A 



common fort -, but in two years time, they were fo 

 like the common fort as not to be diflinguilhed from 

 it, as were alfo the young plants which were raifed 

 from the feed faved at CheHea, therefore it iliould be 

 cfteemed an accidental variety. 

 The fecond fort hath roots compofed of many thick 

 fielhy fibres ■, to each of which is faftened an oblong 

 tuber, as large as fmall potatoes •, the leaves are long 

 and flexible, having acute edges ; thefe grov/ in irre- 

 gular clufters, from the crown of the root ; between 

 thefe come out the ftalks, which rife more than throe 

 feet high, fending out feveral fide branches, v/hicia 

 are naked ; the upper part of thefe are adorned witl 





\ 



'\ 



c 



der fide^ having a [qtiamous dull 



many white ftar-fhaped flowers, confifting of one leaf 

 cut into fix ^arts, each having a purple line running 

 lengthways on the outfide of each fegment. The 

 flowers grow in long fpikes, flowering gradually up- 

 ward. They appear the beginning of June, and the 



feeds ripen in autumn. 



The third fort hath roots like the fecond, but 'the 

 leaves are longer and narrower-, the ftralks of this are 

 fmgle, never putting out any fide branches; the flow- 

 ers are of a purer white, and grow in longer fpikes. 

 This flowers at the fame time with the former. ' 

 The fourth fort is an annual plant ; the roots of this 

 are compofed of many flefhy yellow fibres, the ledves 

 are fpread out from the crown of the root, clofe to 

 the ground, in a large clufter ; they are convex on 

 their under fide, but plain above, and hollow like 

 a pipe ; the flower-fl:alks rife immediately ffom the 

 root, and grow about two feet high, dividing into 

 three or four branches upward, which arfc "a'dorhed 

 with whitfe ft:arry flowers, with purple lines oft the 

 outfide. Thefe flower in July and Augufl:, and' their 

 feeds ripen in O6tober, foon after which the Plants de- 

 cay. It grows naturally in the fouth of France, Spiin, I of a liar.] Starwort. ' 



A 



other hardy kinds of flowers, where being properly 

 intermixed, they v/ill make an agreeable variety, and 

 continue a long time in flower. 

 The fourthjort is an annual plant, fo is only propa- 

 gated by feeds; thefe ftioulci be fov/n in the autumn, 



_ v/hen they will naore certainly grow than if fown in 



the fpring : when the plants are up, they will require 



no other iTouble but to keep them clean from weeds, 



. until they have put out four or five leaves, when they 



flibuld be carefully removed to the places where they 



, arc to remain for good. If the feeds of this plant are 

 jpermitted tofcatter, the plants will come up without 

 care, and thofe which are not removed, will be the 

 ftrongefl: plants, and produce a greater number of 

 flowers. . 



ASPLE'NlUM,.or Ceterach [is fo called from ^ 



dift^afcs of die fplecn.] Spleenwort or Miltwaft:e. 



The Chap.acters are, 

 7*;??^ leaves are like thofe of the Polypody^ but lefs 



fM\ dcwny on their 



of a microfcopc^ membranous capfuUy or feed pods^ lyin^ 

 clofe to one another^ are perceived^ every one fur nifljed wit ^ 

 a little round cord, which 'hy its conflruEiibn opening th 

 fruit into two parts^ -pours forth certain very fmall feeds 



% walls ^ ^c. 



/ 



-\ 



This plant is of the Fern kind, and grows upon bid 

 moifl: iliady walls in divers parts of England j but is 

 neVer 'cultivated in gardens. There are feveral fpecies 

 of this plant in America, but "they have not been in- 



troduced into England. . 



ASTER ['Ari^p, Gr. a Star; fo called becaufe the 

 flower is radiated wit^ little leaves after the manner 



and Italy. 



The firft fort grows hat\irally in many of the iflands 

 bf the Akhipelago, and alfo in Sicily. The fecond, 

 third, and fourth forts grow naturally in Portugal, 

 Spain, and Italy; the third fort is not.quite h hardy 

 as eitlier of the other, fo in very fevere frofl; is fome- 

 times killed, unlefs the roots are -covered in winter. 

 The yellow fort multiplies very fafl: by roots, and 

 will foon overfpread a large border, if fuffered to re- 

 main unremoved, or the fide roots are not taken off; 

 but the other forts are not fo prodliftive of Ihoots 

 from their fides, and are much better kept within 

 bounds. 



