T H A 
cither into feparate fmall pots, "or on a warm border, at 
about fix inches diftance every way, obferving to 
{hade them from the lun, and fupply them with water 
till they have taken new root •, after which they will 
require no other care but to keep them clean from 
weeds. Thefe plants will live through the winter in 
the open air, if they are planted in a dry foil and a 
warm fituation, when the frofts are not very fevere ; 
but in very hard winters they are frequently killed, if 
they are not protected by mats or fome other covering. 
There was about forty years ago a great number of 
theie plants growing in the warm borders of the 
Royal Gardens atKenfington, which were clipped in- 
to conical forms, ahd were near three feet high, but 
now there are few plants of a large (ize to be found in 
the Englifh gardens, becaufe their branches are an- 
nually cut to keep them fhort. 
The cat's are very fond of this plant, and where there 
are but few of thefe plants -will deftroy them, unlefs 
they are proteded from them ; but, where there is 
a great number of the plants together, the cats feldom 
touch them. 
The thirteenth fort is the common Ground Pine 
which is ufed in medicine ; it grows naturally on 
chalky arable land in feveral parts of England ; it is 
an annual plant, with a fingle ligneous root, which 
{trikes deep into the ground, fending out a few {len- 
der fibres from the fide, from which arife many weak 
trailing (talks which are very hairy ; thefe are garnifh- 
ed with narrow leaves ending with three points, which 
are fet by pairs, and crofs over each other at every 
joint ; they are hairy, and, when bruifed, emit a ftrong 
refinous odour. The flowers fit clofe to the (talks at 
the wings of the leaves ; there are two or three of 
them at each joint, of a bright yellow colour, and 
(haped like the other fpecies ; thefe appear in July, 
and the feeds ripen in September. If thefe are per- 
mitted tofcatter, the plants will come up better than 
if fown, and require no other care but to thin them, 
and keep them clean from weeds. 
This plant Is greatly recommended for its virtues ; 
there is fcarce a better herb than this for opening ob- 
ftrudions ; it is a ftrong diuretic, and an excellent re- 
medy for the rheumatifm. 
The fourteenth fort grows naturally in the fouth of 
France, in Italy, and Spain ; it is an annual plant, 
with a fingle ligneous root, fending out a few fibres. 
.The (talks are about fix inches high, and are clofely 
garniihed with very hairy narrow leaves which are 
indented toward their points. The flowers come out 
from the wings of the (talks to which they fit very 
clofe ; they are large, of a bright purple colour, and 
appear in July ; bu,t unlefs thefealon proves favoura- 
ble, they are not fucceeded by feeds in England. 
The fifteenth fort grows naturally about Nice in Italy, 
from whence it was fent me ; this is alfo an annual 
plant, much like the former, but the leaves are nar- 
rower and entire. The whole plant is covered with 
white woolly hairs, and the flowers are fmaller than 
thofe of the former. 
Both thefe plants fucceed beft, if, when they perfed 
their feeds, they are permitted to fcatter in the fame 
manner as the thirteenth fort ; or if the feeds are 
fown, it (hould be in atuumn, for they rarely fucceed 
when they are fown in the fpring. 
The fixteenth fort was difcovered by the late Dr. Houf- 
toun, growing naturally at La Vera Cruz; this is an 
annual plant, with an ered ftalk a foot and a half high; 
it is four-cornered and fmooth, garnifhed with frnooth, 
oblong, oval leaves which are bluntly indented ; they 
are about an inch and a half long, and three quarters 
of an inch broad, (landing upon fhort foot-ftalks. 
The flowers come out from the wings of the ftalks, 
two of them arifing at each joint, upon fhort {lender 
foot-ftalks ; they are fmall and white, having fhort 
empalements, which are cut at the brim into five very 
acute points. The flowers appear in July, and are 
fucceeded by feeds which ripen in autumn. 
The feventeenth fort was difcovered by the late Dr. 
