SPA 
At "Michaelmas feme of the plants may be taken up 
and potted,, to be flickered in winter, and others may 
be planted in a warm fituation and on a dry foil, 
where,, if the winter fhould not prove fevere, they 
will ftand very well. It will alfo be proper to leave 
feme of the plants in the feed-bed, where, if the win- 
ter fhould prove fevere, they may be fheltered with 
mats, and feme mulch laid about their roots to pre- 
vent the froft penetrating the ground, for thefe plants 
are fo tender as not to live abroad in hard froft, tho’ 
in moderate winters they will do very well ; but it is 
always necefiary to have a plant or two of each fort in 
pots, that they may be flickered in winter to preferve, 
the forts. 
The fourth fort is the common Broom which grows 
naturally in England, fo is not often admitted into 
gardens, though, when it is in flower, it makes a 
much better appearance than many others which are 
coftlyk this rifes with a flexible ftalk four or five feet 
high, fending out many Rufii-like angular branches 
which fpread-out on every fide. The lower part of 
the branches are garnifhed with trifoliate leaves, and 
upward they are jingle. The flowers come out upon 
fhort foot-ftaiks fingly on the fide of the branches, 
for a confiderable length toward the top ; thefe are 
large, of the butterfly kind, and of a bright yellow 
colour ; they appear in May, and are fucceeded by 
comprefied hairy pods containing kidney-fhaped feeds 
which ripen in Auguft. The flowers and branches 
of this fort are ufed in medicine. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in Portugal and Spain ; 
this has ftronger ftalks than our common Broom. 
The branches grow more ereft, and have deeper an- 
gles ; the leaves are all trifoliate, and much larger 
than thofe of the fifth •, the lobes are wedgedhaped 
the flowers are larger, of a deeper yellow colour, and 
have longer foot-ftalks. This flowers a little later in 
the year than that, and is not fo hardy. 
The fixth fort grows naturally in Portugal ; this rifes 
with a ftrong ftalk like the former. The branches are 
angular and grow ered they are better furnifhed 
with leaves than either of the other forts, which ftand 
upon pretty long foot-ftalks the lobes are fmall, ve- 
ry narrow, and hairy ; the flowers grow clofer toge- 
ther, are larger, and of a deep yellow colour. 
The feventh fort was brought from Portugal. The 
ftalks and branches of this are flender, angular, and 
fmooth, and are fully garnilhed with very narrow, 
trifoliate, fmooth leaves fitting clofe to the ftalks. 
The flowers come out in long loofe fpikes at the end 
of the branches ; they are large, of a bright yellow 
colour, and are fucceeded by fhort comprefied pods, 
which are fmooth, containing fmall kidney-fhaped 
feeds. 
The eighth fort grows naturally in the Levant-, this 
hath flender ftalks and branches, which are garnifh- 
ed with a few trifoliate and Angle leaves toward the 
bottom. The branches have fix angles or furrows ; 
the flowers are fmall, of a pale yellow colour, and are 
produced in loofe fpikes at the end of the branches ; 
thefe are rarely fucceeded by feeds in England.. 
The ninth fort grows naturally in Italy and Spain near 
the fea-coaft. The ftalks rife five or fix feet high, 
and fend out many angular flexible branches, armed 
with long fpines, upon which grow trifoliate leaves ; 
the flowers are produced at the end of the branches 
in clufters, each ftanding upon a long foot-ftalk ; 
they are of a bright yellow colour, and appear in 
June -, they are fucceeded by fhort ligneous pods, 
with a thick border on their upper edges, containing 
three or four kidney-fhaped feeds. This plant will 
not live abroad in England, unlefs it has a very warm 
fituation. 
Thefe plants are raifed from feeds in the fame way as 
the firft fort, and may be treated in the fame manner. 
The tenth fort is very common in Jamaica, and feve- 
ral other places in the Weft-Indies, where the wood 
is cut, and fent to England under the title of Ebony, 
though it is not the true Ebony, which is a native of 
the eaftern country, and is a plant of a very different 
S P E 
genus. The wood of this American Ebony is of a 
fine greenifh brown colour, and polifhes very well, 
fo is much coveted by the inftrument-makers and is 
ufed for feveral purpofes, being of a very hard dura- 
ble nature. 
