/sppiàe?? /ëçloi'ul,\
Sempervivum T ectorum. Houseleek.
SEMPERVIVUM Linn. Gen. PL D odecandria D odecagynia. Cal. 12. partitus Petala 12*
Capfulæ 12. polyfpermæ.
Raii Syn.Gen. 17. Herbæ multisiliquæ seu xôrn icu latæ.
SEMPERVIVUM teUorum foliis ciliatis propaginibus patentibus. Linn. Svfi. Vegetab. p. 178. Sp. PL
664. FL Suec: n. 428.
•SEMPERVIVUM rofulis glabris ciliatis, petalis conglutinatis, lanceolatis, hirfutis, quatuordenis.
Haller Hiß. n. 949.
SEDUM te&orum. S copoli Fl. Garni, n. 529.
SEDUM maj us vulgare. Bauhin. Pin. 283. Parkinfon 730.
1 SEMPERVIVUM maj a s. G er. cmac. 510. Raii Syn. p. 26g. Houfeleek.
Hudfon Flor. Angl. ed. 2. Lightfoot FL Scot. p. 251.
RADIX biennis, ramofa, plurimis fibrillis inflru&a. $
FOLIA radicalia in formam Rofae plenae difpofita, |
feflilia, cuneiformia, plufquam pollicaria, car-1
nofa, crafl'a, fupra plana, fubtus. convexiuf- X
cula, utrinque glabra, inferne albida, margine $
-:,iata, et fepius rubore tinfta, acuminata, $
e6la, extenora majora, interiora fenfim |
PROPAGINES longius petiolatae, globofe, magnitu- $
dine ovi columbini vel ultra, ftrobiliformes, %
imbricatae foliis ereÊtis. X0
PETIOLI propaginum cylindrici, teretes, ferruginei, $
lanuginofi, longius exporre&i, nudi, ebafi ra- £
dicis prope folia, exeuntes. 4
0
SCAPUS dodrantalis aut pedalis, ere&us., teres, lanu- |
ginofus, rubicundus, foliofus, apice ramofus, Q
ramis floriferis patentibus, recurvis. x
0
FLORES plurimi, confetti, ere&i, fecundi, camei. |$
CALYX: Perianthium plerumqueduodecemfidum, |
laciniis- lanceolatis, hirfutis, ciliatis, vifco.fis, |
apice purpureis. $
COROLLA: Petala duodecim et ultra, calyce duplo ?
longiora, lanceolata, carnea.
STAMINA: Filamenta numero et figura maxime 0
variantia, plerumque duodecim, fubulato-te-1
nuia; A n th er s fubrotundae, purpureae. |
PlSTILLUM: G ermina duodecim in orbem pofita, 4
erecla, definentia in STYLOs totidem paten-1
' tes; Stigmata acuta. $
PERICARPIUM: Capsu le oblongae, compreflae, $
. extrorfum acuminatae, introrfum dehifcentes. $
’ $
SEMINA plurima, fubrotunda, parva. $
ROOT biennial, branched, and furnilhed with numerous
fibres.
LEAVES next the root difpofed in the form of a full
blown double role, feflile, wedge-fhape^,
fomewhat more than an inch long, flefliy,
thick, above flat, on the under fide a little
convex, fmooth on both fides, beneath whi-
tilh, the edges, fringed with hairs, and generally
tinged of a reddilh colour, pointed, upright,
the outer ones largeft, the inner ones
gradually fmalleft.
OFFSETTS Handing on long footftalks, globular, the
fize o f a pigeon’s eggor larger, formed fomewhat
like the cone of a pine, the leaves laying
one over another and upright.
FOOTSTALKS of the offsets cylindrical, round, iron-
colour’d, (lightly woolly, ftretching out to a
confiderable length, naked, fpringing from
the bafe of the root near the leaves'.
FLOWERING-STEM from nine inches to a foot in
height, upright, round, woolly, of a reddilh
colour, leafy, at top branched, the branches
fuftaining the flowers, fpreading, and bending
back.
FLOWERS numerous, crowded, upright, growing all
>_ one way, of a flelh colour.
CALYX: a Perianthium divided ufually into twelve
fegments, which are lanceolate, hirfute, edged
with hairs, clammy, and purplifli at top.
COROLLA: twelve or more Petals twice the length
of the calyx, lanceolate and flelh coloured.
STAMINA: Filaments varying very much both in
lhape and number, generally fourteen, {lender
and tapering; A n th er s roundilh and
purple.
PlSTILLUM: twelve G ermina placed in a circle, -
■ upright, terminating in the fame number o f
fpreading St y le s ; Stigmata pointed.
SEED-VESSEL: numerous oblong Capsules, flatten’d,
outwardly terminating in a point, and
opening inwardly.
SEEDS numerous, roundilh and fmall.
Mr. R a y , in his Synopfo, and Mr. L i g h t f o o t , in his Flora. Scotica doubt whether the Houfeleek be origi-
,a native of this country ; however that be, it is now fo common a plant on the houfe, or wall of every one
tta is in the leaf! fond of plants, that we fliall not apologize for introducing it among our London plants.
Haller defcnbes it among his Switzerland plants, and having gathered it on the Alps in its truly wild Rate
He enters very minutely into its defcription, and among other peculiarities he takes notice of the uncommon
appearance which the filaments often affiime, and which is indeed fuch an appearance as would much puzzle
an inexperienced Botanift; the filaments as he truly obferves are of two kinds, the one perfeft and fimilar to
, generality of filaments, the other even when young are evidently enlarged towards the end and throw out
tom their fubftance little oblong white corpufcles like the eggs of fome infea, which indeed I firii took them
■0 be, not having then looked into Haller, but on examining a great number of flowers at different flages of
laeir growth, I found they were common to many filaments, and that thofe filaments which were thus enlarged
wre aim more glutinous than the others, the antherae on their extremities were fomewhat imperfefl as the
mittihcation proceeded towards maturity, the filaments continued to enlarge about the middle while the ton
»as drawn out to a kind of beak, indeed in this Hate they feem to partake more of the nature of the piftillum
»an of the filaments, and for fuch would be liable to be taken ; on cutting them through they appeared hollow
and contained fome of the fame corpufcles which were obfervable on the outfides o f many of them fo that
ram their prefect appearance it was impofiible to know that they were originally filaments; which may ferve
kj cautIon to fludents that in examining of flowers they (hoiild always begin with fuch as are not expanded
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 1
Houfeleek has been univerfally confidered as a cooler; the leaves bruifed, or its juice, have been applied to
orris, Ipreadmg ulcerations, fiffures of the tongue, the piles, inflammations of the eye, &c. the juice mixt
--a llttle aIum ai>d honey is recommended for the thrufh in children, and the leaves themfelves are frequently
mav’whif lif K f l mSMthat tblS, P k" 1 “ a, ‘ ° * e coverings of the houfes in Smoland ; it certainly
S r h h . ea\ P° ? e-troub e ,be ™a,de q ^ k ly to cover the whole roof of a houfe, whether that roof
noth f ° f ' ,les>,thatch- or w°od. by flicking the offsets on with a little.earth or cow dung; and if it fhould
■ f l found to have the good efleft here fpoken of; which I am by no means inclined to doubt it forms at
ilflowerery P16“ ? ° rnament on barnst ftables> out-1,oufes- a“ d walls, particularly in the month of July when