V E R 



V E R 



to this adoption of the name by Triumfetti, who compares 

 the divifion of the leaves of this plant to thofe of Verbenaca, 

 or Vervain. The application, therefore, is faulty, and caufes 

 a confnfion of ideas. See Salvia. 



VERBENICO, in Geography, a town of the ifland of 

 Veglia, with a fmall harbour, containing about 1200 in- 

 habitants. 



VERBERATION, formed from verbero, I fmite, in 

 Phyfics, a term ufed to exprefs the caufe of found, which 

 arifes from a verberation of the air, when ftruck, in divers 

 manners, by the feveral parts of the fonorous body firil put 

 into a vibratory motion. 



VERBERIE, in Geography, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Oife : near it is a medicinal fpring ; 9 

 miles S. of Compeigne. 



VERBESINA, in Botany, according to Ambrofinus, 

 who is followed by Linnseus, Phil. Bot. 175, originated in 

 Forbejina; which latter arofe from the leaves being divided 

 like a pair of forceps. Profeflor Martvn, however, derives 

 Forbefma from (S>a(fir~,food, or fodder; the chief objeftion to 

 which is, that the plants of this genus do not appear to be 

 lerviceable, or to have been recommended, for any fuch 

 purpofe. De Theis confiders the above name as fyno- 

 nimous with Verbena, becaufe, as he fays, the undulated 

 obtufe leaves of Verbefina alata refemble that plant ; but 

 this explanation is unauthorized. — Linn. Gen. 437. Schreb. 

 570. Willd. Sp. PI. V. 3. 2221. Mart. MiU. Dia. V. 4. 

 Ait. Hort. Kew. v. 5. 120. Purlh 564. JufT. 188. 

 Lamarck Illuftr. t. 684. Gzrtn. t. 171. (Synedrella: 

 ibid. t. 171.) — Clafi and order, Syngcncjla Polygamia-fuper- 

 jiua. Nat. Ord. Compofitte oppoJitifoUx, Linn. Corymbifere, 

 Juff. 



Gen. Ch. Common Calyx concave, of feveral oblong, 

 channelled-concave, ereft, moftly equal leaves, in a double 

 row. Cor. compound, radiated ; that of the numerous 

 perfeft florets in the difk funnel-fhaped, five-toothed, ereft ; 

 t>f the few (about five) female florets of the radius ligulate, 

 either broad and three-cleft, or very narrow and undivided. 

 Stam. in the perfeft florets. Filaments five, capillary, very 

 fliort ; anthers united into a cylindrical tube. Pift. in the 

 fame florets, Germen rather oblong ; ftyle thread-diaped, 

 the length of the ftamens : ftigmas two, reflexed ; in the 

 female ones, the fame. Peric. none, except the unchanged 

 calyx. Seeds in all the florets alike, folitary, thickiih, 

 angular, crowned writh a chaffy crown of two, or more, 

 acute teeth. Recept. covered with deciduous chaffy fcales. 



EfT. Ch. Receptacle chaff'y. Seed-down briftle- 

 pointed. Calyx of two rows of fcales. Florets of the 

 radius about five. 



Obf. We have fhewn, under the article Phaethusa, 

 that the genus eftabhfhed by Gsertner, with that name, is a 

 real Verbefina, though a Siegcjbeckia of Linnaeus. The 

 briftly-pointed crown of the feed in the genus before us 

 being wanting in V. Lavenia, alba and projlrata of Linnaeus, 

 the two latter are removed to Eclipta, and the firft to 

 Lavenia ; fee thofe articles. The number of radiant 

 florets is uncertain in many fpeeies. 



Seft. I. Leaves allerna'.e. 



I. V. alata. Wing-ftalked Verbefina. Linn. Sp. PI. 

 1270. WiUd. n. I. Ait. n. i. Curt. Mag. t. 171 6. 

 Cannabina indica, foliis integris, alato caule ; Magn. 

 Hort. 40. t. 8. Chryfanthemum americahum, caule alato 

 flore aphyllo globofo aurantio, foHis baccharidis ; Commel. 

