General Natural History Vol. 2 - A History of Plants

xQH15H551748 v.2 166

• 27s The Hijlory of P LA N T S. tufely trilobous capfule, compofed of three valves, and containing three cells. The feeds are numerous and very frhall. Tfiis genus comprehends the Trachelium of Tournefort.; bu~ the p~ants, commonly called Trachelia by others, are Campanulre, already defcnbed m their places. 1 • 7rachelium foliis ovatis ferratis, caule umbel/a termi?Zato. The oval, ferrated-leaved Trachelium, with umbellated jlowe1·s. The root is compofed of a number of large fibres, thick, and full of a milky juice. The radical leaves fiand on moderately long pedicles ; they are ~fan oval figure, _fer­rated round the edges, and of a deep green colour : the fialk nfes to two feet h1gh, and fends out a great number of branches: the leaves are oval, but fomewhat nar­rower than the radical ones, ferrated at the edges, an~ placed. very 7Iofe: the .flowers are moderately large, and of a fine purple, and are d1fpoied m a kmd of umbels at the tops. of the fialks. . . . n is a native of Italy, and IS kept lh fame of our ~ar~ens. -rou~nefort calls lt, Tra ... chelima azureum umbelliferum; C. Bauhine, Cerv1cana v~lenan01des creru lea. 2. 7r:acheli>u:m folio Iongo laciniato, jloribus glomeratis. The long, laciniated-leaved Trachelium, with glomerated flowers. ' The root is compofed of a number o~ large fibres, and .full of a milky juice. T he radical leaves are very long; they have no pcdicles, and are cut I.n deeply at the edges : the fialk is round, firiated, and hollow ; it grows to four feet h1gh : the leaves are oblong and broad, deeply cut in at the edges, and affixed to the fial~ by a broad bafe. At the top fiands a clufrer of moderate~y large, an.d very l~ng, white .flowers. . . It is a native of North Amenca. Plumier calls It, Trachehum Amencanum fonch1 folio, flare albo longiffimo. The other fp'ecies are, r. The laciniated-leaved, violet-coloured, umbelliferous Tra­chelibm, 2. The hairy Trachelium, with clufiers of flowers from the alre of the leaves. 3· The little clufier-flowered Trachelium . . 4· The little Trachelium, with flowers growing all along the fialks. This is an African. S A M 0 L U S. T HE calyx is a perianthium, obtufe at the bafe, and divided into five narrow, ereCt, and permanent fegments : the corolla confifi:s ·of a fingle petal; the tube is very 1bort, only of the length of the cup, and patulous : the limb is plane, and di­vided into five fegments, and there are placed five connivent fquammul~ at the bafe of the fin us of the limb: the tfiamina are five 1bort filaments, each placed under one of the fquammulre of the corolla: the antherre are connivent and covered : the germen is placed below the receptacle : the fiyle is filiform, and of the length of the fiamina; the fiigma is fimple ; the fruit is an oval capfule, furround ed by the cup, .and contain­ing only one cell. The feeds are numerous, oval, and fmall. Of this genus there is only one known fpecies. SA M 0 L U S. The root is compofed of a number of moderately thick, white fibres. The radical leaves are two inches long, and more than an inch broad : they a ·e narrow at the bafe, an.d thence gradually extend in breadth, terminating in a rounded extremity; they are thtck, fmooth, of a pale green colour, and not ferrated about the edges : the fialk is eight, or more, inches in height, round, of a pale green colour, and tolerably firm : the ·lea~es fiand a1terna.tely on it) at fome confiderable difi:ance: they are iliottet than the r~dtcal ones, .r~undif? -and affixed by the bafe, without :my pedicle: the fialk is, to­ward the top, divided mto feveral 1bort branches ; the flowers are fmall and white; they ftand fingly on pedicles of half an inch long each, and ·are not placed very near one another. . This is ~ native .of England, and is not unfi·equent in watery places. C. Bauhine calls It) Anagalhs aquattca rotundifolia non crenata; J. Bauhine, Samolus Valerandi. · R ONDE-The Hi}lory of P L A N 'r ~ R 0 N 0 E L E T I A.