COM 



two feet high, which generally incline to the ground j 

 thefe are garnilhed at each joint with one winged leaf, 

 compofed of five, fix, or feven lobes, which rife 

 above each other, the middle being the largefl: ; the 

 lower diminifhing, and with their bafe embrace the 

 ftalks J thefe are deeply fawed on their edges, fmooth 

 above, of a light green, and hoary on their under 

 fide.. The flowers are produced at the top of the 



■ ftalks, three or four together on Ihort foot-ftalks ; 

 thefe have a large fpreading empalement, which is 

 red on the upper fide, and divided at the top into 

 ten parts •, in the center fits the five petals, which are 

 red, and not more than a third pare the fize of the 



. empalement; within thefe are fituated many germen, 

 attended by twenty or more ftamina, terminated by 

 dark, fummits. - After the flower is pafl:, the recep- 

 tacle which fits in the bottom of the empalement, 

 becomes a flelhy fruit, fomewhat like a Strawberry, 

 but flatter, including a great number of pointed 

 feeds. It flowers in July, and the feeds ripen in 



autumn. 



As thefe plants are natives of bogs, they are with 

 difficulty preferved in gardens, for they mufl: be 

 planted in a foil as near to that of their natural growth 

 as poflible -, they are very apt to fpread much at the 

 root, when in a proper fituation : fo whoever is in- 

 clinable to preferve thefe plants, may remove them 

 from the places of their growth in Oftober; and if 

 they are planted on a bog, there will be no danger 

 of the plants fucceeding. There are a few of thefe 



- plants now growing upon a bog at Hampfl:ead, wl\ich 

 were planted there fome years ago ; but the neareft 

 place to London, where they grow wild in plenty, is 

 m the meadows near Guilford in Surry. .. ..i- ^ 



COMMELINA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 58. Plum. Nov. 

 Gen. 48. tab. 38. Zanonia. Plum. Nov. Gen. 3S. tab. 

 38. This plant was fo called by father Plumier, from 

 Dr. Commeline, a famous profeflbr of botany at Am- 



flerdam. 



t -- 



ti 



' *• 



^■- 



* -' - . 



' The Characters are, -: 

 .- // hath a permanent ffatbay which is large^ heart-Jhafed^ 

 '" cpfnprejfed^ and Jhut together. The flower hath Jt:x con- 

 cave petalsy three or four of which are fmall and oval, 

 (thefe are frequently taken for the empalement) the other 

 are large, roundijh, and coloured. It hath three nedla- 

 ' riumSy (which have been fuppofed to he ftamina-,) thefe 

 have proper ftamina, which Jit horizontal, and arejhaped 

 like a crofs, There are three awl-Jh aped ftamina, which 

 recline, and Jit about thofe of the neliarium, which are 

 i terminated by oval fummits. In the center is Jituated a 

 ^ roundijh germen, fupporting a twining ftyle, crowned by 

 ■ a Jingle ftigma. The germen afterward becomes a naked 

 globular capfule, with three furrows, having three cells, 

 each containing two angular feeds. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the firfl: fedion of 

 Linnseus*s third clafs, intitled Triandria Monogynia, 

 the flower having three ftamina and one ftyle; to 

 this genus he has joined the Zanonia of Plumier, 

 which was feparated by that author from Cbmmelina, 

 becaufe the flower has three petals, and his Gommelina 

 but two ; whereas the feveral fpecies of this genus 

 ' moft of them differ in the number of their petals, 

 fome having two green, and four coloured petals, 

 others are equal, and fome have four green, and but 



two coloured petals. . " ■ 



The Species are, 

 r, CoMMELiNA {Communis) corollis inasqualibus, foliis 

 ovato-lanceolatis, acutis, caule procumbente, glabro. 

 Hort. Upfal. 18. Commelina with unequal petals, oval, 

 fpear-fhaped, pointed leaves, and a fmooth trailing ftalk. 

 Commelina procumbens annua, faponarise folio. Hort. 

 Elth. 93. tab. 78. 



2, Commelina {Ere£ta) corollis insequalibus, fuliis 

 ovato-lanceolatis, caule ere£lo, fcabro, fimplicifiimo. 

 Hort. Upfal. 18. Commelina with unequal petals, oval 

 fpear-fhaped leaves, and a ftngle, upright, rough ftalL 

 Commelina erefta, ampliore fubc^ruleo flore, Hort, 

 Elth. 94. tab. 78. 



3. Commelina {Africana) corollis in^qualibus, folIIs 

 lanccolatis, glabris, obtufis, caule repentc. Lin. Sp. 



