ROOT. 



even blofloms, they die. Wheat, as cultivated with us, 

 maybe termed biennial ; but is more properly an annual, 

 which is fown and fprings up the leafon before it flowers, 

 as many annual weeds often do ; while the feeds of others, 

 perhaps of the fame fpecies, remain latent in the earth, 

 awaiting the approach of fpring. More genuine biennials 

 are fome fpecies of Verbafcum, the Digitalis purpurea or 

 Fox-glove, &c. Perennial Roots belong to plants which 

 live and bloffom through many fucceffive feafons, to an in- 

 definite period, as is the cafe, not only with all trees and 

 fhrubs, but with many herbaceous plants, whofe entire 

 ftems and foliage are frequently annual. Such are the 

 bulbous roots of Tulips, Hyacinths, Anemonies, &c. and 

 the large flefhy ones of Rhubarb, and the Gentiana lutea, 

 with many others, whofe herbage dies every year entirely 

 down to the ground ; while other perennial roots, princi- 

 pally of a fibrous nature, are never deprived of herbage, as 

 the Gentiana acaulis, Lamium album, and mod perennial 

 grades. Several plants of hot climates, naturally perennial, 

 and even flirubby, become annuals in our gardens, as the 

 Common Natturtium, Tropteolum, which is capable of being 

 increafed by cuttings, nearly as well as by feeds, and thus 

 its double-flowered variety is preferved. The fame thing 

 may be faid of the Hemimeris urticifolia. The Tree Mallow, 

 Lavatera arborea, wild in Pembrokefhire, and occalionally 

 feen in gardens, exemplifies, in a remarkable manner, the 

 durability of the vital principle in feeds, as well as in bien- 

 nial plants hindered from flowering. Nearly twenty years 

 ago the feeds of this large and handfome fhrubby plant 

 were fown in a garden under our obfervation. From that 

 period many of the young plants have, every year, fprung 

 up, but the winter ufually deitroys them. A few have, now 

 and then, furvived a mild winter, and attaining a large fize, 

 have borne flowers, dying entirely at the end of autumn, 

 nor do we believe that any of them has ripened feeds, fo as 

 to replenifh the ftock in the earth. At leaft this has not 

 been the cafe for eight or nine years pait. We have never 

 taken the pains to fhelter a young plant of this fpecies in a 

 ftove, or green-houfe, through one or more winters ; but 

 Linnasus, with whom it was a favoured exotic, aflerts that 

 it will fometimes wait, for feveral years, for a profperous 

 flowering feafon, even in the open ground, though periihing 

 afterwards, with the firlt cold, in fpite of all the protection 

 it can receive. 



The Caudex, or Body of the root, in the Turnip, af- 

 fumes the appearance of a Hem, by riling conliderably 

 above the furface of the ground. Such is partly the cafe 

 with onions, and many exotic bulbous plants. Linnieus 

 fpeaks of the Item of a tree as a caudex, or root above 

 ground. Perhaps the caudex may be as properly termed a 

 fubterraneous item. This analogy neverthelefs is fcarcely 

 correct, the line of demarcation being much more flrictly 

 drawn between an annual item, and its perennial root, than 

 between the branches of any tree and its trunk. 



The fibres of the root, at leaft their growing extremities 

 that imbibe nourifliment from the earth, into which they 

 are gradually and continually infinuating themfelves, are, in 

 every common cafe, ftriftly annual. The powers of roots 

 lie dormant through our winters, or in bulbous plants, in- 

 habitants of arid burning fands, through the fummer of 

 fuch climates. After they have begun to form frefh radi- 

 cles, they cannot without destruction, or great danger, be 

 tranfplanted ; nor can even herbs with fibrous roots be 

 fafely removed, while their fibres are in a progreflive itate, 

 very young annuals alone excepted. 



Botanifts, as well as gardeners and agriculturifts, dif- 

 tinguilh feveral kinds of roots, whofe nature requires attes- 

 l 



tion from thofe who wifli to be mafters of their economy or 

 cultivation. The following arc the principal heads under 

 which they may be comprehended. 



