y 



D I O 



nients almofi: to the bottom-, tlic upper lip is Jong 

 and entire, tliis is arched, and iniincdiatcly under ic 

 the ftamina and ftyle are fituated;, the lower lip is 

 obrufe, and indented at the top ; there arc two acute 

 iegments on the fide, v/hich compoie the chaps Oi 

 the (lower-, there are two of the ftarnina_ longer than 

 the other-, thefc are crowned with roundifa fummits. 

 In the bottom of the fiower is fituated the germen, 

 fupporting a (lender flyle, crowned by an oval ftigma; 

 the^sermcn afterward becomes an oval caplule, hiied 

 with fmall angular feeds. 



This plant begins to fiower in May,and there is ge- 

 nerally a fucccfiion of flowers on the fame plant, till 

 the winter puts a Hop to them, which renders the 

 plant more valuable. It is propagated by feeds, which 

 ibould be fown in pots filled v/ith light earth, in the 

 autumn, foon after the feeds are ripe-, thefe pots 

 ftould be plunged into an old bed of tanners bark, 

 whofe heat is gone, and in mild weather theglaiTes 

 fhould be drav/n off to admit the air; but in hard 

 rains and frofi they mull be kept on, to protect the 

 feeds from both, which frequently deftroys them here 

 when they are expofed -, in the fpring the phiats v/ili 

 come v,'/^ when they lliould enjoy the free air in mild 

 weather, but muit be protected from the cold. 

 When thefe are" large enough to tranfplant, tliey 

 fhoulu be each planted into a fcparate fmall pot filled 

 with light eardi, and placed, under the frame till they 

 have tAken new root, then they fiiould be gradually 

 inured to the open air. During the fummer feafon 

 • the plants fliould remain abroad in a flickered fitua- 

 tion, but in the vvinter they muft be placed in a green- 

 houfe, for diey v/ill not live abroadin England^ they 

 muft not be kept top warm^and clpfe in the houfe, 

 ■for they only want protection from the froft •, there- 

 fore in mild weather, they fliould have free air coh- 





ftantly admitted to them 



^?y. 



waterings, bpt^tl>ej,ih8uld_,Qat h^ye it lAtop great 



I 



plenty m winteC/Q^^i -oncln^cl r^ nor^^Mox*.-^*^^ 

 .The feventh fort grows naturally in Tartary, from 

 . whence the feeds were fent to the imperial garden at 

 .j Peterfburgh, and from thence I received them. I'his 

 ., plant Kath many oval fpear-fliaped leaves, which are 

 ■ : 1 fmoot 1, arifing from the root -, between thefe arife the 

 ■S' jlalk, which grows about a foot high, and is garniflied 

 .'• below widi fmooth fpear-fhaped leaves, from four to 

 five inches long, and one and a half broad in the 

 middle, leffening gradually at both ends ; thefe have 

 no foct-ftaiks, butth^eir bafe embraces the ftalks half 

 round ; the upper part of the ftalk is adorned by a 

 flicrt locfc fpike of yeilov; flowers, which are almoll: 

 as large as thefe of the great yellow fort before-men- 

 tioned, but they are (liorter. This flowers in May, 

 and die feeds ripen in autumn. 



All diefe forts fnould be fown in the autumn ; for if 

 the feeds are fov/n in the fpring, they commonly fail, 

 or at leaft lie a v/hole year in the ground before they 

 vcsTcrate. The plants arc biennial (except the fe- 



ventli fort) and generally perilli foon after the feeds 



are np 





DIOSCOREA. Plum. Nov. Gen. 9. tab, 26. Lin. 



t ' 





'— 



Gen. Plant, c^c^^. 



The 'Characters are, 



// hath "male av.A female flowers in different plants ; the 

 male flcvjers have a bell-fljaped perianthtum of one leaf^ 

 cut into fi'x parts^ hat have no petals or empalement \ they 

 have fix JJjort hairy flaminay terminated by Jingle fnmrrJts. 

 ^'he female f.ozvers have the fame perianthium as the male ; 

 they have no petals^ but have a fmall three-cornered ger- 

 me'fi^ fiippGVting three fiyles^ which are crowned by fmgle 

 ftigmas \ the perianthium afterward becomes a triangidar 

 capfdle with three cells, opening with three valves^ con- 

 taining two corrprr.:]] J:, bordered feeds in each. 

 This genus of phmts is ranged in the fixth feclion of 

 Linnaeus's twenty-fecond chds, intitled Dicccia Hex- 

 andria. The plants of this clafs and fe6lion ]:ave 

 male and female flovv'ers on different plants, and the 

 male flowery have fix ftamina. ■ 



I 



The Sf.ccies are. 



O 



Ixvl t.^ren. Ilort. Ciiff. ^r^i. 



^1. ;:-, -rcci'wi^h harU 

 pjapcd leaves placed alltrnate, end a f:ncotb tc^-cr (icr 

 DiOiCor.'a Icandens, tbiiis tamni ii-u-(;a raccnic;;;" 

 FiuiV" ^nov. Gen. c). Clirnhing Diofccrca with black E- -^ 



ony leaves^ and fruit growing rn lorg huichts. 

