.■ 



/ 



t\\c feeds, and dried famples of the plant, which are 

 not more than fix Inches high, though they are the 

 entire plants with their roots, but in the garden they 

 grow almoft tv/o feet high* This hath many long, 

 narrow, hairy leaves, fpreading near the ground, 

 which are deeply indented on each fide, refembhng 

 thofe of Hawkv/eed j from the center arifes the ftalk, 

 Which divides upward into many fmall branches, 

 having no leaves on them, and are terminated by 

 loofe particles of yellow flowers, cOmpofed of four 

 petals, placed in form of a crofs. , Thefe are fuc- 

 ceeded by round comprcffed feed-veffels like the 

 former, but are fmaller, and the flyle of the flowers 

 bends from them. 





*-> 



.V, 



I - 



B 



B 



The third fort fends out many oblong hairy leaves, 

 which are flightly indented on theircdgcs;from among 

 thefe there arifes a hairy branching fl:alk, which grows 

 two feet high, and at each joint is placed one oblong 

 indented leaf, which half embraces the ftalk at the 

 bafe i each branch is terminated by a clofe fpike of 

 pale yellow flowers, which are fucceedcd by round 

 compreflfed feed-veflfels like the other forts, but the 

 Ilyle of the flower, whichis joined to them, isfliorter 



than thofe of the other fpecies, ;.V'';^^ - ' , , 

 Thefe are all annual plants, which perifh foon after 

 they have perfefted their feeds. .^ Thefe Ihould be 

 fown either in fpring, or the autumn, upon a border 

 bf light earth, in an open fituati6ri, ■ where they are 

 to remain for good. Thofe which are fown in au- 

 tumn will come up in about tliree weeks, and the 

 plants will live through the winter without any pro- 

 teftion, fo will flower earlier the following fummer, 

 whereby good feeds may always be obtained; whereas 

 thofe which are ibwn in the fpring, do, in bad feafons, 

 decay before their feeds are ripe. The autumnal 

 plants flower in June, and the fpring in July, and 

 their feeds ripen about fix weeks aftet-, which, if per- 

 mitted to fcatter, there will be plenty of young plants 

 produced without any care. 



Thefe require no farther culture, but to keep them 

 clean from weeds, and thin the plants where they are 

 too clofe, leaving them ei^ht or nine inches afunder. 

 They arc preferved in the gardens of tliofe who are 

 curious in botany, but they have no great beauty to 

 recommend them. I have cultivated thefe forts 

 many years, and have never obferved either of them 

 to vary, . therefore make no doubt of their beine 

 diftinft fpecies. 

 ISERRULA. Lin. Gen, Plant. 800. Pelecinus. 

 Tourn. Inft. 417. tab. 234. 



The Characters are, 

 The flower bath a tubtihus empalement of one leaf which 

 is ereEi^ andjlightly indented at the top in five equal parts^ 

 the two upper Jlanding at a dijlance. The flower is pa- 

 pilionaceous^ having a large rotindiflo flandard^ whofe edges 

 are rcflexeSi ^ The wings are oblongs but floor ter than the 

 ftandard ; and the obtufe keel is of the fame length with 

 the wings, bending upward. It hath ten ftamina, nine 

 of which are joined, and the other fingle, with their ends 

 pointing upward. In the center isfituatedan oblong com- 

 preffed germen, fupporting an awl-floaped ftyle, crowned by 

 ^Jingle fligma-y thefe are included in the keel The germen 

 nftervxard becomes a flat narrow pod, indented on both 

 edges like thefaw of the fwordfifh^ having two cells ^ filled 

 with kidney 'floaped feeds. 



This genus of plants is ranged in the third feftion of 

 Linnaeus*s feventeenth clafs, intitled Diadelphia De- 

 candria, the flower having ten fl:amina, joined in two 

 bodies. 



+ 



We have but one Species of this genus, which is, 

 SERRULA. {Pelecinus.) Hon. Cliff'. 361. We have no 

 £nglifti name for this plant. Pelecinus vulgaris. 

