C E A 
C E A 
5. Ceanothus (Arbor efcehs) foliis ovatis feflilibus ner- 
vofas fioribus alaribus. Ceanothus with oval nervous, 
leaves fet dofe to the branches , flowers proceeding from 
the wings ofl the leaves , commonly called Red-wood, 
The firft fort grows naturally in moft parts of North 
America, from whence gx~eat plenty of the feeds have 
been of late years brought to Europe, by the title of 
New Jerfey Thea, where I have been informed the 
inhabitants dry the leaves of this fhrub to ufe as Thea. 
The people of Canada ufe the root in venereal cafes. 
I have received the feeds of this fort from New 
England, Penfylvania, Virginia, and Carolina ; and 
the^French mention it as a common fhrub in Canada, 
where they fay the cattle browze upon it, and keep it 
very low. 
In England this fhrub feldom rifes more than three or 
four feet high, fending out branches on every fide 
from the ground upward. The branches are very 
{lender, and as it is pretty late in the fpring before 
they begin to fhoot, they keep growing very late •, 
therefore, unlefs the autumn proves dry and mild, the 
tender fhoots are often killed down very low by the 
early frofts •, but, in favourable feafons, the extreme 
parts of the fhoots only are injured by the cold. 
Thefe branches are garnifhed with oval pointed leaves, 
having three longitudinal veins running from the 
fodt-ftalk to the point, which diverge in the broad 
part of the leaves from each other : the leaves are 
placed oppofite, and are of a light green colour. At 
the extremity of each fhoot the flowers are produced 
in clofe thick fpikes, which are compofed of five 
fmali leaves, of a clear white. Thefe appear in July, 
and make a pretty appearance during their continu- 
ance ; for, as every fhoot is terminated by one of 
thefe fpikes, the whole fhrub is covered over with 
flowers, the branches commonly growing very clofe 
to each other •, and when the autumn proves mild, 
thefe fhrubs often flower again in October. After 
the flowers are paft, there fucceeds to each flower a 
tricapfular feed-veflel, flatted at the top, opening into 
three cells, each having a Angle feed. In warm fea- 
fons the feeds ripen in England. This fhrub is beft 
propagated by feeds, which fhould be fown in the au- 
tumn in fmali pots, and plunged into an old hot-bed, 
where they may remain during the winter, expoflng 
them in mild weather to the open air, but in froft 
they muft be protefted from cold. In March the 
pots fhould be plunged into a moderate hot-bed to 
bring up the plants, which fhould be inured to bear 
the open air by degrees *, and as foon as they have 
obtained a little ftrength, they fhould be expofed in 
a fheltered fituation till autumn, when they muft be 
placed under a hot-bed frame, to fcreen them from 
levere froft in winter ; but in mild weather they fhould 
be fully expofed to the open air, for while the plants 
are young, they will not endure the cold of the win- 
ter. In the following fpring, before the plants be- 
gin to fhoot, they fhould be tranfplanted ; feme of 
them may be put into feparate pots, and the others 
into a nurfery-bed, in a warm fituation, where they 
may remain a year or two to get ftrength, after which 
time they may be removed to the places where they 
are defigned to remain. They fhould have a mode- 
rately dry foil and a fheltered fituation, where they 
will thrive and flower extremely well ; but in ftiff cold 
land, they are always very late in the fpring before 
they come out, fo that their young fhoots are full of 
fap in the autumn, and the firft froft commonly kills 
their tops, which frequently caufes them to die great 
part of their length. 
