o. 



O 



A K. Sec QuERcus. 

 OBELISCOTHECA. 



o 



Y 



w 



the ftalk is hairy, ^nd four-cornered ; the leaves ire 

 $ee RuD- j placed by pairs oppofitc, and the branches ahbcome 



BECKIA. 



OCHRUS. 

 6CULUS CHRISTI. 



See PisuAf. 



See HoRMiNuM Syl- 



/ 



VESTRE. 



CYMUM. Tourn. laft, R. H. 203. tab 

 Gen. Plant. 6^1. Bafilj in French, Bqfih 

 The Characters are, 



of ihe flower is Jhort J permanent y of 



out in the fame manner j^ the ftalk is terminated by a 

 whorled fpike of flowers, which is five or fix inches 

 long, and the branches are alfo terminated by Ihort 

 fpikes of flowers of the fame fort ; the whole plant 

 has a fl:rong fcent of Cloves, 

 Of this there are the following varieties : 



I. 



2. 



The fringed-leaved Bafil with purple leaves. 

 The green fringed-leaved Bafil. ' 



if^ divided into tv)o lips ; the upper lip is plain^ bifida 3. The green Bafil with iludded leaves. 



and heart 'fid aped \ the under is cut into four acute fegn: 

 Theflciver is of the lip kind, cf one petal inverted. It 

 has aftjort fpreading tube ; the rifing lip is broad^ and 

 cut into four obtufe equal parts ; the reflexed lip is long^ 



\d fawed 



four ft. 



head 



deflexed^ two of which are a little lon^ 

 n the othery terminated by half-moon-fhaped fummt 

 germen is divided into four parts y fuppor^ing afli 

 ftyle^ fttuated with the ftaminay crowned by a bifid 



fiigma 



ifterward become four naked feeds 



I 11 



- 1 r*:* :^ ' 



^ 



v^ 



lofed in the empalement, 



. This genus of plants is ranged in. the firft feftion of 

 Linnseus's fourteenth clafs, which contains tliofe 

 plants whofe flowers have two long and two fliorter 



"' ftamina,' and" tRcir feeds have na caverihgl"^ : . ^ 



T ^ The Species are, - ' 



i. OcYMuJw (Ba/ilicum) foliis ovatis glabris^/calycibus 



. ciliatis.. Hort,^Qliff. 315. 6aftl with oval fmooth leaves ^ 

 '^find hairy empalcments. .. JDcymum 'caryophyllatum 



■ majus. C. B. P. 226. Greater Clove-fcentedy or common 



a.- OcYMUM {Minimum) foliis oyatis jntegerrimis. Hort. 



ypfal. i6g. Bafil with oval entire leaves, Ocymum 

 minimum. C. B. P. 226. ^he leaji Bafily commonly 



called Bufh Bafil. 

 3. Ocymum {Medium) hirfutum, foliis ovato-lanceolatis 



acuminatis dentatis. Hairy Bojil with oval fpear-fhaped 

 leaves which are indented^ and end in acute points. Ocy- 

 mum medium vulgatius & 



I' 



,1 



I • 



4. The large-leaved Bafil. 



The fecund lort is a low bu% plant, which feldom 

 rifesmore than fix inches high, fpreading out into 

 branches from the bottom, forming an prbicular 



the leaves are fmall, oval, and fmooth, ftand- 

 mg oppofite on ftiort foot-ftalks. The flowers are 

 produced m whorls toward the top of the branches ; 

 they are fmaller than thofe of the former fort, and arc 

 feldom fucceeded by ripe feeds in England. 

 Of this there are fome varieties, as ' 

 l*^^The_fraalleft Bafil with black purple leaves. " 

 , - ^."The fmanert Bafil with variable leaves. 

