V I 



tranfplanted into a flmdy Part of 

 the Garden, where they will thrive 

 and flower very well. 



Thefe are all perennial Plants, 

 which die to the Surface of the 

 Ground every Winter, but rife a- 

 gain the fucceeding Spring: Mofl: 

 of them produce their Flowers in 

 Autumn, and, if the Seafbn proves 

 favourable, will ripen their Seeds ; 

 which if Ibwn fbon after ripe, will 

 come up the following Spring, 

 from whence fome new Varieties 

 may be obtain'd. 



VISCUM; Mifleto. 

 The Characters are ; 



The Flower conjifls of one Leaf, 

 Tvhich is JJjap'd like a Bafon, and jor 

 the moji fart divided into four Tarts y 

 and befet -with Warts \ the Ovary y 

 yphich is produced in the Female 

 Tlowersy is flac'd in a remote Fart 

 of the Flant (or for the mo[i part on 

 (lifferent Flants) from the Male 

 Flowers, and conffis of four flwrter 

 Leaves ; this afterwards becomes a 

 round Berry, full of a glutinous Sub- 

 fiance, inclofing a plain Heart-JJjap'd 

 Seed. 



We have but one Species of this 

 Plant in Englan(}, viz. 



ViscuM 5 baccis albis. C. B. P. 

 Common Mifleto, with white Ber- 

 ries. 



This Plant is always produc'd 

 from Seed, and is not to be culti- 

 vated in the Earth, as moft other 

 Plants, but will always grow upon 

 Trees ; from whence the Anticnts 

 accounted it a Super-plant, moft: 

 of whom thought it was an Ex- 

 crefcence on the Tree without the 

 Seed being previcufly lodg'd there: 

 Which Opinion is now generally 

 confuted from a repeated Number 

 of Experiments. 



The manner of its being propa- 

 gated is thisi (viz,.) The Mifieto- 

 Thrufljt which feeds upon the Bcr- 



V I 



ries of this Plant, in Winter, when 

 it it ripe, doth often carry the 

 Seeds from Tree to Tree ; for the 

 vifcous Part of the Berry, which 

 immediately furrounds the Seed, 

 doth fometimes faften it to the 

 outward Part of the Bird's Beak j 

 which to get difengag'd of, he 

 ftrikes his Beak againft: the Bran- 

 ches of a neighbouring Tree, and 

 thereby leaves the Seed flicking 

 by this vifcous Matter to the Bark j 

 which if it lights upon a fmooth 

 Part of the Tree, will faften it felt 

 thereto, and the following Winter 

 will put out and grow, and in the 

 fame manner it may be propagated 

 by Art; for if the Berries, when 

 full ripe, are rubbed upon the 

 fmooth Part of the Bark of a Tree, 

 they will adhere clofely thereto, 

 and if not deftroy'd, will produce 

 Plants the following Winter. 



The Trees which this Plant doth 

 moft: readily take upon, are, the 

 Apple, the AfJj, and fome other 

 fmooth-rind Trees ; but I have le- 

 veral times try'd it upon the Oak, 

 without Succefs, for the Bark of 

 that Tree is of too clofe a Texture 

 to admit the Sctds ftriking there- 

 in; which is alfo the Reafon it is 

 io rarely found upon that Tree : 

 And notwithftanding the great En- 

 comiums which have been given 

 to the Mifeto of the Oak, for its 

 Medicinal Virtues, yet I can't help 

 thinking, that it is equally good 

 from v/hatever Tree it be taken, 

 not- is it pofl'ible to find this Plant 

 grov/ing in any Quantity upon the 

 Oak-j fo that thofe Pcrfons wha 

 pretend to furnifh the Town wiri^ 

 It for Phyfical Ufe, do but impofe 

 upon the World, for it is fo rare- 

 ly met with, that whenever a 

 Branch of an Oak-tree hath any of 

 thefe Plan*^: growing upon it, it 

 is cut off, and preicrv'd by the 



Curious 



