i O E 
imuated, fometimes almoft to the mid-rib, and are of 
a line glaucous colour y fo that this plant makes a 
beautiful variety among other exotic plants in the 
ftove. The whole plant abounds with a yellow juice 
like the greater Celandine, which is of an acrid na- 
ture ; fo that it is ufed by the inhabitants of America, 
to take off warts, and fpots from the eyes. 
It is propagated by feeds, which fhould be fown in a 
pot filled with light frefh earth, early in the fpring, 
and plunged into a hot-bed of tanners bark* obferv- 
ing to water it now and then gently, otherwife the 
feeds will not grow. When the plants are come up, 
they fhould be each tranfplanted into feparate fmall 
pots filled with light fandy earth, and plunged into 
the hot-bed again, obferving to fhade the glafles in 
the heat of the day, until the plants have taken root. 
They muft be alfo gently watered, but it fliould be 
done fparingly while they are young-, for their Items 
being very tender, and full of juice, will rot, if they 
receive too much moifture y but after their items are 
become woody, they will require it often, efpecially 
in hot weather when alfo they fhould have a large 
fhare of air, by raifing the glafles of the hot-bed. 
The plants, in two months after tranfplanting, will 
have filled thefe fmall pots with their roots therefore 
they fhould be fhaken out of them, and planted into 
pots one fize larger, filled with light frefh earth, and 
plunged into the bark-ftove, where they fliould have 
a good fhare of frefh air in warm weather. With this 
management I have railed thefe plants upwards of two 
feet high in one feafon, which were alfo very ftrong 
in their fie ms : they muft be conftantly kept in the 
ftove, being too tender to thrive in this country in any 
other fituation. This plant has flowered in the phyfic 
garden at Chelfea, and perfected feeds ; but if it were 
not to flower, the Angular beauty of the plant renders 
it worthy of a place in every curious cohesion of 
plants and it feems the Indians were very fond of it, 
for Hernandez tells us, the Indian kings planted it in 
their gardens. 
B O E R H A A V I A. This genus of plants was fo 
named by Monf. Vaillant, profeflor of botany at Pa- 
ris, in honour of the famous Dr. Boerhaave, who was 
profefTor of botany, chemiftry, and phyfic, in the 
univerfity of Leyden. 
The Characters are, 
The flower hath no empalement , and hut one bell-Jhaped 
petal , which is pentangular and entire. It hath in fome 
fpecies one , and in others two Jhort flamina , crowned by a 
double globular flummit. The ger men is fituated below the 
receptacle , fupporting a jhort J, lender ftyle , with a kidney- 
Jhaped ftigma y the germen afterward becomes a Jingle ob- 
long feed , having no cover. 
This genus of plants' is ranged in the firft fedion of 
Linnaeus’s firft clafs, intitled Monandria Monogynia, 
the flower having but one ftamina and a Angle 
ftyle. 
The Species are, 
x. Boerhaavia ( Eredia ) caule eredo glabro. Lint Sp. 
Plant. 3. Boerhaavia with an ere hi fialk. Boerhaavia 
Solanifolia e recta glabra, fioribus carneis laxius dif- 
pofitis. Houft. MSS. 
2. Boerhaavia (Diffufa) caule diffufo. Lin. Sp. Plant. 
3 . Boerhaavia with a diffufed fialk. Boerhaavia Sola- 
nifolia major. Vail. Def. 50. 
3. Boerhaavia ( Scandens ) caule fcandente fioribus dian- 
dris. Lin. Sp. Plant. 3. Boerhaavia with a climbing 
fialk. Boerhaavia alfines folio fcandens, fioribus pal- 
lide luteis majoribus in umbells modum difpofitis fe- 
mine afpero. Houft. MSS. 
4. Boerhaavia ( Coccinea ) foliis ovatis, fioribus laterali- 
bus compadis, caule hirfuto procumbente. Boerhaavia 
with oval leaves , flowers coming from the wings of the 
leaves in clofe heads , and a hairy trailing fialk. Boerhaa- 
via Solanifolia procumbens & hirfuta fioribus cocci- 
meis compadis. Houft. MSS. 