 2. DioscoRSA (Hafiatad) foh s hrdtato-cordatis, 



mis lono-iffimis. Diofcorea wi-b h.-.-.r 



c:.u 



I e 



-a- 



Diojc^rea wiih a 



^ 

 J 



4 



hea'f 't-fbaped leaves -^ a fucQlh Ji 

 offl.jwers, Diofcorea fcanclens, f 

 racemofo. Houft. MSS. Climbing 

 fpear-pcinted leaf and fruit ;'rcwi-^'g in. tuKthss. 



DioscoREA [yaicfa) lolhs cordiitis altcrnis, oripofi- 

 tifquecaule la^vi. Idn. Su. 1463. Biofiorca with heart ^ 

 fcaped leaves placed alternate and oppqjl-e, and a fmocdj 

 Jtadk. Diofcorea fcandcn.:, ioiio fubrotundo acunvi- 

 nato fruciu racemofo. Houft. MSS. Clmbin'^ Bicf- 

 ccrea with a rotindifb pointed lenf^. and fruit grovein^dn 

 long bunches. 



DioscoREA {Bulbifera) foliis cordatis, caulc Ixvl bui- 

 bifera. Flor. Zeyl. 360. Diofcorea with heart- do j:^:cd 

 leaves^ and afmcoih Jlaik bearing bvdos. VcJubilis ni- 

 gra, radice alba aut purpure.V maxima tubc-rofa efrui 

 lenta, caule mernbranulis cxtantibus alato, fdio cor- 

 date ncrvofo. Sloan. C::t. Jam. 46. 'lie 'Tcv:^ cr 



I 



■ Tammes.-^M) 



5. DioscoREA {Opp of Ji folia) foliis oppofirii ovatis aai- 

 minatis. Lin. Sp. 1403. Jjiofcorca with oval-point ci 

 leaves growing oppcjite. 



6. DioscoREA {'Digiiata) fcdiis digiiatis. Ilort. ClifF. 



459. Diofcorea with hand-fhaped leaves, Nureni Ke- 

 ; lengu. Hort. Mai. 7. p. 67. 



I -The firft fort grows naturally in moft oftheiilands 

 in the JVeft Indies.- I received the feeds of this fort 

 from Jamaica, where the late Dr. Houftoun found it 

 growing plentifully. '-. This hath (lender climbing 

 ftalks, which fix thetnfclves to any fupport nearthem"^ 

 and rife to the height of ^eighteen or twenty ^tti^ gar- 

 nifhed with heart-fliaped leaves, ending with acute- 

 points, having five longitudinal veins, which arife 

 from the foot-ftalks, which diverge toward the fides, 

 but meet again at the point of ^hc leaves. They 

 ftand upon pretty long foot-ftalk.s, from the bafe of 

 which arife the brandling ipikes of flowers, v/hich are 

 fmall, and have no beauty, the female flowers are 

 fuccecded by three-cornered oblong canfules, having 

 three cells, ^ each containing tv;o con:preiTed feeds/ " ° 

 The fecond fort difiers from the firft in the ihaceof 



J-* 



< 



their leaves, thefe having tvvo rouiv.l ears :l their bafe, 

 but the middle extends to an acute noint,like that of 



1 



an halbert. The bunches of flov/ers are longer, and 

 are loofer placed than thofe of tlic former forn 

 The third ibrt hath broad, round, heart-fnaped leave?, 

 which end in acute points ; thefc have many longitu- 

 dinal veins which arife from the foot-ftalk, and di- 



I, DioscoiiLA {Sativa) fchis cordatis' alternis, c^ule , kind. 



verge to the fide, but afterward join at the point of 

 the leaf; the flowers come out on long loofe firings, 

 ftanding on fhort foot-ftalks ■, the female flowers are 

 fucceeded by three-cornered oblong cnpfules, v/ith' 

 three cells, having comprelTed bordered feeds.- ' ' 

 The fourth fort hath triangular v/inged ftalks, which 

 trail upon the ground and extend to a great length-, 

 thefe frequently put out roots from the joints as they 

 lie upon the ground, whereby tiic plants are multi-' 

 plied. The roots of this plant are eaten in many 

 parts of both Indies, where the plants are much cul- 

 tivated. ■.'.:.'. y . -> 



The fifth fort grows naturally in Virginia, and in other 

 parts of North America. This hath a iiiiooth ftalk 

 v/hich climbs on t!ie neighbouring plants, and riles 

 five or fix feet high, garniflied with heart-Hiaped 

 leaves, which are placed oppofite •, thev are covered 

 with fmall hairs, and have jcveral longi'uulinal veins. 

 Tiic Cowers come out from the fitk^^of the ft:ilk in 

 the fame manner as tl\e other forts, but have no b.^au- 

 ty. ■ Thefe plants arc preferved in fbme curious bo- 

 tanic gardens for the lake of variety \ but as they have 

 no beauty, there arefew pcrfons who will al'ov/thcrn 

 a place, cfpecially as moft of the forts require a good 

 love to preferve them thrcup;h the v/intcr in Eng- 



ft 



1 H 



Thefe 



. / 



' 41 



