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This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion of* 

 Linnaeus*s fifth clafs, which includes thofe plants 

 whofe flowers have five (lamina and one ftyle. 



We know but one Species of this genus in the 

 Englifh gardens, viz. 

 Trachelium {Caruleum.) Hort. Upfal. 41. Throaiwort. 

 Trachelium azureum umbelliferum. Pon, Bal. 44. 

 Blue Mountain Throatwort. 



This plant grows naturally in ftiady woods in many 

 parts of Italy. It has a perennial root which is flelhy 

 and tuberous, fending out many fibres which fpread 

 wide on every fide. The leaves are oval, ipear- 

 (haped, about two inches long, and one broad in the 

 middle, fawed on their edges, and ending in acute 

 points. The ftalks rife a foot and a half high, and 

 are gamifhed with leaves ihaped like thofe at the 

 bottom, but come out irregularly. Sometimes there 

 are two pretty large leaves, and one or two fmaller 

 rifing from the fame point j at others, one large and 

 three fmaller at the fame joint ; thefe come out alter- 

 nate, and the upper part of the ftalk, immediately un- 

 der the umbel, is naked of leaves, except two or three 

 narrow ones, which are clofe to the foot-ftalks of the 

 flowers ; thefe are difpofed in form of an umbel com- 

 pofed of many fmall ones. The flowers arc fmall, 

 funnel-fliaped, and of an azure blue colour ; thefe ap- 

 pear in June and July, and are fucceeded byroundifli 

 capfules, with three cells filled with fmall feeds, which 

 ripen in September, 



This plant is propagated by feeds, which fliould be 

 fown in autumn when they are ripe, for when they are 

 kept out of the ground till fpring, they frequently 

 fail, or if they do grow, it is not before the following 

 fpring. When the plants come up, they fliould be 

 kept clean from weeds, and as foon as they are big 

 enough to remove' they fliould be tranfplanted on an 

 eaft-afpedted border of light undunged earth, placing 

 them in rows fix inches apart, aftd four inches diftant 

 in the rows, fliading them from the fun till they have 

 taken new root -, after which they require no other care 

 but to keep them clean from weeds till autumn, 

 when they may be tranfplanted into the borders of the 

 flower-garden, where they will flower the following 



fummer. 



But as thefe plants will thrive better on old walls, 

 when by accident they have ^rifen from feeds, fo their 

 feeds, when ripe, may be fcattered on fuch walls as 

 are old, or where there is earth' lodged fufficient to re- 

 ceive the feeds; where the plants will come up and refifl: 

 the cold much better, and continue longer than wlien 

 fown in the full ground ; and when a few of the plants 

 are efl:abliflied on the walls, they will (bed their feeds, 

 fo that they will maintain themfelves without any far- 

 ther care. I have obferved fome plants of this kind, 

 which have grown from the joints of a wall, where 

 there has not been the leaft earth to fupport them, 

 which have refilled the cold, though they have been 

 greatly expofed to the winds, when mofl: of thofe in 

 the full ground were killed -, fo that thefe plants are 

 very proper to cover the walls of ruins, where they 



will have a very good effeft. 

 TRADESCANTIA. Lin.Gen.Plant. 398. Ephe- 



meron. Tourn. Infl:. 193. Flower of a Day, or Vir- 

 ginia Spiderwort. 



The Characters are, 

 ^he empdement is compofed of three oval concave leaves 

 which are permanent. The flower has three orbicular^ 

 large, fpreading petals, which are equal, andftxflender 

 hairy ftamina which ft and ere£f, and are the length of the 

 empalement, terminated by kidney-fhaped fummits, with an 

 - oval germenfuppor ting ajlender three-cornered ftyle, crown- 

 ed by a three-cornered obtufe ftigma. The empalement co- 

 vers an oval capfule with three cells, filled with angular 



feeds. 



This genus of plants is placed in the firft feftion of 

 Linnaeus's fixth clafs, which contains thofe plants 

 whofe flowers have fix fliamina and one ftyle. 



We have but one Species of this plant in England, 

 though there are two other fpecies, one of which 



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grows on the coaft of Malabar, the other In the AiJic- 



rican iflands. 

 Tradescantia {Virginiana") crefta Isevis, floribus con-^ 

 geftis. Lin. Sp. 411. Virginia Spiderwort with ere^ 

 fmootb ftalks, and flowers clbfely connected at the top. 