4 



5- 



\ 



\ 

 I 



r 

 1 



COM 



Plant. 41. Commelina with unequal petals, fuooth, fpear- 

 Jhaped, obtufe leaves, ayid a creeping ft alk. Commelina 

 procumbens, flore luteo. Prod. Leyd. 538. 

 Commelina {Tuberofa) corollis sequalibus foliis ovato- 

 lanceolatis, fubcilliatis. Hort. Upfal. 18. CojnmeUna 

 with equal petals, and oval fpear-ftoaped leaves^ which are 

 hairy on their under fide, Commelina radice anacafnp- 

 ferotidis. Hort. Elth. 94. tab. 79. 

 Commelina {Zanonia) corollis ^qualibus, pedun- 

 culis incraflatis, foliis lanceolatis, vaginis laxis mar- 

 gine hirfutis bracteis geminis. Lin. Sp. Plant, 61. 

 Commelina with equal petals, thick fcot-ftalks to the 



hood, and double 



a 



looft 



f- r-» 



flower, fpear-fh _ 



bra&ea. Zanonia graminea pertbliata. Plum. Nov. 

 Gen. 38. 



There are fome other fpecies of this genus-, but thofe 

 which are here enumerated, are ail th.it I have fecn 

 growing in the Englifli gardens. 

 The firft fort grows naturally in the ifiands in the 

 Weft-Indies, and alfo in Africa; this is an annual 

 plant, which hath feveral trailing ftalks, that put 

 out roots at the joints, which ftrike inro the ground; 

 at each joint is placed one oval fpear-fliaped leaf, 

 ending in a point, embracincr the ftalk with its bafe, 

 and hath feveral longitudinal veins: they are of a deep 

 green, and fmooth. The flowers come out from the 

 bofom of the leaves, included in a fpatha, which is 

 compreflTed and Ihut up, each having two or three 

 flowers, ftanding upon Ihort foor-ftaiks, compofed of 

 ^two large blue petals, and four fmall green oites, 

 which have generally been termed the empalement 

 of the flower; within thefe are fituated three nefta- 

 ■ 'riums,^"^ch having a flender ftamina fixed on the 

 fide; tliefe furround the germen, which afterward be- 

 ■^comes a roundiih capfule having three cells, in each 

 of thefe is lodged two angular feeds.. ^ It flowers^ in 

 ' June and July, and the feeds ripen ill aututnn. This 

 plant was titled Ephemeron flore dipetalo, by fome 

 of the older writers on botany; . ■; 



The fecond fort grows naturally in Penfylvanla,. from 

 whence I received the feed'; this hath a perenijiai 

 root, compofed of many white fibres; the ftalLs rife a . 

 foot and a half high, are upright, rough, herbaceous, 

 I and about the fize of quills ; thefe have a fingle leaf 

 at each joint, (haped like thofe of the firft fort^ and 

 embracer the ftalks with their bafe ; the flowers come 

 out from the bofom of the leaves at the uppd; part 

 of the ftalk, fitting upon fliort foot-ftalks ; they are 

 of a pale bluifti colour, and are fucceeded by feeds 

 as the firft fort: This flowers, about the fame time 



J 



! 



I 

 I 



'-'^ 



England. 



do not often 



Afj-ica 



a fibrous root, which fends out many trailing ft^ks 

 three feet long, which fend out roots at every joint, 

 and from them many more flioots are: produced ; fo 

 that where the plants are in a proper degree of warmth, 

 and have room to fpread, they will' cover a large fur- 

 face of ground. The leaves of this fort are; very 

 like thofe of the firft, but the flowers are larger and 

 of a deep yellow colour ; the petals of this are heart- 

 ftiaped, and the feed-veflfels are larger: This flowers'in 

 July, and the feeds ripen in autumn.. 

 The fourth fort grows naturally near Old Vera Cruz 

 in New Spain, from whence the feeds were fent me 

 by the late Dr. Houftoun. This hath a thick fleihy 

 root compofed of feveral tubers, fomewhat like thofe 

 of Ranunculus, feveral joining together at the top, 



where they form a head, and diminilhi gradually 



^ftalks, 



which fend out fide branches from their lower parts; 

 thefe are garniflied with oval fpear-ftiaped leaves, part 

 of which have long foot-ftalks, the others embrace 

 the ftalks with their bafe ; they have fliort hairs on 

 ' their under fide, and toward the ftalk, but are fmooth 







every 



above, of a deep green colour, and clofe 

 evening, or in cold weather. The flowers are pro- 

 duced toward the upper part of the ftalks, from the 

 bofom of the leaves, ftanding upon flender foot-ftalks; 



thefe are compofed of three blue petals which ar« 



preuy 



