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P L A 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



PL A 



radiate flower. If the radius be beset with prolific female 

 flowers, then the full flower, consisting of mere linguiform 

 flowers, is provided with prolific styles, and may without 

 difficulty, if there be any natural plants in its neighbourhood, 

 come to bear ripe seeds. If the radius, on the contrary, con- 

 sists of barren female flowers, we commonly find them to be 

 the same in the full flower. Flos diffbrmis, the difformed 

 flower, is not a full, but a barren flower, which in its appear- 

 ance is unlike the natural plant. It occurs most commonly 

 in monopetalous flowers. Some of the labiate and ringent 

 plants especially, belong to this kind ; for instance, Ajuga, 

 Mimulus, and Antirrhinum. They grow sometimes longer 

 than usual, assume the form of egg-shaped corols, which are 

 narrower at the top, and divided into four lobes : several 

 long spurs are protruded from their base, which in these 

 flowers are distinguished by the particular name of Peloria. 

 The Antirrhinum linaria very often affords this variety. 

 Another species of difformed flower is the Snowball, Vibur- 

 num opulus.' This shrub has, in its natural state, small cam- 

 panulate flowers, which on their margin are surrounded by 

 large, unfertile, and rotate flowers. In gardens and in rich 

 soil, all the flowers grow into large rotate corols, which are 

 three times the size of the natural corols. All the stamens 

 and styles vanish of course. Another kind of difformed 

 flower has been observed, though extremely rare. In one of 

 the Umbellatee, just beneath the umbella, a compound flower 

 was found resembling that of Bellis perennis. A flower like 

 this was found by Gesner on a Ranunculus. It is singular to 

 find on the stem of a flowering Ranunculus and of an Umbella, 

 the flower of the Bellis. Once it was thought, that the stems 

 of both were grown together, and that the stem of the Bellis 

 had grown and unfolded itself in the first like a grafted sprig. 

 But late observations have shewn, that this flower is not the 

 perfect flower of the Bellis perennis, but merely a congeries 

 of many flowers of the Ranunculus or Umbella, imperfectly 

 unfolded, which have retained their small size and yellow 

 colour, and are enclosed in a number of whitish petals. 

 Perhaps the bite of insects produces this deformity. Flos 

 prolifer. A proliferous flower is one flower contained within 

 another. This mostly occurs in full flowers. They are of a 

 double kind ; first, in simple and in compound flowers. In 

 simple flowers, a stem rises from the pistil, which buds and 

 flowers. This stem is scarcely ever covered with leaves, and 

 seldom more than one flower grows from another. Instances 

 of this kind are, the Pinclove, the Ranunculus, Anemone, 

 Roses, the Geum rivale, and Cardamine pratensis. The 

 deformity, however, is of a different kind in compound flowers; 

 for in them a number of stems rise from the receptacle, 

 which all bear flowers. Instances of this deformity are, Sca- 

 biosa, Bellis, Calendula, and Hieracium. In the Umbellatae, 

 something similar has likewise been observed, to wit, one 

 umbel growing out of the other, or, what I once myself saw 

 in Heracleum sphondylium, the tall stem had on its extreme 

 points green leaves and small umbels. Proliferous flowers 

 are a great curiosity, but they never have perfect seeds. I 

 saw it only once in a lemon, on the apex of which a stem 

 rose with another lemon. I doubt indeed if there be any 

 proliferous fruits, the lemon excepted. In such fruits, how- 

 ever, when the common receptacle grows larger, an appear- 

 ance like that of proliferous fruits is often met with. I have 

 repeatedly observed, in the Pinus larix, a proliferous stro- 

 bilus. I have even seen a strobilus which produced a sprig, 

 on which other strobili were formed. In the same manner 

 proliferous spikes are formed in rich soil, in Secale ccreale, 

 Phleum pratense, Alopecurus pratensis, and the like. A 

 very remarkable monstrosity in the germen is, the Clavus in 



grain. The seed becomes swelled three times its usual size 

 and tKickness, but has no corcle. The clavus arises in the 

 species of corn and gramina from an unknown cause, by a 

 stagnation of the adducent and air vessels. There are two 

 distinct species of it: 1. The simple clavus, which is of a 

 pale violet colour, in its interior is whitish and mealy, with- 

 out any smell or taste, and may be ground along with the 

 sound grain, without any bad effects on the last. 2. The 

 malignant clavus, which is dark violet, blue, or blackish, 

 internally has a blueish-gray colour, a foetid smell, and a 

 sharp pungent taste. Its meal is tenacious, imbibes warm 

 water slowly, and has no slimy appearance when kneaded. 

 The bread has a violet blue colour. When eaten, cramps, 

 and especially the raphinia of Cullen, are produced by it. 



" Sterilitas. We call plants sterile or barren, when they 

 produce neither flowers nor fruits. All full, deformed, and 

 proliferous flowers, therefore, are sterile, because the stamens 

 and pistil surfer in them. But some plants are sterile only as 

 far as they do not produce blossoms. The cause of this may 

 be climate, too much sap, improper soils, and ill treatment. 

 Plants, which are transplanted from a warmer climate into a 

 colder, bloom very rarely. An artificial degree of heat, like 

 their natural, is therefore frequently tried, but not always 

 with good effect. The plants from the Cape of Good Hope 

 require more warmth in winter than in summer, and, if they 

 have this, are sure to blossom. Fruit-trees, when they have 

 too much sap, and their outer bark is too thick, have only a 

 thin vascular ring annually formed ; the sap therefore must 

 ascend towards the top and the boughs, and fruit-trees of 

 that kind grow often without ever having blossoms. Gar- 

 deners try to remedy this, by lopping some boughs, cutting 

 off part of the root, and by removing the plant to a sterile 

 soil ; but they are, notwithstanding all these precautions, 

 often disappointed. The best and easiest method is to bleed 

 or scarify such trees, as it has been called, or to scratch 

 superficially, and in a winding direction, their stem and 

 principal branches. The vascular rings are then at freedom 

 to expand, and the tree will bloom and bear fruits without 

 delay, as the circulation of the sap does not now go on with 

 equal rapidity as before. Improper soil promotes sterility. 

 If succulent plants, for instance, Cactus, or Mesembryan- 

 themum, be placed in rich garden earth, they may grow in it, 

 but scarcely ever, at least very rarely, bear blossoms. Are 

 they, however, placed in a ground mixed with loam and sand,' 

 then they will easily shew their blossoms, if they are rightly 

 treated. Ill treatment indeed suppresses in many a plant 

 the approaching flower. Amaryllis formosissima, if kept 

 constantly in pots filled with garden earth, produces many 

 leaves, but no flowers. But, if its bulb be taken out and 

 preserved in a dry place, out of ground, during the winter, a 

 flower will appear every year. Many other bulbous plants, 

 which grow in sandy plains in warm climates, do the same. 

 Many examples might here be adduced, which for the sake 

 of space I am forced to omit. Abortus. When flowering 

 plants, which are provided with perfect female organs of 

 generation, do not bear fruit. This originates from a want 

 of male organs of generation, their bad structure, want of the 

 impregnating insects, the heat of moisture and soil, sting of 

 insects, and violent storms, various disorders, too great age, 

 and too much sap ; or, lastly, when the flower appears at 

 an unfavourable season. Every botanic garden can shew us 

 numberless instances of abortion. How often do we lose 

 exotic plants, bearing no seeds, because the male organs are 

 either wanting, or in an imperfect state ! How often might 

 insects, could we obtain proper species, do this office! In 

 this case, a great deal may be done by the gardener. If there 



