142 
GYP 
vate. 3. Gynepogon fcandens, or climbing gynopogon: 
leaves oppofite, ovate, ribbed. Natives of the iflands 
of the South Seas. The firft of the Society and Friendly 
iflands; the fecond of Norfolk ifland ; and the third of 
the Society iflands. At Otaheite in May 1774. 
GYP'SEY. See Gipsy. 
GYP'SISM.y. The profefflon of a gipfy.—The com¬ 
panion of his travels is fome foule funne-burnt queane, 
that fince the terrible ftatute recanted gypfifme. Overbury. 
GYPSOPH'ILA, f. [from yv^/os and Gr. as 
being fond of a gypfeous or calcareous foil.] In bdtany, 
a genus of the clafs decandria, order digynia, natural 
order of caryophyllei. The generic characters are—Ca¬ 
lyx : perianthium bell-fhaped, angular, five-parted; leaf¬ 
lets ovate, permanent. Corolla: petals five, ovate, ob- 
tufe,-fpreading, fubfeflile. Stamina : filaments fubulate, 
fpreading; antherae roundifh. Piftillum: germ almoft 
globular; fiyles filiform, gaping; fiigmas Ample. Pe- 
ricarpium : capfule globular, one-celled, five-valved. 
Seeds: very many, roundilh— EJfential Char after. Calyx 
one-leafed, bell-fhaped, angular; petals five, ovate, 
feflile; capfule globular, one:celled. A leaf of this 
genus is fhewn in the Botany Plate VI. fig. 2. 
Species. 1. Gypfophila repens, or creeping gypfophila : 
leaves lanceolate, (tamens Ihorter than the emarginate 
corolla. The whole plant is fmooth. Root perennial, 
woody, very long,' as thick as the little finger. Stems 
many, in a clofe tuft, fpread every way, half a foot in 
length, perennial; branches herbaceous, ereft, from three 
to fix inches high, fimple, reddifli at the joints, forming 
an imperfectly trichotomous panicle at the top. Leaves 
lanceolate-linear, acute, glaucous, thick, feflile, oppo- 
fite, feldom' fo long as an inch. FTowers remote, few, 
on bifid or trifid peduncles. Native of Siberia, Auftria, 
Swiflerland, and Provence; flowering in September. 
2. Gypfophila proftrata, or trailing gypfophila : leaves 
lanceolate, fmooth and even, ftalks diffu fed, piftils longer 
than the bell-fhaped corolla. Root perennial. Stems 
fevefal, fmooth, round, about a foot in length, reddilh 
at the joints. Panicle brachiate, trichotomous, the 
middle peduncle more fimple than the others. Corolla 
white, (Miller and Plukenet fay purplifh;) petals ob- 
tufe, fpreading, channelled at the tip : ftamensonly halt 
the,length of the corolla; fiyles a little longer than it. 
It much refembles the foregoing; but differs in the root 
hardly creeping ; the joints of the ftalk being lefs pur¬ 
ple ; the leaflets of the calyx not keeled ; the corollas 
fmaller, and white, not reddifh ; the anthers yellow; 
the fiyles diverging, longer than the petal ; and the 
leaves lefs flefhy. It flowers from June to September. 
Its native ’country is not certainly known; but it is fup- 
pofed to come from fome of the mountainous parts of 
Europe. 
3. Gypfophila paniculata, or panicled gypfophila : 
leaves linear-lanceolate, the lower ones fcabrous ; fta- 
mens minute ; fiyles longer than the corolla. Native of 
Hungary, flowering in July and Auguft; alfo of Siberia 
and Tartary, according to Mr. Miller, who cultivated 
it in 1759, a »d to whom the feeds were lent from Peterf- 
burgh. 
4. Gypfophila vifcofa, or clairpny gypfophila : leaves 
ovate-lanceolate, fmooth and even, at the bafe cordate 
and clafping, the internodes of the branches clammy in 
the middle, petals retufe. Root annual, flender. Plant 
from a long f pan to a foot in height, very fmooth, glau¬ 
cous. Stem ere6I, flender, branched almoft from the 
bottom. Branches oppofite, i'nferted croflwife, gibbous 
at the bale, elongated, afcending. Leaves fomewhat 
flefhy, acute, an inch and a half long, fpreading very 
.much. Native of the Levant; flowers'in June and July. 
