155 
CONVOLVULUS. 
(be open ground, and they fucceeded very well, pro¬ 
ducing Bowers in June, July, and Auguft, and ripening 
the feeds in September ; but it was cultivated before in 
1596, by Gerarde. Scammony is a gummy refin ob¬ 
tained from the milky juice of the root, by clearing 
away the earth from the upper part of it, and cutting off 
the top in an oblique direction about two inches below 
where the ftalks fpring from it; then under the mold de¬ 
pending part of the flope, a ffiell, or other convenient 
receptacle, is fixed for the juice to run into. This juice 
gradually hardening, is the genuine fcammony. It is 
brought from Aleppo and Smyrna. Scammony appears 
to have been well known to the Greek and Arabian phy- 
ficians, who ufed it for various other purpofes, as well as 1 
by way of a purgative. It is a ftimulating cathartic ; 
but fomewhat uncertain in its operation. The dole is 
generally from three to twelve grains. It is frequently, 
and indeed generally, employed in compofiiion with 
other ingredients. 
4. Convolvulus Sibericus, or Siberian bindweed : 
leaves cordate, acuminate, even ; peduncles one-flower¬ 
ed ; root annual; flem.fix feet high ; native of Siberia ; 
flowers in July and Auguft. 
5. Convolvulus farinofus, or mealy-ftalked bindweed : 
leaves cordate, acuminate, repand; peduncles three- 
flowered ; (lent mealy ; perennial. Native of Madeira ; 
flowering in May and June. 
6. Convolvulus medium, or arrow-headed bindweed : 
leaves linear, haftate T acuminate-; ears toothed ; pedun¬ 
cles one-ftowed ; calyxes fagittate. It flowers in July 
and Auguft, and is annual. 
7. Convolvulus Japonicus, or Japan bindweed ; leaves 
haftate lanceolate, the fide leaves one-toothed ; pedun¬ 
cles one-flowered. Native of Japan, where it is alfo cul¬ 
tivated ; flowers from May to July. 
S. Convolvulus panduratus, or Virginian bindweed : 
leaves cordate, entire, panduriform ; calyxes even. Na’- 
{ive of Carolina and Virginia; flowers from June to 
September. 
9. Convolvulus Carolinus, or Carolina bindweed : 
leaves cordate, entire, and three-lobed, villofe ; calyxes 
even ; capfules hirfute ; peduncles one or two-flowered. 
Cultivated in the Eltham garden, from feeds fent among 
rice from Carolina; 
10. Convolvulus hederaceus, or ivy-leaved bindweed : 
leaves cordate, entire, and three-lobed ; corollas undi¬ 
vided ; fruits eredt. This differs from the next fpecies, 
which it othervvife very much refembles, in having the 
upper leaves, and fometimes the lower, entire, whereas 
in that they are all angular; the flowers alfo are much 
larger ; they are folitary, on very ftiort peduncles ; of a 
very elegant blue colour, with a whitifh bafe. It is an 
annual plant, and native of Alia, Africa, and America. 
11. Convolvulus nil, or blue or azure bindweed: 
leaves cordate, three-lobed; corollas half five-cleft; pe¬ 
duncles. fhortcr than the petiole. This alfo is an annual 
plant, rifing with a twining ftalk eight or ten feet high ; 
leaves woolly, ending in fharp points, and on lqng pe¬ 
tioles. Each peduncle fuftains two flowers of a very 
deep blue-colour, whence its name of anil or nil, indigo. 
This is one of the moft beautiful of the genus. Some 
have fuppofed it to be only a variety of the twelfth fort; 
but the leaves have three deeply divided lobes, whereas 
in the other they are entire. It flowers all the latter 
part of the fuminer; and in good feafons the feeds ripen 
Well in the open air. It is a native of America, and was 
cultivated before 1597, by Gerarde, but peri (bed before 
it ripened its feeds. This fpecies is now rarely met with 
in our gardens. 
12. Convolvulus purpureus, or purple bindweed: 
leaves cordate, undivided; fruits drooping; pedicels 
thickened. It is commonly known in the gardens by 
the name of convolvulus major. There are three or four 
lading varieties of it; the moft common has a purple 
flower; but there is one with a white, a fecond with a 
4 < 
red, and a third with a whitifh blue, flower and white 
feeds. Thefe plants, if properly iupported, will rife 
ten or twelve feet high ; they flower in June, July, and 
Auguft, and will continue till the froft kills them. 
