M 



leaves about three inches long. 



V- 



hiany branches toward the top, which are covered 

 with a fmooth, dark, purple bark, garnilhed with 



and three quarters 

 broad at their bafe, where they are rounded to a heart- 

 fhape at the foot-ftalk, but end in acute points, are 

 very woolly on their under fide, but fmooth above, 

 and of a lucid green -, they are (lightly fawed on their 

 edges, and are placed alternately. The flowers come 

 but from the wings of the ftalks, Handing upon long 

 fbot-ftalks, compofed of five heart-lhaped petals, 

 which are white, and fpread open, refembling thofe 

 of the Bramble, having many ftamina about half 

 the length of the petals, terminated by globular fum- 

 mits, and in the center is fituated a roundiih ger- 

 men, crowned by a many-pointed ftigma. The ger- 

 men afterward turns to a pulpy umbilicated fruit, as 

 large as the fruit of the Cockfpur Hawthorn, and, 

 when ripe, of a dark purple colour, inclofing many 

 fmall, hard, angular feeds; this fort has produced 

 flowers and fruit in England. 



The feeds of this plant were fent by Mr. Robert 

 Millar from Jamaica, which fucceeded in fome of 

 the Englifh gardens. 



The plants are propagated by feeds, which fliould be 

 fown in pots filled with light rich earth, and plunged 

 into a moderate hot-bed oftanners bark, and in warm 

 weacher the glaflTcs fliould jbe raifed to admit frefti air. 

 Thefe feeds will often remain in the ground a whole 

 year before the plants will appear ; in which cafe the 

 pots mufl: be kept confl:antly clear from weeds, and 

 ihould remain in the hot-bed till after Michaelmas, 

 when they may be removed into the ftove, and 

 plunged into the bark-bed, between other pots of 

 tall plants, where they may remain during the winter 

 {eafon. Thefe pots Ihould be now and then watered, 

 when the earth appears dry, and in the beginning of 

 March the pots Ihould be removed out of the ftove, 

 and placed into a frefh bark-bed under frames, which 



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will bring up the plants foon after. '^ 

 When the plants are coi^e up about two inches 

 high, theyfhbuld be carefully taken out of the' pots, 

 and each planted into a fepara^q Jmall pot filled with 

 .flight rich e^rth, and then plunged into the hot-bed 



obfervins to fhade them from the fun until 



m^^ 



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they have taken new root, after which time they 

 fliould be duly watered, and in warm weather they 

 mufl: have a large fliarc of frefli air. In this hot- 

 bed the plants may remain until autumn, when the 

 nights begin to be cold ; at which time they fliould be 

 removed into the fl:ove, and plunged into the bark- 



, bed. During the winter feafon thefe plants mufl: be 

 kept warm, efpecially while they are young, and fre- 



' quently refrefhed with water i but it mufl: not be 

 given to them in large quantities, lefl: it rot the ten- 

 der fibres of their roots. It will be proper to continue 

 thefe plants in the fl:ove all the year, but in warm wea- 

 ther they fliould have a large fliare of frefli air'j" but 



M U S 



long, tbree'cornered, flefljy fruit, covered tvith a th'rk 

 rindy divided into three parts. ^ 



This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion of 

 Linn3sus*s twenty-third ciais, • • ■ • ■ 



plants with, male and female 

 hermaphrodite flowers on 



which includes diofe 

 flowers, which have 

 the fame ftalk. 



I. 



2. 



ranges it in Tournefort s c]afs, with the anomalous 

 flowers of feyeral petals -, and Garfin places it amonff 

 the plants with a Lily flower, ^ 



The Species are, 



MusA (Paradi/iaca) fpadice nutante floribus mafcu- 

 lis perfifl:entibus. Lin. Sp. 1477. Mufa vjiih a ncd- 

 ding /pike, and nodding male flowers, Mufa fruftu 

 cucumerino longiorio. Plum. Nov. Gen. 24. JV&/i 

 with a longer Cucumber-Jhaped fruity coimmnly calki 

 Plantain-tree. 



