LEO 
The Character s are. 
The emp element of the flower is made up of fix very 
narrow leaves , which are alternately j mailer and drop off'. 
The flower has fix oval acute petals, which are twice the 
length of the empalement , and fix neftariwis which are 
fixed by fmall foot-fialks to the bafe of the petals. It has 
fix floort Jlender ftamina , terminated by erebl fummits. In 
the center is placed an oblong oval germen , fupporting a 
floort taper ftyle , inferted obliquely to the germen , crowned 
by a Jimflle fltigma. The germen afterward becomes a glo- 
bular fwotten berry a little fucculent , with one cell , in- 
dofing two or three globular feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion 
of Linnaeus’s fixth clafs, which includes thofe plants 
whofe flowers have fix ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Leontice iChryfogonum) foliis pinnatis, petiolo com- 
muni fimplici. Hort. Cliff. 122. Lion’s Leaf with 
winged leaves having one common Jingle foot-ftalk. Leon- 
topetaioii foliis coftae fimplici innafcentibus. Tourn. 
Cor. 49. Lion's Leaf with a fipgle foot-ftalk to the 
leaves. 
2, Leontice (. Leontopetahm ) foliis decompofitis, peti- 
olo communi trifido. Hort. Cliff. 122. Lion's Leaf 
with decompounded leaves , and a common trifid foot-ftalk. 
Leontopetalon foliis coftae ramofae innafcentibus. 
Tourn. Cor. 49. Lion's Leaf with a branching foot- 
ftalk to the leaves. 
Thefe plants both grow naturally in the iflands of 
the Archipelago, and alfo in the Corn fields about 
Aleppo, where they flower foon after Chriftmas. They 
have large tuberous roots about the flze of thofe of 
Cyclamen, covered with a dark brown bark ; the 
leaves arife upon flender foot-ftalks immediately from 
their roots, which grow about fi* inches high ; that 
of the firft fort is Angle, having many fmall folioli 
ranged along the midrib, but the footftalks of the 
fecond fort are branched into three fmaller ; upon each 
of thefe are ranged feveral folioli or fmall leaves, in 
the fame form as the winged leaves. The flowers fit 
upon naked foot-ftalks, thofe of the firft fort fuf- 
tain many yellow flowers, but the flowers of the fe- 
cond are fmaller and of a paler colour. Thefe in their 
native country appear foon after Chriftmas, but in 
England they do not flower till the beginning of 
April, and are never fucceeded by feeds here. 
Both thefe plants are propagated by feeds, which 
require to be fown foon after they are ripe, otherwife 
they feldom fucceed *, but as they are brought from 
diftant countries, they fliould be preferved in land to 
be fent to England. I received a few of the feeds from 
the Duke D’Ayen, which were fent him from Aleppo, 
put up in fand, and thefe came up better than any of 
thofe which came over dry •, for of feveral parcels of 
thefe feeds which I have fown of both kinds for three 
years fucceflively, I had not more than two plants 
arife. 
The plants are very difficult to preferve in England, 
for the roots will not thrive in pots ; and when they 
are planted in the full ground, the froft frequently 
deftroys them in winter, efpecially where the roots are 
young. Of late years the winters have proved fo very 
unfavourable, as to kill all the young roots which I 
had raifed in the Chelfea garden : but before the fevere 
winter in 1 740, I had fome of the roots which were 
planted in a fouth-weft border that flowered feveral 
years, and without any fhelter furvived the winters ; 
but although I covered many of thofe roots which I 
had lately raifed, yet I could not preferve them. 
The leaves of thefe plants decay about Midfummer, 
and the roots remain in an inadive ftate till the fol- 
lowing fpring, at which time the flowers and leaves 
come up nearly at the fame time. 
