I 1 



\ 



tl 



ic root, to the height of eight or ten feet, which 



have *a white bark, yellow on the infide ; the ftalks 



' . and branches, are armed with fliarp thorns, which 



. commonly grow "by threes; the leaves are oval, ob- 



-'•"tufc, and flightly fawed on their edges. The flowers 



'" 'come out from the wingsof the leaves, in fmall ra- 



' ^mpfe bundles, like thofe of the Currant-bufh, which 



'■^ att ycHdw: thefe are lucceeded by oval fruit, v/hich 



[■ are firfl green, hut when ripe turn to a fine red co- 



•'' ^'"iour. The flowers appear in May, and the fruit ripens 



' ■ 



\ * 



V ' 





in September. ' " V . 



There arc two or three varieties of this flirub, which 



' have been mentioned as diftinft fpecies ; one is the 



■■ Berberis fine nucleo. C. B. P.- Barherryi^ithout ftons. 



. Tlie fecond is Berberis fruftu albo. Barberry "with 



' ' white fruit. The third is the Berberis orientalis pro- 



cerior fruflu nigro fuaviiTimo. Tourn. Cor. Taller 



' Eafiern Barberry "with a black fwcet fruit. The firfl: 



of thefe is certainly accidental, becaufe the fuckers, 



■ ' taken from thofe bulhes being tranfplanted, com- 



' monly produce fruit with ftones ; (o it is the age of 



the plant which occafions that variation. The fort 



■ with white fruit feldom bears; the leaves of this are 

 of a lighter green colour, and the bark of the fl:alks 

 are whiter than thofe of the common, which are tlie 



\ '" only difrerehces betvv^een them, for the fruit is feldom 

 '^^^Q*^^'^^^^^ here. The third fort appears the fame with 

 the common, and only differs in the colour and fla- 

 vour of the fruit, fo is only 'a variety. 

 The common fort is generally propagated by fuckers, 



- ' which are put out in great plenty from the root; 

 but thefe plants are veiy fubjefl: to fend out fuckers, 

 in greater plenty than thofe which are propagated by 

 layers;" therefore the latter method fliould be pre- 



' "ferred. The befl: time for laying down the branches 

 '•■ isTH the autumn, when their leaves begin to fall; 

 ' the young flioots of the fame year are the beft: for 

 'this purpofe ; thefe will be well rooted by the next 

 autumn, when they may be taken off, and planted 

 * where they are defigned to remain. Where this plant 



■ is cultivated for its fruit, it fliould be planted fingle, 

 ' (not in hedges, as was the' old praftice) and the 



fuckers every autumn taken away, and all the grofs 

 flioots pruned out: by this method the fruit will be 



■ much fairer, and in greater plenty, 'than upon thofe 

 which are fuffered to grow wild. A few of thefe 

 flirubs may be allowed to have place in wilderneffes, 

 or plantations of flirubs, where they will make a 

 pretty variety, and the fruit will be food for the birds; 

 but they fliould not be planted in great quantities, 

 near walks which are much frequented, becaufe their 

 flowers emit a very fl:rong difagrceable odour. 

 The Canada fort was more common in the Englifii 

 gardens, fome years pafl:, than at prefent. The leaves 

 of this are* much broader, and fnorter than thofe of 

 the common fort, and the fruit is black when ripe. 

 This may be propagated in the fame way as the 

 commpn fort, and is equally hardy. 

 The Box-leaved fort is at prefent very rare in Eng- 

 land ; and while young, the plants are fomev/hat 

 tender, fo have been killed by fevere frofl:. This 

 never rifes more than three or four feet high in Eng- 

 land, but fends out many fl:alks from the root, which 

 are ftrongly armed with fpines at every joint; the 

 leaves are produced without order, and are fliaped 

 like thofe of the narrow-leaved Box-tree ; the flowers 

 come out from between the leaves, each upon a 

 (lender foot-fl:alk; but thefe are not fucceeded by fruit 



in England. 



This Tor:: may be propagated by laying down the 

 branches in the fame manner as the firfl: ; but when 

 the young plants are taken off, they fliould be planted 

 . in pots, and flickered under a frame in the winter, 

 till they have obtained flirength, when they may be 



turned out of the pots, and planted in a warm fi- 



tuation. '''.''■ ',■■''. 



B E R M U D I A N A. See Sisyrinchium. - 

 BERNARDIA. See Croton. 

