Otob. 
Pl. 58. 
Fig. 3. 
‘Umbell naturally hangs or droops a little, 
OF) GARDENING 
687 
Culture of this Squinh. 
~Trisa Native of the Sea Coalts of Africa, whence 
the vaft Bulbs may be eafily brought to Exgland. 
If they be taken up when the Stalk is faded, and 
brought oyer in Nets hung up in an airy Part of 
the Ship, there will be no ‘ear of their being re- 
ceived i in good Condition: 
@ Bile cage for them muft be this: 
Peck of wet Sea Sand; or if that cannot be had, 
the fame Quantity of River Sand, or Pit Sand, 
clean wafh’d, and a Quart of Brine. Thefe fhould 
be thrown up in a Heap for fome time; and 
when the Roots ‘are received, let as many Pots 
be prepared as there are of them. Though the 
Roots are large, let the Pots be fmall in Propor- 
tion, two Inches clear round the Outfide of the 
Root is as much Space as is needful. : 
Lay an Oyfterfhell over the Hole of the Pot, 
to prevent its clogging up with the Mould; and 
if the Roots arrive in the Beginning of Summer, 
3. WILLOW-LEAVED 
This elegant and fingular A/elepias is very well 
worth the Attention of all who propagate curious 
Plants: it is of regular Growth, and pleafing 
Afpest; and not only of confiderable Duration in 
the Fime of wl gy lag but full of Singularity in 
the Fruit: - a . 
The we Writers have all named it; the firft | 
of them as an Apocynum, but the latter as an 4/- 
clepias. Ferman calls it, Apocynum eretium Africa- 
num, villofo frubtu, falicis folio. PuuxEenet, Apocy- 
num ereétum elatius falicis augufto folio, follaculis 
pilofis. 
. Linn £us dnd Van Roven confider it as an 
Afelepias, and the former very diftinétly names it, 
Afclepias foliis revolutis lanceolatis caule fruticofo : 
fhrubby Afclepias, with the Leaves lanceolate, and 
turn’d at the Edges. 
_The Root. is {preading, and hung with many 
long Fibres. 
The Stem is woody, and | cover’d with a brown 
Bark, .The Branches are numerous, and the 
young Shoots are green, ting’d often in part with 
red, 
ftand in Pairs, but toward the Top lefs regular- 
ly: they,are long, narrow, and of a faint green, 
~ curled. frequently at the Edges, and mark’ d with 
redifh Ribse'> 43: 
Fhes Flowers rife Fou the Bien of. the 
Leaves -in {mall Umbells, fix. or eight in ‘each. 
Thefe have a long common Footftalk, and from 
the. Head of that as many feparate fhorter Foot- 
ftalks. as. there are Flowers. : Thefe. {pread. out, 
and form. the open rounded Head; and the whole. 
Laei 
Colour of, the Flowers isa pale whitifh green in 
the Petals, . and 2 dutkier: Ti inge with fomewhat 
i 3 
/ a Petal, 
The £ endes on he (chee Part of the Branches 2 
Firft lay in two Inches and a half Depth of the 
Compoft, then clean the Root, and fet it up- 
right’: pour in more, fhaking it down at Times 
to fill the Space about; and cover the Root’ an 
Inch above its Crown. ~ : 
In this manner plant all the Roots. Then chufe 
a fhelter’d Part of the Nurfery, and open a Trench 
j -a Spade Depth and Breadth: fet in the Pots in 
Mix equal Parts of frefh Pafture Mould, and | 
Wood-pile Earth, and to a Bufhel of this put a | 
a Row, and draw the Mould about them: give 
them a very flight fprinkling of Water, and let 
them ftand thus till the Shoot appears ; now and 
then watering them with a very careful and light 
Hand. , 
“When they fhew the Shoot above the Surface; 
raife the Pots half out of the Ground, and give 
every other Day a frefh Watering: a Week after 
which is the beft ‘Time, plant oné in each Pot. Oétob: 
this remove them into a Greenhoufe, continuing _ 
to water them from Time to Time; and let them 
ftand near the Window, open to the Sun, and 
defended from all cold Winds; the Shoot will 
thus grow very quick, and flower in all its 
Gi | 
Zh 
SHRUB ASCLEPIAS. 
of yellowifh or hoary in the Middle. 
Each Flower is compofed of five Seeinents of 
and a confpicuous Nectarium, and is 
placed in a Cup form’d of one Piece, cut into 
five flight Parts. 
The Cup is-fmall in comparifon of the Flower; 
and is permanent: 
“The five Segments of the Flower refemble fo 
many Petals: they are of an oval Figure, but 
pointed, and lightly turn’d with the Sun. 
The Neétaria are equal in number to the Seg- 
ments of the Flower, and they furround the 
Parts of Impregnation. Each is of a Figure ap- 
proaching to oval, but obliquely auriculated on 
the Outfide; and from the Bafe rifes a kind of — 
{mall Horn, which bends toward the Parts of 
Impregnation. 
Befide this, there is a truncated Body; whith | 
covers the Organs of Impregnation, with five 
Scales at the Edge, and as many Openings at 
the Sides: this is an Appendage of the Necta- 
rium. 
The Buttons are Boe: they have fearce any 
Filaments, and they are buried, as it were, by 
the truncated Body of the Neétarium among the 
Scales. 
This is a mott finoular Conftruction of a 
Flower, it is peculiar. to the A/clepras’s, but uni- 
verfal among them ; and it therefore moft plainly 
and.certainly refers this Plant to the reft. 
There are two Rudiments of Fruit to each 
| Flowers they have fcarce. any. Styles, but are 
-crown’d with fimple Stigmata, and. are at length 
ripen’d into two large, oblong, in flatted Pods ; 
containing numerous Seeds wing’, with ie 
and a loofe Receptacle. _ 
‘The: five Buttons refer the Plant to we Pen- 
tandria 
