[ i?3 ] 
u hie eft : fpaltas mafculas inclufo tumentes flore, et 
£c ad thalami confortium maturo, fub finem Februarii 
tl ex arboris faftigio extrahuntur ; quibus in longum 
cc diffedtis eximuntur fpadices, flofculis nondum of- 
citantibus, fed in unam madam compadhs con- 
£c ferti. Hos protinus in furculos five bacillos, fpa- 
(L dicibus faemininis inferendos divellunt. bacillos- 
<c alii amant recentes, atque illico infinuare fpadici- 
<c bus, fi qui jam lucem nacli funt 3 alii eos prius. 
<c exficcaiit, etin Martium ufque menfem cuftodiunt, 
u quo hiantibus uteris ad unutn omnibus infitionem 
“ uno adtu et opera inftituant.” 
As I am now upon the fex of plants, I cannot but 
obferve, that although the ancients diftinguifhed 
rightly, in determining the true fexes of the palm- 
tree, it is the only plant, in which they have not 
erred. Though they called plants of the fame genus y 
or of others very nearly related thereto, male and 
female, it was upon an imaginary, a falfe principle 3 
and that ufually taken from their fize, the difference 
of their leaves, or the figure of their fuit 3 and what 
therefore they have denominated male and female, muft 
not with the modern exadtnefs be rigoroufly confidered 
as fuch. Thus Ariftotle after having taken no- 
tice that there was the diftindtion of male and female 
obfervable in plants, fays, { . c that the male § plant 
“ is more rough and ftrong, the female more weak. 
“ and fruitful.” And Theophraftus ||, when fpeak- 
ing 
* De plant, lib. i. cap. 2. 
ivclCK^Xt iV Toltf Qtflois oil t'/et Tec tS'Jlx 
§ Ariftot. ibid. 
jl. Plantar, hiftor. lib. iii. cap.. 10. 
yi’/o; Zj OJlAV. 
