LABIATJB. XLIV. HYSSOPUS. XLV. COLLIXSOSIA. 



773 



Globe-bearing Savory. Shrub. 



Cult. For culture and propagation, see Thymus, p. 771. 



XLIV. HYSSOTUS (Hyssopus, of Pliny ; {Wwrroe, of Di- 

 oscorides ; derived from the Hebrew name of Hyssop, ezob, or 

 the Arabic name azzof.) Benth. in hot. reg. vol. 15. lab. p. 

 356. Hyssopus species, Lin. and other authors. 



LIN. SYST. Didynamia, Gymnospermia. Calyx tubular, 15- 

 nerved, equal, or with a somewhat oblique mouth ; teeth 5, 

 equal ; throat naked inside. Corolla having the tube equalling 

 the calyx, bilabiate ; upper lip erect, flat, emarginate : lower lip 

 spreading trifid, middle lobe the largest. Stamens 4, exserted, 

 diverging, didynamous : lower ones the longest ; anthers 2- 

 celled : cells linear, divaricate. Style somewhat equally bifid at 

 top ; lobes subulate, stigmatiferous at apex. This genus differs 

 from all others belonging to the tribe Satureia in the calyx, 

 which is more allied to tribe Nepetece. 



1 H. OFFICINA LIS (Lin. spec. 767.) fj . H. Native of the 

 South of Europe and Middle Asia ; South of France, Italy, 

 South of Germany, South of Russia ; Caucasus and the Altaian 

 Mountains. Woodv. med. bot. 181. t. 65. Jacq. austr. 3. t. 

 254 Riv. mon. irr. t. 68. Sabb. hort. rom. 3. t. 79. Shrub 

 usually glabrous, diffuse, much branched. Corollas blueish pur- 

 ple, rarely white. Whorls 6-15-flowered, approximate into 

 terminal secund spikes, or the lower whorls are remote. Outer 

 bracteas lanceolate-linear, acute, scarcely shorter than the ca- 

 lyxes ; inner bracteas minute. 



far. a, latifolius (Benth. lab. p. 357.) leaves elliptic, glabrous, 

 quaternately decussate, green. f? . H. H. Fischer!, Hortul. 

 H. alopecuroides, Fisch. ex Hortul. H. officinalis, /3, decussa- 

 tus, Pers. ench. 2. p. 114. H. myrtifolius, Desf. hort. par. 



Var. /3, fulgaris (Benth. lab. p. 357.) leaves linear, lanceolate, 

 usually glabrous, green on both surfaces. Ij . H. H. officina- 

 lis, Lin. spec. 767. Jacq. fl. austr. 2. t. 254. Lam. ill. t. 502. 

 and other authors. H. ruber. Bernh. 



Var. y, angustifblius (Benth. lab. p. 357.) leaves narrow, ob- 

 tuse, quite entire, with sub-revolute edges, narrowed more to the 

 base, green on both surfaces. ^ . H. Native of Caucasus and 

 other places in Asia. H. angustifolius, Bieb. fl. cauc. 2. p. 38. 

 and 3. p. 389. H. Orientalis, Adam, ex Willd. enum. 2. p. 

 600. H. Caucasicus, Spreng. ex Steud. nom. 1 



far. 2, canescens (Dl. fl. fr. suppl. 396. Benth. lab. p. 357.) 

 The whole plant is canescent from villi of pubescence. f; . H. 

 Native of Switzerland and France, among the mountains. H. 

 Schleicheri, G. Don. in Loud. hort. brit. p. 233. H. officinalis, 

 Schleich. Corollas blue. This is an elegant plant when in 

 blossom. 



The common hyssop, hysope, French, isop, Germ, and isopo, 

 Ital., has a strong aromatic flavour, and warm pungent taste. 

 The leaves and young shoots are occasionally used as a pot-herb, 

 and the leafy tops and flower-spikes are cut, dried, and pre- 

 served for medicinal purposes. Its virtues depend entirely on an 

 essential oil, which rises in distillation both with water and with 

 alcohol. Besides the general virtues of an aromatic, its prepa- 

 rations were formerly recommended in humoral asthmas, coughs, 

 and other disorders of the breast and lungs, and were said to 

 promote expectoration. There are several varieties of hyssop 

 cultivated, as the white and red-flowered ; but the blue-flowered 

 is the original colour, and most commonly cultivated. 



Common or Officinal Hyssop. Fl. June, Sept. Clt. 1548. 

 Shrub 1 to 2 feet. 



