This is an annual plant, which does riot perfect feeds 
in England •, for when it is placed in the ftove, or kept 
- in the hot-bed, their ftalks grow long ana {lender, fo 
are not productive of flowers ; and thofe which are 
raifed in hot-beds, and afterward expofed in the open 
air, will flower pretty freely, but do not perfect their 
feeds. As this plant will thrive in South Carolina as 
well as in its native foil, fo it might turn to the ad- 
vantage of that colony, and likewife become benefi- 
cial to the public, if the inhabitants could be prevailed 
on to cultivate this plant. 
The fecond fort is annual ; this is a native at the 
Cape of Good Hope. It is propagated for the odd- 
nefs of its leaves and ftalks, which are clofelv covered 
over with pellucid pimples full of moifture, which, 
when the fun Ihines on the plants, they refled the 
light, and appear like fmall bubbles of ice •, from 
whence lome have called it the Ice Plant, and others 
have named it the Diamond Plant, or Diamond Fi- 
coides. 
This fort is propagated by feeds, which muft be 
fown on a hot-bed early in the fpring •, and when the 
plants come up, they muft be planted on a frefh hot- 
bed to bring them forward •, after they have taken 
root in the hot-bed, they fhould have but little wet, 
for moifture will rot them. When they are grown 
large enough to tranfplant again, they fhould be each 
planted into a fmall pot, filled with light frefh earth, 
but not rich, and plunged into a hot-bed of tan, ob- 
ferving to fhade them in the heat of the day until they 
have taken new root ; then they fhould have plenty 
of frefh air admitted to them every day in warm wea- 
ther, to prevent their drawing weak. In the latter 
end of June, fome of the plants may be inured to bear 
the open air, and afterward they may be turned out of 
the pots, and planted into a warm border, where they 
will thrive, and fpread their branches to a great dis- 
tance upon the ground •, but thefe plants will not be 
very productive of flowers, therefore fome of them 
muft be continued in the fmall pots, and may at the 
fame time, when the others are planted out, be re- 
moved into the ftove or glafs-cafe, placing them up- 
on the fhelves, that the roots may not get out from 
the bottom of the pots, fo that they may be confined, 
which will caufethem to flower plentifully, and from 
thefe good feeds may every year be obtained. 
MESPILUS [MeWia^, Gr.] Tourn. Inft. R. H. 
641. tab. 410. Lin. Gen. Plant. 549. 'The Medlar. 
The Characters are, 
The empalement of the flower is permanent , of one leaf 
cut into five fpr ending concave fegments. The flower 
is compofed of five roundijh concave petals , which are in- 
fer ted in the e?npakment. The number of flamina are 
different in the fever al fpecies , from ten to twenty or more •, 
thefe are alfo inferted in the empalement , and are termi- 
nated by fingle fummits. The germen is fituated under the 
flower , and fupports an uncertain number of fiyles from 
three to five , which are crowned by headed ftigmas. The 
germen afterward becomes a roundijh or oval berry , car- 
rying the empalement on its top , and inclofing four or five 
hard feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fourth feftion 
of Linnaeus’s twelfth clafs, which includes the plants 
whofe flowers have twenty ftamina inferted to the em 
palement, and five ftyles. 
The Species are, 
r. Mespilus ( Sylveftris ) inermis, foliis lanceolatis den- 
tatis acuminatis, fubtus tomentofis, calycibus acumi- 
natis. Smooth Medlar , with fpear-fhaped , acute-pointed , 
indented leaves , woolly on their under fide, and acute- 
pointed empalements. Mefpilus folio laurino major, 
frudu minor!, rariori fubftantia. Hort. Cath. Greater 
Medlar with a Bay-tree leaf , and a fmaller lefs fubftantial 
fruit. 
2. Mespilus ( Germanica ) inermis foliis lanceolatis in- 
tegerrimis fubtus tomentofis, calycibus acuminatis. 
Hort. Cliff. 189. Unarmed Medlar with fpear-fhaped 
entire leaves , which are downy on their under fide , and 
acute-pointed empalements. Mefpilus Germanica, folio 
laurino, non ferrate, five Mefpilus fylveftris. C. B. 
P. 453. German Meddar with a Bay -tree leaf which is 
not flawed. , or wild Medlar. 
3. M espilus ( Pyracantha ) fpinofa, foliis lanceolato- 
ovatis crenatis, calycibus frudus obtufis. Hort. Chff. 
