V E R 



V E R 



straight, angular, woolly, Icofy, terni'mating in 

 a panicle very much branched: the leaves ellip- 

 tic-oblong, somewhat wedge-shaped, crenate, 

 closely woolly beneath, but nearly smooth on 

 the upper-side, netted-veincd ; the radical ones 

 attenuated at the base: the stem-leaves ovate, 

 sessile, bnt not decurrent : the branches of the 

 panicle racemcd, niany-flovvered: the flowers 

 pedicclled, in bundles, cream-coloured with 

 yellow filaments and saffron-coloured anthers. 

 It is remarkable for its straight wand-like angu- 

 lar stem and cream-coloured flowers, which are 

 produced in great numbers in a compound clus- 

 tered terminating raceme. It is a native of 

 Europe. 



The sixth sjjecies has a biennial root : the ra- 

 dical leaves repand, or obtusely sinuate-pinna- 

 tifid : stem-leaves oblong, waved, decurrcnt a 

 little at the base on each side : branch leaves 

 ovate or cordate, a little decurrent ; the first of 

 these are opposite, the rest alternate: the flowers 

 sessile, glomerate, in an interrupted spike. It 

 is a native of the South of France, Italy and 

 Barbary ; flowering in July and August. 



The seventh has a perennial root : the bottom 

 leaves are ovate-oblong, indistinctly crenate, 

 (doubly crenate,) dark green aljove, pale green 

 beneath, standing upon pretty long footstalks : 

 the stalk rises three or four feet high, branching 

 out on each side, and has a few sharp-pointed 

 small leaves on the lower part, sitting close to 

 the stalk : the flowers are disposed in a long 

 loose spike on the upper part of the stalk ; they 

 come out upon short slender pedicels, three or 

 four from the lower joints ; above these there are 

 two at each joint, and at the top they are single j 

 they are of a rusty iron colour, and larger than 

 those of the common sort ; they appear in July 

 and August. It is a native of the South of Eu- 

 rope. 



The eighth species has also a biennial root: 

 the radical leaves ovate, subsessile, naked, 

 even, wrinkled, scarcely crenate: the stem 

 erect, simple, two feet high : the branches from 

 the lowest axils, erect, simple, length ot the 

 stem, all angular, subpubescent with hairs 

 clammy at the lip : the stem leaves cordate, 

 sessile, smooth, wrinkled and veined: the ra- 

 ceme of all terminating, simple, a foot long: 

 the peduncles simple, solitary, one-flowered. 

 It is a native of the South of Europe. 



1 he ninth has a perennial root, composed of 

 slender fibres : the leaves, which spread flat on 

 the around, are of a thick fleshy substance, of 

 an ovate shape, indented on their edges, woolly, 

 and of a dark green colour ; they are sessile or 

 subsessile, embrace the crown of the root, and 

 lie over each other ; they continue in verdure all 

 the year, but in winter change to a much darker 



green: from among these leaves arise several 

 scapes or naked slender stalks, about four inches 

 high, which divide into three or four pedicels at 

 the top, hairy and of a brown-purplish colour, 

 each sustaining one large flower, of a fine blue, 

 so deeply divided as to appear to be five-petalled: 

 the segn'ients are oval, obtuse, and spread open 

 flat, like the Auricula: the flowers are large in 

 proportion to the size of the plant, of a blueish 

 purple colour, and highly ornamental, appear- 

 ing in May, and continue successively in blos- 

 som for several months. It is a desirable plant 

 to cultivate, especially for decorating rock-work. 

 It is a native of the Pyrenees. 



Culture. — These plants may all be increased 

 by seeds, and ofl'sets taken from the roots. 



The well ripened seeds should be sown in the 

 autunm or early spring in a bed of light mould, 

 or in the borders or other parts where they are 

 to remain, covering them lightly in. When 

 the plants are up a few inches in height, in the 

 bed method, they should be removed into 

 nursery-rows till the autumn, when they must 

 be removed to where they are to remain. 



The annual sort is however, best sown at once 

 where the plants are to grow, which is best done 

 in patches. 



'i'he offsets of all the perennial sorts should be 

 taken off in the autumn, or very early in the 

 spring, and be planted out where they are to 

 grow. This is better than afterwards transplant- 

 ing them . 



They are all hardy plants, that succeed in al- 

 most any soil. 



They afford a good effect in their different 

 foliage, and sweet scent of their flowers, in 

 the large borders, clumps, and other parts of 

 pleasure grounds ; tlie larger sorts being placed 

 backwards in them. 



VERBENA, a e;enus containing plants of- the 

 hardy herbaceous and tender exotic kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Diandria 

 Bloiiogynia, [Didynamhi Gj/mnospamia), and 

 ranks in the natural order of Persoiiatcr. 



The characters arc: that the calyx is a one- 

 leafed perianth, angular, tubular, linear, five- 

 toothed, the fifth toothiet truncate, pern)anent : 

 the corolla is one-petalled, unequal : tube cy- 

 lindrical, straight for the length of the calyXj 

 then widening and curved in : border spreading, 

 half five-cleft: segments rounded, almost equal : 

 the stamina have tvvo or four filaments, bristle- 

 shaped, very short, lying within the tube of the 

 corolla; two of them shorter (when there are 

 four :) anthers curved in, as many as there are 

 filaments : the jiistillum is a four-cornered germ : 

 stvie simple, filiform, length of the tube : stigma 

 obtuse: the pericarpium is very slender, and 

 scarcely manifest, or almost none : calyx con- 



