R II A 



K II A 



And the feeds fliould be put into the gruund in the early 

 autumn in the fame manner as above ; and the layers laid 

 down in the autumn as in the other kind; of plants. 



All the other fpecics may be raifed by lowing the flones 

 of the fruit in pots in fpring, plunging them in a moderate 

 hot-bed. When the plants have attained fome growth they 

 fhould be removed into feparate pots, and be managed as 

 other tender plants. They alio fucceed by fuckers from the 

 roots and layers, as in the above forts. And the (ixth and 

 eighth forts may be placed in the greenhoufc, and the others 

 in the (love. 



Thefe are all ornamental plants ; the hardy forts for the 

 pleafure-ground, and the more tender forts for the grcen- 

 houfe and llove, among other potted plants of thefe depart- 

 ments. 



R.HAMNUS catharticus, or fpina cervina, purging buckthorn, 

 in the Materia Medica. The fruit or berries of this fhrub, 

 which have been long received into the materia medica, are 

 about the fizeof a lmall pea, and, when npe,of a mining black 

 colour ; they contain a pulpy deep green juice, called by the 

 French " verd de veffie," or SAP-green (which fee), which has 

 a faint unpleafant fmell, and a bitterifh, acrid, naufeous tafte ; 

 they operate bnfkly by ltool, and hence the plant derives the 

 trivial name " catharticus :" their purgative effects are con- 

 ilantly accompanied with confiderabk- third, and drynefs of 

 the mouth and throat, and frequently with fevere griping of 

 the bowels, efpecially unlefs fomediluting liquor be plentifully 

 drunk immediately after taking them. The dofe is faid to 

 be about 20 of the frefh berries in lubftance ; twice or thrice 

 that number in deeottion ; a drachm or a drachm and a half of 

 the dried berries ; an ounce of the expreffed juice ; or half 

 an ounce of the rob or extract, obtained by infpiffating the 

 juice. The juice made into a fyrup is the officinal prepara- 

 tion, and in this Hate it has been generally preferred by 

 phylicians, who found that in dofes of one ounce or two it 

 proved a very powerful purgative ; and was therefore much 

 employed as a hydragogue. Few patients, however, are able 

 to bear a frequent repetition of this medicine ; and even 

 Sydenham, who was partial to the purgative treatment of 

 hydropical difeafes, found that other cathartics more effec- 

 tually anfwered this purpofe. At prefent it is rarely pre- 

 feribed, except in conjunction with other medicines of this 

 rlafs. Lewis's Mat. Med. Woodviile's Med. Bot. 



RHAMNUSiA, in Mythology, an appellation given to 

 Nemi lis, on account of her celebrated (tattle at Rhamnus, 

 in Attica, which has been generally afcribed to Phidias. 

 Pliny, however, gives the honour of it to Agcracritus, a 

 fcholar of Phidias, who, as he fays, had defigned it for a 

 Venus ; but feeing one preferred to it, which was executed 

 by Alcamenes, another fcholar of the fame malter, fold his 

 to the Rhamnufians, on condition that they would only take 

 it for a ftatue of Nemcfis, whence fhe gained the name of 

 Rhamnufia. See Nemesis and Rhamnus. 



RHANDjE, in Ancient Geography, a people of Afia, in 

 Drangiana, on the confines of Alia. Ptolemy. 



RHANTER1UM, in Botany, fo named by Desfon- 

 taincs, from pvinfiOT, a hind of hrujh for fprinkling water, 

 like that ufed in Catholic churches ; the down, or crown, 

 of the feed having a fimilar form. — Desfont. Atlant. v. 2. 

 291. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 3. 2105. — Clafs and order, Syn- 

 genefia P olygamia-fupcrfiua. Nat. Ord. Compo/lta difcoidat, 

 JLinn. Corymbiferjc, .luff. 



