P IJ N 
In the Weft-Indies, but they are fuppoled to have 
been tranfplanted there from, Europe; but they are 
fo much improved there, as to be much preferable 
to any in Europe, the fruit being larger and finer 
flavoured. 
This tree rifes with a woody ftem eighteen or twenty 
feet high, fending out branches the whole length, 
which likewife put out many (lender twigs, fo as to 
render them very thick and bufhy. Some of thefe 
are armed with (harp thorns ; they are garni (he'd with 
fpear-fhaped leaves about three inches long, and half 
an inch broad in the middle, drawing to a point at 
each end •, they are of a light lucid green, and (land 
oppofite. The flowers come out at the end of the 
branches, fometimes fingly, and at others three or four 
together ; one of the largeft terminates the branch, 
and immediately under that are two or three fmaller 
buds, which, after the flower is pad* fwell larger 
and expand, whereby there is a continued fucceflion 
of flowers for fame months. The empale men t of 
the flower is very thick, flefhy, and of one piece, cut 
at the top into five fegments ; it is of a fine red co- 
lour, and within are included five in the Angle flow 
ers, but in the double a great number of fcarlet pe- 
tals, which are inferted in the empalement, In the 
center is fituated the ftyle, arifirig from the germen, 
encompaflfed by many (lender (lamina, which are ter- 
minated by oblong yellowifn fummits. After the 
flower decays, the germen fwells to a roundifli fruit 
crowned by the empalement, having a hard (hell, in- 
cluding a pulp filled with angular feeds. This tree 
flowers in July, Auguft, and September, and the fruit 
ripens late in autumn. 
The Balauftia of the (hops is the empalement of the 
flower of the double flowering Pomegranate. 
The firft of thefe trees is now pretty common in the 
Englifh gardens, where formerly it was nurfed up in 
cafes, and preferved in green-houfes with great care 
(as was alfo the double flowering kind •,) but they are 
both hardy enough to refill the fevered cold of our 
climate in the open air •, and, if planted againft warm 
walls in a good fltuation, the firft fort will often pro- 
duce fruit, which in warm feafons will ripen tolera- 
bly well •, but as thefe fruits do not ripen till late in 
the autumn, they are feldom well tafted in England, 
for which reafon the fort with double flowers is com- 
monly preferred to it. The fort with fweet fruit, as 
alfo the wild fort, are lefs common in the Englilh gar- 
dens than the former two. 
Thefe plants may be eafily propagated by laying down 
their branches in the fpring, which in one year’s time 
will take good root, and may then be tranfplanted 
where they are defigned to remain. The beft feafon 
for transplanting of thefe trees is in fpring, juft before 
they begin to (hoot •, they fhould have a ftrong rich 
foil, in which they flower much better, and produce 
more fruit than if planted on dry poor ground; but in 
order to obtain thefe in plenty, there fhould be care 
taken in the pruning of thefe trees, for want of which 
we often fee thefe trees very full of frnall fhoots, but 
do not find many flowers produced upon them-, 
therefore I (hall fet down directions for pruning of 
thefe trees, fo as to obtain a great quantity of flowers 
and fruit. 
The flowers of this tree, always proceed from the ex- 
tremity of the branches which are produced the fame 
year. This therefore direfts, that all weak branches 
of the former year fhould be cut out, and that the 
ftronger fhould be fhortened in proportion to their 
ftrength, in order to obtain new fhoots in every part 
of the tree. The branches may be laid in againft 
the wall about four or five inches afunder ; for, as 
their leaves are frnall, there is not a neceffity of al- 
lowing them a greater diftance. The beft time for 
this v\ ork is about Michaelmas, or a little later, ac- 
cording to the mildnefs of the feafon, for if they are 
left until fpring before they are pruned, they feldom 
put out their fhoots fo early, and the earlier they come 
out, the fooner the flowers will appear, which is of 
great confequence where fruit is defired. In fummer 
PYR 
they will require no other dreffing, but to cut off all 
vigorous fhoots which grow from the wall, and ne- 
ver produce flowers (for it is the middling fhoots on- 
ly which are fruitful ;) and when the fruit is formed, 
the branches on which they grow fhould be fattened 
to the wall to fupport them, otherwife the weight of 
the fruit, when grown large, will be apt to break, 
them down. 
Though, as I faid before, the fruit of this tree fel- 
dom arrives to any perfection in this country, fo as 
to render it valuable ; yet, for the beauty of its fcar- 
let-coloured flowers, together with the variety of its 
fruit, there fhould be one tree planted in every good 
garden, fince the culture is not great which they re- 
quire the chief care is to plant them upon a rich 
ftrong foil, and in a warm fltuation. Upon feme 
trees which had thefe advantages, I have obtained a 
great quantity of fruit which have arrived to their full 
magnitude, but I cannot fay they were well flavour- 
ed ; however, they made a very handfome appear- 
ance upon the trees. 
The double flowering kind is much more efteemed 
than the other in this country for the fake of its 
large, fine, double flowers, which are of a rrioft beau- 
tiful fcarlet colour ; and, if the trees are fupplied 
with nourifhfnent, will continue to produce flowers', 
for two months fucceffivdy, which renders it one of 
the moft valuable flowering trees yet known; This 
muft be pruned and managed in the fame mariner as 
hath been already directed for the fruit-bearing kind, 
but this fort may be rendered more productive of its 
beautiful flowers by grafting it upon flocks of the 
Angle kind, which will check the luxufiancy of the 
trees, and caufe them to produce flowers upon alrnoft 
every fhoot ; by which method I have had a low tree, 
which was planted in the open air, extremely full of 
flowers, which made a very fine appearance. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in the Weft-Indies, 
where the inhabitants plant it in their gardens to form 
hedges. It feldom rifes more than five or fix feet 
high in thofe countries, fo may be kept within corn- 
pals, and there the plants continue flowering great 
part of the year. The flowers of this kind are much 
fmaller than thofe of the common fort; the leaves 
are fhorter and narrower, and the fruit is not larger 
than a Nutmeg, and has little flavour, fo it is chiefly- 
propagated for the beauty of its flowers. This is un- 
doubtedly a diftinCt fpecies from the common fort, 
and is much tenderer. 
This plant may be propagated by layers in the fame 
manner as the former forts, but muft be planted in 
pots filled with rich earth, and preferved in a green- 
houfe, otherwife it is too tender to endure the cold of 
our winters ; and in the fummer, when the flowers 
begin to appear, if the plants are expofed to the open 
air, the buds will fall off, and never open ; fo that 
they fhould not be expofed to the open air, but placed 
in an airy glafs-cafe, giving them a large (hare of air 
every day in mild weather. As they will be covered 
at the top by the glafies, the flowers will expand, 
and- the fruit will grow to the full fize in England 
with this management, though they are not very 
defirable ; but hereby the plants may be continued 
in flower upward of two months, and will make a fine 
appearance. 
PURSLAIN. See Portulaca. 
PYR AC A NTH A. See Mespilus. 
PYR OLA. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 256. tab. 132. Lin. 
Gen. Plant. 490. Winter-green. 
The Characters are, 
The fiower hath a [mall permanent empalement cut into 
free fegments ; it hath five roundifh , concave , fpreading 
petals , and ten awl-fisaped Jiamina terminated by large 
nodding fummits with two rifing horns , and a roundifh 
germen Supporting a [lender fty le , which is permanent and 
longer than the J, lamina , crowned by a thick ftigma. The 
germen afterward becomes a roundifh , depreffed , five-cor- 
nered capfule , with five cells opening at the angles , filled 
with feeds. 
This 
