This genus of -plants is ranged in the firft fection of 
Linnaeus’s nineteenth clafs, which includes thole 
plants whole flowers are made up of all fruitful florets, 
and their fummits are connected together. 
We have but one Species of this genus, viz. 
Xar.chonanthus (Camphor atus.) Hort. Cliff. 398. Co- 
nyza Africana, frutdcens, foiiis falviae odore cam- 
phone. Tourn. Inft. 455. Shrubby African Fleabane , 
‘with Sage leaves fuelling like (Samphire. 
This plant grows naturally at the Cape' of Good 
Hope, and alio in China ; it has a ftrong woody 
ft a lk, which in England rifes to the height of twelve 
or fourteen feet, fending out many ligneous branches 
at the top, which may be trained up to have a regu- 
lar head. The branches are garnilhed with leaves, 
which are in fhape like thofe of the broad-leaved Sal- 
low, having a downy furface like thofe of Sage, and 
their under lides are white ; they, referable in fmell 
the Rofemary leaves when bruifed. The flowers are 
produced in fpikes at the extremity of the fhoots, 
which are of a dull purple colour, lo do not make 
any great appearance; The ufual time of its flower 
ing,is in autumn, but continue great part of winter, 
and are not fucceeded by feeds here. Thefe plants 
are preferved to make a variety in the green-houfe 
during the winter feafon, by thole who are curious in 
collecting of foreign plants ; they retain their leaves 
all the year. 
It is too tender to live through the winter in the 
open air in England, but requires no artificial heat, 
therefore may be placed in a common green-houfe 
with Myrtles, Oleander, and other hardy exotic plants 
in winter, and in fummer may beexpofed with them 
in the open air, and treated in the fame manner as 
they are. 
It may be propagated by cuttings, which fhould be 
planted in May, in pots filled with light earth, and 
if they are plunged into a moderate hot-bed, it will 
promote their putting out roots. Thefe fhould be 
fhaded with mats, or covered with oiled paper, to 
fcreen them from the fun until they are rooted. By 
the middle of July thefe cuttings will have taken 
root, when they fhould be each tranfplanted into a 
feparate pot, and placed in the fhade until they have 
taken new root ; after which time they may be placed 
with other hardy exotic plants in a fheltered fitu- 
ation, where they may remain till the middle or end 
of OCtober, when they fhould be removed into the 
green-houfe, placing them where they may have a 
large fhare of air in mild weather. This plant is very 
thirfty, fo muft be often watered, and every year the 
plants muft be fhifted ; and as they increafe in fize, 
fhould be put into larger pots. 
TARRAGON. See Abrotanum. 
TAXUS. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 589. tab. 362. Lin. 
Gen. Plant. 1006. [fo called of rogx, poifons ; be- 
caule this tree, in old time, was ufed in compound- 
ing poifons in warm climates.] The Yew-tree ; in 
French, If. 
The Characters are. 
The 'male flowers are produced on feparate trees from the 
fruit for the moft part \ they have neither empalement or 
petals , but the gem is like a four -leaved cover ; they have 
a great number of ftamina which are joined at the botto?n 
in a column longer th'an the gem , terminated by depreffed 
fummits , having obtufe borders and eight points , opening 
on each fide their bafe , cafting their farina. The female 
flowers are like the male , having no empalement or petals , 
but have an oval acute-pointed germen , but no ftyle , 
crowned by an obtufe ftigma. The germen afterward be- 
comes a berry lengthened from the receptacle , globular at 
. the top , and covered by a proper coat at bottom , open at 
the top , full of juice, and of a red colour ; but as it dries , 
waftes away , including one oblong oval feed , whofe top with- 
out the berry is prominent. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the eleventh feftion 
of Linnaeus’s twenty-fecond clafs, which includes thofe 
plants whofe male flowers are upon feparate plants 
from the fruit, and their ftamina are joined in one 
body or column. 
*" rv 
A 
v 
Vv'e have but one Species of this plant in England, 
viz. 
Taxu-s (Baccas) foiiis approximate. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
1 040. TewAree with leaves groiving near each other , or 
the common Tew. 
This tree grows naturally inEngland, and alfo in moft 
of the northern countries of Europe, and in North 
America ; and where, if it is fuffered to grow, will 
rife to a good height, and have very large items ; it 
naturally fends out branches on every fide, which 
fpread out, and are altnoft horizontal ; they are dole- 
ly garnifhed with narrow, ftiff, blunt-pointed leaves, 
of a very dark green. The flowers come out from 
the fide of the branches in clutters ; the male flowers 
having many ftamina, are more confpicuons than the 
female ; thefe for the moft part are upon different 
trees, but fometimes are upon the fame tree •, they 
appear the latter end of May, and the berries ripen 
in autumn. 
There is hardly any fort of evergreen tree which has 
been fo generally cultivated in the Englifh gardens -as 
the Yew, upon the account of its being fo tonfile, as 
to be with eafe reduced into any fhape the owner 
pleafed ; and it may be too often feen, efpecially in old 
gardens, what a wretched tafce of gardening prevailed 
formerly in England, from the monftrous figures of 
beafts, &c. we find thefe trees reduced into ; but of 
late this tafte has been juftly exploded by perfons of 
fuperior judgment, for what could be more abfurd 
than the former methods of planting gardens ? where, 
thofe parts next the habitation, were crouded with a 
large quantity of thefe and other forts of evergreen 
trees, all of which were clipped into fome trite figure 
or other, which, befides the obftruding the profped 
from the houfe, and filling up the ground, fo that 
little room was left for other fhrubs and flowers. Be- 
fide, it occafionedan annual expence to render the trees 
difagreeable ; for there never was a perfon, who had 
confidered the beauty of a tree in its natural growth, 
with all its branches diffufed on every fide, but muft 
acknowledge fuch a tree infinitely more beautiful than 
any of thofe fhorn figures, fo much ftudied by perfons 
of a groveling imagination. 
The only ufe this tree is fit for in gardens, is to form 
hedges for the defence of exotic plants ; for which 
purpofe, when it is neceffary to have hedges, it is the 
moft proper of any tree in being ; the leaves being 
fmall, the branches are produced very clofe together ; 
and if carefully fhorn, they may be rendered fo clofe 
as to break the winds better than any other fort of 
fence whatever, becaufe they will not be reverberated, 
as againft walls, pales, or other clofe fences, there- 
fore confequently are much to be preferred for fuch 
purpofes. 
Thefe trees may be eafily propagated by fowing their 
berries in autumn, as foon as they are ripe (without 
clearing them from the pulp which furrounds them, 
as hath been frequently directed,) upon a fhady bed 
of frefh undunged foil, covering them over about half 
an inch thick with the fame earth. 
In the fpring the bed muft be carefully cleared from 
weeds, and if the feafon proves dry, it will be proper 
to refrefh the bed with water now and then, which 
will promote the growth of the feeds, many of which 
will come up the fame fpring, but others will remain 
in the ground until autumn or fpring following •, but 
where the feeds are preferved above ground till fpring 
before they are fawn, the plants never come up tiii 
the year after ; fo that by fowing the feeds as foon as 
they are ripe, there is often a whole year faved. 
Thefe plants, when they come up, fhould beconftant- 
ly cleared from weeds, which, if permitted to grow 
amongft them, will caufe their bottoms to be naked, 
and frequently deftroy the plants when they continue 
long undifturbed. 
In this bed the plants may remain two years, after 
which, in autumn, there fhould be a fpot of frefh 
undunged foil prepared, into which they fhould be 
removed the beginning of October, planting them in 
beds about four or five fept wide, in rows about a 
foot 
