E R I 



nthers terminate it-, rhcy are yellow, and have an 

 -rrceublc odour. They flower in July, and the feeds 





ripen in autunin. 



This j^hmt is propagated by feeds, which, if fown in 

 autumn, will more certainly fucceed than thole whicli 

 ;:re fown in tlie Ipring. When the plants come up, 

 they fhould be thinned if they are too clofe, and kept 

 clean from weeds till autumn, when they lliould be 

 tranfplanted where they are to remain. They delight 

 in a dry foil and a funny expofure. The fecond year 

 the plants will flower ar.d perfeiSl their feeds, but the 

 roots will continue federal years, and annually pro- 

 duce their flowers and feeds. 



The next four forts are preferved in botanic gardens 

 for the fake of variety, but are feldom admitted into 

 gardens for pleafure. The fifth fort is a perennial 

 plant, which grows naturally on the Alps, and may be 

 propagated by feeds in the fame manner as the firft 

 fort, but fliould have a Ihady fituation and a moift 



foil. 



The others are annnual plants, vrhich, if once ad- 

 mitted into a garden, and fuff'ered to fcatter their 

 feeds, will become very troublefome weeds there. 

 The fixth fore rifes with ftitt ftalks three feet high, 

 garnifhed with narrovv^ fpear-ihaped leaves; the flow- 

 ers arc yellov/, and are produced in clofe bunches from 

 the fide of the ftalk toward the top -, thefe appear in 

 July, and in v/arm feafons are fucceeded by feeds in 



England. 



It may be propagated by cutting the flalk in proper 

 lengths, which, if planted in a fhady border, and 

 duly v;atcred, will put out roots i and the following 

 •autumn, thefj* may be taken up and planted in the 

 borders of the flower-garden. 



The feveiith fort grov/s naturally In Africa : the roots 

 of this fend up five or fix upright ftalks near four feet 

 high, clofely garnifhed^ .with linear fgear-fliaped 

 leaves which are hairy •, the ftalks ~ are terniinated by 

 pretty large bunclies of yellow flowers,' formed in a 

 corymbus.; :Thefe.appear inOftober, and frequently 

 continue more than two months, which renders the 

 plant m-ore valuable. ; \ - ,/■ ' . '' 

 ' This is t6o tender to thrive in the open air in this 

 country, fo the plants fliould be kept in pots -, and 



' if in the v/inter they are placed in a common frame, 

 where they may have a large fhareof free air in mild 



' weather, and fcrcened from hard frofts, they will 

 thrive better than with tender treatment. Itiseafily 

 propagated by cuttings, which, if planted in May, 

 will readily put out roots, and the young plants will 

 flower the autumn following. 



E R I N U S. Lin. Gen. Plant. 689. Ageratum. Tourn. 

 Inft. R. H. 651. tab. 422. 

 . . The Characters are. 



4 



5 



E R I 



bentibus, fioribus feflllibus axilhiribus. I'^ooHv Erinus 

 ivi^h trailing Jlalks J (wd floioers Jilting ckfc to their fides 

 Ageratum Americanum procumbens, 2;naphalii ta.' 

 cie, fioribus ad foliorum nodos. Houil. MSS. Trailiji^ 

 American Ageratum with the appearcnce of Ciid'xced 

 and fio'ijsers growing at the knots of the leaves. - ■ 



Erixus {Arncricinus) caule ercfto, foliis lanceolatis 

 oppofitis, floribus laxe fpicatis terminalibus. Erinus 

 ivith an upright flalk., fpear-fhaped leaves placed oppofitf 

 and flo-ivers growing in hofe fpikes^ terminating the ftalks 

 Ageratum Americanum ereftum fpicatum, florepur^ 

 pureo. Houft. MSS. Upright American Ageratum with 

 fpikes of purple flowers, 



Erinus {Frutefcens) caule erefto fruticofo, foliis ova- 

 to-lanceolatis ferratis, alternis, fioribus axillaribus. 

 Efinus with a foruhby ereEl ftalk^ oval^ fpear-Jhaped^ 

 fawed leaves placed alternate., and flowers on the flits of 



the ftalk. Ageratum frutefcens, foliis. dentatis lati- 

 oribus, villofum. Houft. MSS. Shrubby hoaij Ameri- 

 can Ageratum- with broad indented leaves. 



Erinus {Vcrticillatiis) caule ramofoprccumbente, fo- 

 liis o 





tis. 





ferratis glabris oppofitis, floribus verticilla- 

 Er inns with a branching trailing ftalk., oval., fmocth^ 

 fawed leaves placed cppoftte^ and flowers grozving. in 

 horls round the flalks. Ageratum Americanum pro- 

 cumbens, foliis fubrotundia ferratis glabris. Houft. 

 MSS. 'Trailing American Ageratum with roundiflj.,fmoothy 

 fawed leaves. 