Cult. Hyssop is raised from seed, by slips and cuttings of the 

 branches, and by dividing the plant at the root. It likes a dry, 

 sandy soil. When it is propagated by seed, sow in March or 

 April a small portion either broad-cast and raked in, or in small 

 drills 6 inches apart. The plants may mostly be transplanted 



into final beds in June or July, 9 inches apart, or some may be 

 planted as an edging, or you may also sow some seed for an 

 edging, to remain where sown. Give the edgings occasional 

 trimmings in their established growth, cutting away also any de- 

 cayed flower-spikes in autumn. You may take rooted offsets 

 from established plants in March, April, August, or September ; 

 cuttings from the stalks in April and May ; also cuttings of the 

 young shoots in June and July. After May shade for a time, or 

 plant in a shady border. If for culinary purposes the distance 

 from plant to plant may be nine inches ; in the physic garden 

 18 inches or 2 feet. Water at planting, and twice or thrice a 

 week in dry weather till rooted. 



XLV. COLLINSO'NIA (named by Linnaeus in honour of 

 Peter Collinson, F. R. S., a most distinguished promoter of 

 botanical studies, and the first who introduced this plant, among 

 many others, to the English gardens, Miller ) Lin. gen. no. 40. 

 Schreb. gen. no. 51. Gaertn. fruct. p. 317. t. 66. Juss. gen. 

 p. 112. ed. Usteri, p. 125. Benth. lab. p. 357. 



LIN. SYST. Diandria, Monogynia. Fructiferous calyx decli- 

 nate, ovate, 1 0-nerved ; throat almost naked inside ; limb 

 bilabiate ; upper lip truncate, flattish, tridentate : lower lip 

 bifid. Corolla exserted, sub-campanulate ; tube a little ex- 

 serted ; throat widened ; limb sub-bilabiate, the 4 superior 

 lobes nearly equal : the lower lobe usually the longest, decli- 

 nate, flattish, toothed or lacerately fringed. Stamens 2 or 4, 

 divaricate, much exserted : upper ones the shortest, or alto- 

 gether abortive ; anthers 2-celled : cells divaricate, often conflu- 

 ent. Style about equally bifid at top ; stigmas minute, termi- 

 nal. Achenia dry and smooth. Strong-scented herbs, with the 

 habit almost of Plectranthus, Section Germanea. Cauline leaves 

 lar^e, but the floral leaves are small and bractea-formed. Flowers 

 pedicellate, solitary ; pedicels opposite, disposed in simple but 

 usually paniculately-branched racemes. Calyx small, in the flo- 

 riferous state, but increasing much to the fructiferous state. Co- 

 rollas yellow, or yellowish purple. 



1 C. CANADE'NSIS (Lin. spec. p. 30. hort. cliff. 14. t. 5.) stems 

 almost glabrous ; leaves broad-ovate, acuminated, rounded at 

 the base, sub-cordate, or rarely cuneated, glabrous ; panicles 

 elongated, loose, many-flowered; flowers diandrous. !{.. H. 

 Native from Canada to Carolina, among rocks and stones, in 

 woods. C. decussata, Moench, meth. p. 379. C. ovalis, Ptirsh, 

 fl. amer. sept. 1. p. 21. C. cuneata, Wender. schrift. nat. ges. 

 marb. ? Stem branched, glabrous or a little downy. Leaves am- 

 ple, glabrous, or minutely-glandular, serrately-crenated. Corolla 

 yellow, 4 times longer than the floriferous calyx. 



Mr. Bartram was the first who discovered this plant, and sent 

 it to Europe. It has a peculiar scent, which is agreeable but 

 very strong. It is reputed to be an excellent remedy against 

 pams in the limbs and a cold, if the parts affected be rubbed 

 with it : a decoction of it is also said to have cured the bite of 

 the rattle-snake. In the States they call the plant horse-weed, 

 because the horses eat it in the spring before any other plant 

 comes up. 



Canadian Collinsonia. Fl. Aug. Oct. Clt. 1734. Shrub I 

 to 2 feet. 



2 C. TUBEROSA (Michx. fl. bor. amer. 1. p. 17.) leaves some- 

 what rhomboid-oval, acute, cuneated at the base ; panicles elon- 

 gated, loose, much branched, many-flowered ; flowers diandrous. 

 11 . F. Native of Carolina, in shady, humid parts of woods. C. 

 serotina, Walt. fl. car. 65. ex Pursh. m Stem almost terete at 

 bottom, branched. Leaves \\ inch long ; cauline ones opposite, 

 cordate. Calycine teeth setaceous, much longer than the tube. 

 Flowers much smaller than those of C. Canadensis. 



Tuberous-rooted Collinsonia. Fl. Aug. Clt. 1806. PI. 1 to 

 I foot. 



