C Y N 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



C Y N 



415 



monly twining, with opposite leaves, and the flowers axillary 

 or terminating, disposed in spikes, corymbs, or umbels. 

 Those of the tropical climates are all tender, and will not 

 thrive in this country, unless placed in a bark-stove. As 

 they abound with a milky juice, they must have but little 

 water in winter. They may be propagated by laying down 

 the young shoots, which in three or four months will put out 

 roots, and may then be transplanted into pots filled with 

 lin'ht sandy earth, and plunged into the tan-bed, where the 

 plants should continue all the year. They may also be in- 

 creased by parting their roots, or by cuttings. Such as pro- 

 duce good seeds in Europe, which many of them do, may be 



propagated in that way. -The species are, 



1. Cynanchum Viminale ; Naked Cynanchum. Stem 

 twining, perennial; leaflets. Naked. Cynanchum is so called 

 from its having stems without any leaves on them. It sends 

 out a great number of slender taper stalks, of a dark green 

 colour , which are smooth, and twist about each other, or 

 any neighbouring support, and then will rise to the height of 

 or twelve feet, putting out branches at top, which also 

 twine about the other stalks. It has not flowered in England. 

 Native of the Cape of Good Hope. This, and the eleventh, 

 twelfth, and fifteenth species, come from the Cape, and 

 must be preserved in the dry-stove. They may be increased 

 either by layers or cuttings. 



2. Cynanchum Acutum ; Acute-leaved Cynanchum. Siem 

 twining, herbaceous ; leaves cordate-oblong, smooth. Root 

 perennial, creeping ; stems annual, twisting like hops round 

 whatever plants are near them, and rising to the height of 

 .iK or eight feet ; leaves ending in acute points , flowers in 

 siiKill axillary bunches, of a dirty white colour. It flowers 

 in June and July, but does not produce seeds in England, 

 occasioned probably by the roots creeping so far under 

 ground ; for most plants which propagate themselves so much 

 by their roots become barren, especially if their roots have 

 full liberty to extend. This, and the eighth species, being 

 natives of the south of Europe, are hardy, and propagate too 

 fast by their creeping roots, which are not easily extirpated, 

 when they have once got possession of the ground. The 

 roots may be transplanted any time after the stems decay, 

 till they begin to shoot in the spring. 



3. Cynanchum Planiflorum ; Flat-lowered Cynanchum. 

 Stem twining ; leaves cordate, smooth, tomentose under- 

 neath ; peduncles subracemed. This is a milky plant, with 

 twining, round, smooth stems; leaves oblong-cordate, acu- 

 aiiaate, quite entire, very soft, with a scarcely conspicuous 

 nap underneath, smoothish on the upper surface, but bearded 

 at the origin of the petiole, with abrupt, rigid, ferruginous 

 I'ilias ; common peduncles smooth, lateral, solitary, sustain- 

 ing about five flowers, on pedicels elongated beyond the 

 common one ; flowers void of scent, very flat, half an inch 

 indi;inieter; corollas veined and ajruginose ; calices greenish- 

 white. It flowers in July and August, and is a native of 

 Carthagena in New Spain. 



4. Cynanchum Racemosum ; Racemed Cynanchum. Stem 

 twining ; leaves cordate, smooth, acute ; racemes simple. 

 Veins herbaceous, twining, smooth, scandent, full of a white 

 milky juice ; leaves quite entire, shining, slightly waved, 

 bright green on the upper surface, aeruginose on the back, 

 petioled ; racemes lateral, three inches long, solitary : but by 

 the side of the principal a smaller branch comes out, which 

 is also loaded with flowers ; they are scentless, small, and 

 white. It flowers in October and November, and is a native 

 of Carthagena. 



