■■ 



X E _ 



ftalks to the top. In other rcfpeflsthe plants are've- 

 ly like, but the 'flowers are much lefs, of a paler 

 purple colour, and have a cylindrical empalement. 

 The feeds are very large, and feldom more than three 

 or four in each head. This flowers about the fame 

 time as thefirft. ' . ■ ' 



Thefc flowers were formerly m.uch more cultivated in 

 the Englifh gardens than at prefent, efpecially the 

 two forts with double flowers, which the gardeners 

 near London propagated in great plenty for their 

 flowers, which they brought to market in the winter 

 feafon, to adorn rooms, to fupply the place of other 

 flov/ers, which are not eafy to be procured at that 

 feafon ; for thefe, being gathered when they are fully 

 blown, and carefully dried, will continue frelh and 

 beautiful many months •, but as there are no other co- 

 lours in thefe flower? but white and purple, the gar- 

 deners had a method of dipping them into various 

 tinfturcs, fo as to have fome of a fine blue, others 

 fcarlet, and fome red, which made a pretty variety ; 

 and if they were rightly fliained, and afterwards hung 



up till they were thorough dry, they would continue 

 their colours as Ions; as their flowers lafl:ed. The flalks 

 of the fiowerswere not fet in water, but the pots or 

 glaflTes were half filled with dry fand, into which the 

 Italks were placed, and in thofe they would continue 

 in beauty the whole winter. 



Thefe plants are propagated by feeds, which may be 

 fown either in the fpring or autumn on a border of 

 light earth, but the latter feafon is preferable ; for 

 thofe plants which come up in autumn will flov/er 

 fooner, the flowers will be doubler and much larger 

 than thofe which are fown in the fpring, and from 

 thefe good feeds may be always obtained ^ whereas the 

 fpring plants many times fail in cold years, and in hot 

 dry feafons the plants do not grow to any fize. 



When the plsCfits conle up, and are about two inches 



high, they fliould be pricked out into another border 

 under a warm wall, pale, or hedge, at about four or 

 five inches difliance from each other, or into the bor- 

 ders of the flower-garden. In this place the plants 

 will endure the cold of our ordinary winters extreme- 

 ly v/ell, and in the fpring will require no farther care 

 but to keep them clear from weeds, for they may re- 

 main m (he fame place for good. In June they will 

 begin to flower, and the beginning of July they will 

 be fit to gather for drying j but a few of the beit and 

 moft double flowefs of ^ach kind Ihould be fuffered to 

 rem.ain for feed, which, in about fix weeks or two 

 months time will be ripe, and the plants will perifli 

 foon after-; fo that the feeds muft be annually fown, 

 in order to preferve the kinds. . - 

 The fourth fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 

 Hope 5 this rifes with a (hrubby flalk three or four 

 feet high, dividing into four or five branches, whofe 

 lower parts are garnifhed with thick-pointed leaves, 

 iiho\itt^c5 in"c;hes long and one broad, which are hoary 

 on their under fide, and are ranged without order. 

 The upper part of ''the. "branches are naked, and are 

 terminated by one }arge yellow flower, compofed of 

 many oblong acute-pointed rays in the border, and 

 the middle or difk, which is prominent, is made up of 

 herrnaphrodite florets, which are of a fplendid yellow 



colour. 



The fifth fort alfo grows naturallyat theCapeofGood 



Hope/ The ftalks of this fort are very flender,^lig- 

 neoLls, and trail upon the gi;ound •, they extend three 

 ©r four feet in length, and afe garnilh^d with fmall 

 filveYy leaVeS" placed without order, which fitclofe to 

 the ftalks, and are rcflexed. The floWers are produced 

 from the v/ings of the branches, fometimes one, a;nd 

 at (Others twb'or three flowers arife at the fame point ; 

 thefe have fcaly empalcments ; their border or rays 

 are compofed of many female florets of a white colour, 

 and their middle ot hermaphrodite florets, and are 

 fuccecded by oblong feeds crowned with hairs. This 

 plant flowers in July and Augufl:, but the feeds, fel- 



f . 



p 



- ■ ' 



-* 



- .. * _ 



dom' ripen in England. 



