R I B 
this do not produce much fruit, nor is it fo good as 
to merit cultivation, fo it is only kept by way of cu- 
riofity. The fruit of the red and white Currants are 
greatly efteemed for the table, and are alfo very good 
in fevers j they are cooling and grateful to the fto- 
mach, quench thirft, and are fomewhat reftringent. 
The jelly made with the juice of this fruit and fugar, 
is very grateful in fevers, and is ufed as fauce to the 
table. This fruit may be procured good much longer 
than others upon the plants, by planting them in dif- 
ferent flotations ; for if they are planted againft pales 
or walls expofed to the fouth, the fruit will ripen 
in June ; and by planting fome againft north walls, if 
they are fcreened from birds, and covered in autumn 
from froft, they may be kept till November •, and as 
the fruit is greatly ufed for tarts, it is very convenient 
to have a fucceffion of it for fo long a time. 
TheChampaign Currant differs from the other only 
in the colour of the fruit, which is of a pale red or 
fiefti colour. The tafte is fo near to the other, as 
not to be diftinguilhed ; but this being of a different 
colour, makes a variety on the table. 
There are plants of all thefe forts with variegated 
leaves, which are kept in fome gardens for the fake 
of variety ; but as thefe variegations go off when the 
plants are vigorous, they fcarce deferve notice. 
Thefe forts may be ealily propagated by planting 
their cuttings any time from the beginning of Sep- 
tember to the middle of Odlober, upon a fpot of frefti 
earth, either in rows at one foot afunder, or in beds, 
which in the fpring muff be kept very clean from 
weeds, and in very dry weather, if they are watered, 
it will greatly promote their growth. Thefe may re- 
main one or two years in the nurfery, during which 
time they mult be pruned for the purpofes defigned, 
i. e. either to clear Items about one foot high, if for 
ftandards •, or if for walls, pales, or efpaliers, they 
may be trained up flat. 
Then they fhould be planted out where they are to 
remain ; for the younger they are planted, the better 
they will fucceed ; the belt feafon for which is foon 
after the leaves begin to decay, that they may take 
root before winter, fo that they may be in no danger 
of fuffering from drought in the fpring. 
Thefe plants are generally planted in rows at about 
eight or ten feet afunder, and four diftance in the rows, 
in thofe gardens where the fruit is cultivated for fale ; 
but the beft method is to train them againft low efpa- 
liers, in which manner they will take up much lefs 
room in a garden, and their fruit will be much fairer. 
The diftance they fhould be placed for an efpalier 
ought not to be lefs than eight or ten feet, that their 
branches may be trained horizontally, which is of 
great importance to their bearing. 
Thofe that are planted againft pales or walls fhould 
alfo be allowed the fame diftance. If they are planted 
againft a fouth-eaft wall or pale, it will caufe their 
fruit to ripen at leaft a fortnight or three weeks fooner 
than thofe in the open air ; and thofe which are planted 
againft a north wall or pale will be proportionably 
later, fo that by this method the fruit may be con- 
tinued a long time in perfection, efpecially if thofe 
againft the north pales are matted in the heat of the 
day. 
Thefe plants produce their fruit upon the former 
year’s wood ; and alfo upon fmall fnags which come 
out of the old wood, fo that in pruning them, thefe 
fnags fhould be preferved, and the young jfhoots 
fhortened in proportion to their ftrength. The only 
method very neceffary to be obferved in pruning of 
them is, not to lay their fhoots too clofe, and never 
to prune their fnags to make them fmooth. This, 
with a fmall care in obferving the manner of their 
growth, will be fufficient to inftruCl any perfon how 
to manage this plant, fo as to produce great quanti- 
ties of fruit. 
Thefe plants will thrive and produce fruit in almoft 
any foil or fituation, and are often planted under the 
fhade of trees ; but the fruit is always beft when they 
are planted in the open air, and upon a light loamy foil. 
R 1 G 
RICINOIDES. SeelATRQPHA. 
RICINUS. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 532. tab. 307. ' Lira 
Gen. Plant. 962. [fo called, becaufe the feed refembles 
(ricinus) the animal called by that name, i. e. a tick 
which infefts dogs and oxen. It is alfo called Palma 
Chrifti, becaufe its leaves are faid to referable the palm 
of the hand.] Palma Chrifti, vulgb. 