It may alfo be propagated by laying down the young 
branches, which, in a light foil, will put out roots in 
a year’s time, but thefe layers fhould not be much 
watered •, for as the fnoots are tender, moifture will 
often occafion their rotting, when it is given in quam 
titles, or too often repeated •, therefore the beft me- 
thod is to cover the furface of the ground in dry wea- 
ther, all round the layers, either with mulch or rotten 
tan, which will preferve a lufficient moifture in the 
ground, provided the feafon is not extremely dry j 
in which cafe they fhould have a little water once in 
eight or ten days, which will be fufficient, 
The beft time for laying down thefe branches is in 
autumn ; and if after this is performed, the furface of 
the ground is covered over with fome old tan, taken 
from a decayed hot-bed, it will prevent the froft from 
penetrating the ground, which will fecure them from 
injury ; and the fame covering will prevent the winds 
from drying the ground in the fpring, and thereby 
promote their putting out roots, Thefe layers, when 
rooted, may be taken up the following fpring, and 
treated in the fame manner as thofe railed from 
feeds. 
The fecond fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope, from whence it was originally brought to Hob 
land, and has been many years preferved there j and 
fince has been communicated to moft of the curious 
gardens in Europe, where it has been long known by 
the title of Alaternoides, &c. and by fome authors 
it is titled Ricinoides Africana arborefcens, &c. but 
Dr. Linnaeus, having examined the characters mom 
exadlly, has joined it to this genus. 
This rifes to the height of ten or twelve feet, with 
a woody item, covered with a rough dark-coloured 
bark, and fends out many weak branches, which 
hang downward thefe while young are green, but 
afterward change to a purplifh colour, They are 
garniflied with oblong pointed leaves, of a lucid 
green, which are frnooth, and {lightly fawed on their 
edges. The flowers are fmali, of an herbaceous co^ 
lour, coming out from the fide of the branches ; thefe 
fometimes appear in July, but are not fucceeded by 
feeds in this country, nor do the plants often produce 
flowers •, fo that they are preferved only for the beauty 
of their fhining evergreen leaves, which make a va-? 
riety in the green-houfe during the winter feafon. 
It may be propagated either by layers or cuttings 1 the 
latter being a very fure and expeditious method, is 
generally preferred. The cuttings fhould be planted 
in the fpring into pots filled with good kitchen-garden 
earth, and plunged into a very moderate hot-bed, ob- 
ferving to fhade them in the heat of the day, and 
now and then refrefh them with water. In about two 
months or lefs, they will have taken root, when they 
muft be gradually inured to the open air, placing 
them in a fheltered fituation till they have obtained 
ftrength, when they may be feparated, and each 
planted in a fmali pot filled with light earth, placing 
them in the lhade till they have taken frefti root j 
then they may be removed, and intermixed with other 
exotic plants for the fumrner feafon. In autumn they 
muft be houfed with Myrtles, and other more hardy 
exotic plants, and treated in the fame manner, 
The third fort grows naturally in the Bahama Iflands, 
from whence the late Mr. Catefby brought the feeds 
to England. It alfo grows naturally in Barbadoes, 
and fome other iflands in the Weft Indies, from 
whence I have received the feeds, This, in the coum 
tries of its natural growth, rifes to the height of forty 
or fifty feet, with large trunks, which are by the in- 
habitants fawn into hoards, and were at firft efteemed 
for the beauty of their colour ; but being expofed to 
the air, their colour vanifhed and they became pale s 
fo have not fince been much regarded. 
In Europe, where the plants have been properly 
treated, they have grown to the height of twenty 
feet •, and if the ftoves in which they were placed had 
been lofty enough, would have grown much higher, 
The ftem is ftrong, woody, and is covered with a 
light brown bark, which, when young, has feveraj 
furrows ; the branches come out irregularly from 
every fide the ftem, garnifned with pretty large oval 
leaves, of a light green colour, having feveral Ion oft 
tudinal veins inclining to white. The flowers are 
fmali, of an herbaceous white, fo make little appear? 
ance ; they come out from the wings of the leaves 
and, in their native foil, are fucceeded by roundifh 
fruit almoft the fize of fmali Peafe, opening in thref 
cells ; in each is inclofed one finning black feed. 
G O' OP 
M & & 
\ 
IIS 
