LAN 
rough ftalk near three feet high, dividing toward the 
top into two or three eredl branches, which are gar- 
nifced with oblong, oval, fawed leaves, ending in 
acute points-, they are placed by fours at each joint, 
and are a little woolly on their under fide. The 
flower-ftaiks arife by pairs, and fometimes three come 
out at the fame joint ; they are from two to three 
inches long, and fuftain a thick fpike of large purple 
flowers, which are fucceeded by large purple berries 
that are very fucculent, and are frequently eaten 
by the inhabitants. This fort flowers in July, pro- 
vided the plants are railed early in the fpring and 
brought forward, and the feeds will ripen in autumn, 
foon after which the plants decay. 
The tenth fort grows naturally in Jamaica, from 
whence the late Dr. Houftoun fent me the feeds this 
rifes with a {lender, fmooth, branching ftalk three feet 
high. The branches are garnifhed with oval fpear- 
Ihaped leaves two inches long, and one inch broad ; 
they are crenated on their edges, and rough on their 
. upper fide. Handing by pairs oppofite, upon very 
fhort foot-ftalks, having an agreeable odour. The 
flowers come out from the wings of the ftalk, upon 
very long foot-ftalks ; they are placed oppofite the 
whole length of the young branches, fuftaining fmall 
round heads of white flowers ; thefe appear at the 
fame time with the other forts, but rarely produce 
feeds in England. 
Thefe plants are all of them eafily propagated by 
cuttings except the ninth, which is an annual plant, 
fo can only be propagated by feeds. They may alfo 
be propagated by feeds, which feveral of the forts 
produce in England, and the others may be eafily pro- 
cured from the Weft-Indies, where there are a greater 
variety of thefe plants growing naturally, than are at 
prefen t known in Europe -, they are all of them called 
Wild Sage, by the inhabitants of the Britifh Iflands, 
"Tut they do not diftinguifh the forts. Thefe feeds ftiould 
be fown in pots filled with light earth, and plunged 
into a hot-bed of tan ; the reafon for my advifing 
them to be fown inpots, is, becaufe the feeds frequently 
remain long in the ground before they vegetate ; 
therefore if the plants fhould not come up the fame 
year, the pots ftiould be placed in the ftove in winter, 
and the following fpring plunged into a new hot-bed, 
which will bring up the plants. When thefe are fit 
to remove they ftiould be each planted in a fmall pot, 
and plunged into another hot-bed, obferving to ftade 
them till they have taken new root ; then they ftould 
have air admitted to them every day, in proportion 
to the warmth of the feafon, to prevent their being 
drawn up with weak ftalks ; afterward they muft be 
treated in the fame manner as other plants from the 
fame country, till they have obtained ftrength ; then 
they may be removed into an airy glafs-cafe, or a dry 
ftove, where they may have a large ft are of air in 
warm weather, but protected from the cold. This is 
neceffary for the young plants, which ftould not the 
firft year be expoled to the open air, but afterward 
they may be placed abroad in the warmeft part of 
fummer, and in winter placed upon Hands in the dry 
ftove, where they will continue long in flower, and 
many of the forts will ripen their feeds ; but in win- 
ter they ftould be fparingly watered, for much moif- 
ture will rot their roots. 
If they are propagated by cuttings, the bell time for 
planting them is in July, after the plants have been 
expofed to the open air for about a month, by which 
time the ftoots will be hardened fo as to be out of 
danger of rotting with a little moifture. Thefe cut- 
tings ftould be planted in fmall pots filled with light 
earth, and plunged into a moderate hot-bed ; and if 
they are fcreened from the violence of the fun in the 
middle of the day, they will be rooted in about fix 
weeks time, when they muft be hardened gradually 
to bear the open air, and afterward treated as the old 
plants. 
