S I u 
. shady .border at three inches diftance, where they 
may remain till autumn, when they ftiould be trans- 
planted to the places where they are to remain, 
and the following fummer they will flower. Thefe 
plants love a fhady fituation and a Toft, loamy, un- 
dunged foil. 
The time for tranfplantingand flipping off the old roots 
is early in autumn, that they may gep good roots be- 
fore winter. They are both fo hardy as to thrive in 
the open air in England, and are very rarely injured 
bv cold. 
-/ 
The third fort grows naturally in the Weft-Indies ; 
this hath a fmall, oval, bulbous root covered with a 
bright red fkin, from which come out the leaves very 
like the firft leaves of Palm-trees, but of a thinner 
fubftance •, they are nine or ten inches long and one 
broad, having five or fix longitudinal plaits •, they are 
of a light green, ending with points, and two leaves 
embrace each other at their bafe •, between thefe arifes 
the foot-ftalk of the flower, which is four inches 
long, and fuftains at the top two or three fmall blue 
flowers inclofed in a fpatha or fheath ; thefe are com- 
pofed of fix petals which expand like thofe of the 
other forts, but do not continue open longer than 
three or four hours in the morning, and are clofed 
up the remainder of the day, and when they are ex- 
panded, their petals are fo fmall as to make but lit- 
tle appearance. This fort flowers commonly in the 
middle of fummer, but does not keep any particu- 
lar month ; they are never fucceeded by feeds in 
England. 
This is propagated by offsets from the roots, which 
are fent out in plenty ; thefe fhould be taken off 
when the roots are tranfplanted : the time for doing 
of this is foon after the leaves decay, or before the 
roots begin to fhoot again. They muft be planted 
in fmall pots filled with light, loamy, undunged 
earth, and plunged into the tan-bed in the ftove, 
where they fhould conftantly remain, for they are 
too tender to thrive in this country unlefs they are 
thus treated. Their after management is the fame 
as for other bulbous-rooted plants from the fame 
countries. 
Sifyrinchium. Tourn. or Spanifh Earth-nut, is by 
Dr. Linnaeus referred to the genus Iris or Fleur-de- 
lis ; but, as that is a plant which will not live long 
in a garden, I have omitted the mentioning of it in 
this work. 
SIUM. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 308. tab 162. Lin. Gen. 
Plant. 310. Sifarum. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 308. tab. 
163. Water Parfneps, and Skirrets *, in French, 
Chervi. 
The Characters are. 
It hath an umbellate d flower ; the general umbel is various 
in different fpecies , the fmall ones are plain and fpr ending. 
I he general involucrum is compofed of fever al floor t, fpear- 
fbaped , reflexed leaves ; thofe of the fmaller are of very 
fmall narrow leaves. The general umbel is uniform ; the 
flowers have five inflexed petals which are equal -, they 
have five ftamina terminated by fingle fummits , and a 
fmall germen fituated under the flower , fupporting two re- 
flexed ftyles, crowned by obtufe ftigmas. The germen after- 
ward becomes a roundijh , oval ftreaked fruit fplitting in 
two , each part containing one ftreaked feed , plain on one 
fide , and convex on the other. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond feflion 
of Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, which includes thofe plants 
whofe flowers have five ftamina and two ftyles. To 
this genus he adds the Sifarum of Tournefort. 
The Species are, 
1. Sium ( Latifolium ) foliis pinnatis, umbellis terminali- 
bus. Hort. Cliff. 98. Sium with winged leaves, and the 
ftalk terminated by an umbel. Sium latifolium. C. B. P. 
1 54. The great W ater Parfnep. 
2. Sium ( Anguftifolium ) foliis pinnatis ferratis, umbella 
terminali. Sium with winged flawed leaves , and umbels 
terminating the ftalks. Sium five apium paluftre, fo- 
liis oblongis. C. B. P. 154. Common , upright , Water 
Parfnep. 
3. S i u m ' {Nodiflorum) foliis pinnatis, umbellis axillaribus 
S I u 
fe [fill bus. Hort. Cliff. 98. Sium with winged leaves , 
and umbels of flowers fitting clofe to the wings of the ftalks. 