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MusA {Sapientum) fpadice nutante floribus inarculis 

 deciduis, Lin. Sp. 1477. Mufa with a noddijig fpike 

 and deciduous male flowers, Mufa fru6lu cucumerino* 

 brcviore. Plum. Nov. Gen. 24. Mufa with a Jho^ter 

 Cucumber fhaped fruit, comrnonly called Bonana. \ 

 The firfl: fort is cultivated in all the iflands of the 

 Wefl:-Indies, where the fruit generally ferves the ne- 

 groes for bread, and fome of the white people alfo 

 prefer it to mofl: other forts, efpecially' to the Yams, 

 and Caflada bread. 



p 1 



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This plant rifes with a foft herbaceous ftalk fifteen or 

 twenty feet high, and upwarcl j the lower part of the 

 flralk is often as large as a man's thigh, diminifliing 



, gradually to the top, where the leaves come out on 



. every fide, which are often more than fix feet long, 

 and near two feet broad, with a ft:rong flefliy mid- 

 rib, and a great number of tranfverfe veins running 



, from the midrib to the borders. The leaves are thin 

 and tender, fo that where they are expofed to the 



' open air, they are generally torn by tne wind j for 



as they are large, the. wind has great power againft 



them : thefe leaves come out from the fide pf the prin- 



; - cipal ftalk, inclofing it with their bafe -, they krc railed 



r up at their firft appearance, but when they are ad- 



vanced above the ftalk, they expand quite fiat, and 

 turn^ba<;kward j as thefe leaves come up rolled in the 

 manner before mentioned, their .advance upward is 

 fo quick,; that their growth may be almoft difcemed 

 by the naked eye ; and ir a line is drawn acrofs^ le- 

 vel with the top of the leaf, in an hoiirVnmethe 

 leaf will be near an inch above it. When the'piant 

 is grown to its full height, the fpike of flowers will 

 appear from the center of the leaves, w|iifh is often 

 near four feet in length, and nods on ope fide. The 

 flowers come out in bunches, thofe on tne lower part 

 of the fpike being thelargeft-, the others diminifli 

 in their fize upward \ each of thefe bunches is co- 

 vered with a fpathas or ftieath, of a fine purple colour 

 , within, which drops off when the JIqw^i^s open.^ The 

 upper part of the fpike is made up 0? male or barren 

 -flowers, which are not fucceeded by fruit, but tnolc 

 ,of the fecond fort fall off with their covers. The 



an 



as the plants grow in ftrength, they will be more 

 hardy, and may be expofed in fummer for two or 

 three months, and in winter will live in a dry ftove, 

 if kept in a moderate degree of heat. 'J I ..; 

 MURUCUIA: See Passiflora. T '/ % 



JVIUS A. Plum. Nov. Gem 24' taU 34. 'Lin. Gen. J . foft pulp of a lufcious fweet flavour. 

 .\. Plant. 1 010, The Plantain-tree. ... / / . I , fruit are ' often fo large as to weigh upwards of fo^^^ 

 ->. The Characters are, . ^ | , 



fruit of this is eight or nine inches long, and above 



an inch diameter, a little incurved, and^ has three 



les ; it is at firfl: green, but, when ripe^ of a pale 



yellow colour.' The flcin is toueh, and within is a 



' ' The fpikes of 



-Jt ^ath male and female flowers upon the fame foot- 



•fialk^ fome of which are hermaphrodite ; thefe are produced 



onaJingleftalk{orfpadix\) the male flowers are fituated on 



she upper part of the fpike , and the female below ; thefe 



: are in bunches, each bunch having a fheath, or cover, 



^ which falls off, . The flowers are^ of the lip kind. The 



^ petal^ conftitute the upper lip, and the ne£farium the un- 



:dery they bavejtx awl-fhaped ftamina^ five of which are 



fituated in the petal, and the fix th in the neSlarium \ this 



. 75 douhle the length of the other, terminated by a linear 



fummit \ the others have none. The germen is fituated 



■ under the flower, which is long, having three obtufe 



angles, fupporting an ereSi cylindrical flyle, crowned by a 



Tie germn afterward turns to an oh- 



roun 



ma. 



- 1 





pounds. . , ,., . ., . , , , . .. . . . 



.The fruit of the firft fort is generally cut before it « 

 ripe, and roafted in the embers, then it is eaten in- 

 ftead of bread. The leaves are ufe;^ for napkins and 

 tablecloths, and are food for hogs. 

 The fecond fort, which is cymmonly called Bonana, 

 differs from the firft, in having its ftalks marked with 

 dark purple ftripes and fpots. The fruit is fhorter, 

 ftraiter, and rounder, and the male flowers drop ott; 

 the pulp is fofter, and of a more lufcious tafte, io !S 

 generally eaten by way of defert, and feldom uled m 

 the fame way as 'the Plantain, therefore is not cuJn- 

 vated in fuch plenty. . ,. 



Both thefe plants were carried to the Welt-lr.t'i« 

 from the Canary Iflands, towhichplaceitisbchen-a 



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