MAT 
brevioribus craffis obfcure virentibus. Rail Syn. Ed. 
p. . 86. Dwarfs perennial, maritime Chamomile with 
port , thick, dark green leaves. _ i 
A Matricaria (. Indica ) foliis' ovatis finuatis angulis 
ferratis acutis. Feverfew with oval , Jinuated , angular , 
acutely fawed leaves. Matricaria latiore folio, fiore 
pleno. Mor. Hift. 3. p. 33 - 
4. Matricaria ( Argentea ) foliis bipinnatis, pedunculis 
folitariis, Hort. Cliff. 415. Feverfew -with winged 
leaves , Jingle foot ftalks to the flowers. ChamasiUe- 
lum Grientale incanum, Millefolium folio. Tourn. 
Cor. 37. .... , 
c, Matricaria ( Americana ) foliis linearf lanceolatis in- 
' tegerrimis, pedunculis unifloris. Feverfew with entire 
fpear-Jh aped leaves, and foot ftalks with one flower. . 
The firft fort is the common Feverfew, which is di- 
rected to be ufed in medicine. It grows naturally in 
lanes, and upon the fide of banks in many parts of 
England, but is frequently cultivated in the phyfic- 
o-ardens to fupply the markets •, this is commonly a 
biennial plant, which decays foon after it has per- 
febled feeds. The root of this plant is compofed of 
a great number of fibres, which fpread wide on every 
fide. The ftalks rife upward of two feet high •, they 
are round, ftiff, and ftriated, branching out on every 
fide. The leaves are compofed of feven lobes, which 
are cut into many obtufe fegments ; they are of a 
yellowifh green colour. The ftalks and branches are 
terminated by the flowers, which are difpofed almoft 
in the form of loofe umbels, each flower {landing 
upon a feparate foot-ftalk, about two inches long. 
The flowers are compofed of feveral Ihort rays, which 
are white, like thofe of the Chamomile, furrounding 
a yellow difk, compofed of hermaphrodite florets, 
which form a hemifphere \ thefe are inclofed in one 
common fcaly empalement, and are fucceeded by ob- 
long, angular, naked feeds. It flowers in June, and 
the feeds ripen in autumn. The whole plant has a 
ftrong unpleafant odour. The leaves and flowers of 
this are ufed in medicine, and are particularly appro- 
priated to the female fex, being of great fervice in all 
cold flatulent diforders of the womb, and hyfteric af- 
fections, procuring the catamenia, and expelling the 
birth and fecundines. 
The following varieties of this plant are preferved in 
botanic gardens, many of which are pretty conftant, 
if care is taken in faving the feeds ; but where the feeds 
of thefe plants has been buffered to fcatter, it will be 
almoft impoffible to preferve the varieties without 
mixture •, but if the feeds are fown upon a frefti fpot 
of ground, where there has not grown any of the 
plants before, I am inclinable to believe the feeds 
will produre the fame plants as thofe they were taken 
from ; however, as they are fuppofed to be only va- 
rieties, fo I {hall only juft infert them here, for the 
ufe of thofe who are curious in collecting the varieties. 
1. Feverfew with very double flowers. 
2. Feverfew with double flowers, whofe borders, or 
rays are plain, and the difk fiftular. 
3. Feverfew with very {mail rays. 
4. Feverfew with very fnort fiftular florets. 
5. Feverfew with naked heads, having no, rays or border. 
6. Feverfew with naked fulphur-coloured heads. 
7. Feverfew with elegant curled leaves. 
Thefe plants are all propagated by their feeds, which 
fhotild be fown in March upon a bed of light earth, 
and, when they are come up, they ftiould be tranf- 
planted out into nurfery-beds, at about eight inches 
afunder, where they may remain till the middle of 
May, when they may be taken up, with a ball of 
earth to their roots, and planted in the middle of 
large borders, where they will flower in July and Au- 
guft } and, if the autumn be favourable, will produce 
ripe feeds the fame year. But it is not advifeable to 
permit them to feed, which often weakens and de- 
cays the roots •, therefore, when their flowers arepaft, 
you ftiould cut down their ftems, which will caufe 
them to pufh out frefti heads, whereby the roots may 
he maintained. 
