M 



Stents, Mdampyrum coma cserulea. C. B. P. 234. 



Cow Wheat with blue tops, 



Thefe plants are fcldom cultivated in gardens. The 

 firft fort grows naturally in woods in many parts of 

 England. The fecond fort grows plentifully in Bed- 

 fordfhire and Cambridgefhire. The fourth fort grows 

 in the northern parts of Europe. The third fort 

 grows naturally in fome of the fandy lands in Norfolk, 

 tho' not in great plenty ; but in Weft Friezland and 

 Elanders, it grows very plentifully among the Corn ; 

 and Clufius fays, it fpoils their bread, making it dark ; 

 and that thofe who eat of it ufed to be troubled with 

 heavinefs of the head, in the fame manner as if they 

 had eaten Darnel or Cockle : but Mr. Ray fays, He 

 has eaten of this bread very often, but could never 

 perceive that it gave any difagreeablc tafte, or that it 

 was accounted unvv'holefome by the country people, 

 who never endeavour to feparate it from the Corn : 

 and Tabernsemontanus declares, he has often eaten it 

 without any harm -, and fays, it makes a very pleafant 

 tread. It is a delicious food for cattle, particularly 

 for fattening of oxen and cows, for which purpofe it 

 may be cultivated. 



The feeds of thefe plants fhould be fown in the au- 

 tumn foon after they are ripe, otherwife it fcldom 

 grows the firft year ; when the plants come up, they 

 muft be weeded in the fpring while young, and as foon 

 as they begin to Ihew their flowers, the cattle may be 

 fed upon it-, but they fhould be confined to a cer- 

 tain ipace, and not permitted to run over the whole j 

 field to trample it down, which would deftroy a great 

 part of it. 



The third and fourth forts make a pretty appear- 

 ance, with their purple and blue tops, during the 

 months of July and Auguft. They are all of them 

 annual plants. ' ^ ' '. " -;■- ■■"■ ~^\r-(^^ 



M 



ter with a garden frame, and treated in the fame way 

 as is direded for the Ixia, they will thrive and flower 

 annually. 



MELASTOMA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 48 1. GroiTula 

 ria. Sloan. Hift. Jam. Plum. Sp. iSJ. The American 

 Goofeberry-tree, vulgo. 



The Characters are, 

 The flower has a permanent empaletnent of one leaL ficd^, 

 ing like a bladder^ and cbtufe. It hath five romvM pe' 

 tals^ which are infer ted into the border of the empakrrfent 

 and ten fhort fiamina^ terminated by long ere& ftwimits a 

 little curved. Under the flower is fttuated a rcundilh 

 germen, fupporting aflenderfiyle, crowned by an incurved 

 indented fligma. 1'he germen afterzvard turns to a ieny 

 with five cells^ covered by the empakment which cro-^ns 

 it^ and contains many fmall feeds. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fcclion of 

 Linnasus's tenth clafs, intitled Decandria Monooy- 

 nia, which includes thpfe plants v/hofe flowers have 

 ten ftamina and one ftyle. 

 The Species are, 



I. Melastoma {Plantaginis folio) foliis denticulatis 



oval^ acute-pointedy indented leaves. 



ricana. 



MELANTHIUM, Star-flower. 



ovatis acutis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 389. Melaftoma with 



Grofllilaria Ame- 

 plantaginis folio ampliflimo. Plum.Sp. 18. 



2. Melastoma {Acinodendron) foliis denticulatis fub- 

 trinerviis ovatis acutis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 558. MlaftQ^ 

 ma with oval indented leaves ending in acute points^ 

 having three veins. Groffularia alia plantaginis folio, 

 frudlu rariore violaceo. Plum. Sp. 18. 



3. Melastoma {Hirta) foliis denticulatis quinquener- 

 vibus, ovato-lanceolatis caule hifpido. Lin. Sp. 390. 

 Melaftoma with fpear-fhapcd indented leaves^ with five 



veins^ and a prickly ft alL Groffularia plantaginis folio 

 anguftiore hirfuto. Plum. Sp, 18. 



** - -« 



The Characters are, 





^■ 



Melastor^a (Holofericea) foliis integerrimis triner- 



viis_ oblongo-ovatis tprnentofis racemis brachiatis, 



Ipicis bipartitis. Lin. Sp. 559. Melaftoma with very 



entire ohlong oval leaves^ which are woolly on their un£r 



ftde,' andfpikes of flowers dividing in two parti Arbor 



'^p^^^^^^ racemofa Brafxliana, folio Malabathri. Breyn. Cent. 



J'he flower $asn6'mpa1ement (uhlefs the corolla is Jo call- 

 ed) it bath Jix'^oblong^2val,fpreading petals^ wUcb are'' 





, tails^ with ^lobular fummitSy with a ftreaked globular 



1 '* ;• - 



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V 



germmy fupporting three curved diftinEi ftyles^ crowned 

 ^ly obtufe ftigma ; the germen afterward turns to an oval 



^^ i^pf^^^t having three cellSy which are united within^ con- 

 taining feveraT'oval compreffed feeds. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the third feftion of 



: Linnasus's fixth clafs, "intitled Hexandria Trigynia, 

 the flower having fix ftamina and three flyles. 

