cf tills fort were formerly brought over and ibid for 

 Sarfaparilla, and at this time feveral of^the inhabitants 

 of Canada make ufe of it as fuch, but it is very dif- 

 ferent from the true fort. 



Both thefe forts are eafily propagated by feeds, which 

 are generally produced in plenty. Thefe fliould be 

 fown in the autumn foon after they are ripe, for thofe 

 which are fown in the fpring, never grow tlie fame 

 year, fo that a v/hole feafon is gahied by the fowlng 

 in autumn. When the plants appear, they mufi be 

 kept clean from weeds during the fummer-, and in 

 the autunui follcv/ii:g, v/hen their leaves decay, the 



A R A 



air in England; therefore v/hoe\Tr has an inclination 

 to cultivate this plant, muft plant the feeds in a hot- 

 bed in the fpring of the year, keeping the glafics over 

 the plants till the middle or end of June ; after which 

 time, if the weather prove warm, tiiey may be ex- 

 pofed to the open Llir by degrees. The branches of 

 this plant trail upon the ground, and the flowers 

 (which are yellow) are produced fingle upon long 

 foot-ftalks ; and as foon as the flower begins to decay, 

 the gcrmen is thruft under ground, where the pod is 

 formed and ripened ; fo that uniefs the ground is 

 opened, they never appear : the negroes kept tliis a 

 fecret am.ong themfelves, therefore could fupply them- 

 felves with thefe nuts unknown to their mafters. The 

 roots of thefe plants are annual, but the nuts or feeds 

 fufficiently ftock the ground in a warm country, where 

 they are not very carefully taken up. In South Ca- 

 rolina there is great plenty of thefe nuts, which the 

 inhabitants roaft, and make ufe of as chocolate. 

 A R A L I A, Berry-bearing Angelica. 

 The Characters are, 

 // is an umhclUfcrous plant with a globular umhel^ having 

 afmall involucrum\ the empakmcnt of the flower is fmall^ 

 indented in five parts^ ayid refts upon the ge^rmen, The 

 flower hath five oval petals^ which arereflexed\ it hath 

 f.ve azvlfijaped ftamina crowned hyroundiflj fwmmits ; the 

 round germen below the empalement fupports five Jhort 



each of which is crowned by a Jingle ftigma. "The 

 germen afterward turns to a roundifh channelled berry ^ 

 having five cells ^ each containing one oblong hard feed. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the fifth feftioh of 

 Linna^us's fifth clafs, entitled Pentandria Pentagynia, 

 the flowers having five itamina and five flyles. 

 The Species are, 



1. Ae.alia (i?^m;;^y^) caule foliofo herbaceolaivi. Hort. 

 Upfal. 70. Berry-bearing Angelica^ with an herbaceous 

 leafy ftalL Aralia Canadenfis. Tourn. Infl:. R. H. 

 300. 



2. Aralia (A^^iifr-^^^//^) caule nudo fohis ternatis. Hort. 



Cliff. 113. Berry -bearing Angelica with a naked fl all: . 

 AraHa caule nudo radice repente. Cold. Noveb. 66. 



3. Aralia {Spinofa) arborefcens caule foliolifque acu- 

 leata. Vir. Cliff. 26. "Tree Berry-bearing Angelica^ whofe 

 flalk and leaves are prickly. Aralia arborefcens fpinofa. 

 Vaill. Serm. Angelica-tree^ vulgo. 

 The firft fort is pretty common in many gardens near 

 London, but the fecond is at prefent more rarely met 

 with. Both thefe plants grow naturally in North 

 America, from whence their feeds were brought to 

 Europe. They are perennial plants, whofe ftalks de- 

 cay in autumn, and new ones arife from their roots 

 in the fpring. The firft grows three or four feet high, 

 and divides into many irregular branches, garnifhed 

 with ramofe leaves, placed alternately ; at the wino-s 

 of thefe the flower-ftalks are produced, which are ter- 

 minated by round umbels of fmall four-leaved flowers, 

 of a whitifh colour; thefe are fucceeded by rounci 

 channelled berries, which when ripe, are black. Tliis 

 flowers in July, and the feeds ripen in 0£lober. 

