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lars to the defcription, and alfo from the polfonoiis 
quality of this together with its fetid (cent * and as 
this grows naturally in many parts of Aha, fo they 
have been induced to believe it might be the fame 
plant. 
All thefe plants are preferved ih botanic gardens for 
the lake of variety, but are feldom cultivated any 
where elfe ^ they rife eafiiy from feeds, which fhould 
be Town in autumn, and the plants afterward treated 
in the fame way as the firft ^ they love a moiil foil 
and a fhady fituation, 
LI GUST RUM. Tourn.Inft. R. H. 596. tab. 367. 
Lin. Gen. Plant. 18. Privet ; in French, Troene „ 
The Characters are, 
. * The , flower has a firnU tubular empalement , cut at the 
top into four obtufe fegments . It hath one funnel-jhaped 
petal , with d cylindrical tube cut, into four oval fegments 
at ' the top , which fpread open . It hath two flamina 
which fiand oppofite , terminated by eretl fummits which 
are the length of the tube of the petals and one roundijh 
germen fup porting a Jhort fiyle , crowned by an obtufe bi- 
fid fiigma. The germ&n afterward turns to a fmooth roknd 
berry with one cell y inclofing two oblong feeds , flat on one 
fide , but convex on the other. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion of 
Linnaeus's fecond clafs, which includes thole plants 
whofe flowers have two ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are* 
1. Ligustrum ( Vulgare ) foiiis lanceolato-ovatis obtufis. 
Privet with fpear-Jhaped , oval , obtufe leaves. Liguf- 
trum Germanicum. C. B. P. 475. The common Privet. 
2. Ligustrum ( Italicum ) foiiis lanceolatis acutis. Pri- 
vet with fpear-Jhaped leaves. Liguftrum foiiis majo- 
ribus & magis acuminatis toto anno folia retinens. 
Pluk. Aim. 217. Privet with larger and more acute- 
pointed leaves , which continue all the year , commonly 
called the Italian ever-green Privet. 
The firft fort grows common in the hedges in moft 
parts of England, where it rifes fifteen or fixteen feet 
high, with a woody ftem, covered with a fmooth gray 
bark, fending out many lateral branches which are 
garnifhed with fpear-fhaped, oval, fmooth leaves, 
ending with obtufe points •, they are placed by pairs 
oppofite, fitting clofe to the branches, and are of a 
dark green. The flowers are produced in thick fpikes 
at the end of the branches ; they are white, with one 
tubular petal cut at the top into four parts, which 
fpread open. Thefe come out in June, and are fuc- 
ceeded by fmall round black berries, which ripen in 
the autumn ; each of thefe contain two feeds. The 
leaves of this fort frequently remain green till after 
Chriftmas, when they alter their colour and fall off. 
There are two varieties of this fort, one whofe leaves 
are variegated with white, and the other hath leaves 
variegated with yellow ; but in order to preferve 
thefe varieties, they ftiould be planted in poor land ; 
for if they are in a rich foil, they will gro\^ vigorous 
and foon become plain. 
The other fort grows naturally in Italy •, this rifes 
with a ftronger ftalk than the former, the branches 
are lefs pliable and grow more ered 5 their bark is of 
a lighter colour ; the leaves are much larger, and end 
in acute points •, they are alfo of a brighter green, 
and continue upon the fhrubs in verdure, till they are 
th ruff off by the young leaves in the fpring, as the 
Phillyrea and moft other Evergreens do^ fo that it is 
undoubtedly a diftind lort, though many have fup- 
pofed they were the fame. The flowers of this are 
rather lafger than thofe of the common fort, and are 
not. often fucceeded by berries in this country. 
The leaves and flowers of the firft fort are ufed in 
medicine ; they are reckoned to be cooling, drying, 
and reftringent, good for ulcers and inflammations of 
the mouth and throat, bleeding of the gums, and re- 
laxation of the uvula. 
