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TT ER

ON THE

Pett MEN T S

OF

ee re A NY

ADDRESSED TO A LADY,

By the celebrated F. F. ROUSSEAU,

TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH,
WITH NOTES,

AND TWENTY-FOUR ADDITIONAL LETTERS,
FULLY EXPLAINING THE SYSTEM OF LINNÆUS,
Br THOMAS MARTYN, B.D. F.R. & L. S. S,

REGIUS PROFESSOR OF BOTANY
IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE.

THE FIFTH FDITION,

WITH CORRECTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS,

ON, DIOUN:
PRINTED FOR B. AND J. WHITE,

* AT HORACE’S HEAD, FLEET-STREET.

MDCCXCVI,

ns D de ne _

To
ARE AG A EL ESS

OF

Pe fon TB R I T A I N:

NO LESS EMINENT

FOR THEIR ELEGANT AND USEFUL
ACCOMPLISHMENTS,

THAN ADMIRED

FOR THE BEAUTY OF THEIR PERSONS ?

THIS FIFTH EDITION OF THE FOLLOWING

Beta) Tene or Be RY og
iS, WITH ALL HUMILITY,

INSCRIBED
BY

THE TRANSLATOR AND EDITOR,

+ % x F Fs [LIEN oe .
soles TL sure el | ie oe
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: Ua FR ILE, ,

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grag are

Tae TRANSLATOR’s PREFACE.

HEN the Elementary Letters on
Botany “ firft prefented themfelves
to me, in turning over the laft complete
edition of Roufleau’s works, their elegance
and fimplicity pleafed me enough to make
me give them a fecond more attentive perufal.
{ then thought that they had confiderable me-
rit ; and that ifthey were difembarraffed from
the chaos of fifteen quarto volumes, and tran{-
lated into Englifh, they might be of ufe to
fuch of my fair countrywomen and unlearned
countrymen as wifhed to amufe themfelves
with natural hiftory.
When the tranflation was done, I per-
ceived that, the foundation only being laid
by the ingenious author, it could be of little
fervice without raifing the fuperfiru@ure.
This I have attempted ; not flattering myfelf
that it is executed in Roufleau’s manner,
which is inimitable, but merely with the de-
fign of being ufeful.
* Lettrés Elementaires fur la Botanique’a Madame de
L*. Melanges, tome ii. page 531, &c.

b Collection complete des Oeuvres de J. J. Rouffeau.
Geneve, 1782.

What

viii TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE,

What books can you recommend, that may
enable me to acquire a competent knowledge
of Botany? is a queftion that has very fre-
quently been afked me. To the learned I can
readily anfwer—the works of Linnzus alone
will furnith you with all the knowledge you
have occafion for ; or, if they are deficient in
any point, will refer you to other authors,
where you may have every fatisfaction that
books can give you‘ But I am not very fo:
licitous to relieve thefe learned gentlemen from
their embarraffment; they have refources
enough, and know how to help themfelves.
As to the unlearned, if I were to fend them
to the tranflation of Linnzus’s works, they
would only find themfelves bewildered in an
inextricable labyrinth of unintelligible terms,
and would only reap difguft from a ftudy,
that is, perhaps, more capable of affording
pleafure than any other. If I were to bid
them fit down, and ftudy their grammar ‘ re-
gularly ; fo dry and forbidding an outfet might
difcourage the greater number; and few
would enter the temple through a veftibule

¢ Thefe writings of Linnæus are—Philofophia Bota-
nica, that inexhauftible mine of elementary knowledge—
Genera Plantarum—Species Plantarum—and Syfema Vea

getabilium, which is an epitome of the two laft.
d In Lee’s Introdu€tion, Rofe’s Elements, &c,

4 of

TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE. ix

of fo unpromifing an appearance. A language
however muft be acquired ; but then it may
be done gradually ; and the ¢dium of it may,
in fome meafure, be relieved by carrying on at
the fame time a ftudy of facts, and the philo-
fophy of nature. This feems to have been
Roufleau’s idea, and I have endeavoured not
to lofe fight of it in my continuation of his
eight ingenious letters.

Let an unlearned perfon then, who is de-
firous of acquiring fome knowledge of Bo-
tany, begin by taking a few plants with
flowers, whofe parts are fufhciently vifible,
and examine them patiently by the defcrip-
tions and characters which are given in the
following pages. You may perhaps know
fome plants by their names: or if not, you
will be unfortunate indeed if you have not a
friend who will fhow you the flower of a
lily. If, in the courfe of your examination,
any term fhould occur that is not explained
in the page, or mentioned in the index, you
may have recourfe to the DiGtionary, the In-
troduétion, or the Elements. If you can
have patience to go through the firft feven
letters, with a plant or two of each natural

A tribe

x TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE,

tribe explained in them; to make yourfelf
matter of the claffification in the ninth and
tenth ; and to examine the obvious plants,
whofe charaëters are given in the twenty
following letters, as they occur; I flatter my-
felf that you will find little difficulty after thar,
m determining any plant which you fhall
happen to meet with, by Linnzus’s cha-
raters, as delivered: by his tranflators *:

~whereas if you had begun with them, I am

confident you would have been difcouraged
from proceeding.

Good plates, or figures of plants, will alfo
be of confiderable affiftance: thofe of Mr.
Curtis’s Flora Lonainenfis will fuffice for moft
of the Britifh natives: efpecially as he has
accompanied his plates with ample and accu-
rate defcriptions in Englifh as well as Latin.
Mr. Miller’s figures to his Gardener’s Di&ion-

ary, and Mr, Curtis’s in his Botanical Maga-

zine, exhibit a great number of the moft re-
markable foreigners. There is indeed no want

© A Syftem of Vegetables, &c. tranflated from the 13th
edition of Linnzus’s Syftema Vegetabilium, by a botanical
fociety at Lichfield. The Genera Plantarum is fince
alfo tranflated by the fame hands.

of

TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE, xi

of fuch help ‘: but the misfortune is, that
-thefe books are fo very expenfive, as to be far
beyond the purfe of all but the opulent.

I beg leave to proteft againft thefe letters
being read in the eafy chair at home; they
can be of no ufe but to fuch as have a plant
in their hand; nor do they pretend to any
thing more, than to initiate fuch as, from
their ignorance of the learned languages, are
unable to profit by the works of the learned,
in the firft principles of vegetable nature.
Botany is not to be learned in the clofet: you
muft go forth into the garden or the fields,
and there become familiar with Nature her-
felf ; with that beauty, order, regularity, and
inexhauftible variety which is to be found in

# Catefby’s Carolina. Martyn’s Hiftoria Plantarum
Rariorum. Oeder’s Flora Danica. Dillenius’s Hortus
ithamenfis. Befler’s Hortus Eyftettenfis. Rheede’s
Hortus Malabaricus. Rumphius’s Herbarium Amboi-
nenfe. Trew’s Florum Imagines & Plante rariores. Jac-
quin’s Flora Auftriaca, Hortus Vindobonenfis, &c. Ehret’s
Plante. rariores. Blackwell’s Herbal. Hill’s Vegetable
Syftem. Merian’s Surinam and European Plants and
Infe@s. Allionii Flora Pedemontana. Pallas’s Flora
Roffica. Scopoli’s Flora Infubrica. Dr. Smith’s Icones
Piétæ, &c.—are all very fine works, but it would coft an
immenfe fum to purchafe them,

2 the

xi TRANSLATOR S PREFACE.

the firuGure of vegetables; and that wonder-
ful fitnefs to its end, which we perceive in
every work of creation, as far as our limited
underftandings, and partial obfervations, give
us a juft view of it.

In the fecond edition a few miftakes were
corrected and fome improvements were made ;
the principal of thefe was, a reference at the
foot of the page to fome authors who have
figured the plants. For this purpofe I pre-
ferred Curtis and Miller: when thefe failed
me, I had recourfe to the Flora Danica, &c.
and I ufually referred to old Gerard, or Mo-
rifon, or both, for the fake of fuch as do not
poffefs the more fplendid works, and live re-
mote from public libraries.

In the third edition thefe references were
confiderably multiplied; and that the plants
which were wanted for examination might be
the more readily found, the generic names
were then firft given in the margin, and a
running title of the clafles and orders was
placed at the top of the page.

In the fourth edition fome farther correc-
tions and improvements were made; and the
references to figures were, in a fmall degree,

increafed.
THE

THE

GONT EN TS.

NTRODUCTION. A fhort hiftory of the rife and
progrefs of Botany ; particularly of Nomenclature and
Syflematic Arrangement.

Lerrrri. The true nfe of Botany—the main thing to
be learnt, not mere names, but the vegetable ftructure—
component parts of a plant, p. 21—fructification ex-
plained—the partsthat compofe a flower—corolla, piftil,
ftamen, exemplified in the Lily, p. 22—the pericarp,
p. 24—calyx, p. 25— charaéter of the Liliaceous Tribe
of Plants, p. 25—Botany a ftudy of obfervations and
facts, p. 26.

Lerrer II. Double flowers to be avoided in botanical

examinations—analyfs of the Stock-gilliflower, as an
example of the tribe of Cruciform flowers, p. 28-—divi-
fion of the tribe into two orders, Siliquofe and Sili-
culofe, p. 31—fmall flowers to be examined with a
glafs—other inftruments neceflary for a botanift, p. 32.

Lerrer Ill. Botany not to be ftudied by books, but by
nature, p. 33—analyfis of the Pea flower, p. 34—diftinc.
A à tion

xiv CONTENT

tion of flowers into regular and irregular—precautions
to bring the embryo to maturity, particularly in the
pulfe tribe, p. 35—Legume diftinguifhed from the Si-
lique, p. 8—thefe all have flowers of the Pea ftructure,
called Papilionaceous, p. 39.

Letter IV. Reafon why two ftamens are fhorter than
the other four in Cruciform flowers, p. 40—glands at
the bafe of the filaments—ufe of them, p. 41. Ringent
flowers, p. 42—Labiate : Analyfis of the white Dead-
Nettle, p. 42—Perfonate—exemplified in Snap-dragon
and Toad-flax, p. 45. Comparifon of the Labiate and
Perfonate flowers; with the true way of diftinguifhing
them, p. 46.

Letrer V. Glands very fmall, p. 48—Botany not a
{cience of words, but that which teaches the ftruéture
of Vegetables The firft thing to be learnt, is how
to fee, and to exercife the underftanding, p.48. Dif-

pofition of the fruCtification in the umbeliate tribe, p. 50
—divifion of flowers into Inferior and Superior, p.52—
defcription of the flower and fruit of Umbellate plants,
p- §2—proper character of the tribe, p. 53- Rule to
avoid miflakes in afcertaining this character — inftanced
in the Elder, p. $4—in Eryngo, p. 55—great fimilitude
of umbellate plants—fecondary characters to aflift us
in diftinguifhing them—Diftin@ion of Fool’s Parfley
and Chervil, p. 57.

Letter VI. The umbellate and other natural tribes of
plants to be known by their habit, p. 60>-—correéted by
an analyfis of the fru€tification— Structure of Com-
pound flowers exemplified in the Common Daify, p. 61
made up of flofcules or florets, p. 64—which are of

two

CONTENTS. XV

two forts, florets properly fo called, and femi*floreis,
p. 64—thefe divide thewhole tribe into three feCtions—
1. Semiflofculous flowers. 2. Flofculous. 3. Radiate.
Diftinétion between Compound and Aggregate or Capi-
tate flowers, p. 66 Receptacle the moft eflential
part of a Compound flower—exemplified in the Dande-
lion, p. 67. The Calyx—double—imbricate—Struc-
ture of a Floret, p. 68—and of a Semi-floret, p. 70
The ufe of the down to the feeds, p. 7o—and of the
change in the form of the calyx. Flowers moit adapt-

ed for examination, p. 71.

Lerrer VII. Botany a fludy of curiofity only, p. 72—
nature changed and disfigured by us in many refpects,
p. 72—for the children of pure nature we muft look in
fields and woods. Fruit-trees however, though engraft-
ed, retain their botanical characters. ‘The different
fruits are but varieties. | Pear—Apple—Quince—
Cherry —Plum—A pricot—Almond —Peach — Nectar-
ine—their !charaéters—and that of the clafs to which
they all belong, p. 74.

Lerrer VIII. The manner how to form an Hortus
Siccus, or collection of dried plants. The ufe of it, to
put us in mind of what we have once known, not to
give us a knowledge of plants we have never feen be-
fore: which can only be had, by gathering them and
examining them ourfeives.

Lerrer IX. The fkill of a Botanift confifts in finding
out plants that are unknown to him—— In order to this
he muft learn a fyftem—which is artificial—but pre~
ferves the natural tribes hitherto explained. "The Claffes
jn the fyftem of Linnæus explained, p. 86,

À 4 LETTER

nt mans

xvi CONTENTS.

Lerrer X. Genera and fpecies not to be determined
without a regular arrangement, p. 98. The orders in
the fyftem of Linnæus explained. Two tables of
the characters of the Claffes and Orders, p. 109.,

Letrrer XI. Explanation of generic and fpecific cha-
racters of plants begun—Monandria—Hippuris, p. 115
—Canna, p. 117.

Letter XII. The examination of plants facilitated by
the clearnefs and order of arrangement; and by pro-
ceeding regularly from generals to particulars, p. 119.
The orders thrown into great fubdivifions—inftanced
in the firft order of the fecond clafs, p. 120—Diandria
—Jafmine, p. 121—Privet, Phillyrea, Olive, Lilac,
Veronica, p. 122—Butterwort—V ervain— Rofemary—
Sage, p. 124.

Letrrer XIII. Corn and Graffles—the moft ufeful and
pleafant tribe of plants, p. 127—more than 300 fpecies
of Grafs—the flowers have all the conftituent parts,
p. 128.—Moftly belong to the fecond order of the third
clafs, p. 129. General character of the whole tribe—
its four fubdivifions, p. 132.
tail, Cat’s-tail, p. 13 3—varieties from foil and fituation,

Canary-grafs, Fox-

p- 134. Melica, Aira, p. 135—Briza, Poa, Feftuca,
Brome, Oats and Oat-grafs, Reed, p. 135, &c.—Rie,
Wheat, Barley, Darnel, Dog’s-tail, p. 143—Vernal,
p. 150—Cinna—Soft, p. 151—Bog-rufh, Cyperus,
Club- ruth, Cotton-grafs—Cat’s-tail, Bur-reed, Sedge,
Rufh, Sugar, p. 153. ©

Lerrer XIV. Other plants of the third clafs—ZJris.

Letter XV. The fourth clafs—Aggregate flowers—
Teafel, Scabious, p. 159. Stellated Plants—General
habit

CONTENTS. xvii

habit a leading circumftance, but not to be finally de-
pended ‘upon, p. 163—Madder, Sherardia, Woodroof;
Galium, p. 164—Plantain, p. 165—By a careful exa-
mination of known plants, a facility acquired in dete@t-
ing fuch as are unknown, p. 166— Common plants
preferred to rare ones, p. 167—and why—Ladies-man-
tle, p. 167—Dodder, p. 168—Pondweed, p. 169.

Letrer XVI. The fifth clafs, Pentandria, and the firit
order Monogynia. ‘The natural order of Preciæ, p. 171
—Primrofe, Ox-lip, Cowflip, Polyanthus, p. 172—
General direétions for the examination of plants, p. 173
—Dodecatheon or Meadia, Cyclamen, p. 175—Marfh
Trefoil, p. 176— Water Violet, p. 177—Another natu-
ral order of Afperifoliz or Rough-leaved, p. 177—Turn-
fole, p. 179—Moufe-ear Scorpion-grafs, Gromwell,
p- 180—Hound’s-tongue, Comfrey, p. 161—Cerinthe,
Borage, Buglofs, p. 182—Viper’s Buglofs. Campa-
naceæ or Bell-flowers Convolvulus or Bindweed,
p- 183—Ipomza, Campanula, p. 185—Polemonium,
p. 189. Caution not to be mifled by vulgar names.
Natural order of Luridæ, p. 199— Verbafcum, or Mul-

lin, p. 191—Datura or Thorn-Apple, p. 192—Hen-
bane, p. 193—Tobacco, p. 194—Deadly Nightfhade,
p: 195—Mandrake, p. 197—Winter Cherry, p. 198—
Nightfhade, p. 199—Potato, p. 20 i—LEgg-plant, Cap-
ficum, p. 202. Shrubs—Honeyfuckle, p. 204— Buck-
tnorn, Berry-bearing or Black Alder, p. 206—Ala-
ternus, Chrift’s.thorn, p. 207

Coffee, p. 208—
Ceftrum, Diofma, p.209. Specious plants—Lychnidea,
Marvel of Peru, p. 210—Crefted Amaranth or Cock’s-
comb, p. 211. Natural Order of Contortæ, p.212—Peri-
wincle, p. 213—Oleander, p. 214—Cape Jafmine, Plu-

meria,

KVL , COWREN TS:

meria, p. 215—Jefuit’s-bark—Afclepias, p. 216—Sta-
pelia, p. 217.

Lerrer XVI. Neétary what—its ufe—and the vari-
ety of its forms, p. 220. The fecond Order of the
fifth Clafs— Oleraceous plants—Goofefoot, Beet, p. 221
—Glaflwort, p. 222—Globe Amaranth, p. 223—Elm,
Gentian, p. 224. Leffler Centaury, Yellow Centaury,
p- 226 The Umbellate tribe—Hemlock Chervil,
how to diftinguifh it from Garden Chervil, p. 227—
Water Parfnep, how to diftinguifh it from Water Crefles,
p- 229—Hemlock, p. 230—Wild Chervil, or Cow-
weed, Rough Chervil, p. 231—Unmbellate plants ufed
for food, Carrot, p.232—Sampire, p. 233—Angelica,

p. 234—Coriander, Parfnep, Fennel, p. 235 —-Carraway,
Parfley, Smallage, Celeri, p. 236—Earth-nut, or Pig-
nut, Ferula, Cow-Parfnep, p. 237—Shepherd’s-needle,
The third Order—Sumach, p. 238—Wayfaring-tree,
Marfh-Elder, Gelder Rofe, Lauruflinus. The fourth
Order—Parnaflia, p. 239. The fifth Order—Thrift,
Flax, p. 240.

Letrer XVIII. Hexandria Monogynia—Liliaceous plants,
p. 242—all of them not in this Clafs—fome other ge-
nera mixed with them—divided into three feétions from
the calyx. 1. Ananas, p. 243—Tradefcantia. 2. Snow-
drop, p. 244—Narciflus, p. 245—Amaryllis, p. 246.
3 Tulip, p. 248—Lily of the Valley, Hyacinth, 249
—Aloe, p. 250—Plants not liliaceous—Barberry, Ca-
Jamus aromaticus, p. 251—Rattan, Rufh. Second Or-
der, Digynia—-Rice. Third Order, Trigynia—Dock,
p. 252—Meadow Saffron. Fourth Order, Water
Plantain, p. 254.

LETTER

CONTENTS. xix

Getter XIX. Heptandria, the fmalleft of all the Claffes
—Horfe Chefnut, p. 255. Ofandria, the eighth Clafs
Indian Crefs, Tree Primrofe, p. 256. Willow
Herb, Heath, p. 257—Mezereon—Spurge Laurel,
p.259. Second Order, Yellow perfoliate Gentian.
Third Order, Biftort, p. 260. Knot-grafs, Buck-
wheat, Black Bindweed, p. 261. Ænneandria, the
ninth Clafs, a very fmall one, p. 261—Bay, Aca-
jou or Cafhew, p. 262—Rhubarb, p. 263—Flower-
ing Ruth, p. 265. Decandria, the tenth Clafs. ‘The
firft Order—Dittany or Fraxinella, p. 266—Dio-
nea Mufcipula, Rue, p. 267—Arbutus or Strawberry-
tree. Second Order—Saxifrage, p. 269—Dianthus,
Sweet-William, Carnation, Pink, China Pink, p. 271—
Third Order—Arenaria, Stellaria, Cucubalus, Silene,
p. 273. Spatling Poppy. Fourth Order—Sedums or
Stone-crops, p.274—Cockle, Lychnis, p. 275.

Lerrer XX. The eleventh Clafs, Dodecandria
Number of ftamens from 12 to 19—Firft Order, p. 277
—Afarabacca, Purflain, Looftrife, p. 278. Second Or-

der—Agrimony, p.279. Third Order—Dyer’s-weed
or Weld, Sweet Refeda, p. 280—Euphorbia or Spurge,
p.281. Laft Order—Houfe-leck, p. 284.

Lerrer XXI. Clafs [cofandria—confilts much of trees
and fhrubs, efpecially Fruit trees Rule to diftinguifh
it, p. 286—Cactus, Melon-thiftle, Torch-thiftle, Indian-
fig, p. 287—Syringa, Myrtle, p. 289. Second Order—
Cratægus, p. 290. Third Order—Mountain Afh, Ser-
vice. Fourth Order— Apple, Pear, Quince, Medlar,
Spirea, p. 291—Ficoides or Fig-marigold, p. 292.
Laft Order—Rofe, p. 293—Strawberry, p.294. Clafs
Polyandria—Reafons why it is kept diflin@ from the for-

mer,

xx CONTENTS.

| mer, p. 294—Poppy, p. 295—Caper, Tea-tree, Lime,
Water-lily, Ciftus, p. 296. Multifiliquous plants—

Peony, Larkfpur, Aconite, Columbine, Hellebore, p.297
| —Tulip-tree, p. 299—Magnolia, p. 300—Hepatica,
Pafque flower, Wood Anemone, Eaftern and Garden
, Anemonies, p. 301—Ranunculus, p. 302.

i Letrrer XXII. Fourteenth Clafs, Didynamia. Claf-
| fical chara€ter, p. 305. Firft Order —Gymnofpermia,
Verticillate plants — Ground Ivy, Mint, Lavender, p.306
—Teucrium, Bugle, Betony, Cat-mint, p. 307—Black
Horehound, White Horehound, Wild Thyme, p. 308—
Garden Thyme, Bafil, Marjoram, p. 309—Dittany of
Crete, Baum, Baum of Gilead, p. 310—Self-heal, Scu-
tellaria, p.311. Second Order—Angiofpermia, Broom-
rape, Rinanthus, or Yellow-rattle, p. 312—Eye-bright,
Toad-flax, p. 313—remarkable change in this plant —
Snap-dragon, p. 314 — Three-leaved Toad-flax, Figwort,
p. 315—Foxglove, Trumpet-flower, p. 316—Catalpa,
Acanthus, p. 317—Plants named from eminent per-

fons, p. 318.

Lerrer XXIII. Fifteenth Clafs— Tetradynamia. Claf-
fical character, p.319. Firft Order —Siliculofe — Ho-
nefty or White Satin, p. 320—Candy-tuft, Scurvy-grafs,
Horfe-radifh, p. 321. Second Order—Siliquofe—Ra-
difh, Eryfimum, p. 322—Winter-crefs, Sauce-alone,
Stock, Wall-flower, Rocket, p. 323—-Arabis, Cabbage,
Turnep, Colefeed, Woad, Sea Colewort, p. 324—
Cardamine, Muftard, Charlock, p. 325—Water-crefs,
p. 326—Flixweed, p. 327.

LETTER XXIV. Plants to be examined at different fea-
fons. Clafs Aonadelphia, p.328. Claffical charadter..
Five

CONTENTS. xxi

Five Orders—their charaëter—and that of the genera,
p. 329—Hermannia, p. 331—Geranium, p. 332—
Marfh-Mallow; Mallow, p. 341—Hollyhock, p. 342—
Althea Frutex, p. 343 - China Rofe, Mufk, p. 344.

Lerrer XXV. Clafs feventeenth—Diadelphia. Orders
four, from the number of flamens, p. 345—Fumitory
‘—Milkwort, p. 346. Order Decandria, Papilionaceous
flowers, p. 347—Character of the Order, p. 349—
Spanifh Broom, p. 350—Common Broom, White Spa-
nifh Broom, Portugal Broom, Prickly Cytifus, p. 351—
Dyer’s Weed, Needle Furze, Common Furze, Reft-
harrow, p.352—Ladies finger, Jupiter’s beard, p.35 3—
Lupin, p.354—Kidney Bean, Everlafting Pea, p. 356—
Yellow Vetchling, Crimfon Grafs Vetch, Sweet-fcented _
Pea, Painted Lady Pea, Tangier Pea, p. 357—Vetch or
Tare, p. 358—Bean, Bladder Sena, p. 360—Scarlet
Colutea, Herbaceous Colutea, p. 361—Laburnum, Cy-
tifus, p. 362—Baftard Acacia, Caragana, p. 363—
Scorpion Sena, Indigo, p. 364—Liquorice, p. 365—
French Honeyfuckle, Saintfoin, Trefoil, p. 366—Lotus,
Lucerne, p. 367—Heart-clover, Snails, Hedge-hogs,
p: 368—Caterpillars. Clafs Polyadelphia, p. 369—Ci-
tron, Orange, Lemon, Shaddock, p. 370—St. John’s
Wort, p. 372—St. Peters Wort, p. 373—Tutfan,
Majorca St. John’s Wort, p. 374—Chinele Hyperi-
cum, p. 375:

LETTER XXVI. Clafs Syngencfia or Compound Flowers,
p. 376. Virft Order—Polygamia Æqualis, p. 377—
Goat’s-beard. How to diftinguifh a Double from a
Compound Flower, p. 378.—Salfafy, Scorzonera, p. 379
—Sowthifle, Lettuce. Way to diftinguifh plants of the

fame

xxii CONTENTS.

famenatural Clafs, p.380—Hawkweed,Succory,Endive,
p-381 —Thiftles, Way-thiftle, p. 382—Cotton-thiftle,
Artichoke, Burdock, p.383—Eupatorium, Bidens,p. 384.
Second Order—Polygamia Superflua. Tanfy, p. 385—
Southernwood, Common Wormwood, Roman Worm-
wood, p. 336.—Mugwort, Sea Wormwood, Yellow
and White Everlafting, p. 387—Xeranthemum, Colt’s-
foot, p. 388—Butter-bur, Groundfel, p. 389—Rag-
wort, African Groundfel, p. 390 — After, Golden-rod,
p- 391—Elecampane, Flea-bane, p. 393—Leopard’s-
bane, p. 394—French and African Marigolds, p. 395 —
Ox-eye Daify, Corn Marigold, p. 396—Chryfanthe-
mum, Feverfew, Camomile, Milfoil, p. 307. ‘Third
Order—Polygamia Fruftranea, p. 398—Annual Sun-
flower, Perennial Sunflower, p. 399—Jerufalem Arti-
choke, p. 400—Sweet Sultan, Great Centaury, Com-
mon Knapweed, p. 401—Great Knapweed, Blue-
bortle, Mountain Blue-bottle, Carduus beneditus, p. 402
—Star-thiftle. Fourth Order—Polygamia Neceflaria,
Marigold, p. 403. Fifth Order—Polygamia Segre-
gata, Globe-thiftle. Sixth Order—Monogamia, p. 404.
Sweet Violet, Dog Violet, Panfes, p.405—Balfamine,
Wild Balfam, p.406, 407.

Lerrer XXVIL.' ‘The twentieth Clafs Gynandria.
Character. Firft Order—-Diandria. A Natural tribe,
p- 409—Its character, p. 410—Leading characters of
the principal genera—Orchis, Butterfly, p. 412—Pyra-
midal, p. 413—Male, Female, p. 414—Dwarf, p. 41 5—
Broad-leaved, Spotted, p. 416—-Sweet Satyrium—Li-
zard, Frog, p. 417—Ophrys—Twayblade, Spiral,
p. 419—Fly, Bee, Spider, p. 420—Lady’s Slipper,

Pp. 422.

CONTENTS. XXxill

p.422. Order Pentandria—Paflion-flower, p. 423.
Order Polyandria—Arum, p. 426.

Letrer XXVIII. The twenty-firft Clafs—/onæcia.
Character, p. 429—Order Triandria contains a natural
tribe called Calamariæ. Cat’s-tail, p. 430—Bur-reed,
pe 431—Mays, p. 432—Sedge, p. 433. Trees in Order
Tetrandria, p. 433—Birch, Alder, p.434— Box, Mul-
berry, p.435. In Order Polyandria: Oak, p. 436—
Tlex, p. 437—Cork, Walnut, p. 438—Chefnut, Beech,
p- 439—Hornbeam, Hazel, p. 441—Plane, p.442. In
Order Monadelphia : Pines, p. 443 —Cedar, Larch, Firs,
p. 445—Cyprefs, p. 446. Herbs in Order Tetrandria :
Nettles. In Order Pentandria: Amaranth, p. 447. In
Order Polyandria: Arrow-head, Burnet, p. 449. In
Order Monadelphia : Palma Chrifti. In Order Synge-
nefia: the natural tribe of Cucurbitaceæ, p. 430—Spirt-
ing Cucumber, Gourd, Pompion, Squath, p. 451—Me-
lon, Cucumber, p. 452.

Letrer XXIX. The twenty-fecond Clafs—Diacia.
Character. Order Diandria: Willow, p. 453. Order
Tetrandria: Miffelroe, p. 455. Order Pentandria :
Spinach, Hemp, Hop, p. 456. Order Hexandria: Black
Bryony. Order Octandria: Poplars, p. 457. Order
Enneandria: Dog’s Mercury, p. 458. Order Mon-
adelphia : Juniper, Savin, American Cedars, P: 459—
Yew, p.460. Order Syngenefia: Rufcus, Alexandrian
Laurel, p. 461.

Letter XXX. The twenty-third Clafs—Polycamia.
Character. Order Monœcia: Valantia, p. 463—Pel-
litory, p. 464—Atriplex, Maple, p. 465—Senfitive,

p. 466
2

xxiv CONTENTS.

p- 466. Order Diœcia : Three-thorned Acacia, Afh,
p. 467. Order Tricecia: Fig. p. 468.

Lerrer XXXI. The different forms and ftru€ture of

the neétary, and its probable ufe, p. 470—Of the fulcra,
and circumftances.that affift in afcertaining fpecific dif-
ferences, p. 484.

Lerrer XXXII. The twenty-fourth Clafs—Cryptoga-

mia, p. 486. Firft Order—Ferns, p. 487 —Horfe-tail,
Adder’s-tongue, p. 488—Moonwort, Flowering-Fern,
Spleenwort, p. 489—Common Fern or Brake, Hart’s-
ongue, Polypody, p. 490—Male Fern, true Maidenhair.
Second Order—Moffes, p. 491—Wolf’s-claw Mofs,
Bog-Mofs, p. 492—Golden Maidenhair, p. 463—hy-
grometric Mnium, hairy Bryum, apple-form, pear-form,
brown-Bryum, p. 494—Silky Hypnum. Third Order—
Algz or Flags, p. 495—Marchantia, Lichen, p. 496—
Ulva, Fucus, Conferva, p. 500. . Fourth Order—
Fungi. Agaric, Boletus, p. 501—Morel, Trufile, Puff-
ball, p. 502.

INTRODUCTION.

fi Ra principal misfortune of Botany is,
. Æ that from its very birth it has been
I6oked upon merely as a part of medicine.
This was the reafon why every body was
employed in finding or fuppofing virtues in
plants, whilft the knowledge of plants them-
ielves was totally negle€ted: for how could
the fame man make fuch long and repeated
excurfions as fo extenfive a Rudy demands ;
and at the fame time apply himfelf to the
{edentary labours of the laboratory, and at-
tendance upon the fick ; which are the only
methods of afcertaining the nature of vege-
table fubftances, and their effects upon the
Human body? This falfe idea of Botany,
for a long time, almoft confined the ftudy
of it to medicinal plants, and reduced the
vegetable chain to a {mall number of inter-
tupted links. Even thefe were very ill
ftudied, becaufe the fubftance only was at-
tended to, and not the organization. How
indeed could perfons be much interefled in
the organical ftru€ture of a fubftance, of
which they had no other idea but as a thing

to

INTRODUCTION.

to be pounded in a mortar? Plants were
fearched for, only to find remedies ; it was
fimples, not vegetables, that they looked af-
ter. ‘his was very right, it will be faid.
May be fo. Hence neverthelefs it follows,
that, if men were ever fo well acquainted
with remedies, they were very ignorant of
plants ; and this is all that I have here ad-

vanced. 4
Botany was nothing ; there was no fuch
ftudy ; and they who plumed themfelves
moft upon their knowledge of vegetables,
had no idea of their ftruCture, or of the vege-
table economy. Every body knew by fight
five or fix plants in his neighbourhood, to
which he gave names at random ; enriched
with wonderful virtues, which he took it
in his head they poflefled ; and each of thefe
plants, changed into an univerfal panacea,
was alone fufficient to render all mankind
immortal, Thefe plants, transformed into
balfams and ointments, quickly difappear-
ed; and foon made room for others, te
which new comers, in order to diftinguifh
themfelves, attributed the fame effects.
Sometimes it was a new plant, decorated
with ancient virtues: fometimes old plants,
under new names, fufficed to enrich new
quacks. Thefe plants had a different vul-
gar name in every province, and they who
pointed them out for their drugs, at moit
gave them only thofe names by which they
were known on the fpot where they lived :
thus,

INTRODUCTION.

thus, when their recipes travelled into other
- countries, it was no longer known what
plant they fpoke of; every body fubfti-
tuted another after his own fancy, without
regarding any thing elfe but giving it the
fame name. Such is the whole art that
the Myrepfufes, the Hildegardifes, the
Suardufes, the Villanovas, and the reft of
the doctors of that time, employed in the
ftudy of thofe plants which they treat of;
and it would be difficult perhaps for any
body to know one of them by the names
or defcriptions which they have given
them *. |

At the revival of learning, every thing
difappeared to make room for the works
of antiquity ; nothing was then either good-
or true but what was to be found in Arif-
totle or Galen. Inftead of fearching for
plants where they grew, men ftudied them
only in Pliny and Diofcorides ; and there is
nothing fo frequent in the authors of thofe

ws
_ * Myrepfus’s book is entitled Avtidotarium parvum.
Hildegardis was a lady and an abbefs; fhe flourifhed
about 1180, and wrote, among others, a treatife entitled
Phyfica Leguminum, Fruëfuum, Herbarum, €5'c. Suar-
dus’s book is intitled Anzidotarium, and was printed at
Venice 1551 fol—Arnoldus de Villanova put together
Regimen Sanitatis Salerni, printed in 1482, 1484, 1400,
1491, 1493, 1505, 1509, &c. and was author of many
other medical and medico-botanical works. He is
faid to have died in 1313. But the moft popular of
thefe old works, was Hortus Sanitatis, afcribed to Cu-
ba. See Pulteney’s Sketches of the Progrefs of Botany
in England, chap. iv.

D'2 times, :

ne

ne

YN'TRODECTIO

times, as to find them denying the exift-
ence of a plant, for no other reafon but
becaufe Diofcorides has not mentioned it.
Thefe learned plants however muft be
found in nature, in order to make ufe of
them according to the precepts of their
matter. They beftirred themfelves there-
fore, they fet themfelves to fearch, to ob-
ferve, to conjecture; and made every ef-
fort to find, in the plant which they chofe,
the characters defcribed in their author ;
and fince tranflators, commentators, and
practitioners, feldom agreed in their choice,
twenty names were given to the fame
plant ; and the fame name to twenty plants;
every man maintaining that his own was
the true one, and that all the. reft, not be-
ing that of Diofcorides, ought to be pro-
fcribed. From this conflict indeed it fol-
lowed at length that more careful refearches
were made, and fome good obfervations,
which deferved not to be forgotten; but at
the fame time fuch a chaos of nomenclature,
that the Phylicians and Herbarifts no longer
underftood each other: there was no pof-
fibility of communicating their mutual
lights ; nothing remained but difputes upon
words and names; and even every ufeful
enquiry and defcription was loft, for want
of being able to decide what plant each au-

thor had {poken of.
Real botanifts however began to be form-
ed: fuch as Clufius, Cordus, Cæfalpinus,
Gel-

AE R O'D' U C'T l'OM

Gefner’; good and inftruétive books on
this fubjeét began to be publifhed, in which
already appeared fome traces of methods.
And it has certainly been a lofs that thefe
pieces have become ufelefs and unintelli-
gible by the mere difcordance of names‘,
But thefe authors, beginning to unite {pe-
cies and feparate genera, according to their
own manner of obferving the habit and
apparent ftruéture, occafioned new incon-
veniences, and a frefh obfcurity ; becaufe
each author, regulating his nomenclature
by his own method, created new genera,

b If we follow the order of birth, the arrangement
fhould have been Cordus 1515, Gefner 1516, Cæfal-
pinus 1519, Clufius 1526: if we range them from
the dates of their publications, they fhould ftand thus
—Cordus 1535, Gefner 1540, Clufius 1557, Cæfal-
pinus 1583.

€ Indeed !—Some traces only of method inthe cele-
brated work of Cæfalpinus ! He who firft invented a
complete arrangement of plants, and ftands unrivalled
as the father of method! He to whom every fucceed-
ing fyftem-monger owes fo many obligations! Though
among them all Ray alone confeffes it. What Rouf-
feau aflirms is true only of the excellent, the illuftrious
Gefner ; the other two thought nothing of arrange-
ment: No, nor the Bauhins, nor any other, till Mo-
rifon and Ray.

d If Rouffeau means to fpeak here concerning the
works of the forementioned authors, this is not true.
The treatifes of Gefner and Clufius are every where
referred to, even by Linnæus, and confequently their
nomenclature is well known. ‘The principal work of
Valerius Cordus is Gefner’s Hiftory of Plants, which
he publifhed in 1561. Cæfalpinuss book is now be-
come rather a matter of refpeétable curiofity than ufe.

ls Get or

wv

INT RODUCT FOX.

or feparated old ones, as the chara@ers of
his own required. So that genera and fpe-
cles were fo jumbled together as to leave
{carcely any plant without as many names
as there were authors who defcribed it;
which made the ftudy of the nomencla-
ture as tedious as that of the plants them-
felves, and frequently more difficult.

At length the two illuftrious brothers ap-
peared ; who alone have done more for the
advancement of Botany than all the reft
together who preceded, and even followed
them, till Tournefort. Rare geniufes !
whofe vaft knowledge and folid labours,
confecrated to Botany, render them worthy
of that immortality which they have ac-
quired, For, till this part of natural hif-
tory falls into oblivion, the names of John
and Cafpar Bauhin will live along with it
in the memory of mankind’.

Fach of thefe men undertook an uni-
verfal hiftory of plants: but what more
immediately relates to our prefent purpofe
is, that they each of them undertook to
join to it a Synonymy, or exact lift of the
names that every plant bore in all the writ-
ers which preceded them. ‘This labour
was become abfolutely neceflary to enable
us to reap any advantage from their obfer-

¢ John the elder was born at Lyon, in 1541, and
died in 1613. Cafpar was not born till 1560, and died
in 1624.
à RSA vations ;

IN T'R'ODU-C TION.

vations; for without that, it was almoft
impoflible to follow and diftinguifh every
plant among fo many names.

The eldeft almoft completed this under-
taking in three volumes in folio, printed
after his death ; and he has given fuch jutt
defcriptions of the plants, that we are rarely
deceived in his fynonyms.

The brother’s plan was yet more exten-
five, as appears by the firft volume which
he publifhed, and from which we may judge
of the immentity of the whole work, if he
had found time to execute it # : but, ex-
cepting this volume, we have no more than
the titles of the reft in his Pinax 5 ; and this
Pinax, the produce of forty years labour,
is ftill the guide to all thofe who ftudy

f Chabræus was the editor, and Francis Louis de
Graffenried, of Bern, was at the expence of the publi-
cation. “This work derives no excellence from the pa-
per or print. The plates are {mall and poorly execut-
ed ; they belonged to Fuchfius, and were purchafed by
the bookfeller for this purpofe ; the editor has not un-
frequently put them in wrong places. John Bauhin’s
Hiftory however has great intrinfic excellence, for the
number of plants well defcribed, and a judicious compi-
lation of whatever had been done before his time. It
is entitled Hiftoria Plantarum Univerfalis, auétore
Johanne Bauhino archiatro, &c. Ebrod. 1651.”

: 8 Theatri Botanici pars I. Bafil. 1658 and 1663,
ol.

* Pinax Theatri Botanici, five Index in Theophrafti,
Diofcoridis, Plinii & Botanicorum, qui a feculo fcrip-
ferunt, opera, plantarum circiter 6005 nomina cum {y-
nonymiis & differentiis. ‘Opus XL annorum. Ball.

1623 & 1671. ato.
B 4 this

IN TR O D'UC'TTON:

‘this fubject and with to confult ancient au:
thors i,

The nomenclature of the Bauhins being
formed only from the titles of their chap-
ters, and thefe titles ufually comprifing fe-
veral words, hence came the cuftom of giv-
ing, as the names of plants, long ambi-
guous phrafes ; which made this nomencla-
ture not only tedious and embarrafling, but
pedantic and ridiculous. | own there might
have been fome advantage in this, pro-
vided their phrafes had been better con-
ftruéted ; but being compofed indifferently
of the names of places whence the plants
came, of perfons who fent them, and even
of other plants to which they fancied them
to bear fome fimilitude, thefe phrafes were
fources of new embarraflment and frefh

i The judicious, the indefatigable Haller, from whofe
judgment there lies no appeal, fays of Cafpar Bauhin,
that he emulated his elder brother, in Botany ; that he
was laborious in collecting, and knew a greater num-
ber of plants, being more enriched with ‘them by his
fcholars and friends : but that his judgment was lefs
acute; that he admitted too many varieties for fpecies ;
that he has repeated the fame plant under different
names ; that he was lefs accurate than his brother in
his defcriptions, lefs acquainted with the natural
claffes, and RAA as well as himfelf in being
obliged to divide his time between Anatomy and Bo-
tany. Bibl. Botan. I. p. 384.

Haller fays alfo of this par nobile fratrum, that for
their unwearied diligence they well deferved tolead the
way in anew age of Botany ; and accordingly he puts
them at the head of the Collectores i in his fixth book.

doubts,

INTRODUCTION.

doubts, becaufe the knowledge of one plant
required that of feveral others to which the
phrafe referred, and whofe names were not
better determined than its own.

In the mean time diftant voyages were
inceflantly enriching Botany with new
treafures; and, whilft the old names al-
ready overloaded the memory, it was ne-
ceffary to invent new ones for the new
plants that were difcovered. Loft in this
immenfe labyrinth, the botanifts were ob-
liged to feek a thread to extricate them-
felves from it; they attached themfelves
therefore at laft ferioufly to method : Her-
man, Rivinus, Ray, feverally propofed
their own ; but the immortal Tournefort
carried away the prize from them all’; he
firft ranged the whole vegetable kingdom
fyftematically ™; and, reforming the no-
menclature in part, combined it by his new

k The order fhould have been Ray, Herman, Rivi-
nus. Ray publithed his firft work in 1660, his Method
in 1682, and even drew up Tables for Bifhop Wilkins
in 1667, which were printed 1 in the year following.
Hermanbeganto write in 1687, and printed his Method
in 1690. Rivinus publifhed the firft part of his Method
in 1690. Morifon had before publifhed his in 1669.

1 Tournefort firft publifhed hisS yftem in 1697: it was
{pecious,and ey onan, till Linnæus’sfuper-
feded it: the plates of generic characters are excellent.

m How farthis is true may be feen in note (k). Tour-
nefort’s however may be faid to have been the firit
complete regular arrangement; though how it could
ever be ufed to good purpofe, without any characters
or defcriptions of the SE I do not underftand,

Are

{Oo

INTRODUCTION.

genera with that of Cafpar Bauhin: but,
far from freeing it of its long phrafes, he
either added new ones, or loaded the old
ones with additions which his method
obliged him to make. The barbarous cuf-
tom was then introduced of tagging new
names to the old ones by a contradictory
qui que quod, making of the fame plant
two diftin& genera.

For inftance—* Dens Leonis guz Pilo-
‘ fella folio minus villofo. Doria quæ Ja-
© cobcea orientalis limonii folio. ‘Titano-
‘ keratophyton quod Lythophyton mari-
‘ num albicans.’

Thus was the nomenclature loaded.
The names of the plants became not only
phrafes but periods. I fhall cite one of
Plukenet’s, to prove that I do not.exag-
gerate. “ Gramen myloicophorum caro-
“ Jinianum, feu gramen altiflimum, pani-
“ cula maxima fpeciofa, e fpicis majoribus
‘* comprefliufculis utrinque pinnatis blat-
“ tam molendariam quodam modo referen-
“ tibus, compofita, foliis convolutis mu-
“ cronatis pungentibus.” A/mag. 137°.

It would have been all over with Bo-
tany if this praCtice had continued; the
nomenclature, being now abfolutely infup-
portable, could no longer fubfift in this
ftate; and it was become neceflary either
that a reformation fhould be made, or that

2 See Linnxus’s Critica, and Philofophia Botanica.
the

ee ee

EDS menu ae

INTRODUCTION.

the richeft, the moft lovely, and the eafieit
of the three parts of Natural Hiftory fhould
be abandoned.

At Jength Linnæus, full of his fyftem
and the vaft ideas which it fuggefted to
him, formed the proje& of new moulding
the whole; a tafk which every body felt
the neceflity of, but no one dared to un-
dertake. He did more, he executed it;
and, having prepared in his Critica Botanica
the rules by which it ought to be con-
ducted, he determined the genera of plants
in his Genera Plantarum, and afterwards
the fpecies in his Species Plantarume; in
fuch a manner, that, by keeping all the old
names that agreed with thele new rules,
and new cafting all the reft, he eftablifhed
at length a clear nomenclature, founded
upon the true principles of the art which
he had fet forth. He preferved all the an-
cient genera which were truly natural; he
corrected, fimplified, united, or divided the
reft as their true characters required. And
in forming his names he followed, fome-
times even fomewhat too feverely, the rules
which he had laid down.

© The firft fketch of Linnæus’s Syftem was publifh-
ed in 1735: the laft edition of Syftema Vegetabilium
in 1784: the Critica Botanica in 1737: the firft edi-
tion of the Genera the fame year, and the laft in
1764: the firft edition of the Species in 1753, the
fecond in 1762 and 1763. See Dr. Pulteney’s excel-

lent account of the writings of Linnœus.
With

Ha 4

{4

INTRODUCTION.

With refpet to the fpecies, defcriptions
and diftinétions were neceflary to determine
them ; phrafes therefore remained always
indifpenfable ; but, by confining himfelf to
a fmall number of technical words, well
chofen and well adapted, he made good
fhort definitions deduced from the true cha-
racter of the plant, banifhing rigoroufly alt

that was foreign to it, For this it was ne-

ceflary to create a new language for Bo-
tany, that would fpare the long periphrafes
of the old defcriptions. Complaint has been
made that the words of this language are
not all to be found in Cicero. This com-
plaint would be reafonable, had Cicero
written a complete treatife of Botany.
Thofe words however are all either Greek
or Latin, expreflive, fhort, fonorous, and
even form elegant conftructions by their
extreme precifion. It is in the conftant
practice of the art, that we feel all the ad-
vantage of this new language, which is as

‘convenient and neceflary for Botanifts, as

that of algebra is for mathematicians.
Hitherto Linnæus had indeed deter-
mined the greatelt part of known plants,
but he had not named them ; for defining
a thing is not naming it: a phrafe can
never be a true name, nor can it come into
common ufe. He provided againf{t this
defect by the invention of trivial names”,
which

® Thefe fpecific or trivial names appear firft in the
Pan

INTRODUCTION:

which he joined to the generical onés in
order to diftinguifh the fpecies. By this
contrivance the name of every plant is com-
pofed only of two words, which alone,
when chofen with difcernment, andapplied
with propriety, often make the plant better
known than the long phrafes of Micheli
and Plukenet. To be ftill better and more
regularly acquainted with it, there is the
phrafe, which doubtlefs muft be known,
but need not be repeated every time we
have occafion to fpeak of the object.

Nothing is more pedantic or ridiculous,
when a woman, or one of thofe men who
refemble women, are afking you the name
of an herb or a flower in a garden, than to
be under the neceflity of anfwering by a
long file of Latin words that have the ap-
pearance of a magical incantation; an in-
convenience fufficient to deter fuch frivo-
lous perfons from a charming ftudy offered
with fo pedantic an apparatus.

However neceflary or advantageous this.
reform might be, nothing lefs was wanting
than Linnæus’s profound knowledge to
execute it with fuccefs, and the reputation
of this great naturalift to make it be uni-
verfally adopted. It met with refiftance at
firft, and meets with it ftill. This could
not be otherwife; his rivals in the fame

Pan Suecicus of 1749; but they were brought to per-
feétion in the firft edition of the Species Plantarum,
publifhed four years after.

career

INTRODUCTION.

career look upon this adoption as a confef-
fion of inferiority which they do not like
to make ; his nomenclature feemed fo much
of a piece with his fyftem, that they could
not well be feparated. And Botanifts of the
higher order, who think themfelves obliged
through pride not to adopt the fyftem of
any other, but each man to have his own,
will not facrifice their pretenfions to the
progrefs of an art for which the profefiors
have rarely a difinterefted fondnefs.
National jealoufies alfo oppofe the ad-
miflion of a foreign fyftem. People think
themfelves obliged to fupport the famous
men of their own country, efpecially after
their death; for even that felf-love which
made them fcarcely bear their fuperiority
whilft they were alive, is honoured by their
glory after they are departed. |
The great convenience however of this
new nomenclature, and the utility of it,
_ which practice hasmade known, have caufed
it to beadopted almoftuniver{ally throughout
Furope, fooner or later; and even at Paris
M. de Juffieu has eftablifhed it in the royal
garden ; thus preferring public utility to the
glory of new-moulding the whole, which
the method of natural families, invented
by his illuftrious uncle, feemed to require *.

Not

a The French garden however is certainly arranged
by M.de Juflicu’s natural method; which was publifhed
in 1789, under the title of Genera Plantarum, fecundum

ordines

INTRODUCTION.

Not that the nomenclature of Linnæus is
without its faults, or gives no handle to
criticifm ; but, till a more perfec one thall
be found, in which nothing is wanting, it
is far better to adopt this than to have none,
or to fall again into the phrafes of Tourne-
fort or Cafpar Bauhin. I can even fcarcely
believe that a better nomenclature will in
future have fuccefs enough to profcribe
this, to which the Botanifts of Europe are
at prefent fo wholly accuftomed; and, hav-
ing now the double tie of habit and conve-
nience, they will renounce it with ftill more
unwillingnefs than they found in adopting
it. In order to bring about fuch a change,
an author muft be found with credit enough
to efface that of Linnzus; one to whofe
authority all Europe would be willing a fe-
cond time to fubmit; which appears to me
not likely to happen. For if his fyftem *,
however excellent it may be, fhould be
adopted by one nation only, it would throw
Botany into a new labyrinth, and do it
more injury than fervice.

Even the labour of Linnæus, though im-
menfe, remains ftill imperfect, inafmuch as

Ardines naturales difpofita, juxta methodum in horto regie
Parifienfi exaratam, anno 1774.

r Hefhould rather have faid nomenclature or language.
It is of no great importance what lyftem we adopt, fo
that we all agrée to talk the fame language. That of
Linnæus will probably ftand the teft of ages, what-
ever may become of the fexual fyftem.,

pre

t

INTRODUCTION.

it does not comprehend all known plants;
and is not adopted by all Botanifts without
exception ; for the writings of fuch as do
riot fubmit to it, require from their readers
the fame labour to fettle the fynonyms, as
they were forced to take for thofe which
preceded it. | |

We are obliged to Mr. Erantz, not-
withftanding his rage againft Linnæus, for
having adopted his nomenclature; though
he rejected his fyftem. But Haller, in his
large and excellent work on the Swils
plants‘, rejets both; and Adanfon does
more; for he makes an entire new no-
menclature, and furnifhes no information
whereby we may refer it to Linnzus’s.
Haller always quotes the genus; and fre-
quently the fpecifñc characters of Linnæus;
but Adanfon never quotes either. Haller
attaches himfelf to an exact fynonymy, by
which, even when he does not add Lin-
næus’s enunciation of the fpecies, we may
find it at leaft indire@ly by the relation of
the fynonyms. But Linnæus and his
books are abfolutely null and void for M.
Adanfon and his readers, becaufe the latter
gives no information whereby we may con-
nect them. So that we are compelled to
choofe between Linnæus and M. Adanfon,

S Alberti v. Haller Hiftoria Stirpium Indigenarum
Helvetiæ inchoata. Bernz 1768 folio, in three vo-
lumes.

who

INTRODUCTION.

who excludes him without mercy; and to
throw all the works of one of them into
the fire. Or elfe we muft undertake a new
work, which will be neither fhort nor eafy,
to connect thefe nomenclatures, which of-
fer us no point of union.

Linnzus indeed has not given a com-
plete fynonymy. For plants known long
fince, he has contented himfelf with quot-
ing the Bauhins and Clufius, with a figure
of each plant. For exotic plants lately dif-
covered, he ‘has cited one or two modern
authors and the figures of Rheed, Rum-
phius and fome others, and has gone no
farther. : His undertaking did not require
of him a more extended compilation, and
it is fufficient that he has given one certain
information wie regard | to every plant
which he names‘.

Such is the prefent ftate of things. Now
after this account of it, I would afk every
reader of common fenfe, how it is poflible
to attach one’s {elf to the ftudy of plants,
and at the fame time to reject that of the
nomenclature? It is juft as if a man
would make himfelf fkilful in a language,
with a determination not to learn the
words of it. ‘The names, it is true, are
arbitrary, the knowledge of plants has no
neceflary connexion with the nomencla-

* Rouffeau means to fpeak here of the Species Plan-
tarum, and what he fays is in general true of that.
But in his Flora Lapponica, Suecica, &c. he has given
a much more extenfive fynonymy.

ture 5

18

INTRODUCTION,

ture; and it is eafy to conceive that an in-
telligent man might bean excellent Bota-
nift, without knowiag a fingle plant by its
name. But that one man alone, without
books or any affiftance from communicated
information, fhould become of himfelf even
a very moderate Botanift, is a ridiculous
aflertion to make, and an enterprife impof-
fible to execute. The queftion is, whether
three hundred years of ftudy and obferva-
tion fhould be loft to Botany, whether
three hundred volumes of figures and de-
{criptions fhould be thrown into the fire,
whether the knowledge acquired by all the
learned who have confecrated their purfe,
their life, their time, to diftant, expenfive,
painful, and dangerous expeditions, fhould
be ufelefs to their fueceffors, and whether
every one fetting out from nothing could
arrive by himfelf at the fame knowledge,
that a long feries of enquiry and ftudy has
fpread over the mafs of mankind? If not,
and if the moft lovely part of natural hif-
tory merit the attention of the curious, let
them tell me how we fhall manage to
make ufe of the knowledge heretofore
acquired, if we do not begin by learn-
ing the language of the writers, and
knowing to what objets the names em-
ploved by them belong. ‘To admit there-
fore the fludy of Botany, and to reject that
of the nomenclature, is a moft abfurd con-
tradiélion,

LETTERS

DOS DD LE, RS

ELEMENTS

MOT LA UN Ye

PO v AL A D Y.

Pop ee RT.

ON THE FRUCTIFICATION AND LILIACEOUS PLANTS.

Dated the 22d of Auguft 1771.
THINK your idea of amufing the
vivacity of your daughter a little, and
exercifing her attention upon fuch agree-
able and varied objets as plants, is excel-
lent: though I fhould not have ventured
to play the pedant fo far as to propofe it of
myfelf. Since however it comes from you,
I approve it with all my heart, and will
even affift you in it; convinced that, at all
times of life, the ftudy of nature abates the
tafte for frivolous amufements, prevents
the tumult of the paffions, and provides
the mind with a nourifhment which is fa-
lutary, by filling it with an object moft
worthy of its contemplations,
A C 2 You

3

LETTE Re

You have begun with teaching your
daughter the names of the common plants
which you have about you; this was the
very thing you fhould have done. ‘The
few plants which fhe knows by fight are fo
many points of comparifon for her to ex-
tend her knowledge: but they are not
fufficient. You defire to have a‘httle ca-
talogue of the moft common plants, with
the marks by which they may be known.
I find fome difficulty in doing this for you:
that is, in giving you thefe marks or cha-
racters in writing, after a manner that is
clear, and at, the fame time not diffufe.
This feems impoflible without ufing the
language peculiar to the fubje& ; and the
terms of that language form a vocabulary
apart, which you cannot underftand unlels
it be previoufly explained to you.

Belides, merely, to be acquainted with
plants by fight, and to know only their
names, cannot but be too infipid a ftudy
for a genius like yours; and it may be pre-
fumed that your daughter would not be
Jong amufed with it. I propofe that you
fhould have fome preliminary notions of
the vegetable ftruture or organization of
plants, in order that you may get fome real
information, though you were to take only
a few fteps, into the moft beautiful and
the richeft of the three kingdoms of na-
ture. We have nothing therefore to do
yet with the nomenclature, which is but

the

FRUCTIRICATUON.

the knowledge of a Herbarift. I have
always thought it poffible to be a very
great Botanift without knowing fo much
as one plant by name; and, without wifh-
ing to make your daughter a very great
Botanift, ‘1 think neverthelefs that it will
always be ufeful to her to learn how to
fee, whatever fhe looks at, well. Do not
however be terrified at the undertaking :
you will foon know that it is not a great
one. There is nothing either complicated
or difficult in what I have to propole to
you. Nothing is required but to have
patience to begin with the beginning... Af-
ter that, you may go on no farther than
Lys choofe.

We are now getting towards the latter
feafon, and thofe plants which are the moft
fimple in their ftructure are already patft.
Befides, I expe“t you will take fome time
to fees your obfervations a little regular-
ly. However in the mean while, till
{pring puts you in a fituation to begin and
follow the order of nature, I am going to
give you a few words of the vocabulary to
get by heart.

A perfect plant is compofed of a root,
of a flem with its branches, of leaves,
flower, and fruit, (for in Botany, by fruit,
in herbs as well as in trees, we underfand
the whole fabric ‘of the feed.) You know
the whole of this already, at leaft enough to
underftand the term; but there is a prin-

C 3 cipal

21

22

Lily.

LETTER IT

cipal part which requires an examination
more at large ; | mean the /rwéiification, that
is, the flower and the fruit. Let us begin
with the flower, which comes firft. In
this part nature has inclofed the fummary
of her work; by this fhe perpetuates it,
and this alfo. is commonly the moft bril-
liant of all parts of the vegetable, and al-
ways leaft liable to variations.

Take a lily* : I believe you will eafily
find it ftill in full flower. Before i it opens,
you fee at the top of the ftem an oblong
greenifh bud, which grows whiter the near-
er it is to opening ; ; and when it is quite
open, you perceive that the white cover
takes the form of a bafin or vafe divided
into feveral fegments. This is called the
corolla, and not the flower, as it is by the
vulgar, becaufe the flower is a compolition
of feveral parts, of which the corolla is only
the principal.

The corolla of the lily is not of one
piece, as you eafily fee. When it withers
and falls, it feparates into fix diftinét pieces,
which are called petals. Thus the corolla
of the lily is compofed of fix petals, A
corolla confifting of feveral pieces like
this is called a polypetalous corolla. If it

a Lilium candidum of Linneus, (PI. 1.) or any of
its congeners, (fee L. chalcedonicum & bulbiferum,
figured, in Curtis’s Magazine, 30 and 36.) or almoft
any of the tribe of thefe which are called /iliaceous
flowers, and are, for the greater part, eminently beau-

tiful. As Amaryllis formofifima, Curt. Mag. 47.
were

LILIACEOUS PLANTS.

were all of one piece, like the bell-flower ?
or bind-weeds‘, it would be called monope-
falous. But to return to our lily.

You will find exactly in the middle of
the corolla a fort of little column rifing
from the bottom, and pointing directly up-
wards. This, taken in its whole, is called
the pi/tdl or pointal : taken in its parts, it is
divided into three; 1, the fwollen bafe,
with three blunted angles, cailed the germ
Or ovary; 2, a thread placed upon this,
called the fy/e; 3, the ftyle crowned by a
fort of capital with three notches: this
capital is called the gra.

Between the piftil and the corolla you
find fix other bodies entirely feparate from
each other, which are called the famens.
Each ftamen is compofed of two parts, one
long and thin, by which it is faftened to
the bottom of the corolla, and called the
filament ; the other thicker, placed at the
top of the filament, and called anthera or
anther*, Each anther isa box which opens
when it is ripe, and throws out a yellow
duft, which has a ftrong fmell: this is

called pollen or farina.

a

b Campanula rotundifolia Linnei.

€ Convolvulus fepium (PI, 12. f. 3.) & arvenfis,
&c. Linnai. Flora ruftica, t. 88, 89.

4 The old Englifh name ofvanthera is /wmmit ;
Grew called it /emet.—The ftigma has alfo been named

fibula.
l A à Such

23

24

LETTER +i.

Suchis the general analyfis of the ‘parts
which conflitute a flower. As’ the’ corolla
fades and falls, the germ increafes, arid be-
comes an oblong triangular capfule, ‘within
which are flat feeds in three cells: This
capfule, conlidered as the cover of the
feeds, takes the name of pericarp.

The parts here mentioned are found in
the flowers of moft other plants, but in
different proportion, fituation, and number.
By the analogy of thefe parts, ‘and their
différent combinations, the families of the
vegetable kingdom are determined: and
thefe analogies ate connected’ with others
in thofe parts of the plant which feem to
have no relation to them. For’ inftance,
this number of fix {tamens, fométimes only
three, of fix petals or divifions “of thé -co-
rolla, and that triangular form of the germ,
with its three cells détertiiné the liliaceous
tribe ; and in all this tribe, which is very nu-
ackous the roots are bu/bs of fome fort or
other. That of the lily is /guamous, or
compofed of fcales; in the afphodel, it is

a number of oblong folid bulbs conneéted

together®; in the crocus and faffron there
are two bulbs, one over the other; in the
colchicum ‘ they are placed fide by fide 5.

. The

¢ As inthe peony, potatoe, &c, Thefe are called
‘by fome tuberous roots.
f Or meadow faffron.
& He might have added that fome of thefe bulbs are
folid

|
|

CADRE ECU'S! PRAWN TS.

The lily; which I have chofen becaufe
ft is in feafon, and alfo on account of the
fize of the flower and its other parts, is de-
ficient however in one of the conflituent
parts of a perfeét flower, namely the calyx,
which is that œuter green part of the flower

ufually divided into five parts or compoled

of five fmall leaves; fuftaining and embra-
cing the corolla at the bottom, and enve-
loping it entirely before it opens, as you
may have remarked in the role. The calyx,

“which accompanies almoft all other flowers,

is wanting in the greater part of the lilia-
ceous tribe; as the tulip, the hyacinth, the
narciflus, the tuberofe, &c. and even in the
onion, leek, garlic, écc. which are alfo lilia-
ceous, though they appear very different at
firft fight. You will perceive alfo that in
this whole tribe the ftems are fimple and
unbranched, the leaves entire, and never
cut or divided: obfervations which confirm
the analogy of the flower and fruit in this
family, by that of the other parts of the
plants. If you beftow fome attention upon
thefe particulars, and make them familiar
to you by frequent obfervations, you are al-
ready in a condition to determine, by an at-

folid like the turnip: others compofed of coats,one over
another, as in the onion. Linnæus does not allow them

° to be roots; and indeed it is only their being under-

ground that led former Botanifts to call them fo. He
pames them Aybernacula, winter germs or buds, into
which the whole piant retires during the cold feafon.

5 4 entive

eo

26

LETTER I,

tentive and continued infpetion of a plant,
whether it be of the liliaceous tribe or not;
and this without knowing the name of the
plant®. You fee that this is not a mere
labour of the memory, but a ftudy of ob-
fervations and facts truly worthy of a na-
turalift*, You will not begin by telling
your daughter all this at once; and you
will be even more cautious, when in the
fequel you {hall be initiated in the myfteries
of vegetation ; but you will unveil to her
by degrees no more than is fuitable to her
age and fex, by directing her how to find
out things of herfelf, rather than by teach-
ing her‘. Adieu, my dear coufin; if all
this trafh be agreeable to you, [am at your
fervice. |

» If it fhould happen to be fpring when the reader
takes up this letter, he may examine the fnow-drop,
crocus, daffodil, narciffus, crown imperial, tulip, lily
of the valley, hyacinth, &c. always taking care, in the
garden, to avoid double flowers. See Letter II.

i Botany is frequently, but we fee here how un-
juftly, reprefented as a fcience which depends wholly
upon the memory, as if it were nothing but to get
the names of ten thoufand plants by heart.

k Roufleau takes every occafion to inculcate this
fundamental leflon of education; and indeed it can-
not be inculcated too often. See Letter V.

LETTER

DETTE IE
ON CRUCIFORM FLOWERS. '

The 18th of O&ober 1771.

INCE you underftand fo well, my dear
coufin, the firft lineaments of plants,
ie fo flightly marked, as to be able
already to diftinguifh the liliaceous family
by their air; and fince our little Botaniit
amules herfelf with corollas and petals, I
am going to fet before you another tribe,
upon which fhe may again exercife her
little knowledge; with rather more difi-
culty | own, becaufe the flowers are much
{maller, and at foliage more varied, but
with the fame pleafure both on her fide and
on yours, at leaft if you have as much de-
light i in following this Howery path as | find
in tracing it out to you.

When the firft rays of fpring fhall have
enlightened your progrefs, by fhewing you
in the gardens hyacinths, tulips, narciflufes,
jonquils, and lilies of the valley, the analy fis
of all which is already known to you, other
flowers will foon catch your attention, and
require of you a new examination ; fuch are
fiocks ‘and rockets ”. Whenever you find

1 Cheiranthus incanus Linnei. Plate 2.

m Hefperis matronalis Linnæi —Or if thefe are
not at hand, wall flowers, cabbage, turnip, cole-feed,
muftard, charlock, radifh, &c.

them

28 LETTER. fi.

are disfigured; or, if you pleafe, drefled aft
our fafhion : nature will no longer be foun
among them ; fhe refufes to reproduce any
thing from monfters thus mutilated: for if
the moft brilliant part of the flower, name-
ly the corolla, be multiplied, it is at the
expence of the more 'effential parts, which
difappear under this addition of brilliancy.
Stock, ‘Take then a fingle ftock gilliflower, or
ftock, as it is vulgarly called, and proceed
to the analyfis of the Hower: you will per-
ceive immediately an exterior part, which
was wanting in the liliaceous flowers, —
namely the calyx. This confifts of four *
pieces, which we muft call leaves, leaflets,
or folioles, having no proper names to ex-
prefs them by, as we have that of petals
for the pieces which compofe the corolla.
Thefe four pieces are commonly unequal
by pairs; that is, there are two leaflets op-
pofite and equal, of a fmaller fize, and two
others alfo oppofite and equal, but larger,
efpecially towards the bottom, where they
are fo rounded as to exhibit a very fenfible
protuberance or bump on the outfide.

In this calyx you will find a corolla com-
pofed of four petals. I fay nothing of their
colour, becaufe that makes no part of their
character. Each of thefe petals is faftened
to the receptacle, or bottom of the calyx,
by a narrow. pale part, which is called un-

guis, or the claw of the petal, and this
* fpreads

them double, do not meddle with them, 4

CRUCIFORM FLOWERS.

fpreads out over the top of the calyx intoa
‘ae flat, coloured part, called lamina, ot
€ br n
In the centre of the corolla is one piftil,

long and cylindric, or nearly fo; chiefly |

compofed of a germ ending in a very fhort
{tyle, and that terminated by an oblong
ftigma, which is did, that is to fay, divided
into two parts, which are reflex or bent
back on each fide.

_ If you examine carefully the refpedtive
pofition.of the calyx and corolla, you will
fee that each petal, inflead of corre! ‘ponding
exa@tly to. each leaflet of the calyx, is, on
the contrary, placed between two; fo that
it anfwers to the opening which Tartes
them ;. and this alternate pofition has place
in/all Howers which have as many petals to
the corolla as leaflets to the calyx.

It remains now to {peak of the ftamens.
You will: find fix of them in the flower of
the flock, as in the liliaceous flowers, but
not all equal, or elfe alternately unequal,
asin thofe ; but you will Parcels two op-
pofite to each other, fenfibly fhorter than
the other four which feparate them, and
which are alfo feparate from each other in
pairs.

a I wonder that Rouffeau fays nothing of the regu-
lar ftructure of this corolla, the petals generally ftand-
ing wide from each other, and forming a figure fome-
thing like the crofs of the order of St. Louis, whence
thefe corollas are called cruciform, or crofs-/haped.

1. fhall

29°

39

LETTER II.

IT fhall not enter here into a detail of
their ftruture and pofition : but I give you
notice that, if you look carefully, you will
find the reafon why thefe two ftamens are
fhorter than the other four, and why two
leaflets of the calyx are more protuberant, or,
as the Botanifts fpeak, more gibbous; and
the other two more flatted.

To noith the hiftory of our ftock ; you
muft not abandon it as foon as you have
analyfed the flower, but wait till the co-
rolla withers and falls, which it does pretty
foon ; and then remark what becomes of
the piftil, compoféd, as we obferved before,
of the germ, the ftyle, and the ftigma.
The germ grows confiderably in length,
and thickens a little as the fruit ripens.
When it is ripe, it becomes a kind of flat
pod, called f/ique.

This filique is compofed of two valves,
each covering a fmall cell: and the cells
are feparated by a thin partition. When
the feed is ripe, the valves open from the
bottom upwards to give it paflage, and re-
main faft to the fligma at top. Then you
may fee the flat round feeds ranged along
each fide of the partition; and you will
find that they are faftened alternately to
right and left by a fhort pedicle to the fu-
tures, or each edge of the partition.

I am very much afraid, my dear coufin,
that I have fatigued you a little with this
long defcription ; but it was neceflary to
give you the eflential character of the nu- |

1 merous

CRUCIFORM FLOWERS.

numerous tribe of cruciform flowers °, which
forms an entire clafs in almoft all the
fyftems of Botanifts: and I hope that this
defcription, which it is difficult to underftand
here without a figure, will become more
intelligible when you fhall have gone
through it with fome attention, having at
the fame time the object before your eyes.

The great number of fpecies in this
clafs P has determined Eotanifts to divide it
into two feétions, in which the flowers are
perfectly alike, but the fruits, pericarps, or
feed-veffels, are fenfibly different.

The firft order comprehends the cruci-
form flowers with a filique, or pod, fuch as
the ftock, thofe mentioned in note (m), and
the like. |

The fecond contains thofe whofe feed-
veflel is a _fiiicle, that is, a fmall and very
fhort pod, almoft as wide as it is long, and
differently divided within; as whitlow-
grafs, mithridate-muftard, baftard-crefs,
&c. in the fields ; and fcurvy-grafs, horfe-
radifh, candy-tuft, honefty, &c. in the gar-
dens: though the feed-veflel of the laft is
very large, it is ftill a filicle, becaufe the
length exceeds the breadth very little. If
none of thefe are known to you, I prefume
at leaft that you are acquainted with the

° See note (n).

P 287 fpecies. In the 17th clafs, diadelphia, or
two brotherhoods; 695; and in the 19th, fyngenefia,
1247 fpecies. Vhefe numbers, here and in the fe-

quel, are given from the 14th edition of Syfema Ve-
geétabilium, by Chevalier Murray,
fhepherd’s

31

34 LE TER

Saephera’s purfe 3, which is fo common #
weed in kitchen gardens. Well then, cou-
fin, this fhepherd’s-purfe is of the cruciform
tribe and //cle branch of it, and the form
of the filicle is triangular’. By this you,
may form fome idea of the reft till they fall
into your hands,

But it is time to let you breathe ; I will
only therefore give you a hint at. prefent,
that. in this clafs, and many,others,. you.
will often find flowers much fmaller than:
thofe of the flock,. and fometimes fo {mall
that you cannot examine their parts with=
out the affiflance of a glafs*; an inftrument
vhich a Botanift cannot do without, any
more than he can without a needle, a lancet,
or penknife, and a pair of good fciflars.
Preluming that your maternal zeal may
carry you thus far, I fancy to myfelf a
charming picture of my beautiful coufin,
bufy with her glafs examining heaps of
flowers, a hundred times lefs flourifhing,
lefs frefh, and lefs agreeable than. herfelf,
Adieu, dear coulin, till the next chapter.

q FI. Dan. t. 729... Curt. Lend. 1.9 Gren. 270. 1.

r The young Botanift fhould be advertifed that
thefe filicles or little pods differ much in their form :.
tome are flat, and round or oval ;.0thers are fpherical
or fpheroidal, (fee pl. 2. k. 1.) and that of fhepherd’s-
purfe has a form peculiar to itfelf PI. 2.1.

s This of the fmallnefs of the partsin many flowers
is an objection that every idlenovice makes to the Lin-
nan fyftem, ever trembling leftany thorn or obftacle, '
be it ever fo minute, fhould occur in the flowery path:
the difficulty however will in great meafure vanifh, if
he will but have patience to go regularly on his way.

» BE TER: II.
OF PAPILIONACEOUS FLOWERS.

The 26th of May 1772.

INCE you continue, dear coufin, to

purfue, with your daugnter, that peace-
able and delightful ftudy which fills up
thofe voids in our time too often dedicated
by others to idlenefs, or fomething worle,
with intereiling Bbicwarions on nature; i
will refume the interrupted thread of our
vegetable tribes.

My intention is to defcribe fix of thefe
tribes to you firft, in order to render the
general ftruéture of the charaCteriitic parts
of plants familiar. You have already had
two of them; there ate four remaining,
which you mutt ftill have the patience to
go through, and after that, quitting for a
time the other branches of that numerous
race, and going on to examine the different
parts of the fruétitication, we fhall manage
fo, that without knowing many plants per-
haps, you will at leaft never be in a ftrange
country among the productions of the vege-
table kingdom.

But I muft inform you, that " you will
take books in hand, and purfue the com-
mon D res. with abundance of
Au you will have few ideas, thofe

D which

e

a SONT GE

34

Pea.

LETTER Ill.

which you have will be confufed, and you
will not follow properly either my fteps or
thofe of others; but will have at moft a
mere knowledge of words. I am Jealous,
dear coufin, of being your only guide in
this part of Botany. When it is the pro-
per time, I will point out to you the books
that you may confult. In the mean while
have patience to read nothing but in that of
nature, and to keep wholly to my letters.
Peas‘ are, at. prefent, in full fru@ifica-
tion. Seize the moment to obferve their
chara@ters: they are fome of the moft cu-
rious that Rotany affords. One general
divifion of flowers is into regular and irre-
gular. The firft are they whofe parts all
fpring uniformly from the centre of the
flower, and terminate in the circumference
of acircle. This uniformity is the reafon
why, when we view flowers of this kind,
we do not diftinguifh an under from an up-
per part, nor the right from the left; fuch
are the two tribes which we have already
examined. But you will fee at firft fight
that the flower of the pea is irregular, that
you eafily diflinguifh the longer part of the
corolla, which fhould be at top, from the
fhorter, which fhould be at bottom ; and
you know very well, when you hold up
the flower to the eye, whether it be in its
natural fituation or not. Thus in examin-

t See Plate 3, which is coloured red, to make the
flower more confpicuous.
ing

PAPILIONACEOUS FLOWERS.

‘ing an irregular flower, whenever we {peak
of the top and the bottom, we fuppofe it to
be in its natural fituation.

The flowers of this tribe being of a very
particular ftructure, you muft not only have
‘feveral pea flowers, and difle& them fuccef-
fively, to obferve all their parts one after
another, but you mult alfo purfue the pro-
grefs of the fructification from the firft fow-
ering to the maturity of the fruit.

Firft, you will find a monophyllous calyx ;
that is, one of an entire piece, ending in
five very diftinc points, the two wider of
which are at top, and three narrower at bot-
tom. ‘This calyx bends towards the lower
part, as does alfo the peduncle, or little
ftalk which fupports it: this peduncle ds
very {mall and eafily moveable; fo that
the flower readily avoids a current of air,
and commonly turns its back to the wind and
rain.

Having examined the calyx, you may
pull it off, fo as to leave the reft of the
flower entire, and then you will fee plainly
that the corolla is polypetalous.

The firft piece is a large petal, covering
the others, and occupying the upper part
of the corolla ; it is called the fandard, or
banner. We muft make ufe neither of our
eyes nor of common {enfe, if we do not
perceive that this petal is defigned to pro-
tect the other parts of the flower from the
principal injuries of the weather. In tak-

; 2 ing

Ey ae = =

‘LETTER /11II.

ing off the ftandard, you will obferve, that
it is inferted on each fide by a little procefs
into the fide-pieces, fo that it cannot be
driven out of its place by the wind.

The ftandard, being taken off, expofesto
view thofe two fide-pieces to which it ad-
hered ; they are called the wings. In tak-
ing thefe off, you will find them ftill more
ftrongly inferted into the remaining part, fo
that they cannot be feparated without fome
efiort. Thefe wings are fcarcely lefs ufeful
in protecting the fides of the flower, than
the ftandard in covering it.

Taking off the wings, you difcover the
laft piece of the corolla; this is that which
covers and defends the centre of the flower,
and wraps it up, efpecially underneath, as
carefully as the three other petals envelop
the upper part and the fides. This laft
Piece, which, on account of its form, is
called the boat or keel, is, as it were, the
ftrong-box into which nature has put her
treafure, to keep it fafe from the attacks of
air and water. |

When you have well examined this pe-
tal, draw it gently downwards, pinching
it flightly by the keel or thin edge, for fear
of tearing away what it contains, I am
certain you will be pleafed with the myftery
it reveals when the veil is removed.

The young fruit involved in the boat or
keel is conftruéted in this manner: a cy-
lindric membrane, terminated by ten dif-

tinct

PAPILIONACEOUS FLOWERS.

tind threads, furround the germ, or embryo
of the legume or pod. Thefe ten threads
are fo many filaments, united below round
the germ, and terminated each by a yellow
anther, whofe farina covers the fligma
which terminates the {tyle, or grows along
the fide of it: this figma, though yellow
with the meal which fticks to it, is eafily
diftinguifhed by its figure and fe Thus
DR Elatente form alfo about the
germ an interior armour, to preferve it from

exterior injuries. ;
If you examine more curioufly, you will
find that thefe ten filaments are united into
one at the bafe, only in appearance. For
in the upper part of this cylinder there is a
piece or ftamen which at firft appears to
adhere to the reft, but as the flower fades
and the fruit increafes, feparates, and leaves
an opening at top, by which the fruit can
extend itfelf by opening and feparating the
cylinder. gradually ; which otherwile, by
comprefling and ftraitening it all round,
would impede its growth. If the flower
is not fufficiently advanced, you will not
find this ftamen detached from the cylin-
der ; but put a fine pin or needle into two
little holes which you will fee near the re.
ceptacle at the bafe of that flamen, and
you will foon perceive the itamen with its
anther feparate from the nine others, which
will continue always to form one body, till
at length they fade and dry, when the
3 germ,

D LR HE
germ becomes a /egume, and has no longer
any occafion for them.

This /egume is diftinguifhed from the
Jilique of the cruciform tribe, by the feeds be-
ing faftened to one fide only of the cale,
alternately indeed to each valve of it; but
all of them to the fame fide. You will un-
derfland this diftinétion perfe@ly if you
open the pod of a pea and of a ftock at the
fame time, taking care only to have them
before they are quite ripe, that, when the
pericarp is opened, the feeds may continue
faened by their proper ligaments to their
futures and their valves”,

If I have made myfelf well underftood,
you will comprehend, dear coufin, what
aftonifhing precautions have been heaped
together by nature to bring the embryo of
the pea to maturity; and, above all, to
protect it, in the midft of the greateft rains,
from that wet which is fatal to it, without
inclofing it in a hard fhell, which would
have made it another kind of fruit. The
Creator, attentive to the prefervation of all
beings, has taken great care to prote@ tne
fructification of plants from attacks that

" In doing this you will alfo perceive that the le-
gume is unilocular, or has one cell anly; whereas you
remember that the filique was faid to be bilocular,
And if you take a ripe legume, you will find that it
opens by the upper future, oppobte to that'to which
the feeds are faftened; whereas the filique opens from
the bottom upwards by both futures. Compare Pl. 3,
8 with PI. 2. h. i

may

PAPILIONACEOUS FLOWERS.

may injure it; but he feems to have dou-
bled his attention to thofe which ferve for
the nourifhment of man and animals, as
does the greater part of the leguminous or
ulfe tribe. The provifion for the fructi-
fication of peas is, in different proportions,
the fame through this clafs ‘The flowers
have the name of papilionaceous, from a
fancied refemblance of them to the form of
a butterfly. (papilio) ; they have generally a
ftandard or banner, two wings, and a boat
or keel; that is, four irregular petals. But
in fome genera the boat is divided longitu-
dinally into two pieces; and thele flowers
have in reality five petals: others, as clo-
ver ", have all their petals united, and,
though papilionaceous, are however mono-
petalous flowers.
The papilionaceous or ui plants

form one of the moft numerous and ufeful

tribes. Beans, peas, lucerne, faintfoin,
clover, lupins, lentils, tares or vetches, in-
digo, liquorice, kidney-beans, all belong to
it; the character of the lait is to have the
boat fpirally twifted, which at firft fight
might be taken for an accident.. There are
alfo fome trees belonging to it; among others
that which is commonly called acacia, but
which is not the true acacia”, and many
beautiful flowering fhrubs.: But of thefe
more hereafter. Adieu, coufin, I with well
to every thing that you love.
v Trifolium pratenfe Linnei.
. W Robinia Pfeudacacia Linnai.

D 4 LE Ts

oe

40

LETTER IV.
OF LABIATE AND PERSONATE FLOWERS.

The roth of June 1772.

ET us talk of plants, my dear coufin,

whilft the feafon for obferving them
invites us. Your folution of my queftion
concerning the ftamens of cruciform flowers
is perfeétly right, and fhows that you
have underftood me, or rather attended to -
me; for you have nothing to do but to
attend in order to underftand. You have
accounted very well for the fweiling of the
two leaflets of the calyx, and the relative
fhortnefs of two of the ftamens, in the
ftock, by the bending of thefe two fta-
mens. One ftep more would have led you
to the primary caufe of this ftruéture ; for
if you afk once more why thefe ftamens
are thus bent, and confequently fhortened,
I anfwer that you will find a little gland
upon the receptacle, between the ftamen
and the germ; and it is this gland which,
by throwing the ftamen to a diftance, and :
forcing it to take a round, neceflarily fhort-
ens it. Upon the fame receptacle are two
other glands, one at the foot of each pair of
longer ftamens; but being on the outfide

‘of ‘them, between thefe ftamens and the

calyx, they do not oblige them to bend,
and

LABIATE FLOWERS.

and therefore do not fhortenthem: fo that :

the two pairs of ftamens ftand higher than
the two fingle bent ones ; not becaufe they
.are longer, but becaufe they are ftraight,
Thefe four glands, or at leaft vettiggs, of
them, are more or lefs vifible in almost al
cruciform flowers, and are much more dif-
tinct in fome than in the ftock*, If you
afk me what the glands are for, I anfwer,
that they are one of thofe inftruments des
ftined by nature to unite the vegetable to
the animal kingdom, and to make them
circulate from one to another. But laying
thefe enquiries afide, in which we antici-
pate a little too much, let us, for the prefent,
return to our tribes of plants.

The flowers which I have hitherto de-
fcribed to you are polypetalous. 1 ought
perhaps to have begun with the regular
monopetalous fowers, which have a much
more fimple ftruéture, but it was this very
fimplicity which difcouraged me. They

conftitute rather a great nation than a fingle |

tribe ; fo that to comprehend them all un-
der one common mark, we mutt cmapley
charaéters fo general and fo vague, that,
whilit we feem to fay fomething, in effect
we {carcely fay any thing. It is better to
confine ourfelves within narrower bounds,
which we can mark out with more preci-
fion.

x As in arabis turrita, cabbage, muftard, charlock,
radifb, Ce
Among

42

Dead-

Nettle.

LETTER IF

Among the irregular monopetalous flow-
ers, there is a tribe whofe phyfiognomy is
fo marked, that we diftinguifh the members
of it eafily by their air. It is that to.
whofe flowers Linnæus has given the name
of ringent, becaule they are cut into two
lips, the opening of which, whether natu-
ral or produced by a flight compreflion by
the fingers, gives them the air of a gaping
mouth. This tribe is divided into two
branches: one of /abiate or ringent flowers,
properly fo called’ ; and the other of fer/o-
wate or mafked flowers’, the Latin word
perfona fignifying a mafk. The character
common to all the tribe is not only a mono-
petalous corolla, cut into two lips, the up-
per called the ca/gue or helmet, the lower,
the beard; but alfo four flamens, almoft
in the fame row, diflinguifhed into two
pairs, one longer, and the other fhorier.
The infpeétion of the object itfelf will ex-
plain thefe characters better to you than can
be done in writing.

Let us begin with the labiate és:
For an example I fhould willingly give you
fage, which is common in almoft all gar-
dens: but the fingular firuGture of its fta-
mens, which has occafioned fome Botanifts
to feparate it from the aflociates to which
it naturally belongs, induces me too look for

y Platesastfis
+ Plate.4..f. 25 a»

another

LABIATE FLOWERS.

another inftance* in the site dead-netile ;
which, notwithftanding its name’, has
no affinity with nettles, properly fo called,
except in the fhape of the leaves. This
plant is fo common every where, and con-
tinues fo long in flower, that it cannot
be difficult for you to find it, Without
{topping here to confider the elegant fitua-
tion of the flowers’, I will confine my-
felf to their ftru@ure. The white dead-
nettle bears a monopetalous labiate co-
rolla, with the cafque or upper lip arched
in order to cover the reft of the flower, and
particularly the ftamens, which keep, all
four of them, very clofe under cover of its”
roof. You will eafily difcern the longer
pair and the fhorter pair, and in the midit
of them the ftyle, of the fame colour, but
diftinguifhed from them by being forked at
the end, inftead of bearing an anther like
the ftanens. : The beard or lower lip bends
back, and hangs down, fo as to let you fee
the infide of the corolla almoft to the bot-
tom. In this genus the lower lip is divided

2 Rofemary, with fome few others not fo well known,
mutt alfo be avoided, becaufe there are only two fta-
to the flower.

b Lamium album Linngi. Curtis If. 45. PL 4,
fry Pe Kult? t. 26:

c The largenefs of the flowers alfo makes it proper
for examination ; but if the fmell fhould be any objec-
tion, there is ground-ivy, the other lamiums, betony,
hoarhound, baum, felf-heal, baum of gilead, &c.

. @ Called verticillate, or whorled.

length-

44

LETTER IV.

lengthwife in the middle, but that is not ge~
neral in this tribe.

If you pull out the corolla, you will take
the ftamens along with it, thele being faft-
ened by the filaments to that, and not to
the receptacle, whereon the piftil only will
remain. In examining how the ftamens
are faftened in other flowers, we find them
generally attached to the corolla in mono-
petalous, and to the receptacle or calyx in
polypetalous flowers: fo that in the lat-
ter cafe one may take away the petals
without the flamens. From. this obferva-
tion we have an elegant, eafy, and pretty
certain rule to know whether a corolla con-
fifts of one piece or feveral, when it is dif-
ficult, as it fometimes is, to be certain of it
immediately.

The corolla, when pulled off, is open at
bottom, becaufe it was faftened to the re-
ceptacle, fo as to leave a circular opening

by which the piftil and what furrounds it

may grow up within the tube. That
which furrounds the piftil in this dead-
nettle, and all the labiate tribe, is the rudi-
ment of the fruit, confifing of four. em-
bryos, which become four feeds that are
naked, that is, without any pericarp or _
covering; the monophylious calyx divided
into five fegments ferving this purpofe, fo
that the feeds, when they are ripe, are de-
tached, and fall to the ground feparately.
This is the character of the labiate flowers.

The

PERSONATE FLOWERS.

The other branch or fection, which is
that of the perfonate flowers, is difin-

guifhed from the former; firft in having

the two lips not ufually open, or gaping,
but clofed and joined‘, as you may fee in
the {fnap-dragon ‘, a flower not uncommon
-in gardens; or for want of that, in the
toad-flax, a yellow flower with a fpur, fo
common in the country at this feafon 5.
But a more precife and certain character is,
that inftead of having four naked feeds at
the bottom of the calyx, like the labiate
flowers, thefe have a capfule or cafe inclof-
ing the -feeds, and not opening till they
are ripe, in order to difperfe them. To
thefe characters we may add that the
greater part of the Iabiate plants are either
ftrong {melling and aromatic, as marjoram,
thyme, bafil, mint, hyflop, lavender, &c.
or elfe ftrong fmelling and flinking, as the
dead-nettle, hedge-nettle, cat-mint, black
hoarhound", @&c. Some few only having
little or no fmell, as bugle, felf-heal, and

¢ There are too many exceptions to this to form a
general character, if under the idea of perfonate flowers
we include all the plants in the fecond order of Lin-
nzus’s r4th clafs, as Rouffeau feems to do.
£ f Antirrhinum majus Linnæi. Mill. fig. t. 42. pl. 4.

LA

8 Antirrhinum Linaria Linnæi. (Curtis I. 47. FI.
Ruft. t. 03.—It flowers later with us. Moft of the per-
fonate tribe flower late.

h Here, and in fome other places, I have taken the
liberty of putting plants better known among us, in{tead
of thofe which Roufleau has given.

hooded

“46

LENTTÉSRAU

hooded willow herb: whereas moft of the
plants with perfonate flowers are not odor-
ous, as fnap-dragon, toad-flax, eye-bright,
loufewort, yellow rattle, broom-rape, 1vy-
leaved toad-flax, round-leaved toad flax,
fox-glove', &c. Iknow of none that Haine
a {trong {mell in this branch but the fcro-

phularia, or figwort, which fmells ftrong, .

without being “aromatic, Here I am not
able to name any but fuch plants as may
perhaps be unknown to you; but you will
gradually get. acquainted with them, and,
whenever you fee them, you will be able by
yourfelf to determine what clafs they belong
to. | with you would try to fettle the branch

-or fection by its phyfiognomy, and that

you would exercife yourfelf in judging at
fight whether a flower be labiate or per-
fonate. The exterior form of the corolla
may fufice to guide you in this choice,
which you may verify afterwards by pulling
out the corolla, and looking at the bottom
of the calyx; for, if you have judged right,
the flower which you have named labiate
will fhow you four naked feeds, and that
which you have named perfonate will
fhow you a pericarp: the contrary would
prove that you were miltaken; and by
a fecond examination of the fame plant
you would prevent a like miftake another

'Some of thefe have the mouth of the corolla gap
ing. See pl. 4. f. 3.
time.

ri

PERSONATE FLOWERS.

time, Here, dear coufin, is bufinefs cut
Out for feveral walks. I fhall not fail to pro-
vide fomething for thofe that will fucceed.

k This. advice will apply in all the other natural
<clafles. From this paflage it is clear that by labiate
flowers Rouffeau underftands all that are included in
the firft order; by perfonate flowers, all that are in the
fecond order of Linnzus’s 14th clafs: but many of
the flowers in the fecond order have the lips open.
of Ee a

LETTER

47

48

LETTRES.

OF UMBELLATE PLANTS.

The 16thof July 1772.

OMFORT yourfelf, my good coufin,
for not having detected the glands in
the cruciform flowers. Great Botanifts, and

_ quick-fighted ones too, have not been more

happy. Tournefort himfelf makes no men-
tion of them. They are obvious only in
few genera, though we find veftiges of
them in almoft all; and it is by analyzing
fome of the cruciform flowers, and always
obferving inequalities in the receptacle, and
then examining thefe inequalities, that we
find out that thefe glands belong to moft of
the genera; and fuppofe therefore by ana-
logy that they exift in the others, where we
do not diftinguifh them.

I comprehend that you may not be
pleafed at taking fo much pains, without
knowing the names of the plants which
you examine. But I own fairly that it did
not enter into my plan to fpare you that
little chagrin. It is pretended that Botany
is merely a fcience of words, which only
exercifes the memory, and teaches the
names of plants. For my part, 1 know
not any reafonable ftudy which is a mere
fcience of words: and to which of thefe

4. fhall

Ly ot eee ATE DEA NT: Sy

fhall we give the name of Botanift to him
who has a name or a phrafe ready when he
fees a plant, but without knowing any thing
of its ftruture; or to him who, being well
acquainted with this ftructure, is ignorant

neverthelefs of the arbitrary name which.

the plant has in this or that country? If
we give our children nothing but an amuf-
ing employment, we lofe the beft half of
our defign, which is, at the fame time that
we amufe them, to exercife their under-
fiandings, and to accuftom them to atten-
tion. Before we teach them to name what
they fee, let us begin by teaching them how

to fee. This fcience, which is forgot in all

forts of education, fhould make the mot
important part of it. {can never repeat it
often enough ; teach them not to pay t'em-
felves in words, nor to think they know
any thing of what is merely laid u in their
memory.

However, not to play the rogue with
you too much, [ give you the names of
fome plants, with which you may eafly
verify my defcriptions, by cauling them to
be fhewn you: For inflance, 1 you can-
not find a white dead-nettle, when you are
reading the analyfis of the labiate or ringent
flowers, you have rothing to do but to fend
to an herbarift for it freih gathered, to apply
my defcription to the flower; and then
having examined the other parts of the
plant, in the manner which [ fhail hereafter

E point

59

CE. TER UNS

point out, you will be infinitely better ac-
quainted with the white dead-nettle, than
the herbarilt who furnifhed you with it will
ever be during his whole life. In a little
time, however, we fhall learn how to do
without the herbarift; but firft we muft
finifh the examination of our titbes. And
now I come to the fifth, which, at this
time, isin full fru@ificatlou:

Fipure to yourfelf a long ftem, pretty
ftraight, with leaves placed alternately upon
it, generally cut fine, and embracing at the
bafe, branches which grow from their a/z,
or axils', From the upper part of this
fem, as from a centre, grow feveral pedi-
cles orrays, which fpreading circularly and
regularly, like the ribs of an umbrella,
crown the ftem with a kind of bafin, more
or lefs open". Sometimes thefe rays leave
a fort of void in the middle, and reprefent,
in that cafe, more exa@ly the hollow of a
balin: fometimes alfo this middle is fur-
nifhed with other rays that are fhorter,
which, rifing lefs obliquely, form with the
others nearly the figure of a half ian
with the convex fide uppermoft,

Each of thefe rays is terminated, not by a
flower, but by another fet of fmaller rays,
crowning each of the former exaétly as the
firft crown the ftem,

! The angles formed by a leaf or branch with the ftem.
m ‘The figure is that of an inverted cone. Pl. s.

f. 452, pl. 13.
Here

UMBELLATE PLANTS.

Here then are two fimilar and fucceilive
ranks: one of large rays, terminating the
ftem; another of fmaller rays, like the
others ; each of them terminating the great
ones”,

The rays of the little umbels are no far-
ther fubdivided, but each of them is the pe-
dicle to a little flower, of which we {hall
{peak prelently.

