RES 
teola herba falicis folio. C. B. P. ioo. Dyer's Weed , 
or wild Woad . , by feme called Weld. 
The firft fort grows naturally in the fouth of France, 
Italy, and Spain. This is a biennial plant, which 
flowers and feeds the fecond year, and perifhes foon 
after. The root is long, white, and a little ligneous ; 
the leaves are unequally winged, and the lobes are 
entire ; the ftalks are channelled, rifling two feet high, 
garnifhed with leaves like thofe below, but are fmall- 
er, and are terminated by long loofe fpikes of pale 
yellow flowers, compofed of feveral unequal petals ; 
the two upper are the larger!, the fide ones lels, and 
the lower are fo fmall as to be fcarce confpicuous ; 
they are all of a Angular figure, and appear as if one 
leaf came out of two others. In the middle are fi- 
tuated many ftamina terminated by yellow fummits, 
and at the bottom a three-cornered germen, which 
afterward turns to a three-cornered feed-veffel, hav- 
ing three or four holes at the top, and filled with 
black feeds. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in chalky land in 
many parts of England, and has been fuppofed to be 
the common fort, it being our common fort in Eng- 
land, but the former is more common abroad, and 
is fo titled ; the lower leaves of this are winged, and 
every lobe is cut into three fmall parts, and are 
curled, having fome fmall indentures on their edges. 
The ftalks rife about the fame height as thofe of the 
former, and are terminated by longer and loofer 
fpikes of flowers •, the flowers are paler and approach 
to a white. This flowers in June, and the feeds ripen 
in September. 
The third fort grows naturally in the fouth of France 
and Italy •, this is an annual plant, which has general- 
ly a Angle flefhy tap-root running deep in the ground, 
fending out feveral trailing ftalks near a foot long, 
which divide into fmaller branches, garniihed with 
fmall leaves, fome of which are wedge-fhaped and 
entire, others are cut into three obtufe fegments. The 
ends of the branches are terminated by loofe fpikes of 
flowers, ftanding upon pretty long foot-ftalks. The 
empalement of the flower is large, divided into Ax 
fegments almoft to the bottom ; the flowers are white, 
and fhaped like thofe of the other forts. It flowers in 
July, and the feeds ripen in autumn. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in Italy and Spain •, 
this is a biennial plant, the lower leaves are unequally 
winged, fome of the intermediate lobes or fegments 
being much lefs than the others, and of different 
fhapes. The ftalks rife two feet and a half high, gar- 
nifhed with fmaller difformed winged leaves, indented 
on their edges. The flowers are produced in Aender 
loofe fpikes at the top of the ftalks ; they are fmall 
and white, of the fame fhape with the others, appear- 
ing in June, and the feeds ripen in September. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in the fouth of France ; 
it is a biennial plant •, the lower leaves are large, 
winged, and compofed of many narrow lobes or feg- 
ments placed alternate, which are of a grayifh co- 
lour the ftalks rife two feet and a half high, and 
are garnifhed with the like leaves, which diminifh in 
their fize to the top ; the ftalks are terminated by 
ihorter and thicker fpikes of flowers than either of the 
former, which are white, and fhaped like thofe of the 
other fpecies. It flowers in June, and the feeds ripen 
in Auguft. 
The fixth fort is fuppofed to grow naturally in Egypt •, 
the feeds of this were fent me by Dr. Adrian Van 
Royen, the late profeflbr of botany at Leyden. The 
root of this plant is compofed of many ftrong fibres, 
which run deep in the ground, from which come out 
feveral ftalks about a foot long, which divide into 
many fmall branches -, thefe are garnifhed with ob- 
long leaves, fome of which are entire, and others are 
divided into three parts ; they are about two inches 
long, and three quarters of an inch broad in the mid- 
dle, ending in oval points, of a deep green colour. 
