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tbem ftrong ; for although tlicy will live in a mode- 

 rate warmth in winter, they will make but little pro- 

 grefs, and their ftalks will be ihort, their leaves Imall, 

 and the plants weak, fo will make but a poor appear- 

 ance ; therefore, unlefs they can be allowed room in 

 the warm flove, and conflantly kept in the tan-bed, 

 they will not be worth prefervino-. 



All the Torts grownaturallyunder hedges and in woods, 

 therefore they fhould be difpofed in a fuch a manner, 

 as to imitate their places of growth, and not place them 

 in the open fun, where they will not thrive ; therefore 

 the hardy kinds fhould be placed under the fhade of 

 trees, and the tender ones may be placed between the 

 pots which contain tall plants, whofe branches may 

 fcreen them from the fun* Such of thefe plants as are 

 tender mull be frequently watered in hot weather, and 

 Ihould then have a large Ihareof air admitted to them, 

 but in winter they muft be watered fparingly, for 

 their roots are apt to rot with too much wet. 

 When the feeds of thefe plants are obtained' from 

 abroad, they fliould be fown in pots filled with frefh 

 light earth, and plunged into a moderate hot-bed, 

 oblerving to water the earth frequently to keep it 

 moift, becaufe the feeds, being hard, will not vege- 

 tate without a confiderable Ihare of moifture ; thefe 

 generally remain in the ground a whole year before 

 they grow, fo that if the plants do not come up the firfl 

 feafon, the pots fliould be kept clean from weeds all 

 the fummer, and in winter the hardy forts fhould be 

 flieltered from froft under a common frame, and the 

 tender ones plunged into the bark-bed in the flove : 

 the following fpring they mufl be again plunged into 

 the hot-bed, which will bring the plants up very foon. 

 When the plants are come up, they mufl be conflantly 

 kept clear from weeds, and frequently watered in 

 v/arm weather, and toward the end of May the hardy 

 forts fhould be inured to the open air by degrees, 

 and in June they may be removed out of the bed, and 

 placed abroad in a fheltered fituation, where they 

 fliould remain till the frofl comes on in autumn, when 

 they mufl be removed into fhelter. If the pot's are 

 plunged into an old tan-bed under a frame, where 

 they may be protefted from the frofl, and in mild 

 weather be expofed to the open air, they \yill thrive 

 much better than with more tender treatment. 

 The tender forts fhould be plunged between the other 

 pots in the bark-bed of the flove, where they fhould 

 remain all the winter. > Thefe plants Ihould remain 





tintranfplanted in the feed-pots"till the following 

 fpring, when they IhoulcJ be turned out of the pots*^ 

 carefully feparated, and planted into pots filled with 

 frefh earth j and if the hardy forts are plunged into a 

 very temperate hot-bed, it will caufe them to take 

 new root very foon, and greatly flrengthen tligpjiants; 

 but the tender forts fhould be plunged into a good 

 hot-bed of tanners bark to bring the plants forward, 

 that they may get flrength before winter, when they 

 muft be treated in the manner before direfted;-; 

 The hardy forts fliould be kept in pots for two or 

 three years that they may be Iheltered in winter, by 

 which time they will have flrength enough to bear the 

 cold in the open air ; fo in the fpring they may be 

 ^ turned out of the pots, and planted where they are 

 defigned to remain, obferving, if the fpring fhould 

 prove dry, to refrefh them now and then with water. 



S M Y 



Jligmas. <rhe germen after-jsard turns to an almojl glo- 

 bular fmtt whch is fireaked and fplits in f^o, each con- 

 taining one -mocn-Jljaped feed, convex en one Jde, marked 

 with three Jlreaks, and plain on the other. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedion 

 ot Linn^us's fifth clafs, which contains thofe plants 

 whofe flowers have five ftamina and two llyles. 

 The Species are, 



I. Smyrnium {Olufatrum) foliis caulinis ternatis petio- 

 latis ferratis, Hort. Cliff. 105, Snryrnlum ivith trifoli- 

 ate leaves on the ftalks^ winch are fawed and have foot- 

 Jtalks, Plippofelinum Theophrafti five fmyrnium Di- 

 ofcoridis. C.B.P. 154. Common Alexanders^ or Alifanders. 

