SALVIA*. Linnean Class and Order. DIA'NDRIA †, MONOGY'NIA. Natural Order. LABIA'TE, Juss. Gen. Pl. p. 110.-Lind. Syn. p. 196; Introd. to Nat. Syst. p. 239.-Rich. by Macgilliv. p. 439. Sm. Gram. of Bot. p. 99.-Loud. Hort. Brit. p. 528. GEN. CHAR. Calyx inferior, of one sepal, tubular, ribbed, permanent, unequally two-lipped, upper lip three-toothed, lower lip two-toothed. Corolla of one petal, having the tube dilated upwards, compressed; upper lip concave, curved inwards, notched; lower lip broad, three-lobed, the middle lobe the largest, and cloven. Stamens two (fig. 1.) Filaments with two spreading branches, one only bearing a perfect, oblong, single-celled Anther. Germen (fig. 3.) four-cleft. Style (fig. 2.) thread-shaped, curved with the stamens, and usually longer. Stigma forked. Seeds (fig. 4.) four, oval, in the bottom of the dry converging calyx. The inferior, monopetalous, ringent corolla; the filaments with 2 spreading branches, one only bearing a perfect anther, and the 4 apparently naked seeds; will distinguish this from other genera in the same class and order. Only two species British.-The exotic species of this genus are numerous, and many of them, especially some of those recently introduced into England, are very beautiful, and prove great ornaments to our gardens in the summer and autumn. SALVIA PRATE'NSIS. Meadow Clary, or Sage. Clear-eye. SPEC. CHAR. Lower Leaves oblong, crenate; heart-shaped at the base; stalked; uppermost sessile, clasping the stem. Bracteas very small. Corolla thrice as long as the calyx, glandular and viscid at the summit. Eng. Bot. t. 153.-Linn. Sp. Pl. p. 35.-Huds. Fl. Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 10.Sm. Fl. Brit. v. i. p. 30. Engl. Fl. v. i. p. 34.-With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 26.Lindl. Syn. p. 197-Hook. Brit. Fl. p. 10.-Sibth. Fl. Oxon. p. 8.-Abbot's Fl. Bedf. p. 6.-Walk. Fl. of Oxf. p. 8.-Sclarea pratensis, Gray's Natt. Arr. v. ii. p. 388.-Sclarea pratensis foliis serratis, flore cæruleo. Dillenius in Ray's Synopsis, p. 237.-Horminum Sylvestre Fuchsii, Johnson's Gerarde, p. 769. LOCALITIES.-Dry pastures, meadows, and about hedges. Rare.-Oxfordshire; Between Middleton Stoney and Ardley: Dr. SIBTHORP, in Fl. Ŏxon. Mr. T. W. WEAVER found it in the same place, in abundance, in 1832. About Enstone and Spelsbury: Rev. J. SIBLEY, 1832.-Bedfordshire; In a pasture near Ford-End Farm: Rev. C. ABBOT in Fl. Bedf.-Derbyshire; Chrich; Mr. HALLOWS, in Bot. Guide.-Gloucestershire; Wick Cliffs. Mr. SWAYNE, in Bot. Guide.-Kent; near Cobham, RAY: Near Feversham, Mr. DICKSON. -Norfolk; In Horsford Meadow, GOUGH's Camden.-Northamptonshire; In King's Thorp Church-yard, abundantly, MORETON.-Surrey; Common in Fig. 1. The two Stamens.-Fig. 2. The Germen, Style, and Stigma.—Fig. 3. the four unripe Seeds.-Fig. 4. A seed. * From Salvo, to save or heal, in allusion to its balmy or healing qualities. Dr. HOOKER. + See Veronica Chamaédrys, p. 50, note t. County: Dr. STOKES, ibid.-Yorkshire; “ In the North Riding, but I cannot recollect the place:" Mr. TEESDALE, ibid.-WALES; Isle of Anglesea; In dry meadows, near Llanidan: Mr. BINGLEY, ibid.—Glamorganshire; Límestone meadows about Port Eynon: Dr. TURTON, ibid. Perennial.-Flowers in July and August. Root somewhat woody, fibrous, brown and yellow on the outside, nearly white within. Stem from 2 to 3 feet high, upright, square, hairy, not very aromatic. Leaves oblong, heart-shaped at the base, nearly smooth, irregularly crenate, or notched, wrinkled and veiny, deep green; root-leaves and lower stem-leaves on long leaf stalks; the uppermost sessile, stem-clasping, and sharp pointed. Flowers about six in a whorl, whorls numerous, forming a long loose spike; each whorl is accompanied by a pair of small, eggshaped, pointed bracteas. Corolla large and handsome, nearly four times as long as the calyx, of a fine purplish blue. The flowerstalks and calyx, as well as the summit of the corolla, are hairy and viscid. The seeds of this, as well as of many other species of Salvia, are covered with a dense mucilage, which is not visible till the seeds are wetted. This mucilage I have found to be partly composed of very minute spiral vessels, similar to those first described by PROFESSOR LINDLEY as partly composing the mucous matter which envelopes the seeds of Collómia lineáris. These spiral vessels are very numerous in the mucous matter which envelopes the seeds of Sálvia verbenáca; if a seed of this species is placed on a bit of glass on the stage of a compound microscope, and then subjected to moisture, by dropping upon it a drop or two of clear water, the spiral vessels may be seen, almost immediately, to dart forth from the outside of the testa or skin, and to form a complete and beautiful radius round the seed. If the seed on which the experiment has been tried is allowed to dry upon the glass, the spiral vessels will remain in their extended position, (their bases enclosed in the mucous matter which also dries upon the glass,) and may be preserved as an interesting object for the microscope at any future time. WALKER'S Fl. Oxf. p. 9; and the "Report of the second Meeting of the British Association for the advancement of science," p. 595. -The seeds are sometimes used for removing extraneous matter from the eye, put under the eye-lid for a few moments. See The Flora of Oxfordshire, and its Contiguous Counties, (comprising the Flowering Plants only ;) arranged in easy and familiar language, according to the Linnæan and Natural Systems, &c. By RICHARD WALKER, B.D. F.L.S. and Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, 8vo. 1833. Published by H. SLATTER, High street, Oxford. Those who would wish to become acquainted with the flowering plants of Oxfordshire, and its contiguous counties, their places of growth, &c. will find this work a very useful and interesting guide. The descriptions of the plants are accurate and concise, and are preceded by an easy and familiar introduction, both to the Linnæan and Jussieuan systems, accompanied by twelve illustrative plates. |