ea HORTUS JAMAICENSIS. ^^astaub 



Flo'.vcrs six stumcncd ; leaves simple, lanceolate, petioledi stems prociniibcn.t. 



The slen! is herbaceous, six inches iiigli. Leaves niiernate, small, aeiite, smooth ; 

 the llawer is j'cllow, turning to oranj^e or red. Barham calls iius -wali-JlowLr. li i:as a 

 larg2 root, tlie leaves like c^minori milkwoit. IJ;'ovvue calls it iho suiall suvannu nius-,. 

 tard, vvJiicii grjws wild iu every part of t!ic island, and Hokvers in November. 



2. i'ENTAPHYLLA. riVE-LEAVED. 



Sinapistriim indiann fcnia])hyUum f.orc carneo viinus, nf.ii spinosuvi. 

 Sloane, v. 1, p. 19k Procui7ibt'ns jitntuj.lii/llitm, sjiica lo/i^icix 

 tcrininali. Erowne, p. '21Z. 



Fluwers gynandrous ; leaves qiiinate ; stem unarmed. 



The erect triCoiiated sambo is a small plant, found growing in tufts upon tho tjroiuidi! 

 and seldom runs above eight or ten inches in length ; it is, however, mijre succulent 

 than either of the others, and gencrallv lool.ed upon as a very waolesome green ; but 

 it has a bitterish taste, and requires long boiling, and the water's being frequently 

 shifted, to render it palateabie. It is deemed a preservative against the dry-bcily-ache ; 

 and, doubtless, claims a precedency, if any green can be said to be etiectual thatwav. 

 Broxi'ne. 



Under the name coi/crs this plant is described as follows, in Hughes's Hislors' of Ear- 

 badoes : " Tnis shrubby plant hath several whitish roots, smelling not ur.lil.e a raddish. 

 The main !;lalk, which is of a purplish colour, branches very much rear the ground : 

 from the several side branches issue a great many footstiilks, whose respective toj^s from 

 Qne common centre "^usiain seven sharp pointed leaves, being almost equally sharp near 

 their common footstalk, where they all join; at which juncture there is a yeiiouish 

 spot. Tne flower very much resembles that of a garlic pear tree, consisting of four 

 small spoonlike petals. From the centre of these rises a dark coloured ])is{il, from 

 whose sides, somewhat higher, issue six pnrplish stamina, lipped wiili brown apdces ; 

 the pistil in the mi Idle stiil continuing larger than tiie stamina, bearing upon it the 

 rudimeiit of the future pod, which, when ripe, is of a flattish shajjc, of ai)oat six 

 inches long, inclosing a great many siiiall seeds. Tlie juice of this j)lant, mixed with 

 sweet oil, is looked iijion to be a sovereign remedy against the pain in the ear, if poured 

 into it warm." Hughis'' Barbadocs, p. 210. 



In confirmation of the above virtue in this plant, of curing pains in the ear, Dr. A. 

 Iiobinsor', in liis uianuscript, states as iollows : *' A gentleman of St. Ehzaoeth's in- 

 formed Die, that for some years he had been at times afflicted with violent i^ains in Ins 

 left ear, so that at last he could hardly hear on that side ; he had little or no wax at ; ly 

 lime in it, and sometimes feit such an uneasy sensation, as one perceives when a Hea 

 or other small inse;t gets into ones car ; that, a few da_vs beiore he saw mc, he had 

 pulled a living insect out of It. He said, when the pain was most raging he liad, by 

 the advice of a negro woman, taken a leaf of the clcome terfia prccmnbens pentaphyl- 

 lum, i(c. of Browne, imd, upon squeezing a few drops of it into Jiis ear, he had been 

 ioslantaneously relieved from the pain." 



4. POLYGAMA. POLYGAMY. 



Sirwpisfrum Indicum triphyllum flore carnen 7ion spinosum. Sloane, 

 V. I, p. 194, t. 124, f. 1. Erectiim triphT/lUun, jicribus solttarhs 

 alaribus, Browue, p. 273. Tuis 



