THE BOTANICAL LIBRARY
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA.
GIFT OF
MR. AND MRS. T. S. BRANDEGEE.
1906
w
xmHty
\v.iw SccfWf/tu'v Di\'l.ti(>/t,r i>/'//// A'f.i-///// .T
'? ; T
* "
~y ///
^^
.a
... . J
THE
UNIVERSAL HEKJtAl,;
OR,
BOTANICAL, MEDICAL, AND AGRICULTURAL
CONTAINING AH ACCOUNT OF
ail tfle fmottm Iiattt0 in ttjr
ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THE LINNEAN SYSTEM.
\
SPECIFYING THE
USES TO WHICH THEY ARE OR MAY BE APPLIED, WHETHER AS FOOD, AS MEDICINE, OR IN
THE ARTS AND MANUFACTURES.
WITH THE BEST
METHODS OF PROPAGATION,
AND THE
MOST UECEKT AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENTS.
CoIIrrtttr from inliisputatle autdorities.
ADAPTED TO THE USE OF
THE FARMER THE GARDENER THE HUSBANDMAN THE BOTANIST THE FLORIST-
AND COUNTRY HOUSEKEEPERS IN GENERAL.
THE SECOND EDITION, REVISED AND IMPROVED.
VOL. II.
LONDON:
PRINTED AT THE CAXTON PRESS, BY HENRY FISHER,
Printer in Ordinary to His Majesty.
PUBLISHED AT 38, NEWGATE-STREET; AND SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLERS.
V
THE
OF THE
UNIVERSITY
OF
UNIVERSAL, HERBAL;
OR,
BOTANICAL, MEDICAL, AND AGRICULTURAL
VOL. II.
LAC
; (so called from the celebrated Dominican friar,
Father Labat,) a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth four-
leaved, permanent ; the two opposite leaflets erect ; the two
smaller ones ovate, obtuse, concave. Corolla : one-petalled,
subcampanulated ; tube shorter than the calix ; border qua-
drifid ; divisions upright, obtuse, small ; with two opposite
smaller divisions, situated in the partition of the corolla.
Stamina: filamenta four, length of the corolla, upright,
awl-shaped, contiguous to the pistil ; anthersc sharp-pointed,
upright. Pistil: germen roundish, minute, superior; style
awl-shaped, length of the stamina ; stigma simple, obtuse.
Pericarp: capsule large, roundish, rough, four-celled. Seeds:
solitary, oblong, compressed. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix : four-leaved, inferior. Corolla: subcampanulate, four-
cleft, with two minute segments in the divisions of the
corolla. Capsule: four-celled. Seeds: solitary. The
species are,
1. Labatia Sessiliflora. Flowers sessile. The stem is
shrubby, six feet or more high ; branches alternate, straight,
bearing round, upright, rusty, smaller branches ; leaves alter-
nate, stalked, two or three inches long, ribbed and veined
beneath, shining and silky; flowers whitish, very small ; fruit
the size of a nutmeg, roundish, rough, and rusty, ripening
in December. Native of Hispaniola.
2. Labatia Guianensis. Flowers peduncled. This is a tree
forty feet high or more, and three feet in diameter, with a
russet-coloured wrinkled bark; and a whitish, hard, com-
pact wood ; flowers small, greenish; fruit oval, hard, rough
with rigid short hairs. Native of Guiana, in the forests by
the river Sinemari, flowering and fruiting in November.
Labrador Tea. See Ledum.
Laburnum. See Cytisus.
Lac, or Gum Lac. See Croton Lucciferum.
Lace Bark. See Daphne Layetto.
Lachenalia ; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: none. Corolla:
petals six, erected into a tube, oblong, connate at the base,
unequal, the three exterior ones shorter, often callous at the
VOL. ii. 66.
LAC
tip. Stamina: filamenta six, awl-shaped, upright, growing
to the base of the petals, and of the same length with them ;
antherse oblong. Pistil: germen superior, subovate; style
awl-shaped, length of the stamina ; stigma simple. Pericarp:
capsule subovate, three-winger), three-celled. Seeds .' several,
globose, affixed to the receptacle. ESSENTIAL CHARAC-
TER. Corolla: six-parted; the three outer petals difform.
Capsules: three-winged; cells many-seeded. Seeds: globular,
affixed to the receptacle. The plants of this genus must be
preserved, with other Cape bulbs, in a warm border, covered
with glasses, or in a dry-stove or glass-case. They will
mostly bear forcing, and their flowering may be hastened by
keeping them warm in the stove : they are increased by
offsets from the bulbs, or by seeds, when they produce any.
The species are,
1. Lachenalia Orchioides ; Spotted-leaved Lachenalia.
Corollas bell-shaped, the three inner petals longer; flowers
sessile; leaves lanceolate, shorter than the scape. Bulb round,
whitish. The whole plant smooth ; outer petals white, with
green tips; inner pale yellow. Native of the Cape.
2. Lachenalia Pallida; Pale-flowered Lachenalia. Corollas
bell-shaped, the three inner petals longer ; flowers on very
short peduncles, horizontal ; leaves linear-oblong, longer
than the scape. Bulb roundish, flatted a little, the size of a
hazel-nut ; petals whitish. Native of the Cape.
3. Lachenalia Contaminata; Mixed-coloured Lachenalia.
Corollas bell-shaped, the three upper petals longer ; flowers
peduncled; leaves linear, awl-shaped, channelled; they have
dusky red spots scattered over the upper surface. Native
of the Cape,
4. Lachenalia Tricolor; Three-coloured Lachenalia. Corol-
las cylindrical, the three inner petals twice the length of the
others, emarginate ; flowers peduncled, pendulous. The
scape is almost comose with the abundance of awl-shaped
bractes that spring out below the upper rudiments of flowers.
It varies with yellow, saffron-coloured, blood-red, purple at
the tip, and greenish yellow corollas ; also in the proportion
between the inner and outer petals, and in the breadth of
j the leaves. Native of the Cape
B
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LAC
5. Lachenalia Pendula ; Pendulates Lachenalia. Corollas
cylindrical, the three inner petals longer, entire ; flowers
peduncled, pendulous. Scape upright, round, the thickness
of a goose-quill; leaves oblong-lanceolate, succulent, a span
long. Native of the Cape.
6. Lachenalia Viridis ; Green-flowered Lachenalia. Corol-
las cylindrical ; the three outer petals very long, awl-shaped.
Bulb roundish. The whole plant inodorous and smooth;
corollas entirely green. Native of the Cape.
7. Lachenalia Orthopetala. Corollas funnel-form, tubular;
the three outer petals a little shorter, bluntish ; flowers erect,
subpedicelled. Bulb round, whitish ; leaves generally four,
about a foot long, flaccid; flowers upright, on short pale
pedicels, inodorous, about thirty, the upper ones abortive ;
antherse purple ; germen green. Native of the Cape.
8. Lachenalia Pustulata. Corollas cylindrical, the three
inner petals one-fourth longer than the outer, blunt; flowers
erect, subsessile; leaves lanceolate-linear, pustuled. Bulb
roundish. Native of the Cape.
9. Lachenalia Violacea. Corollas cylindrical, three-sided,
the three inner petals reflex, a little longer than the outer ;
flowers pendulous, peduncled ; leaves oblong, spotted on the
back. Bulb roundish, white, larger than a hazel-nut. The
whole of the plant is smooth ; flowers small, drooping, smell-
ing like Rue. Native of the Cape.
10. Lachenalia Patula. Corollas bell-shaped; inner petals
spreading or reflex, longer than the outer ; flowers erect,
peduncled ; leaves linear-lanceolate, shorter than the scape,
unspotted. Bulb roundish, brown, the size of a pea. The
whole plant is smooth ; corolla, filamenta, and style, white.
Native of the Cape.
11. Lachenalia Punctata. Corollas tubular, incurved;
inner petals a little longer than the outer, the lowest a little
shorter than the two others ; flowers nodding, peduncled ;
leaves lanceolate-linear, dotted. Bulb roundish, white; scape
ten inches high, shining, with red and pale spots all over it,
few-flowered at top ; flowers elegant, inodorous ; corolla
whitish, the outer petals thickly spread, with red dots all
over both surfaces. Native of the Cape.
12. Lachenalia Hirta. Corollas bell-shaped, peduncled;
leaves-linear, rough-haired. Native of the Cape.
Lachneea ; a genus of the class Octandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth one-
leafed, permanent; tube long and slender; border four-
parted, unequal ; the upper segment the smallest, the other
three segments reflex, the middle one larger. Corolla: none.
Stamina: filamenta eight, setaceous, upright, nearly the
length of the flower; antherse simple. Pistil: germen
ovate; style filiform, inserted into the side of the germen,
length of the stamina ; stigma headed, hispid. Pericarp :
none; fruit in the bottom of the calix. Seed: single, ovate,
obliquely acute. Observe. This genus differs from Pas-
serina only in having an unequal calix. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: none. Corolla: four-cleft, with an unequal
border. Seed: one, like a berry. The species are,
1. Lachnaea Eriocephala; Woolly-headed Lachnaa. Heads
solitary, woolly; leaves imbricate, in four rows, linear, convex.
Flowers large, and white, in terminal solitary heads. A
green-house plant, flowering all the summer. Native of the
Cape.
2. Lachnsea Purpurea; Purple-flowered Lachn&a. Leaves
opposite, imbricated, in four rows, obtuse, keeled under-
neath ; segments of the calix smooth. Flowers large, rose-
coloured or light purple : the tube of each flower is white,
with a woolly tuft at its base. Gathered at the Cape.
3. Lachnaea Glauca ; Glaucous-leaved Lachnaa. Leaves
scattered, elliptical, glaucous ; segments of the calix downy
on both sides. Flowers white, fragrant. Native of the Cape.
4. Lachnsea Conglomerata; Cluster-headed Lachneea.
Heads clustered; leaves lax, cylindric, truncate, in four rows.
Native of the Cape.
Lads; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix and Corolla: none. Sta-
mina: filamenta very many (forty) capillary, winged on both
sides below, inserted into the receptacle, which is girt with
twelve spines ; antherse oblong, bifid at the base, acute,
incumbent. Pistil: germen oblong, angular, striated ; styles
two, incurved ; stigmas obtuse. Pericarp : capsule ovate,
eight-streaked, one-celled, bivalve. Seeds : very many, very
small, affixed to a free ovate receptacle. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix and Corolla: none. Filamenta: winged
on both sides below. Receptacle: girt with twelve spines.
Capsule: ovate, eight-streaked, one-celled, two-valved, many-
seeded. The only known species is,
1. Lacis Fluviatilis. Stems branching, decumbent;
branches cylindrical, rough to the touch. The Caribbees
call this plant mourerou. It is a native of Guiana, and
has been found only on the rocks of the great cascade of
the river Sinemari ; it is attached to the rocks by packets of
small fibres, and, except the flowering branches, is entirely
under water.
Lacistema ; a genus of the class Monandria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: ament common, imbri-
cated on all sides, columnar; scales one-flowered, ovate, con-
cave ; two small linear squamules being placed at the sides
beneath the corolla, within the scale. Corolla: one-petalled,
four-parted; tube none; divisions lanceolate, sharp, suberect;
nectary one-leafed, rotate, entire, smaller than the corolla,
concave. Stamina: filamenta single, situated in the middle
of the nectary with the germen, upright, incurved above the
middle over the germen, bifid at the top ; antherse minute,
roundish. Pistil: germen globose; styles two, very short,
recurved ; stigmas simple. Pericarp : berry foot-stalked,
obovate, oblong, one-celled. Seed: single, oblong, ESSEN-
TIAL CHARACTER. Calix: scale of the ament. Corolla:
four-parted. Filamenta: bifid. .Berry: pedicelled, one-
seeded. The only species yet described is,
1. Lacistema Myricoides. Stem arborescent; branches
round, somewhat knotty, ash-coloured, naked, smoothish,
spreading, branched ; branchlets greenish, leafy, smooth ;
leaves alternate, ovate, acuminate, smooth, somewhat wrinkled
with very minute transverse veins, four inches long; berry
black, and soft, the size of a currant, sweet, insipid.
Observed by Rolander in Surinam, and by Swartz in Jamaica.
Lacluca; a genus of the class Syngenesia, order Poly-
gamia ./Equalis. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: common
imbricated, cylindric ; scales very many, sharp, membrana-
ceous on the margin. Corolla: compound imbricated, uni-
form ; corollets hermaphrodite, very many, equal ; proper
one-petalled, ligulate, truncated, four or five toothed. Sta-
mina: filamenta five, capillary, very short; antherae cylin-
dric, tubular. Pistil: germen subovate ; style filiform,
length of the stamina; stigmas two, reflex. Pericarp: none;
calix converging, ovate-cylindric. Seeds: solitary, ovate,
acuminate, even, compressed. Down : capillary, on a long
stipe, attenuated below. Receptacle: naked. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: imbricate, cylindrical, with a mem-
branaceous margin. Receptacle : naked. Seeds: even, with
a simple, stipitate down. The species are,
1. Lactuca Quercina; Oak-leaved Lettuce. Leaves runci-
nate, toothletted, acute, ^ven underneath; stem smooth. Root
perennial, fleshy. In i's whole habit it approaches nearer to
LAC
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LAC
the wild than the garden Lettuce. The leaves are of a
deeper green, and resemble those of the Oak : whence its
name. Native of Sweden and Germany.
2. Lactuca Intybacea; Endive-leaved Lettuce. Leaves
runcinate, tooth-ciliate, blunt, embracing; stem panic-led.
The whole plant is smooth and milky; corollets sulphur-
coloured. Native of South America.
3. Lactuca Saliva; Garden Lettuce. Leaves rounded;
stem-leaves cordate ; stem corymbed. Stem strong, round,
two feet or three-quarters of a yard in height, bearing abun-
dance of small yellow flowers. This plant has long been
celebrated for its cooling and wholesome properties; and as
it contains a quantity of milky juice of an opiate nature, it in
consequence promotes sleep ; and it is also in some degree laxa-
tive and aperient, and very proper for hot bilious dispositions.
The seeds are of an emollient nature ; they unite with water
by trituration into an emulsion or milky liquor, which has
nothing of the aperient bitterness of the milky juice of the
leaves ; it is very similar to the emulsion of almonds, but
more cooling in its nature, and therefore a better medicine
in heat of urine, and oilier disorders which arise from acrimony
and irritation. The native country of this plant is not known.
The Germans call it yartensalat ; the Dutch, tuinsalade, or
latuw ; the French, la laitite cultivee, on commune. Lac-
tuca, a little changed, is the prevailing word in the European
languages for Lettuce. The Russians, Danes, and Swedes,
call it laktuk; the Italians, lattuga; the Spaniards, lechuga;
and the Portuguese, leituga. The several varieties culti-
vated for use in kitchen-gardens, are, 1. Common, or Garden
Lettuce ; 2. Cabbage Lettuce ; 3. Cilicia ; 4. Dutch Brown ;
5. Aleppo; 6. Imperial; 7. Green Capuchin; 8. Versailles,
or Upright White Cos; 9. Black Cos; 10. Red Capuchin;
11. Roman; 12. Prince; 13. Royal; 14. Egyptian Cos.
Propagation and Culture. The common Lettuce is sown
for cutting very young, to mix with other salad herbs, and
is only different from the Cabbage Lettuce in being a dege-
neracy therefrom ; or rather the Cabbage Lettuce is an im-
provement by frequent cultivation upon the Common Let-
tuce; for if the seeds be saved from such plants of the
former as did not cabbage closely, the plants produced from
that seed will degenerate to the first sort, which is by the
gardeners called Lapped-Lettuce, to distinguish it from the
other, which they call Cabbage-Lettuce. The seeds of the
Common Lettuce, which are usually saved from any of the
plants without regard to their goodness, are generally sold at
a very cheap rate, especially in dry seasons, when they always
seed in the greatest abundance; and is sometimes sold for
Cabbage Lettuce, so that the buyer is disappointed in his
crop. This sort therefore should never be cultivated but to
be cut up very young, being the only kind fit for that purpose.
It may be sown at any time of the year, observing only to
sow it in shady borders during hot weather, and in the spring
and autumn, upon warm borders; but in winter it should be
sown under glasses, otherwise it is subject to be destroyed
by severe frosts. The Cabbage Lettuce may also be sown
at different times of the year, in order to have a continuation
of it through the whole season. The first crop is generally
sown in February, upon a warm spot of ground; and when
the plants are come up, they should be thinned out to the
distance of ten inches each way, which may be done by hoe-
ing them out, as is practised for Turnips, Carrots, Onions, &c.
provided you have no occasion for the superfluous plants ;
otherwise they may be drawn up, and transplanted into an-
other spot of ground at the same distance, which, if done
before the plants are too large, they will succeed very well,
though they will not be so large as those which are left upon
the spot where they are sown, but they will come somewhat
later, which will be of service where people do not continue
sowing every fortnight or three weeks in summer. You must
also observe, in sowing the succeeding crops, as the season
advances, to choose a shady moist situation, but not under
the drip of trees, which would cause them to run up into
seed in summer before they cabbage. In the beginning of
August, sow the seeds for the last crop, which is to stand
over winter, ihiuly upon a good light soil, in a warm situa-
tion ; and when the plants are come up, they must be hoed
out, that they may stand singly. Remove all the weeds, and in
the beginning of October transplant them into warm borders,
where, if the winter is not severe, they will stand very well ;
but in order to be sore of a crop, it will be advisable to
plant a few upon a bed pretty close together, where they
may be arched over with hoops, and in severe frosts covered
with mats, straw, or pease-haulm, to secure them from being
destroyed. In the spring of the year they may be trans-
planted out into a warm rich soil, ten inches asunder; but still
those that grew under the wall, if they escaped the winter,
and were suffered to remain, will cabbage sooner than those
which are removed again ; but you must observe not to
place them too close to the wall, which would occasion their
growing up iall, and prevent their being large or hard. In
order to save good seeds of this kind, look over your Lettuces
while in perfection, and mark such as are very hard and
grow low, by placing sticks in the ground close to them.
Pull up all that you do not want for seed, as soon as they
begin to run up, lest, when they come to flower, the farina
of the bad should mix with the good, and so degenerate the
seeds, which should always be saved either from those which
stood through the winter, or those which were sown early in
the spring, for the later ones very seldom perfect their seeds.
The Cilicia, Imperial, Royal, Black, White, and Upright
Cos Lettuces, may be sown first at the latter end of Febru-
qry, or the beginning of March, upon a moderate hot-bed,
or on a warm light soil, in a sheltered situation ; and when
the plants are come up, and are fit to transplant, those which
are sown on the hot-bed should be transplanted on another
warm bed about four inches asunder row from row, and two
inches' distance in the rows, shading them from the sun until
they have taken new root ; after which, they should have a
larger share of air daily, to prevent their drawing up weak;
but in favourable seasons, transplant them at the beginning
of April, where they are to remain, placing 1 them sixteen inches
apart each way, because the large sorts must not be placed
near each other; those sown in the full ground will be later
before they come up, and should be either hoed out, or trans-
planted into another spot of ground, especially if the soil
be good. After they have taken fresh root, weed them care-
fully, which is all the culture they will require, except the
Black Cos Lettuce, which should be tied up when they are
full grown, in the manner as directed for blanching of En-
dive, (See Cichorium Endivia,) to whiten their inner leaves,
and render them crisp, otherwise they are seldom good for
much, rarely cabbaging without this assistance. When they
are in perfection, mark those you intend for seed, as already
directed for the Common Cabbage Lettuce, and take away
the rest, for the reasons above given. These sorts may also
be continued throughout the Lettuce season, by sowing them
in April, May, and June, observing to sow the late crops in a
shady situation, otherwise they will run up to seed before
they grow to any size ; but in the middle of September you
may sow of these sorts to abide the winter; which plants should
be transplanted either under glasses, or into a bed, which
should be arched over with hoops, in order to be covered in
I. AC
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL ;
LAC
the winter, without which covering the plants would often
be destroyed ; but letting them have as much air as possible
in mild weather. In the spring, these plants should be
planted out into a rich light soil, allowing them at least six-
teen inches' distance each way ; for if they are planted too
close, they are very subject to grow tall, but seldom cabbage
well. From the crop, if they succeed well, it will be pro-
per to save your seeds ; though you should also save from
that crop sown on the hot-bed in the spring, because some-
times it happens, that the first may fail by a wet season,
when the plants are full in flower, and the second crop may
succeed, by having a more favourable season afterwards.
The most valuable of all the sorts of Lettuce in England, are
the Egyptian Green Cos, the Versailles or White Cos, and
the Cilicia ; though some people are very fond of the Royal
and Imperial Lettuces, which seldom sell so well, or are so
much esteemed, as the other; the White Cos obtained the
preference, until the Egyptian Green Cos was introduced,
which is so much sweeter and tenderer than the White Cos,
that all good judges pronounce it the best sort of Lettuce
yet known ; it will endure the cold of our ordinary winters
as well as the White Cos; but at the season of its cabbaging,
if there happen to be much wet, it is very subject to rot.
The Brown, Dutch, and Green Capuchin Lettuces, are very
hardy, and may be sown at the same season as was directed
for the Common Cabbage Lettuce, and are very proper to
plant under a wall or hedge, to stand the winter, where
many times these will abide when most of the other sorts
are destfoyed, and therefore they will prove very acceptable
at a time when few other sorts are to be had : they will also
endure more heat and drought than most other sorts of
Lettuce, which renders them very proper for late sowing ;
for it often happens, in very hot weather, that the other
sorts of Lettuce will run up to seed in a few days after they
are cabbaged, whereas these will abide nearly a fortnight
in good order, especially if care be taken to cut the for-
wardest first, leaving those that are not so hard cabbaged
to the last. If some plants of these two last sorts are planted
under frames, on a moderate hot-bed in October, they will
be fit for use in April, which will prove acceptable to those
who are lovers of Lettuce; and being covered by glasses, will
render them tender. In saving these seeds, the same care
should be taken to preserve only such as are very large and
well cabbaged, otherwise the seeds will degenerate, and be
good for little. The Red Capuchin, Roman, and Prince's
Lettuces, are pretty varieties, and cabbage very early, for
which reason a few of them may be preserved, as may also
some of the Aleppo, for the beauty of its spotted leaves ;
though very few people care for any of these sorts at table,
when the other more valuable ones are to be obtained ;
but the former do very well in a scarcity of the latter, and
are very proper for soups. The seeds of these must also
be saved from such as cabbage best, otherwise they will
degenerate, and be good for little. In saving seeds of all
these sorts of Lettuce, never suffer two sorts to stand near
each other, for, by their farina mixing, they will both
vary from their original, and partake of each other ; and
there should be a stake fixed down by the side of each, to
which the stem should be fastened, to prevent their being
broken, or blown out of the ground by wind, to which the
Cilicia, Cos, and the other large-growing Lettuces, are very
subject when they are in flower. Observe also to cut such
branches of the large-growing Lettuce as ripen first, and
not wait to have the seed of the whole plant ripe together,
which never happens ; but, on the contrary, some branches
will be ripe a fortnight or three weeks before others ; and
when you cut them, they must be spread upon a coarse
cloth in a dry place, that the seeds may dry, after which
you should beat them out, and dry them again, and then
preserve them for use, taking care to hang them up where
mice and other vermin cannot come at them, for if they do
they will soon eat them up. The wild sorts are easily raised
from seed : Perennial Lettuce spreads at the root ; it is in-
creased by suckers.
4. Lactuca Scariola; Prickly Lettuce. Leaves vertical,
prickly on the keel. Root biennial, and, like the rest of the
plant, very full of milky juice; stem erect, two or three
feet high, round, prickly, leafy, branched at the top into a
sort of panicle, consisting of numerous small pale yellow
flowers ; seeds ovate, of a ferruginous blackish colour.
Native of the southern parts of Europe ; found wild with us
on the borders of fields in the Isle of Ely.
5. Lactuca Virosa ; Strong-scented Lettuce. Leaves hori-
zontal, prickly on the keel, and toothed. Root biennial ;
stem from two to four feet high, prickly below; flowers
numerous, yellow, sessile, or on short peduncles, with a small
leaf at the base of each, and others still smaller cm them.
Native of the south of Europe, in hedges, on ditch-banks,
and borders of fields. In England, at the World's End near
Stepney, and on the banks of the Thames between Blackwall
and Woolwich; found also at Burwell Pit, in Cambridge-
shire ; on old walls near Bungay in Suffolk ; in Marston
Lane, Oxfordshire ; and in a stone quarry at Thorp Arch, in
Yorkshire. This plant abounds with a milky juice, the
opiate power of which is of very considerable strength,
insomuch that it may occasionally be used in the manner
of common opium. It may be collected by suffering the
juice to drain from the wounded parts of the plant; and
then, by drying in the manner of opium, it may be made
into pills. Sir John Hill, in his British, Herbal, recommends
this to be practised in April and May. When dried, it dis-
solves freely in wine, and forms an excellent anodyne ; the
dose of which, a tea-spoonful in a glass of water answers
all the purposes of laudanum. Dr. Collins relates twenty-
foul- cases of dropsy, out of which twenty-three were cured
by taking the extract, in doses from eighteen grains to three
drachms in twenty-four hours ; it commonly proves laxative,
promotes virine and gentle sweats, and removes thirst : it
must be prepared when the plant is in flower. A syrup,
made from a strong infusion of the plant, is also an excellent
anodyne medicine ; it eases the most violent pains of the
colic and other disorders, and gently disposes the patient to
sleep, producing all the good effects of a gentle opiate.
6. Lactuca Saligna; Least Lettuce. Leaves hastate-
linear, sessile, prickly on the keel. Flowers nearly sessile,
small, yellow. Native of France, Saxony, Silesia, Switzer-
land, Austria, Carniola, Piedmont, and England, on the
banks of ditches, and in pastures on a chalky soil.
7. Lactuca Tuberosa; Tuberous-rooted Lettuce. Leaves
spinulous-toothed; stem almost simple; root tuberous, mani-
fold. The whole plant, and even the calix, abounds with a
white milk, which turns to an orange-colour when exposed to
the air; corollas pale blue, purple; flowers few.
8. Lactuca Canadensis ; Canadian Lettuce. Leaves lan-
ceolate-ensiform, embracing, toothed, unarmed. Native of
Canada.
9. Lactuca Indica; Indian Lettuce. Leaves lanceolate,
ensiform, sessile, unequally toothed. Native of the East
Indies ; and observed in Java.
10. Lactuca Perennis ; Perennial Lettuce. Leaves linear,
tooth-pinnate; segments toothed upwards. Root perennial,
composed of many long fleshy fibres, which abound with a
LA E
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LAG
milky juice, and spread pretty far in the ground; flowers
tewnkmtmg on slender branching peduncles, sustaining irom
two to (bur flowers; corollas deep blue, or purple. Native
of Germany, Italy, and France.
11. Lactuca Angustana. Leaves entire, tootued, sharply
hooked; the i.:iUnb smooth. Root annual, fusiform ; stern
the height of a man; flowers on short peduncles, and pani-
c-led ; florets commonly twelve ; seed dirty white. The whole
plant is very smooth and milky, wit!: -ml any virose smell.
It is found in sandy places, by tin- torrent that descends
from the Great St. D.-Tiiard, and iu the valley of Aost, be-
tween St. Pierre and Villanova.
12. Lactuca Klongata. Leaves smooth underneath; lower
leaves runcinute, very entire, embracing the stem ; radical
leaves dentate d, those on the top of the plant lanceolate;
flowers eoryrabose, paniculate. It Arrows tVom three to six
feet high, and the Howi rs are small, and of a pale yellow
colour. Found in woods on road sides, in fertile soils, from
Carolina to Canada.
13. Laetuea GraminHolia, Stalk ereet. simple ; pannicles
aphyllous, lax; branches rariflorous ; all the flowers pedun-
cula'te-d. -Found by Jiichaux in Lower Carolina.
Ladies' Bcdstravi. See Galhim.
Ladies Down: See Clematis.
Ludica' .\lantlr. See AU-haniilri.
Ladies' Slippi r. Si-e Ci' r rt;:r I'tiim.
Ladies' Smoi-li. Sec Cardnmine.
Lndii.'i Trur -. See Ophri/s.
Lni'tia ; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Monogynia.
GEM:KH: CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-leaved;
leaflets "oblong, concave, reflex, coloured, withering. Corolla:
none, or else five petals. Stamina : filamenta numerous,
capillary, rather shorter than the calix ; anthertc roundish.
Pistil: mermen oblon?;, < >.i;.!ing in a filiform style, longer
than the stamina; stiirma headed, depressed. Pericarp:
berry globose, three-sided, furrowed with three lines, one-
!. increased internally by a cartilaginous membrane.
.- very many, nestling, cornered, coated with a pulpy
aril. ESSI-.STIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-leaved. Co-
!<://:; : five-pet, illed, or none. Fruit: one-celled, three-cornered.
with a pulpy aril. The species are,
1. Lartia Apetala. i'lowers apetalous; calices five-leaved,
reflex ; leave oval, serrulate, smooth on both sides. This
i* -.in upright tree, about twenty feet in height, putting out
spreading branches from the very ground. Common pedun-
cles three-flowered, axillary, sustaining white flowers like
those of Hawthorn in appearance, size, and smell ; they
appear in April and May, and fruit in .August. Native of
Carthagena, in New Si.
2. Lartia Completa. Flowers petaloid, complete. This is
a small branching tree, about nine feet hih. Common
peduncles axillarv, tom^nli.se; fruit reddish-yellow, often
obscurely triangular. N'-.iiive of Carthagena, flowering in
June, and fruitiiiG: in Au<rust and September.
3. Laetia Guidonia. Flowers apetalous; peduncles one-
flowered, terminating ; leaves oblong, ncuminate, serrate,
pubescent. This tree grows to a considerable size, is esteem-
ed a fine timber wood, and much used in all sorts of build-
ings. The filamenta nf the flower are very numerous ; and
in the fruit the lines between the valves are of a beautiful
red colour, as well as the placenta. Native of Jamaica;
where it. is railed liodwood.
4. Laetia Tbamii'a. Flowers npetalous ; peduncles many-
flowered, subdivided, axillary; leaves oblong, acute, sub-
crenat-?, shininc:. This shrub is found in the red hills above
the Angels, in Jamaica, but is not common.
y^L. n. 66.
f i, (.!< imn ; a genus of the class Icosandria, order
Monogynia. Gr.NEiuc V'IIAUACTI-.K. Culi.r: perianth one-
I'-afi-d, Mx-clefi, bell-shaped, rather acute, smooth, perma-
nent. Coivl'ri : petals six, ovate, obtuse, cusped, undulated,
contorted ; claws filiform, longer than the calix, inserted into
the receptacle. Stuwi.mt: iilumenta very many, filiform,
longer than the calix, inserted into the calix below the
germen, the six interior ones are twice the thickness of the
rest, and are longer than the petals; antheree oval, incum-
bent. Pistil: germcn subglobose; style filiform, length of
the longer stamina ; stigma simple. Pericarp: capsule sub-
globose, crowned with i-he style on its bluntish top, six-
furrowed, si \-celled, six-valved ; the dissepiments coalescing
with the Mil.uies. AVer/: several, ovate, awl-shaped at the
base, compressed, adhering to a central hexagonal pillar.
Ob^crrr. The number of parts sometimes varies. ESSEN-
TIAL CiiAUAC-iT.u. Cnli.v: six-cleft, hell-shaped. Petals:
six, curled. Stfmina : very many, the six outer thicker than
the rest, and longer than the petals. The species are,
1. Lagerstroemia indiea. Leaves alternate, ovate; calices
iviked, even. The trunk of this tree is about a fathom high,
and smooth all over. Flowers in a decompound, trichoto-
mous, naked, spreading panicle at the ends of the twigs ;
corolla purple. Native of the Kast Indies, China, Cochin-
china, and Japan.
2. Lagerstroemia Speciosa. Leaves alternate, ovate;
calices and leaves tomentose underneath. Native of China.
3. Lagerstroemia Regime. Leaves opposite, oblong, smooth ;
calices grooved. Trunk erect; branches horizontal, spread-
ing ; flowers much larger and more beautiful than those of
the first species, colour in the morning that of a pale rose,
growing deeper through the day, and acquiring a purple
tinge; calix inferior, on the outside beautifully grooved into
trapezoid figures. Native of the East Indies, on many woody
mountains of the northern parts of the Circars, where it
grows to a tree of a middling size, flowering in the hot season,
and ripening seeds in August. It is very beautiful when in
flower, and well deserves a conspicuous place in our stoves.
4. Lagerstroemia Parviflora. Leaves opposite, oblong,
smooth above, downy underneath ; calices grooved. Trunk
erect, with smooth ash-coloured bark ; branches numerous;
flowers small, white, less than the common Myrtle. This
small tree is a native of the Circar mountains ; it flowers
during the hot season, and the seeds are ripe in August and
September. The wood is used by the natives for various
(Economical purposes, but neither the beauty of the flower,
nor the appearance of the tree, recommend it for ornament
on a footing with the other species.
l.ifi<ri-i<i ; a srenus of the class Pentandria, order Mono-
gynia. GKNEIUC CHARACTER. Calix: involucre univer-
sal < i^ht-leaved; leaflets feather-toothed; ciliated, reflex,
containing the umbellule; involucre proper four-leaved;
leaflets hair-feathered, involving a single footstalk, shorter
than the leaflet itself; perianth proper five-leaved ; hair many-
cleft, superior. Corolla: petals five, two-horned, shorter
than the ealix. Stamina: filamenta five, capillary, length
of the corolla ; anthora roundish. Pistil: germen roundish,
below the receptacle of the perianth ; style length of the
stamina; stigmas two, the one truncated. Pericarj) : none.
solitary, ovate-oblong, crowned by the perianth.
Observe. The alternate seed is abortive. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Involucre: both universal and partial, pinnatifid.
Perianth : of five leaves, in many capillary segments. Petals:
bifid. Seeds: solitary, inferior. -The only known species is,
1. Lagci'cia Cumiuoides; Wild or Bastard Cumin. This
is an annual plant, about a foot high, with leaves resembling
\j
8
LAM
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LAM
those of Honeywort. The flowers which appear in June
and Juiy, are collected into spherical heads at the extre-
mity of ihe stalks, and are of a greenish-yellow colour.
Native of the Levant. Sow the seeds in autumn on a warm
border soon after they are ripe; or if they be permitted to
scatter, they will soon come up of themselves. When the
seeds are sown in the spring, they commonly remain in the
ground a year, and sometimes two or three, before they grow.
LagiiMEa ; a genus of the class Monadelphia, order Poly-
andria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth one-
leafed, bell-shaped, somewhat cornered, half five-cleft, per-
manent (according to Cavanilles, deciduous.) Corolla: petals
five, ovate-oblong, obtuse, spreading, affixed to the base of
the tube of the stamina. Stamina: filamenta several, (from
twenty-five to thirty,) conjoined into a tube below, in the
top and sides of the tube receding from it and free ; antherce
roundish. Pistil: germen ovate-oblong; style thread-shaped,
longer than the stamina, five-cleft at the tip: divisions spread-
ing, or undivided; stigmas headed. Pericarp: capsule
ovate-oblong, somewhat five-cornered, five-celled, five-valved ;
partitions contrary. Seeds: some, roundish, three-sided.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: simple, five-cusped.
Style: simple. Stigma : peltated. Capsule : five-celled, five-
valved. Plants of this genus may be propagated and culti-
vated in the same manner with those species of Hibiscus which
come from hot countries ; which see. The species are,
1. Lagunaea Aculeata ; Prickly Lagunata. Stem prickly,
tomentose ; leaves deeply many-parted ; flowers axillary, soli-
tary. Flowers on short peduncles ; corolla yellow, twice as
long as the calix, spreading. Native of Coromandel, near
Pondicherry, where it is called cattacacheree by the natives.
2. Lagunsea Solandra; Maple-leaved Laguneea. Leaves
subcordate, three-cusped, serrate ; flowers corymbed. This
plant is about two feet high, and hirsute; stem upright,
round, stiff, the thickness of a goose-quill ; flowers corymb-
racemed at the ends of the stem and branches; corolla pur-
plish white. Found in the Isle of Bourbon. See Hibiscus
Solandra, which is the same plant. It ripens seed in Eng-
land, and may be increased by them.
3. Lagunsea Ternata ; Three-leaved Laijuncea. Stem her-
baceous, villose; lower leaves ternate, with the middle leaflet
very long; upper leaves subhastate; flowers axillary, solitary.
Root round, not very fibrous. Native of Senegal.
Lagurus; (Hare's-tail Grass) a genus of the class Triandria,
order Digynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: glume
one-flowered, bivalve ; valves long, linear, spreading, very thin,
each en'ding in a villose awn. Corolla: bivalve, thicker than
the calix ; valve exterior, longer, terminated by two small up-
right awns; a third awn from the middle cf the back of the
same valve, reflex-twisted; valve interior, small, sharp; nectary
two-leaved; leaflets lanceolate, obtuse, gibbous at the base.
Stamina: filamenta three, capillary ; antheraj oblong. Pis-
til: germen top-shaped; styles two, setaceous, villose; stig-
mas simple. Pericarp: none. Corolla: grows to the seed.
Seed: solitary, oblong, covered, awned. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: two-valved, with a villose awn. Corolla:
having on the outer petal two terminating awns, and a third
dorsal one, twisted back The only species is,
1. Lagurus Ovatus. This is an annual grass, growing to
the height of a foot or eighteen inches, and even more, very
soft and hoary, as are also the leaves and spikes. Native of
the south of Europe, France, Italy, Sicily, and Portugal.
Lamb's Lettuce. See Valeriana.
Lambertia ; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Mono-
jryniu. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: involucre of many
long, imbricated, coloured leaves, the inner ones graduaily the
largest, containing from one to seven flowers, deciduous ;
perianth none. Corolla: petals four, cohering at the base,
linear-lanceolate, equal, revolute from above their point of
union, bearing the stamina; nectary of four glandular scales
at the base of the germen, sometimes united. Stamina : fila-
menta none ; antherae four, sessile at the inner side of the
revolnte part of each petal, linear, at length recurved. Pis-
til : germen superior, turbinate, fringed at the top; style
thread-shaped; stigma rather thicker, prominent, awl-shaped,
furrowed. Pericarp : follicle roundish-wedge-shaped, some-
what woody, more or less horned or tubercular, of one cell.
Seeds: two, orbicular, compressed, each encompassed with
a rounded ring; common receptacle flat, without scales. ES-
SENTIAL CHARACTER. Petals: four, cohering, spirally
revolute, bearing the stamina. Nectary: of four scale*.
Stigma: awl-shaped. Follicle: woody. Seeds: two, bor-
dere^l. Involucre: of many leaves, imbricated, coloured,
deciduous. Receptacle: flat. The species are,
1. Lambertia Uniflora. Flowers solitary in each involucre.
Leaves obovate, with a point, smooth, reticulated. Follicle
pointed at one side, without horns. Gathered by Mr. Brown
in Lewin's Land, on the south coast of New Holland, growing
about rocky inlets near the shore
2. Lambertia Inermis. Flowers seven in each involucrum;
twice as long as its inner leaves ; styles smooth ; follicles
pointed at one side, without horns ; leaves oblanceolate or
obovate, pointless. Native of stony hills in Lewin's Land.
3. Lambertia Formosa. Flowers seven, in each involucre,
the length of its inner leaves ; style hairy ; follicle pointed at
one side, two-horned at the other; leaves linear-lanceolate,
sharp-pointed, recurved at the edges. Involucre and flowers
of a fine rose-colour or crimson. The leaves are green and
smooth above ; white, and reticulated with veins beneath.
Native of stony heaths near Port Jackson.
4. Lambertia Echinata. Leaves linear, smooth, reticu-
lated ; dilated, lobed, and pointed at their extremities; fol-
licles two-horned, thorny all over. Native of stony sides of
hills in Lewin's Land. Not being seen in flower, its genus
remains doubtful.
Lamium ; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Gymno-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, tubular, wider above, five-toothed, awned, nearly
equal, permanent. Corolla: one-petalled, ringent ; tube
cylindric, very short; border gaping; throat inflated, com-
pressed, gibbous, marked on each edge with a reflex tooth-
let; upper lip arched, roundish, obtuse, entire; lower lip
shorter, obcordate, emarginate, reflex. Stamina: filamenta
four, awl-shaped, covered beneath the upper lip, two of
them longer; anthera oblong, hairy. Pistil: germen four-
cleft; style filiform, length and situation of the stamina;
stigma two-cleft, sharp. Pericarp: none. Calix: open, and
bearing in its bosom the seeds, which are flat at top. Seeds:
four, short, three-sided, convex on one side, truncated on
both sides. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: upper lip
entire, vaulted; lower two-lobed ; throat with a reflex tooth-
let on each side. The species are,
1. Lamium Orvala; Baum-leaved Archangel. Leaves
cordate, unequally and sharply serrate; corollas inflated at
the throat; calix coloured. Hoot perennial ; stem from half
a yard to nearly a yard high ; corolla an inch long, of a deep
red colour. The brilliance and size of the flowers have
secured it admittance into the garden, while all the rest are
excluded, notwithstanding its strong and unpleasant smell.
The Orvala Garganica of Linneus is a mere variety of this,
owing its apparent difference to having grown in a moist
shady place. Native of Italy, Silesia, and Hungary. Jt
LAM
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LAM
9
rarely produces good seeds in England, nor do the roots
propagate very fast. October is the best time to part and
remove these roots, but they must not be transplanted oftener
than every third year, if they are required to flower strongly.
It is hardy, and thrives best in a soft loamy soil. Mr. Curtis
says it grows readily ; but that, flowering about the end of
April, it is then apt to be injured if cold winds prevail, unless
it be placed in a sheltered part of the garden.
2. Luinium Leevigatuin ; Smooth Archangel. Leaves cor-
date, wrinkled; stem even; calices smooth, the length of
the tube of the corolla. Root perennial, somewhat creeping;
whorls of flowers separated by leaves, ten in a whorl at most.
Native of Italy, .Silesia, and Siberia.
3. Latnium Rugosum ; Wrinkled Archangel. Leaves cor-
date, acute, wrinkled, hairy with the stem ; whorls many-
flowered ; a single bristle-shaped tooth at the throat. This
plant is about a foot high. The flowers are like those of the
common sort, and of a deep rose-colour. Sometimes in cold
situations it produces curled leaves, round like those of the
Lime-tree. Native of Italy.
4. Lamium Gurganicum ; Woolly Archangel. Leaves cor-
date, pubescent; throat of the corolla inflated; tube straight,
a double tooth on each side. Root perennial, creeping; stems
many, thick, a foot high ; flowers in whorls from the upper
joints, large, of a pale purplish colour, continuing in succes-
sion most part of the summer. Native of Italy, Silesia, China,
Cochin-china, and Japan. It is propagated by. seeds, and
its roots spread very fast.
5. Lamium Maculatum ; Spotted Archangel. Leaves cor-
date, acuminate; whorls ten-flowered. This is very nearly
allied to the next sort ; but differs from it in having a purple
corolla ; the leaves marked with a longitudinal white area,
which however disappears in summer ; the petioles not
widened ; flowers five on each side, not ten ; two teeth on
each side of the throat, the upper one bristle-shaped. -Native
of Germany, Silesia, Dauphiny, and Italy.
6. Lamium Album; White Archangel, or Dead Nettle.
Leaves cordate, acuminate, serrate, petioled ; whoris twenty-
flowered. Root perennial, white, jointed, creeping ; stems
numerous, a foot high, unbranched, slender at bottom, hol-
low, slightly hairy, sometimes almost smooth ; in exposed
situations reddish purple; the young shoots erect and ascend-
ing. Flowers yellowish-white, sometimes tinged with red.
It is common in hedges, on banks, by road-sides, and in
corn-fields, flowering in April and May, when it is much
resorted to by bees, for the honey secreted in the bottom
of the tube by the gland that surrounds the base of the ger-
men. Hence it is called in some countries Bee-nettle, which
is corrupted into Bean-nettle. It has also the name of Die-
nettle, which is a corruption of Dead-nettle, and that, as
well as Blind-nettle, means a nettle without stings. This
plant has a disagreeable smell when bruised. The Phaltena
Chrysitis, or burnished brass moth, feeds on it. Linneus
says, the leaves are eaten in Sweden as a pot-herb in the
spring. No cattle however appear to touch it; and having a
strong creeping perennial root, it. should be extirpated, unless
retained for medical purposes. The flowers made into a
conserve are an excellent remedy Car that troublesome, weak-
ening, and oftentimes obstinate and dangerous, female com-
plaint, the fluor albus or whites ; doses' of a few grains, gra-
dually increased, have been found very effectual. The whole
plant is of an astringent nature; and the dried roots are
sometimes given with success in fluxes. A strong infusion of
the leaves bids fair to answer the same purposes, and may be
serviceable in all other kinds of weakness and debility. It
propagates itself copiously by the roots.
7. Lamium Bifidum. Leaves cordate, acuminate ; upper
lip of the corolla bifid ; segments divaricated. Stems a foot
or eighteen inches high, procumbent, tinged with red at
bottom, and branched there ; flowers white, appearing in
February and March. It is an annual plant, native of Italy,
near Naples ; the coast of Tuscany, and the isle of Elba.
8. Lamium Purpureum ; Purple Archangel. Leaves cor-
date, blunt, petioled. Root annual, fibrous ; stems several,
at the bottom- weak and branched, near the top almost
naked, and frequently coloured, six inches or more in height,
hollow, and somewhat rugged ; flowers growing thickly toge-
ther on the tops of the stalks in whorls, six together, in a
double row; corolla red ; seeds pale brown, triangular, trun-
cate, margined. This, like the sixth species, is common in
most parts of Europe, in the same situations, and is a com-
mon weed in gardens and other cultivated land ; flowering a
great part of the year, from April to September, and in mild
seasons both earlier and later. Bees resort also to this for
the honey-juice in the flowers. Linneus says it is boiled in
Upland, a province of Sweden, as a pot-herb. The herb and
flowers, either fresh or dried, afford a decoction that is good
for floodings, bleedings at the nose, spitting of blood, or
any kind of haemorrhage. The leaves are also useful to
stanch wounds, when bruised, and outwardly applied. It
is propagated by seeds.
9. Lamium Dissectum; Cut-leaved Archangel. Leaves
deeply and irregularly cut; stem-leaves decurrent. It is annual,
and not unfrequeiit, according to Ray, in kitchen-gardens
and fallow fields. Mr. Curtis observed it on a bank between
Pimlico and Chelsea; and Mr. Robson, about Darlington.
10. Lamium Molle ; Pellitory -leaved Archangel. Leaves
petioled, slightly toothed, lower cordate, upper ovate ; flow-
ers white. Native place unknown.
11. Lamium Amplexicaule; Per foliate Archangel. Floral
leaves sessile, embracing, blunt; root annual, fibrous, whitish;
stems several, nine inches or a foot high, nearly upright,
smooth, with a few opposite branches ; flowers in whorls,
to fifteen, perfect and imperfect; the latter short, a little
longer than the calix, the tips very red, hairy, and closed ;
the former four times the length of the calix, bright purple,
generally breaking out from the top of the stem. The imper-
fect corollas are very hairy, of a bright red colour, and have
the mouth closed. The tube of the perfect ones is very long,
cylindrical, and nearly upright; the edge of the throat is
turned back, spotted, and has two little teeth ; the neck is
a little prominent; the upper lip hirsute, and nearly entire;
the lower turning down, and dividing into two lobes, which
are spotted with purple. The imperfect flowers appear in
February and March, the perfect ones not till May or June:
if the progress of the flowers be watched, it will be found
that the corolla is gradually enlarged in different flowers, till
the weather being sufficiently warm, they come forth fully
formed. The imperfect flowers are neither rudiments of the
long ones, nor are they barren, for they have both stamina
and pistillum. Linneus informs us that this plant scarcely
ever produces perfect flowers in Sweden. Here then we
have a process somewhat similar to what is observed in the
Violet, and some other plants, in which perfect seed is pro-
duced, although the corolla be not perfectly formed; analo-
gical to what happens in the animal kingdom, when a cater-
pillar, previously to its changing into the chrysalis state, hag
been deprived of its proper quantity of food, the fly comes
forth perfect in all its parts except the wings, which arfi
crumpled up, and never expand. This plant is common in
most parts of Europe, in cultivated ground, on light soils, and
on walls. The old name of it is Great Henbit,
10
LAN
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LAN
12. Lamium Multifidum. Leaves many-parted. .Native
of the Levant.
13. Lamium Moschatum ; Musky Archangel. Leaves
cordate, blunt, smooth ; floral-leaves sessile ; calicos deeply
gashed. Flowers white, appearing in April. The leaves are
marked with white, somewhat like those of the uuiumnal
Cyclamen; they are smooth, and in dry weather haw a
musky scent, but in wet weather are fetid.
14. Lamium Hispidulum. Stalk hispid ; leaves widely cor-
date, pubescent; axils one-flowered ; flowers large, white.
Found in the shady woods of Tennassee, North America.
Lanstria ; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : none. Corolla:
one-petalled, subcampanulated, outwardly wool-haired; tube
short; border six-parted; divisions linear-lanceolate, some-
what spreading. Stamina: filamenta six, filiform, shorter
than the corolla, inserted into the base of the divisions ;
antherse ovate, somewhat incumbent. Pistil: gennen infe-
rior, top-shaped, outwardly woolly; style filiform, upright,
length of the stamina; stigmas three-cleft. Perica/'/i : cn<p-
sule ovate, three-celled. Seeds: few. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Corolla : superior, woolly, longer than the fila-
menta ; border six-parted, somewhat spreading. Capsule:
three-celled. -The only known species is,
1. Lanaria Plumosa. Root fibrous; stem woolly, upright;
stem-leaves sessile, nerved, smooth ; flowers terminating, in
a close panicle ; spathes simple. It has the habit of Wachen-
dorfia. N 7 ative of the Cape.
Land. It is stated, in an able work on the landed pro-
perty of England, that land, viewed in the light of agricul-
ture, is the foundation on which it rests, the materials on
which it operates, and the visible source of its productions.
And that it may generally be considered as being composed
of three distinct parts ; the soil, the subsoil, and the base, or
substructure, on which they rest. It is added, that the soil,
or plant-feeding stratum, is equally various in quality and
depth. The soils of cultivated lands, however, have their
limits as to depth. These limits may, it is conceived, be fixed
at three and fifteen inches. For although in many instances
the component parts of land are pretty uniform to a greater
depth than fifteen inches, a uniformity of colour and vegetative
quality seldom reaches to that deptii. The influence of the
atmosphere, the fibres of vegetables living and decayed, the
operations of animalcula and larger animals, that inhabit
soils, and, above all, the powerful effects of manures, tend to
furnish the surface-mould with qualities which the substrata
have not the means of acquiring. The medium depth of
cultivated soils in England may, we suppose, be set down at
about nine inches. For although a majority of the cultivated
soils of the kingdom may not reach that depth, the writer is
of opinion that the major part might be advantageously sunk to
that depth. The subsoil, or ink Tveniug stratum of land, is still
less definite with regard to depth. In some instances, as
where the cultivated" soil rests upon rocks, it may be said to be
wanting, though, in most cases of this kind, a stratum of a
gravelly nature, composed of broken rock and earth, is found
between them. In manv cases a regular bed of gravel, sand,
or other earth, intervenes between the soil and the substruc-
ture ; while in others a uniform mass of earthy materials
reaches to a great depth. If therefore a definite thickness
or depth may be assigned to the subsoil, it must be in a
degree arbitrary, or without any degree of accuracy or cor-
rectness. It seems evident that the soil affords nourishment
and stability to agricultural plants, and that the subsoil
assigns them temperature, with respect to moisture and inter-
nal wiirmth. If the subsoil be of such a nature, or so situated,
as to receive and retain more moisture than is requisite for
the natural growth of plants, their health is injured. If it
not only holds water in its own pores, but freely communi-
cates it to those of the soil, the more valuable plants in agri-
culture will give way to ranker herbage, let the surface soil
be w-i.it it may. On the contrary, if an open stratum of
sufficient deptii intervenes between the cultivated soil and
the base, to permit the superfluous moisture which filters
ii the soil to pass off, the plants in cultivation will be
,1 from collected moisture in the immediate region of
their feeding fibres, though the substructure may be charged
to the lull with water. Ileuee, where nature has not furnished
land with this valuable interstratum, it is the business of art
to remedy the defect; which is generally best done by drain-
ihe superfluous moisture to a sufficient depth to pre-
vent ils evil effects on the soil, and thereby supplying the
required stratum. In doing this, the artist must be led by
en properties of the base, and he can seldom lower it
to any determinate or arbitrary depth. Nevertheless, he
should endeavour to form an adequate idea of the medium
depth required ; in doing which, much depends on the specific
quality of the soil. Sand will hold up water that is lodged
at its base to a much greater height than uiavel ; a stratum
of which, one foot deep, forms a drier subsoil than a bed of
sand of twice or three times that thickness. But clean sand
1 is rin ly found in land, sand and gravelly loams
being the most, common in absorbent subsoils; and these are
capable of raising and holding up water to a considerable
height. Let us therefore admit that effective subsoils may
vary from one to tv.'o feet, and fix the medium depth at
eighteen inches; by thus placing the mean depth of soils at
nine inches, and that of subsoils at eighteen inches, we shall
place the. base or substructure of the land at twenty-seven
inches beneath its surface ; which is a depth of land equally
conformable with theory and with practice. To this depth
drains may be sunk at a moderate expense ; especially covered
stone drains, which would be effectual, and yet not be liable
to injury in tillage. In the practice of skilful workmen, the
depth of ordinary subsoil drains varies from eighteen inches
to three feet, according to the circumstances of the given
case, and the method of draining employed. After this
general view of the component parts of land, and of their due
arrangement, the common varieties of it, as they are given by
soil, subsoil, and base, remain to be considered. We shall
divide them into classes, and mark the varieties of each.
First Class. This comprehends such lands as are liable to
surface-water only, with their absorbent strata (if any) open,
so as freely to discharge the superfluous water that falls upon
them. The varieties of this are, first, where the soil, the
subsoil, and the base, are repellent, or in a state of moistness
impenetrable by water; as clay and strong deep clayey loam.
The second, where the soil is repellent, the subsoil absor-
bent, and the base repellent. The third, where the soil is
repellent, the subsoil and base absorbent, or in a state of
moistness conducting water; as sand, gravel, open rock, and
the lighter more open loams. The fourth, where the soil, the
subsoil, and the base, are absorbent. The fifth, where the
soil and the subsoil are absorbent, but the base repellent. And
the sixth, where the soil is absorbent, the subsoil repellent,
and the base absorbent or repellent. Second Class. This
includes such lands as are liable to surface-water only, with
their absorbent strata closed, or permitting an imperfect dis-
, either for want of sufficient descent, or by reason of
impervious strata, or beds of impenetrable materials. The
varieties of which are, first, where the soil is repellent, the
subsoil absorbent, and the base repellent or absorbent. The
LAN
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
.LAN
11
econd, where the soil and the subsoil are absorbent, but
the base repellent or absorbent. The third, where the absor-
bent and repellent strata, or masses, are thrown together
irregularly, or not disposed in regular strata, which corre-
spond with the surface or upper part. Third Class. This
comprises such lands as are liable not only to surface-waters,
but to those which are subterrene, and which either descend
from higher grounds in their respective neighbourhoods, or
rise beneath them from subjacent reservoirs ; the absorbent
strata of this class being closed, and thereby rendered reten-
tive, as in the second class or kind of land. The varieties
of which are, first, where the soil is absorbent or repellent;
the substrata absorbent and closed, and uniformly charged
with descending waters by an even stratum of gravel, free-
sand, or some other similar material. The second, where
the same soil and substrata are partially charged with de-
scending waters, through veins of sand, or gravel, or fissures
of rock, &c. The third, where the soil is repellent or
absorbent, the subsoil absorbent and closed, and uniformly
charged with descending waters; the base repellent, with a
sub-base freely absorbent and open. The fourth, where the
soil is absorbent or repellent, the substrata uniformly absorb-
ent and closed, and charged with rising waters. And the
fifth, where the soil is repellent or absorbent, the substrata
complex and closed, and charged with rising and descending
waters. Observations. It is sufficiently evident, from
various circumstances in the management of lands, that some
sorts are much better calculated for the production of grain-
crops than those of the grass kinds; while, on the contrary,
others are much more suitable and better adapted to the
raising of grass than corn ; and that there are still others that
may be cultivated under a convertible system of corn and
grass, with more success than with either crop separately.
All those lands which possess a sufficient degree of dryness,
whether they have much depth of mould or not, and which
in their natural state have but little tendency to produce
good herbage ; such as those covered with different sorts of
coarse plants and vegetable productions, whether in an open
or inclosed state, are proper for tillage. And it has been well
observed by Mr. Davis, that grounds of this nature are of
considerably more value when in a state of tillage than in
pasture, as they are particularly adapted to the improved
methods of cultivation ; and, in addition to the quantity of
grain to be produced from them, will afford a greater quantity
of food for animal stock, when in a tillage state, than they
did when kept entirely in that of pasture or sward. The same
writer likewise states, that there are various other descriptions
of light lands that may be kept in a state of tillage with more
advantage than in that of grass, as they are peculiarly suited
to those improved methods of cultivation that are necessary
for raising large supplies of green food for the support of
live-stock of different kinds. That the poorer sorts of sand
lands, where marl, clay, chalk, or other similar substances,
can be readily procured, are much more proper for the pur-
poses of tillage than those of grass, is sufficiently shown by
the improvements that have been made in many of the more
southern districts of the kingdom ; and that lands of the
chalky kind, whether of the more superficial or deep descrip-
tions, are in most cases better suited for tillage than grass,
is proved from their wetness in the winter season, and their
openness and friability in the summer, rendering it almost
impossible to establish good herbage upon them. Besides
these, there is another sort of land that is better for the pur-
poses of tillage than those of grass, which is that which, in
the state of grass, is constantly so disposed to the production
of moss, as to afford but a very scanty share of good herbage
VOL. n. 67.
in any circumstances. It has been stated by the author of
Practical Agriculture, that most of the clayey and more
heavy descriptions of land, especially when situated in valleys
or other low confined exposures, though they may be capable
of affording good crops of particular kinds when under the
plough, as those of the wheat and bean kind, are, on account
of the retention of moisture, the increased expenses of labour,
and the uncertainty of season for tilling them, as well as
their inaptitude for most other sorts of crops, and their fit-
ness for the production of good herbage, much more bene-
ficial in the state of grass than in that of tillage. When there
is an opportunity of procuring sea-sand, and of applying it at
an easy expense, they may, however, be converted to the
purposes of tillage in a profitable manner. Most of those
strong cold grass-lands which, in a state of tillage, would be
improper for the growth of Turnips, and other applications of
improved cultivation, should also constantly remain in a state
of grass : those lands likewise that are situated near large
towns, where manure is plentiful, and of course procured at
a reasonable rate, and where the produce of such land is
always in great demand, and therefore capable of being dis-
posed of to great advantage. Such lands as are situated on
the banks of large rivers or brooks, which are capable of
improvement by watering, are likewise more beneficial when
kept constantly under the grass system, than any other mode
of cultivation that can be practised. The lands of a calca-
reous nature, which are distributed in the valleys of the more
mountainous districts, where old grass-land is scarce and of
much importance, and most pait of that in the state of tillage
incapable of being converted to the condition of good grass,
may be the most advantageous when continued in a perma-
nent state of herbage. But the sorts of land that are most
adapted to the practice of convertible husbandry, are those
of the loamy kinds, which are not too strong for the growth
of Turnips. These, in all their different varieties, are capable
of being changed from the state of tillage to that of grass,
and the contrary, not only without sustaining any injury,
but frequently with the most evident advantage, as the prac-
tice of some of the western and midland districts has fully-
proved. The richer kinds of sandy lands are generally well
suited to this sort of husbandry, especially where marl is
at hand, to be applied at the time of laying them down to
grass. Grounds of the peaty sort may likewise, in many cases,
be the most beneficially employed in this mode of culture,
as, from their producing little else than plants of the aquatic
kind, it is obvious that they must be completely destroyed,
and those of the proper grass kind be introduced, before
any useful herbage can be produced. And this is capable of
being accomplished in by much the most perfect manner
under the state of tillage. But as they are in most instances
much too tender and moist for the purpose of remaining long
in the state of tillage, as soon as the above intention has been
fully effected they should be restored to the state of perma-
nent grass, either as meadows or pasture-lands.
Lantuna ; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Angio-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth one-
leafed, very short, converging, obscurely four-toothed, tubu-
lar. Corolla: one-petalled, nearly equal ; tube cylindric,
slender, longer than the calix, rather oblique ; border flat,
unequally four-cleft, obtuse. Stamina: filamenta four, very
small, placed in the midst of the tube of the corolla, very
slender, of which two are a little higher ; antheree roundish.
Pistil: germen roundish; style filiform, short; stigma
refracted, sharp downwards like a hook, and as it were
obliquely growing to the tip of the style. Pericarp: drupe
roundish, one-celled. Seed: nut round-pyramidal, three-
D
12
LAN
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL:
LAN
celled, the lowest cell sterile; kernels solitary, oblong.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : obscurely four-toothed.
Stigma : hook-refracted. Drupe : with a two-celled nucleus.
The plants of this genus are all, except the fourth spe-
cies, propagated by cuttings. They may also be propagated
by seeds, which several of the sorts produce in England,
and the others may be easily procured from the West Indies,
where there is a greater variety of these plants growing natu-
rally than is at present known in Europe ; they are all called
Wild Sage by the inhabitants of the British Islands, but they
do not distinguish the sorts. These seeds should be sown in
pots filled with light earth, and plunged into a hot-bed of tan,
because they frequently remain long in the ground before
they vegetate ; therefore if the plants should not come up the
same year, the pots should be placed in the stove in winter,
and the following spring plunged into new a hot-bed, which
will bring up the plants. When these are fit to remove, they
should be each planted in a small pot, and plunged into
another hot-bed, observing to shade them until they have
taken new root; then they should have air admitted to them
every day, in proportion to the warmth of the season, to
prevent their being drawn up with weak stalks ; afterwards
they must be treated in the same manner as other plants from
the same country, till they have obtained strength ; they then
may be removed into an airy glass-case, or a dry-stove, where
they may have a large share of air in warm weather, but
protected from the cold. This is necessary for the young
plants, which should not the first year be exposed to the
open air, but afterwards they may be placed abroad in the
warmest part of summer, and in winter upon stands in the
dry-stove, where they will continue long in flower, and many
of the sorts will ripen their seeds ; but in winter they should
be sparingly watered, for much moisture will rot their roots.
If they be propagated by cuttings, the best time is in July,
after the plants have been exposed to the open air for about
a month, by which time the shoots will be hardened, so as to
be out of danger of rotting by moisture : these cuttings
should be planted in small pots filled with light earth, and
plunged into a moderate hot-bed ; and if they are screened
from the violence of the sun in the middle of the day, they
will be rooted in about six weeks, when they must be gra-
dually hardened to bear the open air, and treated afterwards
as the old plants. The species are,
1. Lantana Mista; Various-flowered Lantana, or Ameri-
can Viburnum. Leaves opposite, ovate, acute, hairy ; stem
prickly at bottom ; flowers in roundish heads ; bractes lance-
olate. It is about five feet high. Trunk round or roundish,
with an ash-coloured bark. Whilst the flower is yet closed,
the lower part of the border appears of a pale red ; when it
opens, the tube and upper part of the border are saffron co-
loured, but become reddish, and finally dark red; this change
begins from the circumference, and finishes in the centre.
Hence the flowers in an umbel not being all open at once,
the middle appears of a saffron yellow, and the circumference
of a red colour. From this change of colour, the plant has
acquired the name of mista, or mixed. Native of America.
2. Lantana Trifolia ; Three-leaved Lantana. Leaves tern
or quatern, elliptic, serrate, wrinkled above, villose beneath ;
stem unarmed; spikes oblong, imbricated. Flowers pale
blood-red, and not changeable. Mr. Miller says there is a
variety with white flowers, and leaves not quite so round,
entire on the edge. It flowers from June to September
Native of the West Indies.
3. Lantana Viburnoides. Leaves-opposite, ovate-lanceo-
late ; stem unarmed ; flowers in headed spikes ; inrolucres
lanceolate. .Native of Mount Barah in Arabia.
4. Lantana Annua; Annual Lantana. Leaves opposite
and tern cordate, rugged ; stem unarmed ; spikes oblong.
Corollas flesh-coloured, with a yellow throat, not changeable;
fruits purple, succulent, and eatable. Native of Vera Cruz,
and Jamaica. It can only be propagated by seeds.
5. Lantana Stricta. Leaves opposite, oblong-lanceolate,
acute ; stem unarmed ; heads roundish ; bractes ovate-lan-
ceolate, squarrose. Native of Jamaica, on Mount Diablo.
6. Lantana Radula. Leaves opposite, ovate, acute, ser-
rate, wrinkled, rough, hirsute beneath; stem almost unarmed,
rough ; heads oblong ; bractes ovate-acute. It has its name
from its rugged leaves. Native of the West Indies.
7. Lantana Camara; Various-coloured Lantana. Leaves
opposite ; stem unarmed, branched ; flowers headed-umbel-
led leaflets. Corolla funnel-form ; the tube and border at
first pale sulphur-coloured, changing to saffron, light red,
and pale crimson ; tube round at the base, gibbous, widen-
ing towards the throat ; drupe the size of red currants, black
green, with a nauseous smell. A decoction of the leaves
of this plant is an excellent diaphoretic, and of great use in
fevers, and for strengthening the stomach Outwardly
applied, it will cleanse the worst ulcers, and heal up wounds,
and is a good ingredient in the aromatic bath. The tea,
with twenty drops of laudanum to half a pint, is good in
the dysentery, and useful as a gargle in malignant sore
throats. It flowers from April to September. Native of the
West Indies.
8. Lantana Odorata; Sweet-scented Lantana. Leaves
opposite and tern, elliptic, wrinkled; stem unarmed; heads
squarrose ; bractes lanceolate ; peduncles shorter than the
leaf. Native of the West Indies ; it flowers from May to
November.
9. Lantana Recta; Upright Lantana. Leaves opposite,
oval, wrinkled; stem unarmed; heads squarrose; bractes
oblong; peduncles longer than the leaf. It flowers from
June to August. Native of Jamaica.
10. Lantana Involucrata; Round-leaved Lantana. Leaves
opposite and tern, rhomb-ovate, blunt, wrinkled, tomentose ;
stem unarmed ; heads squarrose ; bractes ovate. Peduncles
short; flowers of the same colour as in the second species,
but the yellow colour of the throat soon changes to white ;
and hence the flower is whitish with a pale flesh-coloured
margin. Native of the West Indies.
1 1. Lantana Melisssefolia ; Baum-leaved Lantana. Leaves
opposite, ovate-oblong, villose, soft; stem prickly; spikes
hemispherical ; braqtes shorter by half than the tube. Corolla
yellow. Native of South America.
12. Lantana Scabrida; Rough Lantana. Leaves opposite,
ovate, elliptic, rugged ; stem prickly ; spikes hemispherical ;
bractes shorter by naif than the tube, lanceolate, acute. It
flowers in September. Native of the West Indies.
13. Lantana Aculeata; Prickly Lantana. Leaves oppo-
site, ovate, subcordate, softish underneath ; stem prickly ;
bractes of the heads linear-wedge-form. Colour of the tube
of the corolla pale-red ; border lemon-coloured, changing
into an orange and sometimes deeper colour. It flowers from
April to November. Native of the West Indies.
14. Lantana Aurea; Golden-flowered Lantana. Leaves
ovate-oblong, shining; stem obscurely quadrangular, almost
Unarmed; corollas golden, changing to saffron-colour. Stem
seven feet high, beset with ickles. Native of the Bahama
Islands.
15. Lantana Sanguinea; Bloody-flowered Lantana. Leaves
ovate-acuminate ; stem quadrangular, prickly ; corollas saf-
fron, changing to blood-red, but afterwards the tube only
keeps this hue; the border, especially the upper surface,
LAP
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LAS
13
being saffron-coloured, then scarlet, and finally of the same
colour as the tube. This may be distinguished from all the
other species by the very deep colour of the flower, and the
property of losing its spines. It is the handsomest plant of
the genus, and deserves to be esteemed for its pleasant
though powerful smell, and the brightness of its colours, as
well as for its flowering through the whole summer.
16. Lantana Inermis. Stem unarmed; leaves lanceolate,
toothed, alternate ; flowers in corymbs. Peduncles axillary,
very slender; flowers pale purple; berries purple, one-seeded.
Native of La Vera Cruz and Jamaica.
17. Lantana Urticsefolia. Stem prickly; leaves oblong-
cordate, serrate, opposite ; flowers in corymbs, yellow.
Native of the West Indies.
18. Lantana Bullata. Leaves oblong-ovate, acuminate,
serrate, wrinkled, alternate; flowers in heads, white. Native
of the West Indies.
19. Lantana Alba. Stem unarmed; leaves ovate, serrate ;
flowers in axillary sessile heads, white : they come out in
pairs, and sit close to the branches. This species was sent
from Campeachy by Dr. Houston.
Lapeyrousia ; a genus of the class Triandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: spathe inferior,
shorter than the corolla, of two, rarely but one, folded valves.
Corolla: of one petal, superior, salver-shaped, nearly or quite
equal; tube long, slender, triangular, its throat a little enlarg-
ed ; limb in six deep segments, shorter than the tube, either
quite equal and regular, or slightly irregular, in the former
case horizontal, in the latter inclining. Stamina: filamenta
three, inserted into the mouth of the tube, rather shorter than
the limb, various in direction ; antherse oblong, incumbent.
Pistil: germen inferior, roundish; style capillary, as long as
the stamina; stigmas three, linear, deeply divided, spreading-
and recurved, downy. Pericarp: capsule membranaceous,
three-lobed, or with three compressed dilated angles, of three
cells and three valves, with very short partitions. Seeds:
numerous, in two rows, nearly globose, or slightly angufar
from pressure. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Spatha: of one
or two folded valves. Corolla: salver-shaped; limb in six
deep segments, shorter than the tube. Stigmas: three,
deeply divided. Capsule: membranaceous, triangular, with
many globular seeds. The species are,
1. Lapeyrousia Corymbosa. Flowers regular, corymbose;
tube scarcely longer than the limb; stamina widely spread-
ing ; stem two-edged, somewhat branched. Flowers nume-
rous, blue. Native of the Cape.
2. Lapeyrousia Falcata. Flowers slightly irregular, ra-
cemose ; tube twice as long as the limb ; stem compressed ;
leaves nearly radical, falcate, obovato-lanceolate. From
the Cape.
3. Lapeyrousia Fasciculata. Radical leaves sword-shaped,
erect; floral ones crowded, recurved, undulated, obtuse,
longer than the clustered flowers; corolla regular; tube twice
as long as the limb ; spatha of one valve. Flowers white.
Native of the Cape.
4. Lapeyronsia Fissifolia. Leaves deeply split, and clasp-
ing the stem at their base, with a short sword-shaped point;
floral ones rounded; flowers purple, fragrant. From the Cape.
5. Lapeyrousia Anceps. Leaves sword-shaped, decurrent,
toothed at the outer edge ; stem corymbose, spreading ;
corolla irregular; tube thrice as long as the limb. Native'of
the Cape.
6. Lapeyrousia Silenoides. Leaves linear-sword-shaped,
entire ; floral ones as long as the rest ; corolla irregular ;
tube five times as long as the limb, erect. Flowers red.
Native of the Cape.
Lapsana; a genus of the class Syngenesia, order Poly-
gamia yEqualis. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: common
caliculated, ovate, cornered ; scales of the tube eight, equal,
linear, hollow-caliculated, keeled, sharp; of the base six, imbri-
cated, small, the alternate one smallest. Corolla : compound
imbricated, uniform ; corollules hermaphrodite, about sixteen,
equal ; proper one-petalled, ligulate, truncated, five-toothed.
Stamina : filamenta five, capillary, very short ; antherae
cylindric, tubular. Pistil : germen somewhat oblong ; style
filiform, length of the stamina; stigma bifid, reflex. Peri-
carp : none. Calix : ovate, converging. Seeds : solitary,
oblong, cylindric, three-sided, striated. Down : none. Re-
ceptacle : naked, flat. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix:
calicled, each of the inner scales channelled. Receptacle:
naked. The species are,
1. Lapsana Communis; Common Nipplewort. Calices o.
the fruit angular ; peduncles slender, very much branched
Root annual; stem upright, stiff, from two to four feet high;
branches smooth ; florets yellow, from fifteen to eighteen. --
Conhnon all over Europe in hedges, shady and waste places,
and all cultivated grounds ; flowering during most of the sum-
mer months. It derives the English name from its supposed
efficacy in curing sore nipples. Dr. Withering calls it Dock
Cresses. At Constantinople it is said to be eaten raw, just
before it comes into flower
2. Lapsana Zacintha; Warted Nipplewort. Calices of
the fruit torulose, depressed, blunt, sessile. Stem subdicho-
tomous, striated, stiffish ; flowers sessile, pendulous whilst
young; corollas tawny underneath, yellow above. Native of
the south of Europe.
3. Lapsana Stellata ; Starry Nipplewort. Calices of the
fruit spreading all round ; rays awl-shaped ; stem-leaves lanceo-
late, undivided. Stems inclined and branched; flowers small,
appearing in July. Native of the south of Europe.
4. Lapsana Kolpinia ; Small Nipplewort. Calices of the
fruit spreading ; rays spreading in a bow, and muricated ;
leaves linear. Annual ; resembling the preceding; it flowers
in July. Native of Siberia and the Levant.
5. Lapsana Rhagadiolus; Heart-leaved Nipplewort. Cali-
ces of the fruit spreading all round; rays awl-shaped; leaves
lyrate. Stem herbaceous, annual, a foot and a half high,
upright, round, striated; flowers saffron-coloured. It flowers
in June and July. Native of Istria, the Levant, and Cochin-
china.
Larch Tree. See Pinus.
Larkspur. See Dalphinium.
Laserpitium ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Digy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: umbel universal,
very large, with from twenty to forty rays ; partial with a
great many rays, flat; involucre universal many-leaved,'
small ; partial many-leaved, small ; perianth proper five-
toothed, obscure. Corolla: universal uniform; floscules
all fertile ; proper of five petals, which are inflex-emarginated,
almost eqfnal, spreading. Stamina : filamenta five, bristly,
the length of the corolla; antherae simple. Pistil: germen
roundish, inferior; styles two, thickish, acuminated, distant;
stigmas obtuse, spreading. Pericarp : none ; fruit oblong,
angulated with eight longitudinal membranes, bipartile.
Seeds: two, very large, oblong, semicylindric, flat on one side,
on the other furnished at the back and margins with mem-
branes (four in all.) Observe. The seed of the ninth species
is furrowed, and without membranes. ESSENTIAL CHARAC-
TER. Petals: bent in, emarginate, spreading ; fruit oblong,
with eight membranaceous angles. Most of the plants of this
genus are very hardy, and will thrive in any soil and situa-
tion : sow the seeds in autumn, and the plants will come up
14
LAS
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LAS
in the spring ; transplant them the following autumn, where
they are designed to remain, for they send out long deep
roots, which are frequently broken by transplanting them
when large ; place them three feet asunder. They will decay
to the ground every autumn, but the roots continue many
years, and require no other culture but to clear them from
weeds. The species are,
V. Laserpitium Latit'olium ; Broad-leaved Laserwort.
Leaflets cordate, gash- serrate. Root about the thickness of
a finger, striking two feet into the ground ; stem round,
striated, green, with a glaucous bloom on it, smooth, filled
with white pith; umbel upright, flat, or somewhat convex,
iu the largest half a foot in diameter, composed of very
many, round, striated rays; flowers white; petals inflex,
obcordate, almost equal. It varies so much that it might be
mistaken for a different species. This acrid aromatic plant
has something of bitterness, and seems to merit a place among
the aromatic stimulants, emmenagogues, and aperient sudo-
rifics ; the root is the hottest part of the plant. This plant
is used in medicine by the peasants and farriers of Some
countrffes, but not by regular practitioners. It flowers in
July, and ripens seed in September. -Native of many parts
of Europe.
2. Laserpitium Trilobum; Columbine-leaved Laserwort.
Leaflets three-lobed, gashed. Root perennial, round, a foot
or more in length, with abundance of fibres at top, blackish
on the outside, white within, with a yellowish pith in the
middle, smelling when bruised, and having a bitter unplea-
sant taste; stem round, from four to six feet in height,
marked with lines but not grooved, firm, upright, shining,
glaucous-green, becoming dark purple with age, having
brachiate branches, and an aromatic sweetish taste ; petals
small, white, attenuated at the base. It flowers from May to
July. Native of the Levant and Austria.
3. Laserpitium Gallicum ; French Laserwort. Leaflets
wedge-form, forked. Root perennial ; stem not much branch-
ed, and having only one or two (seldom three) leaves at the
lower part. It varies with entire rounded leaflets ; indeed,
few plants vary more. It flowers in June and July. Native
of the south of Europe.
4. Laserpitium Silicifoliurn. Root many-forked ; stem
smooth ; leaflets pinnatifid, with lanceolate segments. Stem
on open rocky hills, perennial, one or two lines thick, and
sometimes not more than a span high ; in a lower situation
among bushes, and on the borders of woods, it grows to the
height of four feet, with a stem the thickness of a pen ; um-
bels close, flattish, composed of numerous rays ; petals white
or yellowish. Native of Carniola and Italy.
5. Laserpitium Angustifolium ; Narrow-leaved Laserwort.
Leaflets lanceolate, quite entire, sessile. Flowers white;
seeds winged, curled. It flowers in June and July. Native
of the southern parts of Europe.
6. Laserpitium Prutenicum. Leaflets lanceolate, quite
entire, the outmost united. Root perennial ; st^ hirsute ;
seeds pubescent, acrid, aromatic. Native of Prussia,
Leipsic, Austria, Carniola, Dauphiny, and Italy.
7. Laserpitium Dauricum. Stem spotted; leaflets pinna-
tifid, acuminate. Root subfusiform, the thickness of a finger,
dirty white, with thickish fibres all round. This is a biennial
plant, the whole of which is smooth, has some smell when
bruised, and a slightly aromatic acrid taste. Native country
unknown.
8. Laserpitium Peucedanoides. Leaflets linear-lanceolate,
veined, striated, distinct. Stem a foot high ; flowers white.
Native of Monte Baldo.
9. Laserpitium Siler; Mountain Laserwort. Leaflets
oval-lanceolate, quite entire, petioled. Root perennial, with
a thick head, which is crowned with abundant bristly remains
of former leaves, a foot and a half in length, the thickness
of the human thumb, round, with an irregular brown bark,
fleshy, and white within, with a yellowish pith. The whole
plant smooth. The seeds have a strong smell of cumin, and
an aromatic subacrid bitter taste. The root is extremely
bitter, and might be useful in fevers, cachexies, loss of appe-
tite, &c. ; an infusion of it in wine has been successfully giveu
in disorders of the stomach ; it yields an aromatic resinous
juice on being wounded, and, being made into a syrup, is
recommended in disorders of the breast. It flowers in July
and August, and ripens seed in September. Native of
Austria, Switzerland, and France
10. Laserpitium Diffusum. Leaves superdecompound ;
leaflets linear, awl-shaped, somewhat hairy ; universal invo-
lucres lanceolate, membranaceous. Root perennial, striking
very deep, and but little branched ; stem a foot and a half
high, terminated by one or two umbels, solid, smooth,
slightly striated ; umbels very numerous, convex ; petals
white. Native of Switzerland, F ranee, and Italy.
11. Laserpitium Lucidum ; Shining Lasarwort. Leaves
superdecompound, linear-awl-shaped ; universal involucre
smooth, pinnate. Root woody, large, with several forks,
crowned with bristles and scales of fallen leaves; stem
straight, grooved half a foot high ; flower often purple. Il
flowers in July. Native of Switzerland.
12. Laserpitium Chironium. Leaflets obliquely cordate ;
petioles hirsute. Native of Montpellier in the south of France.
13. Laserpitium Ferulaceum ; Fennel-leaved Laserwort.
Leaflets linear. It flowers in Juue. Native of the Levant.
14. Laserpitium Simplex. Scape naked ; leaflets simple ;
leaves pinnate, multifid, acute, linear ; umbel semiglobular.
Root perennial, knobbed, and often multiplied at top, so as
to produce several stems, only two or three inches high, ter-
minated by a solid, rounded, reddish umbel. Native of the
rrrbuntains of Switzerland, Austria, and Dauphiny.
15. Laserpitium Aciphylla. Stem sheathed ; petioles di-
lated ; leaves digitate, linear, elongated, mucronate. Native
of New Zealand ; found in Queen Charlotte's Sound.
Lasia ; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: spathe awl-shaped,
twisted, coloured, very long ; spadix shorter than the spathe,
entirely covered with florets. Corolla: petals four, fleshy,
obtuse, concave, closely embracing the organs of generation.
Stamina : filamenta four, short, flat, hidden by the petals ;
antherae two to each filament, rounded, concave, protruding
beyond the corolla. Pistil: germen superior, roundish;
style none; stigma rather abrupt. Pericarp: berry small,
roundish, unequal. Seed: solitary, roundish. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Spadix : covered with florets. Petals: four,
fleshy, inferior. Antherx: two to each filament Berry:
with one seed. There is but one species,
1. Lasia Aculeata. A stemless plant, six feet nigh, with
large pinnatifid leaves, on long, round, upright stalks. This
is the CM chaoc gai of the Cochin-chinese. Native of the
moist plains of Cochin-china.
Lasiopetalum ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth inferior,
of one leaf, wheel-shaped, hairy, in five deep equal, ovate,
folded, at length expanded segments, permanent, often co-
loured. Corolla : petals five, minute, roundish, inserted into
the base of the calix between its segments. Stamina : fila-
menta five, very short, opposite to the petals ; antheroe termi-
nal, ovate, two-lobed behind, opening by two pores at the
top. Pistil: germen superior, globose, with three furrows,
LAS
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
L AT
15
very hairy: style short, straight, smooth; stigma simple,
acute. Pericarp: capsule invested with the culix, nearly
globose, with three angles, downy, of three cells, and three
valves; partitions from the centre of each valve. Seeds:
few, roundish, inserted into the inner heads of the partitions.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Culix: wheel-shaped, in five
deep folded segments. Petals: five, minute, opposite to
the stamina. Anthera : opening by two terminal pores.
Capsule: superior, of three cells, and three valves, with the
partitions from their centre. The species are,
1. Lasiopetalum Ferrugineum; Rusty Woolly Blossom.
Leaves alternate, linear-oblong, dependent; flowers racemose.
The whole shrub more remarkable for singularity than beauty.
Native of marshes in New South Wales.
2. Lasiopetalum Ledifolium ; Rosemary -leaved Woolly Blos-
som. Leaves opposite, linear-lanceolate, spreading ; stalks
single-flowered ; bractes remote from the flower. Native of
New Holland.
3. Lasiopetalum Purpureum ; Purple Woolly Blossom.
Leaves oval, entire. A green-house shrub, flowering from
April to July. Found in New Holland.
4. Lasiopetalum Arborescens ; Nettle-tree-leaved Woolly
Blossom. Leaves heart-shaped, deeply toothed. A green-
house plant, flowering from May to July. Native of New
South Wales.
5. Lasiopetalum Triphyllum ; Three-leaved Woolly Blos-
som. Leaves three together, the middle one largest and
lobed ; stamina ten, the intermediate ones abortive ; petals
wanting. A green-house shrub ; the whole plant clothed
with rather soft starry pubescence. Long clusters, of several
flowers, grow solitarily, opposite to the large leaves, between
the small ones ; calix blush-coloured, hairy ; antherae dark
brown, with yellow lips. Found in Lewin's Land, and on
the west coast of New Holland.
6. Lasiopetalum Quercifolium ; Oak-leaved Woolly Blos-
som. Leaves three together, all simiated, the middle one
largest and three-lobecl, somewhat pinnatirld ; stamina five';
petals wanting. Found at King George's Sound, on the
west coast of New Holland.
7. Lasiopetalum Corniculatum ; Horned Woolly Blossom.
Leaves three together, cut, and crenate, the lateral ones very
small ; petals wilh linear points as long as the calix. Found
in King George's Sound.
Lasiostoma ; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, very short, five-parted ; divisions acute ; at its base
two opposite scales. Corolla: one-petalled, funnel-form;
tube cylindric ; border four-cleft; divisions acute, villose.
Stamina: filamenta four, capillary, villose at the base, in-
serted into the tube of the corolla; antherte oblong. Pistil:
germen ovate, superior; style longer than the corolla; stigma
obtuse. Pericarp : capsule orbiculate, one-gelled, with a
brittle bark. Seeds : two, hemispherical. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: very short, five-petalled, with two acute
scales. Corolla: funnel-form, four-cleft. Capsule: orbicu-
late, one-celled, two-seeded. The only known species is,
1. Lasiostoma Rouhamon. This is a shrub, with a trunk
seven or eight feet in height, and six or seven inches in
diameter, with a grayish, irregular, rugged bark, and a whitish
wood ; branches and branchlets opposite, covered with a
russet down ; the branchlet.s are knobbed, and at each joint
have a pair of leaves, which are entire, smooth, oval, ending
in a point, and three-nerved underneath; flowers in small
axillary corymbs, on a small peduncle, which has two scales
at the base ; they are opposite, in pairs, and almost sessile ;
corolla white ; capsule yellow ; from the axils of the leaves
VOL. it. 67.
there spring at intervals simple tendrils, two inches and a
half long, curved back in form of a cross at top, where they
become thicker; by means of these tendrils, the branches
support themselves on the neighbouring trees. A variety
occurs with smooth branches, larger leaves, and smaller
flowers and fruits ; it has no tendrils, but the branches are
straight. The shrub is called rouhamon by the Caribs.
It is in flower and fruit during the months of October and
November ; and is found on the banks of the river Sinemari,
in Guiana, forty leagues from its mouth.
Lnthrcea : a genus of the class Didynamia, order Angio-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, campanulate, straight; mouth deeply four-cleft;
Corolla: one-petalled, ringent ; tube longer than the calix;
border ringent, ventricose ; upper lip concave, galeated,
broad, with a narrow hooked tip; lower lip less reflex,
obtuse, trifid. Nectary : an emarginate glandule, depressed
on each side, very short, inserted into the receptacle of the
flower at the other corner of the germen. Stamina : fila-
raenta four, awl-shaped, length of the corolla, hid under
the upper lip; antheroe obtuse, depressed, converging.
Pistil : germen globose, compressed ; style filiform, length
and situation of the stamina ; stigma truncated, nodding.
Pericarp: capsule roundish, obtuse with a point, one-celled,
two-valved, elastic, coated with a very large spreading calix.
Seeds: few, snbglobose, affixed to the middle of the valves.
Observe. It approaches nearly, on account of its glandule, to
Orobanche. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: four-cleft;
gland depressed at the base of the suture of the germen.
Capsule: one-celled. The species are,
1. Lathraea Clandestina ; Hidden Toothivort. Stem
branched almost under ground ; flowers upright, solitary.
Root thick, long, fibrous ; stem half a palm high, surrounded
by a few very short, thick, sharp leaves, and terminated by
five or six naked peduncles, three inches long, each bearing
one flower of a blue colour, nearly two inches in length.
Native of France, the Pyrenees, and Italy.
2. Lathrasa Phelypeca; Doubtful Toothwort. Corollas
spreading, bell-shaped. This is a tender juicy plant, a palm
and half high ; stem surrounded by abundance of soft succu-
lent leaves, broad at the base, and ending in a sharp point :
from the top come out three or four tubular funnel-sliaptri'
flowers, an inch or an inch and a half in length, of a yellow
colour, divided at top into five segments.
3. Lathrsea Anblatum; Eastern Toothwort. Lips of tlu-
corollas undivided. Native of the Levant.
4. Lathraea Squamaria; Great Toothwort. Stom quirt
simple; corollas pendulous ; lower lip trifid. Root beaded,
branched, and surrounded with white succulent scales. Ii
is parasitical, and generally attached to the roots of Elms,
Hazels, or some other trees in a shady situation. Flowers
in a spike, from one side of the stem, in a double row.:
corolla pale purple or flesh-coloured, except the lower lip,
which is white. The Howers appear in April, emerging from
the decayed leaves of trees, among which the plant is mostly
found half buried. The English name! Toothwort, is derived
from the resemblance of the scaly roots to the human fore-
teeth. Native of most parts of Europe; with us it is found
near Maidstone, in Kent; Harefield, in Middlesex ; Exton.
near Stamford ; in the woods of Derbyshire ; at Conzick-
scar, near Keudal, Westmoreland ; and near Gainsford, in
Durham; in Scotland it has been observed at Mevisbank,
towards Laswade, four or five miles from Edinburgh ; and
in Morvern, near the Sound of Mull.
Lathyrus; a genus of the class Diadelphia, order Decan-
dria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
16
L AT
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
1. AT
half five-cleft, bell-shaped ; divisions lanceolate, sharp ; the
two upper ones shorter, the lowest longer. Corolla: papi-
lionaceous ; standard obcordate, very large, reflex on the
sides and tip ; wings oblong, lunulate, short, obtuse ; keel
half-orbiculate, size of the wings, and wider than the wings,
gaping inwards in the middle. Stamina : filamenta diadel-
phous, (single and nine-cleft) rising upwards ; antheree
roundish. Pistil: germen compressed, oblong, linear; style
erected upwards, flat, wider above, with a sharp tip ; stigma
from the middle of the style to the tip villose in front. Peri-
carp : legume very long, cylindric or compressed, acuminate,
one-celled, bivalve. Seeds: several, cylindric, globose, or
but little cornered. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : two
upper segments shorter. Style : flat, villose above, broader
at the end. All the plants of this genus may be propagated
by sowing their seeds either in spring or autumn ; but those
sown in autumn, should have a light soil and a warm situa-
tion, where the plants will abide the winter, flower early in
the following spring, and ripen their seeds in July; but those
which are sown in spring should have an open exposure,
and may be planted upon almost any soil, if not too wet,
for they are not tender plants, nor do they require much
culture. They should all be sown where they are designed
to remain, for they seldom succeed when they are trans-
planted, unless it be done while the plants are young- ; so
that where they are sown for ornament, there should be four
or five seeds sown in a small patch, in different parts of the
borders of the flower-garden ; when they come up, weed
them carefully, and when they are grown two or three inches
high, put some sticks down to support them, otherwise they
will trail on the ground, or whatever plants stand near
them, and become unsightly. The species are,
* With one-flowered Peduncles.
1. Lathyrus Aphaca; Yellow Lathyrus, or Vetchling.
Peduncles one-flowered ; tendrils leafless ; stipules sagittate-
cordate. Root annual, fibrous ; stem from a foot to eighteen
inches or more in height, trailing, or climbing, four-cornered,
smooth ; flowers small, solitary, axillary ; corolla, standard
yellow, striped on the inside with blue lines ; wings yellow,
nearly round, the length of the keel, with two unequal paler
claws ; keel pale sulphur-coloured, cloven behind. Native
of most parts of Europe, in corn-fields, chiefly in light land,
flowering in June, July, and August. It has been observed
near Tottenham and Enfield, and between Bungay and Nor-
wich ; it is not uncommon in Cambridgeshire.
2. Lathyrus Nissolia; Crimson Lathyrus, or Grass Vetch.
Peduncles one-flowered; leaves simple; stipules awl-shaped.
Stem upright, simple, angular, twisted, slightly hairy; corolla
beautiful crimson colour : hence the flowers are so elegant,
that it deserves to be admitted into the garden. The young
plant before it flowers is so like a grass, owing to its simple
grassy leaves, that an experienced botanist might fail to
discover it, especially arnlSng mowing grass, where it usually
occurs : it is also found on the borders of corn-fields among
bushes, and in woods ; but does not appear to be very com-
mon in England, which certainly may arise from its being
so liable to be overlooked.
3. Lathyrus Spheoricus. Peduncles one-flowered, awned ;
tendrils two-leaved, quite simple ; leaflets ensiform. Flowers
small, like those of the preceding. Native place unknown.
4. Lathyrus Amphicarpos ; Subterranean Lathyrus, or
Earth Pea. Peduncles one-flowered, longer than the calix ;
tendrils two-leaved, quite simple. Root annual, filiform, with
here and there ovate-sessile tubercles ; flowers pale purple.
Stems several, weak, two-edged ; there are other stems des-
titute of leaves, roundish, creeping under ground, whitish,
and bearing flowers and fruit absolutely perfect, and resem-
bling those on the stems above ground, except that the
flowers are smaller, and do not expand. Native of the Levant.
5. Lathyrus Cicera ; Flat-podded Lathyrus, or Dwarf
Chickling Vetch. Peduncles one-flowered; tendrils two-
leaved ; legumes ovate, compressed, channelled on the back.
Root annual, simple; flowers of a middling size; corolla
white or pale yellow, or red and white, very seldom blue,
sometimes quite red, or deep purple. It flowers in June and
July. Native of France and Spain.
6. Lathyrus Sativus ; Common Lathyrus, or Blue Chichling
Vetch. Peduncles one-flowered ; tandrils two or four leaved ;
legumes ovate, compressed, two-edged at the back. The
same habit as the preceding ; flower twice as large, generally
white, sometimes tinged with purple, or having a rose-coloured
standard, or blue or blue and white variegated, in its native
countries ; but in our gardens it is distinguished by the blue
colour of the corolla, though we sometimes have a milk-
white variety. The seed-pods afford a more certain mark
of distinction, being usually short, broad, and winged on
the back. In several parts of the continent, a white light
pleasant bread is made from the flour of this pulse ; but it
produced such dreadful effects, that the dukes of Wirtem-
berg forbad the use of it by edict in 1671, 1705, and 1714.
Mixed with wheat flour in half the quantity, it makes very
good bread, that appears to be harmless ; but bread made
of this flour only, has brought on a most surprising rigidity
of the limbs in those who have used it for a continuance ;
insomuch that the exterior muscles could not by any means
be reduced, or have their natural action restored. These
symptoms usually appeared on a sudden, without any previous
pain ; but sometimes they were preceded by a weakness and
disagreeable sensation about the knees ; baths both hot and
cold, fomentations, and ointments of various kinds, have
been tried without effect ; insomuch that it is regarded as
incurable, and being neither very painful nor fatal, those who
were seized with it usually submitted to it with patience.
Swine fattened with the meal, lost the use of their limbs,
but grew very fat lying upon the ground. A horse, fed
some months on the dried herb, was said to have his legs
perfectly rigid. Cows are reported to grow lean on it, but
sheep not to be affected. Pigeons, especially if young, lose
the power of walking by feeding on the seed ; poultry will
not readily touch it; but geese eat it without any apparent
detriment ; and as it is commonly sown in Switzerland for
soiling horses, and the cattle there feed on the herb without
any harm, it would be well worth the trouble of ascertaining
whether the noxious qualities of this plant do not greatly, if
not entirely, depend upon the soil in which it is cultivated,
for it has been already observed, that the seed is much more
deleterious from a strong, fat, moist soil, than from dry lands.
The Florentine peasants eat it boiled, or mixed with wheat
flour, in the quantity of one-fourth, without receiving any
harm. In the countries where it is cultivated, the seeds are
sown at the end of August or the beginning of September, or
in the spring, and in strong ground ; for in a light dry soil,
the roots are very weak, and it is apt to be destroyed by
spring frosts. Its produce is very abundant, and the culture
not being expensive, is very general in some parts.
7. Lathyrus Inconspicuus ; Small-flowered Lathyrus.
Peduncles one-flowered, shorter than the calix ; tendrils two-
leaved, simple ; leaflets lanceolate ; standard and wings of
the corolla deep red. Native of the Levant.
8. Lathyrus Setifolius. Peduncles one-flowered ; tendrils
two-leaved; leaflets setaceous, linear. Annual. Found near
Montpellier ; and on Monte Baldo, in Italy.
L AT
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
L AT
17
9. Lathyrus Angulatus. Peduncles one-flowered, awned ;
tendrils two-leaved, quite simple; leaflets linear; stipules
lanceolate. Annual. Native country unknown.
10. Lathyrus Articulatus; Jointed-poddcd Lathyrws. Pe-
duncles one or two flowered ; tendrils many-leaved ; leaflets
alternate. The flower has the keel of a pea, waved on the
sides, and not oblique ; standard bright red, with white
wings and keel. Native of the south of Europe.
** With two-flowered Peduncles.
11. Lathyrus Odoratus ; Sweet Pea, or Painted Lady.
Peduncles two-flowered ; tendrils two-leaved ; leaflets ovate-
oblong; legumes hirsute. This is an annual plant, which
rises from three to four feet high, by means of its long claspers
or tendrils. The flower-stalks come out at the joints, are
about six inches long, and sustain two large flowers, which
have a strong odour; and are succeeded by oblong hairy pods,
having four or five roundish seeds in each. In the common
sort, the corolla has dark purple standards, with the keel
and wings of a light blue. Other varieties are, the white ;
the pink with a white keel, and the wings pale blush colour ;
the pink or blush-coloured standard, with both keel and
wings white ; the rose-coloured standard, with the wings
and keel pale blue : those that have a mixture of red with
white or pale blue, are called Painted Ladies. There is also
a variety of the common dark sort, with the keel pale violet,
and the wings dark violet. According to Linneus, the com-
mon dark sort is a native of Sicily, and the Painted Lady
of Ceylon. They all deserve a place in every good garden,
as well for their fragrance as their beauty. The gardeners
who raise Sweet Peas for the London markets, sow them
in the autumn in pots, and secure them from severe weather,
by placing them in hot-bed frames, by which means they
can bring them early to market. They may be continued in
flower the whole summer by repeated sowings in the spring ;
and must be watered frequently when sown in pots
12. Lathyrus Annuus; Tiuo-flowered Yellow Annual La-
thyrus. Peduncles two-flowered ; tendrils two-leaved ; leaf-
lets ensiform ; legumes smooth ; stipules two-parted. This
rises with a climbing stalk five or six feet high, having two
membranes or wings running from joint to joint ; the flowers
are small, yellow, and succeeded by long taper pods contain-
ing several roundish seeds. Native of France and Spain.
13. Lathyrus Fruticosus ; Shrubby Lathyrus. Stem
shrubby; peduncles two-flowered; leaves pinnate, tomenlose.
Flowers axillary, on short, white, tomentose peduncles, with
one bracte to each flower ; corolla yellow ; calix globular.
Native of Peru, on the hills near Huanuco.
14. Lathyrus Tingitanus; Tangier Lathyrus or Pea.
Peduncles two-flowered ; tendrils two-leaved ; leaflets alter-
nate, lanceolate, smooth ; stipules crescent-shaped. Native
of Barbary.
15. Lathyrus Clymenum. Peduncles two-flowered ; ten-
drils many-leaved; stipules toothed. Native of the Levant.
'* Peduncles many-flowered.
16. Lathyrus Hirsntus; Hairy Lathyrus. Peduncles
commonly three-flowered ; tendrils two-leaved ; leaflets lan-
ceolate; legumes hirsute; seeds rugged. Stems angular,
twisted, slightly hairy ; flowers an inch or an inch and half
from each other; corolla purple, with yellow lines within.
Native of many parts of Europe, but not common in Eng-
land. It flowers in July.
17. Lathyrus Tuberosus ; Tuberous Lathyrus. Peduncles
many-flowered; tendrils two-leaved ; leaflets oval; internodes
naked. Root creeping, putting out irregular tubers, about
as big as those of the Pig Nut, covered with a brown skin.
Corollas deep red. This plant is cultivated in Holland for
the roots, which are sold in the market, and eaten there.
When two inches or upwards in length, they may be consi-
dered as fit for use. Boil them from two to three hours, till
a fork will pass through them ; when sufficiently soft, dry
them, and roast them gently, serving them up in a cloth in
the same manner as chestnuts, for which they are a good
substitute, and persons used to them become very fond of
them. With us it is only cultivated for ornament, being a
beautiful hai'dy perennial, resembling the Everlasting Pea, but
of an humbler growth. It flowers in July and August. Na-
tive of France, Germany, Flanders, Holland, Switzerland,
Austria, and Siberia. The plant will grow in any ground, but
a light rich soil suits it best. As the roots, if not restrained,
spread extensively as well as penetrate very deep, it is advis-
able to form a border inclosed all around with brick-work,
about twenty inches deep, paving the bottom with bricks.
The tubers, each of which will produce a plant, should be
put into the earth about six inches from each other, and three
inches deep. In two years they will be fit for use, and should
be taken up as wanted. The bed should be dug in regular
course from one end, leaving the smaller tubers and fibres to
produce a succession of plants, adding some fresh rich soil
every year.
18. Lathyrus Pratensis ; Meadow Lathyrus. Peduncles
many-flowered; tendrils two-leaved, quite simple; leaflets
lanceolate. Root perennial, creeping; stems a foot or eighteen
inches high, and sometimes three feet, or even more, in length ;
flowers in a raceme ; corolla yellow. In old authors, this
plant is much reprobated as a vile weed, that spreads much
by means of its creeping roots ; and accordingly Mr. Miller
excludes it from gardens. Many modern writers, however,
recommend it as an excellent food for cattle, and not without
reason, since its quality is good, and it bears a large burden
of succulent leafy stalks. Mr. Swayne, however, asserts that
it does not seem at all agreeable to cattle, and that, where
they have a choice of feed, they seldom touch it. It is called
in English, Common Yellow or Meadow Vetchling, and Tare
Everlasting. Native of meadows, pastures, woods, thickets,
and hedges, in most parts of Europe, flowering from June to
August.
19. Lathyrus Sylvestris ; Wild Lathyrus, or Narrow-leaved
Everlasting Pea. Peduncles many-flowered ; tendrils two-
leaved ; leaflets ensiform ; internodes membranaceous. Root
perennial ; stems six feet or more in height, climbing or
trailing, spreading widely, branched, winged, and smooth;
corolla red and white ; standard large, rose-coloured, faintly
netted-veined ; wings violet ; keel whitish green. Native of
most parts of Europe. In England it is found between Castle
Camps and Bartlow, in Cambridgeshire; between Bath and
Bristol ; near Conway, in Wales ; between Pershore and
Eckington, in Worcestershire ; on Shelton bank near Salop ;
and near Pensford in Somersetshire ; in the vicinity of Lon-
don it is rare, but has been observed in the Oak-of-honour
Wood near Peckham; and it grows abundantly in many parts
of Kent and Bedfordshire.
20. Lathyrus Latifolius; Broad-leaved Everlasting Pea.
Peduncles many-flowered ; tendrils two-leaved; leaflets ovate,
or lanceolate; internodes membranaceous. Root peren-
nial ; stalks several, thick, climbing by means of tendrils
to the height of six or eight feet, or even higher in woods:
these die to the ground in autumn, and new ones rise
in the spring from the same root ; corolla pale purplish rose-
colour. This is a showy plant for shrubberies, wilderness
quarters, arbours, and trellis work; but too large and rampant
for the borders of the common flower-garden. Bees resort
much to it, and the flowers furnish them with abundance of
18
LAV
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
L A V
honev. It yields a great quantity both of green fodder and
seeds ; but hi what degree the former might be agreeable to
cattle, and the latter to pigeons or poultry, must be seen by
experience. It is a native of many parts of Europe, in hedges
and woods. Mr. Ray observed it, about a century and a half
ago, in the Cambridgeshire woods, and it still keeps its post
there. It is also found on the rocks near Red Neese, by
Whitehaven ; and at Seven Stoke Copse, in Worcestershire.
The flowers appear at the end of June and the beginning
of July.
21. Lathyrus Heterophyllus. Peduncles many-flowered;
tendrils two and four leaved ; leaflets lanceolate ; internodes
membranaceous. Flowers in racemes of about six together ;
standard and wings flesh-coloured; keel whitish. Perennial.
Native of Sweden, Switzerland, France, and Silesia.
2'2. Lathyrus Palustris ; Marsh Lathyrus. Peduncles
many-flowered ; tendrils many-leaved ; stipules lanceolate.
Root perennial, creeping ; the whole plant smooth ; flowers
three, or more, pointing one way, in erect racemes ; corolla
vivid purplish-blue, of great beauty. Native of many parts
of Europe, in moist woods and pastures, but not common here.
23. Lathyrus Pisiformis ; Siberian Lathyrus Peduncles
many-flowered; tendrils many-leaved; stipules ovate, broader
than the leaflet. Plant growing like the Pea; corolla with
the standard and wings whiiish with purple veins. It flowers
in June. Native of Siberia.
24. Lathyrus Myrtifolius. Stalk naked, tetragonal ; sti-
pules half-sagittate, lanceolate, acuminate ; leaflets four,
oblong-lanceolate, acute, mucronate, venose-reticulate ; pe-
duncles longer than the leaf; commonly three-flowered. -It
resembles the twenty-second species, flowers in July and Au-
gust, and grows in the salt-marshes of Pennsylvania and New
York, anq is very abundant about Lake Onondago.
25. Lathyrus Venosus. Stalk naked, tetragonal ; stipules
half-sagittate, ovate, acuminate ; leaflets numerous, svibalter-
nate, ovate, obtuse, mucronate, venose ; peduncles shorter
than the leaf; containing from five to ten flowers. It pro-
duces purple flowers in July and August; and grows in the
low meadows of Pennsylvania.
26. Lathyrus Decaphyllus. Stalk tetragonal ; stipules
half-sagittate, linear ; leaflets oblong-elliptical, mucronate ;
peduncles with three and four large purple flowers; the pods
are also large. Native of the banks of the Missouri.
Lavandula ; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Gym-
nospermia. GENERIC CHAEACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, ovate; mouth obscurely toothed, short, permanent,
supported by bractes. Corolla: one-petalled, ringent, resu-
pine; tube cylindric, longer than the calix; border spread-
ing ; one lip looking upwards, larger, bifid, spreading; the
other lip looking downwards, trifid ; divisions all roundish,
nearly equal. Stamina: filamenta four, short, within the
tube of the corolla, deflected, of which two are shorter;
antherse small. Pistil: gerinen four-parted; style filiform,
length of the tube ; stigma two-lobed, obtuse, converging.
Pericarp: none; calix converging with the mouth, and
guarding the seed. Seeds: four, obovate. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: ovate, obscurely toothed, supported
by a bracte. Corolla: resupine. Stamina: within the tube.
The species are,
1. Lavandula Spica; Common Lavender. Leaves sessile,
lanceolate-linear, rolled back at the edge ; spike interrupted,
naked. Root perennial, thick, woody; stem shrubby, much
branched, frequently five or six feet high, four-cornered,
acute-angled, toraentose. The flowers are produced in ter-
minating spikes from the young shoots, on long peduncles ;
the spikes are composed of interrupted whorls, in which the
flowers are from six to ten, the lower whorls more remote :
each flower is upright, on a short pedicel. The common,
colour of the corolla is blue, but it varies with white flowers.
The variety called the Broad-leaved Lavender, has much
shorter and broader leaves ; and the branches are shorter,
more compact, and fuller of leaves. It will continue several
years without producing flowers ; and when it does, the
leaves on the flowering stalks approach nearer to those of
Common Lavender, but still remain broader. The stalks
grow taller, the spikes looser and larger, and the flowers
smaller, and appear a little later in the season. Lavender is
a plant which has been long celebrated for its virtues in
nervous disorders. According to Dr. Cullen, it is, " whether
externally or internally, a powerful stimulant to the nervous
system ; and amongst others of this order, named cephalics,
the Lavender has probably the best title to it." He adds, "it
appears to me probable that it will seldom go farther than ex-
citing the energy of the brain to a fuller impulse of the nervous
power into the nerves of the animal functions, and seldom into
those of the vital." It may however be with great propriety
that professor Murray has dissuaded from its use, where there
is any danger from a stimulus applied to the sanguiferous
system. It is, however, still probable that Lavender stimulates
the nervous system only, and therefore may be more safe in
palsy than the warmer aromatics, especially \vhen not given in
a spirituous menstruum, or along with heating aromatics, as is
commonly done in the case of the Spiritus Lavandulee Com-
positus. The officinal preparations of Lavender are, the essen-
tial oil, a simple spirit, and a compound tincture. The essen-
tial oil has been used for stimulating paralytic limbs, and for
several external purposes. Hill says the flowers are the parts
used : they are good against all disorders of the head and
nerves, and may be taken in the form of tea. The famous spirit
of Lavender called Palsy-drops, and the Sweet Lavender-water,
are made with them. The best way to make the Palsy-drops
is as follows : put into a small still a pound of Lavender
flowers, and five ounces of the tender tops of Rosemary; put
to them five quarts of common molasses spirit, and a quart
of water : distil off three quarts ; put to this, cinnamon and
nutmegs, of each three quarters of an ounce, red sander's
wood half an ounce; let them stand together a week, and
then strain, off the spirit. The Lavender-water is thus made :
put a pound of fresh Lavender flowers into a still with a
gallon of molasses spirit, and draw off five pints; this is Laven-
der-water. A conserve made of the young tops, just as they
are going into flower, possesses all the virtues of the plant,
and is an excellent cordial medicine, of great efficacy in most
nervous disorders, and paralytic complaints ; it likewise
operates by urine, and promotes the menses. The Compound
Spirit of Lavender is also an excellent preparation for the
above purposes, as it has the advantage of containing many
other ingredients of a like nature. It is best taken on a lump
of sugar, in which method forty or fifty drops may be given
for a dose. Native of the south of Europe, on mountains, by
way-sides, and in barren places ; also of Asia and Africa.
This plant is propagated by cuttings or slips planted IB
March in a shady situation, or in a border where they
may be shaded by mats until they have taken root; after
which they may be exposed to the sun, and when they have
obtained strength, should be removed to the places where
they are to remain. These plants will abide much longer in
a dry, gravelly, or strong soil, in which they will endure our
severest winters; but they will grow much faster in summer
on a rich, light, moist soil, but are then generally destroyed
by the winter, and are neither so strong-scented, nor so fit
for medicinal uses, as those which grow on a barren rocky
LAV
CfR., BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LAV
19
soil. It was formerly in use to make edgings to borders, but
it grows too large for the purpose ; if often cut in dry wea-
ther it is subject to decay, and, in hard winters, some of the
plants will be killed : it should therefore be planted in beds
in the kitchen-garden, where the soil is driest.
2. Lavandula Stoechas; French Lavender. Leaves sessile,
linear, tomentose, rolled back at the edge; spikes concracted,
comose ; bractes subtrilobate. It has a low thick shrubby
stalk, about two feet high, sending out woolly branches the
whole length ; leaves about an inch long, hoary, and pointed,
of a strong aromatic scent. The branches are terminated
with scaly spikes of purple flowers, four-cornered, and an
inch in length ; and at the top a coma, or small tuft of purple
leaves. The whole plant has a very strong aromatic agree-
able odour. There is a variety with peduncles three times
the length of those in the common Stoechas, and naked ;
the spikes are longer, and not so thick ; and the leaves of
the coma are more numerous, longer, and of a brighter pur-
ple colour. Both these vary to purple and white in the
corolla, but the most common colour is blue. Native of the
south of Europe; flowering from May to July. This plant,
which our old authors call Sticadone, Sticados, and Sticadore,
from the Italian Sticade, on account of its being found on the
islands called Stoechades, may be cultivated by sowing the
seeds upon a bed of light dry soil in March. When they
come up, clear them from weeds until they are two inches
high, and then remove them. For this, prepare a spot of
light dry ground, lay it level, and tread it out into beds, into
which set the plants, at five or six inches' distance every way,
watering and shading them until they have taken root. If the
winter should prove severe, cover them with mats or peuse-
haulin. In March or at the beginning of April in the follow-
ing spring, remove them into the places where they are to
remain, taking a warm moist season, if possible, for this pur-
pose, and not letting them remain long above ground. The
soil should be warm dry sand or gravel ; and the poorer the
soil is, the better will this plant endure the winter. In a rich
moist ground it will not produce so many flowers, nor will
they have so strong an aromatic scent. It may also be in-
creased by slips or cuttings; but the plants raised from seeds
are by far the best.
3. Lavandula Viridis ; Madeira Lavender. Leaves sessile,
linear, wrinkled, villose, rolled back at the edge ; spike
comose ; bractes undivided. It differs from the preceding
by its wrinkled villose leaves, which are green, and not hoary
as in that. It flowers from May to July Native of the island
of Madeira. This, and most of the following sorts, require
the protection of a green-house. They may be increased by
slips or cuttings ; and also by. seeds, but they do not all pro-
duce seeds in our climate.
4. Lavandula Dentata ; Tooth-leaved Lavender. Leaves
sessile, linear, pectinate-pinnate ; spike contracted, comose.
It has a woody stalk, two or three feet high, with four-cor-
nered branches on every side the whole length. The leaves
have a pleasant aromatic odour, and warm biting taste. The
flowers are produced in scaly spikes, at the ends of the
branches, on long naked peduncles. It flowers from June to
September. Native of Spain and the Levant. This is pro-
pagated by slips or cuttings, planted in April, and treated
as directed for the first and second sorts. They will take
root very freely, but must be transplanted into pots, that
they may be sheltered from severe frost in winter, especially
while young. When they have acquired strength, some may
be planted in a warm situation, on a dry soil, where, being
prevented from growing; too vigorously, they will endure cold
better than in richer ground.
VOL. n. 67.
| 5. Lavandula Pinnata ; Pinnated Lavender. Leaves peti-
oled, pinnate ; leaflets wedgeform ; spike imbricate. This
is a low, very branching shrub, with a brownish bark; pedun-
cles leafless ; corolla purple or pale violet. The flowers have
a sweet smell, but the leaves have very little smell or taste.
It flowers from April to October. Native of Madeira.
6. Lavandula Multifida; Cut-leaved Canary Lavender.
Leaves petioled, pinnate ; leaflets decursively pinnatifid ;
spike quadrangular; angles spiral. Corolla varying from blue
to white. The leaves are hoary, opposite, cut into many
divisions to the midrib ; these segments are again divided
into three blunt ones. There is a variety with an upright
branching stalk, four feet high, and flowers smaller than the
common Lavender. It is a native of the Canary islands.
Sow the seeds on a moderate hot-bed, in the spring. When
the plants come up, put each into a separate small pot filled
with light earth. Plunge the pots into another hot-bed; and
in the beginning of June inure them to the open air, and
towards the end of the month place them in a sheltered situa-
tion. In July the flowers will appear, and, if the autumn
prove warm, the seeds will ripen in September ; but when
they do not perfect seeds, the plants may be preserved through
the winter in a good green-house, where t'hey will produce
flowers and seeds most part of the season.
7, Lavandula Abrotanides; Southernwood-leaved Canary
Lavender. Leaves doubly pinnatifid, with linear segments,
nearly smooth ; spike linear, mostly branched and interru pted ;
bractes smoothish, ovate, with approximated ribs. Native
of the Canaries.
Lavatera ; a genus of the class Monadelphia, order Poly-
andria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth double;
exterior one-leafed, trifid, obtuse, short, permanent; interior
one-leafed, half five-cleft, more acute, more erect, permanent.
