DAM 
DAL 
AFFODIL. See Narcissus. 
DAISIES. See Bellis. 
DALECHAMPIA. Lin. Ceil. Plant. 
1022. Plum. Nov. Gen. 17. tab. 38. 
This plant was fo named by father Plunder, in honour 
of the memory of Jacobus Dalechamp, who was a 
curious botanift. 
The Characters are, 
It hath male and female flowers on the fame plant ; the 
male flowers are fituatcd between two braclea ; they have 
a common involucrum cut into four erebl fegments ; the 
empalement is compofed of fix obtufe oval leaves , reflexed at 
their points. 'They have no petals , but have a broad nec- 
tarium , having many plain folds lying over each other , 
and many ftamina joined in a long column , terminated by 
roundijh fummits having four furrows ; the female flowers 
are alfo fituated in the fame manner as the male ; thefe 
have a permanent three-leaved involucrum , and each have 
a permanent ten-leaved empalement ; they have no petals , 
but a roundijh germen floor ter than the empalement , having 
three furrows fupporting a long Jlender ftyle , bending to- 
ward the male flowers , crowned by a headed ftigma ; the 
germen afterward becomes a roundijh capfule with three 
cells , inclofng one roundijh feed in each. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the ninth fe£lion of 
Linnaeus's twenty-firft clafs, intitled Monoecia Mo- 
nadelphia, the plants having male and female flow- 
ers on the fame root, and the ftamina of the male 
flowers are joined in one body to the ftyle. 
We have but one Species of this in England, viz. 
Dalechampia (Scan dens) foliis trilobis glabris, floribus 
axillaribus caule volubili. Dalechampia with fmooth 
leaves having three lobes , flowers growing from the fides 
cf the branches , and a twining flalk. Dalechampia 
Icandens, lupuli foliis, fruftu tricocco glabro, calyce 
hifpido. Elouft. MSS. 
This plant grows naturally in Jamaica, from whence 
the late Dr. Houftoun fent me the feeds, which fuc- 
ceeded in the Chelfea garden, where the plants have 
flowered and perfected their feeds. This muft be a 
different plant from that which Plumier found 
growing in Martinico, or he has taken the involucrum 
for the feed-veffel by his title of it ; for he calls it 
frudtu tricocco hifpido, whereas this hath a fmooth 
fruit with a hifpid empalement. 
It hath a root compofed of many fibres, which ex- 
tend to a great diftance, from which arife feveral 
weak twining ftalks, that fallen themfelves to the 
neighbouring plants, and mount up to a conflderable 
height ; thefe are garnilhed at each joint by one leaf, 
having three lobes ; they are fmooth, the two fide 
lobes are oblique to the midrib, but the middle one 
is equal. The flowers are produced from the fide of 
the ftalks, three or four growing upon each foot- 
ftalk; fome of thefe are male, and others female; 
they are of an herbaceous colour, and fmall, fo make 
no appearance ; they have each a double involucrum, 
made up of two orders of leaves, which are narrow, 
and armed with fmall briftly hairs, which fting the 
hands of thofe who unwarily touch them ; the flowers 
are fucceeded by roundifh capfules, having three pro- 
minent lobes which are fmooth, each inclofing a 
Angle feed. 
This plant is propagated by feeds, which muft be 
fown early in the ip ring on a hot-bed ; and when the 
plants are come up three inches high, they Ihould 
be carefully tranfplanted, each into a feparate fmall 
pot, filled with light rich earth, and then plunged 
into a hot-bed of tanners bark, being careful to fcreen 
them from the fun until they have taken new root ; 
after which time the glaffes of the hot-bed ihould be 
railed every day, in proportion to the heat of the 
weather, to admit frefh air to the plants ; they muft 
alfo be frequently watered, for they naturally grow 
in moift places. When the plants have grown fo 
large as to fill thefe pots with their roots, they ihould 
be removed into larger pots, and placed in the bark- 
bed in the ftove, where they muft be fupported 
either with flakes or a trellis, round which they 
will twine, and rife to the height of eight or ten feet. 
Thefe plants muft be kept conftantly in the ftove, 
for they are too tender to bear the open air in this 
country, even in the fummer feafon ; therefore they 
fhould be placed with Convolvulufes, and other 
twining plants, near the back of the ftove, where 
fhould be made an efpalier to fupport them ; in which 
fituation they will thrive, and produce their flowers, 
and fometimes will perfedl their feeds in this country; 
but, in order to this, they fhould have a large fliare 
of frefh air in warm weather, by drawing down the 
upper glaffes of the ftove ; but in winter the ftove 
fhould be kept to a temperate heat, or rather higher. 
In fummer they will require a large fhare of water, 
but in winter it fhould be given to them in lefs quan- 
tities, but muft be frequently repeated. Thefe 
plants do not continue above two years, fo that 
young plants fhould be railed in order to preferve the 
kind. 
DAMASONIUM, Star-headed Water Plantain. 
The Characters are, > 
It hath a flower compofed of three leaves , which are 
placed orbicularly , and expand in form of a Rofe : out of 
the flower-cup rifles the point al, which afterward becomes 
a ftar-Jhaped fruity with many cells , which are full of 
oblong feeds. 
The Species are, 
1. Damasonium ( Alifma ) ftellatum. Lugd. Star-headed 
Water Plantain. 
2. Damasonium ( Flava ) Americanum maximum, 
plantaginis folio, flore fiavefcente, fruclu globofo. 
Plum. Great eft American Water Plantain^ with a Plan- 
tain leaf a yellowifh flower , and a globular fruit. 
The firft of thefe plants is a native of England ; it 
grows commonly in Handing waters, which are not 
very deep. It is fometimes ufed in medicine, but ne- 
ver cultivated in gardens, fo muft be gathered for 
ufe in the places of its growth. 
The fecond fort grows in Jamaica, Barbadoes, and 
feveral other places in the warm parts of America, 
where it is generally found in ftagnating waters, and 
other fwampy places ; fo that it would be difficult 
to preferve this plant in England, for it will not live 
in the open air, and requires a bog to make it 
thrive ; but as it is a plant of no great beauty or 
ufe, it is not worth the trouble of cultivating in this 
country. 
DANDELION. See Leontodon. 
DAPHNE. Lin. Gen. Plant. 436. Thymetea. 
Tourn. Inft. R. H, 594, tab. 3 66. Spurge Laurel, or 
Mezereon. 
The 
