RUBIACE^E. CCXV. RUBIA. 



643 



6 R. ANGUSTISSIMA (Wall. cat. no. 6207.) stems quadrangular, 

 almost winged, serrated from retrograde prickles ; leaves 4 in a 

 whorl, long, linear, with scabrous edges, sessile ; peduncles di- 

 chotomously divided. ^ . S. Native of the Burmese Empire, 

 on Mount Taong Dong, near Ava. Root like that of R. Mun- 

 jista. 



Fery-narron>-]ea.ved Madder. PL straggling. 



7 R. CHARFO X LIA (Wall. cat. no. 6210.) stems quadrangular, 

 angles beset with retrograde, prickly denticulations ; leaves 8-10 

 in a whorl, linear, sessile, scabrous on the margins and keel ; 

 corymbs terminal. It. F. Native of Nipaul. 



Chara-leaved Madder. PI. straggling. 



* * Suffruticosce. Stems shrubby. Leaves on short petioles, 

 oblong or lanceolate. 



8 R. FRUTICOSA (Ait. hort. kew. 1. p. 147.) stem shrubby, 

 smooth ; leaves 2-6 in a whorl : the uppermost ones opposite, 

 elliptic, on short petioles, having the margins and keel scabrous 

 from prickles ; flowers pentamerous ; corymbs axillary, short, 

 few-flowered. I? . G. Native of Teneriffe, among bushes, 

 Jacq. icon. rar. t. 25. R. fruticosa, and R. Canariensis, Poir. 

 suppl. 2. p. 707. Leaves varying from oval to oblong-lanceo- 

 late, with distant retrograde prickles on the margins. Corollas 

 yellowish. Peduncles usually 3-flowered. 



Var. ft, galioides (D. C. prod. 4. p. 589.) stem shrubby, 

 terete, smooth ; leaves 6 in a whorl, petiolate, ovate-lanceolate, 

 with rough margins ; peduncles axillary, 3-4-flowered, much 

 shorter than the leaves. Jj . G. Native of the Canary Islands. 

 R. galioides, Poir. suppl. 2. p. 705. 



Shrubby Madder. Fl. Sept. Clt. 1779. Shrub 4 to 5 feet. 



9 R. ACALYCULA'TA (Cav. icon. 2. p. 75. t. 195.) stems rather 

 herbaceous, smooth, hexagonal ; leaves petiolate, ovate-lanceo- 

 late, having the nerve beneath and the margins furnished with 

 retrograde prickles ; corymbs axillary, trichotomous, bibrac- 

 teate ; flowers pentamerous. % . ^ . G. Native of Madras, 

 where it is called Tasaygo. Leaves 7-9 in a whorl, but on the 

 branches only 3 in a whorl. Flowers yellowish. Teeth of calyx 

 not perspicuous, as in many other species of the genus. Very 

 nearly allied to R. fruticosa. 



Ecalyculate-fiowered Madder. Shrub 2 feet. 



10 R. LVis (Poir. voy. 2. p. 111. suppl. 2. p. 706. but not of 

 Thunb.) stem shrubby, smooth ; leaves 8 in a whorl, linear-lan- 

 ceolate, mucronate, smooth ; peduncles axillary, simple, or bifur- 

 cate, diverging. Tj . S. Native of Barbary, on the sea-shore 

 near Lacalle. Perhaps a species of Gdlium. Flowers white, 

 tetramerous. 



Smooth Madder. Shrub. 



* * * T'mctonae (from tinctorius, for dying ; the roots of most 

 of the species are used for dying). D. C. prod. 4. p. 589. 

 Stems herbaceous. Leaven sessile, or on short petioles, never 

 cordate. 



11 R. ANGUSTIFOLIA (Lin. mant. p. 39.) plant herbaceous; 

 leaves 4 in a whorl, linear, scabrous above, and also along the 

 margins and nerve ; angles of stems prickly ; corymbs axillary, 

 3-flowered; lobes of corolla bluntish, apiculated. If.. F. Na- 

 tive of Gibraltar, Portugal, and Balearic Islands. Lam. ill. t. 

 60. f. 2. Leaves evergreen. Flowers pale yellow. Perhaps 

 this and the 6 following are only variations of R . tinctoria. 



Narrow-leaved Madder. Fl. June, Aug. Clt. 1772. PL 

 straggling. 