Corolla : petals five, obcordate, flat, spreading, afhxed below
to the tube of the stamina. Stamina : filamenta numerous,
coalescing below into a tube, loose above, gaping at the tip
and surface of the tube; antherte reniform. Pistil: germen
orbicular; style cylindric, short ; stigmas several, (seven to
fourteen,) bristly, length of the style. Pericarp: capsule
orbicular, composed of as many cells as there are stigmas,
bivalve, and articulated in a whorl round the columnar recep-
tacle, at length falling off. Seeds: solitary, reniform. ES-
SENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: double, outer trifid. Arils:
very many, one-seeded. The species are,
1. Lavatera Arborea; Tree Mallow. Stem arboreous;
leaves seven-angled, hairy, plaited; peduncles clustered, one-
flowered, axillary ; outer calices larger. It rises in gardens
with a strong thick stalk to the height of eight or ten feet,
dividing into many branches at the top ; flowers mostly in
pairs, sometimes three together, on upright peduncles, an
inch and half in height ; corolla purplish-red, with dark
blotches at the base, spreading, bell-shaped ; seeds kidney-
shaped, ash-coloured. Native of Italy, the Levant, and Bri-
tain. With us it is smaller than it appears in the gardens ;
and is found near Hurst Castle, upon Portland Island, and
Denny Island near Bristol; in Cornwall and Devonshire;
at Teignmouth ; upon the rocks of Caldey Island; in
Anglesea, and other parts of Wales ; upon the 'Basse Islands
near Edinburgh ; and upon Inch Garvie and Mykrie Inch
in the Firth of Forth. It flowers from June or July to
September or October. This, with all the other shrubby
sorts, are easily propagated by seeds, which should be
sown in the spring, upon a bed of light earth ; and when
the plants are about three or four inches high, they should
be transplanted to the places where they are designed to
remain ; for, as they shoot out long fleshy roots which have
20
LAV
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LAU
but few fibres, they do not succeed well if they are trans-
planted after they are grown large. If the seeds of these plants
be permitted to scatter on the ground, the plants will come
up in the following spring; and when they happen to fall into
dry rubbish, and are permitted to grow therein, they will
be short, strong, woody, and produce a greater number of
those flowers than plants which are more luxuriant. As these
plants continue a long time in flower, a few plants of each
sort may be allowed a place in all gardens where there is
room. Several of them will only last two years, except upon
dry ground, where they will endure three or four years, but
seldom longer. They mostly require some protection in winter.
2. Lavatera Micans; Shining Tree Mallow. Stem arbo-
reous; leaves seven-angled, acute, crenate, plaited, tomen-
tose; racemes terminating. On the upper surface of the
leaves are brimstone-coloured micse, shining in the sun.
Native of Spain and Portugal.
3. Lavatera Olbia ; Downy-leaved Lavatera. Stein shrub-
by ; leaves five-lobecl, hastate ; flowers solitary. Flowers on
a' short peduncle, axillary, very seldom two together; termi-
nating ones in a spike. It flowers from June to October.
Native of the south of France.
4. Lavatera Triloba; Three-lobed Lavatera. Stem shrubby;
leaves subcordate, subtrilobate, rounded, crenate; stipules
cordate ; peduncles one-flowered, aggregate. Corolla large,
spreading, pale purple, with the claws white, hairy. It flow-
ers from June to September. Native of France and Spain.
5. Lavatera Lusitanica; Portuguese Lavatera. Stem
shrubby; leaves seven-angled, tomentose, plaited ; recemes
terminating. Flowers in Aug. and Sept. Native of Portugal.
6. Lavatera Maritima; Sea-side Tree Mallow. Stem
shrubby; leaves cordate, roundish-lobed, crenate, tomentose;
flowers solitary. Stem reddish, covered with bundles of
hairs so small as to seem dots of meal, branched, two feet
high ; corolla large, twice the size of the first species, spread-
ing very much, whitish, with very narrow purple claws. It
flowers from July to September. Native of Spain and the
south of France.
7. Lavatera Thuringiaca ; Great-flowered Lavatera. Stem
herbaceous ; fruits naked ; calices gashed. Lower leaves heart-
shaped, crenate, roundish-lobed; upper hastate, on short
petioles ; corolla large, spreading, pale violet or purplish.
Native of Sweden, Germany, Hungary, and Tartary. It
flowers from July to September.
8. Lavatera Cretica ; Cretan Lavatera. Stem upright ;
lower branches diffused; peduncles clustered, one-flowered;
leaves lobed, upper ones acute. Root annual, fibrous, of
thick fibres a foot in length, with innumerable other capillary
fibres ; corolla twice the length of the calix, pale blue, with
oblong emarginate petals. It flowers in July. Native of the
island of Candia. This and the other annuals are propagated
by seeds sown at the end of March or the beginning of April,
upon a bed of fresh light earth. When the plants are come
up, carefully clear them from weeds, and in very dry weather
now and then refresh them with water. When they are about
two inches high, transplant them into the places where they
are designed to remain, which should be in the middle of ihe
borders in the flower-garden ; for if the soil be good, they
will grow two or three feet high. Be careful, in transplanting
them, to preserve a ball of earth to their roots, otherwise they
are apt to miscarry ; and also water and shade them until they
have taken root, after which they will require no other care,
except to weed, and fasten them to stakes to prevent their
being injured by strong winds. The seeds may be sown also
in autumn. When the plants come up, transplant them into
small pots, which, toward the end of October, should be placed
in a common hot-bed frame; where, being defended from
severe frosts, the plants will abide the winter very well. In
the spring, shake them out of the pots, and replant them into
larger, or else into the full ground, where they may remain to
flower. The plant thus managed will be larger, and flower
stronger and earlier, than those sown in the spring; and from
these you will constantly have good seeds, whereas those
sown in the spring sometimes miscarry.
9. Lavatera Trimestris ; Common Annual Lavatera. Stem
herbaceous, rugged; leaves smooth; peduncles one-flowered;
fruits covered with a ring. Root annual, white, with spread-
ing beards ; flowers (solitary, axillary, on peduncles shorter
than the petioles ; corolla large, spreading, bell-shaped, pale
flesh-colour, with whitish lines ; seeds ferruginous. This
species varies very much, and the varieties are constant.
It fl*wers from July to September. Native of the south of
Europe and the Levant.
Lavender. See Lavandula.
Lavender Cotton. See Santolina.
Lavender Sea. See Statice Limonium.
Lavenia ; a genus of the class Syngenesia, order Poly-
gamia ^Equalis. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: com-
mon ovate, subimbricate ; scales ten to fourteen, lanceolate,
equal, permanent. Corolla: compound uniform; corollets
hermaphrodite equal, (fifteen to twenty;) proper funnel-form,
dilated at the base; border five-cleft, patulous.' Stamina:
filamenta five, filiform, shorter than the tube ; anthera,-
oblong, flattish, twin, slightly connate. Pistil: germen
oblong; style filiform, longer than the corollet, two-parted;
stigmas flattish, clubbed. Pericarp : none ; calix perma-
nent, spreading. Seeds: subclavate, a little wrinkled, viscid
with glandules ; down with three awl-shaped awns, glandu-
lose at the base. Receptacle: naked. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: nearly regular. Style : bifid. Down :
three-awned, glandular at the tip. Receptacle: naked.
The species are,
1. Lavenia Decumbens. Stems simple, decumbent; leaves
subcordate, bluntly serrate ; pistil longer than the corollet.
Annual. Native of Jamaica.
2. Lavenia Erecta. Stem branched, erect; leaves elliptic,
sharply serrate. Root annual, fibrous, whitish ; heads of
flowers flat, consisting of numerous pale blue florets. Native
of the East Indies, and of the Society Isles.
Laugeria; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, tubular, superior, with unequal mouth, small, deci-
duous. Corolla : one-petalled, salver-form ; tube very long ;
border five-cleft; divisions obovate. Stamina: filamenta
five, very short; antheree linear, long, beneath the throat.
Pistil : germen subovate, inferior ; style filiform, rather longer
than the tube; stigma headed. Pericarp: drupe roundish,
umbilicated with a point. Seed: nut two or five celled,
according to Swartz : furrowed, according to Jacquin. ESSEN-
TIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: five-cleft. Drupe: with a
five-celled nut. -The species are,
1 . Laugeria Odorata. Leaves subovate, acute, smooth ;
stem somewhat spiny ; racemes panicled ; drupes with five-
celled nuts. An upright branching shrub, ten feet high ;
flowers of a dirty red, very sweet during the night ; fruits
black, larger than peas, soft, very numerous, falling when
ripe with every slight motion of the bush. Native of America,
Carthagena, Havannah, &c.
2. Laugeria Lucida. Leaves oblong, blunt, entire, mem-
branaceous, shining; racemes dichotomous ; drupes with two-
celled nuts. Flowers on short pedicels, distant.- Native of
the West Indies, Jamaica, and Santa Cruz.
L A U
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
L A U
21
3. Laugeria Tomentosa. Leaves ovate, acute, entire,
tomentose underneath; racemes dichotomous ; drupes with
two-celled nuts. Native of Jamaica.
Laurel. See Laurus and Primus.
Laurel, Spurge. See Daphne.
Laurus ; a genus of the class Enneandria, order Monogy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: none, except it be
the corolla. Corolla: petals six, ovate, acuminate, concave,
erect; the alternate ones exterior. Nectary consisting of
three acuminated coloured tubercles, ending in two bristles,
standing round the germen. Stamina : filamenta nine, shorter
than the corolla, compressed, obtuse, three in each rank;
antherae growing on each side to the margin of the filamentum,
on the upper part; glandules two, globose, with a very short
footstalk, affixed to each filamentum of the inner rank near
the base. Pistil: germen subovate ; style simple, equal,
length of the stamina; stigma obtuse, oblique. Pericarp:
drupe (or berry) oval, acuminate, one-celled, comprehended
by the corolla. Seed: nut ovate-acuminate; kernel of the
same form. Observe. The greater part of the species, in-
cluding the Cinnamon and Camphor, are hermaphrodite ;
several are dioicous, as in the ninth species, (Laurus Nobilis,)
which has mostly from eight to fourteen stamina, with a deeply
four -parted corolla. The corpuscles annexed to some of the
stamina afford the essential character. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: none. Corolla: calicine, six-parted. Nec-
tary: of three two-bristled glands surrounding the germen.
Filamenta: inner glanduliferous. Drupe: one-seeded.
The species are,
1. Laurus Cinnamomum ; Cinnamon Tree. Leaves three-
nerved, ovate-oblong ; nerves disappearing toward the end.
The Cinnamon-tree of America is twenty feet or more high ;
trunk about six feet high, and a foot and half in diameter; the
outer bark smoothish, and of a dusky cinereous colour; it
has spreading branches that form an elegant head ; leaves
shining, coriaceous, of a bright green above, pale underneath,
with the nerves whitish; flowers small, greenish-yellow, al-
most insipid, with a somewhat fetid smell, resembling that of
Lilium Martagon. Fruit the form and size of a middling
olive. The inner bark perfectly resembles the oriental Cin-
namon in smell, taste, and figure; the only difference is, that
it has a coarser texture, and a more acrid taste, which may
arise from the climate. But the varieties of Cinnamon are nu-
merous. The timber is white, and not very solid ; the root
is thick and branching, and exudes abundance of Camphor.
It flowers in February and March, and is a native of Marti-
nico on the mountain Calebrasse, and also of Brazil. Gsert-
ner describes the fruit of the Ceylonese Cinnamon as a sub-
globular berry, flatted a little at top, and torulose, covered at
the base by the calix, which is thick, coriaceous, angular,
sublobate, and having from six to nine unequal teeth ; the
pulp or flesh is very thick, and grows fungous with age, smell-
ing strong of Cinnamon; seed spherical, covered with acrus-
taceous brittle thin coat. The inner bark of this species is
the spice so well known under the name of Cinnamon. The
use of the Cinnamon-tree, however, is not confined to the
bark, for it is remarkable that the leaves, fruit, and root, all
yield oils of different qualities, and of considerable value.
That produced from the leaves is called Oil of Cloves, and
Oleum Malabathri ; that from the fruit is extremely fragrant,
and of a thick consistence, and at Ceylon is said to be made
into candles for the sole use of the king : and the bark from
the root not only affords an aromatic oil, which has been
called Oil of Camphor, but also a species of Camphor which
is purer and whiter than the common sort. Cinnamon is one
of the most grateful of aromatics ; its qualities are extracted
by both water and spirit. It is an astringent, corroborating
the viscera, and proves of great service in several kinds of al-
vine fluxes, and immoderate uterine discharges, An essential
oil is sometimes extracted from Cinnamon, which is so exces-
sively pungent that it will produce an eschar on the skin if
applied to it ; but in doses of a drop or two, properly diluted
with sugar, mucilages, &c. it is said to be one of the most
immediate cordials and restoratives in cases of languor and
debility. Cinnamon, says Meyrick and Hill, is certainly a
most excellent cordial, which may be procured in any form at
the shops. It promotes the appetite, and is one of the best
remedies known for fluxes, and other disorders of the stomach
and bowels. The bark of the Cinnamon-tree, whilst o'n
the tree, is first stripped of its outer greenish coat ; and is
then cut longitudinally from the tree, and dried in the sand,
till it becomes fit for the market, when it is of a reddish yel-
low or pale rusty iron-colour, very light, thin, and curling up
into flakes. The best sort of Cinnamon, which grows in great
plenty in Ceylon, and is peculiar to that island, is called by
the natives rasse coronde, or Sharp Sweet Cinnamon. It is
this choice sort which was exported by the Dutch East India
Company, and prohibited, under severe penalties, to mix any
other sort with this. The second is called canatte coronde,
or Bitter Astringent Cinnamon. The bark of this comes off
very easily, and smells very agreeably when fresh, but has a
bitter taste. The root of this yields a very good sort of
camphor. It has an advantage, that it is not so plentiful as
the first; because it requires much skill and attention to dis-
tinguish them. The third is called capperoe coronde, or
Camphorated Cinnamon, because it has a very strong taste
and smell of camphor. It grows plentifully in the island, but
not in the eastern part ; yet the Ceylonese, when under the
Dutch, found means to send it over privately, and sell it to
the English and Danes trading upon the coast of Coromandel.
Besides, there is a sort of Canella growing upon the continent
of India about Goa, which is very like this, though it has no-
thing of the true Cinnamon. This sort certainly agrees in
many things with the Canella Malabaricus Sylvestris, a wild
Cinnamon-tree growing upon the coast of Malabar. The
fourth sort is called welle coronde, or Sandy Cinnamon, be-
cause upon being chewed it feels gritty, or as if grains of
sand were between the teeth. The bark comes off easily, but
is not so readily rolled up. It is of a sharp bitterish taste,
and the roots yield only a small quantity of camphor. The
fifth sort is called sewel coronde, Glutinous or Mucilaginous
Cinnamon. This acquires a considerable degree of hardness
in drying, has little taste, and an ungrateful smell ; but the.
colour is fine, and the fraudulent Ceylonese mix a good deal
of it with the best sort, which in colour it much resembles.
The genuine or best sort may, however, be distinguished by
some few yellowish spots towards the extremities. The sixth
sort is called nieke coronrfe,the tree bearing much resemblance
to another tree which the natives call nieke gas. The bark
has no taste or smell, and is only used by the natives in me-
dicine. By roasting it they obtain an oil, with which they
anoint themselves to keep off infection ; and they express a
juice from the leaves, with which they rub their heads, to
cool and strengthen the brain. The seventh is called
dawel coronde, or Drum Cinnamon; the wood being light
and tough, and used by the natives for making drums. The
bark is taken off while the tree is yet growing ; it is of a pale
colour, and is used for the same purpose as the sixth. The
eighth sort is called catle coronde, Thorny or Prickly Cin-
namon ; the tree being very prickly. The bark is Jn some
measure like that of the true Cinnamon, but it has nothing of
the taste or smell, and the leaves differ very much. The
L A U
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
L AU
natives apply the root, bark, and leaves, in form of cata-
plasms, to tumors. The ninth sort is called mael coronde,
or Flowering Cinnamon, being always in blossom. The
flowers come nearest to those of the first sort, but they bear
no fruit. The wood never becomes so solid and weighty in
this as in the others, which are sometimes eight, nine, or ten
feet in circumference. ' If this tree be cut or bored into, a
limpid water will issue from the wound, as from the Birch-
tree, but it is of no use, any more than the leaves and bark.
This is the male-tree of the true Cinnamon. There is a tenth
sort called toupat coronde, or Three-leaved Cinnamon,
which does not grow near the Dutch settlements, but higher
iip towards Candia. With respect to the time when the bark
is fit to be taken off, some trees are ready two or three years
sooner than others, owing to the difference of soil which they
grow in : those, for instance, which grow in valleys where the
ground is a fine whitish sand, will be fit to have the bark
taken off in five years; but others which stand in a wet slimy
soil, must have seven or eight years to grow before they are
fit to bark. Those trees are also later which grow in the
shade of other large trees, whereby the sun is kept from their
roots. Hence also it is, that the bark of such trees has not
that sweetness observable in the bark of those which grow in
a white sandy ground, where, with little wet, they stand full
exposed to the sun ; but is rather of a bitterish taste, some-
what astringent, and smells like camphor : for by the heat of
the sun's rays the camphor is made so volatile, that it rises
up and mixes with the juices of the tree, where it undergoes
a small fermentation, and then rising still higher between the
wood and the thin inner membrane of the bark, it. is so
effectually diffused through the branches and leaves, that
there is not the least trace of it to be perceived. Meanwhile
that thin and glutinous membrane which lines the bark on the
inside, attracts all the purest and sweetest particles of the
sap, leaving the thick and gross ones to push forwards, in
order to nourish the branches, leaves, and fruit. If the
bark be fresh taken off, that sap which remains in the tree
has a bitterish taste, not unlike that of cloves. On the con-
trary, the inner membrane of the bark, when fresh taken off,
has a most exquisite sweetness, whilst the outer part differs
very little in taste from that of other trees. But when the
bark is laid in the sun to be dried and rolled up, this oily
and agreeable sweetness of the inner membrane is diffused
through the whole. The bark may be taken off from trees
that have stood fourteen, fifteen, or sixteen years, according
to the quality of the soil : but beyond that time they lose by
degrees their agreeable sweetness, and the bark acquires
more of the taste of camphor; it also then becomes so thick,
that, when laid in the sun, it will no longer roll up, but remain
flat. To account for the great quantities of Cinnamon
still remaining on the island of Ceylon, after the general
exportation of the bark that has prevailed during several
centuries, some authors have assured us that after the bark
has been stripped off the tree, it becomes fit to be stripped a
second time in four or five years. But this assertion is no less
contrary to observation, than it is to the common course of na-
ture. The truth is, the barked trees being cut down' quickly
put forth new shoots, which in a period of from five to eight
years come again to the knife. Great numbers also of trees are
continually springing from the fruit, which either drops upon
the ground, or is disseminated by the wild doves, called there
Cinnamon-eaters ; insomuch that here and there along the
roruls, such quantities of the youngtrees are to be seen, as to
look like little woods. The Cinnamon-tree is now cultivated
in the West Indies: in 1792 samples of their product were ex-
amined by competent judges, wiio declared it to be equal to
that from Ceylon. Neither this, nor the next species, is so
tender as most persons imagine; indeed the tender treatment
of the plants brought to England has generally destroyed
them. Great heat is certainly prejudicial to them: when
the plants therefore have taken new roots in the pots or tubs,
they should in summer be placed in a glass-case, where they
may have plenty of air in warm weather ; and in winter they
should be placed in a stove moderately warm.
2. Laurus Cassia; Cassia, or Wild Cinnamon. Leaves
triple-nerved, lanceolate. The narrower leaves tapering at
each end, distinguishes this from the preceding species. This
tree grows, says Mr. Marsden, from fifty to sixty feet high,
with large, spreading, horizontal branches, almost as low as
the earth. The young leaves are mostly of a reddish hue ;
the blossoms grow six in number, upon slender footstalks,
close to the bottom of the leaf; they are monopetalous, small,
white, and stellated in six points. The root is said to con-
tain much camphor. The bark is commonly taken from such
of the trees as are a foot or eighteen inches in diameter, for
when they are younger, it is said to be so thin as to lose all
its qualities very soon. Those trees which grow in a high
rocky soil, have red shoots, and the bark is superior to that
which is produced in a moist clay, where the shoots are
green. I have been assured, continues Mr. Marsden, by a
person of extensive knowledge, that the Cassia produced in
Sumatra is from the same tree that yields the true Cinnamon,
and that the apparent difference arises from the less judicious
manner of quilling it. Perhaps the younger and more tender
branches should be preferred ; perhaps the age of the tree,
or the season of the year, ought to be more nicely attended
to; and it is suggested that the mucilage which adheres
to the inside of the fresh-peeled rind, does, when not care-
fully taken off, injure the flavour of the Cassia, and render
it inferior to that of the Cinnamon. It is said to be some-
times purchased by the Dutch merchants, and shipped for
Spain as Crnnamon, being packed in boxes which arrived
from Ceylon with that article. It is of the same quality as
Cinnamon, but inferior in fragrancy and efficacy. The bark
is of a mucilaginous nature, for which it is preferable to the
Cinnamon in purging, and disorders of the bowels ; it is an
excellent remedy for those complaints, in doses of a few
grains powdered. There appears little doubt that this is
the same with the preceding species, as the difference of
the bark may probably be owing to the difference of soil, and
still more to the want of skill and attention in the cultiva-
tors. The Cassia bark is coarsest, and will not roll up like
true Cinnamon; but the essential difference between the bark
of Cinnamon and Cassia is, that the former is always dry,
whereas the latter becomes macilaginous in chewing ; hence
it has been suggested as a conjecture, on the most respect-
able authority, that the superior excellence of Cinnamon
bark may be in a great measure owning to its being deprived
of that mucilage which adheres to the internal surface.
At least it is certain, that in a curious drawing of Herman's,
in the possession of the late Sir Joseph Banks, representing the
process of cutting and preparing Cinnamon in the island of
Ceylon, one of the principal figures is that of a woman, who
is evidently employed in this operation, of scraping (he muci-
lage from the inner surface of the bark. Native of Malabar,
.lava, and Sumatra.
3. Laurus Camphora; Camphor or Camphire Tree. Leaves
triple-nerved, lanceolate, ovate. This is a large tree, very
near akin to the Cinnamon, from which it differs in the
leaves. Branches ascending; flowers white, on simple, long,
lateral branches ; berry small, ovate, dusky or browigh
red. Mr. Marsden also describes it as equal in height
LAU
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LAU
23
and bulk to the largest timber-trees, being frequently found
upwards of fifteen feet in circumference. Camphor is con-
sidered as one of the principal diaphoretics and antiseptics,
and as possessing a degree of anodyne or antispasmodic
power. It is a medicine of a subtile and penetrating nature,
and quickly diffuses itself through the whole habit : if taken
in a considerable quantity, it produces an uneasy sensation
in the stomach, though it does not heat the body so much
as might be expected from its taste; on the contrary, it often
rather occasions a sense of coolness. In acute diseases it
is given from a quarter of a grain, to one or two grains or
more, in conjunction with nitre, or other anti-inflammatory
medicines of the saline kind. Hoffman observes, that it
answers best on the approach of a crisis, or in the decline,
and that it should be used with caution during the height of
fever, where the heat is great and the skin dry; and the same
caution, he adds, should be observed in plethoric habits.
In chronical disorders it is used more freely, and sometimes
in conjunction with opium : it is considered as a corrector
of the irritating powers of cantharides. Camphor alone
has sometimes been known to cure that peculiar species of
spasmodic disorder, called St. Vitus's dance. Camphor is
also used in a dissolved state in spirit of wine, as an external
embrocation in rheumatic pains, paralytic numbness, &c. and
is also an ingredient in many other preparations. Hill says it
is sudorific, and works by urine, promotes the menses, and
is good in disorders of the bladder. Meyrick observes, that
it is an excellent medicine in low putrid fevers, especially
when combined with the dulcified mineral acids. A solu-
tion of it in rectified spirits of wine, in the proportion of an
ounce to a pint or thereabouts, is frequently applied success-
fully to bathe such parts as are affected with rheumatic
pains, the p*alsy, or sprains; and for dispersing swellings,
hard tumors, and inflammations, and stopping the progress
of mortification. It is also used in the form of an ointment
for burns, and eruptions of the skin. Taken in an over dose,
it occasions coldness of the extremities, giddiness, and pain
at the stomach ; the best remedy for which is an emetic,
or draught of vinegar. Camphor oil is a valuable domestic
medicine, much used by the Sumatrans in strains, swellings,
and in inflammations ; the particles, from their extreme
subtilty, readily entering the pores. It is not manufactured,
undergoes no preparation, and, though termed an oil, is
rather a liquid and volatile resin, without any oily quality.
To procure it, they make a transverse incision into the tree,
to the depth of some inches, and then cut sloping down-
wards from above the notch, till they leave a flat horizontal
surface; this they hollow out, till it is of a capacity to receive
a quart; they then put into the hollow a bit of lighted
reed, and let it remain about ten minutes, which acting as a
stimulus, draws the fluid to that part: in the space of a
night, the liquor fills the receptacle prepared for it, and the
tree continues to yield a smaller quantity for three successive
nights, when fire must be again applied ; but on a few repe-
titions, it is exhausted. Native Camphor, the capoor-bar-
roos of the Malays, is a production for which Sumatra and
Borneo have in all ages been much celebrated ; the Arabians
being at a very early period acquainted with its virtues.
Camphor, being of a dry nature, does not exude from the
tree, or manifest any appearance on the outside. The
natives, from long experience, know whether any is contained
within, by striking the tree with a stick ; in that case, they
cut it down, and split it with wedges into small pieces, find-
ing the Camphor in the interstices, in the state of a concrete
crystallization. Some have asserted that it is from the old
trees alone that this substance is procured, and that in the
VOL. ir. 68.
young trees it is in a fluid state, called meenio capoor, or
Camphor Oil ; but this is a mistake. The same sort of
tree that produces the fluid, does not produce the dry
transparent flaky substance, nor ever would. They are
readily distinguished by the natives : many of the trees,
however, produce neither the one nor the other. It has
been generally supposed that the Chinese mix the Camphor
of Sumatra and Borneo with their own and the Japanese :
but the truth seems to be, that they purchase the former for
their own use, from an idea of its superior efficacy, and
export the latter, as a drug which they hold in no estimation.
It is certain that the common Camphor will evaporate
until it entirely disappears ; whereas, that of Sumatra and
Borneo, called Native Camphor, (though, doubtless, from its
volatility, it must be subject to some decrease,) does not ap-
pear to lose much in quantity by being kept. It is purchased
on the spot at the rate of six Spanish dollars the pound, or
eight dollars the catty, for the best sort, which sells at the
China market for about twelve or fifteen hundred dollars
the pecul of one hundred catties, or one hundred and thirty-
three pounds and a third : the traders usually distinguish
three degrees of quality, by the names of head, belly, and
foot, according to its purity and whiteness ; some add a
fourth sort, of extraordinary fineness, of which a few pounds
only are imported to Canton, and sell there at the rate o
two thousand dollars the pecul. The principal part of the
Camphor that is used in Europe, is prepared from this tree
in Japan ; the natives split the wood into small pieces, and
sublime or distil it with water in an iron retort, covered with
an earthen or wooden head, in the hollow of which they
fasten hay or straw, to which the Camphor adheres as it
rises ; it is brownish or white, but in very small semi-pellucid
grains : it is packed up in wooden casks, and forwarded to
India and Europe, where it is purified by a second sublima-
tion, and reduced into the solid mass in which we find it
in our shops. The wood of .this tree is much esteemed by
carpenters, being easy to work, light, durable, and not
liable to be injured by insects, particularly by the combang,
a species of bee, which, from its faculty of boring timber for
its nest, is whimsically called the carpenter. Native of
China, Japan, Borneo, and probably of Sumatra. In Europe
this tree is propagated by layers, which are generally two
yeais, and sometimes longer, before they take root; hence
the plants are very scarce, and in general males, so that
there can be no hopes of procuring seed from them. If the
berries of this, and also of the Cinnamon-tree, were pro-
cured from the places of their growth, and planted into tubs
of earth, as directed for the Sassafras-tree, there might be a
number of these plants procured in England ; and, if sent
to the British colonies in America, they might be there cul-
tivated so as to become a public advantage. The Portuguese
brought some of the Cinnamon-trees from the East Indies,
and planted them upon the Isle of Princes, on the coast of
Africa, where they now abound, overspreading great part
of the island. The Camphor-tree does not require any arti-
ficial heat in winter; so that, if it be placed in a warm dry
green-house, it will thrive very well. In winter it must be
sparingly watered, and in summer be placed abroad in a
warm situation, not too much exposed to the heat of the sun.
It may be propagated by laying down the young branches in
autumn. -
4. Laurus Culilaban. Leaves triple-nerved, opposite.
Native of the East Indies and Cochin-china.
5. Laurus Montana. Leaves triplcd-nerved, ovate-acu-
minate, perennial ; flowers raceme panicled. Native of
Jamaica.
G
24
L A U
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LAU
6. Laurus Chloroxylon ; Jamaica Laurel, or Greenwood.
Leaves three-nerved, ovate, coriaceous ; nerves reaching the
tip. This tree rises with a strong branched trunk to a very
considerable height; the inward bark is of a light blood
colour, inclosing a strong greenish timber; leaves smooth,
resembling those of the Camphor-tree; fruit scattered up
and down upon the branches, about the size of a hazel-nut.
The wood is very tough and hard, answering better than any
other sort for the cogs in the rolls of a sugar mill : it is
generally esteemed as one of the best timber-woods in the
island of Jamaica, and used on all occasions where strength
and durability are required.
7. Laurus Glauca. Leaves nerved, lanceolate, perennial;
branchlets tubercled ; flowers solitary. This is a tree with
spreading branches. The expressed oil of the nuts is used
in Japan for making candles. Native of Japan.
8. Laurus Pedunculata. Leaves nerved, oblong, entire ;
flowers solitary, peduncled. Stem shrubby; branches round,
knobbed with fallen leaves. Native of Japan.
9. Laurus Nobilis ; Common Sweet Hay. Leaves ovate-
lanceolate, perennial, veined, shining ; axils of the veins
glandular underneath ; flowers in very short racemes. The
leaves are of a deep green, highly and pleasantly aromatic ;
flowers borne by old trees only, pale yellow ; fruit black, the
size of an unripe olive, strongly aromatic. This celebrated
plant has attracted the attention of all ages. In England it
appears only as a shrub, but in the southern parts of Europe
it becomes a tree of twenty or thirty feet in height ; much
subject, however, in general, to put out suckers. There is
some confusion among persons ignorant of Botany, between
this plant and what we now commonly call Laurel (Prunus
Laurocerasus) which is known only to modern times. What
we now call Bay was formerly and correctly called Laurel, and
the fruit alone was named Bayes. It is certainly the Aa^rq
(Daphne) of the Greeks, and the true Laurus of the Romans,
which was destined to furnish the Delphic wreath, to grace
the head of the triumphant hero, to guard the gate of the
Caesars and the Pontifex Maximus, and to be placed on the
houses of the sick. The Delphic priestess wore it on her
head, and chewed the leaves, and then threw them on the
sacred fire. Mr. Miller makes three sorts of the Sweet Bay.
1. The Broad-leaved Bay of Asia, Spain, and Italy, (almost
too tender for the open air in England,) with leaves much
broader and smoother than those of the common sort.
2. The Common Bay, which is seldom hurt with us except
in very severe winters ; of this there are two varieties, one
with plain leaves, the other with leaves waved on the edges.
3. The Narrow-leaved Bay, with very long narrow leaves, not
so thick as those of the two preceding, and of a light green ;
the branches are covered with a purplish bark, and the male
flowers come out in small clusters from the axils of the
leaves, sitting close to the branches. It is to be found in the
nurseries with variegated leaves ; and other trifling varieties
are mentioned by old authors. The leaves and berries have
an aromatic astringent taste, and a fragrant smell ; the ber-
ries are much stronger than the leaves : both are accounted
stomachic, carminative, and uterine ; in which intention the
leaves are infused and drank as tea, and the essential oil of
the berries administered on sugar, or dissolved by means of
mucilages, or in spirits of wine, in the dose of a few drops :
they are also very useful in fomentations, &c. : The berries
are given in powder or infusion, they are of a more heating
nature than the leaves, and are excellent to attenuate cold
thick viscid humours, create an appetite, remove obstructions,
promote the menses, and the necessary evacuations after
delivery. Four or five moderate doses will frequently cure the
ague, and people who are troubled with paralytic disorders,
would often find relief from small doses of them continued for
a considerable length of time. There is an oil or ointment
made from them, and kept in the shops, which is good for
pains in the joints, the cramp, numbness of the limbs, &c.; it
also alleviates pain in the ears, by being dropped into them;
and speedily takes away the black and blue marks occasioned
by blows and falls. The Germans call this plant lorbeerbaum ;
the Danes laurbccrtrae ; the Swedes, lagerbarstrad ; the
French, laurier ; the Italians, alloro ; the Spaniards, laurel;
the Portuguese, loiro and loireiro ; and the Russians, lawr
or lawro woe derewo Native of the southern parts of
Europe, and of Asia. Ray observed it in the woods and
hedges of Italy. Haller says it abounds in all the orchards
about Moutru, near the lake of Geneva, According to
Scopoli, it is found in the woods of Istria. Bellonius
remarked it on Mount Ida, and in very large trees on mount
Athos. Abbe St. Pierre observes, that fine Bay-trees are
no where more common than on the banks of the river Peneus
in Thessaly, which might well give occasion to the fabled
metamorphoses of Daphne, daughter of that river. Mr. Eve-
lyn makes mention of Bay-trees thirty feet high, and almost
two feet in diameter in the trunk. In the last century,
abundance of these trees were raised, with curious round
heads, and kept in tubs ; they were imported from the con-
tinent. The berries are ripe at the end of January or begin-
ning of February, when they ought to be gathered, and pre-
served in dry sand till the beginning of March ; then, or as
soon as the weather becomes favourable, on a shady border
of rich loose undunged soil, made fine, and well protected,
drop the berries in rows fifteen inches asunder, and four
inches in the row, sifting over them fine rich mould an inch
thick : as soon as you perceive the plants to heave up the
earth, refresh them frequently but moderately with water in
the mornings when cold, in the evenings when mild weather,
and continue to do so all the summer months. Let them
remain two years, watering them during the second summer.
This species is generally propagated by suckers ; but it may
be propagated by layers, so also may the tenth and thirteenth
species. The best way, however, is to sow the berries in
pots, and plunge them into a moderate hot-bed, which will
bring up the plants much sooner than if they were sown in
the full ground, and they will have more time to acquire
strength before winter ; but the plants must not be forced
with heat, therefore they should be inured to bear the open
air at the beginning of June, into which they should be
removed, where they may remain till autumn : then the pots
should be placed under a common frame, that the plants
may be protected from hard frost, but in mild weather they
may enjoy the free air ; for while the plants are so young,
they are in danger of suffering in hard frost. The spring
following, those sorts which will not live in the open air,
should be each transplanted into separate pots ; but the com-
mon sorts may be planted in nursery beds, six inches asunder
each way, where they may grow two years, by which time
they will be fit to plant where they are designed to grow :
the other sort must be constantly kept in pots, and should
every year be new potted, and, as they advance in growth,
they must have larger pots. As these plants require shelter
in winter, a few of them will be enough for a large green-
house. Such as are intended to be increased by layers,
should be laid down in March or August ; the latter is the
best season, and by the second spring will make good plants.
This sort will also grow by cuttings, though but slowly
in the open ground; in the beginning of April, therefore,
prepare a moderate hot-bed of tanner's bark, and cover
LA U
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
L AU
25
it eight inches deep with rich loose fresh earth ; plant the
cuttings five inches deep, and eight or nine asunder, rubbing
off their leaves ; water them gently every evening while the
weather continues warm, and cover the glasses with mats
during the heat of the day : when the cuttings have shot,
let them receive all mild gentle showers, and the evening
dews ; the beginning of August the glasses may be taken off,
and replaced when the weather begins to be frosty, keeping
them open every mild day ; at the beginning of April follow-
ing, or as soon as the weather becomes temperate, remove
both glasses and frames ; continue frequent and plentiful
waterings during the summer months, as the weather may
require, and the succeeding April they will be strong, well
rooted, and fit for removal into the nursery, where, after
having cut away the superfluous roots and branches, atten-
tively encouraging the leading shoot, they may be planted
in a well-sheltered quarter of light mould, in rows three
feet and a half asunder, and eighteen inches in the row.
Dig the ground in autumn and spring ; keep it clean, loose,
and mellow in summer, and prune the plants annually in
April. Let them continue three, but not more than four
years before they are planted out where they are to remain.
The Broad and Narrow-leaved Bay are not so hardy as the
common sort, and will scarcely live abroad whilst young,
in common winters, without shelter. In severe winters the
old trees are frequently killed, or at least the branches are
much injured ; the plants are therefore frequently kept in
tubs, and housed in. winter. The Gold-striped Bay is also
tender ; it is usually kept in pots, and housed with hardy
green-house plants ; it will survive in the open ground, but
will be tarnished and sometimes much injured in severe
winters : it is a strong rich variegation ; the method of
increasing it is by budding on the plain sort. The Common
Bay will make a variety in all evergreen plantations, and as
it will grow under the shade of other trees, where they are
not too close, it is very proper to plant in the borders of
woods, where they will have a good effect in winter. In a
warm dry sandy or gravelly soil, this tree will attain the
height of thirty feet; but, to secure its fine verdure, it should
be planted in situations that are not exposed to north and
north-east winds, from which it frequently suffers in severe
winters, but generally recovers in summer. Not a single
branch should be taken from it, except in the spring. As an
elegant and beautiful plant, yielding a most refreshing and
salubrious smell to a considerable distance, it cannot be too
much encouraged ; and to persons of classical taste, it can
never fail to excite many pleasing ideas, by recalling to their
minds the distinguished manner in which it is mentioned in
Holy Writ, Psalm xxxvii. 35 ; and the various fine passages
and allusions of the ancient poets.
10. Laurus Indica; Royal Bay, or Indian Laurel. Leaves
oblong-lanceolate, perennial, somewhat glaucous underneath,
the edges at the base rolled back ; racemes elongated. Flowers
terminating, below racemed, above panicled. It is a large
tree, with ascending branches. Loureiro observes, that the
wood is of a yellow colour, not heavy, good for building,
but still better for furniture. It is called vigniatico in the
island of Madeira, and is probably what is imported into
England under the name of Madeira Mahogany: it is hardly
to be distinguished from mahogany, except that it is some-
what less brown. Native of Madeira, the Canary Islands,
Virginia, Japan, and Cochin-china.
11. Laurus Fcetens ; Madeira Laurel, or Til. Leaves
veined, elliptic, acute, perennial ; axils of the veins villose
underneath ; racemes elongated, compound, panicle-form.
Native of Madeira and the Canarv Islands.
12. Laurus Persea; Alligator Pear. Leaves ovate, cori-
aceous, transversely veined, perennial ; flowers corymbed.
It grows to the height of thirty feet, and has a trunk as large
as our common apple-trees. The fruit is the size of one of
our largest pears, inclosing a large seed with two lobes,
included in a thin shell ; the pulp is covered with a tough
skinny coat. This fruit is held in great esteem in the West
Indies : the pulp is of a pretty firm consistence, and has a
delicate rich-flavour ; it gains upon the palate of most per-
sons, and becomes agreeable even to those who cannot like
it at first; but it is so rich and mild, that most people make
use of some spice or pungent substance to give it a poignancy;
and for this purpose some make use of wine, some of sugar,
some of lime juice, but most of pepper and salt. It seems
equally agreeable to the horse, the cow, the dog, and the
cat, as well as to all sorts of birds ; when plentiful, it makes
a great part of the delicacies of the negroes. Native of the
West Indies. This plant is propagated by seeds, which
should be obtained as fresh as possible from the countries of
its growth ; if they are brought over in sand, they will be
more likely to grow than when dry. Set them in pots filled
with rich light earth, plunged into a hot-bed of tanner's bark,
keeping them pretty warm, and water them frequently, but
moderately, when the earth appears dry. In five or six
weeks the plants will come up. Treat them very tenderly by
keeping up the bed to a due temperature of heat; and when
the weather proves warm, admit the fresh air by raising the
glasses a little. When they are about four inches high,
transplant them very carefully ; and where there are several
plants in one pot, part them, preserving a ball of earth to
the root of each, and put them into separate small pots
filled with light rich earth, which plunge into a hot-bed of
tanner's bark, shading them until they have taken new
root ; after which, fresh air should be admitted to them, in
proportion to the warmth of the season. Towards Michael-
mas the plants must be removed into the stove, and plunged
into the bark-bed, where, during the winter season, they
should be kept in a moderate warmth, and gently watered
twice a week. In the spring the plants should be shifted into
pots a size larger, and the bark-bed should be then renewed
with fresh tan, which will set the plants in a growing state.
These plants must be constantly kept in the stove, for they
are too tender to bear the open air in this country, but in
warm weather they should have a large share of fresh air.
13. Laurus Borbonia; Broad-leaved Carolina Bay, or
Red Bay. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, perennial, veined ;
fruits oblong, immersed in a berried receptacle. In some
situations ne'er the sea, this rises with a straight large trunk
to a considerable height; but in the inland parts of the
country it is of an humbler stature. The leaves are much
longer than those of the common Bay, and are a little woolly
on their under side. Berries blue, in red cups, growing two
and sometimes three together. The wood is finely grained,
and of excellent use for cabinets, &c. especially some of the
best sorts, which resembles watered satin, and is very beau-
tiful. They will not live in sharp winters ; and should be
kept in pots or tubs during the winter.
14. Laurus Exaltata. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, veined,
coriaceous, perennial, flat; racemes upright, compound;
calix cup-shaped, permanent. Native of Jamaica.
15. Laurus Triandra. Leaves broad, lanceolate, perennial,
flat ; flowers three-stamined ; fruit covered by the calix.
Native of Jamaica.
16. Laurus Coriacea. Leaves ovate-acuminate, flat, veined,
shining, coriaceous ; racemes upright, shorter than the leaves.
Native of Jamaica.
26
L AU
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
L A U
17. Laurus Leucoxylon. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, flat,
perennial ; racemes shorter than the leaves ; calices incras-
sated, warted. It is called Loblolly, White-wood, or White
Sweet-wood. Native of Jamaica.
18. Laurus Membranacea. Leaves .oblong, acuminate,
veined, convex, coriaceous-membranaceous ; branches and ra-
cemes upright, shorter than the leaf. Native of Jamaica.
19. Laurus Pateus. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, flat, mem-
branaceous ; racemes upright, diffused, longer than the leaves.
Native of Jamaica.
20. Laurus Pendula. Leaves oblong, veined, membra-
naceous, perennial ; racemes loose ; fruits pendulous ; calices
deciduous. It grows twelve feet high. Native of Jamaica.
21. Laurus Floribunda. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, flat,
membranaceous ; flowers raceme-panicled, loose, terminating.
Native of Jamaica.
22. Laurus Lucida. Leaves oblong, serrate ; branchlets
in threes ; flowers axillary, solitary, subsessile. This is a
smooth tree, with round branches. Native of Japan.
23. Laurus Umbellata. Leaves ovate, serrate ; branchlets
umbelled ; flowers in racemes. Stem shrubby, very much
branched. Native of Japan.
24. Laurus JEstivalis ; Willow-leaved Bay. Leaves veined,
oblong-acuminate, annual, wrinkled underneath ; branches
superaxillary. Stalk shrubby, branching, eight to ten feet high ;
bark purple ; flowers white, six-petalled at the top of the
branches; followed by green berries inclosed in reddish cups.
Native of swampy lands in North America. It may be pro-
pagated by seeds, when they can be procured, and by layers,
which put out roots pretty freely. This, and the two follow-
ing, will live in the open air in England ; but the Sassafras
is often injured by very severe frosts, especially if it be in an
exposed situation ; therefore these plants should have a warm
situation, and a loose soil ; and in moist ground this will
thrive much better than in a dry soil.
25. Laurus Benzoin ; Common Benjamin Tree. Leaves
nerveless, ovate, sharp at both ends, entire, annual. It rises
to the height of ten or twelve feet, dividing into many
branches ; flowers of a white herbaceous colour. Native of
Virginia. This tree has been confounded with the true Ben-
zoin tree ; for which see Styrax Benzoin. It may be propa-
gated by sowing the berries, which generally lie long in the
ground, so that, unless they are brought over in earth, they
often fail. It may also be increased by layers, which put
out roots freely when the young shoots are made choice of.
26. Laurus Sassafras ; Sassafras Tree. Leaves entire, and
three-lobed. This is generally a shrub, about ten feet high,
though it sometimes grows into a large tree ; leaves of dif-
ferent shapes and sizes, on pretty long footstalks, of a lucid
green ; flowers three or four on each peduncle, small, yel-
low, or greenish white ; berry blue when ripe. It is said
that bedsteads made of the wood will never be infested
with bugs ; indeed Loureiro remarks, that it is very proper
for making cabinets in hot climates, because the smell is
disagreeable to insects. It is of a light and spongy texture,
has a fragrant smell, and a sweet aromatic taste. Both it
and the bark, which in America has been substituted for
spice, are much used in the materia medica. Sassafras is
used as a mild corroborant, diaphoretic, and sweetener, in
scorbutic, venereal, cachectic, and catarrhal disorders. Infu-
sions made in water, from the cortical or woody part rasped
or shaved, are commonly drank as a tea : and this, in some
constitutions, from its fragrance, is said to affect the head at
first, which inconvenience ceases on continuing its use a
little time. It is made an ingredient in several diet-drinks,
both empirical and such as are used in regular practice.
It gives out its virtues both to spirit and water, but most
readily to the former. A decoction of Sassafras with sugar
was sold in coffee-houses at the end of the last century, under
the name of bochet: there has been a shop opened for the
sale of it in Fleet Street, under the name of saloop, for many
years past. Native of sandy soils in America. This tree
is commonly propagated by the berries brought over from
America. They often lie in the ground a whole year, and
sometimes two or three, if sown in spring, before they
grow; therefore the surest way of obtaining the plant is,
to get the berries put into a tub of earth soon after they are
ripe ; and as soon as they arrive, sow them on a bed of
light earth, putting them two inches in the ground. If the
spring be dry, water them often, and shade them from the
heat of the sun in the middle of the day. With this manage-
ment many of the plants will corne up the first season; but as
a great many of the berries will lie in the ground till the next
spring, so the bed should not be disturbed, but wait until
the season after, to see what will come up. The first winter
after the plants come up, they should be protected from the
frost, especially in the preceding autumn, for the first early
frost at that season is apt to pinch the shoots of these plants,
which when young are tender and full of sap, so will do
them more injury than the severe frost of the winter; for
when the extreme part of the shoots are killed, it greatly
affects the whole plant. When they have grown a year in
the seed-bed, they may be transplanted into the nursery,
where they may stand one or two years to acquire strength,
and may then be transplanted into the places where they are
to remain for good. Some of" them have been propagated by
layers, but they are commonly two and sometimes three years
before they put out roots, and will rarely take root at all
if they are not duly watered in dry weather. The Sassafras
makes a good appearance in summer, when fully clothed with
its large leaves, which being of different shapes, make an
agreeable variety with shrubs of the same growth.
27. Laurus Involucrata. Leaves obovate ; umbels invo-
lucred ; branches watered by the fallen petioles. This tree is
a native of Tranquebar in the East Indies.
28. Laurus Myrrha ; Myrrh Laurel. Leaves three-nerved,
ovate, with a long point; flowers heaped, sessile, axillary.
It is a small tree, five feet high, very much branched, with
an unarmed twisted trunk ; flowers white. The root is warm,
diuretic, emmenagogtie, antiputredinous, and anthelminthic.
A red oil expressed from the berries, and having the smell
and taste of the plant, is used by the Cochin-chinese in the itch,
wounds, pustules, and putrid ulcers, and against the worms
and insects that attack the human body. The whole plant
is extremly bitter, and has the taste and smell of Myrrh to
such a degree, that Loureiro suspects that it may be the plant
which affords the true Myrrh. Native of Cochin-china.
29. Laurus Polyadelpha. Leaves obscurely three-nerved,
lanceolate ; flowers axillary, polyadelphous. This is a large
tree, with spreading boughs ; flowers reddish-white ; corolla
cup-shaped. Native of the mountains of Cochin-china.
30. Laurus Curvifolia. Leaves obscurely three-nerved,
oblong, curved inwards ; racemes small, subterminating.
This also is a large tree, with spreading branches ; flowers
white. Native of mountainous woods in Cochin-china.
31. Laurus Cubeba; White Laurel. Leaves nerveless,
veinless, lanceolate ; flowers heaped, peduncled. This is
a middle-sized and very branching tree. Corolla white.
The berries are globular; they are corroborant, cephalic,
stomachic, and carminative. A decoction of them is service-
able in vertigo, hysterics, palsy, &c. The bark has the same
qualities, but in an inferior degree. The natives use the
LAX
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LEG
27
fresh berries as a sauce for fish ; the smell is fragrant, the
taste aromatic and warm ; they have the size, colour, and form
of black pepper ; and being fastened to a long slender pedun-
cle, are not unaptly called piper caudatum, or Tailed Pepper
Native of Cochin-china; probably also of China.
32. Laurus Pilosa. Leaves nerveless, oblong, hairy ;
racemes wide, terminating. A large tree with spreading
branches ; flowers polygamous, greenish-yellow. The wood
is yellow, durable, and fit for building and turning. Native
of the mountain-woods in Cochin-china.
Lawsonia; a genus of the class Octandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth four-
cleft, small, permanent. Corolla : petals four, ovate-lanceo-
late, flat, spreading. Stamina: filamenta eight, filiform,
length of the corolla, in twin pairs between the petals ;
antherse roundish. Pistil: germen roundish; style simple,
length of the stamina, permanent; stigma headed. Pericarp:
capsule or berry globose, with a point, four-celled. Seeds:
many, cornered, pointed. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Ca-
lix: four-cleft. Petals: four. Stamina: in four pairs.
Capsule: four-celled, many-seeded. The plants of this
genus are all propagated by seeds sown on a hot-bed early
in the spring, that the plants when they come up may have
time to acquire strength before winter. When fit to remove,
plant each in a small pot of light sandy earth, and plunge them
into a hot-bed of tanner's bark, where they must be screened
from the sun until they have taken new root; then treat
them as the Coffee-tree, only giving them less water, especi-
ally in winter : they are too tender to thrive in the open air,
they must therefore constantly remain in the stove, having
plenty of air in hot weather. The species are,
1 . Lawsonia Inermis ; Henna, or Smooth Lawsonia.
Branches unarmed ; leaves subsessile, ovate, sharp at both
ends. Stem shrubby, eight or ten feet high ; flowers in
loose terminating bunches, yellowish-white, with purplish
stamina. This is supposed to be the henna, or al-henna, of
the scriptures, translated camphire in Solomon's Song, and in
other places rendered cypress and myrrh. The leaves of
this shrub are used by the Egyptian women to colour their
nails yellow, as an ornament. Native of India and Egypt.
2. Lawsonia Achronychia. Branches unarmed; leaves on
long petioles, wedge-shaped. A smooth shrub, with round
branches. Native of New Caledonia.
3. Lawsonia Spinosa; Prickly Laivsonia. Branches spiny.
This rises with a woody trunk, about eighteen feet high ; wood
hard and close, covered with a light gray bark; flowers white,
in racemed terminating corymbs ; others say of a pale yellow-
colour, and disagreeable scent. Native of the East Indies
and Spanish West Indies.
4. Lawsonia Falcata. Leaves sickle-shaped, slightly
orenate. This is a shrub or small tree six feet high, very
much branched ; flowers white, in a racemed terminating
corymb. Native of Cochin-china.
Laxmannia ; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, bell-shaped, compressed, four-toothed, rather acute,
inferior, very small. Corolla: petals four, linear, feathery,
long, upright at the base, spreading, with inflected tip, a
villose line on the upper part, two more approximated than
the rest. Stamina: filamenta six, linear below, upright,
awl-shaped at the tip, spreading, rather shorter than the
corolla; antherse roundish, affixed to the back. Pistil: ger-
men roundish, extremely villose; style shorter than the stamina,
thick, cornered; stigma simple. Pericarp: subglobose,
tetragonal at the top, four-celled ; the cells covered by a
membrane. Seeds: solitary, oblong, compressed. ESSEX-
VOL. ii. 68.
TIAL CHARACTER. Calix: one-leafed, four-toothed, infe-
rior. Corolla: four-petalled. Berry: four-celled. Seeds:
solitary. The species are,
1. Laxmannia Cuminosma. Fruit globose, slightly depress-
ed; petals twice the length of the calix. Native of Ceylon.
2. Laxmannia Ankeenda. Fruit ovate, pointed ; petals
many times longer than the calix. A shrub about four feet
high, with round leafy branches; flowers greenish-white;
berry ovate, -pointed, dark green, with an aromatic flavour of
Cumin. Native of Ceylon and Malabar.
Laying of Trees and Shrubs is thus performed. First :
having well dug the ground, and made it very light, take
some of the most flexible boughs, and lay them into the
ground about half a foot deep, pegging them down with
forked sticks if necessary, leaving the end of the layer a
foot or a foot and a half out of the ground ; keep them
moist during the summer season, and they will probably
have taken root and be fit to remove in autumn, or, if not,
they must remain another season. Secondly : tie a piece of
wire hard round the bark of the bough, at the place you
intend to lay in the ground, and twist the ends of the wire
securely; prick the part above the wire through the bark
with an awl in several places, and then lay it in the ground as
before directed. This method will often succeed when the
other fails. Thirdly: cut a slip upwards at a joint, as is
practised in laying Carnations ; which gardeners call
tonguing the layers. Fourthly: twist the part of the branch
designed to lay in the ground like a withy, if it be pliable,
and lay it in the ground as directed above. Fifthly : cut the
bark all round at a joint, taking out small chips all the way
below the cut, and lay that part in the earth. Though
branches may be laid at any time, yet the proper season for
laying hardy trees that shed their leaves, is October; for
such as are tender, the beginning of March; for evergreens,
June or July. When the boughs cannot be bent down into
the ground, lay them in baskets, boxes, or pots, filled with
fine mould mixed with a little rotten willow dust, and elevated
by blocks or tressels. Too much of the -head must not be
left on ; and the smaller the boughs are, the less way they
should be left out of the ground. In trees of a hard wood,
the young shoots ; but in trees of a soft wood, the older
boughs will take root best. Many trees and plants will not
put out roots from the woody branches, yet if the, young
shoots of the same year be laid in July, they will often put
out roots very freely; but as these shoots will be soft and
herbaceous, they must not have too much wet, which would
cause them to rot ; cover therefore the surface of the ground
with moss, which will prevent it from drying too fast, and
a Irttle water will suffice. To raise a quantity of trees by
layers, the required number should be headed down for
stools, within a few inches of the ground, in autumn ; and
the summer following, they will afford plenty of young shoots
proper for laying in the autumn. In many trees, however,
it will be better to wait two years; the ground in the mean
time may be dug in winter, and constantly hoed as the
weeds rise in summer. After the layers are taken up, the stools
must have all the wounded parts' taken away, and the old
branches should be cut off pretty close to the stem ; in the
spring they will shoot out fresh branches, which may be
laid the second year after.
Leadwort. See Plumbago.
Leatherwood. See Dirca.
Lechea ; a genus of the class Triandria, order Trigynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth three-leaved;
leaflets ovate, concave, extremely spreading, permanent.
Corolla: petals three, linear, narrower than the calix, but
H
LEG
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LEG
almost longer, concave. Stamina: filamenta three, (some-
times four or five,) capillary, longer than the corolla, incum-
bent on the pistil, equal ; antherae roundish. Pistil: germen
ovate ; style none ; stigmas three, feathery, divaricated.
Pericarp : capsule ovate, three-sided, three-celled (accord-
ing to Gsertner, one-celled,) three-valved ; and also with three
internal valves converging towards the exterior ones, con-
stituting partitions. Seeds: solitary, ovate, cornered inwards.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : three-leaved. Petals:
three, linear. Capsule: three-celled, three-valved, with as
many internal ones. Seeds: solitary. The species are,
1. Lechea Minor. Leaves linear-lanceolate ; flowers pani-
cled. Root fibrous, perennial, putting up several upright
simple stems, panicled at top, and round. Native of North
America, in Virginia and Canada.
2. Lechea Major. Leaves ovate-lanceolate ; flowers late-
ral, wandering. Stem purplish, round, with simple, alternate,
remote branches. Stamina four, the two upper ones approxi-
mating. Native of North America, in Virginia and Canada.
3. Lechea Racemulosa. Leaves linear, acute, ciliate ;
panicles slender, very branchy, pyramidal; flowers small,
alternate, pedicelled ; stalk erect. It grows in sandy fields
from New Jersey to Carolina.
4. Lechea Thymifolia. Leaves linear, acute ; panicles
leafy, elongated ; branches short ; flowers fasciculate, late-
ral and terminal ; pedicels very short ; flowers small, hoary-
tomentose ; stalk erect ; the lower branches, which in most
species of this genus trail on the ground, have a great resem-
blance to Thymus Serpyllum. Found on slate hills, and in
the dry barren woods of Virginia, in North America.
5. Lechea Tenuifolia. Leaves very narrow ; panicles
divaricated ; branchlets alternate ; pedicels elongated, divari-
cated ; stalk erect. The lower branches in this species
have linear leaves, by which it is easily distinguished from
the rest. The whole plant is very hairy. Found on dry
gravelly hills from Virginia to Georgia.
6. Lechea Verticillata. Leaves elliptical, serrated; flowers
whorled. Stems several, spreading, or decumbent, a span
long. Sent by Dr. Ruttler from Madras.
7. Lechea Chinensis. Leaves ovate-lanceolate ; spathes
three-flowered, terminating; stem annual, manifold, creeping,
short; flowers from a large blunt spathe; petals blue, with
claws. Native of China near Canton.
Lechenaultia ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mo-
nogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix, superior; tube
of the corolla slit longitudinally on one side ; antherse coher-
ing ; pollen of compound grains ; stigma obsolete, in the
bottom of a two-lipped cover ; capsule prismatic, of two
cells and four opposite valves with central partitions ; seeds
cubical or cylindrical, shelly. (Brown.) The following
species are all natives of New Holland.
* Small shrubs with heath-like leaves ; flowers axillary or ter-
minal; capsule valvular; seeds cubical.
1. Lechenaultia Formosa. Flowers axillary, solitary, droop-
ing, without bractes; corolla smooth, two-lipped. 2. Le-
chenaultia Tubiflora. Flowers nearly terminal, solitary,
slightly stalked ; corolla tubular, curved, with a closed limb;
leaves awl-shaped, with a small pellucid point. 3. Leche-
naultia Expansa. Corymbs axillary, of few flowers; stalks
with a pair of bractes each ; corolla with one lip, in fringed
segments.
** Herbaceous. Flowers opposite to a leaf; capsule opening
only when far advanced, its valves cohering by a narrow
neck; seeds cylindrical.
4. Lechenaultia Filiformis. Leaves alternate, thread-
shaped, somewhat compressed.
Lecythis; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth six-
leaved ; leaflets roundish, concave, permanent. Corolla :
petals six, oblong, obtuse, flat, very large, of which the
two upper ones are very spreading; nectary petal-form,
one-leat'ed, tongue-shaped, flat at the base, perforated for
the germen, marginated ; a strap bent upwards from the
lower side of the flower, linear, outwardly convex, thick at
the tip, ovate, together with the stamina covering the organs.
Stamina : filamenta extremely plentiful, inserted on every side
into the interior disk of the buse of the nectary, very short,
thicker above; antherse oblong, small. Pistil: germen de-
pressed, acuminated, girt with the receptacle of the flower ;
style very short; stigma rather obtuse, conic. Pericarp:
rounded at the base, woody, girt above by the rudiments of
the calix, truncated, subquadrilocular, circumcised, with
orbiculated operculum. Seeds : several, glossy, with rough
margin. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: six-leaved.
Corolla: six-petalled. Nectary: ligulate, staminiferous.
Pericarp: circumcised, many-seeded. The species are,
1. Lecythis Grandiflora. Leaves ovate; peduncles of the
flowers thick. This tree grows to the height of thirty feet ;
flowers at the end of the shoots from the axils of the leaves,
and also from the branches and shoots themselves ; corolla
rose-coloured ; two petals longer and wider, and four smaller.
The kernels of the capsule are very good to eat. The
Caribs call it canari makaque ; and the French, marmite de
singe, the ape's porridge-pot. It flowers in January, and
fruits in April. Native of the forests of Guiana.
2. Lecythis Amara. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acuminate;
fruit small, with a bitter kernel. This is also a very lofty
tree; flowers small, yellow; capsule the size of an egg,
hard, woody, formed like a little oval pot ; the bitter kernels
of which are eaten by monkeys. The Creoles call it petite
marmite de singe. Native of Guiana.
3. Lecythis Parviflora. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acumi-
nate ; fruit small, two-celled; lid with the appendix woody,
produced inwards. This is not very lofty ; the boughs and
twigs bend towards the ground ; flowers of a golden yellow
colour, and smelling very sweet. The bitter kernel is only
eaten by monkeys. Native of Guiana, on the banks of rivers.
4. Lecythis Jacapucaya. Leaves lanceolate-oblong, acu-
minate; fruit large, with an eatable kernel. It is a very lofty
tree, the trunk sixty feet high or more, and upwards of two
feet in diameter ; the bark is rough and irregular, and the
wood white, except towards the middle, where it is red; the
boughs extend every way, and are loaded with leaves ten
inches long; and two and a half wide; flowers at the extremity
of the shoots, in pendent racemes ; the corolla consists of
six unequal petals, white, with rose-coloured edges; nectary
rose-coloured; capsule thick, hard, woody, oval, rounded
at bottom, convex at top, with a point in the middle,
which is the remains of the style; it is four inches in diameter,
and five or six inches high. The Portuguese turn boxes
and other toys out of these capsules ; the kernels of which
are eaten, and are sweet, delicate, and preferable to almonds ;
they are sold in London under the name of Brazil nuts. Birds
and monkeys feed much upon them. The Brazilians extract
an oil from the kernels, which is much esteemed ; and the
Indians use the bark for making cordage, and as oakum for
stopping the seams of boats. The wood being hard and
durable, is ex-cellent for mill-work. Native of America, Brazil,
and Guiana.
5. Lecythis Idatimon. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acumi-
nate; fruit small, four-celled. It resembles the preceding in
height and leaves; flowers axillary, at the ends of the shoots;
LEE
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LEG
29
corolla rose-coloured ; capsule an inch in diameter, woody ;
kernel bitter. Native of the forests of Guiana.
6. Lecythis Minor. Leaves lanceolate-oblong, petioled.
This is an elegant branching upright tree, sixty feet high ;
flowers large; corolla and nectary white; fruit very hard,
brown, two inches in diameter; the cover falls oft' when the
fruit is ripe ; the dried pulp and seeds follow ; but the pot
or body of the capsule hangs on frequently two years in an
inverted state. Jacquin relates, that, having eaten whole
nut, he was seized with a nausea in half an hour after, accom-
panied with a giddiness of the head. The fruits are ripe in
December. Native of woods about Carthagena, in New
Spain, flowering in June and July.
Ledum ; a genus of the class Decandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, very small, five-toothed. Corolla : one-petalled, flat,
five-parted; divisions ovate, concave, rounded. Stamina:
filamenta ten, filiform, spreading, length of the corolla ; antherse
oblong. Pistil: germen roundish ; style filiform, length of
the stamina ; stigma obtuse. Pericarp : capsule roundish,
five-celled, gaping five ways at the base. Seeds : numerous,
oblong, narrow, sharp on each side, extremely slender. ES-
SENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : five-cleft. Corolla: flat,
five-parted. Capsule: five-celled, gaping at the base. All
these plants grow on mosses and bogs, where their roots
spread freely; and therefore cannot be preserved in a thriving
state in gardens, except in similar soil and shady situation.
They must be procured from the places of their growth, and
taken up with good roots, planted on a border of bog earth,
and frequently watered. The species are,
1. Ledum Palustre; Marsh Ledum, or Cistus. Leaves
linear, rolled back at the edge, tomentose underneath. Root
branched, running widely and deeply into the ground; stems
shrubby, slender, three or four feet long ; leaves resembling
those of Rosemary, but wider ; flowers on peduncles, an inch
or more in length, whitish, in axillary bundles; seeds very
numerous, like saw-dust. It flowers here in April and May.
Native of the north of Europe.
2. Ledum Latifolium ; Broad-leaved Ledum, or Labrador
Tea. Leaves oblong, rolled back at the edge, tomentose
underneath ; flowers subpentandrous. This shrub grows
three or four feet high ; trunk as thick as a man's finger ;
flowers very like those of the preceding. It flowers here
in April and May. Bees are very fond of the flowers of
these plants. Animals do not browse on them, and they
are reputed in some degree poisonous ; but are notwith-
standing put into beer, in order to inebriate ; the smoke of
them destroys bugs and other insects ; and the Russians are
said to use them in tanning leather. A decoction of them
is given "in the itch. Native of Greenland, Hudson's Bay,
Labrador, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia.
3. Ledum Buxifolium ; Box-leaved Ledum. Leaves ovate-
oblong, flat, smooth. This is a small shrub scarcely a foot
high ; stem upright, roundish, rugged with scars, ash-
coloured ; branches at stated intervals in a sort of whorl,
leafy, or scarred, each subdivided and upright; corolla white.
Native of New Jersey and Carolina.
Leea; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
bell-shaped, coriaceous, five-toothed, permanent. Corolla :
one-petalled ; tube the length of the calix ; border five-cleft;
divisions ovate, acute; nectary placed on the tube of the
corolla, and shorter than it, upright, pitcher-shaped, five-
cleft; lobes emarginate. Stamina: filamenta five, inserted
below, within the nectary, between the lobes, incurved ; an-
theree ovate, versatile, before impregnation converging and
covering the stigma. Pistil: germen subglobose, superior ;
style simple, shorter than the nectary; stigma headed.
Pericarp: berry orbiculate, depressed, quinque-torulose,
one-celled. Seeds: five, on one side gibbose, on the other
cornered. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: one-petalled.
Nectary: on the tube of the corolla, upright, five-cleft.
Berry: five-seeded. The species are,
1 . Leea Sambucina ; Elder-leaved Leea. Stem, peduncles,
and leaves,-smooth. This is a small tree, resembling the
Elder; berry marked with from three to six swellings, black,
aromatic, containing from three to six seeds. Native of the
East Indies, Africa, and New South Wales.
2. Leea ^Equata ; Shrubby Leea. Leaves smooth ; stem
and peduncles scurfy; corymbs trichotomous. Native of
the East Indies.
3. Leea Crispa; Fringe-leaved Leea. Stem angular,
fringed, curled. Root tuberous; stem somewhat woody, but
annual, three feet high; flowers snowy white, very small.
Native of trie Cape, and the East Indies.
Leeks. See Allium Porrum.
Leersia; a genus of the class Triandria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: none. Corolla: glume
bivalve ; valves navicular, concave, compressed, ciliate,
prickly on the back, nearly equal ; the exterior larger,
oblong, mucronated ; the interior twice as narrow, linear,
acute. Nectary two-leaved ; leaflets lanceolate, acute. Sta-
mina: filamema three, (in some cases one to six) capillary,
shorter than the corolla; antherse oblong. Pistil: germen
ovate, compressed; styles two, capillary, short; stigmas
feathered. Pericarp : none ; the corolla includes the seed.
Seeds: single, obovate, compressed. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: none. Glume: two-valved, closed.
The species are,
1. Leersia Monandra. Panicle spreading; spikes remote,
loose; spikelets directed all one way, roundish, one-stamined ;
glumes even. Native of Jamaica.
2. Leersia Hexandra. Panicle spreading; spikelets alter-
nate, six-stamined; glumes almost even. Native of Jamaica.
3. Leersia Oryzoides. Panicle spreading; spikelets three-
stamined ; keel of the glumes ciliate. This is a tall grass,
more than two feet high, with rough leaves, and upright,
stiff, branching panicle ; the pedicels are flexuose ; and the
flowers white with green lines. Native of the marshes of
Virginia ; introduced into Italy along with Rice ; found also
in Switzerland, the Palatinate, and Persia.
4. Leersia Lenticularis. Panicles with subsolitary branches;
spikelets imbricated ; glumes orbiculated, ciliated. This
singular and elegant grass, Pursh informs us, he found on
the island of Roanoak, in North Carolina, and observed it
catching flies in the same manner as Dioncea Muscipula,
(which see) to the leaves of which plant, the valves of the
corolla bear a great resemblance. It grows in the wet
gravelly woods of Illinois and Virginia.
Legnotis ; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, bell-shaped, half four or five cleft, permanent; divi-
sions ovate, acute, upright. Corolla : petals four or five,
longer than the calix ; claws slender, almost the length of
the calix, inserted into the receptacle; borders ovate, fringed
with a great many villose divisions. Stamina : filamenta six-
teen, twenty, or more, as far as fifty, filiform, equal, length
of the calix, inserted into the receptacle ; antherse oblong,
upright. Pistil: germen roundish; style cylindric, length
of the stamina ; stigma headed. Pericarp : capsule large,
three-cornered, three-celled, three-valved, elastic. Seed:
solitary, on one side convex, on the other cornered. Observe.
30
L EM
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LEO
The number of parts of the fruit is sometimes increased by
a fourth. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : five-cleft.
Petals: five, jagged, inserted into the receptacle. Capsules:
three-celled. The species are,
1. Legnotis Elliptica. Leaves elliptic ; flowers pedicelled.
---Native of Jamaica.
2. Legnotis Cassipourea. Leaves ovate ; flowers sessile.
This is a middle-sized tree ; the trunk five feet or more in
height, branchy at top ; bark gray ; flowers axillary ; petals
white. Native of Guiana, where it flowers in January.
Lemna; a genus of the class Monojcia, order Diandria.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Male Flower. Calix: one-
leafed, roundish, gaping on the side, obliquely dilated out-
wards, obtuse, spreading, depressed, large, entire. Corolla :
none. Stamina: filamenta two, awl-shaped, incurved, length
of the calix; antherae twin, globose. Pistil: germen ovate;
style short, permanent ; stigma obscure. Pericarp: abor-
tient. Female Flower, in the same plant with the male. Calix :
as in the male. Corolla : none. Pistil: germen subovate ;
style short, permanent ; stigma simple. Pericarp : capsule
globose, with a point, one-celled. Seed: some, oblong, sharp
at each side, nearly the length of the capsule, striated on
one side. ESSENTIALCHARACTER. Male. Calix: one-leafed.
Corolla : none. Female. Calix: one-leafed. Corolla : none.
Style: one. Capsule: one-celled. These plants are all an-
nual, and float on stagnant water. They were long thought
by some to be cryptogamous plants ; but their fructifications
are now well ascertained. The species are,
1. Lemna Trisulca; Ivy-leaved Duck's-meqt. Leaves
petioled, lanceolate; stem dichotomous, filiform, flatted, pro-
liferous. It flowers from June to September. Native of
most parts of Europe, in ditches and stagnant waters.
2. Lemna Minor; Least Duck's-meat, or Duckweed.
Leaves sessile, flattish on both sides ; roots solitary. The
leaves are very small, collect into heaps by twos and threes,
and form extensive green plats on stagnant waters, covering
the ditches. Each leaf drops a single radicle. This plant
affords nourishment not only to ducks, but to the Fresh-water
Polype, the Phalsena Lemnata, &c. Its quick and extensive
propagation make it troublesome in some cases ; but it
should always be borne in mind that it has been proved to
arrest a vast quantity of inflammable air from putrid water,
which it converts into vital elastic air fit for respiration. Hill
says that the juice of this plant, taken in a dose of four or
five drops upon sugar, works powerfully by urine, and opens
obstructions of the liver; jaundice is said to have been cured
by it alone. It flowers from June to September ; Linneus says,
in the dog-days; and is common in most parts of Europe.
3. Lemna Gibba; Gibbous Duck's-meat, or Duckweed.
Leaves sessile, hemispherical underneath; roots solitary. The
leaves are generally tinged with purple, the upper surface
very convex and white. It flowers in July and August.
Native of several parts of Europe, in ditches and ponds.
4. Lemna Polyrhiza; Greater Duck's-meat, or Duckweed.
Leaves sessile; roots clustered. The leaves are much larger
than those of the common sort; they are thick, succulent,
and inflated. Linneus says it floats on the surface of the
water on the appearance of the swallows, and sinks again at
their disappearance. All the species sink in the winter, and
rise again in the spring. It flowers in July and August.
Native of most parts of Europe, in ditches and ponds.
5. Lemna Obcordata. Leaves sessile, obcordate ; roots
clustered. Native of the East Indies.
6. Lemna Arhiza. Leaves in pairs, rootless. This minute
species is not bigger than an ordinary pin's head. Native of
the East Indies.
Lemniscia; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, five-toothed, acute, short. Corolla: petals five,
linear, long, acute, recurved, growing to the nectary; nec-
tary cup-shaped, fleshy, very short, girding the germen.
Stamina: filamenta numerous, (seventy to eighty,) capillary,
longer than the corolla, inserted into the nectary; antherae
roundish, small. Pistil: germen roundish, immersed into
the nectary; style filiform, length of the stamina; stigma
obtuse. Pericarp: capsule five-celled. Seeds: solitary.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-toothed. Corolla:
five-petalled, recurved. Nectary: cup-shaped, girding the
germen. Pericarp: five-celled. Seeds: solitary. The
only known species is,
1. Lemniscia Guianensis. The trunk rises from fifteen to
twenty feet high, by a foot in diameter. Abundance of
twisted branches spread in every direction : leaves alternate,
smooth, firm, entire, ovate, acuminate, on a short petiole ;
the largest are five inches in length, and two in breadth ;
flowers at the ends of the shoots, very numerous, in large
corymbs, on a woody peduncle; corolla of a fine coral red.
The wood is white and compact. It flowers in August.
Native of Guiana, where it is called jouantan.
Lemon Tree. See Citrus.
Lentil. See Ervum.
Lcontice; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Monogy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth six-leaved,
caducous ; leaflets linear, expanding, the alternate ones
smaller. Corolla: petals six, ovate, twice the length of the
calix ; nectary of six scales, which are semi-ovate, spreading,
foot-stalked, inserted into the claws of the petals ; equal.
Stamina: filamenta six, filiform, very short; antheree upright,
two-celled, two-valved, gaping at the base. Pistil: germen
oblong-ovate; style short, somewhat columnar, obliquely
inserted into the germen; stigma simple. Pericarp: berry
hollow, globose-acuminate, inflated, one-celled, subsucculent.
Seeds: few, globose. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix:
six-leaved, deciduous. Corolla : six-petalled. Nectary : six-
leaved, placed on the claws of the corolla, spreading.
The species are,
1. Leoiitice Chrysogonum ; Pinnated Lion's Leaf. Leaves
pinnate; common petiole simple. Both this and the next
species have large tuberous roots about the size of those of
Cyclamen, covered with a dark brown bark. The flowers of
both also are upon naked peduncles; in the first yellow, in
the second smaller and paler. Native of the islands of the
Archipelago, and of the corn-fields about Aleppo; flowering
at Christmas. They seldom flower here till the beginning of
April, and do not produce seeds in our climate. To propa-
gate them, the seeds should be procured from abroad in sand,
and sown as soon as they arrive, and covered with glasses in
winter. In spring, after the plants appear, let them have free
air in mild weather. If they are not too close, let them
remain unremovcd till the second year; but where they are
very close, take up a part of the roots in October, and plant
them close to a warm wall. In November lay some old tan-
ner's bark over the surface, three or four inches thick; remove
this in March, before the roots begin to push, leaving a thin
covering to prevent the spring winds from drying t'ne ground.
These roots should have a dry loose soil, and must be seldom
removed. October is the best time for removing them.
These, like most other tender bulbs, do best in a south
border, in front of a green-house or stove covered with glasses,
They are very difficult to preserve, for the roots will not
thrive in pots ; and in the full ground, the frost frequently
destroys them in winter, especially when young.
LEO
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LEO
31
2. Leontice Leontopetalum ; Common Lion's Leaf. Leaves
decompound; common petiole trifid. For further particu-
lars, propagation, and culture, see the preceding species.
Native of the Levant, Tuscany, and Apulia.
3. Leontice Thalictroides ; Columbine-leaved Lion's Leaf.
Stem-leaf triternate; floral-leaf biternate; stem simple.
Native of North America. See the first species.
4. Leontice Triphylla ; Three-leaved Lion's Leaf. Leaves
radical, ternate, bluntly toothed ; stalk radical, simple ;
flowers spiked. Perennial. Gathered by Mr. Menzies on
the West coast of N. America.
Leontodon; a genus of the class Syngenesia, order Poly-
gamia jEqualis. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: common
imbricate, oblong; scales, interior linear, parallel, equal;
exterior, fewer, often reflex at the base. Corolla : compound
imbricate, uniform ; corollets hermaphrodite, numerous,
equal; proper one-petalled, strap-shaped, linear, truncated,
five-toothed. Stamina: filamenta five, capillary, very short;
antherae cylindric, tubular. Pistil : germen subovate ; style
filiform, length of the corollet; stigmas two, revolute. Peri-
carp: none. Calix: oblong, straight, at length reflex.
Seeds : solitary, oblong, rough ; down capillary, foot-stalked.
Receptacle: naked, dotted. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix: imbricate, with loosish scales. Down: capillary.
Receptacle: naked, dotted. Most of the species that have
been ranged by Linneus under this genus,have been separated
by subsequent authors, on account of a difference in the calix,
down, and receptacle. Perhaps none of the species ought
to have remained under this genus except the first. The
following are the generic characters of the three genera into
which this has tTeen divided. 1. APARGIA. Calix: subim-
bricate, with linear, parallel, unequal scales. Down plu-
mose, subsessile. Receptacle, naked, subvillose. 2. HEDYP-
NOIS. Calix : calicled, with short scales. Down, none to the
outer seeds ; the inner have five almost erect awned chaffs.
Receptacle, naked. 3. LEONTODON. Calix, imbricate
with loosish scales. Down, capillary. Receptacle, naked,
dotted. The species are,
1 . Leontodon Taraxacum ; Common Dandelion. Lower
calicine scales reflex ; leaves runcinate, toothletted, even.
Root perennial, tapering, milky, pale brown. In a very dry
situation, the leaves vary from pinnatifid or deeply runcinate
to nearly entire ; in a very moist one, generally smooth, but
sometimes a little rough. A single large yellow flower is sup-
ported on a hollow milky scape, covered with a kind of down
towards, the top. The flowers expand about five or six in
the morning, and close early in the afternoon. Early in the
spring, while the leaves are hardly unfolded, they are not an
unpleasant ingredient in salads, and are said to be a powerful
antiscorbutic. The French eat the roots, and the leaves
blanched, with bread and butter. At Gottingen the roots
are roasted and substituted for coffee by the poor, who find
that an infusion prepared in this way can hardly be distin-
guished from that of the coffee-berry. A strong decoction is
found serviceable in the stone and gravel ; whence it has, on
account of its powerful diuretic enacts, obtained the vulgar
name of Piss-a-bed among most European nations, as well as
the English. The expressed juice has been given to the quan-
tity of four ounces, three or four times a day; and Boerhaave
had a great opinion of the utility of this and other milky
plants in visceral obstructions. When a swarm of locusts had
destroyed the harvest in the island of Minorca, many of the
inhabitants subsisted upon this plant. Goats eat it; swine
devour it greedily; sheep and cattle are not fond of it; horses
refuse it; but small birds are fond of the seeds. Our com-
mon name is well known to be a corruption of the French
VOL. ii. 68.
Dent de Lion, from the toothing of the leaves. It is a com-
mon weed in gardens, flowers from April to September, and
is common all over Europe, in meadows, on walls, dry banks,
&c. Leontodon Palustris is probably a mere variety.
2. Leontodon Bulbosum ; Bulbous Dandelion. Leaves
oblong-ovate, somewhat toothed, smooth ; calix even ; scape
rough-haired at top, Root tuberous. Native of Montpellier
in the south of France, and of Italy.
3. Leontodon Aureuni; Golden Dandelion. Leaves run-
cinate ; stem one-leafed ; calix hispid. Root perennial, end-
bitten, the thickness of a reed or of the human finger, with
long white fibres, white on the inside, bnt usually blackish
without; scape, one or two, round, striated, upright, smooth
below, but hispid towards the top, with black hairs, and
having a small scale or two at different heights ; it is from
three to ten inches high, and has one flower at the top ;
sometimes there is a branch with a second flower. The
flower is elegant, each floret being yellow on the inside, but
saffron-coloured on the outside, both colours turning deeper.
Native of Switzerland, Austria, and Italy.
4. Leontodon Muricatum ; Prickly Dandelion. Leaves
runcinate, rugged ; calices muricated, imbricate, loose, some-
what reclining. Root perennial, fusiform, almost simple;
stems diffused, a foot and half high, branched, round, flexu-
ose, somewhat striated, muricated, milky, red ; flowers yel-
low, two inches in diameter. The whole plant is rugged and
milky. Native of the coast of the Mediterranean, near Tunis
and Algiers.
Leonurus; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Gymno-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, tubular, cylindric-cornered, pentagonal, five-toothed,
permanent. Corolla: one-petalled, ringent; tube narrow;
border gaping; mouth long; upper lip longest, semicylindric,
concave, gibbose, rounded, obtuse at the tip, entire, villose ;
lower lip reflex, three-parted; divisions lanceolate, about
equal. Stamina : filamenta four, covered beneath the upper
lip, of which two are shorter ; antherae oblong, compressed,
bifid in the middle, incumbent, sprinkled with very small
elevated, globose, glossy, solid points. Pistil: germinafour;
style filiform, of the length and situation of the stamina ;
stigma bifid, acute. Pericarp: none; calix unchanged, con-
taining the seeds, which are shorter than it. Seeds : four,
oblong, convex on one side, cornered on the other. ESSEN-
TIAL CHARACTER. Anthera: having shining clots sprinkled
over them. The species are,
1. Leonurus Cardiaca; Common Motherwort. Stem-leaves
lanceolate, trifid. The root seems to be perennial, though
most authors mark it as biennial ; stem upright, hard, from
two to three feet high ; leaves somewhat like those of the
Gooseberry ; whorls of flowers numerous ; corolla whitish on
the outside, elegantly stained with paler and darker purple
within. The herb is bitter and tonic, with no very pleasant,
though pungent smell. The whole plant may be used dried,
but the tops are best fresh cut. It is a good medicine in
hysteric disorders, and promotes the menstrual discharges;
it is likewise an excellent thing for palpitations of the heart,
when they arise from hysteric causes. The best way of giving
it is in form of a conserve, made from the young tops ; or
it may be given in decoctions, or a strong infusion, but is
very unpleasant to take that way. It cleanses the breast from
tough phlegm, kills worms in the stomach and intestines, and
helps in the cramp and other convulsive disorders. The
Germans call this plant, herzgespaum or herzkraut ; the
Danes, hiertespan; the Swedes, bonassla; the French,
agripawne, cardiaque, la cordiale ; the Italians, Spaniards,
and Portuguese, ayripalma and cardiaca. Native of many
32
LE P
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL ;
LEP
parts of Europe, on banks or under hedges, in a gravelly or
calcareous soil. It has been observed near Combe Wood in
Surry, and in Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suf-
folk, and Monmouthshire. This and the following species,
when once planted in a garden, will soon multiply, especially
if the seeds be permitted to scatter. The roots will continue
for many years.
2. Leonurus Crispus ; Curled Motherwort. All the leaves
acutely serrate, very much wrinkled, unequally reflex at the
edge ; stem-leaves five-lobed. Stems several, from two to
three feet high, upright; branches scarcely any at bottom,
but decussately opposite at top, slender, the length of a foot
or more ; whorls very numerous, terminating, distant, com-
posed of many axillary flowers, heaped together in four divi-
sions ; flowers sessile, white. This is very nearly allied to
the preceding species ; which see. Biennial. Native of
Switzerland and the south of France.
3. Leonurus Marrubiastrum ; Small-flowered Motherwort.
Leaves ovate and lanceolate, serrate ; calices sessile, spiny.
From a branched fibrous, whitish root, a stem rises three feet
high, and almost twice as high in gardens, upright, leafy,
branched ; corolla flesh or saffron coloured. It flowers from
July to August. It is found in Austria, Hungary, Bohemia,
Germany, Piedmont, the Ukraine, on the eastern coast of
Africa, in Zanguebar, and even in the island of Java. The
seeds of this, and the two following species, should be sown
in the spring, upon a bed of common earth, and require no
other care but to keep them clean from weeds, and thin them
where they are too close. In autumn they may be transplanted
where they are designed to flower and seed.
4. Leonurus Tataricus ; Tartarian Motherwort. Leaves
three-parted, jagged; calices villose. Corolla flesh-colour.
Mr. Miller says there are two distinct varieties, one with
smooth stalks and leaves, and the other very hairy. It is a
biennial plant, native of Russia ; and Gmelin says, growing
all over Siberia.
5. Leonurus Sibiricus ; Siberian Motherwort. Leaves
three-parted, multifid-linear, bluntish. Stems several, from
eighteen inches to about a yard in height, tinged with purple;
branches seldom more than two or three pairs ; flowers in
close whorls; corolla red. Gmelin asserts that it is a mere
variety of. the preceding, with much larger flowers, and the
upper lip almost equal to the lower. Native of Siberia and
China.
Leopard's Bane. See Doronicum.
Lepidium ; a genus of the class Tetradynamia, order Sili-
culosa. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth four-
leaved ; leaflets ovate, concave, deciduous. Corolla : four-
petalled, cross-shaped; petals obovate, twice the length of
the calix, with narrow claws. Stamina : filamenta six, awl-
shaped, length of the calix, the two opposite ones shorter ;
antherae simple. Pistil: germen heart-shaped ; style simple,
length of the stamina; stigma obtuse. Pericarp: silicle
heart-shaped, emarginate, compressed, sharp on the margin,
two-celled ; valves navicular, keeled, opposite the lanceolate
dissepiment. Seeds : some ovate-acuminate, narrower at the
base, nodding. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Silicle: emar-
ginate, cordate, many-seeded; valves keeled, contrary. If
the seeds of the annual sorts be sown in autumn, the plants
will appear in April, May, and June, and the seeds will ripen
a month after. If these be permitted to scatter, the plants
will come up in autumn ; and require no other care but to
thin and weed them. The perennial sorts are easily propa-
gated, for every piece of root will grow and multiply wher-
ever it is planted, and will be difficult to root out of a garden
when once established. The species are,
1. Lepidium Perfoliatum; Various-leaved Pepperwort.
Stem-leaves pinnate-multifid ; branch-leaves cordate, embrac-
ing, entire. Root annual; stem about a foot high, round,
upright, smooth, tinged with purple, dividing into many
slender branches ; from the ends of which hang the flowers
in long loose spikes ; they are small and compressed, and
appear in July ; petals yellow* Native of Austria, &c.
2. Lepidium Vesicarium; Bladdery Pepperwort. Joints
of the stem inflated ; flowers white. Stem two or three feet
high, remarkably inflated at the joints ; leaves pinnate, with
long narrow leaflets. Annual. Native of Iberia and Media,
in dry places, and flowers there in July.
3. Lepidium Nudicaule ; Naked Pepperwort. Scape naked,
quite simple; flowers four-stamined; leaves pinnatifid. An-
nual. Native of Spain and the south of France.
4. Lepidium Procumbens ; Prostrate Pepperwort. Leaves
sinuate-pinnatifid, the outmost larger; scape naked ; stems
prostrate, racemiferous. Petals wedge-shaped, white. Annual.
Native of the South of France, and the county of Nice.
5. Lepidium Alpinum; Alpine Pepperwort. Leaves pin-
nate, quite entire ; scape subradicate ; silicles lanceolate,
mucronate. Root perennial, slender. The whole plant is
very smooth, and has the same taste with cress ; flowers
tetrandrous ; petals milk white, quite entire, wide. Native
of the Alps, of Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. It flowers
from April to June, and in the Alps from May to August.
6. Lepidium Petraeum; Rock Pepperwort. Leaves pin-
nate, quite entire ; petals emarginate, smaller than the calix.
Root biennial, taper, and fibrous ; stem much and alternately
branched ; leaves dark green, elegantly pinnate, with an odd
lobe; flowers in a close corymb, gradually lengthening out
into a spike, very minute, erect; silicle exactly oval, flat.
It flowers in March and April. Native of Oeland, Austria,
Switzerland, Dauphiny, Silesia, England ; and, according 10
Loureiro, of China. With us it is found on St. Vincent's
Rocks, and on the walls near Bristol ; at Uphill in Somerset-
shire ; near Pembroke, &c.
7. Lepidium Cardamines. Root-leaves pinnate; stem-
leaves lyrate. Stems a span high, branched. Native of
Spain, by way-sides, in a dry clay soil.
8. Lepidium Spinosum ; Prickly Pepperwort. Leaves
pinnate; leaflets lunate, the outer elongated; branches mu-
cronate. Stem a span high, stiffish, thickish, awl-shaped,
branched at bottom ; branches awl-shaped, quite simple,
sirT, spiny at the end ; flowers scattered, white, on a very
short stiff' peduncle. Annual. Native of the Levant.
9. Lepidium Sativum ; Garden or Common Cress. Flowers
tetradynamous ; leaves oblong, multifid ; root annual, white,
fusiform, slender. Stem upright, round, smooth, from a foot
to two feet in height, branched at top; both stem and branches
terminated by loose narrow spikes of small flowers, which
have white petals ; silicle roundish, without any style ; seeds
small, rufescent, ovate, marked with lines, having a sharp
taste like Mustard. Of this plant, so much used in winter
and spring salads, there are several varieties ; one with broad
leaves, another with curled leaves, and the common sort.
The young plant, though inferior to Scurvy Grass, (see Coch-
learia Officinalis,) may, however, be of some use as a diuretic
and antiscorbutic, if taken largely. The seeds are sown in
pretty close drills during the winter on moderate hot-beds,
in spring and autumn on borders, and are soon fit for use.
It should be cut young, otherwise it will be too rank.
10. Lepidium Lyratum. Leaves lyrate, curled. Stalks a
foot high, dividing into a great number of slender branches,
having small oblong leaves on them, which are cut on their
sides, and a little curled on their edges. The stalks and
LE P
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LE P
33
leaves are of a gray colour, inclining towards hoariness. The
flowers, which are very small and white, appear in July.
It is biennial ; native of Spain and the Levant.
11. Lepidium Latifolium; Broad-leaved Pepperwort, Poor
Man's Pepper, or Dittander. Leaves ovate-lanceolate,
entire, serrate. Root perennial, long, branching, spreading
very far ; stems erect, a yard high or more, alternately
branched, leafy, round, smooth, frequently flexuose, pani-
cled at top, with numerous branches of small white flowers,
in little corymbs. The young leaves are sometimes eaten in
salads ; they have a pungent acrid taste. This plant is one
of the ancient antiscorbutics, and was formerly used instead
of Horse-raxlish. An infusion of the whole plant vomits ; but
an infusion of the fresh -gathered leaves is a good diuretic,
and cleanses the kidneys and bladder from gravel ; it likewise
promotes the menses, and the necessary evacuations after
delivery. The leaves chewed in the mouth, excite a dis-
charge of watery humours from the head, and cure the tooth-
ache. As the leaves possess a hot biting taste like pepper,
instead of which they have been often used by the country
people, it has obtained the name of Poor Man's Pepper. It
is a native of several parts of Europe. In England it is found
at Hythe near Colchester; Haybride near Maiden; in the
marshes near Grays, and other parts of Essex ; below Shering-
hatn cliffs in Norfolk; between Beningborough and Mitton in
the North Riding of Yorkshire; plentifully near Seaton ; about
the castle of Weems : and in Fifeshire. It flowers in July.
12. Lepidium Oleraceum; Notch-leaved Pepperwort.
Leaves elliptic-oblong, acute, serrate; flowers four-stamined,
white, two lines in diameter. Stem perennial, herbaceous,
round, from upright ascending, with panicled branches,
from a foot to a yard in height. This plant, with Apium or
Smallage and Tetragonia Halimifolia, was of considerable
service to the ships' crews of the lamented Captain Cook,
when they lay in Charlotte Sound ; of which place, and of
New Zealand, it is a native.
13. Lepidium Subulatum; Awl-leaved Pepperwort. Leaves
awl-shaped, undivided, scattered ; stem suffruticose. Root
perennial ; petals white ; racemes terminating, simple.
Native of Spain. This may be increased by seeds or cuttings.
14. Lepidium Graminifolium ; Grass-leaved Pepperwort.
Leaves linear, the upper ones quite entire; stem panicled,
wandlike; flowers six-stamined, small, white. Root perennial.
Native of the south of Europe.
15. Lepidium Suffruticosum; Shrubby Pepperwort. Leaves
lanceolate-linear, slender, quite entire; stem suffruticose, two
feet high; corymbs small, white. Native of Spain.
16. Lepidium Didymum; Procumbent Pepperwort. Flow-
ers two-stamined ; leaves pinnatifid ; fruits twin. Root annual,
small, fibrous ; stems procumbent, hairy, alternately branched,
leafy, a foot long ; flowers very small, with two or four sta-
mina; silicle very distinctly two-lobed, rugged. This plant
escaped Ray and Dillenius. Hudson mentions it as a native
of Devonshire and Cornwall, among rubbish ; near Exeter,
Truro, and Penryn; and at Dale near the entrance of Milford
Haven. It flowers in July.
17. Lepidium Rudera'le; Narrow-leaved Pepperwort.
Flowers two-stamined, apetalous; root-leaves tooth-pinnate;
branch-leaves linear, quite entire. Root annual, or biennial,
long, fibrous; stem a foot high, usually crooked, woody, stiff,
branched; leaves fleshy, smooth; peduncles slender; flowers
white, very small, in clustered spikes or racemes; calices pale
yellow; silicles numerous, small, much compressed; seed
one in each cell. This plan thas a pungent taste, and a fetid
smell like the fox. It flowers in June and July. Native of
most parts of Europe in waste places, especially near the sea-
coast ; at Maldon in Essex ; Wisbeach in Cambridgeshire ;
near Yarmouth, Lynn, and Clay, in Norfolk ; by the Severn
above Worcester; near King's Weston below Bristol; near
Truro in Cornwall ; and upon the coast of Scotland.
18. Lepidium Virginicum ; Virginian Pepperwort. Flow-
ers tetrapetalous ; stem-leaves lanceolate-linear, serrate, pin-
natifid ; lower ones pinnate. Root annual, single, white, an
inch long; stalk round, whitish, gree-n, a foot and half high;
flowers small, white, four-petal led. The inhabitants of the
West Indies eat the leaves of this species in their salads as we
do those of the Garden Cress. It flowers in June and July.
Native of all the Caribbee islands, and Virginia.
19. Lepidium Divaricatum ; Divaricated Pepperwort.
Leaves pinnatifid ; stem very much branched ; silicles ovate,
subemarginate. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. It
flowers from May to August.
20. Lepidium Iberis ; Bushy Pepperwort, or Sciatica
Cress. Flowers two-stamined., four-petalled ; lower leaves
lanceolate, serrate; upper leaves linear, quite entire. This
has a long fleshy root, which runs deep into the ground, and
sends out many oblong leaves spreading flat on the ground ;
stalks slender, stiff, branching out horizontally on every side,
about two feet high. The flowers are diandrous, and come
out in small close clusters at the ends of the branches ; they
are white, and appear in June and July. This plant, says
Meyrick, has been long noticed for its efficacy in the sciatica,
or hip gout. The method of using it is as follows : bruise a
good quantity of the root in a mortar, and mix it into an
ointment with hogs-lard. Let the hip and adjoining parts be
well nibbed with this ointment, and afterwards covered with
a thick plaster of the same, which must remain upon the part
till it becomes inflamed. It is then to be removed, and after
the parts have been anointed with a mixture of oil and wine,
the patient must go into a warm bath; which generally com-
pletes the cure. But if any of the pain remains, or the dig-
orders threatens a return, the whole process is to be repeated
in a fortnight or three weeks' time. Native of the south of
France, Italy, Sicily, Germany, Spain, and Siberia. The
roots will abide several years in a dry soil. If the seeds be
permitted to scatter, they will come up early in the spring
without care.
21. Lepidium Bonariense. Flowers two-stamined, four-
petalled; petals minute; all the leaves pinnate-multifid.
The flowers are so small that they cannot be seen with the
naked eye. Native of Buenos Ayres, Brazil, and other parts
of South America ; it has also been found in the southern
extremities of Africa. Sow the seeds on a moderate hot-bed
in the spring, and when the plants have obtained strength,
transplant them on a warm border.
22. Lepidium Chalepense. Leaves sagittate, sessile,
toothed. Roots creeping ; flowers in loose bunches at the
ends of the branches, small, and white. Native of the Levant,
about Aleppo. This is a perennial plant, which plentifully
increases by its creeping roots.
23. Lepidium Piscidium. Leaves elliptic-oblong, acute,
quite entire ; flowers tetradynamous. Stem herbaceous, two
feet high, with the branches spreading at bottom, and thence
ascending, round and even ; peduncles round, even, almost
upright, two hands in length ; flowers small, and white.
Native of Botany island. Teautea, and Huaheine, in the South
Seas. It is used by the inhabitants for taking fish by inebriating
them ; and, though very acrid, was used by our navigators in
their salads along with the twelfth species, which it resembles,
though differing in essential marks. It is perennial, and will
increase abundantly by its creeping roots.
Leptospermum ; (South Sea Myrtle,) a genus of the class
34
LEP
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LEU
Icosandria, order Monogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calix : perianth half superior, in five deep, ovate-oblong, or
roundish, often coloured segments. Corolla: petals five,
with claws, roundish, equal, twice the size of the calix, and
much longer than the stamina. Stamina : filamenta numerous,
inserted into the calix, awl-shaped, incurved, shorter than the
corolla; antherae small, roundish, two-lobed. Pistil: germen
half inferior, turbinate ; style simple, columnar, erect, about
the length of the stamina ; stigma capitate, umbilicate, undi-
vided. Pericarp: capsule roundish, coated in the lower part,
of three, four, or five cells, and as many valves, bursting at
the upper part, the partitions from the middle of each valve
opposite to each calix-tooth. Seeds: numerous, linear, some-
what angular, tapering at each end, very small, inserted into
the central column. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix:
five-cleft, half-superior. Petals: five, with claws, longer than
the stamina. Stigma: capitate. Capsule: three to five celled.
Seeds : angular. The species are,
1. Leptospermum Scoparium; New Zealand Tea, or Com-
mon South Sea Myrtle. Leaves ovate, mucronate, obsoletely
three-nerved ; calices smooth ; teeth membranaceous, co-
loured. This is a small tree or shrub, sometimes growing
to a moderate height, and generally bare on the lower
part, with a number of small branches growing close together
towards the top ; the younger ones silky. The under-
wood in Adventure Bay and Van Diemen's Land, chiefly
consists of this shrub. It grows commonly in dry places
near the shores in New Zealand. The leaves were used by
Captain Cook's ships' crews as tea ; whence they named it
the Tea-Plant. The leaves have a very agreeable bitter fla-
vour, with a pleasant smell when fresh ; but lose something
of both when dried. The infusion made strong proved emetic
to some in the same manner as green tea. It was also used
with spruce leaves in equal quantity, to correct their astrin-
gency in brewing beer from them ; and they rendered the
beer exceedingly palatable. This plant is easily kept in our
green-houses, and is covered in summer with elegant white
blossoms, whose calix-teeth, stamina, and style, are purplish.
2. Leptospermum Aromaticum. Leaves linear-lanceolate,
nerveless, quite entire ; calicine segments coloured, decidu-
ous. It flowers in July. Native of New Zealand.
3. Leptospermum Flavescens. Leaves linear-lanceolate
obtuse, nerveless ; calices smooth ; teeth membranaceous,
coloured, naked. Petals white, often with a purple tinge,
turning yellowish in drying. Dr. Smith received it from New
South Wales.
4. Leptospermum Attenuatum. Leaves lanceolate-linear,
acute, three-nerved ; calices silky, villose ; teeth membrana-
ceous, coloured, almost naked. The flowers of this seem to
have been white, and generally grow two together on short
flower-stalks, which are silky like the calix. This was also
received by Dr. Smith from New South Wales.
5. Leptospermum Lanigerum. Leaves obovate, lanceolate,
obscurely three-nerved ; calices clothed with long shaggy hairs.
This species varies with smooth and downy leaves ; and the
calix is sometimes merely silky, sometimes clothed with long
and thick projecting down. Some of the varieties are to be
met with in Kew Gardens. Imported by Dr. Smith from
New South Wales.
6. Leptospermum Parvifolium. Leaves obovate, nerveless ;
branchlets and calices silky, villose ; teeth membranous, co-
loured, naked. Flowers terminal, solitary, small, white. The
leaves are not a quarter of an inch long, flat, thickish,
dotted, smooth, on short stalks. Imported from N. S. Wales.
7. Leptospermum Arachnoideum. Leaves awl-shaped,
sharp-pointed ; branchlets rough-haired ; calices and teeth
villose. Flowers small, solitary, terminating the short sub-
divisions of the branches, and remarkable for the very long
and fine white spreading hairs, like a spider's web, which
clothe the germen and whole calix. Brought from New
South Wales.
8. Leptospermum Juniperinum. Leaves linear-lanceolate,
sharp-pointed; branchlets silky; calices smooth; teeth mem-
branaceous, coloured, naked. Flowers numerous, white,
solitary, at the ends of the leafy shoots. Imported from New
South Wales.
9. Leptospermum Baccatum. Leaves linear-lanceolate,
sharp-pointed ; bractes smooth ; germen and calix-teeth,
downy; capsule with a pulpy coat. This is a low depressed
shrub. The flowers seem to be yellow, and by the appear-
ance of the dried fruit it must be very pulpy. Native of New
South Wales.
10. Leptospermum Ambiguum. Leaves linear-lanceolate,
recurved at the point; calices smoothish; teeth leafy, lanceo-
late, naked ; stamina longer than the corolla. It forms a
handsome bushy evergreen shrub, blossoming plentifully in
the green-house in summer. The branches are downy ; leaves
numerous, crowded, dark-green, channelled, dotted, recurved
at the tip. Flowers white. Received from New S. Wales.
11. Leptospermum Virgatum. Leaves opposite, linear-
oblong, bluntish ; stalks axillary, three-flowered; umbels ter-
minating. The under surface of the leaves is covered with
dark resinous spots. Gathered by Forster in New Caledonia.
12. Leptospermum Triloculare. Leaves linear-lanceolate,
sharp-pointed; calix silky; teeth coloured, minutely fringed;
stamina fifteen ; capsule three-celled. Native of New Hol-
land.
Lerchea; a genus of the class Monadelphia, order Pentan-
dria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
tubular, five-toothed, permanent. Corolla: one-petalled,
funnel-form ; tube longer than the calix ; border five-parted,
rather erect. Stamina: filamenta scarce any, but the tube
of the germen ; antherae five, oblong, seated on the tube of
the germen. Pistil: germen subovate, superior, terminated
(within the corolla) by an obtuse tube ; style within the
tube of the germen, filiform, length of the stamina ; stigmas
two or three, rather obtuse. Pericarp: subglobose, torulose,
three-celled, sometimes two-celled. Seeds: very many.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-toothed. Corolla:
funnel-form, five-cleft. Antheree : five, placed on the tube
of the germen. Style: one. Capsule: three-celled, many-
seeded. The only known species described is,
1. Lerchea Longicauda. This is an irregular growing
shrub, with sordid jointed branches ; leaves opposite, lan-
ceolate, petioled, even, quite entire, a foot long; stipules
ensiform, shorter than the petioles ; spike terminating, fili-
form, a foot in length; with remote, scattered, minute flowers.
Native of the East Indies.
Leskia; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Musci, or
Mosses. GENERIC CHARACTER. Capsule: oblong; peri-
stome double; the exterior with sixteen teeth, which are
acute ; the interior membranaceous, divided into equal seg-
ments. Males: gemmaceous in different individuals. This
genus is united to Hypnum, as agreeing therewith entirely in
habit, and differing only in the uncertain character of the
inner fringe, which is furnished with sixteen simple teeth, in-
stead of double or compound ones.
Lettuce. See Lactuca.
Lettuce Lamb's. See Valeriana.
Leucoium ; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: spathe oblong,
obtuse, compressed, gaping on the flat side, withering.
LEU
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY
LEW
35
Corolla: bell-shaped, expanding; petals six, ovate, flat, con
joined at the base; \vitli the tips thickisli and stiffish. Sta
mina: filamenta six, setaceous, very short ; antherae oblong
obtuse, quadrangular, upright, distant. Pistil: germen
roundish, inferior; style clavate, obtuse; stigma setaceous
upright, sharp, longer than the stamina. Pericarp: capsuh
top-shaped, three-celled, three-valved. Seeds: several, round
ish. Observe. The third species has a filiform style. Es
SENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: bell-shaped, six-parted,
thickened at the tips ; stigma simple. These bulbs are
increased by offsets, which the two first sorts put out pretty
plentifully in a favourable situation, where they are not too
often removed. They should have a soft loamy soil, and an
exposure to the east. Plant the roots six inches asunder
and four or five inches deep. They should not be trans-
planted ofteiier than every third year. A north or east border
is best for them ; and the proper soil a mixture of loam and
bog-earth. In different aspects, however, their flowering
may be forwarded or protracted, and thus a longer succession
of ihese and other (lowers produced.- The species are,
1. Leucoium Vernum ; Great Spring Snowdrop. Spathe
one-flowered; style club-shaped; leaves flat; bulb oblong,
shaped like that of Daffodil, but smaller; scape angular,
near a foot high, hollow, and channelled ; corolla much larger
than that of the Common Snowdrop; and the ends of the
petals are green. The flowers, which at first sight resemble
those of the Common Snowdrop, are easily distinguished by
the absence of the three-leaved nectary. They do not come
out so soon by a month. This plant being of a different
genus from the true Snowdrop, ought certainly to have
another English name; Mr Curtis therefore calls it Spring
Snow/lake. Parkinson had already called it Great Early
Bulbous Violet ; and Gerarde, Lale-Jlowering Bulbous Violet.
Native of Italy, the south of France, Germany, Austria,
and Switzerland.
2. Leucoium .Estivum ; Summer Snowdrop. Spalhe
many-flowered ; styles club-shaped ; leaves flat ; bulb the
size of a chesriut, somewhat ovate, outwardly pale brown,
inwardly white ; coats numerous, thin, and closely com-
pacted ; flowers pendulous, growing all one way, having little
scent ; petals while, finely grooved within, not at all uniting
at bottom, the tips, thickisli, a little puckered, and marked
with a green spot; seeds large, black, and glossy. The
flowers appear at the end of April or the beginning of May,
and there is a succession of them during three weeks, or
longer in cool weather. Mr. Curtis, to distinguish it from
Galanthus, names it Summer Snowjlake: in the gardens it
is known by the name of Great Summer Snowdrop; Late or
Tall Snowdrop : Parkinson calls it Great Late flowering Bui-
bom Violet ; and Gerarde, Great Many -flowering Bulbous
Violet. Native of Hungary, Austria, Caruiola, Tuscany, and
Silesia. Mr. Curtis first 'observed it in England between
Greenwich and Woolwich, about half a mile below the for-
mer place, close by the Thames side, just about high water
mark, along with Ueed, Marsh Marigold, and other common
water-plants, and in a similar situation to that in which it is
found wild iii Austria. It has also been found wild in the
Isle of Dogs, which is the opposite shore, and grows more
luxuriantly in those places than in gardens, where it seldom
has a soil or situation sufficiently moist. Mr. Gough found
it on a small island about three miles south of Kemtal, upon
the dam of a gunpowder mill.
3. Leiicoiiini Autumnale; Autumnal Snowdrop. Spathe
two-leaved, many-flowered; styles and leaves filiform ; bulb
thick for the size of the plant, composed of many glutinous
coats, bitter, covered with a whitish membrane. It is dis-
69.
tinguished by its four or five capillary leaves, which begin
to spring up after the flower is past, when the seeds are
ripening, and sometimes after the heads are ripe. They
abide all the winter and spring following, and wither away
in the beginning of summer, leaving the scape to appear
naked. The flowers are a little reddish at the bottom next
the stalk. It flowers in September, and is a native of Por-
tugal and Spain.
4. Leucoium Strumosum. Spathe two-leaved, many-flow-
ered ; flowers erect; style inflated at the base, globular;
bulb roundish, white, less than a hazel-nut; scape flexuose,
erect, slender, about half a foot high, roundish, terminated
by a spreading umbel of from three to seven flowers; flowers
without scent, coming out successively ; petals white within,
purplish without. It flowers in November, and is a native
of the Cape of Good Hope, and must be housed and treated
in the same way as other Cape bulbs.
Levisanus; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth common
hemispheric, imbricated, many-flowered ; leaflets linear ; peri-
anth proper, one-leafed, superior, five-toothed, sharp, upright,
permanent. Corolla: petals five; claws slender; borders
oblong, shorter. Stamina: filamenta five, capillary, inserted
into the bottom of the perianth; antherx oblong. Pistil:
gernien top-shaped, inferior; styles two, conjoined into one,
or else distinct and approximated, capillary ; stigma simple.
Pericarp : berry corticated, ovate, incrusted by the calix,
with the tip free, two-celled. Seeds : five or six, oblong,
compressed. Receptacle of the seeds: fungous, large in the
middle of the partition. Receptacle: common, globose, vil-
lose, chaffy. Observe. The fruit of all the species is not
yet known. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Flowers aggregate,
Calix: one-leafed, superior, five-cleft. Corolla: five-petalled.
uperior. Filamenta: superior; filamenta inserted into the
base of the perianth ; styles two, conjoined ; berry two-celled.
Seeds: five or six, compressed. The species are,
1. Levisanus Nodiflorus. Leaves imbricate, three-sided,
acute ; calix five-parted ; petals five, linear, having a chink
on each side of the claw, with a converging margin ; recep-
acle double. Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
2. Levisanus Paleaceus. Leaves in five rows, imbricate,
>ressed close ; corymb terminating ; chaffs of tUe heads
landing out; flowers many, panicled; styles two; recepta-
cle hairy. Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
;5. Levisanus Abrotanoides. Leaves linear-lanceolate,
preadiug, three-sided, callous at the tip ; beads of flowers
globular, terminating, subumbelled, on round peduncles;
orolla white. Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
4. Levisanus Radiatus. Leaves linear, three-sided ; calix
ayed ; the inner leaflets coloured ; stem from a foot to two
eet in height, the size of a swan's quill, upright, round, leafy,
carred, determinately branched, dichotomous or trichoto-
nous ; the branches rod-like, hairy; common corolla dusky,
ot at all glutinous. Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
5. Levisanus Glutinosns. Leaves linear, three-sided ; calix
ayed, all the leaflets coloured ; stem from a foot to two feet
n height, the^size of a swan's quill, upright, round, grooved,
carred, very much branched ; branches proliferous, hairy ;
oininon corolla dusky, very glutinous ; receptacle chaffy.
Vative of the Cape of Good Hope.
Lewisia ; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Monogy-
ia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: coloured, scario.se,
rom seven to nine-leaved, patent. Corolla: containing from
ourteen to eighteen petals, white, lanceolate, patent. Stu-
inia : filamenta from fourteen to eighteen, inserted on the
eceptacle, opposite to the petals, filiform, shorter than the
K
36
LI A
THE UNIVEKSAL HERBAL;
LI A
calix; anthric oblong, erect. Pistil: style filiform, a little
longer than the stamina, three-cleft above; stigmata three,
bifid; gcrmcu above ovate, glabrous. Pericarp: capsules
oblong, triloeular; locules Impenmms. Seeds: lenticular,
shining black. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: seven to
nine-leaved, scariose. Petals: from fourteen to eighteen.
Style: trifid. Capsule : trilocular, polyspermous ; seed shin-
ing. There is only one species known.
1. Lewiiia Rediviva. Root fusiform, branchy, and of a
bloody hue ; radical leaves linear, subcarnose, somewhat
obtuse; pedicel geniculated at the base. The calix is ele-
gantly red-veined, of a consistency like paper. It flowers in
July, iind was found by Lewis on the banks of Clarck's river.
l.eyxera ; a genus of the class Syngenesia, order Polyga-
inia Superflua. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: common
ovate, imbricate: scales obtuse, concave, harsh. Corolla:
compound, rayed ; corollets hermaphrodite, tubular, several
in the disk; females strap-shaped, several in the ray ; proper
of the hermaphrodite, funnel-form, five-toothed, rather upright;
female strap-shaped, lanceolate, entire. Stamina: in the
hermaphrodites, filumenta five, capillary, very short; aulherte
cjlindric, tubular. Pistil: lit the hermaphrodites, germen
siriall; style filiform; stigma bifid. Pericarp: none; calix
unchanged, tiettl : in the hermaphrodites solitary, oblong;
down five-bristled, feathery, long, within which is a very
short chaffy crown ; in the females very similar; down with
the chaffy crown alone, without feathers. Receptacle: naked;
chuffs of the rays alone, separating the flowers. ESSENTIAL.
CHARACTER. Calix: scariose; down chaffy; in the disk fea-
thery also. Rectptade: subpaleaceous. The speties are,
1. Leysera Gnaphalodes; Woolly Leysera. Leaves scat-
tered ; flowers peduncled. This is an evergreen shrub, with
a balsamic smell; the /trunk and older branches are leafless
and brown; the younger ones verv closely covered with leaves,
and spreading out very wide; peduncles filiform at the ends
of the branchlets, solitary, one-flowered ; corolla yellow
seeds brownish. It 6owers from July to September. Native
of the Cape of Good Hope.
2. Leysera Callicornia. Leaves in three rows; flowers
suhsessile; receptacle flat, with raised dots in the middle
naked, rugged, and having a single row of chaffs in circum
fereuce. Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
JJ. Leysera Paleacea. Leaves three-sided, callous at tin
tip, and curved back. The whole receptacle covered will
chaff's almost the length of the flowers; the whole crown o
the seed inoKbraoaccons, a aid none downy. Hence it agrees
in character with Buphliiahnuin ; but it resembles the pre-
ceding so much, as scarcely to be distinguished from it in
appearance. Native of the Cape <.f Good Hope.
Liatrin; a genus of the class Syngenesis, older Polygymia
.EquaHs. GENERIC CHARACTER.' Calix: common ol>
long, imbricated, with several subovate unarmed coloured
scales. Corolla: compound, tubular, uniform; corollets her-
maphrodite, equal; proper one-petalle(i, funnel form ; tube
index ; border five-cleft ; divisions recurvid. Stamina: fila-
menta five, capillary, very short ; anther* cylindric, tubular.
Pistil: germen oblong; style filiform, very long, bifid to the
stamina, straight; stigmas rather sharp. Pericarp: none;
culix unchanged. Seeds: solitary, cornered ; down feathery,
coloured, sessile. Receptacle: naked, flat. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: oblong, imbricate, awnless, coloured.
Down: feathered, coloured. Receptacle: naked, hollow,
dotted. The species are,
1. Liatris Noveboracensis ; Long-leared Lialris. Leaves
lanceolate-oblong, serrate, pendulous; stems several, ten 01
twelve feet high, smooth, deeply striated, pale green, stout,
igid, straight, not branching except at top; flowers in a sort
if umbel, or corymbed at top; the florets are of a deep
>urple colour; and the calix is tinged with purple. -Native
not only of New York, but of Virginia, Carolina, and other
jarls of North America.
2. Liatris Praealta ; Tall Lialris. Leaves lanceolate-oblong,
serrate, spreading, hirsute underneath ; root perennial, large,
striking deep into the ground ; stems branching ocily at top,
seven or eight feet high, purplish, straight, deeply striated ;
Sowers in loose erect bunches at the ends of the branches;
florets pale purple; receptacle naked. It flowers from Sep-
tember to November. Native of Virginia, Carolina, and other
parts of North America.
