D E L P H 
and a half high. Leaves fmooth, and of a light green 
colour above, and hoary beneath, compofe'd of many 
narrow fegments, which terminate in feveral acute points. 
The flowers come put towards the upper part of the 
ftalks, fingly, each on- a long naked peduncle; they are 
large, and of a fine azure colour. They appear in June, 
and July, and the feeds ripen in autumn. Native of Si¬ 
beria. 
7. Delphinium intermedium, or palmated bee lark¬ 
fpur: nectaries two-leaved, with ovate, cloven, lips, 
and ovate divifions; leaves three-parted, with trifid, 
gafhed, divifions. Root perennial, with annual Items 
growing to the height of fix or feven feet. Mr. Miller 
had firfl: fet this down as an American plant. After¬ 
wards he informs us that the feeds were fent him from 
Peterlburgh by the late Dr. Ammann : he therefore fup- 
pofes it to be a native of Siberia or Tartary ; it turns 
out however to be a native of Silefia. It feems to be 
the variety of delphinium elatum mentioned by Krocker. 
8. Delphinium elatum, or. common bee larkfpur : 
nectaries two-leaved, with ovate, emarginate, lips, and 
very fhort, unequal, divifions; leaves fubpeltate, three- 
parted, with multifid divifions. Height of a man; root 
perennial. Native of Swiflerland and Siberia; culti¬ 
vated in 1656, by John Tradefcant, jun. Flowers from 
June to September. 
9. Delphinium exaltatum, or American larkfpur: 
nectaries two-leaved, with oblong, cloven, lips, and 
lanceolate, equal, divifions; leaves-three-parted, with 
trifid divifions. Root perennial; ftem upright, five or 
fix feet high, branching ; the flowers are not much larger 
than thofe of the common larkfpur, and are of a pale 
blue colour ; the bearded nectary has, at firfl; fight, the 
appearance of a large fly in the tube of the flower. It 
flowers at the end of June, or beginning of July, and in 
cool feafons there is frequently a fucceflion of flowers 
till the end of Auguft. The feeds were fent to Mr. 
Miller by Mr. John Bartram, about 1758, from Phila¬ 
delphia; but it grows naturally in moft parts of North 
America, where it occafions great diforders in the cattle 
that feed upon the leaves. 
10. Delphinium puniceum, or fcarlet-flowered lark¬ 
fpur: lips of theneftary two-parted, hairy ; hornftraight; 
leaves many-parted ; no calycine bractes. This differs 
from all the other 1'orts in the dulky red colour of the 
flowers. It is a perennial plant; found in Siberia, by 
Pallas; introduced, 1785, by W,‘ Pitcairn, M. D. 
11. Delphinium llaphifagria, palmated larkfpur, ftavef- 
acre, or louftwort: nedfaries four-leaved, fhorter than 
the petal; leaves palmate, with the lobes obtufe. This 
is an annual plant, fifing with a ftrong hairy ftaik about 
two feet high ; the flowers form a loofe fpike at the up¬ 
per part of the ftaik, each on a fhort peduncle ; they are 
of a pale blue or purple colour. Linnaeus obferves, 
that the lobes of the leaves are trifid; horn of the nec¬ 
tary very fhort and obtufe. A variety with leaves veined 
with white, differs in having the leaf gafhed, feven- 
parted, the divifions acuminate, the horn or fpur of the 
corolla not obfcure, but the length of the pedicel. 
Native of the fouth of Europe ; cultivated in 1596, by 
Gerarde ; flowers from April to Augufl, and is biennial. 
The common people ufe the powder of the feed to kill 
lice, whence it is named loafewort. 
