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A N 



Gen. 



SxVNiSf ERIA. Houft. MSS. Lin. C^en. 509 



Acer Scandens. Sloan. Cat. 137. Plum. Cat. 18. 



The Characters are, 

 h hath a fmall fcrmancnt e'mpaJement^ citt into five acute 

 fegmcnts to the bottom \ the fiower hath five fetals^ which' 

 crejhaped like thofc of the papilionaceous tribe, hutfpnad 

 cpc?u having in feme fpccies one^ in others two, and in 

 fome, feveral necfariotis glands. It hath tenfhort ftamina, 

 crowned withfimple funiviits. 'There are in forae fpscies 

 ' threc^ and in others but Gnegermm, each fupporting afingle 

 fiyle, crowned by art obtufeftigma ; the germen afterward 

 become fo maty winged fruity like thofc of the Maple ^ each 

 containing a Jingle feed. 



The title of this genus was given by the late Dr. 

 Houftoun, in honour to the memory of Mr. Banifter, 

 a curious botanift, who loft his life in the fearch of 



plants in Virginia. - ' ' 



The D9ftor ranged this genus in the clafs of papi- 

 lionaceous flowers, X.O which it has great affinity by 

 the form of its flower^ but the ten ftamina ftanding 

 feparate, induced Dr. Linnaeus to jplace it in his tenth 

 rlafs ; but although he has put it under his third fec- 

 tion, yet it would with greater propriety conic Under 

 his fccond, the greater number of f|)ecies having but 

 two ftyles. » 



.-. The Species are, . \' _ 



1. Banisteria {Angulofa) foliis oy^to-oblongis rigidis 

 raccmis tcrminaUbus caule fruticofo fcandente, Ba- 



Ttifieria with oblongs oval, ft iff leaves, fpikes of flowers ter- 

 minating the branches y and a fhrubby climbing ft alh Sir 



Hans ^oarie" titles it, Acer fcandens foliis Laurinis. 



, Cat. Jam. 137. v 



2. JBanisteria (Fiilgens) foliis pyatis glabi^s, floribus 

 coryliibofis terminahbus, caule fruticofo fcandente. 

 ^anifteria with oval fmooth leaves, flowers growing in a 

 corymbus at the extremity of the branches, and a ftjrubby ' 

 climbing ft alk, Acer fcandens minus Apocyni facie 



' folio fubrotundo. Sloan. Cat. 138. 

 '3. Banisteria {Brachiata) foliis ovatis acuminatis flo- 

 - ribus laxe fpicatis, ramis difFufis fcandentibus. Ba- 

 nifteria tvith oval pointed leaves, fliowers growing in hofe 

 fpikes, and climbing diffufed branches, Banifteria fcan- 

 dens & frutcfcens folio fubrotundo, flore ex aureo 

 Coccineo. Houft. MSS. 

 4. BanisttiRia {Laurifolia) foliis ovatis nervofis fubtus 

 incanis, floribus laterahbus, caule fruticofo fcandente. 

 Banifteria with nervous heartffjaped leaves, hoary on 

 . their under fide, flowers growing from the fide of the 

 . Iranches, and a (lorubby climbing fialh Acer Amcri- 

 . canum fcandens foliis fubrotundis fubtus pubefcen- 

 tibys. Millar. Cat. . 



Banisteria [Benghalenfis') foliis ovato-oblongis acu- 

 minatis racemis lateralibus fcminibuspatentibus. Flor. 

 Zcyl. 176. Banifteria with oblong, oval, pointed leaves, 

 fpikes of flowers growing from the fide of the branches, 

 and fprcading feeds: Acer fcandens foliis Citrei flore 

 c^rulco fpicato. Plum. Cat. 18. "", 



6. Banisteria {Aculeata) foliis pinnatis, foliolis oblongis 

 obtufis, floribus fpicatis caule ramofb aculeato. Ba- 

 mfteria with winged leaves, whofe fmall leaves are oblong 

 end blunt, flowers growing in a JpikCy and a prickly 

 branching ft alk, ■ ' > . 



*j^ Banisteria {Purpurea) foliis pinnatis foliolis ovatis 

 Ipicis lateralibus fcminibus eredis. Banifteria with 

 winged leaves, whofe fmall leaves are oval, fpikes of 

 flowers grozving from the fide of the braftches, and ere^ 

 feeds, iianifteria foliis ovatis fpicis lateralibus femini- 

 bus ereclis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 427. 

