distinguished chiefly by its much branched stem, two winged peduncles, subcordate-ovate, rather acute leaves, few flowered cymes, ovate rather acute and unequal sepals, and by the styles exceeding the stamens. All Wilts specimens named "H Androsæmum" should be carefully examined, in order that we may

1 In 1817 this gentleman commenced a periodical work under the title of "Flora Sarisburiensis," which was intended to describe and illustrate the plants growing in the vicinity of Salisbury; not being sufficiently encouraged in his undertaking, only four numbers of the Flora were published.

be informed whether some of them might not belong to "H. anglicum," (Bert.) Can any botanist of the county inform me if he knows anything about the history of the plant figured in English Botany," and called "H. Androsæmum ?"

2. H. quadrangulum, (Linn.) square-stemmed, or four-winged Hypericum. Engl. Bot. t. 730. Reich. Icones, vi. 334. H. tetrapterum. Fries. Koch.

Locality. Common in moist thickets, and hedges, and by the sides of ditches and rivulets. P. Fl. July. Area, 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. General in all the Districts throughout the county.

3. H. perforatum, (Linn.) perforated Hypericum true. St. John's Wort. Engl. Bot. t. 295. Reich. Icones, vi. 343.

Locality. Woods, thickets, hedges, &c. abundant. P. Fl. July, August. Area, 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. In all the Districts common.

Leaves elliptic-oblong varying much in form, and in the number and size of the pellucid dots. A variety with leaves linear elliptical, with large pellucid punctures, sepals lanceolate, denticulate, rather longer than the ovary, is the B. angustifolium of Gaud. Fl. Helv. and is met with in dry chalky places. This plant is variously commemorated by physicians and poets, as "Balm of the Warrior's Wound," in allusion to its healing properties, while its profusion of flowers is thus noticed,

"Hypericum, all bloom, so thick a swarm

Of flowers, like flies, clothing its slender rods
That scarce a leaf appears,"

4. H. dubium (Leers), imperforated St. John's-wort. Engl. Bot. t. 296. “H. Quadrangulum,” (Fries.)

Locality. Woods, and bushy places, on a sandy soil. Very rare in the county. P. Fl. July, August. Area,** 3. 4. 5.

South Division.

3. South-east District. "Cop Heap near Warminster," Miss Meredith.

North Division.

4. North-west District, Conkwell Quarries near Bradford.

5. North-east District, "Great Bedwyn," Mr. William Bartlett. Very local in Wilts, according to the above distribution, or else

VOL. VII.NO. XX.

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mistaken by many of my correspondents for the last species to which it approaches very nearly, both in habit and general features, differing chiefly in the absence of pellucid dots on the leaves, which are netted with pellucid reins. Corolla deep yellow, generally bordered, and more or less sprinkled with dark purple glands.

A variety with the sepals oblong-lanceolate, mucronulate, obscurely denticulate, is the "H. maculatum, (Crantz.)

5. H. humifusum, (Linn.) trailing Hypericum, from humi (Lat.), on the ground, and fusus spread. Engl. Bot. t. 1226. Reich. Icones, vi. 342.

Locality. In pastures, and heathy places, on a gravelly soil, not uncommon, yet apparently wanting in the "South Middle District.” P. Fl. July. Area, 1. 3. 4. 5. *

South Division.

1. South-east District, "Salisbury," Mr. James Hussey. "Boggy ground at West Dean," Dr. Maton. "Landford," Rev. E. Simms. 3. South-west District, "Fonthill Bishop," Miss Meredith. 'Corsley," Miss. Griffith. "Warminster," Mr. Wheeler.

South Division.

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4. North-west District, Cornfields near the Old Horse and Jockey, Kingsdown; and Spye Park.

5. North-east District, Braden near Purton. "Great Bedwyn," Mr. William Bartlett.

A pretty little procumbent smooth species with the lemon-like scent of "H. dubium" and "perforatum." Flowers few, bright yellow, somewhat corymbose, capsules red in ripening, a colour which the leaves assume in decay. Stems slender,

"Far diffus'd

And lowly creeping, modest and yet fair

Like virtue thriving most where little seen."

6. H. hirsutum, (Linn.) hairy Hypericum, or St. John's Wort. Engl. Bot. t. 1156. Reich. Icones, vi. 349.

Locality. Hedges, thickets, and borders of woods. Very common. P. Fl. June, July. Area, 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Distributed throughout all the Districts.

[H. montanum, (Linn.) This species I have not as yet observed in

Wilts, where it can scarcely be absent. Localities more especially when accompanied with specimens are particularly desired.]

7. H. pulchrum, (Linn.) handsome Hypericum, or upright St. John's Wort. Engl. Bot. t. 1227.

Locality. Dry heaths, banks, woods and bushy places, chiefly on clay. P. Fl. June, July. Area, 1. * 3. 4. 5.

South Division.

1. South-east District, "Salisbury," Mr. James Hussey. "Alderbury," Major Smith. "Landford," Rev. E. Simms.

3. South-west District, "Not unfrequent about Dinton," Dr. Maton. "Corsley," Miss Griffith. "Westbury," Mrs. Overbury. North Division.

4. North-west District, "Spye Park, and in the woods beyond Spye Park," Miss Meredith, and Dr. Alexander Prior. Not unfrequent in Bowood.

5. North-east District, "Great Bedwyn," Mr. William Bartlett. One of the most elegant of our indigenous plants with stems from one to two feet high, slender, erect, rigid and branched. Flowers beautiful, in loose panicles, yellow, tipped, before expansion, with red, anthers crimson.

8. H. elodes, (Linn.) Marsh St. John's Wort. Engl. Bot. t. 109 Elodes palustris. Reich. Icones, vi. 342.

Locality. Spongy bogs, rare. P. Fl. July, August. Area, 1

****

South Division.

1. South-east District, "Bogs on Alderbury Common," Major Smith, and Mr. James Hussey. "Landford Common," Rev. E. Simms.

Very rare in Wilts, and at present confined to the above District.

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have my doubts whether the pages of our Magazine are the proper arena for controversy, and whether we should deviate from our ordinary practice, and address you, personally, as the peg on which to hang our literary squabbles. Nevertheless as the gauntlet is thus thrown down, and as I am challenged to the conflict, and by no ordinary combatant, I cheerfully take it up, and enter the lists at his bidding, although he has the advantage of coming to the encounter with his visor down.

"The Littlecote Legend,"-so our friend heads his communication,' and I feel obliged to him for the selection of the word. Our dictionaries describe a "Legend" as being "an incredible unauthentic narrative." It is not for me to dispute the correctness of this definition, nor its special application, as made by the critic, to this Littlecote story. But let that pass. I will, at once, endeavour to dissect the dissertation of our "Credulous Archæologist," taking his objections, as nearly as may be, in the order in which they stand.

He says, first, that I "committed myself to a strong opinion [Vol. IV. p. 222] of the mythical character of the story." I now repeat that quoad Darell and Littlecote, the murder of the infant by him, and at his house, the discovery of the crime and of his identity by the midwife, his trial at Salisbury and acquittal, together with all the garnishment thereof, I look upon this tale in the light of mere village gossip gathered up into a marvellous fire-side story, "To make the critic smile, the vulgar stare."

Suppositions based on no solid foundation were magnified into 1 Wilts Archæol. Mag. vol. vii. p. 45.

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