V 



T 



tcrfurtc cjicl quinrJe kaves ^it-hiih are cut like c-j/;/^^, a)d 

 ^cvl'orkd fpikes nf fio^jjers tcrmiualing the branches. 

 The firlL' ibrt sro'-vs naturally in Sicily, ^.nd nc^rNa- 

 pics, by the fides of rivers and in moift places \ it has 

 a Ihrubbv ftalk eight or ten feet hidi, fending 



a: out 



branches oppofire the whole length, which are angu- 

 lar, plia Ic, and have a gray ifn bark ; thefe are gar- 

 nifhed with leaves for the — ^^ 



V 



five lobes, which are deeply and regularly cut ci 

 their fides in form of winged'leaves, and end in acute 

 points. The largeft of thefe lobes is about an indi 

 and a half long, and three quarters of an inch broad 

 in the middle ; tliey are of a dull green colour on their 

 upper fide, and gray on their under. The branches 



are terminated by ipikes 



r 



or 



flowers about th.rce or 



*^:oii: part placed oppofit 



upon pietty long foot-ftalks ; they are compofed of 

 five, fix, or feven lobes which unite at the foot-ftalk, 

 and fpread out like the fingers of a liand •, the lower 

 are fmaiU'and the middle are largeft ; they are fmooih 

 and entire ; the largeft are about three inches long, 

 and half an inch broad in the middle, ending in blunt 



of a dark areen on their upper fide, but hoary 



points, 



on their under. 



The flowers are produced in fpikes 



at the extremity of the brandies •, the fpikes are from 

 {^vtn to fifteen inches long-, thefe are difpofed in 

 whorls round the ftalks, with intervals between each 

 whurl ; they are of the lip kind ; the two lips are 

 each cut into three fegments, the middle being larger 

 than the tv/o fide fegments \ they arc in fome plants 

 white, and in others blue \ thefe are generally late 

 bcibre they appear, {o that in bad feafons they do 

 not open fair in England, and in warm years the 

 plants produce no feeds here. The flowers have an 

 ao-reeable odour when they open fair, and make a 

 good appearance in autumn, when the flowers of 

 inoft other flirubs are gone, for in' v/arm mild fea- 

 fons I have feeii thefe ftirubs In full flower the mid- 

 dle of October. 



The fecond fort grows naturally in the fouth of 

 France, and in Italy \ this is a lower fiuub than the 

 iirft V it feidoni rifes more than four or five feet high, 

 coming up v;ith feyeral ftalks from the ropt, which 

 no: branch fo much as the former ; their bark is 





alfo w 



four inches long, which are dilpofed in whorls round 

 the ftalks ; thele are in fome plants white, in others 

 blue, and fome have bright red flowers ; they are in 

 beauty from the middle of July to the beginnino- of 

 September, but the plants do not produce feeds* in 

 Europe. . 



The firft fort is pretty common in many Enrjifli a^x- 

 dens, where it has been long an inhabitant, but was 

 not much propagated till of late years. The fecond 

 fort is lefs common, and only in fome curious o-ardens 

 at prefent. Thefe plants are very hardy, and may be 

 propagated by planting their cuttings early in the 

 fpring, before they flioot^ they require a frefh light 



foil, and muft be frequently refreftied with water un- 

 til they have taken root •, after which they muft be 

 carefully cleared from weeds during the fummer fea- 

 fon, and- if the following winter prove fevere, you 

 muft lay a little mulch upon the furface of the (^round 

 between the plants, to prevent the froft from penetrat- 

 ing to their roots, which would injure them Vv^hile 

 they are young ; and as thefe cuttings are apt to Ihoot 

 late in the year, their tops will be very tender, and 

 the early frofts in autumn often kill them down a con- 

 fiderable length, if they are not proteded, therefore 

 .they ihould then be covered with mats, which will be 



to them. Toward the middle of 

 March, if the feafon is favourable;, you fliould tranf- 

 plant them either into the places where they are de- 

 figaed to remain, or into a nurfery to grow two or three 



of great fervice 



hiter. The leaves are fingered, and compofed [ years to get ilrength, where they muft be pruned up. 



