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' iSpon making trial of the foots, they were found to 

 be greatly inferior to thofe of the true Rhubarb, and 

 lipon farther trials and examinantion, it was found 

 to be the Rhapontick of Profper Alpinus, commonly 



* called Pontick Rhubarb. This hath a large thick 

 root, which divides into many ftrong flcfliy fangs, 

 running deep In the ground ; the outfide is of a 

 reddifh brown colour, and the infide yellow, from 

 ^vhicharife feveral leaves, in number according to the 

 fi2e of the ro6t ; thefe come up folded in the fpring, 

 and afterward expand themfelves j they areTmooth, 

 of a roundifh heart-lhape, having very thick foot- 

 ftalks of a reddifli colour, which are a little channelled 



- on their lower parr, but flat at the top. When the 

 plant grows in rich land, the foot-ftalks of the leaves 

 are near two feet long, and thicker than a man's 

 thumb ; the leaves alfo are often two feet long, and 

 as much in breadth, having feveral ftrong longitudinal 

 veins running from the foot-ftalk to the borders, of 

 a deep green, and are waved on their edges, having 

 an acid tafte, but particularly the foot-ftalks, which 

 are now frequently uied for making tarts. From 

 betv/een the leaves arile the flower-ftem, which is of 

 a purple colour, garniflied with one leaf at each 

 joint, of the fame fhape with thofe below, but fmaller, 

 and fit clofe to the ftalk. The ftalks grow from two 

 to three feet high, according to the ftrength of the 

 ground, and are terminated by thick, clofe, obtufe 

 fpikes of white flowers, which appear the beginning 



'of June, and ar6 fucceeded by large, triangular, 

 brown feeds, having a border or wing at each angle, 



- which ripen in Auguft. ^ ' ' ' ' ' * . 

 ' The feeds of the fecond fort were fent me from Ley- 

 den by the late Dr, Boerhaave, by the title of Rhabar- 



^ barum Chinenfe verum, or true China Rhubarb, 

 which fucCeeded in the Chelfea Garden, The root 



* of this fort divides into a number of thick fibres, 

 which run deeper into the ground tHan thofe^of the 

 firft, and are of a deeper yellow within. The leaves 



l^^appearmucfi earlier in* the fpring; the foot-ftalks are 

 *^ not fo mVcR channelled on their under fide, and are 



* plain on their upper, not fo red tior fo thick as thofe. 

 The leaves are longer, running rnore to a point, and 



P*are much waved onjheir e^ges, a llttre hairy on their 

 \ tipper fide, and have^many ftrong veins or ribs on 

 their under. The flower-ftem is of a pale "Brownifli J 



R H 



but this may have been occafioncd for 



land have not been equal in qualitv with thofe o^fl. 

 loreign 



of age, or by being taken out of the ground 

 improper fcafon, therefore farther trials 

 prove it 



m 



wane 

 at an 



ay im- 



and as the plants produce great plenty of 

 feeds here, fothcy may be propagated with i^reatcafc 

 Dr. Linnrcus feemed firft to think the fecond fort was 

 the true Rhubarb, but the roots of that which have 

 grown here are very little better than thofe of the Rha- 

 pontick, and I liave reafon to doubt if it is not a va- 

 riety of it ', for it is certain, thefe plants when grow- 

 ing near each ether, are impregnated by each other's 

 farina ; for from the feeds of the Rhapontick, which 

 grew clofe to the fecond fort, I had a mixture 



of 



for 



the 



^ ^ ^ 



plants of both forts produced, though the plant of 

 the fecond fort did not produce any feeds, 

 ftalk decayed foon after the flowers faded ; and the 

 feeds of the Rhapontick were gathered by mvfelf 

 from one plant, and were fown in his Grace the Duke 

 of Bedford's garden at Wooburn Abbey, where there 

 had not been any of thefe plants before growin 

 fo that there could be no mixture of feeds/ 



g> 



a third part of the plants proved to b 

 cond fort. 



and yet 

 of the fe- 



been 



It has been learnedly controverted by the botanitb, 

 whether the Rhapontick of the antien'ts, and the Rhu- 

 barb of the moderns, is one and the fame plant, 

 fome affirming, and others denying that there is any 

 agreement ; the reafonings on both fides may be 

 feen in the Appendix to the fecond volume of John 

 ■ Bauhin's Hiftory of Plants. 

 The feeds of the fourth fort have been lately broucrht 



- to England, from which many plants have 

 raifed ; thefe greatly differ in the form of their 



• leaves from all the other fpecies, for they are deeply 

 cut into xnany acute fegments, which fpread open in 



< form oF a hand •" and I am informed by a flcilful 



^ Botaniftj'who has feen this fort in flower, that it fhould 

 be placed in the genus of Rumex, for there are but 



^ fix ftamina ift each flower; but as the plant in the 



- Chelfea Garden has'itbt" as yet flowered, nor have I 



- feen any plants in that ftate, fo I cannot take upon 

 v-me to determine this.--^--uj c-r.: 'Kvi?^:^ 



, -— -^' . 