If you can frame an idea of the fisure
which I have juft defcribed, you will un-
derftand the difpofition of the flowers’ in
the tribe of wmbellifercus or umbeliate plants :
wmbella being the Latin word for an um-
brella.

Though this regular difpofition of the
fruétification be ftriking, and fufficiently
conftant in all the umbellate plants, it is not
that however which conftitutes the charac-
ter of the tribe. This is taken from the
ftructure of the flower itfelf, which muft
therefore be defcribed.

But it is expedient, for the fake of greater
clearnefs, to give you in this place a general
diitinGion with regard to the relative difpo-
fition of the flower and fruit in all plants ;
a diftinétion which extremely facilitates their
methodical arrangement, whatever {yftem
you adopt for that purpofe.

The greater number of plants, as the

© Linnæus calls the firft the univerfal, and the fecond
fet the partial, umbel, or wmbellule.

Ea pink,

si

52 LETTER V.

pink’, for inftance, have the germ inclofed.
within the flower; thefe are called zferior
flowers, as inclofing or being below the
germ.

Many, however, have the germ placed
below the flower, as in the rofe?; for the
hep, which is the fruit of it, is that green
tumid body which you fee under the calyx,
and this with the corolla crowns the germ,
and does not envelop it, as in the former
cafe: fuch are called /uperior flowers, as be-
ing above the germ.

The umbellate plants have a fuperior
flower. ‘The corolla has five petals, called
regular, though frequently the two outmoft
petals of the flowers at the extremity of the
umbel are larger than the three others.

The form of thele petals varies in the
different genera, but it is u{ually cordate or
heart-fhaped. They are very narrow next
the germ, but gradually widen towards the
end, which is emarginate, or flightly notch-
ed; or elle they finifh in a point, which,
being folded back, gives the petal the air
of being emarginate.

Between each petal is a ftamen, and the
anther generally ftanding out beyond the
corolla; the five ftamens are more vifible

© Or jafmine, rofemary, fage, borage, primrofe,
plum, cherry; all the ringent, cruciform, and papi-
lionaceous tribes; all the compound flowers, &c.
P Scabious, honeyfuckle, currant, goofeberry, elder,
fnowdrop, narciflus, hawthorn, pear, apple, &c.
4 , See Plate v. f. 5.

than

UMBELLATE PLANTS.

than the five petals. I make no mention
here of the calyx, becaufe it is not very
diftinét in the umbellate plants.

From the centre of the flower arife two
ftyles, each furnifhed with its fligma, and
fufficiently apparent ; thele are permanent,
or continue, after the petals and ftamens fall
off, to crown the fruit.

The moft.ufual figure of this fruit is an
oblong oval; when ripe it opens in the
middle, and is divided into two naked feeds
faftened to the pedicle, which, with an art
that merits our admiration, divides in two,
as well as the fruit, and keeps the feeds {e-
- parately fufpended till they fall.

All thefe proportions vary in the different
genera, but this is the moft common order.
It requires a very attentive eye to diftinguifh
accurately objects fo minute without a glafs ;
but they are fo deferving of attention, that
we cannot regret the trouble of it.

This then is the proper character of. the
umbellate tribe. | À fuperior corolla, of five
petals, five ftamens, two ftyles, upon a
naked fruit compofed of two feeds growing
together.

Whenever you find thefe characters unit-
ed in one fruétification, be fure that the
plant is of this tribe, even though in other
refpes it fhould have nothing in its ar-
rangement of the order before laid down.
And if you fhould find all this order con-
formable to my deicription, and fee it how-

| ae ever

53

54

LETTER V.

ever contradicted by the examination of the
flower, be fure that you are deceived.

For inftance: if it fhould happen that,
after having read my letter you fhould walk
out and find an elder in Hower, Lam al-
moft certain that at firft fight you would fay,
here isan umbellate plant.. * In looking at
it, you would find alarge or univerfal um-
bel, a {mall or partialumbel, little-white fow-
ers, a fuperior corolla, and five ftamens ; it
is certainly an uinbellte plant, fay you,
But let us fee, let us take a flower.

In the firft place, inftead of five petals, I
find a corolla divided into tive parts indeed,
but all of one piece. Now the flowers of
umbellate plants are not monopetalous.
There are five ftamens, but I fee no ftyles ;
and | more often fee three ftigmas than
two, more often three feeds than two.
Now the umbellate plants have never more
or lefs than two ftigmas, and two feeds to
each flower. Laftly, the fruit of the elder
is a foft berry, and that of the umbellate
tribe dry and naked. The elder then is not
an umbellate plant.

If now you go back and infpe& with.
more accuracy the difpofition of the flowers,
you will fee that the elder has the ftrn€ture
of the umbellate tribe only in appearance.
Though the principal rays proceed from the
fame centre, the fmaller ones are irregular,

* See Plate v. £. 4.
and

UMBELLATE PLANTS

and the flowers are borne on a fecond fub-
divifion: in fhort, the whole has not that
order and regularity which we find in the
umbellate plants. The arrangement of the
flowers in the elder is called acyme. ‘Thus,
by making a blunder fometimes, we learn to
fee with more accuracy.

5$

Eryngo, on the contrary, has little or Eryngog

nothing the air of an umbelliferous plant,
and yet it is one, becaufe it has all the cha-
racters of the fructification. If you were
by the fea fide’, you would eafily know it
by the blueifh colour of the leaves, by their
pricklinefs, and by the {mooth membra-
nous confiftence of them like parchment.
But this plant is uncommon in other fitua-
tions, is rough and untractable, has not
beauty enough to make you amends for the
wounds it wil give you in examining it;
and, though it were ever fo beautiful, my
little coufin would foon be difgufted at hand-
ling fo ill-humoured a plant,

‘The umbelliferous tribe is numerous, and
fo natural, that it is very difficult to diftin-
guifh the genera: they are relations, whom
we often take for each other, on account
of their great refemblance. To affift us in
diftinguifhing them, principal differences
are noticed which are fometimes ufeful, but
which we muft not depend upon too much.
The focus of the rays, both in the larger or

* Eryngo is alfo very common by road-fides in France,
but not with us.

E 4 univerfal,

5

LETTER V.

univerfal, and in the fmaller or partial um-
bel, is not always naked; it is fometimes
furrounded with {mall leaves. This fet of
{mall leaves or follioies is called the zzvo/ucre.
When it is placed at the origin of the uni-
verfal umbel, it is named the univerfal in-
volucre ; and when at the origin of the
partial umbel, it is named the partial invo-
lucre. ‘This gives rife to three feétions of
umbellate plants.

1. Thofe which have both involucres.

2. Thofe which have partial involucres
only.

3. Thofe which have neither.

There feems a fourth divifion wanting of
thofe which have an univerfal involucre
only; but there is no genus which is con-
{tantly fo

Your aftonifhing progres, my dear cou-
fin, and unweared paticuce, have embold-
ened me fo much, that, not regarding your
fuffering:, I have ventured to defcribe the
umbellate plants, without fixing your eyes
upon any model, which muft needs have
rendered your attention much more fa-
tiguing. 1am certain, however, that, read-
ing as you do, after you have looked over
my letter once or twice, an umbellate plant
in flower will not efcape you; and at this
feafon you cannot fail finding many, both
in the gardens and the fields.

Moft of them have their little flowers
white. As the carrot, chervil, parfley,

hemlock,

as ee ve Lee ys

UMBELLATE PLANTS.

‘hemlock, fool’s parfley, angelica, cow-par-
fnep, water-pat{nep, burnet faxifrage, pig-
nuts, cow-weed, &c.'

Some, as fennel, dill, parfnep, have vel-
low flowers; there are fome few with red-
difh flowers, but none of any other colour.

Here, you will tell me, may be a good
general notion of umbellate plants; but
how will all this vague knowledge enfure
me from confounding fool’s parfley with
true parfley or chervil, which you have
mentioned all together? “The meaneit
kitchen-maid will know more of this mat-
ter than we with all our learning. You
are right. But, however, if we begin with
obfervations in detail, we fhall foon be over-
whelmed with the number of them; our
memory will abandon us, and we fhall be
loft the firit ftep we make in this vaft re-
gion; whereas, if we begin with knowing
the great roads well, we fhall feldom be
loft in the by-paths, and fhall always find
our way again without much trouble. Let
us, however, admit an exception in favour
of the utility of the objeQ, and let us not
expofe ourlelves, whilft we are analyzing
the vegetabie kingdom, to eat fool’s pariley
with our meat, or in our foup, through mere
ignorance.

This plant, which is fo common a weed

t Here, and in other places, I fet down the names
of Hudfon’s Flora.
voce fi VE 1, 2) 3.

in

57

Fool’s
Parfley,

LE TEER We

in gardens, is of the umbellate tribe, as
well as parfley and chervil. It has a
white flower as well as they’; it is in the
fame fection with the latter, among thofe
which have the partial, and not the uni-
verfal, involucre ; it is fo like them in its
foliage that it is not eafy to mark the dif-
ference in writing. But here follow cha-
raéters fufhcient to prevent you from being
miftaken,

You muft confier thefe plants when they
are all in flower; for in that flare only they
have their proper character. The fool’s
parfley (æthufa cynapium) has under every
partial umbel an involucre of three narrow,
long, pointed follioles, all placed on the outer
part of the umbel, and hanging down;
whereas the follioles of the ‘partial umbels in
the chervil furround it entirely, and grow
equally on every fide: and as to parfley, it
has only a few fhort follioles, fine almott as
hairs, and diftributed indifferently at the
bafe of both umbels.

When you are very certain of the fool’s
parfley in flower, you will confirm your-
felf in your judgment by flightly bruifing
and fmelling its foliage; for the difagree-

* The flower of parfley is yellowifh. Put the flows
ers appear yellow in many of the umbellate plants,
from the germ and anthers being fo, though the corolla
is white. Rowfeauv.—The germ and anthers alfo are
frequently large in proportion to the fize of thefe mi-
nute flowers, and the corolla eafly falls off, efpecially

with wet.
able

UMBELLATE PLANTS,

able venomous fmell will no longer fuffer
you to confound it with parfley or chervil,
which have both rather a pleafant fmell
Very certain at length not to make a mif=
take, you will examine thefe three plants
together and feparately in every ftate, and
in all their parts, efpecially in their fo-
liage, which accompanies them more con-
ftantly than the flower; and by this exa-
minaticn, compared and repeated tiil you
have acquired certainty at fight, you will
be able to know and diftinguifh them with-
out the leaft trouble. Thus does ftudy
bring us to the very door of praëtice ; after
which the latter confers the facility of know
ing things.

Take breath, dear coufin, for this is an
unconfcionable letter; and yet I dare not
promife you more difcretion in the next;
after that, however, we fhall have nothing
before us but a path bordered with flowers.
You deferve a garland for the cheerfulnefs
and perfeverance with which you have
condefcended to follow me through thefe
briars, without being difcouraged at their
thorns,

LE T-

L'ETMERTVE
OF COMPOUND FLOWERS.

May the 22d 1773.
HOUGH there be ftill, dear coufin, a

great deal wanting to complete our

idea of the five former tribes of plants, and
I have not always known how to adapt my
defcriptions to the underftanding of our
young Botanift; I flatter myfelf, however,
that | have given you fuch an idea of them,
as to enable you, after fome months herba-
rization, to render the air, port, or badit,
of each tribe familiar to you: fo that,
when you feea plant, you may conjecture
nearly whether it belong to one of thefe
five tribes, and to which; provided always
that by an analyfis of the frudtification,
you afterwards fee whether you may not
have been deceived in your conjecture.
The umbellate plants, for inftance, have
thrown you into fome embarrafiment, from
which, however, you may ealily efcape when
you pleafe, by means of the hints which I
fubjoined to my defcriptions. In fhort, car-
rots and parfneps are fo common, that no-
thing is eafier in the middle of fummer than
for the gardener to fend you one or other
of them in flower out of the kitchen-gar-
den, * Now from the mere view of an
umbel,

COMPOUND FLOWERS.

umbel, and the plant which bears it, you
muft acquire fo clear an idea of the umbel-
late tribe, that you will rarely be: deceived
at firft fight, whenever you meet with one.
This is all that I have hitherto pretended ;
for we have nothing to do yet with genera
and fpecies ; and I repeat it once more, that
‘itis not the nomenclature of a parrot which
I wifh you to acquire, but a real fcience,
and one of the moft delightful fciences that
it is pofhble to cultivate. I go on, therefore,
to our fixth tribe before I take a more me-
thodical road. It may perhaps at firft em-
barrafs you as much, if not more, than the
umbellate plants. But my defign at pre-
fent is nothing more than to give you a
general notion of it, efpecially as we have
{till plenty of time before the generality of
thefe plants are in full flower ; and the in-
terval, well employed, will fmooth thofe
difficulties againft which we have not
firengih to contend.

6i

Take one of thofe little flowers which, Daify.

at this feafon, cover all the paftures, and
. which every body knows by the name of
daify. “ Look atit well; for, by its appear-
ance, | am fure you will be furprifed when
I tell you, that this flower, which is fo
{mall and delicate, is really compofed of
between two and three hundred other
flowers, all of them perfeét; that is, hav-

w Plate Gite
ing

62

LETTER Vi.

ing each its corolla, germ, piftil, flamens ,
and feed; in a word, as pertect in its fpe-
cies as a flower of ‘the hyacinth or lily.

Every one of thofe leaves which are white
above and red underneath, and form a kind
of crown round the flower, appearing to be
nothing more than little petals, are in reality
fo many true flowers; and every one of
thofe tiny yellow things alfo which you fee
in the centre, and which at firlt you have
perhaps taken for nothing but ftamens, are
real flowers. If your fingers were already
exercifed in botanical difleQions, and you
were armed with a good glals and plenty
of patience, I might convince you of the
truth of this; but at prefent you muft begin,

if you pleafe, by believing me on my word,

for fear of fatiguing your attention upon
atoms. However, to put you at leaft in the
way, pull out one of the white leaves from
the flower: you will think at firft that it is
flat from one end to the other; but look
carefully at the end by which it was faftened
to the flower, and you will fee that it is not
flat, but round and hollow in form of à
tube, and that a little thread ending in two

horns iflues from the tube; this thread isthe °

forked ftyle of the flower, which, as you
now fee, is flat only at top.

Now look at thofe little yellow things in
the mid'le of the flower, and which, as !
have told you, are all fo many flowers; if

the flower be fufficiently advanced, you
will

COMPOUND FLOWERSs

will fee feveral of them open in the middle,
and even cut into feveral parts.

Thefe are monopetalous corollas, which
expand; and a glafs will eafily difcover in
them the piftil, and even the anthers with
which it is furrounded. Commonly the
yellow florets towards the centre are ftill
rounded and clofed. Thefe, however, are
flowers like the others, but not yet open ;
for they expand fucceflively from the edge
inwards, This 1s enough to fhow you by
the eye the poflibility that all thefe fmall
affairs, both white and yellow, may be fo
many difiin& flowers; and this is a con-
fiant fa&. You perceive, neverthelefs, that
all thefe little flowers are prefled, and in-
iclofed in a calyx, which is common to them
all, and which is that of the daify. In con-
fidering then the whole daify as one flower,
we give ita very fignificant name, when we
call it a compound flower. Now there are
many genera and fpecies of flowers formed,
like the daify, of an aflemblage of other
fmaller flowers, contained in a common
calyx. This is what confiitutes the fixth
tribe, of which } propofed to treat; namely,
that of the compound flowers.

Let us begin by avoiding all ambiguity
with regard to the word flower, which we
may do in the prefent cafe, by reftraining it
to the compound flower*, and giving the

x Pl, 6. f. 1. a
name

63

LETTE.R.VÉ

name of o/cules or florets ¥ to the little cotti«
ponent flowers; but in the midft of this
verbal precifion let us not forget that each of
thefe florets is a genuine flower.

You have obferved two forts of florets in
the daify: the yellow ones, which occupy.
the middle or difk of the flower, and the
little white tongues or ftraps which furround
them.

The former are fomething like the flow-
ers of the lily of the valley, or hyacinth in
miniature: and the latter bear fome refem-
blance to thofe of the honeyfuckle. te
fhall leave to the firft the name of florets ?
and to diftinguifh the fecond we fhall call
them /emi-florets4: for in reality they have
a little the air of monopetalous flowers,
gnawed off on one fide, and having fcarcely
half the corolla remaining.

Thefe two forts of florets are combined in
the compound flowers in fuch a manner, as

to divide the whole tribe into three fections,

very diftinét from each other.

The firft fe@ion confifts of thofe which
are entirely compofed of femi-florets. both
in the middle and circumference; thefe are
called femt-flufculous flowers, and the whole
is always of one colour, which is generally
yellow, Such is the common dandelion ?,

«fe ks tye
cA aa
ifo calls thefe ligulate florets, ve ligule
1. c. & f, 2. be

the

COMPOUND FLOWERS.

the lettuce and fowthifile; the fuccory and
endive, which have blue flowers; the fcor-
zonera, falfafy, &c.

The fecond fe&ion comprehends the fz/~
culous flowers, or fuch as are compofed of
florets only: <thefe are alfo commonly of
one colour; as immortal flowers, burdock,
wormwood, mugwort, thiftles, and arti-
choke, which is nearly allied to them: it
is the calyx of this that we fuck, and the
receptacle that we eat, whilft it is yet young,
before the flower opens, or is even formed.
The choke, which we take out of the middle,
is an aflemblage of florets which are begin-
ning to be formed, and are feparated from
each other by long hairs fixed in the recep»
tacle.

The third fection is of flowers compofed
of both thefe. They arealways fo arranged
that the florets occupy the centre of the
flower, and the femi-florets the circumfe-
rence, as you have feen in the daify. 4 The
flowers of this fection are called radiate.
Botanifts have given the name of ray to the
fet of femi-florets which compofe the cir-
cumference ; and of a/R to the area or cen-

‘tre of the flower occupied by the florets.
This name of difk is fometimes given to the
furface of the receptacle in which all the
florets and femi-florets are fixed. In the
radiate flowers the difk is often of one co-

PLO) fa:
d'PL 6. for. Pl, 26:
3 lour,

66

LETTER VI.

lour, and the ray of another; there are,
however, genera and fpecies in which both
are alike.

Let us endeavour now to fix in your
mind an idea of a compound flower. The
common clover is in blow at this fea-
fon; ‘the flower is purple: if you fhould
take one in hand, feeing fo many little
flowers aflembled, you might be tempted
to take the whole for a compound flower.
You would however be miftaken. In what?
fay you. Why, in fuppofing that an affem-
blage of many little flowers is fufficient to
conftitute a compound flower; whereas,
befides this, one or two parts of the fruéti-
fication muft be common to them all; fo
that every one muft have a part in it, and
no one have its own feparately: thefe two
parts in common are the calyx and recepta-
cle. ‘The flower of the clover indeed, or
rather the group of flowers which has the
appearance of being but one flower, feems
at firft to be placed upon a fort of calyx;
but remove this pretended calyx alittle, and
you will perceive that it does not belong to
the flower, but that it is faftened below it
to the pedicle that bears it. This then is a
calyx only in appearance ; but in reality it
belongs to the foliage, not to the flower:
and this fuppofed compound flower is only ~
an aflemblage of very fmall leguminous or

© Pl. 6. f 4.
papl-

COMPOUND FLOWERS.

papilionaceous flowers, each of which has
its diftin& calyx, and they have nothing
cominon to them but their being faftened to
the fame pedicle. Vulgarly al this is taken
for one flower ; it is a falfe idea however,
or, if we muft look upon it as fuch, we muft
at leaft not call it a compound, but an ar-
gregate or captivate flower, or a head of
flowers; and thefe terms are fometimes fo
applied by botanical writers.

This, dear coufin, is the moft fimple and
natural notion I can give you of this nume-
rous clafs of compound flowers, and the
three fetions into which it is iubdivided.
I now come to the ftructure of the fruétif-
cations peculiar to this clafs, and this perhaps
will bring us to determine the character of
it with more precifion.

The moft effential part of a compound
flower isthe receptacle ‘; upon which are
placed firft the florets and femi-florets, and
then the feeds which fucceed them. ‘This re-
ceptacle, which forms a difk of fome ex-
tent, makes the centre of the calyx, as you
may fee in the dandelion, which we will
here take as an inftance. ‘Ihe calyx inthis
tribe is commonly divided into feveral parts,
down to the bafe, that it may clofe, open
again, and turn back, as it does during the
progrefs of the fruCtification, without being
torn. The calyx of the dandelion is formed
of two rows of follioles inferted into each

PRG. 126. & 26. €
F2 other ;

68

L E:T; TER "VI.

other; and the follioles of the outer row
turn back and curl downwards towards the
pedicle, whilft the follioles of the inner row
continue ftraight, to furround and hold in
the femi-florets compofing the flower.

One of the moft common forms alfo of
the calyx in this clafs is the imbricate, or
that which is made up of feveral rows of
follioles, lying over each other like tiles on
aroof. The artichoke, blue-bottle, knap-
weeds, and fcorzoneras, may ferve as in-
{tances of imbricate calyxes.

The florets and femi-florets inclofed with-
in the calyx are placed very thick upon the
difk or receptacle, in form of a quincunx, or
the checks upon a chefs-board. Sometimes
they touch each other without any thing
interpofed between them ; fometimes they
are feparated by partitions of hairs, or {mall
fcales, which continue faft to the receptacle
after the feeds are fallen. You are now in
the way to obferve the differences of calyxes
and receptacles: we will go on then to the
ftruture of florets, and femi-florets, begin-
ning with the former,

A floret & is a monopetalous flower, com-
monly regular, with the corolla divided at
top into four or five parts. The five fila-
ments of the ftamens are faftened to the
tube of this corolla: they are united at top
into a little round tube, which furrounds
the piftil; and this tube is the five anthers

& PL 6.f.1.e, £3. b—Pl. 26. f. 2. c.—Pl. 26. d.
united

COMPOUND FLOWERS.

united circularly into one body. This union
ot the anthers, according to modern bota-
nifts, forms the eflential character of com-
pound flowers, and belongs to their florets
only, exclufive of all others. If therefore
you tind feveral flowers upon the fame difk,
as in the fcabioufes and teafels, unlefs the
anthers are united in a tube round the piftil,
and the corolla ftands upon one naked feed,
fuch flowers are not florets, nor do they
forma compound flower", On the con-
trary, whenever you find in a fingle flower
the anthers thus united, and a fuperior co-
rolla on a fingle feed, this flower, though
fole, isa genuine floret, and belongs to the
compound tribe; for it is better thus to
take the character from a precife ftru@ure
than from a deceitful appearance.

The piftil has the ftyle generally longer
than the floret, above which it rifes through
the tube formed by the anthers. It is moft
frequently terminated at top by a forked
ftigma, the two curling horns of which are
very vilible. The piftil does not reft upon
the receptacle any more than the floret, but
both upon the germ, which ferves them as
a bafe, and grows and lengthens as the flo-
ret withers, becoming in time a longith feed,
remaining faftened to the receptacle till it is
ripe: then it falls, if it be naked; or the
wind waits it toa diftance if it be crowned
with an egret of feathers or hairs; and the

h See Pl, si. f. 1.
3 receptacle

69

LETTER VI.

receptacle remains quite naked in fome ge-
nera, but is furnifhed with fcales or hairs
in others.

The firudure of the femi-floretsi is like
that of the florets; the flamens, the piltil,
and the feed, are arranged almoft in the
fame manner; only in the radiate flowers
there are many genera, wherein the femi-
florets of the ray are apt to be abortive, ei-
ther becaufe they have no piftils, or becaufe
thofe which they have are barren: in fuch
cafes the Hower feeds only by the florets in
the middle *,

In the whole compound clafs the feed is
always ieilile, that is, it bears immediately
upon the receptacle without any intermedi-
ate pedicle. But there are feeds in which
the down or egret which crowns them is
fefile!; and others in which it is faftened
to the teed bya pedicle™. You underftand
that the ufe of this down is to fpread the
feeds about to a diftance, by giving the air
more hold upon them.

To thefe irregular imperfect defcriptions
I fhould add that the calyx has generally
the property of opening when the flower
expands ; of clofing when the florets fall off,
in order to confine the young feed, and to
hinder it from falling before it is ripe; and,

1P1:6. £. 2. b. Pl. 25. f. 1. b. “Ph. 26. c. and PI.
Si pip a ee

k Sunflower.

L'Thiilles, artichoke. See PE 25. f. 2. c:

Lettuce, dandelion. See Pl. 25. £. 1. de.

4 lafily,

COMPOUND FLOWERS.

laftly, of opening again and turning quite
back to givea larger area to the feeds which
increafe in fize as they grow ripe. You
muft often have feen the dandelion in this
ftate, when children gather ir, to blow off
the down that forms a ball round the re-
verted calyx.

. To underftand this clafs well, you muft .

follow the flowers from before their expan-
fion to the full maturity of the fruit ; andin
this fucceffion you will fee transformations
and a chain of wonders, which will keep
every fenfible mind that obferves them in a
continual admiration. One flower proper
for thefe obfervations is the funflower, which
is radiate ; as are alfo ox-eye, Chinefe after,
and many others, which are the ornament
of the borders in autumn. I have already
faid that there are thiftles for the flofcu-

. lous, and fcorzonera and dandelion for the

femiflofculous flowers. All thefe are large
enough to be diffected, and fiudied with
the naked eye, without fatiguing yourfelf
too much.

I will not trouble you at prefent any more
upon the tribe or clifs of compound flow-
ers. I tremble already at having abufed
your patience too much by details which
would have been clearer if | had known
how to make them fhorter; but it is im-
poflible for me to avoid the difficulty arif-
ing from the fmallnefs of objects. Adieu,
dear coufin !

F 4 LET-

71

94

LETLER VIE

OF FRUIT TREES.

ERE, dear coufin, you have the names
of thofe plants which you fent me
laft. I have put a mark of interrogation to
thofe which I had any doubt of, becaufe
you had not taken care to put the leaves
with the flower, and they are often necef-
fary to determine the fpecies, efpecially to
fo flender a Botanift as 1 am. When you
arrive at Fourriere you will find moft of
the fruit-trees in flower; and J remember
you requefted fome direétions from me npon
this article. At prefent I can only give
you fome hints upon the fubject, becaufe I
am very bufy; and yet [ would not have
you lofe the feafon for this examination.
You muft not, my dear friend, give more
importance to Botany than it really has; it
is a ftudy of pure curiofity, and has no other
real ufe than that which a thinking fenfible
being may deduce from the obfervation of
nature and the wonders of the univerfe.
Man has changed the nature of many
things to convert them better to his own
ufe; in that he is not to be blamed: but
then it is neverthelefs true that he has often
disfigured them, and that, when he thinks
he is ftudying nature in the works of his
own

FRUIT:TRE RDS.

own hands, he is frequently miftaken. This
error is found above all in civil fociety ; but
ithas aplace allo in gardens. The double
flowers, which we admire fo much in our
Durs and beds, are but monfters, de-
prived of the power of producing their like ;
a power with which nature has endowed
every organized being. Fruit-trees are fome-
what in the fame cafe, by being ingraïted;
you may plant the pips or feeds of pears and
apples of the beft forts, but they will pro-
duce nothing but wildings: To know then
the pear and the apple of nature, you mu!

not look for them in orchards, but in woods.
The flefh or pulp is not fo large and fuccu-
lent, but the feeds ripen better, muitiply
more, and the trees are valtly bigger, and
more vigorous. But I am entering on a
fubje@ that would carry me too far-—Let us
return to the orchard.

Our fruit-trees, though ingrafted, pre-
RTE borenieall characters which dif-
tinguifh them; and it is by an attentive con-
fideration of thefe characters, as well as by
the transformation of the graft, that we af
certain there being but one fpecies of pear,
for inftance, pes a thoufand different
names, by which the fhape and tafte of their
fruits have caufed them to be diftinguifhed
into fo many pretended fpecies, which are
at bottom but varieties: nay more, the pear
and apple are only two forts or fpecies of
the fame kind or genus, and their only cha-

racteriftic

74

LETTER VII

ra€teriftic difference is, that the ftalk of the
appie enters into a hollow in the fruit, and
that of the pear is faftened to the narrow
part of a fruit a little lengthened our *. In
the fame manner the different forts of cher-
ries are nothing but varieties of the fame
fpecies; all the plums are but one fpecies of
plum; nay the genus of frunus or plum
contains three principal fpecies ; the plum
properly fo called, the cherry, and the apri-
cot, which alfo is only a fpecies of plum.
Thus when the learned Linnæus, in divid-
ing the genus into its fpecies, has enumerated
the domeflic pluin, the plum cherry, and
the plum apricot®; ignorant people have
laughed at him, but obfervers have admired
the juftnefs of his arrangement.

The fruit-trees belong moftly to a nume-
rous tribe, which has a character not diff-
cult to feize; the ftamens, which are many
in number, inftead of arifing from the re-
ceptacle, are faftened to the calyx, P either
immediately, or with the corolla, which is

2 Nor is this always conftant, fome pears having the
common fhape of the apple. It is extremely difficult
to find any permanent differences between fruits which
are diftinguifhed by every body at firft fight. We may
add, however, that the corollas of the pear are white,
thofe of the apple red on the outfide: the apple alfo
has a firmer pulp, and none of thofe tubercles which
fome forts of pear have: and, laftly, the leaves of the
pear are very fmooth ; thofe of the apple more round-
ed, lefs ferrated, and villous underneath.

© y. Prunus domeitica. 2. Prunus Cerafus. 3. Pru-
nus Armeniaca. The fruit-trees are figured by Duhamel.

PUBLIUS, {. 1. c. aman

polypetalous,

FEUNT TRE Es,

polypetalous, and confifts commonly of five
petals. The following are characters of
fome of the principal genera.

The peer, comprehending alfo the apple
and the quince, has the calyx monophyllous,
divided into five fegments; the corolla of
five petals faftened to the calyx, about
twenty ftamens, all faftened likewile to the
calyx. ‘The germ is inferior, and there are
five ftyles. ‘The fruit, as every body knows,
is flefhy, and has five cells containing the
feeds. |

The genus plum, comprehending the
apricot and cherry, as was before obferved,
and alfo the laurel, has the calyx, corolla,
and ftamens, nearly asin the pear. but the
germ is fuperior, or within the corolla; and
there is but one ftyle. The fruit is rather
watery than flefhy, and contains a ftone.

The genus almond, including the peach
and nectarine, is almoft like the plum ; but
the germ has a down upon it, and the fruit,
which every body knows is fucculent in the
peach, and dry in the almond, inclofes a
hard ftone, which is rough and full of ca-
vities 1,

All this is very roughly fketched out, but
I hope contains enough to amufe you for
the prefent. Adieu, dear coufin !

4 Befides thofe mentioned above, this clafs, called
tcofandria by Linnæus, contains other fruits, as the
pomegranate, fervice, medlar, rafpberry, ftrawberry,
&

él
LET-

LE? Pee aa

OF MAKING A HORTUS SICCUS, OR
HERBARIUM.

April the rith,, 1773.

HE earth, dear coufin, begins to put

on its green robe, the trees to bud,

the flowers to open; fome are even already

paft ; an inftant of delay would be the lofs

of a whole year for Botany :—1 proceed then
without farther preamble.

I fear we have hitherto treated our fubje&
in too abitraét a way, by not having applied
our ideas to determinate objects: it isa fault
which I have been guilty of, efpecially in
the umbellate tribe. If 1 had begun by fet-
ting one of them before your eyes, I thould
have fpared youa very fatiguing application
to an imaginary object, as well as a very
difficult defcription to myfelf, and fuch as a
fingle Jook would have fupplied. Unfor-
tunately, at a diftance to which the law of
neceflity reftrains me, I am not able to de-
liver the objects into your hand; but pro-
vided each of us can fee with the fame eyes,
we fhall underftand one another very well,
when we relate what we fre. The whole
difficulty is, that the indication muft come
from you; for to fend you dried plants

from

HORI ss § recitrs.

from hence, would be doing nothing. To
know a plant well, you muft begin with fee-
ing it growing. A bortus ficcus, or ber-
barium, by which Latin terms we call a
collection of dried plants, may ferve to put
us in mind of the plants we have once
kaown ; but it gives us only a poor know-
ledge of thofe we have never feen before,
You therefore muft fend me fuch plants as
you with to know, and have gathered your-
felf; and it is my bufinefs to name, clafs,
and deicribe them; till, by comparative ideas,
become familar to your eye and your un-
derftanding, you arrive at clafling, arran-
ging, and naming, by yourfelf, thofe which
you fee for the firft time: and this is the
fcience which diftinguifhes the true Botanilt
from the mere Herbarift or Nomenclator.
My defign then here is to teach you how to
prepare, dry, and preferve plints, or fpe-
cimens of plants, in fuch a manner as that
they may be eafily known and determined.
In a word, I propofe to you to bezin a horus
ficcus. Here is a deal of bufinefs preparing
at a diftance for our little Botanift: for at
prefent, and for fome time to come, the ad-
drefs of your fingers muft fupply the weak-
nefs of hers.

Firft, here is fome provifion to be made ;
namely, five or fix quires of gray paper,
and almoft as many of white, of the fame
bignefs, pretty {trong and well fized, with-
out which the fpecimens would rot in the

gray

LETT E Re VIFS

gray paper, the plants, or at leaft the flow-
ers, would lofe their colour, and this, of
all the parts, 1s that by which they are moft
eafily known, and which it is moft pies
fant to fee in a colleétion of dried plants *.
It were alfo to be wifhed that you had a
prefs of the fame fize with your paper, or
at leaft two pieces of board well plained,
between which you may keep your papers
and fpecimens, preffed by ftones, or any
other weight with which you may load
the upper plank. When you have made
thefe preparations, you muft obferve the
following rules, in order to prepare your
plants fo as to preferve them and know them
again.

The precife time to gather your plant is
when it is in full Hower, or rather when
fome of the flowers begin to fall, to give
place to the fruit, which begins to make
its appearance. It is at this time, when all
parts of the frudtification are vifible, that
you muft endeavour to gather the plant in
order to dry it.

Small plants may be taken whole with
their roots, which muft be brufhed, that no
earth may remain. If the earth be wet, it
mutt either be dried, that it may be brufhed,
or elle the root muft be wafhed ; but in this
cafe you fhould wipe it well, and dry it be-
fore you put it into the papers, without
which it would infallibly rot and injure the

r See Dr. V/ithering’s Arrangements of Britifh
Plants, edit. 2. [ntrod. p. 45.

plants

HORTUS SICCUS.

plants near it You need not, however
preferve the roots, unlefs they have fome
remarkable fingularities ; for in mo’ plants
the branching fibrous roots are fo alike, that
it is not worth the trouble. Nature, which
has done fo much for elegance and orna-
ment, in the form and colour of plants, in
whatever ftrikes our fight, has deilined the
roots entirely to ufeful functions; becaufe,
being concealed within the earth, to give
them an agreeable ftructure would have been
to hide a light under a buthel.
Trees and all great plants can only be
had by fpecimens: but then that fpecimen
fhould be fo well chofen as to contain all
the conflituent parts of the genus and fpe-
cies, that it may fuffice to know and deter-
mine the plant from whence it is taken.
It is not fufficient that all the parts of
the frutification are diftinguifhable, which
would be enough to determine the genus 3
but the character of the foliation and rami-
fication alfo muft be fufficiently vilible;
that is, the origin and form cf the leaves
and branches, and even, as much as may
be, fome portion of the main ftem tfelf;
for, as you will fee in the fequel, all this
ferves to diftinguifh the fpecies ot the fame
genus, which are perfe@ly alike in the
flower and fruit. If the branches are too
thick, they may be made thinner, by cut-
ting them with a fharp knife nicely under-
neath, as much as may be, without cutting
and

“?

ae

80

+

LETTER ill.

and mutilating the leaves. There are Bô-

tanifts who have the patience to flit the

bark, and draw the wood out fo nicely, that
when the bark is united again, the branch
feems to be entire though the wood is gone:
by which means, there are none of thofe in-
equalities and bemps which fpoil and dif-
figure a colleQtion, and give a bad form to

aa plants. Where the flowers and leaves

do not come out at the fame time, or grow
too far diftant from each other, you will
take a little branch in flower, and another
in leaf, and, placing them together on the
{ame leaf of your book, you thus have be-
fore you different, parts of the fame plant,

-fnfiicient to give you a complete knowledge

_of it. As to plants where you find only

the leaves, the flower being either paft or
not yet come, you muft wait with patience
tll they mee their faces, to be fully ac-
quainted with them; a plant being no
more certainly to be "Tao eek by its foliage
than a man by his clothes.

Such is the choice that you fhould make
in what you gather: you muft have a
choice alfo as to the time in which you do
it. Plants gathered in the morning before
the dew is off, or in the evening when it ts
damp, or,in the day-time when it is wet, will
not keep. You muft abfolutely choofe a

dry feafon, and even then the drieft and
“hotteft time of the day, which, in fummer,

is between eleven in the morning and five
in

paper, all the while preffing the plaat, left
“ G =

Hes US" SICCUS.:

in the afternoon. Even then, if you find
the leaft moifture on them, you muft not
take thèm, for they wili certzinly not keep.

When you have gathered your fpecimens,
you muft bring them home as foon as you
can, quite dry, to put and arrange them in
your papers. For this purpofe you lay down
at leaft one fheet of gray paper, upon this

half a fheet of white paper, and then your

plant, taking great care that all the parts of
it, efpecially the leaves and flowers, are well
opened, and laid out in their natural fitua-
tion. Ifthe plant bea little withered, with-
out being too much fo, it will generally
fpread out better upon the paper, with the
fingers and thumb. But there are rebel-

lious plants which ftart up on one fide,

whilft you are ranging them on the other.
To prevent this inconvenience, I have leads,
halfpence, and farthings, which I place
upon thofe parts that | have juft put in
order, whilft 1 am arranging the reft, fo
that when [ have done, my plant is almoft
covered with thefe pieces, which keep it in
its proper fituation. ‘Then you place ano-
ther half-fheet of white paper upon tie firft,
prefhng it with your hand, to keep the plant
in the pofition you have given it, bringing
your left hand that prefles gradually forward,
and at the fame time taking away the leads,

. &c. with your right; then put another

fheet of gray paper upon the fecond white

It

81

LETTER, (Vii.

it lofe the pofition you have given it: upon

the gray paper place another half fheet of
white, as before; upon this another plant

arranged and covered like the former, till
you have placed your whole harveft, which
ought not to be too numerous at once;

both that your tafk may not be too labo-

rious, and that your paper may not contract
too much humidity during the, drying;
which would infallibly fpoil your, plants,
unlefs you haftened. to change the papers
with the fame attention as before; this,
however, is what :you muft do from time
to time, till your fpecimens have taken their

Dent; me are all very dry.

Your pile of plants and papers thus ar-
ranged, muft be put into the prefs, without
which your plants will not be flat and even;
fome are for prefling them more, others
lefs; experience will teach you this, as well
as how often the papers fhould be changed,
without taking unnegellary pains... Laftly,
when your plants aïe quite dry, put each
of them feparately into a fheet of paper,
one upon ancther, without other papers
between, for which there is no occafion,
and you will thus begin a Lortus ficcus,
which will continually increafe with your
Kuowledge, and at length contain the hif-
tory of all the vegetation. of the country.
Take care always to keep your collection
very clofe, and a little prefled ; without
which the plants; however dry they might

be,

RE
PE

HORTUS; SICCUS.

be, will attraét the humidityof the air, and
again get out of form.

Now the ufe of all thefe pains is to arrive
at a knowledge of each particular plant, and
to underftand one another well when we
talk of them.

For this purpole you muft gather two

fpecimens of each plant; one larger to be
kept, the other fmaller to fend me. You
muft number them carefully, fo that both
great and little {pecimen fhall always have
the fame number. When you have a dozen
or two of {pecies thus dried, you will fend
them to me in a little parcel by the firft op-
portunity. I will fend you back their names
and defcriptions; by means of the numbers
you will know them in your colleétion, and
after that in their natural ftate, wherein, I
prefume, you firlt examined them. This
is the certain way to make as fecure and
rapid a progrefs as you can, at a diftance
from your guide.
- P.S. I forgot to tell you that the fame
papers may ferve over and over again, pro-
vided you take care to air and dry them
well. I fhould alfo add here, that your
bortus liccus muft be kept in the drieft part
of the houfe, and rather on the firft than
the ground. floor.

G 2 L ET

83

84

LETTER ‘IX

EXPLANATION OF THE CLASSES IN THE
LINNÆAN SYSTEM.

March the 25th, 1774.

Have received all your packets very fafe,

and cannot but admire the neatnefs with
which you have arranged your plants; the
care you have taken in having all the parts
neceflary to determine both the genus and
fpecies in your fpecimens ; and the bril-
liancy of colour in moft of the flowers.
All this ferves to fhow how much better
the female fingers are adapted to fuch ope-
rations than ours. I am pleafed alfo to heat”
thac our little Botanift had fo large a fhare
in laying out and drying thefe plants, which
{ fhall carefully preferve as a memorial of
the induftry and adroitnefs of both. But
what gives me the moft pleasure is, to fee
that you have remarked, with fo much fuc-
cefs in gereral, to which of the natural
clafles your plants belong: .fo that I am
well convinced. you have. profited by my
leflons, and have paid a due attention to
my letters.

What reward, dear coufin, can ‘a give
you for your unwearied patience and perfe-
verance in following me through fo much

. abftract

SYSTEM.

abftra& matter, when your curiofity muft

needs have been piqued, and your delire of

being acquainted with the rank and names
of the beautiful objects which you gathered,
arranged, and dried, with fo much affection,
muft have been awakened? I have now, in
fome degree, endeavoured to content you,
by the paper which accompanies this, con-
taining the names of all the plants in your
packets, placed after the numbers which
you have put to them in your collection :

fo that to the common objeéts which you
knew by rote, you are now enabled to add
a confiderable number, whofe acquaintance
you will value more, becaufe you know
them upon thorough examination. You
have, therefore, fo many more points to reft
upon: but this is not fufficient; you can-
not be a Botanift till you are able to help
yourfelf, to caft me off entirely, and to
find out a plant with which you are unac-
quainted. Ali this, however, will {till re-

quire fome time and patience ; and as you

remember that you are not to take any
more fteps in this kingdom than are agree-
able, you will inform me when you are
tired.

Such information I purpofe now to con-
vey to you by degrees: and having initiated
you by fhowing how you may determine
the clafs of fome plants, I will now open
the whole myftery, and inftru& you how
to determine the clafs of them all To do

| G 3 this

85

86

LETTER IX.

this you muft learn a fyftem; in which,
however, you are not to expeét that all
vegetables are arranged in natural clafles,
fuch as I have hitherto explained to you,
but after an artificial method, the order of
nature not being in all points yet unveiled
to our mortal eyes. Your pains, however,
will not have been thrown away ; vecaufe I
promife you that our artificial fyftem fhall
preferve the natural tribes which you have
ftudied fo well.

Do not fuffer yourfelf to be terrified at
the word /;/iem. I promife you there fhall
be litile difficulty in it to you who have
patience and attention; and as little parade
of hard words as peflible, only allowing
me to name my clafles and orders". The
fyftem [ propofe to you is not the French
one by Tournefort, which is very beautiful,
and has great merit; but the Swedifh one
by Linoæus. I prefer this, becaufe it is moft
complete, and moft in fafhion.

You are fo well acquainted with all the
conftituent parts of the fru@iification, that
you need not be told what the ftamens and
piftils are. Linneus has founded his clafles
upon the former, and many’ of his orders
upon the latter of thefe. But at prefent

T The Englith fudent will find great; advantage
in pofleffing many elementary books, explaining all rhe
terms, in his own language. Now alfo he has Lin-
næus s fyitem of vegetables and genera tranflated. Hud-
fon’s Flora Anglica, and Withering’s, Arrangement,
connect the Englifh names.with thofe of Linnæus.

the

CLASSES.

the clafles will furnifh you with fufficient
employment.

I fuppofe you to take a plant in hand that
is in full Hower; the fir thing you have
to fee is, whether the flowers are ‘complete
or perfect, that is, have both ftamens and
piftils. If fo, view the ftamens well, in or-
der to difcover whether they are entirely
feparate from the piftil and each other from
top to bottom, or united in fome part or
other: if they are feparate, of the fame, or
an indeterminate length, and lefs in number
than twenty, then the number alone will
fuffice to determine the clafs; and thofe
which have one ftamen will belong to the
firft clafs entitled monandria; thole with
two ftamens to the fecond, diandria ; thofe
with three to the third, /r2andria, and fo
on to the tenth, entitled decazdria *. Thefe
are Greek names, and fome of them uot
fhort ones: fince, however, they are only
four-and-twenty in all, you will indulge
me fo far in time as to have them by heart.
The flowers for examination fhould be ga-
thered as nearly as poflible in their natural
ftate ; for many of thofe which are culti-
vated in gardens undergo ftrange transfor-
mations, and either lofe the ftamens and
piftils entirely, or acquire an additional
number. The firft clatles, which have but
few ftamens, are not fo liable to change as

5, Plates 7. to 16. with pl. 5. & 1.
G 4 thofe

8-

88

LETTER IX.

thofe which have many. ‘Thus the num-
ber in the three clafles already mentioned is
not variable; nor in the fourth clafs, e-
trandria. An the fifth, pentandria, fome
plants have more than their proper quota of
ftamens to the flower, at leaft when culti-
vated in gardens; but this is a very nume-
rous clafs, and it is no wonder if we find
fome few irregular among fo many. To
fecure you in fome meafure againft miftakes
on this and other occations, I muft obferve,
that nature in general carries a certain pro-
portion through all the parts of the fame
work ; and therefore if you have a flower
which has a calyx divided into five feg-
ments, and a corolla confifting of five pe-
tals, or divided into five parts; if you count
fix or feven ftamens, be fure all is not
right, and take the pains to infpe& fome
other flowers of the fame fpecies, before
you determine. I dare affirm fuch exami-
nation will convince you that your flower
belongs to the fifth clafs, pentandria, in
which the natural number of flamens is
five. Inthe fixth clafs, bexandria, whofe
beautiful flowers have fix fiamens, 1 do not
obferve fo confiderable a variation as one
might expect in plants that are fo much the
objects of culture; you will however fre-
quently count more than fix flamens in the
flowers of the tulip. The flowers of the
clafs heptancria fhould have feven ftamens ;
but you will often find thofe of the horfe-

chefnut

CLASSES.

chefnut faulty in this refpe&: as you will
alfo fome flowers in the three following
clafies, offandria which has eight, ennean-
dria which has nine, and decandria which
has ten flamens, as the names all imply.
With a little attention however to the pro-
portion of the parts, and by a repetition of
your examination where any doubt arifes,
you will find thefe ten claffes eafy to deter-
mine.

No flowers being known at RNA that
have conftantly and regularly eleven fta-
mens, the eleventh clafs in the fyftem of
Linnæus contains thofe which have twelve ;
and is therefore entitled dodecandria*, But
the genera which have this precife number
being few; and, as I obferved before, the
number being uncertain when the ftamens
are many, all plants are comprehended in
this clafs that have any number of ftamens,
from eleven to nineteen inclufive, provided
they are difunited.

All plants that have more feparate fta- |

mens than thefe belong to one of the two
following clafles. Here then you muft take
in another confideration, befides the number
of the ftamens, to determine in which of
thefe two claffes you are to fearch for your
plant. This confideration is, the /i/uation
of the ftamens ; which in: the clafs zc/an-
dria is either on the calyx or corolla, and

u Plate 17.
v Plate 18.

89

90

LETTER IV.

in the thirteenth, fo/yeudria, on the bafe or
receptacle of the flower “. This difference
of fituation is only to be attended to in
thofe flowers which have many ftamens ;
for you will frequently obferve in the fifth
clafs that the monopetalous flowers have the
ftamens growing out of the corolla; but
this circumftance has ncthing to doin de-
termining their clafs The twelfth. clafs
has its name, zco/andria, from the flowers in
it having ufually twenty ftamens or there-
abouts, at leaft in the greater part of the
genera: this circumftance, however, is not
to determine the clafs ; but all plants which
have many ftamens, that is, more than
nineteen, faftened either immediately, or
mediately by means of the claws of the pe-
tals, to the calyx, are to be referred to the
clafs scofandria. To affift you farther in dii-
tinguifhing the flowers of this from thofe of
the following clafs, it may be remarked that
the calyx in this is monophyllous or all of
one piece, and concave; and the corolla is
fixed by its claw or {mall end into the ca-
lyx, inftead of the bafe or bottom of the
flower, as it generally is in the other clafles.

When on the contrary you find more
than nineteen detached ftamens in the fame
flower, with a piftil or piftils, and fituated
on the bafe or receptacle of the flower, that
plant muft belong to the clafs polyandria,

w Plate 19,

fignifyin

CLASS ES.

fignifying many ftamens, and the ftamens
may vary in number from twenty to a thou-
fand in the different genera. Thefe alfo
either have a polyphyllous calyx, that is,
confifting of feveral folioles, generally five,
or none at all ; though fometimes it falls off,
as in the poppy, when the flower opens.
We have hitherto fuppofed you to find
all the ftamens of the fame length, or nearly
fo; or if not, ftill we prefume that you
have not found a certain regular and deter-
minate proportion in their lengths. Now,
on the contrary, we fuppofe you to take up
a flower which has an appearance of regu-
larity in its whole ftruture; and that, on
an attentive examination, you difcover four
ftamens, not all equal in length, but ranged
in one row, and the inner pair fhorter than
the outer one. This plant will probably
belong to the fourteenth clafs, the name of
which is didynamia*, fignifying that two
of the ftamens are ftronger than the others.
~Here you will immediately perceive that
you are got among your old acquaintance,
for it will ftrike you that all the flowers
which have the character juft defcribed are
either labiate or perfonate, and therefore
that you were miftrefs of the clafs didyna-
mia, before you knew that it had this Greek
name". All then that [ need fay to you is,
that Linnzus makes the effential character

x Plates 20. & 4.
y See Letter 1V.

gt

|

|

OZ

L E T'T2E RI IX.

to confift, in the proportional arrangement
of four ftamens above exprefled, accom-
panied with one piftil, and invefted with
an irregular monopetalous corolla.

There is yet another clafs of thefe plants
with proportional ftamens, which, though
you do not know it by the dreadful long
name fetradynamia, is however one of your
firft acquaintance under the gentler appella-
tion of cruciform flowers*. Thefe, youre- .
member, have four ftamens longer than the
other two: this is the claffical character,
and hence its name. For the other diftinc-
tive matks by which this clafs is readily
known at firft fight, you have them at your
fingers ends.

You are now in poffeflion of all thofe
claffes which have the ftamens free, fepa-
rate, difunited. Ifa flower that has both
ftamens and piftils fhould prefent itfelf, in
which you find the ftamens united at bot-
tom, it certainly belongs to one of the three
next clafles: and if, on thecontrary, they
are united at top, that is, the anthers form
one body, it will belong to the nineteenth
clafs.

In the fixteenth clafs, called monadelphia*,
the filaments are united fo as to form one
regular membrane at bottom, whilft they
are diftinét at top. Of this character you
have a clear and convincing inftance in

z See Letter II. Plates 21. and 2.
a Plate 22.
that

CLASSES,

that very common plant the mallow. In
fome others, however, of this clafs, the
character is not fo evident, and without a
careful infpeétion of the flowers to the very
bottom, you might eafily. be tempted to give
them to another clafs. Obferve then far-
ther, that the flower has always a calyx,
and frequently a double one: that the co-
rolla confifts of five heart-fhaped petals :
that the receptacle of the fruit, as it is call-
ed, or the column to which the feeds are
faftened, projets above them in the centre
of the flower: that the germs furround this
in a ring: that all the ftyles are united at
bottom and form one body with the recep-
tacle, but are divided at top into as many
threads as there are germs: and that thefe
germs grow into a kind of capfule divided
into as many cells as there are piftils, or
~ confifting of the fame number of arils, which
are loofe coats covering each feed feparately,
and not eafily falling from it.

In the feventeenth clafs, dadelphia, the
filaments are united at bottom: not how-
ever into one, but two bodies. Thefe flow-
ers alfo have but one piftil; the fruit is a
legume or pod; and if I add that the flowers
are papilionaceous, you will immediately
difcover that this is another clafs with
which you are perfectly acquainted, and
with the form of whofe flowers you were fo
much delighted °.

b See Letter III, Plates 23. and 3.
i In

93

94

L EME RO IX.

In the eighteenth clafs the filaments are
united in three or more bundles, and the
name of it is polyadelphia®.. The union
being generally at the bottom only, with-
out extending up the filaments, and the
flowers having no diftinguifhing character,
you muft pull out the ftamens, ;in crder to
be certain that the plant belongs to this
clafs ‘The names of the three laft-men-
tioned claffes fignify literally one, two, and
three brotherhoods.

If inftead of the filaments being joined
at bottom, they are free and diftinét, but
the anthers are connected together, fo as to
form one body, then your plant will be
found in the clafs /yngencfia.. But the flow-
ers in this clafs being fmall, andthe above-
mentioned circumftance not being the firft
that will ftrike an examiner of flowers, it
mutt be added that they are compound; and
this one word is fufficient to, overcome the
whole difficulty with you who know thefe
flowers at firft fight, and have fo frequently
diffected the florets and femi-Horets which
compofe them ¢.

Though in the four laft claffes the fta-
mens have been in fome fort united, yet.
both in thefe, and in all the former, they
have been found detached from the piftil, fo
at leaft as that the one may be taken off from
the plant without the other. But what ifa

¢ Plate 24.

d See Letter VII. and. Plates 25. to 29. & Pl. 6.
Syngenefia fignifies congeneration,or union of the anthers.

flower

CLASSES.

flower fhould occur to you in which you
are unable to do this, but you find on the
contrary that the ftamens grow upon the
piftil itelf? Then, 1 anfwer, it belongs to
a clafs entitled gyxzandria*, which isthe
twentieth in the fyftem of Linnzus, and
derives its name from this peculiar circum-
ftance, by which it ftands infulated as it
were, and detached from all the others.
From the poñtion of the piftils in this clafs,
arifes a fingularity in the. appearance and
fhape of, the flowers in moft of the genera;
and fometimes the receptacle is lengthened
out in form of a ftyle, and bears both fta-
mens and piftils upon it‘,

Hitherto you have been concerned with
fuch plants only as have flowers which I call
complete or perfect, becaufe they have both
ftamens and piftils. But a plant perhaps
may have occurred to your oblervation in
which you have found thefe paris always
in feparate, diftiné flowers. In this cafe I
beg leave to coin two words, and to call
thofe which have only the. ftamens /tami-
niferous, and thofe which have only the
piftils pifilliferous flowers. Now when
you find thefe, and thefe only on the
fame tree or plant, that tree or plant be-
longs to the twenty-firit clafs in the ar-
rangement of Linnzus, called by him mon-
@cia®, a term fignifying one houfe: the

¢ Plate 30.

f As in the common Arum, Curtis, Lond. 2. Mill.

fig. 52.1. J, Mill. illuftr. Ger. $34. 1.
§ Plate 31.

flowers

95

06

LETTER FX,

flowers of different kinds being produced in
the fame habitation, or on the fame indivi-
dual plant. Whereas in the following clafs,
thefe flaminiferous and pifilliferous flowers
are not merely feparate from each other,
but are always found on diftinét plants of
the fame fpecies, and in other refpeëts fo
alike, as not to be diftinguithed when they
are out of flower. ‘The name of this clafs
therefore is dizcia®, fignifying two houfes,
and implying that incomplete flowers only
are found in different habitations, or on fe-
parate trees or plants, never on the fame.

‘There remains now only one poñlible cafe
to provide for, in the arrangement of con-
fpicuous flowers, which is this. Suppofe
you find fome flowers that are complete,
and at the fame time others which bear only
ftamens or piftils, on the fame plant with
the complete flowers, or on different plants
of the fame fpecies ; there is a clafs, namely,
the twenty-third, provided for the reception
of fuch plants, and it is entitled poljgamia’,
from this variety in the flowers *.

For plants with inconfpicuous Bovis: as
being of lefs confideration, there is only one
clafs provided, and that is called cryptoga-

h Plate 32.

i Plate 33.

k Thunberg, and fome others, have funk he four
clafles from Gynandria to Polygamia, melting the fpe-
cies into other claffes. I fhall not difpute the | propriety
or convenience of this reformation : but it is my defign
to explain the fyftem of Linnæus, as the great aut
himfelf delivered it.

2 mia,

tentent”

CLASSES.

mia), from the circumftance of the fructi-
fication being concealed, or not obvious to
our eyes. For the flowers in the moft per-
fect of thefe are hardly to be diftinguifhed
without a glafs, and in many not even with
It; nay, the moft acute obfervers have not
detected flowers in them all, though in all
probability there is no vegetable without
them. They will be eañly known from plants
with confpicuous flowers, by their fingular
firuéture ; as you will readily acknowledge
when | inform you that the objects of this,
the loweft clafs of vegetables, are ferns,
moiles, fea-weeds, and fungufes { and there-
fore when we talk of inconfpicuous flowers,
we do not mean to include fuch as are def-
titute of a magnificent corolla, but fuch only
as have not the flamens and piftils vifible to
the naked eye. But you are too good an ob-:
ferver to require {uch admonitions. By this
time you are doubtlefs fufficiently fatigued,
as weli as myfelf, with all this dry matter ;
and what is worfe, you have not learnt to
find out one plant; but patience, we are in
the way, and have made great progreis,
though we are not arrived at the end of our

journey. We will foon make another long

ftage, unlefs you tell me you have enough,
and in that cafe 1 promile to trouble you
no more with this trafh: if it does not
amufe and even intereft you, throw it at
once into the fire.

1 Plate 35 to 38.
H LET-

97

§8

a rr mel a ee

L'EST THERE

EXPLANATION OF THE ORDERS IN THE
LINNÆAN SYSTEM,

May the 1ft, 1774.
PRESUMING, dear coufin, that you

- have already examined abundance of
ipring flowers, and determined their clafles,
enone the tiens contained in my Jatt
letter, I fhall proceed in this to give you
the characters of the orders, or divifions ot
the clafles. . If you wereto proceed at once
to the exämination of the fpecies, all would
be confufion; juft as if you attempted to
cftimate a vaft mixt multitude, fluctuating
in tumultuary diforder: but if you have
patience to make a regular progrefs; to
throw this multitude into large bodies, to
fubdivide thefe into fmaller ones, and thefe
again into others fo {mall as to command
them well with the eye, you have at length
a regular army, which you ean number
arrange, and difcipline at your pleafure.
We will now. divide our twenty-four re-
giments into their refpeétive companies.
Here I think you will not find fo much dif-
ficulty as in ‘the clafles: for the orders in
the firft thirteen clafles are founded wholly
upon the zumber of the piftils, fo that the
chief of your tafk here will be to learn fo

3 many

-ORDERS:

inany new terms, which are formed by put-
ting gyzia inftead of andria to the Greek
words fignifying the numbers: as monogy-
nia, one piltil; digynza, two Buel ; and fo
on.

‘Afterthe firft thirteen lattes? we no longer
ufe the piftils for the purpofe of fubdividing
the clafles into orders. In the clafs didynamia
it would be nugatory, becaufe you have ob-
ferved that all the flowers of the ringent
tribe have one piftil, and no more. Here
then we have recourfe to another circumftance
which anfwers extremely well. For we
find that moft of the plants which have a
labiate flower have four naked feeds at the
bottom of the calyx; and that the per-
fonate flowers are fucceeded by a capfule
containing many {mall feeds: hence ariles
an elegant, commodious, obvious, and na-
tural divifion of the fourteenth clafs into two
orders, Symuofpermia m and angiofpermia ” ;
the firtt containing all the ringent flowers
with four naked feeds ripening in the calyx;
the fecond, fuch as have the feeds contained
in à bilocular pericarp, or feed-vefiel of two
cells, and faftened to a receptacle in the
middle of it.

In the next clafs, etradynamia, the flow-
ers have allo one piftil, and no more. Here
again it is found convenient to take the fruit

RAC ME: 1. & Pl. 4. fr:
™ Plate'20. f: 2. & PL 4: f. 2, 3.

H 2 ) for

LÉPETER %

for the fubdivifion of it into orders. Thefe
are called /liculofa° and filiquofa ?, from the
form of the fruit, which we call {cle and
filique ; having only the word fod current in
our language, which will not fuffice to dif-
tinguilh thele from each other, nor from the
pod in the leguminous tribe. The plants of
the firft order then have a fiicle or fhort
roundifh pericarp; thofe of the fecond, a
filtque or oblong rarrow pericarp: both are
bilocular ; but the ftructure has been sid
fufficiently explained 4%

In the 16th, 17th, and 18th claffes, it is
found beft to tale the orders from the num-
ber of ftamens. Here then is no fort of
difficulty ; and, what is very pleafant, you
have no new terms to burden the memory.

The chief difficulty, with refpe& to the
orders, lies in the clafs /yngenefia. Tourne-
fort’s divifion of the compound flowers into
flofculous, femi-flofculous, and radiate, was
pretty and obvious; bu: Linnzus’s is ab-
firufe and difficult. 1 will explain it to you
however as clearly as I can. Yow are per-
fect miftrefs of a compound flower, and
the different forts of florets of which it is
compofed '. I muft next inform you, there-
fore, that what you know by the name of
compound is called by Linnæus a #o/culous
flower; and that he calls the florets, tudu-

9: Plate 2. aki P Plates 2r & 2.
4 See Letter IL r See Letter VI. |
lous

ORDERS.

fous Aofcules, and the femi-florets, /igu/ate
flofcules : this being premifed, we may ule
the language of Linnæus or Tournefort as
“we pleafe. Nowif you examine thefe flof-
cules nicely, you will difcover that thev
have {ometimes both ftamens and piftil;
but you will fee that others have Bah
only ; others again a piftil only: and laftly,
fome have neither ftamens nor piftil The
firft of thefe I call perfect * flofcules, the
fecond faminiferous, the third pi/illiferous,
and the fourth weuter flofcules. All thefe
variations are to be found both in the tubu-
lous and ligulate flofcules; and muft be well
attended to, becaufe on thefe variations, affift-
ed by the form of the florets, Linnzus has
founded the four firft orders of this clafs.
Polygamia equalis* is the name of the
firft order. Polygamia is the family name,
which this has in common with all the or-
ders except the lafi; it is ufed only in op-
pofition to monogamia, and implies tha:
there are many florets inclofed within one
common calyx; which is your idea of a
compound flower. ‘The peculiar name
æqualis fignifies equal, regular, or alike,
and implies that the whole flower is regu-
lar, and that all the component flofcules
therefore, whether tubulous or ligulate,
are alike; and indeed they are not only fo,

d s Perfect at leaft in appearance, if not gays really
fo.

RRQ a oc 25. f. 2.
m3 but

10 Ÿ

a)

to

LETTER XK.

but likewife perfeét, or all furnifhed with
ftamens and piftil; and therefore each fol-
lowed by a feed. If thefe flowers have any
ligulate fofcules, all the reft are fo; if any
tubulous flofcules, all the reft are fo likewife,

except in two genera, Atractylis and Barna- .

defia, which have radiate flowers.

In the fecond order, Polygamia fuperflua”, $

all the florets of the difk, centre or middle
of the flower are perfeét ; thofe of the ray
or exterior part pifülliferous : both of them
produce feed. Moft of the flowers in this
order are radiate, and then they are eafily
known by the circumftance of having fer-
tile feeds both in the difk and ray: but
there are fome which have tubulous florets

only, and appear like the difk of a radiate

flower, as a daify would look when fpoiled
of its white femi-florets ; whence Ray called
them di/coid flowers: in thefe, however, on
an attentive infpection, you will difcover
that iome of the outer ones are deficient in
ftamens at leaft, if not in corolla too. ‘Thefe
are by much the largeft orders, each of them
containing almoft double the number of ge-
nera that are in the three remaining orders
of compound flowers taken together.

‘The third order of thefe compound flow-
ers, or of the clafs /yagenefia, is entitled
{ruftranca *. The character of the order is,
‘that the florets in the difk or centre are

uPl. 6. f. 1. & pl. 26. Y Ploaye Es.
| perfed,

ee oo. :

DRDERS,

perfe&, and produce feed; whilft thofe of

the ray are imperfe@, and therefore abortive
or fruftrate; whence the name. This isa
_very {mall order, containing only eight ge-
nera; of which feven have adi ate fle eke :
and the eighth, which however is a nume-
rousone, hascapitate flowers like the thiftles
but differing from them in having BS fier
neuter or.abortive florets next the calyx, as
in the common blue-bottle ; in which the
neuter flofcules diftinguifh themfelves by
being much larger than the others: but on
examination they are mere corolia, and no-
thing elfe.

In the fourth order, necefaria * , the florets
in the difk or puddle are apparently perfect,
but are not really fo, and therefore produce
no perfect feed; whilft the piftilliferoys flof-
cules in the ray or outfide of the flower are
fertile. All thefe have radiate flowers, ex-
cept in two genera, wherein the exterior
fertile florets have fcarcely any corolla.

In the fifth order, Polygamia fegregata *
there is a common edly Vx, asau the re egoing
orders ; but befides that, there is in this
order a partial one, eds one or more
florets, which are thus feparated from each
other in a manner different from the reft of
the orders : and hence the name. By this
order the compound approach the aggregate
flower, fach as the teafel, feabious, &c.;

mehr. 4,2. x PL 28,

FI 4 but

103

LE TARN ZX"?

but then thefe have not the character of
the clafs /yngenefia in the union of the an- ,
thers.

The fixth or laft order is entitled fimply
monogamia ¥, becaufe it confifts of plants with
fimple, not compound flowers; which cir-
cumftance is abundantly fufficient to difcri-
minate this order, provided you attend at
the fame time to the claflical character. :

We have now, dear coufin, happily, I
hope, pafled the fool’s bridge, and are ar-
rived fafely on the other fide, where the way -
is plain, and we fhall foon get pleafantly to
the end of our ftage. In fhort, the orders
of the three following clafles, gynandria,
monecia, and diecia, being founded upon
the ftamens, and taking their names from
the foregoing claffes, according to the num-
ber and union or difunion of the ftamens
in the refpective flowers, there is nothing .
new to be learnt in any of thefe,

The twenty-third clafs indeed, polygamia,
has three orders, arifing from the triple
mode in which the three forts of flowers
may be arranged; either on the fame plant,
on two diftin& plants, or on three. When
the perfeét and imperfect flowers are on the
fame plant, the order is entitled monecia *.
When the perfect flowers are on one plant,
and the imperfeét ones on a fecond of the

y PI. 29.—The violets are a good inftance of this
order. ;

4 Plate 33 Acer or maple.
| fame

‘ORDERS.

fare fpecies, the order is then entitled d'æ-
cia*. And when the perfect flowers are on
one plant, ftaminiferous ones on a fecond,
and piftilliferous ones on a third, all of the
fame fpecies, then fuch plant belongs to an
order called #riæciat, fignifying three houfes ;
the three forts of flowers having three dif
tin habitations.

The laft clafs having no flowers whofe
parts are difcernible by the naked eye, and
therefore called cryptogamia—having alfo
many genera in which we are uncertain
what the fruétification is—many in which
we can difcern no fructification at all—the
characters of the orders can no longer be
taken from the flamens and piftils. For-
tunately the plants of this clafs have a very
particular ftruture, ferving very well both
to afcertain the claffical character, and the
divifion of it into four orders; which are
called, I. Fidices, or Ferns. Il. Mu/ci, or
Moffes. IL. Alga, or Sea-weeds ; and,
IV. Fungi, or Fu: ngufes.

The ferns’ moftly | have their frudifica-
tion upon the backs of their leaves. This,
when examined by the microfcope, appears
to confift. of a fcale arifing from the leaf,
and opening on one fide; and under that
fome little balls on pedicles, furrounded by
an claftic ring: in due time the balls burff,

2 The afh is an inftance of this order.
b As in the fig,
c Plate 35.
4 and

1065

106
|
|

LETTER X.

and throw out a fine duft, which is fup-
pofed to be the feed. Linnæus makes the
{cale to be a calyx: and the globules are
probably fo many capfules or pericarps.

The moffés* have {mall threads growing
out of the bofoms of the leaves, terminated
by a {mall body, the whole refembling fta-
mens : accompanied by little fhorter threads
fuppofed to be piftils, fometimes on the
fame plant with the former, and fome-
times on another. The firft of thefe Lin-
næus took for anthers, and actually called
them fo; but he fufpected them afterwards
to be capfules, and {uch they turn out to
be, on a narrower infpection with greater
magnifiers,

Of the ave ° we know too little about
the frudtification to give a regular character
of the order, which includes not only thefea-
weeds, but the liverworts, &c. Thefe have
been ranged by others among the mofles,
In the liver pine there are little bodies vifi-
ble enough, which are taken for ftaminifer-
ous and piftilliferous flowers, diftin@ from
each other; but experiments are yet want-
ing to afcertain them with precilion. On
the fea-weeds are little bladders, fome hol-
low with hairs within, others filled with a
gelly-like fubflance ; and thefe are fuppofed
to be the flowers and fruits.

Ifthe /ungufes* have any frutification, it

# Plate 36. e Plate 37. f Plate 38. ‘
| is

GRDERS.

is imagined to be underneath, in the gils,
pores, &c. But I will not detain you wth
thefe dregs of vegetable nature, in whch
you will take no pleafure till you have m-
bibed an enthufattic paffion for Botany.
After the clafs crypiogamia, Linnzushas
given the pa/ms, in a twenty-fifth clais or
appendix, without any character. I pre-
fume he has thus thrown them into the rear
of his fyftem, partly becaufe he could not
have ranged this proud fet of trees accord-
ing to his laws, without tearing them from
each other, and partly becaufe they have
not been examined with fufficient accuracy.
You will fcarcely have an opportunity of exa-
mining this natural clafs, the moft remark-
able characters of which are, that the fta-
miniferous flowers are diftinét from the pif-
tilliferous, on the fame or different indivi-
duals ; except in one genus, which has com-
plete or perfect fowers accompanied by fta-
miniferous ones on the fame individual, all
proceeding from a /fatbe or fheath, and
growing upon a /padixs. So that thefe
trees belong to the three laft clafles of con-
fpicuous flowers in the artificial fyftem.

8 The /padix is the receptacle in this tribe, and has
no Englifhname. In another place, Linnæus, in dif-
tributing vegetables into nine nations, affigns the firft
to the palms, calling them Princes of India, bearing
their fruétification on a /padix within a /pathe; flow-
ing ; remarkable for their prodigious height diftin-
guifhed by an unveried, undivided, perennial trunk ;
crowned at top by an evergreen bufh of leaves 5 rich
in abundance of large, fine fruit.

, Thus,

107

108

LETTER X.

Thus, dear coufin, we have accomplifhed
ourfecond ftige. And this letter not being
of b unconfcionable a length as the Prier,
I hae accompanied it with two tables ; one
of tie claffical chara@ers, and another ex-
plaiting thofe of the orders: that, after read-
ing my diffufe explanation, you may have
the whole under your eye at once ; and thus
perhaps at one view form a better idea of
the arrangement of vegetables into claffes
and orders, than you could do from many
detached pages. We are not yet arrived
at fpecific or individual information; but we
are on the borders, as [ fhall convince you
in my next letter. In the mean time you
have fuflicient employment for your eyes
and attention, without doors as well as with-
in: for, if you had taken up this trafh of
mine only in your drefling-room, you would
long fince have thrown it into the fire: if it
meets with a better fate, | owe it mere
to the beautiful objects which your fair
hands have cropt in the garden and fields.
Always give the prefetente to the latter
where you can, both for the fake of exercife
and having your plants in their natural ftate.
Adieu, his coufin; continue your kind in+
dulgence to my prate,

SKETCH

=

INNÆUS S AC = face page 108]
A. Plants with confpicuous Flowers.

B. 1. All complete, or furnifhed with Stamen and Piftil,
C, With Stamens feparate from the Piftil.
D. And feparate from each other.
E, All of the fame length, or not proportionably longer than each other.
F. In which the number only is to be confidered,
I. MonanpriA. QneStamen.
Il. Dianpria. Two Stamens.
Ill. Trianpria. Three Stamens,
IV. TErRANDRIA. Four equal Stamens.
V. PENTANDRIA. Five Stamens.
VI. Hexanpria. Six equal Stamens.
VII. Hepranpria. Seven Stamens,
VIII, Ocranpria. Eight Stamens.
IX. Enneanpria. Nine Stamens.
X. DEcANDRIA. Ten Stamens.
XI. DopEecANDRIA. From 11 to 19 Stamens inclufive.
F, In which the fituation is alfo to be confidered.
XII. IcosanDrIA. About 20 Stamens on the Calyx or Corolla.
XII. Potyanpria. Twenty Stamens or more onthe Receptacle or Bafe of the Flower.
E. Some Stamens proportionably longer than others.
XIV. Dipynamia. Four Stamens, two longer. One Piftil. Flowers ringent.
XV. TETRADYNAMIA. Six Stamens, four longer. One Piftil. Flowers cruciform.
D. Stamens coherent at bottom only, or by the Filaments.
XVI. Monapeputa. Filaments united into one body.
XVII. Diapezpuia. Filaments in two bodies. Corolla papilionaceous.
XVII. PocyApELPHA. Filaments in 3 or more parcels,
D. Stamens coherent at top only, or by the Anthers.
XIX. Syncengsra. Anthers united, 5 Filam. diftin®, 1 Piftil, Flowers compound.
C. With Stamens growing out of the Piftil itfelf.
XX. GynanDriA. Stamens on the Piftil, not on the Receptacle.
2. All incomplete; or which have Stamens only, or Piftils only.
XXI Monoscra. Each fort of Flower feparate, but on the fame Plant,
XXII. Diorcra. Each fort of Flower, on diftinét Plants only.
. Flowers of the firft fort, together with one or both of the fecond fort.
Pi + : XXIII. PotyGamia.
“+ Flowers inconfpicuous. 1
XXIV. CryproGaura. Flowers very fmall, invilible, or not yet difcovered.
XXV. Parms. Flowers borne on a Spadix, and within a Sfathe, moftly incomplete. &

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SKETCH AND EXPLANATION OF THE
ORDERS IN THE SYSTEM OF LINNÆUS.

I. Monandria. One flamen.
1, Monogynia. One piftil.
7 2. Digynia. Two piffils.
Il. Diandria. Two /flamens.
1, Monogynia. One piffil.
2. Digynia. Two pifils.
- 3. Trigynia. Three piftils.
II. Triandtia. Three flamens.
1. Monogynia. One pi/til.
2. Digynia. Two piftils.
3. Trigynia. Three piftilse
IV. Tetrandria. Four equal flamens.
1. Monogynia. One pifhl.
2. Digynia. Two piflils.
3. Tetragynia. Four piftils.
V. Pentandria. Five flamens.
1. Monogynia. One pi/ti/.
2. Digynia. Two piffils.
3. Trigynia. Three piffils.
4. Tetragynia. Four piffils.
5. Pentagynia. Five pifiils.
6. Polygynia. Many pi/tils.
VI. Hexandria. Six equal flamens.
1. Monogynia One pi/fil.
2. Digynia. Two piftils.
3. Trigynia. Three piftils.
4. Tetragynia. Pour piftils.
5. Polygynia. Many piffils.
2 VIL. Heptandria.

IIo

LE TERRE

VIF. Heptandria. Seven flamens.

+ Go D it

. Monogynia. One piftil.
. Digynia. Two piftits.
Tetragynia. Four piftils.

. Heptagynia. Seven piffilss

VIII. Odandria. Eight famens.

2e

7
As

Ter ae One piftil.

Digynia. Two pifttls.

Trigynia. Three piftils.
T'etragynia. Four pi/tils. È

IX. Enneandria. Nine flamens.
i Monogynia. One piftil. ne

ae
-

‘Trigynia. Three piftils.
Hexagynia. Six pi/fils.

X. Decandria. Ten flamens.

XI.

AI.

ir
. Digynia. . Two piffils.

. Trigynia. Three piftils.
. Tetragynia. Four piffils.

2
3
4
5°
6.

D

ME

Monogynia. One piffil.

Pentagynia. Five piftils.
Decagynia. Zen pifiils,

odecandria. Twelve flamens (from

Tito 19)

1. Monogynia. One piftil.
2. Digynia. Zwo piftils. |
3. Trigynia. Three piftils.
4.
5
I

Pentagynia. Five piftils.
Dodecagynia. Jwelve piffils.

cofandria. Ywenty flamens Le the.

calyx or corolla).
Monogynia. One pifiil.
. Digynia. Ywopiftils. —
. Trigynia, Three piftils.
4 Pentagyois

- ORDERS.

4. Pentagynia.. Five pi/tils.

5. Polygynia. Many piftils.
XII. Polyandria. © Many flamens (from

20 tO 1000, on the receptacle)

Monogynia. . One pi/il.
à Digynia. Two pifitls.
Trigynia.> Three piffils.
Tetragynia. four piftils.
Pentagynia. Five fi/iils.
. Hexagynia. Six pifidls.
. Polygynia Many piftils.,

woe den D =

XIV. Diets. Four fiamens, 2 longer

and 2 fhorter.
1. Gymnoipermia. Four naked feeds.
2. Angiofpermia. Seeds inclofed in a
pericarp.
XV. Tetradynamia. Six flamens, 4 longer

_ and 2 fhorter.

. Siliculofa. Pericarp generally round.
ifh, with the fiyle permanent or
continuing, called a filicle.

2. Siliquofa. Pericarp very long and
narrow, called a filique or pod.
XVI. Monadelphia. One brotherbosd: or
filaments all connected,
1. Triandria. Three flamens.
2. Pentandria. Five flameus.
3. Odctandria. Light flamens.
4. Decandria. Yen flamens.
5. Endecandria. Eleven flamens.
6. Dodecandria, Tvelue famens.
. Polyandria. Many flamens.
XVIL Diadelphia. Two brotherhoods :
| filaments in two bodies. »
1. Pentandria,

L.

LBP eX.

1. Pentandria. Five ftamens.
2. Hexandria. Six flamens.
3. OGandria. Eight /lamens.
4. Decandria. Ten flamens .
XVII. Polyadelphia. Many brotherhoods :
filaments in three or more parcels.
Ie Pentandria. Five flamens.
2. Dodecandria. Twelve flamens.
3. Icofandria. Twenty flamens.
4. Polyandria. Many fiamens.
XIX. Syngenefia. Congeneration. Anthers
united. 3
1. Polygamia Æqualis. 47 the flof-
cules perfect, and the whole flower
regular. ,

. Polygamia Superflua. Perfect lo/-
cules in the diff : pifiiliferous flof-
cules in the ray: both producing
feed.

. Polygamia Fruftranea. Flofcules in
the dife perfect, and producing
feed: in the ray imperfect, and
qwitbout feed.

4. Polygamia Neceffaria. Flofcules in
appearance perfect in the difk, pro-
ducing nofeed: pifiilliferous flofcules
in the ray producing feed.

. Polygamia Segregata. Many flori-

féerous calyxes contained in one com-
mon calyx, and forming one flower.

Monogamia. Flowers uot compound,

as in the other orders, but fimple,
as in all the other claffes.

XX. Gynandria. Stamens growing onthe pifil.

1, Diandrta.

à

Gs

Ua

2

:

COST Or + Go D mr

Ke)

ORDERS. 113

. Diandria. Too flomens:

. Triandria. Three famens.

+ Tetrandria. Four flamens.
. Pentandria. Five famens.

. Hexandria. Six flamens.

Oandria. Fight flamens.

- Decandïia. Yen flamens.
«+ Dodecandria. Twelve flamens.

Polyandria. Many flamens.

XXI Moneecia. One houfe. Imperfect flow-

© ONT Qe ROD D mn

lo cory Nn po wx

e

ers Jeparate on the fame plant.

+ Monandria. One flamen.
. Diandiia Two flamens.

Triandria. Three flamens.
Tetrandria. Four flamens.
Pentandria. Five flamens.

Hexandria. Six flamens.

- Heptandria. Seven flamens.

- Polyandria Many flamens.

- Monadelphia. Filaments unitedin one,

. Syngenelia. Anthers united,
- Gynandria. Stamens on the piftil.

+ Dicecia. Two houfes. Imperfect flow-

ers on aiftinet individuals.

. Monandria. One flamen.

: Diandria. Two flamens,

+ Triandria Three flamens.
. Tetrfandria. Four flamens,

Pentandria. Five flamens.
Hexandria. Six flamens.

OGandria. Light flamens.

. Enneandria. Nine flamens.
. Decandria. Yen flamens.
I

I Oo. Dode-

114

to

Les)

LETTER,X.

. Dodecandria. T'welve.flamenrs.

. Polyandria. Many flamens.

. Monadelphia. Filamentsunitedinone.
. Syngenefia. Anthers united.

Gynandria. Stamens on the piffil.

. Polygamia. Perfect flowers, accom-

panied with one or both forts of
imperfed flowers.

. Monœcia. - Perfect and imperfect

flowers on the fame plant.

. Dicecia. Perfect flowers on one plant,

and imperfect on another.

. Trickeias À Me flowers on one

plant, flaminiferous flowers on a
fecond, and piftillifercus flowers on

a third.

. Cryptogamia. Frudtification fecret.
. Filices. Ferns: bearing feed on the

back of the leaves.

. Muti. Moffes: having imperfect

flowers diflinét, and the feeds in a
capfile, often covered with a veil.

. Alege. Having imperfect flowers

. diflinét, and the feeds either like a
-meal on the leaves or inclofed in

bladders.

, Fungi. Having no difcernible flow=

ers, but feeds in the gills, pores,
cups, Fee
Palma: Palms. Flowers on a fpa-
dix, in a fpathe or foeath: gene-
rally faminiferous and piftilliferous
diftinét.
. LET-

hee TER Xt
OF THE CLASS MONANDRIA:;

June the 1oth, 1774.

T length, dear coufin, I am going to
7 À put you inthe way of examining plants
by yourfelf, and determining the genus and
fpecies, as you have before done the clafs
and order. You have been already initiated
in my firft letters ; but now I fhall proceed
in more form, and prefent you with one
plant or more of each clafs, explaining to
you as we go along fome others of the
natural claffes, which form, or are contained
in the artificial ones,

The firft clafs, Monandria, in the fyftem
of Linnzus is a very fmall one ; comprifing,
as you have feen already, in the fecond
table which I fent you, but two orders:
There are alfo but eighteen genera init, and
forty-four fpecies. Very few of thefe plants
are natives of Europe; and the Indian forts
are not eafy to be met with, at leaft in flower,
in the beft hot-houfes.

115

There is a plant, however, not verÿ un- Hippuris.

common in ponds, ditches, and flow muddy
{treams, called Æifpuris, which is of this
clafs, and of the firft order. It has a fingle
jointed ftalk, and at each joint is a dozen

I 2 af leaves

116

LE Tera AL

leaves or more, placed all round in a whorl,
which is a form that Linnæus calls Vertici/-
late. Toeach of thefe leaves, clofe to the
ftalk, belongs a little flower, confifting of a
fingle ftamen and piftil, one feed, and no-
thing more; for it has neither calyx nor
corolla. You will find the ftamen fitting
on the germ terminated by a bifid anther ;
and behind this is the ftyle, which is ter-
minated by a fligma tapering to a point.
This will be amply fufhcient for you to
determine the Hifpurisi, which perhaps
may not grow near you; andif it does, you

-muft not hazard wetting and dirtying your-

felf in a muddy ditch. . Since, therefore it
is abundant in the moat of the neighbour-
ing abbey, I have inclofed fome fpecimens
of it in my tin pocket cafe, which. may

ferve afierwards to bring home your plants .

frefh and cool, if you are not already pro-
vided with fo neceflary a thing. If you
are not flruck with the beauty of the /ip-
puris, you will at leaft ¢fteem it for its mo-
defty and fimplicity. I have one favour to
afk in return for my tin box and its con-

tents, which is, that, whenever you call this —

slant by its name, you will pronounce the
middle fyllable long, and not fhort, as

i I do not know that this plant has been noticed
enough to have a common name in Englifh. In the
books it is called Female Horfe-Tail or Mares Tail. Fi-

gured in Curtis, Flora Londinenfis. Fafcic. IV.

Plate I. and Pl. 7. f. 2. of this work.
many

Se ee Re À

many do: for I am folicitous to BGR OUR
as weil as think, like you. Ï have faid n
thing here of the diftinction icles lhe
and {pecies, becaufe there is only one fort
of Aippuris. 1 muft however inform you,
once for all, that we invariably take the
characters of the genera from the parts of
fructification ; and thofe of the fpecies from
the other parts of the plant, particularly
the leaves.

There is another plant of this clafs and Canna.

order, which your gardener may poflibly
have in the hot-houfe. I dare fay you know
it by the upright growth, reedy appear-
ance, and fine fcarlet flowers. Perhaps
you have already found fome difficulty in
determining the clafs and order; for there
is no filament; but the anther grows to the
edge of a kind of petal, which Linnæus
calls the Necfary: the ftyle alfo, which is
lance-fhaped, grows to the fame petal. The
calyx confifts of three leaves: the corolla
is cut into fix -parts, five ere, and the
fixth reflex; the feeds are contained in a
capfule or veflel of three cells, are round
and very hard; whence this plant has the
name of Iudian /hot. Linnæus calls it Can-
na. Thus much for the genus, of which
there are three fpecies at leaft; fome make
five. Linnæus has diftinguifhed his three
fpecies thus: I. Canna indica *; by its

k This is figured by John Miller, in his Illuftrations
of the Sexual Syftem:—and in Pl. 7. f. 1, of this work.

153 ovate

118

i BO ER ST

ovate leaves, fharp-pointed towards both
ends, and marked with nerves. 2. C. an-

guftifolia, Narrow-leaved Indian fhot, by its

lance-fhaped petiolate leaves, marked alfo
with nerves. 3. C. glauca, Sea-green Indian
foot, by its lance-fhaped petiolate leaves,
fmooth or without nerves !. Yours will be
one of the two firft fpecies, for the laft
has yellow flowers. This order contains
feveral interefting plants, fuch as ginger,
cardamom, grain of paradife, Arabian cof-
tus, turmerick, galangale, &c. all which,
with Canna, belong to a natural tribe enti-
tled Stiraniinele, from the Latin word /c-
tum, which when tacked to cdulium implies
eatables of a pleafant or fpicy tafte. They
have not only the fame place in the artificial
fyftem, but they agree farther in having
their feeds enclofed in a veffel below the re-
ceptacle, as you perceive plainly it is in the
canna: the divifions alfo of the calyx, co-
eo and feed veffel, are ufually three.
Short flights are beft, till you have tried
your wings My next may poffibly be a
little longer, if you give me leave. Adieu
for a few days.

1'The Hortus Kewenfis has only two fpecies ; making
Linnæus’s fecond a variety only of the frft.

LET-

bby Ry) XII.
OF THE CLASS DIANDRIA,

June 17th, 1774.
OU have ftarved a week, dear coufin,
upon the meagre fare of my lait: I
can now promile you more variety, having
a larger range and better choice. The fe-
cond ciafs of plants, dandria, has 35 ge-
nera, and 265 fpecies.

Linnzus has done every thing in his
power to facilitate the inveitigation of
plants; and nothing contributes more to
this than the clearnefs and order of his ar-
rangement, and his leading on the ftudent
by regular fteps from generals to particu-
lars. Thus, after you have fettled the
clafs and order of your plant, you perceive
that each order, when numerous, is thrown
into feveral great divilions, before you are
prefented with the generic characters.

This fhortens your inquiry confiderably ; |

for, in the firft order of this clafs, inftead
of having the characters of thirty-five ge-
rera to choofe out of, you have by this
means only eight or nine, or perhaps no
more than three, or even one. That you
may underftand this the better, I will give
| L'4 you

119

| SF

Jafmi-

num,

LETTER XII.

you Linnzus’s fubdivifion of the firft order
of this clafs.

DIANDRIA MonoGyNIA.

1. Flowers inferior, monopetalous, regular,
8 genera.

2. inferior, monopetalous, irregu-
lar, with feeds inclofed in a vefiel:
Q genera. :

3. ———— inferior, monopetalous, irregu-
lar, with naked feeds: 9 genera.

4. inferior, pentapetalous: 1 genus,

fuperior : 3 genera.

So that if your plant happens to belong
tothe fourth divifion, it is determined at
once: and in all the reft your fearch is much
facilitated ™. :

In this clafs, though by no means one of
the moft numerous, you will not be at a
lofs, either in your garden or in the fields,
for examples. |

You are well acquainted with moft forts
of jafmine, Take any of them, and you
will perceive immediately that it belongs to
the firft divifion of the firft order. Com-
pare as many of the fpecies a3 you can meet
with in flower, and you will find that they
all agree in the charaCters of it.

m Tt is not neceflary to be more particular with the
Englith reader, fince the Botanical Society at Lichfield
have publifhed a tranflation of Linnæus’s Syftem of
Vegetables.

But

2

DIANDRIA.

But other circumftances are to be found
in them ail, called generic charaëlers : thefe
in the prefent cafe are: that the corolla is
monopetalous, falver-fhaped", and the bor-
der divided into five fegments: the anthers
{mall, and lying within the tube of the co-
rolla : the feed-veflel a berry of two cells:
_and the feeds covered with an #r7/ or loofe
coat.

‘Having feen in es all the jafmines agree,
to determine the clafs, order, with its divi-
fions, and genus ; now sad to the circum-
ftances in which they differ, to fettle the
fix fpecies. For this the leaves will nearly
fuffice, thus :

1, Leaves pinnate, oppofite: lobes diftina.
Fafinine officinal, Curt, Magaz. 31.
Hy 8,4, 12,

2, Leaves pinnate, oppofite: lobes conflu-
ent. Ÿ. Catalonian.

3. Leaves ternate, oppofite. %. Azorian.

4. Leaves ternate and fimple, alternate:
branches angulate: Ff. /brubby.

5. Leaves ternate and pinnate, alternate,

acute: branches angulate. 7. dwarf.

6. Leaves ternate and pinnate, alternate,
obtufe: branches round. 7. /weet-
feented. |

n Jf the reader be at a lofs for the meaning of terms,
there is no want of books to confult ; fuch as Lee’s
and Rofe’s Introductions, Martyn’s Languege of Bo-

fany, &c.
‘The

121

Veronica,

LE Te RST.

The three firft have the corolla white ; in
the three laft it is yellow. If you inquire
after your favourite Arabian jafmine, it be-
longs to another genus, Nyéfanthes, becaufe
it has the calyx and ‘corolla divided into
eight fegments. The Cape ja/mine is of
another clafs, the fifth ; and of courfe has
another name, Gardenia.

Several other trees and fhrubs belong to
this fame firft divifion. Privet, Phillyrea,
Olive, and the Lilacs. ‘Thefe have all a
quadrifid corolla, and are diftinguifhed by
their fruit, which in privet is a berry with
four feeds ; in phillyrea a Jerry with one
feed; in olive a drupe; in the lilacs a
bilocular capfule. The common lilac has
heart-fhaped leaves ; a circumftance fuficient
to diftinguifh it from the Perfian, which has
lance-fhaped leaves. As to the different
colours of the flowers in the firft—white,
blue, and red—they form but varieties ; co-
lour being rarely permanent enough to con-
flitute {pecific differences.

In the fecond divifion is a genus, named,
from a female faint, Veronica: it is a very
numerous one, containing no lefs than forty
{pecies. Here therefore Linnzus has done
with the genus, as he did before with
the order—he has thrown it into three
principal divifions from the manner of
flowering. 1. Such as bear the flowers in
fpikes. 2. Such as bear them in racemes
or bunches. 3. Such as produce them fingly.

This

DIANDRI A.

This genus is eafily known by the mo-
nopetalous, rotate, or wheel-fhaped corolla,
divided into four fegments, the loweft of
which is narrower than the reft; and the
bilocular, heart-fhaped, flatted capfule.

One fpecies is very common among
bufhes, and in the edges of paftures. Its
beautiful blue flowers have doubtlefs at-
tracted your notice, and, in falling off too
eafily, have given occafion perhaps to a
leflon on the fhort duration of our enjoy-
ments, or the fleeting nature of female
charms, to your lovely daughter. If it be
not already paft flowering, for May is its
feafon, you will find that it belongs to the
fecond divifion ; or even if it be, the oval,
wrinkled leaves, indented about the edge,
and fitting clofe to the ftalk, together with
the weak trailing ftems, unlefs upheld by
the bufhes, will fo clearly point out this
humble plant to you, that you cannot well
be miftaken °.

If this fpecies, however, is out of blow,
you will certainly find another? in dry paf-
tures or heaths, efpecially upon old ant-
hills: it may perhaps have efcaped you,
the flowers being {mall and of a pale co-
lour ; not however without their beauty,
on a nearer furvey, This belongs to the

© Veronica Chamedrys. Wild Speedwell or Ger-
mander. Curtis, Lond. 1. 2.—Pl. 8. f.1. Fl. Ruft. t. 66.
P Veronica officinalis. Officinal Speedwell. Curtis,

Lond, UI. 1. |
frft

123

124

Salvia.

LEWTIVER KI

firft divifion, having the flowers growing
in fpikes, coming out chiefly from the fide
of the plant, at {ome diftance from the main
ftem ; the leaves are oppofite, and the ftalks
trail along the ground. It has the trivial
name of officinal, becaufe an infufion of it is
fometimes ufed medicinally.

Other fpecies are common by the fides of
ditches and brooks, whence they have the
name of Water Speedwell, or Broosklime?:

-thefe are of the fecond divifion: and three

fpecies of the third divifion are abundant
among corn in the {pring *.

I know not how itis, but there is a con-
nexion between this clafs and the fourteenth.
Pinguicula or Butterwort has a perfonate
flower. Some fpecies of Vervain have two
ftamens, others four of unequal lengths ;
among the latter is our common or offictnal
Vervain*; whence fome authors have re-
moved it to the clafs didynamia. Sage,
Rofemary, and others, have labiate flowers,
and in every refpeé fo refembte the plants
of the fourteenth clafs, that they fhould

naturally be placed there; but having only

two ftamens, the artificial fyftem ranges
them in this clafs. Sage feems to form
the connecting link between the two
claffes ; for in this genus are rudiments of

q Veronica Becabunga, Curtis, Lond. IL. 3. is one
of thefe.
r Veronica arvenfis: Curtis, Lond. II. 2. agreftis :
Curtis, Lond. I. 1. hederifolia : Curtis, Lond. IL. 1.
* Curtis, Lond, I. 41.
another

DIANDRIA

another pair of ftamens, but without an
- thers. The ftructure of the ftamens in the
fage is fingular, and merits your obferva-
tion, The two filaments are very fhort,
but two others are faftened to thefe tranf-
verfely by the middle; and at one end of
thele laft is a gland, at the other an anther.
This circumftance diftinguifhes the genus
from all others, and is called. its eflential
charaëter. If you compare the flowers of
fage and rofemary together, you will find
them agree in moft other particulars; but
rofemary has not this character: it has very
long filaments, bending towards the cafque
or upper lip of the corolla.

