V I R 



V I R 



112, a name which feems to aUude to the more green, and 

 lefs hoary, licrbage of the plants to which it is applied, 

 compared with many of the fame tribe ; like Vireo, the 

 Latin name of the Green-linch. See Apargia, under the 

 article THniNClA. 



VI RECTA, a word derived from vireo, to be verdant, 

 alluding to the verdure of the plant, which however is 

 not peculiarly ftriking, except in the dried fpecimens ; 

 whofe colour, being better preferved than in fome of the 

 fame natural order, might perhaps fuggell to Linnaeus the 

 idea of the name. Virecium occurs in fome copies of 

 Virgil, for a green retreat ; but viretum is generally fup- 

 pofed the true reading. — Linn. Suppl. 17. Schreb. Gen. 

 125. Willd. Sp. PI. V. I. 972. Mart. Mill. Did. v. 4. 

 Juir. 200. Poiret in Lamarck Did. v. 8. 676. (Sipanea ; 

 Aubl. Guian. 147. t. 56. Juff. 201, under Mujfienda. 

 Lamarck Illuftr. t. 151.) — Clafs and order, Penlandria 

 Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Stellata, Linn. Rubiace<i, JulT. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth fuperior, of five narrow- 

 awlftiaped, ereft, equal, permanent leaves, with as many 

 folitary, glandular or briftly> intermediate teeth. Cor. of 

 one petal, funnel-rtiapcd ; tube thrice as long as the calyx, 

 ered, even ; flender below ; dilated in the upper half ; 

 limb horizontally fpreading, in five ovate, or lanceolate, 

 entire, equal fegments, not half fo long as the tube. Stam. 

 Filaments five, various in length, inferted into the middle of 

 the tube ; anthers terminal, very long, linear-awlfhaped, con- 

 verging, either contained within the tube, or prominent. 

 P//7. Germen inferior, globofe, crowned with an elevated 

 rim within the calyx ; ftyle thread-fhaped, fmooth, the 

 length of the tube ; ftigma in two Ihort, acute, divaricated 

 fegments. Perir. Capfule globofe with five furrows, hif- 

 pid, crowned with the upright calyx, of two cells and two 

 valves ; the partitions tranfverfe, from the centre of each 

 valve. Recept. central, globofe, meeting the partitions. 

 Seeds numerous, fmall, angular, dotted with minute depref- 

 fions. 



EflT. Ch. Corolla funnel-fhaped. Stamens inferted into 

 the tube. Calyx of five leaves, with intermediate teeth. 

 Stigma deeply divided. Capfule inferior, of two cells and 

 two valves, with contrary partitions. Seeds numerous. 



Obf. Though Linnxus defcribed this genus with great 

 care and minutenefs, he erred in attributing to it a capfule 

 of only one cell. Hence M. Poiret juftly doubted the 

 propriety of referring hither the Sipanea of Aublet, which 

 has two cells, and if compared with the above defcription 

 will be found to anfwer in every material point. The only 

 difference indeed is, that Sipanea has five briifles between 

 the ealyx-leaves, inftead of the minute glands of the original 

 VireSa. A circumftance which confirms, rather than inva- 

 lidates, that part of the generic character. 



I. V.biflora. Twin-flowered Virefta. Linn. Suppl. 134. 

 Syft. Veg. ed. 14. 197. Willd. n. i. (V. virens ; Vahl 

 Symb. v. 2. 38. Roudeletia biflora ; Rottb. Surin. 7. 

 t. 2. f. 2. ) — Stem creeping. Flower -ftalks unequal, ter- 

 minal, in pairs. Corolla fmooth. Stamens within the 

 tube. Leaves ovate, twice as long as their footltalks. — 

 Native of Surinam, in rather moill fituations, where it was 

 gathered by Dalberg and Rolander. The root is fibrous, 

 annual. Stems a foot or more in length, decumbent, throw- 

 ing out roots from their lower joints, afcending at the 

 extremity, fquare, a little hairy, leafy, forked. Leaves 

 ftalked, oppofite, near an inch long, fmooth, or nearly fo, 

 refembling fome Parietari<f, or Urtica. Stipulas fmall, tri- 

 angular, oppofite, connefting the bafes of the footftalks. 

 Flotuer-Jlalks from the forks of the ftem, fome of them 

 terminal, each beai'ing two xtA^x^ Jlotuers, about an inch 



long, white in the centre ; the loweft of them nearly feflile. 

