TR A 



and fhaped like a butterfly ; they are produced in 

 clufters at the end of the branches ; thcle appear in 

 June and July, and are iucceedcd by Hiorc pods hav- 

 ing two longitudinal cells, containing two or three 

 kidney-fhaped feeds, which feldom ripen in England. 

 The fecond fort grows naturally in the iQands of Ma- 

 jorca and Minorca i this hatha thick woody ftalk 

 which rifes about two feet high, fending out many 

 ligneous branches, which are clofcly garniflied with 

 fpear-fhaped fmall leaves ; they are hoary, and are 

 ranged by pairs along a very flrong foot-ftalk, ending 

 with a fharp point. The flowers are produced fingly 

 from the Iides of the branches, they are large and 

 white ; thefe are fuccceded by oval bladder pods, 

 containing four kidney-fhaped feeds -, it flowers in 

 July, bufthe feeds do not ripen in England. 

 The third fort grows naturally in the illands of the 

 Archipelago ; this has a very low flirubby ftalk, which 

 divides in'to many downy branches, which are gar- 

 niflied with winged leaves, compofed of nine or ten 

 pair of fpear-fhaped woolly lobes, which end in acute 

 points ; thefe are extended to the end of the foot- 

 ftalk, fo there is not any part of it bare at the end, as 

 in the other fpecies. The flowers are produced from 

 the fide and at the top of the branches ; they are 

 white, and fhaped like thofe of the other fpecies, but 

 fmaller \ they appear at the fame time as the former 

 forts, but are not fucceeded by pods in England. 

 The fourth fort grows naturally in Spain ; this is a 

 -very low plant •, the ftalks are pretty thick and woody, 

 but feldom rife to more than five or fix inches high, 

 dividing into feveral branches, which are clofely gar- 

 niflied with fmall winged leaves, compofed of feveral 

 pair of fmall linear lobes which are fmooth, and of a 

 bright green colour. The foot-iialks of thefe end in 

 very fharp thorns, which ftand out beyond the lobes i 

 the flowers grow in clufters from the fide qf the 

 ftalks ; they are fmaller than thofe of the other fpe- 

 cies, and are of a (dirty wh[te colour ; ..th^fe appear in 

 July, but are not/utceefled Jby Ife^^ "^ ' 



Thefe forts may be pro^^ feeds, which muft 



be procured from the countries where the plants grow 

 naturally; thefe Ihould be fown on a' bed of frefh 



.earth m April, and when the plants conie up, they 

 ihbuld be carefully kept clean from weeds, which, if 

 permitted to grow amongft the plants, would foon ' 

 overbear and deftroy them while they are young. If 

 the feafon fhould prove dry, it will be of great fervice 

 to water the plants now and then, and w^hcn they are 

 large enough to tranfplant, they fhould be carefully 

 taken up, and fome of them planted in fmall pots filled 

 with frefh earth, placing them in the fhade until they 

 have taken root j after which time they may be re- 

 moved into an open fituation, where they may remain 



^ t^l t][ie latter end of Odtober, when they fliould be 



S" laced under a commori frame, where they may be 

 leltered from' fevere froft, but may have free air in 

 'mild weather, when the glaflTes fliould not be put over 

 them. 4? 



--' - ->i 



. ' 



The remainder of the plants may be planted on a warm 

 dry border, where they muft be fhaded until they take 

 Vfoot'; an4 if the feafon fhould continue dry, they muft 

 be refrefjied with water, otherwife they will be in gan- 

 ger ; becaufe, wheh they are fo young, their roots will 

 not have cftablifhed themfelves in the ground fuffi- 

 ci^ntly to nourifh them in great droughts. 

 Thofe plants which were planted in pots, maybepre- 

 ferved for a year or two under frames in winter, until 

 they have obtained ftrensth, when they may be fhaken 

 out of the pots, and planted in a lean dry foil and a 

 warm fituation, where they will endure the cold of 

 our ordinary winters very well ; but as they are fome- 

 times deflroyed by hard winters, it will be proper to 

 keep a plant of each kind in pots, which maybe fhel- 

 tered in winter to preferve the fpecies. 

