• 



— 



CON 



trees, and rife to a great height ; the leiH'CS are fiiioot]!, 

 hcarc-lhiiped, ending in long points, and the cars at 

 the bale are laro;e and rounded, 



C O 



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{landing upon 

 lono- fiendcr foot-ftalks. The flowers come out on 

 thc'oppofite fide of thefcalks, upon long foot-ftalks, 

 each fullaining three flowers, with longer tubes than 

 tliofe of the former, and are of a deeper purple co- 

 lour •, this flowers from the latter end of June till 

 the frofl: defcroys it.- As this is not fo hardy as the 

 former, the feeds fliould be fawn upon a hot-bed in the 

 fpring,to bring the plants forward , and toward the end 

 of May, they fhouid be planted out in warm borders, 

 and treated in the fame manner as the former fort. 

 The fixth fort grows naturally in Africa and America ; 

 this is an annual plant, which rifes with a twining 

 flalk eight or ten feet high, garnifhed with heart- 

 fhaped leaves, divided into three lobes, which end 

 in fharp points ; thefe are Ayoolly, and fl;and upon _ 

 long foot-ftalks ^ the flowers come out on long foot- 

 ftalks,. each fuftaining two flowers of a very deep 

 blue colour, from whence it has been tided Anil or 

 Indigo. This is one of the moft beautiful flowers of 

 this genus, and is undoubtedly a diftinft fpecies ; 

 though fome have fuppofed it to be only a variety of 

 the fourth fort, for I have cultivated it many years, 

 and have never found it alter ; the leaves of this hav- 

 ing three deeply divided lobes, and thofe of tlie fourth 

 fort being entire, is fufficient to determine the fpeci- 

 fic difference;' this fort is annual, and muft be pro- 

 pagated in the fame manner as the fifth. It flowers 

 all the latter part of fummer, and, in good feafons, 

 the feeds ripen well in the open air. , . . 



The fcventh fort is that whofe roots are eaten, and 

 IS generally titled Spanifli Potatoe ; thefe roots are an- 

 nually imported from Spain and Portugal, wfiiere^ 

 they are greatly cultivated for the table, but they' 

 are too tender to thrive well in the opeii air in Eng- 

 land; they are cultivated by the^rgpfs in the fame 

 way as the common Potatoe, but require much more 

 room ; for tVefe fend out many trailing ft alks, which 

 extend foiir'Sr five feet every way, and at their joints 

 fend out roots, which, in warm countries, grow to 

 be large tu&rs, fo that from a fingle root' planted, 

 forty or fifty large roots are produced. This plant 

 is fometimes propagated by way of curiofity in Eng- 

 land, but the roots ftiould be planted on a hot-bed 

 in the fpring; and if the plants are kept covered in 

 bad weather with glaflTes, they will produce flowers, 

 and many fmall roots will be produced from the 

 joints ; but if they are expofcd to the open air, th 

 feldom make much progrefs. 



The eighth fort grows naturally at La Vera Cruz in 

 New Spain, from whence the feeds were fent me by 

 the late Dr. Houftoun. This rifes withaftrong wind- 

 ing ftalk to the height of twenty feet, dividing into 

 feveral fmaller, which faften themfelves about any of 



thefe 





y 



the neighbouring trees and flirubs •, tneie are gar- 

 nifhed with leaves in fhape of a hand, having feven 

 lobes, which are fpear-fliaped,- and deeply cut on 

 their borders, ending in ftiarp points. - The flowers 

 are fingle on each foot-ftalk, whjch are very long. 

 The empalement of the flov/er is large, fpreading 

 open, and is divided deeply into five parts. The 

 flowers a|c large, of a purple colour, and are fuc- 

 ceeded by large roundifh feed-veffels, having three 

 cells, in each of thefe is lodged a fingle feed'. 

 This plant is tender, fo the feeds fliould be fown on 

 a hot-bed in the ipring; and when the plants are fit 

 to remove, they muft be tranfplanted each into a fe- 

 parate pot filled with light earth, and plunged into a 

 moderate hot-bed, obferving to ihade them from the 

 fun till they have taken new root ; then they fhouid 

 have a large Ihare of air admitted to them everyday, 

 to prevent their drawing vvcak, and alfo flitauld have 

 moderate waterings tlirce or four times a week. 

 When the plants are grown too tall to remain in the 

 hot-bed, they muft be ihifted into larger pots, and 

 placed in the bark-ftove, where, if they are allowed 

 roam, they will rife to a great height, and produce 

 flowers, but it rafcly produces feeds in England.. 



