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air in England ; therefore whoever has an inclination 
to cultivate this plant, muft plant the feeds in a hot- 
bed in the fpring of the year, keeping the glafies over 
the plants till the middle or end of June ; after which 
time, if the weather prove warm, they may be ex- 
pofed to the open air by degrees. The branches of 
this plant trail upon the ground, and the flowers 
(which are yellow) are produced Angle upon long 
foot-ftalks ; and as foon as the flower begins to decay, 
the germen is thruft under ground, where the pod is 
formed and ripened; fo that unlefs the ground is 
opened, they never appear : the negroes kept this a 
fecret among themfelves, therefore could fupply them- 
felves with thefe nuts unknown to their matters. The 
roots of thefe plants are annual, but the nuts or feeds 
fufficiently ftock the ground in a warm country, where 
they are not very carefully taken up. In South Ca- 
rolina there is great plenty of thefe nuts, which the 
inhabitants roaft, and make ule of as chocolate. 
ARALIA, Berry-bearing Angelica. 
The Characters are, 
It is an umbelliferous plant with a globular umbel , having 
a J: mall involucrum ; the mpalement of the flower is finally 
indented in five parts , and refts upon the germen. The 
flower hath five oval petals , which are reflexed ; it hath 
five awl-floaped ftamina crowned by romdifh furnmits ; the 
round germen below the empalement fupports five Jhort 
fiyles , each of which is crowned by a Jingle ftigma. 5 "he 
germen afterward turns to a roundifh channelled berry , 
having five cells , each containing one oblong hard feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fifth fe&ion of 
Linnaeus’s fifth clafs, entitled Pentandria Pentagynia, 
the flow' ers having five ftamina and five ftyles. 
The Species are, 
x. Aralia ( Racemofa ) caule foliofo herbaceo kevi. Hort. 
Upfal. 70. Berry-bearing Angelica , with an herbaceous 
leafy fialk. Aralia Canadenfis. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 
300. 
2. Aralia {Nudicaulis) caule nudo foliis ternatis. Hort. 
Cliff. 1 1 3 . Berry-bearing Angelica with a naked fialk. 
Aralia caule nudo radice repente. Cold. Noveb. 66. 
3. Aralia ( Spinofa ) arborefcens caule foliolifque acu- 
leata. Vir. Cliff. 26. Tree Berry-bearing Angelica, whofe 
fialk and leaves are prickly. Aralia arborefcens fpinola. 
Vaill. Serm. Angelica-tree , vulgo. 
The firft fort is pretty common in many gardens near 
London, but the fecond is at prefent m6re rarely met 
with. Both thefe plants grow naturally in North 
America, from whence their feeds were brought to 
Europe. They are perennial plants, whofe ftalks de- 
cay in autumn, and new ones arife from their roots 
in the fpring. The firft grows three or four feet high, 
and divides into many irregular branches, garnifhed 
with ramofe leaves, placed alternately ; at the wings 
of thefe the flower-ftalks are produced, which are ter- 
minated by round umbels of fmall four-leaved flowers, 
of a whitifh colour ; thefe are fucceeded by round 
channelled berries, which when ripe, are black. This 
flowers in July, and the feeds ripen in October. 
The fecond fort rifes to near the fame height as the 
former ; the leaves of this have two trifoliate large 
lobes, which are fawed on their edges. The flower- 
ftalks arife between thefe immediately from the root, 
being naked, and are terminated by round umbels 
of flowers, in ftiape and colour like the firft ; thefe 
are fucceeded by berries, which are fmaller than thofe 
of the other. This flowers toward the end of July, 
and the feeds ripen late in the autumn. The roots 
of this fort were formerly brought over and fold for 
Sarfaparilia, and at this time feveral of the inhabitants 
of Canada make ufe of it as fuch, but it is very dif- 
ferent from the true fort. 
