LOB 



LOB 



there have been great numbers raised from seeds 

 here, so that they are become common inthe nur- 

 series , and there are many of the trees in differ- 

 ent parts which annually produce flowers. 



Culture. — This plant may be increased by 

 sowing the seeds, imported annually from America 

 by the seed-dealers, in spring, either in the full 

 ground, in beds of rich light earth, in a warm situ- 

 ation, placing the seed length-wise, and covering 

 it nearly an inch deep, or in pots or boxes, plun- 

 ging them in a gentle hot-bed : when the young 

 plants appear they should be well screened from 

 the sun, and have free air. They usually come 

 up the same season ; when in the former method 

 water should be given them in dry weather ; and 

 if the bed be arched over with hoops, to have 

 occasional shade from the mid-day sun in scorch- 

 ing weather, it will be beneficial to the germina- 

 tion of thesceds and growth of the voting plants; 

 continuing the waterings with care occasionally 

 during the summer; and in winter, sheltering 

 them with mats in frosty weather to preserve 

 their tops, which are sometimes a little tender 

 the first year, and apt to suffer. 



When the plants are two years old, they 

 should be set out in spring in nursery-rows, two 

 feet distant, and a foot asunder in the rows; to 

 remain a few years, till from three to six or eight 

 feet high, when they may be planted where they 

 are to remain. 



They are raised best in the open ground, where 

 the beds arc prepared of good mellow rich earth, 

 blended with old rotten cow-dung, sifting over 

 the seeds fine turf-mould, mixed with fine sea- 

 or pit-sand. 



These trees succeed best afterwards in a light 

 soil, not too dry. They should have their roots 

 and branches as little pruned as possible. 



They are highly ornamental in large planta- 

 tions, among others of similar growth, and have 

 a fine effect when planted out singly in large 

 openings, kept in short grass, in pleasure- 

 grounds. 



LOBELIA, a genus containing plants of the 

 herbaceous and under shrubby perennial kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Syngenesia 

 Mouoganria, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Campanacece. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed perianthium, five-cleft, very small : grow- 

 ing round the germ, withering : toolhlets nearly 

 equal : the two superior ones looking more up- 

 ward : the corolla one-petallcd, irregular : tube 

 c ylindiic, longer than the calyx, divided longi- 

 tudinally above: border five-parted, divisions 

 lanceolate; of which the two superior ones are 

 -mailer, less reflex, more deeply divided, con- 

 stituting an upper )ip; the three inferior ones 



more spreading, frequently larger : the stamina 

 have five awl-shaped filaments, the length of the 

 tube of the petal, connate above: anthers con- 

 nate into an oblong cylinder, gaping five ways 

 at the base: the pistiilum is a sharp-pointed-, 

 inferior germ : style cylindric, length of the sta- 

 mens : stigma obtuse, hispid: the pericarpium 

 an ovate capsule, two- or three-celled, two- or 

 three-valved, gaping at the top, girt by the calyx : 

 dissepiments contrary to the valves : the seeds a 

 great many, very small : receptacle conic. 



The species cultivated are : ] . L. cardinalh, 

 Scarlet Lobelia, or Cardinal's Flower ; 2. L. si- 

 philitica, Blue Lobelia, or Cardinal Flower; 3. 

 L. Inugiflora, Long-flowered Lobelia; 4. L. 

 pinifblia, Pine-leaved Lobelia ; 5. L. injiata, 

 Bladder-podded Lobelia. 



In the first, the root is composed of many 

 white fleshy fibres : the lower leaves are oblong, 

 and of a dark purplish colouron their upper side: 

 the stalks are erect, about a foot and half high, 

 with leaves about three inches long, and an inch, 

 and half broad in the middle, on very short pe- 

 tioles and placed alternately : the stalk is termi- 

 nated by a spike (raceme) of flowers, of an ex- 

 ceeding beautiful scarlet colour; they have a 

 pretty long tube, which is a little incurved, and 

 at the top they are cut longitudinally into five 

 segments; the two upper, which are the smallest, 

 are greatly reflexed ; the three under, which form 

 the lower lip, are longer, and spread open. They 

 appear at the end of July and in August, when 

 they make a fine appearance for a month or more, 

 and when the autumn proves favourable pro- 

 duce good seeds. It grows naturally in North 

 America. 



The second species has a perennial root : the 

 stem simple, from a foot to two feet in height, 

 and upwards, strong, simple, smooth, with an- 

 gles formed by the decurrent edges of the leaves 

 having stiffish hairs on them : the leaves are 

 alternate, sessile, somewhat rugged : the flowers 

 axillary, solitary, numerous, large, on short 

 peduncles, forming altogether a long spike of a 

 pale blue colour. It is a native of Virginia, 

 flowering from August to October. 



The third is an annual herbaceous elegant 

 plant, seldom above fourteen or sixteen inches 

 in height ; the whole of it rough-haired : the 

 stem almost upright, very much branched from 

 all the axils : the leaves are alternate, sessile, 

 subpinnatifid-toothed, sharpish, smooth, half a- 

 foot long : the peduncles one-flowered, axillary, 

 solitary, villose. The whole plant is poisonous. 

 It is a native of Jamaica, flowering from June to 

 August. 



The fourth species is a shrubby, upright, 

 branched plant, the branches surrounded with 



