1 
HEL 
HELIOTROPIUM. Lin. Gen. Plant. 164. Tourn. 
Inft. R. 1 : 1 . 138. tab. 57 - ot the 
fun, and rffirw, to turn.] Turnfole. 
The Characters are, 
T he empalement of the flower is of one leaf , tubulous at 
bottom , but cut into five fegments at the brim. The fictver 
hath o?ie petals with a tube the length of the empalement , 
fpreading flat above , where it is cut into five fegments , 
which are alternately larger than the other •, the chaps of 
the tube is clofed, and hath five prominent j coles, joined in 
form of a ftar. It hath five floort ftamina within the 
tube , terminated by fmall fummits , and four germen at 
the bottom of the tube , with one fender fly le the length of 
the ftamina , crowned by an indented ftigma. The germen. 
afterward becomes fo many feeds, fitting in the empalement. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firfl: lection of 
Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, intitled Pentandria Monogynia, 
which includes thofe plants whofe flowers have five 
ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Heliotropium ( Europium ) foliis ovatis integerrimis 
tomentofis rugofis fpicis conjugatis. Hort. Upfal. 33. 
Heliotrope with oval , entire , woolly , rough leaves , and 
conjugated fpikes. Heliotropium majus Diofcoridis. 
C. B. P. 253. The greater Turnfole of Diofcorides. 
2. Heliotripxum ( Indicum ) foliis cordato-ovatis acutis 
fcabriufculis, fpicis folitariis, frudibus bifidis. Flor. 
Zeyl. 70. Heliotrope with heart-floaped oval leaves , which 
are pointed and rough , fingle fpikes of flowers and bifid 
feeds. Heliotropium Americanum coeruleum, foliis 
hormini. Acad. Reg. Sc. Blue American Turnfole with 
Clary leaves. 
3. Heliotropium ( Horminiflolium ) foliis lanceolato- 
ovatis acuminatis rugofis, fpicis folitariis graciliori- 
bus alaribus & terminalibus. Heliotrope with flpear- 
floaped oval leaves , which are rough , and end in acute 
points , having fender fingle fpikes of flowers proceeding 
from the fides and tops of the ftalks. Heliotropium 
Americanum cceruleum, foliis hormini anguftiori- 
bus. H. L. Blue American Turnfole with narrower Clary 
leaves. 
4. Helitropium ( Capitatum ) foliis oblongo-ovatis in- 
tegerrimis glabris fubtus incanis, floribus capitatis 
alaribus, caule arborefcente. Heliotrope with oblong , 
oval, entire , fmooth leaves , which are hoary on their un- 
der fide , flowers growing in heads from the wings of the 
fialks , and a tree-like ftalk. Heliotropium arborefcens, 
folio teucrii, fiore albo in capitula denfa congefto. 
Boerh. Ind. Tree-like Turnfole , with a Germander leaf, 
and white flowers growing in thick floort heads. 
5. Heliotropium ( Canarienfe ) foliis ovatis crenatis op- 
pofitis, floribus capitatis alaribus dichotomis, caule 
arborefcente. Heliotrope with oval crenated leaves placed 
oppofite, flowers growing in heads from the wings of the 
ftalks, which diverge, and a tree-like ftalk. Heliotro- 
pium Canarienfe arborefcens, folio lcorodonte. Hort. 
Amft. Canary tree-like Turnfole , with a Wood Sage leaf. 
6 . Heliotropium {P eruvianum) foliis lanceolato-ovatis, 
caule fruticofo, fpicis numerofis aggregato-corymbo- 
fis. Lin. Sp. 187. Peruvian Helitr ope with oval flpear- 
fhaped leaves , a fhrubby ftalk, and many fpikes of flowers 
joined in a corymbus. 
7. Heliotropium ( Curajfavicum ) foliis lanceolato-linea- 
ribus glabris aveniis, fpicis conjugatis. Hort. Cliff. 45. 
Heliotrope with narrow , ftp ear-flo aped, fmooth leaves with- 
out veins , and conjugated fpikes of flowers. Heliotro- 
pium Curaffavicum, foliis lini umbilicati. Par. Bat. 
Prod. Heliotrope ofCurajfao, with a VenusN avelwort leaf. 
S. Heliotropium ( Gnaphalodes ) foliis linearibus obtu- 
fis tomentofis, pedunculis dichotomis, fpicarum flo- 
ribus quaternis, caule frutefcente. Lin. Sp. 188. He- 
liotrope with linear, obtufe , woolly leaves, forked foot-ftalks, 
with four fpikes of flowers and a fhrubby ftalk. He- 
liotropium arboreum maritimum, tomentofum, gna- 
phalii Americani foliis. Sloan. Cat. 93. Tree maritime 
woolly Heliotrope , vAth a Sea Cudweed leaf. 