189. Prickly Medlar, with fpear-flj aped, oval, crenate'd 
leaves, and obtufe empalements to the fruit. Mefpilus 
aculeata, amygdali folio. Tourn. Inft. 642. Prickly 
Medlar with an Almond leaf, called Pyracantha. ■ 
4. Mespilus ( Cordato ) foliis cordata-ovatis acuminatis, 
acute ferratis, ramis fpinofis. Fig. Plant, tab. 1 79. 
Medlar with heart-Jhaped, oval , acute-pointed leaves . ; 
which are fharply fawed, and prickly branches. 
5. Mespilus (. Amelanchier ) inermis, foliis ovalibus fer- 
ratis, cauliculis hirfutis; Lin. Sp. Plant. 478. Med- 
lar without thorns , having oval fawed leaves , and hairy 
flalks. Mefpilus folio rotundiori, frudu nigro fub- 
dulci. Tourn. Inft. 642. Medlar with a rounder leaf 
and a black fweetifo fruit, commonly called Amelanchier. 
6 . Mespilus ( Canadenfis ) foliis ovato-oblongis glabris 
ferratis, caule inermi. Lin. Sp. Plant. 478. Medlar 
with oval, oblong, fmooth , fawed leaves, and branches 
without thorns. Mefpilus inermis, foliis fubtus gla- 
bris obverse-ovatis. Fior. Virg. 54. Medlar without 
thorns , and obverfe oval leaves, which are fmooth on their 
under fide. 
7. Mespilus ( Cotoneafter ) foliis ovatis integerrimis, 
Hort. Cliff. 189. Medlar with oval entire leaves. Mef- 
pilus folio fubrotundo, frudu rubro. Tourn. Inft, 
R. H. 642. Medlar with a roundijh leaf and a red fruity 
commonly called Dwarf Quince. 
8. Mespilus ( Chamamefpilus ) inermis, foliis ovalibus 
ferratis glabris, floribus capitatis^ bradeis deciduis li~ 
nearibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 479. Medlar without thorns? 
having fmooth, oval, fawed leaves, headed flowers , and 
linear brattle# which fall off. Cotoneafter folio oblongo 
ferrato. C. B. P. 452. Baflard Quince with an oblong 
fawed leaf 
9. Mespilus ( Orientalis ) foliis ovatis craffis integerri- 
mis, fubtus tomentofis, floribus umbellatis axillari- 
bus. Medlar with oval, thick , entire leaves , which are 
woolly on their under fide, and flowers growing in umbels 
from the wings of the ft alk. Chamsecerafus Idma. Alp. 
Exot. 5. Dwarf Cherry oft Mount Ida. 
10. Mespilus ( Arbutifolia ) inermis, foliis lanceolatis 
crenatis fubtus tomentofis. Hort. Cliff. 189. Virginia 
Medlar with an Arbutus leaf. Mefpilus Virginiana, 
folio arbuti. H. L. 578* 
11. Mespilus ( Virginiana ) inermis, foliis oblongo-ova- 
tis, fubtus tomentofis, frudu ovato, peduneulis lon- 
giflimis. Smooth Virginia Medlar, with oblong oval leaves ,• 
downy on their under fide, and oval fruit on long foot- 
ftalks. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Sicily, Where it be- 
comes a large tree ; this rifes with a {trailer ftem, and 
the branches grow more upright than thofe of the 
Dutch Medlar j the leaves are narrower and not fawed 
on their edges ; the flowers are fmaller than thofe of 
the Dutch Medlar, and the fruit is lliaped like a 
Pear. 
The fecond fort is generally called the Dutch Med- 
lar ; this never rifes with an upright ftalk* but fends 
out crooked deformed branches at a fmall height from 
the ground •, the leaves of this are very large, entire, 
and downy on their under fide. The flowers are very 
large, as are alfo the fruit, which are rounder, and 
approach nearer to the fhape of an Applet This be- 
ing the largeft fruit, is how generally cultivated in 
the gardens •, but there is one with fmaller fruit, which 
is called the Nottingham Medlar* of a much quicker 
and more poignant tafte than this ; which is, I fup- 
pofe, only a variety, fo I have not enumerated it as a 
diftinbt fpecies. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in Auftria, Italy, and 
France, particularly near Fontainbleau ; this rifes with 
many flender ftalks about three or four feet high, 
which put out fmall fide branches, covered with a dark 
purple bark, having no thorns, clolely garniftied 
with oval leaves, about three quarters of an inch 
long, and half an inch broad, {lightly fawed on their 
edges ; the frnali fide branches which fuftain the 
flowers. 
