V E R 
■ % » f 
_ , . ‘ \ 1 1 
yellow flowers, which ftretch out in length - the 
flowers have four crofs : (haped petals, and are flic- : 
ceeded by pods like the former. This plant will con- 
tinue two or three years •, it is propagated by feeds in 
the fame manner as the former. 
VERATRUM. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 272. tab. 145. 
Lin. Gen. Plant. 1013. [fo called as though vere 
atrum, i. e. truly black, becaufe this plant has a black 
roof, or becaufe it purges a black humour.] White 
Hellebore •, in French, Ellebore Mane, 
The Characters are. 
It has hermaphrodite and male flowers intermixed in the 
.fame {pike. Ehe flowers have no empalement ; they have 
■ fix oblong fpear-jh aped petals which are permanent , and fix 
awl-Jhaped ftamina fitting on the point of the germen , 
fpreading afunder, terminated by quadrangular fummits \ 
they have 'three oblong ere hi germen fitting upon the ftyle , 
which are farce vifible, crowned by a fingle fpreading 
' ftigma. fhe germen afterward become three oblong , eredl, 
compreffed capfutes with one cell , opening on the infide , in- 
cluding many oblong , compreffed , membranaceous feeds. The 
male flowers have the fame characters of the hermaphro- 
dite , but are barren. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion of 
Linnseus’s twenty-third clais, which contains thofe 
plants which have flowers of different flexes in the fame 
plant. 
The Species are, 
1. Ver atrum {Album) racemo fupradecompoiito, corol- 
lis eredis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1044. White Hellebore with 
a fpike decompounded above , and ere A petals. Veratrum 
flore fubviridi. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 273. White Helle- 
bore with a greenifh flower. 
2. Veratrum ( Nigrum ) racemo compofito, corollis pa- 
tentiffimis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1044. White Hellebore with 
a compound fpike , and very fpreading petals. Veratrum 
flore atrorubente. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 273. White 
Hellebore with a dark red flower. 
3. Veratrum (Luteum) racemo fimpliciflimo, foliis fef- 
fllibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1044. White Hellebore with a 
Jingle fpike , and leaves fitting clofe to the ftalk. Vera- 
trum caule fimpliciflimo, foliis feflilibus. Flor. Virg. 
195. While Hellebore with a fingle fpike. 
4. Veratrum (. Americanum ) racemo fimpliciflimo, co- 
rollis patentibus, ftaminibus longioribus. White Hel- 
lebore with a fingle fpike of flowers , fpreading petals , and 
longer ftamina. 
The firft fort grows naturally on the mountains in Au- 
. ftria, Helvetia, and Greece. The root is perennial, 
and compofed of many thick fibres gathered into a 
head j the leaves are oblong, oval, ten inches long, 
and five broad in the middle, and rounded at the 
points, having many longitudinal plaits like thofe of 
Gentian •, the ftalk s rife three or four feet high, and 
branch out on every fide almoft their whole length •, 
under each of thefe branches is placed a narrow plaited 
leaf, which diminifhes in its fize as it is nearer the 
top of the ftalk. The branches and principal ftalk 
are terminated by fpikes of flowers fet very clofe to- 
gether, which are compofed of fix petals which ftand 
ered * thefe are green, and in their center is fituated 
three obtufe germen. From the point of thefe arife fix 
ftamina which fpread afunder, and are terminated by 
four-cornered fummits. Thefe appear in June and 
July, and are each fucceeded by oblong compreffed 
capfules with one cell, filled with membranaceous 
feeds. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Hungary and Sibe- 
ria •, it has a perennial root like the former. The leaves 
are longer and thinner than thofe of the firft fort 
they are plaited in the like manner, but are of a yel- 
lowish green colour, and appear fooner in the Spring ; 
the (talks rife higher than thofe of the former; It has 
fewer leaves upon it, and does not branch out into fo 
many fpikes : the flowers of this are of a dark red co- 
lour, and the petals fpread open flat, in which it dif- 
fers from the former. This flowers .almoft a month 
before the other. 
