S I 



difcovered in the Ifland of Crete by 

 Br. Tournefort, who fent it to the 

 Royal Garden at Pan's. 



Thefe Plants are preferved by the 

 Curious, for the fake of Variety ; 

 for they make no great Appearance: 

 the time of their flowering is com- 

 monly in May, or the Beginning of 

 'June, about the fame time with the 

 Bulbous Iris : the Flowers come out 

 alternately from their Sheaths or 

 Coverings, after the manner of the 

 Iris; fo that there is feldcm more 

 than one Flower open upon each 

 Stalk at one time ; but they 

 fucceed each other ; for there are 

 commonly four or five Flowers pro- 

 duced on each Stalk, when the 

 Roots are ftrong : thefe Flowers are 

 in fome of a fine blue Colour, fpot- 

 ted with yellow ; and in other Sorts 

 they are of a pale -purple Colour, 

 fpotted with White : but the Flow- 

 ers feldom continue a whole Day 

 open; but.clofe up when the Sun is 

 warm. 



The four firft Sorts are hardy Plants, 

 which are multiplied by Off-fets, and 

 may be treated in the fame manner 

 as the Bulbous Iris ; to which the 

 Reader is dehred to turn; where 

 there are full Directions exhibited, 

 both for the propagating them by 

 Off-fets and Seeds ; with which Ma- 

 nagement thefe Flowers may be 

 cultivated. 



The fifth Sort was brought from 

 Jfrica, where the Inhabitants ufe 

 the Root to fuddle the Fifh in the 

 Rivers, in order to catch them in 

 plenty. The green Leaves of this 

 Sort are poifonous ; for as a Tub of 

 thefe Plants, which were bringing 

 to England, was plac'd on the Deck 

 of the Ship, fome Hogs, getting to 

 it, eat down all the Leaves > w hich 

 fwelled two of the Hogs, and killed 

 them. 



This Plant, being a Native of a 



s I 



warm Country,is too tender to live in 

 this Climate, unlefs it is preferved 

 in a good Stove ; for which Reafon 

 the Roots fliould be planted into Pots 

 filled with light rich Earth, and 

 plunged into the Bark-bed in the 

 Stove ; which if it is preferved in a 

 kindly Warmth, the Roots will 

 greatly multiply. The Leaves of 

 this Sort die away in Winter, and 

 new ones arife in the Spring : where- 

 fore the belt time to transplant the 

 Roots is, juft before they put out new 

 Leaves, which is commonly in the 

 Beginning of April \ at which time 

 the Bark- bed fhould be ftirred up, 

 and renewed with fome frefh Tan; 

 and the Pots muft be plunged again, 

 and frequently refreshed with Wa- 

 ter in warm Weather; which will 

 make them grow very vigorous : but 

 during the Winter-feafon, while the 

 Leaves are decay'd, they muft not 

 have much Wet, left it rot the 

 Roots. Altho' this Plant thrives 

 very well in England, yet it has 

 but once flowered here;. and then 

 but one Flower appeared, which foon 

 decayed. 



SIUM, Water- parfnep. 

 The Characters are : 



// hath a rofefhaped umhellated 

 Flower, cenjifiing of federal Petals, 

 which are commonly equal, and 

 placed orbicularly, rejling upon the 

 Empalement ; which afterward be- 

 comes a roundifii Fruit, compofed of 

 tn.^o Seeds, which are gibbous and 

 furrowed on one Side, but plain on the 

 other : to thefe holes muf be added, 

 That the Leaves are joined together, 

 and adhere to the Rib, with an odd 

 Lobe at the End. 



The Species are ; 



1. Sium five J pi urn pnhflre, fa* 

 His oblongis. C. B. P. Water- parf- 

 nep, with oblong Leaves. 



2. Sium umbellatum repens. Ger, 

 Ltnac. Creeping Water- parfnep. 



3. SiUiS 



