630 



COM 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



GON 



branching stalk, about two feet high ; leaves opposite, sessile, 

 quite entire, hispid; branches and peduncles also opposite, 

 the latter axillary, long, and naked, except that there are 

 two short leaves close under each head of flowers ; these 

 heads, at their first appearance, are globular, but as they 

 increase in size become oval. Native of India. The flower- 

 ing heads are beautiful, and if gathered before they be too 

 far advanced, will retain their beauty for several years : the 

 seeds ripen late in autumn, and the plant decays soon after. 

 There are two varieties: one has fine bright purple, another 

 white or silvery heads. They never alter from seeds, so that 

 they are permanent varieties, although in other respects they 

 do not differ ; there is also one with mixed colours, but 

 whether it was accidentally produced from the seeds of the 

 former, it is difficult to determine. There are also two other 

 varieties, which grow naturally in the West Indies, one with 

 purple and the other with white heads, which are much 

 smaller and rounder than those before mentioned. The 

 plants grow much larger, and spread more into branches, 

 and they are later before they flower, so that in cold seasons 

 the seeds rarely ripen in England : these are called bachelor's 

 buttons by the inhabitants of America. Loureiro also men- 

 tions a variety found in Cochin-china, with white ovate 

 heads, in which all the florets are fertile, whereas in the pur- 

 ple variety most of them are barren. Propagation and Cul- 

 ture. This species is a very ornamental plant in gardens, 

 and is now very commonly cultivated in those of Great Bri- 

 tain. In Portugal, and other warm countries, it is cultivated 

 to adorn their churches in the winter, for if the flowers be 

 gathered when they are fully grown, and dried in the shade, 

 they will retain their beauty a long time, especially if they 

 are not exposed to the air. This plant is annual, and can 

 only be propagated by seeds, which should be sown on a 

 good hot-bed in the beginning of March ; but unless the 

 seeds be previously taken out of their chaffy covering, it will 

 be proper to soak them in water for twelve hours before they 

 are sown, which will greatly facilitate their growing. When 

 the plants are come up half an inch high, they should be 

 transplanted on a fresh hot-bed, at about four inches' dis- 

 tance, observing to shade them until they have taken root ; 

 then they should have fresh air admitted to them every day, 

 in proportion to the warmth of the season ; they will also re- 

 quire to be frequently refreshed with water. In about a 

 month's time, if the hot-bed be of a proper warmth, the 

 plants will have grown so large as nearly to meet, and will 

 require more room, to prevent them from being drawn up 

 weak; a fresh hot-bed should then be prepared, into which 

 a sufficient number of three-farthing pots should be plunged, 

 filled with light rich earth, and when the bed is in a proper 

 temperature of warmth, the plants should be carefully taken 

 up with balls of earth to their roots, and each planted into a 

 separate pot, observing to shade them until they have taken 

 new root; and afterwards treat them in the same manner as 

 other tender exotic plants. When the plants have filled 

 these pots with their roots, they should be shaken out of the 

 pots, and their roots on the outside of the ball of earth must 

 be carefully pared off; then they should be put into pots a 

 size larger, and, when there is a conveniency of a deep 

 frame to plunge the pots into another gentle hot-bed, it will 

 bring the plants early to flower, and cause them to grow 

 much larger than those which are placed abroad. In July 

 the plants should be gradually inured to bear the open air, 

 into which they may be removed about the middle of that 

 month, and intermixed with other annual plants to adorn the 

 pleasure-garden ; but it will be prudent to keep a plant or 

 two of each sort in shelter for seeds, because when the 



autumn proves cold or wet, those plants which are exposed 

 abroad seldom produce good seeds. 



2. Gomphrena Perennis ; Perennial Globe Amaranth. 

 Leaves lanceolate ; heads two-leaved ; florets separated by a 

 proper perianth. Stems upright, hairy, slender; heads of 

 flowers terminating, small, spreading, so that the calices ap- 

 pear distinct ; they are of a pale straw colour, and appear in 

 July. Native of South America. 



3. Gomphrena Hispida; Hairy Globe Amaranth. Stem 

 upright; heads two-leaved; leaves creuate. It is a cubit 

 and a half high ; the heads of flowers rounded, oblong, at 

 first white, but becoming blue. Native of Malabar. 



4. Gomphrena Brasiliensis ; Brasilian Globe Amaranth. 

 Leaves ovate-oblong; stem upright; heads peduncled, globu- 

 lar, leafless. This is rather taller than the first sort; the 

 heads are white, smaller, and composed of smaller calices, 

 without any leaves at the base. Native of Brazil. 



5. Gomphrena Serrata ; Serrated Globe Amaranth. Stem 

 upright, brachiate; heads solitary, terminating, sessile; 

 calices serrate. Stems more slend'er and tall than those of 

 the first species, and growing irregularly ; leaves smaller, 

 but of the same shape ; flowers in spikes at the ends of the 

 branches, broken or divided into- three or four parts, small, 

 and of a pale purple colour. The seeds of this species were 

 imported from Campeachy. Cultivated like the first species. 

 The plants will live two or three years in a stove, and the 

 seeds will sometimes ripen in England. 



6. Gomphrena Interrupta; Interrupted Globe Amaranth. 

 Stem almost upright ; spike interrupted. Root annual ; 

 stem shrubby at the bottom, from one to two feet high; 

 leaves at the root aggregate, sessile, above opposite, lanceo- 

 late, obtuse, tomentose, beneath white, lanuginous, soft; 

 flowering-stems leafless, stiff, whitish, except that they are 

 often purple towards the end ; flowers in spikes, aggregate, 

 sessile, interrupted, lanuginose. Native of dry sandy fields 

 in the southern parts of Jamaica. 



7. Gomphrena Flava ; Yellow Globe Amaranth. Pedun- 

 cles opposite, bifid, three-headed, middle head sessile. At 

 each joint of the stem two opposite peduncles are produced, 

 longer than the leaves, trifid at top, with one globular head 

 of flowers at each division, having no leaves immediately 

 under them. Native of La Vera Cruz. 



8. Gomphrena Arborescens. Arborescent, hairy, some- 

 what twining. Stem round, simple, hairy ; leaves opposite, 

 in short petioles, oval, obtuse, leathery, quite entire, having 

 hairs scattered over them. Several bractes under each 

 flower, sharper than the leaves, and of the same length with 

 the flower; flowers aggregate, terminating, the size of a 

 walnut. Found in New Granada, by Mutis. 



9. Gomphrena Angustifolia.. Leaves linear-lanceolate, 

 smooth ; heads terminating, oblong, subtriphylious. Stem 

 herbaceous, erect, four-cornered, with short hairs pressed 

 close ; branches opposite, quite simple, higher than the stem, 

 subfiliform, two-leaved ; peduncles terminating the branches, 

 elongated. It has the habit of a Gomphrena, but differs in 

 having a single style. Native of the East Indies. 



Gonatocarpus ; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Mo- 

 nogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : none. Corolla: 

 four-cleft, permanent. Stamina: filamenta four, inserted 

 into the coroUa. Pistil: germen inferior ; style single. Pe- 

 ricarp : drupe subglobular, eight-cornered, crowned with the 

 permanent corolla, one-celled. Seed: single. ESSENTIAL 

 CHARACTER. Corolla : four-cleft. Drupe : eight-cornered, 

 one-seeded. The only known species is, - 



1. Gonatocarpus Micranthus. Root fibrous, annual; stem 

 one or more, four-cornered, decumbent at the base, branched 



