N. 
A P 
APELLUS. See AcomTUMo 
N APU S. See Brassica and Rapa. 
N A P JE A. Lin. Gen. Plant. 748. Mal- 
va. H. L. 
The Characters are, 
It hath male and hermaphrodite flowers in diflindl plants. 
3 "he male flowers have pitcher-Jhaped empalements of one 
leaf which are permanent , and cut at the top into five 
fegments. The flowers have five oblong petals , which are 
connected at their bafe , but fpread open , and are divided 
at the top -, they have many hairy ftamina , which are 
joined at the bottom into a fort of a cylindrical column , ter- 
minated by roundifh comprejfed fummits. The herma- 
phrodite flowers have the like empalement , petals , and 
ftamina , as the male , and have a conical germen , fup- 
porting a cylindrical ftyle , divided at the top into ten 
parts , crowned by fingle ftigmas. The germen after- 
ward turns to an oval fruit , inclofed in the empale- 
ment , divided into ten cells , each containing one kidncy- 
Jhaped feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the third fe&ion 
of Linnaeus’s fifteenth clafs, which includes the 
plants whofe flowers have many ftamina, which are 
joined at their bafe to the ftyle, and together form a 
column. As the plants of this genus have male and 
hermaphrodite flowers on diftind plants, fo they differ 
from all the tribe of malvaceous plants, to which 
they properly belong, the flowers being monopeta- 
• lous, the ftamina andftyles being joined at their bafe, 
forming a column, which are the eflfential charaders 
of that clafs. 
The Species are, 
1. Nap^ea ( Dioica ) pedunculis involucratis angulatis 
foliis fcabris, floribus dioicis. Flor. Virg. 102. Napaa 
with angular fooi-ftalks , rough leaves, and male and her- 
maphrodite flowers on different plants. Abutilon folio 
profunde difledo, pedunculis multifloris mas & foe- 
mina. Ehret. Pid. 7 & 8. Abutilon with a deeply di- 
vided leaf, and foot-ftalks having many flowers, which 
are loth male and female. 
2. Nap^ea ( Hermaphrodita ) pedunculis nudis ltevibus, 
foliis glabris, floribus hermaphroditis. Nap sea with 
naked foot-ftalks, ftnooth leaves and hermaphrodite flowers. 
Althtea Ricini folio Virginiana. H. L. Virginia Marfh- 
m allow with a Ricinus leaf. 
The firft fort has perennial roots, which are compofed 
of many thick flefhy fibres, which ftrike deep into 
the ground, and are conneded at the top into a large 
head, from which come out a great number of rough 
hairy leaves, near a foot diameter each way, which 
are deeply cut into fix or feven lobes, which are irre- 
gularly indented on their edges, each lobe having a 
ftrong midrib, which all meet in a center at the foot- 
ftalk. The foot-ftalks are large and long, arifing 
immediately from the root, and fpread out on every 
fide. The fiower-ftalks rife feven or eight feet high, 
and divide into fmaller branches, garnifhed at each 
joint with one leaf, of the fame form as thofe below, 
but diminifh in their fize toward the top, where they 
feldom have more than three lobes, which are divided 
to the foot-ftalk ■, toward the upper part of the ftalk 
come out from the fide at each joint a long foot- 
ftalk, which branches out toward the top, fuftaining 
ieveral white flowers, -which are tubulous at bottom, 
where the fegments of the petal are conneded, but 
they fpread open above, and are divided into five ob- 
N A R 
tufe fegments ; in the center arifes the column, to 
which the ftamina are joined at their bafe, but fpread 
open above, and in the hermaphrodite flowers the 
ftyle is conneded to the fame column. The herma- 
phrodite flowers are fucceeded by comprefled orbicu- 
lar fruit, inclofed in the empalement, and divided 
into five cells, each containing a kidney-fhaped feed, 
but the male plants are barren. It flowers in July and 
the feeds ripen in autumn, foon after which the ftalk 
decays, but the roots will live many years. 
The fecond fort hath alfo a perennial root, which, 
frequently creeps in the ground ; this fends up fmooth 
ftalks, which rife about four feet high, garnifhed 
with fmooth leaves, placed alternately, ftanding upon 
pretty long (lender foot-ftalks ; they are deeply cue 
into three lobes, which end in acute points, and are 
irregularly fawed on their edges ; thofe on the lower 
part of the ftalk are near four inches long, and almoit 
as much in breadth, but they diminifh gradually to- 
ward the top of the ftalk. At the bafe of the leaf 
comes out the foot-ftalk of the flower, which is about 
three inches long, dividing at the top into three fmall- 
er, each fuftaining one white flower of the fame form 
with thofe of the firft fort, but are fmaller, and the 
column of ftamina is longer, their fummits ftanding 
out beyond the petal. 
Both thefe plants grow naturally in Virginia, and 
ocher parts of North America ; from the bark of 
thefe plants might be procured a fort of hemp, which 
many of the malvaceous tribe afford j and in fome 
of tfie forts which grow naturally in India, the fi- 
bres of the bark are fo fine, as to fpin into very 
fine threads, of which there might be woven very 
fine cloth. 
Thefe plants are eafily propagated by feeds, which if 
fown on a bed of common earth in the fpring, th& 
plants will rife very freely, and will require no other* 
care but to keep them clear from weeds till autumn, 
when they may be tranfplanted into the places where 
they are to remain ; they delight in a rich moift foil, 
in which they will grow very luxuriantly, fo they muft 
be allowed room. The fecond fort may be propa- 
gated by its creeping roots, which may be parted in 
autumn ; but as thefe plants have no great beauty, fo 
one or two of each fort in a garden, for the fake of 
variety, will be enough. 
NARCISSO LEUCOIUM. See Galanthus. 
NARCISSUS. Lin. Gen. Plant. 364. [takes its 
name of i/apco?, or volpm, a torpidnefs, or deep deep, 
becaufe the fmell of this flower is faid to caufe a hea- 
vinefs of the head, and a ftupidity. Plutarch tells us, 
this plant was facred to the infernal gods. The poets 
tell us, that Narciflus was the fon of Cephifus, and 
the nymph Lyriope *, a youth of fuch excellent beau- 
ty, that once upon a time coming to a fountain to 
drink, and feeing his beauteous image in the water, 
he grew fo enamoured with it that he pined away with 
defire, and was transformed into a flower of his 
name.] The Daffodil. 
The Characters are, 
The flowers are included in an oblong comprejfed fpatha 
{or Jheath) which tears open on the fide , and withers . 
The flowers have a cylindrical fmnel-fhaped empalement 
of one leaf, which is fpread open at the brim they have 
fix oval petals on the outjide of the nedtarium , which are 
infer fed above their bafe , and fix awl-fhaped fiamina fixed 
to 
