The firft fort grows naturally in paftures, and upon 
heaths in many parts of England ^ 'of this there are 
•three varieties, one with a blue, another with a pur- 
ple, and a third with white flowers, which are fre-' 
quently found intermixed ; and there is another which 
is larger,, and fuppofed to be a diftinct fpecies ; but 
I rather bAieve this difference is owing to the foil in 
which- they grow--, for the large one is generally found 
growing in moift paftures, and the finall one upon dry 
heaths. This hath a perennial root, from which come 
out three or four (lender, trailing, herbaceous (talks, 
about, fix inches long, garnifhed with linear fpear- 
fhaped leaves, about half an inch long, and an eighth 
part of an inch broad in the middle, terminating in 
points at both ends. The flowers are produced at 
the top of the (talks, branching out ; they are fmall, 
and of a blue, purple, or white colour, having two 
wings, a keel and (land arcl like the butterfly (lowers. 
T’hefe appear in June, and are fucceeded by flattiih 
heart-fhaped capfules, divided into two cells, each 
containing one feed. 
The fecond fort grows naturally upon fterile ground 
about Montpelier j this fort is annual ; it rifes with an 
upright (talk about fax inches high, which is garnifhed 
with narrow leaves placed alternate, ending in acute 
points. The flowers are fmall, of a worn-out purple 
colour ; the keel is bearded like the common fort. 
This flowers in July, and has feed-veilels like the 
firft fort, but fmaller ; the feeds ripen in autumn. 
Thefe forts are very rarely admitted into gardens, nor 
do they thrive fo well when (own or tranfplanted there, 
as in their natural fituation. If thefe are cultivated, 
their feeds fhould be fown (bon after they are ripe, 
otherwife they rarely grow. 
The third fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope ; this hath a (brubby ftaik, covered with a 
finooth brown bark, which riles four or five feet high, 
fending out feveral fpreading branches toward the 
top, which are clofely garnilhed with oblong, blunt- 
pointed, fmooth leaves, about an inch long, and a 
quarter of an inch broad, of a lucid green, fitting 
clofe to the branches. The flowers are produced at 
the end of the branches •, they are large, white on 
their outfide, but of a bright purple within ; the keel 
of the flower is hollowed like a halfmoon, and is 
bearded j the wings are expanded wide, and the ftan- 
dard is incurved ; this plant continueth flowering 
mod; part of fummer. The flowers are fucceeded 
by compreffed heart-ffiaped feed-veffels, having two 
cells, each containing one hard, fmooth, Aiming feed. 
This plant is propagated by feeds, which (hould be 
fown in fmall pots, filled with light loamy earth ; 
foon after they are ripe, thefe pots may be placed where 
they may have the morning fun only till October, 
when they fhould be placed under a hot-bed frame, 
and plunged into old tanners bark, which has loft its 
heat, where they may be defended from froft during 
the winter, and in the fpring the pots (hould be 
plunged into a moderate hot-bed, which will bring up 
the plants. When thefe appear, they fhoulcl not be 
too tenderly treated, but muft have a large (hare of 
free air admitted to them when they are fit to trani- 
plant, they (liould be carefully fhaken out of the pots, 
and feparated, planting each into a fmall pot filled with 
foft loamy earth, and plunged into a very moderate 
hot-bed to forward their taking new root, obferving 
to (hade them from the fun, and gently refrefh them 
with water as they may require it, but they muft not 
have too much wet. When they are rooted, they 
mufti be gradually inured to the open air, and in June 
they may be placed abroad in a dickered fituation, 
where they may remain till the middle or latter end of 
Qdober, according as the feafon proves favourable •, 
then- they muft be removed into the green-houfe, and 
treated in the feme way as Orange-trees, being care- 
ful not to give them too much wet during the winter 
feafon. In the Cummer they muft be placed abroad 
with other green-houfe plants, where, by their long 
continuance in flower* they will make a fine appear- 
r*~\ 
l 
fof* 
iiv. 