 Hort. V. 1.5. t. 3. C. coraflavicum, alato caule, floribus 

 aurantiis; Herm. Parad. 125, with a plate.) — Leaves alter- 

 nate, decurrent, undulated, bluntifh. Briftles of the feed 

 two, very unequal Native of South America and the 



Weil Indies. Cultivated ever fince the beginning of the 

 laft century in our floves, where it flowers moft part of the 

 fummer, and being not uncommon, has been figured in more 

 publications than we have thought neceflary to quote, but 

 which are cited by thofe mentioned above. The plant is 

 perennial, hoary when young, creft, branched, three or four 

 feet high, readily known by its winged_^fm. Leaves three 

 or four inches long, veiny, wavy and toothed. Floivers of 

 a very rich orange-colour, almofi; globular, three quarters of 

 an inch broad, on long naked, alternate, often purplifli,_^a/ij-, 

 at the ends of the branches. Florets of the radius, in our 

 gardens at leaft, numerous. Seeds bordered with a mem- 

 brane ; their terminal awns awl-fliaped, rigid, one much 

 longer than the ether, incurved and hooked. Linnaeus has 

 hinted that this fpeeies diflFers fo much in habit and ftruc- 

 ture from the reft, as almoft. to conftitute a diftinft genus. 

 Gasrtner makes it the type of Verbefina, and yet alferts that 

 this genus is only Spilanthus with a radius. Indeed thefe 

 two genera do run very much into each other, and the 

 radius occafionally appears or vaniflies in feveral fpeeies of 

 each, nor are the briftles of the feed perhaps ftriftly con- 

 llant even in the fame fpeeies. We fcarcely think the 

 difficulty would be much leflened by removing V. alata to 

 Spilanthus, fee that article ; though fuch a meafure 

 might be fanftioned by the habit of the plant. The re- 

 maining fpeeies, very various in habit, have not been fuffi- 

 ciently examined or compared to allow of a clear decifioa 

 refpefting them, and we muft. take them in general as we 

 find them. 



2. V. chinenfis. Chinefe Verbefina. Linn. Sp. PI. 1270. 

 WiUd. n. 2. — Leaves alternate, ftalked, ovato-lanceolate, 

 obtufe. Seed-down with four briftly points. — Brought by 

 Olbeck from China. Stem ihrubby, with round, leafy, 

 downy branches. Leaves an inch and a half long, bluntly 

 ferrated, finely downy. Flowers the fize of the preceding, 

 yellow, with numerous ftiort rays, growing about the ends 

 of the branches, on longi/h, flightly leafy, nearly fimplc, 



Jlalks. Seeds flender, quadrangular, each crowned with a 

 jagged membrane, and four fmall, ereft, ftraight brifliles. 



3. V. virginica. Virginian Verbefina. Linn. Sp. PI. 

 1270. Willd. n. 3. Purflin. 1. Michaux Boreal. -Amer. 



v. 2. 134 Leaves alternate, ftalked, lanceolate, nearly 



entire. Stem flightly winged. Corymb compound. Ca- 

 lyx oblong, downy. — In fliady woods on the mountains, 

 from Pennfylvania to Carolina, perennial, flowerir/g from 

 July to September. Rays three or four, white. Purfh. 



4. V. virgata. Wand-ftalked Verbefina. Cav.an. Ic. 

 V. 3. 38. t. 275. Willd. n. 4. — Leaves alternate, lanceo- 

 late, ferrated, tapering at each end. Flowers corymbofe. 

 — Native of Mexico. Perennial, flowering in the garden 

 at Madrid in December. Stem four feet high, ereft, wand- 

 like, leafy. Leaves a fpan long, tapering down into the 

 footjlalks. Floivers yellow, an inch broad, with about 



twelve elliptical radiant_/orf/j. Seeds black, elliptical, bor- 

 dered with a whitiih wing, and crowned with two fmall, 

 ereft, often deciduous briftles. 



5. V. mutica. Parfley-leaved Verbefina. Linn. Sp. PI. 

 1273. Willd. n. 5. Ait. n. 2. Swartz Obf. 314. t. 8. 

 f. I. ( Bidens apiifoha ; Linn. Am. Acad. v. 5. 405. Chry- 

 fanthemum paluftre minimum repens, apii folio ; Sloane 

 Jam. V. I. 263. t. 155. f. 3. C. humile, ranunculi foho ; 

 Plum. Ic. 75. t. 86. f. 2. ) — Leaves alternate, deeply three- 

 cleft, toothed ; radical ones obovate, ferrated. Stems pro- 

 cumbent. Seeds without awns. — Found in rather moill 

 pafturcs, and by way-fides, in the Weft Indies. Stuarts. 

 Miller cultivated it in 1768, from feeds fent by Houftoun, 

 from whom Gronovius received fpecimens in 1732. This 



fpeeies. 



