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f.nd flowers with ten ftamina, Alfine Spergula diita 

 major. C. B. P. 251. Greater Chickweed, called Spur rey, 

 2. Spergula {Pentandria) foliis verticillatis, floribus 

 pentanclris. Lin. Sp. Plant. 440. Spurrey with whorled 

 . leaves^ and flowers with five Jiamina. Alfine fpergute 

 facie minima, leminibus emarginatis. Tourn.Inft.^44. 

 ne leaft Chickweedwith the appearance of Spurrey y hav- 

 ing h ordered feeds. 



3 Spergula [Nodofa) foliis oppofitis fubulatis Isevibus, 



caulibus fimplicibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 440. Spurrey 



with awl-fhaped fmooth leaves placed oppofite^ and Jingle 



fialks, Alfine nodofa Germanica. C. B. P. 251. Knotted 



German Chickweed, 



There are fome other fpecies of this genus, which 

 grow naturally as weeds in England, fo are not worthy 

 notice here \ nor fhould I have mentioned thefe, were 

 they not fometimes cultivated. 



The firft and fecond forts are cultivated in Holland 

 and Flanders, for feeding their cattle; the ufualtime 

 of fowing the feed is in July or Auguft, that the plants 

 may acquire ftrength before the winter's cold. The 

 ufe that is made of this, is to feed flieep, and other 

 cattle in winter, when the common Grafs is eaten 

 bare. This plant feldom rifes above fix inches high, 

 fo will not afford a very great quantity of food ; but 

 as it will grow on the pooreft fand, it may be culti- 

 vated in many places to good advantage, where no 

 other Grafs will thrive fo well ; and by feeding it off 

 .. the ground, the dung of the cattle will improve the 

 . land. This pafture, it is affirmed, will make excellent 

 butter; and the mutton fed on it, is faid to be well 

 tafted, fo is by many preferred to that fed on Turneps. 

 Hens will greedily eat this herb, and it makes them 

 lay more eggs. ' . ■ 



This plant being annual, muft be fown every year; 

 and whoever is willing to fave the feeds, Ihould fow it 

 in April, that the plants may flower the beginning of 

 July, and the feeds will ripen in Auguft ; when it 

 muft be cut before the heads are quite brown, other- 

 wife the feeds will foon fcatter. 



The feeds being very fmall, about twelve pounds will 

 be fufficicnt to fow an acre of land. The ground 

 fliould be well harrowed before the feeds are fown, 

 for if the larger clods are not broken, there will be 

 an uneven crop of Grafs. People in the low country, 

 fow this feed after a crop of Corn is taken off the 

 land. The fecond fort is now much cultivated in 

 Flanders, though it is a much lower plant, than the J 

 common fort, but they efteem it a much better 

 Grafs. The feeds of this kind are fmaller and flatter 

 than thofe of the common fort, and have a white bor- 

 der round each. 

 SPERMACOCE. Dill. Hort. Elth. 277. Lin. 





The flowers grow in thick globular v/horls 



-t^' ■*. 



fe 



Gen. Plant, iii. Button Weed.v^ 



The Characters are, 

 ne flower hath a fmall permanent empalement indented in 

 four parts^ fitting on the germen. It has one cylindrical 

 petals whofe tube is longer than the empalement^ and the 

 brim indented in four parts^ which fpread open and are 

 r'effleud. It has four awl-fhaped ft aminafhorter than the 

 petals terminated by fingle fummits^ and a roundifh com- 

 prejfed germen fituatcd under the flower^ fupporting afin- 

 gleftyle divided in two parts at the top^ crowned by obtufe 

 Jiigmas. "The germen afterward turns to two oblong feeds 

 which are joined^ having two horns ^ and are convcDC on 

 one fide ^ and plain on the other. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feftion of 

 Linnaeus's fourth clafs, which includes thofe plants 

 whofe flowers have four ftamina and one ftyle. 



The Species are, 



1. Spermacoce {Te-micr) glabra foliis linearibus, ftami- 

 nibus inclufis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 102. Smooth Spermacoce 

 with ftamina included in the flower, Spermacoce verti- 

 cillis tenuioribus. Hort. Elth, 370. Spermacoce with 

 narrow whorls, 



2. Spermacoce {Verticillata) glabra foliis lanceolatis 

 verticillis globofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 102. Smooth Sper- 

 macoce with fpear-fhaped leaves^ and flotvers in globu- 

 lar whorls round the flalks. Spermacoce verticillis 



S P H 



globofis. I-Jort. Elch. 369. Spermacoce with globular 



whorls. 



