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naturally in a marfliy fpot of land in the ifiand of Bar- 

 biuJa, from whence he fent me the feeds, with a large 

 branch of the plant, in a glafs filled with a lixivium, 

 which prefcrvcd it in the itate it was gathered, with 

 the flov/crs and pods upon it. 



The third fort grows naturally in all the idandsof the 

 Weft-Indies, where it is titled the (lothful Senfitive 



bccaufe the leaves do not contraft on their be- 



The ftalks of this fort feldom rife more 



Plant, 



ing touched. 



than two feet and a half high, they are fmooth, and 



garnifh^d with double-winged leaves, compofed of 

 ' three or four pair of wings which are ftorter, and the 



fmall leaves are much narrower than thofe of the two 

 ^ former forts ; the heads of flowers are fmaller, and 

 ' the pods are longer and narrower than thofe of the 

 ^'""other. This fort will live through the winter in a 



moderate warm air. 

 ■ 'pf^^ fourth fort was difcovered by the late Dr. 



' Houftoun, growing naturally at La Vera Cruz. This 

 liath ligneous ftalks which decline to the ground, 



2: out two or three feet from the root, and 



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fend out feveral fide branches, which are armed with 



fliort yellowifla fpines under the foot-ftalks of' the 

 leaves, and are their whole length clofcly covered 

 v/ith briftly flinging hairs j the foot-ftalks of the 

 leaves are three inche 



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long, and at the top fuftain 

 four fingle winged leaves, whofc bafe meet in a point, 

 but fpread above like the fingers of an open hand. 

 Thefe wings are about three inches long, and are 

 clofely garnifiied with" fmall narrow lobes, fet by 

 pairs along the midrib, which is alfo covered on the 

 under Tide with the like briftly hairs as the^ ftalk. 

 . The flowers corne out from the wings of the. leaves 

 . upon pretty long, foot-ftalks •, they are collected into 



' globular heads, and are of a pale' yeirdwilli' colour ; 

 thefe ar^ fucceeded by fmall jointed pods, containing 

 two or three ftiining black feeds. 

 '^.'* The fifth fort is the moft common of any in the iflands 

 ■'"•of the Weft-Indies, as alfo in the EnglilTi gardens ; 

 'V the feeds of this fort are frequently fold in the feed- 

 ' - Ihops, by the title of Humble Plant. The roots of 

 ^' this are compofed of a great number of 'hairy fibres, 

 " : Which mat clofe together, from which come out fe- 

 /■- veral ligneous ftalks which naturally decline toward 

 :*' the grounci, unlefs they are fupportcd •, they arearm- 

 "edwithftiort recurved fpines, and garniftied with 

 ■^v/inged leaves, compofed of four, and fometirnes five 

 wings^ whofe bafe join at a point, where they are in- 

 *' ferted to the foqt-ftalk, Spreading upward like the 

 . ■-' fingers of a hand > thefe 'wings are ftiorter than thofe 

 ' of the forrh'er fort, and the ftalks are not Hairy. The 

 ' \ flowers come out from the wings of the ftalksl upon 

 fl^ort foqt-ftalks ; they are collected in fmall globu- 

 lar Heads, are*"yellow, "and are fucceeded by fliort, 

 flat, jointed pods, which have two or three orbiculif, 

 bordered, comprefled feeds in each : thefe pods are 

 lofe clufters, 'almoft covered with ftingine; hairy 



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The fixth fort grows naturally at La Vera Cruz, from 

 ■ whence the late Dr. Houftoun fent the feeds. ' This 



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hath 



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a perennial creeping root, which ipreads and 



■ *' multiplies greatly in the fands, where It grows wild 5 



the ftalks are flender, and have four acute angles, ai*m- 

 . ,.cd with ftiorf recurved fpines pretty clofely 7 1:he 

 J leaves ftandupon long prickly foot-ftalks, which^are 



■ [ thinly placed on the branches ; they are coriipofed of 



two pair of wings, ftanding aEoTit' arf inch afunder; 



the wing-'s are fliort, and the fmall leaves are narrow, 



' and not placed fo clofe together, as in many of the 



. ^ other fpecies.'^^" Ifhe foot-ftalLs of the flowers come 



^but from tlie "wrings of the leaves, fuftaining a fmall 



^ . globular'heac! of purple flowers ; thefe are fucceeded 



by four-cornered pods about two inches lone;, which 



have four cells, opening with four valves, containing 



feveral angular feeds in each. 



Thi6 fort fpreads fo much at the root, ,as to 

 ; render it nbt fo"pfodu£live of flowers and feeds 



as moft of the others; and the, plants which are 

 .propagated by'parnrig'of the roots^^^are always! 