 Germen briftly. Calyx and Corolla quite fmooth. 



2. V . procumbens. Procumbent Virefta. — Stem procum- 

 bent. Flowers terminal, aggregate. Corolla briftly. Stamens 

 prominent. Leaves ovate, thrice as long as their foot- 

 ftalks. — Difcovered at Siena Leone, by Mr. Afzelius, to 

 whom we are obliged for a fpecimen, and for the deter- 

 mination of the genus. This is about the fize of the pre- 

 ceding, but is more procumbent, and rather more hairy, 

 efpeciaily ihe Jiem and footjlalks. Leaves fimilar, but fome- 

 what fmaller, and more tapering from their broad bafe into 

 the footjlali. Fkivers in fome meafure capitate, at the end 

 of the ftem or branches, not numerous, fmaller than the 

 firft fpecies ; their corolla with narrow, almoft linear, feg- 

 ments, and clothed externally witl\ ftiining, briftly hairs. 

 Filaments as long as the limb of the corolla, with lliort pur- 

 pliftl anthers. 



3. V. pratenjis. Savanna Virefta. Vahl Eclog. fafc. 2. 

 II. Schrad. Journ. v. 2. 333. ( Sipanea pratenfis ; Aubl. 

 Guian. 148. t. 56. ) — Stem ereft. Flowers terminal, ag- 

 gregate. Corolla fmooth. Stamens within the tube. Leaves 

 ovato-Ianceolate, ftalked. — Abundant in the meadows round 

 the town of Cai'enne, where it is almoft always to be found 

 in flower and leed. Aublet fays this herb fervcs to make 

 aftringent decoftions, ufeful for waftiing wounds and ulcers, 

 as well as in the gonorrhoea. The root is fibrous ; whether 

 annual or otherwife we are not informed. Stems two feet 

 or more in height, roundifh, with many oppofite branches. 

 Leaves about an inch and a half long, acute, rather tapering 

 at the bafe, a little hairy, efpeciaily their ribs beneath. 

 Footjlalls rather fhort. Stipulas membranous, abrupt. 

 Flowers five, fix, or feven, together, in httle terminal tufls, 

 white or rofe-coloured, about the fize of the firft fpecies. 

 The corolla appears to be fmooth ; its fegments broad, 

 rounded or obovate. The (hort filaments, inferted into the 

 middle of the tube, with their anthers of the fame length, 

 are altogether concealed therein, and do not reach near fo 

 high as the mouth. Calyx fringed with brillles, and fur- 

 nifhed with fmall fohtary hairs between its fegments ; but 

 thefe do not appear quite fo long in Aublet's own fpecimen 

 as in his figure. The capfule refembles V. bijlora. 



4. V. mulliflora. Many-flowered Virefta. — Stem eredl. 

 Flowers terminal, aggregate, numerous. Corolla briftly. 

 Stamens and ftyle longer than the limb. Leaves ovato- 



lanceolate, nearly feflile Found by Mr. Afzelius at Sierra 



Leone. Very like the laft in fize and habit, but thejlem 

 is rather more quadrangular, and purplifh. Leaves an inch 

 and a half or two inches long, deflexed, rounded at the 

 bafe, hairy, on fliort ftalks. Stipulas lanceolate, hairy. 

 Floiuers many together, almoft feflile, in denfe, hairy, ter- 

 minal heads. Calyx denfely fringed with long briftly hairs, 

 fuch as clothe the outfide of the corolla. The fegments of 

 the latter are very naiTow, almoft Lnear. The Jlamens ex- 

 tend beyond them, and are quite capillary, fmooth, with 

 fhortifti terminal anthers. The Jlyle is ilender, ftill longer 

 than the Jlamens, with a fmall divided y//^ma. We have not 

 feen t\\e fruit. 



VIRELAY, the name of a fong among the Provencale 

 poets, which fucceeded the chants royaux, or royal fongs, 

 ib called either becaufe Thibaut, compte de Champagne, 

 and king of Navarre, was author of fo great a number, 

 or to give them the dignity of poems the moft worthy to 

 be fung at court. For different from the Vaudevilles 

 which pafs from mouth to mouth, they were produced for 

 the moft delicate ears, and performed by the moft able 

 muficians of thofe times. From the clinnt royal, and from 

 the balade, came the lay and virelay, the rondeau, the triolet, 



and 



