£03 L Y C 
Lyceums for the Rudy of natural pliilofophy were efta- 
bliftied about the fame time at Krzeminico and Winnica 
in Ruffian Poland. The library and philofophical appa¬ 
ratus of the late unfortunate king of Poland were pur- 
chafed for their ufe; and the. rich land-owners of the 
Ukraine and Volhynia contributed liberally to make the 
colleffion complete. Each has an obfervatory, extremely 
well furniflied with aftronomical inftruments. 
LY'CHEN. See Liechen, vol. xii. p. 627. 
LYCHNAN'THUS, f in botany. See Cucubalus. 
LYCH'NI SCABIO'SA. See Knautia. 
LYCHNIDE'A. See Buchnera, Erinus, Phlox, 
and Selago. 
LYCHNI'DUS, now Acrida , a city with a lake of the 
fame name, in Ulyricum. Livy. 
LYCH'NIS,yi [Gr. fignifying a lamp ; hence fome have 
fuppofed that its application arofe from the down of the 
plant having been ufed to make wicks for lamps. This, 
'however, by no means appears to have been the fact: the 
mod probable and apparent explanation of the name is 
from the refemblance of the calyx to a lantern, its tides 
being femi-tranfparent between the ribs or veins ; or the 
whole, in fome inftances, quite membranous, round, and 
inflated, like the horn lanterns (till ufed by the Chinefe. 
Pofiibly the appearance of the ftigmas, ftamens, or crown 
of the corolla, in feveral fpecies, might favour the idea 
of a lamp with its flame. See the Plate, fig. 1. We mutt 
recollect that this name of Lychnis has been always ufed, 
with great latitude, for all the Campion-tribe, by the old 
botanifts; though now reftrifted, by Linnams and his 
followers, to one particular genus of that family. The 
(hort mention in Diofcorides, of his is quite in- 
fufficient to determine either the wild or garden plant of 
which he fpeaks.] In botany, a genus of the clafs decan- 
dria, order pentagynia, natural order of caryophyllei. 
The generic characters are—Calyx : perianthium one- 
leafed, oblong, membranaceous, five-toothed, permanent. 
Corolla: petalsfive; clawsthe lengthof thecalyx, flat, mar¬ 
gined ; border often cloven, flat. Stamina : filaments ten, 
longer than the calyx, alternately (horter, each of thefe 
fixed to a claw of each petal; antherae incumbent. Pif- 
tillum : germ fubovate ; ftyles five, awl-fliaped, longer 
than the ltamens; ftigmas reflex againft the fun, pubef- 
cent. Pericarpium : capfule approaching to an ovate 
form, covered ; one, three, or five, celled, five-valved. 
Seeds : very many, roundifh.— EJfential Charader. Calyx 
one-leafed, oblong, even ; petals five, with claws, and a 
fubbifid border; capfule five-celled; (in mod one-celled. 
Gartner.) / 
Species. 1. Lychnis Chalcedonica, or fcarlet lychnis: 
flowers fafcicled, faftigiate. Of this there are three va¬ 
rieties ; two with Angle flowers, and one with double. 
Indeed, molt of the fpecies vary with double flowers. 
The Angle fcarlet lychnis has a perennial root: Items three 
feet high, upright, ftiff, round, jointed, hairy ; at every 
joint two large leaves of a brownifh green colour; flowers 
terminating, in a large flat-topped tuft, confiding of fe¬ 
veral bundles; corolla of a fcarlet or bright red orange 
colour, (var. a.) varying to white, bluth, and variable, 
that is, pale red, growing paler till it becomes almoft 
white, (var. ( 3 .) Native of Rufliaand Japan. Cultivated 
in 1596 by Gerard ; in his time it was common in almoft 
every garden ; but he does not mention any of the varie¬ 
ties. Parkinfon in 1629, and Johnfon in 1633, have the 
varieties ; but the latter fays, that “ the white and bluifh 
Angle and the double one are not to be found but in the 
gardens of our prime florilts.” Thefe authors call it, 
flower of Conftantinople, campion of Conftantinople, 
flower of Briftow, and nonefuch ; it feems to have loft 
thefe names, and to be known' generally by the name of 
fcarlet lychnis. The French 'call it lychnoide de Calcedoine , 
croix de Jerufalem, on de Malike ; the Italians alfo name 
it croce di cavaliere ; the Spaniards cruces de Jerufalem ; and 
the Portuguefe cruz de Malta . A kind of foap is occafi- 
onally made from the flowers. 
