742 



VIB 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



V 1 B 



49. Veronica Hederifolia ; Ivy-leaved Speedwell, or Small 

 Henbit. Flowers solitary ; leaves cordate, flat, five-lobed ; 

 calicine segments cordate; seeds cupped. Root annual, 

 small, fibrous ; corolla pale blue, shorter than the calix ; mouth 

 villose within. This has the greatest affinity to the Agrestis 

 in its habit and place of growth, and in the peculiar formation 

 of its seed-vessels and seeds ; in which both totally differ 

 from the other British species. Native of Europe and Bar- 

 bary, in gardens and corn-fields; abundant in light soils, 

 flowering in April and May. 



50. Veronica Filiformis; Long-pedunded Speedwell. Flow- 

 ers solitary; leaves cordate, crenate, shorter than the pedun- 

 cle ; calix-leaves lanceolate. Root annual ; stems filiform, 

 procumbent ; flowers axillary, large. Found in Syria. 



51. Veronica Triphyllos ; Trifid-leaved Speedwell, or Up- 

 right Chickweed. Flowers solitary; upper leaves digitate; 

 peduncles longer than the calix; seeds flatted. Root annual, 

 fibrous; stem mostly branched; corolla deep blue; seeds 

 numerous, obovate, flat. Its divided leaves, the deep rich 

 blue colour of its flowers, and the largeness of its seed- 

 vessels, distinguish this at once from every other British spe- 

 cies. It is common to most parts of Europe, and chiefly 

 found in corn-fields, where the corn is light : it is of very 

 partial growth in this country, being found principally in the 

 sandy tract which connects Norfolk and Suffolk. It flowers 

 in March and April, and the seeds ripen in June. 



52. Veronica Verna; Vernal Speedwell. Flowers solitary, 

 subsessile ; leaves finger-parted ; peduncles shorter than the 

 calix. Stem stiff and straight ; calix much longer than the 

 corolla, and deeply divided into four lanceolate blunt unequal 

 segments; corolla blue, with a green base. Native of dry 

 open sandy fields in many parts of Europe. 



53. Veronica Digitata; Finger-leaved Speedwell. Flowers 

 solitary, sessile ; all the leaves finger-parted ; stem stiff and 

 straight; root annual. Native of the south of France, about 

 Montpellier; and of Spain and Bohemia. 



54. Veronica Acinifolia; Basil-leaved Speedwell. Flowers 

 peduncled, solitary; leaves ovate, smooth, crenate; stem 

 erect, somewhat hairy. Native of Germany, Switzerland, 

 and Piedmont. It flowers in May. 



55. Veronica Perejrina; Knotgrass-leaved Speedwell. 

 Flowers solitary, sessile; leaves oblong, bluntish, toothed, 

 and entire; stem erect. Native of the north of Europe, Ger- 

 many, Dauphiny, and Italy. See the first species. 



56. Veronica Bellardi; Linear-leaved Speedwell. Flowers 

 solitary, peduncled; leaves linear, quite entire, rough-haired, 

 longer than the flower; stem quite small, erect. The whole 

 plant is hirsute. Native of the pastures of Piedmont. 



Vervain. See Verbena. 



Vervain, Mallow. See Malva. 



Vetch. See Vicia. 



Vetch, Bitter. See Orobus. 



Vetch, Chickling. ) ,, T . 



Vetch, Crimson-Grass. \ See ^%. 



Vetch, Hatchet. See Coronilla. 



Vetch, Horse-shoe. See Hippocrepis. 



Vetch, Kidney. See Anthyllis. 



Vetch, Milk. See Astragalus. 



Velchling. See Aphaca. 