 Tourn. Inft. 417. , 



This is an annual plant, which grows naturally in 

 .Italy, Sicily, Spain, and the fouth of France. It fends 

 out many angular ftalks, which trail on the ground, 

 ■Subdivided into many branches, garniflied with long 

 winged leaves, compofed of many pair of lobes, ter^ 

 minated by an odd one-, thefe are heart-ftiaped : to- 

 ward the upper par^' of the branches come out the 



jfobt-ftalk of the flowers, which fuftains fevc^al feaH 

 Butterfly flowers, of a purplifh colour, colleftcd to^ 

 ■ gether, which are fucceeded by^ plain pods, about one 

 '•- nich long, indented on both fides the v/hole length, 

 divided in the middle by a longitudinal nerve, con- 

 taining two rows of kidney-fliaped feeds. 

 It is propagated by feeds, which in this country 

 ftiould be fown in the autumn, on a bed of light 

 , earth, where the plants will come up in about three 

 weeks, and will live in the open air very well. Thefit 

 fliould be fown where they are defigned to remain, 

 or transplanted very young •, for when they are large, 

 they will not bear removing. When the plants are 

 come up, they will require no other care, but to keep 

 them clean from weeds; and where they are too near, 

 they fliould be thinned to about a foot diftance from 

 each other. They flower in June, and the feeds ripen 



in September. \ ■ ' ' '- 



> The feeds of this plant may alfo be fown in the fpring, 

 and treated in the fame manner as before directed ^ 

 but thefe will not flower till the middle or end of July, 

 fo unlefs the autumn fprovcs warm,' they will not 

 ripen feeds ; for which reafon I have direded their 

 being fown in the autumn, as foon as they are ripe. 

 Two or three of thefe plants rhay be allowed a placii 

 in gardens for the fake of variety, but they have not 



much beauty. 



BISLINGUA. SeeRuscus. 



BISTORTA [fo called, becaufe the root is turned 

 or wreathed into various rings or fpires,] Biftort, or 

 Snakeweed. . .. . : ...,../ 



This genus isjoined to the Polygonum by Dr. Linnnsus. 



This plant flowers in May, and if the feafon prove 

 moift, will continue to produce, new fpikes of flowers 

 till Auguft: it may be propagated by planting the 

 roots in a moift fliady border, either in fpring or au- 

 tumn, which v/ill foonfurnlfli the garden with plants, 

 for it greatly increafes by its creeping roots. 

 The roots of this plant have been recommended for 

 tanning of leather, but the trouble of procuring them 

 in a fufficient quantity is too great to anf;ver the in- 

 tention. ■ . . - 



B I V A L V U L A R, or Bivalve [of bivalvis] Hufk, 

 is one that opens and gapes the whole length, like" a 

 door that opens in two parts. 



>■ V **t 



T':; , 



BIX A. Lin. Gen* Plant. 581. Urucu. Sloan. Cat. Jam. 

 Orleana. H. L. Mitella. Tourn. Irift. 242. Anoita, 

 by the French Roucou. - . 



The Characters are. 

 It hath a plain, fmall, obtufe cr/ipalement, which is per- 

 manent ; the flower hath a double f cries of petals, the outer 

 confifting of five, which are large, oblong, and equal, the 

 inner of the fame number and fhape, but narrower. It 

 hath a great number of briftly ftardna, which are but 

 half the length of the petals, terminated by ereEi fummits. 

 In the center is fituated an oval germen, fupporting a 

 flender flyle of the fame length with the fl amine, crowned 

 by a bifid, comprejfed, parallel fligma. The germen after- 

 ward becomes an oval heart-fhaped capfule, a little cozi- 

 preffed, covered with fharp br 2 flies, opening with two 

 valves^ with one cell, and filled with angular feeds, ad- 

 hering to a linear receptacle, which runs longiti'AinciUy 

 through the capfule. 



This genus is ranged in the firft fe£lion of Linn^us' 

 thirteenth clafs, intitled Polyandria Monogynia, th 

 flower having many ftamina and one ftyle. 

 We have but one Species of this genus, viz. 



BiXA. {Orellana.) Hort. C\\S. 211. The Arnotta, or Anotta, 

 by the French Roucou. MitcUa Americana maxima 

 tinftoria. Achioti of Hernandez. 

 This ftirub grows naturally in the warm parts of 

 America, where it rifes with an upright flem to the 

 height of eight or ten feet, fending out many branches 

 at the top, forming a regular head. Thef 



5 



e 



e are erar- 



niflied with heart-ftiaped leaves ending in a point, 

 whicli have long foot-ftalks, and come out without; 

 any order. The flowers are produced in loofe panicles 

 at the end of the branches, of a pale Peach colour, 

 having large petals, and a great number of briftly 

 ftamina of the fame colour, in the center. After the 



flower 