.6f five or feven lobes which unite at the foot-ftalk ; 



in order to form them into regular ftalks, otherwife 

 they are Very fubjed to fhootout their branches in a 



I i, .' : -^^ 



* * 4 -- 



thefe are not fo difproportionate in their length;- the 



longeft being feldom more than three inches, and thef^. ft^aggling manner. 



fhorteft an inch and a half j they are near ah inch 

 'v brpad,'arid are fawed on their edges, and are not fo 



'::- ftiff.as thofe of the former. The flowers come out in | L V^^ muft be very* careful not to break them, for their 

 ^^panicled fpikes towaird the end of the branches ; the [ ihoots are. apt tp fplit if they are violently forced; 

 C fpikes are ftiorter, and the flowers fmalier than thofe I ,? tjjefe will take root in one year, provided they are 

 y of the firft fort, and appear foqngri thty are all of I ..watered in very dry weather, and may then be tranf- 



They may alfo be propagated by laying down their 

 branches in the fpring^ of the year, in doing of which 



% f* 



- ■■,73 



A **>- 



them blue which I have feen. ^' 

 The third fort grows naturally in both Indies -, this 

 has a fiirubby ftalk which riles nine or ten feet high, 

 fcndin" out many fide branches v^hich have a brown 

 baric, and are garniflied with leaves which have fome- 



three, and at others five, oval acute-pointed 

 lobes' which are entire, and a little downy on their 

 under fide.^ The flowers are difpofed in panicles, 

 which arife at the divifion of the branches ; thefe are 





planted out, and managed as was direfted for thofe 

 plants raifedfrom cuttings. 



The third fort is too tender to live in the open air in 

 England, fo muft be planted in pots, and conftantly 

 kept in the ftove •, it is propagated both by cuttings 

 and layers, but the cuttings of this muft be planted 

 in pots, and plunged into a moderate hot-bed, co- 

 vering them clofe with^abellor hand-glafs to ex- 

 dude the air.; they Ihould be refreflied with water 



m 



England. 



t - 



'- ' 



r *£-•-' t 



r* ;^v I 



-- 



fmall and white, but are not fucceeded by any feeds j no\y and then, but it muft not be given them too free- 

 ly. Xhebeft time to plant the cuttings is about the 

 middle or latter end of April, for if they fucceed, 

 they will put out roots in fix or kwtn weeks, and will 

 then begin to fhoot, fo they fliould have the free air 



come out oppofite, and are garniftied with leayes | gradually admitted to them to prevent their fhooting 

 <* placed oppofite upon long foot-ftalks ; thefe are com- 



-'The fourth fort grows naturally in the northern parts 

 ':.. of China, where it rifes with woody ftalks eight or 

 ■ ten feet high, having a gray bark. .The branches 



-I 



- ? 



pofed of three or five fpear-fliaped lobes which are 

 -..'deeply fawed on their edges," and end in very acute 

 points ; the largeft of thefe lobes are three inches and 

 • ra half long, and an inch and a quarter broad, of a 

 dark crreen on their upper fide, but gray on their un- 

 der; The flowers are difpofed in whorled fpikes, 

 ■' which come out oppofite from the wings of the ftalk, 

 : andtlie branches are terminated by branching fpikes 



thefe are blue, and about the fize of thofe 

 This flowers in July and Auguft, but 

 does not produce feeds in England. 

 The fifth fort is a native in China; this is a lower 

 fhrub than either of the former. The ftalk feldom 

 rifes more than three feet high, fending out fprcading 

 branches on every fide, which are flender and angu- 

 lar^- thefe are garnifiied with leaves placed oppo- 

 fii;e, v/hich ftahd upon pretty long foqt-ftalks ; they 

 are forne of them compofed of three, and others of 



of flowers ; 

 ^ofthe firft. 



weak ; then they may be carefully taken up, and 

 each planted into a feparate fmall pot filled with light 

 earth, and plunged into the hot-bed again, ftiading 

 them from the fun till they have taken new root; af- 

 ter which they Ihould have plenty of free air at all 

 times when the weather is good, treating them in the 

 fame manner as other tender plants. In winter they 

 muft be kept in a moderate temperature of heat, but 

 in the fummer they Ihould have the free air in mild 

 weather, but not removed into the open air. 

 As this plant retains its leaves all the year, it makes 

 a variety in the ftove, but the flowers have no great 

 beauty. 



The fourth fort is, I believe, loft in the Englifli gar- 

 dens, for it had lived in the open air fome years, 

 which had encouraged people to plant them in the full 

 ground, where they were all deftroyed by the fevera 

 •froft in 1740, fince when I have not feen one of the 

 growing plants,, 



This 