The genus Sa/via or Sage has no lefs
than fifty-two fpecies. Our common gar-
den fage‘, of which there are feveral varie-
ties, has the flowers growing in fpikes, the
fegments of the calyx acute, and the leaves
of an oblong ovate form, entire, and very
flightly notched about the edges. There
are two forts commonly wild in Europe’,
not very unlike each other, but rather
clarys than fages : you will be at no lofs to
know them when you fee them. ‘To dif-
tinguifh them from each other, obferve that
Meadow Clary * has the leaves oblong-heart-
fhaped, and notched about the edges ; the

t Salvia officinalis Linnei. Pl. 8.f. 3. Ger. 764.
“ Salvia pratenfis & verbenaca; but the latter only
is common in England.

* Salvia pratenfis. Ger. 769. 3. Engl. Bot. t. 153.
upper

126

»

126

LETTER il.

upper ones embracing the ftalks; the fiow-
ers grow in almoft naked whorls, and the
upper lip of the.corolla is glutinous. The
Wild Clary™ has the leaves ferrate, finuate,
and fmoothifh : the tube of the corolla very
{mall in comparifon with the calyx, which
opens wide.

But enough for our fecond excurfion,
efpecially as | propofe that we fhould take
a third very foon.

w Salvia verbenaca. Engl. Bot. t. 154. Ger. 771. 1.
The edition of Gerard’s Herbal which is quoted here
and elfewhere is that which received the additions of
Johnfon, and was printed in 1636.

LET-

LEP Oe RU,

OF CORN AND GRASSES.

June the 24th, 1774.

HAVE haftened this letter, dear cou-

fin, left the induftrious mower fhould
have fpoiled our harveft. The brilliancy
of the prefent feafon will perhaps have
quickened his fteps: but at the worlft, he
will have left you fome gleanings about the
hedges.

The tribe which I now recommend to
your examination is the moft known and
general of any; it is the moft pleafant to
the eye; and of the moft extended ufe,
fince it furnifhes man with the beft portion
of his nourifhment, and at the fame time
is the whole fupport of many among the
beafts, and of a large proportion of birds.
. The moft rigid critic cannot accufe us of
mifpending our time, when we are engaged
in the contemplation of fo ufeful a tribe of
plants as that which contains all the different
fpecies of corn and grafles.

The former being larger, requiring more
care and culture, becaufe they are annual,
and being immediately neceflary to the fup-
port of man, and the animals avout him, in
this and many other countries; the {pecies

are

127

128

LETTER Xiti.
of

are univerfally known and diftinguifhed:
But this is not the cafe in the latter; grais
vulgarly forms one fingle idea; and a huf-
bandman, when he is looking over his inclo- :
fure, does not dream that there are upwards
of three hundred fpecies of grafs, of which
thirty or forty may be at prefent under his
eye. They have fcarcely had a name, be-
fides the general one, till within thefe twenty
years; and the few particular names that
have been lately given are far from having
obtained general ufe; fo that we may fairly
affert that the knowledge of this moft com-
mon and valuable tribe of plants is yet in its
infancy *. 3

Let us not, however, give more import:
ance to botany than it really has; but pro-
ceed quietly with our own bufinefs. The
greater part of the world fcarcely know
that grafs has a flower ; or, if they are fhown

x The late excellent Mr. Stillingfleet firft direëted
the public attention to gra/es; and that moft refpeétabié
and ufeful inftitution, the Society of Arts, &c. has done
allin its power to promote an improvement in the cul-
ture of them; but without great effect. Nor can much
be expected till economical gardens or public farms
are initituted, for the purpofe of experiments in this and
other parts of hufbandry. It is not enough to tell men
of a good thing, and inftru& them how it may be done 5
but they muft actually fee it put in execution, and be
eye-witnefles of its good effects. This has lately been
done by fome public-fpirited gentlemen; particularly
by Mr. Coke, of Norfolk. See Young’s Annals.—Mr.
Curtis’s Practical! Obfervations on the Britifh Grafles
are highly deferving of the attention of the public.—See
alfo Mr. Swayne’s Gramina Pafcua. eh

it,

6

GRASSES.

it, will coldly afk; Is this all?. And yet
prafs not only has a flower, but every con-
-itituent part of it; which is more than we
can fay of a tulip, and fome others, that
have engrofled almoft all the attention of
mankind: nay, there is fuch a variety in
the parts, difpofition, and manner of flower-
ing, that we have fufficient marks in the
fruQification to diftinguifh above’ forty ge-
nera.

If you take up a fpike Y or panicle? of
grafs, you may perhaps be difappointed in
your expectation of difcerning the ftamens
and other parts; be aflured then that the
flower is not yet open, and continue your
fearch till you find one with the parts ex-
panded, the ilender filaments hanging out,
and large, oblong, double anthers playing
freely about with the flighteft motion. You
will immediately perceive that your grafs,
having three of thele ftamens, muft range
under the third elafs, #Zandria, provided
the flower has a piftil as well as ftamens.
Searching a little farther, you will eafily de-
te two reflex ftyles, each terminated with
a feathered ftigma: you are at no lofs, there-
fore, to determine that your grafs belongs
to the fecond order (digynia) of this third
clafs *. 3 |
Having thus fettled the clafs and the or-
der, you will proceed to the other parts of

Y PL 9. fx on 4 PI. 9. f. 2. 2 See Plate 9, b, c.
K the

LT

LETTER kilt.

the flower. The neglected chaff you will
find to be double: the outer generally con-
fifling of two leaflets, one large and gibbous,
the other fmaller and flat ; the inner confift-
ing alfo of two parts or valves, which you
may call petals, for this is the: corolla, and
the former is the calyx, Nay this defpifed
flower has even its zecfary ; which isa little
oblong body compofed of two leaflets, but
fo {mall as to require a glafs to difcern it
well. Grafles have no pericarp, but one
naked feed, with the fhape of which we are
well acquainted—it is oblong, and draws to
a point towardsteach end. Thefe characters
you will find common to every grafs you
examine, and alfo to every fpecies of corn ;
or, however, with very few exceptions : this
then is called the clafical charaéter. As thefe
fmall flowers grow frequently two or more
clofe together, you have only to feparate a
{ingle flower to avoid confufion in your
examination.

But this tribe of plants does not agree in
the parts of fructification only, as above de-
fcribed. ‘The whole appearance, the ge-
neral air, the manner of growth, is the
fame in all A fimplicity of ftru&ure runs
through the entire clafs. Every one has a
fimple, unbranched, ftraight, hollow ftem,
ftrengthened with knots at certain inter-
vals ?. ‘There is none but has a fingle leaf to

b Linnœus names it cw/mus.

eaoh

GRASSES,

each knot, invefting or fheathing the ftem
to fome diftance, and then fpreading out
into a long narrow furface, of equal breadth
all the way till it approaches the end, when
it draws off gradualiy toa point’: It is alfo
invariably entire in every fpecies, and with-
out veins or branching veliels, being only
marked longttudinally with lines parallel to
the fides, and to a nerve or ridge that runs
the whole length of it. There is another
curious circumftance, almoft peculiar to this
‘tribe of plants, and common to them all ;

namely, that the body of the feed does not
fplit into two lobes, but continues entire ¢

till it has accomplifhed its purpofe of giving
the young plant its firft nourifhment, and
then rots away. This you may ealily obferve
as corn is fpringing up; or you may fow à
little Canary grafs-feed, which you have for
your birds, in a garden-pot in your window,
-and thus make the obfervation at home. But,
though I may indulge you for once, you
know I do not encourage this idle domeftic
manner of obferving the operations of Na-
ture. You muft go abroad and view her

feated on her native throne: and in her

court you have this advantage, which you
will find in no other, that you are gathering
health whilf you pay her homage.

€ Linnzus calls this fort of leaf /inear.
4 Such plants are called monccotyledonous ; the others,
dicotyledonous. |
K 2 If

191

ho

13

Phalaris.

LETTER It.

If you are now miftrefs of all the circam:
{tances in which this tribe of plants agree
you may proceed to thofe in which they
differ, and thus feparate them firft into their
genera, and then into their fpecies. But,
the genera being numerous, it may not be
inconvenient, as we did once before, to
throw the SHblé tribe into fome general
fubdivifions; and that we can eafily do from
the manner in which the flowers are pro-
duced—either in a panicle or fpike ; and
fingly, or feveral together. Hence we fhali
eet four fuodiviltons’: |

t. Flowers fingle - - 14 genera.
2. Flowers two together HE pion étia,
3. Flowers many together. - 7 genera.

Thele are mofily panicled: in all, the
flowers are irregularly difpofed, or qan-
dering, as Linnæus calls them.

4. Flowers in a fpike, with a fubulate re-
ceptacle - - - 6 genera,

Including wheat, rye, and barley.
Oat is in the third divifion.

Your pot of Canary-feed, if you do not
pull up all the plants to verify what I told
you before, will ferve for an inflance of the
nrft divifion. When it arrives at a ftate of
perfedion, you will obferve that the two
leaves of the calyx are flatted, boat-fhaped,
have a keel running along them, and are
equal in length; the corolla _is lefs than the

calyx,

GRASSES,

calyx, and fhut up within it. This is the
character of the genus. It is {pecifically
diftinguifhed by the form of the panicle re-
fembling a {pike and being ovate, the
chafis being turpid and hairy, ji the keel
fmooth. It is an annual crafs, is found
wild in the Canary Iflands, whence. its
name of Phalaris canarienfis, and is culti-
vated in Europe for the food of Canary and
other {mall birds.

Whilft your Canary-grafs is growing,
-you muft go out in fearch of other inftances
of this firft divifion ; for I muft abfolutely
infift that you caniack: the neighbouring
meadows and paftures before the furious
_fcythe has levelled all their honours.

133

Meadows of a good quality abound in Alopecu-

Fox-tail grafs °, which is indeed one of the >

earlieft, as well as the moft excellent, for

hay and feeding cattle. This genus is an

exception to one of the general characters ;
for, though the calyx has two valves or
leaves, the corolla has but one. You will
readily difcover the {pecies by the cylindric
fhape and hoary appearance of the panicle,
which, from its form, you will take fora
{pike, the erectnefs of the ftalk, and the co-
rollas not being bearded.

Caé’s-tail grafs * is another of thefe; the Phleum.

{pike has not the fmooth hoary appearance
of the laft, but feems rough, and is known

"GG Alopecurus pratenfis Linnæi. Stillingfl. t. 9. Cur-
tis, Lond. 56. 8&obf.t. 2. F1. Ruft.t. 6.
#Phleum pratenfe, Lin. Schrebèr t. 14. Fl. Ruft. t. 5.

3 at

34

L'EPTITER X11.

at firft fight by the truncated and forked
termination of the calyxes, which are alfo
linesr, and fit clofe to the ftem, The co-
rolla is fhut up within the calyx. The
fhape of the {pike is cylindric, the keel of
the chaffs is ciliate 5, and the ftalk 1s erect.
The fpike of cat’s-tail grafs is fometimes

four inches long in moift meadows; in
drier, poorer foils it decreafes in length,
until it dwindles to half an inch; and even
lcfs in hard barren ground, fuch as way-
fides and heaths. In thèfe laft it cannot
raife itfelf upright ; and the roots, not being
able to fpread themfelves freely, grow
knotty and bulbous. I mention thefe cir-
cumitances, that you may be aware of the
changes wrought in plants by foil and fitua-
tion, and not fuppofe that a new fpecies
prefents itfelf every time you meet with
thefe and other flight variations. If you
tranfplant from the heath into your garden
a dwarf, crooked, knobby-rooted plant,
I dare engage that the ftem will become
erect, that the fpike will lengthen, and
the bulbous root change to a fibrous one.
It is not, however, always eafy to fay what
is a foecies, and what a variety only. A
great deal of obfervation and experience is
neceflary in many cafes to determine this
with precifion. Moft varieties indeed are
produced by culture, or a change from their

& Set with little hairs like eye-lafhes.
| native

aoe

GRASSES.

native foil and fituation ; and, when they
regain their natural ftate, will return to their
priftine form: if this were univerfally fo,
there would be no difficulty to afcertain the
fpecies from the variety. But it fometimes
happens that, when accident has produced a
variety, it continues permanent ; and, having
once tafted a polifhed fituation, refules to
return to a ftate of nature. Our teft therefore
is not a certain one,

The fecond divifion of the graffes having
only two genera, the diftinétion is eafy: they
are known from the reft by having two
flowers growing together; and from each
other by the rudiment of a third flower be-
tween the two others, in the Melica, of which
there is no fign in the ra.

Of the third divifion you will find abun-
dance of graffes fufficientiy common: Briza

or ladies’ hair, Poa or meadow-grafs, Fefluca

or fefcue, Brome grafs, oats with all the oat-
grafles, and the reeds. ‘The genera are thus
diftinguithed :

Corolla cordate: valves turgid, - Briza.
Corolla ovate: valves rather fharp, Poa.
Corolla oblong: valves pointed, Fefluca.
— : valves bearded be-
low the point, - Bromus.
: beard writhed or
bent, = =~ Avena.
Corolla woolly at the bafe: awn-
Jefs, - -° = * Arundo,
K 4 The

130

Briza,

Poa.

LETTER, XIII.

The Brizas, of which there are five forts,
are very pretty grafles; infomuch that one
of them is cultivated in gardens for its beauty
and fingular appearance. ‘They flower early
in the month of May, grow in a loofe pa-
nicle, the foot-ftalk of which are fo flender
as to be moved by every wind ; whence they
have obtained the name of Quaking-graffes.
By thefe circumitances, and their general air
different from their other neighbours, you
cannot fail ef knowing them. The three -
forts which you are likely to meet with are
thus diftinguifhed :

1. Spicules ? triangular: calyx longer than
the flower. Luttle Briza. Mor. 8.
6. 47.

as Spidules ovate: calyx fhorter than .the
flower. Middle Briza. Mor. 45. Ger,
86. 2. Fl. ruft. ti 39. |

3. Spicules cordate: 17 flowers. Great

: Briza. Jacq. Obl. 3. 60.

‘The fecond is the fort which is common
in meadows, and the third is that which is.
cultivated in gardens: in this the flowers
grow in a raceme rather than a panicle.

The Meadow-graffes are numerous, there
being no lefs than 33 forts regiftered by
Linnzus, and. feveral ef them are thrown
abundantly from the lap of nature; for

?

h Thefe are the little affemblages of flowers, or ul-
timate fubdivifions of the panicle or whole.

perhaps

GRASSES,

perhaps they are the beft of all the grafles
for paftures, the quantity of their produce
being very great, their quality excellent
both for green and dry food, and their ver-
dure moft frefh and pleafant. But we are
not hufbandmen, dear coufin ; Botany is our
pur{üit.

There are four forts of Poa very common
in moft meadows, which I fhall diftinguith
by the names of 1. Great, 2. ‘Trivial,
3. Narrow leaved, and 4. Annual. They
all flower in a loofe branching panicle.
The ftalks of the firft fort are generally erect,
and throw out runners: the leaves are
rather blunt at the end, and the membrane
at the bottom is fhort and blunt: the fpi-
cules are ovate, and on fhort foot-ftalks ;
the flowers growing clofe together, moft
commonly five in number. Every part of
this grafs is fmooth. ‘The fecond fort is dif-
tinguifhed by the leaves being fharper at the
end, and having the membrane at bottom
long and pointed: the fpicules confift of
two or three flowers, very {feldom four.
The whole of this fpecies is rough. The
third has the ftems more ere& : the leaves
fharp-pointed and roughifh, but fmooth
where they fheathe the flalk: the panicle
is more erect than the others; the {picules

1. Curtis, Lond. II. 5. obferv. t. 3.

2. Curtis, Lond. Il. 6. obferv. t. 4.

3. Morifon’s hift. f. 8. t. 5. f. 19.

4. Curtis, Lond, I. 6. Stillingfl. t. 7. FL Ruft. t. 98.

on

137

Fcftuca-

LETTER XIII

on longer foot-ftalks, with from one to fix
flowers, which are hairy at the bafe. Thefe
three are perennial. ‘The fourth is annual,
and fmaller than the others; extremely uni-
verfal, and in flower the greateft part of the
year; it has a very loofe {preading panicle
growing all on one fide’, the lower branches
of it often coming out in pairs: the fpicules
producing three or four flowers: the ftalk i is
oblique and compretled.

I muft give you one caution in examin-
ing thefe and the reft of the panicled grafies,
which is this—that you fhould take them at
the time when they are arrived at full ma-
turity ; that is, when the panicle) is com-
pletely expanded, and the flowers fhow their
ftamens: for, at different periods: of their
exiltence, thefe grafles put on: {uch various
appearances, that they have deceived many
eminent Botanifts into forming feveral fpe-
cies out of one. ‘To have the hiftory of a
plant complete, we ought to examine it every
day during the whole time of its growth.
What a work would fuch a hiftory of ten
thoufand plants form ! But the book of na-
ture is inexhauftible.

The genus Fefuca or Fefcue grafs, though
lefs numerous than the laft, yet contains
19 fpecies. Sheep's fefcue* is a well known
grafs, always to be found in dry paftures,

i This is what Linneus calls Panicula fecunda.
& Feftuca ovina. Stillingfl. t. 8,

and

GRASSES.

_ and fheep-commons. It has a clofe con-
trated panicle, growing on one fide; the
fpicules having from three to fix flowers ;
the valves of the flowers are very fharp-
pointed, but feldom properly awned ; the
culm is rather fquare than round, almoft
naked, and the leaves are fetaceous!.
Another fefcue ", extremely different
from the former, grows in watery places,
ponds, and ditches. It has a loofe panicle
of a confiderable length, but little branch-
ing, growing on one fide; the branches of
the panicle are fometimes fingle and fome-
times double; the {picules are round, li-
near, and awnlefs, almoft an inch long, and
prefled clofe to the ftalk; varying in the
number of flowers from 9 to 12. The
leaves are not round like thofe of the laft,
but flat; and the culm is very long, pro-
cumbent, branching, and flatted. The feeds
of this being large and fweetifh are gathered
for the table in Poland and fome other coun-
tries, and appear there under the name of
Mania:
+ Meadow Fefcue, one of the beft graffes
for cultivation, has a culm two feet high,
leaves rough to the touch, large loofe pa-
nicles, the fpicules acuminate, fmooth, va-
rying in the number of flowers from fix to
eight. It is found in a variety of {oils,

1 Very narrow, like thofe of rufhes.
M Fefluca fluitans ; flote Fefcue. Curtis, Lond. I. 7.

from

£40

Bromus.

LEFTER XIII.

from the fand-pit to the ofier-holt °.. Tail
Fefcue °, which much refembles it, is twice
the height, the leaves are twice as broad,
the panicle is longer, contains double the,
number of flowers, branches twice, droops
greatly at firft, the flowers grow much more
loofely, and the /picules, are fomewhat flat,
linear, and blunt. |

The Bromes are very nearly allied. to the
Fefcues. ‘They are difti;guithed, however,
by being all bearded, and the beard or awn
fpringing from the back, or below the tip of
the chaff: whereas the Fe/cues are often
beardlefs; and when the flowers have a
beard, it is an elongation of the chaff itfelf.

No grafs is more common in many paf-
tures than F%eld-Brome grafs. \t has a loofe
unbranched panicle: the fpicules are ovate,
the flowers are obtufe, and the beards are
ftraight, Itis an annual plant, and varies
fo much as to have obtained the name of
polymorphus or many-formed. The two
principal varieties P are, 1. That which has
a foft down all over the panicles, leaves and
ftalks,- with larger, heavier fpicules :—2.
That which is {mooth all over, with the
{picules thinner, and not hanging down fo

n Feftuca pratenfis. Curt. obf. t. 5. Fl. Ruff. t. 84.

o Feftuca elatior.

P Bromus mollis & fecalinus Linnæi. Mr. Hudfon,
after Sccpoli, has very judicioufly made them one,
under the title po/ymorphus. Curtis, Lond. I. 8. figures
the mol/is—Morifon figures this int, 7. f. 18 ; and
fecalinus in {. 16.

much,

GRASSES. 141

much, but often rather erect. Between
thefe are two other varieties: 1. With the
leaves downy, and the panicle almoft fmooth:
2. With the lower leaves only a little downy,
and the panicle quite fmooth. Other con-
necting links may eafily be remarked by
thofe wht are induftrious in hunting after
Varieties.

There are three very large fpecies of this
genus, to be met with in woods and hedges,
but feldom in pafiures 4 They have great,
branching, nodding panicles. Barren Brome
is not very tall ; bit the Giane aid Wood
Bromes are three feet in height. Their fize,
added to the character and air of the genus,
mark them out fo well, that you will not
ealily miftake when you fee them.

You will get an idea of the Oat graffes Avena
from the corn of that name, which, having
the parts of frudtification larger than in the
grafles, gives you an sréntage in the exa-
mination. Bearded Oat grafs, vulgarly
called Wild Oats, is alfo well known asa
dreadful weed among corn. Yellow Oat
gras is common in meadows and paftures :
itis a neat pretty grafs, and will difcover
itfelf to you by the “firienefs and yellownefs
of its panicle.

The characters of the above-mentioned
fpecies are thefe :
1, Two flowers in one calyx: the feeds

4 Bromus fterilis, Curtis I. 9. giganteus Curt. 5. 7.
& nemoralis,
fmooth,

Arundo.

LEAVCE R XHII.

fmooth, and one of them bearded.
Cultivated Oats.

2. Three flowers in one calyx: hairy at the
bafe, and all of them bearded. Wild
Oats. |

3. Panicle loofe: three flowers in a fhort
calyx, and all of them bearded. Ye/-
low Oat grafs.*

The woollynels of the flowers in the
Reed will thow you this genus as foon as it
unfolds its panicle. It is a grafs, though
vulgarly not regarded as fuch, becaufe it is
not ufed for the fame purpofes with the
grafies, ‘That, however, makes no difference
to us, whofe province it is not to regard the
ufes to which plants arè put, but their flruc-
ture. If hufbandmen will not admit. reed
to be a grafs, they take in other plants to
their idea of grafs which we exclude, fuch

as clover, lucerne, faintfoin, &c. The -

reafon is, that they confider grafs as an herb

adapted to teed cattle: whereas naturalifis _

define it to be an herb which has generally
three flamens and two piftils, always an un-
branched, knotted, hollow ftem, and fimple
linear leaves.

Though you are perfeQly acquainted
with the reed, it is perhaps rather by fee-
ing it nodding its Bree panicles in the wa-

“ter ta diftance, or elle by the ule which

r Avena fativa, fatua & flavefcens Linnæï. Fl. Ruft.
t. 79, 81. and Curtis, Lond. HI. 5.
s Arundo phragmitis Linnæi. Morif. 8, 8. 1.

your

CRASSES.

your gardener makes of the long light ftems
for hedges to guard his tender plants, than
by its fru@ification. You will not therefore
be difpleafed to be told that it is diftinguifhed
from the other fpecies, which are fix, by
the loofenefs of its panicle, and by having
five lowers growing together.

You are now arrived at the laft divifion
of corn and gralles, containing thofe whofe
fructification is always in a {pike properly fo
called. Of thefe,

Secale or Rie, has two flowers included in
the fame calyx.

Triticum or Wheat, has feveral flowers in
one calyx,

Herdeum ox Barley, has a fix-leaved invo-
Jucre, containing three flowers; and
the flowers fimple.

Lolium or Darnel, has a one-leaved invo-
lucre, containing one flower only ; but
that flower compound,

Cynofurus or Dog’s-tail grafr, has a one-
leafed lateral involucre, and a com-
pound flower.

In Rie the exterior valve or chaff of-the
corolla ends in a long beard or awn. The
flowers are feffile ; and there is frequently a
third between thefe which is lefs and pe-
dunculate: the filaments hang out of the
flower. Our cultivated fpecies' is known
by the rough hairs upon the chaff,

t Secale cereale Linnai,

In

143

Secale,

LE TER XIII

= In Barley alfo the exterior valve of the
corolla ends in a long: awn. ‘The flowers
are feflile. The filaments, being fhorter than
the corolla, do not hang out; and therefore
Barley is not liable to be damaged by rain
as rie and wheat.

There are four forts of Barley.

1. The common, diftinguithed by its two
rows of erect beards; all the flowers being
a de and bearded.

oie long-eared, having the grains re-
vibes ranged in a long double row, lying
clofe over each other ; and flowers on the
fides, without piftils or beards.—Thefe two
fpécies have the chaff very thin.

3. Sprat Barley, with fhorter, broader
a longer beards, the grains placed clofer,
and the ftraw fhorter and coarfer. ‘This

alfo has imperfe& flowers on the fides of

the ear.

4. Winter or Square Barley, very diftin&
by having fix rows of grains equally ranged,
ail furnifhed with awns, and perfet. The
grain of this is large.

Befides thefe fpecies of corn, the genus
contains feveral grafles. Wail Barley gra/s *
is very common by way fides, and under

Ll

- Hordeum vulgare.

Hordeum zeocriton.'

Hordeum diftichon:

Hordeum hexaftichon ; called alfo bear and big.

wip

u Hordeum murinum -Linnei. Curt. Lond. 5.9.
Fl. Dan. t..629. ‘Mor. hift, t. 6, f 4s Fh Ruft.
t. 43.

3 walls :

pee Si, A yet

CORN.

walls: and Meadow Barley grafs *, which
is very like it, only that it has a longer {talk
and a fhorter fpike, is found in moift mea-
dows. The common name cf this laft is
rie-cra/s; and indeed it refembles rie more
than barley. I have feen it cultivated alone ;
but the fort which is generally fown, and
vulgarly called rie-grafs, is in reality Ray-
grafs, which will be announced to you pre-
fently. Thefetwo forts, though apparently
fo alike, and thought to be but varieties by
many, are however very diftinguifhable: the
wall barley-grafs having the imperfect la-
teral flowers bearded, and the intermediate
involucres ciliate; whereas the meadow
barley-grafs has the fame flowers beardlefs,
and the involucres very narrow, like briftles,
and rough.

145

In Wheat the exterior valve of the co- Triticum.

rolla is fometimes bearded, but not always.
There are generally three or four flowers in
the fame calyx, and the middle one is fre-
quently imperfe&. The filaments hang out,
but not fo much asin rie.

1. Common Wheat has four flowers in one
calyx; the chaffs are {mooth, turgid, imbri-
cate; fometimes it has fhort beards, but
more often none: hence and from the co-
lour, &c. are feveral varieties which huf-
bandmen notice, and we have nothing to do
with.

* Hordeum pratenfe. Fl. dan. t. 630. Mor. hift.
bis 6: ah
1. ‘Triticum hybernum.

L 2, Summer

146

LETTER XIII.

2. Summer or Spring Wheat has alfo four
flowers together, and agrees with the for-
mer in the other characters, .except that it is
always bearded.

3. Gray Wheat has villous, turgid, im-
bricate obtufe chaffs, containing four flow-
ers. The ears are large, heavy, and nod-
ding ; the beards are very long, and drop
off when the grain is full grown: the chaff
being villous all over ‘eye the ear a gray
appearance,

4. Cone Wheat has villous, turgid, im~
bricate chaffs, and the ear of a pyramidal
form ending in a flender point: the beards
are long and rough.

5. Polonian Wheat has two flowers only
in each calyx, naked, and having very long
awns; with the teeth of the rachis or re-
ceptacle of the fpike bearded. ‘The ears are
long and heavy.

6. Spelt has four flowers, but two only
produce any grain ; the outer ones are abor=
tive, as the lower ones are in every ear: the
outer chaff of the perfe& flowers has a beard
about an inchlong. The flowers are more
conical, and the grain is lefsthan in wheat;
the chaff alfo is adherent.

2. Triticum æftivum.
3. Triticum turgidum: called alfo Gray Pollardy

‘Dichbill, and Fuller s W heat.

4: Not noticed by Linnæus.

5- Triticum Polonicum.

6. Triticum Spelta. Ido not know that this fort is
ever cultivated in England.

' Few

CORN.

Few plants are more uñiverfal than one
grafs of this genus: it is known by the
hame of Dogs-gra/s, and generally execrated
by hufbandmen under the name of Couch,
or Quich, which is but a corruption of
Quick, the ancient term for /iving. It well
deferves this appellation, for it runs prodi-
gioufly at the root, and, like Hercules’s
hydra, the more you hack and cut it, the
fafter it propagates itfelf. It is diflinguifhed
from the feveral fpecies of corn by the fmall-
nefs of the ear and the grain, and alfo in
the being perennial ; whereas all forts of
corn are annual: from the other grafles of
the fame genus, by having many flowers,
about five generally to one calyx, and thofe
hot bearded, but very fharp-pointed at the
end”. ‘There is another fpecies, which has
about four flowers in a calyx and is beard-
éd * This grows in woods and hedges.

Before I quit this genus I muft obferve,
as a fingularity, that it is not known, with
any degree of certainty, to what country
we are originally indebted for the feveral
fpecies of corn, or whether they now grow
wild in any. One fays that wheat came
- firft from Africa; others, with more pro-
bability, that it travelled into Europe from

~ Triticum repens Linnai, Schreb. t. 26. F1. dan.
748. Mor. hift.t.1. f. 8. The number of flowers
varies from 3 to 8. Hudjon.

« Triticum ¢aninum Linnei. Mor. hift. t, 1. f. 2.

Ey 2 the

147

Lolium.

LE TYTAE-R- XIII.

the Eaft. Linnæus affirms that rie grows
naturally in Crete’; and {pring wheat,
with fprat barley (Hordeum diflichon), in
Tartary : but upon what authority I know
not. A late traveller alfo found barley and
oats in Sicily, growing like weeds among
the bufhes; but he does mot pretend to de- |
termine whether they grew there originally
wild, or whether they were ftragglers
from the fields where they had been culti-
vated *.

Lolium or Darnel-grafs is an exception to
the general charaëter ; for it has only one
chaff or leaf to the calyx. The reafon of
this is, that the fpicules are fefhle, and in
the fame plane with the culm, which by
this pofition is enabled to perform the office
of the deficient leaf of the calyx in proteët-
ing the feed. This fingle chaff contains fe-
veral flowers. Of the two common fpecies

ÿ Itis faid alfo to be wild in Siberia.

z Voyage en Sicile, &c. Laufanne, 1773. Diodorus
Siculus, from the report of others, and Pliny, affert
that grain grew in the Leontine fields, and other parts
of Sicily, fpontaneoufly ; ; but this was only during the
an of Ceres. Ariftotle alfo fays (de Mirabil. Auf-
cult.), that there is a wild wheat in the neighbourhood
of Mount Ætna. The paffage in Homer’s Odyffey is
well known :

“© The foil untill’d a ready harveft yields,
€ With Wheat and Barley wave the golden fields. ””

Wheat, barley, vetches, fefame, &c. are faid by
Berofus to be wild in Babylonia, between the Tigris
and Euphrates.

e

I in

GRASSES. 149

in this genus one is perennial*, the other
annual’, The firft is found naturally in
meadows, paftures, and by way-fides. The
diftin@tive marks of the fpecies are, that
the fpicules in the firft are longer than the
calyx, and the flowers beardlefs : whereas
in the fecond, which is a weed among the
corn, the fpicules are only of equal length
with the calyx, and the flowers have fhort
beards. Sometimes, however, it happens that
the flowers of the perennial fort have little
beards, and thofe of the annual none: but
you may always know them, not only from
their duration and place of growth, but be-
caufe the fecond is larger in every refpect ;
the ftalk higher, the {pike longer ; the fpi-
cules alfo are much more remote, fo that
they do not touch each other, as they do in
the firft.

Cynofurus, or Dig's-tail grafs, was the Crnofu-
laft-mentioned of this divifion. The cha-
racter of the genus is taken from a lateral
leaf to each calyx, which Linnæus calls the
receptacle, involucre or bracte: this gives

2 Lolium perenne Linnai. Schreb. t. 37. FI.
dan, 747. Mor. hift, t.2.f.2. Pl.g.f. 1. and Flora
ruftica, t. 4. This is the fort which has been long cul-
tivated in FE ngland under the naine of Rie-grafs, winch
ig a corruption of Ray-gra/s; and that is derived from
the French Yur ay, a name given to the fecond fort, from
its quality of affeéling the nerves, fomething like drunk-
ennefs: which makes it to be reputed a dangerous weed
among wheat.

bi Lolium temulentum Linnai. Schreb. t. 36. F1
dan. 160. Fl. ruft.t. 33 :

L 3 the

150

Aothox-
anthum.

LETTER XIII.

the fpike an air by which the genus is
eafily known from all others. There is an
elegant fpecies °, very general in parks and
on commons, and found allo in other paf-
tures, which has thefe bractes pinnatifid,
or toothed like a comb : the corolla does
not opea,_but clofely invefts the feed, which
therefore does not ce the fpicules have
from three to five flowers, are all turned
the fame way, and do not fit. clofe to the
receptacle or common ftalk of the {pike ;
one peduncle fupports fometimes two or
three of thefe fpicules, The ftalk is very
ere and flim, and the leaves are narrow
and fmooth,

There remain ftill fome graffes which
militate againft the artificial fyftem, and are
therefore not to be found in the third clafs of
Linnzus’s. But as we are not bound to fol-
low him fervilely, we will rather follow na-
ture, a better guide. |

Earlier than moft of the reft flowers 4
grafs, called from thence Vernal Grafs °.
Linnzus has named it Anthoxanthum, Fin
the yellownefs of its fpike, This will ferve
at prefent to introduce it to your acquaint-
ance, until you have an opportunity next
fpring to examine the flowers more mi-
nutely. It has obtained the epithet of

* Cynofurus criftatus Lin. Crefted Dog’s-tail.
Schreb. t. 8. f. 7. Stillingfleet, t. 11. Curtis obf. t. 6.

4 Curtis, Lond. I. 4. and obferv. t. 1. Stillingfleet,
tie FL ruft. t. 23.

7 odoralum

GRASSES.

odoratum from the fweet odour which it
communicates to hay. This genus ftands
alone in the fecond order of the fecond
clafs. Each calyx fuftains but one flower ;
each valve of the corolla has an awn, one
bent, and proceeding from the bafe, the
other almoft from the top: the two fila-
ments are very long; and the two ftyles are
filiform : the chaff of the corolla adheres to
the feed. There are three fpecies of the
genus: ours is diftinguifhed by the {pike
being of an oblong form, and the flowers
growing on fhort peduncles, and being
longer than the beards.

There is alfo one fpecies of grafs, called
Cinna, in the fecond order of the firft clafs.

151

But in the firft order of the twenty- Holcus,

third clafs © are feveral genera; of which
the Holcus or Soft grafs is moft likely to
come under your obfervation. This, and
all the others, have fmaller imperfe& flow-
ers among the perfect ones; a circumftance
which conftitutes them of that clafs. They
have all bivalvular chaffs for calyx and co-
rolla; three ftamens, two piftils, and one
feed, together with the whole port or air
of the plants we have been juft confidering ;
circumftances which plainly denominate

them grafles. Holcus Gilfers from its neigh-.

bours, in having two flowers inclofed in
one calyx, which is beardlefs ; whereas the

€ Polygamia Monœcia,
outer

LETPER XFIL

outer valve of the corolla generally has a
beard. ‘The imperfect flowers have nei-
ther corolla, piltil, nor feed, but only
three ftamens within the bivalvular chaff
of the calyx. The two common wild fpe-
cies are thus diftinguifhed: Meadow Soft
grafs * has villous cha fi the perfect flow-
ers are beardlefs ; the imperfect have a bent
awn. Creeping Soft grafs § has {moothith
Ha the perfect flowers are beardiefs,
but the imperfect have a jointed awn. They
are very much alike; but the calyx is more
acute in this than in the former, or indeed
than in any of the fpecies. The firft grows
in paftures; the fecond in corn-fields and
hedges.

Since it is not uncommon to find incom-
plete or imperfe@ flowers among thofe
which are perfect, in many of the grafles
which are ranged by Linnzus in his third
clafs, you will perhaps afk me why he has
not either put them alfo in the twenty-
third, or elfe ranged them all together in
the third. To this queftion [ cannot re-
turn you a better aniwer, than that the
imperfect flowers feem not fo confiant and
regular in the one as in the other; or per-
haps are to be met with only in one fpecies
of the genus.

f Holcus lanatus Lin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 11. Schre.
ber: 20. E17. |
8 Holcus mollis Zin, Curtis, Lond, V. 8. Schreber,

t. 20.1.2,
We

mRASSES,

We have now run throngh the graffes:
there are many other plants very nearly al-
lied to them; as Schenus or Bog fic at Cy-
perus, Scirpus, Club rufb or Bulrufh ™, all
three very numerous genera, Eriophorum
or Cotton grafs', &c. in the firft order of
the third ciafs. ‘CaRs-iail k_ Bur-reed', and
all the Carices or Secges™, in the third order
of the twenty-firft. Thefe have the man-
ner of growth, the leaves, the appearance
of grafs; they have alfo three ftamens : but
the ftalk is filled with a fpongy fubftance,
and the flower is deftitute of petals. Finally,
the rw/bes and fome few others, in the firft
order of the fixth clafs, have a fix-leaved
calyx, a hexapetalous corolla, or none, fix
ftamens, and the feeds in a triangular cap-
fule.

I have not told you all this while that
Sugar is a grafs of the firft divifion, which
perhaps you did not expe. But if you
are not. tired, dear coufin, ] am; {fo adicu
for the prefent,

h Curt. Lond. IV. 4. S. maritimus.

i Curt. Lond. IV. 9, 10,

k Curt. Lond. III. 61, 62.

1 Curt. Lond. V. 66, 67.

m Some of the fpecies are figuredin Curtis, Lond. III.

63. & IV. 60, 61, 62.—and in the fecond volume of the
Linnean yeni Ginn, where there is an elaborate
treatife on this difficult genus by the learned Dr.
Goodenough.

a Saccharum officinarum Lin. Sloan. Jam. t. 66.
Rumph. Amb. 5. t. 44.

LET-

55

354

LETTERS AIG

OF OTHER PLANTS IN THE CLASS
TRIANDRIA.

July the 1ft, 1774.

OU are not to fuppole that, becaufe

the laft letter was engrofled wholly by

grafles, the third clafs, therefore, of the fyf-

tem contains no other plants. In truth there

are no fewer than feventy-fix genera, and fix

hundred and eighteen fpecies, in the three

orders of this clafs takentogether. You fee

however, that, though the grafles do not oc-

cupy the whole, they make a very large
proportion of it.

There are fome very beautiful genera in
the firft order of this clafs, particularly the
{xia and Iris, or Fleur-de-lys.° Thefe with
Crocus, Gladiolus, Antholyza, and a few
others not eafily met with, agree in having
a fpathe or fheath inftead of a calyx; a
corolla of fix petals, or at leaft cut into fix
parts ; generally three ftigmas, or one that
is trind; and a triangular, trivalvular, tri-
locular capfule to inclofe the feeds: they
have alfo long narrow leaves, fomething
refembling thofe of grafs. Linnæus calls

* Corrupted into Flewer-de-luce,
them

TRIANDRI A.
them Enjfiform, or fword-fhaped ». Thefe

plants are very nearly allied to the liliaceous
tribe *, and are indeed enrolled in it by the
generality of authors who have aimed at
framing a natural arrangement.

Take any fpecies of Jris, either cM Iris.

blue * or white * forts, which you have fo
abundantly in the borders of -your fhrub-
beries and plantations ; or elle the yelloqw'*
one, common in wet places, and ufually
called fag. In the firft place you will ob-
ferve, that, whether the flowers are open
or clofed, park has its own fheath, fepa-
rating it Lo the others. The Lost at
firft feems to confift of fix petals,. but you
will quickly fee that the parts are all united
at the bafe: the three outermoft of thefe
parts or petals are bent downwards, and
thence are called falls; the three inner ones
ftand erect, and have the name of /ffand-
ards. In the centre of them are three other
petals, as they feem to be; but in reality
they are the ftigma thus divided into three
parts ; and under each divifion you will de-
tet a fingle ftamen lurking, with the fila-
ment bent along with the {tigma, and ter-
minated by a large oblong, flatted anther :

P Hence in his Natural Orders he has kept thefe
together, with the addition of fome others, under the
title of Enfatc.

q See Letter I.

t Iris germanica Linnai. Blackw. t. 60.

* Tris florentina Linnazi. Mill. fig. t. 154.

E Tris Pfeudacorus Linnei. Curtis, Lond, II. ne

tor

155

150

LET-2 EER XIV.

for the germ, you muft fearch below the
flower, and there you will find it a green
oblong body; which, when the flower is
faded arid fallen, becomes i moft fpecies a
three-cornered capfule, opening by three
valves, and having the feeds ranged in three
cells. We have not yet noticed a fet of
{mall bodies forming a villous line along the
middle of the reflex petals; but this you
perceive is not common to all the {pecies ;
your blue and white iris having it, but not
your yellow flag: it cannot, therefore, be a
mark of the genus. However, it may ferve
the purpofe of fubdividing it, or furnifhing
a fpecific charaëter. When you have finith-
ed with the fru@tification, you will remark
that the leaves are very narrow in propor-
tion to their length, and that they are not
unaptly termed enfiform from the fimilitude
of their fhape to that of abroad-fword. If
you can have the heart to pull one of thefe
fine plants out of the ground, you will fee
that the roots are not fibrous, but oblong
and flefhy : I guefs, however, that you will
take my word till the autumn, when the
gardener will be removing fome of them, or
at leaft expofing their roots, when he digs
his borders.

You may diftinguith the d/ue or German,
the qwhze or Florentine, and the yellow or
mara Iris, {pecifically thus : The two firft

have the corollas bearded; the firft and

third have feveral fowers upon the ftem ;
the

TRIANDRIA,

the fecond has only one or two flowers, and
the peduncles are not fo long as in the firlt;
the third has the corollas beardlefs, and the
interior petals lefs than the divifions of the
ftigma". But why all this parade, fay you,
when we know them by their hues—blue,
white, and yellow? Truft not too much to
colour, fair coufin. What if an Iris were
to prefent itfelf with blue flowers, and only
one or two on the ftem, or without beards ;
or with the flowering ftem fhorter than the
leaves—would fuch be of the fame fpecies,
merely becaufe the corolla is of a blue co-
lour ? No, furely: and we pay more refpect
to thefe circumftances than to colour, not
becaufe we efteem them more, but becaufe
they are more certain and permanent.

The Chalcedonian Iris” has ftems two feet
and an half high, fupporting one very large
flower ; the three ftandards are very broad
and thin, with black and white ftripes ; the
three falls are of a darker colour: this is one
of the bearded forts.

Among thefe handfome fpecious plants,
let us not forget the humble Perfian Iris “,
feldom rifing three inches from the ground,
but beautiful in its colours, fragrant in its
fcent, and flowering at atime when few

“ They are all three diftinguifhed from fome other
fpecies by the flowering ftalk {tanding up fuperior to the
tips of the leaves.

Y lrisfufiana Linnai. Curt. Magaz. gt.

W Iris Perfica Linner.

beauties

pat hang
15

158

LETTER XIV.

beauties dare truft themfelves to dubious
fkiés and inclement air *. One or two flow-
ers come out together: the ftandards are of
a pale fky blue; the falls ate of the fame co-
Jour on the outfide, but the lip has a yellow
ftreak running through the middle, and on
each fide are many dark {pots with one large
deep purple fpot at the bottom: they have
no beard. The leaves are hollowed like the
keel of a boat, and are about fix inches long.
You will be glad to entertain this pretty
dwarf, when there is little elfe to amufe you
in this way befides crocufes and fnowdrops.

I have fent you this little nofegay of hand-
fome flowers, to make you amends for all
the dry chaff and hay with which I fatigued
you in my lait.

x February. This is figured in Curtis’s Magazine,
h. 1. And feveral other forts are figured in that elegant
work :—as I. pumilla t. 9.—variegata 16.—verficolot
21.—fbirica 50.—fpuria 58.—ochroleuca 61.—fufanz
91.—By this affemblage we are much helped in diftin-
guifhing the fpecies.

LE T-

LETTER XV.
OF THE CLASS TETRANDRIA:

July the 8th, 1774.

ONSCIOUS, dear coufin, that the
LA nofegay of my laft was too fmall to
employ you long, I have hafted to fend you
the fourth clafs, which is rather more nu-
merous than the third in the genera, of
which it contains eighty-five; but far lefs
fo in the fpecies, there being no more of
thefe than three hundred and ninety.

You will have fome examples in this
clafs of aggregate flowers, the general na-
ture of which I explained to you before ’:
but you will be perfe& miftrefs of it, I am
perfuaded, when you have confidered the
firuéture of the Zea/e/ and Scabious. Thefe
and all others of this natural order have
monopetalous corollas, fucceeded by one
feed, to which they are fuperior. A num-
ber of thefe are included within one com-

mon calyx, as in the compound flowers,

from which they differ, in having the fta-
mens four in number, and totally difting,
with a calyx proper to each little fower.
They might, however, eafily be confounded

¥ In Letter VI.
with

159

160

Dipfacus.

lL, EsEoT BR Vs

with compound flowers, if the general form
and appearance only were attended to.

The two genera of Teafel and Scabious
agree in having the common calyx poly-
phyllous, or confifting of many leaves.
The firft has chaifs between the flowers on
the receptacle, or common bale of them all;
the form of which is conical. The fecond
has thefe chaffs in fome fpecies, but in others
the receptacle is naked; the form. of it is
convex: it is remarkable for a double calyx
to each little flower, befides that which is
common to the whole. . The leaves of the
calyx are very long in the teafel, and in fe-
veral.rows in the {cabious.

Such are their principal generic diftinc-

tions. Common teafel is feparated from

Scabiofa.

its congeners by its feflile leaves, which are
{errate or toothed about the edges. . The co-
nical head of the teafel is furnifhed with
tiff beards, which in the wild fort ? are
{traight, but in the cultivated hooked +
This difference did not feem to Linnzus
confiderable enough to make them {pecifi-
cally diftin@. Haller, Jacquin, and others,
are of a different opinion; and it is now
generally allowed that the cultivated teafel
is of a fpecies difting from the wild one.
Of fcabious there are no leis than thirty-

z Dipfacus fylveltris. Curtis, Lond. III. 9. Ger.
Troy. 2: .
¢ Dipfacus fullonum Linn. Ger. 1167. 1. Mor, 7.
Sie (4
four

TET RANDRI'A.

four fpecies. The genus divides conveni-
ently into fuch as have the corollas of the
little flowers divided into four, and fuch as
have them divided into five fegments : of
the firft there are fourteen, of the fecond
twenty fpecies. Of cur three wild forts
two are in the firft divifion, and one in the
daft. © The common field fcabious P is a
large, tall plant; the ftalk is hairy: the
lower leaves are fometimes almoft entire ;
fometimes they, as well as the Jeaves upon
the ftem, are pinnatifid. The outer flowers
are larger, and have the corolla deeper cut

than the middle ones, and the outer feg-
_ ments are allo largeit: they are of a pale
purple colour.

The other fpecies with quadrifid corollas
is called Devil's-bit ©, becaufe it has a fhort
tap root, which appears as if the end were
bitten off. The ftalks of this are not fo
high, nor are they branching as ia the firft :
they generally fend out two fhort pedun-
cles from the upper joint, oppofite to one
another, each terminated by one {mall blue
flower, as is the principal ftalk by one
larger; the little component flowers are not
irregular as in the former. The leaves are
fimple and entire (except fome on the mid-
dle of the ftem, which have a few teeth),
oblong and drawing to a point at each end,
This {pecies grows in paftures and woods,

k Scabiofa arvenfis Lin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 13.
- Scabiofa fuccifa Lin. Curtis, Lond. IIL 10.

M and

161

162

LIEGTi T E.R! XVi 4

and ‘flowers later than the firft, which is
common in corn-fields, and not uncommon
in paftures.

Small fcabious 4, befides having quin-
quetid corollas, is diftinguifhed from the
two others by having the leaves next the
ground ovate and notched about the edges,
whilit thofe upon the ftem are pinnate ;
towards the bottom the pinnas are broader,
but in the upper ones very narrow : there
are about eight pairs of thefe, and the ter-
minating leaflet is large. The aggregate
flower is produced fingle, on a long pedun-
cle, the outer little flowers larger, and very
irregular, as in the firft fpecies, of a pale
blue colour. It is common in paftures, ef-
pecially where'the foil is chalky.

Before you are got thus far, I am per-
fuaded your own mind has fuggefted to you
that a plant with dark purple flowers, and
a {trong fweet odour, which your gardener
fows every year in the borders, is of this
genus. The ‘name of Sweet Scabious has
not led you, who are not governed by mere
names, to fuppofe this, but the evident

fimilitude in the ftruéture. An accurate

examination of the flower will confirm
your fufpicion ; and you will find it to be
one of thofe which have quinquefid irre-
gular corollas: the receptacle of thefe is.
oblong; the common calyx confifts of

4 Scabiofa columbaria Liz, FL dan. t. 314. Pl. 11.
AT:

twelve

TETRANDRIA..

twelve linear folioles, of the length of the
aggregate flower, and bent back: the leaves
are finely cut . ‘The colour of the corolla
varies from black to pale purple, red, and
variegated, and fometimes the main flower
is furrounded by a fet of very {mall ones on
flender peduncles, asinthe Hen and Chicken
Daify ; but allthefe are confeffediy no other
than feminal varieties: though now fo com-
mon with us, this plant is originally from

the Indies.

This clafs comprifes another natural or-
der of plants, entitled Sze//ated, from the
manner in which the leaves grow upon the
ftem, feveral together in fets one above
another, radiating like the points of a flar,
as it is commonly reprefented. I muft ob-
ferve to you, that though, in this cafe and
in many. others, a clafs or order takes its
name from an obvious or ftriking circum-
{tance in its ftruêture, yet it does not fol-
low that all plants which have that firuc-
ture are to be looked for there, or that this
is the only or even principal reafon of their
being kept together. When a plant of this
or that general appearance prefents it-
felf, you may reafonably prefume that it
ranks in this or that order; but outward
appearances muit not carry you beyond
prefumption, and it is the ftructure of

€ Scabiofa atropurpurea Lin. Ger. 724. 16. Curt.

Mag. 247: |
M 2 the

16:

Galium.

LETTE rn’ AV,

the frutification that muft determine you
at laft £

In the Srel/afed plants the ftruéture ts
this: the calyx is extremely minute, di-
vided into four parts, and permanent: the
corolla is monopetalous, divided into four
fegments ; the ftamens are four in number;
the germ is dôuble, and below the flower ;
the flyle is bifid; the fruit is globofe,
and contains two feeds. ‘The ftalk is qua-
drangular. à

All the genera of this order refemble each

eae fo much, that fome authors have re-
duced them into one. Madder has a bell-
fhaped corolla, fucceeded by two berries
with one feed in each. Sherardra and Wood-
roof ® have funnel-fhaped corollas: the firft
has a little crown to the feeds, the fecond
has them globofe, without any crown. Ga-
lium has a falver-fhaped coroila, and two
roundifh feeds. This laft genus has twenty-
fix fpecies, twenty of which have the fruit
fmooth ; in the remaining fix it is rough.
The number of leaves in each ftar or whorl,
together with the fhape of them, gives the
principal fpecific diftinétions.

t See what was faid upon this fubje& with refpect
to the Elder in Letter V. I muft add that ufe and
practice are neceflary to give the proper tact in natural
objects as well as in the works of art: the fimilitudes
and analogies that ignorant perfons find being ufually
truly ridiculous.

& Afperula odorata. Curtis, Lond. IV. 15:

White

a

TETRANDRIA. 165

White Galium, or White Ladies Bedfraw",
has four leaves in a whorl towards the bot-
tom of the ftem, and fix narrower ones
higher up. Great Ladies Bedfiraw ‘ has
eight, a little notched about the edges, ovate
in form, and terminating in a point or liitle
hook. Jellow Ladies Bedfraw* has allo
eight leaves, but they are very narrow, and
furrowed; the flowering ftalks are very
fhort, andthe corollas are yellow. ‘The Grft
grows in moift meadows, and by river fides ;
the fecond in hedges, and on heaths among
the bufhes; the third is very common in
paftures, on balks, and by way fides.
‘lhefe three all have fmooth feeds. The
common Galium ', known by the name of
Goofe-grafs or Cleavers, every hody knows
to have rough feeds, by their {ticking to the
clothes as we pafs near the hedges. The
leaves alfo are rough, lance-fhaped, and eight
in number. The flowers of all the fpecies,
and indeed of the whole tribe, are very
{mall; but the plants are known at firft fight
by their air.

The Plantains are alfo of the firft order Plantage.
of this clafs Zetrandria : they are numerous,
for there are twenty-four fpecies of them.
As a great number of fmall fowers grow
together in a fpike or oblong head, you

h Galium paluftre Lin. F1. dan. 423.

* Galium Mollugo Lin. Fl. dan. t. 456.

‘ Galium verum Lin. Curtis, Lond. n. 63. Mill.
fig. t. 139.f. 2. Fl) Rutt. t. 54.

! Galium Aparine. Curtis, Lond. IT. g.

mutt

166

LETTER XV.

muft feparate one of them to examine the
parts of the frudification diftin@ly. You
will then find that each of thefe fmall flow-
ers has a quadrifid calyx and corolla, with
the border of the latter reflex: the filaments
are remarkably long: and the feed-veflel is a
bilocular capfule, opening horizontally, and
placed above the receptacle.

The Great ™ and Ribwort® Plantains are
doubtlefs well known to you ; ‘the firft fo
common by way fides, and the fecond in
pafture grounds, The Great Plantain is
diftinguifhed by its ovate, fmooth leaves,
and its round, naked flowering-ftalk ° ter-
minated by a long fpike of flowers lying
clofe over each other ?. Hoary Plantain 9
is nearly allied to this, but the leaves are
longer, and white with hairs; the fpike is
cylindric, but fhorter and thicker than in
the firft. Ribwort Plantain has the leaves
lance-fhaped ; a fhort, naked, ovate fpike ;
the fcape angular and twifted. This and
the other fpecies have the leaves marked
lengthwife, with very prominent ribs or
nerves,

By fubmitting to examine thefe plants,
which you were already acquainted with,
you will acquire a facility in difcovering

m Plantago major Lin. Curtis, Lond. II. rr,

n Plantago lanceolata Lin. Curtis, Lond. II. ro,
PI. 11. f. 3.° Fl. Ruftet. 67.

© This Linnzus calls /capus, from its refemblance ta

the fhaft of a column. P Imbricate.
4 Plantago media Lin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 14.
3 fuch

pe >

TE TRAN D- RIAs

fuch as are flrangers to you; for you have
too much fenfe to defpile them becaufe
they are common, or deftitute of beauty :
in confidence of this, I have been ftudious
to fele& rather fuch plants as you may rea-
dily meet with, and are proper for exami-
nation, than thofe that are moft rare and
valuable. If you were in the neighbour-
hood of a famous botanic garden, I might
be nicer in my choice, and at the fame time
prefent you with greater variety ; but per-

haps, after all, I might not be more ufeful,

or you more amufed: at leaft I thall hope
for the continuance of that indulgence a
little longer with which you have hitherto
honoured me :.

But to return to our bufnefs ; there is a
plant of this fourth clafs and firft order,
which I muft not omit prefenting to you,

167

were it but for the name’s fake. Ladies oe

Mantle has a calyx of one permanent leaf,
divided into eight fegments, four of ct
are larger, and four fmaller ; it has no co-
rolla ; and only one little feed to each flower.
There are three fpecies of Ladies Mantle.
1, The Common, 2. The Alpine, and

* Students in Botany who live in or near London, or
come occafionally to the great city, will be happy to
profit by Mr. Curtis’s excellent Garden at Brompton,
where a confiderable number of plants is arranged and
"AREÉ, fo that he that runs may read.

* WAlchemilla vulgaris Lin. Mor. hift. f. 2. t. 20.
f. 1. Mill. fig. pl. 18.
2. Alchemilla alpina Lin. FI, dan. t. 40.

M 4 3, The

168

LETTER XV.

3: The five-leaved. ‘The firft is known by
its fimple, lobate leaves, nicely ferrated
about the edge, and divided into from eight
to twelve greater parts; before the leaf ex-
pands, it is folded or plaited at each of thefe
divifions, and hence the name. The flowers

row in bunches, are inconfiderable in point .
8 ;

of fize, and alfo of colour; for, having no
corolla, they are only green, or what Bota-
nifts call herbaceous. It is an humble but
an elegant plant, and grows in ep eee
but not common.

Alpine Ladies Mantle is much more ele-

gant than this, with its fhining lilky leaves,
which are digitate, and indented at the end:
the folioles or component Jeaves vary in
number from five to nine. The third fpe-
cies is very uncommon: it is a {mall plant,
quite fmooth, with digitate leaves, but each
of its five folioles divided half way into fe-
veral fmaller ones.

The fecond order of this cafe has a fin-
gular plant, Cuftuta or Dodder. It is with-
out leaves, has a ftalk flender ‘as a thread,
which would trail along the ground did it
not lay hold on fome plant fironger than
itfelf for fupport ; not content with fup-
port, where it lays hold, there it draws its
nourifhment ; and, at length, in gratitude
for all this, ftrangles its entertainer! 1 ima-
gine this account will not befpeak your

3. Alchemilla pentaphyllea Lin.
affection

TETRANDRIA.

affection for Dodder*. If you will be at the
pains of difembarraffing a poor fuffering
bean from its entangling ftalks, you will
fee that the flowers come out in feflile
knots ; that each of thefe has a calyx di-
vided half way into four or five parts; that
the corolla is of one petal divided into four
or five fegments at the edge; and that the
feed-veflel is a bilocular capfule. This pa-
ralite, as Linnzus jufily calls fuch plants,
faftens itfelf about beans, nettles, clover,
fax, heath, &c. and feeds upon them by
means of innumerable teats or glands which
it inferts into the pores of its fupporter’s
bark.

The Pondweeds, which are many and
fufficiently common, will ferve for an in-
ftance of the third order. If your own
fith-ponds are kept too clean to furnith thefe
plants, you may probably procure them
from fome of your neighbours: or, if they
were worth the carriage, I could fend you
abundance from our moat. You will know
them by the leaves lying flat upon the wa-
ter ; and by the ftem’s pufhing up a fpike
of inconfiderable flowers, that have no ca-
lyx, a corolla of four deciduous petals, four
germs terminated by obtufe itigmas, with.

* Cufcuta Europea Lin. Fl. dan. 199. The divi-
fions of the calyx, and corolla, and the ftamens, are
five in the Britifh fpecies ; ours therefore is C. Epi-
thymum, and, according to the ftriét laws of the artifi-
cial fyftem, fhould appear in the next clafs. It is

figured in Fl. dan. 42.
out

LEDTER) THEN;

out the interpofition of any ftyle, and be-
coming in time four roundifh feeds.

The broad-leaved' fpecies is one of the
moft common, andis known by its oblong
ovate leaves. Perfoliate pondweed” has
heart-fhaped leaves embracing the ftalk, and
grows In running waters. Curled pond-
weed” has lance-fhaped, waving leaves,
notched about the edges, and ftanding alter-
nate upon the ftem: this is found both in
running and ftagnant waters.

But of thefe enough—don’t hazard get-
ting wet or catching cold, in fearch of
them. If any of thele plants which I have
hitherto recommended to your notice elude
your fearch, or have pafled their fated time
of flowering before you find them, note
them down for next year: fo adieu, dear
coufin.

* Potamogeton natans Lin, Miller illuftr. Ger.
321. I.

u P. perfoliatum Lin. F1. dan. 196. Ger. 822. 3.

¥ P. crifpum Lin. Curtis, Lond. V. 15. Ger. 824. 2.

LET-

DR TER XVL

THE FIRST ORDER OF THE FIFTH CLASS,
PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

March the 25th, 1775-

Y indifpofition of lJaft autumn has
given you ample leifure, dear coufin,
to make yourfelf miftrefs of the general ar-
rangement of plants, and of the firft four
claffes in particular. Since it is your earneft
defire, I have refumed my former prate as
early as poflible, that nothing may efcape us
this feafon. We have now a large clafs to
encounter with, containing more than a
tenth part of the vegetable world; for it has
two hundred and fixty-one genera, and one
thoufand five hundred and five fpecies. It
includes, as you may fuppote, feveral natu-
ral orders; and fome fpecies are even now
ready for examination.

We will open the year, by your leave,
with the Primrofe, which has its name from
being one of the firft flowers that blow.
This, with fome others that refemble it,
forms a natural order, entitled for the fame
reafon Precie“, and agreeing in having a
monophyllous, quinquefid, permanent calyx;

w Præcoces, early.
a Monoe

Primula.

—

i. BEER. x Vis

a monopetalous, quinquefid corolla; and a
capfule for a feed-vefiel, fuperior or in-
clofed within the calyx. The characters
of the genus are, an involucre under the
flower, or knot of flowers; the ccrolla
funnel-fhaped or falver-fhaped, with the
tube cylindric, and open at the top; the
ftigma globofe : the capfule unilocular. The
fpecies * is dillinguifhed by its pentagonal
calyx, its cylindric oblong capfule, and the
wrinkled furface and indented edges of
its leaves. Thethree principal varieties, if
they are but varieties, are thus commodioufly
{eparated. The Primrofe¥ has one flower on
a naked ftem, and the corolla falver-fhaped.
‘Phe Ox-/ip * has feveral flowers onone naked
fiem, and the corolla falver-fhaped. The
Cow/lip * has many flowers on a naked ftem,
and the corolla funnel-fhaped. The yellow
of the two firft is very pale; the corolla of
the primrofe is much the largeft ; that of
the ox-lip a middle fize, between the two
others: the fimple unbranched flowering
fiem of the primrofe is weak, and rather a
peduncle than a ftalk; the fcape of the
ox-lip is fometimes near a foot high, and
ftrong ; that of the cowflip is generally
lower and weaker. I do not know whether

x Comprehending primrofe, ox-lip, cowflip, and
polyanthus. :
¥ Primula acaulis Zin. vulgaris Hudjon. F}. dan. 194.
* Primula vulgaris 8 Hud/. K1. dan. 434.
@Primula veris Lino & Hud). Fl. dan. 433.
I dare

te Dims à

PENT. MON. Précie.

I dare to tell you that all the beautiful
forts of P2/yantbus, by you prized fo much,
are but an accidental variety of this {pecies,
which is certainly much difpofed to vary
even in its wild ftate. Thus the primrofe
has fometimes two flowers together, or
changes to green, or to red, or doubles its
corolla; the ox-lip fometimes has very few
flowers, andthey are nearly as large as a
primrofe ; and the cowilip has frequently
red flowers, then much refembling a {mall
polyanthus.

See now by how many fteps you arrive
at a knowledge of thefe plants. You firft
determine their clafs and order, by feeing
that they have five fiamens and one piftil;
having ftill an*hundred and fifty-five genera
to encounter, you next fettle what fubdivi-
fion of the order they range under; and
finding that the corolla is monopetalous,
inferior, and fucceeded by a veflel inclofing
the feeds, you are reduc-d to feventy-three
genera. Next you difcover that they are of
the natural order of Preciæ, which leaves
you but ten genera to choofe out of. You
are now got within fo {mall a compafs that
it cannot be very difficult to afcertain the
genus, the fpecies which are ten in number,
and the fubordinate varicties. I do not
make all this parade, in order to enable you
to difcover a plant which you were perfe&ly
acquainted with beforehand, but to fhew

you

174

LETTER XVI:

you how you are to proceed with a plant
you do not know, from this inftance of one
which you do.

Or you may take it thus: You have a
plant in flower, which for the prefent we
will fuppofe you to be unacquainted with.
You firft examine the ftamens and piftils ;
and by the number of thefe you determine
your plant to belong to the fifth clafs
and the firft order. You next confult the
fubdivifions of that order, and find it be-
longing to that which has monopetalous
inferior corollas, with the feeds inclofed in a
veflel. Seeing farther that your plant has a
monophyllous calyx cut into five fegments,
that the corolla is alfo divided in the fame
manner; this, added to the foregoing circum-
ftances, fhows you that it ranges under the
natural order of Preciæ. Here remarking
an involucre under the flowers, the tube of
the corolla cylindric, and open at top, and
the capfule unilocular or one-celled, you
are aflured at length that your plant is of
the genus Primula. But finding that the
leaves, inftead of being wrinkled, are per-
fe&ly fmooth, flefhy, and either entire, or
fharply notched about the edges, you are
well affured that it is a diftinét fpecies ; and
upon inquiry difcover it to be the Auricu-
la, the elegant, the powdered auricula, fo
much efteemed by florifts, and fo various

b Primula Auricula Zin, Ger. 784. 5, 6.
mM

| PENT. MON. Precie. 175

in ‘the fize and colours of its corolla, when
in a ftate of cultivation.

All the other plants of this natural order Meadia.
are pretty, if not fpecious. Meadia, per-
verfely altered by Linnzus to Dodecatheon °,
is an American plant, but flowers well and
early in our climate. It has a rotate or
wheel-fhaped corolla with reflex petals: the
ftamens fit upon the tube; and the capfule

has one cell.only, and is eblong. ‘This is
fuficient for the complete detection of the
plant, fince there is only one known {pecies.
The leaves, however, are fmooth; the
flowering {tems are naked, eight or nine
inches high, and fuftain many flowers, each
of which has a long flender peduncle, which
is recurved fo that the flower hangs down ;
the corolla is of a beautiful light purple. If
you have not this plant already in your
garden, procure it againft next {pring; you
will be pleafed with the firucture and ap-
pearance of it.

Cyclamen refembles Meadia in its wheel- Cycla-
fhaped reflex corolla, but the tube is globu-™"
lar and remarkably fhort, with the neck
prominent; the ftizgma, which was obtufe
in that, is acute in this. The feed-vedilel is
roundifh and flefhy, inclofing feveral angu-
lar feeds; Linnzus calls it a berry covered:
with a capiular fhell. There are feveral
fpecies or varieties of cyclamen: for it is

doubtful whether they are pofitively dif-

€ Curtis’s Magaz. 12. Mil. fig. pl 174. PL 12. £. 2.
tind

176

Meny-

anthes.

PETE R XVI

tind or not. The moft common ¢ has
heart-fhaped angular leaves, marked with
black in the middle. ‘The flowers appear
atone, before thefe, rifing immediately from
the root : when they fall, the peduncles twift
up like a fcrew, inclofing the germ in the
centre, and lie clofe to the ground among
the leaves, which grow very thick together,
and prote& them all winter. The common
colour of the corolla is red, but it varies to
purple and white. ‘There is one fort which
bas the leaves purple underneath ; and an-
other which has the veins only purple, and
the upper fide veined and marbled with
white : the flowers white with a purple bafe.
‘the Perfian fort has leaves like the laft in
colour, but quite ‘entire about the edges,
the flowers large, pale purple with a bright
red or purple Bale © All thefe, and other
differences, whether fpecific or not, make
a moft agreeable variety, and are very beau-
tiful.

There are two wild plants of this natural
order which I mutt recommend to your in-
fpeétion for their beauty. They grow in
the water, and therefore you muft procure
them by another hand.

Marfb Trefuil, Buckbean or Bog-bean *,
will difcover itfelf to you immediately by

4 Cyclamen Europæum Lin. C. coum is figured in
Curt. Magaz. t. 4.—Perficum, in t. 44.

€ Miller’s fig. pl. 115.

f Menyanthes trifoliata Lin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 17.

the

Ru à 2 +

PENT. MON. Afperifolias

the corolla being fringed all over; it is fun-
nel-fhaped, with a fhort tube, and the bor-
der divided beyond the middle ; the colour
is white, but red on the outfide ; the ftigma
bifid; and the feed-veilel a capfule of one
cell. ‘The fpecies is diftinguiihed by its ter
nate leaves; whence, and from its fituation,
it has the name of Mar/b-trefoil; and be-
caufe each of the component leaves is of the
lize and fhape of a bean-leaf, it is alfo called
Buckbean or Bogbean. ‘The flowers grow
in a loofe fpike at the top of the ftem.

177

Water Violet § has a falver-fhaped corolla Hottonia.

not fringed, the tube longer than in the laft,
the colour white or faint purple, with a
yellow eye: the ftamens are placed upon the
tube of the corolla; the ftigma globofe ; and
the feed-veffel a capfule of one cell, asin the
laft. The leaves ate wholly immerfed in
the water, and finely pinnate; the flower-
ftem is naked, and rifes five or fix inches
above water; towards the top are two or
three whorls of flowers, and it is terminated
with a clufter of them; the whole forming
a kind of conical {pike

Another natural order of this clafs con-
tains the plants entitled #/herifoliæ or rough-
deaved. Thefe are not fo beautiful as the
laft; but you are by this time become too
good a naturalift to be led- away by gaudy
colours or fpecious appearances. Though
roughnefs of the leaves and ftem be a general

# Hottonia paluftris Lin. Curtis, Lond. I. 11.
N character

LETTER XVI.

character of this order, yet it is more necef-
fary that the following character fhould be
found in the fru@tification. The calyx is of
one leaf, divided into five fegments, and
permanent : the corolla is monopetalous, di-
vided alfo into five fegments, tubulous, and
extending below the germs: the five ftamens
grow from the tube of the corolla : and there
are four naked feeds to which the calyx
ferves as a capfule. We may remark far-
ther, that the leaves are placed alternately,
or without order, on the ftem; and that the
{pike of flowers, before they open, is reflex.
With fo ample a train of circumftances to
direct you, there cannot be much difficulty
in knowing when you meet with one of this
rough-leaved tribe of plants; efpecially as
they wear the fame drefs, and have a ftrong
family likenefs.

Out of eighty-three fpecies, which this
order contains, you may perhaps know fomie
of the following, and from them you will
have an idea of the reit. Heliotrope or
Turnfole, Moufe-ear Scorpion-grafs, Grom-
well, Alkanet, Hound’s-tongue, Pulmonaria,
Comfrey, Cerinthe, Borage, Buglofs, and Vi-
per's Buglofs. If you examine the corolla |
of thefe plants, you will obferve that fome
of them have five fcales in the tube of it,
whilft others have none ; this circumftance,
together with the fhape of the corolla, will
furnifh the principal generic diflinétions.
Thus Gromwell, Pulmonaria, Cerinthe, and

Viper’s

PENT. MON. Æ/henif.

Viper’s Buglofs, have the tube of the corolla
naked ; the reft have the five fcales. He-
liotrope and Moufe-ear Scorpion-grafs have
falver-fhaped flowers; Gromwell, Alkanet,
Hound’s-tongue, Pulmonaria, and Buglofs,
bave funnel-fhaped flowers; in Comfrey
and Cerinthe the corolla is ventricofe, {wells
or bulges out towards the top; Borage has
a rotate corolla ; and in Viper’s Buglofs it is
an irregular kind of bell-fhaped corolla.
Heliotrope has the fcales ; but the top of the
tube is not clofed by them, as it is in the
Moufe-earScorpion-grafs, Alkanet, Hound’s-
tongue, Comfrey, Borage. Hound’s-tongue
has flat feeds fixed to their ftyle by their
inner fide only. Pulmonaria has a penta-
gonal or prifmatic calyx. Cerinthe has
only two hard, fhining, bilocular feeds,
Buglofs has the tube of the corolla bent.

To

Common Turnfole * has the leaves ovate, Helio.
entire, wrinkled, and covered with a nap ; tropium.

the lower {pikes of flowers are fingle, and
the upper ones double. The colour of the
corolla white, with a greenifh eye, and
fometimes light red. This is an annual
plant.

Peruvian Turifole' has a fhrubby ftem ;
the leaves of a long ovate form, wrinkled
and rough, on fhort petioles; the flowers
are produced at the end of the branches in

h Heliotropium Europæum Lin. Jacq. auftr. 3. t. 207.
1 Heliotropium Peruvianum Lin, Mill. fig. pl. 144,

N 2 fhort

180

Myofotis.

Litho-

fpermum.

LETTER XVI.

fhort fpikes, growing on clufters; the pe-
duncles divide into two or three others, and
thefe again into fmaller ones, each fuftain-
ing a fpike of pale blue flowers, which have
a peculiar odour.

Moufe-car Scorpion-grafs * iscommon both
in dry paftures and heaths, and by the fides
of ditches and fireams ;. in the former it is
hairy, inthe latter fmooth, with the flowers
much larger, and extremely beautiful when
feen fufficiently near, of a moft elegant blue
with a yellow eye. Linnæus diftinguifhes
this fpecies by the fmoothnefs of the feeds,
and by the tips of the leaves being callous.

There are two forts of Gromwell wild.
The ¢rue Gromwell!, which name is a cor-
ruption from Gray Millet, is not very com-
mon ; it affeéts dry foils, efpecially chalk,
and is found chiefly in woody places, or
among bufhes. You will know it by its
whitifh, fhining, oval, hard feeds; which
latter quality gave occafion to the Latin
name, from the Greek, Litho/permum ™.
Or if it be not far enough advanced to fhow
the feeds, obferve that it is a much larger
and more branching plant than the next;
the leaves are lance-fhaped ; the flowers are
{mall, and come out fingle from the axils

* Myofotis fcorpioides Lin. Curtis, Lond. II. 13.
1 Lithofpermum officinale Lin. Mor. hift. f. rr.
t. 31.f. 1. Ger. 609. 2. Engl. bot. t. 134.—arvenfe
Engl. bot. t. 123. |
m Stone-feed.

6 of

PENT. MON. Afperif.

of the leaves on fhort peduncles; the co-
rolla ig white or yellowifh, with a greenifh
tube.

Corn Gromwell® is a common weed among
corn, and differs from the former in its
wrinkled, conical feeds; the leaves alfo are
ovate and fharp-pointed; the flowers are
chiefly on the top of the flem among the
leaves; the corolla is white, with the tube
{welling at top. Both fpecies have the co-
rollas fcarcely extending beyond the feg-
ments of the calyx ; and both have the roots
tinged with red, whence the latter has the
name of Baflard Alkanet.

181

Hound’ s-tongue ° is a large plant that grows Cyno-
ad gep g

common by hedges and way-fides ; it has a
ftrong fmell like that of mice. The corolla
is of a dirty red, or the colour of blood that
has ftood fome time. It is diftinguifhed
from the other fpecies by the ftamens being
fhorter than the corolla; the leaves broad
lance-fhaped, nappy, and fitting clofe to the
ftem without petioles.

gloffum.

Comfrey ? is common by water-fides. The Symphy-

leaves are large, long, hairy, and ending
in a point; from their bafe on each fide
runs a border down the ftalk 4. From the
upper part of the ftalk come out fome fide-

» Lithofpermum arvenfe Lin. Fl.dan. 456. Mor.
£4 7s, Mets, 6195) 4.

° Cynogloffum officinale Lin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 16.

P Symphytum officinale Linnai. Curtis, Lond.
IV. 58.

q This is what Linneus calls decyrrent.

N 3 branches,

182

Cerinthe.

Borago.

Lycopfs,

LET TER XV

branches, with two fmaller ledves, termi-

nated by loofe bunches of nodding flowers ;

the corolla of a yellowifh white, in fome

‘places purple.

Of Cerinibe there are two fpecies only,
diftinguifhed by the larger fort r having ob-
tufe, open corollas; the lefs * having fharp,
clofe corollas. ‘The leaves of the firft are
fea-green {potted with white ; it varies with
prickly and fmocth leaves, with yellow and
purplith red corollas. It grows wild in Italy,
the fouth of France, Germany, and Swit-
zerland. The fecond has more flender ftalks;
the calyx large, the corolla {mall and yellow.
This is found naturally in the Alps. Both
are not uncommon in gardens.

Borage * is an annual plant, which comes
up in your kitchen garden without the
care of the gardener. ‘The whole plant is
rough ; the leaves are large, and broad lance-
fhaped. ‘The flowers’ come out in loofe,
naked bunches, on long peduncles, at the
end of the falls : the calyx; with the co-
rolla, fpreads out quite flat; the colour of
the corolla is a fine blue, which fometimes
fades to white, or changes to red.

Luglofs * is common among corn, and by

r Cerinthe major Lin. Mill. fig. gt.

8 Cerinthe minor Lim. Jacq. auftr. 2. t. 124.

t Borago officinalis Lin. Mor. hilt. f. 11. t. 26. f. 1.
Ger. 7917. 7,2.

u Lycoplis arvenfis Lia. Curt. Lond. V, 17, Mor. t.
26. f.8. Ger. 799. 3.

“way-

PENT. MON. Cumpanacee. 183

way-fides: a very rough plant, with blue
corollas veined with white.

Viper’s Buglofs * is a much larger plant Echium.
than this, with a large handfome fpike of
blue flowers. The ftalk is very erect and
{potted ; the leaves lance-fhaped, the lower
ones petiolate, the upper feffile. It is com-
mon among the corn in fome countries ;
alfo in fome paftures, by way-iides, and on
walls.

You will find fome plants of this fifth
clafs and firft order which have a bell-fhaped
corolla of one petal. If they have a per-
manent calyx divided into five parts, anda
capfule for a feed-vefiel, they belong to a
natural order entitled Campanacee”. Three
very large genera*, belides fome others,
belong to this order.

The genus Convolvulus ¥ is diftinguifhed Convol-
from all others by its large, fpreading, "ls
plaited corolla, with the edge either marked
with ten notches, or flightly quinquetid ;
two ftigmas; and a capfule wrapped up in
the calyx, generally bilocular, with two
roundifh feeds.

From this genus I will felec&t two wild

¥ Echium vulgare Liv. FI, dan. 445. Ger. 802. 2.

w Bell-flowers.

* Convolvulus, Ipomæa, and Campanula : the firft
has fixty-four, the fecond twenty-two, and the third
fixty-fix fpecies.

y So called from twining round any thing it comes
near ; this property however is not common to all the

fpecies.
N 4 and

LETTER XVI.

and two cultivated fpecies, for your exami-
nation.

Small Bindweed *, which is fo common a
weed among corn, has fagittate leaves , acute
both ways, and one flower upon a round
long peduncle. The weak ftatks trail on
the ground, unlels they meet with fome
other plant to fupport them ; the corolla is
either white, or red, or variegated ; and if
the plant came from India it would becul- .
tivated for the beauty of the flower: I da
not however recommend you to grow fond
of it, for it creeps intolerably at the root.

Great Bindweed » has fagittate leaves as
well as the laft, but truncate or cut off be-
hind ; the flowers come out fingle alfo, but
on fquare peduncles, This is a much larger,
fironger plant than the other, rifing in
hedges or among bufhes and fhrubs, ten or
twelve feet high: the corolla is very large,
and always pure white; immediately under
the calyx is a large heart-fhaped involucre of
two leaves. The former fpecies has thefe
two leaves, but they are very narrow, and
in the middle of the peduncle.

Purple Bindweed °, an annual fpecies cul-
tivated in flower gardens under the name of
Convolvulus major, has heart-fhaped undi-

z Convolvulus arvenfis Lin. Curtis, Lond. IL. 13.
FL ruft. t. &o.

a Shaped like the head of an arrow.

b Convolvulus fepium Lim. Curtis, Lond. I. 133.
Pl. 12. f. 3. Fl. rut. t. 88.

¢ Convolvulus purpureus Lin. Ehret. piét. t. 7. f. 2.
Curtis’s Magaz. 113. |

vided

PENT. MON. Cumpan.

vided leaves, the feed-veflels hanging down
after the flower is gone, and the peduncles
fwelling. This, if fupported, will climb
- to the height of ten or twelve feet. Though
the moft ufual colour of the corolla is pur-
ple, yet there are varieties white, red, and
whitith blue.

Tricolor Bindweed *, or, as it is vulgarly
called, Convelvulus minor, has lance-fhaped,
imooth leaves, a weak falling ftalk that
never climbs, and the flower coming out
fingly. The corollais a beautiful blue with
a white eye; but fometimes all white or
variegated. This is alfo annual. Its native
country is Portugal. The former is wild
both in Afia and America.

This genus contains feveral remarkable
plants ; as Scammony*, Turpethum or Tur-
bith, and Falap.

Ipomea has rather a funnel-fhaped than a
campanulate corolla; a globofe ftigma, and
a trilocular capfulef; but the plants thatrange
under this genus being natives of the Weft
Indies, and confequently requiring much
heat to raife and preferve them, may pro-
bably not come within your view; and
therefore I fhall not enlarge upon them.

185

In Campanula you will of courfe expect Campa.

to find a campanulate or bell-fhaped co-"™*

rolla ; but it is worth your obfervation that

4 Convolvulus tricolor Lin. Curtis’s Mag. 27.
¢ Conv. Scammonia Lin. Mill. fig. 102.

f Mill. fig. 214 Curt. Magaz. t. 221 & 244.
ees the

186

LETTER XVI.

the bottom of it is clofed with five valves
concealing the receptacle, and that the fta-
mens take their rife from thefe valves... The
{tigma is trifid, and the feed-veflel is a cap-
fule, below the flower, having three or five
cells, and at the top of each a hole, through
which the feeds are fcattered when ripe.
You fee by this time how curious and how
various the firuGure of the parts of fruéti-
fication is. By thus examining them fingly,
and comparing them one with another, you
will in time grow an eminent Botanilt,
and acquire a facility in determining the
genus, {pecies, analogy, and connexion of
vegetables.

There is a little Bell-flower that grows
frequent in dry paftures, and on almoft
every heath and common, with its nodding
blue corolla anfwering well to its name,
‘Lhe Botanifts have confpired to call it round-
leaved Bell-flower®; for what reafon per-
haps you will wonder, fince you will dif-
cover no leaves upon the ftem but what are
linear, or very long, narrow lance-fhaped ;
if however you take a young plant, or at
leaft one in full vigour, and {earch among
the grafs clofe to the ground, you will fee
thefe leaves, which are not. fo. properly
round as heart” or kidney-fhaped ', This fort
flowers towards the latter end of the fum-
mer, and all the autumn, till froft puts an

& PE er rotundifolia Linnet. Curtis, Lond. IV.
Ye h Haller, i Linneus.

end

As

Cr

PENT. MON. Campan.

end toit ; and frequentlv has a white corolla.
Rampion *, which was formerly cultivated
for its roots to eat in fallads, is now fo much
negleCted that your kitdhencgarden perhaps
may not furnifh it; and in its wild ftate
itis by no means common. ‘This has up-
right ftalks, two feet high ; the leaves un-
dulating, thofe next the root fhort, lance-
fhaped; inclined to oval: towards the upper
. part of the ftem, and clofe to it, {mall
flowers are produced, with a blue or white
corolla.

Peach-leaved Bell-flower ! is abundant in
your flower borders, both blue and white ;
but fince your gardener has obtained the
double forts, he has probably defpifed the
fingle ones fo much as to have deftroyed
them, and atthe fame time to have deprived
you of the power of determining the ge-
nus: you will however know this to be a
Campanula by its air; and you will deter-
mine the fpecies by the leaves, which are
ovate near the root, and on the ftalk are
very narrow lance-fhaped approaching to
linear, flightly ferrated about the edge, fit
clofe to the ftem, and are remote from each
other.

I remember your hall chimney ufed to be
‘adorned in fummer with the pyramidal or
fleeple Bell-flower ™, ftrutting out like a fan,

k Campanula Rapunculus Linnai.
1 Campanula Perficifolia Linnei.
m Campanula pyramidalis Linuai.

by

188

LETTER XVI.

by means of a frame of little flicks: This
has fmooth, heart-fhaped leaves ferrated
about the edge; thofe on the ftem lance-
fhaped: the ftems are fimple and rufh. like:
the flowers come out in feffile umbels from
the fide of the ftem. Such are Linnzus’s
fpecific characters.

There is the Giant Throatwort*, wild,
but not common, in bufhy places and
hedges: known by its ftrong, round, fin-
gle ftalks ; its long ovate leaves, inclined to
Jance-fhaped, flightly ferrated or toothed
like a faw on their edges: towards the upper
part of the ftalk the flowers come out fingly
upon fhort peduncles. Pray remark, that
after thefe are faded, the feed-veflels turn
downwards till the feeds are ripe, and then
rife up again.

Great Bellflower °, vulgarly called Can-
ierbury Bells, is much more common in the
like places. This has ftiff, hairy, angular
ftalks, putting out a few fhort fide-branches,
The leaves are like thofe of nettles, hairy,
and deeply ferrated on their edges: to-
wards the upper part of the ftalks the flow-
ers come out on fhort trifid peduncles, and
have hairy calyxes.

Small Canterbury Bells P is common in

» Campanula latifolia Lin. F1. dan. 85. Ger. 448. 3.
© Campanula Trachelium Lin. Mor. hift. f. 5. t. 3.
f. 28. Ger. 448. 1:
p Campanula glomerata Linnai. Mor. t. 4. f. 40 &
43. Ger. 449.4. Engl. bot. t. 90. |
paftures,

PENT. MON. Campan.

paftures, efpecially in a chalky foil. In dry
places it is very {mall, and in a moift foil
will grow to the height of two feet. The
ftalk is hairy, angulate, and unbranched ;
the lower leaves are broad, and pedunculate ;
thofe on the ftalk long, narrow, fitting
clofe to the ftalk, and even embracing à Mt:
towards the top of the ftalk, from the axils
of the leaves, two or ete flowers come
out together, and a larger bunch terminates
it: the flowersare feffle.

Venus’s Looking-glafs À is a Campanula,
with a weak, low, and very branching ftalk;
the leaves oblong, and a little notched; the
flowers folitary, and the feed-veflels of a
prifmatic form. Corn-bell-flower ‘ very much
refembles this: but the ftalk is ftiff, and
branches little ; the leaves are more deeply
notched, and waving; the flowers come out
in parcels, and the calyx is longer than the
corolla. ‘This is a common weed among
corn. Thefe two have fcarcely bell-fhaped
corollas, any more than another plant of
this campanulate order, entitled Greek Va-

lerian or ‘facob’s Ladder *, which has the Polemo-
corolla rather rotate, with the tube fhorter ""®-

than the calyx, but clofed with five valves,
into which the ftamens are inferted, as in

4 Campanula fpeculum Lin. Curtis’s Magaz. 102.
r Campanula hybrida Lin, Mor. t. 2.f. 22. Ger.
30. 2.
s Polemonium eæruleum Lin. Fl. dan. 255. Ger.
1076, 5.
! Campanula :

100

LET TER’ xVÉ

Campanula: the fligma alfo is trifid, as in
that, and the feed-veflel a trilocular or three-
celled capfule, but inclofed within the flower.
The circumftances that diftinguith this from
the other two fpecies are, that the leaves are
pinnate, the flowers erect, and the calyx
full as long as the tube of the corolla: in
which you fee it recedes a little from one
character of the genus. It is blue, and cut
into five roundifh fegments. I fcarcely need
caution you notto be mifled by names, which,
being ufually given by ignorant perfons, are
very fanciful or erroneous. ‘Thus here,
you may as well fuppofe Polemonium to
have an affinity with a ladder as with Va-
lerian : indeed the fame circumftance of the
pinnate leaves probably gave occafion to
both names.

Tam almoft afraid to prefent you with a
fet of plants, which from their lurid, dufky,
difmal, gloomy, appearance, are kept to-
gether under the title of Zuwride. They
have alfo moft of them a difagreeable fmell,
which, with their forbidding look, will de-
ter our young coufin from examining them,
fhe not being yet fufficiently tinétured with
enthufiafm to go on in fpite of fuch circum-
ftances. Indeed [ would not with her to be
too bufy with fome of thefe zx/ane roois
that take the reafon prifoner, and which I
can never collect and examine myfelf, with-
out their affeing my head. You will con-
fider that Nature has kindly given us notice

in

|
|
|

PENT. MON. Luride. igt

in general of approaching danger, by means
of our fenfes; and accordingly fome of
thefe Lurid plants are highly poifonous ;
moftof them are fo in fome degree ; though
foil and climate may mitigate the poifon,
and even render them wholefome. I will
fele& fome of the leaft difagreeable in fmell
and appearance; or, if they be otherwife,
will announce it to you. Befides the cir-
cumftances of five ftamens and one piftil,
thefe plants agree in a permanent calyx di-
_ vided more or lefs deeply into five ephidates
_ a monopetalous corolla, divided alfo into five
fegments, tubulous, irregular; the feed-
veffel bilocular, and either a capfule ora
berry inclofed within the flower.

Of Verbafcum, or Mullein, there are fe~ Verbaf
veral fpecies wild, one very common, and ‘™
another not uncommon. Their general cha-
racters are, that the corolla is rotate, and
flightly irregular; the flamens unequal in
length, bending down, and generally clothed
at bottom with a coloured fringe ; the ftigma
obtufe, and the capfule bivalve, and open-
ing at top.

The common fpecies is the Great or
Hoary Mullein', which grows moftly under
banks or hedges. It is a biennial plant ;
the firft year forming its root, and a fet of
large, broad leaves, extremely woclly on
both fides, and fpreading on the. ground,

* Verbafcum Thapfus Linnei. El dan. 631: Mor.
tof 5..t.°9. f..1; Ger. 733. 1.

with

Datura.

LETTER XVI:

with fcarcely any petioles: the fecond year
it fends up a fingle flem, fometimes five
feet in height, with decurrent leaves on it,
woolly as the radical ones; and on the top

a clofe {pike of yellow flowers; which have
an odour not difagreeable.

The other which I hinted at is the Black

Mullein®, growing in fimilar places, abun-
dantly in fome, but by no means {fo exten-
fively. It has not fo high a ftem ; the fhape
of the lower leaves is that of a heart much
lengthened out, and they are petiolate ; the
leaves on the ftem ovate, fharp-pointed and
feffile ; all of them are pale green on the
upper, and hoary on the under furface ; and
are indented about the edges. The ftalk is
terminated by a long fpike of yellow flow-
ers, formed by fhort clufters or fpicules on
the fides of the principal ftalk. The corolla
is yellow, with the filaments fringed or
bearded with purple. It has the name of
black, 1 prefume, merely becaule it is not
white, like the other.

Datura, Stramonium, or Thorn Apple, has
the calyx tubulous, {welling in the middle,
five-cornered, isd deciduous ; the corolla
funnel-fhaped, fpreading out gradually very
wide from a long cylindric tube, into a pent-
angular border with five plaits: the capfule
is quadrivalvular, or opens into four parts.
The flowers of thefe are large, and rather

» Verbafcum nigrum Lin. Mor. hift. £ 5: t. 9: f. 5.

fpecious,

| oe

PENT. MON. Luride. 193

fpecious, and the capfules are remarkable for
their fize.
The common thorn apple * has fmooth
leaves, irregularly angular, and fmelling dif-
_agreeably ; the flowers come out from the
- firft divifions, and near the extremities of
the branches ; the corolla is white, and each
| angle of it ends in a long point; the capfule
| is ovate, covered with ftrong thorns, and
|:

grows erect.

) Another fort “, cultivated fometimes in
flower gardens, has purple flowers; it has
allo purple ftalks, which are ftouter and
taller than thofe of the laft ; the leaves are
alfo larger, and more angular and notched;
the capfule is larger, but much like that of
the common fort. One of them, having
the capfule armed with very ftrong foines,
has the epithet of fierce *,

Henbane Y is a very common plant, and Hyofcy-
has often done mifchief to fuch as will not “"*
fuffer their appetites to be corrected by their

_fenfes. You will agree with me that the
“{mell is fufficient to. deter any perfon from
‘eating it. I cannot however difpenfe with

“your examining the flower, which is reaily
beautiful on a near view. ‘The corolla is
funnel-fhaped and obtufe, of a pale yel-

Y Datura Stramonium Lin. Curtis, Lond, n. 61. FI,
“dan. 436. Ger. 348. 2.
w Datura Fatula Lin.
x Datura ferox Lin. Mor. t. 2. f. 4.
x Hyofcyamus niger Lin. Ger. 353. 1
| O : lowifh

194

Nicoti-
ana.

LETTER XVI

lowifh colour, beautifully veined with pur-
ple. The ftamens are of different lengths,
and bent; and the capfule is involved in the
calyx, of an oval form, and covered with
a hemifpherical lid, which, by falling off,
announces that the feeds are-ripe.

The common wild fpecies is diftinguifhed
from the others by its finuate leaves, em-
bracing the ftalk, and by the flowers fitting
clofe to it. he whole plant is covered with

Jong hairs, from which exudes a clammy, :

fetid juice: the leaves are very large, and
rematkably foft ; and the flowers come out
in a very long fpike, rather on one fide.
It grows on banks, dunghills, and way-

- fides about villages, and is a biennial plant.

There are other forts, but neither wild nor
much cultivated.

You who have fuch an averfion from
tobacco in all the ways of ufing it, will not

be difpleafed at finding it in this lurid order. |

Notwithftanding it is fo generally taken, the
oil of it is the ftrongeft of the vegetable
poifons. It is a plant however neither un-
ornamental for your garden, nor dangerous,

nor even difagreeable to examine. The ef-

fential generic characters are, that the co-

rolla is funnel-fhaped, the border plaited ; —
the ftamens a little inclined; the fligma «

notched ; the capfule ovate, marked with a
furrow on each fide, bivalvular, and open-
ing from the top.

4 Common

ë

é
7
%
J
,
(À
12
»
4
j

PENT. MON. Luride, 105

Common or broad-leaved tobacco ? is cil.
tinguifhed by ifs broad lanceolate leaves,
which are about ten inches long, and three
and an half broad, fmooth, ending in acute
points, and fitting clofe to the italks ; the
corollas are of a pink purple, and end in
… five acute points. There is a fort like this,
or perhaps a variety of it, called Oroonoho
tobacco, which is a larger plant, the leaves
more than a foot and half long, anda foot
broad ; very rough and glutinous; the bafe
embracing the ftem: the corollas are of a
pale purple.

Another fpecies, called Englifp tobacco *,
might eafily be miftaken for a henbane, if
you did not remark the regular form of the
corolla, and the want of a lid tothe capfule.
It is a lower plant than the others ; the leaves
are ovate, entire, and on fhort petioles. The
flowers come out in leofe bunches on the

_ top of the flalks; the corolla has a fhort

_ tube, fpreading out into five obtufe feg-

| ments, of a greenith yellow colour. Though

P this has the epithet of Englifh, you are not

to fuppofe it to bean European plant; for it

is a native of America, as well as all the
other fpecies, which are at leaft feven in
number. |

How the fame plant fhould come to have Atropa.

the gentle appellation of Bella-donna, and

fo EC Nicotiana Tabacum Linnci. Mill. fig. 185. 1.
bre: for. |

* Nicotiana ruftica Linnei. Blacks. t. 437.

