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ral fhining leaves a foot long, and two inches broad at 

 their bafe, lefiening all the length to the top, where 

 they end in points j they continue green all the win- 

 ter, and decay in the ipring, and then the flower- 

 ftalk comes out which rifes two feet high, is naked 

 about half way, and is terminated by a pyramidal 

 thyrfe of flowers which are white, compofed of fix 

 petals which fpread open like the points of a ftar. 

 This grows naturally on the fea-lhores, and in the 

 ditches, where the fait water flows in with the tides, 

 in moft of the warm parts of Europe, fo cannot be 

 propagated in gardens, thefrofl: in winter always de- 

 ftroying the roots, and for want of fait water they do 

 not thrive in fummer. Sometimes the roots, which 

 are brought for ufe, put out their fl:ems and produce 

 flowers without being planted in earth, as they lie in 

 the druggiil's {hops. - ' 



The fecond fort grov/s naturally in Spain, Portugal, 

 and the Pyrenees ; this hath afcalyroot like theLUy, 

 for which reafon Tournefort feparated it from the flrar- 

 ry Hyacinth, and conflrituted a genus of it with the 

 title of Lilio-Hyacinthus. The root is oblong and 

 yellow, very like thofe of Martagon ; the leaves are 

 fhaped like thofe of the white Lily, but are fmaller ; 

 theflialkis flender, and rifes afoot high ; it is termi- 

 nated by blue flowers like thofe of the ftarry Hyacinth. 

 It flowers in June, and the flowers are fucceeded by 



oval feed-veffels having three cells, filled with roundilli 

 feeds. ' - . , . . 



+ 



The third fort grows naturally in Portugal ; tliis hath 

 a roundifli, folid, bulbous root like the Hyacinth. 

 The leaves corrie out fparfedly, and are very like thofe 

 of the Englilh Hair-bells ; the ftalk rifes {^witvi or eight 

 inches high, and is terminated by clufl:ered flowerrof 

 a pale blue colour, which at firft are difpofed in a 

 fort of umbel or deprefl^ed fpike, but afterward draws 

 up to a point, forming a conical corymbus ; the flow- 

 ers appear the latter end of April, which are fucceed- 

 ed by oval capfules with three cells, filled with round- 

 ifli feeds. 



The fourth fort grows naturally in Spain and Portu- 

 gal, from whence I have received the roots ; this has 

 been long known in the Englifh gardens by the title 

 of Hyacinth of Peru. There are two varieties of this, 

 One with a deep blue, and the other has a white flow- 

 er; thelatter is more rare here than the former. The 

 root of this is large, folid, and raifed in the middle a 

 little pyramidal, covered with a brown coat, from 

 >vhich come out five or leven leaves before winter, 

 which are fix or eight inches long;' broadeft at tlieir 

 bafe, terminating in points j they are of a lucid green, 

 keeled, and fpread almofl: flat on the ground. From 

 the center of thefe come out' one, two, or three llalks 

 according to the flrength of thejoot ; thefe are thick, 

 fucculenf, and rife fix orelgh'tmcHcs high, "terminat- 

 ed by a conical cprymbus of flowers, bf a deep blue 

 on fome, and others are white, ftanding upon pretty 

 lojfig foot-fl:alks; they 1are compofed of fix petals 

 which fpread open like a fl:ar. In the center of the 

 petals is fituated a large roundifli germen fupporting 

 .a fhort fl:yle, crowned by a fingle fliigma, and round 

 the germen come out fix fhort ftamina which fpread 

 afunder, terminated by oblong proftrate fummits. 

 The germen afterward turns to a roundifh three-cor- 

 neredcapfule having three cells, which are filled with 



roundifli feeds. It flowers in May, and the feeds ripen 

 injuly. '-r - '/ -% ; '.^ -^^ .i. ' '^-:;' *^' 



The fifth fort grows naturally in Byzantfumr anc! was 

 introduced here about the year 1590. The root of 

 this is large, folid, and of a purplifli colour, from 

 which come out five or fix leaves which lie on the 

 ground VAey are above a foot long, and aii inch 

 broad ; they are keeled, channelled, and of a lucid 

 green ; between thefe arife two, three, or four pur- 

 plifh fl:alks about eight or nine inches high, fuftain- 

 ing toward the top five or fix Star-flowers, which 

 come out fingly from the fide of the fl:alk ; they are 

 of a Violet blue cobiir, having a prominent germen 

 in the center, fuppoidng'a flender fl:yle, and attended 



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by fix flender ftamina terminated by purple fummits. 

