V E R 



flirubby, with forked and fubdivided, ilriated, nearly fmooth, 

 Ifafy branches. Leaves two inches or more in length, 

 pointed, their three ribs' united a little above the bafe ; 

 their upper fide rough with minute deprefled bridles ; under 

 fmooth, or befprinkled with fofter hairs. Fhiuer-Jialks 

 long, eitlier from the forks of the branches, or about their 

 extremities, bearing one or two yellow Jlowers, an inch 

 broad, alraoft always accompanied by a lanceolate leaf op- 

 pofite to each partial ftalk. Outer calyx-fcales ovate, 

 briftly. Radiant jlorets feveral, elliptical, toothed jt the 

 end. Seeds abrupt, triangular, deftitute of a crown, or 

 terminal briilles. The fcales of the receptacle are obovate, 

 concave, furrowed, abrupt, rough at the extremity, re- 

 fembhng the inner leaves of the calyx. Linnjeus points out 

 the affinity of this fpecies to his V. Lavenia ; but this re- 

 gards their habit only, for Lavenia, now a feparate genus, 

 ( fee that article, ) has a naked receptacle, and three briftles to 

 the feed. 



15. V.fativa. Oil-feed Verbefina. Sims in Curt. Mag. 

 t. 1017. Ait. n. 6. — Leaves oppofite, oblong, clafping the 

 Hem, diftantly ferrated. Calyx fimple, of five leaves.- — 

 Native of the Eaft Indies ; cultivated in the Myfore coun- 

 try, and feveral other parts of India, for the fake of the 

 exprefled oil from its feeds, which ferves as a fubftitute for 

 that of Sefamum. Dr, Roxburgh fent fome of thefe feeds 

 in 1805, ^° ^'"' William Salifbury, the affiduous poflelfor 

 of the botanic garden at Brompton. The plant is annual, 

 either to be kept in the ftove, or raifed on a hot-bed, and 

 then planted out, flowering in autumn. Leaves four inches 

 or more in length, green, not hoary. Flowers yellow, two 

 inches broad, with about eight large broad radiant^^o^/j, 

 jugged or toothed at the end. Theit Jlowers ftand on long 

 fimple ftalks, from the forks of the ftem, and bofoms of 

 the upper leaves. The fimple calyx, of five broad leaves, 

 agrees with that of the next fpecies ; fo that, as Dr. Sims 

 ob ferves, if one be reckoned a Verhejma the other muft. 

 We are not inclined to difturb them, becaufe the whole 

 genus, though in many refpefts very natural, ftill labours 

 imder fome ftrange exceptions and anomalies, which 

 ought all to be well confidered by thofe who attempt a 

 reform. 



16. V. calendulacea. Marigold Verbefina. Linn. Sp. 

 ?1. 1272. Willd. n. 13. Ait. n. 7. (Caltha flore foh- 

 tario, ex alis foliorum longiffimo pedunculo prodeunte ; 

 Burm. Zeyl. 52. t. 22. f. 1. " Pee Cajoni ; Rheede Hort. 

 Malab. v. 10. 83. t. 42.") — Leaves oppofite, oblong-lan- 

 ceolate, very remotely ferrated, feffile ; tapering at the bafe. 



Calyx fimple, of five leaves Native of Ceylon, and other 



parts of the Eaft Indies ; cultivated by Miller. An annual 

 ftove-plant, flowering from July to September. 'Yhsjlem 

 is branched, clothed, as well as the leaves, with rigid de- 

 prefled briftles. The upper furface of the latter is, befides, 

 ufuaUy rough with callous tubercles : their length and fliape 

 are variable, and their marginal ferratures are few and re- 

 mote. Floiuers yellow, not half the fize of ths laft, on 

 long, fimple, moftly axillary, ftalks. Radiant jhrets from 

 iii/e to eight or ten, elliptical, toothed. Seeds very nu- 



nurous, compofnig a globular head, wedge-ftiapcd, abrupt, 

 each crowned with two (liort briftles. 



i^.V. nodiflora. Seffile-flowered Verbefina. Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 12.71. Willd. n. 14. Ait. n. 8. (Bidens nodiflora, 

 folio tetrahit ; Dill. Elth. 53. t. 45. Chryfanthemum 

 conyzoides nodiflorum, femine roftrato bidente ; Sloane 

 Jam. V. J. 262. t. 154. Synedrella nodiflora ; Gxrtn. v. 2. 