The third fort grows naturally in Virginia, and other 
VER 
parts of North America, where it is fometimes called 
Rattle SnakS Root. The root of this is tuberous and 
large ; the leaves are oblong, and (haped like thole of 
Plantain, having feverai longitudinal furrows or plaits 5 
they are' four or five inches long, and two broad in the 
middle, fpreading themfelves on the ground. Between 
thefe come out a fingle ftalk which rifes near a foot 
high, having a few very fmall leaves or (heaths placed 
alternately * and at the top the flowers are produced 
in a fingle, thick, clofe fpike ; they are final!, and of 
a yellowifti white colour * thefe appear in June, but 
are rarely, fucceeded by feeds here. 
The fourth fort was fent me from Philadelphia by Mr. 
John Bartram, who found it growing naturally in that 
country. The root of this is compofed of thick 
flefhy fibres * the leaves are oblong, oval* of a light 
green colour, having fix longitudinal veins or plaits $ 
they are four or five inches long, and between two 
and three broad, fpreading on the ground * thefe are 
rounded at their points, and continue all the year. In 
the center of the leaves fprings up a fingle ered ftalk 
afoot high, having a . few veftiges or fmall leaves 
(landing alternately clofe to the ftalk, which end in 
acute points. The ftalk is terminated by a thick ob- 
tufe fpike of dark red flowers, whofe petals fpread 
open flat. In the center of the petals is fituated three 
obtufe germen joined together, from whofe- point 
arifes fix ftamina which fpread afunder, and are longer 
than the petals thefe are terminated by four-cornered 
fummits of a purple blue colour. This plant flowers 
the latter end of June, and in warm feafons the feeds 
will ripen here. 
The firft of thefe plants is that which is ordered for me-’ 
dicinal ufe, and is by much the (Longer and more acrid 
plant than the fecond * flor when both forts are placed 
near each other, the fnails will entirely devour the 
leaves of the fecond fort, when at the fame time they 
fc^rcely .touch thofe of the firft. 
Thefe plants are very pretty ornaments, when planted 
in the middle of open borders of the pleafure-garden v 
for if they ate placed near hedges or walls, where 
fnails generally harbour, they will greatly deface the 
leaves, efpecially of the fecond fort, by eating them 
full of holes before they are unfolded ; and as a great 
part of the beauty of thefe plants is in their broad- 
folded leaves* fo when they are thus defaced, the 
plants make but an indifferent appearance. 
Both thefe forts may be propagated by parting their 
roots in autumn, when their leaves decay, but they 
(hould not be parted too fmall, for that will prevent 
their flowering the following fummer * thefe heads 
(hould be planted in a light, fre(h, rich foil, in which 
they will thrive exceedingly, and produce ftrong fpikes 
of flowers. The roots (hould not be removed oftener 
than once in three or four years, by which time, (if 
they like the foil,) they will be very ftrong, and pro- 
duce many heads to be taken off ; but if they are fre- 
quently tranlplanted, it will prevent their increafing, 
and caufe them to flower very weak. 
Thefe plants may alfo be propagated by feeds, which 
(hould be fown as foon as ripe, either in a bed or box 
filled with fre(h light earth, and the ground kept 
conftantly from weeds. In the fpring the plants will 
appear, at which time, if the feafon proves dry* you 
fhould now and then refrefh them with water, which 
will greatly promote their growth •, and you muft care- 
fully clear them from weeds, which, if permitted to 
grow* will foon overfpread and deftroy thefe plants 
while young. The autumn following, when their 
leaves decay, you (hould prepare a bed of frefli light 
earth, and carefully take up the young plants (ob- 
(erving not to break their roots) and plant them there- 
in about fix inches fquare, where they may remain un- 
til they are ftrong enough to flower* whan they (hould 
be tranfplarited into the borders of the plealu re-gar- 
den * but, as thefe plants feldorn flower in lefs than 
four years from feeds, this method of propagating 
them is not much pradifed jn England. 
f ' ' ■ 
VER- 
2 
