

t 



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pirL "fhe male flozvers f:t each upon a fcparate foct- 

 fialiy ^>^d have an empdement divided into three parts ; 

 thej 'have no petals ^ but three hrijlly fiamina as long as 

 the empalevient, terminated by t-join fumwits •, the female 

 fio-^ers fit i^pcn d:fti7i£f foot-fialks ; their e?upalements 

 cr^ divided into five parts ; they have no pctalsy but a 

 ^axen as the erapakmenty ftipporting an inflexcd Jlyle^ 

 ircivned hy t-ivo reflexed pointed Jlignias. The geri7:en 

 afta-veard becomes a large feedy fitting in the empde- 



This o-enus of plants is ranged in the third feftion 



of Linnsus's twenty -third clafs, intitlcd Polygamia 



polyoeciav the male and hermaphrodite flowers being 



firuatcd in the fame common covering, but in the 



wild Fig they are in diftinft plants. 



The Species are, 



i; f icus [Carita) foliis pahnatis. Hort. Cliff. 471. Fig- 



- ' tree vjith kand-Jhaped leaves. Ficus communis. C. B. 



p. 457. The common Fig-tree, 

 2. Ficus (Sycomorcus) foliis cordatis fubrotundis inte- 

 ■■" aerrimis! Hort. Cliff. 471. Fig-tree withroundifi heart- 

 ^opedkaveSy tvhich are entire. Ficus folio mori, fruc- 

 rum in caudice ferens. C. ?. P. 459. Fig-tree with a 

 ' Mdberry leafy bearing fruit oh the body ' cr ftem^ com- 



' ' 'vAonly called Sycamore. .,^ -^ " . - . ■: , ^ ^ ..- . ^ 

 '3. Ficus [Religiofa) foliis cordatis oblongis intcgerrimis 



acuminatis. Hort. Cliff. 471. Fig-tree with entire 



' \heart-fhcped leaves^ ending in acute points. Ficus Ma- 



labaricnfis, foho cufpidato, frudu rotundo parVo'ge- 



mino. Pluk. Aim. 144. Malabar Fig 'with a long 



pointed leaf ^ and fmall double round fruit, [-i:, u, 



■4. Fjcus (5^;7o;>&^/^;7/7j) foliis &vans integerrimls obtufis, 



^ caule infcrne radicato. Hort. Cliff. 471. Fig-tree zvith 



Qval^ obtufe^^ entire leaves^ and the lower part of the 



Jlf.lk putting out roots. Ficus Benghalenfis, folio fub- 



rotundo, fruftu orbiculato. Hort. Amft. i. p. 119. 



' ; Bengal Fig with a roundifh leaf and orbicular fruit. 



5. Ficus {Indica) foliis lanceolatis pctiolatis, pedunculis 



aggregatis, ramis radicantibus. Lin^ Sp. Plant. 1060. 



* Vtg-tree with fpear-floaped leaves having petals^ the foot - 



' jlalks of the fruit growing in cluflerSy and branches fend- 



. ing out roots. Ficus Indica Theoplirafti. Tabern. 



Hift. 1370. Indian Fig of I'heophrajlus. 



^. ' Ficus (Maximus) foliis lanceolatis 



Cliff. 471, Fig-tree with entire fpear-fhaped 



haves, Ficus Indica maxima, folio oblongo, funi- 



culis e fummis ramis dimiffis radices agentibus fe 



' propagans, fruftu minori fphserico fanguineo. Sloan. 



Cat. Jam. 189. The largeft Indian Fig with an oblong 



'..Jeaf fending out roots from the lops of the branches^ and 



a' frnall fpherical blood-coloured fruit. 

 Ficus {Racemofa) foliis ovatis acutis intcgerrimis, 

 caule arboreo, frudu racemofa. Lin. Sp. Plant. 

 1060. Amccn. Acad. i..p. 30. Fig-tree with oval^ 

 entire^ acute leaves^ tree-like fialk^" and branching fruit. 

 Alty-alu. Hort. Mai. i. pt 43^,.;';' 



Hort. 



integernmis. 



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k '- 



7 



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Q\js {Pumila) foliis ovatis acutis intcgerrimis, cable 

 repente. Lin. Sp. Plant. ic6pr*Amoen,, Acad. i. p. 



30. tig-tree with ovaU acute, entire leaves, and a 

 treephig fialh- Ficus fylveftris procumbens," folio fim- 

 plici. Koerhpf. Amoenl 803. Trailing wild Fig-tree hav- 

 '"i Jingle leaves. -^ '■' ,,» ■ -':, ' 



• J* ^'^9^5 [Nymph^^efcUa) foliis ovato-cordatis integer- 

 nmis glabris. I^ig-trce with cvalj heart-fhaped^ entire^ 

 ^ fnooth leaves^ vulgarly called Ficus nymph^eae folio. 

 Fig-tree with a Water Lily leaf \ '' • . y(-i ;^^^;" . 

 JO, tiers (Citrifolia) foliis oblonffo-cordatisacum'inatis, 

 . petioiis longmimis. Fig-tree with oblongs heart-Jhaped, 

 . ' pointed leaves^ and very long foot-fialks. Ficus citrii 

 ^olio, frnau parvo purpureo. Catefo. Hift. Carol. 3. 



