O P 



5. OpuNTiAj folio oblongo, media. 

 Tourn. Middle Indian Fig, with an 

 oblong Leaf, commonly call'd. The 

 Cochineal Fig-Tree. 



4. Opuktia; folio minori, rottm- 

 Jiori 0" corner ejjiori* Tourn. Indian 

 Fig, with a imaller, rounder, and 

 flatter Leaf. 



5*. Opuntia ; majors 'validijjimis 

 ffinis munitu^ Tourn, The greater 

 Indian Fig, armed with very ftrong 

 Prickles. 



6. Opuntia j mitxima,, folio fpi- 

 nofOf latijjimo ^ longijjimo. Tourn. 

 The largeft Indian Fig, with a very 

 broad and long prickly Leaf. 



7. Opuntia j folio fpine/e-, lon- 

 gifjimo ^ anguflo. Tourn. Indian 

 Fig, with a very long, narrow, 

 prickly Leaf. 



8. Opuntia ; latifolia, crajjiori 

 folio, fpinis (tlbis numerofrs fir?nato. 

 Boerh. Ind. Indian Fig, with a broad 

 thick Leaf, arm'd with many white 

 Spines. 



9. Opuntia ; Curajfavica, mi- 

 nima. H. Beaum, The fmallefl 

 Indian Fig from Curacoa, commonly 

 call'd, The Pin Pillow. 



10. Opuntia-, Americana, arbor 

 excelfa, foliis reticpilatis, fiore fla- 

 vefcente. Flum. American Indian 

 Fig, which grows to be a tall Tree, 

 with netted Leaves and a yeliowifli 

 Flower. 



1 1 . Opuntia ; folio piano, glabro, 

 Scolopend/u. Boerh. Ind. Indian 

 Fig, with a plain fmooth Leaf, like 

 Spleenwort. 



The firft of thefe Plants hath 

 been a long Time in ^England, and 

 is the moft common Sort in Europe: 

 This, Mr. Ray and Dr. Robinfon 

 obferv'd growing wild in the King- 

 dom of Naples, by the Sides of the 

 Highways, on the Sides of the 

 Mountains, and among Rocks in 

 great abundance ; but in thefe Nor- 

 thern Parts of Europe i it is generally 



O i' 



prefcrv'd in Green-houfes v/fth 

 other Exotick Plants j tho' I have 

 planted it under a warm Wall in a 

 very dry Soil, where it has con- 

 tinued for five Years, and endured 

 the fevereft of our Cold without 

 any Cover, r.nd has produced a greater 

 Quantity of Flowers and Fruit than 

 thofe which were hous'd : So that 

 the Cold is not Co great an Enemy 

 to this Plant as Wet, which if 

 fufFer'd to lie long upon it, or given 

 in too large Quantities to the Root, 

 will defti oy it in a fhort Time. 



The other Sorts are much ten- 

 derer, being all of them Natives 

 of the warm Parts of the Wefl-J7idies, 

 Thefe are fome of them ib tender 

 as not to be preferv'd without the 

 Afliftance of a Stove ('efpecially the 

 ninth and eleventh Sorts) in any 

 tolerable Degree of Health j for if 

 they have not fome additional 

 Warmth to the Air of the Houfe 

 in Winter, their Stems will flirivel 

 and look yellowifh and withered. 



Thefe Plants may all be propa- 

 gated by cutting off their Branches 

 at the Joints, during any of the 

 Summer Months -, which flwuld be 

 laid in a warm dry Place for a 

 Fortnight, that the wounded Part 

 may be heal'd over, otherwife they 

 will rot with the Moiflure, v/hich 

 they imbibe at that Part, as is the 

 Cafe with mofl other iucculent 

 Plants. The Soil in which thefe 

 Plants are planted, fliould be com- 

 pos'd after the following Manner, 

 viz.. One third of light frefli Earth 

 from a Pafture, a third Part Sea- 

 fand, and the other Part Hiould be 

 one half rotten Tan, and the other 

 half Lime-rubbifh; Thefe fliould be 

 well mix'd» and laid in a Heap three 

 or four Months before it De us'd, 

 obferving to turn it over at leail 

 once a Month, that the feveral 

 Parte may be well united j then 

 O 4. you 



