.GAL 
oval-pointed leaves , and woolly 'empalement s. Orobtis 
Virginianus, foliis fulva lanugine incanis, foliorum 
nervo in fpinam aberunte. Pluk. Mant. 142. 
5. Galega [Purpurea) leguminibus ftri&is adfcenden- 
tibus glabris racemofis terminalibus, ftipulis fub- 
ulatis, foliis obiongis glabris. Flor. Zeyl.. 301. Goats- 
rue with clofe , fmooth , afc ending pods , terminating the 
fialks in an oblong bunch , awl-Jhaped flipuU , oblong 
fmooth leaves. Coronilla Zelanica herbacea, fiore pur- 
purafcente. Burm. Zeyl. 77. . 
The firft fort grows naturally in Italy and Spain, but 
is propagated in the Englifh gardens for medicinal 
ufe. This hath a perennial root, compofed of many 
llrong fibres, which are frequently jointed, from which 
arife many channelled hollow ftalks, from two to 
three feet high, which are garniflied with winged 
leaves, compofed of fix or feven pair of narrow fpe.ar- 
* Ihaped lobes, terminated by an odd one, which are 
fmooth and entire ; the flowers terminate the ftalks 
growing in fpikes, they are of the Pea-blofibm fhape, 
and of a pale blue colour, and are difpofed in loofe 
fpikes. They appear in June, and are fucceeded by ta- 
per pods about one inch and a half in length, having 
one row of kidney-fhaped feeds, which ripen toward 
the end of Auguft. 
There is a variety of this with white flowers, and 
another with variegated flowers,, which have acciden- 
tally been produced from feeds, fo are not conftant, 
therefore are only mentioned here. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Africa; this dif- 
fers from the former, in having larger leaves, which 
are compofed of eight or ten pair of lobes, broader 
and blunter at their ends than thofe of the common 
, fort •, the flowers are larger, and the fpikes are longer ; 
the feed-pods are alfo much thicker than thofe of the 
common fort, but in other refpedts are very like it. 
Thele plants are propagated by feeds, which may 
be fown either in the fpring or autumn, upon a bed 
of ground in an open fituation ; and when the plants 
come up, they muft be kept clean from weeds till they 
are ftrong enough to remove ; then a fpot of ground 
ihould be prepared, in fize proportionable to the quan- 
tity of plants defigned ; this ihould be well dug, and 
cleared from the roots of all noxious weeds ; then 
the plants ihould be carefully taken up, and planted in 
rows at a foot and a half diftance, and in the rows 
one foot afunder, obferving to water them till they 
have taken new root ; after which they will require 
no farther care to keep them clean from weeds, 
which may be eafily done by hoeing of the ground fre- 
quently between the plants, and in the fpring the 
ground between the rows fhould be dug, which will 
encourage their roots, and caufe them to ihoot out 
vigorous ftalks ; and if their ftalks are cut down be- 
fore the feeds are formed every year, the roots will 
continue the longer, efpecially if they grow on a 
light dry foil. The feeds of thefe will grow where- 
ever they are permitted to fcatter, fo that plenty of 
the plants will come up without any care, and thefe 
may be tranfplanced and managed in the fame man- 
ner as is before direfted. 
The firft fort is ufed in medicine-, it is accounted 
cordial, fudorific, and alexipharmic; fo very good 
againft peftilential diftempers, expelling the venom 
through the pores of the fkin, and is of ufe in all 
kinds of fevers. Mr. Boyle, in his treatife of the 
Wholfomenefs and Unwholfomenefs of the Air, be- 
llows three or four pages, in celebrating the virtues 
of Goats-rue in peftilential and malignant difeafes, 
from his own obfervation and experience. 
