u 



.4K -* 



of a fea-grecn colour, thefe leaves foon fall ofF, and 

 the uppei- part of the branches are clofely covered 

 withJong rufli-like leaves having four angles, which 

 come out in clufters from each joint. The flowers 

 grow in fpreading umbels at the extremity of the 

 branches, which are fmall and of an herbaceous co- 

 lour, and are fuccceded by oblong channelled feeds. 

 This fort is commonly propagated by cuttings, which 

 readily take root, if they are planted in April in 

 pots filled with light earth, and plunged into a mo- 

 derate hot-bed, and when they have taken root, they 

 ihould be inured to the open air by degrees, and af- 

 ter they have obtained ftrength, may be planted each 

 into a feparate pot filled with light loamy earth, 

 placing them in the Ihade, till they have taken frefh 

 root, when they may be placed with other exotic 

 plants in afheltered fituation, where they may remain 

 till the autumn, when they muft be removed into the 

 green-houfe, and placed with fuch hardy plants as 

 require a large ihare of air in mild weather, and only 

 require a proteftion from froft. 

 If this plant is propagated by feeds, thej^ fhould be 

 fown in the autumn, foon after they are ripe, in pots 

 filled with light earth, which mufl be fheltered under 

 a frame in winter, and in the fpring removed to a 

 very gentle hot-bed, which, will foon bring up the 

 plants 



degrees 



railed 



; thefe mufl be inured to bear the open air by 

 s, and then treated in the fame inanner as thofe 



Will not thrive when planted in dry ground, and being 

 too tender to live abroad in England, renders them 

 very difficult to preferve ; therefore whoever is de- 

 firous to have them, fhould plant them in pots, which 

 fhould be plunged in troughs of water, fo deep as to 

 cover the furface of the mould therein about three 

 inches. Thofe troughs in which the firft fort is 

 planted, fhould be placed in a warm ftove, where 

 they fhoulcj conftantly remain, being careful to fupply 

 the water as it may diminifh in the troughs from time 

 to time. The troughs in which the fecond fort is 

 put, fhould be placed in a grceh-houfe in winter to 

 protect the plants from froft, but in fummer they 

 may be expofed in the open air, with "this manage- 

 ment, if carefully attended to, the plants may bepre- 

 ferved, and fometimes may be brought to produce 

 flowers. 



w 



BURNET. See Poterium and Sanguisorba. 



BURSA PASTORIS, Shepherds-pouch. This is 

 a common weed in mofl parts of England \ which 

 propagates fo fad by feeds, as not to be eafily cleared 

 when they are permitted to flied -, for there are com- 



monly four generations of this plant from feeds in a 



the feeds ripen in September. 



M 



July: 



This genus was 



year, fo fail does the feed ripen, and the plants come 

 " up ; therefore it cannot be too foon or carefully rooted 



out of a garden. 

 1 U T O MU S, [BiiTo^uov, of ^h, an ox, and Ts/^tw, to cut, 

 fo called, becaufe the leaves of it are fo acute, that 

 the tongue and lips of oxen, which are great lovers 

 of this plant, are wounded by it, fo that the blood 



J 



fo titled by Dr. Linnaeus, in honour to his friend Dr. it has the leaves of a Rufh, and produces a fine 

 Burman, profefTor of botany at Amfterdam. ' - ^^ - ^ ^i .-,t . ^ ^ 



The Characters are. 



of one leaf 

 , the floii 



three fmall oblong petals^ fituatei in the mouth of the em- 

 f clement^ it hath ftx fmall Jlamina^ the fummits are at 

 the mouth of the empale?nenty two at each \ the germen is 

 c^lindricaly half the length of the empalement^ fupporting 

 a flender fiyle the length of the corolla^ having three obtuft 



PS' 



feeds. 



filled with fmall feeds 



This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feftion of 



Mono 



the flower having fix ftamina and one ftyle. 



Wate 



Gladiole. y 



The Characters are. 

