D O 



Vri:U\V 



This grows naturally in Por- 



Bower, like tho:c o 

 llaiks uf' this iort h:ivc two or three leaves, w hich are 

 plact\l ahernare!)-, an.i clicir bale fus clofe to the IhJks 

 theli- arc not lb hairy a. thofe of the former fort ^ it 

 Hosiers about the lanic time with that, and the iVccl.. 

 ripen well in EnglanJ. 

 niP;al, Spain, and Italy, but is equally hardy with the 

 liril, afid multii;lies in as great plenty ; the root is 



])erefin!al. 



'I'he third fort hath longer leaves than either of the 



turnier, which are covered with a hoary down on their 



under fide, and are indented on their edges ; the 



lialks are fingle, and have feldom more than one leaf 



upon er.ch ; thefe grow a foot and a half high, and 



are terminated by a fingle flower on the top, like 



thofe of the former forts. This grows naturally on 



the Pyrenees and Helvecian mountains. It delights 



in a moilt foil and a fhady fituation, and propagates 



in plenty, either from feeds or by parting the roots : 



it flowers and feeds about the fame time with the 



form.er. 



The fourth fort grows naturally on the Alps and Py- 



renean mountains-, this hath a perennial root ; the 



leaves are like of the lefler Daify, but longer, 



and not ib broad. The flower grows upon a naked 



foot-fl:alk, which is near a foot long ; the roots feldom 



fend out more than one fl:alk ; the rays of the flower 



are white, and very like thole of the common Daify ; 



the diflc of the flower is yellow, which is compofed 



DOR 



the {urvxv fir:; the \ qu:Kirang\ikiri & undul ua. IL>u!\ i.K>S. C?;;;-.:-,-.-- ,- 



* .4 



of hermaphrodite flowers. - 

 This plant is preferved in botanic gardens for the 

 fake of variety, but the flowers make little better 

 appearance than thofe of the common Field Paify, 

 only they ftand upon much taller foot-fl:alks. It 

 muft have a (hady fituation and a moift foil, other- 

 w;fe it will not thrive in this country -, it is propagated 

 by parting of the roots, for the feeds do not ripen 

 well in England. I received this from Vercna, near 

 which place it grows naturally. 

 The roots of the firfl: fort have been foinetimes ufed 

 in medicine, fome having commended it as an expeller 

 of the poifon of fcorpions -, but others reckon it to be 

 a poifon, and affirm that it will deflroy wolves and 



dogs. 



The other forts which have been formerly ranged 

 tinder this genus, are now feparated, and may be found 

 under the title Arnica. 



DORSIFEROUS plants [of dorfum, the back, 

 and fero, Lat. to bear,] fuch plants as are of the ca- 

 pillary kind, without ftalk, and that bear their feeds 

 on the backfide of their leaves. 



DORSTENIA. Plum. Nov. Gen. 29. tab. 8. Lin. 

 Gen. Plant. 147. [This plant was fo named by fa- 

 ther Plumier, from Dr. Dorften, a German phyfician, 

 who publilhed a hiftory of plants in folio.] Con- 



V*^v w". 



'^* 



trayerva 



The Characters are, 

 It bath one common plain involucrum fituated verticallyy 



upon 'vohkhfit many finall florets as in a dijk -, thefe have 

 no petals^ hut have four Jhort flender Jiamina^ terminated 

 by rGiindiJIo fummits. In the center isjituated a roundijh 

 germeny fuppcrttng aftngle ftyle crowned by an obtufeftig- 

 ma •, the germen afterward becomes aflngle feedy inclofed 

 • in the common flefli^y receptacle, ■• ^^ '- •- 



This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feftion of 

 Linn^eus's fourth clafs, intitled Tetrandria Monogy- 



. nia, the flower having four ftamina and one ftyle. 

 The Species are, 



t. DoRSTENiA {Contrayerva) acaulis, foliis pinnatifido- 

 palmatis, ferratis, floribus quadrangulis. Lin, Sp. 

 176. Dwarf Doi'ftenia with many pointedy hand-fhapedy 

 fawed leaveSy and flowers placed on a quadrangular re- 

 ceptacle, Dorfl:enia fphondylii folio, dentarise radice. 

 Plum. Nov. Gen. 29. Dorflenia with a Cow Parfnep 

 leafy and a I'cctkwort root. 



2. DoRSTENiA (//(7/(/'?^/;/) acaulis, foliis cordatis angula- 

 tis acuminatis, floribus quadrangulis. Lin. Sp. 176. 