P-iS. Fig-tree with a Citron-leaf and fmall purple 

 fruit 1 .^ 



ricus {Calyculatd) foliis ovatis intcgerrimis obtufis, 



u. 



oppofitis, fruftu globofo calyculato. Fig-hee with 

 oval J obtufe, entire leaves placed oppoftte^ and a globular 

 friat having a calyx. Ficus folio lato fubrotundo, 

 \t"^" S|.°^^fo» magnitudine nuces mofchatse. Houft. 

 ;iSS. Fig-tree with broad roundifio leaves^ andaglohu- 

 fj^y /-^/V about the bignefs of a nutmeg. 



Ihe firft fort, which is the Fig whofe fruit is va- 



I 1 - 



-y 



F I G 



luable, is cukivated in moll parts of Europe •, of thi; 

 there are great varieties in the warm countries, whic 



iicn 



I. The brown orChefnut-coloured Ifchia Fig. 



1 I V 



have been obtained from feeds, therefore may be in- 

 crealed annually, ifche inhabitants were careful in pro- 

 pagating the trees from the f^eds of their bed forts. 

 In England we had not more than four or five forts till 

 widiin a fev/ years pad ; for as the generality of the 

 Englifh were not lovers of this fruit, fo rhcre were 

 few who troubled themfelves with the culture of it. 

 But fome years palt I had a large colledion of thelc 

 trees feat me from Venice, by my honoured friend 

 the Chevalier Rathgeb, which I planted and pre- 

 ferved to tafte of their fruits, feveral of which proved 

 excellent ; thefe I have preferved and propagated, 

 and thofe whofe fruit were inferior have been ne- 

 glefted. And as the variety of them is very great, 

 fo I fhall here mention only fuch of them as are the 

 beft worth cultivating, placing them in the order of 

 their ripening. 



This 

 is the largeft fruit of any I have yet feen, it is fliort, 

 globular, with a pretty large eye, pinched in near the 

 foot-ilalk, of a brown or Chefnut colour on the out- 

 fide, and purple within ; the grains are large, and the 



, pulp fweet and high-flavoured; this fort very often 

 burfts open when it ripens. It ripens the latter end 

 of July, or the beginning of Auguft. I have had 

 this fruit ripen well on llandards, in a warm foil. If 

 this fort is planted againft hot walls, two plentiful 



"^crops' of fruit may be annually ripened. 

 / 2. The bjack. Genoa Fig. This is a long fruit, which 

 fwells pretty large at the top where it is obtufe, but 

 the lower part is very (lender toward the ftalk -, the 

 fkin is of a dark purple colour, almoft black, and hath 

 a purple farina over it like that on fome Plumbs ; the 

 infide is of a bright icd^ and the flefti is very high 

 ■ flavoured. It ripens early in Auguft.. ■ ' 



3. The fmall white early Fig, This hath a roundilh 

 . fruit a little flatted at the crown, with a very fliort 



foot-ftalk ; the flcin, when fully ripe, is of a pale yel- 

 lowifti white colour -, the flcin is thin, the infide white, 

 and the flefti fweet, but not high-flavoured. This 

 ripens in Auguft. 



4. The large white Genoa Fig. This is a large glo- 

 bular fruit, a little lengthened toward the ftalk > the 

 fkin is thin, of a yellowafli colour when fully ripe, 

 and red'within. This is a good fruit, but the trees 

 are not good bearers.' . 



5. The black Ifchia Fig.';. This is a fliort fruit, of 



' 'a'middling fize, a little flatted at the crown ; the fkin . 



is almoft black when ripe, and the infide is of a deep 

 . ; red ; the rlefn is very high flavoured, and the trees 

 '^.produce a good crop of fruit, but the birds are great 



;' devourers' of them if they are not proteded from 

 V them. " This ripens in Auguft, f " ' • 



6. The Malta Fig."* This is a fmall brown fruit, 

 much compreflTed at the top, andgready pinched to- 



; ward the foot-ftalk; the (kin is of a pale brown co- 

 lour, as is alfo the infide ; the flefli is very fweet, and 

 well flavoured. If this fort Is permitted to hang upon 

 the trees till the fruit is fl:irivelled, it becomes a fine 



■ fweetmeat. * 



7. The Murrey, or brown Naples Fig. This is a 





^ * 



pretty large globular fruit, 

 on the. outfide, with fome 



^ ^^ T r 



of a light brown colour 

 faint marks of a dirty 



■white, the infide is nearly of the fame colour; the 

 ' grains are pretty large, and the flefli is well flavoured. 

 It ripens the latter end of Auguft. 



8. The green Ifchia Fig.- This is an oblone fruit. 



almoft globular at the crown ; the flcin is thin, of a 

 green colour, but w^hen it js fully ripe, it is ftained 

 through by the pulp to a brownifh can: ; the infide is 

 purple, and will ftain linen, or paper ; the flefti is 

 high flavoured, efpecially in warm feafons. It ripens 

 toward the end of Auguft. 



9. The' Madonna Fig, commonly called here the 

 Brunfwick, or Hanover Fig, is a long pyramidal fruit 

 of a large fize ; the fkin is brown ; the flefti is of a; 

 lighter brown colour, coarfe, and hath little flavour. 

 This ripens the end of Auguft and the beginninff of 



Septem 



er 



r. 



I 





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