L I M 
72S 
born in 159a at Jena, where his father was profeffor of 
mathematics. He ftudied at Weimar, and afterwards at 
the nniverfity of his native place, whence, on the death 
of his father in 1614., he removed to Altdorf. Being en¬ 
gaged in 1618 as travelling tutor to two young gentlemen 
of Nuremberg, he accompanied them to France, England, 
and Holland. He was afterwards preceptor to different 
perfons of rank, the laft of whom was Albert margrave of 
Brandenburg. This prince gave him the poft of cham¬ 
berlain and member of his privy-council, which offices he 
exercifed till his death in 1663. His works are, 1. Trac- 
tatus de Academiis, ^.to. 1621. a. Notitise Regni Gallise, 
2 vols. 4to. 1655. 3. De Jure Imperii Romano-Germa- 
nici, 5 vols. 4to. 1629 & feq. 4. Obfervationes in Bul- 
lam Auream Caroli IV. 4to. 1662. 5. Capitulationis Im- 
peratorum et Regum Romano-German, a Carolo V. ad 
Ferdinandum III. edit. Germanice cum J. Limnaei Anno- 
tamentis, 4to. 1651. 6. Dan. Ottonis Difiertatio de Jure 
Publico Imperii Romani, cum notis J. Limnaei, 8vo. 1632. 
The works of this writer are valued for their erudition; 
but he is reckoned deficient in judgment refpefting the 
choice of his authorities. 
LIMNA'DES, in the mythology of the poets, the 
nymphs frequenting lakes and ponds. 
LIMNANTHE'MUM, f. in botany. See Menyan- 
THES. 
LIMNATID'IA, a feffival in honour of Diana, fur- 
named Limnatis, from Limna;, a fchool of exercife at Trce- 
zene, where fhe was worlhipped; or from ponds, 
becaufe file prefided over fifiiermen. 
LIM'NER,/. [corrupted from enlumineur, a decorator 
of books with initial pictures.] A painter; a pifture- 
maker.-—That divers limners at a diftance, without either 
copy or defign, (hould draw the fame picture to an undif- 
tinguifiiable exaftnefs, is more conceivable than that mat¬ 
ter, which is fo diverfified, fliculd frame itfelf fo uner¬ 
ringly, according to the idea of its kind. Glanville's Scepjts. 
Poets are limners of another kind. 
To copy out ideas in the mind ; 
Words are the paint by which their thoughts are fhown. 
And nature is their objeft to be drawn. Granville . 
LIM'NIA,yi in botany. See Claytonia. 
LIM'NING, f [from enlumincr, Fr. to adorn books 
with paintings.] As thefe paintings, or illuminations, 
were always done in water-colours, limning is never pro¬ 
perly employed, except it be to defignate that fpecies of 
art, which is now commonly known by the name of mi¬ 
niature-painting, wrought in thofe colours, and on paper; 
and in contradiftinftion to painting, which is done in oil- 
colours. Limning is much the more ancient kind of 
painting. Till a Flemifli painter, one John Van Eyck, 
better known by the name of John of Bruges, found out 
the art of painting in oil, the painters all painted in wa¬ 
ter and in frefco, both on their walls, on wooden boards, 
and elfewhere. When they made ufe of boards, they 
ufually glued a fine linen cloth over them, to prevent 
their opening; then laid on a ground of white; laftly, 
they mixed up their colours with water and fize, or with 
•water and yolks of eggs, well beaten with the branches 
of a fig-tree, the juice whereof thus mixed with the eggs; 
and with this mixture they painted their pieces. 
LIMNOPEU'CE, f. in botany. See Hippuris. 
LIMNOPH'ILA,/ in botany. See IIottonia Indica. 
LPMO,y: in botany. See Citrus. 
LIMOCINC'TI, J. among the ancient Romans, a kind 
of priefts who officiated at public facrifices, and were 
dreffed with a garment called limns. 
