VERBASCUM. 
and stems of which contain spiral 
vessels, in opposition to Cellulares 
or plants which are composed only 
of cellular tissue. All the flowering 
plants belong to the Vasculares ; but 
the mosses, fungi, and lichens, are 
Cellulares. 
Vases in pleasure-grounds have 
often a very good effect, particularly 
on the terrace of an Italian villa. 
Wherever they are introduced, how- 
ever, they should always stand ona 
plinth, broader than the circular 
base ; as nothing can have a more 
unartistical effect than to see a vase 
resting on the bare ground. 
Ve'Lia.—-Crucifere.—-The shrub- 
by Cressrocket. V. pseudocy'tisus 
is one of the few Cruciferous shrubs. 
It is evergreen, and only grows two 
feet or three feet high, with glau- 
cous leaves and bright yellow fiow- 
ers, which appear in April and May. 
It is a native of Spain, and it was 
formerly considered a greenhouse 
plant in England, but it is now 
found to be hardy. It grows best 
in calcareous loam, but it will thrive 
in any garden soil; and is very 
suitable for rockwork. It is propa- 
gated by cuttings of the young 
wood planted in sand under a glass. 
Venus’s Comz.—Scandiz pécten. 
—A British weed. 
Vewnus’s Fiy-rrap.—See Dion's. 
Venus’s Looxine-cuass. — See 
Campa’NULA. 
Verza'scum.— Solandcea.— The 
Mullein or Flannel plant. Show 
herbaceous plants, generally with 
yellow flowers, and most of which 
are nativesof Britain. The greater 
number of the species are biennials, 
and require the usual treatment of 
such plants (see Brenniats) ; but 
' V. pheniceum, one of the hand- 
somest species, is a perennial. They 
will all grow in any common garden 
soil, though they prefer one which 
is somewhat loamy ; and they are 
increased by seeds or by dividing | 
the root, | 
+. 
r. 
e 
402 
latifolia, and V. M. 
VERBENA. 
Verena. —Verbenacee. — Ver- 
vain. Only a few years ago the 
Verbenas were scarcely known in 
flower-gardens, ane by V. Au- 
bl<tia, with pinkish flowers, and V. 
Lamberti, with purple ones, neither 
of which possessed much,beauty. 
In 1827, the beautiful Verbéna Me- 
lindres, or, as it is sometimes called, 
V. chamedrifélia, was mtroduced 
from Buenos Ayres, and it directly 
became a favourite, though for some 
years it was kept carefully in the 
greenhouse, and considered difficult 
to manage. Since that time, how- 
ever, numerous other species have 
been inireduced, and as they are 
found to hybridize freely, innumera- 
ble hybrids and varieties have been 
raised. They are all found to root 
freely from layers, and to strike as 
freely from cuttings, and to thrive 
during summer in the open air. 
They have thus become general 
everywhere, and it is now rare to 
see a garden or a balcony without 
them. The kinds principally cul- 
tivated are the following : V. Melin- 
dres, the common scarlet Verbena, 
the colour of which is the most bril- 
lant searlet. It is, however, the 
most tender kind of Verbena, and 
when planted in the open air, it is 
generally killed by the first frost if 
not protected. It is a_ prostrate 
plant, and should be pegged down 
over the bed it is intended to cover, 
when it will throw out roots at 
every joint. Its varieties, V. M. 
spléndens 
which are probably hybrids between! 
“‘V. Melindres and V. Tweedidna, 
are much more hardy than the spe- 
cies, and they are naturally more 
upright-growing, though when peg- 
ged down they throw out roots at — 
every joint in the same manner. 
Tweedidna is an upright-growing 
plant with crimson flowers, and it 
is very hardy; V. incisa is also 
hardy and upright-growing, but its 
flowers are of a pale pink and have 
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