»■ ■■- 



We iiavc but one Species of this plant in the Eng- 

 lilh gardens, viz. 

 Chionanthus pedunculis ^trifidis trifloris: Lin: Sp. 

 Plant. 8; Snoivdrcp-tree^ or Fringe-t^ee^ with trifid 

 foot-firdks fuppcrting three flowers. Amelanchier Vir- 

 giniana laurocerafi folio. Pet. Hon Sice. 241. Virgi- 

 nia Amelanchier with a Laurel leaf. ^ " - ' ■ 



This Ilirub is common in South Carolina^ where it 



grows by the fide of rivulets, and feldom is more 

 than ten feet high : the leaves are as large as thofe of 

 the Laurel, but are of a much thinner fubftance ; 

 the flowers come out in May, hanging in long 

 bunches, and are of a pure white, from whence the 

 inhabitants call it Snowdrop-tree ; and, from the 

 flowers being cut intd narrow fegments, they give j 

 it the name of Fringe-tree; After the flowers have 

 fallen away, the fruit appears, which becomes a 

 black berry^ about the fize of Sloes, having one hard 

 feed in each. - ■■ :'.^ ■ 



~ This tree is now more comnipn in the curious gar- 

 dens in England, than it was a few years fince ; there 

 having been many young plants raifed from the feeds, 

 which have been brought from America lately : there 

 have alfo been fome plants propagated by kyers, 

 - though there is great uncertaint)' of their taking root, 



which they feldom do in lefs than two years ; nor 

 will they ever take root, unlefs they are well fupplied 

 with water in dry weather. 





. The beft way to obtain good plants, is from .the 



feeds, which mufl be procured from America, -for 



they never have produced any fruit in this country. 



- The feeds fhould be fown in fmall pots filled with 



frefii loamy earth foon after they arrive, and fliould 



, be placed under a hot-bed frame, where they may 



: / remain till the beginning of May, when they muft be 



^ff removed to a fituation expofed to the morning fun, 



? and fcreened from the fun in the middle of the day. 



-^ In dry weather the pots muft be watered, and kept 



clean from weeds -, for as thefe feeds lie in the ground 



\- a whole year before the plants, will come up, they 



; fliould not be expofed to the fun the firft fummer, but 



the following autumn they fliould be removed, and 



placed under a frame, to proteft the feeds from be- 



7 • * 



jng injured by the frofl:; and if the pots are plunged 

 into a moderate hot-bed the beginning of March, it 

 will bring up the plants much fooner than they will 

 otherwife rife ; by which means they will get more 

 ftrcngth the firft fummer, and be better able to refift 

 the cold of the next winter. While thefe plants are 

 very young, they will be in danger of fuffering by 

 fcvcre froft ; but when they have obtained ftrength, 

 they will refift the greateft cold of our climate in the 

 open air ; therefore for the two or three firft winters, 

 it will be proper to keep them under flicker j fo that 

 the young plants may remain in the feed-pots all the 

 firft fummer, and the following winter ; and in the 

 fpring before they begin to flioot, they fliould be 

 ihaken out of the pots, and carefully feparated fo as 

 not to break off" their roots, and each planted in a 

 fmall pot filled with light loamy foil, and plunged 

 into a very moderate hot-bed, juft to forward their 

 taking frefli root-, then they fliould be gradually 

 inured to the open air, and during the following fum- 

 mer, the pots fliould be plunged into the ground, to 

 prevent the earth from drying, in a fituation where 

 they may enjoy the morning fun, but fcreened from 

 the great heat at noon. During the fummer feafon, 

 they will require to be frequently watered, and kept 

 clean from weeds. The autumn following, they 

 fliould be again placed under a hot-bed frame to 

 fcreen them from froft ; but they fliould enjoy the 

 free air at all times, when the weather is mild. The 

 April foUowing, the plants may be ftiaken out of the 

 pots, with the ball of earth to their roots, and planted 

 where they are defigned tO' remain. 

 This fhrub delights in a moift, foft, loamy foil, and 

 if it is planted i^ a ftieltered fituation, will endure 

 the cold of our winters very well in the open air; but 



in dry laud it is very fubjed to decay in warm 



Icalbns. 



