BAN , 
BANISTERIA. Houft. MSS. Lin. Gen. 509. 
Acer Scandens. Sloan. Cat. 137. Plum. Cat. 18. 
The Characters are, 
It hath a [mall ■permanent empalement , cut into five acute 
flegments to the bottom ; the flower hath five petals , which 
are Jh aped like thofe of the papilionaceous tribe , but flpread 
open , having in J'ome fpecies one , in others two , and in 
fame , [ev'eral neblarious glands. It hath ten [sort Jlamina , 
crowned with ftmple [ummits. > There are in [ome [pecies 
three , £0 others bat me germen, each [upporting a Jingle 
fiyle , crowned by an obtufe Jligma ; the ger men afterward 
become [0 many winged fruit, like thofle o[ the Maple', each 
containing a Jingle feed. 
The title of this genus was given by the late Dr. 
Houftoun, in honour to the memory of Mr. Banifter, 
a curious botanift, who loft his life in the fearch of 
plants, in Virginia. 
The Doftor ranged this genus in the clafs. of papi- 
lionaceous flowers, to which it has great affinity by 
the form of its flower^ but the ten ftamina handing 
feparale, induced Dr. Linnaeus to place it in his tenth 
clafs ^ but although he has put it under his third lec- 
tion, yet it would with greater propriety come under 
his fecond, the greater number of fpecies having but 
two ftyles. 
The Species are, 
1. ^Banisteria ( Angulofa ) folds ovato-oblongis rigiclis 
racemis terminalibus caule fruticofo fcandente. Ba- 
nifieria with oblong , oval, [iff leaves, [pikes of flowers ter- 
minating the branches , and a Jhrubby, climbing Jlalk. Sir 
Hans Sloane titles it, Acer fcandens foliis Laurinis. 
Cat. Jam. .137. 
2 . Banisteria ( Fulgens ) foliis ovatis glabris, floribus 
corymbofis terminalibus, caule fruticofo fcandente. 
Banifieria with oval flmooth leaves, flowers growing in a 
corymbus at the extremity of the branches , and a Jhrubby 
climbing Jlalk. Acer fcandens minus Apocyni facie 
folio fubrotundo. Sloan. Cat. 138. 
3. Banisteria (. Brachiata ) foliis ovatis acuminatis flo- 
ribus laxe lpicatis, ramis diffufis fcandentibus. Ba- 
nifieria with oval pointed leaves , flowers growing in loofle 
fpikes , and climbing diffufed branches. Banifieria fcan- 
dens & frutefeens folio fubrotundo, flore ex aureo 
Coccineo. Houft. MSS. 
4. Banisteria [Laurifolia) foliis ovatis nervofis fubtus 
incanis, floribus lateralibus, caule fruticofo fcandente. 
Banifieria with nervous heart-floaped leaves, hoary on 
their under fide , flowers growing from the fide of the 
branches, and ■ a florubby 'climbing jlalk. Acer Ameri- 
canum fcandens foliis fubrotundis fubtus pubefcen- 
tibus. Millar. Cat. 
5. Banisteria (. Benghalenfis ) foliis ovato-oblongis acu- 
minatis racemis lateralibus feminibus patentibus. Flor. 
Zeyl. 176. Banifieria with oblong, oval, pointed leaves, 
' [pikes of flowers growing from the fide of the branches., 
and flp reading feeds. Acer fcandens foliis Citrei flore 
caeruleo fpicato. Plum. Cat. 18. 
6. Banisteria (. Aculeata ) foliis pinnatis, foliolis oblongis 
obtufis, floribus fpicatis caule ramolo aculeato. Ba- 
nifieria with winged leaves , whofle flmall leaves are oblong 
and blunt, flowers growing in a flpike, and a prickly 
branching Jlalk. 
7. Banisteria ( Purpurea ) foliis pinnatis foliolis ovatis 
fpicis lateralibus feminibus ereffis. Banifieria with 
winged leaves , whofle flmall leaves are oval, flpikes of 
flowers growing from the fide of the branches, and ere H 
feeds. Banifieria foliis ovatis fpicis lateralibus femini- 
bus eredlis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 427. 
