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tie Balls, and are barren ; but the 

 Embryoes of the Fruit, 'which are 

 produced on Jiparate Parts of the 

 fame Tree, are turgid, and after- 

 ward bscome large fpherical Balls, 

 containing many cklong Seeds, inter- 

 mixed with Down. 

 The Species are ; 



1. Platanus Orient alts <verus. 

 Park. Theat. The true Oriental 

 Plane-tree. 



2. PlatanusO ccid en talis ant V ir~ 

 ginienfis. Pari:. Theat. The Weftern 

 or Virginian Plane-tree. 



3. Platanus Orient alts, a certs 

 folio. T. Cor. The Maple -leav'd 

 Plane-tree. 



The firft of thefe Trees (though 

 the firft-known Sort in Europe ) is lefs 

 common than the fecond ; which has 

 been introduc'd fince the Englijb fet- 

 tled in Virginia ; which may be, in 

 a great meafure, owing to the latter 

 Sort being much eafier to propagate 

 than the former : for every Cutting 

 of this, if planted in a moift Soil, 

 in the Autumn, or early in the 

 Spring, will take Root, and in a few 

 Years make very large Trees ; 

 whereas the firft is only propagated 

 from Seeds, or by Layers. 



The third Sort, although by fome 

 fuppcfed to be a diftincl Species 

 from either of the former, yet is 

 ro more but a feminal Variety of 

 the firft : for I have had many Plants, 

 which came up from the Seeds of the 

 jirft Sort, which ripen'd in the Phy- 

 fu-garden, which do moft of them 

 degenerate to this third Sort, which, 

 in the manner of its Leaves, feems to 

 be very different from either, and 

 imight reafonably be fuppos'd a di- 

 iiinct Sort, by thofe who have not 

 traced its Original. 



Thefe Trees delight to grow on a 

 moift rich Soil, on which they will 

 arrive to a prodigious Size in a few 

 Years,, and during the Summer-fea- 

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fon afford a glorious Shade ; their 

 Leaves being of a prodigious Size, 

 efpecially on a good Soil, fo that 

 there i r > fcarcely any Tree at prefent 

 in England, which does afford fo good 

 a Shade. But the Backwardnefs of 

 their coming out in Spring, together 

 with their Leaves fading early in 

 Autumn, has occafion'd their not 

 being fo generally etleem^d, as other- 

 wife they would be. 



The firft Sort was brought out of 

 the Levant to Rome, where it was 

 cultivated with much Coft and In- 

 duftry : the greateft Orators and 

 Statefmen among the Romans took 

 great Pleafure in their Villa's, which 

 were furrounded with Platanus : and 

 their Fondnefs for this Tree became 

 fo great, that we frequently read of 

 their irrigating them with Wine in- 

 ftead of Water. Pliny affirms, that 

 there is no Tree whatfoever which 

 fo well defends us from the Heat of 

 the Sun in Summer, nor that admits 

 it more kindly inWinter, the Branches 

 being produe'd at a proportionable 

 Diftance to the Largenefs of their 

 Leaves (which is what holds through 

 all the different Sorts of. Trees yet 

 known) ; fo that when the Leaves 

 are fallen in W T inter, the Branches, 

 growing at a great Diftance, eafily 

 admit the Rays of the Sun. 



This Tree was afterwards brought 

 to France, where it was cultivated 

 only by Perfons of the firft Rank ; 

 and fo much was the Shade of it 

 priz'd, as that if any of the Natives 

 did but put his Head under it, they 

 exacted a Tribute from him. 



It is generally fuppos'd, that the 

 Introduction of this Tree into Eng- 

 land is owing to the great Lord 

 Chancellor Bacon, who planted a 

 noble Parcel of them at Verulam, 

 which were there, very flourifhing, 

 a few Years fince. Bur notwith- 

 ftanding its having been fo long in 

 England, 