3. Liatris Glauca; Glaucous Liatris. Leaves ovate-oblong,
acuminate, serrate; flowers corymbed ; calices roundish ; root
perennial ; stems six or seven feet high, purple and chan-
nelled ; florets dark purple, inclining to violet. Native of
Maryland, Virginia, and Carolina.
4. Liatris Squarrosa ; Rough headed Liatris. Leaves
linear; calices squarrose, subsessile, acuminate, lateral; root
tuberous; steins simple, from two to three feet in height;
peduncles an inch long, alternate from the upper axils ;
heads of flowers squarrose, with leafy scales standing out and
bent back. It flowers in July and August. Native of Caro-
lina, and most of the provinces of North America.
5. Liatris Scariosa ; Pugged'cvpped Liatris. Leaves lan-
ceolate, quite entire; calices squarrose, peduncled, blunt;
root large, tuberous ; stem one, strong, channelled, three or
four feet high ; flowers purple, in a lung loose spike, at the
upper part of the stem, on pretty long blunt peduncles; they
have large rough calices, composed of wedge-shaped scales ;
the flowers at the top of the spike open first. It flowers in
August, but the seeds do not ripen here. Native of Virginia.
G. Lialris Pilosa ; Hairy-leaved Liatris. Leaves linear,
hairy; flowers axillary, on long peduncles; stem hairy, from
three to five feet in height ; flowers purple, sessile, subim-
bricate, in spikes; calices many-flowered, with the scales
pressed close ; stems simple. It flowers in September and
October. Native of North America.
7. Liatris Speciosa ; 11/iiry-cvpped Liatris. Leaves linear-
sickled ; flowers sessile, in spikes; calicine leaflets rough-
haired, acute ; inner elongated, coloured at the tip ; stem up-
right, two feet high, tomentose; calices five-flowered, red at the
tip. It flowers in October. Native of Carolina and Georgia.
*. Lialris Spicata ; Spiked Liatris. Leaves linear, ciliate
at I he base; flower:* in spikes, sessile, lateral ; stem simple;
root tuberous; stem smooth, three fert high ; flowers purple,
Mihimbricaic, on short peduncles. It flowers from August
to October. -Nati ih America, where it is called
Throat wort, the roi< iiscutient.
!>. Liatris ileterophylia. Stalk simple, glabrous; leaves
lanceolate, glabrous. M; )lh ; upper leaves linear-lanceolate,
very much smaller ihan Hie lower ones; calix spicate, slightly
pedunculate, Mihrxjita' : -> squames lanceolate, acute, naked.
It gr<ms in South Carolina and Georgia.
10 l.ialris Cylindracea. Leaves grassy ; squames rounded
at the top, abruptly miicroualed ; calix subsessile, cylindrical,
with few flowers, which appear from August to October, and
is a native of South Carolina and the Illinois.
] I. Lialris Gracilis. Stalk simple, glabrous ; leaves linear,
naked ; calix racemose, subglobose ; pedicels elongate, patent,
squaniose-uractcolaU- ; squames oblong. It flowers from
August to October. Native of Georgia.
12. Liatris Sphaeroidea. Stalk simple, pubescent; leaves
smooth ; upper leavei lanceolate-linear; lower ones petiolate,
lato-lanceolute ; calices racemose, solitary, alternate, subglo-
1
I
_
-
h
B
r-
tJ
L I C
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LI C
37
bose ; squames ovate, erect, ciliate at the margin. The flow-
ers are large and handsome. Native of the high mountains
of Virginia and Carolina.
10. Lialiis Pauciflora. Stalk simple, glabrous; leaves
linear; panicles virgated, leafy; branches with few flowers;
calices stibsessile; squames lanceolate, erect, acute, glabrous.
It grows in Georgia.
14. Linlris Tpnicntosa. Stalk very simple ; leaves cuneate-
lanceolate, nniijh ; corymb with few flowers, depressed, diva-
ricated ; calix tomentose; squames ovate, acute. It grows
to the height of about eighteen inches, and is found in the
open swamps of Virginia and Carolina.
Lichen; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Algae.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Male. Flowers: Vesicles con-
glomerated, extremely small, crowded or scattered on the
disk, margin, or tips of the fronds. Female. Flowers on
the same or on a distinct plant, ttcceptar/e: roundish, flat-
tish, convex. Tubercle: concave. Scvttlla: subrevolute,
affixed to the margin. Pelta: often differing from the frond
in colour, within containing the seeds disposed in rows.
Observe. The powder adhering to some Lichens seems
rather to be of the nature of buds than of male Fructifications.
The extremely numerous species of this genus may be con-
veniently divided into the following sections, some of which
by some author^ are made distinct genera.
Lepra: a dusty crust. Fructification;-, hardly any.
Tubercularia ; a leafless crust: the fructifications tubercles.
Sculellaria : a leafless crust. Frs. Sculellae or shields.
Collema. Fronds foliaceous, gelatinous. Frs. Sciitellse or
shields.
Imbricala : fronds subfoliaceous, membranaceous, imbri-
cated, depressed, flexile. Frs. Scutellse.
Phytria. Fronds foliaceous, membranaceous, depressed,
or ascendant, tubular within. Frs. Scutellae sessile or
pedunculatcd.
Lobaria. Fronds foliaceous, membranaceous, ascending,
flexile. Frs. Scutellre sessile or pedunculated.
Cornicularia. Fronds foliaceous, mcmhranaceous, or car-
tilaginous, somewhat upright, narrowed, stiff, with somewhat
sharp ''xtremilies; scutellae sometimes terminal, transverse.
Slricta. Fronds foliaceous, subcoriaceons, scattered over
beneath with white excavated points. Frs. Scutellas or pelise.
Peitigeree. Fronds foliaceous, coriaceous, ascending,
soft. Frs. Fella;.
Umbilicnria. Fronds foliaceous, upright, stiff, shielded.
Frs. Scutelhe.
Pyxidittm. Stems upright, funnel form, hollow within;
tubercles fungifnrm, unequal, marginal.
C/urlnia. Steins uuriglit, somewhat columnar, branchy,
hollow within, with the appearance of a shrub; the axillae
often perforated. Frs. Fungiform tubercles.
Sttrrocnuton. Sums erect, rather columnar, simple or
branchy, solid. Frs. Tuben les.
Usnea. Stems erect or pendulous, filamentous, simple
or branched. Frs. Scutellae.
Of this very numerous genus Dr. Withering, in the third
edition of his Arrangements, has enumerated no fewer than
two hundred and sixteen species, besides a great nuinbn of
varieties. Miiy of these are of considerable use for dyeing,
and other (Economical purposes: the most remarkable are the
following. Doubtless if more accurate and extensive trials
were made on these neglected plants, many other (economical
uses for them might be detected; or at 'least muny more of
the same species might be applied to the same purposes.
Lichen Apthonus. The country people make an infusion
f it in milk, and give it to children who have the thrush.
In large doses it operates by purging and vomiting, and
destroys worms.
Lichen Ca/careits. So called because it is peculiar to
limestone rocks: when dried, powdered, and steeped in urine,
is used to dye scarlet, by the Welsh and the inhabitants of
the Orkneys. The colour is said to be very fine.
Lichen Canimu ; called also Lichen Cinert-us Terrrstris, or
Ash-cohiiired Ground Lirerwort. This species is one of the
articles in tlif crlebrated Dr. Mead's prescription for the cure of
Hydrophobia, concerning which he says, " I can safely affirm
that I have never known this method to fail ot success where it
has been followed before the hydrophobia began: although
in the course of about thirty years, besides the experience
made by others both in town and country, I have used it a
thousand times. 1 have often wished that I knew so certain
a remedy in any other disease." The method is as follows.
Let the patient be blooded at the arm, nine or ten ounces.
Take of ihe herb called in Latin, Lichen Cinereus Terrestris,
or in English, Ash-coloured Ground Lirerworl, cleaned,
dried, and powdered, half an ounce. Of black pepper pow-
dere<l two driic'jms. Mix these well together, and divide the
whole into tour doses, one of which must be taken every
morning fasting, for four successive mornings, in half a pint
of cow's milk warm. After these four doses are taken, the
patient must go into the cold bath, or a cold spring, or river,
every morning, fasting, for a month : he must be dipped all
over, but not st.iy in (with his head above water) longer than
half a minute, if the water be very cold. After lliis he must
go in three limes a week for a fortnight longer. Later writers
have declared that this remedy has been tried without success;
but as Dr. Mead was no quack, but the most eminent phy-
sician of his lime, and as no certain cure for hydrophobia .
has yet been found, we think it would be some consolation
to those who may be umier the melancholy necessity ot' endea-
vouring to prevent or cure that dreadful calamity, and even
lo the poor sufferers themselves, to have done every thing in
their power, by employing the best means known to avert the
awful catastrophe. It is of course understood that Dr. Mead's
prescription is intended for those only who have been bitten
t>\ a rabid animal, and have either neglected to cut out the
wounded part through ignorance, or from a doubt whether
the animal were really mad ; and also where the removal of
the affected part would endanger the patient's life: for it
cannot be too universally made known, that for the bad effects
of Ihe bile of rnad doj>s or venomous reptiles, excision of the
bit!< n part is the only certain preventive, and should be
instantly performed wherever death is not likely to be the
consequence. Hesitating to do this, has cost thousands their
lives. An instance of the fortitude and presence of mindr
necessary on these occasions, we shall subjoin. In Bengal,
some years ago, when Capt. Hutchitison, on returning home
in the night, attended by a servant with a torch, casually
trod on a cobra de capella, which instantly bit him on the
calf of his leg: the poison of this snake being more immedi-
ately mortal than ihe bite of any other, Capt. H. with great
presence of mind cut out with his knife a large portion of the
calf of his leg, and applied the burning torch to cauterize the
wound, which prevented the poison from having its usual effect.
Lichen /.landirus. The Icelanders boil this in broth, or
dry and convert it into bread. They likewise make gruel
with it to mix with milk; but the first decoction is always
thrown away, for it is apt to purge. It has recently obtained
a reputation for cuung consumptive complaints.; but upon
what foundation that reputation rest, we cannot determine.
Lichen Omphalodes, dyes wool of a brown reddish colour,
or a dull but durable crimson, paler, but more lasting than
38
LI C
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LI G
that of Orchall. It is prepared by the country people in
Ireland, by steeping it in slale urine, adding a little salt to
it, and afterwards making it up into balls with lime. Wool
dyed with it, and then dipped iu the blue vat, becomes of a
beautiful purple. With rotten oak it makes a good daik
brown frieze. Wool dyed with red wood or sanders, and
afterwards in this, which is called Cork, Corker, or Arcell,
becomes of a dark reddish. It has also been used as a styptic
Lichen Parellus. Litmus is prepared from this species.
For this purpose it is gathered from the rocks in the uorlh
of England, and sent to London in casks.
Lichen Plicalus, called Hairy Tree, is a very singular
plant of the mosses; it grows to the branches of old oaks and
oilier trees, and hangs down from them in tufts composed
of long strings, which are frequently a foot or more in length,
and the whole of them together two or three inches thick :
each cluster consists of a great number of stems and branches,
the largest of which do not exceed a small packthread in
thickness ; they are of a greyish colour, and consist of soft
bark, and a firm white fibre within; the bark often appears
crooked, and the branches exhibit an appearance of being
jointed. The whole plant, as it grows, appears sapless, and
is destitute of leaves, or any other appearance of vegetation.
It is found in some of our largest forests, but is seldom to be
met with any where else. The powder of this moss is an
excellent astringent: it should be dried in an oven, and, after
being beaten in a mortar, passed through a sieve; the white
fibres will remain after the other parts have gone through the
sieve, and are of no manner of use, the other parts possessing
all the virtues. It is good against the whites, immoderate
menstrual discharges, bloody fluxes, and spitting of blood ;
and deserves to be much more regarded than it is at present.
The dose is half a drachm, or two scruples.
Lichen Prunastri, has a remarkable property of imbibing
and retaining odours, and is therefore the basis of many per-
fumed powders.
Lichen Pulmonarius. This dyes woollen cloth of a durable
orange. In Herefordshire they dye stockings with it of a
durable brown : and it has obtained a name for curing the
consumption, but probably without reason.
Lichen Pustulalus. Linneus says, that a beautiful red
colour may be prepared from this. It may be converted into
an exceedingly black paint..
Lichen Pyxidatus. This little plant is common on ditch-
banks, by the sides of woods or heaths, and in most other
dry barren places ; it consists of a thin leafy substance, which
spreads on the surface of the ground, and a kind of little cup,
resembling wine-glasses rising from it. The leafy part is-dry,
and without juice, divided into several segments or portions,
which are irregularly notched, grey or greenish on the upper
side, and whitish underneath. The cups are in general about
half an inch high, and are each of them supported on thick
clumsy stems; they are open at the mouth, of a gray colour,
with a mixture of green and other colours, sprinkled over with a
fine mealy substance on the surface; sometimes they grow one
from the edge of another, three or four stages high, and we
frequently see many other accidental varieties; they likewise
bear at certain seasons little brown lumps, w hich are supposed,
and not without a degree of probability, to be the seeds of
the plant. The whole of this moss, when used, is to be taken
fresh from the ground, bhaken clean, and boiled in water,
till the decoction is very siiong; there is then to be added
an equal quantity of milk to the liijuor, which is then to be
sweetened with honey; and will afterwards fora an excellent
medicine for coughs in children, particularly for the chin-
cough or hooping-cough.
Lichen Rangiferhms. This is well known to be the chief
food of the Rein Deer, which will grow fat upon it; and that
animal supplies the contented Laplander with every article
of life, as is set forth by Linneus in his Flora Lapponica.
Lichen Rotcella, or Orchall, is of very great importance
as an article of commerce, being extremely valuable for dye-
ing wool or silk any shade of purple or crimson. For this
purpose it is steeped in volatile alkali, commonly distilled
from urine. In times of scaicity it has been sold at a thou-
sand pounds sterling per torn It conies chit-fly from the
Levant, but has been lately discovered to grow in the British
dominions.
Lichen Tartareita. This is common on rocks in the north
of F.nsjlaud and Scotland. It may be known by its peculiarly
pungent alkaline smell when moistened. Peasants who can
collect twenty or thirty pounds a day, gather it for the dyers,
and sell it for a penny a pound. They choose such specimens
as are of a firm dense texture, and never scrape the same rock
oftener than ouce in five years. It is prepared for use with
volatile alkali and alum, but the exact process is kept a secret
by the manufacturers at Glasgow. When sold to the dyers,
it appears in the form of a purple powder, called Cudbear, a
corruption of Cuthbert, the name of the inventor. This pow-
der, being boiled with woollen yarn", communicates a purple
colour to it, hut not to vegetable substances ; and the colour
is far from being permanent.
Licuala; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth three-parted,
outwardly hairy, permanent. Corolla: three-parted, almost
to the base; divisions ovate, acute, concave, deciduous;
nectary sertiform, truncated, as short again as the corolla.
Stamina : filamenta six, inserted into the nectary, upright,
very short ; anther* oblong, twin. Pistil: germen superior,
convex, three-parted, sulcated, smooth ; style simple ; stig-
mas two. Pericarp: drupe globose, (he size of a pea, one-
celled. Seed: a hard nut. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Flowers : all hermaphrodite. Calix and Corolla : three-
parted. Nectary: serliform ; drupe. The only known
species is,
1. Licuala Spinosa. Trunk an ell in height, scarcely so
thick as the human arm, jointed, dividing at top into about
six branches, each six ells long, hardly a finger in thickness,
triangular, grooved above, flat beneath, the lower half sharply
serrate at the angles, and the teeth or spinules closely joined.
Each of these has a leaf at top spreading like a fan, and
divided into rays, all separated to the base. When the plant
is mature, the flower-stalk emerges from the middle of the
rays, as long as the branches or leaf stalks, involved in
sheaths at the bottom, dividing into five smaller flower-stalks
at top, about a hand in length, bearing green heads in three
ro\vs expanding Into flowers. Rumphius says, that the nut
is oblong, very hard, and striated longitudinally. It is .a
native of Macassar and Celebes ; where they make much use
of the narrow leaves for tobacco pipes, and of the middle
broad one for wrapping up fruit, Ac. The wood is of little
use, not being durable.
JJgktfootia ; a genus of the class Polygamia, order Diwcia.
GENERIC CHARACTEH. Hermaphrodite. Calix: peri-
anlli four-leaved ; leaflets s>\ate, concave, expanding. Corolla:
none. Stamina: filamenta numerous, filiform, seated on the
receptacle, permanent; antlierae roundish. Pistil: germen
louudish, style none; stigma sessile, somewhat headed, fur-
rowed. Pericarp: berry ovate, uinhiliruted, one-celled.
Seeds: from three to six, oblong, compressed, cornered,
glossy. Males on different individuals. Calix: perianth
four-leaved ; leaflets oblong, concave, equal, coloured. Co-
LI G
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY,
LI G
rol/a: none. Stamina: filamenla numerous, (twenty four,)
filiform, longer than the calix, inserted into the receptacle:
antherae roundish. Pistil: none. Females on different indi-
viduals; calix as in the mate, but larger. Corolla: none.
Pistil: germen oblong; style none; stigma elevated, quad-
rangular-howled, furrowed, with convoluted margins, per-
manent. Pericarp: berry oblong, seated on a very small
receptacle, umbilicated, one ceiled. Seeds: three, five, to
six, as above. Observe. This genus is allied to Prockia,
with which they agree in calix, stamina, and habit, but dift'er
in the stigma.' ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: four-
leaved. Corolla: none. Female and Hermaphrodite. Stig-
ma: sessile; berry umbilicated, one-celled, with from three
to six seeds. The species are,
1. Lightfootia Serrata. Leaves oblong-ovate, serrate, acu-
minate; peduncles lateral, aggregate, one-flowered. Native
of Montserrat.
2. Lighffootia Theasformis. Leaves lanceolate-elliptic,
serrate, bluntish; peduncles axillary, subsolitary, one-flow-
ered; branches and all the other parts smooth. It has the
habit of the Tea-shrub. Native of the Isle of Bourbon.
3. Lightfootia Integrifolia. Leaves subcoriaceous, oblong
and obovate, emargiuatc, almost quite enlire; peduncles
lateral, subaggregate, one-flowered. This is also a shrub,
with round smooth branches, covered with an ash-coloured
bark. Flowers larger than in the oilier sorts. Native place
unknown.
Lignum Campechianum. See Hccmatoxylum.
Lignum Colubrinum. See Strychnos.
Lignum Corneum. See Garcinia.
Lignum Lccvf. Sec Glabraria.
Lignum Moluccense. See Croton.
Lignum Vitee. See Gvaiacvm.
Ligusticum ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Diay-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: umbel universal mani-
fold ; partial manifold ; involucre universal membranaceous,
seven-leaved, unequal; partial scarcely four-leaved, membra-
naceous; perianth proper, five-toothed, obscure. Corolla:
universal uniform; florets all fertile; proper of five petals,
which are equal, involute, flat, entire, inwardly keeled. Sta-
mina: filamenta five, capillary, shorter than ihe corolla;
antherae simple. Pistil: germen inferior; styles two, approx-
imated ; stigmas simple. Pericarp: none; fruit oblong,
cornered, five-furrowed, bipartite on each side. Serds: two,
oblong, smooth, marked on one side with five elevated stria;,
flat on the other side. Observe. Male flowers have also been
remarked. ESSKNTIAI. CHARACTER. Fruit: oblong, five-
grooved on both sides. Corolla: equal, with involute entire
petals The seeds of the plants of this genus should be sown
in autumn, soon after they are ripe, for when they are kept
out of the ground till spring, they seldom grow the first year.
When the plants are fit to remove, transplant them into a
moist rich border at three feet distance. They all love a
moist soil and shady situation. The species are,
1. Ligusticum Leviaticum ; Common Lovage. Leaves
manifold ; leaflets gashed at top ; root strong, fleshy, peren-
nial, striking deep into the ground; stems six or seven feet
high, large, and channelled, divided into several branches,
each terminated by a large umbel of yellow flowers. The
odour of this plant is very strong, and peculiarly ungrateful;
its tasle is warm and aromatic. It abounds with a yellowish
gummy resinous juice, very much resembling Opoponax. Its
qualities are supposed to be similar to those of Angelica and
Mastervvort, in expelling flatulencies, exciting perspiration,
and opening obstructions ; it is therefore chiefly used in
terine obstructions. A tea-cup full of the juice with Rhenish
09.
wine, or a decoction of the seeds with wine or mugwort-waler,
was said by Forestus to be a secret remedy of extraordinary
efficacy in slow or laborious parturition. The leaves, eaten
as salad, are accounted an emmenagogue. The root and
seeds are of a cordial sudorific nature, and many authors of
credit recommend the use of them in pestilential disorders.
An infusion of the root increases the urinary discharge,
removes obstructions of the viscera, brings away gravel, and
helps thr jaundice: the seeds produce the like effects, and
are potent dispeisers of wind in the stomach. The roots of
Common Lovage will abide nian^ years, and where the seeds
are permitted to scatter, the plants will come up without
care. This plant flowers in June and July, and the seeds
ripen in autumn. Native of the Alps of Italy, the south of
Franct , and Siiesia. It is planted in our gardens for its medi-
cal qualities.
2. Ligusticum Scoticum ; Scotch Loeage: Leaves biter-
nate ; stalk about a foot high, and sustains a small umbel of
yellow flowers, shaped like the preceding: most authors say
the root is perennial. It is much valued in the Isle of Sky.
The root is reckoned a good carminative; and an infusion of
the lea\es in whey, a good purge for calves. It is aUo used
for food, either as salad or boiled like greens. Native of
North America, Sweden, Denmark, and Scotland, where it
is found upon the rocks near the coast.
3. Ligusticum Peloponnense ; Hemlock-leaved Lovage.
Leaves manifold-pinnate ; leaflets piunately gashed ; root
thick, fleshy, like that of the Parsnep, striking deep into the
ground. When bruised, the leaves emit a fetid odour. Steins
three or four feet high, large, and hollow, sustaining large
umbels of yellowish flowers. Native of Switzerland, Austria,
Dauphiny, Silesia, Italy, Peloponnesus, and Siberia.
4. Ligusticum Austriacum ; Austrian Lovage. Leaves
bipiinmte ; leaflets confluent, gashed, quite entire; root half
a foot long or more, the thickness of the human thumb,
often branched, yellowish brown on the outside, pale within,
and spongy ; stem upright, from two to three feet high,
grooved, hollow, without any partitions at the joints; flowers
strong-smelling, large, all fertile ; petals white. The whole
plant is smooth. It flowers from June to August. Native
of Austria, Silesia, and Italy.
5. Ligusticum Cornubiense; Cornish Lovage. Root-leaves
decompound, gashed; stem-leaves ternate, lanceolate, entire;
root perennial, spindle-shaped ; stem from two to three feet
in height, erect, branched, many-flowered, round, striated,
roughiah, purple at the base, annual ; flowers white, equal,
all hermaphrodite. The root contains a yellow resinous
juice. This plant, as its name imports, is peculiar to Corn-
wall, where it grows in thickets, among bushes, and in hedges.
It eluded the researches of modern botanists, till Mr. Pen-
iiington found it in 1788 in great plenty near Bod m in, where
it was also gathered in the following year, though five years
afterwards not a single plant could be discovered in that
field ; but Dr. Withering found it in another place, farther
from Bodmin, among furze. Cattle are so fond of it that
they eat it down wherever they can get at it.
(>. Ligusticum Peregrinum ; Par airy- leaved Lovage. Invo-
lucre of the primary umbel scarcely any, of the lateral ones
membranaceous at the base; rays somewhat branched ; root
biennial ; stem two feet high, rigid, angular, even ; petals
yellowish, inflex-emarginate. It resembles Parsley even in
smell and taste, but all the parls are thicker and more rigid.
It flowers in June and July. Native of Portugal.'
7. Ligusticum Balearicuin. Leaves pinnate ; lowest leaflets
augmented with a leaflet ; root biennial ; stem round, some-
what striated, small in comparison with the umbel, a foot
u
40
LI G
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LI L
high ; flowers in an umbellet, eight or ten, yellow, all fertile.
Native of Majorca and Minorca, and about Rome.
!$. Lifustictiin Candicaus ; Pale L-ovage. Superdecom-
P'.'und ; leaf!. -is wedge-form, sashed, smooth; universal invo-
lucre two-leaved, subfoliaceous; ribs of the seeds membra-
naceods, smooth. It flowers in July and August. Native
place unknown.
9. Ligusticum Actaeifolium. Leaflets oval, equally den-
tated ; iiivolucels selaceous ; fruits oblong-oval. It grows to
the height of more than three feet, and is found on the river
St. Lawrence, and in -Virginia near Staunton.
Ligustrum; a genus of the class Diandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth one-
leafed, tubular, very small ; mouth four-toothed, erect, obtuse.
Corolla : one-petalled, funnel-form ; tube cylindric, longer
than the calix ; border four-parted, spreading ; divisions
ovate. Stamina: filamenta two, opposite, simple; antherae
upright, almost the length of the corolla. Pistil: germen
roundish ; style very short ; stigma two-cleft, obtuse, thickish.
Pericarp: berry globose, smooth, one-celled. Seeds: four,
convex on one side, cornered on the other. Observe. Accord-
ing to Gaertuer, the berry is two-celled ; the cells coated
with a thin membrane. The seeds are two in each cell.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: four-cleft. Berry:
four-seeded. The species are,
1. Ligustrum Vulgare ; Common Privet. Leaves ovate,
obtuse ; panicle simple, trichotomous. This shrub is usually
about six feet hih, branched, the branches opposite, the
young ones flexible and purplish. The flowers are sweet-
scented ; corolla white, but soon changing to a reddish
brown. This plant varies in many respects. The leaves
sometimes grow by threes, and sometimes are enlarged at the
base; they frequently continue green great part of the winter
like the Italian Privet, which is also a variety, and rises with
a" stronger stem, less pliable and more erect branches, and
bark of a lighter colour. The regular number of stamina is
two, but sometimes there are three or four in a flower, and
they have been found with white berries. Thunberg says,
that in Japan the leaves are somewhat broader and more
blunt than in the European shrub. In point of utility and
ornament, few shrubs are preferable to the Common Privet.
Its chief use is to form such hedges as are required in dividing
gardens for shelter or ornament ; and for this the Italian or
Evergreen variety is usually preferred. It bears clipping
well, is not liable to be eaten by insects, and having only
fibrous roots, it robs the ground less than any other shrub.
It is one of the few plants that will thrive in the smoke of
London, though it seldom produces any flowers in the closer
parts after the first year. It also grows well under the drip
of trees. The leaves are bitter and slightly astringent ; a
strong infusion of them in water, with the addition of a little
red wine and honey, is an excellent gargle for the mouth and
throat when they are sore, or for the gums when they become
spongy, and are apt to bleed. From the pulp of the berries
a rose-coloured pigment may be prepared. With the addition
of alum, they dye wool and silk of a good durable green, and
for this purpose must be gathered as soon as they are ripe.
They continue on the shrub till spring, and in times of scar-
city are eaten by different sorts of birds, particularly the
bulfinch. The wood is bard, and fit for turning. It is not
generally eaten by cattle. Linueus says, kinp, sheep, and
goals, will eat it; but horses refuse it. The Sphinx Ligustri,
or Privet Hawk-moth, and Phalaena Syringaria, feed on it in
the caterpillar stale ; and Meloc Vesicatorius, Cantharides
or Blister Beetle, is found on it. Our old English authors call
it, Prim, Print, and Primprint, probably from its regular
appearance when clipped. The Germans, Dutch, Danes,
and Swedes, call it Ligttster ; the Freu h, Troent ; the Ita-
lians, Lirvetro ; in Spanish, Alktnu : in Portuguese, Alfena:
and in Kussian, Srkost. This shrub is easily propagated
by laying down the tender .shoots in autumn. In one year's
time they may be removed where they arc to remain, or
planted in a nursery for two or three years, where the> may
be trained for the purposes designed. Also, by suckers,
which it sends forth in great plenty. But these arc not easily
kept within bounds, nor do they rise so high as I hose which
are increased by layers. Thirdly, by cuttings, planted in the
autumn on a shady border, and in a loamy soil. But the
strongest and best plants are raised from seeds. Gather the ,
berrits when ripe, put them into a pot with sand, bury them
in the ground, as is practised with Holly- berries and Haws.
After they have laid a year in the ground, take them up,
and sow them in the autumn on a border exposed to the east,
where the plants will come up in the following spring. The
varieties with striped leaves may be increased by budding or
inarching upon the plain sort ; or by laying down the branches,
hut they seldom shoot so fast as to produce branches proper
for this purpose. Being more tender, they should have a
dry soil, and a warm situation. In a rich soil, they soon
lose their variegation, and become plain. The Italian or
Evergreen Privet, is now generally found in the nurseries
instead of the common one. It is equally hardy, and will
thrive in almost any situation. It is increased in the same
manner; but as it seldom produces berries here, they must
be procured from Italy.
2. Ligustrum Japonicum ; Broad-leaved Priret. Leaves
ovate-acuminate ; panicle decompoundedlv trichotomous ;
stem arboreous, very much branched, a fathom and half in
height ; branches opposite, roundish ; panicle spreading. It
flowers in June and July. Native of Japan.
3. Ligustrum Sinense. Leaves lanceolate ; racemes oblong,
lateral, and terminating. This is a small tree, about eight
feet high ; flowers white, small ; corolla bell-shaped. Native
of China about Canton.
Lilac. See Syringa.
Lilium ; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: none. Corolla: six-
petalled, bell-snaped, narrowed beneath ; petals upright,
incumbent, obtusely carinated on the back, gradually more
expanding, wider, with thick reflex obtuse tips; nectary a
longitudinal tubular line, engraven on each petal from the
base to (lie middle. Stamina: filamenta six, awl-shaped,
upright, shorter than the corolla; anther* oblong, incumbent.
Pistil: germen oblong, tylindric, striated with six furrows;
style cylindric, length of the corolla; stigma thickish, tri-
angular. Pericarp : capsule oblong, six-furrowed, with a
three-cornered hollow obtuse tip, three-celled, three- valved;
the valves collected by hairs, disposed in a cancellated man-
ner. Seeds: numerous, incumbent, in a twin order, flat out-
wardly, semiurbicular. Observe. The nectary in some is
bearded, in others beardless ; petals in some totally revolute,
in others not so. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: six-
petallfd, bell-shaped, with a longitudinal nectareous line.
C'apaule : the valves connected by cancellated hairs. The
species are,
1. I. ilium Candidum ; Common White Lily. Leaves scat-
tered ; corollas bell shaped, smooth within; bulb large, from
which proceed several succulent fibres ; stem stout, round,
upright, u.tuuliv about three feet in height; flowers large,
white, terminating, the stem in a cluster, on short peduncles;
petals within of a beautiful shining white, on the outside
rigid and less luminous. The principal varieties of this
LI L
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LI L
41
species are, 1. , Vith the flowers striped or blotched
with purple. This is become very common ; but the purple
stain giving the flower a dull colour, the common white is
preferred. 2. With variegated or striped leaves, or with the
leaves edged with yellow. This is chiefly valued for its
appearance in winter and spring : for the leaves coming out
early in the autumn, spreading themselves flat on the ground,
and being finely edged with a broad yellow band, make a
pretty appearance during the winter and spring months. It
flowers earlier than the plain sort. 3. With double flowers.
This variety is of little value, because the flowers never open
well, unless they are covered with glasses; nor have they any
of the rich colour of the common sort. 4. With pendulous
flowers; which Miller and others consider as a distinct spe-
cies. It came originally from Constantinople. The stalk is
much more slender; the leaves are narrower and fewer in
number ; the flowers are not so large, and the petals more
contracted at the base; they always hang downwards. The
flowers of the Lily were formerly considered as antiepileptic
and anodyne; a distilled water of them was employed as a
cosmetic; and oil of lilies was supposed to possess anodyne
and nervine powers: but their odorous matter, though very
powerful, is totally dissipated in drying, and entirely carried
oil' in distillation either with spirit or water, and no essential
oil can be obtained from them. The roots only are now in
use; they are extremely mucilaginous, and are chiefly em-
ployed in emollient and suppurating cataplasms, boiled with
milk or water. Physicians, however, are generally of opinion
that bread or meal poultices possess every advantage of those
prepared from the lily-root. Meyrick, however, says that
the root bruised and applied to hard tumors, softens and
ripens them sooner than almost any other application. Made
into an ointment, they take away corns, and remove the pain
and inflammation arising from burns and scalds. Country
people sometimes, continues he, make an oil from the flowers
by infusing them in oil of olives, and apply it to any part
affected with pain and inflammation with great success. It
is likewise an excellent application to contracted tendons.
Native of the Levant: Linnrus says, of Syria; and Thunberg,
of Japan. It flowers in June and July. This plant, with all
its varieties, and in short with all the plants of the genus,
may easily be increased from offsets, which the bulbs of this
sort send out in such great plenty, as to make it necessary
to lake them off every other, or at most every third year, to
prevent their weakening the principal bulb. The time for
removing them is the end of August, soon after the slalks
decay. They will thrive in almost any soil and situation,
and as they grow tall and spread, they must be allowed room,
and in large borders they are verj ornamental. They are so
hardy that no frost injures them; and increasing very fast,
are become so very common as lo be little regarded, notwith-
standing the great beauty of the flowers, and their rich odour,
which is too powerful for many persons.
2. Ldium Japonicum; Japan While Lily. Leaves scat-
tered, lanceolate; corollas drooping, subcampanulate; stem
round, smooth, and even, two feet high; flowers terminating,
reflex, and hanging down; corolla white. Native ot Japan.
3. Liliinn Cates>ba;i; Catesby's Lily. Leaves scattered,
lanceolate; corollas upright, bell-shaped; petals with claws.
Of all the lilies cultivated in this country, this is the least;
the whole plant, when in bloom, being frequently not more
than a -foot high, (hough it is said to grow to the height of
two feet in its native soil. The stalk is terminated by one
upright flower, which has no scent. It was first observed
by Catesby on open moist savannas in many parts of Caiokina.
He says that the bulb is about the size of a walnut; that the
petals turn back in a graceful manner, and are tapering, termi-
nating in points, and edged with small indentures; and that the
whole flower is variously shaded with red, orange, and lemou
colours. It flowers in July and August; native of South
Carolina. This may be raised from seeds or offsets, which,
however, are not very plentifully produced, and will not grow-
in perfection without great care; the roots in particular are
to be guarded against frost.
4. Liiium Bulbiterum ; Bulb-bearing or Orange Lily.
Leaves scattered ; corollas bell-shaped, erect, rugged within;
bulb subovate, consisting of thick white loosely imbricate
scales, putting out a few thick fibres from the bottom ; stem
upright, a foot and half high, striated, angular; flower with-
out scent, red-orange within, pale-orange on the outside;
all the petals, from the base to beyond the middle, are rugged
with little scales and apophyses, wiih a few black dots.
There are many varieties, in size, leaves, and flowers. Mr.
Miller mentions the following: 1. Orange Lily with double
flowers. 2. Orange Lily with variegated leaves. 3. Smaller
Orange Lily. 4. Bulb-bearing Fiery Lily. These seldom
ri^e more than Imlf the height of the others; the leaves are
narrower; the flowers smaller, and of a brighter flame colour,
few in number, and more erect. They come out a month
before those of the common sort, and the stalks put out bulbs
at most of the axils, which, if taken off when the plants
decay, and planted, will produce plants. There are also
several subordinate varieties, but not worth enumeration.
The Orange Lily is found wild in Austria: it also grows in
Italy, and other southern regions of Europe; in Siberia, and
in Japan. This sort is grown so common, and increases so
readily by offsets, that it is almost rejected. It should not,
however, be excluded from large gardens, since, when pro-
perly disposed, it makes a handsome appearance while in
flower. The stalks decay in September, the roots may be
then transplanted, and the offsets taken off; but as it does
not put out new leaves till toward spring, this may be done
till near Christmas. It should be repeated once in three years.
It will thrive in any soil or situation; but will be strongest
in a soft, gentle, and not too moist loam. The bulb-bearing
varieties may also be increased without taking up the plants,
by means of the little bulbs that are put forth in plenty from
the axils of the leaves. Both these sorts, with their varieties,
will thrive under the shade of trees, and are therefore proper
to be introduced into plantations, and on the borders of woods.
5. Liiium Foinponiuin; Pomponian Lily. Leaves scattered,
awl-shaped ; flowers turned back ; corollas rolled back. This
has a pretty large scaly root, from which rises an upright stalk
nearly three feet high. The upper part of the stalk divides
into four or five peduncles, each sustaining a single flower of a
fine carmine colour, with a few dark spots scattered over it.
They appear in July, and in hot seasons continue a consider-
able time in beauty. The peduncles are very long, so that
the flowers spread out very wide. Native of the Pyrenees,
Japan, and China. This, and the four following species,
may be propagated by offsets, which some produce in great
plenty, but others send out very few, and are therefore more
scarce. The roots may be taken up when the stalks decay,
and if there be a necessity for keeping them out of the ground
to remove them to a distant place, they should be wrapped
in dry moss, which will preserve them for two months. The
best time to replant them is at the beginning of October, but
if the ground be not ready to receive them, they should be
covered with dry sand or wrapped in moss, to prevent the
scales from shrinking, which weakens the bulbs, and often
occasions them to be mouldy and rot. The roots should ba
planted five or six inches deep in the ground, especially if
LI L
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
L I L
the soil be light and dry; but where it is moist, raise the
borders five or six inches; lor if Hie water come near the
roots in winter, it will rot them ; uii.-i \viiere tht> soil is stiff
and binding, mix a good quantity of sea-coal ashes or rough
sand vilh it.
6. Liliiiin Chalcedonieum; Scarlet Martagon Lily. Leaves
scattered-, lanceolate ; flowers tinned bark ; corollas rolled
back. It is from three to four feet high ; the leaves are much
broader than those of the preceding, and appear as if they
were edged with white ; they are placed very closely upon the
stalks. The flowers are of a bright scarlet, and seldom more
than five or six in number. It flowers late in July, and in
cool seasons continues in beauty great part of August. There
are some varieties of this species in the size and colour of the
flowers, which are sometimes of a blood red. Native of I lie
Levant, and the mountains between Carniola and Cariuthia.
See the preceding species.
7. Lilium Stiperbum; Great Yellow Mnrtagon Lily. Leaves
scattered; flowers in a branched pyiamid, turned back;
corollas rolled back; stem round, very smooth and even,
panicled at top, two feet high and more; branches alternate,
divaricatin;;, upright, like the stem, reflex at lop, flower-
bearing ; one flower at the end of each branch ; corollas large
and handsome; petals oblong, acute, white, with large pur-
ple .spots and smaller black ones from the middle to the base.
See the fifth and eighth species.
8. Lilium Martagon : Purple JMnrlagon Lily. Leave* in
whorls; flowers turned back; corollas rolled back. This
rises with a strong stalk from three to four feet high ; flowers
dark purple with some spots of black; they are produced in
loose spikes, appear iu June, and have a disagreeable odour
when near, but not so offensive as the preceding; stem straight,
round, shining, from a foot and half to four feet in height.
Native of the south of Europe, and of Siberia. There is a
variety which flowers early in June, known in old gardens by
the name <>f Turk's Caps. In Holland they raise a great
variety of Martagons: those most commonly found in the
English gardens are, 1. The Common Msiriaj;"" with double
flowers; 2. The White; 3. The Double White ; 4. The White
Spotted: 5. The Imperial ; 6. The Enih Scarlet; 7. The
Constantinople Vermilion Martauon The way of oittaiiiinr
these and other varieties is, by sowing the seeds of the IMS
flowers in square boxes, six inches deep, with holes bored in
their bottoms, and filled with light sand;, earth : the bci<im>ig
of October, soon after the seeds are ripe, is the proper seasoii.
Sow them pretty thick, covering them about half an inch with
light sifted earth; place the boxes where they may have the
morning sun only, and refresh them with water often, if the
season prove dry. In November remove them to where they
may have as much sun as possible, and be screened from wind"
About the beginning of April restore them to their former
position : for now the young plants, which are impatient of
heat, will appear; and the soil will dry too fast, if exposed
to the full sun at noon. Keep them entirely free from weeds,
aud refresh them gently and cautiously with water in dry
seasons. Let the boxes remain till the beginning of August;
then prepare some beds of fresh light earth, level them, and
take the earth out of the boxes with the small bulbs, and strew
it equally over the beds, covering it half an inch thick with
fine sided earth. If the seasoii prove hot and dry, shade (he
beds in the middle of the day, and refresh them with water.
If the following winter season be severe, cover the beds with
pease-haulm, or other light covering, to keep out the frost ;
but this would injure the bulbs in mild weather. At the end
of February, or the beginning of March, when the hard frosts
are over, gently clear off the earth upon the surface of the
twds, and .-ift a little fresh earth over them : but in doing this,
do not disturb or injure the bulbs. Keep them clear from
weeds; wntei them gently in dry weather, and in very hot .
days shade them from the sun. When their leaves are quite
decayed, stir the surface of the beds again ; and in September
sift ;nore fre-di earth over the beds. During winter and spring
manage them as before directed. In September following,
transplant the birlb* to a greater distance, on beds prepared
as above ; place them about eight inches asunder, with the
bads' Uppermost, and font inches deep: this should be done
in moist weather. T!ie second year after being planted in
these beds, the strongest bulbs will be^-in to flower; then
place a stick wherever you observe any peculiar varieties;
and when the leaves arc decayed, remove these bulbs into
other beds ai a "'"eater distance, or into the borders of f'he
flower uarden : Iml nevt r reject any till they have flowered
two years: fi ' ei|iientlv some will make a mean appearance
the fir.sl yeai, : n t afterwards become fair handsome flowers,
when they h;i\e obtained strength. When such have been
selected as are worth preserving, the rest may be planted in
shady* outer :ilk- <>r :!i HIP borders of plantations. See the
three pieced and ihe first species.
9. Lilium Canadense ; Canada Martu gon Lily. Leaves in
whorls: fl'Avers turned back ; corollas resolute, bell-shaped;
bulbs oblong and large ; stems from four to five feet high ;
flowers Kiige, yellow, spotted with black; they come out in
fie beginning of August, and, when the roots are large, in
great numbers, making a fine appearance. There is a variety
of it with larger and deeper-coloured flowers. -Native of
Canada; observed also in Pennsylvania and Japan. Seethe
four preceding species, and also the first species.
10. Lilium Kamsclialceu.se ; Kamtsckatka Lily. Leaves
in whoils; flower erect ; corolla bell-shaped; petals sessile;
bulb roundish, small; stem quite simple, round, even, a foot
high ; flowers terminating, few, an inch and half in diameter,
on very short, naked, almost upright peduncles. Native of
Kamtschatka, and also of China and Cochin-china.
11. Lilium Philadelphicum; Philadelphian Martagon Lily.
Leaves in whorls; flowers erect ; corolla bell-shaped ; petals
with claws; root smaller than in other sorts, scaly and white;
stem single, upright, nearly a foot and half high, terminated
by two flowers, which stand erect upon short separate pedun-
cles: they are shaped like those of the Bulb-bearing Fiery
Lily; bn! the petals are narrower at their base; towards
which they are marked with several dark purple spots, their
general colour being a bright purple. It flowers in July, and
'be seeds ripen at the end of September. Native of North
America : observed also in Japan. This species growing in a
small compass, and the flowers having no ill smell, is proper
for the borders of small gardens. The stalks decay soon after
the seeds are ripe: then is the proper time to remove the
roots, which do not put out new fibres till after Christmas.
The bulbs do not put out many oft'scts.
12. Lilium Umbellatmn. Leaves linear, short; top-leaves
verticillated, shorter than the peduncles; flowers from three
to five, umbellatcd, erect ; petals recurvo-patent, subequal,
ovate-oblong, snbunjiuiculate; the flowers are of an uniform
deep seal let colour, and are highly ornamental. It was found
upon the banks of the Missouri by Messrs. Lewis and Nuttall.
Pursh conjectures it to be the same with the one figured in the
Parndisux Lflndinertsis, under the name of Lilium Concolor.
Lily, Day. Sec HcmerocalKs.
Lily, Guernsey. See Amaryllis.
Lily, May. See Convallaria Maialis.
Lily, Persian. See Fritillaria.
Lily, Superb. See Gloriosa.
LI M
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LI M
43
Lily, Thorn. See Catesbeea.
Lily of the Falley. See Conaallaria.
Lily, Water. See Nymphaa.
Lime Tree. See Citrus and Tilia,
Limttim ; a genus of the class Heptanclria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-leaved;
leaflets ovate, acuminate, keeled, membranaceous on the mar-
gin, two exterior, permanent. Corolla : petals five, equal,
ovate, somewhat clawed, obtuse, shorter than the calix ;
nectary, a margin surrounding the germen, bearing the sta-
mina. " Stamina: fiiamenta seven or fewer, awl shaped,
shorter than the corolla; antherae ovate. Pialil: germen
globose; style parted, cvlindric, shorter than the stamina;
stigmas rather obtuse. Pericarp: none; fruit bipartite into
Seeds: two, hemispheric, hollow, naked; according toGaert-
ner, shaped like a meniscus. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix: five-leaved; Petals: live, equal; Capsule: globular,
two-celled. The species lire,
1. Linieum Afrieanum ; African Limeum. Leaves oblong,
petioled ; (according to Thunberg, ovate-lanceolate, sub-
petioled ;) stems prostrate, weak, a span long, angular, naked,
perennial at the base; corymbs terminating, solitary, com-
pound, naked, on long peduncles. Native of the Cape of
Good Hope.
2. Limeum Iiicanum ; Hoary Limeum. Leaves ovate, with
a strong midrib underneath ; tomentose. Native of the Cape
of Good Hope.
S. Limeum thioptctm. Leaves linear-lanceolate. -Native
of the Cape of Good Hope.
Limnopcuce. See Hippuris.
Limotlcrum ; a species of the class Gynandria, order Di-
andria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: spathes vague;
spadix simple; perianth none. Corolla: petals five, ovate-
oblong, about equal, spreading, the superior ones converg-
ing ; nectary one-leafed, concave, foot-slalked, within the
lowest petal ; the length of the petals. Stamina: two; fila-
mentuin an oblong ascending body, the length of the corolla ;
antheraj two, ovate, looking forwards. Pistil: germen co-
lumnar, the length of the corolla, inferior; style filiform,
growing to the body of the fiiamenta; stigma funnel-form.
Pericarp: capsule columnar, three-valved, one-celled, gaping
at the corners. Seeds: numerous, sawdust-like. Observe.
Swartz says it is scarcely different from the Serapias, except
in the inflorescence or scape. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Nectary: one-leafed, concave, pedicelled, within the lowest
petal. The species are,
1. Limodorum Tuberosum; Ttiberoux-rooted Limodorum.
Flowers subspiked, bearded; root tuberous; stem a foot and
half high ; the number of (lowers not exceeding five, dark
purple. Native of Virginia and South Caioliiia. From the
little experience we have had of the management of this spe-
cies, it appears to be scarcely hardy enough for the open
border, yet not tender enough to require a stove. The first
plants were produced here by planting the roots in pots filled
with bog-earth, arid plunging them into a tan-pit which hH a
gentle heat, for the purpose of raising plants or seeds, and
for striking cuttings.
2. Uraotloruni Altum ; Tail Limodorum. Flowers beard-
less ; spikes subpauicled ; root shaped like that of the true
Saffron, but the outer cover of a darker brown colour: the
flower-stalk arises immediately from the root, on oue s .!e ot
the leaves ; it is naked, smooth, and of a purplish colour
towards the top, nearly a foot and half high, and terminated
by a loose spike of purplish red tiowers on short peduncles
According to Swartz, this is the plant whkh Browne calls
Jamaica Salop; and recommends the root, properly cured, as
GO.
a stomachic. Native of the West Indies; particularly of
Jamaica, in the cooler parts of the mountains. This and all
he following species are much too tender to thrive in the open
air of England, and seldom flower even in a green-house :
they are therefore kept in the tan-bed in winter; and if in
summer the pots be plunged in a tan-bed under a deep frame,
the plants will thrive, and flower strongly- They are propa-
gated by offsets from the roots, which are sent out pretty freely
while the roots are in vigour. They should be taken off and
transplanted, at the time when the plant is most destitute of
leaves ; and must have a soft loamy soil, with but little water-
ing, especially in winter.
3. Limodorum Tankervilliie; Chinese Limodorum. Flowers
beardless, in racemes. It flowers in March and April.
Native of China. See the preceding.
4. Limodorum Utriculatum. Root tuberous; root-leaves
twin-sheathed ; radical sheath inflated ; scape sheathed ;
flowers sessile. Native of Jamaica and St. Domingo. See
the second species.
5. Limodorum Gentiauoides. Root tuberous; leaflets
stem-sheathed; flowers ped uncled. Native of Jamaica. See
the second species.
(i. Limodorum Striatum. Scape angular, smooth ; leaves
ensiform, nerved ; petals lanceolate, with an oblong flat lip.
See Epidendrum Slriatum.
7. Liuiodorura Eiiisatum. Scape round, even; leaves ensi-
form, striated ; petals lanceolate ; lip recurved, broader.
Native of China and Japan. See Epidendrum Ensifvlium.
8. Limodorum Falcatum. Horn filiform, very long ; leaves
ensiform, channelled, sickled ; scape upright, smooth, shorter
than the leaves ; flowers in spikes, terminating. Native of
Japan. See the second species.
9. Limodorum Monile. Scape round, striated,. jointed like
a necklace, simple ; leaves linear, simple. See Epidendrum
Munilijormt. It is. not parasitical ; but grows on walls, and
in hedges.
10. Limodorum Virens. Root scaly ; scape branched,
spoiled; bractes acute; flowers remote, greenish yellow;
bulbs many, connected near the base, conical, pointed ;
scape axillary, erect, often branched, from one to two feet
high, round, smooth, coloured with purple spots; flowers
striated ; petals nearly equal, erect or ascending. Native of
Coromandel, on dry uncultivated ground; flowering during
the dry season. See the second species.
11. Limodorum ilecurvum. Root tuberous; scape bend-
ing, nodding, shorter than the leaves; leaves broad -lanceolate,
five-nerved; spike globular, nodding; bulbs striated, nearly
round, surrounded with one or two rings, and having man;
thick fleshy fibres from their lower parts; stem from the side
or base of the bulb; flowers numerous, crowded, white, with
a small tinge of yellow. Native of Coromandel, in moist val-
leys, among the hills; flowering at the beginning of the rainy
season. See the second species.
12. Limodorum Nutans. Root tuberous; scape arched,
longer than the leaves, ovate, five-nerved ; spike oblong, pen-
dulous. This differs from the preceding, in having the bulbs
smooth, the leaves oval, the scape longer than the leaves,
the spike oblong and pendulous, with the flowers at som*
distance from one another, of a beautiful rose-colour, and
the under lip of the nectary sharp-pointed. Native of Coro-
maadel; flowering as the preceding. See the second species.
13. Limodorum Aphyllum. Plant without leaves; root
fibrous ; flowers solitary, naked, sessile ; stems perennial,
several, most simple, spreading or pendulous, as the situation
admits ; flowers generally issuing single from the joints of the
stems. Native of Coromandel, but very rare, on dry rockv
M
44
LIM
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LI N
hills ; flowering in the beginning of the hot season. See the
second species.
Limonia ; a genus of the class Decandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed, three
or five clef I, acute, very small, permanent. Corolla: petals
three to rive, oblong, obtuse, upright, spreading at the tip.
Slamitia : tilamenta six to ten, awl-shaped, upright, shorter
than the corolla; antherae linear, upright. Pistil: germen
oblong, superior; style cyliiidric, length of the stamina;
stigma headed, flat. Pericarp: berry ovate or subglobose,
three-celled; partitions inembranaceous. Seeds: solitary,
ovate. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-parted.
Petals: five. Berry: three celled. Seeds: solitary. The
species are,
1. Liiiioniu Monophylla ; Simple-leaved Limonia. Leaves
simple ; spines solitary ; trunk irregular, with, a smooth green-
ish ash-coloured bark ; branches numerous, very irregular ;
racemes short; corolla four or five-petalled. Native of Coro-
mandcl in the forests on the coasts, where it grows to a small
tree, though ohener found in the state of a large shrub.
2. Limonia Liicida. Unarmed : leaves simple; peduncles
axillary. Native of the Island of Mallicolla in the South
Seas.
3. Limonia Trifoliata ; Three-leaved Limonia. Leaves ter-
nate ; spines in pairs ; spines stipular, longer than the petiole.
This has the appearance of an orange-tree, with flexuose
branches. Jussieu says the whole tree is smooth, the height
of a man in the stove, with a trunk the thickness of a human
arm, covered with a brownish ash-coloured hark, very much
branched ; the branchlets alternate, spreading; flowers sweet-
smeHing, on very short peduncles, axillary, in pairs, or three
together, slowly succeeding each other; corolla and tilamenta
white; fruit red, very soft, the size of a hazel-nut; pulp
colourless, very sweet, with a slight taste of turpentine. It
is a native both of China and Cochin-china, where it is much
cultivated both for its beauty and fragaiice, as well as the
pliancy of its branches. Burinan says it is also a native, of
Java.
4. Limonia Pentaphylla; Five-hared Limonia. Unarmed:
leaves commonly quinate ; leaflets oblong, entire ; trunk
scarcely any, with an ash-coloured bark ; branches numerous,
nearly erect ; flowers white, very fragiant. This is an elegant
fragrant shrub, very common in most uncultivated lands in
Coromandel ; but chiefly under large trees, where birds have
dropped the seeds: it flowers there all the year. The whole
plant, when drying in the shade, diffuses a pleasant permanent
scent; the flowers are exquisitely fragrant ; and birds eat the
berries greedily.
5. Limonia Acidissima. Leaves pinnate; spines solitary.
This tree is said to atv.iin the height of thirty feet, with a
trunk ten inches in diameter: the leaves and fruit have the
smell of Anise. Native of the East Indies.
0. Limi-nia Arborea. Stem arboreous, unarmed; leaves
quinate ; leaflets linear, serrate. The berries are eaten by
birds; and tin: flowers are equally fragrant with those of llie
fourth sort. These two agree in habit : the sorrate leaves are
the cfeicf distinction. Native of the mountainous pails of the
Circars, where it grows to a middle-sized tree, with a large
branching head.
7. Limonia Crenulata. Leaves alternate, fascicled ; leaflets
two or three pairs, with broad-winced petioles ; spines soli-
tary; flowers white, small, fragrant, collected in small um-
bels or racemes, over various parts or the bnnchleU. Native.
of Coromandel, on the low lands near the coast. It is there
11 shrub, but in the mountains it grows to a middle-sized tree ;
Uowvring in the hot season.
Limosella ; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Ansjio-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: utrianth one-
leafed, five-cleft, upright, sharp, permanent. (,V?v//a: one-
petalled, bell shaped, upright, equal, five-cleft, acute, small ;
divisions spreading. Stamina: filamenta four, upright; of
which two are approximated to the same side, shorter than
the corolla; a ntheraj simple. Pistil: germen oblong, obtuse,
two-celled ; style simple, length of the stamina, declinate ;
stigma globose. Pericarp: capsule ovate, half involved by
the calls, one-celled, divided below by the partition, twd-
valved. Srcds: very many, oval; receptacle ovate, large.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Culix: five-cleft. Corolla: five-
cleft, equal. Stamina: approximating by pairs. Capsule:
one-celled, two-valved, many-seeded. The species are,
1. Limosella Aquatica; Common Mudwort, or liastard
Plantain. Leaves lanceolate; root annual, throwing out
naked cylindrical prostrate runners, which take root at their
extremities and form new plants; flowers small, radical, on
simple flower-stalks, which become inflexed, as the fruit
ripens. Native of most parts of Europe, in muddy and gra-
velly places liable to be flooded, and where water has stood
during the winter. It flowers from July to September.
2. Limosella Diaudra. Leaves sublinear. This has the
same habit as the preceding, but is only one-fourth of the
size: hence it is one of the smallest plants we know. It
increases by very short runners. Found by Koenig on the
coast at the Cape of Good Hope.
Linconia; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth interior, four-
leaved ; leaflets ovate, permanent ; the inferior opposite pair
shorter. Corolla: petals five, lanceolate, sessile, upright;
nectary a dell impressed on the bottom of the petal, begirt
beneath by the margin. Sfamitta: filamenta five, al-shaped,
margined upright, middling; antherae obtuse, sagittated with
nutant gaping auricles. Pistil: germen half inferior, with
respect to the corolla; with respect to' the cnlix, superior ;
styles two, filiform, striated; stigmas simple. Pericarp: cap-
sule two-celled. Seeds: two. Obsene. The perianth might
perhaps be taken for bractes; and then the flower would be
entirely superior. ESSENTIAL CHAR ACTKU. Petals: five,
with a nectareous excavation at the base ; capsule two-celled.
The only known species is,
1. Linconia Alopecuroidea. Leaves scattered in a sort of
whorl, five or six together ; subpetioled, linear, three-sided,
blirtish, shining, an inch long, rugi'cd at the angles ; the upper-
most ciliate. This is a shrub with wiind-like branches, which
are few in number, and determinate, irregular from the base
of the fallen leaves, as in the fir tree; flowers -at it:< ends of
the branches, not however in bundles, hut se|i;i.a'i, lateral,
sessile, the length of the Itaus; corollas icnacii.us, flesh-
coloured, or white. Native of the Cape of Good Hope, in
watery places among the mountains.
Linilera; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Cati.i : none. Corolla:
petals six, ovate, obtuse. Stamina: filamenla six, many
times shorter than the corolla; anther* minute. Pistil:
germen ovate, smooth, superior; style upright, railter shorter
than the corolla; stigmas two, reflex. Ptrittirp: capsule
two celled. SeKt,i: nndescrib'Ml. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Corolla : six-pelailed. -The only known species is,
1. Lindera Umhrllata. Leaves aggregate at the ends of
the branchlets, pttioled, oblonsr, acute, entire, above green
and smooth, underneath pale and vilioie, HII inch long;
petioles scarcely a line in lenlh, villoM- alum- : stem hrubby,
loo-e; branches and branchlets alternate, flcM..> a e, smooth,
spieading very much; flowers terminating in it simple many-
LI N
OK, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
L I N
45
flowered tun bel; peduncles a little hairy, unpuicular; pedicels
tomentose about half the length. The Japanese use the wood
for making soft brushes to clean their teeth with. Native of
Japan.
Lindernia ; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Angio-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Cali.i .- perianth five-
parted; divisions linear, sharp, permanent. Corolla: one-
petalled, ringent, two-lipped ; under lip very short, concave,
emarginated ; lower lip upright, three-cleft; the middle one
rather larger. Stamina: filamenta four, twin ; the superior
ones simple; the two inferior ascending, with a terminal
upright tooth; untlienv. twin, the inferior ones sublaieral.
Pistil: germen ovate; style filiform ; stigma etnargmated.
Pericarp: capsule oval, one-celled, two-valvcd. See/is:
numerous. Receptacle cylindric. ESSENTIAL CHARAC-
TER. Calif: live parted. Corolla: ringent, with the upper
lip very short. Stamina: the two lower with a terminating
tooth, and a suhlateral anthcrst*. Capsule: one-celled. The
species are,
1. Lindernia Pyxidaria. Leaves sessile, quite entire ;
peduncles solitary; root annual ; stem smooth, square, brittle,
sometimes branched, and putting forth runners; tlowers axil-
lary, solitary, on a long slender peduncle ; corolla pale blue.
-Native of Virginia, in watery and boggy places ; flowering
in July and August. Hence it has migrated into Europe;
and is now found in similar situations in Alsace and Piedmont.
2. Lindernia Dianthera. Leaves petioled, ovate, round
is!i, subset-rate; stem creeping. Annual, and a native of
St. Domingo.
3. Lindernia Japonk-a. Leaves obovate, toothed, the lowest
petioled; root annual; stem herbaceous, branched, weak;
blanches alternate, somewhat villose, from an inch to a span
in length; flowers at the ends of the branches in racemes;
corollas rnfescent. Native of Japan.
Linntta; (so named by Gronovius, in honour of the illus-
trious Carl von Linne or Linnaeus,- a native of Sweden, and
the prince of botanists;) a genus of the class Didynamia,
order Angiospermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: peri-
anth double. Piriattth nf the fruit : inferior, four-leaved;
the two opposite leaflets very small, acute; the remaining
two elliptic, concave, upright, hispid, embracing the germen,
converging, permanent. Perianth of t/ie Jlowtr: superior,
one-leafod, five parted, upright, narrow, sharp, equal. Co-
rolla: one-petalled, bell-shaped, half five cleft, obtuse, sub-
equal, twice as large as the calix of the flower. Stamina :
liianienia four, awl-shaped, inserted into the bottom of the
corolla; of which two are very small, the two nearest longer ;
shorter than the corolla; aniheiae compressed, versatile.
Pistil: germen roundish, inferior; style filiform, straight,
Irilgth of the corolla, declinate; stigma globose. Pericarp:
berry juiceless, ovate, three-celled, coveted by the hispid
glutinous perianth of the fruit, deciduous. Seeds: two,
roundish. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: double, of
the fruit two leaved, of the flower five-parted, superior.
Corolla: bell-shaped. Berry: dry, three-celled. The
only known species is,
1. Linuxa Borealis; Twojlcni-ered Linncea. Root peren-
nial, fibrous; stems filiform, from three to six feet long,
loose, creeping, round, perennial, ferruginous, with a few
while hairs scattered over them ; leaves opposite, roundish,
ovate, spreading, attenuated into the petioles; branches alter-
n lie, simple, upright, with six or eight leaves on them;
peduncles terminating the older branches, solitary, a finger's
length, upright, having different hairs sniftered over them,
some very minute, reHex-pellucid, others spreading, secreting
a glutinous juice ; corolla ttirbinate, three times as long as the
4
calix, smooth and white on the outside, having a few hairs
scattered over it within, with blood rid leins within the
cavity, which are yellow on the lower side. The smell of the
flowers approaches to lint of Ulnmrin, or Meadow Sweet;
and is so strong during the night, as to discover tin's little
plant at a considerable distance. In Sweden, where the plant
is common, an infusion of the leaves in milk is employed in
the rheumatism. In Norway they cure the itch with a decoc-
tion of it. And in Ostrobothnia they apply il in a cataplasm,
or by fomentation, to disorders of the feet in sheep. Native
of Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Silesia, Italy, Russia,
Siberia, and Canada, in large forests and woods, especially
where moss abounds; and flowers in June. It has been dis-
covered in an old fir-wood at Mearns, near Aberdeen in
Scotland.
Linociera ; a genus of the class Diandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth very
small, four-toothed, obtuse, permanent. Corolla: petals four,
equal, linear, channelled, upright, spreading at lop, manv
times longer than the calix. Stamina: filamenta two, very
short, rather broad ; antheraj linear, two-furrowed, length of
the corolla, upright, each adhering slightly to the other side
of the two petals. Pistil: germen superior, ovate, four-
cornered; style short ; stiirma oblong, two cleft. Pericarp:
berry ovate, sharp-pointed, two-celled. Seeds: solitan,
oblong. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix; four-toothed.
Corolla: four-petalled. Antheret : connecting two opposite
petals at flic base. Kerry: two celled. Dr. Smith suggests,
that by examining the fruit in an early state, it will be found
that the Linociera of Schreber is not distinct from Chionanthus.
See Chionanthus. There is but one species, Linociera Ligus-
trina, a native of open places in the West Indies.
Linum; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Pentagynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-leaved, Ian-
ceolate, upright, small, permanent. Corolla: funnel-form.
Petals: five, oblong, gradually wider above, obtuse, more
spreading, large. Stamina: filamenta five, awl-shaped, up-
right, length of the calix ; (also five rudiments, alternating f)
antherae simple, arrowed. Pistil: germen ovate; styles five,
filiform, upright, length of the stamina ; stigmas simple, reflex.
Pericarp: capsule globose, rudely pentagonal, ten valved,
gaping at the tip; partitions membranaceoiis, very thin, con-
necting the valves. Seeds: solitary, ovate-flatfish, acumi-
nated, smooth. Observe. In many species, if not in all, the.
filamenta are united at the base: in the twenty-third, a fifth
part is excluded. ESSENTI AI. CHARACTER. Calix: five-
leaved. Petals: five. Capanle : ten-valved, ten celled.
Seeds: solitary. The species are,
* With alternate Leaves.
1. Linum Usitatissimum ; Common Flax. Calices-and
capsules mucroiiHte; petals eremite; leaves lanceolate ; stem
generally solitary ; roots annual, simple, fibrous, pale brown;
stem upright,' eighteen indies, two fret, and even more, in
height, round, smooth, leafy, branched only at top; flowers
large, growing in a panicle, on round smooth peduncles ;
petals wedge-shaped, deciduous, sky-blue, streaked with
deeper-coloured lines, white at the "claws, and somewhat
gnawed at the tip. Flax is now found wild in many parts
of Europe, in corn-fields. In England we cannot assert it
to be aboriginal, though it is said to be very common in the
western comities, not only in corn fields, bat in pastures and
on downs. It flowers in June and July. The plants of Flax,
\\h.Mi crowded together in cultivation, rise only a foot and
half high, with a slender uttbranched stalk ; yet when liiev
are allowed room, will rise more than two feet* high, and pu't
out two or three side-branches towards the top, especially in
1(5
LI N
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LIN
a good soil. There is a dwarf variety, which has stronger and
shorter stalks, branching out more, the leaves broader, the
flowers larger, with the petals iudeuled at the extremity, the
seed-vessels much larger, and the peduncles longer. This
valuable plant is supposed to have been derived originally
from those parts of Egypt which are exposed to the inunda-
tions. In the earliest record we have, E.wdim ix. 31. flax is
mentioned as a plant cultivated in that country ; on which
account antiquaries have been surprised to find the vestments
of mummies made of cotton. It is highly probable, however,
that mankind made thread of cotton before the use of flax
was discovered; the former being produced in a state ready
for spinning, whereas the latter requires a long process before
it can be brought to that state. It is difficult, or perhaps
impossible, to determine when the culture of flax was first
introduced into this country- In the simplicity of ancient
times, \vheu families provided within themselves most of the
necessaries and conveniences of life, every garden supplied
a proper quantity of hemp and flax. The macerating or
steeping necessary to separate the fibres, by. rotting the rest
of the stalk, was found to render water so offensive, that "by
the 33rd of Henry VIII. it was enacted that no person should
water any Hemp or Flax, in any river or stream, or in any
common pond, where beasts are used to be watered. The
seeds of flax, called Linseed, yield, by expression only, a large
proportion of oil, which is an excellent pectoral, as is like-
wise the mucilaginous infusion. The oil is of a healing bal-
samic nature, and very useful in coughs, attended with spit-
ting of blood, in colics, and obstinate costiveness. Out-
wardly applied, it softens and eases pain. The seeds in sub-
stance are used as poultices, to soften and ripen inflammatory
tumors, and are well adapted for that purpose. The infusion
is likewise a good medicine in the strangury, heat of urine,
thin sharp deductions on the lungs, and other similar disorders.
An ounce of the seeds is a sufficient, quantity for a quart of
water; for if added in a larger quantity, they render the liquor
disagreeably slimy. After the oil is expressed from the seeds,
the remaining farinaceous part, called oil-cake, is given to
oxen, who soon grow fat upon it. This oil differs in several
respects from other expressed oils : it does not congeal in
winter, nor does it form a solid soap with fixed alkaline salts,
and it acts more powerfully as a menstruum upon sulphure-
ous bodies. When heat is applied during the expression, it
acquires a yellowish colour, and a peculiar smell. In this
state it is used by painters and varnishers. , It is well known
that the fibres of the stem are manufactured into linen, and
that this linen, when worn to rags, is made into paper. Flax
in German is called Flacks, or Lein ; in Dutch, Vlasch ; in
Danish, Horr or Hiirr ; in Norwegian, Liin ; in Swedish
and French, Lin; in Italian and Spanish, Lino; in Portu-
guese, Linho ; in Russian, Polish, and all the languages from
the Slavonian, Len, or Lan. All the Europeans, except the
Danes, use Lin, when speaking of the seed. Flax requires a
rich dry soil, or fat sandy loam, particularly that which is
formed from the sediment of great rivers ; hence old grass-
land of this description is its most proper matrix. It is, how-
ever, not (infrequently sown on arable land ; and, when the
soil is in heart, dry, friable, and clean, with good success.
Much depends on the state of the soil at the lime of sowing.
It should neither be wet uor dry, and the surface ought to
be made as fine as- that of a garden bed. For the crop
should all rise tORr'her, and the surface should be evenly
seeded. If the p, .n'> come up at several times, or if by
accident or mismanagement they be thin upon the ground*,
the crop is irreparaK'y injured. This will be the case in a
severe season of drought, or when spring frosts are severe,
or when the crop is attacked by a small white slug; or when
the ground being full of clods, the seeds are not evenly dis-
persed, and not being able to pierce Ihe clods, come up in
circles round them, leaving vacancies in the centre favouring
their early branching, than which nothing is more detrimen-
tal to the crop, the goodness of it depending much on its
running up with a single stalk, for wherever it branches, the
fibres terminate, and they are worked off in dressing. If the
crop be intended for thread of the first quality, the time of
pulling it is when the seeds are formed ; but if they be suf-
fered to ripen, the advantage gained by the seed is balanced
by the inferior quality of the flax, the filauienta being harsh,
and the cloth made from them not taking a good colour in
whitening. It is also a great exhauster of the soil, when it
stands for the seed to ripen. The flax crop interferes with
harvest, and therefore ought to be confined to rich grass-
land districts, where harvest is a secondary object, and where
exhaustion may be rather favourable than hurtful to succeed-
ing arable crops, by checking the too great rankness of the
rich fresh-broken ground. It has been strongly recommended,
instead of steeping the flax in ponds or other cold water, to
separate the boon or pulp of the stalk, from the harle or
fibrous part, which constitutes the flax, by boiling it in water.
If this process should be found to answer as well as the com-
mon one, much time and labour would be saved, and the
air and waters would not be poisoneti, as they now are where
flax and hemp are steeped. The flax would also in all pro-
bability be of a finer colour, and the operation of bleaching
safer and less tedious; but whether the strength of the thread
would be improved or diminished, experience only can decide.
The common mode of cultivating flax is as follows. In
order to have the ground as clear from weeds as possible,
it should be fallowed two winters, and one summer, and har-
rowed between each ploughing, particularly in summer, to
destroy the young weeds soon after they appear. This will
also break the clods by separating their parts, so that they
will full to pieces on being stirred. If the laud should require
dung, that ought not to be laid on till the last ploughing,
when it must be buried in the ground : but this dung should
be clear from seeds of weeds, which it may be by laying it
in a heap, and fermenting it well. Just before the season for
sowing the seed, the land is well ploughed, and laid very
even. The seeds are sown at the end of Match, or the
beginning of April, when the weather is mild and warm.
The seed is sown broad-cast, two to three bushels to an acre;
but from many repeated trials, says Mr. Miller, 1 have found
it a much better method to sow the seed in drills, at about
ten inches' distance from each other, by which half the quan-
tity of seed usually sown will produce a greater crop ; and
when the flax is thus sown, the seed may be easily hoed to
destroy the weeds : if this operation be twice repeated in
dry weather, it will keep the ground clean till the flax is
ripe ; this may be done at half the expense which hand-weed-
ing will cost, and will not tread down the plants nor harden
the ground, which by the other methods is always done ; and
it is absolutely necessary to keep the flax clean from weeds,
otherwise they will overbear and spoil the crop. Towards the
end of August, or the beginning of September, the flax will
begin to ripen, and it must not stand to be over-ripe, but be
pulled up by the roots as soon as the heads begin to change
brown, and hang downwards, otherwise the seeds will soon
scatter and be lost ; so that the pluckers must be nimble in
tying up the plants in bandfuls, and setting them upright, till
they are dry enough to be housed. If the flax be pulled when
it first begins to flower, the thread will be whiter, but then the
seed will be lost. The thread, however, will be stronger when
LIN
OH, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LIN
47
Ihe flax is left till the seed is ripe, provided it does not stand too
long; but the colour of it will not be so good. Some recom-
mend sheep-feeding with the flax, when it is a good height,
and affirm that they will eat the weeds and grass, and do
the flax good ; and that if they should beat it down, that it
will rise again with the next rain. But this is a very wrong
practice, for if the sheep gnaw the flax, it will shoot up very
weak, and never attain to half the size it would have done
if it had not been cropped ; and if the sheep like the crop
better than the weeds, they will devour that, and leave the
weeds untouched.
2. Linum Perenne ; Perennial Flax. Calices and capsules
blunt ; leaves lanceolate, quite entire. From its perennial
root arise three or four inclining stalks, having short narrow
leaves towards their base, but scarcely any about the top.
The flowers are produced at the ends of the stalks, sitting
very close; they are of a delicate texture, and very elegant
blue colour. Mr. Miller distinguishes the upright Siberian
plants. The stems of this are strong, in number according
to the size of the root, in height from three to five feet
according to the soil ; they divide into several branches at
top. The flowers are large, of a fine blue, appearing in
June, and are succeeded by obtuse seed-vessels, ripening in
September. He recommends the cultivating it for use; being
perennial, earlier, more productive, and yielding a stronger
though not so fine a thread. Native of Cambridgeshire,
Norfolk, Suffolk, and Northamptonshire, on calcareous pas-
tures. This flax has been tried, and answers very well for
making common strong linen, but the thread is not so fine or
white as that which is produced from the common sort; but
as the roots of this will continue many years, it will require
little other culture, but to keep it clean from weeds, which
cannot well be done, unless the seeds be sown in drills, that
the ground may be constanlly kept hoed to destroy the weeds
when young. This sort must have the stalks cut off close to
the ground when ripe, and then managed in the same way as
the common sort ; but it seldom produces more than three
crops that will pay for standing.
3. Linum Monogynuui ; One-styled Flax. Calices acute ;
leaves linear-lanceolate, even ; stem round, shrubby, and
branched at the base ; flowers one-styled. Native of New
Zealand, in Queen Charlotte's Sound.
4.. Linum Viscosum ; Clammy Flax. Leaves lanceolate,
hairy, five-nerved ; root woody, perennial. Native of Ger-
many.
5. Linum Hirsutum; Hairy Flax. Calices hirsute, acu-
minate, sessile, alternate; branch-leaves opposite ; root woody,
perennial; stems round, simple, hairy, from a foot to two
feet in height ; flowers on very short peduncles ; petals blue,
marked with lines. Native of Austria and Hungary.
0. Linum Narbonnense ; Nar bonne Flux. Calix acuminate;
leaves lanceolate, stiff, rugged, acuminate ; stem round,
branched at the base; filameuta connate ; root perennial ; stem
from a foot to eighteen inches high, branching out almost to
the bottom into many long slender branches; flowers at the
ends of the branches. Native of the south of France, Swit-
zerland, and Italy. It flowers from May to July.
1. Linum Reflexuin; Reflex-leaved Flax. Calices acu-
minate ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, reflex, even ;
filatnenta connate ; stem a foot high, round, woody, branched
from the base ; flowers in a sort of umbel, large, blue. It
flowers in July. Native of the south of Europe.
8. Linum Tenuifolium; Fine-leaved Flax. Calices acumi-
nate ; leaves linear, setaceous, rugged backwards ; root per-
eiuiial, woody, branching; stems ascending at the base ; flow-
ers in a sort of panicle, peduncled; petals rose-coloured,
70.
purple, or white, nearly twice as long as the calix. Native
of the south of Europe.
9. Linum Angustifolium ; Narrow-leaved Flax. Calix
obsoletelv three-nerved ; leaflets and capsule acuminate ;
leaves linear-lanceolate, three-nerved ; stems numerous, a
little inclined. This is very much allied to the first species.
Native of Cornwall and Devonshire, in dry sandy pastures,
especially near the sea. It is also found at Dorsham in
Suffolk ; Minster in the isle of Sheppey ; at Beacon Hill, and
Deal in Kent ; and near Hastings in Sussex.
10. Linum Gallicum ; Annual Yellow Flax. Calices awl-
shaped, acute; leaves linear-lanceolate; peduncles of the
panicle two-fl.iwered ; flowers subsessile ; root annual ; flow-
ers yellow. Native of the south of France.
11. Linum Maritimum ; Sea Flax. Calices ovate-acute^
awnlcss ; leaves lanceolate, the lower ones opposite; root
perennial; stems herbaceous, round, almost upright, glaucous;
petals yellow. It flowers in July and August. Native of the
south of Europe and the Levant.
12. Linum Alpinum ; Alpine Flax. Calices rounded-,
blunt; leaves linear, sharpish; stems declinate; root peren-
nial, branched; stems herbaceous, simple, half a foot or
more in length ; flowers peduucled, large ; petals pale blue.
Native of Austria, Piedmont, Dauphiny, and Silesia.
13. Linum Austriacum; Austrian Flax. Calices rounded,
blunt ; leaves linear, sharp, straightish; root perennial, woody;
stems herbaceous, annual, from six to eighteen inches long ;
peduncles one-flowered ; petals white, purplish, blue or violet,
with darker lines and a yellow claw. It flowers in June and
July. Native of Austria and the Palatinate.
14. Linum Virginianuni ; Virginian Flax. Calices acute,
alternate ; capsules awnless ; panicle difform ; leaves lanceo-
late ; root-leaves ovate ; stem filiform, a foot high, panicled ;
flowers on very short peduncles ; corollas yellow. Native of
Virginia and Pennsylvania.
15. Linum Flavum ; Perennial Yellow Flax. Calices sub-
scrrate-rugged, lanceolate, subsessile ; panicle with dichoto-
moiis branches ; root perennial, woody ; stems herbaceous,
upright, from ; six to eighteen inches high ; flowers elegant,
upright, on short peduncles, at the end of the branches, and
at Ihc divisions of them. The flowers open most in the
morning, when the sun shines, and continue in succession
during June, July, and part of August.
1C. Linum Strictum ; Upright Flax. Calices awl-shaped;
leaves lanceolate, stiff, mucronate, rugged at the edge. This
is an annual plant, with an upright stalk nearly a foot and
half high. Native of the south of France, Spain, and Sicily.
17. Linum Suffruticosum ; Shrubby Flax. Leaves linear,
acute, rugged ; stems suffruticose. This has a shrubby stalk,
a foot high, sending out several branches ; flowers at the ends
of the branches, erect, on long slender peduncles; petals
large, entire, white, but before the flowers open pale yellow.
They appear in July, but the seeds seldom ripen in England.
Native of Spain, about Aranjuez, but common in the king-
dom of Valencia.
18. Linum Arboreura ; Tree Flax. Leaves wedge-shaped ;
stems arborescent. This beautiful species forms (if not a
tree, as its name imports,) a shrub of the height of several
feet. It begins to flower in March, and continues flowering
to the close of summer, but has not yet produced seeds in
England. Native of the island of Candia.
19. Linum Campanulatum. The base of the leaves dotted
glandular on both sides ; stem simple, a finger long. Native
of the south of France, and of Russia.
** With opposite leaves.
20. Linum Africanum; African Flax. Leaves linear-Ian -
N
LI P
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LI P
ceolate ; flowers terminating, pedunclrd : stem siiffruticose,
stiff, a foot high, round, with simple branches; flowers in a
terminating umbel; petals yellow, with villose claws, anil
turning lawny. It flowers in June and July. Native of
Africa.
21. Linum Nodiflorum ; Knotted Flax. Fioriferous leaves
opposite, lanceolate ; flowers alternate, sessile ; calices the
length of the leaves; stem angular, even, bifid, or Iritid ;
root perennial; corolla yellow. Native of Italy.
22. Linum Catharticum ; Purging Flux. Leaves ovate-
lanceolate ; stem dichotomous ; corollas acute ; root annual,
very small ; flowers terminating, solitary, pendulous before
they open, then erect; petals white. It sometimes varies
with four stamina and four styles. This small delicate spe-
cies of flax, called also in some places Mill Mountain, is very
common throughout England in dry hilly pastures, and flowers
from the end of May to August. Gerardc celebrates this
little plant as a purge. His receipt is a handful of the herb
infused in a pint of warm white wine all night, and taken in
the morning. Lewis prescribes an infusion in water or whey
of a handful of the fresh leaves, or a drachm in substance of
them dried. Dr. Withering recommends an infusion of two
drachms or more of the dried herb, as an excellent purge in
many obstinate rheumatisms ; and adds, that it frequently acts
as a diuretic. Native of most parts of Europe.
23. Linum Radiola; Least Flax, or All-seed. Stem dicho-
tomous; flowers four-stamiued, four-styled; root annual;
leaves sessile, ovate, acuminate ; flowers upright, solitary,
small, white. With us it is called All-seed and Least Rup-
ture Wort, and is found on moist sandy heaths; flowering in
July and August. Native of many parts of Europe.
24. Linum Quadrifolia; Four-leaved Flax. Leaves in
fours. Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
25. Linum Verticillatnm ; Whorl-ltaved Flax. Leaves in
whorls. Annual ; stems round, branched, not more than a
foot high; flowers violet or bluegray. Native of Italy, near
Rome.
20. Linum Lewisii. Leaves of trie calix ovate-acuminate ;
petals cuneate, rounded at the top; leaves lanceolate-linear,
nmcronate; stems lofty, numerous. Found by Lewis in the
valleys of the Rocky Mountains, and on the banks of the
Missouri. The flowers are large and blue ; it is a very
good perennial; and Pursh thinks it would be useful if
cultivated.
27. Linum Rigidnm. Leaves of the calix ovate, acuminate,
three-nerved, c'liate ; pt-tals oblong, very narrow; leaves
stiffly erect, linear, short ; flowers sulphur yellow coloured.
This plant was discovered on the banks of the Missouri by
Mr. Thomas Nutlall, to whose unwearied diligence the de-
lightful science of Botany is already greatly indebted.
Lion's Foot. See Catananche.
Lion's Leaf. See Ltontice.
Lion's Tail. See Phlomis Leonurus.
Liparia ; a genus of the class Diadelphia, order Decandria.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed, very
.obtuse at the base, half five-cleft, acute ; the lowest division
very long, elliptic, petal-like. Corolla : papilionaceous,
without processes of the keel or wing; standard oblong, con-
duplicated, straight, the sides reflex ; wings oblong, straight,
narrower at the base, two-lobed at the lower margin. Keel:
lanceolate, subascending, two-parted at the base. Stamina:
filamenta diadelphous, simple and nine-parted, filiform, three
shorter than the rest ; atithcne ovate. Pistil: germen sessile,
very short; style filiform, middling; stigma simple. Peri-
carp: legume ovate. Seeds: few. ESSENTIAL CHAHAC-
TEU. C.ulix : fivs-clefr, with the lowest segment elongated.
Corolla.- wings two-lobed below. Stamina: the larger, with
three shorter teeth. Legume: ovate. For their propagation
and culture, see Borbonia. The species are,
1. Liparia Sphverica ; Globe-flowered Liparia. Flowers
in heads ; leaves lanceolate, nerved, smooth ; stem four feet
high, stout, smooth and even ; corolla tawny. The manner
in which the wings wrap round each other before the flower,
which is remarkably handsome, opens, is very singular ; head
terminating. Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
2. Liparia Graminifolia ; Grass-leaved Liparia. Flowers
in heads ; leaves linear, alternate, acute, sessile ; calices vil-
lose ; stem shrubby, determinately branched, smooth and
even, angular; head made up of a raceme ; corolla yellow.
Native of the Cape, of Good Hope.
3. Liparia Umbellata; Umbelled Liparia. Flowers urn-
belled; leaves lanceolate, smooth. and even; corollas smooth;
calices and bractes hairy. It is the same with Borbonia
Leevigata, which see.
4. Liparia Villosa; Woolly Liparia. Flowers in heads;
leaves ovate-acute, villose ; branches round ; corolla red.
Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
5. Liparia Sericea ; Silky Liparia. Flowers subspikcd,
axillary ; leaves oblong-ovate, acute, villose. Allied to the
preceding. Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
Lippia; a genus of the class Didynatuia, order Angiosper-
mia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
compressed, four-toothed, bivalved when mature ; valves
mcmbranaceous, acuminate, keeled, upright, permanent.
Corolla: one-petalled, unequal; border four-cleft ; divisions
rounded, the inferior and superior one larger, the superior
erect. Stamina : fiiamenta four, shorter than the corolla,
two of them longer than the others ; autherre simple. Pistil:
germen ovate, compressed, flat; style filiform, of the situa-
tion and length of the stamina; stigma oblique. Pericarp:
none ; valves of the calix the seeds. Seeds : solitary, oblong.
Observe. Several fructifications are collected into a little
head. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: four toothed,
roundish, upright, compressed, meuibranaceous. Capsule:
one-celled, two-valved, two-seeded, straight. Seed : two-
celled. The species are,
1. Lippia Americana. Heads pyramidal; height sixteen
or eighteen feet, with a rough bark ; branches and leaves in
pairs; peduncles axillary, sustaining many pyramidal .scalv
heads, about the size of a large gray pea, in which are many
small yellow flowers between the scales Found at La Ver
Cruz. These shrubs, being natives of the continent and
islands of the West Indies, must be preserved in a bark-stove.
The seeds should be sown on a hot-bed, and the plants
treated as other shrubby plants from the same country ; by
keeping them always in the stove, plunged in the bark bed,
observing to give them a large share of air in warm weather,
and to refresh them frequently with water. In winter they
must he watered more sparingly, and be kept in a moderate
degree of warmth; otherwise they will not live through the
winter, especially when young: but when they have acquired
strength, they may be preserved with a less share of warmth.
As the plants advance in their growth, shift them into larger
pots; but this should not be too often repeated. Once evrry
spring will be sufficient, for these and many other exotic
plants do not thrive so well when frequently removed, as \\hen
they are permitted to fill the pots with their roots. Shift
them in April; at which time the tan of the hot-bed should
he stirred, and fresh tan mixed with it, to increase the heat.
The earth in which these plants are placed should be light
and fresh, but not too rich.
2. Lippia Hemispiiaerica. Heads hemispherical. This it
LI Q
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LIR
49
a shrub ten feet high, the w hole odoriferous and aromatic;
flowers small ; corolla white. Native of Carlhagena, in New
Spain.
5. Lippia Ovata. Heads ovate; leaves linear, quite entire.
Native place unknown.
4. Lippia Hirsuta. Hirsute: leaves oblong, wrinkled, ser-
rate, tonientose underneath ; panicles axillary ; heads ovate ;
stem four-cnrnered ; flowers minute, white. Found in Ame-
rica by Mu I is.
6. Lippia Cymosa. Flowers cymed ; leaves ovale, almost
entire. This shrub lias often several steins from the same
root, each no larger than a goose quill, round, and woody;
the flowers come out at the top, they are small, and many
together. Native of Jamaica.
Liquidambar ; a genus of the class Monoecia, order Poly-
andria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Male Flowers: numerous,
on a long conical loose ament. Calix: involucre common
four-leaved; leaflets ovate, concave, caducous; the nlternate
ones shorter. Corolla: none. Stamina: filamenta numerous,
very short, on a body convex on one side, flat ou the other;
antiK"-ic upright, twin, four-furrowed, two-celled. Female
Fwinrn: at the base of the male spike, heaped into a globe.
Cali.r: involucre as in the male, but double; perianths pro
per bell (hoped, conn-red, several, connate, warty. Corolla:
none. Pistil: getnien oblong, growing to the perianth:
slv'i-stwo, nwi-shftped ; stigmas growing on one side, length
of the style, recurved, pubescent. Pericarp: capsules as
many, ovate, one-celled, bivalve, at the tip acute, disposed
into a globe, woody. Seeds: several, oblong, glossy, with a
inenibrune at the point, mixed with a yreat many chatty cor-
puscles. GaM'liu-r ha> furnished us with the following Emen-
dations, I'ixlii : germina two, conjoined between each other,
and with ihr perianth ; style to each long, awl-shaped; stigma
recurved. Pericarp: capsules twin, leathery, beaked, one-
celled, gaping inuards. Seeds: several, oblong, glossy,
compressed, ending in u little membrane. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER Male Calit: common, four leaved. Corolla:
none. Filamenta : numerous. Female. Culix : in a globe,
four leaved. Corolla: none. Stylm: two. Capsules: many
in a globe, two-valved, man\ -seeded. The specit s are,
1. Liquidambar Styraciflua; Mttplr-lrarrd Liquiilambar,
or Street Gum. Leaves palmute-lobed, with I he sinuses of
the base of the veins villose. The trunk of this tree is usually
two feet in diameter, straight, and free from branches to the
height of about fifteen feet; from which the branches spread
and rise, in a conic form, to the height ol forty feet and
upwards from the ground. The leaves of this species are
distinguished from those of the second, by the little tufts of
hairs placed where the veins divide from the midrib. From
between the wood and the bark issues a fragrant gum, which
trickles from the wounded trees, and, by the heat of the sun,
congeals into transparent drops, which the Indians chew
as a preservative to their teeth. It is un excellent balsamic
medicine, inferior to none, for the whites, and weaknesses
occasioned by venereal disorders : it operates by urine, brings
away gravel, and is beneficial in disorders of tile lungs: "it
ma> be chewed in small quantities, like Gum Arabic ; and
smells so like Ifcilsam of Tolu, that it is not easy to distinguish
them. The baik of this tree is of singular use to the Indians,
for covering their huts: the wood has a fine urain, and is
beautifully variegated ; but when wrought too yreen, is ;ipi to
shrink : to prevent which, no less than eight or ten years is
sutiicieiit to season the plants; after vihicb, it forms excellent
timber, and is used in wainscoting. It is a native of clayey
ground in North America. The seeds of this tree, if sowii iii
the spring, commonly remain in the ground it whole year,
before the plants come up ; so that the surest way to raise
them, is to sow the seeds in boxes or pots of light earth ;
which may be placed in a shady situation during the first
summer, and be removed in autumn to where they can have
more sun : but if the winter should prove severe, it will be
proper to cover them with pease-haulm, or other light cover-
ing ; which ought constantly to be lemoved in mild weather.
In the succeeding spring, if these boxes or pots be placed
upon a moderate hot-bed, it will cause the seeds to come up
eaily, so that the plants will have time to gel strength before
the winter; but during the two first winters, it will be proper
to screen them from severe frost, as they will afterwards bear
the cold very well.
2. Liquidambar Imberbe; Oriental Liquidambar. Leaves
palmate-lobed, with the sinuses of the base of the*'eius smooth.
Native place unknown.
Liquorice. See Qlycyrfhae*.
Liquorice Vetch. See Astragalus.
Liquorice, Wild. See Abrus.
Liriconfancy. See Coneallaria Maiulis.
Liriodendron ; a genus of the class Polyaudria, order
Polygynia. GEN ERIC CHARACTER. Calix: involucre pro-
per two-leaved; leaflets triangular, fiat, deciduous; perianth
three-leaved ; leaflets oblong, concave, spreading, petal-form,
deciduous. Stamina: filamenta numerous, shorter than the
corolla, linear, inserted into the receptacle of the fructi-
fication; anthem- linear, growing longitudinally to the sides
of the filameiiliiiii. Pistil: germina numerous, disposed into
a cone ; style none ; sliyma to each globose. Pericar-p :
none: seeds imbricated into a body resembling a strobile.
Seeds: numerous, ending in a lanceolate scale, emitting an
acute angle towards the base of the scale from the inner side,
compressed -at the base, acute. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix: three-leaved. Petals: six seeds imbricated into a
strobile. The species are,
1. Liriodendron Tulipifera ; Common Tulip Tree. Leaves
lobed. Mr. Marshall describes the tulip-tree as seventy or
eighty feet in height. He mentions two varieties, one with
yellow, and the other with while wood : the first soft and
biittle, much used for boards, and heels of shoes, also for
turning into bowls, trenchers, &c. the white heavy, tough,
and hard, sawed into joist boards, &c. for buildings. lie
remarks that the flower has sometimes seven petals, or more.
The young shoots of this tree are covered with a smooth pur-
plish bark ; they are garnished with large leaves, the foot-
stalks of which are four inches long. The flowers are pro-
duced at the end of the branches; they are composed of six
petals, three without, and three within, which form a sort of
bell-shaped flower: whence the inhabitants ef North America
give it the title of Tulip. These petals are marked with
green, yellow, and red spots, nuking a fine appearance when
the trees are well charged with flowers. The time of this
tree's flowering is iu July; and when the flowers drop, the
germen swells, and forms a kind of cone : but these do
not ripen in England. Catesby, iu his Natural History of
Carolina, says, there are some of these trees in America,
which ore thirty fei t in circumference, making several bends
or elbows; which render the trees dislinmiishable at a great
distance, even when they have no leaves on them. They .are
found in most parts of the northern continent of America, from
the Cape of Florida to New England ; where the timber is of
great use, particularly lor making of periauguas, their trunks
being large enough to be hollowed into the shape of those
boats; so they are of one piece. Kalrn observes, that it is
very agreeable at the end of May to see one of UKSC large
trees with its singular leaves, and covered for a fortnight togt-
LIR
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LIR
ther with flowers, which have the shape, size, and partly tlit
colour, of tulips; the wood is used for canoes; whence thr
Swedes in North America call it Canoe-tree. He speaks oi
having seen a barn of considerable size, the sides and roof u'
which were made of a single tulip-tree split into boards. But
one inconvenience attends it, for there is no wood that contracts
and expands itself so much as this. The bark is divisible into
very thin laminae, which are tough, like fibres of bass-mats : it
is pounded, and given to horses that have the hots. The roots
are supposed to be as efficacious in agues as Jesuit's hark.
One of the handsomest trees of this kind is in the garden of
Mr. Jones, at Waltham Abbey. This tree is propagated by
seeds, which are annually imported in great plenty from
America. They may either be sown in pots or tubs filled
with light r:\f\li from the kitchen-garden, or in a bed in the
full ground : those which are sown in the first way may be
placed on a gentle hot-bed, which will forward their growth,
so that the plants will acquire more strength before winter.
When they are thus treated, the glasses of the hot-bed should
be shaded from the sun every day, and the earth in the pots
should be frequently refreshed with water ; for unless it is
kept moist, the seeds will not grow : but this must be done
with care, so as not to make it too wet, which will rot tin
seeds. When the plants appear, they must be still shaded in
the heat of the day from the sun ; but fresh air must be
admitted daily, to prevent their drawing up weak; and as thr
season advances, they must be gradually hardened, to bear
the open air. While the plants are young, they do not require
much sun, and should be either shaded, or placed where the
morning sun only shines upon them ; they must also be con-
stantly supplied with water, but not have it in too great
plenty. As the young plants commonly continue growing late
in the summer, so when there happens early frosts in autumn,
it often kills their tender tops, which occasions their dying
down a considerable length in winter; therefore they should
be carefully guarded against these first frosts, which are always
more hurtful to them than harder frosts afterwards, when their
shoots are better hardened : however, the first winter alter
the plants come up, it will be the better way to shelter them
in a common hot-bed frame, or to arch them over with hoops,
and cover them with mats; exposing them always to the open air
in mild weather. The following spring, just before the plants
begin to shoot, they should be transplanted into nursery-beds,
in a sheltered situation, where they are not too much exposed
to the sun. The soil of these beds should be a soft gentlt
loam, not too stiff, nor over light ; this should be well wrought,
and the clods well broken and made fine. Great care must
be taken not to break the roots of the plants, in taking them
up, for they are very tender; they should be planted again as
soon as possible ; for if their roots are long out of the ground,
they will be much injured thereby. These may be planted in
rows at about a foot distance, and at six inches' distance in
the rows : for as they should not long remain iu these nursrry-
beds, so this will be room enough for them to grow ; and by
having them so close, they may be shaded in the summer, or
sheltered in the winter with more ease than when they are
farther apart. When the plants are thus planted, if the sur-
face of the beds is covered with rotten tanner's bark, or with
moss, it will prevent the earth from drying too fast; so that
the plants will not require to be so often watered, as they
must be where the ground is exposed to the sun and air: after
this, the farther care will be to keep them clean from weeds ;
and if the latter part of summer should prove moist, it will
occasion the plants to grow late in autumn; so the tops will
be tender, and liable to be killed by the first frosts : in this
case they should be covered with mats, to protect them. If
2
the plants make great progress the first summer, they may be
transplanted again the following spring; part of them may be
planted in the places where they are to remain, and the other
should he planted in a nursery, where they may grow two or
ihrce years to acquire strength, before they are planted out
for good: though the younger they are planted in the places
where they are to stand, the larger they will grow, for the
roots run out into length, and when they are cut, it greatly
retards their growth: so that these trees should never be
removed when large; for they rarely succeed, when they are
grown to a large size, before they are transplanted. When
the seeds are sown upon a bed in the full ground, the bed
should be arched over with hoops, and shaded in the heat of
the day from the sun, and frequently refreshed with water;
as also should the plants when they appear: for when they
are exposed much to the sun, tliey make small progress. The
care of these in summer must be to keep them clean from
weeds, supplying them duly with water, and shading them
from the sun in hot weather: but as these seeds will not come
tip so soon as those which were placed on a hot-bed, they
generally continue growing later in autumn, and will there-
lore be sheltered from the early frosts; for as their shoots will
be much softer than those of the plants which had longer time
to grow, so if the autumnal frosts should prove severe, they
will be iu danger of being killed down to the surface of the
ground ; by which the whole summer's growth will be lost,
and the unprotected plants are sometimes entirely killed by
the first winter. As these plants will not have advanced so
much in their growth as the other, they should remain in the
seed-bed, to have another year's growth, before they are
removed ; therefore all that will be necessary the second year,
is to keep them cleau from weeds. After the plants have
grown two years in the seed beds, they will be strong enough
to remove; therefore in the spring, just at the time when
their buds begin to swell, they should be carefully taken up,
and transplanted into nursery beds, and treated in the same
way as has been before directed for the plants raised upon a
hot-bed. There are SOUIP persons who propagate this tree by-
layers, which are commonly two or three years before they
take root ; and the plants so raised seldom make such straight
trees as those raised from seed, though indeed they will pro-
duce flowers sooner ; as is always the case with stinted plants.
This tree should be planted on a light loamy soil; on which,
when not too dry, it will thrive much better than upon a strong
clay, or a dry gravelly ground: for in America they are
chiefly found upon a moist light soil, growing to a prodigious
size. It will not however be proper to plant these trees in a
soil which is too moist in England, which might rot the fibres
of the roots, by the moisture continuing too long about them ;
especially if the bottom be clay, or a strong loam, which will
detain the wet. To raise them in the open ground, at the
beginning of March prepare a bed of good mellow rich earth
well mixed with old rotten cow-dung, exposed to the sun,
and sheltered from cold winds: place an old frame over the
bed ; and having sown the seeds, sift over them, half an inch
thick, a soil composed some months before, of one load of old
pasture earth, one of well rotted cow-dung, and half a load
of sea or fine pit sand. Some of these seeds will probably
make their appearance in nine or ten weeks, but much the
greater part will lie in the ground till next spring. Water the
beds therefore no more than barely sufficient to cherish the
plants that have appeared : for four or five weeks screen them
from the sun during the heat of the day, but afterwards let
them receive its full influence. During bad weather in winter
throw double mats over the frames. Iu March, the succeeding
year, pick off all mossy hard-crusted earth from the bed.
LIS
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LIT
smooth it, and sift on some fine rich mould. At the end of
April, or the beginning of May, plants will appear in abun-
dance ; when they must be frequently, but gently, watered.
Till the beginning of August, they must be screened from a
mid-day sun by part of an old reed-fence, or by nailing some
thin boards together, high enough to shade the bed : after
this, it will only be necessary to give them frequent moderate
waterings, and to throw a mat over the frame during any
severe winter storm. At the beginning of April, in the next
season, take up the plants with a trowel, without bruising
the roots; and if they cannot be planted immediately, mix a
pailful of sifted mould and water to the consistence of pap;
draw the plants through it, till as much adhere as will cover
their roots and fibres: in this condition they may be kept
several days out of the ground. Cut only a little of the tap-
roots smoothly off, but let all the fibres remain ; and then
plant them in drills cut out with the spade, at a foot distance
row from row, and six inches in the row : plant five of these
lines, and then leave an alley three feet wide; water them
frequently and plentifully during the summer months; throw
mats over them, in case of very severe frost in the first winter,
and let them remain two years. Then remove them to another
nursery, in rows three feet and a half distant, and eighteen
inches in the row, and let them continue three years ; at the
end of which, they will be of a good size for planting where
they are to remain. No tree bears pruning its roots and
branches worse than this ; none however surpasses it in beauty
and statelincss : so that it deserves a place in all noble and
elegant plantations.
2. Liriodendron Liliifera. Leaves lanceolate. This is a
middle-sized tree, with spreading branches; flowers pale,
large, scentless, heaped at the ends of the branches, one oil a
peduncle. Native of China near Canton, and of Amboyna.
Lisianlhus ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mo-
nogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-
parted ; leaflets lanceolate, keeled, membranaceous on the
margin, very short, permanent. Corolla: one-petalled, fun-
nel-form ; tube long, somewhat ventricose, straitened at the
base within the calix ; border five-parted ; divisions lanceolate,
shorter than the tube, recurved. Stamina: filaraenta five,
filiform, longer than the tube; antherae ovate, incumbent.
Pistil: germen oblong, sharp-pointed ; style filiform, length
of the stamina, permanent; stigma headed, two-plated.
Pericarp : capsule oblong, acuminate, two-celled ; the mar-
gins of the valves intorted. Seeds: numerous. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: keeled. Corolla: with a ventricose
tube, and recurved divisions. Stigma: two-plated; capsule
two-celled, two-valved ; the margins of the valves intorted.
The species are,
1. Lisianthus Longifolius. Leaves lanceolate ; segments of
the corolla lanceolate, acute. This elegant little plant rises
generally to the height of fourteen or sixteen inches, or more :
the flowers are large, and appear at the ends of the branches.
Native of Jamaica, iu a dry, sandy, but cool soil. All the
plants of this genus require to be kept in the bark-stove.
2. Lisianthus Cordifolius. Leaves cordate ; segments of
the corolla lanceolate, acute. This is said to be a variety of
the preceding. Native of Jamaica. See the preceding.
3. Lisianthus Exsertus. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, pedun-
cles trichotomous ; genitals very long. Native of Jamaica.
See the first species.
4. Lisianthus Latifolius. Leaves lanceolate-elliptic, acumi-
nate; peduncles trichotomous; segments of the corolla erect,
genitals included. Native of Jamaica. See the first species.
6. Lisianthus Umbellatus. Leaves elongated, obovate ;
flowers terminating, peduncled, umbelled; segments of the
70.
corolla very short, blunt, upright. Native of Jamaica. See
the first species.
6. Lisianthus Frigidus. Leaves ovate, acuminate, cori-
aceous; panicle terminating, trichotomous; corollas ventri-
cose, with rounding segments. Native of the mountains of
Guadeloupe. See the first species.
7. Lisianthus Sempervirens. Leaves lanceolate-elliptic;
segments of the corolla ovate, blunt. See Bignonia Sem~
pervirens: it is the same plant.
8. Lisianthus Glaber. Smooth : leaves ovate, petioled ;
corymbs terminating; stem upright, branched, round, leafy;
flowers on few-flowered simple umbels; corolla yellow.
Found by Mutis in South America. See the first species.
9. Lisianthus Chelonoides. Smooth: leaver opposite, sub-
connate, oblong; panicle terminating, dichotomous, racemose;
stem herbaceous, simple, round, smooth, from two to three
feet high ; flowers alternate, remote, directed one way, pen-
dulous, yellow. The herb is very bitter, and strongly pur-
gative. Native of Surinam. See the first species.
Lit a ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
tubular, erect, coloured, five-cleft, sharp, permanent. Co-
rolla: one-petalled, salver-shaped; tube cyliudric, very long,
enlarged at the base and tip; border five-cleft; divisions
ovate, spreading. Stamina: filamenta none; antherae five,
twin, in the throat of the corolla. Pistil: germen oblong;
style filiform, length of the tube ; stigma headed, truncated.
Pericarp: oblong, one-celled, two-valved. Stetfs: numerous,
sawdust-like, affixed to the margins of the valves. Observe.
This genus is allied to to Gentiana, but differs in the corolla,
pistil, and fruit. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-
cleft, with two or three scales at the base. Corolla: salver-
shaped, with a very long tube, dilated at the base and throat;
border five-cleft ; anther* twin, inserted in the throat ; cap-
sule one-celled, two-valved. Seeds: numerous. The spe-
cies are,
1 . Lita Rosea. Flowers in pairs ; segments of the corolla
acute; root tuberous, fibrous, about a foot deep in the
ground ; stem knobbed, quadrangular ; corolla rose-coloured.
It grows wild in Guiana, where the root, which much
resembles potatoes, is eaten by the inhabitants. It flowers
in May.
2. Lita Coerulea. Flowers in pairs ; segments of I he corolla
rounded; colour of the corolla blue. It flowers in May.
Native of Guiana.
Lithophila ; a genus of the class Diandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth three-
leaved; leaflets lanceolate, sharp. Corolla: petals t^hree,
ovate-lanceolate, upright, converging, length of the leaflets
of the calix ; nectary two-leaved ; leaflets opposite, smaller
than the corolla, keeled, acute, upright, compressed. Sta~
mina: filamenta two, awl-shaped, upright from the base of
the germen, of the length of the nectary; antherce roundish.
Pistil: germen roundish, superior; style upright, length of
the stamina; stigma obtuse, emarginate. Pericarp: two-
celled. Seed: undivided. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Ca-
lix: three-leaved. Corolla: three-petalled. Nectary: two-
leaved. The only species known is,
1. Lithophila Muscoides.- Native of Navaza.
Litfiospermum ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order
Monogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth
five-parted, oblong, straight, sharp, permanent ; divisions
awl-shaped, keeled. Corolla: one-petalled, funnel-form,
length of the calix; tube cylindric; border half five-cleft,
obtuse, upright; throat perforated, naked. Stamina: fila-
menta five, very short ; autherse. oblong, incumbent, covered.
52
LIT
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LO A
Pistil: germina four; style filiform, length of the stamina;
stigma obtuse, emarginate. Pericarp: none; calix grown
larger, upright, containing the seeds in its bosom ; seeds four,
rather oblong, obtuse, gibbous. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix: five-parted. Corolla: funnel-form, perforated at the
throat, naked. The species are,
1. Lithospermum Officinale ; Common or Officinal Grom-
tcell, Gromill, or Graymill. Seeds smooth and cvm ;
con lias scarcely longer than the calix; leaves lanceolate;
root perennial, strong; stems erect, roundish. The seeds
operate powerfully as a diuretic, and are said to be service-
able in the stone, gravel, and most other obstructions: the
best method of giving them is in barley-water, after having
reduced them to a fine powder. Native of most parts of
Europe, in dry, gravelly, and chalky soils. It flowers in
May and June. All the plants of this genus may be culti-
vated, by sowing their seeds soon after they are ripe in a bed
of fresh earth, allowing them room, and keeping them clear
from weeds. They will thrive in almost any soil aud situation ;
and where the seeds are. permitted to scatter, generally rise
without care. The sixth aud seventh are handsome) and
worth cultivating.
2. Lithospermum Anense; Corn or Bastard Gromwell.
Seeds ovate, wrinkled; calicine leaflets lanceolate; corollas
scarcely longer than the calix; leaves lanceolate, sharpish,
hispid ; root annual, small, and not much branched: its bark
abounding with a deep red dye, which stains paper and linen,
and is easily communicated to oily substances ; hence it is
sometimes called Bastard Alkanet. Linneus, in his Flora
Suecica, informs us, that the country girls in the north of
Sweden use the root to slain their faces on days of festivity.
It is common in corn-fields, and waste places; flowering from
May to July. See the first species.
3. Lithospermum Incanum ; Hoary Gromwell. Seeds
rough ; spikes terminating, compound, contracted ; leaves
linear, villose. This is a shrubby species, found in Teautea
and Savage Islands. See the first species.
4. Lithospermum Virginianum ; Virginian Gromwell. Co-
rollas larger than the calix, acute, rough-haired on the out-
side; leaves ovate, acute, hispid, nerved; root perennial;
corolla white. Native of Virginia and Maryland. See the
first species.
5. Lithospermum Tinclorum; Dyer's Gromwell. Seeds
smooth and even; spike solitary, terminating, directed one
way; bractes lanceolate; leaves linear-lanceolate, blunt;
root fusiform, two inches long, annual; stems several.
Native of Egypt.
0. Lithospermum Orientale; Yellow Gromwell, or Bugloss.
Flowering branches lateral ; bractes cordate, embracing ; stem
barren, upright : perennial. It flowers in May and June;
and is a native of the Levant. See the first species.
7. Lithospermum I'urpuro-ccehile'tim ; Creeping Gromu-ell.
Seeds smooth and even; corollas twice as long as the calix;
leaves lanceolate, somewhat hairy ; the long woody perennial
root produces many round, hairy, leaf'v stems, most of which
are procumbent, and throw out roots; corolla first purple,
then blue, with a pale reddish tube. Native of most of the
temperate parts of Europe: found near Taunton, in Somer-
setshire, and near Denbigh, in North Wales ; also in a chalky
soil near Grccnhithe, in Kent. See the first species.
It. Lithospernium Tenuiflorum. Corollas filiform ; leaves
linear-lanceolate, strigose; stem upright. Native of Egypt.
See the first species.
9. Lithospermum Fruticosum; Shrubby Gromwell. Shrubby:
Leaves linear, hispid; stamina equalling the corolla; rout
perennial, running deep into the ground ; stem upright,
shrubby, from two to three feet high, pretty closely set with
hairs. Native of the south of Europe, and the Levant. See
the first species.
10. Lithospermum Callosum. Leaves lanceolate-linear,
callous, warted, hispid ; stem suffruticose, hispid. Native
place unknown. See the first species.
11. Lithospermum Ciliatum. Leaves ovate, hoary, callous
at the edge, ciliate; stem suffruticose, innricated, hispid. It
is a small, stiff, upright shrub, a span in height. Native
place unknown. See the first species.
12. Lithospermum Dispeimum. Seeds only two; calicen
spreading; root annual; stem herbaceous, a hand high;
corolla bluish white, small. Native of Spain, between
Madrid and Cadiz. See the first species.
13. Lilhospcrmum Lutifolium. Seeds turgidly ovate, lucid,
cavo-punctate ; leaves ovate-oblong, nervous; flowers pale
yellow. round in shady woods from Virginia to Kentucky.
14. Lilhospcrmuni Angustifoliuni. Seeds the same as the
preceding; flowers lateral, white; leaves linear, adpiesso-
pubesceut ; stem prostrate. It grows in shady woods in the
ficinity of the river Ohio.
15. Lithospermum Aptilum. Seeds inuricate; spikes ter-
minal, fruitful; bractes lanceolate; leaves linear-hinceolate,
acute; flowers yellow, very small. It grows in the dry woods
of Virginia, and ill the neighbourhood of the rivers Ohio and
Mississippi.
Litlorella; a genus of the class Monojcia, order Tetran-
dria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Mule. Calix: perianth
four-leaved, upright. Corolla: one-petalled ; tube the length
of the calix; border four-parted, upright, permanent. Sta-
mina: filamenta four, filiform, very long, inserted into the
receptacle ; anthene heart-shaped. Female, in the same plant.
Calix: none. Corolla: one-pelalled, conic, with slightly four-
cleft mouth; permanent. Pistil: permcu oblong ; style fili-
form, very long; stigma acute. Pericarp: the investing
corolla. 'Seed: nut one-celled. Observe. The flower is that
of Plantain, but the fruit different. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Male. Calix: fair leaved. Corolla: four-cleft.
Stamina: long. Female. Calix: none. Corolla: slightly
four-cleft. Styles: long. Seed: a nut. The only known
species is,
1. Littorella Lacustris; Plantain Shore trerj. The roots
shoot out long running fibres, which take root afresh, aud
thus in a short lime cover the brink of the lakes with tufts of
semi cylindrical, linear, acute leaves, about two indies long.
Native of the north of Europe, on the shores of lakes. It has
been observed on Hounslow Heath; near l.owesloff, in Suf-
folk ; at Hoseley lough, in Northumberland ; is common in
Scotland, and some parts of Wales, and on the margins of all
the gravelly-shored lakes in Ireland.
Lire-in-Jd/tnetig. See Viola.
Lifflons:- See Telephium.
Liver Wort. See Lichen Caniinn.
Lizard's Tail. Sec Saururux.
Loaxa ; i\ genus of tlie class Polyandria, order Monogynia.
G EN ERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth live leaved,
superior, permanent; leaflets lanceolate, very gpnaifing, with
reflex sides. Corolla: petals five, obnvate, hooded, large,
extremely spreading, narrowed at tlie base into claws ; nectary
of live leaflets, alternating wilh the petals, converging imo
ail acute cone, rather shorter than the ciilix, lanceolate, rugose,
awned with a double filamentum. Stamina : filiiuieiita numer-
ous, capillary, longer than the nectary, from fifteen to seven
teen to each petal; anlheriK incumbent, roundish. Pistil:
germen subovale, seed -bearing ; style filiform, upright, the
length of the ktamiir.i; stigma simple, obtuse. Peiicarp:
LOB
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LOB
capsule top-shaped, one celled, three-valved at t!ie tip ; valves
serai-ovate, acute, spreading. Seeds: a great many, ovate,
small ; receptacles three longitudinal lines running from the
bottom of the capsule to the incisures of the valves. Observe.
In point of affinity it approaches Mentzelia; in habit and
situation of the germen and seeds, it approaches the Cucurbi-
laccous plants. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-
leaved, superior. Corolla: tive-petalled ; petals hooded;
nectary five-leaved, converging ; capsule turhinate, one-celled,
three-valved, many-seeded. The only known species is,
i. Loasa Hispida. This is an elegant annual plant, rising
from a fibrous white root, the thickness of the little finger;
stems round, v. hitish-gree.il, maiked here and there with short
brown longitudinal lines; flowers handsome, but scentless;
petals yellow. Native of Sout.li America.
Lobelia; a genus of the class S>ngenesia, order M.moga
rnia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
live-cleft, very small, growing round the germen, withering;
toothlets nearly equal, the two superior ones looking more
upward. Corolla: one-petallrd, irregular; tube cviindric,
longer than the calix, divided longitudinally above; border
five-parted ; divisions lanceolate, of which the two superior
ones are smaller, less reflex, more deeply divided, constituting
mi upper lip, the three inferior ones more spreading, frequently
larger. Stamina: lilamenla five, awl-shaped, the length of
the lube of the petal, connate above; authene connate into
an oblong cylinder, gaping five ways at the base. Pistil:
gerimri sharp-pointed, inferior: style cylindric, length of tile
stamina; stigma obtuse, hispid. Pericarp: capsule ovate,
two or three celled, two or three valved, gaping at the top,
girt by the calix; dissepiments contrary to the valves. Seeds:
a great many, very small; receptacle conic. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: five-cleft. Corolla: one petalled, irre-
gular. Capsule: inferior, two or three-celled. The spe-
cies are,
* With entire Leaves.
1. Lobelia Simplex ; Slenrler Lobelia. Stem upright ;
leaves linear, quite entire ; peduncles solitary. It is a small
innual plant, scarcely a hand high. Native of the Cape of
Good Hope. See the thirty-eighth species.
