150 The Natural Hiffory of Jamaica. 
When any wet touches the end of the Seed Veflel, with a {mart noife, and 
fudden leap it opens its felf, and with a {pring {catters its Seed to a pretty 
diftance round it, where it grows. 
It grows under the Shrubs in the Savanzas about the Town, and is in per- 
fection fome time after a rainy feafon. 
The admirable contrivance of Nature, in this Plant, to propagate its felf, — 
is moit plain, for the Seed-Veflels being the beft preferver of the Seed, ’tis 
there kept from the injurics of Air and Earth, till ic be rainy, when ’tis 
a proper time for it to grow, and then it is thrown round the Earth as 
Grain by a skilful Sower. 
This is a very good Wound-Herb, a very excellent Salve, being made 
with icand Suet boil’d together, and then ftrain’d. 
Iris us’d likewife applied on Iifues to make them run. 
I fhould not have taken this Plant to be mentioned by Dr. Plukenct, as 
above, had not he pofitively faid fo, p.167. of his Mantiffa. 
WI. Convulvulas radice tuberofa efculenta, [pinachia folio, flore alto, funs 
do purpureo, femine poft fingulos flores fingulo. Cat. p. 53+ Patatas de Efque- 
meling, p.54. Batatas Hifpanorum Swert, part.2. Tab. 35. Patales de Bouton, 
p- 47. Patates de Bict. p.334. Rochef. Tabl. p. 48. Convolvulus angulofis fo- 
liis, Malabaricus radice tuberofa eduli. Plukenet. Almag. p. 114. Potatoes of 
Dampier. p.10.0%¢. An Mawandres de Flacourt. p.116? Spanith Patatas. 
The Root is tuberous, for fhape and bignefs very uncertain, but being for 
the moft part oblong, as big as a Hen-Egg, from a fwell'd middle tapering 
to both extremes, yellow, and {weet within when roafted, tafting like a 
boil’d Chef{nut, and having many fibrils, by which it draws its Nourifhment. 
The Stalks are green, a little cornered, and creeping for many Feet in length 
along the furface of the Earth, and putting forth Leaves and Flowers at every 
Inches diftance. The Leaves ftand on five Inch long green Foot-Stalks, 
they are almoft Triangular, having two Ears, anda fharp point oppofite to 
the Foot-Stalk. They are five Inches broad from Earto Ear, and three from 
the Foot-Stalks end to the point, having under them purple Ribs, being foft, 
{mooth, and of a yellowifh green colour, fomething refembling the Leaves 
of Spinage. The Flowers come out ex alis fel. {landing ona three or four 
Inches long, green Foot-Stalk, being monopetalous, Bell Fafhiond, not very 
open, purple within and whitifh without, having in the middle fome Sta- 
mina, anda Stylus. After each Flower ufually follows one Seed, brown, and 
having feveral depreffions in it. It is inclofed in a roundifh, brown, mem- 
branaceous Capfula, under which ftand five brown capfular withered Leaves, 
as inthe other Convolvuli. : | 
There is another Kind of this, the fame in every thing, only the Roots are 
reddifh, which is as common as the white, and grows indifferently with it. 
They are every where planted after a rainy Seafon in the Plantations, for 
Provifion, by the flip, a piece of the Stalk and Leaves, being put either into 
the plain Field after Howing, or into little Hillocks raifed through the Field, 
in which they are thought to thrive better. In four months after planting 
they are ready to be gathered, the ground being fill’d with them, and if 
they continue therein any longer they are caten by Worms, 
Linfchoten, in his Defcription of America, {feems to make Ages and Bata- 
tos two,Roots, which are neverthelefs the fame. | 
They vary very much asto the figure and bignefs of the Root, the cos. 
lour of its Skin being fometimes red, and moft commonly white. They ares 
fometimes turbinated, at other times round, and moft commonly biggefhia: 
the middle, and tapering to both extremes, 1g ae 
= They 
