V 



N 



V 



N 



This genus of plants is ranged in the firlt fc6lion of 

 Linn:rus's fifth clafs, which includes thofe plants 

 whofe flowers have five ftaminaand one ftyle. 

 The Species are, 

 I. VixcA {Minor) caulibus procumbentibus, foliis lan- 

 ceolate ovatis, floribus pedunculatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 



Pcriivinde 'with trailing Jlclks^ and cval fpear- 



Pervinca vulgaris, anguftifolia, flore 



v-kavedPe- 



209. 

 JJ'japCi 

 ca^ruleo. Tourn. InlV. 120. Common narro 



/ 



^' 



ViNXA {Major) caulibus ereftis, foliis ovatis, flori- 

 bus pedunculatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 209. Peri-ivincle 



'With ere5l fialk^ and oval leaves, 

 tifolia, flore c^rulco. Tourn. 



Pervinca vulgaris, la- 

 in ft. 1 19. Common 



"joer. 



hroad-leaved Periwincle with a blue flo 

 3. ViNCA {Rofea) foliis oblongo-ovatis integerrimis, tu- 

 boflorislongiffimo, caule ramofo fruticofo. Tab. 186. 

 Periwincle with oblongs oval^ entire leaves.^ a very long 

 tube to the floiver^ and ajhrubby branching ftalk. ; 

 The firft fort grows naturally under hedges and bufhes 

 in many parts of England. The ftalks are flender, and 

 trail upon the ground, emitting fibres from their 

 joints, which take root, whereby the plant multiplies 

 ; and fpreads greatly. The leaves are placed oppofite 

 ■ on their llalks 5 they are oval, fpear-ihaped, about 

 an inch and a half long, and three quarters of an 

 inch broad, of a thick confiftence, very fmooth, and 

 entire ; the upper fide is of a deep lucid green, and 

 their under fide of a bright green colour ; they ftand 

 upon fhort foot-ftalks. The flowers ftand fingly up- 

 on foot-ftalks, which fpring from the wings of the 

 : ftalks ; they are nearly of a funnel-lhape, but fpread 

 more at their brim, which is almoft flat like a falver •, 

 , their brim is divided into five broad obtufe fegments : 

 • the moft common colour of the flower is blue, but 

 it is often found with a white flower, and fometimes 

 the flowers are variegated with both colours. Thefe 

 flowers begin to appear in April, and there is often a 

 fucceflion of them continued great part of fummer. 

 i The flowers are very rarely fucceeded by feeds. Tour- 

 - : nefort fays he was at a lofs for the fruit pf,.this plant, 

 _ . to engrave the figure of it.in'his Elements of Botany, 



ers appearing great part of fummer, will add to the 



H — 



f( 



^ pots to cohfine their roots, and prevent their ftalks 



:: from trailing upon the ground. 

 ,>_tned feveral ycarl without fuccefs, but I afterward 

 : planted three or four plants in the full ground, and 

 conftantly cut ofi^ their lateral ftioots, leaving only the 

 upper ftalks, and thefe plants the fecond year pro- 

 duced plenty of the pods. 



. There are two varieties of this plant with variegated 



, leaves ; one has white, and the other yellow ftripes ; 



thele are by feme preferved in their gardens for the 



fake of variety. There is alfo one with double purple 



. flowers, which I believe to be only an accidental va- 



^^ , nation, therefore have not enumerated it here. 



^ .The fecond fort is alfo found growing naturally in fe- 



hi veral parts of England. The ftalks of this are larger 



:;.than thofe of the former, and do not trail fo clofe to 

 • the ground ; they rife two feet high, but their tops 



. defcline again to the ground, and often put out roots 

 when they are fufi^ered to lie on the ground. The 



. Itaves of this fort are oval, heart-ihaped, about three 



- . inches long, and two broad ; they ftand oppofite upon 

 thick foot-ftalks ; their upper furface is of a lucid 

 green, their under is of a lighter green colour j' they 



■ : are of a thick confiftence and entire. The flowers come 

 out from the wings of the ftalk in like manner as the 

 former, and are of the fame fhape, but much large;-. 



« Their ufual colour is blue, but they are fometimes 

 feen with white flowers.- This fort flowers earlier in 

 the fpring than the former, and there is a fucceflion 

 ,of them great part of fummer. 

