^ 



A 



9 - 



It IS propagated by feeds, which mvifl: be obtained 

 from the countries where it grows naturally \ thefe 

 iliould be fown upon a border of light earth, in a 

 warm fituation, early in April, and when the plants 

 come up, and are fit to tranfplant, they ftiould be 



■ thinned, and thofe which are drawn out may be tranf- 

 ' planted, leaving the other two feet afunder \ after 



which the only culture they require is, to keep them 



■ elean from weeds in fummcr, and in winter to cover 

 the roots with fome old tanners bark, to prevent die 

 froft from penetrating the ground. 



The fourth fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 

 Hope ; this rifes with a Hirubby ftalk near three feet 

 hip"h, o;arnifhed with oblono; leaves, indented on their 

 edges, which have weak fpines at each indenture \ 



there are fcvcral weak branches fent out on 'the fides, ' 

 each of which are terminated by a fingle head of 

 flowers, inclofed in a common empalement, which 

 Ipreads open, and are of a golden colour, but are 

 never fucceeded by feeds in England/ '-This is pro- 

 pagated by flips, taken from the flower-ftalks in June, 



and planted in pots fiFied with light earth, ' arid 

 plunged into an old bed of tanners bark, where the 

 heat is gone, and Ihaded with mats 'in the heat of the 

 day, until they have taken root ; after which time 

 they may be expofed in tlie open air till October, 



' when they mufl be removed into flielter, and, during 

 the winter, fhould have little water, and in fummcr 



■" expofed with othet hardy exotic plants in a flickered 

 fltuation. - •. - ''"'"■' • ; ••- 



ATRAPHAXIS. Lin. Gen. Plant. 405. We have 



no Englifli name for this. ■ ' , ■ . 



The Characters are, ' ■ ' 



■ Thefozver hath a permanent empalement^ compofed of tzvo 

 " fmall coloured leaves placed oppofite. The fioijoer hath tzvo 

 ' roundfp fmuated petals larger than the empalement^ which 

 • are permanent \ it hath JIx capillary ftammay which are 

 ■'- the length of the empalement^ crowned with roundifj fum- 

 ' mts ; in the center isfttuated a ccmpreffed germen^ having 



■ iioftyk^ but crowned by two fiigma\ the germen afterward 

 ' becomes a roundiflj compreffed feed^ fhut up in the em- 

 ' palemcnt, * ■ 



This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedlion 

 ' of Linn^us^^s fixth clafs, entitled Hexandria Digynia, 

 the flower haviijg fix fl:amina and two fl:igma. 



The Species arc, 



*- 



I. Atraphaxis ramis fpinofis. Hort. Cliff. igS. Atra- 

 ■ phaxis with prickly branches. Atriplex orientalis^ frutex 



aculeatus flore pulchro. Tourn. Cor. 38. 



7 • 



Jtra- 





2. Atraphaxis inermis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 333. 



■ phaxis withct/t fpines. Arbufcula Africana repens folio 

 ad lateral crilpo, ad Polygona relata. Hort. Elth. 



- 36. ■ - ■ -■_ ^- '■ 

 .The firfl: fort grows naturally in Media, from whence 

 Dr. I'ournefort fent the feeds to the royal garden at 



■ Paris. 



■ This is a flirub which rifes four or five feet hi^h, 

 fending out many weak lateral branches, which are 



' armed with fpines, and garniflied with fmall, fpear- 

 fliapcd, fmooth leaves, of an Afli-colour. The flowers 



■ come out at the ends of the flioots in clufters, each 

 confining of two v/hite leaves tinged with purple; 

