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manner as the perennial Sunflower. It is very hardy 
in refped to cold, but loves a moift foil. 
The fifth fort has a perennial root like the former, 
and is a native of the fame country. This hath 
fmooth green {talks, which rife higher than thole of 
the former •, the leaves are all compofed of five lobes 
which are much narrower, and end with {harper 
points than thofe of the former, and are very acute- 
ly indented on their fides. The flowers are fmaller, 
and the petals narrower than thofe of the former fort, 
but appear at the fame feafon. It is equally hardy 
with the former, and may be propagated in the 
fame way. 
The fixth fort grows naturally in North America, arid 
alfo in Siberia, from both which countries I have re- 
ceived the feeds. This hath a perennial root like 
the two former ; the leaves at bottom are compofed 
of feven or nine lobes, fome of which are entire, and 
others are jagged to the midrib, they are of a dark 
green and fmooth ; the ftalks rife fix feet high, and 
divide into many branches. They are of a purple or 
iron colour, and are very fmooth ; thefe are garnilhed 
with leaves, which toward the bottom are hand-fhaped, 
and compofed of five lobes ; higher up they have but 
three, and at the top the leaves are Angle. The flow- 
ers are fmaller than thofe of the two former forts, but 
are of the fame ihape and colour. 
The feventh fort grows naturally in Virginia. This 
hath a perennial root ; the ftalks rife four or five feet 
high ; the leaves are narrow, fmooth, and placed op- 
pofite •, the rays of the flower are long, yellow, and 
are twelve in number ; the difk of male florets are of 
a dark red, and the fcales of the empalement fpread, 
and are almoft awl-fhaped. 
Thefe four laft mentioned forts may be propagated in 
plenty, by parting of their roots •, the beft time for 
this is in O&ober, when the ftalks will begin to decay*, 
for if they are removed in the fpring, they will not 
produce many flowers the fame year. They love a 
moift foil, and fhould be allowed room, for if they 
are too near other plants, they will rob them of their 
nourifhment and deftroy them. They are proper fur- 
niture for large gardens, where they may be allowed 
room, or in walks round fields, becaufe they require 
little culture. 
RUELLIA. Plum. Nov. Gen. 12. tab. 2. Lin. Gen. 
Plant. 702. 
The Characters are. 
The flower has a permanent empalement of one leaf \ which 
is cut into five narrow acute fegments at the top , which 
are erebi. It has one petal , with a tube the length of the 
cup , which fpreads and inclines at the neck , but the brim 
fpreads open , where it is cut into five fegments , the two 
upper being large and reflexed. It hath four fiamina fii- 
tuated in the fpr ending part of the tube , connected in 
pairs , terminated by jhort fummits , and a roundifl: ger- 
men fupporting a fender ftyle , crowned by a bifid ftigma. 
The germen afterward becomes a taper capfule , pointed at 
each end , having two cells , inclofing roundifh compreffed 
feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fe&ion 
of Linnaeus’s fourteenth clafs, which includes thofe 
plants whofe flowers have two long and two fhort fta- 
mina, and the feeds are included in a capfule. 
The Species are, 
1. Ruellia ( Tuber of a ) foliis ovatis crenatis, peduncu- 
lis bifloris. Ruellia with oval crenated leaves , and foot - 
ftalks bearing two flowers. Ruellia humilis, flore cae- 
ruleo, afphodeli radice. Plum. Nov. Gen. 12. Dwarf 
Ruellia , with a blue flower and an Afphodel root. 
2. Ruellia ( Strepens ) foliis petiolatis, floribus verticil- 
lads fubfeffilibus. Hort. IJpfal. 178. Ruellia with 
leaves having foot-ftalks , and flowers growing in whorls , 
fitting clofe to the ftalks. Ruellia ftrepens, capitulis 
comofis. Hort. Elth. 328. Snapping Ruellia with hairy 
heads. ' 
3. Ruellia ( ClandeJUna ) foliis petiolatis, pedunculis 
longis fubdivifis nudis. Lin. Hort. Upfal. 179. Ru- 
ellia with leaves having foot-ftalks p and long naked foot- 
ftalks to the flowers , which are divided. Ruellia cap- 
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fulis tefetibus. Hort. Elth. 3281 Ruellia with taper 
cap files. \ 
4. Ruellia ( Crifpa ) foliis fubcrenatis lanceolato-ova- 
tis, capitulis ovatis, foliofis hifpidis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
635-. Ruellia with oval fpear-fhaped leaves which are 
fomewhat crenated , oval pods, and prickly , hairy , fmall 
leaves. 
