the {talks, and the empalements of the flowers are ve- 
ry glutinous, {ticking to the fingers if touched, and 
the fmall flies which fettle upon them are fattened, fo 
cannot get off again. This plant is too tender to thriye 
in the open air in England, fo requires to be kept in 
a moderate ftove, where they will continue flowering 
great part of the year ; and thofe flowers which appear 
early in the fummer, will be fucceeded by ripe feeds 
in autumn. 
This is propagated by feeds, which flhould be fown 
on a good hot-bed in the fpring, where the plants 
will come up in about five or fix weeks. W hen thefe 
are fit to remove, they Ihould be each planted into a 
feparate fmall pot filled with light loamy earth, and 
plunged into a hot-bed of tan, obferving to fcreen 
them from the fun till they have taken new root ; 
afterward they mutt be treated like other plants from 
the fame country. In the fummer they fhould have a 
large {hare of frefh air admitted to them in warm 
weather, and require water every other day in mode- 
ration. In winter they Ihould be kept in a mode- 
rate temperature of warmth, and mutt be more fpa- 
ringly watered. With this management the roots will 
abide feverai year^, and produce plenty of flowers 
and feeds. 
PLUM-TREE. See Prunus. 
PLUMERIA. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 659. tab. 439. 
Lin. Gen. Plant. 263. Red Jafmine ; in French, Fran - 
ovato-oblongis, ramis 
gipanier. 
The Characters are, 
'■The flower has a fmall obtufe empalement divided into five 
parts-, it hath one funnel-fhaped petal, with a long tube 
enlarging upward , cut into five oblong oval [egments at 
the top , which fpread open it hath five awl-fhaped 
fiamina fituated in the center of the tube , terminated by 
fummits which clofe together, and an oblong bifid germen 
' with fcarce any fiyle , crowned by a double acute ftigma. 
The germen afterward becomes a long, fwelling, acute- 
pointed capfule with one cell , filled with winged feeds placed 
over each other like fcales offifh, faftened at their bafe to 
the fides of the capfule. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feftion of 
Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, which contains thofe plants whofe 
flowers have five ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Plumeria {Rubra) foliis ovato-oblongis, petiolisbi- 
glandulofis. Hort. Cliff. 76. Plumeria with oblong oval 
leaves , whofe foot-ftalks have two glands. Plumeria 
fiore rofeo odoratifiimo. Inft. R. H. 659. Plumeria 
with a Rofe-coloured fweet-fcented flower, commonly called 
in the Wefi-Indies Red Jafmine. 
2. Plumeria ( Incarnata ) foliis 
patulis, floribus corymbofis. Plumeria with oblong oval 
leaves, fpreading branches , and flowers grovoing in a co- 
rymbus. Plumeria flore majore odorato & incarnato. 
Plumeria with a larger fweet-fcented and incarnate flower, 
called in the Weft-Indies the Japan-tree. 
3. Plumeria {Alba) foliis lanceolatis revolutis, pedun- 
culis fuperne tuberofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 410. Plumeria 
with fpear-fhaped leaves which turn backward , whofe 
foot-ftalks have fwellings on the upper fide. Plumeria 
flore niveo, foliis longis anguftis & acuminatis. Inft. 
R. H. Plumeria with a fnowy flower, and long narrow- 
pointed leaves. 
4. Plumeria ( Nivea ) foliis lanceolatis petiolatis obtufis. 
Lin. Sp. Plant. 210. Plumeria with fpear-fhaped obtufe 
leaves having foot-ftalks. Plumeria flore niveo, foliis 
brevioribus & obtufis. Inft. R. H. Plumeria with a 
fnowy flower, and fhorter blunt leaves 
5. Plumeria (. Africana ) foliis lineari-lanceolatis longif- 
fimis. Plumeria with very long, narrow , fpear-fhaped 
leaves. 
The title of this genus was given to it by Dr. Tour- 
nefort, in honour of Father Plumer, who was bota 
nift to the late King of France, and a long time in 
America fearching after new plants ; and has publifhec 
a catalogue of the plants he difcovered, with fevera 
new genera which he conftituted, in two volumes in 
folio, with figures and defcriptions of many of the 
plants. 
