os 
o78 
ing-houses and villages. Though pretty com- 
mon in almost every district of England, and 
often very abundant by the side of footpaths, it 
scarcely ever occurs at a greater distance from a 
human dwelling than a quarter of a mile; and 
it used to be called the Simpler’s joy on account 
of its indicating the near neighbourhood of a 
house. Its root is perennial, woody, and some- 
what creeping; its stem is annual, ascending, 
leafy, roughish with minute bristles, and from 
18 to 27 inches high; its leaves are deeply cut; 
its inflorescence is a sort of panicle composed of 
several slender spikes; and its flowers are in- 
odorous and bluish or purplish, and bloom from 
June till September. This plant has scarcely any 
aromatic or other sensible quality; and though 
now known to be of little or no value for any 
medicinal or economical purpose, and to pos- 
sess the rank as well as the appearance of a 
mere weed, it formerly had a place in the mate- 
ria medica, and also bore high fame for some 
remarkable uses of superstition. Its root, too, 
was worn about the neck on a string as a charm 
against the king’s evil. 
Some of the most interesting of the exotic 
species are the veronica-leaved, V. veronicefolia, 
a hardy blue-flowered annual, of 2 or 3 inches in 
height, blooming in July and August, and intro- 
duced from Mexico in 1825; the hispid, V. hes- 
pida, a hardy, purple-flowered annual of about a 
foot in height, blooming in July and August, 
and introduced from Peru in 1816; the elegant, 
V. elegans, a hardy, blue-flowered biennial, of 2 
or 3 inches in height, blooming in July and 
August, and introduced from Mexico in 1826; 
the hairy-spiked, V. lasiostachya, a hardy, pur- 
ple-flowered biennial, of about 2 feet in height, 
blooming in July and August, and introduced 
from California in 1826; the many-spiked, V. po- 
lystachya, a hardy, annual-stemmed, red-flowered 
perennial, about 4 feet high, blooming in July 
and August, and introduced from Mexico in 
1820; the sister, V. sororia, a hardy, annual- 
stemmed, purple-flowered perennial, about 2 feet 
high, blooming in July and August, and intro- 
duced from Nepaul in 1824; the strong-veined, 
_V. venosa, a frame herbaceous evergreen, about 
30 inches high, carrying rose-coloured flowers 
from May till September, and introduced from 
Buenos Ayres in 1830; Tweedie’s, V. Tweedvana, a 
greenhouse herbaceous evergreen, carrying scar- 
let flowers in autumn, and introduced from Bra- 
zil in 18384; the cut-leaved, V. incisa, a green- 
house herbaceous evergreen, about 2 feet high, 
carrying red flowers from June till September, 
and introduced from Panama in 1836; the fair, 
V. pulchella; a frame suffruticose evergreen, about 
a foot high, carrying whitish flowers from June 
till September, and introduced in 1834; the 
rooting, V. radicans, a frame trailing evergreen, 
about 6 inches high, carrying lilac flowers from 
June till September, and introduced from Chili 
in 1832; the germander-like, V. teucrioides, a 
VERBENA. 
greenhouse herbaceous evergreen, about 2 feet 
high, carrying white and pink flowers in autumn, 
and introduced from South America in 1837; 
the melindres, V. melindres, a greenhouse trail- 
ing and climbing evergreen, capable of being 
trained over a large surface, carrying a profusion 
of brilliant, scarlet corymbosely arranged flowers, 
and comprising a number of very distinctly cha- 
ractered varieties. 
But some of the still more recently introduced 
species, together with the best varieties of the old 
ones and all the choicest hybrids, are the most 
attractive both to amateur florists and to popu- 
lar observers; and they constitute, not only a 
very numerous collection of flower-garden orna- 
ments, but one of the most dazzlingly beautiful 
in the world. Ifa selection rather than a col- 
lection be wanted, the following may be mention- 
ed as among the best entitled to favour :— 
Chandler’s atrosanguinea is the brightest of the 
scarlets, and a very free and robust grower. V. 
ignea, is the next in colour, but israther difficult 
to keep through the winter ; and Croucher’s max- 
ima is nearly as dark, with a better habit of 
growth. V. Hislopi is a bright scarlet, with 
something of the breed of teucrioides in it; and 
V. melindres superba, and V. latifolia, are kinds 
known and esteemed by every one. All the va- 
rieties of Tweediana are good; but V. 7. superba 
is the best. Of the rose-coloured or pink kinds, 
Barnsii is the best, as the old incisa is a very 
straggling grower, and fades very much under a ° 
strong sun. Among the purple kinds, V. Stewarts: 
is the best; but V. Charlwoodiana, Hendersoni, 
and trzumphans are so much like it, that it is dif- 
ficult to distinguish the flowers when off the 
plants ; the two first are probably the best, though 
all four are worth cultivation. The orange-scar- 
let varieties are a new class of colours; and of | 
these Kyle’s speczosa and Croft’s formosa elegans 
are most worthy of notice. The first has large 
flowers, with a white centre; and formosa elegans | 
is very appropriately named, for it certainly is 
elegantly beautiful. V. variegata isa salmon scar- 
let, and mzrabilis is in the same way, but not 
quite so bright. Of the white varieties, V. teu- 
crioides is very much surpassed by Youell’s Prin- 
cess Royal and the Queen. Princess Royal isa 
very pure white, more so than the Queen, and a 
plant of excellent habit. The varieties of V. teu- 
criovdes are very numerous, and most of them 
sweet scented. JV. 7. rosea is a purplish rose 
colour; and Girling’s exzmza is a flower of the 
same character, but two or three shades darker. 
Burleyana might be called variegated, as the 
flowers open of a deep rose or ruby colour, and 
change to pale rose, so that there are several co- | 
lours upon a plant at the same time. V.Ingramii, | 
is a fine variety with deep rose-coloured flowers 
tinged with salmon. V. Taglionii is very fine, 
with immense corymbs of flowers of a silvery 
palish colour; Rosy Queen, and Mortloch’s su- 
perb, are of nearly the same colour, and all three 
Ni ce ee nar rere Beeenerp tee cee 