 The Species are, 



i. Melanthium {Virginicum) petalis unguiculatis. Lin. 



Sp. Plant. 483. Star-flower with tender naiUfhaped pe- 

 tals. Afphodelo aifinis Floridana, ramofo caule, flo- 

 "!riBus ornithogali obfoletis. Pluk. tab. 434. f. 8. 

 -2. Melanthium {Sibericum) petalis feflllibus. Amoen. 

 Acad. 2. p.^ 349. Star-flower with fefftle petals. Orni- 

 .thogalum fpicisflorum longiflimis ramofis/ Tlon 



Siber. p. 45. 



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3. M^L ANTHiv M (Pun£latum) petalis punftatis,- 'foliis 

 cucullatis. Amoen. Acad. 6. Star-flower with pun£lu- 







; , at ed petals, and hooded leaves. - 



The firft fort grows naturally in Virginia and in other 

 parts of North Artierica, tut being a plant of little 

 ^.beauty, is fcldom cultivated except in botanic gar- 

 '' J; 'dens ; the flower-ftalks of this rifes from fix to eight 

 '',/ inches high, branching upward into three or four di- 

 '^^^^^_ vifions, garnilhcd below the flower with two or three 

 linear leaves! 'The Howers are compofed of fix 

 fpreading petals of a duflcy worn-out colour, which 

 are rarely fucceeded by feeds in England. ..:, 

 If the roots of this plant are planted in a border of 

 light earth, not too dry, they will thrive and pro- 

 duce their flowers here, but feldom increafe. 

 The fecorid fort grows naturally in Siberia, {a is at 

 prefent a ftranger in England, but may be propagated 

 here (if once obtained) by planting the bulbous roots 

 in an eaft "border. 



The third fort grows at the Cape of Good Hope, fo 

 is too tender to thrive in the open air in England. But 



tab, 2 & 3. . 



Melastoma {Groftularioides) foliis lanceolatis utrin- 

 que'glabri]5n<irvistribus'ante bafin coeuntibus. Hort. 

 CliflT. 162. Melaftoma ^ttb fpear-fhdped leaves [mootb 

 on both fides ^ and three veins which join before they reach 

 the bafe. Grofllilaria fruftu non fpinofo, Malabathri 

 foliis oblongis, floribus herbaceis racemofis, fruftu 

 nigro. Sloan. Cat. 165. ;;.-.'" 



6. Melastoma {Bicolor) foliis lanceolatis, ncrvis tribus 

 longitudinalibus, fubtus glabris coloratis. Hort. Cliff. 

 162. Melaftoma with fpear-fhaped leaves having tbree 

 longitudinal veins^ fmooth and coloured on tieir under 



7. Melastoma {Malabathrica) foliis lanceolato-ovatis 

 quinquenervibus fcabris. Flor. Zeyl, 171.. I0afioma 



: ' with fpear-fhaped oval leaves which are roughs and have 



''^}^ve veins. Melaftoma quinque nervia hirta major, ca- 



pitulis fericeis villofis. Burm. Zeyl. 155. tab. 73. 



8. Melastoma {Laevigata) foliis oblongo-ovatis minu- 

 tiflime dentatis inferne fericeis quinquenervibus, flo- 



/^ribus racemofis. Melaftoma with oblong oval leaver 



"^having veryfmall indentures on the edges y and felt) on their 



' under ftde^ with five veins ^ and flowers growing in long 



lunches. GroflTularise fruftu, arbor maximo non fpi- 



nofa, Malabathri folio niaximo inodora, flore race- 



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t^ 



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T? 



mofo albo. Sloan. Cat. Jam. 165. / - 



9. Melastoma (P^Z/W^/Zj) foliis denticulatis ovatis acn- 



minatis, inferne nitidifli mis, petiolis longiflimis. M^- 

 laftoma with oval acute-pointed leaves^ which are indented 

 on their edges ^ very fhining on their under fede^ and ba'je 



very long foot-ftalks. ■ .:r . V .. . . 



10. yhxA%i:QyiA iJJmbellata) foliis cordatis acuminatis 

 integerrimis, inferne incanis, floribus umbellatis. 

 Melaftoma with heart-floaped^ acute-pointed^ entire leaves^ 

 hoary on their under ft de,, and flowers growing in umoels. 

 Sambucus Barbadenfis difta, foliis fubincanis. PIuk-- 



Phyt. tab. 221, fol 6. - 

 Melastoma {Racemofa) foliis oblongo-cordatis acu 



*owv,v. w^ww^i *.'-' tuiivc lu Lucupcii airinx:.ugiana. liut II. IViELASTOMA (^A^^^;;20/«j roilis ODiongu-»-wiu»..w --- 



it the roots are planted in a border, covered in win- - minatis. denticulato-ferratis, floribus racemofis Ipar- 



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