two feet high, which generally incline to the ground ; 
thefe are garnifned at each joint with one winged leaf, 
compofed of five, fix, or feven lobes, which rife 
above each other, the middle being the largefc ; the 
lower dirninifhing, and with their bafe embrace the 
ftalks ; thefe are deeply fawed on their edges, fmooth 
above, of a light green, and hoary on their under 
fide. The flowers are produced at the top of the 
ftalks, three or four together on fhort foot-ftalks ; 
thefe have a large fpreading empalement, which is 
red on the upper fide, and divided at the top into 
ten parts •, in the center fits the five petals, which are 
red, and not more than a third part the fize of the 
empalement ; within thefe are fituated many germen, 
attended by twenty or more ftamina, terminated by 
dark fummits. After the flower is paft, the recep- 
tacle which fits in the bottom of the empalement, 
becomes a fieiliy fruit, fomewhat like a Strawberry, 
but flatter, including a great number of pointed 
feeds. It flowers in July, and the feeds ripen in 
autumn. 
As thefe plants are natives of bogs, they are with 
difficulty preferved in gardens, for they muft be 
planted in a foil as near to that of their natural growth 
as poffible ; they are very apt to fpread much at the 
root, when in a proper flotation : fo whoever is in- 
clinable to preferve thefe plants, may remove them 
from the places of their growth in Odtober ; and if 
they are planted on a bog, there will be no danger 
of the plants fucceeding. There are a few of thefe 
plants now growing upon a bog at Hampftead, which 
were planted there fome years ago; but the neareft 
place to London, where they grow wild in plenty, is 
in the meadows near Guilford in Surry. 
COM MELINA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 58. Plum. Nov. 
Gen. 48. tab. 38. Zanonia. Plum. Nov. Gen. 38. tab. 
38. This plant was fo called by father Plunder, from 
Dr. Commeline, a famous profeffor of botany at Am- 
fterdam. 
The Characters are, 
It hath a permanent fpatha , which is large , heart-Jhaped , 
comprefl'ed, and fhut together. The flower hath fix con- 
cave petals , three or four of which are fmall and oval , 
{thefe are frequently taken for the empalement) the other 
are large , roundijh , and coloured. It hath three nedia- 
riums , ( which have been fnppofed to be ftamina ;) thefe 
have proper ftamina , which Jit horizontal and are Jhaped 
like a crofts. ‘There are three awl-Jhaped ftamina , which 
recline , and fit about thofe of the nedlarium , which are 
terminated by oval fummits. In 'the center is fituated a 
roundifih germen , fiupporting a twining ftyle , crozvned by 
a fimgle ftigma. The germen afterward becomes a naked 
globular capfule , with three furrows , having three cells , 
each- containing two angular feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fection of 
Linnaeus’s third clafs, intitled Triandria Monogynia, 
the flower having three ftamina and one ftyle; to 
this genus he has joined the Zanonia of Plunder, 
which was feparated by that author from Commelina, 
becaufe the flower has three petals, and his Commelina 
but two ; whereas the feveral fpecies of this genus 
moft of them differ in the number of their petals, 
fome having two green, and four coloured petals, 
others are equal, and fome have four green, and but 
two coloured petals. 
The Species are, 
2. Commelina ( Communis ) corollis inasqnalibus, folds 
ovato-lanceolatis, acutis, caule procumbente, glabro. 
Hart. IJpfal. 18. Commelina with unequal petals, oval . , 
fpear -jhaped, pointed leaves , and a fmooth trailing ft alk. 
Commelina procumbens annua, faponariae folio. Hort. 
Ekh. 93. tab. 78. 
2. Commelina .( Eredla ) corollis inasquaiibus, folds 
ovato-lanceolatis, caule erefto, fcabro, fimpliciffxmo. 
Hort. Upfal. 18. Commelina with unequal petals, oval 
fpear fo aped leaves , and a Jingle , upright , rough ft alk. 
Commelina erecta, ampliore fubcaeruleo flore. Hort. 
Elth. 94. tab. 78. 
3. Commelina ( Africana ) corollis inasqualibus, folds 
lanceolatis, glabris, obtufis, caule repente. Lin. Sp, 
Plant. 41. Commelina with unequal petals, fmooth, fpear* 
Jhaped, obtufe leaves , and a creeping ftalk. Commelina 
procumbens, flore luteo. Prod. Ley d. 538. 
