EMPERVIVUM TECTORUM. 



OUSELEEL 



SEMPER VIVUM Lin. Gen. PL Dodecandria Dodecagynia. Cal. 12. partitus Petala 12. Cap* 



fulte 12. polyfpermae. 



Rati Syn. Gen. 17. Herb^e multisiliqu-je seu corniculatje. 

 SEMPERVIVUM tediorum foliis ciliatis propaginibus patentibus. Linn. Syji. Vegeiab . p. 178. Sp. PL 



664. PI. Suec. n. 428. 

 SEMPERVIVUM rofulis glabris ciliatis, petalis conglutinatis, lanceolatis, hirfutis, quatuordenis. 



Haller. hjft. n. 949. 

 SEDUM tecT:orum. Scopoli FL Cam. n. 529» 

 SEDUM majus vulgare. Bauhin. pin. 283. Parkin/on. 730. 

 SEMPERVIVUM majus. Ger. emac. 510. Rati Syn. p. 269. Houfeleek* 



Hudfon. Flor. Angl. ed. 2. Light foot. PL Scot. p. 251. 



RADIX biennis, ramofa, plurimis nbrillis inftruda* | 



FOLIA radicalia in formam Rofas plense difpofita, 

 feffilia, cuneiformia, plufquam pollicaria, car- 

 nofa, crafTa, mpra plana, fubtus convexiuf- 

 cula, utrinque glabra, inferne albida, mar- 

 gine ciliata, et faepius rubore tincla, acumi- 

 nata, ere&a, exteriora majora, interiora fen- 

 lim minora. 



PROPAGINES longius petiolatae, globofe, magni- 

 tudine ovi columbini vel ultra, ftrobiliformes, 

 imbricatse foliis erectis. 



PETIOLI propaginum cylindrici, teretes, ferruginei, 

 lanuginoii, longius exporrecti, nudi, e ball ra- 

 dicis prope folia, exeuntes. 



SCAPUS dodnintalis aut pedalis, erectus, teres, lanu* 

 ginofus, rubicundus, foliofus, apice ramofus, 

 ramis floriferis patentibus, recurvis. 



FLORES plurimi, conferti, erecti, fecundi, carnei. 



CALYX: Peranthium plerumqne duodecemfidum, 

 .laciniis lanceolatis, hirmtis, ciliatis, vifcofis, 

 apice purpureis. 



COROLLA : Petala duodecim et ultra, calyce du- 

 plo longiora, lanceolata, carnea. 



STAMINA: Filamenta numero et figura maxime 

 variantia, plerumque duodecim, fubulato-te- 

 nuia ; Anthers fubrotundas, purpureae. 



PISTILLUM : Germina duodecim in orbem pofita, 

 ere&a, definentia in Stylos totidem patentes; 

 Stigmata acuta. 



PERICARPIUM : Capsule oblongae, compreflk, 

 extrorfum acuminata?, introrfum dehifcentes. 



SEMINA plurima, fubrotunda, parva. 



ROOT biennial, branched, and furnifhed with nume- 

 rous fibres. 



LEAVES next the root difpofed in the form of a full 

 blown double rofe, feffile, wedge-fhaped, 

 fomewhat more than an inch long, flefhy, 

 thick, above flat, on the under fide a little 

 convex, fmooth on both fides, beneath whi- 

 tifh, the edges fringed with hairs, and gene- 

 rally tinged of a reddifh colour, pointed, up- 

 right, the outer ones largeft, the inner ones 

 gradually fmalleft. 



OFFSETTS ftandmg on long footftalks, globular, the 

 fize of a pidgeon's egg or larger, formed fome- 

 what like the cone of a pine, the leaves lay- 

 ing one over another and upright. 



FOOTSTALKS of the offfets cylindrical, round, iron- 

 colour'd, ilightly wooly, ftretching out to a 

 confiderable length, naked, fpringing from 

 the bafe of the root near the leaves. 



FLOWERING-STEM from nine inches to a foot in 

 height, upright, round, wooly, of a reddifh 

 colour, leafy, at top branched, the branches 

 fuftaining the flowers, fpreading, and bend- 

 ing back. 



FLOWERS numerous, crouded, Upright, growing 

 all one way, of a flefh colour. 



CALYX : aPERiANTHiuM divided ufually into twelve 

 fegments, which are lanceolate, hirfute, edg- 

 ed with hairs, clammy, and purplifh at top. 



COROLLA : twelve or more Petals twice the length 

 of the calyx, lanceolate and flefh coloured. 



STAMINA : Filaments varying very much both in 

 fhape and number, generally fourteen, /len- 

 der and tapering ; Anthers roundifh and 

 purple. 



PISTILLUM : twelve Germina placed in a circle, 

 upright, terminating in the fame number of 

 fpreading Styles ; Stigmata pointed. 



SEED-VESSEL: numerous oblong Capsules, fiat- 

 ten' d ; outwardly terminating in a point, and 

 opening inwardly. 



SEEDS numerous, roundifh and fmall. 



Mr. Ray, m his Synojfis, and Mr. Lightfoot, in his Flora Scotica doubt whether the Houfeleek be originally 

 a native of this country, however that be, it is now fo common a plant on the houfe, or wall of every one that is 

 in the leaft fond of plants, that we fhall not apologize for introducing it among our London plants. 



Haller defcribes it among his Swijerland plants, and having gathered it on the Alps in its truly wild ftate, he 

 enters very minutely into its defcription, and among other peculiarities he takes notice of the uncommon appear- 

 ance which the Filaments often affume, and which is indeed fuch an appearance as would much puzzle an inex- 

 perienced Botanift, the Filaments as he truly observes are of two kinds, the one perfedl andfimilar to the generality 



ous 



9 



laving 

 ftages of their growth I found 

 they were common to many filaments, and that thole filaments which were thus enlarged were alfo more glutinou 

 than the others, the Anthers on their extremities were fomewhat imperfect, as the fructification proceeded toward: 

 maturity, the filaments continued to enlarge about the middle, while the top was drawn out to a kind of beak 

 indeed in this ftate they feem to partake more of the nature of the PifHllum than of the Filaments, and for fuch 

 would be liable to be taken, on cutting them through they appeared hollow and contained fome of the fame cor- 

 pufcles which were obfervable on the outfides of many of them, fo that from their prefent appearance it was irn^ 

 poffible to know that they were originally filaments, which may ferve as a caution to ftudents that, in examining 

 of flowers they mould always begin with fuch as are not expanded. Fid. 1. 2. J. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 



Houfeleek has been univerfally confidered as a cooler, the leaves bruifed, or its juice have been applied to burns 

 fpreading ulcerations, fiflures of the tongue, the piles, inflammations of the eye, &c. the juice mixt with a little 

 alum and honey is recommended for the thrufh in children, and the leaves themfelves are frequently applied to 



corns. 



Linnjeus informs us that this plant is a prefervative to the coverings of the houfes in Smoland, it certainly 

 may with the leaft poffible trouble be made quickly to cover the whole roof of a houfe, whether that roof 

 confifls of tiles, thatch, or wood, by flicking the offsetts on with a little earth or Cow Dung; and if it fhould 

 not be found to have the good effecl: here fpoken of, which I am by no means inclined to doubt, it forms at leaft a 

 very pretty ornament on Barns, Stables, Out-Houfes and Walls, particularly in the month of July when it flowers 