 The firft grows naturally in Jamaica. This hath a 

 woody italk, which twills itfelf round the neighbour- 

 ing trees, and rifcs to their top. ' It is garniflied 

 .\yith leaves as large as thofc of the Bay-tree, and of 

 the fame thickncfs, growing oppoflte^ the flowers are 

 produced in long branching fpikes at the ends of the 

 .uanches, which are yellow, compofed of five fmall 

 leaves •, 'thefe are fucceeded by two or three winged 

 feeds like thofe of the greater Maple. ^ ■ v 

 The fccond fort grows naturally in Jamaica, at Cam- 

 :eachy, and Icvcral odier parts of America. This 

 lath (lender winding ftalks, which rife five or fix feet 



7 



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F 



higli, and are thinly garniflied with oval fmooth 

 leaves ; the flowers grow in a round bunch at the 

 extremity of the branches, which are of a brownifh ., 

 yellow colour, and are fucceeded by winged feeds 

 like the former, but fmaller, and have narrower 



wings. 



The third fort was fent me from Carthagena, where 

 it naturally grows. This fends out many branches, 

 which divide again into others, growing without 

 order, and become ^ery bufliy upward, fending out 

 tendrils by wliich they fafl:en themfelves to the neigh- 

 bouring trees, and mount to a great height ; thefe 

 are garniflied with oval ftiflf leaves, ending in a point. 

 The flowers are produced in loofe fpikes at the ends 

 of the branches, which are firft of a gold colour, and 

 fade to a fcarlet. Thefe are fucceeded by feeds of 

 the fame fliape with the former, but are flender, thin, 

 and for the moft part fingle. 



The fourth fort was fent me from Campeachy, by 

 Mr. Robert Millar -, this hath many irregular climbing 

 ftalks, which fatten themfelves to the neighbouring 

 trees, and rife to a great height, garniflied with oval 

 leaves, which are hairy on their under fide, where 

 they have many tranfverfe ribs. The flowers come 

 out thinly from the fide of the branches, which are 

 of a pale yellow colour, and are fucceeded by large 

 winged feeds, which are double. 

 The fifth fort hath ftrong woody ftalks, which twiae 

 about the trees which grow near it, and rifes twenty 

 feet high, garniflied with oblong pointed leaves like 

 thofe of the Bay-tree, growing oppofite j from the 

 wings of the leaves the flowers are produced in loofe 

 Ipikes, upon long foot-ftalks, which are blue, and 

 are fucceeded by flender winged feeds, which fpread 

 open from each other. ' ■ '' ■ 

 The fixth fort was fent me from Tolu in New Spain, 

 where It grov/s naturally. This hath" climbing ftalks, 

 which divide into many branches, garnifhed with' 

 long winged leaves, compofed of about twenty pair 

 of fmall, oblong, blunt pinnas, each having a deep 

 furrow on the under fide. At the wings of the leaves 

 the ftalks are armed with ftiort ftrong fpines, a little 

 crooked. The flowers grow in long loofe fpikes at 

 the end of the branches, which are fucceeded by fingle 

 feeds, as large as thofe of the greater Maple. 

 The fevenlh fort hath ftrong ligneous ftalks, covered 

 with an Afli-colourcd bark, and divide into niarv 

 branches, garniflied with winged leaves, compofed 

 of five or fix pair of oval fmall leaves, nearly of the 

 'fize with thofe of the common Acacia, but are whitifh 

 on their under fide •, from the wings of the leaves are 

 produced flender bunches of flowers, growing in a 

 racemus like thofe of the Currant-bufh, of a puq^lifii 

 colour i thefe are fucceeded by broad winged feeds, 

 growing erect. It was fent me from Campeachy, 

 where it grows naturally. ■ 



Thefe plants are all of them- natives of warm coun- 

 tries, fo cannot be preferved in England, unlefs they 

 are kept in a bark-ftove. They are propagated by 

 feeds, which muft be procured from the countries 

 where they grow naturally. Thefe feeds fliould be 

 fully ripe when gathered, and put into fand or earth, 

 in which they fliould Joe fent to 'England, othcrwife 

 they will loofe their vegetatiye quality -, for from a 

 large parcel of thefe feeds which were fent over in 

 papers, as frefti as they could pofllbly arrive here, 

 there was very few plants raifed, and thofe did not 

 appear till the fecond year ; for thefe feeds are not 

 only in fliape like thofe of the Maple, but alfo are of 

 the fame quality, requiring to be fown as foon as 

 pofllble when they are ripe, or preferved in flmd or 

 earth till they are fown, otherv/ife they rarely fiiccced; 

 tlierefore when the feeds arrive, they fliould be im- 

 mediately fown in pots, and, if it happens in autumn 

 or winter, the pots fliould be plunged into a hot-bed 

 of tanners bark, where the heat is very moderate, 

 and fecured from froft and wet, till fpring, v/hen they 

 muft be removed to a frefli hot-bed, which -vvill bring 

 up the plants ; but if they fliould not appear the firlt 

 year, the pots fliould be preferved till the next fpring. 



