( 5 ) MENYANTHES TRIFOLIATA. WATER TREFOIL, OR BUCKBEAN. STNONTMA, Trifolium Paludosum, Pharm. Lond. Eff Edin. Menyanthes Palustre Triphillum, ’Tourn. Boerh, Ray. Trifolium Fibrinum, Off. Germ. Acopa, Diofcor. Biff Oxoft. Clafs Pentandria. Order Monogynla. L. Gen. Plant. 202. Eff. Gen. Char. Cor. hirfuta. / Stigma 2-fidum. CaJ)s. i-locularis. Spec. Char. M. fol. ternatis. ^ THIS plant is common in every part of England ; it grows in marlhes and ponds, producing its flowers in an open terminal fpike about the latter end of June. The fcapus, or ftalk, rifes from fix to twelve inches in height. The petals are fometimes entirely wEite, but more commonly rofe-coloured on the outfide, and within they are finely fringed, fo as to have a hairy or fibrous appear- ance, hence named Trifolium Fibrinum : the root is perennial, creeping, and jointed, fending forth many long flender filaments. The trifoliata is eafily diftinguilhed from the other fpecies of Meny- anthes by its ternate leaves, which have been thought 'to refemble thofe of the common garden bean, and ' have given it the Englifli name, Buckbean. The whole plant is fo extremely bitter, that in fome countries it is ufed as a fubftitute for hops in the preparation of malt liquor*; yet Linnaeus obferves, that the poorer people in Lapland make a bread of the powdered roots mixed with meal, but at the fame time he acknowledges it is a very unpalatable food ^ Flor. Lappon. p. 50, No. 1. ^ Ibid. B 1 fails