Both thefe forts are eafily propagated by feeds, which 
are generally produced in plenty. Thefe fhould be 
fown in the autumn foon after they are ripe, for thofe 
which are fown in the fpring, never grow the fame 
year, fo that a whole feafon is gained by the lowing 
in autumn. When the plants appear, they muft be 
kept clean from weeds during the fummer ; and in 
the autumn following, when their leaves decay, the 
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■foots may be taken up, and tranfplanted where they 
are to remain. They are very hardy plants, fo may 
be planted in any fituation ; and as they grow natu- 
rally in woods, fo they may be planted in wildernefs 
quarters, under trees, where, although they have no 
great beauty, yet they will add to the variety. 
Thefe two forts may alio be propagated by parting of 
their roots ; the beft time for doing this is in the 
autumn, foon after their leaves decay. Thefe fhould 
be planted pretty far afunder, for their roots fpread 
to a confiderable diftance, where they are left un- 
difturbed for fome years. 
The third fort rifes with a woody item to the height 
of eight or ten feet, dividing, into ieveral branches, 
garnifhed with branching leaves, which are com- 
pounded of many divaricated wings ; the lobes of 
which are oblong, and the ribs of the leaves, as alfo 
the branches and items of the plants, are armed with 
ftrong crooked fpines, which renders the places very 
difficult to pafs through where they grow in plenty. 
The flowers of this fort are produced in large loofe 
umbels, at the extremity of the branches, and are of 
an herbaceous colour, fo make no great figure, but 
the plants are preferred in moft of the curious gardens 
in England. It flowers in Auguft, but the feeds do 
not ripen in this country. • 
This is propagated by feeds, which are eafily pro- 
cured from North America; but as they feldom ar- 
rive here till toward the fpring, fo the plants never 
come up the firft year : therefore when the feeds ar- 
rive, they fhould be fown in pots, filled with light 
earth, and placed in a fhady fituation, where they 
may remain until the next autumn, being careful to 
v/eed the pots conftantly ; otherwife if weeds are per- ' 
mitted to grow till they are large, they 'cannot be 
taken out, without drawing up the feeds with their 
roots. In the autumn, the pots fhould be plunged 
either into an old bed of tan, or in a warm border 
under the fhelter of a hedge or wall ; and if the winter 
proves fevere, it will be proper to cover the pots with 
ftraw or Peafe-haulm, to prevent the froft from pe-, 
netrating deep into the ground. In March the pots 
fhould be plunged into a moderate hot-bed, which 
will bring up the plants early, fo that they will have 
more time to get ftrength before the following winter. 
When the plants come up, they fhould be frequently 
refrefhed with water, and conftantly kept clfean from 
weeds : in May they fhould be inured to the open air, 
and when they are removed out of the bed, they 
fhould have a fhady fituation. Thefe plants fhould 
not be difturbed the firft feafon, but as they are often 
injured by froft when young, fo in Oftober the pots 
fhould be placed under a frame, where they may be 
fcreened from hard frails, but in mild weather fhould 
be conftantly opened to enjoy the free air. The leaves 
of thefe plants fall away in the autumn, fo that fome 
perfons have fuppofed them dead, and have thrown 
them out of the pots, which every one fhould -be 
cautioned againft. In the fpring, before the plants 
begin to pufh, they fhould be carefully fhaken out of 
the pots, and feparated ; part of them fhould be 
planted fingly into fmall pots, and the other may be 
planted in a bed of light earth in a warm fituation. 
If thofe which are planted in the fmall pots are plunged 
in a moderate hot-bed, it will greatly forward their 
growth ; but they muft be -early inured to bear the 
open air, otherwife they will draw up weak. In the 
following fummer they muft have a fhady fituation, 
and the next winter fhould be flickered again ; the 
fpring following they may be fhaken out of the pots, 
and planted where they are defigned to remain. Thofe 
plants which were planted in the bed, will require 
proteftion from the froft the firft winter ; therefore 
if the furface of the ground is covered with old tan- ■ 
ners bark, it will prevent the froft from penetrating 
to their roots ; 'and if in hard frofts, fome ftraw, 
Peafe-haulm, or any light covering is laid over the 
bed, it will fecure their Items from being injured. 
The plants in the bed may remain there two years, by 
which time they will be ftrong 
mough 
to 
