arc 



M E 



long and three broad, rough on their furface, entire 

 on their edges, ending in acute points-, they are of 

 a light green on both fides, and {land upon fliort 

 foot-llalks. The flowers are produced in pretty 

 large loofe panicles at the end of the branches ; thev 

 are fmall, white, and are fucceeded by fmall, rouiit^ 

 purple fruit. ** 



All t!ie forts are natives of the warm parts of Ame- 

 rica, where there are many more fpecies than 

 here enumerated. Moft of thefe here mentioned 

 were found by the late Dr. Houdoun, grov/inc^ na- 

 turally in Jamaica, from whence he fent many ot^their 

 feeds xo Europe, fome of which fucceeded ; but moiT: 

 if not all the plants which were raifed from them* 

 were loft in the fevere winter in 1740, fmce which 

 time they have not been recovered in Europe. - 

 There is great beauty in the diverfity of the leaves of 

 thefe plants, many of them being very large, and 

 moft of them are of different colours on the two fur- 

 faces, their under fide being either white, gold co- 

 lour, or ruftet, and their upper of different fhades of 

 green, fo that they make a fine appearance in the ho:- 

 houfe all the year ; indeed, their flowers have no 

 more than three feet high, dividing at the bottom I great beauty to recommend them, but yet for the 



M 



bark, and divides at the top into many ftraggling 

 branches, which are garnifhed with oblong heart- 

 fhaped leaves fix inches long, and three broad toward 

 their bafe, ending in acute points, indented ori their 

 edges v/ith ftiarp ferratures -, they are fmooth on both 

 fides, and of a light green colour. The flowers are 

 produced in very loofe bunches at the end of the 

 branches •, they are fmall, of an herbaceous colour, 

 and are fucceeded by fmall fruit, of a dark colour 



when ripe. 



The twelfth fort rifes with a flirubby ftalk five or fix 

 feet high, dividing into many fmaller branches, which 

 are covered v/ith a hairy woolly bark, of a rufty iron 

 colour ', thefe are garnifhed with oval fpear-fliaped 

 leaves, one inch and a half long, and three quarters 

 of an inch broad in the middle j they are of a dark 

 green on their upper fide, and of a rufty iron colour 

 on their under, having five longitudinal veins i they 

 are placed oppofite, and fit clofe to the branches. The 

 flowers come out in whorls at the joints of the ftalks ; 

 they are fmall, of a purplifhcolour, and are fucceed- 

 ed by fniall black fruit. 

 The thirteenth fort is a low fhrub, feldom rifing 



fingular beauty of their leaves, thefe plants dcfervea 

 place in all curious colletflions, as much as moft other 



into flender branches, which are garniflied with fpear- 

 fhaped leaves, ending in acute points ; thefe are five 

 inches long, and one and a half broad in the middle, ^ 



fawcd on their edges, of a dark green on their upper j There are very few of thefe plants at prefent in any 



of the European gardens, which may. have been oc- 



lorts. 



fide, but of a hoary white on their under, having 

 three longitudinal veins j they are placed oppofite, 

 upon Ihort foot-ftalks. The flowers are produced in 

 loofe bunches at the end of the branches ; they 

 white, and fucceeded by fmall purple fruit. 

 The fourteenth fort hath a fhrubby ftalk eight or nine 

 feet high, divided toward the top into many flender 



cafioned by the difficulty of bringing over growing 

 plants from the Weft-Indies ; and the feeds bcina 

 fmall when they are taken out of the pulp, foon be- 

 come dry, fo feldom fucceed. The beft way to ob- 

 tain thefe plants is, to have the entire fruits put up in 

 • Jry fand as fooh as they are ripe, and forwarded bv 

 branches which are fmooth, garhiffied with bvalfpear- I the fooneft convej^ance to England ; thefe fliould be 



immediately tak^ri out when they arrive, and the 

 feeds fown in potsof l^ht earth, and plunged into a 

 moderate hot-bed of tanners bark. When the plants 



ihaped leaves, which are feven inches long a.rid three 

 broad, ending in afctite points ; tUij 'are entire on 

 their edges, and fmooth on both fides, ftanding 



oppofite, and Tiave tlireelongitudirial veins. The j ','^briie up,' and are fit to remove,- they muft be" each 

 flowers are produced in loofe panicles ^t the end of j planted into a fmall pot of light earth, and plunged 

 the branches, and are fuccfeedcd by very fmall pur- 1. 10 to the tan- bed; and may afterward be treated in 



the manner direfted for the Annona, to which I fhall 



^lefruit. • -^"^^ .^.^...^,i' c;^v. ^-L 



The fifteenth fort rifes with feveral fhrubby ftalks five 

 ^ ;;.DX fix feet high, dividing into feveraT crooked branches. 



giaVnifhed with oval leaves "three ihcTies long, 

 'almoft as much broad, having five longitudinal veins; 

 they are rough, of a dark green on their upper fide, 

 but of a pale green on their under, indented on 

 their edges, ftanding upon very hairy foot-ftalks ; 

 they are fometimes oppofite, and at others alternate, 

 on the branches. The flowers are produced in very 

 'loofe bunches, which come out from the fide of the 

 ilatks ; they are fmall, of an herbaceous colour, and 

 are fucceeded by fmall purplifh fruit, filled with very 

 fmall feeds. 



