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V E R 
V E R 
carp: capsules three, oblong, erect, compressed, one-celled, 
one-valved, gaping inwards. Seeds many, oblong, blunter 
at one end, compressed, membranaceous, fastened in a dou¬ 
ble row.—Male flower on the same plant, below the her¬ 
maphrodite. Calyx, corolla, stamina as in the hermaphro¬ 
dite. Pistil an indistinct, vain rudiment. — Essential 
Character. Calyx none. Corolla six-petalled. Stamina 
six. Hermaphrodite: pistil three. Capsule many-seeded. 
Male: rudiment of a pistil. 
1. Veratrum album, white-flowered veratrum, or white 
hellebore.—Raceme superdecompound, corollas erect. Root 
perennial, composed of many thick fibres gathered into a 
head. Leaves oblong-obovate, ten inches long, and five 
broad in the middle, rounded at the end, and having 
many longitudinal plaits like those of Gentian. Native of 
Greece, Raly, Switzerland, Austria, the south of France, and 
Russia. 
2. Veratrum viride, or green-flowered veratrum.—Raceme 
superdecompound ; corollas bell-shaped, with the claws 
thickened at the side within.—Native of North America. 
3. Veratrum nigrum, or dark-flowered veratrum.—Ra¬ 
ceme compound ; corollas spreading very much. This has 
a perennial root like the first sort.—Native of Austria and 
Siberia. 
4. Veratrum luteum, or yellow-flowered veratrum.—Ra¬ 
cemes quite simple; leaves sessile.—Native of North 
America. 
Propagation and Culture. —Sow the seeds as soon as 
ripe, either in a bed or box filled with fresh light earth, 
and keep the ground constantly clean from weeds. 
When these plants are once obtained, they may be in¬ 
creased by parting their roots in autumn, when their leaves 
decay ; but they should not be parted too small, for that 
will prevent their flowering in the following summer. Plant 
them in a light, fresh, rich soil; and do not remove them 
oftener than once in three or four years. They are pretty 
ornaments, when planted in the middle of open borders of 
the pleasure garden : if they be planted near fences which 
harbour snails, these will eat the leaves, especially of the third 
sort, and deface the plants very much. 
VERB, s. [verbum, Lat.] A part of speech signifying 
existence, or some modification thereof, as action, passion.— 
And withal some disposition or intention of the mind relating 
thereto, as of affirming, denying, interrogating, commanding. 
Clarke. —Men usually talk of a noun and a verb. Sha/c- 
spcare. —A word. Not in use. —That so it might appear, 
that the assistance of the Spirit promised to the church, 
was not a vain thing, or a mere verb. South. 
VE'RBAL, adj. [verbalis, Lat.] Spoken, not written. 
Oral; uttered by mouth. 
Made she no verbal quest ?- 
-Yes; once or twice she heav’d the name of father 
Pantingly forth, as if it prest her heart. Shakspeare. 
Consisting in mere words. 
If young African for fame, 
His wasted country freed from Punic rage. 
The deed becomes unprais’d, the man at least; 
And loses, though but verbal, his reward. Milton. 
Verbose; full of words. Out of use. 
I’m sorry 
You put me to forget a lady’s manners, 
By being so verbal. Shakspeare. 
Minutely exact in words. 
Neglect the rules each verbal critic lays, 
For not to know some trifles is a praise. Pope. 
Literal; having word answering to word.—The verbal 
copier is incumbered with so many difficulties at once, that he 
can never disentangle himself from all. Dryden. — [verbal, 
Fr. in grammar.] A verbal noun is a noun derived from a 
verb. 
VERBA'LITY, s. Mere words; bare literal expression.— 
Sometimes he will seem to be charmed with words of holy 
Scripture, and to fly from the letter and dead verbality, who 
must only start at the life and animated materials thereof. 
Brown. 
To VE'RBALIZE, v. a. To make a verb; to turn into a 
verb.—Nouns, for brevity, are sometimes verbalized: as, to 
complete, to contrary, to experience. Instruct, for Orat. 
