L E P 



LET 



are young, but afterwards becomes smooth : 

 the leaves are linear-lanceolate, dusky green 

 above, and smooth, underneath covered with a 

 brown pile, quite entire, resembling those of 

 Rosemary, but wider, petioled, and perennial : the 

 flowers are on peduncles an inch or more in 

 length, nodding before and after flowering, 

 whitish, in axillary bundles or corymbs : the 

 capsule small, obovate, terminated by a long 

 permanent style : valves coriaceous: partitions 

 membranaceous, springing from the edges or 

 the valves, doubled, opening at their inner an- 

 gle bv a longitudinal chink : the receptacles 

 five, filiform, "curved a little, springing from 

 the upper part of the axis of the fruit, and hang- 

 ing down freely in the cavity of the cells. It 

 is a native of the north of Europe, flowering in 

 April and May. 



It varies with erect and decumbent branches. 

 Culture. — These plants are increased by sow- 

 ing the seeds in pots filled with boggy earth, or 

 in shady borders of the same kind of mould, in 

 the spring season. 



But the best method is to take up the plants 

 in their native situations, with balls of earth 

 about their roots, and plant them in borders of 

 the above kind, keeping them well watered. 

 Layersofthevoung shoots sometimes will grow. 

 They afford variety in shady situations, where 

 the soil is of the bogey kind. 

 LEEKS. See Allium. 

 LEMON TREE. See Citrus. 

 LEPIDIUM, a genus containing a plant of 

 the herbaceous annual kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Telradynamia 

 Siliculosa, and ranks in the natural order of Si- 

 liqitosce or Crucijhrmes. 



The. characters are : that the calyx is a four- 

 leaved perianlhium : leaflets ovate, concave, de- 

 ciduous : the corolla four-petalled, cross- shaped : 

 petals obovate, twice the length of the calyx, 

 with narrow claws : the stamina have six awl- 

 shaped filaments, length of the calyx, the two 

 opposite ones shorter: anthers simple: the pis- 

 tillum is a heart-shaped germ: style simple, 

 length of the stamens : stigma obtuse : the pe- 

 ricarpium is a silicle, heart-shaped, emarginate, 

 compressed, sharp on tie margin, two-celled : 

 valves navicular, keeled, opposite the lanceolate 

 dissepiment : the seeds ovate-acuminate, nar- 

 rower at the base, nodding. 



The species cultivated is L. sativum, Garden 

 or Common Cress. 



Other species may be cultivated for variety. 

 It has an annual, while, fusiform, slender 

 root: the stem upright, round, smooth, from a 

 foot to two feet in height, branched at top: 

 both stem and branches terminated by loose nar- 

 row spikes of flowers : the leaves oblong, al- 



ternate, pinnate, the pinnas of the lower multi- 

 fid, of the upper more entire, linear or lance- 

 olate: the flowers small : the calyx very small, 

 greenish : the petals u bile, larger than the calyx : 

 the silicic roundish, without any style: the 

 valves winged : the seeds small, rufescent, ovate, 

 marked with lines, having a sharp taste like 

 Mustard. Its native place is unknown. 



There are several varieties, as with broad 

 leaves, with curled leaves, and the common sort 

 with the leaves multifid. 



Culture. — These plants are raised by sowino- 

 the seed as wanted for use, at different times 

 of the year, as once a week or fortnight, where 

 a constant succession of small herbs in their 

 young growth is wanted for sallads, when only 

 a few days or a week or two old ; or where a con- 

 stant supplv of those small herbs are required in 

 their young seedling growth, some should, as 

 has been observed, be sown in succession every 

 week or fortnight at furthest, all spring, sum- 

 mer, and autumn j and once a fortnight in the 

 winter season. 



The order of sowing them in the different 

 seasons is ; in a warm south border or other si- 

 milar situation, or under a frame, 8cc. in the 

 early spring months ; and as the warm season 

 advances, in any open compartment, all in as 

 light earth as the garden affords ; but in summer, 

 or hot drv weather, in somewhat shady borders, 

 or in a free situation, shaded with mats from 

 the scorching sun, and daily watered ; and in 

 winter in the warmest situation, or in shallow 

 frames defended with lights, and under hand 

 glasses : but in frosty or other very cold weather, 

 in that season, on moderate hot-beds ; and 

 hot-bed sowings are also requisite during the 

 colder part of the spring, or at any time in cold 

 seasons, where a supplv of these and other small- 

 sallad herbs are required to be raised as quickly 

 as possible. 



The method of sowing the seed in all 

 cases is veiy thick, as the plants are mostly 

 used in small young growth, and mostlv in 

 small, flat, shallow drills, about three inches 

 asunder, so thick as almost to cover the earth, 

 being lightly earthed over a quarter of an inch 

 thick, or less ; or on the plain surface, first raking 

 it smooth, then sowing the seed thick as above, 

 smoothing it down with the back of the spade, 

 and either with the spade spreading some fine 

 earth lightly over it as thinly as possible, or 

 covering it by sifting earth over it evenly a small 

 depth, just to cover all the seed properly. This 

 sort of sallad herb should always be cultivated 

 so as to grow as rapidly -as possible, being cut 

 while perfectly young. See Small Sallau 

 1 IsRBS, 

 LEiTUCE. See Lactuca. 



