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, The Species arc, ^ / ^ 



1. PiivTOLAccA (F«/^^m) floribus decandris decagynis. 



Horc. Cliff. 117. Phytolacca 'with fiov)C7S having ten 

 Jlamina and tenftyks. Phytolacca Americana, majori 

 fruflu. Tourn. Inft. 229. Jmerican Nighijhade with 

 large fruity commonly called P'irginianPoke^ orPorkePhyftc. 



2. Phytolacca (Mcxicam) foliis ovaro-lanceolacis, flo- 

 ribus feflllibus. Phytolacca with oval fpear-fiaped leaves^ 

 and flowers fitting clofe to the ftalks. Phytolacca Mexi- 

 cana, baccis felTilibus. Hort. Elth. 318. Mexican Phy- 



' tclaccay whofe berries grow clofe to the ftalk, 



Phytolacca {Icofandra) floribus icofandris decagy- 

 nis. Lin. Sp. 631. Phytolacca with mavyftamina^ which 

 are fixed to the receptacle. Phytolacca fpicis iloirum 

 loWifilmis, radice annua, tab. 207. Phytolacca with 

 the longiil fpikes cf flowers, aitd an amialroot. .. 

 PnYTOLACCA (Dioica) floribus dioicis, caule arbo- 

 reo ramofa. Phytolacca with a tree-like flem^ which has 

 male and female fl.owers on different plants.^ ^, _ . ,. 

 The firft fort grows naturally in Virginia, and alfo 

 in Spain and Portugal ^ this hath a very thick fiefhy 

 root, as large as a mane's leg, divided into leveral 

 thick fielhy fibres, which run deep in the ground. 

 When the roots are become large, they fend out three 

 or four ftalks, which are herbaceous, as large as a 

 good walking-ftick, of a purple colour, and rife the 



fix or fevcn feer, dividing into niany 



gave or- 

 3C cue 

 es, to 



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height of 

 branches at th 



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 w 



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top, garnifned v/ith leaves about nvc 

 .inches long,' and two inches and a half broad > they 

 are rounded at their bafe, but termlriate in a point, 

 and arc placed without order, having fliortfoot-italksi 



' *' and in the autumn change 



From the 



tjiclr red port wines when they made It, which ^av^ . 

 deep colour to the wine^ and when there was too much 

 of this juice added, it gave a very diiagrceablc taftt r^ 

 the wine j and complaint of this praftice having be^n 

 communicated to his Portuaucfe Majcfty, he ^ 

 ders that the ftems of the Phytolacca fhould be 

 down and deftroycd before they produced berri 

 prevent the ufe of this juice for the future, in order 

 to gain a better reputation to the wine of that country 

 Some of this unmixed wine I have drank, and found 

 It much more palatable and lighter than any port 

 wine I had ever before tailed ; but whether this is 

 ftill continued in that country, I cannot fay! *• ^ 

 The fecond fort grows naturally in the Spanifh Weft, 

 Indies ; the late Dr. Houftoun found it growing 'in 

 great plenty at La Vera Cruz, where thelnhabitants 

 conftantly ufed it for their tabic. This plant is bien- 

 nial, fcldom continuing longer than two years ; and 

 when it flowers and produces plenty of feeds the firft 



the plants frequently die before th 



.,., . , , ^ , followine 



Ihis hath an herbaceous ftalk about two 



year, 

 ipring. 



feet high, about the fize of a man's finger, div'idb^ 

 at the top into two or three fhort branches, garnifticd 

 with ovalfpear-fhaped leaves near fix inches lono-. and 



S» 



they are of a deep green 



"-' to a purplilh colour, before they fall off. 

 lointsof the branches and at their divifions, 



inche 



joints 



the foot-ftalks of the flowers, which are about five 



long ; the lower part is nated, but the upper 

 half fuftains a num.ber of flo'wei^s ranged on e;ach lide 

 lilce common Currants. - Each fiov/er ftands upon a 

 foot-ftalk iialf an mcli long ; the'^flowers ha.ve five 

 purplifh* petals, 'within which ftand the ten ftamina 

 rand ftyles. ■ *' Afte^r the flowers are faded, the gerraen 

 -turns to a depreffed berry with ten furrows, havmg 

 ten^ells, filled with fmooth feeds.' It flowers ^^ July 

 * and Auguft, and in warm feafons tKe berries ripen in 



almofl: three broad, drawing to a point at each end- 

 they have a ftrong longitudinal midrib, and feveral 

 tranfverfe veins running from that to the fides, of a 

 deep green, and have foot-ftalks an inch and a half 

 long, placed without order on the ftalk: , The foot- 

 ftalks of the flowers come out from the fide of the. 