The. eleventh fort has been longin theEnglift gardens, 
and is commonly called the Ilex-leaved Jafmine. This 
fort rifes with a ftrubby ftalk five or fix feet high, 
fending out many irregular branches, which are clofely 
garnifhed with thin oval leaves ending in points, and 
fawed on their edges, which embrace the branches 
with their bafe, and from the bofom of each leaf comes 
out one folitary white flower, which is cut at the top 
into five parts, and at firft fight has the appearance 
of a Jafmine flower ; but when clofer viewed, the 
tube will be found curved in the fame manner with 
thofe which Dr. Linnteus titles ringent flowers. The 
flowers are not fucceeded by feeds in England, but 
the plants are eafily propagated by cuttings, which, 
if planted upon an old hot-bed any time in July, and 
covered with a bell or hand-glafs, and (haded from 
the fun, will put out roots in a month or five weeks ; 
then they may be planted in pots, and placed in the 
ftade till they have taken frefh root ; after which they 
may be removed to a Iheltered fituation, where they 
may remain till the frofts come on. This plant was 
brought from the Cape of Good Hope, fo is not very 
tender, therefore may be preferved in a good green- 
houfe in winter ; but during that feafon it muft have 
a large (hare of air in mild weather, otherwife it is apt 
to grow mouldy, and this will caufe the tender 
- branches to decay. In the fummer feafon it may be. 
expofed in the open air, with other green-houfe plants, 
in a fheltered fituation, where it will add to the va- 
riety ; and although the flowers are fmall, and are r 
produced fingly from between the leaves, fo do not 
make any great appearance ; yet as there is a fuc- 
ceflion of thefe flowers moft part of the year, and the 
leaves continuing green throughout the year, it is 
rendered worthy of a place in every colleftion of 
plants. 
The daft fort is a native of Africa; this rifes with a 
ftrubby four-cornered ftalk eight or ten feet high, 
covered with a pale loole bark, fending out many fide 
branches, garnifhed with rough leaves five or fix 
inches long, whofe bafe embrace the ftalks, but they 
end with ftarp points, and are downy on their under 
fide the branches are terminated by loofe fpikes of 
pale purple flowers, covered with a meally down; thefe 
appear in fummer, but are rarely fucceeded by feeds 
in England. 
This is propagated by cuttings in the fame manner as 
the eleventh fort, and the plants require the fame 
treatment. 
LANUGINOUS, fignifies downy, or to be covered 
with a foft down, as a Quince. 
LAPATHUM. See Rumex. 
LA PS AN A. Lin. Gen. Plant. 8 23. Lampfana & 
Rhagadiolus. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 479. tab. 272. Nip- 
plewort. 
The Characters are. 
The flower is compofed of feveral hermaphrodite florets , 
which are included in one common imbricated empalement . 
The florets have one petal , which is tubulous and firetched 
out at the top , in floape of a tongue ; thefe have each five 
floor t hairy ftamina , terminated by cylindrical fummits which 
co ale flee. The ger men is fltuated at the bottom of the floret, 
fupporting a fender ftyle , crowned by a reflexed bifid ftig- 
ma ; the germen afterward becomes an oblong three-cor- 
nered feed , fltuated in the fleale of the empalement. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feftion of 
Linnaeus’s nineteenth clafs, intitled Syngenefia Poly- 
gamia JEqualis, in which he ranges thofe plants with 
hermaphrodite flowers which are fruitful, whofe fta- 
mina and ftyle are connected together ; and to this 
genus he has joined the Rhagadiolus and Zacintha of 
Tournefqrt, making them only fpecies of the fame 
genus. 
The Species are, 
1. Laps ana ( Communis ) calycibus fru£i;us angulatis, pe~ 
dunculis tenuibus ramofiffimis. Hort. Cliff. 384. Nip- 
plewort with angular empalement s to the fruit , and very 
narrow branching foot-ftalks. Lampfana. Dod. p. 675. 
Common Nipplewort. 
2. Lapsana ( Rhagadiolus ) calycibus frudbus undique pa- 
tentibus, radiis fubulatis, foliis lyratis. Hort. Upfal. 
245. Nipplewort with empalement s to the fruit fpreading 
open every way , awl-Jhaped rays , and fpear-Jhaped undi- 
vided 