 6. Erinus {Procumbens) caulibus procumbentibus, fo- 

 liis ovatis glabrisj floribus finguhs alaribus, pedun- 



Erinus with trailing ftalks^ oval 

 fmooth leaves^ and Jingle flowers on the fides oftheftalksy 

 having longer foot-ftalks. ■• Ageratum Americanum, 

 procumbens, glabrum, floribus luteis, longis pedicu- 

 lis infidentibus. Houft, MSS. 

 €a7i Ageratum i with yellow flowers fittiyig upon long fool- 

 ftalks. 



culis longioribus. 



Smooth trailing Ameri- 





<: ; ' ■ 



. f;-^ 



The firft fort grows naturally upon the Alps and Hel- 

 vetian mountains: this, is a very low plant, whofe 

 leaves lie clofe to the ground, growing in clofe tufi:s-, 

 they are about half an inch long, and one eighth of 

 an mch broad, fawed on their edges, and of a dark 

 green -, between thefe arifes the flower-ftalk, which is 

 fcarcc two inches high, fupporting a loofe bunch of 

 purple flowers, which ftand ereft. Thefe appear in 

 May, and fomctimes are fucceeded by ripe feeds in 

 July. - . , ■' ' .r ■ . 



It is propagated by parting the roots ; the beft time 

 for this is in autumn ^ they muft have a fliady fitua- 

 tion and a loamy foil without dung, for in rich earth 

 thefe plants are veryfubjeft to rot. . • '' 



The fecond fort was fent me by the late Dr. Houf- 

 toun from La Vera Cruz, where he found it growing 

 naturally. This fends out feveral trailing ftalks about 



Theftowerjjath a permanent empalement^ compofed of\ fix inches long, which are clofely garnifl^ed with fmall 



' , 



'five leaves., which are equal -, it hath one petal which is 

 tubulous., and of the riff gent kind^ cut into five equal feg- 

 mentSy which fpread open^ three ft anding upward from the 



\ ' upper lip., and two turn downward. It hath four ftamina 



' \ fttuafed within the tube^ two of which are a little longer 



\ than the other ^ terminated by fmall fummits. ' ■ In the bot- 

 tom of the tube isfttuatedthe oval ger7nen^ fupporting a 

 fljcrt ftylc, crowned by a head-fhaped ftigma. The ger- 

 men afterward becomes an oval capfule^ covered by the 



. ' mpalemcnt.^ having two cells filled zvith fmall feeds. 



" Tins genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedion 



of Linnreus's fourteenth clafs, which includes thofe 



plants whofe flowers have two long and two fhort 



ftamina, and their feeds grov/ing in a capfule. Tour- 



- ndon has it in his appendix, but it fhould be placed 



' * ^ in his third clafs, and the fifth fedtion, which con- 

 tains the plants v/ith an anomalous tybulous flower of 



': '.one leaf. 



oval leaves, placed on every fide ; they are very 

 white and woolly, and at the joints juft above the 

 leaves come out the flov/ers, fitting very clofe to the 

 ftalks j thefe are white, and are fucceeded by round 

 capfules, having two cells, filled with fmall feeds: 

 this plant has great refemblance at a diftance to the 

 Sea Cudweed. ' ' '" 



The third fort was difcovered by Dr. Houftoun 



in 



jt-^ 



■'The Species are. 



1. ERi>:us {Alphnis) fioribus racemofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 



630, Erinus with branching fl.owers. Ageratum ferra- 



tum, Alpinum, glabrum, '"fiorc purpurafcente. Tourn. 



R. H. 6^1. Smooth fawed Alpine Ageratum^ having a 

 purpliflj flower. " 



a. Erim^s {Tommtofus) tomcntofus, caulibus procum- 



the fame country with the former : this hath an up- 

 right ftalk two feet high, garniflied with fpear-fliapcd 

 leaves placed oppofite ; and toward the top of the 

 ftalk is produced two fmaller branches placed oppofite, 

 which ftand ereft: and thefe, as alio the middle ftalk, 

 are terminated by loofe fpikes of purple flowers, 

 which are fucceeded by oval feed-veflels, filled with 

 'fmall feeds. 



The fourth fort rifes Vv^ith a ftirubby ftalk about four 

 feet high, dividing into feveral fmall branches, which 

 are hairy ; thefe are garniftied with oval fpear-fhnped 

 leaves', deeply fawed on their edges ; they are placed 

 alternate, and have pretty long foot-ftalks. The 

 flowers come out from the fide of the ftalks, fom^- 



' 



• - 



tim.es fingle, at other times tw^o or three at a joint, 

 fitting clofe to the ftalks ; they are white, and are fuc- 

 ceeded by round feed-veficls, filled with fmall feeds. 



^ . ■ The 



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