I* 
S P E 
‘dfid flowers with ten flamina. Alfine Spergula dicta 
major. C. B. P. 251. Greater Chickweed, called Spur rey. 
2. Spergula {Pentandria ) foliis verticillatis, fioribus 
pentandris. Lm. Sp. Plant. 440. Sptirrey with whorled 
leaves , and flowers with five flamina. Alfine fpergulse 
facie minima, feminibus emarginatis. Tourn.Inft. 244. 
‘The leafi Chickweedwith the appearance of Spumy, hav- 
ing bordered feeds. 
3 Spergula (Plodofa) foliis oppofitis fubulatis Isevibus, 
caulibus fimplicibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 440. Spurrey 
with awl-Jhdped fmooth leaves placed cppoflte , and fingle 
flalks. Alfine nodofa Germanica. C. B. P. 251. Knotted 
German Chick-weed. 
There are lome other fpecies of this genus, which 
grow naturally as weeds in England, fo are not worthy 
notice here ; nor fhould I have mentioned thefe, were 
they not fometimes cultivated. 
The frit and fecond forts are cultivated in Holland 
and Flanders, for feeding their cattle ; the ufuai time 
of lowing the feed is in July or Auguft, that the plants 
may acquire ltrength before the winter’s cold. The 
ufe that is made of this, is to feed Iheep, and other 
cattle in winter, when the common Grafs is eaten 
bare. This plant feldom riles above fix inches high, 
fo will not afford a very great quantity of food ; but 
as it will grow on the poorelt fand, it may be culti- 
vated in many places to good advantage, where no 
other Grafs will thrive fo well ; and by feeding it off 
the ground, the dung of the cattle will improve the 
land. This pafture, it is affirmed, will make excellent 
butter ; and the mutton fed on it, is faid to be well 
tailed, fo is by many preferred to that fed on T urneps. 
Hens will greedily eat this herb, and it makes them 
lay more eggs. 
This plant being annual, muff be fown every year; 
and whoever is willing to fave the feeds, fhould fow it 
in April, that the plants may flower the beginning of 
July, and the feeds will ripen in Auguff; when it 
muff be cut before the heads are quite brown, other- 
wife the feeds will foon fcatter. 
The feeds being very ffnall, about twelve pounds will 
be fufficient to fow an acre of land. The ground 
fhould be well harrowed before the feeds are fown, 
for if the larger clods are not broken, there will be 
an uneven crop of Grafs. People in the low country, 
fow this feed after a crop of Corn is taken off the 
land. The fecond fort is now much cultivated in 
Flanders, though it is a much lower plant than the 
common fort, but they efteem it a much better 
Grafs. The feeds of this kind are fmaller and flatter 
than thofe of the common fort, and have a white bor- 
der round each. 
SPERM ACOCE. Dill. Hort. Elth. 277. Lin. 
Gen. Plant. 111. Button Weed. 
The Characters are. 
The flower hath a fmall permanent empalement indented in 
flour parts , fitting on the germen. It has one cylindrical 
petal , whofe tube is longer than the empalement , and the 
brim indented in flour parts , which flpread open and are 
reflexed. It has flour awl-flhaped flamina floor ter than the 
petal terminated by jingle flummits , and a roundijh com- 
prefled germeti fiituated under the flower , flupporting a Jin- 
gle ftyle divided in two parts at the top , crowned by obtufle 
ftigmas. The germen afterward turns to two oblong feeds 
which are joined, having two horns , and are convex on 
one fide , and plain on the other. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedion of 
Linnaeus’s fourth clafs, which includes thofe plants 
whole flowers have four flamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Spermacoce ( Tennior ) glabra foliis linearibus, ftami- 
nibus inclufis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 102. Smooth Spermacoce 
with flamina included in the flower. Spermacoce verti- 
cillis tenuioribus. Hort. Elth. 370. Spermacoce with 
narrow whorls. 
1. Spermacoce ( Verticillata ) glabra foliis lanceolatis 
verticillis globofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 102. Smooth Sper- 
macoce with flpear-floaped leaves , and flowers in globu- 
lar whorls round the flalks-. Spermacoce verticillis 
S P H 
globofis. Hort. Elth. 369. Spermacoce with globular 
whorls. 
