P I s 
\ 
Ron fpinofa. Pink. Aim, 293. tab. 214. f. 4.' Dog- 
wood-tree with oblong oval leaves. 
The firft fort grows plentifully in Jamaica, where it 
rifes with a Item to the height of twenty-five feet or 
more, which is almoft as large as a man’s body, 
covered with a light coloured fmopth bark, and 
fending out feverai branches at the tbp without order-, 
thefe are garni fined with winged leaves, whofe pinnae 
or lobes are oval ; there are generally feven in each 
leaf i thefe are about two inches long, and one and a 
half broad, placed for the moft part oppofite, and 
terminated by an odd lobe the flowers are of the but- 
terfly kind, of a dirty white colour, and are fucceecled 
by oblong pods, which have four longitudinal wings, 
and are jointed between the cells which contain, the 
feeds. 
The negroes in the Weft-Indies make Ufe of the bark 
of this tree to catch fifh, which, if thrown into the 
water will intoxicate the fifh, and caufe them to rife 
to the furface of the water, and turn upon their backs, 
fo are eafily caught *, but this intoxication is not of 
long continuance, nor has it been known to give any 
bad quality to the fifh. 
The fecond fort is alfo a native of the Weft-Indies j it 
differs from the firft in the fhape and confidence of 
the leaves, which are more oblong, and of a firmer 
texture than thofe of the firft, but in other refpecfts 
they are very fimilar. 
Both forts are eafily propagated by feeds, when they 
can be obtained frefh from the countries where they 
naturally grow, for in Europe thefe plants do rarely 
flower ; there are plants now in the Chelfea Garden 
which are more than twenty years old, and if they had 
not been two or three times fhortened, would have 
been more than twenty-five feet high, yet have not 
attempted to flower though they are in perfect health. 
The feeds muft be fown upon a good hot-bed in the 
fpring, and when the plants come up and are fit to 
tranfplant, they fhould be each planted in a fmall 
pot filled with fight earth, and plunged into a hot-bed 
of tanners bark, and afterward treated in the fame way 
as hath been directed for the Erythrina, to which 
article the reader is defired to turn, to avoid repetition. 
PI SONIA. Plum. Nov. Gen. 7, tab. 11, Lin. Gen. 
Plant. 984. Fingrigo, vulgo. 
The Characters are, 
The male flozvers grow upon different plants from the 
fruit. \ The male flowers have a fmall erect empalement , 
cut into five acute points. The flowers are funnel-JIoaped , 
the tube is fllsort the brim is expanded , and cut into five 
acute parts •, they have five awl-Jhaped ftamina which 
are longer than the petal , terminated by obtufe fuMmits. 
The female flowers have empalement s like the male , and 
the flowers are of the fame form they fit upon the ger- 
men , which is fituated under the receptacle , fupporting a 
cylindrical ftyle longer than the petal , crowned by five ob- 
long fpreading ftigmas . The germen afterward turns to 
an oval capfule having five angles and one celfl containing 
one fmooth , oblong , oval feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fifth feftion of 
Linnaius’s twenty-fecond clafs, which includes thofe 
plants whofe male and female flowers are upon dif- 
ferent plants, and the female flowers have five ftigmas 
or ilyles. 
We have but one Species at prefent in England, 
viz. 
Pisonia ( Aculeata ) fpinis axillaribus patentiffimis. Lin. 
Sp. Plant. 1 5 1 r . Prickly. Pifonia , called Fingrigo in the 
Weft-Indies. Pifonia aculeata, fructu glutinofo & ra- 
cemofo. Plum. Nov. Gen. 7. Prickly Pifonia with a 
glutinous branching fruit. 
The title of this genus was given by Father Plu- 
nder, in honour of Dr. William Pifo, who pub- 
lifhed a Natural Hiftory of Brafil. The name of 
Fingrigo is what the inhabitants of Jamaica know 
it by. 
The male plants differ fo much in appearance from 
the female, that thofe who have not feen them rife 
from the fame feeds, would fuppofe they were 
P I s 
different fpecies, I ffiall therefore give iliort deferip- 
tions of each. 
