350 



C O N 



THE UNIVERSAL tlKRRAL; 



CON 



ground should be dug about them, and kept clean from 

 weeds : they should also have room to spread, and must not 

 be removed oftener than every third or fourth year. 



5. Convaliaria Polygonatum ; Single-flowered Solomon's 

 Seal. Leaves alternate, stem-clasping; stem angular ; pe- 

 duncles axillary, generally one-flowered. Root twisted, and 

 full of knots ; on a transverse section of it, characters appear 

 that give it the resemblance of a seal, from which it derives 

 its name of Solomon's Seal; flowers while, with a green line 

 down the segments, sweet-scented, nodding ; berry blue, with 

 three seeds. It varies with a double flower. Native of the 

 north of Europe, Holland, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, 

 Carniola, and Piedmont. It is found in England, in the 

 fissures of rocks near Wherf, Settle, and Skipton, and Syke's 

 Wood, near Ingleton, in Yorkshire; and also in Virginia. 

 The variety above mentioned, which has white leaves like 

 Hellebore, and a purplish stalk, was found in woods on the 

 north side of Mendip Hills. Hill says, that the root of this 

 plant is used, and extremely commended for an outward ap- 

 plication against bruises; he recommends it to be taken, 

 when dried and powdered, to assuage violent purgings with 

 bloody stools; and when fresh, beaten up into a conserve 

 with sugar, as a preventive against the whites. The roots 

 of this, and of the seventh species, have been made into 

 bread by the Turks in times of scarcity. 



6. Convallaria Latifolia; Broad-leaved Solomon's Seal. 

 Leaves alternate, stem-clasping, acuminate ; stem angular ; 

 peduncles axillary, many-flowered. This has at first a sweet 

 and afterwards an acrid taste, and is glutinous ; stem from 

 half a foot to two feet in height, round at bottom, and 

 angular from thence the whole length, the angles being more ' 

 remarkable below the middle of the back of the leaf; it has 

 a short pile of hairs toward the top. Native of Austria. 



7. Convallaria Hirta. Leaves alternate, a littTe embracing 

 the stem ; stem hispid ; peduncles with about three flowers. 

 Root spreading; stem about a foot high, crooked, angular, 

 sprinkled with white stiff hairs; leaves egg-shaped, broad, 

 ending in a long obtuse point; flowers nodding, unilateral; 

 peduncles axillary, about an inch long. Native of North 

 America. 



8. Convallaria Multiflora; Many-flowered Solomon's Seal. 

 Leaves alternate, stem-clasping ; peduncles axillary, many- 

 flowered. Stem round, from eighteen inches to two or three 

 feet high, simple, leafy, nodding ; leaves elliptical, nerved, 

 usually bent upwards and to one side, underneath glaucous ; 

 flowers white, green at the base and tip, several together, 

 (from two or three to seven or eight) axillary, on branched 

 compressed peduncles ; berries round, of a blackish blue 

 colour, varying to purple and red, and containing three or 

 four seeds. It varies with a double flower. Native of the 

 north of Europe, Germany, Switzerland, and Carniola: in 

 England it is found at Newbury, and oth'er places in Berk- 

 shire ; at liramdean, in Hampshire ; Roehill, in Kent; High 

 Wyconib, in Bucks ; and Gorlestone in Suffolk. The Dwarf 

 .Solomon's Seal is found in the woods of Wiltshire. It would 

 be unpardonable to omit what old Culpeper says concerning 

 the distilled water of the whole plant, which, when applied 

 to the face, cleanseth it from morphew, freckles, spots, or 

 marks whatsoever, leaving the place fresh, fair, and lovely, for 

 which it is much used by the Italian dames. The roots are re- 

 commended externally us vulneraries, restringents, and discu- 

 tients ; internally, as incrassonts and mild corroborants ; they 

 have little or no smell, and are rather sweet at first to the taste, 

 which is soon followed by a very slight impression of bitter- 

 ness and acrimony : their virtues do not appear to be very great. 