 BESLERIA 



* 



This plant was named after Bafilius Befler, an apo- ' 



s 



thecary at Nuremberg, who was the author of a book, 

 intitled Hortus Eyfl:etenfis. • 

 The Characters are, ' 

 Tfjcfczver is of the perfonated or lip kind, with an em- 

 palernent of one leaf^ "xhich is ere^, and cut into frje 

 acute parts at the brim : the' flo'cver is of c?:e leaf and 

 quino^uefd ; the fegments being rcimdijld^ the Ivuoer being 

 large^ and the two upper are lefs divided-^ it hath four 

 fianiina in the tube of the flower^ two of which are longer 

 than the other ^ crozvned by fnall fummits : the oval ger- 

 vten fuppcrts an awl-fhaped ftyle^ crowned by an acute 

 fiigma ; this afterward becomes an oval berry ^ with one 

 cell filled with fmall feeds, 



Thi 



,iS 



genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fetftion 

 of Linnseus's twelfth clafs, intitled Didynamia An- 

 iofpermia, the flower having two long and tv/o 

 fliort ftamina, and the feeds being included in a 

 capfule. ' :: :. 



The Species are, 



j 



1. Besleria {Melittifolia) pedunculis ramofis, foliis^ 

 ovatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 619. Befleria with branching 



■ foot fialks and oval leaves. Befleria Melifise Tragi foilo. 

 Plum, Nov* Gen. 29. /:'-' ■. '; ' 



2. Besleria (Lutea) pedunculis fimplicibus confertis, 

 foliis lanceolatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 619. BeJIeria with 



fimple footfialks growing in clujlersy and fpear-floaped 

 leaves, - Befleria virgse aurese foliis fiore luteo minor. 

 ■ Plum. Nov. Gen. 29. . /:. / ■ • 



3. Besleria {Crifiata) pedunculis fimplicibus folitariis, 

 ' involucris pentapliyllispropriis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 619. 



Befleria with fnnpleflalks growing finghy andafive-leavcd 

 involucrum, • Befleria fcandens cnftata frudtu nigro. 

 Plum. Nov. Gen. 29." . : ... - . , 



The firfl: fort hath a fmooth woody fl:alk which is 

 jointed; at each joint are ' placed two oval nervou 

 leaves oppofite, which are crenated on their edges ; 

 the flowers come out from the wings of the leaves, 

 upon fliort branching foot-fl:alks, each fufliaining fix 

 or eight flowers, which fl:and each upon a feparate 

 fmalier foot-fl:alk. Thefe are of one leaf, of an 

 anomalous figure, and qulnquefid; after the flower 

 is pafl:, the gertiien becomes an oval fcft berry, with 

 one cell filled with fmall feeds. 



s 



Th 





fecond fort rifes with a ligneous fl:em fix or fc- 



ven feet high, dividing toward the top into many ir- 

 regular branches, garniflied with fpear-fhaped fawed 

 leaves, which'have ma'ny tranfverfe veins ; the flowers 

 come out at the wings of the leaves, in large clufliers; 

 each having a feparate foot-1'alk: thefe are' fmalJ, 

 tubulous, and of a pale yellow colour, and are fuc- 



, ceeded by round foft berries, inclofing many fmall 

 feeds. ■ ; : ' ■ 



+ 



The third fort hath a creeping fl:alk, which fends out 

 roots at every joint, ' ganiiflied with oval leaves 

 placed oppofite, which have many tranfverfe ribs,. 

 and are fliarply fawed on their edges ; from the wings 

 of the leaves come' out the foot-ftalks-of tlie flowers 

 fingle, each fuflraining one tubulous, irregular, hairy 

 flower, divided at the .top into five obtufc parts, with 

 a large five-leaved involucn-im, deeply fawed on the 

 border : after the flower is pafl:, the germ.en becomes 

 a hairy placenta, in the center oi the emp.ilemcnr, 

 containing many fmall feeds. , v . 

 Thefe plants grow naturally in the wjrni parts of 

 America. The feeds fliould be fown on a hot-bed 

 early in the fpring; and when the plants are come 

 up half an inch high, they fliould be each tranlplantcd. 

 into a fmall pot filled with light frefli earth, and 

 plunged into a hot-bed of tanners bark, obferving to 

 water and fliade them until they have taken root ; 

 after which time they fliould have air and water in 

 proportion to the warmth of the feafon, and the licac 

 of the bed in which they are placed. ' When the - 

 plants have filled thefe fmall pots with their roots, 

 they fliould be fliaken out of them, and their roots 

 trimmed, and put into larger pots filled v/ith hghn 

 frefli earth, and plunged into the hot-bed again; v/here 

 they fliould have a large fliare of air in warm 

 weather, and mufl:be frequently watered. With this 

 management the plants willthriveverv well ii 



very 



infummcr, 



but 



