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PRASIUM, Shrubby Hedge- 

 nettle. 



The Characters are ; 



The Empalement of the Flower is of 

 one Leafy divided into t?xo Lips, the 

 upper being cut into three acute Seg- 

 ments : the Flower is of the Lip -kind, 

 the upper Lip being oval and ere ft ; 

 hut the Beard is divided into three 

 Parts, the middleSegment being broad- 

 er than the other two ; after the 

 Flower is paft, the four Germens in 

 the Flower turn to fo many pulpy Brr 

 vies, each inclofing a fingle Seed. 

 The Species are ; 



1. Prasium foliis ci'atc-oblongis 

 ferratis. Lin. Hort. Qfiff. , Shrubby 

 {linking Hedge-nettle, with oblong 

 fa wed Leaves. 



2. Prasium foliis cvatis, duplic.: 

 utrinque crena notatis. Lin. Hort. 

 Clijf. Shrubby linking Hedge net- 

 tle, with' oval Leaves indented cn 

 every Side. 



The full Sort hath by forae Bo- 

 tanies been rang'd with the Lami- 

 um, by others under the Genus of 

 Melifla, and by Dr. Toumtfort un- 

 der that of Galeopfis, to which laft 

 it agrees very well in all its Chara- 

 cters, excepting that of the Seed be- 

 ing inclofed in a pulpy Cover, like 

 a Berry, which is fufficient Reafon 

 for feparating it from Galeopfis ; 

 though, by the eftablinYd Rules of 

 Dr: Linntcus s Method, it cannot be 

 juftified: yet he has feparated it from 

 that Genus, and applied this old 

 Name of Diofcorides, which he bad 

 applied to a Plant of this Clais, to 

 this. 



The fecond Sort is ranged under 

 the fame Genus by Dr. tioerhaa<ve ; 

 but in the Hort us Catholicus it is 

 ranged with the Lamium. 



Thefe are both low fhrubby Plants, ' 

 which feldom rife above two Feet 

 high, and retain their Leaves thro' 

 the Year : they will live abroad in 



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England, provided they are planted 

 on a dry Soil, and in a warm Situa- 

 tion, and produce Flowers from the 

 Beginning of June to the End of 

 Auguji but there is little Beauty in 

 their Flowers ; fo they are only pre- 

 fer vM by thofe who are curious in 

 collecting of rare Plants. 



Thefe Plants are Natives of Spain, 

 Portugal, and Sicily, fo that they arc 

 impatient cf fevere Cold : therefore 

 a Plant or two of each Sort mould 

 be fhelter\J in Winter; becaufe when 

 the Fro II is very fevere, they are of- 

 ten deftroy'd when they are planted 

 in the fill Ground, though they 

 will abide the Cold of our com- 

 mon Winters verv well in the open 

 Air. 



They may be propagated either by 

 Cuttings, or from the Seeds : if they 

 are propagated by Cuttings, they 

 mould be planted on a fhady Border, 

 toward the End of April, but the 

 Cuttings mould not be taken from 

 thofe Plants which had been drawn 

 weak, but rather from thofe which 

 hid been expos'd to the open 

 Air, whofe Shoots are fhort and 

 ftrong; and if a Joint of the former 

 Year's Wood is cut to each of them, 

 they will more certainly fucceed : 

 thefe Cuttings may remain in the 

 fame Border until the following Au- 

 tumn, when they may be tranfplant- 

 ed iiuo the Places where they are to 

 remain, or into Pots, that they may 

 be meker'd in Winter under a com- 

 mon Frame, where they may haye 

 as much free Air as poifib'c in mild 

 Weather, but only require to be 

 fcreen'd from hard Froft. 



If they are propagated by Seeds 

 (which the Plants produce in Plenty 

 every Year), they mould be fown on 

 a Bed of light Larth in April; and 

 in May the Plants will come up, 

 when they require no other Care, 

 but that of keeping them dean from 



Weed*. 