 Haller asserts, that the berries excite vomiting, and even the 



leaves a nausea. The Turks eat the young shoots in the same 

 manner as we eat asparagus. The medical properties of thil 

 and the fifth species are nearly the same. 



*** Corollas ic heel-shaped. 



9. Convallaria Racemosa ; Cluster fowered Solomon's Seal. 

 Leaves sessile ; rar.eme terminating, compound. Stems two 

 feet high, unbranched, with many oblong leaves embracing 

 them at the base, resembling the leaves of Plantain ; the 

 flowers are small and white, produced in single spikes at the 

 top, and are succeeded by small red berries, about the same 

 size as in the first sort, and contain two hard shining seeds. 

 It flowers in the beginning of June, and the berries ri]>e!i in 

 autumn. Native of Virginia and Canada. This is a hardy 

 perennial, easily propagated by parting the roots ; but thru e 

 most in a light soil, and shady situation. It is called oite 

 nowote, child's physio, by the Cherokee Indians. 



10. Convallaria Stellata ; Star-Jlowefed Sofvmen's Sfal. 

 Leaves stem-clasping, very many. Stem upright, about two 

 feet high. The flowers come out from the same joints as the 

 leaves, on short peduncles, each of which sustains five or six 5 

 they are small, with short tubes of a dirty white, tipped with 

 green, and slightly cut into six parts at top ; berries red. 

 Native of Canada. 



11. Convallaria Trifoliata. Leaves stem clasping, in 

 threes ; racemes terminating, simple. Root perennial, 

 creeping, jointed ; flowers small, on long simple peduncles ; 

 corolla open, deeply divided ; berries red, round. Native of 

 woods in Siberia. 



12. Convallaria Bifolia ; Least Solomon s Seal, or One- 

 lilade. Leaves cordate ; flowers four-stamined. This plant 

 seldom exceeds four or five inches high, rising with a single 

 stalk from the root, with one or two heart-shaped leaves, 

 which closely embrace it ; the top of the stalk is terminated 

 by a loose raceme of white flowers, which have short tube*, 

 and spread open at the top, where they are divided into four 

 obtuse segments ; the fruit is a soft berry, including a hard 

 seed. Native of the north of Europe, Holland, Germany, 

 Switzerland, and Carniola. As it propagates very fast by its 

 creeping roots, they will soon spread over a large space, 

 unless confined in pots. It is remarkable, that where these 

 and other creeping plants are allowed to spread, they seldom 

 produce any fruit. 



Convolvulus : a genus of the class Pentandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Cnlix .- perianth five-parted, 

 converging, ovate, obtuse, very small, permanent. Corolla .- 

 one-petalled, bell-shaped, spreading, large, plaited, ob- 

 scurely five-lobed. Stamina ; filamenta five, subulate, 

 shorter by half than the corolla; antherae ovate, compressed. 

 Pistil; germen superior, roundish : style filiform, length of 

 the stamina : stigmas two, oblong, broadish. Pericarp : cap- 

 sule enwrapped by the calix, roundish, two-celled, one, two, 

 or three valved. Seeds: in pairs, roundish. ESSENTIAL 

 CHARACTER. Corolla .- bell-shaped, plaited. Stisptias : two. 

 Capsule : two-celled, with two seeds in each cell. The gene- 

 ral description of this genus is, that the stems are herbaceous, 

 milky, in the greater part twining, in a very few shrubby ; 

 leaves alternate ; peduncles axillary or terminating, one- 

 flowered, with two bractes, or many-flowered.- The spe- 

 cies are, 



* Jl'ith a twiniii!,' Stem. 



1. Convolvulus Arvensis ; Small or Field Bindweed. 

 Leaves sagittate, sharp on each side ; peduncles generally 

 one-flowered ; bractes subulate, at a distance from the flower. 

 Root perennial, milky, white, the thickness of a crow-quill, 

 creeping so as scarcely to be eradicated ; stalks numerous, 

 slender,twisted, procumbent, branched, frequently suffocating 



