CHE 
originally, becaufe this plant was Formerly cultivated 
in kitchen-gardens for ufe ; and in fome of the nor- 
thern counties, the people ftill preferve it in their gar- 
dens as an efeulent herb •, which in the fpring feafon, 
they drels in the fame manner as Spinach, for which 
it is a fubftitute. But, as the latter is a much better 
herb, it has obtained the preference very juftly, in all 
the countries where the' culture of the kitchen-garden 
is underftood. 
The fecond fort is very common upon dunghills, 
and in gardens, in molt parts of England : it is fel- 
dom cultivated, except in fome phyfic-gardens ; for 
the markets in London are fupplied with it by the 
herb-women, who gather it in the places where it 
grows wild. 
The third fort is fometimes cultivated in gardens ; 
it is a beautiful plant, which is naturally difpofed to 
grow very clofe and thick, and in as regular a pyra- 
mid as if cut by art. The leaves are of a pleafant 
green; and were it not for that, it hath fo much of 
the appearance of a Cyprus-tree, that at fome diftance 
it might be taken for the fame, by good judges : the 
feeds ihould be fown in autumn ; and in the fpring, 
when the plants are come up, they may be planted 
into pots of good earth, and kept fupplied with wa- 
ter in dry weather : thefe pots may be intermixed 
with other plants to adorn court-yards, &c. where 
they will appear very handfome, until their feeds be- 
gin to fwell and grow heavy;, which weigh down and 
difplace the branches ; at which time the pots Ihould 
be removed to fome abjeft part of the garden, to 
perfed their feeds ; which, if permitted to fall upon 
the ground, will come up the next fpring ; fo that you 
need be at no more trouble in propagating thefe 
plants, but only to tranfplant them where you intend 
they Ihould grow. 
The fifth fort was formerly ufed in medicine; but 
although it ftill continues in the catalogue of fimples 
annexed to the London Difpenfatory, yet is very fel- 
dom ufed at prefent. This plant may be propagated 
by fowing the feeds in an open border of good earth 
in the fpring, where it will per fed its feeds in au- 
tumn ; which, if permitted to fhed upon the ground, 
will arife as the former. 
The fourth fort was brought from America, where 
the feeds are called Worm Seed, I fuppofe from 
fome quality contained in it, which deftroys worms 
in the body. 
This is propagated by fowing the feeds in the fpring, 
as the before-mentioned fort, and will perfed its feed 
in autumn; after which, the plant decays to the 
ground : but if the root be preferved in fhelter un- 
der a common frame in winter, the ftalk's will rife 
again the following fpring. 
The leaves of this plant emit a very ftrong odour 
when bruifed, fomewhat like thofe of the Ambroiia, 
for which the plants are preferved in gardens, for the 
fiower hath no beauty. This plant grows naturally 
in rnoft parts of North America, where it is generally 
called Worm Seed. It fends up feveral ftalks from 
the root, which rife about two feet high, garnifhed 
with oblong leaves a little indented on their edges, of 
a light green, and placed alternately on the ftalks ; 
the flowers come out from the wings of the leaves 
on the upper part of the branches, in loofe fpikes : 
thefe appear in July, and the feeds ripen in Septem- 
ber ; which, if permitted to fcatter, the plants will 
come up the following fpring, when a few of them 
may be tranfplanted into pots filled with kitchen-gar- 
den earth, to be preferved through the winter ; and 
the others may be planted in the common borders, 
where they will flower and perfedt their feeds ; but 
unlefs the winter is very favourable, the roots will be 
deftroyed. 
The feeds of all the fpecies of this genus will fuc- 
ceed beft, if they are fown in autumn ; for when they 
are fown in the fpring, they frequently lie a whole 
year before the plants come up : therefore where the 
feeds of any of them fcatter, the plants will come up 
much better than thofe which are fown by hand. 
