Royal Society. 351 
tho' it be on the under parts of a bough or trunk of a tree, itS 
leaves ana ftalk nfe perpendicularly or ftraight up; bccaufe 
if it had any other pofition, the ciftcrn before mentioned made 
of the hollow leaves, by which it is chiefly nourillicd not hav- 
ing any communication with the tree could hold no water, 
which is necefiary for the nourifhmeni: and life of the plant: 
In the mountainous as well as dry low lands, this refervatory 
is not only neceffary and fufficient for the plant itlcU, but is 
likewife very ufeful to men, birds and all forts of infefls, to 
which they come in great numbers when water is fcarce, and 
leldom go away without refrefhment. 
There are fome contrivances in plants growing in Europe, 
which in fome particulars come near thofe of this kind of ve- 
getables; the Virga paftoris or wild tcafel, and moil perfo- 
liated plants has its leaves inclofing its ftalk and fo fet by pairs 
oppofite to each other, and joined by their bafes, form a cavity 
fit to contain fome water, which tho' open, yet undoubtedly 
contributes to the perfeaingthe plant; feveraliv/a" have been 
difcovered to have feeds, which when ripe break out of their 
places, and by means of a glewy juice faften themfelves to 
ftones or other fubftances at the bottom of the fea, where they 
are to grow ; the common Vi/am has fuch a glewy fubftance, 
probably for faflening its feeds to the bark of trees; fmall 
mofles, 'heretofore thought to have no feed, are now known to 
have great plenty of it, and that fo fmall, that the Doaor faw 
itrife'' up from the ripe head in form of fmoak ; which without 
queftion is defigned that the feed may be carried by the wind 
to walls, trees, or other fit matrixes for its vegetation; there is 
a Fi^wus called by Clufws, Fungus minimus anonymus, and by 
Dr. Merret Campaniformis niger, f/juka femina plana in fe 
continens, that when ripe opens in the rain, and filling a cup, 
wherein lies its feeds, they are wafhed out on every way, in 
order no doubt to propagate its kind. 
There are many families of plants with pappous or tomentous 
feeds, as 'Dandelion's, Erigerums, Lyfimachia's, Clematis's, 
^mnone's, &c. which when ripe, their leeds arc by means of 
their feathers or wings fcattered by the wind to the adjacent 
parts; this is fo effcaual a way that the Jj?er Cariadenjis an- 
mais non defcriptus, 'Brunyer or Conyza, annua alba acris Mo- 
ris, which came at firft from Cane da, is now become a wild 
plant in many places of Europe, where it never was oblerred to 
grow, and far from the gardens where it was firlt planted, the 
ieul havina been carried" thither by its \\ings, and the Dcaor 
^ had 