 Dwarf Dorftoiia with angular, heart-fhapcdy pointed 

 kcivesy and quadrangular receptacles to the flowers. Dor- 



llenia dentarioe radice, folio minus laciniato, placenta 



J 



-uh a rr.clh^i.rt root, a loif l^'s cu!, uvj a ^lu.J?.:''-^..^ 

 waved platcrJa. 



DoiiSTLNiA [Drakcv.a) acaulis, f .lii^ pinniti-lJo-'vit- 

 matis integerriinis, floribus oviiibus. Lin. Sp. /7(.. 



Dwarf Dorfienia with riiany pouitcdy I.^kI fhr.^cd^ r-:'::yr 

 Ica-jcSy and an oz-al receptacle to the flcvc/rs \ h.'rJr.-/ 

 leaves y whofe angles are very acute y and an cllor.g f^iu- 

 cornercd placenta. 



The firfl- of thefe plants was difcovi^red hv mv larc 

 ingenious friend Dr. William Houflouri/ncar Old 

 Vera Cruz in New Spain. The fecond was found by 

 the fame gentleman, on the rocky grounds abouc 

 Campeachy. The third fort was found in c^eat 

 plenty in the ifland of Tobago, by Mr. Robert TvlTllar, 

 furgeon. But the roots of all thefe fpecics are in- 

 differently brought over, and ufed in medicine, and 

 for dyeing. 



The firft fort fends out fevcral leaves from the root, 

 which are about four inches long, and as much in 

 breadth ; thefe arc deeply laciniated inro five or {tv<in 

 obtufe parts, ftanding upon foot-fl;alks near four 

 inches long •, they are fmooth, and of a deep green. 

 The ftalk which fupports the placenta arlfes from the 

 root, and grows near four inches high, upon which 

 the flefliy placenta is vertically placed ; this is of an 

 oval form about one inch long, and three quarters 

 broad. Upon the upper furfacc of this, the fmall 

 flowers are clofely fituated, the flefliy part becoming 

 an involucrum to them; thefe are very fmall, and 

 fcarce confpicuous at a difl:ance, being of an herba- 

 ceous colour. 



The fecond fort fends out fcveral angular hcart-fliaped 

 leaves from the root, which have foot-ftalks eight or 

 nine inches in length and very flender; the leaves 

 are about three inches and a half long, and almofl; 

 four broad at their bafe, the two ears having tv/o or 

 three angles which are acute, and the middle of the 

 leaves are extended and end in acute points like a 

 halbert ; thefe are fmooth and of a lucid green ; the 

 foot-fl:alk which fufl:ains the placenta is nine inches 

 long, and about half an inch fquare, and the upper 

 furface clofely fet with fmall flowers like the firft. 

 The third fort fends out leaves of different forms ; 

 fome of the lower leaves are heart-fliaped, having a- 

 few indentures on their edges, and ending in acute 

 points, but the larger leaves are deeply cut like the 

 fingers on a hand, into fix or feven acute fegments. 

 Thefe leaves are five inches long, and fix broad iri 

 the middle ; they are of a deep green, and fl:and upon 

 long foot-flalks. The placenta is very tiaick and 

 flefhy, an inch and a half long, and three quarters 

 broad, having four acute corners ; thefe have a num- 

 ber of fmall flowers, placed on their upper furface like 

 the other fpecies. 



Thefe plants are at prefent very rare in Europe, nor 

 was it known what the plant was, wHofe roots were 

 imported, and had been long ufed in medicine in 

 England, until the late Dr. Houfl:oun informed us : 

 for although father Plumier had difcovered one fpe- 

 cies of this plant, and given the name of Dorfl:enia 

 to the genus, yet he feems not to have known, that 

 the Contrayerva was the root of that plant. 

 it will be difficult to obtain thefe plants, becatife the 

 feeds are feldom to be found good; nor will they 

 grow, if they are kept long out of the ground ; fo 

 that the only fure method to obtain them is, to have 

 the roots taken up at the time when their leaves begin 

 to decay, and planted pretty clofe in boxes of earth, 

 which may be brought very fafe to England, pro- 

 vided they are preferved from fait water, and are not 

 over-v/atered with frefla water in their paffage. When 

 the plants arrive, they fliould be tranfplantcd each 

 into a fcparate pot filled with frefli earth, and plunged 

 into the bark-fl:ove, which fliould be kept of a mo- 

 derate heat; and the plants muft be frequently rc- 

 freflfied with water during the fummer feafon ; but in 

 winter, when the leaves are decayed, it fliould be 

 given to them more fparingly. With this manage- 

 ment thefe plants may not only be maintained, but 



J may 



4 



