P E 



The Characlers are ; 



The Flower confijls of one Leaf, 

 which is bell fhapcd, expanded at the 

 Top y and eut imo fever al Segments : of 

 thefe Flowers fome are Male, and fome 

 are Female, as, in the Cucumbers and 

 Melons : the Female Flowers grow 

 ujon the Top of the Embryo, which 

 ajterwardbtccmes an oblong or round 

 fejhy Fruit, having fome times an hard, 

 rugged ', or uneven Rind, with Knobs 

 and Furrows ; and is often dividi d In- 

 to three Parts, inclofngflat Seeds, that 

 are edged or rimmed about, as it were, 

 with a Ring, and fix'd to a Jpongy 

 Placenta. 



The Species are ; 



1. Pepo oblongus. C.S.P. The 

 greater oblong Pumpion. 



2. Pepo vulgaris. Rati Hi jl. The 

 common Pumpion. 



3. Pepo rotund us, aurantii forma. 

 C B. P. Orange- fhap'd Pumpion. 



4. Pepo fruciu parvo pyri/ormi. 

 fount. Pear-fhap'd Pumpion. 



5. Pefo fruciu mini mo fphserico. 

 Tcurn. Pumpion with a very fmall 

 fpherieal Fruit. 



There are feveral other Varieties 

 of thefe Fruits, which feem to be 

 only feminal Variations ; fo that it 

 would be needlefs to mention them 

 all in this Place, fince the Seeds taken 

 from any one of the Sorts will not 

 continue the fame three Years toge- 

 ther, if fown in the fame Garden, as 

 I have feveral times experienced. 



The two firft Sorts are by fome 

 Perfons cultivated for their Fruit ; 

 which, when ripe, they cur. open, 

 and take out the Seeds, and then 

 Jlice fome Apples into the Shells, 

 mixing them with the Pulp of the 

 Fruit and Sugar : this they bake in 

 an Oven, and afterwards eat itfpread 

 upon Bread and Butter : but it is 

 too flrong for Perfons of weak Sto- 

 machs, and only proper for Coun- 



p E 



try - people, who ufe much Exer* 

 cife. 



The Seeds of thefe Plants are ufed 

 as one of the four cold Seeds m 

 Medicine. 



The other Sorts are preferved by 



fome curious Perfons, .for Variety ; 

 but are of little Ufe, being good for 

 nothing when grown old ; but while 

 they are very fmall, feme Perfons 

 gather and boil them, likeTurneps, 

 or a^ they do the Squafhes ; and are 

 very fond of them. 



Thefe may be propagated in the 

 fame manner as was direcled for the 

 Gourds ; to which I fhall refer the 

 Reader, to avoid Repetition. 



PERESKIA, Barbados Goofeber- 

 ry, vulgo. 



The Characters are ; 



// hath a rcfe-Jiaped 1 'lower con* 

 filing of feveral Leaves, which are 

 placed orbicularly ; whofe Cup after* 

 ward becomes a foft fl'jby globular 

 Fruit, befet with Leaves : in the 

 middle of the Fruit are many fiat 

 roundifh Seeds, incl".d:d in a Muci- 

 lage. 



We know but one Species of this 

 Plant i viz. 



Pereskia aculeata, fore albo, 

 fruciu fiavefcente. Plum. Nov. Gen. 

 Prickly Perelkia, with a white 

 Flower, and a yellowilh Fruit. 



This Plant grows in fome Parts of 

 the Spanijh W ?Jl -Indies, from whence 

 it was brought to the EngLJl) Settle- 

 ments in America, where it is call'd 

 a Goofeberry, and by the Dutch it is 

 call'd Blad-app!c. This Plant hath 

 many (lender Branches, which will 

 not fupport themfelves ; fo muft be 

 fupported by Stakes, otherwife they 

 will trail on whatever Plants grow 

 near them. Thefe Branches, as alfo 

 the Stem of the Plant, arc* befet with 

 long whitifh Spines, which are pro- 

 due'd in Tufts. The Leaves are 

 roundim, 