2. Lobelia Coliumure ; Mealy Lobelia. Leaves oblong,
blunt, revolute, very much wrinkled, shilling above, tomenlose
beneath; branch or stem somewhat woody, angular, tomen-
lose, mealy. Native of New Granada.
3. Lobelia Bellidilblia; Daisy-leaved Lobelia. Stem up-
right, panicled ; leaves obovale, crenate. Native of the Cape
of Good Hope. See the thirty-eighth species.
4. Lobelia Pinifolia; Pine-leared Lobelia. Shrubby: leaves
linear, clustered, quite entire ; flowers many, smail, blue;
they are found at the tops of the twigs, among the leaves.
TS'aiive of the Cape of Good Hope. See the thirty-eighth
species.
5. Lobelia Dortmanna; Water Lobelia, or Gladiulr. Leaves
linear, two-celled, quite entire; stem almost naked, erect,
round, hollow, smooth; flowers about nine, in a loose .spike,
above the water; corolla white, fainlly tinged with blue.
Linni'iis remarks, ihat the whole plant, even the leaves beneath
the water, are milky, and that the flowering-stalk is of a length
proportional to the depth of water in which the plant grows.
It flowers in July and August. Native of the norlh of
Europe, in mountain lakes : hence it is found in Wales, VVe.it-
moreland, Cumberland, and Scotland. See the twenty-fourth
species.
(>. Lobelia Tupa. Leaves lanceolate, quite entire ; raceme
spiked. The root and herb of this species are a viohut poi-
son. Native of Peru.
7. Lobelia Kalmii. Stem upright ; leaves lanceolate-linear,
blunlish, alternate, quite entire; raceme terminating, afoot
high ; corolla blue. Annual, and a native of Canada. See
the twenty-fourth species.
. Lobelia I'aniculata ; Panicled Lobelia. Leaves linear,
quite entire, panicled, dichotomous. Native of the Cape ot
Good Hope. See the thirty-eighth species.
!). Lobelia Graudis; Great. Lobelia. Leaves oblong, quite
entire, smooth; corymbs bracted; corollas hispid. Native
of South America.
10. Lobelia Ferrnginea; Rust-coloured Lobelia. Stem
villose; leaves lanceolate, serrate, acute, where the veins
aoaslomoze ruit-coloured-toinentose on both sides ; genitals
elongated. -Native of America.
11. Lobelia Chineusis; Chinese Lobelia. Leaves lanceolate,
quite entire; flowers solitary, terminating; stem creeping;
corolla pale blue. Native of China, near Canton.
12. Lobelia Cornuta; Horned Lobelia. Leaves ovate,
petioled ; ttaminuvery long. It is distinguished by its horned
form, and the great length of the stamina. Native of Cayenne.
13. Lobelia Fulgens. Plant erect, simple, subpubescent ;
leaves elongate-lanceolate, attenuate, very entire; raceme
multiflorous. It grows on the banks of the Mississippi. This
species exceeds in splendour of colour, and size, the Lobelia
Cardinally.
** With an upright Stem, and gashed Leaves.
14. Lobelia I'hyteuma. Leaves ovate-oblong, crenate;
stem almost naked, spiked ; antherae hirsute, distinct. Native
of the Cape of Good Hope. Seethe thirty-eighth species.
15. Lobelia Bulbosa; Tuberous -rooted Lobelia. Stem
upright ; lower leaves pedate. Native of the Cape of Good
Hope. See the thirty-eighth species.
16. Lobelia Triquetra; Tooth leaved Lobelia. Stem up-
right; leaves lanceolate, toothed ; raceme terminating, leafless.
It-flowers from May to September. Native of the Cape of
Good Hope. See the thirty-eighth species.
17. Lobelia Longiflora ; Long-Jlowered Lobelia. Leaves
lanceolate, toothed; peduncles very short, lateral; tube of
the corolla filiform, very long. This is an annual herbaceous
elegant plant, seldom above fourteen or sixteen inches high ;
stem upright; corolla handsome, white. It is altogether very
poisonous, and brings on an invincible purging. If, after
handling il, the hand be unawares applied to the eyes or lips,
it brings on an inflammation. Horses are said to burst with
eating it : whence in the Spanish Yv'est Indies it is called
Reveal a CacaJlos. It is well known in Dominica under the
name of Quedec. It is also a native of Jamaica, Cuba, and
Marlinico, by rivulets, and in moist cool shady places. It
flowers from June to August. The seeds of this plant should
be sown, after it is ripe, in pots filled with rich earth, and
plunged into the tan-bed in the stove, observing to refresh
the earth frequently with water. In the spring, these pots
may be removed, and plunged into a hot-bed, which will soon
bring up the plants : when they are fit to remove, they should
be each transplanted into a separate small pot filled with rick
earth, and plunged into a fresh hot-bed, shading them from
the sun till they have taken new root; then they may be
treated in the bame way as olh< i tender plants from the same
country, in allowing them a large share of air in warm wea-
ther, and frequently refreshing them with water. In autumn
the plants must be plunged into the tan bed of the stove,
where they will flower the following summer, and produce
ripe seeds; soon after which the plants will decay. If the
seeds of this plant are brought from the West Indies, they
should be sown, as soon as they arrive, in pots filled with rich
earth: and if il happen in the winter, the pots should be
4
LOB
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LOB
plunged into the tan-bed in the stove ; but if it be in the spring
or summer, they' may be plunged into a hot-bed in the com-
mon frames. These seeds, when sown in the spring, seldom
grow the same year; therefore, the following autumn, the
pots should be removed into the stove, and managed according
to the above directions.
18. Lobelia Tomentosa; Downy Lobelia. Straight, tomen-
tose; leaves linear, toothed; peduncles terminating, very
long, one or two flowered. Native of the Cape of Good
Hope. See the thirty-eighth species.
19. Lobelia Secunda. Upright, smooth ; lower leaves
oblong, toothed; upper lanceolate, entire ; peduncles racemed,
directed one way. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. See
the twenty-fifth species.
SO. Lobelia Assurgens; Tree Lobelia. Leaves broad-lan-
ceolate, serrate, toothletted, and decurreut below ; racemes
compound, terminating; root perennial; stem herbaceous,
three or four feet high ; flowers numerous, heaped, blood-red,
very large. Native of the cooler mountains of Jamaica. For
its propagation and culture, see the sixteenth species.
21. Lobelia Patula; Spreading Lobelia. Herbaceous,
diffused, virgate, smooth : leaves ovate-toothed ; peduncles
lateral. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. See the thirty-
fourth species.
22. Lobelia Acuminata ; Pointed-leaved Lobelia. Stem
upright, suftruticose ; leaves lanceolate, attenuated, serru-
late; raceme terminating, many-flowered; flowers yellow.
Native of the lower shady hills of Jamaica. For its propaga-
tion and culture, see the seventeenth species.
23. Lobelia Stricta. Stem sufFruticose ; lower leaves ovate-
lanceolate, smooth, toothletted, and prickly at the edge;
raceme terminating, spiked.- Native of'the island of Guada-
loupe. See the seventeenth species.
24. Lobelia Cardinalis ; Scarlet Lobelia, or Cardinal's Flower.
Stem upright, herbaceous ; leaves oblong-lanceolate, serrate,
somewhat villose; flowers in a sort of spike ; calices smooth;
segments quite entire. The stalk is terminated by a spike or
raceme of flowers of an exceedingly beautiful scarlet colour.
They appear at the end of July and in August, when they
make a fine appearance for a month or more; and, when the
autumn proves favourable, they will produce good seeds here.
It grows naturally by the side of rivers and ditches in North
America. Both this and the next are propagated by seeds,
which, when they ripen in England, should be sown in autumn
in pots filled with rich kitchen-garden earth, and placed
under a common hot-bed frame; or, if the seeds come from
their native countries, sow them as soon as they arrive, for
if kept out of the ground till spring, they will lie a year in
the earth before they will vegetate. The pots in which these
seeds are sown should be exposed to the open air at all times
in mild weather, and screened from hard rain and frost. In
the spring, the plants will appear. They must have fresh air
in mild weather, and be refreshed with water in dry seasons.
As soon as they are fit to remove, let each be planted in a
small pot, filled with the same rich earth, and placed in the
shade till they have taken new root ; then they may be set so
as to enjoy the morning sun till autumn. Water them during
the dry weather in summer, and when their roots have rilled
the small pots, remove them into larger. In autumn, put them
under a common frame to screen them from winter frost, taking
care that they have fresh air in fine weather. Next spring, new
pot them, placing them in the morning sun, and taking care to
water them in dry weather, which will cause their stalks to
be stronger and produce larger spikes of flowers in August.
There are many who propagate them by cutting their stalks
into proper lengths, which they plant in pots fi|led with good
earth, or into an east border, covering them close with glasses.
They frequently take root, but are not so good as seedlings.
25. Lobelia Siphilitica ; Blue Lobelia, or Cardinal Flower.
Stem upright; leaves ovate-lanceolate, subserrate ; sinuses
of the calix reflex ; root perennial ; stem from a foot to two
feet in height; flowers axillary, solitary, numerous, large:
corolla blue, varying in shades from a rich violet to a pale
blue. It flowers from August to October, and is a native of
Virginia. Every part of the plant abounds with a milky
juice, and has a rank smell. The root, which is the part
prescribed for medical use, resembles tobacco in taste, and
tends to excite vomiting. It derives its trivial name from its
efficacy in the cure of siphilis, as experienced by the North
American Indians, with whom it was a secret. Sir William
Johnson purchased the secret ; which has been published,
and is as follows: A decoction is made of a handful of the
roots in three measures of water. Of this, half a measure is
taken in the morning fasting, and repeated in the evening :
the dose is gradually increased till the purgative effects become
too violent, when it is to be omitted for a day or lw<>, and
then renewed, till a perfect cure is effected. During the use
of this medicine, a proper regimen is enjoined ; and the ulcers
also are to be frequently washed with the decoction, or, if
deep and foul, to be sprinkled with the powder of the inner
bai k of the New Jersey Tea Tree, (see Cennothus Americanus.)
But although this plant is said to cure the disease in a very
short time, its virtues have not been confirmed by any instances
of European practice. For its propagation and culture, see
the preceding species.
26. Lobelia Lactescens. Shrubby : leaves smooth, ellip-
tic-lanceolate, serrate ; peduncles axillary, solitary, without
bractes ; calices smooth. Native of St. Helena.
27. Lobelia Surinamensis. Suffruticose : leaves oblong,
serrate, smooth; peduncles axillary, solitary, bracted at the
base; calices torulose. It flowers in April. Native of the
West Indies. See the seventeenth species.
28. Lobelia Inflata ; Bladder-podded Lobelia. Stem
upright; leaves ovate, subserrate, longer than the peduncle;
capsules inflated; flowers small; corolla light blue. Native
of Virginia and Canada. Sow the seeds in autumn, in pots
filled with rich earth, and treat the plants in the same way
as above directed under the twenty-fourth species.
29. Lobelia Cliffbrtiana ; Purple Lobelia. Stem upright;
leaves cordate, even, obsoletely toothed, petioled ; corymb
terminating; flowers small, purplish. Native of America.
When the seeds are permitted to scatter on pots which stand
near them, and these are sheltered from frosts, the plants will
come up plentifully in the following spring : or if they be
be sown in pots in autumn, and sheltered in winter, the plants
will rise in the following spring ; and should be transplanted
into small pots, placed under a frame.
30. Lobelia Urens; Stinging Lobelia. Stem upright,
smooth, angular ; leaves lanceolate, toothed, smooth ; racemes
spike-shaped ; calicine segments awl-shaped, even ; corolla
bright blue. The whole plant is milky, of a warm taste, and
the root, especially if chewed, excites a pungent sense of
burning in the tongue. Native of France, Spain, and Eng-
land : it has been found on Shute Common, between Axmin-
ster and Honiton, flowering in July and August. Sow the
seeds in autumn, on a warm border, or in pots filled with
loamy earth, and placed under a common frame in winter.
When they come up in the spring, transplant them into a
border of soft loamy earth, or into other pots, shading them
till they have taken new root, and duly watering them in dry
weather, which will cause them to flower strong, and produce
good seds annually.
2
LOB
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY
LO L
31. Lobelia Minuta; Least Lobelia. Root-leaves ovate;
scapes axillary. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. See the
thirty-eighth species.
32. Lobelia Volubilis; Twining Lobelia. Stem twining.
Native of the Cape of Good Hope. See the thirty-eighth
species.
3:3. Lobelia Atncena. Plant erect, very smooth ; leaves
lato-lanceolate, serrate; spikes multiflorous; lacinia: of the
calix very entire ; dowers of a beautiful sky-blue. This
grows to the height of from two to three feet, and is found
on the mountains of Virginia and Carolina.
34. Lobelia Glandulosa. Plant erect ; subraccmose, sub-
pubescent, lucid; leaves lanceolate, glandulous-serrate, snb-
rarnous; flowers racemose, on short footstalks; laciniae of
the calix revolute, dentated ; flowers dark blue. It grows
from eight inches to a toot high, 'and is found in Pine-swamps
from Virginia to Florida.
35. Lobelia Puberula. Plant erect, very simple, pubes-
cent; leaves oblong-oval, repand-serrulate; flowers spicated,
alternate, subsestile; germen hispid; calix ciliate; flowers
middle size, sky-blue. It grows from one to two feet high,
and is found in the range of mountains from Virginia to
Carolina.
'* With a prostrate Stem, and gashed Leaves.
36. Lobelia Laurentia ; Italian Annual Lobelia. Stem
prostrate; leaves lanceolate-oval, crenate ; stem branched;
peduncles solitary, one-flowered, very long. Native of Italy
about Pisa ; also of the islands of Elba, Corsica, and Sicily.
37. Lobelia Repanda. Stem prostrate, quite simple ; leaves
roundish, repand toothed ; peduncles axillary, solitary, one-
flowered. Native of New Zealand.
38. Lobelia Erinus; Small Spreading Lobelia. Stem
patulous ; leaves lanceolate, somewhat toothed ; peduncles
very long ; flowers small and blue, appearing in July. Native
of the Cape of Good Hope. If the seeds of this and of the
next species, together with the seeds of all those which are
natives of the Cape of Good Hope, be sown in autumn, they
will succeed much better than when they are sown in spring.
They may be sown in pots, and placed under a common hot-
bed frame in winter, always exposing them to the open air
in mild weather, but screening them from the frost. In the
spring, they should be plunged into a moderate hot-bed,
which will soon bring up ihe plants; and when they are fit
to remove, they should be each planted in a separate small
pot, filled willi rich earth, and replunged into a moderate
hot-bed. Here they should be shaded from the sun till ihey
have taken new root, and afterwards must have a large share
of air in mild weather. Then they should be gradually hard-
ened to bear the open air, into which they ought to be
removed in June, placing them in a sheltered situation, where
they will flower in July: and if the season should prove favour-
able, the seeds will ripen in September; but if the season
should prove cold, it will be proper to remove one or two
plants into a glass case, to ob'ain good seeds.
39. Lobelia Erinoides; Trailing Lobelia. Stems prostrate,
filiform ; leaves petioled, oblong, toothed. Native of the
Cape of Good Hope. See the preceding species.
40. Lobelia Anceps. Leaves lanceolate, decurrent ; root
annual. Native of the East Indies.
41. Lobelia Pubescens; Downy leaved Lobelia. Stems
angular, prostrate; leaves lanceolate, toolhed, rough-haired;
peduncles axillary, one-flowered. It flowers from May to
August. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. See the thirty-
eighth species.
42. Lobelia Zeylanica. Stems procumbent ; leaves ovate,
serrate, acute, lower obtuse; peduncles one-flowered; cap-
70.
sules subvillose; flowers blue. Native of China, in watery
and shady places.
43. Lo'belia Lutea; Yellow Lobelia. Steins procumbent ;
leaves lanceolate, serrate ; flowers sessile, subspil.ed. It
flowers in June and July. Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
See the thirty-eighth species.
44. Lobelia Hirsuta. Shrubby, hirsute, prostrate : leaves
ovate, toothed ; peduncles lateral, very long, two or three-
flowered. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. See the
thirty-eighth species.
45. Lobelia Coronopifolia. Leaves lanceolate, toothed ;
peduncles very long. Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
See the thirty-eighth species.
**'* With a prostrate Stem, and entire Leaves.
46. Lobelia Depressa. Depressed: leaves lanceolate; stem
fleshy; flowers dark purple. Native of Ihe Cape of Good
Hope. See the thirty-eighth species.
Loblolly Bay. See Gordonia.
Locfctr-Goulans. See Trollius.
Locust Tree. See Hymenaa.
Loeflingia ; a genus of the class Triandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-
leaved, upright ; leaflets lanceolate, marked on each side
at the base with a toothlet, sharp-pointed, permanent,
Corolla: petals five, very small, oblong-o\ate, converging
into a globe, round. Stamina: filamenta three, length of
the corolla; antherie roundish, twin. Germen: superior,
ovate, three-corhered ; style filiform, rather wider above ;
stigma a little obtuse. Pericarp : capsule ovate, somewhat
three-cornered, one-celled, three-valved. Seeds : a great
many, ovate, oblong. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix:
five-leaved. Corolla: five-petalled, very small. Capsule:
one-celled, three-valved. The only known species is,
1. Loetlingia Ilispanica. Root annual; branches prostrate,
alternate; corolla white. It flowers in June. Native of Spain,
on open hills.
Loesdia ; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Angio-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, tubular, four cleft, sharp, short, permanent. Corolla:
one-petalled, unequal; tube ihe length of the calix ; border
five-parted ; all the divisions deflected to Ihe lower side,
ovate-lanceolate, equal. Stamina: filamenta four, length of
Ihe corolla, of which two are -shorter; all opposite the divi-
sions of Ihe petals, and reflected in a contrary situation to
the corolla; antherae simple. Pistil: germen ovate; style
simple, situated as Ihe stamina ; stigma thickish. Pericarp:
capsule ovate, three-celled. Seeds: solitary or two, obscurely
cornered. Obserre. Gaerlner remarks, that the stamina are
five, one of which is shorter than the rest, and fastened to
the nearest segment of the corolla, the rest inserted into the
tube. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: four-cleft; accord-
ing to Gaertner, five-toothed. Corolla: with all the segments
directed one way; Gaertner says, deeply five- cleft, with
oblong ciliated segments. Stamina: opposite lo ihe petal;
according to Gaertner, five, unequal. Capsule: three-celled ;
gaping at top, according to Gaertner. The only known
species is,
1. Loeselia Ciliata. Stem upright; leaves opposite.
Found at La Veia Cruz in South America.
Logwood. See H<ematoxylum.
Lolium ; a genlis of ihe class Triandria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: receptacle common, elon-
gated into a spike, pressing the flowers, distichally spiked to
the angle of the culm ; glume univalve, opposite the shaft,
awl-shaped, permanent. Corolla: bivalve; valvule inferior
narrow-lanceolate, convolute, sharp-pointed, the length of
P
50
LOL
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LO N
the calix ; valve superior, shorter, linear, more obtuse, con-
cave upwards; nectary two-leaved; leaflets ovate, obtuse,
gibbous at the base. Stamina : filmiienla three, capillary,
shorter than ihe corolla ; antherae oblong. Pistil: germen
top-shaped; styles two, capillary, reflex; stigmas plumose.
Pericarp: none. Corolla cherishes the seed, gapes, lets it
fall. Seed: single, oblong, convex on one side, furrowed,
flat on Ihe other, compressed. Observe. The sessile spikes
are placed in the same plane with the culm ; hence the stem
Dears the office of a second calicine valve, deficient and oppo-
site.- The species are,
1. Lolium Pereune ; Perennial Darnel, or Ray Grass.
Spikes awnless; spikelets compressed, longer than the calix,
and composed of several flowers; root perennial, creeping;
stems several from the same root. They are frequently rus-
set-coloured at the joints. The spike is -generally flat, but
sometimes nearly cylindrical. The number of flowers in each
spikdet varies from three or four, to six, seven, or eight, and
even sometimes nine, ten, and eleven; but six or seven is
the most common number. This species was probably
selected for cultivation because it is common, and the seuds
are easily collected. In reply to the objections brought
against this grass, Mr. Curtis judiciously remarks, that
although jt may not possess all that is desirable in a grass, it
ought not therefore to be indiscriminately rejected. The
complaint so generally urged against it, of its producing little
more than stalks or bents, will be only found valid when the
plant grows in upland pasture : in rich moist meadows its
foliage is more abundant, and it seems to be the general
opinion of Agriculturists, that it is highly nutritious and
acceptable to cattle. Certainly it is not adapted to all soils
and situations equally. Several sorts may even be preferable
toil; and though early, it is not the first that springs; not
only the Vernal; but ihe Fox-tail and Meadow Grasses, all
excellent in their kind, appearing earlier than this. Ray
Grass is, notwithstanding, valuable both as 'an early seed, and
as belli" fit to mow for hay a fortnight before tnixt grasses.
For the latter use, the abundance of stalks is an excellence,
provided the grass be cut whilst the sap is in them, the chief
nutriment of hay residing in these. This grass is usually
sown with clover, upon such lands as arc designed to be
ploughed again in a few years, and the common method is to
sow it with Spring Com; but from many repeated trials, it
has always been found, that by sowing their seeds in August,
'when a few showers have fallen, the crop has answered much
tetter than any sown in the conimon way ; for the grass has
often been so rank, as to afford a good feed the same autumn:
and in the following spring there has been a ton and half of
hav per acre mowed very early in the season, and tMs lias
been upon cold sour land : this proves it to foe tile best season
for sowing these grasses, though it will be very difficult to
persuade those persons to adopt this practice who have been
long wedded to old customs. The necessary quantity of seed
is about two bushels, and eight pounds of the common clever,
to an acre. This will produce as good plants as can be
desired ; but is not to be practised upon lands where the
beauty of the verdure is principally regarded, but only where
profit is the main end iti view. When this grass is fed, mow-
oft' Ihe bents in the beginning of June, otherwise they will
dry upon the ground, and have the appearance of a stubble
field all the latter part of summer; and they "'ill not only
be disagreeable to the siyht, but troublesome to the cattte,
wtio will not touch them. By permitting them to stand, the
after growth of the grass is greatly retarded, and the beauti-
ful verdure lost for three or four months; so that it is good
husbandry to mow tbe bents before they grow too dry, and
rake them oft' the ground : if they are then made into hay,
it will serve for cart-horses or dry cows in the winter. This
plant is common in most parts of Europe, by way-sides, and
in pastures, flowering in June. If is called Ray Grass from
Ir.rair, the name given to the third species by the French,
who call this Fatisst frraie. Ray calls it, Red Darnel Grass ;
it is sometimes called ('raft; in Devonshire, Eaver ; in Nor-
folk, ll'hite Nonesuch. The Germans give it many names,
Perrnnirendf, or Dauernde L,olc/t, Winlrr Lolch, Swsner Lolch,
Eng&XcAf Rrygrasi, &c. ; the Danes call it, Raigrtes; the
Swedes, Renrepe, Engelmans Kijt'gros ; the Italians, Log/io
Virare, Loglio Salratiro, Fenice ; the Spaniards, JiiiUico,
Vallico ; the Portuguese, Joyo Vivace; and the Russians,
Pschanez.
2. Lolium Tenue. Spike awnless, round ; spikelets three-
flowered. This is smaller than the preceding, and is distin-
guished by the tenuity of the culm and spike. Native of
Frahce and Germany.
;5. Lolium Temulentum ; Annual Darnel, or R/iy Grass.
Spike awned ; spikelets compressed, many-flowered ; root
annual; steins or culms fiom two to three fret high, upright.
There is a variety without awns, and with a smooth culm,
which Withering makes a distinct species, under the name of
White- Darnel. Though there can be no doubt that the Peren-
nial and Annual Daniel are distinct species, yet we are at a
loss lor specific distinctions; for the first has sometimes awns
to the flowers, and the latter very often none. It is, however,
besides being annual, taller and larger in everv respect, and
of a paler hue. Its place of growth is also different ; for it is
a weed among corn, especially wheat and barley ; and also
among flax: flowering in July and August. The flour of the
seeds, mixed with wheat-flour, disorders the human body, pro-
ducing vomiting, purging,' and violent colics; but it has not
a sensible effect unless taken in considerable quantity ; or,
as Linneus says, unless it be eaten hot. The seed, malted
with barley, soon occasion drunkenness: hence the French
name Jar ait ; and, by corruption, our English flay. In York-
shire, it is called Drake; and in Ireland, Sturdy. The Ger-
mans call it ,/akrige Lolch, and Grrmaine Lolch, with about
thirty other names; the Danes, Heyre and llei/regrtrs, &c,
the Swedes, Darrepe ; the Italians, Loglifl, Gioglio, and Zi-
-aniu; the Spaniards, Joyo, Cizana, and Zizana ; the Portu-
guese, Joyo, Ziznnia Bnstarda, and the Russians, Kvkol. In
this enlightened age, it can scarcely be necessary to correct an
old vulgar error, that wheat degenerates into this grass. The
fact is, that in very wet seasons, and among very bad hus-
bandmen, the Darnel has so far prevailed, as to suffocate the
wheat, and to take its place. Celsus recommends the meal
of Lolium to be used in poultices, in conimon with that of
wheat, fur bailey and lentil. Those who do not keep theit
wheat free from this Darnel, which is sown along with the
seed of wheat, and may be separated from it by the sieve, are
guilty of unpardonable negligence ; as it is very injurious, and
may be easily extirpated.
4. Lolium Bromoides; Sea Darnel. Panicle simple, point-
ing one way ; spikelets awned ; root annual ; culms several,
from six inches to a foot high. It flowers in June and July.
Native of England, in loose sand on the sea coast.
5. Lolium Distacbyon. Spikes in pairs; calices one-
ilnwfied; corollas woolly; culms decumbent, branched at
the base. Native of Malabar.
Lonchitis; a jjenus of the class Crvptogamia, order Filices.
GENERicCnARACTKB. Capsules : disposed in lumilated
lilies, lying cnder the sinuses of the frond. These Fefns, being
natives of very hot climates, must be planted in pots, nud
plunged into the bark-pit: they way be increased by parting
LON
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LON
57
the roots. In summer they should have plenty of free air,
iiiifl be frequently watered. The species are,
1. Lonchitis Ilirsula. Fronds pinnalifid, blunt, quile
entire ; shoots branched, hirsute, four feet high. Native of
South America and Jamaica.
2. Loncliilis Aurita. Fronds pinnate, the lowest pinnas
two-parted; shoots undivided, prickly. Native of South
America.
:j. Lonchitis Kepens. Fronds pinnate ; pinnas alternate,
sinuate ; shoots branched, prickly. Native of South America.
4. Lonchitis Pedata. Frond pedate; pinnas pinuatifid,
serrulate. Native of Jamaica, in the mountains of New
LtgHMMti.
:". Lonchitis Tenuifolia. Arborescent : fronds decom-
pounded ; leaves pinnate j pinnas linear-oblong, serrate, the
lower pinnatitid. Native of the Isle of Tanoa, in the South
Seas.
London Pride. See Saxifraga.
Lonicera ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Monogy-
uia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-parted,
superior, small. Corolla: one-petalled, tubular; tube oblong,
gibbous ; border five-parted ; divisions revolute, one of which
is more cleeplv separated. Stamina: filainenta awl-shaped,
nearly the length of the corolla; antherse oblong. Pistil:
germen roundish, inferior; style filiform, the length of the
corolla; stigma obtuse-headed. Pericarp: berry nmbilicated,
two-celled. Seeds: roundish, compressed. Observe. The
first species has the inferior division of the corolla separated
twice as deep; berries distinct: the sixth has the divisions
of the corolla cut almost equally deep; berries distinct: the
eighth Ims the lower division of the corolla twice as deeply
cut; two berries sealed on the same base: the tenth has the
divisions of the corolla almost ec|ully cut ; two berries on
the same base: the twelfth and fourteenth are singular, in
having one germen for two floscules, like Mitrhflla: the
sixteenth has the corolla nearly bell-shaped ; fruit two-celled,
half four-celled ; seeds solitary. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Corolla: one-petalled, irregular. Bfrry: many-seeded, two-
celled, interior: according to Gartner, in the tenth, one-
celled, and in the twelfth, three-celled. The species are,
* Pe.ricli/mena, with a twining Stem.
1. Lonicera Caprit'olmni ; Italian /lonei/suckle. Flowers
ringent, in terminating whorls ; leaves deciduous, the upper
ones connate-pcrfoliate. This is a very smooth shrub, in its
natural state twining round trees, with its long, round, oppo-
site branches ; flowers about six in a whorl, slender and deli-
cate, white, reddish-white, red, or yellow, extremely fragrant.
There are three varieties. Native of the south of Europe.
The Germans call it Gtisblatt ; the Dutch, HuMaMeke
Kemperjolie ; the Danes, Italiceruk Gedtblad ; the Swedes,
italirnst (irtblud; the French, Cherrefeuille des Jardiris,
or 1)' finite; the Italians, Atadreselro, ( 'aprijoglio : the Spa-
niards, Madreselra ; the Portuguese, Matrisyira. A strong
decoction of Honeysuckle-leaves is no despicable remedy in
complaints arising from obstructions of the liver. It opeiates
by urine, and is a good ingredient in gargles for sore throats.
The distilled water of the flowers is much esteemed by many
as an excellent cosmetic. All the sorts of Honeysuckle are
propagated either by layers or cuttings: when by layers, the
young plants only should be chosen. They should he laved
in the autumn, and by the following autumn will have taken
root ; when they should be cut oft' from the plants, and either
planted where they are to remain, or into a nursery, to be
trained up for standards, which must be done by fixing
down stakes to the stem of each plant, to which their prin-
cipal stalk should be fastened, and all the others cut off; the
principal stall, must be trained to the intended height of the
stem, and should then be shortened, to force out lateral
branches, which should be stopped, to prevent their growing
too long; by constantly repeating this, as the shoots are pro-
duced, they may be formed into a sort of standard : but if
any regard he had to their flowering, they cannot be formed
into regular heads ; for by constantly shortening their branches,
the flower-bjids will be cut oft* so that few flowers can be
expected: and as it is an unnatural form for these trees, but
few of them should be so sacrificed ; for w hen they are planted
lit ar other bushes, among the branches of which tlie shoots
of the honeysuckles may run and mix, they will flower much
better, and have a finer appearance lhan where more regularly
trained. When the plants are in the nursery, if two or three
of the principal shoots are trained up to the stakes, and the
others are entirely cut oft", they will he (it to transplant in the
following autumn to the places where they are to remain; for
though the roots may be transplanted of a greater age, yet
they do not thrive so well as when they are removed while
they are young. When these plants are propagated by cuttings,
they should be planted in September, as soon as the ground
is moistened by rain. Three of the four joints of the cuttings
should be buried in the ground ; from the fourth, remaining
above the surface, the shoots will be produced. They may
be planted in rows, at about a foot distance row from row,
and four inches asunder in the rows, treading the earth close
to them ; and as the Evergreen and late Red Honeysuckles arc
a little more tender than the other sorts, if the ground between
the rows where these are planted i? covered with tanner's
bark, or other mulch, to keep out the frost in winter, and
the drying winds of the spring, it will be of great advantage
to the cuttings: and if the cuttings have a small piece of the
two years' wood at their bottom, there will be no haxnrd of
their taking root. The plants w hich are raised from cuttings
are preferable to those which are propagated by layers, as
they have generally better roots. They may also be propa-
gated by seeds ; but unless they are sown in the autumn, soon
after they are ripe, the plants will not come up the first year.
They will grow in any soil or situation. Few shrubs deserve
to be cultivated before those of this genus; for their flowers
are very beautiful, and perfume the air to a great distance
with their odour, especially in the mornings and evenings,
and in cloudy weather, when the sini does not evaporate their
odour, and raise it too high to be perceptible: so that in ail
retired walks there cannot be too many of them intermixed
with other shrubs.
2. Lonicera Dioica ; Glaucous floney stickle. Whorls sub-
capitatr, braeted ; leaves deciduous, glaucous beneath, the
upp-T ones connate-perfoliate : corollas ringent, gibbous at
the base. Native of North America.
3. Lonicera Sempcrvireiis; Trnmprt Honeysuckle. Spikes
naked, terminating; the upper leaves connate-perfoliate;
corollas almost regular; tube bellying at top. There are
two varieties, if not distinct species, of this ; one much hardier
lhan the other. It has been long known in our gardens by
l he name of Virginia Trumpet Honeysuckle. The flowers
have no odour; but for the beauty of their flowers, and their
long continuance together, with their leaves being evergreen,
they are preserved in most curious gardens. This is usually
planted against walls and pales, to which their branches are
trained ; for they are too weak and rambling to be reduced to
heads, and are liable to he killed in severe winter. Hence it
ought to have a warm aspect, where it will begin to flower at
the end of June, and there will be a succession of flowers till
autumn. It may be trained like the other honeysuckles, and
will flower among otlier shrubs hi the south border of a pkm-
LON
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LON
tatiuii, in a -warm soil, till injured or killed by an unusually
severe winter. It is propagated by laying down the young
branches, which will easily take root; and may be after-
wards treated like the common honeysuckles. See the first
species.
4. Lonicera Grata; Erergrten Honeysuckle. Flowers in
terminating whorls; leaves perennial, obovate, glaucous be-
neath, the upper ones connate, superfolidte; corollas ringent;
colour of the flowers red outside, and yellow within, of a
strong aromatic flavour. Native of North America. This
will not thrive where it is too much exposed to the cold in
winter, but flourishes best in a soft sandy loam, and will retain
its leaves in greater verdure in such ground than in a drv
gravelly soil, where, in warm dry seasons, the leaves often
shrink, and hang in a very disagreeable manner ; nor will I
those sorts which naturally flower late in the autumn continue ;
so long in beauty on a dry ground, unless the season should
prove moist and cold, as those placed in a gentle loam.
5. Lonicera I mplexa ; Minorca, Honeysuckle. Powers rin-
gent in whorls; brae tea even: leaves perennial, smooth,
oblong, the upper ones connate perfoliate, the uppermost
dilated. Native of Minorca.
6. Lonicera Periclytnenum ; Common Honeysuckle. Flowers
ringent, in terminating heads; leaves deciduous, all distinct.
This species trails over bushes, and twines round the boughs
of trees, with its very slender hairy or smooth branches; the
corollas are usually red on the outside, and yellowish within,
but they vary much in colour, between red, purple, and yellow,
and are very pale in the shade. They are exceedingly sweet,
especially in the evening. In climbing, it turns from east to
west, with most of our other English climbers ; and, in com-
mon witli them, it bears clipping and pruning well. When
placed near buildings, it is liable to be disfigured and injured
by aphides, vulgarly called blights. These insects are not !
very numerous in spring; hut as the summer advances, they
increase in a surprising degree: their first attacks therefore
should be watched, and the branches they first appear on cut
off and destroyed; for when they have once gained ground,
they aie defended by their numbers. Small plants may be
cleared from them by tobacco dust, or Spanish snuff; but this
is not practicable for large trees. The leaves are likewise
liable to be curled up, by a small caterpillar, which produces
a beautiful little moth, Phalcena Tottrix. In the evening,
some species of Sphinges or Hawk-moths, are frequently
observed to hover over the blossoms, and with their long
tongues to extract the honey from the very bottom of the
flowers. A considerable quantity of nectareous juice may
sometimes ' be discerned in the tube. Insects that are too
large to penetrate into the narrow pait of the tube, and have
not a long tongue, like the Sphinges, to reach the juice, let it
out by making a puncture towards the bottom, and so fairly
tap the liquor. There are several varieties : that called the
Late Red Honeysuckle produces a greater quantity of flowers
together than cither ihe Italian or Dutch Honeysuckle; so
that it makes a finer appearance than any of them during the
time of flowering. There is also a variety with variegated
leaves. The English call this plant Woodbine, Suckling,
and Caprifoly, as well as Honeysuckle; the Germans, among
a host of i ther names, call it Speckiitit, Geinlilie; the Dutch,
Geivoonn Kamperfolie : the Danes, GeJrblad; the Swedes,
AiathtiJ'i ad ; the French, Le Cherrejiuitle des bois ; the Ita-
lians, (.'aprifoglio and Vincibvsco : the Spaniards, iVTadreselfa,
Virginia, and Periciime no ; and llie Portuguese, Matrisylca
do A'or/f. For its medical uses, and method of propagation
and culture, see Ihe first species.
7. Lonicera Japouica; Japanese Honeysuckle. Flowers
5
terminating in pairs, sessile; all the leaves distinct; stem
twining. Native of Japan.
** Chamaecerasa with two-flowered Peduncles.
8. Lonice'ra Nigra; Black-berried Upright Honey suckle
Peduncles two flowered; berries distinct; leaves elliptic,
quite entire ; height three or four feet; corolla purple on the
outside, white within, or quite white, pubescent. It flowers in
Match, April, and May. Native of France, Switzerland,
Austria, Silesia, and Piedmont.
9. Lonicera Tartarica ; Tartarian Upright Honeysuckle.
Peduncles two-flowered; berries distinct; leaves cordate,
obtuse. This is a tree, often six feet high, rising with several
trunks, frequently thicker than the wrist, spreading, branched
very much from the bottom ; corollas before they open paral.
lei, club-shaped, of a deep rose-colour, when open flesh-
coloured. In shady groves it varies with a while flower, and
in autumn the leaves put oft" their fringes and become quite
smooth. Native of Russia, but not beyond lat. 55. N. It
flowers in April, and the fruit is ripe in July. It is infested
by the insect called Meloe Vesicatoria, and the insect is col-
lected from this shrub for the apothecaries. The berries of
this plant are eaten by the common people of Russia, though
they are nauseously bitter, and purgative. The flowers have
hardly any smell. The wood is very hard and solid, of a
yellowish gray colour, beautifully veined, and used to make
walking sticks, and the handles of tools.
10. Lonicera Xylosteum; Fly Honeysuckle. Peduncles
two-flowered ; berries distinct ; leaves quite entire, pubescent.
It rises with a strong woody stalk, six or eight feet high,
covered with a whitish bark, dividing into many branches.
The flowers come out on each side of the branches opposite,
on blender peduncles, each sustaining two white flowers stand-
ing erect. Linneus says, that this shrub makes excellent
hedges in a dry soil; that the parts between the joints of the
shoots are used in Sweden for Tobacco pipes; and that the
wood, being extremely hard, makes teeth for rakes. Gmelin
says, that the Russians prepare an empyreumatic oil per de-
see nsnni from the wood, which they recommend for cold
tumors and chronical pains. Animals seldom touch Ihe
leaves. Birds eat the berries only in hard weather ; they are
reputed to be purgative and emetic. It is common in the
more northern parts of Russia, and in Siberia as far as llu*
river Jenisea, and even in Hungary, the south of France,
and Italy : Dr. Withering says it is a native of England. See
the first species.
11. Lonicera Pyrenaica; Pyrenean Upright Honeysuckle.
Peduncles two-flowered ; berries distinct ; leaves oblong,
smooth. Native of the Pyrenees, and of Siberia.
12. Lonicera Alpigena; Red-berried Upright Honeysuckle.
Peduncles two-flowered ; berries coadunate-twin ; leaves
oval -lanceolate. This has a short, thick, woody stem, which
divides into many strong woody branches, growing erect;
flowers red on the outside, pale within. Native of the south
of Europe. See the first species.
13. Lonicera Caucasica. Peduncles two-flowered ; berries
coadunate-twin; leaves ovate-lanteolate, quite entire; height
rive feet; trunk covered with a whitish bark; branches
spreading, red or hoary, testaceous; corolla irregular, red.
The wood is hard, weighty, like ivory, beautifully veined with
green, much esteemed for walking-sticks, which are .^eut to
Petersburg. The Russians call it Toguatun, and the Tartars
Tukus-tuun, which signifies nine-skins, because this shrub
every year casts its epidermis, which adheies copiously to the
twigs. Native of Caucasus.
14. Lonicera Ccerulea; Blue-berried Upright Honey-suckle.
Peduncles two-flowered; berries coadunate-globiilar ; styles
LOP
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
LOR
undivided. It seldom rises more than four or five feet high ;
flowers white ; wood hard, beautifully veined with gray and
pale yellow. Berries large, dark blue, with a purple juice,
which stains paper of a strong colour, and perhaps might be
useful in dying. Native of Switzerland, Austria, &c.
*** Stem upright, peduncles many-flmvered.
15. Lonicera Mongolica ; Russian Honeysuckle. Peduncles
many-flowered ; berries simple, one-flowered ; leaves ovate,
serrate, pubescent ; stem upright; corolla yellowish white.
Grows in the desert of the Mongols, and in Dauria.
16. Loiiicera Symphoricarpos ; Shrubby St. Peter'swort.
Heads lateral, peduncled; leaves petioled. Height about
four feet, sending out many slender branches; flowers of an
herbaceous colour, in whorls. They appear in August and
September. Native of Virginia and Carolina.
17. Lonicera Bubalina. Heads terminating, peduncled;
leaves oblong, quite entire, smooth ; branches round, smooth.
Found by Sparrmann at the Cape of Good Hope, where the
Dutch call it Buffelfiarn.
18. Lonicera Diervilla; Yellow-flowered Upriyht Honey-
suckle. Racemes terminating ; leaves serrate. This is a low
shrub, seldom rising more than three feet high; flowers small,
pale yellow. Native of North America.
19. Lonicera Corymbosa, Corymbs terminating; leaves
ovate-acute. Native of Peru.
Looking Glass, Venus's. See Campanula.
Loosestrife. See Aiiayallis and Lysimachia.
Loosestrife, Codded. See Epilobium Hirsutum.
Loosestrife, Spiked. See Lythrum.
Lopezia; a genus of the class Monandria, order Monogy-
nia. ESSUNTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: superior, of four
unequal leaves. Corolla: irregular, of four petals. Nectary:
stalked, folded, opposite to the stamen. Capsule: of four
cells ami four valves. Seeds: numerous. The species are,
1. Lopezia Hirsuta; Hairy Lopezia. Leaves ovate, downy;
stem round, hairy. The plant is annual, kept in the stove,
and flowers from September to November. The stem is two
feet high, branched, pale green, clothed with longish soft
hairs; leaves alternate, stalked, about an inch long-; clusters
solitary, at the end of every little branch, somewhat corym-
bose, leafy ; flowers spreading, prettily variegated with pink,
deep red, and white, in shape not unlike some sort of little
flies : when touched, they exhibit a striking elasticity, if not
irritability. Native of Mexico.
2. Lopezia Racemosa ; Smooth Lopezia. Stem square,
smooth, as well as the leaves ; floral leaves minute. This
much resembles the first species, but differs in the squareness
of the stem. Native of Mexico.
3. Lopezia Coronata ; Coronet-flowered Lopezia. Leaves
smooth and shining; stem angular, from the decurrent foot-
stalks; floral leaves mostly longer than the flower-stalks.
Native of Mexico.
Lopping. It ;s very observable that most old trees are
hollow within , which does not proceed from the nature of the
trees, but is the fault of those who suffer the tops to grow
large before they lop them, as the Ash, Elm, and Hornbeam,
and persuade themselves that they may have the more great
wood ; but in the mean time do not consider that the cutting
off great tops or branches endangers the life of a tree, or at
least wounds it so that the trees which are thereby yearly
decayed in their bodies, amount to much more than the
quantity of tops produced ; hence it is to the loss of the
owner to have them so managed. But the lopping of young
trees at ten or twelve years old, in general will preserve
them much longer, and will occasion the shoots to grow
more into wood in one year, than they do in old tops in two
VOL ii. 7!.
or three. As large boughs, clumsily taken off, often spoil
the trees, they should always be spared, except in a case of
absolute necessity; but when they must be cut off, it should
be close and smooth, and not in a slanting manner, and the
wound ought to be covered with loam and horse-dung
mixed, to prevent the wet from entering the body of the tree.
When trees are at their full growth, there are several signs
of their decay ; as, the withering or dying of many of their
top branches ; or if the wet enters at any knot ; or they are
anywise hollow or discoloured ; if they make weakly shoots ;
and when the woodpeckers drill holes in them. This lop-
ping of trees is only to be understood for pollard trees ; be-
cause nothing is more injurious to the growth of timber-trees,
than that of lopping or cutting off" great branches from them:
whoever will be at the trouble of trying the experiment upon
two trees of equal size and age, growing near each other, to
lop off the side branches from one of them, and suffer all
the branches to grow upon the other, will in a few years
find the latter to exceed the other in growth in every way,
and that it will not decay so soon. All sorts of resinous
trees, or such as abound with a milky juice, should be
lopped very sparingly, for they are subject to decay when
often cut. The best season for lopping these tree*, is BOOH
after Bartholomew tide, at which time they seldom bleed
much, and the wound is commonly healed over before the
cold weather comes on. But very few sorts of ornamental
trees should be lopped, as it greatly injures their beauty and
appearance : the only thing necessary is to take off such
straggling branches as may grow out in an awkward direction,
and render them less ornamental.
Loranthus; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth of the
fruit inferior ; margin entire, concave ; of the flower superior,
or the margin entire, concave. Corolla: petals six, oblong,
revolute, equal. Stamina: filamenta six, awl-shaped, fastened
to the bases of the petals, the length of the corolla ; antherse
oblong. Pistil: germen oblong, between the two calices,
or inferior; style simple, the length of the stamina; stigma
blunt. Pericarp: berry oblong, one-celled. Seed: oblong.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Germen: inferior; calix none.
Corolla : six-cleft, revolute. Stamina : at the tips of the
petals. Berry: one-seeded. These are mostly parasitical
shrubs, the leaves thickish, often opposite, but sometimes 1
alternate; flowers axillary, sometimes, but seldom, terminat-
ing, corymbed or spiked, or on one-flowered pedicels.
The species are,
1. Loranthus Tetrapetalus. Peduncles one-flowered, sub-
solitary; leaves ovate, obtuse, subsessile. Native of New
Zealand.
2. Loranthus Scurrula. Peduncles one-flowered, heaped ;
leaves obovate.- Native of China and the Philippine Islands.
3. Loranthus Uniflorus. Racemes quite simple. Native
of St. Domingo, in woods, flowering in November and
December.
4. Loranthus Glaucus. Peduncles axillary, one-flowered;
leaves ovate, glaucous. Native of the Cape.'
5. Loranthus Europseus. Racemes simple, terminating ;
flowers dioecous. Native of Austria, parasitical on oaks; and
also of Siberia.
6. Loranthus Americanus. Racemes somewhat branched^
cymed ; flowers nodding; leaves ovate, diftbrm. This spe-
cies ramps over the highest trees in Jamaica, Martinico, &c.
It especially climbs the Coccoloba Grandifolia, with the root
adhering firmly to the bark like Misselto. If a large bough,
on which it grows, be cut off, the next day it withers and
perishes.
Q
60
LOT
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LOT
7. Loranthus Emarginatus. Racemes axillary, simple ;
leaves wedge-shaped, ovate, emarginate. Native of Hispa-
niola.
8. Loranthus Occidentalis. Racemes simple; flowers irre-
gular. They appear in April and May. It is found upon
trees. Native of South America and the West Indies.
9. Loranthus Loniceroides. Flowers aggregate-capitate.
Native of the East Indies.
10. Loranthus Stelis. Racemes trichotomous ; peduncles
three-cornered ; flowers equal. Native of South America,
and the Society Isles.
11. Loranthus Parvifolius. Peduncles axillary, trifid ;
pedicels one-flowered ; leaves ovate, entire. 12. Loranthus
Pauciflonis. Peduncles trichotomous, shorter than the
leaves ; leaves obovate. Both natives of Jamaica.
13. Loranthus Pentandrus. Racemes simple; flowers five-
cleft; leaves alternate, petioled. Native of the East Indies.
14. Loranthus Falcatus. Racemes few-flowered, axillary;
leaves linear, blunt, laterally sickled, glaucous. Found upon
trees near Madras.
15. Loranthus Spicatus. Spikes quadrangular; flowers
small, inodorous, red; leaves quite entire, blunt, smooth.
This branching shrubby plant grows upon other shrubs. It
flowers in April and May. Native of Carthagena.
16. Loranthus 'Cochinensis. Peduncles many-flowered,
heaped; leaves acute; stem woody, twisted, short, very
much branched. It grows upon the branches of trees in the
gardens of Cochin-china.
. 17. Loranthus Pedunculatus. Racemes simple, solitary ;
flowers in threes, peduncled. Native of Carthagena, in woods,
especially in salt-marshes.
18. Loranthus Sessilis. Racemes simple, solitary; flowers
in threes, sessile. Native of the woods in Carthagena.
. Lotus; a genus of the class Diadelphia, order Decandria.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: umbel simple; perianth
one-leafed, tubular, half five-cleft ; teeth acute, equal, erect,
permanent. Corolla : papilionaceous ; banner roundish, bent
down; claw oblong, concave ; wings roundish, shorter than
the banner, broad, converging upwards; keel gibbous below,
closed above, acuminate, ascending, short. Stamina : fila-
menta diadelphous, simple, and nine-cleft, ascending, with
broadish tips; antherce small, simple. Pistil: germen colum-
nar, oblong; style simple, ascending; stigma an inflected
point. Pericarp: legume cylindric, stiff and straight, stuffed,
longer than the calix, many-celled, two-valved. Seeds:
several, cylindric. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: tubu-
lar. Wings: converging longitudinally upwards. Legume:
cylindric. The species are,
* With few Legumes, not forming a head.
1. Lotus Maritimus; Sea Bird's- foot Trefoil. Legumes
solitary, membranaceous, quadrangular; leaves smooth;
bractes lanceolate. Root perennial ; stems several, decumbent,
slender, half a foot long; corolla large, yellow. Native of
many parts of Europe on the sea-coast, as Sweden, Denmark,
the south of France, the county of Nice, &c. flowering in
October. This, which those species that are referred to it,
may be propagated by seeds, which should be sown early in
April, upon an open bed or border exposed to the sun, where
the plants are to remain: when they come up, they must be
thinned, leaving them nearly two feet asunder, and afterwards
weeding will be all the culture they require.
2. Lotus Siliquosus ; Square-podded Bird's-foot Trefoil.
Legumes solitary, membrauaceous-quadrangular ; stems pro-
cumbent ; leaves pubescent underneath. Flower solitary, ter-
minating, large, pale yellow. Native of moist meadows in
the south of Europe. See the preceding species.
3. Lotus Tetragonolobos ; Winged Bird's-foot Trefoil.
Legumes solitary, membranaceous-quadrangular ; bractes
ovate. Root annual ; stems several, upright, about a foot
long, having at each joint a ternate leaf. It flowers in June
and July, and the seed ripens in autumn. It was formerly
cultivated as an esculent plant, for the green pods, which
are still said to be eaten in some of our northern counties,
but they are very coarse. Native of Sicily. This plant is
now chiefly cultivated in flower-gardens for ornament. The
seeds are sown in patches, five or six together, where they
are designed to remain: if they all grow, some of the plants
may be pulled up, leaving only two or three in a patch, and
afterwards they will require no other care but to keep them
clean from weeds.
4. Lotus Conjugatus ; Twin-podded Bird's-foot Trefoil.
Legumes conjugate, membranaceous-quadrangular; bractes
oblong ovate. Stems branching, a foot long. It differs from
the preceding in having corollas only half as large. Native
of the south of France. See the first species.
5. Lotus Tetraphyllus ; Four-leaved Bird's-foot Trefoil.
Legumes solitary ; leaves ternate, obcordate, wedge-shaped;
stipule solitary, similar; bractes one-leafed. Stems filiform;
corolla yellow, with the back of the banner dark purple.
Native of Majorca.
6. Lotus Edulis; Esculent Bird's-foot Trefoil. Legumes
solitary, gibbous, curved in. An annual, with several trail-
ing stalks. The Candians eat the pods when young.
Native of Italy and Candia. It flowers with us in July, but
seldom ripens seed. See the first species.
7. Lotus Peregrinus ; Flat-podded Bird's-foot Trefoil.
Legumes subbinate, linear, compressed, nodding. Native of
the south of Europe. See the first species.
8. Lotus Angustissimus ; Narrow-podded Bird's-foot Tre-
foil. Legumes subbinate, linear, stiff, upright; stem upright;
'peduncles alternate. Root weak, branched ; stems straight,
numerous, a foot high. Native of the soutli of France.
9. Lotus Glaucus; Glaucous Bird's-foot Trefoil. Legumes
subbinate, cylindrical, smooth; leaflets somewhat wedge-
shaped, fleshy, hoary; stipules leaf-form. Biennial, flower-
ing from June to August. Native of Madeira.
10. Lotus Arabicus ; Rcd-ftoivered Bird's-foot Trefoil.
Legumes cylindrical, awned ; steins prostrate; peduncles
three-flowered ; bractes one-leafed. Root perennial ; stems
several. Native of Arabia.
1 1 . Lotus Ornithopodioides ; Claw-podded Bird's-foot Tre-
foil. Legumes subternate, bowed, compressed ; stems dif-
fused. Peduncles axillary, two or three inches long, termi-
nated by a cluster of yellow flowers, which sleep during the
night with the bractes covering them. Native of Sicily, Pro-
vence, and Siberia. See the first species.
1 2. Lotus Jacobseus ; Dark-flowered Bird's-foot Trefoil.
Legumes subternate; stem herbaceous, upright; leaflets
linear. Flowers three to five together, of a very rich brown
purple. --Native of the Cape de Verd Islands. It is too ten-
der to live abroad ; the plants therefore are kept in pots,
which in winter are placed in a warm airy glass-case, or dry
stove, but in summer are placed abroad in a sheltered situa-
tion. It may be easily propagated by cuttings during the
summer season, and also by seeds; but the plants which have
been two or three times increased by cuttings are seldom
fruitful. They are subject to clyiiii; off all at once, and
therefore new ones should be constantly raised, especially as
this is a very beautiful sort, and almost always in flower.
13. Lotus Creticus; Silvery Bird's-foot Trefoil. Legumes
subternate; stem suffrutescenf, leaves silky, shining. Native
of Spain and the Levant. This will not endure the open air
LOT
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
L U D
61
of our climate, and must be treated in the same way as the
preceding species. It may be increased by seeds, sown on a
bed of light earth in April.
14. Lotus Dioscorides. Stem upright, branched ; pedun-
cles subbiflorous ; legumes columnar, ovate torose. Root
annual ; stems a palm and half in height, round ; flowers
yellow, small. Native ofthe county of Nice.
15. Lotus Arboreus ; Tree Bird's-foot Trefoil. Legumes
quinate; leaflets obcordate; stem arboreous. Native of New
Zealand.
''* Witn many-ftoivcred Peduncles, forming a head.
16. Lotus Hirsutus ; Hairy Bird's-foot Trefoil. Heads
roundish; stem upright, rough-haired; legumes ovate. Stalk
perennial, three feet high ; corollas dirty white, with a few
marks of pale red. It flowers from June to August. Native
ofthe south of France, Italy, Sicily, and of^the Levant. It
is propagated by seeds in the same way as the 12th species :
the plants will live through the winter in the open air in mo-
derate winters, but it will be proper to keep one or two
plants in pots? to be sheltered in winter, lest those abroad
should be destroyed by severe frost.
17. Lotus Graecus ; Five-leaved Bird's-foot Trefoil.
Heads roundish ; stem upright, round-haired; leaves quinate;
legumes ovate. Annual; flowers white. Native of the Levant.
18. Lotus Rectus; Upright Bird's-foot Trefoil. Heads
subglobular ; stem upright, even ; legumes straight, smooth.
Root strong, perennial ; corolla pale flesh-colour. Native of
the south of Europe. It may be cultivated for cattle, in the
same manner as Lucerne. It rises easily from seeds, is very
hardy, and will thrive on any light poor ground.
19. Lotus Corniculata; Common Bird's-foot Trefoil.
Stems prostrate ; heads of flowers flat ; legumes cylindric,
spreading. Root perennial, tapering, striking deeply into the
earth ; corolla, before it opens, of a bloody red on the out-
side, and of a yellowish green within ; when expanded, of a
full yellow; leaves ternate, petioled, one at each joint. This
is cultivated in Hertfordshire as a pasturage for sheep. It
makes extremely good hay ; and in moist meadows grows to
a greater height than the Trefoils, and, in quality, seems to
equal, if not surpass, most of them. In common with several
other leguminous plants, it gives substance to the hay, and
perhaps contributes to render it more palatable and whole-
some for cattle. It is found in most parts of Europe, in
meadows, pastures, heaths, by road sides, in hedges, among
bushes, and in woods ; flowering from June to August.
Withering calls it Bird's-foot Claver ; in Yorkshire they
term it Cheesecake Grass; and in some other counties, Butter-
jags, and Crow-toes. Mr. Curtis observes, that, whether this
plant be deserving of the encomium bestowed upon it by
different authors, the practical farmer must determine.
There appears no reason why seed might not be obtained
from it; and it should seem that land, not strong enough to
bear Clover, might be improved by its introduction.
20. Lotus Cytisoicles ; Downy Bird's-foot Trefoil. Heads
halved ; stem diffused, very much branched ; leaves tomen-
tose. This is a perennial plant, sending out many stalks from
the root. Native of the south of Europe, on the sea-coast.
See the first species.
21. Lotus Dorycnium; Shrubby Bird's-foot Trefoil. Heads
leafless; leaves sessile, quinate. Stalks weak, shrubby, three
or four feet high ; flowers in heads, at the extremity of the
branches, very small, and white, appearing in June, July, and
September. Native of the south of Europe. This will live
in the open air, if it be planted in a dry soil, and warm situ-
ation. It is propagated by seeds, which will come up in a
common border.
22. Lotus Medicaginoidi'S. Legumes umbelled, bowed ;
leaflets obcordate, toothletted. Root annual; stem prostrate,
grooved, rough-haired; peduncles axillary, with five or six
small yellow flowers. Native of Siberia.
23. Lotus Oligoceratos. Legumes binate, round, straight,
striated, villose, dotted with white. Root annual ; stems from
ascending upright, branched, villose, half a foot or more in
height; corrrtla~yeHow, not longer than the calix. It flowers
at the beginning of July. Native of Italy.
** Peduncles axillary, uniftorous.
24. Lotus Sericeus. Leaves subsessile, oblong, acute seri-
ceo-villose ; peduncles axillary, uniflorous, longer than the
leaf; flower unibracteate, yellow ; lacinise of the calix linear;
legume glabrous, very long. Found on the banks of the
Missouri.
Lovage. See Ligiisticum.
Love-Apple. See Solatium Lycopersicum.
Lnve-lies-a-bleeding. See Amaranthus Caudatus.
Louichea ; a genus of the class Monadelphia, order
Tetrandria. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Receptacle: common
peduncle-shaped, trichotomous, producing the flowers. Peri-
carp: proper four-parted; segments concave, subulate-acu-
minate, irregular, growing together. Corolla: none. Fila-
menta : four, connate, inserted into the receptacle. Germen :
superior. Style: bifid. Seed: single, arilled, within the
calix. The only known species is,
1. Louichea Cervina. This is an annual very branching
plant, a span high ; stem almost upright, round ; branches in
whorls, the upper ones opposite; leaves six, in whorls, the
two outer opposite ; flowers terminating, coming out succes-
sively, sessile, close ; the middle one solitary, herbaceous,
two or three lines broad. SeeCamphorosma.
Lousewort. See Pedicularis.
Lucerne. See Medicago.
Ludwigia; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, four-parted, superior, permanent, segments lanceo-
late, spreading very much, length of the corolla. Corolla :
petals four, obcordate, flat, spreading very much, equal.
Stamina: filamenta four, awl-shaped, upright, short; antheree
simple, oblong, upright. Pistil: germen four-cornered,
covered with the base ofthe calix, inferior; style cylindrical,
length of the stamina; stigma obsoletely four-cornered, capi-
tate. Pericarp : capsule four-cornered, blunt, covered and
crowned by the calix, four-celled, four-valved; partitions
opposite to the valves. Seeds : numerous, small ; receptacle
columnar, membranaceous, four-winged ; wings in the angles
of the partitions, seed-bearing on each side. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: four-parted, superior. Corolla: four-
petalled. Capsule: inferior, four-cornered, four-celled. Re-
ceptacle: distinct from the axis ofthe fruit, bearing the seeds
on each side. These plants must be raised from seed in a hot-
bed, in the spring, and treated as directed for Amarantlnis.
If not brought forward in the spring, they seldom produce
good seeds in England. The species are,
1. Ludwigia Alternifolia ; Alternate-leaved Ludwigia.
Leaves alternate, lanceolate ; stem upright, annual ; flowers
small ; corolla yellow. It flowers in June and July. Native
of Virginia and South Carolina.
2. Ludwigia Oppositifolia; Opposite-leaved Ludwigia.
Leaves opposite, lanceolate; stem diffused, procumbent, a
span long; flowers solitary, axillary; corolla yellow. Native
of the East Indies.
3. Ludwigia Repens ; Creeping Ludwigia. Leaves oppo-
site, ovate; peduncles solitary, axillary; stem creeping.
Annual. Native of Jamaica.
62
LUN
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
LUP
4. Ludwigia Erigata ; Upright Ludwigia. Leaves oppo-
site, lanceolate ; stem upright ; corolla scarcely visible.
Annual. Native of the East Indies.
5. Ludwigia Pedunculosa. Plant creeping, pubescent ;
loaves opposite, linear-lanceolate, glabrous ; peduncles axil-
lary, uniflorous, very long; capsules clavate-oblong, crowned;
lacinise of the calix lanceolate ; flowers large, yellow. It
grows in swamps near the sea-coast, from Virginia to South
Carolina.
6. Ludwigia Glandulosa. Leaves alternate, spathulate->
oboval ; plant procumbent, very smooth ; flowers sessile, I
axillary, solitary ; capsules very small, crowned ; lac-mite of
the calix round, acuminate. Grows in the swamps of Lower
Carolina.
7. Ludwigia Mollis. Plant erect, branchy, pubescent ;
leaves alternate, lanceolate-oblong; flowers sessile, alternate,
superior, heaped together ; capsules subrotund. Grows in
the swamps of Lower Carolina.
8. Ludwigia Virgata. Plant erect, virgated, glabrous ;
leaves alternate, linear, obtuse ; flowers terminal, subspicate,
pedicellate. small; capsules globose tetragonal. It grows in
the dry sandy woods of Lower Carolina.
9. Ludwigia Decurrens. Plant erect, very branchy, gla-
brous; leaves alternate, linear-lanceolate, decurrent; flowers
axillary, subsessile, solitary, alternate ; capsules clavated,
crowned; lacinise of the calix oval-lanceolate. This plant
rises to the height of about a foot, and bears large yellow
flowers. It grows in shady woods, near ponds and ditches,
in Virginia and Lower Carolina.
lu. Ludwigia Capitata. Plant erect, glabrous; leaves
alternate, lato-linear, acute, rounded at the base ; petals
shorter than the calix ; capsules subglobose, crowned ; laci-
nise of the calix dilatated, short ; the infertile branches with
short obovate leaves ; flowers small, yellow. It grows in the
swamps of North and South Carolina.
11. Ludwigia Macrocarpa. Plant erect, ramose, sligbtly
glabrous ; leaves alternate, lanceolate, hoary on the under-
side ; peduncles uniflorous, axillary ; capsules globose-tetra-
gonal ; lacinise of the calix great, coloured, crowned; flowers
yellow ; stem purple. It grows in wet pastures and swamps,
from New England to Florida.
12. Ludwigia Hirsuta. Plant erect, ramose, rough; leaves
alternate, oblong, sessile, rough on both sides; peduncles
uniflorous, axillary; capsules globose-tetragonal, crowned,
bibracteaied at the base. It grows in ditches and ponds, on
a sandy soil, from New Jersey to Carolina.
13. Ludwigia Linearis. Plant erect, virgated, glabrous,
very branchy; leaves alternate, linear, acute; flowers axil-
lary, solitary, sessile; capsules oblong, turbinate; lacinite of
the calix semi-lanceolate ; flowers small, yellowish brown.
It grows from two to five feet high, and is found near ditches
and ponds, irrsandy soils, from Virginia to Carolina.
Lunaria; a genus of the class Tetradynamia, order Silicu-
losa. GKNEUIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth four-leaved,
oblong; leaflets ovate-oblong, blunt, converging, deciduous,
of which the two alternate ones are gibbous, and bagged at
the base. Corolla: four-petalled, cruciform; petals entire,
blunt, large, the length of the calix, ending in claws of the
same length. Stamina : filamenta six, a\vl-shaped, four the
length of the calix, two a little shorter ; anlheree from upright
spreading. Pistil: germen pedicelled, ovate-oblong; -style
short; stigma blunt, entire. Pericarp: silicle elliptic, flat,
entire, upright, very large, pedicelled, terminated by the
style, two-celled, two-valved ; partition parallel, and equal to
the valves, flat. Seeds: some, kidney-shaped, compressed,
marginal, in the middle of the silicle ; receptacles filiform,
long, inserted into the lateral sutures. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Silicle: entire, elliptic, compressed-flat, pedi-
celled; valves equal, and parallel to the partition, flat.
Calix: with bagged leaflets. The species are,
1. Lunaria Recliviva; Perennial Honesty. Silicles lance-
olate ; root perennial. This is a very large plant ; stem three
to four feet high ; petals purple, -odorous. Native of the
south of France, Italy, Austria, Hungary, &c. This and the
next species are propagated by seeds sown in the autumn :
those sown in the spring often miscarry, or lie a long time in
the ground. They will grow in almost any sbil, but love a
shady situation ; and require only to be kept clean from
weeds : if the seeds be permitted to scatter, the plants will
rise without further care; and if they be left unremoved, they
will grow much larger than those which are transplanted.
2. Lunaria Annua; Common Honesty, or Moottwort. Silicles
roundish ; root biennial. Native of Germany. See the
preceding species. This plant has acquired the name of
White Saiin : it used to be dried and preserved to place in
chimneys. The name Honesty seems to have, been given to
these plants, from the transparency of the seed-vessels ;
in which the whole may be seen without any optical deception.
The Germans call it Silberblume ; the Dutch, Zilverbloem;
the Danes, Manneviol; the Swedes, Manefioler; the French,
Satin-blanc ; and the Italians, Lunaria.
3. Lunaria jEgyptiaca ; Egyptian Honesty. Silicles oblong,
pendulous; leaves superdecompound, with trifid leaflets.
Annual, with a smooth branching stalk little more than a foot
high. It flowers here in June and July. Native of Egypt.
Sow the seeds in an open border, where they are to remain :
if they be sown soon after they are ripe, the plants will come
up in the autumn, and live through the winter in a sheltered
situation. These will flower early the following summer;
whereby ripe seeds may be obtained : they may also be sown
in the spring. Keep them clean, and thin them where they
are too close. If the seeds be permitted to scatter, they will
rise without care.
Lungwort. See Pulmonaria.
Lungwort, Cow's. See Verbascum.
Lupine. See Lupinus and Trtfolium.
Lupinus; a genus of the class Diadelphia, order Decandria.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
bifid. Corolla: papilionaceous; banner cordate-roundish,
ernarginate, bent back at the sides, compressed; wings sub-
ovate, almost the length of the banner, not fastened to the
keel, converging below : keel two-parted at the base, sickle-
shaped upwards, acuminate, entire, the length of the wings,
narrower. Stamina: filamenta ten, united, somewhat ascend-
ing, distinct above; antherse five, roundish, and as many
oblong. Pistil: germen awl-shaped, compressed, villose;
style awl-shaped, ascending; stigma terminating, blunt.
Pericarp: legume large, oblong, coriaceous, compressed,
acuminate, one-celled. Seeds: several, roundish, compressed.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: two-lipped. Anthera:
five oblong, five roundish. Legume: coriaceous. These
plants are cultivated for ornament in the borders of the flower-
garden, where they are sown in patches with other annuals in
the spring, where they are to remain, thinning them where
too close, and keeping them clean from weeds. To have a
succession of flowers, the seeds may be sown at different
times, as in April, May, and June ; but the seeds of those
sown in April only will ripen. They all make a pretty ap-
pearance when in flower. The species are,
1. Lupinus Perennis; Perennial Lupine. Calices alter-
nate, without appendicles; upper lip ernarginate, lower entire.
Root perennial, creeping; stalks erect, channelled, a foot and
>
1
L U P
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
L Y C
63
half high, sending out two or three small side branches, with
digitale leaves, of from five to ten spear-shaped leaflets :
the flowers grow in loose terminal spikes, of a pale blue
colour, on short peduncles. Native of Virginia, and other
parts of North America. This is propagated by seeds sown
where the plants are to remain. If in a dry soil, the root will
continue several years, and produce many spikes of flowers ;
and though the usual season of flowering is in June and July,
yet when rain falls in August, fresh stalks arise from the roots,
which flower at the end of September, or the beginning of
October.
2. Lupinus Albus ; White Lupine. Calices alternate,
without appendicles ; upper lip entire, lower three-toothed.
Stalk upright, about two feet high, dividing towards the top
into several smaller hairy branches ; leaves digitate, composed
of seven or eight narrow oblong leaflets, joining at the base,
hairy, of a dark grev colour, and have a silvery down. The
flowers are produced* in loose spikes at the end of the branches;
they are white and sessile, appearing in July, and ripening
seeds in autumn. The leaves have the sides contracted at night,
and hang down, being sent back to the petiole. It grows
naturally in the Levant, and is cultivated in some parts of
Italy, as other pulse, for food : likewise in the south of France,
in poor dry extensive plains, as a meliorating crop, to be
ploughed in where no manure is to be had, and the ground
is too barren for clover or other better plants. A decoction
of the seeds of this plant increases the urinary secretions,
removes obstructions of the menses, and is frequently found
serviceable in the jaundice, and the beginning of dropsical
complaints. It is likewise an excellent lotion for children's
sore heads, speedily cleansing and disposing them to heal.
Sweetened with honey, it destroys worms in the intestines.
3. Lupinus Varius ; Small Blue Lupine. Calices half-
whorled, appendicled ; upper lip bifid, lower slightly three-
toothed. Annual : stalk firm, straight, channelled, nearly
three feet high, divided towards the jop into several branches ;
corolla light blue. It flowers in July. Native of the south of
France, Spain, Italy, and Sicily.
4. Lupinus Hirsutus ; Great Blue Lupine. Calicles alter-
nate, appendicled ; upper lip two-parted, lower three-toothed.
Annual : stalk strong, firm, channelled, from three to four feet
high, covered with a soft brownish down, dividing upward into
several long branches, garnished with digitate leaves, com-
posed of nine, ten, or eleven wedge-shaped hairy leaflets.
The flowers are placed in whorls round the stalks above
each other, forming a loose spike, which proceeds from
the ends of the branches ; they are large, and of a beau-
tiful blue colour, but have no scent. This and the next
species are generally lute in ripening the seeds, so that
unless the autumn prove warm and dry, they do not ripen ;
therefore the best way to have good seeds is to sow them in
September, close to a warm wall, on dry ground, where they
will live through our ordinary winters ; and these plants will
flower early in the following summer, so that there will be time
for the seeds to ripen before the rains fall in the autumn,
which frequently rots those seeds which are not ripe. If a
few of the seeds of both be sown in small pots the beginning
of September, and, when the frosts begin, the pots be removed
into a common hot-bed frame, where they may be protected
from hard frost, but enjoy the free air in mild weather, the
plants may be thus secured in winter ; and in the spring they
may be shaken out of the pots, preserving the earth to their
roots, and planted in a warm border, where they will (lower
early, and produce very good seeds.
.5. Lupinus Pilosus ; Rose Lupine. Calices in whorls,
appendicled ; upper lip two-parted, lower entire. Corollas
VOL. II. 71.
of a pale flesh-colour. It flowers in July and August.
Native of the south of Europe.
6. Lupinus Angustifolius ; Narrow-leaved Blue Lupine.
Calices alternate, appendicled ; upper lip two-parted, lower
entire. Flowers blue ; seeds ovate, globular. Native of
Spain and Sicily.
7. Lupinus Luteus ; Yellow Lupine. Calices in whorls,
appendicled ; upper lip two-parted, lower three-toothed.
Stem a foot high, branching; leaves digitate, composed of
seven, eight, or nine narrow hairy leaflets, nearly two inches
long ; flowers yellow, odorous, in loose spikes at the end of
the branches. This is very much esteemed for its sweetness,
though the flowers are of short duration, especially in warm
weather ; therefore the seeds should be sown at several times,
that there may be a succession of flowers through the season,
for they will continue flowering till they are stopped by hard
frost ; and those which come to flower, will continue in beauty
a longer time than the early ones,
8. Lupinus Cochin-chinensis ; Single-leaved Lupine. Ca-
lices appendicled, in spikes ; upper lip bifid, lower three-
toothed ; leaves simple, oval. Stem herbaceous, annual ;
flowers yellow. Native of Cochin-china, and BengaJ.
9. Lupinus Africanus. Calices appendicled, five-cleft ;
peduncles many-flowered, terminating ; leaves ternate, lan-
ceolate ; stem shrubby, diffused ; flowers yellow. Native of
the eastern coast of Africa.
10. Lupinus Trifoliatus. Calices five-toothed ; legumes
in spikes, upright ; leaves ternate, ovate ; stem herbaceous ;
flowers blue. Native of Mexico.
11. Lupinus TSootkatensis. Stalk and stalk-leaves rough ;
leaves digitate ; folioles seven or eight, lanceolate, obtuse ;
calix vcriicillate; upper lip emarginate, lower one entire.
Found on the north-west coast of America.
12. Lupinus Sericea. Stalk and leaves sericeo-tomentose ;
leaves digitate ; folioles seven or eight, lanceolate, acute ;
calix subverticillate, inappendiculate ; upper lip cut, lower
one entire ; flowers pale purple, or rose-coloured. Found on
the banks of the Kooskoosy, in North America.
13. Lupinus Argenteus. Leaves digitate; folioles from
five to seven, linear-lanceolate, acute ; calix alternate, in-
appendiculate ; upper leaf obtuse, lower one entire; flowers
small, cream-coloured. -Grows on the banks of the Koos-
koosy, iu North America.
14. Lupinus Pusillus. Plant perennial, very villose; leaves
simple, oblong ; spikes elongated ; calices alternate, inappen-
diciihite ; upper lip bifid, lower one entire, elongated. The
flowers are very variable in colour ; white, rose-red, and pur-
ple. A beautiful plant, but very difficult of cultivation. It
grows in the dry sand-fields of Carolina and Florida.
Lychnis ; a genus of the class Decandria, order Pentagynisi.
(h.N'Kiuc CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
oblong, membranaceous, five-toothed, permanent. Corolla :
petals five ; claws the length of the calix, flat, margined ; bor-
der often cloven, flat. Stamina: (ilamenta ten, longer than
the calix, alternately shorter, each of these fixed to a claw
of each petal ; antheree incumbent. Pistil: germen subovate ;
styles five, awl-shaped, longerthan the stamina; stigmas reflex
against the sun, pubescent. Pericarp : capsule approaching
to an ovate form, covered, one, three, or five celled, fivc-
valved. Seeds: very many, roundish. ESSF.NTIAL CHA-
RACTKK. Calix: one-leafed, oblong, even. Petals: five,
with claws, and a subbifid border. Capsule : five-celled ;
Gtcrtner says, in most one-celled. The species are,
1. Lychnis Chalcedonica ; Scarlet Lychnis. Flowers fas-
cicled, fasligiate. Root perennial; stems three feet high,
upright, stiff, round, jointed, hairy, at every joint two large
R
64
L YC
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
L YC
leaves of a brownish green colour ; flowers terminating, in
large flat-topped tufts, consisting of several bundles ; corolla
of a scarlet or bright red orange colour, varying to white, blush,
and variable, that is, pale red, growing paler till it becomes
almost white. Native of Russia and Japan. There are three
varieties : that with double flowers is a valuable plant. The
root has two, three, or four strong erect hairy stalks, gar-
nished the whole length with spear-shaped leaves sitting
close to them. The flowers, which are of a most beautiful
scarlet colour, are produced in close clusters sitting at the
top of the stalk; and when the roots are strong, the clusters
of flowers will be very large, and make a fine appearance.
They appear at the latter end of June, and in moderate
seasons continue nearly a month in beauty. The stalks
decay in autumn, and new ones rise in the spring. The sin-
gle Lychnis are easily propagated by seeds, sown on a border
exposed to the east, in the middle of March. They will
appear in April, when, if the season be dry, they should be
refreshed with water two or three times a week. By the
beginning of June the plants will be fit to remove, when there
should be a bed of common earth prepared to receive them ;
into which they should be planted at about four inches apart,
observing to water and shnde them till they have taken new
root; after which they will only require to be weeded until
the following autumn, when they should be transplanted into
the borders of the pleasure-garden, where they are to con-
tinue. The summer following, these plants will flower, and
produce ripe seeds; but the roots will abide several years,
and continue to flower. It may also be propagated by offsets ;
but as the seeds ripen freely, few persons trouble themselves
to propagate the plants any other way. The double-flowered
variety is propagated by slips taken from the roots in autumn;
but as this is a slow method of increasing the plants, the best
way to have them in plenty, is to cut off the flower-stalks in
June before the flowers appear. These may be cut into small
lengths of three or four joints each, which should be planted
on an east border of soft loamy earth, putting three of the
joints into the ground, leaving one eye just level with the
surface; these must be watered, and then covered close with
bell or hand glasses, excluding the outward air, and shaded
with mats when the sun shines hot upon them. The cuttings
so managed will put out roots in five or six weeks, when they
must be exposed to the open air, and in very dry weather
should be now and then refreshed with water, but it must not
be repeated too often, nor given in large quantities, for too
much moisture will cause them to rot. These roots will make
good plants by the following autumn, when they may be trans-
planted into the borders of the pleasure-garden, and will
flower there in the next summer.
2. Lychnis Flos Cuculi ; Red-flowered Meadow Lychnis.
Petals quadrifid ; fruit roundish, one-celled. Root perennial,
brownish white, subacrid ; stems from one to three feet high,
somewhat angular and grooved, swelled at the joints, pur-
plish ; corolla pink or purplish red, varying sometimes to
white. It flowers in May and June. Native of most parts
,uf Europe in moist meadows. This plant has a variety of
names in English, as Meadow Pink, Wild Williams, Cuckow-
flower, Ragged Robin, Crow-flower. A variety with double
flowers is frequently cultivated in flower-gardens for orna-
ment. It only differs from the single in the multiplicity of
the petals, and is commonly known by the title of Double
Ragged Robin. Found sometimes wild in England, as, near
Bungay in Suffolk. This plant is increased by slipping the
roots in September.
3. Lychnis Alpestris. Petals four-cleft, crowned : leaves
recurved. Root perennial ; stems a span high, upright, smooth;
flowers white, in a dichotomous panicle. Native of Switzer-
land and Austria.
4. Lychnis Quadridentata; Four-toothed Lychnis. PetftJs
four-toothed ; stem dichotomous ; leaves smooth, recurved.
Steins a span high. Native of Austria.
5. Lychnis Coronata; Chinese Lychnis. Smooth: flower*
axi'llary and terminating, solitary ; petals laciniated. Stem
simple, round, upright, a foot high. It flowers in June and
July. Native of China and Japan.
6'. Lychnis Viscaria; Viscous Lychnis, or Catchfly. Petals
nearly equal. Root perennial, yellowish on the outside, white
within ; stem round, not grooved ; flowers terminating, in
close whorls, all together forming a spike. It is called Nar-
row-leaved Catchfly, or Limewort, Red German Catchfly,
Catchfl.y Cuckow flower, and Viscous Lychnis. It is scarce
in Great Britain, but has been found in Wales ; upon the
rocks in Edinburgh Park ; and near Croydon, in Surry. It
flowers in May and June. This plant has the name of
Catchfly, from exuding a glutinous liquor, almost as clammy
as birdlime ; so that any insect attempting to creep up to
the flowers, is fastened to the stalk. Native of most parts
of Europe, in dry and mountainous pastures, especially among
bushes. This plant is propagated by parting the roots in
autumn, at which time every slip will grow ; or if the seeds
be sown in the same manner as is directed for the first sort,
the single flowers may be produced in plenty : the double
flowers, however, have almost excluded them from our
gardens. These never produce seeds, and can only be pro-
pagated by parting and slipping the roots ; the best time for
which is autumn, when every slip will grow. If this be per-
formed in September, the slips will have taken good root
before the frost, and will flower well the following summer;
but if they are expected to flower strong, the roots must not
be divided into small slips, though for multiplying the plants
it matters not how small the slips are. They should be
planted on a border exposed to the morning sun, and shaded
when the sun is warm till they have taken root. If the
slips are planted in the beginning of September, they will be
rooted strong enough to plant in the borders of the flower-
garden by the middle or latter end of October. The roots
of this multiply so fast, as to make it necessary to transplant
and part them every year ; for when they are let remain
longer they are very apt to rot.
7. Lychnis Alpina ; Alpine Lychnis. Petals bifid ; flowers
four-styled. Root perennial; petals purple ; anthers red.
Native of the Alps in Europe, and Siberia. It flowers in
May. This, and the ninth species, are propagated by seeds,
and also by parting the roots. The roots may be parted,
and the plants removed, in autumn. The seeds may be
sown upon a shady border in March, keeping the ground
moist in dry weather. When the plants are of a size to
remove, transplant them into a shady border, where they
may remain to flower.
8. Lychnis Laeta; Small Portugal Lychnis, or Campion.
Petals bifid; flowers solitary; leaves linear-lanceolate, smooth ;
caliccs ten-keeled. -Annual, and a native of Portugal. This
is increased by slips, in the same manner as above, but com-
ing from a warm country, it is impatient of cold, and will
not live through the winter in an open border, nor does it
thrive well in a pot. It succeeds best when planted close to
a south wall in dry undunged earth, or brick-rubbish; for
in rich or moist ground the root presently rots, as they also
do when they are watered.
9. Lychnis Sibirica ; Siberian Lychnis. Petals bifid ; stem
dichotomous ; leaves somewhat rough-haired. Root perennial ;
petals white. Native of Siberia. See the seventh species. _
L Y C
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
L Y C
65
10. Lychnis Diurna ; Rose-flowered Lychnis, or Wild Red
Campion. Flowers dioecous ; capsules one-celled, roundish.
Root perennial, the thickness of the little finger; stalks several,
upright, from one to three feet high ; petals purple. It flow-
ers in May and June. Native of many parts of Europe, in
moist shady ditches, by the sides of hedges, and sometimes
in woods. A variety of this with double flowers is cultivated
m gardens by the name of Red Bachelor's Buttons It is
an ornamental plant, and continues long in flower. The
double varieties, both red and white, are propagated by slips
in the beginning of August, in a shady border of loamy earth,
where they will take root in six weeks or two months, and
may then be transplanted into the borders of the flower-garden.
These roots should be annually removed, otherwise they fre-
quently rot : and young plants must be propagated by slips
to supply the decay of the old roots, which are not of very
long duration. The red thrives best in a soft loamy soil, and
in a shady situation, where it has only the morning sun: the
double white does not make so good an appearance as the
red, but will thrive in a drier soil, and a more open ex-
posure.
11. Lychnis Vespertina ; White-flowered Lychnis, or Wild
White Campion. Flower dioecous ; capsules one-celled,
conical. This is distinguished from the preceding by its
calix, which is thicker, harder, almost cartilaginous, covered
with veins forming a net; the stalks are branched out much
more than in it; the leaves are longer, and more veined;
and the flowers stand singly upon pretty long peduncles,
and not in clusters, appearing a month after the red. Com-
mon in Sweden, Silesia, at the foot of the Alps, and with us
in Cambridgeshire. For cultivation, &c. see the preceding.
12. Lychnis Apetala. Calix inflated ; corolla shorter than
the calix ; flowers hermaphrodite, one or two oil the stem.
Root fibrous ; stem single, upright, a span high, entire. A
single flower generally terminates the stem, nodding horizon-
tally. Native of the mountains of Lapland and Siberia.
Lycium ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Monogy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth subquin-
quefid, obtuse, erect, very small, permanent. Corolla :
monopetalous, funnel-form ; tube cylindric, spreading, in-
curved ; border five-parted, obtuse, spreading, small. Sta-
mina: filamenta five, awl-shaped, from the middle of the
tube, shorter than the corolla, closing the tube with a beard ;
antherse erect. Pistil: germen roundish ; style simple,
longer than the stamina; stigma bifid, thickish. Pericarp:
berry roundish, two-celled. Seeds: several, kidney-form;
receptacles convex, affixed to the partition. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Corolla: tubular, closed at the throat by the
beard of the filamenta. Berry: two-celled, many-seeded.
The species are,
1. Lycium Japonicum; Japan Box-thorn. Unarmed:
leaves ovate, nerved, flat; flowers sessile. This shrub is
scarcely a fathom high, very much branched, upright. It is
frequently planted for hedges in Japan, where it is a native.
This, with the second, third, fifth, sixth, eleventh, and
twelfth, may be increased by seeds, cuttings, or layers. If
by seeds, they should be sown in the autumn, soon after they
are ripe ; for if they are kept out of the ground till spring,
they seldom come up the first year. If the seeds be sown
in pots, the pots should be plunged into some old tan in the
winter, and in very severe frost covered with pease-haulm or
straw, but in mild weather should be open to receive the
wet. In the spring, the pots ought to be plunged into a
moderate hot-bed, which will soon bring up the plants, which
must be inured to bear the open air as soon as the danger of
frost is over; and when they are three inches high, they may
be shaken out of the pots, and each planted in a small sepa-
rate pot, filled with loamy earth, and placed in the shade till
they have taken new root, when they may be removed to a
sheltered situation, where they may remain till the autumn ;
then they should be removed either into the green-house, or
placed under a hot-bed frame to shelter them from hard frost:
for these plants being too tender to live in the open air in
England, they must be kept in pots, and treated in the same
way as Myrtles, and other hardy green-house plants ; but
when the plants are grown strong, there may be a few of them
planted in the full ground in a warm situation, where they
will live in moderate winters. If the cuttings of these plants
b.e planted in a shady border in July, and duly watered, they
will take root, and may then be treated in the same way as
the seedling plants.
2. Lycium Barbatum. Unarmed ; leaves ovate, smooth :
branches flexuose; flowers panicled. Native of the Cape.
3. Lycium Africanum; African Box-thorn. Thorny: leaves
linear, fascicled ; branches stiff"; stem straight, rigid. Native
of the Cape. There is a variety with purplish white flowers ;
native of France, Spain, and Italy, in hedges.
4. Lycium Ruthonicum. Thorny : leaves linear, fascicled ;
branches hanging down. This is a shrub six feet high ;
flowers two or four together, outwardly pale, and of a green-
ish purple. This, with the eighth and ninth species, are
hardy, and may be increased by cuttings or layers. Native
country unknown.
5. Lycium Tetrandrum. Thorny : leaves ovate, obtuse ;
branches angular; corollas four-cleft. Native of the Cape of
Good Hope. See the first species.
6. Lycium Boerhaavisefolium ; Glaucous-leaved Box-thorn.
Thorny : leaves ovate, quite entire, acute, glaucous ; flowers
panicled. Stem upright, round, branched, full of chinks, ash-
coloured ; corolla blue, sweet-smelling ; branches alternate,
spreading, smooth. Native of Peru. See the first species.
7. Lycium Barbarum ; Willow-leaved Box-thorn. Thorny :
leaves la-nceolate ; branches loose ; calices bifid. This is a
weak, nodding, and decumbent shrub. Native of Europe,
Asia, and the Cape. It is increased by cuttings planted in
the spring, before they begin to shoot, in a border exposed
to the morning sun. They should not be removed till the
autumn, when they may be planted to cover walls; for the
branches are too weak to support themselves.
8. Lycium Europaeum ; European Box-thorn. Thorny :
leaves oblique ; branches flexuose, round. The Spaniards
eat the tender shoots of this shrub with oil and vinegar : and
Michael says, that it is used for hedges in Tuscany, where
they call it Spina da corone di crocifissi; supposing it, in
common with several other prickly shrubs, to be that of which
our Saviour's crown of thorns was made. Native of the south
of Europe, Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy.
9. Lycium Tataricum ; Tartarian Box-thorn. Thorny :
leaves linear, fascicled ; branches supine. This is an elegant
shrub, on account of the whiteness of the branches, rods, or
twigs, which are many, a foot or eighteen inches long, or
more, branched, ascending ; tube of the corolla white.
Native of Tartary, about the Volga.
10. Lycium Capsulare. Thorny: leaves lanceolate, thin,
smooth ; peduncles and calices pubescent ; pericarps capsu-
lar. Native of Mexico.
11. Lycium Cinereum. Leaves lanceolate, smooth; branches
spinescent ; peduncles very short. Native of the Cape.
12. Lycium Horridum. Thorny : leaves obovate, fleshy,
smooth; branches spinescent; peduncles very short ; flowers
white. Native of the Cape.
13. Lycium Cochin-chinense. Unarmed: leaves oblong
L Y C
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
L Y M
blunt; cymes terminating. A shrub four t'eet high; flowers
white. 'Native of Cochin-china, in woods.
14. Lycium Carolinianum ; Carolina Jinx-thorn. Leaves
spatulate-oblong; branches without spines; flowers four-
cleft. Native of rushy marshes in Carolina, Georgia, and
Florida.
Lycoperdon; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Fungi.
GENERIC ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Fungus: roundish,
fleshy, firm, becoming powdery, and opening at the top.
.Seeds: fixed to filamenta, connected with the inner coat of
llie plant. These singular Fungi are described by Dr.
Withering, who enumerates 25 British species: see his
Arrangement. There is also an elaborate dissertation on the
British Stellated Lycoperdons, by Mr. Woodward, in the
second volume of the Transactions of the Linncean Society of
London.
Lycopodium ; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order
Musci. GENERIC ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Fructifications:
in the axils of the scales, digested into long imbricate spikes,
or of the leaves themselves, sessile. Capsule : kidney-shaped,
two-valved, elastic, many-seeded. Veil: none. This genus
holds as it were an intermediate place between the Ferns
and Mosses. Only six species of Club Moss are natives of
Great Britain ; but the total number is 05. See Murray's
edition of the Systema Vegetabilium.
Lycopsis ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Monogy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calir : perianth five-parted;
segments oblong, acute, spreading, permanent. Corolla: one-
petalled, funnel-form; tube cylindric, from Curved bent;
border half five-cleft, blunt; throat closed with five convex,
prominent, converging scales. Stamina, filamenta five, very
small, at the bending of the tube of Uie corolla; antherse
small, covered. Pistil: germina four; style filiform, the
length of the stamina; stigma blunt, bifid. Pericarp: none;
ciilix very large, inflated. Seeds: four, longish. Observe.
The essence of this genus consists in the curvature of the tube
of the corolla. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: with
the tube bent in. The plants of this genus are hardy, and
will generally rise from scattered seeds, but do not bear trans-
planting well ; they are,
1. Lycopsis Vesicaria ; Bladder-podded Wild Bur/loss.
Leaves quite entire ; stem prostrate; fruiting calices inflated,
pendulous. Root annual ; flowers axillary, appearing in June
and July. Native of dry hills in the south of Europe.
2. Lycopsis Pulla; Dark-flowered Wild But/toss. Leaves
quite entire ; stem upright; fruiting calicos inflated, pendu-
lous. Pei-nnial: corolla small, dark, blackish, purple.
Native of dry pastures in Austria and Germany.
3. Lycopsis Variegata ; Variegated Wild Buyloss. Leaves
repand-toolhed, callous; stem decumbent; corollas drooping.
A low trailing plant: the flowers small, bright blue, collected
into small bunches at the extremityjof the branches. It
varies with red flowers elegantly streaked with white.
Native of Nice ; and the ishmd of Candia, on the walls of
the city : observed also on mount Hymettus, near Athens.
4. Lycopsis Arvcnsis ; Small Wild Bugloss. Leaves lan-
ceolate, hispid, flowering ; calices upright. Root annual, sim-
ple, fibrous, whitish. It is an extremely harsh, rough, and
bristly plant; stems thick, a foot or more high; flowers in
spikes, all on one side ; corolla sky-blue, varying to red and
white. It has lately been recommended as a remedy for
the anthrax, or corrossive ulcer, commonly called a Car-
buncle, by laying the bruised plant on the tumor. It flowers
from May to July. Native of most parts of Europe, in corn-
fields with sandy soil, and on dry banks.
5. Lycopsis Bullata; Bladdery -leaved Wild Buglvss.
Leaves lanceolate-ovate, hispid, bladdery; stem procumbent.
Probably this is a variety of the preceding : root annual, sim-
ple. Common on waste grounds about Naples.
6. Lycopsis Orientalis ; Oriental Wild Bugloss. Leaves
ovate, quite entire, rugged ; calices upright ; annual. Native
of the Levant.
7. Lycopsis Virginica ; Virginian Wild Bugloss. Leaves
linear-lanceolate, clustered, tomentose, soft ; stem upright.
Perennial. Native of Virginia.
Lycopus ; a genus of the class Diandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth one-leafed,
tubular, half five-cleft; segments narrow, acute. Corolla:
one-petalied, unequal; tube cylindrical, the length of the
calix ; border four-cleft, blunt, spreading ; segments almost
equal, upper broader, emarginate, lower smaller. Stamina:
filamenta two, commonly longer than the corolla, inclining
to the upper segment ; antherae small. Pistil: germen four-
cleft; style filiform, straight, the length of the stamina; stigma
bifid, reflex. Pericarp: none; calix containing the seeds in
its bottom. Seeds: four, roundish, retuse. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Corolla: four-cleft, with one division, emar-
ginate ; stamina distant. Seeds: four, retuse. The spe-
cies are,
1. Lycopus Europaeus ; Water Horehound. Leaves sinu-
ate-serrate. Root perennial, creeping ; stalk square ; flowers
in dense whorls, numerous, small ; corolla white, with a
tinge of purple. The leaves vary, more or less hairy, and
divided. It dyes black, and gives a permanent colour to
wool and silk. Gypsies are said to stain their skins with it;
and it would probably be essentially useful to dyers, if more
regarded. Common in all parts of Europe, in meadows, and
on the banks of streams and ponds ; flowering from July to
September. The Germans call it Wolfsfuss, &c. the French,
Marrube Acjuatigue, Patte de Loup ; and the Italians, Licopo.
2. Lycopus Virginicus ; Virginian Water Horehound.
Leaves equally seriate, lanceolate. Native of Virginia.
3. Lycopus Exaltatus ; Lofty Water Horehound. Leaves
pinnatirid-serrate at the base ; stem the height of a man ;
corollas four-cleft, white. Native of Italy.
4. Lycopus Pumilus. Leaves lanceolate, subserrate, gla-
brous ; stolones procumbent ; flowers solitary ; stem low.
Found in Canada.
5. Lycopus Obtusifolius. Leaves lanceolate, obtusely ser-
rated. Found at Huason's Bay.
Lygcian ; a genus of the class Triandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: spathe one-leafed, con-
volute, ovate, acuminate, opening downwards, permanent.
Corolla: in pairs, placed on the germen, equal all ways;
glume of the corollet two-valved, outer valve convex, oblong,
acute, smaller, inner linear, narrow, twice as long, bifid,
acute.' Stamina: (to each) filamenta three, very slender,
flattish, long; antheree linear. Pistil: germen common to
both, hirsute, inferior to the corollas ; style simple, flattish,
Ions;; stigma simple. Pericarp: nut oblong, extremely hir-
sute, two-celled, not opening. Seeds: solitary, linear-oblong,
convex on one side, flattish on the other. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Corolla: two on the same germen. Nut : two-
celled. The only known species is,
i. Lygeum Spartuin ; Rush-leaved Lygcum, or Bastard
Matweed. The Spaniards use it for making baskets and
ropes, and also for tilling their palliasses, or lower mattresses.
They call both this and Stipa Tcnacissima, which is used for
the same purposes, by the name of Esparto. It is a native
of Spain, in clayey iields, where it flowers in March ; and
with us in May and June.
Lymc Grass. See Elymus.
L YS
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
L Y S
67
Lysimachia; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-
parted, acute, erect, permanent. Corolla: one-petalled,
wheel-shaped ; tube none ; border five-parted, flat ; divisions
ovate-oblong. Stamina : filameuta five, awl-shaped, opposite
to the divisions of the corolla; antheree acuminate. Pistil:
germen roundish; style filiform, the length of the stamina ;
stigma obtuse. Pericarp : capsule globular, mucronate, one-
celled, ten-valved ; according to Geertaer, five-valved. Seeds:
very many, angular; receptacle globular, very large, dotted.
Observe. In some species the stamina are united at the base.
The ninth species has a five-cleft corolla, and a five-valved
fruit. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: wheel-shaped.
Capsule: globular, mucrouate, ten-valved; according to
Geertner, five-valved; with Receptacle, free; and Seeds with
a ventral navel, opposite to the embryo. The species are,
1. Lysimachia Vulgaris; Common Loosestrife. Panicled :
racemes terminating. Root perennial, creeping; stem three feet
or more high; leaves in pairs, or three, four, or five together,
sessile, ovate, or lanceolate; corolla yellow. Native of most
parts of Europe, on the banks of streams, and in marshy
meadows; flowering from the end of June to September. It
derives the English name Loosestrife, from the quality ascribed
to it by the ancients, of quieting oxen when put upon their
yokes. This herb is of an astringent balsamic nature, and
has the credit of being so excellent a vulnerary, that if the
young leaves are bound about a fresh wound, they will imme-
diately check the bleeding, and perform a cure in a very short
lime. Hill says, the root dried and given in powder is good
against the whites, immoderate menstrual discharges, the
bloody flux, and purgings. The Germans call it Gelbe Wei-
derich; the Dutch, Gemeene Weiderich; the Danes, Fredlos ;
the French, Lisimaqwe Vulyaire; and the Italians, Lisimachia.
This, together with the fifth and eighth species, though not
often admitted into gardens, because their creeping roots are
troublesome, still deserve cultivation, for the beauty of their
large flowers; especially as they will grow in moist places,
where nothing better will thrive.
2. Lysimachia Ephemerum; Willow-leaved Loosestrife.
Racemes terminating; petals obovate, spreading; leaves li-
near-lanceolate, sessile. Root perennial; stems several, up-
right, more than three feet hi<j;h ; flowers in a long close up-
right spike; corolla white. Native of Spain. This, which is
the finest plant of the genus, may be propagated by parting
the roots in autumn; but this method increases it slowly; so
that the best way is to sow the seeds upon an eastern-aspected
border soon after they are ripe, in autumn, then the plants
will come up the following spring; but those which are sown
in the spring will not grow the same year. When they come
up, they should be kept clean from weeds; and if they are
too close, some of them may be drawn out, and transplanted
on a shady border; which will give the remaining plants
room to grow till autumn, when they may ba transplanted into
the borders of the flower-garden, where they are designed to
flower: after which, they will require no other culture but
to keep them clean from weeds, and dig the ground between
them every spring. It is very ornamental for shady borders,
and deserves a place in every pleasure-garden, delighting in
a moist soil, where it will continue long in beauty.
3. Lysimachia Stricta; Upright Loosestrife. Racemes
terminating; petals lanceolate, spreading; leaves lanceolate.
Stem erect, four-cornertr'd, smooth. After flowering, it throws
out bulbs from the axils, which falling off in October, pro-
duce young plants in the ensuing spring. Native of swampy
ground in North America. It increases by its bulbs; and
requires a very moist situation.
VOL. n. 71.
4. Lysimachia Dubia; Purple-flowered Loosestrife. Ra-
cemes terminating; petals converging; stamina shorter than
the corolla; leaves lanceolate, petioled. It flowers in July
and August. Native of the Levant. It is propagated by
seeds sown on a moderate hot-bed in the spring; often water-
ing the ground, to bring up the plants, if the season should
prove warm. The glasses of the hot-bed should be shaded
in the heat of the day. When the plants are up, they should
have a large share of fresh air admitted to them, and ought
to be frequently refreshed with water : when they are fit to
remove, plant each in a separate pot, plunging them into a
moderate hot-bed, to forward their taking new root; after
this, inure them gradually to bear the open air, into which
they should be removed at the begining of June, and remain
till October, when they should be placed under a common
frame, where they may be sheltered from frost in winter; but
always partake of free air in mild weather. The spring fol-
lowing, some of the plants may be shaken out of the pots,
and planted in borders; but a few should be put into larger
pots, where they may flower and seed.
5. Lysimachia Thyrsiflora; Tufted Loosestrife. Racemes
lateral, peduncled. Root perennial, creeping and spreading in
the mud, bearded with long fibres; stems in tufts, porous,
jointed, round, succulent; flowers in racemes; corolla small,
yellow. Native of many parts of Europe, in bogs, marshes,
ponds, ditches, and banks of rivers. Though not common in
England, it has been found near King's Langley, in Hertford-
shire; inYorkshire; and in the isle of Anglesea, North Wales:
also along the banks of the river Ballynahinch, above the
bridge, near Belfast, Ireland.- See the first species.
6. Lysimachia Quadrifolia ; Four-leaved Loosestrife. Leaves
in fours, ovate-acute; peduncles in fours, one-flowered;
flowers yellow. Native of Virginia.
7. Lysimachia Punctata; Dotted Loosestrife. Leaves in
fours, subsessile; peduncles in whorls, one-flowered. Flowers
small; corolla yellow. Native of Holland, among reeds;
Austria, Silesia, &c.
8. Lysimachia Ciliata; Ciliated Loosestrife. Petioles cili-
ated ; flowers drooping. Stalks many, erect, about two feet
high ; flowers like those of the common sort, but smaller,
hanging down. Native of Canada and Virginia.
9. Lysimachia Linum-Stellatum; Small Loosestrife. Ca-
lices exceeding the corolla; stem upright, very much branched.
This is an annual plant, two inches, seldom three, high, from
a slender whitish hair-like root. The leaves are short, ending
in a fine point; flowers small, pale green, or herbaceous, stel-
late. Native of France and Italy; flowering in the spring.
10. Lysimachia Nemorum; Wood Loosestrife, or Yellow
Pimpernel. Leaves ovate, acute; flowers solitary; stem pro-
cumbent. Root perennial, with whitish fibres; stems several,
roundish, grooved on each side alternately, smooth, red, root-
ing from the lower joints ; corolla yellow. When the flowers
are expanded, they somewhat resemble in shape those of
Anagallis Arvensis, or Common Red Pimpernel: and hence
the botanists of former times considered it as an Anagallis. It
differs from the next species, to which it bears no small affinity
in its general habit, in having the leaves more pointed, the
flowers smaller, less bell-shaped, and on much longer pedun-
cles, and the stalks generally redder. Native of many parts
of Europe, in moist woods; flowering from June to Septem-
ber : found in Charlton wood ; Hanging-wood, near Woolwich ;
Shooter's -Hill wood; between Dartford-road and Leeson-
heath; also between Muswell-hill and Highgate; in Cane-
wood ; at Scarlet Spring, near Harefield ; in Stow and Stoken-
church woods, in Oxfordshire; at Pychley, in Northampton-
shire; and near Nottingham.
68
L YT
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
L YT
11. Lysimachia Nummularia; Creeping Loosestrife, or
Moneywort. Leaves subcordate ; flowers solitary ; stem creep-
ing-. Root perennial, with simple fibres, striking downwards;
corolla yellow, about the same size with the leaves. The
whole plant is smooth. The leaves of this plant are subas-
tringent, and slightly acid ; hence Boerhaave recommended
them in the hot scurvy and heemorrhasres: they are best given
in powder, in doses often grains. The juice of the leaves
is a well-known remedy among country people for overflowing
of the menses; and the roots dried and powdered are good
in purgings. It is also a good antiscorbutic; and the leaves
bruised, and applied to green wounds, speedily heal them. It
is called Nummularia, from the leaves being shaped like
money; hence our Moneywort, Herb Two-pence, and Two-
penny Grass : which names are translated into all the lan-
guages of modern Europe. Native of most parts of Europe,
in moist meadows, on the sides of ditches, and under hedges,
in moist situations: flowering in June and July.
12. Lysimachia Japonica; Japan Loosestrife. Leaves sub-
cordate ; flowers axillary; peduncles shorter than the leaf.
Root annual, fibrous; stem filiform, decumbent; flowers two
together. Native of Japan.
13. Lysimachia Angnstifolia. Leaves opposite and verti-
cillate, longo-linear, punctated; raceme terminal, short; laci-
nie of the corolla oblong; flowers yellow, very small. Found
in Lower Carolina.
14. Lysimachia Heterophylla. Leaves opposite, linear,
sessile, ciliated at the base; root-leaves suborbiculate; flowers
stooping. Grows in wet meadows, from Virginia to
Georgia.
Ly thrum; a genus of the class Dodecandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, cylindric, striated; with twelve teeth, alternately
smaller. Corolla: petals six, oblong, bluntish, spreading,
with the claws inserted into the teeth of the calix. Stamina:
filamenta twelve, filiform, the length of the calix, the upper
ones shorter than the lower; antherse simple, rising. Pistil:
germen oblong; style awl-shaped, the length of the stamina,
declined; stigma orbiculate, rising. Pericarp: capsule ob-
long, acuminate, straight, two-celled, or one-celled. Seeds:
numerous, small. Observe. In some species, one-sixth part
of the number is taken from the flower; others have only six
stamina. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: twelve-toothed.
Petals: six, inserted into the calix. Capsule: two-celled,
many-seeded. The species are,
1. Lythrum Salicaria; Common or Purple Willow-herb.
Leaves opposite, cordate-lanceolate ; flowers in spikes, twelve-
stamined. Root perennial, thick, branched, somewhat woody,
widely extended; stem from two or three to four or six feet
high, upright, tinged with red; flowers in clusters, placed at
a little distance from each other, in the axils of the leaves,
each consisting of about eight flowers, forming a long leafy
spike; corolla red-purple. Native of most parts of Europe,
in marshes, and on the banks of rivers, ponds, and ditches;
flowering late in the summer. It is astringent ; and is
recommended by De Haen, and several other foreign physi-
sians, in long-protracted diarrhoeas and dysenteries. A de-
coction, or the expressed juice, is given from one to three
ounces. When dried and powdered, it imbibes a great quan-
tity of water, before it loses its glutinosity. It has been suc-
cessfully used in tanning leather; and seems in general to
remain untouched by cattle; though Schreber asserts that
they feed upon it. The Germans call it Braune Weiderich;
the Dutch, Partyke; the French, Salicaire: the Italians, Sali-
c'tria; and the Russians, Plakun. There are several varieties
of this handsome plant; which deserve a place in large gar-
dens and plantations, and may be easily cultivated, by part-
ing the roots in autumn ; but should be planted in a moist
soil.
2. Lythrum Virgatum ; Fine-branched Willow-herb. Leaves
opposite, lanceolate ; panicle virgate ; flowers twelve-stamined,
in threes. Root perennial, thick; stems upright, panicled,
from a foot to two feet in length. Native of Austria, Silesia,
and Siberia. This, with the other hardy foreign sorts, No.
4, 5, and 6, may be increased by parting the roots. When
raised from seed, they should be sown in autumn ; otherwise
they will remain a year in the ground.
3. Lythrum Fruticosum ; Shrubby Willow-herb. Leaves oppo-
site, subtomentose underneath ; flowers ten-stamined; corolla
shorter than the calix ; calix shorter than the genitals. This
shrub has a lacerated bark; flowers solitary, peduncled, sub-
terminating. Native of China. This, and most of the follow-
ing species, are too tender to live in the open air. Sow the
seeds in pots, and plunge them into an old hot-bed: they
will not rise, unless they are sown in autumn. Shelter them
through the winter, and in spring place them in a fresh hot-
bed : after which, treat them as other tender plants from hot
countries.
4. Lythrum Verticillatum; Whorled Willow-herb. Leaves
opposite, tomentose underneath, subpetioled ; flowers in whorls,
lateral, pale purple; peduncles many-flowered, very short.-
Native of Virginia.
5. Lythrum Petiolatum; Footstalk-leaved Willow-herb.
Leaves opposite, linear, petioled ; flowers twelve-stamined;
they are axillary, solitary, small, and of a pale purple colour,
appearing in July. Native of Virginia.
6. Lythrum Lineare; Linear-leaved Willow-herb. Leaves
opposite, linear ; flowers opposite, six-stamined, white ; stem
slender, about a foot high. It flowers in June; and is a
native of Virginia.
7. Lythrum Parsonsia. Leaves opposite, oval; flowers
alternate, six-stamined, sessile; stem diffused. Roots filiform;
stem slender, prostrate, or creeping; flowers pale red. Na-
tive of Jamaica and Hispaniola; flowering the whole year.
8. Lythrum Melanium. Leaves opposite, ovate; flowers
alternate, mostly ten-stamined; stem prostrate. This is a
weakly plant, with a slender stem, well supplied with branches
towards the top; and having a disagreeable smell, approach-
ing much to that of Guinea-hen Weed, but more subtile, and
less perceptible when placed close to the nose. Swartz dis-
tinguishes it by the alternate situation of the flowers. Native
of Jamaica, in the cane-pieces.
9. Lythrum Cordifolium; Heart-leaved Willow-herb. Leaves
oppositie, insubsessile, cordate, acute, rugged ; racemes termi-
nating and axillary; flowers ten-stamined. Native of Hispa-
niola.
10. Lythrum Ciliatum; Ciliated Willow-herb. Leaves
opposite, petioled, ovate, smooth, ciliated ; racemes termi-
nating; flowers mostly pointing one way, ten-stamined.
Native of Jamaica.
11. Lythrum Cuphea; Clammy Willow-herb. Leaves oppo-
site, petioled, ovate-oblong, somewhat rugged; flowers twelve-
stamined. Root fibrous, annual ; stalk delicate, slender, round,
upright, ten inches or a foot in height, pubescent, purple;
branches few, alternate, simple; petals unequal, the two
upper ones larger. It flowers in July and August. Nativ*
of Brazil and Jamaica. See the third species.
12. Lythrum Triflorum ; Three-flowered Willow-herb. Very
smooth: leaves opposite, subsessile, lanceolate, entire; pedun-
cles axillary, opposite; head three-flowered. Root perennial.
This species is easily distinguished from the rest, by its filiform
peduncles, terminated by two lanceolate, channelled, spreading
L Y T
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
L Y T
69
bractes, longer than the flower, and between these three
regular flowers, on short pedicels, blue, and small. Jussieu
however doubts whether it really belongs to this genus.
Native of America.
13. Lythrum Pemphis. Shrubby, hirsute : leaves opposite,
oblong, entire ; flowers axillary, peduncled, solitary ; capsule
cut round horizontally, one-celled. This is a hoary shrub.
Found on the coast of Ceylon ; and by Forster, in the island of
Teautea, in the South Sea.
14. Lythrum Racemosum. Diffused : leaves opposite, pe-
tioled, ovate; racemes terminating; flowers opposite. Native
of South America.
15. Lythrum Dipetalum. Hispid-viscid : leaves in threes,
or opposite, sessile, ovate ; flowers axillary, nodding, two-
petalled ; petals large, inserted into the upper margin of the
calix, erect, obovate, violet or blue. The flowers, which are
handsome, render this a very distinct species. Native of
South America.
16. Lythrum Hyssopifolia ; Hyssop-leaved Willow-herb.
.eaves alternate, linear; flowers six-stamined. Root annual;
items prostrate, stiffish, simple, or branched, and only near the
oot, rod-like ; colour of the flowers blue. Linneus says,
urple, and white at the base; Mr. Miller, light purple; and
\rocker describes the petals as rose-coloured. Villars says,
he leaves are very bitter. It is generally called Grass Poly,
>t Small Hedge Hyssop. Native of many parts of Europe,
is Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy ; and Eng-
and, in wet meadows, watery places, and especially where
water stagnates in winter ; but it does not seem to be very
common any where. With us it is found on Hounslow Heath ;
between Staines andLaleham; on Histon, Hinton, and Fe-
versham Moors ; and at Oakington, in Cambridgeshire ; on
the Banbury Road, from Oxford, near the first turnpike-
gate ; at Feversham, in Kent, in the ditches near the abbey-
pond ; near the Wheat-sheaf, five miles beyond Huntingdon,
on the north'road ; and about Wiiford, in Northamptonshire.
It flowers in July. Being annual, it must be raised from seeds,
like the next species ; but they are bog-plants, and seldom
admitted into gardens.
17. Lythrum Thymifolia; Thyme-leaved Willow-herb.
Leaves alternate, linear ; flowers four-stamined. Root annual,
very like the preceding, but only half, or one-third of the size ;
petals commonly four, rose-coloured. It flowers in August.
Native of the south of France, Italy, and Silesia, in moist
meadows and ditches. See the preceding species ; of which
Krocker suspects it to be a variety.
18. Lythrum Americanum ; South American Willow-herb.
Leaves oblong-ovate, below opposite, above alternate; flowers
six-stamined. The root is woody ; from which arise two or
three slender stalks upwards of two feet high ; flowers small,
white. Found at La Vera Cruz, in swamps.
19. Lythrum Alatum. Plant very smooth ; leaves oppo-
site, ovate-oblong, acute, subcordated at the base ; flowers
axillary, solitary, sessile, hexandrous, small, purple. It
grows from three to four feet in height ; and is found in
Lower Georgia.
M AB
MAE A ; a genus of the class Dioecia, order Triandria.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Male. Calix: perianth semi-
trifid : divisions acute, villose. Corolla : one-petalled, tubu-
lar, villose on the outside; tube cylindric, longer than the
calix ; border trifid ; divisions ovate, thickish, upright. Sta-
mina: filamenta three, filiform, shorter than the calix; antherse
erect, ovate. Pistil : rudiment globular, subsessile, in the
centre of the flower. Female. Calix: perianth inferior, per-
manent, as in the males. Corolla and Pistil: undescribed.
Pericarp : drupe sugerior, ovate, oblong, two-celled ; cells
two-seeded. Seeds : nuts two, oblong, three-sided, some-
what convex at the back, with two plane sides. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Male. Calix: trifid. Female. Corolla:
trifid. Drape : superior, two-celled. The only known
species is,
1. Maba Elliptica. This is a very smooth tree, with the
twigs and young leaves hairy. Leaves alternate, on very short
petioles, elliptic, veined, very smooth ; peduncles axillary,
short, often three-flowered ; flowers small, and singular, hav-
ing the outside of the ealix and corolla more villose than any
of the plant. There is another species, or variety, which
Forster calls Maba Major, because the drupe or fruit is three
times the size of the other ; having three-sided kernels in the
cells, which are tough and insipid : they are however eaten by
the inhabitants, and were brought for sale to our people.
Native of the Friendly Islands.
Mabea ; a genus of the class Monoecia, order Polyandria.
- GENERIC CHARACTER. Male. Calix: perianth, one-
leafed, five-toothed, acute. Corolla: none. Stamina : fila-
inenta nine to twelve, inserted into the bottom of the calix ;
autheroe roundish. Female, Calif: perianth one leafed,
MAC
upright, five-toothed, acute^ Corolla : none. Pistil : gennen
oblong, subtrigonal, longer than the calix ; style long, (Jussieu
asks, if it be not rather three styles glued together?) stigmas
three, filiform, revolute, or twisted spirally. Pericarp: cap-
sule covered with a thick bark, roundish, tricoccous, three-
celled ; cells bivalve, bursting elastically. Seeds : solitary,
roundish. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Male. Calix: one-
leafed, five-toothed. Corolla: none. Filamenta: nine to
twelve, inserted into the bottom of the calix. Female. Stig-
mas: three, revolute. Capsule: covered with a thick bark,
three-celled, three-seeded. The species are,
1. Mabea Piriri. Leaves ovate-oblong, accuminated. A
I shrub, with the trunk six feet high, and about six inches in
diameter : from this trunk rise, to a great height, several
twiggy branches, which spread and catch upon the neigh-
bouring trees. The flowers are borne in great numbers on the
j tops of the branches, ranged in along panicle; the upper part
of which sustains the male, and the lower the female flowers,
which are about six or eight in number. All the parts of this
shrub yield a milky juice. The Creoles and Negroes use the
smaller branches for pipes ; hence the tree is called Pipe-
wood, (Bois (I Calumet.) Native of Guiana.
