A 



vrhich thcfc facculent plants are apt to imbibe ; and 

 thereby becoming too replete with moiftiire, often 

 caft their leaves, and many times their branches alio 

 decay, and the whole plant periHies. 



' See Mv.MENyfiA. 



COURBARIL. 



See Primula. 



C O W S L I P. 



See Malus. 



concave leaves ^xhich fpread open. 



CRAB-TREE. 

 CRAM BE. Lin. Gen. Plant. 739. Tourn. Inlt. R. 

 11. 211. tab. 100. [Kf^^afr^, Gr:\ Sea Cabbage. 



The Charactlrs are, 

 ^he empalement of the fiovcer is ccmpofed of four oval 



Theflo^jjer hath f cur 



petals, placed in form of a crofs, vuhicb are large, cb- 

 long, and fprcad open \ it hath fix ftamina, two of which 

 are the length of the empalement, the other four are longer, 

 and bifid at their points -, thefe are terminated by ftngle 

 fummits, which branch into threads on their outfide. The 

 petals have honey glands on their infide, which are longer 

 than theflamina. It hath an oblong germen, but noflyle, 

 crowned by a thick fligma. The germen afterward becomes 

 a round d?y capfuky with one cell, inclofing one roundiflo feed. 

 This f^enus of plants is ranged in the fecond fettion 

 of Linnxus's fifteenth clafs, intitled Tetradynamia 

 filiquofa, the flower having four long and two ihort 

 ftamina, and the feeds growing in pods. 

 The Species are, 



1. Crambe (Maritima) foliis cauleque glabris. Fl. Suec. 

 570. Sea Cabbage with fmooth jlalks and leaves. Crambe 

 maritima braffica^ folio. Tourn. Inft. 211. ,.^:^ 



2. Crambe {Suecica) foliis profunde laciniatis, caule 

 ereflo, ramofo. Sea Cabbage with leaves deep^ cut y and 



an upright branching fialk. . -^ 



3. Crambe (Or/>«/^//V) foliis fcabris, caule glabro. Lin. 



Sp. Plant. 671. Sea Cabbage with rough leaves and a 

 fmootbjlalk. -Crambe foliis & foliolis alternatim pin- 

 natifidis. Prod. Leyd. 330. 



4. Crambe ifjifpanica) foliis cauleque fcabri.s. Hort. 

 Upfal. 193. Sea Cabbage with rough flalks and leaves. 

 Rapiftrum maximum rotundifolium monofpermum. 



Corn. Canad. 147. 



The firft fort fends out many broad fmooth leaves, 

 which are deeply jagged on their fides in obtufefeg- 

 mcnts, and are of a grayifli colour, fpreading near the 

 ground \ between thefe arife a thick fmooth foot-ftalk 

 about one foot high, which fpreads out into many 

 branches, which have at each joint one leaf of the 

 fame form as thofe below, but much lefs \ thefe foot- 

 ftalks fubdivide again into many fmaller, which are 

 garnifhed with white flowers, growing in a loofe ob- 

 tufe fpike, compofed of four concave petals, placed 

 in form of a crofs ; thefe are fucceeded by round dry 

 feed-vefl'els about the fize of large Peafe, having a 



It flowers in June, and the feeds 

 ripen in autumn. The roots of this fort creep under 

 ground, whereby it propagates very fafl. 

 The feeds of the fecond fort were fent me from Pe- 

 terfl3urgh for the firft fort, from which it differs 

 greatly. This hath a perennial root, which fends 

 out feveral oblong, fmooth, pointed leaves, irregu- 

 larly cut on their fides into acute fegments almoft to 



fingle feed in each. 



the midrib \ thefe are very fmooth, and of a fea-green 

 colour : between thefe arife the ftalk, which o^rows 

 three feet high, garniflied below by oblong pointed 

 leaves, which are acutely indented on their edges. 

 The fl:alks branch out into many fmaller, and thefe 

 fubdivide again into lefs, which are garnifhed with 

 loofe fpikes of white flowers like thofe of the firft 

 fort, which are fucceeded by feeds of the fame form. 

