BET 
BET 
id figure of the fiamina , crowned by a bifid jtmnd. The 
germen afterward becomes four naked oval feeds , lodged in 
the empalement . 
This genus of plants is ranged in the hr it fection of 
Linnaeus’s tweltth clafs, intitled Didynamia Gym- 
nofpermia, the flower having two long and two ffiorter 
ftamina, which are fucceeded by naked feeds. * 
The Species are, 
1. Betonica ( Officinalis ) fpica interrupt^, corollafum 
lacinia labii intermedia emarginata. Flor. Leyd. Prod. 
316. Betony with an interrupted fpike , and the middle 
fegment of the lower lip of the flower indented at the end. 
Betonica purpurea. C. B. P. 235. Purple or JVocd 
Betony. 
2. Betonica (JDanica) foliis radicalibus ovato-cordatis, 
caulinis lanceolatis obtufis fpica craffiore. Betony whofe 
under leaves are heart fhaped , thofe on the ftalks fpear- 
Jloaped and obtufle , and a thicker fpike of flowers. Beto- 
nica major Danica. Park. Theat. 615. Mor. Hift. 3. 
3 6 5 - 
3. Betonica ( Alpina ) foliis triangularibus obtufis fpica 
breviore. Beton$ with obtufle triangular leaves , and a 
Jhorter fpike of flowers. Betonica minima Alpina Hel- 
vetica. Park. Theat. 650. 
4. Betonica [Orient alls) fpica Integra, corollarum la- 
cinia labii intermedia integerrima. Flor. Leyd. Prod. 
316. Betony with a whole fpike , and the middle fegment 
of the lower lip entire. Betonica Orientalis anguftiffimo 
& longiffimo folio, fpica florum craffiori. Tourn. 
Corol. 13. 
5. Betonica ( Inc ana ) foliis lanceolatis obtufis incanis 
fpica florum craffiori. Betony with obtufle , fpear-Jhaped , 
hoary leaves , and a, thicker fpike of flowers. Betonica 
Italica incana flore carneo. Barrel. Icon. 340. 
The firft fort grows naturally in woods and on ffiady 
banks in moft parts of England, fo -is feldom cul- 
tivated in gardens. This is the fort which is ufed in 
medicine, and is greatly efteemed as a vulnerary herb. 
There is a variety of this with a white flower, which 
I have often found growing naturally in Kent. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Denmark. This 
differs greatly from our common fort, the lower 
leaves being much broader and heart-ffiaped ; thole 
upon the ftalks are fpear-fhaped and rounded at the 
end, and the ftalks are larger, ftand upright, and are 
terminated by thicker fpikes of flowers. Thefe diffe- 
rences are conftant, for I have many years propagated 
them by feeds, and have never found the plants fo 
raffed to vary. 
The third fort groves naturally upon the Alps, where 
it feldom rifes more than four inches high •, and when 
cultivated in a garden, not above feven or eight. The 
leaves of this are much broader at the bafe than thofe 
of the common fort, and are very different in their 
ffiape, being triangular and blunt at the end. The 
flowers grow in very ftiort clofe fpikes, on the top 
of the ftalks. Thefe differences conftantly hold in 
the plants railed from feeds. 
The fourth fort was difeovered by Dr. Tournefort in 
the Levant. The leaves of this are very long, narrow, 
and hairy, and are neatly crenated on their edges. 
The flowers grow in very clofe thick fpikes at the top 
of the ftalks, which are larger, and of a lighter pur- 
ple colour than thofe of the common fort. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in Italy, upon the hills, 
from whence I received the feeds. The leaves of 
this fort are broader, and not fo long as thofe of the 
■ common fort, and are hoary j the ftalks are Ihorter 
and much thicker, as are allb the fpikes of flowers, 
than thofe of the common, and the flowers are larger 
and of a flelli colour. This fort conftantly keeps the 
fame from feeds. 
There is another fort which Tournefort and others 
mention, by the title of Betonica rubicundiffimo flore 
mentis aurei ; which differs but little from the fifth, 
except in the colour of the flower, fo I doubt of its 
being fpecifically different from that. 
