M I M 
large black. fpots fcattered oyer them; their furface 
is rougher, and they are of a darker green than thofe 
of the firft. The upper leaves are long and fpear- 
fhaped ; the foot-flalks of the flowers branch out wi- 
den, and the fpikes of flowers are Ihorter than thofe 
of the firft. 
The third fort was difcovered at Campeachy by the 
late Dr. Houftoun ; this is alio an annual plant, which 
rifes with an herbaceous ftalk upward of two feet 
high, branching out at a fmall diftance from the root 
into three or four {lender Halts, which are naked al- 
moft to the top, where they have two oval fpear- 
fhaped leaves placed oppofite, which are about two 
inches long, and three quarters of an inch broad near 
their bafe, ending in points •, they are hairy, and ftand 
upon naked foot-ftalks near an inch long, and are 
rough, having three longitudinal veins, and are (light- 
ly indented on their edges. The flowers come out 
at the foot-ftalks of the leaves, in fmall clutters ; the 
common empalement is compufed of three orbicular 
leaves, which are comprefled together ; in each of 
thefe are fit ua ted two hermaphrodite florets, which 
are barren, and one female half floret, which is fruit- 
ful, being fucceeded by a roundifh angular feed, in- 
clofed in the empalement. This flowers and perfetts 
feeds about the fame time with the former. 
The fourth fort was difcovered by the late Mr. Ro- 
bert Millar, at Campeachy •, this is an annual plant, 
which rifes with an upright ftalk three or four feet 
high, garnilhed the whole length with oval fpear- 
Jfhaped leaves near four inches long, and almoft two 
broad near their bafe ; they have three longitudinal 
veins, and toward the top there are two more which 
diverge from the midrib, but join again at the point. 
The upper fide of the leaves are of a dark green and 
fmooth, their under Tides are of a pale green, and in- 
dented on their edges. The flowers grow from the 
wings of the leaves in fmall clutters, having three 
hermaphrodite and one female flower in each, Hand- 
ing upon ftiort foot-ftalks ; thefe have empalements 
like the former, but they are much fmaller. This 
flowers and feeds later in the year than either of the 
former, fo that unlefs the plants are brought for- 
ward in the fpring, they will not ripen their feeds in 
England. 
The feeds of thefe plants fhould be fown early in the 
fpring, on a moderate hot-bed ; and when the plants 
are come up about two inches high, they fhould be 
each tranfplanted into a feparate pot filled with light 
rich earth, and plunged into a moderate hot-bed of 
tanners bark, being careful to ihade them from the 
fun until they have taken root, as alfo to water them 
frequently. After the plants are rooted, they fhould 
have a large fhare of free air admitted to them, by 
raifing of the glafies of the hot-bed every day when 
the weather is warm, and in hot weather mutt be du- 
ly watered, for they are very thirfty plants. With 
this management, the plants will, in a month after 
tranfplanting, rife to a conttderable height ; therefore 
they fhould be fhifted into larger pots, and placed 
in the ftove, plunging them into the bark-bed, where 
they may have room to grow, efpecially the firft and 
fecond forts, which ufually grow high and branch out 
where they are well managed. But the other forts 
feldom rife above three or four feet high, and do not 
fpread their branches very far, fo thefe may be al- 
lowed lefs room. 
In the middle of July thefe plants will begin to flow- 
er, and the feeds will be ripe about a month or fix 
weeks after; therefore they mu ft be gathered when 
they begin to change of a dark brown colour, other- 
wife they will foon fall oft', efpecially thofe of the two 
large kinds, >vhich will drop on the leaft touch when 
they are ripe. Thefe plants will continue flowering 
till Michaelmas, or later, if the feafon proves favour- 
able; but when the cold of the autumn comes on, 
they will foon decay. 
MIMOSA. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 605. tab. 375. Lin. 
Gen. Plant. 597. The Senfitive Plant. 
M I M 
The Characters are, 
T he empalement of the flower fa fmall . , of one leaf in- 
dented in five parts at the top : the flower has one funnel- 
jhaped petal. , which hath five points. It hath many long 
hairy flamina , terminated by profir ate fummits , and an 
oblong germen fiupforting a floor t fender fiyle , crowned by 
a truncated fligma. 'The germen afterward turns to a 
long jointed pod with fever al tranfverfe partitions , inch- 
fing comprefled feeds of various forms, and there are many 
male, female , and hermaphrodite flowers mined in feme 
of the fpecies. 