I'hc fecond and third forts do not increafe very fafl: 

 by their roots, nor fliould they be often tranfplanted, 

 for that will weaken them, fo th^t their flowelr-fl:ems 

 Avill not rife fo tall, or produce fo many Howers, as 

 ^hen they are left und!fl:urbed forfome years ; there- 

 fore the befl: way is to propagate thefe by feeds. " 

 Thefe three forts of Afphodel are^very pretty orna- 

 ments for a flower-garden, and, requiring very little 

 trouble to cultivate them, are rendered more accep- 

 table, /rhey may be all propagated by feeds, which 

 Jhould be fown foon after they are ripe, on a warm 

 border of light frefli earth : in the fpring the plants 

 will appear, when you ftaould carefully clear them 

 from wxx^ds, and in dry weather they mufl: be fre- 

 quently weltered : if this be duly obferved, the plants 

 will have acquired ftrength enough to be tranfplanted 

 by the Michaelmas following ; at which time you" 

 mufl: prepare a bed of frefli earth in the flower nur- 

 fery, into which you fliould plant the roots, at about 

 fix inches difl:ance every way; obferving to plant 

 them fo low, as that the top of the roots may be three 

 or four inches under the furface of the bed ; and fome 

 old tan, or dung, fhould be fpread over the furface 

 of the ground, to keep out the frofl:: in this bed 

 they may remain one year, during which time they 

 ftiould be kept clear from weeds ; by which time, the 

 roots having acquired flirength enough to produce 

 flowers the following year, they fliould, in autumn, 

 when their leaves are decayed, be carefully taken up, 

 and tranfplanted into the flower-garden, obferving to 



place them in the middle of the borders, amongft 



Th6 Characters are, 

 if hath a conipdliHd flowtr^ compofed of feveral female and 

 hermaphrddite floret Sy included in one common fcaly empale^ 

 "fjient ; the rays or herder of the flower is compofed offe^ 

 ^Veral femaie florets^ whofe upper parts areftretched out on 

 ]oneftde like a tongue ^ and indented in three fegments at the 

 '€nd\ the hef'maphrodite florets form the dt/k or middle y 

 which are funnel-fl)apedy and divided at the top into five 

 parts ^ fpreading open, and have each five floor tflender ft a- 

 mina^ crowned with cylindrical fummits ; //; ibe bottom is 

 placed a crowned germen^fupporting aflenderftyle, crowned 

 hy a bifid ft igma ; the germen afterwardbecomes an oblong 

 feed, croivned with down : the female flo-ivers have a 

 germen fupporting a flender ftyle, crowned by two oblong 

 fti^ma, which turn backward. ' Thefe have no ftamina^ 

 but in other refpe£ls are like the hennaphrodite flowers. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feftion 

 of Linnseus's nineteenth clafs, intitled Syngenefia Po- 

 lygamia fuperflua, from the fame flower having female 

 and hermaphrodite florets included in the ilime em- 

 palement. 



The Species are, - ' 



1. Aster {Alpinus) foliis lanceolatis hirtis, radicalibus 

 obtufis, caule fimphcifllmo unifloro. Lin. Sp. Plant. 

 872. Starwort with hairy fpear-ftjaped leaves, thofe at 

 the foot blunt, and a fingle ftalk, having one flower. 

 After montanus cseruleus magno flore foliis oblongis. 

 C. B. P. 267. 



2. Aster {Amellus) foliis lanceolatis obtufis fcabris tri- 

 nerviis integris, pedunculis nudiufculis corymbofis 

 fquamis calycinis obtufis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 873. Star- 

 wort with rough, blunt, fpear-floaped leaves, which are 



three veins, naked fcot-flalks, flowers in a 

 corymbus, and blunt fcales to the. empakment. After at- 

 ticus ca::ruleus vulgaris. C. B. P. 267. vulgarly called 



. Italian Starwort, 



3. Aster {Tripolimn) foliis lanceolatis integerrimis car- 

 nofis glabris ramis in^quaus, floribus corymbofis. 



floaped leaves, which ar 

 flowers in a corymbus, 

 diftus. Raii Hift. 270. 



fniooth, fleflyy, fp 

 entire, unequal hrayiches, and 



After maritimus TripoKum 



Aster {Linifoli us) ioWls Imeanbus acutis mtegerrimis, 

 caule corymbofo ramofilTimo. Hort. CM", 408. Star- 



i 



C c 



wor, 