VE'RBALLY, adv. In words; orally.—-The manner of 
our denying the deity of Christ here prohibited, was by 
words and oral expressions verbally to deny it. South .— 
Word for word.—’Tis almost impossible to translate ver¬ 
bally, and well, at the same time. Pry den. 
VERBAS, a river in the north-west of European Turkey, 
in Bosnia, which falls into the Save; 25 miles north-north¬ 
east of Banjaluka. 
VERBASCUM [of Pliny, who deduces it from Ver¬ 
bena], in Botany, a genus of the class pentandria, order 
moriogynia, natural order of luridae, solanae (Juss.) —Ge¬ 
neric Character. Calyx: perianth one-leafed, five-parted, 
small, permanent; segments erect, acute. Corolla one-pe- 
talled, wheel-shaped, a little unequal; tube cylindric, very 
short; border spreading, five-parted; segments ovate, obtuse. 
Stamina: filaments five, awl-shaped, shorter than the co¬ 
rolla. Anthers roundish, compressed, erect. Pistil: germ 
roundish. Style filiform, length of the stamens, inclined. 
Stigma thickish, obtuse. Pericarp : capsule roundish, two- 
celled, two-valved, opening at top. Receptacles half- 
ovate, fastened to the partition. Seeds numerous, angular. 
In most of these species the stamens are inclined and 
unequal, and clothed at bottom with coloured villose 
hairs.— Essential Character. Corolla wheel-shaped, a 
little unequal. Capsule two-celled, two-valved. 
1. Verbascum thapsus, or great mullein.—Leaves decurrent, 
tomentose on both sides. Root biennial, spindle-shaped. 
Stem erect, simple, and straight, from three to five feet high, 
leafy, woolly, angular, winged.—Native of Europe and Si¬ 
beria, on banks, in hedges and on waste ground, especially 
on a gravelly or calcareous soil, flowering in July and 
August. 
It has many names in English. Mullein or rather Wool¬ 
en, Hig-taper or Hag-taper, Torches, long Woort and Bui- 
lockes Longwoort and Hares Bearde, ladies Foxglove. 
2. Verbascum thapsoides, or bastard mullein.—Leaves 
decurrent, stem branched. This is supposed by Linnseus to 
be a mule plant, produced from Verbascum Lychnitis as the 
mother, and Verbascum Thapsus as the father. It appeared in 
the botanic garden at Upsal in 1761, in the same bed with 
its parents, and was barren. 
3. Verbascum Boerhaavii, or annual mullein.—Leaves 
sublyrate, flowers sessile. Root annual.—Native of the 
South of Europe. 
4. Verbascum haemorrhoidale, or Madeira mullein — 
Leaves ovate-oblong, attenuated at the base, tomentose, indis¬ 
tinctly crenulate; racemes spike-form, elongated; bundles of 
flowers without bractes.—Native of the island of Madeira. 
5. Verbascum phlomoides, or woolly mullein.—Leaves 
ovate, tomentose on both sides, the lower ones petioled. 
Root biennial.—Native of Italy, Germany, and the south of 
France. 
6. Verbascum lychnitis, or white mullein.—Leaves wedge- 
oblong, denudated above; stem angular, panicled. Root bien¬ 
nial.—Native of Europe. With us found chiefly in Kent, and 
there plentifully. 
7. Verbascum pulverulentum, or yellow hoary mullein.— 
Leaves ovate-oblong, subserrate, mealy on both sides; stem 
round, panicled. Root biennial. The whole herb is co¬ 
vered with a mealy down which easily rubs off, and when 
seen in a microscope is found to consist of numerous starry 
entangled tufts.—Native of Europe. It is one of the most 
magnificent of British herbaceous plants. A singular in¬ 
stance of irritability in this and some other species of Ver¬ 
bascum has been pointed out by Mr. Correa. In still warm 
weather, if two qr three smart blows be given to the stem 
with a stick, all the corollas which are then open, though 
not 
