LEU 
of this fhould be Town in drills pretty clofe, in winter, 
on moderate hot-beds, but in fpring and autumn on 
borders, and will foon be fit for ufe ; therefore fnould 
be cut while young, otherwife it will be too rank. 
The eleventh fort is a low fhrubby plant, garnifhed 
with "entire awl-ihaped leaves, which are very nar- 
row ; thefe are placed alternately on the italics ; 
the foot-ftalks of the flowers proceed from the wings, 
and alfo terminate the (talks ; the flowers are white, 
and fhaped like thofe of the other fpecies. 
This fort may be propagated by feeds or cuttings ; 
the feeds flioukl be fown in the fpring on a bed of 
light earth, in the open air ; and when the plants are 
fit to tranfplant, a few of them fhould be planted in 
pots, which may be fheltered in winter tinder a com- 
mon frame ; for in fharp winters, thofe plants which 
are expoled in the open air are frequently killed : the 
remaining plants fhould be planted in a fheltered Hal- 
ation in a dry rubbifliing ground, where they will 
grow flowly, fo will become more ffirubby, and in 
Ids danger of fuffering by cold. 
The twelfth fort is an annual plant, which grows na- 
turally in feveral parts of England, fo is rarely pre- 
ferved in gardens, being a plant of no great beauty 
or ufe •, yet I have known it eaten in fallads, though 
the tafte is very rank. The plants, when young, 
have fome refemblance to the Swine’s Crefs. The 
ftalks rife eight or ten inches high, fupporting a 
number of fmall white flowers, fliaped like thofe of 
the other fpecies, which are fucceeded by feeds like 
thofe of the Garden Crefs, which, if permitted to 
fcatter, will abundantly fupply the place with young 
plants. 
The thirteenth fort grows naturally in many warm 
countries, for it has come up in the earth which came 
from the Brafils, and from feveral parts of America, 
fo that it may be found in many other parts. The 
leaves and Balks are much like thofe of the Gar- 
den Crefs, but are more divided, and differ in fmell 
and tafte from it : the petals of the flowers are fo 
fmall as to be almoft: imperceptible, and there ap- 
pears but two ftamina in each. 
This fort is only cultivated in botanic gardens for 
variety •, the feeds fhould be fown on a moderate 
hot-bed in the fpring, and when the plants have ob- 
tained ftrength, they may be tranfplanted on a warm 
border, where they will flower and perfeft their feeds. 
LEPIDOCARPODENDRON. See Protea. 
LETTUCE. SeeLACTucA. 
LEUCANTHEMUM. See Anthemis. 
LEUCO JUM. Lin. Gen. Plant. 363. Narciffo-leu- 
cojum. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 387. tab. 208. [A Wi'ov, 
of XivKov, white, and ’'lov, a Violet * i. e. White Vio- 
let,] Snowdrop-, in French, Perce-neige . 
The Characters are. 
It hath an oblongs obtufe , comprejfed fpatha or Jheath , 
which opens on the fide. The flower is of the fpreading 
bell Jhape , cut into fix parts , which join at their bafie. 
It hath fix jhort briflly flamina , terminated by oblong , ob- 
tufe , four-cornered fummits , which are eretl. I he roundijh 
germen is fituated under the flower fupporting a fiyle 
which is thick and obtufe at the top , crowned by an erect 
briflly ftigma. The germen afterward becomes a turbi- 
nated capfule with three cells , opening with three valves , 
and filled with roundijh feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firfl fe&ion of 
Linnsus’s fixth clafs, which includes the plants whofe 
flowers have fix ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Leucojum ( Vernum ) fpatha uniflora, ftylo clavato. 
Lin. Sp. Plant. 289. Snowdrop with a Jheath inclofing 
one flower , with a key-Jhaped fiyle . Narcifib-leucojum 
vuigare. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 387. Common great Snow- 
drop. 
2. Leucojum ( ALfiivum ) fpatha multiflora, ftylo clava- 
to. Loefl. Lin. Sp. Plant. 289. Snowdrop with many 
flowers in a Jheath , and a key-Jhaped fiyle. NarcnTo- 
leucojum pratenfe multiflorum. Tourn., Inft. R. H. 
