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G E S 



GKSNKRA. Pliimicr Nov. Gen. 27. tab. 9. L"in. 

 Gen. Plant. 667. Thii plant was fo named by fatiicr 

 PluniicT, who dilcovered it in Anocrica, in honour of 

 Conrad Gclncr, a very learned botanill, and natural 

 hiltorian. 



The Ch/.!^actz?.s are, 

 7l:)e empaUfnent cf the flo-^ver is of one lepf cut into free 

 acute parts' at ike top, and is permanent^ in ii^hich is ft- 

 tuated the germen ; the flower hath one petal which is in- 

 bulous^ and fir]} hent inivard, andaftcrivard out again like 

 a bugle ^ born ; the brim is divided into five obtufe fcgmcnts 

 ivhich are er^ud; it tath fcttr ftamina -j:hich are Jhortcr 

 than the petal, terminated by fingle fummlts\ the germen 

 which fits under the petal Jupports a fingle crooked ftyle, 



'The germen afterward be- 



w 



ith fmall 



-\ ' 



crowned by a headed ftigrna. 

 comes a rotoidifi capfule with two cells^ filled 

 feeds ^ which are fixed on eachf.de the partition. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedion 

 of Linn^us*s fourteenth clafs, incitled Didynamia An- 

 giofpermia, which includes thofe plants whofe flowers 

 have two Ions: and tvv'o (horcer ftamina, and the feeds 

 are included in a capiuie. 

 The SpECirs are, 



1. G-Es:s7.v.A'{Xcmentcfa) foliis ovato-lanceolatis crena- 

 tis hirfutis, pedunculis lareralibus longiffimis.corym- 

 biferis. Hort. Cliff. 318. Gefnera with ovaU hairy^ 

 crenated leaves^ and long foct-Jtalks proceeding from the 



fides of the ftalks^ fuppor ting flowers in a corymhus, Gei- 

 nera amplo digitalis folio tomentofo. Plum. Gen. 27. 



2. Gesnera '{Humilis) foliis lanceolatis ferratis fefiili- 

 bus, pedunculis ramofis multifloris. Lin. Sp. Plant. 

 612. Gefnera zv'ith fpear-fijaped flawed leaves fitting clofle 

 to theflalks^ and branching floot-ftalks having many flowers, 

 Gefnera humilis (lore tlavefcente. Plum. Nov. Gen. 

 27. Low Gefnera with a yellowifh flower. 



The firft fjrt grows naturally in the Weft-Indies ; the 

 feeds of this were fent me from Jamaica, which fuc- 

 ceeded in the Chelfea garden; this rifes with a Ihrubby 

 ftalk to the' height of fix orfeven feet, which divides 

 into two or three irregular branches, covered with a 

 ruflet wool, and garnifhed with hairy leaves which 

 are feven or eight inches long, and two and a half 

 broad in the middle, having a rufTet woolly midrib, 

 and the edges are crenated ; thefe are placed on every 

 . fide the branches without order, and have fiiort foot- 

 ftalks ; towards the end of the branches come out the 

 fopt-ftalks of the flowers at every joint, arifing from 

 ' the wings of the ftalk, they are naked, and nine inches 

 in length, branching at the top into many fmaller 

 foot-ftalks, each fuftaining a Angle flower, having a 

 fhort crooked tube, indented at the top in Hve obtufe 

 ' parts, and of an obfolete purple colour. Thefe are 

 fucceeded by roundifti capfules fitting clofe in the em- 

 ,palement, the divifions of v/hich arife above the 

 capfule ; which Dr. Linn^us, from Plumier's figure, 

 has taken for the empalement fitting upon the capfule, 

 whereas the capfule is diftinct from the empalement 

 and is inclofed by it. The capfule is divided into 

 two cells which are filled with fmall feeds. It 

 flowers here in July and Auguft, but hath not ri- 

 pened feeds. 



The fecond fort is a plant of humbler growth j this 

 feldom rifes more than three feet Y{\o\i - the leaves are 

 much fmaller, are fawed on their edges, and fit clofe 

 to the ftalk ; the flowers ftand upon branching foot- 

 ftalks, each fuftaining many yellowifli flowers, which 

 are deeper cut at their brims than thofe of the firft 

 fort. This was found growing naturally by the late 

 Dr. Houftoun at Carthagena in New Spain. 

 There is a third fpccies of this genus mentioned 

 by Plumier, winch grows to to a tree, and hath fpotted 

 and frihcrcd flower 



but this I have not feen in any 

 "■"of the Englifli gardens. Thefe plants are propagated 

 \ ..by feeds, which muft^ be procured from the countries 

 ''■'where they grow naturally ; thefe fi:iould be brou-^ht 

 . over in their capfules, which is the beft way to 

 / prefer/e the feeds good; for as they are very fmall 

 and light, fo when they are feparaicd from the par- 

 tition to which they adhere, they foon lofe their 

 ■ vegetative quahty ; for I have received the feeds fc- 



G E U 



veral times from America, which were taken out f 



but not one of them grew, till I 



to be fent in their veflbis, which fucccedcd 



ftiould be fown in pots filled with lif>h 

 plunged into a hot-bed of tanners bark 

 they arrive, for they fomctimes lie lonc/i 



tlie veficls, 

 cured fomo 

 very well. 



