LOB 



LOB 



there have been great numbers raised from seeds 

 here, so that they are become common in the nur- 

 series j and there are many ot' the trees in differ- 

 ent jiarts which anniudlv produce flowers. 



Cnlliire. — This plant may be increased by 

 sowing the sectis, imported annually from America 

 by th? seed-dealers, in spring, either in the full 

 ground, inbeds of rich lighteanh, in awarm situ- 

 ation, i)lacing the seed length-wise, and covering 

 it nearly an inch deep, or in pots or boxes, plun- 

 ging ih'cin in a gentle hot-bed : when the young 

 plants appear they should be well screened from 

 the sun, and have free air. They usually come 

 uj) the same season; when in the former method 

 water should be given them in dry weather; and 

 if the bed be arched over with hoops, to have 

 occasional shade from the mid-day sun in scorch- 

 ing weather, it will be beneficial to the germina- 

 tion of theseeds and growth of the voung plants; 

 continuing the watermgs with care occasionally 

 during the summer; and in winter, sheltering 

 them with mats in frosty weather to preserve 

 their tops, which are sometimes a little tender 

 the first year, and apt to suffer. 



When the plants are two years old, they 

 should he set out in spring in nursery-rows, two 

 feet distant, and a fool asunder in the rows ; to 

 remain a few years, till from three to six or eight 

 feet high, when they may be planted where they 

 are to remain. 



They are raised best in the open ground, where 

 the beds are prepared of good mellow rich earth, 

 blended with old rotten cow-dung, sifting over 

 the seeds tine turf-mould, mixed with fine sca- 

 or pit-sand. 



These trees succeed best afterwards in a light 

 soil, not too dry. They should have their robots 

 and branches as little pruned as possible. 



They arc highly ornamental in large planta- 

 tions, among others of similar growth,"and have 

 a line effect when planted out singly in large 

 openings, kept in short grass, in' pleasure- 

 j^rounds. 



LOBELIA, a genus containing plants of the 

 herbaceous and under shrubby perennial kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Sym^enesia 

 Mo/iogamia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Cumpunacecc. 



'I"he characters are : that the ealvx is a one- 

 leafed perianlhium,f]vc-clef't, very small : grow- 

 ing round the germ, withering : toothlets nearly 

 tqual : the two superior ones looking more up- 

 ward : the corolla one-petallcd, irregular: tube 

 eyiindric, longer than the calyx, divided longi- 

 tudinally above: border live-jiarted, divisions 

 lanceolate; of which the two superior ones are 

 smaller, less re'lex, more deeply divided, con- 

 stiluiing aa upper lip : the three inferior ones 



more spreading, frequently larger : the stamina: 

 have five awl-shaped lilaments, the length of the 

 tube of the petal, connate above: anthers con- 

 nate into an oblong cylinder, gaping five ways 

 at the base: the pisliflum is a sharp-pointed, 

 inferior germ : style eyiindric, length of the sta- 

 mens : stigma obtuse, hispid : the pericarpium 

 an ovate capsule, two- or three-celled, two- or 

 three-valvcd, gaping at the top, girt by the calyx : 

 dissepiinents contrary to the vatves : the seeds a 

 great many, very small : receptacle conic. 



The species cultivated are : \. L. cardinalis. 

 Scarlet Lobelia, or Cardinal's Flower ; <i. L. si- 

 pluUtka, Blue Lobelia, or Cardinal Flower; 3. 

 L. longijlora, Long-flowered Lobelia; 4. L. 

 philfoUa, Pine-leaved Lobelia ; 5. L. injiala. 

 Bladder-podded Lobelia. 



In the first, the root is composed of many 

 w bite fleshy fibres : the lower leaves are oblon<r, 

 and of a dark purplish colour on their upper side; 

 the stalks are erect, about a foot and half high, 

 with leaves about three inches long, and an inch 

 and half broad in the middle, on very short pe- 

 tioles and placed alternately : the stalk is termi- 

 nated by a spike (raceme) of flowers, of an ex- 

 ceeding beautiful scarlet colour ; they have a 

 pretty long tube, wdiich is a little incurved, and 

 at the top they are cut longitudinally into Ave 

 segments ; the two upper, w hieh are the smallest, 

 are greatly reflexed ; the three under, which form- 

 the lower lip, are longer, and spread open. They 

 appear at the end of July and in August, when 

 they make a fine appearance for a momh or more, 

 and when the autunm proves favourable pro- 

 duce good seeds. It grows naturally in North 

 America. 



The second species has a perennial root : the 

 stem simj)le, from a foot to two feet in height,, 

 and upwards, strong, simple, smooth, with an- 

 gles formed by the decurrent edges of the leaves 

 having stiflfish hairs on them : the leaves are 

 alternate, sessile, somewhat rugged : the flowers 

 axillary, solitary, numerous, large, on short 

 peduncles, forming altogether a long spike of a 

 pale blue colour. It is a native of N'irginia, 

 flowering from August to October. 



The third is an annual herbaceous eletrant 

 plant, seldom above fourteen or sixteen inches 

 in height ; the whole of it rough-haired : the 

 stem almost upright, very much "branched from 

 all the axils : the leaves are alternate, sessile, 

 subpinnatifid-toothed, sharpish, smooth, half a 

 foot long : the peduncles one-flowert-d, axillary, 

 solitary, villose. The whole plant is poisonous. 

 It is a native of Jamiiica, ilosvcring from June to- 

 August, 



The fourth species is a shrubby, upricht, 

 branched plant, the branches surrounded Cviib 