This fhrub is frequently cultivated in the nurferies 
near London, to furniffi the fmall gardens and balco- 
nies in the city, it being one of the few plants which 
will thrive in the fmoke of London , but although it 
will li ve forne years in the clofe part of the town, yet 
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it feldorn produces flowers there after the firft year, 
unlefs it is in feme open places, where there is a free 
air. In the country, the leaves of this plant will con- 
tinue green great part of the winter. " It flowers in 
June, and the berries ripen in autumn, which gene- 
rally hang upon the branches till Chriftmas. 
The Italian fort is now generally preferred to the 
common fort for planting in gardens, the leaves be- 
ing larger and continuing green all the year, renders 
it more valfiable ; and being fo hardy as to refill the 
greateft cold in this country, it may be planted in 
any fituation where the common fort will thrive. I 
have frequently planted it under the dropping of 
large trees, where I find it will thrive better than moil 
other Ihrubs. 
I cannot but think this fort which is the moft com- 
mon in Italy, is the Liguftrum mentioned by Virgil 
in the fecond Eclogue : and my reafon for it is, mat 
as the flowers of this fhrub are of a pure white, but 
fall off very foon, they are by no means Proper to ga- 
ther for garlands, &c. and the berries being of a fine 
black colour, and continuing long upon the plants, 
make a fine appearance. To confirm that thefe ber- 
ries were gathered for life, we find in feveral authors 
of undoubted. credit, that they were ufed in dyeing, as 
alfo that the belt ink was made of thefe berries. 
Befides, is it not much more reafonable to fuppofe, 
that Virgil would rather draw his conriparifon from the 
flowers and fruit of the fame plant, when he is warn- 
ing the youth not to truft to his beauty, than to men- 
tion two different plants, as has been generally fup- 
pofed ? for here are the white flowers of the Privet ap- 
pearing early in the fpring, which is an allufion to 
youth 5 but thefe are of fhort duration, foon falling 
away ; whereas the berries, which may be applied to 
mature age, are of long continuance, and are ga- 
thered for ufe. 
Thefe plants are eafiiy propagated by laying down 
their tender flioots in autumn, which in one year’s 
time will be rooted enough to tranfplant ; when they 
may be removed to the places where they are defigned 
to remain, or planted in a nurfery for two or three 
years, where they may be trained for the purpefes 
defigned. 
They are alfo propagated by fuckers, which thefe 
plants fend forth in great plenty ; but thefe are too 
apt to put out a great number of fuckers from 
their roots, fo are not eafiiy kept within bounds ; 
nor do the plants rife fo high as thofe which are 
propagated by layers, therefore this method fhould 
be preferred. 
They may alfo be propagated by cuttings, which, if 
planted in the autumn on a lhady border and in a 
loamy foil, will take root very freely, and may be af- 
terward treated in the fame way as the layers. 
But the ftrongeft and beft plants, are thofe which are 
raifed from feeds indeed, this is a much more tedi- 
ous method than the other, fo is feldom pradiied, 
for the feeds generally lie a year in the ground before 
they vegetate ; therefore, whoever would propagate 
the plants in this method, fhould gather the berries 
when ripe, and put them into a pot with fand be- 
tween them, and bury the pot in the ground, as is 
pradifed for Holly berries and Haws ; and after they 
have laid a year in the ground, take them up in the 
autumn, and fow them on a border expofed to the 
eaft, where the plants will come up the following 
fpring, and thefe will make great progrefs after they 
have gotten feme ftrength, fo will grow upright, and 
not fend out fuckers like the other. 
Formerly thefe plants were greatly in ufe for hedges, 
but fince fo many others of great beauty have been 
introduced, which are much preferable to thefe' for 
fuch purpofes, they have been entirely rejeded, the 
trouble of keeping them in order being very great ; 
nor are the hedges made with them ever fo thick and 
handfome, as thofe made with divers other plants. 
The two variegated kinds are pretty varieties amongft: 
other ftriped fhrubs. Thefe may be propagated by 
budding, op inarching thepi upon the plain fort, as 
alfo 
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