o. Lysimachia ( Quadrifolia ) foliis iubquaterms, pc- 
dunculis verticillatis unifioris. Lin.. Sp. Plant. 147. 
Looftrife with leaves generally placed by fours , and 
foot-ftalks placed in whorls round the ftalks, each fitjlaining 
a fingle flower. Lyfimachia lutea minor, foliis nigris 
pun&atis notatis. C. B. P. 245. Smaller yellow Looftrife 
with leaves marked with black fpots. 
The firft fort grows by the fide of ditches and ri- 
vers in many parts of England, fo is not often ad- 
mitted into gardens, becaufe the roots creep far in 
the ground, and fend up ftalks at a great diftance, 
whereby it becomes often a troublefome piant ; other- 
wife for the variety of its flowers, it might deferve a 
place in large gardens, efpecially in moift places, 
where better things will not thrive. It rifes with up- 
right ftalks from two to three feet high, garniftied 
with fmooth fpear-ftiaped leaves placed fometimes 
by pairs oppofite ; at others there are three, and fre- 
quently four of thefe leaves placed round the ftalk at 
each joint. The upper part of the ftalk divides into 
feveral foot-ftalks, which fuftain yellow flowers grow- 
ing in a panicle thefe have one petal which is deeply 
cut into five fegments, fpreading open. They ap- 
pear in June and July, and are fucceeded by round- 
ifn ’feed-veffels, filled with fmall feeds which ripen in 
the autumn. This is placed in the lift of medicinal 
plants, but is not often ufed. If the roots of this 
plant are taken up from the places where it grows 
naturally in the autumn, and planted in a moift foil, 
they will thrive faft enough without care. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in the northern parts 
of England ; this hath a perennial creeping root, 
which fends up feveral ereft ftalks near a foot and a 
half high, garniftied at every joint by two pretty long 
narrow leaves placed oppofite, whofe bafe fits clofe to 
the ftalk ; they are about three inches long, and 
more than half an inch broad toward their bafe, lef- 
fening gradually to the end, which terminates in acute 
points ; the foot-ftalks of the flowers come out oppo- 
fite on each fide of the ftalks ; they are an inch long, 
fuftaining at their top a globular or oval thyrfe of yel- 
low flowers, whofe ftamina are much longer than the 
petals. This flowers at the fame time with the for- 
mer fort, but feldom produces feeds, for the roots 
creep fo much as to render it barren. It is but feldom 
kept in gardens, for the fame reafon as the former is 
rejected ; but thofe who are defirous to have it, may 
procure the roots and plant them in a moift foil, where 
it will foon fpread. 
The third fort is a biennial plant, which was difco- 
vered by Dr. Tournefort in the Levant, from whence 
he fent the feeds to the Royal Garden at Paris, where 
they fucceeded, and many of the European gardens 
have from thence been furniflied with it. This rifes 
with an upright ftalk about a foot high, garniftied 
with fpear-ftiaped leaves ending in acute points ^ thefe 
are placed by pairs oppofite ; they are fmooth, and 
of a lucid green. The flowers grow in a loofe lpike, 
terminating the ftalks ; the flowers ftand horizontally, 
fpreading out on each fide the ftalk-, they have 
longer tubes than the other fpecies, and are of a pur- 
ple colour. Thefe appear in June, and the feeds ri- 
pen in September, foon after which the plants decay. 
It is propagated by feeds, which fhould be fown on 
a moderate hot-bed in the fpring, often watering the 
ground to bring up the plants y and if the feafon 
fhould prove warm, the glafles of the hot-bed fhould 
be fhaded in the heat of the day ; when the plants 
are up, they fhould havye a large fhare of frefh air 
admitted to them in warm weather, to prevent their 
drawing up weak, and fhould be frequently refrelhed 
with water. * When they are fit to remove, they fhould 
be each planted in a feparate pot, plunging them into 
a moderate hot-bed to forward their taking new root : 
after which they fhould be gradually inured to bear 
the open air, into which they fhould be removed by 
the beginning of June, where they may remain till 
October, when they fhould be removed into a com- 
mon frame, where they may be flickered from froft 
in winter, but fhould always enjoy the free air in mild 
weather, The fpring following fome of the plants 
fhould be fliaken out of the pots, and planted in bor - 
ders ; but a few of them fhould be put into larger 
pots, where they may flower and feed : this is called 
Ephemerum by Linnteus, but is not fo. 