The feeds 

 earth, and 

 as icon as 



the ground ; thofe which I have fown in autiim''* 

 came up the following fpring -, tlierefore when the"v 

 happen to arrive here at that feafon, the pots in whi K 

 the feeds are fown fliould be plunged into the tan \Ja 

 in the ftove, and during the winter the earth Ihould 

 be now and then gently watered to prevent its drv" 

 too much, but it muft not be too moift. In the fwi 

 the pots fiaould be removed out of the ftove and 

 plunged into a frefti hot-bed, which will brin? up the 

 plants foon after. When thefe are fit to remove thev 

 fliould be each planted into a feparate pot, and plunged 

 into a good hot-bed of tan, obferving to fliade them 

 till they have taken new root; then they muft be 

 treated in the fame M'ay as other tender plants from 

 the fame countries. 



In autumn they muft be plunged into the'tan-bed 

 in the ftove, where, during the winter, they fh.ould 

 have but little water given to them; for if they re- 

 ceive much wet, it will deftroy them. In this ftove 

 the plants muft conftantly remain, for they v/iU not 

 thrive if they are kept out of the tan. In thefum- 

 mer, they fhould have free air admitted to them at 

 all times when the weather is warm ; and they muft be 

 frequently refreflied with water during that feafon 

 but it muft not be given to them in too great plenty. 

 As the plants advance in growth they will require 

 larger pots, but there muft be care taken not to 

 over-pot them, for they will not thrive in large pots. 

 With this management the plants will flower the 

 fecond year, and may be continued three or four 

 years, but they are not of long duration in their na- 

 tive country. ■ ■ - " • ■ - ■- "' 



G E U M. Lin. Gen. Plant. 561. Carj^ophyllata. Tourn. 

 Inft. R, H. 294. tab. 151. Avens, or Herb Bennet; 

 in French, Benoite. ' ' ' ' > 



The Characters arc. 

 The fiower hath a one-leaved 



empalement^ cut at 



the top into ten fegments^ which are alternately flndkr 

 than the other. The flower has five roundiflo petals^ which 

 are narrow at their bafe^ where they are inferted in tk 

 ' empalement \ it hath a great number of awlfijaped fid- 

 mina^ which are the length of the empalement^ into which 

 they are inferted^ and are terminated by'broad obtufe fum- 

 mits. In the center of the flower is fiituated a great numter 

 ofi germen colleSied into a head\ thefe have flyles inferted 

 in their fides ^ which are long^ hairy ^ and crowned by fin^t 

 fiigmas. The germen afterward become fo many flat rDUgb 

 feeds^ which are hairy ^ and have the ftyle which is'htnt 

 like a knee adhering to them\ thefe fiit in the common em- 

 palement, ' ■ ' • «."' , 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the fifth fetftionof 

 Linnasus's twelfth clafs, intitled Icofandria Polygynia, 

 in which he places thofe plants whofe flowers have 

 more than twenty ftamina, and have many ftyles in- 

 ferted into the empalement. 



The Species are, 



frac'lu globofo, 



Cliff. 



^95 



vul2;aris. 



3 



Geum [Urbamm) fioribus ercdlis, 



ariftis uncinatis nudis, foliis lyratis. Hort. 



Geum with crebl flowers ^ a globular fruity naked 

 hooked beards, and harp-fljaped leaves, Caryophyllata 



C. B. P. 321. Common Avens, or Brb 

 Bennet. - 



Geum {Rivale j fioribus nuiantibus, fruftu oblongo, 

 ariftis plumofis. Hort. Clifl'. 195. Geum with nodding 

 fiower s, and an oblong fruit with feathery beards. t,a- 



aquatica, nutante flore. C. B. P. 3^^' 



Jquatic Herb Bennet with a nodding fiower. ■ " ■ 

 Gf.um (P>rf;^i7/r^»2) fioribus nutantibus, fruftu g^^- 

 bolb, ariftis nudis, foliis" lyratis, foliolis rotundion- 

 bus. Gemn with nodding fiowers^ a globular fruit t^^^^ 

 naked beards, and harp-fhaped leaves with rounder lotes* 

 CaryophylUta Pyrenaica, ampfiflimo & rotiindiori 

 folio, nutante flore. Tourn.Inft. R. H. 205- P^f^^ 



ryophyllata 



I- 



I 



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n X 



3 



1 



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