M E S 
46. Mes.embryanthe.mum {PugioMforme) foliis alter- 
nis fubulatis triquetris Iqngiffimis impundlatis. Hort. 
Cliff. 216. Mefembryanthemum with alternate , awl- 
Jhapedy three-cornered leaves , which are very long , with- 
out [pots. Ficoides Capenfis, caryophylli folio, flore 
aureo fpeciofo. Brad. Suec. Dec. 2. p. 5. tab. 14. 
Fig Marygold of the Cape , with a Clove Gilliflower leafy 
and a, beautiful golden-coloured flower. 
Thefe plants are moil; of them natives of the Cape of 
Good Hope, from whence their feeds were firfl 
brought to Holland, and the plants railed in many of 
their curious gardens, and have fince been communi- 
cated to molt parts of Europe •, thefe were at firfl ti- 
tled Chrysanthemum by the old botanifts, but after- 
ward they were titled Ficoides by Herman and 
Tournefort, from their capfules being fhaped like 
little Figs ; afterward they had this title of Mefem- 
bryanthemum applied to them, which fignifies a 
flower opening in the middle of the day, which is what 
molt of the fpecies do ; there are three or four of 
them which open in the evening, and are clofed all 
the day ; thefe have been Separated from the others 
by fome, and have had the title of Nydlerianthemum 
applied to them, from their flowers being expanded 
m the night ; but as they all agree in the characters 
which distinguish the genus, they fhould by no means 
be feparated. 
Moft of the plants of this genus have beautiful 
flowers, which appear at different feafons of the year; 
fome of them flower early in the Spring, others in Sum- 
mer, iome in the autumn ; and there are others which j 
flower in winter ; and many of them produce their I 
flowers in fuch quantity, as that when they are ex- 1 
panded, the plants are entirely covered with them ; 
they have all of them thick Succulent leaves, but fome 
of the fpecies are much more fo than others, and the 
figures of their leaves vary fo much in the Several fpe- 
cies, that they afford an agreeable variety when they 
are not in flower. 
To defcribeall the fpecies which are here mentioned, 
would Swell this work too much, and as their titles 
are fhort descriptions of the fpecies, I Shall not en- 
large more on that head, but proceed to their culture. 
All the forts here mentioned are perennial plants ex- | 
cept the two firfl:, which are annual. The perennial | 
forts are eafily propagated by cuttings during any of 
the Summer months ; fuch of them as have Ihrubby 
Stalks and branches, very readily take root when I 
planted in a bed of light foil, and covered either with 
mats or glafles, but when they are covered with the 
latter, they muft be fhaded every day when the fun 
is warm ; thefe cuttings of the fhrubby forts need 
not be cut from the plant more than five or fix days 
before they are planted, during which time they 
fhould be laid in a dry room, not too much ex- 
pofed to the fun, that the part which was feparated 
from the old plants may heal over and dry before 
they are planted, otherwife they are apt to rot ; thefe 
may be planted at about three inches distance from 
each other, and the earth prefled clofe to them, but 
none of their leaves fhould be buried in the ground, 
for as they abound with moifture, fo if they are co- 
vered with the earth, it will caufe them to rot, and 
that often deftroys the cuttings ; therefore when 
the cuttings are taken from the old plants, they 
fhould be divefted of their lower leaves, fo far as 
may be neceflary, to allow a naked ftalk of fufficient 
length for planting. 
