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clean from weeds, they will continue fomc years, cf- 

 recially if the foil is dry, and will require no other 

 care. It may alfo be propagated by parting the roots 

 in autumn i but as tlie plants arife lb freely from 

 fcattcred feeds, the latter method is feldom practifed. 

 This plant has been of late recommended by perfons 

 of littk fldll, to be fown as a winter pabulum forcat- 

 • but whoever will give themfelves the trouble to 

 examine the grounds where it naturally grows, will 

 find the plants left uneaten by the cattle, when the 

 Grafs about them has been cropped to the roots; be- 

 fide, in wet v^^inters and on ftrong' land, the plants 

 are of (hort duration, therefore very unfit for the pur- 

 pofe, nor is the produce fufficient to tempt any -per- 

 fons of fkill to enp-ao;e in its culture , therefore I v/ilh 



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thofe perfons to make trials of it in fmall quantities, 

 before they embark largely in thefe new fchemes. ^ 

 TThe fecond fort grows naturally in the fouth of France 

 and Italy -, this is a biennial plant, which decays foon 

 afcer the feed's are ripe. The leaves of this are like 

 thofe of Agrimony, and arc compofed of three or four 

 pair of oblong lobes, placed a little alternate on the 

 midrib, and terminated by an odd one : they 



are 



deeply fawed on their edges, and have an agreeable 

 . fcent ; the {talks rife two feetiiigh, and are garnilhed 

 at each joint with one of thofe winged leaves, which 

 . gradually diminifh in their fize at the top, and juft 

 ,' above the leafarifes a long foot-llalk, which fupports 

 ' two or three fmall ones, each fuftaining; a fmall round- 

 , ifii fpike of flowers. Thefe appear in July, and are 

 .. fucceeded by feeds which 'ripen, in autumn. It is 

 -I propagated by feeds, whjch, if fown in autumn, the 

 /^plants will come up the following fpring. ,^ Th-^fe re- 

 quire no other culture than to thin them where they 

 ^. are too clofe, and keep them clean from weeds ; the 

 ' fecond year they will flower and ripen their feeds, and 

 ^->foon after decay. .*^. 



J* The "third fort grows naturally in Crete, and in many 

 of the iflands of the Archipelaso. This hath a 



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ihrubby perennial fl:alk, which riles about three feet 

 high, dividing into feveral flender branches, which are 

 armed with branching fliarp thorn's ; the leaves are 

 very fmall ; they are winged, and have fix or feven 

 pair of very fmall lobes, ranged oppofite along the 

 midrib, terminated by an odd one *, they are of a 

 lucid green, and continue all the year.. The flowers 

 are produced in fmall heads at the end of the branches, 

 and are of an herbaceous colour \ they appear the be- 



. ginning of June, and there Is a fucceflioh'oFth'em 



;'• n;oft part of fummcr i but thofe^ only which"",come 

 ''■-' • ■ early, are fometimes fucceeded by feeds in England. ■; 

 .'.'.. .This plant is too tender to live through the winter in 



^: the open air ; but if it is flieltered under a common 

 hot-bed frame in winter, where it. may have the free 



. ■ air at all times when the weather is mild, and flieltered 



r from hard froft, it will thrive better than wlien it is 



.more tenderly" treated. It may be propagated by^ 



^ flips or cuttings during any of the fummer months, 

 which, if planted in a bed of light earth, and covered 

 down dole with a hand or bcU-glafs, and fhaded from 

 the fun, will take root and may then be taken 

 up, and planted each into a feparate fmall pot, filled 

 with frefh undunged earth, and placed in the fliade 

 till they have taken new root, and then removed to a 

 flieltered fituation, where they may ftand till the froft 

 ' comes on, when they fhould be placed under the hot- 



;. bed frame. It requires but little water^elpecially in 

 cool weather,' and wahts no particular culture! •' 



PRASIUM. Lin. Gen. Plant. 6,55. Galeopfis,. Tourn. 



[_ Inflr.R. H. i86. Shrubby Hedge-nettle. ' - ; ' 



.' .■ The Characters are, ■ . 



/ The flo'-doer^hatb a bell-fiaped empalement bf one leaf ^ di- 

 vided into t-jvo lips •, the upper lip is broad^ and ends in 



. . three acute points ; the lower lip is cut into two parts. 



\- The flower is of the lip kind-, it hath one petal -^ the 

 upper lip is oval^ ereEl^ and indented at the end. The 

 loiver lip is Iroad^ reflcxedy and ends in three points^ the 

 middle one being bror'dejl: It has four awl Jhaped Jlamina 

 under the Upper lip, two of which are Jhorter than the 



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pointed gcnnen fuflaining a flcndcr ftyk tie- hngtb ^cf 

 the ftamiyia^ crowned ly a bifid ftigma. The germen af- 

 terward become four berries, each containing a fi^igle 

 roundifd fcede > . ■ - 



This genus of plants Is ranged in the firfl: feilion of 

 Linnseus's fourteenth clals, which includes thofe 

 plants whofe flowers have two long and two fliortcr 

 fl:amina, and the feeds are naked. 