 456. t. 171.) — Leaves oppofite, ovate, ferrated, with three 

 combined ribs ; tapering at the bafe. Flowers axillary, 

 nearly feffile. — Native ofthe Weft Indies. Cultivated early 



Vol. XXXVI. 



V E R 



at Chelfea, and in Sherard's garden, being a tender annual, 

 raifed and kept in the ftove, for the fake of curiofity, but 

 having nothing to recommend it to popular notice. The 

 Jlem is ereft, a foot high, branched from the bafe. Leaves 

 two or three inches long, broadly ovate, tapering fuddenly 

 into a winged /oo//?i2/i. i^/oiu^rj folitary, or in pairs, fmall, 

 yellow, with feveral emarginate rays. Calyx certainly of 

 two very difi"erent rows of fcales, though the outcrmoft 

 confifts of but two leafy ones. Seed crowned with two 

 rigid awns. 



18. V. dichotoma. Forked Verbefina. Willd. n. ij. 



Ait. n. 9. Murray in Comm. Goett. for 1779. 15. t. 4 



'• Leaves oppofite, ovate, pointed, ferrated, hairy, with 

 three combined ribs. Stalks axillary, fingle-flowered. 

 Stem forked." — Native of the Eaft Indies. Annual. 

 Whole herb befet with copious, fiiort, white hairs. We 

 have feen no fpecimen. 



"9' V. fruticofa. Shrubby Weft Indian Verbefina. 

 Linn. Sp. PI. 1271. Willd. n. 16. Ait. n. 10. (Bidens 

 frutefcens, ilicis folio, flore luteo ; Plum. Ic. 42. t. 52.) — 

 Leaves oppofite, ftalked, ovate, ferrated, rough, with three 

 combined ribs. Stalks fingle-flowered, axillary. Stem 

 fiirubby. — Native of the Weft Indies. We have a fpeci- 

 men from Dr. Swartz, though this fpecies is not mentioned 

 either in his Prodromus or Flora, 'the Jlem is woody', re- 

 peatedly branched and forked. The leaves appear to vary in 

 hairinefs, as well as fize, but are always rough with minute 

 tubercles. Floiuers yellow, with numerous broad rays, 

 ^i^fi/ comprefl'ed, crowned with two briftles. 



Verbesina, in Gardening, affords plants of the herba- 

 ceous and woody flowering exotic kinds, among which the 

 fpecies cultivated are, the vving-ftalked verbefina (V. alata); 

 the Cliinefe verbefina (V. chinenfis) ; the feffile-flower»d 

 verbefina (V. nodiflora) ; the flirubby verbefina (V. fruti- 

 cofa) ; and the tree verbefina (V. gig.mtea). 



The firft is an herbaceous perennial plant, with the 

 flowers in fingle heads, of a deep orange-colour, appearing 

 moft part of the fummer. 



The fecond is a flirubby plant with yellow flowers. 



The fourth rifes with a fhrubby ftalk feven or eight feet 

 high, and has yellow flowers. 



Method of Culture. — Thefe plants may be increafed by 

 fowing the feeds upon a moderate hot-bed, or in pots plunged 

 into it, in the early fpring months ; and when the plants are 

 of fufficient growth, tliey fliould be removed into feparate 

 pots, or into a new hot-bed, giving fliade till they become 

 new-rooted ; afterwards managing them as tender annual 

 plants, being careful not to draw them up weak : about the 

 middle of fummer they may be taken up with balls to their 

 roots, and be planted in a warm ftieltered border, being 

 protefled and watered till re-rooted, little care being after- 

 wards neceftary : thefe produce feeds often in the autumn ; 

 but ia the ftove they may frequently be preferved over the 

 winter. 



They produce variety in ftove and greenhoufe collec- 

 tions, and fometimes in the boiders during the fummer fea- 

 fon, efpecially the firft fort by its orange flowers. 



VERBIAGE, in Grammar and Rhetoric. See Veh- 



EOSITY. 



VERBICiE, in Ancient Geography, a people of .A.frica, 

 in Mauritania Tingitana. 



VERBIEST, Ferdinand, in Biography, a celebrated 

 miffionary, was born in Flanders, and attained diftinftion as 

 a mathematician in China about the beginning of the 1 7th 

 century. He was appointed by the emperor Cam-Hi 

 prcfident in the tribunal of mathematics, and cntrufted with 

 llie care of the Calendar. He alio obtained permiffion tq 

 5 F preach 