However, ! find the celebrated Linnseus now fup- 

 t pofes^this to be tfie true Rhubarb, which farther ex- 



^ perirnentsrfiuftfettlerV ■' ■ ' "^— ^^^^ 

 "Colour, rifing about four feet high, dividing into Tr- The "fifth forf grows naturally on Mount Libanus, 

 .feveral loofe panicles or bunches of white'ffowers," '^^andbther mountaiiious parts of Syria. This hath a 

 *'"^hich appear in May, and are fucceeded by tringu- 

 ' kr feeds like thofe of the firft fort, which ripen earlier 

 ^ in the feafon. 



iv^ -i 



The feeds of the third fort were fent me from Pe- 

 terfl^urgh, for the true Tartarian Rhubarb. ' The 





roots "of this fort are large, and divide into many 

 ?!;]EangS', they are yellow within ; the leaves appear early 



f _-• - 



in the fpring ; 'the foot-ftalks of thefe are of "a'pale 

 ::green, and almpft as^large as thofe of the firft fo|:t; 

 '**they have fcarce any channels^ and flat oii. their upper 

 N^iide'V the leaves are fmootfr,* heafl-lKaped, and do not 

 ■run out to fo great length in a point as thofe of the 

 *^iecond, but are longer than thole or the firft; they 

 "3aTe very broad toward their bafe, and have very large 

 ' -P^^^ green ribs on their under fide, a little waved'on 



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^ their edgefs, having afliarp acid flavoufyThe flower- 



' *ttalk is of a pale green ; ^it rifes five or fix feet high, 



I and are as Jarge as a cprnmon walking cane, garnifti- 



■~cd at each joint by^^pne leaf of the fame fliape with 



thofe below, but fmafiSv fitting clofe to tlie ftalk ; 



;*A- 



\-~ =J * i'->«^ '.^j. 



"-<.- .-^ 



fitting clofe to 

 .. •'^the upper part of the ftalk divides into fmall branches, 

 each fuftaining a panicle or Ipike or white flowers 

 -^ '^Ifanding efea^^hich kjpfie^^ latter erid^of May, 

 ^.i-^^^nd are fucceeded by large triangular bbrclefed feeds, 

 , -^Jike thofe of the firft fort. 

 » The roots of this laft approach nearer to thofe of the 

 'foreign Rhubarb than either of the other, both in 

 fhape and quality ; and as thefe feeds which were, fent 

 ■ to Peterfburgh, were gatliered from the plants grow- 

 ing on the fpot v/here the Rhubarb is "taken "up,- 'to 

 there is little reafon to 'ddutt of its being' the 'true 

 ■fort, though the roots which Have 'grown In ^" 



-^ thick fleihy root,' which runs pretty , deep in the 



ground, from which arife feveral leaves in the fpring, 



■- which come up folded together, and afterward ex- 



■ pand ; they have very fliort foot-ftalks, fo fpread near 



■ the ground ; but during the fpring, their borders are 

 ereft, and form a fort of hood having feveral' folds, 



■ and are curled and waved on their edges \ they are of 

 ^ a^purplifti green; *aAd have purple veins and borders ; 

 - theirfurface appears ftudded with rough prbtubmncfes, 

 X and when the leaves are fully expanded in fummer, 

 '{ they are a foot long, and above two feet broad ; their 

 .^ under fide is paler than the upper, and their borders 

 f' appear fringed./ 1 have not feen this plant in flower. 



but the feeus '^of it were brought from Mount Liba- 





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e Right Rev.' Dr. Pocock, the late Bifhcp 



^'cf Offory ; 'thefe Vere larger than thofe bf the other 



;' fpecies, and covered with a fuctulent pulp, of a deep 



redcoloijr, and very ^aftringent tafte ; this fucculent 



covering may have occafioncd its being taken for a 



"-berry, by many of the old writers ^ the ihape of the 



• feed is like that of the other fpecies.- - "- - - > ■-' 



' - Thefe plants are all propagated by feeds, which ftiould 



/bfe Town in autumn foon after they are ripe, and then 



■"'the plants will come up ihe" following fpring-, but ii 



they afe' kept out bfthe ground till fpring, the plants 



feldom corne lip till the next fpring, fo that a whole 



year will be loft. 'The feeds fliould be fown where 



■the plants are defined to remain : for as their roots 



■ ■ are large and fiefl-iy, ;fo when they are tranfplancedj 



they do not recover their removal foon ; nor will tiie 



4 roots of tliofe plants which are trarifplanted, e\^er 



^;gfbw"Ib targe "and fair, as thofe which remain where 

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