À O 2 che

LETTER XVI.

the tremendous name of Atropa”, feems
ftrange, till we know that it was ufed as a
wath, among the Italian ladies, to take off
pimples and other excrefcences from the
{kin, and are told of its dreadful effe&ts asa
poifon. Linnzus has joined them, making
Atropa the generic, and Bella-donna the

fpecific or trivial title. The principal cha-

racters which he gives of the genus are
thefe—the corolla is. bell-fhaped; the fila-
ments grow from the bafe of it, are clofe
at bottom, but at top diverge from each
other, and are arched; the {eed-veflel is a

clobofe berry, fitting on the calyx, which »

is large. |

Our fort, for there are fix fpecies of the
genus, is a great branching plant, with ovate
entire leaves, and large flowers coming out
among the leaves fingly, on long peduncles;
the corolla is of a dufky brown colour on

the outfide, and of a dull purple within 5

the ftalks have a tinge of the fame colour,
as have allo the leaves towards autumn.
The berry is round, of a fhining black when

. ripe, and not unlike a black cherry in fize
and colour; it contains a purple juice of a,

mawkifh fweetnefs, and has frequently en-
ticed children to tafle it at their peril. [

‘have known, however, the fame poifonous
effects follow from eating the young fhoots

b From A/ropos, the name of one of the furies. Fi-
gured by Miller, pl. 62. FI. dan. 758. Ger. 340-
Blackw, 564. Curtis, Lond. V. 16.

t

as

PENT. MON. Luride.

of the fpring boiled, as from the crude ber-

ries of autumn. Deadly Nighi/bade is rare-
ly cultivated, and not common wild; it
fkulks in gloomy lanes and uncultivated
places, but is too frequent near villages ia
fome countries. |

You have heard of the Mandrake’s Groan,
and of fhrieks, like mandrakes torn out
** of the earth:” fuperftition having endued
this plant with a fort of animal life, fatal
to whoever prefumed to deftroy it by dig-
ging up the root. It was famous, as opium
now, for procuring fleep; whence Cleo-
patra fays,

—— “ Give me to drink Wandragora,
€ That I might fleep out this great gap of time
‘ My Anthony is away.” s

And the vile Iago boafts that

Not Poppy, nor Mandragora,
‘ Nor all the drowfy fyrups of the world,
‘€ Shall ever med’cine thee to that {weet fleep

“© Which thou hadft yeiterday.”

Since mandrake groans and fhrieks when
injured, it muft needs have a human form;
and accordingly fuch have been carried
about for fale, notwithftanding the danger
that attends the procuring it; but this is
cunningly avoided by tying a dog to the
root, and thus making the blind fury of the
poor mandrake fall upon the innocent dog

- inftead of the aggreffor. Thefe pretended

à mandrakes

Phy

falis.

LETT? XVL

mandrakes are faid to be roots of angelica
or bryony, either cut into form, or com-
pelled to go through earthen moulds put
into the ground for this purpofe : they were
ufed in magieal incantations; and though
thefe are now pretty much out of fafhion,
yet I have had them very gravely offered
me for fale. Linnzeus formerly made this a
difting genus from the laft; but on fecond
thouelts he has made it a “fpéciés of atro-
pa ‘ | diftinguithing it from the others by
its havi ing no ftems except the fcapes, which
fupp ort a fingle flower. The root is like
that of a parnep, fometimes forked; next
the ground there is a circle of large, raed
leaves; the /capes cr naked ftalks that fup-
port the fowers are but about three inches
long ; the corollas are five-cornered, and of
a greenifh white or purplifh colour ; the
berry is as large as anutmeg, and of a yel-
lowith green. The root and leaves are
ftinking, and the whole plant is poifonous,

. though in fmall dofes it is ufed medicinally.

Another genus of this fame natural order
is Phyfulis ; the characters of it are thefe—
the corolla is. wheel-fhaped; the filaments
and anthers are convergent, or bend towards
each other; and the feed-veflel is a berry
inclofed within the calyx, which grows to
a large inflated, coloured bladder. Winter-

< Atropa Mandragora. Mill. fig. pl. 173. Blackw.
364 |
cherry,

PENT. MON. ZLuride. 19¢:

., cherry, of which you have fuch abund-
ance under your fhrubs, is a fpecies of this
genus. ‘The diftinguifhing marks are, that
the leaves are double or conjugate, that is,
come out in pairs, are entire about the
edges, or but very flightly indented, and
fharp-pointed ; the ftalk is herbaceous, and
a little branching at bottom. The roots
creep fo far as to be troublefome ; the ftalks
are only about a foot high; the leaves are
of various fhapes, and have long petioles:
the flowers are produced fingly from the
axils of the ftalks on flender peduncles ;
and have a white corolla, which, with the
calyx, leaves, and ftalks, is hairy. This
plant, which is fo humble and inconfider-
able all the fummer, attracts your notice in
autumn, by its great inflated calyx turn-
ing red, and difclofing the round red berry
within it, about the fize of afmall cherry.
But the principal genus of this natural Solanum,

order is the Nighi/bade, or Solanum, whence
fome authors have entitled the plants So-
: lanaceæ. There are no lefs than forty-fix
| fpecies of folanum ; out of which I fhall
felect, as ufual, both fome wild and culti-
vated forts, fuch efpecially as are either moft
important, or moit likely to be within your
reach.

- You will eafily know the genus by its
wheel-fhaped corolla; by its large anthers
clofed in the middle of the corolla, and

4 Phyfalis Alkekengi. Blackw. 161.
O 4 fceming

®.
{i ‘ '

+
a

200

LETTER XVI

feeming to form but one body ; and by its
bilocular berry ci

Some of the fpecies have prickly ftalks
and leaves; others are unarmed: hence a
commodious partition of the genus into two
fubdivifions. ,

A fhrubby, tall fit: from the Madeiras,
without any {pines or prickles, has long been
an inhabitant of the greénhoufe, which it
adorns with its fplendid red berries all the
winter : the gardeners know it by the name
of Amomum Plinit; and it is often called
Winter Cherry* ; fuch is the dearth of dif-
tinGtive names, and fuch the confufion arif-
ing from the want of a regular’ language
like that which Linneus firft introduced
into Botany. ‘The leaves are lance-fhaped,
and have a waving edge ‘: the flowers grow
in {mall umbels, clofe to the branches ; the
corolla is white; and the berries are as large
as a {mall cherry, generally red, but fei
times yellow.

Another fhrubby fort, without fpines, is
the W oody Ni ichtfbade, or Bitter-/weet 5,
which grows commonly wild in moift
hedges. This has a c'imbing, flexuous ftalk :
the lower leaves lance-fhaped, the upper
ones fometimes trifid: the flowers are in
bunches, or branched cymes, coming out
from the axils of the leaves; the corolla

€ Solanum Pfeudocapficum Lin.
f Linnæus calls then repand.
é Solanum Dulcamara Lin. Curtis, Lond. I. 14.

revolute,

"en
REA

PENT. MON. Luride.

tevolute, purple, marked with two fhining
green {pots at the bottom of each fegment ;
and the berries red.

Garden Nighifoade his alfo unarmed, but
not fhrubby. It is an herb, an cal

The leaves are on long petioles, and, being.

of a foft texture, are inclined to hang down.
They are either of an ovate or rhomboid
form, with long points, angulate and notch-
ed about the edges: the flowers grow on a
kind of nodding umbel ; the corolla is white,
and the berry is black. It is a common
weed on dunghills, in gardens, and other
richly cultivated places. It varies with
yellow and red berries, and in the form of
the leaves.

Potato is of this genus, as you will be

convinced, if you compare the firu&ture of

the flower with that of the other fpecies,
Linnæus chara@erifes it by thefe diftinc-
tions—that the ftalk is herbaceous and un-
armed, the leaves pinnate and quite en-
tire; the peduncles fubdivided : the corollas
are either purple or white, and the berry is
large.
Tomatos or Love-apple * is another fpecies
of nightfhade, which is alfo admitted to
the table, and eaten with impunity, in fpire
of the ill neighbourhood in which it is

h Solanum nigrum Liz. Curtis, Lond. II. 14.

+ Solanum tuberofum Lin. The Englifh name is
evidently a corruption of the Indian Batatas.

k Solanum Lycoperficum Lin. Blackw. 133.

found.

201

202

LETTER XVI. :

found. This has an unarmed herbaceous
flem, which is very hairy; the leaves alfo
are pinnate, but cut; and the flowers are
borne on fimple unbranched bunches ; the
corolla is yellow, and the fruit or berry is
large, flatted, and deeply furrowed.

Melongena or Mad Apple * is alfo of this
genus ; it is cultivated as a curiofity for the
largenefs and thape of its fruit; and when
this is white, it has the name of Egg Plant;
and indeed it then perfectly relembles a
hen’s egg in fize, fhape, and colour. ‘The
ftem of this is herbaceous, and without
prickles ; the leaves ovate and nappy ; the
peduncles pendulous, and growing thicker
towards the top, and the calyxes unarmed,
The corollas are purple, and the fruit varies
much in colour. The three laft fpecies
recede a little from the character of the
order; for the potato and tomatos have
many cells to the fruit, and this has but
one.

The prickly forts of Solanum are natives
of hot countries, and moft of them are
brought to us from the Spanith Weft Indies :
they will not therefore commonly fall un-
der your obfervation. |

Capficum, or Guinea Pepper, is alfo of this
lurid order; its beauty and ufe lie in the
fruit, which Linnaus calls a dry or juice-
lefs berry, and others a capfule or pod.

1 Solanum Melongena Lin. Pluk. phyt. t. 226. f. 2.
| This

ee

PENT. MON. Luride.

This circumftance, together with the rotate

form of the corolla, and the anthers being
connivent or converging, make up the ef-

fential charaGters of the genus. Linnæus

has only five fpecies, one annual™ with
an herbaceous ftem, the reft perennial with
woody ftems *.. Others make many more

fpecies from the different form of the fruit ;'

which indeed varies much both in fhape
and colour, and, intermixt with the white
flowers and green leaves, makes a pleafing
variety : but Linnæus does not allow the
form of the fruit in this genus to be perma-
nent enough to conftitute {pecific differences,
They are all very hot, and hence have the
names of bell pepper, hen pepper, bar-
berry pepper, and bird pepper. The bell
pepper, which has large, fwelling, wrinkled
fruit, with a flefhy tender fkin, of a red

colour when ripe, is the only fort fit for

2 i
=

pickling. Cayan pepper is made from the
laft, whofe fruit is fmall, oval, and of a
bright red, and much more pungent than
the reft.. Moft forts of capficum come
from both Eaft and Welt Indies. Though
they are ufed in hot countries fo univerfally
with their food, yet the ripe fruits thrown
on the fire will emit ftrong noifome va-
pours, which occafion violent fneezing,
coughing, and often vomiting, in thofe
who are near; and mixt in fnuff will have

M Capficum annuum. Blackw. 120.
#'Caplcum baccatum, finenfe, crofum & frutefcens.

the

203

204 LETTER XV

the fame effets to a violent and dangerous
degree: fo that thefe plants, though not
ftrictly poifonous, are however worthy a
place in the lurid tribe. .

Lonicera In this firft order of the fifth clafs are to
be found feveral well known fhrubs, among
which the Loney-/uck/e is eminent. Of thele
the Jtalian ° and Wild P fpecies are the prin-
cipal, They are diftinguifhed by the firft
having the upper pairs of leaves connate, or
fo joined as to form but one, and the {talk
runningthrough the middle of them: where-
as in the wild honey-fuckle they are all dif-
tind. The Dutch or German honey-fuckle
of the gardens is fuppofed to be a variety
only of this, though it is much ftronger, and
not fo apt to climb. . The woodbind has in-
deed very flender trailing branches, twining
round the boughs of trees, and climbing to
the very tops of them.

Trumpet honey-fuckle * is a North Ame-
rican; it agrees with the Italian in having
the upper leaves connate; with the wood-
bind in its flender trailing branches: but
differs from both in the whorls’ of flowers
being naked or void of leaves, and the co-
rollas beiag almoft regular; the leaves alfo

° Lonicera Caprifolium ZLinnæi. Hort. angl. t. 5.
LAS tee Bee

P Lonicera Periclymenum Lin. Woodbind. Curtis,
Lond. I. 15.

4 Lonicera fempervirens Lin. Riy. mon. 116.

are

PENT. MON. Shrubs. 205

are evergreen, and the corollas are bright
- fcarlet on the outfide, and yellow within.

There are other fpecies, which you will
find among the fhrubs, differing in appear-
ance, and receding fomething in charac-
ter from honey-fuckles properly fo called.
Thefe have always two flowers only coming
out together; whereas in the former the
flowers grow in whorls or heads many to-
gether, Fly honey-fuckle‘ has the two ber-
ries that fucceed the two neighbouring
flowers diftinét ; the leaves are entire and
hoary ; and the corollas are white. Red-
berried upright honey-fuckle * has the two
berries joined together; the leaves lance-
fhaped and fmooth ; the corollas are red on
the outfide, but pale within. This is not
fo tall-growing a plant as the other.

The five recited fpecies agree in havinga
monopetalous irregular corolla, except that
in the trumpet honey-fuckle it is almoft re-
gular; in the genuine honey-fuckles the
tube is remarkably long. The feed-veflel
in all is a berry growing below the flower,
and inclofing feveral feeds; though the laft
has only two.

The numerous genus of Rhamnus, con- Rhemnus.
taining twenty-feven fpecies, is alfo of the
firft order in the clafs Pentandria : thefe are
either thorny, prickly, or unarmed. Buck-

* Lonicera Xylofteum Lin. Mill. fig. 167. 1
* Lonicera alpigena Lin. Mill. fig. 167. 2.
thorn

206

LETTER XVI.

thorn* is one of the firft; having thorns
terminating the branches, the ftem ere¢t,
the leaves ovate, and the calyx cut into
four fegments: the berries have four feeds
in them, and, if you wet them and rub them
on white paper, they will ftain it of a green

colour. I mention thefe two circumftances,

becaufe they who gather the berries for fale
are apt to mix others with them: and I

know you will be interefted in them, when’

Finform you, that the fine green colour *
which you ufe in your miniature painting
is made from thefe berries. If you fhould

have the curiofity to fearch the hedges. for

them, in order to make this paint yourfelf,
you muit not be furprifed if you do not find
them on every buckthorn fhrub; for all

the flowers are incomplete, fome plants

having them with ftamens, others with a
piltil only; and the former of thefe are
never fucceeded by fruit.

Berry-bearing Alder * is one of the un-
armed fpecies. It grows in woods, is a
black looking fhrub, with bunches of in-
confiderable herbaceous flowers, with a
quinguefid corolla, fucceeded by black ber-
ries containing four feeds: the leaves are
ovate; fmooth, and quite entire.

t Rhamnus catharticus Lin. Fl. dan. 8 50.. Duham.
so. Crer:2r997: | |

u Verd du veflie. :

v Rhamnus Frangula Lin. F1 dan. 278. Duham.
roo. Ger,:1470. ja 3
| Another

>

PENT. MON. Shrubs.

Another of the unarmed divifion is the

Alaternus *, formerly fo thorn and beclipped

in hedges and covering of walls, but
now feen chiefly among other evergreens,
taking its natural form. ‘The leaves are ex-
tremely fhining, generally notched or ferrate
about the edges: the flowers have a trihd
ftigma, and are incomplete, like thofe of the
buckthorn: the corolla is quinquefid, and
the berry has three feeds. ‘There are fe+
veral varieties of Alaternus, differing in the
fhape of the leaves and depth of the ferra-
tures; they are alfo fometimes blotched or
variegated. This fhrub is frequently con-
founded with Philyrea, from which it may
be known at all times by the pofition of the
leaves, which is alternate in this, and op-
pofite in that: when the two fhrubs are in
flower, you perceive other more eflential
diftin@ions:

Paliurus, or Chriff’ s-Thorn*, is one of the
prickly divifions’ ‘It has double prickles, the
under ones reflex, and is another De
of irregularity in this genus, the germ being
trilocular, furrounded by a membranaceous
rim, and crowned by three ftyles. It has a
pliant weak ftem requiring fome. fupport ;
the flowers grow in clufters, and are of a
greenifh yellow colour: the corollas are
quinquefid. Being very common in Palef-
tine, it is fuppofed to be the thorn with
which our Saviour was crowned.

w Rhamnus Alaternus Lin. * Rhamnus Paliurus Z?r.

The

L2

20

“J

208

Coffea.

LETTER XVI.

The common character of all thefe is,
that there is only a calyx or corolla, with
five {mall {cales, one at the bafe of each
divifion, bending towards one another, and
defending the ftamens; the feed-vefel a
roundifh berry, divided within into fewer
parts than.the corolla or calyx.

Currants and goofeberries ¥, theivy 7 and
the vine’, are alfoof this order Monogynia ;
but, being fo well known to you and every
body, I will not dwell on them, having
already run out this letter to fo great a
length. |

Someother trees and fhrubs arelefs known,
becaufe they are the growth of hotter climes.
Such is the coffee >, originally of Arabia,
though now common in both the Indies. It
ji, Racers by its falver-thaped corolla, with
the ftamens growing upon the tube of it; and
by its feed-veflel, which is a berry below the
flower, containing two feeds, covered with an
aril, or detached coat. This tree does not
grow above fixteen or eighteen feet high ;
the leaves are large, of a lucid green, lance-
fhaped, and waving about the edges. The
flowers are produced in clufters, clofe to the
branches ; the corollas are quinquefid, ef a
pure white colour, anda very grateful odour.
It is an evergreen, and at all times makes a
beausiful appearance.

Y Ribes Linnei,

* Hedera Helix Lin.

* Vitis vinifera Lin. °

b Coffea Arabica Linnæi. Blackw. 337. Dougl.
Bradl. et Ellis monogr.

Ceftrum

PENT. MON. Shrubs.

209

Ceftrum or Baftard Fafmine is a fhrub ofCefrum.

the Weft Indies, and therefore requires a
ftove to keep it alive in thefe northern coun-
tries. It has a funnel-fhaped corolla; the
filaments have a little procefs in the middle;
and the feed-veflel is an unilocular berry,
‘containing’ feveral feeds. One fpecies*® has
clufters of herbaceous flowers on fhort pe-
duncles, fmelling fweetly in the night. And
another d, with leaves of a lively green, and
great confiftence, has clufters of white flow-
ers fitting clofe to the ftalk, fmelling fweet
in the day time.

Diofina is a genus of fhrubs from the Cape Diofma,}

of Good Hope. Thefe are of another pha-
lanx, having five petals to the corolla, which
is inferior, or inclofes the feed-veffel. The
germ alfo is crowned with five nectaries, and
becomes three or five united capfules, con-
taining each one feed, with an elaftic Ari
involving it. The flowers are fmall, but
elegant; white, and of an agreeable fpicy
odour. |

Other foreign trees and fhrubs of this
clafs and order are, the /ron-waod free ©, the
Phylicas, the Mango-tree*, and fome others:
but fince it is not probable that you will meet
with thefe, [ have not troubled you with
their characters, or any account of them.

c Ceftrum noQurnum Lin. Dill. elth. t. 152. f. 185.
d Ceftrum diurnum Lin. Dill. elth. t. 154. f. 186.

e Sideroxylon.

* Mangifera Indica Lin.

le There

210

Phlox,

firabilis.

LETTER XVI.

There remain fome fpecious plants to be
noticed, which are commonly cultivated in
flower gardens for their beauty. Such are
all the fpecies of Lychnidea®: which you
will know by their falver-fhaped corolla,
with a bent tube; their filaments of un-
equal length ; their trifid fligma ; their prif-
matic calyx; their three-celled capfule, with
one jecd in each cell. ‘They are perennial
plants ; the corollas of moft of the fpecies are
large, and of a purple colour ; and the leaves
are lance-fhaped. They are the produce of
North America. :

Upon the firft difcovery of the New

World, as America was vauntingly called,’

every thing found there was reprefented as
wonderful. Strange ftories were related of
the plants and animals they met with, and
thofe which were fent to Europe had pom-
pous names given them. One of thefe is
the Marvel of Peru, the only wonder of
which is the variety of colours. in the
flower. It appertains to this clafs and order,
and has the following generic marks—the
corolla is funnel-fhaped, the fligma globofe ;
and there is a globofe neétary inclofing the
germ, which afterwards hardens to a kind
of nut. There are three fpecies: firft, the
common Marvel of Peru", which has io
much variety of colour in the flowers of the
fame plant: thefe are produced plentifully

8 Phlox Linnei. See Mill. fig. 205.
h Mirabilis Jalapa Lin. Blackw. t. 404.
at

PENTAND. MONOG.

at the ends of the branches, and in hot
weather do not open till towards evening ;
but when it is cool covered weather, con-
tinue open the greateft part of the day.
Secondly, that whofe root was fuppofed,
though erroneoully, to yield the jalap’; the
ftalks of this are {wollen at the joints, the
leaves are fmaller, and the flowers fit fingly
clofe in the axils of the leaves : they are not
variable, but all of a purplifh red, and not
much more than half the fize of the others :
the fruit alfo is very rough. In the Weft
Indian Iflands, where it is very common,

they callit four o'clock flower. ‘“Vhirdly, the
long-flowered Marvel of Peru“, whole co-
rollas are white, and have remarkably long
tubes ; they havea mufky odour, and keep
clofe fhut all the day, expanding as the fun
declines: they grow in bunches like the firft
fort, and the feeds are rough like the fecond:

hig differs from both tHe: others in having
weak ftalks that require fome fupport ; and
thefe, with the leaves, are hairy and vifcous.
This fpecies is from Mexico, and has not
been long known.

The Crefted Amaranth belongs alfo to this
place ; it is commonly called Cuck’s comb,
from the form in which the head of flowin
grows. It ranges in the divifion of incom-
plete, inferior flowers: and the generic
characters are—that the exterior calyx con-

i Mirabilis dichotoma Lim. Mart. cent. t. 1.
k Mirabilis longifiora Lin.
Po 3 fils

Celofiae}

212

LETTER XVI,

fifts of three dry, coloured leaves, within
which is a corolla or fecond calyx, confift-
ing of five ftiff, fharp-pointed leaves: that
there is a {mall rim furrounding the germ,
from which the filaments take their rife ;
and that the feed-veffel is a round capfule,
opening horizontally, and containing three
feeds.

There are many fpecies ; but that which
is fo much efteemed for the variety of form
and colours in its finescreft of flowers, is
diftinguifhed by oblong ovate leaves, round
triated peduncles, and oblong fpikes’. The
colours are red, purple, yellow, white,
and variegated ; and fome are like a fine
plume of fcarlet feathers. You mutt
not, however, confound thefe plants with
the Amaranth or Princes Feather, which
you will find in a place far diftant from
this.

One natural order more fhall, if you
pleafe, conclude your labours, and my prate,
for the prefent. It has its name" from
this circumftance: the divifions of the co-
rolla are turned or bent in the fame direction
with the apparent motion of the fun. But,
befides this fingularity, the flowers of this
@rder have a one-leafed calyx divided into
five fegments ; a corolla of one petal; and
a fruit confifling of two veflels, containing

many feeds. In moft of the genera thefe

1 Celofia criftata Lin. m Contorte Lin,
fruits

PENT. MON. Contortæ. 212

fruits are follicles". The corollas in the
greater part are funnel-fhaped, and are fur-
nifhed with a remarkable necfary.

The common Periwincle, which covers Vinca.
the ground, and creeps about the bottoms of
the hedges, in many parts of your planta-
tions, may ferve you very well for an ex-
ample of this order. It has a falver-fhaped
corolla, fucceeded by two erect follicles,
which contain feeds that are called naked or
fimple, to diftinguifh them from thofe of
fome other genera which are winged. You
will obferve alfo that the tube of the corolla
forms a pentagon, at top; nor will it efcape
you, that there are two large fligmas, one
over the other.

Linnzus will not allow that the little
running fort°, and the upright one with
larger flowers P, are diftinét fpecies. With-
out entering into any controverfy on a
matter not eafy to fettle, you know them
afunder not only by their fize, but by the
{talks of the firft lying on the ground, and
the leaves being narrower, and fharp- pointed
towards either eud, that is lance-fhaped,
and on very fhort petioles; whereas the
{talks of the fecond are upright, and will
climb a little, and the leaves are hollow at

n This is a dry feed-veffel, of one cell and one valve;
the feeds lie loofe in a owt ant the fhell opens on one
fide to let them efcape.

° Vinca minor Liz. Curtis, and TET. 26.

b P Vinca major Lin, Curtis, Lond. IV. 19. PI. 12.
ae
pe the

214

Nerium.

L Epis tise R RVI:

the bafe, and ovate, fharper pointed at the
end, aid on longer petioles.

There is a third fort, called Upright Pert-
avincle 4, for which we are obliged to the
Ifland of Madagafcar, and of sole it re-
quires the proteétion of a ftove in our colder
climates. It has a ftiff, upright, branching
ftalk, wocdy at bottom; the leaves are ur

an oblong ovate fhape, fmooth and fuccu-
pe,

lent, and eta pretty clofe to the branches ;

' from the axils of thefe come out the flowers,

on very fhort peduncles, generally fingle,
but fometimes two together: the tube of the
corolla is long and flender, the brim very
flat, the upper furface of a bright crimfon
er peach colour; the under of a pale flefh
colour: and there is a conftant fucceflion of
thefe beautiful flowers from February to
October : the corolla is fometimes white.
The Oleander * is one of the moft beauti-
ful plants of thistribe. The genus has two
erect follicles, like the laft; but the feeds
inclofed in them are downy: there is a fhort
crown alfo terminating the tube of the
corolla cut into narrow fegments, and the
divifions of the corolla are oblique to the
tube. This fhrub grows to the height of
eight or ten feet; the branches come out
by threes from the main ftem; and the
leaves alfo come out by threes from the
branches, on very fhort petioles, point up-

4 Vinca rofea Zin. Mill. fig. 186. Curt magaz. 248,
: Nexium Oleander Aug Figured in Miller’s Weftr.

i war ds,

PENT. MON. Contorie,

wards, are very ftiff, and end in fharp points,
The flowers come out in bunches at the ends
of the branches: the corolla is of a bright
purple, varying to crimfon or white. It
grows wild in feveral countries about the
Mediterranean Sea, but with us is generally
kept in tubs, not being hardy enough to fuf-
tain the feverity of all our winters.

ho

at

But the moit admired of this tribe is the Gardenia,

Cape Fafmine’, which was firft difcovered
near the Cape of Good Hope by the fuperior
fragrancy of its flowers. The divifions of
the calyx are uniform and vertical, and the
feed-veffel is atwo or four-celled berry, be-
low the flower. ‘The branches come out by
pairs, and the leaves are oppofite, clofe to
the branches, of a fhining green, and thick
confiftence : the flowers are produced at the
ends of the branches: the corolla is of one
petal only, but cut into many fegments, of
which it has fometimes three or four rows,
and then it is as large and as double as a
rofe: the anthers are inieried on the tube
without filaments. ‘The colour of the co-
rolla is white, changing as it decays to a
buff-colour ; and the odour is that of Orange-
flowers or Narciffus.

There is another plant of this order of Plumeria:

twifted corollas, called alfo a Ya/inine, with
the addition of Red, but ofa very different
genus from the Jalmines properly fo called.
Plumeria or Red ‘fafmine has two reflex

5 Gardenia florida » Mill. fig. 180.

4. follicles,

216

Cinchona.

fclepiac,

LETTER XVI.

follicles, with the feeds flat, winged, and im-
bricate. ‘There are four or five known
fpecies, all natives of the Spanifh Welt In-
dies, except one, which comes from Senegal.
The fort moft known ‘ has oblong ovate
leaves, with two glands upon the petioles :
it grows to the height of eighteen or twenty
feet ; the ftalks abound with a milky juice,
and towards the top put outa few thick fuc-
culent branches; at the end of which come
out the flowers in clufters, fhaped like thole
of the Oleander; of a pale red colour, and
having an agreeable cdour. Thefe being
never fucceeded by the fruit in our northern

climes, you will not be able to difcern the
generic charaéter.

‘Lhe famous Fefuit’s Bark is oun a tree
of this clafs and order ", approaching in its
characters to the natural tribe of Contorte ;
to which alfo belong fome plants of the
fecond order of this fifth clafs, becaufe they
have two piftils: fuch are the Periplocas,
the Cyranchums, and the numerous genus of
Afclepias, containing twenty-feven fpecies.
Of this lait, you have the common Szwallow-
quort, or Tame poifon *, whofe root is fup-
pofed to be a powerful antidote to poifons :
it has a fhort upright ftalk, ovate leaves
bearded at the bale, white flowers growing

t Plumeria rubra Lin. Catefb. car. 2. g2. Ehret. t, 10.

® Cinchona officinalis Lia.

v Afciepias Vincetoxicum Lin, Fl. dan. 849.
, In

PENTAND. MONOG.

in proliferous umbels “, and each of them
fucceeded by two long, jointed follicles in-
clofing feveral comprefled feeds, crowned
with a foft white down. This is a native
of the fouthern countries of Europe, and is
very hardy. Other fpecies are much larger,
growing to the height of fix or feven feet,
Some creep very much at the root, and be-
come troublefome in a garden. Others
coming from the Cape, or the warm parts
of America, require care and heat to preferve
them. Some have white, others purple,
orange, or red corollas. Some have the
leaves oppoliie ; others have them alternate ;
in fome again they are flat, whilit others
have their edges rolled back. Many of the
forts are very handfome. They all agreein
the following circumftances, which there-
fore form the generic charaîter —that the
fegments of tne corolla are bent back; that
five ovate, hollow nectaries, ending at bot-
tom in a fharp {pur, involve the ftamens and
piftils; and that each flower is fucceeded by
two follicles inclofing many downy feeds.

217

Stapelia is fo remarkable a plant of ‘this Stapelia.

tribe, that 1 muft not cmit mentioning it.

This has a very large wheel-fhaped corolla,

divided beyond the middle into five feg-
ments, which are broad, flat, and fharp-
pointed. The nectary is a double ftar, one
of them furrounding, the other covering

w That is, the large umbels have {mailer ones iffuing
from them;

4 the

LETTER XVI.

the ftamens and piftils. Two follicles, in-
clofing many flat, downy feeds, follow each
flower.

There are three known fpecies, all grow-
ing naturally at the Cape of Good Hope,
and all having fucculent branches, as thick
at leaftas a man’s finger. The three forts
are diftinguifhed by the indentures on the
fides of thefe leaflefs branches; which in
the firft * fpread open horizontally, ending in
acute points; in the fecond Y have their
points erect ; and in the third ? obtufe.

In the firft fpecies the flowers come out
fingly on a fhort peduncle from the fide of
the branches towards the bottom; the co-
rolla is greenifh on the outfide, but yellow
within, having a purple circle round the
nectaries, and”the whole is finely fpotted
with purple, like a frog’s belly. The
branches of the fecond fort are much larger,
and fiand more erect ; they have four longi-
tudinal furrows, and the indentures are on
the ridges between them. The flowers are
much bigger than thofe of the laft, of a
thicker fubftance, and covered with fine
purplith hairs: the ground of it is a greenifh
yellow, fireaked and chequered with pur-
plith lines.

But the great fingularity of thefe plants is
that the flower when fully open has a fetid

x Stapelia variegata Lin. Bradl. fucc. 3. t. 22. Cur-
tis's Mag. 26.

y Sta pelia hirfuta Lin. Mill. fig. 258.

% Sta :pelia mammillaris Lia, ey alten II.

fincll

PENTAND. MONOG. 219

fmeil fo perfely refembling that of carrion,
that the common flefh-fly depofits her eggs
in it, which frequently are hatched into
little worms, but never proceed any farther,
or become flies. A rare inftance this of an
animal miftaking its infting.

Having by this time fufficiently fatigued
you, I leave you, dear coufin, to meditate
on this irregularity in the operations of Na-
ture, and once more heartily bid you adieu,

LET-

220

LE L TER. XAVIER

ON THE OTHER ORDERS OF THE FIFTH
CLASS, PENTANDRIA, DIGYNIA, &c.

May the 1ft, 1774.

AM not furprifed, dear coufin, at your

being folicitous to know what the neétary
is, which I mentioned feveral times in my
laft. But I am not difpofed at prefent to
fatisfy your curiofity any farther, than to
inform you, that it is an appendage to the
corolla, and that there is a juice in it, pro-
bably of ufe to the plant, certainly ferving
for the food of bees, and numberlefs other
infects, It is a perfe&t Proteus, and puts on
a far greater variety of forms than the fon
of Neptune. Another time I may perhaps
enter more deeply. into this matter; but at
prefent we will go firaight on our way.

You will have great pleafure when I in-
form you, that the fecond order of the fifth
clafs : is almoft whe made up of the Um-
bellate tribe of plants’, which you are al-
ready fo well acquainted with: there are
however fome, which the circumftances of
having five flamens and two piftils bring
into the fame divifion of the arbitrary fyf-

2 Pentandria Digynia Li. b See Letter V.
tem,

PENTAND. DIGYN.

tem, though they are not naturally related

to them. A few of thefe we will examine,
before we enter into a detail of the Umbel-
late tribe.

Many of them have incomplete flowers,
or are deficient‘in the corolla; and may be
found among the Oleraccous plants in the
natural orders of Linnæus, by other authors
called Apetalous.

221

Such are all the Goofefoots, of which there Chenopo-
are no lefs than: twenty. fpecies, moft of“

them growing common on dunghills, and
in waite places, and having no beauty to
attract your notice. They are known by
their five-leaved, five-cornered, calyx, in-
clofing one round, flattifh feed; fhaped like
a lens. One of the moft refpectable fpecies
is the Exglij/h Mercury or Allgood *, grow-
ing frequently in wafte places, and by walls
and way-fides, and cultivated in fome places
as a fubftitute to Spinach. The leaves of this
aretri angular, quite entire, waving, and hav-
ing the under furface covered with a kind
of meal; the flowers grow in compound
{pikes, which are deftitute of leaves, and
{pring from the axils.

Beet is very nearly allied to thefe in its Beta,

characters ; but it is diftinguifhed by having
a kidney-fhaped feed, wrapped up in the
fubftance of the calyx. In its wild ftate,
on the fea-coaft, and in falt marfhes 4,

© Chenopodium Bonus Henricus Lin. Curtis, Lond.
Ill. 17. Ger. 32. d Beta maritima Lin.

it

222

Sal fola,

EETTER XVII.

it has two flowers coming out together; —
the ftalks are weak, and lie moftly on the
ground; the leaves are triangular and oblique
or vertical ; the divifions of the calyx are
equal and not toothed at bottom, and it
flowers the firft year of its rifing from feed.
The garden fort * has many flowers coming
out together, the ftalks ere@, the leaves
oblong, lance-fhaped, thick, and fucculent ;
the divifions of the calyx are toothed at the
bafe, and it does not flower till the fecond
year.

It fometimes has pale green leaves, and
{mall roots ; fometimes dark red, or purple
leaves, with large purple roots fhaped like a
carrot; but thefe are not generally fuppofed
to be diftiné fpecies.

The Glaffworts are alfo of this Oleraceous
tribe. They are diflinguifhed by having a
large feed, fpiral like a fcrew, covered with
a kind of caplule which is wrapped up in
the calyx. There is one fort that grows
wild in the falt marfhes §, which has an
herbaceous ftalk that lies on the ground;
awl-fhaped, rough-leaves terminating in
fpines ; the calyxes edged, and fitting clofe
in the axils, and a trifid ftyle.

Another fort, which grows wild in
warmer countries ®, has alfo herbaceous

e Beta vulgaris Lin.

f Salfola Kali Lin. XI dan. 818. Mor. hift. 3. 5. t.
FER LE P

8 Salfola Soda Lin. Jacq hort. t. 68.

fpreading

PENTAND. DIGYN. 223

fpreading ftems; but it is a much larger
plant than the other, and the leaves have
no fpines. Thefe or any of the forts yield
the cauftic alkaline falt, which is fo ne-
ceflary in that moft elegant and ufeful manu-
facture of glafs; but this is the fort gene-
rally ufed.

The Globe Amaranth” is of this clafs and Gom-
order. Its fine round head is compofed of PM
many flowers which have a large, boat-
fhaped, flat, coloured calyx, of two leaves ;
a corolla divided into five rude, villous feg-
ments; a cylindric neétary, divided into
five parts at top; a ftyle cut half way into
two; and a capfule opening horizontally,
and containing one feed. India is its native
country; the ftalk is erect and annual; the
leaves are lance-fhaped, as are the branches
and peduncles, which are long and naked,
except that a pair of fhort leaves grows.
clofe under each head of flowers, which
always comes out fingle. The calyx and
corolla, being dry and chaily, will retain
their colour feveral years, and hence their
name of Amaranth ox incorruptible. Bright
purple is the ufual colour, but fometimes
the heads are brilliant white, or filver-
coloured. The name muft not lead you to
fuppoie this, any more than the crefled
Amaranth, to be of the fame kind with the
true Amaranth ',

h Gomphrena globofa Lin, Mill. fig. pl. 21.
“See Letter XXVIII.
x When

224

Ulmus.

Gentiana,

LETT HK! RV

When you are told that the E/# is of the
fame clafs and order, and alfo oneof the in-
complete tribe, as having no corolla, you will
probably reflect that an artificial fyftem is
very different from a natural arrangement :
and in this you are not miftaken ; but then
you muft confider that an artificial fyftem
is the only one that can enable you to find
out the genera and fpecies of plants, which
is the art | propofe to inftru@ youin. Few
perfons know that the Elm has any flower,
becaufe it is inconfiderable in fize and ap-
pearance, and comes out in an early incle-
ment feafon: however, this tree in reality
abounds in flowers, before the leaves make
their appearance. They have no corolla,
but a quinquefid calyx: the flower quickly
pafles, and is fucceeded by onéfeed covered
and furrounded by a flat membrane. The
different forts, known by the names of
Rough Witch Elm, Smooth-leaved Witch Elin,
Witch Hazel, Englijb Elm, Dutch Elm, Up-
right Elm, &c. are fuppofed to be varieties
of one fpecies * ; and all have doubly-fer-
rated leaves, unequal at the bafe.

The Gentians are alfo of this clafs and
order, and of that fubdivifion which has
monopetalous inferior corollas. They are
diflinguifhed from the other genera of this
fubdivifion by the capfule, which is ob-
long, round, and fharp-pointed'; has one

k Ulmus campeftris Lin. Duham. t. 108. Hunter’s
Evel. Silva, p. 114. |

cell,

PENTAND. DIGYN.

cell, opens by two valves; and has two
receptacles on the infide, each adhering
lengthwife to one of the valves. The form
of the fruit is conflant ; whereas the figure
and number of parts in the flower vary in
the different fpecies, which are numerous !,

. Great part of the fkill and fagacity of the

botanift confifts in feizing thofe parts which
are conftant in all the fpecies, for the ge-
neric characters, and in this confifts the
great merit of Linnzus; writers before him
having either taken all parts indifcrimi-
nately, or elfe the fame part invariably for
this purpofe.

This fpecies have either four or five pe-
tals, and the latter have either funnel-

fhaped corollas, or elfe approaching to bell-

fhaped; hence a threefold divifion of the
genus.

The principal of the pas is the Great
Yellow Gentian™, which has a fingle ftalk,
three feet high, covered with leaves that
are large, ovate, marked underneath with
nerves meeting at the tip; the lower ones
petiolate, the upper feflile, There is but
one flower to a peduncle, but they grow

round the ftalk in whorls: the calyx re-

. fembles a double fpathe: the corolla is

rotate, cut into five feements®: the colour
? Oo 2

yellow irregularly dotted. The root is very

1 Thirty-nine.
m Gentiana lutea Zin. Mill. fig. 139. 2.
a Si ing fometimes as far as eight.

>: large,

225

13
to
CN

Chlora,

LETTER XVIt

Jarge, and remarkably bitter ; it communi-
cates ithe bitternefs fo much to the whole

plant, that it remains always untouched by |

the cattle in the mountainous paftures | of
Germany and Switzerland, where it grows
naturally.

The Lefer Centaury* is of this genus,
and is diltinguifhed by its dichotomous
ftalk, and its funnel-fhaped corollas divided
into five fegments: they are of a bright
purple colour, but often fade to white.
This plant is annual, and varies much in
height according to the foil, from three or
four inches to a foot. This is extremely
bitter as well as the other.

‘There are feveral beautiful little Gen-
tians, with flowers of the fineft blue that
can be imagined, growing wild in the Alps.
One of them is frequently cultivated in

gardens, under the name of Gentianella’,

and is fingular for having its fine bell-fhaped
azure flowers larger than the whole plant
befides.

Yellow Centaury is alfo naturally of this
genus; but has been removed to the eighth

clafs ; “Ati with 1H Me Or Blackfonia, and —

now under that of Chlora.
But methinks you are languifhing to.be

© Gentiana Centaurium Zin. Chironia Centaurium,
Curtis, Lond. 1V. 22.

p Gentiana Acaulis Lin. Jacquin auftr. 2. t. 135+
Curt. Magaz, 52.

q Chlora perfoliata ka See Letter XIX.

FT, =

UMBELLAT &,

Sn ground you are better acquainted with.
And indeed you are already fo well verfed
in the nature of the umbellate tribe, that I
am perfuaded you will find little difficulty in

_ determining the genera and {pecies. Many
of them are very generally known, either
for their ufe in medicine or the kitchen,

_ or elfe for their poifonous qualities. Mott
of thofe which grow on dry foils have
roots that have an aromatic pungent fmell
and tafte; whilft thofe which grow in moift
places or in the water, as many of them do,
are in a greater or lefs degree poifonous.

You have long fince been able to diftin-
guifh true Parfley and Chervil from Fool’s
Pariley". There is another wild plant that
grows upon banks and by way-fides, called
Hemlock-Chérvils, which has been mif-
taken for Gardeñ-Chervilt, and has pro-
duced bad effe&s when put into foups : it
is not however fo dangerous, becaufe it
does not grow wild in gardens, and we
muft go out of our way to poifon ourfelves:
On another account however it is more dan-

“ gerous, becaufe it is not only of the fame
divifion, as having partial involucres only,
but alfo of the fame genus; and therefore
liable to be miftaken for the true Chervil,
“even when in flower, which Fools-Parfley

r See Letter V.
s Scandix Anthrifcus Lin. Curtis, Lond. I. 19. Fl.
tuft. t. 75. |
© Scandix Cerefolium Lin. Jacquin auftr. 4. t. 390.
mComipare Pl, 13.f. 2. S@Pl.s. f. 3.
FA Q 2 cannot

i,

,
à

to

NI

Scandix.

SIUMo

LETTER XVilIe

cannot be. They have both a radiate co-
roila, petals notched at the end, the flowers
in the middle often incomplete and produ-
cing no feed, andthe fruits of an oblong
fhape. However, notwithftanding all this
fimilitude of character, they are eafily to be
difinguifhed ‘both in and out of flower.
Hemlock-Chervil is a much lower plant;
the ftalks are {mooth indeed, and the leaves
finely cut, but they are hairy, the divifions |
much fmaller and clofely placed, and the
green.much deeper than in Garden-Chervil ;
the corollas alfo are uniform, the feeds
ovate, and very rough. Garden-Chervil is
a tall, genteel, fmooth plant; the umbels
come out on the fides of the branches, and
fit clofe to them; and the feeds are long,
narrow, and fhining. After all, I am per-
fuaded that when you have an opportunity
of comparing thele two plants together, as |
you eafily may, the gardener furnifhing :

you with one, and the other being fo com-
mon in a wild ftate, you will wonder that
any perfon fhould ever have confounded
them. Here you fee we have an inftance
of an umbellate plant growing on dry land,
that is poifonous; you are nct therefore to
conclude that all thefe are wholefome, any
more than that every water fpecies is
poifonous.

We have another inftance of fatal .confu-
fion, not in two plants of this tribe, but in
one of this with another of a different clafs; |

, . namely, ff

.-

UMBELLAT &.

mamely, of the Creeping Water Parfucp"
with Water Crefs*, which belongs to the
cruciform flowers. You are fo well mif-
trefs of beth tribes, that it is impoflible you
fhould miftake them when in flower; but

this is not the time when Water-Crefles

are eaten, and this plant is fo different in
its flowering ftate, that I am perfuaded an

-eater of it would think himfelf impofed

upon, if he were then fhewn it for Water-

Crefles. When they are both young they

are really not unlike; and fince they fre-
quently grow together, the one may fome-
times be gathered for the other; though 1
muft confefs that I have not met with the
miftake more than twice, and that only in
a fingle piece among a confiderable quan-
tity: however, the leaves of Water Parf-
nep are of a light green; the finall leaves
compofing the whole winged or pinnate
leaf are longer and narrower, ferrated on
the edges, and pointed at the end ; whereas
thofe of Water-Crefles have a tincture of
brown upon them, the leaflets are roundith,
and particularly the odd one at the end is
very large and blunt, and they are none of
them regularly ferrated, but have only a
few indentures on their edges.

uSium nodiflorum Liz. Fl. dan. t. 247. Mor. hift.
HO test, 3. |

v Sifymbrium Nafturtium Liz. Fl. ‘dan. t. 690.
Mor. hift. f. 3. t. 4. f. 8. Ger. 257. 5. Compare PI.

13. f. 1. with PI, 21.
! Q 3 the

Conium.

LETTER XVII,

The charaéters by which you will know
the Water-Parfnep when in flower are thefe:
—it has both an univerfal and partial in-
volucre, the flowers are all fertile, the pe-
tals are heart-fhaped, and the feeds are
ovate and fireaked. This {pecies is dil-
tinguifhed from the others by its pinnate
leaves, and the umbels of flowers fitting
clofe to the ftem, in the axils.

Another poifonous herb of great fame is
the Hemlock*: A tall plant, three fect
high and more, eafily known by its purple-
fpotted ftalk. It has both involucres, the
univerfal of three, four, five, or feven
broadifh reflexed leaves; the partial of three
or four broad leaves only, on one fide of
the umbel; both very fhort. The flowers
are all fertile, irregular without, regular
within: the petals heart-fhaped. The fruit
is almoft {pherical, marked with five notched
ridges. The common fpecies is diftin-
guifhed by its fmooth ftreaked feeds. The
leaves are large, abundant, of a dark green
but fhining, triply pinnate, with the laft
divifions obtufely indented; it has many
umbels of white flowers, with numerous
{preading rays. It grows wild on ditch
banks, in fhady lanes, about dunghills and
church-yards ; and is a biennial plant.

The waters afford other poifonous herbs,

wConium maculatum Lia. Curtis, Lond. I. 17.
Ger. 1061.
as

?
}
FE
“1.
*

UMBELL AT ZE.

t>
G>
et

‘
as Water-Hemlock *, Long-leaved Water-
Flemlock x, Hemlock Water Dropwort+, and

Common Water Dropwort*: but let us quit

_ thefe ill-omened plants, and proceed to others

more innocent, and more within your reach.

Two umbellate plants you will be fure Chero-
to find under every hedge, called Wild Cher- phylum,
vil> and Rough Chervil<: they are both of
the fame genus, but of a different genus
from Garden Chervil. They have partial,
but no univerfal involucres: thefe are of five
leaves, concave and bent back; fome flow-
ers in the middle drop without leaving
feeds; the petals are bent in and heart-
fhaped; and the fruit is oblong and fmooth,

The firft, vulgarly called Cow-weed or Cow-
parfley, has a fmooth ftreaked ftalk, and
the joints fwelling but a littl. The fecond
has a rough ftalk, and the joints more tu-
mid. The firft is remarkably leafy, and
the leaves very large, and generally fmooth,
except the nerves. The fecond has hairy

xPhellandrium aquaticum Lia. Mor. hift. fo. t. 7.
fine) Ger 1663.2: .

y Cicuta virofa Lin. Fl. dan. 208. Mor. hitt. f. 0.
fe 5k. 4. Ger. 2664. |

z Oenanthe crecata Lin. Philof. Tranfact. for 1747.
Ger. 1059. 4.

a Oenanthe fiftulofa Zin, Fl. dan. 846. , Mor. hilt.
Too. tu7et.9.. Ger, 1060.

b Cherophyllum fylveftre Liz. Curtis, Lond. IV.
25- Mor. hit.t.11.f. 5. Fl. ruft.t. 96. |

¢ Chærophyllum temulum Lm. Curt. Lond. n. 61.
Mor. hift. t. 10. f, 7. Ger. 1038. 2.

Q 4 “leaves,

Daucus.

LETTER XvII.

leaves, not fo large, nor fo much divided ;

the umbels ufually nod, and the feeds are
deeply ftreaked. Both fometimes have a
leaf at the origin of the univerfal umbel :
both have a firong fmell, and approach in
their qualities to the forementioned plants,
but not enough to denominate them poi-
fonous. |

Some of this tribe are fo generally ufed in
food, that they are univer{ally known, and
therefore it feems impertinent to fay any
thing to you about them ; and yet you may
have eaten the roots of Carrots and Parfneps,
the ftalks of Angelica, Celeri and Finochia,
the leaves of Pariley, Fennel, and Sampire,
the feeds of Goriander and Carraways, with-
out knowing one of the plants when they
are prefented to you. However, when
you meet with any of thefe in flower, you
afcribe them immediately to the umbellate
tribe. Carrot, Sampire, and Angelica, range
among thofe which have both involucres ;
Coriander has a partial involucre only ; and
the reft have neither one nor the other.
Carrot has a large winged involucre: fome
flowers in the middle drop without feed, and
the fruit is ftiff with brifiles ‘The outer
flowers are very irregular: and the whole
umbel, as it approaches a ftate of maturity,
takes a hollow form, very like a bird’s neft.

d Daucus Carota Lin. In the cultivated fort all the
flowers are fertile. Fl. dan. 723. Mor. umb. t. 2. Ger,
1028. Fl. ruft. t. 82.

3 The

UMBELLATS. 232

The leaves are rough and hairy. The gar-
den Carrot differs little from the wild one,
but in the fize and tendernefs of the root.
Sampire . has the umbel not flat, or hol-Crith-
low like the laft, but hemifpherical, the ‘aay

' flowers all alike and fertile, the petals flat
3 p 3

the fruit ovate, flatted. The ftalks are fuc- .
culent, the leaves pinnate, compofed of three
or five divifions, each of which has three or
five {mall, thick, lance-fhaped leaves; the
corollas are yellow. ‘This herb {trikes its
roots deep into the crevices of the rocks, and
hangs down: growing chiefly in places difh-
cult of accefs, the herb-gatherers are tempt-
ed to fubftitute another plant', which they
obtain’ without trouble on the beach, but
which has none of the warm, aromatic qua-
lity of the Sampire. Thofe who live on the
eaft coaft muft wonder what is meant by
calling the occupation of à Sampire-gatherer,
dangerous trade, when they obtain it walk-
ing at their eafe on the flat fandy fhore.
But theirs is a roundifh, jointed, taftelefs
ftalk, with a tough ftring running through
the middle of it’, inftead of a flat leaf, with
apungent tafte. This Marfh Sampire ranges
in the firft order of the firft clafs, and. is
burnt to make kelp for the glafs-works.

eCrithmum maritimum Lin, Jacqu. hort. 2. 187.
Ger. 533. 1.

f Inula crithmoides Lin. Golden Sampire.

8 Salicornia europa Lin. Marfh Sampire, called
ao Jointed Glaflwort or Saltwort. Fl. dan. 393.

Blaçkw. 508.
Here

Angelica,

LETTER XVII,

Flere you fee what confufion of names we
have again, and how difficult it muft be to
obtain the plant you want, without know-
ing fomething more of it thanthe name. It
is generally true of objects much in requeft,
that where people have them not, they
fubftitute others, to which they give the
fame title, whether they have the fame qua-
lities or no; by which, if they do not injure
themfelves or their neighbours, they at leaft
miflead the incautious and unexperienced
naturalift,

Angelica has large globofe umbels, all the
flowers in them are regular and fertile, the
petals are inflex, or bent upwards at the end ;
the fruit is roundifh, cornered, or furrowed,
and terminated with two reflex ftyles.

The cultivated® and wild! Angelica are
allowed on all hands to be diftinét fpecies.
They have both pinnate leaves; but the
firft has the odd lobe at the end divided
generally into three parts; the fecond has
all the leaflets equal, lance-fhaped, and fer-
rated about the edges. The firft is a much
larger plant in all refpeëts, the leaflets
broader, rather ovate than lance-fhaped,
and the corollas greenifh : the fecond has a
thinner and lefs fucculent ftem, {carcely

h Angelica Archangelica Lin. Fl. dan. t. 206. Ger.
999. I.

i Angelica fylveftris Lin. Mor. hift. f 9, t. 3. f. 2.
Ger. 999. 2.

any

ls UMBELLAT SA. 235

any univerfal involucre, and the corollas
tinged with red.

Clin Ter k has no proper univerfal invo- Corian,
lucre, though there be fometimes one leaf, drum.
as in the Wild Angelica; the partial one con-
fifts of three leaves, and is fhort. The
flowers in the middle produce no feed; the
petals are bent inwards, and heart-fhaped ;
the outer ones large. The fruit is {pheri-
cal, as you know. The calyx of each
little Mower is more evident in this than in
the other umbellate plants. ‘The divifions
of the leaves next the ground are broad;
thofe of the upper ones narrow: they and
the whole plant are fmooth, and have a
ftrong rank {mell, like bugs.

Parfnep" has all the flowers fertile and Paftinaca,
recular, the petals entire, and bent inwards ;
the fruit oblong, flatted, and furrounded
with a membrane. “The tes are fimply
pinnate. The garden Parfnep differs not
fpécifically from the wild, which has hairy
leaves, whereas thofe of the firft are fmooth;
but {moothnefs is a common effect of cul-
ture. The cultivated plant is alfo of courfe
much larger, and the roots fucculent and
efculent: both have yellow corollas.

Fennel has likewife all the flowers fer- ,

nethum.
tile and regular; and the petals entire and

| k,Coriandrum fativum Lin. Blackw. 176. Ger. 1012.
‘i 1 Paftinaca fativa Lin. Ger. 1025. F1. ruft. t. 83.

+ mAnethum Feeniculum Liz. Mill. illuftr. Morif.
mm. f. Get. 24. 1. Ger. 1032.

bent

to
Gs
CN

Carum.

Apium.

LETTER XVII.

bent inwards, as in the laft: the’ fruit is
nearly ovate, flatted, and ftreaked. Dill *,
which is alfo of this genus, has the fruit
furrounded with a membrane, and more
flatted than that of Fennel. Sweet Fennel
is but a variety of the common fort, though
the lobes of the leaves are longer, more
flender, and not fo denfe as in that ; the feeds
are longer and much {weeter. Finochia is
probably another variety, though a much
humbler plant, {welling much in breadth
and thicknefs juft above the ground. The
leaves of all thefe are very finely cut.

Carraway ° has no proper involucre, but
a fingle leaf at the origin of the univerfal
umbel ; the middle flowers fall without feed ;
the petals are keeled, bent inwards, and
notched at the end; the feeds are of an ob-
long ovate form, and ftreaked.

Parfley ® and Smallage, or Celeri À, are of
the fame genus. They have a fort of invo-
lucre, generally of one leaf ; all the flowers
fertile ; the petals equal, and bent inwards ;
the fruit fmall, ovate, and ftreaked. They
have both winged leaves, with the leaflets
linear on the ftalk in Parfley, wedge-fhaped
in Smallage, of which Celeri is only an im-
provement from warmer countries. Our
wild Smallage however, which is common

n Anethum graveolens Liz. Ger. 1033.

© Carum Carui Lin. Mor. umb. t. 8. Ger. 1034. Fl.
ruft. ft. 56.

P Apium Petrofelinum Lin. PI. 5. f.1. Ger. ro13.

q Apium graveolens Linaei. Fl. dan. 790. Morit.
t. où f. 8. Ger. 1014+

by

UMBELLATÆ. 239

by ditches and brooks, cannot be rendered
eiculent by culture.

Earth-nut or Pig-nut', whofe roots are Bunium:
like a fmall potato and eatable, has both in-
volucres, the lefler ones narrow as a hair ;
the flowers in a clofe umbel, all fertile ; the
corollas regular, with heart-fhaped petals ;
and the fruit ovate. It grows, not uncom-
monly, wild on dry pattures.

Ferula ‘, in the dry ftalk of which Prome- Ferula.
theus brought fire from heaven, has both
involucres ; all the flowers fertile, the petals
heart-fhaped; the fruit oval, flat, and
marked with three ftreaks on each fide. It
is fo lofty and large a plant as to have ac-
quired the name of Fennel-giant : the lower
leaves fpread two feet, and are fubdivided
into very Jong, narrow, {imple leaflets ; the
ftalk is hollow, jointed, and will grow ten or
tweive feet high: when thefe are dry they
have a light dry pith, which readily takes
fire ; and the people of Sicily ufe it as tinder.

It is a fpecies of Ferula that produces the
Affa fetida*.

Cow- Parfncp* is avery large plant, though Heiacle-
not fo gigantic asthe laft. It has two in-%™
volucres ; but as they are very apt to drop
off, you may eafily be deceived in that re-
fpect, The corolla is very irregular, bent in

r Bunium Bulbocaftanum Lin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 24.
Ger. 1064.1, 2. ‘There isa {maller and a greater fort.

* Ferula communis Liz. Ger. 1056.

t Ferula Affa foetida Lim. Kempf. amoen. t. 536.

ett Sphondylium Lin. Mor. hift. f. g. t. 16.

. Ger. 1000,
and

Rhus.

LE PTER OXV ET:

and notched. The fruit is ovate, notched;
flatted, ftreaked, and with a membrane
round: the edge.. In moft of the fpecies,
the middle flowers fall feedlefs; but in our
common one ali the flowers are fertile: the
leaves are winged, and the lobes pinnatifid,
This plant grows common in meadows and
paitures. |

Shepherd’ s-needie or Venus's-comb * is re-

markable for long proceffes or beaks termi-
nating the feeds, and giving it the appear-
ance of Géranium, when in fruit. It is of
the fame genus with Chervil, and is a com-
mon weed among corn. But of thefe um-
bellate plants enough.

Of the third order of this fifth clafs we
have feveral trees and fhrubs; asthe Var-
nifh-trees and Sumach, Wayfaring-trees and
Lauruflinus, Caffines, Elder, Bladder-nut,
&c. The firft are known by their for
flowers, their five-leaved calyx, their co-
rolla of five petals, and their berry with one
feed in it.

_ Virginian Sumach “ is common among
your fhrubs, and known to you by the
young branches being covered with a velvet-

like down, refembling both in colour and

texture a ftag’s horn. when firft budding :

the branches are crooked and deformed ; the
leaves are winged, with fix or feven pair of
lance-fhaped lobes, fharply ferrated, and

Y Sandi Peéten Lin. Curt. Lond. V.21. Mor.
hift. Lo: 11. £1. Gepowodo. TA PI regina
w Rhus typhinum Lin, Duhamel.
nappy

D
1

PENTAND. 3, 4, 5.

nappy beneath. The flowers are produced
in clofe tufts at the ends of the branches,

_and are followed by feeds inclofed in purple,

woolly, fucculent covers, which give them
their autumnal hue, aed the pa fade
hirit to purple and then to feuillemort co-
jour. \
KL rad -tree *, Mar/b-elder ¥, and Lau- V
ruftinus *, are all of one genus ; having fupe-
rior once a five-leaved calyx, a corolla
divided into five fegments, and a berry in-
cloiing one feed,

The fir has heart-fhaped leaves very
much veined, ferrated about the edges, and

white underneath. The fecond has lobed

leaves, with glands upon the petioles; the

flowers round the outfide of the cyme are

barren, with the coroilas much larger than
the others. The Gelder Rofe is a PRET
able variety of this, with the Howers grow-
ing in a ball, and every one of them barren.
The third bias the leaves ovate, and entire,
with the veins underneath villous: this is
an ever-green.

The fourth order is a very {mall one,
comprifing only two genera; of which Par-
naffia = is one. ‘This grows wild in wet

x Viburnum Lantana Lin. Duhamel, t. 103. Ger.
1490.

¥ Viburnum Opulus Zir. F1. dan. 661. Duham. t.
UB eeaer. LATE. Le

z Viburnum Tinus Liv. Curt. Magaz. 38.

4 Mill. illuftr. F1 dan. 584. Ger. 840. 1. Engl.

Bot. t. 82.
meadows,

Vibur-
num.

Parnafiia.

240

Statice,

Linum.

LE TIRER, XVI

meadows, and on the borders of marfhes,
but not very common. It is eafily known.
by its calyx divided into five parts ; its co-
rolla of five petals; five heart-fhaped nec-
tarics, furnifhed with hairs, upon the top
of which are little balls ; a large ovate germ,
without any ftyle; but four ftigmas; and a

capfule of one cell and four valves. It has :

a fingle ftalk, with one heart-fhaped leaf on
it, embracing the ftalk, and one flower only ;
the corolla is white.

Of the fifth order, Pentagynia, is Thrift,
Flax, &c. Thrift” has the calyx of one
leaf, entire, plaited and dry, like chaff ;
corolla of five petals ; and one feed Spied
with the calyx. Thefe are the characters
of the genus, which has twenty-two fpecies.
Common Thrift has a threefold involucre or
common calyx, and the flowers growing in
a round head, upon the top of a naked ftalk;
the leaves, which form a clofe tuft near the
ground, are linear. The corollas are red, of
different fhades, from pale flefh colour to
bricht fcarlet; varieties occafioned by foil
and fituation ; for this plant is found both
on falt marfhes and mountains. Thrift was

much ufed formerly for edging the borders

in flower gardens, but it is now almoft en-
tirely out of date.

Flax has alfo a corolla of fix petals; but
the calyx is five-leaved, and the capfule

bh: Statice Arrneti TRE 602. Statice Limo-
nium, Engl. Bot. t. 102. .
€ Scariofe.
opens

— ae

PENTAND. 3, 4, &.

opens by five valves, having ten cells within,
in each of which is one feed. There are no
lefs than twenty-two fpecies of Flax: that
whofe ufe is fo extenfive % is diftinguithed
_ from the reft by the calyx and capfule being
pointed, the petals being notched, the leaves
lance-fhaped, and alternate upon the ftem,
and the ftalk unbranched. On the top of
this are four or five flowers, with beautiful
blue corollas, very apt to fall off It isan
annual plant, about a foot and half high, in
the fields. Inthe garden it will grow fix
inches higher, and branch a little where it
ftands detached. ~

Both the ufe and beauty of Flax will in-
tereft you ; fo I leave you with this impref-
fion, and bid you once more adieu.

4 Linum uftatifimum Lin. Curtis, Lond. V. 22,
Mor. hift. f. 5. t. 26. f.1. Ger. 556. à

R LET-

41

24

i

LETTER XVII.

THE CLASS HEXANDRIA.

May the 15th, 1775.

E are returned, dear coufin, to the
point from which we firft fet out ©;

the liliaceous tribe of plants being included
in the firft order of the fixth clafs, in the
Syftem of Linnzus. Thefe fuperb and beau-
tiful flowers have gained fo much on the
efteem of the curious in Europe, that they
have {pared neither trouble in fetching them
from the fartheft parts of the Kaft, nor ex-
pence in cultivating them athome. Hence
they are fo generally known, that perfons
not at all veried in Botany readily find them
to be of the fame family. You certainly are
at no lofs to determine their general relation
and analogy, from the hints which were
thrown out in the firft letter, and the ex-
perience you have fince acquired. It re-
mains therefore only to be acquainted with
their generic and fpecific characters; to
which end I fhall prefent you with fome
that may be moft within your reach: were
I to fet every liliaceous plant before you, the
beauty of which merits your attention, E

e See Letter I,

fhould

\

HEXAND. LILIACEÆ. 243

fhould almoft exhauft the tribe. Two cau-
tions you are to obferve: firft, that the
whole liliaceous tribe is not confined to the
clafs. Hexandria ‘, though the far greater
partof it is; fecondly, that other plants, few
indeed in number 8, are to be found in the
fame order.

You remember that the Lily had no
calyx ; you are not however to fuppofe that
the whole tiibe is deftitute of this import-
ant part of the flower. It is a circumftance
that occafions:a threefold fubdivifion of the
‘order, into fuch as have a calyx; fuch as
have a fpathe or fheath, covering the co-
rolla whilft a bud, but torn and forfaken
by the corolla when, it. is expanded; and
laftiy, fuch as have the corolla quite naked.

You would not perhaps have fuipected at Bromclia,
firft fight that the Azanas or Pine. Apple is
of this tribe. It is almoft the only genus
capable of mifleading you. The dower has
a trihd, fuperior calyx, a corolla of three
petals, a fcale faftened to the bafe of each
petal; the fruit is a fort of berry. The
ipecies * is diftinguifhed by its long, nar-
row, pointed leaves, like thofe of -Aloes,
ferrated on the edges, and fet with tender

f See Letter XIV.

8 Eighteen genera out of 65. The whole clafs has
eighty-one genera and four hundred and feventy-three
fpecies.

h Bromelia Ananas Linnei. Comm. hor. 1. t. 57
Trew Ehret. t. 2.

R2 fpines;

Tradef.

eantia.

Galan-
thus.

LETTER XVIII.

{pines ; and by the fruit being terminated
with a bufh of leaves, commonly called the
crown, which being planted takes root,
and produces another fruit. There are dif-
ferences in the fruit, proper to be remarked
by thofe who cultivate this luxury ; but they
are no more than varieties of the fame
fpecies, and therefore do not concern us as
Botanifts.

Tradefcantia, or Virginian Spider wort i, is
another of the liliaceous tribe furnifhed with
a calyx, which in this is three-leaved ; the
corolla alfo has three petals, and the capfule
has three cells. It is remarkable for having
the filaments fringed with purple jointed
hairs, “The fpecies common in gardens is
dittinguifhed from® feven’ others, by its
{mooth, erect flalk, and by the flowers grow-
ing in clufters at the top of at.) hefe are
of a fine purple, and blow in fueceffion moft
part of the fummer, though each flower
continues open but a day.! From the num-
ber of parts in the frudtification, and its
enfiform leaves, this plant will range in the
fame natural order with //75 and its con-
geners À, :

Of thofe which have a /pathe or fheath
inftead of a calyx, there is the modeft, the

‘humble, the early Suow-drop' ; that comes

i Tradefcantia Virginica Lin. Mor. hit. f. rg. t. 2.
f.4. Curt. Mag. 105... PL 74. f. 1.
k Called Enfate by Linngus. See Letter XIV.
1 Galanthus nivalis Lin, Jacq. auftr. 4. 313. Ger..
147. Park. parad. 107.
one

‘4 Milton has made poetical ufe of this cup:

HEXAND. LILIACES.

one of the firftof the year to falute us, and,
no lefs white than the {now itfelf, is fre-
quently covered by it. This is diftinguifhed
by its fuperior corolla of fix petals, of which
the three inner ones are fhorter by half than

the others, and notched at the end. Thefe

are fuppofed to be the neétary. More needs
not to be faid of a flower fo univerfally
known.

Narcifus is another of this divifion.
There are many fpecies, all united by thele
characters: a fuperior corolla of fix equal
petals, and a funnel-fhaped neétary, of one
piece, within which are the ftamens. ‘The
moft known fpecies are the common white
Norciffus ™, the Daffodil ®, the Polyanihus
Narcijfus°, and the Fonuguil?, The frft
and fecond, in a natural ftate, have only
one flower burfting from the fame fheath ;
the third and fourth have feveral: the firft
has the nectary or cup in the middle of the
flower, wheel-fhaped, very fhort, chatty,
and a little notched at the edge: the fe-
cond has a large, erect, curled, bell-fhaped
cup‘, fometimes as long as the ovate petals
of the corolla: the third has a bell-fhaped,

| plaited

m Narciflus poeticus Liz. Ger. 124. 7. Park. parad.

, 107 I

bre af |
4 Narciflus Pfeudonarciflus Lin. Ger. 133. 2.

© Narciflus Tazetta Lin. Pl. 14. f. 2. of this work.
P Narciflus Jonquilla Lin. Curtis, Bot. Mag. 15.

‘6 And Daffodillies fill their cups with tears
+66 To ftrew the laureate hearfe where Lycid lies.””
| Shakfpeare

245

Narciffus.

Amaryl-

LET TE R VII,

plaited cup, truncate at the end, and one
third of the length of the petals; this has
flat leaves, whereas the fourth has them
fubulate, long, and narrow, like a ruth;
this alfo has a fhort bell-fhaped cup. The
efteem in which thefe flowers have been
always held, is the occafion that a great
number of beautiful varieties have been
produced from the plain fimple parents.
The Dutch catalogues have no lefs than
thirty varieties of Polyanthus Narciffus :
and in the other three the cup is entirely
changed into petals by culture. ‘The pe-
tals of the firft are white, and the cup yel-
low: the petals of the fecond are naturally
pale brimftone, and the cup yellow: the
etais of the third are either white or yel-
low, with orange-coloured cups; and the
fourth is all yellow.

There is no genus of plants in the whole

round of vegetable nature more fuperb in

its flowers than the beautiful maryllis :
known by its fuperior, bell-fhaped corolla
of fix petals ; its ftamens of unequal length;
and its trifid ftigma. Befides feveral other
{pecies, either lefs obvious, or lefs beauti-

ful", you will find here the ‘acobea

Shakfpeare informs us of the early appearance of
this flower :——

“ The Daffodil
4¢ That comes before the fwallow dares, and takes
«¢ The winds of March.’ ;
r A, vittata. Curt. Magaz. 129.—A. crifpa, figured
by John Miller ia his 8th Plate, — A, Atramafco. Curt.
Magaz. 239.

3 Lily,

ee

BihhI À CE ZX.

Lily”, which produces but one, or at moft
two, of its large, deep-red flowers, from
the fame fheath; the three under-petals are
larger than the others, and with the flamens
and piftil are bent downwards: the whole
flower ftands nodding on one fide of the
ftalk, and makes a moft beautiful appear-
ance, efpecially in the fun, when it appears
to be powdered with gold duff.

The Mexican Lily‘ has feveral flowers,
generally from two to four, burfting from
the fame fpathe ; the corolla is bell-fhaped
and regular, the three outer petals are re-
verfed or reflex at the tip, the three inner
ones are ciliate at the bafe; the ftamens and
piftil are bent downwards. ‘The flowers are
large, of a bright copper colour, inclining
to red; and the fiyle is red, which is un-
ufual : the bafe of the corolla is of a whitifh
green.

The Guernfey Lily * has alfo many flow-
ers in the fame fheath, the corollas revo-
lute, or rolled back, and the ftamens and
piftil upright. ‘The corollas are of the
richeft red colour, powdered with gold.
This fine flower is fuppofed to have come
originally from Japan ; and to have been

s Amaryllis formofifima Lin. Mill. fig. pl. 23. Curt.
Magaz. 47.

t Amaryllis Regine Linx. Mill. pl. 224 J. Mill.
Iluftr.

4 Amapyllis farnienfis Liz, Douglas monogr. Ehret.

t. Of. 3.
R4 lefi

247

is
à
C9

Tulipa.

Conval-
Jaria,

LET TER "XVTIT.

left by a wrecked veffel on the coaft of the
ifland of Guernfey ; where, being proteéted

among the fand by the fea reed, it fprung

up, to the great furprife of the inhabitants.

The Tulip and fome others which I fhall
now prefent to you agree with the Lily in
having naked, unprotected corollas’. The
Tulip “, unbounded in the variety of colour
in the cultivated ftate of its gaudy flowers,
has an inferior bell-fhaped corolla of fix pe-
tals, and no ftyle, but only a triangular ftig-
ma fitting clofe to a long prifmatic germ.
The fpecies is diftinguifhed by its fhort lance
fhaped leaves, and its upright flowers, from
the Italian Tulip *, whofe flowers nod a
little, have longer and narrower lance-fhaped
leaves, yellow corollas never varying in co-
lour, ending in acute points, and having a
fweet fcent. ‘The common colour of the
Faftern Tulip, in a ftate of nature, is red,
‘Chis, when broken into ftripes by culture,
has obtained the imaginary value of a hun-
dred ducats for a fingle root, among the
Dutch florifts.

How different is the fweet, the elegantly-

v Linnæus has fplit the liliaceous tribe, in his natural
orders, into the £n/atebefore mentioned; the Spathacez,
juit gone through; and the Coronarie, into which we
now enter. Some alfo of his Sarmentacee belong to
this tribe.

Ÿ "Pulipa Gefneriana Lin. Ger. 138. 3. 4. & 139—
146.

x Tulipa fylveftrig Lin. Fl, dan. 375. Ger. 138.
Pi à |

i modeft

LILTACE Æ.

modeft Lily of the valley Y, from the flaunt-
ing beauty of the Tulip! The pure, bell-
fhaped corolla is divided at top into fix
fegments, which are bent back a little:
and the feed-veilel is not a capfule, as in
moft of this clafs, but a berry, divided
however into three cells, in each of which
is lodged one feed: this berry, before it
ripens, is fpotted. I doubt not but that
you have often fearched for it in vain, be-
caufe this plant feldom produces its fruit :
the reafon is, that it runs very much at the
root, and increafes fo much that way as
almoft entirely to forget the other. I have
feen large tracts covered with it, in the re-
mote recefles of woods, without a fingle
berry ; and the way to obtain them is to
imprifon the plant within the narrow cir-
cuit of a pot, when, by preventing it from
running at the root, it will take to increaf-
ing by the red berry. This fpecies is dif-
tinguifhed from Solomon’s-feal *, and others
of the genus, by the flowers growing on a
Jfeape or naked ftalk : it has only two leaves,
which take their rife immediately from the
~ root.

249

The Ayacinth is one of the moft favoured Hyacin.

plants of the florifts. In the natural fate,
wherein you feldom fee it, the corolla is

y Convallaria majalis Lin. Curt. Lond. V. 24. Fi.

dan. 854. Ger. 410. ‘This is one of the Sarmentacce
in the natural orders.

* Convallaria verticillata, Engl. Bot. t. 128.

fingle,

thus,

LU)
Ca
[e)

Aloe,

Agave.

LETTER XVIII.

fingle, and cut into fix fegments ; and there
are three pores or glands, at the top of the
germ, exuding honey. The fpecies from
whence all the fine varieties take their rife 7,
has the corollas funnel-fhaped, divided half
way into fix fegments, and fwelling out at
bottom. This muft not be confounded
with the Wild Hyacinth or Blue-bells of the
European woods*, which has longer, nar-
rower flowers, not {welling at bottom, but
rolled back at their tips: the bunch of flow-
ers is alfo longer, and the top of it bends
downwards. ‘This is frequently found with
white corollas.

Aloe is a remarkable, beautiful, and nu-
merous genus, diftinguifhed by its erect co-
rollas, with a fpreading mouth, divided into
fix fegments, and exuding a neétareous
juice at bottom: the filaments are inferted
into the receptacle. Linnæus reduces them
to ten fpecies ; but there are many very dif-
tint varieties, if not fpecies, under each,
They have all thick fucculent leaves, and
the fpecies may be feparated either by the
forms of thefe, or by the forms and man-
ner of growth of the flowers.

If you fhould hear of the Great American *
Aloe ? flowering any where in your neigh-

2 Hyacinthus orientalis Liz. Mill. fig. pl. 148. Ger.
112—115.
a Hyacinthus non fcriptus Lin. Curtis, Lond. IL. 18,
Gerri
b Agave Americana Le.
bourhood,

LILIACER,

bourhood, you will find that it differs from
the Aloes properly fo called, by the corolla
being fuperior, or fitting on the top of the
germ, and the filaments being longer than
the corolla. In the firft circumftance this
differs from almoft all the liliaceous tribe,
which have the germ inclofed within the
corolla... | fhould advertife you, that you
muft mount a ladder or {caffold to examine
the flowers, for they grow ona {tem that is
fometimes twenty feet in height. You
know it is a vulgar error that this plant
flowers once only in a hundred years: the
truth is, that in its own country it lowers in
a few years from its birth ; but in our cold
inhofpitable climes, it takes many years to
produce its vaft ftem and numerous flowers,
but the term of its life with us is uncertain ;
after having flowered, it produces a number
of off-fets, and dies. This is not the cafe
in the Aloes properly fo called, andin them
the flowering ftem is produced from the fide
of the heart or central leaves; whereas in this
it iffues from the very centre, where you
obferve that the leaves lie very clofe over
each other before they expand.

Of plants not liliaceous, belonging to this
firft order of the fixth clafs, there is one
fhrub, the Barberry ; and feveral plants de-
ficient in the corolla, as the Calamus Aro-

© Berberis vulgaris. Mill. fig. pl. 63. Ger. 1325.
maticus

25%

Oryza.

Rumex,

LETTER XVII.

maticus or Sweet Rufb *, the Rattan *, and
all the fpecies of Ru/h *.

The Rice § is almoft the only plant to be
found in the fecond order of thisclafs. It
has the exact form and ftructure of the
grafles, differing from them ony in the
number of ftamens.

In the third order is the Dock, a nume-
rous and prolific genus, containing thirty-
one fpecies. It is known by the calyx of
three leaves, the corolla of three converg-
ing petals, and one triangular feed. Thefe
plants will not attra& you by their beauty.
Their flowers are more numerous than con-
fiderable. Bloody Dock * has the valves of
the flowers quite entire, one of them bear-
ing a feed, and the leaves are lance-fhaped
and hollowed next the petiole. Curled Dock '
has the valves entire and graniferous ; the
leaves lance-fhaped, waving about the
edges, and fharp-pointed at the end. Fid-
dle-Dock * has the valves notched about the
edges, one of them ufually graniferous, and
the leaves next the ground fhaped like the

d Acorus Calamus Lin. Blackw. 466. Mor. hift.
T. 8. t. 19. f. 4) Ger. 62:

€ Calamus Rotang Lin. Rheed. malab. 12. t. 64, 65.

f Juncus Lin. See Letter XIII. at the end.

8 Oryza fativa Lin. Catefb. carol. 1. 14. Mill,
illuftr.

Rumex fanguineus Lin. Blackw. 492. Ger. 390.

* Rumexcrifpus Lin. Curtis, Lond. I. 20.
k Rumex pulcher Lin, Mor. hilt f.5. t. 27. f. 13.

body

“2.”

H EX AN Da T'R I G:Y N.

body of a violin. The great Water Dock?
-has the valves entire and graniferous; the
leaves lance-{haped and fharp-pointed : the
common B/nf Dock ™ has the valves notch-
ed and graniferous; the leaves oblong,
hollowed at the bafe, near which they are
notched, and obtufe at the end. Common
Sharp Dock? has the valves oblong, entire,
very fmall, the outer one graniferous ; the
leaves oblong and hollowed at the bafe, but
drawn out into a long point. ‘T'wo com-
mon fpecies differ in one remarkable cir-
-eumftance from all the reft ; for they have
the ftaminiferous and piftilliferous flowers
on feparate plants, and therefore ftriäly
belong to the twenty-fecond clafs; but
“they are evidently, as you will confefs upon
examination, of the fame natural genus
with the Docks. Thefe are the Common °
and Sheep's Sorrel ?, the firft growing in
‘meadows and paftures, the fecond on dry

fandy grounds; the firft with oblong, ar-.

row-head leaves; the fecond with leaves
fhaped like the head of a halberd. Thus

you have the means of diftinguithing eight

{pecies of Dock.

} Rumex Hydrolapathum Hudf Pet. 2. 1.
m Rumex obtufus Zin. Curtis, Lond. II. 22. Ger.
388. 3.

» Rumex acutus Lin, Pet. 2.3. Mor. ey ae

° Rumex Acetofa Lia. Mor. hit. £ 5. t. 28. f. 3.
Ger. 306. 1. Blackw. 230. Engl. Bot. t. TELE

P Rumex Acetofella Lin. Morif. t. 28. f. Tt A
Ger. 397.3 Blackw. 307. Curtis, Lond. V. 29.

Meadow-

253

254

Colchi-

cum.

LETTER Myris.

Meadow-Saffron 4 is alfo of this order,
and clearly of the liliaceous tribe: its re-
femblance to Crocus or Saffron is obvious.
Like that, it has a /pathe for a calyx ; a co-
rolla divided into tix parts, with the tube
extending down to the bulb; and a trilo-
bate caplule, of three valves and three cells.
So that, were it not that the one has three
ftamens with one ftyle, and the other fix
ftamens with three ftyles, they would be
of the fame genus. Meadow-Saffron has
flat, lance-fhaped, erect leaves, and flowers
of a light purple ; the firft coming out in the
fring, the latter in the autumn, |

Of the laft order of this fixthclafs are
the Water Plantains, eahly known by the
calyx of three leaves, the corolla of three
petals, fucceeded by feveral comprefled cap-
fules, each containing one feed. Great Wa-
ter Plantain * is common enough in wet
places, and on the banks of rivers and
brooks: it is diftinguifhed from its fellows
by its ovate fharp- pointed leaves, and its
obtufely-triangular fruits. This is one of
the plants in which you cannot err: if the
differences of all were as ftrongly marked,
your trouble would be diminifhed, but ther
your genius and fagacity, dear coufin, would
not have fo much room for exereife.

q Colchicum autumnale Lin. Ger. 157. Blackw. 566.
FL ruft. t. 60. Engl. Bot. t. 133.

r ‘Alifma Plantago Lin. Curtis, Lond. V. 27. Fi.
dan. 561. Mill. illuftr. Ger. 417. 1.—A. Damafonium,
Curt. Lond. V. 28. Ger. 417.2. _=

L E T- “

RE THER: XIX

THE CLASSES HEPTANDRIA, OCTANDRIA,
ENNEANDRIA, AND DECANDRIA.

June the tft, 1975.

7 ATURE feems to have ro delight in Æfculus,

FU the number feven ; the feventh be-
ing the fmalleft of all the chffes: containing
no more than feven genera, and ten fpecies.
Of thele I fhall flee only one for your ob-
fervation, which ee be the Horfe-chefnut*.

Tt is of the firft order, andthefe are A prin-
cipal characters of the genus—a fmall calyx,
of one leaf, flightly “divided at top into
five fegments, and {welling at the bafe ; a co-
rolla of five petals, inferted into the calyx,
and unequally coloured ; a capfule of three
cells, in one or two of which only isa feed.
Linnæus fays, that though no more than one
feed generally comes to perfection, yet there
are two in the young capfule, But furely
the third cell is not made for nothing ; and
therefore I fhould fufpeé that in Afia, the
native clime of this fine tree, the ee

contains three nuts. The form of the Hor/e-
Chefnut is grand, the pyramids of flowers
beautiful, and making, with the large digi-
tate Die a fine hale e.

As fous Hippocafianum Lia. Mill, Illuftr. Hunt.

Evel. Silva, p. 159.

SU THE

Tropæo .
lum.

Oenothe-
Ya.

LEP Tek “Ei
THE CLASS GCTANDRIA.

The eighth clafs has forty-four genera,
and two hundred and feventy-three fpecies.
Indian Nafturtium ox Indian Crefs * is one of
thefe; the calyx is inferior, of one leaf cut
into five fegments, and terminated by a fpur;
the corolla has five unequal petals, and is
fucceeded by three dry berries, in each of
which is one feed. The greater fpecies " is
moft common in the gardens, and is known
by the leaves being divided at the edge into
five lobes, and being peltate, or having the
petiole faftened to the middle of the leaf’s
furface : the petals are blunt at the end in
this : whereas in the fmaller fort * the petals
are fharp-pointed. ‘The corollas of both are
large, and of a fine orange colour.

Tree Primrofe, a Virginian plant now fo
common in the European gardens, has a ca-
lyx of one leaf, cut into four fegments, a
corolla of four petals, and a cylindric capfule
of four cells, containing naked feeds. ‘The
broad-leaved fort “, which is moft common,
has flat, lance-fhaped leaves, and a hairy
ftalk : the corolla is of a fine yellow, fhut
ufually during the day, but expanding in the

t Tropæolum Lim.

* Tropæolum majus Lin. Curtis’s Magaz. 23.

Y Tropæolum minus Lin. Curtis’s Mag. 98.
aan biennis Lin. FI. dan. 446. Milk,

Uilr.

evening 5 _

OCTANDRIA. 257

evehing; whence fome call it Nighily Prim-
rofe.

Our European Willow-herbs are neatly gi.
allied to this, differing only in having abium.
calyx of four leaves, and downy feeds. There
is one, fort common in old gardens called
French Willow *, with narrow lance-fhaped
leaves, inclining to linear, irregularly fet up-
on tite flalk ; irregular flowers, and ftamens
bent down.) The hairy fort? growing com-
mon in wet places, by ditches, hedges, and
ftreams, and vulgarly known by the names
of Codlins and Greamsor Goofeberry Fool,from
the fmell of the leaves when ‘lightly brie,
has lance- -fhaped leaves, ferrate about the
edges, running down the ftalk, the lower
ones oppofite: the ftamens of this pant ot
all our common fpecies are upright, and
the petals bifid. Four of the filaments are
fhort, and the other four rife to the top of
the tube of the corolla, each four forming a
~ regular fquare. Ido not know whether it
is generally fo, but this year I could {carcely
find any but what had been gnawn by in-
fects: fo that, if I had not known the plant
well, I fhould have been puzzled to deter-
mine even the clafs. The flowers are large,
fpecious, and of a purple colour.

The heath genus contains no lefs than fe- Erica.

* Epilobium anguftifolium Zin. Curtis, Lond. II.

24. Ger. 477. 7.
. ¥ Epilobium hirfutum Zin. Ramofum Hudf Curtis,
Lond. Hl. 21: Ger. 476. 6.

S

venty=

258

LERFER Ayan

venty-four fpecies of lowly fhrubs, which are
by no means deftitute of beauty, though the
commonnefs of one fpecies renders it con-
temotible : They all agree in thefe cha-
racters—a calyx of four leaves inclofing the
germ, a corolla of one petal, cut into four
fegments ; the filaments inferted into the re-
ceptacle ; the anthers bifid; and a capfule
of four cells.

Common Heatha, which is fo general a
plant, that vaft tracts of land take their name
from it, is diftinguifhed by the anthers being
terminated with an awn, and lying within
the flower, the ftyle appearing behind it,
the corollas bell-fhaped, and not quite regu-
lar, the calyxes double, the leaves oppolite
and fhaped like the head of an arrow.
Fine-leaved Heath © has crefted anthers ly-
ing within the corolla; the ftyle hardly
iflues from it; the fligma is capitate ; the
flowers grow many clofe together ; the co-
rollas are ovate and of a blueifh colour ; the
leaves are produced in threes; and the bark
is afh-coloured. Crofs-leaved Heath * has
the anthers as in the firit; the ftyle lies
within the corolla; the flowers grow ina
head ; the corollas are ovate ; and the leaves

z € Pen the wild heath difplays its purple dies.”

a Erica vulgaris Lin. Curtis, Lond. V. 30. Fi.
dan: 677. Ger. 1480. 1.

b Erica cinerea Lia. Curtis, Lond. II. 25. Ger.
1382. 7.

c Erica Tetralix Zire Curtis, Lond. I, 25. FI.
dan. 81.

are

OCTANDRIA.

are produced in fours: this grows in the
wet and boggy parts of heaths, and is a
handfome fpecies. The foreign forts, moftly
from the Cape of Good Hope, are eminently
beautiful.

259

Mezxereon, which you value for viliting Daphne.

you at a time when you have very few
vifitors, and alfo for its pleafant odour, is of
this clafs, and of the firft order, as well as
all the foregoing. It has no calyx, but
a monopetalous, funnel-fhaped corolla, in-
clofing the ftamens, and the border cut
into four fegments : the fruit is a roundifh
berry containing one feed. This fpecies 4
is diftinguifhed from the reft of the Daphne
genus by its feflile flowers, growing by
threes from the fame joint : and by its lance-
fhaped deciduous leaves. The corollas are
peach-coloured, deeper red, or white ; and
the berries of the two firft are red, of the
laft yellow.

There is a fort * not uncommonly wild
in woods, and fhady hedges, which is an
evergreen, and has the flowers coming out
by fives, from the axils ; the corollas are of
a yellowifh green, and the leaves are lance-
fhaped. This is rather a difmal plant in
trefpe& of its fituation, time of flowering,

d Daphne Mezereum Zin. F1. dan, t. 268. Ger-
1402. 2. |

€ Daphne Laureola Ziv. Spurge Laurel. Ger. 1404.
Blackw. 62. Engl. Bot. t. 119. ;

S 2 and

200

Chlora.

Polygo:

nur).

LE TT ERS XK

and colour of the corollas; nor has it the
fame agreeable fcent with the Mezereon:
it is not however without its value as an
evergreen, and flourifhing under the deep
fhade of trees. Both fpecies are very hot
and cauftic in their nature ; notwithftand-

‘ing which, birds are greedy of the berries.

Yellow Perfoliate Gentian* is now re-
moved from the other Gentians to the fe-
cond order of this clafs, becaufe the num-
ber eight prevails in the ftamens, calyx, and
corolla: in other circumftances it agrees
with the genus in which it formerly ranged.
It is found in paftures, on a chalky foil, and
is eafily known by its yellow corollas, and
upright {mooth perfoliate ftalks.

The third order has a large genus con-

taining twenty-feven fpecies, among which, -

befides other common plants, are Biflort,
Knot-grafs, Buck-wheat, and Black Bind-
weed.

Biflort thas a fingle, undivided ftalk, ter-
minated by one {pike of flowers; and
Jance-fhaped leaves, generally hollowed at
the bafe, running along the petiole, or
forming a membrane along each fide of it,
and waved. The root is large for the fize
of the plant, and turus and twifts in the
ground.

f Chlora perfoliata Lin, Ger. 547.2.
8 Polygonunt Biftorta Lim. Curtis, Lond. I. 22. and
Mill. fig. pl. 66. Ger. 399. I.

. Knat-

OCT ANDR I A.

Knot-grafs *: is a very common weed in
places that, are trod. The little flowers are
produced from the axils of the ftalks, which

are herbaceous, and trail upon the ground ;

the leaves are lance-fhaped, and, being of
different fize and breadth in different foils,
have given occafion to the forming diftinc-
tions which are but varieties.

Buck-wheat *, which makes a pretty ap-
pearance when cultivated, has arrow-fhaped
leaves hollowed at the bafe, the ftalk up-
right, though weak, {mooth and unarmed,
and the angles of the feeds equal.

Black Bindweed * is not very unlike this ;
but the leaves are heart-fhaped, the ftalk
angular and twining, and the flowers ob-
tufe.. The anthers alfo. are purple; and
the bafe of the petioles is perforated beneath
with a pore. .This is not an unfrequent
weed among corn.

All the fpecies agree in a no calyx;
a corolla divided into five fegments, that
might eafily be taken for a calyx; and one
naked, angular feed.

THE CLASS. ENNEANDRIA,

The ninth clafs has not fo many genera
as the feventh, but it has many more fpe-

h Polygonum aviculare Lin. Curtis, I. 27. Ger.

565. Fl. ruft. t. gu.
i Polygonum Fagopyrum Lin. Ger. 80. Fl. ruft. t. 44.
k Polygonum Convolvuius Zin, Curtis, Lond.

IV. 29.

CIE a cies,

261

Laurus.

Anacar-
dium.

LETTER XIX.

cies !, and among them feveral very remark-
able ones; as the Bay, Cinnamon, Cafha,
Camphor, Benzoin and Saflafras, all com-
prehended under one genus™; Acajou or
Cafhew Nut, and Rhubarb. The Bay ge-
nus has the following charafter: no calyx,
but a corolla refembling a calyx, and di-
vided into fix parts in moft of the fpecies ;
a nectary of three glands, each terminated
by two briftles, fnrrounding the germ ; the
filaments in three rows, with two round
glands near the bafe of the three that form
the inner row; the fruit an oval drupe or
plum, inclofing a nut.

The true Bay * is known by its lance-
fhaped, veiny evergreen leaves ; the corolla
recedes from the general character in being
quadrifid or cut into four fegments. It va-
ries alfoin the number of ftamens from eight
to fourteen; and it recedes from the clafs
in having incomplete flowers on feparate
plants. Linnæus however has kept it here
becaufe it has the effential characters of this
genus, particularly the glands on the inner
filaments. You will fcarcely have the good
fortune to meet with the other fpecies, at
leaft in flower.

Acajou or Cafbew ® we know chiefly by

1 Twenty-eight: and only fix genera.

m Laurus.

n Laurus nobilis. Laurel is known only to modern
times, and ranges in the clafs Icofandria under Pi unus,
Alexandrian Laurel is a Rufcus in Clafs XXII.

© Anacardium occidentale Lin, ;

| the

ENNEANDRIA.

the nut, which grows at the end of a flefhy
body as large as an orange, and full of an
acid juice; this Linnzus calls the receptacle.
Between the two thells is a thick, black,
inflammable oil, with which you may mark
your linen, for it will not wafh out. It allo
makes the fineft black varnifh. I need not
caution you againft putting this nut into
your mouth to crack it. ‘The oil is very
cauftic, and will raife blifters in the tongue.
If it fhould ever be your fortune to fee this
tree in flower, you will obferve that the
calyx is five-leaved ; that the corolla confifts
of five reflex petals ; and that there are ten
filaments, whence Linnæus firft put it into
the tenth clafs; but one of thele being con-
{tantly without an anther, he afterwards re-
moved it tothe ninth. More recent obfer-
vations however have afcertained that the
Anacardium has perfect and ftaminiferous
flowers on diftin& individuals: it belongs
therefore to the fecond order of the twenty-
third clafs, Polygamia Diæcia.

Thefe are ot the firft order, Rhubarb is
of the fecond, Trigyuia ; there being no
plants known ef this clafs with two piftils,
The charaëters of this genus are—a flower
without a calyx ; a corolla of one petal, di-
vided into fix fegments; and one large
triangular feed, much like that of the
Docks Pr. No lels than four fpecies have

P They are both placed in the fame natural order,
namely the fifth divifon of the Oleracee.

S 4 been

to
Or
tw

Rheum.

264

LETTER XIX.

been fent over and cultivated at different
times under a notion of their being the true
Tartarian Rhubarb. Of thefe the Rhapon-
ick* has migrated from the apothecary’s
fhop into the kitchen, the petioles of the
leaves being much efteemed for making
tarts. The leaves are {mooth, of a roundifh
heart-fhape, with the petioles thick, reddifh,
a little channelled on their lower: part; but
flat at the top: the flower ftems are red,
grow from two to three feet high, and are
terminated by thick, clofe, obtute {pikes of
white flowers, coming out in June. ‘This
grows wild near the Pontic, Euxine or PR
Sea.

There is a good teftimony for the rae
others being the true Rhubarb; and I think
it not improbable but that they may all be
cultivated in Tartary for their roots. : One
of thefe* has longer leaves than the Rhapon-
tick, running more to a point, much waved
on their edges, a little hairy on their upper
fide, and they appear much earlier; the
petioles are not fo much channelled-on their
under fide, and are plain on the upper ; they
are alfo neither: fored nor fo thick: the
flower flem is of a pale brownifh colour,
about four feet high, dividing into feveral

_loofe panicles of white flowers, which ap-

pear in May.
_ Another has very fmooth, fhining,

4 Rheum Rhaponticum Lin.

r Rheum Rhabarbarum Lin,

4 > Rheum compaétum Lin, Mill. fig. pl. 218.
RE heart-

———— a dre =
LI

ENNEANDRI A. 205

heart-fhaped leaves, not running out fo
much to a point as the fecond, but more
than the firft ; they are very broad towards
the bafe, and a little waved and indented
on their. edges: the petioles have fcarcely
any channels, and are flat on their upper
fide; they are pale green, and almoft as
large as thofe of the firft fort. The flower-
ftem is pale green, five or fix feet high, the
upper part dividing into {mall branches,
each fuitaining a panicle of white flowers
ftanding erect, and appearing the latter end
of May.

