>- 



•a 



• 



P O L> . 



upper fioc, but hoary on their under ; the Ralks and 

 biunclies arcMcrniinaceJ by cluftcrs of blue fiowers, 

 wliich are collected in roundiih heads. This forf 

 flowers in July and Auguft. 

 . Hic nftccnth fort grows naturally about Smyrna ; this 

 hath diffufed llalks, which rife about a foot high-, 



■ ihcy are white, and clofdy garnifhed widi linear 

 leaves near two inches long, and about a quarter of 

 an inch broad ; they are indented regularly on their 



■ edges like diofe of Spleenworr, but the indentures are 

 net deep ; they are of a dark green on their upper fide, 



■ but hoary on their under. The flowe/s are collefted 

 in roundifli fpikes, which terminate the branches, and 



; alfo come out from their fide -, they are white, and 

 fhaped like thcfe of the other fpecies. It Rowers in 

 July and Auguft. * ' ^ 



There are feveral other fpecies of this genus, which 

 grow naturally in the warmer parts of Europe j but 

 thofe which are here mentioned, are all that I have 

 yet feen growing in the Englilh gardens ^ therefore I 

 > have omitted the other, as I have had no opportunity 

 , to examine them myfelf. . r- . . v 



All the forts, except the firfi-, are abiding plants ; 



. they may be propagated by feeds, v^hich muft be pro- 



• cured from the countries where they naturally grow, 



becaufe they feldom perfect their feeds in England. 



f Thefe fhould be fown upon a bed of frcfli light earth 



. in the fpring, and when the plants come up, they 



muft be carefully kept clean from weeds ; about the 



. middle of July the plants will be fit to remove, when 



' they may be carefully taken up, and part of them 



planted on a warm border pf dry rubbifliy foil, ob- 



: ferving to fhade them from the fun, and v/ater them 



. till they have taken new root; after which they will 



require no other cultu're.but to keep them clean from 



r. weeds.' \My advifing thefe and many other aromatic 



• > plants, which are natives of the v/armer parts of Eu- 



i rope, to be planted in rubbifli, is founded upon long 



' inexperience of their' abiding much longer, and rcfift- 



' • ing the cold of our v/inters much better, than when 



: they are growing in better ground, where they grow 



'much freer, are fuller of moifture, and therefore more 



liable to be killed by froft. 



' vThe other part of the plants may be planted in fmall 



:. pots, filled with frefh, light, undunged earth, and 



V placed iu. the fliade till they have taken new root ; 



- then they may be removed into ,an ppen fituation, 



•; where they may remain till the beginning of Novem- 



-' ber, when they fliould be placed under a common 



\ frame, to fecurc thein froih the f?oft in winfer, which 



i' fometimes deftroys thefe plants ^ by this metliod the, 



.' fpecies may be preferv,ed. ,1' ;-^>t| --i :.;'"'- '*-r:| cj } 



-! Thefe plants may bedifpofed iii a"garden, fo'as to^af- 



' ;. ford pleafure, by mixing th^m v/ith Marum, Maftich," 



and feveral other aromatic plants, upon the Hoping 



-i- fides of banks, which are expofed to the fun, or upon 



': little hillock's raifed in a &eltefed.fiti3afion,wliere, by 



•; the diverfity of their hoary branches, being of \'arious 



n Ihapes, t^ey will make a pfet\y appearance v and in 



^^ fuch places they will refift the cold much better^ than' 



when they are planted in a good foil. I. .;^i.\f.i tj:'k~^l 



UiThey may alfo be propagated by cuttings or flips, 



L which fhould be planted the beginning of April, juft 



. -: before they fhoot, upon a border' eXpofed to the Eaft ; 



and if the fcafon proves dry, they ipufl; be.A^atered and 





Ihaded until they have taken root, and afterward they 

 .; will require no other C^re but to keep them clean 

 t from weeds, and at Michaelmas the plants fhould be 



t removed where they are defigned to ^ernain,; but it 

 ^^ will be proper to put a plant of each fort in pots, that 

 : they may be fheltered in winter to preferve the kinds. 

 ?: The fourth and fifth forts are fon?ietimes ufed in me- 

 ..dicine. :■ .V ,/ - 



POLYANTHUS. See Primula. ' ■ :. : 



POLYGALA. Tourn. Infl. R. H. 174. tab. 79. 

 • Lin. Gen. Plant. y6i. [This plant is fo called, of zroxij 

 -much, 3ix\d ydxxj milk, becaufe if cattle are fed in 

 t marflies that produce this plant, they give a great 

 quantity of milk-, it is alfo called Ambarvalis, of 

 - Ambiendis Arvis, fromluftrating the fields ;' becaufe 



- - If 



J I 



-t ■ ^ ■ -. 1 



POL 



. the ahcients ufcd to crown virgins with the flowers of 

 this plant, when they pcrambuhted the fields, to ini- ' 

 plore fertility thereto-, it i^> alio cajlcd Amarclla, be- 

 caufe it has a bitter tafle.] Milkwurf. - , '-. 



