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R H A 
broad in the wideft part, which is near the bafe ; 
they are of a yellowifh green, and a thin confidence, 
having feveral veins diverging from the midrib to- 
ward the fides, which converge again toward the 
point. The flowers come out upon fmall curfons or 
ipurs on the fide of the branches, each Handing upon 
a feparate fnort foot-ftalk ; they are of a yellowifh 
herbaceous colour, having fhort fwelling tubes, and 
are cut into five acute fegments at the top, which 
ipread open •, they appear in June, but are not fuc- 
ceeded by berries here. 
Mr. Du Hamel de Monceaux, of the Royal Academy 
of Sciences at Paris, lays, that the fruit of this fpecies 
gathered green is the Grain d’Avignon, or Avignon 
berries, which are uled in dyeing of yellow •, but I have 
been allured by a gentleman of fkill, who refided long 
in the fouth of France, that the Avignon berries 
were the fruit of the narrow-leaved Alaternus ; and in 
order to be better fatisfied of the truth, I gathered a 
quantity of the berries of the narrow-leaved Alaternus 
before they were full ripe, and carried them to two 
eminent dealers in this commodity, and afked them if 
they knew what thefe berries were ; they both allured 
me, after making trial of them, that they were Avig- 
non berries, and if I had a large quantity of them, 
they would purchafe them all : therefore, as the Ala- 
ternus before-mentioned is one of the rnoft common 
Ihrubs in the fouth of France, from whence the Avig- 
non berries are brought, we may fuppoie Mr du Ha 
mel has been ill informed. 
The third fort grows naturally in Spain and Italy ; 
this grows to a larger fize than thefecond, but not fo 
high as the firft. The branches are ftronger, and are 
armed with a few long fpines ; the leaves are like 
thofe of the wild Plum, but are a little longer and 
narrower ; the flowers are fmall, of a yellowilh co- 
lour, and are produced from the fide of the branches ; 
thefe appear in June, but are not fucceeded by berries 
in this country. 
The firft: fort is fo common in the hedges in many 
parts of England, that it is feldom cultivated in gar- 
dens ; this riles eafily from feeds, if they are fown in 
autumn foon after the berries are ripe ; but, if they 
are kept out of the ground till fp ring, the plants will 
not come up till the year after; thefe will require no 
particular treatment, but may be managed in the fame 
way as young Crabs, or any other hardy deciduous tree ; 
it may alfo be propagated by cuttings or layers. If 
the young fhoots are layed in autumn, they will put 
out roots by the following autumn, when they may 
be taken off from the plants, and either planted in 
a nurfery to remain there to get ftrength for a year or 
two, or they may be planted where they are defigned 
to remain. This is not fo proper for hedges as the 
Hawthorn or Crab, fo thofe lliould be preferred to it. 
The fecond and third forts are preferved in botanic 
gardens for the fake of variety ; but as they are not 
beautiful, few perfons cultivate them here, efpecially 
as thefe do not produce fruit in England. They may 
be propagated either by laying down the young 
branches in autumn, or by planting the cuttings in 
the fpring, before the buds begin to fwell. Thefe 
will put out roots in the fame manner as the common 
fort, and may be treated in the fame way, for they 
are both hardy plants, and will thrive in the open air. 
The fourth fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope, fo is too tender to thrive in the open air in 
England ; but if it is placed in a common green-houfe 
with Myrtles, Olives, and the hardier kinds of exotic 
plants in winter, and removed to the open air in fum- 
mer, it will thrive very well. This rifes with a fhrubby 
ftalk to the height of four or five feet, fending out 
many fide branches, which, when young, are covered 
with a green bark, but as they advance, the bark 
changes to a dark brown ; they are armed with a 
few long (lender thorns, and garnilhed with wedge - 
fnaped leaves, which come out in duffers at each 
joint, four, five, or fix rifing from the fame point, 
which differ in fize, the largeft being about an inch 
long, and three quarters broad, and the fmalleft about 
R H E 
half as large ; they are of a deep green, and continue' 
all the year 5 their points are broad and rounded, 
growing narrower to their bafe, fitting dole to the 
branches. The flowers are produced on the fide of 
the branches at each joint; they are collected into 
roundifh bunches, Handing upon foot-ftalks an inch 
long ; they are white, and have fhort tubes ; their 
upper part is cut into five acute fegments, which 
ipread open inform of a ffar. Thefe appear in June, 
at which time the whole fhrub feems covered with 
flowers, fo as to make a fine appearance ; and as the 
leaves continue green all the year, it deferves a place 
where there is a conveniency to lhelter them in winter. 