A fourth fort, called Palmated Rhubarb‘,
differs greatly from the others, and is known
immediately by its palmated and very fharp-
pointed leaves. The flower-ftem is red, and
fix or feven feet high: the flowers are in
loofe panicles. Whatfoever may be the
cafe with the other fpecies, there is the moft
undoubted evidence of this being the true
Tartarian Rhubarb.

There is one wild plant of this clafs, Butomus
which is of the third order, having fix
ftyles. It grows in the water, and having
handfome rofe-coloured flowers, with long
narrow leaves, is called Flowering Ru/b *;
the flowers are produced at the end of a

t Rheum palmatum Liz. Mill. [lluftr. Philof. Tranf.

19S:
" Butomus umbellatus Liz. Curtis, Lond. I. 29.
Fl. dan. 604. Mill. Illuftr. Mor. £. 12. t. 5. f. penult.

Ger. 29. an
nake

269

Di&am-

nus,

LETTER. XIX,

naked ftalk, in an umbel. They have no
calyx, but a three-leaved involucre, a corolla
of fix petals, and fix capfules of one valve,
gaping on the fide towards the centre of the
umbel, and containing many feeds.

THE CLASS DECANDRIA.

The tenth is a much more confiderable
clafs, having ninety-five genera, and five
hundred and thirty-lix fpecies. The firft
order being very numerous, Linnæus has
made a commodious fubdivifion of it into
fuch as have corollas of many petals, of
one petal, or none; and the firft of them
he has fubdivided again into fuch as have
irregular and fuch as have equal corollas.
Molt of thofe with irregular polypetalous
flowers are very nearly allied to the papilio-
naceous tribe, with which you are already
acquainted. Of thefe the moft known are
the Yudas-tree, Locuft-tree, Flower-fence,
Brafietto, all the numerous fpectes of Cafia,
Balfam of Tolu-tree, and Nickar-tree ; moftly
the produce of South America and the Weft
Indies. White Dittany or Fraxinella * is
alfo of this fubdivifion, but not of the pa-
pilionaceous tribe.

This elegant flower is known by its five-
leaved calyx; its corolla of five fpreading
petals; the filaments fet with glandulous

¥ DiGamnus albus Ziv. Mill. fig. pl. 123. & Pl. 16.
f. 2. of this work.
points :

-

DECANDRIAe

points: it is fucceeded by five connected
capfules, containing two feeds covered with
a common aril.

There is only one fpecies of Fraxinella,
varying in the colour of the flowers, which
are either pale red ftriped with purple, or
elfe white. It has pinnate leaves, fome-
what refembling thofe of the Afh. The
whole plant emits an odour of lemon peel,
but when bruifed has a balfamic fcent.

Among the plants with regular or equal
polypetalous corollas, you will find Logweood,
Melia or the Bead-tree ; Guatacum, Rue,
and Dionæa Mufcipula, {o curious for that
fenfitive quality of the leaves, by which it
entraps infects that light upon them.

Rue is diftinguifhed by thefe generic Ruta.

charaëters—a calyx divided into five parts ;
concave petals; ten honeyed pores at the
bafe of the germ, which is raifed on a re-
ceptacle punched with the fame number of
pores; and lafily, a capfule cut half way
into five parts, confifting of five cells with-
in, and containing many feeds. If I donot
give you a caution refpetting the common
Rue “ of the gardens, you may probably be
puzzled i in examining its flowers; for there
is only one flower on a branch PRET
anfwer to the generic characters; in all
the reft you are to fubtraét one fifth from
every part of the frudtification. ‘This cir-

~ Ruta graveolens Lin. Mor. hift. f.5.t. 14. f. 3.
cumftance

268

LET TER: XIX.

cumftance is not peculiar to Rue, ;but 18
found in feveral other plants #, and has
been made an objection by fome to the Lin-
næan fyftem. The illuftrious author has
extricated -himfelf from the .difheulty by
forming his character upon. the principal.
or primary flower, as he calls it, and an-,
nouncing the, anomaly. There are other
plants, which in all the reft, add a. fifth
to the number of parts in, the primary
flower ’.

Garden Rue is peciheills diftinguithed,
partly by this circumftance, of having the
fide flowers quadrifid, and ‘partly by the
leaves being decompounded. ..There are
fome differences in this:fpecies: common
Garden Rue has the component Jobes of the
leaves wedge-fhaped, and the ftamens longer
than the corolla; another, alfo frequently.
cultivated, has narrower lobes, the flowers
in longer, loofer bunches, and the ftamens
equal in length with the petals; the feed-
veffel is alfo {maller ; a third has the lobes
of a linear fhape.

Andromedas, Rhododendrons, Edens Ar
butus, and a few others, have regular mo-
nopetalaus corollas. The characters of the
laft are—a very {mall calyx divided into five

* Asin Cinchona, Myrfine, Euonymus europæus,
Thefium alpinum, Herniaria fruticofa, Gentianæ 23—
27. Linum Radiola, &c.

y Such as Adoxa Mofcha tellina. Curtis, Lond. II.
26, and fome others. |

parts 3

DECANDR IA: 209,

parts: an ovate corolla pellucid at the bafe:
and the fruit a berry, with the feeds lodged
in five cells. - |
Strawberry-tree * is known by its woody, Arbutus.

ftem, its fmooth leaves ferrate about the
edges, and the cells of the berries having
| feveral feeds. Some of the other, fpecies

have: weak: procumbent ftems *; and fome
have only a fimple feed to each cell”. You
are well acquainted with the Arbutus, by
the ornament which it affords to your plan-
tations in the latter months, with its lucid
leaves thick covering the plant; and its
bunches of flowers of this year, accompa-
nied by the red round berries of the laft.

But let not the firft order of the tenth Saxifraga,

clafs occupy too’ much of your time, fince
there are four other orders contained in it.
In the fecond you have all the Sawifrages,
forty-two in number; agreeing in a calyx
divided into five parts ; a corolla of five pe-
tals; a capfule of one cell, filled with many
fmall feeds, and terminated by two beaks
formed of the permanent ftyles. Of thefe,
Pyramidal Saxifrage © is efteemed for adorn-
ing halls and chimneys with its beautiful
pyramids of white flowers; which it will
do fora long time. ‘There are feveral va-

2 Arbtttus Unedo Lin. Mill. fig. pl. 48. Ger. 1496.
2 Arb. acadienfis, alpina & uva urfi.
b A.alpina & uva urfi.
€ Saxifraga Cotyledon Lin. Mill. fg. 243. F1. dar.
241
rieties

370

LETTER XIX.
rieties of it, but they have all ftiff tongue:
fhaped leaves, with a cartilaginous ferrate
border, and colleéted into feveral tows clofe
tothe ground. From the midft of thefe iffues
the ftalk, fuftaining the panicles of flowers.

Another fpecies 4 was formerly much
fhown out at windows and balcories in
fmoky towns, and hence, with its being
really beautiful, had the names of London
Pride and None-/o-pretty, at a time when
few plants were generally known. This has
oblong or roundifh leaves, deeply notched
on the edges, fpringing from broad, flat,
furrowed petioles, near two inches long.
They furround the flowering ftalk, which
itfelf is deftitute of leaves, of a red colour,
fiiff, flender, and hairy. The corollas are
white dotted with red.

Common White Saxifrage* flowers early
and in great quantities among the grafs.
The bottom leaves are kidney-fhaped,
hairy, and on pretty long petioles: the
{talks are hairy, and in good ground a foot
high, branching out from the bottom, and
furnifhed with a few {mall leaves, in fhape
like the others, but fitting clofe to the
ftem: the flowers terminate the ftalk in
{mall clufters; the corollas are white, and
large for the fize of the plant: if any doubt
remains concerning it, pull it up, and you

4 Saxifraga umbrofa Lin. Mill. fig. 141. f. 2.
€ Saxifraga granulata Lin. Mill. Muftr. Curtis, Lond.
I. ao.. Ger. 841. I
I will

DECANDRIA.

will find that the roots are like grains of
corn, and of a reddifh colour. In poor
ground this plant is very fmall, and has
only two or three flowers, fometimes but
~ one, on a fimple unbranched ftem.

Thefe, with moft of the other fpecies,
have upright ftems; but there are three
which have weak trailing ftalks.. Of thefe
there is one which has much refemblance to
a mofs, when it is out of flower ; and, from
the manner of its growth in a thick tuft, it
has acquired the Englifh name of Ladies’
Cufhion . The leaves are linear, fome en-
tire, and otherstrifid : the little Hower {tems
are three or four inches high, flender, erect,
and almoft naked, _ terminated by {mall
flowers of a dirty white.

The genus Dianthus, of this fecond or-
der, is numerous, as well as the laft, com-
prifing twenty-two fpecies, which agree
in having a cylindric calyx of one leaf, fur-
rounded atthe bafe by four fcales ; a corolla
of five petals; and a cylindric, unilo-
cular capfule, for a feed-veflel. Many of
the {pecies are beautiful, as Sweet William *,
the noble Carzation *, the Pink’, with all
its numerous varieties, the China Pink «

f Saxifraga hypnoides Lin. F1. dan. 348. Mor. hift
f.12./t. 9. £26.

8 Dianthus barbatus Liz.

h Dianthus Caryophyllus Lin. Mill. fig. 121.

i Dianthus plumarius Lin.
k Dianthus chinenfis Lin. Mill. fig. pl. 81. f. 2.

Curtis’s Mag. 25.
diftingt

nop tae 1
VMiantuus,

272

LETTER XIX

diftin& from the former; feveral alfo of

the forts which are wild in many parts of
Europe, though adorned with lefs fplendid
flowers, and more modeft in their preten<
fions, are not however without their beduty:
The Carnation is acknowledged, on all
hands, for a worthy leader of one of the
fineft natural orders, entitled, from the La-
tin name of this fragrant flower, Caryophyl-
leous plants. When we confider the fize
of the flower, the beauty of its colours,
the arrangement of its parts, and above all
the fingularly rich and fpicy odour that it
exhales, we cannot withhold that tribute
of admiration which will ever be given it,
unlefs, by obtruding itfelf too frequently on
the eye, its real beauties become at length
difregarded.

The leading feature, in diftinguifhing
the fpecies of this genus, is the z#florefcence,
or manner of flowering. Sweet William
and fome others have aggregate flowers ;
Carnation, Pink, China Pink, &c. have
many flowers on the fame ftalk, not how-
ever in herds, but folitary or feparate ;
fome few have one flower only on a ftem ;
and two orthree have fhrubby ftalks. The
other circumftances that difcriminate the
fpecies are, that the fcales at the bafe of the
calyx in the Sweet William are of an ovate-.
fubulate form, and as long as the tube of
the corolla; in the Carnation and Pink they

5 are

DECANDRI A;

ate fubovate and very fhort ; in the China
Pink they are fubulate, as long as the tube,
and hang loofe. The Sweet William has
alfo lance-fhaped leaves. Carnation and
China Pink have the petals notched. The
Pink has the corollas pubefcent at the bafe,
and the petals deeply cut. For ornament
and beauty you will gather thefe flowers
from your parterre; but as a Botanift you
will take them from a wall, or a dry un-
tilled foil, where their fimplicity . and the
clearnefs Of their fatural charaGeers will
make you full amends for the want of
fplendour. You would not always choofe
to be among full-dreffed people at a ball, or
in a drawing-room ; but fometimes to take
a rural walk, and entertain yourfelf with
plain country manners.

273

In the third order, befides fome others,Arens-
there are four genera containing many fpe- "ria; Re:

cies which have a good deal of fimilitude.

They are however thus well diftinguithed.

Arenaria and Stellaria have a capfule of one
cell; Cucubalus and Silene, a capfule of three
cells: of the two former ‘the firft has the
petals entire, the fecond has them bifid: of
the two latter, in both of which the petals
are bifid, the fecond has a crown compofed
of a fet of minute petals in the centre;
whereas the firft has nothing of this, or is
faked. Arénaria and Stellaria have alfo a
five-leaved calyx; in Cucubalus it is much

T inflated,

274

Cucuba-
lus.

Sedum,

LETTER: XIX.

inflated, and in Sélene it is fwelling. All
four have five petals in the corolla.

Spatling Poppy! is not an uncommon
weed among corn and in meadows. You
will know it by the almoft round and much
inflated calyx, beautifully veined, fo as
to have the appearance of a fine network
thrown over it, and quite {mooth: the co-
rollas are not entirely naked, and are pure
white.

Sedums or Stone-crops are found in the
fourth order ( Pentagynia). They are known
by the general prevalence of the number
five in all parts of the flower: a calyx cut
into five fegments, a corolla of five petals,
five neCtariferous fcales at the bafe of the
germ, and five capfules : not to mention
the twice, five ftamens, and five ftyles,
which form the charaéters of the clafs and
order. Many of them are not uncommon
in a wild ftate, particularly a {mall trailing
fort with yellow flowers growing in a trifid
cyme; and ovate, blunt, fmooth leaves,
imbricate and alternately adhering to the
ftalk™: other fpecies have white, and fome

red corollas. ‘They grow chiefly on walls,

or in very dry foils.

1 Cucubalus Behen Lin. Fi. dan. 857. Mor. lift...

f. 5.t. 20. f. 1. Ger. 678. 2. Blackw. 268. Engl. Bor.
t. 164.

m Sedum acre Lin. Wall-pepper. Curtis, Lond, E.
32. Ger. 517. album 31. Ger. 512. 2. Rupettre,
Engl. Bot. t.170. Anglicum, t. 171.

6 Cockle,

Bet y —

DECANDRIA. .

3

Cockle *, which is fo common a weed Agro-

among corh, has a membranaceous, one-
leafed calyx ; a corolla of five obtufe, un-
divided petals, and an oblong capfule of one
cell. The fpecies is diftinguifhed by the
roughnefs of the plant, the length of the
fegments of the calyx, and by the petals
being entire and naked.

ftemma,

Of Lychnis there are feveral fpecies agree: Lychnis.

ing in thefe common characters: An ob-
long fmooth calyx of one leaf; a corolla
of five petals flightly bifid : and a one-celled
eapfule of five valves. | |

Scarlet. Lychnis°, commonly cultivated
in gardens, has the flowers growing in
bunches, fo that the whole forms nearly a
flat furface at top ; the colour of the corolla
is a very high fcarlet.

. Catchfly ?, fo called from the clammy
juice exuding from the ftalks under each
pair of leaves, glutinous enough to entangle
{mall flies, is known by the petals being
almoft entire; the colour of them is red:
the leaves are long, narrow, and grafs-like,
efpecially the lower ones. ‘The flowers of
this and the foregoing are ufually double in
the gardens, and therefore ufelefs to you in
your botanical refearches.

There is a fort of Lychnis commonly wild

ñ Agroftemma Githago Lia. Curtis, Lond. III. 27.
Ger. 1087. Fl. dan. 570.

° Lychnis chalcedonica Lins Curt. Magaz. 257.

P Lychnis Vifcaria Lin.
2 by

LETTER XIX.

by water-fides and in moift meadows, called
Ragged-Robin, Meadow-Pinks, Wild-Wil-
liams, or Cuckow-flower *, which has red
jagged petals, generally cut into four parts;
and roundifh capfules, the mouth of which
has five teeth turning back. There is alfo
another no lefs common in paftures, called
White Lychnis, or White Campion *, which
differs eflentially from its congenersin having
the piftils feparate from the ftamens, and
on diftinct plants. I leave you, dear coufin,
with this irregularity, and wait a day of
leifure to purfue our botanical career.

q Lychnis flos cuculi Lin. Curtis, Lond. I. 32.
Ger. 600. 1.

r Lychnis dioica Lin. Fl.dan.792. Mor. 5. 21. 21.
Ger. 469. 1. with red flowers.

LET-

RAD TAERR, XX

THE CLASS DODECANDRIA,

June the roth, 1775.
OTHING difficult has hitherto occur-

red, dear coufin, in your determina-
tion of the clafles, the number of the fla-
mens alone having fufficed for that purpofe.
But no plant being yet difcovered with ele-
ven ftamens, among thofe which have them
diftinct;, the eleventh clafs fhould be expected
to contain thofe plants which have twelve ;
but here the number is found to be by na
means conflant, and Linnzus is obliged to
take into his clafs Dodecandria, all fuch plants
as have from twelve to nineteen ftamens in-
clufive. Nor is the eleventh clafs, with all
this latitude, an eafy one for a novice to de-
termine; the number of ftamens in fome
cafes being fewer than twelve, in others more
than nineteen, or elfe coming out in parcels
at different periods: It isnot very numerous,
containing but thirty-three genera and one
hundred and fixty-four fpecies.
Of the firft order, the moft known or the
moit remarkable are d/arum or Afarabacca,

s Brownea, which has naturally eleven ftamens, is
of the fixteenth clafs, Adonadelphia.

Re the

277

278

Afarum.

Portulaca.

Lythrum.

LETTER XX.

the Mangofteen, Winter's Bark, Purflain,
Loofeftrife.

Afarabacca has a calyx cut half way into
three fegments, and fitting on the top of the
ftyle: no corolla: and a leathery capfule,
of fix cells within, and crowned at top.
There are three fpecies—the Canadian, the
Virginian, and the European, which laft is
diftinguifhed by two kidney-fhaped leaves,
ending bluntly.

Purflain has a bifid calyx inclofing the
germ; acorolla of five petals; and a cap-
fule of one cell, in which the receptacle is
loofe ; in fome {pecies it opens horizontally *,
in others it is trivalvular: the number of
{tamens varies in the different fpecies. The
Purflain, cultivated for fallads ¥, is a native
of the hot parts of America: it is known
by its wedge-fhaped leaves, and the flowers
fitting clofe to the ftalk; and it is one of
thofe which have the capfule opening hori-
zontally. _ |

Loofefrife has the calyx cut at the edge
into twelve portions, and inclofing the
germ: the corolla of fix petals, inferted into
the calyx: the capfule bilocular, and con-
taining many feeds. Purple Loofeftrife™ is
a handfome plant, adorning the banks of

t Afarum europæum Lin, Fl. dan. 633. Mill. fig.
et
= apfula circumfciffa.

Y Portulaca oleracea Lin. Blackw. t. 287.

w Lythrum Salicaria Lin, Curtis, Lond. II. 28.
Ger. 476. 5.

rivers,

DODECANDRIA.

rivers, ponds, and ditches, with its fine fpikes
of purple flowers ; the leaves grow in pairs
and are lance-fhaped, with a hollowed bafe ;
fometimes three leaves come out together
from the fame point, and the ftalk is hex-
angular : but this is only an accidental va-
riety. Our fpecies anfwers to the character
of the clafs in having twelve ftamens ; but
there are fome which have but ten, nay even
only fix ftamens.

279

In the fecond order are only two genera Agrimo-

—— eliocarpus, an American plant, little ni.

known; and Agrimony, an European, and
fufficiently common. ‘This has a fmall
quinquefid calyx, fitting on the top of the
germ, fortified with another: a corolla of
five petals, inferted into the calyx, and one
or two roundifh feeds in the bottom of the
calyx. The number of ftamens is very
uncertain in this genus ; fome fpecies having
twelve, others ten, others feven. Common
Agrimony *, which is found in woods and
by hedge-fides, has interruptedly-pinnate
leaves on the ftalk, with the leaflet at the
end petiolate; the feeds are fortified with
briftles. ‘The outer calyx grows faft to the
inner ; and the ftamens vary in number from
twelve to twenty.

The third order has alfo only two genera,
but they are numerous; Re/edahaving twelve
and Euphorbia no lefs than fixty-nine fpecies.

x Agrimonia Eupatoria Lin. Curt. Lond. V. 32. FI,
dan. 588, Mill illuftr. Ger. 712. FL ruft. t. 37.

LA No

Refeda.

LETTER XX.

No genera are more difficult to determine
than thefe; the number and form of the
parts varying in the different fpecies. The
effential character of the firft confifts in the
trifid petals, one of them melliferous at the
bafe ; and in a capfule of one cell always
open: the calyx alfo is of one leaf, cut into
feveral narrow fegments, two of which gape
more than the others on account of the mel-
liferous petal; the ftamens are from eleven
to fifteen in number.

Dyer’s-weed or Weld Y grows common in
barren paftures, dry banks, and on walls;
it is allo cultivated for the ufe of the
dyers*, The leaves are lance-fhaped, and __
entire, except that they have one indentation
on each fide at the bafe ; and the calyx is
cut into four fegments. The corolla alfo
has three petals: the upper one melliferous,
and divided half way into fix parts; the
oppolite lateral petals are trifid; and fome-
times two {mall entire petals are added be-
low. Dyer’s-weed is a biennial plant, pro-
ducing the firft year a circle of leaves clofe
to the ground ; and the next a ftalk ter-
minated by a long loofe fpike of yellowith
flowers.

Sweet Refeda, or Mignionette*, has oblong

¥ Refeda Luteola Zin. Fl. dan. 864. Ger. 494.
F1. ruft. t. 40. | |

z This is thought to be the plant with which the an-
cient Britons dyed their bodies.

+ Refeda odorata Lin, Mill, fig. 217. Curt. Ma-
Gre: 79: |

7 | leaves,

DODECANDRIA,

leaves, fome of which are entire, and others
trifid; the calyx of the flower is large,
equalling the corolla in fize. The flowers
are produced in loofe fpikes, on long pe-
duncles ; are of an herbaceous colour, and
much efteemed for their agreeable odour,
like that of frefh Rafpberries.

28%

Euphorbia has a corolla of four, and Euphor.

fometimes of five petals, glandulous in moft Pis.

fpecies, in fome fhaped like a crefcent, or
indented about the edges, in a fewthin asa
fine membrane ; commonly placed as it were
‘on the outfide of the calyx, which is of
one leaf, divided at the edge into four, or
in fome into five parts, and ventricofe or
{welling out. The ftamens are twelve or
more, iffuing forth at different periods.
The feed-veffel is a capfule of three diftin®
cells united, with one roundifh feed in each
cell, and on the outfide fmooth, rough or
warted in the different fpecies. This ge-
nus being fo numerous, fome fubordinate
diftinétions are neceflary: and accordingly

Linneus has divided it into feven feCtions, |

The firft contains the Ewphorbie properly
fo called ; or fuch as have a fhrubby, an-
gular, fpiny ftem, generally void of leaves.
The fecond contains the fhrubby fpecies,
without fpines. In all the other fetions
the ftems are dichotomous, or divide always
by pairs, and the flowers are borne ina kind
of umbel, which, in the third fection, is
commonly dd; in the fourth, trifid; im

+1 the

LEE TER: Ke

the fifth, quadriid; in the fixth, guingues
fd; and in the feventh, multifid.

Several fpecies of the firft fection yield
indifferently that acrid milky juice, which
when infpiffated is fent us under the title
of Euphorbium. The flowers are of little
beauty, and thefe plants have been noticed
rather for the fingularity of their form, and
the ftriking difference of their ftruCture, from
the plants of Europe, than for any charms
that they poflefs. ‘The fpecies fuppofed to
be that from whence the ancients had the
drug ?, is known by a triangular, jointed
ftalk : the fpecies from which it is faid we
now have it °, has a quadrangular ftem, and
double {pines: and the fpecies which Lin-
næus fuppofes ought to be ufed 4, is mul-
tangular with double fpines. _

Medufa's-head* is of the fecond fe&ion, -
The ftaiks are clofely covered with tuber-
cles, lying over each other, and from the

fides of thefe fpring many branches, which

are frequently fo entwined as to give the
idea of a parcel of ferpents. The ends of

‘the branches have narrow fucculent leaves

readily dropping off, and a fet of white
flowers,
The plants of the other fe&ions are com~

> Euphorbia antiquorum Lin, Comm. hort. 1. t. 12,

© Euphorbia canarienfis Lin. Comm. hort. 2. t. 104.

d Euphorbia oficinarum Lin. Comm. hort. 1. t. 11.

€ Euphorbia Caput Medufe Lin, Comm: hort. 1,
t. 17.

monly

DODECANDRIA.

monly known by the name of Spurge, and
are moft of them wild in the different parts
of Europe. Two fpecies are common
weeds in kitchen gardens; one of them !
belongs to the fourth fetion, or thofe which
have trifid umbels: the fubdivifions of thefe
are dichotomous: the zavolucelle or braées
are ovate; and the leaves are quite entire,
or without any notches about the edge:
they are ovate in form, and attached to the
ftalk by fhort petioles ; each petal alfo has
two little horns; the other § is of the fixth
feGion, having quinquefid umbels; each
principal divifion fubdivides into three; the
involucellæ are fhaped as in the former ; the
leaves are wedge-fhaped, and ferrate about
the edges ; and the petals are round and en-
tire. A third fpecies *, common in woods,
is Of the laft feCtion with multifid umbels :
it is a larger plant, and perennial; whereas
the others are annual: the z#vo/ucelle are
round and perfoliate; the leaves are very
blunt at the end.

Spurges having little beauty, they are fel-
dom cultivated in gardens. We muft how-
ever except the Æwphorbia punicea, a moft
fplendid Jamaica plant, which flowers in
the collection of the Marchionefs of Rock-

f Euphorbia Peplus. Petty Spurge. Curtis, Lond. I.
Uh. DUREE GOR. 10,
8 Euphorbia heliofcopia Liu. Sun Spurge. Curtis,
Lond. I. 36. Ger. 498. 2.
hEuph. amygdaloides Liv. Wood Spurge. Mor. hit,
HAE 1, Ger. 500. 9
ingham,

283

Semper-
Vivun.

LETTER XxX.

ingham, and is admirably figured in Dr.
Smith’s [cones Pitta. This belongs to the
fifth fection. One of the moft common is
a biennial fpecies, of the fame feCtion, with
the leaves oppolite and quite entire, called
Broad-leaved Spurge or Cataputia‘, Its na-
tive place is Italy, and the fouth of France;
it grows three or four feet high ; the flow-
ers are of a greenifh yellow, and the cap-
fules being very elaftic, the feeds are thrown
to a confiderable diftance. A fecond is per-
ennial, and of the laft fection “; the znvo-
lucelle are heart-fhaped; the petals are
formed like a crefcent ; and the capfules are
fmooth ; fome of the branches are barren,
and others bear flowers and feed; on the
firft the leaves are narrow and fetaceous ; oa
the fecond they are lance-fhaped.

There is a genus! of this clafs in which
the number twelve prevails in all the parts.
Having twelve ftyles, it is of the order Do-
decagyria. ‘The calyx is divided into twelve
parts; the corolla confifts of twelve petals ;
and the flower is fucceeded by twelve cap-

. fules, containing many {mall feeds. Common

Houfeleck ™ is one of thefe, which, though
fo succulent a plant, flourifhes on walls and

i Euphorbia Lathyris Lin. Mill. illuft.

k Euphorbia Cypariffias Lin. Blackw. 163. f. 3.

{ Sempervivum, nearly allied to the Sedums in the
tenth clafs.

m Sempervivum teétorum Lin. Curtis, Lond. II.
29. Fiedan.601, Mill illuftr, Ger. 510.1. Plate
17. of this work,

roofs.

DODECANDRIA.

roofs, The edges of the leaves are fet with
fhort fine hairs; and they do not grow in a

globular form, as forme other fpecies do,

but fpread open. From the centre of the
heads of leaves arifes a round, red, fuccu~
lent flower-ftalk, about a foot high, which
at bottom has a few narrow leaves, and at
top divides into two or three parts, each
fupporting a reflex range of flowers, with
red corollas. Though the natural number
in this genus be twelve, yet you will find
it to vary exceedingly: nature being lefs
conftant in larger than in fmaller numbers.
With this fhort fketch, adieu, dear coufin,
for the prefent.

x LE T-

bo

PT

286

L Eko Lb BR oe

THE CLASSES ICOSANDRIA AND
POLYANDRIA.

June the 2tft, 1775.

L 7 OU have already, dear coufin, taken
an imperfect view of the twelfth
clafs, as far as it relates to fruit-trees": you
are not however to fuppofe, either that all
thefe trees range in the clafs Zo/andria, of
that no other but them are to be found there.
No lefs than twenty-nine genera, and two
hundred and ninety-four fpecies, are in-
cluded in this clafs, a confiderable portion
of which is trees or fhrubs ; many herbs
however are found among them.

To diftinguifh this clafs and the next
from the reft, and from each other, remem-
ber always that it is not the number, but the
fituation of the ftamens which furnifhes the
elaflical charaîter. In the next they arife,
as generally in the, other clafles, from the
receptacle; but in this they {pring either di-
rectly, or with the parts of the corolla,
from the calyx °, which is of one leaf, and
not flat but hollow: the corolla is moft fre~
quently of five petals.

# In Letter VII. © Plate 18. f 1. ce
Of

iCOSANDRIA.

28

Of the firft order; Cadfus is a very con- Caaus.

fiderable genus, compriling the Melon-thif-
es, Torch-thifiles, or Cercufes, and the
Opuntias or Indian Figs. ‘Vhele all agree
in a calyx, whole at the bottom, but yet
_ confifting of feveral rows of leaves, and
placed on the top of the germ: in a corolla
which is double, or formed of feveral rows
of petals: and in having a berry containing
feveral feeds in one cell.

The Melon-thifiles ave roundith bodies,
without either leaf or ftalk. The Zorch-
thiftles have a long ftem without leaves,
which in many fpecies is ftrong enough to
fupport itfelf; but in fome trails along
the ground, or is fupported by trees: thefe
Jaft are called Creeping Cereufes. Opuntias
are compofed of flat joints connected to-
gether.

Thefe are all remarkable for a ftructure
different from that of other plants; but
fome of the Cereu/es are much efteemed for
the beauty of the flowers, which are per-
haps the more noticed, becaufe they are the
lefs expected from plants whofe appearance
is fo unpromifing. Thofe of the Great
Flowering Creeping Cereus ? are near a foot
in diameter, the infide of the calyx of a
fplendid yellow, and the numerous petals
of a pure white: hardly any flower makes
fo magnificent an appearance during the fhort

P Cactus grandiflorus Zin; Mill. fig. pl. go.
time

Lad

/

288

LETTER XXI.

time of its duration, which is one night
only ; for it does not begin to open till feven
or eight o'clock in the evening, and clofes
before fun-rife in the morning, unlefs it is
gathered and kept in the fhade, by which
means | have prevented it from clofing till
about ten. This noble flower opens but
once; but when, to the grandeur of its ap-
pearance, we add the fine perfume which
it diffufes, there is no plant that more de-+
ferves your admiration. When it is not in
blow, you will know it by the creeping
ftem, marked longitudinally with about five
prominences.

Another fpecies of Creeping Cereus A is
more common, but fcarcely lefs admirable
for the beauty of its pink-coloured flowers,
which the plant produces in greater quan
tity; they are alfo of longer duration, for
they not only boldly fhow their face to the
fun, but will even keep open three or four
days. When it is not in flower, this fpe+
cies is diftinguifhed by its very flender
branches, covered with fpines, and marked
with ten prominences. But you are wel
acquainted*with this fine plant, which, res
quiring little heat, forms one of the prin-
cipal ornaments of your drefling-room, in
the month of May. |

There are many fpecies of Opuntsa, In-
dian Fig, or Prickly Pear, all natives of

q Cactus flagelliformis Lin. Ehret. pit. t. 2. Trew.
Ehr. t. 30: Curtis’s Mag. 17

America;

ICOSANDRIA.

America, and kept rather for their fingu-
larity than their beauty, having no leaves,
but a flat jointed ftalk, fet with knots of

prickles, briftles, or both. The Cochineal .

Fig‘, on which the infe& of that name
feeds, is the only one that is unarmed : this
has oblong joints; the common fort * has
roundifh joints, with brufhes of briftles, but
no prickles.

289

In this fame order you will find the Sy- Philadel-
riuga*. ‘The natural number in the calyx, pas.

corolla, and capfule, is four; but fometimes
it is five. The tafte of the leaves, like cu-
cumbers, and the odour of its white flow-
ers, like thofe of the orange, fufficiently dif-
tinguifh this well-known fhrub from all
others. The flight indentations about the
edges of the leaf feparate it from another
fpecies, which has none.

Here too will you find your favourite Myrtus.

Myrtle, which has a calyx fitting on the
top of the germ, and generally cut into
five fegments; a corolla of five petals; and
a berry for a fruit. Some fpecies however
have a quadrifid calyx, and then the corolla
has four petals: others have an entire undi-
vided calyx. The Common Myrile *, of
which there are many varieties, has the

t Cactus cochinillifer Lin. Dill. elth. t. 297. f. 383.
$ Cactus opuntia Liz. Mill. fig. t. 191.

* Philadelphus coronarius Liz. Duham. arb. 83.

." Myrtus communis Lin. Mill. fig. 184,.—Pl. 18.

a
U flowers

290

Cratæ-
gus,

LETTER XXI.

flowers coming out fingly, and an znvolucre
of two leaves upon the peduncle.

In the fecond order there is only the
Crataegus, a genus comprehending feveral
fpecies of Thorn, and alfo two trees, the
Aria ox White Beam Tree, and the Maple-
leaved Service “. The generic characters
are—a Calyx cut into five fegments, and
fitting onthe top of the germ; a corolla
of five petals ; and a berry containing two
feeds. The firft of the trees is readily
known by the ovate fhape of the leaves,
with very prominent tranfverfe veins, and
unequal ferratures about the edges; but
particularly by the hoarinefs of their under
furfaces : the fecond, by its leaves cut into
many acute angles like thofe of the Maple ;
the divilions are five or feven; and the
loweft lobes ftand wider than the others.
Cock/pur Hawthorn * has the leaves ovate,
and fo deeply ferrate as to be almoft lobate.
Virginian dzarole Y has oval leaves wedge-
fhaped at the bafe, fhining and deeply fer-
rate. Common Hawthorn, or White-thorn ?,
whofe flower has obtained the name of

V Crategus Aria Lin. F1 dan. 302. Mill. illuftr.
Ger. 1327.2. Hunt. Evel. Silva, p. 173.

w Crategus torminalis Lin. Ger..1471. 2. Fl. dan.
798. Hunt. Evel. Silva, p. 146.-

x Cratægus coccinea Lin. Mill. fig. 179. Angl.
hort. t. 19.:7.-8:

y Crat. Crus-galli Zin. Mill. fig. 178. 2.

z Cr. Oxyacantha Jacqu. auftr. 292. 1. Blackw.

149..1. Ger. 1327. Is
May,

ICOSANDRIA.

May, from the month in which it appears,
has obtufe leaves, cut into three principal
parts, and thofe ferrate. True Azarole *

has leaves like the foregoing, but larger,
paler, and with broad lobes: the flowers
and fruit are alfo much larger. All thefe
you will find in your plantations: as you
will alfo two trees that are in the third or-

291

der, under the genus Sorbus; viz. the Sorbus.

Mountain Afb® and the Service; both
which have pinnate or winged leaves, like
the Afh ; fmooth on both fides in the firft,
but villous on the under furface in the fe-
cond; thefe alfo have the lobes broader,
and not fo much ferrated. Their common
characters are—a quinguefid calyx, a penta-
- petalous corolla, and an inferior berry with
three feeds.

The fourth Order (Pentagynia), befides
the Apple, Pear, and Quince, comprehended
under one genus, Pyrws, has the Medlar
with many other fpecies of trees or fhrubs
in a fecond‘; and all the fhrubs called
Spiræa, ina third. Thefe genera agree in
a quinquefid calyx, and a pentapetalous co-
rolla; the germ is inclofed within the flower
in the laft; but is beneath it in the reft:

a Cr. Azarolus Lin.

b Sorbus aucuparia Lin. Mill. illuftr. Ger. 1477.
Hunt. Evel. Silva, p. 211.

¢ Sorbus domeftica Lin. Edw. av. t. 211. Ger.
1471.1.

4 Mefpilus Lin. 26 RUE PRES Medlar. Gr. 1453

Blackw. 154.
U 2 the

292 LETTER XXh

the fruit is the principal diftinétion; in
Pyrus itis a Pomum—in Me, efpilus a Berry— --
in Spirea a fet of Cap/ules.

Mefem- | This order boafts a large and fplendid

glean genus of herbaceous fucculent plants, called
Ficoides or Fig Marigolds ©. Fifty fpecies
all confent in a quinquefid calyx on the
top of the germ ; a multifid corolla of nar-
row linear petals ; and a flefhy capfule di-
vided into cells correfponding with the

number of ftyles, and containing many

feeds. Though moft of the fpecies have five
ftyles, yet fome have only four, and others
have ten. This large genus is fubdivided
into three fe“tions, from the colour of the
flowers, which, being ftriking and perma-
nent, may here very well furnifh fuch a
diftinétion, though it is in moft cafes a
circumftance not to be depended.on. ‘The
corollas then, which are fpecious, very
large, and double, are in the firft fection
white, in the fecond red, and in the third
yellow. The different forms of the fuccu-
lent leaves afford, almoft of themfelves,
fufficient fpecific diftinétions.

The moft known fpecies ts that which is
called Diamond Ficoides, or more common-
ly sce Plant", This has ovate, alternate,
waving leaves, with white corollas; but it
is chicfly regarded for the fingularity of be-

e Mefembryanthemum Lin.
£ Mefembryanthemum cryftallinum Lim. Dill, elth.
t. 180. f. 221. Bradl. fucc. 5. t. 15. f, 48,

ing

ICOSANDRIA.

ing covered with pellucid pimples, in the
fun appearing like cryftalline bubbles. Egyp-
tian Kai 5, eiteemed for making the beft
pot-afh, is alfo of this genus; has alternate,
roundifh, obtufe leaves, ciliate at the bafe,
and white corollas.

395

Of the laft order of this clafs the Rofe Rofa.

is a genus univerfally known; and, were it
lefs fo, would hold the firft rank in the ad-
miration of mankind. The diftindtive cha-
raéters are, a quinquefid calyx : a pentape-
talous corolla; a kind of pitcher-fhaped,
flefhy berry, formed out of the calyx, ter-
minated by the divifions of it, and containing
feveral oblong, rough feeds, growing to the
calyx on every fide. The fpecies are diftin-
guifhed by the globofe or ovate form of the

fruit, by the fituation of the fpines on the:

different parts of the fhrub, the infloref-
cence, &c. The Sweet- Briar * has globofe
fruits befet with crooked fpines, and the
leaves rubiginous or rufty underneath. The
Dog-Rofe or Wild-Briar ‘has ovate fruit, but
fmooth, as are alfo the peduncles; the
{talk however and the petioles are fpinous,
the petals are blufh-coloured and bilobate,

8 Mefem. nodiflorum Lin. Mor. hift. f. 5. t. 33. f. 7,
Several fpecies of this beautiful genus are figured in Mr.
Curtis’s Magazine :—as M. dojabriforme in t. 32.—
-bicolorum 59 —pinnatifidum 67.—barbatum 70.—and
many more in Diljenius’s Hortus Elthameniis.

h Rofa rubiginofa Liz. Fl. dan. 850. Ger. 1260.

+Rofa canina Lin. Curt. Lond. V. 34. Fl. dan. 555.
Blackw. 8.

Ua and

294

Fragaria.

LETTER XXI.

and there are two ciliate bractes, oppofite
each other, to every flower.

Strawberry, with all its various fruits,
conftituting only one fpecies *, is of this
order, Here, though the corolla has only
five petals, the calyx is cut into ten feg-
ments, alternately larger and {maller, and
the feeds are difperfed over the furface of
a roundifh, pulpy receptacle, vulgarly called
a berry. Thefe are the generic characters.
All the eatable Strawberries increafe by run-
ners; and by this circumftance they are
fuffciently diftinguifhed from the barren
fort !, which not only has a dry juicelefs re-
ceptacle, but never throws out any of thefe
runners.

THE CLASS POLYANDRIA.

The thirteenth clafs, Polyandria, has
many ftamens to the flowers ™ as well as
the foregoing, but fpringing from the re-
ceptacle along with the piftil Thefe two
clafles united would have formed too large
a clafs for commodious examination ; a dif-
ficulty to be avoided certainly in all cafes
where we can; befides, the plants con-
tained in the one are in general fo dif-
ferent, both in their form and qualities,
from thofe of the other, that it would have
been a pity to intermix beings fo dilcord-

k Yragaria vefca Lin. Mor. hift. f. 2. t. 19. f. 1.
Ger.g97. Blackw. 77. 1.

1 Fragaria fterilis Lin. Curtis, Lond. III. 30, Ger.

998.
m From 20 to 1000.

1 ant,

POLY ANDRIA.

ant, or to unite in the fame clafs fruits
which are fo pleafant to the palate, and
wholefome to the conftitution, with herbs
deftructive to the human frame from their
poifonous qualities ; as many of thofe in the
clafs Polyandria are known to be.

In the firft order ( Monogynia ) you will Papaver.

find the Poppy, which is fufficiently dif-
tinguifhed by a calyx of two leaves"; a
corolla of four petals ; and a one-celled cap-
fule, crowned with the ftigma, under wh ch
it opens with many holes, to give exit to
the numerous little feeds. Of this genus,
four fpecies have rough, and five have
{mooth capfules. The common Corn Pcp-
py °: the fpecies ufed in medicine, and
which yields the Opium ?; the Welch
Poppy ; and the Oriental fort, now intro-
duced as an ornament to the flower gar-
den 4, are all of the latter divifion. The
firft has the capfules almoft globofe; the
ftalk covered with hairs, and fuftaining
feveral flowers of a fine high fcarlet ; and
the leaves pinnatifid and cut. The fecond
has the calyx {mooth, as well as the cap-
fule, the leaves cut and embracing the
ftalk: that which is cultivated in the fields
has white corollas, and oblate {pheroidal

» This falls off fpontancoufly when the flower ex-
pands.

° Papaver Rhæas Lin, Curtis, Lond. HI. 32. Ger.

ayt. 1. PT 19-8. 2.
P Papaper fomniferum Lin. Blackw. t. 483. Ger. 370.
4 Papaver orientale Lin. Curt. Magaz. 57.

U 4 heads

296

Ciftus.

ET TER Sn

heads as big as an orange, with white feeds :
the garden fort has purplifh corollas, very
dark at the bafe, with fmaller oblong heads
and black feeds: this varies much in co-
lour, and has fometimes very large and
very double flowers, then refembling an
immenfe Carnation. Some perfons are of
opinion thatthe Field and Garden Poppy are
different fpecies ; Linnæus makes them but
one: I] have given you the differences, but
do not take upon me to decide. The cap-
fules of the Welch Poppy * are oblong ; the
ftalk {mooth ; the leaves winged and cut:
the corollas large and yellow. The Oriental
Poppy has rough leafy ftalks, fupportirg
one large, fingle, red flower; the leaves
are winged, and ferrate about the edge.
All the fpecies of Poppy have a ftrong dif-
agreeable fmell. |
The Caper * is of this firft. order: fo is
the Tea-tree, and the Lime‘; the Water-
Lilies, both yellow ™ and white ", {preading
their broad leaves on the furface of flow.
moving fireams and ftagnant pools, and
railing their ample many-petalled corollas
above it. Here alfo is the numerous and
beautiful genus Cifus, known by a calyx

x Papaver cambricum Lia. Dill. elth. t. 223. f. 290.

S Capparis fpinofa Lin. Blackw. 417.

* Tilia Europea Lin. Fl. dan. 553. Ger. 1483.
Hunt. Ev. silva, p. 194.

u Nymphæa lutea Lin. F1. dan. 603. Ger. 819. 2.
Engl. Bot. t. 160.

v Nymphzæa alba Lix. Fl, dan. 602. Ger. 8H. 1.
Engl. Bot. t, 160.

9 of

POLYANDRIA.

of five leaves ; two of which are lefs than
the other three; a corolla of five petals;
and a capfule for a feed-veflel. Of thefe
there are forty-nine fpecies, moft of them
fhrubs, but fome herbaceous; the corollas
purple, white, or yellow, in the different
forts.

297

Peony is of the fecond order, which is a Pœonia,

{mall one : the characters of the genus are—
acalyx of five leaves, a corolla of five pe-
tals, and two or three germs, crowned im-
mediately with ftigmas, without the inter-
pofition of any ftyles. |

This, and fome plants of the following
orders, are ftrictly united by one natural
bond, under the name of Multifilique or
Many-podded ; having a fruit compofed of
feveral pericarps joined together. They
agree likewife in having either no calyx, or
at leaft one very apt to fall off; a polype-
talous corolla, and ftamens exceeding the
petals in number. Of thefe you are ac-
_quainted “with the Larkfhur and Aconite,
belonging to the third order; the Co/um-
bines to the fifth, and He//ebore to the lait.
None of them have any calyx; and they
have all a corolla of five petals : the necta-
ries form the principal diftinCtion of the ge-
nera“. Thisin Laré/pur is bifid, feflile,
and continued backwards into a horn or
fpur. conite has two recurved, peduncu-
late ne@aries. Columbine has five of thefe

w See Pl. 34. f. 1, 2, 8.
horn-

298

Delphi-

nium.

Aconi-
tum.

Aquile-

gia.

WET TER? XXI.

horn-fhaped neCtaries, between the petals.
Hellebore has many fhort, tubulous neétaries,
placed in a ring round the outfide of the
ftamens, each divided into two lips at top.
Lark/pur has allo either one capfule or
three, and the garden fpecies * is diftin-
guifhed by its fimple unbranched ftem from
the wild one’, which has it fubdivided :
thefe both have the neCtary of one leaf; in
Bee Larkfpur * and the reft it is .of two.
Aconite has the upper petal arched; and
three or five caplules. You have one fpe-
cies common in your flower-borders and
plantations, with long {pikes of large blue
flowers, called Monk’s-hood+; this is one
of the {pecies that have three capfules to a
flower; and the leaves are multifid, with
linear divifions, broadeft at top, and marked
with a line running along them. Whole/ome
Wolfsbane », as it is called, has five caplules,
five ftyles, and the flowers are fulphur-co-
loured. Columbine has five diftin& capfules:
the common fort © has bent ne€tarfes ; in its
wild ftate the flowers are blue, the petals
{hort, and the nectaries very prominent ; in

* Delphinium Ajacis Lin. Ger. 1082.

ÿ Delphinium Confolida Lia. Fl. dan. 683. Ger.
FE,

zZ Delphinium elatum Lin. Mill. fig. 260. f. 2.

4 Aconitum Napellus Zim. Mill. illuitr. Jacq. auttr.
4. 381.

+ Aconitum Anthora Lis. Mill. fig. pl. 12. Jacq.
aufir. 4. 382.

c Aquilegia vulgaris Lin. F1. dan. 695. Mill. illuftr.
Ger. 1093, 1094, —canadenfs. Curt. Magaz. 246. à

the

POLYANDRIA. 299

the garden you obferve not only a variety
of colours, but that the petals are excluded,
and the neétaries much multiplied. He//e- Hellebo-
bore has fometimes more than five petals to™*
the corolla; and always feveral capfules
fucceeding to each flower: thefe contain
many round feeds, fixed to the future of
the capfule. The winter-flowering fpecies,
commonly called winter Aconite 4, is the
only one that drops its petals; it bears one
yellow flower fitting on the leaf. True Black
Hellebore or Chrifimas Rofe+ has one or two
large white flowers upon a naked ftalk, and
flefhy pedate leaves. Stinking Black Helle-

bore or Bear’s-foot * fuftains many greenith
flowers on one ftalk, and pedate leaves on
the ftem, but none towards the root. This
is not uncommonly wild, and you will find
it flowering during winter under the trees in
your plantations. Caution your poor neigh-
bours againft being too free in giving their
children this plant againft worms ; for in too
large a dofe it is certainly dangerous, In-
deed all the herbs juft now defcribed.are
more or lefs poifonous: Æconite is known
to be highly fo.

The laft order of this clafs, Polyandria, Lirioden.
contains alfo the Tudip-tree, which has a tri- 4°"

d Helleborus hyemalis Zin. Curtis, bot. mag. 3.
€ Helleborus niger Lin. Curtis, bot. mag. 8.
f Helleborus foctidus Lin. Blackw. t. 57. Ger.
97: 4s
phyllous

Anemone.

LETTER XXI.

phyllous calyx, fix petals to the corolla, and
many lance-fhaped feeds lying .one over
another, and forming a fort of /frobile. This
tree is remarkable for the fhape of its leaves,
having the middle lobe of the three truncate,
or cut tranfverfely at the end. The flow-
ers are large - and bell-fhaped ; the petals
aarked with green, yellow, and-red fpots 5.
Here alfo are the Magnolias, which have a
calyx of three leaves like the laf, but a co-
rolla of nine petals ; the fruit is a /robile
fcaly cone of Hiva capfules, AREA
club-fhaped receptacle, each capiule con-
taining a roundifh feed, like a berry, hang-
Ing out by a thread. It is to be lamented
that thefe fine trees, fo beautiful both in leaf
and flower, will not bear all the rigour of.
our climate.
This order boafts two numerous genera
much efteemed among the florifts—the

~ Anemone and Ranunculus. The firft has no

calyx ; acorolla of two or three rows, with

three petals in each row: and many naked
feeds, retaining each their ftyle. You are
now too far advanced in the fcience, to
need a caution againft.taking the fine flowers
of your beds, upon which the gardener fo
much values himfelf, in order to examine
the corolla of the Anemone; they are the
children of art; not thofe of nature, fuch

8 Liriodendron Tulipifera Lin. Trew, Ehr. t. 10:
Catefb. car. 1.t. 48,

as

Mais.

POLYANDRIA.

as we are ftudying. The early Hepatica *
is of this genus; and is known by its three-
lobed entire leaves. It is the only fpecies
which has any thing like a calyx; for it has
a pertanth of three leaves, which, being re-
mote from the flower, is rather an znzvolucre
than a calyx. The Pa/gue-flower', fo
called from its flowering about Eafter, is alfo
of this genus: it adorns fome of our dry
chalky hills with its beautiful bell-fhaped,
purple flowers; and though it has no
calyx properly ‘fo called, yet the flower-
ftalk has a leafy nulifid involucre ; and
the leaves are doubly winged, or bipinnate.
Each plant bears but one nodding flower ;
but after that is paft, the top of the plant
is hoary with the tails, which adhere to
the feeds. Another wild fort is the Wood
Anemone *, bearing only one white or pur-
plith flower ona plant; the leaves are com-
pound, with cut lobes; and the feeds are
pointed, but without tails. The Garden
Anemones, which are fo ornamental to the
flower-garden in the fpring, are only of
two fpecies, notwithftanding the great va-

riety of their colours; red, white, purple,

blue, with all the intermediate fhades, and

h Anemone Hepatica Lin._ Curtis, bot. mag. 10.
F1. dan. t. 610.

i Anemone Pulfatilla Lin. Relh. Fl. Cantab. p. 208.
Fl. dan. 153. Ger. 385. 1.

k Anemone nemorofa Lin. Curtis, Lond. II. 38.
FL dan. 549. Ger. 383. 2.

innumerable

301

302

Ranuncu-
lus.

LETTER ‘XXI

innumerable variegations of them. Art, to
increafe their beauty, has rendered them
very large and double; but we can ftill
diftinguifh the fpecies by their leaves, which
in one! are decompounded, dividing by
threes ; in the other ™ digitate: the ftalk is
leafy ; and the feeds are tailed, in both fpe-
cies. The rival genus of the Anemone is
the Ranunculus, which differs from it in
having a calyx of five leaves, and a corolla
of five petals: but the diftinguifhing mark
of this genus is a honeyed gland juft above
the bafe of each petal, on the infide". Of
forty-four fpecies many are wild ; and fome
extremely common in moft parts of Europe,
under the name of Butter flowers, Butter-
cups, and King-cups: Three forts particu-
larly, which at one feafon caft a yellow
veil over our meadows, are generally con-
founded and looked upon as one. How-
ever, the du/bous ° has the calyx bent back
to the flower-italk, whereas in the creep-
ing P and acrid 4 it is open or fpreading: in
the firft and fecond the peduncle is fur-
rowed ; in the third it is round, without

1 Anemone coronaria Lin. Mill. fig. pl. 31.

* Anemone hortenfis Lin. Curtis’s Magaz. 123.

à See Pl. 34. 4. :

° Ranunculus bulbofus Lin. Curtis, Lond. I. 38.
Ger. 953. 6. . FI, ruff. t. 28.

P Ranunculus repens Lin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 38.
Ger. 951.1. Fi. ruft. t. 29.

q Ranunculus acris Lin. Curtis, Lond. I. 39. Ger.
951. 2 Fl, ruff. t. 30.

any

POLYANDRIA.

any channelling; befides this, the leaves
are very different upon infpection ; and the
firft has a bulbous root, the fecond throws
out abundance of runners which firike root
like thofe of the ftrawberry, and the third
is a taller, genteeler, later-flowering plant.
But not the meadows only are filled with
Ranunculi; the woods", the corn-fields °,
the waters‘, have alfo their fhare of them.
One fpecies, which flowers in moift mea-
dows very early in the fpring, is fo dif-
tinct from its fellows, that fome Bota-
nifts have not fcrupled to remove it from
this genus, to form one by itfelf; for it
has a calyx of three leaves only ; but, to
make amends, a corolla of more petals
than five: it has heart-fhaped, angular,
petiolate leaves, one flower on a ftalk,
and tuberous or knobby roots". But the
Perfian Ranunculus * is the great rival of
the Anemone, in the flower-garden, for
the beauty and variety of the large,
double corollas; which are fo changed
by art, that you muft have recourfe, for

‘ Ranunculus auricomus Lin, Curtis, Lond. IL. 41.
Det. G64. 7.

® Ranunculus arvenfis Zin. Fl. dan. 219. Ger.
O51. 3. Fl. ruft.t. 56. Engl. Bot. t. 135.

t Ranunculus fceleratus, hederaceus, aquatilis, &c.
Lin.—fceleratus Curtis, Lond. Ji. 42. Ger 962.
4-—hederaceus, IV. 39. Fl. dan. 321.—aquatilis. Ger.
829. Fl. dan.276. Engl. Bot. t. ior.

4 Ranunculus Ficaria Lin. Leffer Celandine. Curtis,
Lond. II. 39. Ger. 816. FL ruft. t. 21.

* Ranunculus afiaticus Lin. Mill, fig, 216.

the

393

304

LE TITÉRY+ See.

the fpecific diftinétion, to the leaves; thefe
are ternate and biternate, the lobes trifid and
cut. The ftalk is erect, round, hairy, and
branching at bottom: the radical leaves are
fimple. With allthis employment as a Bo-
tanift, and amufement as a Florift, I leave
you, dear coufin, for the prefent.

LE T-.

CDS

LETTER XXII.

THE CLASS DIDYNAMIA,

July the 1ft, 1775.

AVING now finifhed more than

half our courfe, we are now arrived at

a fet of natural clafles, with which you are

fo well acquainted, as to find no difficulty

in afligning the proper place to any plant
belonging to them.

The ftructure of the flowers in the four-
teenth clafs was explained at length in the
fourth letter: but the proper and effential
character of it is, the having four ftamens,

all in one row, and ia pairs ; the outer pair
longer than the other, whence the name
Didynamia; and one ftyle: all included
within an irregular monopetalous or ringent
corolla.

This clafs has only two orders; which
are not founded upon the form of the
flower, as you might bé led to fuppofe from

what was faid in a former letter ; nor upon
the number of the ftyles, as in the fore-
going clafles, becaufe none of the flowers
have more than one ; but upon the circum-
ftance of having four naked feeds, bofomed
in thévcalyx ; or elfe many fixed to a recep-
tacle in the middle of a pericarp: the firft
. LA

OË

Glecho-
ma.

LE, DT teBe EL,

of thefe is called Gyruofbermia, the fecond
Angiofpermia.

"Lhis clafs contains one hundred and two
genera, and fix hundred and forty-three
fpecies; and each order forms a natural
one—the firft including the Verticillate
plants, fo called from the manner in which
the fiowers grow, in verticill: or whorls :
they allo agree in producing the leaves by
pairs, and in having the ftalks fquare. The
ae comprifing the Perfonate flowers ;

- fuch as have moftiy a perfonate corolla,
“7 always a pericarp, or veffel inclofing
the feeds.

THE ORDER GYMNOSPERMIA.

The eflential generic character of Ground
/vy™ ts at the fame time beautiful and ex:
tremely Speier each pair of anthers
forming an elegant. little crofs, one above
the other.. The leaves are kidney-thaped,
and notched about the edges. “In this ge-
nus, in Hyflop, Mint, Lavender, Bugle,
Betony, Dead-Nettle, Cat-Mint, Savory,
Horehound, &c. the calyxes are pretty
regularly quinquefid. In Thyme, Bali},
Self-heal, Marjoram, Baum, &c. they are
bilabiate. In Mint the corollas are hardly
ringent: the filaments are ftraight and dif-
tant. Lavender has the corollas, as it were,

__ Ww Glechoma hederacea Lis. Curtis, Lond. II. 44.
Ger. 850. 1. PI. 20. f. 1. of this work, & Fl. ruft. t. 61.

turned

-

DIDYNAMIA GYMN.

turned /op/y-turvy ; that which is the upper
part in moft others being the lower in this,
and vice vera : the calyxes alfo are fup-
ported by a braée; and the ftamens lie
within the tube. Zeucriumhas no proper
upper lip, but the corolla is flit quite

me

304

through for the ftamens to pafs. Bugle has Ajuga.

the upper lip of the corolla remarkably
fhort, much fhorter than the filaments:
our common wild fpecies * is known by its

{moothnefs, and increafing by runners. Be- Betonica.

tony has the upper lip of the corolla Aattith
and rifing, with a cylindric tube; the feg-
ments of the calyx are prolonged into nar-
row thin points like awns; and the filaments
extend not beyond the neck or opening of
the tube. : Wood Betonyy is diftinguifhed by
an interrupted fpike, and by the middle feg-
ment of the lip being emarginate, or having

one notch. Cat-mint has the middle divi- Nepeta.

fion of the lower lip crenate, or flightly
notched ; the edge of the chaps reflex; and
the ftamens clofe. : The flowers of the
wild fpeciesz are in a fpike, confifting of a
fet of whorls on fhort peduncles ; the leaves
are heart-fhaped, bluntly ferrate and -petio-
date. Jf you have any doubt concerning this

x Ajuga reptans Lin. Curtis, Lond. IL. 43. Ger.
631. 1. |
ÿ Betonica officinalis Lin. Curtis, Lond. III. 22.
Ger. 714.
* Nepeta Cataria Din. Fl. dan. 580. Mor. hift. £ rr.
t. 6.f. 1. Ger. 682. 1. Engl. bot.t. 137. :
abnale X

2 plant,

308

Ballota.

Marru-
bium.

‘Thymus.

LETTER’ XXII.

plant, prefent it to pufs, and fhe will inform
you by the careffes which fhe beftows upon
it, in common with Marum and Valerian ;
the firft of which not growing wild, and the
fecond being fo very different a plant, fhe
cannot lead you into an error. Black Hore-
hound and White Horehound both have a ca-
lyx marked with ten ftreaks ; but the upper
lip of the corolla, in the former, is arched
and crenate: in the Jatter ftraight, linear,
and bifid. Comimon Black Horehound? is
known by its whole, heart-fhaped, ferrate
leaves, and {harp-pointed calyxes ; the co-
rollas are red. Common White Horehound»
has the divifions of the calyx ending in {e-
taceous hooked points: the corollas are
white, and the whole plant has a white
appearance from the nap that covers the
{talks and leaves. |
Of the fecond divifion with bilabiate ca-
lyxes, Thyme has the opening of the tube
clofed with hairs. Wild Thyme that fmells
fo gratefully, and adorns dry fheep-paftures
with its red flowers, is known by thefe
flowers growing in a head; by the divifions
of the calyx being ciliate; thedeaves ovate,
flat, blunt at the end; dotted with little

a Ballota nigra Lin. Blackw. 136. Mor. hift. f 11.
t:-9. ff 14.7 Gerpyorety
b Marrubium album Lia. Blackw. 479. Morif. t. 9.
f, 1. Ger. 693. 4.
¢ Thymus Serpyllum Zin. Curtis, Lond. II. 47.
Mor. hift. t. 17. fs 1
glands,

DIDYNAMIA GYMN.

glands, and ciliate at the bafe ; and by its
creeping ftalks. Garden Thyme isan erect
plant, with its ovate leaves revolute, and
the flowers in a fet of whorls, al! together
making a fpike. Of this there are feveral
varieties, as there are alfo of the other.
Bafil has an involucre ot many narrow leaves
immediately under the whorl of flowers.

9

Marjoram is diftinguifhed by an involucre Origa-
compofed of ovate, coloured, imbricate un.

braëles, forming all together a fquare kind
of fpike or ffrobile. Wild Majorame has
the {pikes rounded at the corners, conglo-
merate, and all together forming a panicle ;
the bractes longer than the calyxes. You
will find this wild under hedges and among
bufhes. That which is in the kitchen gar-
den, under the name of Pot Marjoram*,
differs not greatly from the next: the {pikes
are oblong, aggregate, and hairy ; the leaves
heart-fhaped, and nappy ; the ftem woody,
and the flowers white. Sweet Marjoram
has ovate leaves, blunt at the end, and
roundifh compaét pubefcent fpikes. Winter
Sweet Marjoram” has long, aggregate, pe-
dunculate {pikes, and the bractes the length
of the calyxes. ‘The corollas of this are

4 Thymus vulgaris Lim. Blackw. t. 211.
€ Origanum vulgare Lin. Curt. Lond. V. 39. FI.
dan. 633. Mor. hit. f. 11.t. 3. f. 12. Ger. 666. 4.
f O. Onites. Bocce. muf. 2. t. 28. Ger. 664. 2.
8 Origanum Majorana Lin. blackw. t. 310.
h Origanum heracleoticum Lin. Lob. ic. 492.
x8 white ;

C9
1
©

Meliffa.

Dracoce-

phalum.

LETT ER: XX UM:

white ; of the other red. Déttany of Cretei.
has the fmall purple flowers colleéted in
loofe, nodding heads, with imbricate brates ;
the ftalks are pubefcent, purplifh, and fend
out {mall branches from their fides by pairs ;
the leaves are round, thick, and fo woolly
as to be quite white: the whole plant has
a piercing aromatic fcent, and biting tafte,
This is the celebrated plant with which
Venus cured the wound of Aneask. Baum
has a dry, chaffy, angular calyx, flattifh at
top ; the upper lip rifing : the cafque of the
corolla is a little arched, and deeply notched
or bifid: the lower lip is trifid, with the
middle lobe heart-fhaped. ;

Common Garden Baum‘ has the flowers
growing in {mall loofe bunches from the
wings of the ftalk, in whorls ; and the pedi-
cles are fimple or unbranched. There are
two plants of this genus growing wild, that
have the name of Calamint™, Dracocepbalum
is diftinguifhed principally by the great in-
flation, or wide opening of the chaps of
the corolla; the upper lip alfo is arched,
folded, and obtufe. Of this genus is the
very fine-fmelling plant vulgarly called
Baum of Gilead*, which has compound

i; Origanum Diétamnus Zin. Blackw. t. 462.

k Virgil, Aneid XII.

! Meliffa officinalis Lin. Blackw. t. 27-

m Meliffa Calamintha & Nepeta Lin.) Blackw. t. 166
& 167.

n Dracocephalum çanarienfe LT Mor, hilt. f. 41.
t. 11. fig. lait,

leaves,

DIY NaAMIA*’- GYMN. — 5 Qi

leaves, confifting of three or five oblong,
pointed, Renae leh aflets; and flowers com-
ing out in thick, fhort fpikes : the corollas
are pale blue. Se//-eal is known immedi- Prunella,
ately by its forked filaments, with the an-
thers inferted below the, top: the fligma
alfo is'‘emarginate or bind. Weld Sclf-heal,

fo common in paîtures, has all the leaves
of an oblong ovate form, ferrate about the
edge, and petiolate. Scurellaria is abund- Scutella-
antly diftinad from all the other genera of
this order by its frudification ; for the calyx

is entire at the mouth, and, after the flower

is paft, clofes with a aie of lid; fo that
the whole bears arcfemblance to a helmet,
whence the names of Ca/ida, Shull-cap,
and Hooded Willow-herb: and the feeds be-
ing hereby inclofed in a kind of capfule,
this genus forms the conneëting link be-
tween this order and the next. The fpe-
cies common on the banks of rivers, by
ditch fides, and other watery places p, has
lance-fhaped leaves, hollowed at the baie,
notched about the edge, and wrinkled on
the furface ; the flowers are blue, and pro-
ceed from the axils, or angles formed
by the leaves or fabdivifions of the main
flem.

© Prunella vulgaris Lin. Curtis, Bae IV. 42. Ger.
Qu
“p Scutellaria galericulata Liz. Curtis, Lond, IT. 36.
Ger. 477. 10. |
X 4 THE

Rhinan-
thus,

LETTER XXII.

THE ORDER ANGIOSPERMIA..

The corollas in all the genera of the firft
order, with very few exceptions, are open-
mouthed, Labiate, or Ringent, properly fo
called. In the fecond order, which you
are now going to furvey, many of them are
Perfonate, or Labiate, with the lips clofed ;
fome however have open bell-fhaped,
wheel-fhaped, or irregular corollas. To
have feeds inclofed in a Pericarp is common
to all, and hence the name of the order
Angtofpermia. In moft of the genera the
calyxes are quinguefid; in fome however
they are bifid, in one trifid, in many qua-
drifid, and in two multifid.

Of thofe with bifid calyxes, you have
the Orobanche or Broom-rape ; which has an
open corolla, divided at top into four feg-
ments, and nearly regular; there is a gland
at the bafe of the germ ; and the capfule is
unilocular and bivalvular. The common
{peciess has a pubefcent ftalk, abfolutely
undivided ; the fingular feuzllemort hue of
this plant is alone fufficient to betray it to
you at firft fight.

Among fuch as have quadrifid calyxes,
are Rhinanthus, Yellow Rattle, or Cock’s-
comb, and Eyebrigbt : thefe have Perfonate

4 Orobanche major Ein, Curtis, Lond. IV. 44. Ger.
1311, 2.

corollas :

DIDYNAMIA ANG.

corollas: the firft has the calyx fwelling ;
and an obtufe, comprefled bilocular capfule.
The wild fort', common in moift meadows,
is known by the fhortnefs and comprelfled
form of the upper lip of the corolla; the
colour is yellow: the calyx is very large ;
being an early flowering plant, this part
grows dry before the time of mowing, and

Oo)
makes à crafhing or rattling found under the

873

{cythe. Lupbra/y, or Eycbright, once cele- Euphralia,

brated as fit “to purge the vifual ray,”
has the calyx cylindric; the anthers fpinous
at the bafe of one of their lobes: and the
capfules of an oblong ovate form, and bilo-
cular. The officinal fpecies s has ovate li-
near leaves, fharply indented about the edges.
It isan humble, neat plant, growing in dry
pafiures and heaths ; and the corolla, on a
near view, is very elegant.

In the largeft fection, with quinquefid ca- Antirrhi.

lyxes, you will find Sines eatin binure genus 7m

compriling forty-feven fpecies. The corolla
is perfonate, prolonged at the bafe into a
bag or fpur ; and the feed veflel is a bilocu-
Jur capfule. Of two fpecies formerly men-
tioned to you, Zoadflaxt has linear leaves in-
clining to lanceolate, growing many toge-

t Rhinanthus Crifta galli Zin. Curtis, Lond. V, 43.
Mor. hift. £ 1i. t. 23. “fit. Ger. MONET:

s Euphrafia officinalis Li». Curtis, Lond. V. 42.
Mor, hift. t. 24. f. 5. Ger. 663.

t Antirrhinum Linaria Ziz. Curtis, Lond. I. 47.
Ger sgovr. Flruftts 93,

4 ther

— <= -.,

4

LETTER XXII:

ther upon an erect ftalk; the flowers grow
clofe in feffile fpikes, terminating the ftem ;
the under lip of the corolla is hairy within,
the chaps are orange-coloured, but the reft
is of a pale yellow, and it ends in a long fpur.
It is now in flower, or will foon be fo.
Accident has produced a ftrange variation in
this plant, by changing the corolla from
perfonate with fout didynamous ftamens,
to regularly pentapetalous with five, the
re(tof the plant remaining the fame". Va-
rieties partaking of the nature of two fpe-
cies are not uncommon’; but as they are
generally found among larital plants, and
never produce feed, they are loft almoft as
foon as they come to perfection. Whereas
this being perennial, and creeping much at
the roots, has been preferved as an example
of monfters in vegetable nature. © Srapdra-
gon™ has the leaves of the calyx rounded at
top, the flowers growing ina fpike, and the
corollas fpurlefs ; the colours of thefe are
red with white or yellow mouths, or en-
tirely white, or elfe white with yellow
mouths: the leaves*are lance-fhaped and
petiolate. Several fpecies of Antirrdinum
are wild on walls and in corn-fields; and fe-
veral others are not uncommon in gardens :

x This is defcribed at length under the name of Pe
bria in the firft volume of Amen. Acad.
v Thefe are called Hybridous plants, or Mules.
w Antirrhinum majus Liz. Mill. fig. t. 42. Ger.
549. 3, 2, 3. Engl. bot. t, 129.

as

DID AMA, AWN G.

as Three-leaved Toadflax *, an annual plant,
having ovate, fmooth, gray leaves, gene-
rally ternate, as the name implies, but
fometimes only in pairs: the flowers grow
in fhort fpikes at the top of the ftalks, and
are fhaped like thofe of common ‘Toad-flax,
only the tubes are not fo long; they are
yellow, with faffron-coloured chaps. Two
or three perennial fpecies with handfome
{pikes of blue flowers, and fome of them
fmelling fweet ¥, are ufually in large bor-
ders, among flowering-fhrubs, and other per-
ennials.

313.

Scrophularia or Figwort is another of Scrophu-

thefe ; the corolla is of the topfy-turvy kind,
almoft globular in its form ; the two upper
divifions are the largeft and ere ; the two
fide-ones fpread open, and the fifth below is
reflex. In many fpecies, under the topmoit
divifion, in the chaps of the corolla there is
a little flap refembling a lip: the flower is
fucceeded by a bilocular capfule. Two
fpecies are fufficiently common; one in
woods and hedge-rows”, with the angles of
the ftem blunted, and heart-fhaped leaves,
much prolonged at the tip, and marked
with three riling nerves; the other by river

* Antirrhinum triphyllum Lin. Bocce. fic. t. 22.
_¥ Antirrhinum purpureum, repens & monfpeffula-
num, &c. Lin. 1. Riv. mon. 82.—2 Dill. elth. 198.
t. 163. f.1197.—3. Dill. elth. 199.

z Scrophularia nodofa Lin. Blackw. t, 87. Mor. hitt,
{..5- t 0. fe 3..Ger. 716, 1,

| fides,

laria.

316,

Digitalis.

Bignonia.

LETTE RSA

fides, and in other watery places:, with a
membrane running along the ftalk at the

angles, and heart- fhaped leaves blunted at

the end. ‘Thefe plants have a dufky fhade
fpread over their green, and their flowers
are of a dull red.

Foxglove, one of the moft fhowy of our
wild plants, has an open corolla, divided into

four fegments at top, and fwelling out be-

low, fhaped like the fingers of a glove; the
capfule ovate and two-celled. Wild or purple
Foxglove is diftinguifhed by having the
leaves of the calyx ovate and acute, with
the fegments of the corolla obtufe, and
the upper lip entire: the infide of the corolla
is beautifully fprinkled with fpots refembling
eyes ; and the leaves are large and wrinkled:
red is the colour of the flower in its wild
ftate; when cultivated in gardens it varies
to white and yellow.
Bignonia has a cyathiform calyx, narrow
at bottom, and fpreading wide at top; a
bell-fhaped corolla, {welling out below, and
divided into five fegments at top; and a two-
celled filique for a feed-veflel, containing
winged feeds lying clofe over each other.
The 7 Trumpet- flower ‘of Virginia and Ca-
nada, with its trailing branches, putting

a Scrophularia aquatica Lin. Curt. Lond. V. 44. FI.
dan. 507. Blackw.t. 86. Ger. 715.
b Digitalis purpurea Lim Curtis, Lond. I. 48. Fl.
dan.t. 74. Ger. 790.1.
¢ Bignonia radicans Lin. Mill. fig. pl. 65. Pl. 20.
{agi
out

oe

DE DNA ML À MAIN G.

out roots from the joints, to acquire fup-
port and nourifhment from trees, has pin-
nate leaves, the leaflets of which are cut:
the large trumpet-fhaped flowers are orange-
coloured. The Casa/pa* is a large tree with
leaves remarkably fimple, and heart-fhaped :
the flowers are produced in great branching
panicles; they are of a dirty white, with a
few purple fpots, and faint ftripes of yellow;
but, what is moft remarkable, they have
only two perfe& ftamens, with {mall rudi-
ments of three others ; the calyx alfo is not

barely quinquefid, but divided quite to the
bottom. :

317

Acanthus, the leaves of which are faid to Acanthus,

have given the firft hint of the elegant Co-
rinthian capital, is alfo of this order, but of
that fection which has bifid calyxes: it has
an irregular corolla, without any upper lip ;
the lower -one has three lobes; the anthers
are villous, and the captule is two-celled.

~ I cannot help remarking to you, fince it
has ftruck me, that the greater part of the
genera in the principal {eCtion of this order,
is dedicated to the memory of eminent bota-
nifts. Here ftands the great Linnæus him-
felf; the celebrated Arabian Avicenna; thofe
fathers of the fcience Gefner and Columna:
. in Italy, Crefcentio, Tozzi, Vandelli, Du-
rante, Cirillo; the illuftrious Frenchmen,

a Bignonia Catalpa Zin, Duham, arb. 1. t. 41.
Catefb. car. I. t. 49.

Bignon,

JE TTER Xe

Bignon, Barrelier, Ruellius, Cornutus, Do-
dart; Cellius, Toren, Brovall, Swedes ;
Brunfelfius, Buchner, Bontius, Volkamer,
Loefel, Befler, Hebenftreit, Lindern,Gmelin,
and other Germans; Oviedo the Spaniard ;
and of England old venerable Gerard, Mil-
lington, and, in more modern times, Lord
Petre and two contemporary profeflors of
Oxford and Cambridge. The illuftrious, the

indefatigable Baron Haller occupies a fec-

tion alone, as he well merits, being himfelf
an hoft. This plan, of confecrating newly
difcovered plants to perpetuate the memory
of perfons who have been eminent in the
fcience, appears to me well imagined. La-
dies have had this honour*, as well as the
men; and I have no doubt, dear coufin, but
you will one day merit a niche in this temple.

e See StrelitziaReginæ in Hort. Kew. 1. 285. Curt.
magaz. 119,120. John Miller’s plates, t. 5, 6. Port-
landia grandiflora in Dr. Smith’s Icones pitæ. Mon-
fonia fpeciofa. Curt. magaz. 73.

“LET-

LETTER XXIII.

THE CLASS TETRADYNAMIA.

Auguft the 4th, 1775.
f 9 EFORE any idea of fyflem or arrange-

HD ment had gone abroad, every {cientitic
eye perceiving a fimilitude between the
Cabbage and Turnip, the Stock and Radith
in the fructification, there was an univerfal
agreement among authors to Place thefe
plants, and others like them, in the fame
fection or divifion of their books, and to
treat of them all together. You have al-
ready feen‘ the nature of this fimilitude,
and are not at any lofs in clafling the Cru-
ciform tribe : you have only to learn that the
fifteenth clafs (Tetradynamia) in the fyftem
of Linnzus, contains the fame plants as you
fave Ween accoflomed. to, call Cruciform ;
and to recollect that it has the long Greek
name from four of the ftamens here more
powerful or longer than the remaining two;
the circumftance on which Linnzus founds
the character of the clafs ; and which diftin-
guifhes it from the mae wherein the fix
ftamens are of equal length, or at leaft not of
that regular, proportional inequality that we
difcover in the clafs now before you.

f In Letter II,
It

9

20

Lunaria.

LETTER XXIII.

It will fuffice to examine a few of the ge-
nera and fpecies, which are not extremely
numerous &, and therefore my prefent letter
will not extend to that frightful length that
fome of the former have done.

THE ORDER SILICULOSA.

The Siliculofe or fhort-podded order leads.

the way, and is fubdivided into two feétions;
the firft containing thofe which have the fi-
licle entire, and the fecond fuch as have the
filicle notched at top. From the firft fubdi-
vifion I fhall fele&t Hone/ty for your obfer-
vation, becaufe it is common in gardens, and
has larger parts than moft of thele flowers.
The filicle is oval, entire, quite flat, and
ftands on a pedicle; the valves are equal to
the partition, parallel and flat: the leaflets
of the calyx are bagged. The brilliant
whitenefs of thefe filicles has occationed this
plant to be called White Sattin: and from
the thape of them it is named Lwnaria and
Moonwort. Linnzus mentions but two
fpecies ; the annval® differing from the bien
nial’ in having larger flowers of a lighter
purple, and the pods longer and narrower :
they have both heart-fhaped leaves, indented
on their edges, are a little hairy, and end in

8 The genera are 22, and the fpecies 287.
h Lunaria annua Lin. Mill. illuftr. Befl. eyft. 7. f. 1.
i Lunaria rediviva Lin. Befl. eytt. 7. f. 2.

acute

eT

F
L
|

L

ÿ

TETRADYN. SILIC.

>

acute points; the lower ones are on long
petioles, but the upper ones fit clofe to the
ftalk.
Of the fecond fubdivifion is the Candy Iberis.

. tuft or Îberis, known by an irregular corolla
with the two outer petals larger than the
two others. Red Candy-tuft * is an annual
herbaceous plant with red flowers growing
in a kind of umbel; your gardener fows it
in patches about the borders of your flower-
garden; it has lance-fhaped leaves drawn to
a point: the lower ferrate, the upper ones
quite entire: the flowers of this are fome-
times white, and then it is confounded with
the bitter f{pecies', which however has the
leaves not fo fharp-pointed, and with only
few indentations: the flowers alfo grow in

a raceme, and the plant is more branched.
In this fubdivifion alfo ranges Scurvy- cles.
grafs and Horfe-radi/b, agrecing in a heart- ria.
fhaped, turgid, rugged filicle, the valves of
which are gibbous and obtufe. Oficinal or
Garden Scurvy-grafs™ has a branching ftalk;
the lower leaves roundifh and hollowed next
the petiole ; the ftem-leaves oblong and fub-
finuous : the white flowers are produced in
clufters at the ends of the branches, Eugli/h

K Iberis umbellata Lin. Riv. tetr. 225. Curt. Mag”
106, ©

1 Tberis amara Lin. Riv. tetr. 112. - Ger. 263. 5.

m Cochlearia officinalis Lin. FI. dan. 135. Ger.
#01. /r. ‘

¥. Sea

©>

Rapha-

nus.

Eryfi-

mums

LETTER XXIII.

Sea Scurvy-gra/s * has longer leaves, and all
of them finuate. Horfe-radi/b°, which few
befides Botanifts obferve in flower, has the
radical leaves lance-fhaped, and notched
about the edges, the ftem-leaves gafhed,

THE ORDER SILIQUOSA,.

The fecond order, containing the Cruci-
form flowers, fucceeded by a Jilique or long
pod, is alfo fubdivided into two fe&tions ; in
the firft of which the leaflets converge at top,
in the fecond they gape. Radi/h, Ery/imum,
Stock, Wall-flower, Rocket, Arabis, Cabbage,
Turnep, &c. range in the firft fe@ion : Woad,

Sea-Colewort, Cardamine, Muftard, Char-.

lock, Water-Cre/s, &c. in the fecond. Ra-
dif» has a cylindric, jointed, torofe or fwell-
ing filique ; and one pair of glands between
the fhorter ftamens and the pifil, with a fe-
cond pair between the longer ftamens and
the calyx. LEry/imum has a columnar filique
with four equal fides. Of this there are fe-
veral wild fpecies; as firft, the common ?,
growing by road fides, well diftinguifhed by

its runcinate leaves, and filiques prefled clole

n Cochlearia anglica Lin. Fl. dan. 329. Ger. 401. 2.

° Cochlearia Armoracia Lin. Mor, hift. { 3. t. 7.
EE. Ger 248 L

P Eryfimum officinale Lin, Curtis, Lond. V. 59.
Fi, dan. 560, Ger. 254. 4,

ta

1

TETRADYN. SILIQUOSA.

to the ftalk: fecondly, Winter Cre/s %, with
lyrate leaves, the outmoft lobe roundifh, and
fpikes of yellow flowers, growing by ditch-
fides: and thirdly, the garlick-fmelling, call-
ed thence Sauce-alone, and, trom the ufual
place of its growth, Fack-by-the-Hedge", has
heart-fhaped leaves: the flowers are white,
but the fmell betrays it at once.

323

Stock and Wall-flower have two leaflets of Cheiran-

the calyx gibbous at the bafe; the germ
has a glandular toothlet on each fide; and
the feeds are flat The two fpecies are
thus diftinguifhed. Wall flower * has acute,
-{mooth leaves, with angular branches. Stock *
has obtufe hoary leaves, with flatted filiques
truncate at top: both have fhrubby ftems,
and lance-fhaped entire leaves. The Ærnual
or Ten-sweehk Stock” differs in having an
herbaceous ftalk, the leaves fomewhat tooth-
ed, the petals notched, and the filiques cy-
lindric and acute at the end. Rocket * has
the petals obliquely bent ; a gland on each
fide within the fhorter ftamens; the ftigma
forked, with the parts converging at top ;
and the filique ftiff and upright.

q Eryfimum Barbarea Liz, Mor. hift. t. 5. f. 11, 12.
Ger. 243.

r Eryfimum Alliaria Lin. Curtis, Lond. I. 48.
Ger. 794.

s Cheiranthus Cheiri Lin. Mor. f. 3. t. 8. f. 15.
Ger.-4.56.

t Cheiranthusincanus Liv. Mill, illuflr. Ger. 458.

u Cheiranthus annuus Liz.

Y Hefperis Lin.
x 2 Arabis

thus.

324
Arabis.

Braffica,

Ifatis.

Crambe.

LETTER XXIII.

Arabis has four glands, within the leaf-
lets of the calyx, like reflex fcales. Some
of the fpecies are wild “, and the 4/pzne
fort * is now common in many gardens:
the leaves of this embrace the flalk, and are
toothed about the edges; it bears white
flowers in loofe corymbs. Cabbage’, Turnep*,
Colefeed*, &c. all agree in having the glands
difpofed as in the Radifh; the leaflets of the
calyx are erect: the claws of the corollas
hardly fo long as the calyx; the filique is
roundifh, a little flatted on each fide, with
the valves fhorter than the partition ; and
filled with feveral globofe feeds.

Of the fecond fection, Woad has a lance-
fhaped, bivalve, one-celled filique, con-
taining one feed only, and deciduous ; the
valves are boat-fhaped. The fpecies culti-
vated for dyeing > has the radical leaves
notched and petiolate; the ftem-leaves fa-
gittate, or fhaped like the head of an arrow,
and embracing the ftalk ; and oblong filicles.
It is a large plant, with corymbs of {mall
yellow flowers. Sea-Colewort has a globofe
filique, or rather dry berry, which is deci-
duous, and contains one feed; but its moft

w Arabis thaliana, Curtis, Lond. II. 49. ftri€la, Tur-

rita Lin. Jacq. auftr. t. 11.3 but the laft has glands as
in Braffica.

x Arabis alpina Lin. Fl. dan. 62. Curt. Mag. 226.

Y Braflica oleracea Liz.

2 Braffica Rapa Lin, Fl. ruft. t. 49, 50.

2 Br. Napus Lin.

b Tfatis tinétoria Lin. Blackw. 246. Mor. hift. f. 3.
t.15.f.10, 11. Ger. 491. Fl. ruft. t. 41. Engl. Bot.
t. 97.

2 remarkable

TETRADYN. SILIQ.

remarkable charaéter is, that the four long
filaments are forked at the end, and the
anthers are borne on the outer forks. Our
fpecies © has the ftalk and leaves {mooth.

Cardamine, Cuckow-flower or Lady s Smock, Carda-
(forgive the vulgar name) has the calyx mine

gaping a little: two glands, one on each
fide, between the fhorter ftamens and the
calyx; and an elaftic filique, the valves
rolling back with force when the feeds are
mature, and thus throwing them off to
fome diftance. There are many fpecies
wild ; but that which iscommon in moift
meadows, and on the banks of brooks‘,
has pinnate leaves, the folioles on the radi-
cal leaves roundifh, on the ftem-leaves
Jance-fhaped. The allufions to the white-
nefs of the corollas will not hold, for they
are commonly purple.

Muftard has the claws of the corollas Sinapis.

ftraight, and the glands as in the Cabbage

genus, to which it is very nearly allied ;
_ differing from it only in the circumftance
firft mentioned, and in having the leaflets
of the calyx fpreading: the filique indeed is
different ; being torofe and rough, with the
partition ufualiy very long; but this is re-
ferved for the fpecific diftinétion. The
wild fpecies, a weed fo common among corn,

€ Crambe maritima Zin. Fl. dan.316. Ger. 315.
15:
4 Cardamine pratenfis Lin. Curtis, Lond. III. 40.
Ger. 259. 1,2 Fl. ruft. t. 95.

3 and

Sifymbri-
um.

LETTER XXIII.

and generally called Charlock*,'has many
angled, torofe, {mooth filiques, longer than
the two-edged beak. Black or Common
Muflard * has {mooth filiques prefled to the
raceme, orcommon bunch of the fruétifica-
tion. White Muflard8 has the filiques hif-
pid, terminated by a very long, oblique,
{word-fhaped beak. If you fuffer fome of
the plants which your gardener fows for
{mall fallad to grow up and flower, you will
find it to be the laft-named fpecies. Com-
mon Muftard is a much larger plant, grow-
ing four or five feet high; the lower leaves
large and rough, like thofe of the Turnep.
Charlock does not grow more than two
feet in height; the leaves, which are alfo
rough, are fometimes jagged, and fometimes
entire.

Water-Crefs is of a numerous genus,
there being twenty-nine fpecies of Si/ym-
brium. The corolla is fpreading as well as
the calyx in this genus; and the filique
gapes with ftraightifh valves. The fpecific
characters of Water-Crefs» are, fhort de-
clining filiques, and pinnate leaves, with the
lobes a little heart-fhaped. The flowers are

€ Sinapis arvenfis Lin. Curtis, Lond. V. 47. Fi.
dan. 753. Mor. hift. f. 3.t. 3. f. 7. Ger. 233.2. Fi.
ruft. t. 101.

f Sinapis nigra Lin. Blackw.t. 446. FL ruft. t. 51.

8 Sinapis alba Lin. Curtis, Lond. V. 46. Blackw.
29. Ger. 244.4. FI. ruft.t. 70.

h Sifymbrium Nafturtium Zin. Curtis, Lond. I. 61.
F1. dan. 690. Ger. 257. 1. and pl. 21.

white,

ra
/

HiT R A DYN. (SILI Q.

white, and grow in a corymbi. There is
another fpecies, called Fiixweed *, not un-
common on dunghills, where rubbifh is
thrown out, by way-fides, and in unculti-
vated places: this has decompound pinnate
leaves, and very {mail corollas, the petals
being lefs than the calyx: the filiqueis very
long and flender, filled with fmall, roundifh
feeds : the leaves are as finely cut as Roman
Wormwood; and the {mall yellow flowers
are produced on loofe corymbs, at the top
of the ftalks.

The feafon, dear coufin, is now in its
wane, and a journey I muit make on affairs
of bufinefs, obliges me to leave the comple-
tion of my plan to another fummer. If
leifure and health are then granted me, I
fhall with pleafure refume the employment
which you honour. with your attention.
In the mean time you and your fair daugh-
ter have enough to amufe you for the au-
tumn, and even till winter confines you to
the arrangement of your fummer’s labours
within. —

i See more in Letter XVII.
* Sifymbrium Sophia Lin, Fl, dan. 528. Ger. 1068.
Fl. ruft. t. 57.

a LET-

327

©3

LETTER. XXIV.

THE CLASS MONADELPHIA.

June the 1ft, 1776.

OME neceflarÿ occupations, dear cou-

fin, have prevented me from refuming
my pleafing tafk fo foon as | had withed.
But the fpring has not been unprofitably
employed by you, in the examination of
fuch plants as were paft flowering before
you received my former letters. You have

done well by marking in your pocket-book .

the names of all thofe which have either
wholly efcaped your fearch, or have pre-
fented themfelves to you in a ftate unfit for
complete examination. You are not fo un-
reafonable as to expect that all Nature fhould
be open to your view at once. On the con-
trary, I am charmed with your patience
and affiduity in awaiting the proper feafons
of flowering and fruiting ; marking the times
which authors have fet down; and repeat-
ing your examinations in order to view
plants in their different ftates, when they
fometimes put on appearances fo different,
that to a lefs informed eye they might feem
to be difiinét {pecies.

We are now arrived at a clafs, of which :

you have had no previous information in
the introductory letters, defigned to give
you

MONADELPHIA.

you à general knowledge of the moft natu-
ral. The clafs Monadelphia however is a
natural, as well as a moft beautiful one.
The union of the filaments at bottom into
one body, or brotherhood as it were, is the
leading character, and the occafion of the
name. You will recolle& that hitherto
the ftamens have been ever free and diftin®
from each other, how many foever you
may have found in a fingle flower; you
will alfo recolle&t having been informed,
that in the fixteenth and fucceeding clafles,
they are united, either at top or bottom, into
one body or more. In this, as I obferved
before, the filaments all join below, next
the receptacle, fome higher than others;
all of them, together with the anthers, be-
ing ftill entirely feparate at top.

If then you have met with a plant which
has five, ten, or efpecially many ftamens,
and you have not been able to affign it a
place in the fifth, tenth, or thirteenth
clafles, examine it a little more attentively,
and confider whether it has not a peculiar
port or ftruéture, announcing it to belong to
a natural tribe. It may perhaps have a per-
manent calyx; but if it is alfo double, you
may be almoft certain that it ranges here.
The corolla of your flower may perhaps
have five heart-fhaped petals, the fide of one
embracing or at leaft touching that which
is next to it, in a direction contrary to the
fun’s apparent motion. ‘The filaments per-

haps,

329

33°

LI EIT'T) ER AZ

haps, connected at bottom only, whether
flightly, or for a confiderable portion of their
lengths, are gradually fhorter as they recede
from the middle; and the anthers are in-
cumbent, or lie along over the top of them.
You find the receptacle of the fru€tification
prominent in the centre of the flower; the
top of this receptacle furrounded by ere&
germs forming a jointed ring: all the ftyles
united below into one body with the recep-
tacle; but diftinguifhed at top into as many
filaments as there are germs: thele germs
becoming a capfule confifting of as many
cells as there are piftils in the flower: and
frequently confifting of as many connected
Arils. In each of thefe cells lurks a kidney-
fhaped feed.

If you have not already divined this rid-
dle, take the flower of a wild Mallow, an
Althæa, Lavatera, or other plant refem-
bling thefe; examine it by the characters
juit laid down, and you will havea perfe&
idea of the clafs Monade/phia. From the
circumftance of the receptacle ftanding up
in the middle of the flower, like a column,
thefe have alfo the name of columniferous
plants.

The orders are five, taken from the num-
ber of the ftamens, which you remember
determined the clafs in the firft thirteen
clafies; but, being now no longer ufed for
that purpofe, may ferve very well for the
other.

The

he.

MONADELPHIA. 331

The fruit was formerly taken for difcri-
minating the genera. ‘This being found
infufficient, fucceeding nomenclators had
recourfe to the leaves; but Linnæus has,
for this purpofe, wifely adopted the calyx,
which is always prefent, and is remarkable
for its ftru@ure in this clafs. The illuf-
trious Swede has ever fhewn great fagacity
in feizing that part of the plant which is
moft conftant, and furnifhes the greateft
choice of permanent variations, whereon to
found the eflential charaëters of his genera
and {pecies'.

THE ORDERS PENTANDRIA AND
DECANDRIA.

Not having taken the piftil for the dif-
tinction of the orders, that part remains to
aflift us in characterifing the genera. Ac-
cordingly in the firft order of this clafs,
in which the flowers have five ftamens,
two genera have one, and two have five
ftyles ; the number of cells in the capfules
ferves to complete the generic character.
Thus Hermannia has five ftyles, and a five- Herman-
celled capfule ; to which we may add, that "à:
the five petals of the corolla are rolled fpi-
rally in a direction contrary to the fun’s ap-
parent motion; and that their claws have

1 Genera 35, and fpecies 256, in this clafs.

4 a little

33?

LETTER XXIV.

a little membrane on each fide uniting to
form a cowled tube. ‘Though there are
many fpecies of this genus, yet perhaps
none of them may offer themfelves to your
view. We will proceed therefore to a fa-
vourite genus, that ranges in the fecond
order, or that which has ten ftamens: I
mean Geranium, which, out of its eighty-
two fpecies, will furnifh you ample matter
for examination, efpecially as I know you
cultivate fo many of them. Before you de-
termine the circumftances in which they
differ, let us fee in what they all agree ;
this is, in having one ftyle terminated by five
ftigmas ; and a fruit compofed of five grains,
and beaked ; whence its names of Geranium
and Cranefbill. We may add thatthe calyx
is {ingle and five-leaved, as well as the co-
rolla; that the filaments are alternately
longer and fhorter, but all fhorter than the
corolla, and very flightiy conneéted in thofe
which have a regular corolla; that the ftyle
is longer than the ftamens, and permanent ;
and that each of the five feeds is terminated
by a tail or awn, affifling to form the beak,
and which when the feed is ripe becomes
fpiral, and thus detaches the feed from the
plant.

The African fpecies, of which we have
fo many from the Cape of Good Hope,
have the five parts of the calyx united at
bottom; the petals unequal; and feven only
of the filaments furnifhed with anthers ;

the

MONADELPH. DECAND.

the flowers grow many together in a kind
of umbel; the feeds are naked, with a fea-
thered awn, and the leaves grow alternate
upon the ftalk, which is fhrubby.

In this firft. fection you find, among
many others, the Fu/gid™, with a flefhy
ftem, putting out but few branches; the
leaves three-parted and gafhed, the middle
fezment much larger than the others; fre-
quently falling off, fo as to give the ftalks
an appearance of being dead during the fum-
mer; the flowers are produced on fhort
footftalks, in a fort of double umbel, each
fuftaining but two or three flowers, re-
markable for their deep fhining fcarlet co-
lour.

The well known Scarlet", which would
be at leaft as much efteemed as the Fulgid,
were it not more common. The leaves
are almoft orbicular, except that they are
hollowed next the petiole ; they are notched
about the edge, but not gafhed or lobed ;
their furface is downy; and they ftain the
fingers if handled roughly, whence the tri-
vial name of zzguinans or ftaining. This is
a much loftier plant than the laft, growing
as high as eight or ten feet; and fends out
abundance of erect branches: the flowers
in the umbels are numerous, and are pro-
duced on very long peduncles.

m Geranium fulgidum Zin. Dill. elth. t. 130. f. 1376
# Geranium inquinans Lin. Mill, illuftr. Dill. elth.

t. 125. f. 151. Mart. cent. 3.
The

333

334

LETTER XXIV.

