A 



lU UC liJVii.(.i<.>.i 111 """-^M " J 



in a warm fituation and on a dry foil, 



At Michaelmas fome of the plants may be taken up j 

 and potted, to be fhcltered in winter, and others may 



be planted - ■ 



where, it" the winter fliould not prove fevcre, they 

 will iland very well. It will alfo be proper to leave 

 fomeof the plants in the feed-bed, where, ifthewm- 

 in- niould prove fevere, they may be Sheltered with 

 mats, and fome mulch laid about their roots to pre- 

 vent the froft penetrating the ground, for thefe plants 

 are fo tender as not to live abroad m hard frolt, tho 

 in moderate winters thcv will do very well ; but it is 

 always necelTary to have a plant or two of each fort in 

 pots, that they may be fhcltered in wmter to preferve 



the fort 



The fourth fort is the common iSroom . 



naturally in England, fo is_ not orten admitted into 

 rrardcns, though, when it is in flower, it makes a 

 much better appearance than many others which are 

 co'lly ; this rik's with a flexible ftalk four or five feet 

 hirh fending out many Ruih-like angular branches 

 which fpread out on every fide. The lower part of 

 the branches are garniflied with trifoliate leaves, and 

 upward they are Angle. The flowers come out upon 

 nfort foot-ftalks fingly on the fide of the branches, 

 for a confiderable length toward the top ; thefe are 

 large, of the butterfly kind, and of a bright yeUow 

 colour ; they appear in May, and are fucceeded by 

 compreflfed hairy pods containing kidney-fliaped feeds 

 which ripen in Auguft. The flowers and branches 

 of this fort are ufed in medicine. 

 The fifth fort grows naturally in Portugal and Spain ; 

 this has ftronger fl:alks than our common Broom. 

 The branches grow more ereft, and have deeper an- 

 gles • the leaves are all trifoliate, and much larger 

 fhan'thofe of the fifth -, the lobes are wedge fhapedj 

 the flowers are larger, of a deeper yellow colour, and 

 have longer foot-fl:alks. This flowers a little later in 



, the year than that, and is not fo hardy. ^ 



The fixth fort grows naturally in Portugal ; this rifes 

 with a ftrong ftalk like the former. The branches are 

 angular and grow ereft *, they are better furnifhed 

 with leaves than either of the other forts, which fl:and 

 upon pretty long foot-ftalks ; the lobes are fmall, ve- 

 ry narrow, and hajry, the flowers grow clofer toge- 



• ther, are larger; and of a deep yellow colour. 

 The feventh fort wis 'brought from Portugal. -The 

 ftalks and branches of this are flcnder, angular, and 

 fmooth, and are fully garniflied with very narrow, 

 trifoliate, fmooth leaves fitting clofe to the ftalks. 

 The flowers come our in long loofe fpikes at the end 

 of the branches ; they are large, of a bright yellow 

 colour, and are fucceeded by ftiort compreflTed pods, 

 which are, fmooth, containing fmall kidney-Ihaped 



feeds. 



The eighth fort grows naturally in the Levant ; this 



hath flender ftalks and branches, which are garnifh- 



ed with a few trifoliate and fingle leaves toward the 



bottom. The branches have fix angles or furrows ; 



the flowers are fmall, of a pale yellow colour, and are 



produced in loofe fpikes at the end of the branches ; 



thefe are rarely fucceeded by feeds in England.^ 



• The ninth fort grows naturally in Italy and Spain near 



"the fea-coaft. The ftalks rife five or fix feet high, 



and fend out many angular flexible branches, armed 



' with long fpines, upon which grow trifoliate leaves ; 



the flowers are produced at the end of the branches 



m clufters, each ftanding upon a long foot-ftalk ; 



they are of a bright yellow colour, and appear in 



June i they are fucceeded by ftiorc ligneous pods, 



' • with a thick border on their upper edges, containing 



'- tl^ree or four kidney-ftiaped feeds. This plant will 



hot live abroad in England, unlefs it has a very warm 



■ % 



, - - 1-4 



fituation. ■ t r 



Theie plants are raifed from feeds in the fame way as 



the firft fort, and may be treated in the fame manner. 