JVI I M 



r 



by feeds^ when they can be obtained. Ihis iione of 

 the forts, whoR: fuot-llalks fall on being touciied.^ 

 The fevench fort grows naturally , at La Vera Cruz, 

 from v.hence the late Dr. Houftoun fent t!:e feeds. 

 This rifes with a flender ligneous ftalk fcven or ei^ht 

 feet high, armed with fl:iort recurved thorns. The 

 leaves grow upon long foot-ftalks which are prickly, 

 each fuftaining tv/o pair of wings ; the exterior pair 

 have two lobes w^hich join at their bafe, and are 

 rounded on their outfnie, but ftrait on their inner 

 edges, very much ftiaped like a pair of thofe fliears 



ufed for ftiearing of fticep ; thefe two outer pair of 

 lobes are much larger than the inn(^ri they are almoft 

 tv/o inches long, and one broad in tlie middle. From 

 the place where thefe are inferted to the ftalk, com.e 

 out fmall branches which have three or four globular 

 heads of pale purple flowers coming out from the 

 fide, upon fl:iort foot-ftalks, and the principal ftalk 

 has many of thofe heads' of flowers on the upper part 

 for more than a foot in length ; and this, as alfo the 

 branches, arc terminated by the like heads of flowers : 

 thefe are fucceeded by broad, flat, jointed pods, 

 which open with two valves, fome having but one, 

 others two, and fome have three orbicular comprbfl"ed 

 feeds. The leaves of this fort move but flowly when 



; they'arc touched, but the foot-ftalks fall when they 

 are preflfed pretty hard. 



^^X^e eighth fort was alfo found by the fame gentle- 



_ man, growing naturally at La Vera Cruz. This hath 



; a flirubby eredt ftalk about five feet high, which is 



hairy, and armed witJ\Ihort^ broad, ftrong thorns, 



which are white, ftandino; on each fide fometimes al- 



moftoppofite, and at others alternately,-' The leaves 



-are compofed of five or fix pair of wings, ■ which are 



' ranged oppofite ' along a ftrong midrib, and between 

 each pair are placed two ftiort ftrong fpines, pointing 

 out each way .^ The frnall leaves which compofe thefe 

 wings are extremely harrow, and ftand very clofe to 

 each other. Toward the upper part of the ftalk,'the 

 flowers are produced from the fides, upon fliort foot- 

 ftalks i they arc colledted into globular heads, and 

 are of a bright purple colour ; the ftalks are alfo ter- 

 minated by fmrdler heads of the like flowers. Thefe 

 are fucceeded by fiat jointed pods about two inches 

 long, and a quarter or an inch broad, v/hich fpread 

 open like rays, there being commonly five or fix of 



5> 



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^ 



thefe joined together at their. bafe to the. foot-ftalk, 



.-Thefepods feparate at each articulation, leaving the 



two fide membranes or bordei^s ftahding ; and^ the 



^ TeeHs which are comprefl*ed and fquare, drop out from 



■*,the joints of the pods ; thefe pods are hairy at firft,' 



'-^t>ut as they ripen become fmooth. , ' \-.t' 



This is a perennial plant, which may be preferved 



*'v through the v;inter in a warm ftove, by which me- 



"thod the feeds may be obtained, for they fejdom flower 



the firft year. The foot-ftalks of this fort do not fall 



on being touched, but the fmall leaves on the wings 



:clofeup. ' ^ " '- - ■ ' '' '-'-^ " ' - ' - 



- * -* 



^ 



The mnth fort grows naturally in Jam^ca ; this hath 



trailing herbaceous ftalks, which put out roots at 



every joint, which faften in the ground and Ipread to 



a great diftance, as'tfiey will alfo do here, when placed 



in a bed of tanner's bark, I have had a fingle plane 



in one fummer, which has fpread near three feet 



fquare, whofe branches were clofely joined, fo as to 



cover the furface of the bed ; but when they are thus 



permitted to grow^' they; X^ldom produce flowers. 



'i'^'Thefe ftalks have no thqrns^^but are garniftied with 



"■:'wine;ed leaves compofed ot two pair of fliort wmgs, 



: whofe fmall leaves or lobes are narroy^^; thcie itand 



" .upon" ftioft Toot-ftalk^s7i.which,_are ^.fmooth.,;: The 



leaves^ of this fort cdhtraft and fall down upon the 



leaft touch;^ fo^hat where the plant is extended to a 



diftance, a perfon^m'ay draw any figure with a ftick 



upon the leaves,' V^hich will be' yery vifible till the 



The flowers come out from 



/' ♦ 



i ■^ A 



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leaves recover again. 



the wings of ^^the^ leaves, upon naked foot-ftalks 



/ about an inchTnTengt|i^; they are of a pale yellow- 



^ • ifh colour, and are collefted into "fmall globular 



.;1Kak,"'fo that tlie be^ way is to propagate tliem ' "' "heads; thefe are fucceeded by fliort, flat, jointed 





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