The Papilionaceous°, fo called, becaufe
the corollas have fomething the appearance
of butterfly or pea-bloflom flowers, the
two upper petals, which are large, turning
up like the banner or ftandard in thofe
flowers ; thefe are finely variegated, but the
three under petals being reflex and finall are
fcarcely obferved, but on a near infpeCtion ;
the flowers are many in each umbel: the
leaves are large, angular, rough, and ftand
on long petioles.

The Hollow-leaved? has roundifh leaves
contracted on the fides fo as to ftand hol-
low ; the edges are fharply indented; the
flowers are large, and produced in large
loofe umbels; the corollas are purple: it is
a plant of large ftature, and very hairy.

There is another fort, or variety, very
hike this; but it has leaves of a thicker fub-
ftance, and divided into feveral acute angles ;
the branches are not fo irregular, and the
bunches of flowers are not fo large.

The Horfe-/hce4 is perhaps the fpecies
moft commonly known of all the Africans ;
the dark or purplifh mark, in fhape of a
horfe-fhoe, upon the leaves, {hows this Ge-
ranium to the eye at firft fight: but it is

- © Geranium papilionaceum Lin. Dill. elth. t. 128.
f.. 155. Mart. cepts lige

P Geranium cucullatum Lin—cowled. Dill. elth.
t. 129. f. 156. Mart. cent. 28.

q Geraninm zonale Lin. Comm. præl. 51. t. 1.—
See the flower in pl. 22. f. 3.

not

MONADELPH. DECAND.

not abfolutely permanent ; for we have va-
rieties without it; we muft have recourfe
therefore to the form of the leaves, as a
more certain diftinétion : they are orbicular,
hollowed next the petiole, divided on the
circumference into feveral obtufe fegments,
each of which is flightly indented. This
fort is very branching: the flowers are pro-
duced in large, clofe umbels, on long pe-
duncles, and vary from a light purple to a
high fcarlet.

The Vine-leaved" has ovate, afcending
pubefcent leaves, having the fmell of Baum,
when rubbed; the flowers grow in a clofe
head, on Jong peduncles, rifing much higher
than the branches ; they are {mall, and pale
blue. |

The Rofe-/cented* has alfo lobed leaves,
waved and villous; like the laft, the flowers
grow in clofe heads; they are of a purplith
blue: the branches are very irregular and
weak: and the whole is weaker and grows
taller than the former: the leaves when
rubbed fmell like dried rofes.

The plants of the fecond fe@ion have
many things in common with thofe of the
firft; but differ in being herbaceous, and
having the leaves oppolite. Of thefe the
Odorous* is remarkable for its powerful fcent,

r Geranium vitifolium Lia, Dill. elth. t. 126. f, 153.
{ Geranium capitatum Lin. Riv. pent. 326.
* Geranjum odoratifhmum Lin, Dill. elth. t. 137,
f, 138,
fomething

335

LETTER XXIV.

fomething like Anifeed: this has a very
fhort flefhy ftem, with long branches, and
heart-fhaped leaves extremely fhort: the
flowers are produced from the fide of long
proftrate ftalks, upon flender peduncles,
three, four, or five together; they are
white, and very fmall.

The Night-/cented" has feflile calyxes,
and bifid one-leafed fcapes : the leaves are
hairy, and almoft as finely divided as the
carrot; the ftalks are about a foot high, and
have two or three {maller leaves that are
feffile ; hence arife two or three naked pe-
duncles, terminated by an umbel of yel-
lowifh flowers, marked with dark purple
fpots, fmelling very fweet after fun-tfet.
Linnezus has taken his trivial name from the
dulnefs of the colour in the flower.

The third fe&tion contains fuch Gera-
niums as have only five of the ftamens an-
ther-bearing ; five-leaved calyxes, and fruits
hanging down. ‘The corollas of thefe are
lefs irregular; and the feeds are naked, ter-
minated by a hairy awn.

Of this fe&tion we have fome European
fpecies, as Hemlock Cranefbill’, common in
fandy foils: this has a branching ftalk, pin-
nate leaves, with the fegments gafhed and
obtufe, and many flowers on a peduncle,

u Geranium trifte Lin. Com. can. t. 110. Breyn.
cent. t. 58.
v Geranium cicutarium Lin, Curtis, Lond. I. 51.
Ger..945- 3-
Very

MONADELPH. DECANDR.
Very like this is Mu/k Cranefbill *, but it is

a larger plant, much lefs common, and eafily
known by its mufky odour: the divifions
of the leaves are pinnatifid. Some fpecies *
of this fection are remarkable for the large-
nefs of their beaks, and furnifh a good idea
of the name of the genus.

In the three remaining fections, all the
ten filaments are topped with anthers; the
calyxes are five-leaved; the corollas regu-
lar; the feeds covered with an a7z/, and ter-
minated by a fmooth awn. In the fourth
feGtion, the flowers are conjugate ; that is,
there are two always on every peduncle:
the plants are perennial.

Some of the largeft and handfomeft of the
European forts range in this fection; as
Spotted Cranefbill’, with the peduncles and
Jeaves alternate, the calyxes a little awned,
the petals waved, and the ftem erect. The
leaves are divided into five or fix lobes, la-
ciniate on their edges; thofe near the root
fit on long petioles, but on the upper part
of the ftalk they are feflile. The flowers
are of a dark purple. There is a variety of
this with light purple corollas.

Meadow Cranefbill* has the leaves divided

w Geranium mofchatum Lin. Riv. pent. 110.
Ger. 941.

x Geranium arduinum, gruinum, ciconium Lin.

Y Geranium pheum Lin. Ger. 942. 3. Park. 704. 3.

2 Geranium pratenfe. Curtis, Lond. IV. 49. Ger.

942. 1.
ee into

337

338

LETTER XXIV,

into fix or feven lobes, cut into feveral acute
fegments ; they are wrink!ed, and rather pel-
tate; the petals are entire, and of a fine blue.

The Geraniums of the fifth fection differ
from thofe of the fourth only in being an-
nual. Mo of thecommon European forts
are of this divifion: as er Robert, known
by its hairy, pointed, ten-angled calyxes.
The leaves are doubly pinnate, with the
end-lobes confluent; they ate generally
hairy, the flalks red, and the whole plant
has a flrong hircine fmell. Shining Cranef-
bill® has the calyxes pyramidal, angled, ele-
vated, and wrinkled; the leaves rounded
and five-lobed : the hole plant is fmooth
and fhining; the ftalks are red.

The common Dove's-foot or foft Cranef-
bill* has the peduncles and floral leaves al-
ternate ; the petals bifid, or rather obcor-
date; the calyxes LE but ending in
a fhort point; and the flem rather erect.
The ftipules are alfo bifid : the leaves are
very foft, ki idney-fhaped, divided half-way
into five or {even paris, and each of thele
lobes trifid and blunt. ‘This is very com-
mon, efpecially in fandy foils. Another 4,

a Geranium Robertianum Lin. -Curtis, Lond. I. 52.
Ger. 939. & 945. 5.

b Geranium lucidum Lin. FL dan..218. Mor. t. 15.
f..6. Park. 707.9. Engl bot.ta ges

€ Geranium molle Lin. Curtis, Lond, Il. 50. F1.
, dan. 679.

4 Geranium rotundifolium Zin. Blackw. 58. Vaill.
par. t. 15. f. 1. Ger. 938. Park. 706. 2. Engl. bot.t. 157.

very

MONADELPH. DECANDR.

very like it in many refpects, but more par-
tially diftributed, has entire petals, fcarcely
longer than the calyx; and the {tem more
proftrate. Long-flalked Cranefbill® has pe-
duncles longer than the leaves, which are
divided into five multifid lobes acute at the
end; the calyxes are awned, and the arils
are {mooth. ‘The peduncle is very long,
and the lobes of the leaves are doubly trifid.
Tagged Cranefbillf has the leaves divided into
five parts, and each of thofe into three
acute fegments ; the petals are of the length
of the calyx, and notched, and the arils
are villous ; this has the leaves more and
finer cut than any of the others.

Of the laft fection, with one-flowered
peduncles, we have a handfome fort wild,
but not common, with orbicular leaves,
divided into five or feven parts, and each
of thofe into three: the flowers ftand on
long hairy uta the corollas are large,
and of a deep purple *. Many more fpecies
are known to the curious" ; but I have only
felected fuch as the fields, ee garden, and
your little contervatory, are moft likely to
afford.

e Geranium Columbinum Lin. Vaill. par.t. 15. f. 4.
Petiv. 64. 8.
f Geranium diffe€tum Lin. * Vaill. par. t. 15. f. 2
Petiv. 64. 6.
8 Geranium fanguineum Lin. Bloody Cranefbill.
Ger. 945.2. Petiv. 64. 9.
h See fome figured in Curtis’s Magazine, n. 18, 20,
55 59, 95, 103, 136. Engl. bot. t. 121. G. fylvaticam.
Z 2 l have

339

340

Brownea.

LETTER XXIV,

I have mentioned that Linnzus has fub-
divided this unwieldy genus from the num-
ber of effettive ftamens. A celebrated mo-
dern author has, from this circumftance,
made three diftin& genera out of this one.
1. Erodium, containing the Myrrhina ot
Linnzus, or the Geraniums with five per-
fect ftamens only. 2. Pelagonium, com-
prehending the fricana of Linnæus, or
{uch as have feven perfe&t flamens. 3. Ge-
ranium, taking in the remaining fpecies,
which anfwer exaétly to the character of
the order in having all the ten ftamens with
anthers, and which Linnzus had called
Batrachia. Rivinus long fince feparated
this natural genus into two, from the regu-
larity or irregularity of the corolla. I fhall
not difpute whether all this be right or not.
It is my defign to explain the fyftem of the
illuftrious Swede as he left it.

In this clafs we find a fingular plant,
which has naturally eleven ftamens ; a num-
ber which you do not find among the clafles.
Having the Monadelphic character, it here
forms the order Endecandria, and ftands
alone. Being a plant little known, I intift
no longer on it’.

The laft order Polyandria is much the
moft confiderable in number of genera and
fpecies. You have here Si/k-Cotton*, the

‘
i Brownea coccinea Lin. k Bombax Lin.

True

MONADELPH, POLYANDRe

True Cotton’, fo much ufed in our manu-
factures, the numerous genus of Sida or
Indian Mallow, Althea or Marfb-Mallow,
Alcea or Hollybock, Mallow, Lavatera,
flibifcus, &c. The two firft, with Sida
and Hibifcus, have one piftil only; the reft
have many. Sida and Bombax have a fingle
calyx, but all the others have it double.
The exterior calyx in Cotton and Lavatera
is trifid ; in Mallow confifts of three leaflets ;
in Alcea is fexfid; in Hibifcus octofid; in
Althæa novemfid. Lavatera, Mallow, Al-
ceaand Althza, agree in having many feeds
in a ring round a column, each covered
with its proper aril, The feed-veflel of
Hibifcus is a capfule compofed of united
cells including many feeds.

‘The officinal ™ fpecies of Marfh-Mallow atthza

is known by its fimple downy leaves, hoary
to the fight, and very foft to the touch;
they are angular, but not divided to the
bottom, and therefore fimple. The flowers
are like thofe of the Mallow, but {maller and
paler.

Of Mallow there are many fpecies : that Mara.

which is fo very common” has an ereét
herbaceous {tem ; five or feven-lobed acute
leaves, with both petioles and peduncles

1 Goflypium Lin.

m Althea officinalis Lin. Fi. dan. 530. Mor. hift.
f. 5. t. 19. f. 12. Ger. 933. 1. Park. 304. 1,—Pl.
22.f.1. Engl. bot. t. 147.

n Malva fylveftris Lin. Curtis, Lond. II. 51. Ger.
930.1. Pl. 22, f. 2.

Z 3 hairy.

342

Alcea.

LETTER XXIV.

hairy. Dwarf Mallow® has a proftrate
{tem ; orbiculate leaves hollowed next the
petiole| obfcurely five-lobed ; the fruit-bear-
ing peduncles declining. This is every way
a {maller plant. Vervain Mallow? has an
erect ftem, rough with fpreading hairs in
bunches, many-parted roughifh leaves, the
lobes of which are obtufe and indented ;
the flowers large, and light purple. Ano-
ther wild fpecies called Mufk Mallow 4, is
very like this, but has the radical leaves kid-
ney-form and gafhed ; the flem-leaves five-
parted, and the divifions finely cut into nar-
row fegments: the flowers have a mufky
fmeil, and the ftem has fingle ere& hairs
fitting on a prominent point. Cape Mal.
low has an arborefcent ftem ten or twelve
feet high, and the leaves five-lobed and hol-
lowed at the bafe. ‘The whole plant is
hairy, and thefe hairs exude a vifcid aro-
matic juice. The flowers are deep red,
and fmaller than thofe of the common Mal-
low. The trivial name informs us of its
country, and confequently that it ftands in
need of protection from you.

The gigantic, the gaudy Hollyhack is of
the genus Alcea: there are many varieties

° Malva rotundifolia Zin. Curtis, Lond, Il. 43. Fh.
dan. 721. Ger. 930.2. Park. 299. 1.

P Malva Alcea Lin. Blackw. 309.

q Malva mofchata Lin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 50. Mor,
hift. f. 5.t. 18. £4

r Malya capensis ‘Lin, Dill. elth, t, 169. f. 206.

with

MONADELPH. POLYANDR.

with double flowers, and different colours,
as white, red of all hues from pale carna-
tion to almoft black, and yellows of differ-
ent fhades ; but there are only two fpecies °,
the firft having roundifh leaves, cut at the
extremity only into angles; the fecond pal-
mate, cut deeply into fix or feven fegments,
like the fig-leaf. Of the firft there is a dwarf
variety with variegated flowers, much elteem-

ed, and called Chine/e Hollyhock.

343

The fhrub vulgarly named Althea Fru- pipicus

tex is an Hibifcus : a very numerous venus,
comprehending no lefs than thirty-fix {pe-
cles, moft of them inhabitants of either In-
dia, and not generally known here. The
Althea Frutex * however is a native of Sy-
ria, and bears the rigour of our climate,
though it be very late ere it produce its
flowers. The fpecific characters are, an
arboreous or woody ftem, and wedge-fhaped
leaves divided at top into three lobes, and
ftanding on fhort petioles. The flowers
are bell-fhaped, and of various colours—
pale or bright purple with dark bottoms,
white with purple bottoms, variegated with
dark bottoms, and yellow with the fame:
thefe flowers being large, gay, and nume-
rous, make a handfome appearance, and
give the completeft idea of the claflical
character.

China Rofe alfo, notwithftanding its name,

s Alcea rofea Mill. illuftr.—& ficifolia Lin.
t Hibifcus fyriacus Lin. Curt. Magaz. 83.

Z 4 is

344

LETTER XXIV,

is no Rofe, but an Aibifcus“, with a woody
ftem, and ovate, fharp-pointed leaves, fer-
rate about the edges; the colour, fize, and
appearance of the flowers, when they are
double, gave occafion to the name of Rofe;
they frequently appear on Chinefe paintings
and paper, and are certainly very ornamen-
tal The Mufk Plant* of the Weft Indies
is another fpecies of Aibi/cus; its kidney-
fhaped feeds have a very ftrong fmell of
mufk. The bark of fome fpecies “ is formed
of fibres ftrong enough for cordage. One
of them is cultivated in the Weft Indies for
its pods, which they put into their foups *,
But all this we have nothing to do with as
botanifts.

u Hibifcus Rofa Sinenfis Lin. Rheed. mal. 2. t. 17.
v Hibifcus Abelmofchus Lin. Mer. Surin. t. 42.

w Hibifcus vitifolius & Sabdariffa Lin.

# Hibifcus efculentus Lin. Sloan. jam, 1.t. 133. f. 3,

LET-

LETTER XXV.

THE CLASSES DIADELPHIA AND
POLYADELPHIA.

June the 4th, 1776.

FTER a fhort excurfion, we are re-
turned, dear coufin, among your old
acquaintance; and you have only to apply
to the term Dzadelphia, which is the name
of the feventeenth clafs in Linnzus’s {yf-
tem, all the knowledge you firft acquired
from the letter on Papilionaceous flowers 7,
and which you have fince increafed fo much
by your obfervation and experience. You
have admired the fingularly admirable and
beautiful ftructure of thefe flowers, in
which all the plants of this clafs agree: you
will now not be difpleafed to accompany
me in an enquiry into their generic and {pe-
cific differences. ‘The number of genera in
this clafs is 57, of fpecies 695. The or-
ders are four, taken from the number of
flamens, which in the firft order is five, in
the fecond fix, in the third eight, and in
the fourth ten. In the order Pentandria
however there is only one genus; in the
order Hexandria two ; and in the order Oc-

y Letter III,
*tandria

345

346

Fumaria,

LETTER XXV.

tandria three; fo that you perceive the laft
(Decandria_) abforbs the far greater part of
he clafs; and what you have learnt of Pa-
pilionaceous flowers belongs indeed princi-
pally to this order. Of the three firft orders,
there are only two genera which you will
have an opportunity of obferving; and we
will begin if you pleafe with them.
Fumitory has two filaments, each of them
terminated by three anthers; it has the claf-
fieal character therefore, and muft be of the
order Hexandia. This genus has, befides
this, a two-leaved calyx, a ringent rather
than a papilionaceous corolla, the upper
lip however anfwering to the banner, the
lower lip to the keel, and the bihd chaps
to the wings: the bafe of each lip is pro-

_minent, but the upper one the moft; and

Polygala.

one filament is inciofed in each. Common

Fumitory *, which you will readily meet with

as a weed in your kitchen garden, is known

by a weak, diffufe branching ftem, multifid

leaves dividing into three, and the lobes tri-

fid : the flowers growing in a raceme, and.
each being fucceeded by a round or rather

obcordate one-feeded pericarp.

Milkwort has eight filaments, each ter-
minated with an anther, and all united at
bottom ; it appertains therefore to the or-
der Oéfandria of this clafs. The charaGers
of the genus are, a five-leaved calyx, with

= Fumaria officinalis Lin. Curtis, Lond. II. 52. Ger.
1088. 1. Park. 287. 1.>Bl.ruft.t. 608. F. claviculata,

Engl: bot. te 103.
two

DIADELPH. OCTANDR.

two of the leaflets like the wings of the pa-
pilionaceous flower, and coloured: the ban-
ner of the corolla is cylindric; the legume
is obcordate, or inverfe-hearted, and two-
celled. Many of the fpecies have a beard,
creft, or pencil-formed appendage to the
keel; thofe which have none are called
beardlefs: and hence a commodious fubdi-
vifion of this large genus; the laft are fub-
divided into fhrubby and herbaceous ; the
herbaceous again into fimple and branched.
Of thirty-eight fpecies we have only one
wild, and that is common on dry paftures
and heaths*: it is of the crefted divilion,
and bears the flowers in a raceme; the
ftem is herbaceous, fimple, and procum-
bent, and the leaves are linear. ‘This is a
lowly plant, with pretty flowers, blue, red,
or white. There is a beautiful fpecies? in
the green-houfe, from the Cape, with a
fhrubby ftem ; oblong, fmooth leaves, blunt
at the end; and handfome flowers, large,
white on the outfide, but bright purple
within ; the keel crefted, and fhaped like a
half moon. Senega‘ root, fo famous among
the American Indians as an antidote to the
bite of the rattle-fnake, is from a {pecies of
this genus. |

The plants of the order we are now to

a Polygala vulgaris Lin. Fl. dan. 516. Ger. 564. 5.
Park. 1332. 2: Engl. bot. t. 76.
b Polygala myrtifolia Lin. Mill. illuftr.
¢ Polygala Senega Lin, Mill. Did.
‘ examine

347

345

LETTER XXV.

examine are obvious, not only by their pa-
pilionaceous flowers, but by their compound
leaves, which in the greater part are pin-
nate, winged, or feathered, but in others
trifoliate4 In fome genera the pinnate
leaves have the leaflets in pairs only‘, but
it is more common to have them terminate
in an odd one’. Many of this pulfe tribe
have ftems too weak to fuftain themfelves :
they fly therefore to fome ftronger plant
or other prop for fupport, and they are
furnifhed with the neceflary means of help-
ing themfelves, either by twining their
{talks about and embracing their friend 8,
or elfe by throwing out flender threads,
like the vine, called cla/pers or tendrils, by
which they lay faft hold *.

Mott of thefe plants having fruits that are
efculent either to us, to quadrupeds or to
birds, produce flowers in great abundance,
and clofe bunches; in fome of the genera
they grow in a kind of umbel', much like

4 As in Trifolium or Trefoil, which has its name
from this circumftance, Lotus, Medicago, Erythrina,
Genifta or Broom, Cytifus, Ononis, Trigonella, Pha-
feolus or Kidney-Bean, Dolichos and Clitoria.

€ Orobus, Pifum or Pea, Lathyrus or Everlafting
Pea, Vicia or Vetch, Ervum and Arachis.

f Biferrula, Aftragalus, Phaca, Hedyfarum, Glycyr-
riza or Liquorice, Indigofera or Indigo, Galega, Co-
lutea, Amorpha and Pifcidia.

8 Phafeolus, Dolichos, Clitoria, Glycine.

h Pifum, Lathyrus, Vicia, Ervum.

* Lotus, Coronilla, Ornithopus, Hippocrepis, Scor-

plurus.
thofe

DIADELPH. DECANDR.

thofe of the fecond order of the fifth clafs.
I mention thefe circumftances, not as claf-
fical characters, but as leading features that
may give you a fhrewd fufpicion, rather
than a certain affurance. When you find
a plant endued with fome of thefe fubordi-
nate characters, you, I am certain, will
not determine it at once upon them: no,
they will only lead you to a more ftrict
examination. Neither pinnate or trifoliate
leaves, weak twining or climbing ftems,
nor even papilionaceous flowers, will fatisfy
your difcerning eye, till you have feen the
union of the filaments at bottom. If you
can procure any fpecies of Sophora*, you
will be convinced of this; for without fuch
caution you would infallibly have been mif-
led ; this genus agreeing with the pulfe tribe
in every refpe“, except in having the ten
filaments diftin&.

The proper character of this clafs, you
know, is to have the filaments in two dif-
tiné bodies; and the charaëter of the order
Decandria is to have nine filaments united
at bottom into a membrane furrounding the
germ, and the tenth fingle, filling up the
opening which is left for the germ to dif,
engage itfelf, when it has arrived at a ftate
proper to pafs into a pod or lezume. I muft
advertife you however that this is not ftridlly

k A genus of the clafs Decandria and the order Mo-

nogyma. Anagyris, Cercis, &c. have alfo the fame ap-
pearance,

5 true

349

Spartium.

LETTER XZV.

true of all the genera; there are no fewer
than eighteen out of fifty, which have all
the ten filaments connected; fo that the
germ cannot grow into a legume without
tearing afunder the membrane formed of the
filaments. You muft not therefore be de-
terred from fetting down a plant as of the
Pulte tribe, and of the clafs Diade/phia,
when you find the ten filaments united into
one, inclofed within a papilionaceous flower,
and furnifhed with the other marks of the
clafs. Of thofe which anfwer regularly to
the claffical character, fome have a pubef-
cent ftigma’, and the reft are diftinguifhed
by their legumes, as we fhall now fee; for
we are going to examine their diftinGive
marks more narrowly.

You will obferve in this clafs fome trees,
and many fhrubs, with papilionaceous flow-
ers, as Common" and Spani/b” Broom ; both
of a genus in which the ten filaments are
all united, and form a membrane adhering
clofe to the germ: the ftigma grows along
the upper fide of the top of the ftyle, and
is villous; the calyx is continued down-
wards, and is marked beneath with five lit-
tle notches atthe tip. Spani/h Broom, with
fome other fpecies, has fimple leaves; in
the reft they are ternate, trefoil, or three-

1 Colutea, Phafeolus, Dolichos, Orobus, Pifum, La-
thyrus, Vicia.

m Spartium fcoparium Zin. Curt. Lond. V. 52. FI.
dan. 313. Blackw. 244. Ger. 1311.1. Park. 229. 1.

6 Spartium junceum Liz, Curt, Magaz. 85,
leaved.

DIADELPH. DECANDR.

leaved. In Common Broom however there
is a mixture of both. In the farft alfo the
leaves are lance-fhaped, and the rufh-like
branches are oppofite, round, and produce
the flowers from the top, in a loofe fpike.
In the fecond the branches are angular, and
the flowers come out fingly for a confider-
able length towards the top. ‘They are
large, and of a bright yellow in both fpe-
cies. ‘There is alfo a Spanifh Broom with
a white flower? ; which has leaves like the
other, but the branches ftriated, and the

flowers in fhort fpikes or clufters on the

fides of them; they are fucceeded by large
oval pods containing one feed, whence the
trivial name. Portugal Brooms with trifo-
liate leaves, and yellow flowers, differing
little from ours: and a fort with prickly
branches, thence called Prickly Cytifus ?.

We have fome wild fhrubs of an hum- Genifs.

bler growth, fomewhat refembling thefe,
but of another genus called Genijfa; the
characters of which are—a two-lipped calyx,
the upper lip two-toothed, the lower three-
toothed ; the banner of the corolla oblong
and turning downwards from the piftils and
ftamens ; the piftil deprefling the keel, and
the ftigma involute. Dyers weed, called
alfo Wood-waxen and Bafe Broom%, which

© Spartium monofpermum Lin.
P Spartium fpinofum Lin.
4 Genifta tinctoria Lin. Fl. dan. 526. Ger. 1316.1.

_ Park. 229. 7.

À à grows

352

Ulex,

Ononis.

LETTER XXV.

grows in paftures and headlands, has
fmooth lance-fhaped leaves, and ere&,
round ftreaked branches. Needle Furze or
Petty Whin*, which you will find wild on
heaths, has fmall lance-fhaped leaves, flen-
der branches armed with long, fimple
{pines ; the flower-branches are fhort, have
no fpines, and have five or fix flowers in a
clufter at the end of them: the colour of
the corolla in both fpecies is yellow: and
you would at firft fuppofe that the former
was a Sparlium, and the latter a Furze, or
of the genus U/ex ; which however differs
from both in having a two-leaved calyx,
with the legume fo fhort as fcarcely to
emerge from it. We have only one fpecies,
than which nothing, as you know, is more
common on all our heaths; it has the three
different names of Furze, Gorfè, and Whins,
in different parts of the kingdom.
Reftharrows are lowly fhrubs, or rather
underfhrubs, with purple flowers, grow-
ing on commons, barren paftures, and
headlands of corn-fields; they have the
name from the ftrength and matting of the
roots, which circumftance has induced the
Dutch to fow them on their fea-banks.
The cylinder of filaments is quite entire at
bottom, without any fiffure, in this genus ;

r Genifta anglica Lin. Fl. dan. 619. Ger. 1320. 4.
Park. 1004. 4. Engl. bot. t. 132.
s Ulex europæus Lin. Fl. dan. 608. Ger. 1319. 1.

Park. 1004. 1.
the

DiADELPH. DECANDR. 353

the calyx is parted into five linear divifions ;
the banner of the corolla is ftriated ; and
the legume, a fection of which is a rhomb,
is turgid and feffile. We have two forts,
one‘ with prickly {mooth branches, and the
flowers in a raceme, but coming out fingly :
the other * with villous leaves and branches,
but without fpines ; the flowers in a raceme,
but generally two together; both have ter-
nate leaves, except that towards the top
they are fimple.

In Anthyllis the calyx is turgid and in- Anthyllis.
eludes the legume, which is fmall and
roundifh, containing one, or at moft two
feeds. The only fpecies we have wild is
herbaceous, is called Ladies-Finger or Kid-
ney-Vetch”*, and is not uncommon in chalky
paftures ; it has unequally pinnate leaves,
and a double head of yellow flowers, but
this latter character is not conftant. The
leaves are pubefcent, and confift of three
or four pairs of leaflets; except two under
the umbel, which are digitate. ‘There are
feveral flowering fhrubs of this genus; as
that which is generally called Fupiter’s Beard
or Silver Bufh™, from the fplendid whitenefs
of the leaves, which is owing to a fine nap

‘ t Ononis fpinofa Hudfon. Common, fmooth, or
prickly Reftharrow. Blackw. t. 301. Ger. 1322. 1.
" Ononis inermis Hudjont. Hairy Reftharrow. Ger.
1322. 3.

% PTT Vulneraria Lin. Rivin.t. 18. Ger.

1240. 1. Engl. bot. t. 104.
w Anthyllis Barba Jovis Lin. Mill fig.t. 41. f. 2.
Aa or

354

Lupinus.

LETTER XXV.

or down that covers them : they are equally
pinuate: the flowers are produced at the
extremity of the branches in {mall heads,
and are yellow.

Lupins, which are fo well known in the
flower-garden, agree in a two-lipped ca-
lyx, in having five of the anthers round,
and five oblong, and in the fhell of the le-
gume being coriaceous or leathery. The
common White * fort, which is cultivated
as a pulfe in moft of the fouthern parts of
Europe, has the flowers growing alternate,
without appendages; the upper lip of the
white corolla is entire, the lower three-
toothed: the feeds are orbiculate and flatted.
There are three forts with blue flowers :

- the Perennial ¥, which is the only ‘one that

is not annual, with alternate, unappendaged
flowers; the upper lip of the corolla notch-
ed, the lower one entire. This is an Ame-
rican plant; the digitate leaves are com-
pofed of ten or eleven leaflets, whereas
thofe of the former have no more than feven
or eight: the flowers grow in long loofe
fpikes, and are pale blue. The Great Blue *,
with alternate appendaged flowers; the
upper-lip two-parted, the lower three-
toothed. This has a ftrong ftem, covered
with a foft brownifh down; the leaves have
nine, ten, or eleven hairy, fpatulate leaf-

* Lupinus albus Zin. Riv. tetr. Blackw. 282.
Y Lupinus perennis Zin. Mill. fig. 170. 1.
% Lupinus hirfutus Lin, ~
lets :

DIADELPH. DECANDR.

lets: the flowers are in whorls, forming
afort of fpike; they are large, and of
a beautiful blue: the pods are very large,
and have three roundifh compreffed feeds,
very rough and of a purplifh brown. Nar-
row-leaved or tall blue Lupin has the flow-
ers alternate and appendaged or peduncu-
late; the upper lip of the corolla two-
patted; the lower three-toothed: the lobes
of the leaves are linear. The Varied ? is
not very different in appearance from this :
the flowers grow in half whorls, and are
appendaged ; the upper lip is bifid, and the
lower flightly three-toothed: the corollas
ate light blue or purple. It is fhorter than
the laft; the leaves have fewer leaflets, and
fiand on fhorter petioles. The Hazy © has
the flowers in whorls and appendaged, with
the upper lip two-parted, like the Great
Blue Lupin, which it much refembles in
ftature and appearance; but the corollas
are flefh-coloured, with the middle of the
banner red; the lower lip is entite; the
plant is hairy all over, and the leaves are
lance-fhaped and a little obtufe at the end.
The Yellow À is efteemed for the fweetnefs
of its flowers: they grow in whorls and on
peduncles; the upper lip of the corolla is
two-parted, the lower three-toothed. Thus

a Lupinus anguftifolius Liv. Riv. tetr.
b Lupinus varius Lin.
€ Lupinus pilofus Lin.
4 Lupinus luteus Liz: Riv. tetr.
Aa2 have

356

LETTER XXV.

have you a hiftory of the whole genus of
Lupin, for thefe are all the fpecies hitherto
known: and as you may ealily have them
growing together, you may compare them
at leifure, and afcertain all their agreements
and differences. Could we do this in every
genus, how clearly might we diftinguifh
the fpecies ! But remember that culture may
produce fictitious characters, which miflead
unwary Botanilts.

In all the genera hitherto examined, the
filaments have made one body at bottom;
in the reft, which I fhall now offer to your
confideration, nine only are united, and the
tenth is free, according to the proper cha-
rater of the clafs We will begin with
fome genera, diftinguifhed (as I mentioned

Phafeo. before) by a pubefcent ftigma. Pha/eolus

lus,

or Kidney Beau, in having the keel with
the ftamens and ftyle fpirally twifted, pof-
feffes one obvious character, that difcrimi-
nates it fuficiently from all its congeners.
Some of the {pecies have an outer calyx,
confifting of two roundifh leaflets, which

‘athyrus, May more properly be called braëfes. La-

thyrus or Everlafting Pea has a flat ftyle,
villous above, growing broader upwards:
in this it differs from the Pea, which has a
triangular ftyle keeled above: both genera
have the two upper divifions of the calyx
fhorter than the other three, and, in other
refpects, are very nearly allied. Some fpe-
cles of Lathyrus have one flower only on a

peduncle :

DIADELPH. DECANDR.

peduncle: of thefe we have two wild ones;
one with yellow flowers, fupporting itfelf
among the corn by leaflefs tendrils, and
having broad ftipules fhaped like the head
of an arrow: the other with crimfon flow-
ers, long narrow leaves difficult to be dif-
tinguifhed from the grafs among which it
grows, and fmall, fubulate, or awled fti-
pules. The firft is called Yellow Vetchling * ;
the fecond, Crimfon Grafs Vetch *. Sweet-
fcented Pea 8, with fome few others, has
two flowers on every peduncle ; each tendril
has a pair of oblong ovate leaves, and the
legumes are rough. ‘The banner of the co-
rolla is dark purple, the keel and wings
light blue: but there are varieties ; one all
white, and another with a pink banner,
wings of a pale blufh, and a white keel;
this is called Painted Lady Pea. Tangier
Pea à, another of the diflorous fe@ion, has
the two leaves alternate, lance-fhaped and
fmooth ; the ftipules fhaped like a crefcent,
The flowers grow on fhort peduncles ;
have a purple banner, with wings and keel
of a bright red, and are fucceeded by long

€ Lathyrus Aphaca Lin. Mill. fig. pl. 43. Curtis,
Lond. V.51. Ger. 1250. Park. 1067.

f Lathyrus Niffolia Lin. Ger. 1249. 2. Park.
1079.4. Engl. bor. t. 112.
. 8 Lathyrus odoratus Lin. Curtis’s magaz. 6a.

h Lathyrustingitanus Liz, Jacq. hort. t. 46, Curt.
magaz, 100,

Aa3 jointed

357

Vicia.

LETTER XxXY.

jointed pods. Everlafting Pea’ is of the
laft divifion, having many flowers produced
on one peduncle: this has alfo conjugate
leaves, that is, growing in pairs, furnifhed
with a tendril or clafper; the form of the
leaves is elliptic or oval; and the ftems,
which climb very high, have membrana-
ceous wings on each fide between the joints ;
the flowers are red. There is a variety of
this in the gardens, with broader leaves,
larger and deeper-coloured flowers. There
is another fort not very different from this *,
having fword-fhaped leaves; and a third ',
growing in woods, bogs, and wet mea-
dows, which has many-leaved tendrils, and
lance-fhaped ftipules: the leaflets are fix ;
and there are from three to fix flowers on
each peduncle; the corolla is blue, with
the greateft part of the wings and keel
white. One fpecies of this feétion *, with
yellow flowers, two-leaved tendrils, which
are extremely fimple, and lance-fhaped
leaves, is very common in paftures, hedges,
and woods.

Vetch or Tare is fufhciently diftinguithed
by having a ftigma tranfverfely bearded on

i Lathyrus latifolius Ziv. Mill. fig. pl. 160. Mill.
illuftr. Fl. dan. 785. Pl. 23. Fi. ruft. t. 8. |

k Lathyrus fylveftris Lin. Fl. dan. 325. Mor. hift.
f.2.t..2.f. 4. “Ger. 1220.)

1 Lathyrus paluftris Lin. F1. dan. 399. Engl. bot.
t. 169.

m Lathyrus pratenfis Li. Curtis, Lond. MI. 44. Ger.
1231. 6. Park, 1061. 1. Fi. ruft. t. 52.

the

ne et en =

DIADELPH. DECANDR.

the under fide. The fpecies, which are
eighteen in number, may be ranged under
two divilions, the firft comprehending fuch
as have flowers in bunches on peduncles;
the fecond, thofe which are axillary, or
have the flowers fitting almoft clofe to the
ftem and coming out from the angle which
the leaves form with it. Of the firft divi-
fion we have the Tufted ® and Wood Vetch°

wild : both having flowers in bunches many :

together, but in the firft imbricate; in
this alfo the leaflets or component leaves
are lance-fhaped and pubefcent, and the
ftipules entire: in the fecond, the leaflets
are oval, and the ftipules flightly toothed.
The cultivated, and feveral wild forts, are
of the fecond divifion, The firft P has
ere, feflile legumes, moftly two toge-
ther: the leaves are retufe, and the ftipules
fpotted. Of the others, Spring Vetch 4,
which is very nearly related to the former,
has however the legumes generally fingle ;
the lower leaflets retufe, the upper ones
narrow, and almoft linear: the leaflets
are from four to ten; and the ftipules are
fpotted, as in the former. Bujh Vetch:

8 Vicia Cracca Lin, Curtis, Lond. V. 54. Fl. dan.
804. Mor. hilt. f. 2. t. 4. f. 1.

° Vicia fylvatica Lin, F1. dan. 277.

P Vicia fativa Lin. Fl. dan. 522. Mor. t. 4. f, 12,
C5eri 1997. F4.

q Vicia lathyroides Hudf. Fi. dan. 58,

¢ Vicia dumetorum Lin. Riv. tetr. 50e

À a4 has

54

360

Colutea,

LETTER XXV.

has about four erect legumes growing to-
gether on fhort pedicles: the leaflets are
ovate, and quite entire; they decreafe in
fize towards the end of the leaf; it ramps
in hedges. The Bean is placed by Lin-
nzus in the Vetch genus; and very juftly,
fince it agrees with them in the charac-
ters of the fruétification, and differs only in
having a ftouter ftalk that fupports itfelf,
and therefore is not furnifhed with tendrils.
Its native place of growth is fuppofed to be
not far from the Cafpian Sea, on the borders
of Perfia. All the different forts of Bean
are in reality but varieties from the fame
original ftock : you underftand me to fpeak
of Beans properly fo called, in exclufion of
Kidney Beans and others, which are not
merely fpecifically different, but alfo of
another genus. ?

Of the fame fection with pubefcent
fligmas, is a genus of well-known fhrubs
called Colutea: diftinguifhed by their quin-
quefid calyx ; and inflated legume, open-
ing from the bafe by the upper future:
the Englifh name of Bladder-Sena is taken
from the latter character. Common Bladder-
Sena‘ has an arboreous ftem, and inverfely-
hearted leaves. It grows twelve or four-
teen feet high ; its winged leayes have four
or five pairs of grayifh leaflets ; the flowers

$ Vicia Faba Lin.
: Colutea arborefcens Lin. Curt. magaz. 81.

come

DIADELPH. DECANDR.

come out from the axils, two or three to-
gether, on flender peduncles; they are yel-
low with a dark-coloured mark on the
banner. This grows wild in the fouthern
countries of Europe. There is another,
which comes from the Eaft, and has flow-
ers like this, only of a brighter yellow ;
differing in being a much lower fhrub, and
in having nine pairs of {mall, oval, entire
leaflets to each leaf. A third, about’ the
fame height with the fecond, but with
branches ftill more flender, comes from the
fame country: the leaves of this have five
or fix pairs of {mall heart-fhaped leaflets 3
the flowers are fmaller, and of a dark red,
marked with yellow. It is a doubt whe-
ther thefe be fpecifically different from the
firft": there is however one from Æthio-
pia, with fcarlet flowers, which is very
diftin@ ’: forit is alow, weak fhrub, with
leaves compofed of ten or twelve pairs of
oblong-ovate, hoary leaflets; the flowers
are long, owing to the length of the keel,
for the banner is fhorter than that, and the
wings are minute. You will eafily fup-
pofe, from its country, that it cannot
ftand the cold of a fevere winter with us ;
it does not fhrink however from a mild one,
in a dry foil and warm fituation. There
is alfo an herbaceous fpecies ¥, with fmooth

u Figured in Comm. rar. t.-11. and Mill. fig. 100.
y Colutea frutefcens Lin. Mill. fiz. pl. 00.
w Colutea herbacea Lin. Comm. hort. 2. t. 415:

linear

361

362

Cytifus.

LETTER XXV.

linear leaflets; but this is an annual plant
of little beauty, and therefore rarely culti-
vated.
There are feveral other fhrubs of the
Pea-bloom tribe: as the different fpecies of
Cytifus, of which Laburnum * isone. This
is known by yellow flowers hanging in
large fimple racemes, and three oblong-
ovate leaflets to each leaf. There is a va-
riety with narrower leaves and longer
bunches of flowers, more common in fhrub-
beries than the firft, which is a larger tree,
and comes to excellent timber; but this,
making a better appearance when in flower,
is preferred in ornamental plantations. Se/-
file-leaved Cytifus ¥, valgarly called Cytz/us

fecundus Clufii, has the flowers in fhort,

erect racemes, at the ends of the branches;
each flower has a little triple bracte at the
bafe of the calyx; the leaves on the flow-
ering branches are feflile, but the others
are petiolate. The flowers are of a bright
yellow, and the pods are fhort, broad, and
black. Evergreen Cytifus * has the flowers
coming out fingly from the fide of the ftalk,
with very hairy, trifid, obtufe, oblong,
{welling calyxes: the ftalks extremely
hairy; the leaves alfo hairy, efpecially un-
derneath. ‘The flowers are pale yellow;
and the pods long, narrow, and rough.

x Cytifus Laburnum Lin. | Jacq. auftr. 4.t. 306.
y Cytifus feMilifohius Zin. Duham. arb. 1. Curt. mag.
t. 2553 2 Cityfus hirfutus Lia. Jacq. obf. 4.96.
EME

s

DIADELPH. DECANDR.

All thefe, and the reft of the fpecies, agree
in atwo-lipped calyx, the upper lip bifid,
the lower three-toothed; and a legume
attenuated at the bafe; and pedicled, with
feveral feeds in it. The leaves are ter-
nate.

363

Robinia has a quadrifid calyx; an eX~ Robinia.

panding, reflex, roundifh banner; and a
gibbous, elongate legume, containing feve-
ral feeds. ‘The tree which you admire for
its long racemes of {weet-{melling white
flowers, hanging down like thofe of La-
burnum,: is of this genus: I mean the Ba/-
tard Acacia *, called in North America, its
native country, Zocufi-tree. The leaves
are pinnate, confifting of cight or ten pairs
of oval leaflets terminated by an odd one;
all entire, and fitting clofe to the mid-rib;:
the ftipules are armed with ftrong crooked
thorns ; and the flowers come out fingly,
or only one on a pedicle in the racemes.
The Caragana*, a Siberian fhrub, has
leaves abruptly pinnate, that is, winged,
not terminated by an odd leaflet ; they have
four or five pairs of oval leaflets: this has
no fpines, and the yellow flowers come out
fingly from the axils. There are feveral
other trees and fhrubs of this genus; but
thefe are the moft known.

a Robinia Pfeudacacia Lin. Seba muf. 1. t. 15. f. 7.
Duham. arb. 2. t. 42.
~ » Robinia Caragana Lin, Duham. arb. 3.

Coronilla

364

Coronilla.

Indigo-

Sera.

LETTER XXV.

Coronilla is another genus of fhrubs, com-
prehending however fome herbaceous plants.
They all agree in a two-lipped calyx; the
upper lip having two, the lower three little
teeth; the fuperior teeth conjoined; in a
banner fcarcely longer than the wings ; and
in a very long, ftraight legume, contracted
between the feeds, and, inftead of opening
by the futures, falling off in joints.—Scor-
pion Sena © is a fpecies of this genus very
common among -fhrubs: it is immediately
known, by having the claws of its yellow
corollas three times as long as the calyx ;
two or three flowers come out together
upon long peduncles from the fides of the
branches, which are flender, and angular :
the leaves are pinnate, and compofed of
three pairs of leaflets terminated by an odd
one: the legumes are long, flender, taper,
and pendulous ; the feeds cylindric. There
are feveral beautiful fhrubs of this genus,
but too tender to bear the open air in our
climate.

The plants from which Indigo is made 4
are of this clafs; and many of the kindred
genera refemble them in quality as well as
outward form and character. Scorpion Sena
in particular, it is faid, will yield a dye
nearly equal to Indigo, if the leaves are fer-
mented in a vat in the fame manner as is

© Coronilla Emerus hie. Mill. fig. 132.
4 Indigofera Lin, Mill fig. 34. 4
practifed

DIADELPH. DECANDR. 305

practifed with thofe plants; and you re-
member complaining perhaps, that the yel-
low flowers of the Lotus would turn blue
in drying, unlefs you took care to keep
them feparate from other plants, and to
change them often.

Liquorice is alfo of the fame clafs: it Glycyr-
has a two-lipped calyx, with the upper lip "za.
divided into three parts, and the lower ab-
folutely fimple and undivided; the legume
is ovate and comprefled, with very few
kidney-fhaped feeds. The fpecies which is
cultivated for the fake of its roots © has
fmooth legumes, no ftipules, and pinnate :
leaves confifting of four or five pairs of
leaflets, terminated by an odd one, which
1s petiolate. It is a lofty plant for an her-
baceous one, the ftalks being from four
to five feet high ; the flowers come out in
erect {pikes from the axils, and are pale
blue.

Hedyfarum is a moft numerous’ genus, Hedy!e-
containing no fewer than fixty-feven {pe-'™™
cies, all however confpiring in having the
keel tranfverfely obtufe, and the legume
jointed with one feed in each joint. The
genus is fubdivided into four feGtions, from
the leaves; which in the firft are fimple ;
in the fecond, conjugate; in the third, ter-
nate ; and in the fourth, pinnate. I fhall
prefent you only two fpecies, and they of

© Glycyrrhiza glabra Lin,
§ the

RS St ne tn

366 LETTER XXV.
the laft fe@ion. One tranfplanted from
Italy into the gardens ; and the other from
a wild ftate to a cultivated one. The firft.
is the French Honeyfuckle f, which is diftin-
guifhed from the reft by a diffufed ftalk,
_and by its jointed, prickly, faked, ftraight
legumes ; its pinnate leaves point it out to
be of the fourth feétion : they have five of
fix pairs of leaflets, terminated by an odd
one; and from their bafe comes out a long
peduncle, fuftaining fpikes of beautiful red
flowers. The other is the Sazntfoin®; the
characters of which are—an elongated ftem,
the wings of the corolla equalling the ca-
lyx, and one-feeded prickly legumes: this
has alfo, of courfe, pinnate leaves. It
adorns the chalky hills with its beautiful
{pikes of red flowers ; and contributes largely
among many others of this clafs to feeding
Trifo. of cattle. For this the Yrefoils are moft
Yum. juftly celebrated ; there are forty-fix fpecies
of them, all having the flowers growing
in a head; and the legume very fhort,
{carcely emerging from the calyx, not open-
. ing, but falling off entire, and containing
but one, or at moft two feeds. Though
this be a genus eafily diftinguifhed by its
habit, yet the characters are by no means
conftant, and perhaps there is not one com-

© Hedyfarum coronarium Lin. |

8 Hédyfarum Onobrychis Lin. Rivin. tetr. t. 2:
Ger. 1243. 14 Park. 1082. r. Fl. ruft. t. 47: Engl.
bot. t. 96.
mon

DIADELPH. DECANDR.

mon to all the fpecies. White Trefoil, com-
monly called Dutch Clover *, has a creeps
ing, perennial ftem; the heads umbelled ;
and the legumes covered and four-feeded.
Purple Trefoil, Honeyfuckle Trefoil, or Red
Clover’, has the flowers growing in glo-
bular fubvillous fpikes, girt with oppofite
membranous ftipules ; and the corollas all
of one petal. ‘There are many wild fpe-
cies of this genus; but the Yellow Tre-
foil, cultivated under this name, or that of
Nonfuch, is of another genus, as we {hall
fee prefently.

DN

Lotus has a tubular calyx: the wings of Lotus.

the corolla clapping clofe together upwards
longitudinally ; and an upright cylindric le-
sume. The wild fpecies is called common
Bird’s-foot *, and is diftinguifhed by its de-
cumbent ftems, many flowers growing to-
gether in deprefled heads; and exaétly cy-
lindric, fpreading legumes. The corollas
are of a bright yellow.

Lucerne is of the genus Medicago, the Medica.

character of which is, that the keel of the sc.

corolla bends down from the banner, and

* that the legume is flatted and fpiral, or

h Trifoliurn repens Lin. Curtis, Lond. III. 46. Ger.
185.1. Fl. ruft.t. 34.

i or pratenfe Liz, Blackw. t. 20. FI. ruft.
£4, 20:

k Lotus corniculatus Liz, Curtis, Lond. IT. 56,
Ger. 1190. 5. Fl. ruft. t. 53.

1 Medicago fativa Lin. Mor. hift. f. 2. t. 16. f. 2.
Ger. 1189. 2. Park. 1114. 1. FL ruft. t. 48.

6 | wreathed

368

LETTER #xV,

wteithed like the fhell of a fnail. The
fpecific character is this - the ftem is ere&
and fmooth, the flowers grow in a raceme,
and the legumes are contorted : the colour
of the corollas is blue. The fpecies culti-
vated under the name of Trefoil or Nonfuch ™
has the ftems procumbent; the flowers in
oval {pikes ; and the legumes kidney-form,
with one feed only in each; the corollas
are {mall and yellow. In a cultivated flate
the ftems draw each other up, and lofe, in
a great meafure, their natural procumbency,
as does alfo Bira’s-foot Trefoil, when it has
other plants about it, as in grafs-fields, &c.

here is a fpecies of Medicago called poly-
morphous or many-form ", from the variety
of appearances it puts on, or from the
change of figure in the pod. We have one
variety very common wild °, called Heart-
Clover from the form of the leaves, which
are alfo generally fpotted : each head con-
fifts of four or five little yellow flowers ;
the legumes are globofe, fpiral, and co-
vered with very diverging fpines: and in
the garden you have the vegetable Szai/s P,
with large, fpiral, globofe legumes, naked,
or not covered with {pines ; and the Hedge-

m Medicago lupulina Lin. Curtis, Lond. II. 57. Ger.
1186. 5. Park. 1105.6. Fl. ruft. t. 19.

n Medicago polymorpha Lin.

© Medicago polymorpha arabica Lin. Curtis, Lond.
Ill. 47. Ger. 1190. 4. Park. 1115. 6. F1. ruft.t. 76.

P Med. polym. feutellata Lin. Mor. hift. f. 2, t. 15.
f. 4.

bogs,

POLYADELPHIA.

bogs 4, whofe legumes are clofely armed with
long fpines pointing every way. ‘Thefe
all have the ftem diffufe; the ftipules tocth-
ed, and the legumes fpiral. ‘This clafs has
alfo its vegetable Caterpillars, but they are
of another genus’.

‘I fear you will think I have already made
this letter toolong. However, as it may be
fome time before you hear from me again ;
as the next clafs is a very {mall one, and
completes the fet of plants with united fila-
ments, I will trefpafs on your patience whilit
I go through it.

THE CLASS POLYADELPHIA.

The Clafs Polyadelphia, then, compre-
hends all fuch flowers as have the filaments
united at bottom into more than two par-
cels. ‘The filaments are in bunches, or
pencilled, as one might call it, fince they
are collected into bodies refembling a ca-
mel’s-hair pencil. If you were not to attend
to this character, you might ealily fuppofe
thefe plants to belong to the clafs Polyan-
dria; for they have no ftriking appearance,
like the pulfe tribe and fome others, an-
nouncing them immediately to range under
this clafs.

4 Med. polym. intertexta. Mor. f. 7, 8, 9.
* Scorpiurus, Riv. tetr. 210.

Bb ‘There

SF

Citrus.

LETTER XXV.

There are four orders, taken from the
ftamens : Chocolate’ is in the firft, Pentan-
dria, a genus called Mon/onia in the fecond:
Citron, comprehending Oranges and Le-
mons, in the third ; and eight genera in the
fourth. The whole number of fpecies is
only fixty-five.

The beautiful, odoriferous, well known,
and defervedly efteemed genus of Citrus has
thefe characters—a {mall calyx five-toothed

at top ; a corolla of five oblong petals ; about

twenty ftamens, placed cylindrically round
the germ, with the filaments connected
rather flightly, fometimes into more, fome-
times into fewer parcels: one piftil, and,
for a fruit, a berry generally nine-celled,
with a bladdery pulp, in which the feeds
are lodged.

You will have pleafure in examining at
leifure the elegant fpecies of this genus,
and in regaling your fenfes whilft your
mind imbibes inftru@iion. When they are
in fruit, you diftinguifh them immediately ;
but when they are not, you will find that
the Citron and Lemon have the petioles
linear or all of a fize, like moft other pe-
tioles ; whereas the Orange and- Shaddock
have the petioles winged in fhape of a

‘Theobroma Cacao Lia. Sloan. jam. 2. t. 160.
Merian. furin. t. 26 and 63. Catefb. car. App. t. 6.

‘Citrus Medica Lin. Virg. georg. edit. Mart.
P: 135:

heart ;

“+ SES

PT

POLYADELPHIA.

heart; fo that the main leaf feems to grow
out of a fmaller one.

The Orange* and Lemon may be diftih-
guifhed by pointed leaves from the Shad-
dock *, which has them obtufe, and emargi-
nate or notched at the end: not to mention
the great fize of the fruit, the Howers of
this grow more in racemes, which are alfo
a little nappy or woolly. I dare prefume
that you are by this time fo great an adept
in Botany as readily to admit, in fpite of
the information of your tafte to the con-
trary, that the Seville and China Oranges
may be varieties of the fame fpecies, owing
all their difference to climate. Neither per-
haps do you find much difficulty in per-
fuading yourfelf, that the large and generous
Lemon may not be fpecifically different from
the little, round, four Lime; notwithftand-
ing fome little difference in the leaves, and
the {pines on the branches of the latter.
The pofition of the ftamens informs you
that this genus is of the order Zo/andria.

wo

NT

The genus Hypericum, in the laft order Hypcri.

( Polyandria ) of this clafs, has many more‘:

fpecies than all the other genera put toge-
ther. Several of them are wild, and feve-

ral others are commonly cultivated among

fhrubs: they are not however all fhrubs,
for many fpecies are herbaceous. All plants

= Citrus Aurantium Lin. Mill. illuftr.
* Citrus decumana Lin: Rumph. amb. 2. t. 24. f. 2.

Bb2 de

>

Et

i)

‘EP eR See

do not exhibit the claffical mark, in this
or any other clafs, with equal evidence ; in
this genus the numerous ftamens will ea-
fily feparate from the receptacle in pencils
or parcels, and thus evidently fhow what
is their proper place in the fyftem. Being
thus certified that your plant does not be-
long to the clafs Polyandria, but to this,
you will eafily diftinguith it from its con-
geners, by its five-parted calyx including
the germ; by its corolla of five petals; by
the abundance of ftamens, ufually forming
five fquadrons ; and by the feed-veflel being
a capfule, divided into as mary cells as there
are flyles to the flower; thefe are either
one, two, three, or five in number; and
hence a fubordinate divifion of the genus
into four fections: there is however only
one fpecies with one ftyle, and there are
only two ison with two; the far greater
number have three: and among thefe are
all the European ones.

Common Saint Fobn’s wort ™ has two cha-
racters fo remarkable that it cannot well be
miftaken, as foon as they are underftood:
for it has an amcipital or two-edged ftem,
that is, roundifh, or a little flatted, and run-

ning out longitudinally into two little edges

or membranes oppofite to each other: and
its obtufe leaves are punctured all over their

w Hypericum perforatum Zin. Curtis, Lond. 1. 57.
Mill. illuftr. Ger, 539. 1. Park. 573.

furface

bats De an

POLY ADELPHIA.

furface, fo as to appear, when held up
againft the light, as if they had been
pricked with a pin. Another wild fort not
near fo common, growing in moift hedges
and woods, and called Saint Peter’s wort *,
has fquare ftalks; it is about the fame fize
with the other, but does not branch fo
much: the leaves are fhorter and broader,
and have none of the pellucid dots which
are fo remarkable in the former. Trailing
Saint Fobu’s wort’ is a pretty little plant,
found on dry paftures and heaths: it has
two-edged, proftrate, filiform {tems ; {mooth
leaves; and axillary, folitary Howers. Uf-
right Saint “fobn’s wort* is an elegant {pe-
cies, growing in woods and heaths; with
columnar ftems: ftem-clafping, finooth,
heart-fhaped leaves; and ferrated calyxes
with the teeth glandular.

The two. .mof common forts, cultivated
among other fhrubs, are the /fzzking /brubby a
and Canary’ Saint Tobn's worts. They
have both a rank fmell, refembling that of a
goat, which, however, in fome circum-

ftances, and at certain diftances, feems to

x Hypericum quadrangulum Liz. Curtis, Lond. IV.
DFE MAN. 040. Ger: 042. Park. 545.

y Hypericumhumifufum Liz. Curtis, Lond. III. 50.
Filodan. 149%. Ger. s41: 4.

z flypericum pulchrum Lin, Curtis, Lond. I. 56.
FL dan. 764 Petiv. 6o. 6. :

a Hypericum hircinum Liv,

b Hypericum canarienfe Liz. Comm. hort. 2. t. 68.

Bb3 be

Go

74

LET TER: ARV.

be fweet, at leaft to fome perfons; both
alfo have three piftils: but the firft is a
much lower plant, and has the ftamens
longer than the corolla; whereas in the fe-
cond they are fhorter. Garden Tutfin* is
evidently of this genus: it is one of thofe
which have five piftils; the ftems are low,
fimple, herbaceous, and quadrangular ; the
leaves {mooth, and. quite entire: the roots
creep cxtrentely: and the flowers are very
large. Wild Tuifan, or Tutfon Saint Fobn’s
wort *, called allo Park-leaves, has a fhrubby
two-edged ftem; three piftils, and a ber-
ried fruit, or foft, coloured. pericarp: the
flowers of this are fmall, and the ftamers
extend beyond the corollas. It grows wild
in woods, and fometimes in moift hedges,
Of the more rare and tender forts, the
Majorca Saint Fobn’s wort is very diftin-
guifhable by the warts all over the flender
red branches ; the leaves alfo are repand or
waved on their edges, have fmall protu-
erances on their under furface, and at the
bafe embrace the ftalk: the flowers are
large, with the ftamens a little fhorter than
the corolla, and five piftils Laftly, Chi-

© Hypericum Afcyron Liz, Gmel. fibir. 4. t. 69,
Pl. hes
4. Hypericum Androfæmum Lim, Curtis, Lond. III.
46. Ger SAR A
¢ Hypericum balearicum Lin. Mill. fig. pl. 54. Curt

Mag. 137e
nefe

POLYADELPHIA.

stefe Hypericum ‘, which ftands alone, as hav-
ing one piftil only, has a fhrubby ftem, co-
loured calyxes, ftamens longer than the co-
rolla, andis one of the moft beautiful of this
genus, fo gay with its yellow corollas, and
abundant crop of ftamens.

With this large harveft, I leave you, dear
coufin, till I fhall have found leifure to pre-
pare the extenfive and moft difficult tribe of
compound flowers for your infpection.

: f Hypericum monogynum Liv. Mill. fig. pl. 151.
+ 2s

Bb4 LET.

375

LETTER XXVI.

THE CLASS SYNGENESIA,

Augutt the 24th, 1776.

HOUGH this letter, dear coufin,

will arrive late in the feafon, yet it
will be in time for you to examine the far
greater part of the clafs Syugencfia, or tribe
of compound flowers, which blow chiefly
in the autuma. You are well aware that
the eflential charaëter of this clafs is the
union of the anthers. You are perfect mii-
irefs of the firu€ture of a compound flower,
and of the different florets that compofe it 5,
And Jaftly, the feveral orders into which
the clafs is divided are familiar to you, and
the foundation of them well underftood *.
Very little therefore remains to premife,
before we proceed to the examination of the
genera and fpecies.

This is by much the more numerous of
the natural clafles'; and therefore it fhould,
in all probability, be more difficult to find
fufficient generic and fpecific diftinétions
here than in any other: fuch however

£ See letter VI,

h See letter X.

? The number of genera being 136, and of fpecies
1247]:

; have

TL AT

SYNGENESIA.

have been the fagacity and induftry of Lin-
næus, that 1 hope you will not find any
great difficulty, even in the two fir{t orders,
which contain above two thirds of all the
genera.

THE ORDER POLYGAMIA ÆQUALIS.

To facilitate the inveftigation, in the firft
order, Polygamia Æqualis, it is fubdivided
into three battalions, eañly diftinguifhed by
the moft obvious characters. The firft con-
tains the flowers compofed wholly of ligu-
late florets, which are the Semifiofculous
flowers of Tournefort : the fecond contains
the capitate or headed flowers: and the third
the di/coid flowers. So that there are no ra-
diate flowers in this order: the flowers of
the firft feétion are wholly made up of fuch
florets as compofe the ray of thefe: in the
two other fections there are none of thefe
ligulate corollas or femiflorets, but the com-
pound flower is wholly made up of tubulous
corollas, or florets properly fo called: in
the fecond fection thefe are long, and the
calyx bulges out at bottom, as in the thif-
tles; in the third, the flowers refemble a
Daify or other radiate flower, with the ray
pulled off.

+ The calyx, the receptacle, and the crown
of the feed will in general be found fufficient
f to

378 LETTER XXVI.

to furnifh the generic diftinétions in this
order *, : |
Tragopo- Thus Tragopogou or Goat’ s-beardis known
gon. by its fimple calyx, naked receptacle, and
feathered ftipitate down: and thefe three
circumftances are fufficient to diftinguifh
this genus from all others; provided you
have firft affured yourfelf, by the rules al-
ready laid down, that your flower is of the
compound tribe, that each flofcule has the
anthers united into a cylinder, which the
piftil, terminated by two revolute ftigmas,
perforates; and that the corollas are all li-

gulate: for thus it is that you come at the ©

clafs, order, and fection. I cannot fuppofe
that you have any difficulty in diftinguifhing
a natural compound flower from a double
one, the creature of art and culture, though
the fimilarity may miflead thofe who are not

+ The calyx is fingle, or fimple, in Seriola, Gerope-
gon, Andryala, Tragopogon : calycled, or furnifhed with
a fecond fet of leaflets at the bafe, in Cichoreum, Picris,
Crepis, Chondrilla, Prenanthes, Lapfana, Hyoferis; in the
reft imbricate. The receptacle is villous in Scolymus,
Cithoreum, Catananche, Serisla, Hypocheris, Geropogon ;
in the reft it is naked, that ts, has neither hairs nor
chaffs between the flofcules. Scolymus and Lapfana
have no pappus or down : in Seriola, Andryala, Crepis,
Prenanthes, Laëluca, Hieracium, Sonchus, the down is
fimple ; in Hypocheris, Geropogon, Tragopogon, Picris,
Leontodon, Scorzonera, Chondrilla, it is feathered ; in
Cichorewm the crown of the feed is five-toothed, in Ca-
tananche five-awned, in Hysferis crowned with a caly-
cle. In fome genera this down fits clofe to the feed,
in others it is /ffiped or flipitate: that is, has a ftem in-
terpolcd between it and the feed,

accuftomed

Rene 15 2 2

SYNGENESIA, 379

accuftomed to obfervation; becaufe I am
certain that if you have the leaft doubt, you
will pull out a flofcule, in order to fee whe-
ther it has a feed, ftamens, and piftil, or is
only a mere flat petal. But to return to
our plant.—Yellow or Common Goat’ s-beard},
which grows wild among the grafs in mea-
dows, is diftinguifhed by entire upright
leaves, and by the fegments of the calyx at
leaft equalling in length the outer flofcules.
Towards noon you will not eafily find this
plant, becaufe the flowers are then always
clofed: after the flower is paft, Goa?’s- beard
is very apparent, on account of the large
globe formed by the down of the feeds, till
the wind has at length torn them from the
receptacle, and wafted them feparately to
diftant places.

Salfafy™, which your gardener will fur-
nifh you with from the kitchen. garden, has
the fegments of the calyx much longer than
the flofcules, and the peduncles fwell out
remarkably under the flower ; which is large,
and of a fine blue.

Another plant of this tribe which you may Scorzone.
alfo have from the kitchen garden,-is the™
Scorzonera, of a genus nearly allied to the
laft; agreeing with it in having a naked
receptacle and a feathered flipitate down,

1'Tragopogon pratenfe Lin. Mor. hift. f. 7. t. g
d HAMGRE MSA,

mTragopogon porrifolium Liz. Mor. t. 9. f. 5.
Reto gee. dan. 707. Pl, 25. F. 1,

4 but

Sorchus
&
Laciuca.

LETTER XXVE

but differing from it by an imbricate calyx,
with the fcales membranaceous about the
edge. The cultivated fpecies * has a branch-
ing ftem, and entire, ftem-clafping leaves,
flightly fawed on their edges ; the flowers
are of a bright yellow. LATE ES
Sowthifile and Lettuce agree in a naked
receptacle, an imbricate calyx, and a fimple
down to the feed. But in the firft the ca-
lyx is gibbous, or {welling at the bafe; in
the fecond it is cylindric, with membranous
edges; the firft has a feffile down; in the
fecond it is flipitate, and the feeds are po-
lifhed. You will always find it ufeful,

where you can, thus to bring together and

compare plants of nearly allied genera, in
order to confider well their fimilitüudes and
differences, and to give you a readinefs in
making thofe minute but important dif-
tinétions, fo neceflary to difcrimination in
natural tribes, wherein all feems alike to the
untutored eye, as the fheep of the flock to
the ordinary paflenger; whereas the fhep-
herd knows each by its proper marks, and
calls them all by their names,

Of the Soawihifile®, that vulgar weed of
the kitchen garden, there are many varie-
ties ; the rough and the fmooth; with la-
cerate leaves and fimple ones, &c, which I

a Scorzonera hifpanica Lin. Blackw. 406.
oq

Sonchus oleraceus Lin. Curtis, Lond, IT. 58.
(ser. 202.

mention

SYNGENESIA. 381

mention only that you may not be led to
fearch for them as diftin& fpecies ; in rea~
lity thefe differences are owing merely to
accident and fituation.

fheracium or Hawkweed is a numerous Hieraci-
genus of this order and fection; the calyx is "™
ovate and imbricate, the receptacle naked,
and the down fimple and feffile. There are
many fpecies wild in this country; one”,
which is a large plant, on walls and banks
and in woods, with a branching ftem, the
radical leaves oval and toothed, and a fmaller
leaf on the ftalk: and another very common
indeed in dry paftures, called Mou/e-ear
Hlawkweed%, from the long hairs upon the
leaves, which are ovate and abfolutely en-
tire; this fort throws out runners, and the.
flowers come out fingly on naked ftalks.
There are other fpecies, vulgarly called
Hawkweeds, which range under other ge-
mera, as the Crefis, which differs Riot
epee in having the calyx only caly-
cled, with deciduous fcales.

I thall conclude the firft feQtion with Szc- Cichore-
cory or Endive ; which has the calyx calycled, "™
a few chaffs between the flofeules on the re-
ceptacle, and the crown of the feed moftly

five-toothed and obfcurely hairy. Wild Sue-~

P Hieracium murorum Lin, Mor. hift. f. 7. t. 5.
f, 54, Ger. 204.

q Hieracium Pilofella Zin. Curtis, Lond, IV. 54.
Ger. 638. 2. Park. 690. 1, 2. |

cory

382

Carduus,

LETTER ZXXVI.

cory’ has runcinate leaves, and generally
two feflile flowers coming out together :
Endive ® has folitary, peduncled flowers, and
entire leaves, only notched about the edge.
Both have flowers of a fine blue; but the
firft is perennial, and the fecond only bi-
ennial. Curled Endive, though differing
fo remarkably from its parent in the leaves,
is but a variety of the laft.

The greater part of the fecond fection,
in this firft order of the nineteenth clafs, is
occupied by the Thifiles, a moft untract-
able genus, not at all adapted to the deli-
cate fingers of our lovely Fora. ‘The ca-
lyx is all imbricate with thorny fcales*;
and how will fhe tear this afunder, to dif-
cover that the receptacle has hairs between
the feeds? Yet thefe two circumftances
form the charafter of the genus; and fhe
muft obferve that there are fome plants
commonly called Thies, which are not of
the genus Carduus. For inftance, the Com
mon Way-Thifle® not haying {pines to the
feales of the calyx, which alfo is cylindric
in fhape, whereas in the Cardui it bulges
out at bottom, and the receptacle being

r Cichoreum Intybus Linz. Curtis, Lond. IV. 56.
Ger, 284. 1." Parky 77022:

* Cichoreum Endivia Lin.

eSee PI. 25. £2.

« Serrarla arvenfis Zin. Curt. Lond. n. 63. under
the name of Carduus. Fil. dan. 644. Mor. ht. f. 7.

t. 3206, 04. Ger. 11242
naked,

SYNGENESIAe

naked, is not a Carduus in Linneus’s idea,
but a Serratula. Solikewife Cotton-Thifile*
having a honey-combed receptacle, is fepa-
rated on account of that circumftance. In-
deed the genus would have been too vaft
and‘ unmanageable, without an attention to
thefe marks, which might fometimes ap-
pear otherwife too minute. You have per-

383

haps even heard it faid that the Artzchoke ¥ Cynara.

is nothing but a Thiftle. It differs indeed
very little; having a hairy receptacle, only
the hairs being ftifier, it may be called
briftly ; and the firucture of the down be-
ing the fame, they differ principally in the
calyx, for the fcales in the Artichoke are
Jcariofe or ragged, flefhy, and terminated
by a channelled appendicle, emarginate and
pointed—a character which you may exa-
mine at your leifure attable. If you would
fpeculate on the blue flowers; which being
fo large, will give a good idea of florets ;
at the fame time that it is alfo an excellent
inftance of the order Polygamia- Æoualis,
and the Capiiate or Headed fe&ion of it;
you muft prevail on your gardener to let
fome heads ftand long after the time that
they fhould be cut for the table.

The Burdock, whofe heads fometimes faf- Ardium.

ten themfelves to your clothes as you pais,
is in the fame divifion with the Thiftles :

Y Onopordon Acanthium Lin. Curt. Lond. V. 57.
Mor.'t.30..f. 1: Ger. 1149. 7.
. w CynaraScolymus Lin. Blackw. 458.

the

354

Eupatori-
um,

Bidens.

LETTER XXVI.

the globofe form of the calyx, together
with the hooked tops of the fcales which
compofe it, are the eflential characters of ©
the genus. The common wild fpecies* has
very large woolly heart-fhapéd leaves, pe-
tiolate, and unarmed.

Of the third fection, with Dz/coid, or, as
fome call them, waked difcous flowers, few
are at hand. The banks of rivers and
ditches will furnifh a fpecies of Expatorium *,
a large plant with digitate leaves: ufually
there are three leaflets to each leaf, which
are hairy, and fharply ferrate, the middle
one the largeft; fometimes the fide leaflets
are wholly wanting, and the leaf beeomes
fimple: the ftalks are lofty, rough, and
quadrangular ; and bear large bunches of
{mall purple flowers on their tops, with

about five florets in each calyx. ‘The cha-

racters of the genus are an oblong, imbri-
cate calyx, a naked receptacle ; a feathered
down, and a very long ftyle, divided half
way the length.

The fame fituations will produce you the
Bidens ; which has alfo an imbricate calyx :
but the receptacle is chaily ; the corolla is
fometimes furnifhed with one floret alter-
nately radiant; and the feeds are crowned

x Artium Lappa Lin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 55. Ger.
80q.

y Eupatorium cannabinum Lin. Fl.dan.745. Mor.
hit. f. 7.t.13.f.1. Ger. 711.2. Common Hemp-

Agrimony. See"Pl. 25. £3.
with

SYNGENESIA.

with two erect, rugged awns, which being
hooked make the feeds adhere to any thing
that comes near them. We have two wild
fpecies, the ¢rifid*, fo called from its trifid
leaves ; with erect feeds, and leafy calyxes :
and the zodding *, with lance-fhaped, ftem-
clafping leaves, nodding flowers, and erect
feeds. The corollas of both are yellow;
but thofe of the laft, which is the leaft com-
mon, are moft fpecious.

THE ORDER POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA,

The fecond order of the clafs Syngenefa,
entitled Polygamia fuperflua, being fcarceiy
lefs numerous than the firft, is fubdivided
into two fedions, the firft containing the
difcoid, and the fecond the radiate flowers :
there is only one genus in this order with
femiflofculous flowers.

Of the firft fe@ion, with difcoid flowers

have an imbricate, hemifpheric calyx ; the
corollas of the ray, or on the outfide, tri-
hd; the others quinquefid ; the feeds naked,
being only flightly edged: and the recep-
tacle naked. Sometimes in this genus there
are no imperfect flowers. Our common

de
® Bidens tripartita Lin. Water Hemp-Agrimony.
Curtis, Lond. IV. 57. Ger. 711. 1.
a Bidens cernua Lin. Nodding Water Hemp-Agri-
mony. Curtis, Lond. III. 55. Fl. dan. 841.

uc Tanfy,

» T'anace-

you have the Zan/y; which you find totum.

386

Artemi-
fia.

LETTER XXVI.

Tanfy *, which not only the kitchen-gar-
den, but dry, upland paftures will furnifh
you with, has bipinnate, or twice-feathered
leaves, which are gafhed, and ferrate about
the edges.

Southernwood, the Wormwoods, and Mug-
qwort, all range under the genus drfemifia ;
which has a calyx imbricate, with rounded,
converging fcales ; naked feeds; and a re-
ceptacle, either naked or with few hairs:
the fowers have no ray whatever, but are
{trictly dilcoid. Southernwood< is fhrubby,
erect, and has fetaceous leaves, very much
branched ; there is a feld or wild Southern-
qwood", with procumbent, wand-like ftems,
and multifid, linear leaves. Common and
Roman Wormwoods and Mugwort have ere&
herbaceous flems, and compound leaves.
The Common © fpecies has the leaves multi
fid, the flowers fubglobular and pendulous,
and the receptacle hairy. Roman Worm-
qwood * has the leaves many-parted, and
downy underneath, the heads of flowers
roundith and nodding, as in the other; but
the receptacle naked. Mugworts has pin-

b Tanacetum vulgare Lin. Fl. dan. 871. Mor. hift.
{. Coton. fiir. Ger. 650, 9.

¢ Artemifia Abrotanum Lin. Blackw. 555.

Artemifia campeitris Lin, Ger. 1106. 5. Park.
94-7

e Artemifia Abfinthium Zin. Blackw.t. 17. Ger.
1096. I.

F Artemifia pontica Lin. Jacq. auftr. 4. t. 90.

8 Artemifia vulgaris Lin. Blackw. t. 431. Ger.
1303. 1: .

natifid,

SYNGENESIA.

iiatifid, flat, gafhed leaves, downy under-
neath : the flowers are borne in fimple, re-
curved racemes, and have a ray of five
flowers. Common Sea Wormwood» has pro-
cumbent {lems ; many-parted downy leaves,
nodding racemes, and three flowers in the
Bayes. à |

Grapholium, comprehending many wild

387

Cudweeds and the Inntortal flowers, or yel- Gnapha-

low and white Everlaflings, has an imbri-liv™-

cate calyx, with the fcales rounded, fca-
riofe, and coloured; a naked receptacle,
and feathered down. There are feveral fpe-
cies both of yellow and white Everlaftings;
the moft known of the firft is common in
Portugal, where they adorn their churches
with the flowers, which are alfo fent an-
nually to England: it is fuppofed to have
been brought originally from India i: the
leaves are linear-lanced, and feffile; the
flowers are borne in a compound corymb,
on elongated peduncles; and the ftem is
fubherbaceous. One of the latter * is very
common in the gardens, and is originally
of North America ; this has leaves like the
former, fharp-pointed, and alternate; the
fems herbaceous, and branched above, the
flowers in corymbs, with level tops. This
has a very creeping root ; and the ftalks and

h. Artemifia maritima. Ger. 1099. 1. Petiv. 20, 2.
. i Gnaphalium orientale Liz. Comm, hort. 2. t. 55°
Mor: hift: f. 7. t. 10. f. lat.
K Gnaphalium marggtitaceum Lin,
Wire 2 leaves

388

LETTER XXVI.

leaves are woolly: the filverv calyxes, as
well as the golden ones, of the former, if
gathered before they are too open, will con-
tinue in beauty many years.

Xeranthe- Xeranthemum, or Eternal flower, has an

mum.

imbricate calyx, with the inner fcales mem-
branaceous, fhining, and forming a fet of
coloured rays to crown the flower: the re-
ceptacle is moftly naked; and the down is
either briftly or feathered. . 4znual Xeran-
themum | is an exception to the general
character, in having a chaffy receptacle ;
it is alfo the only one which has a down of
five briftles: it is herbaceous, has lance-
fhaped fpreading leaves; the outfide florets
have a fimple ftigma, with a naked feed ;
thofe in the middle have a fub-bifid ftigma.
The colour of the corolla is either purple or
white. There ts a fore from the Cape with
yellow flowers ™. |

Tuffilago. The fecond divifion of this order, with

Radiate flowers, is much the largelt. Tu/
filago or Cult’s-foot has a cylindric éalyx,
with equal fcales, from fifteen to twenty
im number, as long asthe difk of the flower,
and a little membranous ; a naked recepta-
cle, and a fimple or hairy down. Common
wild Colt’s-f:ct ® has angular leaves, rather

1 Xeranthemum annuum Liz. Mill. illuflrs Jacq.
aufir. 4. 388.

m Xeranthemum fpeciofiffimum. Seba 2. t. 43. f. 6.

-2 Tuffilago Farfara Lin. Curtis, Lond. IL. 60. Ger.
811. Park. 1220.

2 heart-

SYNGENESIA.

heart-fhaped, with flight indentations about
the edges, underneath white ; ; and one yel-
low flower on a feape, which is imbricate or
covered with fcales. Dutter-bur ° has vatt
leaves fhaped much like thofe of the Cu/?’s-
foot ; many (from ten to twenty) purplifh
flowers, colleQed into an ovate thyrfe, on
the top of a purplifh {cape fet with fcales of
the fame colour: there are fometimes from
two to fix imperfect, white, ligulate florets,
with fcarcely any corolla, among the others.
You will not be able to examine all the fpe-
cific characters of thefe two plants at once ;
for the naked ftem which bears the flowers
pufhes up alone very early in the {pring ;
and the leaves do not fucceed till the flowers
are paît.

Senecio, or Groundfel, isa very numerous Senecio.

genus P, P bald ing a cylindric calycled calyx,
with th e feales fpacelate or feeming morti-
fied at top; a naked receptacle, and a fim-
ple down. Moft of the fpecies have radiate
flowers : eight of them however have not;

and among thefe is the Common Ground/el 4, a,
fo vulgar a weed in kitchen-gardens. Stink
ing Greundfel*, a plant not very unlike this,
has however radiate corollas, with the femi-

° Tufhilago Petafites Lin. Curtis, Lond. I. 50.
Ger. 814.

P Fifty-nine fpecies.

q Senecio vulgaris Lin. Curtis, Lond. I. 61. Ger.
27842.
r Senecio vifcofus Lin. Dill. elth. t. 258. f. 336.

“3h Cc 3 florets

99

LETTER XXVi.

florets of the ray revolute ; the fcales of the
calyx are loofe ; andthe leaves are pinnatifid
and vifcid. ‘This grows in hedge-rows and
on heaths, and is a much taller plant than
the laft.

Common Ragwort * has alfo radiate corol-
las, with the ray however not revolute but
expanding: the ftem of this is erect; the
leaves pinnatifid, approaching to lyrate, with
the divifions a little jagged. This is very
common by road-fides and in paftures. The
gardens have a purple African Groundfel *
from the Cape; an annual plant with a yel-
low difk, and purple rays: it agrees with
Ragwort in having radiate corollas with the
ray expanding; the leaves are pinnatifid,
equal, and very fpreading, with a thickened
recurved margin ; and the fcales of the ca-
lyx are thinly ciliated, A fingular plant of
this genus came up one year in my garden,
which I took at firft to be a new fpecies ;
but, on more accurate examination, it
proved to be a hybridous plant or mule,
produced from this and the Common
Groundfel : it had the radiate flowers of the
one, {mall indeed and flightly tinged with
purple, and the herb of the other : being
annual, and producing no feed, this variety
palled away with the feafon. |

S Senecio Jacobæa Lin. Mor. hift. { 7. t. 18. fr.
Ger. 280. 1. Park. 668. 3. Fl. ruft. t. 85.
* Senecio elegans Lin. Comm. hort. 2. t. 30. Seba
mufr. t, 220 f 1. Curt. mag. 238. .
The

SYNGENESIA.

39

The two genera of /fer and Golden-rod After.

furnifh abundance of flowers that enliven the
autumnal feafon, and continue till the feve-
rity of froft puts an end to them. They both
agree in an imbricate calyx, a fimple down,
and a naked receptacle: but the inferior
{cales in the calyx of the #/er are fpread-
ing, and have aragged appearance ; where-
as in the Golden-rod they are clofe: all the
fpecies alfo of the A/fer have more than ten
femi-florets in the ray, but the Golden-rods
have only about five or fix remote ones.
Some of the //ers are fhrubby, but moft of
them are tall herbaceous plants, dying down
to the ground, atthe approach of winter, and
rifing again from the fame root the enfuing
fpring : many are confounded under the
vulgar title of Michaelmas Daifies: The
Amellus, ox purple Itahan Starwort *, is one
of the loweit fpecies, but has large purple
flowers, growing in a corymb on naked
peduncles, with the fcales of the calyx ob-
tule; the leaves are lance-fhaped, obtufe,
rugged, entire about the edges, and marked
underneath with three nerves. The greater
part of the perennial American Afters have
fcaly peduncles;"iome have entire, and
‘others have ferrate leaves ; hence a conve-
nient fubdivifion of the genus: there are
however fome few fpecies with ferrate leaves

u After Amellus Lin. Jacq.aultr. 435. Virg. georg.
edit. Mart. p. 368.

Co and

t
i:

Solidago,

LETTER XXVI.

and naked fmooth peduncles. Large flow-
ering or Catefby s Starwort *, is one of the
handfomeft; the flowers being large and of
a deep purple; the calyx is ragged; the
peduncles are fcaly, and fuftain only one
flower; the leaves are quite entire, tongue-
fhaped, and clafp the ftem. Chinefe Afier™
is an annual plant, with ovate, angular
leaves, toothed about the edge, and petio-
late; the flowers terminate the branches,
and have fpreading leafy calyxes. ‘The va-
riety of colour, and fize of the corolla, have
made this fpecies very generally cultivated :
their being frequently double, will not in-
duce you to miftake a double radiate for a
natural ligulate flower; which, to an un-
obferving eye, it perfe&ly refembles. The
falt-marfhes on the fea-coaft of Europe fur-
nifh one fpecies, called Sea-Starwort *: this
has lance-fhaped, entire, flefhy, fmooth,
leaves ; the branches are unequal; and the
fléwergin a corymb.

Of the Golden rods we have only one
European fpecies ¥, unlefs we diftinguifh the
Welfh Golden-rod 2, which feems but an

v After grandiflorus Lin, Mart. cent. 19. Mill.
fig. 292.

w After chinenfis Zin. Dill. elth.t. 34. f. 38.

* After Tripolium Lin. Fl. dan. 618. Mor. hift. f. 7.

t. 22. f. 36. Ger. 413. 1. Park. 674. Engl. bot.t. 87.

y Solidago Virgaurea Liu. Fl. dan. 663. Mor. t. 23.
f. 4. Ger. 430. 2.

z Solidago cambrica Hud/. Dill. elth. t. 306. f. 303.
Petiv. herb. Brit. t. 16. {, 11.

humble

SYNGENESIA.

humble variety. The ftem is a little flexu-
ofe or winding ; and the flowers grow in
ere, crowded, panicled racemes. ‘The
Welth variety has the leaves a little hoary
underneath, and roundifh cluftered fpikes
at the top of the ftalk, with larger flowers
appearing earlier than the common fort:
in lofty fituations and dry foils, a ftem will
fometimes produce one flower only. North
America has furnifhed abundance of fpecies,
whofe golden racemes of flowers mix hap-
pily with the purple corymbs of the Afters;
and thus they jointly enliven plantations of
fhrubs in the latter feafon.

393

Inula, of which Elecampane * 1s the lead- Tnuta.

ing fpecies, has the following charaders—
a naked receptacle; a fimple down; and
the anthers ending at the bafe in two brif-
tles: this ftructure of the anthers is wazgue—
the cylinder is compofed of five fmaller li-
near anthers, each ending in two briftles,
of the length of the filaments. The true
Elecampane * is diftinguifhed by ts large,
ftem-clafping, ovate, wrinkled leaves, downy
underneath ; and by the ovate form of the
fcales cf the calyx. The ftalks are three
feet high, and divide towards the top into
feveral fmaller branches, each of which is
terminated by one large yellow flower. The

+
2 Inula Helenium Liv. Fl. dan. 728. Mor. hifl.
{.7.t. 24.f, lait, Ger. 793.

F. 1 Ca=

394

Doroni-
cum,

LETTER XXVI.

Flea-banes middle » and lefs © are of this ge-
nus; the firft is common in moift meadows,
and has ftem-clafping, oblong leaves, hol-
Jowed next the petiole ; a villous ftem ter-
minated by yellow flowers in panicles ; and
the fcales of the calyx briftly. The fecond ‘
has alfo flem-clafping leaves, but waved ;
proftrate ftems; and fubglobular flowers,
eafily known by the fhortnefs of the ray.
The place of this is by road-fides, and where
water ftands in winter.

Doronicum or Leopard’s-bane,a wild plant
of the Alps, and now common among the
perennials of the garden, has the fcales of
the calyx in two rows, equal, and longer
than the difk, the feeds of the ray naked
or deftitute of down; thofe of the difk
crowned with a fimple down ; the recepta-
ele naked. The common fpecies, above
alluded to 4, has heart-fhaped leaves, flightly
indented about the edge, and obtufe at the
end; thofe at the root petiolate, thofe above
ftem-clafping. The italks are channelled
and hairy, near three feet high: thefe put
out a few fide branches, each of which is
terminated by a large yellow flower. A
fecond fpecies * has ovate, acute leaves,

b Inula dyfenterica Lin, Curtis, Lond. HI. 56.
Ger. 482. 3. | |
” Inula pulicaria Zin. Curtis, Lond. lI. 57: Ger.
492: 4+
d Doronicum pardalianches Lin. Mill. fig. 128.
facq. auftr. 4.t. 350. and PI. 26. of this work.
© € Doronicum plantagineum Lin,

flightly

SYNGENESIA,

fightly indented, and alternate branches,
A third § has a naked, fimple ftem ending
in one flower: and thefe make up the whole
genus,

395

ra has a one-leafed, five-toothed, Tagetes,

tubular calyx ; five permanent florets to the
ray ; the feeds are crowned with five ere&
awns ; and the receptacle is naked. Lrench®
and African * Marigolds, two of the gaudy
annuals of the flower-garden, are of this
genus. The firft is diftinguifhed by a fub-
divided fpreading ftem ; the fecond, by an
ere, fimple ftem, with naked, one-flowered
peduncles. Of both thefe, as you well
know, there are many varieties in colour,
from pale brimfione to deep orange; and
the more double they become, fo much the
more does your gardener value himfelf on
his fkill or good fortune.

Ghry yfanthemum, fo named from its golden- Chryfan-
coloured flowers, is known by its hemi- themum.

fpheric, imbricate calyx, formed of clofe
fcales, the inner ones gradually larger, and
the inmoft membranous or chaffy ; there is
no down to the feeds, but they are only
edged or margined ; the receptacle is naked.
Some of the ‘fpecies are improperly termed
Ghryfanthema, having white rays to the
flowers: of thefe we have an inflance in

f Doronicum Bellidiaftrum Zin. Jacq. auftr. 4.
t. 400. Va
8 Tagetes patula Lin.
h Tagetes erecta Lin.
the

Matrica-

Tid.

LETTER XXVI.

the Ox-eye Dai/y', a plant common among
ftanding grafs in meadows, and having ob-
long, ftem-clafping leaves, fawed above,
and toothed below. Corn Marigold*, which
is a weed among the corn in fandy lands,
has yellow rays, and ftem-clafping leaves,
jagged above, and toothed below ; they are
fmooth, and of a glaucous hue. Left you
fhould think the colour of more importance
than it really is, 1 will put you in mind,
that the {pecies fo commonly cultivated in
flower-gardens under the name of Chry/an-
themum creticum', has both yellow and white
rays: thefe flowers are efteemed in propor-
tion as they deviate from nature; but the
plant may always be known, by the pinnate,
gafhed leaves, growing broader towards the
end.

The three genera of Matricaria, Cotula,
and Anthemis, are nearly allied. The firft
has a hemifpheric, imbricate calyx, with
the marginal fcales folid, and rather acute ;
the feeds have no down; and the receptacle
is naked. ‘The fecond has a convex calyx;
the florets of the difk quadrifid ; thofe of the
ray have only a germ with its ftyle and ftig-
mas, without any corolla: there isno down,
but the feed is margined: and the receptacle

i Chryfanthemum Leucanthemum Lia. Curt. Lond.
V. 62... Blackw. t. 42.. Mor. hift. f. 6, t. 8. £. 4 Ger.
634. Park. 528. 1.

k Chryfanthemum fegetum Lis. Curt. Lond. n. 63.
Mor. tw4.f. 1. Ger, 743. 1. Pane 1970

1 Chryfanthemum coronarium Lin. Mor. t, 4. f. 2, 3.

1S

SYNGENESIA,

is naked, or nearly fo. The third has a
hemifpheric calyx, with the fcales nearly
equal ; more than five femiflorets in the ray ;
no down; and a chaffy receptacle. There
are plants vulgarly known by the name of
Mayweed or Camomile, in each genus. Com-
mon Fever-few ™ alfo is a fpecies of Marri-
caria : the leaves are compound and flat,
the divifions are ovate, and gafhed, and the
peduncles are branched: it grows upon
banks, has a ftrong unpleafant fcent, the
leaves are of a yellowifh green, and the rays
of the flower are white: admitted into gar-
dens, it has generally double flowers. Com-
mon or true Camomile * is an Anthemis ; and
has compound pinnate leaves, the divifions
linear, acute, and a little villous. It fome-
times covers a confiderable extent of ground
on dry fandy commons, trailing along, and
putting out roots from the ftalks ; its agree-
able odour betrays it as we tread upon it:
that which is found in gardens, has ufually
loft all charaëter by cultivation.

Achillea or Milfoil has an oblong-ovate
imbricate calyx ; from five to ten femiflorets
in the ray ; no down; and a chaffy recep-
tacle. Common wild Milfoil or Yarrow” has

m Matricaria Parthenium Zin. Fl.dan.674. Ger.
652. 1.

a Anthemis nobilis Liz. Blackw. 298. r. Ger.

755+ 4.

3 Achillea Millefolium Liz. Curt. Lond. n. 63.
Fl. dan. 737. Mor. hift. f. 6.t. 11. f.6, 14. Ger
1072. 2. A. Prarmica, Curt. Lond. V. 6o.

bipinnate

Anthe-

mis.

Achillea.

Helian-
thus.

5 T LES ae

bipinnate naked leaves, the divifionsof whiclt
are linear and indented ; the ftems are fur-
rowed above. It isa vulgar plant in paftures,
and particularly by way-fides ; for it feems
to delight in being trod upon, and in fuch
places {preads itielf abundantly. The ufual
colour of the flower is white, but it fome-
times varies toa fine purple. Other foreign
fpecies are yellow. le

The four remaining orders of this clafs
being much lefs numerous than the two
which we have already examined, there is
not the fame occafion for fubdivifions ; and
accordingly Linnzus has not made any.

THE ORDER POLYGAMIA FRUSTRANEA-

The third order of Fru/franeous Polygamy
comprehends no more than feven genera,
from which I fhall fele& two—elianthus
and Centaurea. ‘The firft has an tmbricate
calyx, rather fquarrofe, or having a ragged
appearance from the fpreading of the tips of
the fcales; a two-leaved or two-awned
crown to the feeds; and a flat chaffy recep-
tacle. Every fpecies of this genusis a native
of America alone; and on the difcovery of
the New World, fome of them were vaunted
as miracles of nature, though they aré now
become fo common as almoft to be difre-

garded,

SYNGENESIA,

gatded. The annual Sun flower P however,
it muft be acknowledged, is a flower of won-
derful magnificence, and owes the diminu-
tion of regard to the facility of its propaga-
tion: thefpecific characters are—heart-fhaped
leaves, marked with three principal nerves;
peduncles thickening immediately under the
calyx; and the fowers nodding. No flower
is more proper than this, from its great fize,
to give you an idea of a compound flower,
and its component flofcules, or florets and,
femiflorets ; only you will remember not to
expect feeds from thofe of the ray, that
being the character of the order. This plant
had its name from the form of the flower,
not from any power it poilefles of turning
towards the fun: there is ufually but one
flower ona ftalk, but J had four in my garden.
on a fingle ftem, ooking to the four cardinal
points. Per pel Sus flower 4 is yet more
common than the laft, becaufe it fpreads
much at the root, and requires no care in
the cultivation: the inferior leaves of this are
heart-fhaped and three-nerved, but the upper
ones ovate. ‘The flowers, though much
{maller than thofe of the laft, are yet the
largeft and moft fightly of the perennial forts,
and the fame plant produces abundance of
them. You will be on your guard againft
double flowers. The perennial forts feldom

P Helianthus annuus Liz. Mill illuftr.
4 Helianthus multiflorus Liz. Pluk. phyt. 159.f 2.
Cart. mag. 227.

produce

399

400

Centau-

LETTER XXVI.

produce feeds in our climate: whereas the
annual, which can be propagated no other-
wife, hasthem in plenty. “erufalem Arti-
choke" is alfo a fpecies of Aehanthus ; the
leaves are ovato-cordate, or egg-fhaped, only
hollowed at the bafe; they are alfo marked
with three principal nerves: this frequently
does not even Hower, but it is cultivated not
for the fake of thefe, but the tuberous or
knobbed roots, refembling in form the pota-
to, but in tafte an artichoke bottom. There
is a fpecies which has the common or trivial
name of giganteus or giant : Ferufalem Arti-
choke juftly merits the fame title, for I have
meatured ftems of it twelve feet high.
Centaurea is a moft numerous genus of
the fame third order, containing no lefs
than fixty-fix fpecies. The corollas of the
ray are funnel-form, or tubular, longer than
thofe of the difk, and irregular ; the down
is fimple ; and the receptacle has brifiles be-
tween the florets. This otherwife unwieldy
genus is commodioully fubdivided into fix
fe&ions, by the variations of the calyx,
which you obferve make no part of the ge-
neric character. I. Plants commonly cail-
ed ‘faceas, with {mooth, unarmed calyxes,
il. Cyanufes, with the {cales of the calyx fer-
rate and ciliate. IL]. Rhaponticums, with
dry, fcariofe fcales, like chaff, or asif parch-
ed. IV. Stoebes, with the {pines of the calyx

+ Helianthus tuberofus Lin. Jacq. hort. 2. t. 161.
palmate,

SYNGENESIA.

palmate. V. Culcitrapas, with the {pines
of the calyx compound or fubdivided. VI.
With the {pines {imple or wholly undivided.
To the firft fection belongs the Sweet Sul-
tan’, which has a roundifh calyx with ovate
{cales; and lyrate leaves, indented about
the edge. It is an annual plant, with pur-
ple flowers, of a fweetnefs fo powerful as to
be offenfive to many perfons; they come
out fingly on long naked peduncles, and
frequently vary to flefh colour and white.
There is a yellow Sweet Sultan, which dif-
fers not only in the colour of the flowers,
and in having a milder odour, but alfo in
having the edges of the leaves ferrate: it
is doubtful however whether it be a diftin&
fpecies from the former. The Great or
Officinal Centaury* is allo of this fection:
the {cales of the calyx are ovate; the leaves
are pinnate; the divifions ferrate and decur-
rent. ‘The plant is large and tall, and the
flowers are purple.

