354 HORTUS JAMAICENSIS. tyinNE* 



them from eating It so close as ihcy otherwise woulil. When, however, it is eaten m 

 near tlie ground as pos. ible, tlu- rem;t.ning grass shoiiltl be cut (.low n or burned off; 

 {tiler tliis, if favourable rains i'all, it will grow from the roots and seed, anci, hy covlt- 

 jng the ground in May following, u ill' be perfectly established for several years, ac- 

 cording to the quality of the land. Wlienevarthe gruss feocoines thin, holes' may be 

 opened in such !)laces, and roots ag-aip planted to supply it; and bv tliis attention a 

 f e 1 uill scarcely ever be so totally worn out as to require the labour of being at any 

 one time repiau.ed. With very tittle care in its infancy, this grass vr.W overcome all 

 otiier grass and weeds ; and in ground full of stones and rocks, tiiougii planted at great 

 distances at random, as the soil a Imits, it wi.l s))read itself ab.mt them in a few months, 

 and at last cover them entirely. If the stalks be buried a few inches de(^, each joint 

 will take root and grow; or it may be propagated directly i>yso.4-ing tiie seed, the 

 ground being previju^ly prepared far that purpose ; but the seed will lie sometinjcs 

 many months in the ground before it niakcb its appearance. Some plafiters do not stock 

 up ll.e roots which arc jiLntci! \\lien the grass lias seedetl ; and others depend upon 

 ^vlJat tliey aifortl, by c>ynti.iually feeding or cutting the grass, at a certain height, with- 

 O-it ever allowing it to seed ; but it is the surest way of establishing the grass ta allow 

 it to shed its first seed. 



Sec Guinea Corn. 



GUINEA-HEN-WEED. PETIVERTA. 



Cl. 6, OR. 4. Ilcxandria tetragijn'a. Nat. ort. Holoracex. 



This was so named in honour of James Pctiver, an apotliecary of London. 



Cen. GUAR. Calyx a four-leaved perianth, Iratiets linear, blunt, equal, spreading, 

 permanent ; there is no corolla, except the coloured calyx ; stamens six to ei"ht 

 (Svvartz observed mostly seven), unequal, awl-shaped, converging ; anthers 

 erect, linear-sagittate, i)ifid at top ; the pistil has an ovate, compres.sed, emar- 

 ijinate, germ; a very short lateral style, in the groove of the germ ; (Gartner 

 observed four styles, jiermanent, finally bent outwards, spiijcscent) ; stigma 

 pencil -shaped ; there is no pericarp, except the crust over the seed ; die seed is 

 single, oblong, jiarrower below, roundish, compressed, emarsinate, with four 

 barbed hooks, bent back outwards, rigid, acute, the middle ones longer ; (naked 

 according to Gcertncr, but armed above with reflex spines). One species is a na- 

 tive of Jamaica. 



ALLI.'iCEA. GARLIC. , 



Verhente aut scovodonia affinis anomah, flore aibido, calyce aspcro 

 aiUi-odoie. Sioane, v. 1, p. 172. 



Flowers six male. 

 This plant ijrows plentifully in .Jamaica ; the calyx is a monophyllons perianth, or 

 rather a sin pie glume of a lanceolated form, having a very short appi iidicle on each 

 side. The styles are not four in number ; what hitherto have been called styles are 

 only four reflected spines, placed on the top of the germ. The stvles, or what ought 

 to be called so, are placed on the hind part of the germ, next to the receptacle, and 

 consist of many sululate filaments, or else are one pensiliform style, div-ided into many 

 ^arts. TLe root of this plant is strong, about the thickness of a thuoib, deeply fas- 

 tened 



