V I T 



Leaves tei-nate or quinate ; leaflets elliptical, entire ; 



(litrhtly downy beneath. Panicles repeatedly forked, co- 



rymbofe Native of the forefts of Ceylon. Kotnig. Sent 



to Kew, by Dr. Roxburgh, in 1793, through the hands 

 of fir Jofeph Banks. The leaves fomewhat refemble thofe 

 of V. trifolia in fhape and fize, but they are not at all hoary, 

 though paler, at the back, with much longer partial llalks 

 to the kafets. The panichs are totally different, being cy- 

 mofc, or level-topped, dowTiy, but not hoary. As to the 

 «' berry," as Koenig and Linnaeus term it, " with a fingle 

 feed," there is no reafoa to think it different from the reft 

 of the genus. 



12. V. umbrofa. Umbrageous Chafte-tree. bwartz 

 Ind. Occ. 1076. Willd. n. 10. — Leaves quinate; leaflets 

 elliptical, pointed, entire, nearly fmooth on both fides. 

 Clutters compound, axillary. — Native of mountainous fitua- 

 tions in Jamaica. A large and fpreading tree, with nearly 

 cylindrical branches, leafy at the fummit. Common foel- 



fialhs two or three inches long, flattened, two-edged. 

 Leaflets coriaceous, from three to five inches long and two 

 broad, veiny ; paler beneath, but not hoary ; m ither are 

 they, a. Dr. Swartz fays, perfedly fmooth; but rather 

 roughifh to the touch, from very minute hairs fcattered 

 over both their furfaces. Clujltrs from the bofoms of two 

 or three of the uppermoft leaves, and about the fame length, 

 rather downy, oblong, with fimply forked branches. 

 Flo-wers fmall. Drupa yellow, the fize of a cherry, de- 

 prefTed at the fummit. 



13. V. capttata. Capitate Chafte-tree. Vahl Eclog. 

 fafc. 2. 50. t. 18. Willd. n. 11. — Leaves quinate; leaf- 

 lets lanceolate, entire, fmooth. Flowers in capitate um- 

 bels, on axillary ftalks.— Native of the ifland of Trinidad. 

 Ryan. A tree of a moderate fize, with roundifh branches, 

 fomewhat angular when young. Leapts four inches long, 

 on partial llzJks, the outer pair feffile, and fmallcr, as in the 

 other fpecies. Flotoer-Jlalks axillary, folitary, the length 

 of the footftalks, fmooth and flender, each bearing from fix 

 to twelve foiuers, at firft fefiile, but fubfequently elevated 

 on ftiort partial ftalks, forming a kind of umbel. Drupa 

 twice the fize of a pea. Vahl. 



14. V. pinnata. Pinnate Chafte-tree. Linn. Sp. PI. 

 890. Willd. n. 13. Burm. Ind. 138. t. 43. f- 2.— 

 Leaves pinnate, entire. Panicles triply forked. — Native of 

 Ceylon. A very doubtful fpecies. The Linnsan fpeci- 

 men is certainly only F. trifolia ; but in fir Jofeph Banks's 

 herbarium is one fuppofed to be the true pinnata.! Whether 

 Vahl's pubefcens, n. 4, be fpecifically diftinft from this laft, 

 we are not informed. 



14. V. acuminata. Pointed Chafte-tree. Brown n. 3. — 

 Leaves ternate or quinate ; leaflets ovate-oblong, pointed, 

 fmooth, entire. Clufter with forked branches. Calyx 

 nearly without teeth. Stamens ftiorter than the corolla. 

 Found by Mr. Brown, in the tropical part of New Hol- 

 land. 



15- V ? glabrata. Smooth Chafte-tree. Brown n. 4. — 

 Leaves ternate or quinate ; leaflets ovate, fmooth, entire. 

 Flower-ftalks axillary and tenninal, forked. Calyx with- 

 out teeth Gathered by Mr. Brown in the tropical part of 



New Holland, but the jlo-wers were over. Corolla in fir 

 Jofeph Banks's plate four-cleft, above an inch long. 



16. \ i tnacrophylla. Great Simple-leaved Chafte-tree. 