2. Mabea Taquari. Leaves ovate, obtuse, marked with
red veins beneath. It differs from the preceding, in having a
reddish bark, and larger leaves and fruit ; but in other respects
much resembles it. Native of Guiana, where it is used for the
same purposes as the former.
Macedonian Parsley. See Bubon.
Mucrocnemum ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order
Monogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, superior, turbinate, fire-toothed, permanent. Corolla ;
70
MAG
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MA G
ene-petalled, somewhat bell-shaped, five-cleft, divisions
ovate, upright. Stamina: filamenta five, awl-shaped, villose,
shorter than the corolla; antherae ovate, compressed, in the
jaws of the flower. Pistil: germen inferior, conical; style
simple, the length of the stamina; stigma thickish, two-lobed.
Pericarp: capsule oblong, turbinate, two-celled, two-valved.
Seeds: very many, imbricate. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Corolla: bell-shaped. Capsule: two-celled, two ? valved, with
the valves gaping outwardly at the sides. Seeds: imbricate.
The species are,
1. Macrocnemum Jamaicense. Corymbs on long axillary
stalks; calix without any appendage. A small tree, with a
branching smooth trunk; branches long, loose, round, and
warted ; leaves approximating towards the upper part of the
branchlets,petioled, opposite, large, oblong, with a short point,
entire, nerved, smooth on both sides ; flowers in a sort of pani-
cle ; corollas rather large, of a yellowish green. It generally
rises to the height of twelve or fourteen feet. Native of the
southern part of the island of Jamaica, on the banks of rivulets.
2. Macrocnemum Coccineum. Racemes with elliptic
coloured leaves ; leaves lanceolate, elliptic, one to two feet
long. This is a tree, with hairy branches ; eoj-olla funnel-
form. Found in the island of Trmidad by Von Rohr.
3. Macrocnemum Candidissimum. Corymbs trichotomous,
with roundish leaves ; leaves ovate. This is a tree, with
round, smooth, opposite branches, jointed at top, compressed,
dilated under the leaves ; capsule oblong. Found by Von
Rohr in the neighbourhood of St. Martha.
4. Macrocnemum Speciosum. Corymbs shorter than the
leaves, hairy ; calicine bractes roundish ovate, its stalk shorter
than the corolla. A beautiful shrub, five feet high. Native
of the Caraccas.
Macrolobium; a genus of the class Triandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth double,
outer two-leaved; leaflets opposite, ovate-oblong, fastened to
the base of the inner; inner one-leafed, turbinate, short;
mouth oblique, five-toothed. Corolla: five-petalled, unequal ;
upper petal very large, upright, clawed, oblong, blunt, con-
cave, waved, inserted into the inner perianth; lower petals
four, small, ovate, spreading, fastened to the inner perianth
above. Stamina : filamenta four, inserted into the inner
perianth ; one short, barren, under the great petal ; three
very long, filiform, anther-bearing, fastened below the smaller
petals; antherse four-cornered. Pistil: germen pedicelled,
ovate ; style filiform ; stigma blunt. Pericarp : legume ovate,
compressed, coriaceous, one-celled. Seed: single, roundish,
compressed. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: double;
outer two-leaved; inner one-leafed. Petals: five; upper
very large, the four other very small, equal. Germen : pedi-
eelled. -The species are,
1. Macrolobium Vouapa. Leaves binate; Legume sharp
on one side, and two-winged. This is a branching tree, sixty
feet high, with flowers of a pale violate colour at the ends of
the branches. Found in the large forests of Guiana.
2. Macrolobiufn Simira. Leaves binate ; legume rounded
on all sides. This tree is much branched, has a thick trunk,
and rises to the height of eighty feet. The bark is reddish,
thick, and wrinkled. Native of South America.
3. Mnerolobium Outea. Leaves two-paired. This tree,
which is vow branchy at top, rises to the height of fifty feet,
with u smooth grey bark. Native of the forests of Guiana.
Mrtd'lrr. See Rubiu.
Mndwort. See Alyssum.
Mnr/noUn ; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Polygynia.
(ii'.NERic CHARACTER. Calix: perianth three-leaved;
leaflets ovate, concave, petal-shaped, deciduous. Corolla:
petals nine, oblong, concave, blunt, narrower at the base.
Stamina: filamenta numerous, short, acuminate, compressed,
inserted into the common receptacle of the pistilla below the
germina; antherse linear, fastened on each side to the margin
of the h'lameuta. Pistil : germina numerous, ovate-oblong,
two-celled, covering a club-shaped receptacle; styles re-
curved, contorted, very short; stigmas longitudinal of the
style, villose. Pericarp : strobile ovate, covered with capsules,
which are compressed, roundish, scarcely imbricate, clustered,
acute, one-celled, two-valved, sessile, opening outwards, per-
manent. Seeds : two or one, roundish, berried, hanging by a
thread from the sinus of each scale of the strobile. Observe.
The germina are two-celled and two-seeded; the ripe capsules
one-ceiled, two-valved. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix:
three-leaved. Petals: nme. Capsule: one-celled, two-valved.
Seeds: berried, pendulous. The species are,
1. Magnolia Grandirlora; Laurel-leaved Tulip Tree. Leaves
perennial, oblong, tomentose underneath; petals obovate.
The trunk of this tree is straight, two feet or more in diame-
ter, rising to above seventy or eighty feet, dividing into many
branches, which form a large regular head. The flowers are
produced at the ends of the branches; they are very large,
and composed of eight or ten petals, narrow at their base,
but broad, rounded, and a little waved at their extremities ;
they spread open very wide, six to nine inches, are of a pure
white colour, and have an agreeable scent. In its native
country it begins to flower in May ; the flowers continue a long
time, perfuming the woods with their odour during the
greatest part of the summer; but in England it seldom begins
to flower till the middle or end of June, and does not continue
long in beauty. Native of Florida and Carolina. This, with
all the other species, is propagated by seeds, layers, and cut-
tings of the shoots : if by seeds, they should be procured
from the places of their natural growth, which should be
put up in sand, and sent over as soon as possible ; for if
they are kept long out of the ground, they rarely grow. It
is a good way to sow them in pots, and plunge them into
an old hot-bed of tanner's bark. To increase them by
layers, choose the young pliable shoots, giving them a gen-
tle twist, or a slit. It may be done either in spring or autumn.
Some may root the first year, but more probably not till
the second. Then take them ofT, plant them in pots, in the
early spring, and plunge them in a moderate hot-bed for a
month or two, and thus they will make good plants by
autumn. Shelter them during winter fpr a year or two, and
then plant them in the full ground. For cuttings, take
young shoots of the preceding year; in March or April,
plant them in pots up to the rims in a hot-bed ; water and
shade them occasionally; and when they are rooted, inure
them by degrees to the open air.
2. Magnolia Plumieri; P/umier's Magnolia. Leaves per-
ennial, ovate-roundish, smooth on both sides. Native of the
island of St. Lucia, Martinico, and Guadaloupe.
3. Magnolia Glauca ; Swamp Magnolia- Leaves ovate-
oblong, glaucous underneath. It grows about fifteen or six- "
teen feet high. The flowers are produced in May and June,
at the extremity of the branches ; they are white, and have
an agreeable sweet scent ; and have only six concave petals :
after-these are past, the fruit increases to the size of a walnut,
with its cover of a conical shape ; (he seed is about the size of
a kidney-bean. In America this tree is known by the names
of White Laurel, Swamp Sassafras, and Beaver Tree. It has
the last name, because the root is eaten as a great dainty by
beavers, which are caught by means of it. These trees are
natives of the woods of America, and may be discovered by
the scent of the blossoms at the distance of three quarters of
M A H
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
M A L
71
a: mile, if the wind be favourable ; and while they are in
flower, it is exceedingly pleasant to travel in the woods,
especially in the evening : they retain their flowers three
weeks, and even longer. The berries also look very handsome
when they are ripe, being of a rich red colour, and hanging
in bunches on slender threads. Coughs, and other diseases
of the breast, are said to be cured by putting these berries
into brandy, and giving a draught of the liquor every morn-
ing; which is also reputed to be salutary in comsumptions.
A decoction of the bark also, or an infusion of it in brandy,
is not only supposed to cure pectoral diseases, but to assuage
internal pains and heat, and cure dysenteries. For colds,
they commonly boil the branches in water. The wood, which
is white and spongy, is used for joiners' planes. This tree,
in our climate, requires a moist loamy soil.
4. Magnolia Obovata ; Purple Magnolia. Leaves obovate,
parallel, nerved, and netted undernath. -Native of Japan.
5. Magnolia Tomentosa. Slender Woolly Magnolia. Leaves
elliptic, tomentose underneath. This and the preceding
specie's are cultivated by the Japanese for the elegance of
their flowers. Native of Japan.
6. Magnolia Acuminata; Blue Magnolia. Leaves ovate-
oblong, acuminate. The flowers appear early in spring, they
are composed of twelve large bluish-coloured petals; the fruit
is about three inches long, somewhat resembling a small
cucumber ; whence the North Americans call it Cucumber
Tree. The wood is of a fine grain, and an orange colour.
Native of North America.
7. Magnolia Tripetala; Umbrella Magnolia, or Umbrella
Tree. Leaves lanceolate ; petals nine, the outer ones hang-
ing down. Trunk slender, from sixteen to twenty feet high;
the leaves are often from twelve to fifteen inches long, and
five or six inches wide, narrowing to a point at each extre-
mity, placed at the ends of the branches in a circular man-
ner, somewhat like an umbrella ; and hence the name : the
flowers are upright, large, and white : the wood is soft and
spongy ; and the leaves drop off at the beginning of winter.
Native of North America.
8. Magnolia Macrophylla ; Long-leaved Magnolia. Branches
pithy, fragile; leaves very large, glaucous underneath; petals
six, ovate, obtuse. This small stately tree has white flowers,
tinged with red at the bottom, and larger than those of the
first species. It grows in the deep forests of Tenassee,
and is one of the most ornamental trees America produces,
flowering in June and July.
9. Magnolia Cordata. Leaves cordate, subtomentose ;
petals lanceolate-oblong, acute ; flowers yellow. Found on
dry ridges of mountains, in Upper Carolina and Georgia.
10. Magnolia Auriculata; Ear-leaved Magnolia. Leaves
large, obovate-lanceolate, acute, glaucous underneath,
cordated at the base, auriculate; lobes approximate; petals
ovate, acute, subunguiculate ; flowers yellowish-white, large.
Found in the Allegheny mountains, from the head-waters
of the Susquehanna to Carolina. The bark of this species is
esteemed a valuable medicine, particularly in intermitting
fevers : from which circumstance it is, in some places, known
by the name of Indian Physic.
1 1 . Magnolia Pyramidata. Leaves rhomboidal-oboval, ab-
ruptly acute, subcordate, auriculate ; lobes divaricate ; petals
lanceolate, somewhat acute. Pursh observes, that this tree
has been generally confounded with the preceding; from which
it not only differs as above, but in habit, being of a more
upright pyramidal growth, and the leaves not one-fourth the
size of that species. Native of the western parts of Carolina
and Georgia.
Mahernia ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Penta-
VOL. ii. 72.
gynia. GENERIC CHAR'ACTEH. Calix : perianth one-leafed,
five-cleft, bell-shaped, with awl-shaped longer teeth ; perma-
nent. Corolla : petals five, heart-shaped, oblong, spreading,
twice as long as the calix ; nectaries five, obcordate, pedi-
celled, surrounding the germen, shorter than the calix. Sta-
mina : filamenta five, capillary, placed on the nectary, united
at the base, -shorter than the calix; antherse oblong, acumi-
nate, erect. Pistil : germen subpedicelled, obovate, five-
angled ; styles five, bristle-shaped, erect, the length of the
petals; stigmas simple. Pericarp: capsule ovate, five-celled,
five-valved. Seeds: few, kidney-form. Observe. It has a
very great affinity to Hermannia, but their nectaries cannot
be combined in the same character. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Cafe: five-toothed. Petals .-five. Nectaries: five, obcordate,
placed under the filamenta. Capsule: five-celled. These
may be increased by planting cuttings of the young branches
in the summer season, singly, in pots of light mould, water-
ing and plunging them in a hot-bed; to be removed after
rooting; into the green-house. The species are,
1. Mahernia Verticillata; Whorl-leaved Mahernia. Leaves
in whorls, linear. Stem shrubby, diffused, with filiform
branches ; corolla yellow. Native of the Cape.
2. Mahernia Pinnata; Wing-leaved Mahernia. Leaves
three-parted, pinnatifid. Stem shrubby, near three feet high,
sending out many delicate branches, covered with a reddish
bark ; the flowers come out from the side of the branches
in small clusters, they are of a lively red when they first open,
and hang down like little bells, commonly two together,
appearing from June to August and September. Native of
the Cape.
3. Mahernia Incisa; Cut-leaved Mahernia. Leaves lan-
ceolate, gashed. In point of size and mode of growth, this
beautiful species comes near to the preceding ; but differs
essentially in the singular hispidity of its stalks, the form of
its leaves, and the colour of its flowers. The flowers, when
in bud, are of the richest crimson ; as they open, they incline
to a deep orange, and finally become yellowish. Native of
the Cape.
4. Mahernia Glabrata ; Smooth-leaved Mahernia. Leaves
lanceolate, pinnatifid and toothed ; stalks very long, bearing
two flowers, which are yellow, fragrant like the Jonquil.
Grows at the Cape.
Mahogany Tree. See Swietenia.
Maidenhair. See Adiantium and Asplenium,
Maithes. See Anthemis and Adonis.
Malabar Nightshade. See Basella.
Malabar Nut. See Justicia.
Malachodendrum. See Stuartia.
Malachra; a genus of the class Monadelphia, order Poly-
andria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth com-
mon mostly five-flowered, three or five leaved, large; leaflets
cordate, acute, permanent ; chaffs bristle-shaped, set round
the proper perianths ; perianth proper one-leafed, bell-shaped,
small, five-cleft, permanent. Corolla: proper, petals five,
obovate, entire, fastened at bottom to the tube of the sta-
mina. Stamina: filamenta many, conjoined below into a
tube, above loose, gaping along the whole surface of the
cylinder; antherae kidney-form. Pistil; germen orbicular;
style cylindric, ten-cleft ; stigmas globular. Pericarp: cap-
sule roundish, divisible into five cells, compressed on one
side, gibbous on the other. Seeds : solitary, roundish, angu-
lar. Observe. The divisions of the style, and the stigmas, are
twice as many as the capsules. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix: common three-leaved, many-flowered, larger. Arils:
five, one-seeded. The species are,
1. Malachra Capitata; Heart-leaved Malachra. Heads
T
72
M AL
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
M A L
peduncled, three-leaved, seven-flowered. Stem thick, erect,
two feet high, rough, as is the whole plant; flowers aggregate,
peduncled ; corolla yellow, spreading ; petals roundish.
Native of marshy places in the Caribbee islands.
2. Malachra Radiata. Heads peduncled, five-leaved, many-
flowered ; leaves palmate. Stem tender, round, whitish-green,
covered with rufous pungent hairs, as is the whole plant,
which is about six feet high ; corolla purplish. Native of
marshy places in St. Domingo.
3. Malachra Bracteata. Leaves palmate ; heads many-
flowered ; flowers very small, and bracteated. The whole
plant is very hairy. Native of America.
4. Malachra Fasciata. With serrate three-lobed leaves,
the lowest five-lobed ; the common involucre three-leaved,
and about five-flowered. Stem single, six feet high, and twice
the thickness of the thumb ; heads of flowers axillary, small,
rose-coloured outward, within whitish, with purple streaks.
Native of America.
5. Malachra Aleseifolia. With five-lobed leaves, cordate
at the base; the common involucre five-leaved, and about
ten-flowered. Stem single, six feet high, upright, an inch
thick, covered with glistening pungent hairs ; flowers two or
three together, rather small, and of a deep yellow. Native
of Martinico. x
Malaxis; a genus of the class Gynandria, order Diandria.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : spathes none; perianth
none. Corolla : petals five, three outer, of which two upper,
one lower, lanceolate, blunt, spreading; two inner linear,
acute, reflex about the germen ; nectary in the middle of the
corolla, less than the petals, concave, with concave margins,
cordate, acuminate behind, bifid in front. Stamina: antheiae
two, ovate, scarcely pedicelled, inserted into the pitcher of
the pistil, at the edge, sitting on two little excavations at the
bottom. Pistil: germen pedicelled, somewhat cylindric,
inferior ; style a pitcher in the middle of the nectary, halved,
very short, spreading, bearing the stamina on its hinder mar-
gin ; stigma before the little excavations, near the antheree.
Pericarp : capsule pedicelled, oblong, three-keeled, one-
celled, opening under the keels, cohering at top and bottom.
Seeds: extremely minute. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Nec-
tary : one-leafed, concave, cordate, acuminate backwards,
bifid in front, cherishing the genitals in the middle. The
species are,
1. Malaxis Spicata. Scape quadrangular; flowers in spikes.
Perennial. Native of Jamaica.
2. Malaxis Umbelliflora. Scape quinquangular ; flowers
umbelled. Native of Jamaica.
3. Malaxis Ophyoglossoides. Leaf solitary, ovate, clasp-
ing the stem ; stalk with many angles ; lip cloven at the ex-
tremity. Native of shady woods in North America.
Male Balsam Apple. See Momordica.
Mallow, See Malva*
Mallow, Jews'. See Corchorus.
Mallow, Marsh. See Alt/uca.
Mallow, Rose. See Alceea.
Mallow, Indian. See Sida.
Mallow Tree. See Lavatera.
Mallow, Syrian. See Hibiscus.
Malope i a genus of the class Monadelphia, order Polyan-
dria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth double,
outer three-leaved, broader; leaflets cordate, acute, perma-
nent, inner one-leafed, half five-cleft, more erect, permanent.
Corolla : petals five, obcordate, preemorse, spreading, fast-
ened to the tube of the stamina at the base. Stamina: fila-
menta numerous, at the bottom united into a tube ; above, at,
and below the apex of the tube, separate and loose ; antherse
almost kidney-form. Pistil: germina roundish ; style simple,
the length of the stamina ; stigmas many, simple, bristle-
shaped. Pericarp : capsule roundish, many-celled ; cells a*
many as there are stigmas, conglomerated into a head. Seeds :
solitary, kidney-form. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix:
double, outer three-leaved. Arils: glomerated, one-seeded.
The species are,
1. Malope Malacoides. Leaves ovate-crenate, smooth
above. The whole plant much resembles the Mallow ; but
differs from it, in having the cells collected into a button,
somewhat like a Blackberry. The branches spread, and lie
flat upon the ground, extending a foot each way ; the flowers
in shape and colour are like-those of the Mallow. Native of
Tuscany and Barbary. It is propagated by seeds sown in
the place where they are designed to remain ; for it does not
bear transplanting well. If these seeds be sown upon a
warm border in August, the plants will frequently stand
through the winter, and flower early the following season ;
so that good seeds may be obtained : but those which are
sown in the spring rarely ripen the same year in England.
In winter they should lie sheltered under a frame. The
other species may be propagaled nearly in the same manner.
2. Malope Parviflora Calicos simple; leaves subcoidate,
even; peduncles scarcely longer than the petiole. Root annual;
stem very much branched, spreading, red, subvillose, a foot
high; flowers axilla'-y; coiolla hemispherical. Native of
Peru.
3. Malope Multiflora. Leaves roundish, undivided, notched,
villose ; stalks three or four together, axillary ; flowers small,
and white. Native of Spain.
4. Malope Trifida. Leaves oblong, three-lobed, pointed,
toothed, smooth; stalks solitary, axillary. ---Found in mea-
dows, both in Spain and Barbary.
Malpighia ; a genus of the class Decandria, order Trigy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-leaved,
erect, very small, permanent, converging. There are two
melliferous glands, oval and gibbous, fastened to the calicine
leaflets, on the outside, and at the bottom. Corolla: petals
five, kidney-form, large, plaited, ciliate, spreading, concave,
with long linear claws. Stamina: filamenta ten, broadish,
awl-shaped, erect, placed in a cylinder, united below, small ;
an there cordate. Pistil: germen roundish, very small;
styles three, filiform; stigmas blunt. Pericarp: berry glo-
bular, torulose, large, one-celled. Seeds: three, bony, oblong,
blunt, angular, with an oblong blunt kernel. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: five-leaved, with melliferous pores on
the outside, at the base. Petals: five, roundish, with claws.
Berry: one-celled, three-seeded. The species are,
1. Malpighia Glabra. Smooth-leaved Barbadoes Cherry.
Leaves ovate, quite entire, smooth; peduncles umbelled.
This tree grows to the height of fifteen or sixteen feet, erect,
divided into very delicate slender branches ; flowers in axil-
lary and terminating bunches or umbels, on peduncles half
an inch long, and about four flowers on each; petals rose-
coloured, or bright purple ; fruit red, round, smooth-skinned,
the size of a cherry, containing within a reddish, not unplea-
sant, copious, juicy pulp. This tree is planted in most gar-
dens of the West Indies, where the fruit is esteemed. This,
with all its congeners, are propagated by seeds, which must
be sown upon a good hot-bed in the spring ; and when the
plants are fit to transplant, they must be each put into a
separate small pot filled with rich earth, and plunged into a
hot-bed of tanner's bark ; where they must be treated in the
same manner as other tender plants from the same country.
For the first two winters it will be proper to keep them in
the bark-bed in the stove ; but afterwards they nmy be
M AL
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
M A L
73
placed upon stands in the dry-stove in winter, where they
may be kept in a temperate warmth ; in which they will
thrive much better than in a greater heat. They must be
watered two or three times a week, while placed in the dry-
stove; but it must not be given to them in large quantities.
2. Malpighia Punicifolia ; Pomegranate-leaved Barbadoes
Cherry. Loaves ovate, quite entire, smooth ; peduncles one-
flowered. This rises with a shrubby stalk, ten or twelve feet
high, dividing into several slender spreading branches,
covered with a light brown bark ; corolla 'pale rose-coloured.
Native of the West Indies.
3. Malpighia Nitida; Shining-leaved Barbadoes Cherry.
Leaves lanceolate, quite entire, smooth ; spikes lateral. This
is a shrub, six feet high; stem upright, round, even; branches
decussated, upright, round, covered with a shining bark;
flowers peduncled, yellow. Native of the West Indies.
4. Malpighia Faginea. Leaves oblong-ovate, entire, silky,
shining underneath ; peduncles three-parted, umbelled.
Native of the West Indies.
5. Malpighia Lucida. Leaves obovate, wedge-form, quite
entire, nerveless, shining ; peduncles terminating, many-flow-
ered. Native of the West Indies.
6. Malpighia Urens ; Stinging Barbadoes Cherry. Leaves
oblong-ovate, with rigid decumbent bVistles underneath ;
peduncles one-flowered, aggregate. This shrub rises with a
strong upright stem about three feet high, covered with a
brown bark, sending out several side-branches, which grow
erect. Native of the West India Islands.
7. Malpighia Angustifolia ; Narrow-leaved Barbadoes
Cherry. Leaves linear-lanceolate, with rigid decumbent
bristles on both sides ; peduncles umbelled. Stalk shrubby,
seven or eight feet high. Native of the West Indies.
8. Malpighia Crassifolia ; Thick-leaved Barbadoes Cherry.
Leaves ovate, quite entire, tomentose underneath ; racemes
terminating. -Native of the West India Islands and Guiana.
9. Malpighia Coriacea. Leaves ovate, acute, entire, smooth
on both sides ; racemes terminating, spiked. This tree rises
frequently to the height of thirty or forty feet, or more.
Native of Jamaica, where it is common on the lower hills of
Liguanea. Brown calls it the Locust Berry Tree.
10. Malpighia Canescens; Downy-leaved Barbadoes Cherry.
Leaves oblong, blunt, pubescent; racemes axillary, com-
pound. Native of the West Indies.
11. Malpighia V'erbascifolia; Mullein-leaved Barbadoes
Cherry. Leaves lanceolate-ovate, tomentose, quite entire;
racemes terminating. Native of South America.
12. Malpighia Aquifolia; Holly-leaved Barbadoes Cherry.
Leaves lanceolate, tooth-spiny, hispid underneath. Found
in the isle of Cuba.
13. Malpighia Coccigera. Leaves subovate, tooth-spiny.
Stalk thick and woody, two or three feet high. Native of
the West Indies.
14. Malpighia Martinicensis. Leaves ovate, with decum-
bent rigid bristles underneath. A small tree ; found by
Jacquin in Martinico.
15. Malpighia Diphylla. Leaves oval, smooth; racemes
terminating. An upright shrub, eight feet high : flowers
yellow; berries red. Found near Carthagena.
16. Malpighia Odorata. Leaves ovate, emarginate, tomen-
tose on both sides ; racemes axillary. It is an upright shrub,
eight feet high ; flowers sweet, smelling like those of yellow
Lupine; petals yellow; berries orange-coloured. Found near
Carthagena.
17. Malpighia Grandifolia. Leaves lanceolate-oblong;
racemes corymbed, axillary. This is a small tree, ten feet
high, upright. Native of Martinico.
18. Malpighia Altissima. Leaves lanceolate, ferruginous
underneath, smooth above, quite entire; racemes terminating,
upright. This tree is thirty feet high, or more, with an
upright trunk, and a pyramidal elegant head ; flowers yellow,
sweet, in long racemes, not unlike those of the Horse Chest-
nut. Berries yellow, acid, but not unpleasant. The wood
is white. It is common in Martinico, where the natives call
it Bois Tan, the bark being fit for tanning leather.
Malva ; a genus of the class Monadelphia, order Polyan-
dria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth double;
outer three-leaved, narrower ; leaflets cordate, acute, per-
manent ; inner one-leafed, half five-cleft, larger, broader,
permanent. Corolla : petals five, obcordate, prcemorse, flat,
fixed to the tube of the stamina at the base. Stamina: fila-
menta numerous, united below into a tube, seceding, and
loose at the top and surface of it ; antheree kidney-form. Pis-
til: germen orbicular; style cylindric, short; stigmas very
many, bristly, the length of the style. Pericarp: capsule
roundish, composed of very many cells, (as many as there are
stigmas,) two-valved, placed in a whorl about a columnar
receptacle, finally falling. Seeds : solitary, very seldom two
or three, kidney-form. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calijc :
double: outer three-leaved. Capsule: many, united in a
depressed whorl, one-celled, one-seeded. Sow the seeds of
the hardy sorts at the end of March, upon a bed of fresh light
earth; and when the plants are three or four inches high,
transplant them where they are to continue, allowing them
sufficient space. They appear best when intermixed with
other flowers of the same growth. The seeds may also be
sown in August, on a dry soil, and these plants will grow larger
and flower sooner than those which are sown in the spring :
or, if the seeds be permitted to scatter, they will come up,
and thrive equally with those which are sown. The seeds of
those species which come from hot countries, must be sown
upon a hot-bed in the spring. When the plants are fit to
remove, plant each in a small pot filled with light fresh earth,
and plunge them into a new hot-bed, shading them until they
have taken fresh root; then admit free air to them in pro-
portion to the warmth of the season, and at the end of June
they may be placed in the open air in a sheltered situation,
where they will flower, and produce ripe seeds. Some species
require the protection of the bark-stove. The species are,
* With undivided Leaves.
1. Malva Spicata ; Spiked Mallow. Leaves cordate, do-
nate, tcmentose; spikes oblong, rough-haired. Stem pale
green, two or three feet high, branched; flowers orange-co-
loured, in a thick spike, with very hirsute calyxes. It flowers
in September and October. Native of Jamaica.
2. Malva Tomentosa ; Downy-leaved Mallow. Leaves
cordate, crenate, tomentose; flowers lateral, heaped; stem
shrubby; petals short; stamina five; styles many. Native
of the East Indies and Cochin-china.
3. Malva Gangetica; Indian Mallow. Leaves cordate,
obtuse, rugged; flowers sessile, glomerate; arils ten, awnless,
crenulate. Flowers yellow. -Native of India.
4. Malva Coromandeliana ; Cnromandel Mallow. Leaves
oblong or cordate, serrate ; peduncles axillary ; flowers
glomerate; arils cusped ; stem a foot high, round, hispid.
Common in Jamaica, among grass.
5. Malva Scoparia ; Small ^fellow -flowered Upright Mal-
low. Leaves ovate, crenate-serrate ; flowers axillary, clus-
tered ; stems shrubby ; branches rod-like. This is a shrub,
a fathom in height ; flowers yellow, marked with red spots.
The Spaniards of South America call it Escoba Cimarrona, or
Wild Broom ; they make common besoms of the branches.
Native of Peru.
74
M A L
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
A L
6. Malva Angustifolia ; Narrow-leaved Mallow. Leaves
lanceolate ; flowers axillary, in pairs ; peduncles shorter than
the petiole ; outer calix bristle-shaped, deciduous. Stem suf-
f'ruticose, round, branched, three feet high; corolla pale
violet. It flowers in August. Native of Mexico.
7. IVtalva Americana; American Mallow. Leaves cordate,
crenate ; lateral flowers solitary ; terminating flowers in
spikes. Root annual; stem a foot high, stiff, round, some--
what hairy ; branches few, short, upright, from the lower
axils ; corolla yellow. Native of North America.
* With angular Leaves*
Malva Peruviana; Peruvian Mallow. Stem upright,
herbaceous ; leaves palmate ; spikes directed one way, axil-
lary ; seeds toothletted. Stem from two to three feet high,
with hairs thinly scattered over it, usually in pairs ; leaves
seven-lobed, sharply serrate ; corollas small, purple. Na-
tive of Peru.
9. Malva Limensis ; Blue-flmvered Mallow. Stem upright,
herbaceous ; leaves lobed ; spikes directed one way, axillary;
seeds even. Flowers blue, appearing in July. Annual.
Xative of Peru, about Lima.
10. Malva Bryonifolia; Bryony-ieaved Mallow. Stem
shrubby, tomentose; leaves pinnate, rugged; peduncles many-
flowered. Miller describes it as having a shrubby woolly stalk,
four or five feet high, branched on every side, with woolly
rough leaves ; peduncles axillary, supporting four or five
flowers; bright purple, shaped like those of the Common
Mallow : they appear in July, and ripen seed in autumn. This
plant is handsomely echinated on the disk of the leaf. It
seldom continues more than two or three years. Native of
Spain.
11. Malva Lactea; Panided Mallow. Stem shrubby;
leaves acute, cordate, villose ; petals obcordate, shorter than
the calix; peduncles panicled. Native place unknown.
12. Malva Vitifolia; Vine-leaved Mallow. Stem upright,
branched ; leaves five-lobed, crenate, villose ; axils many-
flowered. Stem six feet high, round ; corolla white, a little
larger than the calix. Native of Mexico.
13. Malva Umbellata; Umbelled Mallow. Stem shrubby:
leaves cordate, five-lobed ; flowers umbelled. Stem shrubby,
round, two feet high, tomentose ; corolla bell-shaped, twice
as large as the calix, very deeply divided into five rounded
striated segments, of a fiery violet colour, with the base by
which they are united white; style purple rose-coloured,
hollow. Native of Mexico.
14. Malva Capensis ; Gooseberry-leaved or Cape Mallow.
Leaves cordate, five-lobed ; stem arborescent. This rises
with a woody stalk about ten feet high, sending out branches
the whole length ; and covered with hairs ; the flowers come
out from the side of the branches, upon peduncles an inch
long; they are of a deep red colour, shaped like those of the
Common Mallow, but smaller : it flowers great part of the
year. There are several varieties. Native of the Cape.
15. Malva Virgata. Leaves narrowed at the base, multi-
form, parted; divisions gash-crenate ; peduncles one-flowered;
stem frutescent. Trunk very small, branching almost imme-
diately from the root; corolla purple, streaked with deep
purple- or red spots at the base.
16. Malva Balsamica. Leaves subcordate, sublobate, un-
equally serrate, glutinous ; stem shrubby. A shrub about
four feet high ; petals pale rose-coloured. Native country
unknown ; probably the Cape.
17. Malva Abutiloides. Leaves deeply lobed and sinuated ;
stems shrubby, hoary ; corolla white. Native of the Cape.
18. Malva Caroliniana; Creeping Mallow. Stem creeping;
leaves multifid. Root annual. Stem eighteen inches or longer,
round, putting out roots at the lower joints, hairy; leaves 1
villose, soft; flowers axillary and terminating, on almost
upright peduncles, from an inch to an inch and half in
length, small, the colour of Burgundy wine; the claws of a
darker red. Native of Carolina.
19. Malva Parviflora. Stem spreading; flowers axillary,
sessile, glomerate ; calices smooth,* spreading. Annual.
Native of Barbary.
20. Malva Nieseensis. Stem decumbent; calices glome-
rate, both hairy ; leaves five-lobed. Root annual ; stems
decumbent, scarcely branched ; corolla pale red, a little
larger than the caiix ; petals emarginate. Found in the
county of Nice.
21. Malva Pusilla; Small Mallow. Stem declining; leaves
roundish, heart-shaped, slightly five-lobed ; flowers pedun-
cled, generally in pairs ; petals the length of the calix.
Root annual, or perhaps biennial. Observed at Hithe in
Kent, and in Pembrokeshire. It differs from the other Mal-
lows, in having the seeds wrinkled.
22. Malva Rotundifolia ; Round-leaved or Dwarf Mallow.
Stem prostrate ; leaves cordate-orbiculate, obsoletely five-
lobed ; fruiting, peduncles declining. Root annual, whitish,
striking deep ; stems several, branched ; corolla white, with
purple veins, and purple towards the top. Native of most
parts of Europe, on dry banks, by way-sides, under walls,
and other fences; flowering from June to September.
23. Malva Sherardiana. Stems prostrate ; leaves orbicular,
plaited, tomentose, crenate ; peduncles solitary, one-flow-
ered, bowed. Perennial. Native of Bithynia.
24. Malva Sylvestris ; Common Mallow. Stem upright,
herbaceous ; leaves five-lobed, acute ; peduncles and petioles
hairy. Root perennial, whitish, the thickness of a finger,
striking deeply, thinly furnished with large fibres, not creep-
ing, sweetish, and viscid; leaves five-lobed, hairy on both
sides ; corolla bluish-purple. Common in most parts of
Europe, by hedges, roads, and in waste places, flowering
from June to September. Cattle do not appear to be fond
of this plant ; every part of which abounds with a mild muci-
lage. The boiled root is much used as an emollient cata-
plasm ; and an infusion of it is generally prescribed in all
cases wherein mild mucilaginous substances are useful; as in
disorders of the urinary passages, and in coughs and hoarse-
nesses. The use of it, however, has been much superseded
by Altheea, or Marsh-mallow, which possesses its valuable
qualities in a superior degree. The leaves also are not
unfrequently used in fomentations and clysters. Woodville
says, that the roots of Malva are useless, whilst those of
Althsea are of more efficacy than any other part of the plant.
It is well known that this plant was an esculent vegetable
among the Romans. Prosper Alpinus informs us, that a
plant of the mallow kind is eaten by the Egyptians ; and the
Chinese use some sort of Mallow in their food.
25. Malva Orientalis ; Oriental Mallow. Stem upright,
herbaceous; leaves lobed, blunt, crenale. The uprightness
of the plant, with the colour of the flowers, immediately dis-
tinguish this from the Common Mallow, which in many
respects it much resembles. Found in the Levant.
26. Malva Mauritiana; Ivy-leaved Mallow. Stem upright,
herbaceous ; leaves five-lobed, blunt ; peduncles and petioles
smoothish. Annual. Native of the south of Europe.
27. Malva Fragrans. Sweet Mallow. Stem upright, frutes-
cent ; leaves roundish-cordate, half five-lobed. Native place
uncertain. The whole plant has a strong aromatic smell.
28. Malva Hispanica; Spanish Mallow. Stem upright;
leaves semiorbiculate, crenate ; outer calix two-leaved. Co-
rolla flesh-coloured. Native of Spain.
MAM
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MAN
75
29. Malva Verticillata; Whorl-flowered Mallow. Stem
upright; leaves angular; flowers axillary, glomerate, sessile;
calices rugged. Root annual ; flowers whitish-red, small, on
one-flowered peduncles. It Mowers in June and July.
Native of China and Cochin-china.
30. Malva Crispa; Curled Mallow. Stem upright; leaves
angular, curled ; flowers axillary, glomerate. Annual ; stem
four or five feet high. Native of Syria.
31. Malva Alcea; Vervain Mallow. Stem upright; leaves
many-parted, somewhat rugged. Root long, branched, per-
ennial ; corolla bright purple. Native of Europe.
32. Malva Moschata; Musk Mallow. Stem upright; root-
leaves kidney form, gashed; stem-leaves five-parted, pinnate-
multirid. Stem round, much branched, slightly hairy ; flowers
crowded on the top of the stem and branches on short pedun-
cles, and single ones from the axils of the upper leaves;
petals heart-shaped, divided nearly to the base, pale red or
flesh-coloured, with deeper veins. The flowers have an
ambrosial or musky scent, which, however, is not always to
be perceived. Native of many parts of Europe. In England
it is by no means uncommon, particularly in the midland
counties, in Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Derbyshire, and
in the north. It is sometimes observed in Norfolk, Suf-
folk, and Cambridgeshire; on Cullum heath, South Leigh,
and between \Vitney and Burford, in Oxfordshire. Mr. Curtis
mentions its growing plentifully near Coomb wood. It has
also been found near Balham, in Surrey. Mr. Goodyer found
it with white flowers in a close called Aldercrofts, near
Maple-Durham, in Hampshire.
33. Malva Tournefortiana. Stem decumbent ; root-leaves
five-parted, thrce-lobed, linear; peduncles longer than the
stem-leaf; corolla blue. Native of Provence and Spain, on
the sea-coast.
34. Malva YEgyptia; Palmated Mailow. Stem upright;
leaves palmate, toothed; corollas smaller than the calix.
Native of Egypt.
Maminea ; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Hermaphrodite. Calix:
perianth one-leafed, two-parted; divisions roundish, concave,
coriaceous, coloured, spreading very much, deciduous.
Corolla: petals four, roundish, concave, spreading very
much, subcoriaceous, longer than the calix. Stamina: fila-
nienta numerous, bristle-shaped, erect, very short, inserted
into the receptacle, ending in oblong, blunt, erect antherse.
Pistil: germen roundish, depressed; style cylindric, erect,
longer than the stamina, permanent ; stigma capitate, convex.
Pericarp: berry roundish, fleshy, very large, acuminate with
part of the style, with a coriaceous rind, one-celled. Seeds:
four, suhovate, rugged, distinct from the flesh. Male: on
the same, or a different tree. Calix, Corolla, and Stamina:
as in the hermaphrodite. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix:
one-leafed, two- parted. Corolla: four-petalled. Berry : very
large, four-seeded. The only known species is,
1. Mammea Americana; American Mammee. Leaves oval
or obovate, quite entire, blunt; flowers sweet, white, an inch
and half in diameter; fruit roundish, or obsoletely three or
four cornered. It is a tall, upright, handsome tree, with a
thick, spreading, elegant head ; growing to the height of
sixty or seventy feet in the West Indies. The fruit is co-
vered with a double rind ; the outer one leathery, a line in
thickness, tough, brownish-yellow, divided by incisures longi-
tudinally decussated ; the inner thin, yellow, adhering strongly
to the flesh, which is firm, bright yellow, has a pleasant sin-
gular taste, and a sweet aromatic smell; but the skin and
seeds are very bitter and resinous : it is eaten raw alone, or
cut in slices with wine and sugar, or preserved in sugar.
VOL. ii. 72.
In Martinico they distil the flowers with spirit, and make a
liquor \vhich they call Eau Creole. The English and Spaniards
call the fruit Mamei, or Mammee; and the French, Abricot-
sauvage, from the yellowness of the pulp, like that of the
Apricot. To propagate this tree, set the stones or seeds as
fresh as possible from the West Indies, in pots filled with
fresh light earth, and plunge them into a hot-bed of tanner's
bark ; observing to water the earth whenever it appears dry.
In about a month or six weeks the plants will appear above
ground : after which they must be frequently refreshed with
water ; and in hot weather the glasses of the hot-bed should
be raised, to let in frc:.-,h air. In two months the roots of the
plants will have filled the pots, when you should provide
some pots of a larger size; into which transplant them, taking
care to preserve as much earth to their roots as possible, fill-
ing up the pots with light earth, and replunging them into
the bark-bed ; observing to water and shade them until they
have taken root: after which they should he constantly re-
freshed with water, as you find they want it, and must have
air in hot weather. In this bed they may remain till Michael-
mas, when they must be removed into the bark-stove, and
constantly kept there, observing to refresh them with water
but sparingly at this season ; as also to clean their leaves from
the filth they are apt to contract in the stove. The spring
following they should be shifted into fresh earth, and, if they
require it, into larger pots: but by no means over-pot them;
for they do not send forth many roots, and will not thrive
when the pots are too large. They must be constantly kept
in the bark-stove, and treated as directed for the Coffee Tree.
If, when the stones of the fruit are brought over, they are put
into the tan-bed, under the bottom of any of the pots, they
will sprout sooner than those which are planted in the earth.
Manchineel. See Hippomane.
Mandrake. See Atropa.
Manettia ; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth eight-
leaved ; leaflets linear, concave, hirsute, permanent. Corolla :
one-petalled, salver-shaped ; tube cylindric, longer than the
calix, scored on the inside with four lines; border four-parted;
divisions shorter than the tube, ovate, obtuse, bearded within ;
nectary a rim surrounding the receptacle, quite entire, con-
cave. Stamina: filamenta four, filiform, very small, inserted
into the throat; antherse linear, incumbent, two-celled. Pis-
til : germen inferior, turbinate, compressed; style filiform,
declining, the length of the tube ; stigma bifid, thickish, blunt.
Pericarp: capsule turbinate, compressed, grooved on both
sides, one-celled, two-valved, or separable as it were into two
capsules. Seeds: few, flat, winged, orbiculate with a central
seedlet, imbricate at a pulpy oblong pillar. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: eight-leaved. Corolla: four-cleft.
Capsule: inferior, two-valved, one-celled. Seeds: imbricate,
orbicular, with a central seedlet. The specias are,
1. Manettia Reclinata. Leaves ovate, acute, pubescent;
stem reclining, herbaceous. Koot annual ; flowers white.
Native of Mexico.
2. Manetlia Lygistum. Leaves ovate, acute, veined ; stem
twining, sufFrutescent. This weakly shrub rises to the height
of about seven feet. Native of Jamaica.
3. Manettia I. anceolata. Leaves lanceolate; flowers five-
stamined. Stem shrubby; peduncles terminating, often in
threes. Native of the West Indies.
4. Manettia Coccinea. Leaves ovate, acuminate ; clusters
many-flowered ; stem twining, shrubby. Root perennial ;
tube of the corolla white, marked with red dots ; limb of a
scarlet colour above, downy ; mouth closed with yellow hairs.
Native of Guiana.
U
76
MAN
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MAN
Mangifera; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-
parted; divisions lanceolate. Corolla: petals five, lanceolate,
longer than the calix. Stamina : filamenta five, awl-shaped,
spreading, the length of the corolla; anthcrse subcordate.
Pistil : germen roundish ; style filiform, the length of the
calix; stigma simple. Pericarp: drupe kidney-form, oblong,
gibbous, compressed. Seed: kernel oblong, compressed,
lanuginose. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: five-
petalled. Drupe: kidney-form. The species are,
1. Mangifera Indica; Mango Tree. Leaves simple; flowers
five-stamined. The wood of this large spreading tree is brown,
brittle, and used only for indifferent works. The bark be-
comes rugged by age. The leaves are seven or eight inches
long, and two or more broad, of a shining green, and a
sweet resinous smell, on short petioles, growing in bunches
at the extremity of the branches. The flowers are produced
in loose bunches at the end of the branches. The fruit,
when fully ripe, is yellow and reddish, replete with a fine
agreeable juice : some are full of fibres, and the juice rmis
out of these on cutting, or with a little handling ; but those
which have few or no fibres are much the finest; they cut
like an apple, but are more juicy ; and some are as big as a
large man's fist. It is a very wholesome fruit, and, excepting
the finest pine-apples, is the best fruit in India ; where
gentlemen eat little other fruit in the hot months. When no
wine is drank with it, the Mango is apt to throw out trouble-
some boils, especially with new comers ; but even those
boils are conducive to health. In Europe we have only the
unripe fruit brought over in pickle. Loureiro remarks, that
there are many varieties, differing chiefly in the figure, size,
colour, and taste of the fruit ; as apples and pears do in
Europe. Native of India, the Brazils, Cochin-china, Pegu,
&c. The readiest method to obtain plants of Mango in
Europe is, to set a quantity of nuts in a tub of earth, in the
country where they grow naturally ; and when the plants are
grown a foot high, to ship them, placing a covering over
them, to defend them from the spray of the sea, being very
careful not to water them too much in the passage. When
the ship arrives in a cold climate, they should be screened
from the cold. It will not thrive in the tan-pit : set the
plants therefore in pots filled with light kitchen-garden earth,
and place them in a dry-stove; where, in warm weather,
they should have fresh air daily; and in winter the air
should be kept up to temperate, as marked on the thermo-
meter. It may afterwards be propagated from cuttings.
2. Mangifera Pinnata ; Wing-leaved Mango Tree. Leaves
pinnate; flowers ten-stamined. Native of the East Indies.
3. Mangifera Foetida ; Stinking Mango Tree. Racemes
elongated; petals entire and reflex; drupe cordate, pubescent.
This large tree has ascending branches, and a rugged bark.
The wood, though not very good, is used for floors; and lasts
very well, if it be soaked a considerable time in muddy water.
Native of the East Indies and Cochin-china.
Mango Tree. See Mangifera.
Manisuris ; a genus of the class Polygamia, order Monoe-
c ia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Hermaphrodite flowers: in
the adverse side of the flexuose jointed spike, imbricate, alter-
nate, each immersed in each joint, which is excavated on one
side. Calix: glume one-flowered, two-valved ; outer valve
larger, coriaceous, roundish, rugged in the middle, emargi-
nate or entire at the top and sides ; inner smaller, broad lan-
ceolate, membranaceous, pressed close to the outer. Corolla:
glume two-valved, membranaceous, thin, diaphanous, smaller
than the calix, included; the outer with its margins embracing
the inner, which is smaller ; nectary a membranous scale.
Stamina: filamenta three, filiform, standing out; antherse
oblong, incumbent. Pistil: germen ovate; styles two, short,
filiform ; stigmas oblong, bearded, spreading, standing out
on both sides. Pericarp : none. Calix : cherishing the seed ;
Seed: single, ovate. Male Flowers: marginal, alternate, in
the back of the spike on each side. Calix: glume one-flowered,
roundish, two-valved; valves parallel, ovate-lanceolate, blunt,
striated, leathery, augmented by a membrane, almost equal.
Corolla : glume two-valved, membranaceous, thin, almost the
size of the calix ; outer valve ovate, blunt, convolute ; inner
lanceolate, plaited, scarcely longer; nectary a membranous
scale. Stamina: filamenta three, very short, or none; an-
therse as in the hermaphrodites. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Hermaphrodite Calix: glume two-valved, one-flowered; outer
valve emarginate at the top and sides. Corolla : less than the
oalix. Stamina: three. Style: bitid. Male, as in the her-
maphrodites, but with the flowers in the lower side of the
same spike, standing out more. The species are,
1. Manisuris Myuris ; Mousetail Scaly Grass. Spikes late-
ral ; outer valves flat, ovate-emarginate at the top and sides;
culm ascending. Native of the East Indies.
2. Manisuris Granularis ; Granulated Scaly Grass. Spikes
lateral ; outer valves orbicular, callous, dotted ; sheaths
hairy ; culm erect. Native of Jamaica.
Manna Ash. See Fraxinus Rotvndifolia.
Manulea; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Angio-
spermia. GENE-RIG CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-
parted; leaflets linear, erect, equal, permanent. Corolla:
one-petalled, irregular; tube cylindric, with the throat rather
wider; border five-parted, awl-shaped, spreading; the four
upper divisions more connected at the base, the lowest reflex.
Stamina : filamenta four, very short ; antheree, the two upper
in the throat, the two lower somewhat oblong, within the tube.
Pistil: germen superior, roundish; style filiform, the length
of the lower stamina ; stigma simple. Pericarp : capsule
ovate, the length of the calix, two-celled, two-valved ; the
valves, when ripe, semibifid; partition doubled, by the inflex
margins of the valves. Seeds : very many, small ; receptacle
oblong, compressed, in the axis of the capsule. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: five-parted. Corolla: with a five-
parted, awl-shaped border ; the four upper segments more
connected. Capsule: two-celled, many-seeded. The spe-
cies are,
1. Manulea Cheiranthus. Leaves naked; stems almost
leafless; pedicels alternate, one-flowered. An annual shrub:
corollas deep yellow. Native of the Cape.
2. Manulea Tomontosa. Leaves tomentose ; stems leafy ;
peduncles many-flowered. Root biennial; stem eighteen
inches high, woolly. The variety of pleasant colours so
conspicuous in the flowers, renders this a very desirable
plant; the flowers are in a long thyrse, first greenish-yellow,
finally a deep orange. Native of the Cape.
3. Manulea Microphylla. Leaves ovate, in bundles, smooth,
entire. Native of the Cape.
4. Manulea Integrifolia. Leaves ovate, scattered, smooth,
entire. Native of the Cape.
5. Manulea Heterophylla. Leaves linear, scattered, villose,
entire, or toothed. Native of the Cape.
6. Manulea Ccerulea. Leaves linear, opposite, tomentose,
toothed ; flowers racemed. Native of the Cape.
7. Manulea Cuneifolia. Leaves elliptically ovate, smooth,
toothed ; spikes oblong. Native of the Cape.
8. Manulea Capillaris. Stem-leaves obovate, smooth, tooth-
ed ; of the branches, linear ; spikes ovate. Native of the
Cape.
9. Manulea Plantaginea. Leaves ovate, somewhat toothed,
MAN
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MAN
77
or entire, smooth; heads ovate; branches diffused. Native
of the Cape.
10. Manulea Capitata. Leaves ovate, serrate, villose; heads
globular; branches diffused. Native of the Cape.
11. Manulea Antirrhinoides. Leaves ovate, toothed, smooth ;
flowers alternate. Native of the Cape.
12. Manulea Thyrsifiora. Leaves obovate, tomentose,
toothed; corymb terminating, elongated, compound. Stem
somewhat shrubby. Native of the Cape.
13. Manulea Corymbosa. Leaves oblong, toothed, smooth ;
corymb fastigiate. Native of the Cape.
14. Manulea Altissima. Leaves lanceolate, somewhat
toothed, villose ; spike ovate. Native of the Cape.
15. Manulea Rubra. Leaves lanceolate, villose, serrate;
flowers racemed, remote. Native of the Cape.
16. Manulea Argentea. Leaves obovate, wedge-form, ser-
rate, silver-dotted ; flowers axillary. Native of the Cape.
17. Manulea Pinnatifida. Leaves ovate, gash-pinnatifid ;
pinnas toothed. -Native of the Cape.
18. Manulea Hirta. Rough-haired ; leaves obovate; spikes
very long. Native of the Cape.
Manure. It is a fundamental mistake, to suppose, that
tillage may be substituted in the place of manure. Without
tillage, indeed, manures will be of little avail: but although
good tillage, by separating the soil, may bring a greater num-
ber of nutritious particles within the reach of the crop, yet
the soil cannot possibly continue to be so completely divided,
as it is by the fermentation excited by dung and other
manures ; which are found to enrich the best pulverized soil
again and again, after it is exhausted by crops, and therefore
promote vegetation, by increasing the quantity of vegetable
food. Some manures lose part of their strength, by long
exposure to the air. Thus, after dung is sufficiently fer-
mented, the longer it lies, the less is its value. Cow-dung
dried on the pasture, gathered and laid upon other land, has
scarcely any effect ; whereas the same quantity carried from
the cow-house, or collected by folding the cattle, enriches the
land. Other manures, on the contrary, operate sooner, and
with greater violence, the longer they are exposed to the air
before they are used. Lime and marls are of this kind. They
are observed to have a strong power of attracting certain
qualities from the atmosphere; and operate, by communicating
to the soil with which they are mixed, a power of attracting
vegetable food from the air. Again, some manures exhaustland
of its vegetable food, and do not restore it again when imme-
diately applied ; which is thought to be the case with lime.
Land thoroughly limed, after having carried many very good
crops, seems to be exhausted, and reduced to a worge condition
than before. When in this case lime has been applied a
second time, its effects have been found to be far inferior to
what they were when first applied. This manure, therefore,
seems to operate by dissolving the vegetable food which it
meets with in the soil, and fitting it for entering the roots of
plants. It should however be kept in mind, that exhaustion
of land by lime is owing to bad management, and unmerciful
forcing of it with continued white crops. It is not certain
that land will not bear a second liming ; but it is certain, that
the effects of the lime may be long kept up, by the proper
application of dung and other oily manures ; and there have
been instances of the effects of lime continuing forty, fifty, or
even a hundred years. All kinds of manures certainly con-
tribute to open the soil. Any one may be convinced of this,
who will take the trouble to compare a piece of land on which
dung or any other manure has been laid, with a piece con-
tiguous that has not been manured : he will find the former
:nuch softer, much more free and open, that the latter. It
must be allowed, therefore, that all manures operate by en-
larging the vegetable pasture. They are applied either to
supply the detective ingredients of a soil, to improve its
texture, or to correct its vices. For Clayey Soils, the best
manure is marl ; and that which is most calcareous should be
preferred. These soils are defective both in constitution and
texture; they want the calcareous ingredient and coarse sand.
Calcareous marl supplies the first chiefly; limestone gravel
will supply both. A mixture of marl and dung is still more
advantageous, because the dung supplies the carbonaceous
ingredient : but the same quantity of marl must be used, as
if no dung had been applied; or else the operation must be
more frequently repeated. If marl cannot be had, a mixture
of coarse sand, and lime perfectly effete or extinguished, or
chalk, will answer the same purpose, as it will supply the
defective ingredient, and open the texture of the clay ; so
also sand alone, or chalk, or powdered limestone, may answer,
though less advantageously. Lime alone seems less proper,
as it is apt to cake, and does not sufficiently open the soil.
Where these manures cannot be had, coal-ashes, chips of
wood, burned clay, brick-dust, gravel, or even pebbles, are
useful : for all these improve the texture ; and the former
supply also the carbonaceous ingredients. Nothing is per-
haps equal to good stable and fold-yard dung, for strong
tillage laud ; because it opens this heavy soil, at the same
time that it supplies the richest nutriment. But dung is a
proper ingredient in the appropriated manures of all sorts of
soils, as it supplies the carbonaceous principle. Clayey Loam,
is defective, either in the calcareous ingredients, or in the
sandy, or in both : if in the first, the proper manure is chalk ;
if in the second, sand ; if in both, siliceous marl, or lime-
stone gravel, or effete lime and sand. Chalky Soil, wants
both the clayey, and the stony, sandy, or gravelly ingredients:
the best manure for it, therefore, is clayey loam, or sandy
loam : but when the chalk is so hard, as to keep of itself the
soil sufficiently open, then clay is the best manure ; for in
such cases the coarse sand or gravelly ingredients of loams
are of no use. Some indeed think that pebbles in a field
serve to preserve or communicate heat : this use however is
not sufficiently ascertained : they detain moisture ; and thus
on chalk-lands a complete covering of great black flints insures
a tolerable crop in a dry season. Chalky Loam. The best
manure for this soil is clay, or clay marl ; because it is prin-
cipally defective in the clayey ingredients. Light limestone
soils, not differing essentially from these, require the same
manure. Sands. The best manure for these is calcareous
marl, for they want both clay and calx; and this marl sup-
plies both : the next best is clay marl; and next to these, clay
mixed with lime, or calcareous or clayey loams. Lime or
chalk are less proper, because they do not give sufficient
coherence to the soil : however, when mixed with earth or
dung, these answer well; because they form a sort of marl,
or compound, comprehending the defective ingredients.
Sandy Loams, are defective chiefly in the calcareous ingre-
dient, arid in some degree also in the argillaceous : their
texture also is imperfect, as they abound both in fine and
coarse sand. Chalk or lime would supply the first defect,
but leave the texture unamended. Calcareous or argillaceous
marls are most proper. Clay, after land has been chalked,
answers well, because it remedies the texture. Gravelly
Loams, are benefited by the application of marl, whether
argillaceous or calcareous. If the gravel be calcareous, clay
may be employed. A mixture of effete lime and clay should
answer in all cases. Ferruginous Loam, or Till, and ViliioLic
Soil, necessarily require the calcareous ingredient to neutra-
lize their peccant acid : hence chalk, limestone, gravel, and
78
MAN
THE UNIVERSAL HERtUL;
MAN
calcareous marl, are most advantageously-applied to them. -
Bogs, or Boggy Soils, must be first drained ; and then the
nature of the soil being explored, an appropriate manure must
be applied. In general they should be burned, and then
covered with limestone, gravel, or lime mixed with coarse
sand or gravel, because they are usually of a clayey nature ;
if they are more sandy, lime may answer well, or calcareous
marl. If their tipper parts contain a sufficiency of the car-
bonaceous principle, as it often happens, they need not be
burned. For all moorish and cold soils, gravel, road dirt,
small stones, coal ashes, soaper's ashes, hog-dung, &c. are
good. But in cold wet lands, no manure can be effectual
without draining. Heathy Soils, should first be burned, to
destroy the heath, and increase the carbonaceous principle.
Lime also will destroy heath. Limestone gravel is the fittest
manure, when the soil is clayey; lime, when it is gravelly.
Gypsum also answers remarkably well when the soil is dry.
Manure is usually applied in three different ways. The
first and most common is that of ploughing it in, and thus
mixing it with the whole soil. This is the best system, where
it is necessary to enrich the field for a succession of exhaust-
ing crops ; and also in strong heavy lands, which require to
have their parts separated as much as possible ; which effect
is produced by nothing better than by ploughing in long dung
or green crops. The second is spreading or scattering the
manure upon young crops, which is called top-dressing or
hand-dressing. This mode is confined to particular sub-
stances, as soot, rape cake, pigeon's dung, ashes, &c. and
has been found to answer, especially with crops which
tiller, as wheat and barley. Even dung well rotted, and
made into a compost with earth, lime, or other active sub-
stajices, may be thus employed, and being applied on the
surface, and at a season when the crop stands most in need
of it, a much less quantity of manure will be sufficient; but
then it will be of little or no use to succeeding crops, and
the expense of preparing it will be greater. When crops are
sickly or backward in the spring, top-dressings are certainly
of great use, except the season should prove uncommonly
dry. The third way of applying manure, is laying it into
drills, and sowing the crop upon it. This is used only for
particular crops, as potatoes, turnips, &c. which thus receive
the whole benefit of the manure in all stages of their growth.
Dung, is the most common, general, and upon the whole
the most efficacious of all manures. It promotes vegetation,
by increasing the vegetable food, by enlarging the pasture
of plants, by communicating to the soil a power of attracting
the vegetable food from the air, and by prepaiing the vege-
table food for the nourishment of plants. It is properly the
excrement of animals ; but is used also to signify all rotten
vegetables, when used as manures. Dung of quadrupeds is the
most common manure in use Stable-dung is used either fresh
or putrified ; the first is called long, the second short dung.
It abounds in animal matter, easily putrifies, and serves to
hasten the decay of other dead vegetable substances. Its
fermentation is promoted by frequent turning and exposure
to the air: yet it should be covered, to prevent water from
carrying off most of its important ingredients : or. at least, the
water that imbibes them should not be lost. Farm-yard-dung
consists of various vegetables, chiefly straw, sometimes weeds,
leaves, fern, &c. impregnated with animal matter : it fer-
ments more slowly than stable-dung, should be piled ill heaps,
and stirred from time to time: fern in particular putrifies very
slowly. Manar/ement. When any considerable quantity of
stable or yard dung, or other mixture of animal and vegetable
substances, is collected together in a heap, and ferments;
this process is completed, if the mass be examined, we
find that the vegetables, of which it was originally com-
pounded, are decomposed, and in a situation to nourish new
plants. The more completely therefore these substances are
submitted to the process of fermentation, the more beneficial
will be their effects upon the soil. Hence it is an object of
the first importance to farmers to have their dunghills so situ-
ated and constructed, as to promote their fermentation, and
retain all the useful parts of them. These circumstances
have been very little attended to; the greater part of dung-
hills being either placed in hollows, and surrounded with
water, which effectually checks fermentation by chilling them ;
or upon declivities, where every drop of water runs away:
cattle are allowed to spread it by trampling, weeds to exhaust
it, and carts and waggons are driven over it. Thus the mid-
dle, from being hard pressed, will be imperfectly fermented;
and the sides, from being scattered about and dried, will not
be fermented at all, but in a condition little better than dry
straw. To promote fermentation in dung, air and moisture
are necessary. It is well known to gardeners, that in making
hot-beds, by laying the dung lightly in heaps, and watering it
gently, fermentation is immediately brought on ; and that
hot-bed dung is as completely fermented in a fortnight, as
that in a farm-yard generally is in six or eight months. The
farmer should imitate this practice as nearly as the nature of
his situation will admit; and instead of having his dunghill
in the yard, and allowing carts, cattle, &c. to disturb it, he
should place it in some distinct situation, convenient for his
offices, where the urine may be kept with it, or else run into
a receptacle, whence it may be thrown back into the dung to
enrich it and promote the fermentation, or be carried off in
carts to manure his land. When dung is taken to the dung-
hill, it should not be driven over the heap, as is commonly
practised; because the feet of the horses and the weight of
the carriage will press it so hard as to exclude the air, and
thereby prevent the fermentation : when the quantity also is
considerable, the horses are strained and the harness damaged
by the exertions necessary to drag a loaded carriage over
a hill of such loose materials. Every load ought therefore to
be laid down by the side of the dunghill, at least after the
woik has made such progress as to render passing over it a
matter of difficulty, and afterwards thrown up lightly with a
fork ; the labour of which is trifling, compared with the advan-
tage resulting from it. If dung laid up in this manner con-
tain a sufficient proportion of moisture, it will immediately
begin to ferment; if therefore it be too dry, it should be
watered, and in summer this will frequently be found neces-
sary : it will thus be completely fermented in six or seven
weeks, and will be more valuable by half than that made in
the common slovenly manner. The situation best calculated
for a dunghill is that which is nearest to a level, with a bot-
tom capable of retaining moisture, and covered with a shed.
If the whole be enclosed with a wall, except an open space
at one end for carting away the dung-, it will be a great
improvement. The wall on the south side should be of such
a height as entirely to prevent the sun's rays from reaching
the duna;; on the other three sides, six feet high from the
ground will be sufficient. The roof may be thatched, and
supported on pillars. If the bottom be not clay or chalk
naturally, it must be laid with one of those substances, and
the upper part should be paved with broad flags or common
paving-stones. At the end opposite to the opening, a reservoir
may be dug to receive the moisture; it should be water-tight,
and a pump should be put into it to draw off the moisture
daily. This may be thrown back on the dung-heap, or
drawn into a barrel on a cart, and either spread immediately
on the land, or mixed with other substances in a compost.
MAN
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MAN
79
Application. Dung is applied indiscriminately upon all soils,
at almost any season, and for every crop. Of all manures
commonly in use, none can be considered as a more imme-
diate food for plants; and when applied to vegetables in a
growing state, they immediately begin to thrive. On this
theory, it seems absurd that great quantities of rich dung
should be laid upon the fallows at the end of autumn, and
still worse about Midsummer, there to remain till the ensuing
spring before it can be of any use to the plants: for if the
fallow be sown with wheat, or any other winter crop, the
growth of the plants being stationary, they need little nou-
rishment; in the mean time, the salts contained in the dung,
after having been spread abroad a month, or perhaps six
weeks, dissolving readily in water, are carried off by the win-
ter rains; and when the spring arrives, and the plants begin to
vegetate, a great part of what was destined for their nourish-
ment has been washed away and lost : where fallows have
been well wrought, and the soil thus completely reduced,
mixing it with dung in that state prevents it from acquiring
a sufficient degree of compactness to shelter the roots of the
plants, especially if the soil be naturally of a light open tex-
ture, and the dung full of half-rotted straw, as is com-
monly the case. The operation of the winter's frost renders
it still looser, so that in spring it is nearly in the state of a
mole-hill ; the baneful effects of which, to a wheat crop, are
obvious. Now, were a portion at least of the dung withheld
till the spring, the land would be more compact, the plants
less liable to be thrown out of the ground by frost, and the
dung being applied as a top-dressing at the time when vege-
tation was commencing, the useful parts of the dung would
be taken up by the plants, every time il was moistened, as
the crop in its progressive growth most wanted it. In this
mode of application no part of the dung would be lost, and
a less quantity being required for the dressing, three times
the quantity of the land might be dressed annually; and
being applied in a quantity sufficient only for the nourishment
of the crop, the plants are fed in the same manner as the
animal body, every small dose operating like a meal. Some
are of opinion that the first rank quality of dung is highly
beneficial, and its principal virtue. Mr. Belcher, on the con-
trary, is inclined to think that it is more or less injurious;
greatly so in horse-dung, which is evidently unfit for plants
when new. In his opinion, the best mode of using all dung,
except in compost, on cold stiff ground especially, is to carry
it on rough, and to fallow that and the soil together: whereby,
at the same time that they are incorporated, the seeds of
weeds are forced into vegetation, and completely destroyed.
The common practice is to set the dung upon the land in
small heaps or hillocks, and to spread it by a man standing
on the ground. In some of the midland counties, the pre-
vailing custom is to spread it out of the carriage, as it is
brought into the field, by a man or men standing in the
carriage. Dung should never be moved in summer. The
immediate action of the sun's rays exhausts it of its moisture ;
and it is an erroneus idea that this evaporation carries
off merely aqueous particles, for the salts, the oils rendered
miscible with water by alkaline salts or calcareous earth,
and the inflammable air, are all dissipated with the water. To
turn a dunghill over, then to '.hrow it into carts, exposed in
heaps, and to spread it a second time in summer, is to give
the sun a power of nearly exhausting its virtues. A Hert-
fordshire farmer, on the contrary, never carries dung out by
choice in winter, thinking that the rains, &c. damage it
much ; but in summer he docs not think its being exposed to
the sun a detriment, supposing the heat to exhale only the
watery particles. He has found one load laid on at mid-
VOL. ii. 72.
summer as good as two or three at Christmas. The fresher
the dung is used, the better he thinks it for any crop, even
for grass, provided it be laid on early in autumn. He has
found long dung, of only one or two months old, to be better,
load for load, than black spit dung, for Turnips. In forming
a dunghill, he says, the dung will not rot if the carts drive
on to it; but if the dung be shot out of the carts at the side
of the hill, and then thrown up, without any trampling, it will
rot much sooner and better. This also is the Norfolk prac-
tice. At whatever time the dung is carried on the land, it
should be spread, and ploughed in as soon as possible. It is
said to be a wrong practice to lay dung upon Clover-leys in
autumn; for if the field has to remain another year in grass,
not only a part of the dung is washed away by the winter
rains, but the remainder injures the plants; it being well
ascertained that the action of dung upon broad Clover, when
the plants are not in a growing state, is fatal to them. But
in the spring, a light top-dressing of dung is highly useful to
broad Clover, though soot is preferable. If the Clover-ley
is to be ploughed for Wheat, and dung be laid on, if the
grass crop has been good, the furrow will be turned over
entire, and the dung laid flat under it; and as the roots of
the Wheat must penetrate through the sod before it can reach
the dung, little benefit can be expected from it, allowing the
qualities of the dung to remain unimpaired : but in this case
the loss from the winter rains will be greater than when
dung is laid on fallow ; for these being incorporated with the
soil, a part of the salts will be entangled with the earth; but
upon ley, it is either laid in the bottom of the furrow, or, if
the sod be set on edge, it remains crammed into the inter-
spaces through which the whole of the rain passes. When-
ever Wheat therefore is sown upon ley, the dung ought to-be
used as a top-dressing in the spring, when every part of the
crop will have the benefit of it; and the harrows having
loosened the top of the furrow, so that the moisture of the
dung will readily enter the land, no part of the dung will be
lost. If the ley is to be ploughed for Oats, provided the land
was well laid down, there is no occasion for dung; but if the
land be poor, and dung is required, it cannot be employed
in any way so useful as in the form of a top-dressing at the
time when the seed is sown. Perhaps there is no way in
which dung is used, where its effects are so certain and visible
as upon Potatoes and Turnips. For Potatoes, it is laid on
when the spring is pretty far advanced, after which there are
few heavy rains; of course the strength of the dung is not
impaired by washing, and the crop is left in quiet possession
of the whole of its fertilizing powers. For Turnips, the case
is nearly the same; indeed the advantage is still greater,
dung not being laid upon Turnip land sooner than June, after
which there is seldom much wet weather till autumn, and by
that time the crop is in full vigour. As to laying dung upon
meadows, farmers differ in opinion: some preferring the spring
for producing an early vegetation and a plentiful crop; others
thinking, that though dressings of soot and fine ashes at that
season are of much use, yet that dung ought to be laid on at
the end of autumn, not to taint the juices of the ensuing
crop. It is thought to be a good practice by some, to spread
the dung as soon as the hay is cleared. If laid on in the
winter, or early in the spring, the frost will take effect upon
the manure before the grass can reap any advantage; and
the rains coming whilst the manure is exposed on the surface,
washes away its virtues before vegetation is awakened by the
sun. But in July, if there be any showers, the quick growth
of the after-grass will shelter and protect the manure; and
nothing is to be feared but a severe drought. In this case,
however, the after-growth should be left through winter to
MAN
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MAN
be fed in the spring, when the value of such feed will be
great, and the dung, by means of such a covering, will be
guarded against the frost in the best possible manner. Mr.
Miller/4iowever, reprobates the dressing of grass ground in
summer, soon after the crop of hay is taken off the land:
because before Michaelmas the sun will have exhaled most
of the goodness, if the dressing be of dung, or any other
soft manure. It is mostly the custom to collect manure of
every description into one heap. Hence substances very
opposite in their nature, and which may be wanted at dif-
ferent times and for different purposes, are laid together, and,
instead of forming a useful combination, perhaps prevent the
dung from fermenting as it ought. Every farmer therefore
should have at least two or three dunghills, to be prepared
for use, according to the time at which the contents of each
may be wanted, and the articles of which they are respectively
composed. If earth, moss, shovellings of highways, &c.
can be procured, the bottom of any dunghill composed of
rank stable-dung, or short excremental dung, may be laid
three or four feet deep with these substance's. This will
increase ihe quantity of manure, for the moisture that is
pressed out during the fermentation will sink into the earth,
i.e. and impregnate it with its salts ; and if the whole be after-
wards turned and incorporated, what was laid in the bottom
will be found of nearly equal value with the dung itself.
Some distinctions are to be made respecting the different
sorts of animal dung. Horse-dung, is more distinguished
for the readiness with which it ferments, than for its intrinsic
richness. Stable-muck, or horse-dung mixed with straw,
properly fermented, is of primary use in the kitchen-garden,
where it supplies the want of the sun's heat in winter; afford-
ing at an early season many esculent plants, which we could
otherwise have only for a short time in the middle of summer,
and others which our moist and cold climate could not pro-
duce at all in any perfection; as Asparagus, Cucumbers,
Melons, Colliflowers, Salad-herbs, &c. &c. See Hot-beds.
Horse-dung is certainly one of the best improvements for
cold lands that can be procured in any quantity, yet alone,
when it is too new, it is prejudicial to some plants; and if
it be spread thin over lands in the summer, it is of very little
service, because the sun draws all the goodness out of it,
and it becomes little better than thatch or dry straw. Although
too much of it can scarcely be used in a kitchen-garden, yet
it may be a fault to lay too much on corn-land, because it
may be apt to make the corn run too much to straw. In
very moist cold land, crops will succeed better if new horse-
dung, as it comes from the stable, be buried in it, than if the
ground be dressed with very rotten dung. Horse-dung in a
raw state is well calculated for Potatoes, because it leaves
room for the roots of that plant to spread; but if it be not
fermented, it contains much undigested vegetable matter, and
consequently the seeds of many weeds which may have been
mixed with the food of the animal. Cow-dung, is very useful
for lean, dry, hot, shady, or gravelly soils. The excre-ment
of a ruminating animal is held to be preferable to that of
horses at grass, owing to the quantity of animal juices mixed
with t'heir food in chewing; but since it does not contain
much undigested matter, it will hardly heat. The best way
of managing it, is to lay it together, and keep it moist till it
be sufficiently putrified. Mixed with mud, it makes a good
manure for some soils; and for almost any, when mixed with
horse-dung. -Sheep's dung and Deer's dung do not differ
much in quality, and are esteemed by some persons as the
best manure for cold clays. Others recommend them to be
used as top-dressings to autumn and spring crops, four or
five loads to an acre, in the same manner with ashes, malt-
dust, &c. Hogs' or Swine's dung is the fattest and most bene-
ficial of all the animal dungs; one load, it is said, will go as
far as two loads of other dung. It is commonly asserted, that
the dung is richer in proportion as the animal is fatter; and
being of an oily and saponaceous quality, is excellent for
arable lands, but should be used cautiously, because it is apt
to be full of weeds. It is the best suited for fruit-trees, espe-
cially apples and pears iri a light soil, and a very rich manure
for grass. Mr. Miller declares he has often used it to fruit-
trees when it was well rotted, and found it the most bene-
ficial of any manure. Rabbits' dung, appears, by an expe-
riment of Mr. Arthur Young, to be superior even to that of
pigeons, and to last the longest. But this experiment should
be repeated, before we can give credit to what seems impro-
bable. Dung of Birds. Pigeons' dung is certainly a rich
manure, but not lasting; it must therefore be renewed the
oftener. It is most applicable to cold and deep stiff land.
Sometimes it is sown upon wheat-crops in the spring. It
should always be broken very small, and sown during moist
weather; and if circumstances will admit of its being har-
rowed in, so much the better. Poultry manure is of the same
nature, and, where it can be had in any quantity, is an excel-
lent top-dressing, particularly for cold land. The dung of
pigeons, poultry, and geese, is also a great improver of mea-
dow lands: but before it is used, it ought to lie abroad some
time, that the air may sweeten it a little, and mollify the
fiery heat of these dungs. They should be dried before they
are strewed, being apt to clod in wet; and they ought to be
mixed with sand, earth, or ashes, to keep them from clinging
together, that they may be strewed thin, being naturally very
hot and strong. They are recommended as the best manure
for Asparagus, Strawberries, and any sort of flowers; but
for the latter, they should be well rotted, and mixed with
earth. They are also said to be good for trees, the leaves of
which are apt to turn yellow; and for this purpose should be
spread an inch thick at the foot of the tree in autumn. Con-
siderable quantities of valuable manure might be raised by
those who, living near large commons, keep great flocks of
geese, if they were regularly housed at night, and the place
were littered with straw, fern, saw-dust, ashes, or sand. The
same advantage might be reaped by littering the places where
other kinds of poultry roost. Every three or four weeks the
places should be cleaned out, and the dung laid in heaps to
(erment, either alone or mixed with soil. Night Soil, or
Privy Manure, says Mortimer, is of all sorts of dung the
greatest improver of land, especially if mixed wifh other
dung, straw, or earth, to give it a fermentation, and to ren-
der it convenient for carriage. It sells in foreign parts at a
much greater rate than any other sorts of manure, and may be
bou-ght in London for five shillings a load. In China and
Japan, wonderful attention is paid to saving this manure,
which in those countries is preferred to all others, both on
account of its richness, and its being free from weeds: inso-
much that Thunberg, the famous botanist, passing through
Japan with the Dutch embassy, could scarcely find any other
plants in the corn-fields but the corn itself. In those countries
the law prohibits the waste of human excrement; and every
house has reservoirs for it, to the great annoyance of the
traveller through their towns. Mr. Young has found the
effect of night-soil (from 160 to 320 bushels per acre) pro-
digious, trebling the produce on lands unmanured: and he
asserts, that in all the experiments he has made with this
manure, he has found the result almost uniform. In a mea-
dow lately laid down, and in very poor condition, two acres
of the worst part being covered after hay-time with four wag-
gon loads of night-soil, unmixed with any thing, and spread
MAN
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MAN
directly, the herbage thickened surprisingly, and grew most
luxuriantly. The cattle neglecting the rest of the field, were
perpetually feeding on this part; so that by autumn it was
pared down like a fine green lawn, the other part being a
dusky, rough, rugged pasture. The part of the field manured
with night-soil continued excellent. How strange then does
it seem, that this manure has been neglected in most parts of
Europe, and particularly in England, where the greater part
is suffered to run to waste, besides poisoning our rivers. Lime
thrown into the privy, will make an excellent mixture with the
excrement, and at the same time removes the ill smell and
noxious vapours of it. Saw-dust, peat-moss, or any common
earth, will be highly useful in absorbing the urine. Lime will
also render the excrement so short and dry, that it may be
used as atop-dressing. Two cart-loads of ordure, mixed with
ten loads of earth and one of lime, will be a sufficient top-
dressing for an acre, and is excellent upon light lands for
wheat and barley: for the former of which, it should be used
early in the spring; and for the latter, it may be either scat-
tered upon the young crop, or harrowed in with the seed. It
is particularly convenient for all drill crops. Urine, of every
sort, is found to be of great use, when laid upon grass or young
crops early in the spring. The most convenient way of apply-
ing it seems to be in the form of a compost, with earth and a
small proportion of lime. In this shape it is a good manure for
moist soils, particularly such as are light, sandy, or gravelly.
Great quantities of this article might be saved; and, judiciously
used, would ensure one or two good crops: about all farms,
and great towns, it might be collected into reservoirs, with
other excrements, without much trouble. In some countries
this is an object of police, especially in the towns, where
reservoirs are established for collecting it; the farmers carry
it away in barrels, and either sprinkle it immediately upon
their fields, or mix it into composts. Bones, are used as a
manure, both by themselves and with other substances. The
common way of preparing them is, to break them with a mill
into pieces about the size of a marble or nutmeg; they are
afterwards laid upon the field in small heaps, at regular
distances, and covered with earth: after remaining in this
state for some time, they are spread on fallows, on grass, or
on turnip-land. Of all manures, bones are probably the most
permanent; and when used in their simple state, without the
addition of earth or lime, they ought never to be laid upon
any but the sharpest and most active soils ; such as limestone,
chalk, or gravel: upon all these they will meet with more or
less calcareous earth; which will, in some degree, disengage
their fixed air, and dissolve the oil contained in them : but
upon deep clays, tills, or loams, they should never be applied
in that state. But when made into a compost, they may be
applied with advantage upon soils of every description, by
laying them upon or near the surface, when the crop is in a
growing state. Upon wheat, it should be used early in the
spring, without harrowing; upon barley and oats, it 'may be
harrowed in along with the grain. For drill crops, such as
Turnips, Beans, &c. they are particularly convenient, as they
admit of being put into the drill at the same time with the
seed, more readily than most other manures. Horns, of every
kind, are useful in manure, when cut into small pieces; in
their natural state they produce little effect: the proportion
proper to be employed varies with the size of the chips or
shavings ; fewer being necessary, when small ; but the effect
of the larger are longer felt. If they are of a middling size,
about sixty stone to an acre is a reasonable quantity; if more
be used, the grain is apt to be too luxuriant, and too long in
ripening: it is also liable to be injured by mildew. The
mall pieces are chiefly turner's shavings, bought at twelve
or thirteen shillings per quarter, and are much the most
useful : the large ones are refuse pieces of horn, costing about
two shillings less per quarter, and are generally ploughed in
three months before sowing Wheat or Barley. They both
answer in most soils and seasons, except very dry seasons.
Hoofs are of the same nature with horns, and answer the
same purpose. The offal of fish would be worth attending
to, especially where they are cured in considerable quantities,
as at Yarmouth. All Recent Animal Substances, as blood,
and the whole refuse of slaughter-houses, shambles, &c. afford
a very rich manure: mixed with earth, and fresh horse-dung,
they make a very rich compost. Blood mixed with saw-dust
makes a good land-dressing, to be sown upon wheat in the
spring. Putrid Animal Substances, are good manures, if pro-
perly managed : when used alone, they should always be laid
upon the most active noils, such as chalk, limestone, &c. The
most proper way of preparing them for use is, to mix them
with chalk and quick lime; the mixture should be laid in
heaps of three or four cart-loads each, and covered with earth :
after remaining in this state for eight or ten days, the heap
should be turned over, and ten cart-loads of earth added to
each cart-load of the mixture. It should then remain a month
in the heap, and may afterwards be applied as a top-dressing, or
harrowed in with the seed. REFUSE OF MANUFACTURES.
Under this head, a variety of articles may be enumerated.
Fellmongers' Cvttings'or Pouke, is used in Surrey and Kent,
and about Dunstable, where the price is sixpence a bushel;
and they use from twenty to forty bushels an acre. It is
composed of sheep's trotters, hair, scrapings of the pelts,
lime, &c. There are two sorts, the white and the brown :
the white is much the best, having more oil, lime, and hair,
in it; but they are both good, and go farther in dressing land
than almost any manure, in the proportion of four to one.
Furriers' Clippings, are sown by hand, from the seed-scuttle,
on land intended for wheat and barley, and immediately
ploughed in : the pieces that are left above ground are pricked in
by a stick, to prevent their being devoured by dogs or crows:
from two to three quarters are used on a statute acre. They
answer well on light dry chalk or gravelly soils; where they
hold moisture, and help the crop greatly in dry seasons.
SEA WEED. Ware, or Ore, is used as a manure upon almost
every part of the coast where it can be obtained in sufficient
quantity. In several parts of the kingdom, the value of land
has increased six-fold, from the circumstance of the proprietor
or occupier having easy access toil. Upon lands situated on
a dry limestone bottom, it has produced the most surprising
effects. The sea-weed commonly used in Scotland, is of three
different sorts: the best is that which is cut from the rocks,
and of which kelp is made; the second is called the peasy
sort; the worst is that with a long stalk. The common prac-
tice is, to spread the weed, immediately after it is brought
from the shore, either upon the stubbles or grass lands: when
laid upon the stubbles, it is generally ploughed in as soon as
possible. Farmers who can use it fresh do not lay it in heaps
to ferment; because a load of fresh ware will be of more ser-
vice fresh, than two loads laid in aheap to ferment. In most
cases sea-weed may be conveniently used in this way; for
where a farm is under proper rotation, there will always be
ground to lay it upon. During the winter months, it may be
put upon the ley and stubble fields; in jthe spring, upon the
bean and barley lands ; during summer, the fallows will
require all that can be collected; and by the time these are
sufficiently manured, the clover fields, after the first cutting,
will be ready to receive the remainder; through the autumn,
the stubble fields will require all that can be collected. Thus,
throughout the year this valuable manure may be used at
MAN
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MAN
soon as it is thrown upon the beach; and experience proves
that its greatest value is in that state. If, moreover, more
weed is thrown up than is wanted for immediate use, it is an
object of importance to preserve its qualities as much as pos-
sible. This is best done by making it into a compost, with
earth, and a small proportion of lime. If the quantity of earth
be great enough to absorb and retain the juices and salt of
the sea-weed, the proportion of lime moderate, the whole
well incorporated, and protected from heavy rains, it will be
found nearly as valuable as in a fresh state. After the com-
post is properly mixed, lay it up in the form of a ridge, with
a pretty sharp angle at top, covered two or three inches with
earth, well beat with the back of a spade, and defended from
the rains with straw. This compost will be found a good
dressing for young crops of every description, and may be
used either at the time of sowing the grain, and harrowed in
along with it, or after the plants have made some progress.
Upon wheat, it should always be used to the young crop early
in the spring; upon rich deep land, it is bad husbandry to lay
sea-weed, or indeed any heavy rich manure: lime, chalk, and
shells, are the proper substances. This manure seems peculiarly
adapted to lands that have been hurt by over-liming: the bad
effects of which it will more readily correct, than any other,
except oil and animal substances. River Weed. In summer
great quantities might be gathered, in lakes, in rivers where
the water is deep and has no current, and in all wet ditches.
Its effects upon wheat and other grain, as well as upon Tur-
nips, Cabbages, and other green crops, are well ascertained.
It may be laid on the land green, and ploughed in; or it may
be mixed with earth and dung. The best way of preparing it
for manure is, to let it lay in small heaps for a day or two, to
drain off' the superfluous moisture. It may then be put into
large heaps, of three or four cart-loads each, till the ferment-
ation is over: each heap should then have three times the
quantity of earth or mud mixed with it. Incorporate them
well, and let them remain for a week or ten days; turn them,
adding at the same time a quantity of hot new-slacked lime.
This compost will be ready for use in a month. Other Weeds.
Gotten vegetables, of most sorts, will enrich land. Not only
the weeds of ponds, lakes, rivers, or ditches, but any other
sort of weeds, laid in heaps to rot, will make good manure :
such as the weeds which too commonly disgrace the head-
lauds and balks of arable lands, commons, &c. the re-fuse of
kitchen-gardens, &c. Whenever any weeds are used for
manure, they should be cut down as soon as they begin to
flower, tor it' they be suffered to stand till their seeds are
ripe, the land will be stored with weeds, which cannot easily
be destroyed : and some kinds of weeds, if permitted to form
their seeds, will perfect them after they are cut down. The
surest method, therefore, is to cut them just as they begin to
flower, when they are in the greatest vigour, and fuller of
juice than when they are farther advanced. In rotting these
weeds, it will be proper to mix earth or mud with them, to
prevent their taking fire; as they are apt to do, when laid in
large heaps. When they are well rotted, they form a solid
mass; which will cut like butter, and be very full of oil.
Fern mowed whilo it is green and tender, and laid in heaps to
rot, will make a good manure : or it may first serve the pur-
pose of litter in the stable or yard, and thus increase the
quantity of dung. This, with thistles and other large weeds,
may be laid in heaps and burnt to great advantage; the ashes
being an excllent top-dressing for any crops. MUD, whe-
ther from the sea, rivers, or ponds, is an excellent manure,
on any soil, with or without lime. Its greatest value is upon
thin soils; the fertility of which it increases amaEingly, at the
same time adding to the staple of the land. It should not be
laid on fresh, or as soon as it is dry; but it should be well
turned over, and fermented with dung, or mixed with lime,
to make the seeds in it vegetate, or to destroy their vegetation.
Innumerable seeds fall, or are carried into the water, sink to
the bottom; and not being aquatics, if they have much oil in
them, are embalmed in the mud for years or ages, to vegetate
whenever they shall happen to come within reach of the atmo-
sphere, in a proper matrix. It may be dug between hay-time
and harvest; and either made into a compost when dry, or,
being turned over and levelled, and exposed to a winter's
frost, may be dug in spring, and planted with Potatoes. In
Cheshire, the soil deposited at the extremity of salt-marshes,
commonly known there under the name of Sea-sludge, after
it has been grassed over for a few years, is said to be the
most productive and lasting of any sort of manure; containing
all the strength of marl, and the richness of black dung. -
Street Sweepings. This is a mixture of most substances
valuable in agriculture, and needs the assistance of ferment-
ation less than any of them, to render it fit for use; being
made up principally of the offal of houses, dung of horses and
cattle, ashes, &c. It may be either ploughed in as dung,
or used in the spring, to invigorate wheat that is weak, from
not having been sufficiently manured, or from any other cause.
It may be employed in general as a top-dressing, or put into
the furrow with drilled crops. Road Sweepings. The dung
and sand swept up, or dirt shovelled up, on turnpike roads,
would make an excellent manure, and at the same time
remove a great annoyance to travellers. Where roads are
mude with limestone, this manure will be particularly valu-
able; and where they are made with flints, it answers for
grass land. Rubbish. The backs of ditch-banks, the borders
of fences in general, the sides of lanes, and the nooks of
yards, which are suffered to remain from generation to gene-
ration the nursery of weeds, turned up into ridges to rot the
roots, &c. make an excellent manure; as also does the rub-
bish of old buildings. Sea-stone walls afford a great quantity
of this valuable article; which, from its immediate effect and
duration jointly, is considered by some as superior to marl,
mould, or even dung itst'lf, especially upon scalds and hot-
burning soils. The rubbish of old lath and plaster buildings
is incomparable manure for Clover leys,or grass lands, two loads
to an acre; and is said to last twenty years. Lime-rubbish
is used by gardeners to bottom gravel-walks, to mix with
earth for Tulips, &c. and to plant Vines and Figs. Mud or
earth walls acquire considerable fertility ; and as they moulder,
or fall away, become useful in the compost dunghill. Malt-
dust, Comb, or Coombs, is the dust that separates from the
malt in the act of drying; and is used as a top-dressing for
Bailey, Clover, Turnips, &c. This is reckoned one of the
most efficacious manures. Mr. Miller says, it is a great
enricher of barren ground, having a natural heat and sweet-
ness in it; which imparts to the soil a proper fermentation,
especially where grounds are a natural clay, and have con-
tracted a sourness and austerity; whether from having long
lain unfilled and exposed to the air, or from water having
stagnated upon them. Oak Bark, or Tanner's Bark, after
the tanners have used it for tanning leather, when laid in a
heap and rotted, is an excellent manure, especially for stiff
cold land; in which, one load of this manure will improve the
ground more, and last longer, than two loads of the richest
dungs: and yet it is very common to see large heaps of this
remaining for many years in the tanners' yards ; where manure
of other kinds is very scarce, and often carried to a great
distance. Of late years this has been much used for hot-
beds in several parts of England, and is found greatly to
excel horse-dung for that purpose; the fermentation being
MAN
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MAN
83
moderate, and of long continuance: so that a bed of tan,
when rightly made, will continue in a moderate temper of
heat three or four months ; and when the heat begins to
decay, if it be stirred up with a dung-fork, and some fresh
tan added to it, the heat will renew again, and will last for
some months : so that these beds are by far the most kindly
for exotic plants : and whatever plants are plunged into these
beds, if they are permitted to root through the bottom of the
pots, they will thrive more in one month after, than they did in
four months while they were confined to the pots. Many
plants that root through the pots into the tan, send forth
roots upwards of twelve feet each way, in less than three
months; and the plants advance in proportion. After the
tan is used for a hot-bed, it may be spread on the ground for
manure, and will greatly enrich it; because it is of a warm
nature, and will loosen and separate the earth. When this
manure is laid upon grass, it should be done soon after
Michaelmas, that the rains may wash it into the ground ; for
if it be laid on in the spring, it will burn the grass, and,
instead of improving, will greatly injure it, at least for that
season. Where it is used on corn-land, it should be spread
on the surface before the last ploughing, that it may be turned
down, for the fibres of the corn to reach it in the spring : for
if it lie too near the surface, it will forward the growth of the
corn in winter ; but in the spring, when nourishment is chiefly
wanted, it will be nearly consumed, and the corn will reap
but little advantage from it. Nor will it be proper to have
this manure lie too near the roots of any plants ; as in that
case it is injurious to most of them, but especially to bulbous
and tuberous rooted flowers. But when it is buried just deep
enough for the fibres of the roots to reach it in the spring,
the flowers have been exceedingly improved by it : and in
some places where this manure has been used in kitchen-gar-
dens, it has greatly improved the vegetables. Soot, is used
as a manure in almost every part of OUT island, where it can
be procured in sufficient quantities, and is applied in every
different shape, and to all crops. Used in its simple state, it
answers best upon light gravel, chalk, or limestone soils : if
in a compost, the proper proportions are, two loads of soot,
the. same quantity of lime, and ten loads of earth. The soot
and earth should be well incorporated, and remain in a heap
a week or ten days, then turned, and the lime added in strata
as it is turned over; in this state it may remain a month
01 six weeks, and be again turned, taking care to break every
part of it as small as possible, by working it well with the
spade : in a week or two more it will be ready for use. This
compost may be applied upon every sort of grain, especially
Wheat or Barley ; and if rain fall soon after it is laid on, it
will immediately begin to operate. It answers best on light,
dry, chalky soils, and in moderately wet seasons : it does little
good on strong or wet land, or in very dry seasons, unless
sown earlier than usual. The London coal-soot is generally
mixed with cork-dust, coal-ashes, or sweepings of the streets :
yet even in this adulterated state, it is found to answer much
better than country soot from wood. It is an excellant manure
for pasture land, in the quantity of forty bushels to an acre.
Peat Moss, can only be made useful by fermentation; to
bring on which, dry the peat-moss well, break it into small
pieces, and lay it on the ground to the thickness of three or
four inches. Let the whole of the dung from the stables be
laid over it. The moisture of the dung will sink down, and
not only correct the acidity, but saturate the peat-moss com-
pletely with the valuable properties of the dung. Turn the
dunghill over, and mix the dung and peat-moss carefully
together, throwing them up lightly; and a gentle fermentation
will come on. After a few weeks turn it over again, adding
VOL. ii. 73.
one load of lime to five loads of moss ; the whole being well
broken, and accurately mixed. The addition of the lime will
hasten the putrefaction of the moss, dissolve the oil contained
in it, and give a due degree of activity to the whole. Another
way of effecting this is, to pour the urine of cattle, the
moisture of the dunghill, soap-leys, and offal of the house,
upon peat-moss ; and afterwards to mix it with stable-dung
and lime. Ploughing in Green Crops. Many sorts of ve-e-
tables may be sown, in order to be ploughed in when they are
in full growth, to enrich the land. The ancients ploughed in
Lupines for this purpose ; and that practice is still continued
in Italy, and the south of France, but they are too tender for our
climate ; and we have better plants for the purpose, as Pease,
Beans, Buckwheat,Turnips,Vetches,Clover, Spurrey, and other
moist and juicy plants, as Mustard, Coleseed, and other large-
growing plants, which are cut before they form their seeds,
when they are in full bloom, and abound most in sap. When
we consider at what small expense 'of prime cost, carriage,
and other charges, this manure is obtained, and how com-
pletely it smothers the weeds, it is wonderful that it has not
more generally been adopted. It might, no doubt, be used
on many occasions, in place of a complete summer fallow, as
a preparation for wheat : in which case the price of the seeds,
which is almost the only expense, would be amply repaid by
the saving in the article of labour. Their value might be
much improved by laying on a certain quantity of lime, chalk,
or marl, according to the nature of the soil; which would
tend greatly to hasten the fermentation, and bring the land
sooner into a proper state for affording nourishment to the
succeeding crop of wheat. EARTH. Maiden or untried
earth, such as is" found six or seven inches deep under turfs
or commons, headlands, and by the sides of roads in many
places, where it is of good quality, is of inestimable value as
a manure for fruit-trees, raising shrubs and trees in nurseries,
all sorts of crops in kitchen-gardens, and ornamental flowers,
as well as corn and grass. The nurserymen near London
send many miles for a loamy maiden earth, as absolutely
necessary for their purpose. It is recommended in preference
to dung, for both fruit and kitchen gardens, particularly for
Asparagus, laid a foot and half deep, without any dung what-
soever: mixed with dung or lime, it makes excellent manure
for Corn or Turnips. Doubtless there are many sorts of earth
that might be employed with success, besides those in common
use, if they were examined by men skilled in their respective
properties, and applied by persons versed in their operations.
Chalk, is in high esteem in the southern counties of Eng-
land, where it abounds : its best effects are upon deep soils,
which contain no calcareous earth, and is observed to have
very little effect upon lands where the substratum is chalk ;
and even does mischief, where the soil is thin. When used
upon light soils, it is made into compost with earth and dung.
When this is well mixed, and duly proportioned, it produces
valuable crops ; and the effects continue for many years.
The common method of using this compost is, either to lay
it upon fallows for wheat, and mix it intimately with the soil,
or upon grass, as a top-dressing ; in both cases it answers
well; in the latter, it destroys moss-rushes, and all coarse
aquatic plants that grow in sour or wet lands ; in the former,
it opens and pulverizes the soil, and never fails to produce
good crops. Chalk should be broken as small as possible,
and in no case ploughed in till its parts are properly separated ;
and then it should be completely harrowed in, and well mixed
with the soil. Lime. Respecting the proper quantity of lime,
it may be observed in general, that the greatest should be
used upon the deepest and richest soils ; and the least, upon
those that are thin and light. Upon strong clays and deep
MAN
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MA N
loams there is a substantial body for the lime to operate upon,
containing abundance of rich substances ; and considerable
quantity will be required, to pervade and give due acti-
vity to the whole : but as the soil is lighter, the quantity
must be less, and the after-management, with regard to the
crops, extremely cautious. In liming a single field, an atten-
tion to the quantity will often be found necessary ; the soil of
the higher parts being for the most part more light and free,
and that of the lower more deep and compact, where the
ground is unequal. On some soils, particularly where the
bottom is chalk, limestone, or marl, lime will be pernicious,
especially if the soil be thin. Lime is found to produce the
best effects upon fallows, when laid on early in the season,
and well incorporated with the soil. By the assistance of
lime, whole districts, formerly useless, have been made to
produce not only good crops of Turnips, but also valuable
crops of Corn and broad Clover. Its greater value, however,
seems to be upon light soils for those crops; insomuch, that
where lime is the principal manure, they seldom sow Turnips,
Clovers, Pease, or Beans, except upon lands that have been
previously limed. Instances of this are often met with on the
up-lauds ; where if any of the broad-leaved crops are sown
where a part has been limed, and a part not, the parts where the
lime has been laid will produce a valuable return ; while that
which has been dunged only, will hardly repay the expense of
seed and labour. Farmers differ in their methods of using
lime upon Turnip lands : some lay it on only before the last
ploughing, and plough it in withoistt harrowing ; they also lay it
in heaps, hot from the kiln, without being slaked. But the
sooner it is laid upon the land, and the more ploughings and
harrowings it receives before the seed is sown, the better it
will be incorporated with the soil, and the more certain and
valuable will be its effects. Upon Clover-ley, for Oats, is per-
haps the worst way in which lime can be used. It is generally
laid on in the autumn, and ploughed down in the spring; and
the returns are inadequate to the expense. Lime is used as
a top-dressing, in spring, upon Grass, or Wheat, and other
grain. Upon the latter it is dangerous, unless the lime be
made into a compost with dung or earth : in this form it will
not only be safe, but profitable. Upon the former it is no
better, except upon coarse meadows, abounding with rushes
and weeds, which it destroys. Upon light soils, if several
white crops be taken in succession after liming, the land will
be worn out. A white and a green crop should be taken
alternately. Upon clay lands, a summer fallow is sometimes
indispensable ; in that case the lime should be laid on in July
or August, and completely harrowed in before ploughing:
two or three ploughings at least are required to incorporate
it well with the soil, and a suitable harrowing with each.
Marl, has been long celebrated as a manure. Barren sands,
and poor heaths, have been rendered productive by marl,
but at a great expense : indeed there is reason to believe that
the greatest part of the southern district of Lancashire has
been reclaimed by it ; but it will not produce its full effects
upon the soil, till it is incorporated with it by several plough-
ings, and dung, or other oily manure, mixed with it. Mr.
Coke, of Holkam, in Norfolk, who has marled many hundred
acres, always spreads the marl on the new ley, that is, on the
seeds, after the barley harvest, from eighty to one hundred
loads an acre ; and on these dry soils it does little injury to
the grasses. By this mode, the marl is on the ground at least
three years before the plough enters ; which is far. better, and
more durable, than ploughing it directly. In open fields,
marling seldom answers the expense ; for this is only a begin-
ning of improvement : by going on directly with a course of
ploughing, which cannot well be avoided in shiftable fields,
the marl is often buried and lost before it mixes properly
with the soil, especially if turned in too deep in the first earth,
of which great care should betaken. Marling, therefore, can
only or chiefly answer on inclosed land, that can be managed
as the occupier pleases. In that case, it should be laid down
with Clover, Ray-grass, and Trefoil, the spring twelve-months
before laying on the marl, and remain at least six months after,
that it may have time to sink into the flag before it is ploughed
up ; and then there will be little danger of losing it, as it will
be in some measure incorporated with the soil. No pains
should be spared to break all the lumps, and to get it fine by
repeated harrowings and rollings, and to have the stones
picked and carried away, that the grass may get through, for
stock to be grazing upon it ; which is the great and finishing
improvement. After the land has been got fine, and laid six
or eight months longer ; in February, or the beginning of
March, break it up, and sow it with Pease; then fallow for
Turnips, giving it four or five earths, with harrowings, &c.
After feeding off the Turnips upon the land, sow Barley, and
lay it down again with Clover, Trefoil, and Ray-grass. Let it
l^.y two summers; after which, by either folding or dunging
it, if not too poor a sand, there will be a good chance for a
crop of Wheat; after which, fallow again for Turnips and Bar-
ley, or Rapeseed and Oats, and so on ; always bearing in mind,
that taking two following crops of corn, without a fallow,
or summer grazing, will soon bring newly improved land to its
former impoverished state. Crag, is a sort of shell marl,
being chiefly shells whole, or in a decaying state, mixed with
calcareous earth; which probably is nothing but the shells
perfectly decayed. For Turnips, the benefit has been found
equal to that of dung, in Suffolk ; yet the greatest effect was
on a moory bottom. The Sandlings, a tract of land in that
county, nearWoodbridge, seem to be upon a foundation of this
red shell marl or crag; the use of which is, however, discon-
tinued, except for taking in walk land, as they call it, for sheep.
Upon old improved lands they never lay it singly, but mix it
with dung, earth, or ouze ; thinking that it makes light lands
blow more. Mr. Young, in his Eastern Tour, says, that crag
is dry, and not in the least soapy ; that it does not effervesce in
acids, and does not fall in water; that notwithstanding this, all
the effects, and even more, produced in Norfolk by sixty, eighty,
or one hundred loads of marl, are gained in Suffolk by ten or
twelve of crag; and that it lasts even longer : which they have
discovered from an idea, probably unfounded, that land once
cragged will not bear a repetition of it, except in a compost
with dung; and accordingly, in many cases, it has lasted,
with such additions, fifty, sixty, and even one hundred years.
The nature of the poor sands in that county is quite changed
with it; and they gain an adhesion, which they retain for
ever. Crag is a great fertilizer, as appears from the sudden
increase of the crops after its application. Shells and Sea
Sand, are used to great advantage in several parts of England,
especially in Devonshire; where they are at the expense of
fetching the sand and shells, on horses' backs, twelve or four-
teen miles. The land on which they lay this manure, is a
strong loam, inclining to clay. Where the land lies near the
sea, so that either sand, shells, corals, wrack or sea-weeds,
can be obtained at an easy expense, they are by far the best
kinds of manure, because they enrich the land for several
years ; for as their salts are closely locked up, they are com-
municated by degrees to the land, as the heat and cold causes
the various bodies to pulverize, and fall into small parts: so that
where sands, and smaller kinds of sea-weeds, are used, if they
are laid on land in proper quantities, it will enrich it for six
or seven years; but shells, corals, and other hard bodies, will
continue many years longer. All shells are principally cal-
MAN
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MAN
85
careous earth, and, when burnt, afford the best of lime. In
a recent state they are of little value as a manure, unless they
are broken very small ; but in a decayed state they resemble
shell-marl. Upon deep loams and strong clays their operation is
similar to chalk or marl; but upon light gravels or sands, little
benefit is to be expected from them, unless they are previ-
ously made into a compost with dung, clay, or loam. When
such lands are in grass, by top-dressings of any of the different
earths, their value will be much improved; and the thinner
the soil, the greater will be the profit arising from this
management. On clay pastures, shells in their simple state
will correct acidity, destroy rushes, and render the soil less
retentive of moisture. Sea-sand is an excellent manure on a
summer fallow for Wheat; but being repeated two or three
times, loses much of its good effects, without a change of til-
lage. Straw being scarce at Yarmouth, they litter their
stables with sea-sand; as the bed becomes soiled or wet,
fresh sand is scattered on, until the whole is in a manner
saturated with dung and urine; the stall is then cleared, and
afresh bed of sand laid in. Thus muck of a singularly excel-
leat quality is produced. Sea-sand is much used by florisfe
in Holland, where they draw their parterres into ridges before
winter, and spread it on the tops of them. Common Sand.
This can scarcely be considered as a manure; it is, however,
beneficial upon all clays, and other tenacious stiff land, by
separating their parts, and destroying their cohesive quality;
by which means the sun, air, and frost, penetrate them the
better. It is likewise of great use upon rough coarse mea-
dows : nothing fines the surface more, or produces a thicker
sward of Dutch Clover. The best sand is that which is
washed out of highways or from hills, by rains, or that
which lies in rivers. Clay. As sands are an improvement
to clays, so, on the other hand, clays are an improvement to
gravelly and sandy lands; yet we have frequently observed
clayey and sandy grounds lying almost contiguous, without
any attempt having ever been made to make an experiment
on this obvious interchange of soils. It must be remembered
that marl and clay are often confounded, and that marling is
frequently called claying. The extent to which claying has
been carried in the sand districts of Suffolk, is very consider-
able. An excellent cultivator near Bury, though not on a
very large farm, has carried 140,000 loads. But when this
clay is not of a good sort, that is, when it has very little
clay in it, but is rather an imperfect hard chalk, there are
great doubts how far it answers, and in many cases it has
certainly been spread to little or no profit. The usual quan-
tity is from sixty to eighty, and sometimes one hundred
loads, of thirty-two bushels, to an acre. The duration, and
indeed the whole effect, depends much on the course of
crops. If the plough be too frequently used, and corn sown
too often, it answers badly, and the effect is soon lost; but
with management it lasts twenty years. In many cases, a
course of fallow and Rye, or light Oats, is converted to fine
Barley, Clover, and Wheat, and the produce multiplied twenty-
fold; but the cases in which the return has been inadequate
are not a few: and on soils that will yield Saintfoin, it is
more profitable to cultivate that, than to clay the land for
corn. Probably this clay was more properly a'marl. In stiff
deep clays, where manure is not to be had in sufficient quan-
tities, and fuel is cheap, it may be no bad process to burn
some of the clay, which will not only break the cohesion of
the soil, and make it more easily cultivated, but will also
render it less retentive of moisture, and thus more friendly
to vegetation; but upon thin soils, it is evident, any attempt
at burning would be highly improper. Ashes, of all kinds
of vegetables, are an excellent manure or top-dressing for
land. Pot-ash, or fixed Vegetable Alkali. In places far
removed from the means of improvement, a substitute for
common manures, that is of easy carriage, and can be had at
a moderate expense, must be valuable. From experiments
that have been made, it appears that two hundred pounds
of pot-ash are sufficient for an acre of strong land ; for lighter
soils, much less is required, if laid on by itself ; on these,
however, a compost of this and oil, incorporated with mould,
will be the best way of employing it. Upon strong clays, and
deep loams, however, it ought always to be applied by itself.
When tke expense of carriage is considered, pot-ash will often
be found a cheaper manure than lime. In one respect it is
superior, for the union of pot-ash with all the different acids
form a neutral, which is in some degree useful in vegetation;
whereas when lime meets with the vitriolic acid, it is almost
entirely lost. Kelp. The operation of kelp depends upon
the same principles as lime, pot-ash, &c. Like them, it
produces the best effects on deep loams or clays; and the
benefit will be still farther increased, if lime be made use of
along with it. Kelp should be broken very small with large
hammers, or by passing it through a mill. Bleacher 's Ashes,
or Refuse, consists principally of the hard undissolved parts
of pot-ash, kelp, weed-ash, and barilla. Alone, they are too
stimulating, and ought never to be used but with earth, or
earth and dung; they answer well with blood, garbage, and
putrid animal substances. They are generally laid upon fal-
lows for Wheat. The greatest advantage derived from them
is upon clay or deep loams. Upon rushy grounds, or coarse
wet meadows, they will be found particularly useful. Soap
Ashes, which are in some measure the same as the refuse of
bleach-fields, are generally made into composts with earth
and well-fermented dung, in the proportion of two loads of
dung to one of earth; the ashes are then added, in the quan-
tity of one load to ten of this mixture, turning and incorpo-
rating the whole completely. The quantity necessary for
strong clays or deep loams is ten cart-loads to an acre. It"
the dung has been well fermented, perhaps the most profit-
able way of using this compost, will be as a top-dressing har-
rowed in with the grain ; taking care, however, that the
caustic quality of the ashes is properly blunted by a sufficient
mixture of dung and earth. These ashes, when beaten small,
may be made into a rich compost with oil and earth, and
used as a top-dressing for young crops. They will destroy
slugs and vermin of every description ; and are therefore
highly valuable on lands where the early Wheat is injured by
the worm. Laid upon grass-lands in the end of autumn, this
manure produces a deep verdure during the winter, and an
early vigorous vegetation in the spring; it is therefore par-
ticularly calculated for cold wet pastures. Peat-ashes.
Eight or ten bushels of rich peat-ashes are sufficient to dress
an acre. They should be laid on in the spring, before the
plants have attained any great size, in wet, or at least cloudy
weather. Or, they may be sown and harrowed in with the
grain ; in which case a greater quantity will be requisite than
when they are used as a top-dressing. They greatly improve
grass lands, particularly Clover and Saintfoin; the quantity is
from fifteen to twenty-five bushels, according to the condition
of the land. Peat-dust, or peat ground to powder, answers
equally well with the ashes in the same quantity. It is
esteemed the best manure for Asparagus, Onion beds, and
flowers, mixed with dung; and destroys thistles, if laid on
in sufficient quantity, or repeated. Wood-ashes, are useful
as a manure, principally upon account of the pot-ash which
they contain. The ashes of fir, pine, &c. have very little of
it; but oak, ash, and most of the hard woods, abound in
pot-ash. Except upon the strongest and most tenacious soils.
86
MAN
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MAN
the rich kinds of wood-ashes are too stimulating, and are
best used in a compost with earth and dung, or any animal
substances. They effectually correct sour soils ; conse-
quently upon poor meadows, or rushy grounds, they produce
effects similar to lime; and if mixed with quick lime, their
beneficial effects will be heightened. Coal-ashes, are well
adapted to clays and deep loams, by breaking the tenacity
of the soil. On light soils they should never be used but in
the form of a compost with earth, or earth and dung. From
fifty to sixty bushels is a complete dressing for a statute acre;
and they are of great use in a kitchen-garden, where the
natural soil is too strong and stubborn. COMPOSTS, are
rarious, and ought to be different according to the different
nature or quality of the soils which they are designed to meli-
orate ; and according as the land is either light, sandy,
loose, heavy, clayey, or cloddy. A light loose sand requires
a compost of a heavy nature, as the scouring of deep ditches,
ponds, &c. A heavy land requires a manure of a lighter
nature, that will insinuate itself into the lumpish clods.
For Gardens. The great use of composts in gardening is for
such plants as are preserved in pots or tubs; or in small
beds, or borders of flower-gardens. As some plants delight
it a rich light soil, others in a poor sandy soil, and some in
a loamy soil, there should be different composts prepared in
all those gardens, where a great variety of plants are culti-
vated; and this is much more necessary in countries at a
great distance from London, than in the neighbourhood of
it, because there is so great a variety of lands within ten miles
round London, which have been so long dressed and culti-
vated, that a supply of earth fit for all sorts of plants may be
easily procured; but in some places which are at a distance
from large towns, it is very difficult to procure a quantity of
earth proper for the choicer sorts of flowers and plants;
therefore the composts will require more care, and should be
mixed a considerable time longer before they are used, that
they may have the advantage of heat and cold to soften
and improve them; and should be frequently turned over,
that the parts may be well mixed and incorporated, and the
clods well broken and divided. Almost every one who has
written upon this subject has directed the procuring the
upper surface of earth from a pasture ground, as one of the
principal ingredients in most composts for plants; which is
certainly a very good one, provided it has time to incorporate
before it is used: for if this be mixed up hastily, and put into
pots or tubs before it has had a winter's frost, and summer's
heat, to loosen the parts effectually, it will unite and cake
together so hard as to starve the plants that are put into it.
For all earth, when put into pots or tubs, is much more apt
to bind than when it is in beds ; therefore it should be in
proportion made looser, according to the nature of the plants
for which it is designed, than when it is intended for beds or
borders. So that if this earth from a pasture cannot be pre-
pared and mixed at least one year before it is used, it will be
much better to take the earth of a kitchen-garden which has
been well wrought and dunged; but this should be clear
from all roots of trees and bad weeds. If this earth be well
mixed with the other composts six months, and often turned
over, it will be better for pots and tubs than the other will
in twice that time. This earth, being the principal ingre-
dient in those composts designed for such plants as require
a rich soil; the next is to have a quantity of very rotten
dung, from old hot-beds; or for those plants which delight
in a cool soil, a quantity of rotten cow-dung is preferable.
The proportion of this must be according; to the quality of
the earth; for if that be poor, there should be one third part
of dung; but if it be rich, a fourth part or less will be suf-
ficient. These, when well incorporated, and the parts divided,
will require no other mixture, unless the- earth be inclinable
to bind, in which case it will be proper to add some sand,
or sea-coal ashes, to it : if sea-sand can be procured, that is
best, and the next to it is drift-sand; but the sand procured
from pits is by no means proper. The proportion of this
must be according to the nature of the earth, for if that be
stiff there must be a greater proportion used, but this should
not exceed a fifth part, unless it is very strong, in which case
it will require more, and a longer time to lie, and must be
often turned over before it is used. The next compost, which
is designed for plants which do not require so good earth,
and naturally grown on loose soils, should be half of the before-
mentioned earth from a pasture, or that from a kitchen-garden ;
and if these are inclinable to bind, there should be a third part
sand, the other part rotten tan, which will be of great use to
keep the parts divided, and let the moisture pass off. The
composition for most of the succulent plants, is prepared with
the following materials : the earth from a common, where it is
light, taken on the surface, one half, the other half sea or
drift sand, and old lime-rubbish screened, of equal parts;
these, well-mixed, and often turned over, form the best of
all composts for the very succulent plants. The other sort
of compost, which is designed for plants that delight in a
very loose, light, rich earth, should be made of light earth,
taken from a kitchen-garden which has been well dunged
and thoroughly wrought, like those near London, one half;
of rotten tanner's bark, one-third ; and the other part mud
from the scouring of ditches, or from the bottom of ponds
where the soil is fat; but this mud should lie exposed in small
heaps a whole year, and be often turned over, before it is
mixed with the other, and afterwards frequently turned and
mixed for eight months or a year, before it is used. In all
mixtures, where rotten wood may be required, if the rotten,
tanner's bark, taken from old hot-beds, be used, that will
answer every purpose of the other: and wherever sand is
necessary in any compost, the sea-sand should always be
preferred to all other; but this should not be used fresh,
because the salts should be exposed to the air, which will
loosen the particles, and thereby render them better adapted
to the nutriment of vegetables. There are some who have
directed the use of rotten leaves of vegetables as an excellent
ingredient in most composts; but they are of little use, and
contain the least quantity of vegetable pasture of any kind of
dressing. Others, who never had any experience in the
culture of plants, have directed different composts for almost
every plant ; and these composts consist of such a variety of
ingredients as greatly to resemble the prescriptions of a quack
doctor: no person conversant in the business of gardening,
could commit such gross absurdities, for it is well known
that a few different composts will be sufficient for all the
known plants in the world. Those who pretend to give
direction for the culture of plants from theory only, begin at
the wrong end; for the true knowledge of gardening or agri-
culture must be from experience. In making any compost,
great care should be had that the several parts are properly
mixed together ; not to have too much of any one sort :
therefore when three or four several sorts are to be mixed
together, there should be a man or two placed to each sort,
in proportion to the quantity ; for if two parts of any one sort
are requisite to be added, there should be two men put to
that, and but one to each of the other: and these men must
be instructed carefully to spread each sort in such a manner
over the other, as that they may be exactly mixed together.
