C L I 
t LET HR A. Gron. FI. Virg. 43. Lin. den. Plant. 
489. 
The Characters are, 
The flower hath a permanent empalement of one leaf \ which 
is cut into five parts ; it hath five oblong petals , which 
are longer than the empalement ; it hath ten Jl amma woich 
are as long as the petals , and are terminated by oblong 
■ere ft fummits ; in the center is fitnated a roundijh germen 
fupporting a permanent ereft ftyle , crowned by a trifid 
fiigma. The germen afterward becomes a roundifh cap fide 
inclofed by the empalement , having three cells, which are 
full of angular feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fecftion of 
Linnaeus’s tenth clafs, intitled Decandria Monogynia, 
the flowers having ten ftamina, and one ftyle. 
We know but one Species of this genus at pre- 
fent, viz. 
Clethra ( Alnifolia ) Gron. Virg. 47. There is no Englifh 
title to this plant , it is the Alnifolia Americana fer- 
rata, floribus pentapetalis albis in fpicam difpofitis. 
Pluk. Aim. 18. American Shrub with an Alder flawed 
leaf . , and white five-leaved flowers , difpofed in afpike. 
This ftirub is a native of Virginia and Carolina, where 
it grows in moift places, and near the fldes of rivu- 
lets, rifling to the height of eight or ten feet, but in 
this country it rarely rifes to half that height : the 
leaves are in fhape like thofe of the Alder-tree, but 
are longer; thefe are placed alternately upon the 
branches the flowers are produced at the extremity 
of the branches, in clofe fpikes : they are compofed 
of rive leaves, are white, and have ten ftamina in 
each, which are nearly of the fame length with the 
petals, this plant flowers in July, and when the au- 
tumn proves favourable, there are often fome fpikes 
of flowers again in Oftober. 
This is hardy enough to bear the open air in Eng- 
land, and is one of the moft beautiful fhrubs at the 
feafon of its flowering ; which is very little later than 
in its native country, being commonly in flower here 
by the beginning of July ; and if the feafon is not 
very hot, there will be part of the fpikes in beauty 
till the beginning of Auguft ; and as moft of the 
branches are terminated with thefe fpikes of flowers, 
fo when the fhrubs are ftrong, they make a fine ap- 
pearance at that feafon. 
This will thrive much better in moift land than in 
dry ground,' and requires a fheltered fituation, where 
it may be defended from ftrong winds, which fre- 
quently break off the branches, where they are too 
much expofed to its violence. It is propagated by 
layers, but they are generally two years before they 
get root, fo that at prefent it is rare in England. 
The fineft fhrubs of this kind, which I have yet feen, 
are in the curious garden of his grace the late duke 
of Argyle, at Whitton near Hounftow, where they 
thrive as well as in their native country. They may 
alfo be propagated by fuckers, which are fent out 
from their roots ; if thefe are carefully taken off with 
fibres in the autumn, and planted into a nurfery-bed, 
they will be ftrong enough in two years to tranfplant 
where they are to remain. 
It may alfo be propagated by feeds, which muft be 
procured from the countries where it grows naturally, 
for the feeds are not perfected in England. But as 
thefe feldom arrive here till fpring, fo when they are 
flown at that feafon, the plants will not come up till 
the following fpring. Therefore the feeds flhould be 
flown in pots, and placed in a fhady fituation till au- 
tumn, then placed under a frame in winter-, the plants 
Will come up the next fpring, and in autumn may be 
tranfplanted into a nurfery-bed, to get ftrength before 
they are placed to remain for good. 
CLIFFORTIA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 1004. 
The name was given to this genus of plants by Dr. 
Linnseu^, in honour of Mr. George Clifford of Am- 
fterdam ; a great colleftor of plants, and a patron 
of.botanifts, who has printed a folio book of the 
plants in his garden, with feveral copper-plates, ex- 
hibiting the figures of many of the moft curious plants. 
We have no Englifh name for it. 
The Char acters are, . 