The fixth fort is a native of the country near the Cape 



of Good Hope j this has a fluubby branching ftalk, 



f 



* 



X I M 



- which rifes three or four feet high. The branches are 

 flender, and like thofe of the Spanifh Broom, but are 

 hoary ; thefe have very fmall leaves refembling fcales, 

 which fit clofe to the branches ;' they are narrow and 

 hoary, ending in acute points. The ftalks are each 

 terminated by one large filvery flower, having a ftifF, 

 dry, fcaly empalement. The rays of the flower are 

 compofed of many dry female florets, and the diikor 

 middle is made up of hermaphrodite florets ; thefe 

 are fucceeded by oblong feeds crowned with hairs, 

 which do not ripen in England. 

 As thefe lafl: mentioned plants do not ripen their feeds 

 in England, they are propagated by cuttings, which, 

 if planted on a bed of light earth, during any of the 

 fummer months, and fhaded from the fun, will put 

 out roots. When they have gotten fufficient ftrength, 

 they fliould be carefully taken up, and planted into 

 feparate pots filled with light earth, and placed in a 

 fhady fituation till they have taken frefli root •, then 

 they may be removed to a fiieltered fituation, where 

 they may have m.ore fun, and here they may remain 

 till autumn, when they mufl: be removed intofhelter, 

 for they are too tender to live abroad through the 

 winter in England, though they do not require any- 

 artificial warmth. I have kept thefe plants in a com- 

 mon hot- bed frame all winter, expofing them always 

 to the open air in mild weather, but covering them 

 in froft, and thefe plants have been ftronger, and 

 have flowered better than thofe which were placed in 

 the green-houfe •, fo that I would recommend this 

 method of treatment as the beft, for the plants are 

 apt to draw up weak in a green-houfe, and that pre- 

 vents their flowering ; nor are the plants near fo 

 handfome, as thofe which ^re more expofed to the 

 open air. ■ ■ " «r./' .. --. ^ ;■ ^. : -■ 



In the fummer time they fhould be placed abroad in 

 a fiieltered fituation with other hardy exotic plants, 

 and in dry weather they will require to be often water- 

 ed, for they ard pretty thirfl:y plants, but in winter it 

 Ihould be fparingly given to them. As thefe plants 

 are not of long duration, there fliould be young 

 plants propagated to fucceed them, for if they live 

 four or five years, it will be long enough, becaufe 

 after that age they become unfightly. 

 X I M E N I A. Plum. Gen. Nov. 6, tab. 2 1 . Lin. Gen. 



Plant. 1 105. 

 : The title of this genus was given to it by Father 

 Plumier, in honour of the Reverend Francifcus Xi- 

 menes, a Spaniard, who publiflied an account of the 

 Mexican trees and plants in four books, in the year 

 1615. .... 

 The Characters are, .. ' - 



: The flower has a fmall empalement of three leaves ^ which 

 • falls off ; it has one beil-floaped petal which is cut into 

 \ three fegmcn'ts at the top^ which turn backward \ it has 

 • eight fhort awl-floaped ftamina terminated by Jingle fum- 

 '"• ■■ mttSy and a fmall oval germen^ fituated under the flower^ 

 : fupporting a very floor t ftyle, crowned by a beaded ftigma, 

 '': The germen afterward turns to an oval fiefby berry ^ in- 

 ' eluding an oval nut with one cell^ containing one feed of the 

 '.fame form, '". ■ . . 



"This genus of plants is ranged in the firfl: feftion of 

 ':. Linnasus's eighth clafs, the flowers having eight fta- 

 : mina and one ftyle. 



, The Species are,' .' , . 



I. XiMENiA {Americana) foliis oblongis, pedunculis 



Ximenia with oblonz 

 ' flowers. Ximenia 



-. • 



« - 



H _ 



■ I 



multifloris. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1193 



leaves^ and foot-ftalks bearing man 



aculeata, flore villofo, fruftu luteo. Plum. Gen. 

 • Nov. 6. Prickly Ximenia with a hairy flower^ and a 

 " yellow fruit, 

 2. Ximenia {Agihalid) foliis geminis lanceolatis. Xime- 



fpear-fl: 



Agihalid. Alpin. 



Egypt. 38. 



Thefirft fort grows naturally in the iflands of the 



Weft-Indies \ it rifes v/ith a woody ftalk twenty feet 



hio-h, fending out feveral branches on every fide, which 



are arxmed with thorns, and garnifhed with fpear-fhaped 



leaves ftanding round the branches without order. 



The flowers are produced at the end of the branches'; 



15 C they 



