P o 



provided they are kept in a moderate 

 Temperature of Heat, and have not 

 too much Water. 



Thefe Plants may alfo be propa- 

 gated by Cutting?, which mould be 

 taken from the old Plants a Month 

 before they are planted ; during 

 which time, they mould be laid on 

 <he Flues in the Stove, that the Part 

 which joined to the old Plant may 

 be thoroughly healed, otherwise 

 they will rot. Thefe Cuttings mould 

 be planted in fmall Pots filled with 

 light fandy Earth, and plunged into 

 a moderate Hot -bed of Tanners 

 Bark ; obferving to lhade them in 

 the Heat of the Day from the Sun, 

 and refrefh them every third or 

 fourth Day with Water ; but it mull 

 be given to them fparingly each 

 time. If the Cuttings fucceed, they 

 will have taken Root in about two 

 Months ; when they mould have a 

 larger Share of Air, to harden them 

 by degrees to bear the Sun and Air; 

 and afterward may be treated as the 

 eld Plants. 



The milky Juice of thefe Plants is 

 very cauftic, and reckon'd very 

 poifcmous. In cutting off any of the 

 Branches of the Plants, if the Knife 

 be not immediately cleaned, thejuice 

 will corrode it, and turn the Blade 

 almoit black in a very little time, fo 

 as not to be cleaned off again ; and 

 if dropped on Linen, will caufe it to 

 waih in Holes, equal to Aqua fortis. 



POINCIAN A, Barbados Flower- 

 fence, or Spanijh Carnations. 

 The Characlers are ; 



^he Flower conjifts of five Leaves, 

 which are placed in a circular Order ; 

 in the Centre of which arife ten 

 erooked Stamina : the Pointal, which 

 ari/es from a quinquefid Flower-cup, 

 becotnes a long, broad, flat Pod, open- 

 ing into two Parts, and filVd with 

 broad, flat, roundijh Seeds, each of 

 <zubich is lodged in a feparate Cell, 



p o 



which are divided by a thin Parti" 

 tion. 



The Species are ; 



1. Poikc-tana flore pulcherrimo. 

 Toum. Barbados Flower-fence, with 

 a fair Flower. 



2. Po INC i an a fore luteo. Uoufi. 

 Barbados Flower-fence, with a yel- 

 low Flower. 



3 . Po i s c i a N A flore rubente. Houfi. 

 Flower-fence with a redifti Flow- 

 er. 



4. P01NCI ana ffinofa,i]ulgo Tara, 

 Feuil. Prickly Flower-fence, com- 

 monly called Tara. 



The firft Sort is very common in 

 the Caribbee Iflands, where it is plant- 

 ed for a Fence to divide Fields ; and 

 is greatly eileem'd for the Beauty of 

 its Flo were, which are produced on 

 long Spikes in vaft Quantities. The 

 Leaves of this Plant are alfo us'd in- 

 Head of Sena, to purge withal. 



This was carry 'd from Cape Verd 

 Iflands to Barbados, as is related by 

 Ligon, and hath fince been difperfed 

 thro' the other Iflands. It grows in 

 thofe Countries to be ten or twelve 

 Feet high, and the Stem, is often as 

 large as the Small of a Man's Leg, 

 and the Wood is very hard ; from 

 whence it hath obtain'd the Name of 

 Ebony in fome Places. 



The Seeds of this Plant 2re annu- 

 ally brought over in plenty from the 

 Wefi-lndies, which, if fown upon 

 an Hot bed, will rife ealily : and 

 when the Plants are come up, they 

 mould be tranfplanted into fmall 

 Pots, and plung'd into an Hot-bed 

 of Tanners Bark, obferving to {hade 

 them until they have taken Root ; 

 after which you muft give them Air 

 in proportion to the Warmth of the 

 Seafon, and they muft be frequently 

 refrefh'd with Water. When the 

 Plants have fill'd the Pots with their 

 Roots, they mould be taken out, and 

 plac'd into larger ones, that they may 



have 



