R O 



As moft of thefe plants are annual, fo they require 

 to be brought forward in the Ipring, otherwile the 

 fummers arc too fliort for them to perfcd feeds ; fo 

 that unlefs they are carefully managed, they will not 

 flower well here; for in general, the fummers in this 

 country are not very favourable for thefe tender 

 plants. Therefore in order to have thefe tender an- 

 nual plants in pcrfe<5lion, there fliould be a low glafs- 

 cafe ere6lcd about five or fix feet high, which fiiould 

 be made with glafles to open or Aide down on every 

 fide, as fhould alio the top on both fides, having 

 Aiding glalfes, that the plants may have fun and air 



on every fide ; in this there fhould be a pit for tanners 

 bark to make a hot-bed, the whole extent, (a parti- 

 cular defcription of which will be exhibited under 

 the article Stove) in this hot-bed may be placed all 

 the very curious tender annual plants, where the fun 

 will conftantly Ihine on them, fo long as he makes 

 his appearance above the horizon; and here they may 

 have plenty of free air admitted at all times, when 

 the weather is warm, fo may be brought to equal 

 perfedion, as in the warm countries where they na- 

 turally grow-, for the warmth of the tan to the 

 roots, and the heat of the fun through the glafl^es, 

 will in fummer, be equal to the heat of moft coun- 

 tries. 



Thefe plants naturally grow on fandy light foil's, fo 

 they fhould always be planted in fuch ; and the pots 

 in which they are planted, mufl not be too large, for 

 in fuch they will not thrive, fo that after they have 

 filled the fmall pots with their roots in which they 

 were firft planted, they fhould be fhaken out of thofe, 

 and put into penny pots, which will be large enough 

 for moft of the annual kinds ; but thofe which are 

 of longer duration, will require pots a little larger the 

 following fpring The waterings of thefe plants 

 fhould be performed with caution, for too great 

 moiflure will rot the fibres of their roots ; fo that in 

 fummer, if they are gently watered three or four times 

 a week in hot weather, it will be fufiicient. 

 C R O T O N. Lin. Gen. Plant. 960. Ricinoides. Tourn. 

 Infl. 655. tab. 423. Baflard Ricinus. 



The Characters are, 

 // halh male and female flowers in the fame plants the 

 flowers have a five-leaved empalement^ they have five pe- 

 tals^ thofe of the male being no larger than the leaves of 

 the empalement\ the male have five ne£iarious glands^ 

 which are fmall^ and fixed to the receptacle ; thefe have 

 ten or fifteen ft amina^ which are joined at their bafe^ and 



h 



*The female fli 



idifh germen^ fupporting three reflexed fpreading ftyles^ 



med by bifid reflexed ftigmas •, the germen afterward 



mes a roundifh three-cornered capfule^ with three cells ^ 



flfigle feed, 



This genus of plants is ranged in the ninth feftion of 

 Linnasus's twenty-firfl clafs, intitled Monoecia Mo- 

 nodelphia. The plants of t;his cl^s and feftion have 



male parts are joined in one body. 

 ■ The Species are, * 



m 







-T*, > I 



,v, J -' * 



' * 



1. Croton iftinblorium) foliis rhombeis repandis, cap- 

 fulis pendulis caule herbaceo. Hort. Upfal. 290. 

 Croton zvith rhomboid reflexed leaves^ pendulous capfules^ 

 and an herbaceous flalk. Ricinoides ex qua paratur. ' 

 Tournfol. Gallorum. Tourn. Infl. 6^,^, Baftard Ri- 

 cinus, from which the Tournfole of the French is made. 



2. Croton {Argenteum) foliis cordato-ovatis fubtus to- 

 mentofis integris fubferratis. Hort. Cliff. 444. Croton 



with oval heart-fhaped leaves^ which are entire and woolly, 

 Ricinoides herbacea, folio fubrotundo ferrato fruftu 

 parvo conglomerato. Houft. MSS. 



3. Croton [Paluftre) foliis ovato-lanceolatis plicatis fer- 

 ratis fcabris. Hort. Cliff. 445. Croton with oval fpear- 



fhaped leaves, which are plaited, flawed, and rough. Ri- 

 cinoides paluflre, foliis oblongis ferratis fruftu hifpido. 

 Martyn. Cent. 38. 



4. Croton {Lobatum) foliis inermi ferratis, inferloribus 

 quinquelobis, fuperioribus trilobis. Hort. Cliff. 445. 

 Croton with leaves fmoothly fazved, the lower ones having 



five lobes, and the upper three. Ricinoides herbacea, ! 





foliis 

 MSS. 



o 



trlfidis vel quinquefidis & ferratis. Ilouft. 



