». 



G 



N 



G E N 



i.- 



i 



fituated very near them, and gently flrlke the farina o 

 the male, into the bolbm of the female flowers, and 

 thereby fet the young fruit, which would otherwife 



drop off. 



There are fome perfons, who ftill objeft to this theory 



of the o-encration of plants, from having obferved 

 fome plants, which were termed female, growing 

 fm^Uy and at a very great diftancc from any male 

 plants of the fame kind, which had for fome years 

 produced feeds v;hich were perfect, and grev/ when 

 fown; and indeed I was myfelf a little daggered in 

 my opinion, on having obferved a female plant of the 

 white Briony, which grew fingly in a garden, where 

 there were no other plants of the fame kind ; which 

 for feveral years produced berries, which grew and 

 fiouriflied perfectly well. This put me upon examining 

 the plant more carefully than I had before done, when 

 I found there were great numbers of male Howers in- 

 termixed with the female, on the fame plant; and 

 fince then I have frequently found the fame in many 

 other plants, which are fometimes male and female 

 in different plants, yet have fometimes both fexes on 

 the fame plant ^ fo that the objeftions v/hich have been 

 made to this doftrine, may not have proper evidence 



for their fupport. 



It is certain, that the female plants may produce fruit, 

 without the impregnation of the male -, but it is not 

 certain, that this fruit or feed will, iffov/n, produce 

 another plant. What has been fo often related by 

 travellers and hiftorians, of the neceflity of the male 

 Palm-tree being near the female, in order to render it 

 fruitful, hath been fully confirmed by Father Labat, 

 in his account of Africa, where he has treated of the 

 feveral forts of Palms : he fays, that he obferved in 

 Martinico a large Palm-tree, which grew by the fide 

 of a convent, which produced plenty of fruit, though 

 . there was no other Palm-tree growing within two 

 leagues of this ; but he alfo obferved, that none of 

 thefe fruit w^ould grow, though they had made many 

 trials of them ; fo that they were obliged to procure 

 fome fruit from Barbary, in order to propagate thefe 

 trees. He likewife adds, that the fruit which grew 

 on this female tree, never ripened fo perfeftly, nor 

 t^ras fo well tailed, as thofe which came from trees 

 which had ftood near fome of the male : therefore we 

 rnay conclude, that the fruit or feed may be produced 

 by the female plants of moil kinds, without the af- 

 fiftance of the male fperm, which may appear to fight 

 perfeft, and fit to produce others •, but if we examine 

 the feeds, we ftiall find that moft of them have not 

 the germ or little plant inclofed, nor will grow if they 

 are fown. ' . . 



From thefe and many other experiments, it is very 

 plain, that there is a necefllty that the embryo of the 

 female flower fi^ould be impregnated by the farina or 

 inale duft, in order to render the fruit perfedl ; but 

 how, or in what manner" it is performed, is what we 

 can only guefs at, firice in the generation of animals, 

 our greateft naturalills differ very much in their opi- 

 nions ; nor can any of them afcertain any particular 

 method how it is performed. I fhall therefore con- 

 clude with quoting the words of the Rev. Dr. Hales, 

 which area mod ingenious fummary of the whole 

 doftrineof the generation of plants. .' - • ,\.. :;, 

 If I (fays he) may be allowed to indulge conjefture 

 in a cafe in which the mofl: diligent enquirers are, 

 as yet, after all their laudable refearches, advanced 

 but little farther than mere conje6lure, I would 

 propofe it* to their confideration, whether from the 

 nianifeft proof we have, that fulphur ftrongly at- 

 trafts air, a hint may not be taken, to confider 

 whether this may not be the primary ufe of the fa- 

 rina fcecundans, to attraft or unite with elaftic or 

 other refined aftive particles. That this farina 

 abounds with fulphur, and that a very refined fort, 

 IS probable from the fubtile oil which chymifts ob- 

 tain from the chives of Saffron -, and if this be the 

 tife of it, was it polhble that it could be more aptly 

 placed for the purpofe on very' moveable apices 







it 



(C 



J 



<i 



J 



cc 



ice 



ic 



\c 



tc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



cc 



tc 



cc 



as It were, with an atmufpherc of lubiimcd fulphu- 

 reous pounce? for. many trcci and plants abound 

 with it, which uniting with the air particles, mav, 

 perhaps, be infpired at feveral parts of the plant, 

 and Specially at the piftillum, and be thence con- 

 veyed to the capfula feminalis, efpecially tovv^ards 

 evening, and in the night, when the beautiful pe- 

 tala of the flowers are clofed up, and they, with all 



the other parts of the vegetable, arc m a ilroncrly 

 imbibing ftate. And if to thefeunited, Rilphureous 

 and aereal particles, wc fuppofe fome particles of 

 light to be joined (for Sir liaac Newton has found, 

 that fulphur attrafts light ftrongly;) then the re- 

 lult of thefe three by far the mod active principles 

 in nature, will be a pundtum falicns to in/igorate 

 the feminal plant; and thus we are at laft con- 



ducted, by the regular analyfis of vegetable nature, 

 to the firft enlivening principle of their minuteft 



origin. 



