O&ob. Linnaus, rejecting thefe vague Diftindtions, 
has feparated the Hollybock from all the mallow 
Kinds, and fhewn in it the Charaéters of a 
diftinct Genus: to this he gives the Name 
Alcea, a Term before ufed for the Vervain- 
Mallow, but now appropriated to this Plant; 
and the others, which conftitute the Genus. 
He adds, as the fpecifick Diftinction of this, 
Folis finuato-angulofis: Alcea with deeply-finua-_ 
ted, and, as it were, angulated Leaves. 
The Root is long, thick, and white ; and 
it is hung from all Parts with innumerable 
Fibres, which fpread to a great Diftance when 
they have Room and a free Soil; and then 
only fhew the Plant in its higheft Perfection. 
The firft Leaves are very large, and placed 
on long Footftalks; they are broad, fhort, 
deeply. finuated, rough, and of an obfcure green. 
The Stalk is round, erect, of a pale ereen, 
@ little hairy, and feven or eight Foot high, 
The Leaves on this have alfo long: Foot- 
ftalks ; they have a general Refemblance of thofe 
from the Root; but they are longer in Pro- 
portion to their Breadth, of a paler Colour, | 
and more deeply finuated or waved at the 
Edges, and are lightly indented between the 
deeper. Incifions. : 
_ The Flowers form a.Spike from a little above 
the middle of the Plant to the Summit; a 
Yard or, more in Length: they ftand thick, 
and in the various Appearances of half-blown, 
full-open’d Flowers, and thofe in the Bud they 
afford a pleafing Variety. 
_ The full-blown .Flowers. are equal: t toa 1 Rofe 
in. Bignels ; and are of a delicate pale crimfon. 
The outer Petals, which are large and elegantly | 
expanded, are paleft';\ the fmaller, which form 
a globular Body i in the middle, are more waved, 
and of .a deeper. red: the -whole very fpecious 
and elegant. 
This. .is. the ‘State iw the Plant in the Con- 
dition. wherein: we reprefent 1t in the annext 
Figure; but there is among: the Flowers an 
almoft endefs Variety: in the Colouring, and 
— the Quantity of Petals or Degree of Doublenefs. 
In refpect of Colour there are double Holly- 
hocks of every Tint, of: red from purple, in 
a Degree that is almoft black; to the paleft 
flefhy -Hue:. white is’alfo’‘a common Colour, 
and there are yellow in all the Degrees, and 
fome variegated Flowers; but in the whole 
Compafs.of the colouring, there is no Tinct in 
which the’ large and fine double Hollybock ap- 
pears \fo,. truly elegant, as the pale crimfon 
here reprefented; nor is there any Colour which 
is fo fcarce as this in the full Degree of Per-— 
fectiohs:- ; 
The Characters the Student muft fr. in a 
fincle- Flower; they are obliterated, or at leaft 
: impaired in thefe double ones; the more as they 
are more double: but in the fingle Kinds the 
Bignefs of the Flower renders all the Parts 
diftinét ; and there is no Species in which. thofe 
of the Clafs to which all the Mallow Kind ]| 
belong, can be better traced. 
N°. 5 
Every Flower has two Cups diftinguifhed Odtob: 
according to their Places, by the Names outer 
and immer: both are permanent; remaining with 
the Seed. 
The outer Cup is formed of one Piece, 
and divided lightly at the Edge into fix Seg- 
ments, which ftand expanded: This is the 
{maller of the two: the inner is in the fame 
Manner formed of one Piece, but it is cut 
only into five Seoments, 
The Flower is formed of five large Petals 
united at their Bafes; they are obfcurely heart- 
fafhion’d, nip’d at the Edges, and wide ex- 
| panded. 
In the Centre ftand a great Number of Fi- 
laments, crowned with Buttons of a Kidney- 
like Shape. 
The Filaments unite in their lower Part, 
and form a pentagonal Column; and at their 
Tops ftand loofe: they adhere to the Body 
of the Flower. . 
The Rudiment of the Fruit is rounded; 
and has a fhort cylindrick Style, terminated by 
twenty or more, bufhy Heads, equal to the 
Body of the Style in Length. After the 
_ Flower the Rudiment ripens into a Fruit 
of a rounded depreffed Form, compofed of 
jointed Capfules, which, when ripe, feparate 
and fplit on the inner Part. Till that Time 
they are kept in their Places by a columinar 
Receptacle, to which they are all fixed by 
their inner Edge: each Capfule contains oné 
Seed, which is large and Kidney- ‘like, but 
comptefled. tbigues 
Mees Student knows, that een the F ilaments 
in any Flower coalefce in whatfoever Manner, 
he is not to feek its Clafs and. Place in the 
Linnean Sytem by their Number, but by the 
Condition of that Union. They form in this 
Flower only one Body, therefore the Holybock 
is one of the Monadelphia; and the Number 
of them refer it to the Subdivifion of that 
Clafs entitled Polyandria. 
Culture of the Hottyucck. 
We have told the Gardener that the black; 
red, purple, crimfon, flefh-colour, white; varie- 
gated, and even yellow Hollyhocks, where the 
Leaves anfwer the Character of thofe of this 
Plant, are all Varieties from one common 
Stock ; the fame Seeds therefore raife, and the 
fame Calture brings them to Perfection. Inz 
deed the other Kind, which ftands feparated 
even by Linna@vus, under. the Name Fig- 
leav'd Hollybock, differs fo little from this, that 
he fufpeéts it but a Variety; and the Change 
of Leaves in Seedling Plants gives too much 
Reafon for joining in his Opinion: 
However that be, it is certain all the others 
may be raifed by good Management from the 
farne Seed, and this ts the Method. When the 
 Hollybocks. begin to flower, let the Gardener 
pull up all bad Kinds, that there may be no 
Damage from’ the Duft of their Buttons im- 
8 D : pregnated 
