168 



NER 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



NER 



two, round, long, acuminate, erect, one-valved, opening longi- 

 tudinally. Seeds : numerous, oblong, crowned with down p] aced 

 imbricately. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla: salver-shaped, 

 contorted, with the tube terminated by a lacerated crown. 

 Follicles: two, erect. These plants are generally propagated 

 by layers in this country, for although they will sometimes 

 take root from cuttings, yet that being an uncertain method, 

 the other is generally pursued ; and as the plants are very apt 

 to produce suckers or shoots from their roots, those are best 

 adapted for laying, for the old branches will not put out roots; 

 when these are laid down, they should be slit at a joint in 

 the same manner as is practised in laying Carnations, which 

 will greatly facilitate their taking root : if these branches are 

 laid down in autumn, and are properly supplied with water, 

 they will have taken root by that time twelvemonth, when 

 they should be carefully raised up with a trowel ; and if they 

 have taken good root, they should be cut off from the old 

 plant, and each planted in a separate small pot filled with 

 soft loamy earth ; those of the common sort will require no 

 other care but to be placed in a shady situation, and gently 

 watered as the season may require, till they have taken new 

 root; but the two other species should be plunged into a 

 very moderate hot-bed to forward their taking root, observ- 

 ing to shade them from the sun in the heat of the day : after 

 the common sort has taken new root, the plants may be 

 placed in a sheltered situation with other hardy exotics, where 

 they may remain till the end of October, when they should 

 either be removed into the green-house or placed under a 

 hot-bed frame, where they may be protected from frost in 

 winter, but enjoy the free air at all times in mild weather. 



The species are. 



1. Nerium Oleander; Common Rosebay, or Oleander. 

 Leaves linear-lanceolate, in threes, transversely nerved under- 

 neath ; calicine leaflets squarrose ; nectaries flat, three-cusped. 

 This species rises with several stalks to the height of eight or 

 ten feet; the branches come out by threes round the prin- 

 cipal stalks, and have a smooth bark, which in that with red 

 flowers is of a purplish colour, but in that with white flowers 

 is of a light green. That with the white flowers is the most 

 tender. Other varieties are, the striped-leaved, the broad- 

 leaved double-flowered, the striped double-flowered, and 

 different shades of red from purple to crimson or scarlet. 

 The leaves of Oleander are acrid and poisonous, therefore 

 certainly not proper to be internally used without great 

 caution. Oil, in which the leaves are infused, is recom- 

 mended in the itch and other cutaneous disorders, in pre- 

 ference to mercurial preparations, for children and delicate 

 constitutions. Native of the Levant, Spain, Portugal, Italy, 

 by the sides of streams, and near the sea-coast. It abounds 

 every where in the island of Candia by rivers and torrents, 

 and there the variety with white flowers is chiefly found; in 

 the mountains and plains about Antioch or Scanderoon, it is 

 found abundantly; in Sicily, by all the torrents descending 

 from Mount Etna ; in many parts of Italy, as between Nice 

 and Genoa; near Monte Baldo, &c. ; but particularly in all 

 the low grounds of Magna Grecia in the kingdom of Naples. 

 Belon says, that in Crete, and on Mount Athos, the Rhodo- 

 dendron, which is this shrub, grows to a great size, inso- 

 much that in Crete it is sometimes used for building-timber. 

 It has the name Rhododendron, from the similitude of its 

 flowers in size and colour to the "Rose; Rhododaphne, for 

 the same reason, and because, as Gerarde expresses it, it makes 

 a gallant shew like the Bay-tree. Hence also our English 

 name Rosebay; which is now superseded by the officinal 

 name. Oleander, which is adopted in almost all the European 

 languages. This tree is so hardy as to live abroad in mild 



winters, if planted in a warm situation; but as they are liable 

 to be destroyed in severe frost, the best way is to keep the 

 plants in pots, or, if they are very large, in tubs, that they 

 may be sheltered in winter, and in the summer removed 

 abroad, placing them in a warm sheltered situation ; in the 

 winter it may be placed with Myrtles, and others of the 

 hardier kinds of exotic plants, in a place where they may have 

 as much free air as possible in mild weather, but screened 

 from severe frost; for if these are kept too warm in winter, 

 they will not flower strong, and when the air is excluded from 

 them, the ends of their shoots will become mouldy; so that 

 the hardier they are treated, provided they are not exposed 

 to hard frost, the better they will thrive. The two varieties 

 of this species require a different treatment, otherwise they 

 will not make any appearance; therefore the young plants, 

 when they have taken new root, should be gradually inured 

 to bear the open air, into which they should be removed ia 

 July, where they may remain till October, provided the 

 weather continues mild ; but during this time, they should be 

 placed in a sheltered situation, and upon the first approach 

 of frost they will change to a pale yellow, and will not 

 recover their usual colour till the following autumn. They 

 may be preserved in a good green-house through the winter, 

 and the plants will be stronger than those which are more 

 tenderly treated ; but in May, when the flower-buds begin 

 to appear, the plants should be placed in an open glass-case, 

 where .they may be defended from the inclemency of the 

 weather; but when it is warm weather, the air should at all 

 times be admitted to them in plenty. With this management 

 the flowers will expand, and continue long in beauty, and 

 during that time, there are few plant which are equal to them, 

 either to the eye or the nose, for their scent is very like that 

 of the flowers of the White Thorn; and the bunches of flowers 

 will be very large, if the plants are strong. 



2. Nerium Odorum; Sweet-scented Rosebay, or Oleander. 

 Leaves linear-lanceolate, in threes ; calicine leaflets erect; nec- 

 taries many-parted; segments filiform. This has been con- 

 founded with the first species; but it differs in the sweet 

 almond-like scent and paler hue of its flowers, which have 

 a yellow tinge in the middle. It flowers from June to August. 

 There is a variety with the leaves six inches long. The young 

 branches when cut or broken discharge a milky juice or sap; 

 and the larger branches, when burnt, emit a very disagreeable 

 odour. Mr. Miller informs us, that it is a native of both Indies, 

 and first introduced into the British American Islands from 

 the Spanish Main, where it is called the South Sea Roae. 

 The beauty and sweetness of the flowers induced the inha- 

 bitants to cultivate the plants, and in many places to form 

 hedges of them; but many of the cattle that browsed on them 

 were killed, so that they are now only preserved in gardens, 

 where they make a fine appearance through a great part of 

 the year. 



3. Nerium Salicinum; Willow-leaved Rose-bay, or Olean- 

 der. Leaves linear-lanceolate, in threes, nerveless. Neatly 

 allied to the first species. Native of Arabia Felix. 



4. Nerium Obesum. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, scattered, 

 villose underneath. Trunk soft, resembling a bulb under 

 ground, the size of a man's head; branches the thickness ol 

 the little finger, the same substance as the trunk, attenuated 

 above; when flowering, woody and warted. 



5. Nerium Zeylanicum. Leaves lanceolate, opposite; 

 branches straight. Stems round, very dark purple, smooth, 

 erect, swelling at the joints; flowers at the ends of the 

 branches. Native of the East Indies. 



6. Nerium Divaricatum. Leaves lanceolate, ovate ; 

 branches divaricating. Stem frutescent, round, decumben' 



