R U S 
{talks, which rife about three feet high, fending out 
from their fide feveral fliort branches, which are gar- 
nifhed with ftiff, oval, heart-fhaped leaves, placed al- 
ternately on every part of the (talk ; they are about 
half an inch long, and one third of an inch broad 
near their bale, ending with fharp prickly points. The 
dowers are produced on the upper fide of the leaves 
juft- in the middle; thefe are male in fome, and fe- 
male in other plants ; they are fmall, and cut into fix 
parts, of a purple colour, fitting clofe to the midrib ; 
they appear in June, and the female flowers are fuc- 
ceeded by berries almoft as large as Cherries, of a 
iweetifh tafte, which ripen in winter, when they are 
of a beautiful red colour. 
As this plant grows wild in in oft parts of England, 
it is rarely admitted into gardens ; but if fome of the 
roots are planted under tall trees in large plantations, 
they will fpr.ead into large clumps ; and as they retain 
their leaves in winter, at that feafon, they will have 
a good effect. The feeds of this plant generally lie 
a year in the ground before they vegetate, and the 
plants fo raffed are long before they arrive to a fize 
enough to make any flgure, fo it is not worth while 
to propagate them that way, efpecially as the roots 
maybe eafily tranfplanted from the woods. The 
roots and feeds of this plant have been ufed in medi 
cine ; the roots are aperitive, and efteemed good for 
removing obftrubtions ; the feeds are an ingredient in 
the compofition of the benedibta laxativa : the young 
fhoots of this plant in the fpring are fometimes ga- 
thered and eaten by the poor like thofe of Afparagus ; 
the branches of this plant, with their ripe fruit upon 
them, are frequently cut, and put into bafonsof fand, 
mixingthem with the ftalksof ripe feeds of malePiony, 
and thofe of the wild Iris or Gladwyn, which toge- 
ther make a pretty appearance in rooms, at a feafon 
of the year when there are few flowers, and thefe will 
continue a long time in beauty. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in the mountainous 
parts of Italy, but is preferved for the fake of vari- 
ety in many Englilh gardens. The roots of this 
have large knotty heads, with long thick fibres like 
thofe of the former fort, from which arife many tough 
limber italics near two feet high •, thefe are garnifhed 
by ftiff, oblong, oval leaves ending in points, which 
are more than two inches long and almoft one broad ; 
they are placed alternately on the ftalks the flowers 
are produced on the under furface of the leaves' near 
the middle, fitting clofe to the midrib ; they are fmall, 
and of an herbaceous white colour ; the female 
flowers are fucceeded by fmall red berries about the 
fize of thofe of juniper. This flowers in July, and 
the feeds ripen in winter. 
It fi:ands in molt dilpenfaries among the plants ufed 
in medicine, and has been commended for opening 
obftruftions of the kidneys, and to provoke urine. 
The third fort grows naturally upon fhady mountains 
in Italy, Hungary, and other parts of Europe. The 
root of this is compofed of many thick fibres like 
thofe of, the former, from which arife many tough 
limber ftalks which are about ten inches high, gar- 
nifhed with fpear-fhaped leaves about three inches 
long and one broad in the middle, drawing to a 
point at both ends ; they have feveral longitudinal 
veins, which run from the foot-ftalk to the point, 
diverging from the midrib in the middle, but join 
again at the point ; the leaves are for the rnoft part 
alternate, but fometimes they are oppofite. On the 
middle of the upper furface of thefe, comes forth a 
fmall leaf of the fame fhape ; and at the fame point, 
from the bofom of the fmall leaves, come out the 
flowers, which are of a pale yellow colour. The 
female flowers are fometimes fucceeded by berries 
almoft as large as thofe of the firft fort, which ripen 
in winter, and are red. This is fometimes called 
Biflingua, or Double Tongue, from the leaves grow- 
ing one out of another. It ftands in difpenfaries as a 
medicinal plant, but is feldom now ufed. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in the Archipelago, 
but is frequently planted in the Englilh gardens ; it 
R U S 
is called Laurus Alexandria, i. e. Alexandrian Bay? 
and is luppofed to be the plant with which the ancient^ 
crowned their vidlors and poets. The ftalks of this 
being very pliable, may be eafily wrought into co- 
ronets for this purpofe •, and the leaves of this plant, 
having a great refemblance to thofe which are re- 
prefented on the antient bufts, feern to confirm this 
opinion. 
