sr M 



Hope, but rare, and as yet a ftranger in our greenhoufes. 

 The p/anl is fhrubby, branched, clothed througliout with 

 white cottony down. Leaves an inch and a half to thi-ee 

 inches long, very narrow, obtufe, alternate. Floiver-Jlalis 

 terminal, folitary, ereft, fimple, fingle-flowered, twice as 

 long as the leaves, woolly like them. Calyx ovate, of 

 numerous imbricated fcales, the inner ones gradually longeft, 

 as in the laft, all woolly, with (liining, tawny or brown, 

 membranous edges, and a llrongly reflexed, tapering, almoft 

 pungent, fmooth point, of the colour and texture of the 

 edges. Florets apparently yellow. Anthers with two 

 flightly feathery points at the bafe. Seed-down feathery, 

 divided at the bale into feveral palmate portions, like the 

 ttamens of a polyadelphous flower. Scales of the recep- 

 tacle crenate, or many-cleft, at the funimit. — We know 

 not on what grounds this has been referred to Ley/era, 

 there being in our fpecimens no appearance of a radius, nor 

 any thing of the peculiar habit or charafters of that genus. 

 But if it were fo, this, being the original Sltehelina, ought 

 not to be changed. The more particular explanation, than 

 heretofore, which we have given of the relt of the fpecies, 

 anfwering alfo to this in fo many peculiar and eflential cha- 

 rafters, will we truit eftablifh the gciius before us beyond 

 my poffibillty of doubt. Pkikenet's figure of S. gnapha- 

 lodes, the only one we can find, though rude, is charac- 

 teriftic, elpecially in the points of the calyx. 



9. S. fpinofa. Thorny-leaved Stshelina. Vahl Symb. 

 V. 1. 69. Willd. n. 6. (Chryfocoma mucronata ; Forfk. 

 ^gypt-Arab. 147.) — Leaves nearly cylindrical, fimple or 

 pinnatifid, with awl-(haped fpinous points. Calyx-fcales 



elliptic-lanceolate, ereft Found by Forfl<all in Egypt. 



'Vhe Jlem is fhrubby, bufliy, rigid, with angular branches. 

 Leaves alfo rigid, flender, like branched thorns, an inch 

 or inch and half long, roughilh, alternate. Fhivers ter- 

 minal, few, fomewhat corymbofe, yellow, according to 

 Vaillant, who is cited by Vahl. Calyx at firft cylindrical, 

 then fpreading and turbinate, of many, nearly fmooth, im- 

 Ijiicated, ftraight fcales, each tipped with a fcarcely dif- 

 cernible, ereft, prickle. Seeds hairy, their down very mi- 

 nutely toothed according to Vahl, and the receptacle clothed 

 with fliort briltly fcales. We have not feen thefe parts, 

 nor the anthers, fo that we cannot be certain of the genus. 

 One of Forikall's fpecimens, now before us, has decidedly 

 pinnatifid /fa'ufj. 



10. S. Chamapeuce. Pine-leaved Stihelina. Linn. Syfl:. 

 Nat. ed. 12. v. 2. 538. Willd. n. 7. Ait. n. 3. Sm. 

 Fl. Gric. Sibth. t. 847, unpublilhed. (Scrratula Cha- 

 msepeuce ; Linn. Sp. PI. 1147. Chamxpeucc ; Alpin. 

 Exot. 77. t. 76. Stcbe capitata, overo Chamepino frut- 

 ticofo di Candia ; Pon. Bald. 75. Jacea fruticans, pini 

 folio ; Pluk. Pliyt. t. 94. f. 3.) — Leaves hnear, crowded, 

 elongated, revolute; downy beneath. Calyx ovate. Scales 

 lanceolate, ereft. — Native of rocks in Crete and Cyprus, 

 where, as well as in Greece, and on mount Athos, it wag 

 gathered by Dr. Sibthorp. Parkinfon mentions this fpecies 

 as cultivated here in 1640. It is Itill preferved in curious 

 greenlioufes, and may be feen at Chelfea, flowering all 

 fummer long. 'Yhc Jlem is flirubby, bufhy, llout, two or 

 three feet high, its round cottony branches clothed with 

 abundance of long, narrow, drooping, revolute, acute leaves ; 

 fmooth and green above ; covered with white cottony down 

 beneath ; their bafe fomewhat dilated. Flowers forming a 

 fort of fpare leafy panicle at tlie top of each branch, ereft. 