Gen. Ch. Common Calyx imbricated, nearly cylindrical ; 

 fcales lax, recurved. Cor. compound, radiated ; florets of 

 the dilk numerous, equal, funnel-fhaped, five-cleft, eredt, 

 all perfedl ; thofe of the radius few, ligulate, three-toothed, 

 recurved, female. Stam. in the perfed florets live, awl- 



fhoped, fhort ; anthers fimple, united into a five-toothed 

 cylinder. Pi/l. Germen in all the floret.-, invcrfely coi 

 furrowed; lljjle thread-fhaped, the length of the ftamejis; 



ftigmas two, club-fhaped. Per'tc. none, except the per- 

 manent calyx. Seeds of all the florets the lhape of the ger- 

 men ; thefe of the dilk crowned with from lour to fix 

 bridles, thickened and feathery at the top; thefc of the 

 radius n.ikcd. Recept. fiat, chafiy ; feales acute, hollowed 

 on one fide. 



Eff. Ch. Receptacle chaffy. Seed-down of about five 

 briftles, feathery at the top. Calyx cylindrical, imbricated. 

 Seeds of the radius naked. 



I. R. fuaveolem. Desfont. Atlant. v. 2. 291. t. 24c. 



Found by Desfontainea on the fandy fea-coalt, near Sfax, 

 in the kingdom of Tunis. Root perennial. Stem erect, 

 much branched, round, leafy, one or two feet high. 

 Branches (lender, downy, ftriatcd, often entangled to- 

 gether. Leaves flattered, fertile, three quarters of an inch 

 long, lanceolate, acute, llrongly ferrated, cither fmooth or 

 downy ; the upper ones fmaller, linear and entire. Flowers 

 terminal, folitary, refembling thofe of feveral of the fmaller- 

 flowered American Alters, except in being entirely yellow. 

 This plant flowers in fummer. The bruifed leaves have a 

 fragrant fmell. 



RHAPHANEtE, in Ancient Geography, a town of 

 Aha, in Syria, placed by Ptolemy between Epiphania and 

 Anteradus. 



RHAPHIS, in Botany, fo called from pafi;, a needle, 

 or aval, becaufe of the long needle-like awn of the female 

 flowers. — Lour. Cochinch. 552. — Clafs and order, Mo- 

 noecia Triandria. Nat. Old. Gramina. 



Gen. Ch. Male flowers two, ftalked, in one common 

 involucrum. Cal. Glume Angle-flowered, of two awl- 

 fhaped, coloured, beardlefs, nearly equal valves. Cor. 

 Glume of two lanceolate, membranous, fringed, beardlefs 

 valves, fhortcr than the calyx. Stam. Filaments three, 

 fhort ; anthers oblong. 



Female flower folitary, in the fame fhort, one-leaved, 

 hairy involucrum, feilile, below the male flowers. 

 Cal. as in the male, but fhorter. Cor. Glume of two 

 valves, nearly equal to the calyx; one of them furnifhed 

 with a longifh, very (harp awn. Pi/l. Germen ovate ; 

 ftyles two, fhort ; ftigmas feathery. Perk, none, except 

 the permanent glumes. Seed folitary, oblong, com- 

 p re fled. 



Ed'. Ch. Involucrum of one leaf, three-flowered. Male, 

 Calyx ot two valves, coloured. Corolla of two fringed 

 valves. 



Female, Calyx like the male. Corolla of two valves: 

 one of them awncd. Styles two. Seed one, oblong. 



I. R. trivia/is. (Gramen aciculatum, C 11 flu Cufi'u ; 

 Rumph. Amboin. v. 6. book 10. chap. 8. t. 5. f. 1. Co 

 may of the Cochinchinefe. ) — A very common grafs in China 

 and Cochinchina, growing by road (ides, and proving very 

 troublefomc on account of its feeds, which (tick into the 

 clothes of pallengtrs, and cannot be lhaken out. Rumphius 

 fpeaks of it as equally common in the ifiands vf the 1 I 

 Indies. The root is annual, creeping. Stem a foot high, 

 ereft, round, (lender, fmooth, fcarcely branched, ahnolt 

 leaflefsi except at thebaic. Leaves nearly all radical, fef- 



file, llmrt, lanceolate, clalping the lower part of the Hem. 



Panicle fimple, folitary, terminal, conical, lax ; its branches 

 long, Straight, afcending. Linmrus erroneoufly cites the 



above fynonym of Rumphius, under his Panicum colonum, a 

 widely different plant. 



Mr. Brown, in Prodr. Nov. Holl. v. 1. 199, fuggefts 

 that the above plant of Lourciro and Rumphuis ought 10 be 



' red 



