^ I 



M Y R 



M y R-IC A. Lin. Gen. Piant. 981. Gale. Tourti. A£t. 

 Reg. Scicn. 1706. Tlie Candleberry Myrtle, Gale, or 

 Sweet Willow ; by foine Myrtus Brabantica, or 

 Dutch Myrtle •, in French, Piment Royal. 



The Characters are, 



q'hc male flowers are upon different plants from the fe- 



snale \ the male flo'ivers are produced in a loofey 



c-val kalkin^ imbricated on every fide ; under each fcale is 



fttuated one moon-fhaped flower^ having no petals but hath 



four or fiy^fhort flenderftamtna^ terminated by large twin 



- fummitSj ivhofe lobes are bifid. The female flowers have 



neither petal or flami^ia, but an oval germen fupporting 



' tivo fender fly les J crowned by fingle ftigmas. The germen 



■ after-ward becomes a berry with one cell^ inclofiyig a fingle 



oblongs 





. fced^ '■- ^ ■ ' - • ■ • - ^ ' ■ - ■ ' \ 



-'■ This o-enus of plants is ranged in the fourth feftion 



of Linnceus's twenty-fecond clafs, which includes 

 -' the plants whofe nnale flowers have four ftamina, and 



are upon different plants from the fruit, m /. 

 ■.^^r. ;The Species are, : .■ :: ^^^ .■ r ■.: ■.■ ■■ 



1, MvRicA (Gale) foliis lanceolatis fubferratis, caule 

 - fruticofo. Lin. Sp. Plant, 1024. Myrica with fpear- 



fhaped flawed leaves and a^ fljrubby ftalL . .Gale frutex 

 ,- odoratus feptentrionalium. J. B. i. p. 2. 225. Nor- 

 thern^ fhnibby-i fweet Gale^ flweet Willow y Dutch Myrtle^ 

 or Gale. . -• ■■:•-• -'. ^ ^' ( >f*, 'Il:l' J/. 



2, MvRicA {Ceriflera) foliis lanceolatis fubferratis, caule 

 arborcfcente. Kalm. Myrica with flpear-fhaped leaves^ 



.■and a fl)rubby ftalL Myrtus Brabanticae fimilis Caro- 

 linienfis baccifera,' fruftil racemofo fefTili mohopyre- 

 no. PJuk Phyt. tab. 48. fol. cj. ^CaroUnd Myrtle like 



J, '^ 



M Y R 



he has only fliewn his want of knowledge in thefe 

 things. . 



It grows naturally in bogs, fo cannot be made to 

 ' thrive on dry land, for which reafon it is feldom pre- 

 ferved in gardens, 



•The fecond fort grows naturally in North America, 

 where the inhabitants get a fort of green wax from 

 the berries, which they make into candles. The me- 

 thod of coUefcing and preparing this, is defcnbed by 

 Mr. Catefby, in his Hillory of Carolina. 

 This grows naturally in bogs and fwampy lands, wher 

 it rifes with many flrong fhrubby ftalks eight or ten 

 feet high, fending out fcveral branches, garniflied 

 with ftitf fpear-lhaped leaves near three inches long, 

 and one broad in the middle ; they are fmooth and 

 entire, having fcarce any foot-ftalks, of a yellowifh 

 - lucid green on their upper fide, but paler on their un- 

 der, ftanding alternately, and pretty clofe to the 

 branches j thefe have a very grateful odour when 

 bruifed. The katkins come out upon different plants 

 from the berries ^ thefe are about an inch long, (land- 

 ing erect. . The female flowers come out on the fide 

 of the brandies in longifh bunches, wliichare fucceed- 

 • >ed by fmall roundiffi berries, covered with a fort of 

 V meal; -."This Ihrub delights in a moiffc foft foil, in 

 . which it thrives extremely well, and lives in the open 



narrwithout any proteilion. .. -•:';; -..r' 



.-The third fort grows naturally in Carolina ; this doth 

 'H not rife fo high as.^ie former, the branches are not 

 ufo ftrong,' and they have a grayifh bark-, the leaves 

 ;arefhorter, Jbroader, and arp fa wed on their edges. 



that ofl th^ Dutch ^ with hmej growing in htnghes^ and :a but. in other refpeds is like the fecond fort; theber- 



.: fitting clofe to the fialksy commonly called Candleberry 



<^^t.Myrtle. ■eV:.)tirwvl\'\Wt\-sV V^rfeiw^n^-t^t Mn$\ ^d.\ ^■•j'^ivv*" 



fi Mykica (Carolinienfis) foliis lanceolatis ierratis, cau- 



rv^^le futfruticofg.. Myrica with ^Jpear -pap :d flawed leaves^ 

 \ and a fhrubby ft alkfl 'Myrtus Brabantica fimilis Caro- 

 '^ linienfis humilior, foliis latioribus & magis ferratis. 

 i.^Catefb. Car. vol. i. p. 13. Lower Carolina Myrtle^ or 

 *: Candleberry -tree reflembling that of Brabanti,\ having 

 - broader leaves which are more flawed,^ -{x^i^^ft^tA^V 



4." Myrica {Aflpleniflolia) foliis oblongis alternatim fi- 



Hort. Cliff; 



^it'xies of this are alfo coUefted for the fame purpofe 



Thefe forts are propagated by feeds/ which fhould 



:?ibe fown in the autumn, an4.. ff^eii ^the plants/; will 



s-,qome up the following fpring; but if thq feeds are 



kept out of the grouncTtill the fpring, they feldom 



•grow till the year after. .vThefe plants will require 



■ water in dry weather, and Ihould be fcreened from 



frolls while young, but when they have obtained 



:,;,ftrength, they will refxft the cold of this country very 



'Mwell.! 