When the plants come up, they mu ft have plenty of 
air admitted to them in warm weather, to prevent 
their drawing up weak •, then they may be planted 
into the borders of the plealure- garden, where they 
will flower and produce ripe feeds trie following 
r 1 ± ■ * 
iummer. 
The fourth fort is an annual plant, which is too ten- 
der to rile in the open air in this country, therefore 
the feeds fhould be fown on a moderate hot-bed in 
the fpring, and the plants afterward treated in the 
fame manner as hath been directed for thethircj fort. 
The fifth fort was firft brought from Canada, where 
it grows naturally ; this hath a perennial creeping 
toot, fending up many erect ftalks about two feet 
high, garniffied with oblong, oblique, fmooth leaves, 
placed oppofite ; they are veined on their under fide, 
and end in acute points. The flowers are "produced 
from the wings of the ftalks, each fitting upon a long 
flender foot-fcaik ; there are three or four of theie 
arifing from the fhort branches, which come out on 
each fide the ftalk, at all the upper joints. The 
flowers are like thofe of the firft fort, but imalffer, 
and hang downward ^ thefe appear in June and July, 
but are ieldom fucceeded by any feeds' in England. 
This fort fpreads and propagates by roots, in as great 
plenty as the firft, and is equally hardy, fo requires no 
other culture. 
The fixth fort grows naturally in Spain, and was for- 
merly titled by John Bauhin and others, Ephemerurn ; 
this hath a perennial root, from which arife feveral 
upright ftalks upward of three feet high, garniftied 
with narrow, fmooth, fpear-ftiaped leaves, which 
ftand oppofite, and at the bafe of thefe come out 
fhort fide branches, garniftied with ftnaller leaves of 
the fame ftiape. The flowers are produced in a long, 
clofe, upright fpike, at the top of the ftalk ; they 
are cut into five oval fegments, which are white, 
fpreading open, and the ftamina ftand out longer 
than the petal. It flowers in June, and the feeds 
ripen in autumn. 
This is the fineft fpecies of this genus, and as the 
roots of it do not fpread like thofe of the other, fo 
deferves a place in the pleafure-garden, where it is a 
very ornamental plant for fnady borders. It loves a 
moift foil and a fhady fitnation, where it -will continue 
long in beauty. It may be propagated by parting 
the roots in autumn, but by this method it increafes 
flowly; fo that the only way to have it in plenty, is by 
fowing the feeds : thefe fhould be fown upon an eaft- 
afpedted border in autumn, foon after they are ripe, 
then the plants will come up the following fpring ; 
but thofe which are fown in the fpring will not grow 
the fame year. When the plants come up they fhould 
be kept clean from weeds, and if they are too clofe, 
fome of them may be drawn out and tranfplanted on 
a fhady border, which will give the remaining plants 
room to grow till ^utumn, when they may be tranf- 
planted into the borders of the flower-garden where 
they are defigned to flower ; after which they will 
require no other culture but to keep them ’ cleaq 
from weeds, and dig the ground between them every 
fpring. 
The leyenth fort is commonly called Moneywort, or 
Herb Two-pence ; this is a perennial plant, which 
grows naturally in moift fhady places in moft parts of 
England, fo is not cultivated in gardens. The ftalks 
of this trail upon the ground, and put out roots,, by 
which it foon fpreads to a great diftance. The Leaves 
are almoft heart-lhaped, and placed by pairs. The 
flowers come out fingly from the fide of ftalks j 
they are yellow, appearing in June and July. 
The eighth fort is a fmall trailing plant, which gref/s 
upon bogs in moffy places in moft parts of England, 
but cannot be cultivated on dry ground. The ftalks 
feldom are more than three or four inches lono, and 