' idefire the reader to turn, to avoid repetition. 

 MEL I A. Linl'Geh. Plant. 473."Azederach. Tourri. 

 Inft. R. H. 616. tab. 387. The Beail-tree. ..^m^ ' 



The Characters are. 



1^ 



-* 



I— 



s » 



At 



- > 1 - ■ ' ■ , - 



The fixteenth fort rifes with a ftirubby ftalk feven or 



divides into manv fmooth 



into many 

 garniflied with fpear-ftiaped 



;eight feet high,' and 



branches, which are 



leaves about four inches long, and bnelnch and a 

 , quarter broad irl tlie middle -, they'^^reYmdoth on both 



fides;'^of a darkgrebrt colour, and have three longi- 



tjLidinal veiris • the edges of thefe leaves are clofely fet 



with briftly ftmging hairis. The flowers are produced 

 . in' loofe bunches at the end of the branches ;'thev are 



fmall, of a purplifh colour, and are fucceeded by ve- 



. t- 



j 



'Th empalement of the flower is fmall^ ere^f^ at}d of one 

 leaf cut into five points at the top^ which are ohtuJL 

 The flower bath five hng^ narrow^ fpear-fhafed petals 

 ivhich fpread open^ and a cylindrical neharitm of one Icpf 

 the length of the petals^ indented at the brim in ten parts. 

 It has ten fmall ft amina inferted in the top of the netia- 

 riunty terminated by fummits which do not appear clo've 

 it^ with a conical germen fupporting a cylindrical ftyh 

 crowned by an obtufe indented ftigma. -f he-men af- 

 terward turns to afoft globular fruity including a round- 

 ijh nut having five rough furrows^ and five cells^ each 

 containing one oblong feed. 



' A • , .-» 



«'■». ^ 



<■ 



T- ' 



' ■ 



I. 



This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feftion of 

 Linn^us's tenth clafs, intitled Decaridria Monogy- 

 nia, which includes thofe plants whofe flowers have 

 ten ftamina and one ftyle. ' r.-; - 1. : '■ ^f- '^^' "^ 

 ■--■'^The Species are, '/*>>r*.A 

 Melia 



s . * > f"- 



*; ■< 



• ' "^t^imall black fruit. 



' <%^r^^i J ^ .1 r 



v>^ /> 



* r 





-^ 



'^ V 



I^L 





i 



%1 



{Azedarach) foliis bipinnatis. Flor. Zeyj. 

 Melia with double winged leaves. ' Azederach. 

 Dod. Pempt. $48. The Bead-tree, or Falfe Sycmore, 



Hort. Cliff. 



1 62 : 



'r-u^ 



5 Xb;^ J "^y^^^^^^^h fort is in many parts like the former, 1 2. Melia ' (Azediracbta) foliis pinnatis. 



161. Melia with winged leaves.-i 0\e:K Md^hhrnc^ 



*^^. tout the leaves are oval, a little more than two inches 



V 



-V 



« h 



^^lohg, and oneand a quarter broad j thefe have five lon- 



" gitudinal veins, and arefmootKon both fides, of a dark 



'*'|f<?en colour, ' and ftand oppofite oh fli6rt foot-ftalks. 



^■The flowers 2;row in loofe bunches at the end of the 



branches^ they are larger than thofe of the former 



fort, but are of the fame colour. The edges of the 



leaves of this fort are clofely fet with ftinging hairs, 



as thofe* of the other. 



ThecighteenthJort rifes with a ftirubby ftalk eight 

 or nine feet high, dividing into branches ftanding 

 oppofite, as do alfo the leaves, which are feven inches ' 



fraxini folio. Pluk. Aim. 269. 

 The firft fort grows naturally in Syria, from whence 

 it was brought to Spain and Portugal, where it^ is 

 now' become as 'common almoft, as if it were a native 

 of thofe countries. ■ : This in warm countries gro^vs to 

 a large tree, fpreading out into many branches, which 

 are garnifhed with winged leaves, compolcd ot three 

 fmaller wings, whofe lobes are' notched and indented 

 on' their edges ; they are of a deep green on their up- 

 ■per fide, and paler on their Under; The flowers 

 come out from the fide of the branches in longloo.e 



' bunches i 



- ■* 



1 \ 



r- 



- — 