Propagation and Culture. The annual forts are propa¬ 
gated by feeds, which fhould be fown where the plants 
are defigned to remain, for they do not bear tranfplanting 
well, especially if they are not removed very young ; 
thofe feeds fown in autumn, produce the ftrongeft plants 
and mofl double flowers, and ripen their feeds better 
than thofe fown in the fpring, as they come earlier to 
flower; but to continue a fucceflion of thefe flowers, 
there fhould be fome fown in the fprjng. When fown 
on the borders of the flower-garden for ornament, they 
fhould be in patches of about a foot diameter, in the 
middle of the borders, at proper diftancesj in each of 
2 
I N I U M. 683 
thefe patches may be fcattered ten or a dozen feeds, co¬ 
vering them over about a quarter of an inch with earth ; 
and in the fpring the plants may be thinned, leaving 
about five or fix of the upright fort in each patch to 
fiand for flowering'; but of the branching fort, not more 
than three or four, becaufe thefe require room ; after 
this the plants will require no farther care but to keep 
them clean from weeds; and, when they begin to flower, 
they fhould be fupported by flicks to prevent their being 
broken by wind, especially if they are not in a flieltOred 
fituation. If the feeds were well chofen, there will be 
very few ordinary flowers among them ; and if there are 
feeds ot the different coloured flowers fown in each patch, 
they will make a pleating variety: but the upright fort 
fhould never be mixed in the fame patches with the 
branching, becaufe they do not flower at the fame time. 
But in order to preferve the two forts fine without dege¬ 
nerating to Angle or bad colours, there fhould be a bed 
of each fort fown in autumn, in fome feparate part of 
the garden, where the plants fhould be properly thinned, 
and kept clean from weeds, till they begin to fhew their 
flowers; when they fhould be carefully looked over every 
other dq.y, to pull out all thofe plants vvhofe flowers ara 
not very double nor of good colours; for, if thefe are 
permitted to Hand among the others till their farina has 
impregnated them, it will certainly caufe them to dege¬ 
nerate; fo that thofe perfons who are contented with 
only marking their good flowers for feed, and fuffer the 
others to ftand for feed among them, will always find 
themfelves difappointed in the goodnefs of their flowers 
the following feafon : therefore, thofe who propofe to 
have thefe flowers in perfection, fhould never gather the 
feeds of fuch as grew in the borders of the flower-gar¬ 
den ; becaufe there it will be almoft impofllble to pre¬ 
ferve them fo true, as when they are in beds at a diffance 
irom all other kinds. When the feed-veffels turn brown, 
they mull be carefully watched, to gather them before 
they open and difcharge their feeds ; becaufe thofe which 
are lituated on the lower part of the ftaik, will open long 
before thofe on the upper part of the ftaik are ripe ; for 
which reafon the pods fhould from time to time be gat 
thered as they ripen, and not fuffered to ftand till the 
ftalks are pulled up, which is often praCtifed. Thofe 
pods which are fituated on the lower part of the ftalks, 
are much preferable to fuch as grow near the top ; for 
which reafon thofe who are very curious in the choice of 
their feeds, crop off the upper part of the fpikes of flow¬ 
ers, and never fuffer them to ftand for feeds. As thefe. 
plants are very hardy, and require fo little care in their 
culture, they are worthy of a place in every good gar¬ 
den; and, during their continuance in flower, there are 
few plants which make a better appearance ; for gather¬ 
ing to make flower-pots to adorn rooms, there isfcarcely 
any flower fo proper; becaufe by their upright growth 
and long fpikes, they rife to a proper height above the 
pots; and when the feveral colours are Ikilfully inter¬ 
mixed they make a rich appearance, and continue long 
in beauty. 
All the perennial larkfpurs are propagated by feeds, 
which, if fown in autumn, will more certainly fucceed 
than thofe which are fown in the fpring ; when the plants 
come up, they fhould be kept clean from weeds, and 
where they are too clofe together, part of them fhould 
be drawn out, to allow room for the others to grow till 
the following autumn, when they muft be planted where 
they are to remain; the following fummer they will 
flower, and the roots continuing many years growing in 
magnitude, will produce a great number of flower-ftalks. 
The feeds of ftavefacre fhould be fown where the plants 
are to remain. “ It is with great difficulty (fays Gerarde) 
preferved in our cold countries, albeit in fome mild win¬ 
ters, I have kept it covered over with a little feme to 
defend it from the injury of the March wind, which doth 
more harm unto plants that come forth of hot countries, 
than doth the greateft froft.” This is a fenftble obfer- 
vation; 