 Calyx ovate, or nearly globofe, bigger than a lia/.el-nut, of 

 numerous, clofely imbricated, lanceolate, acute, downy, 

 crimfon-pointed fcales. Flowers crimfon. Anthers with a 

 pair of fimple, not feathery, briiUcs. Seids polilhed, ob- 



S T A 



ovate, variegated with brown ; their dawn the length of 

 the calyx, feathery, but not branched or palmate. Scales 

 of the receptacle in many brillly fegments. 



11. S. ? tmbricata. Imbricated Stsehelina. Berg. Cap. 

 233. Linn. Mant. 2. 281. Wilid. n. 8. Thunb. Prodr. 

 143' — " Leaves ovate, pointed, imbricated ; downy be- 

 neatli. Calyx turbinate; its inner fcales with reflexed 

 coloured points. — Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 

 The Jlem is fhrubby, a fpan high, with cluttered downy 

 branches. Leaves feflile, above aline in length ; of a glau- 

 cous green, nearly fmooth, and flightly rugofe, above ; 

 white and downy underneath ; clofely imbricated. Flowers 

 ufually two at the end of each branch, one feflile, the other 

 ftalked. Calyx downy, of numerous, linear-lanceolate, 

 acute, fringed fcales ; the inner ones rather the longeft, and 

 each tipped with a blueifh, chafly, fpreading point, refem- 

 bling a radiant floret. Seed-down fimple, minutely feathery, 

 violet-coloured. Receptacle naked, rough, with elevated 

 points. Such is the defcription of Bergius, who mentions 

 no appendages to tiie anthers, nor does the receptacle, or the 



feed-down, indicate a Stuhelina. Having feen neither fpeci- 

 men nor figure, we mnft leave the matter undecided. 



12. S. corymhofa. Corymbofe Cape Staehelina. Linn. 

 Suppl. 359. Wilid. n. 9. Thunb. Prodr. 143. — Leave* 

 wedge-fliaped, toothed ; downy beneath. Panicles corym- 

 bofe Calyx-fcales rounded, obtufe. — Native of the Cape 

 of Good Hope. The Jlem is fhrubby, with hoary, fur- 

 rowed, leafy branches. Leaves fcattered, an inch long, on 

 fhort ftalks, abrupt, toothed at the extremity ; green and 

 fmooth above ; white, finely downy, fomewhat filky, be- 

 neath. Flowers numerous, on angular, downy, corymbofe, 

 terminal flalks. Calyx not half an inch long, of many 

 broad, brown, downy, ereft, clofely imbricated fcales. 

 Florets white or yellowifli. Anthers with a double fpur at 

 the bafe. Seed-down rough, fimple, fcarcely fafciculatcd. 

 Receptacle fmall, cellular, not perceptibly fcaly. The habit, 

 and the fpurred anthers, feem to juftify us in keeping this 

 fpecies among the Stteheltnx, notwithllanding the receptacle. 



STAFARDA, in Geography, a town and abbey of 

 France, in the department of the Stura ; 3 miles N. of 

 Saluzzo. 



STAFF, B.\cuLLs, an inftrument ordinarily ufed to reft 

 on, in walking. Card. Bona obferves, in his treatife of 

 liturgies, that, anciently, thofc who ufed a ttaff in the 

 church to lean on, were obliged to lay it by, and to ftand 

 alone, firm and upright, while the Gofpcl was reading, 

 to teftify their rcfpeft by their poilure ; and to fhew they 

 were ready to obey .lefus Chrill, and to go whcrefoevcr he 

 fhould command them. 



The flaff is alfo frequently ufed as a kind of natural 

 weapon, both of offence and defence. The Lacedemo- 

 nians never wore any fwords in the time of peace ; but 

 contented themfclves with a thick, crooked ilaf^, which wai 

 pectiliar to them. 



Among the Romans, M. St. Evremond obferves, blows 

 with a Itaff were the gentlefl correftion they gave their 

 flaves ; inafmuch as they received them over their clothes. 

 Among the mailers of honour and arms, it is held a greater 

 affront to be beaten with a ttaff than with a Iword ; becaufe 

 the fword is the inllrumcnt of war, the ilafl the inttrumeut 

 of outrage. 



Blows with a ttaff were very feverely puiiitticd by the 

 French laws : by a regulation of the marihals of France, 

 in 1653, for reparations and fatisfaftions of honour, it it 

 adjudged, that a perfon, who fhall ftrike another with a 

 flaff, fliall be imprifoned a whole year; unlefa fix monilin 

 be moderated, upon paying three thonfand livres, applicable 

 4 S 2 !« 



