COM 
which twift about each other, or the neighbouring 
plants, like the common Bindweed. Thefe are gar- 
nifhed with heart-fhaped leaves, which are foft to the 
touch, like thofe of the Marfh Mallow. The flow- 
ers are produced at the joints on the fide or the italics, 
feveral handing together on the fame foot-ftahc j they 
are white, and fhaped like thofe of the common great 
Bindweed. Thefe are fucceeded by round capiules, 
having three cells, which contain two feeds in each. 
The roots of this plant, which is the only part ufed 
in medicine, are brought to us from India, it is titled 
Turpethum, or Turbith in the fhops. 
This plant is tender, fo will not live in the open air 
in England ; it is propagated by feeds, which muft 
be fown on a hot-bed ; and when the plants are fit to 
remove, they fliould be each planted in a fsparate pot, 
and plunged into a hot-bed of tanners bark, and 
fcreened from the fun till they have taken frefh root, 
and afterward mull be treated in the fame manner as 
hath been direded for the eighth fort. 
The thirty-firft fort is the Jalap which is ufed in me- 
dicine. This grows naturally at Haleppo, in^the 
Spanifh Weft-Indies, fituated between La Vera Cruz 
and Mexico. The root of this plant hath been long 
ufed in medicine, but it was not certainly known, 
what plant it was produced from'. The old title 
of this was Mechoacana nigra, but father Plunder 
afferted that it was the root of one fpecies.of Marvel 
of Peru •, from whence Tournefort was induced to 
conftitute a genus from that plant, under the title of 
Jalapa. But Mr. Ray, from better information, put 
it among the Convolvuli, and titled it Convolvulus 
Americanus, Jalapium didus. This was by the late 
Dr. Houftoun certainly afcertained, who brought 
fome of the roots of this plant from the Spanifh 
Weft-Indies to Jamaica, where he planted them, 
with a defign of cultivating the plants in that ifland, 
where he obferved them to thrive, during his abode 
there : but foon after he left the country, the perfon 
to whofe care he committed them, was fo carelefs as 
to fuffer hogs to root them out of the ground, and 
deftroy them ; fo that there was no remains of them 
left, when he returned there ; nor have I heard of this 
plant being introduced into any of the Britifh iflands 
fince. 
A few years paft I received a few of the feeds of this 
plant, which fucceeded in the Chelfea garden, where 
the plants throve very well, but did not produce any 
flowers. This hath a large root of an oval form, 
which is full of a milky juice ; from which come out 
many herbaceous triangular twining ftalks, rifling 
eight or ten feet, garnifhed with variable leaves, fome 
of them being heart-fhaped, others angular, and fome 
oblong and pointed. They are fmooth, and ftand 
upon long foot-ftalks ; and from a drawing of the 
plant, made by a Spaniard in the country, where it 
grows naturally, who gave it to Dr. Houfton, and is 
now in my pofieffion, the flowers are fhaped like 
thofe of the common Great Bindweed, each foot-ftalk 
fupporting one flower. But as it is only a pencil 
drawing, fo the colour is not expreffed, therefore I 
can give no farther account of it. The feeds of this 
are covered with very white down like cotton. 
As this plant is a native of a warm country, fo it will 
not thrive in England, unlefs it is preferved in a 
warm ftove •, therefore the feeds muft be fown on a 
hot-bed, and the plants put into pots, and plunged 
into a hot-bed of tanners bark, and treated in the 
fame manner as the eighth fort •, with this difference 
only, that as this hath large, fiefhy, fucculent roots, 
fo they fliould have but little water given them, ef- 
pecially in winter, left it caufe them to rot. They 
fliould be planted in light fandy earth not too rich, 
for the fame reafon, and the plants fhould always re- 
main in the bark-ftove. 
The root of Jalap is efteemed an excellent cathartic 
medicine, purging ferous watery humours efpecially, 
and is of Angular fervice in dropfies, and for rheu- 
matic diforders. But the quantity of the root which 
is ufed in medicine, is not fufficient to render the in- 
j, i 
trodudion of this plant into the BritfPn colonies, & 
matter of great concern. But fince the diftiilers and 
brewers haye found out its ufe for exciting a fermen- 
tation, the confumption of it is now fo great, as that 
it would become a national benefit, if it were pro- 
duced in the Britifh iflands •, which might be focfn ef- 
feded, were the inhabitants of thofe iflands a little 
more attentive to their own, and the public benefit, 
CONYZA. Lin. Gen. Phlnt. 854. Tourn Inft. R. 
