COM 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



COM 



345 



is propagated by seeds, and the first will even grow if 

 planted in the full ground. If the seeds be sown in a warm 

 border of light earth in autumn, the plants will rise early in 

 'he syring, and will produce good seed, if the season be 

 favourable ; whereas those which are sown in the spring 

 often lie long in the ground", and rarely ripen seed. These 

 plants have but little beauty ; so that two or three of each 

 sort is all that are worth retaining. The seeds should be 

 sown in autumn ; where the plants are designed to remain, 

 or else permitted to scatter, and the plants will require no- 

 thing but to be kept free from weeds. The species are, 



* With two Petals larger. 



1. Commelina Communis ; Common American Commelina. 

 Corollas unequal ; leaves ovate-lanceolate, acute ; stem 

 creeping, smooth. This is an annual plant, having several 

 trailing stalks, that put out roots at the joints ; at each 

 joint is one leaf, smooth, dark green, nerved, embracing the 

 stalk ; flowers axillary, two or three together, on short pe- 

 duncles ; corolla composed of two large blue petals, and 

 four small green ones ; leaves resembling those of Sopewort. 

 It flowers in June and July, and the seeds ripen in autumn. 

 Native of America, the West Indies, and Africa. 



2. Commelina Africana ; African Commelina. Corollas 

 unequal ; leaves lanceolate, smooth ; stem prostrate. Root 

 fibrous ; stalks many, trailing, three feet long, putting out 

 roots at every joint, so that it will cover a large surface, 

 where it has room to spread ; leaves like those of the first 

 species ; the flowers are larger, and of a deep yellow colour. 

 Native of Africa. It seldom ripens seed in England ; but 

 the roots send out offsets, by which it is easily propagated ; 

 but it is too tender to live in the full ground in winter, un- 

 less placed in a warm sheltered situation ; it should therefore 

 be planted in pots, and sheltered under a common frame in 

 winter, and exposed abroad in summer. The best time to 

 transplant and part these roots, is by the end of March. It 

 flowers in July, and ripens seed in autumn. 



3. Commelina Benghalensis ; East India, Commelina. Co- 

 rollas unequal ; leaves ovate, obtuse ; stem creeping. Root 

 annual ; stems numerous, diffused, about a span high, 

 hirsute, jointed ; branches alternate ; leaves, before they 

 are open rolled in, from an inch to an inch and a half in 

 length, nerved, pubescent, waved ; peduncle within the 

 spathe double, one slender, longer, one-flowered, the other 

 thicker, channelled, bearing from two to four flowers, on 

 jointed, round, inllex pedicels; the two inner petals very large, 

 blue, the four outer pale blue ; nectaries yellow. Native of 

 Bengal and Cochin-china. This, like all the other species of 

 this genus, except the first, second, and sixth, are so tender- 

 that it will not grow unless sown upon a moderate hot-bed 

 in the spring, and must be transplanted to a moderate hot- 

 bed when they are two inches high, in order to bring them 

 forward. When they have again taken root, a large share of 

 fresh air should be admitted to them every day in warm 

 weather, to prevent their growing weak. In June they may 

 be taken up carefully, and transplanted into a border of 

 warm light earth, observing to shade them until they have 

 taken fresh root ; after which they will require no further 

 care but to keep them clean from weeds. 



4. Commelina Erecta ; Upright Virginian Commelina. 

 Corollas unequal ; leaves ovate-lanceolate ; stem erect, sub- 

 hirsute, entirely simple'. Root perennial ; stems a foot and 

 a half high, having a single leaf at each joint, shaped like 

 those of the first sort, and embracing the stem ; flowers 

 axillary, at the upper part of the stalk, on short peduncles j 

 petals blue. Native country unknown. 



VOL. i. 29. 