5. Ruellia ( Paniculata ) foliis integerrimis pedunculis 
dichotomis lateralibus calycibus felfilibus, lacinia fu- 
prema majore. Lin. Sp. Plant. 885. Ruellia with en- 
tire % leaves, a forked ftalk , and the upper fegment of 
the flower large. Speculum veneris majus impatiens. 
Sloan. Hift. Jam. 1. p. 158. 
The firft fort grows naturally in many of the iflands in 
the Weft-Indies ; the roots of this are compofed of 
many fwelling fiefhy tubers, which run deep into the 
ground, and are like thofe of the Day Lily, but 
fmaller. The ftalk rifes about four or five inches 
high, and fends out two or three fhort fide branches, 
which are garnilhed with leaves placed oppofite •, fome 
of thefe are fmall and lhaped like a fpatula, others are 
much larger ; they have fhort foot-ftalks, and are a 
little crenated on their edges. The flowers are pro- 
duced on the fide, and at the erid of the ftalk ; thofe; 
on the fide have two flowers upon each foot-ftalk, 
which come out oppofite at each joint, but thofe at 
the top fuftain three. The flowers have narrow tubes 
about an inch long, then they fpread out to a fort of 
bell-lhape, and at the top they are cut into five ob- 
tufe fegments, which are large and fpread open ; they 
are of a fine blue, but of fhort duration, each flower 
feldom lafting in beauty one day •, after the flowet 4 
fades, the germen becomes a taper pod one inch and 
a half long, having two cells, which, when ripe, burft 
with a touch, and caft out the feeds to a diftance. It: 
flowers in July, and the feeds ripen the beginning of 
September. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Carolina ; the root 
of this is fibrous and perennial ; the ftalks rife about 
a foot high, they are four-cornered, and have two 
longitudinal furrows, one on each fide ; the joints are 
three or four inches afunder, at each ftand two oval 
leaves upon very fhort foot-ftalks. The flowers corfie 
out from the wings of the leaves on each fide, two or 
three rifing from the fame point, fitting very clofe to 
the ftalks ; they are fmall and of a pale purple co- 
lour, but are very fugacious ; they open early in the 
morning, but are gone by ten or eleven o’clock in the 
forenoon ; thefe are fucceeded by {hort taper pods, 
furrounded by the hairy fegments of the empalement. 
It flowers and perfedts its feeds about the fame time 
as the former. 
The third fort grows naturally in the Weft-Indies ; 
this hath a perennial root, compofed of many fiefhy 
fibres ; the leaves and ftalks lie clofe to the ground ; 
the ftalks grow five or fix inches high ; the leaves are 
placed by pairs at each joint ; they are two inches 
long, and one inch and a quarter broad, {landing up- 
on foot-ftalks half an inch long. The foot ftalks 
which fuftain the flowers are naked, and divide into 
two fmaller, each fuftaining one fmall purple flower, 
which is very fugacious ; their empalements are cut 
into very narrow fegments to the bottom. After the 
flowers are paft, the germen becomes a taper capfule 
about an inch long, including roundifti comprefled 
feeds. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in both Indies; de- 
ceived the feeds of this from Carthagena in New 
Spain. This hath a ligneous creeping root ; the ftalks 
rife about five or fix inches high, they are Angle, ta- 
per, and jointed ; the leaves are oval, fpear-fhaped, 
and have very {hort foot-ftalks ; they are a little wav- 
ed on their edges, are hairy and curled. The flowers 
are produced from the fide of the ftalk at their joints 5 
thele fuftain one fmall yellow flower, coming out be- 
tween rough, hairy, fmall leaves. It flowers in July, 
and the feeds ripen in September. 
The fifth fort hath a perennial root ; the ftalks rife 
four or five feet high, are very diffufed and forked, 
and garnifiied with oblong, oval, entire leaves placed 
n oppofite. 
