11 o s 



11 o s 



ROSMARILHAL, a town of Portugal, in tke pro- 

 vince of Bcira, on the borders of Spain ; 8 miles W. of 

 Alcantara, in Spain. N. lat. 39^33'. W. long. 6° 50'. 



ROSMARINUS, in Botany, fo called from ros, dew, 

 and marinus, alluding to its fituation on the fea-lhore. Thofe 

 who have obferved it mantling the rocks of the Mediterra- 

 nean in winter, with its grey flowers glittering with dew, 

 cannot but be ftruck with the elegant propriety of the 

 name. — Linn. Gen. 16. Schreb. 22. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 1. 

 126. Mart. Mill. Ditt. v. 4. Sm. Prodr. Fl. Grsec. 

 Sibth. v. 1. 12. Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 1. 52. Tournef. 

 t. 92. Jull'. in. Lamarck Illuftr. t. 19. — Oafs and 

 order, Diandria Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Verticillatee, Linn. 

 Labial a, Ju(T. 



Gen. Ch. Cat. Perianth inferior, of one leaf, tubular, 

 compreffed at the upper part, with an eredl mouth ; upper 

 lip undivided ; lower cloven. Cor. unequal ; tube longer 

 than the calyx ; limb gaping ; upper lip divided into two 

 parts, ereft, fhorter, acute, with reflexed margins ; lower 

 reflexed, trifld ; the middle fegment very large, concave, 

 narrow at the bafe ; the lateral ones narrow, acute. Stain. 

 Filaments two, awl-(Tiaped, Ample, with a tooth at one fide, 

 inclined towards the upper lip, and exceeding it in length ; 

 anthers Ample. Pi/l. Germen fuperior, four-cleft ; ityle 

 refembling the ltamens; ftigma Ample, acute. Peric. none, 

 except the permanent calyx, which contains four ovate feeds 

 in its bottom. 



Obf. This genus approaches very near to Salvia, from 

 which however it differs in having the ftamens Amply fur- 

 nifhed with a lateral tooth. 



Ed. Ch. Corolla unequal, its upper lip cloven. Fila- 

 ments longer than the corolla, curved, Ample with a tooth. 

 Calyx campanulate, trifld. Seeds four, naked. 



1. R. officinalis. Common Rofemary. Linn. Sp. PL 

 33. Sm. Fl. Grsc. Sibth. t. 14. Woodv. Med. Bot. 

 t. 87. — Leaves feffile. — Native of the fouth of Europe, 

 the Levant, and occafionally in the Grecian iAands ; com- 

 mon in gardens, flowering from January to May. — An 

 ereft, evergreen^/Zirwi, four feet high, very much branched ; 

 tranches obfeurely quadrangular, downy, leafy on all fides. 

 /.eaves oppofite, fpreading in a recurved manner, linear- 

 oblong, obtufe, revolute, entire ; fmooth, dark green, and 

 Alining above ; downy and veined beneath. Flowering 

 tranches axillary, oppofite, (hort, very leafy. Flowers 

 axillary, terminal, on very fhort (talks, eredt, of a bright 

 blue colour, variegated witli purple and white, having, 

 like the leavc9, a ilrong aromatic fragrance, refembling 

 camphor. Tins is the AiJxvmti; of Diofcorides and other 

 ancient authors. Rofemary, when wild, has broader leaves, 

 larger flowers, and a ftronger fcent than when culti- 

 vated in our gardens ; indeed Miller, following the old 

 writers, regarded this as a fufiicient ground to make them 

 dillintt fpecies ; the former being (ubjedtto a variety whole 

 leaves are Itriped with yellow, and hence called Gold-flriped 

 Rofemary ; the latter varying with a white Aripe, and 

 thence named Sdver-[lrij>ed Rofemary. The Alver variety is 

 very tender. From an old opinion of Rofemary-juice hav- 

 ing the property of llrengtlieiiing the memory, this plant 

 has been poetically made an emblem of remembrance or fide- 

 lity ; and this was probably the origin of its being worn or 

 ufed at funerals and weddings. 



