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ral Chining leaves a foot long, and two inches broad at 
their bafe, kffening all the length to the top, where 
they end in points ; they continue green all the win- ; 
ter, and decay in the fpring, and then the flower- 
ftalk comes out which riles two feet high, is naked 
about half way, and is terminated by a pyramidal 
thyrfe of flowers which are white, compofed of fix 
petals which fpread open like the points of a ftar. 
This grows naturally on the fea-lhores, and in the 
ditches, where the fait water flows in with 'the tides, 
in moll of the warm parts of Europe, fo cannot be 
propagated in gardens, the froft in winter always de- 
ftroying the roots, and for want of fait water they do 
not thrive in Cummer. Sometimes the roots, which 
are brought for ufe, put out their Items and produce 
flowers without being planted in earth, as they lie in 
the druggift’s fhops. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Spain, Portugal, 
and the Pyrenees ; this hath alcaly root like theLily, 
for which reafon Tournefort leparated it from the Har- 
ry Hyacinth, and conflituted a genus of it with the 
title of Lilio-Hyacinthus. The root is oblong and 
yellow, very like thofe of Martagon ; the leaves are 
Chaped like thofe of the white Lily, but are lmaller ; 
the ftalk is flender, and riles a foot high 5 it is termi- 
nated by blue flowers like thofe of the itarry Hyacinth. 
It flowers in June, and the flowers are fucceeded by 
oval feed-veffels having three cells, filled with roundiih 
feeds. 
The third fort grows naturally in Portugal •, this hath 
a roundiih, folid, bulbous root like the Hyacinth. 
The leaves come out fparfedly, and are very like thole 
of the Engl'iCh Hair-bells ; the ftalk rifes feven or eight 
inches high, and is terminated by cluftered flowers of 
a pale blue colour, which at firft are difpofed in a 
fort of umbel or depreffed fpike, but afterward draws 
tip to a point, forming a conical corymbus ; the flow- 
ers appear the latter end of April, which are fucceed- 
ed by oval capfules with three cells, filled with round- 
ifh feeds. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in Spain and Portu- 
gal, from whence I have received the roots this has 
been long known in the Englifh gardens by the title 
of Hyacinth of Peru. There are two varieties of this, 
one with a deep blue, and the other has a white flow- 
er ; the latter is more rare here than the former. The 
root of this is large, folid, and raifed in the middle a 
little pyramidal, covered with a brown coat, from 
which come out five or feven leaves before winter, 
which are fix or eight inches long, broadeft at their 
bafe, terminating in points ; they are of a lucid green, 
keeled, and fpread almoft flat on the ground. From 
the center of thefe come out one, two, or three ftalks 
according to the ftrength of the root ; thefe are thick, 
fucculent, and rife fix or eight inches high, terminat- 
ed by a conical corymbus of flowers, of a deep blue 
on fome, and others are white, Handing upon pretty 
long foot-ftalks ; they are compofed of fix petals 
which fpread open like a ftar. In the center of the 
petals is fituated a large roundiih germen fupporting 
a fnort ftyle, crowned by a Angle ftigma, and round 
the germen come out fix fhort ftamina which fpread 
afunder, terminated by oblong proftrate fummits. 
The germen afterward turns to a roundiih three-cor- 
nered capfule having three cells, which are filled with 
roundiih feeds. It flowers in May, and the feeds ripen 
in July. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in Byzantium, and was 
introduced here about the year 1 590. The root of 
this is large, folid, and of a purpiilh colour, from 
which come out five or fix leaves which lie on the 
ground ; they are above a foot long, and an inch 
broad *, they are keeled, channelled, and of a lucid 
green *, between thefe arife two, three, or four pur- 
plilh ftalks about eight or nine inches high, fuftain- 
ing toward the top five or fix Star-flowers, which 
come out fingiy from the fide of the ftalk •, they are 
of a Violet blue colour, having a prominent germen 
in the center, fupporting a fiender ftyie, and attended 
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by fix (lender ftamina terminated by purple fummits^ 
It flowers in April, and the feeds ripen in June. 
