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Common Shepherd's Needle

Description. This has a long slender white root hung with a few slight fibres; the leaves are small, and supported on short foot-stalks; they are finely divided, and their colour is a very dark green. The stalks are numerous, green, branched, and a foot high. The leaves stand irregularly on them, and resemble those from the root; but they are smaller. The flowers are moderately large, and grow in umbels like those of hemlock chervil: they are white with very little smell.

Place. It is common in corn fields.

Time. It flowers in August.

Government and virtues. This little plant is under the government of Venus. When taken as a medicine it operates by urine, and is good against obstructions of the viscera.