n 



o; foot-iralks 



D R A 



The ilxth fort grows iKUuruUy in Siberia, from v/hencc } 

 il:c fcfils were fciu to the imperial garden at Petcrl- 

 burgh, and the late Dr. Amman, who was profeilor 

 of botany, fent me the feeds. This is an anniul 

 plant, from whofe roots come out many fquarc weak 

 llalks, which gro^v about nine inches long; thefe arc 

 at the botiom garniflicd with oval fpear-fhaped leaves 

 about two inches long, and one inch and^ a quarter 

 broad, (landing onpofite upon pretty Ion 

 and are crenatcd on their edges. The upper part ot 

 the ftalks have fmaller leaves, which fit clofe at the 

 joints, from v/Iicnce come out the flowers in whorls ; 

 they arc of a deep blue colour, and hang downward ; 

 t'leie appear at the fame time with the former, and 

 the feeds ripen in autumn. 



The feventh fort grows alfo in Siberia, the feeds of 

 this were fent me with the former. It hath fquare 

 {talks, which rife a foot and a half high ; the lower 

 leaves are very like thofe of Betony, and ftand upon 

 very long foot-ftalks. The upper leaves are fmall, 

 and fit clofer to the ftalks. The flowers come out in 

 whorls at every joint; thefe are'very fmall, and of a 

 pale purple or blue colour, fo make little appearance, 

 but it is preferved in fome gardens for the fake of 

 variety. 



The eighth fort grows naturally in the Levant, from 



whence Dr. Tournefort fent the feeds to the royal 



garden at Paris. This is an annual plant, which rifes 



with a fquare ftalk about a foot high, fending out 



two fmall fide branches from the lower part. The 



leaves are fpear-fliapcd, and crenated on their edges ; 



they are placed oppofite, and ftand on foot-ftalks. 



The flowers are fmall, of a purplifla colour, and come 



. . out In whorls round the ftalks, having two roundifli 



V >,fmall leaves (called bra£le^) imtmediately under them, 



*^,*\\'hich are fawed on their edo;es, each ferrature endino; 



\Vith a long hair. This fort flowers and feeds at the 



fame time as the former. 



All thefe forts are propagated by feeds, which may 

 be fown either in the fpring or autumn, in the places 

 where the plants are to remain, and will require no 

 other treatment than the third fort. ' 

 DRACONTIUM. Lin. Gen. Plant. 9 1 6. Dracun- 

 cuius. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 160. tab. yo. Dragon ^ in 

 French, Serpentaire. 

 The Characters are, 



It hath afingle cylindrical fpadix {or jialk) on the tipper 

 part of ivhich the parts of fruElificatiGn are difpofed in a 

 fingular manner. 'The flowers have no empalement^ but 

 have five oval concave petals^ which are egual\ they have 

 feven narrow depreJJ'ed ftamina the length of the petals^ 

 terminated by oblongs four-cornered^ twin fummits^ which 

 Jland ere5f i they have an oval germen^ fupporting a taper 

 Jiyky crowned by a three-cornered Jtigma. The germen 

 afterward becomes a roundiflo berry ^ inclofing fever al feeds ; 

 thefe are all inckfed in a large flefhy fpatha {or fljeath) 

 opening with one valve, - \. 



This genus of plants is ranged in the feventh feftion 

 of Linnsus's twentieth clafs, intitled Gynandria Po- 

 lyandria. This clafs and fedion contains the plants 

 which have male and female flowers joined in the 

 fame fpike, and the male flowers have feveral ftamina. 

 The Species are, 



1. Dracontium {Pertufum) foliis pertufis, caule fcan- 

 dente. Lin. Sp. Plant. 968. Dragon with leaves having 

 holesy and a climbing flalk. Arum hederaceum, am- 

 plis foliis perforatis. Plum. Amer. 40. tab. ^6. 

 Climbing Arum with large perforated leaves, 



2, Dracontium {Polyphyllum) fcapo breviffimo, petiolo 

 radicato, lacero, foliolis tripartitis, laciniis pinnatifidis. 

 Hort. Clift'. 434. Dragon with a very fhort Jialk, the 



footstalk ciit^ and the fmall leaves divided into three parts, 



.which terminate in many pohits. Arum polyphyllum, 



caule fcabro punicante. Par. Bat. ^2. Many leaved 



Arum with a rough purple ftalk, 



3. Dracon'tium (Spinofum) foliis fagittatis, pedunculis 



petioliique aculeatis. Flor. Zeyl. 328. Dragon with 

 arrow-pointed leaves, whofe foot-ftalks have fpines, Aru m 

 Zeylanicum fpinofum, fagitt^c foliis. Par. Bat. 75. 

