This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond faction i 
of Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, entitled Pentandria Digyma, 
the flowers having five ftamina and two ftyies. 
The Species are, 
L. Apocynum (Andr of ami folium) caule reftiufculo her- 
baceo foliis ovatis utrinque glabris cymis terminafi- 
bus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 213. Dogfbane with an ere A her- 
baceous ftalk , oval leaves, fmooth on both fides, and ter- 
minated by a head of flowers. Apocynum Canadenie 
foliis androfiemi majoris. Mor. Hift. 3. p. 609. 
2. Apocynum ( Cannabinum ) caule redliufculo herbaceo 
foliis oblongis panniculis terminalibus. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
213. Dogfbane with an ere hi herbaceous ftalk , oblong 
leaves, and flalks terminated by flowers. Apocynum 
Canadenie maximum flore minimo herbaceo. Pluk. 
Aim. 35. 
3. Apocynum ( Venetum ) caule reftiufculo herbaceo fo- 
liis ovato-lanceolatis. Prod. Leyd. 41 1. Dogfbane with 
an upright herbaceous ftalk, cmd oval fpear-floaped leaves. 
Apocynum maritimum venetum ialicis folio flore pur- 
pureo. Tourn. Inft. 92. 
4. Apocynum (< Speciofiffimtim ) foliis ovatis petiolatis, fu- 
perne glabris, "floribus amplls pediculis longis hirfu- 
tis caule fruticofo. Dogfbane with oval leaves, which 
are fmooth on their upper fide, large flowers with long 
hairy foot-ftalks , and a fhrubby ftalk. Apocynum erec- 
tum fruticofum, flore luteo maximo & fpeciofiffimo. 
Sloan. Cat. Jam. 89. 
5. Apocynum ( Scandens ) foliis oblongo-cordatis rigidis 
floribus lateralibus, caule fruticofo volubili. Dogfbane 
with ftiff, oblong, heart-floaped leave's , flowers growing 
on the fides of the ftalk, and a fhrubby twining ftalk. 
Apocynum lcandens foliis citrii filiquis maculatis. 
Plum. Cat. 2. 
6. Apocynum ( Frutefcens ) caule erefto frutefcente foliis 
lanceolato-ovalibus corollis acutis fauce villofis. Flor. 
Zeyl. 1 14. Dogfbane with an upright flor ubby ftalk, oval 
fpear-floaped leaves, acute petals, and hairy jaws. Apo- 
cynurn caule erebto arboreo foliis ovatis acutis. Prod. 
Leyd. 412. 
7. Apocynum ( ReticulaiuM ) caule volubili perenne fo- 
liis ovatis venofis. Prod. Leyd. 412. Dogfbane with 
a perennial' twining ftalk, and oval veined leaves. 
8. Apocynum (Obliquum) caule volubili foliis ovatis ri- 
gidis obliquis cymis lateralibus tubo floris longiffimo. 
Dczfbme with oval ftiff leaves which are oblique, a twin- 
ing ftalk, and flowers growing from the fide of the 
branches. Apocynum lcandens majus folio fubrotun- 
clo. Sloan. Cat. Jam. 89. 
9. Apocynum ( Nervofum ') caule fruticofo fcandente fo- 
liis ovatis nervofis cymis lateralibus flore luteo magno 
tubo longiffimo. Dogfbane with a climbing fhrubby ftalk, 
oval-veined leaves, and large flowers growing in bunches 
from the fides of the flalks , having very long tubes. 
10. Apocynum [Cor datum') foliis oblongo-cordatis, mu- 
cronatis feffiiibus floribus lateralibus, caule fcandente. 
Dor fane with oblong heart-floaped leaves , which end in 
a point , flowers growing at the wings of the leaves , and 
a climbing ftalk. Apocynum lcandens foliis oblongis 
acuminatis floribus amplis patulu3' & luteis. Houft. 
MSS. Fig. PI. num. 8. pi. 44. f. s. 
11. Apocynum {Villofum) foliis cordatis glabris floribus 
villofis lateralibus petiolis longioribus caule fcandente. 
Dogfbane with fmooth heart-floaped leaves , hairy flowers 
growing from the fide of the branches, and a climbing 
ftalk. Apocynum fcandens amplo flore villofo luteo 
filiquis tumidis angulofis. Houft. MSS. Fig. PL tab. 
44. fig. 2. 
The firft fort grows naturally in North America. 