GENISTA. Lin. Gen. Plant. ^66, Tourn. Infl. R, H, 

 643. tab. 412. Broom; in French, GencL 

 . The Characters are. 



The empalemeni: cf the flozver is of one leaf tubulouSy and 

 divided into tzvo lips ; the upper lip is deeply cut into two^ 

 and the under into three equal parts, The fiozver is of the 

 butterfly kind^ the Jlandard is oval, aciite^ and remote 

 from the keel^ being wholly reflexed ; the ivings are a little 

 'Jhorter than the flandard^ and are loofe : the keel is ere£ly 

 and longer than the Jlandardy and is indented at the top. 

 It hath ten ft amina joined in two bodies^ which are fituated 

 in the keely terminated by fingle ftimmits. In the center is 

 an oblong germen^ fupporting an afcending ftyh^ crowned 

 by an acute tzviftedftigrna, ^he germen afterward becomes 

 a roundifh turgid pod with one celly opening with two 

 valves^ inclofing kidney-fhapcd feeds. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the third fedtion of 

 Linn^us's feventeenth clafs, which includes the plants 

 with flowers having ten ftamina, joined in two bodies ; 

 and to this he adds fome of Tournefort's fpecies of 

 Spartium, ^nd the Geniftella of Tourncfort. 

 The Species are, 

 1, Genista {Sagittalis) ramis ancipitibus articulatis, fo- 

 liis ovato-lanceolatis. Hort. Cliff. 355. Jointed Broom^ 



with two-edged branches^ and jointed^ cval^ fpear-fhaped 

 leaves. Chama^ Genifta fagittalis. C. B. P. 295- Dwarf 

 afrow-Jhaped Broom. . - , . ■ , 



2. Genista {Florida) foliis lahteolatis', ramis fl:riatis te- 



retibus racemis fecundis. Hort. Cliff. '^SS'^ Brcomwitb 



-fpear-fhaped leaves^ and er^^^ taper branches abounding 



with flowers, Genifta tinftoria Hifpanica. C. B. P. ^g^, 



Spanifh Dyers Broom. .^ lA 4 ,^ - . 



2. Genista {TinSforia) foliis Tanceolatis glabris ramis 



I ftriatis teretibus er'edtis. Hort. Cliffy 355. Brobni with 

 fpeat-fhdped le-aves which are acute^ and taper chamiellei 



■ branches proceeding from the fide of theftalL ^Genifta 

 tindloria Germariica. C. B. P. '295- Cpmmn Dyers 

 Broom^ orWood-tvaxen. ' \ . 



%, Genista {PurgaHs) fpinis termirialibus, ramis tereti- 

 bus ftriatis, foliis lanceolatis fimplicibus pubefcen-^ 



tibus. Lin. Sp. 999. Broorn with taper-ftredhd branches 

 : terminated by fpineSy andfiimple^fpear-Jloaped^ hairy leaves. 

 , Genifta five Ipartium purgans. J. B. 1. p. 404. 



5. Genista {Candicans) fpliiS ternatis fubtus villofis^ pe- 

 dimculifi lateralibus fubquinquefloris foliatis, legurni- 

 nibus hirfutis. Amcen. Acad. 4. p*. 284. Trifoliate Brooni 

 with hairy leaves ^ foot fxalks from theftde of the branches 

 having five flowers^ and hairy pods. Cytilus Monfpef- 



. fulatius, medicx folio, filiquis dcnfe eohgeftis & vil- 

 lofis. Toiirh Inft. 648. 



6. Genista (Tridentata) ramis triquetris fubarticulatis^ 

 foliis tricuipidatis. Lin. Sp. Plant, 710. Broom, with 

 three-cornered jointed l^randoes^ and leaves ending in three 

 points. Geniftella fruticofa Lufitanica. Tourn. Inft, 

 646. Shrubby Portugal Dyers Broom. 



7. Genista {Pilofa) foliis lanceolatis cbtufis, caule tu- . 

 bercul^to decumbente. Hort, Cliff. 355. Broom with 



■ 



.\ 



,A» 



'-f 



__ r 



I - 



r I 



t 



'\ 