** With three Pet ah larger. 



5. Commelina Virginica. Corollas nearly equal ; leaves 

 lanceolate, subpetioled, bearded on the edge; stems upright, 

 simple, glossy, two feet high ; spathes terminating, sub- 

 cordate ; "flowers blue, with the petals cordate, and very 

 entire ; the lov/er one on a short pedicel. Perennial, and a 

 native of Virginia. 



6. Commelina Tuberosa; Tuberous-rooted Commelina. 

 Corollas equal ; leaves sessile, oval-lanceolate, subciliate. 

 This has a thick fleshy root, composed of several tubers, 

 somewhat like those of Ranunculus, several joining together 

 at the top, where they form a head, and diminish gradu- 

 ally downward ; thence arise one or two inclining stalks, 

 which put out side-branches from their lower parts. The 

 flowers are axillary towards the upper part of the stalk, on 

 slender peduncles. It is said to grow in the mountains of 

 Mexico ; and the natives apply it externally for discussing 

 tumors, and internally in hot plethoric habits : it was also 

 sent to Mr. Miller, by Dr. Houston, from Vera Cruz in New 

 Spain. If the roots of this species be taken out of the 

 ground in autumn, and kept in a warm place in winter, they 

 may be planted again in the spring, placing them on a hot- 

 bed, to forward their shooting, whereby they will become 

 stronger plants than those which rise from seeds. 



7. Commelina Zanonia : Gentian-leaved Commelina. Co- 

 rollas equal ; peduncles thickened ; leaves lanceolate ; 

 sheaths swelling, hirsute about the edge ; bractes in pairs. 

 This has trailing stalks, embraced by narrow grassy leaves. 

 The flowers are produced at the ends of the stalks, upon 

 thick peduncles, which generally have three on each. The 

 corolla has three, equal, large, sky-blue petals, and three 

 smaller which are green. It flowers from June to August, 

 but does not perfect seeds in England. Native of the West 

 Indies. See the third species. 



8. Commelina Vaginata ; Sheathed Commelina. Corollas 

 equal ; leaves linear ; flowers two-stamined, sheothed with an 

 involucre. Annual ; stems ascending, numerous, somewhat 

 scabrous ; antherae yellow, spotted with black. Found by 

 Koenig in the East Indies. 



9. Commelina Nudiflora. Corollas equal ; peduncles ca- 

 pillary ; leaves linear ; involucre none ; flowers two- 

 stamined. Annual ; stem somewhat erect, decumbent at 

 the base/ somewhat scabrous, a span in height ; flowers 

 from four to six, pedicelled, (without any involucre) nod- 

 ding. Found by Krenig in dry pastures of the East Indies. 



10. Commelina Spirata ; Spear-leaved Commelina. Corol- 

 las equal ; leaves lanceolate ; flowers panicled. Annual ; 

 stem creeping, ascending, somewhat scabrous. The style 

 and stigmas are spirally convolved, and evolved variously. 

 Observed near brooks, and in moist places, in the East 

 Indies. It flowers in July and August. 



11. Commelina Cucullata. Corolla unequal, two-petalled ; 

 leaves ovate ; involucres cowled, turbinate. Stem erect, a 

 span high, creeping at the base, with filiform roots ; flowers 

 peduncled, minute ; the two large petals blue. It is a weed 

 in the gardens of the East Indies, and Cochin-china. 



12. Commelina Japonica. Leaves ovate-lanceolate 

 waved; st<m erect, angular, hairy ; flowers panicled. Stem 

 grooved, erect, hairy, panicled at top, a foot high ) flowers 

 on the panicled branches in racemes. Native of Japan. 



Commersonia : a genus of the class Pentandria, order Pen- 

 tagynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth one- 

 leafed, five-parted, corolliferous ; divisions ovate, acute. 

 Corolla : five-petalled ; petals linear, dilated at the base on 

 both sides, with an inflected lobe, spreading ; nectary five- 

 parted, within the stamina; divisions lanceolate, erect, 

 4 T 