Their feeds ripen in autumn. Native of America and 
the Weft Indies. 
13. Convolvulus angularis: leaves cordate, five-cor¬ 
nered, quite entire, villofe; peduncles many-flowered. 
Native of Java. 
14. Convolvulus obfeurus, or hairy bindweed : leaves 
cordate, undivided ; ftem fomewhat pu’oefcent; pedun¬ 
cles thickened, one-flowered; calyxes fmooth. Native 
of China, Cochin-china, Batavia, Ceylon, and Surinam; 
flowering in Auguft. 
15. Convolvulus batatas, or tuberous-rooted bind¬ 
weed, or Spanifh potatoes: leaves cordate, haftate, five- 
nerved ; ftem creeping, tuber-bearing, hifpid. Native 
of both Indies, alfo of China, Cochin-china, &c. But 
it is affirmed, that it was unknown in the Philippine 
and Molucca iflands before the Spaniards brought it 
there. In Amboyna, Banda, Ternate, &c. the inhabi¬ 
tants add Cajlcla to the name, as having derived it from 
the Caftilians or Spaniards. Gerarde cultivated it in 
1597. He calls thefe roots potatus, potadcs, or potatoes, 
and fays that they are by fome named Jkirrits of Peru. 
He bought the roots at the exchange in London, and 
they flouriflied in his garden until winter, at which time 
they periflied and rotted. Neither he, nor Parkinfon, 
nor any of the old botanifts, were acquainted with the 
fructification, infomuch that Clufius could not learn 
whether this plant bore flower or fruit; and Marcgraaf 
affirmed that it had none. Ray fagacioufly conjectured 
the batatas to be a convolvulus. It came firft into Spain 
from the Weft Indies, or the Spanifh Main. The roots 
are annually imported into England from Spain and Por¬ 
tugal. They were the common potatoes of our old 
Englifh writers, the roots which are now fo generally 
cultivated among us under that name being then little 
known'. The roots of batatas, or Spanifh potatoes, are 
fweet, fapid, and efteemed nourifhing. They are very 
commonly cultivated in all the tropical climates ; where 
they eat not only tile roots, but the young leaves and 
tender fhoots boiled. 
1 6'. Convolvulus biflorus : leaves cordate, pub'efeent ; 
peduncles in pairs; lobes of the corolla trifid. Native 
of China. 
17. Convolvulus verticillatus : leaves cordate, ob¬ 
long, naked ; peduncles umbellate, bifid, many-flower¬ 
ed. Native of America. 
18. Convolvulus umbellatus, or umbelled bindweed: 
leaves cordate ; peduncles umbellate. Native of the 
We ft-Indian iflands ; flowers in June and July. 
19. Convolvulus Malabaricus, or Malabar bindweed : 
leaves cordate, fmooth ; ftem perennial, villofe. Native 
of the Eaft Indies and Cochin-china: 
20. Convolvulus Canarienfvs, or Canary bindweed : 
leaves cordate, pubefeent; ftem perennial, villofe ; pe¬ 
duncles many-flowered. It flowers in June, July, and 
Auguft, and fometimes ripens feeds h .re. Native of the 
Canary Iflands, Cochin-china, &c. 
21. Convolvulus inuricatus, or rough-ftaiked bind¬ 
weed: leaves cordate; peduncles thickened, they and 
the calyxes even ; ftem muricate. This bears a great 
refemblance to convolvulus purpureus; but the ftalk is 
very fmooth, and has harmlefs prickles fcattered overit. 
Native of Surat-; annual; flowers in July and Auguft'. 
22. Convolvulus anceps : leaves cordate ; ftem-keeled 
on both flues, Native of Ceylon and Java. 
23. Convolvulus turpethum, or fquare-ftalked bind¬ 
weed, or turbith : leaves cordate, angular ; ftem mem¬ 
branaceous, quadrangular ; peduncles many-flowered. 
Root perennial, having thick flefhy tubers, fpreading' 
far in the ground; and abounding with a milky juice, 
which flows out when they are broken or wounded, and. 
loon hardens into a refinous fubltance, when expofed to 
