C x 7+ ] 
ing of the male and female pine-tree, fays, (< that 
<c the Macedonians have trees nearly related to pines, 
“ of which the male is of fhorter growth, and has 
“ harder leaves ; that the female is taller, and has 
<c its leaves fofter, and more flefhy.” He fays, upon 
his own authority, “ that the wood of the male pine 
“ is hard, that of the female more foft.” Pliny * 
alfo in his hidory gives a like reafon for his didin- 
guifhing the fex of the pine : he fays farther §, in 
another part of the valuable monument he has left us, 
“ that the mod expert naturalids aflert, that every 
<c tree, and every herb, which the earth produces, 
u hath both fexes but this is to be underdood in 
the manner I jud now mentioned ; and fo likewife 
is the didindtion among the more modern botanids 
in their denominations of feveral plants, fuch as Ve- 
ronica, Eupatorium , Anagallis , Tilia , Paonia, Bal- 
famita , Filix , Quercus , Orchis , Laureola , Abro- 
tanum , Cornus , Polygonum , Equijetum , Mandr agora, 
and others, which are termed imaginarily male and 
female ; as the difcovery of the real fex of plants 
was referved for the accuracy of the prefent age. 
Befides the before-mention’d erroneous principle, 
from which the antients, as well as fome more mo- 
dern authors, determined the lex of plants, there is 
yet another, which I think right to mention in this 
place ; and that is, a denomination of plants from 
their fex, which is abfolutely falfe : and in order to 
elucidate this podtion, and to fhew at the fame time 
wherein 
* Lib. xvi. cap. 10. 
§ Lib. xiii. cap. 4. 
