elofe whorled fpikes at the end of the branches ; they 
are of a fulphur colour, and have very prickly em- 
palements. This fort flowers in July, and the feeds 
ripen in autumn. 
The eighth fort grows naturally on the mountains 
of Valentia this hath a Ihort ligneous ftalk, fend- 
ing out branches a foot and a half long, garnifhed 
with narrow fmooth leaves an inch long, of a ftrong 
fcent when bruifed. The flowers are yellow, and 
grow in in large fpiked whorls at the end of the 
branches. It flowers in June, and the feeds ripen in 
autumn. 
The ninth fort grows naturally in the Canary I Hands, 
but has been long an inhabitant in the Englifh gar- 
dens. It rifes with a foft fiirubby ftalk five or fix feet 
high, fending out feveral ligneous branches which 
are covered with a foft down, and are garniftied 
with heart-fhaped leaves, having long foot-ftalks. 
Thefe differ greatly in fize, according to the age and 
vigour of the plants ; for in young plants they are 
often five or fix inches long, and two and a half 
broad near their bafe, but in older plants they are 
not more than half that fize ; they are very woolly, 
efpecially on their under fide, which is white, but 
their upper furface is of a dark yellowifh green. The 
flowers grow in thick whorled fpikes at the end of the 
branches •, they are of a dirty white, fliaped like thofe 
of the other forts, and appear early in June, and the 
feeds ripen in Auguft, but the plants frequently pro- 
duce flowers again in autumn. 
Thefe plants are preferved in fome curious gardens 
for the fake of variety. The five forts firft mention- 
ed, and alfo the ninth, are hardy enough to thrive in 
the open air in England : they are propagated by 
feeds, which, if fown in autumn, will fucceed better 
than thofe which are fown in the fpring. The feeds 
may be fown in fhallow drills upon a dry fpot of 
ground, and in the fpring when the plants come up, 
they muft be kept clean from weeds ; and when the 
plants are fit to remove, part of each fort may be 
drawn out, and planted in a bed at about nine or ten 
inches diftance, which will give thofe which are left in 
the feed-bed room to grow. The plants which are 
removed fhould be fhaded and watered until they have 
taken new root, after which they will require no other 
care but to keep them clean from weeds till the fol- 
lowing autumn, when they fhould be tranfplanted to 
the places where they are to remain. The fourth fort 
fhould have a dry foil and a warm fituation, but nei- 
ther of the forts fhould be planted in rich ground, 
for that will caufe them to grow fo luxuriant in fum- 
mer, that the froft or much wet will deftroy them in 
winter. 
The annual fort fhould not be removed, but the plants 
thinned and left in the place where they were fown, 
keeping them clean from weeds. 
The fixth and feventh forts will often live through 
the winter in the open air, efpecially if their feeds 
are fown upon dry rubbifh •, for when either of thefe 
happen to grow in the joints of old walls, they will 
endure the greateft cold of this country, therefore 
their feeds fhould be fown in fuch places. The fixth 
fort does not produce good feeds in England, fo this 
is propagated by flipping off the heads, planting them 
in a fhady border during the fpring or fummer 
months, which will readily take root ^ fome of thefe 
may then be taken up and put into pots, that they 
may be fcreened under a frame in winter. The other 
may be removed in autumn, and planted elofe to 
warm walls in rubbifh, where they will abide fome 
years. 
The ninth fort is generally kept in green-houfes in 
England, but in moderate winters I have had thefe 
plants live abroad without cover in a warm dry bor- 
der : however, if they are fcreened from hard froft 
under a common frame, where they may be expofed 
to the open air at all times when the weather is 
mild, and protected from hard frofts, they will thrive 
better than with more tender treatment. It is pro- 
pagated by feeds which fhould be fown in autumn. 
for thofe which are fown in the fpring feldom fuc- 
ceed, or if they do, the plants rarely come up the 
firft year. 
SIDEROXYLUM, Iron Wood. 
The Characters are, 
The empalement of the flower is permanent and confiflvs of 
one leaf which is cut into five figments. T he flower is 
bell-fhaped, and divided into five parts at the brim. It 
has five awl-Jhaped ftaminathe length of the petal, termi- 
nated by Jingle fumtms , and a round germen fupporting an 
awl-Jhaped ftyle, crowned by a fingle ftigma. The germen 
afterward becomes a romdifh berry having one cell , con- 
taining four feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fed! ion of 
Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, which includes thofe plants 
whofe flowers have five ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Sideroxylum ( Iner me) inerme. Lin. Hort. Cliff. 69. 
Smooth Iron Wood. Sideroxylum primum, fc. dein 
corim Indorum nomine data arbor. Hort. Elth. 357. 
The firft Iron W ood , called by the Indians Dein Coria. 
2. Sideroxylum ( Oppojitifolia ) foliis lanceolatis ex ad- 
verfo fitis. Iron Wood with f pear -fits aped leaves growing 
oppofite. 
Thefe plants grow naturally at the Cape of Good Hope, 
from whence they were firft brought into the Dutch 
gardens, and of late years they have been introduced 
into feveral curious gardens in England, where they 
are preferved for the beauty of their evergreen leaves, 
for they rarely produce flowers here. 
The firft fort hath large oval leaves, fhaped fome- 
what like thofe of the Bay-tree, but fmoother and 
blunter at the end. Thefe are placed on the branches 
without order, as the branches alfo are produced. 
The ftalks are fhrubby, and rife five or fix feet high, 
fending out many branches, covered with a dark brown 
bark. 
The fecond fort grows more upright and regular •, the 
leaves which are fmaller, and more pointed than thofe 
of the firft, are placed oppofite on the branches, and 
thefe continue green through the year. 
The wood of thefe trees being very elofe and folid, 
has given occafion for this name being applied to 
them, it being fo heavy as to fink in water ; and the 
title of Iron Wood having been applied to the wood, 
by the inhabitants of the countries where it grows, 
has occafioned the botanifts to conftitute a genus by 
this name. But as the characters of the plants have 
not been fo well examined as could be wifhed, occa- 
fioned by their not flowering in Europe, it is very pro- 
bable, that the plants which have been ranged under 
this genus, do not properly belong to it for Dr. 
Plukenet has figured a plant under the title of Ebenus 
Jamaicenfis, whofe characters are very different from 
thofe affigned to this genus : and the Jamaica Iron 
Wood is totally different from both in its characters, 
for this has male and female flowers on different trees ; 
the male flowers have no petals, as appears by dried 
famples in my collection. 
Thefe plants are natives of warm countries, fo cannot 
be preferved in England, unlefs they are placed in a 
moderate ftove. They are propagated by feeds, when 
thefe can be procured from abroad. Thefe muft be 
fown in pots filled with light rich earth, and plunged 
into a good hot-bed in the fpring, in order to get the 
plants forward early in the feafon. When the plants 
are fit to tranfplant, they fliould be each put into a 
feparate fmall pot filled with good earth, and plung- 
ed into a frefti hot-bed while they are young. In 
winter they muft be plunged into the tan-bed in the 
ftove, and treated in the fame manner as hath been 
directed for feveral tender plants from the fame coun- 
tries. As the plants obtain ftrength, they may be 
treated more hardily, by placing them in a dry ftove 
in the winter, and giving them a greater fha're of 
free air in fummer ; and when they have obtained 
ftrength, they may be placed abroad in fummer in a 
fheltered fituation. 
I have propagated them by layers, but thefe were 
two years before they had made good roots : and 
fome- 