The flowers are produced in loofe fpikes at the end 
of the branches j they ftand upon pretty long foot- 
RES 
ftalks, have large empalements, and are of an her- 
baceous white colour, and fmell very like frefn Rafp- 
berries, which occafions its being much cultivated in 
the Englifh gardens. This plant is fo like the third 
fort, as to be taken for the fame by fome, but the 
flowers of the third have no feent -, fo that thofe who 
have been impofed on, by having the feeds of the third 
fort fent them for this, have fuppofed the plant was 
degenerated. 
The feventh fort grows naturally upon the mountains 
in Spain ; this hath a perennial root, from which 
arife a few flender ligneous ftalks a foot and a half 
high, which are thinly garniihed with linear obtufe 
leaves, of a grayifh colour the upper part of the 
ftalk is garnifhed for a good length with fmall, whitifh, 
purple flowers, ranged in a very loofe fpike, fitting 
clofe to the ftalk. Thefe appear the latter end of May, 
and the feeds ripen in Auguft. 
The eighth fort grows naturally upon dry banks and 
old walls in many parts of England, but is cultivated 
in fome places for the dyer’s ufe. This is now gene- 
rally believed to be the plant, with which the ancient 
inhabitants of this ifland painted themfelves, and not 
the Woad, as has been by fome fuppofed ; for the 
Dyer’s Weed is a native here, whereas the Woad has 
been fince introduced into this country. This is a bi- 
ennial plant ; the root is compofed of a few ligneous 
fibres ; the leaves are four inches long, and half an 
inch broad, entire, and ending in obtufe points ; thefe 
the firft year fpread circularly near the ground, and 
have fome gentle wavings on their edges ; the ftalks 
rife three feet high, and are garniihed with leaves of 
the fame lhape with thofe at bottom. They are ter- 
minated by long loofe fpikes of yellowilh flowers, 
which appear the latter end of June, and the feeds 
ripen in September. 
The five forts firft mentioned, and alfo the feventh, 
are feldom cultivated in gardens except for the fake 
of variety, having very little beauty to recommend 
them, and being of no ufe but whoever has a mind 
to have them, need only fow their feeds in autumn, 
and when the plants come up, if they are thinned and 
kept clean from weeds, it is all the culture they re- 
quire ; and if their feeds are permitted to fcatter, the 
plants will come up in plenty, and fometimes become 
troublefome weeds. 
The feeds of the fixth fort Ihould be fown on a mo- 
derate hot-bed in March, and when the plants are 
ftrong enough to tranfplant, they Ihould be pricked 
out upon another moderate hot-bed to bring them 
forward ; but they Ihould have a large lhare of air in 
warm weather, otherwife they will draw up weak* 
About the latter end of May the plants may be plant- 
ed out, fome into pots, to place near the apartments, 
and others into warm borders, where they may remain 
to flower and feed. For the plants which grow in the 
full ground, often produce more feeds than thofe which 
are in pots but at the time when the feed-veffels be- 
gin to fwell, the plants are frequently infefted with 
green caterpillars, which, if they are not deftroyed, 
will eat off all the feed-veffels. 
If the feeds of this plant are fown on a bed of light 
earth in April, the plants will come up very well, 
and when they are not tranfplanted, will grow larger 
than thofe which are raifed in the hot-bed, but they 
will not flower fo early, and in cold feafons will 
fcarce ripen their feeds. The plants may alfo be 
preferved through the winter in a green-houfe, where 
they will continue flowering mod part of the year, 
but the fecond year they will not be fo vigorous as 
the firft. 
The eighth fort is the Weld, which is accounted a 
rich commodity for dyeing ^ where this is cultivated, 
the feeds are commonly fown with Barley in the fpring, 
and after the Barley is taken off the ground, the 
Weld begins to make fome progrefs, and the next 
feafon is pulled up for ufe. This has been long prac- 
tifed, and it will be difficult to prevail on the culti- 
vaters of this plant to depart from their old cuftoms j 
ii H but 
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