A 



L 



O 



on the contraiy, where the under furface was garnifli- 

 cd with eithcn* hairs or down, the moifture was im- 

 bibed by that lurface. He likewife mentions many 

 experiments made by himfclf, and alfo by Monl.^ 

 dii Hamel de Monceau, of the Royal Academy of 

 Sciences at Paris, in rubbing the Leaves over with 

 varnifh, oil, wax, and honey, to fee the efFeft of 

 thefe upon various Leaves, fome of which were rub- 

 bed over on both furfaces, others only upon one ; 

 fome only a part of the furface, others the edges 

 of the Leaves were rubbed over, and in fome only 

 the foot-ftalks of the Leaves were rubbed with 

 thefe. They likewife anointed the trunks of fome 

 trees and ftirubs, and left the Leaves and branches 



in their natural ftate. 



The refult of thefe experiments was, that^ where the 

 Leaves were anointed on both furfaces with varnifh, 

 they decayed prefently ; and where they were anointed 

 with the other things, in proportion as thofe were 

 mofl penetrating, fo the Leaves continued a fhorter 

 time than the others ; and where one furface only 

 was anointed, they continued much longer than thofe 

 which were anointed on both ; and where the pedicle 

 only was anointed, they continued ftill longer ; but 

 the anointing of the trunks, made no fenfible alter- 

 ation, excepting in very hot weather ; when they both 

 imagine, that the anointing them was of fervice, by 

 hindering the too great tranfpiration which might 

 weaken the trees ; for they obferved, that thofe trees 

 ■ which were varnifhcd, fufFered lefs from the violent 

 heat, than the trees which were left in their natural 



ftate. J- 



Monf Bonnet alfo obferved, that thofe Leaves which 

 w^ere varniflied, the tender parts of the Leaves were 

 ^eftroyed by it, and the tough fibres only were left 



remainmg. 



V. 



that furface covered with either hairs or'down; and f and for the fame reafon it is likely that the moH: re- 

 fined and aftive principles of animals arc alfo prepared 

 in the air, and thence conveyed through the lunas into 

 the blood ; and that there is plenty of thel'c fulphurco- 

 acrcal particles in the Leaves, is evident from the ful- 

 phurcous exfudations that are found in the edrres of 

 Leaves, of which bees arc obferved to make their 

 waxen cells, as well as of the duft of flowers. And 

 that wax abounds with fulphur, is plain from its 

 burning freely, &c. 



We may therefore reafonably conclude, that one o-reat 

 ufe of Leaves is what has been long fufpefted bv 

 many, viz. to perform, in fome meafure, the fame 

 office for the fupport of the vegetable life, as the 

 lungs of animals do for the fupport of animal life ■ 

 plants, very probably, drawing through their Leaves* 

 fome part of their nourifliment from the air. 



LEDUM. Raii Syn. i — 142. Lin. Gen. Plant. 485. 

 Marfh Ciftus, or wild Rofemary. : 



The Characters are, 



'ithe flower has a fmall empalement of cue leaf in- 

 dented in five parts. It hath five oval^ concave^ fpread- 

 ing petals^ and ten fiender ftamina the length of the pe- 

 tals^ which fpread open^ terminated by oblong fummits 

 and a roundifh germen fupporting a fiender ftyle^ crowned 

 ly an obtufe ftigma. The germen afterward becomes a 

 roundifh capfule with five cells^ opening at the bafe in 

 five paf^ts^ and filled with fmall^ narrow, acute-pointed 

 feeds.' 



This genus of plants is by Dr. Linnaeus ranged in 

 the firft feftion of his tenth clafs, intitled Decandria 



Monogynia, whichincludes thofe plants whofe flowers 

 have ten ftamina and one ftyle. 



We have but one Species of this genus, viz. 

 Ledum {Palufire)^ foliis lincaribus fubtus hirfutis, fieri- 

 ■' bus corymbofis. Flor. Suec. 341. Ledum with very 

 y: narrow leaves ^ hairy on their under fide, and flowers gr ow- 

 .flngihacorymhus. Rofmaririum fylveftre minus nof- 

 ; tras. Park. Hift. y6. Our fmall wild Rofemary. • ^ 

 This plant grows naturally upon mofles and bogs in 

 • many parts of Yorkfliire, Chefliire, and Lancalhirc, 

 where it rifes with a flender fhrubby ftalk about two 

 feet high, dividing into many flender branches, which • 

 are garniflied with narrow leaves not much unlike 

 thoie of Heath, The flowers are produced in fmall 

 clufters at the end of the branches, which are fliaped 

 like thofe of the Strawberry-tree, but fpread open 

 wider at the top. Thefe are of a reddifli colour, 

 and appear in May, and in the natural places of their 

 growth, are fucceeded by feed-veflTels filled with fmall 

 feeds, which ripen in the autumn. 