The firft fort grows naturally in the Spansih Weft- 
Indies, from whence it was tranfplanted into mod of 
the iflands in the Weft-Indies, where it is cultivated 
in the gardens for ornament. It rifes to the height of 
eighteen or twenty feet ; the ftalk is covered with a 
dark green bark, having marks where the leaves are 
fallen off. The ftalks are fucculent, and abound with 
a milky juice, but within they are fomewhat ligneous. 
Toward the top they put out a few thick fucculent 
branches, which are garnifhed at their ends with oval 
oblong leaves of a light green colour, having a large 
midriband many tranfverfe veins; thefe are full of a 
milky juice. At the ends of the branches come out 
the flowers in clutters ; they are flhaped like thofe of 
the Oleander or Rofe Bay, having one petal which is 
tubulous, and cut into five oval obtufe fegments which 
fpread open, of a pale red colour, and have an agree- 
able odour. When the flowers are paft, the germen 
becomes a long fwelling pod filled with flat winged 
feeds, lying over each other like the fcales of fifii. It 
ufually flowers here in July and Auguft, but is never 
fucceeded by pods in England. 
The fecond fort I received from the ifland of St. 
Chriftopher’s by the name of Japan-tree ; this fort is 
very rare in the Englifh fettlements at prelent, having 
been but lately introduced from the Spanifih Weft- 
Indies. It is in leaf and ftem very like the firft, but 
the ftalks do not rife fo high ; they divide into ltrong 
fpreading branches, which are filled with a milky 
juice •, the leaves are of a thicker confiftence than thofe 
of the firft, and their veins are larger *, the flowers of 
this are of a paler colour, and are produced in much 
larger clufters. 'It is very common to have upward 
of twenty of thefe flowers open in one bunch, and a 
number to fucceed thefe as they decay, fo that the 
clufters have continued in beauty upward of two 
months, during which time they make a moil beau- 
tiful appearance in the ftove, and have a very agree- 
able flavour. 
The third fort grows plentifully at Campeachy, from 
whence the late Dr. Flouftoun fent the feeds. He 
alfo obferved fome plants of this kind at Jamaica. 
This is not near fo beautiful as the two former forts, 
the flowers being fmaller, and produced in lefs 
bunches, and are moreover of fliort duration. But 
for the beauty of their items and leaves, and for the 
fake of variety, they deferve room in every curious 
collection of plants. 
The fourth fort was difcovered by Dr. Flouftoun, 
growing in great plenty near Carthagena in the Spa- 
rhfli Weft-Indies, from whence he lent the feeds to 
England. This fort produces fmall white flowers, re- 
fembling thofe of the third, fo is lefs valuable than 
the two firft. 
The feeds of the fifth fort were fent me by Mr. 
Richard, gardener to the King of France at Ver- 
failles •, they were brought from Senegal by Monfieur 
Adanfon, who was fome years in that country in 
fearch of plants. This hath a ftalk very like the firft 
fort, but the leaves are nine or ten inches long, and 
not more than two inches broad ; they are thick, fuc- 
culent, and full of a milky juice, a little roundifh'at 
their bafe, but end in acute points. The flowers of 
this fort are faid to be yellow, but as the plants have 
not yet flowered here, I can give no fartfier account 
of them. 
All thefe plants may be propagated by feeds, which 
muft be procured from the countries where they natu- 
rally grow ; they Ihould be fown in pots filled with 
light earth, and plunged into a hot-bed of tanners 
bark •, and when the plants are come up about two 
inches high, they fhould be tranfplanted into feparate 
fmall pots filled with light fandy earth, and plunged 
into the hot-bed again, obferving to {hade them from 
the heat of the fun in the middle of the day, until 
they have taken root ; but they muft not have much 
water, for as all the forts are very fucculent, being 
full of a milky juice, fomewhat like the Euphorbiums, 
moifture will caufe them to rot. In hot weather the 
plants fhould have a pretty large {hare of frefh air 
admitted 
