yellow Rowers, which ftretch out in lenpth ; the 

 lowers have four crofs-fliaped petals, ancf arc fuc- 

 ceedcd by pods like the former. This plane v/ill con- 

 tinue two or three years ; it is propagated by feeds in 

 the fame manner as tlie former. 



VERATRUM. Tourn. tnft. R. H. 272. tab. 145. 

 Lin. Gen. Plant. 1012. ffo called as though vere 



atrum, i. e. truly black, becaufe this plant has a black 

 root, or becdufe it purges a black humour.] White 

 Hellebore ; in French, Ellebore blanc. 

 The Characters are, 



// has hermaphrodite and male flowers intermixed in the 

 fame Jpike, "The flowers have no empalement ; they have 

 fix oblong fpear-floaped petals which are permanent^ and fix 

 awl-flmped ftamina fitting on the point of the germen^ 

 fpreading afunder^ terminated by quadrangular fummits ; 

 they have three oblong ere^f germen fitting upon the ftyle^ 

 'which are fcarce viftble^ crowned by a ftngle fpreading 

 jtigma. 'The germen afterward become three oblongs ereEf^ 

 compreffed capfules with one cell^ opening on the inftde^ in- 

 cluding many oblongs compreffed^ membranaceous feeds* The 

 male flowers have the fame chara^ers of the hermaphro- 

 dite^ but are barren. 



This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion of 

 LihnaeUs's twenty-third clafs, which contains thofe 

 plants which have flowers of different fexes in the fame 

 plant. 



The Species are, 



1, Veratrum {Album) racemo fupradecompofito, corol- 

 lis ereftis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1044. White Hellebore with 

 a fpike decompounded above^ and cre£i petals, Veratrum 

 flore fubviridi. Tourn. Infl. R. H. 273. White Helle- 

 bore with a greenifi flower, , 



2, Veratrum [Nigrum) racemo compofito, corollis pa- 

 tentifiimis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1044. White Hellebore with 

 a compound fpike ^ and very fpreadi?ig petals. ■ Veratrum 



-flore atrorubente. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 273. White 

 Hellebore with a dark red flower. -\ 



3, Veratrum {Luteum) racemo fimpliciffimo, foliis fef- 

 filibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1044. White Hellebore with a 



ftngle fpike^ and leaves fitting clofe to the ftalk, Vera- 

 trum caule fimplicilTimo, foliis feffilibus. Flor. Virg. 

 195. White Hellebore with a ftngle fpike, 

 '4. Veratrum {Americamim) racemo fimpliciffimo, co- 

 rollis patentibus, ftaminibus longioribus. White HeU 



lebore with a ftngle fpike of flowers^ fpreading petals^ and 

 longer ftamina. 

 The firft fort grows naturally on the mountains in Au- 

 ftria, Helvetia, and Greece. The root is perennial, 

 and compofed of many thick fibres gathered into a 

 head ; the leaves are oblong, oval, ten inches long, 

 and five broad in the middle, and rounded at the 



---' ■•* ^-;- 



pomts. 

 Gentian 



havin 



many longitudinal plaits like thofe of 

 the ftalks rife three or four feet high, and 



branch out on every fide almoft their whole length •, 

 under each of thefe branches is placed a narrow plaited 

 leaf, which diminifhes in its fize as it is nearer the 

 top of the ftalk. The branches and principal ftalk 

 are terminated by fpikes of flowers fet very clofe to- 

 gether, which are compofed of fix petals which ftand 

 ereft ; thefe are green, and in their center is fituated 

 three obtufe germen. From the point of thefe arife fix 

 ftamina which fpread afunder, and are terminated by 

 four-cornered fummits. Thefe appear in June and 

 July, and are each fucceeded by oblong compreflTed 

 capfules with one cell, filled with ipembranaceous 



feeds. 



The fecond fort grows naturally in Hungary and Sibe- 

 ria •, it has a perennial root like the former. The leaves 

 are longer and thinner than thofe of the firft fort ; 

 they are plaited in the like manner, but are of a yel- 

 lowifh green colour, and appear fooner in the fpring ; 

 the ftalKs rife higher than thofe of the former. It has 

 fewer leaves upon it, and does not branch out into fo 

 many fpikes : the flov/ers of this are of a dark red co- 

 lour, and the petals fpread open flat, in which it dif- 

 fers from the former. This flov;ers ahrioft a month 

 before the other. 

