s 



u 



fhady border at tlircc inches diftiince, where they 

 niay remain till autunin, when they fiiould be tranl- 



planted to the places where they are to remain, 

 and the foUowin^^ lummer they will newer. Thele 

 ])hints love a fl:<vJy fituation and a Ibft, loamy, un- 



dunp-ed ioil. 



• • 



The timefor tranfplantingand nipping off the old roots 

 is early in autumn, that thev may get good roots be- 

 fore winter. They are both lb hardy as to tb.rive in 

 tiie open air in England, and are very rarely injured 

 bv cold. 



The third fort e^'ov/s naturally in the Wefb-Indies ; 

 this hath a fmall, oval, bulbous root covered with a 

 bright red flcin, from, which come out the leaves very 

 like the firlt leaves of Palm-trees, but of a thinner 

 fubftance : they are nine or ten inches lona; and one 

 broad, having five or fix longittidinal plaits \ they are 

 of a light green, ending with points, and two leaves 

 embrace each other at their bafe \ betv/een thefe arifes 

 the foct-flalk of the flower, which is four inches 

 long, and fuftains at the top two or three fmall blue 

 flovv'ers inclofed in a fpathaor Ihcath ; thefe are com- 

 poicd of fix petals which expand like thofe of the 

 other forts, but do not continue open longer than 

 three or four hours in the morning, and are clofed 

 up the remainder of the day, and when they are ex- 

 panded, their petals are fo imall as to make but lit- 

 tle appearance. This fort flov/ers commonly in the 

 middle of fummer, but does not keep any particu- 

 lar month i they are never fucceeded by feeds in 



England. 



This is propagated by offsets from the roots, which 

 are fent out in plenty ; thefe fliould be taken off 

 when the roots are tranfplanted : the time for doing 

 of this is foon after the leaves decay, or before the 

 roots begin to fl:ioot again. They muft be planted 

 in fmall pots filled with light, loamy, undunged 

 earth, and plunged into the tan-bed in the ftove, 

 vvhere they fliould conftantly remain, For they are 

 too tender to thrive in this cdtfntfy uhlefs they ^are 

 thus treated. Their after manacrement is' the fame 

 as for other bulbous-rooted plants from the fame 

 countries. \ 



- ' .- -* 



■ Sifyrinchium, Tourn. or Spanilh Earth-nut, is by 



Dr. Linnseus referre3 to the genus Iris or Fleur-de- 



■. lis i *But, as that is a plant which will not live long 



in a 2:ardeh,' I have omitted the m'entionino- of it in 



this work. 





■v 



SIUM. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 308. tab 162. Lin. Gen. 

 Plant. 310. Sifarum. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 308. tab. 

 163. Water Parfneps, and Skirrets ; in French, 



Cbc/vi. 



The Characters are, 



It hath an umb elicit e d flois)er \ the general tinihcl is various 



in different fpecies^ the fmall ones are plain and fpreading, 



meral involucrum is compofed of feveral JJjort^fpear- 

 jJoaped^ rcflexed leaves ; thefe of the fmaller are of very 

 fmall narrow leaves, The general umbel is uniform "^ the 

 flowers have five inflexcd petals which are equal-, they 



have five flamina terminated _ by ftngle fummits^ and a 

 fmall germen fituated under the flower^ fupporting two re- 

 fiexed flylesy crowned by obtufe fiigmas. The germen after- 



fide 



'dijh^ oval^ flreaked fruit fph 



flreaked feed^_ 



' This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feflion 



of Linnai^us's fifth clafs, which includes thofe plants 



whofe flov/ers have five ftamina and two ftyles. To 



this genus he adds the Sifarum of Tourncfort. 



■ - ' The Species are, . ^ 



r. SiuM {Latifolium) foliis pinnatis., umbellis terminali- 



bus. Hort. Cliff. 98. Siumwith winged leaves^ and the 



fialk terminated by an umbeL Slum latifolium. C. B. P. 



ijiifi 



''fi 



fawed 



terminating thefialks. Sium five apium paluflre, fo- 



liis oblongis. C.B.P. 154. Common, upright. Water 



rarfnep,-\. . " " 



" J T> ^ -. * 



diflt 



S I TT 



^ 



lefillibu^. I-Iort. ClilL 98. Siitm v:ilh wing:d /:.::vr 

 aKdiiKibcIs offowcrsf:ll}:g ckfcto tic wings of tLcjiaik^ 



Sium umbcl!atiim 

 Creeping If 



bcMiatum rcpcns. Gcr. Em.uc. ^-6 >^^' 

 ■ atcr rarjnep, 



4. Sium {Sifarum) foliis pinnatis, floribus tcrnatis. Hort 

 Cliff. 98. Siura with winged hwcr leaves, but thofe Ufida 

 the flowers trifoliate, Siiarum (ierm.anorum. C. B. P 

 155. German Skirrets. 



5. Sium {Falcaria)io\\o\\s lincaribus decurrentibuscon- 

 natis. Hort. Cliff. 98. ^ium with linear fmall leaves 

 having running membranes which join at thetr bafe round 

 theflalk, Ammi perenne. Mor. U:nb. Perennial B^- 



focps-weed. 