Another thing which should be observed is, never to lay
these composts in too large heaps ; but rather continue them
MAN
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MAN
87
in length, laying them up in a ridge, so that the sun and air
may more easily penetrate through it; and as these composts j
should, if possible, be made a year before they are used, they '
hould be frequently turned over; which will prevent the
growth of weeds, and expose every part of the heap equally
to the sun and air: and the more they are exposed to the
influence of these, the better they will be prepared for vege-
tation. Field Composts, are usually made, by mixing various
substances with stable or yard dung : and hence in some
counties they are called Mixens. The most common materials
for this purpose are, turf pared from waste places, virgin earth,
peat earth, lime, the scourings of brooks, ponds, and ditches,
weeds, rubbish of buildings, coal-ashes, &c. That dung
alone, properly managed and applied, is a most valuable
manure, is unquestionable; yet it is not equally useful in
all soils and situations. It is much better calculated for active
than inactive soils. On limestone, chalk, &c. it meets with
abundance of active materials ; but upon clays, deep loams,
&c. it operates best in conjunction with lime, or some other
stimulating substance. When dung is intended for a compost,
no attempt should be made to add a large quantity of lime,
earth, &c. till it is properly fermented ; every addition of this
kind checking the fermentation. The lime, earth, &c. should
be added after the fermentation is finished ; and the whole
then carefully mixed and laid up together. In a few days, a
second fermentation will come on; and if the mixture has
been properly turned over, and thoroughly incorporated, it
will be fit for use in a month or six weeks. Some judgment
and attention will be requisite, with regard to the quantity of
lime and other active principles employed : for if the quantity
employed be small, their action upon the rich substances in
the dung will be partial and imperfect; and if too great, a
considerable loss may be sustained by their over-action. If
the quantity of earth also be such as to press the dung too
hard, the air will be excluded, and the second fermentation
b<! impeded or prevented. It is certainly a right method to
lay, a good coat of earth as a foundation for the dunghill,
into which the moisture of the dung may soak down: and it
is no bad way to make a heap of such substances as can be
readily obtained, apart from the dung ; and to throw the
moisture of the dunghill, and the urine of the cattle, over it.
The following is a good method of making a compost : in a
field conveniently situated, plough and harrow a head-land,
till the soil is well divided and in fine tilth ; then take a cart-
load, or forty bushels of lime, fresh from the kiln, and place
it in little heaps, about a bushel in each, along the middle of
the head-land, at four feet distance from each other : cover
the heaps with four or five times their quantity of pulverized
earth, and pat it down close with the back of a shovel, so as
to exclude both rain and air. In a few days the moisture of
the earth will have dissolved the lime, and reduced it to a
powder. If the heaps have any fissures in them, they should
from time to time be filled up, by having more earth thrown
upon them, and patted down close. When the lime is per-
fectly reduced to a powder, that and the earth must be chopped
down with a spade, and intimately blended together. This
is most conveniently done, in the form of a long bank or
ridge ; in the middle of which, a large furrow or opening
must be made, sufficient to receive five cart-loads, of forty
bushels each, of good spit dung; when the earth and lime
must be thrown over the dung, so as to cover the whole. In
this manner it must lie some months, or till the dung is in a
state of dissolution ; when it must be turned over again, well
mixed, and formed into a heap or clamp, to be kept for use.
Earth, lime, and dung, thus managed, constitute an unctuous
mass, of great fertility. An effectual mode of raising a large
VOL. II. '.1.
quantity of compost manure is, to bed the farm-yard about
two feet deep with earth ; and on this, to cleanse the stables,
cow-houses, hog-sties, &c. and to move the cribs, in which
loose cattle are fed with straw, about it. This bed of earth
will retain the urine; so that when the whole is mixed toge-
ther, it will all be nearly of equal goodness, and admirably
adapted to gravelly and loose soils in general; through which
the essence of dung alone will be washed in one season: a
top-dressing of soot, pigeons'-dung, &c. will last but one crop;
and very rotten pure dung is little better. Another method
of making compost dunghills is, by making them into clamps.
Make a layer of hedge-earth, from a grubbed border, two
feet deep, and about twelve feet square, in the beginning of
November : the quantity of earth will be about twenty-six
loads, of sixteen bushels each : on this clean all the yards
and sheds. The yard, not being bedded with earth, should
be well littered, to soak up the urine, and to be made into
dung by the hogs and loose cattle : this may be cleaned once
a fortnight, and the sheds once a week ; and piled regularly
on the foundation of earth, until the heap is about seven feet
high ; and when one clamp is thus filled up, another foun-
dation of earth may be laid adjoining. In order to enrich
the compost, the flowings of the heap should be prevented
from running off, and thrown up occasionally on the heap.
By thus piling the compost in clamps, it will be in very good
order for arable land early in the spring: which will not be
the case, if it be left to be trodden flat over the whole yard,
and every particle to be washed by the rain. Fermentation
goes on much quicker in this method ; and it would be better
still, if the heap were made under a roof, to keep off all
moisture but what is thrown up. Another advantage of this
method is, that any part of the compost may be used, by
taking a division of the hill that has been the longest finished.
Where there is a deficiency of materials for making good
composts proper for the soil, in many cases a mixture of dif-
ferent soils may answer the purpose. Thus, where clay pre-
dominates, the addition of sand, where it is happily within
reach, is often sufficient to ensure fertility; and where sand
prevails, the addition of clay or chalk will answer the
same purpose. Gravel enriches peat-moss ; and that in
return improves gravel. The farmer, therefore, should search
every where above ground, and below, for such substances as
may improve his several soils, by a due mixture. TOP-
DRESSINGS, answer particularly well on crops that tiller, as
Wheat and Barley ; and when these are sickly and backward
in the spring, in consequence of a bad seed-time, immoderate
wet, severe frosts, and other causes, help them prodigiously,
by quickening their vegetation; and thus enabling them to
cover the soil from the ensuing drought of summer. They
are peculiarly applicable to poor, light, sandy and gravelly,
or limestone lands. The advocates for top-dressings, in pre-
ference to ploughing in manure, assert, that when a consider-
able quantity of dung is laid upon land, and mixed with the
whole soil, a great proportion of its richest salts may be car-
ried down by rains ; and not only be lost to the present crop,
but if the sub-soil be of a loose and porous nature, will very
soon escape beneath the reach of the plough ; whereas, if
stable-dung, and other enriching manures, were mixed with
lime, or other active substances, into a compost, and thus
employed as a top-dressing, a much smaller quantity than it
usually applied might probably be found sufficient. By thus
laying manures upon or near the surface, they sink by slow
degrees ; their beneficial effects are exerted upon the crop in
their passage downwards ; and very little, if any, of the fer-
tilizing parts penetrate beyond where they are useful. Top-
dressings, however, are frequently attended with great expense:
MAN
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MAR
their effects also are not permanent; and in dry seasons they
do little or no good. In applying them, the nourishment of
the plants only is considered ; no regard being had to loosen-
ing the earth : they are not, therefore, sufficient for heavy
lands. Stiff loams and clay require lime and dung, to break
the cohesion of their parts. Beans also, and tap-rooted plants,
in general require such manures as are worked into the land
by the plough : for top-dressings operate but a little, way
within the surface, except on thin soils, where they certainly
are of great use ; and are also beneficial to Turnips, by push-
ing the young plant hastily into rough leaf, and thereby
securing it against the fly ; but they are of no farther utility.
FOLDING. This is resorted to by all open field farmers,
as the preparation for Wheat ; and their chief dependence is
upon this species of top-dressing, where the quantity of farm-
yard dung is insufficient for their purpose. This mode of
manuring is peculiarly adapted to farms of considerable
extent of hill or common pasture, or grass-lands that never
come under the plough. In such farms, by bringing the
sheep in the evening to the fold, a considerable quantity of
manure will be made, that would otherwise be lost. If the
pasture, upon which the sheep feed through the day, be good,
they may be folded, without much detriment to the animal,
for a great part of the year : but where the pasture is scanty,
this cannot well be done ; for the sheep will not be able to
pick up a sufficiency of food through the day, to enable them
to bear the fatigue of travelling to and from the fold, and
fasting all night. And unless the sheep have turnips or hay
during the winter, their dung will be of small value. It is a
bad practice to crowd more sheep into a fold than can lie
down at their ease ; and it is equally bad to confine young
and old, strong and weak, in the same fold. It is far better
to afford them room enough, and to let them remain on the
same spot two or three nights, till it be sufficiently manured.
Feeding sheep in a fold can only be practised on light dry
soils. Here it is still more necessary, neither to crowd the
stock, nor to put in the weak with the strong : for they will
tread down and waste the food ; and in the contention for it,
the strong will deprive the weak of their proper share. On
light dry soils, sheep will do good, by giving it cohesion with
much treading; but on clays or strong loams this does much
injury to the land : turnips, &c. cannot therefore be fed off
in such soils, except in dry seasons ; but must be pulled and
eaten upon a dry stubble or pasture. If folding be supposed
necessary on account of the manure, where farm-yard dung
is not made in a sufficient quantity, and other manure is not
readily to be obtained ; might not a greater stock of muck be
raised, by littering a dry part of the yard, or a warm corner
of some pasture, with straw, fern, or whatever litter could be
had in greatest plenty? penning them there in hard weather,
and letting them run into the adjacent pasture only during
the day in fine weather. A great quantity of manure might
thus be raised in winter from a flock; and, provided they
had ample room in the pen, and were to be well supplied with
dry litter, the sheep might sustain less injury in thus lying
warm and dry, than from being folded on naked land, often
wet, and in an open exposure. To conclude, " The
doctrine of the proper application of Manures from orga-
nized substances," says Sir Humphrey Davy, " offers an
illustration of an important part of the economy of nature,
and of the happy order in which it is arranged. The death
and decay of animal substances tend to resolve organized
forms into chemical constituents; and the pernicious effluvia
disengaged m the process, seem to point out the propriety of
burying them in the soil, where they are fitted to become
the food of vegetables. The fermentation and putrefaction
of organized substances in the free atmosphere, are noxious
processes : beneath the surface of the ground, they are salu-
tary operations. In this case, the food of plants is prepared
where it can be used; and that which would offend the
senses, and injure the health, if exposed, is converted, by
gradual processes, into forms of beauty and of usefulness ;
the fetid gas is rendered a constituent of the aroma of the
flower ; and what might be poison, becomes nourishment to
animals, and to man."
Mappia ; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Mono-
gynia. -GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth one-
leafed, five-parted, permanent ; parts roundish, concave,
coloured within. Corolla : petals five, roundish, having claws,
spreading, scarcely larger than the calix. Stamina: filamenta
numerous, (sixty,) capillary, broader at the tip, the length of
the corolla, inserted into the receptacle ; antheree ovate.
Pistil: germen globular, superior; style columnar, incurved,
permanent; stigma capitate. Pericarp: berry ovate, one-
celled. Seed: single, ovate, large, involved in a thick viscid
aril. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-parted. Co-
rolla: five-petalled. Germen: superior. Berry: one-seeded.
Seed: arilled. The only known species is,
1, Mappia Guianensis. This is a shrub, with branches
full of little turbercles, ramping over trees to their very tops,
and dividing into many alternate branchlets, which are long,
and hang down ; upon these are alternate leaves, smooth,
tliick, and narrowing at the base, six inches long, and half
that wide, petioled ; flowers in little bunches; corolla white;
berry red, the size of a cherry ; the skin fleshy, firm, slightly
acid. Native of Guiana, on the banks of the river of Sine-
mari ; flowering and fruiting in May.
Maranta; a genus of the class Monandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth three-
leaved, lanceolate, small, superior. Corolla: one-petalled,
ringent ; tube oblong, compressed, oblique, bent in ; border
six-cleft; alternate outer segments ovate, equal, smaller; one
of these the lowest, two the uppermost; two alternate lateral
very large, roundish, representing the lower lip ; uppermost
small, two-parted. Stamina: filamentum inembranaceous,
resembling a segment of the corolla ; antherse linear, fastened
to one edge of the filamentum. Pistil: germen roundish,
inferior; style simple, the length of the corolla ; stigma obso-
letely three-cornered, bent in. Pericarp: capsule roundish,
obsoletely three-cornered, three-celled, three-valved. Seed:
single, ovate, wrinkled, hard. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix: three-leaved. Corolla: tiifid. Nectary : three-parted,
the third part bearing the antherae on its upper side. The
generic or natural character of Marauta, is given differently
from Schreber's, as above, by Swartz, in his observations.
Calix: perianth three-leaved, superior; leaflets lanceolate,
longer than the tube of the corolla, contiguous. Corolla:
one-petalled, ringent; tube cylindric, compressed, oblique,
gibbous; border trifid ; divisions equal, lanceolate-ovate, one
lowest, two lateral ; nectary three-parted, connate with the
tube ; two lower divisions oblong, lateral, larger, representing
a lower lip; the third upper larger, vaulted, serving for a
filamentum. Stamina: filamentum none; antheree linear,
fastened to the upper edge of one of the segments of the nec-
tary ; the rest as before, except that the style is crooked in
the middle. The species are,
1. Maranta Arundinacea; Indian Arrow-Root. Culm
branched, herbaceous ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, somewhat
hairy underneath. This has a thick, fleshy, creeping root,
which is very full of knots ; from which arise many smooth
leaves, standing upon reed-like footstalks, which arise imme-
diately from the roots : between these come out the stalks,
MAR
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MAR
89
near too feet high, having at each joint a leaf. The ends of
the stalks are terminated by a bunch of small white flowers.
It is called Arrow-root, from its curing wounds inflicted by
poisoned arrows. The roots being washed, and pounded in
wooden mortars, and macerated in water, yield a flour of a
snowy whiteness, which no worms will touch : made into a
jelly with boiling water, it is a most cordial and nourishing
food, that will remain on the stomach when nothing else
will ; and a pudding made of it is most excellent for con-
valescents. It is also used for starch, which is far superior
in quality to that made of wheat flour, one pound being
equal to two pounds and a half of that prepared from wheat.
Its medical virtues are astringent, cordial, diaphoretic, and
said by Dr. Barham to be in some degree an emmenagogue :
a decoction of the fresh roots makes an excellent ptisan or
cooling drink in acute diseases. When prepared with milk
for children, if it ferment on the stomach, the addition of a
little animal jelly will prevent it. The fresh expressed juice
of the root with water, is a powerful antidote to vegetable
poisons, such as the Savanna flower, taken inwardly; the
bruised root, outwardly applied, is a cure for the wounds of
poisoned arrows, scorpions, or black spiders ; and arrests
the progress of gangrene. It is made for sale in consider-
able quantities in the West Indies, for about a dollar per
pound. It has thriven in America, in the states of South
Carolina and Georgia, and produced 1840 pounds per acre;
and perhaps would be well worth attention in the East Indies.
Native of South America. This, with the other plants of
this genus, are very tender; and therefore will not live in this
climate, unless they are preserved in stoves. They may be
propagated by their creeping roots, which should be parted
in the middle of March, just before they begin to push out
new leaves. These roots should be planted in pots filled with
light rich earth, and plunged into a moderate hot-bed of tan-
ner's bark, observing now and then to refresh them with
water; which must not be administered to them in large
quantities, as it would rot the roots in an inactive state.
Where they are constantly kept in the tanner's bark, and have
proper air and moisture, they will thrive.
2. Maranta Galanga. Culm simple ; raceme terminating,
loose, with alternate flowers ; lip of the nectary emarginate ;
leaves lanceolate. Native of South America.
3. Maranta Tonchat. Stem branched, shrubby, perennial ;
leaves elliptic-ovate, smooth ; flowers panicled. Native of
the East Indies, Cochin-china, the Island of Cayenne, and
Guiana, where it is used for making baskets.
4. Maranta Malaccensis. Culm simple ; leaves oblong,
petioled, silky, pubescent underneath. This is a doubtful
plant. Mr. Roscoe refers it to Alpinia.
5. Maranta Comosa. Stemless : scape spiked, comose ;
leaflets of the coma reflex. Native of Surinam.
Marattia; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Filices.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Capsules oval, gaping longitu-
dinally at top, with seven cells on each side. The spe-
cies are,
1. Marattia Alata. Rachises scaly, the partial ones winged;
leaflets sharply serrate; frond bipinnate, with the pinnas gene-
lally opposite. Native of Jamaica.
2. Marattia Lcevis. Rachises even, the partial ones winged;
leaflets bluntly serrate at top, the uppermost confluent; frond
subtri pinnate, with the lower pinnas alternate. Native of
St. Domingo.
3. Marattia Fraxinea. Rachises even, simple ; leaflets lan-
ceolate, serrate, all distinct. This is a very hard fern, with a
handsome leaf, like that of the ash ; frond unequally bipin-
nate, with the pinnas alternate. Native of the Mauritius.
4. Marattia Salicina. Frond simply pinnate ; stalk smooth,
simple, two feet long ; leaflets alternate, stalked, linear, very
slightly crenate, with several points. Capsules excessively
numerous, forming a close row on each side of the leaflet.
Native of New South Wales.
Marcyravia; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth six-leaved,
imbricate, permanent; leaflets roundish, concave, the two
outmost larger. Corolla: one-petalled, conic-ovate, entire,
closed like a calyptre, parting at the base, caducous. Sta-
mina: filamenta very many, awl-shaped, short, spreading,
deciduous; antheree upright, large, ovate-oblong. Pistil
germen ovate; style none; stigma headed, permanent. Pen-
carp : berry coriaceous, globular, many-celled, many-valved.
Seeds : numerous, small, oblong, nestling in soft pulp. ESSEN
TIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: one-petalled, calyptre-shaped
Calix: six-leaved, imbricate. Berry: many-celled, many
seeded. The only known species is,
1. Marcgravia Umbellata. This is a shrubby creeping
plant, but not properly parasitical. Native of the West
Indies, in the cool woody mountains. Browne says, it is
frequent in the woods of Jamaica; and appears in such various
forms, that it has been mistaken for different plants, in the
different stages of its growth.
Marchantia; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order
Hepaticse. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Male. Calix : salver-
shaped ; antherse numerous, annulated, imbedded in its disk.
Female. Calix : peltate, flowering on the under side. Cap-
sules: deflexed, opening at top. Seeds: fixed to elastic
fibres. Seven species of this genus are enumerated in the
Systema Vegctabilium. Five of them are natives of Britain.
Maranta Polymorpha is very common in wet places ; as on
shady walls, and by the sides of wells and springs. In
figure it somewhat resembles an oak-leaf. The peduncles
are in the angles of the lobes, from one to three inches high ;
capsules greenish, dividing into eight or ten segments ; on
the upper surface are here and there glass-shaped conical
cups, on short pedicels, with a wide scalloped margin, and
inclosing about four little bodies, very finely serrated at the
edges. Mr. John Lindsay, surgeon, in Jamaica, sowed that
part of the fructification of this Alga composed of fine
elastic filamenta and small globules, heretofore considered
as the male parts, where none of the plants had ever been
seen before ; and in a short time raised several young
Marchantite, which grew freely.
Margaritaria: a genus of the class Dioecia, order Octan-
dria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Male. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, four-toothed, minute, permanent. Corolla: petals
four, roundish, inserted into the calix. Stamina: filamenta
eight, bristle-shaped, patulous, longer, inserted into the recep-
tacle ; antherse roundish, small. Pistil: germen superior,
roundish ; style bristle-shaped, the length of the stamina ;
stigma blunt. Female: on a distinct individual. Calix: as
in the male, permanent. Corolla: as in the male. Pistil:
germen superior, globular; styles four or five, filiform ; stig-
mas simple, permanent. Pericarp: berry globular, crowned
with short patulous styles. Seed: aril four or five grained,
four or five celled, cartilaginous, very shining ; with two-
valved lobes; seeds ovate, compressed inwards. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Male. Calix: four-toothed. Corolla: four-
petalled. Female. Calix and Corolla: as in the male.
Styles: four or five. Berry:' cartilaginous, four or five
grained. The only known species is,
1. Margaritaria Nobilis. In the male, the branches are
round, brachiate, flexuose ; leaves opposite : in the female,
branches alternate; leaves alternate. Grows in Surinam.
90
MAR
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MAR
Marica ; a genus of the class Triandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: spathes bivalve.
Corolla: six-parted; petals, three outer ovate, three inner
smaller, all connate at the claws. Stamina : filamenta three,
very short, inserted into the tube of the corolla; antherse
oblong, erect. Pistil: germen inferior, angular; style three-
cornered ; stigmas three, petal-form, simple, acute. Peri-
carp: capsule oblong, angular, three-celled. Seeds: several,
angular. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: six-parted,
with three alternate segments as small again as the others.
Stigma: petal-form, trifid, with the three divisions simple,
acute. Capsule: three-celled, inferior. The species are,
1. Marica Northiana. Stalk sword-shaped, winged. Na-
tive of Brazil.
2. Marica Paludosa. Root a fleshy bulb, covered with
several membranes as in Saffron ; stem stout, with two leaves
at the top. It flowers in August. Native of the moist mea-
dows of Guiana, at the foot of the mountain Courou.
Marigold. See Calendula.
Marigold, Marsh. See Caltha.
Marigold, African and French. See Tagetes.
Marigold, Fig. See Mesembryanthemum.
Marila ; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-leaved;
leaflets oblong, blunt, spreading. Corolla : petals five, obo-
vate, waved at the edge, spreading, longer than the calix.
Stamina: filamenta very numerous, inserted into the recep-
tacle, a little connate at the base, filiform, the inner ones the
same length with the corolla, the outer gradually shorter;
antherse ovate. Pistil: germen linear, four-cornered, supe-
rior ; style short, thick ; stigma blunt, subcapitate. Peri-
carp: capsule subcolumnar, incurved, four-cornered, four-
celled, four-valved. Seeds: very numerous, like saw-dust,
ciliate. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-leaved.
Corolla: five-petalled. Capsule: four-celled, many-seeded.
Stigma: simple. -The only species is,
1. Marila Racemosa. Native of the West Indies.
Marjoram. See Origanum.
' Marrubium; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Gym-
nospermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, salver-shaped, rigid, ten-streaked ; mouth equal, patu-
lous, often ten-toothed ; toothlets alternate, smaller. Corolla :
one-petalled, ringent ; tube cylindrical; border gaping, with
a long tubular opening; upper lip erect, linear, bifid, acute;
lower reflex, broader, half three-cleft; the middle segment
broader, emarginate ; the lateral ones acute. Stamina: fila-
menta four, shorter than the corolla, concealed beneath the
upper lip, two longer; antheree simple. Pistil: germen four-
cleft ; style filiform, of the same length, and in the same situ-
ation with the stamina ; stigma bifid. Pericarp: none; calix
contracted at the neck, spread out at the mouth, inclosing
the seeds. Seeds: four, somewhat oblong. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: salver-shaped, rigid, ten-streaked.
Corolla : upper lip bifid, linear, straight. Most of the plants
of this genus are easily propagated by seeds, which should
be sown on a bed of poor earth in the spring ; and when the
plants come up, they must be kept clean from weeds ; and
where they are too close, they should be thinnecl, leaving
them a foot and half asunder, that their branches may have
room to spread : after this, they require no other culture.
They may also be propagated by cuttings, in the same man-
ner as the tenth and eleventh species. If these plants are
upon a dry poor soil, they will live several years ; but in rich
land, they 'seldom last above three or four.- The species are,
* With Jive-teethed Calices.
1 . Marrubium Alyssum ; Plaited-leaved White Horehound.
Leaves wedge-shaped, five-toothed, plaited; whorls without
any involucre. Root biennial ; stems about eighteen inches
high; flowers large, of a dark purple colour. It flowers in
July and August. Native of Spain and Italy.
2. Marrubium Peregrinum. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, ser-
rate ; toothlets of the calices bristle-shaped; stems nearly
three feet high, branching much more than the common sort.
Native of the Levant, Austria, Sicily, &c.
3. Marrubium Candidissimum ; Woolly WJiite Horehound.
Leaves subovate, woolly, emarginate, crenate at top; calicine
toothlets awl-shaped. This has stalks about a foot to a foot
and half high ; flowers at the end of the stem and branches,
in close whorls, white. It flowers from July to September.
Native of the Levant.
4. Marrubium Astracanicum. Leaves ovate, crenate, to-
mentose, very much wrinkled; calicine teeth awl-shaped;
upper segments of the corolla acute. Stems several, perennial,
half a foot high, branched and procumbent. Native of
Astracan ; flowering in May.
5. Marrubium Supinum ; Procumbent White Horehound.
Calicine teeth bristle-shaped, straight, villose. Stems seldom
above eight or nine inches long, covered with a soft hoary
down. It flower-s from August to October. Native of Spain
and the south of Europe.
** With ten-teethed Calices.
6. Marrubium Vulgare ; Common White Horehound. Teeth
of the calix bristle-shaped, hooked. Root perennial; the
whole plant white with down ; stems upright, a foot or eigh-
teen inches high, branching towards the top ; whorls very
close, consisting of 40 or 50 sessile flowers ; corolla small,
white, compressed. The whole plant is bitterish, and has a
strong, but not altogether unpleasant, smell. It was a famous
medicine, with the ancients, for obstructions of the viscera;
and, taken in large doses, operates as a gentle purgative: it is
likewise a principal ingredient in the negro Caesar's antidote
for vegetable poisons. A young man, says Linneus, who had
occasion to take mercurial medicines, was brought into a sali-
vation, which continued for more than twelvemonths; and
every means tried to remove it only served to make the com-
plaint worse : at length an infusion of this plant was ordered
him; by the use of which, he got well in a very short time.
A strong decoction of the young tops, boiled into a thin syrup
with honey, is an excellent medicine for colds, coughs of long
standing, hoarseness, and all other disorders of the breast and
lungs. The leaves, dried and reduced to powder, are sup-
posed to destroy worms in the stomach and intestines. Two
or three ounces of the juice taken frequently for a dose, is
efficacious in menstrual obstructions, and all other disorders
which proceed from a thick viscid state of the fluids, or
obstructions of the viscera. A drachm of the dried leaves, or
an infusion of a handful of the green leaves, is a sufficient
dose. Native of most parts of Europe, by road sides, and in
waste places; flowering from June to September.
7. Marrubium Afncamim; African White Horehound,
Leaves cordate, roundish, emarginate, crenate. Root peren-
nial. Stem two feet high, upright, subtomentose, deeply
grooved on the opposite sides. It flowers from July to Sep-
tember. Native of the Cape.
8. Marrubium Crispum; Curled White Horehound. Leaves
cordate, roundish, crenate, subdentate; calices ten-toothed,
awnless. Stem sufFrutlcose, upright, rough-haired. Native of
Italy, Sicily, and Spain.
9. Marrubium Hispanicum ; Spanish White Horehound.
Borders of the calices spreading; toothlets acute. Stalks more
erect than those of the common sort; the whole plant very
hairy. Native of Spain.
MAR
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
M A R
91
10. Marrubium Pseudo-dictamnus; Shrubby White Hore-
hound. Borders of the calices fiat, villose ; leaves cordate,
concave; stem shrubby, two feet high, dividing into many
branches; flowers white. Native of the island of Candia.
The whole of tins plant is very hoary, with a dense compact
cotton. 1-lolh it and the next make an agreeable variety
when intermixed with other plants: but as they seldom pro-
duce seeds in England, they must be propagated by cuttings,
planted in a shady border in April. They are rather tender;
and in very severe winters ;ire killed, unless they are screened
from the hard frosts : especially those plants which grow in
good ground, where, becoming luxuriant in summer, their
branches are more replete with juice, and very liable to suffer
by cold: but when they are in a poor dry rubbish, the roots
being short, firm, and dry, are seldom injured by cold, and
will continue much longer than those in better ground.
11. Marrubium Acetabulosum ; Saucer-leaved White Hore-
hound. Borders of the calices longer than the tube, membra-
naceous; the greater angles rounded. Stems hairy, about two
feet high; whorls large; corolla small, pale purple. Native
of the island of Candia. See the preceding species.
Marsdenia ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth inferior, of one
leaf, in five acute equal segments, rather small, permanent.
Corolla : of one petal, pitcher-shaped, or nearly wheel-shaped,
in five bluntish segments ; crown of the stamens of five com-
pressed simple undivided leaves, without any internal teeth.
Stamina: filamenta five, broad, flat, cloven at the top; an-
therte sessile on the inside of the filament, of two separate
cells, terminated by a common membrane; masses of pollen
projected from the antherre upon the stigma in pairs, erect,
sticking by their base. Pistil: germens two, superior, ovate;
styles combined, very short; stigma single, generally simple.
Pericarp: follicles two, ovate oblong-, smooth. Seeds: nu-
merous, imbricated, comose. The species are,
1. Marsdenia Velutina. Stem twining; leaves heart-
shaped, broadly ovate, pointed, downy, and soft; cymes
umbel-shaped; mouth of the flower naked. Found in the
tropic:il part of New Holland.
2. Marsdenia Tinctoria. Stem twining; leaves heart-
shaped, ovate-oblong, pointed, nearly smooth, glandular in
their fore-part ; tufts lateral ; mouth of the flower bearded.
This plant is said to afford the best indigo in Sumatra.
Native of Sumatra.
3. Marsdenia Clausa. Stem twining; leaves lanceolate,
acute at each end, smooth, slightly rugose on the upper side;
mouth of the flower densely bearded. Found in Jamaica.
Three other species of Marsdenia are described by Brown,
found growing in New Holland.
Marsh Citiquefoil. See Comarum.
Marsh Mallow. See Altha>a.
Marsh Marigold. See Caltha.
Marsh Trefoil. See Menyanthcs.
.Marsilea; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Mis-
cellanea. GENERIC CHARACTER. CaKx: common oval,
gubcompressed, coriaceous, hairy, gaping at the base, inter-
nally divided into several (fourteen or fifteen) cells, in two
longitudinal rows, separated by a membranaceous partition.
Corolla : none. Stamina: filamenta none ; antheree several,
inserted round each pistil, very small, obovate, sharp below,
one-celled, gaping transversely, exploding a spherical pollen.
Pistil: in each cell several, co-ordinate in a transverse row,
oval; style none; stigma short, blunt. Pericarp: none.
Seeds: as many as there are pistilla. Receptacle: membrane
somewhat fleshy, clothing the cells internally. The spe-
cies are,
VOL. ii. 73
1. Marsilea Natans. Leaves opposite, simple; branches
floating. Native of Italy, in stagnant and slow-flowing marsh
ditches, as near Pisa ; also in North America.
2. Marsitea Qnadrifolia. Leaves in fours, quite entire ;
stem creeping, rooting. Native of the south of Europe, as
well as in New South Wales, in watery places.
3. Marsilea Minuta. Leaves wedge-shaped, toothletted.
Native of the East Indies.
4. Marsilea Hirsuta. Leaflets wedge-shaped ; somewhat
rounded, nearly entire, hairy, as well as the footstalks ;
fruit nearly sessile. Found in New Holland.
5. Marsilea Angustifolia. Leaflets lanceolate, somewhat
toothed at the extremity ; smooth when full grown. Found
in New Holland.
Martynia ; a genus of the class Diclynamia, orderAngio-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-
cleft, unequal, shrivelling. Corolla: one-petalled, bell-shaped ;
tube spreading, ventncose, gibbous below at the base, melli-
ferous; border five-cleft, obtuse, spreading; segment almost
equal, the lower straight, the lowest more erect, concave,
crenate. Stamina: filamenta four, filiform, curved inwards;
the rudiment of a fifth filamentum within the upper pair of
stamina, short, like a cusp; antheree connected, converging.
Pistil: germen oblong; style short, simple, the length of
stamina; stigma two-lobed. Pericarp: capsule woody, ob-
long, gibbous, quadrangular, two-furrowed on each sidt,
acuminate, with the tip bent back, opening two ways, four or
five celled, inclosing the seeds, as in a four-celled nucleus.
Seeds: several, oblong, berried. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix: five-cleft. Corolla: ringent. Capsule: woody, cor-
ticate, with a hooked beak, four-celled, two-valved. - The
species arc,
1. Martynia Perennis ; Perennial Martynia. Stem simple;
leaves serrate. Root perennial, thick, fleshy, divided into
scaly knots, somewhat like those of Tooth wort; stems annual,
about a foot high, thick, succulent, purplish. Native of Car-
thagena, in New Spain. This species dies to the root every
winter, and rises again the succeeding spring: it must be con-
stantly preserved in the bark-stove, and plunged into the,
bark-bed ; otherwise it will not thrive in this country. During
the winter season, when the plants are decayed, they should
have but little water; as at that time it will rot the roots. In
the middle of March, just before the plants begin to shoot, is
the proper season to transplant and part the roots; when they
should be transplanted into middle-sized pots, filled with a
light rich earth, and then plunged into the bark-bed, which,
at this time, ought to be renewed with some fresh tan. When
the plants come up, they should be frequently refreshed with
water ; and as the warmth of the season increases, it will be
proper to admit a large share of fresh air.
2. Martynia I.ongiflora; Long-flowered Martynia. Stem
simple; leaves roundish, repand ; tube of the corolla gibbous
at the base, and flatted. Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
This, and the three following species, must be propagated by
seeds, sown in pots filled with light rich earth, and plunged
into a hot-bed of tanner's bark; where, if the earth be duly
watered, the plants will appear in three weeks or a month":
transplant them in a little time after they come up, each into a
separate pot, and plunge them into the hot-bed again, water-
ing them well, and shading them, until they have taken new
root; after which, they should have a large share of fresh air
admitted to them in warm weather, by raising the glasses of
the hot-bed every day : with this management, the plants will
make great progress, so as to fill the pots with their roots in
about a month or six weeks' time; when they should be shifted
into pots, about a foot diameter at the top, filled with light
* A
92
M AT
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MAT
rich earth, and then piunged into the hot-bed in the bark-
stove ; where they should be allowed room, because they put
out many side-branches, and will grow three feet high or
more, according to the warmth of the bed.
3. Martynia Diandra ; Tivo-stamined Martynia. Branches
dichototnous ; leaves cordate-orbicular, toothod; flowers two-
stamined. This is a large handsome plant, two feet high ;
stem single, round, reddish-green ; corolla inferior, five times
the length of the calix ; tube white, tinged with purple, and
spotted red and yellow. Miller says, the corolla is shaped
like the Fox-glove, but of a paler purple-colour. The flowers
at the divisions of the branches may be brought forward in
July ; those at the extremities come afterwards: so that there
is a succession of flowers on the same plant till October,
when the plants decay. This has been much confounded
with the fifth species. Native of La Vera Crux, in New
Spain. See the preceding species.
4. Martynia Craniolaria; White-flowered Martynia.
Branches dichotomous ; leaves half five-lobed ; calix with a
one-leafed spathe. See Craniolaria, which is the same plant.
5. Martynia Proboscidea ; Hairy Martynia. Stem branch-
ed ; leaves quite entire, cordate ; sinuses dilated. This is a
large plant, two feet high, flexuose, herbaceous, villose, vis-
cid; root-leaves none. It flowers from June to August.
Native of America.
6. Martynia Fruticosa; Shrubby Martynia. Shrubby:
leaves lanceolate-serrate, toothed ; upper lip of the corolla
with numerous curled segments. This plant belongs to the
genus Gesneria ; which see.
Marvel of Peru. See Mirabilis.
Massonia ; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: none. Corolla:
petals six, lanceolate, spreading, upright, placed externally
on the nectary; which is inferior, cylindrical, membranaceous,
six-streaked, six-toothed. Stamina: six, filiform, incurved,
a little longer than the petals, inserted into the teeth of the
nectary; antherse ovate, upright, yellow. Pistil: germen
superior (in respect of the nectary) ; style awl-shaped, de-
clining, the length of the stamina; stigma simple, acute.
Pericarp: capsule three-sided, thickening above, obtuse,
smooth, three-celled, three-valved, opening longitudinally at
the corners. Seeds: very many, angular, globular, smooth.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: inferior, with a six-
parted border; filamentum on the neck of the tube. Capsule:
three-winged, three-celled, many-seeded. The species,
(which are all propagated like Htemanthus,) are,
1 . Massonia Latifolia ; Broad-leaved Massonia. Leaves
roundish, smooth, spreading; segments of the corolla spread-
ing. Native of the Cape.
2. Massonia Angustifolia; Narrow-leaved Massonia. Leaves
lanceolate, smooth, upright; segments of the corolla reflex.
Native of the Cape.
3. Massonia Undulata ; Wave-leaved Massonia. Leaves
lanceolate, waved, smooth. Native of the Cape.
4 Massonia Echinata; Rough-leaved Massonia. Leaves
ovate, muricated, hairy. Native of the Cape.
There are four other species, Prickly-leaved, Shagreen-
leaved, Few-flowered, and Trumpet-flowered Massonia, all
natives of the Cape.
Masterwort. See Astrantia and Imperatoria.
Mastic Tree. See Pistacia Lentiscus.
Mat, Garden ; a kind of coarse mat or covering formed of
bass, which is much used in gardening for sheltering various
sorts of plants in winter and spring, during cold and frosty
weather; and in summer, for shading many sorts of young or
tender kinds occasionally from the sun ; besides being used
for many other purposes in the different garden compartments.
They are found to differ greatly in regard to size and sub-
stance, there being small, middling, and large sizes ; but for
general use, those called Russia mats are superior, both in
dimensions, substance, and durability. It may also be pro-
per to have some of the smaller or middling sizes for particular
occasions, and small gardens ; in which, for some purposes,
they may be more convenient than large ones. They were
sold formerly by most of the principal nursery and seedsmen
at from six to eight, twelve, or fifteen shillings the dozen,
according to size and strength; but for some years past the
prices have been much higher. These mats also are of
essential use in all hot-bed works, for covering or spreading
over the lights or glasses of the frames in the nights, in winter
and spring, to exclude the external night cold; also occasion-
ally in the day-time, in very severe weather, and heavy falls
of snow or rain: and likewise for occasionally covering several
sorts of small young esculent plants, in the full ground, in
beds and borders, in these seasons; as young Lettuces, Cauli-
flowers, small salad herbs, early Radishes, &c. in the open
beds, and under frames and hand-glasses, to defend them
from cutting frosts, snow, and other inclement weather; and
sometimes in raising, transplanting, or pricking out small or
moderate portions of particular sorts of plants, both of the
hardy and tender kinds, whether of the esculent or annual
flowery kinds in the spring, on beds or borders of natural
earth, or in hot-beds without frames, by being arched over
with hoops or rods. They are likewise extremely useful in
spring and summer, in hot, dry, sunny weather, for shading
several sorts, both in seed-beds before and after the young
plants are come up, and in beds of pricked out small young
plants, to shade them from the sun till they take fresh root;
as also for shading the glasses of hot-beds occasionally, when
the sun is too powerful for particular sorts of plants in the
heat of the day, as in Cucumbers, Melons, and various other
kinds. For kitchen and other garden districts furnished with
wall trees, they are of great use in spring, to cover the seeds
of particular sorts when in blossom, and when the young fruit
is setting and advancing in its early growth, after the decay
and fall of the bloom ; by which assistance, in cold winters
and springs, when sharp frosts sometimes prevail, a tolerable
good crop is often saved, while in trees fully exposed the
whole is cut off by the severity of the weather. In the flower-
garden, and pleasure-ground, they are also found useful on
different occasions : in the former, in sheltering beds of curi-
ous sorts of choice flower plants, both in their advancing
growth, and to protect them from cold in winter and spring;
and when in full bloom, to shade and screen the flowers from,
sun and rain, to preserve their beauty more effectually, and
to continue them longer in blow of a fine lively appearance,
as well as to cover beds, &c. in raising various tender annual
plants from^seed in the spring: and in the latter, occasionally
in winter to defend some kinds of curious evergreens, &c.
such as some of the Magnolias, broad-leaved Myrtle, Olive,
Tea-tree, &c. when standing detached, and trained against
walls and other places. And, besides, in nurseries they are
ot considerable utility in the propagation and culture of
numerous sorts of tender exotics ; in defending them from
cold, and shading from scorching sun, while they are in their
minor growth, &c. They are necessary also in tying round
bundles or baskets of tender or curious plants, when conveyed
to a distance. They are also occasionally of great use, in
severe winters, on such glass-works as green-houses, hot-
houses, forcVig-frames, &c. in covering the glasses alternately
in the nights, and occasionally in the day-time. In using
them when the seeds are open or loose, they should be secured
MAT
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MAT
93
by tying the end threads or strings of the bass close and firm;
otherwise they will soon ravel out loose in that part, and are
spoiled. Where they are used for covering and shading, when
wetted by rain or snow, they 'should be spread across some
rail-hedge or fence to dry, before folded together ; without
which, they will soon rot, and cannot last long.
Mat Grass. See Nardus.
Matricaria ; a genus of the class Syngenesia, order Poly-
gamia Superflua. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: common
hemispherical ; scales linear, imbricate, almost equal, not sca-
riose. Corolla: compound radiate ; corollets hermaphrodite,
tubular, numerous, in a hemispherical disk; females in the
ray, several ; proper of the hermaphrodite funnel-form, five-
cleft, spreading; female oblong, three-toothed. Stamina: to
the hermaphrodites^ filamenta five, capillary, very short;
antheree cylindrical, tubular. Pistil: to the hermaphrodites,
germen oblong, naked ; style filiform, the length of the sta-
mina; stigma bifid, spreading; to the females, germen naked ;
style filiform, almost the length of the hermaphrodite; stigmas
two, revolute. Pericarp: none; calix unchanged. Seeds:
solitary, oblong, without any pappus or down, to both sorts
of florets. Receptacle: naked, convex. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: hemispherical, imbricate ; the marginal
scales solid, sharpish. Down : none. Receptacle : naked.
The species are,
1. Matricaria Parthenium ; Common Feverfew. Leaves
compound, flat; leaflets ovate, gashed; peduncles branched.
Root biennial or perennial, composed of a great number of
fibres, and spreading wide on every side ; stem from two to
three feet high, erect, firm, round, striated, slightly hairy,
branched on every side ; flowering-heads solitary, sometimes
on simple, but oftener on branched peduncles. The whole
plant has a strong, and, to most persons, an unpleasant smell,
and a bitter taste. It yields an essential oil by distillation; and
has always been esteemed a good emmenagogue. It is also
serviceable in hysteric complaints. The best way of taking
it is, a slight infusion. The expressed juice is said to kill
worms in the bowels : and it has been recommended as a
febrifuge; whence the English name Feverfew. It is an
agreeable carminative and bitter, strengthening the stomach,
and dispersing flatulencies. Mr. Miller enumerates the fol-
lowing varieties of this plant:!. With very double flowers.
2. With double flowers, having the florets of the ray plane ;
of the disk, fistular. 3. With very small rays. 4. With very
short fistular florets. 5. With naked heads, having no rays.
f>. With naked sulphur-coloured heads. 7. With elegant
curled leaves. They flower in June, and ripen seeds in
autumn. Native of many parts of Europe, in waste places,
under hedges and walls, in church-yards, sometimes in corn-
fields, in gardens, where it is also cultivated in a double
state. The Germans call it Mutterkrm.it, Multcrkamille,
Fiebcrkraut, &c. the Dutch, Moederkruid; the Danes, -Mode-
rurt; the Swedes, Matram; the French, Matricaire, Espar-
goutlc; the Italians, Spaniards, and Portuguese, Matricaria;
and the Russians, Matoschnaja Trawa. This plant is fre-
quently cultivated in the physic gardens near London, to
supply the market. Some of the varieties are pretty con-
stant, if care be taken in saving the seeds ; but where these
are suffered to scatter, it is almost impossible to preserve the
varieties without mixture. The seeds should be sown in
March, upon a bed of light earth, and, when they are come
up, fchey should be transplanted out into nursery-beds, at
about eight inches asunder ; where they may remain till the
middle of May, when they may be taken up, with a ball of
earth to their roots, and planted in the middle of large bor-
ders, where they will flower in July and August, and, if the
autumn be favourable, will produce ripe seeds the same year.
But it is not advisable to permit them to seed ; which often
weakens and decays the roots : therefore, when their flowers
are past, you should cut down the.ir sterns, which will cause
them to push ^out fresh heads, whereby the roots may be
maintained. When the different varieties of these plants
are intermixed with other plants of the same growth, they
make a handsome appearance during the season of flowering;
which commonly continues a full month, or more. But as
their roots seldom abide more than two, or at most three years,
fresh plants should be raised from seeds to supply their places;
but as the second variety seldom produces good seeds,
it must be propagated by planting cuttings, or parting their
roots, in the spring or summer months.
2. Matricaria Maritima; Sea Feverfew. Receptacles hemi-
spherical ; leaves bipinnate, somewhat fleshy, convex above,
keeled underneath. The stulks of this plant branch out pretty
much, and spread near the ground ; root woody, running
deep, apparently perennial ; flowers white, several on a stem.
In smell it approaches to the true Chamomile, but is much
weaker, and grows so luxuriantly in gardens, as to seem a
different species.. -Native of tlie sea-coast of Britain ; flower-
ing in July. It is seldom cultivated, except in botanic gar-
dens. Sow (he seeds of this, and the next, in autumn, soon
after they are ripe, or in the spring, upon a bed of common
earth, in almost any situation : when the plants come up, thin
them where they are too close, and clear them from weeds.
3. Matricaria Suaveolens ; Sweet Feverfew. Receptacles
conical ; rays bent down ; calicine scales equal at the edge.
Some think this a mere variety of the next species. The
scent is sweet and pleasant; and it resembles the Anthemis
Nobilis, in its qualities. The Philanders use an infusion of it
in consumptive cases. Cows, goats, and sheep, eat it; horses
are not partial to it, and swine wholly refuse it. It flowers
from May to August. Native of Siberia, Germany, Sweden,
and Great Britain.
4. Matricaria Chamomilla; Corn Feverfew^ Receptacles
conical; rays spreading; calicine scales equal at the edge.
Root annual ; stem green, striated, smooth, branched ; flow-
ering heads solitary. Mr. Curtis remarks, that the florets
begin to hang down in the evening, and continue to do so
till morning, both in this and Anthemis Cotula, which it
resembles most of all the many plants with which it is con-
founded, under the common name of Mayweed, Maithes, or
Dog-Fennel. It differs, however, from the Stinking Mayweed,
by its scent, for the heads of its flowers, bruised, smell like
the real Chamomile, only not so pleasant ; but those of the
Stinking Mayweed are very disagreeable, and the plant will
blister the skin on being much handled. It is a common
weed among slovenly cultivators of arable land.
5. Matricaria Argentea;' Silvery-leaved Feverfew. Leaves
bipinnate; peduncles solitary. Stem a foot high; leaves of
a silver colour; flower white. Native of the Levant.
6. Matricaria Asteroides; Star wort-flowered Feverfew.
Leaves lanceolate, entire, smooth, oblique. It is the same
with Boltonia Asteroides; which see. Sow the seeds in
autumn soon after they are ripe, in the full ground ; and when
the plants are fit to remove, if they are planted in the borders
of the flower-garden, they will continue some years without
protection, and annually produce flowers and seeds.
7. Matricaria Prostrata. Leaves simple, ovate, toothed ;
peduncles lateral, one-flowered; branches decumbent.
Native of Curasao.
8. Matricaria Cantoniensis. Lower leaves serrate, upper-
most quite entire ; peduncles one-flowered ; florets of the ray
entire ; receptacle convex. Native of China, near Canton.
94
MAY
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
ME A
Matthiola; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth cylindric,
quite entire, erect, short, permanent. Corolla: petal one,
very long, from a slender tube ending gradually in an entire
border, with a repand mouth. Stamina : filamenta five,
awl-shaped, shorter than the corolla; antheree simple. Pis-
til: germen globular, inferior; style filiform, the length of the
corolla; stigma thickish, blunt. Pericarp: drupe globular,
crowned with the calix, one-celled. Seeds: nut globular;
nucleus globular. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Cafe: entire.
Corolla: tubular, superior, undivided. Drupe: with a glo-
bular nucleus. The only species is,
1 . Matthiola Scabra. This tree rests on the authority of
Plumier, and requires farther inquiry before any thing can be
determined about it. Found in the West Indies.
Mattuschkcea ; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order
Monogyuia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Cafe: perianth four-
parted ; segments ovate, acute, villose. Corolla: one-petalled ;
tube long; border four-cleft. Stamina: filamenta four, almost
equal, the length of the segments of the corolla ; antheree
roundish. Pistil: germen superior, four-cleft ; style filiform;
stigma simple. Pericarp: none. Seeds: two or four, very
small, naked. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Cafe: four-parted,
with linear leaflets. Corolla: one-petalled, with a long tube,
and four-cleft border. Germen: superior, four-cleft. Seeds:
four, naked. The only known species is,
1. Mattuschkaea Hirsuta. Stem filiform, erect, frequently
quite simple, hirsute, as is the whole plant, especially the
calix ; flowers in a terminating sessile head, the size of a pea.
Native of Guiana.
Maudlin. See Achillea.
Maurandia; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Angio-
spermia. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: inferior, in five
deep segments. Corolla: ringent; tube bell-shaped, furrowed.
Capsule: of two cells, opening by five teeth at their summit.
There is but one species,
1 . Mauraijdia Semperflorens ; Bastard Foxglove. It is a
native of Mexico, and an elegant greenhouse plant, flowering
for months together in the summer. The flowers are of a
beautiful lilac, or purple and white colour. Root perennial.
Mauritia; a genus of the class Dioecia, order Hexandria.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Male Flowers: in an oblong
sessile ament, covered all round with flowers closely ap-
proximating, with blunt scales between the flowers. Calix:
perianth one-leafed, cup-shaped, truncated, entire, three-
sided, short. Corolla: one-petalled; tube short, the length
of the calix; border three-parted; segments equal, spreading,
a little lanceolate, rigid, apparently woody, blunt. Stamina:
filamenta six, inserted into the throat of the tube, thick, very
short; antherse linear, angular, the length of the segments of
the corolla; three alternate ones extended between the seg-
ments of the corolla, and horizontal; the three others erect,
pressed close to the channel of the segments. Female Flowers:
unknown. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Male Flowers: in an
oblong sessile ameot. Calix: one-leafed, cuD-shaped, entire.
Corolla: one-petalled, with a short tube, and a three-parted
border. Filamenta : six.- The only known species is,
1. Mauritia Flexuosa. This is a singular tree, almost
without leaves; branches angular, flexuose, smooth, with short
joints, thickening upwards, somewhat recurved, terminated
by embracing sheaths, with a cup-shaped and sharper knee-
joint. Native of the woods of Surinam.
May Apple. See Podophyllum.
May Lily. See Convallaria.
Mays. See Zea.
May-weed. See Anthemis, Cotufa, and Matricaria.
May wort. See Artemisia.
Meadows. Under this title all pasture-land is commonly
comprehended, or at least all g^rass-land which is mown for
hay. By this appellation we shall distinguish such land as is
too moist for cattle to graze upon in winter, being generally
too wet to admit heavy cattle, without poaching and spoiling
the sward ; and for those grass-lands which are drier, we
refer the reader to the article Pasture, p. 254. There are two
sorts of meadows in England, one of which is styled Water
Meadows, and the other are simply called Meadows. Water
Meadows are those which lie contiguous to rivers or brooks,
from whence the water can be carried to overflow the grass at
pleasure. Of these there are large tracts in several parts of
England, which, if skilfully managed, would become much
more profitable to their owners than they are at present : for
nothing can be more absurd than the common practice of
plowing these low grounds all the winter, whereby the roots
of all the sweetest kinds of grass are destroyed, and those
only left, which, being natives of marshes, are sour and coarse.
If cultivators were curious to examine the herbage of these
water meadows, they would find the bulk of them composed
of bad weeds, such as grow by the sides of rivers, brooks,
and ditches, of which the several sorts of docks make no
small share; and although many of these produce a great
burden of what the country people call hay, yet it is only fit
for cows, cart-horses, and other animals which by hard labour
and hunger are. driven to eat it. After the grass is mown off"
these meadows, and cattle turned in to graze, how common
is it to see the land almost covered with these rank weeds, the
seeds of which ripen in autumn, and, falling into the water, are
carried by the stream, and deposited on the flowed land, where
they grow, and fill the ground in every part : but so incurious
are the generality of farmers in this respect, that if the ground
be but well covered, they care not what it is, few of them ever
taking any pains to weed or clean their pastures. The best
method for the management of these meadows is, never to flow
them till the middle or latter end of March, excepting once or
twice in winter, when there may happen floods, bringing down
a great deal of soil from the upper lands ; at which times it will
be of great service to le.t water upon the meadows, that the
soil may settle there ; but the sooner the wet is drained off
when this is lodged, the greater advantage the meadows will
receive by it; but from the end of March to the middle of May,
in dry seasons, by frequently letting on the water, the growth
of the grass will be greatly encouraged ; and at this season
there will be no danger of destroying the roots of the grass ;
and after the hay is carried ott'the ground, if the season should
prove dry, it will be of great service to the grass if the mea-
dows are flowed again; but when this is practised, no cattle
should be turned in till the surface of the ground is become firm
enough to bear their weight without poaching the land, for
otherwise the grass will suffer more from the treading of the
cattle, than it will receive benefit by the flowing : but these are
things which the country people seldom regard; so that the
meadows are generally very unsightly, and rendered less pro-
fitable. These meadows should be weeded twice a year ; the
first time in April, and again in October ; at which times,
if the roots of docks, and all bad weeds, are cut up with a
spaddJe, the meadows will soon be cleared of this trumpery,
and the herbage greatly improved. Another great improve-
ment of these lands might be procured by rolling them with a
heavy roller in spring and autvnn. This will press the sur-
face of the ground even, whereby it may be mown much
closer, and it will also sweeten the grass ; and this piece of
husbandry is of more service to pastures than most people
are aware. WATERING of' MEADOWS. There being no
ME A
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
ME A
95
part of the kingdom where the system of watering meadows
is so well understood, and carried to so great perfection, as
in Wiltshire, the account of that practice, as delivered by
Mr. Thomas Davis, in his general View of the Agriculture of
that country, drawn up for the Board of Agriculture, is here
subjoined. Many of the most valuable and best-formed
meadows were made at the beginning of this century. An
imperfect scheme of watering had been practised before that
period; but the regular mode in which this system, as con-
nected with sheepfolding, is now conducted, is not more
ancient. At present there is scarcely a river or brook in the
district, that is not applied to this purpose. It has been
always observed, that winter floods produce fertility, pro-
vided the water does not remain too long on the land. But
it is the taking off the water, and bringing it on again at will,
that is the great business of irrigation; and thus making a
water meadow a hot-bed for grass. The knowledge of the
proper time and manner of doing this, is the result of obser-
vation. Provided this great object can be accomplished,
namely, the bringing on and carrying off the water at plea-
sure, it is not material what the shape of a water-meadow
is, or that the disposition of the trenches should be uniform.
But as very little land can be entirely commanded by water,
unless its inequalities are reduced by manual labour, it has
been found expedient to adopt two different kinds of water-
meadows; one for land lying on declivities, and which must
in general be watered from springs or small brooks, and the
othe/ for low lands near rivers, to be watered from those
rivers. The first kind is called in Wiltshire Catch-work
Meadows, and the latter Flowing Meadows, which are by
for the most general in this district. To elucidate the dis-
tinction between the two kinds of meadow, and to give some
idea what are the situations in which they may be intro-
duced, it may be necessary to remark that the Catch-work
meadow is made by turning a spring or small stream along
the side of a hill, and thereby watering the land between the
New Cut, or, as it is provincially termed, Main Carriage, and
the original water-course, which now becomes the main drain.
This is sometimes done, in particular instances, merely by
making the New Cut level, and stopping it at the end, so that
when it is full, the water may run out at the side, and flood
the land below. But as the water would soon cease to run
out equally for any great length, and would wash the land
out in gutters, it has been found necessary to cut small paral-
lel trenches or carriages, at distances of twenty or thirty feet,
to catch the water again: and each of these being likewise
stopt at its end, lets the water over its side, and distributes
it until it is caught by the next, and so on over all the inter-
mediate beds, to the main drain at the bottom of the mea-
dow, which receives the water, and carries it on to water
another meadow below, or, if it can be so contrived, another
part of the same meadow on a lower level. To draw the
water out of these parallel trenches or carriages, and lay the
intermediate beds dry, a narrow deep drain crosses them at
right angles, at about every nine or ten poles length, and
leads them from the main carriage at top, to the main drain
at the bottom of the meadow. When this meadow is to be
watered, the ends of the carriages adjoining the cross-drains
are stopt with turf dug on the spot, and the water is thrown
over as much of the meadow as it will cover well at a time,
which the watermen call a pitch of work; and when it is
necessary to lay this pitch dry, they take out the turves, and
let the water into drains, and proceed to water another
pitch. This kind of water-meadow is seldom expensive: the
stream of water being usually small and manageable, few
hatches are necessary; and the land lying on a declivity,
VOL. ii. 74.
much less manual labour is required to throw the water over
it regularly, and particularly to get it off again, than it the
flowing meadows. The expense of making such a meadow
is usually from three to five pounds per acre; the improve-
ment frequently from fifteen shillings an acre to at least forty .
The annual expense of keeping up the works, and watering
the meadow, which is usually done by the acre, seldom
amounts to seven and sixpence per acre. The Flowing
Meadows require much more labour and system in their
formation. The land applicable to this purpose being fre-
quently a flat morass, the first object to be considered is
how water is to be got off when it is brought on ; and in
such situations this can seldom be done, without throwing
up the land in high ridges, with deep drains between them.
A main carriage being then taken out of the river at a higher
level, so as to command the tops of these ridges, the water
is carried by small trenches or carriages along the top of
each ridge, and by means of moveable stops of earth is
thrown over on each side, and received in the drains below,
from whence it is connected into a main drain, and carried
on to water other meadows, or lower parts of the same mea-
dow. One tier of these ridges being usually watered at once,
is commonly called a pitch of work. The ridges are com-
monly made thirty or forty feet wide, or, if water be abun-
dant, perhaps sixty feet, and nine or ten poles in length, or
longer, according to the strength and plenty of the water.
It is obvious from this description, that as the water in this
kind of meadow, is not used again and again in one pitch, as
in the catch-meadows, that this meadow is only applicable to
large streams, or to valleys subject to floods; and as these
ridges must be formed by manual labour, the expense of this
kind of meadow must necessarily exceed the more simple
method first described : and the hatches that are necessary
to manage and temper the water on rivers, must be much
more expensive than those on small brooks. The expense
therefore of the first making of such a meadow as this, will
be from twelve pounds to twenty pounds per acre, according
to the difficulty of the ground, and the quantity of hatch-
work required: but the improvement in the value of the land
by this operation is astonishing. The abstract value of a
good meadow of this kind may fairly be called three pounds
per acre; but its value when taken as part of a farm, and
particularly of a sheep-breeding farm, is almost beyond com-
putation: and when such a meadow is once made, it may be.
said to be made for ever, the whole expense of keeping up
the works, and watering it frequently, not exceeding five
shillings per acre yearly, and the expense of the hatches, if
well done at first, being a mere trifle for a number of years
afterwards. It has been alleged by those who know very
little of water-meadows, that they render the country unwhole-
some, by making the water stagnant. Daily observation
proves the fact to be otherwise in Wiltshire ; and the reason
is obvious. It has been already said that a water-meadow
is a hot-bed for grass; the action of the water on the land
excites a fermentation; that fermentation would certainly in
time end in a putrefaction; but the moment putrefaction
begins, vegetation ends. Every farmer knows the commence-
ment of this putrefaction, by the scum the water leaves on
the land; and if the water is not then instantly taken off, the
grass will rot, and the meadow be spoiled for the season.
The very principle of water-meadows will not permit water
to be stagnant in a water-meadow country ; it must be always
kept in action, to be of any service; besides, many of the best
water-meadows were, in their original state, a stagnant
unwholesome morass. The draining such land, and making
it so firm, that the water may be taken off at will, must con-
2 B
M E A
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
M E A
tribute to the healthiness of the country, instead of injuring
it. We are frequently asked, how it comes to pass, thai
although water-meadows are so useful, as to be almost indis-
pensable in South Wiltshire, yet in other counties, where
they are not known, the want of them is not felt; nay, that
there are even in this district many parishes who have none
and even breed lambs without them? To this, says Mr.
Davis, I answer, that the fair question is not how do other
countries do without them, but how would the farmers of this
district, who are happy enough to have water-meadows,
pursue their present system of sheep-breeding, if those mea-
dows were taken away ? A system which I do not hesitate to
say, is more profitable to themselves, their landlords, and
the community at large, than any other that could be sub-
stituted in its room; and perhaps this question cannot be
answered better, than by exhibiting the contrast between
those who have water-meadows, and those who have none,
in the same district. Every farmer who keeps a flock ol
sheep, and particularly a breeding flock, in so cold and late-
springing a district as South Wilts, knows and feels the con-
sequences of the month of April; that month between hay
and grass, in which he who has not water-meadow for his
ewes and lambs, frequently has nothing. The ewes will
bring a very good lamb with hay only : perhaps a few tur-
nips are preserved for the lambs, which in a very favourable
season may last them through March ; but if they are then
obliged to go to hay again, the ewes shrink their milk, the
lambs pinch and get stinted, and the best summer food will
not recover them. To prevent this, recourse is had to feed-
ing the grass off those dry meadows that are intended for hay,
the young clovers, and frequently the young wheat, in fact,
every thing that is green. And who will pretend to estimate
what is the loss that a farmer suffers by this expedient ? The
ray-grass, on the exposed parts of this district, is seldom a
bite for the sheep till near May-day. If the season should
permit any turnips to be kept till that time, which can sel-
dom be depended upon, they are not only of little nourish-
ment to the stock, but they exhaust the land so as to pre-
judice the succeeding crop. And it ought to be remarked
by the way, that in many parts of this district, the soil is
not at all favourable to the production of turnips. It there-
fore necessarily follows, that a farmer, under these circum-
stances, has no certain resource, to support his stock during
this month, but hay; and even in that he is sometimes disap-
pointed, by having been obliged, in the preceding spring, to
feed off the land which he had laid out for a hay-crop: he
is then obliged to buy hay, and that frequently at the dis-
tance of many miles. And, to add to his distress at this cri-
tical time, his young ewes are then brought home from win-
tering, to be kept nearly a month on hay alone. In this
month, which so often ruins the crops, and exhausts the
pockets of those sheep-breeding farmers who have no water-
meadows, the water-mead farmers may be truly said to be " in
clover." They train up their dry meadows early, so as almost
to insure a crop of hay ; they get their turnips fed off in time
to sow barley, and have the vast advantage of a rich fold to
manure it. They save a month's hay, and have no occasion
to touch their field grass, till there is a good bite for their
sheep: and their lambs are as forward at May-day, as those
of their less lucky neighbours are at Midsummer: and after
all, they are almost certain of a crop of hay on their water-
meadows, let the season be what it will. MANAGEMENT
OF WATER-MEADOW. As soon as the after-grass is eaten
off as bare as can be, the manager of the mead, provincially
called the drowner, begins cleaning out the main drain, then
he main carriage, and then proceeds to right up the works,
that is, to make good all the water-carriages that the cattle
have trodden down, and open all the drains they may have
trodden in, so as to have one tier ar pitch of work ready for
drowning; and which is then put under water (if water is
plenty enough) during the time the drowners are righting up
the next pitch. In the flowing meadows, this work is or ought
to be done early enough in the autumn, to have the whole
mead ready to catch the first foods after Michaelmas, the
water being then thick and good, being ihejirst washing of
the arable land, on the sides of the chalk hills, as well as of
the dirt from the roads. The length of this autumn water-
ing cannot always be determined, as it depends on situations
and circumstances; but if water can be commanded in plenty,
the rule is to give it a thorough good soaking, at first perhaps
of a fortnight or three weeks, with a dry interval of a day or
two, and sometimes two fortnights, with a dry interval of a
week, and then the works are made as dry as possible, to
encourage the growth of the grass. This first soaking is to
make the land sink and pitch close together; a circumstance
of great consequence, not only to the auantity, but the qua-
lity of the grass, and particularly to favour the shooting of
the new roots which the grass is continually forming, to sup-
port the forced growth above. While the grass grows freely,
a fresh watering is not wanted ; but as soon as it flags, the
watering may be repeated for a few days at a time, whenever
there is an opportunity of getting water; always keeping this
fundamental rule in view, to make the meadows as dry as
possible between every watering, and to stop the water the
moment the appearance of any scum on the land shews that it
has already had water enough. Some meadows that will bear
the water three weeks in October, November, or December,
will perhaps not bear it a week in February or March, and
sometimes scarcely two days in April or May. In the catch-
meadows watered by springs, the great object is to keep the
works of them as dry as possible between the intervals of
watering; and as such situations are seldon affected by floods,
and generally have too little water, care is necessary to make
the most of the water by catching and rousing it as often as
possible; and as the top-works of every tier or pitch will be
liable to get more of the water than those lower down, care
should be taken to give to the latter a longer time, so as to
make them as equal as possible. It has been already said,
that the great object in this district of an early crop of water-
meadow grass, is to enable the farmer to breed early lambs.
As soon as the lambs are able to travel with the ewes, per-
haps about the middle of March, they begin to feed on the
water meadows. Care is or ought to be taken, to make the
meadows as dry as possible for some days before the sheep
are let in. The grass is hurdled out daily in portions,
according to what the number of sheep can eat in a day, to
prevent their trampling the rest; at the same time leaving a
few open spaces in the hurdles, for the lambs to get through
and feed forward in the fresh grass. One acre of good grass
will suffice five hundred couples for one day. On account of
the quickness of this grass, it is not usual to allow the ewes and
lambs to go into it with empty bellies; at least not before the
dew is off in the morning. The hours of feeding are usually
"rom ten or eleven o'clock in the morning till four or five in
.he evening, when the sheep are driven to fold, being gene-
rally at that time of the year on the barley fallow; and the
;reat object is to have water-mead grass sufficient for the
ewes and lambs till the barley sowing is ended. As soon as
,his first crop of grass is eaten off by the ewes and lambs, the
water is immediately thrown over the meadows, (at this time
of the year, two or three days over each pitch is generally
sufficient,) and it is then made perfectly dry, and laid up for
M E A
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
M E A
97
a hay-crop: six weeks are usually sufficient for the growth of
the crop; it seldom requires eight; and there have been in-
stances of great crops being produced in five. The hay of
water-meadows being frequently large and coarse in its nature,
it is necessary to cut it young; if made well, it then becomes of
a peculiarly nourishing milky quality, either for ewes or dairy
cows. The water-meadows are laid up for a second crop in
some instances; but this is only usual when hay is scarce:
not that it is supposed to hurt the land, but the hay is of
that herbaceous soft nature, and takes so long time in drying,
that it is seldom well made. It is usually of much greater
value to be fed with dairy cows, and for that purpose a flush
of after-grass, so early and so rank, will be precisely of the
same comparative service to the dairy, as the spring feed has
been described to be for ewes and lambs. The cows remain in
the meadow till the drowner begins to prepare for the winter
watering. Water-meadows are reckoned to be perfectly safe
for sheep in the spring, even upon land that would rot sheep,
if it was not watered; but in the autumn the best water-mea-
dows are supposed to be dangerous. But the circumstance
is rather an advantage than a disadvantage to this district,
as it obliges the farmers to keep a few dairy cows, to feed
the water-meadows in autumn, and to provide artificial
grasses, or other green crops, for their sheep during that
period. From what has been so repeatedly urged, on the
necessity of making water-meadows dry, as well as wet, every
reader must have inferred the advantage of having them, if
possible, on a warm absorbent bottom. The bottom or sub-
soil of a water-mead, is of much more consequence than the
quality or the depth of the top soil; not but the lands on
peaty or clay bottoms may be considerably improved by
watering; and there are many good water-meadows on such
soils, but they are not so desirable, on account of the difficulty
of draining the water out of them, and making them firm
enough to bear treading. A loose gravel, or, what perhaps
is still better, a bed of broken flints; with little or no inter-
mixture of earth, wherever it can be obtained, is the most
desirable bottom. As to those meadows which cannot be
flowed, there should be the same care taken to weed
and roll them as the water-meadows; as also never to let
heavy cattle graze upon them in winter when they are wet,
for the cattle will then poach them, and greatly injure the
grass; therefore these should be fed down as soon as possible
in the autumn, before the heavy rains fall to render the
ground soft; and those pastures which are drier, may be
kept to supply the want of these in winter; and where there
are not cattle enough to eat down the grass in time, it will
be much better to cut off what is left, than to suffer it to rot
upon the ground, for that will prevent the grass from shooting
early in the spring; but where people have not cattle enough
of their own to eat down the grass in time, they had much
better take in some of their neighbours', than suffer their fog,
as it is called, to remain all the winter. When these mea-
dows are fed in the autumn, the greater variety of animals
are turned in, the closer they will eat the grass; and the
closer it is eaten, the better the grass will come up the fol-
lowing spring; and if during the time the cattle are feeding,
the meadows be well rolled, the animals will eat the grass
much closer than they otherwise would. Those persons who
are best skilled in this part of husbandry, always dress their
meadows every other, or at least every third year, without
which it is vain to expect any good crop of hay; but the
generality of the farmers are so much distressed for dressing
to supply their corn-land, as not to have any to spare for their
meadows; they are therefore content with what the land will
naturally produce, rather than take any part of their manure
from their arable ground. But this is a very imprudent
piece of husbandry, for if land is to be annually mown for
hay, it cannot be supposed that it will produce a good crop
long, unless proper dressings are allowed it; and when land
is once beggared for want of manure , it will be some years
before it can be recovered again. See Pasture. The scour-
ing of ditches, mud of ponds, and almost any earth, form
good dressings for meadow lands, if suffered to lie, and well
turned over. These, together with alternate mowing and
feeding, will in general keep meadows in heart, without rob-
bing the arable land. DRAINING. The draining of land
is another great improvement, for though meadows which can
be overflowed produce a much greater quantity of herbage,
yet where the wet lies too long upon the ground, the grass
will be sour and coarse, and so overrun with rushes and flags
as to be of small value. Cold stiff clays are most liable to
this, where the water cannot penetrate, but is contained as
in a dish; so that the wet which it receives in winter con-
tinues till the heat of the sun exhales it. The method of
draining such lands is to cut several drains across them
where the water lodges; and from these cross-drains to make
others, to carry off the water to ponds, brooks, or rivers,
in the lower parts of them. These drains need not be made
very large, unless the ground be very low, and so situated
as not to be near any outlet; in which case large ditches
should be dug at proper distances, in the lowest part of the
ground to contain the water; and the earth which comes out
of these ditches, should be spread on the land to raise the
surface. But where the water can be conveniently carried
off, under-ground drains should be made at proper distances,
which may empty themselves into the large ditches. The
usual method of making under-ground drains, is to dig
trenches, and fill the bottoms with stones, bricks, rushes, or
bushes; covering them over with the earth dug out of the
trenches. But when there is a flood, these drains are often
stopped by the soil which the water brings down. The best
method of making these drains is, to dig the principal ones
three feet wide at top, sloping them down for two feet in
depth, where there should be a small bank left on each side,
upon which cross-stakes or bearers should belaid; and below
this set-off, an open drain should be left, at least one foot
deep, and ten or eleven inches wide. Smaller drains of six
or seven inches wide, and the hollow under the bushes eight
or nine inches deep, should be cut across the ground, to
discharge the water into the large drains. The number and
situation of these must be in proportion to the wetness of the
land, and the depth of earth above the bushes must be pro-
portioned to the intended use of it; for if the land is to be
ploughed, the drain must not be shallower than fourteen
inches, but for meadow land, one foot will be enough : for
when the bushes lie too deep in strong land, they will have
little effect, the ground above binding so hard as to detain
the wet on the surface. The drains being dug, the larger
sticks of the brush-wood should be cut out, to pieces of six-
teen or eighteen inches in length, to lay across upon the side-
banks of the drain, at about four inches' distance; and the
smaller brush-wood, furze, broom, heath, &c. should be laid
lengthwise pretty close over these, with rushes, flags, &c.
on the top of them, and then the earth to cover the whole.
Such drains will continue good many years, and the water will
find an easy passage through them. Where there is plenty
of brush-wood, they are made at an easy expense; but where
brush-wood is scarce, they are very chargeable. In this case
cuttings of willow or black poplar might be planted in moist
places, which would furnish brush-wood for this purpose in
four or five years. In countries where there is plenty of stone,
98
M E A
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
M E A
that is the best material for under-ground drains; for when
these are properly made, they will never want repairing.
The best time for making these drains is about Michaelmas,
before the heavy rains of autumn fall; because the land being
then dry, the drains rrfty be dug to a proper depth. When
the drains are finished, and the water carried off the land,
pare off the rushes, flags, &c. lay them in heaps to rot, and
they will afford manure. Plough the ground to destroy the
roots of noxious weeds; and if it be laid fallow for one sea-
son, and ploughed two or three times, it will greatly mend
the land. Spread the rotten rushes and flags over it, and
sow grass seeds. Some persons burn the rubbish that is
pared off the land, and spread the ashes. When bricks are
used for drains, if the ground be soft and spungy, the bottom
of the drain is laid with the bricks placed across; tiles or
slates will answer the purpose. Over these, on each side,
two bricks are laid flat, one upon the other : this is covered
with bricks laid flat. The bricks should be ten inches long,
four broad, and three thick; but this work is too expensive,
unless a drawback might be allowed from the heavy tax
upon the material. When the bottom of the trench is firm
and solid in clay or marl, no bricks need be laid in the bot-
tom : the sides are then formed by placing one brick edge-
wise, instead of two laid Hat. This is much cheaper, and
in such land equally durable. Double bricks, with a hollow
drain through the middle, form a good drain, which is laid
very expeditiously. Where stone is plentiful and near at
hand, no material is superior to it for this purpose. These
drains are in general made larger than those with brick, the
bottom being at least eight inches wide. In Wiltshire their
stone drains are in general ten or twelve inches in width,
with perpendicular sides. Sometimes the stones are so placed
as to leave a water-course at bottom, by setting two flat
stones triangularly, lo meet at the points; but it is a better
way to cover the bottom with a flat stone, and then to put
three other flat stones, upright, leaving the water to find its
way between them; in both cases filling up the residue of the
drain to the top, or near it, with loose stones. Where only
small round stones can be got, the drain may be made taper,
from nine inches at top to nothing at bottom, and about three
feet deep; filling it up with the small stones first, and finish-
ing with a thin turf at top. Where gravel is more plentiful,
it is found to answer the purpose very well, if screened or
washed. In all cases, the general opinion is, that those
drains last longest, which have the least or narrowest water-
way left at bottom; the force of the water being then suffi-
cient to clear away any little obstacles. Where none of the
above materials are to be had, there is still another sort of
covered drain, which may be adopted in a stiff tenacious soil.
This is made with turfs or sods, and, besides being the cheap-
est, is as lasting as any, where the land is sufficiently cohe-
sive. The inverted turf is either put upon a shoulder, leaving
a hollow part under it, and the remainder of the drain is
filled up with the earth that came out of it; or the drain is
cut out in a wedge, or the form of the letter V, and when the
earth is taken out, six or eight inches of the bottom part of the
wedge are cut off, and the remainder is filled up. If a few
rushes were put round the bottom of this wedge, so as to
keep the lower part from dropping, and the ends of the
rushes were drawn upwards, between the sides of the drain
and the wedge, it would be an improvement. Care must be
taken to keep off all cattle till these drains have had time to
settle. The entrances should have a fence of brick or stone
to secure them. Their aperture at top should be eighteen
inches, their depths thirty inches. The strength with
wmch the sods are supported, and their depth in the
ground being at least twelve inches, will effectually prevent
their removal by any weight on the surface ; and secure them
from all effects of the weather. When a bog or morass is to
be drained, the direction in which the trench is to be dug is
first to be ascertained. This is the most difficult part of the
whole business, and cannot be fully understood but from
much practice. The following rules, however, may be of
service: 1. The whole depending upon the nature of the
bog to be drained, and the state of he adjacent country,
the neighbouring strata must be ascertained as far as possible
whether they be of stone, gravel, sand, or marl; for the
water must be lodged in one of these, and it is necessary to
ascertain in which. 2. The trench must be directed so as
to fall in with the bottom of the bed which occasions the
mischief, and the particular spot where the main spring lies.
One spring may probably occasion the whole bog, which,
having no proper vent, forces the water through many sma+1
veins, even to a great distance, making the whole a swamp.
By draining the main spring, the others follow of course.
3. If there are various beds through which water issues, stone
is to be preferred for draining the whole; the water being
much more easily drawn through that, than through gravel,
sand, and marl; consequently by draining the spring there,
the whole water which communicates therewith flows to it,
water always preferring a straight or clear to a crooked chan-
nel. But in stone beds, the trench ought to be made from
six or eight yards from the tail of the bed, or the place
where the rock ends, because in limestone, and other rocks,
the tail is harder than any other part of the rock, and there
are few, if any, fissures in it; but by going a few yards
above, you get into a softer part of the bed, and the water is
more accessible. The tail of these beds may often be found
at a point or promontory jutting out from the adjacent
heights. 4. The trench in general should be directed in a
line with the bottom of the hill, because it makes the best
separation between the upland and the meadow inclosures,
and the spring can best be intercepted. The trench, how-
ever, must be carried in the line of the spring, or near it;
for if it diverges from it any distance, all prospect of reach-
ing the spring, by tapping or otherwise, is lost. 5. It is bet-
ter to make a new trench, than to tap the spring in any old
brook or run of water, where that may be practicable; for
though the spring, when once it bursts out, has force enough
to throw up any stones, sand, &c. that may accidentally fall
into it, yet brooks in a flood may bring down such immense
quantities as completely to choak up the spring ; and so
much caution is necessary to prevent any risk of such a cir-
cumstance, that when the trench crosses any runlet of water
proceeding from a small brook, or from a collection of surface
water, the trench is puddled so as to receive it, lest it should
blow up, and destroy the works. Lastly, the general line
of direction being fixed on, and the trench marked out,
begin at the bottom, or lowest level, carrying the trench
gradually up, under the guidance of the spirit level: a few
inches fall in a hundred yards will be sufficient. In digging
the trench, no tools but those of the common sort are made
use of; and common labourers can carry it on, under an expe-
rienced foreman or overseer. The auger, which must often
be used for tapping the spring, may be from an inch and
half to two inches diameter, and is applied in the ordinary
manner: if, in boring, a stone be met with, the auger must
be taken off, and a chisel or punch screwed on, to penetrate
so hard a substance. Sometimes the spring is cut off by the
trench alone; but in many cases k lies greatly below the
level of the trench, and then it is necessary to use the auger
for tapping the spring. The trench being made, and th
MED
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MED
99
spring cut off, either by tapping or otherwise, it is then
necessary to determine whether the drain should be open or
covered. If it can at the same time be made a fence, it had
better be open; if not, it should be covered. No appre-
hension need be entertained of the holes made by the auger
being filled up, in either case, unless other waters be admit-
ted; because such is the force of the spring, that it will
throw up any stones, earth, or other substances, that might
accidentally get into it, and can be injured by nothing but
great quantities coming upon it at once. This system of
draining is sometimes attended with extraordinary conse-
quences: by it not only the land below the natural spring,
or even above the artificial spring, is drained, but the waters
from the neighboring heights, finding a new and readier
channel, abandon the places to which they formerly went,
and thus a tract of country may be drained without any appa-
rent communication with the spring intended to be drained,
or the trench made to it. Nay, a drain made on one side of
a hill has been known to make springs and wells on the other
side quite dry, by opening a channel to which the water
more naturally draws. This practice may not only serve the
purpose of draining land, but the complete command of a
treasure of water being thus obtained, it is probable it may
in many cases be used for flooding land, for mills and navi-
gations, for supplying private houses, and even villages and
towns, with wholesome water. A country thus loses that
dampness which is so pernicious to the health of its inha-
bitants, and is also at the same time freed from its trouble-
some attendant, a foggy atmosphere. The produce of the
soil is considerably increased in quantity, and improved in
quality; while the rot, that destructive malady, to which so
many millions of sheep fall a sacrifice, is prevented. In
short, the advantages of draining are so many, that it is
astonishing that the principles of the art have not been better
understood, and that greater and more extensive exertions
have not been made in so salutary and beneficial a practice.
Meadow Grass. See, Poa, Cynosurus, and Grass.
Meadow Rue. See Thulictrum.
Meadow Saffron. See Colchicum.
Meadow-Saxifrage. See Peucedamtm and Sescli.
Meadow Sweet. See Spircea.
Medeola; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Trigynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: none, unless the corolla
be called so. Corolla : petals six, ovate-oblong, equal,
spreading, revolute. Stamina : filamenta six, awl-shaped,
the length of the corolla; antherse incumbent. Pistil: ger-
mina three, horned, ending in styles ; stigmas recurved,
thickish. Pericarp: berry roundish, three-cleft, three-celled.
Seeds: solitary, heart-shaped. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix: none. Corolla: six-parted, revolute. Berry: three-
seeded. The species are,
1. Medeola Virginiana ; Virginian Medeola. Leaves in
whorls; branches unarmed. It has a small scaly root, from
which arises a single stalk about eight inches. Corolla four-
petalled. It flowers in June. Native of Virginia. This is
hardy enough to live in the open air; but producing no seeds
here, can be increased only by offsets.
2. Medeola Asparagoides ; Broad-leaved Shrubby Mede-
ola. Leaves alternate, ovate, subcordate, at the base oblique.
This has a root composed of several oblong knobs, which
unite at the top, like that of the Ranunculus, from which
arise two or three stiff winding stalks, dividing into brandies;
the flowers come out from the side of the stalks, singly, or
two on a short slender peduncle; petals dull white. Native
of the Cape. This and the next species propagate freely by
the offsets from the roots; so that when they are once ob-
VOL. ii. 74.
tained, there will be no necessity of sowing their seeds, which
commonly lie a year in the ground, and the plants will not be
strong enough to flower in less than two years more; whereas
the offsets will flower the following season. The time for
transplanting and parting the roots is in July, when their
stalks are entirely decayed, for they begin to shoot towards
the end of August, and keep growing all the winter, and de-
cay in the spring. They should be plantedjn pots filled with
good kitchen-garden earth, and may remain in the open air
till there is danger of frost, and must then be removed into
shelter, as they are too tender to live tr .ough the winter in
the open air. As the flowers make no great appearance, the
plants are not preserved for their beauty, but on account of
their climbing stalks and leaves, that are in full vigour in
winter, as an addition to the variety of the green-house.
3. Medeola Angustifolia; Narrow-leaved Shrubby Medeola.
Leaves alternate, ovate, lanceolate. This has a root like the
preceding, but the stalks are not so strong, though they climb
higher. Native of the Cape.
Medicago; a genus of the class Diadelphia, order Decan-
dria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
straight, campanulate-cylindrical, half five-cleft, acuminate,
equal. Corolla : papilionaceous ; banner ovate, entire, the
margins bent in, the whole bent back; wings ovate-oblong,
affixed by an appendage to the keel, with the sides converg-
ing under the keel ; keel oblong, bifid, spreading, blunt,
bent down from the pistil, and gaping from the banner.
Stamina: filamenta diadelphous, united almost to the tops ;
antherae small. Pistil: germen pedicelled, oblong, curved
in, compressed, involved in the filamenta, starting from the
keel, bending back the banner, ending in a short awl-shaped,
almost straight style; stigma terminating, very small. Peri-
carp: legume compressed, long, bent in. Seeds: several,
kidney-shaped or angular. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Legume: compressed, bent in. Keel: bent down from the
banner. The species are,
1. Medicago Arborea ; Tree Medick, or Moon Trefoil
Legumes crescent-shaped, quite entire about the edge; stem
arboreous. This shrub, which is also called Moon Trefoil,
from the shape of the pods and its trifoliate leaves, bids the
fairest of any to be the Cytisus of Virgil, Columella, and the
other ancient writers on husbandry ; and being celebrated by
them, has been recommended for cultivation here. But how-
ever useful it may be in Candia, Rhodes, Sicily, and other
warm countries, it will not thrive in England so as to furnish
food for animals, nor is it worth the trial, as we have so many
other plants preferable to it. Yet though of no use to us as
fodder, the beauty of its hoary leaves, which abide all the
year, together with its long continuance in flower, render it
deserving of a place in every good garden and plantation
with shrubs of the same growth. It grows from four to eight
feet high, dividing into many branches, with ternate leaves
at each joint, several together, the whole shrub covered with
them ; flowers on peduncles from the sides of the branches,
four or five together, of a bright yellow. It may be propagat-
ed by sowing the seeds upon a moderate hot-bed, or a warm
border of light earth, in the beginning of April, and when the
plants come up, they should be carefully cleared from weeds;
but must remain undisturbed, if sown in the common ground,
till September following; if on a hot-bed, they should be
transplanted about Midsummer into pots, placing them in the
shade until they have taken root, after which they may be
removed into a situation wlrcre they may be screened from
strong winds, and abide till the end of October, when they
must be put into a common garden frame, to shelter them
from hard frosts. In April following, these plants may be
2 C
100
MED
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MED
shaken out of these pots, and placed in the full ground where
they are designed to remain, which should be in a light soil
and a warm situation, in which they will endure the cold of
our ordinary winters extremely well, and continue to produce
flowers most part of the year. Those also which were sown
in an open border may be transplanted in August following,
in the same manner; but in doing this, be careful to take
them up with a ball of earth to their roots, if possible, as also
to water and shade them until they have taken root; after
which they will require little more care than to keep them
clean from weeds, and to prune off the luxuriant branches
to keep them within due compass; but never prune them
early in the spring, nor late in autumn, for if frost should
happen soon after they are pruned, it will destroy the tender
branches. They may also be propagated by cuttings, which
should be planted in April upon a bed of light earth, and
watered and shaded until they have taken root, after which
they may be exposed to the open air; but they should remain
in the same bed till July or August following, before they are
transplanted, by which time they will have made strong roots,
und may be removed with safety to the places where they are
to remain. You may train them up with straight stems, by
fastening them to sticks, otherwise they are apt to grow
crooked and irregular; and when you have reared their stems
to the intended height, they may be reduced to regular heads,
and with pruning their irregular shoots every year, may be
kept in very good order.
2. Medicago Virginica; Virginian Medick. Stem upright,
very much branched; flowers in terminating bundles. The
corolla is red and white variegated. Native of Virginia.
3. Medicago Radiata ; Ray-podded Medick. Legumes
kidney-form, toothed at the edge; leaves ternate. Flowers
small, yellow. Native of Italy and the Levant. This, and
the two following species, are annuals, and preserved in the
gardens of those who are curious in botany. The seeds
should be sown upon an open bed of fresh ground, in the
places where the plants are to remain, because they do not
bear transplanting well, unless where they are very young.
As the plants spread their branches on the ground, they
should not be sown nearer than two feet and a half asunder:
when the plants come up, they will require no other care but
to keep them clean from weeds. In June they will begin to
flower, and as the stalks and branches extend, there will be a
succession of flowers till autumn; but the early flowers will
only have good seeds succeed them; for those which come
late in summer, have not time to ripen before the cold weather
comes on.
4. Medicago Circinata ; Kidney-podded Medick. Legumes
kidney-form, toothed at the edge ; leaves pinnate. The
whole plant is pubescent. Native of Spain and Italy.
5. Medicago Obscura ; Doubtful Medick. Peduncles
racemed; legumes kidney-form, quite entire; stem diffused,
rough-haired. Root annual; stems decumbent, long, four-
cornered. Probably a native of Germany.
6. Medicago Saliva; Cultivated Medick, or Lucern. Pe-
duncles racemed; legumes contorted; stem upright, smooth.
Root perennial; stalks annual, smooth, and striated, one to
two or three feet high ; leaves ternate ; flowers in thick spikes ;
corolla purple, varying with pale blue, and with variegated
flowers. This plant has been greatly celebrated for increas-
ing the milk of cows; though Haller, who was certainly well
acquainted with it, asserts that the cattle are liable to be
blown by it, and soon grow tired 3 of it. It may possibly have
been a native of Europe, continuing to be disregarded till it
was imported into Greece from the East, after Darius had dis-
covered it in Media, whence its name. It is said to be the
principal green fodder for horses in Persia to this day. The
Germans and other northern nations have adopted the modern
name Lucern from the French, who also call it, Trefle, or Foin
de Bourgogne, and Grand Trefie; the Italians name hMedica,
Lucerna, and Erba Spagna; the Spaniards, Alsatfa, Mielga,
and Medico. ; the Portuguese, Luzerna, and Medicagem dos
pastosi and the Persians, Gunscha. It has not been cul-
tivated in England in very considerable quantities, though
it is evident that it will succeed here as well as in France or
Switzerland, and that it resists the severest cold of our climate.
Propagation and Culture. A rich loamy earth is certainly
an excellent soil for Lucern, but not being the most common,
we must frequently be contented with such soils as are worse.
Rocque says, that the strongest is to be preferred; and Mr.
Belcher, that although it will succeed on middling sorts of
land, it should, if possible, have a soil both stiff and dry, or,
as he elsewhere says, such as is close, firm, and sound; in
opposition to the foreign writers, with Tull and Miller, who
recommend a light, loose, sandy soil. The right soils,
according to others, are deep, rich, friable loams, whether
sandy or gravelly, or flexible loams, dry, deep, and rich;
in a word, all rich soils that are dry. In Kent, it is sown
in dry lands. Under the South Downs of Sussex, in the
vicinity of Eastbourn, where Lucern is a common article
of cultivation, they rarely sow it upon any but the richest
and deepest soils, thinking that it does not answer on any
other. Their land is such a happy mixture of the calcareous
and argillaceous, and is of so deep a staple, that any thing
will grow upon it; and Lucern, Saintfoin, and Clover, may
be found side by side. Good crops of Lucern have, how-
ever, been produced in gravelly, sandy, and stony loams,
which were by no means rich, and even upon poor sandy
gravel apt to burn. It has a better chance on thin loams,
on rock, and on poor sands, (though no man would choose
such soils for it if he had better,) because the roots of Lucern
will travel far in search of nutriment. The great business of
the culture is to keep it free from weeds, especially whilst
it is young; much depends upon preparing the soil in such a
manner that all sorts of useless plants shall be killed. It is
much cheaper to prevent weeds than to destroy them ; and
every shilling laid out in cleaning the land, will save a crown
in hoeing the crop. For this reason two successive crops of
Turnips or Carrots prepare the land well for it: but as Turnips
upon good loams, if carted in a wet season, are apt to pre-
vent that friability which is necessary for Lucern, the Turnips
should be fed off in autumn, and the land immediately
ploughed. Carrots are not liable to any objection, for they
should always be drawn and laid up before winter; and the
incessant hoeing which they require, cleans the land admira-
bly. If the land be prepared by a fallow, let a man with a
basket and four-pronged fork follow the plough in every
furrow, and the harrows whenever they work, to pick up
all roots and weeds, and to clear away such knots and tufts
as the plough does not go deep enough to eradicate. Carrots,
Turnips, or Cabbages, may be made the preparatory crops;
at least there should be two hoeing crops in succession. In
the second spring, previous to the sowing, there should be
three ploughings, and harrowings enough to pulverize the
soil well. In Kent, the common tillage is a good summer
fallow, ploughed as deep as possible, with a good covering
of manure. Circumstances must decide whether broad-cast
or drilling should be preferred in sowing the seed. If the
farmer be doubtful whether he shall be able to give a regular
and constant attention to hand and horse hoeing, or if he
be satisfied with his crop lasting eight or ten years, then the
broad-cast may be preferred. But if he be willing and able
MED
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MED"
to have the crop perfectly well managed in respect to hoeing,
and if he be desirous to have it last twenty or thirty years,
he will then probably prefer the drill culture. Both have
their advantages and disadvantages ; but whichever method
be adopted, the time of sowing is chiefly during the month
of April. The end of March is commonly too early: and
the chance of a failure is greater in May than in April, both
on account of the drought and the fly. It should be sown
later on heavy than on light lands ; and if possible in dry
weather, when there is a prospect of showers. Twenty pounds
of seed to an English acre is generally allowed to be the
proper quantity. As to the distance between the rows, some
respect should be had to the quality of the land. The rows
may be closer on land that is less rich. Thus some recom-
mend one-foot rows on soils worth thirty shillings an acre,
and nine-inch rows on those worth only twenty shillings :
reputing soils of less value as in general not to be much
recommended for Lucern. Two-feet rows will admit of
horse-hoeing; and the plants cannot be kept clean without
it, except at too great an expense. Mr. Miller was a decided
enemy to sowing this or any other leguminous crop with corn,
though many others are advocates for the mixture. If the
Lucern be sown with corn, and that be suffered to stand for
a crop, as soon as the harvest is over, nothing is to be done
except keeping out cattle ; or at least the stubble should be
fed only by calves and young cattle, and that in dry weather.
The weeds should be collected and carried off, and then it
may be levelled for the scythe with a barley roller. Half a
growth in autumn, instead of being mown, may be fed off with
cattle. Before every harrowing, if there be any thin places,
some seed may be scattered into them. I do not see why,
says Mr. Young, in sowing Lucern broad-cast, the plants may
not be singled out and kept clean with the hand-hoe, in the
same manner as Turnips. After the frosts are over, and
vegetation begins, the land may be harrowed, if foul ; but if
clean, that operation will not be required till after the first
cutting. In the drilled culture, when the rows are come up,
and weeds being to appear, in dry weather a shim should be
run between them, to cut up the weeds and loosen the soil;
and a hand-hoeing and picking should follow, to clear them
perfectly. These operations must be repeated as they are
wanted. The year following, so soon as the land is dry
enough in the spring, and through the whole summer, it
must be a constant conflict between the shim or hoe and any
weeds that may appear. The crop must be kept constantly
and absolutely clean; but the principal attention is to be
given immediately after every cutting, the weeds being then
best discovered, and most easily destroyed, particularly by
the horse-hoe, where the rows are wide enough to admit of
that instrument. If the rows be very straight, the shim is of
great use, because it may be directed so near the rows as
to save much hand-hoeing, and for getting out such weeds
as grow among the plants, a pronged hoe is of much service.
Every one knows the precariousness of annual grasses ; but
in Lucern the farmer has a provision for his cattle, nutritious,
plentiful, early, and sure. Still to enhance it, part of the
plantation may be sown with Tares, and part with white Oats :
in order to cut for the first crop, the part under which are the
Tares, before they are advanced ; for the second, that with the
Oats ; and thirdly, that with the Tares the second time. This
last will be a prodigious crop, and by matting together, pow-
erfully subdue the weeds. It must be a very indifferent acre
that will not keep a horse the summer, and a very good one
will maintain two. The seed for transplanting should be
sown early in the spring, in order that the plants may be
sizeable in the following August. It is best sown in drills,
and the young plants may be much assisted in their growth'
with a small hand-hoe, such as gardeners use among onions.
The management of transplanted Lucern while growing, must
be the same as the drilled crops; only the first season, it
being set in August, will require one or two hoeings in the
autumn. Transplanted Lucern has two advantages over that
which is drilled, and still more over broad-cast: first, that
each root -will stand at a proper distance from its neighbour,
and receive its due proportion of nourishment ; or if a few
sets chance to fail, they way be supplied from the nursery, any
moist day, from April to the middle of September : secondly,
by cutting the tap-root, it is prevented from penetrating ten
or twelve feet perpendicular into the ground, which it natu-
rally does in three or four years, except it be obstructed by
a stratum of rock, or chilled at root by weeping springs, or
find admission into a bed of cold clay ; in all which cases the
crop makes a poor appearance, or goes off all at once. The
early springing of Lucern is one of its most valuable proper-
ties. It may be depended on for much earlier food for
sheep and lambs than any grass, and in rich warm land will
yield a feeding of some account by the middle of March,
and continue very productive all April, in which season the
sheep-master is more distressed than at any other time of the
year Sheep must not, however, be kept on it in such num-
bers, and so long, as to make them eat into the crown of the
plants, which damages them much ; they will not, however, do
this while there any young shoots remaining. The proper
time of cutting grasses, and this, with other leguminous plants,
vulgarly called artificial grasses, is when they are in full
blossom ; but this rule can only be followed for hay. The
best use of Lucern is for soiling, and consequently such por-
tions of it should be set out for every day as will ensure a
constant supply. Broad-cast crops will not grow so fast as
those which are drilled or transplanted, nor usually yield
more than three full growths in the six growing months.
Drilled and transplanted crops, on good land, may be dis-
tributed into forty divisions; but on very fine land, into
thirty By this means, which of course is to be varied as
the cultivator finds the growth of his crop, he will always
have a succession ready for the scythe. The growth on well-
cultivated rich land is very great, rising to eighteen inches
in thirty or forty days, and yielding five good cuttings
between April and September. The reaping hook or sickle
has been recommended for cutting it, in preference to the
scythe : this may do where small parcels are cultivated, and
where the rows are forty inches asunder; but in broad-cast
and closer drilled Lucern, the scythe will do the work very
well, and for less than a fourth of the expense. The Lucern
should be gathered into a one-horse skeleton cart, and carried
directly to the stable door, if it be fof soiling horses. Broad-
cast Lucern, with good management, may last seven or eight
years. It does not attain its full vigour before the third, or,
according to others, not until the fifth year. This therefore
is an objection to sowing broad-cast, which declines, and
even wears out, fast after the seventh or eighth year. Upon
soils that are not remarkably fertile, manure should be occa-
sionally given to this crop. Rotten dung is the best spread
upon it early in winter; about twenty tons to an acre, once
in five or six years, will be an ample allowance. If dung
cannot be spared, soot or ashes may be substituted. Pro-
duce. The produce of a Lucern crop, like that of all others,
will depend qn soil and management. They reckon in some
parts of France, that an acre of it produces more than six
acres of good grass ; in others, as much as three only; and of
hay, more than four tons. Some of their crops have risen to
nine tons. Mr. Wynne Baker mentions eight tons of hay to
105;
.-M. E -D
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MED
the Irish acre, which is five to the English measure. Others
state good crops at from twenty to forty tons, and twenty-
five at an average. Duliamel mentions forty tons; and near
Barcelona the produce of green fodder amounts to fifty tons
on an acre in one season. Rocque, at Walham Green, got
< ight loads an acre at five cuttings ; and to the value of thirty-
five pounds for soiling. Mr. Harte, the first year after
transplanting, had about eight tons from an acre. Mr.
Baldwin had above fourteen tons from four cuttings. Some
persons are of opinion that constant mowing exhausts the
crop; that, however, does not appear to be the case, but,
on the contrary, agrees better with it than leaving it for a
full crop of hay : yet even thus the advantage is considerable ;
for at three mowings, a good acre will produce four tons of
dry hay, and sometimes even five ; which, though it does not
greatly exceed two cuttings of Clover, yet considering that
the latter is exhausted in one year, and that Lucern lasts as
long as you please, is a very great superiority. " Horses,
(says Monsieur Duhamel,) fed with Lucern, except when
employed in journeys, or other hard work, require neither
oats nor beans." No food makes their coats so smooth and
well-coloured. But when a horse begins this succulent food,
he should have a small quantity, as ten pounds, which should
be gradually increased for three weeks to twenty, thirty, and
perhaps forty pounds. It should also be given in small
quantities, and slightly moistened with water, to such horses
as are touched in their wind. It is too full of nourishment
for hunters, and should be given in less quantities to saddle
horses, than to coach and cart-horses. When they are first
fed with it in the spring, it may not be amiss to take a little
blood from them ; and if those who feed them can be per-
suaded to give them a little, and often, they will eat with
more appetite, and make no waste. Lucern is excellent for
soiling cows and young cattle in a farm-yard, and for working
oxen. A middle-sized cow will eat from ninety to a hundred
and ten pounds in twenty-four hours ; but the same caution
is necessary to prevent their hoving or being blown, as with
Clover. This plant appears to be admirable for fattening
beasts. Mr. Young remarks, from an experiment of his own,
that the effect of it in fattening is a proof of its great value ;
that its superiority over Tares is prodigious ; and that, when
once established, "it is far cheaper. With respect to sheep,
there is some doubt whether they are not apt to damage the
crown of the root, and thereby to prevent, or at least weaken,
the shoots that should furnish the succeeding cuttings. This
should be a caution not to let sheep lie on Lucern too long.
The first growth in the spring is of great use for ewes and
lambs. Mr. Baldwin fattened Welsh weathers on it with
great success. It is best given them in racks. It may be
fed after the last cutting, in dry weather, with any kind of
stock ; in wet weather, with sheep, to whom no plant is more
agreeable or nourishing. There is no doubt that Lucern
is excellent food for swine, who do it no damage, as they do
not bite closely like sheep ; but it is better to soil them with
it in the yard or sty, on account of the great value of their
rlung, Lucern makes excellent hay, and should not be
stirred about, much, that the leaf may be preserved. Rocque
directs that it should be mown for hay as soon as the bloom
appears, or sooner ; that it should lie in the swath, and be
turned as Olover. With respect to saving the seed of the
plant, Mr. Miller, from his own experience, commends Eng-
lish seed in preference to foreign; others say that the seed
is not worth saving in England. Rocque directs it to be
saved, not from the first, but from the second growth. The
difference of Lucern from English seed and French, sown on
rtie same day upon the same soil, was prodigiously in favour
of the latter. The home seed was larger, did not come up
so soon by two days, and then not near so thick ; however,
the produce being weighed, was nearly equal in both : whence
it appears that the difference was entirely at starting, and
they were equal afterwards. One main obstruction to the
more general cultivation of Lucern, seems an idea of the great
expense attending it. Mr. Young observes, that plants sown
on well-cleaned land, and kept clean by hoeing afterward,
is procured at an expense which is seldom calculated fairly.
Besides the annual expense of probably three pounds per acre,
a crop of corn on good land cannot be estimated at less than
five pounds; and to balance this, the produce the first year
is very inconsiderable. The second year must be very good,
to pay its own charges, and the drawback of the preceding
year. Now a cultivation, which at the end of two years shall
have paid nothing in profit, is not worth attention. If it can
be got with corn, the case is different; and foreign Lucern
is all sown with corn. When Lucern, however, is sown
broad-cast, a small crop of Barley or Oats may be obtained,
sufficient at least to pay all expenses, without much injuring
the Lucern, in favourable seasons. Between the rows of
drilled or transplanted Lucern, any of the crops usually
drilled may be put in, as Beans, Cabbages, &c. or Vetches
may be sown at intervals; or, Broad Clover may be mixed
with broad-cast Lucern, or sown in the spaces of that which
is drilled or transplanted. This practice may in some degree
meet. the above objection to the culture of this valuable
plant, and render it worth the attention of the farmer for
profit as well as convenience. And even admitting it not to
be so profitable as its too sanguine friends believe ; still it
may be convenient to have a quantity for ewes and lambs
early in the spring, for soiling horses occasionally, and sup-
plying the deficiencies of other foddering crops.
7. Medicago Falcata; Yellow Medick. Peduncles racem-
ed ; legumes crescent-shaped ; stem prostrate. Root peren-
nial ; stems round, smooth, slightly striated, procumbent,
but ascending or bending upwards towards the end, branching
two, three, and sometimes four feet in length; flowers in
short loosish racemes, each on a pedicel. Corolla yellow,
varying much in the colour, which is sometimes white, quite
white, or greenish, as well as of different shades of yellow.
The roots strike very deep, and are difficult to eradicate. It
is common in the south of Europe, by way-sides and in dry
pastures. With us it is also common in the sandy grounds
near Bury in Suffolk. It has been observed near Norwich
and Yarmouth, between Watford and Bushy; and at Quey,
Bournbridge, Wilbraham, and Linton, in Cambridgeshire.
The Variegated Medick, which appears to be a variety of
this species, is less erect and less succulent than Lucern ;
but more succulent, and much more luxuriant, than the
Yellow Medick. The flowers are beautifully varied in every
shade of blue and greenish yellow, and some are almost
white ; and Mr. Young thinks it may bid fair to rival Lucern
itself. The Yellow Medick is hardier than Lucern, roots
stronger, grows in drier soils, yields abundance of fodder
very nearly allied to Lucern in quality, and loses less in dry-
ing. See the preceding species.
8. Medicago Lupulina ; Hop or Black Medick. Spikes
oval ; legumes kidney-form, one-seeded ; stems procumbent.
Root annual, or biennial, with few fibres, and penetrating
deeply into the earth; stems about a foot long, numerous,
trailing unless supported; flowers small, yellow, from thirty
to forty and upwards in a head, which is at first roundish,
afterwards oval. The ripeness of the seeds is known by the
blackness of the seed-vessels, from which it has obtained the
names of Bluck-seed and Black Nonesuch, among some culti-
MED
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MEL
103
valors. It grows naturally on dry banks and hilly pastures,
chiefly in a sandy or dry soil, and is common in New Eng-
land, 'flowering in June and July. This plant has been much
sown of late years for sheep-feed in open fit-Ids, where it is
a considerable improvement, first for the sweet food, and
then to help the land by ploughing; it in, getting a good crop
of wheat after it on different soils. The seed falls so rea-
dily, that great loss ensues from moving it; and in threshing,
the least stroke clears it. The best way therefore is to
thresh it in the field on" a cloth, which is moved to the seed,
arid not the seed to the cloth.
9. Medicago Marina; Sea Medick. Peduncles racemed;
i ^umes spiral, spiny; stem procumbent, tomentose. Miller
describes it as a perennial plant, with trailing woolly branches
about a foot long, divided into many small branches; leaves
small, downy, on short footstalks at each joint; flowers from
the side and at the ends of the branches, in small clusters,
of a bright yellow colour. They appear in June and July,
and the seeds ripen in September. Native of the shores of
the Mediterranean. This plant is propagated by seeds, sown
upon a warm border of dry soil in the spring, where the plants
aie designed to remain. When the plants are come up, two
or three of them may be transplanted into small pots, to be
sheltered in winter, because in very severe frosts those which
are in the open air are frequently destroyed; though it will
endure the cold of our ordinary winters, in a dry soil and
sheltered situation. The remaining plants require only to be
thinned and kept clean. It may also be increased by cut-
tings, planted in June or July, in a shady border, covering
them close with a glass, to exclude theexternal air: they will
take root in about six weeks, and may then be either planted
in a warm border or in pots, and treated in the same way as
-I'edlings.
10. Medicago Polymorpha ; Variable Medick. Legumes
spiral ; stipules toothed ; stem diffused. Root animal, oblong,
branched. Linneus justly names this species Polymorpha;
and remarks, that, like the dog among the animals, this plant
produces numerous varieties, though not in the same country.
Some of these varieties are erected into species by Gerard,
Miller, Geertner, and others, but they are not worth enume-
ration here. Some of them are common in flower-gardens
among other annuals, under the names of Snails and Hedge-
hogs, from the singular form of their seed-vessels. Native of
the south of Europe, Great Britain, &c. They are propa-
gated by seeds sown in the middle of April, where they are
to remain; they require no culture but to be thinned and kept
clean. The variety called Heart Trefoil, or Heart Clover,
but more properly Heart Medick, or Spotted Medick, is fre-
quently very luxuriant among Lucern, Saintfoin, and Trefoil,
and might be cultivated for the same purpose as the latter;
but on account of its hairiness, and the roughness of the
seeds, it should be cut or pastured when young.
1 1. Medicago Prostrata ; Prostrate Medick. Legumes
spiral, unarmed ; leaves ternate, wedge-shaped, toothed at
the top; stipules bristle-shaped, quite entire; stem diffused.
This very small plant has a small fruit, and is nearly allied
to the preceding, although perennial. Native of exposed
stony ground in Hungary and Italy.
Medical Terms. In order to explain the difficult medical
terms used in the various prescriptions with which this work
abounds, we have introduced the following elucidations.
Relaxing medicines, when externally applied, and supposed
to soften the parts, are called emollients; while others, which
are supposed to possess the power of augmenting the secre-
tion of pus in inflamed parts, are termed suppurative. Seda-
tive n>edicines, that have the power of assuaging pain, are
VOL. it. 74.
denominated paregorics; if they altogether remove or destroy
pain, they are called anodynes; if they take oft' spasm, anti-
spasmodics ; if they procure quiet sleep, hypnotics ; if a
very deep ud unnatural sleep, together with considerable
stupefaction of the senses, narcotics. Tonic medicines obtain
the name of corroboratives, analeptics, or nervines, when
they slightly increase the contractile power of the solids; but
of astringents or adstringents, if they do this in a great degree.
Some of this order of medicines have been supposed to pro-
mote the growth of flesh, to consolidate wounds, and restrain
haemorrhages, and hence the name of sarcotics and traumatics,
or vulneraries. Other astringents again are called repellent,
discutient, stimulant, or alterative, according to the respect-
ive modes by which they are conceived to promote one com-
mon effect. Medicines of the inflammatory tribe, are in like
manner divided into vesicatories or blisters, if by their appli-
cation they raise watery bladders on the skin; cathwretics,
escharotics, or corrosives, if they eat into and destroy the
substance of the solid parts themselves; and rubefactive or
rubefacient, if, possessed of less power than the vesicatories,
they merely produce redness on the part to which they are
applied. The alterant tribe is divided into absorbents, anti-
septics, coagulants, resolvents, calefiants, and refrigerants,
according to the peculiar mode by which they are supposed
to operate. The evacuants are called emetics, when they
evacuate the contents of the stomach by vomiting; cathartics,
if they induce purging; laxatives, if they produce a moderate
discharge of feces. Again, they are named diaphoretics, if
they promote the expulsion of humours through the pores of
the skin, with only a small increase of action; sudorifics, if
the increase of action be greater, and the discharge more
copious. Such as excite urine are called diuretics; such as
produce evacuation from the glands of the palate, mouth,
and oalivary ducts, salivating medicines; those that promote
the discharge of mucus from the throat, apophlegmatics ;
those that evacuate by the nose, ptarmics, errhines, sternu-
tatories; and those which promote the menstrual discharge,
emmenagogues. Those medicines which expel worms are
sometimes called anthelmintics; those that are supposed to
remove or dissolve stones in the bladder, lithorrtriptics ; and
those that remove wind, carminatives.
Medick. See Medicago.
Medlar. See Mespilus.
Medusa's Head. See Euphorbia.
Meesia; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Musci.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Capsule : oblong ; peristome
double; outer with sixteen short blunt teeth; inner with ar
many sharp cilias, distinct, or connected by net-work. Males:
approaching the females, or discoid on a different plant.
Three species are all that have been referred to in this genus
by Hedwig, and these have been reduced to Bryum.
Melaleuca; a genus of the class Polyadelphia, order Icoa-
andria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth turbi-
nated, five-cleft, half superior. Corolla: petals five, rounded,
inserted into the inner margin of the calix. Stamina: fila-
menta many, rery long, united in five bundles ; antherse
incumbent. Pistil: germen turbinate, fastened to the bot-
tom of the calix; style one, filiform, upright; stigma simple.
Pericarp: capsule subglobular, half inferior, or half covered
with the calix, three-celled. Seeds : oblong, when unripe
linear-chaffy; when ripe, usually winged. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: five-cleft, half superior. Petals: five-
Filamenta : many, very lon, in five bodies. Style : one.'
Capsule: three-celled. This a fine genus of aromatic trees
knd shrubs, with lateral inflorescence, and simple entire leaves ;
aH growing in New Holland, except the first. Eighteen specie*
a D
104
M EL
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MEL
have already been described, among v.hiu'u urc il.e follow-
ing:
1. MelaleucaLeucadendron; Aromatic Melaleuca. Leaves
alternate, lanceolate, acuminate, obliquely siekled, five-
nerved; branchlets and petioles smooth. This tree has a
black trunk and white branches, whence the name Melaleuca.
The cajepul oil is not produced from this, but the next species.
Native of some parts of the East Indies, and Cochin-china.
2. Melaleuca Minor; Smaller Cajeput-tree. Leaves scat-
tered, elliptic-lanceolate, bluntish, straight, five-ribbed ; young-
branches and germens downy. Native of Amboyna. This is
the species which yields the cajeput oil. It is imported from
the East Indies, and is distilled chiefly in the island of Banda:
from its exorbitant price, it is frequently adulterated; and is
therefore seldom found perfectly pure in Europe. This oil
appears to be a powerful medicine, and is much esteemed in
Germany, as well as in India, as a general remedy in chronic
and painful complaints. Taken into the stomach, in the dose
of five or six drops, it heats and stimulates the whole system,
proving at vhe same time a very certain diaphoretic. It has
been used both internally and externally with much advantage
in several obstinate disorders, as palsy, hypochondriacal and
hysteric affections, deafness, defective vision, tooth-ach,
gout, rheumatism, menstrual obstructions, herpetic eruptions,
&c. The dose is from two to six, and even twelve, drops.
3. Meluleuca Viridiflora ; Green-flowered Melaleuca.
Leaves alternate, elliptic-lanceolate, coriaceous, five-nerved;
branchlets and petioles pubescent. The flowers are of a pale
yellowish green. Native of New South Wales.
4. Melaleuca Lanrina ; Spurge-laurel-leaved Melaleuca.
Leaves alternate, obovate, lanceolate, one-nerved; peduncles
axillary, dichotomous, pubescent. This species is not aro-
matic. Native of New South Wales.
5. Melaleuca Stypheloides ; Styphelia-like Melaleuca.
Leaves alternate, ovate, mucronate-pungent, many-nerved;
8owers lateral; calicine teeth striated, mucronate. Gathered
near Port Jackson.
6. Melaleuca Ericifoiia; Heath-leaved Melaleuca. Leaves
scattered or opposite, linear, nerveless, subrecurved, awn-
less; flowers lateral, clustered towards the top of the branch-
lets. Native of New South Wales.
7. Melaleuca Armillaris; Diosma-like Melaleuca. Leaves
scattered, linear, mucronate, recurved at top; flowers lateral ;
filamcnta very long, linear, radiate-multifid at top. Native
of New South Wales.
8. Melaleuca Genistifolia ; Broom-leaved Melaleuca.
Leaves scattered, lanceolate, mucronate, three-nerved, many-
dotted ; flowering branchlets terminating, loose ; filamenta
radiate-multifid at top. Native of Port Jackson.
0. Melaleuea Linariifolia ; Toad-flax-leaved Melaleuca.
Leaves opposite, linear-lanceolate, three-nerved, many-dotted
beneath; flowering branchlets terminating, loose; filamenta
pinnate. This is a large tree, the bark of which is very thick
arid spongy, serving the purpose of tinder. The leaves have
a flavour like nutmeg. Native of New South Wales.
10. MelaleucaThymifolia; Thyme-leaved Melaleuca. Leaves
opposite, elliptic-lanceolate, nerveless; flowering branchlets
lateral, very short, few-flowered ; filamenta branched to the
middle ; flowers purple, ranged along the branches of a year or
two old, in little, short, opposite spikes, which soon, however,
prove to be branches by the leaves shooting out at their ends.
The teeth of the calix are permanent, and the whole of that
part, as well as the back of the leaves, abounds with a fra-
grantessential oil, lodged in pellucid prominent dots. Native
of New South Wales.
11. Melaleuca Hypericifolia; St. John's Wort-leaved Me-
laleuca. Leaves opposite, elliptic-oblong, one-nerved; flow-
ers clustered; filamenta very long, linear-radiate, multih'd at
top. The flowers grow in a cylindrical form round the
branches. It is the most beautiful plant of its genus, abounds
in the English gardens, and was generally taken for an Hype-
ricum, till it produced its elegant flowers. Native of New
South Wales.