Houftoun at the fame place with the former ; this is j 
alfo an annual plant, with a (lender, upright, four-cor- 
nered ftalk which riles three feet high J and divides 
into feveral fmooth branches, which are garniihed 
with oval fpear-fhaped leaves, three inches tong and 
one broad, _ of a bright-green on their upper fide, but 
pale on their under ; they are unequally flawed on their 
edges, and (land upon long foot-ftalks. The flowers 
come out in long bunches from the wings of - ' the 
ftalk, and alfo at the top ; they are pretty large, white, 
and have bladdered empalements ; thefe appear late 
In July, and unlefs the feafon proves favourable, 
they will have no good feeds fucceed them. 
The fixteenth and feventeenth forts are tender, fo wilt 
not thrive in the open air in England ; and unlefs the 
feafon proves warm, they will not perfect their feeds 
here. The feeds of thefe (hould be fown in fmall pots 
in autumn, which (hould be plunged into the, tan-bed 
in the ftove between the other pots, where they (hould 
remain till fpring, and then they may be taken out, 
and plunged into a hot-bed, which will bring up the 
■plants. When thefe are fit to remove, they (hould 
be each planted in a feparate pot, and plunged into a 
hot- bed, and afterward treated in the fame way as 
other tender plants which require conftant (heller. 
The eighteenth fort grows naturally in North Ameri- 
ca; this is a perennial plant, very like our Scorodonia 
or Wood Sage, but does not creep at the root as that 
does ; the ftalks are erect, and garnifhed with oval 
fpear-Ihaped leaves which are white on their under 
fide, and deeply fawed on their edges ; the .{talks are 
terminated by racemi of yellow flowers, and the 
whorls have fix leaves. 
This is a very hardy plant, fo will thrive in the open 
air ; it may be propagated by parting of the roots, 
or by fowing of the feeds, which 'is beft if done in 
autumn. 
The nineteenth fort grows naturally in Virginia; this 
is alfo a perennial plant, having oval leaves which, 
are unequally fawed ; the ftalk is annual, and rifesnear 
a foot high, which is terminated by a long fpike of 
red flowers, which appear in July and Auguft, when 
the plants make a pretty appearance. 
This is eafily propagated by feeds, which are pro- 
duced in plenty ; if thefe are fown in the autumn on 
a bed of a light earth, they will fucceed better than 
if fown in the fpring. 
THALICTRUM. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 270. tab. 
143. Lin. Gen. Plant. 617. [This name is ancient, 
and written in a two-fold manner. In the manuferipts 
it is found • 9 'ctAi <y9gov and S-dx but has now ob- 
tained the name of Thalidrum among all the mo- 
derns, from SasAAcu, to flourifh, or look green. It was 
anciently ufed at weddings, and is called zryya,vou, be- 
caufe fome botanifts have clafted this plant with Rues.] 
Meadow Rue. 
The Characters are, 
The flower has no empalements hut has four or five round - 
ijh concave petals which fall off foon , and a great number 
of ftamina, which are broad and compreffed toward their 
tops , terminated by twin fummits , which are oblongs with 
feveral very Jhort fiyles fitting fingly upon roundifh ger- 
men , and crowned by thick fiignias. The germen after- 
ward turn to fo many keel-f japed capfults, collected in a 
head , each containing one oblong feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the feventh fedion 
of Linnaeus’s thirteenth clafs, which contains thofe 
plants whole flowers have a great number of (lamina 
and many ftyles. 
The Species are, 
1. Thalictrum ( Flavum ) caule foliofo fulcato, pani- 
cula multiplici ereda. Hort. Cliff. 226. Meadow Rue 
with a furrowed leafy fialk , and many erebl panicles of 
flowers. Thalidrum majus, filiqua angulofo aut ftri- 
ata. C. R. P. 336. Greater Meadow Rue, with angular 
or channelled pods. 
2. Thalictrum ( Spcciofum ) caule angulofo, foliis line- 
aribus bifidis trifidifque, panicula multiplici ereda. 
Meadow Rue with an angular fialk , narrow leaves end- 
ing in two or three points , and many erect panicles of 
flowers. Thalidrum majus, filiqua feminis ftriata, fo- 
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