 As thefe plants delight to grow under the cover of 

 trees and bufhes, fo they may be made ornamental 

 in large gardens, if they are planted on the verges of 

 wildernefies, where they will fpread and cover the 

 ground : and as their leaves continue green all the year, 

 they will have a goodefi'ea in winter, and their flow- 



variety 



They are cafily propagared by their trailing ftalks 

 which put out roots very freely, efpecially rhole of 

 the firft fort ; and if the ftalks of the large iort are 

 laid in the ground, they will root very foon"^ and may 

 be cut off' and tranfplanted where they are to remain 

 and when they are once rooted, they will fpread 

 and multiply very f aft without farther care. The firft 

 fort is ufed in medicine, and is efteemed a eood vul- 

 nerary plant. ^ 



The third fort grows naturally in the ifland of Mada- 

 gafcar, from whence the feeds were brought to the 

 Royal Garden at Paris, where the plants^ were firft 

 raifed, and produced their flowers the following fum- 

 mer ; from thefe plants good feeds were obtained, part 

 of which was fent me by Mr. Richard, sardener to 

 the King at Verfailles and Trianon. Theie fucceeded 

 in the Chelfea Garden, where many plants were raifed. 

 It rifes with an upright branching ftalk to the height 

 of three or four feet, which when young are fuccu- 

 lent, jointed, and of a purple colour ; but as the plants 

 advance, their lower parts become ligneous. The 

 branches which come out from the fide, have their 

 joints very clofe j they have a fmooth purple bark, 

 and are garniftied with oblong, oval, entire leaves* 

 two inches and a half long, and one and a half broad \ 

 they are fmooth and fucculent, fitting pretty clofe to 

 the branches. The flowers come out from the wings 

 of the branches fingly, ftanding upon very fhort foot- 

 ftalks ; their tube is long and flender ; their brim 

 fpreads open flat, which is divided into five broad ob- 

 tufe fegments, which are reflexed at their points. The 

 upper furface of the petal is of a bright crimfon or 

 Peach colour, and their under fide is of a pale flcfh 

 colour. There is a fucceflion of thefe flowers upon 

 the fame plant, from February to the end of Oftober. 

 Thofe flowers which appear early in the fummer, are 

 fucceeded by taper feed-veffels, filled with roundilh 



' black feeds, which ripen in autumn. . 

 This fort is propagated by feeds or cuttings; thofe 

 plants which arife from feeds grow more upright, and 

 do not branch fo much as the plants which are propa- 



i gated by cuttings.;; The feeds of this fhould be fown 

 This experiment I I . upon a moderate hot-bed in the fpring, and when the 



T .r.„ J ; pf^jjjg Qomt up, and are fit to remove, they fliould be 



^ tranfplanted on a frefti hot-bed at about four inches 

 . diftance, (hading them from the fun till they have 

 taken new root -, then they muft be treated in the 

 fame way as other young tender plants which are na- 

 tives of warm countries ; but there muft be great 

 care had to prevent their drawing up weak, nor ftiould 

 they have water in too great plenty. When the plants 

 have obtained ftrength, they ftiould be carefully taken 

 up with balls of earth to their roots, and planted in 

 pots filled with good earth, and plunged into a mode- 



root. 



- ■- 





-ferving to fcreen them from the fun, and when they 

 are well rooted in the pots, they muft be gradually 

 hardened to bear the open air-, but unlels the fum- 

 mer proves warm, thefe plants ftiould not be placed 

 in the open air, for they will not thrive if they are 

 expofed to cold or wet ; therefore during the fum- 



. mer they fliould be placed in an airy glafs-cafe, 

 and in winter they muft be removed into the ftove, 

 where the air is kept to a temperate heat, with- 

 out which they will not live through the winter in 

 England. 



If thefe plants are propagated by cuttings, they (hould 

 be planted in pots during any of the fummer months. 

 The pots fhould be plunged into a moderate hot-bed, 

 and if they are clofely covered with bell or hand- 

 glafl^es, it will caufe them to put out roots fooner than 

 they otherwife would do ; when thefe have put out 

 roots, they muft be gradually hardened, and after- 

 ward planted in pots, and treated in the fame w^ay as 

 thefeedling plants. 



This plant deferves a place in the ftove, as much as 



any of the exotic plants we have in England, becaufe 



6 the 