5. Cynanchum Maritimum; Sea Cynanchum. Stem twining; 

 Kaves cordate, hirsute, tomentose underneath , peduncles 



aggregate. A milky plant, with twining, round, hirsute 

 stems ; leaves acuminate, quite entire, petioled, from two to 

 four inches long ; peduncles one-ilowered and shortish, 

 springing aggregately from a tubercle among the leaves ; 

 flowers scentless, with a green calix, and a dark purple 

 corolla. It flowers in November, and is a native of the coajt 

 of Tierra liomba. 



6. Cynanchum Suberosum ; Cork-barked Cynanchum. 

 Stem twining, cork -barked at bottom, and cleft ; leaves cor- 

 date, acuminate. Root perennial; stems slender, hairy, 

 twining, and, if supported, rising six or seven feet high ; tlie 

 lower part is covered with a thick fungous bark, somewhat 

 like cork, and full of fissures. At each joint is a pair of 

 leaves, on long hairy footstalks. The flowers are in small 

 axillary bunches ; they are star-shaped, and green when they 

 first appear, but afterwards change to a dusky purple colour. 

 Native of Carolina. It will live in the open air of England , 

 if it be planted in a dry soil, and a warm situation. It may 

 be increased by laying down the young shoots about Mid- 

 summer, which, if they are now and then refreshed with water, 

 will put out roots, and may be transplanted in the autumn 

 where they are designed to remain. The roots should be 

 covered in winter with some rotten tan, to keep out the frost. 



7. Cynanchum Hirtum ; Hairy Cynanchum. Stem twin- 

 ing, shrubby, cork-barked, and cleft at bottom : leaves 

 ovate-cordate. It rises to the height of twenty feet, or more, 

 with a twining stem, if supported. The lower part is cork- 

 barked, and full of fissures, like the preceding: leaves on 

 long footstalks, smooth ; flowers of a yellowish green colour, 

 not succeeded by pods in England. Native of Jamaica. 



8. Cynanchum Monspeliacum : Montpellier Cynanchum. 

 Stein twining, herbaceous ; leaves reniform, cordate, acute. 

 Stems filiform, green, smooth, swelling at the joints, very 

 long, climbing ; leaves acute, glaucous, about the same 

 length as the petioles,- flowers on solitary peduncled ra- 

 cemes, between two petioles, the peduncles thickening to 

 ward the top ; calix small, five-cleft ; corolla deeply five- 

 parted ; segments linear, white above, pale rose-coloured 

 beneath ; in the centre is a white pitcher-shaped body, or 

 nectary, ten-cleft >it the top, with five broad shorter seg- 

 ments, and five sharp longer ones. Both this and the seventh 

 species abound with a milky juice like the Spurge, which 

 issues out wherever they are broken, and when concreted, 

 has been frequently sold for Scammony, but is not as strong. 

 Native of the south of Europe. 



9. Cynanchum Extensum ; Hairy-flowered Cynanchum. 

 Stem twining, frutescent ; leaves cordate, acute ; peduncles 

 elongated ; pedicels filiform ; corollas hirsute at the edge ; 

 follicles ramentaceous. From an annual root, divided into 

 whitish fibres, a foot and a half long, and not so thick as a 

 quill, arises a twining stem, very much branched, twelve 

 feet high, round, villose, with longer hairs thinly inter- 

 spersed, rough, glaucous, when far advanced slightly tinged 

 with purple. The branches are the same ; leaves quite en- 

 tire, almost smooth on both sides, on a long round villose 

 petiole ; flowers pendulous, sweet-smelling, beginning to 

 open about six o'clock in the evening, and closed by morn- 

 ing ; they are of a greenish pale colour. The plant is elegant, 

 and abounds with a white milk. It flowers in July and 

 August, and is a native of the East Indies. 



10. Cynanchum Undulatum ; Wav 'd-le.aved Cynanchum. 

 Stem twining : leaves lanceolate, ovate, smooth ; umbels 

 globular. A milky plant, entirely smooth, with twining 

 round stems ; leaves quite entire, fat to the touch, on very 

 short petioles^ four inches long ; flowers small, without scent, 

 firm; calices ash-coloured; corollas nearly of the same 