4. Commelina ( Tuberofa ) corollis gequalibus folds ovato- 
lanceolatis, fubcilliatis. Hort. Upfal. 18. Commelina 
with equal petals , and oval fpear -Jhaped leaves, which are 
hairy on their under fide. Commelina radice anacamp- 
ferotidis. Hort. Elth. 94. tab. 79. 
5. Commelina ( Zanonia ) corollis aequalibus, pedun- 
culis incrafiatis, foliis lanceolatis, vaginis laxis mar-* 
gine hirfutis brafteis geminis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 61. 
Commelina with equal petals, thick foot-ftalks to the 
flower, fpear-floaped leaves , a loofle hood, and- double 
bradlea. Zanonia graminea perfoliata. Plum. Nov. 
Gen. 38. 
There are fome other fpecies of this genus, but thofe 
which are here enumerated, are all that I have feen 
growing in the Englifh gardens. 
Tlie firft fort grows naturally in the iflands in the 
Weft-Indies, and alfo in Africa ; this is an annual 
plant, which hath feveral trailing ftalks, that put 
out roots at the joints, which ftrike into the ground; 
at each joint is placed one oval fpear-lhaped leaf, 
ending in a point, embracing the ftalk with its bafe, 
and hath feveral longitudinal veins: they are of a deep 
green, and fmooth. The flowers come out from the 
bofom of the leaves, included in a fpatha, which is 
compreffed and Ihut up, each having two or three 
flowers, Handing upon fhort foot-ftalks, compofed of 
two large blue petals, and four fmall green ones, 
which have generally been termed the empalement 
of the flower ; within thefe are fituated three nefta- 
riums, each having a flender ftamina fixed on the 
fide; thefe furround the germen, which afterward be* 
comes a roundifh capfule having three cells, in each 
of thefe is lodged two angular feeds. It flowers in 
June and July, and the feeds ripen in autumn. This 
plant was titled Ephemeron flore dipetalo, by fome 
of the older writers on botany. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Penfylvania, from 
whence I received the feed ; this hath a perennial 
root, compofed of many white fibres; the ftalks rife a 
foot and a half high, are upright, rough, herbaceous, 
and about the fize of quills ; thefe have a Angle leaf 
at each joint, fhaped like thofe of the firft fort, and 
embrace the ftalks with their bafe ; the flowers come 
out from the bofom of the leaves at the upper part 
of the ftalk, fitting upon fhort foot-ftalks ; they are 
of a pale bluifh colour, and are fucceeded by feeds 
as the firft fort. This flowers about the fame time 
with the firft, but the feeds do not often ripen in 
England. 
The third fort grows naturally in Africa ; this hath 
a fibrous root, which fends out many trailing ftalks 
three feet long, which fend out roots at every joint, 
and from them many more fhoots are produced ; fo 
that where the plants are in a proper degree of warmth, 
and have room to fpread, they will cover a large fur- 
face of ground. The leaves of this fort are very 
like thofe of the firft, but the flowers are larger and 
of a deep yellow colour ; the petals of this are heart- 
fhaped, and the feed-veffels are larger. This flowers in 
July, and the feeds ripen in autumn. 
The fourth fort grows naturally near Old Vera Cruz 
in New Spain, from whence the feeds were fent me 
by the late Dr. Houftoun. This hath a thick flefliy 
root compofed of feveral tubers, fomewhat like thofe 
of Ranunculus, feveral joining together at the top, 
where they form a head, and diminifh gradually 
downward ; from this arife one or two inclining ftalks, 
which fend out fide branches from their lower parts ; 
thefe are garniftied with oval fpear-fhaped leaves, part 
of which have long foot-ftalks, the others embrace 
the ftalks with their bafe ; they have iliort hairs on 
their under fide, and toward the ftalk, but are fmooth 
above, of a deep green colour, and clofe every 
evening, or in cold^weath-er. The flowers are pro- 
duced toward the upper part of the ftalks, from the 
bofom of the leaves, ftanding upon flender foot-ftalks ; 
thefe are compofed of three blue petals which are 
pretty 
