I M P 
The three fi'rft forts grow n . rurally in Spain,- Portu- 
gal, and the fouth of France ; the firft has ligneous 
Salks about a foot high, garnifhed with fmall leaves 
like thofe of Knot-grafs ; the flowers come out fingl.y 
on the fide of the Falks, which make little appear- 
ance, fo is feldom preferved in garden. 
The fecond and third forts have trailing ftalks near 
two feet long, which fpread on the ground, gar- 
niilied with leaves like thofe of the firft fort ; the 
heads of dowers come out from the joints of the ftalk, 
having neat filvery braftea furrounding them, which 
make a pretty appearance. Their flowers appear in 
June, and there is generally a iucceflion of them for 
at kail two months and when the autumn proves 
warm, they will ripen their feeds the beginning of 
October. 
Thefe three forts may be propagated by feeds, which 
fhould be fown on a bed of light earth the beginning 
of April ; the plants will come up in May, when they 
ihould be kept clean from weeds till the plants are 
fit to remove ; then the plants Ihould be carefully tak- 
en up, planting fome of each fort in fmall pots, and 
the other into a warm dry border, obferving to wa- 
ter and fliade them until they have taken new root ; 
after which, thofe which are planted in the full ground 
will require no other culture but to keep them clean 
from weeds; for in the ordinary winters of England, 
they will live in the open air : but as thefe plants are 
fometimes killed in fevere winters, therefore I advife 
fome plants to be planted in pots, which may be placed 
in a common frame in winter, where they may enjoy 
the open air in mild weather, but be fcreened from 
froft. 
As the feeds of thefe plants do not conftantly ripen 
in England, fo they may be propagated by cuttings, 
which, if carefully taken off in May or June, and 
’ planted in a fhady border, will in two months put 
out roots •, then in moift weather they may be tranf- 
planted, and afterward treated as the old plants. 
The other three forts are natives of the warm parts of 
America ; the fourth fort grows naturally at Beunos 
Ayres ; the fifth and fixth, in many of the iflands in 
the Weft-Indies. 
Thefe have creeping ftalks, which fend out roots from 
the joints, which fallen to the ground in their native 
foil, whereby they fpread to a great diftance ; and 
in this country, when the pots are plunged into a 
tan-bed, they will multiply as fall, by taking root in 
tan, or any of the other pots of plants which are near 
them. 
The flowers of the fourth fort make little appear- 
ance, therefore the plant is rarely propagated, except 
in botanic gardens for variety •, but thofe of the fifth 
and fixth fort have dry heads of flowers, refembling 
thofe of the Amaranthoides, under which genus they 
were formerly ranged. 
Thefe three forts are tender, fo will not thrive in 
the onen air in England •, therefore their feeds fhould 
be fown on a hot-bed in the fpnng, at the fame time as 
the Amaranthus, Gomphrena, and other tender plants; 
and afterward, if they are plunged into the tan-bed 
in the ftove, their branches will put out roots, whereby 
they may be propagated in plenty. 
I M P A T I E N S. Rivin. Ord. 4. Lin. Gen. Plant. 
899. Balfamina. Tourn. Inft. R. FI. 418. tab. 235. 
Female Balfamine ; in French, Balfamine. 
The Characters are. 
The flower has a two-leaved fmall empalement , which 
is coloured , and placed on the fide of the petals. It hath 
five petals which are unequal^ and jhaped like a lip- 
fiower ; the petals are roundijh , the upper is ered, flight ly 
cut at the point into three parts , where it is jkarp-pointed , 
forming the upper lip ; the two lower petals are broad , 
cbtufe , irregular , and refiexed ; thefe conftitate the lower 
lip ; the intermediate pair are alike , and are placed oppo- 
Jite , joining at their bafe. It hath a nedarium in the 
bottom of the flower , jhaped like a hood or cowl , which 
is oblique to th-e mouthy rifmg on the cutfide , whofe bafe ends 
in a tail or [pur. It hath five floor t Jlamina which are 
narrow toward their bafe , and incurved , terminated by j 
I M P 
flummits , which join at the top round the jlamina , but are 
divided at their bafe . In the bottom is jituated an oval 
fharp-pointed germen , having no Jlyle , but a fingle ftigma 
Jhorter than the flummits . The germen afterward becomes 
a cap fule with one 0?//, opening with an elafiicity in five 
valves , which twift fpirally , and contain federal roundijh 
jeeds fixed to a column. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fifth fiction of 
Linnaeus’s nineteenth clafs, which includes thofe plants 
which have fingle flowers in the empalement, whofe 
fiamina vary in number and fituation. 
