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It flowers in June, J'-'b^ ' 



It hath 



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of the fonr.crfpccies. 



Aiiguft, but rarely ripens feeds in Enghind. 

 a perennial root, which fends out offsets, by which 

 it is propagated in England, in the fame manner as 

 the lafr mentioned, and the plants muft be treated in 

 the fame way. 



Tiie tv/enty-fourch fort grows naturally in Portugal, 

 but hath been long cultivated in the flov/er-gardens 

 in England for ornament ; this is ufually titled Con- 

 volvulus Minor, by the feedfrnen and gardeners. It 

 is an annual plant, which hath feveral thick herbace- 

 ous ftalks, growing about two feet long, which do 

 not twine like the other forts, but decline toward the 

 ground, upon which many of the lower branches lie 

 proftrate-, thefe are garnifhed with fpear-fhaped leaves, 

 which fit clofe to the branches ; the foot-ftalks of the 

 flowers come out juft above the leaves at the fame 

 joint, and on the fame fide of the ftalks ; thefe are 

 about tv/o inches long, each fuftaining one large open 

 bell-lhaped flower, which in fome is of a fine blue 

 colour, with a white bottom ; in others they are pure 

 white, and fome are beautifully variegated with both 

 colours. The white flowers are fucceeded by white 

 feeds, and the blue by dark-coloured feeds, and this 

 difference is pretty confl:ant In both ; but thofe plants 

 with variegated flowers, have frequently plain flowers 

 of both colours intermixed with the flriped ; there- 

 fore the only mediod to continue the variegated fort, 

 is to pull off all the plain flowers when they appear, 

 never fuffering any of them to remain for feed. 

 This fort is propagated by feeds, which ihould be 

 fown on the borders of tlie flower-garden where they 

 aredefigned to remain. The ufual method is to put 

 two or three feeds in each place where they are in- 

 tended to flower, covering them half an inch with 

 earth ; and when the plants come up, if the feeds all 

 grov/, there fliould be but two left in each place, 

 which will be fufficierit ; the'otfiers fhould be drawn 

 out carefully, fo as not to difl:urb the roots of thofe 

 ■which are left ; after which they will require no 

 other culture but to keep them cleafi from weeds. If 

 ;.;.tbe feeds are fown in autumn, the plants will flower 

 in May •, but thofe which are fown in the fpring, will 

 j^not flower till about the middle of June, and will 

 V continue flowering till the frofl: ftops them. The 

 '' feeds ripen in Auguft and September. 

 The twenty-fifth fort grows naturally in Italy and 

 Sicily. This hath a perennial root, which runs deep 

 in the ground, from which arife two or three upright 

 branching flialks near two or three feet high, garnifli- 

 cd with narrow leaves about two inches long, which 

 fit clofe to the fi:alks j the foot-ftalks of the flower 

 proceed from the fame place ; thefe are four or five 

 inches long, each fuftaining four or five flowers, of a 

 vpale Rofe colour, which fpread open almoft flat. This 

 flowers in June and July, but feldom produces good 

 feeds in England. It is propagated by feeds, which 

 muft be obtained from the countries where it natu- 

 rally grows i thefe fhould be fown upon a warm dry 

 border, where they are defigned to remain ^ for as 

 the plants run down with long tap-roots, they will 

 not bear tranfplanting, for I have often made trial of 

 . this without any fuccefs. When the plants come up, 

 they fliouldbe thinned where they grow too clofe, and 

 afterward conftantly kept clean from weeds, which is 

 all the culture it will require. It flowers in July and 

 Auguft, and the ftalks decay in autumn y but the 

 rooti will laft feveral years, and if they are in a dry 

 . foil and warm fituation, will abide through the win- 

 ters very well without covering. I have received a 

 . variety of this from Nice, where it grows naturally, 

 with broader leaves, which are hairy. The flowers 

 are placed all toward the top of the ftalk upon long 

 - foot-ftalks, growing many together very clofely join- 

 ed : but I cannot be fure if it is not a feminal varia- 

 tion, for it was fent me by the fame title. 