5. Croton {Humile) tetraphyllum, foliis hnccolatis, 

 acuminatis fubtus c.tfiis, caulc herbaceo ramofo. Four- 

 leaved Croton with fpear-fljapcdpoi}Hed leaves, gray on their 

 under flde^ and a branching herb ace :us flalk. 'Ricinoides 

 huniilis foliis oblon2;is acuminatis, fubtus ca^fiis Houil:. 

 MSS. 



6. Croton {Fruticoftm) foliis kuiceolatis glabris, caule 

 fruticofo, floribus alaribus & tcmiinaiibus. Crclon 

 with fmooth fpear-fhaped leaves, a flrubby flalk, and 

 flowers growing from the fides and tops of the branches. 

 Ricinoides fru^efcens, lauri folio, calyce amplilnmo 

 viridi. Houli. MSS, 



7. Croton {Populi folia) foliis cordatis, acuminatis, 

 fubtus tOHK^ncofis, floribus alanbus fcfiifibus, caule 

 fruticofo. Croton with heart flaped pcinted leaves, wcolh 

 on their under flde, and flowers growirg clofe to the fides 



of the ftalks, which are jhrubhy. 

 puli hirfutis. Plum. Cat. 20. 



Ricinoides toliis po- 



r. 



S. Croton {Cafcarillaf iQ\\v?> lanceolatis acutis integer- 

 rimis petiolatis fubtus tomentofis, caule arboreo. 

 Amcen. Acad. 5. p. 411. Cratcn with fpcarflaped, en- 

 tire, acute -pointed leaves, woolly on their under fide, and 

 a tree-like flalk. Ricinoides fratef :ens odorata, foliis 

 anguilis fubtus albicantibus. Houft. MSS. Caicarilla. 



9. Croton [Alth^afolia) foliis oblongo-cordatis tomen- 

 , .tofis, caule fruticofo ramofo, floribus fpicatis termi- 



- "nalibus. Croton with oblong, heart-fhaped, zvoolly leaves, 

 ^ a fhrubby branching flalk, ajtd flowers growing in fpikcs 

 at the ends of the branches, Ricinoides Americana fru- 

 tefcens, Althica^ folio. Plum. Cat. 20. 



10. Croton {Salvia folia) foliis cordatis acutis, fubtus 

 tomentofis, caule fruticofo, floribus fpicatis termina- 

 libus & alaribus. Croton with pointed hecirt-fljaped leaves^ 

 woolly on their under fide, a fljrubhy flalk, and fliowers 

 growing in fpikes en the tops and fides of the branches. 

 Ricinus falvia^ folio utrinque molli. Pet. Hort. Siec. 

 The firil fort grows naturally in the fouth of France, 

 from whence I have frequently received the feeds \ 

 this is an annual plant, which riles with an herbaceous 

 branchino; ftalk about nine inches hio;h, crarnifhed 

 with irregular, or rhomboidal figured leaves, which 

 are near two inches long, and one inch and a quarter 

 broad in their wideft part -, thefe Hand upon flendcr 

 foot-llalks, near four inches long. The flowers arc 

 produced in fhort fpikes from the fide of the ftalks, 

 at the end of the branches ; the upper part of tlie 



pike is compofed of male flowers, having many lla- 

 mina, which coalefce at tlie bottom \ the lower part 

 hath female flowers, which have each a roundifh 

 three-cornered gernhen; thefe afterward become a 

 roundifh capfule with three lobes, having three cells, 

 each including one roundifh feed. This flowers in 

 July, but unlefs the plants are brought forward in a 

 hot-bed, they do not ripen feeds in this country. 

 The feeds of this plant fhould be fown in the au- 

 tumn, foon after they are ripe, in a fmall pot filled 

 with light earth, and plunged into an old tan-bed in 

 a frame, where they may be fcreened from cold in 

 the winter j and in the fpring following the pot fhould 

 be removed to a frefli hot-bed, which will bring up 

 the plants in a month's time •, when thefe are grown 

 large enough to remove, they fliould be each planted 

 in a fmall pot, and plunged into a frelh hot-bed, 

 being careful to Ihade the glafl^es daily, until the 

 plants have taken new root \ then they fliould have 

 air daily admitted according to the warmth of the 

 feafon, and but little water given to them : with this 

 management I have had the plants flower and pro- 

 duce good feeds here, but never could obtain any 

 with other treatment. 



This is the plant from which the Tournfole is made, 

 which is ufed for colouring wines and jellies •, it is 

 made of the juice which is lodged between the em- 

 palement and the feeds, which, if rubbed on cloths, 

 at firft appears of a lively green, but foon changes to 

 a bluifli purple colour ; if thefe cloths are put into 

 water, and afterwarcf wrung, they will dye the water 

 to a claret colour ^ the rags thus dyed, are brought 



4 N 



to 