This fort has not as yet produced feeds in England, 
but it may be eafily propagated by cuttings, which 
fhould be planted in pots filled with loamy earth the 
beginning of April. The pots fhould de plunged 
into a moderate hot-bed, , and the cuttings lliould be 
fhaded from the fun in the heat of the day ; they muff 
alfo be fprinlded with water two or three times a week, 
according as the earth in the pot dries, but they muff 
by no means have too much wet. Thefe cuttings 
will put out roots in two months, and foon after will 
begin to make (hoots at the top ; then they muff have 
a large (hare of air admitted to them, and gradually 
inured to bear the open air, into which they fhould 
be loon after removed ; and when they are well hard- 
ened, they may be fhaken out of the pots, and 
feparated, being careful to preferve a ball of earth, 
to each, and plant them into fingle pots filled with 
loft loamy earth, placing them in the lhade till they 
have taken new root ; then they may be removed 
into a fheltered fituation, where they may remain 
till the froft comes on in autumn, at which time they 
muff be houfed, and treated in the fame way as the 
other hardier kinds of green-houfe plants. 
RHEUM. Lin. Gen. Plant. 454. Rhabarbarum. 
Tourn. Inft. R. H. 89. tab. 18. The Rhubarb. 
The Characters are. 
The jlower has no empdement ; it hath one petal , which 
is narrow at the bafe , and impervious. The brim is cut 
into fix parts , which are obtufe and alternately J mailer ; 
it hath nine hair-like Jlamina infertcd in the petal , and is 
of the fame length , terminated by oblong twin fummits 
which are obtufe , and a fhort three-cornered germen , with 
fcarce any Jlyle , crowned by three feathered figmas which 
are reflexed. The germen afterward becomes a large three- 
cornered feed, with acute membranceous borders. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedion. 
of Linnaeus’s ninth clafs, which contains thofe plants 
whofe flowers have nine ftamina or ftigmas, and three 
ftyles. 
The Species are, 
1. Rheum ( Rhaponticum ) foliis cordatis glabris fpicis 
obtufis. Rhubarb with flmooth heart-fhaped leaves , and 
obtufe [pikes of flowers. Rhaponticum. Prof. Alp. Exot. 
187. The Rhapontick , commonly called EnglifJo Rhubarb . 
2. Rheum (Undulatum ) foliis fubvillofis undulatis peti- 
olis aequalibus. Lin. Diff 1. tab. 1. Sp. Plant. 372. 
Rhubarb with hairy waved leaves , having equal foot- 
fialks. Rhabarbarum folio longiori hirfuto crifpo, 
florum thyrfo longiori & tenuiori. Amman. Ruth. 9. 
Rhubarb with a longer hairy curled leaf , and a longer and 
fender fpike of flowers. 
3. Rheum ( Compafturn ) foliis cordatis glabris, margi- 
bus finuatis, fpicis eredis compadis. Tab. 218. Rhu- 
barb with heart-fhaped fmooth leaves , which are ft mated 
on their borders , and ere id compact fpikes of flowers. 
4. Rheum (fPalmatum ) foliis palmatis acuminatis, Lin. 
Sp. 531. Rhubarb with pointed hand-Jhaped leaves. 
5. Rheum ( Ribes ) foliis granulatis, petiolis aequalibus. 
Lin. Sp. Plant. 372. Rhubarb with granulated leaves 
having equal foot-ftalks. Lapathum Grientale afpero 
& verrucofo folio, Ribes Arabium didum. Hor-c. 
Elth. 19 1. tab. 1 58, Eaftern Dock with a rough wanted 
leaf . , called by the Arabians Ribes. 
The firft fort grows naturally near the Pontic Sea, 
but has been long an inhabitant of the Englifh gar- 
dens. When the feeds were firft brought to Europe, 
they were fuppofed to be of the true Rhubarb, bur 
upon 
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