Melampodium ; a genus of the class Syngenesia, order
Polygamia Necessaria. GENERIC CHARACTER. . Calix :
common five-leaved, flat; leaflets subovate, the length of the
flower, spreading very much. Corolla: compound, radiated;
corollets hermaphrodite, in the disk: female about five in
the ray ; proper of the hermaphrodite one-petalled, funnel-
form, five-toothed, erect ; of the female ligulate, ovate,
entire, or three-toothed. Stamina: in the hermaphrodites;
filamenta five, very small ; anthens cylindrie, tubular. Pis-
til: in the hermaphrodites; gennen very small; style bristle-
shaped, the length of the corolla; stigma obsolete. In the
females; germen subovate, compressed, with rugsred sides,
the top flat and membranaceous; style very short. Peri-
carp: calix unchanged. Seeds: in the hermaphrodites none;
in the females solitary, obovate, compressed, four-cornered,
prickly at the sides, crowned with a heart-shaped, involuted,
converging calicle. Receptacle: chaffy, conical; chaffs lan-
ceolate, coloured, the length of the florets. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: five-leaved. Receptacle: chaffy, conical;
down one-leafed, involuted, converging. The species are,
1. Melampodium Amevicanum. Stem upright, herbaceous,
villose; leaves linear, lanceolate, pinnatifid, hairy on both
sides; corolla yellow. Native of La Vera Cruz.
2. Melampodium Australe. Stem decumbent; leaves oval,
serrate. Native of South America.
3. Melampodium Humile. Stem upright; leaves lyrate-
toothed, sessile.- Native of Jamaica and San Domingo.
This, with the two preceding species, are propagated by sow-
ing the seeds on a hot-bed in the spring.
Melampyrum ; a genus of the class Didynamia, order
Angiospermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth
one-leafed, tubular, four-cleft; 'divisions slender, permanent.
Corolla: one-pfttalled, ringent; tube oblong, recurved ; bor-
der compressed; upper lip galeated, compressed, emarginate,
the lateral little margins reflex; lower lip flat, upright, the
length of the other, half three-cleft, equally blunt, marked
with two risings in the middle. Stamina: filamenta four,
awl-shaped, curled, concealed beneath the upper lip, two
shorter; antherse oblong". Pistil: germen acuminate; style
simple, situation and length of the stamina; stigma blunt.
Pericarp: capsule oblong, oblique, acuminate, compressed;
upper margin convex; lower straight, two-celled, two-valved,
opening by the upper suture ; partition contrary. Seeds:
solitary, or one in each cell, (according to Linneus, two,)
ovate, gibbous, elongated at the base. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: four-cleft. Corolla: upper lip compressed,
with the edge folded back. Capsule: two-celled, oblique,
opening on one side. Seeds: two, gibbous. These plants
are seldom cultivated in gardens, some of them indeed are
common weeds, but not noxious in England. The seeds of
all the sorts should bo sown in autumn soon after they are
ripe, otherwise they seldom grow the first year. When the
plants come up, weed them in the spring whilst young. .As
soon as they begin to shew their flowers, cattle may be
turned in upon a space hurdled off; for if they are permitted
to run over the whole field, they would trample down the
crop, and destroy a great part of it. The species are,
1. Melampyrum Crisiatum; Crested Cow-wheat. Spikoi
quadrangular ; bractes heart-shaped, compact, toothlettrd,
M EL
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
M EL
105
imbricate. The whole plant is nearly smooth, extremely
branched; branches opposite; leaves opposite, sessile, linear,
but tapering to a point; Howers in closely imbricated spikes,
forming heads, terminating the stem and branches; they are
reddish, others say yellow and white. In the autumn they
grow eighteen inhces or two feet high ; and where there are
numbers together, the numerous diverging branches are so en-
tangled that it is very difficult to extricate them. It flowers
in June and July, and is common in the woods of Bedford-
shire; and in Madingly and Kingston Woods, Cambridge-
shire. Found also among corn in VY r alton-field, near Wake-
field, Yorkshire; and in Braybrook Wood, and at Newton
and Yarwell, in Northamptonshire. Ray observed it in
mountainous woods near Geneva; and it is found on many
other parts of the Continent.
2. Melampyrum Arvense ; Purple Cow-wheat. Spikes
conical, loose; bractes tooth-bristled, coloured ; stem upright,
slightly hairy, branched; corolla yellow, and dusky purple.
The seeds, when ground with corn, give a bitterish and a
grayish cast to the bread, but do not render it unwholesome.
It is a corn-weed in many parts of Europe; among wheat
Jin the more southern parts, and among rye in the northern.
Found also in Denmark and Japan. It is a delicious food
for cattle, and might be cultivated for fattening oxen.
3. Melampyrum Nemorosum; Wood Cow-wheat. Flowers
directed the same way, lateral; bractes toothed, the upper-
most coloured, barren; calices woolly. Root small, annual;
stem a foot and half high, upright, brachiate, four-cornered ;
bractes blue violet, laciniated at the base, or toothed, woolly
underneath ; corolla herbaceous, yellow, with the origin of the
throat and gape deeper yellow; the tube purple, and curved
inwards ; lower lip trifid, more lengthened out than in the
other species, orange-coloured. Native of woods in the north
of Europe. Linneus, who appears to have been struck with
the beauty of the plant and the splendour of the flowers, re-
marks that it is not a native of England, nor of several pro-
vinces of Sweden. It makes a pretty appearance with its
purple tops, in the months of July and August, and deserves
a place in the flower-garden among other annuals.
4. Melampyrum Pratense; Meadow Cow-vJicat. Flowers
directed the same way, lateral; leaves in distant pairs; corol-
las closed. Stem feeble, cylindrical towards the bottom, four-
cornered upwards; flowers yellow, solitary, leaning one wav.
Linneus observes, that where this plant abounds, the butter
is yellow and uncommonly good; that cows are very fond of
it, though they refuse the Arvense. Sheep and goats eat it;
horses and swine refuse it, though the latter are very fond of
the seeds. It is frequent in the woods of Norfolk and Suffolk,
and other parts of the kingdom, in a clayey soil, and was long
confounded with the following species.
5. Melampyrum Sylvaticum; Yellow Cote-wheat. Flowers
directed the same way, lateral ; leaves in distant pairs ;
corollas gaping wide, yellow. Native of many parts of Eu-
rope in woods. It is much rarer in England than the preced-
ing species, if it be really distinct from it, and if the trueSyZ-
vaticum of foreign authors be found with us. Observed at
Wick Clifts, Whitewood, and Hartley-wood, in Cambridge-
shire; also in the way from Tay-mouth to Lord Breadalbane's
cascade, and about Finlarig at the head of Loch-Tay.
6. Melampyrum Lineare. Lower leaves linear, entire;
flowers axillary, distinct, yellow; stem about six inches high,
round, erect. It grows in shady woods, particularly on the
mountains from Canada to Carolina.
.Melanthium; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Tri-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : none, unless the
corolla be so called. Corolla: petals six, ovate-oblong,
spreading, with linear longer claws, permanent. Stamina:
filamenta six, filiform, erect, the length of the corolla, into
which they are inserted above the claws ; anlherse globular.
Pistil: germen conical, striated ; styles three, distinct, curved ;
stigmas blunt. Pericarp: capsule ovate, three-cornered,
three-grooved, three-celled, composed of three capsules united
within. Seeds: very many, compressed, half ovate. ESSEN-
TIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: six-petalled. Filamenta:
from the elongated claws of the corolla. The species are,
1. Melanthium Virginicum; Virginian Melanthium. Flow-
ers panicled ; petals with claws, hirsute on the outside ;
corolla of a dusky colour. Native of Virginia, and other
parts of North America.
2. Melanthium Leetum ; Spear-leaved Melanthium. Ra-
cemeoblong; petals sessile; leaves smooth, lanceolate>-linear;
stem-leaves remote. It flowers in June. Native of North
America.
3. Melanthium Sibiricum; Siberian Melanthium. Panicle
very long; petals sessile; leaves linear, acuminate. Rootbul-
bous, oblong; stem naked, a foot high, round, surrounded by
a single linear short leaf. Native of Siberia.
4. Melanthium Capense ; Spotted-flowered Melanthium.
Petals dotted; leaves lanceolate, cowled; stems quite simple.
Native of the Cape.
5. Melanthium Indicum ; Indian Melanthium. Petals
linear-lanceolate; leaves linear. Root bulbous; stem simple,
upright, smooth and even ; flowers shorter than the leaves,
dark purple.- -Native of Tranquebar in the East Indies.
6. Melanthium Cochin-chinense ; Cochin-chinese Melan-
thium. Petals sessile; leaves three-sided; flowers solitary,
axillary. Root consisting of a bundle of oblong, fleshy, red-
dish brown tubers ; stem six feet high, shrubby, round, slen-
der, branched, procumbent, with short scattered prickles.
Common in the dry hedges of China and Cochin-china.
7. Melanthium Viride ; Green -flowered Melanthium.
Leaves ovate,' lanceolate ; corolla reflex ; petals white, lan-
ceolate. Native of the Cape.
8. Melanthium Ciliatum ; Fringe-leaved Melanthium.
Leaves ensifosm, cowled ; flowers in spikes ; petals with
claws, white. Native of the Cape.
9. Melanthium Triquetrum ; Rush-leaved Melanthium.
Leaves three-cornered, smooth; flowers in spikes. Native
of the Cape.
10. Melanthium Monopetalum; One-petalled Melanthium.
Corolla one-petalled ; leaves cowled, lanceolate. Root glo-
bular, smooth; stem none, or a finger's length, round, simple,
sheathed, striated. Native of the Cape.
11. Melanthium Monoicum. Panicles with male flowers
below; female panicles above, branchy; petals oblong, plain,
short-unguiculate, bimaculate; style one, half the length of
the germen. It flowers in July. Found on the mountains
of Virginia and Carolina.
12. Melanthium Hybridum. Petals subrotund, unguicu-
late, plicate-undulate, scarcely maculate, rough on the outer
side; flowers small, pale white, appearing in June and July.
It grows on the sides of hills in Virginia and Carolina, in a
moist fertile soil.
Melastoma ; a genus of the class Decandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, bell-shaped, ventricose at the base, four or five cleft,
permanent. Corolla: petals four or five, roundish, inserted
into the throat of the calix. Stamina: filamenta eight or
ten, inserted into the calix, short,; antherce long, somewhat
curved, upright, one-celled, gaping at top with an oblique
hole: scalelets two, very small, diverging, annexed to each
filamentum below the antherae, the rudiment of another
106
MEL
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MEL
cell. Pistil: germen roundish, in the belly of the calix;
style filiform, straight; stigma blunt or headed. Pericarp:
berry two, three, four, or five celled, wrapped up in the
calix, roundish, crowned with a cylindric rim. Seeds: very
many, nestling. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : five-
cleft, bell-shaped. Petals: five, inserted into the calix.
Berry: five-celled, wrapped up in the calix : (according to
Gsertner, Capsule with a soft pulp, five-celled, opening in
five parts at top.) The best way to obtain the numerous
plants of this genus, is to have the entire fruits put up in
dry sand as soon as they are ripe, and forwarded to England
by the quickest conveyance. They should be taken out as
soon as they arrive, and the seeds sown in pots of light earth,
and plunged into a moderate hot-bed of tanner's bark. When
the plants are fit to remove, plant each in a small pot of
light earth, plunging them into the tan-bed; afterwards treat
them as other woody stove-plants. They may also be pro-
pagated by cuttings and layers. The species are,
1. Melastoma Acinodendron. Leaves toothletted, with
thijee nerves or thereabouts, ovate-acute. This becomes a
large tree, having many crooked branches, with a brown
bark. The fruit grows in loose spikes at the end of the
branches, is thinly placed in the spikes, and of a violet-colour.
Native of South America.
2. Melastoma Grossulariodes. Leaves toothletted, triple-
nerved, ovate, acuminate. Native of Surinam.
3. Melastoma Scabrosa. Leaves triple-nerved, toothletted,
ovate, rugged, hirsute ; flowers axillary, aggregate, sessile,
eight-stamined. Native of the cooler mountains of Jamaica.
4. Melastoma Hirta. Leaves toothletted, five-nerved, ovate-
lanceolate; stem hispid. Native of the woody mountains of
Jamaica, flowering in spring and autumn.
5. Melastoma Fragilis. Leaves serrate, five-nerved, net-
ted ; racemes with sessile flowers, all directed one way.
This is a stiffish shrub. Native of Surinam.
6. Melastoma Aspera. Leaves quite entire, three-nerved,
lanceolate, rugged Native of the East Indies.
7. Melastoma Holosericea. Leaves entire, three-nerved,
sessile, ovate-acute, villosersilky ; racemes brachiate ;
branches two-parted; stem acutely quadrangular; corollas
large; petals violet-purple. Native of Jamaica and Brazil.
&, Melastoma Strigosa. Leaves quite entire, three-nerved,
strigose, ovate ; flowers solitary. A shrub, with purple
corollas. Found by Mutis in New Granada.
9. Melastoma Sessilifolia. Leaves quite entire, triple-
nerved, spatulate, sessile, tomentose underneath. Native of
Jamaica.
10. Melastoma Malabathrica. Leaves quite entire, five-
nerved, lanceolate-ovate, rugged. This is a tree, with rug-
ged branches. Native oT the East Indies.
11. Melastoma Leevigata. Leaves quite entire, five-nerved,
ovate-oblong, levigated, acuminated, even about the edge.
This is an upright shrub, about the height of a man ; stem
smooth and even. Native of Jamaica.
12. Melastoma Discolor. Leaves quite entire, five-nerved,
oblong, acuminate, smooth and even at the edge ; racemes
cymed; flowers eight-stamined. This tree is about fifteen
feet high, withsubreclining ash-coloured branches, the younger
ones tomentose ; flowers small, scentless, yellow. Native of
the West Indies, flowering in March.
13. Melastoma Octandra. Leaves quite entire, three-
nerved, ovate, smooth, hispid at the edge. Native of the
East Indies.
14. Melastoma Grossa. Leaves quite entire, five-nerved,
subcordate, rugged. This tree has stiffish, round, hispid,
branches. Found in New Grajiada by Mutis.
15. Melastoma Crispata. Leaves quite entire, five-nerved,
in fours; branches curled. Native of Amboyna.
16. Melastoma Glabra. Leaves quite entire, three-nerved,
elliptic-lanceolate, rugged; calices cut round. Native of the
Society Isles.
17. Melastoma Grandiflora. Leaves cordate, five-nerved,
serrulate, both they and the stem rough-haired ; peduncles
bifid, five stamina barren ; branches herbaceous, four-cor-
nered. The whole plant hairy. Native of Cayenne.
18. Melastoma Septemnervia. Leaves seven-nerved, quite
entire, lanceolate-ovate, hispid; stem shrubby, six feet high,
upright. Native of Cochin-china.
19. Melastoma Dodecandra. Leaves five-nerved, quite
entire, smooth ; flower twelve-stamined. This is a small
shrub, about ten inches high, upright, even. Native of
China about Canton, and also of Cochin-china.
*Ten-stamined, with three-nerved Leaves.
20. Melastoma Prooera. Stem arboreous ; leaves three-
nerved, somewhat toothletted, smooth; raceme terminating;
spikes simple, erect; calices truncated. Native of the West
Indies.
21. Melastoma Patens. Leaves three-nerved, somewhat
toothletted, cordate, hirsute ; raceme terminating, patulous ;
flowers distinct, twelve-stamined. Native of the West Indies.
22. Melastoma Rigida. Leaves three-nerved, somewhat
toothletted, ovate, subcordate, rigid, rugged behind; panicles
terminating, ferruginous, hirsute. Native of the W. Indies.
23. Melastoma Quadrangularis. Leaves three-nerved,
entire, ovate-lanceolate, smooth ; nerves coloured ; branches
quadrangular ; racemes straight, terminating. Native of the
West Indies.
24. Melastoma Scandens. Leaves three-nerved, tooth-
letted, ovate, acute, smooth; raceme terminating; gpikes
mostly pointing one way; stem climbing. Native of the
West Indies.
25. Melastoma Montana. Leaves three-nerved, toothlet-
ted, oblong, acute, smoothish ; racemes terminating, with
patulous spikes ; petals retuse ; calix truncated. Native of
the West Indies.
26. Melastorqa Trinervia. Leaves three-nerved, without
any marginal nerve, oblong, attenuated at the base and tip,
entire, smooth on both sides, thinner; racemes almost simple,
terminating. Native of the West Indies.
27. Melastoma Ramiflora. Leaves three-nerved, entire,
ovate-lanceolate, somewhat rugged; branches flower-bear-
ing; flowers peduncled, somewhat clustered. Native of the
West Indies.
28. Melastoma Aromatica. Leaves ovate, shining, some-
what hairy underneath ; nerves and stems strigose ; calices
with imbricate bractes at the base. Native of Guiana.
29. Melastoma Crenata. Hispid : leaves subcordate, ob-
long, crenate, acuminate; racemes axillary, few-flowered, the
length of the petiole. Native of South America.
30. Melastoma Decussata. Leaves lanceolate-oblong,
serrulate, ciliate, very smooth above ; spikes racemed, two-
parted; flowers clustered. Native of Cayenne.
31. Melastoma Prasina. Leaves triple-nerved, quite entire,
broad, lanceolate, smooth ; panicle terminating, spreading
very much. Native of the West Indies.
**Ten-stamined, with five-nerved Leaves.
32. Melastoma Elegans. Hispid: leaves cordate, une-
qually crenate- toothed ; racemes in the forkings and termi-
nating, few-flowered. Native of Cayenne.
33. Melastoma Physiphora. Leaves ovate, attenuated,
toothletted, ciliate; petioles hispid, bladdery at the tip.
Found in Cayenne and Guiana.
MEL
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MEL
107
34. Melastoma Capitata. Leaves broad-lanceolate, quite
entire ; heads terminating, involucred ; branches four-cor-
nered ; filamenta appendicled. The branches appear to be
scandent. Native of the West Indies.
35. Melastoma Argentea. Leaves five-nerved, somewhat
toothletted, ovate, smooth, tomentose, and white underneath ;
panicles terminating, spreading Trunk thick as a man's
thigh ; flowers white. Native of the West Indies.
36. Melastoma Elata. Leaves five-nerved, serrate, tooth-
letted, oblong, coriaceous, ferruginous-tomentose underneath;
panicles terminating, spreading ; flowers sessile. Native of
Jamaica.
37. Melastoma Tamonea. Leaves five-nerved, oblong-lan-
ceolate, acute, entire, tomentose-hoary underneath ; racemes
compound, terminating; racemelets brachiate; bractes in
pairs, under the flowers. This is a middle-sized tree, with a
trunk four or five feet high, covered with a grey bark. Na-
tive of Cayenne and Guiana.
38. Melastoma Albicans. Leaves five-nerved, entire, ovate,
acute, smooth above, tomentose, whitish-ferruginous under-
neath; racemes terminating, erect; flowers clustered, sessile.
Native of Jamaica.
39. Melastoma Impetiolaris. Leaves five-nerved, tooth-
letted, subsessile, oblong, acuminate, coriaceous-tomentose-
ferruginous underneath ; panicles terminating and axillary,
erect. Native of the West Indies.
40. Melastoma Splendens. Leaves five-nerved, entire,
oblong, acuminate, smooth on both sides, shining above;
panicles terminating above. Native of Hispaniola.
41 . Melastoma Coriacea. Leaves five-nerved , cartilaginous-
toothletted, ovate, wrinkled, smooth, coriaceous ; branches
and petioles strigose ; branches of the panicle four-cornered.
Native of Montserrat.
42. Melastoma Strigillosa. Leaves five-nerved, somewhat
toothletted, acuminate, strigose-hairy above, tomentose under-
neath ; racemes axillary, solitary ; flowers pedicelled, clus-
tered. Native of the West Indies.
*** Eight-stamined, with three-nerved Leaves.
43. Melastoma Fascicularis. Leaves three-nerved, entire,
ovate, acute, rugged ; branches flower-bearing; flowers shortly
peduncled, clustered. Native of Jamaica.
44. Melastoma Angustifolia. Leaves three-nerved, linear-
lanceolate, entire, hoary underneath; branches wand-like; pa-
nicles terminating; flowers erect. Native of the West Indies.
45. Melastoma Micranthus. Leaves three-nerved, tooth-
letted, oblong, acute, smooth ; racemes axillary, reclining ;
flowers acuminate. Native of the West Indies.
46. Melastoma Capillaris. Leaves three-nerved, somewhat
toothletted, broad-lanceolate, attenuated, smooth; peduncles
capillary, three-flowered, axillary. Native of the West Indies.
47. Melastoma Rubens. Leaves three-nerved, toothletted,
ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, very smooth ; branches and peti-
oles coloured ; raceme terminating; flowers clustered, dicecous.
Native of the West Indies.
48. Melastoma Purpurascens. Leaves three-nerved, entire,
oblong, acute, striated, very smooth ; racemes lateral, patulous;
flowers distinct. Native of the West Indies.
49. Melastoma Glabrata. Leaves three-nerved, somewhat
toothletted, ovate, acute, smooth, coriaceous ; peduncles ter-
minating, solitary, one-flowered. Native of Jamaica.
50. Melastoma Alpina. Leaves three-nerved, entire, ovate,
coriaceous, smooth ; peduncles simply trichotomous; flowers
distinct. Native of the West Indies.
51. Melastoma Hirsuta. Leaves three-nerved, somewhat
toothletted, broad-lanceolate, attenuated, hirsute ; peduncles
axillary, three-flowered, divaricated. Native of Jamaica.
VOL. ii. 75.
52. Melastoma Hirtella. Leaves three-nerved, hispid at
the edge ; peduncles very short, axillary, three-flowered.
Native of Jamaica.
53. Melastoma Microphylla. Leaves three-nerved, some-
what toothletted, ovate-obtuse, hispid above, tomentose
underneath ; peduncles trifid, axillary. Native of the West
Indies.
54. Melastoma Tetrandra. Leaves three-nerved, entire,
oblong, acuminate, emarginate at the base, smooth, somewhat
convex ; raceme erect, terminating ; flowers four-stamined.
Native of Jamaica.
55. Melastoma Triflora. Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, quite
entire; branches, petioles, and calices, strigose; flowers axil-
lary, subpeduncled, in threes. Branches obtusely quadran-
gular, covered at top. Native of the Caribbee Islands.
**** Eight-stamined, with triple-nerved Leaves.
56. Melastoma Virgata. Leaves triple-nerved, entire, ovate,
lanceolate, acuminate, very smooth ; branches flower-bearing;
racemes decussated, diffused, scattered. Native of Jamaica.
57. Melastoma jEleagnoides. Leaves triple-nerved, entire,
broad-lanceolate, whitish-tomentose underneath ; peduncles
terminating, trichotomous ; flowers solitary. Native of the
West Indies.
58. Melastoma Acuminata. Leaves ovate, outwardly tooth-
letted, acuminate, hoary underneath ; corymbs terminating,
fastigiate. Native of Montserrat.
59. Melastoma Verticillata. Leaves ovate, oblong, atte-
nuated, toothletted, villose, rugged above ; racemes axillary ;
flowers in whorls. Native of the Caribbee Islands.
60. Melastoma Lateriflora. Leaves obovate, acuminate,
setaceous-subserrate, smooth ; peduncles intrafoliaceous, ag-
gregate, one-flowered. Stem from two to three feet high.
Found by Ryan in the island of Montserrat.
***** Eight-stamined, with Jive-nerved Leaves.
61. Melastoma Umbrosa. Leaves five-nerved, toothletted,
broad-ovate, acuminate, rough-haired on both sides ; branch-
lets flower-bearing; racemes dichotomous, spreading; branches
and petioles hirsute. Native of St. Christopher's.
62. Melastoma Pilosa. Leaves five-nerved, toothletted,
oblong, acute, hirsute underneath ; racemes lateral, hirsute.
Native of Jamaica.
63. Melastoma Hispida. Leaves five-nerved, somewhat
toothletted, ovate-acute, strigose-hirsute above, netted-
tomentose underneath ; panicles terminating, divaricated.
Native of the West Indies.
64. Melastoma Aquatica. Leaves five-nerved, cordate-
acute, crenulate, rough-haired above, even underneath ; pani-
cles terminating, trichotomous, diffused. Height about three
feet; stem four-cornered. Native of Cayenne and Guiana.
65. Melastoma Coccinea. Leaves elliptic-ovate, acuminate,
smooth, quite entire; thyrse terminating; peduncles and
pedicels knotted, hispid. This is a very beautiful shrub,
from four to six feet high, with a regular head like an Orange-
tree. The large scarlet flowers, in thyrsea, cover the whole
head. The leaves are wrinkled, and the flowers are some-
times white. Discovered by Ryan in Montserrat.
66. Melastoma Sessiliflora. Villose-subtomentose : leaves
lanceolate-ovate, toothletted, subpetioled ; flowers axillary,
sessile, in a sort of whorl. Native of the West Indies.
There are many more species of this genus ; some with ten
stamens, and three and five nerved leaves, and others with
twelve stamens. More might have been added, but the
above are amply sufficient. Too much dependence must not
be placed upon the smoothness or hairiness of the leaves, as
they vary in that respect with soil and situation. There is
great beauty in the diversity of tht: leaves, many of which are
2 E
108
MEL
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MEL
very large, and most of them of different colours on the two
surfaces, their under side being white, gold colour, or russet,
and their upper of different shades of green. The flowers have
no great beauty ; but for the singularity of the leaves, these
trees and shrubs deserve a place in all curious collections.
Metia; -a genus of the class Decandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Culix: perianth one-leafed,
very small, five-toothed, upright, blunt. Corolla: petals
five, linear-lanceolate, spreading, long; nectary cylindric,
one-leafed, the length of the corolla, with a ten-toothed
mouth. Stamina: filamenta ten, very small, inserted within
the apex of the nectary ; antherce not exceeding the nectary,
oblong. Pistil: germen conical ; style cylindric, the length
of the nectary ; stigma capitate, with five converging valves.
Pericarp: drupe globular, soft. Seed: nut roundish, five-
grooved, five-celled. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix:
five-toothed. Petals i five. Nectary : cylindric, bearing the
antherse at its mouth. Drupe: with a five-celled nucleus.
. The species are,
1. Melia Azedarach; Common Bead-tree. Leaves bipin-
nate ; leaflets flat, shining, with ferruginous dots underneath.
In warm countries this grows to a large tree, spreading out
into many branches. The flowers come out from the side of
the branches, in long loose bunches ; petals blue. Fruit
oblong, the size of a small cherry ; nut four or five celled,
with an oblong seed in each cell. The pulp surrounding the
nut is poisonous, and, when mixed with grease, it is said
to kill dogs. The Roman Catholics bore and string the
nuts for beads. Native of Syria; and now common in Spain
and Portugal. It is propagated by seeds, which may be
obtained from Italy or Spain, where these trees annually
produce ripe fruits in the gardens where they are planted.
The seeds or berries should be sown in pots filled with good
light rich earth in the spring, and plunged into a moderate
hot-bed of tanner's bark, where, if the seeds be fresh, they
will come up in about a month or five weeks' time. When
the plants are come up, they should be frequently watered,
and should have a large share of free air by raising the
glasses every day. In June they should be exposed to the
open air, in a well-sheltered situation. In October the pots
should be removed under a hot-bed frame, where they may
enjoy free open air when the weather is mild, and be covered
in hard frost. During the winter season they must be
refreshed gently with water, but not too often, nor in large
quantities. In March following you may shake out the
plants from the seed-pots and divide them, planting each
into a separate small pot, filled with light fresh earth, plung-
ing them into a moderate hot-bed, which will greatly pro-
mote their rooting and increase their growth, but they must
not be drawn too much ; and in June you should remove
them out into the open air as before, and during the three
or four winters, while the plants are young, you must shelter
them, to secure them from the cold ; but when they are
grown pretty large and woody, they will endure to be
planted in the open air against a south wall. The best season
for this is in April, at which time you should shake them out
of the pots, being careful not to break the earth from their
roots, but only pare off with a knife the outside of the ball
of earth ; then open your holes and put in the plants, closing
the earth to their roots, observing, if the weather be dry, to
give them some water, which should be repeated twice a week
until the plants have taken root ; but you must observe to
plant them on a dry soil, otherwise they will be liable to
miscarry in severe frosty weather.
2. Melia Sempervirens ; Evergreen Bead-tree. Leaves
bipinnate ; leaflets somewhat wrinkled, commonly seven. This
is suspected to be a variety of the preceding species. Native
of the East Indies.
3. Melia Azedirachta; Ash-leaved Indian Bead-tree.
Leaves pinnate. This becomes a large tree in India ; the
stem is thick ; the wood of a pale yellow ; and the bark of a
dark purple colour, and very bitter. Native of the East
Indies. This sort is now very rare in England ; and also
in the Dutch gardens, where some years past it was more
common : it is propagated by seeds in the same way as the
other sort, but being much tenderer, the plants should be
kept constantly in the tan-bed while young. In the summer
they may be placed under a frame, but in winter they must
be removed into the bark-stove, and treated in the same way
with other plants from the same countries. When they
have acquired strength, they may be treated more hardily,
by placing them in winter in a dry-stove, and in the middle of
summer they may be placed abroad for two or three months in
a warm sheltered situation; and during the winter season they
should be sparingly watered: with this management the plants
will produce flowers annually, and, as they retain their leaves
all the year, they are ornamental in winter in the stove.
Melianthus; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Angio-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth large,
five-parted, coloured, unequal ; the two upper segments
oblong, erect; the lowest very short, like a bag, gibbous
downwards ; the middle segments opposite, inferior, lanceo-
late ; the uppermost simple, erect. Corolla : petals four,
lanceolate-linear, with the tops reflex, from parallel spreading,
turned outwards, forming the lower lip, as the calix itself
does the upper, connected at the sides in the middle ; nectary
one-leafed, placed within the lowest segment of the calix,
and fastened to it with the receptacle, very short, compressed
at the sides, gashed at the edge, turned downwards by the
back. Stamina: filamenta four, awl-shaped, upright, the
length of the calix ; the two lower shorter, united at the base ;
antheree cordate-oblong, four-celled in front. Pistil: ger-
men four-cornered, gibbous, four-toothed; style upright, awl-
shaped, of the same length and in the same situation with the
stamina; stigma four-cleft, with the upper segment larger.
Pericarp: capsule quadrangular, half four-cleft; angles
sharp, distant; cells inflated; partitions open in the centre
for a receptacle of the seeds, gaping between the angles.
Seeds: in fours, subglobular, annexed to the centre of the
capsule. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-leaved,
the lower leaf gibbous. Petals: four, with the nectary
within the lowest. The species are,
1. Melianthus Major; Great Honey-flower. Stipules soli-
tary, fastened to the petiole. Root woody, perennial, spread-
ing ; stems many, woody, four or five feet high, herbaceous
towards the top ; leaves large, embracing the stem at the base ;
spikes long; corolla brown. Native of the Cape. This
plant, which if in flower distils a shower of nectar when
shaken, was formerly preserved in the green-house as a te-n-
der exotic, but if planted in a dry soil and warm situation, it
will endure the cold of our ordinary winters very well ; and if
in a severe frost the tops should be destroyed, yet the roots
will abide, and put forth again in the succeeding spring. It
may be propagated by taking off its suckers or side shoots,
any time from March to September, observing to chuse such
as are furnished with fibres ; and, after they are planted and
have taken root, they will require no further care but to keep
them clear from weeds : they may be also propagated by
planting cuttings, during any of the summer months, which,
if watered and shaded, will root very well, and may afterward*
be transplanted where they are designed to remain.
2. Melianthus Minor; Small Honey-flower. Stipules in
MEL
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MEL
109
piirs, distinct; racemes axillary, elongated; flowers in whorls;
bractes linear, elongated. The stem, which is shrubby, and
from three to five feet high, during the flowering season is
apt to exhibit a naked appearance, having then fewer leaves
on it, and those not of their full size; the foliage has an
unpleasant smell, and the nectar does not flow so copiously
as in the preceding sort, but is retained at the bottom of the
corolla. Native of the Cape. This is not spreading like the
first, and is not propagated so easily ; but cuttings planted
upon aa old hot-bed, the heat of which is over, and covered
close with bell or hand glasses to exclude the air, will take
root pretty freely; these may be planted in pots, and sheltered
iu the winter under a common frame for a year or two, till
they have obtained strength ; then they may be planted in
a warm border, and treated in the same way as the former
sort ; with which management they flower much better than
any of those which have been more tenderly treated. All the
sorts succeed best in a dry soil, and warm situation.
3. Melianthus Comosus ; Tufted Honey-flower. Stipules
distinct; racemes infrafoliaceous ; flowers alternate; bractes
cordate ; leaves villose above. Stem upright, branched, four
feet high, round ; flowers in pendent clusters, of a yellow
colour. Native of the Cape.
Melica; a genus of the class Triandria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: glume two-flowered, two-
valved ; valves ovate, concave, nearly equal. Corolla: two-
valved ; valves ovate, awnless ; one concave, the other flat
and smaller; a corpuscle between the florets, turbinate, pedi-
oelled ; nectary one-leafed, horizontal, surrounding the ger-
men, fleshy. Stamina: filamenta three, capillary, thickened
at the base, connate, the length of the flower; antherse
oblong, forked at each end. Pistil: germen obovate, tur-
binate ; styles two, bristle-shaped, spreading, naked at the
base; stigmas oblong, feathered. Pericarp: none; corolla
enclosing and dropped the seed. Seed : single, ovate, grooved
on one side. Observe. The peduncled corpuscle, which is
the rudiment of a flower, gives the essential character; it
consists of two rudiments, or truncated alternate florets, with
convoluted pellucid glumes. The stamina also are dilated at
the base, and connate with a one-leafed nectary- ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: two-valved, two-flowered; with the
rudiments of one or two florets that are abortive between the
two others. These Grasses are easily propagated by seed, or
by parting the roots in autumn. None of them are cultivated
for feeding cattle, though some say that the first and sixth
species are both very agreeable to sheep. The latter, and
also the seventh species, together with some of the Cape spe-
cies, are elegant Grasses, and deserve a place in curious gar-
dens. The species are,
1. Melica Ciliata; Fringed Melic Grass. The outer petal
of the lower floret ciliate. Root perennial ; culms several,
upright, from two to three feet high, round, smooth, with
seven smooth purple joints. Native of the North of Europe.
2. Melica Gigantea; Gigantic Melic Grass. Corollas hirsute,
awned; panicle whorled; culm upright. Native of the Cape.
3. Melica Geniculata; Jointed Melic Grass. Corollas
rough-haired; panicle contracted ; culm decumbent. Native
of the Cape.
4. Melica Decumbens ; Prostrate Melic Grass. Corollas
hirsute; flowers racenied, nodding; culm decumbent. Native
of the Cape.
5. Melica Racemosa; Racemed Melic Grass. Corollas rough-
haired; racemes drooping; culm erect. Native of the Cape.
6. Melica Nutans ; Mountain Melic Grass. Petals beard-
less ; panicle nodding, simple. Root perennial, somewhat
creeping; culms a foot or a foot aod half high, simple, upright,
rugged, striated, somewhat angular, below purplish. It flow-
ers in July and August. Native of many parts of Europe,
particularly the northern countries, in rocky and shady situa-
tions. It is found in Yorkshire, Westmoreland, and Cum-
berland ; and also in Scotland.
7. Melica Uniflora; Single-flowered Wood Melic Grass.
Panicle thin ; calices two-flowered, one floret hermaphrodite,
the other neuter. Root perennial ; culm simple, a foot and
half or more in height, where it is covered with the sheaths
of the leaves, somewhat angular, rugged, and striated, at bot-
tom of a dull purple colour. The delicacy and striking colour
of the panicle, joined to its place of growth in woods, rea-
dily distinguish this from all our other grasses. Native of
Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, France, and England : it is
found in most of the woods near London; and in Mungewell,
Ardley, and Stokenchurch woods, in Oxfordshire, &c.
8. Melica Ramosa ; Branching Melic Grass. Corollas
smooth, awnless; panicle contracted; culm branched.
Native of the Cape.
9. Melica Capensis ; Cape Melic Grass. Corollas smooth,
awnless ; panicles spreading very much ; leaves subfiliform.
Native of the Cape.
10. Melica Minuta; Small Melic Grass. Culm branched;
leaves bristle-shaped ; petals beardless. Native of Italy.
1 1 . Melica Coerulea ; Purple Melic Grass. Panicle con-
tracted; flowers cylindrical. Root perennial, thick, whitish, or
brownish, flexuose, and villose. This grass is easily known by
its having only one knot, and that near the base ; and by the
stamina and stigma being of a deep purple colour. Merret's
name of Gramen Spica Lavendula: is very expressive of its
appearance when in flower. It varies greatly in size, and
being harsh and late, does not seem adapted to agricultural
purposes. The fishermen in the isle of Sky make ropes for
their nets of this grass. It is common on wet moors and
heaths, flowering from July to the end of September.
12. Melica Papilionacea ; Pea-flowered Melic Grass.
Lower valve of the calix very large, coloured : outer petal
subciliate. Native of Brazil.
13. Meliea Altissima; Tall Melic Grass. Petals beardless ;
panicle contracted, directed one way. Native of Siberia.
14. Melica Falx. Spike directed one way, compressed,
imbricate ; leaves on the culm two, alternate. Flowers pu-
bescent, with a white edge. Native of the Cape.
15. Melica Mutica. Panicles loose, with few flowers ;
branchlets simple ; flowers obtuse; stalk erect, glabrous. It
flowers in July. Found in shady places from Virginia to
Florida.
Melicocca; a genus of the class Octandria, order Monogy-
nia ; or, according to Swartz, of the class Polygamia, order
Dioacia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth four-
parted ; leaflets ovate, concave, blunt, spreading. Corolla :
petals four, oblong, equal, bent back entirely among the
leaflets of the calix. Stamina: filamenta eight, awl-shaped,
upright, short; antherse oblong, upright. Pistil: germen
ovate, almost the length of the corolla; style very short;
stigma large, subpeltate, extended on both sides, oblique.
Pericarp: drupe barked, roundish, bluntly acuminate. Seed:
nut coriaceous, roundish, smooth. (Gartner.) ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix : four-parted. Petals : four, bent back
below the calix. Stigma; subpeltate. Drupe or Berry:
coriaceous. The only species known is,
1. Melicocca Bijuga. This is a tree, with a middle-sized
unarmed trunk ; branches spreading ; drupe twice as large as
a nutmeg, with a thin and somewhat brittle bark covering
the nut, which has a sweet and gelatinous substance ia it,
like the yolk of an egg. Jacquin was informed at Curacoa
no
MEL
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MEL
that there were male and female trees ; but Swartz has ascer-
tained that one tree bears hermaphrodite flowers, another
male flowers, and that the latter are most common. They
flower in April, and the fruit is ripe about Midsummer.
Native of South America; and cultivated in the East Indies.
Browne says it was brought to Jamaica from Surinam ; that
it thrives well in the low lands about Kingston, rising some-
times to the height of sixteen or eighteen feet, or more ; that
the fruit is very mellow, and grows to the size of a large
plum ; and that it seldom brings more than one stone or seed
to perfection. He calls it Genip Tree, which is derived from
the Dutch knippen: the Spaniards call it, Monos.
Melicope ; a genus of the class Octandria, order Monogy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
four-parted, permanent. Corolla: petals four, ovate-oblong,
acute, longer than the calix ; nectary glands four, large, twin,
surrounding the germina. Stamina: filamenta eight, awl-
shaped, erect, shorter than the corolla, inserted into the
receptacle on the outside of the nectary; antherse subcordate,
erect. Pistil: germina four, superior; style filiform, longer
than the stamina, deciduous ; stigma four-cornered, flatted,
concave at the centre. Pericarp: capsules four, elliptic,
compressed, divaricated, one-celled, gaping at the upper
margin, Seeds: solitary, elliptic, compressed. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: inferior, four-leaved. Petals: four.
Nectary: glands four, twin. Capsule: four, one-seeded.
The only known species is,
1. Melicope Ternata. A shrub, with smooth round leafy
branches. Native of New Zealand.
Melicytus ; a genus of the class Dioecia, order Pentandria.
Male. Calix: perianth five-toothed, very short. Corolla:
petals five, ovate, acute, horizontal, longer than the calix;
nectary, scales five, clubbed, cup-shaped, excavated at top,
staminiferous on the inside, upright. Stamina: filamenta
none ; antherse five, ovate-roundish, four-grooved in front,
fastened longitudinally to the nectaries within, and a little
longer. Female. Calix and Corolla: as in the males; nec-
tary, five scales, triangular, acute, incumbent on the germen,
shorter than the calix. Pistil : germen ovate ; style very
short ; stigma flat, four or five lobed ; lobes rounded, small.
Pericarp: capsule berried, globular, smooth, coriaceous,
one-celled, four or five valved. Seeds: about five, convex
on one side, angular on the other, nestling in the pulp.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-toothed. Corolla:
five-petalled, three times as long as the calix. Nectary: five
scales. Male. Anthera: five, without filamenta, fastened
to the inside of the nectary. Female. Stigma: flattened out,
four or five lobed. Capsule : berried, one-celled. Seeds :
nestling. The only known species is,
1. Melicytus Ramiflorus. A shrub or tree with round
smooth leafy branches, and numerous whitish flowers. Na-
tive of New Zealand.
Melilot. See Trifolium.
Melissa; a genus of the class Dklynamia, order Gymno-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, subcampanulate, dry, scariose, spreading a little,
angular, striated, permanent, with a two-lipped mouth; upper
lip three-toothed, reflex, spreading, flat; lower lip shorter,
sharpish, two-parted. Corolla: one-petalled, ringent; tube
cylindrical; throat gaping; upper lip shorter, erect, arched,
roundish, bifid ; lower lip trifid ; middle segment larger,
cordate. Stamina : filamenta four, awl-shaped, two the length
of the corolla, two shorter by halt"; antherte small, converg-
ing, in pairs. Pistil: germen four-cleft; style filiform, the
length of the corolla, inclining along with the stamina, beneath
the upper lip of the corolla; stigma slender, bifid, reflex.
Pericarp: none. Calix: larger, unchanged, fostering the
seeds in its bosom. Seeds: four, ovate. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: dry, flattish above; upper lip subfasti-
giate. Corolla : upper lip somewhat arched, bifid ; lower lip
with the middle lobe heart-shaped. The species are,
1 . Melissa Officinalis ; Officinal or Common Garden Baum,
or Balm. Racemes axillary, whorled ; pedicels simple. Root
perennial ; stalk annual, square, branching, from two to three
feet high ; leaves by pairs at each joint ; flowers in loose
small bunches from the axils, in whorls, white or yellowish,
appearing in July. The herb in its recent state, has a weak,
roughish, aromatic taste, and a pleasant smell, somewhat of
the lemon kind, and hence this species has been denominated,
Melissa odore Citri. On distilling the fresh herb with water,
it impregnates the first runnings pretty strongly with its
grateful flavour ; and when large quantities are employed in
this way, there separates and rises to the surface of the
aqueous fluid, a small portion of essential oil, in colour yellow-
ish, and of a very fragrant smell. Balm was formerly esteemed
of great use in all complaints supposed to proceed from a dis-
ordered state of the nervous system, according to Paracelsus,
Hoffman, and Boerhaave, who inclined to the opinion of the
Arab physicians, and deemed it an efficacious remedy. Others
speak of its effects as an emmenagogue : but neither this nor
any other medicinal power is now attributed to Balm. As
tea, however, it makes a grateful diluent drink in fevers, and
is thus used, either by itself or acidulated with lemons. The
essential oil probably possesses no qualities different from
many other aromatics and cordials. From the fondness of
bees for this plant, it has been named Apiastrum Melissa,
Melissophyllum, and by contraction Melispkyllum, and was
directed by the ancients, among other herbs, to be rubbed
upon the hive to render it agreeable to the swarm. It is
known by its Greek name Melissa in all the languages of
Europe, except the Danish, in which it is called Hiertensfryd.
Mr. Miller makes a distinct species of the Roman Baum,
which grows naturally about Rome and in other parts of Italy.
The stalks are slender, the leaves much shorter, the whole
plant hairy, and of a strong disagreeable odour : the flowers
grow in whorls, sitting pretty close to the branches, and are
smaller than those of the common sort. Balm is a native of
the southern parts of Europe, especially in mountainous
situations, as in Switzerland, Carniola, Silesia, the south of
France, and in Italy. It was introduced into our gardens at
an early period. This and the next plant are easily propa-
gated by parting the root in October, time enough for the
offsets to be established before the frosts come on. The roots
may be divided into small pieces with three or four buds to
each, and planted two feet apart in beds of common garden
earth. The only culture they require is to keep them clean
from weeds, and to cut off the decayed stalks in autumn, and
then stirring up the ground between them.
2. Melissa Grandiflora; Great-flowered Balm. Flower-
stalks axillary, forked, longer than the footstalks; bractes
lanceolate, sessile ; leaves ovate, serrated. Root perennial ;
stalk annual, rising about a foot high ; flowers large, purple
coloured. It flowers in June, and the seeds ripen in August.
The leaves when bruised have the smell of Garden Baum.
There is a variety with white, and another with red flowers, both
much inferior to the purple ; and it also has variegated leaves
like the preceding. Native of the southern parts of Europe.
3. Melissa Calamintha ; Mountain Balm, or Calamint.
Peduncles axillary, dichotomous, the length of the leaves;
lower lip of the calix longer than the upper segments. Root
perennial ; stem upright, four-cornered, woolly. A strong
infusion made of the dried leaves of this plant is serviceable
MEL
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MEl
111
in weakness of the stomach, and removes the pains and ob-
structions of the bowels : it is likewise good in hysterical com-
plaints, and suppressions of the menses. A conserve made
of the young tops may be used for the same purposes, and
will be found equally efficacious. It flowers in August.
Native of many parts of Europe, as in Italy, Spain, France,
Switzerland, Austria, and England, by the sides of walls and
rh corn-fields. It may be increased and treated nearly in the
same manner as the first species.
4. Melissa Nepeta; Field Balm, or Calamint. Peduncles
axillary, dichototnous, longer than the leaf; calicine segments
equal. Root perennial, somewhat oblique, crooked, round,
woody, brown; stems woody, divided just above the base
nito branches, which are from one to two feet in length,
ascending, obscurely quadrangular, reddish towards the base,
beset with soft horizontal hairs. Both this and the preceding
species seem to have been used indifferently in the old prac-
tice of medicine, under the name of Calamintha. They have
a strong aromatic smell, approaching to that of Pennyroyal,
and a moderately pungent taste, somewhat like Spearmint,
but warmer. Infusions of the leaves, given as tea in weak-
nesses of the stomach, flatulent colics, and uterine obstruc-
tions, are very useful. Propagated nearly in the same man-
ner as the first species.
5. Melissa Cretica ; Cretan Balm. Racemes terminating;
peduncles solitary, very short. Stems slender, a little woody ;
flowers small. Native of the south of Europe. If the seeds
of this be permitted to scatter, there will be a sufficient sup-
ply of young plants.
6. Melissa Fruticosa; Shrubby Balm. Branches attenu-
ated, rod-like; leaves tomentose underneath; stem shrubby.
The whole plant has a strong scent of Pennyroyal, and is of
short duration. It may be increased by seeds, or by cut-
tings, planted in any of the summer months, and shaded from
the sun. On a warm border they will frequently live through
the winter; but it is prudent to keep a plant or two in pots,
sheltered under a frame in winter.
MelitHs ; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Gymno-
spermia. -GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, bell-shaped, round, straight, with a two-lipped mouth ;
upper lip higher, emarginatc, acute ; lower shorter, bifid,
Ucute, with the divisions gaping. Corolla: one-petalled,
ringcnt; tube much narrower than the calix ; opening scarcely
thicker than the tube ; upper lip erect, roundish, entire ;
lower spreading, trifid, blunt; middle segment larger, flat,
entire. Stamina: filamenta four, awl-shaped, under the upper
lip, the middle ones shorter than the two outer ; antheree con-
verging by- pairs in form of a cross, bifid, blunt. Pistil: ger-
nien blunt, four-cleft, villose ; style filiform, the length and
'situation of the stamina; stigma bifid, acute. Pericarp:
none ; calix unchanged, containing the seeds at the bottom.
'Seeds : four. Observe. The lower lip of the calix is some-
times crenated. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: wider
than the tube of the corolla. 'Corolla: upper lip flat, lower
Crerrated. 'Antliera:: crosswise. The species are,
1. Melittis Melissophyllum ; Bastard Balm. Leaves ellip-
tic. Root perennial, sending up in the spring three, four, or
more stems, a foot and half high or more, upright, with a
few branches at the base. Flowers large, handsome, growing
chiefly on one side, in half whorls, about six flowers together ;
corolla slightly villose, white stained with purple. Clnsius
mentions a variety in all respects smaller : it is a native of
Switzerland and Austria. Mr. Curtis remarks, that the cruci-
form 'appearance of the anthera^ ought not to form -a part of
the essential character, being common to many of tho didy-
namous plants : we may add, that it is a character -which- is
VOL. ii. --75.
only apparent for a short time. Most authors describe the
Melittis as having an unpleasant smell : the fresh herb when
bruised partakes of the scent of Balm and of Stinking Hore-
hound, (see Bullota;) but when dried it becomes delightfully
fragrant ; the flowers, when they first open, are odoriferous.
Much honey is secreted from a gland that encircles the base of
tl>e germen ; hence this is a favourite plant with bees, and it ac-
cords well with its name Melittis. It flowers in May or June,
and is a native of several parts of Europe. It occurs only in the
west of our island, as about Totness, Barnstaple, &c. in Devon-
shire; in the New Forest, Hampshire; and about Haverfordwest
in Pembrokeshire, South Wales, in woods and shady places.
It is a handsome plant, continuing in flower three weeks or a
month, unless the season be very hot. As it rarely produces
good seeds in the gardens, it is usually propagated by part-
ing the roots; but where the plants are intended for ornament,
the roots should not be disturbed oftener than every third
year ; nor should they then be divided into small parts, lest
it prevent them from flowering the first year. The best time
to remove and part the roots is the beginning of October,
that they may have time to get root before the frosts come
on. They should have a loamy soil, and an eastern exposure,
where they will thrive and flower plentifully.
2. Melittis Japonica. Leaves alternate, ovate, obtuse,
unequally serrate ; calix villose. Stem upright, villose, sim-
ple, a span high. Native of Japan.
Melochia; a genus of the class Monadelphia, order Pent-
andria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: .perianth often
double; outer one-sided, three-leaved; inner one-leafed,
half five-cleft ; segments half ovate, acute, permanent. Co-
rolla : petals five, obcordate, spreading, large. 'Stamina :
filamenta five, awl-shaped, united at the base into a pitcher,
involving the germen ; antheree simple. Pistil : germen
roundish ; styles five, awl-shaped, erect, the length of the
stamina, permanent ; stigmas simple. Pericarp : capsule
roundish or five-cornered, five-celled, five-valved; valves acute ;
partitions contrary, doubled. Seeds: solitary, or in pairs, on
one side roundish, on the other angular, compressed. Observe.
The calix in some species is double, in others single. ESSEN-
TIAL CHARACTER. Styles: five. 'Capsule: five^celled, one-
seeded. To propagate the plants of this genus, sow the seeds
on a hot-bed ; and when the plants come up, treat them in
the same manner as is directed for Sida. The shrubby sorts
may with care be preserved through the winter in a stove,
whereby good seeds may be obtained; for they seldom
ripen their seeds well the first year, unless the plants be
brought forward early in the spring, and the summer proves
warm. The other sorts generally ripen their setds the same
year they are sown. The species are,
1. Melochia Pyramidata; Pyramidal MelocJaa. Flowers
umbelled ; capsules pyramidal, five-cornered ; angles mucro-
rrate ; leaves naked. Stem shrubby at the base, branched, a
foot high; corollas small, blood-red, frequently closed.
Browne fit-scribes it as -a very elegant little plant, about three
feet high. Native of Brazil and Jamaica.
2. Melochia Tomentosa ; Downy Melochia. Flowers um-
belled, axillary; capsules pyramidal, five-cornered; angles
mucronate ; leaves tomentose. This is an upright shrub,
little branched, only three feet high in open rocky situations,
but seven feet high in woods. Native of Jamaica, Martinico,
St. Martin's, and other islands of the West Indies.
3. Melochia Crenata; Notch-leaved Melocldu. Leaves
roundish, crenatf, tomentose, marked with lines; umbels
axilfnry and terminating, pednncled. This shrub has a pur-
plish bark, and alternate, villose-tomentose, hoary blanches.
Native of South- America.
2 F
112
MEL
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
M E L
4. Melochia Depressa; Fhtt-fruitcd Melochia. Flowers
solitary ; capsules depressed, five-cornered ; angles blunt,
ciliate ; stalk shrubby. Browne says, it commonly rises to
the height of two or three feet, throwing out a few slender
flexile branches on all sides; the leaves spread themselves
every day about noon, to receive the heat of the sun more
freely, but as the air grows cooler, they generally rise upright,
and stand almost parallel to the stem or branches ; this
mechanism of the leaves is greatly forwarded by the knee in
the footstalk of each. Found in Jamaica, &c.
.5. Melochia Venosa ; Veiny-leaved Melochia. Peduncles
distinct, terminating, many-flowered ; leaves ovate, serrate,
veined, tomentose underneath ; stem hairy, four feet high ;
flowers in clusters, yellow. Found in South America, &c.
6. Melochia Concatenat-a. Racemes clustered, terminat-
ing; capsule globular, sessile. A perennial upright smooth
plant, with stiff branches. Native of the East Indies.
7. Melochia Nodiflora. Flowers conglobate, axillary ; cap-
sules globular ; leaves ovate, acuminate, smooth. Native of
most of the West India Islands.
8. Melochia Lupulina. Racemes clustered, axillary ; cali-
ces inflated, membranaceous ; leaves ovate cordate, gash-
serrate, tomentose underneath. Native of Jamaica.
9. Melochia Corchorifolia ; Red Melochia. Flowers in ses-
sile heads; capsules roundish; leaves subcordate, sublobate.
An annual plant; with hardish, and diffused, rugged, rod-
like branches ; corollas pale, with a yellow bottom. Native
of the East Indies.
10. Melochia Supina; Prostrate Melochia. Flowers in
heads; leaves ovate, serrate; stems procumbent. An annual
plant, with trailing stalks. Native of the East Indies.
11. Melochia Odorata; Sweet-scented Melochia. Panicles
peduncled, compound; leaves ovate, subcordate, sublobate,
biser-rate, smooth. Forster's specific character is: Cymes
corymbed, axillary ; leaves cordate, acuminate, serrate. A
smooth plant; flowers large. Native of the islands of Tanna
and Tongataboo in the South Seas.
Melodinus; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed, five-
parted, permanent; leaflets ovate, lying over each other at the
edge. Corolla : one-petalled, salver-shaped ; tube cylindrical,
three times as long as the calix; border five-parted, flat;
segments sickle-shaped, crenulate, twisted to the right, shorter
than the tube ; nectary in the mouth of the tube, stellate ;
segments five, cloven, lacerated. Stamina: filamenta five,
awl-shaped, very short, in the middle of the tube ; antherse
ovate. Pistil: germen globular, superior; style round, the
length of the calix, bipartile ; stigma conical, acute. Peri-
carp: berry fleshy, globular, many-seeded, with a fleshy
partition. Seeds: numerous, ovate-roundish, flatted a little,
nestling. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: contorted.
Nectary: in the middle of the tube, stellate. Berry: two-
celled, many-seeded. The only species is,
1. Melodinus Scandens. A very smooth shrub with a
climbing stem ; leaves oblong, ovate veined, quite entire,
very smooth, opposite It has great affinity to Rauwolfia.
Native of New Caledonia.
Melon. See Cucumis.
Melonary, The portion of ground in the kitchen garden
principally allotted for the business of early and general hot-
bed work, in the culture of Melons and Cucumbers, as well
as occasionally in other framing culture. These Compart-
ments are mostly enclosed by some sort of fence, and are
particularly convenient and useful, as in the practice of hot-
bed culture there is unavoidably a considerable littering occa-
sioned at times, by means of the necessary supplies of hot
dung, straw, litter, and other materials, both in the making
of the beds and after culture, which by this means being
confined to a particular part, the whole is performed more
conveniently, and without incommoding the economy of the
other parts of the garden. They are also very useful when
properly chosen in the driest and warmest situations, in ;he
advantage of having the hot-beds on dry ground, and shel-
tered from cutting winds, with the full benefit of the whole
day's sun, as well as in being more secure. In considerable
gardens, the places allotted for this use are sometimes of such
extent, as to have the hot-houses, or forcing-houses, and
other appurtenances of that kind, where culture by artificial
heat is required, near together, by which time arid trouble
is saved, and great advantage in other respects gained. In
the choice of a place for this purpose, some part of the
warmest, best-sheltered, dry quarter of the garden, which is
well defended from the northerly and north-easterly winds,
not liable to inundation or the stagnation of water, and con-
veniently situated for bringing in dung, tan, earth, &c. should
be selected. It will be more proper still, if, with these ad-
vantages, it lie a little higher, or very gently sloping towards
some lower part, especially when towards the full sun from
rising to setting, so as to admit of ranging the hot-beds
longitudinally east and west, or as nearly in that direction
as possible. With respect to the extent or dimensions,
they muct be according to the quantity of hot-bed framing
required, as from two or thre to five or ten rods square, or to
that of a quarter or half an acre, or more ; in which, besides
the part immediately allotted for the hot-beds, it is convenient
to have room for the previous preparation of the dung, &c.
for earthing the beds. The most eligible form is an even or
an oblong square. When enclosed, the fences may be six,
seven, or eight feet high, in the northerly or back part, and
five or six in front, the sides corresponding, though when
extensive they may be nearly of equal height all round. The
internal part, or place where the hot-beds are, even when
dry, should be a little elevated, to throw off the water in
heavy rains, and, when unavoidably low or liable to be wet
in winter or spring, be raised, with some dry materials, con-
siderably above the general level, that the hot-beds may
stand dry, as well as to afford advantage in performing the
business of cultivation. The ground for the immediate place
of the hot-beds may generally remain even or level ; some
however form shallow trenches the width and the length of the
intended hot-beds, as from six to twelve inches deep, and
make the lower part of the bed in the trench ; which, how-
ever, is more proper in a dry or somewhat elevated situation,
than in low or wet ground, as water is apt to settle in the
bottom, and chill the beds by suddenly reducing the heat.
Besides, by having the beds wholly above the ground, there
is a better opportunity of applying the occasional linings quite
from the bottom upwards. By proper attention in the con-
struction of the different parts of these grounds, and in the
building of the fence, they may be also rendered highly use-
ful in raising varous kinds of fruit, which could not other-
wise be the case.
Melon Thistle. See Cactus.
Melothria ; a genus of the class Triandria, order Monogy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
bell-shaped, ventricose, five-toothed, superior, deciduous.
Corolla : one-petalled, wheel-shaped ; tube the length of the
calix, and fastened all round to it ; border five-parted, flat ;
segments broader outwards, very blunt. Stamina: filamenta
three, conical, inserted into the tube of the corolla, and of
the same length ; antherse twin, roundish, compressed. Pis-
til: germen ovate-oblong, acuminate, subinferior; style cylin-
MEN
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MEN
113
dric, the length of the stamina; stigmas three, thickisli,
oblong. Pericarp: berry ovate-oblong, internally without
the partitions, three-parted. Seeds: several, oblong, com-
pressed. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: bell-shaped,
five-cleft. Corolla: wheel-shaped, one-petalled. Berry:
three-celled, many seeded. The only known species is,
1. Melothria Pendula; Small Creeping Cucumber, or Ame-
rican Bryony. It grows wild in the woods of Carolina, Vir-
ginia, and also in many of the American islands; creeping
upon the ground with slender vines, having angular leaves,
somewhat resembling those of the Melon, but much smaller.
These vines strike out roots at every joint, which fasten
themselves into the ground, and thereby a larger share of
nourishment is drawn to the plants, by which means their
stalks extend to a great distance each way, and closely cover
the ground. The flowers are very small, in shape like those
of the Melon, and of a pale sulphur colour. The fruit in
the West Indies grows to the size of a pea, of an oval figure,
and changes black when ripe, and the inhabitants sometimes
pickle them when green. In England, the fruit are much
smaller, and are so hidden by the leaves, that it is difficult
to find them. The plants will not grow in the open air of
our climate, the seeds must therefore be sown upon a hot-
bed, and if the plants be permitted, will soon overspread the
surface of a large bfd; and when the fruit is ripe, if it scatter
the seeds, the plants will come up where the earth happens
to be used on a hot-bed again, and if they are supplied with
water, will require no further care.
Memecylon; a genus of the class Octandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth undi-
vided, superior, bell-shaped, turbinate, quite entire, with a
pitcher-shaped, striated base, permanent. Corolla : petals
four, ovate, acute, spreading. Stamina: filamenta eight,
erect, widened and truncated at top; antherse simple, inserted
by their sides into the apex of the filament. Pistil: germen
turbinate, inferior: style awl-shaped ; stigma simple. Peri-
carp: berry crowned with a cylindrical calix. Seeds: not
described. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: superior,
with a striated base, and the margin quite entire. Corolla :
four-petalled. Antherce: inserted into the side of the apex
of the filament. Berry: crowned with a cylindrical calix.
The species are,
1. Memecylon Capitellatum. Leaves ovate, bluntish ;
heads axillary, subpeduncled. This is a tree, with round
branchlets. Native of Ceylon.
2. Memecylon Grande. Leaves ovate, acuminate; pedun-
cles axillary, with many-flowered pedicels. This is a large
tree, with round branches. Native of the East Indies.
3. Memecylon Umbellatum. Berry inferior, globular,
crowned with the calix, permanent, tubular, eight-streaked
within ; cuticle coriaceous, thin ; pulp watery, fugaceous.
Native place not stated.
4. Memecylon Edule. Leaves ovate, acute; umbellets
compound, naked. This is a very common tree, or large shrub,
in every jungle on the coast of Coromandel. It flowers about
the beginning of the hot season. The ripe berries are eaten
by the natives : they contain a large quantity of bluish black
pulp of an astringent quality.
Four other species of Memecylon have been described by
Botanists; which we omit.
Menais; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Monogy-
nia, GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth three-leaved;
leaflets concave, lax, acuminate, small, permanent. Corolla:
one-petalled, salver-shaped ; tube cylindrical, longer than
the calix; border flat, five-parted, with rounded segments.
Stamina: filamenta five, very short, inserted into the tube;
antheroe awl-shaped, at the throat of the corolla. Pistil.:
germen roundish; style filiform, the length of the tube;
stigmas two, oblong. Pericarp: berry globular, four-celled.
Seeds: solitary, subovate, sharp at one end. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix : three-leaved, Corolla: salver-shaped.
Berry : four-celled. Seeds : solitary.- The only known
species is,
1. Menais Topiaria. A shrub, with alternate, ovate, entire,
rough leaves ; and round, somewhat villose stems. Native
of South America.
Meniscium; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Filices,
or Ferns. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Capsules neaped in cres-
cents, interposed between the veins of the fronds. There
are five species, the first of which only we shall describe:
1. Meniscium Reticulatum. Root fibrous, black; fronds
several, pinnate, four feet long; stipe black, grooved in
front, angular, brown, appearing somewhat villose when mag-
nified; pinnas very many, alternate, with an odd one, on short
petioles, from an ovate base, long, lanceolate-acuminate,
crenate, a little sickle-shaped at the end, smooth above,
somewhat villose along the nerves underneath, from six to
nine inches long, an inch or an inch and half wide. The
midrib is prominent at the back, and at a very obtuse angle
puts forth on both sides towards the edges numerous parallel
nerves, which are also prominent: these are connected by
several arched veins; whence the pinnas seen against the
light appear like beds in a parterre. On these veins are
placed as many arched, oblong, parallel, dark, rufous fructifi-
cations, composed of very minute shining globules, those
which are next the midrib larger. They are not so close
upon the whole as in most of the Aspleniumg ; and even
sometimes exhibit distinct globules thinly placed. Native of
Martinico, Brazil, &c.
Menispermum ; a genus of the class Dioecia, order Dode-
candria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Male: Calix: perianth
two-leaved; leaflets linear, short. Corolla: petals, outer six,
ovate, spreading, equal; inner eight, obcordate, concave,
smaller than the outer, four of them in the inner row wider.
Stamina : filamenta sixteen, cylindric, a little longer than
the corolla ; antherse terminating, very short, bluntly four-
lobed. Female. Calix and Corolla: as in the male. Sta-
mina : filamenta eight, like those of the male ; antheree pel-
lucid, barren. Pistil: germina two or three, ovate, curved
inwards, converging, pedicelled ; styles solitary, very short,
recurved; stigmas bifid, blunt. Pericarp: berries two or
three, roundish kidney-form, one-celled. Seeds: solitary,
kidney-form, large. Observe. The above character is taken
from the Menispermum Canadense, and should be compared
with the fructifications of the other species : the calix being
six-leaved, the corolla six-petalled, six stamina, and three
pi-stilla, according to Willich, Miller, and others ; or, accord-
ing to Walter, the calix three-leaved, petals three, scales of
the nectary six, six stamina, six germina, without any styles,
and six berries. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Male. Petals:
four outer, eight inner. Stamina: sixteen. Female. Corolla:
as in the male. Stamina: eight, barren. Berries: two, one-
seeded. Gsertner remarks, that the species of this genus
vary much in their number, in the flower and fruit ; but that
they all not only agree in the position of the cotyledons, but
differ from all other plants in having a distinct cell for each
cotyledon. The species are,
1. Menispermum Canadense ; Canadian Moon-seed. Leaves
peltate, cordate, roundish-angular. Root thick, woody ; stems
many, climbing, becoming woody, and rising to the height
of twelve or fourteen feet, twisting themselves about the
neighbouring plants for support. It flowers in June and
Ill
MEN
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MEN
July. Native of Virginia, Canada, and Siberia. This and
the next species are easily propagated by laying down the
branches in autumn. They will have made good roots by the
following autumn, when they may be separated from the old
plant, and transplanted where they are designed to remain.
Their branches oeing slender and weak, require support.
They thrive better near trees than in an open situation.
2. Menispermum Virginicum; Virginian Moon-seed. Up-
per leaves undivided ; lower peltate, cordate-lobed. This
differs from the preceding in the shape of the leaves, which
are angular, and sometimes heart-shaped, but not peltate,
having the footstalk at the base. The stems become woody,
and ris,e nearly as. high as those of that first sort. The flowers
and berries do not differ. Native of Virginia, &c.
3. Menispermum Japonicum; Japanese Moon-seed. Leaves
.peltate, rounded-ovate,, entire. Stems herbaceous, twining,
Striated with several angles, smooth in all parts, simple.
Native of Japan.
,4. .Menispermum Carolinum; Carolina Moon-seed. Leaves
cordate, villose underneath. This differs from the second
species in the branches not becoming woody as in that ; steins
herbaceous. Native of Carolina. It may be propagated by
.parting the foots, which spread out on one side, so that the
re st of them may be cut off every other year; the best time for
doing this is in the spring, a little before the plants begin to
shoot; these should be 'planted, in a warm situation, and have
a light soil, for in strong land, where the wet is detained in
winter, the roots are apt to rot; therefore if they are planted
close to a wall exposed to the soujh .or west, their stalks may
be fastened against the wall to prevent their trailing upon the
ground; and in this situation the plants .will flower frequently,
and by having a little shelter in severe frost, their stalks may
be preserved from injury.
,>., Menispermurn Cocculus ; Jaygcd Moon-seed. Leaves
cordate, retuse, mucronate; stem jagged. The twisting stems
arp, .usually tj)e thickness of the human arm, or thicker, irre-
gular, ,a#d covered vyith a thick, lacerated, wrinkled bark;
the branches, terminate ,jn strong, simple tendrils; bunches of
flowers a. foot and ha,lf Jong, dividing into several lateral ours;
.jje^als six, whit^,, reflex; fruit in bunches like grapes, but
.ma||er, ...first w|iite, then red, and finally blackish purple;
usually ,\\vo, pf;. three, seldom four together, on a thickish,
pyramidal, wrjnkled pe,dunple.; pulp soft; stone round, like
tha,t pf a cherry, but a , Ijttle, larger, wrinkled, and granulated,
havirjg a fissure or aperture on one side, arid a while bifid
kernel within. In the East Indies, where this plant is a
native, Uie berries are used to intoxicate fish, birds, &c. in
order to, take them, being made into a paste for that purpose.
.; ju,,Ei)gland, the brewers have gof , into a practice of putting
these berries into malt liquors to Increase their strength ; and
these, with many oflfer, , equally, noxious ingredients, are in-
troduced jnto die London porter ; whiph from a .highly
nutr.itjous an.d wholesome beverage, )ias, through such vile
practices latterly degenerated into u deleterious and stupify-
.jftg liquor; towards which the British farmer and the hop-
merchant, contribute nothing, in comparison with the nujnerqus
liiftporters .ojf foreign drugs. See the latter part of the article
. Hop, under Huraulus Lupulus. Vol. l.p. 715. Hill observes;
, that the berries are of a poisonous, nature, and, taken inter-
nally in considerable doses, wpuld l^e attended with fatal
effects : reduced to powder, and strewed on children's
heads, -they destroy vermin the most .effectually, of any
thing. Made into a paste) with flour and water, with the
addition of a little, red lead, .to give it a colour, and thrown
in little pellets, in.to ppnds,,.^q. wjicre there ar,e .fish kept,
they will take it greedily, arid be so intoxicated in a short
time after, as to swim on the surface of the water with their
bellies upwards, and suffer themselves to be taken out with
the hands.
6. Menispermum Crispum; Curled Moon-seed. Leaves
cordate; stem quadrangular, curled. Native of Bengal.
7. Menispermum Acutum ; Sharp-leaved Moon-seed. Leaves
cordate, behind angular, acuminate; stem round, striated.
Native of Japan.
8. Menispermum Orbiculatum; Round-leaved Moon-seed.
Leaves orbicular, villose underneath; stem round, twining,
with alternate branches like the stem ; flowers axillary, pani-
cled, dicecous. Native of the East Indies and Japan.
9. Menispermum Hirsutum ; Hairy-leaved Moon-seed.
Branch-leaves ovate stem-leaves cordate, villose, tomentose
underneath. Native jf the East Indies.
10. Menispermum Edule; Eatable Moon-seed. Leaves
oblong, smooth; flowers six-stamined. This much resembles
the preceding. Native of Arabia.
11. Menispermum Myosotoides. Leaves linear-lanceolate,
hirsute. Native of the East Indies.
12. Menispermum Trilobum. Leaves three-lobed; stem
twining. Native of China and Japan.
13. Menispermum Fenestratum. Drupe berried, obovate,
solitary, pubescent, hoary. Native of Ceylon.
14. Menispermum Lyoni. Leaves cordate, palmate-lobate,
with very long footstalks; racemes simple; flowers hexapeta-
,lous, dodecaridrous ; berries large, black, one-seeded ; stem
climbing to the height of twenty feet. Grows in Kentucky
and Tennessee, and flowers in June and July.
Mentka; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Gymno-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, tubular, upright, five-toothed, equal, permanent.
Corolla: one-petalled; petals upright, tubular, a little longer
than the calix ; border four-parted, almost equal ; the upper
segment wider, emargiriate. Stamina: filamenta four, awl-
shaped, upright, distant, the two nearest longer ; antherse
roundish. Pistil: germen four-cleft; style filiform, upright,
longer than the corolla; stigma bifid, spreading. Pericarp:
none; calix upright, with the seeds in the bottom. Seeds:
four, small. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: almost
equal, four-cleft, the broader segments emarginate. Stamina:
upright, distant. All the plants of this genus are easily pro-
pagated by parting their roots in spring, or by planting cut-
tings during any of the summer months, but they should
have a moist soil ; and after the cuttings are planted, if the
season should prove dry, they must be often watered until
they have taken root ; after which they will require no farther
care but to keep them clear from weeds : they should be
planted in beds about four feet wide, allowing a path about
two feet broad between the beds, to water, weed, and cut the
plants. The distance they should be set is four or five inches
or more, because they spread very much at their roots ; for
which reason, the beds should not stand longer than three
years before you plant them again, for by that time the roots
will be matted so closely as to rot and decay each other, if
permitted to stand longer. Some persons are very partial to
mint-salad in winter and spring; in order to obtain which,
they take up the roots before Christmas, and plant them upon
a moderate hot-bed, pretty close, covering them with rim:
earth about an inch thick, and cover the beds either with
mats or frames of glass. In these beds the Mint will come
up in a month's time, and will soon after be lit to cut. When
the herb is wanted for medicinal use, it should be cut in a
very dry season, just when it is in flower; for if it stand
longer, it will not be, so well tasted; and if it be cut when it
is wet, it will change black, and be little" worth : trnV should
MEN
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MEN
116
be hung up to dry in a shady place, where it may remain
until it be used. If the soil in which they are planted be
good, it will afford three crops every year : but after July,
Mint seldom proves good, therefore the shoots produced after
that time should be permitted to remain till Michaelmas,
when they must be cut down close; and after having cleared
the bed from weeds, you should spread a little fine rich earth
all over them, which will greatly forward them against the
next spring. The species are,
1. Mentha Auricularia; Ear Mint. Spikes cylindrical;
leaves oblong, acute, serrate, hairy, subsessile ; stem strigose ;
stamina longer than the corolla. This herb is celebrated as
a powerful remedy for deafness. Native of the East Indies.
2. Mentha Niliaca; Egyptian Mint. Tomentose-hoary :
spikes oblong; leaves ovate-lanceolate, serrate, sessile; stems
villose, branched, weak, a foot high. Native of Egypt.
3. Mentha G\&bra.ta.; Smooth-spiked Mint. Flowers racem-
ed, verticillate ; leaves petioled, ovate-lanceolate, serrate,
smooth; peduncle terminating. Native of Egypt.
4. Mentha Stellata; Stellated Cluster-spiked Mint. Spikes
heaped, terminating; leaves stellate, serrate; stem herbaceous,
upright, four-grooved, one foot high. This is the ran ngu
hoang of the Cochin-chinese. Native of Cochin-china.
5. Mentha Sylvestris; Horse Mint. Spikes hairy, slightly
interrupted ; leaves oblong, serrate, tomentose, sessile ; sta-
mina longer than the corolla. Stem upright, four-grooved,
branched at top, smooth at bottom; calix hardly a line long,
lioary; corolla twice as long, pale purple; filamenta twice or
thrice as long as the corolla. It varies with filamenta equal
only to the corolla. Native of many parts of Europe, Den-
mark, Germany, Switzerland, France, and England, in hedges,
ditches, and watery places. It is common in Lincolnshire,
Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk, and Kent.
6. Mentha Viridis ; Spear Mint. Spikes oblong ; leaves
lanceolate, naked, serrate, sessile ; stamina longer than the
corolla. This is very nearly allied to the preceding, but is
smaller and smoother; the corolla is purplish red. Native of
Germany, Switzerland, France, and England, in watery places,
and on the banks of rivers, as on the Thames, and near Ex-
mouth in Devonshire. This species is not so hot to the taste
as Peppermint, and, having a more agreeable flavour than
most of the others, is generally preferred for culinary and
medical purposes. The leaves or tops are used in spring
salads, and eaten dried as sauce with Iamb, and in soups.
The preparations of Spearmint are more pleasant than those
of Peppermint, but perhaps less efficacious. This herb, and
indeed all the species, contains much essential oil, but of
a less agreeable odour than that of Lavender or Marjoram.
It is less employed as a cephalic; but it acts very powerfully
on parts to which it is immediately applied, and therefore con-
siderably on the stomach; and as it operates especially as an
antispasmodic, and therefore relieves pains and colics arising
from spasm, it will also put a stop to vomiting, arising from
the same cause; but if it arise from inflammation in the sto-
mach itself, or in other parts of the body, it aggravates the
disease. The infusion of Mint in warm water agrees better
with the stomach than the distilled water. The officinal pre-
parations are, an essential oil; a conserve, very grateful; and
the distilled waters, both simple and spirituous, which are
generally thought pleasant. Lewis observes, that Mint is
said to prevent the coagulation of milk ; and hence it has
been recommended to be used with milk diets, and even in
cataplasms and fomentations for resolving coagulated milk
in the breasts : upon experiment, the curd of milk, digested
in a strong infusion of Mint, could not be perceived to be any
otherwise affected than by common water; but milk in which
VOL. ii. 75.
Mint leaves were set to macerate, did not coagulate near so
soon as an equal quantity of the same milk kept by itself.
Dried Mint, digested in rectified spirits of wine, gives out a
tincture, which appears by day-light of a fine dark green, but
by candle-light of a bright red colour. The fact is, that a
small quantity of this tincture is green, either by day-light or
candle-light, but a large quantity seems impervious to com-
mon day-light; however, when held between the eye and a
candle, or between the eye and the sun, it appears red : so
that, if put into a flat bottle, it appears green ; but when
viewed edgewise, red. The distilled water, or infusion, is
much used in crudities and weaknesses of the stomach,
heaving or retchings, hiccup, windiness, and burning heat.
It is likewise good in griping pains of the stomach and bowels,
and in giddiness and swimmings of the head. Applied ex-
ternally, it takes away hardness of the breasts, and cures the
head-ach. A stong decoction is an excellent wash for erup-
tions on the skin, chaps, and sore heads.
7. Mentha Rotundifolia ; Round-leaved Mint. Spikes
long; leaves roundish, rugged, shagged, sharply crenate,
sessile ; bractes lanceolate ; stamina longer than the corolla.
Stems from two to three feet high, erect, hairy, or shaggy,
the hairs pointing more or less downwards. Native of several
parts of Europe. It is rather rare in England ; but is found
at Shingham in Norfolk; near Faulkburn Hall in Essex; in
Cambridgeshire; near Ross in Herefordshire; and in Hornsey
and Harefield church-yards, Middlesex.
8. Mentha Crispa ; Curled Mint. Flowers in heads ; leaves
cordate, toothed, waved, sessile ; stamina equalling the corolla.
Stems hairy, about the same height with common Spearmint.
Native of Siberia, China, and Cochin-china.
9. Mentha Hirsuta ; Round-headed Mint, or Hairy fater
Mint. Flowers in dense, compound, terminating heads; leaves
ovate, serrate, subsessile, pubescent; stamina longer than
the corolla. Roots long, branched, creeping under water ;
stem branched, very generally purplish, rough, with deflex
hairs scattered all over it; flowers lilac-coloured. The degree
of hairiness throughout the whole plant varies very much.
When out of the water, it grows much smaller, more purple,
and with a simple head of flowers. It flowers in August, and
is very common in clear ditches, rivulets, and other watery
places, growing sometimes among large grasses and reeds,
sometimes by itself.
1 0. Mentha Aquatica ; Water Mint. Flowers in heads ;
leaves ovate, serrate, petioled ; stamina longer than the co-
rolla. Corolla pale red. This is not a rough-haired plant.
11. Mentha Piperita; Pepper Mint. Flowers Jn heads;
leaves ovate, petioled ; stamina shorter than the corolla.
This species has smooth purple stalks. The stem and leaves
are beset with many very minute glands, containing the essen-
tial oil, which rises plentifully in distillation. It has the most
penetrating smell of any of its genus, and also the strongest
taste, pungent and glowing like pepper, sinking as it were
into the tongue, and followed by a sensation of coldness. Its
stomachic, antispasmodic, and carminative qualities, render
it useful in flatulent colics, hysterical affections, retchings,
and other dyspeptic symptoms, acting as a cordial, and
often producing immediate relief. The officinal preparations
are an essential oil, a simple water, and a spirit. The essence
of Peppermint is an elegant medicine, and seems to be the
rectified oil dissolved in spirits of wine. Meyrick observes,
it is a valuable medicine in flatulent colics, hysteric de-
pressions, and other complaints of a similar nature ; exert-
ing its salutary effects as soon as it arrives in the stomach,
and diffusing a glowing warmth throughout the whole body,
and yet without heating the body near so much as might be
2 G
116
MEN
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MEN
expected from the great warmth and pungency of ils taste.
Native of watery places in various parts of England; but
seems not to have been found wild any where else.
12. Mentha Sativa; Marsh Whorled Mint. Flowers in
whorls; leaves.ovate, sharpish, serrate; stamina longer than
the corolla. Stem upright; leaves on winged footstalks, ovate,
serrate, pubescent; peduncles and calix hairy; root throwing
out long, creeping, horizontal shoots, and one erect hairy
stem, furnished all the way up to the flowering part with
shortish, axillary, leafy branches. This is suspected to be a
variety of the ninth species, (the Round-headed Mint.) It
flowers in August and September.
13. Mentha Gentilis ; Bushy Red Mint. Flowers in whorls;
leaves ovate-lanceolate, acute, nearly sessile, scarcely hairy;
peduncles perfectly smooth; teeth of the calix hairy. Stems
several, erect, growing in tufts, about eighteen inches high,
with harsh and somewhat hairy angles ; corolla pale purple.
There is a variety of this species, having the same delightful
scent as Basil Native of several parts of Europe, in watery
places, and by the sides of rivulets. Found near Waltham-
stow, and on a small common at Saham in Norfolk.
14. Mentha Arvensis; Corn Mint. Flowers in whorls;
leaves ovate, acute, serrate; stamina equalling the corolla;
stem much branched, diffuse. The whole plant is covered with
soft white hairs pointing downwards. It prevents the coagu-
lation of milk ; and when cows have eaten it, as they will do
largely at the end of summer when pastures are bare, their
milk can hardly be made to yield cheese ; a circumstance
which sometimes puzzles the dairy maids. Native of many
parts of Europe, in watery places and moist corn-fields.
15. Mentha Austriaca; A ustrian Mint. Flowers in whorls,
all the segments of the corolla blunt; leaves subovate, villose;
stamina shorter than the corolla. This very much resembles
the preceding, but differs from it in being of a lower stature,
in its smell, the shortness of the stamina, its greater hoariness,
&c. Stems half a foot high and more, upright, almost simple.
It flowers in July and August. Native of Austria, in the
islands of the Danube ; and probably of Piedmont.
16. Mentha Canadensis; Canadian Mint. Flowers in
whorls; leaves lanceolate-serrate, petioled, hairy; stamina
equalling the corolla. Native of Canada.
17. Mentha Pulegium ; Pennyroyal. Flowers in whorls ;
leaves ovate, blunt, subcrenate; stems roundish, creeping ;
stamina longer than the corolla. Root fibrous, perennial.
This is much smaller than any of the preceding, and is known
by its prostrate stems, and numerous dense whorls of purplish
flowers, sometimes white, without bractes. Native of watery
places in various parts of Europe. There is a variety called
Spanish Pennyroyal, with erect stems and larger whorls of
flowers, and longer and narrower leaves, which has almost
superseded our wild one in the markets, because the erect
stems are more easily tied in bunches, and it comes earlier
to flower, and has a brighter appearance. Pennyroyal has
a warm pungent flavour resembling Mint, but more acrid and
less agreeable. Its active principle is an essential oil, of a
more volatile nature than that of Mint, coming over hastily
with water at the beginning of the distillation, and rising also
in great 'part with highly rectified spirit; in taste very pun-
gent, and of a strong smell; when newly drawn, of a yel-
lowish colour with a cast of green, turning brownish by age.
It certainly possesses the general properties of Mint, but is
supposed to be of less efficacy as a stomachic, but more use-
ful as a carminative and emmenagogue, and more commonly
employed in hysterical affections. We are told by Boyle and
others, that it has been successfully used in the hooping-
cough ; but the chief purpose to which it has been long ad-
ministered is promoting the uterine evacuation. For this
purpose Haller recommends an infusion of the herb with
steel in white wine. In the opinion of Dr. Cullen, however,
Mint is more effectual than Pennyroyal, and nothing, he
says, but the neglect of established principles, could have
made physicians regard this as a peculiar medicine distinct
from the Mints; and accordingly this plant is less frequently
used now than formerly. Lewis says, it is not so proper as
Mint to be administered in common sicknesses or weaknesses
of the stomach, but is much more efficacious in windy com-
plaints, hysterics, and disorders of the breast. Meyrick
adds, the distilled water, a strong infusion, or the juice fresh
expressed from the plant, is excellent for obstructions of the
menses. A conserve of the young tops acts as a diuretic, has
been many times very serviceable in the gravel, and is also
useful for the jaundice, and all other complaints arising from
obstructions of the viscera. This, and the next species, both
propagate very fast by their creeping stems, which may be
cut off and planted in fresh beds, allowing them at least a
foot distance every way : or, the young shoots planted in
the spring will take root like Mint. The best time for this
work is in September, that the plants may be rooted before
winter.
18. Mentha Cervina; Hyssop-leaved Mint. Flowers in
whorls ; bractes palmate ; leaves linear ; stamina longer than
the corolla. Stems erect, nearly two feet high, sending out
side-branches all their length ; whorls large, dense, many-
flowered. There is a variety with white flowers, which grows
taller than the common one with purple flowers. The scent
is not quite so strong as that of Pennyroyal, but it is by gome
preferred to it for medicinal uses; it is called Hart's Penny-
royal. Native of the south of France, and Italy.
19. Mentha Borealis. Leaves petiolate, oval-lanceolate,
very acute; flowers verticillate; stamina standing out: flowers
pale purple, appearing in July and August. Grows on the
banks of rivers and springs, from Canada to Pennsylvania.
20. Mentha Tenuis. Leaves lanceolate-ovate, subsessile;
spikes slender, interrupted with very small whorls ; stamina
not standing out; flowers white, appearing from June to
August. Native of wet places near springs, from Pennsyl-
vania to Georgia.
Mentzelia; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Monogy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-leaved,
spreading, superior, deciduous ; leaflets lanceolate, concave,
acuminate. Corolla: petals five, obovate, acuminate, a little
longer than the calix, spreading. Stamina: filamenta many,
(thirty,) the length of the calix, erect, bristle-shaped, the
ten outer membranaceous at top; antheree roundish. Pistil:
germen cylindric, very long, inferior ; style filiform, the length
of the stamina; stigma simple, blunt. Pericarp: capsule
cylindric, long, one-celled, three-valved at top. Seeds:
about six, oblong, angular. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix: five-leaved. Corolla: five-petalled. Capsule: infe-
rior, cylindric, many-seeded. The species are,
1. Mentzelia Aspera; stem branched; flowers axillary;
petals notched, obtuse. Brown says this plant is very com-
mon in all the dry savannas about Kingston, and that it seems
to be an annual, and seldom rises above three or four feet in
height. He describes the fruit as a succulent cylindric cap-
sule, well furnished with short, rough, uncinated bristles,
like the rest of the plant, and containing only three or four
rugged seeds, compressed on one side, and disposed at some
distance from each other in the pulp. As this, and the next,
are annual plants, which perish soon after the seeds are
ripe, the seeds must be sown on a hot-bed early in the spring,
that the plants may be brought forward early in the season,
MEN
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
M ER
117
otherwise they will not produce ripe seeds in this country.
When the plants are come up about an inch high, they should
be each transplanted into a separate halfpenny pot filled with
light rich earth, and plunged into a hot-bed of tanner's bark,
being careful to shade them from the sun until they have
taken new root ; after which time they must be constantly
watered every other day in warm weather, and should have
fresh air every day admitted to them, in proportion to the
warmth of the season, and the heat of the bed in which they
are plunged. In about six weeks or two months after trans-
planting, if the plants have made a good progress, they will
have filled the pots with their roots, and should be' shifted
into larger pots filled with light rich earth, and then plunged
into the bark-bed in the stove, that they may have room to
grow in height, observing as before to water them duly, as also
to admit fresh air to them every day in warm weather. With
this management they will grow three feet high, and produce
ripe seeds at the end of August or beginning of September.
2. Mentzelia Hispida. Stem forked; flowers solitary, at
the forks of the stem ; petals entire, acutely pointed. Native
of Mexico.
Menyantlies ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
five-parted, erect, permanent. Corolla: one-petalled, funnel-
form ; tube cylindric, funnel-form, short; border five-cleft
beyond the middle ; clefts reflex-spreading, blunt, conspi-
cuously shaggy. Stamina: filamenta five, awl-shaped, short;
antherse acute, bifid at the base, erect. Pistil: germen
conical ; style cylindric, almost the length of the corolla ;
stigma bifid, compressed. Pericarp: capsule ovate, sur-
rounded by the calix, one-celled. Seeds : many, ovate, small.
Observe. The first species was distinguished by the petals
being ciliate, not shaggy. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Co-
rolla: shaggy. Stigma: bifid. Capsule: one-celled.
The species are,
1. Menyanthes Nymphoides; Fringed Buckbean, or Small
Yellow Water Lily. Leaves cordate, quite entire ; corollas
ciliate. Root perennial, long, and stringy, as are also the
stems ; these are smooth, round, and jointed. It flowers from
June to August. Native of Denmark, Holland, Germany,
Piedmont, Siberia, and England, in large ditches and slow
streams. It is found in little recesses upon the banks of the
Thames, as near Walton bridge, Botley bridge, Godstow bridge,
and Hinksey ferry, in Oxfordshire ; and in the river Cam, at
Streathem ferry ; and very commonly in the fens of Ely.
2. Menyanthes Indica ; Indian Buckbean. Leaves cor-
date, subcrenate ; petioles floriferous ; corollas hairy within.
Native of both Indies. Sir William Jones, in his Select
Indian Plants, describes another species, probably only a
variety, with ten stamina, five of which are fertile. He calls
it Cumada, or Delight of the Water, which seems to be a
general name for beautiful aquatic flowers.
3. Menyanthes Ovata; Cape Buckbean. Leaves ovate,
petioled ; stem panicled. This has the appearance of Alisma.
Native of the Cape.
4. Menyanthes Trifoliata; Common Buckbean, or Marsh
Trefoil. Leaves ternate ; corolla extremely hairy on the
upper side. Root perennial, creeping, long, jointed, and
fibrous ; stem procumbent, various in length according to
situation, covered by the sheaths of the leaves, which are on
round striated petioles ; corolla outwardly rose-coloured, in-
wardly white. An infusion of the leaves is extremely bitter,
and of late years has been in common use as an alterative
and aperient in impurities of the humours, and some hydropic
and rheumatic complaints. A drachm in powder purges and
vomits. It is sometimes given to destroy worms. As an
active and eccophrotic bitter, it seems not ill adapted to
supply the want of bile in the primce vice ; and thus may be
of use in protracted jaundice, and other biliary obstructions.
Cullen mentions several instances of its good effects in some
cutaneous diseases of the herpetic and seemingly cancerous
kind. It may be necessary for delicate stomachs to join
some grateful aromatic with the infusion. In a scarcity of
hops, this plant is used in the north of Europe to give a bitter
to beer; two ounces will supply the place of a pound of
hops. The powdered roots are sometimes used in Lapland
instead of bread, but they are unpalatable. Some say that
sheep will eat it, and that it cures them of the rot. Meyrick
observes, that it promotes the fluid secretions of the body,
loosens the belly, and is good in the jaundice, dropsy, scurvy,
rheumatism, ague, and scrofulous disorders. For 1 the dropsy,
the best method is to bruise the plant, and extract the juice
with a little white wine. In scorbutic complaints, a strong
infusion should be drank for a considerable time, to the
amount of three half pints or a quart a day. For the ague,
it must be dried and finely powdered, in which state half a
drachm is a full dose, and, if properly repeated, will /re-
quently effect a cure when most other means prove ineffec-
tual. Boerhaave says, the juice of the leaves mingled with
whey is serviceable in the gout. This was formerly called
Marsh Trefoil, and Marsh Claver or Clover. The Germans
call it Bocsbohne ; the Danes, Bukkeblade. It flowers from
May to July, and is found in wet boggy meadows, in ditches,
and upon the sides of ponds and lakes : as in Battersea
meadows; about the island of St. Helena; near Rotherhithe;
about Staines ; on Bromley Common ; between Farnborough
and Caston Mark; at Csesar's Camp near Bromley; upon
Hayes Common, Hampstead Heath, Harefie4d Moor, and at
several pl;ce8 in Cambridgeshire. This plant is frequently
rooted out by the simplers. This plant has not been culti-
vated in gardens: it deserves cultivation, however; and to
such as wish to have it flower in perfection, Mr. Curtis re-
commends to collect the roots in spring or autumn, to put
them in a large pot having a hole in the bottom, and filled
with bog-earth, and to immerse the pot about two-thirds of
its depth in water.
5. Menyanthes Hydrophyllum ; Water-leaf Buckbean.
Leaves cordate, quite entire ; flowers axillary, heaped^, nec-
tariferous. Native of Cochin-china.
Mercurialis ; a genus of the class Dioecia, order Ennean-
dria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Male. Calix: perianth
three-parted; parts ovate-lanceolate, concave, spreading.
Corolla: none, except the calix. Stamina: filamenta nine
or twelve, capillary, straight, the length of the calix ; antheree
globular, twin. Female. Calix: perianth as in the male.
Corolla : none ; nectaries two, awl-shaped points, one on
each side of the germen, impressed on the groove of the
germen. Pistil: germen roundish, compressed, scored on
each side, hispid ; styles two, reflex, horned, hispid ; stigmas
acute, reflex. Pericarp: capsule roundish, shaped like the
scrotum, twin, two-celled. Seeds: solitary, roundish. ES-
SENTIAL CHARACTER. Male. Calix: three-parted. Corolla:
none. Stamina : nine or twelve. Antherce: globular, twin. Fe-
male. Calix : three-parted. Corolla : none. Styles : two. Cap-
sules: dicoccous, two-celled, one-seeded. The species are,
1. Mercurialis Perennis ; Dog's Mercury. Stem quite
simple ; leaves rugged. Root perennial, creeping, white, very
fibrous. The male and female plants are rarely found inter-
mixed, each sort usually growing in large patches; whence it
is probable that this plant, which increases by the root, rarely
produces perfect seeds. In the third edition of Ray's Synopsit
there is a very circumstantial relation from Sir Hans Sloane,
118
M ES
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
M ES
of a man with his wife and three children experiencing highly
deleterious effects from eating this plant fried with bacon ;
but as Mr. Miller asserts the same thing without citing any
instance, it would be well to ascertain the fact, for this is a
common plant, very much resembling the third^pecies, which
is used for a pot-herb, and sometimes as an emollient. Lin-
neus says it is injurious to sheep ; but with us, no quadruped
appears to eat it. In drying, it turns blue ; and steeped in
water, yields a fine deep blue colour, which is said to be un-
fortunately destructible both by acids and alkalies, and not
recoverable by any means yet discovered. It is common in
woods and hedges, flowering from the end of March to the
middle of May. It is easily propagated by the roots, and
requires a warm situation and a dry rubbishy soil. It is often
killed by hard frosts.
2. Mercurialis Ambigua ; Doubtful Mercury. Stem bra-
chiate ; leaves smoothish ; flowers in whorls, female and male.
Root fibrous ; annual. Native of Spain, on the walls of Cadiz
and Gibraltar.
3. Mercurialis Annua; Annual or French Mercury. Stem
brachiate ; leaves smooth ; flowers in spikes. Root annual,
fibrous, white. This may be distinguished from the first species
by its annual root, branched stem, more numerous flowers, its
want of nectaries or barren stamina, and its smaller hairy
seed-vessels. It also flowers late in the summer, whereas
Dog's Mercury flowers only in the spring. This plant is
mucilaginous, and was formenly much employed as an emol-
lient. Tournefort informs us, that the French made a syrup
of it, two ounces of which was given as a purge ; and that
they used it in clysters and pessaries, mixing one part of
honey with one and a half of juice. The seeds taste like
those of hemp. It is now disregarded in England. Native of
many parts of Europe. Found in Great Britain, upon waste
places and dunghills about towns and villages, but seldom at
a distance from inhabited places. It scatters seed, and in-
creases so much as to be a common weed in gardens.
4. Mercurialis Tomentosa; Woolly Mercury. Stems suf-
fruticose ; leaves tomentose. Native of the south of France,
Spain, and Italy. If the seeds be permitted to scatter, they
will come up in the following spring ; if they are sown, it
should be in autumn. It requires a dry rubbishy soil.
5. Mercurialis Afra ; Cape Mercury. Stem prostrate,
herbaceous ; leaves ovate, subtomentose ; flowers androgy-
nous. Found at the Cape.
6. Mercurialis Indica. Stem shrubby, branched ; leaves
lanceolate, even ; flowers three-styled. The fresh leaves
boiled in soup purge gently. Native of Cochin-china.
Mercury, English. See Chenopodium.
Mesembryanthemum ; a genus of the class Icosandria, order
Pentagynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, five-cleft, superior, acute, spreading, permanent. Co-
rolla: one-petalled ; petals lanceolate-linear, very numerous,
in several rows, a little longer than the calix, slightly united
at the claws into one. Stamina: filamenta numerous, capil-
lary, the length of the calix; an there incumbent. Pistil:
germen inferior, with five blunt angles ; styles four to ten,
commonly five, awl-shaped, upright, and then bent back ;
stigma simple. Pericarp: capsule fleshy, roundish, the navel
marked with rays, the cells corresponding with the styles in
number. Seeds: very many, roundish. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: five-cleft. Petals: numerous, linear. Cap-
sule: fleshy, inferior, many-seeded. This is a vast genus of
succulent plants, formerly known by the name of Ficoides,
from its affinity to the Indian Fig. The new Edition of
Hortus Kewensis enumerates 175 species. They are nearly all
the production of the arid sands of the Cape : Some are an-
nuals, though most are perennials. Some are stemless. Some
are lax, with a pendulous stem or branches ; and the rest are
shrubby, with a woody hard stem. The greater part hare
opposite leaves, but some have them alternate. Most of
them have five styles, some four, and others ten ; and the
number varies in several of the species. Among the spe-
cies are the following :
* With white Corollas.
1. Mesembryanthemum Nodiflorum ; Egyptian Fig Mart-
gold. Leaves alternate, roundish, blunt, ciliate at the base.
Stems decumbent and diffused; the whole plant papulose.
Native of Egypt, where they cut up the plants, and burn them
for pot-ash ; it is esteemed the best sort for making hard
soap, and the finer glass. It also grows wild in Italy about
Naples, on high sea-banks exposed to the spray. In the
stove the stalks grow long and slender, and are not productive
of flowers. Raised in a hot-bed, and afterwards exposed to
the open air, it flowers freely. This, with the other annuals
of this genus, is propagated by seeds, sown upon a hot-bed
early in the spring. When the plants come up, plant them
on a fresh hot-bed to bring them forward. After they have
taken root in the hot-bed, they should have very little water.
When they are large enough to transplant again, plant each
in a small pot filled with light fresh earth, but not rich, and
plunge them into a hot-bed of tan, shading them in the heat
of the day, until they have taken new root, and then giving
them plenty of fresh air. At the end of June, some of the
plants may be inured to the open air, and afterwards may be
turned out of the pots, and planted in a warm border, where
they will thrive and spread, but will not be very productive of
flowers. Some therefore must be continued in the pots, and
removed to the shelves of the stove, that they may flower
plentifully, and produce good seeds.
2. Mesembryanthemum Ciliatum ; Ciliated Fig Marigold.
Leaves opposite, connate, half round ; stipules membrana-
ceous, reflex, jagged, ciliary. This is a beautiful little shrub,
with a perennial fibrous root, and slender, but firm, nearly
upright, straight branches ; thickly adorned with green, dotted,
very small triquetrous leaves. Native of the Cape.
3. Mesembryanthemum Caducum ; Small-flowered Fig
Marigold. Leaves filiform, half round, distinct; teats ovate,
lateral ; flowers sessile, terminating ; flowers surrounded by
a parr of leaves. Native of the Cape.
4. Mesembryanthemum Crystallinum ; Diamond Fig Mari-
gold, of Ice Plant. Leaves alternate, ovate, papulose; flowers
sessile ; calices broad ovate, acute, retuse. This plant is an
annual, and is distinguished by its leaves and stalks, being
closely covered with pellucid pimples full of moisture, which
when the sun shines on them reflect the light, and appear like
small bubbles of ice; whence it has been called by some the
Ice Plant, and by others the Diamond Plant, or Diamond Ficoi-
des. It flowers in July and August. Native of Greece, near
Athens. For its propagation and culture, see the first species.
5. Mesembryanthemum Humifusum; Narrow-leaved Icy
Fig Marigold. Leaves embracing, spatulate, keeled ; teats
conical, rugged; petals very minute. This shrub is a
native of the Cape. This, like all the perennial and shrubby
sorts, may be increased very readily in a stove, either from
seeds or cuttings not covered by bell-glasses. Sow the
seed as soon as procured, unless it be in the depth of
winter, in a poor, light, sandy soil, kept damp, but not wet :
its germination will be much assisted by the bark-bed.
They all remain a long time in the seed-leaf. When the
young plants appear, they should have rather more water and
air, until they have four or five leaves, when they may be
transplanted into the smallest pots, kept in the same gentle
MES
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MES
119
hot-bed until they have got fresh roots, when they should be
gradually hardened to the open air, if it be suuraer, or placed
near the old plants in the dry-stove in winter. When they
have filled the small pots with their roots, they should be
supplied with larger ones. If raised from cuttings, the shoots
need not be large, and the youngest are the best; they should
be divested of a few of the old leaves, and, if very succulent,
laid in a dry shady place, from one to twenty-four hours, to
heal their wounds; after which, plant them in a light, sandy,
unmanured soil, which will not bind, with the earth pressed
close; water them very sparingly, and shade them from the
sun until they have stricken root, but without covering them
with a hand-glass. Their striking will be greatly accelerated
by plunging 1 them into a gentle hot-bed, though most of them
will succeed very well without that assistance if kept in the
house; and many will do well during the summer even in
open borders, proivded they are gently watered when dry.
May is the most favourable season for striking them; but they
may be struck at almost all times of the year, in a very mode-
rate stove. Some strike in ten days, some take a fortnight,
and others require a month or six weeks.
6. Mesembyranthemum Copticum; Coptic Fig Marigold.
Leaves half round, papulose, distinct; flowers sessile, axil-
lary; calices five-cleft. Annual; and a native of Egypt.
See the first species.
7. Mesembryanthemum Apetalum; Dwarf Spreading Fig
Marigold. Leaves embracing, distinct, linear, flat above,
longer than the internodes, papulose; papulae oblong; flow-
ers peduncled; calices five-cleft. Annual. Stem herbaceous,
round, red, and, like the whole plant, covered with obsolete,
papulose, shining dots. It flowers in July and August.
Native of the Cape. See the first species.
8. Mesembryanthemum Geniculiflorum; Jointed Fig Ma-
rigold. Leaves half round, papulose, distinct; flowers ses-
sile, axillary: calices four-cleft. Herbaceous while young,
becoming shrubby by age; flowers small, making a poor
appearance. Native of the Cape. This plant strikes readily
from young shoots, but with difficulty from old ones, and is
apt to lose its leaves, and then looks like a different plant.
See the fifth species.
9. Mesembryanthemum Noctiflorum : Night-flowering Fig
Marigold. Leaves semi-cylindric, undotted, distinct; flowers
peduncled; calices four-cleft. The trunk becomes about the
thickness of a little finger, is smooth and even, covered -with
a bay-coloured bark, and has frequent joints where branches
have fallen. The flowers are closed during the day, open in
the evening, and continue open during the night, when they
smell very sweet. There is a variety with larger flowers, out-
side of a pale yellow colour. Native of the Cape. See the
fifth species.
10. Mesembryanthemum Splendens; Shining Fig Mari-
gold. Leaves roundish, undotted, recurved, distinct, heaped ;
calices finger-shaped, terminating. Stems woody, a foot and
more high, with many short branches, and clustered leaves;
flowers solitary, at the end of the branchlets, large, whitish
or very pale yellow; appearing in July and August. They
open before and after noon when the sun shines, opening
and shutting several times, and finally closing about the fruit.
Native of the Cape. See the fifth species.
11. Mesembryanthemum Umbellatum; Umbelled Fig Ma-
rigold. Leaves awl-shaped, rugged, dotted, connate, with
a patulous tip; stem upright; corymb trichotomotis. Stems
woody, forming a regularly branched handsome shrub, stand-
ing without support, with a stout stem, from two to three
feet high, and even more; flowers terminating, white, opening
when the sun shines, from seven or eight in the morning to
VOL. ii. 76.
two or three in the afternoon, and smelling like those of May
or White-thorn. They appear from June to September.
Native of the Cape. See the fifth species.
12. Mesembryanthemum Expansum; Houseleek-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves flattish, lanceolate, undotted, spreading,
distinct, opposite and alternate, remote. Stems and branches
irregular and distorted. The dots upon the leaves shine like
silver in the sun. Native of the Cape. It flowers in July
and August. See the fifth species.
13. Mesembryanthemum Testiculare; Short White-leaved
Fig Marigold. Leaves four, decussated, flat above. Stem-
less, very white and short. Native of the Cape.
14. Mesembryanthemum Criniflorum; Hairy-flowered Fig
Marigold, Leaves ovate; scapes one-flowered. This plant
is the size of a common daisy. Native of the Cape.
15. Mesembryanthemum Tripolium; Plane-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves alternate, lanceolate, flat, undotted ; steins
loose, simple; calices five-cornered. Root biennial; stems
prostrate, smooth, finally terminating in flowers; leaves many,
almost as long as the stems, succulent. This, and the other
succulent sorts, may be propagated by cuttings taken from
the plants ten days or a fortnight before they are planted
that they may have time for their wounded part to heal over
and dry. The lower leaves should be stripped off, that their
naked stalks may be of a sufficient length for planting. As
they are mostly plants of humble growth, so if their stalks be
divested of their leaves an inch and half, it will be sufficient.
The cuttings require to be covered with glasses, to keep oft'
the wet; they must also have less water than the other, but
in other particulars require the same treatment. They must
not have much water in summer, and still less in winter. If
these succulent sorts are placed in an open airy glass-case in
winter, where they may have free air admitted plentifully to
them in mild weather, and be at the same time screened from
frost, they will thrive better than when more tenderly treated.
They require to be shifted twice a year.
16. Mesembryanthemum Calamiforme; Quill-leaved Fig
Marigold. Stemless: leaves roundish, ascending, undotted,
connate ; flowers eight-styled. Flowers solitary, on a short
scape from the centre of the plant, large; petals very narrow,
white, shining like silver in the sun, void of scent, opening
about noon in July, August, and .September. Native of the
Cape. See the preceding species.
17. Mesembryanthemum Digitatum; Blunt-leaved Fig
Marigold. Almost stemless: leaves alternate, round x blunt;
flowers axillary, sessile. Native of the Cape. See the fif-
teenth species.
18. Mesembryanthemum Fallens ; Pale or Channel-leaved
Fig Marigold. Leaves opposite, embracing, distinct, oblong-
lanceolate, acute, bluntly keeled ; teats minute. Native of
the Cape. See the fifteenth species.
**Wilh red Corollas.
19. Meaernbryanthemuin Papulostim ; Angular-stalked Fig
Mangold. Leaves opposite, distinct, ovate-spatulate; teats
subglobular; calices angular, five-cleft; branches angular.
Root biennial; stem short, nearly the thickness of the little
finger. The flowers have no scent, and are open from three
to six in the afternoon. It flowers from April to October.
Native of the Cape. See the fifteenth species.
20. Mesembryanthemum Cordifolium; Heart-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves opposite, petioled, cordate ; calices four-
cleft; stem round. Root perennial; stem rather shrubby,
fleshy, upright, much branched, roundish, smooth, covered,
as well as the leaves and calix, with depressed dots. Flowers
solitary, pednncled, erect; petals numerous, reddish purple,
white at the base. It flowers from Mav to September. Native
2 H
120
M ES
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MES
of the Cape. If planted in a south border, it will cover many
feet of ground, and flower and perfect seeds.
21. Mesembryanthemum Limpidum ; Transparent Fig
Marigold. Leaves opposite, spatulate, blunt, rugged; teats
oblong; calicine leaflets oblong, blunt, contracted in the
middle. Root annual ; stems round, branching, purple, half
a foot long or more, procumbent, the whole covered with icy
blebs like the fourth species ; flowers elegant, an inch and
half in diameter, void of scent. It flowers in July. Native
of the Cape. See the fifth species.
22. Mesembryanthemum Bellidiflorum ; Daisy-flowered
Fig Marigold. Stemless: leaves three-sided, linear, undot-
ted, toothed in three rows at the tip. Flowers solitary, ter-
minating, the form and size of a daisy, whitish with a tinge
of purple, and streaked with a purple line along the middle
of each petal both within and without. They open about
noon, and appear from June to August. Native of the Cape.
See the fifth species.
23. Mesembryanthemum Deltoides; Delta-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves deltoid, three-sided, toothed, undotted,
distinct. This grows two feet or more in length, with a round
stem, and opposite branches covered with thick leaves; flowers
in a sort of umbel at the ends of the branches; corollas pale
purple, sweet-smelling, not longer than the calix; stamina
white, upright, and forming a cone; antherse yellow. In
warm weather the flowers continue open day and night.
There are two varieties ; the first has larger and paler flowers,
rather inclining to violet, and appearing three or four weeks
later. The second variety has flowers of a pale rose-purple
colour, numerous: they open in a morning as soon as the
sun shines strongly upon them. These varieties all agree
in having triquetrous leaves shaped like the Greek delta A,
of a smooth and even surface, appearing porous when held
up to the light. Native of the Cape.
24. Mesembryanthemum Barbatum; Bearded Fig Mari-
gold. Leaves subovate, papulose, distinct, bearded at the
tip. The least interior petals which surround the stamina
are white. There are several varieties: the first has stems
somewhat woody and slender. The flowers open when the
sun shines from seven or eight in the morning till noon, but
shut soon after noon although the sun still shines : they
open several days successively, and have a scarcely per-
ceptible Hawthorn smell. The second variety is sessile or
stemless the first and second year, but afterwards acquires a
low stem and resupine branches. The flowers come out
later, namely, in September and October; they are somewhat
smaller, a pale purple tending to pale violet, and shining.
A third variety might be taken for a younger plant of the
other; however, the cuttings never protrude such thick and
long leaves. It flowers from June to August. Native of
the Cape. This, as well as the twenty-fifth, thirty-first,
thirty-ninth, fifty-ninth, and sixtieth species, will sometimes
abide several winters, on a dry artificial rock, or upon the top
or at the foot of a dry wall. These plants thrive best in
winter in a dry, light, airy stove or large glass-case, not over-
stocked with plants, especially such as cause watery vapours
by casting their leaves. The flues should be gently worked
in cold and damp weather, and the plants should not be
placed too near each other, but ought to have as much free
air as possible when the weather is dry and favourable, and
should be watered only sparingly in cold weather. Those
which hold water within the centre should not be watered
over the tops in winter time.
25. Mesembryanthemum Hispidum ; Bristly Fig Mari-
gold. Leaves cylindric, papulose, distinct; stem hispid.
Stems and branches from a foot and a half to two feet in
length, numerous, spreading every way, slender, the lower
joints swelling out into knots, an inch or more distant; leaves
dark green, shining with innumerable icy globules closely
heaped together. Peduncle very rugged downwards, rather
to the sight than the touch; calix awnless; flower sweet-
smelling, very like that in the preceding species, from wriich
perhaps it originally sprung, losing the beard of the leaves,
and having it scattered over the stem. There are several
varieties : one in which the gobules are less protuberant in
this than in the third hereafter mentioned, and more confluent,
so that the leaves appear wrinked with them. The second
variety is lower, more branched and upright, than the pre-
ceding; flowers pale purple. A third variety with flowers of
the same size, but of a paler colour: this is very often in
bloom ; it opens its gay striated flowers in the forenoon,
which being numerous, make a fine appearance when ex-
panded, but are handsomest the first time of opening, for they
lose their gayest colours long before they fade quite away.
It flowers a great part of the year. Native of the Cape. See
the preceding species.
26. Mesembryanthemum Villosum; Hairy-stalked Fig
Marigold. Leaves pubescent, connate, undotted; stem hairy ;
branches in pairs. The flowers are solitary, terminating,
rarely seen, opening only in the forenoon to a very warm sun.
Native of the Cape. See the fifth species.
27. Mesembryanthemum Bracteatum; Bracteated Fig
Marigold. Leaves somewhat sabre-shaped, dotted, recurved
at the tip; bractes embracing, broad-ovate, keeled. Stem
not very shrubby nor very thick, from a foct and half to two
feet high; branches woody. The flowers smell like those of
the Hawthorn, remaining from July to October in succession,
and being open both day and night. Native of the Cape.
See the fifth species.
28. Mesembryanthemum Scabrum; Rugged Fig Marigold.
Leaves awl-shaped, distinct, muricate, dotted all round un-
derneath ; calices awnless. Stems woody, at bottom bay, the
branches yellowish brown, procumbent; flowers solitary, (two
or three,) violet purple and shining, but becoming paler,
opening two or three times, before and after noon. Native of
the Cape. See the fifth species.
29. Mesembryanthemum Reptans; Creeping Fig Mari-
gold. Leaves three-sided, acute, rugged; stem creeping.
In the open air it will extend the branches above a foot and
half every way, and they will be firmly fixed to the ground
by strong fibres at every joint. Native of the Cape of Good
Hope. See the fifteenth species.
30. Mesembryanthemum Emarginatum; Notch-flowered
Fig Marigold. Leaves awl-shaped, heaped, somewhat rug-
ged ; calices spiny ; petals emarginate. Shrubby but procum
bent; even when tied up, its irregular twisted branches will
hang down. Flowers several, middle-sized, with scarcely
any odour, on slender long peduncles; petals very many,
lying one over the other, of a most vivid violet colour ; but
the flowers only expand at noon when the sun is hot. Native
of the Cape. See the fifteenth species.
31. Mesembryanthemum Uncinatum; Hook-leaved Fig
Marigold. Joints of the stem terminated by connate, acumi-
nate, dotted leaves, toothed underneath. Stems slender, round.
There are several varieties. Native of the Cape. See the
twenty-fourth species.
32. Mesembryanthemum Spinosum ; Thorny Fig Marigold.
Leaves from round three-sided, dotted, distinct; thorns
branched. Flowers small, pale violet purple, on slender, leaf-
less, green peduncles^ It is an upright thorny shrub, from
two to three feet high, much branched. Native of the Cape
See the fifth species.
M ES
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MES
121
33. Mesembryanthemum Tuberosum ; Tuberous-rooted Fig
Marigold. Leaves awl-shaped, papulose, distinct, patulous
at the tip ; root headed. This forms a low, much branched,
and spreading shrub ; and when old has a very large tuberous
root, sometimes as big as a man's head, partly protruded
above the surface. It "flowers about noon. Native of the
Cape. See the fifth species.
34. Mesembryanthemum Tenuifolium ; Slender-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves subfiliform, smooth, distinct, longer than
the internodes; stems procumbent. Stems woody, slender,
round, with a yellowish bark; flowers at the ends of the
branches, solitary, on long slender peduncles ; they are large,
especially on young plants, pale scarlet, shining, and
appearing powdered with gold dust in full sun-shine : they are
abundant, and open several days successively about noon,
especially in June. Native of the Cape. See the fifth species.
35. Mesembryanthemum Stipulaceum ; Upright Shrubby
Fig Marigold. Leaves subtriquetrous, compressed, curved
inwards, dotted, distinct, heaped, margined at the base.
Plant upright, woody, firm, growing to a larger size than
most of the species ; flowers terminating in a sort of corymb,
large, showy, and purple. Native of the Cape. See the fifth
species.
36. Mesembryanthemum Leave ; Upright White-wooded
Fig Marigold. Leaves cylindric, blunt, embracing, even;
calices five-cleft; segments oblong, blunt. Native of the
Cape. See the fifth species.
