364 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS-. ' [anNO 1 699. 



of a greenish brown colour, being somewhat like those of the cariophylli, hav- 

 ing under it three short capsular leaves, and within several long pappous seeds, 

 the seed itself being oblong, pyramidal, and very small, having very soft hairs 

 down, or tomentum, much longer in proportion to the seed than any tomen- 

 tum I know, being as long as the pod or capsule. It grows on the arms of the 

 trees, everywhere in the woods, as also on the bark of their trunks, especially 

 when they begin to decay, their barks receiving the seed, and yielding then 

 more easily to the fibrils of the roots of this plant, which in some time dis- 

 solves them, and ruins the whole trunk. 



The contrivance of nature in this vegetable is very surprising ; the seed has 

 many long threads of tomentum, not only that it may be carried everywhere by 

 the wind, as pappous and tomentose seeds of hieracium, lysimachia, &c. are; 

 but also that it may by those threads, when driven through the boughs, be held 

 fast, and so stick to the arms and extended parts of the barks of trees ; so soon 

 as it sprouts or germinates, though it be on the under part of a bough or trunk 

 of the tree, its leaves and stalk rise perpendicular or straight up ; because if 

 it had any other position, the cistern before-mentioned made of the hollow 

 leaves could not hold water, which is necessary for the nourishment and life of 

 the plant. In the mountainous, as well as the dry low woods, during a scarcity 

 of water, this reservatory is necessary and sufficient, not only for the plant 

 itself, but likewise is very useful to men, birds, &c. 



There are some European plants which somewhat resemble this in some par- 

 ticulars. The virga pastoris,* or wild teasel, and most perfoliated plants, have 

 their leaves enclosing the stalk, and so set by pairs opposite to one another 

 and joined by their bases, that they make a hollow place fit to contain some 

 water, which though open, yet doubtless contributes to the perfecting of the 

 plant. Several fuci are lately discovered to have seeds, which when ripe break 

 out of their places, and by means of a gluey juice, fasten themselves to the 

 stones or substances at the bottom of the sea, where they are to grow. The 

 common viscum has a giuey substance, probably for fastening its seed to the 

 bark of trees. There is a fungus called by Clusius, fungus minimus anonymus,4- 

 and by Dr. Merret, campaniformis niger multa semina plana in se continens, 

 which when ripe, opens in the rain, which filling a cup containing its seeds, 

 they are washed out on every side to propagate its kind. 



There are many families of plants with pappous or tomentose seeds, as dan- 

 delions, erigerums, lysimachias, clematises, anemones, &c. which when ripe, 

 their seeds are, by means of their feathers or wings, scattered to all ncighbour- 



* Dipsacus sylvestris. f I'eziza lentifera. Linn. ^ 