The Species are, 
1. Impatiens ( Noli t anger e ) pedunculis multifloris fo- 
litariis, foliis ovatis, geniculis caulinus tumentibus. 
Flor. Suec. 722. Impatiens with foot-fialks flujlaining 
many fingle flowers , oval leaves , and ftalks having 
flwelling joints. Balfamina lutea, five, Noli me tan- 
gere. C. B. P. 306. Yellow Balfamine, or Touch me 
not. 
2. Impatiens ( Balfamina ) pedunculis unifloris aggre- 
gate, foliis lanceolatis, neltaris fioribus brevioribus. 
Hort. Upfal. 276. Impatiens with foot-ftalks flujlaining 
fingle flowers , which arife in dujlers , fpear-jhaped leaves , 
and nedariums which are jhorter than the flower. Bal- 
famina feemina. C. B. P. 306. The female Balfamine. 
3. Impatiens ( Triflora ) pedunculis trifloris folitariis, 
foliis angufto-lanceoiatis. Flor. Zeyl. 315. Impatiens 
with three flowers on a foot -ftalk, and narrow fpear- 
jhaped leaves. Balfamina ereCla, fc. fgemina, Perficm 
angufto folio Zeylanica. Herrn. Par. Bat. 105. Upright s 
or female Balfamine of Ceylon, with a narrow Beach leaf. 
There are feveral other fpecies- of this genus, which 
grow naturally in India, which are plants of little 
beauty, fo have not been introduced into the Englifh 
gardens ; the forts here mentioned, are all I have 
yet feen growing here, except one tall fort from 
North America. 
The firft fort grows naturally in feveral parts of 
Weftmoreland and Yorkfhire, but is frequently in- 
troduced into gardens by way of curiofity. It is an 
annual plant, which rifes about a foot and a half 
high, witfi an upright fucculent ftalk, whofe joints are 
fwollen, garnifhed with oval fmooth leaves, which 
Hand alternate on every fide the ftalk. The flowers 
come out from the wings of the ftalks upon long 
flender foot-ftalks, which branch into leveral other 
ftnaller, each fuftaining one yellow flower, compofed 
of five petals, which in front are fhaped like the lip 
or grinning flowers, but at their bafe have a nelta- 
rium with a long tail like the flowers of Indian Grefs ; 
thefe are lucceeded by taper pods, which, when ripe, 
burft open upon being touched, and twift fpirally 
like a ferew, calling out the feeds with great elaf- 
ticity. If the feeds of this plant are permitted to 
flatter, they generally fucceed better than when they 
are fown ; for unlefs they are fown in the autumn foon 
after they are ripe, they very rarely grow. The plants 
require no care but to keep them clean from weeds, 
and thin them where they are too clofe. It flowers in 
June, and the feeds ripen about a month or five weeks 
after ; this delights in a fhady fituation and a moift 
foil. 
The fecond fort is the female Balfamine, of which 
there are feveral varieties ; the common fort has been 
long an inhabitant in the Englifh gardens, of this there 
is the white, the red, and ftriped flowered, and like- 
wife the fingle and double flowering, with variegated 
flowers of two colours. Thefe forts are fo hardy as 
to rife in the full ground ; and where the feeds flat- 
ter, the plants will come up the following fpring ; 
but fuch felf-fown plants do not come to flower fo 
early as thofe which are raifed upon a hot-bed ; how- 
ever, they generally are ftronger plants, and continue 
much longer in the autumn in flower than the others, 
fo are an ornament to the garden, when there is a 
greater fcarcity of flowers. 
This fort rifes a foot and a half high, dividing into 
many fucculent branches, which are garnifhed with 
long, fpear-fh aped, (awed leaves. The flowers come 
out from the joints of the ftalks, upon flender foot- 
ftalks 
