G O M 



leaves, clofe under each head of flowers arlfes from 

 the forks of the branches. The heads at their firft ap- 

 pearance are globular, but as they increafe in fize be- 

 come oval •, tliefe are compofcd of dr\^ fcaly leaves 

 or petals, placed imbricatim like the Icales of fifh; 

 under ^ach of thefe is fituated a tubulous flower, 

 which juft peeps out of the covering, but thefe are 

 not much regarded by the generality ot people ; tor 

 the fcaly empalement which covers them is fo beau- 

 tiful, and thefe if gathered before they are too much 

 faded, will retain their beauty feveral years. After 

 the flowers are pafl:, the germen, which is fituated in 

 the bottom of each, becomes a large oval feed, in- 

 clofed in a chaffy covering, which ripens jate in au- 

 tumn, and the plants decay foon after. 

 There arc two varieties of this fort, one with fine 

 bright purple heads, the other hath white or filvery 

 heads, and thefe never alter from feeds, fo that they 

 are permanent varieties, though in other refpefts they 

 do not differ: there is alfo one with mixed colours, 

 but whether this arofe accidentally from the feeds of 

 either of the former, I cannot determine, for this va- 

 riety continues from feeds, and the other two I have 

 cultivated H:orc than thirty years, and have never 

 found either of them vary. 



There are alfo two varieties of thefe which grow na- 

 turally in the Weft-Indies, one with pifrple, and the 

 other with white headb, which are much fmaller and 



G O R 



rich earth, and wlien the bed is in a proper tcnin^ra- 

 ture of warmth, the plants fliould be circfullv taken 

 up with balls of earth to their roots, and each planted 

 into a I'eparate pot, obferving to Ihade them till they 

 have taken new root, afterward tliey muit be treated 

 in the fame manner as other tender exotic plants. 

 When the plants have filled thefe pots with their roots 

 they fliould be fliaken out of the pots, and their roots 

 on the outfide of the ball of earth muft be carefully 

 pared off; then they fliould be put into pots a fize 

 lafger, and when there is conveniency of a deep frame 

 to plunge the pots into another gentle hot- bed, it will 

 bring the plants early to flower, and caufe them to 

 grow much larger than thofe which are placed abroad. 

 In July the plants fliould be inured gradually to bear 

 the open air, into which they may be removed about 

 the middle of that month, and intermixed with other 

 annual plants to adorn thepleaiure-garden; but it will 

 be proper to keep a plant or two of each fort in Iheltcr 

 for feeds, becaufe when the autumn proves cold or 

 v/er, thofe plants which are expofed abroad, feldom 

 produce i^ood feeds. 



GOOSEBERRY. 

 GORTERIA. 



The Characters are, 



'The empalement of the flower isftiff^ fcaly ^ ending in briftly 



fpines \ the flower is compofcd of hermaphrodite florets in 



the difk, and female in the rays or border ; the hermaphro- 



See Grossularia. 



rounder than thofe before-mentioned. The plants! dite florets are funnel-fhaped^ five-pointed^ having five fiort 



grow much larger, and fpread more into branches, and 

 they are later before they flower^ fo that in cold feafons 

 the feeds rarely ripen in England ; thefe are called 

 Bachelors Buttons by the inhabitants of America, but 

 whether they are fpecifically different fmm the others, 

 I cannot with certainty determine. -■ -i - - 

 The fecond fort hath much flenderer ftalks than the 

 firfl:, which grow taller, and are irregular. The leaves 

 arc fmaller, but of the fame fhape." The flowe'rs"^grow 

 in fpikes at ihe end of the branches, which are broken, 

 or divided into three or four parts with fpaces between 

 ' them. : The fpikes are fmall, and of a pale purple 

 colour. ■ The feeds of this fort were fent me by the 

 late Dr. Houftoun from Campeachy. 



■ The third fort hath flender upright ftalks, which are 

 garniflied with fpear-ihaped leaves placed oppofite ; 

 they are hairy, and fit clofe to the ftalks, which alfo 

 are hairy, and terminated by fmall heads of flowers, 

 which fpread open from each other, fo as that the em- 

 palement appear diftinft -, thefe are of a pale ftraw co- 

 lour, and appear in July. The feeds fometimes will 

 ripen in England, but the plants will live two or three 

 years, if they are preferved in a ftovc. 