The male plants have {talks as thick as a man’s arm, 
which rife ten or twelve feet high ; the bark is of a 
dark brown colour, and fmooth - 3 thefe fend out ma- 
ny branches by pairs oppofite, which are muck 
ftronger than thofe of the female, fo do not hang 
about fo loofe. They are garnilhed with obverfe, 
oval, ftiff leaves, an inch and a half long, and an 
inch and a quarter broad, {landing oppofite on iliort 
foot- {talks. From the fide of the branches come out 
iliort curfons orfpurs, like thofe of the Pear-tree, hav- 
ing each two pair of fmall leaves at bottom, and from 
the top comes out the foot-ftalk of the flowers which is 
(lender, about half an inch long, dividingatthe top into 
three , each of thefe fuftain a fmall corymbus of herba- 
ceous yellow flowers, each having five ftamina liandinp- 
out beyond the petal, terminated by obtufe fummits. 
The ftalks of the female plants are not fo ftrong as 
thofe of the male, fo require fupport.- Thefe rife 
eighteen or twenty feet high, fending out Gender weak 
branches oppofite, which are armed with Abort, ftfono-, 
hooked fpines, and garnilhed with fmall oval leaves, 
about an inch and three quarters broad ; thefe {land 
oppofite on the larger branches, but on the (mailer 
they are alternate, and have iliort fcot-ftalks. The 
flowers are produced in fmall bunches at the end of 
the branches, fitting upon the germen ; they are 
fhaped like thole of the male, but have no ftamina 
in the center is fituated a cylindrical ftyle, crowned 
by five fpreading ftigmas. The germen afterward 
turns to a channelled, five-cornered, glutinous cap- 
fuls, armed with fmall crooked (pines, each contain- 
ing one oblong, oval, fmooth feed. 
Thefe plants are very common in the favanhas, and 
other low places in the bland of Jamaica, as alfo in 
feverai other iflands in the Weft-Indies, where it is 
very troublefome to whoever pafies through the 
places of their growth, faftening themfelves by their 
ftrong crooked thorns to the clothes of the perfons ; 
and their feeds being glutinous and burry, alfo fallen 
themfelves to whatever touches them fo that the 
wings of the ground-doves and other birds, are often 
fo loaded with the feeds, as to prevent their flying, 
by which means they become an eafy prey. 
In Europe this plant is preferved in the gardens of 
fome curious perfons for variety it is propagated by 
feeds, which fhould be fown in pots filled with light 
rich earth, and plunged into a hot-bed of tanners 
bark ; and when the plants come up, they fhould 
be tranfplanted into feparate pots, and plunged into 
the hot-bed again, where they may remain till Mi- 
chaelmas, when they fhould be removed into the 
(love, and plunged into the bark-bed, and treated in 
the fame manner as hath been directed for feverai ten- 
der plants of the fame country -, obferving in hot 
weather to give them plenty of water, but in winter 
they fhould have it more fparingly. They, are too 
tender to thrive in the open air of this country at any 
feafon of the year, wherefore they fliould be conftantly 
kept in the ftove. They retain their leaves moft part 
of the year in England. 
PI ST AC I A. Lin. Gen. Plant. 982. Terebinthus. 
Tourn. Inft. R. H. 579. tab. 345. Lentifcus. Tourn. 
Inft. R. H. 580. Turpentine-tree, Piftachia-nur, and 
Maftick-tree. 
The Characters are, 
The male and female flowers grow upon feparate trees % 
the male flowers are difpofed in loofe fparfed katkins , hav - 
ing fmall feales with one flower \ thefe have fin all five- 
pointed empalement s, but no petals ; they have five fmall 
ftamina , terminated by oval , four-cornered , ercdl fummits . 
The female flowers have fmall trifid emp dements , but no 
petals ; they have each a large oval germen , fupporting 
three reflexed ftyles? crowned by thick prickly ftigmas. The 
germen afterward turns to a dry berry or nut , inclofing an 
oval fmooth feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the third feflion of 
LimimusY twenty-fecond clafs, which includes thofe 
plant? 