The firft grows naturally in Jamaica. This hath a 
woody ftalk, which twills itfelf round the neighbour- 
ing trees, and riles to their top. It is garnifned 
with leaves as large as thofe of the Bay-tree, and of 
the fame thicknefs, growing oppofite; the flowers are 
produced in long branching fpikes at the ends of the 
branches, which are yellow, compofed of five small 
leaves ; thefe are fucceeded by two or three winged 
feeds like thofe of the greater Maple. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Jamaica, at Cam- 
peachy, and feveral other parts of America. This 
hath fiender winding Talks, which rife five or fix feet 
7 
BAN 
high, and are thinly garnifhed with oval fmooth 
leaves •, the flowers grow in a round bunch at the 
extremity of the branches, which are of a brownifti 
yellow colour, -and are fucceeded by winged feeds 
like the former, but fmaller, and have narrower 
wings. 
The third fort was fent me from Carthagena, where 
it naturally grows. This fends out many branches, 
which divide again into others, growing without 
order, and become very bufliy upward, fending out 
tendrils by which they fallen themfelves to the neigh- 
bouring trees, and mount to a great height ; thefe 
are garnifhed with oval ftiff leaves, ending in a point. 
The flowers are produced in loofe fpikes at the ends 
of the branches, which are firft of a gold colour, and 
fade to a fcarlet. Thefe are fucceeded by feeds of 1 
the fame fnape with the former, but are fiender, thin, 
and for the moll part Angle. 
The fourth fort was fent me from Campeachy, by 
Mir. Robert Millar ; this hath many irregular climbing 
ftalks, which fallen themfelves to the neighbourinp- 
J 0 [O o 
trees, and rife to a great height, garnifhed with oval 
leaves, which are hairy on their under fide, where 
they have many tranfverfe ribs. The flowers come 
out thinly from the fide of the branches, which are. 
of a pale yellow colour, and are fucceeded by large 
winged feeds, which are double. 
The fifth fort hath ftrong woody ftalks, which twine 
about the trees which grow near it, and rifes twenty 
feet high, garnifned with oblong pointed leaves like 
thofe of the Bay-tree, growing oppofite j from the 
w ings of the leaves the flowers are produced in loofe 
fpikes, upon long foot-ftaiks, which are blue, and 
are fucceeded by fiender winged feeds, which fpread 
open from each other. 
The-fixth fort was fent me from Tolu in New Spain, 
where it grows naturally. This hath climbing ftalks, 
which divide into many branches, garnifhed with 
long winged leaves, compofed of about twenty pair 
of fmall, oblong, blunt pinnae, each having a deep 
furrow on the under fide. At the wings ot the leaves 
the ftalks are armed with fnort ftrong fpines, a little 
crooked. The flowers grow in long loofe fpikes at 
the end of the branches, which are fucceeded by Angle 
feeds, as large as thofe of the greater Maple. 
The feventh fort hath ftrong ligneous ftalks, covered 
with an Afh-coloured bark, and divide into many 
branches, garnifhed with winged leaves, compofed 
of five or fix pair of oval fmall leaves, nearly of the 
fize with thofe of the common Acacia, but are whitifh 
on their under fide ; from the wings of the leaves are 
produced fiender bunches of flowers, growing in a 
racemus like thofe of the Currant-bufh, of a purplifh 
colour ; thefe are fucceeded by broad winged feeds, 
growing erect. It was lent me from Campeachy, 
where it grows naturally. 
Thefe plants are all of them natives of warm coun- 
tries, fo cannot be preferved in England, unlefs they 
are kept in a bark-ftove. They are propagated by 
feeds, which muft be procured from the countries 
where they grow naturally. Thefe feeds ftiould be 
fully ripe when gathered, and put into fand or earth, 
in which they fhould be fent to England, otherwife 
they will loofe their vegetative quality ; for from a 
large parcel of thefe feeds which were fent over in 
papers, as frefti as they could pofiibly arrive here, 
there was very few plants raifed, and thofe did not 
appear till the fecond year ; for thefe feeds are not 
only in ffiape like thofe of the Maple, but alfo are of 
the fame quality, requiring’ to be fown as boon as 
pofiible when they are ripe, or preferved in fand' or 
earth till they are fown, otherwife they rarely iucceed; 
therefore when the feeds arrive, they fhould be im- 
mediately fown in pots, and, if it happens in autumn 
' or winter, the pots fhould be plunged into a hot-bed 
of tanners bark, where the heat is very moderate, 
and fecured from froft and wet, till fpring, when they 
muft be removed to a frefh hot-bed, which will bring 
up the plants ; but if they fhould not 'appeal* the firft 
year, the pots fhould be preferved till the next fpring, 
to 