Theteqth fort is very common in Jamaica, andfcve- 



ral other places in the Weft-Indies, where the wood 



is cut, and fent tp England under the title of Ebony, 



though it is'not tlie true Ebony, which is a native of 



the eaftern country, and is a plant of a very different 



genn^. TIic wood of this AiriCrican Ebony is of a 

 fine grecniOi brown colour, and poliihes very well, 

 fo is much coveted by the inltrumenc-makcrs ; and is 

 ufcd for Icveral purpofes, being of a very hard dura- 

 ble nature. 



This tree has a pretty thick ftem which rifes twelve or 

 fourteen feet high, covered with a rugged brown 

 bark, and divides into many fpreading branches, 

 which grow almofl: horizontal, and are armed with 

 fliort brown crooked fpines. The leaves arc fmall, 

 ftiff, and wcdge-fliaped, coming out in clufters, and 

 fit clofe to the branches. The flowers come out up- 

 on flender foot-ftalks from the fide of the branches 

 fino-ly, they are of the butterfly kind, of a bright 

 yellow colour, and are fucceeded by compreflTed moon- 

 fliaped pods, which inclofe one kidney-fliaped feed. 

 This plant is propagated by feeds, which mufl: be 

 procured from the countries of its natural growth, for 

 the plants do not produce feeds in this climate. Thefe 

 feeds fliould be fown in pots filled with light frefli 

 earth early in the fpring, and plunged into a good 

 hot-bed of tanners bark, or placed in tan under pots, 

 as their covers are very hard. In about fix weeks 

 after the feeds are fown, the plants will appear, when 

 they mufl: be carefully treated (being very tender 

 while young they mufl: have frefli air admitted to 

 to them every day when the weather is warm, and 

 fliould be frequently refreflied with water, when the 

 earth in the pots appears dry. In about five or fix 

 weeks after the plants appear they will be fit to tranf- 

 plant, v;hen they fliould be carefully fliaken out of 

 the pots and feparated, planting each into a fmall pot 

 filled with light rich earth, and then plunged into 

 the hot-bed again, being careful to fliade them from 

 the fun every day until they have taken root; after 

 which time they muft be treated in the fatne manner 

 as other very tender exotic plants, by giving them air 

 every day in warm weather, and watering them once 

 in two or three days gently, and when the nights are 

 cold, to cover the glaflfes. In this hot-bed the plants 

 may remain till autumn, when they muft be removed 

 into the ftove, and plunged into the bark-bed. Thofe 

 of them whofc roots have filled 'the pots, fliould be 

 carefully fhifted into potV one fize larger before they 

 are plunged ; but "as thefe plants are not of quick 

 growth while young, they do not require to be often 

 fhifted out of the pots. During the winter feafon 

 : thefe plants muft: be kept warm (efpecially the firft 

 year,) and muft have but little water, and in cold 

 weather it muft be given to them in fmall quantities ; 

 and if their leaves fliould contrad filth, they rnuft be 

 y^V^fticd with a fponge to clean them, otherwife the 

 plants will not thrive. As thefe plants are very ten- 

 der when young, fo they will not live in the open air 

 in this country, even in the warmeft part of the year ; 

 therefore they muft be conftantly kept in the ftove, 

 and fliould be kept plunged in the bark-bed, obferv- 

 ing in the fummer feafon, when the weather is warm, 

 to admit a large ftiare of frefti air to the plants j but 

 when they have obtained ftrength, they may l3e ex- 

 pofed for three months in a warm fituation in the 



fummer. ■ ; ' - 

 SPERGULA, Dillen. Gen. Nov. ?. 



Lin; Gen. 



Plant. 519. Spurrcy. • " 



: The Characters are, 



^he flower hath a fpreading permanent empalement^ cm 



^e oval concave leaves. It has five oval, con 



ofed offi 



fpreadin 



d-Jhaped ftamina Jhorter 



It hath an oval germen 



I. 



dijhft 



fupportingfivejlender, ere5l, reflexed flyles, crowned by 

 thick ftigmas. "I^he germen afterward turns to an oval 

 clofe capfule with one celh opening with five valves, in- 

 clofing many deprejfed, globular, bordered feeds. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the fourth fedtion 

 of Linnsus's tenth clafs, which includes thofe plants 

 whofe flowers have ten ftamina and five flyles. 



The Species are, 

 Spergula (Jrvenjis) foliis verticillatis, flonbus de- 

 candris. Hort. Clifi'. 173. Spurrey with leaves tn whorls. 