 The third fort grows naturally in Virginia, and other 



parts of North America, where it is fometlmes calhd 

 Rattle Snake Root. The root of this is tuberous and 

 large -,_ the leaves are oblong, and fliaj^ed like thofe of 

 Plantain, having feveral longitudinal furrows or plaits ; 

 they are four or five inches long, and two bread in the 

 middle, fpreading themfclves on the ^round. Between 

 thefe come out a fingle ftalk which rifes near a foot 

 high, having a few very fmall leaves or flieaths placed 

 alternately ; and at the top the flowers are produced 

 in a fingle, thick, clofe fpike ; they are fmail, and of 

 a yellowifh white colour •, thefe appear in June, but 

 are rarely fucceeded by feeds here. 

 The fourth fort was fent me from Philadelphia by Mr. 

 John Bartram, who found it growing naturally in that 

 country. The root of this is compofed of thick 

 flefliy fibres ; the leaves are oblong, oval, of a light 

 green colour, having fix longitudinal veins or plaits ; 

 they are four or five inches long, and between two 

 and three broad, fpreading on the ground; thefe are 

 rounded at their points, and continue all the year. In 

 the center of the leaves fprings up a fingle ereft ftalk 

 a foot high, having a few veftigcs or fmail leaves 

 ftanding alternately clofe to the ftalk, Vv'hich end in 

 acute points. The ftalk is terminated by a thick ob- 

 tuie fpike of dark red flowers, whofe petals fpread 

 open flat. In the center of the petals is fituated three 

 obtufe germen joined together, from whofe point 

 arifes fix ftamina which fpread afunder, and are longer 

 than the petals ; thefe are terminated by four-cornered 

 fummits of a purple blue colour. This plant flowers 

 the latter end of June, and in warm feafons the feeds 

 will ripen here, 



The firfl- of thefe plants is that which is ordered for me- 

 dicinal ufe,'and is by much the ftronger and more acrid 

 plant than the fecond ; for when bpth forts are placect 

 near each other, the fnails will entirely devour the 

 leaves of the fecond fort, when at the fame time they 

 fcarcely touch thofe of the firft. 



Thefe plants are very pretty ornaments, when planted 

 in the middle of open borders of the pleafure-garden ; 

 for if they are placed near hedges or walls where 

 fnails generally harbour, they will greatly deface the 

 leaves, efpecially of the fecond fort, by eatini^ them 

 full of holes before they are unfolded ■, and as a great 

 part of the beauty of thefe plants is in their broad- 

 folded leaves, fo when they are thus defaced, the 

 plants make but an indifferent appearance. 

 Both thefe forts may be propagated by partlnp; their 

 roots in autumn, when their leaves decay, but they 



- fhould not be parted too fmall, for that will prevent 

 their flowering the following fummer ; thefe heads 

 fhould be planted in a light, frelh, rich foil, in which 

 they will thrive exceedingly, and produce ftrong fpikes 

 of flowers. The roots fliould not be removed oftener 

 than on^e in three or four years, by which time, (if 

 they like the foil,) they will be very ftrong, and pro-^ 

 duce many heads to be taken off; but if they are fre- 

 quently tranfplanted, it will prevent their increafing, 

 and caufe them to flower very weak. 

 Thefe plants may alfo be propagated by feeds, which 

 {hould be fown as foon as ripe, either in a bed or box 

 filled with frefli light earth*, and the ground kept 

 conftantly from weeds. In the fpring the plants will 

 appear, at which time, if the feafon proves dry, you 

 ftiould now and then refrefli them with water, which 

 will greatly promote their growth ; and you muft care- 

 fully clear them from weeds, which, if permitted to 

 grow, will foon overfpread and deftroy thefe plants 

 while young. The autumn following, when their 

 leaves decay, you fliould prepare a bed of frefli light 

 earth, and carefully take up the young plants (ob- 

 ferving not to break their roots) and plant them there- 

 in about fix inches fquare, where they may remain un- 

 til they are ftroncrenouo-h to flower, when thev fliould 



,be tranfplanted into the borders of- the pleafure-gar- 

 den ; but, as thefe plants feldom flower in lefs than 

 four years from feeds, this method of propagating 

 them is not much praftifcd in England. 



VER- 



3 



« ^ 