Brown n. 5 Leaves fimple, ovate -oblong, entire, fmooth, 



with tranfverfe ribs ; and two glands at the bafe. Stem 



arboreous Gathered in the tropical part of New Holland, 



by fir Jofeph Banks, who fent a plate of this, and the pre- 

 c«ding, to Linnseus. The leaves are fix or eight inches 

 12 



V I T 



long, and four broad. Panicle terminal, large, with zig- 

 zag, racemofe, ftout, many-flowered branches. Calyx 

 fomewhat two-lipped. Corolla five-cleft, an inch long, ap- 

 parently white, with a dark purple lip. 



VlTEX, in Gardening, contains plants of the hardy and 

 under-fhrubby kinds ; among which the fpecies cultivated, 

 are, the officinal chafte-tree (V. agnus-caftus) ; the cut- 

 leaved chafte-tree (V. incifa); the three-leaved chafte-tree 

 (V. trifoha) ; and the five -leaved chafte-tree (V. neguodo.) 



The firft is a high fhrubby plant of the late flowering 

 kind, of which there are varieties with narrow leaves, with 

 broad leaves, with blue flowers, and with white flowers. 



The fccond fort is a low fhrubby plant, with bright red 

 flowers. 



The third is of a fhrubby grovirth, with violet flowers. 



And the laft has a fmall tree-like ftem, with purplifh 

 flowers. 



Method «/ Culture. — The firft fort may be increafed by 

 cuttings and layers : the cuttings fhould be planted in the 

 early f[u-ing, in a frefh light foil, being often refrefiied with 

 water till they have taken root ; afterwards the plants muft 

 be kept clear from weeds, and be protefted during the fol- 

 lowing winter with mulch or mats ; and about the middle of 

 the following March, when the feafon is fine, be removed 

 into the places where they are to grow, or into the nurfery 

 for two or three years, to become ilrong ; being pruned up 

 to form regular ftems. 



The layers of the branches may be laid down in the 

 fpring, being careful not to fpht them, watering them ia 

 dry weather ; when in about a year they may be taken off, 

 and planted out in the fame manner as the cuttings. 



The fecond fort may likewife be increafed by cuttings, 

 which fhould be planted in pots, plunged in a moderate 

 hot-bed, covering them with glaffes : when well rooted, they 

 may be taken up, and be planted in feparate fmall pots, 

 filled with fight earth, putting them in the fhade till frefh 

 rooted ; afterwards placing them in a fheltered fituation, 

 with other greenhoufe plants, until the autumn, when they 

 muft have proteftion from froft, and have very httle water. 

 They are late in putting out leaves in the fpring, fo as 

 almoft to appear dead. 



The third fort is raifed from cuttings, which fliould be- 

 planted in pots in the early fpring, as April, plunging 

 them in a moderate hot-bed, covering them' with hand- 

 glaffes, being flightly watered : when they have taken root, 

 they fhould have free air admitted in a gradual manner ; then 

 they may be taken up, and planted out in feparate pots 

 filled with light earth, replunging them in the bed, and 

 giving due fhadc. They fhould afterwards have plenty of 

 free air, when the weather is fuitable ; being treated as- 

 tender plants. It muft be conftantly kept in the ftove, 

 having free air in the furamer feafon. It retains its leaves 

 all the yeai-. This may alio be raifed from layers. 



The fourth fort may alfo be raifed from cuttings, in the 

 fame manner as the fecond. 



The firft two forts may be introduced in the fhrubberies, 

 clumps, &c. fuGceeding well in any common foil and fitua- 

 tion ; and the latter kinds afford variety in ftove and green- 

 houfe colleftions, among other fimilar forts. 



VITI Chobea, in Medicine. Sec Chorea. 



VITIA, in Jncicnt Geography, a country of ACa, in the 

 vicinity of Armenia and of the Cafpian fea. Strabo. — 

 Alfo, a country of Afia, in the environs of Media, founded 

 by the jEnianes of Theflaly, according to Strabo, and 

 named ./Eneiana ; which was aUb the name of the principal 

 city. 



VITICES, 