3 87. Meadow Snowdrop with many flowers , commonly 
called the tall late. Snowdrop » 
LEV 
The firfl fort grows naturally in Switzerland and Ger- 
many, as alfo upon the mountains near Turin. This 
hath an oblong bulbous root, fliaped like that of the 
Daffodil, but fmaller ; the leaves are flat, of a deep 
green, four or five in number, broader and longer 
than thofe of the fmall Snowdrop ; between thefe 
arife an angular ftalk near a foot high, which is na- 
ked, hollow, and channelled ; toward the top comes 
out afheath, which is whitifh, opening on the fide, out 
of which come two or three white flowers, hano-inp- 
upon (lender foot-ftalks * thefe have but one petal 
which is cut into fix parts almoft to the bottom, which 
are much larger than thofe of the fmall Snowdrop, 
and the ends of the fegments of the petal are tipped 
with green, where they are of a thicker fubttance than 
in any other part. Thefe flowers appear in March, 
foon after thofe of the fmall fort; they have an 
agreeable fcent, not much unlike that of the flowers 
of Hawthorn ; after the flower is paft, the mermen 
which is fituated below the flower, fwells to a Pear- 
fhaped capfule with three cells, inclofing feveral ob- 
long feeds. 
The leaves of this fort decay toward the end of 
May, after which time the roots may be taken up 
and tranfplanted, for they fhould not be long kept out 
of the ground. It is propagated here by offsets, which 
the roots put out pretty plentifully when they are in 
a fituation agreeable for them, and when they .are not 
too often removed. They fhould have a foft, gentle, 
loamy foil, and an expofure to the eafl the roots 
fhould be planted fix inches afunder, and four or five 
inches deep, and muft not be tranfplanted oftener 
than every third year. 
The fecond fort is generally known by the title of 
late, or tall Snowdrop ; this grows naturally in the 
meadows near Pifa in Italy, in Hungary, and alfo near 
Montpelier. 
The root of this fort is nearly as large as thole of the 
common Daffodil, and are very like them in fhape ; 
the leaves alfo are not unlike thofe of the Daffodil, and 
are more in number than thofe of the other fort ; they 
are of a pale green, and keel-fhaped at the bottom, 
where they fold over each other, and embrace the 
ftalk, which rifes a foot and a half high ; at the top is 
fituated a fpatha (or fneach) which opens on one fide, 
and lets out three or four flowers, which hang down- 
ward, upon pretty long foot-ftalks ; thefe are cut into 
fix oval concave fegments almoft to the bottom, and 
are of a clear white, with a large green tip to each 
fegment, which is of a thicker confidence than any 
other part of the petal; within are fituated fix 
awl-fhaped ftamina, with oblong yellow fummits, 
Handing ered round a very {lender ftyle, crowned by 
an obtufe ftigma. Thefe flowers appear the latter 
end of April or the beginnning of May, and as all 
flowers in each fheath do not come out together, but 
following each other, fo there is a fucceffion of them 
for three weeks or longer, in cool weather. The 
flowers are fucceeded by large triangular feed-veffels, 
having three cells, each containing two row's of feeds* 
This fort is generally propagated in England by off- 
fets, for the plants railed by feeds will not come to. 
flower in lefs than four years ; and as the roots put 
out offsets in plenty, fo that is the more expeditious 
method. Thele roots may be treated in the fame 
way as the firfl fort, and ftiould have a foft loamy 
foil, and be expofed only to the morning fun, where 
they will flower ftronger, and continue longer in 
beauty, than when they are in an open fituation, 
though they will thrive in almoft an y foil or fituation. 
LEUCOJUM INCANUM. I See Cheiran- 
LEUCOJUM LUTEUM. $ THUS. 
LEUCOJUM BULBOSUM. See Galantkus, 
LEVEL, a mathematical inftrument ferving to draw 
a line parallel to the horizon, not only for vari- 
ous ufes in mafonry, &c. but alfo to meafure the 
difference of afcent and defcent between feveral 
places, for the conveying of water, draining of 
fens, &c. 
A Water 
