S I s 



S I u 



celled, two-val\'cd: valves in opening stvaightish, 

 partition a little JDiiger than tlit valves: the 

 seeds very many, small. 



The species- is S. Nasturtium, Common 

 Water Cress. 



It has perennial roots, consisting of long 

 white fibres, the lowcrnrost tixed in the soil, the 

 rcsi snspendcd in the water : the stems sjirL'ad- 

 ing, dechning or floating, angular, branched, 

 leafy : the leaves alternate, pinnate, somewhat 

 lyrate, the terminating audupper leauets being 

 the largest : all the leaflets roundish, more or 

 less heart-sha|)edi smooth, shining, waved or 

 toothed, frequently tinged with a purplish 

 brown hue : the flowers white, in a cor\ mb, 

 soon lengthened out into a spike : the pods 

 shortish, on horizontal pedicels, but the |iods 

 iheniselves recurved upwards : the siigmas 

 nearly sessile : but according to Curtis, the 

 root is annual. Withering n;arks it as bieii- 

 uial. It is a native of Europe, Asia, 8:c. 



CuUvre. — This may be elRcteu by |i:iriing the 

 roots, or by seed. In the first nuihod, v iiile 

 the plants are young, a ■ uantity of siips should 

 be made with root-fibres to them, and be. planted 

 out immediately in a shallow, trickhng, watery 

 situation, when they will readily strike roots, 

 .seed, and increase ihiniselves. 



The seed should be collected during the sum- 

 rner season, and sown in the same places ; or, 

 which is better, the plants, with the ripened 

 seeds upon them, be thrown into thtm, where 

 they will strike root, and shed their seeds for 

 future increase. 



These plants are in much esteem as winter and 

 spring sallad herbs. 



SI8YRINCHIUM, a genus containing plants 

 of the flowery perennial kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Monadclphia 

 Triavdria, and ranks in the natural order of 



• The characters are : that the calvx is a com- 

 mfMi ancipital spathe, two-leaved: valves com- 

 pressed, acuminate: proper several, lanceolate, 

 concave, obtuse, one-flowered : the corolla one- 

 peialkil, superior, six-parted : segments obovate 

 with a point, from erect spreading : three outer 

 alternate, a little wider : the stannnahave three 

 filaments, umted into a subtriquelrous tube 

 shorter than the corolla, distinct at the top : 

 anthers bifid below, fastened by the back ; the 

 pistilluni is an obovate inferior germ : style 

 three sided, length of the tube : stigmas three, 

 thi-jkish, awl-shaped at the top, erect : the peri- 

 carprnm is an obovate capsule, roundud, three- 

 sided, three celled, three valved ; with the par- 

 titiQus contrary : the seeds several., globular. 



The species are: 1. S. Berinudiana, Iris-leaved 

 Sisyrinehium ; 2. S. anceps, Narrovv-Ieaved Si- 

 syrinchium. 



The first has a fibrous root, from which arise 

 some stitf" sword-shapcd leaves, four or five 

 inches long and half an inch broad, of a dark 

 green colour : from among these comes out the 

 stalk (scape) six inches high ; it is compressed, 

 and has two borders or wings running the 

 whole length, and three or four spear-shaped 

 leaves embracing it ; these grow erect, and are 

 hollowed like the keel of a br)at : the stalk isi 

 terminated by a cluster of six or seven ilowers, 

 on short peduncles, and enclosed in a two- 

 leaved, keel-bha])ed sheath, before they open ; 

 they are of a deep blue colour with yellow bot- 

 toms, which, when fully expanded, are an inch 

 over. It is a native of Bermuda. 



The second species has a perennial fibrous. 

 root, from which arise many very narrow spear-- 

 shaped. leaves, about three inches long, and 

 scarcely an eighth of an inch broad, of a light- 

 green colour : the stalks about three inches 

 high, verv slender, compressed and bordered, 

 having short, narrow, sword-shaped, embracing 

 leaves: they are terminated by two small pale- 

 blue llowers, inclosed in a two-leaved sheath, 

 upon longer peduncles than those of the first- 

 sort, fiowerins: about the saxiie time. It is a 

 native of Virginia, 



It ij observed, that the leaves, stalks, and. 

 flowers of the first sort are three times as large 

 as in the second, and the sheath incloses six or 

 seven flowers ; v/hereas the second has rarely 

 more tlian two, and these expand only for a 

 short time in the morning, while in the former 

 they continue open the whole day. 



Culture. — These plants may be increased by 

 seeds and parting the roots: in the former me- 

 thod the seeds of the first sort should be sown 

 in the autumn as soon as they become ripe, on 

 a border which has an eastern aspect, in drills. 

 at three or four inches distance, covering them, 

 about half an inch with fine mould : they 

 should afterwards be kept clean from weeds, 

 with care. They succeed best in a loamy soil in 

 a shady situation, and where the ground has not 

 been manured. 



In the latter sort the seeds should be sown in 

 pots, in order that they may be protected in the 

 green-house. 



The first affords ornament in the large open 

 bordeni and clumps, and the latter among other. 

 green-hou>e ])lants. 



SIUM, a genus containing a plant of. the 

 hardy, herbaceous, esculent kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Pentandria, 



