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re of a light green colour, about an inch and a half 

 lono-, and near an inch broad. The flowers are of a 

 pale blue colour, collefted into oval heads which (land 

 upon long naked foot-ftalks, fpringing from the wings 

 of the branches i thefe flower late in autumn, and are 

 notfucceeded by feeds in England. 

 The fifteenth fort grows naturally at La Vera Cruz, 

 from whence the late Dr. Houftoun fent the feeds ; 

 this is an annual plant, with a branching ftalk which 

 rifes a foot and a half high, garnilhed with pale green 

 leaves three inches and a half long, and halt an inch 

 troad, ending in acute points, and are nightly fawed 

 on their edges. The branches are termmated by flefhy 

 fpikes of blue flowers which are naked ; thefe appear 

 in Auguft, and in warm feafons are fucceeded by feeds 



which ripen in autumn. 



The fixteenth fort grows naturally in Mexico ; this 

 hathalhrubby flalk which rifes five or fix feet high, 

 and divides into fcveral branches, which are garnifh- 

 cd with oblong fawed leaves which end in acute points ; 

 they are two inches long, and one broad near their 

 bafe, fitting clofe to the branches •, they are of a light 

 green colour on both fides. The branches arc ter- 

 minated by flender loofe fpikes of pale flowers which 

 are very fmall, whofe empalements afterward become 

 fwelled, and almoft globular ; they are reflexed down- 

 ward, and are fet with ftinging hairs. It flowers late 

 in the fummer, and in good years the feeds ripen in 

 England. 



The feeds of the feven'teenth fort were fent me from 

 La Vera Cruz, by the late Dr. Houftoun ; this has a 

 flender ligneous ftalk which branches out on each fide, 

 and rifes near three feet high ; the branches are adorn- 

 ed with fmalloval leaves, which are fl^arply indented 

 on their edges ; they are of a light green colour, and 

 fland upon Ihort foot-ftalks. The fl^owers ftand fpar- 

 iedly upon flender footftalks arifingfrom the wings of 

 the branches ; thefe are naked, fix or feven inches in 

 length, and toward the top the flowers are ranged at 

 a diftance from each other in a Ippfe fpike ; they are 





quire more care. The feeds of thefe ftjould be fowij 

 upon a hot-bed early in the fpring, and when the 

 plants are fit to remove, they ftiould he each tranf- 

 planted into a feparate fmall pot, and plunged into a 

 frefli hot-bed to bring them forward ; they muft be 

 ftiaded in the day time with mats until they have 

 taken new root, then they muft be treated in the 

 fame method as other tender plants from the fame 

 countries. 



Thofe forts which are annual muft be removed into 

 the ftove, oragood glafs-cafe, when they are become 

 too tall to remain longer under the frames ; for if 

 they are placed abroad in the open air, they will not 

 ripen their feeds here, unlefs the fummer is very warm -, 

 and where there is a conveniency of having a bark-bed 

 in a glafs-cafe, for plunging fome of thefe tender an- 

 nual plants, they will thrive much better, and come 

 to greater perfeftion than thofe which are placed on 

 flielves. 



The forts which are perennial may be kept in fuch a 

 glafs-cafe till autumn, allowing them a large fhare of 

 air in warm weathei*, to prevent their drawing up 

 weak as they increafe in their fize -, but this muft be 

 done with caution, for if they are put into pots too 

 large, they will not thrive. 



The feventeenth fort is by much the tendereft plant 

 of all the fpecies, and is very difficult to preferve 

 when young. The feeds of this fl:iould be fown in 

 a fmall pot, and plunged into a good hot-bed of tan- 

 ners bark. When the plants appear, they ftiould be 

 fl^aded from the fun in the heat of the day. They 

 muft be frequently refreflied with water, but it muft 

 be given to them fparingly, for much wet will kill 

 them. When they are tranfplanted into fmall pots, 

 they muft be carefully fiiaded till they have taken 

 new root, and they muft be conftantly kept in the 

 bark-bed, 

 VERBESINA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 873. Eupatorio- 

 phalacron. Vaill. A£t. Par. 1720. 

 The Characters are, 



fmall, and of a bright blue colour, fitting very clofe ; I' The common empalement of the flower is concave^ and 



thefe are fucceede^ by two feeds inclofed in the em- J compofed of a double order ofUaveSy which are channelled. 



palement, which is terminated by fhort awns or beards. 