When the different varieties of thefe plants are inter- 
MAT ■ 
mixed with .other plants of the fame growth, they 
make a handfome appearance during the feafon of 
flowering, which commonly continues a full month, 
or more, which renders them more valuable. But as 
their roots feldom abide more than two, or at moil 
three years, frefh plants would be raifed from feeds 
to fupply their places ; for although they may be 
propagated by parting their roots either in fpring or 
autumn, yet thefe feldom make fo good plants as 
thofe obtained from feeds ; but the fecond variety fel- 
dom produces any good feeds, therefore that mult be 
propagated in this manner, or by planting cuttings 
in the fpring or fummer ■ months, which will take 
root, and make good plsfnts. 
The fecond fort grows naturally near the fea, in fe- 
veral parts of England. I have obferved it upon the 
Suffex coaft in great plenty, from whence I brought 
the plants, which were of no longer duration in the 
garden than two years, though in their native foil they 
may continue longer. The ftalks of this plant branch 
out pretty much, and fpread near the ground ; they 
are garnifhed with dark green leaves, which are corn- 
pofed of many double wings, or pinna;, like thofe of 
the common Chamomile, but are much thicker in 
fubftance ; they have their edges turned backward, fo 
are convex on their upper furface, and concave on 
their under. The flowers are white, like thofe of 
the common Chamomile, and are difpofed almoft in 
the form of an umbel ; they appear in July, and the 
feeds ripen in autumn. 
This plant is feldom cultivated but in botanic gar- 
dens for variety. It may be propagated by feeds, 
which may be fown either in autumn, foon after they 
are ripe, or in the fpring, upon a bed of common 
earth, in almoft any fituation •, and when the plants 
come up, they will require no other care but to thin 
them where they are too clofe, and keep them clean 
from weeds. 
The third fort grows naturally in many parts of In- 
dia, I received it from Nimpu, where it grows plen- 
tifully •, this plant rifes a foot and a half high, dividing 
into many branches, garnifhed with angular oval 
leaves, which are acutely fawed on their edges, and 
are of a pale colour ; the flowers are produced on 
foot-ftalks which arife from the wings of the leaves, 
and alfo terminate the branches ; thefe are, in all I 
have yet feen, very double, and full as large as thofe 
of the double fort before-mentioned •, thefe appear in 
July, and in favourable feafons are fucceeded by feeds 
which ripen late in the autumn. 
This fort is propagated by feeds, which ftiould be 
fown in the ipring upon a moderate hot-bed, and 
when the plants come up, they mull be treated in the 
manner already directed for the Chryfanthemum Co- 
ronarium, with which culture they will thrive and- 
flower very well. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in the eaft r, this fort 
rifes a foot high, having winged leaves of a filver 
• colour, which are for the molt part placed oppofite 
the foot-ftalks of the flowers arife Angle from the fide 
of the branches, each iupporting one white flower. 
This flowers in July, and in warm feafons will fome- 
times perfebt feeds in autumn. 
The feeds of this fort fhould be fown in April, on a 
bed of light earth, in a good expofure and when the 
plants are grown of a proper fize to remove, they 
ftiould be planted in the borders of the flower-gar- 
den •, where, if they are kept clean from weeds, they 
will flower and perfebt their feeds. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in North America ; 
this is a perennial plant, whofe ftalks and leaves decay- 
in the autumn, and new ones come out again in the 
fpring ; the ftalks rife a foot and a half high, and di- 
vide upward into feveral forked branches ; at each of 
thefe divifions is placed one linear fpear-fhaped leaf 
about two inches long, and a quarter of an inch 
broad, entire on the edges, and of a deep green. 
The branches are terminated by fingle foot-ftalks, 
each fupporting one blue flower, very like thofe of 
fome kind of Starwort s but the empalement being 
fcaly. 