 Smyrnium {Rotmdifolium) foliis cauhnis orbiculatis 

 integerrimis amplexicaulibus. Snr^rynum with orbicular 

 haves on the ftalks which embrace tbem. Smyrnium pe- 

 regrinum rotundo folio. C. B. P. 152. Foreign Alex- 

 anders with a round entire leaf, 



3. Smyrnium {Perfoliatum) fohis caulinis fimplicibus 

 amplexicaulibus. Lin. Sp. 376. Alexanders with ftm- 

 pie leaves which embrace the ftalks. Smyrnium pere- 

 grinuni folio oblongo. C. B. P. 154. Foreign Alexan- 

 ders with an oblong leaf . 



4. Smyrnium {Creticum) foliis caulinis ternatis ferratis, 

 fummis oppofitis fefTilibus, Alexanders with lower leaves 

 by threes which are fawed, and thofe at the top by pairs 



fitting clofe to the ftalks, Smyrnium Creticum paludapi 



. folio. Tourn. Cor. 22. Cretan ^Alexanders with a Small- 

 : age leaf 



5. Smyrnium (Integerrimum) foliis caulinis duplicato 

 ternatis integerrimis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 263, Alexanders 

 with double trifoliate leaves on the ftalks^ which are entire. 

 The firfl fort grows naturally on the rocks by the 

 fea^fliore in Wales, the North of England, and in 

 Scotland. It is alfo found growing wild in many places 



. near London, but here it may Be fuppofcd to have 

 been thrown out of gardens ;' for as it was formerly 

 cultivated in gardens for the table, fo the feeds may 

 have been fcattered, which will grow wherever they 

 alight. 



The lower leaves of this plant refemble thofe of 

 Smallage, but they are much larger ; the lobes are 



. rounder, and are fawed on their edges. The flalks 

 rife from three to four feet high, which are furrowed,* 

 and branch into many divifions ; thefe are garnilhed 

 with trifoliate leaves of the fame fhape and form with 

 the lower, but are fmaller. The branches are termi- 



. nated by large umbels of white flowers, which appear 



" in June, and arc Xucce^dcd by large roundifh fruit, 

 containing two moon-lhaped feeds which ripen in Au- 



.. guft, and then the plant decays.,^ The whole plane 

 has aflrong warm tafle. i; - ,>^ - f ' 



l^he fecond fort grows naturally in Sicily and Crete ; 



' the lower Jeaves of this fort are decompounded of 

 " ' fmall leaves, which divide by threes 5 their lobes are 



- J ^ — -— ---^^ ^ -^^ ^^ ^^ ^« — — m ^^^ 



; oval and indented on their edges ; the Italk is fmooth, 

 : hollow, and rifes three feet high, dividing toward the 

 . top into two or three branches ; at each joint is placed 

 one large orbicular leaf, whofe bafe embraces the 

 i ftalk ; thefe are of a yellow green colour, and their 

 edges are entire; the branches are terminated by 

 fmall umbels of yellowifh flowers, whofe fmaller um- 

 bels or rays are of unequal lengths. The feeds are 

 black and fhaped like thofe of the former, but are' 

 ■■ fmaller. ■' . r " ■ .. ' , . • 



as alfo to lay fome mulch about them to prevent the I -. The third fort grows naturally in Crete ; the lower 



earth from drying ; and while the plants are young, 

 if fome mulch is laid about their" roots in winter, it 

 will be a fure method to preferve them. 



. leaves of this are larger than thofe of the former, but 



are compofed of feveral winged divifions. The flalk 



does not rifefo high as that of the lafl mentioned, but 



SMYRNIUM. Tourn. Infl. R. H. 315. tab. 168. is angular and not fo hoUow; the leaves uf)on the 



r-.„ r>i,„. ./:, ai j _„ Ai:i--„j „_ • ftalks are much larger ; they are of the heart-fhaped 



oval kind, and are indented on their edges, and em- 

 brace the flalks with their bafe \ their colour is nearly 

 the fame with the former, but they are of a thinner 

 texture.' The umbels of flowers are fmaller, as are 

 alfo the feeds. 



Lin. Gen, Plant. 363. Alexanders, or Alifanders j in 



Mag 

 The Characters are. 



fmall 



/ 



li. 



\ent of the flowers are fcarce difcernible. 

 rxers have five fpear-fhaped petals which are a 

 nflexed^ and five ftamina the length of the petals^ 

 2ted by fingle fummits. ^he germen is fituated un- 

 • flower, fupporting two ftyles crowned by headed 





Thefe two forts have been frequently blended toge- 

 ther by botanifls, who have fuppofed they were but- 

 V one fpecies; but I have cultivated both many years,- 

 and have not found either of them alter.- 



The^ 



