P H Y 
The third fort grows naturally in Maryland ; this hath 
a perennial root, from which arife feveral upright 
ftalks of a purplifh colour, clofely covered with white 
fpots ; thefe grow about three feet high, and are gar- 
nifhed with heart fpear-fhaped leaves which are fmooth, 
about three inches long and one broad at their bafe, 
ending in acute points. Toward the upper part of 
the ftalks are fent out fmall branches oppofite, each 
being terminated by a fmall bunch of flowers $ but 
the principal ftalk is terminated by a long loofe fpike 
of flowers, compofed of fmall bunches arifing from 
the wings of the ftalk at each joint, each duller hav- 
ing one common foot-ftalk near an inch long, but 
the Ample foot-ftalks of the flowers are fhort ; the 
flowers are of a bright purple colour, and appear late 
in July ; fo that if the feafon is temperate, or the 
foil in which they grow moift, they will continue in 
beauty great part of Auguft, but are rarely fucceeded 
by feeds in England. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in North America •, 
this has a perennial root, from which arife feveral 
{lender ftalks, which are apt to incline to the ground 
if they are not fupported ; thefe divide into feveral 
fmall branches, which fpread from each other ; the 
lower part of the ftalks are garnilhed with broad 
fpear-lbaped leaves placed alternate, fitting clofe to 
the ftalks, and on the fmailer branches they are nar- 
rower, and placed oppofite. The flowers grow in 
loofe bunches at the end of the branches ; they have 
fhort empalements, which are cut into five, narrow, 
acute fegments ; the tube of the flower is long and 
{lender, the fegments at the top are broad and heart- 
fhaped, inverted. They are of a light blue, and 
appear the latter end of May or the beginning of June, 
but are rarely fucceeded by feeds in England. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in North America •, 
this hath a perennial root and an annual ftalk, which 
is fmooth, of a light green, and rifes about two feet 
high, fending out a few fide branches, garnilhed with 
fpear-fhaped leaves placed oppofite, near three inches 
long and one broad at the middle, drawing to a point 
at each end, fitting clofe to the ftalks •, they are of 
a dark green, and their edges are a little rough. 
The flowers are difpofed in a corymbus at the top of 
the ftalks, compofed of many fmailer bunches of 
flowers, which have each a diftinfl foot-ftalk, and 
fupport a great number of flowers, which ftand up- 
on fhort {lender foot-ftalks ; the empalement of the 
flower is fhort, and cut almoft to the bottom into five 
narrow acute fegments ; the tube of the flower is 
long and (lender, and is cut at the top into five oval 
fegments which fpread open. The flowers are of a 
pale purple colour, and appear late in July, but thefe 
are often fucceeded by feeds which ripen in autumn. 
The fixth fort grows naturally in Virginia; this hath 
a perennial root, from which arife a few ftalks about a 
foot high, garnifhed with narrow fpear-fhaped leaves, 
ending in acute points, fitting clofe to the ftalks, and 
are a little hairy. The flowers are produced in a 
loofe corymbus at the top of the ftalk ; their em- 
palements are cut into acute fegments almoft to the 
bottom ; the tube of the flower is {lender and pretty 
long, and is cut at the top into into five oval fegments, 
which fpread open. The flowers are of a light pur- 
ple colour, and appear the latter end of June, but 
are feldom fucceeded by feeds in England. 
The feventh fort grows naturally in Maryland, and 
other parts of North America. This hath a perennial 
root, from which comes out two or three (lender 
ftalks about nine inches high, garnifhed with oval, 
rough, hairy leaves, an inch and a half long, and 
about three quarters of an inch broad in the middle ; 
they are placed oppofite upon very fhort foot ftalks. 
The flowers come cut fingly at the top of the ftalk ; 
they have very (lender tubes, but are cut into five 
round ifh fegments, which fpread open. They are of 
a light purple colour, and appear in July, but are not 
fucceeded by feeds in England. 