IT. 454. tab. 259. [of KmWJ, 'Or- becaufe the leaves, 
being hung up, drive away gnats and fleas, as Diof- 
co rides fays :] Flea-bane. 
The Characters are. 
It hath a compound flower , made Up of many hermaphrodite 
florets , which compofe the diflk and female half floret c , 
which are ranged round the border , and form the rays i 
the hermaphrodite florets are funnel floaped , and cut into 
five parts at the brim., which fpread open •, thefe have each 
five J'hcrt hairy ftamina , terminated by cylindrical fum- 
mits 5 iti the bottom of each floret is fituated a gennen 
fupporting a fender flyle , crowned by a bifid ftigma. 'The 
female half florets or rays , are funnel-Jhaped , and cut into 
three parts at the top •, thefe have a germen , with a 
fender flyle , terminated by two fender ftigmas , but have 
no ftamina . All thefe are included in a common fcaly em- 
palement , ivhich is oblong and flquare ; the fcales are 
pointed , and the outer ones fpread 1 open. The hermaphro- 
dite and female florets , are each fucceeded by one oblong 
feed , crowned with down , fitting upon a plain receptacle , 
and are included in the empalement. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fedion 
of Linnaeus’s nineteenth clafs, inritled Syngenefla 
Polygamia fuperflua. The plants of this fedion have 
hermaphrodite and female florets, which are both 
fruitful. 
The Species are, 
1. Conyza ( Sqy.arrofa ) foliis lanceolatis acutis, caule 
annuo corymbofo. Hort. Cliff. 405. Flea-bane with 
pointed fpear-floaped leaves , an annual ftalk, and flowers 
growing in roundijh bunches. Conyza major vulgaris. 
C. B. P. 265. Common greater Flea-bane. 
2. Conyza ( Bifrons ) foliis ovato oblongis, amplexicau- 
libus. Hort. Cliff. 405. Flea-bane with oblong oval leaves 
embracing the ftalks. Eupatoria Conyzoides maxima 
Canadenfis, foliis caulem ampiexantibus. Pluk. Aim. 
3. Conyza ( Candidas ) foliis ovatis tomentofri, flonbus 
confertis, pedunculis lateralibus terminalibufque, 
Hort. Cliff. 405. Flea-bane with oval woolly leaves , 
flowers growing in clufters , and foot-ftalhs proceeding from 
the fides and terminating the ftalks. Conyza Cretica 
fruticofa, folio molli candidiffimo& tomentofo. Tourn. 
Cor - 33 - 
4. Conyza [Fobata) folds inferioribus trifidis, fuperiori- 
bus ovato lanceolatis obfolete ferratis floribus corym- 
bofis. Hort. Cliff. 405. Flea bane whofe under leaves 
are trifid , thofe above oval and fpear-floaped , and flowers 
growing in round bunches. Conyza arborefeens lutea, 
folio trifido. Plum. Cat. 9. 4 
5. Conyza (T omentofis ) arborefeens, foliis oblongo ova- 
tis, tomentofls, fubtus cinereis, floribus terminalibus 
pedunculis racemofis. Tree Flea-bane with oblong zvoolly 
leaves , of an AJh colour on their under fide , and flowers 
terminating the branches , funding upon branching foot- 
ftalks. Conyza arborefeens, tomentofa, foliis oblon- 
gis, floribus in fummitatibus racemorum, ramofls 
fparfis albicantibus. Houft. MSS. 
6 . Conyza ( Salicifolius ) foliis linearibus decurrentibns 
ferratis, floribus corymbofis terminalibus. Flea-bane 
with narrow running leaves , and flowers in round bunches 
terminating the ftalks. Conyza herbacea, caule alato, 
Salicis folio, floribus umbellatis purpureis minoribUs. 
Houft. MSS. 
7. Conyza ( Ccrymbofa ) arborefeens, foliis lanceolatis, 
floribus Corymbofis, terminalibus pedunculis race- 
mofis. Tree Flea-bane with fpear-floaped leaves , and 
flowers growing in round bunches at the end of the /hoots , 
having branching foot ftalks. Conyza arborefeens, fo- 
liis oblongis floribus flngulis tribus flofculis conftan- 
tibus. Houft. MSS. 
4 E 8, Conyza 
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