acute-pointed, about three quarters of an inch broad 
at their bafe, where they are eared, drawing narrow- 
er to a point, and about two inches long •, they are 
of a dark green, and have five longitudinal veins ; 
their edges are let with a few fliort reddilh fpines. 
The flowers come out from the wings of the ftalk in 
fhort bunches ; they are fmall and whitiflr, having no 
petals. Thofe on the female plants are fucceeded by 
red berries which ripen in autumn. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Syria. The roots 
of this are like thofe of the former •, the ftalks are 
four-cornered and prickly ; thefe fatten themfelves to 
the trees near them by their clafpers, and mount to 
their tops. The leaves are heart-fliaped, two inches 
long, and an inch and three quarters broad at their 
bafe •, they have no fpines on their edges, but have five 
veins running lengthways. The flowers and fruit are 
like thofe of the firft fort. 
The third fort grows naturally in Virginia. The roots 
of this are like thofe of the former ; the ftalks are an- 
gular and prickly ; the leaves are heart-fliaped, turn- 
ing backward, and unarmed ; the flowers are fmall, 
and come out in long loofe bunches from the wings of 
the ftalks ; the berries are fmall and red. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in Carolina. The 
roots are like the former ; the ftalks are taper and 
prickly ; the leaves are oblong, heart-fliaped, four 
inches long, and two inches and a half broad at their 
bafe, having no fpines, but feven longitudinal veins •, 
the flowers come out in long loofe bunches from the 
fide of the ftalks, and the berries are black. 
The fifth fort grows naturally at Carthagena in New 
Spain. The roots of this are like the former ; the 
ftalks are taper, very ftrong, and armed with fliort 
ftiff fpines ; they fatten themfelves by their clafpers to 
the neighbouring trees, and rife twenty feet high. 
The leaves are of a thick fubftance, and have no 
fpines ; they are oval, heart-fliaped, four inches long, 
and three and a half broad at their bafe, ending in an 
obtufie point, and have five longitudinal veins. The 
flowers are like thofe of the other fpecies, but grow in 
clofe bunches, and the berries are red. This is the fame 
with a plant which I received from China by the title 
of China-root. 
The fixth fort grows naturally at Carthagena in New 
Spain ; this hath very ftrong taper ftalks, which are 
armed with a very few fliort fpines. The leaves are 
thick, unarmed, and heart-fliaped; they are five 
inches long, and three inches and a half broad at their 
bafe, ending with an acute point. This fort climbs 
on the neighbouring trees, and rifes thirty feet high. 
The flowers of this I have not feen. 
The feventh fort grows naturally at La Vera Cruz in 
New Spain ; this hath a thick, taper, prickly ftalk, 
which climbs up the neighbouring trees to the height 
of thirty or forty feet. The leaves are thick, ftiff, 
and unarmed ; they are feven inches long, and have 
two round ears at their bafe, where they are three 
inches and a half broad, but the other part of the 
leaves are two inches broad at their top, where they 
are rounded ; they have three longitudinal veins, and 
ft and on fhort foot-ftalks. 
The eighth fort grows naturally at La Vera Cruz ; 
this hath (lender, taper, prickly ftalks, which fatten 
themfelves to any neighbouring fupport by their claf- 
pers, and rife eight or ten feet high. The leaves 
are oval, fpear-fhaped, four inches and a half long, 
and two and a half broad in the middle ; they have 
no fpines on their edges, but their midrib and veins 
on their under fide are armed with fhort reddilh 
fpines. 
The ninth fort grows naturally in Jamaica. The 
ftalks of this are {lender, angular, and prickly ; the 
leaves are fpear-fhaped, ending in acute points ; they 
are three inches long, and half an inch broad, having 
no fpines ; their bafe is a little rounded, but have 
no ears. 