The firft fort grows to the height of two feet and a 
half ; the ftalks are ftiff, a little angular, and covered 
with a brown bark ; the branches come out by pairs. 
There are two leaves at each joint placed oppofite^ 
which are two inches long, and almoft a quarter of an 
inch broad, and between thefe come out three or four 
fmaller, which ftand in whorls round the ftalks ; they 
are fmooth, and have one ftrong vein or midrib in 
the middle. The flowers grow in flender whorls to- 
ward the top of the ftalks ; they are fmall, white, and 
fit clofe to the ftalks, having a whorl of leaves clofe 
under them ; thefe arefticceeded by two oblong feeds, 
having fmall horns which ripen in the empalement. 
The fecond fort rifes with a fhrubby ftalk three or 
four feet high, fending out a few flender branches, 
which are garnifhed with narrow leaves not fo long as 
thofe of the former fort ; they are fmooth, of a light 
green, and ftand in a kind of whorls round the ftalk ^ 
two of them being larger than the others in each 
whorl. The flowers grow in thick globular whorls 
toward the top of the ftalk, and one of the whorls ter- 
minates the ftalk ; they are fmall, very white, and fun- 
nel-fhaped. The brim is cut into four obtufe feg- 
ments which fpread open, and the flamina ftand out 
above the tube of the flower. After the flowers are 
paft, the germen turn to two feeds, ffiaped like thofe 
of the former fort. 
Thefe plants grow naturally in moift places in Jamaica. 
The inhabitants call the fecond fort Button Weed. 
They are both propagated by feeds, which muft be 
fown on a hot-bed, and when the plants come up they 
muft be tranfplanted on a frefti hot-bed to bring them 
forward, and afterward treated in the fame way as 
other tender plants; and if they are placed in a ftove, 
they will live through the winter, and produce good 
feeds the following year. 
SPHiERANTHUS. Vaill. Ad. Par. 1719. 
Lin. Gen. Plant. 893. Globe Flower. 
The Characters are. 
The flowers are compofed of hermaphrodite florets , and fe- 
male half florets , which are included in. one globular fcaly 
empalement , which is garnifhed with them on every fide 
the receptacle. There are fleveral of thefe florets included 
in each partial empalement. The hermaphrodite florets 
are placed in the center ; they are funnel-Jhaped , and cut 
into five parts at the brim ; they have five very Jhort 
hair-like flamina , terminated by cylindrical flummits , and 
a germen which decays , flupporting a thick longer ftyle , 
having a fingle ftigrna ; thefe are barren. The female 
half florets are fituated round the border , and havefcarce 
any petals , but an oblong germen , flupporting a briftly ftyle 
crowned by a double ftigma ; thefe have one oblong naked 
feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedion 
of Linmeus’s nineteenth clafs, which includes thofe 
plants whofe flowers are compofed of hermaphrodite 
barren florets, and female fruitful half florets. 
The Species are, 
1. Sph^tranthus ( Indicus ) pedunculis crifpatis. Lin. 
Sp. Plant. 1314. Globe-flower with curled foot-jialks . 
Sphseranthus purpurea alata ferrata. Burm. Zeyl. 220. 
Purple , winged , fa-wed Globe-flower. 
2. Spheeranthus {Aflricanus) pedunculis laevibus. Globe- 
flower with fmooth foot-flalks. Scabiofe capitulo, chry- 
fanthemi Myconi foliis, alato caule Maderafpatanus. 
Pluk. Phyt. tab. 108. 7. A plant from Madras with a 
head like Scabious , leaves like the Corn Marygold of My- 
conus , and a winged ftalk. 
The firft fort grows naturally in India ; this rifes with 
an herbaceous ftalk about a foot high, which rarely 
branches out ; it is garnifhed with fpear-fhaped leaves 
about three inches long, and one broad in the middle, 
whofe bafe fits clofe to the ftalk, and from them is 
extended a leafy border or wing along the ftalk 5 
they are fawed on their edges and are of a deep green, 
ftanding alternate. The foot-ftalks of the flowers 
come out from the fide of the ftalk, oppofite to the 
leaf 5 
r 
