A C 



A C 



feen or fixteen Years old from Seeds : 

 fo that the Inhabitants of the Weft- 

 Indies plant them from large Branches 

 taken from the old Trees ; which 

 with them take Root very well, and 

 in two Years time produce Fruits. 



The Plants of this Sort, which are 

 raifed in England, mould be planted 

 in fmall Pots filled with frefli light 

 rich Earth, and mull: be plunged in- 

 to an Hot- bed of Tanners Bark, and 

 often rtfrefhed with Water. Thefe 

 mould be kept in Winter in a Bark- 

 flove, amongft the tendered Exotic 

 Trees ; and mould not be expofed 

 to the open Air even in the hotteft 

 Seafon. 



There is fcarce any Tree which 

 bears tranfplanting worfe than this, 

 even in the native Places of its 

 Growth ; for the Roots are few and 

 long, which, when cut, generally 

 kill the Tree : fo that when thefe 

 Plants are fhifted from one Pot to 

 another, their Roots fhould not be 

 cut or broken ; nor muft they be 

 often tranfplanted, or over-potted, 

 which is fure Death to them : there- 

 fore the bell: Method is, to put one 

 good Seed into each Kalfpeny Pot, 

 where the Plants may remain a Year, 

 or more, without being removed ; 

 and when they are traniplanted into 

 other Pots, the Ball of Earth fnould 

 be preferved to their Roots as intire 

 as pofiible. By this Method I have 

 had the bell Succefs with this Plant. 



.One Plant of this Kind flowered 

 in the Qarden of Sir Charles Wager\ 

 at Parfons-Green near Fulham, tho' 

 not above two Years old ; but itfoon 

 after perihYd, without producing any 

 Fruit. 



ACANTHUS, Branca Urftna, or 

 Bear's-breech. 



The Characlers are ; \ ' 



The Leaves are fomewhat like thefe 

 of the X T hi file : the Flcvjcrs are la- 

 biated : 'the Under-lip of the Flov:er 



is divided into three Segments, which 

 in the Beginning is curVd up in form 

 of a fhort Tube : in the Place of the 

 Upper-lip are produced the Stamina, 

 furrounding the Ovary which fupport 

 the Point al: the Cup of the Flower is 

 ccmpofed of Leaves which are prickly ; 

 the upper Part of which is bent over 

 like an Arch , and fupplies the Dcfecl of 

 the Upper-lip of the Flower : the Fruit 

 is of an oval Form, which is divided 

 in the Middle into two Cells, each con- 

 taining one Jingle fmooth Seed. 



There are five Species of this Plant 

 to be found in the Gardens of the 

 Curious ; viz. 



i. Acanthus fativus, vel mol- 

 lis Virgilii. C. B. The fmooth-leav'd 

 Garden BearVbreech. 



z. Acanthus aculeatus. C. B. 

 The prickly Bear's- breech. 



3: Acanthus rarioribus £jf bre-> 

 vioribus aculeis ?nunitus. Tourn. The 

 middle BearVbreech, with fhort 

 Spines. 



4. Acanthus Luftanicus, am- 

 plijfmo folio lucido. The Portugal 

 Bear's breech, with large mining 

 Leaves. 



5. Acanthus orientalis hv?nilli- 

 mus, foliis pinna tis aculeatis. Tourn. 

 Cor. Dwarf Eaftern Bear'sreech, 

 with prickly winged Leaves. 



The firfl Sort is what is ufed in 

 Medicine, and is fuppofed to be the 

 mollis Acanthus of V irgil. The Leaves . 

 of this Plant are cut upon the Ca- 

 pitals of the Corinthian Pillars, and 

 were formerly in great Efteem witli 

 the Romans. 



They are all very pretty V arieties,. 

 and fit for large Gardens ; but mould 

 have a warm Situation, and a dry 

 Soil. They are eafily propagated, 

 by parting the Roots in February or 

 March, or by Seeds fown at the 

 fame time. The fecond and third 

 Sorts are apt to creep at the Root v 

 therefore ftiouid have room/ and 



ran ft 