 The fecond fort rifes to near the fame height as the 

 former •, the leaves of this have two trifoliate large 

 lobes, which are fawed on their edges. . The flower- 

 ftalks arife between thefe immediately from the root, 

 being naked, and are terminated by round umbels 

 of flowers, in fliape and colour like the firft ; thefe 

 are fucceeded by berries, which are fmaller than thofe 

 of the other. This flowers toward the end of July, 

 and the feeds ripen late in the autumn. The roots 



A 



r 



roots may be taken up, and tranfplanted where theV 

 are to remain. They are very hardy plants, fo ma/ 

 be planted in any fituation ; and as they grow natu- 

 rally in woods, fo they may be planted in wiJdernefs 

 quarters, under trees, where, although they have ho 

 great beauty, yet they will add to the variety. 

 'Jlicfe two forts may alfo be propagated by partin.^of 

 their roots ; the beft- time for doing this is in^the 

 autumn, foon after their leaves decay. Thefe fliould 

 be planted pretty far afundcr, for their roots fpread 

 to a ccnfiderable diftance, where they are left \\r^ 

 difturbed for fome years. 



The third fort rifes with a woody ftem to the hei'^ht 

 of eight or ten feet, dividing into feveral branches, 

 garniflied with branching leaves, wliich are com- 

 pounded of many divaricated wings ; the lobes of 

 wincli are oblong, and the ribs of the leaves, as ahb 

 the branches and ftems of the plants, are armed with 

 fl-rong crooked fpines, which renders the places very 

 difficult to pafs through where they grow in plentv. 

 The flowers of this fort are produced in large loofe 

 umbels, at the extremity of the brandies, and are of 

 an herbaceous colour, fo make no great figure, but 

 the plants are preferved in moft of the curious gardens 

 in England. It flowers in A^uguft, but the Iceds do 

 not ripen in this country. 



This is propagated by feeds, which are eafily pro- 

 cured from North America-, but as they feldom ar- 

 rive here till tov/ard the fpring, ib the plants never 

 come up the firft year : therefore when the feeds ar- 

 rive, they fliould be fown in pots, filled with light 

 earth, and placed in a fliady fituadon, v/here they 

 may remain until the next autum.n, being careful to 

 weed the pots conftantly ■, otherwife if v/eeds are per- 

 mitted to grow till they arc large, they cannot be 

 taker, cut, v/ithout drawing up the feeds with their 

 roots. In the autumn, the pots fliould be plunged 

 either into an old bed of tan, or in a v/arm border 

 under the flicker of a hedge or wall ; and if the winter 

 proves fevere, it will be proper to cover the pots with 

 ftraw or Peafe-haulm, to prevent the froft from pe- 

 netrating deep into the ground. In March the pots 

 fliould be plunged into a moderate hot-bed, which 

 will bring up the plants early, fo that they will have 

 more time to cret ftrenpth before the followin'^ winter 

 When the plants come up, they fnould be frequently 

 refreP_ied witli water, and conftantly kept clean from 

 weeds : in May they fliould be inured to the open air, 

 and when they are removed out of the bed, diev 

 fliould have a fhady fituation. Thefe plants Ikould 

 not be difturbed the firft feafon, but as they are often 

 injured by froft when young, fo in October the pots 

 fliould be placed under a frame, v/here they may be 

 fcreened from hard frofts, but in mild weather fliould 

 be conftantly opened to enjoy the free air. The leaves 

 of thefe plants fall away in the autumn, fo tl^at fome 

 perfons have fuppofed them dead, and have thrown 

 them out of the pots, which every one fliould be 

 caurioned againft. In the fpring, before the plants 

 begin to pufh, they fl-xould be carefully fliakcn out of 

 the pots, and feparated •, part of them fliould be 

 planted fingly into fmaU pots, and the other may be 

 planted in a bed of light earth in a warm fituation. 

 If thofe which are planted in the fmall pots are plun^>-ed 

 in a moderate hot-bed, it will greatly forward their 

 growth-, but they muft be eariy inured to bear the 

 open air, otherwife they Avill draw up weak. , In the 

 following fumm.er they muft have a fliady fituation, 

 and the next winter fnould be fheltered arain; the 

 fpring following they may be fliaken cut ofthe pots, 

 and planted where they are defigned to remain, l^hole 

 plants which were planted in the bed, will require 

 protection from the froft the^ firft vrinter^ therefore 

 if the furface of the ground is covered >vit!i old tan- 

 ners bark, it v/ill prevent the froft from penetrating.*- 

 to their roots-, aiid if in hard frofts, fome ftraw, 

 Peafe-haulm, or any light covering is laid over the 

 bed, it will fecure their ftems from being injured. 

 The plants in the bed may remain there two years, by 

 which tiAie ih;;y will be ftrong e^iough to tranlpLint 



to 



