L I N 
very well •, and thofe plants which grow in rubblfh 
and are Hinted, will endure much more cold than the 
others. 
The fourteenth fort grows naturally in Siberia ; this 
is a biennial plant, which rifes with an upright branch- 
ing {talk from three to four feet high, garniffied with 
fpear-fhaped leaves, ending in acute points, of a gray- 
ifn colour; thefe are placed alternate. The flowers 
are produced at the end of the branches, in loofe 
panicles *, they are of a bright yellow colour, and 
(hapedlike thofe of the other forts. This flowers in 
June and July, and the feeds ripen in the autumn, 
which, if permitted to fcatter, the plants will come 
up the following fpring, and require no other care 
but to thin them where they are too clofe, and keep 
them clear from weeds. The plants always decay 
after they have ripened their feeds, therefore there 
fhould be a fupply of young ones annually raifed. 
The fifteenth fort grows naturally amongft Wheat 
and Rye, in feveral parts of England. It is an annual 
plant with weak trailing {talks, which fpread on the 
ground, and are a foot and a half long ; they are 
hairy, and 'garnilhed with oval leaves, placed alter- 
nately ; from t,he fetting on of the foot-flalks of the 
leaves ; at each joint comes out one flower, fhaped 
like thofe of the other fpecies. The upper lip is yel- 
low, and the under is purple ; thefe appear in June 
and July, and the feeds ripen in autumn, which 
fhould be then fown, or permitted to fcatter ; for if it 
is fown in the fpring, it feldom grows the fame year, 
for it is rarely feen among fpring-fown Corn, in thofe 
lands where it commonly grows. 
This plant is ufed in medicine, and is efteemed vul- 
nerary, and good for old cancerous fores and ulcers ; 
it is accounted good for haemorrhages of all forts. 
The fixteenth fort differs from the fifteenth, in no- 
thing but the fhape of the leaves, which in this are 
lhaped like the point of an arrow, and thofe of the 
other are oval ; this is more commonly found in Eng- 
land than the other. 
The feventeenth fort was brought from Italy to Eng- 
land, where it now grows in as great plenty in the 
neighbourhood of London, as if it was in its native 
country, growing from the joints of walls, where- 
ever the feeds happen to fcatter. It is a perenial plant, 
which will thrive in any foil or fituation, fo that where 
it is once#ftabliffied, it will be difficult to root out, for 
the feeds will get into any joints of walls, or the de- 
cayed parts of pales, as alfo in the hollow of trees, 
where they grow and propagate plentifully •, for the 
(talks put out roots at their joints, fo fpread them- 
felves to a great diftance. It flowers all the fummer, 
and the feeds ripen in fucceffion. It is never culti- 
vated in gardens, but is fuppofed to be an excellent 
wound herb. 
LINGUA CERVINA. Hart’s Tongue. 
Thefe plants commonly grow out from the joints of 
old walls and buildings, where they are moift and 
(hady, and alfo upon (hady moift banks, but are fel- 
dom cultivated in gardens. There is a very great 
variety of thefe plants, both in the Eaft and Weft- 
Indies, but there are very few fpecies of them in Eu- 
rope ; all the hardy forts may be propagated by part- 
ing their roots, and fhould have a moift foil and (hady 
fituation. 
LINUM. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 339. tab. 170. Lin. 
Gen. Plant. 349. Flax ; in French, Lin. 
The Characters are, 
The flower hath a permanent empalement , compofed of 
five fmall , fpear-ftoaped , acute leaves. It is compofed 
of five large ollong petals , which are narrow at their 
bafe, but broader upward , and fpread open. It hath five 
awl-fhaped erect ftamina , terminated by arrow-fhapsd fum- 
wits. In the center is fituated an oval germen, fupporting 
five fiender fiyles , crowned by reflex ed ' ftigmas. The ger men 
afterward turns to a globular capfule with ten cells , open- 
ing with five valves in each cell is lodged one oval plain , 
fimooth feed , with an acute point. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fifth fecftion of 
Linnseus’s fifth clafs, intitled Pentandria Pentagynia, 
L I N 
which contains thofe plants whofe flowers have five 
ftamina and five ftyles. 
The Species are, 
1. Linum ( Ujitatififimum ) calycibus capfulifque rrrncro- 
natis petaiis crenatis, foliis lanceolatis alternis caule 
fubfolitario. Lin. Sp. Plant. 27 7. Flax with empale- 
ments , and capfides ending in acute points , crenated petals 
to the flower, fpear-fioaped alternate leaves , and the ftalks 
commonly Jingle. Linum fativum. C. B. P. 214. Ma- 
nured Flax. 
