A 



The CHARACTERS are* 



The flower b(Ub no mpalcffuni ; // is cylindrical, of cue 

 pad, w}A<b is cut inio four parts at the tcp, where it 

 fpremb op^n ; // haib eight fhort fimina inferted in the 

 tube^ wbiib are alternately l(nver^ ter^mnated by ereEl 

 bilocularftanmits. The ovalgermenisfituated at the bot- 

 tom of thetuhey and is crowned by a headed depreffcd fli 



tfterward becomes a roundifh berry wi 



ma 



J 



iofing one roundijh flefhy feed. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the hrlt ledtion ot 

 Linn^iis's eighth cjafs, intitled Oclandria Monogy- 

 nia, from the flower having eight ftannina and one 



germen. 



The Species are, 

 1. Daphne (Laureola) racemis axillaribus, foliis lan- 

 ceolatis glabris. Lin. Sp. Plant. 357- Daphne with 

 btincbes of flo'-jjers proceeding from the fides of the branches, 



Thymelia lauri folio 



fmoctb fpear-Jhaped leaves. 



feu laureola mas, Tourn. Infl. 





595 



2. 



Icmpcrvircns, 



Commonly called Spurge Laurel^ 



floribus fe/Tilibus ternis caulinis, 



Daphne (Mezerecn) 

 foliis lanceolatis decidui§. 



Lin* Sp. Plant. 357. 



Dapbm with three flowers together fming ckfe. to thejialk, 

 and fpear-fhaped leaves^ which fall off in autmin, Thy- 

 melasa lauri folio deciduo, five laureola foeminu. 

 Tourn. Inft. 595. Commonly called Mezer eon. 

 J, Daphne (ThymeUa) floribus feflilibus axiHaribus, fo- 

 liis lanceolatis, caulibus fimplicifllmis. Litv Sp. ^jAHt. 

 356. Daphne with flowers fitting dt^ tQ the f^es^ of the 

 branches; fpear^flmpd leavu^ji^^fingk fialks.^ jfM' 

 meltea foliis polygalas glabris. C, B. P. 463. ;., 

 Daphne {Tar ton-r aire) floribus feflilibus aggrcgatis 

 axillaribus, ibliis ovatis utrinque pubefcentibus ncr- 

 Tofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 356, Daphne with flowers in 

 cltifters fit ting ilofe ta the fides of the branches ^ and oval 

 nervous leaves covered with filky hairs on both fides, 

 Thymekea foliis c^ndicantibus ferici infl:ar moUibus. 

 C. B- P. 463. Commonly called "T art on-r aire. 



■ 



r 



■f 



D 



attcr Chrillrmas, if the fcafon is nor very fevere ; thcfe 

 are fucceeded by ov^al berries, which' arc green tiil 

 June, wiien they ripen and turn black, loon after 

 winch they fall off. Tiic whole plan: is of a hor 

 cauft:ic tafle, burning and inflaming the inouch and 

 throat. The leaves continue green all tiie vear lb 

 thefe plants are ornamental in winter-, and'as thev 

 will thrive under tall trees, they are very proper tu 

 fill up the fpaces in plantations. 

 The fecond fort grows naturally in Germany, and 

 there hath been a difcovery made of its growino- in 

 fome woods near Andovcr in Hampfliire, from 

 whence a great number of plants have been taken of 

 late years. This has been long cultivated in the 

 nurfery-gardens as a flowering flirub, and is a very 

 ornamental plant in gardens, very early in the Ipring, 

 before others make their appearance. There are 

 two diftinfl forts of this, one with a white flower 

 which is fucceeded by yeUow berries, the other with 

 Peach-coloured flq\yers and red fruit. Thefe are by 

 foine fuppofed to be accidental varieties arifing from 

 the fame feeds, but I have feveral times raifed thefe 

 plants from feeds, and always found the plants^come 

 up the fame, as thbfe from which the feeds were 

 taken, fo they do not vary, therefore may be called 

 diflcrent fpeciQS. ^ There is a variety of the Peach- 

 coloured M^JfSTsQ,!^ wiUil flowers of a much deeper 

 <^.9kyr. Uian "tj^^j^.^^^^^ but thefe I have always 



^^MfJfUpA^i'y ^ii^t%>^^t,S?Y'^-^^ ^^^^^^ ^"^^^^'^ ^^^^'^^ ^^"^^^^ 

 This ihrub.^^ows to'th^ height of five or fix feer, 



with a ftrpn^*^*^^--^ ^4^, pptdng out many woody 

 .brahcTies op every fide, fo as to form a regular head ; 

 the flower.s'come out Yery early in the fpring, before 

 th(j leaves appear, growing in cluflers all round the 

 fl;oots of the former year \ there afe commonly thr^e 



fl^iort foot-fl:alk : thefe have fliort fwpll 



tubes, which are divided into four parts at the top, 

 5. Daphne {Alpina) floribus feflilibus aggregatis late- | which fpread open; they have a very fragrant odour, 



fo that where there are plenty of the flirubs growing 

 dufters of I together, they perfume the air to a confiderable dif- 



obtufiufcul 



tofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 356. Dapk 

 flowers growing clofe to the fides of 

 fpear-fhaped blunt leaves woolly on their under fide. Q\ 

 melasa Alpina, folio inferne incano. C. B. P. 462. 