In the places where this flirub grows naturaliy^ \t 



\ produces great quantities of flowers, fo that tliey 

 ieem covered with fnov/, which gave occafion to the 

 inhabitants for titling it Snowdrop-tree ; but in luig- 

 land the flowers are feldom fo numerous, fo do nor 

 make fo good an appearance; . .- 



GHIRONIA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 227. 

 The Characters are^ 

 The flower hath a permanent empakmnt of one leaf 

 ' cut into five oblong fegments : it hath one petals with a 

 roundiflo tube} the fixe of the empalement, divided into 

 five equal parts above^ which fpread open : it hath five 

 fhort broad ftaminay which are faftened to the top of the 

 tube^ and are terminated by large oblong fummits^ which 

 join together^ and after the flowers drop are fpirally twi fl- 

 ed. It hath an oval germen, fttuated in the center^ 

 fupporting a fiender declining ftyle^ crowned by a rifing 

 ftigma inform of a head. . Thegermen afterward becomes 

 an oval capfule with two cells, filled with fmall feeds. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion of 

 Linnasus's fifth clafs, intitled Pentandria Monogynia, 

 the flower having five ftamina and one ftyle. 

 The Species are, *: .- 



1. Chironia frutefcens, capfulifera. Lin; Sp. Plant, 

 , 190, Shrubby Chironia bearing capfules. Centauri- 



um minus Africanum, arborekens, latifolium, flore 

 ruberrimo. Com. Rar. PI. 8. tab. 8. Leffer Tree-like 

 African Centaury^ with a broad leaf^ and a very red 

 flower* ■ . 



2. Chironia frutefcens 



baccifera. 



Lin/ Sp. Plant. 

 Centaurium 



1 90. Shrubby berry-bearing Chironia. 



minus arborefcens pulpiferum. Com. Rar. PI. 9. 



Lejfer Tree-like Centaury with feeds ftirrounded 



:^^^ 



tab. 9. 



with pulp. 



Thefe plants grow 'naturally at the Cape of Good 

 Hope, from whence their feeds were brought to Hol- 

 land riiany years paft, and the plants were raifed in 

 fome of the curious gardens there, and have fince 

 been communicated to the curious in many parts of 

 Europe. The feeds of the firft fort were fent me 

 from Paris, by Mr. Richard, gardener to the king 

 at Verfailles, from which I raifed feveral plants, which 

 have flowered in the Chelfea garden feveral years, but 

 have not as yet perfefted any feeds, ' - v » .■ 

 It hath a fibrous root, 'which fpreads near the fui*face 

 of the ground. The ftalks are round, and inclining 

 to be ligneous, but are of a very foft texture ^ thele 

 grow from two to three feet high, having feveral 

 branches on every fide, which grow ereft, garniflied 

 with fucculent leaves, which are an inch or more ir> 

 length, and an eighth part of an inch broad, ending 

 in at obtufe point. At the ends of each fhoot the 

 flowers are produced, which are tubulous,. and fpread 

 open at the top like thofe of Periwinkle ; thefe are of 

 a bright red colour, and when there are a large num- 

 ber of the flowers open on the fame plant, they. make 

 a very fine appearance. In the center of the flower 

 is placed an oval germen, upon which there is fixed 

 a recurved ftyle, having a blunt ftigma at the top, 

 furrounded by five incurved ftamina, each fuppcrting 

 a large funimit. When the flowers fall away, the 

 germen becomes an inflated capfule, which is filled 

 with fmall feeds. The flowers are produced from. 

 June to autumn, and the feeds ripen in Oftober. This 

 plant fliould be placed in an airy glafs-cafe in winter, 

 where it may enjoy a dry air and much fun, but will 

 not thrive in a warm ftove ; nor can it be Vvcll pre- 



ferved in a common green-hoiife, becaufe a damp 

 moift air will foon caufe it to rot. 

 The feeds of this plant fliould be fown in fmall 

 pots filled with light fandy earth, foon after they 

 are ripe, and plunged into a moderate hot-bed, and 

 muft be frequently but gently watered ; feme- 

 times the feeds will lie a long time in the ground, fo 

 that if the plants do not appear the fame feafon, the 

 pots fliould not be difturbed, but prcferved in flicker 

 till the following fpring, and then plunged into a 

 frefti hot- bed, which will bring up the plants in a 

 fliort time, if the feeds are good. .When the plants 

 are fit to remove, they fliould be tranfplanted into 



fmall 