37. Mesembryanthemum Deflexum; Bending Fig Mari-
gold. Leaves three-sided, acute, glaucous ; dots obsolete,
somewhat rugged ; interior calicine segments membranaceous.
This is a very low, small, spreading, or trailing shrub. It
flowers from July to October. Native of the Cape. See the
fifth species.
38. Mesembryanthemum Australe ; New Zealand Fig Ma-
rigold. Leaves subtriquetrous, small-dotted, connate, blunt-
ish; stem round, creeping; peduncles bluntly ancipital, soli-
tary. Native of New Zealand, flowering in July and August.
39. Mesembryanthemum Crassifolium ; Thick-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves semicylindric, undotted, connate, three-
sided at top. This is a handsome plant, with creeping stems
a span long, thickly furnished with leaves ; and the branches,
which sometimes hang a full yard from the pot, are naturally
prostrate and reptant, angular and slender. Native of the
Cape. See the fifteenth species.
40. Mesembryanthemum Falcatum ; Sickle-leaved Fig Ma-
rigold. Leaves somewhat sabre-shaped, curved inwards,
dotted, distinct; branches round. It is a very low, bushy,
divaricating, almost decumbent shrub, rarely above six or
eight inches high; leaves very minute and much crowded,
glaucous, with smooth pellucid dots; flowers purple, large,
solitary, opening in the morning. It flowers abundantly great
part of the summer. Native of the Cape. See the fifth species.
41. Mesembryanthemum Glomeratum; Clustered Fig Ma-
rigold. Leaves roundish, compressed, dotted, distinct; stem
panicled, many-flowered. This is a small, very bushy, and
rather glaucous shrub, from six inches to a foot high. It is
a very variable little plant, but not in the least liable to be
taken for any other species ; it assumes different appearances,
according to its treatment, and the different stages of growth.
The very numerous beautiful purple flowers, covering the
whole plant, and produced every season, make this a valua-
ble species. It flowers from June to August. Native of the
Cape. See the fifth species.
42. Mesembryanthemum Brevifolium ; Short-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves cylindric, very blunt, papulose, spread-
ing ; branches diffused. This is a slender, branched, woody
shrub, two feet high, or more. It assumes very different
appearances, according to its age and the treatment it receives.
In the full ground under a south wall, in a poor soil, the
leaves will be above an inch in length and nearly semicylin-
dric, and the young shoots will be covered with pilescent
papulae, pointing downwards, and appearing in a microscope
like minute hooks of glass or ice. Whereas the leaves in the
stove, when not luxuriant, are seldom a quarter of an inch in
length, and the papulae are not pilescent. Native of the
Cape. See the fifth species.
43. Mesembryanthemum Loreiim ; Leathery-stalked Fig
Marigold. Leaves semicylindric, recurved, heaped, gibbous
at the inner base, and connate ; stem pendulous. Native of
the Cape. See the fifth species.
44. Mesembryanthemum Filamentosum ; Thready Fig
Marigold. Leaves equilaterally triangular, acute, somewhat
dotted and connate ; angles rugged ; branches hexangular ;
plant trailing on the ground ; flowers purple, pretty, not
showy, on peduncles two inches long, with a pair of leaves
on each side.
45. Mesembryanthemum Acinaciforme ; Cimetar-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves cimetar-shaped, undotted, connate, rug-
ged at the angle of the keel ; petals lanceolate. Flowers
large, three inches in diameter, handsome, of a very vivid
shining purple. It seldom produces flowers.
46. Mesembryanthemum Forficatum; Forked Fig Mari-
gold. Leaves cimetar-shaped, blunt, undotted, connate,
thorny at the tip, ancipital. This is a decumbent plant, and
almost herbaceous while young, but becoming shrubby by age.
Native of the Cape. See the fifth species.
47. Mesembryanthemum Spectabile ; Showy or Great Pur-
ple-flowered Fig Marigold. Leaves perfoliate, very long,
glaucous, dotted, quite entire, three-sided, awl-shaped at
the tip ; stem woody, ascending. This is a shrubby plant,
not erect; flowers solitary, very large, bright purple, making
a fine contrast with the very glaucous leaves and deep brown
branches. Native of the Cape. See the first species.
*** With yellow Corollas.
48. Mesembryanthemum Edule ; Eatable Fig Marigold.
Leaves equilaterally triangular, acute, strict, undotted, con-
nate, subserrate at the keel ; stem ancipital. Flowers three
inches in diameter, yellow, shining in the sun ; capsule eight
and sometimes ten or eleven celled. It is called Hottentots'
Figs, being eaten by the Hottentots, and also by the Dutch
inhabitants of the Cape ; of which it is a native.
49. Mesembryanthemum Bicolorum; Two-coloured Fig
Marigold. Leaves awl-shaped, even, dotted, distinct; stem
frulescent ; corollas two-coloured. Shrubby, two feet high.
Native of the Cape. See the fifth species.
50. Mesembryanthemum Aureum; Golden Fig Marigold.
Leaves cylindric, three-sided, dotted, distinct; pistils black
purple. Shrubby, scarcely capable of supporting itself up-
right when tall. Native of the Cape, See the fifth species.
51. Mesembryanthemum Serratum ; Serrate-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves awl-shaped, three-sided, dotted, indis-
tinct, serrate backwards at the angle of the keel. This is an
elegant species, three quarters of a yard in height, with woody
stems not so thick as the little finger, and not much branched,
procumbent, covered with an ash-coloured bark ; flowers on
the upper branches, solitary, terminating, large, of an elegant
yellow colour. They open several times from eight in the
morning to three or four in the afternoon, if the sun shines,
and have a. little smell. Dillenius received it from Holland,
and gives a caution constantly to raise young plants, because
the old ones are very apt to perish : and it is probably for
want of attending to this caution, that this species can hardly
122
M ES
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
M ES
be found in any of our collections. Native of the Cape. See
the fifth species.
52. Mesembryanthemum Micans ; Glittering Fig Man-
gold. Leaves subcylindric, papulose, distinct ; stem rugged ;
two or three feet high ; leaves in pairs, overspread with glit-
tering spangles of a greenish yellow colour ; flowers large,
concave; the narrow middle petals next the white filamenta
being very dark, by which it is easily distinguished from all
the other sorts. It varies with paler smaller flowers. Native
of the Cape.
53. Mesembryanthemum Grossum; Gouty Fig Mangold.
Leaves subcylindric, clustered, papulose ; trunk thickened at
the base; branches diffused, smooth. Native of the Cape.
54. Mesembryanthemum Brachiatum ; Three-forked Fig
Marigold. Stem and leaves cylindric, papulose; branches
trichotomous. Native of the Cape.
55. Mesembryanthemum Rostratum ; Heron-leaved Fig
Marigold. Stemless : leaves semicyliudric, connate, exter-
nally tubercled. Dillenius remarks that this species is distin-
guished from all others by the central leaves being long and
narrow, not ill representing a heron's bill. 'Native of the
Cape. See the fifteenth species.
56. Mesembryanthemum Compactum; Dotted or Thick-
leaved FigMarigold. Stemless : leaves connate, dotted, half
round, three-sided at the tip, somewhat reflex, sharp ; flowers
sessile ; calix subcylindric, six-cleft. Native of the Cape ;
flowering in November.
57. Mesembryanthemum Veruculatum ; Spit-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves three-sided, cylindric, acute, connate,
bowed, undotted, distinct. Stem woody, a foot or two in
height, covered with an ash-coloured bark, deformed by age
with irregular wide fissures ; flowers in a sort of umbel at the
ends of the branches from the axils of the leaves, small, pale
yellow, smelling very sweet. Native of the Cape; flowering
in May and June.
58 Mesembryanthemum Molle ; Soft Fig Marigold.
Leaves three-sided, connate, erect, glaucous, undotted ;
branches half round ; peduncles axillary, compressed.
Native of the Cape.
59. Mesembryanthemum Glaucum ; Glaucous-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves three-sided, acute, dotted, indistinct ;
calicine leaflets ovate-cordate. Stems a foot and half high, or
more, woody ; flowers large, pale yellow or sulphur-coloured
on both sides, sometimes slightly tinged with red on the out-
side. They remain expanded only a few hours, and contract
about noon; but open several times, and have a succession
during the summer months. It is a strong upright shrub.
Native of the Cape. See the twenty-fourth species.
60. Mesembryanthemum Corniculatum ; Horned Fig Ma-
rigold. Leaves three-sided, semicylindric, rugged-dotted,
with a raised line above the base, and connate ; stems half
erect or reclining, scattered, round at top. The flowers
continue some days, and expand about noon. Native of the
Cape. See the twenty-fourth species.
61. Mesembryanthemum Pinnatifidum ; Pinnated Fig
Marigold, leaves flat, oblong, pinnatifid. Root annual,
uot much branched, of short duration. Flowers small, soli-
tary, ou longish peduncles, yellow; expanding in the after-
noon. The whole plant is sprinkled over with glittering
particles like the Ice Plant, to which it bears some affinity in
its duration. Native of the Cape. See the first species.
62. Mesembryanthemum Sesgiliflorum; Sessile-flowered Fig
Marigold. Leaves flat, spatulate, both these and the stems
papulose ; branches divaricate ; flowers sessile. Annual.
Native of the Cape. See the first species.
63. Mesemhryautbuemum Tortuosum ; Twisted-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves flattish, oblong-ovate, subpapillose, clus-
tered connate ; calices three-leaved, two-horned ; stem short,
thickish. Native of the Cape. See the first species.
64. Mesembryanthemum Glabrum ; Smooth-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves embracing, distinct, spatulate, very smooth ;
peduncles the length of the leaves^ calices hemispherical.
Annual. Native of the Cape. See the first species.
65. Mesembryanthemum Helianthoides ; Spatula-leaved
Fig Marigold. Leaves spatulate, flat, even ; peduncles very
long ; calices flat at the base, angular. Annual. Native of
the Cape. See the first species.
66. Mesembryanthemum Pomeridianum ; Great-flowered
Fig Marigold. Leaves flattish, broad-lanceolate, even,
subciliate, distinct ; stem, peduncles, and germ, rough-haired.
Root annual ; stem herbaceous, a span high, scarcely thicker
than a goose-quill ;. flowers upright, the size of the common
Marigold; corolla sulphur-coloured, shining, spreading very
much. Native of the Cape. See the first species.
67. Mesembryanthemum Echinatum; Echinated Fig Ma-
rigold. Leaves oblong-ovate, subtriquetrous, gibbous, ramen-
taceous-hispid ; calicine segments leaf-shaped. Native of
the Cape.
68. Mesembryanthemum Ringens ; Ringent Fig Marigold.
Almost stemless : leaves ciliate-toothed, dotted. There are
several varieties of this species. That called the Dog-chap
Fig Marigold is stemless while young, but acquires by age
considerable trailing woody stems, with large showy yellow
flowers, opening in the afternoon, and closing in the evening.
The Cat-chap Fig Marigold is entirely sessile, of a whitish
glaucous colour ; corolla golden-coloured within, not having
any tinge of red, yellow with a tinge of red on the outside.
Native of the Cape ; flowers from May to June.
69. Mesembryanthemum Dolabriforme ; Hatchet-leaved
Fig Marigold. Stemless : leaves hatchet-shaped, dotted.
This is a low plant at first, but grows larger and stronger ;
flowers of a pale yellow colour. Native of the Cape.
70. Mesembryanthemum Diffbrme ; Various -leaved Fig
Marigold. Stemless : leaves dirForm, dotted, connate.
Native of the Cape. See the fifteenth species.
71. Mesembryanthemum Albidum; White Fig Marigold.
Stemless : leaves three-sided, quite entire. Flowers large,
yellow, on long peduncles. Native of the Cape.
72. Mesembryanthemum Linguiforme ; Tongue-leaved Fig
Marigold. Stemless : leaves tongue-shaped, thicker at one
edge, undotted. The leaves of this species in all the varieties
(of which there are three) are not decussated, but lie in the
same oblique plane. Native of the Cape.
73. Mesembryanthemum Pugioniforme; Dagger-leaved Fig
Marigold. Leaves alternate, clustered, awl-shaped, three-
sided, very long, undotted. This species grows up into a
stem an inch and more in thickness, and two or three feet in
height ; with a crown of clustered leaves a span in length at
top, and branches a foot long at the base, hanging down with
the multitude of leaves. Flowers large, expanding when the
sun shines, straw-coloured above, tinged with red trader-
neath, composed of numerous slender cusped petals, gradually
smaller, and the inner ones filamentose. The flowers open
from eight or nine in the morning to four or five in the after-
noon. It flowers from May to August. Native of the Cape.
**** With green Corollas.
74. Mesembryanthemum Viridiflorum; Green-flowered Fiji
Marigold. Leaves semicylindric, papulose, hairy; calice*
five-cleft, hirsute. Native of the Cape.
75. Mesembryanthemum Capillare. Leaves connate, round,
papulose; stem upright; branchlets one-flowered, filiform,
smooth. Native of the Cape.
MES
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MIS
123
Mespilus; a genus of the class Icosandria, order Pentagy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed,
concave-spreading, five-cleft, permanent. Corolla: petals
five, roundish, concave, inserted into the calix. Stamina:
filamenta twenty, awl-shaped, inserted into the calix; antherse
simple. Pistil: germen inferior; styles five, simple, erect ;
stigmas headed. Pericarp: berry globular, umbilicated,
closed by the converging calix, but almost perforated by the
navel. Seeds: five, bony, gibbous. Observe. The genera
of Cratax/us, Sorbus, and Mespilus, are so very nearly allied
as scarcely to be distinguished, except by the number of styles.
The leaves in Sorbus are pinnate, in Cratccgus angular, and
in Mespilus commonly entire. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calif: five-cleft. Petals -.five. Berry: inferior, five-seeded.
All the plants of this genus are hardy enough to thrive in
the open ir in England, and some of .them are very orna-
mental plants for gardens, where, during the season of their
flowering, they will make a fine appearance ; and again in
autumn, when their fruit is ripe, they will afford an agree-
able variety, and their .fruit will be a food for deer and birds:
and clumps of each sort planted in different parts of the garden
are exceedingly ornamental. The American kinds are usually
propagated in the nurseries, by grafting or budding them upon
the Common White Thorn, but the plants so propagated will
never reach half the size of those which are propagated by seeds;
so that those plants should always be chosen which have not
been grafted or budded, but are upon their own roots. But
there are many who object to raising the plants from seeds,
on account of their seeds not growing the first year, as well
as on account of the tediousness of their growth afterwards:
but where a person can furnish himself with the fruit in autumn,
and take out the seeds soon after they are ripe, putting them
into the ground immediately, the plants will come up the
following spring. If they are kept clean from weeds, and in
very dry weather supplied with water, they will make good
progress; but if they are planted in the places where they are
to remain, after two years' growth from seeds, they will suc-
ceed much better than when the plants are of greater age ;
the ground should be well trenched, and cleansed from the
roots of all bad weeds. The best time to transplant them is
in autumn, when their leaves fall off; they should be con-
stantly kept clean from weeds, and if the ground between the
plants is dug every winter, it will greatly encourage the growth
of the plants, so that if they are cleaned three or four times
in the summer, it will be sufficient. All the sorts of Mespi-
lus and Cratffigus will take, by budding or grafting upon each
ether; they will also take upon the Quince or Pear stocks,
and both these will take upon the Medlars; so that these have
great affinity with each other. -The species are,
1. Mespilus Pyracantha; Evergreen Thorn or Mespilus.
Thorny: leaves lanceolate-ovate, crenate; calices of the fruit
blunt. This is a bushy irregular shrub ; flowers white., scarcely
larger than those of Elder; fruit globular, fulvous, the size
of a pea, pulpy, five-seeded. It flowers with us in May.
Native of the south of Europe.
2. Mespilus Germanica ; Dutch Medlar. Unarmed : leaves
lanceolate, tomentose underneath ; flowers sessile, solitary.
This is a small or middle-sized branching tree. There are
several varieties: that called the Great-leaved Dutch Medlar,
bearing the largest fruit, is now generally cultivated ; but the
Nottingham Medlar is of a much quicker and more poignant
taste. The other varieties are now little noticed.
3. Mespilus Arbutifolia; Arbutus-leaved Mespilus. Un-
armed: leaves lanceolate, crenate, tomentose underneath.
Fruit small, roundish, a little compressed, purple when ripe.
It varies with red, black, and white fruit, and seldom rises
VOL. ii. 76.
more than five or six feet high in Virginia, where it is found
in moist woods.
4. Mespilus Amelanchier; Alpine Mespilus. Unarmed:
leaves oval, serrate, hirsute underneath. This rises with
many slender stems, three or four feet high. The wood of
this shrub is very hard, and the bark black. The flowerg
are white, and larger than in those of the other species.
The fruit is good to eat; sweet, and reputed wholesome.
Native of the south of Europe.
5. Mespilus Chamse-Mespilus ; Bastard Quince or Mes-
pilus. Unarmed: leaves oval, acutely serrate, smooth; flow-
ers corymb-capitate. Stalk smooth, four or five feet high ;
fruit small, red. Native of the Pyrenees, the mountains of
Austria, and found by Ray on the higher parts of Mount
Jura, near Geneva.
6. Mespilus Canadensis; Snowy Mespilus. Unarmed:
leaves ovate-oblong, smooth, serrate, sharpish. A low shrub.
Native of Canada and Virginia.
7. Mespilus Japonica; Japan Mespilus. Unarmed : leaves
oblong, blunt, serrate at the tip, tomentose underneath.
This is a large lofty tree. The fruit seems rather to be a
pome, with from one to five cells ; and the taste of it ap-
proaches to that of the apple; it is ripe in May and June.
Native of Japan.
8. Mespilus Cotoneaster ; Dwarf Mespilus. Unarmed :
leaves ovate, quite entire, sharpish, tomentose underneath ;
germina smooth ; berries two-seeded, or three-seeded. This
is a low spreading shrub, not more than two or three feet
high. Native of many parts of Europe and Siberia.
9. Mespilus Tomentosa ; Quince-leaved Mespilus. Un-
armed : leaves ovate, quite entire, blunt, tomentose under-
neath ; germina woolly ; berries five-seeded. Stalk smooth,
about eight feet high. The fruit is large and roundish, and
of a fine red colour when ripe. It flowers in April and May.
Messerschmidia ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order
Monogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, five-parted; segments sublinear, erect, permanent.
Corolla: one-petalled, funnel-form; tube cylindric, rude,
longer than the calix, globular at the base; border five-cleft,
plaited, membranaceous at the sides; throat naked. Stamina:
filamenta five, minute, in the lower part of the tube; anther
awl-shaped, upright, within the middle of the tube. Pistil:
germen subovate ; style cylindric. very short, permanent ;
stigma capitate, ovate. Pericarp: berry dry, suberous, cylin-
dric-rounded, with a retuse umbilicus, surrounded with four
blunt teeth, bipartile. Seeds: two, within each part of the
pericarp, oblong, bony, incurved, outwardly rounded, in-
wardly angular. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: fun-
nel-form, with a naked throat. Berry : suberous, bipartile,
each two-seeded. The species are,
1. Messarschmidia Fruticosa. Stem shrubby ; leaves peti-
oled ; corollas salver-shaped. This is a tall, rugged, rough-
haired, branching shrub, with the branches panicled at the
top Native of the Canary Islands.
2. Messersch-midia Arguzia. Stem herbaceous; leaves
sessile ; corollas funnel-shaped. Root creeping ; stem up-
right, a span high ; corolla white. Native of Siberia.
Mesua; a genus of the class Monadelphia, order Polyan-
dria. GENERIC CHAKACTER. Calix: perianth four-
leaved ; leaflets ovate, concave, blunt, permanent, the two
outer smaller ones opposite. Corolla: petals four, retuse,
waved. Stamina: filamenta numerous, capillary, the length
of the corolla, united at the base into a pitcher; antherae
ovate. Pistil: germen roundish; style cylindric; stigma
thickish, concave. Pericarp: nut roundish, acuminate, with
four longitudinal raised sutures. Seed: single, roundish.
2 I
124
MET
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
M 1C
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : simple, four-leaved.
Corolla: fonr-petalled. Nut: four-cornered, one-seeded.
The only known species is,
1. Mesua Ferrea; Indian Rose-chestnut. Rheede says, it
i much cultivated in Malabar, for the beauty of the flowers,
which come out there in July and August ; and that it bears
fruit in six years from the nut, continuing frequently to bear
during three centuries. He describes it as a very large tree,
spreading like the Lime, with flowers the size and shape of
the Sweet-briar or Eglantine, but with only four white petals;
fruit when it begins to ripen smooth and greenish, but rufous
and wrinkled when ripe, with a rind like that of the Chest-
nut, and three or four kernels within, the shape and size, sub-
stance and taste, of Chestnuts. It may be increased by seeds,
layers, and cuttings.
Metrosideros ; a genus of the class Icosandria, order Mo-
nogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, five-cleft, half superior. Corolla: petals five, con-
cave, nearly sessile, deciduous. Stamina : very long, stand-
ing out, free or separate ; antherae incumbent. Pistil: ger-
men turbinate, fastened to the bottom of the calix ; style
filiform, erect; stigma simple, small, scarcely dilated. Peri-
carp : capsule three-celled, (sometimes four-celled,) three-
valved, (sometimes four-valved,) partly covered with the
belly of the calix. Seeds : very numerous, when unripe
linear, chaffy ; when ripe very few, rounded or angular.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-cleft, half-superior.
Petals: five. Stamina: very long, standing out. Stigma:
simple. Capsule : three-celled. The species are,
1. Metrosideros Hispida. Leaves opposite, cordate at the
base, embracing ; branchlets, peduncles, and calices hispid.
Stem usually four or five feet high; flowers large, and white.
This is a magnificent species. Native of New South Wales.
2. Mestrosideros Floribunda. Leaves opposite, petioled,
ovate-lanceolate ; panicle brachiate ; pedicels umbelled.
Flowers copious, white. Native of New South Wales.
3. Metrosideros Costata. Leaves opposite, petioled, linear-
lanceolate, acuminate, oblique ; panicle brachiate, decom-
pound ; pedicels subumbelled. Flowers yellowish-white,
larger than those of the preceding. Native of New South
Wales.
4. Metrosideros DifFusa. Leaves opposite, ovate, veined,
smooth on both sides; panicles axillary or terminating; pedi-
cels opposite. Native of New Zealand.
5. Metrosideros Villosa. Leaves opposite, ovate, veined,
pubescent underneath ; thyrse axillary or terminating, oppo-
site, villose ; flowers sessile, clustered. This strongly resem-
bles the preceding species. Native of Otaheite.
6. Metrosideros Florida. Leaves opposite, obovate-oblong,
reined, smooth ; thyrse terminating; calices turbinate, naked.
Flowers large, crimson. Native of New Zealand.
7. Metrosideros Glomulifera. Leaves opposite, ovate, net-
ted-veined, pubescent underneath ; heads lateral, peduncled,
both they and the bractes tomentose. Flowers whitish. This
species is slightly aromatic. Native of New South Wales.
8. Metrosideros Angustifolia. Leaves opposite, linear-
lanceolate, naked; peduncles axillary, umbelled; bractes
lanceolate, smooth, deciduous. Native of the Cape.
9. Metrosideros Ciliata. Leaves scattered, almost opposite,
elliptic, blunt, coriaceous, subciliate at the base ; corymbs
terminating, hairy. A bushy shrub; flowers large, hand-
some, of a deep red colour. Native of New South Wales.
10. Metrosideros Linearis. Leaves scattered, linear, chan-
nelled, acute, becoming rigid; flowers lateral, clustered, ses-
sile. Native of New South Wales.
1 1 . Metrosideros Lanceolata. Leaves alternate, lanceolate,
mucronate ; flowers lateral, clustered, sessile, pubescent.
This is a beautiful shrub. Native of New South Wales.
12. Metrosideros Saligna. Leaves alternate, lanceolate,
attenuated to both ends, mucronate ; flowers lateral, clustered,
sessile, smooth. Native of New South Wales.
13. Metrosideros Capitata. Leaves scattered, obovate,
mucronulate ; heads terminating ; calices and branchlets
hairy. Native of New South Wales.
Meutang. The name of a flower much esteemed by the
Chinese, and which they call King of Flowers. It is larger
than our rose, resembles it in figure, and is more expanded ;
yet falls short of it in fragrance, but exceeds it in beauty.
It has no prickles, and its colour is a mixture of white with
purple, but so as to incline most to white, though sometimes
they are found of a reddish and of a yellow colour. The tree
it grows upon is not unlike our Alder tree, and is cultivated
with great care all over China, being covered in the summer
time with a shade, to defend it from the scorching beams of
the sun. We are not aware that botanical writers have as-
signed it a place in the systematical arrangement.
Mazereon. See Daphne.
Mice, are highly destructive to several sorts of garden crops,
such as pease, beans, &c. in the early spring ; and Lettuces,
Melons, and Cucumbers, in frames in the winter season. It
is supposed also that the destruction of grain after it is sown,
is in some seasons very great, owing to the field mice. Hence
the tussocks of wheat, seen to arise in many fields, are pro-
duced from the granaries of these diminutive animals; which,
when they are accidentally destroyed, grows into a tuft,
and have been found to contain nearly a handful of corn.
Their habitations are detected by small mounds of earth
being thrown up, on or near the apertures of their dwellings,
or of the passages which lead to their nests and granaries ;
by following the course of which, they and their progeny
may be found and destroyed. It is found that acorns when
sown, as well as garden beans and peas, are liable to be dug
up or devoured by these voracious little animals. They may
be destroyed by traps baited with cheese, and also by the
poisonous substance usually called nux vomica, which should
be finely rasped down, and mixed with some sort of meal,
or other similar material of which they are fond ; but the
easiest, cheapest, and most effectual mode of extirpating
these little plunderers, is to encourage the breed of owls,
so active in the pursuit of nocturnal vermin, and on that
account so useful to the gardener and farmer, who neverthe-
less still inconsiderately permit their servants and children
to destroy their eggs, and torture and kill their callow young.
See Vermin.
Michauxia; a genus of the class Octandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER.. Calix : perianth one-
leafed, sixteen-parted ; segments lanceolate, unequal, the
alternate ones reversed. Corolla : one-petalled, wheel-shaped,
eight-parted, larger than the calix ; segments linear-lanceo-
late, spreading very much, revolute at the tip; nectary eight-
valved, staminiferous. Stamina: filamenta eight, awl-shaped,
permanent; antheree linear, very long, pressed close to the
style. Pistil: germen inferior, turbinate; style columnar,
permanent; stigma eight-parted ; segments awl-shaped, revo-
lute. Pericarp: capsule turbinate, truncated, eight-celled,
valveless; cells rhombed. Seeds: very numerous, small,
oblong, inserted into the receptacles. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: sixteen-parted. Corollm: wheel-shaped,
eight-parted. Nectary: eight-valved, staminiferous. Cap-
sules : eight-celled, many seeded. The only species is,
1. Michauxia Campanuloides ; Rough-leaved Michauxia^
Stem simple, panicled when in flower, upright, herbaceous,
MIC
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
M I L
125
rough-haired, green, two feet high, the thickness of the little
finger. It is a handsome plant, with the habit of a Campa-
nula. Native of the Levant. The seeds have not ripened
in this country ; so that being a biennial, we cannot keep it
at present. It requires the protection of the green-house.
Michelia; a genus of the class Polyandria, order Polygy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth three-leaved,
leaflets petal-form, oblong, concave, deciduous. Corolla:
petals fifteen, lanceolate ; the outer ones larger. Stamina :
filamenta very many, awl-shaped, very short; antherse erect,
acute. Pistil: germina numerous, imbricate, in along spike;
styles none ; stamina reflex, blunt. Pericarp : berries (ber-
ried capsules) as many as the germina, globular, one-celled,
half-bivalved ; according to Gsertner, dispersed in a raceme.
Seeds: four, (from two to eight, according to Gsertner,) con-
vex on one side, angular on the other. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix : three-leaved. Petals : sixteen. Berries :
many, four-seeded. The species are,
1. Michelia Champaca. Leaves lanceolate; calices exter-
nally silky. This is a lofty tree, with a trunk as large as a
man can compass, covered with a thick ash-coloured bark ;
flowers deep yellow, on the extreme twigs, axillary, on thick
upright peduncles an inch and half in length, and having a
very fragrant smell; fruit resembling a large bunch of grapes,
pale yellowish-white, of an acrid taste. Native of Malabar.
2. Michelia Tsjampaca. Leaves lanceolate, ovate; calices
nearly smooth. Native of the East Indies.
Micropus ; a genus of the class Syngenesia, order Polyga-
mia Necessaria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: common,
inferior five-leaved; leaflets thin, small, obsolete; interior
very large, five-leaved ; leaflets loose, distinct, helmet-shaped,
compressed, converging longitudinally by the margin. Co-
rolla : compound of ten hermaphrodites in the disk, and five
females in the circuit: proper of the hermaphrodite one-
petalled, funnel-form, five-toothed, erect; of the female none.
Stamina : in the hermaphrodites ; filamenta five, bristle-
shaped, very short; antherse cylindric, tubular, the length
of the corollet. Pistil: in the hermaphrodites; germen
obsolete ; style filiform, longer than the stamina ; stigma
obsolete. In the females ; germen obovate, compressed,
within each scale of the common inner calix ; style from the
inner side of the germen, bristle-shaped, bent in towards the
hermaphrodites, the length of the calix ; stigma two-parted,
slender, acuminate. Pericarp: none; calix unchanged, but
the inner one larger, indurated. Seeds: of the hermaphro-
dites, none; of the females, solitary, obovate, included in the
proper leaflet of the inner calix; down none. Receptacle:
with sharp very small chaffs, separating the seeds of the
females, but not the florets of the disk. ESSENTIAL CHA-
RACTER. Calix: calicled. Kay: of the corolla, none.
Female fiorets : wrapped up in the calicine scales. Down :
none. Receptacle: chaffy. The species are,
1. Micropus Supinus; Trailing Micropus. Stem procum-
"bent; leaves in pairs. It is an annual plant. The roots send
out several trailing stalks, six or eight inches long, divari-
cating, often branched, covered with a white nap, as is the
whole plant. Flowers in small clusters, very small, white.
Native of Portugal, Spain, Italy, and the Levant. This is
sometimes preserved in gardens for the beauty of its silvery
leaves. If the seeds be sown in autumn, or permitted to scat-
ter, the plants will come up in the spring, and require only to
be kept clean from weeds, and thinned where too close.
2. Micropus Erectes. Stem upright; calices toothless;
flowers solitary. This also is an annual. Native of Spain,
France, and the Levant.
Microtea ; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth five-leaved ;
leaflets oblong, permanent. Corolla: none. Stamina: fila-
menta five, filiform, the length of the calix, inserted into the
receptacle; antherse subglobular, twin. Pistil: germen
superior, subglobular, echinated ; styles two, very short,
divaricating ; stigmas simple, acute. Pericarp : drupe dry,
coriaceous, thin, echinated. Seed: nut roundish, smooth,
with a single kernel. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix:
five-leaved, spreading. Corolla: none. Drupe: dry, echi-
nated. The only known species is,
]. Microtea Debilis. Stem herbaceous, branched, diffused,
almost upright, striated, smooth. Annual. Native of most
of the West India Islands.
Miegia; a genus of the class Triandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : glume one-flowered,
two-valved; valves ovate, concave, nerved; upper valve
shorter, blunt; lower a little longer, sharpish. Corolla: two-
valved ; valves ventricose, nerved ; outer ovate, blunt within,
and longer than the calicine valve; inner oblong, compressed
at the tip, sharpish, the edges convoluted, longer than the
outer, within the upper calicine valve ; nectary one-leafed,
ovate, gibbous at the back, somewhat compressed, acute,
even, thick, suberous, thinner at the tip and edges, shorter
than the corolla, opposite to the larger corolline glume,
involving the germen. Stamina: filamenta three, capillary,
longer than the corolla; antherse oblong, acute. Pistil:
germen oblong, subtriquetrous, within the nectary ; style
simple, capillary, longer than the corolla; stigmas two, capil-
lary. Pericarp : none. Seeds : single, oblong, triquetrous-
rounded, rolled up in the nectary, inclosed within the per-
manent calix and corolla. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix:
one-flowered ; and Corolla : two-valved. Nectary : one-
valved, involving the germen. Seed: triquetrous-rounded,
included within the calix, corolla, and nectary. The only
known species is,
1. Miegia Maritima. Root creeping; culms half a foot
high, covered with leaves, branched at the top ; leaves lan-
ceolate, striated, acute, rigid ; panicle terminating, contracted
into an ovate spike. Native Cayenne and Guiana.
Mignonette. See Reseda.
Mildew, is a disease in plants, caused by a dewy moisture
which falls on them, and continuing, for want of the sun's
heat to draw it up, by its acrimony corrodes, gnaws, and
spoils the plant ; or, mildew is rather a concrete substance
which exsudes through the pores of the leaves. What gar-
deners call Mildew, is an insect, found in great plenty, prey-
ing upon this exsudation. All plants, whether cultivated or
spontaneous, appear to be equally liable to it. It has been
attributed to fogs and dews, to the vicinity of rivers and of
stagnant waters, to the putrid effluvia of animal or vegetable
substances, and to late frosts; but upon no better foundation
than mere conjecture. It attacks the blades and stems of
corn, which it covers with a powder of the colour of the rust
of iron, when at the height of their vegetation. High and
ventilated situations are perhaps most likely to admit of a
remedy, but are equally liable with low grounds. Plentiful
rains sometimes wash it almost entirely away, so that the
grain suffers but little in the end. Late crops have gene-
rally suffered most, says Mr. Lambert, but there have been
instances of the reverse. Others say, that low lands and
sheltered situations have suffered most ; but this has been
perhaps attributable to the wheat growing more luxuriantly,
from its situation, than the stamina of the land could support
when it was arriving at maturity ; to which may be added, a
want of ventillation. A huge crop may be considered a cause
of mildew ; for an unfavourable season, or a want of stamina
126
M i L
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
M I L
in the land, may check the vegetable mucilage before the
corn is filled, and thereby produce a predisposition to mildew.
No difference is observed in new anil aid seed, in similar
stuations. The first cause of mildew appears to be a predis-
position in the wheat, occasioned by a decrease of mucilage in
the straw, which allows the watery particles to insinuate them-
selves, and still further check the circulation of the juices
in the stem that are necessary to the perfection of the grain,
and had before become languid from the unkiodness of the
season, or the feebleness of the soil. When the watery particles
have insinuated themselves, the straw becomes discoloured,
and probably a complete putrefaction would immediately
succeed, if it were not prevented by a circulation of air. At
all times during their growth, the straw of Barley and Oats
appears to have sufficient mucilage in itself to resist the effects
of the watery particles ; but when it is once cut, it becomes
like the stubble in the fields, and cannot resist it much longer.
Fallows and layers have been equally liable. An over luxu-
riant growth i the spring is favourable to the mildew, and
that distemper may be produced by particular manure,
such as .green vetches, &c. ploughed in, which seem to cause
a considerable fermentation in the soil, and produce a rapid
vegetation for a short time. It seems perfectly reasonable,
from the above statement, to look for the cause of the disease,
in a standing crop, in the state of the atmosphere; for
nothing is so likely to bring on the fatal predisposition of the
plants, as a succession of cold rains while the grain is forming.
The coolness necessarily gives a check to the rich saccharine
juices which are then rising towards the ear, and the moisture
may at the same time assist the seeds of the fungi to germinate
and take root. Thus reason and facts concur, says Sir Joseph
Banks, in pointing out the cause and operation of the disease.
There appear to be two reasons why corn which happens
to be struck with this disease in a dry warm summer, is
exposed to that excessive injury by which experience proves
it suffers. The habits of the plants render them more sus-
ceptible of injury, their rich juices more liable to be checked,
and the seeds of fungi, it is probable, are more widely, if
not more plentifully, distributed by such a state of the air,
than they are by a cool moist atmosphere. The natural event
is too well known. A certain prevention of it, says Mr. Mar-
shal, would be a discovery worth millions to the country.
Until this be made, let the grower of wheat not only endea-
vour to sow early, but let him look narrowly to his crop dur-
ing the critical time of the filling of the grain ; and whenever he
may perceive it to be smitten with the disease, let him lose
no time in cutting it ; suffering it to lie on the stubble until
the straw be firm and crisp enough to be set in sheaves,
without adhering in the binding places ; allowing it to remain
in the field until the grain shall have received all the nutri-
ment which it can derive from the straw. Where wheat has
been grown on Lammas land, and the ground obliged to be
cleared by the first of August, it has been known to cjit " as
green as grass," and to be carried off and spread upon grass-
lands to dry ; yet the grain has been found to mature, and
always to afford a fine-skinned beautiful sample. Rye-grass
that is cut even while in blossom, is well known to mature
its seeds with the sap that is lodged in the stems. Hence
there is nothing to fear from cutting wheat or corn before
the straw be ripe. This is also the opinion of Mr. Young;
he therefore advises the farmer to be very attentive to his
wheat crops in July, as they are every where liable to this
fatal distemper, which admits but of one cure or check, and
that is, reaping it as soon as it is struck. The capital managers
in Suffolk know well, that every hour the Wheat stands after
the mildew appears, is mischievous to the crop. It should be
cut, though quite green, as it is found that the grain fills after
it is cut, and ripens in a manner that those would not con-
ceive who had not tried t!>e experiment, as Mr. Young has
done many times, by reaping so early, that the labourers
pronounced he should have nothing but hen's meat: yet they
were always mistaken ; for the sample proved good, while
the grain of others which stood longer suffered severely It
may be asked, in what manner cutting down the crop, as soon
as it is found to be diseased, can operate so easily as a remedy ?
but to the practical farmer, the fact only is necessary. The
operation of the remedy and of the disease are equally indif-
ferent to him. Those who have profited by the remec'v. here
recommended, believe that it kills the mildew. And it" it
shall appear that the fungus of wheat requires a free supply
of air to keep it alive, or in a state of health and vigour, the
eft'cct of cutting down the crop will be explained. It will
perhaps be found, by experience, that the closer it is allowed
to lie upon the ground, and the sooner it is bound np in
sheaves, (provided the natural ascent of the sap to the ear be
not interrupted,) the more effectual and complete will be the
remedy. Further, on the evidence of attentive observation,
if Wheat, which has been attacked by this disease, be suffered
to remain in the field, with the ears exposed, until it may
have received the ameliorating influence of dews, or moderate
rain, (to soften, relax, and assist the natural rise of the sap,)
the more productive it will probably become. And it may
be still further added, that grain cut while under-ripe, is still
less liable to be injured in the field by moist weather, than
that which has stood until it be fully or over-ripe. A pro-
bable means of prevention, for the reasons already given, to
induce early ripeness, either by sowing early, or by forcing
manures ; or by selecting and establishing early varieties of
Wheat especially, like early varieties of Pease, and other
esculent plants raised by the gardeners; is a work which only
requires ordinary attention, and which, it is hoped, will be
zealously encouraged by every attentive promoter of rural
improvements in the united kingdom.
Mildew, in Gardening. In addition to what we have pre-
sented our readers with, under the article Blight, we here
wish to add, that it is advised, whenever danger is appre-
hended, to wash or sprinkle the trees well with urine and
lime-water mixed ; and when the young and tender shoots
are much infected, to wash them well with a woollen cloth
dipped in the following mixture, so as to clear them of all the
glutinous matter, that their respiration and perspiration may
not be obstructed : Take of tobacco one pound, sulphur two
pounds, unslaked lime one peck, and about a pound of Elder
buds; pour on them ten gallons of boiling water; cover it
close, and let it stand till cold; then add as much cold water
as will fill a hogshead. It should stand two or three days to
settle, when the scum may be taken off, and it is fit for use.
This treatment is equally proper for those trees affected with
what is vulgarly called honey-dew, which is a viscous exsuda-
tion, closing up their pores, and obstructing their perspiration.
Milfoil. See AchiUea.
Mi/ium ; a genus of the class Triandria, order Diprynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: glume one-flowered, two-
valved ; valves ovate, acuminate, almost equal. Corolla:
two-valved, less than the calix; valves ovate, one less; nec-
tary two-leaved ; leaflets ovate, obtuse, gibbous at the base.
Stamina: filamenta three, capillary, very short; antheire
oblong. Pistil: germen roundish; styles two, capillary;
stigmas pencil-form. Pericarp: none. Seed- single, co-
vered, roundish. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: two-
valved, one-flowered; valves almost equal. Corolla: very
short. Stigmas: pencil-form. The species ate,
MI L
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
M I L
127
1. Milium Capense; Cape Millet Grass. Panicle capil-
lary ; calices acuminate ; awn of the corolla terminating,
curved. Native of the Cape.
2. Milium Punctatum ; Dotted Millet Grass. Branches
of the panicle quite simple; flowers alternate, in pairs, di-
rected oneway. Culm from one to two feet high, even, very
tender. Native of the moist meadows of Jamaica.
3. Milium Lendigerum ; Yellow-spiked Millet Grass.
Panicle subspiked; flowers awned. It is a very small annual
plant, extremely hard to ascertain, from the difficulty of
seeing its characters. Native of Portugal, the south of
France, and England ; it is found in the Isle of Sheppey ; at
Gillingham, in Norfolk ; and near Weymouth.
4. Milium Compressum; Compressed Millet Grass. Spikes
generally in threes ; florets alternate, awnless, pressed close
to the rachis ; culm jointed, compressed in the middle ; pe-
duncled, very long. Perennial. Native of the West Indies.
5. Milium Digitatum ; Fingered Millet Grass. Spikes
digitated, generally in fours, subsessile; florets awnless,
pressed close, directed one way; leaves cartilaginous-serrate
at the edge. Annual. Native of Jamaica.
6. Milium Paniceum ; Panic Millet Grass. Spikes sub-
digitate, alternate, approximating, filiform ; florets directed
one way, awnless, pressed close, three-cornered. Native of
Jamaica.
7. Milium Effusum ; Common Millet Grass. Flowers pa-
nicled, dispersed, awnless. Root perennial and creeping;
culms slender, three or four feet high, with about four joints.
It appears to be much scattered, from the various length of
the pedicels, which grow in whorls, and give this grass an
airy, light, and elegant appearance. The height it usually
attains, the situation in which it grows, and the delicacy of
its panicle, distinguish this from all other grasses. Native
of woods, in most parts of Europe ; flowering in May.
8. Milium Confertum ; Clustered Millet Grass. Flowers
panicled, clustered. Haller regards this to be a mere variety
of the preceding, which it greatly resembles. Native of Ger-
many and Switzerland, where it is found in woods.
9. Milium Globosum ; Globular Millet Grass. Panicle
patulous ; glumes awnless ; pedicels with a yellow belt.
Culm simple, a foot high. Native of Japan.
10. Milium Paradoxum ; Black-seeded Millet Grass.
Flowers panicled, awned. This species resembles the reed.
Root annual ; culm a foot and half to four feet high. It
flowers in July. Native of Carniola, and the south of France.
11. Milium Villosum; Woolly Millet Grass. Panicle lax;
florets awnless; calices woolly. Annual. Native of Jamaica.
Browne says that the roots and leaves pounded, and externally
applied, cure sores and ulcers of all sorts with more certainty
than most other things used for that purpose. It is a strong
detersive and agglutinant ; and, doubtless, would make an
excellent ingredient in vulnerary apozems and infusions.
12. Milium Ramosum ; Branched Millet Grass. Culm
branched ; flowers pauicled, usually in pairs, hirsute. Native
of the East Indies.
13. Milium A mphicarpon. Culms many, cylindrical, vagi-
nated ; leaves lato-linear, striated ; male flowers alternate,
pedunculate; female flowers in one-flowered scapes, radical,
vaginate. It grows in the light sandy fields of New Jersey,
near Egg harbour ; and flowers in July and August.
14. Milium Angulosum ; Little Angular-husked Millet Grass.
Flowers closely panicled, awnless ; glumes ovate-acute,
strongly ribbed and furrowed ; sheaths of the leaves hairy.
Found in the Sandwich Islands.
Milk Vetch. See Astragalus, and Phaca.
Milkwort. See Polygala, and Euphorbia.
VOL. ii. 76.
Milleria; so called, in honour of Philip Miller, F. R. S.
author of the Gardener's Dictionary and Kalendar. Linneus
observes, that " this American plant, the closely shut calix of
which entirely surrounds and protects its one or two seeds, is
well bestowed on a man who spared no pains in procuring
rare American seeds, and in contrivances for preserving and
communicating them." This genus belongs to the class Synge-
nesia, order Polygamia Necessaria. GENERIC CHARACTER.
Calix : common one-leafed, three-parted, very large, con-
verging into a plane three-sided form, permanent; the two
inner leaflets equal, subovate, acute, flat ; the outer twice as
large, roundish, acuminate, flat, cordate, more deeply di-
vided from the rest. Corolla: compound half radiate; corol-
lets hermaphrodite, two, within the smaller calicine leaflets :
female one, within the large calicine leaflets : proper of the
hermaphrodites one-petalled, tubular, erect, five-toothed;
of the female ligulate, erect, blunt, concave, emarginate.
Stamina: in the hermaphrodites, filamenta five, capillary;
antherse as many, erect, linear, connected by the middle of
their sides, the length of the corolla, acute. Pistil: in the
hermaphrodites, germen oblong, very slender ; style filiform,
the length of the corollet; stigmas two, linear, weak, blunt,
spreading : in the females, germen large, three-cornered ;
style filiform, the length of the corollet; stigmas two, bristle-
shaped, reflex, long. Pericarp: none; calix converging into
a three-cornered figure. Seeds: in the hermaphrodites none;
in the females solitary, narrower towards the base, blunt,
oblong, three-sided ; down none. Receptacle : common very
small, naked. Observe. In the first species the female corol-
let is trifid, and there are four hermaphrodite tubular corol-
lets ; calix two-valved ; style of the male simple ; of the
female bifid ; the calices have always from seven to nine
flowers. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : three-valved.
Ray of the corolla : halved. Down : none. Receptacle :
naked. The species are,
1. Milleria Quinqueflora ; Five-flowered Milleria. Leaves
cordate; peduncles dichotomous ; calices double. Stem two
feet high, stiff, smooth, grooved, brachiate ; spikes of flowers
yellow. Root annual. There is a variety with stalks six or
seven feet high. Native of Campeachy. To propagate this
and the rest of the plants of this genus, sow the seeds early in
the spring on a moderate hot-bed. When the plants are about
two inches high, transplant each into a separate pot filled with
light rich earth; plunge them into a moderate hot-bed of tan-
ner's bark; shade them until they have taken root; and water
them frequently : then raise the glasses every day, to give them
a large share of free air when the weather is warm; and con-
tinue to water them duly, for they are very thirsty plants. In
a month, they will rise to a considerable height ; and should
then be shifted into larger pots, and plunged into the bark-
bed, where they may have room to grow, especially the first
species. In the middle of July, they will begin to flower; and
the seeds will be ripe in a month or six weeks after. Gather
them when they begin to change of a dark brown colour; for
they soon fall off. They will continue flowering till Michael-
mas, or later, if the season prove favourable ; but when the
cold of autumn comes on, they soon decay.
2. Milleria Biflora; Two-flowered Milleria. Leaves ovate;
peduncles quite simple; calices simple. Annual: rising with
an herbaceous stalk upwards of two feet high, branching out
at a small distance from the root into three or four slender
stalks. The flowers come out at the footstalks of the leaves
in small clusters. There is a three-flowered variety, with
smaller calices. Native of Campeachy.
3. Milleria Contrayerba. Stem grooved ; branches oppo-
site, decussated; leaves lanceolate, serrate; flowers glomerate.
2K
128
MI M
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
M I M
Annual. Stem red, grooved, three feet high; branches some-
what spreading, and villose. Native of Peru.
Millet Cyperus Grass. See Scirpus.
Millet, Indian. See Holcus.
Mimosa ; a genus of the class Polygamia, order Monoecia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth one-leafed,
five-toothed, very small. Corolla : petal one, funnel-form,
half five-cleft, small. Stamina: filamenta capillary, very
long; antherse incumbent. Pistil: germen oblong; style
filiform, shorter than the stamina ; stigma truncated. Peri-
carp: legume long, with several transverse partitions. Seeds:
many roundish, of various forms. Observe. No part of the
fructification is constant in this genus. ESSENTIAL CHA-
KACTER. Calix: five-toothed. Corolla, : five-cleft. Stamina:
five or more. Pistil: one. Legume: superior, with many
cells. Some male flowers. Most of the plants of this genus
are propagated by seeds, which seldom ripening in this coun-
try, must be procured from America, particularly at Cam-
peachy, where there is a great variety ; many sorts of which
have been hitherto unknown to botanical writers. In bring-
ing over the seeds of these trees, they should be taken out of
the pods when gathered, and packed up in papers; and ought
to have tobacco, or some other noxious herb, put between the
papers, to keep off insects; otherwise the seeds will be eaten
or destroyed before they arrive in England; for the insects
deposit their eggs in small punctures, which they make in the
pods ; and as these are soon hatched, so they immediately
attack the seed for food, and eat holes through them, by
wnich they are entirely spoiled. The species are,
*With simple Leaves.
1. Mimosa Verticillata ; Whorl-leaved Mimosa. Unarmed:
leaves whorled, linear, pungent. Native of New South
Wales ; flowering from March to May. '
2. Mimosa Simplicifolia; Simple-leaved Mimosa. Unarm-
ed, arboreous: leaves ovate, quite entire, nerved, blunt;
spikes globular, peduncled. This is a beautiful little tree,
with a smooth ash-coloured bark, and large leaves, very flat.
When not in flower, it has no appearance of a Mimosa.
Native of the island of Tanna, in the South Seas.
3. Mimosa Myrtifolia. Myrtle-laved Mimosa. Leaves
elliptic, lanceolate, oblique, quite entire, cartilaginous at the
edge; heads in axillary racemes; legumes linear, with a
thick edge. The foliage is usually edged with red. It is a
shrub three or four feet high, of a quick growth, and a ready
blower : the flowers on the young branches are very numer-
ous and fragrant, like those of Spirsea Ulmaria. Native of
New South Wales.
4. Mimosa Suaveolens ; Sweet-scented Mimosa. Leaves
linear, acuminate, straight, cartilaginous at the edge; the
primordial ones pinnate; branches triquetrous. The branches
are most acutely triangular, and much compressed ; their
edges bright red ; flowers in axillary racemes, yellowish-
white, fragrant. Native of New South Wales.
5. Mimosa Hispidula; Little Harsh Mimosa. Leaves
elliptical, oblique, rugged on each side and at the margin ;
branchlets hispid, pubescent; heads solitary. It forms a
thick rigid bush ; flowers pale yellow, many together, in little
round heads. Native of Port Jackson, in New South Wales.
**With leaves simply pinnate.
6. Mimosa Alba; White Mimosa. Unarmed : leaves pin-
nate, trijugous; pinnas equal, ovate-acuminate; petiole sub-
margined. Native of Cayenne.
7. Mimosa Inga; Large-leaved Mimosa, or Inga Tree.
Unarmed : leaves pinnate, five-paired, petiole margined,
jointed. This is a tree from fifteen to twenty feet high.
Native of the West Indies, on the banks of rivers.
8. Mimosa Lanrina; Laurel-leaved Mimosa. Unarmed:
leaves pinnate, two-paired; pinnas ovate, shining, almost
equal ; petiole linear, angular ; spikes axillary, solitary.
Native of the island of St. Christopher's, in the West Indies.
9. Mimosa Fagifolia ; Beech-leaved Mimosa. Unarmed :
leaves pinnate, two-paired; petiole margined. This is a tree
thirty feet high, with an elegant close head, and a straight
trunk, ten feet long, and a foot in diameter: the wood is
whitish, and the bark gray. Legume coriaceous, whitish-
yellow, inclosing a sweet whitish pulp, which is sucked by
the natives. In Martinico, both tree and fruit are called Pois
Doux, Sweet Pea. Native of the West Indies.
10. Mimosa Nodosa ; Knobbed Mimosa. Unarmed : leaves
pinnate, two-paired; inner pinnas smaller; petiole linear. A
small tree. Native of Ceylon and Cochin-china.
11. Mimosa Pilosa; Hairy-leaved Mimosa. Unarmed:
leaves pinnate, many-paired, very hairy; heads terminating;
legumes straight, slender. This is an upright shrub, four
feet high, hairy, with spreading branches. Native of the
woods of Cochin-china.
12. Mimosa Xylocarpa; Wood-fruited Mimosa. Leaves
scattered, in pairs, pinnate; leaflets from two to four paired,
entire, oblong, smooth; the outer pair largest; glands on the
petioles; stipules lanceolate. Trunk straight ; bark brown,
pretty smooth ; branches numerous. This is one of the
largest species of the genus. It is a native of the mountainous
parts of the Circars only; casting its leaves during the cold
season, and flowering at the beginning of the hot season.
The wood is of a chocolate colour towards the centre. The
natives esteem it much, and use it for many purposes, where
hard, durable, tough timber is required : for plough-heads it
is particularly in request, the Telingas seldom using iron in
their ploughs.
*** With, bigeminate or tergeminate Leaves.
13. Mimosa Bigemina ; Sharp Four-leaved Mimosa. Un-
armed: leaves bigeminate, acuminate. A tree, with alternate
leaves, and flowers in panicles from the axils and ends of the
branches. Native of the East Indies.
14. Mimosa Unguis Cati ; Blunt Four-leaved Mimosa.
Thorny: leaves bigeminate, blunt. This is a small tree, from
seven to ten feet high, with a branched and unarmed trunk.
Browne calls it the Black-head Shrub, or Large-leaved Mimosa.
Miller says it is called Doctor Long, and that the seeds are
frequently brought to England by that name. According to
Sloane, the seeds are eaten by goats, and sometimes by the
negroes. The bark is very astringent, and is used in lotions
and fomentations in America. Native of Jamaica, and other
West India islands.
15. Mimosa Tergemina ; Tergeminate Mimosa. Unarmed:
leaves tergeminate. Native of the West Indies.
16. Mimosa Dulcis ; Su>eet-tasted Mimosa. Thorns sti-
pular; leaves bigeminate; leaflets obliquely oblong, smooth,
pointed. Trunk ill-shaped. Legume swelled, particularly at
the seeds, twisted like a screw, downy ; valves thin ; when
ripe, opening naturally, and exposing to view the pulp, which
is rose-coloured. This is probably not a native of India ;
but was introduced from the Philippine islands, for the
sake of the pulp which fills the legumes. It grows quickly
to a tree in a rich sandy soil; and flowers in the cold season.
The fleshy pulp of the legumes is reckoned wholesome ; it is
sweet, but insipid, and dryish. The Spaniards, at Manilla,
raise many of the trees for the sake of this pulp, and call it
Sappan fruit. It would assist the poor, in times of scarcity
in those countries; and the gum, wood, and bark, may turn to
account there. As it grows very fast, it may also be reared
for fences, instead of many less useful bushes and trees.
M I M
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
M IM
129
17. Mimosa Mellifera; Honied Mimosa. Thorny: leaves
bigeminate, blunt; prickles recurved. Native of Egypt.
****Leaves conjugate, and at the same time pinnate.
18. Mimosa Latifolia; Broad-leaved Mimosa. Unarmed:
leaves conjugate; pinnas terminating, opposite, lateral ones
alternate. Flowers purple. Native of South America.
19. Mimosa Furpurea; Purple Mimosa, or Soldier Wood.
Unarmed: leaves conjugate, pinnate; inmost pinnas smaller.
Flowers purple. Native of South America.
20. Mimosa Reticulata; Netted Mimosa. Spines stipular;
leaves conjugate; leaflets six-paired; petioles terminated by
a gland and a prickle. This is a tree with rigid branches,
that are flexuose from bud to bud. Native of the Cape.
21. Mimosa Viva; Lively Sensitive Mimosa. Unarmed:
leaves conjugate, pinnate; the partial ones four-paired,
roundish; stem herbaceous. Stalks trailing, herbaceous,
putting out roots at every joint, and spreading to a consider-
able distance. This species is so very sensitive, as to con-
tract its leaves on every slight touch, or change of the atmo-
sphere; even a puff of breath from the mouth will make an
impression on it. Native of the pastures and savannas of
Jamaica.
22. Mimosa Circinalis; Spiral Mimosa. Prickly: leaves
conjugate, pinnate; pinnas equal; stipules spinose. The
seeds, which are flat, and one half of a beautiful red colour,
the other half of a deep black, grow in long twisted pods ;
hanging by a small thread for some time out of the pod :
when ripe, they make a very agreeable appearance.
Native of the Bahama Islands.
23. Mimosa Cineraria; Ash-coloured Mimosa. Prickly:
leaves conjugate, pinnate; pinnas equal; prickles curved
inwards. This prickly shrub is common in most of the sugar
colonies, especially in Antigua; where the leaves are fre-
quently used, mixed with corn, for their riding horses, and
is thought to free them from botts and worms. Linneus says
it is a native of the East Indies.
24. Mimosa Casta ; Chaste Sensitive Mimosa. Prickly:
leaves conjugate, pinnate ; partial ones three-paired, almost
equal. Native of the East Indies.
25. Mimosa Sensitiva ; Sensitive Plant. Prickly : leaves
conjugate, pinnate; partial ones two-paired; the inmost very
small. Stalk woody, slender, seven or eight feet high, armed
with sharp recurved thorns. The leaves move but slowly,
when touched ; but the footstalks fall, when they are pressed
pretty hard. Native of Brazil.
26. Mimosa Pudica; Humble Plant. Prickly: leaves sub-
digitate, pinnate ; stem hispid. Roots composed of many
hairy fibres, which mat close together ; from which come out
several woody stalks, which decline towards the ground, un-
less they are supported ; they are armed with short recurved
spines, and have winged or pinnate leaves, composed of four
or five pinnas, spreading upwards like the fingers of a hand;
flowers collected in small globular heads, of a yellow colour.
-Native of Brazil. It is the most common of any species
in the islands of the West Indies, and in the English gar-
dens. The seeds are sold in the seed shops by the name of
Humble Plant. It would be to little purpose to trouble the
reader with the several idle stories related of these plants by
travellers ; nor to insert what has been said by others, who
have attempted to account for the motion of the leaves of
these plants on their being touched. "Naturalists," says
Dr. Darwin, " have not explained the immediate cause of
the collapsing of the Sensitive Plant; the leaves meet and
close in the night, during the sleep of the plant, which, in
Sweden, according to Linneus, is from six in the evening to
three in the morning, during the months of June and July ;
or when exposed to much cold in the day-time, in the same
manner as when they are affected by external violence; fold-
ing their upper surfaces together, and in part over each other
like scales or tiles, so as to expose as little of the upper sur-
face as may be to the air; but do not indeed collapse quite so
far, for when touched in the night during their sleep, they
fall still farther, especially when touched on the footstalks,
between the stems and the leaflets, which seem to be their
most sensitive or irritable part. Now as their situation after
being exposed to external violence resembles their sleep, but
with a greater degree of collapse, may it not be owing to a
numbness or paralysis consequent to too violent irritation,
like the faintiugs of animals from pain or fatigue? A Sen-
sitive Plant being kept in a dark room till some hours after
day-break, its leaves and leaf-stalks were collapsed as in its
most profound sleep; and on exposing it to the light, above
twenty minutes passed before the plant was thoroughly awake,
and had quite expanded itself. During the night, the upper
or smoother surfaces of the leaves are appressed ; this would
seem to shew that the office of this surface of the leaf was
to expose the fluids of the plant to the light as well as to
the air." The same elegant author thus poetically charac-
terizes this singular plant:
Weak with nice sense the chaste Mimosa stands,
From each rude touch withdraws her timid hands ;
Oft as light clouds o'erpass the summer glade,
Alarm 'd, she trembles at the moving shade ;
And feels, alive through all her tender form,
The whisp'ring murmurs of the gath'ring storm ;
Shuts her sweet eyelids to approaching night ;
And hails with freshen'd charms the rising light."
The Sensitive and Humble Plants are all of them propagated
by seeds, which should be sown early in the spring, upon a
good hot-bed. If the seeds be good, the plants will appear
in a fortnight or three weeks, when they will require to be
treated with care, for they must not have much wet till they
have acquired strength; nor should they be drawn too weak,
so that fresh air should be admitted to them at all times when
the air is temperate. In about a fortnight or three weeks
after the plants come up, they will be fit to transplant, espe-
cially if the bed in which they were sown continues in a pro-
per degree of heat; then there should be a fresh hpt-bed
prepared to receive them, which should be made a week before
the plants are removed into it, that the violent heat may be
abated before the earth be laid upon the dung, and the earth
should have time to warm before the plants are planted into
it. Then the plants must be carefully raised up from the
bed to preserve the roots entire, and immediately planted in
the new bed, at about three or four inches' distance, pressing
the earth gently to their roots; then they should be gently
sprinkled over with water, to settle the earth to their roots;
after this they must be shaded from the sun till they have
taken new root, and the glasses of the hot'bed should be
covered every night to keep up the heat of the bed. When
the plants are established in their new bed, they must have
frequent but gentle waterings ; and every day they must have
free air admitted to them, in proportion to the warmth of the
season, to prevent thejr being drawn up weak; but they must
be constantly kept in a moderate degree of heat, otherwise
they will not thrive. In about a month after, the plants will
be strong enough to remove again, when they should be care-
fully taken up, preserving as much earth to their roots as
possible, and each planted in a separate small pot, filled
with good kitchen-garden earth, and plunged into a hot-bed
of tan, carefully shading them from the sun till they have
taken new root; then they must be treated in the same man-
130
M I M
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
M I M
ner as other tender exotic plants from very warm countries.
Those sorts which grow upright and tall, will soon rise high
enough to reach the glasses of the hot-bed, especially if they
thrive well; therefore they should be shifted into larger pots,
and removed into the stove, and if plunged into a the tan-bed
there, it will greatly forward them. The perennials will live
through the winter, if preserved in a warm stove, and in the
following summer will produce flowers and ripen their seeds.
Some of them may be propagated by laying down their
branches, which will put out roots, and then may be sepa-
rated from the old plants ; and they may be increased by
cuttings, but the plants which rise from seeds are greatly
preferable. Some of those, the stalks of which spread near
the ground, may be turned out of the pots in the middle of
June, and planted in a very warm border, where, if covered
with bell or hand glasses, they will live through the summer,
but will not grow very large, and upon the approach of cold
in the autumn are soon destroyed : however, those who have
not conveniency of stoves or tan-beds, may raise the plants
on common hot-beds in the spring, and, when they have
acquired strength, they may be treated in this manner, whereby
they will have the pleasure of these plants in summer, though
not in so great perfection as those who have the advantages
before mentioned : but these plants will not thrive in the open
air in this country, nor will they retain their sensibility when
they are fully exposed to the air.
*****With doubly pinnate Leaves.
27. Mimosa Scandens ; Climbing Mimosa. Unarmed :
leaves conjugate, terminated by a tendril; leaflets two-paired.
This species climbs to the tops of the tallest trees, to the
height of one hundred and fifty feet, frequently overspreading
many of the neighbouring branches, and forming large ar-
bours. It is called Cocoon in the West Indies. Native of
both Indies, and of Cochin-china.
28. Mimosa Plena; Double-lowered Sensitive Plant. Un-
armed: leaves bipinnate; spikes five-stamined, the lower ones
full or double. This plant was discovered at Vera Cruz,
growing in stagnant water, the stalks floating upon the water.
29. Mimosa Triquetra; Three-sided Mimosa. Unarmed,
procumbent: leaves two-paired; heads roundish; stems com-
pressed below, three-sided above. Stems slender, a foot high,
simple, smooth, compressed at bottom, above striated, and
three-sided. Native of the East Indies.
30. Mimosa Natans ; Floating Mimosa. Leaves bipin-
nate, two-paired or three-paired ; leaflets thirteen-paired ;
heads oblong; stem flexuose, rooting at bottom. Stems her-
baceous, angular, smooth, floating, putting out rooting fibres
at the lower joints. Loureiro says that it is cultivated in
Cochin-china for salads, being fastened to stakes in the water,
that it may not float away, as it is entirely detached from the
earth.
31. Mimosa Virgata; Long-twigged Mimosa. Unarmed,
erect, angular: leaves bipinnate; spikes ten-stamined, the
lower ones castrated males. Spike roundish, nodding;
flowers yellow. Native of the West Indies.
32. Mimosa Punctata ; Spotted-stalked Mimosa. Unarm-
ed : leaves bipinnate; spikes erect; flowers ten-stamined,
lower ones castrated. It rises with upright branching stalks
six or seven feet high. The small leaves, twenty pairs of
which are ranged along the midrib of the lobes, contract them-
selves together on their being touched, but the footstalks do
not incline at the same time, like those entitled Humble
Plants. Browne calls it the Larger Smooth Sensitive, and
says that it has been introduced into Jamaica from some
other part of the world ; probably from the continent of
America. See the twenty-sixth species.
33. Mimosa Pernambucana ; Slothful Mimosa. Unarmed:
leaves bipinnate ; spikes drooping, five-stamined, lower ones
castrated; stem decumbent. This grows naturally in all the
islands of the West Indies, where it is called the Slothful
Sensitive Plant, because the leaves do not contract on being
touched.
34. Mimosa Arborea ; Rough Tree-Mimosa. Unarmed :
leaves bipinnate ; pinnas halved, acute ; stem arboreous. This
is a lofty tree, with an upright smooth trunk, covered with
an ash-coloured bark. In Jamaica, where it is found in most
parts of the island, it is called Mountain or Wild Tamarind
Tree; it grows to a very considerable size, and is looked upon
as an excellent timber wood. Native of the West Indies,
China, and Japan.
35. Mimosa Julibrissin ; Smooth Tree-Mimosa. Arbores-
cent : leaves bipinnate ; pinnules cultriform, acuminate ; all
the flowers perfect. This is a tree, with a smooth ash-
coloured bark; the branches as it were in whorls, tuberous
at the base, nodding at the end. Native of the Levant.
36. Mimosa Comosa ; Bearded Mimosa. Unarmed, arbore-
ous: leaves bipinnate, trijugous ; pinnas (nine or ten paired,)
ovate, retuse at the base; flowers panicled, monadelphous.
Native of Jamaica.
37. Mimosa Lebbeck. Unarmed : leaves bipinnate, qua-
drijugous; pinnas oval-oblong; flowers monadelphous, in
bundles ; stem arboreous. Native of Upper Egypt.
38. Mimosa Odoratissima ; Sweet-scented Mimosa. Un-
armed : leaves bipinnate, quadrijugous, roultijugous ; leaflets
oblong, blunt; panicles rod-like; spikelets globular. This
is a lofty tree, with vil'lose and somewhat hoary branches ;
flowers white, and very fragrant. Native of Ceylon.
39. Mimosa Speciosa; Bladder-sena-leaved Mimosa. Un-
armed: leaves bipinnate, subquadrijugous ; pinnas generally
nine-paired; leaflets oblong, smooth, a gland above the base
of the rib. This is a very elegant tree, quite smooth all over ;
flowers numerous, very sweet, in a handsome head, at the top
of which is one flower different from the rest, and abiding
longer.
40. Mimosa Vaga. Unarmed: leaves bipinnate; outer
pinnas larger, curved in, pubescent. This is a middle-sized
tree, with spreading branches. Native of the East Indies,
Cochin-china, and Brasil.
41. Mimosa Corniculata. Unarmed, bipinnate: petioles
swelling at the base, supported by a little callous horn; leaf-
lets generally eight-paired. Native of China, near Canton.
42. Mimosa Villosa. Unarmed : leaves bipinnate, gene-
rally five-paired ; pinnas ovate, both they and the petioles
villose ; flowers globular, many-stamined ; stem shrubby.
Native of the West Indies.
43. Mimosa Latisiliqua ; Broad-podded Mimosa. Un-
armed: leaves bipinnate; partial ones five-paired; branchlets
flexuose; buds globular. Native of the West Indies.
44. Mimosa Polystachia. Unarmed : leaves bipinnate ;
partial ones and pinnas six-paired, oblong. This plant, which
becomes a tree itself, climbs up other trees, overtops them,
and drags them down by its weight. The flowers are small,
herbaceous, and so numerous that the compound spike some-
times contains 4500 of them. Native of the West Indies ;
where it is a great nuisance to the sugar planters, by destroy-
ing the trees which they set to shelter their sugar grounds.
45. Mimosa Mangensis. Spines solitary, short; leaves
bipinnate, generally nine-paired; spikes globular, axillary,
solitary. Flowers white, void of scent. Native of Jamaica,
and other islands of the West Indies ; found about Carthagena
in New Spain, and frequent also in the island of Mango.
46. Mimosa Muricata; Muricated Mimosa.
Unarmed :
M IM
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
M I M
131
leaves bipinnate ; partial ones five-paired, proper ones many-
paired ; stem muricated. Native of America.
47. Mimosa Juliflora. Spines stipulary, in pairs; leaves
bipinnate, bijugous, distinguished by a gland ; spikes pen-
dulous ; legumes compressed. This shrub rises frequently
to the height of fifteen feet; is of a spreading growth, and
furnished with oblong flower-spikes, and very long legumes.
It has been introduced into Jamaica from the Continent;
and thrives very luxuriantly in many parts of the low lands.
48. Mimosa Peregrina. Unarmed; leaves bipinnate, par-
tial ones sixteen-paired ; pinnas forty-paired^ with a petiolar
gland at the base. Native of America.
49. Mimosa Glauca ; Glaucous Mimosa. Unarmed : leaves
bipinnate, partial ones six-paired ; pinnas very many, with a
gland among the lowest. Flowers white, apetalous, ten-sla-
mmed. Native of La Vera Cruz. The Acacias are propa-
gated by sowing their seeds on a hot-bed, in the spring of
the year ; which will, in a short time, appear above ground,
and in about five or six weeks afterwards be fit to transplant;
when a fresh hot-bed is to be prepared for them, which
should be pretty warm. The next thing to be provided, is a
quantity of small halfpenny pots, which are to be filled with
fresh, light, sandy earth; these should be plunged into the
hot-bed, but not into dung ; for if these beds be made with
warm horse-dung, they ought to be covered with earth as
deep as the pots, the bottoms of which should rest upon the
dung ; for otherwise, the roots of the plants may suffer by
too much heat: but beds of tanner's earth seldom heat so
violently. As soon as the earth in the pots is warm, which
will be in two or three days, take up the young plants care-
fully out of the first hot-bed, setting four or five of them into
each of these pots ; giving them a gentle watering, to settle
the earth to their roots ; and screening them with mats over
the glasses, from the heat of the sun, until they have taken
root; after which, air must be admitted, by raising the glasses
in proportion to the heat of the weather, or to the vigour of
the plants. The horned Acacias are very often destitute of
leaves for two or three months, appearing to have no life ;
but they will put out fresh leaves towards autumn, which is
commonly the season when they are most vigorous. They
should be exposed in the summer season for about two months,
to clear them from insects, which greatly infest them, in a
place defended from strong winds ; and in the winter, they
require a moderate degree of warmth. There are several of
them that are very tender while young, but after two or three
vears' growth become hardy enough to bear the open air in
summer : though hardly any of them will live through the
winter in a green-house, unless they have some warmth in
very cold weather.
50. Mimosa Pterocarpa; Winy-fruited Mimosa. Unarmed:
leaves bipinnate, many-paired, a petiolar gland between the
two outmost ; spikes axillary ; legumes winged. Native of
the Isle of France. See the preceding species.
51. Mimosa Grandirlora ; Great-flowered Mimosa. Un-
armed ; leaves abruptly bipinnate, many-paired ; pinnules
many-paired; leaflets very distinct; raceme compound, ter-
minating. Native of the Easf Indies. See the forty-ninth
species.
52. Mimosa Houston! ; Houston's Mimosa. Unarmed :
leaves bipinnate, abrupt, commonly six-paired ; pinnules many-
paired ; leaflets somewhat confluent ; raceme compound, ter-
minating. This is one of the most beautiful species of this
genus : the petals being large, and of a fine purple colour ;
with their stamina stretched out to a considerable distance
beyond the petals ; the flowers make a charming appearance,
when the ti ee is covered with them ; and when the pods, which
vox. H. 77.
are ferruginous, are ripe, and hanging plentifully from every
bough, the appearance is very pleasing from a small distance.
Native of La Vera Cruz. See the forty-ninth species.
53. Mimosa Cinerea ; Ash-coloured Mimosa. Spines soli-
tary ; leaver bipinnate : flowers in spikes. Stem branched,
even. Native of the East Indies.
54. Mimosa Cornigera; Horned Mimosa or Cuckold Tree.
Spines stipularyf connate, divaricating, compressed, awl-
shaped at the tip ; leaves bipinnate ; leaflets from twelve to
twenty paired ; spikes axillary, elongated. This tree seldom
exceeds twelve feet in height : it is singular for its writhed
horn-like spines, which resemble the horns of oxen ; they are
brown, shining, hollow, and some of them more than five
inches in Length : they are all over the tree, and when the pods
are ripe, and the leaves are fallen, they have a singular ap-
pearance. It grows every where in the woods about Cartha-
gena, in New Spain. See the forty-ninth species.
55. Mimosa Catechu; Catechu Tree. Spines stipulary;
leaves bipinnate, many-paired ; glands of the partial ones
single; spikes axillary, in pairs or threes, peduncled. This
is a small ; tree, about twelve feet high; abounds in the
mountains of Hindoostan, where it is a native. An Indian
drug, long known by the name of Terra Japonica, and now
more properly called Cate-chu, (from cats a tree, and chu
juice,) is ascertained to be the produce of this tree. This
extract, in its purest state, is a dry pulverable substance,
outwardly reddish, inwardly shining dark brown, tinged with
a reddish hue : to the taste, it discovers considerable astring-
gency, succeeded by some sweetness. It dissolves wholly
in water, except the impurities, which are usually sandy, and
amount to about one-eighth of the mass. Rectified spirits
dissolves about seven-eighths, into a deep red liquor. It may
be usefully employed as an astringent, especially in alvine
fluxes; also in uterine profluvia; in debility of the viscera,
in general ; and catarrhal affections. It is the basis of se-
veral formulae ; but the best way of taking it, is by an infu-
sion in warm water, with cinnamon or cassia.
56. Mimosa Horrida ; Horrid Mimosa. Spines stipulary,
the length of the leaves ; leaves bipinnate, partial ones six-
paired, branches even. Branches angular and smooth, with
a brown bark. Native of Both Indies and Arabia.
57. Mimosa Fera ; Fierce Mimosa. Spines branched ;
leaves pinnate ; flowers in spikes. This is a large tree, with
spreading branches. Native of China and Cochin-china;
where it is planted for hedges, which are impenetrable by
animals.
58. Mimosa Eburnea; Ivory-thorned Mimosa. Spines
stipulary, connate, divaricating, round, awl-shaped ; leaves '
bipinnate ; leaflets six-paired ; spikes globular, peduncled,
axillary, several. This small tree is remarkable for its tre-
mendous spines, two inches long, at the ends of the branches.
Native of the East Indies.
59. Mimosa Latronum ; Rogues' Mimosa. Spines stipu-
lary, connate, divaricating, round, awl-shaped; leaves bipin-
nate ; leaflets four-paired ; spikes elongated, peduncled,
axillary, commonly in pairs. This is a very thorny branch-
ing depressed shrub. Native of the East Indies. These
thorny Mimosas, with their interwoven branches, and terri-
ble spines, form impenetrable thickets in the mountainous
parts of India, and are the secure retreat of smaller animals,
birds, and rogues; from whom this species has obtained
its name.
60. Mimosa Filicioides ; Fern-like Mimosa. Unarmed :
leaves bipinnate, partial ones six-paired ; leaflets very nu-
merous, very small, ciliate, without glands. Stem shrubby,
branched, three feet high. Native of Mexico.
2L
132
MIM
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
M IM
61. Mimosa Tortuosa; Writhed Mimosa. Spines stipu-
lary; leaves bipinnate, four-paired, a gland between the
lowest ; pinnas sixteen-paired ; spikes globular. This is a
shrub with a branching stem : between the outer coat of the
pod and the inner membrane, separating the seeds, there is a
liquor of the consistence and colour of a syrup, which smells
very strong, and is bitter and astringent. Browne says, that
it would prove an excellent medicine, where rough astringents
are requisite. The whole plant is bitter ; and the flowers
have a very strong smell ; indeed, the smell of all the parts is
so rank and disagreeable, that it cannot be used even ibr fire-
wood, and is chiefly employed in hedges. Native of Jamaica,
where it is common in the low lands ; and is called the Com-
mon Acacia, or Acacee Bush.
62. Mimosa Farnesiana ; Farnesian Mimosa, or Sponge
Tree. Spines stipulary, distinct; leaves bipinnate, partial
ones eight-paired ; spikes globular, sessile. This species is
known throughout Europe for the sweetness of its flowers ;
and the Italian gardeners, who bring over Orange-trees, &c.
to England, bring also many young plants of this, under the
name, of Gazia. Native of the West Indies, Barbary, and
Egypt, and of Cochin-china, in a state of cultivation. This
beautiful tree is very tender while young ; therefore should
have a hot-bed of tanner's bark ; and as it increases in bulk,
should be shifted into bigger pots. The earth should be
light, and inclined to a sand. It should never be planted in
over large pots ; nor have too much water, especially in
winter. This species is hardy, and will, when grown to be
woody, stand in a common stove, which should be kept to
the point of temperate heat, in winter; and in the warm
weather, in summer time, may enjoy the open free air.
63. Mimosa Nilotica; Egyptian Mimosa. Spines stipu-
lary, spreading; leaves bipinnate, the outer partial ones
separated by a gland ; spikes globular, peduncled. This tree
grows to a large size in its native country, but in England
is rarely more than eight or ten feet high.- Native of Egypt
and Arabia. This is the tree that yields the Gum Arabic,
which is brought from Suez. The medical character of Gum
Arabic, is its glutinous quality : in consequence of which, it
proves useful in tickling coughs, hoarsenesses, in dysenteries
attended with griping, and where the mucus is abraded from
the bowels or from the urethra. In a dysuria, the true Gum
Arabic should be preferred before any other of the vegetable
gums : one ounce renders a pint of water considerably gluti-
nous ; four ounces give it a syrupy consistence : but for mu-
cilage, one part gum to two parts water is required ; and for
some purposes, an equal proportion will be necessary.
64. Mimosa" Stellata ; Starry Mimosa. Spines stipulary ;
leaves bipinnate; petioles having recurved prickles under-
neath ; flowers racemed. Native of Arabia.
65. Mimosa Pigra. Prickly, even : leaves bipinnate, with
opposite prickles ; spine erect between each of the partial
ones. Native of South America.
66. Mimosa Asperata; Hairy-podded Sensitive Plant.
Prickly, rough-haired : leaves bipinnate, with opposite
prickles; spine erect, between each of the partial ooes.
Stalk shrubby, erect, five feet high, hairy, and armed with
short broad strong thorns ; flowers in globular heads, purple.
Native of Vera Cruz. See the twenty-sixth species.
67. Mimosa Senegal; African Mimosa. Spines in threes,
the middle one reflex; leaves bipinnate; flowers in spikes.
This is distinguished at first sight by its white bark. Native
of Africa.
68. Mimosa Ceesia ; Gray Mimosa. Prickly : leaves bi-
pinnate ; pinnas oval-oblong, obliquely acuminate. Native
of the East Indies. Se the forty-ninth species.
69. Mimosa Pinnata; Small-leaved Mimosa. Prickly,
leaves bipinnate, very numerous, linear, acerose; panicle
prickly ; heads globular. Native of the East Indies and of
Cochin-china ; where the bark is converted into a sort of tow,
used for caulking boats, and stopping cracks in houses.
70. Mimosa Intsia; Angular-stalked Mimosa. Prickly:
leaves bipinnate; pinnas curved inwards; stem angular; sti-
pules longer than the prickle. Branches obtuse-angled, even.
Native of the East Indies.
71. Mimosa Semispinosa. Prickly: leaves bipinnate;
joints of the stem prickly above. Native of America.
72. Mimosa Quadrivalvis. Prickly: leaves bipinnate; stem
quadrangular, with recurved prickles ; legumes four-valved.
This has a creeping root : stalks slender, having four acute
angles, armed pretty closely with short recurved spines:
leaves on long prickly footstalks, and thinly placed on the
branches. Native of La Vera Cruz.
73. Mimosa Tenuifolia. Prickly: leaves bipinnate, partial
ones twenty paired ; pinnas many-paired. Native of South
America.
74. Mimosa Ceratonia. Prickly : leaves pinnate, five-
paired ; partial ones three-paired : pinnas three-nerved.
Native of South America.
75. Mimosa Tamarindifolia. Prickly : leaves bipinnate,
five-paired ; partial ones ten-paired ; petioles unarmed.
Native of America.
76. Mimosa Sinuata. Prickly : leaves bipinnate, many-
paired; heads axillary, solitary; legumes sinuate; stem
climbing. Native of Cochin-china, in woods.
77. Mimosa Saponaria ; Soap Mimosa. Unarmed : leaves
bigeminate and pinnate, leaflets ovate, acuminate, petioled ;
panicle terminating. This is an arboreous shrub, with spread-
ing unarmed branches. The bark yields excellent soap.
Native of Cochin-china, in woods.
78. Mimosa Lutea; Yellow Mimosa. Prickly: leaves bi-
pinnate, smooth ; flowers globular, peduncled ; prickles very
long. Native of South America.
79. Mimosa Angustissima ; Narrow-leaved Mimosa. Un-
armed: leaves bipinnate; pinnas very narrow, smooth;
legumes swelling. Native of South America.
80. Mimosa Campeachiana; Split-horned Mimosa.
Thorny: leaves bipinnate; pinnas narrow, with thorns like
an ox's horn split lengthwise. This is one of the most singular
species yet known ; the spines being spread open and flat,
appearing as if split lengthwise. The leaves are very beauti-
ful ; but the flowers being small and of an herbaceous colour,
make no great appearance. In the natural place of its growth,
this tree produces flowers almost through the year ; and a
succession of pods is generally found on it: but the seeds are
commonly eaten by insects, before they come to maturity.
Native of South America.
81. Mimosa Microphylla; Prickly Red Mimosa. Prickly
all over: leaves bipinnate, eight-paired; leaflets sixteen-
paired ; heads axillary, peduncled, solitary, or in pairs.
Native of Georgia and Carolina.
82. Mimosa Nitida; Shining Mimosa. Thorny: leaves
bipinnate, two-paired, a gland between each; leaflets five-
paired ; spikes globular, peduncled. Branches round, purple,
rlexuose, pubescent. Native of the East Indies.
83. Mimosa Umbellata ; Umbelled Mimosa. Thorny :
leaves conjugate and bipinnate, two-paired ; flowers umbelled ;
legumes spiral. This tree has round, smooth, dotted branches.
Native of Ceylon.
84. Mimosa Proceros ; Large Mimosa. Trunk straight;
head very large and dense ; leaves alternate, twice feathered,
twelve to eighteen inches long'; panicles terminal and axillary,
MIM
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MIR
133
composed of globular heads of yellow fragrant corollets. It
is the largest of its species known in India; and is the pedda
patseroo of the Telingas. Native of the mountainous parts of
the coast of Coromandel.
85. Mimosa Asak; Purple Mimosa. Spines in threes,
straight; leaves bipinnate, three-paired ; proper five-paired, a
gland between the lowest pair of the partial ones. Branches
purple, smooth, flexuose. Native of Arabia.
Mimulus; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Angio-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, oblong, prismatic, five-cornered, five-folded, five-
toothed, equal, permanent. Corolla: one-petalled, ringent;
tube the length of the calix ; border two-lipped ; upper lip
upright, bifid, rounded, bent back at the sides; lower lip
wider, trifid, with the segments rounded, the middle one
smaller; palate convex, bifid, protruded from the base of
the lip. Stamina: filamenta four, filiform, within the throat,
two shorter; antherse bifid, kidney-form. Pistil: germen
conical ; style filiform, the length of the stamina ; stigma
ovate, bifid, compressed. Pericarp : capsule oval, two-celled,
opening transversely at top ; partition membranaceous, con-
trary to the valves. Seeds: very many, small. Receptacle:
oblong, fastened on each side to the partition. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: four-toothed, prismatical. Corolla:
ringent; the upper lip folded back at the sides. Capsule:
two-celled, many-seeded. -The species are,
1. Mimulus Ringens; Oblong-leaved Monkey-flower. Erect:
leaves oblong, linear, sessile. Root perennial ; stalk annual,
square, a foot and half high. It flowers in July and August.
Native of Virginia and Canada. This plant is very hardy
in respect to cold, but should have a loamy soft soil, rather
moist than dry, and not too much exposed to the sun. It
may be increased by parting the roots in autumn ; but they
should not be divided too small. It may also be propagated
by seeds sown in autumn, soon after they are ripe ; for those
which are sown in the spring seldom grow the same year :
they should be sown on a border exposed to a morning sun
2. Mimulus Luteus ; Ovate-leaved Monkey-flower. Creep-
ing: leaves ovate, on short stalks embracing the stem ; flowers
on solitary stalks, two at each joint, of a bright yellow colour,
their throat spotted with red. This plant is supposed
to be hardy, and of easy propagation, and will probably soon
become common, as it is the most beautiful species of the
genus, being large and magnificent, thickly set with foliage
and flowers. Native of Peru, &c.
3. Mimulus Alatus ; Wing-stalked Monkey-flower. Erect :
leaves ovate, petioled; stems square-winged. This has the
resemblance of the first species. Native of America.
4. Mimulus Aurantiacus ; Orange Monkey-flower. Stem
erect, shrubby, round ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, bluntish.
Stalk about three feet high, much branched, shrubby. It is
propagated by cuttings.
5. Mimulus Lewisii. Plant erect, small, pubescent; leaves
sessile, oblong-lanceolate, acute, nervous, mucronate-dcnti-
culate ; flowers few, terminal, with very long footstalks ; teeth
of the calix acuminate. The flowers are of a very beautiful
pale purple. It grows on the head springs of the Missouri, al
the foot of Portage hill, and is seldom above eight inches high.
Mimusops; a genus of the class Octandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER". Calix: perianth eight-
leaved, coriaceous ; leaflets in a double row, ovate, acute,
permanent. Corolla: petals eight, lanceolate, spreading, the
length of the calix. Stamina: filamenta eight, awl-shaped,
hairy, very short; antherce oblong, erect, the length of the
calix. Pistil: germen superior, round, hispid; style cylin-
dric, the length of the corolla; stigma simple. Pericarp
drupe oval, acuminate : (Berry one-celled, according to Geert-
ner.) Seeds: single, or two? oval, hard, shining. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: four-leaved; Gsertner says, eight-
)arted. Petals: four; Linneus says eight, and Gartner
many. Nectary: sixteen-leaved. Drupe: acuminate. Or
hits, from Jussieu Calix: eight-parted, in two rows. Corolla:
eight-parted, with the segments entire, or three-parted; ap-
jendices eight, small, like scales. Drupe: with one or two
seeds. The species are,
1 . Mimusops Elengi. Leaves alternate, remote, lanceolate,
acuminate. This is a middle-sized tree. Native of the East
Indies, where it is much planted on account of its fragrant
Sowers, which come out chiefly in the hot season.
2. Mimusops Kauki. Leaves clustered, ovate, obtuse,
silvery beneath. Native of the East Indies and Arabia.
3. Mimusops Hexandra. Leaves alternate, obovate, emar-
ginate. This is a large tree, with an erect trunk, and covered
with an ash-coloured bark ; when old, it has frequently large
rotten excavations. The wood being remarkably heavy, is
much used by the washerwomen in the East Indies to beetle
their cloth on. Native of the East Indies, in the moun-
tainous uncultivated parts of the Circars.
Mint. See Mentha.
Minuartia; a genus of the class Triandria, order Trigynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-leaved,
upright, long ; leaflets awl-shaped, somewhat rigid, perma-
nent. Corolla : none. Stamina : filamenta three, capillary,
short ; antherse roundish. Pistil : germen three-cornered ;
styles three, short, filiform; stigmas thickish. Pericarp:
capsule oblong, triangular, much shorter than the calix, one-
celled, three-valved. Seeds : not numerous, roundish, com-
pressed. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: five-leaved.
Corolla: none. Capsule: one-celled, three-valved. Seeds:
few. The species are,
1. Minuartia Dichotoma. Flowers clustered, dichotomous.
This is a rigid, hard, tough, little annual plant : flowers sessile
in cymes, forming a square head. Native of Spain.
2. Minuartia Campestris. Flowers terminating, alternate,
longer than the bracte. Native of Spain, where it is found
in the lower hills.
3. Minuartia Montana. Flowers lateral, alternate, shorter
than the braete. Stems several, diffused, a finger's length,
pubescent, and hoary. Native of Spain.
Mirabilis; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth outer one-
leafed, erect-ventricose, inferior, five-parted ; segments ovate-
lanceolate, sharp, unequal, permanent; inner globular, placed
under the petal, with a contracted entire mouth, and perma-
nent. Corolla: one-petalled, funnel-form ; tube slender, long,
thicker at top, placed on the inner calix ; border from upright
spreading, entire, bluntly five-cleft, plaited ; nectary spherical,
fleshy, surrounding the germen, with a five-toothed mouth ;
teeth very small, triangular, converging. Stamina: filamenta
five, inserted into the orifice of the nectary, and alternate with
its teeth, within the inner calix free, more slender, fastened at
bottom to the tube of the corolla, filiform, the length of the
corolla, inclining, unequal; antherae twin, roundish, rising-.
Pistil: germen turbinate, within the nectary; style filiform, the
length and situation of the stamina; stigma globular, dotted,
rising. Pericarp : none. The inner calix incrusts the seed, and
falls with it. Seed: single, ovate, five-cornered. ESSENTIAL
CHARACTER. Calix: inferior. Corolla: funnel-form, superior.
Nectary: globular, inclosing the germen. The species are,
1. Mirabilis Jalapa; Common Marvel of Peru. Flowers
heaped, terminating, erect ; root tuberous ; slem herbaceous,
round, often trichotomous. This is a perennial plant, and the
134
M I R
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MIT
roots in their native country grow to a great size. There are
many varieties in the colour of the flowers, such as purple or
red, white, yellow, variegated purple and white, and variegated
purple and yellow. These however resolve themselves into
two principal varieties ; purple-flowered, and yellow-flowered :
The first of which has purple and white flowers, which are
variable ; some are plain purple, others plain white, but most
of them are variegated with the two colours, and all are some-
times found upon the same plant. The second has red and
yellow flowers, generally mixed, but sometimes distinct on the
same plants ; some plants have only plain yellow flowers, others
only are variegated, and others again both plain and varie-
gated: but plants raised from the seeds of the purple and
white never produce red and yellow flowers, nor the contrary.
These varieties are very ornamental plants in a flower-garden,
during the months of July, August, and September; and if the
season should continue mild, they often last till near the end
of October. The flowers do not open till towards the evening,
whilst the weather continues warm ; but in moderate cool
weather, while the sun is obscured, they continue open al-
most the whole day. They are produced so plentifully at the
ends of the branches, that when they are expanded, the plants
seem entire covered with them ; and some being plain, others
variegated, on the same plant, they make a fine appearance.
Native of the East and West Indias, China, Cochin-china,
and Africa ; but was introduced into Europe first from Peru.
Thunberg informs us, that the Japanese ladies make a white
paint from the meal of the seeds of this plant, to improve
their complexions. Propagation and culture. Sow the seeds
on a moderate hot-bed, in March. When the plants come
up, admit plenty of air to them, when the weather is mild :
when they are two inches high, transplant them on another
very moderate hot-bed ; or plant each in a small pot filled
with light earth, and plunged into a hot-bed; whence they
may be shaken out into the borders with more security. When
they are in the second hot-bed, let them be shaded till they
have taken fresh root ; after which, they must have plenty of
free air ; and in May, should be gradually inured to the open
air. In the beginning of June, if the season be favourable,
transplant them into the borders of the pleasure-garden, giving
them proper room ; and after they have taken new root, they
will require no further care. If the seeds be sown in a warm
border, at the beginning of April, they will grow very well ;
but the plants will be late in the season before they flower.
As the seeds ripen very well, there are not many persons who
are at the trouble of preserving the roots : if these, however,
be taken out of the ground in autumn, and laid in dry sand
all the winter, secured from frost, and planted again in the
spring, they will grow much larger, and flower earlier, than
the seedling plants : or if the roots be covered with tanner's
bark in winter, to keep out the frost, they may remain in the
borders, if the soil be dry. If the roots, which are taken out
of the ground, be planted the following spring, in large pots,
and plunged into a hot-bed, under a deep frame, they may be
brought forward, and raised to the height of four or five feet ;
and come earlier in the season to flower. In the choice of
seeds, care should be taken not to save any from the plants
with plain flowers; and in order to have variegated flowers,
the plain flowers should be pulled off.
2. Mirabilis Dichotoma; Forked Marvel of Peru. Flowers
sessile, axillary, erect, solitary. It is a native of Mexico ;
but is very common in all the islands of the West Indies, where
the inhabitants call it the Four-o'clock Flower, from the
flowers opening at that time of the day. This is not quite so
hardy as the first species ; so that unless the plants be brought
forward in the spring, they will not flower till very late.
'). Mirabilis Longiflora ; Sweet-scented Marvel of Peru.
Flowers heaped, very long, somewhat nodding, terminating;
leaves subvillose. The stalks of this sort fall on the ground,
if not supported ; the flowers come out at the ends of the
branches, are white, have very long slender tubes, and a faint
musky odour : as in the other species, they are shut during
the day, and expand as the sun declines. It flowers from
June to September. Native of Mexico.
4. Mirabilis Viscosa; Clammy Marvel of Peru. Flowers
racemed; leaves cordate, orbiculate, acute, tomentose. Stems
thick, round, swelling at the joints, with opposite branches,
three or four feet high. Native of Peru
Misscltoe. See Viscum.
Mitchella; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : flowers two, sitting
on the same germen; perianths two, distinct, four-toothed,
erect, permanent, superior. Corolla: one-petalled, funnel-
form; tube cylindric; border four-parted, spreading, hirsute
within. Stamina: filamenta four, filiform, erect, within the
sinuses of the corolla ; antherae oblong, acute- Pistil: ger-
men twin, orbiculate, common to two, inferior; style filiform,
the length of the corolla ; stigmas four, oblong. Pericarp :
berry two-parted, globular, with separate navels. Seeds:
four, compressed, callous. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Co-
rollas: one-petalled, superior, two on the same germen.
Stigmas: four. Berry: bifid, four-seeded. The only
known species is,
1. Mitchella Repens ; Creeping Mitchella. Native of
Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia.
Mitella; a genus of the class Decandria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-leafed, half
five-cleft, bell-shaped, permanent. Corolla: petals five, mul-
tifid, capillary, twice as large as the calix, and inserted into
it. Stamina : filamenta ten, awl-shaped, inserted into the
calix, shorter than the corolla ; antheree roundish. Pistil ;
germen roundish, bifid; styles scarcely any ; stigmas blunt.
Pericarp: capsule ovate, one-celled, half two-valved ; valves
flat, rolled back at top, equal. Seeds: very many. ESSEN-
TIAL CHARACTER. Calix : five-cleft. Corolla : five-petalled,
inserted into the calix; petals pinnatifid. Capsule: one-
celled, two-valved ; valves equal. These plants are increased
by parting the roots in autumn : they love shade, and a soft
loamy soil. The species are,
1. Mitella Diphylla; Tivo-leaved Mitella. Scape two-
leaved. Root perennial ; stalks eight or nine inches high, and
are terminated by a loose spike of small whitish flowers, the
petals of which are fringed on their edges. Native of most
parts of North America, in woods.
2. Mitella Nuda ; Naked Mitella. Leaves kidney-shaped ;
scape naked. Native of Siberia and North America.
3. Mitella Cordifolia. Leaves orbiculate, reniform, sub-
duplicate, crenate, lucid ; scape setaceous, aphyllous. It
flowers in May and June ; and is found in Canada, and on
the high mountains of New York and Pennsylvania.
4. Mitella Prostrata. Root creeping ; stalks prostrate ;
leaves alternate, rotund-cordate, subacute, obtusely sub-
lobate. It flowers in May and June. Found in the most
southern parts of Canada; and growing also upon the moun-
tains of Virginia, near the sweet springs.
5. Mitella Grandiflora. Plant very rough; leaves rotund-
cordate, obtusely lobate, dentate ; flowers pedicellated ;
calices campanulate. Found on the north-west coast of
America. The flowers are more than four times the size of
the other species.
Mithridatea; a genus of the class Monandria, order Mono -
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: receptacle common
M NI
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
M O L
13.5
one-leafed, fleshy, bell-shaped, four-cleft; clefts large, ovate,
spreading, covered above with very numerous, immersed, very
small florets; perianth proper, scarcely any. Corolla: none.
Stamina: filamenta one, very short, upright; antherse erect,
channelled, embracing the style. Pistil: germen inferior;
style shorter than the stamina, within the excavation of the
antheree; stigma simple. Pericarp: none: common recep-
tacle enlarged, more fleshy; the segments converging, tur-
binate, hollow in the middle, containing the seeds within its
substance. Seeds: solitary, ovate. Observe. According to
jussieu, the flowers are monoecous. The male has the invo-
lucre at first ovate, converging, entire ; afterwards four-
parted, spreading, covered on the inside with very numerous
antherae : and the female has the involucre ovate, hollow with-
in, pervious at the navel at top. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix: common four-cleft, enlarged, fleshy, containing the
seeds. Corolla: none. Fruit: globular, depressed. Seeds:
solitary, arilled. The only known species is,
1. Mithridatea Quadrifida; Drum-tree, or Monkey-apple.
Leaves subopposite, entire, evergreen ; flowers in racemes, very
seldom, solitary, growing on the trunk and lower branches ;
females fewer, mixed with the males. It is a milky tree, with
branches opposite. The fruit is fleshy, about the size of an
apple. Native of the islands of Madagascar, Mauritius, and
Bourbon. Ambora is the Madagascar name of this tree.
Mithridate, Mustard. See Thlaspi, and Biscntella.
Mnasivm; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Mono-
gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: spathe two-valved;
valves ovate, terminated by a linear patulous leaflet; perianth
one-leafed, three-parted; segments lanceolate, concave, acute,
margined. Corolla: one-petalled ; tube very short; border
three-parted; parts lanceolate, concave, acute. Stamina:
tilamenta six, very short, inserted into the tube; antheree
long, four-cornered, terminated by an ovate, excavated acute
leaflet. Pistil: germen three-lobed; style long, striated;
stigmas three, rolled spirally. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Calix: one-leafed, three-parted. Corolla: one-petalled, three-
parted, with a very short tube. Anthera: four-cornered,
terminated by an ovate leaflet. Germen: three-lobed. Stig-
mas: three, spiral. The only known species is,
1. Mnasium Paludosum. This is a perennial plant, with a
fibrose woody root; the leaves are very long, narrow, sharp,
and smooth, striated, perfectly entire, sheathing at the base,
and mutually embracing each other, and are narrowed above
the sheath; the stalks are several, naked, two feet high, stri-
ated, compressed, margined; corolla jellow. Native of
Guiana; growing in marshy woods.
Mniarum; a genus of the class Monandria, order Digynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: involucre four-leaved,
two-flowered; leaflets ovate, acute; the two lowest united;
perianth one-leafed, four-cleft. Corolla: none. Stamina:
filamenta one, (Solander says two,) capillary, erect, scarcely
longer than the calix, and inserted into the base of it ;
antheree roundish, grooved. Pistil: germen inferior, oval,
scarcely angular, hard, longer than the calix; styles two,
filiform, gradually divaricating, the length of the calix ; stig-
mas simple. Pericarp: none. Seed: one, oblong, very
small, inclosed in the hardened bottom of the calix. ESSEN-
TIAL CHARACTER. Calix: four-parted, superior. Corolla:
none. Seed: one. The species are,
1. Mniarum Biflorum. Stems tufted; branches very smooth ;
leaves finely toothed at the base only, shorter than the fruit-
stalks. This plant resembles Minuartia so much in its appear-
ance, that, without examining the flower, it would be ranked
with that genus. It is very smooth, dichotomous, covered
ajl over with approximating, acerose, connate flowers, termi-
VOL. n. 77.
nating in pairs, subsessile, generally shorter than the leaves.
Native of New Zealand and Terra del Fuego.
2. Mniarum Fasciculatum. Stems procumbent, branched ;
branches minutely downy; leaves finely toothed throughout;
fruit-stalks hardly as long as the leaves. Found in Van
Diemen's Land.
Mnium; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Musci.
EssENTiALGENERicCHARACTER. Capsule: with alid. Calyp-
tre : smooth ; bristle from a terminating tubercle. Male Flowers :
headed or discoid. Or thus, from Withering. Capsule: with
a veil. Fringe : with sixteen teeth ; sometimes, though rarely,
with four. Male. Bud circular, rarely knob-like, mostly
on a separate plant. Withering has enumerated twenty-four
species, besides many varieties. Of all these, the most re-
markable is Mnium Hygrometricum. If the fruit-stalks be
moistened at the bottom, the head makes three or four turns ;
and if the head be moistened, it turns the contrary way.
Moehringia; a genus of the clas-s Octandria, order Digy-
nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Cafe: perianth four-leaved;
leaflets lanceolate, spreading, permanent. Corolla: petals
four, ovate, undivided, spreading, shorter than the calix.
Stamina: filamenta eight, capillary ; antherae simple. Pistil:
germen globular; styles two, erect, the length of the stamina;
stigmas simple. Pericarp: capsule subglobular, one-celled,
four-valved. Seeds: very many, roundish, convex on one
side, angular on the other. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
Cafe .-four-leaved. Petals: four. Capsule: one-celled, four-
valved. The only known species is,
1. Moehringia Muscosa. Root annual, slender; stems
filiform, eight, ten, or twelve inches long, upright, very much
branched; flowers axillary, erect, on slender one-flowered
peduncles : petals narrow, milk-white. Native of the moun-
tains of France, Austria, Silesia, &c. among moss on rocks,
by the trunks of trees, 'or springs or little rills of water.
Mogorin; a name given by the Portuguese to an Indian
or Chinese flower, which grows upon a small shrub. It is of
a wonderfully white colour, and not unlike the Ginseng, only
that it abounds more with leaves, and smells much sweeter,
one single flower filling a whole house with its odoriferous
effluvia. On this account the Chinese value it highly, and
carefully defend the shrub it grows upon from the inclemency
of the winter, by covering it with vases provided on purpose.
Molluyo; a genus of the class Triandria, order Trigynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-leaved;
leaflets oblong, from upright spreading, coloured within, per-
manent. Corolla: none. Stamina: filamenta three, bristle-
shaped, shorter than the corolla, approximating to the pistil;
antherce simple. Pistil: germen superior, ovate, three-
grooved; styles three, very short; stigmas blunt: or, according
to Gartner, style one, trifid at top. Pericarp: capsule
ovate, three-celled, three-valved. Seeds: numerous, kidney-
form. ESSENTIAL CHARACTEII. Calix: five-leaved. Co-
rolla: none. Capsule: three-celled, three-valved. To pro-
pagate these plants, permit them to scatter their seeds, and
they will sometimes come up in the following spring; but if
sown upon a hot-bed, they will come up more certainly, and
be forwarder and stronger. The species are,
1. Mollugo Oppositifolia: Opposite-leaved Mollugo.
Leaves opposite, lanceolate; branches alternate; peduncles
lateral, clustered, one-flowered. Annual. Native of Ceylon.
2. Mollugo Stricta; Upright Mollugo. Leaves commonly
in fours, lanceolate; flowers panicled, nodding; stem erect,
angular. Root fibrous; stems three or four, stiff, even; leaves
in whorls; flowers white. Native of Africa, Ceylon, &-C,
3. Mollugo Hirta; Hairy Mollugo. Leaves in fours,
obovate, villose; stem decumbent. 'Native of the Cape,
2M
136
MOM
THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL;
MOM
4. Mollugo Pentaphylla ; Five-leaved Mollugo. Leaves in
fives, obovate, equal ; flowers panicled, white ; root-leaves
oblong ; stem decumbent. Native of Ceylon.
5.- Mollugo Verticillata ; Whorl-leaved Mollugo. Leaves
in whorls, wedge-form, acute ; stem subdivided, decumbent;
peduncles one-flowered. This is a trailing plant, spreading
out seven or eight inches every way, with six or seven small
leaves at each joint. Native of Virginia and Jamaica, where
it is pretty common in the dry savannas of Liguanee.
6. Mollugo Triphylla ; Three-leaved Mollugo. Leaves in
threes, lanceolate ; flowers dichotomous. Stem herbaceous,
annual. Native of China, near Canton.
Molucca Balm. See Moluccella.
Molucca Bean. See Guilandina.
Moluccella; a genus of the class Didynamia, order Gymno-
spermia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth one-
leafed, very large, turbinate, gradually finishing in a very
wide, bell-shaped, tooth-spiny, incurved, permanent border.
Corolla: one-petalled, ringent, less than the calix; tube and
throat short ; upper lip upright, concave, entire ; lower lip
trifid ; the middle segment more produced, emarginate. Sta-
mina: filamenta four, under the upper lip, of which two are
shorter; antherae simple. Pistil: germen four-parted ; style
the size and situation of the stamina; stigma bifid. Pericarp:
none ; fruit turbinate, truncate, in the bottom of the open calix.
Seeds : four, convex on one side, angular on the other, at
top wide and truncate. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix:
bell-shaped, widening, broader than the corolla, spiny.
The species are six, among which are the following :
1. Moluccella Lsevis; Smooth Molucca Balm. Calices
bell-shaped, commonly five-toothed ; toothlets equal. Root
annual ; stem three feet high, spreading out into many
branches, which are smooth, and come out by pairs. Native
of Syria. This and the next species are annuals, which decay
soon after the seeds are ripe, and being natives of warm
countries, seldom perfect their seeds in England when they
are sown in the spring. They should be raised therefore in
autumn, and planted in small pots, placed under a hot-bed
frame in winter, where they may have free air in mild weather,
by taking off the glasses ; but they must be covered in frosty
weather, observing to keep them pretty dry, otherwise they
are very subject to rot. In the spring the plants may be
turned out of the pots, with all the earth about their roots,
and planted in a warm border, defended from strong winds,
giving them a little water to settle the earth to their roots ;
after this, they will require no other care but to keep them
clean from weeds, and to support them with stakes to prevent
their being broken by the winds. The plants thus preserved
through the winter, will flower at the end of June, and good
seeds may be expected from them.
2. Moluccella Spinosa ; Prickly Molucca Balm. Calices
ringent, eight-toothed ; toot annual; stems smooth, purplish,
four feet high, branching out in the same manner with the
first. Native of the Levant: it is commonly said to be a
native of the Molucca Islands.
3. Moluccella Frutescens; Shrubby Molucca Balm. Cali-
ces funnel-form, five-cleft ; corollas longer than the calix.
This is a small shrub, with dichotomous branchlets. Native
of Persia, whence it has migrated into Italy : it has also
been observed in Piedmont.
Moly. See Allium.
Momordica ; a genus of the class Monoscia, order Synge-
nesia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Male Flowers. Calix:
perianth one-leafed, concave, five-cleft; segments lanceolate,
spreading. Corolla : five-parted, fastened to the calix, more
spreading, large, veined, wrinkled. Stamina: filamenta three,
awl-shaped, short ; antherse on two filaments, bifid, eared at
the sides ; on the third simple, one-eared only, consisting of
a compressed body, and a fariniferous line once reflex. Fe-
male Flowers : on the same plant. Calix : perianth as in the
male, superior, deciduous. Corolla; as in the male. Sta-
mina: filamenta three, very short, without antherae. Pistil:
germen inferior, large ; style single, round, trifid, columnar;
stigmas three, gibbous, oblong, pointing outwards. Pericarp .'
pome dry, oblong, opening elastically, three-celled ; cells
membranaceous, soft, distant. Seeds : several, compressed.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : five-cleft. Corolla: five-
parted. Male. Filamenta three. Female. Style trifid.
Pome : opening elastically. The species are,
1. Momordica Balsamina; Common Momordica, or Male
Balsam Apple. Pomes angular, tubercled ; leaves smooth,
spreading, palmate. Stems trailing like those of the Cucum-
ber and Melon, extending three or four feet in length, and
sending out many side-branches, which have tendrils. This
plant is famous in Syria for curing wounds. They cut open
the unripe fruit, and infuse it in sweet oil, exposed to the sun
for some days, until the oil is become red. This oil, dropped
on cotton, is applied to a fresh wound, and is esteemed by
the Syrians next to Balsam of Mecca. The leaves and stems
are also used for arbours or bowers. To propagate this and
the six following species, sow the seeds on a hot-bed at the
beginning of March ; and when the plants come up, prick
them into a fresh hot-bed, letting them have fresh air in warm
weather, and refreshing them frequently with water. When
the plants have four or five leaves, plant them out into the
hot-bed where they are to remain, putting one or two plants
into each light; watering and shading them until they have
taken root. After this, treat them as Melons or Cucumbers,
permitting their branches to extend in the same manner, and
keeping them clean from weeds. With this management, if
they have not too much wet, and are not too much exposed
to the open air, they will produce fruit in July, and the seeds
will ripen in August and September; when it must be gathered
as soon as it opens, otherwise the seeds will be cast abroad,
and with difficulty gathered up again.
2. Momordica Charantia: Hairy Momordica. Pomes
angular, tubercled ; leaves villose, longitudinally palmate.
Stem round, slender, branched, climbing by lateral tendrils.
Native of the East Indies. See the preceding species.
3. Momordica Operculata; Lidded Momordica. Pomes
angular-tubercled, having a lid from the falling of the top ;
leaves lobed. Native of America.
4. Momordica LufFa; Egyptian Momordica. Pomes ob-
long ; grooves like a chain ; leaves gashed. Stem angular,
very much branched, climbing by bifid spiral tendrils. The
fruit when young is made into a pickle, like the Mango, but
it has a disagreeable taste, and is not accounted very whole-
some. The Arabians call this plant Liff or Luff; they culti-
vate it, and it climbs up the Palm-trees, covering and ele-*
gantly adorning their trunks. It is also largely cultivated hi
China and Cochin-china. Native of the East Indies.
5. Momordica Cylindrica ; Long-fruited Momordica.
Pomes cylindric, very long ; leaves with acute angles. Stem
five-angled. Native of Ceylon and China.
6. Momordica Trifolia; Three-leaved Momordica. Pomes
ovate, muricate ; leaves ternate, toothed. Native of the
East Indies.
7. Momordica Pedata ; Pedate-leaved Momordica. Pomes
striated ; leaves pedate, serrate. Native of Peru.
8. Momordica Elaterium ; Elastic Momordica. Pomes
hispid ; tendrils none. It has a large, fleshy, perennial root,
somewhat like that of Bryony ; stems thick, rough, trailing,
MON
OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY.
MON
137
dividing into many branches, and extending every way two or
three feet; leaves thick, rough, almost heart-shaped, grey, on
long footstalks; flowers axillary, less than those of the Cucum-
ber, of a pale yellow colour, with- a greenish bottom. When
the fruit is designed for medicinal use, it should be gathered
before it is ripe, otherwise the greatest part of the juice, which
is the only valuable part, will be lost; for the expressed juice
is not to be compared with that which runs out of itself ; and
the Elaterium made from the clear juice is whiter, and will
keep much longer. The dried juice or feculee of the fruit,
known in the shops by the name of Elaterium, is the only part
now medicinally employed. The method for preparing this
medicine, is to slit the ripe fruit, and pass the juice, very lightly
pressed, through a very fine sieve into a glass vessel ; then to
set it by for some hours, until the thicker part has subsided ;
to pour off the thinner part swimming at the top, and separate
the rest by filtering; to cover the thicker part which remains
after filtration with a linen cloth, and to dry it with a gentle
heat. The sensible qualities of this inspissated juice are not
remarkable either to the smell or tase : it is inflammable, and
dissolves readily in water or spirituous menstrua. Elaterium is
undoubtedly the most violent purgative in the Materia Medica,
and ought therefore to be administered with great caution, and
only where milder cathartics have proved ineffectual. Pauli,
Sydenham, and Lister, have particularly recommended it in
hydropic cases. The dose is from half a grain to three grains.
The most prudent and effectual way in which dropsies are
treated with this remedy, is by repeating it at short intervals
in small doses. We call it Wild, Spirting, Squirting, or Asses
Cucumber; and the French, Concombre sauvage ou d tine. Na-
tive of the south of Europe. It is easily propagated by seeds,
which, if permitted to scatter, will come up in the following
spring : or if the seeds be sown in a bed of light earth, the
plants will come up in about a month after, and may be trans-
planted to an open spot of ground, in rows at three or four
feet distance, and almost as far asunder in the rows ; if thfcse
are carefully transplanted while young, there will be little
hazard of their growing ; and after they have taken new root,
they will require no further care, but to keep them clear from
weeds. If the ground is dry in which they are planted, the
roots will continue three or four years, unless the winter should
prove very severe.'
Monarda; a genus of the class Diandria, order Monogynia.
GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth one-leafed, tubu-
lar, cylindric, striated, with a five-toothed equal mouth, per-
manent. Corolla : unequal ; tube cylindric, longer than the
calix ; border ringent ; upper lip straight, narrow, linear, entire ;
lower lip reflex, broader, trifid ; middle segment longer, nar-
rower, emarginate; lateral blunt. Stamina: filamenta two,
bristle-shaped, the length of the upper lip, in which they are
involved ; antherae compressed, truncate at top, convex below,
erect. Pistil: germen four-cleft ; style filiform, involved with
the stamina; stigma bifid, acute. Pericarp: none. Calix:
containing the seeds at the bottom. Seeds: four, roundish.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: irregular; the upper
lip linear, involving the filamenta. Seeds: four. The
species are,
1. Monarda Fistulosa; Purple Monarda. Leaves oblong-
lanceolate, cordate, villose, flat. Root perennial, composed
of many strong fibres, and spreading far on every side; stem
ixrarly three feet high, and, as well as the branches, terminated
by heads of purple flowers. Native of Canada. This, and the
four following sorts, may be propagated by parting their roots;
the first does not multiply so fast as the third, but as that
produces plenty of see^Hb it may be easily propagated that
way. If the seeds aflHbwn in autumn soon after they are
ripe, the plants will come up the following spring; but if
they are not sown till spring, the plants seldom rise till the
next year. When the plants are come up, and fit to remove,
they should be transplanted into a shady border about nine
inches' distance, and when they have taken new root, they
will require no other care but to keep them clean from weeds
till the autumn, when they should be transplanted into the
borders where they are to remain. The following summer
they will flower, and produce ripe seeds, but the roots will
continue several years, and may be parted every other year
to increase them. This loves a soft loamy soil, and a situa-
tion not too much exposed to the sun.
2. Monarda Oblongata; Long-leaved Monarda. Leaves
oblong-lanceolate, rounded, attenuate at the base, villose, flat.
Natite of N. America; flowering from July to September.
3. Monarda Didyma ; Scarlet Monarda, or Oswego Tea.
Leaves ovate, smooth ; heads in whorls ; flowers subdidy-
namous ; stem acute-angled. Root perennial ; stems about
two feet high ; flowers in large heads or whorls at the top of
the stalk, of a bright red colour. This seldom ripens seed in
England, but increases fast enough by its creeping roots, as
also by slips or cuttings, which, if planted in a shady border
in May, will take root in the same manner as Mint ot Balm ;
but as the roots multiply so fast, there is seldom occasion to
use any other method to propagate them. It delights in a 