 This plant has flowered in the Chelfea Garden, but 

 did not produce feeds. 



T^ he flower is made u^ of hermaphrodite florets in the difl^^ 

 and female half florets in the border or rays. The her- 

 maphrodite florets are funnel-fhaped^ and cut into five 



The eighteentK fort was difcoyered by thckte Dr. [ ,^ farts at the brim -, they have five -jeryfiort hair-like fa- 



"' " '""* "*"^'^ "" ■' " pitna^ terminated by cylindrical fummits, and a germeh 



Houftoun growing naturally 

 whence he fent the feeds 



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eachy. 



this has a I the fame figure as the feed^ fnpporting a flender fiyky 



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ftrong woody ftalk, which rifes ten or twelve feet 

 high, covered with a light brown bark, and fends 

 out many ligneous branches on every fide, which are 

 garnifhed with roundifti, fawed, rough leaves, pf a 

 light green colour, ftanding up'an Ihort foot-ftalks. 

 Tlie flowers are fmall, of a pale blue colour, and 

 are colle£led into qvaj heads, ftanding upon naked, 

 foQt-ftalks which Ipringfroni thewing$of the branches j 

 thefe feldom appear in this country, and are not fuc- 

 ceeded by leeds here ; but the plants are eafily pro- 

 pagated by cuttings during the fum'^rrier'montlis, and 

 may be preferved many years in a moderate ftove. 

 The firft fort, as was before obferved, being a com- 

 mon weed in England, is not kept in gardens. 

 The third fort may te eafily propagated by feeds 

 which fliould be fown in autumn',' and requires no 

 other culture than to keep it clean from weeds, and 

 thin the plants where they are too clofe. 

 The -fourth and fifth forts may alfo be propagated in 

 the fame manner, and are eq^ually hardy. If the feeds 



of thefe three forts are permitted to fcatter, the plants 

 will come up the following fpring. 

 The fecond and fevepjJi forts have perennial roots, 

 an4. are hardy enough to thrive in the open air ; thefe 

 may be propagated by feeds, which fliould be fown 

 in autumn, for when they are fown in the fpring, they 

 rarely grow the fame year ; thefe plants require no 

 other culture but to keep them clean from weeds, and 

 allow them proper room to fpread ; they may alfo be 

 propagated by parting their roots in autumn. They 

 love a foft loamy foil not too dry. 



The other forts being natives of warmer climates, re- 



. -I 



crowned by two reflexed ftigmas. The germen afterward 

 becomes a thick angular feed^ crowned by a few three-point- 

 ed chaff. The female half florets are ftr etched out on one 

 fide in fhape of a tongue^ which form the rays ; thefe have 

 poflaminay but have a germen ^ fly le^ and two ftigmas 



, like the hermaphrodite florets^ and are fucceeded by feeds 



: _ tike ti>ofe. ■ 



This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feclion 

 of Linnseus's nineteenth clafs, which includes thofe 



' plants whofe flowers are compofed of hermaphrodite 

 and female florets which are all fruitful. ' 

 The Species are, ^ . 



1. Verbesjna (yfe/^) foliis akernis decurrentibus un- 

 dulatis obtufi^s- Hort. Clifl: 411. Verbefina with alter- 

 nate riininhg leaves^ which are obtufe and waved. Bi- 

 dens Indica hiefacii folio caule alato. Tourn. Inft. 462. 

 Indian JVater Hemp Agrimony ^ with a Hawhveed leaf and 

 a winged ftalk. 



2. Verbesina {Alba) foliis lanceolatis ferratis fcffilibus, 

 Hort. Clifi^. 500. Verbefina with fpear-fldcpcd jawed 

 leaves^ which fit clofe to the ftalks. Eupatcricphalacron 

 balfaminse foeminas folio, flore albo difcoide. Vaill. 

 Aft. Par. 1 7 19. Eupatoriophalacron with a female J^al- 

 famine leaf and a white difousfljaped flower, 



3. Verbesina (Lavenia) fpliis ovacis trinerviis glabrisr 

 petiolatis, feminibustriqornuis. Flor. Zeyl, 310. F-^r- 

 be/ina with oval three-veined leaves, having fjot-Jialk 

 and feeds with three horns, Eupatoriophalacron fcro- 

 phularisB aquatics foliis oppofitis. Burin. Zeyl. 94- 

 Eupatoriophalacron with leaves like thofe of the Water 

 B^io)^,^ and placed oppcfitc. 



- f* 



A. 



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