When the feeds are procured from abroad, the beft 
way is to fow them as foon as they arrive, and cover 
them with glaffes in the winter to prated them from 
froft j. and in the fpring, when the plants begin to 
appear, they muft have the free air admitted to them 
at all times when the weather is mild, otherwife they 
are very fubjed to draw up tall with weak Items, and 
LEO 
their roots do not increafe in their bulk. If the plants 
are not too clofe, it will be beft to let them remain in 
the place unremoved till the fecond year ; but where 
they are too clofe, part of the roots may be taken up 
in Odober, and tranfplanted clofe to a warm wall, 
being very careful not to difturb the roots which are 
left handing ; and in November, before the hard froft 
fees in, it will be a good way to lay fome old tanners 
bark over the furface of the ground, three or four 
inches thick, to prevent the froft from penetrating to 
the roots ; but this fliould be moft of it taken off in 
March, before the roots begin to pufh out their 
leaves •, and if this is removed in part foon after the 
hard froft is over in February, and another part three 
weeks or a month after, it will be better than taking 
it all off at the fame time ; and if a thin covering of 
the tan is left at the laid over the furface of the ground, 
it will prevent the drying winds of the fpring from 
drying the ground, which will be of great fervice to 
the roots. Thefe roots ftiotild have a dry loofe foil, 
and muft be feldom removed •, but when that is done, 
Odober is the beft time, for then the roots are inadive. 
LEONTODON. Lin. Gen. Plant. 8 1 7. Dens leo- 
nis. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 468.' Dandelion ; in French, 
Dent de Lion: 
There are four or five fpecies of this genus, which 
grow naturally in the fields either in England or 
France, fo are feldom cultivated in gardens ; but as 
fome people in the fpring gather the roots' out of 
the fields, and blanch them in their gardens for a fal- 
lad herb, fo I have mentioned the genus, but fhal! 
forbear faying any thing more of them, than that 
they are very bad weeds both in gardens and fields ; 
fo fhould be rooted out before their feeds are ripe, 
otherwife they will fpread to a great diftance, as they 
have down adhering to them, by which they are 
wafted about by the wind. 
LEONTOPODIUM. See Plantago. 
LEONURUS. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 187. tab. 87. 
Phlomis. Lin. Gen. Plant. 642. [ArLtsp©*, of Aitov, 
a lion, and ifi, a tail, becaufe the creft of this 
flower feems to refemble the tail of a lion.] Lion’s 
Tail 
The Characters are, 
The flower has a tubulous , five-cornered , permanent em- 
palement of one leaf ■, the flowers have one petal , of the 
lip or ringent kind •, the upper lip is long , cylindrical 
hairy , and entire ; the lower is floort , reflexed , and cut 
into three parts. It hath four ftamina fituated under 
the lower lip , two of which are floor ter than the other ; 
thefe are terminated by oblong compreffed fummits. In the 
bottom of the tube are fituated flour germen fupporting a 
Jlender ftyle , fituated with the ftamina , crowned by a bifid 
acute ftigma. The germen afterward become four oblong 
angular feeds , fitting in the empalement . 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedion 
of Tournefort’s fourth clafs, which includes the herbs 
with a lip flower of one leaf, whofe upper lip is hol- 
lowed like a fpoon. Dr. Linnaeus has joined the fpe - 
cies of this genus to the Phlomis, and has applied this 
title to the Cardiaca, from which he feparates thefe 
plants, becaufe they have no pundur.es on their fum- 
mits. Thefe he ranges in the firft fedion of his four- 
teenth clafs, which includes the plants with a ringent 
(or grinning) flower, that have two long and two 
fhorter ftamina, and naked feeds fucceeding, fitting 
in the empalement. 
The Characters are, 
1. Leonurus ( Africana ) foliis lanceolatis, obtuse fer- 
ratis. Hort. Cliff. 312. Lion's Tail with fpear-jhaped 
leaves which are bluntly Jawed. Leonurus perennis 
Africaners, fideritidis folio, flore Phcenicio majore. 
Breyn. Cent. 1. 171. Perennial African Lion's Tail with 
an Ironwort leaf, and a larger fcarlet flower . 
2. Leonurus ( Nepetffolia ) foliis ovatis, calycibus de- 
cagonis, feptem dentatis, insequalibus. Hort. Cliff. 
312. Lion's Tail with oval leaves, an empalement hav- 
ing ten corners, and fleven unequal indentures. Leonurus 
minor capitis Bonte Spei, vulgo. Boerh. Ipd. alt. 1 80. 
Small Lion's Tad o f the Cape of Good Hope. 
7 Y * The 
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545 