The third fort was difcovered by the late curious bo- 
tanift Dr. William ITouftoun, at Campeachy, from 
whence he fent the feeds into Europe. This plant is 
propagated by feeds, which muft be fown on a hot- 
bed early in the fpring-, and when the' plants come 
up, and are fit to tranfplant, they muft be tranf- 
planted each into a feparate fmall pot, and plunged 
into a hot-bed of tanners bark, {hading them from 
the fun till they have taken new root 1 ; then they 
muft be treated as hath been directed for other 
.• x t 
GAL 
tedder plants, which are kept in the bark-ftovfc 
With this management they will flower fin July; and 
in September they will perfebt their feeds, but the 
plants may be preferved through the winter in the 
bark-ftove. _ , 
The fourth fort grows natural y in Virginia and Caro- 
lina ; this hath a perennial root, and an annual italic 
which rifes three feet high ; the lobes of the leaves 
are oblong and oval, generally feven or nine to each 
leaf : the whole plant is covered with a filvery down. 
The flowers are of a red colour, and are produced hi 
fpikes at the end of the branches : thefe are fucceeded 
by flckle-fhaped comprefled pods of a filvery colour, 
containing one-row of kidney-fhaped feeds. 
This plant, although it is tolerable hardy, yet it is 
with difficulty preferved in gardens ; for the feeds 
rarely ripen in England, and the plants are often ‘de- 
ftroyed by froft in winter. The only method in which 
I have been able to keep the plant, has been by pot- 
ting them, and placing them in a common frame iri 
winter, where they enjoyed the free air in mild wea- 
ther, but were protected from froft ; in this way I have 
kept the plant three years, but it has not ripened feeds 
here. N ; - 
The fifth fort grows naturally in Ceylon, and in many 
parts of India, from whence I have received the 
feeds. This fort was annual here, and decayed be- 
fore the feeds were ripe. It hath an herbaceous ftalk, 
which rifes two feet high, garnifhed with winged 
leaves, compofed of eight or nine pair of oval lobes, 
terminated bv an odd one; the foot-ftalks of the 
flowers come out oppofite to the leaves -, thefe fuftant 
a long loofe lpike or thyrfe of fmall purple flowers, 
which are fucceeded by (lender erebt pods. • 
This may be cultivated in the fame way as the third 
fort; and if the plants are brought ' forward early in 
the fpring, if the fummer proves warm, the feeds may 
ripen. 
GALEN I A. Lin. Gen. Plant. 443. Sherardia. Pouted; 
Epift. 14. 
The title of this genus was given to it by Dr. Liny 
nteus, from the famous phyfieian Galen. 
The Characters are, 
‘The flower hath a j mall quadrifld empalement of one 
leaf ; it hath no petals , but hath eight hairy famines the 
length of the empalement , terminated by double fummits . 
In the center is ftuated a roundijh germen , fupporting 
tivo reflexed flyles, crowned by Jimple fiigmas. The em~ 
palement afterward becomes a roundijh capfule with two 
cells , containing two oblong angular feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond febtion 
of Linnteus’s eighth clafs, intitled Octandria Digynia, 
which includes thofe plants whofe flowers have eight 
ftamina and two ftyles. i. , 
We know but one Species of this genus, viz. .. 
Galenia (. Africana, ) Hort. Cliff. 1 50, -Shrubby Gaknia. 
Sherardia. Ponted. Epift. 14. and the Atriplex Afri- 
cana, lignofa frutefeens, roifnarini foliis. Hort. Pifi 
20. Shrubby African woody Atriplex , with Rofemary 
leaves. 
This Ihrub .grows naturally , at the Cape of Good 
Llope, and in other parts of Africa ; it rifes with a 
fhrubby ftalk about four or five feet high, fending 
out many weak branches, ' garnifhed with very nar- 
row leaves, which are placed irregularly on every 
fide the branches ; they are of a light green, with a 
furrow running, longitudinally through the middle 5 
the flowers are produced in loofe panicles from the 
fide and at the end of the branches ; they are very 
fmall, and have no petals, fo make little appearance. 
The flowers come out in July and -Auguft, but are not 
fucceeded by feeds in England. 
This plant will not live through the - winter iii the 
open air in England, fo muft be placed in the green- 
houie, or under a frame, with other hardy exotic, 
plants, where it may have a large fhare of air in mild- 
weather, for it only requires to be protected from 
froft. In the fummer it may be expofed in the open 
air, with other plants of the fame country, and in dry 
weather it muft be frequently watered. This, may be 
1 5 X propagated 
1 
