O N 



which twift about each other, or the neighbouring 

 phmts, like the common Bindweed. Thefe are gar- 

 niflied'with heart-iliaped leaves, which are foft to the 

 touch, like thofe of the Marfii Mallow. The flow- 

 ers are produced at the joints on the fide of the ftalks, 

 feveral Handing together on the fame foot-llalk •, they 

 are white, and lliaped like tliofe of the common great 

 Bindweed. Thefe are fucceeded by round capfules, 

 having three cells, which contain two feeds in each. 

 The roots of this plant, which is the only part ufed 

 in medicine, are brought to us from India. It is titled 

 Turpcthum, or Turbith in the iliops. 

 This plant is tender, fo will not live in the open air 

 in England j it is propagated by feeds, which muft 

 be fown on a hot-bed ; and w^hen the plants are fit to 

 remove, they fliould be each planted in a feparate pot, 

 and plunged into a hot-bed of tanners bark, and 

 fcreened from the fun till they have taken frelh root, 

 and afterward mull be treated in the fame manner as 

 hath been directed for the eighth fort. 

 The thirty-firft fort is the Jalap which is ufed in me- 

 dicine. This grows naturally at Haleppo, in the 

 Spanifh Weft-Indies, fituated between La Vera Cruz 

 and Mexico. The root of this plant hath been long 

 ufed in medicine, but it was not certainly known, 

 what plant it was produced from. The old title 

 of this was Mechoacana nJOTa, but father Plumier 

 afferted that it was the root of one fpecies of Marvel 



from whence Tournefdrt was induced 'to 



brought 



^ 



of Peru 5 



conftitute a genus from that plant,' under the title of 

 Jalapa. But Mr. Ray, from better information, put 

 it amono; the Convolvuli, and titled it Convolvulus 

 Americanus, Jalapium diftus. This was by the late 

 Dr. Houftoun certainly afcertained, who 

 feme of the roots of this plant from the Spanifh 

 Weft-Indies to Jamaica, where he planted them, 

 with a defign of cultivating the plants in that ifland, 

 where he obferved them to thrive, during his abode 

 there : but foon after lie left the country, the perfon 

 to whofe care he committed them, was fo carelefs as 

 to fuffer hogs to root them out of the ground, and 

 deftroy them ; fo that there was no remains of them 

 left, when he returned there j nor have I heard of this 

 plant being introduced into any of the Britifti iflands 

 iince. 



A few years paft I received a few of the feeds o^ this 

 plant, which fucceeded in the Chelfea garden, where 

 the plants throve very well, but did not produce any 

 flowers. This hath a large root of an oval form, 

 which is full of a milky juice j from which come out 

 many herbaceous triangular twining ftalks, rifing 

 eight or ten feet, garnifhed with variable leaves, fome 

 of them being heart-fhaped, others angular, and fome 

 oblong and pointed, They are fmooth, and ftand 

 . upon long foot-ftalks ; and from a drawing of the 



made 



plant. 



by a Spaniard in the country, where it 



' F 



grows naturally, who gave it to Dr. Houfton, and is 

 now in my poffefTion, the floNvers are fhaped like 

 thofe of the common Great Bindweed, each foot-ftalk 

 fupporting one flower. .But as it is only a pencil 

 drawing, fo the colour is not exprefled, therefore I 

 can give no farther account of it. . The feeds of this 

 are covered ^lih very white down like cotton! . 

 As this plant is a native of a warm country, fo it will 

 not thrive in England, unlefs it is preferved in a 

 warm ftove-, therefore the feeds muft be fown on a 

 hot-bed, and the plants put into pots, and plunged 

 into a hot-bed of tanners bark, and treated in the 

 fame manner as the eighth fort -, with this difference 

 only, that as this hath large, fieftiy, fucculent roots, 

 fo they fl:iould have but little water given them, ef 

 pecially in winter, left it caufe them to rot. They 

 ihould be planted in light fandy earth not too rich, 

 for the fame reafon, and the plants fliould always re- 

 main in the bark-ftove. 



The root of Jalap is efteemed an excellent cathartic 

 medicine, purging ferous watery humours efpecially, 

 and js of Angular fervice in dropfies, and for rheu- 

 matic diforders. But the quantity of the root which 

 is ufed in medicine, is not fufficienc to render t!ie in- 



I 



N 



troduaion of this plant into the Brltifli colonics, a 

 matter of great concern. But fince the diftillers and 

 brewers luive found out its ufe for exciting a fermen- 

 tation, the confumption of it is now fo gixat, as that 

 it would become a national benefit, if it were pro- 

 duced in the Britifli iflands ; which might be foon ef- 

 fefccd, v/ere tl:e inhabitants of tliofe iflands a little 

 more attentive ro their ov/n, and the pviblic bene? t ' 

 CONYZA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 8'a, 



■I 



K^ i 



Tourn Inft. R. 



being hung up, drive, away gnats and fleas, as Diof- 

 coridcs lays:] Flea-bane. 