Sium umbellatum repens. Ger. Emac. 256, 258. 
Creeping Water Parfnep. 
4. Sium ( Sifarum ) foliis pinnatis, floribus ternatis, Hort. 
Cliff. 98. Sium with winged lower leaves , but thofe under 
the flowers trifoliate. Sifarum Germanorum. C, B. P. 
155. German Skirrets. 
5. Sium ( Falcaria ) foliolis linearibus decurrentibus con- 
natis. Hort. Cliff 98. Sium with linear fmall leaves, 
having running membranes which join at their bafe round 
the ftalk. Arnmi perenne. Mor. Umb. Perennial Bi- 
Jhops-weed. 
6. Sium ( Siculum ) foliis radicalibus ternatis, caulinis bi- 
pinnatis. Prod. Leyd. 105. Sium with trifoliate bottom 
leaves, and thofe on the ftalks doubly winged. Myrrhis 
foliis paftinacselaete virentibus. Tourn. Cor. 33. Myrrh 
with light green Parfnep leaves. 
The firft fort is the great Water Parfnep, which grows 
naturally in deep waters in feveral parts of England ; 
it rifes with upright ftalks five or fix feet high, gar- 
niflied with large winged leaves fhaped like thofe of 
the common Parfnep, and the ftalk is terminated by 
large umbels of pale yellow flowers. This plant 
flowers in June and July, and the feeds ripen the end 
of Auguft ; it is never cultivated in gardens. 
The fecond fort is the common upright Parfnep, 
which grows naturally in ditches in moft parts of 
England ; this rifes with an upright branching ftalk 
near three feet high, garnifhed with winged leaves 
compofed of three or four pair of oblong fawed 
lobes terminated by an odd one. The ftalk is termi- 
nated by an umbel of white flowers which appear in 
June, and are fucceeded by feeds which ripen in au- 
tumn ; this is rarely cultivated, as it is a common 
weed in ditches and ftanding waters. Both thefe 
plants have been recommended by ancient phyficians 
for their virtues in medicine, but at prefent they are 
feldom ufed. 
The third fort is very common in ftanding waters in 
moft parts of England. The ftalks fpread over the 
furface, and produce umbels of white flowers at their 
joints. This is the plant which is frequently gathered 
and fold for Water Crefs, as is before mentioned under 
the article Sisymbrium. 
The fourth fort is the common Skirret, which was 
formerly more cultivated in the Englifh gardens than 
at prefent. The roots are the only part ufed, and al- 
though it is mentioned in moft Difpenfaries as a me- 
dicinal plant, yet it is rarely ufed as fuch, being bet- 
ter adapted for the kitchen. It is efteemed a whole- 
fome root, affording good nouriftiment, but has a 
flatulency, and its very fweet tafte is difagreeable to 
many palates. 
The root of this plant is compofed of feveral flefhy 
fibres as large as a man’s little finger, which join to- 
gether in one head. The lower leaves are winged, 
having two or three pair of oblong lobes terminated 
by an odd one ; the ftalk rifes a foot high, and is ter- 
minated by an umbel of white flowers which appear 
in July, and are fucceeded by ftriated feeds like thofe 
of Parfley, which ripen in autumn. 
This plant is cultivated two ways, firft by feeds, and 
afterward by flips from the root : the former method 
I think the more eligible, becaufe the roots which 
are railed from feeds, generally grow larger than thofe 
raifed by flips, and are lefs fubjed to be fticky. The 
feeds fhould be fown the latter end of March or the 
beginning of April, either in broad call or in drills ; 
the ground fhould be light and moift, for in dry land 
the roots are generally fmall, unlefs the feafon proves 
very moift. If the feeds are good, the plants will 
appear in five or fix weeks after they are fown, and, 
when they have put out their leaves fo as to be well 
diftinguifhed fiom the weeds, the ground fhould be 
hoed over to deftroy the weeds in the fame manner as 
is pra&ifed for Carrots ; and where the feeds are fown 
in broad caft, the plants fhould be cut up, leaving 
them at the fame diftance as Carrots. Thofe fown in 
the drills fhould be alfo thinned to the diftance of four 
inches, 
