pins 
Pl. s7. 
Fig. 5. 
A : 
and three Quarts of Brine; let this be thrown 
in a Heap in Ogober, and lie till the fucceeding - 
Year, often turning it, and fuffering no Weed 
to exhauft it. 
When the flowering Time.of this Plant 1 is Over, 
and the Leaves are decayed, make up a Bed in a 
chofen Part of the Garden for planting the Off- 
fets, to be feparated from the Roots. Let the 
Place be open to the Morning Sun, and fheltered 
from cold Winds: let the Mould be dug out a 
Spade’s Depth, and dug up well for a full Spade 
underneath, throw in the Compoft to raife the 
Bed three Inches above the former Level; and 
dividing the Surface by Lines drawn both Ways 
into Squares eighteen Inches in Diameter, open 
a Hole in every one for one Off-fet. Let the 
Opening be large, three Inches deep, and the Bot- 
tom levelled. 
Take up the old Roots in a moift Evening, and 
feparate the Off-fets. Trim the Ends of their 
Fibres, and plant one upright j in each Hole; draw 
the Mould about them, and let them be covered 
an Inch deep. 
There will require no more Care befides weed- 
ing and watering till they flower. 
~~ + y 
5. DARK FLOWERED 
The ftrong Ribs in the Leaf of this Plant 
recommends it to Notice when out of the 
flowering Seafon; and at that more favourable 
Time the Number and Difpofition of the Flowers. 
It very well deferves a Place in Gardens as an Ob- 
ject of fingular Variety. 
The old Writers knew it; and 2. have in | 
general called it by the Name, white Hellebore, with 
an Addition from the Colour of the Flower. C. 
Bavuine calls ic Helleborus albus flore. atro ru- 
bente white Hellebore with a blackith red Flower. 
Others have added the Term Pracox, early, but 
this is uncertain ; for the fine large flower’d Kind 
here reprefented, is later than the common. 
‘Linn aus, difcarding all compound generical 
‘Names, calls it Veratrum, and adds as the Dif- 
tinction of the prefent Species, Racemo compofito 
corollis patentiffimis : Veratrum with patent Flowers 
in a compound Clufter. 
The Root is compofed of numerous, thick, long 
Fibres, connected to a fmall Head. 
The Stalk is round, upright, firm, and near a 
Yard high; naturally of a pale green, but often 
{tained with a deep Purple toward the Ground. 
The Leaves. are placed alternately, and they 
have no Footftalks, but in fome Meafure fur- 
yound the Stem at their Bafes. ‘They are very 
large ; long, of confiderable Breadth, and marked 
with ftrong and high Ribs, all running length- 
ways; the Surface of the Leaf is rendered very 
_ uneven by thefe, and the Afpect is fingular. 
The Colour is of a pale green, often inclining 
toward yellowifh; and the Subftance firm and 
harfh. 
The Flowers crown the Stalk in a vaft Clufter, 
reaching a third Part of its Length; they are ar- 
I 
& 
After this let the Surface of Mould be every Ostob. 
Seafon drawn off for two Inches Depth between the = 
Plants, and a frefh Parcel from another Heap of 
| the fame Compoft prepared for that Purpofe be 
fpread in its Place, but never let them be taken 
up. We have obferved their Fibres are durable, 
not temporary as in the common Bulbs ; and no- 
thing but this Care of leaving the Roots in the 
Bed can make them flower with due Strength. 
The Seedlings, which we propofe fhould be 
raifed in the mean Time, fhould have the fame | 
Compoft ; and when they have one Year’s Growth 
they muft be planted in a feparate Bed at a 
Foot Diftance never to be removed again: this 
Bed, being of the proper Compoft, and. ex- 
pofed to the Morning Sun, will nourifh them 
well; and it will be feen whether they do not 
flower in better Time than the Account of 
Parkinson would lead us to expect. The 
flowering of many Plants may be promoted by 
good, and delayed by erroneous Management. 
The tranfplanting of bulbous Seedlings 1s under- 
ftood an Article of good Gardening, and this 
Plant was not at all Times.a known Exception. 
WHITE HELLEBORE. 
ranged on long common Footftalks with fhort hairy 
ones for every Flower ; and their Colour is an ex- 
treamly deep purple, tending to black. Singly 
they are not large, but the vaft Number of them 
renders the Plant confpicuous; many hundreds 
being often open at a Time. 
Each Flower is compofed of fix Petals, and is 
placed naked upon the Footftalk without a Cup. 
Ray confidered thefe as Leaves of a Cup, not Pe- 
tals of a Flower; and in the common white 
Hellebore, whofe Flower is greenifh, there is much 
of that Appearance. Tt was thence he claffed 
the Plant among thofe with imperfect Flowers. 
The Petals are oblong, lanceolate, and permanent. 
In the Centre ftand fix Filaments; they. are 
fhort, and are crowned with fquare Buttons. Thus 
far they are all alike ; but upon more Examination, 
there will be found in fome, befide thefe Fila- 
ments, three oblong Rudiments of Fruit, crowned 
with very fhort Styles, with open Heads; in 
others only a faint Reprefentation of a Rudi- 
ment without Styles or Heads. In the firft Kind 
the three Rudiments ripen into three Cap- 
fules of an oblong compreffed Form, each con- 
taining feveral flatted membraneous Seeds; in 
the others the Rudiment fades and comes to 
nothing. | 
From this Diftinétion of the Flowers the Clafs 
of the Plant is known, thofe with compleat Ru- 
diments, fucceeded by Seed-vefiels, are herma- 
phrodite Flowers , the others, with the flight and 
inconfiderable Appearances which fade without 
Fruit, are male Flowers; and as thefe two Kinds 
grow on the fame Plant, the Clafs is that of the 
Polyg ama Monogynia. 
Culture 