 It flowers in April, and the feeds ripen in June. ' 

 The fixth fort is commonly known in the gardens by 

 the title of early ftarry Hyacinth. There are two 

 varieties of this, one with a deep blue, and the other 

 with a white flower-, thefe grow naturally in fome 

 parts of France and Germany. The roots are folid, 

 roundifli, and about the fize of a nutmcG", from 

 which comes out a flender channelled ftalk about fix 

 inches high, having generally two leaves near the 

 bottom, one fituated above the other, which embrace 

 the ftalk with their bafe J thefe are about fix inches 

 long, and almoft three quarters of an inch broad, 

 channelled, and of a bright green. The flowers are 

 thinly placed toward the top of the ftalk ; the lower 

 ones have foot-ftalks an inch and a half long, but 

 thofe of the oihers fliorten gradually to#he top ; they 

 are compofed of fix petals fpreading open in form of 

 a ftar, having a turgid germen in the center, fup- 

 , porting a ihort ftyle, attended by fix ftamina, which 

 in the blue flowers are of the fame colour, -and thofe 

 in the white flowers are white. The flowers appear 

 in March, and are fucceeded by roundifli three-corner- 

 ed capfules having three cells, filled with brownifti 



feeds, ■ -■ 



The feventh fort is the fmall autumnal ftarfy Hya- 

 cinth, which grows naturally in feveral parts of Eng- 

 land, particularly on St. Vincent's Rock near Briftol, 

 at the^ Lizard Point in Cornwall, and upon Black- 

 heath in Kent ; this hath a round, white, bulbous root, 

 from which come forth a few rufliy leaves about fix 

 inches long. In the center of thefe arife one or two 



■ flender ftalks about fix or feven inches high, naked,^ 

 and fuftaining a fmall corymbus of flowers at the 

 top, which are Imatl, ftar-pointed, and of a pale 

 blue colour; thefe appear the beginning of Septem- 

 ber, at which time the leaves come out, and conti- 

 nue growing all the winter, and in the fpring they 

 die away. 



The eighth fort grows naturally in Spain and Portu- 

 gal ; this hath an oblong, white, bulbous root, from 

 which come out five or fix leaves a foot long, and 

 half an inch broad, of a lucid green, and a little keel- 

 ed. The flower-ftalk rifes nine or ten inches high, 

 is firm, aind fuftains many ftarry flowers at the top, 

 difpofed in a loofe panicle, each ftanding upon a 

 pretty long foot-ftalk which is ere£l, but the flower 

 ^ nods on one fide/j' they'afe'bf a deep blue Violet co- 



J*^"^> Il^^"g ^ prominent germen, which afterv^ard 

 ^turns to a three-cornered capfule having three cells, 



■ filled with roundifli feeds. ' It flowers in Ma v. ' ^ '"' 



;. The ninth fort grows naturally in Italy ; this hafh a 



folid, white, TulbourVoot,"^ from which rife feveral 



" leaves like thofe of the coffiftidnfof t;- The ftalk rifes 



; ten or eleven inches high, and is terminated by a' co- 



* nical racemus of flowers, which are of a deep purple 

 ^ colour. This fort flowers In May, "and'theTeeds ripen 



in I uiy. •' ■ , - -^^-^ -, 



The tenth fort has a very large bulbous'^ root, from 



which come out feveral leaves which at firft are "up- 

 ' right, but, afterward bend toward the "Carth ;" they 



are of a thick fubftance and keeled ; they are of a 

 ' lucid green, and wlieh' broken yield downy threads ; 



they are a foot and a half long, and more than an 



• inch broad.'^^ Between the leaves arifes die flower- 

 ;''ftallcV which is a foot'aricl a Half long, "round, firm, 



and naked, fuftaining' at' the top' a large 'cliifter 'of 

 flowers, which are gathered into an hemifpherical 

 corymbus: thefe have fix petals which fpread open 

 in form of a ftar; they af^' of a purple colour, and 

 have blue bottoms, and a'dark blue vein running 

 lengthwife in the middle of each petal. -This flowers 

 the beginning' of June,' and produces'" feeds which r-i- 



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pen in Auguft. 

 There is another fort of this which grows naturally 

 in the Levant, whofe leaves are fliaped liked thofe of 

 the Peruvian Hyacinth, but are longer, and ftand ' 

 ereft; this propagates very faft by off*sets, butneVer 

 flowers here. 1 have kept the roots in all fitua- 



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