S I L 
ting clofe to the ftalks. Thefe appear in May, and 
are fucceeded by oblong vifcous capfules filled with 
angular feeds, which ripen in July. 
This fort is eafily propagated by feeds, which, if fown 
in autumn, will fucceed much better than in the 
fpring. When the plants come up and are fit to re- 
move, they fhould be tranfplanted into a bed of frefh 
.earth, at fix inches diftance, fhading them from the 
fun, and watering them until they have taken new 
root •, after which they muft be kept clean from weeds 
till autumn, when they fhould be tranfplanted to the 
places where they are defigned to remain for flower- 
ing. When the feeds of this plant happen to fcatter 
upon a wall, and plants arife there, they will continue 
much longer than in the ground. 
The twelfth fort is an annual plant, which grows na- 
turally in the fouth of France and Italy, but has been 
many years cultivated in the Englifh gardens, from 
whence the feeds have fpread out upon walls and 
buildings fo far, as to induce fome to believe it a na- 
tive of England. 
There are three varieties of this, which generally re- 
tain their differences ; one has a bright purple flower, 
the other a pale red, and the third a white flower ; thefe 
do not differ in any other refpedt, fo cannot be reck- 
oned as different fpecies. 
The ftalks grow ered a foot and a half high ; the 
lower leaves are broad, oblong, and fmooth, and fit 
clofe to the ftalks ; the ftalk, for more than an inch 
in length below each ftalk is fo glutinous, that the 
fmall flies which light thereon are fattened and cannot 
get off again, from whence it had the title of Catch- 
fly. The flowers grow in bunches at the top of the 
ftalk •, they ftand ered, forming a kind of umbel. 
Thefe appear in June, and are fucceeded by (lender 
oblong capfules, filled with angular feeds which ripen 
in Auguft. 
Thefe feeds fhould be fown in autumn, for thofe which 
are fown in the fpring often fail ; and if the plants do 
come up, they never grow fo large, or make fo good 
appearance as the autumnal plants. 
The thirteenth fort is biennial ; this grows naturally 
in Sicily and Crete •, the lower leaves of this plant are 
obtufe, and are gathered in circular heads like fome 
of the Houfeleeks, or thofe of the Auricula ; they are 
fmooth, and of a pretty thick confidence. The ftalks 
rife five or fix feet high ; they are vifcous, and are 
garnifhed with fpear fhaped leaves placed oppofite. 
The flowers come out upon fhort foot-ftalks from the 
wings of the ftalks in whorls, each foot-ftalk fuf- 
taining three or four greenifti flowers ; thefe are fuc- 
ceeded by oval capfules which fpread open at the top, 
and are filled with angular feeds. 
If the feeds, of this plant are fown in autumn upon a 
warm border, they will more certainly fucceed than 
thofe fown in the fpring. When the plants come up 
and are fit to remove, they fhould be planted on a dry 
foil and in a warm fituation, where they will live 
through the winter, and the following fummer they 
will flower and ripen their feeds, and then decay. 
The fourteenth fort grows naturally in the Levant ; 
this has a perennial root ; the lower leaves are narrow, 
fpear-fhaped, and fmooth ; they are gathered in cluf- 
tered heads, from the middle of which rifes an ered 
clammy ftalk a foot and a half high, garnifhed with 
very narrow leaves. The flowers come out from the 
wings of the leaves toward the top of the ftalk ; their 
foot-ftalks are fhort, and each fuftains two white 
flowers having long tubes, (landing ered •, the flowers 
are clofed in the day, and expand at night. This 
flowers in July, but rarely produces ripe feeds in 
England. 
As the feeds feldom ripen here, fo it is difficult to 
propagate it : the only way is to flip off the heads in 
June, and plant them under a glafs ; thefe will take 
root, if they are (haded from the fun and duly wa- 
tered. 
SILER. See Laserpitium. 
S I LI QJJ A. See Ceratqnia.' 
S I LI QJJAS T R U M. See CERCiSi 
8 1 L 
S I Lff QJJ OUS, are plants whofe feeds are in a hti&f 
pod, or fnell. 
S I L P H I U M. Lin. Gen. Plant. 882,- Chryfanthe 
mum. Mor. Hift. 3. Baftard Ghryfanthemum. 