Viburnum; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Trigy- 

 nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-parted, 

 superior, very small, permanent. Corolla: one-petalled, bell- 

 shaped, five-cleft ; segments blunt, reflexed. Stamina : fila- 

 menta five, awl-shaped, length of the corolla; antherse round- 

 ish. Pistil: germen inferior, roundish, crowned with a turbi- 

 nate gland ; style scarcely any ; stigmas three. Pericarp : 



berry roundish, one-celled. Seeds: bony, roundish. ESSEN- 

 TIAL CHARACTER. Calix : five-parted, superior. Corolla: 

 five-cleft. Berry: one-seeded. This genus is distinguished 



from Sambucus, by having one seed instead of three. The 



species are, 



1. Viburnum Tinus; Laurustinus, or Laurustine. Leaves 

 quite entire, ovate ; ramifications of the veins villose, glan- 

 dular. There are several varieties of this species ; one has 

 variegated leaves, others gold, and silver stripes. The ber- 

 ries of this plant are very hot, and inflame the fauces violently, 

 like those of Mezereon and Spurge-Laurel ; though starlings 

 devour them greedily. Native of the south of Europe, and of 

 Barbary. Propagation, &c. This with its varieties are propa- 

 gated by laying down their young branches, which put out 

 roots very freely, so that when they are layed in autumn, they 

 will be well rooted by that time twelvemonth, when they 

 should be taken from the old plants, and may either be plant- 

 ed where they are to remain, or into a nursery for two years 

 to get strength. The best season to transplant them is at 

 Michaelmas, that they may get new root before winter; for as 

 they begin to flower early in winter, they will more surely suc- 

 ceed then than at any other time of the year: but they may be 

 removed in the spring with balls of earth to their roots, pro- 

 vided it is done before they begin to shoot: they may also be 

 removed at the end of July or the beginning of August, if rain 

 should happen at this season; for after they have done shoot- 

 ing, which is soon after Midsummer, they will be in no danger 

 if not kept too long out of the ground. They may also be 

 increased by seeds, which should be mixed with earth in au- 

 tumn, soon after they are ripe: they should then be exposed 

 to the air, and receive the rain in winter, and in the spring 

 they may be sown upon a gentle hot-bed, which will bring up 

 the plants ; they should remain in the bed till autumn, and then 

 may be transplanted, and treated in the same way as the layers. 

 The Laurustinus is sometimes trained up to round heads with 

 naked stems, but these in the open air will be more exposed 

 to suffer from frost than those which have the branches grow- 

 ing rude from the bottom; for if the frost kills the outer part 

 of the shoots, the stems will be protected, and will soon put 

 out new branches, but where the stems are naked the frost 

 frequently kills them to the root. The blossoms of this plant 

 are never destroyed, except in very severe seasons, but smoke 

 is very injurious. The shining-leaved variety is the most 

 ornamental, but at the same time the most tender: it thrives 

 best in sheltered situations and a dry soil. 



2. Viburnum Tinoides. Leaves elliptic, smooth, quite 

 entire; branches and cymes round, hirsute. This resembles 

 the preceding species. Native of South America. 



3. Viburnum Villosum ; Hoary Viburnum. Leaves quite 

 entire, ovate, hoary, and villose beneath. Stem a fathom 

 high, with ash-coloured bark; branches round, hoary; corolla 

 whitish, with roundish spreading segments. It flowers in au- 

 tumn. Native of hills in the southern parts of Jamaica. 



4. Viburnum Scandens ; Climbing Viburnum. Shrubby, 

 scandent : leaves oblong-serrate; cymes slender, hairy, of 

 three unequal branches; flowers white. Stem frutescent, 

 branched ; branches and branchlets alternate, round, ash- 

 coloured, smooth, climbing; styles three, divaricating ; fila- 

 menta ten. Native of Japan. 



5. Viburnum Nudum ; Oval-leaved Viburnum. Leaves 

 oval, somewhat wrinkled, rolled back at the edge, and ob- 

 scurely crenulate. Stem strong, covered with a brown 

 smooth bark, ten or twelve feet high, sending out woody 

 branches on every side in its whole length. The flowers are 

 produced in large umbels at the ends of the branches, and are 

 like those of the first species in shape and colour, but smaller, 