 and are included in a two leaved empalement, of a 

 white herbaceous colour j thefe appear in Augufl:, 

 but the feeds never ripen here, fo the plant is propa- 



• gated by cuttings, and mufl: be fcreened from hard 

 froft, wliich cornnionly deflroys thofe which are 

 planted in the open air. ■ ■ 



The fecond fort fends out many flender branches, 

 which trail on the ground when they are not fup- 

 ported, garniflicd with fmall oval leaves, about tlie 



■ fize of thofe of the Knot Grafs, waved and curled on 

 their edges, embracing the ftalk half round at their 



' bafe, and are placed alternate. The flowers come 

 out from the wings of the leaves, and have much 

 the appearance of an apetalous flower, being com- 



■ pofed of four herbaceous leaves, two of which are 



■ the. empalement, the other two the petals; in the 

 center is fituated the comprefllrd germen, attended 

 by fix ftamina, but the feeds are never produced in 



til- 



A 



this country. It flowers in June and July. This is 

 • a native of the country about the Cape of Good Hope, 

 from whence it was brought into the gardens in Hol- 

 land, and has been feveral years in the Englifli 



■ dens, where it is allowed a place more for tjie lake 

 of variety, than its beauty. It may be eafily pro- 

 pagated by cuttings any time in the fummer, and in 

 v/inter the plants muft be fcreened from froft, 



ATRIPLEX, Orach, or Arach.- 



The Characters are, . >, .• 



■ Ji hath female and hermaphrodite flowers on the fame 



■ pla-nt. "fhe hermaphrodite flowers have a permanent 0,1- 

 palement of five oval concave leaves^ with membranacecus 

 borders-, they have no petals^ but five awl-fhaped ftaminay 

 placed oppofitc to the leaves of the empalement^ f<pporti::g 

 double fimmlts. In the center is placed the orliciikr gcr- 



■ men^ with a fhort bipartite ftyle, crowned with a rcficxcd 



ftigma. "The germen afterward becomes an orbicular com- 

 prcffed fced^ fhut up in the five-cornered empalement. The 

 female flowers have a two4eaved empalement, which are 

 . large, plain, ereti, and pointed. They have no petals n:r 

 ftamina, but in the center a ccmpreffed germen, fuppcrting 

 a bipartite ftyle, crowned by a reflexcd ftigma. The ga-- 

 men afterward becomes an orbicular comprejfed feed, in- 

 clofed in the heart-fhaped valves of the empalement. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the firft ictiion of 

 Linnajus's tv/enty-third clafs, entitled Polygamia Mo- 

 noccia, the fame plants having female and herma- 

 phrodite flowers. •. . ' ■. 

 - .The Species are, .; . 



1. Atriplex caule eredlo herbaceo foliis triangulari- 



bus. Hort. Cliff. 469. Orach with an upright herba- 

 ceous ftalk, and triangular leaves. Atriplex liortenfis 

 alba live pallide virens. C. B. P. 119.' . 



2. Atriplex caule fruticofo foliis dekoidibus inteeris. 

 Hort. Cliff. 469. Orach with a fhfubby ftalk and en- 



. tire leaves, floaped like the Greek delta. Atriplex lati- 

 • folia five Halimus fruticofus. Mor. Hift. p. 2. 207. 

 commonly called Sea Purflane-tree.- . \:' 

 Atriplex caule fruticofo foliis obovatis. Flor. 



..'i 



3 



Suec. 829. Orach with a fhrubby ftalk and oval leaves. 

 Atriplex maritima fruticofa, Halimus & Portuhca 

 marina didta angiiftifolia. Raii Syn. ■ . 

 There are feveral other fpecies of this genus, fome of 

 wliich grow naturally in England, but as they are 

 plants of no beauty, they are rarely^ admitted into 

 gardens, for which reafon I fl^all not enumerate them 

 here. . - 



TJie firft of thefe plants was form.erly cultivated in 

 the kitchen-gardens as a culinary herb, being ufed 

 as Spinage, and is now, by fome perfons, preierred 

 to it ; though, in general, it is not efteemed amongft 

 the Englifli ; but the French, at prefent, cultivate 

 this plant for ufe. 



There are three or four different forts of this, whofc 

 difference is only in the colour of the plants; one of 

 which is of a deep green, another of a dark purple, 

 and a third with green leaves and purple borders. 

 Thefe are fuppofcd to be only accidental varieties 

 v/hich have come from the fame feeds, but in forty 

 years wliich I have cultivated thefe forts, I have never 

 yet obfervcd them to vary. But as there is no other 

 effcntial difference, I have not enumerated them 

 here. 



Thefe plants are annual, fo muft be fown for ufe 

 early in the fprlng, or at Michaelmas, foon after tlie 

 feeds are ripe -, an which time it generally fuccecds 

 better than when it is fown in the fpring, and will 

 be fit for ufe at leaft a month earlier. Thefe planis 

 require no other culture, but to hoe them when tliey 

 are about an inch high ; to cut them down v/!iere 

 they are too thick, leaving them about four inches 

 afunder, and to cut down all the weeds. This muft 

 be done in dry weadier, otherwife the weeds will take 

 root again, and render the work of little or no uie. 

 When the plants are grown about four inches high, 

 it will be proper to hoe them a fecond timic, in order 

 to clear them from weeds ; and, if you obferve the 

 plants are left too clofe in any part, they ftiOuld then 



be cut out,. If this be well performed, and in dry 



7 weather, 



