626 | 
Sept. 
Ply 53. 
Fig. 2. 
“but in Times of more Curiofity, thofe who fent | 
rated them from all; and united them together, 
-conftituting the Genus Exacum. 
The Charaéters of this convey the “general 
Idea of the Plant; and this fhort Addition, flor7- 
bus pedunculatis, its certain, determinate, and fpe- 
cifick Diftinction. | 
The Root is long, flender, white, and hung | 
with a few Fibres. 
The Stalk is round, erect, abd ge the Top 
divided in a regular and elegant manner into a |_ 
number of Branches, which by their Subdivifions 
form a round large Head. The Colour of the 
Stalk is pale, it is ting’d often with brown or red 
toward the Bottom; and is lightly ftriated. 
The Leaves are placed in Pairs; they are fmall, 
of the lanceolate oval Form; that is, - narrow 
at the Bafe, broadeft at a little Diftance from it, 
‘and thence fmaller again till they termiriate ob-'| 
tufely. 
The Flowers are {mall, but they are innume- 
rable; they are elegantly placed, ftarry, of a 
Gold yellow, and fpread all over the broad Head 
by the Subdivifions of the Branches. 
Each Flower has its little four leaved Cup, 
which remains when it is fallen, defending the | 
The Leaves are oval, obtufe, and 
rife obliquely upwards. The Structure of the | 
Flower itfelf is very fingular : it is formed of one 
Petal; and at the Bafe is hollow, fwelled, and 
in a manner globular. 
Seed-vefiel. 
oblong and expanded Segments. 
In the Centre are ae four thready Fila- 
ments, crowned with roundifh Buttons. The Ru- 
diment of the Seed-veffél fills the tubular Part: of } 
the Flower; and the Style which rifes from it 
is firigle, and of the Length of the Filaments, 
which is equal to that of the Segments of the 
Petal... i 
+i The Head | is thick, dea rouhdilis , 
The) Seed-veffel is roundifh, but compreffed 
and furrowed on each Side, and divided into 
‘This Part is of the 
‘Length of the Cup. The Rim is cut into four | 
- TCOMPIEAT BODY 
two Cells : 
rous Seeds, with a large Receptacie. . ‘This is the 
Head, the firft Defcriber of the Plant refembled 
to that of Flax. It is of the Bignefs of the Cup 
which remains with it, as does often alfo the 
Flower faded, and without Colour. 
The Clafs is obvious: 
in each of which are contained nume-— 
four Filaments refer it 
‘to the Tetrandria, the fourth in the Linnean Sy- 
Sept. 
Bmenexreromer cena 
ftem, and the fingle Style fhews it to be one of 
the Monogynia, the firft Order of that Divifion. 
Culture of this Exacum. 
To fee this little Plant in its full Perfection, it 
fhould be allowed all the Advantages we beftow 
upon: the’ more fpecious and gaudy Kinds of the 
fame Quarter of the World: and this will be 
very eafy to thofe who raife others. It is natu- 
turally found in dry and half burnt Soils; and 
‘this’ muft teach us its fit Compoft: Pafture Earth 
with fome Sand and Wood-pile Mould will very — 
well anfwer the Purpofe; or any of the lighr, 
| and not too rich Compofts may be taken. 
A Pot fhould be filled with this early in’ 
“Spring, arid’ let fome Seeds. obtained from its 
native Country, or faved here, be fcattered over 
the Surface; and covered with a Straws-breadth 
of the fame Mould: let the Pot be fet up to the 
Rim in a Bark- ‘bed, and the Mould at Times 
watered. 
When the Plants apes: a little Strength, let 
them be thinned by pulling up the worft, till. 
there are only four or five left in the Pot, or 
according to its Size, as many as it can well fup- 
port. + 
Thefe muft i by degrees accuftomed a little © 
| co the Air; and -about the latter-End of May 
they-muft be taken into the Stove; in the ori- 
ginal Pot; for it is effential to them not to.be a 
removed. ‘They will require moderate -Waterings, . 
and will flower, and. ripen Seeds perfectly. 
2 THREE COLOURED PROTEA. 
‘We have before ‘defcribed the filvery Protea, 
one of the moft confpicuous as well as moft ele- 
gant Objects of the Vegetable World. This, 
‘though much inferior to it, has yet a great deal 
‘of Stasulsticy and Beauty: there is reditirad fome 
Care to raife and to preferve it; but the Ele- 
‘gance and Peculiarity very well recompenfe that 
Attention, 
‘The old Authors were not acquainted with it, 
the Seeds of rare Plants from the Cape, gave this 
among the other Kinds; and it was admired in 
our Gardens,. as foon as known in preferved Spe- 
cimens brought over by Collectors of natural Cu- 
riofities. 
PLuxEneT, one of the firft who faw it, re- 
ferred it to the Chry/anthemum Kind, adding, fru- 
I 
ticofum obicitt foliis Africanum caulibus fcabris flore 
‘minore: {mall flowered Shrub African Chryfan- 
themum, with knotgrafs Leaves, and a 
“Stalks. | 
We. have had Occafion before to obferve, Réw 
very unartful the old Names were; and this may 
{tand as a fecond Inftance,; the falfe Principle . 
once eftablifhed, this laborious Author flew, to 
it on all Occafions. 
It was impoffible a Plant fo utterly unlike the 
Chryfanthemum in its real Characters, fhould im- 
pofe upon Linnavys; or the Authority of any 
Name miflead him. He referred it to the Genus 
Protea, and adds, as its Diftinétion from the other 
Species, folits ovatis obtufis imbricatis, capitulis glo- 
bofis: {pherical headed Protea, with oval obtufe 
Leaves placed one over another as Scales. To 
this 