 The Characters are, 

 7/ balb a cGmpotoidfoivcr, r^ade tip cf 7::any herniaphrcd'te 

 florets^ zrhick compcje the di/k^ and female half ficrel-^ 



fi' 



/• 



/^ 



into 



The 



five jhcrt hairy flanhia^ terminated hy cylindrical fiim- 

 mils ; in the hotlc}n of each jioret is fituated a gernif^i 

 fupporting a flendcr fyle^ cro-~jjned by a bifid ftigrna. 

 female half florets or rays^ are funnel- f japed ^ and cut into 

 three parts at the top \ thefe have a gem: en ^ zvilh a 

 fiender fiyle^ terminated hy tivo fender fi-igmas^ bi-it have 



ft' 



thefe are included in a common fc 



palement^ which is oblong and fqitare ; the fcales are 



female fit 



fi 



The hermaphrc- 



feed^ crowned with down^ fitting upon a plain receptacle^ 



and^ an included in the e^npalement. 



Tills genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feclion 



of Linn^us's nineteenth clafs, intitled Syngenefla 



Polygamiafuperflua. The plants of this fedlion have 



hermaphrodite and female florets, which are both 

 fruitful. ■' " 



The Species are, 



I. CoNYZA {Sq^uarrofa) foliis lanceolatis acutis, caule 



annuo corymbofo. Hort. Cliff". 405. Flea-bane 'With 

 pointed fpear-f japed leaves^ an annual ft alk^ and f.owers 



if 



Conyza maior vulgaris. 



C. B. P. 265. Common greater Flea-bane. 

 CoNYZA {Bifrons) foliis ovato oblongis, amplexicau- 

 libus. Hort. Cliff; 405. Flea-bane wiih oblong oval leaves 



ft 



Eupatoria Conyzoides maxima 



Canadenfis, foliis caulem amplexantibus. Pluk. Aim. 



141. 



3. CoNYZA {Can-didis) foliis ovatls tomentofis, floribus 

 confertis, pedunculis lateralibus terminalibufque. 

 Hort. Cliff*. 405. Flea-bane with oval woolly leaves^ 



flowers growing in cluflers^ and foot ftalks proceeding from 

 the fides and terminating the ftalks, Conyza Cretica 

 fruticofa, folio molli candidiflimo& tomentofo. Tourn. 

 Cor. 33. , : '^ \ ' _ 



4. Conyza {Lohatd) foliis InferioribUs trifldis, fuperiori- 

 b'us ovato lanceolatis obfolete ferratis floribus corym- 

 bofls. Hort. Cliff: 405. Flea bane whofe under leaves 



ifidy thefe above oval and fpear'-fijaped^ andfiu 



5 



groiving in round bunches. * Conyza arborefcens lutea, 

 folio trifido. Plum. Cat. 9. 



CoKYZA {Tomentofis) arborefcens, foliis oblongoova- 

 tis, tomentofis, fubtus cinereis, floribus terminalibus 

 pedunculis racemofis. Tree Flea-bane with oblong woolly 

 leaves^ of an Afh colour ^n their under fiJe^ andflozvcrs 



the branches^ ftanding upon branching foot- 

 ftalks,' Conyza arborefcens, tcmentofa, fohis oblon- 

 gis, floribus in fummitatibus racemorum, ramofis 

 fparfis albicantibus. Houfl:. MSS. 

 6. CoNVZA {Salicifolius) foliis linearibus decurrentibus 

 ferratis, floribus corymbofis terminalibus. Flea-bane 



w 



nth ?:arrow r> 



dft 



terminating the ftalks. Con}'za hcrbacea, caule alato, 

 Salicis folio, floribus umbellatis purpureis minoribus. 



Houfl. MSS. 

 7. CoxYZA (Coymbofa) arborefcens, foliis lanceolatis, 

 floribus corymbofls, terminalibus pedunculis race- 

 mofis. Tree Flea-bane with fpecrr fie aped leaves, and 

 fio-wers growing in round bunches at the end of the fhoots, 

 having branching foot-ftalks. Conyza arborefcens, fo- 

 liis oblono-is floribus flngulis tribus flcfculis confl;an- 



tibus. Houff. MSS. 



I .. 



4E 



r 



8. CONYZ V 