This hath a perennial root j the ftalks rife about three 
feet high, grow upright, and are garnilhed with fmooth 
oval leaves, growing oppofite. Thefe, as alfo the ftalks, 
abound with a milky juice, which flows out when they 
are broken •, the flowers are white, and collefted in a 
kind of umbel, growing at the top of the ftalks. The 
neftarii in the bottom, have a purplifh caft •, thefe 
flowers are feldom fucceeded by pods which ripen 
in England, but the plant is propagated by parting 
the roots. It is hardy, fo will thrive in the full ground, 
but the foil fliould be light or dry, otherwife the roots 
are apt to rot in winter. The beft time to part the 
1 roots is hi March, before they begin to put out new 
ffa&s. 
The fecond fort is a native of the fame countries as 
the firft } the roots of this fort creep far in the ground, 
fo that when it is planted in a garden, it is apt to 
Ip read fo much as to be troublefome. The ftalks of 
this fort are brown, and grow about two feet high, 
' garnifned with oblong fmooth leaves, fet on by 
pairs, and abound' with a milky juice as the for- 
mer. Towards the upper part of the ftalk, the flow- 
ers come out from the wings of the leaves, collected 
in frnall bunches, which are of an herbaceous white 
colour, and frnall, fo make no great appearance, 
therefore are feldom admitted into gardens, except 
for the fake of variety. This is very hardy, and pro- 
pagates too faft by its creeping roots. Both thefo 
forts flower in July, and in autumn their ftalks decay 
to the root. 
The third fort grows upon a frnall Hand in the fea, 
near Venice, but is fuppofed to have been originally 
brought from fome other country. There are two 
varieties of this, one With a purple, and the other* 
with a white flower. The roots of this creep .pretty 
much, by which it is propagated, for it fcarce ever 
produces any feeds either in the gardens where it is 
cultivated, or at Venice, where it groWs without care, 
as I have been informed by a very curious botanift, 
who reflded many years at Venice, and conftantly 
went to the fpot feveral times in the feafon, to pro- 
cure the feeds, if there had been any produced j but 
he allured me he never could find any pods formed 
on the plants. The ftalks of this rife about two feet 
high, and are garnilhed with oval fmooth leaves 
placed' oppofite the flowers grow at the top of the 
ftalks in frnall umbels, lhaped like thofe of the former 
forts, but are much larger, fo that the fort with pur- 
ple flowers makes a pretty appearance. It flowers in 
July and Auguft. This fort will live in the open air, 
provided it is planted in a warm fituation and a dry 
foil ; for although the foil in which it grows wild near 
Venice, is moift, yet in this country the roots will 
rot in winter, when they are in a wet ground. The 
beft time to remove and plant the roots is in fpring, 
juft before they begin to pufti out new ftalks. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in Jamaica, in the 
Savannas, from whence it had the title of Savanna 
Flower, by which it is chiefly known in that ifland. 
This fort riles three or four feet high, having woody 
ftalks, which fend out a few lateral branches, gar- 
nifhed with oval ftnOoth leaves, placed by pairs op- 
pofite, of a Aiming green colour on their upper fides, 
but pale and veined underneath ^ the flowers are pro- 
duced from the fides of the branches, upon long foot- 
ftalks •, there are commonly four or five buds at the 
end of each, but there is feldom more than one of 
them which cqmes to flower, the others withering 
foon. The flower is very large, having a long tube, 
Which fpreads open wide at the top, of a bright yel- 
low, fo make a fine appearance, efpecially in the 
places where the plants grow naturally, being moft 
part of the year in flower. This plant is too tender 
to thrive in England without the afllftance of a ftove. 
It is propagated by feeds, which muft be procured 
from Jamaica, for the plants do not perfedt them in 
England, nor are many of the feeds which are brought 
from thence good, either from their being unfk'ilfully 
gathered before they are ripe, or being put up moift, 
for few of them have fucceeded. When the feeds are 
obtained, they fliould be fown in pots filled with light 
fandy earth, and plunged into a hot-bed of tanners 
bark. If the feeds are good, the plants will appear 
in a month or five weeks after, when they fliould be 
treated in the fame manner as other tender plants from 
the fame country, with this difference only, to be 
fparing in watering them, for thefe plants which a- 
bound with a milky juice, require very little wet. 
They muft be conftantly kept in the tan-bed in 
the ftove, and as they advance in height, they will 
require larger pots, but there muft be great cate not 
to over-pot them •, for unlefs their roots are confined, 
the plants will not thrive. The fecond year the 
2 plants 
