624 



ST A 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



STA 



calix, and crowned with its filmy border. Seed: single, 

 oblong, hanging from a long cord. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Calix : one-petalled, entire, plaited, scariose. Petals: five. 

 Capsule: superior, one-celled, n've-valved at the base. Seed: 

 solitary. The species are, 



1 . Statice Armeria ; Thrift, or Sea Gilliflower. Scape 

 simple, headed; leaves linear, flat, obtuse. Root perennial, 

 woody, bearing thick tufts of lax, linear, channelled, smooth, 

 deep green leaves; stalks about a span high; corolla rose- 

 coloured or pink, varying to deep red, scarlet, and white. 

 The variety with bright red flowers, called Scarlet Thrift, 

 makes the best appearance. It was formerly in great esteem 

 for edgings on the sides of borders, in flower-gardens, but 

 requires to be transplanted every year, to keep it within due 

 bounds ; and where a plant fails, which often happens, a 

 large and unsightly vacancy remains. Native of muddy sea- 

 shores, or moist boggy situations, throughout Europe, as 

 well as of America, flowering in July and August. These 

 may be propagated by parting their roots in autumn, that 

 they may take good root before the frost comes on, and flower 

 stronger than if they had been planted in the spring. If they 

 stand long unremoved, they are subject to rot and decay, 

 especially in good ground. 



2. Statice Juniperifolia; Juniper-leaved Thrift. Scape 

 simple, headed ; leaves linear-lanceolate, acute, flat. Native 

 of Spain and Portugal. This is suspected to be a variety 

 of the preceding, but retains its habit several years in a 

 garden. 



3. Statice Alliacea ; Garlick-like Thrift. Scape simple, 

 headed; leaves linear-lanceolate, acut,e, flat. This very 

 much resembles the first species. Native of Spain. 



4. Statice Cephalotus ; Large Simple-stalked Thrift. Scape 

 simple, headed ; leaves oblong, flat, acuminate, attenuated 

 at the base ; petals rose-coloured, obtuse. This appears to 

 have been common in England. Native of Portugal. 



5. Statice Graminifolia; Grass-leaved Thrift. Scape pa- 

 nicled ; branches three-sided ; leaves linear-channelled. It 

 flowers in June and July. Native place unknown. 



6. Statice Limonium; Sea Thrift, or Sea Lavender. Scape 

 panicked, round; leaves oblong, obtuse, smooth, nerveless, 

 with a sharp point under the tip, waved at the edge. Root 

 woody, strong, perennial. This plant, which has none of 

 the strong aromatic quality of Lavender, varies much as to 

 luxuriance, being sometimes found with leaves scarcely an 

 inch lone;, and not more than six or eight flowers in a panicle ; 

 and at other times much larger, with the flowers far more 

 abundant. The bright blue colour of the flowers distinguishes 

 it at a distance, and that colour is tolerably permanent. 

 Though less magnificent than some of the foreign species, it 

 is a beautiful plant. Several varieties are found on the Lan- 

 cashire coast at Low Furness, and on the west side of Miln- 

 thorpe sands in Westmoreland. Woodward observes, that 

 two varieties are found on the Suffolk coast. These are 

 much smaller than the common sort, and differ in having no 

 regular footstalk, but only a continuation of the leaf: the 

 one has the leaves short and blunt, the other longer and 

 more pointed. The sharp point at the end of the leaf marks 

 them as belonging to this species. Common about muddy 

 shores throughout Europe, flowering in July and August. 

 This may be transplanted at almost any time of the year, pro- 

 vided they are carefully taken up, preserving some earth to 

 their roots, and shading; them till newly rooted in hot wea- 

 ther. They will afterwards only require weeding, and to 

 have the ground stirred between them in the spring. As 

 they do not rpquire much culture, nor take up much room, 

 a few of each sort may be allowed a place for the sake of ' 



variety. They do not propagate very fast in gardens, so 

 that the roots need not be removed oftener than every third 

 or fourth year, at which time thay may be slipped to increase 

 them. The best time for this is in autumn, that the plants 

 maybe well rooted before the spring; otherwise they will 

 not flower very strong in the following summer. They should 

 be planted in a loamy soil on an eastern-aspected border, 

 where they may enjoy the morning sun, and be screened from 

 the great heat in the middle of the day ; in such a situation 

 they will continue for several years, and flower as well as 

 in their native soil. They may also be propagated by seeds, 

 which must be procured from abroad for the foreign species. 

 The seeds should be sown upon a border exposed to the 

 morning sun, and on a soft loamy soil, early in the spring, 

 for the seeds lie a considerable time in the ground before the 

 plants come up ; therefore the ground must be kept entirely 

 clean from weeds ; and the border watered two or three 

 times a week in dry seasons, without which the plants would 

 lie a whole year before they vegetate. When they appear, 

 weed, and in very dry weather water them, and let them be 

 transplanted in the autumn where they are designed to remain. 

 Martyn observes, that the common practice is to consider 

 this as a green-house plant, because it appears to greatest 

 advantage in a pot; and being much disposed to throw up 

 new flowering-stems, by having several pots of it, some will 

 be in flower throughout the summer. On this account, and 

 for the singularity of its large blue calix, it deserves attention. 

 Though in a manner a biennial, he adds, it may often be 

 increased by parting its roots ; and sometimes, though spar- 

 ingly, produces seed in England. 



7. Statice Gmelinii. Scape panicled, angular; leaves 

 oblong-ovate, emarginate, flat, cartilage-edged, mucronate 

 beneath. Native of Siberia, in salt marshes. 



8. Statice Scoparia. Scape panicled, round; leaves oblong, 

 ovate, coriaceous, mucronate, dotted beneath. This resem- 

 bles the next species. Native of Siberia. 



9. Statice Latifolia ; Broad-leaved Sea Lavender. Scape 

 panicled, very much branched, rugged ; leaves pubescent,, 

 with hairs in stellated bundles; flowers mostly two together; 

 corolla longer than the calix, blue. This is distinguished by 

 the great length of its oblong leaves, and the vast profusion of 

 its small blue flowers. Found in Russian Tartary. 



10. Statice Oleifolia; Olive-leaved Sea Lavender. Scape 

 panicled; branches angular, winged; leaves lanceolate, mu- 

 cronate-cusped, cartilaginous at the edge. Root perennial, 

 woody ; flowers on the extreme branches in close spikes ; 

 corolla red, consisting of five petals, but cohering so as to 

 appear one-petalled. It flowers late in August, and never 

 perfects seed in England. Native of France, Italy, and 

 Spain, on the sea-coasts. 



11. Statice Incana ; Hoary Sea Lavender. Scape panicled ; 

 leaves lanceolate, three-nerved, somewhat waved, mucronate 

 at tip ; branches of the panicle three-sided. Root perennial; 

 flowers white. Native of Egypt and Siberia. 



12. Statice Anricnlrefolia; Auricula-leaved Sea Lavender. 

 Scape simple, round ; sprkes lateral and terminating, directed 

 oneway; leaves spatulate, acute; flowers very much clus- 

 tered. Native of the coast of Barbary and Spain. 



13. Statice Cordata ; Heart-leaved Sea Lavender. Scape 

 panicled ; leaves spatulate, retuse ; flowers numerous, blue, 

 imbricate, one-ranked. It grows naturally near the sea, 

 about Marseilles and Leghorn, and on maritime rocks of 

 Piedmont, Spain, and Africa. 



14. Statice Scabra; Rough-branched Sea Lavender. Leaves 

 radical, obovate, oblong, obtuse; branches rugged. Native 

 of the Cape. 