 "^ The third for r&tfie^common Bafil which is ufedin 

 ..medicine, and alfo in tHelitchen, particularly by the 

 .?icnch cooks, 'Who' ffiaice great ufe of it in their foups 

 'jand lauces. . This rifes about ten inches high, fend- 

 :' ing out branches by pairs oppofite, from the bottom; 

 ■ t^e ftalks and branchesare four-cornered ; the leaves 

 .are dVal, fpear-niaped, ending in acute points, and 

 ; ^rt indented on their ecfges ; the whole jjlant is hairy, 

 and has a ftrong fcenf of Cloves,' too powerful for 

 mofl: perfons, but to fome it is very agreeable: tlie 

 whole plant Is an ingredient in the compound Briony- 

 water. 



J 



3. p. 2. 



4 



nigrum 

 247. Lommon miaaie t?tacK Bafil, 

 Ocymum \Americanum) foliis ovato-oblongis ferratis, 

 brafteis cordatis reflexis concavis fpicis filiformlBus. 

 Lin. Sp. Plan 



n 



leaves^ 



. %'^^,' Bafllwith ovd^ oblongs fawed 

 •papedy concave^ reflexed bra^i 



5. OcY MV M {Campechianum) foliis lanceolatis fubtus in- 

 canis, petiolis longiffimis villofis floribus peduncula- 



■ tis, Eajil with fpear-fhaped leaves^ which are loary on 

 , , their under fide ^^ and very long hairy foot-ftalks to the 

 flowers. Qcymum Campechianum odoratiffimum. 

 ' Hpuft, I^ISS. "fhe fweeteft-fccnted hafil of Campeachy. 



6. Ocymum '(Frutefcens) racemis fecundis lateralibus, 

 . caule erefto. Lin. Sp. Plant. 832! Bafll with fruitful 



- fpikes of flowers on the fide of the flalk^ ichich are' ere£i, 

 Ocymum Zcylanicum, perenne, odoratiffimum lati- 



folium. Burm. Zeyl. 



BaftlofCcyl 



Sweet'fcented 



There are fome varieties of this fpecies, viz. ' '" 



1. Common Bafil with very dark green leaves,' and 

 a Violet-coloured flower. ' ' ' '^' 



2. Curled-leaved Bafil with fhort fpikes of flowerlu 



3. Narrow-leaved Bafil fmelling like Fennel. 



4. Middle Balil with a fcent of Citrpn,, ..V; 



5. Bafil with ftudded leaves, -, 2 



6. Eafil with lea-ves of three colours". ^ / ^\ 

 The fourth fort grows naturally in India; this rifes 

 with a branching Italk a foot ahd a half high, which 

 is taper, and of a purplifh_ colour; the leaves are 

 fliort and hairy ; they are of an oval oblong figure, 

 eridihg in obtufe points," and are fawed on their edges,. 



"ing upbhpretty Tong foot-ftalks. THe ftalks. 

 are terminated By three fpikes of flowers, that lii the 

 middle being longer than theother two; the fpikes 

 are narrow, and the flower have fliort foot-ftalks; 



under each whorl of fiov/ers are two fmall leaves (or 

 'bradlea) placed oppofite, which are heart fliaped', con- 

 cave, and reflexed. . The flowers are fmall, and in 

 feme plants are of a purplifl) colour, but in geni^aL 

 they arc white ; their empalements* are fmooth, and 



The three firft forts grow naturally in India and Per- | cut into five parts at the top ; the ftyle of the flower 



'^ " ^ -1-1 i-n- • is longer than the petal, and the whole plant has 



ttrong, Iweet, aromatic odour. 

 The fifth fort rifes with an upright ftalk near two ftet 

 , high, "Tehdrrig^out fometimes two, aridat others four 

 branches towards the top, oppofite, garniftied with 

 ^ Ipear-fhaped leavTS about three inches long, and one 

 broad in the middle, lefltrningatbothends toapoint;, 

 their foot-ftalks are two inches long, and are hairy. 



. - ' The 



.of ^ ^ 



the fize, Ihape, and colour of their leaves, as alfo in 

 their odour; but as thefe differences are accidental, 

 fo I have not enumerated them, being convinced from 

 repeated experiments, that the feeds of one plant will 

 produce many varieties. 

 The firft fort rifes with a branching ftalk afoot and a 



halfhiRh; the leaves arc large, oval, and fmooth i 



- • 



