March. fome of 
them fcattered over the Surface. 
Cover them. with a Straw’s Breadth of the fame 
Compoft fifted upon them ; and this being done, 
early in March let the fhooting of the Seeds be 
promoted, by letting the Pot up. to the Rim i in a 
Bark-Bed. 
The. Plants, when they have a little Height, 
fhould be remov’d into feparate fmall Pots, 
and fhaded in the Flot-Bed, till they have taken 
_ Root. 
After this they muft be hardened to the Air, 
for they are to have no more of this Nurfing : 
. the Seedlings require it, but bes Plants of this 
Apocynum aré hardy. 
In May, let a Border be chofen that is a 
| Ball of Earth from the Pot, 
| Day.» 
OF GARDENING 
Inches deep. 
Take the Plants sndiiey out of thé Pots, 
with the whole Ball of Earth, and trim the out- 
fide Fibres. © Open Holes at a Foot and half Di- 
ftance, and fet in the whole Ball of Earth with its 
Plant perfectly upright. 
Draw fome Mould over the Surface of the 
and fettle it well 
about the Stem; agd then give every Evening a 
gentle Watering, and the Plantation will fucceed. 
They will grow more and more vigorous rey 
Their own Earth will afford Nourifiment 
| enough to the Roots for the firft Days; and after 
-fhelter’d, warm, and fomewhat fhaded, at leaft, 
that has not any Time the full Blaze of a, Noon- 
ae Sun. 
~ 
A very fingular ‘Plant; ereét, robutt, oat 
rugged : worthy. a Place in all Collections of 
Exotics, and requiring little Care. 
this the Fibres on the Surface will fhoot; the 
Ball will.crack and break with the frequent Wa- 
terings; and new Shoots will be form’d every 
| Way. 
‘Vet the Earth be dug. out: of sith for a kee | 
fufficiene for the Number of Plants intended to 
Thofe who have written on the American Plants, ' 
or of, fuch. as cover the Fields of the. Eaft, 
have nam’d i it, and no one of them without Rr | 
ticular Praife.. ; E 
Srucdeny has call’d it Heliotropium America- 
num ceruleum.—Dovart, Heliotropium America- 
num ceruleum foliis hormint: and our great and 
moft refpected Stoane has defcrib’d a Variety of 
it with narrower Leaves, frequent in Famaica, by 
the Name Heliotropium Americanum caruleum foliis 
bormini anguftioribus. This Herman. alfo confi- 
der’d as a diftinét Species : 
Variety from Accidents of Growth. 
This Author calls the Species Heliotropium fo- 
tarts fructibus bifidis: Heliotrope, with rough, oval, 
heart-fhap’d and pointed Leaves, and with fingle 
Spikes. and divided Fruit. The Gardeners Lan- 
guage calls it Indian Ti urnfole. - ) 
The Root is long, white, woody, flender, acrid 
in Tafte, and hung about with many Fibres. 
The Stalk is four Foot high, robuft, ridg’d, 
hairy, with thick-fet Briftles, whitifh and greenith 
toward the Bottom; but from the Middle upwards 
ftain’d with a florid Crimfon. 
The Leaves are large, and in the higheft De- 
gree fingular. They ftand irregularly ; and they 
have long Footftalks, hollow’d and wing’d. 
The Leaf itfelf is broadeft at the Bafe, where 
it has a heart-like Indenting for the Stalk, thence 
it grows fmaller to the Extremity, where it is | 
pointed ; the Edge is regularly wav’d and finua- 
I 
but Linnavs, with 
great Juftice, has determin’d it no more than a | 
% 
the Plant, even before it flowers, 
-Manner of Growth very confpicuous. 
Some of the Plants will flower the firft Seafon; 
and all the fucceeding Summer. 
6 INDIAN HELIOTROPE. 
ted, and the whole Surface of the Leaf 1 is curdled 
up, and Touma. > 
Naturally the Ribs and Edges of thofe Leaves 
which hang upon the upper Part of the Stalk are 
purple; the reft of a dufky green; but often, 
where the Plant is in full Sun, the purple fpreads 
itfelf over the whole Leaf and its Footftalk ; and 
has a. rich 
glowing Afpect. 
The Flowers .are not large, but from their 
They are 
difpos’d in double Series along one Side of long 
‘flender Footftalks, which at their Ends curl in a 
fpiral Line, and have been underftood to repre- 
fent a Scorpion’ s. Tail. 
They are, when. the Plant is properly encou- 
| rag’d, of a very delicate purple, much upon the 
j 
| 
lis cordato ovatis, acutis, fcabriufeulis {picis foli- 
blue. 
As the Soil and Culture fait the Plant more.or 
lefs, thefe will be more upon the red Catt, or 
more upon the blue; but when they have this 
true blueifh purple, they are in their greateft Per- 
feétion. 
_ Each Flower is fupported on a very fhort Foot- 
| ftalk upon the common Branch, but they ftand fo - 
thick this is fcarce feen. 
The Cup is form’d of a fingle Piece, divided 
at the Edge into five Segments ; and the Body of | 
the Flower is made of a fingle Petal. This is 
tubular at the Bafe, and divided at the Rim inte 
five irregular, unequal and obtufe Seoments. 
_ The Opening to the Tube is-clos’d by five fmall 
Scales, which converge at the Point, and form a 
kind of: Star. 
In this Part of the F lower are plac’d the Fila-. 
ments: they are fivé, very minute, and top’d 
with 
243 
be preferved, and throw in the Compoft ‘ten March. 