, The Characters are, -- " _ . k 



The flower has a fmal! fermane^H ev:pJap.cni cf three 

 lea'j:es^ whkh are oval and acute ; ttco of thefe are he^ 

 lew the petals, and one is above, ^'he jjcwcr isj!?aped 

 like thofe of the butterfly kind, the r/uml-er cf petals is in- 

 determinate. The wings are large, plain, a7id cxtejjd be- 

 yond the ether petals \ theflandard is iubulous, fncrt, and 

 7'eflexed at the brim, where it is bifld, .4 T}pe_ keel is con- 

 cave, compreffed, and bellied toward the top." It hath 

 ' ,eight ftamina in two bodies, included in the keel, termi- 

 nated by fmgle fiimmits \ and an cblcrg gcrmen fuppcrtir.g 

 . an erctl ftyle, tenninated by a thick bifid ftigma^ The 

 germen afterward becomes a heart-fljaped capfule having 

 two cells, each co7itcimng one feed. • ■ 



This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feftion 

 of Linn^eus's feventeenth clafs, which contains thofe 

 plants whofe flowers have eight ftamina joined in two 

 .bodies. ■ - ■" - 



.:. The Species are, 



1. PoLYGALA {Vulgaris) floribus criflatis racemofis, 

 ^ .caulibus herbaceis fimplicibus procumbcntibus, foliis 



- lineari-lanceolatis. Amcen. Acad. 2. p. 136. Milkwort 

 ;wilh branching crefled flo-wers, fwgky traili/tg, herbaceous 

 flaJks, and linear fpearfloapul leaves! . Polygala vulga- 

 ris. C. B. P. 215. Common Milkwort. ■ - 



2. PpLYGALA (iVfc?/,//>^//i^ir/3) floribus criflatis, racemofis^- 

 caule erc^to, foliis lanceolato-linearibus acutis. Sauv. 



,-;Monfp. 53. Milkwort with branching crcfted fl.owers, 

 en ere5l ftalk, _md aciite^ Jpear'floaped,[ linear leaves. 



j-_ 



rolygala vulgaris coloris obfoleti, foliis anguftifllmis. 

 J. B. 3. p. ^ ^8, \ Common ASlkwcrt with a worn-cut 



.'1 



^ 



-flower, and the natrowefl leaves, t-. /.f^r- ^' "^-^■ 



3. Polygala. {Myrtifolia) floribus criflatis, carina _lu- 

 nulata, caule fruticofo, foliis lasvibus oblongis obtufis. 



- .Amoen. Acad. 2. p.' 138. Milkwort with creftedflcwerSy 

 ■ a. ViiGon-floaped keel, and a florubly ftalk bearing oblong 



leaves, which end in cbtufe points. Polygala frutefcens, 

 folio buxi, Acre miaximo. Tourn. Inft. 175. Shrubby 

 Milkwort, with a Box-tree leaf end a large flower, 



4. Polygala [Cham^buxus) floribus imberbibus fparfis, 

 carina apice fubrotundo, caule fruticofo, foliis lance- 



- olatis. Amocn. Acad: 2. p. 140. Milkwort with flowers 

 ingrowing thinly and without beards^ jhe point of the keel 

 irroundijh, a fhrubby ft alk, and fpear-fljaped leaves, ' Cha- 



- m^buxus flore colutese. C. B. P. 471. Low Box with 



~^a fl^Gwer Jike Bladder, Sendr^r)^^ 



5. Polygala {Senega) floribus imberbibus fpicajtis, 

 r, caule ere6to herbacco fimplicifllmo, foliis lato-lance-* 



olatis. Amoen. KciS7^*l. v,! 10,6': ^\~ Milkwort with 



K 







2. -p. J 39 



Afpikedfl^owers haying no beards, ^n^ereSf, Jingle, herba- 

 ^:ceous ftalky and broad fpear-fhaped leaves, -^Folyg-aXd, 

 .^yirginiaha, fdliis oblongis, floribus in thyrfb candidis, 

 -.i^fadice aTexlpharmica. Edit. Prior. Milkwort ofVir- 

 -'ginia vvith^oblong leaves, white flowers ranged in alcofe 

 ■ •Jpike, and an alexipharmic root, commonly called Senega 

 ;., Rattle Snakeroot,'} ' 



;"Y 





*'-». 



6.^ Polygala (M^m;?^?) floribus imberbibus,^oblongo- 

 .Xcapijatis, caule erecto ramofa, foliis linearibus. Adtlk- 

 -'wort with beardlefs flowers grozving in chlong heads, an 

 %reU branching ftalk, arid linear kaves,^ ^^Polygala ,IVIa- 

 -^'riana, anguflriori. . folio, Jpre pvypureo. Pluk.; Man- 

 j'tifli 153. tab. 438. fig. 5, Maryland Milkwort with 

 .' a narrower leaf and a purple flowerf-^ \^" ; *;,-"^-?fr <- 1 

 7. Polygala' (//;7;m<:^«^X. floribus cri^ftatis, iacemo 

 ^- terminali, caule erefto ramofo, foliis lanceolatis to- 

 imentofis. Milkwort with crefled flowers, an ereB branch- 

 ing ftalk, terminated by a loofe fpike cf flowers.^ ayid 

 .' woolly fpear-Jhaped leaves, .Polygala Americana eredta, 

 flore purpur.o-c^ruleo, folio moUi incano. Houft. 

 MSS. Upright American Milkwort ^ with a purplifh blue 

 flower and a foft hoary leaf, - - - ; ^ ■ ■ * 

 . There are feveral other fpecies of this genus, fome of 

 which grow naturally in Europe, and others in Ame^ ' 

 ,rica, but as they are feldom cultivated in gardens, 

 ' it would be to little purpofe to enumerate them here.,. 



1 - 



10 R 



'- ' 



The 



A. 