Of the fecond fubdivifion we have dire
plants commonly wild, and one little lefs
common in gardens. Common or Black
Knap-weed", perhaps more properly Knob-
Weed, which the country people in fome
places call Hard-heads, is found in almoft all
paftures, and is one inftance, among many

s Centaurea mofchata Lin. Mor. hift. f. 7. t. 25.

© Centaurea Centaureum Lin. Blackw. 93.
. Centaurea nigra Lin. Ger. 727.1. Park. 468. 1.
Dd others,

401

402

LETTER XXVI.

others, of the vile weeds which are fuffered
to occupy grafs fields with impunity; the
{cales are ovate, with erect, capillary cilias :
the leaves are lyrate and angulate; and the
flowers are flofculous. Great Knapweed* has
pinnatiiid leaves, with the lobes lanceolate.
This grows in corn fields and on balks.
The flowers of both are red; but thofe of
the latter are much the largeft and moft
{pecious. Blue-Botile“, the third wild plant
of this fe&ion, which every body knows for
an univerfal weed among corn, and whofe
beautiful blue colour would have attraéted
regard, had it been rare, has linear leaves,
which on the ftem are quite entire; towards .
the ground they are broader, indented about
the edges, and fometimes pinnate. Moui-
tain Blue-bottle*, which has migrated from
the Swifs mountains into our gardens, is
very nearly allied to this, but its flowers are
much larger: the leaves alfo are lance-fhaped
and decurrent, and the flem is quite fimple,
whereas the wild fortis branched. Car-
duus Benedictus, or Bleffed Thifile¥, is an in-
{tance of the fourth fection: it has doubly
{pined, woolly calyxes, furnifhed with an
involucre ; the leaves are femi-decurrent, in-

Y Centaurea Scabiofa Lin.

w Centaurea Cyanus Lin. Mor.t. 25. f. 4. Ger.
732-2. Park. 482. 2.

x Centaurea montana Lin. Mill. fig. 174 Curt.
mag.77. Pl. 27. £1:

y Centaurea bencdiéta Lin.

I dented,

SYNGENESIA.

dented, and prickly: this is a fmall annual
plant with yellow flowers. We havea wild
fpecies of this fection—the Srar-thiffle’,
growing by road-fides, and in dry pattures,
but not every where: it has feflile flowers,
with the calyxes rather doubly fpined : the
leaves pinnatifid, linear, and toothed; the
fem hairy, and much branched: the {pines
of the calyx are white, and the flowers red.
Of the other fe&tions none are likely to
meet your eye; indeed the roughnefs and
vulgarity of their habit, in which they
much refemble Thiftles, have occafioned
the numerous fpecies to be little culti-
vated.

THE ORDER POLYGAMIA NECESSARIA.

403

The Marigold of the kitchen garden will Calen-

furnifh a familiar inftance of the fourth
order—Polygamia Neceffaria. The genus
is known by a calyx of many equal leaves ;
by the feeds having no down, and thofe of
the difk being membranous; and by the
receptacle being naked. The common or
oficmal* {pecies is diftinguifhed in having
all the feeds boat-fhaped, bent inwards and
muricate.

7 Centaurea Calcitrapa Lin. Ger. 1166. 1. Engl.
bot.jt. tae. |

+ Calendula officinalis Ziv. Mill illuftr. Pl. 27.
f. 2.

D d 2 THE

404

LETTER XXVI.

THE ORDER POLYGAMIA SEGREGATA.

Echinops In the Segregate order, befides the calyx

Viola.

or perianth common to the whole flower,
there is a fecondary one, including feveral
flofcules, or fometimes one only ; this forms
one character of the genera. Lchinops has
only one flower to each partial calyx:
befides this, the fofcules are tubular,
and complete; the feeds have an obfcure
down ; and the receptacle is briftly. Common
Globe-thifile® is fo called from the flowers
growing in globular heads: the leaves are
finuous and pubefcent, the jags ending in
fpines; the flowers are blue, and fome-
times white.

THE ORDER MONOGAMIA.

We have now done with the natural
tribe of compound flowers, but there re-
mains yet one order of the clafs Syngenefia,
in which the flowers are totally different,
except in the common charatier of the
union of the five anthers; they are fimple,
like the flowers of other claffes, or have only
one coroiia inclofed within the calyx, with-
out any common perianth. The Vro/et will
furnifh you with a number of notorious
examples of this order, All the fpecies,

b Echinops fphærocephalus Lin. Mill. ilkaftr, & Pl. 28.
which

SYNGENESIA.

which are twenty-eight, agree in a five-

leaved calyx; a five-petalled irregular co-

rolla, produced into a horn or {pur behind ;
and in a three-valved, one-celled capfule,
above the receptacle, or inclofed within the
calyx. The Szocet Violet*, that fcents the

banks, hedges, and borders of woods, in

the fpring, with its fragrant purple flowers,
is one of thofe which have no ftalks, ex-
cept the feape which fupports the flower,
and the runners by which they are propa-
gated ; the leaves are heart-fhaped. “The
corollas are fometimes white, and the gar-
dens boaft a large double variety. “This is
one of the few wild plants, whofe allowed

merit has fecured it a place in every culti-

vated fpot.' ‘The latter {pecies without {cent,
commonly called Dog Violet À is one of the
caulefcent or ftalky kind, the more adult
ftems afcending; the leaves are heart-
fhaped, but’ drawn to ‘a point at the end:
the corolla is paler than that of the Sweet
Violet, and, having leaves proceeding from
a ftalk, cannot be! miftaken for that in
which they grow’imineliately from the
root, even if the odotr were not’ attended
to. Heart’s-eafe or Panfies*, the univerial

| favourite

€ Viola odorata Lin. Curtis, Lond. I. 63. Ger. 850.
1. PT. 29: bit A
4 Viola canina Lin. Curtis, Lond. II. 61. Ger,
851.6.
€ Viola tricolor Lin. Curtis; Lond. I. 6s. Fl. dan,
\ Dd 3 623.

40

406

Impa-
tiens.

LETTER XXVI.

favourite of the more fimple unrefined
ages, is one of thofe which have pinnati-
fid ftipules, and an urceolate or. pitcher-
fhaped ftigma: it has alfo a three-cornered,
diffufe ftem ; and oblong gafhed leaves. Such
are the characters of a plant, which every
child becomes acquainted with as foon as
he can walk into a garden; but. it is not
therefore wholly ufelefs to mention it, be-
caufe it may at leaft ferve to explain feve-
ral terms. to you, and to aflift you in the
examination of plants with which you are
not fo well acquainted,

When we compare the diminutive and
almoft colourlefs Panfy, which we find wild
among the corn, with the ample rich-
coloured corolla, that boafts the tiflue of
velvet, fuch as we fee in fome curious. gar-
dens; we cannot but allow that human
art has made a confiderable improvement ;
and we furvey it with the more pleafure
becaufe it is not at the expence of the na-
tural characters of the flower ; and you may
enjoy, it both as a botanift and a florift *.

That, beautiful flower called Ba Ham 1s
of this. order. Linngus names the genus

623. Ger. 854.1. This has numberlefs provincial
names, bearing fome allufion to love.

Yet markt I where the bolt of Cupid fell.
“ Tt fell upon a little weflern flower,
** Before milk white, now purple with Love’ $ wound,
‘ And maidens callit Love in Idlenc/s.”’
Midfum. Night’s Dream, II. 2.

* Perhaps the Garden Panfy may rather derive: its
origin from the grandiflora or great yellow Violet.

Impatiens,

SYNGENESIA

Jinpatiens, becaufe the capfule when ripe is
impatient of the touch, ealily burfting, and
thus throwing out its feeds. It has an ir-
regular corolla of five petals like the violet,
when it has not been improved into beauti-
ful duplicity by culture; but the calyx is
two-leaved ; the nectary or horn is cucul-
late or cowl-fhaped; and the capfule is
five-valved, True Balfam, or, more pro-
perly, Balfamine*, has the leaves lance-
fhaped, thofe on the upper part of the plant
alternate; the flowers come out three or
four together, from the joints of the ftalk,
only one on each flender peduncle; and
the netary is fhorter than the flower: the
varieties of colour—white, red, purple and
variegated, are well known. That which
comes from the Eaft Indies has larger, finer
flowers than what comes from the Weft,
moft beautifully variegated with fcarlet and
white, or purple and white. We havea
wild fpecies called Ycélow. Balfam, and allo
by the familiar names of Quick in band, or
Touch me not®: one long ilender peduncle
comes out from the axils, which fubdi-
vides into feveral others, each fuftaining a
yellow flower ; the leaves are ovate; and
the ftem fwells at the knots. This is a
local plant, being obferved only or chiefly

f Impatiens Balfamina Lin. Mill. fig. pl. so.
8 Impatiens noli tangere Lin. FI. dan, 582. Ger.

446, Park. 296. 5.
| D d 4 in

407

408

LE T.T ER XVI.

in Weftmoreland and Yorkfhire, in moift
fhady places, or by the fides of lakes and
rivers.

You have now abundant amuiement for
your autumnal walks; and as the feafon
for examination will be over before 1 fhall
have leifure to prepare you frefh matter for
future amufement, I take leave of you till
the. enfuing fpring ; when, if health and
leifure permit, we fhall travel through the
few remaining clafles.

LE T-

Poot Fw ta VE.
THE CLASS GYNANDRIA.

May the rft, 1777.

RENEW our purfuit as early as pof-

fible, my dear coufin, in order that I
may be able to accomplifh my purpofe of

completing our original fcheme during the
courte of the prefent feafon.

The twentieth clafs, which falls now
under our confideration, is entitled Gynan-
dria, from a rch eee peculiar to it,
which is that of having the ftamens fiemaiea
upon the ftyle itfelf. You have remarked,
that in every clafs hitherto examined, thefe
two parts are entirely independent, fo that
we can at any time remove the one from a
flower, and leave the other; but in the

clafs Gynandria this is not perm itted us;
the ftamens ufually growing out of the pi
til itfelf; but in fome cafes upon a recep-
tacle, produced or lengthened in form of a
ftyle, which bears both piftil and flamens.
This clafs has nine orders, founded on the
number of ftamens in the flower of each;
the genera are 33, and the fpecies 275.

The firft order, called Diandria, from
there being two ftamens only to the flowers
in it, 18 perfectly natural ; that is, contains

a tribe

49

419

LET TERY NN.

a tribe of plants agreed upon by all the
world to be in ftriét ailiance; or fuch, as
when an eye properly informed has feen
one of them, it immediately refers any of
the others to ie fametribe, clan, or family,
as foon as they occur. Indeed the alliance
between the greater part of thefe plants is
fo ftri@, that forme ‘nomenclators have been
re to refer them to one genus, or
one family properly fo called; for the ge-
nera differ hardly in any thing bile from each
other but in the fhape of the neétary. Some
former nomenclators had eftablifhed the ge-
nera upon the roots, which are certainly
the part leaft proper for this purpofe, be-
caufe you cannot examine the character
without deftroying the plant. But they
were induced to it, from the fingular form
of the roots in this tribe : which in fome fpe-
cies are a pair of folid bulbs; in others a fet
of oblong flefhy bodies tapering to the ex-
tremities, and {preading out like the fingers,
whence they have the name of palmaie or
handed.

Having faid fo much of this tribe, it is
almoft time, you think, to be acquainted
with othe fingular perfonages that compofe
ase octamer: greater number of them then
have the common appellation of Orchis, a
name ln am periuaded you are not wholly
unacquainted with,

Take one of thefe flowers, of any {fort
you can meet with; or, if,ne "Species is yet

in

|
|
|
|
|

GYNANDRIA.

in blow, you will not have long to wait for
fome.of them. You will find an oblong,
writhed germ, below the flower, which
has no proper calyx, but only fpathes or
fheaths: the corolla is made up of five pe-
tals, the two innermoft of which ulually
join to form an arch or helmet over the
top of the flower: the lower lip of the co-
rolla forms the nectary, taking the place of
the piftil and a fixth petal: the ftyle adheres
to the inner edge of the nectary, fo that,
together with its ftigma, it is fcarcely dif-
tinguifhable : the filaments are very fhort,
and each of them is terminated by an an-
ther, that has no covering, but has the
texture of the pulp of oranges or lemons ;
each is lodged in a cell opening downwards,
and adhering to the inner margin of the
nectary ; fo that without this information
you might have been at a lofs where to find
the flamens, unlefs they happened to have
burft from their cells: the germ in time
becomes a capfule, of three valves, opening
at the angles under the carinated ribs;
within is only one cell, and a great number
of fmall, irregular feeds, fhaped like faw-
duff, are. affixed to a linear receptacle on
each valves I have been more particular
on the. character of this tribe, becaufe the
flowers have rather a ftrange and unufual
appearance, owing to the fingular pofition
of the parts of fructilication, There is a
connexion. between this and the liliaceous

tribe ;

411

412

LETT ER XXWVH,

tribe ; both having but one lobe to the feed,
fucculent roots, entire leaves and a naked
corolla: they differ however in the number
of ftamens, the form of the corolla and
nectary, the fituation of the germ, the
number of cells in the capfule, the fhape
and arrangement of the feeds: this tribe
alfo bears its fowers on a fpadix, and has
brates interpofed between them. |

The principal genera of this tribe are thus
diftinguithed : |

Nedlary horn-fhaped. Orchis.

‘bag-fhaped. Satyrium,

flightly keeled. Ophrys.

ovate, gibbous underneath, Sera-
plas.

— pedicelled. Limodorum.

—— inflated. Cypripedium.

——turbinate or top-fnaped. . Epiden-

drum.

——— connate with the ringent corolla.
Arethufa.

The Orchis is the largeft genus, there
being no lefs than fifty fpecies, of which
eleven are found wild in England. The
greater number have double bulbs; in the
reft the roots are either palmate or fafcicu-
late.

Of thofe with double bulbs, woods and
ey paftures produce the Butterfly Or-

chis,

GYNANDRIA.

chshn, which has the lip of the neCtary
lance-fhaped' and quite entire; the hora
very long; and the petals fpreading out
wide. The flowers of this fmell {weet,
particularly in an evening, and very early
in the morning. ‘There are only two, or
at moft three large leaves: the ftem is a
foot or eighteen inches high: the {pike is
long, but the flowers are thinly fpread in
it; the brates are large, and the length
of the germ: the flowers are of a greenith
white; the {pur is twice as long as the
germ, very flender, and tranfparent enough
for you to dilcern the nectary through it.
There is a {maller variety, but differing no
otherwife than in fize.

Pyramidal Orchis*, found in paies
where the foil is chalky, is another of thofe
which have double bulbs: the lip of the
nectary is two-horned, trifid, the ferments
nearly equal, the middle one being rather
the narroweft ; ail of them are quite en-
tire; the horn, or fpur, is cylindric, flen-
der, and longer than the germ; and the
petals are nearly lance-fhaped. ‘This is an
elegant fpecies, having fix or more radical

h Orchis bifolia Lin. F1. ha 235. Vaill par. t. 30,
Monts 12,0t. 12: $: 184) Gers 211.2.
Park, 435 1.7.

i Haller fays linear.

K Orchis pyramidalis Zin. Raii fyn.t. 18: Jacq.
aint poe. Vail. \t. 31. fg0.~Hallhelv. tage 1
Ger. 210.4. Park. 1349. 4. Engl. bot. t. 110.

leaves;

414

LETTER XXVII.

leaves ; the ftem a foot, or eighteen inches
high ; the {pike of flowers fhort, of a broad
conical form, and very thick fet at firft;
the brates at leaft equal in length to the
germs, lance-fhaped, and ending in a point ;
the corolla bright purple.

Two of the moft common forts with
double bulbs, are called Male and Female
Orchis foolifhly, becaufe there is no diftinc-
tion of fexes ; and therefore thefe names are
only calculated to miflead. The! firft differs
from the fecond in having the outer petals
more acute, and longer ; and the middle lobe
of the lip bifid and longer than the fide
ones; it is alfo a much larger plant, with
broader leaves, ufually fpotted. The fe-
cond * has the lip of the neétary crenulate,
or flightly notched on the fides, trifid, with
the middle lobe emarginate, and the petals
obtufe and linear. ‘The height of this fel-
dom exceeds feven or eight inches; the
leaves are half an inch bread; and the {pike
is cylindric, and has few flowers ; the bractes
are coloured, and a little longer than the
germs; the petals forming the helmet con-
verge, and are marked with green parallel
lines; the middle of the lip is fpotted, and
the fides are rolled back ; the horn is equal
to the germ, with the end emarginate ;

1 Orchis mafcula Lin. Curtis, Lond.Il. 62. Vaill.

t. 33. f. 11, 12. Ger. 208. 15, "Path. 13460.
m Orchis morio Lin. Curtis, Lond. III. 59. Vaill.

te 38. £13, 14 Gere 208.2. Park. 1347. 4.
the

GYNANDRIA,

the moft common colour of the corolla is
deep purple, but it varies to rofe-coloured,
and even white. The firft is a foot, and
even eighteen inches high; the leaves an
inch and half broad; the fpike handfome,
long, and thin fet with flowers; the brates
about the fame length with the germs,
purple and lance-fhaped; the petals that
form the helmet loofe, not converging,
they are purple, with lines of the fame co-
lour ; the edges of the lip are bent down-
wards, the colour pale purple, with deeper
{pots at the chaps; the {pur is ftraight,
thick, as long as the germ, or longer, di-
lated and compreffed at the end. ‘The co-
lour of the corolla varies, even to white.
This grows in meadows; and the roots
make excellent Sa/ep. ‘The fecond affects
open dry paltures. Thus you have abund-
ant means of diftinguithing thefe two tpe-
cies of Orchis from each other; and the
roots are a fufficient mark of diftin@ion
from two others, no lefs common, which
we fhall examine prefently. In the mean
time, there is a {mall but pretty fpecies
with double bulbs, which we mutt not pafs
by. It grows chiefly on dry expofed chalk
hills, and iscalled Dwarf Orchis®: the lip
of the nectary is quadrifid, and white dot-
ted with purple; the horn is obtufe, and

" Orchis uftulata Lin, FI. dan. 103. Hall. t. 28. 2.
Vaill. t. 31. f. 35, 36. , Mor.t.12.i. 20, Ger. 207.
Park. 1345.

. the

416

LETTER xXViIi.

the petals are diftina. The height is from
four to feven inches: there are feveral leaves
next the ground, but few on the ftem: the
fpike is fhort and clofe fet; the braétes are
fhorter than the germ}; the helmet is point-
ed, and of a deep purple on the outlide:
within, the petals are marked with lines and
dots of purple ; the horn is a little bent, and
not half the length of the germ.

Two very common fpecies with palmate,
or handed bulbs, are the droad-leaved® and
fpotted Orchis?, generally found in moift
meadows. The firft has the roots rather
palmate and ftraight ; the horn of the nec-
tary conic, the lip three-lobed, and turning
back on the fides; the bractes large, and
longer than the flowers, fo as to give the
fpike a leafy appearance. The horn is
fhorter than the germ, bent and obtule.
The colour of the corolla is purple, varying
to role and white. ‘The fecond has nar-
rower leaves, and a folid ftem, whereas
that of the firft is hollow ; it is alfo higher,
and flowers later; the leaves of both are
{potted with black, but this more gene-
rally ; the brates are fmaller and narrower ;
the corolla of a paler purple; the lip of the
nectary is deeper cut, the fide lobes are

9 Orchis latifolia Liz. Curt. Lond. V. 65. Mill:
iluftr. Fl. dan. 266. Hall. 22. 2. Vaillt. 31. f.
1—s5. . Ger. 220.f. 1,16122208

P Orchis maculata Lin. Hall. t. 32. 1. Waill.t. 37.
f..9, 10. Ger.'220. 2. “Par, TAN

notched,

GYNANDRIA.

notched, the middle one very narrow, quite
entire, and drawing more toa point.

I fhall mention only one fpecies more of
Orchis, and that alfo has palmate roots: it
is found in paftures, but by no means fo
common as the two laft: you may call it
long-fhurred, or fweet Orchis 4, and you
will know it by the great length and flim-
nefs of the fpurs: the lip is trifid, equal,
flightly notched, and obtufe; and the fide
petals fpread out very wide. The ftem is
leafy, and grows to the height of eighteen
inches ; the bractes are fharp-pointed, and
of the length of the germ; the corolla is
purple, and allof one uniform colour; the
{mell is {trongz, but, in fome circumftances,
{weet.

417

The fecond genus of this natural tribe is Satyriume

the Satyrium, which, inftead of the horn, or
fpur, has a fhort, bag-form, or double-
inflated. neGtary, at the back of the flower.
This is a much lefs numerous genus than
the laft, having only eight known fpecies.
Of thele I fhall fele& two; Lizard Saty-
rion", and Frog Satyrion, commonly called
Frog Orchis *. The firftis found in chalky
paftures, but rarely ; and has been rendered

4 Orchis conopfea Lin. Fl. dan. 224. Hall. t. 29. 2.
Vaile. ga, §, $0). Ger..222. 2.

r Satyrium hircinum Liv. Hall. t.25. Mor. t. 12°
f..g. Ger. 230.4. Park. 1348.04.

s Satyrium viride Lin. Fl.dan.77. Hall. t. 26. 2.
eGer. 224: 9. Park, 1358. 9. Engl. bot. t. 94.

Ee more

418

LETTER XXVII

more rare by the diligence with which it
bas been fought after, to tranfplant it into
gardens, where it feldom continues long,
this tribe being generally abhorrent of cul-
ture. It has double undivided bulbs;
lance-fhaped leaves; the lip of the netary
trifid, the middle lobe linear, oblique, ex-
tremely long, flaunting like a ribband, and
feeming, as it were, bitten off at the end.
Tr isa very large lofty plant, from eighteen
inches to three feet in height; the leaves
alfo are half a foot long and more, and three
inches broad; the fpike has many flowers,
and, by age, grows very long and becomes
bent; the braëtes are flender, acute, green-
ifh, and twice as long as the germs; the
colour of the corolla is greenifh without,
and rufty within, with purple lines and
fpots: the flower has a ftrong goatifh fmell.
Frog Orchis is much more common in
meadows. ‘The bulbs of this are palmate,
the leaves oblong and obtufe ; the lip of the
netary trifid, with the middle lobe obfo-
lete, or fo {mall as to be obfcure. This is
a much lower and fmalier plant than the
former, not being above feven or eight
inches high: the radical leaves are broad
and ovate; thofe on the ftem, which are
few, lance-fhaped: the fpike is rather thin
fet with flowers: the brates are lance-
fhaped, and longer than the germ: the hel-
met is almoft clofed, pale green, with a
purple line dividing the petals; the lip is
yellow,

GYNANDRIA. 419

yellow, hangs down ftraight, and grows
broader towards the end; the whole corolla
becomes dufky red with age.

The third genus of the Orchis tribe is Ophrys:
entitled Ophrys : it has no horn or bag at
the back of the corolla, but one petal longer
than the relt, hanging down and marked
underneath with a longitudinal rifing, call-
ed the keel. This it is which in fome fpe-
cies takes the form of an infect fo exadtly,
as to appear real at a certain diftance.

One fpecies, called Common Twayblade*,
or Zwyblade, from its having always two
leaves, and no more, is frequent in woods
and bufhy paftures. It has fibrous roots,
two ovate leaves, and the lip of the nectary
bifid. The ftem is eighteen inches high,
rather rough or hairy, and naked, except
the two large leaves in the middle, between
the root and the fpike, which is fometimes
fix inches long, and has forty flowers, thin
fet on fhort peduncles ; the braétes are very
{mall, broad, and fharp-pointed ; the germ
is round, and thicker than in any other
of the fpecies; the corolla is of a greenifh
yellow.

The latter end of fummer and beginning
of autumn flowers the Spiral Ophrys, com-

monly called Triple Ladies Traces*; you

t Ophrys ovata Lin, Curtis, Lond. IIL. 6o. Ger.
403. I.
u Ophrys fpiralis Lin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 59. F1.
dan. 387. Park. 1354. 3.
i 6,32 will

Le

420

LETTER XXVII.

will find it on heaths and dry paftures.
The root confifts of oblong aggregate bulbs,
the ftem is a little leafy, the flowers are
{piral, and all on one fide of the ftem ; and
the lip of the neary is undivided and
flichtly notched. This is a fmall plant,
feldom above five or fix inches high, though
in a lefs dry foil it will rife to a foot; it has
four or five leaves next the ground ; the
{pike is long and flender, having twenty
flowers, white within and yellowifh with-
out; the braë&es are not flat, but hollow,
and Jonger than the germ; the three outer
petals of the corollas are glued together ;
the lip is roundifh and ciliate. It has a
pleafant odour.

But the moft interefting and admired
fpecies of this genus are the F/y and Bee
Orchifes, which agree in having two round-
ifh bulbs, and a leafy fcape or ftem. Lin-

natus thinks the Fly and the two Bees * not
to be fpecifically different, but in this [
cannot agree with him. Fly Opbrys or
Orchis * has the lip of the ne@tary quadri-
fd; in the common Bee Orchis * it confits
of five Icbes, which are deflex or bent
downwards ; and in the green-winged Bee

v Ophrys infeétifera Lin.

* Orchis mufciflora Halleri, 1265. t. 24.2. Ophrys
infeétifera myodes Lin. Oph. mutcifera Hud/, Vaill.
t. 31.f.17, 18 Ger. 213. 6. Park. 1352. 10,

x Orchis fuciflora Hall. Ophrys apifera Hudf. Cur-
tis, Lond. 1.€6. Ger. 212: 4. Park. 1451.:5.

Orchis,

GYNANDRIA.

Orchis, now called Spider Opbrys ¥, it is
roundifh, entire, emarginate, and convex.
But belides this character from the lip of
the neëtary, the F/y is a ftiffer, ftraighter
plant than the Bee, not fo leafy, and having
the flowers thinner fet; in other refpects
they are much alike, except in the co-
rollas, which are widely different: that of
the Fly has the three outer petals ovate,
entire, {mooth, herbaceous, and fpread-
ing ; the two inner linear and dark purple ;
the lip of the ne&ary oblong, dark purple
above, and herbaceous underneath, with a
blue fpot or band below the upper lobes.
Bee Orchis has the three outer petals fpread-
ing, oblong, and purple, marked with three
green nerves; the two inner lateral ones
linear, villous, and green; the lip of the
nectary large, roundifh, purple, and like
velvet, the lobes deflex, with a double
variegated yellow, fmooth, fhining fpot at
the bafe. Spider Orchis is a lower plant ;
the lip of the neCtary is of a lefs cheerful
colour, without any of the yellow that de-
corates the Bee, and both helmet and wings
are green: the three outer petals are ob-
long and fpreading, the inner linear and
fhorter; the lip of the neétary is large,
roundifh, entire, emarginate, convex, and
appearing like velvet, dufky purple above,

¥ Ophrys infectifera arachnites Lin. Oph. aranifera
Hudf. Vail. t. 31. f. 15,16. Ger. 212. 3.

Ere: 3 witk.

Cypripe-
dium.

LETTER XXVII.

with a green edge, and a double {pot at
the bafe ; beneath it is herbaceous. Thefe
three beautiful plants are found among
grafs in a chalky foil, and form a fucceffion
from April to Auguft; the Sfzder comes
firt in April and May, the F/y next in
June, and laft of all the Bee in July and
Auguit.

| have been the more particular on this
fingular tribe of plants, becaufe, fpurning
culture, they are not liable to effential
changes, or indeed to any that I know of
except in colour: you muft alfo fearch for
them abroad, and confequently unite exer-
cife with fludy, which is one of the prin-
cipal advantages of Botany ; for I cannot
allow you to gather plants by proxy, fince
you would thus lofe half the pleafure of the
purfuit, as well as the benefit; and why
fhould you not have as much enjoyment in
fearching for a beautiful plant, or finding
an elegant flower, as the men have in look-
ing for a hare, or fhooting a partridge? I
will only add, that fhould you be fo happy
as to meet w:th, the Lady's Slipper *, you
would be highly delighted with its fingular,
large, hollow, inflated nectary, the form
of which has given occafion to the name,
Haller however obferves, that it has more
refemblance to a wooden fhoe in form,

Cypripedium Calceolus Lin. Mill. fig. 242. Ger.
443. Sowerby’s Englifh Botany, t, 1,

and

GYNANDRIA.

and therefore is unworthy the title of Ve-
aus s Slipper, which Linnæus has beftowed
upon it. Without entering into this im-
portant difpute, I will obferve to you, that
the root is fibrous; the ftem about a
foot high, and leafy; the two firft leaves
fmall, and keeping almoft clofe to the ftalk ;
the reft (from four to feven) ovate-lanced :
one, or at moft two flowers come out on the
fame ftem, of which there are fometimes
feveral from the fame root: the bracte is
very large, as is alfo the germ: there are
but four petals to the Hower, fpreading out
almoft at right angles to each other, and
often convolute; their colour is purple; of
the two outer petals, one ftands up above
the nectary, the other hangs down behind
it; the two inner petals ftand out fideways,
and are narrower: the flipper or lip of the
nectary is yellow, fpotted within, and
marked longitudinally with ridges and fur-
TOWS.

tne RRDER PENT AND RIAs

423

In the order Pentandria you will find Paffifora.

the numerous and beautiful genus of Pa/-
Jion-flower. The flowers have three piftils,
a five-leaved calyx, five petals to the co-
rolla, a radiate crown for a neCtary; and
the fruit is a berry on a pedicle. None of
the fpecies are European, but moftly na-
tives either of New Spain, the Brafils, or

Ke 4 the

424

LETTER XXVII.

the Weft Indian Ifles; fo that they require
the protection of the confervatory at leaft,
if not of the ftove, except one or two,
which will ftand abroad in a fheltered fitua-
tion, with a little attention, in fevere wea-
ther. I fhall felect the fpecies which you
are moft likely to meet with, rather than
the rarelt. Dlue Pafion~flower 4, though a
native of the Brafils, is feldom injured with
us, except in very fevere winters. | Againft
a houfe it may be trained up to the height
of forty feet, and throws out annually flen-
der fhoots, iifteen or fixteen feet long: the
leaves are palmate or handed, compofed of
five fmooth, entire, obtufe lobes, the mid-
dle one longeft, the outér fhorteft, and often
divided; they are petiolate; the petioles
have two glands, and at their bafe is a fti-
pule in form of acrefcent, and a long claf-
per, by which the flender fhoots fupport
themfelves: the flower comes out at the
fame joint with the leaf, on a peduncle
rear three inches long ; round the centre of
it are two radiating crowns, the inner in-
clining towards the central column; the
outer, which is longer, fpreading flat upon
the petals, and compofed of innumerable
threads, purple at bottom, but blue on the
outfide. On the top of the central column
fits an oval germ, from whofe bafe five awl-

4 Paffiflara cærulea Lin. Mill, illuftr, Curt. magaz.
28. and Plate 30 of this work.

fhaped

/

GYNANDRIA.

fhaped ftamens fpread out horizontally, and
thefe are terminated by oblong, broad,
pendent anthers, which are eafily move-
able; from the fide of the germ arife three
flender, purplifh ftyles, diverging, and end-
ing in obtufe ftigmas: the flower continues
but one day, but there is a conftant fuccef-
fion from July till autumnal frofts ftop
them. The germ {wells to a large, oval
fruit, of the fize, fhape, and colour of the
Mogul Plum, inclofing a fweetifh but dif-
agreeable pulp, in which the oblong feeds
are lodged.

Incarnate or trilobate P affion flower »isa
native of North America, and though the
firft fpecies known among us, is not fo com-
mon as the Blue. It differs from the for-
mer in having only three lobes to the leaves,
which are ferrate or toothed like a faw ;
the fide lobes are fometimes divided into
two narrow fegments: the petals of the co-
rolla are white, with a double, purple fringe,
ftar, or glory: the fruit is as lar ge as a mid-
dling apple, and when ripe is of a pale
orange colour.

There is a fort, called Granadilla © in the
Weft Indies, where the fruit is eaten. It
has undivided, oblong leaves, hollowed next
the petiole, which has two glands; the in-
volucres are quite entire, as are alfo the

b Pafliflora incarnata Lin. Mor. hift. f. 1. t. 1. f. 9.
* Pafliflora maliformis Lin. Plum. amer. t. 82.

leaves

425

Arum

LETTER XXVHI,

Jeaves about the edge. The corolla is large
with white petals, and a blue glory.) The
fruit is roundifh, the fize of a large apple,
and yellow when ripe.

Another fort, called Water Lemon À in
the Weft Indies, has an agreeable acid fla-
vour in the pulp of the fruit, which
quenches thirft, and is given there in fevers.
It has undivided ovate leaves, quite entire
about the edge ; two-glanded petioles; and
toothed involucres: the corolla is white
with brownifh red fpots, and the glory or
crown is violet: the fruit is of the fize and
fhape of a pullet’s egg, and when ripe is
yellow. But fince the rarer fpecies may not

readily fall under your cognizance, I re-

ftrain my defire of enlarging on fo remark-
able and beautiful a genus; and pafs on to
a vulgar plant, which you will find in the
jaft order Polyandria, and with that 1 will
clofe our examination of this clafs, and my
prate for the prefent.

THE ORDER POLYANDRIA,

This is the common Arum, Wake-Robin,

4 Paffiflora laurifolia Lin. Jacq. hort. 2. t. 162.amer.
pict. t. 219.—P. alata is figured in Curtis’s Magaz. 66.
and P. lunata is moft elegantly figured by Mr. Sower-
by, in à fuperb and fplendid work, begun by J. E.
Smith, M. D. under the title of [cones pitta Plantarum
Farjorum,

or

GYNANDRIA.

or Cuckow-pint *, called alfo vulgarly Lords
and Ladies. Early in the {pring it pufhes
up a one leafed cowl-fhaped fpathe, under
hedges and among bufhes ; if you open this
fpathe, you difcover a fpadix, naked on the
upper part, covered with germs at the bot-
tom, and with anthers in the middie. This
is diftinguifhed from the other fpecies,
which are many, by having no ftem but
that which bears the fruCtification, haftate
leaves that are quite entire, and the fpadix
club-fhaped. Though it has the trivial
name from the black fpots upon the leaves,
yet that is not a conftant charaëter, for of-
tentimes they are quite plain. As the plant
advances, the fpathe opens, and difcovers
the club, varying from yellowifh green to
fine purple or red; this gradually decays,
and leaves a head of round red berries,
which, as well as the reft of the plant, are
very hot and biting. To this, with fome
others nearly allied to it, you would per-
haps find it difficult to affign the proper
clafs, unlefs, from the flrange and unufual
appearance of the fructification, you were
led to fearch for it in that now under con-
fideration. Thefe have not properly the
ftamens growing upon the ftyle, but both
are borne upon a receptacle lengthened out
in manner of a ftyle, and performing the

€ Arum maculatum Lin. Curtis, Lond. II.63. Mill.
illuftr. Mill ic. t. 52. f. r, Blackw. 228. F1. dan.
595. Ger, 834. 1.

: fame

428

LETTER XXVII.

fame office as the piftil in the other genera.
Linnæus obferves that he might, and per-
haps ought to have ranged fuch plants un-
der other claffes ; but he was deterred by
the difficulty of affigning the number of
ftamens to each piftil. Since he found a dif-
ficulty in removing them, though others
have not, you and I, dear coufin, will leave
them quietly in the place which he has af-
figned them.

iret.

BT ER" XX VII.

THE CLASS MONOECI À.

May the 1sth, 1777.

E have hitherto, dear coufin, been
converfant with fuch plants as bear
perfe& or complete flowers only, except in
the clafs Syngenefia, wherein we found im-
perfe&, and even nenter, flofcules among
the perfect ones. But in the twenty-firit
and twenty-fecond clafles, which we are
now to examine, you will never find any
complete or perfect flowers; on the con-
trary, if they have ftamens, there are no
piftils, and if they have piftils, they are de-
ficient in ftamens. This is the common
character of thefe two claffes, and the only
difference between them is, that in the
clafs Monecia, the ftaminiferous and piftil-
liferous flowers are found on the fame indi-
vidual plant ; whereas in the clafs Diecia
they are always on diftiné&t plants of the
fame fpecies. It is fcarcely neceffary to add,
that in both, the flowers which produce
ftamens fall off without being followed by
fruit or feed; and that the others, which
have the germ, are fruitful.
The clafs Monecia, which is the twenty-
firft in the fyftem, has eleven orders, tak-

115

429

439

L) oe
l'ypha.

LET TES Savi

ing their titles and characters from the fore-
going clafles ; eighty genera, and three hun-
dred and feventy fpecies.

‘The third order, Triandria, contains fe-
veral genera nearly allied to the Grafles in
habit, leaves, and placentation, or having
only a fingle lobe to the feed: they differ
however in the culm or ftraw not being
hollow, but filled with a fpungy fubftance ;
and in having no corolla.

Since Haller thinks there is a natural
connexion between the drum, with which
I finifhed my laft letter, and the Zypha or
Ca?’s-tail, let us begin our examination with
this. Having three ftamens, it belongs of
courfe to the order Triandria, and having
the air of the Grafles, it ranges in the na-
tural tribe of the Calamariæ, juit mentioned.
The flowers on both fides are borne on a
cylindric Ament; the flamineous flowers
furrounding the end of the ftem; and thofe
which have the piftils growing in the fame
manner below them, and very clofe fet:
there is no corolla to either: the firft have
an obfcure, three-leaved calyx; in the fe-
cond it confifts of pappous or villous hairs,
and thefe have one feed, fitting on a capil-
lary down or briftle: fuch are the generic
charaéters. The greater, or broad-leaved
Cat’s-tail, otherwife called Reed-mace‘, is

f Typha latifolia Lin. Curtis, Lond. III. 6r. Mor.
hit. f. 8. t. 13. f. 1. Ger. 46. Park, 1204. 1.

known

MONOECIA:

known by its fword-fhaped leaves, and by
having the two aments approximating. Îtis
a large plant, being about fix feet in height,
with leaves three feet long and more, but not
an inch wide; it is common in the water, on
the banks of rivers, but efpecially in moats,
ponds, and marfhes. ‘There is a {maller
{pecies ,, not fo common, which has femi-
cylindric leaves, and the two aments re-
mote from each other; the ftem of this is
not above three feet high, and the leaves
are much narrower, ftiffer, and embrace
the ftem more. |

Sparganium, or Bur-reed, approaches very Sparga-
near to 7 ypba : but the flowers of each fort ™™™

are collected into a head, or roundifh ament,
thofe which have ftamens above, and thofe
which have piftils below, on the fame ftem,
neither have any corolla ; both have a three-
leaved calyx ; the piftilliferous flowers have
a bifid ftigma, and are followed by a fingle
juicelefs drupe, containing one feed. Erect
or greater Bur-reed® is common in the fame
fituations with Typha, and few plants ex-
hibit more plainly the character of the clafs
Monæcia. The ftem is erect, and about
three feet high; the leaves are erect and

8 Typha anguftifolia Zin. Curtis, Lond. Il. 62.
Mor. hift. f. 8. t. 13. f. 2. Park. 1204. 2.

h Sparganium ereétum Lin.—ramofum Hudf. Mor.
te Ger. 45. f- 1 Curtis, Lond. V. 66.—
in V. 67. he figures Sp. fimplex, as diftinét from the
ramofum. Ger. 45.2. Mor. f. 2.

three-
4

432

LETTER XXVIII.

three-fided, but the upper one flat: the
{talk is generally branching.

Mays, otherwife called Jndian or Turkey
Corn’, is of the fame tribe. The ftami-
neous flowers are borne in loofe {pikes :
their calyx is a two-flowered awnlefs glume ;
neither has the corolla any awn. The
other flowers which have one piftil only,
are in very clofe fpikes, below the former,
and are inclofed with leaves. The glume
both of calyx and corolla is bivalved: the
ftyle is filiform, very long and pendulous:
one feed follows each flower: the recepta-
cle is oblong and hollowed, fo that the
feeds are immerfed half way into it, form-
ing a very denfe fpike. The Weft Indian
Mays has a ftalk ten or twelve feet high ;
long, broad leaves; and fpikes from nine
inches to a foot in length, formed of gold-

coloured grains. That which is cultivated

in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, has more
flender ftalks,,not more than fix or feven
feet high; the leaves narrower; the {pikes
fhorter and more flender, with white grains.
The North American Mays, which is the
fame with what is cultivated in Germany,
does not rife more than four feet in height ;
the leaves are {till fhorter and narrower ;
the {pikes not more than four or five inches
long, with yellow and white grains mixed :
the colour of thefe however varies; and

i Zea Mays Lin, Blackw. 547.
© indeed

MON OECIA. 433

indeed the three diftinctions are but varie-
ties arifing from {oil and climate.

Carex, or Sedge, isamoft numerous ge- Carex.
nus of the fame order, and the fame natural
tribe. The flowers of both forts are borne
on an ament or catkin, and each flower has
a one-leafed calyx, and no corolla: the
piftilliferous flowers, which are generally
in diftinét anients below the others, have
an inflated, three-toothed nectary, three
ftigmas, and a three-fided feed inclofed
within the neétary. Some few fpecies have
only one fpike; many have feveral fpikes,
with both forts of flowers in each; but
more have the ftaminiferous and piftillifer-
ous flowers in diftin& fpikes. Thefe plants
grow chiefly in marfhes, bogs, ditches, wet
woods, and the banks of brooks and rivers;
they are the grafs and fodder of fenny
countries, and low fwampy grounds *.

In this clafs, Monæcia, as well asin. 2
next, you will find many trees. In the
order etrandria—Birch, Alder, Box, Mul-
berry ; in that of Polyandria—Oak, Cork,
Evergreen Oak, Walnut, Hickery, Chef-
nut, Beech, Hornbeam, Hazel, Plane ;—

k Carex pendula Curtis III. 63, riparia lV. 60, acuta
61, gracilis 62.—dioica Fl. dan. 369, capitata 372,
arenaria 425, muricata 284, remota 370, canefcens
285, limofa 646, capillaris 168, panicea 443, veficaria
647, hirta 379.—pauciflora Lightf. 6. 2, incurva 24. 1.
—Many of the fpecies are figured in Leers’s excellent
Flora Herbornenfis; and in the fecond volume of the
Linnæan Tranfaétions, where there is an elaborate trea

tife on the Britifh fpecies by the learned Dr. Good-
enough,
Ff and

Betula,

LETTER XXVIII.

and laftly in that of Monadelphia—all the
fpecies of Fir and Pine, Cedar, Larch,
Arbor Vite, Cyprefs,

Alder is of thé fame genus with Birch :
their common character is, that the flowers
of both forts grow in aments or catkins,
each feparate from the other; that the
calyx is one-leafed and trifid; that each
calyx in the ftaminiferous ament includes
three flowers, that have four-parted corol-
las: in the piftilliferous aments there are
only two flowers in each calyx, without
any corolla; but thefe are followed by feeds
winged with a membrane on both fides,
whereas the others drop from the tree,
without leaving any mark behind them.
In examining thefe, and the flowers in ge-
neral of this and the following clafs, [ mutt
once for all inform you, that fince many of
them are clofe fet together in the fame
ament, you muft carefully feparate one
flower, from. the reft, to avoid confufion.
You mutt alfo look for them very early in
the fpring, fince moft of the foreft and
timber trees flower before the leaf-buds ex-
pand.

Common Birch has ovate leaves, drawn
to a very narrow point at the end, and fer-
rated, or fharply toothed round the edge.
Linnæus diftinguifhes the d/der m by its

1 Betula alba Lin. Blackw.t.240. Duham. t. 39.
Ger. 1478. Evelyn’s Silva by Hunter, p. 218.
m Betula Alnus Lin. Duham. t. 15. Ger. 1477. 2.
Evelyn’s Silva by Hunter, p. 233.
branching

MON OECIA.

branching peduncles: the feeds alfo are
borne on a roundith frodile, rather than an
ament; and, the leaves are roundifh, cre-
nate or obtufely notched round the edge ;
they are of a dark green, with very pro-
minent nerves underneath, and little fpungy
fubftances where they divide: the bark of
the Alder is black, whereas that of Birch is
white.

In Box both forts of flowers come forth Buxus,

together in bunches, from the axils of the
leaves or branches, and fit clofe to the ftem:
the ftaminiterous fowers have a three-leaved
calyx, with two petals to the corolla, and
the rudiment of a germ; the piftilliferous
flowers have a four-leaved calyx, three pe-
tals to the corolla, three ftyles, and a three-
celled capfule, terminated by three beaks,
and having two feeds in each cell. Pro-
perly fpeaking, there is only one fpecies of

Box *, varying a little in the fhape of the

leaves, and much in the fize.

Mulberry bears the ftaminiferous flowers Mors,

in an ament; the others in a feparate round-
ifh head, which afterwards becomes a com-
pound berry, with one feed in each protu-
berance; the firft have a four-parted calyx,
in the piftilliferous ones it is four-leaved,
and thefe have two fiyles; neither have
any corolla White Mulberry °, which is

- ® Buxus fempervirens Lin. Blackw. 196. Ger,
Y410. © Morus alba Lin.

FT 2 the

436

Juercus,

the fort commonly cultivated in France
ahd Italy for feeding filk- worms, has fmooth
leaves, obliquely Heart-fhaped, and white
fruit. Black Mulberry ? has rugged, heart-
fhaped leaves: though cultivated for the
fruit, yet the leaves are preferred to thofe
of the other for feeding filk-worms, and
are ufed for that purpofe in Perfia, from
whence this tree originally came into the
fouth of Europe. White Mulberry is a
native of China. Of another fpecies 4, pa-
per is made in Japan, from the bark; this
has palmate leaves, and hifpid fruit. Æ/-
tick swood r is alfo from a fpecies of Mul-
berry: this has axillary thorns, and the
leaves are oblong and: more extended on one
fide than the other. This grows in the
iflands of the Weft Indies, but in greateft
plenty at Gampeachy : the wood is imported
into Europe from both places for the ufe of
the dyers, ‘but the tree 1s too tender to fup-
port our climate.

In the order Polyandria the Oak leads
the way. The ftaminiferous flowers hang
on a loofe ament or catkin, whilft the
piftilliferous ones are feffile in a bud: the
calyx of the former is moftly quinquefid,
and the ftamens are from five to ten in
number: in the latter the calyx is one-

P Morus nigra Zia.

4 Morus papyrifera Lin. Seba muf. 1. t: 28. f. 3.
Kempf. amoen. t. 472.

+ Morus tinétoria Linx, Sloan. Jam. 2. t. 158. f. 1.

leafed

MON OECTA.

leafed and quite entire, and there is one
ftyle fplit into five parts; but fometimes
only into two, three orfour. ‘The fruit, or
acorn, is well known: it is an oval nut,
covered with a tough fhell, and immerfed
at bottom into the calyx or cup.

We have two principal forts, or perhaps
rather varieties *, in England: one with the
leaves on longer petioles, and the acorns
feffile, or on very fhort peduncles ; the
other, having the leaves not fo deeply, but
more regularly finuate, the finufes being
oppofite ; they have fcarcely any petioles :
on the contrary the acorns grow on very
long peduncles, are larger, and come out
fewer together. ‘There are fome other va-
riations in this noble tree, which being lefs
confiderable, do not attract our notice as
Botanifts. Several fpecies different from
ours are found in North America ; and fome
in the fouthern countries of Europe.

Ilex or Evergreen Oak * has oblong-ovate
leaves, of a lucid green above, but hoary
underneath, ftanding on long petioles, and
continuing all the year; they vary much,
fome being quite entire, long and narrow ;
others broad, with the edges toothed and

s Linnæus makes them one, under the title of Qvercus
Robur, and defcribes the fpecies as having deciduous
leaves, of an oblong form, but broader towards the
upper part; the finufes acute, and the angles obtufe,
Duham. t. 46—48. Evelyn’s Silva by Hunter, p. 67.
Geris39n. Fl. rult..t..10,, 13,12,

© Quercus Hex Lin,

Ff3 fet

437

438

fuglans,

LETTER XXVIII.

fet with prickles, almoft like thofe of the
Holly : the acorns are of the fame fhape
with thofe of the Oak, but fmailer. The
grain-bearing Ilex *, which yields the hermes
or fcarlet grain, has ovate leaves toothed
on the edge, and the indentures armed with
prickles as in the Holly; they are fmooth
on both fides: this is of fo {mall a growth,

that it may be looked upon rather as a fhrub

than a tree.’ The Cork-tree * is a fort of
flex, with a. fungous bark full of clefts or
chinks, which is the principal as well as
moft obvious ‘difference: in the air, and
form of the leaves, it much refembles the
Evergreen Oak : the leaves however fall off
in May, before the young ones come. out,
fo that the Cork-trees are bare for a fhort
time; which is not the cafe with the Com-
mon Ilex. Mott of the trees in this genus
are much reforted to by infe@s, many of
which form different forts of galls: but here
we are ftepping out of our province :—we
will return to it again, by taking the Waluut
under confideration.

This genus has the ftaminiferous flowers
thick fet in oblong, cylindric catkins, under
the lower leaves of the branches; they con-
fift of fcales with one flower to each; the
corolla is fix-parted and the flamens are
ufually eighteen, but vary in number from
twelve to twenty-four. The piftilliferous

& Quercus coccifera Lin.
Y Quercus Suber Lin. Blackw, 193.
flowers

4

MONOECIA,

flowers come out clofe’to the branches,
above the others, at the bafe of a petiole,
generally in pairs: thefe have a quadrifid
calyx crowning the germ; a four-parted
corolla ; and two ftyles : the fruit is a drupe
containing a nut, with a furrowed fhell,
within ch is a four-lobed irregularly-
furrowed nucleus. Common Walnut” is
diftinguifhed by having the component
leaves oval, fmooth, fometimes a little tooth-
ed, and almoft equal: there are many va-
rieties in the fruit, and feveral diftin@ fpe-
cies in North America, one of which is the
Eiickery*. All the fpecies have pinnate
leaves, with a different number of leaflets ;
ours has from five to nine, and the odd leaf-
let is rather the largeft. Aickery has feven
Jance-fhaped leaflets, toothed on the edge,
and the odd one feffile.

439

Linnzus joins the Chef/nut and Beech in Fagus.

one genus, with this character: that the
ftaminiferous flowers, which are in eat-
kins, have a quinquefid, bell-fhaped calyx,
and about twelve ftamens: that the piftil-
liferous flowers, which are produced from
buds on the fame tree, have a four-toothed
calyx, three ftyles, and a muricate, four-
valved capfule, which before was the calyx,
and contains two nuts. He obferves that
the ftaminiferous flowers in the Chefnut are

w Juglans regia Liv, Mill. illuftr. Hunt. Evel.
Silva, p. 164.
* Juglans alba Lin. Catefb.car. 1, 38.

Ff 4. difpofed

440

LETTER XXVIII.

difpofed on a cylindric ament, whereas
thofe of the Beech are in a ball. The cat-
kins indeed of the former are very long,
and the knots of flowers have near ten in
each, and are diftant from each other: the
ftamens are from five to eighteen, and have
fhort filaments: the piftilliferous flowers are
at the bafe of thefe, and are fucceeded by
two or three fruits clofe together; their
calyx has more frequently fix fegments than
four: the fruit varies in the number of
kernels. and piftils, but the moft common
number is fix ; and the kernels are convex
on one fide and flat on the other. The
catkins of the Beech are roundifh and loofe,
with few flowers; the ftamens are eight in
number, on long filaments; and there are
only two piftilliferous flowers together, and
each of thefe is fucceeded by a roundifh
nut, containing three or four hard three-
fided kernels, which are commonly called
Beech maft. The fpecific difference which
Linnzus afligns to the Che/nut¥ and the
Beech *, is taken from the leaves ; which
in the firft are lance-fhaped, fawed with the
teeth ending in points, and naked or fmooth
on the under furface ; in the fecond ovate
and obfcurely toothed, or rather waving on
the edge.

Y Fagus Caftanea Lin, Mill. fig. pl. 84: Evel.
Silva by Hunter, p. 163. Ger.1442.'
2 Fagus lylvataca Lan. Evel. Silva by Hunter, p. 131.

ph ret Fo"

MONOECIA.

441

In the Hornbeam both forts of flowers Carpinus.

are difpofed in catkins: both have a calyx
confifting of one ciliate or fringed fcale, and
no corolla: the one has from eight to four-
teen or fixteen flamens; the other has two
germs, with two ftyles to each, and at the
bafe of each, fcale of the ament or //rod:le
lies afeed, which is an ovate nut. Inthe
Common Hornbeam * the {cales of the frrobiles
are flat; and in the Hof-Hornbeam » they
are inflated: fuch is the fpecific difference
of thefe, which are the only known {pe-
cies. The leaves are wrinkled, marked
with ftrong nerves, of an ovate form, and
fharply toothed about the edge.

Hazel has the ftaminiferous flowers on a Corylus.

long cylindric catkin, with one flower to
each fcale, which is trifid; it has from fix
to ten flamens; generally eight: the piftil-
liferous flowers are remote from the others,
fefile and inclofed in a bud; the calyx 1s
two-leaved and torn: each flower has two
very long, red ftyles; but you muft ob-
ferve that there are feveral flowers in the
fame bud, which you muft therefore fepa-
rate for examination: the fruit, as you
know, is an ovate nut. As ufual, neither
of the flowers has any corolla The Com-
mon Hazel nut and Filbert° are fuppofed

2 Carpinus Betulus Zin. Evel. by Hunter, p. 158.
Duh. t: 49. Ger. 1479.

b Carpinus Oftrya Lin. Mich. gen. t. 104. f. I, 2.

ce Corylus Avellaria Lin. Blackw. 293. Evel. Silva
by Hupter, p.213: Duham.t. 77. Ger. 1438.

not

Platanus,

LETTER ‘XXVIII.

not to be fpecifically different, and the {pe-
cies is charaCterized by the füpules, which
are ovate and end obtufely ; whereas thofe
of the Byzantine or Spanifh mut “, which
Linnæus gives as a diftinét fpecies, are li-
near, and end acutely. Thefe do not ar-
rive at the dignity of trees, but are only
fhrubs.

The laft tree I fhall point out to you of
this order is the Plane; which has the
flowers of both forts in globular aments :
the ftaminiferous flowers have a few very
{mall fcales for the.calyxes, a corolla fcarcely
apparent, and anthers furrounding the fila-
ment: the piftilliferous flowers have many
very fmall fcales to the calyx; many petals
to the corolla; fubulate ftyles with recurved
ftigmas ; sil roundifh feeds, terminated
by a pointed flyle, and having a fimple
down adhering to their bafe. The two
fpecies of this tree, for there are no more,
are well diftinguithed by their leaves, which
in the Eafern or Afiatic Plane are pabpates
and in the Occidental or Virginian À, lobate.
The firft was introduced early to Rome,
and was the favourite tree ‘of the Romans
at their villas. All thefe trees are included
in a natural tribe called Amentacee by Lin-

nexus, and fulifere by Haller and others ;

@ Corylus Colurna Lin. Seba muf. 1. t. 27. f. 2.

€ Platanus orientalis Lin. Ger. 1489. Park. 1427.

f Platanus occidentalis Lin. Catefby car, 1. t. 56.
Duham. arb. t.25. Park. theat, 1421,

” their

MONOECIA, 443

their character is fufficiently obvious from
their name, and what has ‘been already faid
in delivering the characters of the genera.
There remains flilla fet of kindred trees, Pinus
of the order Monadelphia, and of a natural
tribe, entitled Conifer or Cone-bearing. Of
thefe the Pine genus is chief: its generic
characters are, that the ftaminiferous flow-
ers are difpofed in racemes, having each of
them a four-leaved calyx ; no corolla, but
abundance of flamens terminated by naked
anthers ; the piitilliferous flowers are on a
cone; each fcale or calyx has two flowers,
without any corolla ; one piltil; and a nut
furnifked with a membranous wing. :
The whole genus may be divided into
the Pies, having two or more leaves from
the fame fheathing bafe, and the Firs, hav-
ing the leaves quite diftinét at the bafe. Of
the firft divifion, the moft known among
us is the Scotch Pine *, or, as it is vulgarly
called, Scotch Fir: this has two leaves in a
fheath; and the primordial ones folitary
and fmooth. It is by no means peculiar to
Scotland, but is found all through Den-
mark, Norway, and Sweden, in Switzer-
land, atid moft other parts of Europe, and
even in the Weft Indies. The Puineaffer
or wild Pine of Italy, the fouth of France
and Switzerland, refembles this, but the
branches are wider diflant, and more hori-

8 Pinus fylveftris Zin. Mill, illuftr. Evel. Silva by
Flanter, p. 274. Gere 1356. 14
zontal ;

444

LETTER XXVIII.

zontal; the leaves are larger, thicker, and
longer, grow ftraight, are of a darker green,
and end obtufely; the cones are feven or
eight inches long: the leaves of the Scotch
Pine are broader, grayifh and twifted ; the
cones fmall, and of a light colour: the
timber alfo is far preferable, yielding the
beft red or yellow deal. Linnæus, how-
ever, does not feem to have diftinguifhed
them. The Svone Pine* has alfo double
leaves, and the primordial ones folitary, but
fringed; they are of a glaucous hue: the
cones are thick, roundifh, and end ob-
tufely ; the fcales are flat and the nuts fo.
large, that in the fouth of France and Italy
they think it worth while to break them,
and ferve the kernels up in defferts. Franh-
incenfe Pine * has three leaves coming out of
the fame fheath, and cones as large as thofe
of the Stone Pine, but more pointed, and
with loofer feales, that open horizontally, '
and drop the feeds. The Cembra Pine * has
five leaves in a fheath ; they are fmooth, of
a light green, long, and narrow; the cones
are about three inches long, with clofe
fcales, and large feeds eafily broken. Wey-
mouth Pine! has allo five leaves in every

h Pinus Pinea Lin. Blackw. 189. Duham. arb.
2.27.

i Pinus Tæda Lin.

* Pinus Cembra Liz. Gmel. Sib. 1. t. 39. Du-
ham. 2. t. 32.

1 Pinus Strobus Liz. Hunt. Evel. Silva, p. 276.

fheath,

=

MONOECIA.

fheath, long and flender, but rugged on the

edge; this tree grows remarkably ftraight

and tall, and the bark is very fmooth. In
North America it is called Vite Pine, and
is excellent for mafts. The leaves of all
thefe are linear and permanent; Linnæus
calls this fort of leaf acerofe.

Linnæus includes the Cedar of Lebanon ™
and Larch ® in this genus; others feparate
them, becaufe the leaves are fafciculate, or
come out in clufters, fpreading at top like
a painter's brufh: this circumftance Lin-
næus gives for the fpecific difinétion, add-
ing, that in the former they are acute, and
in the latter obtufe at the end: this is the
only difference he mentions: the leaves of
the Larch however are deciduous, thofe of

the Cedar permanent or evergreen: the

character alfo of thefe two trees is totally
different—the latter fpreading its vaft arms
horizontally till the ends hang down with
their own weight, and having a fafligiate or
flat top—the former having the branches
decreafing from the Bette upwards, and
being therefore nearly pyramidal.

Of the Firs properly fo called, the Pitch-
tree or Norway Fir°, andthe Spruce P, are

m Pinus Cedrus Lin. Trew. Ehr. t. 1. Edw. av.
t. 188.
n Pinus Larix Zin, Hort. angl. 11. Hunt. Evel.
Silva, p. 280.
° Pinus Picea Lin. Ger. 1363 Hunt. Evel. Silva,
p. 278.
P Pinus Abies Lin. Ger. 1354. Hunt. Ev. Silva,
p. 278.
2 the

445

446

Cupref-

Fus.

LET TER XXVIII.

the moft common. The firft has the leaves
emarginate, or notched at the end: this is’
the tree from. whence pitch is commonly
extracted, and the wood of it is what we
call white deal. ‘The fpruce has awl-fhaped,
pointed, finooth leaves, turned two differ-
ent ways; the timber of this refembles the
other, and, when cut into boards, is called
by the fame name. Silver Fir is fo named
from the whitenefs of the leaves under-
neath ; they are emarginate, and in fhape
much refemble thofe of the Yew: a great
deal of turpentine is made fromthis. Balm
of Gilead Fir % has the leaves fubemargi-
nate, or but little notched at the end; they
are dotted in a double line underneath.
There are many varieties, efpecially of the
Spruce: but it would lead us too far to
notice them. |

I fhall finith this knot of trees with the
upright, the funereal Cypres, which has its
ftaminiferous flowers collected into an ovate
ament, with one-flowered fcales, and four
fefGle anthers without filaments to each
flower: the pitilliferous flowers are in a
roundifh cone, eight or ten in number, one,
to each fcale ; thefe have many truncated
points, hollow at the top, which are per-
haps the ftyles; under the fcales of the cone
lies an angled nut. Common Upright Cy-
pre/s * has imbricate leaves, with the leafing

q Pinus Balfamea Lin. Pluk. alm. 2. t. 121. f. 1.
r Cupreflus fempervirens Lin. Blackw. 127.

branches

MONOECI A,

branches quadrangular : this takes naturally
a clofe pyramidal form, and when large has
the fineft effect imaginable near buildings,
Spreading Cyprefs is only a variety of this,
but grows to a very large fize, and furnifhes
the wood fo famous for its durability, and
refiftance to infe&ts. Deciduous Cyprefs
has the leaves in two ranks, and fpreading :
it is a native of America, and grows to a
vaft fize. But it is time to defcend from
trees to herbs, and thus put an end to this
long letter.

447

The finging Nettles * are to be found in Utica,

the order Zetrandria of this clafs; but fuch
vulgar ill-humoured plants may forgive your
pafling them by, where you have fo many
interefting and even great perfonages to at-
tract your notice.

The immortal Amaranth however, hav- Amaran-

ing fuperior elegance and beauty to boaft,
will not thus be paffed unnoticed. It is of
the order Pentandria, and having no corolla,
is ranged by fome in the natural tribe of
apetalous flowers. The fame raceme or
bunch bears incomplete flowers of both
kinds, each of them having a three or five-
leaved calyx; the one bearing three or five
ftamens, the other three ftyles, and a one-

s Cupreffus difticha Zin. Cat. car. 1. t. 11.

t Urtica Lin.—pilulifera Mill. illuft. Engl. bot.
t. 148. Ger. 707. 1. Park. 440. i.—urens FI. dan.
739. Ger. 707. Park. 440. 2.—dioica Fl, dan. 746.
Ger. 706. 2. Park. 441. 3.

celled

thus.

448

LETTER XXVIII.

celled capfule opening horizontally, with
one feed only lodged in it. The fpecies
are numerous; one of the moft known is
the Amaranthus tricolor, cultivated for the
beauty of its leaves, which are variegated
with green, yellow, and red: this is one
of thofe that have three ftamens to the
flowers, which grow in roundifh heads,
are axillary, and furround the ftem ; the
leaves are broad lance-fhaped. Amaranthus
bicolor * has only two colours in the leaves,
an obfcure purple and bright crimfon : this
refembles the other, but has lance-fhaped
pointed leaves. Princes Feather * has five
ftamens to the flowers, which are produced
in decompounded, cylindric, long, pendu-
lous racemes, of a bright purple, and two
feet or more in length. Tree Amaranth re-
fembles this, but is feven or eight feet
high: the racemes are thicker, but not fo
long. Blocdy Amaranth “ has alfo five fta-
mens : the racemes are compound and ered, -
the fide ones very fpreading ; the leaves are
ovate-oblong: this has purple ftalks and
leaves ; the racemes are fhort, and at the
end of the ftem there is a large clufter of
them placed croffwife, with one upright in
the middle; the flowers are bright purple
at firft, but grow darker. Thus I have

« Amaranthus melancholicus Lim.
v Amaranthus caudatus Lin.
w Amaranthus fanguineus Lin, Mill. fig. 22.—
cruentus Mart. cent. t, 6.
felected

MONOECIA. 449

feleéted the moft fpecious of this fine genus
for your examination: your gardener will
furaifh you with them from the hot-beds
when he raies his annual flowers.

From the order Polyandria I fhall pre- Sagitta-
fent you with two wild herbs—drrow- "*
bead and Burnet. The firft has many fta-
miniferous flowers, and a few with piftils
immediately below them: both have a three-
leaved calyx, and a corolla of three petals:
the one has about twenty-four ftamens: the
other many germs in a head, ending in
very fhort ftyles, terminated by acute per-
manent ftigmas. Our common Arrow-head *
is eafily diftinguifhed by its leaves thaped
like the head of an arrow, and pointed: it
grows in the water, has A white pe-
tals with purple claws, and bears an evident
affinity to W ater-plantain.

Burnet has incomplete flowers of both Peterium.
forts in the fame fpike; thofe with ftamens
below the cthers: they have a four-leaved
calyx, and a four-parted corolla; the lower
enes have from thirty to forty ftamens;
the upper, two piftils, and a kind of berry
formed from the tube of the corolla hard-
ened. Common or fimaller Burnet’ is dif-
tinguifhed from the other fpecies by being
unarmed or having no thorns ; and the ftems

x mr fagittifolia Lin. Fl. dan. 172. Ger. 416.
2. Park. 1247. 2. Engl. bot. t. 84.
Y Po:erium fanguiforba Lin. Curtis, Lond. IT. 64.
Ger, 3945.1. Park:982. 1 FI ruft. t, 69.
G

g being

Ricinus.

LETTER XXVIII. .

being rather angular. This and the Great
Burnet”, though feparated fo widely in the
artificial fyftem, are evidently of the fame
natural genus: the calyx of the latter is
two-leaved, and the number of ftamens
only four, and one piftil ; both in the fame
flower: it is alfo a much larger plant, with
not fo many pairs of leaflets: this grows in
moift meadows : the other in dry, efpecially
chalky paftures.

Ricinus, or Palma Chrifti, ranges in the
order Moradelphia. The flowers have no
corolla: fome are furnifhed with many fta-
mens, and thefe have a five-parted calyx ;
others have three bifid ftyles, with a three-
celled capfule, containing one feed in each
cell; in thefe the calyx is three-parted.
Common Palma Chrifii* has peltate, palmate
leaves, toothed about the edge, of a glaucous
hue underneath, and glands on the petioles.
In the Weft Indies there are feveral others,
varying from this, and from each other;
which are not, however, generally fup-
pofed to be diftiné& fpecies. They call
them Agnus cafius, or Oil-tree, and extract
from them an oil for their lamps ; this is
the Caffor Oil, ufed in medicine. The
common fort grows in Sicily, and the other
warm parts of Europe. | |

The order Syngenefia of this clafs contains

2 Sanguiforba officinalis Lin. F1. dan. 97. Mor. hift.
£6". TE fGen Tomes
+ Ricinus communis Lin, Mill. fig. 219.

a fey

MONOECIA.

a fet of plants that belong evidently to the
fame natural tribe, entitled Cucurbitacee,
or Gourd plants. They all agree in a one-
leafed calyx, divided into five fegments; a
fuperior, monopetalous corolla, divided alfo
ufually into five ; three filaments ; one ftyle,
generally trifid: and a pomum for a fruit.

Momordica is diftinguithed principally by Momor.

the elaftic burfting of the fruit, which in dica.

the common fort is hifpid: the ftalks of
this have no tendrils. From the property
of throwing out the feeds with the juice,
this plant has acquired the name of Spirt-
ing Cucumber”,

Gourd has the feeds of the fruit with a Cucur-

tumid margin. Long Gourd ‘has the leaves
flightly angular, downy, two-glanded un-
derneath at the bafe; the flowers white, on
long peduncles, and reflex at the brim; the
fruit crooked, yellow when ripe, and the
rind hard and woody, fo that it will con-
tain liquids; whence it is called Bottle
Gourde eee vit

Pompion, corruptly called Pumpkin à, is
of this genus, and has lobate leaves with
{mooth fruit, which will grow to the fize
of a peck.

The Sgua/b*, which is another fpecies,

b Momordica Elaterium Zin. PI. 31. of this work.
¢ Cucurbita lagenaria Lin, Mor. hift. f.1.t. 5. £ 3.
* Cucurbita Pepo Lin.

¢ Cucurbita Melopepo Lin.

Gg2 has

+
Ca
La]

Cucumis.

LETTER XXVIII.

has alfo lobate leaves, erect ftems, and the
fruit flatted and knotty.

Waried Gourd‘ has likewife lobate leaves,
and knobby fruit, covered with warts.
Thefe differ much in their form and fize.

But the moft known and cultivated of
thefe fruits are the Melon and Cucumber,
which belong to another genus, called Cu-
cumis, having the feeds of the fruit fharp.
Melon § has the angles of the leaves rounded,
and the fruit covered with little fwellings :
it varies much, as you know, in the form
of the fruit. Cucumber” has the angles of
the leaves fharp, and the fruit oblong and
rugged‘. All thefe having large flowers,
with the parts very diftinG, are proper to
give you a juft idea of this clafs: with thefe
then I will finifh, and releafe you for the
prefent.

f Cucurbita verrucofa Lin.

s Cucumis Melo Lin. Blackw. 329.

h Cucumis fativus Lin. Blackw. 4.

i This ruggednefs is frequently loft by culture.

LET-

PET eye R XXIX.

HH EVEL ASS DIObet À,

June the 1ft, 1777.

HE twenty-fecond clafs differs no

otherwife from the preceding than
in the difpofition of the incomplete flowers,
namely on different individuals of the fame
fpecies ; this is its eflential character, and
this gave occafion to its name —Diwcia.
There being no difficulty then in under-
ftanding this, which indeed has been re-
peated feveral times before, let us go on
without farther preface to the examination
of fuch plants as are moft likely to fall in
our way *.

Such is the Willow, which is of the f{e-
cond order—Diandria. Both ftaminiferous
and piftilliferous flowers are produced in
aments or catkins, on different trees; fo
that you will have double trouble in exa-
mining the flowers of this clafs ; for, when
you have found one fort, you will have to
look about, and perhaps have fome diff.
culty in finding the other. In fo delightful
a ftudy, however, you will not grudge a

* The genera in this clafs are fifty-five, and the {pe-
cies two hundred and nineteen.

Ges little

453

Salix.

LETTER XXIX.

little pains, after having already taken fo
much. The flowers of Willow have no
corolla, and their calyx is nothing but the
fcales of the ament ; there is a little honeyed
gland in the centre of each ftaminiferous
lower: you will eafily know the other
aments, by the ovate germ in each little
flower, gradually leffening to a pair of ftyles
icarcely diftinguifhable from it, but by the
two erect, bifid ftigmas, with which they
are terminated; this germ becomes a one-
celled, two-valved capfule, containing many
{mall feeds, crowned with a rough fimple
down. ‘There are anomalies in this genus ;
for one fpecies has one, another has three,
a third has five ftamens, and a fourth has
complete flowers. From more than thirty
tpecies I fhall fele& the White Willow ,
which is a tree fo common in watery fitua-
tions: you will know it by the lance-
ihaped, acuminate leaves, toothed about the
edges, pubeicent, or villous: on both fur-
faces, and having the lower ferratures glan-
dulous: the leaves are very white under-
neath ; and the catkins are fhort and thick:
it will grow to be a large tree, when it is
not headed. Several {pecies are commonly
cultivated in Ofier-holts™, but being al-

1 Salix alba Lin. | Blackw. t.327. Ger. 1389. 1.

m Salix vitellina, amygdalina, purpurea, viminalis,
&c. Li —Of thefe, 5S. purpurea is figured in Curtis,
Lond. n. 61. under the name of S. Monandra. For
dS. Teisidrn, fee n. 62.

ways

Es

DICOECI A.

ways kept down, in order to have a con-
ftant fucceffion of long, flender twigs, you
will have little opportunity of examining
their fructification. But one fpecies being
cultivated for its beauty, which fortunately
depends upon the natural growth, you may
ftudy it at your leifure: this is the Weeping
Willow", known at firft fight by its long,
flender, pendulous branches ; the leaves are
{mooth, narrow, and linear, tending to
lance-fhaped. Common Sallow° has ovate
leaves, wrinkled on the furface, which is
villous above, and tomentofe or nappy un-
derneath, and flightly toothed or waved on
the edges. There are feveral varieties of
this vulgar fpecies.

Miffeltoe is of the order Tetrandria ; its Vifcum,

parafitic quality you are well acquainted
with, and that alone makes it generally
obvious to every body: it is however no
part of its character, The genus is deter-
mined by a four-parted calyx, and an an-
ther growing! to each part, without a fila-
ment, in the ftaminiferous flowers; a four-
leaved calyx fitting on the germ; no ftyle;
and a berry inclofing one heart-fhaped feed
in the others; neither have any corolla.
Common or White Miffeltoe? is diftinguithed
from the relt of the fpecies by lance-fhaped

8 Salix babylonica Lin.
° Salix caprea Lin. Fl. dan. 245. Ger. 1399. 3.
P Vifcum album Lin. Mill illuftr, Duham.t. 104.
Ger. 1350. 1. Park. 1393. I.
Gg4 leaves

450

Spinacia.

Cannabis,

Humulus.

LETTER XXIX.

leaves ending obtufely, a dichotornous ftalks
and axillary fpikes of flowers.

In the next order Pentandria, we have
Spinach, Hemp, and Hop. ‘The firft has a
five-parted calyx in the ftaminiferous flow-
ers, and a quadrifid or four-cleft one in the
others': thele have four-cleft ftyles, and one
feed within the indurated calyx. Linnzus
feparates the garden fort from the Szde-
rian*, by the feeds being feflile; which in
the latter are peduncled: ‘of the former are
feveral varieties: two! remarkable ones,
which perhaps may be diftiné, the one
having fagittate leaves, and prickly feeds ;
the other rather ovate leaves, with fmooth
feeds.

Hémp has à five-patted calyk à in the
flowers which bear ftamens, but in the pif-
tilliferous ones it is onedleafed: entire, and
gaping on the fide: thefe have two: ftyles,
and the feed is a bivalvular nut within the
clofed calyx. There is only one known
fpecies, and therefore until others are dif-
covered, there is no oceafion for any fpeci-
fic diftingtion.

Hop* has a fivedeawed calyx in the
ftaminiferous flowers; in the others it is
one-leafed, obliquely expanding, and en-

4 Spinacia oleracea Lin.
r Spinacia fera Lin. Gmel. fib. 3. t: 16.
* Cannabis fativa Lin. Mill. fig. pl. #7.° Pl. 32.
€ Humulus Lupulus Zin. Mill. illuftr. Go 885.
Park. 177.
tire ;

Le 4
+

DIOECIA.

tire; thefé have two ftyles, and one feed
within a leafy calyx: many of them are
collected together to form what we call the
Hop. In the three laft genera the flowers
have no corolla.

457

The order Hexandria has the Tamus or Tamus.

black Bryony, the flowers of which have a
fix-parted calyx and no corolla; the piftil-
liferous flowers have a trifid ftyle, and a
three-celled berry below the flower, con-
taining two feeds: our common fpecies *
has heart-fhaped undivided leaves.

The Poplars are in the order Odfandria. Populus.

The flowers of both forts are here borne on
fimilar aments, confifting of {cales torn on
the edge, and each having one flower, with-
out any petals, but a top-fhaped neétary
ending obliquely above in an ovate border ;
the piftilliferous flowers have a quadrifid
ftigma, and are fucceeded by a two-celled
capfule, containing many downy feeds.
White Poplar * has roundifh leaves indented
on the edges into angles, and downy under-
neath. Great White Poplar, ox Abele-tree,
is a variety of this, with larger leaves, more
divided, and of a darker green. Trembling
Poplar, or A/p™, has leaves like the former

*Tamus communis Lin. Mill. illuftr. Mor. hift.
fir.t. nif. 6. Ger. 871. Park. 178.6. Engl. bot.
t. OI.

4 Populus alba Liz. Evel. Silva by Hunter, p. 201.
Duham. t.36. Ger. 1486. 1. Park. 1410. 1.

w Populus tremula Zi. Blackw. 248. 2. Ger.

1487. 3 Park: 1415. 4.
in

Mercu-
rialis.

LETTER XXIX.

in fhape, but fmooth on both fides; thefe
being fet on long petioles that are flatted at
the tip, tremble with the flighteft breeze.
Black Poplar * has rhomboid leaves, pointed
and toothed ; they are {mooth on both fides,
of alight green ; and the catkins are dhorter
than thofe of the two former. Carolina
Poplar’ has very large heart-fhaped leaves,
abtufely notched about the edges; and the
fhoots angled. Zacamahaca*is a fpecies of
Poplar, with oblong ovate leaves, toothed
about the edges, white underneath, with a
{carcely vifible down, and the veins forming
a fine net-work : the ftipules are remarkably
refinous.

Of the order Exneandria there is an herb,
frequent under hedges and in woods, called
Dog’s Mercury*: the flowers have.a three-
parted calyx, and no corolla; in fome there
are nine or twelve ftamens, with globular,
twin anthers; in others, on a diftin plant,
two ftyles, and a two-grained, two-celled
capfule, containing one feed in each cell.
The fpecies here meant is diftinguifhed

* Populus nigra Zin. Mill. illuftr. Blackw. 548. &
248.1. Ger. 1486. 2.

Y Populus balfamifera Miller. angulata. Duham.
arb. 2. t. 39. f. 9.

% Populus balfamifera Lin. Cat.car. x 34. Duh.
arb. 2. t. 38. £.6. Mill. fig. t. 261.

a Mercurialis perennis Liz. Curtis, Lond. II. 65.
Ger. 333. 1. M. annua, Curt. Lond. V.68. Ger.
332- 1,2.

from

DIOECIA. 459

from the reft by its very fimple unbranched
{tem, and its rough leaves.

In the order Monadelphia you will find a Junipe-
genus of trees under the title of Funiper,"”
including not only the Juniper properly fo
called, which is rather a fhrub than a tree,
but alfo the Savin, and American or Sweet
Cedars, &c. The ftaminiferous flowers in
this genus are borne on an ament, the fcales
of which form the calyx of each flower
having no corolla, but only three ftamens :
the piftilliferous flowers have a fmall, per-
manent, three-parted calyx, growing to
the germ, which is below the flower; they
have a corolla of three petals, three ftyles,
and a three-feeded berry, with three tuber-
cles of the unequal calyx on the lower part,
and three little teeth at top from the re-
mains of the petals. Common ‘funiper, has
three fpreading, pointed leaves, coming
out together, that are longer than the berry.
Savin « has oppofite, erect, decurrent leaves,
with the oppofitions boxed into each other
along the branches; they are fhort and
acute: this fhrub fpreads out much hori-
zontally, rifing little in height. There are
feveral fpecies of Cedar natives of America.
Bermudas Cedar* is that which is imported
for cafing black lead in pencils, was for-

b Juniperus communis Lin. Mill. ifluftr. Duham.
ties, ew 1372.8. Park. 1020. 1.
€ Juniperus Sabina Liv. Blackw. 214.
d Juniperus bermudiana Lia. Herm: lugdb. t. 347.
merly

460

Taxus.

LETTER XXIX.

mérly ufed for wainfcoting rooms, and now
for fhips in the Weft Indies, the worms not
attacking this kind of wood. The fpecific
diftinétion is from the leaves; the lower
ones being three-fold, the upper two-fold ¢,
decurrent, fubulate, fpreading, and acute.
Our plantations of fhrubs have alfo the Red
Virginia‘, Carolina, and Barbadoes & Cedars ;
and there are others which are natives of the
fouthern parts of Europe?.

The baleful Yew? is of the fame order :
the flowers have no corolla, nor, properly
fpeaking, any calyx, unlefs we allow the
three or four-leaved bud to be fuch: on
fome trees they will be found to have many
ftamens, terminated by peltate, eight-clett
anthers; on others, to have an ovate,
pointed germ, ending in an obtufe ftigma
without any ftyle, the germ becoming a
kind of berry, or rather ducculent recepta-
cle, with one feed in it, having the top
naked: thefe flowers all come out from the
axils of the leaves, which are linear, end
ina fharp point, and are ranged ina double
row clofe together along the mid-rib; the

¢ Miller fays fourfold and imbricate.

f Juniperus virginiana Lin. Sloan. jam. 2. t. 167.
ie

8 Juniperus barbadenfis Lin. Pluk. alm. 197. 4.
Hort. angl. t. 1. f. 1.
x Juniperus thurifera, phœnicia, lycina, Oxycedrus

In.

Taxus baccata Lin. Evel. Silva by Hunter, p. 257.
Duham. t. 86. Ger.1370. Park. 1412,

berry

DIOECIA, 40:

berry is red, and mawkifhly fweet—not
‘poifoneus, though the leaves certainly
are fo.

I will now finifh our examination of this Rufus.
clafs, and clofe this letter, with the fingu-
lar genus of Ru/cws, the flowers of which
have a fix-leaved calyx, no corolla, but an
ovate inflated neétary, perforated at top, in
the centre of the flower: the ftaminiferous
flowers have no filaments, but only three
anthers, fitting on the top of the nectary,
and united at the bafe, whence this genus
is of the order Syngenefia: the piftilliferous
flowers have one ftyle, and a germ hid
within the netary, which becomes a globofe
three-celled berry, containing two globofe
feeds. The common fpecies, which we
call Butcher's Broom, or Knee Holly, bears
its flowers in the middle of the leaves, on
their upper furface : thefe are of the fhape
and fize of myrtle leaves, but füffer, and
end in prickly points ; the berries are red,
and almoft as large as cherries: in another
. {pecies' the flowers are produced on the
under furface of the leaves: in a third™
they are produced alfo underneath, but are
protected by a leaflet, whereas in the other
fpecies they are naked: a fourth" flowers

k Rufcus aculeatus Lin. Mill. illuftr. Blackw. TE
Duham. t. 59. Ger.oo7. Park. 253.
F 1 Rufcus Hypophyllum Lin. Col! ecphr. 1. t. 165.
‘

"om Rufcus Hypogloffum Lin. Col. t. 165. f. 2.

a

~ Rufcus androgynus Lin, Dill. elth. t. 250. f. 332.
from

462

LETTER XXIX.

from the margin of the leaves: and the
Alexandrian Laurel°, which is a fpecies of
Rufcus, from long racemes at the ends of
the branches: the flowers of this are com-
plete, and therefore the plant ought not to
be found in this clafs; but fince it is evi-
dently of this genus naturally, Linnzus has
left it with its own family, choofing rather
to violate the laws of his own arbitrary fy{-
tem than thofe of nature. The ftalks of
this are flender and pliable; the leaves are
rounded at the bafe, but end in acute points ;
they are {mooth, and of a very lucid green:
the flowers are of an herbaceous yellow co-
lour, and are fucceeded by berries like thofe
of our Butcher’s broom, but fmaller. With
this beautiful evergreen I leave you, dear
coufin, till the next letter.

° Rufcus racemofus Lin. Mor. hit. f.13.t. 5. f. 14.

LET-

LETTER XXX.

THE CLASS POLYGAMIA,

June the 14th, 1774,
_. PPNHERE are fome perfons, dear cou-

1 fin, who think the twenty-third
clafs— Polygamia, might have been fpared,
and the plants comprifed in itP ranged in
the other clafles, according to the number,
fituation, proportion, &c. of the ftamens.
But let us take things as we find them,
without enquiring too deeply into the me-
rits, of what, after all, is of no great im-
portance. ‘The effence of this clafs confifts
in. having complete flowers, accompanied
by one or both forts of incomplete ones,
either on the fame or different individuals.
The latter circumftance furnifhes the cha-
racter of the three orders.

The firft order of this clafs having the
complete and incomplete flowers always on
the fame plant, is hence entitled Monecia.
You may perhaps remember, that fome of
the Grafles were faid to be of this order?:
here allo are the Plantain-tree and Ba-

463

nana‘: Valantia or Crofwort, which you Valantia.

P Genera 34, fpecies 224.

4 See letter XIII.

r cn paradifiaca & fapientum Liz. Trew. Ehr.
te i —23.

may

464

Paricta-

Tia.

LETTER XXX.

may find in hedges and bufhy places, and
will evidently perceive to be of a natural
tribe* you have met with before: there is
ufually one complete flower in this genus,
accompanied on each fide with an incom-
plete ftaminiferous one; the former has the
corolla four-parted, four ftamens, a bifid
ftyle, and one feed; the latter have the co-
rolla trifid in fome fpecies, quadrifid in
others; three ftamens in fome, four in
others, and an obfcure piftil; none of the
flowers have any calyx: frequently thefe
plants produce incomplete flowers only, and
therefore no feed; owing, I prefume, totheir
running fo much at the root. Our wild
fpecies® is one of thofe which have the
incomplete flowers quadrifid, and it has two
leaves to each peduncle, which fupports
about eight flowers, with yellow corollas ;
there are four leaves to each whorl, and
they, with the whole plant, are coared
with foft hairs.

Pellitory of the Wall has two complete
flowers, with one piftilliferous flower be-
tween Her, within a fix-leaved involucre ;
they have a four-cleft calyx, no corolla, one
ftyle, and one feed: the complete flowers
are diftinguifhed by having four ftamens ;
the other has none. Our common fpe-

S Stellate : fee letter XV.
t Valantia Cruciata Lin. Blackw. t. 76. Mor. hift.
f. g. t. 21. f. 1. Ger. 1123. 1.—Galium Cruciata,
Engl. bot. t. 143.
¢ics

POLYGAMIA.

cies" has broad lance-fhaped leaves, dicho-
tomous or forked peduncles, and two-leaved
calyxes: the piftilliferous flowers are qua-
drangular and pyramidal.

405

Atriplex, or Orach, has fuch affinity with Atriplex,

Chenopodium or Goofefoot, that, as Linnæus
obferves, if Orache had only complete fow-
ers it would be a Goofefoot ; and if this
had piftilliferous flowers, it would be an
Orache. Moft of thefe are common weeds
on dunghills, or on the fea-coaft.

Acer, or Maple, is a tree in which you may Acer.

examine the character of the clafs and order
at your eafe. The flowers are produced
in bunches; the lower ones complete, and
thofe which are towards the end ftamini-
ferous: they have a quinquefid calyx, a
corolla of five petals; the complete flowers
have befides all this one piftil, and two or
three capfules, joined at the bafe, flat, each
terminating in a large, membranaceous wing,
and containing one feed. The Great Maple,
commonly called Sycamore‘, has five-lobed
leaves unequally ferrate, and the flowers in
large racemes. Common Maple“ has lobed
leaves, obtufe, and emarginate ; generally
they are divided half way into three lobes,

u Parietaria officinalis Zin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 63.
Fk dan. 521.4 Ger. 331. Park. 437.

Y Acer Pfeudoplatanus Lin. Evei. Silva by Hunter,
‘p. 193- Duham.t.9. Ger. 1484.1. Park. 1425. 1.

w Acer campeftre Lin. Ger. 1484. 2. : Hunt. Evel.
Silva, p. 183. and Pl. 33. of this work.

Et h the

4.56

Mimofa.

LETTER XXX.

the fide ones obtufely femi-bifid, the mid-
dle one femi-trilid ; the upper leaves rather
cut into five lobes : the bunches of flowers
are finaller. This tree grows much in
hedges.

The famous Mimofz or Senfitive belongs
to this firft order of the clafs Polygamia.
The flowers have a five-toothed calyx, a
five-cleft corolla, and five or more flamens :
the complete flowers have alfo one piftil, and
a legume for a feed-veflel. This genus is
very numerous, but all the fpecies are not
endued with the fenfitive quality. That
which is moft common in the iflands of
the Weft Indies, and in our ftoves *, has the
ftems armed with fhort securved {pines ;
pinnate leaves compofed of four or five pairs
of leaflets, whofe bafe joins ata point where
they are inferted into the petiole, fpreading
upwards like the fingers of the hand ; the
flowers come out from the axils on fhort pe-
duncles, in {mall globular heads, the corol-
las are yellow ; they are fucceeded by fhort,
flat, jointed pods, with two or three orbi-
cular, bordered, comprefled feeds in each.
Some fpecies move much more readily than
others; fome drop the leaflets only, and
others drop the petioles of the whole leaf
alfo. The true Egyptian Acacia’, and
many other Acacias, having the fame cha-
raclers, are included in this genus: they

x Mimofa pudica Lin. Comm- hott. 1. t. 29-
¥ Mimofa nilotica Lin.

are

POLYGAMIA. 407

ate too tender to flower much in our
climate.

Three-thorned Acacia ? is of anothér ge-Gleditfa
nus, and indeed of another order—Diecia :
for it has the ftaminiferous flowers in a
long, compat, cylindric ament, with fome
complete ones generally at the end of it;
and, on a diftin@ plant, piftilliferous flow-
ers on loofe aments. The complete flow-
ers have,a quadrihid calyx, a four-petalled
corolla, fix ftamens, one piftil, and a le-
gume: the ftaminiferous flowers have a
three-leaved calyx, a corolla of three pe-
tals, and fix ftamens: and the piftilliferous
flowers have a five-leaved calyx, a five-
petalled corolla, one piftil, and a legume.
The common fpecies is diftinguifhed from
the other: by its large thorns, which have
generally two fmaller ones, coming out
from the fide: they are axillary, and are
often produced in clufters at the knots of the
ftem ; the leaves are pinnate, and have ten
pairs of fmall leaflets. In America, its
native country, this tree is called Honey
Locuft.

The Afb-tree is alfo of this fecond order : Praxinus.
having on fome trees complete flowers, on
other piltilliferous ones, each frequently
accompanied by the others; they have ei-
ther a four-parted calyx or none, a corolla

2 Gleditfia triacanthos Zin. Duham. 1. t. 106.
Hort. angl. t. 2:.
4 Gleditfia inermis Linx. Mill, fig. pl: 5

Hie of

408

Ficus.

LETITEÆERTKAX,

of four petals or none, and one piftil: the
complete flowers have alfo two ftamens,
and one lance-fhaped feed. Common Afb”
has pinnate leaves, with five pairs of leaflets,
flightly ferrate on the edge; the flowers
have neither calyx nor corolla, and are pro-
duced in loofe bunches from the fides of the
branches. Flowering A/h° has the leaflets
ferrate ; the flowers are furnifhed both with
calyx and corolla; and are in large loofe
bunches at the ends of the branches. The
American ox Carolina Afh° has the leaflets
quite entire, and the petioles round.

Of the third order—Tviecia—we have
the Fig, which though it bears flowers
that are vifible, yet conceals them within
the fruit, and therefore may lead us well
enough to the clafs Cryptogamia. What
we call the fruit of the Fig Linnzus names
the receptacle, or common calyx of the
flowers ; he defcribes it as being top-fhaped,
flefhy, converging, clofed at the broad end
with feveral fcales, and having the infide
covered with little flowers, complete ana
incomplete: fometimes in the fame fruit,
and fometimes on different trees: the fta-

miniferous flowers have a three-parted ca-

lyx, and three ftamens; the piftilliferous
flowers have a five-parted calyx, one piftil,

> Fraxinus excelfior Lin. Lvelyn’s Silva by Hunter,

p- 145. Blackw. 328. Duham.t. 101. Ger. 1472.
€ Fraxinus Ornus Lin, Mill. illuftr. Hort. angl.t. g.
d Fraxinus americana Lin. Catefb, car. 1. 80.

and

POLYGAMIA.

and one roundifh, flatted feed: neither of
them have any corolla. Our common or eat-
able Fig © is diftinguifhed by its palmate
leaves: the different fruits are but varieties
ariling from the fame feed. The hiftory
and œconomy of this fingular tree, as re-
lated by naturalifts and travellers, will be
an agreeable relaxation to you amidft our
dry botanical difquifitions.

® Ficus Carica Zin. Mill illuftr.

I h 3 L'E Ys

469

47°

LETTER XXXLI

OF THE NECTARIUM OR NECTARY.

June the arft, 1777.

HS now gone through all the

claifes of confpicuous flowers, we
fhould regularly proceed to the laft clafs of
the {yftem, in which they are inconfpicuous ;
but having kept on a ftraight courfe for a
long time, we will now turn out of it, and
rake a view of the different appearances
which the nectary puts on, in the feveral
genera of plants wherein it is found.

Several of thefe have been curforily men-
tioned as characters of the genus; and we
have even hinted at the general ufe of the

ectary‘: but we fhall now go farther, and
fay, that though this part of the flower has
not hitherto been obferved in two hundred
genera s, yet that in all probability it exifts
in all, if not as a diftinét vilible part, as a
gland or pore however, or a fet of glands
or pores, exuding that vifcid fweet juice,
fo ufeful fecondarily for the nourifhment of
a great variety of infeéts, and at the fame
time doubtlets primarily neceilary to the
fru€tification of the plant itfelf. For you

f See letters IV. and XVII. & Befides the Graffes.
| will

NEC T A RY.

will obferve in monopetalous tubular co-
rollas, that though they have no vifible
neétary, yet there is a nectareous juice fe-
creted into their tube", which is therefore
probably provided with glands for this pur-
pofe, too minute to be feen with the naked
eye, but which an accurate infpection with
glafles might perhaps dete. Polypetalous
flowers with open calyxes, having no tube,
or bafin for the reception of the neétareous
juice, have in general a body deftined to
prepare and contain it, in order that it may
be diftributed to the furrounding parts of
frudification, as it is wanted. In the com-
pound and umbellate tribes of plants indeed
no nectaries have been remarked, but then
you remember, that the whole flower in
both of them is fo fmall that is no won-
der if a part fo minute as the nectary fre-
quently is in larger flowers fhould efcape
our obfervation in thefe: we may prefume
however, that they abound in nectareous
juice, fince we obferve that infects are par-
ticularly fond of thefe tribes. No genus of
the clafs Icofandria has any diflinc: nectary ;
but then the calyx is one-leafed, and forms
a commodious bafin for the reception of the
neCtareous juice, which is frequently very
difcernible in it. The verticillate tribe! alfo
is not mentioned by Linnzus as being fur-

h As particularly in the Honeyfuckle and Aloe,
* Didynamia Gymnofpermia Lin,

Hh 4 nifhed

471

472

LETTER XXXI

nifhed with vifible nectaries ; nor are they
perhaps immediately neceflary here, becaufe
the corolla is monopetalous, and the mono-
phyllous calyx forms a permanent tube :
many genera however of this order have a
gland in the bottom of the calyx, furround-
ing the bafe of the germ; this is large in
the Bugle, and fufficiently vifible in the
Dead Nettle.

