XER 
fl alks to the top, In other refpe&s the plants are ve- 
ry like, but the flowers are much lels, o t a paler 
purple colour, and have , a cylindrical empalement. 
The feeds are very large, and leldom more than three 
or four m each head, i his flowers aoout the lame 
time as the firft. 
Thefe flowers were formerly much more cultivated in 
the Englifli gardens than at prefent, .efpecially the 
two forts with double flowers, which the gardeners 
near London propagated in great plenty for their 
flowers, which they brought to market in the winter 
feafon, to adorn rooms, to fupply the place of other 
flowers, which are not eafy to be procured at that 
feafon •, for thefe, being gathered when they are fully 
blown, and carefully dried, will continue frefh and 
beautiful many months ; but as there are no other co- 
lours in thefe flowers but white and purple, the gar- 
deners had a method of dipping them into various 
tinctures, fo as to have fome of a fine blue, others 
fcarlet, and fome red, which made a pretty variety : 
and if they were rightly ftained, and afterwards hung 
up till they were thorough dry, they would continue 
their colours as long as their flowers lafted. The ftalks 
of the flowers were not fet in water, but the pot's or 
glades were half filled with dry land, into which the 
italics were placed, and in thole they would continue 
in beauty the whole winter. 
Thefe plants are propagated by feeds, which may be 
fown either in the fpring or autumn on a border of 
light earth, but the latter feafon is preferable ; for 
thole plants which come up in autumn will flower 
fooner, the flowers will be doubler and much larger 
than thofe which are fown in the lpring, and from 
thefe good feeds may be always obtained •, whereas the 
fpring plants m^ny times fail in cold years, and in hot 
dry feafons the plants do not grow to any fize. 
When the plants come up, and are about two inches 
high, they fhould be pricked out into another border 
under a warm wall, pale, or hedge, at about four or 
five inches diftance from each other, or into the bor- 
ders of the flower-garden. In this place the plants 
will endure the cold of our ordinary winters extreme- 
ly well, and in the fpring will require no farther care 
but to keep them clear from weeds, for they may re- 
main in the fame place for good. In June they will 
begin to flower, and the beginning of July they will 
be fit to gather for drying f but a few of the bell: and 
mofc double flowers of each kind fhould be buffered to 
remain for feed, which, in about fix weeks or two 
months time will be ripe, and the plants will perifh 
foon after •, fo that the feeds muft be annually fown, 
in order to prefer ve the kinds. 
The fourth fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope this riles with a fhrubby Italic three or four 
feet high, dividing into four or five branches, whole 
lower parts are garnifhed with thick-pointed leaves, 
about two inches long and one broad, which are hoary 
on their under fide, and are ranged without order. 
The upper part of the branches are naked, and are 
terminated by one large yellow flower, compofed of 
many oblong acute-pointed rays in the border, and 
the middle or difk, which is prominent, is made up of 
hermaphrodite florets, which are of a fplendid yellow 
colour. 
The fifth fort al lb grows naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope. The ftalks of this fort are very flender, lig- 
neous, and trail upon the ground ; they extend three 
or four feet in length, and are garnifhed with fmall 
filvery leaves placed without order, which fit clofe to 
the ftalks, and are reflexed. The flowers are produced 
from the wings of the branches, fometimes one, and 
at others two or three flowers arife at the fame point ; 
thefe have fcaly empalements *, their border or rays 
are compofed of many female florets of a white colour, 
and their middle of hermaphrodite florets, and are 
fucceeded by oblong feeds crowned with hairs. This 
plant flowers in July and Auguft, but the feeds fel- 
dom ripen in England. 
The fixth fort is a native of the country near the Cape 
of Good Hope ; this has a fhrubby branching ftalk, 
X I M 
which rifea three or four feet high. The branches ard 
flender, and like thofe of the Spanifh Broom, but are 
.hoary thefe have very fmall leaves refcmbling fcales, 
which fit clofe to the branches •, they are narrow and 
hoary, ending in acute points. The ftalks are each 
terminated by one large filvery flower, having a ft iff, 
dry, lcaly empalement. The rays of the flower are 
compofed of many dry female florets, and the difk or 
middle is made up of hermaphrodite florets 5 thefe 
are fucceeded by oblong feeds crowned with hairs, 
which do not ripen in England. 
As thefe laft mentioned plants do not ripen their feeds 
in England, they are propagated by cuttings, which,' 
if planted on a bed of light earth, during any of the 
fummer months, and fhaded from the fun, will put 
out roots. When they have gotten fuflicient ftrength, 
they fhould be carefully taken up, and planted into 
feparate pots filled with light earth, and placed in a 
fhady fituation till they have taken frefh root ; then 
they may be removed to a fheltered fituation, where 
they may have more fun, and here they may remain 
till autumn, when they muft be removed into fhelter, 
for they are too tender to live abroad through the 
winter in England, though they do not require any 
artificial warmth. I have kept thefe plants in a com- 
mon hot-bed frame all winter, expofing them always 
to the open air in mild weather, but covering them 
in froft, and thefe plants have been ftronger, and 
have flowered better than thofe which were placed in 
the green-houfe ; fo that I would recommend this 
method of treatment as the beft, for the plants are 
apt to draw up weak in a green-houfe, and that pre- 
vents their flowering ; nor are the plants near fo 
handfome, as thofe which are more expofed to the 
open air. 
In die fummer time they fhould be placed abroad in 
a flickered fituation with other hardy exotic plants, 
and in dry weather they will require to be often water- 
ed, for they are pretty thirfty plants, but in winter it 
fhould be lparingiy given to them. As thefe plants 
are not of long duration, there fhould be young 
plants propagated to fucceed them, for if they live 
four or five years, it will be long enough, becaufe 
after that age they become unfightly. 
XI M E N I A. Plum. Gen. Nov. 6. tab. 21. Lin. Gen. 
Plant. 1105. 
The title of this genus was given to it by Father 
Plumier, in honour of the Reverend Francifcus Xi- 
menes, a Spaniard, who publifhed an account of the 
Mexican trees and plants in four books, in the year 
1615. 
The Characters are, 
1 The fiower has a fmall empalement of three leaves , which 
falls off \ it has one bell-fhaped petal which is cut into 
three fegments at the top , which turn backward ; it has 
eight Jhort awl-fhaped ftamina terminated by fingle fum- 
mits , and a fmall oval germen , fituated under the flower , 
fupporting a very port ftyle , crowned by a headed fiigma. 
The germen afterward turns to an oval flefloy berry , in- 
cluding an oval nut with one cell , containing one feed of the 
fame form. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feftion of 
Linnaeus’s eighth clafs, the flowers having eight fta- 
mina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Ximenia ( Americana ) foliis oblongis, pedunculis 
multifloris. Lin. Sp. Plant. 1193. Ximenia with oblong 
leaves , and foot-ftalks bearing many flowers. Ximenia 
aculeata, flore villofo, fruftu luteo. Plum. Gen. 
Nov. 6. ’ Prickly Ximenia with a hairy flower , and a 
yellow fruit. 
2. Ximenia ( Agihalid ) foliis geminis lanceolatis. Xime- 
nia with fpear-ffaped twin leaves. Agihalid. Alpin. 
Egypt. 38. 
The firft fort grows naturally in the Hands of the 
Weft-Indies ; it rifes with a woody ftalk twenty feet 
high, fending out feveral branches on every fide, which 
are armed with thorns, and garnifhed with fpear-fhaped 
leaves Handing round the branches without order. 
The flowers are produced at the end of the branches ; 
15 C they 
