D 



for thofe which are fown in the fpring fcldom fuc- 

 ceed, or if they do, tb.e plants rarely come up the 



h c^ 



are garnifiicd 



D 



clofe whorled fpikes at the end of the branches ; they 

 are of a fulphur colour, and have very prickly etn- 

 palements. This fort flowers in July, and the feeds 

 ripen in autumn. 



The eighth fort grows naturally on the mountains 

 of Valentia ; this hath a fi:iort ligneous ftalk, fend- 

 ing out branches a foot and a half long, garnifhed 

 with narrow fmooth leaves an inch long, of a ftrong 

 fccnt when bruifed. The flowers are yellow, and 

 grow in in large fpiked whorls at the end of the 

 branches. It flowers in June, and the feeds ripen in 



autumn. 



The ninth fort grows naturally in the Canary Iflands, 



but has been long an inhabitant in the Englifli gar- 

 dens. It rifes with a fofc fhrubby fl:alk five or fix feet 



high, fending out feveral ligneous branches which 



are covered with a foft down, and 



with heart-fhaped leaves, having long foot-fl:alks. 



Thefe differ greatly in fize, according to the age and 



vigour of the plants ; for in young plantfs they are 



often five or fix inches long, and two and a half 



broad near their bafe, but in older plants they are 



not more than half that fize ; they are very woolly, 

 cfpecially on their under fide, which is white, but 

 their upper furface is of a dark yellowilh green. The 

 flowers grow in thick whorled fpikes at the end of the 

 branches ; they are of a dirty white, fhaped like thofe 

 of the other forts, and appear early in June, and the 

 feeds ripen in Auguft, but the plants frequently pro- 

 duce flowers again in autumn. 



Thefe plants are preferved in fome curious gardens 

 for the fake of variety. The fiive forts firfl: mention- 

 ed, and alfo the ninth, are hardy enough to thrive in 

 the open air in England: they are propagated by 

 feeds, which, if fown in autumn, will fucceed better 

 than thofe which are fown in the fpring. The feeds 

 may be fown in fhallow drills upon a dry Ipot of 

 ground, and in the fpring when the plants come up, 

 they muft be kept clean from weeds ; and when the 

 plants are fit to remove, part of each fort may be I of the firft, are placed oppofiteon the branches, and 



firfl: year. 



S I D E R O X Y L U M, Iron WooJ. 

 The Characters are, 



llpe empakmoit of the flower is permanent and co 

 one leaf whi.h is cut into five fegmcnts. The floivcr is 

 bell'Jhaped^ and divided into five tarts at the brim. It 

 has five awl-fijaped ftamina the length of the petals termi- 

 nated by fingle fiimmits^ and a round girmen fuppcrtin^ an 

 awl-floapedftyle^ crcvjnedhy a fwgi enigma. Thegennen 

 afterward becomes a roundifh berry having one cetl con- 

 taining four feeds. 



This genus of plants is ranged in the firfl: fL^ftion of 

 Linnasus's fifth clafs, which includes thofe plants 

 whofe flowers have five fl:amina and one fl:yle. 

 The Species are, 

 I. SiDEROXYLUM {Incrfne) inerme. Lin. Ilort. Cliff. 69. 

 Smooth Iron JVood. Sideroxylum primum, fc. dda 



coria^ Indorum nomine data arbor. Hort. Ekh. 



firft 



ol-- 



( Oppofitif 



oppojit. 



fpear~fh 



1? 



l^hefe plants grow natutally at the Cape of Good Hope, 

 from whence they were firft brought into the Dutch 

 gardens, and of late years they have been introduced 

 into feveral curious gardens in England, where they 

 are preferved for the beauty of their evergreen leaves, 

 for they rarely produce flowers here, 

 The firfl; fort hath large oval leaves, Ihapcd fome- 

 what like thofe of the Bay-tit-e, but fnioother and 

 blunter at the end. Thefe are placed on the branches 

 without order, as the branches alfo are produced. 

