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RAP 



three quarters of an inch broad at the bafc, lelTcning 

 to a point a: rhc end ; they have fmall indentures on 

 their borders, and itand upon lliort foot-llalks. The 

 upper (lender ftalks are thinly garniflied with fmall 

 purplilh (lowers to the cop, and thefe are fucceeded 

 by fmall fced-vefil'ls which ripen in autumn. When 

 the feeds are permirted to fcatter on the pots which 

 ftand near them, and thofe are fheltered from the 

 froft, the planes will come up plentifully the follow- 

 ing fpring ; or, if thev are fown in pots in autumn, 

 and Iheltered in the wmter, the plants will arife the 

 following fpring; and thefe Ihould be tranfplanted in- 

 to feparate fmall pots, placing them under a frame, 

 where they will flower in June and July, and their 

 feeds will ripen in September, and the plants will 



then decay. 



The fifth Ibrt grows naturally in the forefls about Blois 

 in France ; this is an annual plant. The root is com- 

 pofed of many flefliy fibres •, the ftalkrifes about two 

 feet high, and is garnifhed with fpear-fhaped leaves 

 near three inches long, and one broad in the middle ; 

 they are very thin, and are fawed on their edges, fit- 

 ting clofe to the ftalk ; the upper part of the ftalk is 

 garnifhed with very fmall leaves, and from their bafe 

 arife the flowers, which are of a bright blue colour. 

 Thefe appear in July, and are fucceeded by roundifli 

 feed-veffels with holes at the top, which are filled 

 with fmall red feeds. z . 



The feeds of this plant fhould be fown in autumn in 

 pots filled with loamy earth, and placed under a hot- 

 bed frame in winter, and when they come up in the 

 fpring, they fhould be tranfplanted either into a bor- 

 der of foft loamy earth, or into feparate pots, fliading 

 them till they have taken new root ; and afterward 

 the mufl be duly watered in dry weather, which will 

 caufe them to flower ftrong, and produce good feeds 



annually. , ' . 



The fixth fort grows naturally in North America ; 

 this is a biennial plant in England, which rarely 

 flowers the fame year as the plants come up, but de- 

 cays foon after the feeds are ripe. The ftalks of this 

 are channelled and hairy-, they grow ere£l to the 

 height of two feet, and are garniflied with thin oval 

 leaves about two inches long, and one broad in the 

 middle, fitting clofe to the italk ; they are of alight 

 green, and a little fawed on their edges. The flow- 

 ers ftand upon^long (lender foot-flalks which come 

 out from the wings of the leaves, and form a loofe 



fpike which terminate the ftalk ; 



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of alight blue colour. rThis flowers in July, 'and 

 the feeds ripen in September.' This is propagated by 

 feeds, which ftiould be fown in autumn, in pots filled 

 with rich earth, and treated in the fame way as the 

 firft fort. 



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The feventh fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 

 Hope-y this is a biennidr plant ; the ftalks rife'a foot 

 and a half high, they are cqyered with a hairy down, 

 and are purplifh toward the bottom ^ the leaves are 

 oval, two inches and a half long, and an'irich and a 

 quarter broad, of a deep green colour, a little hairy 

 on their under fide, and fit clofe to the ftalks. The 

 flowers ftand upon long flender foot-ftalks, which 

 come out from the bofom of the leaves, fometimes 

 one proceeding from a joint, and at others they come 

 out oppofite on each fide the ftalk, each fqot-ftalk 

 fuftaining one pale blue flower, which being fmall 

 makes but little appearance. ^ This flowers about the 

 fame time with the former, and may. be propagated 



in the fame way. , .r.\l .. -.--vi^ ir.uf<*'l 



The eighth fort grows naturally in moift places, on 

 moft of the iflands in the Weft-Indies. -. -This is alfo 

 a biennial plant, whofe root is compofed of a few 

 ftrong ligneous fibres, which ftrike deepin the ground ; 

 the ftalk rifes about eight or nine inches high, and is 

 clofely garnifhed with leaves on every fide ^ thefe are 

 four inches long and half an inch broad, very deeply 

 indented on their edges ; they are hairy, of a deep 

 green, and fit clofe to the ftalks. The flowers come 

 out at every joint from the'\vings of the leaves, ftand- 

 ing upon very fhort foot-ftalks j the tube of the 



R A' U 



flower is from three to four inches lonr?, vcrv fleiider; 

 and is deeply cut at the top into five fegmcnts, wliich 

 fprcad open ; they arc white, and appear in June, and 

 are fucceeded by turgid feed-veflels, crowned by che 

 five fegments of the petal, havin.0; three holes at the 



rhe leeds 



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top, and filled with Imall grayifii feeds. 