6. Sium {Siculum) foliis radicalibus ternatis, caulinis bi- 

 pinnatis. Prod. Leyd. 105. Siumwith trifoliate bottom 

 leaves^ and thofe on the ftalks doubly winged, Myrrhis 

 foliis paftinaca^tetevirentibus. Tourn. Cor. 33. Myrrh 

 with light green Parfnep leaves. 



The firll fort is the great Water Parfnep, v;hich o-rows 

 naturally in deep waters in feveral parts of England ; 

 it rifes with upright ftalks five or fix feet high, gar- 

 nifiicd with large v/inged leaves fnaped like thofe of 

 the common Parfnep, and the ftalk is terminated by 

 large umbels of pale yellow flowers. This plant 

 flov^-ers in June and July, and the feeds ripen the end 

 of Auguft ; it is never cultivated in gardens. 

 The fecond fort is the common upright Parfnep, 

 which grows naturally in ditches in moft parts of 

 England ; this rifes with an upright branching ftalk 

 near three feet high, garniflied v/ith winp;cd leaves 



four pair of oblong fawcd 



• - 





+ 



»- 



compofed of three or 



lobes term.inated by an odd one. Tlie ftalk is termi- 

 nated by an umbel of white flowers which appear ia 

 June, and are fucceeded by feeds v/hi'ch ripen in au- 

 tumn \ this is rarely cultivated, as it is a commoa 

 weed in ditches and ftanding waters. Both thefe 

 plants have been recommended by ancient phyficians 

 for their virtues in medicine, but at prcfcnt they are 

 feldom ufcd. 



The third fort is very common in ftanding waters In 

 moft parts of England. The ftalks Ipread over die 

 furface, and produce umbels of white flowers at their 

 jpints. This is the plant which is frequently gathered, 

 and fold for Water Crefs, as is before mentioned under 

 ' the article Sisymbrium. 

 The fourth fort is the common Skirret, which was 

 formerly more cultivated in the Englil'h gardens than 

 at prefent. The roots are the only part ufed, and al- 

 though it is mentioned in moft Difpenfaries as a me- 

 dicinal plant, yet it is rarely ufed as fuch, being bet- 

 ter adapted for the kitchen. . It is cfteemed a whole- 

 fome root, affording good nouriftiment, but has a 

 flatulency, and its very fweet tafte is difagreeable to 

 many palates. 



The root of this plant is compofed of feveral fleflay 

 fibres as large as a man's little finger, which join to- 

 gether in one head. The lower leaves are winged, 

 having two or three pair of oblong lobes terminated 

 by an odd one -, the ftalk rifes a foot high, and is ter- 

 minated by an umbel of white flowers which appear 

 in July, and are fucceeded by ftriated feeds like thofe 

 of Parfley, which ripen in autumn. 

 This plant is cultivated two ways, firft by feeds, and 

 afterward by flips from the root : the former method 

 I think the more elio;ible, becaufe the ' roots which 

 are raifedfrom feeds, generally grow larger than tno.e 

 raifed by flips, and are lefs fubjeft to be fticky. The 

 feeds fliould be fown the latter end of March or the 

 beginning of April, either in broad caft or in drills; 

 the ground ftiould be light and moift, for in dry land 

 the roots are generally fmall, unlefs the feafon proves 

 very moift. If the feeds are good, the plants will 

 appear in five or fix weeks after, they are fown, and, 

 when they have put out their leaves fo as to be well 

 diftinguifhedfiom the weeds, the ground fliould be 

 hoed over to dcftroy the weeds in the fame manner as 

 is pradifed for Carrots ; and where the feeds are fown 

 in broad caft, tl>e plants fhould be cut up, leaving 

 them at the fame dittance as Carrots. Thofe fown in 



the drills fliould be alfo thinned to the diftance of four 



inches, 



i 



V- 



\ 



1^ 