 Thefe plants may be propagated by flips, for as they 

 rarely produce feeds in this country, the latter method 

 is generally ufed here. '. The beft time for this work 

 is in April, juft as the plants begin: to fhoot, at which 



time the tender branches of the plants fhould be flip- 



■ R A 



ped off, and their lower parts diveftcd of tlic decayed 

 leaves ; then they fliould be planted on a very niudc- 

 rate hot bed, whicli fliould be covered with nuits, to 

 fcreen them Irom the great heat of tlic \\\w by day, 

 and the cold by nif^lit. Thefe tiurings fliould be 

 frequently, but gently watered, until tliey have taken 

 root, after which t!iey may be cxpofed to the open air, 

 obfcrving always to keej) them clear from weeds, 

 and in very dry weather they muft be refreflu'd with 

 water. 



0\\ this bed they may remain until the following 

 fpring, where, if the winter Ihould be verv fevere, 

 they may be covered with mats as before, and in April 

 they may be tranfplanted our, either into pots lilkd 

 with fandy light earth, or into warm borders, where, 

 if the foil be dry, gravelly, and poor, they will en- 

 dure the fevereft' cold of our climate : but if they are 

 planted in a very rich foil, they often decay in winter. 

 From one fpecies of this genus, Monficur Tournefort 

 fays, the gum adragant, or dragon, is produced in 

 Crete, of which he gives the following relation in his 

 voyage to the Levant : " We had the fatisfadlion of 

 " fully obferving the gum adragant on Mount Ida. 

 " I cannot underftand how Bellonius comes to afiert 

 " fo pofitively, that there is no fuch thing in Can- 

 " dia-, fure he had not read the firft chapter of the 



ninth book of Theophraftus's Hiftory of Plants ! 



. '* The little bald hillocks about the fheepfold produce 



" much of the Tragacantha, and that too a very good 



fort. Bellonius and Profper Alpinus were doubtlefs 

 " acquainted with it, though it is hardly pofTible, 

 '' from their defcriptions, to diftinguifii it from the 

 " other kinds they make mention of. This fhrub 



fpontaneoufiy yields the gum adragant towards the 



" end of June, and in the following months, at which 



*^ time, the nutritious juice of this plant, thickened 



" by the heat, burfts open moft of the vefTels wherein 



" it is contained. It is not only gathered in the heart 



." of the trunk and branches, but alfo in the inter- 



" fpaces of the fibres, which are fpread in the figure 



" of a circle like rays of the fun. This juice is coa- 



,"»gulated into fmall threads, which, paffing through 



.. «4.^ the bark, iiTue out by little and little, according 



' " as they'are protruded by the frefh fupplics of juice 



.:;.*V fifing from the roots. This fubftance, being ex- 

 " pofed to the air, grows hard, and is formed either 

 " in lumps, or flender pieces, curled and winding in 

 " the nature of worms, more or lefs loner, accordins; 



*' as matter offers. It feems as if the contraftion of 

 the fibres of this plant contributes to the exprefilng 

 of the gum. Thefe delicate fibres, as fine as Flax, 

 being uncovered, and trodden by the feet of the 

 " fhepherds and horfes, are by the heat fhri veiled up, 

 " and facilitate the emanation of the cxtravafated 



<c 



cc 



C( 



c^ 



cc 



C( 





" juices. : 



This gum fhould be light, and of a tranfparent white 

 colour i it fhould have no tafte or fmell, and in fmall 

 pieces of a different figure, and free from all kinds 

 of dirt or filth. When this is diflblved in water, it is 

 ufed to give a body to feveral medicines 5 it is alio 



much ufed by the painter?. 

 ' But notwithftandi ng what Tournefort has faid con- 

 cerning the gum^ adragant being produced from one 

 particular fpecies, many authors are of opinion, that it 

 is taken from feveral otlier fpecies, but particularly 

 that of Marfeilles, from whence that gum is often 



brought into England. 



At prefent thefe plants are rarely preferved, excepting 

 by fome perfons who are curious in botany i yet in large 

 gardens many "of them deferve a place, where, if they 

 are planted on hillocks, of the fiopes of dry banks 

 they will have a very good effeft, efpecially thofe which 

 retain their leaves through the yean 

 TRAGI A. Plum. Gen. Nov. 14- tab. 12. Lin. Gen. 



Plant. 930. 



The Characters are, 

 // hath male and feniale flozvers on the fame plant. The 

 empalment of the male flowers is cut into three oval acute- 

 pointed figments which fpread open ; // has no petals, but 



there are three fiamina in eachy the length of the empale- 



Men:, 



\ 