9. Heliotropium {/Fruticoflum ) foliis lineari-lanceolatis 
pilofis, fpicis folitariis feffilibus. Lin. Sp. 187. He- 
liotrope with linear , fpear-floaped , hairy leaves, and fingle 
jfikss of flowers fitting clofe to the ftalk. Heliotropium 
HEL 
minus lithofpermi foliis. Smaller Heliotrope with leaves 
like Gromwell. 
10. Heliotropium ( Procumbens ) caule procumbente, 
foliis ovatiis tomentofis integerrimis, fpicis. folitariis 
terminalibus. Heliotrope with a trailing ftalk, oval, 
woolly, entire leaves, and fingle fpikes of flowers termi- 
nating the branches. Heliotropium Americanum fupi- 
num & tomentofum, foliis fubrotundis. HoufL MSS. 
Low American woolly Heliotrope with roundijh leaves. 
11. Heliotropium ( Americanum ) foliis oblongo-ovatis 
tomentofis, fpicis conjugatis terminalibus, caule fru- 
ticofo. Heliotrope with oblong , oval, woolly leaves, and 
double fpikes of flowers terminating the ftalk, which is 
fhrubby. Pleliotropimn Americanum frutefcens & 
tomentofum, foliis oblongis, floribus albis. HoufL 
MSS. Shrubby and woolly American Heliotrope, with 
oblong leaves and white flowers. 
The firfl; fort grows naturally in the fouth of France, 
in Spain, Italy, and moft of the warmer countries in 
Europe, it is an annual plant, which fucceds bet- 
ter from feeds which fcatter in the autumn, or fown 
at that feafon, than in the fpring for when they are 
fown in the fpring, they feldom come up the fame 
year •, but if the plant is once obtained, and the feeds 
Suffered to fhed, it will maintain itfelf without any 
trouble, requiring no other culture but to keep ft 
clean from weeds, and thin the plants where they 
are too clofe. 
This rifes about feven or eight inches high, dividing 
into two or three branches, garnifhed with oval rough, 
leaves, two inches long and one broad in the middle, 
of a light green, Handing upon pretty long foot-ftalks 
alternately, the flowers are produced at the end of 
the branches in double fpikes, joined at the bottom, 
which are about an inch and a half long, turning 
backward like a fcorpion’s tail. The flowers are 
white, and appear in June and July ; the feeds ripen 
in autumn, foon after which the plant decays. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in the Y/eft-Jndies. 
This is annual •, the ftalk rifes a foot and a half, or 
two feet high, branching out toward the top : the 
leaves are rough and hairy, ftanding upon pretty long 
foot-ftalks •, they are two inches and a half long, 
and one and a half broad in the middle, ending in 
acute points •, the flowers are produced toward the 
end of the branches in fingle fpikes, which are fix 
inches long, turning backward at the top like the 
other fpecies. The flowers are blue, -and appear in 
July and Auguft, the feeds ripen in September and 
October. 
The third fort grows naturally in the Weft-Indies. 
This is a fmaller plant than the former, feldom grow- 
ing above two feet high ^ the leaves are one inch and 
a half long, and about half an inch broad ; the fpikes 
of flowers are very {lender, and not more than two 
inches long •, the flowers are fmall, and of a light blue 
colour. They appear at the fame time with the for- 
mer, and the feeds ripen in autumn. 
The feeds of thefetwo forts niuft be fown on a hot-bed 
in the fpring, andwhen the plants are fit to remove, they 
muft be transplanted on another hot-bed to bring them 
forward, treating them in the fame way as the Balfa- 
mine, and other tender annual plants ^ and in June 
they may be taken up with balls of earth, and planted 
in the borders of the flower-garden, where they will 
flower, and in warm feafons produce ripe feeds. 
The fourth fort rifes with a fhrubby fialk fix or fe- 
ven feet high ; the young branches are ciofely covered 
with a white down, and the leaves on thofe are very 
hoary and entire, but thofe on the older branches are 
greener, and feme of them are notched on their edges ; 
at each joint of the ftalks come out two fhort branches 
oppofite, which are garnifhed with fmall, hoary leaves 
placed oppofite : thefe, when bruifed, emit a ftrong 
odour, which to fome perfons is very difagreeable, but 
others are pleafed with it. The plants rarely flower 
in England, for in near forty years which I have cul- 
tivated them, I have but once feen them in flower. 
The flowers are white, collected in roundifh heads, 
which turn backward, and fit clofe to the branches ; 
2 the 