INIS'. 
y. The variety with double flowers is a valuable plant. 
The flowers are very double,- and of a beautiful fcarlet 
colour. This has a perennial root, from which arife two, 
three, or four, (talks, according to the ftrength of the 
roots ; thefe, in rich moift land, grow upwards of four 
feet high ; the (talks are ftrong, ereft, and hairy; gar- 
niflied the whole length with fpear-fliaped leaves fitting 
clofe to the (talks, placed oppofite; and juft above each 
pair of leaves, there are four fmaller leaves (landing round 
the (talk. The flowers are produced in clofe clufters fit¬ 
ting upon the top of the (talk ; when the roots are ftrong, 
the clufters of flowers will be very large, and make a fine 
appearance. They appear the latter end of June, and in 
moderate feafons continue near a month in beauty. The 
ftalks decay in autumn, and new ones arife in the fprino-. 
2. Lychnis floscuculi, or red-flowered meadow-lychnis 0 ; 
petals quadrifid; fruit roundifh, one-celled. Root peren¬ 
nial, browni(h-white, fubacrid. Stems from one to three 
feet high, upright, fomewhat angular and grooved, fwelled 
at the joints, purplifli. Linnaeus remarks, that they are 
procumbent, and become upright at the time of flowering. 
Calyx ten-angled, of a deep purple colour; corolla pink 
or purplilh red, varying fometimes to white; the border 
of the petals dividing into four fegments, of which the 
two outer are (horter and narrower ; the claws have two 
final! fpear-(haped teeth at the top. Capfule one-celled, 
the rnouth having five teeth which turn back ; feeds flat- 
tifti, rugged, of a brown afli-colour. Native of molt 
parts of Europe in moift meadows ; flowering in May and 
June. This plant has a variety of names in Englifli; as 
meadow-pink, wild williams, cuckoo-flower, ragged ro¬ 
bin, crow-flower. Parkinfon calls it feathered wild cam¬ 
pion ; Gerard, crowe-flowers, wilde williams, marfli-gillo- 
flowers, and cockowe-gillo-flowers; Ray, meadow-cam¬ 
pion : to Mr. Curtis, meadow-lychnis feems moll eligible. 
Several plants have the name of cuckoo-flower from their 
appearing about the fame time with that bird. Gerard 
fays the true cuckoo-flower is Cardamine pratenfis. 
Shakefpeare’s cuckoo-buds are of a yellow hue, and pro¬ 
bably ranunculus, or crowfoot. Goats, fheep, and horfes, 
are faid to eat it; but it feems generally agreed that nona 
of our domefticated quadrupeds are fond of it. The 
beauty of the flowers entitles it to a place in the gardens 
of the curious. 
y. The variety with double flowers is frequently culti¬ 
vated in flower-gardens for ornament. It only differs 
from the Angle in the multiplicity of the petals; and is 
commonly known by the title of double ragged robin. 
Some call it, fays Parkinfon, the fair maide of \franee . It 
is fometimes found wild in England, as near Bungay in 
Suffolk by Mr. Woodward. 
3. Lychnis alpeftris: petals four-cleft, crowned ; leaves 
recurved. Root perennial. Stems a fpan high, uprio-ht, 
fmooth. Flowers in a dichotomous panicle ; calyx fmooth| 
with blunt teeth ; petals white, the length of the calyx. 
Native of Swifferland and Auftria. 
4. Lychnis quadridentata, or four-toothed lychnis: pe¬ 
tals four-toothed ; (tern dichotomous ; leaves fmooth, re¬ 
curved. Stems a fpan high, with the upper joints vifeid. 
Leaves lanceolate, an inch long. Native of Auftria. 
5. Lychnis coronata, or Chinefe lychnis: fmooth ; 
flowers axillary, and terminating, folitary ; petals laci- 
niated. The whole plant is fmooth. Stem Ample round 
upright, a foot high. Leaves oppofite, embracing, ob¬ 
long-ovate, acute, entire; an inch or a little more in 
length. Flowers aggregate, about three, feflile; calyx 
ten-angled. Native of China and Japan. Introduced in 
i 774 > hy John Fothergill, M.D. It flowers in June and 
July. 
6. Lychnis vifcarta, vtfeous lychnis, or catchflys petals 
nearly equal. This has long narrow grafs-like leaves, 
which come out from the root without order, fitting clofe 
to the ground ; between thefe come up ftraight Angle 
ftalks, which in good ground rife a foot and a half high ; 
at each joint of the italk come out two leaves oppofite. 