2. Linum (Ilumile) calycibus capfulifque mucronatis, 
petaiis emarginatis, foliis lanceolatis alternis, caule 
ramofo. Flax with jharp-pointed empalement s and cap- 
fules , the petals of the flower indented, fpear-fhaped alter- 
nate leaves , and a branching ftalk. Linum fativum hu- 
milius flore majore. Bobart. Boerh. Ind. alt. i.p. 284. 
Lovo manured Flax with a larger flower. 
3. Linum ( Narbonenfe ) calycibus acuminatis, foliis lan- 
ceolatis fparlis ftricfis fcabris acuminatis, caule tereti 
bafi ramofo. Lin. Sp. Plant. 278. Flax with acute- 
point cd empalement s , rough fpear-fhaped leaves placed 
without order , ending in acute points , and a taper ftalk 
branching at the bafe. Linum fylveftre, cseruleum, 
folio acuto, C. B. P. 107. Wild blue Flax with an 
acute leaf. 
4. Linum ( Tenuifcllum ) calycibus acuminatis, foliis fpar- 
fis linearibus fetaceis retrorfum fcabris. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
278. Flax with acute-pointed emp dements, and narrow 
briftly leaves placed without order , which are rough on 
their outfide. Linum fylveftre anguftifolium, floribus 
dilute purpurafeentibus vel carneis. C. B. P. 214. 
Narrow-leaved wild Flax , with a pale purplijh or fiefh- 
ccloured flower. 
5. Linum ( Anglicum ) calycibus capfulifque acuminatis, 
caule fubnudo fcabro, foliis acuminatis. Flax with 
acute-pointed empalments , an alrnoft naked rough ftalk , 
and acute-pointed leaves. Linum perenne, majus, cse- 
ruleum, capitulo majore. Mor. Hift. 2. 573. Greater 
blue perennial Flax with larger heads. 
6. Linum ( Perenne ) calycibus capfulifque obtufis, fo- 
liis alternis lanceolatis acutis, caulibus ramofiffimis. 
Plat. 1 66. Flax with obtufe empalements and capfides, 
alternate, fpear-fhaped , acute leaves , and very branching 
ftalks , commonly called Siberian perennial Flax. 
7. Linum ( Hifpanicum ) calycibus acutis, foliis lineari- 
lanceolatis lparfis, caule paniculate procumbente. 
Flax with acute empalements , linear fpear-fhaped leaves 
placed without order, and a paniculated ftalk. 
8. Linum ( Bienne ) calycibus patulis acuminatis, foliis 
linearibus alternis, caule ramofo. Flax with spreading 
acute-pointed empalements, linear alternate leaves, and a 
branching ftalk. 
9. Linum ( Hirfutum ) calycibus hirfutis acuminatis fef- 
filibus alternis, caule corymbofo. Lin. Sp. Plant. 2 77* 
Flax with hairy acute-pointed empalements, placed alter- 
nate clofe to the ftalks, whofe flowers are formed in a co- 
rymbus. Linum fylveftre, latifolium, hirfutum casra- 
leum. C. B. P. 339. Broad- leaved, hairy , wild Flax , 
with a blue flower. 
10. Linum {S tritium) calycibus foliifque lanceolatis 
ftridtis mucronatis, margine fcabris. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
279. Flax with ftp ear-flo aped leaves , and empalements 
which end in acute points, and have rough edges. Paffe- 
rina Lobelii. J. B. 3. p. 454. 
11. Linum ( Fruticofum ) calycibus acutis, petaiis inte- 
gris, foliis inferioribus linearibus fafciculatis, fuperio- 
ribus alternis, caule fuffruticofo. Flax with acute em- 
palements, entire petals to the flower, linear under leaves 
growing in cluflers , the upper ones alternate, and a fhrubby 
ftalk. Linum fylveftre acutis foliis fruticans. Barrel.- 
Icon. 1008. Wild Flax with a florubhy ftalk and acute 
leaves. 
12. Linum (. Nodiflorum ) foliis lanceolatis alternis, flo- 
ribus alternis feffilibus caule fimplici. Flax with fpear- 
fhaped leaves placed alternate , flowers growing alter- 
nate , and clofe to the ftalks, which are fingle. Li- 
num luteum ad finguia genicula floridum. C. B. P. 
214. Fellow Flax With fingle flowers growing from the 
joints < 
I 
33. Li- 
