A 



polfcDnous. This is by fomc writers titled Anthora, 

 ar-;cl by others Anrithora, as the poilbnous kinds have 

 been called Thora. Whenever therefore any of the 

 fpecies of this genus is ordered in medicine, this is the 

 fort intended. 

 Moft, if not all the other forts are efteemed poifon- 

 ous i but thofe with blue flowers are fuppofed to be of 

 a much flronger quality, than the yellow or white 

 flowered kinds. It is confidently affirmed, that the 

 huntfmen on the Alps, who hunt the wolves and other 

 wild animals, dip their arrows into the juice of thefe 

 plants, which renders the wounds made by them deadly. 

 The fixth fort is the firft which flowers ; this grows 

 near four feet high, and the fpikes of flowers are up- 

 ward of two feet long, fo that when it is in flower, it 

 makes a pretty appearance ; and being very hardy, 

 growing in any foil or fituation, and multiplying 

 greatly by the root, has induced many perfons to al- 

 low it a place in their gardens, for the fake of its 



■ flowers, who being ignorant of its dangerous quali- 

 ties, have permitted it to fpread and propagate greatly. 

 It flowers in May and June. The feeds are ripe m 

 September ; but as this fort multiplies fo greatly by 

 the root, it is rarely propagated the other way. 



The firft and fecond forts are the next which flower ; 

 thefe come about the middle of June, and if the fea- 

 fon is not warm, will continue in flower till Auguft. 

 The firft grows upwards of three feet high, and the fe- 

 cond above four, the fpikes of floweVs too in this being 

 much longer than the former. 



The third fort flowers a little later than either of thofe, 

 but feldom grows more than two feet high, and the 

 fpikes of flowers are much fhorter than either of the 

 two laft. 



■ The wholefome Wolfsbane flowers in the middle of 

 Auguft, and often continues in beauty till the middle 

 of September ; the flowers are not fo large as thofe of 

 fome other forts, but being of a fulphur colour, make a 

 pretty appearance in the borders of the flower-garden. 

 This fort will not thrive fo well under the fliade of 

 trees as many of the other forts, and therefore muft 

 have an open expofure. 



The ninth and tenth forts flower the beginning of 

 July. The ninth ufually grows about four feet high, 

 but the tenth I have feen upwards of fix. This fort is 

 atprcfcnt very rare in Europe. It was found by Dr. 

 Tournefort in the Levant, who fent the feeds to the 

 royal garden at Paris, where it was firft cultivated in 

 Europe, and from that garden, others have been fur- 



nifhed with the feeds. 



- - I 



The eighth fort flowers in July, This grows about 

 four feet high, having a long fpike of yellow flowers 

 of a middling fize, wherefore they may be allowed a 

 place among fhrubs, or in fuch parts of the garden as 

 ' are not frequented by children. 

 The fifth, fixth, and feventh forts flower in Auguft, 

 when they make a pretty appearance ; and were it not 

 for their noxious quality, would deferve a place in 

 every garden. There are two or three varieties of the 

 fifth fort, one with white, another with Rofe coloured, 

 and a third with variegated flowers ; but thefe are 

 only varieties which often change. The Napellus mi- 

 nor is alfo apt to change in the colour of its flower; 

 of this fort I have had fome plants with variegated 

 flowers, but they changed in two years and became 

 plain, nor did their feeds produce any plants with va- 

 riegated flowers. The feventh fort will grow to the 

 height of five feet in good ground i the flowers are 

 very large, but not many upon each fpike. Thefe are 

 of a deep blue colour. ,* - 



All the lorts of Monkfhood may be propagated by 

 feeds, which ftiould be fown in the autumn, in^ a Ihady 

 fituation : the plants often come up the firft year, if 

 the feeds are fown in autumn, otherwife it is the fe- 

 cond fpring before they appear •, therefore the ground 

 iliould be kept clean from weeds all the following 

 fumnier, and when the plants come up, they Ihould 

 be watered in dry weather until they are fit to tranf- 

 plant ; when they are to be carefully taken up, and 

 planted in fhady borders, at the diftance of four 



inches eacli way, obferving to water them until they 

 have taken good root in the ground ; after which 

 time they will require no other care but to keep them 

 clean from weeds, till the following autumn, when 

 they may be tranfplanted to the places where they are 

 to remain. 