Thefe plants are hardy, fo will thrive in the open air 
in England ; they delight in a moift rich foil, not too 
PHY 
fdfr, in which they will grow tall, and produce much 
larger bunches of flowers than in dry ground ; for 
when the foil is poor and dry, they frequently die in 
lummer, urdefs they are duly watered. 
They are generally propagated by parting their roots, 
becaufe they do not often produce feeds in England, 
'ihe belt time for this is in autumn, when their ftalks 
begin to decay. T hefe roots fhould not be divided 
into fmall heads, if they are expended to flower well 
the following fumfner ; nor fhould they be parted of- 
tener than every other year, becaufe when they are 
often removed and parted, it will greatly weaken the 
roots, fo that they will fend out but few ftalks, and 
thofe will be fo weak as not to rife their ufual height, 
and the bunches of flowers will be much fmailer. 
When the roots are tranfplanted and parted, it will 
be a good way to lay fome old tan, or other mulch, 
upon the furface of the ground about their roots, to 
prevent the froft from penetrating the ground ; for as 
they will have put out new fibres before winter, fo 
the froft when it is fevere often kills the fibres, 
whereby the plants fufrer greatly, and are fometimes 
deftroyed. 
The firft, fecond, and fifth forts, propagate pretty 
faft by their fpreading roots, but the others increafe 
but (lowly this way, therefore the bed method to pro- 
pagate them is by cuttings ; and if the three firft forts 
are defired in plenty, they may be eafily obtained by 
this method. The beft time to plant the cuttings, is 
about the latter end of April or the beginning of May, 
when the fiioots from the roots are about two inches 
high ; thefe fhould be cut off clofe to the ground, 
and their tops fhould be fhortened ; then they muft 
be planted on a border of light loamy earth, and 
(haded from the fun until they have taken root or if 
they are planted pretty clofe together, and covered 
with bell or hand-glaffes, (hading them every day 
from the fun, they wiil put out roots in five or fix 
weeks ; but when they begin to (hoot, the glaffes 
fhould be gradually raifed to admit the free air to them, 
otherwife they will draw up weak and foon fpoil : as 
loon as they are well rooted, the glaffes fhould be ta- 
ken off, and the plants inured to the open air ; them 
they fhould be foon after removed into a bed of good 
foil, planting them about fix inches dillance every 
way, obferving to (hade them from the fun, and water 
them duly till they have taken new root ; after which, 
if they are kept clean from weeds, they will require 
no other care till autumn, when they fhould be tranf- 
planted into the borders of the flower-garden, where 
they are defigned to remain. 
If fome of thefe plants are put into pots, and fhel- 
tered under a hot-bed frame in winter, they will 
flower ftrong the following fummer ; and thefe may 
be placed in court-yards, or other places near the ha- 
bitation, when they are in beauty, and being mixed 
with other flowers will be very ornamental.. 
P HYLIC A. Lin. Gen. Plant. 236. Alatemoides. 
Com. Idort. Amft. 1. p. r. Baftard Aldternus, 
The Characters are. 
The j lowers are collected in a dijk , fitting in a common 
receptacle , each having a permanent empalement , compofed 
of three narrow oblong leaves. They have one perforated 
petal , with an eredi conical tube , cut into five parts at the 
brim , and an acute fcale at each divifion , which join to- 
gether within , and five fmall ft amir, a inferted under the 
fc ales , terminated by ftngle fummits. The germen is fili- 
ated at the bottom of the petal , fupporting a fingle ftyle > 
crowned by an obtufe Jligma . The germen afterward be- 
comes a roundifh capfule with three lobes , having three cells , 
each inclofng a fingle roundiftj feed , gibbous on one fide# 
and angular on the other. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feflion of 
Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, which includes thofe plants 
whofe flowers have five (lamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Phvlica ( Ericoides ) foliis linearibus verticillatis. 
Lin. Sp. Plant. 195. Phylica with narrow leaves grow- 
ing in whorls. Alatemoides Africana, erics foliis, 
floribus al bican tibus & mufcofis. Hort. Amft. 2, p. 1. 
tab* 