 branches oppofite to the leaves ; they are feveri'or 

 eight inches long ^ the lower part, about two inches 

 in length, is naked ; the remaining part is garnifted 

 come out I .; with white flowers fitting clofe to the ftalks, v/hich 



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It may be propagated by fawing the feeds In the 

 fpririg upon a bed of light eaj-th, and when the plants 

 -'cStneup, they fhould be tranfplanted intojhejbor- 

 ^ ' ders of large gardens, allowing them fpace to grow, 

 for they mufl: not be planted too near other plants, lefl: 

 they overbear and defiroy them, as they grow to be 

 : , very large, efpecially if the foil is good. When they 

 / have taken root, they will require no farther care but 

 f onty to clear them from weeds, and in the autumn 

 "they will produce their flowers and fruity but when 

 5^ the froft comes on, it will cut down the flems of thefe 

 ^t^jplants which conitantly decay m the winter, but their 

 roots will abide in the t^round, and come up ae;ain t'he 

 .iucceedinglpnng. 

 The roots of this plant will continue rnany years, ef- 

 pecially if they are planted in a dxyfoiU for wet in win- 

 'ttv (landins; about the roots will paufe them to rot \ and 



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(*--'- 



aire white, having a blufli of purple in the middle, 

 each being cut into five fegments almoft to the bot- 

 tom, and have from eight to fourteen ftamina, and 

 ten ftyles in each flower, which are fucceeded by flat 

 berries, having ten deep furrows divided into'fo many 

 cells, each containing <5he^6r two fmooth feeds. This 

 flowers in July and Auguft, and the feeds ripen late ' 

 in the autumn. "^ • '- • ^ ^ /' ' f«»« 



Thethird fort grows naturally in Malabar, fr6m 

 whence^ I received the feeds ; this plant is annual, al- 

 ways perifl:iing foon after it has perfected feeds, fo that 

 in this particulaf Tt differs greatly from the firft ; this : 

 . rifes with an herbaceous ftalk from twbto three feet 

 high, which has feveral longitudinal furrows; and 

 changes the latter part of fummcr tQ a purplifh colour. 

 It divides at the top into three or fourjbranches, gar- 

 niflied with fpear-lhaped leaves fix or feven inches ' 

 long, and almoft three broad in the middle, drawing 

 to a point at each end ; they are of a deep green, 

 and have fliort foot-ftalks ; fometimes they ftand al- 

 ternately, at others they are placed oppofite, and arc 

 frequently oblique to the foot-ftalk. The foot-ftalks 

 of the flowers come out from the fide of the branches 



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•"'^•^t^^ k' *" 



-■■ fometimes the froft in very/evere winters_wjll kill 



-.x tlicm, if the furface of the'grouhd is not covered with 



, mulch, but in o,ur ordinary winters they arc never 



- injured. , ^r^:.^^:.,^^- ^; ^ . Z.y^.^^-- -..-,- -/ -.^^ . 



" , Parkinfon fays, that the inhabitants of North Ame- 



.- Tica make ufe of the juice of the root as a familiar 



', "purge V'two fpoonfuls of thejuicc will work ftrongly. 



"• Of lace there have been lome quacks, who pretend to 



': cure cancers wMth this herb, but \ have not met^with 



'*^ one inflance of its having been ferviceable in that dif- 



|-^order:'vThe inhabitants of North America boil the 



'., young flioots of this plant, and eat it like Spinach. 



/The jtiice of the berries ftain paper and linen of a 



beautiful purple colour, but it will not lart long. If 



- there could be a p^crhod of fixing the dye, it might 



, bcverj^j^ul/ '';\, . , ■ ?; -^ ^' '-^''/^'-X 



The vrgn'erons m 'Portugal, for many years made ufe 

 .of the juice of the berries of this plant to mix with 



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ite to the leaves ; they are nine or ten inches 

 long, the lower part being naked as in the other forts, 

 but this is much fliorter than^e otK^f fpecics; the 

 : -;^other part is garnifhfed with larger flowers than thofe 

 . of the other forts •, they are white on their infide, of 

 an herbaceous colour j^n their edges, and purplilh on 

 their outfide, {landing upon Ihort foot-ftalks ; thelc 

 have not always the fame number of ftamina, foipc 

 of them have but eight, and others nine or eleven, 

 . which are terminated by roundifti fummits. Thefc 

 flowers are fucceeded by orbicular, compreflcd, foft 

 berries divided by deep furrows on their outfide mto 

 ten cells, each containing one fmooth ftiining blacK 

 feed; the raccrnus of flowers is very narrow at the 

 top, where it iscommonly inclined.'. This flowers m 

 July and Auguft, and the feeds ripen in the autumn, 



foon after which the plant decays. " '' V l • 



The berries of this fort are very fucculent, and their 

 juice ftains paper and linen of a beautiful purple co- 



.. iQur, .l^ut it is notjjermanent. /,? -^'.-k' ' '. 

 Thefc tW forts are not fo hardy as the firft, fo their 



, feeds ftiould be fown upon a moderate hot-bed in tnc 



fpring, and when the plants are Ht to remove, they 



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