tance round them : after the flowers are pafl;, the 

 leaves come put, which are fmooth, fpear-lhtiped, 

 and placed without order •, they are about two inches 



6. Daphne {Cneorum) floribus congeft:is terminalibus j ■ long, and three quarters broad in the middle, 

 feflilibus, foliis lanceolatis nudis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 357. j dually lefl^ening to both ends-, the flowers are 



cluflers of flowers fitting cloft 

 efibe branches^ and naked fpear-fhaped leaves. Cneorum. 



Matth. Hift:. 46. 

 7. Daphn^ {Guidium) panicula terminali, fplus lineari- 



lanceolatis acuminatis. Lin. Sp. Plant, '^^j. Daphne 



Thymelasa fo- 



8. 



offl 

 narrow^ fpear-fhaped^ 

 liis lini. C. B. P. 463. 



Dapj^ne {Squarrafd) floribus terminalibus peduncu- 

 iatis, foliis fparfis limaribus patentibus xnucronatis. 



ic-; 



s\ 



Lift. Sp. Plant, 358. D 



having ft 



viith floiJi/^ 

 and narrow^ fpreading. 



9 



r^hced fiatteringfy 

 ^ ^ anuginofa, foliis creberrimis mi- 



nimis aculeatis. Burm. Afr. 134. tab. 49. fol i. 

 Daph^te (Americana) foliis linearibus acutis, floribus 

 jracemofis axillaribus. Daphne with very narrow acute 

 leaves^ and flowers growing in bunches from the fides of 

 the branches. Thymelaea frutefcens rorilJi^arini folio, 

 flore albo. Plum. Cat. 



- - \' 



The firft fort grows common in the woods in many 

 parts of England, and is commonly known by the 

 title of Spurge Laurel ; of late years there are poor 

 people, who get the young plants out of the woods, 

 an(J carry them about the town to fell in the "winter 

 and fpring. Xbis is a low evergreen flirub, which 

 rifes with feveral ftalks from the root to the height 

 of two or three feet, dividing upward into feveral 

 branches, g:arniflied with thick fpear-fliaped leaves, 

 which cohie out irregitlarly on every fide, fitting 

 pretty clofe to the branches, they are Vmooth and of 

 a lucid green J between thefe, toward thp upper 

 part of the fl^lkf , come out the flowers in finall cluf- 

 ters > they arc of a yellowifla green, and appear foon 



by oval berries, which ripen in J 

 of the Pea^cJx-colQvjred flo\yer? are red, and .^pfe of 

 the white yellow. Thg flowers appear in February 

 and March, and fometimes in niild \yinters they ap- 

 pear in January. This plant was formerly ufed in 

 medicine, but a^' every part of it has a hot cauftic 

 tafte, fo few pracribe the ufe of it at prefent. 

 This is propagated by feeds, . >yhich mould be Ibwn 

 ojx a bofd^r exp.Qjrg4 tP JtKe eaft, foon after the berries 

 gre ripe ; for if they are not fown till the fpring fol- 

 lowing they often mifcarry, and always remain a year 

 in the ground before the plants appear; whereas 

 thofe which are fown in Augufl:, will grow the fol- 

 lowing fpring, fo that a year is faved, and thefe never 

 fail. When the plants come up, they will require 

 no other care but to keep them clean from weeds, 

 and if the plants are not too clofe together, they may 

 continue in the frfd-bed, to have the growth of t^o 

 fqipmer?., ^fpecially if they do not make great pro- 

 grefs the firfl: year ; then at Michaelmas, when thp 

 leave^Vre fliedding, they fliould be carefully taken 

 up fo as not to brea^ or tear their roots, and planted 

 into a nurfery at about flxteen inches row from row, 

 and eight or nine inches afunder in the rows ; in this 

 nurfery they may remain two years, by which time 

 they will be fit to remove to the places where they 

 are defigned tg remain for good : the befl: feafon to 

 tranfplant theie tree? is in autumn, for as thefe plants 

 begin to vegetate very early in the fpring, fo it is 

 not proper to tranfplant them at that feafon. Thefe 

 plants grow beft: in a light fandy earth which is dry, 

 for in Qold w^t land they become mpfly, and make 

 little progrefs \ fo that upqn fuch foils they never grow 



to any flze, and produc? few fipwefs. 



AlthougTi 



* / 