 The fl:alks are ftirubby, and rife five or fix feet high, 

 fending out many branches, covered with a dark brc^a 

 bark. 



The fecond fort grows more upright and regular \ the 

 leaves which are fmaller, and more pointed than thofe 



drawn out, and planted in a bed at about nine or ten 

 inches diflance, which will give thofe which are left in 



bed 



The plants which are 

 remoyed {hould be fliaded and watered until they have 

 taken new root, afterwhichthey will require no other 



thefe continue green through the year. 



wood 



has given occafion for this name being applied to 

 them, it being fo heavy as to fink in water •, and the 

 title of Iron Wood having been anulied to the wonH. 



care but to keep them clean from weeds till the fol- by the inhabitants of the countries v/here it grows^ 



lowing autumn, when they ftiould be tranfplanted to 

 the places where they are to remain. The fourth fort 

 fhould have a dry foil and a warm fituation, but nei- 

 ther of the forts fhould be planted in rich ground, 

 for that will caufe them to grow fo luxuriant in fum- 

 mer, that the frofl or much wet will deftroy them in 



winter. 



The annual fort fhould not be removed, but the plants 



thinned and left in the place where they were fown, 

 keeping them clean from weeds., :^.' : 



The fixth and feventh forts will often live through 

 the winter in the open air, efpecially if their feeds 

 are fown upon dry rubbifti ; for when either of thefe 

 happen to grow in the joints of old walls, they will 

 endure the greateft cold of this country, therefore 

 their feeds fhould be fown in fuch places. The fixth 

 fort does not produce good feeds in England, fo this 

 is propagated by flipping oflftheheads, planting them 



border during the fpring or fumnner 



has occafioned the botanifl:s to conftitute a genus by 

 this name. But as the characters of the plants have 

 not been fo well examined as could be wiflied, occa- 

 fioned by their not flowering in Europe, it is very pro-- 

 bable, that the plants which l"iave been ranged under 

 this genus, do not properly belong to it ; for Dr. 



Plukenet has figured a plant under the title of Ebenus 



Jamaicenfis 



J 



Wood is totally different from both in its charafters, 

 for this has male and female flowers on different trees ;. 

 the male flowers have no petals, as appears by driest 

 famples in my collection. 

 Thefe plants are natives of warm countries, fo cannot 



En 



fk)ve 



m a 



Ihady 



months, which will readily take root ; fome of thefe 

 may then be taken up and put int<^ pots, that they 

 niay be fcreened under a frame in winter. The other 

 may be removed in autumn, and planted clofe to 



ibbifk, 



In 



years. - ' ■;■ v' ■ 



Th?. ninth fort is generally kept in green-houfes in 

 England, but in moderate winters I have had thefe 

 plants live abroad without cover in a warm dry bor- 

 der: however, if they are fcreened from bard froft 

 under a conrimon frame, where they may be expofed 

 to the open air at all times when the weather is 



md protefted from 



than with more ti 



reatment. It is pro- 

 be fown In autimin^ 



thefe can be procured from abroad. Thefe mufl be 

 fown in pots filled with light rich earth, andplungeci 

 into a good hot-bed in the ipring,. in order to get the 

 plants forward early in the fcafon. When the plants 

 are fit to tranfplant, they fliould be each put into a 

 feparate fmall pot filled with good earth, and plung- 

 ed into a frcfh hot-bed while they are young. 

 winter they muft be plunged into the tan-bed in the 

 ft:ove, and treated in the fame manner as hath beea 

 directed for feveral tender plants from the fame coun- 

 tries. As the plants obtain ftrength, they may be 

 treated more hardily, by placing them in a dry ft:ove 

 in the winter, and giving theni a grea:ter fnare 0^ 

 free air in fummer •, and when they have obrainea 



abroad 



fheltered fituation. 



ers. 



but thefe were 



:ood 



r: 



' * 



J 



^ and 



fome- 