LIMODO'RUM, f. [of Clufius, probably from Asi/aoi/oj 
&tocol, Gr. the gift of the meadows.] In botany, a genus of 
the clafs gynandria, order diandria, natural order of orchi- 
deas. The generic charactersare—Calyx: fpathes vague; 
fpadix fimple; perianth none. Corolla: petals five, ovate- 
obiong, .about equal, fpreading; the fuperior ones cor s » 
L I M 
verging. Neftary one-leafed, concave, foot-ftalked, within 
the loweft petal: the length of the petals. Stamina : two} 
filament an oblong afeending body, the length of the co¬ 
rolla; anthers two, ovate, looking forwards. Piftillum : 
germ columnar, the length of the corolla; inferior; ftyle 
filiform, growing to the body of the filaments; ftigma 
funnel-form. Pericarpium : capfule columnar, three- 
valved, one-celled, gaping at the corners. Seeds numer¬ 
ous faw-duft-like. Scarcely different from Serapias, ex¬ 
cept in the infiorefcence or fcape.— EJJential CharaEltr. 
Neftary one-leafed,’concave, pedicelled, within the loweft 
petal. 
Species. 1. Limodorum tuberofum, or tuberous-rooted 
limodorum: flowers fubfpiked, bearded. Root tuberous. 
Stem a foot and a half high. The number of flowers not ex¬ 
ceeding five, dark purple. In a more luxuriant ftate, it is 
probably a larger plant, and produces more flowers. Na¬ 
tive of North America; as Virginia and South Carolina. 
Introduced in 1788 by Mr. Curtis, from bog-earth brought 
over with plants of Dionsea inufcipula. This fpecies 
was long confounded with the next. 
2. Limodorum altum, or tall limodorum, the Hel- 
Jeborina Americana of John Martyn. Root fiiaped like 
that of the true faffron, but the outer cover of a darker- 
brown colour; from this comp out two or three leaves, 
nine or ten inches long, and near three quarters of 
an inch broad in the middle, being contracted towards 
both ends, terminating with long acute points, folding 
over each other at their bafe; they have five longitudinal 
furrows, like the firft leaves of young palms. The flower- 
ftalk arifes immediately from the root, on one fide of the 
leaves ; it is naked, fmooth, and of a purplifli colour to¬ 
wards the top. It is near a foot and a half high, and ter¬ 
minated by a loofe lpike of purpliffi red flowers on fliort 
peduncles; the three outer petals are upright, fpreading; 
the two inner bent in, forming a helmet with the middle 
upper one; all equal, converging a little, the inner ones 
paler. According to Swartz, this re the tenth Satyrium 
of Browne, who calls it Jamaica Salep, and recommends the 
root, properly cured, as a ftomachic. Native of the Weft 
Indies, particularly Jamaica, in the cooler parts of the 
mountains. It was fent to Mr. Miller by Dr. Houftoun, 
and therefore was cultivated by him at Chelfea before 
1733, in which year Dr. Houftoun died. Mr. Miller fays 
he alio received the roots from the Bahama iflands, and 
from Pennfylvania. Probably this might be the firft fpe- 
cies. He alfo mentions that he received a fpecies from 
Maryland with oval obtufe leaves, of a thicker confiftence. 
It fometimes flowers here in April and May, fometimea 
not till September or Oftober, but the molt ufual time of 
flowering is June and July : in Jamaica it flowers in 
fummer. This beautiful ipecies is reprefented at fig. 5 
on the preceding Plate. 
3. Limodorum Tankervillire, or Chinefe limodorum : 
flowers beardlefs, in racemes. Monf. l’Heritier obferves, 
that, although the lip of the neftary in this fplendid plant 
ends behind in a very fliort fpur, it ought not however 
to be feparated from this genus. Native of China. It 
flowers in March and April. 
4. Limodorum utriculatum, or bottle-limodorum: root 
tuberous, root-leaves twin-flieathed, radical fheath in¬ 
flated ; fcape flieathed, flowers feffile. Native of Jamaica 
and St. Domingo. 
5. Limodorum gentianoides, or gentian limodorum : 
root tuberous, leaflet's, Item flieathed, flowers peduncled. 
Native of Jamaica. 
6 . Limodorum ftriatum. See Epidendrum flriatum, 
voi. vi. p. 866. 
7. Limodorum enfatum. See Epidendrum enfatum, 
voi. vi. 
8» Limodorum falcatum, or fickle-fliaped limodorum j 
horn filiform, very long; leaves enfiform-channelled lickled. 
This is Gichis falcata of Thunberg’s Flora Japonica. 
Leaves radical, feveral, equitant, convoluted, revolute- 
'fickled. 
3 