 The twenty-fixth fort grows naturally in France; 

 this hath apert;mial creeping root, from which arife 

 feveral ftiort branching ftalks about four inches high, 



gainiflied with fpear-ftiaped filky leaves -, the flowers 





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are produced on tlie fide, and at the top of the ftalb, 

 in Imall clufters, fitting clofe together; thefe arc 

 much fmaller than thole of the former fort, but are 

 of a deeper Rofe colour : this feldom 'produces feeds 

 in England, but the roots propagate in plenty. It 

 delights in a light dry foil, and requires no other care 

 but to keep the plants clean from weeds ; it may be 

 tranfplanted either in the fpring or autumn. This is 

 by fome fuppofed to be the fame as the laft mentioned 

 fort, but whoever has cultivated them, can have no 

 doubt of their being different fpecies. 

 I'he twenty-feventh fort grov/s naturally in Italy, Si- 

 cily, and the iflands in the Archipelago. It rifes with 

 -upright flirubby ftalks about three feet high, clofely 

 garniflied with blunt, fpear-fiiaped, filky leaves, which 

 are placed on every fide the ftalks ; they arc near two 

 inches long, and a quarter broad, rounding at their 

 ends. ■ The flowers are produced in clufters at the 

 top of the ftalks, fitting very clofe ; they are of a 

 pale Rofe colour, and come out in June and July, but 

 do not perfe£l; feeds in England. This plant willlive 

 in the open air in mild winters, if it is planted in a 

 light foil and a warm fituation, but in hard winters it is 

 deftroyed -, therefore fome of the plants fi^ould be kept 

 in pots, and flieltered under a common frame in win- 

 ter, where it may enjoy the free air in mild weather, and 

 be protefbed from the froft, and in fummer placed 

 abroad with other hardy exotic plants, where its fine 

 filky leaves will make a pretty appearance. It may 

 be propagated by laying down the branches, and alfo 

 by cuttings, but both veiy feldom put out roots the 

 fame year, and many of them will fail ; fo that the 



; -beft way is to procure the feeds from Italy, for thofe 

 plants which come from feeds, grow much larger than 



'^-thofe whifih are propagated the other way. 

 ;The twenty-eighth fort grows naturally in Candia, 

 and feveral of the ifiands in the Archipelago. This 

 hath a perennial root," jvh^ch fends up feveral ereft 



^ branching ftalks about two feet high, -wJiich are gar- 

 " niftied with very narrow-pointed leaves, fitting clofe 

 to the ftalks, v/hich are hoary. The flowers come 

 out fingly on the fide of the ftalks, fitting very clofe 

 to them, having fcarce any foot-ftalks ; thefe are of a 

 very pale bluifli colour, and fpread open almoft to 

 the bottom. It flowers in June and July, but rarely 

 produces any feeds in England. 

 This fort is propagated in the fame manner as the 



" twenty-fifth, and the plants require the fame treat- 

 ment. This plant muft have a dry foil and a warm 

 fituation, otherwife it will not live through the win- 

 As the ftalks of 



in England. 



ter in the open air 

 this fort decay in autumn, fo if the furface of the 

 ground about their roots is covered with fome old 

 tanners bark, it will preferve them in the hardcft 

 frofts. , 



The twenty-ninth fort is ufed in medicine. This is 

 ftiled Soldanella, and Brafllca marina ; it grows na- 

 turally on the fea beaches in many parts of England, 

 but cannot be long preferved in a garden. This hath 

 many fmall, white, ftringy roots, which fpread wide, 



and fend out feveral weak trailina: branches, which 

 twine about the neighbouring plants like the com- 

 mon Bindweed, and are garnifhed v/ith kidney-fliaped 

 leaves about the fizc of thofe of the lefl"er Celandine, 

 ftandlng upon long foot-ftalks, and are placed alter- 

 nate. The flowers are produced on the fide of the 

 branches at each joint. Thefe are ftiaped like thofe 

 of the firft fort, and are of a reddifla purple colour; 

 they appear in July, and are fucceeded by round cap- 

 fules, having three cells, each containing onfe black 

 feed ; every part of the plant abounds with a milky 



juice. This is efteemed a good medicine to purge 



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watery humours, and is prefcribed indropfies. 

 The thirtieth fort grows naturally in the ifland of 

 Ceylon. This is a perennial plant, having thick flemy 

 roots, which fpread far in the ground, and abound 

 with a milky juice, which flows out when the roots 

 are broken or wounded, and foon hardens into a reli- 

 ncus fubftance, when expofed to the fun and air. 

 From the root Ihoots forth manv twining branches, 

 6 ' . which 



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