12 R. LONGIF6LIA (Poir. suppl. 2. p. 703.?) herbaceous; 

 leaves 4-6 in a whorl, linear-lanceolate, elongated, acuminated, 

 almost sessile, smooth above, but with the margins and nerve 

 scabrous from prickles, as well as the angles of the stem ; pe- 

 duncles trichotomous ; lobes of corolla acutish, acuminated, not 

 abruptly cuspidate. I/ . H. Native of Corsica and at Mogo- 



dor. R. Requienii, Duby, bot. gall. 1. p. 247. Flowers yel- 

 lowish. Berries black. 



Long-leaved Madder. PL straggling. 



13 R. TINCTORUM (Lin. spec. p. 158.) herbaceous ; leaves 4-6 

 in a whorl, on short petioles, lanceolate, smooth above, scabrous 

 from prickles on the margins and keel, and along the angles of 

 the stem ; peduncles axillary, trichotomous ; lobes of corolla 

 gradually acuminated, not cuspidate. If. . H. Native of the 

 Levant and south of Europe ; and also of Caucasus, on Mount 

 Beschbarmak, and plentiful near Dervent, and in the province of 

 Baku ; but cultivated in many parts for the sake of its roots. 

 Lam. ill. t. 60. f. 1. Heyne, arzn. gew. xi. t. 5. Schkuhr. 

 handb. t. 28. Mill. fig. t. 1. Woodv. med. bot. t. 68. Smith, 

 fl. grsec. t. 141. Sabb. hort. 1. t. 77. Blackw. t. 26. R. pere- 

 grina, Murr. bot. val. p. 91. ex Gaudin. R. sylvestris and R. 

 tinctorum, Mill. diet. no. 1-2. Roots long, thick, and red. 

 Leaves and stems fading in autumn. Flowers yellow, pentame- 

 rous. Berries dark purple. 



The root of the dyer's madder is composed of many long, 

 thick, succulent fibres, almost as large as a man's little finger ; 

 these are joined at the top in a head, like the roots of asparagus, 

 and strike very deep into the ground, being sometimes more 

 than three feet in length. From the upper part come out many 

 side-roots, which extend just under the surface of the ground to 

 a great distance, whereby it propagates very fast ; for these send 

 up a number of shoots, which, if carefully taken off in spring, 

 soon after they are above ground, become so many plants. It 

 is a native of the south of Europe, flowers in June, and seeds 

 soon afterwards ; but by them it is never propagated. Madder 

 is mentioned by the Greeks as a medical plant ; but when it was 

 first used in dying is uncertain. It has been cultivated in Hol- 

 land and Flanders, and other parts of the continent for that pur- 

 pose, for many years, and has been tried in this country ; but 

 unless the importation of the root from the continent were en- 

 tirely prevented, it will not answer. Its culture has been 

 attempted at different times, when our commerce with the Dutch 

 was interrupted, or when they raised the price of the article 

 exorbitantly high. At present it may be imported not only 

 from Holland, but from France, Italy, and Turkey. 



The soils most suited to the cultivation of madder are those 

 of the deep, fertile, sandy loams, that are not retentive of moisture, 

 and which have a considerable portion of vegetable matter in 

 their composition. It may also be grown on the more light de- 

 scription of soils, that have sufficient depth, and which are in a 

 proper state of fertility. 



The preparation of the soil may either consist in trench- 

 ploughing, lengthways and across, with pronged stirrings, so as 

 to bring it to a fine tilth ; or, what will often be found preferable, 

 by one trenching 2 feet deep by manual labour. 



The sets of plants are best obtained from the runners, or sur- 

 face shoots of the old plants. These being taken up, are to be 

 cut into lengths of from 6 to 1 2 inches, according to the scarcity 

 or abundance of runners. Sets of one inch will grow, if they 

 have an eye, or bud, and some fibres ; but their progress will 

 be slow, for want of maternal nourishment. Sets may also be 

 procured by sowing the seeds in fine light earth, a year before 

 they are wanted, and then transplanting them ; or sets an inch 

 long may be planted for one year in a garden, and then removed 

 to the field plantation. 



The season of planting is commonly May or June, and the 

 manner is generally in rows, 9 or 10 inches asunder, and 5 or 6 

 inches apart in the rows. Some plant promiscuously in beds, 

 with intervals between ; but this is unnecessary, as it is not the 

 surface, but the descending roots, which are used by the dyer. 



The operation of planting is generally done by the dibber, but 

 some plant them by the aid of the plough. By this mode, the 

 4 x 2 



