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Ihere, as in its native Country, it 

 would be little valued on account of 

 its great Aufterity ; which will often 

 take the Skin off from the Mouths 

 and Throats of thofe People, who eat 

 it incautioufly. 



This Plant is propagated by 

 Seeds ; for tho 1 there are often Suck- 

 ers fent forth from the old Plants, 

 yet they, coming between the 

 Leaves, are fo long, fiender, and 

 ill-fhapcn, that if they are planted, 

 they feldom make regular Plants. 

 Thefe Seeds mould be (own early in . 

 the Spring, in fmall Pots filled with 

 light rich Earth, and plunged into 

 an Hot bed of Tanners Bark. When 

 the Plants are ftrong enough to tranf- 

 plant, they mould be carefully taken 

 up, each planted into a fcparate Pot 

 filled with light rich Earth, and 

 plunged into the Hot bed again j 

 obferving to refrefh them frequently 

 with Water, until they have taken 

 new Root : after which time they 

 mould have Air and Water in pro- 

 portion to the Warmth of the Sea- 

 fon. In this Bed the Plants may 

 remain till Michaelmas ; at which 

 time they mould be removed into 

 the Stove, and plunged into the 

 Bark-bed, where they mould be 

 treated in the fame manner as the 

 Ananas. 



Thefe Plants will not produce their 

 Fruit in England, until they are three 

 or four Years old; fo they mould be 

 ihifced into larger Pots, as the Plants 

 advance in their Growth ; for if their 

 Roots are too much confined, they 

 will make but little Progrefs. They 

 mould alfo be placed at a pretty 

 great Diftance from each other ; for 

 their Leaves will be three or four 

 Feet long; which, turning down- 

 ward, occupy a large Space. 



The Leaves of this Plant are 

 ftrongly armed with crooked Spines, 

 which renders it very troublefome 



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to fliift or handle the Plants ; fo? 

 the Spines catch hold of whatever 

 approaches them by their crooked 

 Form, being fome bent one Way, 

 and others the reverfe ; fo that they 

 catch both Ways, and tear the Skin 

 or Cloaths of the Perfons who handle 

 them, where there is not the greater! 

 Care taken of them.. 



The Fruit of this Plant is pro- 

 duced in Gutters, growing upon a 

 Sta k about three Feet high ; and, 

 having generally a Tuft of Leaves 

 growing on the Top, has, at firft 

 bight, the Appearance of a Pine- 

 apple ; but when clofer viewed, they 

 will be found to be a Clufter of ob- 

 long Fruit, each being about the 

 Sifce of a Finger. 



KEMPFER1 A. 



This Title was given to this Plant 

 by Dr. Linnaus, in Honour of Dr. 



Kcn:pfir f a Girman Phyfician, wha 

 has figur'd and defcrib'd this Plant, 

 in his Book intituled Amcenitatum 

 Exoticarju?n. This Name was ap- 

 plied to another Plant by the late 

 Dr. Houjloun, which has fince been 

 referred to the Genus of Veronica* 

 The Characters are ; 



The Flower confijls of one Leaf, 

 having a long fender Tube ; but is 

 fpreo.d open at the Top, and is divided 

 into fix Parts ; three of the Segm nts 

 fanding upward, the other three hang 

 down, fo as to appear at firji like a 

 lipped Flonver : in the Bottom of the 

 Flower is fit ua ted the Point a I, at- 

 tended by a Jingle Stamen : the Poin* 

 tal afterward changes to a roundijb 

 Fruit having three Celhy containing 

 ftveral roundijh Seeds. 



We know but one Species of this 

 Plant ; 4/ue. 



Kempferia. Lin. FJort. Cliff. 

 There has been no Englifls Name 

 applied to this Plant. It is by fome 

 called Aro-orchis ; by others it has 

 been ranged with the Colchicum ; and 