 It is with great difficulty this plant is kept m a gar- 

 den, for as it naturally grows upon bogs, lb unlefs 

 the plants have fome fuch foil and a fliady fituadon, 

 they will not thrive. The plants muft be procured 

 from the places of their growth, and taken up' with 

 . good roots, otherwife they will not live. They can- 

 not be propagated in gardens, but m the moflfes their 

 roots fpread and propagate pretty freely, 

 LEEKS. See PoRRUM. 



LEGUMES, or LEGUMENS, are a fpedes 

 of plants which are called pulfe, fuch as Peas, Beans> 

 &c. and are fo called, becaufe they inay be ga- 

 thered by the hand without cutting. Mr. Ray reck- 

 ons all thofe plants which have a papilionaceous 

 flower, among the Legumes ; but the French com- 

 prehend moft forts of efculent plants, under this ge- 

 neral title of Legumes. : ' ' 

 LEGUMINOUS, of or belonging to pulfe. 

 LEMNA. Lin. Gen. 1038. Lens Paluftris, Duck- 

 Meat. This is a very common plant, growing upon 

 ftanding waters in moft parts of England ; where, if 

 it is not difturbed, it will foon cover the whole 

 furface. • " ■ v 

 LEMON-TREE. See Limok. 

 LENS. See Ervum. 



L E N T I S C U S. See Pistacia. 



As it would fwell this work much beyond its intended 

 bulk, were I t6 mentibh more of thefe curious ex- 

 periments, I ftiall refer the curious to his book, 

 Iv.where they will find a great number of the moft ac- 

 '-■'curate and well conducted experiments related, to 

 1/ afcertam the ufes of the Leaves of plants in ve- 



etation. -.: 

 he before-mentioned Rev. Dr. Hales, in his Trea- 



. . tife of Vegetation, fays, it is plain from many expe- 

 riments and obfervations he had before mentioned, 

 that Leaves are very ferviceable in this work of vegeta- 

 tron, by being inftrumental in bringing nourifliment 

 from the lower parts, within the reach of the at- 

 traction of the growing fruit, which, like young ani- 

 iiials, is furniflied with proper inftruments to fuck 

 it thence; but the Leaves feem alfo defigned for 

 many other noble and important fervices ; for na- 

 ture admirably adapts her inftruments, io as to be at 

 the fame time ferviceable to many goodpurpofes. 

 Thus the Leaves, in which are many excretory dufts 

 in vegetables, feparate and ^carry off the redundant 

 watery fluid, which, by being long detained, would 

 turn rancid, and prejudicial to the plant, leaving 

 the more nutritive parts to coalefce; part of which 

 nourifliment, we_ have good reafon to thi'nk, is con- 

 veyed into vegetables through the Leaves, which 



, plentifully imbibe the dew whicli contain fait, ful- 



■ phur, &c. 





For the air is full "of acid and fulphureous particles, 

 - which, when they abound much, do, by the aftion 

 -• and reaftion between them and the elaftic air, caufe 

 that fultry heat which ufually ends in lightning and 

 thunder; and thefe new combinations of air, ful- 

 ■ phur, and acid fpirit, which are conftantly forming in 

 the air, are doubtlefs very ferviceable in promoting 

 the work of veo-etation ; when, being imbibed by 

 the Leaves, they may not improbably be the mate- 

 rials, but of which the more fubtile and refined prin- 

 ciples of vegetables are formed ; for fo fine a fluid 

 as the air feems to be a more proper medium, wherein 

 to prepare and combine the more exalted principles 



to prepare and combine the more exalted principles LEONTICE. Lin. Gen. Plant. 423. Leontopeta- 

 of vegetables, than tk groflTer watery fluid of the fap ; ' Ion. Tourn. Cor. 49. tab. 4S4. Lion's Leaf, 



■ 