 Prickly Arum of Ceylon with arro-w-pointed leaves. 



D R A 



4. DRACON'TiUiM(C^;;;//^A\'?,Va/i')foliislancct>lat:s.Aniccn 



Acad. 2. p. 360. DragCnwiih fpccrff,apcd Iccvcs, 

 The hrft fort grows r/uurally in moil of the iflands 

 in the Weft-Indies. This hath flcnder jointed ftalks 

 which put out roots at every joint, that faftcn to 

 the trunks of trees, walls, or any fupport which is 

 near them, and thereby rife to tlie height of twenty^ 

 five or thirty feet." The leaves are placed alternately 

 ftanding upon long foot-ftalks -, they are four or five 

 inches long, and two and a half broad, havin':^ f^.. 

 veral oblong holes in each, which on the firft view- 

 appears as if eaten by infeds, but they are natural tt^ 

 the leaves. The flowers are produced at the top of 

 the ftalk, which always fwells to a larger fize in that 

 part than in any other ; thefe are covered with an 

 oblong fpatha (or hood) of a whitifli green colour 

 which opens longitudinally on one fide, and Ihews the 

 piftil, which is clofely covered with flowers, of a pale 

 yellow, inclining to white. When this plant becrins 

 to flower, it feldom advances farther in heiglit, fo 

 that thefe feldom are more than leven or eight feet 

 high. ; but the leaves are much larger on thefe, than 

 thofe of the plants wdiich ramble much farther. 

 This plant is eafily propagated by cuttings, which, 

 if planted in pots filled with poor fandy earth, and 

 plunged into a hot-bed, will foon put ov»* roots, if 

 they had none before ; but there are few of the joints 

 which have not roots : the plants are tender, fo will 

 not live in the open air in England, therefore the 

 pots fliould be placed near the walls of the hot-houfe, 

 againft v/hich the plants will climb, and faftcn their 

 roots into the wall, and thereby fupport tlie ftalks. 

 They fliould have but little water given them in the 

 winter, -but in warm weather it muft be given them 

 three or four times a week, and in the fummer the 

 free air fliould be admitted to them in plenty. The 

 plants have no particular feafon of flowering, for they 

 fometimes flower in autumn, and at other times in 

 the fpring, but they do not ripen their feeds in 

 England. 



The fecond fort grows naturally in feveral of the 

 iflands of America. I received roots of this fromBarbu- 

 da. This hath a large knobbed irregular root, covered 

 wath a rugged brown fl-;in. The ftalk rifes about a 

 foot high, is naked to the top, where it is garnilhed 

 with a tuft of leaves, which are divided into many 

 parts. The ftalk is fmooth, of a purple colour, but 

 is full of fharp protuberances of different colours, 

 which fliine like the body of a ferpent. Thefpadix 

 (or ftalk) of the flower rifes inafnediately from the 

 root, and is feldom more than three inches high, 

 having an oblong fwelling hood at the top, which 

 opens lengthways, fliewing the fhort, thick, pointed 

 piftil within, upon wdaich the flowers are clofely 

 , ranged. 

 This fart is tender, fo requires a warm ftove to pre- 

 ferve it In England. The roots muft be planted in 

 pots filled wath light kitchen-garden earth, and 

 plunged into the tan-bed ip the ftove, v/here th^y 

 fliould conftantly remain ; in the winter they muft be 

 watered very fparingly, but in warm weather, when 

 the plants arc in vigour, they muft be often refrefhcd, 

 but it fliould not be given them in too great quan- 

 tities ; with this management tlie plants will flower, 

 but their roots do not increafe here. 

 The third fort grows naturally in the ifland of Cey- 

 lon, and in feveral parts of India j this hath an ob- 

 long thick root, full of joints, from which arife feveral 

 leaves, fliaped like thofe of the common Arum, but 

 their foot-ftalks are covered with rough protuberan- 

 ces. The ftalk which fupports the flower is fliort, 

 and fet with the like protuberances ; and at the top 

 is a hood, or fpatha, about four inches long, as thick 

 as a man's finger, winch opens longitudinally, ^^^ 

 expofes the piftil, w-hich is fet with flowers. This is 

 a tender plant, and requires the fam.e treatment as 

 the former fort. 



The fourth fort hath roots like thecom.mon Arun^, 

 from w^hich come out ie\'cral fpear-fliaped leaves, 



ftanding each upon a fcparate fooc-ftalk, arifing ii^>. 



mediately 



9 



