1 Spec. Plant. Willd. ii. 671. Cl. 10. Ord. 2. Decandria Digynia. Nat. ord. Caryophylleae. G. 893. Calyx cylindrical, one-leafed, with four scales at the base,

Petals five, with claws. Capsule cylindrical, one celled. * * Flowers solitary, many on the same stem. Species 9. D. Caryophyllus. Clove-pink, or Gillyflower. Med.

Bot. 2d edit. 579. t.205. Smith, Flor. Brit. 461. Eng. Bot.

214. Officinal. Dianthi Caryophylli flores, Edin. Dub. Flowers of the Clove-pink.

Syn. Giroflee musquee (F.), Gewiirzhaft riechende Gartennelke (G.), Ga-rofano (I.), Clavel (S.).

This is a perennial plant, a native of Italy, but found growing wild on ruined walls, as those of Rochester, Deal, and other old castles in England; flowering in July.1 It is cultivated in gardens for medicinal use; in which case the flowers become full, and improve their native odour. The root is firm and fibrous. The stems, which rise from among tufts of channelled, linear, glaucous leaves, that are finely toothed a little above the base, but entire and smooth towards the apex, are erect, branched, and panicled, bearing solitary flowers. The whole herb is glaucous. The calyx is striated, tubular, five-cleft, of a pale green colour, with four rhomboid, pointed scales at its base, about one fourth of its length : the petals vary in colour from a pale flesh-red to the deepest carnation; are unequally crenated, smooth at the orifice, with long, narrow, whitish claws. The stamens are often short and abortive; the styles long, recurved, and downy on the upper side.

1 From Aios avθos, the flower of Jove; yet it was unknown to the ancients.

The varieties of this species of dianthus produced by horticulturists are very numerous. For medicinal use, those should be chosen which have the richest colour and most spicy odour. The petals must be picked when the flower is fully blown.

Qualities.-The odour of the petals is fragrant and aromatic, resembling that of the clove-spice, the taste slightly bitter and subastringent. Both water and alcohol extract their sensible qualities; and they yield an essential oil by distillation with water. The infusion strikes a black colour with sulphate of iron: acids redden its colour, and alkalies change it to green.

Medical properties and uses.-Notwithstanding the testimony of our forefathers in favour of the efficacy of these flowers in nervous affections2, modern practitioners value them merely for their sensible qualities, and employ them only to give an agreeable flavour and fine colour to a syrup, which is a pleasant vehicle for the exhibition of more active medicines.