H Y A 
top, where it is divided into twelve parts, which are 
reflexed. . After the flower is paft, the germen fwells 
and becomes a round, compreffed, ligneous capfule, 
having twelve deep furrows, each being a diftindi 
cell, containing one large round compreffed feed ; 
when the pods are ripe, they burft with an elafti- 
cky, and throw out their feeds to a confiderable dif- 
tance. 
It is propagated by feeds, which fhould be fown early 
in the fpring, in pots filled with light rich earth, 
and plunged into a hot-bed of tanners bark. If the 
feeds are frefh, the plants wall appear in about five 
or fix weeks after the feeds are fown. As the plants 
will advance very fail, where due care is taken of 
them, fo they fhould have a large fhare of frefh air 
admitted to them in warm weather, otherwife they will 
draw up too weak. When the plants are about two 
inches high, they fhould be transplanted each into a 
feparate fmall pot filled with light rich earth, and 
plunged again into the hot-bed of tanners bark, being 
caref ul to (hade them from the heat of the fun, until 
they have taken new root ; after which time they muff 
have free air admitted to them, by raifing of the 
glaffes in proportion to the warmth of the feafon, and 
fhould be frequently, but gently, watered. When the 
plants have filled thefe fmall pots with their roots, 
they tnuft be ftiaken out of them, and their roots trim- 
* med, and then placed in larger pots, which fhould 
be filled with the like rich earth, and plunged again 
into the hot-bed, where they fiiould remain till Mi- 
chaelmas, provided the plants have room, without 
touching of the glaffes, at which time they muft be 
removed into the bark-ftove, and plunged in the 
warmed part thereof : during the v/inter feafon they 
muft be fparingly watered, for as the plants have fuc- 
culent ftalks, much moifture will rot them •, they muft 
alfo be kept very warm, otherwife they will not live in 
this country. In fummer they muft have a large fhare 
of frefh air in warm weather, but they muft not be re- 
moved into the open air, for they are too tender to 
live abroad in the warmeft part of the year in this 
country. 
This plant is now pretty common in the Englifh 
gardens, where there are colledtions of tender plants 
preferved, fome of which are grown to the height of 
twelve or fourteen feet, and many of them have pro- 
duced flowers, but there has not been any of their 
fruit produced as yet in England. 
As thefe plants have ample leaves, which are of a 
beautiful green colour, they afiffrd an agreeable va- 
riety among other tender exotic plants in the ftove ; 
for where they are kept warm, and duly refrefhed 
with water, they retain their leaves all the year in ver- 
dure. 
The fruit of this plant is, by the inhabitants of the 
Weft-Indies, cut open on- the fide where the foot-ftalk 
grew, and the feeds carefully taken out, after which 
the (hells are ufed to contain fand for writing, which 
gave rife to the name of Sand-box. When thefe 
fruit are brought entire into England, it is very diffi- 
cult to preferve them ; for when the heat of the fum- 
mer comes on, they ufuaily burft with an explofton, 
and fcatter their feeds about; and from the noife made 
by the ripe fruit, it was by Hernandez titled. Arbor 
crepitans. 
HY AC I NT HUS. Town. Inft. R. H. 344. tab. 
180. Lin. Gen. Plant. 427. Hyacinth; in French, 
Jacinte. 
The Characters are, 
"The. fio'wer has no empalement. It has one bell-Jhaped 
petal , whofe rim is cut into fix parts , which are reflex ed ; 
and three neWpriums on the point of the germen, with fix 
floor t awl- flo aped fiamim , terminated by fuinrdts , which 
clofe together. In the center is fiuated a roundijh three- 
cornered germen, laving three furrows fuf porting a Jingle 
fiyle , ■ crowned by an obtufe fligma. The germen after- 
ward becomes a romdijh three-cornered capfule , having 
three cells, which contain roundijh feeds. 
This- genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedtion of 
Linnaeus’s fixtfi ciafs, intided Hexandria Monogy- 
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nia, which includes thofe plants whole flowers have 
fix ftamina and but one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Hyacinthus (Nonfcriptas) corollis campanulatis fex~ 
partitis apice revoiutis. Sort. Cliff. 125. Hyacinth 
with a bell-Jhaped petal divided into fix parts, which are 
reflexed at their tops. Hyacinthus oblongo fiore oera- 
leus major. C. B. P. 43. Greater Hyacihb with an ob- 
long blue flower ; and the Hyacinthus Angiicus. Ger. 
