COL 
COLDENIA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 159. This plant 
" was fo titled by Dr. Linnaeus, in honour of Dr. Col- 
den, of North America, who is a very curious bo- 
tan ift, and has difcovered feveral new plants which 
were not known before. 
The Characters are, 
The empalement of the flower is compofted of flour erebi 
leaves, which are as long as the petal. It hath a ftunnel- 
-flhaped flower of one petal , fpreading at the top , and ob- 
tufle •, it hath four ftamina , which are infer ted in the tube 
of the petal, terminated by roundijh fummits. In the cen- 
ter is fituated four oval germen , each Jupporting a hairy 
ftyle the length of the ftamina , crowned by permanent ftig- 
mas. The germen afterward become an oval, compreffed, 
rough fruit, with four cells, terminated by four beaks , 
inclofed by the empalement, each of the cells containing a 
fingle feed, convex on one fide, and angular on the other. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the third fe&ion 
of Linnaeus’s fourth clafs, intitled Tetrandria Te- 
tragynia, the flower having four ftamina and four 
ftyles. 
There is but one Species of this genus, viz. 
Coldenia ( Procumbens ). Flor. Zeyl. 79. This is by 
Dr. Pluknet titled, Teucrii facie bifnagarica tetra- 
coccos roftrata. Aim. 363. 
This is a nadve of India, from whence the feeds 
have been brought to fome of the curious botanic 
gardens. It was fent me by Dr. Linnaeus, profeflor 
of botany at Upfal in Sweden. It is an annual plant, 
whofe branches trail on the ground •, they extend near 
a foot from the root, and divide into many fmaller 
branches, garniftied with Ihort leaves, fitting clofe 
to them •, thefe are deeply crenated on their edges, 
and have feveral longitudinal ve : ns ; they are of a 
glaucous colour, and come out without order. The 
flowers are produced at the wings of the leaves, 
growing in fmall clutters ; thefe have one funnel- 
fhaped petal cut into four fegments at the top ; they 
are of a pale blue colour, and Very fmall ; they have 
four ftamina and four ftyles, having hairy ftigmas. 
When the flower decays, the germen becomes a fruit, 
compoled of four cells, wrapped up in the empale- 
ment, each containing a fingle feed. 
This plant is propagated by feeds, which muft be 
fown upon a hot-bed in the fpring •, and when the 
plants are fit to remove, they fhould be each put into 
a feparate fmall pot, plunged into a hot-bed of tan- 
ners bark, obferving to fhade them till they have 
taken frefh root after which they fhould have air 
admitted to them every day in proportion to the 
warmth of the feafon, and gently watered two or three 
times a week in warm weather, but they muft not 
have too much moifture. Thefe plants muft remain 
in the hot-bed, where they will flower in June, and 
the feeds will ripen in September. 
COLE WO RTS. See Brassica. 
COLLINSONIA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 38. The title 
of this plant was given to it by Dr. Linnaeus, in ho- 
nour of Mr. Peter Collinfon, F. R. S. a moft diftin- 
guifhed promoter of botanical ftudies, and the firft 
who introduced this plant, among many others, to 
the Englifh gardens. 
The Characters are. 
The flower hath a permanent empalement of one leaf, 
rut into five equal fegments at the top , the three upper 
being reflected, and the two under erebi. The flower is 
funnel Jh aped, of one petal which is unequal, and much 
longer than the empalement, cut into five parts at the 
top, the upper being Jhort and obtufte, two of them being 
reflexed ■, the lower lip or beard is longer, ending in many 
points. It hath two long briftly ftamina which are erell, 
terminated by incumbent fummits. It hath a quadrifid ob- 
tufe germen, with a large gland , fupporting a briftly ftyle 
the length of the ftamina , crowned by a pointed bifid ftig- 
ma. The germen afterward becomes a Jingle roundijh feed, 
fituated in the bottom of the empalement. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fec- 
tion of Linnaeus’s fecond clafs, intitled Diandria 
Monogynia, the flower having two ftamina and one 
ftyle. 
COL 
We have but one Species of this plant, viz. 