The two forts with large heads of flowers which are 

 firft mentioned, one with purple, and the other which 

 is filver-coloured, are very ornamental plants in gardens, 

 and are now very commonly cultivated in the Eng- 

 lifli gardens. In Portugal, and other warm countries, 

 they are cultivated, to adorn their churches In the 

 winter ; for if thefe are gathered when they are fully 

 grown, and dried in the ftiade, they will retain their 

 beauty a long time, efpecially if they are not expofed 

 to the air ; thefe plants are annual, fo are only pro- 

 pagated by feeds, which fliould be fown on a good 

 hot-bed the beginning of March ; but if the feeds are 

 not taken out of their chaffy covering, it will be proper 



•to foak them in water for twelve hours before they are 

 fown, which will greatly facilitate their growing. 

 When the plants are come up half an inch high, they 

 fhould be tranfplanted on a frefli hot-bed, at about 



^ four inches diftance, obferving to fliade them till they 



■ have taken root ; then they fliould have frefh air ad- 

 mitted to them every day, in proportion to the warmth 

 of the feafon ; they will alfo require to be frequently 

 refreflied with water. In about a month's time, if 

 the hot-bed is of a proper warmth, the plants will 

 have grown fo large, as to nearly meet, therefore 

 they will require more room, otherwife they will 

 draw up weak; then a frefli hot-bed ftiould be pre- 

 pared, into which there fhould be a fufficient num- 

 ber q£ three farthing pots plunged, filled with light 



flamina terminated by cylindi'ical fuynmits^ with a hmy 

 germen fuppor ting a flender ftyle^ crowned by a bifid ft igma\ 

 the germen afterward becomes one rotrndiftj fecd^ furrounded 

 . hy fine hairs, The female fiorets are tongue-fljapcdy have 

 noftyle or ftigma^ and are barren. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the third feftion of 

 Linnseiis's nineteenth clafs, intitled Syngenefia Poly- 

 gamia fruftranea, the flowers being compofed of her- 

 maphrodite florets in the 'diflc v>^hich are fruitful, and 

 female florets in the border, having neither ftyle or 

 ftigma, fo are barren. . -. \ -. . 



The Speciks are, 



1. GoRTERiA {Ringens) fcapis uniflorls, foliis lanceolatis 

 pinnatifidis, caule depreffo. Amccn. Acad, 6. p, 86. 

 Gorteria with one flower on each foot-ftalk^ fpcar-fhapci^ 

 wing-pointed leaves^ and a deprejfed ftalk. Arftotis ra- 

 mis decumbentibus, foliis lineari-lanceolatis rigidis 

 fubtus argenteis. Ed. prior. ■ ■' / 



2. Gorteria {Fruticofa) foliis lanceolatis integris den- 

 tato-fpinofis fubtus tomentofis, caule fruticofo. Lin. 

 Sp. 1284. Gorteria with entire fpear-fljaped leaves J whofe 

 indentures end in fpines^ woolly on their under fide^ and a' 

 fhrubby ftalk, Carthamus Africanus frurefcens, folio 

 ilicis, flore aureo. Walth. Hort. 13. tab. 7. 



The firft fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 

 Hope ; it is a low fpreading plant, with ligneous ftalks . , 

 fix or eight inches long trailing on the ground, having 

 two or three fide branches, each terminating in" a 

 clofe head of leaves, which are narrow, green" on their 

 upper fide, but filvery on their under, cut into three 

 or fivefegments at their ends. The foot-ftalksof the 

 flowers arife from the heads, and are fix inches long, 

 naked, fupporting one large Orange-coloured flower 

 at the top, compofed of feveral hermaphrodite florets 

 in the diflc, which are fruitful ; but the female half' 

 florets on the border are tongue-fliapcd, fpreading. 

 open, each having a dark mark toward their bafe, with 

 a white Ipot intermixed. The flowers appear in May . ' 

 and June, but are feldom fucceeded by feeds in 

 England. . - /• 



This plant is eafily propagated by cuttings planted 

 in a fhady border during any of the fummer months, 

 and the plants muft be afterward treated as is directed 



for Arctotis. 

 The fecond fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 

 Hope. This rifes with a fluubby flender ftalk three 

 fQQt high, fending out a few weak branches, garnifted 

 with oblong leaves fitting clofe to the branches j they 

 . are fmooth on their upper fide, woolly underneath, 

 and indented on their edges, each indenture ending 



with a weak fpine. The flowers terminate the ftalks, 



having 



■ • 



/ 