V. 



.^vnuaus, 



'i^leavej^ wh^b are alternately finuated. 



^^6. Myrica with, oblong oval 



Gale Mariana 



X. Afblenii folio. Pet. Muf yy^. Maryland Gale with a 

 ,V. Spleenwhrt leafl, \uU 



■ " ■ M 



-j^: jO'^"^ojr 



' '' 



5. Myrica {^erciflolia) foliis oblongis oppofite finuatis 



yv^?!ox]^^, I^rim with, oblong flmootb leaves^ ^ which are 



> oppoflitety flinuated. Laurus Africana minor, folio quer- 

 .:.. cus. Hort. Amft. 2. p. 161. Smaller Aflrican Bay with 



k^m Qakleafl. --<^^^. -..i :l 'ii ^,j_...^u-i- n i-nOoi:ir 



s 



! The fourth fort grows naturally in Philadelphia, 



: from whence many of the plants have been brought 



/ to England, and thofe which have been planted 



on a moift foil have thriven very well \ fome of thefe 



,' creep at their roots, and fend up. fuckers plentifully, 



^.'.in the fame manner as in, their native foil,,* ..,{ ^j, 



|p This rifes with flender fhrubbv ftalks near three Feet 



)nnigh, which are naiVy, and divide into.feveral flender 



..branches, '^hichafe'^arnifhed with leases, from tlifee 



6. iSflYRicA (Hirfluta) foliis oblongis^ oppofite fuiyatis I uijofou^^^ and half ,^n inch brpgdj, they are 



hirfutis. Myrica with oblong hair^ leaves^ which are op- [ whakernately indented almpft to the midrib, and have a 



oflttely flmuated. ■-;t'* ^'^^•^ 'im^-- 



■.■ik-k-?\- 



* - 



^ "O'^H^^V.W^^X ' ffji^ great refemblance to thole of Spleenwort ; they are of 



7. Myrica {Cordiflolia) foliis fubcordkis ferratis feffili-j ^ylC^ark gr^en, hairy on their under fide, and fit clofe 



-s bus. Hort. Cliff. 456. Myrica with flawed leavei which 

 : are almcft beart-floaped^ md fit clofle to the ftalk. Gale 

 ^'<;apenfls, ilicis coceifer^ foli<y.'-Pet. Muf. 774/ G^/tr 

 ^^.rflrcm the Cape^ with a leafl like the Kermes Oakji bt^ 



i 



^h^ firft fort grows naturally^xipon,. bogs' in many 



^ .parts pf England, particularly in the nprthern ^^nd 



"rr^^ftern counties, as alfo in Windfor-park,; and near 



'rvTuhbridge-wells. .This rifes with ..many .^fiirubby 



- , ftalks near four feet high, which divide into feveral 



f , (lender branches, garnilhed.with ftiff fpeaj-lhaped 



'•' leaves, about an inch and a half lonsj, and half an 



'.'• men broad in the middle ; they are of a light or yel- 



'■■ lowifh green, fmooth, and a little fawed at "tlieir 



J ., * 



' points, and emit afragfahtodoilr when bruifed -, they 

 are placed, alternately on their branches,::^ The male 

 ftowers or katkins are produced from the fiae of the 

 branches, growing upon feparate plants from the fe-;j -.Thefe rife with fhrubby' {Tender ftalks about four 



iT.to the ftalks, fifXhe mgle flowers or katkin? coii^e out 

 on the fide of the branches between the leaves ; 

 thefe are oval, and ftand ereft. I have not feen any 

 of thefe plants in fruit, fo I can givp/iio defcription 



Pf it. ■■- w-;- > 'j;;>^iViV :;; ■ ri -. v . -^- ^^l ">ni>i*8 '-J^l 



;j This fort may be propagated by fuckers, which are 

 :j fent out from the roots when it is planted in a loofe 

 -.moift foil, arid will endure the cold full as well as the 



, i^ two former Ibrts..; / .- -!.,^ :-vi*^ t:^:_\Ai j-^-. 

 .^The fifth and fixth forts grow naturally at the Cape 

 u- of Good Hope j. thefe only differ from each otiier, in 

 one Kavmg very fmooth fhining leaves, and thofe of 

 .-.the odier hairy. 1 do not know if they are really dif- 

 «{ferent fpecics, but as I received them from Holland 

 ^.-; as fu(;h, and, the plants ftill retaining their difference, 

 , / fo I have enumerated them totfi. : k V - 



: n?ale, which are fucceeded by clufters of fmall berries. 



It flowers in July, and^ 



i 



each having a fingle feed, 

 the feeds ripen in autumn. 



The leaves of this ftirub has been by fome per.ons' 

 gatjiered and ufed for Tea, but it is generally fup-; 

 pofed to be hurtful to the brain ; but from this ufc 

 ot It, a learned phyfj^ianai^fe,5K. years fince, wote a 

 -treatife to prove this to be the true Tea. in which \ darker green j, t 



- ^ 



feet high, which divide into fmaller branches, which 

 in one fort are fmooth^ and in the other they arc 

 hairy j thefe are clofely garniftied with leaves about an 

 inch and a half long, and almoft an inch broad; fome 

 having two, others, three, deep indentures on their 

 fides, which are oppofite ; in one fort they are fmooth 

 and fhinjng, m^ ip the other they are hairy, and of a 



fit clofe to the branches, and. 



cfld 



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