2. R. chilenjis. Chili Rofemary. Willd. n. 2. Ait. 

 Hort. Kew. v. 1. 52. — Leaves on llalks. — Native of Chili, 

 and flowering m July. This flirub is only known from 

 Molina's Natural Hiltory of Chili, who defcribes it as 

 having (talked leaves. Future obfervation mult determine 

 whether or uot it be really a Rofmarinus. 



Rosmarinus, in Gardening, contains plants of the hardy, 

 fltrubby, evergreen kind, of which the fpecies cultivated 

 is the officinal rofemary (R. officinalis). 



There are varieties of this with narrow leaves ; with broad 

 leaves ; with Alver-ftriped leaves, and with gold-ltriped 

 leaves. 



Method of Culture. — In all the forts it may be effctted by 

 planting flips or cuttings in the early fpring months, as from 

 March to May, as well as by layers ; in performing the Arlt 

 methods of which a quantity of young fhoots fhould be cut, 

 or ftripped off, from about Ave or Ax to eight or ten inches 

 long, Gripping off the lower leaves, and then planting them 

 in a border of light earth, in rows a foot afunder, giving a 

 good watering, and repeating it frequently till they are 

 rooted, which they effedt in a (hort time ; in the fame year they 

 Aioot at top, and become tolerable little plants by autumn ; 

 when about the beginning or middle of September, or in 

 the fpring following, they may be tranfplanted where they 

 are deflgned to remain for growth. 



The layers fhould be laid down in any of the convenient 

 lower young branches, into the earth, in the fpring, fum- 

 mer, or autumn, and they will be well rooted by autumn 

 following, when they may be taken off, and planted out 

 where they are to remain for plants. 



Almolt all the varieties are moderately hardy ever-green 

 plants, though the common green forts are the mod fo ; 

 the ftriped kinds being liable to fuft'er by hard frofts, if 

 much expofed, or planted in wet ground ; of courfe they, 

 as well as all the forts, (hould have a warm fituation and dry 

 foil : fome of the variegated kinds fhould alfo be potted, in 

 order to have the (helter of a green-houfe in winter. They 

 are moil durable in dry poor foils. In regard to the ufes of 

 thefe plants, the common green forts are generally made ufe 

 of for different medicinal purpofes, the leaves as well as the 

 flowers being employed, and both thefe and the ftriped 

 kinds are planted out as (hrubs for the fake of affording 

 a more full variety. They all afford variety of courfe 

 in the borders, clumps, and other parts of gardens and 

 flirubberies. 



Rosmarinus, in the Materia Medica. See Rosemary,. 



ROSMARUS, in Zoology, the name of an animal called 

 alfo by fome the fea-horfe, and more ufually known by the 

 name of morfe. 



ROSMlTHAL, in Geography, a town of Bohemia, in 

 the circle of Prachatitz ; 1 1 miles N. of Blatna. 



ROSNAY, a town of France, in the department of the 

 Indie ; 8 miles N.E. of Le Blanc. 



ROSNY, a town of France, in the department of the 

 Seine and Oife ; 3 miles W. of Mantes. — Alfo, a town of 

 France ; c miles E. of Paris. 



ROSOLIS, or Ros-solis, popularly Rofa-folis, fun- 

 dew, an agreeable fpirituous liquor, formerly much in re- 

 pute, chiefly taken after meals, by way of a drachm, to aid 

 digellion ; being compofed of burnt brandy, fugar, cinna- 

 mon, and milk-water, and fometimes perfumed with a little 

 mulk. 



It had its name, becaufe anciently prepared wholly of thr 

 diltilled water of the plant Ros folis, which lee ; but th.it 

 plant was at length neglected in the compofition. 



The belt was that of Turin. The French have now a 

 particular kind, not called ros folis, but tin roy ; bec.mfe 

 ufed with j;ood effect by Louis XIV. It ii C nnpofed of 

 Spanifh wine, in which are inlufed .mile, fennel, .ineth, corian- 

 der, &c. for three weeks. 



ROSOMAC11A, or Rosomak, in Zoology, a name 

 given by the Ruffians to the glutton. Tliey afJ, fays 

 Olaus, taken by the hunters chiefly on account of their 



(kins, 