When the cuttings are planted, it will be neceflary to 
give them a little water, to fettle the ground about 
them, but it fhoold be done with caution, for too 
much wet will fpoil them ; if thefe are fhaded every 
day from nine or ten o’clock till three or four, when 
the fun is warm, it will prevent the ground from dry- 
ing too fall, fo that the cuttings need not be watered 
bftener than once in a week ; but if there fhould hap- 
pen fome gentle Showers of rain, it will be proper to 
take off their covers, and let them receive it, but 
they fhould be fereened from hard rains. The cut- 
tings thus managed will have put out good roots in | 
M E $ 
about fix weeks, when they Should be carefully taken 
up, and each planted in a Separate (mall pot filled 
with light Sandy earth, and then placed in a Shady 
filiation, giving them a little water to fettle the .earth 
to their roots ; in this place they may remain about 
ten days or a fortnight, by which time thev will 
have taken go;od root, arid may be removed to a 
Sheltered place, where they may have more fun, in 
which they may remain till autumn ; during the dim- 
mer months, thefe may be watered twice, or in very 
hot weather, three times a week, but it muft not be 
given them in too great plenty ; but as the fun de- 
clines in autumn, they fhould not have it oftenerthan 
once a week, for if they are often Supplied with it, 
the plants will grow luxuriant; their leaves and 
' branches will be fo replete with moifture, that the 
early frofts in the autumn will deftroy them ; whereas 
when they are kept dry, their growth will be ftinted ; 
fo that they will be hardy enough to refift fmall frofts,' 
but there muft be care taken that they do not Shoot 
their roots through the holes of the pots into the 
ground, for when they do, the plants will grow very 
luxuriant ; and when the pots are removed, and thofe 
roots are torn off, their leaves and branches will 
fhrink, fo will not recover it in a long time, if ever ; 
to prevent which, the pots fhould be removed every 
fortnight, and where the roots are beginning to come 
through the pots, they fhould be cut off. The forts 
which grow very freely fhould be Shifted three times 
in the fum mer, to pare off their roots, and keep them 
within compafs, and thefe fhould never be planted in 
rich earth for the reafons before given ; for if the 
earth is frefh, there will require no dung or other 
compoft, unlefs it is Strong, in which cafe fea fand, 
or lime rubbifh, will be a good mixture ; the quan- 
tity of either muft be in proportion to the ftiffnefs of 
the ground, always being careful to render it fo light, 
as that the wet may eaflly* pafs off. 
We. next proceed to treat of thofe forts, whofe ftalks 
and leaves are very fucculent. The cuttings of thefe 
fhould be taken from the plants ten days^or a fort- 
night before they are planted, that they may have 
time for their wounded part to heal over and dry ; the 
lower leaves of thefe fhould alfo be ftripped off, that 
their naked ftalks may be of a fufficient leno-th for 
planting. As thefe are moftly plants of humble 
growth, fo if their ftalks are divefted of fheir leaves 
an inch and a half, it will be fufficient. The cuttings 
of thefe forts require to be covered with glafles, to 
keep off the wet ; they muft alfo have lefs water than 
the other, but in other particulars require the fame 
treatment. The roots of thefe do not Spread and ex- 
tend fo much as thofe of the other, fo will not require 
to be Shifted oftener than twice a year at moft ; they 
muft alfo be kept in fmall pots to confine their roots ; 
the earth in which they are planted fhould be rather 
light and not rich. During the fummer feafon they 
muft not have too much wet, and in the winter they 
muft have but little water. If thefe fucculent forts are 
placed in an open airy glafs-cafe in winter, where they 
may have free air admitted to them in plenty in mild 
weather, and fereened from the froft, they will thrive 
much better than when they are more tenderly treated. 
The other Shrubby kinds may be Sheltered in winter 
under a common frame, where, if they are protected 
from froft and wet, it is all they require ; for the har- 
dier thefe are treated, the greater quantity of flowers 
they will produce : and fome of the forts are fo hardy, 
as to live abroad when planted clofe to a good af- 
pedted wall, and in a poor dry foil ; fo that where 
there is room to difpofe them againft a wall, and the 
border is raffed with lime rubbifh to prevent their 
rooting deep and growing luxuriant, they may be 
preferved through the winter with very little Shel- 
ter, and thefe will flower much better than thofe un- 
der cover. 
The firfl fort grows naturally in Egypt, where they 
cut up the plants, and bum them for pot-afh ; and 
this is efteemed as the beft fort for making hard fope, 
and the bell fort of glafs. 
This: 
1 