All the forts are perennial plants, which may be pro- 
pagated by feeds, or parting of their roots. They 
are all very hardy, but require a ffiady fituation and 
a moift ft ifx foil, in which they will thrive better than 
in rich ground. The beft time to tranfplant and fe~ 
parate the roots is in the autumn, but the feeds fhould 
be fown in the fpring upon a ffiady border, and when 
the plants come up, they will require no other care 
but to keep them clean from weeds, and to thin them 
where they are too clofe. 
Thefe all of them flower in May and June, and the 
feeds ripen in Auguft. 
BETONICA A QJJ A T I C A. See Scrophu- 
L ARIA. 
BETONICA PAULI. See Veronica. 
BETULA, the Birch-tree. 
The Characters are, 
It hath male and female flowers , at feparate diftances on 
the fame tree •, . the male flowers are collected in a cylin- 
drical katkin , which is fcaly , looje , and imbricated on 
every fide, each fcale having three flowers ., which have 
two minute fleales on the fide. The flower is compofed of 
three equal florets , fixed to the Impalement by a Jingle fcale-, 
each floret is of one leaf, divided into four oval figments 
which fpread open-, thefe have four fmall ftamina, crowned 
by double fummits. The female flowers grow in a katkin , 
in the flame manner as the male. The common katkin is 
imbricated, having three fleales which are every way op - 
pofite , faftened to the central firing or axis , having two 
heart-fhaped flowers pointing toward the apex, where it is 
fituated. They have no vifible petals , but a fhort oval 
germen , fupporting two brifily ftyles, which are the length 
of the fleales of the empalement, and crowned with a plain 
Jligma. It hath no pericarpium , but the feeds are in- 
cluded in the fleales of the katkin , which are oval and 
winged. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fourth feftion 
of Linnaeus’s twenty-firft clafs, intitled Moncecia Te- 
trandia, there being male and female flowers on the 
lame plant, and the malk having four ftamina. 
The Species are, 
1. Betula {Alba) foliis ovatis acuminatis ferratis. Hort. 
Cliff. 442. Birch -tree with oval flawed leaves ending in 
points •, the common Birch-tree. 
2. Betula {Nana) foliis orbiculatis. Flor Lap. 2 66 . 
Birch-tree with round crenated leaves. Betula pumila 
foliis fubrotundis. Amman. Dwarf Birch. 
3. Betula {Lenta) foliis cordatis oblongis acuminatis 
ferratis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 983. Birch-tree, with oblong , 
pointed , heart-fhaped, fawed leaves. 
4. Betula {Nigra) foliis rhombeo-ovads acuminatis du~ 
plicato-ferratis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 982. Birch-tree with 
rhomboid, oval, pointed leaves, which are doubly fawed. 
Betula nigra Virginiana. Pluk. Aim. 67. Black Vir- 
ginia Birch-tree. 
The firft is the common Birch-tree, which is fo well 
known as to need no defeription. This is not much, 
efteemed for its wood, but however it may be culti- 
vated to advantage upon barren land, where better 
trees will not thrive for there is no ground fo bad, 
but this tree will thrive in it ; for it will grow in mcift 
fpringy land, or in dry gravel or fand, where there 
is little furface : fo that upon ground which produced 
nothing but mofs, thefe trees have fucceeded fo well, 
as to be fit to cut in ten years after planting, when 
they have been fold for near iol. per acre ftanding, 
and the after produce has been conflderably increafed. 
And as many of the woods near London, which were 
chiefly flocked with thefe trees, have been of late 
years grubbed up, fo the value of thefe plantations 
have adyanced in proportion. Therefore thofe per- 
fons who are poffefted of fuch poor land, cannot 
employ it better, than by planting it with thefe trees, 
efpecially as the expence of doing it is not great. 
The beft method to cultivate this tree, is to furniffi 
yourfelf with young plants from the woods where, 
they naturally grow, and are generally found there in 
great plenty ; but in places where there are no young 
plants to be procured near, they may be raffed from 
feeds, which fhould be carefully gathered in the au- 
tumn, as foon as the feales under which they are lodg- 
ed begin to open, otherwife they will foon fall out and. 
be loft: the feeds are fmall, fo fhould not be buried 
deep 