Collinsonia ( Canadenfis ) foliis cordans oppofitis. CoU 
linfonia with heart-fhaped leaves growing oppofiie. 
This plant was brought from Maryland, where it 
grows wild, as it alfo does in many other parts of 
North America, by the Tides of ditches, and in low 
moift ground, where it ufually rifes to the height of 
four or five feet •, but in England it feldom grows 
above three feet high, and unlefs it be planted In a 
moift warm fituation, or in dry weather is duly wa- 
tered, it rarely flowers well j therefore many people 
keep the plants in large pots, for the more convenient 
watering them, but thefe plants feldom produce 
good feeds whereas thofe which are planted in the 
full ground, and are conftantly watered, will ripen 
feeds very well in good feafons. 
This hath a perennial root. The ftalks decay in the 
autumn, and frefii fhoots ' come out in the fpring. 
The ftalks are fquare, garnifhed with heart- fliaped 
leaves, placed oppofite, which are fawed on their 
edges. The flowers are produced at the extremity of 
the ftalks in loofe fpikes ; thefe have long tubes, and 
are divided into five parts at the top •, they are of a 
urplifh yellow, and the lower fegment is terminated 
y long hairs. The flowers appear in July, and the 
feeds ripen in autumn. 
This plant may be eafiiy propagated by parting the 
roots in Gdtober. Thefe roots fhould be planted at 
three feet diftance, for they require much nourifh- 
ment, otherwife they will not thrive. This plant 
will live in the open ground, if it is planted in a ftiel- 
tered fituation. 
C O L O C A S I A. See Arum. 
C O L O C Y N T H I S. See Cucurbita. 
COLUMBINE. See Aquilegia. 
COLUMNEA. Plum. Nov. Gen. 28. tab. 33. 
Lin. Gen. Plant. 710. The title of this genus was 
given to it by Plumier, in honour of Fabius Columna, 
a nobleman of Rome, who has publifhed two curious 
. books of botany. 
The Characters are, 
The flower hath a permanent empalement of one leaf, cut 
into five parts at the top •, it hath one petal, oft the ( rin - 
gent) or griming kind, having a long flwelling tube, di- 
vided above into two lips, the upper being erebi, concave , 
and entire •, the lower is divided into three parts which 
flpread open : it hath four ftamina, two being longer than 
the other •, thefe are inclofed in the upper lip, and are ter- 
minated by fingle fummits. In the center is fituated the. 
roundijh germen, fupporting a fender ftyle, crowned by a 
bifid aiute ftigma. The germen afterward becomes a 
globular berry with two cells, fitting on the empale- 
ment, and is oft the flame magnitude , containing feveral ob- 
long feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedtion 
of Linnaeus’s fourteenth clafs, intitldd Didynamia 
Angiofpermia. The flowers of this clafs have two 
long and two fhort ftamina, and thofe of this fedtion 
have their feeds inclofed in a capfule. 
We have but one Species of this plant in the Eng- 
lifh gardens, viz. 
Columnea ( Scandens ). Lin. Sp. Plant. 638. Columnea 
fcandens, Phoeniceo flore, fructu albo. Plum. Nov. 
Gen. 28. Climbing Columnea with a fcarlet flower and a 
white fruit. Plumier mentions a variety of this, with 
a yellowifti flower and a white fruit. But this is only 
a feminal variation fuppofed to have accidentally rifen 
from the feeds of the firft. » y 
I received feeds of the fcarlet fort from Carthagena in 
New Spain, where the plants grew naturally. This 
hath a climbing ftalk, which fattens itfelf to the neigh- 
bouring plants, whereby it is fupported. The leaves 
are oval, fawed on their edges, and ftancl upon fhort 
foot-ftalks ; thefe, and alfo the ftalks, are very hairy j 
but the plants decayed the following year, before they 
produced any flowers, fo that I can give no defcrip- 
tion of them. 
Thefe plants are natives of the warmeft parts of A- 
merica, fo are too tender to live in England, unlefs 
they are preferved in the ftovej they are. propagated 
by 