It hath male and female flowers in different plants : tht 
male flowers have a fpreading empalement , compofed of 
three fmall, oval , concave leaves. It hath no petals , but 
a great number of hairy upright ftamina , which are the , 
length of the empalement , terminated by eompr'ejfed , oblongs 
twin fummits. The female flowers have a permanent em- 
palement, compofed of three leaves which are equal , fitting 
upon the germen ; thefe have no petals , but the oblong 
germen which is fituated below the empalement , fupport 's 
two long , fiender , feathered ftyles , 'terminated by a Jingle 
fiigma ; the germen afterward becomes an oblong taper 
capfule , with two cells crowned by the empalement , in- 
eluding one narrow taper feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the tenth feeftion of 
Linnsus’s twenty-fecond clafs, intitled Dicecia Po~ 
lyandria ; the plants of this fedion and clafs have 
male and female flowers on different plants, and the 
male flowers have a great number of ftamina. 
The Species are, 
1. Cliffortia (. llicifolio ) foliis fubcordatis, dentatis. 
Lin. Sp. Plant. 1308. Cliffortia with heart-fhaped in- 
dented leaves. Arbufcula Afr. folio acuto ilicis cau- 
lem amplexo rigido. Boerh. Ind. alt. 2. 
2. Cliffortia ( Trifoliata ) foliis ternatis, intermedia 
tridentato. Prod: Leyd. 253. Three-leaved Cliffortia , 
whofe middle leaf is cut in three parts. _ Myrica foliis 
ternatis, intermediis cuneiformibus tridentatis. Hort. 
Cliff. 456. 
3. Cliffortia ( Rufcifolia ) foliis lanceolatis, integerri- 
mis. Hort. Cliff. 463. Cliffortia with fpear-Jhaped leaves 
which are entire. Frutex flEthiopicus conifer, frudu 
parvo, fparfim intra folia rufei, feminibus cylin- 
draceis. 
The firft fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope, but hath been long cultivated in many of the 
Engliih gardens ; however it was not reduced to any 
genus, till Dr. Linnaeus eftablilhed this, and gave 
it the title. By fome former writers it was called 
Camphorata, to which genus it had no relation. 
It rifes with a weak Ihrubby ftalk four or five feet 
high, fending out many diffufed branches, which 
fpread out on every fide, requiring fome fupport : 
thefe are garnilhed with leaves, which are heart- 
Ihaped at their bafe, but broad at their ends; where 
they are lharply indented. They are very ftiff, of 
a grayifh colour, and clofely embrace the ftalks with 
their bafe, and are placed alternate on the branches ; 
from the bofom of thefe arife a fingle flower, fitting 
clofe to the branch, having no foot-ftalk. Before 
the empalement is fpread open, it forms, a bud, in 
lhape and fize of thofe of the Caper this empale- 
ment is compofed of three green leaves, which af- 
terwards fpread open, and then the numerous fta- 
mina appear Handing ere& thefe, as- alfo the inner 
furface of the empalement, are of a yellowifh green 
colour. The flowers appear in June, July, and Au- 
guft, but the leaves continue in verdure through the 
year. 
All the plants which I have feen of this fort, either 
in the Englifh or Dutch gardens, were male, nor 
have I heard of any female plants being in any of the 
European gardens. 
This plant is eafily propagated by cuttings, which 
may be planted in any of the fummer months; if thefe 
are planted in fmall pots filled with light earth, and 
plunged into a very moderate hot-bed they will foon 
take root, provided they are fereened from the fun 
and duly watered ; when they have taken root, they 
muft be gradually inured to bear the. open air, to 
which they fhould be expofed, to prevent their drawing 
up weak : therefore they fhould be placed abroad till 
they have obtained fome ftrength, then they may be 
each tranfplanted into a feparate fmall pot, and placed 
in the fhade until they have taken frefh root ; after 
which they may be placed with other of the hardy 
kinds of exotic plants in a fheltered fituation till Oc- 
tober, when they fhould be removed into the green- 
houfe, or placed under a common hot-bed frame, 
where they may be fereened from the hard froft, but 
X x x enjoy 
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