M I M 
or five years* until they are grown very woody, for 
they are very tender, and with great difficulty pre- 
feryed in this climate. The ftove in which thefe 
fhould be placed in winter, , muft be kept above the 
temperate point, as marked in the botanical thermo- 
meters. Thefe fhould have very little water in win- 
ter, but in furnmer time will require frequent re- 
f reffiings, though at that feafon it fhould not be given 
them in great quantities at one time. The eleventh 
fort is a very beautiful tree. The twelfth fheds its 
leaves juft before the new ones come on, fa that it is 
naked of leaves about a month or fix weeks in the 
fpring of the year, which has occafioned fome people 
to throw them away as dead, when, if they had let 
them remain, they would have come out frefh again. 
This I thought proper to mention, in order to cau- 
tion people not to be too hafty in throwing out trees 
for dead, but preferve them through the fucceeding 
furnmer, to fee if they will fhoot again ; for I have 
known feveral plants, which, after having been given 
over by unfkilful perfons for dead, have the July fol- 
lowing fhot out vigoroufly again ; and others, which 
have died to the furface of the earth, have rifen again 
from the root. 
The three forts of horned Acacias are very often def- 
titute of leaves for two or three months, appearing 
to have no life •, but they will put out frefh leaves to- 
wards autumn, which is commonly the feafon when 
they are moft vigorous. Thefe fhould be expofed in 
the furnmer feafon for about two months, to clear 
them from infeds, which greatly infeft them, in a place 
defended from ftrong winds ; and in the winter they 
require a moderate degr.ee of warmth. 
All the other forts here mentioned are propagated by 
feeds, which, feldom ripening in this country, muft be 
procured from America, particularly at Campeachy, 
where there is great variety of this tree, many forts 
of which have been hitherto unknown to botanical 
writers. In bringing over the feeds of thefe trees, 
they fhould be taken out of the pods when gathered, 
and put up in papers, and ought to have Tobacco, or 
fome other noxious herb, put between the papers, to 
keep bff infeeds, otherwife the feeds will be eaten and 
deftroyed before they arrive in England. For the in- 
feeds depofit their eggs in fmall punedures which they 
make in the pods ; and as thefe are foon hatched, fo 
they immediately attack the feeds for food, and eat 
holes through them, by which they are fpoiled from 
growing. This has often happened to feeds which 
have been fent me from America. 
There are feveral of thefe Acacias, which are very 
tender while they are young ; but, after two or three 
years growth, become hardy enough to bear the open 
air in furnmer, though fcarce any of them will live 
through the winter in a green-houfe, unlefs they have 
fome. warmth in very cold weather. 
Acacia Germanorum. See Prunus Sylvestris. 
Acacia Virginiana. See Robinia. 
Acacia, the Three-thorned. See Gleditsia. 
MIMULUS. Lin. Gen. Plant. 761. Cynorrhyn- 
chium. Mitch. 3. 
The Characters are, 
The flower hath an oblong, priflmatical , permanent em- 
palement of one leaf-, it is of the lip or ringent kind , hav- 
ing one petal, whofle tube is the length of the empalement, 
and the brim is divided into two lips. The upper lip is ered, 
divided at the top into two parts , which are reflexed on 
their fide -, the lower lip is broad and trifid , the middle 
figment is the leaft -, the palate is convex and bifid. It 
has four fender Jlamina , two longer than the other , ter- 
minated by bifid , kidney -fio aped fummits , and a conical ger- 
men fupporting a fender ftyle , crowned by an oval , bifid , 
comprejfed ftigma. The germen afterward turns to an 
oval capfule with two cells , filled with fmall feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fe<dion 
of Linnaeus's fourteenth clafs, which includes thofe 
plants whole flowers have two long and two fhort fta- 
mina, and their feeds are included in the capfule. 
We know but one Species of this genus at prefent 
in England, viz. 
M I M 
Mimulus ( Ringens ) e rectus, foliis oblongis linearibus 
feffilibus. Hort. Upfal. 176. tab. 2. Upright Mimulus 
with oblong linear leaves fitting clofie to the ftalk. Di- 
gitalis perfoliata glabra, fiore violaceo rninore. Mor. 