5. Gypfophila adfcendens: leaves lanceolate-linear, 
ftalks profirate, corolla, ftamens, and piftils, all of the 
fame length. Root perennial, whitifh, branched, and 
woody. Stems very many, round, fmooth, much joint¬ 
ed, leafy, herbaceous, purple at the bafe and procum- 
G Y P 
bent, then afcending. Branches numerous; leaves en¬ 
tire, glaucous, pulpy, fharpifh, feflile, and oppofite. 
6. Gypfophila altiflima, or upright gypfophila: leaves 
lanceolate, three-nerved, ftalks flraight. This differs 
from the next fpecies, in being twice or four times the 
fize in all the parts. The ftrudture is the fame, but yet 
it is a different fpecies. The ftalk is upright, and afoot 
and a half in height ; the leaves are the length and 
breadth of a finger. It is perennial. Native of Siberia, 
and flowers in July. 
7. Gypfophila ftruthium, or fhrubby gypfophila : 
leaves linear, flefhy, axillary, crowded, columnar. Stem 
fhrubby at the bottom, with- leafy rudiments from the 
axils of the leaves, which are longer than the internodes, 
and acute at the end. Flowers in corymbs, white, with 
ovate petals. The ancients ufed this plant inft ad of 
foap; and it (till anfwers this purpofe in fome parts of 
Spain, where it grows naturally. It flowers in July and 
Auguft. 
8 . Gypfophila faftigiata, or triangular-leaved gypfo¬ 
phila : leaves lanceolate-linear, obfcurely three-corner¬ 
ed, fmooth and even, obtufe, direfted one way. Root 
perennial, very long, the thicknefs of a finger, white, 
woody. Stalks feveral, ftiff, jointed, fmooth, more than 
a foot long, branched, ending in a denfe faftigiate cyme 
of flowers. Leaves glaucous-green, oppofite, feflile, em¬ 
bracing the joints of the ftalk with their broad bafes, 
quite entire; the uppermoft very final! ; next the root 
very many, two inches long, and a line and a half broad-; 
between the peduncles fmall white ftipules. The ftalks 
in this fpecies are procumbent before the flowers expand, 
which is not the cafe in G. proftrata; hence-the flowers 
in this are all directed one way. Linnaeus obferves, that 
the flowers in Sweden are always white, and that in its 
wild ftate they are faftigiate. The root, as iri the fore¬ 
going fpecies, has a faponaceous quality, and boiled with 
linen or woollen may be ufed inftead of foap. Hence the 
name offaponaria. It is bitter, and has a folvenl ape¬ 
rient quality. Native of Sweden, Germany, Swiflerland, 
France, and Siberia. It flowers from June to Auguft. 
Cultivated in 1759 by Mr. Miller. 
9. Gyfophila perfoliata, or perfoliate gypfophila : 
leaves ovate-lanceolate, half-ftem-clafping. Root peren¬ 
nial, ftrong, flefhy, ftriking deep into the ground, fend¬ 
ing up ftalks two and three feet in height, as thick as 
the little finger at the bottom, fwelling at the joints, 
branching at fhort intervals from the top to the bottom. 
Native of Spain and the Levant; flowering in July and 
Auguft. 
10. Gypfophila muralis, or wall gypfophila : leaves 
linear, flat, calyxes leaflefs, ftalk dichotomous, petals 
crenate. Root annual, flender, fmall. Stalk diffufed, 
a fpan in length, weak, and therefore feldom upright. 
Leaves very narrow, an inch and a half long, a line in 
breadth, bright green. Native of Lapland, Sweden, 
Germany, Swiflerland, France, and Siberia. It flowers 
with us from June to October. 
11. Gypfophila rigida, or ftiff gypfophila : leaves li¬ 
near, flat, ftalk dichotomous, peduncles two-flowered, 
petals emarginate. .From a very fibrous root fpring nu¬ 
merous little ftems, n'ot more than a fpan high, jointed, 
branched. Flowers pale red. Native of the fouth of 
France, and alfo of Siberia. 
12. Gypfophila faxifraga, or fmall gypfophila : leaves 
linear, calyxes angular, with four fcales, corollas emar- 
, ginate. Root perennial, woody, branched. Stalks in 
tufts, procumbent, a long fpan, or about nine inches, in 
length, very much branched, bent, and changing their 
direction at each joint; but, according to Linnaeus, the 
ftalk is only three or four inches high, upright, filiform, 
and dichotomous. Native of France, Swiflerland, Auf¬ 
tria, and Carniola. It flowers in July and Auguft. In¬ 
troduced in 1774, by Monf. Richard’. 
13. Gypfopmla aggregata, See Arenaria tetra- 
quetra. 
Propagation 
