L O 



The Characters are ; 

 The Cup of the Flower conftjh of 

 one Leaf which is cut almoji to the 

 Bafe into five long narrow Segments : 

 the Flower y which is, for the mojl 

 fart, finally confifis of one Leaf is 

 funnel-fhatf d t and fpread open at the 

 Top : the Pointnl is encompa/s^d by 

 Jour Embryoe<, which become jo many 

 tcundijh hard polijfrd Seeds. 

 The Species are ; 



1. Lithospermum majus ere- 

 Hum. C.B. P. Greater upright Gro- 

 mil. 



2. Lithospermum perenne pro- 

 cumbens, fore purpurea- cceruleo ma- 

 jore. Mar. Hifl. Trailing perennial 

 Gromil, with a purple-blue Flow- 

 er. 



There are feveral other Sorts of 

 this Plant, which are mentioned in 

 Botanic Authors ; but as they are 

 rarely cultivated in Gardens, I mall 

 omit taking Notice of them in this 

 Place. The firft Sort here mentioned 

 is that which is ordered for medici- 

 nal Ufes. This grows in fhady Lanes, 

 and uncultivated Places, in divers 

 Parts of England ; and is'feldom cul- 

 tivated in Gardens. The fecond 

 Sort is found wild in fome Parts of 

 Wales ; but is lets common than the 

 former. Thefe may be cultivated by 

 fowing their Seeds, foon after they 

 are ripe, in a Bed of frefh Earth, 

 allowing them at leaft a Foot Di- 

 ftance from each other j obferving 

 to keep them clear from Weeds, and 

 they will thrive in almoft any Soil 

 or Situation. 



LOAM is a common fuperfkial 

 Earth, that is, a Mixture of Sand and 

 C lay, commonly of a yellowifh Co- 

 lour, though there is fome Loam 

 that is blackiih. Some call Loam the 

 in oft common fuperlicial Earth met 

 with in England, without any re- 

 gard to the Proportion it bears to 

 S*nd or Clay ; but mo ft generally 



L o 



the Appellation of Loam is applied 

 to a foft fat Earth, partaking of Clay, 

 but eafy to work. . 



It is found by Experience, that 

 Plants of all Sorts will grow in it j 

 and where-ever it is found, it ap- 

 pears to be a more beneficial Soil to 

 Plants than any other. A Clay us'd 

 in Grafting is alfo calPd Loam. 



LOBELIA. 



Tjie Characters are ; 



It hath a tubulous anomalous Flow 

 er, corfifiivg of one Leaf, which it 

 divided into many Parts, each being 

 fhaped fefnewhat like a Tongue, an J 

 are fprtad open like an Hand: this 

 is inchfed in the Cup, which after- 

 ward becomes a foft oval Ft uit, which 

 is full of Juice, and fur rounds a Nut 

 of the fame Shape, which has an hard 

 Shell. 



We know but one Sort of this 

 Plant ; viz. 



Lobe li a frutefcens, portulac.e 

 folio. Plum. Nov. Gen. Shrubby Lo- 

 belia, with a Purflain-Ieaf. 



This Plant was fo named by 

 Father P/umicr, who difcovered it 

 in America, in Honour to Dr. La- 

 bel, a learned Botanift, who pub- 

 lished the Figures of a great Num- 

 ber of Plants at Antwerp I 5 8 1 . and 

 two or three other Books of Botany 

 before that time. 



The Seeds of this Plant were fent 

 to England by Mr. Catefiy in the 

 Year 1724. who gathered them in 

 the Bahama Ijlands, where the 

 Plants grow in plenty, near the 

 Shore of the Sea ; and fince that 

 time the Seeds have been fent to 

 England by Dr. William Ihujhun, 

 whogather'd them at La Vera Crux r 

 fo that I believe the Plant is com- 

 mon in moil of thewa^m Parts of 

 America. 



It is propagated by Seed, which 

 muft be procured from the Countries 

 of its natural Growth ; for :hS Plants 



will 



