L E P 



LET 



are young, but afterwards becomes smootli : 

 the leaves are liuear-lanceolate, dusky green 

 above, and smooth, underneath covered with a 

 brown pile, quite entire, resembling those of 

 Rosemary, but wider, pttioled, and perennial : the 

 flowers are on peduncles an inch or more in 

 length, nodding before and after flowering, 

 whitish, in axillary bundles or corymbs : the 

 capsule small, obovate, terminated by a long 

 permanent style : valves coriaceous : partitions 

 membranaceous, springing from the edges of 

 the valves, doubled, opening at their inner an- 

 gle by a longitudinal chink : the receptacles 

 five, filiform, curved a little, springing from 

 the upper part of the axis of the fruit, and hang- 

 ing down freely in the cavity of the cells-. It 

 is a native of the north of Europe, flowering in 

 April and May. 



It varies with erect and decumbent branches. 



Culture. — ^These plants are increased by sow- 

 ing the seeds in pots filled with boggy earth, or 

 in shadv borders of the same kind of mould, in 

 the spring season. 



But the best method is to take up the plants 



in their native situations, with balls of earth 



about their roots, and plant them in borders of 



the above kind, keeping them well watered. 



Layersof the young shoots sometimes will grow. 



They afford variety in shady situations, where 

 the soil is of the boggy kind. 



LEKKS. See Allium. 



LEMON TREE. See Citrus. 



LEPIDIUM, a genus containing a plant of 

 the herbaceous annual kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Tetradyvnm'm 

 Siliciilosa, and ranks in the natural order of Si- 

 Uqnoste or Cruciformes. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a four- 

 leaved pcrianlhium : leaflets ovate, concave, de- 

 ciduous: the corolla four-petallcd, cross-shaped : 

 petals obovate, twice the length of the calyx, 

 with narrow claws : the stannna have six awl- 

 shaped filaments, length of the calyx, the two 

 opposite ones shorter : anthers simple: the pis- 

 tillum is a heart-shaped germ: style simple, 

 length of the staincns : stigma obtuse : the pe- 

 ricarpium is a silicle, heart-shaped, emarginate, 

 compressed, sharp on the margin, two-celled : 

 valves navicular, keeled, opposite the lanceolate 

 dissepiment : the seeds ovate-acuminate, nar- 

 rower at the base, nodding. 



The species cultivated is L. sativum. Garden 

 or Common Cress. 



Other species may be cultivated for variety. 



It has an annual, white, fusiform, slender 

 root: the stem upright, round, smooth, from a 

 foot to two feet in height, branclied at top : 

 both stem and branches terminated by loose nar- 

 row spikes of flowers : the leaves oblong, al- 



ternate, pinnate, the pinnas of the lower multi- 

 flu, of the upper more entire, linear or lance- 

 olate: the flowers small : the calyx very small, 

 greenish : the petals white, larger than the calyx : 

 the silicle roundisli, without any style: the 

 valves wingtd : the seeds small, rufcscent, ovate, 

 marked with lines, having a sharp taste like 

 Mustard. Its native place is imknown. 



There are several varieties, as with broad 

 leaves, with curled leaves, and the common sort 

 with the leaves multifid. 



Culture. — ^lliese plants are raised by sowinc 

 the seed as wanted for use, at different times 

 of the year, as once a week or fortnight, where 

 a constant succession of small herbs in their 

 young growth is wanted for sallads, when only 

 a few days or a week or two old ; or where a con- 

 stant supply of those small herbs are required in 

 their young seedling growth, some should, as 

 has been observed, be sown in succession everv 

 week or fortnight at furthest, all spring, sum- 

 mer, and autumn ; and once a fortnight in the 

 winter season. 



The order of sowing them in the different 

 seasons is ; in a warm south border or other si- 

 milar situation, or under a frame, &c. in the 

 early spring months; and as the warm season 

 advances, in any oj^n compartment, all in as 

 light earth as the garden aflbrds ; but in summer, 

 or hot dry weather, in someu hat shady borders, 

 or in a free situation, shaded with mats from 

 the scorching sun, and daily watered ; and in 

 winter in the warmest situation, or in shallow 

 ^Vames defended with liglits, and under hand 

 glasses : but in frosty or other very cold weather, 

 in that season, on moderate hot-beds ; and 

 hot-bed sowings are also requisite during the 

 colder part of the spring, or at anv time in cold 

 seasons, where a supply'of these and other small- 

 sallad herbs are required to be raised as quickly 

 as possible. 



The method of sowing the seed in all 

 cases is very thick, as the plants are mostly 

 used m small young grow^ih, and mostly m 

 small, flat, shallow drills, about three inches 

 asunder, so thick as almost to cover the earth, 

 being lightly earthed over a quarter of an inch 

 thick, or less ; or on the plain surface, first rakin<i' 

 it smooth, then sowing the seed thick as above, 

 smoothing it do^n with the back of the spade, 

 and either with the spade spreading some fine 

 earth lightly oyer it as thinly as possible, or 

 covering it by sifting earth over it evenly a small 

 depth, just to cover all the seed properly. This 

 sort of sallad herb should always be cultivated 

 so as to grow as rapidly as possible, beiu'r cut 

 while perfectly young. See Small Sallad 

 Hkrks. 



LETTUCE. See Lactuca. 



