(>72 G O M 
2. Goinphia nitida, or clean goniphia: leaves ovate- 
lanceolate, acuminate, I’errate ; panicles terminating; 
calyxes equal to the corolla. Native of the Welt 
I ndies. 
3. Gompliia laevigata, or fmooth gomphia ; leaves 
lanceolate, very obtul'c, quite entire, emarginate ; pa¬ 
nicle terminating. Very Imooth. Native of the Eaft 
Indies. 
GOMPHI'ASJS, f. [Greek.]. A diftemper of the 
teeth, when they arc loofe, and ready to drop out. 
GOiViPliOLO'BIUM, f. In botany, a genus of the 
clals decandria, order monogynia. Generic characters— 
Calyx: Camp, mohite, limple, five-parted. Corolla; pa¬ 
pilionaceous; liigma limple, acute; legume ventricofe, 
one-celled, many-feeded. I'hcre is but one fpecies, a na- 
tiveot Vulhalaiia. 11 is a flirub, vv ith the leaves ternate 
or unevenly .pinnate. Prom the Linn. Tranf. vol. iv. 
GOM'PHOSI S, or Gompho'm.\, f. [yo/a.tpw/xa, Gr. 
from yrjij,(po;, a nail.] In anatomy, a lpecies;o.f articula¬ 
tion which refemble.s a nail driven in, of which the 
teeth in their lockets are an infiance., 
GOM'PHOSUS, f. [yoy.iBoc, Gr. a nail, from the 
fliape of the liiout.j The name of a genus of fillies in- 
fiituted by Cepede; for the fpecies of wdiich, lee La- 
BtR u s. 
GOMPHRK'N A, y. [of Pliny: from Gr. a 
nail, ki'.ob, -or button.] Gi.obe Am-vranth ; in bo¬ 
tany, a geti.us of the clals pentandria, order digynia, 
tiatural order amaranthi, JuJf. mifcellaneae, Linn. The 
generic charadfers are—Calyx : perianthium coloured ; 
outer three-leaved ; leaflets two, converging, keeled. 
Corolla: five-)ict died, upright; petals fubulate, per¬ 
manent, rude, villofe; nedlary, a cylindric tube, the 
length of the corolla, with a five-toothed, patulous, 
mouth. Stamina : filaments five, I'carcely obl'ervable, 
within tlie mouth of the neefary ; antherx upright, 
clofing the mouth of the nectary. Piltillum: germ 
ovate, w'ifh ;t point ; liyle cloven half way, filiform ; 
ftigmas limple, the length of the liamens. Pericar- 
pium: capfule roundilli, circumcifed. Seed: fingle, 
large, roundilh, with an oblique tip.— f.Jjh)tial CharaBer. 
Calyx, coloined ; outer, three-leaved; leaflets, two, 
converging, keeled ; petals,rude, villofe ; nectary, cy¬ 
lindric, five-toothed ; ftyle, cloven halfway; capfule, 
one-feeded. 
Species. 1. Gomphrena globofa, or annual globe 
amaranth : fiem upright ; leaves ovate-lanceolate ; 
lieads folitary ; peduncles two-leaved. This is an an¬ 
nual plant, rifing with an upright btvmching (talk, about 
two feet high ; leaves oppolite, fellile, quite entire, 
hilpid ; branci.es and peduncles al(o oppolite; the lat¬ 
ter axillary, long and naked, except that there are two 
fbort leaves dole under eac h head of flowers ; thefe 
heads at tfieir firff appearance are globid;ir, but as they 
increafe in fize become oval. Native of India. It was 
cultivated in 1714 by the duchefs of Beaufort; but 
Was not common m the Engliih gardens till 1725. It 
w'as raiftd firff in liolland about 1670. Mr. Miller fays 
that he received feeds of the white fort from Plolland 
in 1722. 1 he flowering head.s are be.iutiful, and, if ga¬ 
thered before they tire too far advanced, will retain 
their beauty (everal years. 1 he feed ripens late in au¬ 
tumn, ami the plant decays foon after. 
'1 here are two varietie.s, one with fine bright purple 
lieads, tlie other lia-. wliiie or illvery heads, and tlieie 
never alter fioin leeds, fo tliat they are permtinent varie¬ 
ties, riiou, ri in other refpeefs they do not differ. There 
are li-o f. o \ .ir’ iie of this whieli giow naturally in the 
V, ir irdn , 01.e purple, and tlie other with white 
f - I im. i.a:- n.ii-di f 'uuitr and .•■junder than thufe 
ber.re-.ni,.:i:iin'.. .1 lie ni.'.nts glow much larger, and 
fore;.., i no bruidic,-, and they are later before 
(hr) hawver, in ibir. ;!i reld leifnis ti.c feeds rarely ripen 
in-Kngbon'i; ihe'r .ai'e called bachelors buttons by the mha- 
bitaiito ol fbmerica. l.oureiro ailo metUions a variety 
G O M 
in Cochinchina, with white ovate heads, in which all 
the florets arc fertile; whereas in the purple variety 
moll of them are barren. 