This tree has a pretty thick ftem which rifes twelve or 
fourteen feet, high, covered with a rugged brown 
bark, and divides into many fpreading branches, 
which grow almoft horizontal, and are armed with 
fhort brown crooked fpines. The leaves are fmall, 
ftiff, and wedge-fhaped, coming out in clufters, and 
fit clofe to the branches. The flowers come out up- 
on flender foot-ftalks from the fide of the branches 
fingly ; they are of the butterfly kind, of a bright 
yellow colour, and are fucceeded by comprefied moon- 
fhaped pods, which inclofe one kidney-fhaped feed. 
This plant is propagated by feeds, which muft be 
procured from the countries of its natural growth, for 
the plants do not produce feeds in this climate. Thefe 
feeds fhould be fown in pots filled with light frefti 
earth early in the fpring, and plunged into a good 
hot-bed of tanners bark, or placed in tan under pots, 
as their covers are very hard. In about fix weeks 
after the feeds are fown, the plants will appear, when 
they muft be carefully treated (being very tender 
while young ;) they muft have frefh air admitted to 
to them every day when the weather is warm, and 
fhould be frequently refrefhed with water, when the 
earth in the pots appears dry. In about five or fix 
weeks after the plants appear they will be fit to tranf- 
plant, when they fhould be carefully ftiaken out of 
the pots and feparated, planting each into a fmall pot 
filled with light rich earth, and then plunged into 
the hot-bed again, being careful to fhade them from 
the fun every day until they have taken root *, after 
which time they muft be treated in the fame manner 
as other very tender exotic plants, by giving them air 
every day in warm weather, and watering them once 
in two or three days gently, and when the nights are 
cold, to cover the glaffes. In this hot-bed the plants 
may remain till autumn, when they muft be removed 
into the ftove, and plunged into the bark-bed. Thofe 
of them whofe roots have filled the pots, fliould be 
carefully fhifted into pots one fize larger before they 
are plunged ; but as thefe plants are not of quick, 
growth while young, they do not require to be often 
fhifted out of the pots. During the winter feafon 
thefe plants muft be kept warm (efpecially the firft 
year,) and muft have but little water, and in cold 
weather it muft be given to them in fmall quantities ; 
and if their leaves fhould contract filth, they muft be 
wafhed with a fponge to clean them, otherwife the 
plants will not thrive. As thefe plants are very ten- 
der when young, fo they will not live in the open air 
in this country, even in the warmeft part of the year ; 
therefore they muft be conftantly kept in the ftove, 
and fhould be kept plunged in the bark-bed, obferv- 
ing in the fummer feafon, when the weather is warm, 
to admit a large fhare of frefh air to the plants ; but 
when they have obtained ftrength, they may be ex- 
pofed for three months in a warm fituation in the 
fummer. 
SPERGULA. Dillen. Gen. Nov. 7. Lin. Gen. 
Plant. 519. Spurrey. 
The Characters are, 
‘ The flower hath a fpreading permanent empalement , com- 
pofea of five oval concave leaves. It has five oval , con- 
cave, fpreading petals which are larger than the empale- 
ment , and ten awl-Jhaped ftamina Jhorter than the petals, 
terminated by roundijh fummits. It hath an oval germen , 
fupporting five fender , erect, reflexed fiyles, crowned by 
thick ftigmas. Id he germen afterward turns to an oval 
clofe capfuls with one cell, opening with five valves, in - 
clofing many deprejjed, globular , bordered feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fourth feeftion 
of Linnaeus’s tenth clafs, which includes thofe plants 
whofe flowers have ten ftamina and five ftyles. 
The Species are, 
1. Spergula ( Arvenfis ) foliis verticillatis, floribus de- 
candris. Hort. Cliff. 1 73. Spurrey with leaves in whorls , 
and 