The roots of this are like thofe of the former fpecies -, 
the ftalks are (lender, and much more pliable ; they 
rife about four feet high, and fend out many fide 
branches, which are garnifhed with oblong acme- 
pointed leaves about two inches long, and one-third 
of an inch broad, rounded at their bale, but end in 
acute points ; they are fmooth, and of a lucid green, 
placed alternately, and fit clofe to the branches. The. 
flowers are produced in long bunches at the end of 
the branches ; thefe are hermaphrodite, of an herba- 
ceous yellow colour, and are fucceeded by berries 
like thofe of the firft fort, but ifnaller, which ripen 
in winter. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in Zant, and fome of 
the other iflands in the Morea. The roots of this are 
like thofe of the former forts •, the ftalks rife about two 
feet high, they are (lender, pliable, and garnifhed 
with oval leaves placed by threes round the ftalk ; 
they are about two inches long, and one broad, 
rounded at both ends, terminating in acute points, 
and have feveral longitudinal diverging veins run- 
ning from the foot-ftalk to the point. The flowers 
grow on the under fide of the leaves, faftened to the 
midrib ; they are naked, and have pretty long foot- 
ftalks •, the fegments or petals are very narrow ; the 
fruit I have not feen, fo can give no account of it. 
The fixth fort grows naturally in Italy, where it was 
difcovered by Signior Micheli of Florence. The roots 
of this are much longer than thofe of the firft fort ; the 
ftalks rife near five feet high ; they are very pliant, 
fend out feveral fide branches their whole length, 
which are garnifhed with ftiff oval leaves ending int 
acute points ; they are one inch long, and half an inch 
broad. The flowers are produced on the upper 
furface of the leaves, fitting clofe to the midrib ; they 
are fmall, and of an herbaceous white colour. Thefe 
are fucceeded by berries which are fmaller than thofe 
of the firft fort, and are of a pale red when ripe. 
All thefe forts are very hardy, and will thrive in al- 
moft any foil or fttuation, fo are very proper for 
planting round the verges of clofe woods, or under 
large trees in wildernefs quarters ; for, as they are al- 
ways green, they make a good appearance in win- 
ter, after the deciduous trees have caft their leaves ; 
they are eafily propagated by parting of their roots. 
The beft time for this is in autumn ; but, when this 
is performed, the roots (hould not be divided into 
fmall parts, becaule that will weaken them fo much, 
that they will make but little figure, until they have 
had two or three years growth ; they may alfo be pro- 
pagated by flowing of their feeds, but this is a very 
tedious method, fo is feldom prabtifed. 
The feventh fort grows naturally in the ifland of Ma- 
deira ; this fends out pliant ftalks, which rife feven 
or eight feet high, and have feveral fliort branches 
proceeding from their Aides, which are garnifhed 
with ftiff leaves about two inches long, and one broad 
toward their bafe, where they are rounded to the foot- 
ftalk, but end in acute points ; they have a great num- 
ber of longitudinal veins running from the foot-ftalk 
to the point. The flowers are produced in clufters 
on the edges of the leaves ; they are white, and are 
fucceeded by berries of a yellowifh red colour, not fo 
large as thofe of the firft fort. 
This fort is tender, and muft therefore be planted in 
pots filled with frefh earth, and in winter removed 
into the green-houfe, but it ftiould be placed where 
it may have free air in mild weather ; for it only re- 
quires to be fcreened from froft, and in the fummer 
it muft be fet abroad with other hardy green-houfe 
plants. With this management the plants will fend 
forth Items fix or eight feet high, furnffhed with 
n R leaves 