The Characters are, 
It hath male and female flowers difpofed in the fame fpike. 
'The male flower s, which are fituated on the lower part of 
the fpike , have fwelling empalements of one leaf cut into 
three parts . Thefe fegments are oval and concave \ the 
flowers have no petals , but have a great number of fender 
ftamina , which are connected in fever al bodies., and are 
terminated by roundifh twin fainmits. The female flowers , 
which are fitimted on the upper part of the fpike , have 
empalements of one leaf , which are cut into five fegments , 
and are armed with prickles •, they have no petals , but in 
the center is fituated an oval gerraen , which is clofely flout 
up in the empalements fupporting three floort flyles , which 
are bifids crowned by Jingle jligmas. The gerraen after- 
ward turns to a roundifh fruits having three furrows , di- 
vided into three cells , opening with three valves , each cell 
containing one almoft oval feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the ninth feftion of 
Linnaeus’s twenty-firft clals, which contains thofe 
plants which have male and female flowers on the 
fame plant, whofe ftamina are joined in various 
bodies. 
The Species are, 
r. Ricinus ( Vulgaris ) foliis peltatis ferratis, fubtu's glau- 
cis, petiolis glanduliferis. Ricinus with target-fhaped 
fawed leaves which are gray cn their under fiaSs and 
foot-flalks bearing glands. Ricinus vulgaris. C. B. P. 
432. Common Palma Chrifti. 
2. Ricinus ( Americanus ) foliis peltatis fubferratis, lobis 
amplLribus utrinque viren tibus. Ricinus with target- 
fhaped leaveSs which are fawed, whofe lobes are large and 
green on both fldes. Ricinus Americanus major. C. 
B. P. 432. Great American Palma Chrifti. 
3. Ricinus ( Urens ) foliis peltatis inasqualiter ferratis, 
capfulis hifpidis. Tab. 219. Ricinus with target-fhaped 
leaves which are unequally fawed , and prickly capfules 
to the fruit. Ricinus Americanus major, caule vire- 
feente. H. R. Par. Greater American Palma Chrifti with 
a greeniflo ftalk. 
4. Ricinus ( Rugofus ) foliis peltatis ferratis, capfulis ru- 
gofis non echinatis. Tab. 220. Palma Chrifti with tar- 
get-floaped fawed leaves, and rough capfules to the fruit 
which are not prickly. 
5. Ricinus (. Africanus ) foliis peltatis ferratis, lobis maxi* 
mis, caule geniculato, capfulis echinatis. Ricinus with 
target-floaped fawed leaves , having the largeft lobes , a 
jointed ftalk , and prickly covers to the feeds. Ricinus 
Africanus maximus, caule geniculato rutilante. H. R. 
Par. Great eft African Palma Chrifti , with a reddifh 
jointed ftalk. 
6 . Ricinus {Iner mis) foliis peltatis ferratis, lobis maxi- 
mis, caule geniculata, capfulis inermis. Palma Chrifti 
with fawed target-ftoaped leaves , having very large lobes , 
a jointed ftalk , and fmooth covers to the feeds. 
7. Ricinus {Minor) foliis palmatis ferratis, profundius 
divifis capfulis echinatis. Ricinus with kand-Jhaped faw- 
ed leaves which are deeply divided , and prickly covers to 
the feeds. Ricinus Americanus minor. C. B. P.432. 
Small American Palma Chrifti. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Sicily, and other 
warm parts of Europe. This rifes with a ftrong her- 
baceous ftalk to the height of ten or twelve feet ; the 
joints are at a great diftance from each other ; the 
ftalk and branches are of a gray colour ; the leaves 
are large, and have long foot-ftalks ; they are deeply 
divided into feven lobes which are fawed on their 
edges, and are gray on their under fide •, at the di- 
vifion of the lobes is a fort of navel, where the foot- 
ftalk joins the leaves on their under fide. The flowers 
are difpofed in long fpikes, which rife at the divifiori 
of the branches •, the lower part of the fpikes are gar- 
niftied with male flowers, which have fwollen-empale- 
ments, divided into three parts which open, and fhew 
a great 
<w 