 This plant grows naturally in Virginia, and moft other 

 parts of North America ; it hath roots compofed of 

 many flefliy fibres ; the ftalks are fmooth, rifing a 

 foot and a half high, garnilhed by long, fmooth, keel- 

 ftiaped leaves, which embrace the ftalks \ the flowers 

 are produced in clufters at the top of the ftalks ; thefe 

 are compofed of three pretty large fpreading petals of 

 a purple colour j they appear early in June, and there 

 is a fuccefllon of flowers moft part of fummer, though 

 each flower continues but one day, from whence it 

 had the title of Ephemeron. 



There are two other varieties of this fpecies, one with 

 a deep blue, and the other a white flower ; but as 

 thefe vary from one to another when raifed from feeds, 

 fo they Ihould not be feparated. , 



Thefe plants multiply fo faft by their roots, and alfo 

 from the feeds if permitted to fall, that they (hould be 

 yearly reduced to keep them within bounds. The bcft 

 time to remove and part the roots is in the autumn. 

 TRAGACANTHA. Tourn. Inft. R.H. 417. tab* 

 234. Aftragalus. Lin. Gen. Plant. 799. [TjayaxakOa, 

 of T^dy^, a goat, and *Axa^6Tj, a thorn.] Goats- 

 thorn. 



The Characters are, 

 The empalement of the flower is of one leaf, indented in 

 five parts, the lower fegments being the fhorteft. The 

 flower is of the butterfly kind •, the ftandard is long, ere^^ 

 indented at the point, and the borders are reflexed. The 

 wings are fhorter than the ftandard. The keel is of the 

 fame length with the wings, and is indented ; /'/ has ten 

 ftamina, nine are joined and one is feparated, terminated 

 by roundifh fummits, and a fhort taper germen fupporting 

 an awl-ftaped ftyle, crowned by an obtufe ftigma. The 

 germen afterward becomes a fhort fwelling pod, having two 

 longitudinal cells, incloflng kidney-fhaped feeds. 

 This genus of plants Dr. Linnaeus has joined to the 

 Aftragalus, which is placed in the third feftion of 

 his feventeenth clafs, which contains thofe plants 

 whofe flowers have ten ftamina joined in two bodies. 

 The Species are, 

 I. Tragacantha {Maflilien/is) petiolis longioribus 

 i, fpinefcentibus, foliolis ovatis obtufis. Goats-thorn with 

 longer foot-ftalks ending in fpines, and having ova] ob^ 

 tufe lobes to the leaves^- Tragacantha. C, B. P. 388. 

 Goats-thorn. 



•-■- J-- 



I ''-V ' # V , ^^^ -# ft 



THA (Hijpanica) foliolis lanceolatis, flori- 

 bus folitariis axillaribus, filiculis ovatis inflatis. Goats- 

 thorn with fpear-fhaped lobes, flowers proceeding ftngly 

 from the fides of the branches, and oval, inflated, bladder 

 pods. Tragacantha humilis Balearica, foliis parvis 

 vix incanis, flore albo. Salvador. Low Goats-thorn of 

 the Balearick Iflands, having fmall leaves which are 

 fcarce hoary, and a white flower. . -^ ' 



3. Tragacantha {Argentea) foliolis lanceolatis acumi- 

 natis tomentofis, floribus alaribus terminalibufque. 

 Goats-thorn with fpear-fhaped, acute-pointed, woolly leaves^ 

 and flowers growing on the fides and at the ends of the 

 branches. Tragacantha orientalis humillima argentea 

 barbae Jovis folio. Tourn. Cor. 29. The loweft eaftern 

 Goats-thorn, with filvery leaves like thofe of Jupiter^s 



Beard. ■ - " 



4. Tragacantha {Glabra) foliolis linearibus glabris, 



floribus congeftis axillaribus. Goats-thorn with very 

 narrow fmooth leaves, and flowers growing in cluft 



fides of 



Tragacantha foliis minimis 



viridibus. Boerh. Ind. alt. 2, p. 53* Goats-thorn with 

 the leaft very green leaves. 



The firft fort grows naturally on the fea-fliore about 

 Marfeillcs, and in Italy ; this hath a thick, fhort, lig- 

 neous ftalic, which branches out greatly on every fide. 

 The young branches are woolly -, they are clofely gar- 

 niftied with winged leaves, whofe foot-ftalks end in 

 acute thorns. The lobes are fmall, oval, obtufe, and 



of a filvery colour. 



The flowers are large, white, 

 13 I and 