The common Monklhood will grow under the Ihade 

 of trees, in wilderncires or woods, and will increafe 

 faft enough by means of its creeping roots ; but tho* 

 moil of the other forts delight in fhade, yet few of 

 them will thrive under trees, for which rcafon they 

 fliould be planted in iTiady borders which are not over- 

 hung by trees, where they will continue much longer 

 in flower, and thrive better than in an open expofure. 



ACONITUM HYEMALE. SeeHELLEBORus. 

 A C O R U S, the Sweet Rufli. 



The Characters are, 



// balh afimple cylindrical ft alk^ which is clofely covered 

 with fmallflowersy fo as to form a fort ofkatkin {or iulus), 

 Thefe flowers have no empakment^ but are cornpofed of fix 

 concave obtufe petals. In the center of the flower isfttuated 

 a fwelUng germen^ attended by ftx ftamina^ which are ex- 

 tended beyond the petals,, and are crowned with thick double 

 fummits ; the germen afterward turns to a fhort triangidar 

 capfule^ having three cells^ in whi.b are lodged oval oblong 

 feeds. 



Dr. Linnaeus ranges this genus in his fixth ciafs of 

 plants, entitled Hexandria monogynia, the flowers 

 having fix ftamina and one fl^le. 



We have but one Species of this plant, 

 AcoRUs {Calamus) Roy. Lcyd. 6. The fweet fmelling Flag 

 or Calamus. Acorus verus, five calamus aromaticus. 



C. B. P. 34. 



This plant grows naturally in ftanding waters which 

 are fliallow, and is found wild in fome parts of Eng- 

 land ; particularly in Norfolk, and alfo near Uxbridge 

 in Middlefex, and in feveral parts of the north. In 

 Holland this plant abounds in moft of their ditches 

 and ftanding waters. The leaves of this plant, when 

 broken, fend forth a ftrong aromatic fcent j the roots are 

 much ftronger, and have been long ufed in medicine. 

 This may be tranfplanted into a garden, where if the 

 ground is moift, it will grow very wellj but never 

 produces its fpike, unlefs it grows in the water. It 

 loves an open fituation, and will not thrive well un- 

 der the fhade of trees. I'he fpikes of flowers (which 

 are by many writers term.ed (Juli) appear toward the 

 latter end of June, and continue till Auguft. When 

 this plant is fixed in a properjituation, it will multiply 

 by its creeping roots faft enough. 



AC RI VIOL A. See Trop^olum. 



A C T ^ A, Herb Chriftopher. 

 The Characters are, 

 The empalement of the flower is cornpofed of four concave 

 obtufe leaves^ which fall off-^ the flower hath four petals 

 which are much larger than the empalement. In the center 

 is placed the oval germen,, crowned with an oblique depreffcd 

 ftigmay attended by numercus flender ftamina^ crowned with 

 ercil double round/flj fummits. After the flower is paftj 

 the ge7'mcn becomes an oval or globular berry ^ having one 

 celly in which are lodged four feeds,, which are roundifh on 

 their outfide^ but angular where they are joined. 

 Dr. Lir.nsus ranges this genus under his thirteenth 

 clafs of plants, entitled Polyandria monogynia, the 

 flowers having many ftamina and one germen. - 

 The Species are, 



1. AcT^A {Spicata) racemo ovato fruftibufque baccatis. 

 -Lin. Sp. Plant. 504. Common Herb Chriftopher^ or Bane 



- Berries. Chriftophoriana vulgaris noftras racemofa & 

 ramofa. Mor. Hift. p. 2, 8. 



2. AcT^.A {Alba) racemo ovato baccis niveis, radicetu- 



berofa. American Herb Chriftopher ^ with white berries. 



Chriftophoriana Americana baccis niveis. Mor. Hift- 

 p. 28. . . - . 



3. AcT/iiA {Racemofa) racemislonglfllmis fructibus uni- 

 capfularibus. Lin. Sp. PI. 504. American black or wild 



■ Snakcroot. ChriftophorianaAmericahaprocerior Scion- 

 gius fpicata. Hort. Kkh. 79. / - -\ . -, 

 The firft fort grows naturally in feveral places in the 

 northern counties of England: ,1 found it in pretty 



great 