The firft fort grows to the height of two feet and a 

 half; the ftalksare ftiff, a little angular, and covered 

 with a brown bark ; the branches come out by pairs. 

 There are two leaves at each joint placed oppofite, 

 which are two inches long, and almoft a quarter of an 

 inch broad, and between thefe come out three or four 

 fmaller, which ftand in whorls round the ftalks ^ they 

 are fmooth, and have one ftrong vein or midrib in 

 the tniddle. .The flowers grow in flender whorls to- 

 ward the top of the ftalks j they are fmall, white, and 

 fit clofe to the ftalks, having a whorl of leaves clofe 

 under them *, thefe arefucceeded bytwoobloncr feeds, 

 having fmall horns which ripen in the empalement. 

 The fecond fort rifes with a fhrubby ftalk three or 

 four feet high, fending out a few flender branches, 

 which are garniflied with narrow leaves not fo long as 

 thofe of the former fort ; they are fmooth, of a light 

 green, and ftand in a kind of whorls round the ftalk, 

 two of them being larger than the others in each 

 whorl. 



toward the top of the ftalk, and one of the whorls ter- 

 minates the ftalk ; they are fmall, very white, and fun- 

 nel-fliaped. The brim is cut into four obtufe feg- 

 ments which fpread open, and the ftamina ftand out 

 above the tube of the flower. After the flowers are 

 paft, the germen turn to two feeds, ftiaped like thofe 

 of the former fort. 



Thefe plants grow naturally in moift places in Jamaica. 

 The inhabitants call the fecond fort Button Weed- 

 They are both propagated by feeds, which muft be 

 fown on a hot-bed, and when the plants come up they 

 muft be tranfplanted on a frefli hot-bed to bring them 

 forward, and afterward treated in the fame way as 

 other tender plants; and if they are placed in a ftovc, 

 they will live through the winter, and produce good 

 feeds the following year. 



PH^RANTHUS. Vaill. Aft. Par. 1719. 

 Lin. Gen. Plant. 893. Globe Flower. 

 The Characters are. 



The flowers are compofed of hermaphrodite florets y and fe- 

 male half floret Sy xvhich are included in one globular fcaly 

 empalement y which is garnijhed with them on every fide 

 the receptacle. There are fever al of thefe florets included 

 in each partial empalement. The hermaphrodite florets 

 are placed in the center \ they are funnel-fhapedy and cut 

 in^Q five parts at the brim •, they have five 'very fhort 



by cylindrical fummitSy and 



germen which decays^ fupps 

 wing a fingle fligfna ; thefe are barren. The female 

 'If florets arefituated round the border, and have fcarce 

 ypetalsy but an oblong germehy fupporting a briftly ftyle 



feed 



thefe 



This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feftion 

 of Linnseus's nineteenth clafs, which includes thofe 

 plants whofe flowers are compofed of hermaphrodite 

 barren florets, and female fruitful half florets. , : 

 The Species are, 

 . SpHi^RANTHus (Indicus) pedunculis crifpatis. Lin. 



Sp. Plant. 1 3 14. Globe-flower with curled foot-ftalks. 

 Sphseranthus purpurea alataferrata.Burm. Zeyl. 220. 



Purpky wingedy fazved Globe-flower. 

 . Sph^ranthus {Africanus) pedunculis lasvlbus. Globe- 

 flower with fmooth foot-flalks. Scabiofa^ capitulo, chry- 

 fanthemi Myconi foliis, alato caule Maderafpatanus. 

 Pluk, Phyt. tab. 108. 7. A plant from Madras with a 

 head like ScabiouSy leaves like the Corn Marygold of My- 

 conusy and a winged ftalk. 



The firft fort grows naturally in India ; this rifes with 

 an herbaceous ftalk about a foot high, which rarely 

 branches out ; it is garniflied with fpear-fliaped leaves 

 about three inches long, and one broad in the middle, 

 whofe bafe fits clofe to the ftalk, arid from them is 

 extended a leafy border or wing along the ftalk ; 

 they are fawed on their edges and are of a deep green, 

 ftanding alternate. The foot-ftalks of the flowers 



come out from the fide of the ftalk, oppofite to the 



leaf ; 



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