The Species are, 

 Prasium {Majus) foliis ovato-oblongis ferratis. Lin. 

 Hort. Cliff. 309. Shrubby finking Hedge-nettle, with 

 oblong, oval, fawed leaves, Galeopfis Hifpanica fru- 

 tefcens, teucriifoho. Tourn. Inft. 186. Spanifj, farub- 

 by J finking Hedge-nettle, with a Tree Germander leaf. 

 Prasium {Minus) foliis ovatis duplici utrinque crena 

 notatis. Lin. Hort. Cliff. 309. Shrubby ftinking Hedge- 

 nettle, with oval leaves which are indented on every fide. 

 Lamium fruticans, teucrii folio lucido, calyce & Aprs 

 magno candido: tantilla purpura varie notato. Hort. 

 Cath. 106. Shrubby 'Dead-nettle^ with a lucid Tree Ger- 

 mander leaf, and a large white flower with fome f pots of 



purple. ■ * 



The firft fort grows naturally in Spain and Italy ; 

 this rifes with a flirubby fl:alk two feet high, co- 

 vered with a whitiOi bark, and divides into many 

 branches, which are earniflied v;ith oblona; oval 

 leaves, fawed on their edges. The flowers come out 

 frorn the bofom of the leaves in whorls round the 

 fl:alk3 ; they are white, and have large permanent em- 

 palements, cut into five points. The flowers are of 



.. the lip kind ; they appear in June and July, and are 

 fucceeded by four fmall berries fittin"; in the em- 



" palement, which turn black when they are ripe, and 

 have a finfrle roundifli feed in each. ' ^ " .- " ^ r. 

 The fecond fort grows naturally in Sicily ; this hath 

 a flirubby fl'alk like the former, but rifes a little 

 higher -, the bark is whiter, tlie leaves are {horter and 

 oval, and are doubly crenated on' each fide ; they are 

 of a -lucid o-reen. The flowers come out in fmall 



jitber, having oblong fummits on 'their JidCy 'and a four- frofts in autumn. 



whorls from the bofom of the leaves, like the former ; 

 they are fomewhat larger, and are frequently marked 

 with a few purple fpots \ thefe are fucceeded by fmall 

 berrieslikethe other fort, which ripen at the fame 

 Thefe plants may be propagated either by cuttin-s, 

 or from the feeds : if they are propagated by cuttings, 

 - they fhould be planted on a (hady border toward the 

 end of April; but the cuttings fliould not be taken 

 from fuch plants as have been drawn weaTc, but rather 

 "^^Trom thofe which have been expcfed to the dpep'alr, 

 whofe fnoots are ftiort and ftrong ; and if a joint' of 

 the former year's v/ood is cut to each of them, they 

 .. will more certainly fiicceed. Thefe cuttings may re- 

 , main in the fame border till they are well rooted, 

 r^when^they may be tranlplanted into the places where 

 they are to remain, or into pots, that they may be 

 iTieltefed in "winter under a common frame, where 

 they may have as much free air as pofllble in dry 

 weather, butonly require tbbe fcreened from hard frofl:. 

 If they are propagated by feeds (which the plants 

 produce in plenty every year) they fliould be fown on 

 a bed of light earth in April ; and in May theplants 

 will come up, v;hen they require no other care but 

 that of keeping therh clean from weeds ; and in the 

 ^ autumn foUov/ing, they may be tranfplanted in the 

 .fame m^anner as before dire6led for thofe raifed from 

 cuttings,' anci may be afterwand treated more /hardily, 

 as they acquire ftrength. ' / . J;"-' '' " ,..* 

 A plant or two of each of thefe fpecies may be al- 

 lowed to have a place where there are coUeftions of the 

 diflerent forts of ever-green ihrubs, for the fake of 

 variety ; efpecially where \\\t different forts of Ciftus, 

 Phlomi's, Tree-v^ormiwood, and Mcdicago, are ad- 

 mitted, becaufe thefe are equally hardy ; and when a 

 fevere wiiuer happens, which deQ:roys the one, the 

 others are fure of the fame fate ; but in mild win- 

 ters they will live abroad, efpecially if they are planted 

 in a dry rubbirtiy foil, and have a flieltered fituation ; 

 but in rich wet ground, tlie plants will grow vigo- , 

 rous in fummer, fo are liable to injury from the early 



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