S E N 
hoary leaves, will make a pretty diverfity when inter- 
mixed with other plants •„ and, as it requires but little 
culture, and takes up but little room, they defer ve a 
place in final! gardens. 
The twelfth fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope •, this rifes with a ihrubby branching italic fix 
or feven feet high, which is clofely garni (bed with 
rough leaves, whole bafe embrace the (talks ; thofe 
on the lower part are four inches long, and an inch 
and a half broad, but they gradually diminiih in their 
fize to the top •, they are (tiff, hairy, and of a dark 
green, oblong, heart-fhaped, and indented on their 
edges. The flowers are produced at the end of the 
branches •, they are radiated, and of a bright yellow 
colour. This plant continues flowering great part of 
the dimmer, and the feeds ripen in autumn. 
The thirteenth fort grows naturally at the Cape of 
Good Hope ; this hath a very branching ihrubby 
italic, which rifes four or five feet high, fending out 
branches irregularly on every fide, garniihed with lliff 
leaves, whofe bafe embraces the ftalks ; they are ir- 
regular in their figure, about three inches long, and 
three quarters of an inch broad, deeply cut on their 
edges, and of a gray colour on their under fide. The 
flowers grow in loofe bunches at the end of the 
branches, are radiated, and of a pale yellow colour. 
This fort flowers great part of dimmer, and the feeds 
ripen in autumn. 
The fourteenth fort grows naturally at the Cape of 
Good Hope ; this has a ihrubby italic which rifes fe- 
ven or eight feet high, fending out branches on every 
fide the whole length, which are garniihed with oblong 
oval leaves indented on their edges •, they are about 
two inches and a half long, and almoft two broad, 
fiefny and hoary. % The flowers are produced in loofe 
bunches at the extremity of the branches, almoft in 
form of an umbel -, they are radiated, and of a pale 
yellow colour. This fort flowers in July and Au- 
guft, but rarely produces good feeds here. 
The three forts laft mentioned are too tender to live 
in the open air through the winter in England, but 
are fo hardy as to only require protection from hard 
frofts ; fo if they are kept in pots and placed either 
under a frame inwinter, or in a common green-houfe 
with other hardy kinds of plants, which require a 
large (hare of air in mild weather, and only require 
to be fcreened from hard froft, they may be pre- 
ferved in England. They are all eafily propagated 
by feeds or cuttings, but the latter being the 
mo ft expeditious method is generally practifed 
here. If the cuttings are planted in a ilrady border 
during any of the fummer months, they will readily 
take root, and then they ihould be taken up with 
balls of earth to their roots, and each planted in a fe- 
parate pot filled with good kitchen-garden earth, and 
placed in the fhade till they have taken new root ; 
then they may be removed to a more open fltuation, 
where they may remain till there is danger of (harp 
froft, when they ihould be removed into ihelter, and 
treated in the fame way as other hardy kinds of green- 
houfe plants. 
If theie plants are propagated by feeds, they ihould 
be fown on abed of frefh earth, expofed only to the 
morning fun the beginning of April, obferving in 
dry weather to moiften the ground now and then, 
which will forward the vegetation of the feeds. When 
the plants come up, they muft be kept clean from 
weeds till they are fit to remove, when they ihould 
be planted in pots, and treated in the fame way as 
thofe raifed from cuttings. 
SENNA. Tourn. Inft. R. EL 618. tab. 390. Cafiia. 
Lin. Gen. 461. [fo called from fana, Lat. healthy, 
becaufe its leaves reftore health.] Senna. 
