ae. 
. the Greek Reader, who obferves its Figure and 
Its Form, Subftance, ag want of Leaves, 
have.caus’d them to ‘call it a Fungus. —Bocconz 
has nam’d it Fungus Typhoides — Catftatl Mupb- 
room; a Name not unaptly reprefenting what iS 
fometimes its Figure. 
~“Prtrver has call’d it Fungus Mauritanicus ru- 
ber verrucofus. 
Micuevi gave it the Name Cynomorium, which 
Colour, will find more expreffive than decent ; 
and this Linn us has retain’d, as there is” ‘no 
other Species, without Addition. 
The Plant is eight Inches high ; and, ani? 
different Circumftances of Growth, it ‘appears in 
various Forms; but, when the Soil and Situation 
favour its flowering, the Whole affumes a Sie 
bly regular and conftant Figure. - inl coecnies 
The Root is a light roundifh and irregular 
Lump, lodg’d ata {mall Diftance below the Sur- 
face: and, when it is imperfectly nourifh’d, the 
whole Plant often lies upon, or in Part under the 
Mould, in feveral thick oT Pieces, with 
large Heads. . 
Sometimes: the Root lies riko in the Soil ; past 
agit is eafily difturb’d and thrown up from its 
Place, Nature has provided for its Security, by a 
Property it has of growing round about the Roots 
of other Plants, and incorporating them into its 
Subftarice. , SOR 
Every one. has fbb how Straws and Blades of | 
Grafs are fometimes embodied in a Mushroom, 
that light and quick-growing Subftance | having | 
farrounded them. In the fame Manner the tu- 
berous Bottom of the Cynomorium often futrounds 
‘the fibrous Roots of Shrubs, and fometimes grows, 
to a large Part by its firm pees the Mark 
remaining when feparated. 
From this Root rifes the Body af the Plant, 
{mall at the Bottom, irregularly thickning up- 
wards, and at the Extremity fomewhat lefs 
again. 
At its firit Appearance the hole Subftance is 
covered with little Scales, thick fet by one another, | 
and-of an oval pointed Form, fharper toward the | 
Bottom of the Plant, and thinner upwards. 
In this Form it ftands a confiderable Time, a_ 
Crimfon Lump, fhewing itfelf about three Inches 
above the Surface of the Ground; but when it | 
| Meadow-Earth, and one Part large coarfe Sand ; 
rifes to flowering, the Growth from that to its 
full Height is very quick. 
This lower Part retains its delicate Crimfon and | 
| {catter fome of the Seeds. 
thick {caly Covering, but the re{t is of 4 fine 
“Scarlet, lightly covered with loofe and broader 
Scales, indented ufually at the Top: thefe retain — 
fomething of the Crimfon Tinét of the lower 
Scales, while the naked Subftance between them 
is of this fine Scarlet; and from this naked Part 
from under the Scales, and often without them, 
rife the Flowers, covering the whole Subftance. 
Thefe are very fmall, and of two Kinds, irregu- 
Jarly intermixt with one another, Male and Fe- 
male; but they have few Parts, and are not very 
confpicuous. 
There is no Corolla or Petalous Ornament. 
The Male Flower confifts only of a fingle Fila- 
ment, firm, rigid, and of fome Liehoth 3 of a 
| needful to its Support. 
| - pale Fleth-Colour, and terminated by y a Button : r Dec, 
 fplit at the End, and feeming double. 
As this Flower confifts only of a Fi lament, the 
Female has no more of the Parts of a. Flower, | 
than a Style rifing from the Rudiment of thé 
| Seed: this is firm as the Male Stamen, _and of a 
dufkier Colour, and it is terminated by a an obtule 
| purple Stigma. 
This is ‘the Conftruation ‘of the feveral Flowers : 
the Male are of fhort Duration, but the others, 
after fome’ longer Continuance, leave behind a 
| roundifh thining Crimfon Seed. 
The Clafs of this moft fingular Plate? is pointed 
- out very ‘obvioufly in the Defcription ; or on a 
| careful Obfervation of the growing Plant ; 
it 1S 
the Twenty-firft in the Linn 2an Syftem. “That 
Clats, under the Term Monoecia, comprehends 
| all thofe- Plants whofe Male and Female diftiné 
Flowers grow on the fame Individual. This is 
plainly one of them, and one of the moft ‘fin- 
ocular. 
Culture of the CyNoMoRiuM. 
_ Some have imagin’d this one of the Parafitical 
Plants, fuch as Mifletoe, which cannot grow ex- 
| cept upon the Subftance of fome other ; but this 
is not the Cafe; therefore there will require lefs 
Trouble than might be imagin’d to raife it. 
Due Warmth it will require, but nothing more. 
It grows in the Greek Wands, and in fome of 
the warmer Parts of Europe, on the Sea-fhores, and 
alfo far on Land; fo that neither is Salt-Water 
The Seeds will grow 
freely enough; and from thefe Circumftances ‘it 
will. be found no Way incompatible with the 
common Culture of the Stove-Plants, | 
‘The firft Article toward raifing it mutt be to 
get good Seeds, and thefe fhould be obtain’d 
from the Levant. — 
The Plant is not uncommon in /éa/y, but it 
rarely flowers there, and fcarce ever brings Seeds 
to Maturity. Therefore Jet them be had from 
elfewhere, and there will be no Difficulty ; for the 
Plant’ is gather’d for Medicinal Ufe in thofe 
Iflands, being a very powerful Aftringent; and, 
in the drying, Multitudes of ripe Seeds fall out. 
Let a Compoft be made for thefe of two Parts 
and let it be wetted a little with Brine. 
On‘the Surface of this, in a middle-fiz’d Pot, 
Sift a little more of 
the fame Compoft over them, and place the Pot 
in a Bark-Bed in Spring. 
Other Seeds fhould be alfo fcattered upon the: 
Surface in the Pots of two or three of the Stove- 
Plants, which rife with a fingle naked Stem, and 
_ there left to take their Chance. | 
Thofe in the proper Compoft, and 1 with the 
| Advantage of the Bark-Bed, will fhoot foonett ; 
but ’tis not improbable the others will make the 
ftrongeft Plants. 
No particular Care need, after this, be be- 
ftow’d upon them: they may take their Chance 
among the other Pots of Stove- Plants; and, if 
they never flower, there will ftill be great Sineu- 
3 larit a4 
i 