Hift. 2. p. 479. Smooth perfoliated Foxglove , with a fmall 
Violet flower. 
This plant grows naturally in North America in moift 
ground. It has a perennial root and an annual ftalk, 
which decays in the autumn ; the ftalk is fquare, and 
rifes a foot and a half high, garnifned at each joint 
with two oblong fmooth leaves, which are broadeft 
at their bafe, where they almoft join round the ftalk, 
but end in acute points. The lower part of the 
ftalk fends out two or three fhort branches, and the 
upper part is adorned with two flowers at each joint, 
coming from the bofom of the leaves on each fide the 
ftalk ; thefe have an oblong curved empalement with 
five angles, indented at the top into five parts, out of 
which arifes the flower, with a long curved tube, 
fpreading open at the top into two lips, the upper- 
lip ftanding ered, which is {lightly cut into two parts 
at the top ; the under lip turns downward, and is cut 
into three flight fegments. The flowers are of a Vi- 
olet colour, but have no feent. Thefe appear in Ju- 
ly, and are fucceeded by 1 oblong capfules with two 
cells, filled with fmall feeds, which in warm feafons 
ripen in the autumn. 
This plant is very hardy in refped to cold, but fhould 
have a loamy foft foil, rather moift than dry, and 
not too much expofed to the fun. It may be propa- 
gated by parting of the roots in the autumn, but the 
flips fhould not be divided too fmall ; it may alfo be 
propagated by feeds, which fhould be fown in au- 
tumn, foon after they are ripe, for thofe which are 
lown in the fpring feldom grow the fame year : thefe 
may be fown on a border expofed to the morning 
fun, and the plants may be afterward planted in the 
flower-garden. 
MINT. See Mentha. 
MIRABILIS. Lin. Gen. Plant. 2 1 5. Jalapa. 
Tourn. Inft. R. H. 129. tab. 50. Marvel of Peru, 1 or 
Four o’Clock Flower. 
The Characters are, 
The empalement of the flower has five , oval , fpear-Jhaped , 
fmall leaves , and is ere Ft, J welling , and permanent. The 
flower has one funnel-Jhaped petal , with a flender tube 
fitting upon the nedarium , which fpreads open above , and 
is cut into five obtufie fegments. It hath five fender ft a- 
mina , which adhere to the petal, which are unequal and 
inclined, terminated by roundifio fummits, with a rcundifih 
germen within the nedarium, fupporting a fender fiyle, 
crowned by a globular ftigma. The germen afterward be- 
comes an oval five-cornered nut, inclofing one feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion of 
Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, which includes thofe plants 
whofe flowers have five ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Mirabilis ( Jalapa ) floribus congeftis terminalibus 
eredis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 252. Marvel of Peru , with 
bunches of flowers ered, terminating the ftalk. Admi- 
rabilis Peruviana. Cluf. Hift. 2. p. 87. 
2. Mirabilis (. Dichotoma ) floribus feffilibus axillaribus 
eredis folitariis. Amcen. Acad. 4. p. 267. Marvel of 
Peru , with an ered Jingle flower fitting clofie to the • usings 
of the branches. Jalapa officinarum. Mart. Cent. 1. f. 
1 . The then fuppofed Jalap of the /loops. 
3. Mirabilis ( Longiflora ) floribus congeftis terminali- 
bus longiffimis nutantibus, foliis fubvillofis. Ad. 
Plolmenf. 1756. p. 1 76. Long-flowered Marvel of Pe- 
ru, whofe flowers are in bunches, terminating the ftalks 
and nodding , with hairy leaves. Mirabilis Mexicana. 
Hern. Mex. 170. f. 2. 
The firft fort is the Marvel of Peru, which has been, 
many years cultivated in the Engliffi gardens for or- 
nament ; of this there are feveral varieties, which dif- 
fer in the colour of their flowers ; two of thefe retain 
their difference, one of them has purple and white 
flowers, which are variable, fome of them are plain 
purple, others are plain white, but moft of them are 
variegated with the two colours j and all thefe varie- 
ties 
I 
4 * 