 The flowers grow in a Jingle umbely having ajhort three 

 leaved involucrum* "Tht flower bath fix roundifh concave 

 petalsy which are alternately fmaller and more pointed^ it 

 hath nine awl-fhaped flamina^ fiyi of which furround the 

 ether ^ and are terminated by double lamellated fummits ; 

 it hath fix oblong pointed germen^ fupporting a fingle 

 fligma ; the germen afterward become fix oblong pointed 

 capfules^ having one cell filled with oblong feeds. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the third feflion of 

 Linnaeus's ninth clafs, intixled Enneandna Hexagy- 

 nia, the flower having nine ftamina, and fix germen. 



We 



The Species are, 



ltrmannia (Diftii 



BuTOMus (Umbellatus) Fh Lap. 159. The Flowering- 



s' 



(Bifli 



fpike offli 



Rufh^ or fVater-Gladiole. J 



Ruflj 



Burmannia with two flowers, Burmannia fcapo biflor^e. 



Flor. Virg. 1^6, 



The firft fort grows naturally in Ceylon, in places 



covered witn water molt part 01 the year, the root 

 is compofed of many capillary fibres, from which 

 come out fix or eight narrow fpear-fhaped leaves, 

 near two inches long, which are entire. The flower- 

 ftalk rifes a fpan high, garniflied with five or fix 

 narrow fpear-fhaped leaves which embrace it at their 

 bafe •, the ftalk is terminated by a double .fpike of 

 flowers fpreading each way : thefe are garnifhed with 

 fmall blue flowers, included in a fwelUng fpatha, or 

 fheath ; thefe have each three Ihort petals, fix ftamina, 

 and one ftyle ; and in its native foil, the empalement 

 of the flower becomes a triangular cover to the 

 feeds. 



The fecond fort grows naturally in Virginia and Ca- 

 rolina, in watery places, this hath a ftrong fibrous 

 root, from which arife feveral oblong oval leaves, 

 four or five inches long, which are fmooth and entire ^ 

 between thefe arifes the foot-ftalk of the flower, 

 which is fix or eight inches high, terminated by fpikes 

 of flowers, two growing in each fpatha or flieath ; 

 thefe arc blue, and in their native foil are fucceeded 

 by fmall feeds inclofed iii the triangular empale- 

 ment. 



Thefe plants are very difficult to preferve in gardens; 

 for as they naturally grow in marfhy places, which 



part 



There are two varieties of this plant, one with a 

 rofe coloured flower, and the other with a white, but 

 thefe are only accidental variations, therefore not to 

 be enumerated as ^iftinft fpecies. 

 ^he Rofe coloured fort is pretty common in ftanding 

 waters, in many parts of England ; the other is a 

 variety of this, though lefs common with us near 

 London. Thefe plants may be propagated in boggy 

 places, or by planting them in cifterns, which fhould 

 be kept filled with water, that fhould have about a 

 foot thicknefs of earth in the bottom, into which the 

 roots fhould be planted, or the feed fown as foon ^s 

 they are ripe; thefe, though common plants, yet 

 produce very pretty flowers, and are worth propa- 

 gating for variety, efpecially/if in any part of the 

 garden there fhould be conveniency for an artificial 

 bog, or where there are ponds of {landing water, as 

 is many times the cafe, and perfons are at a lofs what 

 to plant in fuch places, that may appear beautiful ; 

 whereas, if thefe, and a few more wild plants, which 

 naturally grow in fuch places, were taken into the 

 garden, they would have a very good effeft in diver- 

 fifying the feveral parts thereof^ 

 There is another fpecies, or at leaft a variety, of thi$ 

 plant, which is found growing near London, inter- 

 mixed with the common fort, but not half fo larg-e 

 either in leaf, ftalk, or flower \ but in other refped:S 

 fo like it, as to render it veiy difficult to be diftin- 

 guifhed from it, for \vhich re^fon I have npt eni;mef 

 rated it j thoi^gh many of the plants fettled in the 



rivar 