 of this fort fliQuld be fown foon after it is ripe, in 

 pots filled with rich earth, and plunged into t!ie tan- 

 bed in the ftove^ obferving to refreih the earth fre- 

 quently with v/ater. In the fpring thefe pots ma^ be 

 removed, and plunged into a hot-bed, which will 

 foon bring up the plants : when thefe are fit to re- 

 move, they fiiould be each tranfplanted into a fepa- 

 rate fmall pot filled with rich earth, and plunged in- 

 to a frefli hot-bed, fliading them from the fun till they 

 have taken new root ; then they may be treated in 

 the fame v/ay as other tender plants from the fame 

 country, giving them a large fhare of air in warm 

 v/eather, and frequently refrefliing them with water. 

 In autumn the plants muft be plunged into the tan- 

 bed of the ftove, where they will flower the follow- 

 ing fummer and produce ripe feeds, foon after which 

 the plants will decay. If the feeds of this plant are 

 brought from the Weft- Indies, they fliould be fov/a 

 as foon as they arrive, in pots filled with rich earth ; 

 and if it happens in the winter, the pots (liould be 

 plunged into the tan-bed in the ftovc ■, but if it is in 

 the fpring or fummer, they may be plunged into a 

 hot-bed in the common frames. Thefe Jeeds when 

 fown in the fpring, feldom grow^ the fame year, there- 

 fore the following autumn the pots fliould be remov- 

 ed into the ftove, and managed according tq the above 

 dire<5tions. 



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The ninth fort grov/s naturally at the Cape of Good 

 Hope ; this is an annual plant ^ the ftalks are flender, 

 branching, and fpread but on every fide ; they rife 

 about a foot high, and are garniflied with fmall fpcar- 

 fliaped leaves which are indented on their edges, 

 and fit clofe to the brandies. The flowers are fmall 

 and blue •, they ftand upon very flender long foot- 

 ftalks, and appear in July i thefe are fucceeded by 

 finall roundilh feed-vefiels, filled with fmall feeds 

 which ripen in September. If the feeds of this fort 

 are fown in autumn, they will fucceed much better 

 than when they are fown in ipring : thefe may be 

 fown in pots, and fheltered under a common hot-bed 

 frame in winter, expofing them to the open air at ali 

 times in mild weather, but fcreening them from the 

 froft;' and in the fpring, the'pots fhould be plunged 

 into'a"mdderate hot-bed, which will foon bring up 

 tjie plants ; when thefe are fit to remove, they ftiould 

 be each planted in a feparate fmall pot filled with 

 rich* earth, and pTuh"gea into' a mbcerate hot-bed 

 again, fhading thenifrom the fun till they have taken 

 new root \ then they muft have a large fliare of free 

 air at all times when the weather is mild ; and as the 

 plants grow ftrong, they fhould be gradually harden- 



*- i' 





ed to bear the open air, into which they fiiould b 

 ; removed in June, placing them in a fheltered fitua- 

 . tion, 'where they v/illflcwerin July, and if the feafon 

 -. proves favourable, the feeds will ripen in September ; 

 V . but if the feafon fnould prove cold, it will be pro 

 v to remove one or two plants into a glafs-cafe, to ob- 





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tain good feeds. ';.n'c 



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..^^Tlie tenth fort comes from the Cape of Good Hope : 

 ,-;: this hath i:railing ftalks, and the leaves are fawed on 

 ^•: their edo;es,^and the foot-ftalks come'^out -from the 



■ r.- fide of the branches, in which it difi^ers from the laft 

 w- fort, ilt may be propagated by feeds, and treated in 

 - ' the fanie manner as the laft. ■ v/ ■ r. - : ■ : 



RAUVOLFIA. Plum. Nov. Gm. iq. tab. 



^9 



40 



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i h 



Lin. Gen, Plant, 259. • \ . ;- 

 The name was given to this genus of plants by Fa- 

 ther Plumier, who was the' perfon that difcov(Ted it 

 in America, in honour of Leonard Rauvolf, who was 

 a curious botanift, and flouriflTied about the vear 15S3. 

 He travelled into the Holy Land, and ilveral other 

 places in the eaft, andpubliflicd his travels in 'High 

 Dutch, which were tranilated into Kngliib under tne 

 infpeftion of the great Mr. Ray. 



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The 