The fixth fort is commonly known in the gardens by 
the title of early Harry Hyacinth. There are two 
varieties of this, one with a deep blue, and the other 
with a white flower •, thefe grow naturally in fome 
parts of France and Germany. The roots are folid, 
roundiih, and about the fize of a nutmeg, from 
which comes out a flender channelled ftalk about fix 
inches high, having generally two leaves near the 
bottom, one fituated above the other, which embrace 
the ftalk with their bafe *, thefe are about fix inches 
long, and almoft three quarters of an inch broad, 
channelled, and of a bright green. The flowers are 
thinly placed toward the top of the ftalk •, the lower 
ones haye foot-ftalks an inch and a half long, but 
thofe of the others fhorten gradually to the top j they 
are compofed of fix petals fpreading open in form of 
a ftar, having a turgid germen in the center, fup- 
porting a Ihort ftyle, attended by fix ftamina, which 
in the blue flowers are of the fame colour, and thofe 
in the white flowers are white. The flowers appear 
in March, and are fucceeded by roundiih three-corner- 
ed capfules having three cells, filled with brownilh 
feeds. 
The feventh fort is the fmall autumnal Harry Hya- 
cinth, which grows naturally in feveral parts of Eng- 
land, particularly on St. Vincent’s Rock near Briftol, 
at the Lizard Point in Cornwall, and upon Black- 
heath in Kent •, this hath a round, white, bulbous root, 
from which come forth a few rulhy leaves about fix 
inches long. In the center of thefe arife one or two 
flender ftalks about fix or feven inches high, naked, 
and fuftaining a fmall corymbus of flowers at the 
top, which are fmall, ftar-pointed, and of a pale 
blue colour ; thefe appear the beginning of Septem- 
ber, at which time the leaves come out, and conti- 
nue growing all the winter, and in the fpring they 
die away. 
The eighth fort grows naturally in Spain and Portu- 
gal ; this hath an oblong, white, bulbous root, from 
which come out five or fix leaves a foot long, and 
half an inch broad, of a lucid green, and a little keel- 
ed. The flower-ftalk rifes nine or ten inches high, 
is firm, and fuftains many Harry flowers at the top, 
difpofed in a loofe panicle, each Handing upon a 
pretty long foot-ftalk which is ereft, but the flower 
nods on one fide ; they are of a deep blue Violet co- 
lour, having a prominent germen, which afterward 
turns to a three-cornered capfule having three cells, 
filled with roundiih feeds. It flowers in May. 
The ninth fort grows naturally in Italy *, this hath a 
folid, white, bulbous root, from which rife feveral 
leaves like thofe of the common fort. The ftalk rifes 
ten or eleven inches high, and is terminated by a co- 
nical racemus of flowers, which are of a deep purple 
colour. This fort flowers in May, and the feeds ripen 
in July. 
The tenth fort has a very large bulbous root, from 
which come out feveral leaves which at firft are up- 
right, but afterward bend toward the earth ; they 
are of a thick fubftance and keeled ; they are of a 
lucid green, and when broken yield downy threads j 
they are a foot and a half long, and more than an 
inch broad. Between the leaves arifes the flower- 
ftalk, which is a foot and a half long, round, firm, 
and naked, fuftaining at the top a large duller of 
flowers, which are gathered into an hemifpherical 
corymbus : thefe have fix petals which fpread open 
in form of a ftar ; they are of a purple colour, and 
have blue bottoms, and a dark blue vein running 
lengthwife in the middle of each petal. This flowers 
the beginning of June, and produces feeds which ri- 
pen in Auguft. 
There is another fort of this which grows naturally 
in the Levant, whofe leaves are lhaped liked thofe of 
the Peruvian Hyacinth, but are longer, and Hand 
ere£l ; this propagates very fall by offsets, but never 
flowers here, I have kept the roots in all fitua- 
tions 
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