The Characters are, 
The common empalement of the flower is oval , imbricated s 
and permanent ; the fcales are oval , prominent , and re- 
flexed in the middle. The dijk of the flower is compofed 
of hermaphrodite florets which are tiibulous , of one leaf, 
indented in five parts at the top. Thefe have five Jhort 
hair -like ftamina , terminated by cylindrical fummits , and 
a flender taper germen fupporting a long hairy ftyle, 
crowned by a fingle fligma ; thefe are barren. The rays 
of the flower are compofed of d few female half florets , . 
which are long , fpear-fhaped , and for the moft part have 
three indentures at their points ; thefe have a heart-fhaped 
germen with a fhort fingle flyle , having two briftly fiig- 
mas of the fame length. Thefe are fucceeded by fingle 
heart-fhaped feeds with a membranaceous border , indented 
at the top , each point ending with a horn or tooth , and 
are feparated by linear chaff i ripening in the impalement. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fourth fediori 
of Linnaeus’s nineteenth clafs, which includes thofe 
plants whofe flowers have their male and female parts 
conneded, and their hermaphrodite flowers ate bar- 
ren, but the female are fruitful. 
The Species are, 
1. Silphium [Trifoliatum) foliis terms. Roy. Prod. Leyd. 
1 8 1 . Silphium with leaves by threes at a joint. Chry- 
fanthemum Virginianum, foliis afperis tribus vel qua- 
ternis ad genicula fitis. Mor. Hift. 3. p. 24. Virgin 
nian Corn Marygold , with rough leaves placed by t hr eel 
or fours at a joint. 
2. Silphium ( Afterifcus ) foliis indivifrs feffilibus oppofi- 
tis inferioribus alternis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 920. Silphium 
with undivided leaves fet oppofite clofe to the ftalks , whofe 
lower leaves are alternate. Afterifcus coronte folis fo- 
lio & facie. Hort. Elth. 42. Afterifcus with the leaf and 
appearance of Sunflower. 
3. Silphium ( Solidaginoides ) foliis oppofitis lanceolatis 
petiolatis acute ferratis. Lin. Sp. 1302. Silphium with 
fpear-fhaped fawed leaves having foot-ftalks. Chryfan- 
themum Marianum virgae aureae Americans foliis* 
florum petalis tridentatis. Pluk. Mant. 46. Maryland 
Corn Marygold , with an American Golden Rod leaf, and 
the petals of the flower indented in three parts. 
4. Silphium {Arbor efcens) foliis lanceolatis alternis fca*- 
bris, obfolete ferratis caule fruticofo. Silphium with 
rough fpear-fhaped leaves placed alternate , which have 
flight flawed edges , and a fhrubby ftalk. Corona folis 
Americana arborefcens, flore parvo luteo, femine ala- 
to. Houft. MSS. Tree American Sunflower , with a 
fmall yellow flower and a winged feed. 
The firft fort grows naturally in many parts of North 
America *, the root is perennial and ligneous, the 
ftalks are annual ; thefe rife five feet high or more in 
good land, they are of a purplifh colour, and branch 
toward the top. The leaves are oblong, rough, and., 
have fome (harp teeth on their edges ; they are from 
three to four inches long, and almoft two broad ; to- 
ward the bottom of the ftalk they ftand by fours 
round It at each joint; higher up they are by threes* 
and at the top by pairs, fitting clofe to the ftalks. The 
flowers ftand upon pretty long foot-ftalks, each fuf- 
taining one flower, whofe empalement is compofed of 
three orders of leaves placed imbricatim, like the 
fcales of fiih, the outer order being the fmalleft. The 
ray or border of the flower is compofed of thirteen 
female half florets, which are yellow, tongue-fhaped, 
and indented in three points at the end. The difk or 
middle of the flower is made up of hermaphrodite tu-< 
bulous flowers, which are (lightly cut into five parts 
at the top ; thefe have five ftamina and a ftyle con- 
nected together, which are longer than the tube of the 
floret. This plant flowers in July and Auguft, and 
when the autumn proves warm, it will produce ripe 
feeds. 1 
It is propagated by parting of the roots, in the fame 
way as is prablifed for the perennial Sun-flowers ; the 
beft time for this is in autumn, when their ftalks be- 
S 1 ? 
549 
MU 