The Characters are, 
The flower has an empalement of five concave leaves ; it 
has five roundijh concave petals which fipread open , and 
ten declining flamina , terminated by > oblong arched fum- 
mits. ‘The gernien .is roundijh and comprejfed , fupporting 
a Jhort ftyle , crowned by an obtufe ftigma. The germen 
afterward becomes a plain , roundiflj , comprejfed pod , a 
SEN 
little incurved , having two cells divided by an intermediate 
partition , each containing one or two oblong-pointed feeds. 
i his genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion of 
Linnaeus s tenth clafs, where he has joined it to the 
genus or Caflia ; this feeftion contains thofe plants 
whofe flowers have ten ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Senna ( Alexandria ) foliolis quadrijugatis lanceola- 
tis acutis. Senna with four pair of fpear-fhaped pointed 
lobes to the leaves. Senna Alexandrina five foliis acutis. 
C. B. P. Alexandrian Senna with acute leaves. 
2. Senna ( Italic a ) foliolis quinquejugatis cordatis obtu- 
fis. Senna with five pair of lobes to the leaves , which 
are heart-fhaped and obtufe. Senna Italica five foliis 
obtufis. C. B. P. 397. Italian Senna with obtufe leaves. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Egypt-, this is an 
annual plant, which rifes with an upright branching 
ftalk about a foot high, garniihed with winged leaves, 
compofed of four pair of fmall fpearihaped lobes, 
ending in acute points. The flowers are produced in 
loofe bunches at the top of the ftalk ; they are yellow, 
compofed of five roundifti concave petals, with ten 
ftamina in the center furrounding the ftyle ; after the 
flower is paft, the germen turns to a roundifti gib- 
bous pod having two cells, each containing one or two 
oblong feeds. The leaves of this fort are ufed in 
medicine, and are commonly known in the ihops by 
the title of Senna ; thefe are annually imported from 
Alexandria, which occafioned the title of Alexandri- 
na being added to it. This plant is propagated by 
feeds, which ihould be fown early in the fpring upon 
a good hot-bed ; and when the plants are come up, 
and are ftrong enough to tranfplant, they ihould be 
each planted in a fmall pot filled with light rich 
earth, and plunged into a freih hot-bed, ihading 
them from the fun till they have taken new root, af- 
ter which they muft be treated in the fame way as 
the moil tender exotics j for as this is an annual 
plant, unlefs they are brought forward in the fpring, 
they will not flower in this country ; therefore they 
muft be conftantly kept in the hot-bed all the fum- 
mer, obferving to admit plenty of air in warm wea- 
ther-, by which method I have frequently had thefe 
plants in flower, but it is very rare that they perfed 
their feeds in England. 
If the feeds of this plant were fent to South Carolina, 
the plants might be propagated there, fo as to furniih 
plenty of the leaves to fupply the confumption of 
Great-Britain. 
In the Weft-Indies, the inhabitants make ufe of the 
leaves of feveral fpecies of Caflia inftead of this 
plant, and alfo thofe of the Poinciana, or Flower- 
fence, which is frequently by them called the true 
Senna. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in India, from 
whence I have received the feeds ; for although it is 
called Italian, yet the plant does not grow there na- 
turally. This is alfo an annual plant, riling with a 
branching ftalk a foot and a half high ; the leaves are 
winged, each having five pair of heart- fnaped lobes 
which are inverted, the point joining the branches, 
and the obtufe part is upward ; they are of a fea- 
green colour, and of a thick confiftence. The flowers 
are produced at the end of the branches-, they are 
ihaped like thofe of the firft fort, but are larger, and 
of a brighter yellow colour. If the plants are brought 
forward early in the fpring, they will flower in July, 
and by fo doing good feeds may be obtained here. 
This fort is propagated in the fame way as the firft, 
and the plants require the fame treatment. 
The leaves of this fort have been fometimes ufed in 
medicine, but they are not efteemed equal in quality 
with thofe of the firft. 
SENNA THE BLADDER. See Colutea. 
SENNA THE SCORPION. See Emerus. 
SENSIBLE PLANT. See Mimosa. 
SEPTIFOLIOUS PLANTS, are fuchashave 
juft feven leaves. 
SERAPI AS. Lin. Gen. Plant, 903. Helleborine. 
Tourn, Inft. R, EL 436, tab. 249. Baftard Hellebore. 