No appearance of the neétary is more
common than this of glands. You have
already feen * that they are confiderable in
feveral genera of the cruciform tribe ; that
they have furnifhed us with generic charac-
ters: and that they are even the caufe of

the claflical charaëter itfelf It has been

juft mentioned that they are found in the
verticillate or labiate tribe : and many ge-
nera, difperfed in various parts of the fyf-
tem, have this glandular neétary. ‘Thus
Plukenetia (1080) ™ has four glands at the
bafe of the filaments, as in the clafs Zetra-
dynamia. Cercis (510) has a ftyle-form
gland under the germ. Lathrea (743)
and Orobanche (779) have a gland ‘at. the
bafe of the germ. Caffyta (505) has three
glands; Echites (299), and Tabernemontana.

301), have five; Hernandia (1049) has

k Letter XXIII.

1 See letter II, IV. and V. compared. with letter
XXIII.

m The figures refer to the number of the genus in
Linnzus’s genera and fyftema.

fl x

NECTARY.

fix or four, furrounding the germ; and
Grielum (1235) has a fet of oblong glands,
round the germ uniting into a little crown.
Malpighia (572) has two glands at the bot-
tom and on the outfide of each leaf of the
calyx: in Banifteria (573) the cafe is the
fame, except that one foliole of the calyx
has no glands, and therefore the whole
number is eight; whereas in the other it is
ten. Re/eda (608) has a gland arifing from
the receptacle between the ftamens and
the upper petal: and Crofon (1083) has five
of them, fixed tothe receptacle. A/roninm
(1111) has five glands in the difk of the
flower. Cucurbita (1091), or the gourd
genus, has a fingle, triangular, concave
gland in the centre of the Hower: and in
the Salix (1098), or Willow, the fituation is
. the fame, but the form of it is cylindric.
Another very ufual form of the netary
is :fcales, ‘which are in truth but flatted
glands. Monnieria (850), and Vicia (873),
or the Vetch genus, have one fcale only, at
the bafe of the germ. Cufcuta (170), or
Dodder, has four fcales, at the bafe of the
ftamens. But many have five fcales: as
Parnafia® (384): at the bafe of the fila-
ments in Schrebera (319), Quaffia (529),
and Melafioma (544); between the ftamens
in /refine (1113); at the bafe of the germ,
in Craffula (392), Cotyledon (578), and Se-

Mee Plate 34 f.’5.
dum

473

474

LETTER XXXI.

dum (2:79); furrounding the receptacle in
Samyda (543); or at the bafe of the petals,
in Erythoxylon (575), Ranunculus? (699),
Grewia (1026), and Kiggelaria (1128).
Amaryllis (406), and Leontice (423), have
fix fcales ; without the bafe of the filaments
in the firft, and inferted into the bafe of the
petals in the fecond.

Not unfrequently does the nectary appear
in the fhape of valves, which are generally
five in number; in Plumbago (213) placed
at the bottom of the corolla, and inclofing
the germ; furrounding the germ in dchy-
ranthes (288); and covering the receptacle
in Campanula (218) and Roella (219). Af
phodel (421) has fix of thefe valves, inferted
into the bafe of the corolla, and forming a
complete arch over the germs a filament
fpringing from each of them P.

In Erythronium (414) there are two cal-
Jous tubercles at the bafe of each inner pe-
tal; in the Laurus (503) genus, three
tubercles round the germ; and two round
glands, on a fhort ftalk, near the bafe of
each filament of the inner rank, In fome
fpecies of /ris there are three dots‘ at the
bafe and on the outfide of the corolla; in
Tamus (1119) an oblong dot grows to the
infide of each divifion of the calyx ; and in
another genus, Swertia (321), are ten of

9 Plate 34. tae. P Plate 34. f. 7.
4 See letter XIX. r Punéta.

thefe

NEC TARY.

thefe dots; two at the bafe of each divifion
of the corolla, furrounded with briftles. In
the Hyacinth: (427) there are three pores
at the top of the germ: and in both the
genera of Fritillaria (411), and Uvularia
(412), there is an excavation at the bafe
of each petal: in the Crows Imperial this
is confiderable, and generally exhibits a
large drop of neCtareous juice. Mercurialis
(1125)" has two fubulate acumens or fharp
points, one on each fide of the germ; and
Vallifneria (1097) has a cufpis on each
petal.

You remember the beautiful appearance

that the nectary made in fome {pecies of

{ris asa longitudinal villous line upon the
petals: in the Lz/y (410) it is a pipe or tu-
bulous line along the middle of each petal :
and in Frankenia (445) it is a channel run-
ning along the claw.

In fome genera the nectary takes the exact
form of petals, and was always confounded
with them until Linnzus pointed out the
difference: this is the cafe with feveral
plants of the firft clafs”, and with Lecythis
(664) in the thirteenth; in all thele it is
of one petal only: in Calanibres (401), or
Suowdrop, it confifts of three parallel, notch-

> Our wild Hyacinth (H. non fcriptus) has not thefe
pores, or at leaft they are not vifible to the naked eye.

gee Plate 4. £.-0. u Letter XXIX.
“Letter XIV. Sec Pl. 34. f. 5:
w Letter XI,

ed,

476

LETTER XXXI.

ed, obtufe, petal-like leaflets, forming a
cylinder about half the length of the corolla.
{licium (611) has feveral awl-fhaped folioles
of the fame leagth with the petals them-
felves. Cardtofpermum ( 498) has a four-
petalled neGary inclofing the germ; and in
Hartogia (273), Sauvagefia (286), and He-
diéteres (1025), it is made up of five petals.
Andrachne (1095) has five femi-bifid her-
baceous folioles, lefs than the petals, and
placed between them. All the Grafes,
Rice (448), and Mays (1042), agree in hav-
ing a nectary of two minute, oblong leaf-
lets. Swietenia (521), Meha (527), and
Melianthus (795), havea one-leafed nectary,
with a many-toothed mouth in the two
firft, and in the laft within:the loweft di-
vifion of the calyx, to which it grows. In
Mufa (1141) alfo, the ne&tary is one boat-
fhaped leaf, compreffed, pointed, and in-
ferted within the bofom of the petal. Ten
converging leaflets, inclofing the germ,
from the nectary of Zygophyllum (530) ;
each leaflet being fixed to the bafe of each
filament. Dalechampia (1081) has a broad
neétary, compofed of many ‘ovate, flat
plates in feveral rows.

I have mentioned before, that in tubu-
lous corollas the netareous juice is fe-
creted into the tube: ‘in many genera there
is a horn or fpur at the back of the flower,
which anfwers this purpofe of a recipient.
Several plants have occurred in the courfe

of

NECTAR Yi

of our examinations with a neCary of tliis
form; as Tropeolum (466), Lark {pur *
(681), Aconitey (682), Columbine (684)
Antirrbinum (750), Fumitory (849), Violet
(1007), Jinpatiens(1008),and Orchis (1009):
to thele we may add Pinguicula (30), or
Butterwort, Utricularia (31), and Valerian
(44). In fome fpecies of Antirrbinum the
horn is blunted, and becomes rather a bag ;
which is alfo its fhape in the Satyrium ge-
nus (1010). The genera of this tribe are
remarkable for their nectaries ; in Ophrys
(r0o11) it hangs down from the corolia,
longer than the petals, and is keeled at the
back part ; in Serapias (1012) it is of the
fame length with the petals, ovate, gib-
bous below, and with an ovate lip; in Zs-
modorum (1013) it is of the fame length
with the petals, of one leaf, concave, ftand-
ing on a pedicle, and within the loweft pe-
tal; in drethufa (101A) it is of one leaf,
tubulous at the bottom of the ringent co-
rolla, and connate with it; in Cypripedium
(1015), or Ladies-Slipper, as you have feen
before *, it is very large and inflated; and
in Epidendrum (1016) it is tubulous at the
bafe, turbinate or top-fhaped, with an ob-
lique bifid mouth. Thus you obferve that
all the genera of this tribe have fingular
nectaries ; whereas in the three clafles with

* Plate 34:f. 2. Y Plate 34 6 1.
4 Letter XXVII.

conjoined

“I

LET Hb eae.

conjoined filaments fcarcely any are to be
found*, The numerous genus of Carex
(1046), or Sedge, has an inflated, permanent
netary, contracting above, and toothed
at top, where it gapes, but continues to
invelt the feed; in Rufcus (1139) alfo it is
inflated and open at top, it is ovate, erect,
and of the fame fize with the calyx.

In many genera the nedtary takes the
form of fome well-known utenfil or other
thing. Thus in Staphyl~a (374), Linus
(504), Winterana (598), and Urtica (1054),
or Nettle, it is Urceolate or Pitcher-/haped.
In Narciffus > (403), and Pancratium (404),
it is Funnel-fhaped. In Epimedium (148) it
is Cyathiform or Goblet-/haped. In Bytine-
ria (268), Theobroma (goo), or Chocolate,
Ayenia (1020), and K/einbovia (1024), it is
Bell-haped. in Ciffampelos (1138) it is
Wheel-/baped: and in Epidendrum (1016),
Poplar (1123), and Géeditfia (1159), it is
turbinate, or fhaped like a boy’s top, nar-
row at bottom, and fpreading out above.
The moft beautiful of thefe nectaries is the
Crown fhaped : in Diofma this is placed on
the germ; in Olax (45), Hamamelis (169),
Nerium (297) or Oleander, Periploca (303),
Silene (507), and Cherleria (570), it termi-
nates the tube of the corolla: but in the
Paffion-flower (1021) it is a triple crown or

@In AMznadelphia and Pelyadelphie only one in each ;
and in Diadelphia three. b See Plate 14.f. 2.

2 glory,

NEC T ARI:

glory, the outer one longeft, furrounding
the flyle®.

In Garidella (571), Nigella (685), and
Hellebore * (702), the nectaries are bilabiate ;
the firft has five, the fecond has eight,
and the third has an uncertain number.
Trollius (700) has nine linear, flat, bent
bodies, perforated at the bafe, on the in-
fide; and Jfopyrum (701) has five equal,
tubulous, fhort neCtaries, with a trilobate
mouth, inferted into the receptacle, within
the petals.

In drum (1028) the necaries refemble
the filaments of ftamens, only that they
thicken at bottom; they come out in two
rows from the middle of the fpadix. In
Peganum (601) the filaments themfelves
are dilated into neétaries at the bafe. In
Fevillea (4118) they confift of five com-
prefled bent threads, placed alternately with
the ftamens. In Yrichilia (528) the nec-
tary is cylindric, and tubulous, formed out
of the ten filaments, fhorter than the petals,
and with a five-toothed mouth.

You have obferved that many neétaries
already mentioned have an intimate con-
nexion with the germ ; it is a fituetion fo
common with this part of the flower, that
fome perfons have fufpeéted the fole or prin-
cipal ufe of it to beto fupply and fofter the
germ. Accordingly there are feveral other

© See Plate 30. 4 Plate 34. f. 8.
genera,

479

LETTER XXXII:

genera, in which it is thus placed. In
Mirabilis (242), or Marvel of Peru, it is
globofe, permanent, and inclofes the germ;
in Ciffus (147), Celofia (289), Limeum
(463), and Phytlanthus (1050), it isa ring
furrounding the germ: in Cynanchum (304)
it is cylindric, with a five-toothed mouth ;
in Apocynum (305), Afclepias (306), and
Stapelia (307), it is made up of five bodies,
which in the fecond and third entirely con-
cecal the ftamens and piftils, and in the
third forms a double ftar: all of them about
the germ. In Gualtheria (551) it is made
up of ten fhort, awl-fhaped, erect bo-
dies, furrounding the germ, between the
ftamens.

It muft not be diffembled however, that
whatever ufe thefe bodies may be of to the
germ, when they adhere to it, or are near
it; they are frequently found on other parts
of the fru@tification. Many inftances of this
have already occurred, and to thefe we may
add, that they are found on the petals in

3romclia (395), growing to each of the
three, above the bafe; in Berberis (442),
or the Barberry, in two roundifh orange-
coloured bodies at the bafe of each; in Her-
mannia (828), each petal having alittlemem-
brane, forming all together a cowled tube;
in LHydrophyllum (204), and Reaumuria
(686), in amine or plates growing to
them ; in Myo/urus (394), being five awl-
fhaped bodies. The nectary is found on

I the

NECTARY.

the calyx in Yropeolum mentioned before,

in Monotropa (536), in fome fpecies of B:/-
cutella (808), and in Malpighia, mentioned
alfo before among thofe which have glan-
dular nectaries. This part is a globofe gland
on the exterior tip of the anthers in the
Adenanthera (526), at the bafe of them in
Ambrofinia (1238): and on the filaments in
form of glandsin Didamnus (522), in form
of fcales in Zygophyllum (530), placed > ho-
rizontally on the real filaments in Commelina
(62); and in Plumbago, Campanula, and
Roella, mentioned before. And laftly, the
nectaries are not unfrequently placed on the
receptacle; as in Lathrea (743), Clutia
(1140), Melianthus (795), and fome others:
but thefe are fo clofe to the germ, which
takes its rife from the fame bafe, that they
may very well be fuppofed to be placed
there for its ufe.

But what fhall we fay when we find the
nectary in the incomplete ftaminiferous
flowers, which have no germ; as in W7/-
low (1098), Affronium (1111), Irefive
(1113), Fevillea (1118), Poplar (1123),
Rhodiola (1124), Kiggelaria (1128), Cif-
Jampelos (1138), Rufeus (1139), Clutia
(1140), and Opbioxylon (1142). In all
thefe cafes it certainly cannot be of any im-
mediate ufe to the germ, which is not only
on a diftinét flower but on a different plant:
this however being the molt important part
of the vegetable, fince it is deftined by na-

Pi ture

4st

ait

LETTER XXXI.

ture to produce a new one of the fame kind ;
and all the other parts of the flower being
in fome meafure fubfervient to this, what-
foever is immediately ufeful to thefe may
fairly be faid to be mediately ferviceable to
the germ. |

But let us return to our hiftory of facts,
and finifh this dry difcuffion, which I fhould
not have troubled you with, if I could have
dircéted you to any author where you might
find the different forms and fituations of the
nectary regiftered in one view‘.

Hitherto you have obferved that this
beautiful part of the flower is generally
jingle, though in many cafes formed of
feveral portions: in fome genera however
it is double. Thus in Krameria (161),
there are two nectaries, one above another;
in Stafelia, as you have already feen, a
double ftar, both flat and quinquefid, the
lower with linear divifions torn at the end,
furrounding the ftamens and germs, the
upper with acute entire divifions covering
them: fomething of the fame kind 1s ob-
fervable alfo in A/clepias, the very fingular
ftructure of whofe flowers is particularly
deferving of your attention. Paullinia (497)
alfo, and Sapindus (499), have two neCa-
ries, very different from each other; the

€ When I writ this letter, I entirely forgot that there
was a diflertation on the fame fubject printed in the 6th
volume of the Æmænitates Academice. The learned
reader may compare that treatife with this.

I one

NECTAR Ÿ.

one confifting of four petals inferted into
the claws of the real petals, the other of
four glands at their bafes. I may here ob-
ferve, that though the general ufe of the
nectary, as the name implies, be to pour
out the neétareous juice; yet it does not
feem that all the bodies to which Linnæus
has given the name ferve that purpofe:
fuch may probably be the cafe in one of
thefe ne€taries of the genera before us, and
perhaps of others, where this part is dou-
ble. Laftly, Clutia (1140) has two fets of
neCtaries, One within the other; the outer
of five three-parted, oblong bodies, placed
in a ring within the petals, and of the fame
length with their claws; the inner of five
little glands, which are certainly mellifer-
ous at top: it is obfervabie that in the pif-
tilliferous flowers of this genus there are no
glands or inner nectaries, and the outer ones
are of the fame fize, and in the fame fitua-
tion, but differ in form, being roundifh and
didymous, or twinned,

Concerning the form and variations in the
other parts of the fructification, which fur-
nifh the generic character of vegetables,
enough is to be found in the elementary
books‘: of the leaves alfo, together with
thofe other parts and circumftances, furnifh-
ing characters for the differences of about
ten thoufand one hundred fpecies, which

F Lee’s Introduction ; Rofe’s Elements of Botany,
&c.

Ji2 18

483

454

LETTER XXXI

is the whole number of plants at prefent
arranged §, there is no want of inftruction
in the fame authors, tranflated from Lin-
nzus’s original works. I fhall only remark
to you therefore, that a more minute atten-
tion and accurate obfervation of vegetables,
dilcovered to Linnzus parts that former bo-
tanifis had pafled by unnoticed ; and that his
fuperior fagacity and genius enabled him to
make a much more extenfive ufe of fuch as
were already known. The parts I now
allude to, are what he calls Fz/cra, props
or fupports of the plant. Among thefe
the arms or weapons, that is, thorns and
prickles ; clafpers or tendrils; fome forts of
pubefcence; and perhaps glands, in fome
few fpecies had been noticed; but in a
manner very loofe and imperfect: but the
jtipule, which is a fcale at the bafe of the
petioles; and the draée, which is a fcale or
{mall leaf next the flower, had not been fo
much as named ; nor had any one thought
of ufing thefe feven important though mi-
nute parts for diftinguifhing the fpecies, a
bufinefs to which they are fo well adapt-
ed, both by their conftancy and abundant
varicty.

He has alfo taken in other circumftances
very happily, befides the mere form, to fur-
nifh fpecilic differences, and for other pur-

gIn the rath edition of Syflema Vegetabilium.—
To thefe however a confiderable number has been fince
added, from the South-fea iflands, and other places.

pofes ;

WE CF A RY.

pofes; fuch as the mode and degree of ra-
mification in leaves and branches, the ifor-
fiom, or manner of turning or bending in
the ftems; the gemmation, or various con-
ftruction of the buds; the foliation, or dif-
ferent folding of the leaves before they are
expanded ; the sflorefcence, or manner in
which flowers are connected to the plant
by their peduncles: all thefe, together with
fome others, which I have pafied over, will
occafionally furnifh you with marks to dif-
tinguifh plants from each other, even more
certain in fome cafes than the form itfelf,
and therefore highly worthy of your atten-
tion; but I have already trefpañled on that
too long, and will leave you to your leifure
and more important concerns.

11% Leas

485

486

LETTER XXXH

THE CLASS CRYPTOGAMIA.

Oëtober the 4th, 1777.

HAVE at length found time, dear cou-

| fin, to fend you my laft letter on the
fubject of Botany. I have not haftened it,
becaufe you have found full’ employment
during the fummer, either in examining
fuch plants as had efcaped you before, or
in fearching for their neétaries and other
more minute parts. You have alfo by this
time difcovered that the ftudy or amufement
which you have taken up, is not the affair
of a fingle feafon.

As to the laft and loweft clafs of vege-
tables—Cryptogamia, | {hall at prefent touch
it very flightly, becaufe, though full of
beauties, when examined with that atten-
tion which fuch {mall bodies require, it is
much too difficult for our young. coufin,
and will probably be uninterefting even to
you, unlefs you have already imbibed a
greater paffion for Botany than I wifh you
to have. ‘The objects alfo of this clafs muft
be fearched for in places, and at a feafon,
by no means agreeable to your delicacy ;
and I will not have you rifk your health,
the moft precious gift of heaven, even in

purfuit

EURE Pores. FAL:

purfuit of the moft delightful knowledge.
Gentle exercife, fuch as a proper attention
to the ftudy of nature will induce you to
take, accompanied with that cheerfulnefs,
regularity, and temperance, for which you
are fo confpicuous, is your beft fecurity for
a continuance of this blefling; and that
you may enjoy it uninterrupted to a period
yet diftant, my good wifhes fhall not be
wanting.

You are already acquainted with the
meaning of the name Cryftogamia, and the
charaëter of the clafsh: you are alio mif-
trefs of the four orders into which it is di-
vided, together with their characters, fuch
as they are’. [ have only therefore to pre-
fent you with a few of the moft obvious
{pecies in each order, wherein the generic
and {pecific characters are the leaft incon-
fpicuous.

The number of genera in this clafs are
fifty-one, of fpecies eight hundred and ffty-
eight.

FERNS.

The plants of the firft order—the Ferns,
are as large, and oftentimes as fpecious, as
thofe of the foregoing clafles : it is apparent
alfo.to the naked eye, that there is a fruc-
tification, though the parts of it are not

h See page 105. i See page 114, &c.

Ti4 diftin~

488

Equife-
tum.

Ophio-

loffum.

LETTER XXXII.

diftinguifhable. The general face of this,
as it appears to the microfcope, has been
already defcribed *.

In general the frutification in this order
of Ferns is on the back of the leaves; that
however is not univerial. For inftance, in
the genus Eguifetum, or Horfetail, it is in a
fpike, each feparate fru@ification being pel-
tate and gaping at its many-valved bafe :
Hedwig has determined the flowers of the
Horfetails and Adder’s-tongue to be herma-
phrodite. Corn Hor/fetail' has thefe fpikes
on a naked ftem, and other leafy barren
{tems come up later in the feafon. Wood
florfetail™ kas the leaves compound, or di-
vided, and the fpikes at the end of the
fame ftems. A fpecies common in ditches”
has fcarcely any leaves, and is perfeGly
{mooth: in which circumftance alone it
differs from the Shave-gra/s ° ufed in polifh-
ing, which, is rough.

Ophioglofjum alfo, or ddder’ S-tongue, has
the fructihcarions on a fpike, in a jointed
row along each fide of it; when they are
ripe, thele joints gape tranfverfely. Our

k. Letter X.

l'Equifetum arvenfe Lin. Curtis, Lond. IV. 64.
Ger. 1114.

m à es fylvaticum Zin. Ger. 1114. Hedw.
theor. LT. 75

ñ RE limofum in. Ray. fyn. t. 5. f.2.

* Equifetum hyemale Lin. Ger. 1114.

common

CRYPT. AG Æ. 489

common {pecies?, which is found in moift
meadows, may be known by the frond or
leaf being ovate.

O/munda likewile has a {pike diftin& from Ofmunda
the frond ; it is branching, and each com-
ponent frudtification is globular. Mdoon-
wort, which grows on dry paftures, has
one naked ftem, and one pinnate frond,
forming the whole of this little Fern. F/ow-
ering Fern, or O/mund Royal", a large fpe-
cies found on bogs, has bipinnate fronds,
bearing the fructifications in a raceme at
top. Rough Spleenwort’ has lanceolate,
pinnatifid fronds, with the divifions con-
fluent, quite entire and parallel: thefe are
of two forts; the narrower being covered
with fructifications on their backs, and the
broader being barren. ‘This therefore re-
cedes from the character of the genus, in
having a fertile frond inftead of a fpike,
diftin& from the barren one.

The remaining genera have the fructifica- Acrofti-
tions invariably on the back of the fronds, chum.
In Acroftichum they cover the whole difk,

In Preris they are to be found only round pass.

P Ophioglofum vulgatum Lin. FI. dan. 147. Mor.
hit. i 34. t. 5. f. a. Ger. 404. ‘Hedw- theor. f.
20—-23. Engl. bot. t. 108.

4 Ofmunda Lunaria Lin. Fl. dan. t. 18. Mor.
bet. Grid ts :Ger: 405.

r Ofmunda regalis Lin. Fl. dan.t. 217. Ger. 1131.

s Ofmunda Spicant Lin. Curtis, Lond. II. 67.
Ger. 1140. Hedwig. theor. f. 24—29. & Pl. 35. of
this work.

the

490

Afpleni-

nium.

Polypo-
dium.

bE TSE KR? cae.

the edge: the common Fern, or Brake,
which is fo abundant in uncultivated grounds
and woods, has fuperdecompound, or triply-
pinnate fronds, the leaflets pinnate, the
lobes lance-fhaped ; the loweft pinnatifd,
and the upper ones lefs.

Afplenium has the fru@ifications in lines,
that are frequently parallel. Æarfs-tongue *
has fimple fronds, heart-tongued, that is,
drawn out into length, and hollowed next
the petiole: quite entire, and the petioles
fhagey: this grows on rocks and in fhady
places. There are feveral fmaller fpecies
with pinnate or decompound leaves, not
uncommon on walls and rocks.

In Polypody the fructifications are in dif-
tinct roundith dots, placed in rows, and in-
creafine fo much in fize, as they advance
to maturity, that they occupy the whole
of the difk in fome fpecies, and great part
of itin others. Common Polypody* has pin-
natifid fronds, the pizzas or lobes oblong,
a little toothed and obtufe; the root is
{caly : this is common on trees, walls, and
rocks. Many fpecies that are generally
called Ferns, from the difpofition of the
fru@ifications, are of this genus: of thefe,
that which is moft common has vulgarly

t Pteris aquilina Lia. Blackw. t. 325. Ger. 1128.

u Afplenium Scolopendrium Lin. Curtis, Lond. I.
67. ...Ger.*11 98,

V Polypodium vulgare Lin. Curtis, Lond: I. 68.
Ger. 1132.

the

CRYPTOS. MUSCI.

the name of Male Fern’, and is found in
woods, heaths, and on rocks, not covering
the ground like the Brake, but in detached

parcels: the fronds of this are doubly pin-

nate, the fiunas or lobes obtufe, and cre-
nulate, or flightly notched, and the ftem
chaffy.

491

Laftly, Adianthum has the fru@tifcations Adian-

bair*, which is ufed, or fuppofed to be fo,
in the fyrup of capillaire, is of this genus,
and has decompound fronds, the component
leaves alternate, and the lobes wedge-fhaped,
lobate, and pedicelled. It grows, but rarely,
on rocks and walls.

MOSSES.

The plants of the fecond order—the
Moffes, have leaves like the more perfect
vegetables, diftin& from the ftalk ; and in
this they differ from the Ferns, in which
the ftalk and leaf always, and the fruétifi-
cation often, are blended, to form the frond.
They are perennial, and when ever fo much
dried up, will revive again with moifture ;
as Haller experienced in fome fpecimens of
Cafpar Bauhin’s Hortus Siccus, which mut

è

w Polypodium FilixmasZir. Blackw.t. 323. Vaiil.
49: f.2.. Mor. hifi: f 14.t.3.f. 6. Ger. 1128.
x Adianthum Capillus Veneris Lin. Jacq. mifc. 2.
t. 7. Ger. 1143.
have

in terminal fpots under the margin of the thum.
frond, which is folded back. True Maiden-

492

Lycopo-

dium.

Sphag-

num.

L'E TIME RY GAR

have lain in a dry flate above a century.
You know them by their air, or habit, as
botanifts ufually call it. A general idea of
their frudtification has been already given Y,
as far as it is vilible to the naked eye; and
we can only hope for a perfe& account of it
from a laborious examination with glafles of
confiderable magnifying powers *.

The generic characters of the Mofles are
taken from the heads, which are either fef-
file, or elfe the plant pufhes them up ona
flender naked item ; this Linnæus calls the
Anther, but I fhall beg leave rather to name
it the Cap/ule*: in four genera ? it is naked,
or not covered with a ca/yptre or veil; in
the other feven it is.

Lycopodium, or Wolf’s-claw Mo of, has a
two-valved, feffile capfule, without any
calyptre. Sphagnum, or Bog-mo/s, has the
caplule covered with a lid, and a fmooth
mouth. The gray‘ fpecies is common on
bogs, covering vait tracts of them; and is

y See letter X.

z This has now been done by Hedwig in ‘his Funda-
mentum Hifloria Naturalis Mufcorum Frondoforum. Lip-
fie 1782; sent and, Zheoria generationis et fruétifi-
cationis Plantarum Cryptogamicarum, Petrop. 1784,
quarto ; both with coloüred plates of the parts of fruc-
tification much magnified.

a a Linneus thinks it really is (See Genera, p. 556),
and Hedwig has inewn it to be.

à Ly ycopodium, Porella, Sphagnum & Phafcum.

© Sph: agnum paluftre Lin. Fi.dan. 474. Dillen.t.
45, dude

known

CRYPTOG. ALGÆ. 493

Vv

known not only by its hoary appearance,
but by its deflected branches.

Polytrichum has a capfule covered with a Polytri-
lid, fitting on a fmall protuberent eminence, “"""
which is a kind of receptacle, and is called
by Linnæus Æ5ophy/is, by Haller the Dif ;
the capfule is covered by a villous calyptre,
There is a ftar or rofe on a diftinét indivi-
dual, which has been generally taken for the
piftilliferous flower; Haller rather thinks
it is only a kind of bud, trom which new
branches fpring. The common fpecies,
called Greater Golden Maidenbair, is known
by its fimple ftem, and the parallelopiped
form of the capfule. This is a large fort of
Mofs, and abundant in woods, heaths, and
bogs.

The three remaining genera of Mofles,
which are alfo the principal and moft nu-
merous, are thus diftinguifhed. Min
agrees with Polytrichum in having two
forts of fru€tification ; the one a lidded cap-
fule, covered with a fmooth calyptre: the
other a ftar or rofe, in the difk of which
are fome globofe little dufty bodies. § Brywm
and Æyprum have none of theie {tars or
rofes: thefe have both a lidded capfule,
covered with a {mcoth calyptre, and are
diftinguifhed from each other by the ftalk
which fupports the capfule being naked,
and arifing from a terminal tubercle in the

d Polytrichum commune Lin. Dillen. t. 54. f. 1.
Ger. 1559.

Brit ;

494

Mnium.

Bryum.

LETTER XXXII.

firft ; whereas in the fecond it fprings from
the fide of the branch,‘and is furrounded
at bottom by a perichætium, {caly fheath, or
receptacle.

One fpecies of Mnium, whofe filaments
ot capfular ftalks are fo fentible of moif-
ture, that it has obtained the name of by-
grometric®, has no ftems; it has nodding
turbinate or pear-fhaped capfules, reflex
four-cornered calyptres, and ovate leaves
forming a head; they are of a yellowith
green, and the filaments are an inch and
half high, and red or orange coloured.

One of the moft common fpecies of
Bryum is the hairy‘, which covers the old
thatch of cottages; this has the capfules
rather erect, and the leaves ending in a
hair, and recurved. <Apple-form Bryum ©
has large fpherical heads; and in the Pear-
form fpeciesh they are obovate, covered
with an awl-fhaped calyptre; the fhoots
are ftemlefs, and the leaves are ovate and
awnlefs. Brown Bryum has ere& roundifh
capfules, with a pointed lid. This is a

€ Mnium hygrometricum Lin. Fl. dan. 648. f. 2.
Dillen. t. 52.f. 75. Mor. hift. f. 15. t. 7. f. 17.

f Bryum rurale Lim. Dill. t. 45. f. 12. Mor. t. 6.
il

8 Bryum pomiforme Lin. Dill. t. 44. f. 1. Mor.
t. 6. £. 6.

h Bryum pyriforme Lin. Dill. t. 44. f 6. Mor.
t. 7. f. 16. & plate 36. of this work.

1Bryum truncatulum Lin, Curtis, Lond. II. 70.
f. 2,

very

CRYPTOG. ALGE, 495

very fmall Mofs, growing clofe to the
ground in thick tufts; the filaments are
three or four lines high, and when the cap-
fules have loft their lid, they have a trun-
cated appearance, whence their name.

Silky Hypnum*, one of the moft beauti- Hypnum.
ful, and not the leaft common of the ge-
nus, is known by its creeping fhoots, its
ol eret branches, its awi-thapéd
leaves, and erect capfules. This grows
both in dry places, fuch as on walls, or
trees ; and in wet ones, as meadows: in
the firft, the leaves are narrow, and pretled
clofe to the ftalk; in the fecond, they are
broader, fpreading, and fhining, ‘like filk :
the capfules are long, round, enlarging a
little at bottom, with a leider ciliated
mouth, a fcarlet beaked lid, and a pale ca-
lyptre; they are fupported by a purple
ftalk, or flament, from half an inch to an
inch in height, furrounded at the bafe by
a fhort thick fealy perichetium. ‘This may
ferve as a fpecimen of the numerous fpecies
of Hypnum; and we will now pafs on to
the third order of the Cryfiogamia clafs,
containing the

ALG Æ.

Alge or Flags, which are chiefly the

Lichens or Liverworts, Sea-weeds, and

Le fericeum Lin. fie Londs 1169.
Dillen. t. 42.59. Mor, t. 5. f.

fome

495

Marchan-

tia.

Lichen.

LETTER XXXII.

fome few commonly called Mofles, but
having in reality the character of this or.
der’. Of thefe laft, common Marchantia™
may ferve as an inftance: it grows by
ftreams and fountains, in wet fhady places,
and on walls fubje&t to a drip. ‘There are
two difünét fruCtifications in this genus,
one ftanding out from the plant on a pedun-
cle, and confifiing of a peltated calyx or
receptacle, covered with {mall one-petalled
corollas underneath, each of which has one
multifid anther or capfule ; the other feffile,
fhaped like a cup or bell, and containing
many little roundifh bodies, which fome
take for feeds. The fpecies here pointed
out is diftinguifhed by the common calyx
being ten-cleft: it varies much in its ap-
pearance, and hence has its trivial name of
many-form. ‘This genus is evidently the
connecting link between the Mofles, and
the Zichens, which we fhall now examine.
‘Lhe genus of Lichen has a roundifh,
flattifh, fhining receptacle, or common ca-
lyx, feldom elevated ; and a meal fprinkled
over the leaves. The receptacle affording
a variety of forms, has fuggefted a fubdi-
vifion of this otherwife unwieldy genus,
the leaf and manner of growth taking their
parts in it. Lichens abundantly clothe the
earth, rocks, and vegetables, efpecially trees ;

1 See letter X.
m Marchantia polymorpha Lin. Dillen. t. 76. f. 6.
Hedw. theor. f. 123—133-

in

CRYPTOG ALCGÆ.

in the form of meal, cruft, leaf, or thread:
age, foil, and fituation, make fo great a
difference in their appearatice, that num-
berlefs varieties have been advanced into
fpecies. The feétions of the genus are,
1. The Tuberculate, confifting of a cruft
adhering clofely to the bark of trees, or
ftones, above which roundifh tubercles
rife a little; thefe are rather irregular, a
little flatted at top, and without any rim
round them. Sometimes they run into
regular figures, and refemble writing”, or
a map. 2. Scutellate, or fuch as have
little fhields, or roundith receptacles with
a rim, and the difk fomewhat depreffed,
arifing from a granulous cruft more ap-
proaching to a leafy ftru€ture than in the
former fection, and not adhering fo ftrongly.
3. Imbricate, compofed of many {mall leaves,
generally in an orbicular form, lying over
each other, the leaft in the middle, and
the largeft on the outfide; from fome of
thefe arife little fhields, and others have
little mealy tubercles at the ends of the
leaves. Nothing is more common than a
yellow fpecies? of this fection, on trees,
walls, and rocks; the leaflets of it are
curled, deep yellow above, and afh-co-
loured underneath; the fhields are of a

Lichen fcriptus Lin. Dillen. t. 18. f. 1.
e Lichen geographicus Lin. Dillen. t. 18. f. 5.
p Lichen parietinus Liz. Dillen.t.24. f. 76. Wall

Liverwort.
Kk lighter

497

498

LETTER XXXHII,

lighter yellow, grow brown with age, and
are thick fet towards. the middle of the
plant; other fpecimens, inftead of fhields,
have a yellow meal {pread over them: the
leaves by age become greenifh, and then
of a brownifh afh-colour, warted and le-
prous.. 4. Leafy, properly fo called, con-
fitting of one continued leafy fubftance,
varioufly laciniate, cut or torn; thefe have
generally large, wide fhields, often on pe-
duncles, either in the divifions of the
leaves, or on their edges. Luugwort or
Tree Lichen*, which hangs from old oaks,
and beeches in woods, has very large jagged
leaves, {mooth, and ending obtufely ; the
upper furface is wrinkled and pitted, the
lower downy : the fhields are of the fize of
a lentil, and placed on the edges of the
leaves. 5. Coriacesus or. Leathery.: thefe
are alfo leafy, but differ from thofe of
the fourth fetion in confifting of feveral
leaves, of a tougher texture, broader, lefs
fharply laciniate, not branching, and ge-
nerally adhering clofer to the bodies on
which they grow: the receptacles are very
large, and from their refemblance to the
round fhields of the ancients, called peltz ;
they are generally on the edges of the
leaves, and little or not at all notched
on the edges. 4/h-coloured Ground Liver

i Lichen pulmonarius Lin. Dillen. t. 29. f- 713.
Ger. 1566.

~ avort

CRYPTOG. ALGE. 499

wort" is of this feCtion : it is creeping, lo-
bate, obtufe, and flat; veined underneath,
and villous, with a rifing pe/a or target on
the edge: this fpecies is very common on
the ground in woods, and on heaths, parti-
cularly on old ant-hills: the leaves are afh-
coloured, and white underneath. 6. Um-

| bilicate or hollowed like the navel, and
footy, or appearing black, or as if burnt.
7» Cup-bearing, confifting of a granulous
cruft, in procefs of time unfolding into
little leaves irregularly laciniate : from thefe
arifes a ftipe or ftem fupporting hollow co-
nical receptacles refembling little tea-cups
or drinking-glafles, whofe edge is often {fet
with brown or fcarlet tubercles. The
different appearances of Cup-mo/s are pro-
bably but varieties arifing from the different
age of the plant. 8. Shrubby, or refem-
bling fhrubs or coral: thefe confift of a
Meafy cruft like the laft, but they have no
cups, only tubercles, and they are branched.
The famous Rhen-deer Mofs* is of this
feétion : itis perforate ‘, very much branch-
ed, and the fmall branches are nodding:

~~ * Lichen caninus Li. F1. dan. 767. f. 2. Dillen.
t/27. f. 102. Mor. f. 15. t. 7. f. 1. This is the fpe-
cies formerly recommended againft the bite of mad
dogs, mixed with white pepper: but it is a remedy
now exploded.

s Lichen rangiferinus Liz. Fl. dan. 180. Dillen.
t.16.f. 29, 30. Engl. Bot. t. 173.

t That is, there are little holes in the axils of the
branches, as if made with a pin.

k 2 it

Conferva.

LETT ER XII

it grows on heaths and mountainous paf-
tures with us. 9 7hready, or confifting
of mere round, folid ftiff ftalks or threads,
frequently coveted “OF incrufted with a
meal, which is very inflammable, and
terminating in dry globules, a little hol-
lowed, a without any tim. ‘Thefe
Hô of them hang from the boughs of
trees, arid hence have the name of Trce-
mofs. But this very numerous and widely
diffufed genus has already detained us toe
long.

The Sca-weeds are coniprehended in
three genera—U/va or Laver, Fucus and
Conferva. In the firft, Ulva, the fructifica~
tions are ia a diaphanous membrane, and the
fubftance of the plant is Te ee
at firft bladdery, but afterwards leafy. Fi-
cus, Wrack, or Sea-weed properly fo called,
has two ae of bladders, the one fmoot
hollow, and interwovea with hairs, the
other finosth, filled with a jelly, in which
are immerfed {mall perforated grains, in
each of which is fuppofed to be a feed :
the texture of thefe plants is corzaccous or
leathery. Conferv@ are compofed of une--
qual tubercles, in very long capillary fibres,
which are either continued or jointed. The:
two laft genera will furnifh you with
abundant amufement whenever you are
fed to fpend a little time on the fea coaft ;
but the fpecies are fo numerous, that the »
examination of the fpecific differences would

çà carry

CRYPTOG. FUNGI.

carry me into too wide a field: we will pafs
on therefore to the !aft order of this laft clafs
of vegetable nature—the

FUNGI or MUSHROOMS,

which are univerfally known by their fin-
cular ftructure and appearance; without
branches, leaves, flowers, or any thing we
can certainly call frudification, and fcarcely

soi

any root. The /garic, one of the princi-Agaricus.

pal genera in this order, is known by its
horizontal manner of growing, and by
having Zumelle or gills underneath“. The
Champignon*, or common eatable Mufh-
room, is one of thefe, and has the follow-
ing charaCters—the head is convex, fcaly,
white ; and fupported on a ftipe or ftalk;
the gills are red; that which has white gills
is very like this, and though far inferior in
quality, is not poifonous “. The Chaute-
relle*, or little yellow Mufhroom, fo com-
mon in the fairy rings on dry paftures, is
alfo flipitate, with the gills loofe, branched
and decurrent. What is commonly called
Agaric in medicine, and is ufed in {topping
of blood, is of another genus.

Boletus, which grows horizontally like Boletus.

“ See plate 38. of this work.
v Agaricus campettris Lin. Mill. illuftr. FL dan,
t. 714. w Agaricus Georgii.
x Agaricus Orcades. With. & Bolton. Ag. pratenfis
Hud/. Ag. coriaceus Lightf. Raii /yn, 6.27.
K & 3 the

502

Phallus.

Lycoper-
don.

LETTER XXXM:

the laft, but inftead of gills, has pores on
the under furface.

MorelY is a fungus that is raticulate or
netted all over the outfide or upper furface,
and {mooth beneath. ‘The efculent fpecies
has the head egg-fhaped and cellular, the
he or ftem naked and wrinkled.

Truffle or cfculent Puff-ball*, is a round-
ifh fungus, filled with a mealy fubftance,
taken for feed: this fpecies is globular,
folid, muricated, or rough on the outfide,
without any root, and growing wholly
under ground: the other forts are full of
duft, which they throw out when ripe,
and are wholly above ground except their
roots. Common Puff-ball* is roundifh, and
difcharges its duft by a torn aperture in
the top; this varies much in form, and
alfo in fize, from a little ball to that of a
man’s head.

After all, the objets of this order are
not univerfally allowed to be plants, but are
fufpected, though feemingly without much
reafon, to be formed by animals, for their
habitation, after the manner of Zoophytes
or Corals. But this is a fubjeét too, dif-

ficult and nice for our difcuflion: and per-

haps, after all, the /wugi may prove to be

Y Phallus efculentus Lin, Fl. dan. 53. Ger. 1583.
2 Lycoperdon Tuber Lin. Michel. t. 102. Ger.
18>

a Lycoperdon Bovifta Lin. Schœf. t. 190. Ger.
1582.

one

CRYPTOG. FUNGI.

one of thofe links in the chain of nature,
which unite the vegetable to the animal
kingdom; and though they fhould turn
out to be the habitation of minute infects,
and to be formed for and even by them, yet
they certainly have the growth and texture
of plants; and it is now well afcertained
that they produce and are produced from
feed, like other vegetables. Nature is full
of thefe wonders, dear coufin; we are ad-
mitted to the view of a very {mall portion
of it only ; there is little hope then that we
fhould be able to underftand its relations
fully, or to unravel all its myfteries.

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OF THE

ENGLISH NAMES OF PLANTS.

Page

A
A SELE

457
Acacia, Baftard 39, 363

Acacia, Egyptian 466
ret Three-thorned 467
Acajou 262
Acanthus 27
Aconite 207, 8477
mee ae Winter 299
Adder’s-tongue 488
African Marigold 395
Agaric sol
Agrimony 279
Alaternus 207
Alder 434
mais à Berry-bearing 206
Alexandrian Laurel 462
Alkanet , 178
be oti Baftard 181
Allgood 221
Almond 75
Aloe 250, 251
Althea Frutex 343
Amaranth 447
sie.» Crefied, 207
Dh > AR Globe 223
Amomum Plinii 200
Ananas 243

Page
Andromeda 268
Anemone 300
Angelica 234
Apple 749 75 291
Apricot 74
Arabis 324
Arbutus 269
Arrow-head 449
Artichoke 65, 68, 383

.. Jerufalem 400

cum. 426
Afarabacca 278
Afh 467

. Mountain 291.
Afp 457
Afphodel 24, 474
Afla-fœtida 237
After, Chinefe 392
Auricula 174
Azarole 290

B

Balfam 406
Balfamine 407
Balfam of Tolu-tree 266
Banana 463
Barberry 251,480
Barberry-pepper 203

Barley

INDEX

Page
Barley 144
Barley-grafs ib.
Bafil 309
Baftard Jafmine 209
Baum 43,310
Baum of Gilead ib. ib.
Bay 262
Bead-tree 267
Beam-tree 290
Bean 360
. Kidney 39
Bear’s-foot 299
Beech 439
Bee-Larkfpur 298
Bee-Orchis 420
Beet 221
Bell-flower 186—189
Bell-pepper 203
Betony 43, 307
Bindweed 184
. Black 261
Birch 434
Bird-pepper 203
Bird’s-foot 367
Biftort 260
Bitter-fweet 200

Black Hellebore 299
Bladder Sena 360
Blefled Thiftle 402
Blue-bells 250,
Blue-bottle 402 *
Bog-bean 176
Bog-rufh 163
Borage 182
Box 435
Brake 490
Brafiletto 266
Briar, Sweet 293
UR Is Wild ib.
Briza 135
Brome-grafs 140

OF THE

Page

Brooklime 124
Broom, Bafe 35K
RARE | Butchers’ 401
ere | Common 351
. Portugal ib.

inte ee Spanifh 350
Broom-rape 212
Bryony, Black 457
Buckbean 176
Buckthorn 206
Buckwheat 261
Bugle 307
Buglofs 182
Bulrufh 153
Burdock 383
Burnet 449
Bur-reed 153, 431
Butchers’-broom 461
Butter-bur 389
Butter-cups 302
Butter-flower ib.
Butter-wort 124, 477
Bizantine-nut 442

Cc

Cabbage 41, 324
Calamint 310
Calamus aromatieus 251
Camomile 397
Campion, White 276
Canary-grafs 132
Candy tuft 21
Canterbury-bells 188
Cape-Jafmine 255
Caper 296
Capficum 202
Caragana 363
Cardamom 118
Carnation 271
Carraway 236
Carrot 232
Cathew 262

ENGLISH NAMES.

Page
Cafia 262
Catalpa 317
Cataputia 284
Catchfly B95
Caterpillars 369
Catmint 307
Cat’s-tail 153, 430
Cat’s-tail grafs 133
Cayan Pepper 203
Cedar Barmudas 459
Ds PC Barbadoes 460
os... Carolina ib.
Ene a of Lebanon 445
Meee Virginia 400
Celandine, Leffer 303
Celeri 236
Centauty, Great 401
PARUS: de Leffler 226
bin. «a; Yelow220206
Cereus 287
Cerinthe 182
Champignon gor
Chanterelle ib.
Charlock 41, 326
Cherry 74
Chervil 56, 228
Rebs alfa Rough 231
gt ee Wild ib.
Chefnut 439
China Pink 279,
China Rofe 343
Chinefe After 392
Chocolate 370, 478
Chriftmas Rofe 299
Chrift’s thorn 207
Ciftus 296
Citron 370
Clary 12531126
Cleavers 165
Clover 39, 66
dan à Dutch 267

Page
Clover, Heart 368
ELLE RER Red 367
Club-rufh 153
Cochineal Fig 289
Cockle 27e
Cock’s-comb 211, 312
Cock-fpur Hawthorn 290
Codlins and Cream 257
Coffee 208
Colefeed 324
Colewort, Sea ib.
Colt’s-foot 388
Columbine 297, 298, 477
Colutea 360
Comfrey ‘ 181
Convolvulus 183
Coriander 235
Cork-tree 438
Corn 143, 147, 148
Corn Marigold 306
Coftus Arabian 118
Cotton 341
Cotton-grafs 153
Cotton ‘Vhiftle 383
Couch 147
Cow-Parfley 231
Cow-Parfnep 237
Cowllip 172
Cow-weed 231
Crane’s bill 332
Crefs, Indian 256
bees sie Water. 229,926
Bs elie Winter 323
Crefted Amaranth 211
Crofiwort 463
Crown Imperial 475
Cuckow-flower 276, 325
Cuckow-pint | 427
Cucumber 452
dE CRETE Spirting 451
Cudweed 387

Cyclamen

INDEX OF THE

Page
Cyclamen 175
Cyprefs 446
Cytifus 362
HE = © Prickly 351

D.

Daffodil 245
Daify 61
peers Ox-eye 396
Dandelion 67553
Darnel 148
Deadly Nightfhade 197
Dead-Nettle, White 43
Devil’s-bit 161
Dill 236
Diofma 209
Nittany of Crete 310
Dittany, White 266
Dock 252
Dodder 168, 473
Dopg-Role 293
Dog’s-grafs : 147
Dog’s-Mercury 458
Dog’s-tail grafs 149
Dyer’s-weed 280, 351
Earth-nut 237
Ege-plant 202
Elder 54
+ Marth 239
Elecampane 393
Elm 22.4,
Endive 382
Englifh Mercury 221
Eryngo 55
Eryfimum 322
Eternal flower 388
Everlafting 387
Everlafting Pea 358
Euphorbia 281
Euphraf 212
Bycbright i D.

F. Page
Fennel 235
fils Giant 237
jte ii és Sweet 236
Fern, Common 490
.... Flowering 491
een DIR 488
Ferula 237
Fefcue 138
Feverfew 397
Ficoides 292
Fig 468
Fig Marigold 292
Fig-wort 46, 315
Filbert 441
Finochia 236
Fir 445
Flag 155
Flax 240
Fleabane 304
Fleur-de-lys 154
Flixweed 327
Flower-fence 266
Flowering-Rufh 265
Fool’s Pariley 57.
Four-o’clock flower 2114
Foxglove 316
Fox-tail grafs 133
Fraxinella 266
French Honeyfuckle 366
ACTE Marigold 395
Lt She Willow 257
Fumitory 340, 477
Furze 352
Fuftick 430
G.
Galangale 118
Gelder Rofe 239
Gentian 225
a ph de> Yellow Perfo-
liate 226, 260

Gentianella

ENGLISH NAMES.

Page
Gentianella - 226
Geranium 332
Germander 123
Ginger 138
Glafiwort eee
ak POS Jointed 233
Globe Amaranth 223
Globe-thiftie 404
Goat’s-beard 378
Golden-rod 302
Goofeberry-fool 257
Goofefoot 221, 465
Goofe grafs 165
Gorfe 352
Gourd 451

Grain of Paradife 118
Granadilla 425
Grafles, Let. xiii.

Greek Valerran 189
Gromwell 180
Ground Ivy 435 306
Groundfel 389
Guaiacum 267
Guinea Pepper 202

Je À

Hard-heads gor
Hart’s-tongue 490
Hawkweed 381
Hawthorn Cock’s-fpur 290
Bee sc Common ib.
Hazel 441
Ffeart’s-eafe 405
Heath, Common 258
ew ss Crofs-leaved 1b.
..... Fine-leaved ib.
Hedge-hogs 368
Flellebore 297, 209,479
Hemlock 230
Hs... Chervil Ye Ng
Hemp 456

Hemp Agrimony a5

Page
Henbane 193
Hen-pepper 203
Hepatica 301
Herb Robert 338
Hiekery 439
Hollyhock 342
Honefty 320
Honeyfuckle 204
“te eee French 366
Hooded Willow-herb 311
Hop 456
Horehound, Black 308
eq de White ib.
Hornbeam 445
Horfe-Chefnut 255
Horfe Radifh 322
Horfe-tail 458
5°), Ghee Pah Female 116
Hound’s-tongue IST
Houfeleek 282,
Hyacinth 249, 47§
L

Jack-by-the-hedge 3.23
Jacobeea Lilly 246
Jacob’s-ladder 18%
Jalap 185
Jafmine 120
ARMÉE Arabian 122
LCR. Baitard: 2cQ
agit NE Cape 122, 25S
Sh tae Red 215
Ice plant 292
Jerufalem Axtichoke 400
Jefuit’s-bark 216
Immortal- flower 387
Indian Corn 432
Bie a Crefs 256
à DER Fig 287
D Nafturtium 256
tae fatto) oye oii
Indigo 6.

INDEX OF THE.

Page
Jonquil 245
Iris 154
Judas-tree 266
Juniper 459
Jupiter’s-beard 353
ivy, Ground 306

K.

Kali, Egyptian 2.93
Kalmia 268
Kidney Bean 39 356
ee Vetch 353
King-cups 02

Knap-weed or Knob-

weed 401
Knee Holly 461
Knot-grafs 261

L
Laburnum 362
Ladies Bedftraw 165
GE ST Cufhion 271
s ie tete d'IRBCE 353
ÉSiehars Hair 135
EST ee Mantle 167
Due de Slipper 422, 477
UE Smock 325
a 7e Traces 419
Larch 445
Larkfpur 297, 298, 477
Lavender 306
Laver 500
Laurel as
Laurel, Alexandrian 462
Lauruftinus 239
Lemon 370
en SA Water 426
Leopard’s-bane 394
Lettuce 3830
Lichen ~ 496
Lilac 102
Lily 22,475
... Guernfey 247

Page

Lily Jacobæa 247
ee Méxienn ib.
. of the Valley 249
... Water 296
Lime 296, 371
Liquorice 365
Liverwort _ 493
Locuft, Honey ~ 400
ay tree 266, 367
Logwood 267
London Pride 270
Loofeftrife 278
Lords and Ladies 427
Love-apple 201
Love in Idlenefs 405
Lucerne ‘rie 207
Lungwort 498
Lupin 354
Lychnidea _ 210
Lychnis _ 275
Mad-apple 202
Madder 164
Magnolia 300
Maidenhair 491
te D . Golden 493
Mallow 341
ALES Cape 342
ES Common 341
nn » + COL DN AE 342
8 tate, Indian 341
RAT Marfh ib.
TRE Mufk 342
ata ci Vervain ib.
Mandrake 197
Manna 139
Maple, Common 405
eM hy Great ib.
Maple-leaved Service 290
Mare’s-tail 116
Marigold, African _ 36§

Marigold .

ENGLISH NAMES.

; Page
Marigold, Common 403
yt ee Corn 396
aes. +» French 395
Marjoram 309
Marth Elder 239
JR Mallow 341
ser Trefail 176
Marvel of Peru 210,480
May 291
Mays 432, 476
Mayweed 397
Meadia 15
Meadow Grafs 136
se + Pinks 276
PES . Saffron 254
Medlar 291
Medufa’s-head 282
Melia 267
Melon 452
een] hiftle 287
Melongena 202
Mercury, Dog’s 458
bt ares Englifh 221
Mezereon 259
Michaelmas Daify 301
Mignionette 280
Milfoil 397
Mitkwort 346
Mint 306
Miffeltoe A585
Monk’s-hood 298
Moonwort 320, 489
Morel 502
Mofs, Bog - 493
ee ete 499
«+++ Rhen-deer ib,
Beni bk ree 498
Nolf’s claw 493
Mountain Ath 29!

Moufe-ear Hawkweed 381

Page

Moufe-ear Scorpion-
grafs 180
Mugwort 386
Mulberry 435
Mullein 191
Mufhrooms SOI
Muik 3375 344
Muftard Al, 325
Myrtle . 289

N.
Narciflus 245
TR Polyanthus … ib.
Nafturtiam, Indian 257
Nectarine 75
Needle Furze 352
Nettle, Dead | 43
Pec ie Stinging 447
Nickar Tree 266
Nightly Primrofe 257
Nightthade 199
A OR ena Deadly 197
None-fo- pretty 270
Nonefuch 368
O.

Oak 436
...- Evergreen 437
‘er Kermes 438
Oat 141
mate Brats ib.
Oil-tree 450
Oleander . 214, 478
Olive 122
Opuntia 287
Ophrys, {piral 419
Orache 466
Orange 370
Orchis, Bee 420
» CARRE Broad-leaved 416
De: Butterfly 412
TN Dwarf 415

Orchis,

INDEX
Page
Orchis, Female 414
2 ETS Fl 420
sers) Fro I
Cr. . Long-fpurred ib.
eh Sos rata Male A14
RTE À Pyramidal 413
Ses: Spider 421
Le Sn". Dpotted 416
we ne Sweet 417
Ofmund Royal 489
Ox-eye Daily 396
Oxflip 172
Palma Chrifti 450
Panfies 405
Park leaves 374
Parnafhia 239
Parfley, Fool’s 57
ee de True 56, 236
Parfnep 235
Parfnep, Cow 237
rer Water 229
Pafque-flower 301
Paflion-flower 423, 478
Pea 34
-.. Everlafting 358
.. + Painted Lady 357
..- oweet-fcented ib.
... Tangier ib.
Peach A
Pear 73> 78» 291
Pellitory of the wall 464
Peony 297
Periwinkle 213
Petty Whin 352
Phillyrea 120, 207
Pig-nut 237
Pine-apple 243
Pineafter 443
Pine, Cembra 444
.... Frankincenfe ib.

OT THE
. Page
Pine, Scotch 443
. Stone 444
.... Weymouth ib:
.... White 445
5... Wild ib.
Pink zat
ses CHINA ib:
Pitch-tree 443
Plane 442
Plantain 165
Ye de tree 403
bosse Water 254
Plum 74 75
Plumeria 215
Polyanthus 172
+ ee Narciflus 246
Polypody 490
Pompion 451
Pondweed 169
Poplar 4575 485
Poppy 295
Potato 201
Prickly Pear 288
Primrofe 17E
rs. Nightly 257
ee AT Tree 256
Princes Feather 448
Privet 122
Puff-ball 502
Purflain 278
Quaking- orate 136
Quick or Quich 147
Quick in hand 407
Quince 75» 291
Radifh 41, 322
Ragged Robin 276
Ragwort 399
Rampion 187
Ranunculus 302

Rattan

ENGLISH NAMES.

Page

Rattan 252
Rattle, Yellow ge
Ray-grafs 145
Reed 142
Reed-mace 430,
Refeda, Sweet 280
Reftharrow 352
Rhapontick 264
Rhododendron 268
Rhubarb 263
Rice 252, 470
Rie 143
- 4:7 gras 145
Rocket 273323
Rofe 293
. China 343
Rofemary 4%, 124
Rue 267
Rufh 153, 252
. Flowering 265

.. Sweet ra)
Saffron, Meadow 24, 254
Sage 42, 124
Saint-foin 366
. John’s wort 772

. Peter’s wort 479
Sallow 455
Salfafy 379
Saltwort 233
Sampire 233
cnet foe Golden ib.
ie oi eed Marth 233
Sattin, White 320
Satyrion, Frog 417
ue LUE Lizard ib.
Sauce-alone 323
Savin 459
Saxifrage 269
Ad MR. ae Pyramidal ib.
PAUSE ee! WN Grit 270

Page.
Scabious 159.
Scammony 185
Scorpion Sena 364
Scorzonera 379
Scurvy-grafs 721
Sea Colewort 324
Sea-weed 500
Sedge 1535 433: 478
Sedum 274.
Self-heal AZy TE
Sena, Bladder 360
. Scorpion ' 364
Senega 347
Senfitive 466
Service, Domeftic 291
ER NCE Maple-leaved- 290
Shaddock 370
Shepherd’s needle 238
pias cure ae
Sherardia 164
Silver-buth 353
Skull-cap 311
Smallage 236
Snails 368
Snapdragon Ag. 914
Snowdrop 244, 475
Softgrafs 152
Solomon’s feal 249
Sorrel 253
Southernwood 380
Sowthiltle 380
Spanifh-nut 442
Spatling Poppy : Da.
Speedwell 123
SE SR Water 124
Spelt 146
Spider-wort, Virgi- |
nian 244
Spinach 456
Spiræa 201
Spleenwort 489
iL Spruce

INDEX OF THE

Page
Spruce Fir 445
Spurge, Broad-leaved 284
er Petty 283
Bas ee Sun ib.
sapere dais Wood ib.
Spurge-Laurel 259
Squath 451
Stapelia 217
Star-Thiftle 403
Starwort 391
Stock-gilliflower 27, 323
Stonecrop 274
Strawberry 294
Jr eee Tree 269
Succory 381
Sugar 153
Sumach 238
Sunflower 71, 399
Sun Spurge 283
Swallow-wort 216
Sweet Briar 293
EE Refeda 280
De u 252
Dre Sultan 401
ME AE , William 271
Sycamore 465
Syringa 289
T'acamahaca 458
Tame-poifon 216
Tanfy 385
Tare 358
Teafel 159
Tea-tree 296
Thiftle 382
pets, 5 Bleffed 402
Re CURE Globe 404
Thorn-apple 192
Thrift 240
Vhroatwort 188
Thyme, Garden 309

Page
Thyme, Wild 308
Toad-flax 45» 313
... Lnreedeaveny... 218
Tobacco 195
Tomatos 202
Torch-thiftle 287
Touch me not 407
Tradefcantia 244
Tree, Primrofe 256
Trefoil, Bird’s foot 367
....., Honeyfuckle ib.
Rib A 24. Marth 176
een Purple 367
ns ira White ib.
SE et Yellow ib.
Truffle 502
Trumpet-flower 316
Tulip 248
er. ECE 299
‘Turbith 185
Turkey Corn 432
Turmerick 118
Turnep 324
Turnfole 179
Tutfan 374
T'wayblade 419
T'wyblade ib.
Valerian 477

Venus’s Comb

Venus’s Looking-glafs 189
nn ee Slipper 423
Vernal-grafs 160
Veronica 122
Vervain 124
Vetch 358
sion. à Crimfon Grafs 357
Vetchling, Yellow ib.
Violet 404, 477
. . Dog 405
a Net Sweet ib

ENGLISH NAMES.

Page Page
Violet, Water 177. White Beam-tree 290
Viper’s buglofs Be aoe ce Sattin 320
Virginian Spider-wort 244 ..... Thorn 290
W. Wild Briar 263
be à Williams 276
Wake-Robin 426 Willow 453, 481
Wall-flower MEU ee. aos French 257
Wall-Pepper A au herb ib.
Walnut at as OES Hooded 311
Water-Crefs 229, 326 Winter Aconite 299
ae nate Dropwort ARE ss: CII 100, 200
ole» FiemIock rie Es Crefs 322
.... Lemon 426 Woad 324.
pe A Lily 296 Wolf’s-bane 298
sc itay Parfnep 229 Woodbind 204
+ ok dantain 254 Woodroof 164
MT Violet 177 Woodwaxen 351
Wayfaring tree 239 Wormwood 386
Way Thiftle 382 Wrack 500
Weld 280
Wheat 145 Yarrow 397
Whin 352 Yellow Rattle 242
by cx Petty ib, Yew 460
Ll2 INDEX

LATIN NAMES,

A. Page
iA campeftre 465

AcerPfeudoplatanus ib.
Achillea Millefolium 397

Achyranthes 474
Aconitum Anthora 298
be aie AB Napellus ib.
Acorus Calamus 262
Acroftichum 489
Adenanthera 481
Adianthum Capillus Ve-
neris 491
Æfculus Hippocafta-
num 255
Æthufa Cynapium 58
Agaricus Chantarellus 501
Sint cee er campettris ib.
Agave Americana 250
Agrimonia Eupatoria 279
Agroftemma Githago 275
Aira 135
Ajuga reptans 307
Alcea ficifolia 343
piss) TOLER ib.
Alchemilla alpina 167
Ue ne pentaphyllea 168
BS APS ty Se vulgaris 167
Alifma Plantago 254
Alopecurus pratenfis 133

Page
Althea officinalis 341
Amaranthus caudatus 448

el LU à cruentus ib,
on de eee ge melancho-
licus ib.
ay fanguineus ib,
Dr ee sos @ PICOLOT (1. 2,
Amaryllis 474
nie de QUE Regine 247
RASE 7 formofifima ib.
RCE farnienfis ib,
Ambrofinia 481

Anacardium occiden-

tale 262
Andrachne 476
Anemone coronaria 302
ne i Te Hepatica 301
a. so o's horrepfs 302
Oa. at ee nemorofa 301
FER Pulfatilla ib.
Anethum Feeniculum 235
2 tie Pete graveolens 236
Angelica Archangelica 234
0e M fylveftris ib.
Anthemis nobilis 397

pin oe wa odora-
150
Anthyllis Barba Jovis 353
Anthyllis

LATIN

| Page
Anthyllis Vulneraria 353
Antirrhinum 477
AntirrhinumLinaria45,313

wer. . Lie majus 45,314
v FREY EN mon{pef-
fulanum 315
ss... purpureümib.
SAR ie te ete repens ib.
s...:...:. triphyllum ib.
Apium graveolens 236
We ac: Petrofelinum :b.
Apocynum 480
Aquilegia vulgaris 298
Arabis alpina 324
wee ftricta ib,
s+... thajiana ib.
Rie xi Turrita 41, ib.
Arbutus Unedo 269
Arctium Lappa 384
Arenaria 273
Arethufa 477
Artemifia Abrotanum 386
...... Abfinthium ib.
*.s.:.campeñtris ib.
FT APT NE maritima 387
d'ahédaa pontica 386
eR vulgaris ib.
Arum 479
Ween maculatum 427
Arundo phragmitis 142
Afarum europeum 278
Afclepias 480, 482
seeeeee Vincetoxicum 216
Afperula odorata 164
Afplenium Scolopen-
drium 490
After Amellus 391
»-.. chinenfis 392
.... grandiflorus ib.
»... lripolium ib.
Afronium 473, 481

NAMES.

Page
Atriplex _ 465
Atropa Belladonna 1096
gee. J Mandragora 198
Avena fatua 142
Mie. Hayéfeens ib.
oie es « Tativa ib.
Ayenia 3 478

a

Ballota nigra 308
Banifteria 473

Berberis vulgaris 251, 480
Beta maritima

221

. vulgaris 222
Betonica officinalis 307
Betula alba 434
dai «4 Alnus ib.
Bidens cernua 385
+»... tripartita ib.
Bignonia Catalpa 317
-+..4.. radicans 316
Bifcutella 481
Boletus 501
Bombax 340
Borago officinalis 182
Brafhca Napus 324
Hie s/s oleracea ib.
eo ea Rapa ib.
Briza 135; 136
Bromelia 480
Romie Ananas 243
Bromus giganteus 141
sats sa MONS 140
ave.) enemeralis 141
sso... polymorphus 140
sata «a fecalinus ib.
Gard Meer Nas 141
Brownea coccinea 340
Bryum pomiforme 494
“se. pyriforme tb.
CPL rurale ib.
ib.

Wee wave truncatulum
L13 Bunium

INDEX OF

Page

Bunium Bulbocafta-
num 237
Butomus umbellatus 265
Buxus fempervirens 435
Byttneria ; 478

C.

Cactus cochinillifer 289
..... flagelliformis 288

“ha grandiflorus 287
gies =" Opuntia 289
Calamus Rotang 252

Calendula officinalis 403
Campanula 186, 474, 48t

Canna 117
Cannabis fativa 450
Capparis fpinofa 296
Capficum annuum 203
Cardamine pratenfis 325
Cardiofpermum 476
Carex 153: 433 478
Carpinus Betulus 441
À de REND Oftrya ib.
Carum Carui 236
Caffida 311
Caflyta 472
Celofia 480
Se; age CT tea 212
Centaurea benedicta 402
xs coiakoua tee Calcitrapa 403
ne Ge Shae Centaureum 4or
sn Cyanus 402
bb digas Ne" montana ib.
ere mofchata 401
foes ene Ve nigra ib.
se eee Scabiofa 402
Cercis 3403 472
Cerinthe major 182
M aise minor ib.
Ceftrum diurnum 209
rh noéturnum ib,

Page
Chærophyllum fylveftre23 1
PRS +2 lhe ..temulum ib.
Cheiranthusannuus 323
ile Gwe . Cheiri ib.
owes A . .incanus27, 323
Chenopodium Bonus
Henricus par
Cherleria 478
Chironia Centaurium 226
Chlora perfoliata 226, 260
Chryfanthemum coro-

narium 396
Sets. +» aide .. Leucar-

themum ib.
Bod ‘a 0 FENG fegetum ib.
Cichoreum Endivia 382
PRIT RS Intybus 381
Cicuta virofa 231
Cinchona officinalis 216
Cinna 151
Ciffampelos 478, 481
Ciflus 489
Ciftus 290
Citrus Aurantium wy
ahd paints decumana ib.
sx » « Medica 259
Clutia 481
Cochlearia anglica 322
eas se tOTMOfaRia. rb.
ie Fk officinalis 321
Coffea arabica 208

Colchicum autumnale 254
Colutea arborefcens 360

ch ie frutefcens 361
+. eas hesbaces ib.
Commelina 481
Conferva $Co
Conium maculatum 230
Convallaria majalis 249
Convolvulus arvenfis 184
AS ME ,.. purpurens ib.

Convolvulus

nia 185
eo :.. fepium 184
ee AMEL US tricolor 185
Coriandrum fativum 235
Coronilla Emerus 364
Corylus Avellana 441
Mt Coke 442
Cotula 396
Cotyledon 473
Crambe maritima LS
Craflula 473
Cratægus Aria 290
ORNE ER Azarolus 291
dlerete trees coccinea 299
SS NS Crus-galli 1b.
,...1... Oxyacantha ib.
Wes tee tomminalis. -.rb,

Crithmum maritimum 233
Croton

473
Cucubalus Behen 274
Cucumis Melo 452
PRE fativus ib.
Cucurbita 473
AE lagenaria 451
sn usmMelopepo. |... ib.
MES TOR Pepo ib.
RTE verrucofa 452
Cupreffus difticha 447
Jar. fempeivirens.446
Cufcuta 168, 472
Cyclamen europæum 176
ARE perficum ib.
Cynanchum 480

Cynara Scolymus 383
Cynogloflum ofhcinale 181

Cynofurus criftatus 150
Cyperus 153
Cypripedium Calce-

olus 422,477
Cytitus hirfutus 362

NAMES.

Page
rian oe Laburnurm 362
de T0 fefilifolius ib.

D.

Dalechampia 476
Daphne Laureola 259
A CHE Mezereum ib.
Datura ferox 193
= RER Stramonium ib.
Wess cts Fatula ib.
Daucus Carota 232
Delphinium Ajacis 298
ME TER Confolida ib.
sin er Ramat a EARLY ib.
Dianthus barbatus BI
HEURE Caryophyllus ib.
À: RE chinenfis ib.
~ ++.» plumarius ib.
Dictamnus 266, 481
Digitalis purpurea 316
Dionza Mufcipula 267
Diofma 209, 478
eee fullonum 160
2 PORC fylveltris ib.
Loto Meadia 175

Doronicum Bellidiaf-
trum 395
Det «tna pardalianches394
.s.....plantagineum ib.
Dracocephalum cana-
rienfe 310
FE,
Echinops fphærocephal.404
Echites

472

Echium vulgare 183

Epidendrum 4775478
Epilobium angultifo-

lium 257

Rib ore das hirfutum ib.

Epimedium 478

Equifetum arvente 488

SPSS, hyemale ib.

14 Equi-

INDEX OF

Page
Equifetum limofum 488
FE fylvaticum ib.
Erica cinerea 258
de eerie ib.
. . vulgaris ib.
Eriophorum 152
Erodium 340
Eryfimum Alliaria 323
| ee Barbarea ib.
See ye officinale 322
Erythronium 474
Erythroxylon ib.
Eupatorium cannabi-
num 384
Euphorbia amygdaloi-
des 283
deste oe . antiquorum 282
do .. canarienfis ib.
Dale .... Caput Me-
dufæ ib.
TE Cypariflas 284
var. NE heliofcopia 283
db ce ilggye Lathyris 284
.......0ofhcinarum 282
ST Peplus 283
Euphrafia oficinalis 313
F.
Fagus Caftanea 440
EE fylvatica ib.
Ferula Affa foctida 237
Sei ates communis ib.
Feftuca fluitans 139
ak). ibd ovina 138
Fevillea 479, 481
Ficus carica 469
Fragaria fterilis 294
Jane vefca ib.
Frankenia 1475
Fraxinusamericana 468
Man à excelfior ib.
ve Ornus ib.

Page
Fritillaria 475
Fucus 500
Fumaria officinalis 346

Galanthus nivalis 244, 475

Galium Aparine 165
ins AE Mollugo ib.

PAL © paluftre ib.
dite verum ib.
Gardenia florida 122,215
Garidella 479
Genifta anglica 352
PE tinétoria 351
Gentiana acaulis 226
Das. » ki Centaurium * ib.
Ae cciavedts lutea 225
Geranium arduinum 337

+... + capitatum 335

- see. CICONIUM 337
L'RERE . cicutarium 336

. columbinum 339
. .. cucullatum 334
..... « diflectum

339
ey ee fulgidum 333
Pete hae - gruinum 337
e+e ee INquinans 333
give ine a lucidum 338
. molle ib.
iso. inks . mofchatum 337
APE odoratifh-
FPE À
trie papiliona-
ceum 324
K à owt phæum 337
or Kd pratenfe 1b.
...... Robertianum338
ee rotundifolium ib.
CA PORT ONE fanguineum 3 30
ct a tei 336
Là ete vitifolium 335
À SRE . zonale 334

I Glechoma

LATIN NAMES.

LE Page
Glechoma hederacea 306
Gleditfia inermis 467
ae triacanthos _ib.
Glycyrrhiza glabra 365

Gnaphalium margarita-

ceum 387
002 eee orientale ib.
Gomphrena globofa 223
Goflypium 341
Grewia 474
Grielum 473
Gualtheria 480
Hamamelis 478
Hartogia 476
Hedyfarum coronarium 366
PPT CPE Onobrychis ib.
Helianthus annuus 309
KART TE multiflorus ib.
er: x: tuberofus 400
Helicteres 476
Heliotropium europæ-

um 179
n'as af .. peruvianum ib.
Helleborus feetidus 299
FN <i ..hyemalis ib.
aie niger ib.
Heracleum Sphondylium

237
Hermannia 331,480
Hernandia 472
Hefperis 275323
Hibifcus Abelmofchus 344
: CPRREE efculentus 1.
....... RofaSinenfis ib.
ROME Sabdariffa ib.
delai” dings fyriacus 343
art és vitifolius 344
Hieracium murorum 381
pee esate 5 Pilofella ib.
Hippuris vulgaris ls

Pige
Holcus lanatus 152
SY oe mollis ib.
Hordeum diftichon 144
nr. hexaftichon :b.
+ TOR murinum ib.
7. ee pratenfe 145
“OCR vulgare 144
“he On Zeocriton ïb.
Hottonia paluftris 177
Humulus Lupulus 456
Hyacinthus non fcrip-
tus 250,475
Wry er orientalis ib.
Hydrophyllum 480
Hiofcyamus niger 193
Hypericum Androfæ-
ame 374
Mia à Afcyron ib.
Je« sss scbalearicum. ib.
-++.-Canarienfe 373
«+e hircinum ib.
.....humifufum ib.
eee eee. monogynum 375
CR oye es perforatum 372
-+.»epulchrum 373
TEST quadrangulum ib.
Hypnum fericeum 495
I.
Iberis amara 321
Iberis umbellata ib.
Ilicium 476
Impatiens 477
Mn yea <a Balfamina 407
.:.....Nolitangere ib.
Indigofera 304
Inula crithmoides 233
Bb ws dyfenterica 394
Re Helenium 393
MS oy pulicaria 394
Ipomæa 185
Irefine 4735 481

Iris

s

INDEX OF

Page
Pris 4745 475
. florentina 155
... germanica ib.
-.. perfica 157
. Pfeudacorus 155
.. fufiana 157
Ifatis tin€toria 324
ifopyrum 479
Juglans alba 439
SANT regia ib.
Juncus 153,252
aan barbadenfis 460
ah ae bermudiana 459
MNT communis ib.
pitas tae . lycina 460
» + 011000 oxycedrus tb.
aah IS AN phoenicea ib.
Res ,. Sabina 459
ir tie ithenfera V2,400
A rte virginiana ib.
Kiggelaria 4745 481
Kleinhovia 478
Krameria 482
Lamium album 43
Lathræa 472, 481
Lathyrus Aphaca 357
MR Re latifolius 258
LR ES Niffolia 357
. odoratus ib.
. paluftris 353
Ce c pratenfis ib.
Fs a Fay fylveftris ib.
Be ed tingitanus 357
Laurus 474
Va it nobilis 262
Lecythis 475
Leontice 474
Lichen caninus 499
HIDE geographicus 497

Page
Lichen parietinus 497
PRE pulmonarius 49%
MS rangiferinus 499
à cit. foriptus 497
Lilium candidum 22
Limeum 480
Limodorum 477
Linum ufitatifimum 241

Liriodendron Tulipifera 300
Lithofpermum arvenfe 181

ANR 7 ofhcinale180
Lolium perenne 149
Bee ey temulentum ~ 1b.
Lonicera alpigena 205
. Caprifolium 204

» ... . Periclymenum ib.
=i . fempervirens ib.
. Xylofteum 205

Lotus corniculatus 367
Lunaria annua 320
we... rediviva ib.
Lupinus albus 354
Mer anguftifolius 355
ce ee HirÉutus 354
ve. + luteus 355
tyes.) PERRIS 354
se. +. pilofus 355

Hate varius ib.
Lychnis chalcedonica 275

ee. 11 VOIONCR 276
Soc: whe PIS COENANTE
= Say aphelis Vifcaria 275
Lycoperdon Bovifta 502

«it EMREr ib.
Lycopodium 492
Lycopfis arvenfis 182
Lythrum Salicaria 278
Malpighia 47 3 481
Malva alcea 342
‘+... Capenfis ib.

Malva

LATIN
ae Page
Malva Mofchata | 342
ue. rotundifolia ib.
afd. aie fylveftris 341

Marchantia polymorpha 496
Marrubium album 308
Matricaria Parthenium 397

Medicago lupulina 368
-.,.....polymorpha ib.
eae fativa 307
Melaftoma 473
Melia 476
Melianthus 481
Melica VAN
MeliiiaCalamintha 310
die oe Nepeta ib.
4o8 +. fcothcinalis ib.
Menyanthes trifoliata 176
Mercurialis 475
Bae thi perennis 458
Mefembryanthemum 292
Mefpilus 291
Mimofa nilotica 406
+. pudica ib.
Mirabilis 480
due ones dichotoma 211
Se Jalapa 210
drag longiflora 211

Mniumhygrometricum 494
Momordica Elaterium 451

Monnieria 473
Monotropa 481
Morus alba 435
eae nigra 436
ME - papyrifera ib.
M. - tinctoria ib.
Mufa 476
» ++. paradifiaca 463
.... fapientum ib.
Myofotis fcorpioides 180
Myofurus 480
Myrtus communis 289

NAES.

N. Page
Narciflus 478
ee Jonquilla 245
Shs eek poeticus ib.
en. 2 Pfeudonarciffus ib.
|”. UNS T'azetta 1b.
Nepeta Cataria 307

Nerium Oleander 214, 478
Nicotiana ruftica

195
x. Op ie Tabacum ib.
Nigella 479
NyCtanthes pue
Nymphæa alba 296
AS as ee lutea ib.

OF

Oenanthe crocata 224
Gi. tm fiitulofa ib.
Oenothera biennis
Olax

wb D
Un SI La
UD CO ON

Lu
Ce

Ononis inermis
.. 0+. fpinofa :
Onopordon Acanthium 383
Ophioglofiumvulgatum 489

Ophioxylon . 481
Ophrys 419, 477
st ee apifera 420
“ae aranifera 421
Ss infectifera 420
BPA as « mufcifera ib.
CE ovata 419
Pas. fpiralis ib.
Orchis 412, 477
CR TE bifolia 3
Aa conopiea A17
1... fuciflora 420
LE ee latifolia 416

.. maculata ib.
og See maicula 414
ry Re he morio ib.
Ah... mufciflora 420
Re. pyramidalis + 413
M: ultulata 415

Origanum

INDEX OF

Page
Otiganum Diétamnus 310
de heracleoticum 309
et Majorana ib.
‘4s ie Onites ib.
NOTES . vulgare ib.

Orobanche major 312, 472

Oryza fativa 252
Ofmunda Lunaria 489
deere. de regalis ib.
wey TAN Spicant ib.
FP.
Pancratium 478
Papaver cambricum 296
HET ae orientale 205
EURE Rhæas ib.
fr de fomniferum ib.
Parietaria officinalis 465

Parnafhia paluftris 239, 473

Paffiflora cærulea 424
roses incarnata 425
bone laurifolia 426
Fed .. maliformis 426
Paftinaca fativa 235
Paullinia 482
Peganum 479
Pelagonium 340
Peloria 314
Periploca 478
Phalaris canarienfis 133
Phallus efculentus 502

Fhafcum 492
Phellandriumaquaticumz3r
Philadelphus coronarius289

Phleum pratenfe 133
Phlox 210
Phyllanthus 480
Phyfalis Alkekengi 199
Pinguicula 124, 477
Pinus Abies 445
Ba Balfamea 446
seis x Cedrus 445

Pagé
Pinus Cembra 444
Bares Larix 445
de icea ib.
‘ Pinea 444
Bis Strobus ibs
cee 30 Te 443
de a æda 444
Plantago lanceolata 166
da, ME: major ib.
Tee media ib.
Platanus occidentalis 442
yp a orientalis ib.
Plukenetia 472
Plumbago 474, 481
Plumeria rubta 216
Poa 137
Polemonium cæruleum 189
are myrtifdlia 347
oa. Senega
Hs a vulgaris ib
Polygonum aviculate 261
He Biftorta 260
......., Convolvulus26t

...../Fagopyrum ib.
Polypodium Filix mas 491

wee+eeseeVulgare 490
Polytrichum commune 493
Populus alba 457
....+-.balfamifera 458
Re 2e nigra ib.
Dita in 0 tremula 457
Porella 492
Portulaca oleracea 278

Potamogeton crifpum 170
Sales ae ches SEROUS ib.
perfoliatum ib.
Poterium Sanguiforba 449

Primula acaulis 172
see 20 Auricula 174
css. s « VETIS 172
‘...., vulgaris ib.

Prunella

LATIN NAMES.

Page Page
Prunella vulgaris 311 Roella 474, 481
Prunus Armeniaca 74 Rofa canina 293
agentes Cerafus ib. - tubiginofa ib.

- - domeftica ib. RumexAcetofa 253
Pteris aquilina 490 ..... Acetofella ib.
; . .acutus ib.
Quafha 473 + -+..crifpus 252
Quercus coccifera 438 .....Hydrolapathum2s5 3
1.1. digs AT « . obtufus ib.
Sete sts Robur WH rete = |. pulcher 252
oe Suber 438 .....fanguineus ib.
R. Rufcus 478, 481
Ranunculus 474 . . aculeatus 461
PT: HE" « - acris 302 *. . . . androgynus ib.
’ + + . «aquatilis 303 - + Hypogloffum ib,
PT CICR arvenfis ib. - Hypophyllum ib,
tis: + «raglanaticus 1b, . racemofus 462
+... +. .auricomus ib. Ruta graveolens 267
+... . + . .bulbcfus 302 5:
tee +... Ficaria 303 Saccharum officinarum 153
’ . - hederaceus ib. Sagittaria fagittifolia 449
ABP og repens 302 Salicorniaeuropza 233
++...» fceleratus 303 Salix 473
KReaumuria 480 ,.. alba 454
Refeda 473 - -.amygdalina ib.
. Luteola 280 . babylonica ASS
. odorata ib, . . . caprea ib.
Rhamnus Alaternus 207 + purpurea 454
os. + . Gatharticus 206 . viminalis ib.
> +... Frangula ib. Salix vitellina 452
MEN, Paliurus 207 Salfola Kali 222
Rheumcompactum 264 . Soda ib.
+... palmatum 265 Salvia officinalis 125
. Rhabarbarum 264 . pratenfis ib.
. Rhaponticum ib. . verbenaca ib.
Rhinanthus Criftagalli 313 Samyda 474
Rhodiola 481 Sanguiforba officinalis 450
Rhus typhinum 238 Sapindus 482
Ricinus communis 450 Satyrium 477
RobiniaCaragana vs Porter hircinum 417
e ¢ ++ ePfeudacacia 39,363 :.... viride ib.

Sauvagelia

INDEX OF

Page

Sauvagefia 476
Saxifraga Cotyledon 269
ss NE granulata 270
Gee. Le hypnoides 271
sc NEE umbrofa 270
Scabiofa arvenfis 161
GE sis atropurpurea 163
Cees. columbaria 162
+. ee fuccifa 161
Scandix Anthrifcus 227
à à EE Cerefolium ib.
. Peéten 238
Schoenus 153
Schrebera 473
Scirpus 153
Scorpiurus 369
Scorzonera hifpanica 380
Scrophularia aquatica 316
BE AMEN nodofa 315

Scutellaria galericulata 311

Secale cereale 143
Sedum 473
. acre 274

Sempervivum tectorum 284

Senecio clegans 390
. Jacobæa ib.
. vifcofus 389
. vulgaris ib.
Serapias 477
Serratula arvenfs 382
Silene 273; 478
Sinapis alba 22
i . arvenfis ib.
SUN Migra ib.
Sifymbrium Sophia 327
AV ree Nafturtium
220, 326
Sium nodidorum 229
Solanum Dulcamära -- 200

« « . + . Lycoperficum 201
Melongena 202

ey at ste

_Page

Solanum nigrum 201
d . Pfeudocapficum2oo
. tuberofum 201
Solidago cambrica 392
SOP... Virgaurea ib.
Sonchus oleraceus — 380
Sophora 349
Sorbus aucuparia 298
. domeftica ib.

Sparganium éreétum 431
-ramofum :b.
MU . fmplex ib.

Spartium junceum 360
6 . Scoparium 1b.
«++. + monofpermum
35!
o's) eo APIROE <= ab:
Sphagnum paluftre 492
Spinacia fera 456
fr.» «+ oleracea ib.
Stapelia 217; 480, 482
Staphylæa 478
Statice Armeria 240
Stellaria 273
Swertia 474
Swietenia 476
Symphytum SA pere ISE
Tabernæmontana 472
Tagetes ereéta 395
. patula ib.

Tamuscommunis 457,474

Tanacetum vulgare 386
Taxus baccata 400
Teucrium 307
‘Theobroma 478
TS rae Cacao 370
Thymus Serpyllum 308
ess a vulgaris 309
Tilia europæa 296
Tinus. © 478

Tradefcantia

LATIN NAMES,

Page
Tradefcantia virginica 244
Fragonegen porrifoli-

379

a) ay OR pratenfe ib.
Trichilia 479
Trifolium pratenfe 39, 367
HAT. - repens 367
Triticum eftivum 146
A ieee caninum 147
DE pue hybernum 145
sae. polonicum 146
RNA repens 147

«.. Opelta 146
OG So turgidum ib.
Trollius 479
Tropzolum 477, 481
Heth ks nee majus 256
dE Se minus ib.
Tulipa gefneriana 248
A te fylveftris ib.
Tufilago Farfara 388
Med = Petafites 389
Tye anguftifolia 431
. latifolia 430

V.
Valantia Cruciata 464
Vallifneria 475
Verbafcum nigrum 192
» Thapfus 191
Veronica agrelitis 124
sl. arveRus ib..
wettest eut Becabunga ib.
Veronica Chamedrys 123
Ly, PE hederifolia 124

Page
Veronica officinalis 123
Viburnum Lantana 230
‘ne . Opulus ib.
A ei ais Tinus ib.
Vicia 473
. . . Cracca 359
. . dumetorum ib.
. . Faba 360
. lathyroides 359
. . fativa ib,
fylvatica ib.
Vinca major 213
+ minor ib.
. . rofea 214
Viola canina 405
. odorata ib.
. tricolor ib,
Vifcum album 455
Ulex europæus 352
Ulmus campettris 224
Ulva 5co
Urtica 447,478
Utricularia 477
Uvularia 475
W.

Winterana 478
LR
Xeranthemum annuum 388

nerd” aie?! fpecioff-
fimum ib.
fi.
Zea Mays 432
Zagophyllum 476, 481

NATURAL

NATURAL TRIBES OR ORDERS OF

ce Pa:

NT 33

Mentioned or explained in the foregoing Letters.

Page
GGREGATE,
Let. vi. xv.
Algæ 106, 495
Amentacez 442

Apetalous, Let. xvit.
Afperifoliæ, Let. xvi. 177

Calamariæ 439
Campanaceæ, Let. xvi. 183
Caryophylleous, Let.

XIX. 272
Columniferous, Let.
XXiv. 330

Compound, Let. vi. xxvi.

Coniferæ 440
Contortæ, Let. xvi. 212
Coronariz 248
Cruciform, Let. ii. xxiii.
Cucurbitaceæ 451
Enfatæ 145, 244
Ferns 105,487
Fungi 106, sol
Graffes, Let. xii.

Juliferæ 442

Labiate, Let. iv. xxii.

Page
Leguminous, Let. iii.
Liliaceous, Let. i. xviii.

Luridæ, Let. xvi. 190
Moffes, Let. xxxii. 105
Multifiliquze 297

Oleracez, Let. xvii. xix.
Orchidez, Let. xxvii.

Palms 107

Papilionaceous, Let. ili.
XXV.

Perfonate, Let. iv. xxii.

Preciæ, Let. xvi. 171

Ringent, Let. iv. xxii.

Sarmentaceæ 248
Scitamineæ, Let. xi
Siliculofæ, Let. xxiii.
Siliquofz ib.
Solonaceæ, Let. xvi. 199
Spathaceæ 248
Stellatæ, Let. xv. 163
Verticillate 306

Umbellate, Let. v. xvii.

INDEX.

ND

Eco x

OF

Tee ÉMIS |

Cafually explained in the courfe of this Work.

A. Page

CEROSE leaves 445

: Aggregate flowers 67,
103, 159

Ala 50
Algæ 105, 114
Ancipital 373

Angiofpermia 99, 306, 312

Anther 5229
Apetalous flowers 221
Apophyfis 493
Aril 93; 121, 209
Afperifoliæ 177
Awn 143
Axil 5059 371
Axillary 359
Banner 35
Beard 43
Biennial plants 280
Bifid Stigma 29
Bilocular 99
Bipinnate 386
Boat 36
Border of a petal 29
Braéte 149, 484
Bulb - 24
Calycled 378
Calyptre 492

Page
25, 28, 63, 65
Campanaceæ 183
Campanulate flowers 185
Capitate flowers 67, 377
Capfule 45
Capfula circumfcifla 278
Caryophylleous plants 272

Calyx

Cafque 435 125
Chait 130
Ciliate 134
Circumfciffa capfula 278
Claw of a petal 28
Columniferous 330
Complete flowers 87, 95

Compound flowers 63, 66,

94

Conjugate leaves 199
Connate 204
Contortæ 212
Convergent 198
Cordate 52
Corolla 22
.... monopetalous 23
“HP: polypetalous 22
Crenate 435
. Crenulate 414
Cruciform flowers 29

Cryptogamia 06, 105, 114
Culm 130
M m Cyathiform

IN De =

Page
Cyathiform 316, 478
Cyme 55
Decandria 89
Decurrent leaves 181

Diadelphia 31, 36, 98; 349
Diandria 87
Dichotomous 456
Dicotyledonous 131
Didynamia 43,91, 305
Digitate leaves 168
Digynia 99
Dicecia 96, 105, 1135 453
Difcous or Difcoid

flowers 102, 377
Ditk 65
Dodecandria 89
Down 69

E
Emarginate 525 371
Enneandria 89
Enfiform leaves 155

F,
Falls 155
Farina 23
Ferns 105
Filament 23
Filices 105
Florets 64, 68, 377
Flofcules 64
Flofculous flowers 65, 100

Follicle 213
Follioles 28, 168
Frond 490
FruCification 22
Fulcra 484
Fungi or Fungufes 106,

114, 501
Germ or Ovary 23
Gibbous 30, 380
Glands

40, 48

Page
Gymnofpermia 99, 306
Gynandria 095$, 112, 409
H. .
Habit 60
Head 67
Helmet 42
Heptandria 88
Herbaceous 168
Hexandria ‘88
Hortus ficcus 76
Hybernacula 25
Hybridous plants 314, 39°
I,
Icofandria 75, 89
Imbricate 68, 166
Inconfpicuous flowers 96
Inferior flowers _ 52
Inflorefcence 272
Involucre 56, 301
Irregular flowers 34
Keel 6
L. ;
Labiate 42, 312
Lamina 29
Leaflets 28, 30
Legume 38, 93
Leguminous 39
Ligulate flofcules 64, IOl,
377
Liliaceous 22; 243
Linear leaf 130
Lurid plants 190
M.
Monadelphia 925 330
Monandria 875 115
Monocotyledonous 131
Monœcia 95, 104, 113 429
Monogamia 104
Monogynia 99
Monopetalous 23, 44
Mono-

OF TERMS.

Page
55
105, E14, 491
ib.

Monophyllous
Mofles
Mufci

N.
NeClary 1175130,217,xxxi.

Neuter flofcules 101
O.
Qbcordate 347
Obfolete 418
Otandria 89
Oleraceous plants 222
Ovary 22
Ovato cordate 400
Bs;

Palmate leaves 42

EE R roots 410
Palms 107, 114
Panicle 132
Papilionaceous 39
Peduncle 35
Peltate leaf 256
Pentandria 88
Perfect flofcules ICT
M we flowers 95
Pericarp 24, 130
Perichætium 494
Permanent 53
Perfonate 425 453 312
Petals 22
Pinnate 348
Pinnatifid 150
Pittil ae
Piftilliferous flowers 95
an ht) eee flofcules 101
Pointal 23
Pollen 23
Polyadelphia 94, 369
Polyandria 90
Polygamia 06, 114, 463

«Sms sts Æqualis 377,101
++. Fruftranea 102

Page
Polygamia Neceffaria: 103
Wee Rite « Segregata ib,
AE es eae Superflua ib.
Polymorphous 363
Polypetalous 22, 44
Polyphyllous 160
Preciæ 171
Primary flowers 268
Proliferous 217

lo
Quadrifid corollas 161
Quadrivalvular 103
Quinquefid corollas 162
R.

Raceme 122
Rachis 146
Radiate flower 65
Ray ib.

Receptacle 67, 93, 132,160
Regular flowers 24
Repand 200, 274
Ringent flowers 42,306,312
Rotate corol 123

Sagittate leaves 184, 224

Scape 166, 198, 249
Scariofe 240, 383, 400
Scitamineæ 118
Sea-weeds 106
Secunda panicula 138
Semiflorets 64, 70, 377
Semiflofculous flowers 64,

NT
Serrate 160, 434
Setaceous 139
Silicle 31, 32, 100
Siliculofa 100
Silique 30, 100
Siliquofa 100
Simple flowers 104
Solanaceæ 109

Spadix

l Nob. RTE

Page
Spadix 107
Spathe . 107,154,244
Sphacelate 389
Spicule 136
Spike 132
Squamous 24
Squarrofe 398
Stamen 23

95

. flofcules 101

eee flowers

Sn 355 155
Stellated 163
Stigma 23
Stiped 378
Stipitate ib.
Stipule 484
Strobile 300, 309
Style 23
Superior flowers 52
Syngenefia 94, 376
Tendril 348
‘Ternate leaves 315

Tetradynamia 31,92, 319

Page
Tetrandria 88
Triandria 87
Trilocular 190
Tricecia 105
Trivalvular 154
Truncate 184, 300
Tuberous roots 24
Tubulous flofcules 100
Turbinate 478
Valves 130
Ventricofe 179, 281
Verticillate 43, 116, 306

U.

Umbel 51.217
Umbellate 51, &c.
Umbellule St
Unguis of a petal 28
Unilocular 38
Urceolate 478
Whorl 116
Wings 36

EI NA