 This differs greatly from the firft in the fhape of its 

 leaves, which are longer, ending in points, and the 

 fegments do the fame •, whereas thofe of the other are 

 blunt, and not half fo deeply cut. The ftalks rife 

 more than twice the height of the firft, branch out 

 more, and the branches grow mpre ered > and thefe 

 differences arc cpnftant, where the plants of both forts 

 grow in the fame foil. ■ 



The third fort grows naturally in the Eaft. This 

 hath a biennial root, from which arife many leaves 

 in the fpring, that are alternately divided to the mid- 

 nb i and thefe diyifions are again alternately cut on 







thtrir cdgc< into many poims, i^ that rl.rv iinvr t'c 

 appearance of wingrel ic-uves, ■:.\'\^\ arc K-i x uraviih 

 colour. 'l"hc ftalks nk- about two kcr ii;i/!i, ar.d di- 

 vide into many branches, which arc UT:V,if:a:cd by 

 loofe panicles of lir.all wiikc Howcrri, placrj v,\ u^x■^^ 

 of a crofs, which arc llicccedcd by imali rcjnd eu]- 

 fules, each containing a lin^lc Jec-i '\\<v tluwcrs \\\ 



June, and the feeds ripen in au;L:nin, fuon a:':er wiii^h 

 the roots decay. 



The fourtii fort is an annual plant, which i;rows r.a- 

 turally in Spain and Italy. This rifes wii!; a ve/v 

 brandling ftalk near three feet high, garnillied \\\(\\ 

 roundidi heart-lhaped leaves, indented on their cdees, 

 ftandiiig upon long foot-ftalks ; the branched iubd:- 

 vide into many llendcr ones, which end in lonir 

 loofe fpikes of fmall white flowers, which are iwc- 

 ceedcd by fmall, round, dry feed-velTels, which c(jn- 

 tain a fingle feed. The leaves and ftalks of th. s fore 

 are rough. It flowers in June, and the feeds ripei; 

 in autumn. 



The firft fpecies is found wild upon fea-fliores in di- 

 vers parts of England, but particularly in Suflex^and 

 Dorfetfliire in great plenty, where the inhabitants ga- 

 ther it in the fpring to eat, preferring it to any of t!ic 

 Cabbage kind ; as it generally grows upon t!ie gra- 

 velly fliore, where the tide overflows it, the inhabi- 

 tants obferve where the gravel is thruft u]) by tiie 

 flioots of this plant, and open the gravel, and cut the 

 flioots before they come out, and are expofed to the 

 open air, whereby the flioots appear as if they weie 

 blanched \ and when they are cut fo young, they are 

 very tender and fwcet; but if they arc fuHered to 

 grow till they are green, they become tough and bitcei-. 

 This plant may be propagated in a garden, by fow- 

 ing the feed loon after it is ripe, in a fandy or gra- 

 velly foil, where it will thrive exceedingly, and in- 

 creafe greatly by its creeping roots, w^hich will foon 

 overfpread a large fpot of ground, if encouraged ^ 

 but the heads will not be fit to cut until the plants 

 have had one year's growth : and in order to have it 

 good, the bed in v;hich the plants grow, fhould, at 

 Michaelmas, be covered over with fi\nd or e;ravel 

 about four or five inches thick, v/hich v/ill allow a 

 proper depth for the Ihoots to be cut before they ap- 

 pear above ground-, and if this is repeated every 

 autumn, in the fame manner as is pradiied in earth- 

 ing of Afparagus-beds, the plants will require no 

 other culture. This may be cut for ufe in April 

 and May, while it is young ; but if the fhoots are 

 fuiFercd to remain, they will produce fine regular 

 heads of white flow^ers, which appear very handfome, 

 and will perfedt their feeds, by w^hi'ch they may be pro- 

 pagated. 



The other forts are only preferved in curious gardens 

 of plants for variety, but are not of any ufe or beau- 

 ty. The perennial forts may be propagated in the 

 fame manner as the firft. 



C R A N E's-B I L L. See Geranium. 



CRANIOLARIA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 670. Mar- 

 tynia. Houft. Gen. 



.The Characters are, 

 The flower hath a permanent empakment, compofed of 

 fourjhort narrow leaves which fpread open, with a large 



: fwollen heady which is cut longitudinally on the fide. The 

 flower hath one petal, which is uncqualy having a very Icn^ 

 narrow tube, whofe brim is divided into two lips •, the upr 

 per being roundifh and entire, but the under is divided into 

 three parts, the middle fegment being the largeft. It hath 

 four ftamina, two of which are the length of the tube^ 

 and two are fljorter \ thefe are terminated by ftngle fum- 

 ■ mits \ at the bottom of the tube isfituatcd an o^val ger'mcn, 

 fupporting a fender ftyle, crowned by an obtufe thick ftig- 

 f ma. The germen afterward becomes an oval leathery 

 fruit, pointed at both ends, opening with two valves, in- 

 clofing a dcprcffed woody nut, pointed at both ends, end 

 recurved, having tivo or three furrows, fo as to rcfemble a 

 Jkull, opening in two parts. 



' This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fec- 

 tion of Linna^us's fourteenth clafs, intitled Didyna- 

 mia Ano-iofpermia, the flowers having two long and 



41 



two 



