Field-madder (Sherardia arvensis, order Rubiaceae), a small purplish weed, common on cultivated lands, and said to be mischievous to sheep. The root can be used as a substitute for the closely allied true Madder (q.v.).
Field-madder
Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 4: Dionysius to Friction, p. 612
Source scan(s): p. 0627