camomile: A genus of the polygamia superflua order, belonging to the syngenea class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 40th order, Compositae discoider. The essential characters are these: The receptaculum is chaffy; there is no pappus; the calyx is hemispheric and subequal; and the florets of the ray are more than five. Of this genus Linnaeus enumerates 17 species; of which the most remarkable are the following. 1. The nobilis, or common camomile, grows in plenty upon commons, and other waste land. It is a trailing perennial plant, which puts out roots from the branches, by which it spreads and multiplies greatly. Of this kind there is a variety with double leaves. Formerly this plant was used for planting of walks; which, when mowed and rolled, looked well for some time; but as it was subject to decay in large patches, the walks became unsightly, and it was therefore disused. 2. The pyrethrum, or pelitory of Spain, is a perennial plant, which grows naturally in Spain and Portugal, from whence the roots are brought to Britain. The branches trail upon the ground, and spread a foot or more each way; these are garnished with fine winged leaves like those of the common camomile. At the extremity of each branch is produced one large single flower, like camomile, but much larger; the rays of which are of a pure white within, but purple on the outside. After the flowers are past, the receptacle swells to a large scaly cone, having the seeds lodged between its scales; but unless the season is dry, the seeds will not come to perfection in this country. 3. The tinctoria, with fawed winged leaves, is a perennial plant, which flowers from June to November, and makes a very pretty appearance, some of the flowers being of a white, others of a sulphur, and some of a bright yellow colour. 4. The Arabica, with a branching empalement. The seeds of this species were brought from Africa by the late Dr Shaw, and distributed to many curious botanists in this and other countries of Europe. It grows near two feet high, with an upright stem, having a single flower at the top, from whose empalement there are two or three footstalks put out horizontally, about two inches long, each having a single flower smaller than the first, like the childing marigold, or hen-and-chicken daisy.

Culture. The first sort may be very easily propagated by procuring a few slips in the spring, and planting them about a foot distant from one another, where they will soon cover the ground. The other sorts may be propagated from seeds sown in the spring, and will require no other care than to be kept free from weeds; only the third sort must be transplanted when come up from the seeds into borders near shrubs, where they may have room to grow; for they spread very wide, and therefore require to be placed three feet distant from other plants.

Medicinal Uses. The first and second sorts are used in medicine. The first have a strong, not ungrateful, aromatic smell, and a very bitter nauseous taste. They are accounted carminative, aperient, emollient, and in some measure anodyne; and stand recommended in flatulence. tulent colics, for promoting the uterine purgations, in spasmodic pains, and the pains of childbed-women; sometimes they have been employed in intermittent fevers, and the nephritis. These flowers are frequently also used externally in difficult and antiseptic fomentations, and in emollient glysters. They enter the decoction pro ensuete and decocum pro fomento of our pharmacopoeias. An essential oil was formerly directed to be prepared from them, but it is now omitted. A simple watery infusion of them taken in a tepid state, is at present frequently employed to promote the operation of emetics. The root of the pyrethrum is the only part endowed with medical virtue. It has no sensible smell; its taste is very hot and acrid, but less so than that of arum or dracunculus: the juice expressed from it has scarcely any acrimony, nor is the root itself so pungent when fresh as after it has been dried. Water, assisted by heat, extracts some share of its taste, rectified spirit the whole; neither of them elevate anything in distillation. The principal use of pyrethrum in the present practice is as a masticatory, for promoting the salivary flux, and evacuating viscid humours from the head and neighbouring parts; by this means it often relieves the tooth-ach, some kinds of pains of the head, and lethargic complaints.