99. Englijh Hyacinth , or Hare Bells. 
2. Hyacinthus ( Serotinus ) corolla-rum exterioribus pe- 
talis fubdiftindlis, interioribus coadunatis. Lin. Sp, 
Plant. 453. Hyacinth whofe exterior part cf tide: flower 
has diftinht petals , but the interior joined. Hyacinthus 
obfoleto (lore, C. B. P. 44. Hyacinth with a worn-out 
flower. 
3. Hyacinthus (JJtrinque Floribus ) corollis campanula- 
tis fexpartitis, floribus utrinque difpofitis. Hyacinth 
with a bell-Jhaped petal which is divided into fix parts , 
and flowers ranged on each fide of the Jlalk. Hyacin- 
thus floribus campanula utrinque difpofitis; C. B. P. 
44. Hyacinth with bell-Jhaped flowers difpofed on every 
fide the jlalk. 
4. Hyacinthus ( Cernuus ) corollis campanulatis fexpar- 
titis racemo c.ornuo. Lin. Sp. Plant. 217. Hyacinth 
with bell-Jhaped petals divided into fix parts , and a nod- 
ding branch of flowers. Hyacinthus floribus campa- 
nulas, uno verfu difpofitis. C. B. P. 44. Hyacinth 
with bell-Jhaped flowers ranged on one fide the jlalk. 
5. Hyacinthus (. Amethyftinum ) corollis campanulatis 
femifexfidis bafi cylindricis. Hort. Upfal. 58. Hya- 
cinth with bell-Jhaped petals cut half way into fix parts , 
and a cylindrical bafe. Hyacinthus oblongo casruleo 
fiore minor. C. B. P. 44. Lejfer, Hyacinth with an ob- 
* long blue flower. 
6 . Hyacinthus ( Orientals ) corollis infundibuliformi- 
bus femifexfidis bafi ventricofis. Hort. Upfal. 85. Hy- 
acinth with a funnei fhapsd petal cut half into fix parts , 
and fwelling at their bafe. Hyacinthus Orientalis 
albus primus. C. B. P. 44. Early White Eaftern Hy- 
acinth. 
The forts here mentioned are all of them diftindl fpe- 
cies, of which there are feveral varieties, efpecially of 
the fixth, which have been cultivated with fo much 
art, as to render fome of them the moft valuable 
flowers of the fpring ; in Holland the gardens abound 
with them, where the florifts have railed fo many va- 
rieties as to amount to fome hundreds ; and fome of 
their flowers arefo large, double, and finely coloured, 
as that their roots are valued at twenty or thirty 
pounds fterling each root ; to enumerate thefe varie- 
ties here, would fwell this work to very little purpofe, 
as every year produces new kinds. 
The firft fort grows naturally in woods and near 
hedges, in lands which have lately been woods, in 
many parts of England, fo is feldom admitted into 
gardens ; but the poor people, who make it their 
bufinefs to gather the wild flowers of the fields and 
woods for nofegays, &c. bring great quantities of 
thefe in the fpring to London, and fell them about 
the ftreets. 
There is a variety of this with white flowers, which is 
kept in fome gardens, which only differs in the colour 
of their flowers from the other. 
The fecond fort is preferved in fome few gardens 
for the fake of variety, but as it hath as little beauty 
as the firft, fo is feldom allowed a place in the flower- 
garden. The flowers of this are narrower than thofe 
of the firft fort, and feem as if their petals were divided 
to the bottom, three of the outer fegments being fe~ 
parated from the other, (landing at a fmall di fiance 
from the three interior, but they are all joined at their 
bafe ; when the flowers firft appear, they are of a 
light blue colour, but before they decay, they fade 
to a worn-out purple colour. This flowers early in 
the fpring, and grows naturally in Spain and Mau- 
ritania. 
The third fort grows naturally in Spain and Italy ; 
this hath blue flowers of the open fpread bell- {nape, 
which are divided into fix fegments almoft to the bot- 
tom. 