management of this plant 
feme as for the Orange-tree. - .... 
neariy me 
The fourth fort grows-naturally. o.n the Alps, and aU 
fo upon the mountains in Auftria and Hungary j this 
rifes with a (lender, branching, ligneous • ftaik about a 
foot high, when it grows upon -good ground, but on 
a rocky foil feldorn more than half that height. The 
branches are clofely garnifhed with jftiff, fmooth, fpear- 
fhaped leaves of a lucid green. From between the 
leaves, toward the top of the branches', the flowers' 
come out upon very ihort foot-ftalks ; they are white 
on their outfide, but within are of a purpiiih colour 
mixed with; yellow, and have a grateful odour. Thefe 
appear in May, and are fucceeded by feed-yell 
Is 
like thole of the former fort. 
This plant is very difficult to cultivate in gardens, for 
it commonly grows out of the flffiur.es of rocks,, fo 
cannot be eafily tranfplanted, and the feeds are with 
difficulty obtained from abroad , nor do thefe vege- 
tate till they have been a whole year in the ground, 
unlefs they are fown foon after they are ripe, when 
the plants will come up the fpring following ; when 
the plants firft come up, they make very little prd- 
grefs here, and are as difficult to tranfplant as aim oft 
any plant at prefect known, which occafions its pre- 
fent (carcity in England. 
The bed method of cultivating this is by feeds, which 
. fhould be procured as frefh as poffible from the places 
of its natural growth, and fown in pots as foon as it 
arrives ; the pets may be plunged into the ground, 
where they may have only the morning fun. If thefe 
are fown before Chriftmas, there will be a chance of 
the plants coming up the following fpring but thofe 
which are not fown till toward fpring, will remain in 
the ground a year ^ therefore the pots fhould be 
plunged into the ground, where they may have but 
little fun the following fummer, and in autumn they 
may be removed, and plunged into an old tan-bed 
under a hot-bed frame, where they may be protected 
from fevere froft for although this plant is a native 
of the Alps and other cold mountains, yet as the feeds 
• will not be covered with fnow here, as they are in 
their native foil and fituation, they are frequently 
fpoiled here by the inconftancy of the weather in Eng- 
land. When the plants come up, they (hould be 
placed in (hade during fummer ; and in autumn they 
may be turned out of the pots, and planted in a bor- 
der where they may have only the morning fun, for 
this plant will not thrive long in pots. If the win- 
ter proves very fevere, it will be proper to cover 
the furface of the ground about their roots with mulch 
to keep out the froft. If the plants take root in the 
border, they (hould remain there undifturbed, and 
be only kept clean from weeds, for the ground about 
their roots (hould not be dug or dunged. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in moft parts of North 
America. This hath a perennial root compofed of 
feveral fleffiy fibres, from which arife three or four 
branching (talks, which grow erect, and are more than 
a foot high ; thefe are garniftied with fpear-fhaped 
leaves placed alternately. The flowers are produced 
in loofe fpikes at the end of the branches j they are 
fmall, white, and (haped like thofe of the common 
fort, but their keels have no beards. It flowers here 
in July, but the plants do not produce feeds here. 
The root of this fort hath been long ufed by the 
Seneka Indians to cure the bite of the rattle-fnake, 
which,; if taken in time, is an infallible remedy. And 
of late years it has been ufed by the inhabitants of 
Virginia in many diforders, which are occaftoned by a, 
thick flzy blood y fo that the root of this plant, when, 
its virtues are fully known, may become one of the 
moft ufeful medicines yet difeovered. The Seneka 
Indians ufe this root, which they powder, and gene-, 
rally carry about them when they travel in the woods, 
left they (hould be bit by the rattle-fnake and when- 
ever this happens, they take a quantity of the powder 
inwardly, and apply forne of it to the part bitten, 
which is a lure remedy. 
The 