1. Radix Jibrofa, a Fibrous Root, the molt fimple of all, 

 confifts entirely of fibres, undivided or branched, neceffarily 

 connefted indeed by a common head, or by the bafe of the 

 Item. Thefe fibres convey nourifhment direftly to the item 

 or leaves. Such conftitute, in general, the roots of grades, 

 and of moft annual herbs ; which latter requiring no re- 

 ferved (tore of provifion for another feafon, have no need of 

 a caudex in which it might remain through the winter. 

 While fuch roots exift, they keep growing, fucceffively 

 forming new fibres, as well as elongating their older ones. 

 Their fibres are occalionally remarkably lhaggy, or downy ; 

 whether to increafe the iurtace tor more ample abforption, 

 or to fix the plant more firmly in the ground, we cannot 

 always diredtlv determine. Botanical experience has taught 

 us, that very downy, or woolly fibres are efpecially appro- 

 priated to grafles that inhabit loofe blowing fand. 



2. Radix repent, a Creeping Root, is rather perhaps a 

 fubterraneous Item, branching off horizontally, extending 

 itfelf at the extremity, and decaying at its origin, throwing 

 out fibres as it goes, which are the efficient or actual roots. 

 Such a root is extremely tenacious of life, as any portion of 

 it will grow. Weeds which have this fort of root, as Couch- 

 grafs and Mint, are the moil difficult of all things to eradicate, 

 except perhaps the deeply defcending roots, partly flefhy, 

 of Convolvulus arvenfis, and Carduus, or rather Cnicus, ar- 

 ven/is, whofe more vertical pofition enables them to run 

 fo far into the ground as to be hardly acceffible. The 

 widely creeping roots, well guarded with hard and durable 

 fhcaths, and fupported by long woolly fibres, which belong 

 to many fea-fide, or fand, grafles, render fuch plants of great 

 importance in the economy of nature. They bind down the 

 loofe fand, and form barriers again ft the encroachments of 

 the ocean itfelf. The whole country of Holland is perhaps 

 indebted for its very exiitence to fuch natural mounds, ju- 

 dicioufly foltered and imitated by art. The three principal 

 grafles that ferve fo valuable a purpofe are Carex arenaria, 

 Arundo arenaria, and Elymus arenarius, all plentiful on our 

 fandy (hores. 



3. Radix fufiformis, a Spindle-fhaped, or Tap Root, like 

 the Carrut, Parfnep, Radifli, and many common plants, of 

 biennial, perennial, or more rarely annual duration. Its form 

 is beft calculated for penetrating deeply into the ground, or 

 rather is owing to the refiftance encountered by the young de- 

 fcending radicle. The caudex, of a flefhy juicy iubftance, 

 abounding with peculiar fecretions, and pregnant with the 

 materials of the future herb, throws out numerous fibres, 

 which are the real roots. 



4. Radix pramoi fa, an Abrupt Root, is nothing more than 

 an oblong or fpiivik-fhaped, vertical or horizontal, flefhy 

 root, whofe progrel has been impeded, either by want of 

 vigour, or by iome mechanical interruption, lo that it feems 

 to have been cut or broken oft. The name alludes to an 

 ancient opinion of its having been bitten off, by no lefs a 

 perfonage than " the divel," out of fpite to mankind. 

 Hence feveral plants, with fuch a root, were relied on for 

 their fuppoied medical virtues, which nothing but herefy and 

 fchifm could doubt. 



5. Radix tuberofa, a Tuberous or Knobbed Root, is of 

 various kinds. This fort of root belongs ;o perennial 

 plants, its knobs, whether of themfelves annual, biennial, 

 or perennial, being refervoirs of nourifhment, and of 

 vital energy, in which the refources of the herb are huf- 

 banded through the winter. Such are the Potatoe, and 

 Jerufalem Artichoke. Many of the Vetch or Pea tribe 



havo 