The fifth fort is annual : this alfo grows naturally in 
North America, from whence I have frequently re- | 
ceived the feeds. 7 It is alfo a native of many of the 
warm countries in Europe. This hath many oblong 
leaves at the bottom, which are deeply finuated on 
both iides, fomewhat like thofe of the Oak-tree, 
from whence it received the title of Oak of Jerufalem. 
Theft are purple on their under fide, and when bruif- 
ed, emit a ftrong odour. The ftalks rife about eight 
or nine inches high, dividing into feveral fmaller 
branches. The lower part of thefe is garnifhed with 
leaves of the fame fhape with thofe below, but are 
fmaller. The flowers grow in naked loofe fpikes, 
divided into many parts : they are fmall, herbace- 
ous, and are fucceeded by fmall round feeds. This 
fort flowers in June and July, and the feeds ripen in 
autumn. 
The fixth fort hath leaves very like thofe of the 
fourth, and have the fame feent : but this hath a 
fhrubby ftalk, which rifts five or fix feet high, and 
divides into many branches. It is a native of Ame- 
rica, and muft be houfed in the winter, for it will 
not live through the winter in England in the open 
air. It is eafily propagated by cuttings during any 
of the fummer months, which, if planted in a fhady 
border, and duly watered, will foon take root ; and 
then may be planted in pots filled with light earth, 
and placed in the fhade till they have taken new root, 
after which they may be placed with other hardy ex- 
otic plants in a fheltered fituation during fummer ; 
and when the froft comes on, they muft be removed 
into the green-houfe ; but they only require protec- 
tion from hard frofts, and fhould have plenty of air 
in mild weather. This grows naturally in the Brafils. 
The feventh fort grows naturally at Buenos Ayres ; 
this rifts with a fhrubby ftalk three or four feet high, 
garnifhed with oblong leaves, which are cut into 
many linear fegments ; the flowers fit clofe to the 
ftalks, which, like the other fpecies of this genus, 
have no petals, but the empalement inclofes five flen- 
der ftamina : the germen fupports two ftyles, crowned 
by obtufe ftigma. 
This is a perennial plant, which retains its leaves 
through the year, fo will add to the variety in a 
green-houfe in winter, but has little other beauty to 
recommend it. This may be propagated by cuttings, 
which, if planted in a bed of light earth during any 
of the fummer months, and duly fhaded and watered, 
will put out roots ; then they may be tranfplanted into 
pots, and may be placed with other hardy exotic 
plants in fummer, but muft be fheltered from froft in 
winter. 
CHERRY-LAUREL. See Padus* 
CHER R Y-T REE. See Cerasus. 
CHERVIL. See Sc andix. 
CHESNUT. See Castanea. 
C H E S N UT, the Horfe. See EscuLtiSi 
CHION ANTHUS. Lin. Gen. Plant. 21. The Fringe, 
or Snowdrop- tree. This title was given to this plant 
by Dr. Van Royen, from the whitenefs of its flow- 
ers : the inhabitants of America, where this tree is a 
native, call it Snowdrop-tree, for the fame reafon : 
and the Dutch call it Sneebaum, i. e. Snow-tree, on 
the fame account. 
The Characters are. 
It hath a permanent empalement cf one leaf. \ which is 
erect, and cut into four acute parts ; the flower is of one 
petal , having a floor t fpreading tube the length of the em- 
palement , and the upper part is cut into flour very long 
narrow fegments , which are ereH. It hath two floor t 
ftamina mflerted in the tube of the petal , which are ter- 
minated by upright heart-jhaped fummits. In the center 
is placfd the oval germen , fupporting a Jingle flyle , 
crowned by an obtufe trifid ftigma. T 'he germen after- 
ward becomes a round berry with one cell , inclofmg one 
hard feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fedtion of 
Linnseus’s fecond clafs, in-titled Diandria Mono- 
gynia, the flower having two ftamina and one 
, ftyle. 
\h5 
We 