The tenth fort grows naturally in Jamaica; this hath 
think, flelhy, creeping roots. The ftalks are taper 
and unarmed ; thefe climb up the neighbouring trees 
4 
and bufhes to the height of ten or twelve feet. The 
leaves are oval, and end in acute points ; they are five 
inches long and three broad, and have three longitu- 
dinal veins, but have no fpines. 
The eleventh fort grows naturally in Carolina ; this 
hath taper unarmed ftalks which rife three or four feet 
high. _ The leaves are oval, heart-fhaped, about 
three inches long, and alrnofttwo broad, rounded at 
their points, and have three longitudinal veins. The 
flowers come out from the wings of the ftalk at 
every joint, Handing upon fhort foot-ftalks, formed 
in a round bunch ; thefe are fucceeded. by roundifh 
red berries. 
The twelfth fort grows naturally in Jamaica, and alio 
in Maryland. The ftalks of this are ligneous, taper, 
and unarmed ; thefe have very long clafpers, by which 
they fatten to any neighbouring fupport, and rife 
twenty feet high. The leaves are feme oval, and 
others are heart-fhaped ; they are about three inches 
and a half long, and two and a half broad. The flow- 
ers come out from the wings of the ftalk in oblong 
bunches ; thefe are fucceeded by red berries. 
The thirteenth fort grows naturally in Carolina; this 
hath a thick, taper, unarmed ftalk, which rifes by 
the help of neighbouring bufhes and trees ten or twelve 
feet high. The leaves are thick, fpear-fhaped, and 
unarmed, about three inches and a half long, and one 
inch and a half broad. The flowers come out from 
the wings of the ftalk in round bunches, which are 
fucceeded by black berries. 
Thefe plants are many of them preferved in the gar- 
dens of the curious for the fake of variety, but fome 
of them may fo .be dilpofed as to make them ornamen- 
tal, becaufe thofe forts which grow naturally in North 
America, and the two firft forts, are fo hardy as to 
thrive in the open air in England ; and as they retain 
their verdure all the year, if the plants are placed on 
the borders of woods or groves in gardens, and their 
branches properly fupported, they will fereen the na- 
kednefs of the ground under the trees from fight, and 
in winter, when their leaves are in beauty, they will 
make a pleafing variety, when the plants are properly 
intermixed with other evergreens; and as fome of the 
forts will rife five or fix feet high, they will fhut out 
from view any difagreeable objefts. 
Thofe forts which require a ftove to proteft them in 
winter are little efteemed. becaufe they require much 
room; and as their flowers have no beauty to recom- 
mend them, few perfons care to be at the trouble of 
preferving them for that of their leaves, becaufe there 
are many other plants whole leaves make a better ap- 
pearance, and the plants do not require fo much room, 
fo thefe plants are rather the proper furniture of bo- 
tanic gardens than thofe of pleafure. 
They are all propagated by feeds, which muft be pro- 
cured from the countries where they naturally grow, 
for there are none of thefe plants which produce ripe 
feeds here. Thofe forts which have been brought 
from the north of America, fometimes produce flow- 
ers in England, but the lummers here are neither warm 
enough, nor of a proper duration to ripen their feeds, 
fo that thefe are propagated by parting of their roots ; 
for when the roots have obtained ftrength, they fpread 
very far in the ground, and fend up ftalks at a diftance 
from the old roots, whereby they may be greatly in- 
creafed when the forts are once obtained. The beft 
time for tranfplanting and parting of their roots is. 
early in autumn, that the offsets or young plants may 
have time to get good roots before the froft comes on; 
and if after they are planted, the cold fhould come 
on earlier, or be more fevere than ordinary, if the 
furface of the ground about their roots is covered with 
fome old tanners bark or mulch to keep the froft out 
of the ground, it will preferve them; but thefe roots 
fhould not be parted oftener than every third or fourth 
year, for unlefs the roots are large, there will be few 
ftalks to each, and therefore will make but little ap- 
pearance. 
The tender forts muft be kept in pots, and plunged 
into the tan-bed of the bark-dove, in order to have 
them 