This genus of plants Dr. Linnaeus has joined to the 
Acacia of Tournefort, and the Inga of Plunder, and 
places it in the firft feftion of his twenty-third clafs, 
which includes thofe plants which have male* female, 
and hermaphrodite flowers on the fame plant, which 
have many flamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Mimosa (Pundlata ) inermis, foliis bipinnatis, fpicis 
decandris, inferioribus caftratis corollatis caule eredto 
tereti. Lin. Sp. 1502. Senftive Plant without J pines - , 
double winged leaves , fpikes having ten flamina , and the 
lower without flamina , and an ere hi taper folk . Mimofa 
Jamaicenfis. Zan. Hift. 144. Senftive Plant of Ja- 
maica. 
2; Mimosa (Plena) inermis, foliis bipinnatis, fpicis pen- 
tandris, inferioribus plenis. Hort. Upfal. 145. Smooth 
Senftive Plant with double winged leaves , the fpikes with 
five flamina , and the under one double. Mimofa non 
fpinofa, paluftris & herbacea, procumbens, flore lu- 
teo pleno. Houft. MSS. Herbaceous , marfh , trailing 
Senftive Plant without [pines, and a double yellow flower ; 
3. Mimosa (P ernambucana) inermis decumbens, foliis 
bipinnatis, fpicis cernuis, pentandris, inferioribus 
caftratis. Hort. Upfal. 145. Smooth Senftive Plant with 
inclining fialks , double winged leaves , nodding fpikes of 
flowers having five flamina , but the under ones without 
any. Mimofa fpuria de Pernambuque, di£ta mimofa 
Italica. Zan. Hift. 151. Spurions Senftive Plant of 
Pernambuque , called Italian Senftive Plant. 
4. Mimosa ( Pudica ) aculeata, foliis pinnatis. Prickly 
Senftive Plant with winged leaves. Mimofa herbacea 
procumbens, & fpinofa, caule tereti & villofo, fill- 
quis articulatis. Houft. MSS. Trailing herbaceous Sen- 
ftive Plant having /pines , with a taper and hairy [talk, 
and jointed pods. 
5. Mimosa (Pudica) foliis fubdigitatis pinnatis, caule 
aculeata, hifpido. Lin. Sp. 1501. Senftive Plant with 
winged-handed leaves , a prickly declining flalk, and fmall 
pods growing in cluflers , with prickly coverings. Mi- 
mofa humilis frutefeens & fpinofa, ftliquis congloba- 
tis. Plum. Cat. Low florubby and prickly Senftive 
Plant with cluflered pods , commonly called the Humble 
Plant. 
6 . Mimosa (pjuadrivalvis) aculeata, foliis bipinnatis, 
caule quadrangulo, aculeis recurvis, leguminibus 
quadrivalvibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1508. Prickly 'Senf- 
tive Plant with double winged leaves, a four-cornered 
flalk, recurved fpines , and pods having four valves. 
Mimofa herbacea procumbens, & fpinofa, caule quad- 
rangulo, ftliquis quadrivalvibus. Houft. MSS. T rail- 
ing and prickly herbaceous Senftive Plant , with a quad- 
rangular flalk , and pods having four valves . 
7. Mimosa ( Senfitiva ) foliis conj ugatis pinnatis, parti- 
alibus bijugis, intimis minimis, caule aculeate. Lin. 
Sp. Plant. 1501. Senftive Plant with conjugated wing- 
ed leaves , whofe wings have two pair of lobes , the innet 
of which are the leaf, and a prickly flalk. Mimofa 
fpinofa prima, five Brafiliana latifolia, ftliquis, ra~ 
diatis. Breyn. Cent. 1. 31. The firfi prickly, or broad- 
leaved Senftive Plant of the Brazils, with radiated pods. 
8. Mimosa (Afperata) caule fruticofo, foliis bipinna- 
tis, aculeatis, aculeis geminis, ftliquis radiatis hir- 
futis. Fig. Plant, tab. 183. fob 3. Senftive Plant 
with a Jhrubby ftalk, double winged prickly leaves , whefs 
fpines grow in pairs, and hairy radiated pods. fEfchy- 
nomene fpinofa quarta, five folioiis Acacim angofti- 
oribus, frondibus validiffimas fpinas habentibus. 
Breyn. Cent. 1. 43, The fourth prickly Senftive 
Plant, 
4sS 