The firft fort was difcovered by the late Dr. Houf- 
toun, at La Vera Cruz, in 1731. This rifes with an 
upright fmooth ftalk, two feet high, and at each 
joint hath two oval pointed leaves growing oppofite, 
2 
B O M 
upon foot-ftalks, an inch long, of a whitifh colour 
bn .their under fide. At the joints, which are far 
afunder, come out fmall fide branches, growing ered - 
thefe, as alfo the large ftalk, are terminated by loofe 
panicles of flefh-coloured flowers, which are each 
fucceeded by oblong glutinous feeds. 
The feeds of the feconci fort were fentme by the fame 
gentleman from Jamaica, where it naturally grows. 
This fends out many diffufed ftalks a foot and a half 
or two feet long, garnifhed with fmall roundifh leaves 
at each joint. The flowers grow very fcatterino-jy 
upon long branching foot-ftalks from the wings of 
the leaves, as alfo at the end of the branches, which 
are of a pale red colour, and are fucceeded by feeds 
like the former. 
The third fort was fent me from Jamaica with the 
former. This fends out feveral ftalks from the root, 
which divide into many branches, and trail over what- 
ever plants grow near them, and rife to the height of 
five or fix feet, garnifhed with heart-fhaped leaves, 
growing by pairs at each joint upon long foot- 
ftalks, which are of the colour and confidence 
of thofe of the greater Chickweed. The flowers 
grow in loofe umbels at the extremity of the branches, 
which are yellow, and are fucceeded by fmall, oblong, 
vifcous feeds. 
The fourth fort was fent me from Jamaica with the 
two former : this fends out many trailing hairy (talks, 
which divide into fmaller branches, garnifhed with 
oval leaves at every joint ; and at the wings of the 
leaves come out the naked foot-ftalks, fuftaining a 
fmall clofe head of fcarlet flowers, which are very fu- 
gacious, feldom Handing more than half a day before 
their petals drop ; thefe are fucceeded by fhort oblong- 
feeds. b 
The firft, fecond, and fourth forts are annual plants, 
which decay in autumn, but the third fort is peren- 
nial : they are all tender plants, fo will not thrive in 
the open air in England y they are propagated by 
feeds, which muft be fown on a hot-bed in the fpring, 
and when the plants are fit to be removed, they fhould 
be each planted in a fmall pot and plunged into the hot- 
bed, and treated as other tender exotic plants. When 
they are grown too tall to remain under a common 
frame, a plant or two of each fort fhould be placed 
in the ftove the other may be turned out of the pots, 
and planted in a warm border, where, if the feafon 
proves warm, they will perfed their feeds ; but as 
thefe are fubjed to fail in cold feafons, fo thofe in the 
ftove will always ripen their feeds in autumn ; the 
third fort may be preferved in a warm ftove two or 
three years. 
BOMB AX. Lin. Gen. Plant. 580. Ceiba. Plum. 
Nov. Gen. 32. Silk Cotton-tree. 
The Characters are, 
It hath a permanent empalement of one leaf which is 
bell-Jhaped , erebl, and quinquefid. The flower is quinque- 
fid and fpreading , the petals are oval and concave. It 
hath many awl-Jhaped ftamina , which are the length of the 
petal , crowned with oblong incurved fummits. In the cen- 
ter is fituated the round germen , fupporting a flender ftyle 
the length of the ftamina , with a round ftigma. - The em- 
palement afterward becomes a large , oblong , turbinated 
cap fide ^ having five cells , opening with five valves , which 
are ligneous , containing many roundifh feeds , wrapped in a 
foft dozvn , and fixed to a five-cornered column. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fifth order of 
Linnaeus’s fixteenth clafs, intitled Monadelphia Po~ 
lyandria, the flower having many ftyles and ftamina 
joined to a column. 
The Species are, 
1. Bombax {Ceiba) fioribus polyandris, foliis quinatis. 
Jacq. Amer. 2 6 . Silk Cotton-tree whofe flowers have 
many ftyles , and leaves with five lobes. Ceiba viticis 
foliis caudice aculeate. Plum. Nov. Gen. 42. 
2. Bombax ( Bentandrum ) fioribus pentandris. Jacq. A- 
mer. 26. Silk Cotton-tree whofe flowers have five ftyles. 
Ceiba viticis foliis caudice glabro. Plum. Nov. Gen. 
42. 
3. Bombax 