2. Gomphrena perennis, or perennial globe amaranth : 
leaves lanceolate; heads tw'o-leaved ; florets Separated 
by a proper perianth. Stems upright, hairy, flender; 
heads of flowers terminating, fniall, fpreading fo that 
the calyxes appear difilntt; they are of a pale firaw- 
colour, and appear in July. It was cultivated in the 
Ehhaiu garden before 1732, and was tliere raifed from 
feeds brought from Buenos Ayres. 
3. Gomphrena hifpida, or hairy globe-amaranth : 
ftem upriglit ; heads two-leaved ; leaves crenate. 
Height a cubit and half; iieads of flowers rounded- 
oblong, at firfl white, imt becoming blue. Native of 
Malabar. 
4. Gomphrena Brafilienfis, or Br.Tilian globe-ama. 
rantb : leaves ovate-oblong; ftem upright; heads pe- 
duncled, globular, leaflefs. This is fomewhat higher 
tlian the firff fort ; <he heads are white, fmaller, and 
compofed of liualler calyxes, without any leaves at the 
b.ife. Native of Brafil. 
5. Gom))hrena ferrata, or ferrated globe-amaranth : 
ffem upright, brachiate ; heads folitary, terminating, 
fellile ; calyxes ferrate. Stems more flender and tall 
than thof'e of the firff, and growing irregularly • leaves 
fmaller, but of the fame fhape ; flow ers infpikes at the 
ends of the branches, broken or divided into three or 
four parts, fmall, and of a pale purple colour. The 
lecds were fent by Dr. Houfloun from Campeachy ; and 
it was cultivated by Mr. Miller before 1733. 
6. Gomphrena intenupta, or interrupted globe-ama¬ 
ranth : ftem almoft upright ; fpike interrupted. Root 
annual ; ffem flirubby at the bottom, from one to two 
feet high. Native of dry f.tndy fields in the fouthern 
parts of Jamaica ; and other parts of the Weff Indies. 
Introduced into Kew garden in 17^4 by Monf. Thouin. 
See Ce 1,0 SI A proenmbeus. 
7. Gomphrena flava, or yellow globe-amaranth ; pe¬ 
duncles oppolite, bifid, three-headed; middle head fef- 
file. Native of Vera Cruz, where it was found by 
Houftoun. 
8. Gomphrena arborefeens, or arborefeent goniphre- 
na : arborefeent, hairy, fomewhat twining. Found in 
New Granada, by Minis. 
9. Gomphrena angulfifolia, or rough-leaved globe- 
amaranth : leaves linear-lanceolate, fmooth ; heads ter¬ 
minating, oblong, fubtriphylions. Native of tlie Eaft 
Indies, where it was found by Koenig. 
Propagation and Culture. The fiiTt fort is a very.orna¬ 
mental plant in gardens, and is now very commonly 
cultivated in the Engliih gardens. In. Portugal, and 
other warm countries, it is cultivated to adorn their 
churches in the winter ; for if the flowers are gathered 
wfien tliey are fully grown, and dried in the fliade, they 
will retain their beauty a long time, efpecially if they 
are not expofed to the air; this plant is annual, and 
therefore is only propagated by feeds, which (liould be 
fown on a good hot-bed the beginning of March ; but 
if the feeds are not taken out of their chaffy covering, 
it will be proper to foak them in water for twelve hours 
before they are fown, which will greatly facilitate their 
growing. 'Adien the plants are come up half an inch 
high, they fhould be tranf'planted on a frefli hot-bed, at 
about four inches diftance, obferving to fhade them till 
they have taken root ; then the) Ihould have frelh air 
admitted to them every day, in proportion to-thc warmth 
of the fealon ; tliey will all'o leqiiire to be frequently 
refrellied with water. In about a month's time, if the 
hot-bed is of a proper w'annth, the plants will have 
grown fo large as nearly to meet, thereiore they will re¬ 
quire more room, otherwife they will draw up weak ; 
tlien a frelti hot-bed Ihould be prepared, into which 
there Ifioiud be a fufficient number of three-farthing 
pots plunged, filled with light rich earth, and when the 