**- 



-^ 



1 K 



1 



;ur in iLn^iiiuit ; iu luc iccu^ muuiu uc lown on 



bed in the fpring, and the plants may be after- 

 treated in the fame way as the eiglith fort, with 



,f\ 



The ninth fort is an annua!, planr. The feeds of this 

 werefcnt me from Carthagcna in New Spain, where 

 the plant grows naturally. l'h:s rifes with a twinintr 

 flender ftalk ten feet high, which is garnifned v/ith 

 arrow-pointed leaves, whofe ears at the bafe are 

 rounded. The Rowers are produced in fmall clufters 

 ftanding on long foot-ftalks ; thefe are yellow, aiut 

 are lucceedcd by three-cornered feed-veflels, ha^iriiij. 

 three cells, in each of rhde are lodged two feeds. ^ 

 liis plant is annua], and too tender to thrive in the 

 open air in England ; fo the iceds fhouid be fown o, 

 a hot- 

 v^'i^rd ti 



which management they will fiov/er and produce ripe 

 feeds. • ' . ■. 



The feeds of the tenth fort were fent me froin Ja- 

 maica by the late Dr. Houftoun, who found the phnis 

 growing naturally there in great plenty. This is an 

 annual plant, rifing with flender, ftiff, twining ftaiks, 

 eight or nine feet high, garniflied with heart-fhapcd 

 leaves, which are dov/ny. The flowers ftand many 

 together at the end of ftrong foot-fbiiks ; thefe are 

 purple, and are fucceeded by roundifii feed-veffels, 

 with three cells, containing feveral fmall feeds. 

 This fort requires the fame treatment as the eio;hth, 

 being too tender to thrive in this country in the open 

 air. ■ 



The eleventh fort w^as fent me from the ifland of 

 Barbuda. This is an annual plant, which rifes with 

 twining ftalks kv(^n or eight feet high, garnifhed 

 with oblong, oval, fivjocth leaves. The flowers 

 come out at evei-y ioint on fiendcr loner foot-ftalks, 

 each fupporting a large purple flower, whofe emjxile- 

 ment is cut almoft to the bottom, in ta^ parts. The 

 feeds and capfule are like thofe of the other fpecies. 

 This is a tender plant, fo muft be treated in the fame 

 .manner as the eighth fort. ■•.. 

 The twelfth fort grows naturally at Carthagena In 

 ;-.New Spain, froni whence t received the feeds. This 

 is a perennial plant, which rifes with ftrong windino' 

 ftalks to the h'eight of twelve or fourteen feet, and 

 are garnifhed with leaves, divided into five lobes, 

 ftanding upon fhort foot-ftalks ; the flowers ftand 

 upon long foct-ftaiks, each fuftaining tv/o purple 

 flowers. The ftalks, leaves, and every part of the 

 plant, is clofely covered with pungent ftinginr^ hairs, 

 of a light brown colour. This fort is tender, io i-nufi: 

 be treated in the fame way as the eir^hth. 

 The thirteenth fcrt grows naturally about Tolu in 

 New Spain, from whence the feeds v/ere fent me bv 

 the late Mr. Robert Millar. This hath a ligneous 

 ftalk covered with a purple bark, which tv/inerabout 

 the trees, and rifes to the height of thirty feet or 

 more, and is garniflied with leaves, which are deeply 

 divided into five fharp-pointcd lobes. The" flowers 

 ftand upon long thick foot-ftalks, which liave a knee 

 in the middle; they are very large, and of a purple 

 colour; thefe are*fucceeded by round feed-veffels, as 

 large as a middling Apple, divided into three cells, 

 each containing two very large fmooth feeds. 

 This plant is too tender to thrive in the open air in 

 England, fb muft be treated in die fame manner as 

 the eighth fort, but it grows too tall for tbe ftoves 

 here. I have had thefe plants upward of twenty feet 

 high, which have fent out m.any fide branches, ex- 

 tending fo wide on every fide, as to cover moft of 

 the neighbouring plants, fo that I v;as obliged tore- 

 move them into a cooler fituation, where they would 

 not thrive. . , " - . . . ^ 



The fourteenth fort grows naturally on the fea fliores 

 in moft of the iflands in the Weft-Indies, where the 

 ftalks trail on the ground, v/hich are garniflied with 

 oval leaves, indented at the top. ,The flowers arc 

 large, of a purple colour, and are produced by threes, 

 on very long foot-ftalks ; thefe are fucceeded by large 

 oval feed-vefills, with three cells, each containing ^ 

 fingle feed. This hath a perennial ftalk, which trails 

 on the ground, and fpreads to a great diilance, 'but 

 is too tender to thrive in the open air in England, fo 

 mult be treated in the fame manner as the eighth fort, 



and 