· J tr HE calyx is' a p.er~an~nt perian~hium, formed of a fing~e leaf, divided into five acute fegments, and placed on the germen : the corolla confifts of a fi.ngle petal; and is of the infundibuliform kind : the tube is <;ylindric, and longer than the cup, and ventricofe at the top: the limb is divided into, , fivsr roundifh fegf:ll~nts, which bend backwards: the ftamina are five fubulated filamel)ts, nearly of the length of the co­rolla: the anthe,rre are fimpJe, the germen is roundHh, a\1d placed below the receptacle of the flower: the ftyle is filiform, and of the length of the fiamina: the fiigma is ob­tufe. The fi·uit is a roundilh, coronated capfule, containing two cells ; the feeds are numerous and fmall. This genus com prebends the Rondeletia and the Cbomelia of Linn reus : the ,charac..; ters of both are the fame, and the words almoft tl)anfcribed, fo th~t it is furprifing he did not fee it. The Ropdeletia is an American, · defcribed by Plumier ; the Cho­melia an Afiatic, figured in the Hortus Malabaricus, v. 2. B E L . L 0 N I A. [I' !=T' HE calyx is a perianthium, formed of a fingle leaf, divid~d into five lan~eolated, ·;.1 acute fegments, and permanent: the corolla confi~s o~ a fipgle P.etal, and is of the fotatea kind: the tube is very iliort, the limb large, and divided into five fegments. The ftamina are five very iliort, ereCt, fubulated filaments: the antherre are fhort, erect, and connivent: the germen is placed below the receptac;\e. of the flo'Ye : the ~yle is fubula'ted, ftrait, and longer than the fiamina : the ftig~il is acute. The fruit is a capfule of a turbinato-ova1 figure, furrounded by the cup, and has ,a kind of rofirum, or beak, proceeding from it's top, formed by the connivent fegments of the cup; it contains only one cell, in which are numerous, very fmall, roundi1b feeds. It is an American, defcribed by Plumier ;. the charaCters are fufficient to make it known, without a defcription. G~NIPA. ~ I T HE calyx is a iliort perianthium, forming a kind of UI}.divided margin, or rim, on the top of the germen : the corolla confifi:s of a fingle petal, of the rotated kind.: the tube is very iliort, and of a funnel-like iliape : the I limb is large, divided into five fegments, and patent; the fegments are of an oval figurs;:, ~nd acute: the fia­. I)lina are five fubulated, reflex filaments, ihor~er thfln ,tqe corolla: the antherre are roundifh and ~onnivent: the germen is oval, and placed under the req:ptacle: th~ ftyle is fi.mple and iliort; the fiigma is ot an ovato-oblong figure, large, .and of the )ength of the fiamina. The fruit is a fle1by berry, of an oval figure, fmall at each end, truncated, and contains two celJs, in each of which are a number of depreifed, angu .. lated feeds. · Of this genus there is only one known fpecies, which the charaCters fufficiently dif­tinguiili, without a farther defcription. CINCHONA. • I ' T HE calyx is a very fmall, permanent perianthium, formed of one leaf, divided into five fegments at the edge. The corolla confi!l;,s of a fingle petal, and is of the infundibuliform ~ind: the _tube is cylindric and long;, the limb is patulous, divided into five fegments, ferrated and acute. The fiamina are five very [mall filaments : the antberre are oblong, and are placed within the tube of the cbrolla: the germen is round­iih, and placed beneath the receRtacle of the flower. I Th~ fiyle is of the Jength of the corolla: the fiigma is thick, oblong, and fimple. , ;T~e fruit is a roundiih capfule, co­ronated with the cup, compofed of two cells, .and opening into two parts, longitudinally, from the bafe 'to the apex: the feeds ,are numerou.s.J oblong, compreffi:d, and marginated. Of this genus there is only one known fpecies, which is the tree whofe bark is the famous cortex Peruvianus. \ :J 1 c.. I ( .' CINCH 0 N A.